bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transpiration sensitivities to evaporative demand and leaf areas vary with night and day warming regimes among wheat genotypes
Authors: Schoppach Rémy , Sadok Walid
Published: April 2013

Warmer climates are already contributing to significant decreases in wheat (Triticum spp.) yields worldwide, highlighting the need for more adapted germplasm. Although many studies have addressed the effects of warmer climates on grain physiology and photosynthesis, only a few have considered temperature effects on other key yield-related traits such as the sensitivity of transpiration rate (TR) to vapour pressure deficit (VPD) − a function of air temperature and relative humidity. In wheat, no reports are available to document such influences. More importantly, the relative contributions of heat-stress night and day conditions on such sensitivity and the plant’s evaporative surface remain to be investigated. The objective of this study was to assess the response of these two physiological processes to long-term (i.e. 3 weeks) exposures to six warming scenarios, consisting of a combination of three target growth-period VPD (2, 2.7 and 4 kPa), and two night temperature (20 and 30°C) regimes among 11 diverse bread and durum wheat lines having different origins. The study revealed (i) a large genetic variability in those responses; (ii) non-linear interactions between the effects of day and night conditions; and (iii) compensation mechanisms between leaf areas and transpiration sensitivities to VPD together with differential acclimation strategies of these sensitivities with respect to increasingly warmer scenarios. These findings open the way to implementing breeding strategies that can improve wheat yields under different warming scenarios.
Post-ovulatory ageing of mouse oocytes affects the distribution of specific spindle-associated proteins and Akt expression levels
Authors: Cecconi Sandra , Rossi Gianna , Deldar Hamid , Cellini Valerio , Patacchiola Felice , Carta Gaspare , Macchiarelli Guido , Canipari Rita
Published: April 2013

The aim of this study has been to determine the effects of in vivo post-ovulatory ageing (POA) on the distribution of spindle-associated proteins, histone H3/H4 post-translational modifications and on v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (Akt) expression levels. To this end, oocytes were retrieved 13, 29 and 33 h after human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) treatment. The presence and distribution at the meiotic spindle of acetylated tubulin, γ-tubulin, polo kinase-1 and Ser473/Thr308 phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) as well as histone H3 and H4 acetylation and phosphorylation levels were assayed via immunofluorescence. Akt expression levels were determined via reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analyses. Spindles from oocytes recovered 13 h and 29 h after hCG treatment showed similar levels of acetylated tubulin but ageing induced: (1) translocation of γ-tubulin from spindle poles to microtubules, (2) absence of Thr308- and Ser473-pAkt in 76% and 30% of oocytes, respectively, and (3) a significant reduction in phosphorylation levels of serine 10 on histone 3. At 29 h, a significant decrease in Akt mRNA, but not in pAkt or Akt protein levels, was recorded. By contrast, protein content significantly decreased 33 h after hCG. We conclude that POA impairs oocyte viability and fertilisability by altering the expression levels and spindle distribution of proteins that are implicated in cell survival and chromosome segregation. Together, these events could play a role in oocyte apoptosis.
Online Processing of Novel Noun–Noun Compounds: Eye Movement Evidence
Authors: Cohen Andrew L. , Staub Adrian
Published: April 2013

Three eye-tracking experiments investigated online processing of novel noun–noun compounds. The experiments compared processing of compounds that are difficult to interpret in isolation (e.g., dictionary treatment) and more easily interpretable adjective–noun and noun–noun sequences (e.g., rough treatment and torture treatment). In all three experiments, first-pass reading time was longer on the head noun ( treatment) when it occurred in a difficult compound. Further, a preceding sentence that provided a potential interpretation of the critical compound reduced processing difficulty, but this modulation by context occurred in later eye movement measures, or downstream of the compound itself. These results are interpreted in relation to the eye movement literature on the processing of implausibility, which demonstrates a similar pattern in which the disruption in early eye movement measures is not alleviated by context, but context does have a later effect. The results also suggest that the interpretation of noun–noun compounds in context does initially depend on the availability of an out-of-context interpretation.
Deacetylation of p53 induces autophagy by suppressing Bmf expression
Authors: Contreras Amelia U. , Mebratu Yohannes , Delgado Monica , Montano Gilbert , Hu Chien-an A. , Ryter Stefan W. , Choi Augustine M.K. , Lin Yuting , Xiang Jialing , Chand Hitendra , Tesfaigzi Yohannes
Published: April 2013

Interferon γ (IFN-γ)–induced cell death is mediated by the BH3-only domain protein, Bik, in a p53-independent manner. However, the effect of IFN-γ on p53 and how this affects autophagy have not been reported. The present study demonstrates that IFN-γ down-regulated expression of the BH3 domain-only protein, Bmf, in human and mouse airway epithelial cells in a p53-dependent manner. p53 also suppressed Bmf expression in response to other cell death–stimulating agents, including ultraviolet radiation and histone deacetylase inhibitors. IFN-γ did not affect Bmf messenger RNA half-life but increased nuclear p53 levels and the interaction of p53 with the Bmf promoter. IFN-γ–induced interaction of HDAC1 and p53 resulted in the deacetylation of p53 and suppression of Bmf expression independent of p53’s proline-rich domain. Suppression of Bmf facilitated IFN-γ–induced autophagy by reducing the interaction of Beclin-1 and Bcl-2. Furthermore, autophagy was prominent in cultured bmf−/− but not in bmf+/+ cells. Collectively, these observations show that deacetylation of p53 suppresses Bmf expression and facilitates autophagy.
EphA2 cleavage by MT1-MMP triggers single cancer cell invasion via homotypic cell repulsion
Authors: Sugiyama Nami , Gucciardo Erika , Tatti Olga , Varjosalo Markku , Hyytiäinen Marko , Gstaiger Matthias , Lehti Kaisa
Published: April 2013

Changes in EphA2 signaling can affect cancer cell–cell communication and motility through effects on actomyosin contractility. However, the underlying cell–surface interactions and molecular mechanisms of how EphA2 mediates these effects have remained unclear. We demonstrate here that EphA2 and membrane-anchored membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) were selectively up-regulated and coexpressed in invasive breast carcinoma cells, where, upon physical interaction in same cell–surface complexes, MT1-MMP cleaved EphA2 at its Fibronectin type-III domain 1. This cleavage, coupled with EphA2-dependent Src activation, triggered intracellular EphA2 translocation, as well as an increase in RhoA activity and cell junction disassembly, which suggests an overall repulsive effect between cells. Consistent with this, cleavage-prone EphA2-D359I mutant shifted breast carcinoma cell invasion from collective to rounded single-cell invasion within collagen and in vivo. Up-regulated MT1-MMP also codistributed with intracellular EphA2 in invasive cells within human breast carcinomas. These results reveal a new proteolytic regulatory mechanism of cell–cell signaling in cancer invasion.
Release of cellular tension signals self-restorative ventral lamellipodia to heal barrier micro-wounds
Authors: Martinelli Roberta , Kamei Masataka , Sage Peter T. , Massol Ramiro , Varghese Laya , Sciuto Tracey , Toporsian Mourad , Dvorak Ann M. , Kirchhausen Tomas , Springer Timothy A. , Carman Christopher V.
Published: April 2013

Basic mechanisms by which cellular barriers sense and respond to integrity disruptions remain poorly understood. Despite its tenuous structure and constitutive exposure to disruptive strains, the vascular endothelium exhibits robust barrier function. We show that in response to micrometer-scale disruptions induced by transmigrating leukocytes, endothelial cells generate unique ventral lamellipodia that propagate via integrins toward and across these “micro-wounds” to close them. This novel actin remodeling activity progressively healed multiple micro-wounds in succession and changed direction during this process. Mechanical probe-induced micro-wounding of both endothelia and epithelia suggests that ventral lamellipodia formed as a response to force imbalance and specifically loss of isometric tension. Ventral lamellipodia were enriched in the Rac1 effectors cortactin, IQGAP, and p47Phox and exhibited localized production of hydrogen peroxide. Together with Apr2/3, these were functionally required for effective micro-wound healing. We propose that barrier disruptions are detected as local release of isometric tension/force unloading, which is directly coupled to reactive oxygen species–dependent self-restorative actin remodeling dynamics.
Carla Koehler: Small TIMs are a big deal
Authors: Sedwick Caitlin
Published: April 2013

Koehler is investigating the mechanisms of mitochondrial protein and RNA import.
Quantitative properties and receptor reserve of the IP3 and calcium branch of Gq-coupled receptor signaling
Authors: Dickson Eamonn J. , Falkenburger Björn H. , Hille Bertil
Published: April 2013

Gq-coupled plasma membrane receptors activate phospholipase C (PLC), which hydrolyzes membrane phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) into the second messengers inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG). This leads to calcium release, protein kinase C (PKC) activation, and sometimes PIP2 depletion. To understand mechanisms governing these diverging signals and to determine which of these signals is responsible for the inhibition of KCNQ2/3 (KV7.2/7.3) potassium channels, we monitored levels of PIP2, IP3, and calcium in single living cells. DAG and PKC are monitored in our companion paper (Falkenburger et al. 2013. J. Gen. Physiol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1085/jgp.201210887). The results extend our previous kinetic model of Gq-coupled receptor signaling to IP3 and calcium. We find that activation of low-abundance endogenous P2Y2 receptors by a saturating concentration of uridine 5′-triphosphate (UTP; 100 µM) leads to calcium release but not to PIP2 depletion. Activation of overexpressed M1 muscarinic receptors by 10 µM Oxo-M leads to a similar calcium release but also depletes PIP2. KCNQ2/3 channels are inhibited by Oxo-M (by 85%), but not by UTP (<1%). These differences can be attributed purely to differences in receptor abundance. Full amplitude calcium responses can be elicited even after PIP2 was partially depleted by overexpressed inducible phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphatases, suggesting that very low amounts of IP3 suffice to elicit a full calcium release. Hence, weak PLC activation can elicit robust calcium signals without net PIP2 depletion or KCNQ2/3 channel inhibition.
Extracellular vesicles: communication, coercion, and conditioning
Authors: Shifrin David A. , Beckler Michelle Demory , Coffey Robert J. , Tyska Matthew J.
Published: April 2013

Cells communicate with neighboring cells and condition their local environment by secreting soluble factors into the extracellular space. These well-studied facets of cell biology are essential for the establishment and maintenance of physiological homeostasis. However, accumulating evidence has revealed that specific ligands, enzymes, and macromolecules are distributed into the extracellular space by virtue of their association with small vesicles, which are released by a variety of cell types. Although the biological significance of such vesicles was initially debated, purification and subsequent functional studies have shown that these extracellular vesicles are bioactive organelles carrying a wide range of protein and nucleic acid cargoes. In many cases these vesicles are laden with molecules that are involved in cell signaling, although other diverse functions are being revealed at a rapid pace. In this Perspective, we discuss recent developments in the understanding of the major pathways of extracellular vesicle biogenesis and how these vesicles contribute to the maintenance of physiological homeostasis.
Emerging roles of the corepressors NCoR1 and SMRT in homeostasis
Authors: Mottis Adrienne , Mouchiroud Laurent , Auwerx Johan
Published: April 2013

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is strongly influenced by the accessibility of nucleosomal DNA or the state of chromatin compaction. In this context, coregulators, including both coactivators and corepressors, are pivotal intermediates that bridge chromatin-modifying enzymes and transcription factors. NCoR1 (nuclear receptor corepressor) and SMRT (silencing mediator of retinoic acid and thyroid hormone receptor) are among the best-characterized corepressors from a molecular point of view. These coregulators have conserved orthologs in lower organisms, which underscores their functional importance. Here we summarize the results from recent in vivo studies that reveal the wide-ranging roles of NCoR1 and SMRT in developmental as well as homeostatic processes, including metabolism, inflammation, and circadian rhythms. We also discuss the potential implications of NCoR1 and SMRT regulation of pathways ranging from genomic stability and carcinogenesis to metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
What a difference a hydroxyl makes: mutant IDH, (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate, and cancer
Authors: Losman Julie-Aurore , Kaelin William G.
Published: April 2013

Mutations in metabolic enzymes, including isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2, in cancer strongly implicate altered metabolism in tumorigenesis. IDH1 and IDH2 catalyze the interconversion of isocitrate and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG). 2OG is a TCA cycle intermediate and an essential cofactor for many enzymes, including JmjC domain-containing histone demethylases, TET 5-methylcytosine hydroxylases, and EglN prolyl-4-hydroxylases. Cancer-associated IDH mutations alter the enzymes such that they reduce 2OG to the structurally similar metabolite (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate [(R)-2HG]. Here we review what is known about the molecular mechanisms of transformation by mutant IDH and discuss their implications for the development of targeted therapies to treat IDH mutant malignancies.
The ethics of disaster management
Authors: Kathleen Geale Sara
Published: April 2013

Purpose

Ethics is the foundation on which societies and cultures are based and are fundamental to political, social and economic decision making. Ethical dilemmas have created controversy and heated debate over the years. Disasters have been defined in public health terms as destructive events that result in the need for a wide range of emergency resources to assist and ensure the survival of the stricken population. Lack of medical resources, in conjunction with a mass casualty situation, can present specific ethical challenges. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ethics of disaster management.

Design/methodology/approach

In and after a disaster, ethical questions arise regarding appropriate and fair allocation of relief funds to help with recovery. Research in disaster settings poses unique ethical dilemmas. The researcher must determine how to balance the critical need for research with the ethical obligation of respect for, and protection of, the interests of research participants. Ethics as part of an educational program made available to health care providers may assist disaster responders to make the difficult ethical decisions involved in disasters. This literature review discusses these issues in conjunction with disaster response and recovery.

Findings

The cardinal virtues of disaster response are prudence, courage, justice, stewardship, vigilance, resilience, self‐effacing charity and communication. These eight virtues are not considered all inclusive, no more than Aristotle considered that his morals or virtues were all inclusive. Ongoing work in disaster management will help to ensure that such situations are managed in an ethical manner that respects the rights and privileges of all those involved.

Research limitations/implications

The literature reviewed for this paper was based on peer reviewed scholarly writings. Concepts of ethics and justice are important issues in disaster situations. This paper offers ideas to prompt further discussion among disaster managers and students of disaster studies.

Practical implications

Social changes are reliant on an understanding of ethics and how it affects society. This paper puts forward ethical concepts to prompt discussion by disaster responders and managers with the hope of improving disaster management.

Originality/value

The paper is an original document that may be useful to students of disaster management and those who teach disaster management
Assessing emergency management training and exercises
Authors: Sinclair Helen , Doyle Emma E. , Johnston David M. , Paton Douglas
Published: April 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how training or exercises are assessed in local government emergency management organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

An investigative review of the resources available to emergency managers across North America and within New Zealand, for the evaluation and monitoring of emergency management training and exercises was conducted. This was then compared with results from a questionnaire based survey of 48 local government organisations in Canada, USA, and New Zealand. A combination of closed and open ended questions was used, enabling qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Findings

Each organisation's training program, and their assessment of this training is unique. The monitoring and evaluation aspect of training has been overlooked in some organisations. In addition, those that are using assessment methods are operating in blind faith that these methods are giving an accurate assessment of their training. This study demonstrates that it is largely unknown how effective the training efforts of local government organisations are.

Research limitations/implications

Further study inspired by this paper will provide a clearer picture of the evaluation of and monitoring of emergency management training programs. These results highlight that organisations need to move away from an ad hoc approach to training design and evaluation, towards a more sophisticated and evidence‐based approach to training needs analysis, design, and evaluation if they are to maximise the benefits of this training.

Originality/value

This study is the first investigation to the authors’ knowledge into the current use of diverse emergency management training for a range of local government emergency offices, and how this training impacts the functioning of the organisation's emergency operations centre during a crisis.
Research to practice: a disaster behavioral health framework
Authors: Gunderson Jonathan , Crepeau‐Hobson Franci , Drennen Curt
Published: April 2013

Purpose

Research and experience following a variety of recent disasters has fostered the development of a range of disaster behavioral health interventions that can be used post‐disaster. Consensus documents recommend that five guiding principles be used to inform intervention efforts. These five essential elements, a sense of safety, calming, efficacy, connectedness, and hope, appear critical to the fostering of adaptation and resilience in affected communities. This paper aims to examine the use of these principles in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Translating these five evidence‐informed principles into practice requires dissemination, delivery and prioritizing and validation of the elements. Scholars identify actions for dissemination, delivery, and prioritization and validation, and this paper expands on the literature to identify processes that actualize the research into a framework for practice.

Findings

This article describes how disaster behavioral health professionals in Colorado have advanced these five principles into practice.

Originality/value

While literature clearly dictates the importance of addressing the impacts of extreme stress on individuals and communities, there remains a gap to explain how to bridge the research and practice. These strategies included in this paper begin to bridge this gap and can be used by others charged with disaster planning and response to inform their practices.
Impacts of temporary housing on housing reconstruction after the Bam earthquake
Authors: Rafieian Mojtaba , Asgary Ali
Published: April 2013

Purpose

– This study aims to examine the impacts of temporary housing on housing reconstruction after disasters using data collected after the December 2003 Bam earthquake.

Design/methodology/approach

– A questionnaire was developed and completed by 281 disaster-impacted households living in small and large campsites and on site of damaged properties provided by government and non-government agencies. Cross tabulation analyses were carried out to analyze the data.

Findings

– Results of this study show that the type of temporary housing (campsite and on property site) that had been provided to the victims has impacted the speed, quality and the overall satisfaction of the housing reconstruction.

Practical implications

– Provision of on-site temporary housing to disaster impacted population where possible could speed up a higher quality and more satisfactory housing reconstruction.

Originality/value

– This paper provides original research evidences for the relationship between type of temporary housing and housing reconstruction.
Consumer‐based brand equity and top‐of‐mind awareness: a cross‐country analysis
Authors: Hakala Ulla , Svensson Johan , Vincze Zsuzsanna
Published: April 2013

Purpose

The study focused on dimensions of consumer‐based brand equity, and especially the recall level of brand awareness. The purpose was to identify any statistically significant differences in brand recall in various product categories and different national contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This observation study explored relations between consumers' awareness of brands, attitudes related to brand equity, and changes in cultural context. Questionnaire data was collected from university students in four countries: the USA, Finland, France and Sweden. The respondents were asked about the brands of beverages, computers and cell‐phones that first came into their minds, and their attitudes in relation to brand equity.

Findings

It seems that the four dimensions of brand equity co‐vary depending on the cultural context. The results also revealed a relationship between TOMA and the national context that was generalizable in the three product categories.

Research limitations/implications

Culture as a contextual factor of consumer brand equity should be studied further. The findings should be replicated with non‐student samples in other product categories and cultural contexts. SEM could be used to establish the causality and direction of the relationships between the various dimensions of culture and brand equity.

Practical implications

The findings on the effect of the cultural context on brand equity are of practical relevance to marketing managers: they should tailor their branding strategies accordingly.

Originality/value

The results gave valid and reliable evidence of a relationship between the TOMA dimension of brand equity and the national cultural context.
Consumer recall of brand versus product banner ads
Authors: Van Steenburg Eric
Published: April 2013

Purpose

The paper aims to determine the effectiveness of specific online advertisements, comparing banner ads that are brand‐reinforcing versus ones that are product‐reinforcing.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses three experimental design studies to empirically test the hypotheses based on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) by manipulating type of online banner advertisement (brand‐type versus product‐type) and measuring individual need for cognition (NFC).

Findings

Consumers high in NFC recall product‐type banner ads more readily than those low in NFC, while brand‐type banner ads are more likely to be recalled by low‐NFC consumers. However, high‐NFC consumers recall brand‐type ads under all situational influences tested. And while consumers low in NFC recall product‐type banner ads featuring a directive better than their high‐NFC counterparts, they do not recall directive ads at a greater rate than high‐NFC consumers recall brand‐type ads.

Research limitations/implications

While previous research has found that variations in ad size, color, interactivity, and web site location affect recall, this research only measured static banner ads that appear at the top of the page. However, because it is the first to examine involvement in terms of NFC in combination with brand‐ and product‐type ads, the research sheds new light on consumer awareness of two types of banner ad strategies adopted by marketing managers today.

Practical implications

In an online context, the type of banner ads used by marketing managers should be paired with the web site based on how much time consumers spend at the site and how many pages they click through at the site. All things being equal, however, managers should favor brand‐type banner ads over product‐type banner ads.

Originality/value

The research extends understanding of ELM as it relates to type of banner ad while establishing a potential research stream for better understanding of how consumers process various types of online ads. At the same time, it provides new evidence that can help marketing managers make better strategic decisions regarding their online marketing mix.
Searching for competitive advantage with the brand extension process
Authors: Vukasovič Tina
Published: April 2013

Purpose

The main purpose of this article is to present a research study of brand extension with developing an innovative product in a new product category.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study is presented by one of the leading Slovenian brands in the market of fast moving consumer goods. More specifically, the paper deals with the market of chicken pariser sausages products and the brand called Poli. Poli is the first chicken pariser sausage on the European market and the best‐selling sausage in its category. The challenge that the Perutnina Ptuj d.d. company faced, as the owner of the abovementioned brand, was how to fully utilize the strength of the Poli brand. The article concentrates on the results of the quantitative research in a sample of n=800 chicken products consumers in Slovenia.

Findings

Results show the positive influence of the parent brand on the brand extension to the new product category. With launching a new product brand Poli is entered into a new category, namely the group pate.

Originality/value

The article shows that a combination of steps with the competition analysis, brand analysis, analysis of the purchase decision‐making process and analysis of brand perception represents an efficient tool for the brand extension.
Effects of complete products on consumer judgments
Authors: Ozcan Timucin , Sheinin Daniel A.
Published: April 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to seek to understand better how consumers judge multiattribute products that are perceived as either more or less complete in terms of feature coverage in a category. Complete products are used to reduce the need of developing and managing expansive and expensive line‐extension portfolios.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used an experimental method and conducted two studies to test hypotheses derived from the marketing literature.

Findings

It is found that more complete multiattribute products are preferred to less complete alternatives. This preference for more complete products remains under larger competitive product assortment, but is reduced under smaller assortment. With a higher price level and larger assortment, the preference is substantial. However, under the conditions of lower price level/larger assortment, higher price level/smaller assortment, and lower price level/smaller assortment, the preference is again reduced.

Research limitations/implications

More positive evaluations and higher product utility accrue from adding new features to multiattribute products prior to purchase. Moreover, more complete information causes more positive evaluations and cognitive responses. Larger assortment strains cognitive resources, and more complete multiattribute products are easier to understand than less complete multiattribute products. This processing facilitation generates positive affect leads to greater use of information that can shorten processing.

Practical implications

Brand managers can have a better understanding of how consumers judge more and less complete products, and under which circumstances more complete products are preferred.

Originality/value

The study of perceived product completeness is novel.
Price unfairness: the indirect effect on switching and negative word‐of‐mouth
Authors: Pizzutti dos Santos Cristiane , Basso Kenny
Published: April 2013

Purpose

This study aims to present and test a conceptual framework for the consequences of price unfairness, positing trust and emotions as two important mediators of the perception of price unfairness and its relationship to switching and negative word‐of‐mouth intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

An experiment with one factor with three levels (price unfairness: no price unfairness vs low price unfairness vs high price unfairness) is applied to 253 participants. The mediation analysis is made using bootstrapping procedure.

Findings

The findings reveal that existing customers that compare their price to a lower price offered to prospective customers experience the perception of price unfairness that, in turn, triggers negative behavioral intentions toward the company, through trust (cognitive driver) and negative emotions (emotional driver).

Practical implications

The findings indicate that companies should consider the damage that targeted promotions to new customers may do among existing customers in the long run. They also highlight the importance of the companies' strategies to build consumer trust over time as this construct seems only partially affected by perceived price unfairness and is a key determinant of customers' behavioral intentions.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the understanding of price unfairness perception and its negative behavioral consequences, testing and validating a parallel mediating process with trust and negative emotions as mediators.
Exploring branding strategies of FMCG, services and durables brands: evidence from India
Authors: Jit Singh Mann Bikram , Kaur Mandeep
Published: April 2013

Purpose

The paper aims to analyze and compare the branding strategies used in the three sectors namely FMCG, services and durables.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the literature review, a more comprehensive list of branding strategies is proposed. A content analysis of 600 randomly selected brands, 200 from each sector, is performed. The branding strategies used in the three sectors are explained and MANOVA is conducted to test the hypotheses about differences in the branding strategies across the three sectors.

Findings

The results reveal that the branding strategies vary across the three sectors. Single corporate brand strategy is predominantly used for durables and credence services. On the other hand, in case of FMCG and experience services, individual brand type endorsed by the corporate brand type is the most frequently used branding strategy. Thus, there is a trend towards corporate branding as corporate brand type is popular in all the sectors. Also, other than the single corporate brand strategy, as in case of durables and credence services, single brand type strategy is rarely used. For FMCG brands and experience services brands, companies are trying to leverage brand equity of two or more brand types.

Practical implications

The paper offers insights for designing branding strategies when branding a product/service. Brand managers may rely on corporate brand type when risk associated with a purchase is high, as in case of durables and credence services. However, when the risk associated is low, as in case of FMCG and experience services, individual brand type may be preferred, but at the same time, it should be endorsed by corporate brand type.

Originality/value

This study adds value to the growing body of literature on branding strategies by identifying a more comprehensive and simplistic list of branding strategies which is a major contribution of the paper. Further, this is one of a very few empirical studies on branding strategies and is a pioneering attempt to evaluate the branding strategies in the FMCG vis‐à‐vis services vis‐à‐vis durables sectors. It empirically substantiates that the three sectors are heterogeneous among themselves and homogeneous within themselves with respect to their branding strategies.
Building brands through brand alliances: combining warranty information with a brand ally
Authors: Fang Xiang , Gammoh Bashar S. , Voss Kevin E.
Published: April 2013

Purpose

While previous research has shown a positive influence of a brand ally or a warranty, published research has not explored the effects of using multiple types of quality signals. The purpose of this paper is to explore the joint effect of a default‐independent signal (i.e. a brand ally) combined with a default‐contingent signal (i.e. a warranty) on the focal brand's evaluations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reports the findings of a 2 (ally: none vs one) × 2 (warranty: no vs yes) between‐subjects factorial design in which 174 subjects were randomly assigned to experimental conditions.

Findings

The study's findings indicate that, individually, both brand alliance and warranty were a significant signal of product quality. However, the use of multiple types of signals, as opposed to one signal, did not add incrementally to consumer's perceived quality evaluations of a focal brand. In addition, risk reduction mediated the effects of brand ally and/or warranty on the focal brand's evaluations.

Originality/value

Recently, researchers have started to explore the influence of multiple brand alliance signals on consumer evaluations of brand. However, only the same type of signal has been examined. Signaling theory suggests that other marketing mix elements are marketplace signals of quality. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the role of multiple types of quality signals in brand building.
Strategic foresight and environmental uncertainty: a research agenda
Authors: Vecchiato Riccardo
Published: April 2013

Purpose

The main purpose of this article is to promote further systematic inquiry into the field of strategic foresight. It carefully aims to re‐examine the notion of environmental uncertainty, the main theoretical approaches advanced by literature on strategy to cope with uncertainty, and foresight activities in corporate organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

This article is theoretical in nature. However, its insights are significantly based on empirical analysis: the author has been involved in the past ten years in in‐depth investigation of foresight practices in several international firms of different industries.

Findings

Several important issues and research questions on strategic foresight have remained largely unresolved from both an academic and managerial perspective. This paper outlines such questions.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, it links the work on strategic foresight to a wide range of related literature streams, thus revealing new connections and issues to be explored. Second, it develops a research agenda that may inspire further theoretical and empirical work on the nature and effects of strategic foresight efforts.
Sense making, futures work and the global emergency
Authors: Slaughter Richard A.
Published: April 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and take forward several themes in two earlier papers by Ogilvy and Miller. After summarising their main points it seeks to consider different approaches to “sense making” in the work of future‐relevant theorists and practitioners; then to consider the case of sense making through integral approaches and then to explore implications through several themes. These include: a view of changes in the global system, generic responses to the global emergency, the critique of regressive modernity and how responses to “Cassandra's dilemma” (to know the future but not be believed) might stand in relation to the views of both authors. The paper aims to conclude with a view of the benefits to be obtained from the use of a four‐quadrant approach to understanding and responding to the human predicament.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a discussion paper that questions some of the views and assumptions of the earlier papers and explores some implications of an alternative view.

Findings

While supporting the drive to improve upon the theoretical foundations of futures studies and foresight, the paper questions whether such developments are as central, or will be as influential, as the authors suggest. A different view of “how to approach the future” is recommended, in part through four “domains of generic responses” to the global predicament.

Research limitations/implications

The paper presents an argument supported by evidence. Both should be reviewed by others in pursuit of extending the conversation beyond philosophical questions to implications in practice.

Practical implications

The essence of a methodology to understand, approach and even to resolve many aspects of the global emergency is outlined here. As such the paper has many practical implications for the way that futures and foresight professionals operate and towards what ends.

Social implications

The paper provides a substantive basis for qualified hope and engagement with a range of future‐shaping tasks. Specifically, these relate to the necessary shifts from “overshoot and collapse” trajectories to options for “moderated descent”.

Originality/value

Much of the work carried out on the perspective and issues discussed here has been carried out by those working outside of the futures/foresight domain. The value is both in affirming positive ways forward and extending the professional reach of futures/foresight workers to embrace new ideas and methods.
Understanding pathways of poor and vulnerable communities
Authors: Chan Jason Christopher , Dee Von Chng Livia
Published: April 2013

Purpose

In partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation, the RAHS Program Office (RPO) of the National Security Coordination Secretariat at the Prime Minister's Office in Singapore has undertaken the innovative approach of the Searchlight function to systematically make sense of the current contextual environment to be better positioned to anticipate the future of poor and vulnerable communities. This paper aims to outline the approach taken and to offer a glimpse into the next steps.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the expertise and knowledge from the Searchlight newsletters, RPO applied its SKAN‐to‐Trend Process to funnel down newsletters and generate themes for investigation. The process is augmented by the RAHS 2.0 system, to collect and classify data generated to analyse and understand relationships therein, and anticipate as well as discover emerging issues.

Findings

The scenario building tools allowed the RPO analysts to use systems thinking to build systems maps and influence diagrams to help identify critical drivers based on influence and to understand the relationships between driving forces. From the systems map, critical feedback loops were identified and analysed, and evidence marshalled to support alternative policy options to help overcome the vicious cycles of the poor and vulnerable communities.

Research limitations/implications

Although the approach may seem limited in terms of breadth, it does provide a more in‐depth study of relevant insights and themes.

Practical implications

The selection process was done by analysts whose selections will necessarily be subjective depending on each of the analysts' worldview and leanings. This was balanced by gathering a team of analysts from RPO from diverse backgrounds, from the sciences and engineering to the arts.

Social implications

It is evident that the expanding gulf of growing inequality will tear the social fabric because poverty and inequality are so intricately linked.

Originality/value

The paper shows that, as a visualisation partner, RPO will present a diversity of perspectives through the utilisation of its risk assessment and horizon scanning processes and tools to help understand the pathways of poor and vulnerable communities.
Cryptic seed heteromorphism in Packera tomentosa (Asteraceae): differences in mass and germination
Authors: Leverett Lindsay D. , Jolls Claudia L.
Published: April 2013

Seed mass variation and heteromorphism may afford plant species differential germination behavior and ultimately seedling success, particularly in disturbed habitats. We asked whether such variation occurs in Packera tomentosa (Michx.) C. Jeffrey (Asteraceae), a clonal species of the southeastern USA. Seed mass was compared within and among genetic individuals differentiated using amplified fragment length polymorphisms. We compared central and peripheral seeds produced by disc and ray florets, respectively, for their morphology, mass, and germination behavior, including response to water availability, aging, and cold stratification. Seed mass was highly variable both within and among individuals and influenced germination behavior. We found cryptic seed heteromorphism in P. tomentosa. Central and peripheral seeds had similar morphologies but dissimilar mass and biomass allocation. We used failure time analysis to detect different germination behavior. Central seeds were heavier, contained larger embryos, and germinated faster and at a higher proportion in most germination studies. Highly variable mass and heteromorphism of seeds may allow persistence of P. tomentosa in its disturbed habitats. Based on our results, some future studies of Asteraceae species with disc and ray florets may need to account for possible differences between seed types, even when morphological differences are not apparent. Evaluation of individual seed mass and maternal differences in germination studies may assist in the detection of cryptic seed heteromorphism, a phenomenon thought to be common, yet rarely documented.
Methane, microbes and models: fundamental understanding of the soil methane cycle for future predictions
Authors: Nazaries Loïc , Murrell J. Colin , Millard Pete , Baggs Liz , Singh Brajesh K.
Published: April 2013

Methane is an important greenhouse gas and microbes in the environment play major roles in both global methane emissions and terrestrial sinks. However, a full mechanistic understanding of the response of the methane cycle to global change is lacking. Recent studies suggest that a number of biological and environmental processes can influence the net flux of methane from soils to the atmosphere but the magnitude and direction of their impact are still debated. Here, we synthesize recent knowledge on soil microbial and biogeochemical process and the impacts of climate change factors on the soil methane cycle. We focus on (i) identification of the source and magnitude of methane flux and the global factors that may change the flux rate and magnitude in the future, (ii) the microbial communities responsible for methane production and terrestrial sinks, and (iii) how they will respond to future climatic scenarios and the consequences for feedback responses at a global scale. We also identify the research gaps in each of the topics identified above, provide evidence which can be used to demonstrate microbial regulation of methane cycle and suggest that incorporation of microbial data from emerging ‐omic technologies could be harnessed to increase the predictive power of simulation models.
Role of salt in Iranian ultrafiltered Feta cheese: Some textural and physicochemical changes during ripening
Authors: Farahnaky Asgar , Mousavi Sayed Hossein , Nasiri Mahshid
Published: April 2013

The effect of NaCl (0–4%) on the ripening of Iranian ultrafiltered (UF)‐Feta cheese was assessed over 120 days of ripening at 4 °C. Whey percentage, whey salt, whey pH, cheese pH and textural properties of hardness and cohesiveness were monitored, and experimental modelling performed using response surface methodology. Texture, pH and whey percentage were significantly affected by NaCl and ripening. The maximum whey of 22% was recorded at the end of ripening period. Texture of this cheese becomes harder during ripening confirming cheese pH and whey percentage being the major determining factors. Cheese samples were more elastic than viscous with cohesiveness values of 0.6–0.9.
Stress and anxiety‐depression levels following first‐trimester miscarriage: a comparison between women who conceived naturally and women who conceived with assisted reproduction
Authors: Cheung CS , Chan CH , Ng EH
Published: April 2013

Objective

To compare the psychological impact following early miscarriage between women who conceived naturally and women who conceived following assisted reproduction.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Assisted reproduction clinic and general gynaecological unit in a university‐affiliated, tertiary referral hospital.

Population

A cohort of 150 women (75 after natural conception; 75 after assisted reproduction).

Methods

Completed semi‐structured interviews using two standard questionnaires [the 12‐item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐12) and the 22–item Revised Impact of Events Scale (IES‐R)], at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after a diagnosis of first‐trimester miscarriage.

Main outcome measures

The GHQ–12 and IES–R scores for the two groups of women.

Results

The GHQ‐12 and IES‐R scores were significantly higher in the assisted reproduction group than the scores in the natural conception group, at 4 weeks and 12 weeks after miscarriage. Further breakdown of the scores revealed significantly higher hyperarousal symptoms at 4 and 12 weeks in the assisted reproduction group, indicating the traumatic effect of miscarriage to these women.

Conclusions

Following first‐trimester miscarriage, subfertile women who conceived after assisted reproduction had higher stress and anxiety‐depression levels, and experienced more traumatic impact from the event, than those after natural conception. A timely support and psychological intervention would be beneficial in the management of this group of women.