Testing the factor structure of the behavioral-intentions battery: an empirical study of the Australian banking industry

The five-factor ‘Behavioural-Intentions Battery’ was developed by Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman (1996), to measure customer behavioural and attitudinal intentions. The structure of this model was re-examined by Bloomer, de Ruyter and Wetzels (1999) across different service industries. They concluded that service loyalty is a multi dimensional construct consisting of four, not five, distinct dimensions. To date, neither model has been tested within a banking environment. This research independently tested the ‘goodness of fit’ of both the four and five-factor models, to data collected from branch bank customers. Data were collected via questionnaire with a sample of 348 banking customers. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted upon the two opposing factor structures, revealing that the five-factor structure has a superior model fit; however, the fit is ‘marginal’.

Water, escaping sovereignty : the hydropolitics of the Tigris-Euphrates river and Turkish state formation

Develops a critical analysis of the domestic and international factors influencing the process of Turkish state formation. Focuses on the political economy of water resource development along the Tigris-Euphrates river basin, shared by the three riparian states, Turkey, Iraq and Syria. Turkey's large-scale development of the river is characterised as a state making imperative, highlighting the needs to improve regional resource diplomacy.

Depolymerization of aryltellurinic anhydrides with sodium hydroxide. Synthesis and structure of the hydrated sodium aryltellurinates [Na(H2O)4](RTeO2) (R = 4-MeOC6H4, 8-Me2NC10H6)

Depolymerization of the aryltellurinic anhydrides [(RTe)₂O₃]_n (9, R = 4-MeOC₆H₄; 6, R = 8-Me₂NC₁₀H₆) with aqueous NaOH afforded the hydrated sodium aryltellurinates [Na(H₂O)₄](4-MeOC₆H₄TeO₂) (10) and [Na(H₂O)₄](8-Me₂NC₁₀H₆TeO₂)·H₂O (11·H₂O) as highly crystalline materials.

The factor structure of the Chinese family assessment instrument adapted for parent report

This article reports on a confirmatory factor analytic study of an adapted version of an instrument designed to assess family functioning of Chinese families. The Chinese Family Assessment Instrument, originally designed for completion by adolescents, was adapted for completion by parents. A sample of 700 parent dyads of elementary school children (382 girls and 318 boys) completed the adapted questionnaire. Initial factor analyses showed that the existing five-factor structure used for adolescents’ responses was not a good fit for these data. Instead, a four-factor solution emerged where the factors were positive family functioning, negative family functioning, tolerance for family members, and parental understanding. This structure was the same for both mothers and fathers. Further studies of the Chinese Family Assessment Instrument parent adaptation are required to test the factor structure that emerged. Following such studies, validation studies will be required.

Structure of the analgesic μ-Conotoxin KIIIA and effects on the structure and function of disulfide deletion

μ-Conotoxin μ-KIIIA, from Conus kinoshitai, blocks mammalian neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and is a potent analgesic following systemic administration in mice. We have determined its solution structure using NMR spectroscopy. Key residues identified previously as being important for activity against VGSCs (Lys7, Trp8, Arg10, Asp11, His12, and Arg14) all reside on an α-helix with the exception of Arg14. To further probe structure−activity relationships of this toxin against VGSC subtypes, we have characterized the analogue μ-KIIIA[C1A,C9A], in which the Cys residues involved in one of the three disulfides in μ-KIIIA were replaced with Ala. Its structure is quite similar to that of μ-KIIIA, indicating that the Cys1−Cys9 disulfide bond could be removed without any significant distortion of the α-helix bearing the key residues. Consistent with this, μ-KIIIA[C1A,C9A] retained activity against VGSCs, with its rank order of potency being essentially the same as that of μ-KIIIA, namely, NaV1.2 > NaV1.4 > NaV1.7 ≥ NaV1.1 > NaV1.3 > NaV1.5. Kinetics of block were obtained for NaV1.2, NaV1.4, and NaV1.7, and in each case, both kon and koff values of μ-KIIIA[C1A,C9A] were larger than those of μ-KIIIA. Our results show that the key residues for VGSC binding lie mostly on an α-helix and that the first disulfide bond can be removed without significantly affecting the structure of this helix, although the modification accelerates the on and off rates of the peptide against all tested VGSC subtypes. These findings lay the groundwork for the design of minimized peptides and helical mimetics as novel analgesics.