As companies commit an increasing number of socially irresponsible behaviors, high profile corporate transgressions have become major social problems in many countries. Corporate transgressions are defined as serious violations of social norms and standards (White, Bandura, & Bero, 2009). Corporate transgressions tend to detrimentally affect the relationship between companies and their consumers, leading to negative consumer responses to the brand and product (Aaker, 2012; Lindenmeier, Schleer, & Pricl, 2011; Ingram, Skinner, & Tayler, 2005). Many companies use short-term marketing activities to improve consumer responses; however, these recovery strategies have temporary effects (Beverland, Chung, & Kates, 2009). There is no doubt that building long-term relationships with consumers is vital for companies to promote positive responses. Cause-related marketing (CRM) has been one of the most widely used activities to build long-term relationships with consumers because it can demonstrate a company’s sincere commitment to social responsibility (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004; Gupta & Pirsch, 2006; Kotler & Keller, 2006; Nan & Heo, 2007; Varadarajan & Menon,1988). Despite the fact that CRM can help build long-term relationships with consumers, there is a dearth of empirical study on the effectiveness of CRM as a corporate crisis recovery strategy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of CRM as a recovery strategy in changing consumers’ psychological (attitudes) and behavioral (purchase intentions) responses after corporate transgressions. More specifically, this study will examine the effects of corporate commitment types (time vs financial), degrees (long-term vs short-term and large vs small amount), and fit (high vs low) conditions between a cause and a company on consumer responses. A total of 213 college students (94 women, 119 men), between the ages of 18 and 25, participated in this experimental study. The participants were randomly assigned to one of eight between-subjects treatment conditions in which they read two short scenarios about a company’s (Brand X) corporate transgression and commitment to a CRM (sponsoring the Special Olympic games or the Human Society) campaign. Manipulation checks were conducted on time commitment, financial commitment, and fit conditions. The results of CFA, using LISREL 9.1, support the reliability and validity of all measures. The composite reliabilities (Cronbach's α) of the two constructs (attitudes and purchase intentions) are .72 and .798 respectively. The average variance extracted (AVE) of the attitudes (.593) and the purchase intentions (.611). For the convergent validity, all estimated loadings of indicators for the underlying constructs are significant (the smallest t-value = 4.32, p < .05). For the discriminant validity, as indicated earlier, AVEs for two constructs are, .593 for consumer attitudes and .611 for consumer purchase intentions, are greater than the squared correlation (.454) between two constructs. In addition, the goodness-of-fit statistics show a good overall fit (χ2 = 131. 57, p > .01, CFI= .94, GFI = .93, and RMSEA = .051). The results of the current study revealed that the company’s long-term and large financial commitments to a CRM campaign significantly changed participants' psychological and behavioral responses. However, the fit conditions did not significantly affect consumers’ response changes. The 2 x 2 x 2 interaction effects revealed that the time commitments play a more significant role in changing consumer responses than financial commitments and fit conditions. Furthermore, the combination of a long-term and a large financial commitment with a high fit condition showed the most significant consumer response changes. These findings support the fact that consumers value a company’s CRM activities when they are aware of the company’s sincere commitment. Hence, it is vital for marketing managers to demonstrate their consistently support to causes, rather than making a quick decision to engage in CRM activities. In addition, the findings of this study confirm that gaining positive responses from consumers takes a great effort for companies. Thus, companies should be conscious not to commit socially irresponsible behaviors that damage their relationships with consumers.

The present study used a discounting task with differing contextual variables to examine how variables effect discounting between studies and future health related behaviors. Thirty nine participants completed two discounting questionnaires, each included hypothetical food choices paired with a weight loss or stable weight. Participants were instructed to complete each survey based on either their current weight or a gain of 75 pounds, and each survey included two identical hypothetical menu options. One menu incorporated low calorie foods, while the other incorporated moderately healthy foods, and participants were instructed to select the menu they preferred based on weight loss/no weight loss and hypothetical weight presented in instruction. Visual analysis of the results showed a difference in discounting across the conditions; participants appeared to be more impulsive at their current weight. At normal weight, visual analysis of the switch values show that the proportional value of the switch ranged from 1.0 at the lowest proportional delay level to .75 at proportional delay 1. In the hypothetical weight gain condition, this occurred at a level of .95 at the lowest proportional delay and .75 at delay 1. In a visual analysis of AUC comparisons, participants’ scores are higher in the 75 pound weight condition than the normal weight condition, and farther from 0 in the 75 pound weight condition.

The sensitive response of glaciers to climate change can be recorded in sediments, in glacier fed lakes. By studying sediments from pro-glacial lakes it is possible to determine how glaciers have reacted to past climate change and variability. Therefore, proglacial lake sediments cores can be used as proxy archives for climate and glacier activity reconstructions. The aim of this study is to detect any glacier signal in the lacustrine sediment cores from Tarfalajaure and seek for correlation with glacier processes and variations recorded in the past literature. Sediment cores were retrieved from the deepest part (52 m) of Tarfalajaure (65°55’25”,18°35’23”) in September 2016. Tarfalajaure is situated within the Swedish part of the Scandinavian Caledonides, in the Kebnekaise Mountains, northern Sweden. There are four glaciers draining into Tarfalajaure, Kebnepakteglaciären (the closest and largest one), Sydöstra Kaskasatjåkkaglaciären, Sydöstra Kaskasapakteglaciären and SydvästraKaskasatjåkkaglaciären. It is assumed that the variations of the minerogenic input and sediment characteristics in the cores over time reflect variations in glacier activity or changes in the proglacial environment. XRF measurements (Ti, Si, K, Fe, Ca, Mn/Fe, Zr/Rb, Ca/Ti,Fe/Ti, Si/Ti, K/Ca and K/Ti), magnetic susceptibility, grain-size analysis and radiocarbon dating have been used to detect variations in the sediment core. Comparisons have been made with results from other studies of glacier activity in northern Scandinavia, and with reconstructions of temperature variation during the last millennia. The results indicate several periods of glacieradvances which were also identified in other studies. These advances occurred around 25 cal BP, between 300 and 375, 1000 and 1150 cal BP, and around 700 – 800, 1900, and 2200 –2275 cal BP.

ML (MD-2-related lipid-recognition) domain containing proteins are recognized as immune-related molecules. They do not belong among well-studied proteins in ticks although their occurence is quite often. Generally, ML proteins are involved in innate immunity processes, lipid binding and transport. Usually, expression of tick ML domain containing proteins is induced by blood feeding. Two members of the ML protein family, ML-domain containing protein and Der-p2 allergen-like protein were isolated from Ixodes ricinus and characterized for the first time.

Artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites have been reported in the Greater Mekong Subregion since 2007. Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is the mainstay of antimalarial treatment and is responsible for decreases in malaria-related morbidity and mortality over the past fifteen years. The slowed parasite clearance rates following ACT indicates resistance to artemisinin derivatives. This resistance places increasing selective pressure for variants or traits that confer resistance to the partner drug used in combination and has led to the rapid failure of several partner drugs. While a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in kelch13 has been shown to mediate some resistance phenotypes, the complete mechanism of artemisinin resistance is poorly understood. The known mechanisms of resistance hint at a connection to autophagy, an intracellular pathway that cells use to degrade waste molecules or organelles in response to stress and starvation, which is poorly characterized in Plasmodium. In this doctoral thesis project, I investigated the role of an autophagy-like mechanism in P. falciparum in the mechanism of artemisinin resistance. I found a SNP in autophagy-related gene 18 (atg18) that was associated with clinical delayed parasite clearance half-life following ACT. This gene encodes PfAtg18, a protein that I characterized as being similar to mammalian/yeast homologues in terms of structure, binding abilities, and ability to form puncta in response to stress. In order to investigate the contribution of the mutation in this protein, I edited the atg18 gene using CRISPR/Cas9 and screened the mutant and parent parasites against a drug library of over 6000 unique compounds. I discovered that while the SNP did not change the mutant parasite's susceptibility to any of the antimalarial compounds using a 72-hour drug pulse, it did alter the susceptibility to 227 other compounds. Further, I found that the SNP offers parasites a fitness advantage by allowing them to grow better in nutrient-limited settings. Finally, I determined that neither this atg18 SNP nor several polymorphisms in kelch13 modulate a dormancy phenotype that appears to be involved in the artemisinin-resistance mechanism.

abstract: Recent events in places such as Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, have focused the public's attention on citizen deaths during arrest encounters with officers in police departments across the United States. Riots and protests have broken out across the nation and resulted in a recent President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing to address some of these major issues. Arrest-related deaths (ARDs), however, are not a new phenomenon and have long generated controversy among the public. Despite the reoccurring nature of ARDs, no publicly available, central national registry of ARDs exists to allow for an in-depth analysis of such cases, as well as the development of training and policies to decrease police and citizen harms. In an effort to fill this gap, the current study conducts a retrospective, open-source, web-based search of media reports to explore the prevalence and nature of all types of ARDs that occurred through the United States in 2005 and 2006. The purpose of the study is to investigate ARDs, but to also assess the reliability of media reports as a source of data. The study finds that media reports are not adequate for identifying the prevalence of ARDs, but are useful when investigating circumstances surrounding deadly police-citizen encounters to an extent. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Criminology and Criminal Justice 2015

Gas hydrates are naturally occurring crystalline formations consisting of crystal structural “cages” which make up cavities where gas molecules can be trapped. Hydrates are formed under specific pressure and temperature conditions in the ground, which limits their presence to permafrost and deep sea continental margins. The interest for gas hydrates has grown bigger in the past time, mainly because of the potential as a new energy source but also because of the possibility of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage and its potential linkage to different geological hazards. Gas hydrates are still relatively poorly understood with many questions to be answered. Therefore research in this area is important. In our study we have been focusing on characterization of gas hydrate structures and their gas composition. By using the two different analytical methods X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and gas chromatography. For this study to be successfully carried out we needed access to equipment and expertise which is only to be found in few places on Earth. Our lab work was therefore done at Pontifica Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre Brazil where a research project in gas hydrates is on going. Because of the research projects secrecy we do not know where our gas hydrate samples come from which mean we cannot link our results to any geographic area. The structural analysis shows structure I hydrate which is characterized by the presence of small gas molecules such as hydrocarbons. The results from the gas content validated that it is structure I since large concentrations of methane gas (CH4) and sulphur gas (H2S) were detected. The presence of these gases implies that the formation conditions are in a marine environment at the sulphate-methane transition zone (SMTZ).

The climate changes and the global warming have a great impact on the Arctic environments. This partially depends on that the albedo is getting lower when snow and ice is melting and exposes more and more dark surfaces of the land and sea. This leads to a feedback effect; the melting accelerates because dark surfaces attract more sun radiation. Because of the heating the glaciers in Arctic retreat. The purpose of this report is to obtain an eventual change in elevation on the glacier Lomonosovfonna that is located on Svalbard by comparing elevation data collected by NASA and GPS data from 1996-2012. The data was processed in ArcGIS and Matlab and the result is a change in elevation during the periods 1996-2012, 1996-2002 and 2002-2012. The result shows an average height decrease of Lomonosovfonna of -0,44 meters per year. When the result is reviewed, one can notice that both an increase and a decrease in height are observed on Lomonosovfonna. On the edge of the glacier, that border to Billefjorden, only a decrease in elevation is noticed. Some differences in elevation is very high in this area, and this can be due to three causes; the highest amount of melting occurs on the edges because of the higher air temperature at low elevation cause high melt, a calving have occurred or the difference is due to that the glacier is steepest in this area and therefore small position errors between measurements can cause big differences. The result also shows that the melting is accelerating, since the average melting of Lomonosovfonna was -0,26 meters per year during the period 1996-2002 and during the period 2002-2012 the melting had increased to -0,54 meters per year. The results are all in line with earlier measurements and reports and also with predictions for the climate. / Klimatförändringarna och den globala uppvärmningen slår hårt mot Arktis och områdena där omkring. Detta beror till stor del av att när snö och is smälter så försvinner ljusa ytor och ersätts av mörkt hav och land – albedot sänks. Detta har en feedbackeffekt som gör att smältningen accelererar eftersom att mörka ytor drar till sig mer solstrålning. På grund av uppvärmningen retirerar glaciärerna i Arktis, bland annat på Svalbard. Syftet för den här rapporten har varit att få fram eventuella höjdskillnader på Lomonosovfonnaglaciären på Svalbard genom att jämföra höjddata som samlats in under perioden 1996-2012. Datat består av altimeterdata insamlad av NASA och av GPS-data som samlats in av forskare på Uppsala universitet. Med hjälp av programmen ArcGIS och Matlab har ett resultat av höjdförändringarna kunnat tas fram från perioderna 1996-2012, 1996-2002 samt 2002-2012. Under hela mätperioden 1996-2012 var medelsänkningen av glaciären -0,44 meter per år. Resultatet visar att både sänkning och höjning har skett på glaciären. I kanten av Lomonosovfonna som gränsar mot Billefjorden har enbart en sänkning skett. Några av smältvärdena är mycket höga i denna del av glaciären, detta kan bero på flera saker; mest smältning sker i kanterna på grund av att glaciären är som tunnast där, en kalvning har sker och/eller så beror höjdskillnaden på att glaciären är som brantast i detta område och två mätpunkter från olika perioder som jämförts med varandra kan ligga på mycket olika höjd trots att de ligger nära varandra. Resultatet visar även att smältningen accelererar, eftersom medelsänkningen under perioden 1996-2002 låg på -0,26 meter per år medan den hade ökat till -0,54 meter per år under perioden 2002-2012. Resultaten som fåtts fram stämmer överens med tidigare mätningar och rapporter samt med de prognoser som finns över det framtida klimatet.

Two new species of Cambrian bradoriid arthropods have been found in the ‘thin’ Stephen Formation, Odaray Mountain, Canada; the hipponicharionid Flumenoglacies michaeli n. sp. and the comptalutid Phasoia stephenensis n. sp. This paper includes the description and illustrations of these species as well as two undetermined species from the same locality. Phasoia stephenensis n. sp. is the first Phasoia reported from Laurentia and Flumenoglacies michaeli n. sp. belongs to the new genus Flumenoglacies recently described by Peel &amp; Streng (in press) from Greenland. In the discussion previous reports of the genus Phasoia are ordered chronologically and a migration path from Gondwana to Laurentia is suggested. However, more information on the stratigraphic and regional distribution of this taxon is needed to support this theory since Phasoia is so far only known from Australia, South China and now North America. The ornamentation of Phasoia stephenensis n. sp. and Flumenoglacies michaeli n. sp. is discussed and compared with the ornamentation of the hipponicharion Pseudobeyrichona longquanxiensis (Cui 1987), the svealutid Tsunyiella Zhang (1974) and the cambriid Petrianna fulmenata Siveter (1995). It is suggested that it might be remnants of a respiratory system.

A tuberculose à uma doenÃa infecciosa e contagiosa causada por uma bactÃria, o Mycobacterium tuberculosis. O abandono do tratamento da tuberculose pulmonar por pacientes com baciloscopia positiva favorece a manutenÃÃo da cadeia de transmissÃo, assim como o aumento das populaÃÃes bacterianas resistentes à quimioterapia de primeira linha. Iniciar o tratamento, desistir dele, retratar, abandonar novamente... situaÃÃo cada vez mais frequente na populaÃÃo acometida por tuberculose e usuÃria de drogas, lÃcitas ou ilÃcitas. O consumo de substÃncias psicoativas cresceu assustadoramente a partir da segunda metade do sÃculo XX, configurando-se nas Ãltimas dÃcadas como um fenÃmeno de massa e como uma questÃo de saÃde pÃblica. Segundo a OMS, cerca de 10% das populaÃÃes dos centros urbanos de todo o mundo, consomem abusivamente substÃncias psicoativas, independentemente da idade, sexo, nÃvel de instruÃÃo e poder aquisitivo. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar a influÃncia do uso abusivo de drogas ilÃcitas no abandono do tratamento para tuberculose pulmonar em uma Unidade de AtenÃÃo PrimÃria à SaÃde no municÃpio de Fortaleza. Por meio de estudo epidemiolÃgico observacional, retrospectivo, foram analisamos fatores socio-epidemiolÃgicos e fatores clÃnicos de pacientes em tratamento para tuberculose pulmonar, verificando-se a presenÃa do uso abusivo de drogas nesta populaÃÃo, e a influÃncia destas no abandono do tratamento, utilizando para isso questionÃrios estruturados (questionÃrio geral e ASSIST). Resultados: dos 116 casos de tuberculose investigados, 68,9% sÃo do sexo masculino, com mÃdia de idade de 37,5 anos, de cor parda (72,4%), solteiro (56,9%), com ensino fundamental incompleto (50%). A situaÃÃo de emprego da maioria (37%) era de desemprego. Quanto ao perfil epidemiolÃgico do caso, 84,4% eram de casos novos, 13% de reingresso apÃs abandono e 2,6% de recidiva. O motivo que levou ao encerramento do caso mostrou-nos um dado alarmante: 36% dos pacientes abandonaram o tratamento. Comparando as diferenÃas entre o grupo de cura e o de abandono, nÃo houve diferenÃa significativa entre a mÃdia das idades dos dois grupos (p > 0,75). Em ambos os grupos houve predomÃnio do sexo masculino, porÃm observamos uma diferenÃa significativamente maior no grupo do abandono (p = 0,0001). No grupo abandono o nÃvel de escolaridade foi inferior ao do grupo cura/conclusÃo (p = 0,017). Houve associaÃÃo entre abandono e desemprego (p < 0,0001) e reingresso apÃs abandono. Pelo resultado do questionÃrio ASSIST, a frequÃncia do uso de drogas na vida correspondeu a 95,1% para o Ãlcool, seguido do tabaco.(51,6%). A Cannabis sativa, a cocaÃna e o crack foram citados por 41,9% dos questionados. Inalantes como lolà e cola de sapateiro jà haviam sido provados por 19,3%. O uso de crack necessita de intervenÃÃo com indicaÃÃo para tratamento intensivo na maioria dos usuÃrios (61,9%), o que demonstra a forÃa de dependÃncia quÃmica que essa substÃncia causa. ConclusÃo: O abandono do tratamento da tuberculose se mostra um risco significativo nos pacientes usuÃrios de drogas, em especial as ilÃcitas onde observa-se um consumo abusivo, necessitando-se de intervenÃÃo, seja uma intervenÃÃo breve ou tratamento mais intensivo. / Tuberculosis is an infectious and contagious disease caused by a bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Treatment Refusal for pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with smear-positive favors the maintenance of the transmission chain, as well as increased resistance to first-line chemotherapy. Starting treatment, give it up, portray, leave againâ situation increasingly common in the population affected by tuberculosis and uses drugs, licit or illicit. The consumption of psychoactive substances has increased since the second half of the twentieth century, becoming a mass phenomenon in recent decades and a public health problem. According to WHO, about 10% of the populations of urban centers world consume abusively psychoactive substances, regardless of age, sex, education level and purchasing power. This study aims to evaluate the influence of the abusive use of illegal drugs in the abandonment of treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis in a Unit of Primary Health Care in Fortaleza. Through a epidemiologic, observational and retrospective study, socio-demographic factors and clinical factors were analyzed in patients treated for pulmonary tuberculosis, verifying the presence of substance abuse in this population, and the influence of these in abandonment of treatment, using structured questionnaires (general questionnaire and ASSIST). Results: of the 116 TB cases investigated, 68.9% are male, with a mean age of 37.5 years, mulatto (72.4%), single (56.9%), with incomplete primary education (50%). The employment status of the majority (37%) were unemployed. As to the epidemiological profile of the case, 84.4% were new cases, 13% of return after default and 2.6% of recurrence. The cause of the closure of the case was by treatment refusal in 36% of patients. Comparing the differences between the group cure and abandonment, there was no significant difference between the mean ages of the two groups (p> 0.75). In both groups there was a predominance of males, but had a significantly greater difference in the dropout (p = 0.0001). In the group abandoned, the education level was lower than the cure group (p = 0.017). There was an association between dropout and unemployment (p <0.0001) and return after default. The ASSIST questionnaire showed that the frequency of drug use in life corresponded to 95.1% for alcohol, followed by tobacco. (51.6%). Cannabis sativa, cocaine and crack were cited by 41.9% of respondents. Inhalants like lolo and glue had already been tried by 19.3%. The use of crack needs intensive treatment in the majority of users (61.9%), demonstrating the chemical addiction to this substance. Conclusion: The abandonment of tuberculosis treatment shows a significant risk in patients using drugs, especially illicit substances with abuse use, necessitating the intervention, whether a brief intervention or more intensive treatment.