Brand Authenticity: An Integrative Framework and Measurement Scale

This article develops an integrative framework of the concept of perceived brand authenticity (PBA) and sheds light on PBA’s (1) measurement, (2) drivers, (3) consequences, as well as (4) an underlying process of its effects and (5) boundary conditions. A multi-phase scale development process resulted in a 15-item PBA scale to measure its four dimensions of credibility, integrity, symbolism, and continuity. PBA is influenced by indexical, existential, and iconic cues, whereby the latter’s influence is moderated by consumers’ level of marketing skepticism. Results also suggest that PBA drives brand choice likelihood through self-congruence for consumers high in self-authenticity.

A numerical model for inert gas transport in the lung based on fractal airway morphology

Patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) show thick secretions, mucus plugging and bronchiectasis in bronchial and alveolar ducts. This results in substantial structural changes of the airway morphology and heterogeneous ventilation. Disease progression and treatment effects are monitored by so-called gas washout tests, where the change in concentration of an inert gas is measured over a single or multiple breaths. The result of the tests based on the profile of the measured concentration is a marker for the severity of the ventilation inhomogeneity strongly affected by the airway morphology. However, it is hard to localize underlying obstructions to specific parts of the airways, especially if occurring in the lung periphery. In order to support the analysis of lung function tests (e.g. multi-breath washout), we developed a numerical model of the entire airway tree, coupling a lumped parameter model for the lung ventilation with a 4th-order accurate finite difference model of a 1D advection-diffusion equation for the transport of an inert gas. The boundary conditions for the flow problem comprise the pressure and flow profile at the mouth, which is typically known from clinical washout tests. The natural asymmetry of the lung morphology is approximated by a generic, fractal, asymmetric branching scheme which we applied for the conducting airways. A conducting airway ends when its dimension falls below a predefined limit. A model acinus is then connected to each terminal airway. The morphology of an acinus unit comprises a network of expandable cells. A regional, linear constitutive law describes the pressure-volume relation between the pleural gap and the acinus. The cyclic expansion (breathing) of each acinus unit depends on the resistance of the feeding airway and on the flow resistance and stiffness of the cells themselves. Special care was taken in the development of a conservative numerical scheme for the gas transport across bifurcations, handling spatially and temporally varying advective and diffusive fluxes over a wide range of scales. Implicit time integration was applied to account for the numerical stiffness resulting from the discretized transport equation. Local or regional modification of the airway dimension, resistance or tissue stiffness are introduced to mimic pathological airway restrictions typical for CF. This leads to a more heterogeneous ventilation of the model lung. As a result the concentration in some distal parts of the lung model remains increased for a longer duration. The inert gas concentration at the mouth towards the end of the expirations is composed of gas from regions with very different washout efficiency. This results in a steeper slope of the corresponding part of the washout profile.

North Atlantic Eddy-Driven Jet in interglacial and glacial winter climates

The atmospheric westerly flow in the North Atlantic (NA) sector is dominated by atmospheric waves or eddies generating via momentum flux convergence, the so-called eddy-driven jet. The position of this jet is variable and shows for the present-day winter climate three preferred latitudinal states: a northern, central, and southernposition in the NA. Here, the authors analyze the behavior of the eddy-driven jet under different glacial and interglacial boundary conditions using atmosphere–land-only simulations with the CCSM4 climate model. As state-of-the-art climate models tend to underestimate the trimodality of the jet latitude, the authors apply a bias correction and successfully extract the trimodal behavior of the jet within CCSM4. The analysis shows that during interglacial times (i.e., the early Holocene and the Eemian) the preferred jet positions are rather stable and the observed multimodality is the typical interglacial character of the jet. During glacial times, the jet is strongly enhanced, its position is shifted southward, and the trimodal behavior vanishes. This is mainly due to the presence of the Laurentide ice sheet (LIS). The LIS enhances stationary waves downstream, thereby accelerating and displacing the NA eddy-driven jet by anomalous stationary momentum flux convergence. Additionally, changes in the transient eddy activity caused by topography changes as well as other glacial boundary conditions lead to an acceleration of the westerly winds over the southern NA at the expenseof more northernareas. Consequently, bothstationaryand transient eddiesfoster the southward shift of the NA eddy-driven jet during glacial winter times.

Compactified N = 1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on the lattice: continuity and the disappearance of the deconfinement transition

Fermion boundary conditions play a relevant role in revealing the confinement mechanism of N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with one compactified space-time dimension. A deconfinement phase transition occurs for a sufficiently small compactification radius, equivalent to a high temperature in the thermal theory where antiperiodic fermion boundary conditions are applied. Periodic fermion boundary conditions, on the other hand, are related to the Witten index and confinement is expected to persist independently of the length of the compactified dimension. We study this aspect with lattice Monte Carlo simulations for different values of the fermion mass parameter that breaks supersymmetry softly. We find a deconfined region that shrinks when the fermion mass is lowered. Deconfinement takes place between two confined regions at large and small compactification radii, that would correspond to low and high temperatures in the thermal theory. At the smallest fermion masses we find no indication of a deconfinement transition. These results are a first signal for the predicted continuity in the compactification of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory.

Quantifying differences in land use emission estimates implied by definition discrepancies

The quantification of CO2 emissions from anthropogenic land use and land use change (eLUC) is essential to understand the drivers of the atmospheric CO2 increase and to inform climate change mitigation policy. Reported values in synthesis reports are commonly derived from different approaches (observation-driven bookkeeping and process-modelling) but recent work has emphasized that inconsistencies between methods may imply substantial differences in eLUC estimates. However, a consistent quantification is lacking and no concise modelling protocol for the separation of primary and secondary components of eLUC has been established. Here, we review differences of eLUC quantification methods and apply an Earth System Model (ESM) of Intermediate Complexity to quantify them. We find that the magnitude of effects due to merely conceptual differences between ESM and offline vegetation model-based quantifications is ~ 20 % for today. Under a future business-as-usual scenario, differences tend to increase further due to slowing land conversion rates and an increasing impact of altered environmental conditions on land-atmosphere fluxes. We establish how coupled Earth System Models may be applied to separate secondary component fluxes of eLUC arising from the replacement of potential C sinks/sources and the land use feedback and show that secondary fluxes derived from offline vegetation models are conceptually and quantitatively not identical to either, nor their sum. Therefore, we argue that synthesis studies should resort to the "least common denominator" of different methods, following the bookkeeping approach where only primary land use emissions are quantified under the assumption of constant environmental boundary conditions.

Comparison of proximal femur and vertebral body strength improvements in the FREEDOM trial using an alternative finite element methodology

Denosumab reduced the incidence of new fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis by 68% at the spine and 40% at the hip over 36 months compared with placebo in the FREEDOM study. This efficacy was supported by improvements from baseline in vertebral (18.2%) strength in axial compression and femoral (8.6%) strength in sideways fall configuration at 36 months, estimated in Newtons by an established voxel-based finite element (FE) methodology. Since FE analyses rely on the choice of meshes, material properties, and boundary conditions, the aim of this study was to independently confirm and compare the effects of denosumab on vertebral and femoral strength during the FREEDOM trial using an alternative smooth FE methodology. Unlike the previous FE study, effects on femoral strength in physiological stance configuration were also examined. QCT data for the proximal femur and two lumbar vertebrae were analyzed by smooth FE methodology at baseline, 12, 24, and 36 months for 51 treated (denosumab) and 47 control (placebo) subjects. QCT images were segmented and converted into smooth FE models to compute bone strength. L1 and L2 vertebral bodies were virtually loaded in axial compression and the proximal femora in both fall and stance configurations. Denosumab increased vertebral body strength by 10.8%, 14.0%, and 17.4% from baseline at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively (p < 0.0001). Denosumab also increased femoral strength in the fall configuration by 4.3%, 5.1%, and 7.2% from baseline at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively (p < 0.0001). Similar improvements were observed in the stance configuration with increases of 4.2%, 5.2%, and 5.2% from baseline (p ≤ 0.0007). Differences between the increasing strengths with denosumab and the decreasing strengths with placebo were significant starting at 12 months (vertebral and femoral fall) or 24 months (femoral stance). Using an alternative smooth FE methodology, we confirmed the significant improvements in vertebral body and proximal femur strength previously observed with denosumab. Estimated increases in strength with denosumab and decreases with placebo were highly consistent between both FE techniques.

Pressure from the vacuum of confined spinor matter

Charged spinor matter field is quantized in a spatial region bounded by two parallel neutral plates. The most general set of boundary conditions ensuring the confinement of matter within the plates is considered. We study a response of the vacuum of the confined matter to the background uniform magnetic field which is directed orthogonally to the plates. It is proven that, in the case of a sufficiently strong magnetic field, the vacuum pressure onto the plates is positive and independent of the boundary condition, as well as of the distance between the plates.

Influence of quantized massive matter fields on the Casimir effect

Charged massive matter fields of spin-0 and spin- 1/2 are quantized in the presence of an external uniform magnetic field in a spatial region bounded by two parallel plates. The most general set of boundary conditions at the plates, that is required by mathematical consistency and the self-adjointness of the Hamiltonian operator, is employed. The vacuum fluctuations of the matter field in the case of the magnetic field orthogonal to the plates are analyzed, and it is shown that the pressure from the vacuum onto the plates is positive and independent of the boundary condition, as well as of the distance between the plates. Possibilities of the detection of this new-type Casimir effect are discussed. Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S0217732315500996

Hemodynamics analyses in treated and untreated carotid arteries of the same patient: A preliminary study based on three patient cases

Carotid atherosclerotic disease is highly related to cerebrovascular events. Carotid endarterectomy is the common operation method to treat this disease. In this study, hemodynamics analyses are performed on the carotid arteries in three patients, whose right carotid artery had been treated by carotid endarterectomy and the left carotid artery remained untreated. Flow and loading conditions are compared between these treated and untreated carotid arteries and evaluation of the operative results is discussed. Patient-specific models are reconstructed from MDCT data. Intraoperative ultrasound flow measurements are performed on the treated carotid arteries and the obtained data are used as the boundary conditions of the models and the validations of the computational results. Finite volume method is employed to solve the transport equations and the flow and loading conditions of the models are reported. The results indicate that: (i) in two of the three patients, the internal-to-external flow rate ratio in the untreated carotid artery is larger than that in the treated one, and the average overall flow split ratio by summing up the data of both the left and right carotid arteries is about 2.15; (ii) in the carotid bulb, high wall shear stress occurs at the bifurcation near the external carotid artery in all of the cases without hard plaques; (iii) the operated arteries present low time-averaged wall shear stress at the carotid bulb, especially for the treated arteries with patch technique, indicating the possibility of the recurrence of stenosis; (iv) high temporal gradient of wall shear stress (>35 Pa/s) is shown in the narrowing regions along the vessels; and (v) in the carotid arteries without serious stenosis, the maximum velocity magnitude during mid-diastole is 32~37% of that at systolic peak, however, in the carotid artery with 50% stenosis by hard plaques, this value is nearly doubled (64%). The computational work quantifies flow and loading distributions in the treated and untreated carotid arteries of the same patient, contributing to evaluation of the operative results and indicating the recurrent sites of potential atheromatous plaques.

hp-DGFEM for second-order mixed elliptic problems polyhedra

We prove exponential rates of convergence of hp-version discontinuous Galerkin (dG) interior penalty finite element methods for second-order elliptic problems with mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions in axiparallel polyhedra. The dG discretizations are based on axiparallel, σ-geometric anisotropic meshes of mapped hexahedra and anisotropic polynomial degree distributions of μ-bounded variation. We consider piecewise analytic solutions which belong to a larger analytic class than those for the pure Dirichlet problem considered in [11, 12]. For such solutions, we establish the exponential convergence of a nonconforming dG interpolant given by local L 2 -projections on elements away from corners and edges, and by suitable local low-order quasi-interpolants on elements at corners and edges. Due to the appearance of non-homogeneous, weighted norms in the analytic regularity class, new arguments are introduced to bound the dG consistency errors in elements abutting on Neumann edges. The non-homogeneous norms also entail some crucial modifications of the stability and quasi-optimality proofs, as well as of the analysis for the anisotropic interpolation operators. The exponential convergence bounds for the dG interpolant constructed in this paper generalize the results of [11, 12] for the pure Dirichlet case.

Comparative carbon cycle dynamics of the present and last interglacial

Changes in temperature and carbon dioxide during glacial cycles recorded in Antarctic ice cores are tightly coupled. However, this relationship does not hold for interglacials. While climate cooled towards the end of both the last (Eemian) and present (Holocene) interglacials, CO₂ remained stable during the Eemian while rising in the Holocene. We identify and review twelve biogeochemical mechanisms of terrestrial (vegetation dynamics and CO₂ fertilization, land use, wild fire, accumulation of peat, changes in permafrost carbon, subaerial volcanic outgassing) and marine origin (changes in sea surface temperature, carbonate compensation to deglaciation and terrestrial biosphere regrowth, shallow-water carbonate sedimentation, changes in the soft tissue pump, and methane hydrates), which potentially may have contributed to the CO₂ dynamics during interglacials but which remain not well quantified. We use three Earth System Models (ESMs) of intermediate complexity to compare effects of selected mechanisms on the interglacial CO₂ and δ¹³ CO₂ changes, focusing on those with substantial potential impacts: namely carbonate sedimentation in shallow waters, peat growth, and (in the case of the Holocene) human land use. A set of specified carbon cycle forcings could qualitatively explain atmospheric CO₂ dynamics from 8ka BP to the pre-industrial. However, when applied to Eemian boundary conditions from 126 to 115 ka BP, the same set of forcings led to disagreement with the observed direction of CO₂ changes after 122 ka BP. This failure to simulate late-Eemian CO₂ dynamics could be a result of the imposed forcings such as prescribed CaCO₃ accumulation and/or an incorrect response of simulated terrestrial carbon to the surface cooling at the end of the interglacial. These experiments also reveal that key natural processes of interglacial CO₂ dynamics eshallow water CaCO₃ accumulation, peat and permafrost carbon dynamics are not well represented in the current ESMs. Global-scale modeling of these long-term carbon cycle components started only in the last decade, and uncertainty in parameterization of these mechanisms is a main limitation in the successful modeling of interglacial CO₂ dynamics.

Volcanic terrain and the possible periglacial formation of "excess ice" at the mid-latitudes of Utopia Planitia, Mars

At the mid-latitudes of Utopia Planitia (UP), Mars, a suite of spatially-associated landforms exhibit geomorphological traits that, on Earth, would be consistent with periglacial processes and the possible freeze-thaw cycling of water. The suite comprises small-sized polygonally-patterned ground, polygon-junction and -margin pits, and scalloped, rimless depressions. Typically, the landforms incise a dark-toned terrain that is thought to be ice-rich. Here, we investigate the dark-toned terrain by using high resolution images from the HiRISE as well as near-infrared spectral-data from the OMEGA and CRISM. The terrain displays erosional characteristics consistent with a sedimentary nature and near-infrared spectra characterised by a blue slope similar to that of weathered basaltic-tephra. We also describe volcanic terrain that is dark-toned and periglacially-modified in the Kamchatka mountain-range of eastern Russia. The terrain is characterised by weathered tephra inter-bedded with snow, ice-wedge polygons and near-surface excess ice. The excess ice forms in the pore space of the tephra as the result of snow-melt infiltration and, subsequently, in-situ freezing. Based on this possible analogue, we construct a three-stage mechanism that explains the possible ice-enrichment of a broad expanse of dark-toned terrain at the mid-latitudes of UP: (1) the dark-toned terrain accumulates and forms via the regional deposition of sediments sourced from explosive volcanism; (2) the volcanic sediments are blanketed by atmospherically-precipitated (H2O) snow, ice or an admixture of the two, either concurrent with the volcanic-events or between discrete events; and, (3) under the influence of high obliquity or explosive volcanism, boundary conditions tolerant of thaw evolve and this, in turn, permits the migration, cycling and eventual formation of excess ice in the volcanic sediments. Over time, and through episodic iterations of this scenario, excess ice forms to decametres of depth. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cerebellar Pathology Does Not Impair Performance on Identification or Categorization Tasks

In comparison to the basal ganglia, prefrontal cortex, and medial temporal lobes, the cerebellum has been absent from recent research on the neural substrates of categorization and identification, two prominent tasks in the learning and memory literature. To investigate the contribution of the cerebellum to these tasks, we tested patients with cerebellar pathology (seven with bilateral degeneration, six with unilateral lesions, and two with midline damage) on rule-based and information-integration categorization tasks and an identification task. In rule-based tasks, it is assumed that participants learn the categories through an explicit reasoning process. In information-integration tasks, optimal performance requires the integration of information from multiple stimulus dimensions, and participants are typically unaware of the decision strategy. The identification task, in contrast, required participants to learn arbitrary, color-word associations. The cerebellar patients performed similar to matched controls on all three tasks and performance did not vary with the extent of cerebellar pathology. Although the interpretation of these null results requires caution, these data contribute to the current debate on cerebellar contributions to cognition by providing boundary conditions on understanding the neural substrates of categorization and identification, and help define the functional domain of the cerebellum in learning and memory.

Geochemical data and mineralogical properties of bulk sediment composition of ODP Hole 195-1202B

During Leg 195 of the Ocean Drilling Program, Site 1202 was drilled in the subtropical northwestern Pacific Ocean beneath the Kuroshio (Black Current) between northern Taiwan and the Ryukyu Island Arc on the northern flank of the I-Lan Ridge at 1274 m water depth. The upper 110 m of the Site 1202 section, composed of dark grey calcareous silty clay, provide an expanded record of environmental changes during the last 28 kyr. The sediments were deposited at high sedimentation rates between 3.0 and 5.0 m/kyr and peak values of 9.0 m/kyr between 15.1 and 11.2 ka BP. Variations in the modes and sources of detrital sediment input, as inferred from sediment granulometry, mineralogy, and elemental XRF-scanner data, reflect changes in environmental boundary conditions related to sea-level changes, Kuroshio variability, and the climate-driven modes of fluvial runoff. The provenance data point to increased sediment supply from northwestern Taiwan between 28 and 19.5 ka BP and from East China sources between 19.5 and 11.2 ka BP. The change in provenance at 19.5 ka BP reflects increased fluvial runoff from the Yangtze River and strong sediment reworking from the East China Sea shelf in the course of increased humidity and postglacial sea-level rise, particularly after 15.1 ka BP. The Holocene was dominated by sediments that originated from rivers in northeastern Taiwan. For the pre-Holocene period prior to 11.2 ka BP, low portions of sortable silt (63-10 ?m) show that the Kuroshio did not enter the Okinawa Trough, because of low sea-level. In turn, high proportions of sortable silt and sediment provenance from northeastern Taiwan point to strong ocean circulation under the direct and persistent influence of the Kuroshio during the Holocene. The reentrance of the Kuroshio to the Okinawa Trough was heralded by two pulses in relative current strengthening at 11.2 and 9.5 ka BP, as documented by stepwise increases in sortable silt in the lower Holocene section. From a global perspective, environmental changes in the southern Okinawa Trough show affinities to climate change in the western Pacific warm pool with little influence of climate teleconnections from the North Atlantic realm, otherwise seen in many other marine and terrestrial palaeoclimate records from southeastern Asia.

Benthic foraminifera, stable isotope ratios and carbon concentrations of sediment cores from Propeller Mound and Porcupine Srabight

On- and off-mound sediment cores from Propeller Mound (Hovland Mound province, Porcupine Seabight) were analysed to understand better the evolution of a carbonate mound. The evaluation of benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the off-mound position helps to determine the changes of the environmental controls on Propeller Mound in glacial and interglacial times. Two different assemblages describe the Holocene and Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 and late MIS 3 (~31 kyr BP). The different assemblages are related to changes in oceanographic conditions, surface productivity and the waxing and waning of the British Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) during the last glacial stages. The interglacial assemblage is related to a higher supply of organic material and stronger current intensities in water depth of recent coral growth. During the last glaciation the benthic faunas showed high abundances of cassidulinid species, implying cold bottom waters and a reduced availability of organic matter. High sedimentation rates and the domination of Elphidium excavatum point to shelf erosion related to sea-level lowering (~50 m) and the progradation of the BIIS onto the shelf. A different assemblage described for the on-mound core is dominated by Discanomalina coronata, Gavelinopsis translucens, Planulina ariminensis, Cibicides lobatulus and to a lower degree by Hyrrokkin sarcophaga. These species are only found or show significantly higher relative abundances in on-mound samples and their maximum contribution in the lower part of the record indicates a higher coral growth density on Propeller Mound in an earlier period. They are less abundant during the Holocene, however. This dataset portrays the boundary conditions of the habitable range for the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa, which dominates the deep-water reefal ecosystem on the upper flanks of Propeller Mound. The growth of this ecosystem occurs during interglacial and interstadial periods, whereas a retreat of corals is documented in the absence of glacial sediments on-mound. Glacial conditions with cold intermediate waters, a weak current regime and high sedimentation rates provide an unfavourable environmental setting for Lophelia corals to grow. A Late Pleistocene decrease is observed in the mound growth for Propeller Mound, which might face its complete burial in the future, as it already happened to the buried mounds of the Magellan Mound province further north.