Suboptimality of Sales Promotions and Improvement Through Channel Coordination

This paper deals with sales promotions in the form of consumer price discounts in fast-moving consumer goods. First, we show analytically that suboptimality is to be expected with respect to the size of the consumer price discount. This is due to the separate decision making of the retailer and the manufacturer. We then compute the impact of this suboptimality for a database of eighty-six sale promotions, and we find that it is substantial. On average, the actual profitability of the sales promotions is only about one fourth of its potential profitability. The suboptimality problem can be solved through specific arrangements between retailer and manufacturer, which have the purpose of better channel coordination. One of these is a proportional discount sharing arrangement, in which each party contributes to the consumer price discount in proportion to its original margin (without sales promotion). Several other winwin arrangements are possible also.Sales promotions;channel coordination;channels of distribution;consumer price discounts

Suboptimality of Sales Promotions and Improvement Through Channel Coordination

This paper deals with sales promotions in the form of consumer price discounts in fast-moving consumer goods. First, we show analytically that suboptimality is to be expected with respect to the size of the consumer price discount. This is due to the separate decision making of the retailer and the manufacturer. We then compute the impact of this suboptimality for a database of eighty-six sale promotions, and we find that it is substantial. On average, the actual profitability of the sales promotions is only about one fourth of its potential profitability. The suboptimality problem can be solved through specific arrangements between retailer and manufacturer, which have the purpose of better channel coordination. One of these is a proportional discount sharing arrangement, in which each party contributes to the consumer price discount in proportion to its original margin (without sales promotion). Several other winwin arrangements are possible also

Emotion Regulation and Perceptions of Illness Coherence and Controllability on Regimen Adherence and Negative Cardiac Health Events in African American Women With Heart Failure

Background: African American women with heart failure (HF) have stressors that negatively impact HF self-management adherence and heighten the occurrence of negative cardiac health events. Perceptions of illness coherence and controllability and emotion regulation are known to facilitate self-management in the face of stressors. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether difficulties with emotion regulation and negative perceptions of illness coherence and controllability are detrimental to adherence and increase negative cardiac health events in this patient population. Methods: African American women (n = 54) with HF, aged 49 to 84 years, participated in this longitudinal descriptive correlational study. Using convenience sampling, we recruited patients from hospitals and HF clinics. They completed interviews at intake and 30 days, and their medical records were reviewed at 90 days. Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess predictors of general adherence and negative cardiac health events. Results: Of 54 patients who participated in the study, 28 experienced a negative health event during 90 days, and 57% of these events were cardiac related. The only clear predictor of these events was greater New York Heart Association functional classification (β = 1.47, P = .027). No associations were found between predictors (emotion regulation, controllability, coherence, age, education) and general adherence. Conclusions: Emotion regulation showed a possible greater impact on negative cardiac health events than on general adherence. Perceived illness coherence showed less impact on negative cardiac health events than on general adherence

Emotion Regulation in Chronic Disease Populations: An Integrative Review

Background and Purpose: Emotion regulation, the experiencing, processing, and modulating of emotional response, is necessary to manage the emotional stressors common in patients with chronic illness. Overwhelming emotional demands deplete the resources needed for everyday self-care management of chronic disease, contributing to poor health outcomes. Emotion regulation is shown to impact behaviors in healthy individuals; yet, a review of literature examining evidence of associations in chronically ill populations is lacking. The purpose of this article is to examine the state of the science relative to the impact of emotion regulation on health outcomes in chronic illness populations. Methods: Articles were reviewed (N = 14) that focused on emotion regulation and outcomes of patients with chronic illness. Results: Indicate that most of the studies focused on these concepts are cross-sectional and measure emotion regulation using various surveys. Potential relationships exist with increased age, male gender, higher education, decreased stress, depressive, and anxiety symptoms being associated with more adaptive emotion regulation. Of primary importance to patients with chronic illnesses is the potential link between greater difficulties with emotion regulation and the presence of chronic disease as well as poorer physical function. Implications for Practice: Care should include attention to affective regulation as well as physiologic responses of chronic illness

Neural hypersensitivity to pleasant touch in women remitted from anorexia nervosa.

Interoception, or the sensing and integration of bodily state signals, has been implicated in anorexia nervosa (AN), given that the hallmark symptoms involve food restriction and body image disturbance. Here we focus on brain response to the anticipation and experience of affective interoceptive stimuli. Women remitted from AN (RAN; N = 18) and healthy comparison women (CW; N = 26) underwent a pleasant affective touch paradigm consisting of gentle strokes with a soft brush administered to the forearm or palm during functional neuroimaging. RAN had a lower brain response relative to CW during anticipation of touch, but a greater response when experiencing touch in the right ventral mid-insula. In RAN, this reduced anticipatory response was associated with higher levels of harm avoidance. Exploratory analyses in RAN also suggested that lower response during touch anticipation was associated with greater body dissatisfaction and higher perceived touch intensity ratings. This reduced responsivity to the anticipation of pleasant affective interoceptive stimuli in association with higher harm avoidance, along with an elevated response to the experience of touch, suggests an impaired ability in AN to predict and interpret incoming physiological stimuli. Impaired interoception may thus impact one's sense of self, thereby supporting observations of disturbed body image and avoidance of affective and social stimuli. Therapeutic approaches that help AN to better anticipate and interpret salient affective stimuli or improve tolerance of interoceptive experiences may be an important addition to current interventions

Effect of Maillard induced glycation on protein hydrolysis by lysine/arginine and non-lysine/arginine specific proteases

Enzymatic protein hydrolysis is sensitive to modifications of protein structure, e.g. Maillard reaction. In early stages of the reaction glycation takes place, modifying the protein primary structure. In later stages protein aggregation occurs. The specific effect of glycation on protein hydrolysis was studied using α-lactalbumin glycated with D-glucose at 50 °C (0–10 h). This resulted in proteins with different degrees of glycation (DG = 0–63%) without changes in secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure. These glycated proteins were hydrolyzed by lysine/arginine specific proteases (bovine and porcine trypsin) or by non-lysine/arginine specific proteases (Bacillus licheniformis protease (BLP), α-chymotrypsin and subtilisin A). For bovine and porcine trypsin, the maximal degree of hydrolysis decreased linearly with 65% from untreated to maximal glycated protein (DG = 63%). This means trypsin cannot hydrolyze glycated cleavage sites. BLP and subtilisin A hydrolyses were independent of glycation, while α-chymotrypsin cannot hydrolyze cleavage sites with glycated binding sites. This means for non-lysine/arginine specific proteases, the effect of glycation depends on the enzyme sensitivity towards modifications on binding sites. Since not all cleavage sites are efficiently used by the enzymes, the extent of the effects depends on the enzyme selectivity towards cleavage sites (for trypsin) or cleavage sites near glycation sites (for α-chymotrypsin). Combining the results of all proteases, an equation was derived describing the effect of modification of protein primary structure on the extent of hydrolysis based on the enzyme specificity, selectivity and binding site sensitivity

Applying neurobiology to the treatment of adults with anorexia nervosa

BackgroundAnorexia nervosa is a severe, biologically based brain disorder with significant medical complications. It is critical that new, effective treatments are developed to interrupt the persistent course of the illness due to the medical and psychological sequelae. Several psychosocial, behavioral and pharmacologic interventions have been investigated in adult anorexia nervosa; however, evidence shows that their impact is weak and treatment effects are generally small.MethodThis paper describes a new neurobiological anorexia nervosa model that shifts focus from solely external influences, such as social and family, to include internal influences that integrate genetic and neurobiological contributions, across the age span. The model serves as a theoretical structure for a new, five-day treatment, outlined in this paper, targeting anorexia nervosa temperament, which integrates neurobiological dimensions into evidence-based treatment interventions. The treatment is in two phases. Phase I is a five day, 40 hour treatment for anorexia nervosa adults. Phase II is the follow-up and is currently being developed.ResultsPreliminary qualitative acceptability data on 37 adults with anorexia nervosa and 60 supports (e.g., spouses, parents, aunts, friends, partners, children of anorexia nervosa adults) are promising from Phase I. Clients with anorexia nervosa and their supports report that learning neurobiological facts improved their understanding of the illness and helped equip them with better tools to manage anorexia nervosa traits and symptoms. In addition, nutritional knowledge changed significantly.ConclusionsThis is the first neurobiologically based, five-day treatment for adults with anorexia nervosa and their supports. It is a new model that outlines underlying genetic and neurobiological contributions to anorexia nervosa that serves as a foundation to treat both traits and symptoms. Preliminary qualitative findings are promising, with both clients and supports reporting that the neurobiological treatment approach helped them better understand the illness, while better conceptualizing how to respond to their traits and manage their symptoms. Data in Phase I shows promise as a neurobiologically based intervention for anorexia nervosa, and it serves as a foundation for the development of Phase II. Evidence of ongoing program efficacy will be described as data are reported on Phase II.Trial registrationNCT NCT02852538 Registered 1 August 2016

Electronic Theory for the Nonlinear Magneto-Optical Response of Transition-Metals at Surfaces and Interfaces: Dependence of the Kerr-Rotation on Polarization and on the Magnetic Easy Axis

We extend our previous study of the polarization dependence of the nonlinear optical response to the case of magnetic surfaces and buried magnetic interfaces. We calculate for the longitudinal and polar configuration the nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr rotation angle. In particular, we show which tensor elements of the susceptibilities are involved in the enhancement of the Kerr rotation in nonlinear optics for different configurations and we demonstrate by a detailed analysis how the direction of the magnetization and thus the easy axis at surfaces and buried interfaces can be determined from the polarization dependence of the nonlinear magneto-optical response, since the nonlinear Kerr rotation is sensitive to the electromagnetic field components instead of merely the intensities. We also prove from the microscopic treatment of spin-orbit coupling that there is an intrinsic phase difference of 90$^{\circ }$ between tensor elements which are even or odd under magnetization reversal in contrast to linear magneto-optics. Finally, we compare our results with several experiments on Co/Cu films and on Co/Au and Fe/Cr multilayers. We conclude that the nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr-effect determines uniquely the magnetic structure and in particular the magnetic easy axis in films and at multilayer interfaces.Comment: 23 pages Revtex, preprintstyle, 2 uuencoded figure