Making Stories: An Investigation of Personal Brand Narratives in the Scottish Craft Microenterprise Sector

This thesis examines the marketing and branding behaviours of a sample of microbusinesses that operate in Scotland’s diverse craft sector by examining brand narratives they create. Context of the sector is first given and demonstrates that this particular topic has received little specific attention in academic literature even though it has been recommended (Fillis 2003a; Fillis 2003b). Such an investigation also offers implications for SME marketing/ entrepreneurship in general, the creative industries in particular and craft brands’ contribution to the overall place branding of Scotland. An empirical methodology is proposed which takes a narrative phenomenological approach, generating narrative texts from depth interviews with creative producers which is subjected to a Grounded Theory approach and narrative analysis in view of craft producer typologies (Fillis 1999; Fillis 2010). The stories of makers are used to generate meaning and outputs to contribute to theory, practice and recommendations for policy. Care is taken to ensure that the testimony of participants is co-created and not entirely the result of the researcher’s interpretation even though this study is interpretive in nature (Rae & Carswell 2000; McAdams 2008; MacLean et al. 2011). Similar to other entrepreneurs or producers in the creative industries, the craft worker in the current era is typified as an individual sole trader who operates in a wider culture, society and economy of increasing complexity and competition (Fraser 2013). This thesis selects those owner/ managers whose businesses rely upon craft practice and are operating in Scotland as its focus, but aims its findings at a wider reach to establish themes for future research to understand how its participants build value into their market offerings by creating personal narratives within larger narratives of craft sector and creative industries discourse. A range of participants from new starts to well-established craft practitioners is featured in the text in order to give depth and breadth to the understanding of current practice in a diverse sector which increasingly interacts with other creative industry sectors (Yair & Schwarz 2011). This thesis posits that creative producers build value through their unique ‘auratic’ persona through their personal brand narrative. This is what differentiates their work and outputs from large corporatized mass-manufacturing systems. The products of individuals’ hand skill may be categorised and classified in many ways – from fine contemporary craft to the vernacular, the utile and that which pays homage to others’ designs. What remains constant, however, is that it emanates from personal identity and the identity of the maker mixing self with story (Leslie 1998). The thesis contributes to the gap in academic marketing literature on microenterprise brand development using the topics of personal narrative, business development, product development, marketing competency/ orientation, and technology use in production and marketing. Additional emergent themes of Microenterprise Social Responsibility, the role of life-work balance of makers parenthood which further ideas of career management in the creative industries are also revealed in the course of this research (see also Summerton 1990; Burroughs 2002; Neilson & Rossiter 2008; McDowell & Christopherson 2009; Banks & Hesmondhalgh 2009). Methodologically, this thesis is hybrid but crucially uses the equipment of story and narrative analysis to offer both insights into practice for the academy and a method that practitioners can use to further marketing development and their brand identity. Through the careful gathering and presentation of various stories – of biography, making and marketing, this thesis presents a current view of craft as created, communicated and exchanged by those working in the field in Scotland today. These case stories act as both informative examples that demonstrate how individual producers create value in their work. The findings are consistent with - but also develop - a maker typology offered by Fillis (1999; 2010) and Burns et al. (2012) thus contributing a methodological and conceptual approach and framework to understand the marketing and branding behaviours of Scottish craft microenterprises (McAuley 1999; Creative and Cultural Skills 2009) but which may also be applied to other types of microenterprise

Cyclosporin A blocks calcium-dependent pathways of gene activation

We have used an interleukin-2 (IL-2) promoter-CAT fusion gene to study activation of IL-2 gene expression by IL-1, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), and calcium ionophore in the murine thymoma line EL4 and the human lymphoma line Jurkat. The two cell lines respond differently to combinations of these stimuli. IL-1 in combination with suboptimal concentration of PMA induced chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in EL4. In Jurkat cells, IL-1 failed to synergize with PMA or PHA. Cotransfection with the IL-2/CAT gene and a construct capable of expressing murine T-cell type IL-1 receptors converted Jurkat cells to IL-1 responsiveness. IL-1 in combination with PHA but not with PMA resulted in induction of CAT activity in these cells. Induction of IL-2/CAT activity by all stimuli in both cell lines was blocked by the presence of EGTA in the culture medium. EGTA did not inhibit IL-1/PMA activation of an SV40 early promoter-CAT fusion gene in either EL4 or Jurkat cells; therefore, calcium was not required for IL-1 or PMA signal transduction. Jurkat cells were shown to differ from EL4 in their requirement for calcium mobilization. Two different calcium-dependent pathways of gene activation were distinguished, both of which were blocked by the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A

Effects of climate-induced changes in isoprene emissions after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo

In the 1990s the rates of increase of greenhouse gas concentrations, most notably of methane, were observed to change, for reasons that have yet to be fully determined. This period included the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo and an El Nino warm event, both of which affect biogeochemical processes, by changes in temperature, precipitation and radiation. We examine the impact of these changes in climate on global isoprene emissions and the effect these climate dependent emissions have on the hydroxy radical, OH, the dominant sink for methane. We model a reduction of isoprene emissions in the early 1990s, with a maximum decrease of 40 Tg(C)/yr in late 1992 and early 1993, a change of 9%. This reduction is caused by the cooler, drier conditions following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Isoprene emissions are reduced both directly, by changes in temperature and a soil moisture dependent suppression factor, and indirectly, through reductions in the total biomass. The reduction in isoprene emissions causes increases of tropospheric OH which lead to an increased sink for methane of up to 5 Tg(CH4)/year, comparable to estimated source changes over the time period studied. There remain many uncertainties in the emission and oxidation of isoprene which may affect the exact size of this effect, but its magnitude is large enough that it should remain important

Reproducibility of species recognition in modern planktonic foraminifera and its implications for analyses of community structure

Applications of planktonic foraminifera in Quaternary palaeoceanographic and palaeobiological studies require consistency in species identification. Yet the degree of taxonomic consistency among the practitioners and the effects of any potential deviations on community structure metrics have never been quantitatively assessed. Here we present the results of an experiment in taxonomic consistency involving 21 researchers representing a range of experience and taxonomic schools from around the world. Participants were asked to identify the same two sets of 300 specimens from a modern subtropical North Atlantic sample, one sieved at  &gt; 125&thinsp;µm and one at  &gt;  150&thinsp;µm. The identification was carried out either on actual specimens (slide test) or their digital images (digital test). The specimens were fixed so the identifications could be directly compared. In all tests, only between one-quarter and one-eighth of the specimens achieved absolute agreement. Therefore, the identifications across the participants were used to determine a consensus ID for each specimen. Since no strict consensus ( &gt; 50&thinsp;% agreement) could be achieved for 20–30&thinsp;% of the specimens, we used a soft consensus based on the most common identification. The average percentage agreement relative to the consensus of the slide test was 77&thinsp;% in the  &gt; 150&thinsp;µm and 69&thinsp;% in the  &gt; 125&thinsp;µm test. These values were 7&thinsp;% lower for the digital analyses. We find that taxonomic consistency is enhanced when researchers have been trained within a taxonomic school and when they regularly perform community analyses. There is an almost negligible effect of taxonomic inconsistency on sea surface temperature estimates based on transfer function conversion of the census counts, indicating the temperature signal in foraminiferal assemblages is correctly represented even if only two-thirds of the assemblage is consistently identified. The same does not apply to measures of diversity and community structure within the assemblage, and here we advise caution in using compound datasets for such studies. The decrease in the level of consistency when specimens are identified from digital images is significant and species-specific, with implications for the development of training sets for automated identification systems.</p

On the Inadequacy of Species Distribution Models for Modelling the Spread of SARS-CoV-2: Response to Araújo and Naimi

The ongoing pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing significant damage to public health and economic livelihoods, and is putting significant strains on healthcare services globally. This unfolding emergency has prompted the preparation and dissemination of the article “Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus likely to be constrained by climate” by Araújo and Naimi (2020). The authors present the results of an ensemble forecast made from a suite of species distribution models (SDMs), where they attempt to predict the suitability of the climate for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 over the coming months. They argue that climate is likely to be a primary regulator for the spread of the infection and that people in warm-temperate and cold climates are more vulnerable than those in tropical and arid climates. A central finding of their study is that the possibility of a synchronous global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely. Whilst we understand that the motivations behind producing such work are grounded in trying to be helpful, we demonstrate here that there are clear conceptual and methodological deficiencies with their study that render their results and conclusions invalid. What follows is a response to the Araújo and Naimi article centered around three main criticisms: 1) Given the fact that SARS-CoV-2 has a primary infection pathway of direct contact, it is in an active spreading phase, and remains largely underreported in the Global South, it represents an inappropriate system for analysis using the SDM framework. 2) Even if we were to accept that an SDM framework would be applicable here, the methodology presented in the article strays far from best-practice guidelines for the application of SDMs. 3) The dissemination strategy of the authors failed to respect the frameworks of risks adhered to in other academic disciplines pertaining to public health, resulting in erroneous but well-publicised claims with broad policy implications before any scientific oversight could be applied

Dynamical Friction in dE Globular Cluster Systems

The dynamical friction timescale for globular clusters to sink to the center of a dwarf elliptical galaxy (dE) is significantly less than a Hubble time if the halos have King-model or isothermal profiles and the globular clusters formed with the same radial density profile as the underlying stellar population. We examine the summed radial distribution of the entire globular cluster systems and the bright globular cluster candidates in 51 Virgo and Fornax Cluster dEs for evidence of dynamical friction processes. We find that the summed distribution of the entire globular cluster population closely follows the exponential profile of the underlying stellar population. However, there is a deficit of bright clusters within the central regions of dEs (excluding the nuclei), perhaps due to the orbital decay of these massive clusters into the dE cores. We also predict the magnitude of each dE's nucleus assuming the nuclei form via dynamical friction. The observed trend of decreasing nuclear luminosity with decreasing dE luminosity is much stronger than predicted if the nuclei formed via simple dynamical friction processes. We find that the bright dE nuclei could have been formed from the merger of orbitally decayed massive clusters, but the faint nuclei are several magnitudes fainter than expected. These faint nuclei are found primarily in M_V > -14 dEs which have high globular cluster specific frequencies and extended globular cluster systems. In these galaxies, supernovae-driven winds, high central dark matter densities, extended dark matter halos, the formation of new star clusters, or tidal interactions may act to prevent dynamical friction from collapsing the entire globular cluster population into a single bright nucleus.Comment: 15 pages, 2 tables, 7 figures; to appear in the Astrophysical Journal, April 20, 200

Light-sheet microscopy for everyone? Experience of building an OpenSPIM to study flatworm development.

Background: Selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM a type of light-sheet microscopy) involves focusing a thin sheet of laser light through a specimen at right angles to the objective lens. As only the thin section of the specimen at the focal plane of the lens is illuminated, out of focus light is naturally absent and toxicity due to light (phototoxicity) is greatly reduced enabling longer term live imaging. OpenSPIM is an open access platform (Pitrone et al. 2013 and OpenSPIM.org) created to give new users step-by-step instructions on building a basic configuration of a SPIM microscope, which can in principle be adapted and upgraded to each laboratory’s own requirements and budget. Here we describe our own experience with the process of designing, building, configuring and using an OpenSPIM for our research into the early development of the polyclad flatworm Maritigrella crozieri – a non-model animal. Results: Our OpenSPIM builds on the standard design with the addition of two colour laser illumination for simultaneous detection of two probes/molecules and dual sided illumination, which provides more even signal intensity across a specimen. Our OpenSPIM provides high resolution 3d images and time lapse recordings, and we demonstrate the use of two colour lasers and the benefits of two color dual-sided imaging. We used our microscope to study the development of the embryo of the polyclad flatworm M. crozieri. The capabilities of our microscope are demonstrated by our ability to record the stereotypical spiral cleavage pattern of M. crozieri with high-speed multi-view time lapse imaging. 3D and 4D (3D + time) reconstruction of early development from these data is possible using image registration and deconvolution tools provided as part of the open source Fiji platform. We discuss our findings on the pros and cons of a self built microscope. Conclusions: We conclude that home-built microscopes, such as an OpenSPIM, together with the available open source software, such as MicroManager and Fiji, make SPIM accessible to anyone interested in having continuous access to their own light-sheet microscope. However, building an OpenSPIM is not without challenges and an open access microscope is a worthwhile, if significant, investment of time and money. Multi-view 4D microscopy is more challenging than we had expected. We hope that our experience gained during this project will help future OpenSPIM users with similar ambitions