CONSUMER-GENERATED LUXURY BRAND COMMUNICATION ON THE INTERNET

Anita Radón 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.11

Consumers today are not passive recipients of a constructed brand identity that is communicated towards them. Instead research suggests that the consumer is in fact an active part in constructing brand meaning. Salzer-Mörling and Strannegård (2004) held that brand managers are confronted with the fact that they are not the owners of the brand who can actively manipulate brand images in the minds of passive consumers. The importance of consumption activities and how these play a part in the development of meaning has been demonstrated by authors such as Wallendorf and Arnould (1991), who interpreted the consumption rituals of Thanksgiving and explored the linkages and cleavages between consumer ideology and consumer practice. Arnould and Price (1993) investigated the relationship between client expectations and satisfaction and concluded that the narrative of the rafting experience (multiday river rafting trips in the Colorado River basin was the empirical context for their article) rather than relationships between expectations and outcomes was central to its evaluation. Belk and Costa (1998) showed the creation of fantasy consumption enclaves through processes of inventing and mythologizing tradition, and Peñaloza (2001) investigated consumers‘ cultural production processes at different levels and concluded that consumers negotiate meanings and that business activities and specific references are significant for consumers in providing authenticity. In later research it is argued that brands belong to and are created within groups, communities or tribes (e.g. Brown, Kozinets and Sherry Jr., 2003), or that consumers are actively creating brandscapes (Thompson and Arsel, 2004) neo-tribes (Cova and Cova, 2002), the concept of brand communities (Muniz and O‘Guinn, 2001; McAlexander, Schouten and Koenig, 2002; Muniz and Schau, 2005; Algesheimer, Dholakia and Herrmann, 2005), subcultures of consumption (Schouten and McAlexander, 1995), and brand cultures (Schroeder and Salzer-Mörling, 2006). Muniz and O‘Guinn (2001) emphasized the triangular relationship between consumers and the brand and consumer relationships. McAlexander, Schouten and Koenig (2002) broadened this perspective by studying customers´ relationships with a branded product and related marketing agents, institutions as well as other customers. In their view, consumers socialize around brands, which are defined as brand objects, but they still consider brand meaning as being developed first by marketers. Related to the brand community is the concept of ‘neo-tribes‘, examined by Cova and Cova (2002), who hold that a tribe is not necessarily a brand community, since brand communities are explicitly commercial, whereas tribes are not. However, when a tribe is organized around a same passion of a cult-object it exhibits many similarities with a brand community (p. 603). Alongside the concept of brand community research has viewed the consumer-producer dichotomy in new ways of co-production: the customer as co-producer (Wikström, 1996; Vargo and Lusch, 2004), the reversal of consumption and production (Firath and Venkatesh, 1993), the consumer role in production and consumption (Firath and Venkatesh, 1995), consumers as customizers and producers (Firath, Dholakia and Venkatesh, 1995), customers as active co-creators of experience (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2000), the concept of customerization (Wind and Rangaswamy, 2000). Bendapudi and Leone (2003) viewed customer co-production in the construction of goods and ser-vices and claimed that consumer co-production extends to meanings as well and that consumers are not -just passive receptacles of brand identity projected by marketers; they are active co-producers of brand meanings (p.26). They called for more attention to the implications of consumer co-produced marketing images given the empowerment of consumers through the Internet. Kozinets et al. further (2004) introduced the notion of -interagency where consumer and producer interests are embedded in one another. Quinton and Harridge-March (2010) investigated relationships in online communities and the potential influence of consumer generated communication in online discussion fora on wine. This paper views consumer generated communication on luxury brands online and its impact on luxury brand image. With the growth of the Internet and brands’ use of it so has consumer initiated sites grown. Consumer communities and brand communities are today an active participant in the creation of brand value and brand meaning. However there is still a gap in the empirical research on consumer-generated communication and how this type of communication impacts brand image. A conceptual framework for consumer community communication is presented and three empirical examples of consumer-generated communication and its impact on brand image are presented. The approach is a qualitative online study. Consumer community sites show clear examples of information, distribution and conversation aspects. This study shows that information seeking is the most prevalent in the impact on brand image. The strength of this research lies in its qualitative nature with consumer interviews and online observations of consumer-generated brand communication. Given the exploratory nature of this research the online material had to be systematized during the course of the work and could not be chosen based on a set of criteria or evaluation methods already established.

Contamination and persistence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in rice grains after drying in direct-fired dryer

Maurício Albertoni Scariot,Lauri Lourenço Radünz,Rafaela Roberta Morelato,Liziara da Costa Cabrera,Jonas Simões Dugatto,Rafael Gomes Dionello,André Luiz Radünz 한국식품과학회 2024 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.33 No.7

The objective of this work was to study PAHs contamination in rice grains subjected to different milling types, after drying at different air temperatures in a direct-fired dryer and using firewood with different moisture contents as a heating source. In addition to verifying the persistence of these compounds after storage. Drying of rice grains was performed in a cross-flow dryer at air temperatures of 55 and 65 ºC. As heating source firewood containing different moisture contents was used. The presence of nine PAHs was detected. The drying air temperature, as well as the storage time, did not significantly influence the PAHs contamination of grains. The highest PAHs contamination was observed in grains from the brown subgroup. Grain polishing promoted a reduction in the PAH concentration. The grains subjected to parboilization showed a higher PAHs concentration. The use of firewood with higher moisture content promoted greater PAHs contamination in the grains.

Treatment of arrhythmic proximal tremor after stroke: the role of zona incerta as a target for deep brain stimulation

Andrei Koerbel,Augusto Radünz do Amaral,Helena Bedatti Zeh,Eduardo Wollmann,Renata Fabiola Heil Koerbel,Carla Moro,Alexandre Luiz Longo 대한파킨슨병및이상운동질환학회 2019 Journal Of Movement Disorders Vol.12 No.1

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the zona incerta has shown promising results in the reduction of medically refractory movement disorders. However, evidence supporting its efficacy in movement disorders secondary to hemorrhagic stroke or hemichoreoathetosis is limited. We describe a 48-year-old man who developed progressive hemichoreoathetosis with an arrhythmic, proximal tremor in his right arm following a thalamic hemorrhagic stroke. Pharmacological treatment was carried out with no change in the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) score after 4 weeks (14). After six sessions of botulinum toxin treatment, a subtle improvement in the AIMS score (13) was registered, but no clinical improvement was noted. The arrhythmic proximal movements were significantly improved after DBS of the zona incerta with a major decrease in the patient’s AIMS score (8). The response to DBS occurring after the failure of pharmacological and botulinum toxin treatments suggests that zona incerta DBS may be an alternative for postthalamic hemorrhage movement disorders.

Static analysis of non-uniform heterogeneous circular plate with porous material resting on a gradient hybrid foundation involving friction force

A. Behravan Rad,M.R. Farzan-Rad,K. Mohammadi Majd 국제구조공학회 2017 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.64 No.5

This paper is concerned with the static analysis of variable thickness of two directional functionally graded porous materials (FGPM) circular plate resting on a gradient hybrid foundation (Horvath-Colasanti type) with friction force and subjected to compound mechanical loads (e.g., transverse, in-plane shear traction and concentrated force at the center of the plate).The governing state equations are derived in terms of displacements based on the 3D theory of elasticity, assuming the elastic coefficients of the plate material except the Poisson‟s ratio varying continuously throughout the thickness and radial directions according to an exponential function. These equations are solved semi-analytically by employing the state space method (SSM) and one-dimensional differential quadrature (DQ) rule to obtain the displacements and stress components of the FGPM plate. The effect of concentrated force at the center of the plate is approximated with the shear force, uniformly distributed over the inner boundary of a FGPM annular plate. In addition to verification study and convergence analysis, numerical results are displayed to show the effect of material heterogeneity indices, foundation stiffness coefficients, foundation gradient indices, loads ratio, thickness to radius ratio, compressibility, porosity and friction coefficient of the foundation on the static behavior of the plate. Finally, the responses of FG and FG porous material circular plates to compound mechanical loads are compared.

Filterless and Sensorless Commutation Method for BLDC Motors

Rad, Shahin Mahdiyoun,Azizian, Mohammad Reza The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2018 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.18 No.4

This study presents a new sensorless commutation method for brushless direct current motors to replace Hall sensor signals with virtual Hall signals. The importance of the proposed method lies in the simultaneous elimination of the phase shifter and the low-pass filters, which makes the method simple and cost-effective. The method removes high ripple switching noises from motor terminals, thereby decreasing motor losses. The proposed method utilizes unfiltered line voltages with notches caused by current commutation. Hence, specific sign signals are defined to compensate for the effects of commutation noise. The proposed method is free from phase delay that originates from low-pass filters. The method directly produces virtual Hall signals, and thus, it can be interfaced with low-cost commercial commutation integrated circuits based on Hall sensors. Simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness and validity of the proposed method.

A Stochastic Bilevel Scheduling Model for the Determination of the Load Shifting and Curtailment in Demand Response Programs

Rad, Ali Shayegan,Zangeneh, Ali The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2018 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.13 No.3

Demand response (DR) programs give opportunity to consumers to manage their electricity bills. Besides, distribution system operator (DSO) is interested in using DR programs to obtain technical and economic benefits for distribution network. Since small consumers have difficulties to individually take part in the electricity market, an entity named demand response provider (DRP) has been recently defined to aggregate the DR of small consumers. However, implementing DR programs face challenges to fairly allocate benefits and payments between DRP and DSO. This paper presents a procedure for modeling the interaction between DRP and DSO based on a bilevel programming model. Both DSO and DRP behave from their own viewpoint with different objective functions. On the one hand, DRP bids the potential of DR programs, which are load shifting and load curtailment, to maximize its expected profit and on the other hand, DSO purchases electric power from either the electricity market or DRP to supply its consumers by minimizing its overall cost. In the proposed bilevel programming approach, the upper level problem represents the DRP decisions, while the lower level problem represents the DSO behavior. The obtained bilevel programming problem (BPP) is converted into a single level optimizing problem using its Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions. Furthermore, point estimate method (PEM) is employed to model the uncertainties of the power demands and the electricity market prices. The efficiency of the presented model is verified through the case studies and analysis of the obtained results.

Neuroprotective Effect of Root Extracts of Berberis Vulgaris (Barberry) on Oxidative Stress on SH-SY5Y Cells

Rad Elham Shahriari,Eidi Akram,Minai-Tehrani Dariush,Bonakdar Shahin,Shoeibi Shahram 대한약침학회 2022 Journal of pharmacopuncture Vol.25 No.3

Objectives: Oxidative stress plays a key role in chronic and acute brain disorders and neuronal damage associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) and other neurodegeneration symptoms. The neuroprotective effects of berberine and Berberis vulgaris (barberry) root extract against apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in the human SH-SY5Y cell line were studied.  Methods: The methanolic extraction of barberry root was performed using a maceration procedure. Oxidative stress was induced in SH-SY5Y cells by H 2 O 2 , and an MTT assay was applied to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of berberine and barberry root extract. The cells were pretreated with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of each compound (including berberine, barberry root extract, and H 2 O 2 ), and the anti-apoptotic effects of all components were investigated using RT-PCR. Results: The SH-SY5Y cell viability increased in both groups exposed to 75 and 150 ppm barberry extract compared with that in the H 2 O 2 -treated group. The data showed that exposing SH-SY5Y cells to 30 ppm berberine significantly increased the cell viability compared with the H 2 O 2 -treated group; treatment with 150 and 300 ppm berberine and H 2 O 2 significantly decreased the SH-SY5Y cell viability and was associated with berberine cytotoxicity. The mRNA levels of Bax decreased significantly under treatment with berberine at 30 ppm compared with the control group. A significant increase in Bcl-2 expression was observed only after treatment with the IC 50 of berberine. The expression level of Bcl-2 in cells exposed to both berberine and barberry extracts was also significantly higher than that in cells exposed to H 2 O 2 . Conclusion: The outcomes of this study suggest that treatment of SH-SY5Y cells with barberry extract and berberine could suppress apoptosis by regulating the actions of Bcl-2 family members.

Accumulation and remobilization of assimilates in different genotypes of durum wheat under terminal drought stress

Vosoghi Rad Mehdi,Jami Moeini Matin,Taherian Majid,Armin Mohammad 한국작물학회 2022 Journal of crop science and biotechnology Vol.25 No.2

The present research was conducted to examine the accumulation and remobilization of some promising lines of durum wheat assimilates using a randomized complete block design. In this regard, two experimental groups of stress and normal (no stress) with three replications were compared during two crop years. The analysis of the results included measuring the accumulation and remobilization rates of assimilates using the weighting method as well as investigating the relationship between internode characteristics (length and specifc weight) and dry matter accumulation. The obtained results were indicative of a signifcant diference among various genotypes considering the contribution of diferent internodes to the stem length under normal and stress conditions. In all genotypes, the peduncle internode had the largest contribution to the stem height. Under both conditions, the lower internodes had the highest remobilization as well as dry and specifc weights. The highest rate of remobilization from the lower internodes was detected in G2 genotype under normal and G7, G18, and G6 genotypes under stress conditions. Moreover, the highest remobilization efciency from the lower internodes was observed in G7 and G18 genotypes under stress conditions. The obtained results were indicative of two diferent mechanisms of storage capacity and remobilization ability. As observed, the G14 line was one of the genotypes that revealed the highest specifc weight of peduncle while the rate of remobilization was the lowest in response to stress conditions. The highest rates for the specifc weight of the lower internodes with the lowest rates of remobilization were observed in G4 and G8 lines. According to the results, the wide variation for the accumulation and remobilization of assimilates among the durum wheat genotypes can pave the way for possible trait changes in breeding programs.

Fabrication of FeCuNi alloy by mechanical alloying followed by consolidation using high-pressure torsion

Asghari-Rad, Peyman,Kim, Yongju,Nguyen, Nhung Thi-Cam,Kim, Hyoung Seop The Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute 2020 한국분말재료학회지 (KPMI) Vol.27 No.1

In this research, a new medium-entropy alloy with an equiatomic composition of FeCuNi was designed using a phase diagram (CALPHAD) technique. The FeCuNi MEA was produced from pure iron, copper, and nickel powders through mechanical alloying. The alloy powders were consolidated via a high-pressure torsion process to obtain a rigid bulk specimen. Subsequently, annealing treatment at different conditions was conducted on the four turn HPT-processed specimen. The microstructural analysis indicates that an ultrafine-grained microstructure is achieved after post-HPT annealing, and microstructural evolutions at various stages of processing were consistent with the thermodynamic calculations. The results indicate that the post-HPT-annealed microstructure consists of a dual-phase structure with two FCC phases: one rich in Cu and the other rich in Fe and Ni. The kernel average misorientation value decreases with the increase in the annealing time and temperature, indicating the recovery of HPT-induced dislocations.

Static response of 2-D functionally graded circular plate with gradient thickness and elastic foundations to compound loads

Behravan Rad, A. Techno-Press 2012 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.44 No.2

In this paper, the static behavior of bi-directional functionally graded (FG) non-uniform thickness circular plate resting on quadratically gradient elastic foundations (Winkler-Pasternak type) subjected to axisymmetric transverse and in-plane shear loads is carried out by using state-space and differential quadrature methods. The governing state equations are derived based on 3D theory of elasticity, and assuming the material properties of the plate except the Poisson's ratio varies continuously throughout the thickness and radius directions in accordance with the exponential and power law distributions. The stresses and displacements distribution are obtained by solving state equations. The effects of foundation stiffnesses, material heterogeneity indices, geometric parameters and loads ratio on the deformation and stress distributions of the FG circular plate are investigated in numerical examples. The results are reported for the first time and the new results can be used as a benchmark solution for future researches.