Psychological reasons for consumer trust in e-retailing

This research in progress expands on existing research on e-retailing by examining the psychological factors that influence consumer trust in e-retailing. The psychological factors expected to influence trust are personality-based factors, perception-based factors, experience-based factors, knowledge-based factors and attitude. Hypotheses have been developed based on a thorough review of the trust literature. A pilot study has been conducted in the Netherlands and the results hereof are included in this paper.management information;

Phenomenology of Spiritual/Faith Growth Among College Students at a Christian University

Undergraduate Applie

Regularization and model selection in the context of density estimation

We propose a new information theoretically based optimization criterion for the estimation of mixture density models and compare it with other methods based on maximum likelihood and maximum a posterio estimation. For the optimization, we employ an evolutionary algorithm which estimates both structure and parameters of the model. Experimental results show that the chosen approach compares favourably with other methods for estimation problems with few sample data as well as for problems where the underlying density is non-stationary

Regularization and Model Selection in the Context of Density Estimation

We propose a new information theoretically based optimization criterion for the estimation of mixture density models and compare it with other methods based on maximum likelihood and maximum a posterio estimation. For the optimization, we employ an evolutionary algorithm which estimates both structure and parameters of the model. Experimental results show that the chosen approach compares favourably with other methods for estimation problems with few sample data as well as for problems where the underlying density is non-stationary

Complement activation in inflammatory skin diseases

The complement system is a fundamental part of the innate immune system, playing a crucial role in host defense against various pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Activation of complement results in production of several molecules mediating chemotaxis, opsonization, and mast cell degranulation, which can contribute to the elimination of pathogenic organisms and inflammation. Furthermore, the complement system also has regulating properties in inflammatory and immune responses. Complement activity in diseases is rather complex and may involve both aberrant expression of complement and genetic deficiencies of complement components or regulators. The skin represents an active immune organ with complex interactions between cellular components and various mediators. Complement involvement has been associated with several skin diseases, such as psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, cutaneous vasculitis, urticaria, and bullous dermatoses. Several triggers including auto-antibodies and micro-organisms can activate complement, while on the other hand complement deficiencies can contribute to impaired immune complex clearance, leading to disease. This review provides an overview of the role of complement in inflammatory skin diseases and discusses complement factors as potential new targets for therapeutic intervention

Arm hand skilled performance in cerebral palsy: activity preferences and their movement components

Background: Assessment of arm-hand use is very important in children with cerebral palsy (CP) who encounter arm-hand problems. To determine validity and reliability of new instruments to assess actual performance, a set of standardized test situations including activities of daily living (ADL) is required. This study gives information with which such a set for upper extremity skill research may be fine-tuned, relative to a specific research question. Aim of this study is to a) identify upper extremity related ADL children with CP want to improve on, b) determine the 10 most preferred goals of children with CP, and c) identify movement components of all goals identified. Method: The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure was used to identify upper extremity-related ADL preferences (goals) of 53 children with CP encountering arm-hand problems (mean age 9 +/- 4.5 year). Goals were ranked based on importance attributed to each goal and the number of times a goal was mentioned, resulting in a gross list with goals. Additionally, two studies were performed, i.e. study A to determine the 10 most preferred goals for 3 age groups (2.5-5 years; 6-11 years, 12-19 years), based on the total preference score, and study B to identify movement components, like reaching and grasping, of all goals identified for both the leading and the assisting arm-hand. Results: Seventy-two goals were identified. The 10 most preferred goals differed with age, changing from dressing and leisure-related goals in the youngest children to goals regarding personal care and eating for children aged 6-11 years. The oldest children preferred goals regarding eating, personal care and computer use. The movement components 'positioning', 'reach', 'grasp', and 'hold' were present in most tasks. 'Manipulating' was more important for the leading arm-hand, whereas 'fixating' was more important for the assisting arm-hand. Conclusion: This study gave insight into the preferences regarding ADL children with CP would like to improve on, and the movement components characterizing these activities. This information can be used to create a set of standardized test situations, which can be used to assess the validity and reliability of new measurement instruments to gauge actual arm-hand skilled performance

Different selectivities of oxidants during oxidation of methionine residues in the α-1-proteinase inhibitor

AbstractOxidation of the reactive site methionine (Met) in α-1-proteinase inhibitor (α-1-PI) to methionine sulfoxide (Met(O)) is known to cause depletion of its elastase inhibitory activity. To estimate the selectivity of different oxidants in converting Met to Met(O) in α-1-PI, we measured the molar ratio Met(O)/α-1-PI at total inactivation. This ratio was determined to be 1.2 for both the myeloperoxidase/H2O2/chloride system and the related compound NH2Cl. With taurine monochloramine, another myeloperoxidase-related oxidant, 1.05 mol Met(O) were generated per mol α-1-PI during inactivation. These oxidants attack preferentially one Met residue in α-1-PI, which is identical with Met 358, as concluded from the parallelism of loss of elastase inhibitory activity and oxidation of Met. A similar high specificity for Met oxidation was determined for the xanthine oxidase-derived oxidants. In contrast, the ratio found for ozone and m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid was 6.0 and 5.0, respectively, indicating oxidation of additional Met residues besides the reactive site Met in α-1-PI, i.e. unselective action of these oxidants. Further studies were performed on the efficiency of oxidants for total depletion of the elastase inhibitory capacity of α-1-PI. Ozone and m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid were 10-fold less effective and the superoxide anion/hydroxyl radicals were 30–50-fold less effective to inactivate the elastase inhibitory activity as compared to the myeloperoxidase-derived oxidants. The myeloperoxidase-related oxidants are discussed as important regulators of α-1-PI activity in vivo

Who Has Control in the Courtroom?: Maine Lawyers\u27 Process for Client Representation Family Matters Cases and How Perceptions of Coercive Control Impact Their Process

Supervising Professor: Rachel Casey Informed by the researcher’s work with women struggling through separation and child custody legal proceedings with their abusive male co-parents, the study seeks to understand if and how Maine’s court system considers intimate partner violence (IPV) in family matters cases. The research aims to gain specific insight into family lawyers’ understanding and consideration of coercive control—a term encompassing gender-based, psychologically abusive and controlling behaviors—when representing clients in divorce and parental rights and responsibilities cases. Under the label “post-separation abuse,” growing literature demonstrates the extent to which coercive control among separating co-parents manifests through the family court process. Research shows the many ways in which family courts have entirely discounted and/or misunderstood the experiences of IPV victimized parents when making child custody determinations, a process that is often complex and re-traumatizing for victim-survivors. To add, Maine funnels family matters cases through its underresourced district court system. To break down silos between systems supporting separating families and allow for more coordinated response to aid those experiencing abuse, it is crucial to identify gaps in Maine’s legal system that impact IPV-victimized parents in family matters cases. The present study aims to broaden understanding of the legal perspective on coercive control in the context of family matters to help bridge gaps between involved professions and inform policy change in Maine. 3 The study uses grounded theory methodology that aims to discover or construct theory from qualitative data using comparative analysis. The researcher collected data via interviewing 10 Maine attorneys with family law experience. Findings rendered a fairly linear process by which lawyers evaluate cases and make strategic decisions for representing clients; mutually reinforcing beliefs, experiences, and knowledge inform this process. Commonly identified challenges included striking a balance between validating clients’ abuse experiences with maintaining realistic desired case outcomes, Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders potentially complicating family matters and escalating abuse, and the adversarial nature of court proceedings. Study findings point to Maine family lawyers’ frustrations with the state legal system and their awareness of challenges that IPV victims face during the family matters process with their abusive co-parents. While the study has its limitations in terms of a small sample size and participant bias, potentially meaningful implications for legal and social work practice, policy, and research are discussed, such as: examining current state law for opportunities to expand the abuse definition to include coercive control similar to what the State of California has done (California Domestic Violence Prevention Act, 2020); implementing more systems coordination and cross-sector professional training on IPV/coercive control; further exploring alternative, non-adversarial, and trauma-informed models of family matters case resolution