University of Paderborn

About: University of Paderborn is a education organization based out in Paderborn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Control reconfiguration & Software. The organization has 6684 authors who have published 16929 publications receiving 323154 citations.

The value of self-service: long-term effects of technology-based self-service usage on customer retention

Abstract: Advancements in information technology have changed the way customers experience a service encounter and their relationship with service providers. Especially technology-based self-service channels have found their way into the 21st century service economy. While research embraces these channels for their cost-efficiency, it has not examined whether a shift from personal to self-service affects customer--firm relationships. Drawing from the service-dominant logic and its central concept of value-in-context, we discuss customers' value creation in self-service and personal service channels and examine the long-term impact of these channels on customer retention. Using longitudinal customer data, we investigate how the ratio of self-service versus personal service use influences customer defection over time. Our findings suggest that the ratio of self-service to personal service used affects customer defection in a U-shaped manner, with intermediate levels of both self-service and personal service use being associated with the lowest likelihood of defection. We also find that this effect mitigates over time. We conclude that firms should not shift customers toward self-service channels completely, especially not at the beginning of a relationship. Our study underlines the importance of understanding when and how self-service technologies create valuable customer experiences and stresses the notion of actively managing customers' cocreation of value.

Challenges and Perspectives of DNA Nanostructures in Biomedicine

Abstract: DNA nanotechnology holds substantial promise for future biomedical engineering and the development of novel therapies and diagnostic assays. The subnanometer-level addressability of DNA nanostructures allows for their precise and tailored modification with numerous chemical and biological entities, which makes them fit to serve as accurate diagnostic tools and multifunctional carriers for targeted drug delivery. The absolute control over shape, size, and function enables the fabrication of tailored and dynamic devices, such as DNA nanorobots that can execute programmed tasks and react to various external stimuli. Even though several studies have demonstrated the successful operation of various biomedical DNA nanostructures both in vitro and in vivo, major obstacles remain on the path to real-world applications of DNA-based nanomedicine. Here, we summarize the current status of the field and the main implementations of biomedical DNA nanostructures. In particular, we focus on open challenges and untackled issues and discuss possible solutions.

Large-Data Global Generalized Solutions in a Chemotaxis System with Tensor-Valued Sensitivities

Abstract: The chemotaxis system $u_t=\Delta u - abla \cdot (uS(x,u,v)\cdot abla v);\ v_t=\Delta v - uf(v)$ (referred to as ($\star$) in this abstract), for the density $u=u(x,t)$ of a cell population and the concentration $v=v(x,t)$ of an attractive chemical consumed by the former, is considered under no-flux boundary conditions in a bounded domain $\Omega\subset{\mathbb{R}}^n$, $n\ge 1$, with smooth boundary, where $f \in C^1([0,\infty);[0,\infty))$ and $S \in C^2(\bar\Omega\times [0,\infty)^2;{\mathbb{R}}^{n\times n})$ are given functions such that f(0)=0. In contrast to related Keller--Segel-type problems with scalar sensitivities, in the presence of such matrix-valued $S$ the system ($\star$) in general apparently does not possess any useful gradient-like structure. Accordingly, its analysis needs to be based on new types of a priori bounds. Using a spatio-temporal $L^2$ estimate for $ abla \ln (u+1)$ as a starting point, we derive a series of compactness properties of solutions to suitably regularized vers...