Consumers' evaluation and intention to buy traditional seafood: The role of vintage, uniqueness, nostalgia and involvement in luxury.

This study extends the understanding of the relationship between consumer motivation, involvement and evaluation of traditional food products (TFP). One important research issue was to explore whether consumers' perceived uniqueness could be one important quality or value that theoretically and empirically could differentiate TFP from ordinary, usual and "everyday" traditional food. A central location test of two different vintages (maturation times) of salt-cured clipfish in combination with a survey to assess individual motivational constructs was used to test the conceptual model. Our expectations were confirmed. Perceived uniqueness influences future intention to consume and is motivated by involvement in TFP. The theoretical arguments of the relevance of the perceived uniqueness of traditional food was also supported by the positive relationship between general involvement in luxury (prestige) and involvement in TFP. In addition, this study found a significant positive relationship between product-specific nostalgia and involvement in TFP. To our knowledge, no previous study we are aware has discussed, designed or tested these theoretical relationships. Our findings have promising implications for the seafood industry in order to achieve unique product value and increase consumers' willingness to pay, by promoting uniqueness, prestige and nostalgic product features of vintage salt-cured clipfish.

Co-production and time use. Influence on product evaluation.

This study analyses how time use influences consumers' evaluation of a product and their satisfaction with the co-production activity. It also includes hypotheses about how knowledge and perceived convenience are related to the evaluative constructs. The constructs are checked for reliability and validity, before using structural equation modelling in Lisrel to estimate the relationships between the constructs and their measures. The results showed that time use had a negative influence on perceived convenience and a positive effect on satisfaction with co-production, but did not influence the global evaluation of the product. Satisfaction with co-production and perceived convenience had a positive influence on the global evaluation. Knowledge had a negative influence on time use. Finally, knowledge and perceived convenience had a positive relationship with satisfaction with co-production. In total, seven out of nine hypotheses are supported by the data. The study suggests that time use, perceived convenience, and satisfaction with co-production can be an important variables in the understanding of the evaluative outcome of a co-produced product. The dual role of time use can be positioned as something the consumer wants to minimize for convenient reasons or extended in order to be satisfied with the co-production effort. The paper presents new insights into how co-production and time use influence product evaluation.

Identification of Akt pathway inhibitors using redistribution screening on the FLIPR and the IN Cell 3000 analyzer.

The PI3-kinase/Akt pathway is an important cell survival pathway that is deregulated in the majority of human cancers. Despite the apparent druggability of several kinases in the pathway, no specific catalytic inhibitors have been reported in the literature. The authors describe the development of a fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR)-based Akt1 translocation assay to discover inhibitors of Akt1 activation. Screening of a diverse chemical library of 45,000 compounds resulted in identification of several classes of Akt1 translocation inhibitors. Using a combination of classical in vitro assays and translocation assays directed at different steps of the Akt pathway, the mechanisms of action of 2 selected chemical classes were further defined. Protein translocation assays emerge as powerful tools for hit identification and characterization.

Nuclear export inhibitors and kinase inhibitors identified using a MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 redistribution screen.

Redistribution (BioImage) A/S, Søborg, Denmark) is a novel high-throughput screening technology that monitors translocation of specific protein components of intracellular signaling pathways within intact mammalian cells, using green fluorescent protein as a tag. A single Redistribution assay can be used to identify multiple classes of compounds that act at, or upstream of, the level of the protein target used in the primary screening assay. Such compounds may include both conventional and allosteric enzyme inhibitors, as well as protein-protein interaction modulators. We have developed a series of Redistribution assays to discover and characterize compounds that inhibit tumor necrosis factor-alpha biosynthesis via modulation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. A primary assay was designed to identify low-molecular-weight compounds that inhibit the activation-dependent nuclear export of the p38 kinase substrate MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2). Hits from the primary screen were categorized, using secondary assays, either as direct inhibitors of MK2 nuclear export, or as inhibitors of the upstream p38 MAPK pathway. Activity profiles are presented for a nuclear export inhibitor, and a compound that structurally and functionally resembles a known p38 kinase inhibitor. These results demonstrate the utility of Redistribution technology as a pathway screening method for the identification of diverse and novel compounds that are active within therapeutically important signaling pathways.