The influence of country and brand image on the evaluation of foreign products the moderating role of the nationality of the consumer

El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar la relación bidireccional o no recursiva entre la imagen del país and la evaluación del producto. Nuestro objetivo es contribuir al debate sobre la dirección causal entre estos conceptos que existe en la literatura. Además, se confirma el papel mediador de la imagen de marca and su contribución a la relación entre la imagen del país del país and la evaluación del producto. Con el fin de contrastar las hipótesis propuestas, los datos de tres grupos de consumidores se compilan mediante una encuesta en un hipermercado simulado. Los resultados confirman la relación no recursiva entre la imagen del país and la evaluación del producto, sin embargo, ni el papel mediador de la imagen de marca es el mismo para ambas direcciones de la relación antes mencionada ni para los diferentes grupos de consumidores en cuestiónThe purpose of this research is to analyze the bidirectional or non-recursive relation between the image of the country and the evaluation of the product. Our aim is contributing to the debate about the causal direction between these concepts that exists in the literature. Additionally, the mediating role of brand image and its contribution to the relation between the country image of the country and the evaluation of the product is confirmed. To contrast the proposed hypotheses, data of three groups of consumers is compiled by means of a survey in a simulated hypermarket. Results confirm the non-recursive relation between the image of the country and the evaluation of the product, however neither the mediating role of brand image is the same for both directions of the relation nor for the different groups of consumers in question

Are Bursaphelenchus xylophilus-associated bacteria playing a role in pine wilt disease?

Pine wilt disease (PWD), presently the most severe coniferous disease worldwide, is caused by the plant parasitic nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the pinewood nematode (PWN). Although PWN is considered the major pathogenic factor in PWD, its associated bacterial community is not ruled out as potential helpers in this complex and still little understood disease. This work presents the characterization of PWN-associated bacteria and plant pathogenicity trials in the pine host Pinus pinaster. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing of PWN-associated bacteria revealed the presence of bacteria from two phyla Proteobacteria (Burkholderiales, Pseudomonadales, Enterobacteriales and Xanthomonadales) and Firmicutes (Lactobacillales and Bacilalles). Phenotypic characterization revealed the presence of a heterogeneous bacterial community associated with PWN, exhibiting plant pathogenic traits common in wilting diseases. Our results suggest the intriguing possibility that some PWN-associated bacteria may play a significant role in the development of PWD

Beliefs, values and political attitudes of foreign immigration: towards a conceptual and methodological framework to study transnational immigration in Spain ; paper presented at the conference on ‘Transnationalisation and Development(s): Towards a North-South Perspective’

"Based on the idea that the beliefs, values and political attitudes of the subjects explain the political processes taking place in the core of modern society, the main aim of this paper is to discuss a conceptual and methodological framework which makes it possible to determine the political culture of the transnational immigration residing in Spain. Taking into account that political cultures can be dramatically modified by the transnational migratory experience, we try to find the best way to establish whether the political culture of the transnational immigrants based in Spain has indeed been transformed as they have faced the values prevailing in Spanish society, as well as those associated to democracy, i.e., those valid all over the European Union. Hence, the paper focuses on the different tools available to analyze the interaction between political institutions, civil society, community-level organizations and transnational immigrants. Also, we ask whether such interaction affects, and in what ways, democratic governance. It must be highlighted that, despite the relevance of the subject matter and of its relationship with the entrenchment of democratic governance in the transnational space, the kind of research we propose, i.e., based on the political culture of immigrants, on the elements mentioned above and relying on a methodology that combines both a theoretical and an empirical approach, has not been developed in Spain yet." (author's abstract

Design Optimization of the Aeronautical Sheet Hydroforming Process Using the Taguchi Method

The aluminium alloy sheet forming processes forging in rubber pad and diaphragm presses (also known as hydroforming processes) are simple and economical processes adapted to aeronautical production. Typical defects of these processes are elastic recovery, necking, and wrinkling, and they present di culties in control mainly due to property variations of the sheet material that take place during the process. In order to make these processes robust and unresponsive to material variations, a multiobjective optimization methodology based on the Taguchi method is proposed in the present study. The design of experiments and process simulation are combined in the methodology, using the nonlinear finite element method. The properties of sheet material are considered noise factors of the hydroforming process, the objective being to find a combination of the control factors that causes minimal defects to noise factors. The methodology was applied to an AA2024-T3 aluminium alloy sheet of 1 mm thickness stamping process in a diaphragm press. The results allowed us to establish the optimal pressure values, friction coeficient between sheet and block, and friction coeficient between sheet and rubber to reduce the elastic recovery variations and the minimal thickness before noise facts