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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of customer loyalty programs on relationship quality, relationship commitment, and loyalty.Design/methodology/approachA survey with 480 qualified observations from department store customers in Taiwan was conducted. A structural equation modeling approach was used.FindingsCustomer loyalty programs have a partially supported positive impact on relationship quality; service quality has a positive impact on relationship quality; customers with a positive relationship quality impact their relationship commitment; the higher the relationship commitment, the higher the loyalty; and a customer loyalty program partially supports a positive impact on loyalty.Originality/valueThe paper shows that customer loyalty programs have positive influences on loyalty. However, short‐term customer loyalty programs, namely, Minimum Purchase Gift Cards, displayed no significant influence on loyalty. The incentive of short‐term customer loyalty programs is not sufficient for loyalty.

Background: Psychotherapy added to pharmacotherapy results in greater improvement in clinical outcomes than does pharmacotherapy alone. However, few studies examined how psychotherapy coupled with pharmacotherapy could produce a long-term protective effect by improving the psychobiological stress response. Methods: The researchers recruited 63 subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) in an outpatient department of psychiatry at a general hospital. The randomly assigned subjects formed 2 groups: 29 in combined therapy (COMB) and 34 in monotherapy (MT). The COMB included 8 weekly body-mind-spirit group psychotherapy sessions added to pharmacotherapy. MT consisted of pharmacotherapy only. The outcome measures, collected at the subjects’ homes, included the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and salivary cortisol on awakening, 45 min after awakening, and at 12.00, 17.00 and 21.00 h. Evaluation of outcome measures was at baseline condition, and at months 2 (end of additional psychotherapy), 5 and 8. Results: While the decreases in symptoms of depression were similar between COMB and MT (p > 0.05), the reductions in anxiety state were greater in COMB than in MT during the 8-month follow-up (p < 0.05). A steeper diurnal cortisol pattern more likely occurred in COMB than in MT in the 3 follow-up periods (p < 0.05, p Conclusions: The superior outcomes of group psychotherapy added to pharmacotherapy for MDD outpatients could relate to decreasing the anxiety state and to producing long-term impacts on positive stress endocrine outcomes seen as a steeper diurnal cortisol pattern.

Aims and objectives. This study aims to understand the effects of culturally enriched body–mind–spirit group therapy on anxiety, depression and holistic well-being among women with breast cancer and to examine patients’ views on what aspects of group therapy worked to enhance their health. Design. The study was designed using multiple methods, which consisted of a randomised controlled trial and a focus group interview. Methods. A total of 16 subjects in the control group received the standard care of a physician’s treatment at the outpatient department. In addition to standard care, 12 subjects in the experimental group received 10 sessions of weekly body–mind–spirit group therapy for 180 minutes each. This therapy integrates concepts and practices of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine (e.g. positive psychology and forgiveness therapy). The subjects in the experimental group were invited to participate in a focus group interview regarding their perceptions of the change mechanisms that occurred in group therapy. Results. The results of analysis of covariance indicated that after a two-month trial, there was a similarity between the experimental and control groups in reducing the scores of Beck depression inventory and increasing the scores of body–mind–spirit well-being. However, subjects in the experimental group had a better reduction of the scores of state anxiety inventory than subjects in the control group. The qualitative analysis yielded eight domains: (i) imparting of information, (ii) interpersonal learning, (iii) catharsis, (iv) universality, (v) group cohesiveness, (vi) altruism, (vii) instillation of hope and (viii) existential factors. These domains illustrate how the therapeutic effects of group therapy worked to reduce patients’ anxiety. Conclusion. The culturally sensitive body–mind–spirit group therapy reduced anxiety among outpatients with breast cancer. Relevance to clinical practice. The involvement of mental health nurses in providing group therapy for cancer patients could enhance the quality of care in psycho-ontological nursing.

This paper models the time domain and frequency domain characteristics of the noise spectrum of a MOSFET device under varying EMI conditions. The theoretical results are compared with experimental measurements. Both sets of results reveal that the magnitude of the EMI-induced noise is governed by the pulse height, the output load, the parasitic capacitance, the interference frequency and the interference amplitude. Furthermore, it is shown that a higher interference amplitude or frequency increases the harmonic noise. The theoretical method presented in this paper provides a convenient means of evaluating the EMI effects and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of MOSFETs and similar wavelength devices.

The present study examined the changes of depressive symptoms and salivary cortisol responses in 36 outpatients with major depression. These patients were randomly assigned to receive combination therapy (CT), consisting of antidepressants and body-mind-spirit group psychotherapy, or monotherapy (MT), consisting of antidepressants only. The results indicated that CT and MT had similar effects on reducing depressive symptoms. Nevertheless, the results revealed that cortisol levels at night appeared to have a greater reduction in CT than in MT, indicating a downward trend in CT but an upward trend in MT. Moreover, a steeper diurnal pattern of cortisol—a larger deviation in cortisol levels between 30 and 45 minutes postwaking and evening—was more likely associated with CT than MT. The findings suggest that CT produced a protective effect on outpatients with major depression, preventing the increased night salivary cortisol levels and the flatter diurnal cortisol pattern that tended to occur in MT.

Summary Objective This study was an examination of 126 major depressive disorder (MDD) outpatients’ morning to evening diurnal cortisol patterns to determine their association with family histories of mental illness, self-perceived depressive and anxiety distress, self-perceived health-related conditions, and healthy behaviors. Methods 126 MDD outpatients and 106 healthy subjects were recruited. Self-reports of symptom distress, health-related conditions, and healthy behaviors and objective measures of salivary cortisol upon awakening, 45 min after awakening, and at 1200, 1700, and 2100 h were collected at subjects’ homes. The individual growth curve model was used to manage data and to analyze repeated observations of self-report data associated with diurnal cortisol patterns. Results For MDD outpatients, flatter diurnal cortisol patterns were more likely found in subjects with family histories of mental illness than in those without. Patient-reported shorter total sleep hours, more severe levels of depression and higher suffering levels were positively associated with flatter diurnal cortisol patterns. Less than 5 sleep hours was more likely associated with flatter diurnal cortisol patterns than above 7 sleep hours. Severe levels of depression were more likely related to flatter diurnal cortisol patterns than moderate and mild levels of depression. Higher anxiety levels, better sleep quality and higher levels of physical activity reported by patients were positively associated with steeper diurnal cortisol patterns. Unlike the MDD outpatients, the only trait associated with diurnal cortisol patterns in healthy subjects was total sleep hours. Conclusions These results suggested that self-perceived good sleep quality, total hours slept of 7 or greater, and self-perceived higher levels of physical activity in the home environment could be positively related to positive stress endocrine outcomes seen as steep diurnal cortisol patterns in outpatients with major depressive disorder.

Item response theory (IRT) models use logistic functions exclusively as item response functions (IRFs). Applications of IRT models require obtaining the set of values for logistic function parameters that best fit an empirical data set. However, success in obtaining such set of values does not guarantee that the constructs they represent actually exist, for the adequacy of a model is not sustained by the possibility of estimating parameters. In this study, an equal area based two‐parameter logistic model estimation algorithm is proposed. Two theorems are given to prove that the results of the algorithm are equivalent to the results of fitting data by logistic model. Numerical results are presented to show the stability and accuracy of the algorithm.

This paper develops a comprehensive set of theoretical equations to simulate the 1/fγ noise spectrum and volt–ampere (I–V) characteristic curve of an n-type InGaAs metal–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET) device. Two methods are proposed for establishing the corner frequency of the noise spectrum. The correlation between the surface state, noise spectrum, gate bias, drain bias, corner frequency and threshold voltage of the MESFET device is established based on simulation and experimental data. The good agreement observed between the simulation and experimental results confirms the validity of the theoretical predictions for the noise spectrum and I–V characteristic curve of the current MESFET device.

The reflection and refraction of a plane sound wave by a nonequilibrium relaxing medium are examined. Since the medium is dissipative, Snell's law of refraction is modified depending not only on the properties of the media, but also on the angle of incidence. The amplitudes of the reflected and refracted waves are complex. Variations of both the angle and amplitude are analyzed and supplemented with calculations for different reaction rates and relative Mach numbers.

The classical problem of the motion of a one-dimensional unsteady shock generated by a piston moving with velocity vp = ctn is extended to take into account thermal radiation effects by the similarity method of Taylor and Sedov. Gray gas and local thermodynamic equilibrium are assumed and a modification of the Schuster-Schwarzschild differential equation for the heat flux is adopted. The optical thickness is not restricted to be thin or thick, and the absorption coefficient is assumed to vary with the density and temperature. Numerical results indicate that the pressure and velocity are not affected much by the radiation, but the density, temperature and radiant heat flux are changed considerably.

The stability of a plane vortex sheet between two uniform streams is examined with respect to small disturbances when the two media are relaxing diatomic gases (such as oxygen or nitrogen). For the equilibrium and frozen cases, the eigenvalue equation is identical in form with that of the conventional case, and the stability is decreased due to the relaxation. For the nonequilibrium case, the eigenvalue equation is complex and depends on the wavenumber of the disturbances; the vortex sheet is shown to be always unstable.