Turning marketing promises into business value: The experience of an industrial SME

The article studies the value that businesses should have for their customers and shareholders. It explains how to develop such value to meet or exceed customer's expectations through the application of the promise framework. The promise model includes promises made to customers, promises kept, and promises that involve a synchronized effort from the whole firm to create and deliver value to customers

Retailers’ perceived value of manufacturers’ brands

Most of the theoretical and empirical research into brand equity has focused on business to consumer relationships and the value created with end-customers (consumer-based brand equity). Little is known of the processes where brands create value in business-to-business relationships such as in manufacturer-retailer relationships. This article reports the qualitative findings of a research project into this under-researched area investigating the role of brands in business-to-business relationships. The results show that manufacturers’ brand equity is linked to the value of the brand performance as perceived by the retailer. This perceived value has an impact on key relationship variables such as commitment, trust, dependence and cooperation. To obtain the optimal value from the brand, both manufacturers and retailers need to manage these sources of brand asset value within the business relationship. Although large brands have considerable influence in the relationship, smaller brands can also offer value to retailers and play an important part in the management of product categories within the store. A conceptual model is developed that shows the impact of the sources of brand value within a business-to-business relationship

TEACHING CHEMISTRY UNDERGRADUATES TO SHARE THEIR SCIENCE WITH THE PUBLIC

The ability to communicate scientific concepts and new research to public audiences is a key skill for science graduates. Among the extensive science communication literature; chemistry as a discipline is underexplored and relatively few pedagogical examples of chemistry communication are found in the chemistry education literature. The current literature on chemistry communication in educational contexts was analysed to explore different pedagogical methods used by educators to teach chemistry communication to their students, and to highlight areas that invite further investigation. In this presentation, we will share insights from our review, including effective methods for teaching chemistry communication to students. Examples of teaching activities across different media of chemistry communication will also be explored, including visual, auditory, tactile, informal writing, social media, outreach activities, gamification and mixed media. Ultimately, we will build on this review to help chemical educators design better learning experiences for undergraduates and empower them to share our science effectively in informal settings

Mechanically-induced intercellular remodeling of cardiomyocytes by magnetic micromanipulation

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-72).Gap junctions are responsible for providing and maintaining a pathway for intercellular communication. This is critical in the heart where gap junctions are responsible for maintaining electrical impulse propagation. Connexin43 (Cx43) is the most abundant gap junction in the heart, and studies have shown that spatial heterogeneity of Cx43 may promote electrical instability and anisotropic conduction pathways that may cause cardiac arrhythmias. Structural and electrical remodeling of gap junctions have been linked to increases in stresses in conditions such as hypertrophy. Understanding how local mechanical forces influence the remodeling of gap junctions can provide insight into arrhythmias and reentry circuits. In this work, I describe a system for exerting local mechanical forces on cardiomyocytes to study gap junction remodeling and I show that cell-to-cell movement and subsequent remodeling of Cx43 can occur. The system consisted of patterned linear strands on polyacrylamide gels and mechanical stimulation using magnetic micromanipulation. Cardiomyocytes were patterned on polyacrylamide gel using 25pm and 50pm microchannels. Mechanical stimulation was induced in sections with high densities of magnetic beads.(cont.) With a maximal input current of 1.5A, the system generated 1.5nN at 100pm distance from the magnetic trap, and this was sufficient to induce cell-to-cell movement. Cell-to-cell movement was measured to be 0.032±0.03pm/min, three times faster than the average cell-to-cell movement under no applied force. Remodeling of Cx43 was also shown using Cx43-YFP transfected cells while a local force induced cell-to-cell movement. Changes in both the distribution and expression of the protein were seen throughout time as the linear strand was pulled by the magnetic force. We conclude that this system can induce remodeling of Cx43 by an applied local force. This work establishes a system to allow to quantification of applied mechanical loads and resultant Cx43 remodeling.by J.P. Michael Motion.M.Eng

Collaboration between researchers and educators enables an authentic and engaging learning experience

The use of authentic learning experiences and real-world problem solving is an effective means to increase student engagement with course content. Providing broader context of the application of chemistry can aid students in relating abstract chemical concepts to their own experiences of the world, and improve students’ willingness to learn and understand deeper concepts (King, 2012). In addition, there is increasing evidence that engaging in citizen science projects, wherein students work with peers and researchers towards a common goal, is a powerful motivator for students (Vitone et al., 2016).  The Breaking Good project is an ongoing citizen science program in which high school and undergraduate students work cooperatively with researchers to synthesise novel drug candidates that are screened against various neglected tropical diseases. We will discuss our experiences implementing this synthetic workshop program in both schools and universities and explore how different educational settings require and enable different levels of immersion and styles of learning. In particular, we examine the balance between providing authentic and immersive experiences while maintaining close alignment with learning outcomes. We suggest that co-creation between educators and researchers facilitates a more cohesive and enriching experience for students. REFERENCES King, D. (2012) New perspectives on context-based chemistry education: using a dialectical sociocultural approach to view teaching and learning. Studies in Science Education, 48(1), 51-87 Vitone, T., Stofer, K., Steininger, M. S., Hulcr, J., Dunn, R. and Lucky, A. (2016). School of Ants goes to college: integrating citizen science into the general education classroom increases engagement with science. Journal of Science Communication, 15(01), A0

Contemporary Women Filmmakers in Myanmar: Reflections on a Visit in February 2019

Existing accounts of Myanmar’s film industry available to English speakers are more than twenty years out of date. Opening with a brief overview of cinema in Myanmar since 2000, this article is based on a recent visit to the Myanmar Motion Picture Development Department and the Yangon Film School, on conversations with staff, students and alumnae of these institutions and of the National University of Arts and Culture, and with local independent filmmakers. The purpose of my visit was to begin the groundwork needed to answer basic questions: Who are the women making films in Myanmar today? Where are they trained? What are the conditions in which they work? What kind of films they make? How do they fund production? How do their films circulate? And finally: Is there a women’s cinema in Myanmar? What follows thus outlines the context in which women in Myanmar make films today and introduces the work of a small number of them. I conclude with reflections on three short films: A Million Threads (2006, by Thu Thu Shein), Now I am 13 (2013, by Shin Daewe), and Seeds of Sadness (2018, by Thae Zar Chi Khaing), two of which can be found online (at http://yangonfilmschool.org/___-free-yfs-film/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX0LUZQcMCQ)

Sources of brand benefits in manufacturer-reseller B2B relationships

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to develop a conceptual framework that explores the sources of manufacturer brand benefits for resellers. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports a qualitative investigation where packaged goods resellers were interviewed about the benefits of manufacturer brands for their businesses. The qualitative data is analysed to develop several research propositions about the role of brands in reseller B2B relationships. Findings – A conceptual framework is developed that shows that manufacturers’ brands provide financial, customer and managerial benefits for resellers. These benefits have an impact on reseller relationship outcomes with the manufacturer’s brand, which include satisfaction, dependence, cooperation, commitment and trust. Practical implications – The conceptual framework provides a model that manufacturers of both major and minor brands can use to understand and manage these brand benefits in order to enhance the relationship outcomes with resellers. Originality/value – The paper responds to a need for empirical research to understand the role that brands play in channel relationships. It presents a conceptual framework that links manufacturer brand benefits to reseller relationship outcomes. The framework also includes major and minor brands as moderating variables and thus provides a basis for further quantitative research

LEARNING ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY OF SCIENCE THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE

Understanding the complexity and multifaceted nature of science is a key skill for engaging fruitfully in today’s scientifically and technologically enhanced society. Yet, these notions are often not taught in school or university contexts and thus are difficult for students and publics to conceive. One way to increase the understanding about the nature of science is by active participation in scientific research, through citizen science projects. This paper presents a novel approach to citizen science, applied in EENTIAL MEDICINE$ – a Breaking Good citizen science project – for exploring the world's most important medicines (Motion et al., 2020). Through hands-on engagement with the project, participants investigate the life cycles and accessibility of important medicines to people around the world, and learn about the social, political and financial variables which affect access to some medicines. Such learning opportunities provide a holistic understanding of the complexity of science, and will be discussed in this talk alongside the implications and implementation of EENTIAL MEDICINE$ in formal education. REFERENCE Motion, A. et al. “Breaking Good.” Breaking Good. Retrieved June 19, 2020 (https://www.breakinggoodproject.com)

CHEMISTRY IN THE TIME OF COVID-19: REFLECTIONS ON A VERY UNUSUAL SEMESTER

Educators around the world have been challenged to adapt their teaching and pastoral care rapidly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The academic members of the Chemistry Education and Communication Theme (CECR) from the School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney have reflected on the challenges and successes during this most unusual semester. As many would no doubt agree, the transition was rapid, and overwhelming with the sheer volume of shared resources and recommendations from our colleagues around the world. In this talk, we will discuss some of the specific tools and techniques employed across a range of teaching modes including lectures, tutorials, and the laboratory. Of particular note, we will explore the importance of communication and pastoral care that we found central to many of our teaching successes. While we recognise each classroom holds a unique context, we believe that the sharing and discussion of our communities’ journeys in navigating this time will hold valuable lessons to inform both our immediate practice and the long-term impact on our teaching

DNA-binding protein prediction using plant specific support vector machines:validation and application of a new genome annotation tool

There are currently 151 plants with draft genomes available but levels of functional annotation for putative protein products are low. Therefore, accurate computational predictions are essential to annotate genomes in the first instance, and to provide focus for the more costly and time consuming functional assays that follow. DNA-binding proteins are an important class of proteins that require annotation, but current computational methods are not applicable for genome wide predictions in plant species. Here, we explore the use of species and lineage specific models for the prediction of DNA-binding proteins in plants. We show that a species specific support vector machine model based on Arabidopsis sequence data is more accurate (accuracy 81%) than a generic model (74%), and based on this we develop a plant specific model for predicting DNA-binding proteins. We apply this model to the tomato proteome and demonstrate its ability to perform accurate high-throughput prediction of DNA-binding proteins. In doing so, we have annotated 36 currently uncharacterised proteins by assigning a putative DNA-binding function. Our model is publically available and we propose it be used in combination with existing tools to help increase annotation levels of DNA-binding proteins encoded in plant genomes