Is the stage yours? Shedding light on the effect of co-creation stages on customers’ green and functional trust

Although consumers show an increased interest in making greener choices at the purchase decision, their actual purchasing behavior lags. Previous research has highlighted a lack of trust in green products as a possible explanation for this consumption discrepancy. As co-creation is based on characteristics such as openness, dialogue, and transparency, this paper investigates whether this innovation approach could be a way to increase green trust and functional trust in green products. The results showed a positive mediation effect of green trust between green products and consumers' purchase intention. Furthermore, the results showed an interaction effect between product greenness and co-creation, highlighting the effectiveness of co-creation in increasing functional trust. Since green products are perceived as less effective, innovation managers can complement their innovation process with co-creation when trying to increase functional trust in new green products. Furthermore, the paper examined whether the specific communication of the stage in which co creation took place has an impact on the observation of consumers' green trust and functional trust. The results showed that consumers have a higher level of functional trust in green products that have been co-created at the launch stage compared to products that have been created by professionals.Embora os consumidores demonstrem um interesse crescente em fazer escolhas mais ecológicas aquando da decisão de compra, o seu comportamento de compra efectivo fica aquém. Estudos anteriores destacaram a falta de confiança nos produtos ecológicos como uma possível explicação para esta discrepância no consumo. Uma vez que a co-criação se baseia em características como a abertura, o diálogo e a transparência, este documento investiga se esta abordagem de inovação pode ser uma forma de aumentar a confiança ecológica e a confiança funcional nos produtos ecológicos. Os resultados revelaram um efeito de mediação positivo da confiança ecológica entre os produtos ecológicos e a intenção de compra dos consumidores. Além disso, os resultados revelaram um efeito de interacção entre o carácter ecológico do produto e a co-criação, salientando a eficácia da co-criação no aumento da confiança funcional. Uma vez que os produtos verdes são considerados menos eficazes, os gestores da inovação podem complementar o seu processo de inovação com a co-criação quando tentam aumentar a confiança funcional em novos produtos verdes. Além disso, o documento examinou se a comunicação específica da fase em que a co-criação teve lugar tem um impacto na observação da confiança verde e da confiança funcional dos consumidores. Os resultados mostraram que os consumidores têm um nível mais elevado de confiança funcional nos produtos ecológicos que foram co-criados na fase de lançamento, em comparação com os produtos que foram criados por profissionais

On human self-domestication, psychiatry, and eugenics

The hypothesis that anatomically modern homo sapiens could have undergone changes akin to those observed in domesticated animals has been contemplated in the biological sciences for at least 150 years. The idea had already plagued philosophers such as Rousseau, who considered the civilisation of man as going against human nature, and eventually "sparked over" to the medical sciences in the late 19th and early 20th century. At that time, human "self-domestication" appealed to psychiatry, because it served as a causal explanation for the alleged degeneration of the "erbgut" (genetic material) of entire populations and the presumed increase of mental disorders

Residual strain in free-standing CdTe nanowires overgrown with HgTe

We investigate the crystal properties of CdTe nanowires overgrown with HgTe. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) confirm, that the growth results in a high ensemble uniformity and that the individual heterostructures are single-crystalline, respectively. We use high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) to investigate strain, caused by the small lattice mismatch between the two materials. We find that both CdTe and HgTe show changes in lattice constant compared to the respective bulk lattice constants. The measurements reveal a complex strain pattern with signatures of both uniaxial and shear strains present in the overgrown nanowires

LPS-induced Pellino3 degradation is mediated by p62-dependent autophagy

Background: In macrophages Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is activated in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and induces proinflammatory cytokine expression. Therefore, mechanisms terminating proinflammatory gene expression are important. Autophagy plays a central role in controlling innate immune responses by lysosomal degradation of signaling proteins, thus contributing to the resolution of inflammation. Autophagic proteins like p62 directly interact with molecules involved in the TLR4-signaling pathway, but a correlation with the IRAK E3 ligase and scaffold protein Pellino3 remains obscure. Hence, we are interested in elucidating the function of Pellino3 to prove our hypothesis that it is a key regulator in the TLR4-signaling cascade. Methods: We used the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) mouse model causing polymicrobial sepsis to analyze Pellino3 protein and mRNA expression. Furthermore, we induced endotoxemia in RAW264.7 mouse macrophages by LPS treatment to verify in vivo experiments. Lentiviral Pellino3 knockdown in RAW264.7 macrophages was used for cytokine measurements at mRNA level. To analyze potential Pellino3 binding partners in TLR4-signaling by mass spectrometry (MS), we overexpressed FLAG-tagged Pellino3 in RAW264.7 macrophages, treated cells for 3, 6 and 24 hours with LPS and immunoprecipitated Pellino3 via its FLAG-tag. To consider Pellino3 degradation as a result of p62-mediated autophagy, we transiently knocked down p62 by siRNA in RAW264.7 macrophages and also pharmacologically blocked LPS-induced autophagy by Bafilomycin A1. Results: We demonstrated Pellino3 protein degradation in primary CD11b+ splenocytes after 24 hours following CLP operation and confirmed this in RAW264.7 macrophages after 24-hour LPS stimulation. Knockdown of Pellino3 attenuates proinflammatory cytokines, for example IL-6 mRNA, after 6 hours of LPS. Furthermore, we found by MS and verifying immunoprecipitation experiments that p62 is a Pellino3 binding partner, thus targeting Pellino3 for degradation. In line, both p62 knockdown and Bafilomycin A1 treatment prevent Pellino3 degradation, supporting an autophagic mechanism. Conclusion: Our observations highlight a regulatory role of Pellino3 on TLR4 signaling. Thus, antagonism of Pellino3 in the hyperinflammatory phase of sepsis may counteract the cytokine storm. Furthermore, stabilization of Pellino3 by inhibition of autophagy in the hypoinflammatory phase of sepsis may improve immunity. In consideration of these two conflictive sepsis phases, modulation of Pellino3 may provide a new strategy for the development of a therapy approach in sepsis

Proximity Induced Superconductivity in CdTe-HgTe Core-Shell Nanowires

In this letter we report on proximity superconductivity induced in CdTe-HgTe core-shell nanowires, a quasi-one-dimensional heterostructure of the topological insulator HgTe. We demonstrate a Josephson supercurrent in our nanowires contacted with superconducting Al leads. The observation of a sizable $I_c R_n$ product, a positive excess current and multiple Andreev reflections up to fourth order further indicate a high interface quality of the junctions.Comment: Accepted for publication in Nano Letter

Kinetic characterization of selective peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma modulators in vitro

Background: The ligand-activated transcription factor, peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), has been shown to play an essential role in immunosuppression during sepsis. PPARγ is upregulated in T cells of septic patients, sensitizing these cells to PPARγ-dependent apoptosis and thus contributing to T-cell depletion. In the polymicrobial cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis model in mice, both T-cell-specific gene knockout (Lck-Cre PPARγfl/fl) and systemic pharmacological PPARγ antagonism by GW9662 improved survival. Because GW9662 was only effective when applied 3 hours after CLP, we were interested to extend this time frame. For this reason we characterized the kinetics of SPPARγMs when administered before or in combination with the agonist thiazolidinedione, rosiglitazone. Methods: A PPARγ-dependent transactivation assay was used in HEK293T cells. It is based on the vector pFA-PPARγ-LBD-GAL4-DBD encoding the hybrid protein PPARγ-LBD-GAL4-DBD and the reporter vector pFR-Luc, carrying a GAL4-responsive element in front of the Firefly luciferase gene. These two vectors were co-transfected, in combination with a control vector encoding Renilla luciferase (pRL-CMV) to normalize Firefly luciferase activity for transfection efficiency. Following transfection, cells were incubated with the SPPARγMs F-MOC and MCC-555 and the PPARγ antagonist GW9662 for different times (2 to 48 hours) and at increasing doses (0.01 to 10 μM), with or without rosiglitazone (0.01 to 10 μM). Transactivation was analyzed using a 96-well plate format. Results: Rosiglitazone transactivated PPARγ in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner, the response gradually increasing to a maximum at 48 hours with 10 μM. Low concentrations (0.01 to 0.1 μM) of SPPARγMs F-MOC and MCC-555 and the PPARγ antagonist GW9662 all exerted dose-independent antagonistic effects at an early incubation time point (2 hours). From 10 hours onwards, MCC-555 and GW9662, given alone, both exerted PPARγ agonistic effects, MCC-555 in parallel to responses to rosiglitazone, but GW9662 with characteristics of partial antagonism. F-MOC showed no dose-dependent effect at any concentration at later time points. Only GW9662 (1 to 10 μM) was able to inhibit rosiglitazone (0.1 to 1 μM)-induced PPARγ transactivation after 10 hours. Conclusion: Our kinetic analysis reveals clear differences in the modulatory characteristics of PPARγ inhibitors, with previously unreported early inhibitory effects and late agonistic or partial agonistic activity. New SPPARγMs with extended inhibitory activity may prove useful in the therapy of sepsis