Channels, consumers and communication: online and offline communication in service consumption

This paper reports on a study that investigated consumer use of e-services in a multichannel context. To develop a deeper understanding of what makes consumers decide to use the online channel, and contrary to most HCI studies on the use of e-services that focus on the use of the online channel in relative isolation, this study examined consumer channel-choice beyond the instances of internet use. The consumption behaviour of its participants was investigated across channels in an in-depth qualitative study. The analysis of the elicited rich data focused specifically on the investigation of voluntary consumer movements between online and offline channels during the course of a consumption process. The results indicate that participants often use multiple channels in parallel and frequently switch between channels. Literature from marketing and consumer research was used as the perspective to explore the rationale for the complex and dynamic reported consumer behaviour

Soil bacterial communities of a calcium-supplemented and a reference watershed at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, USA

Soil Ca depletion because of acidic deposition-related soil chemistry changes has led to the decline of forest productivity and carbon sequestration in the northeastern USA. In 1999, acidic watershed (WS) 1 at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), NH, USA was amended with Ca silicate to restore soil Ca pools. In 2006, soil samples were collected from the Ca-amended (WS1) and reference watershed (WS3) for comparison of bacterial community composition between the two watersheds. The sites were about 125 m apart and were known to have similar stream chemistry and tree populations before Ca amendment. Ca-amended soil had higher Ca and P, and lower Al and acidity as compared with the reference soils. Analysis of bacterial populations by PhyloChip revealed that the bacterial community structure in the Ca-amended and the reference soils was significantly different and that the differences were more pronounced in the mineral soils. Overall, the relative abundance of 300 taxa was significantly affected. Numbers of detectable taxa in families such as Acidobacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae were lower in the Ca-amended soils, while Flavobacteriaceae and Geobacteraceae were higher. The other functionally important groups, e.g. ammonia-oxidizing Nitrosomonadaceae, had lower numbers of taxa in the Ca-amended organic soil but higher in the mineral soil

Investigating affordances of virtual worlds for real world B2C e-commerce

Virtual worlds are three-dimensional (3D) online persistent multi-user environments where users interact through avatars. The literature suggests that virtual worlds can facilitate real world business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce. However, few real world businesses have adopted virtual worlds for B2C e-commerce. In this paper, we present results from interviews with consumers in a virtual world to investigate how virtual worlds can support B2C e-commerce. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted to uncover affordances and constraints of virtual worlds for B2C e-commerce. Two affordances (habitability and appearance of realness) and one constraint (demand for specialised skill) were uncovered. The implications of this research for designers are (1) to provide options to consumers that enable them to manage their online reputation, (2) to focus on managing consumers’ expectations and (3) to facilitate learning between consumers

Crucial roles of Pox neuro in the developing ellipsoid body and antennal lobes of the Drosophila brain.

The paired box gene Pox neuro (Poxn) is expressed in two bilaterally symmetric neuronal clusters of the developing adult Drosophila brain, a protocerebral dorsal cluster (DC) and a deutocerebral ventral cluster (VC). We show that all cells that express Poxn in the developing brain are postmitotic neurons. During embryogenesis, the DC and VC consist of only 20 and 12 neurons that express Poxn, designated embryonic Poxn-neurons. The number of Poxn-neurons increases only during the third larval instar, when the DC and VC increase dramatically to about 242 and 109 Poxn-neurons, respectively, virtually all of which survive to the adult stage, while no new Poxn-neurons are added during metamorphosis. Although the vast majority of Poxn-neurons express Poxn only during third instar, about half of them are born by the end of embryogenesis, as demonstrated by the absence of BrdU incorporation during larval stages. At late third instar, embryonic Poxn-neurons, which begin to express Poxn during embryogenesis, can be easily distinguished from embryonic-born and larval-born Poxn-neurons, which begin to express Poxn only during third instar, (i) by the absence of Pros, (ii) their overt differentiation of axons and neurites, and (iii) the strikingly larger diameter of their cell bodies still apparent in the adult brain. The embryonic Poxn-neurons are primary neurons that lay out the pioneering tracts for the secondary Poxn-neurons, which differentiate projections and axons that follow those of the primary neurons during metamorphosis. The DC and the VC participate only in two neuropils of the adult brain. The DC forms most, if not all, of the neurons that connect the bulb (lateral triangle) with the ellipsoid body, a prominent neuropil of the central complex, while the VC forms most of the ventral projection neurons of the antennal lobe, which connect it ipsilaterally to the lateral horn, bypassing the mushroom bodies. In addition, Poxn-neurons of the VC are ventral local interneurons of the antennal lobe. In the absence of Poxn protein in the developing brain, embryonic Poxn-neurons stall their projections and cannot find their proper target neuropils, the bulb and ellipsoid body in the case of the DC, or the antennal lobe and lateral horn in the case of the VC, whereby the absence of the ellipsoid body neuropil is particularly striking. Poxn is thus crucial for pathfinding both in the DC and VC. Additional implications of our results are discussed

FieldscapesVR: Virtual world field trips to extend and enrich field teaching

Field teaching is an indispensable feature of geoscience education, at all levels. However, delivering effective field experiences is challenging under many circumstances – not least for distance students such as Open University (OU) undergraduates. Hence, OU geoscience modules over the last 25 years have featured virtual field trips (VFTs), exploiting a range of formats, typically delivered via CD-ROM, DVD or web browser. 2013 saw a dramatic reboot with the launch of Virtual Skiddaw, a field exercise framed in a multi-user virtual environment that was created using 3D gaming software (Unity 3D). Virtual world field trips (VWFTs) offer a wealth of new opportunities for online field learning. Advances in scanning and photogrammetry make detailed observation possible, while the digital landscape and ambient audio foster immersion. Rather than merely trying to replicate an outdoor field trip, the VWFT can also go ‘beyond fieldwork’: users can access aerial perspectives; drape the digital landscape with different imagery (e.g. maps); teleport and fly to save time; call up subsurface cross-sections; even fade other avatars out if they are obscuring the view! The multi-user capability enables collaborative work, even among groups that are widely dispersed, as OU students are. There are times when a VFT can replace physical fieldwork, for example for those who cannot access the outdoor locations. However, we regard their primary role as support for physical field teaching, so that students can make the most of their, often limited, time in the field: pre-trip familiarisation and orientation, followed by post-trip revision, reflection or extension – for both educators and students; introducing basic fieldwork concepts and logistics, risk assessment, and even some fieldwork skills – for instance to students with no prior field experience – to alleviate anxiety and build confidence. For example, in Virtual Skiddaw both mapwork and compass skills can be practised in the context of a 3D landscape. VWFTs also facilitate development of spatial literacy skills by bridging the 2D/3D conceptual gap, promote active learning, foster collaborative skills and reinvigorate problem-solving exercises

Epiblast-specific loss of HCF-1 leads to failure in anterior-posterior axis specification.

Mammalian Host-Cell Factor 1 (HCF-1), a transcriptional co-regulator, plays important roles during the cell-division cycle in cell culture, embryogenesis as well as adult tissue. In mice, HCF-1 is encoded by the X-chromosome-linked Hcfc1 gene. Induced Hcfc1(cKO/+) heterozygosity with a conditional knockout (cKO) allele in the epiblast of female embryos leads to a mixture of HCF-1-positive and -deficient cells owing to random X-chromosome inactivation. These embryos survive owing to the replacement of all HCF-1-deficient cells by HCF-1-positive cells during E5.5 to E8.5 of development. In contrast, complete epiblast-specific loss of HCF-1 in male embryos, Hcfc1(epiKO/Y), leads to embryonic lethality. Here, we characterize this lethality. We show that male epiblast-specific loss of Hcfc1 leads to a developmental arrest at E6.5 with a rapid progressive cell-cycle exit and an associated failure of anterior visceral endoderm migration and primitive streak formation. Subsequently, gastrulation does not take place. We note that the pattern of Hcfc1(epiKO/Y) lethality displays many similarities to loss of β-catenin function. These results reveal essential new roles for HCF-1 in early embryonic cell proliferation and development

Compensatory embryonic response to allele-specific inactivation of the murine X-linked gene Hcfc1.

Early in female mammalian embryonic development, cells randomly inactivate one of the two X chromosomes to achieve overall equal inactivation of parental X-linked alleles. Hcfc1 is a highly conserved X-linked mouse gene that encodes HCF-1 - a transcriptional co-regulator implicated in cell proliferation in tissue culture cells. By generating a Cre-recombinase inducible Hcfc1 knock-out (Hcfc1(lox)) allele in mice, we have probed the role of HCF-1 in actively proliferating embryonic cells and in cell-cycle re-entry of resting differentiated adult cells using a liver regeneration model. HCF-1 function is required for both extraembryonic and embryonic development. In heterozygous Hcfc1(lox/+) female embryos, however, embryonic epiblast-specific Cre-induced Hcfc1 deletion (creating an Hcfc1(epiKO) allele) around E5.5 is well tolerated; it leads to a mixture of HCF-1-positive and -negative epiblast cells owing to random X-chromosome inactivation of the wild-type or Hcfc1(epiKO) mutant allele. At E6.5 and E7.5, both HCF-1-positive and -negative epiblast cells proliferate, but gradually by E8.5, HCF-1-negative cells disappear owing to cell-cycle exit and apoptosis. Although generating a temporary developmental retardation, the loss of HCF-1-negative cells is tolerated, leading to viable heterozygous offspring with 100% skewed inactivation of the X-linked Hcfc1(epiKO) allele. In resting adult liver cells, the requirement for HCF-1 in cell proliferation was more evident as hepatocytes lacking HCF-1 fail to re-enter the cell cycle and thus to proliferate during liver regeneration. The survival of the heterozygous Hcfc1(epiKO/+) female embryos, even with half the cells genetically compromised, illustrates the developmental plasticity of the post-implantation mouse embryo - in this instance, permitting survival of females heterozygous for an X-linked embryonic lethal allele

Fieldscapes – Creating and Evaluating a 3D Virtual Field Trip System

This paper describes the concept of the virtual field trip and presents a taxonomy of virtual field trip approaches. Building on the Virtual Skiddaw project between Daden Limited and The Open University, UK, the Innovate UK-funded 'Virtual Field trips as a Service project' is described. The resulting Fieldscapes system is then presented, along with how it addresses the technical, pedagogical and commercial challenges of creating a virtual field trip system. This is followed by an initial evaluation of the system, and areas for future development and research are identified

Developing imaginators not managers – How to flip the business school model

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd This experiential paper is written to provoke debate amongst deanly colleagues around the world-our location is the 130 business schools in the UK (and the 3500 plus in the world!) about how to ‘flip’ the academic model of their business schools. We make a case for this flipping by revisiting Henry Mintzberg's thesis presented in ‘Managers not MBA's in its tenth anniversary year. Ten years on we argue the case for the ‘flip’ is stronger than ever yet our progress toward it disappointing. The criticism of business schools is ever persistent and the argument for their irrelevancy seems to be strengthening. Our paper seeks to argue that much of business school practice and pedagogy is still rooted in content rather than context, where priority is given to academic knowledge in favour of practice intelligence. The ‘flip’ as we define it shifts the emphasis to the latter and helps restore business schools to the status of being relevant to business. Within this context, we provide key features of the flipped business school model for curriculum design and delivery and introduce key enablers of the flip, and we argue that deans are well placed to take this agenda forward