Explore the vast range of titles available.

PurposeThis paper aims to summarize peer-reviewed journal articles on national cultures and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) behavior, identify the main findings and patterns among those studies and discuss research gaps that need to be addressed in the future.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review process was utilized to analyze peer-reviewed journal articles on both eWOM and national cultures. The main research questions were defined, then proceeded by the identification of exclusive and inclusive criteria to search for relevant articles, which were further filtered based on abstracts and full texts, and then scrutinized for main findings and major variables such as countries, cultural variables and data collection methods.FindingsAn analysis of 52 papers shows that national cultures, primarily Hofstede's dimensions, influence the willingness of individuals to share eWOM, how they write eWOM and the extent to which they use eWOM to make decisions. Although the reviewed studies have provided insightful implications for marketing theory and practice, the present paper has identified a number of important questions that warrant future research attention.Originality/valueeWOM is continually being employed as a popular source of information for consumers throughout different countries to make their purchase decisions. However, eWOM behavior differs from country to country due to national cultures, and managers' eWOM strategies that work in one country may not be applicable in another. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest in this topic. Nevertheless, it remains unclear which subjects have been addressed and what areas are yet to be investigated. This paper presents a comprehensive review of how national cultures affect eWOM behavior by drawing upon prior research and provides directions for future research contributions.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the conditions under which US consumers, known for their \"green\" skepticism, are more (less) likely to respond favorably to a firm's environmental initiative in today's marketplace.Design methodology approach - The research paper investigates whether the general positive impact derived from the implementation of societal initiatives found by other researchers carries over when specific environmental initiatives are put into operation. The authors test hypotheses related to consumer responses to information about a firm's environmental initiative with varied salience of its public- and self-serving motives. Next, they test how consumer responses are affected by the level of perceived sincerity associated with a firm's environmental initiative. The role of brand commitment is also examined across both studies.Findings - The results reveal that consumers use a rather skeptical approach when interpreting a firm's environmental initiative and that these responses vary based on the level of brand commitment, as well as how the initiative is presented to them.Research limitations implications - The generalizability of results is currently limited to a particular brand with strong brand equity, large market share, and highly experiential service (Starbucks).Practical implications - The authors provide insights into what marketers and policy makers should consider in the development of environmental initiatives, in order to increase the likelihood of positive consumer responses.Originality value - The present research contributes to the development (and application) of more accurate models of consumer responses to a firm's environmental initiative.

This paper examines the role of league-cause fit, perceived sincerity, and intentions to support campaigns of league-wide cause-related sport marketing (CRSM). Using the context of the National Football League (NFL) and the tenets of schema theory and social identity theory, we demonstrate potential backlash effects of featuring “hometown” team imagery in league-wide CRSM campaigns. The results of three experiments suggest that while a cause perceived as high fit to the league (Wounded Warrior Project) may facilitate better overall response, fans exposed to campaign imagery featuring their hometown team view the CRSM efforts as less sincere, resulting in reduced support compared to campaign imagery featuring a rival or no team. In low-fit CRSM campaigns, team imagery has no effect. These results conflict with the current literature on CRSM and offer new guidance for sport administrators. Specifically, league-wide CRSM campaigns are best presented in the neutral context, without specific team imagery.

Brand names and other brand elements are often displayed on one's body or clothes for the purpose of personal value expression. Despite the frequency of such brand displays in the marketplace, we know little about how consumers respond to seeing brands in this fashion. A recent view of consumer brand identification--the concept of brand engagement in self-concept (BESC)--provides a unique perspective from which to explore how consumers react when see-ing brands displayed by others. Across three experiments, we demonstrate a consistent pattern of findings indicating that consumers' reactions to others ostentatiously displaying brands as means of value expression are strongest for those with high BESC levels and with a high value focus during brand exposure. The research highlights important variations in consumers' responses to self-expressive brand stimuli associated with others; implications for branding practice and re-search are provided.

Anoxia halts oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) causing an accumulation of reduced compounds in the mitochondrial matrix which impedes dehydrogenases. By simultaneously measuring oxygen concentration, NADH autofluorescence, mitochondrial membrane potential and ubiquinone reduction extent in isolated mitochondria in real-time, we demonstrate that Complex I utilized endogenous quinones to oxidize NADH under acute anoxia. 13 C metabolic tracing or untargeted analysis of metabolites extracted during anoxia in the presence or absence of site-specific inhibitors of the electron transfer system showed that NAD +  regenerated by Complex I is reduced by the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase Complex yielding succinyl-CoA supporting mitochondrial substrate-level phosphorylation (mtSLP), releasing succinate. Complex II operated amphidirectionally during the anoxic event, providing quinones to Complex I and reducing fumarate to succinate. Our results highlight the importance of quinone provision to Complex I oxidizing NADH maintaining glutamate catabolism and mtSLP in the absence of OXPHOS.

Background Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 genotype is the most prevalent risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Although ApoE4 differs from its non-pathological ApoE3 isoform only by the C112R mutation, the molecular mechanism of its proteinopathy is unknown. Methods Here, we reveal the molecular mechanism of ApoE4 aggregation using a combination of experimental and computational techniques, including X-ray crystallography, site-directed mutagenesis, hydrogen-deuterium mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), static light scattering and molecular dynamics simulations. Treatment of ApoE ε3/ε3 and ε4/ε4 cerebral organoids with tramiprosate was used to compare the effect of tramiprosate on ApoE4 aggregation at the cellular level. Results We found that C112R substitution in ApoE4 induces long-distance (> 15 Å) conformational changes leading to the formation of a V-shaped dimeric unit that is geometrically different and more aggregation-prone than the ApoE3 structure. AD drug candidate tramiprosate and its metabolite 3-sulfopropanoic acid induce ApoE3-like conformational behavior in ApoE4 and reduce its aggregation propensity. Analysis of ApoE ε4/ε4 cerebral organoids treated with tramiprosate revealed its effect on cholesteryl esters, the storage products of excess cholesterol. Conclusions Our results connect the ApoE4 structure with its aggregation propensity, providing a new druggable target for neurodegeneration and ageing. Graphic Abstract

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growth and development during the pre-and post-flowering stages are susceptible to high temperature and drought. We report the field-based characterization of multiple morpho-physiological and reproductive stress resilience traits in 11 interspecific chromosome substitution (CS) lines isogenic to each other and the inbred G. hirsutum line TM-1. Significant genetic variability was detected (p < 0.001) in multiple traits in CS lines carrying chromosomes and chromosome segments from CS-B (G. barbadense) and CS-T (G. tomentosum). Line CS-T15sh had a positive effect on photosynthesis (13%), stomatal conductance (33%), and transpiration (24%), and a canopy 6.8 °C cooler than TM-1. The average pollen germination was approximately 8% greater among the CS-B than CS-T lines. Based on the stress response index, three CS lines are identified as heat- and drought-tolerant (CS-T07, CS-B15sh, and CS-B18). The three lines demonstrated enhanced photosynthesis (14%), stomatal conductance (29%), transpiration (13%), and pollen germination (23.6%) compared to TM-1 under field conditions, i.e., traits that would expectedly enhance performance in stressful environments. The generated phenotypic data and stress-tolerance indices on novel CS lines, along with phenotypic methods, would help in developing new cultivars with improved resilience to the effects of global warming.

The multiple forms of pulmonary aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus species are the most common respiratory mycoses. Although invasive, the analysis of diagnostic biomarkers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is a clinical standard for diagnosing these conditions. The BALF samples from 22 patients with proven or probable aspergillosis were assayed for human pentraxin 3 (Ptx3), fungal ferricrocin (Fc), and triacetylfusarinine C (TafC) in a retrospective study. The infected group included patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and chronic aspergillosis (CPA). The BALF data were compared to a control cohort of 67 patients with invasive pulmonary mucormycosis (IPM), non-Aspergillus colonization, or bacterial infections. The median Ptx3 concentrations in patients with and without aspergillosis were 4545.5 and 242.0 pg/mL, respectively (95% CI, p < 0.05). The optimum Ptx3 cutoff for IPA was 2545 pg/mL, giving a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 100, 98, 95, and 100%, respectively. The median Ptx3 concentration for IPM was high at 4326 pg/mL. Pentraxin 3 assay alone can distinguish IPA from CPA and invasive fungal disease from colonization. Combining Ptx3 and TafC assays enabled the diagnostic discrimination of IPM and IPA, giving a specificity and PPV of 100%.

The primary gene pool for tetraploid cotton species includes Gossypium hirsutum L., as well as the other four 2n = 52 species of Gossypium (G. barbadense, G. mustellinum, G. tomentosum and G. darwinii). To help overcome barriers to effective introgression, we have developed a number of alien chromosome substitution (CS) lines from G. barbadense, G. mustellinum and G. tomentosum, most of which are nearly isogenic to the inbred ‘Texas Marker-1’, a genetic standard. At the time CS line development was initiated, molecular markers did not exist for some CS lines, and most of these lines were developed based on cytological analysis without using any marker-based testing. Here we report on tests with SSR markers from one ore more linkage maps specific to the substituted chromosome or chromosome segment from one or more linkage maps to assess the constitution and genetic identity of the CS lines. The specific objective of this paper is to report on the genetic identity of the CS lines using SSR markers and some special characteristics associated with some of the CS lines. We used chromosome-specific SSR markers following standard methods of DNA extraction, PCR and according to manufacturer’s protocol on ABI Genetic Analyzer 3130xl to confirm the identity of the introgressed alien chromosome or chromosome segments in the CS lines. For most CS lines and most mapped markers, the observed SSR profiles were concordant with expectations as per the results of cytological analysis. For a minority of markers and lines, however, the results were discordant; these markers, linkage groups, and CS lines will be further investigated to understand and define their genetic identity for use as breeding resources. Interspecific germplasm introgression can be useful for genetic improvement of Upland cotton. However, such efforts are constrained by genetic incompatibilities between the species. Our results document for the first time the development of CS lines from G. tomentosum and G. mustelinum. These CS lines will open a new paradigm in cotton breeding program by providing a tool for introgression of useful genes from wild and unadapted species in the genetic improvement of Upland cotton.

A combination of previously mapped and unmapped non-redundant SSR loci, using 381 primer pairs were chromosomally and sub-chromosomally localized by deficiency analysis of two sets of quasi-isogenic interspecific Gossypium hirsutum L. hypoaneuploid F₁ hybrids involving Gossypium barbadense L. and Gossypium tomentosum (Nuttall ex Seemann). Polymorphisms were detected for 369 SSR primer pairs. A total of 318 SSR loci were rendered deficient by the available hypoaneuploid stocks, which included primary monosomics (2n = 51), monotelodisomics and duplication-deficient (segmental trisomic-monosomic) (2n = 52) types. Chromosomal associations were newly determined for 123 SSR loci, of which 90, 106 and 73 were polymorphic in G. tomentosum, G. barbadense, and both sets, respectively. The deficiency tests independently confirmed the recent identifications of linkage groups (LG) A01, A02, A03 and D08 to be chromosome (Chr)-13, Chr-8, Chr-11 and Chr-19, respectively, and collectively delimited LG D02 and D03 to Chr-21 and 24, and their homeologs to Chr-8 and 11. Segmental homeology was detected between Chr-2 and Chr-17 loci, adding to evidence of segmental homeology between Chr-2 and 3 versus Chr-14 and 17. The 318 non-redundant SSR loci localized in this study will enhance the construction of linkage maps and QTL identification in molecular marker assisted selection since the confirmed and newly discovered SSR loci can serve as anchor loci for their respective chromosomes.