In today's retail marketplace, consumers receive little or no consistent brand-level sustainability information, but this may change in the near future. Developing hypotheses based on the comparative ...brand processing and information disclosure literatures, we conduct a retail laboratory choice-based experiment to test predictions related to the effects of brand-level sustainability information on choices, product evaluations, and retailer perceptions. Compared to the status quo condition in which no sustainability information is provided for the product category at the retail point of purchase, the addition of positive (negative) sustainability information for the brand yields higher (lower) product evaluations and increased (decreased) brand choice. In addition, due to greenwashing concerns, many consumers may be skeptical of product-level sustainability information, and we address the moderating role of this skepticism on retailer-related perceptions.
Keratin 8 and keratin 18 (K8/K18) are intermediate filament proteins that form the obligate heteropolymers in hepatocytes and protect the liver against toxins. The mechanisms of protection include ...the regulation of signaling pathway associated with cell survival. Previous studies show K8/K18 binding with Akt, which is a well-known protein kinase involved in the cell survival signaling pathway. However, the role of K8/K18 in the Akt signaling pathway is unclear. In this study, we found that K8/K18-Akt binding is downregulated by K8/K18 phosphorylation, specifically phosphorylation of K18 ser7/34/53 residues, whereas the binding is upregulated by K8 gly-62-cys mutation. K8/K18 expression in cultured cell system tends to enhance the stability of the Akt protein. A comparison of the Akt signaling pathway in a mouse system with liver damage shows that the pathway is downregulated in K18-null mice compared with nontransgenic mice. K18-null mice with Fas-induced liver damage show enhanced apoptosis combined with the downregulation of the Akt signaling pathway, i.e., lower phosphorylation levels of GSK3β and NFκB, which are the downstream signaling factors in the Akt signaling pathway, in K18-null mice compared with the control mice. Our study indicates that K8/K18 expression protects mice from liver damage by participating in enhancing the Akt signaling pathway.
Starting as a glutamate producer, Corynebacterium glutamicum has played a variety of roles in the industrial production of amino acids, one of the most important areas of white biotechnology. From ...shortly after its genome information became available, C. glutamicum has been applied in various production processes for value-added chemicals, fuels, and polymers, as a key organism in industrial biotechnology alongside the surprising progress in systems biology and metabolic engineering. In addition, recent studies have suggested another potential for C. glutamicum as a synthetic biology platform chassis that could move the new era of industrial microbial biotechnology beyond the classical field. Here, we review the recent progress and perspectives in relation to C. glutamicum, which demonstrate it as one of the most promising and valuable workhorses in the field of industrial biotechnology.
During the period of uncertainty and lack of control caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated how consumers evaluate online experiences using messages framed in different temporal ...perspectives. In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, companies have been offering their experiential services online either in single long sessions (i.e., proximal framed message) or multiple short sessions over time (i.e., distal framed message). We found significant two-way interactions between temporal frames and levels of uncertainty, such that consumers with high (vs. low) levels of uncertainty respond more favorably when a distal (vs. proximal) framed message is applied. The path from fluency to high-control coping explained the interaction effect between temporal framing and levels of uncertainty on behavioral outcomes toward experience goods.
This study investigated the effects of olfactory stimulation with aroma oils on the psychophysiological responses in women. Ten aromatic oils (lavender, rosemary, rose, eucalyptus, jasmine, geranium, ...chamomile, clary sage, thyme, and peppermint) were used on 23 women aged between 20 and 60 years. They inhaled the scent for 90 s through a glass funnel attached to their lab apron, 10 cm below their nose, while the pump was activated. Electroencephalography, blood pressure, and pulse rate were measured before and during inhalation of the aroma oils. The relative alpha (RA) power spectrums indicating relaxation and resting state of the brain significantly increased when lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, jasmine, chamomile, clary sage, and thyme oils were inhaled compared to those of before olfactory stimulation. The ratio of alpha to high beta (RAHB), an indicator of brain stability and relaxation, significantly increased when rosemary, jasmine, clary sage, and peppermint oils were inhaled. The relative low beta (RLB) power spectrum, an indicator of brain activity in the absence of stress, significantly increased when stimulated with lavender, rosemary, rose, and geranium scents. Further, systolic blood pressure significantly decreased after introduction of all 10 types of aromatic oils, which indicates stress reduction. Thus, olfactory stimulation with aroma oil had a stabilizing effect on the prefrontal cortex and brain activity and decreased systolic blood pressure.
Metabolic syndrome is increasingly common, and closely related with overweight or obesity. In the obese state, macrophages infiltrate to the adipose tissue (AT), resulting in chronic inflammation and ...insulin resistance in the AT cells. Recently, attention has been paid to the role of AT macrophages in metabolic disorders should be applied to the initial drug screening step, but it was difficult to mimic the inflammatory adipocytes using the traditional 2-dimensional (2D) culture. In this study, we developed the 3-dimensional (3D) culture system to overcome this limitation. After adipogenic differentiation, lipid droplets were highly accumulated in cells, and differentiation of preadipocytes was not declined by macrophage co-culture. However, only co-cultured cells expressed the insulin resistance features. Compare to mono-cultured adipocytes, co-cultured adipocytes showed reduced glucose uptake and GLUT4 did not translocated to cell membrane even though treatment of high concentration of insulin. Using 3D co-culture model, we develop a microwell-scale drug screening protocol to test anti-obesity effect. 3D cultured cells reacted more sensitive to drugs, and PPARγ antagonist GW9662 (10, 20 μM) repressed adipogenic differentiation in a concentration-dependent manner in 3D co-cultured cells.
PurposeDuring these unprecedented times, acts of charity are deemed essential to help individuals in need and support the social safety net. Given the importance of prosocial behavior for survival ...through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, the authors investigate the effects of partitioning experiential consumption and self-construal on consumer responses.Design/methodology/approachBased on the literature on partitioning and self-construal, the findings across three experimental studies provide novel insights into the interplay between partitioning and self-construal, and offer psychological processes on prosocial and behavioral intention.FindingsIndividuals with predominantly independent (vs. interdependent) self-construals and those primed with independent (vs. interdependent) self-construals showed higher prosocial intention when the experiential product ad was in an aggregated (vs. partitioned) format. The fit between the type of format and self-construal leads to the high control coping mechanism, and ultimately prosocial intention.Originality/valuePartitioning experiential consumption has not been directly examined using self-construal, providing novel insights into consumer reactions during the pandemic. This paper provides practical implications to practitioners and researchers to better understand and adapt to shifting digital consumption patterns.
This paper simulates land use changes at a point in time when autonomous vehicles are widespread. If autonomous vehicles become the main means of transportation in the future, people can pass their ...time on the road by reading, eating, and interacting with friends. People will no longer have the burden of having to drive, and this will change people's perception of travel time. In addition, this will have an impact on people's choice of residence. Previous studies have already argued that if autonomous vehicles become commonplace, the city will become suburbanized. However, previous studies have not presented specific models or figures about such future cities. Therefore, this paper seeks to suggest specific models of land use change when autonomous vehicles are dominant through the cellular automata method. For land use, residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, social, public, and green areas are considered, and accessibility, land price, accessibility to green spaces, and neighborhood effects are selected as land use change factors. Simulations based on the scenarios presented in this paper by Heinrichs show two representative results. First, most agricultural areas will decrease, and residential and commercial areas in Gyeonggi province will expand. Second, most land usage will change to residential land use, and only the central commercial area in Seoul will remain. This result can serve as a guideline for urban planning when autonomous vehicles become the main means of transportation. Furthermore, this paper could be helpful for the development of regulations and policy enforcement around autonomous vehicles.
Engineering and application of nanomaterials have recently helped advance various biomedical fields. Zinc oxide (ZnO)-based nanocomposites have become one of the most promising candidates for ...biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility, unique physicochemical properties, and cost-effective mass production. In addition, recent advances in nano-engineering technologies enable the generation of ZnO nanocomposites with unique three-dimensional structures and surface characteristics that are optimally designed for in vivo applications. Here, we review recent advances in the application of diverse ZnO nanocomposites, with an especial focus on their development as vaccine adjuvant and cancer immunotherapeutics, as well as their intrinsic properties interacting with the immune system and potential toxic effect in vivo. Finally, we summarize promising proof-of-concept applications as prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against infections and cancers. Understanding the nano-bio interfaces between ZnO-based nanocomposites and the immune system, together with bio-effective design of the nanomaterial using nano-architectonic technology, may open new avenues in expanding the biomedical application of ZnO nanocomposites as a novel vaccine platform.
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