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BRIDGING THE GAP: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL STORE PRESENCE IN BOOSTING CONSUMERS’ ONLINE PURCHASE INTENTIONS IN HYBRID RETAIL
No full textThis dissertation research explores the benefit of the presence of a physical store on consumers\u27 willingness to select a retailer in an online shopping context. As digital commerce continues to evolve, understanding the complex relationships between physical stores and online shopping behavior is becoming increasingly important. However, the role of physical store presence in shaping online purchasing decisions remains largely unexplored. This research project builds a conceptual framework based on the mere exposure effect and propinquity theory, which hypothesizes that physical store presence benefits consumers’ online purchase intentions through its effects on several intermediate constructs: retailer familiarity, retailer awareness, retailer loyalty proneness, retailer communication, retailer trust, and consumers\u27 confidence in the retailer. Through three studies, this dissertation finds that having a physical store can significantly improve consumers\u27 favorable attitudes toward a retailer and eventually increase the likelihood that they would select the retailer when making online purchases.The implications of the dissertation research lie in its potential to provide retailers with valuable insights into how strategically maintaining physical stores can positively influence online purchase intentions. The research also aims to contribute to the current literature in the hybrid retail field by providing a comprehensive understanding of the multiple pathways through which physical store presence could affect consumers’ online purchasing behavior. Empirical evidence from this research elucidates the vital role of physical store presence in the era of digital commerce
Enhancing Resilience and Sustainability for Small Manufacturing Enterprises in Southern Illinois
No full textSmall and Medium manufacturers (SMMs)in the United States comprise about 90% of manufacturing establishments and consume about 50% of all energy consumed by the industry. Many SMMs in the Southern Illinois (SI) region lack technical assistance for improving current practices of energy and water conservation in their facilities. This paper reports the findings of a study that sought to address this issue.A preliminary evaluation protocol, using spreadsheets was developed with individual sheets under different focus areas such as energy usage baselining, variable frequency drives (VFDs), notched V-belts, lighting, temperature offset, water management, air compressor, and heat loss from vertical, horizontal, cylindrical, and mixed surfaces. The emphasis areas of the evaluation protocol are among the most common topics covered in Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) assessments. The program can be used by the SMMs as an initial scoping tool to determine energy and cost saving opportunities. Additionally, SMMs based in the SI region can get an estimate of incentives they are eligible for when implementing energy conservation measures covered in the worksheet. A manufacturer based in SI, USA used the program to find energy and cost savings for the areas they felt were most pertinent. They used the air compressor, heat loss from cylindrical surfaces, and water management worksheets and the annual savings predicted by the program were 2.5% of the total power consumed, 4,657 kWh, and 3.64% annual return on investment, respectively. In addition, two case studies have been developed that consider the potential savings from each energy conservation area, payback period, and implementation costs
TRANSFORMING WASTES AND INDUSTRIAL BYPRODUCTS INTO SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FOR PAVEMENT SUBGRADE LAYERS
No full textWaste generation is a constant activity of daily life, encompassing a wide variety including municipal, hazardous, industrial, agricultural, medical, radioactive, and mining waste, as well as sewage sludge. The purpose of this study is to concentrate on utilizing industrial waste, which adversely affects our environment, for use in engineering construction projects. This aims to evaluate the enhancement in both the soil’s index and engineering properties. In most civil engineering projects, the underlying soils are often unsuitable for construction purposes. Some of these soils experience significant volume changes due to moisture variations, leading to damage and instability of structures and infrastructure built on them. The complete removal and replacement of such high plastic clay and expansive soils is not always a cost-effective solution. Therefore, there\u27s a pressing need to improve their utility by stabilizing them through eco-friendly and sustainable methods.The present research employs five industrial waste materials to enhance the clayey soil available in Carbondale, Illinois. These waste materials include Lime Sludge (LS), Lime Kiln Dust (LKD), Fly Ash (FA), Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), and Cement Kiln Dust (CKD). Lime Sludge and Lime Kiln Dust were mixed with the soil at proportions of 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%. In contrast, Fly Ash and Cement Kiln Dust were used at higher ratios of 8%, 16%, 24%, and 32%. Lastly, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag was added at levels of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, all based on the soil\u27s dry unit weight. The samples were prepared for Unconfined Compression Strength (UCS) and Resilient Modulus (RM) based on the Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) and Maximum Dry Density (MDD) data obtained from miniature Proctor test. These specimens underwent a 14-day curing period, sealed in plastic film and Ziploc bags, and were stored in a controlled water tub at room temperature. The UCS value for the untreated Carbondale soil was 320 kN/m2. The results indicated that with higher content of Lime Kiln Dust (LKD) and Cement Kiln Dust (CKD), the UCS strength tends to increase with CKD exhibiting the most desirable strength characteristics. The UCS value for 8% LKD was 1377.70 kN/m2 i.e., 330.52% increase. While the UCS improvements for 5% GGBS is 51.32% and 6% Lime Sludge (LS) is 51.65% with no significant enhancements, these waste materials can be more effective as modifiers. Furthermore, the study revealed that the optimal quantity of Class F fly ash for soil stabilization is 8% by dry unit weight with UCS value of 486.46 kN/m2 resulting in 52.01% increase in UCS strength, exceeding this percentage might cause reduction in strength. The highest UCS strength was obtained with 24% CKD at 3263.14 kN/m2 which corresponds to 919.70% increase when compared to the untreated soil. The results of the Resilient Modulus (RM or Mr) test indicate that the incorporation of additives to untreated Carbondale soil significantly improved its stiffness characteristics and resistance to different load cycles on the subgrade. However, the soil treated with GGBS showed a decrease in stiffness. The Resilient Modulus values ranged from 2% to 70% for LS, 47% to 128% for LKD, 4% to 35% for FA, 90% to 243% for CKD, and -16% to 0.3% for GGBS for different confining pressures. The regression analysis, using the Uzan (1985) model, showed R² values of 0.910, 0.838, 0.803, 0.871, 0.773, and 0.809 for Carbondale soil, Carbondale soil mixed with 6% LS, 8% LKD, 8% FA, 5% GGBS, and 24% CKD, respectively. These results confirm the reliability of the test, as all samples except the GGBS-treated one have R² values greater than 0.800. Additionally, consolidation tests were conducted to assess the compressibility characteristics of the additives in the soil. The selected samples were those with the mix proportions that yielded the highest UCS strength for each additive. These samples were meticulously prepared based on the moisture-density relationship obtained from the miniature Proctor test and were subjected to loading and unloading in a specific sequence. The results indicated an increase in the Compression Index (Cc) for mixtures with LS, LKD, FA, and CKD. Conversely, the mix containing GGBS displayed a reduction in the Compression Index (Cc). The Carbondale soil stabilized with 6% LS can be used for subbase stabilization as the UCS strength is greater than 345 kPa. Also, 2 to 8% LKD content can be used for subbase and base course stabilization. 8% FA without any activator can be used for subbase stabilizer. GGBS can be used for subbase soil stabilization and finally CKD can be used for both subbase and base course stabilization
Using Behavioral Skills Training to Train Clinicians to Conduct an AAC Modality Assessment
No full textAugmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a method for supplementing, enhancing, and sometimes replacing spoken language for populations that present with communication delays or deficits. As such, AAC is often used to support individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to improve functional communication. Despite its frequent use, many practitioners, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), report being unfamiliar with AAC assessment and implementation. AAC assessment procedures are generally subjective, unstandardized across practitioners, and without consideration of preference. The current study examines the effects of a telehealth behavioral skills training (BST) intervention on the accurate administration of an objective AAC assessment. Two speech-language pathology graduate clinicians attended a virtual training with instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback components. BST resulted in increased performance on AAC assessment administration for both participants. The results of this study suggest that BST may be an effective method for disseminating a standardized AAC assessment to SLPs and other practitioners
Happiness and Marital Status: Do Happier Individuals Have a Higher Likelihood of Marriage?
No full textIn contrary to the popular orthodox models in Classical and Neoclassical economics, the inclusion of emotions into the concept of utility by Jeremy Bentham in 1769, has highlighted the importance of emotions in economic decision making. Considering this theoretical framework, our study aims to explore the influence of happiness as an emotion on an economic decision making such as- marriage. To explore this question, we analyze a substantial secondary dataset encompassing over 53,380 individuals from nearly 198 countries, collected between 2013 and 2019 using logistic regression techniques. To extend our empirical analysis, we also provide a simple static Bayesian game analysis in the context of happiness and marriage. Our results show that higher levels of happiness increase the likelihood of marriage which is an important aspect of policy implications targeted towards emotional well-being and improving the overall stability and welfare of family units
Protocol for Cannabis Cloning
Get PDFThe aim of this protocol is to provide suggested guidelines for cannabis cloning
CHARACTERIZATION OF DIVERSE NONCODING RNAS IN THERAPEUTICS, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND CHROMATIN BIOLOGY
No full textThis study encompasses exploration of diverse noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) across therapeutics, biotechnology, and cell biology, presented through three distinct yet interconnected projects. The first project delves into the 3D organization of the mammalian genome, particularly focusing on mitotic bookmarking and the potential role of RNA in maintaining genomic integrity and cellular memory during cell division. By employing advanced chromatin conformation capture techniques, notably the iMARGI method, this study generated a comprehensive RNA-DNA interactome across cell cycle phases, revealing significant cell type-specific differences in RNA-DNA interactions. These findings highlight the dynamic interplay between RNA and DNA and will contribute to a deeper understanding of genomic regulation and cellular memory. The second project investigates the conformational dynamics and target sequence influence on the catalytic activity of single versus dual RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 systems. Contrary to conventional wisdom, our research found that dual guide RNAs (dgRNAs) can perform as well as, or better than, single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) in genome editing efficiency. This discovery was supported by molecular dynamics simulations, revealing that dgRNAs and sgRNAs confer alternative structural dynamics to Cas9, impacting its target sequence preferences and catalytic activity. This study thus provides crucial insights into the structural underpinnings of CRISPR-Cas9 efficiency and paves the way for optimizing gene editing approaches. The third project focuses on the challenges of cloning and sequence validation of repetitive and high GC-content shRNAs, often used in gene knockdown and therapeutic applications. We present improved methods for efficient cloning of shRNAs targeting disease-associated repeat expansions into lentivectors, enhanced by design and preparation techniques, recombination-based cloning, and comprehensive sequencing-based validation. These advancements in shRNA technology underscore the importance of RNA-based tools in therapeutic development and gene research. In summary, this dissertation provides a comprehensive examination of the functional versatility of ncRNAs, from their role in chromatin organization and gene regulation to their applications in biotechnological innovations and therapeutic strategies. The findings collectively underscore the significance of ncRNAs in advancing our understanding of complex biological systems and their potential in developing innovative solutions to address diverse biomedical challenges
THE PERFORMANCE OF PSEUDOARCHAITY AT THE HOOTIN AN HOLLERIN FESTIVAL OF OZARK COUNTY 2019
No full textConstructivist approaches can reveal significant gaps in research and aid in the proposalof new directions of study in most fields. This dissertation project uses a constructivist approach by juxtaposing created histories involving the Ozarks with descriptions of a festival in Ozark County, Missouri to explore potential facets of pseudoarchaity or the performance of pseudohistory. Through this exploration, the author asserts that pseusoarchaic performance is an indication of the present’s interaction with the past, and pseudoarchaic Performance is a collaborative creation of present society