Why are Tailored Messages More Effective? A Multiple Mediation Analysis of a Breast Cancer Screening Intervention

Past research has found that tailoring increases the persuasive effectiveness of a message. However, the observed effect has been small and the explanatory mechanism remains unknown. To address these shortcomings, a tailoring software program was created that personalized breast cancer screening pamphlets according to risk, health belief model constructs, and visual preference. Women aged 40 and older (N = 119) participated in a 2 (Tailored vs. Stock Message) × 2 (Charts/Graphs vs. Illustrated Visuals) × 3 (Nested Replications of the Visuals) experiment. Participants provided with tailored illustrated pamphlets expressed greater breast cancer screening intentions than those provided with other pamphlets. In a test of 10 different mediators, perceived message relevance was found to fully mediate the Tailoring × Visual interaction.     

Cathodoluminescence and Field-Emission Properties of β-Ga2O3 Nanobelts

β-Ga₂O₃ nanobelts were synthesized using a vapor transport process in a controlled ambient. Structural characterization revealed that the as-synthesized samples consisted of monoclinic β-Ga₂O₃ nanobelts, and the presence of gallium-associated defects was verified using cathodoluminescence (CL). The formation of gallium-associated defects was explained by the insufficiency of the supply of cations, generating gallium vacancies on the (010) facet during growth. Furthermore, field-emission measurements indicated that β-Ga₂O₃ nanobelts exhibited defect-related electron emission. The turn-on fields of β-Ga₂O₃ nanobelts increased significantly with the degree of structural defects. For a sample prepared under 15% ambient oxygen, Fowler–Nordheim (F–N) analysis revealed two distinct field-enhancement factors of 1194 and 276, respectively. A correlation between field emission and structural defects was proposed. The experimental results demonstrate the presence of gallium-associated defects, which behave as electron traps, degrading the electron field-emission properties of β-Ga₂O₃ nanobelts.     

Feedback stabilization of nonlinear Hamiltonian control systems

Abstract

Conditions for feedback stabilization of smooth affine nonlinear Hamiltonian systems such as robotic manipulators are given. Some results existing in the literature are unified and extended. Application to nonconservative bilinear systems in elasticity is illustrated.     

Thermal stability and strength of deformation microstructures in pure copper

The plastic flow field produced by machining is utilized to access a range of deformation parameters in pure copper: strains of 1–7, strain rates of 1–1000 s^?1 and temperatures as low as 77 K. The strength and stability of the severe plastic deformation microstructures including cellular, elongated, equiaxed and twinned types are characterized. Unique combinations of strengthening and stability are identified in the case of heavily twinned microstructures. These observations offer insights for improving the stability of both single-phase and multicomponent ultrafine-grained alloys.     

Nanostructured alignment layer for liquid crystals

A new type of nanostructured alignment surface is proposed and demonstrated. As in previous nanostructured alignment surfaces, a large pretilt angle of near 45° can be produced reliably. Moreover, this new structure is fabricated with a mask, and there is no randomness involved. The uniformity and anchoring properties of this new surface have been measured to be of excellent quality.     

Facilitation of consumer loyalty toward branded applications: The dual-route perspective

Although many brands develop mobile applications (apps) to build relationships with consumers, most branded apps fail to retain consumers’ loyalty. This study examines the facilitation of consumer loyalty toward branded apps (continuance intention, in-app purchase intention, and word-of-mouth intention) from the dual-route perspective. One route is the affective (relationship) route, where brand benefits (functional benefits, experiential benefits, symbolic benefits, and monetary benefits) drive parasocial interactions between consumers and the brand, which, in turn, influences branded app loyalty. The other route is the utility route, where system characteristics (system quality and information quality) affect perceived usefulness, which, in turn, facilitates branded app loyalty. An online survey was conducted, and the research model was empirically tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings support the dual-route perspective according to which both affective and utilitarian paths facilitate branded app loyalty. The key theoretical contribution of this study is that it moves beyond the utilitarian path and finds the affective (relationship) path to give a more complete picture of the facilitation of consumer loyalty in the branded app context. A strategy is provided to suggest to practitioners how to design branded apps to facilitate consumer loyalty.