Maastricht University

About: Maastricht University is a education organization based out in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 19263 authors who have published 53291 publications receiving 2266866 citations. The organization is also known as: Universiteit Maastricht & UM.

Investigating drivers of bank loyalty: the complex relationship between image, service quality and satisfaction

Abstract: This article investigates how image, perceived service quality and satisfaction determine loyalty in a retail bank setting at the global construct level, as well as the level of construct dimensions. At the global level the results of a large‐scale empirical study reveal that image is indirectly related to bank loyalty via perceived quality. In turn, service quality is both directly and indirectly related to bank loyalty via satisfaction. The latter has a direct effect on bank loyalty. At the level of the dimensions underlying aforementioned constructs, it becomes clear that reliability (a quality dimension) and position in the market (an image dimension) are relatively important drivers of retail bank loyalty.

The Joint Effect of Investor Protection and Big 4 Audits on Earnings Quality Around the World

Abstract: The association of a country's investor protection regime with the quality of reported earnings is examined for a large sample of firms from 42 countries. Three attributes of earnings are evaluated: the magnitude of abnormal accruals, the likelihood of reporting losses, and earnings conservatism (timely loss recognition). We find that earnings quality increases for firms with Big 4 auditors when a country's investor protection regime gives stronger protection to investors; specifically, abnormal accruals are smaller, there is a greater likelihood of reporting losses, and earnings conservatism is greater. In contrast, earnings of firms with non-Big 4 auditors are largely unaffected by different investor protection regimes. The study adds to a growing body of research showing that accounting practices are influenced by a country's institutions. However, our results differ from prior studies by demonstrating that country-level effects are mediated by audit enforcement, and in particular the incentives of Big 4 auditors to perform higher quality audits in countries with stricter investor protection regimes.

Hypoxia signalling through mTOR and the unfolded protein response in cancer

Abstract: Hypoxia occurs in the majority of tumours, promoting angiogenesis, metastasis and resistance to therapy. Responses to hypoxia are orchestrated in part through activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor family of transcription factors (HIFs). Recently, two additional O(2)-sensitive signalling pathways have also been implicated: signalling through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase and signalling through activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Although they are activated independently, growing evidence suggests that HIF-, mTOR- and UPR-dependent responses to hypoxia act in an integrated way, influencing each other and common downstream pathways that affect gene expression, metabolism, cell survival, tumorigenesis and tumour growth.

Galectin-3 marks activated macrophages in failure-prone hypertrophied hearts and contributes to cardiac dysfunction.

Abstract: Background— Inflammatory mechanisms have been proposed to be important in heart failure (HF), and cytokines have been implicated to add to the progression of HF. However, it is unclear whether such mechanisms are already activated when hypertrophied hearts still appear well-compensated and whether such early mechanisms contribute to the development of HF. Methods and Results— In a comprehensive microarray study, galectin-3 emerged as the most robustly overexpressed gene in failing versus functionally compensated hearts from homozygous transgenic TGRmRen2-27 (Ren-2) rats. Myocardial biopsies obtained at an early stage of hypertrophy before apparent HF showed that expression of galectin-3 was increased specifically in the rats that later rapidly developed HF. Galectin-3 colocalized with activated myocardial macrophages. We found galectin-3-binding sites in rat cardiac fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix. Recombinant galectin-3 induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation, collagen production, and cyclin D1...