Forming an intention to act on recommendations given via online social networks

Online social networks (OSN) are technology-enabled relationship tools in which a user creates a profile, connects to other individuals, and shares user-generated content with them. One of the many features OSN offer is the ability to post messages in the form of product and service recommendations. Although word-of-mouth research has examined this type of personal communication to intentionally influence consumer decisions, limited understanding exists regarding when a user acts upon a recommendation received from one of their contacts. In this study, we draw on relationship theories and research on trust to analyze the impact relationship characteristics and behaviors of the OSN contacts have on trust in the recommendation that subsequently leads a user to act on this OSN contact’s recommendation. The results of a survey of 116 OSN users showed that closeness, excessive posting behavior, and past recommendation experience have a positive impact on trust and intention to act on the recommendation. One characteristic of the relationships, that is, similarity, however, does not affect recommendation trust in the context of OSN. The findings enhance our understanding of relationships and their defining characteristics in OSN. The results also provide insights into how companies might leverage OSN in their marketing efforts.     

,,Location-based Services“ – Personalisierung mobiler Dienste durch Verortung

Zusammenfassung Im Zeitalter der Informationsgesellschaft, so wurde postuliert, spielten r?umliche Distanzen keine Rolle mehr und unsere r?umliche Mobilit?t n?hme ab. Die Mobilit?t in den letzten Jahren, speziell die Freizeitmobilit?t, hat hingegen zugenommen. Die Bereitstellung ortsbezogener Dienste – ,,Location-based Services“ – unterstützt und f?rdert dieses Verhalten.     

The relationship between learning styles and cognitive traits – Getting additional information for improving student modelling

Student modelling is an important process for adaptive virtual learning environments. Student models include a range of information about the learners such as their domain competence, learning style or cognitive traits. To be able to adapt to the learners’ needs in an appropriate way, a reliable student model is necessary, but getting enough information about a learner is quite challenging. Therefore, mechanisms are needed to support the detection process of the required information. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between learning styles, in particular, those pertaining to the Felder–Silverman learning style model and working memory capacity, one of the cognitive traits included in the cognitive trait model. The identified relationship is derived from links between learning styles, cognitive styles, and working memory capacity which are based on studies from the literature. As a result, we demonstrate that learners with high working memory capacity tend to prefer a reflective, intuitive, and sequential learning style whereas learners with low working memory capacity tend to prefer an active, sensing, visual, and global learning style. This interaction can be used to improve the student model. Systems which are able to detect either only cognitive traits or only learning styles retrieve additional information through the identified relationship. Otherwise, for systems that already incorporate learning styles and cognitive traits, the interaction can be used to improve the detection process of both by including the additional information of a learning style into the detection process of cognitive traits and vice versa. This leads to a more reliable student model.     

Nanoparticles in polymer-matrix composites

Regarding the development of nanoparticles for polymer matrix composites the particle/agglomerate size and particle/agglomerate distribution in the composites, respectively, is often crucial. This is exemplarily shown for, e.g. optical applications with measurements of refractive index and transmittance. Classical blending techniques, where nanoparticles are dispersed in polymers or resins, are compared to a combination of a special gas-phase synthesis method with subsequent in-situ deposition of nanoparticles in high-boiling liquids. The particles/agglomerates were characterized regarding particle size and particle size distribution using transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Additionally, important material properties like mechanical properties, relevant for application, or like viscosity, relevant for processing, are determined. It is shown, that with in-situ dispersed nanoparticles synthesized in a microwave plasma process composites with finely dispersed particles/agglomerates are attainable.     

Geschlechterforschung ist Wissenschaftsforschung – Wissenschaftsforschung ist Geschlechterforschung

The articles collected in this number all originate from a section of the 2004 annual meeting of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Medizin, Naturwissenschaft und Technik.The section was organized by the Berlin Feminist Science Studies Workgroup (BFSSW) at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin. The contributions are dedicated to recent accounts and research topics in a field constituted by the intersection between 20th century (life) sciences and gender studies.They view modern life sciences as situated in hybrid fields of theory and practice, public and scientific discourse, of experimental procedures and practices of control. Methodological approaches range from Derrida’s notion of deconstruction, Foucault’s regulatory power and governmentality, Butler’s method of analyzing performativity and Haraway’s situated knowledge. They focus on dispositifs of research and regulation, visualizing procedures in the human sciences, and the emergence of new objects of biopolitics. One contribution focuses on the ‘politics of emotions’ and the paradoxical effects of laughter in ‘sexed’ and ‘gendered’ discourses and explores the productivity of humor for a gender-sensitive way of ‘doing history’. This introduction deals with recent developments in – mainly German – gender studies during the last two decades under the triple perspective of women in science, science of gender and gender in science.

---

Geschlechterforschung ist Wissenschaftsforschung – Wissenschaftsforschung ist Geschlechterforschung Einführung in den Themenschwerpunkt “Wissenschaftsgeschichte als Geschlechtergeschichte”

     

Daily recovery experiences: The role of volunteer work during leisure time.

This study focused on the role of volunteer work for daily recovery from work. In a 1-week diary study with 166 employees, we assessed the amount of time spent on volunteer work during leisure time, and the recovery facets of psychological detachment from work (i.e., mentally switching off from work), mastery experiences (i.e., pursuing challenging activities), and community experiences (i.e., cultivating relationships) every day before participants went to bed. Results from hierarchical linear modeling (n = 529 days) showed volunteer work during leisure time to be positively related to mastery experiences and community experiences suggesting volunteer work to contribute to successful recovery by creating new resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Role of Polymorphisms at the Interleukin-1, Interleukin-4, GATA-3 and Cyclooxygenase-2 Genes in Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy

Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease. The aim of this explorative study was to investigate the role of Interleukin-(IL)-1, IL-4, GATA-3 and Cyclooxygenase-(COX)-2 polymorphisms after non-surgical periodontal therapy with adjunctive systemic antibiotics (amoxicillin/metronidazole) and subsequent maintenance in a Caucasian population. Analyses were performed using blood samples from periodontitis patients of a multi-center trial (ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00707369","term_id":"NCT00707369"}}NCT00707369=ABPARO-study). Polymorphisms were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. Clinical attachment levels (CAL), percentage of sites showing further attachment loss (PSAL) ≥1.3 mm, bleeding on probing (BOP) and plaque score were assessed. Exploratory statistical analysis was performed. A total of 209 samples were genotyped. Patients carrying heterozygous genotypes and single-nucleotide-polymorphisms (SNP) on the GATA-3-IVS4 +1468 gene locus showed less CAL loss than patients carrying wild type. Heterozygous genotypes and SNPs on the IL-1A-889, IL-1B +3954, IL-4-34, IL-4-590, GATA-3-IVS4 +1468 and COX-2-1195 gene loci did not influence CAL. In multivariate analysis, CAL was lower in patients carrying GATA-3 heterozygous genotypes and SNPs than those carrying wild-types. For the first time, effects of different genotypes were analyzed in periodontitis progression after periodontal therapy and during supportive treatment using systemic antibiotics demonstrating a slight association of GATA-3 gene locus with CAL. This result suggests that GATA-3 genotypes are a contributory but non-essential risk factor for periodontal disease progression.