An alternative source of collagen for Muslim consumers: halal and environmental concerns

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the tendency that Malaysian consumers will choose the recombinant collagen-like protein (RCLP) from bacteria as an alternative source of collagen in their consumption and the determinants of the consumer acceptance.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative approach is adopted in the study. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression are used to analyze primary data collected from a survey.FindingsThe likelihood of consumers choosing RCLP as an alternative source of collagen is higher among elderly and females. The choice is significantly influenced by the idea that the collagen should support maqasid al-syariah, approved by national Islamic body, should clear on the ingredients used and could boost local economic activities in the future.Research limitations/implicationsAn ethical halal policy should be outlined as the guiding principles to the potential producers of RCLP.Originality/valueAn alternative source of collagen using bacteria as proposed is not yet being introduced in Malaysian industry, and the analysis on probability that consumers will accept this new sourced collagen product is using primary data from survey.

The study aims to assess the prospect of using recombinant collagen-like protein (RCLP) from producers’ point of view. Using cross-sectional data from a survey, the study attempts to validate the proposed hypothesis within Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by using the Partial Least Square (PLS) path modeling approach (a variance-based SEM technique). Results show a direct positive and significant relations between ‘perceive ease of use’ and ‘attitude toward’, ‘perceived ease of use’ and ‘perceived usefulness’, ‘attitude toward’ and ‘behavioural intention’, and ‘perceived usefulness’ and ‘behavioural intention’ of producing collagen products sourced from recombinant collagen-like protein among firms. The results imply the high potential end collagen products to be marketed using this alternative source of collagen which is environmentally friendly and promotes sustainable development.

The streptococcal collagen-like proteins Scl1 and Scl2 are prokaryotic members of a large protein family with domains containing the repeating amino acid sequence (Gly-Xaa-Yaa)(n) that form a collagen-like triple-helical structure. Here, we test the hypothesis that Scl variant might interact with mammalian collagen-binding integrins. We show that the recombinant Scl protein p176 promotes adhesion and spreading of human lung fibroblast cells through an alpha2beta1 integrin-mediated interaction as shown in cell adhesion inhibition assays using anti-alpha2beta1 and anti-beta1 integrins monoclonal antibodies. Accordingly, C2C12 cells stably expressing alpha2beta1 integrin as the only collagen-binding integrin show productive cell adhesion activities on p176 that can be blocked by an anti-alpha2beta1 integrin antibody. In addition, p176 promotes tyrosine phosphorylation of p125(FAK) of C2C12 cells expressing alpha2beta1 integrin, whereas parental cells do not. Furthermore, C2C12 adhesion of human lung fibroblast cells to p176 induces phosphorylation of p125FAK, p130CAS, and p68Paxillin proteins. In a domain swapping experiment, we show that integrin binds to the collagenous domain of the Scl protein. Moreover, the recombinant inserted domain of the alpha2 integrin interacts with p176 with a relatively high affinity (K(D) = 17 nm). Attempts to identify the integrin sites in p176 suggest that more than one site may be involved. These studies, for the first time, suggest that the collagen-like proteins of prokaryotes retained not only structural but also functional characteristics of their eukaryotic counterparts.

This study was conducted to analyze the differences in consumer behavior of coffee product according to monthly income in franchised coffee shop`s consumer in Korea. A total of 293 questionnaires were used out of the 330 that had been distributed for analysis; those that lacked reliability were excluded. Frequency, ANOVA, and Duncan`s multiple range test was conducted to analyze the hypotheses of the study. The findings are summarized as follows. There were significant differences in consumer behavior with regard to seeking health, eco-friendly products, product brand, and product taste as well as preferred coffee menu and coffee consumption expenditures. High income consumers rather than low income groups showed much higher score for concerning health, concerning diet, concerning calorie, concerning instant, concerning caffeine and concerning nature, organic in coffee consumer behavior. In amount spent on purchasing coffee products according to income, low income consumers rather than high income groups had much higher financial expense burden.

Young Consumers’ Attitude towards Halal Food Outlets and JAKIM's Halal Certification in Malaysia

Purpose This study aims to analyze the influence of using sustainable certification labels and storytelling in chocolate advertisements on the attitudes of potential young Brazilian consumers from Generations Y and Z. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experimental study was conducted with 187 valid responses from potential consumers. The participants were divided into four independent groups, each exposed to a different treatment. The treatments varied based on the presence or absence of sustainable labels and storytelling. After exposure, the participants’ attitudes toward the advertisements were measured. Findings The results revealed that the use of sustainable certification labels in social media ads has a negative effect on consumers’ cognitive and affective responses. Additionally, the presence of storytelling in chocolate advertisements on Instagram does not significantly influence the attitudes of potential young Brazilian consumers in a general view, but its impact varies across groups with different levels of conative response, showing a negative relationship among highly conative consumers and a positive one among those with lower conation. Research limitations/implications This study expands the sustainable marketing literature by indicating that when the visual identity of the sustainable certification label is not clearly associated with sustainable semiotic aspects, the label can negatively influence the cognitive and affective responses of potential Brazilian chocolate consumers. Practical implications The results of this study highlight the importance for sustainable certification organizations of raising awareness about the meaning and significance of their labels. This underscores the need for public policies and educational programs that promote knowledge about sustainability, specifically regarding the role and importance of certification labels. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of developing labels with a visual identity that clearly reflects sustainability aspects, thereby enhancing consumer understanding of their purpose. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the distinct contributions of using sustainable certification labels and storytelling to the attitudes of potential consumers.

The purpose of the article is to identify the determinants of buying counterfeit luxury handbags for high and low income consumers. The theoretical foundation is supported in: luxury market and of forgery and of high and low income consumers. Individual interviews were held and in group, all analyzed by content analysis. Both groups aim to fashion and the combination with the clothes as main factors of purchase. High-income consumers highlight specific events while the low income ones highlight the payment terms.

Two recombinant collagen-like proteins consisting of cell adhesion domains derived from native type I collagen were designed and synthesized by a genetic engineering method. The cross-linking sequence, GPPGPCCGGG, derived from collagen III was used to promote triple helix formation through the disulfide bonds formed among three chains by flanking the peptide at the C-terminal of the collagen-like proteins. SDS-PAGE and western-blotting data suggested possibility of the formation of a triple helix structure for both recombinant proteins. CD spectra and thermal stability analyses indicated that the triple-helix structure in the collagen-like proteins was pH-dependent and stabilized under acidic environmental condition. Moreover, the collagen-like protein flanked with the cross-linking sequence at the C-terminal showed the most stable triple-helical conformation under acidic conditions.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the usage and influence of food labels by the young consumers of an emerging market where food labeling regulation is comparatively recent phenomenon.Design/methodology/approachA purposely developed questionnaire was administered to 300 randomly selected youths of age between 18 and 30 years. The first part of the questionnaire sought information on socio-demographic profile, whereas the second part of the questionnaire had questions related to consumers’ perception of importance, their reading behavior, and their responses on the information content of food labels. Appropriate statistical tools were used to analyze the data.FindingsResults revealed that young Indian consumers attached considerable importance to the food labels and read it before making a final purchase decision. In addition to price, all the product attributes which had implications for the consumers’ health were considered as extremely important by the young consumers. Information regarding different important product attributes can be broadly clubbed in two categories, namely, “product specification” and “product quality.” The final decision to purchase a product based on the food labels varied significantly based on the consumers’ gender, age, food habit, and residential locality.Research limitations/implicationsNature of study does not allow drawing a conclusion regarding the causal relationship between food labels and consumers’ purchase decisions.Originality/valueAs labeling regulation is a comparatively recent phenomenon in India, study of the usage and influence of food labels on young consumers’ purchase decision, a hitherto not much-studied subject, will contribute significantly to the literature on food labels.

Do recycling channels affect young consumers' choices for formal power battery recycling?

Collagen is a popular biomaterial in many specific biological interactions as well as a structural element. In this work, the recombinant collagen-like proteins were synthesized using Escherichia coli expression system. A foldon sequence, GYIPEAPRDGQAYVRKDG EWVLLSTFL, derived from the native T4 phage fibritin was incorporated at the C-terminal of collagen-like protein molecules to stabilize the triple helix formed in the proteins. The differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis measurements showed that the thermostability of the recombinant collagen-like proteins was significantly improved when compared with those without the foldon sequence at the C-terminal. Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy observations indicated that the collagen-like proteins forms the triple helix structure and prefer to aggregate as fibrils, same as the native collagen. Moreover, the mice fibroblasts L929 cells could attach and grew very well on the recombinant collage-like proteins. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay showed that the cell biocompatibility of collagen-like proteins produced in this work was even better than that of native collagen, suggesting that the collagen-like proteins may be a satisfactory candidate for the future applications as a biomaterial.

Purpose: This research is to examine the determinants of green electronic purchasing decisions of young, educated consumers in Sri Lanka. 
 Design/methodology/approach: This novel study is a conclusive research and deductive methodology was deployed as the study approach. Primary data were collected from 200 university students living in Southern Province in Sri Lanka based on convenient sampling method through a 23-item self-administered questionnaire. After feeding data into SPSS 25.0, data were analysed using several statistical tools. In here, Multiple Regression analysis was used to measure the impact of each of the key determinant on green electronic purchasing decisions of young, educated consumers. 
 Findings: Results indicated that there is a statistically significant impact of four determinants namely, Environmental Concern, Supporting Environmental Protection, Social Influence and Environmental Friendliness of Businesses, on young, educated consumers’ green electronic purchasing decisions in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Among the four, Environmental Concern is the strongest determinant of purchasing decisions of green household electronics. 
 Originality: This study contributes to the existing debates on green product purchasing decisions of young consumers. Although, number of studies are available on green purchasing decisions among young consumers, the determinants of green electronic purchasing decisions of young, educated consumers are not well documented both in Sri Lankan as well as in international contexts. So, findings of the present study fulfilled that current knowledge gap.
 Implications: The current study provides good insights for both practitioners and theoreticians who want to identify the young consumers as environmentally conscious individuals. The paper concludes that marketing professionals need to relate green electronic devices with functional, emotional and experiential needs of consumers. 
 Keywords: Young Educated Consumers, Green Electronic Devices, Determinants of Green Consumption, Southern Province, Sri Lanka.

Introduction Telemedicine, once of limited scope, has become common and widespread due to the present and ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Center to home delivery, the most common model, allows for convenient and efficient care. Concurrent with this groundshift, there is increasing attention to disparities in medical services, and how these disparities may impact patient outcomes. Telemedicine could be used to help bridge barriers to timely quality care, however, patient access and longstanding institutional biases may limit the potential. Healthcare providers must actively develop systems to ensure that telemedicine is optimized for people across the income spectrum. This exploratory analysis examined how economic disparities in patients being evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea may be associated with providers’ clinical impressions. The objective was to study the inter-method reliability of pre-test probability of obstructive sleep apnea assessed via telemedicine and in-person evaluations, and to compare that reliability between income classes. Methods This is a secondary analysis of a pre-pandemic interrater reliability study, conducted between March 2017 and January 2019. Our researchers completed a randomized, blinded study comparing the pre-test probability of obstructive sleep apnea between an in-person physician and a separate physician seeing the same patient via televideo conferencing. Patients referred to the University of Rochester (UR) Sleep Center were eligible for the study. Women and men 30-70 years old were invited to participate. The patients were not necessarily referred to the center for evaluation of sleep disordered breathing. Patients with dementia, hearing or visual loss, severe psychiatric or developmental illness, or not fluent in English were excluded. Patients had adequate computer literacy, access to high speed internet, and a computing device with appropriate video camera and microphone.The primary objective of the original study was to assess the interrater reliability between the in-person and telemedicine raters for pre-test probability of sleep apnea (high, moderate, or low). Providers used clinical judgement from the history and examination to determine pre-test probabilityFor this present analysis, we assessed the inter-method reliability separately for strata defined by reported annual income level: low income (< $50,000), middle income ($50,000-$100,000), and high income (> $100,000). Reliability was quantified for each stratum using weighted kappa statistics given the ordinal nature of the outcome variable, pre-test probability of obstructive sleep apnea (high, moderate, or low). Weighted kappa statistics were compared between the income strata (high vs. middle, high vs. low, middle vs. low). The operant statistic assumed an approximate standard normal distribution under the null hypothesis of equal kappa values in the two income strata. The Bonferroni method was used to adjust the p-values for the three pairwise comparisons performed among the three income strata. Results Data from 53 patients were avaiable for this analysis. 11 of these patients were in the low income group, 22 in the middle income, and 16 were in the high income group. 9 patients did not include their income bracket, and were not included in the analysis. Inter-method reliabilities, assessed using weighted kappa, were 0.83 (low income), 0.24 (middle income), and 0.66 (high income). When comparing between the strata, the kappa statistics were significantly different (p=0.005) between the low and moderate income groups. There was a trend between the high and moderate income groups that did not meet statistical significance (p=0.07). Conclusion The intermethod reliability was substantial in the low income stratum, moderate in the high income stratum, and slight in the middle income group based on the kappa statistic. There was a significant difference in the reliability values of telemedicine versus in-person assessments between the low and middle income brackets, and there was a trend between the high and moderate groups. Since the raters were unaware of the patients’ income levels, this association might suggest possible unconscious bias in evaluating for OSA. It may also suggest that beyond access to telemedicine technology, the quality of the care may also be influenced by socioeconomic factors. With telemedicine in its early stages, it is important to develop this technology that will minimize biases that could result from patients’ economic fortunes. Support (If Any) The study was funded by a grant from the American Academy of Sleep Foundation (AASM Foundation grant #163-FP-17).

Low-income consumers and payment choice

Low-income consumers are not only constrained with spending, but also with the type and variety of payment methods available to them. Using a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, this short article analyzes the low possession (adoption) of credit and debit cards among low-income consumers who are also unbanked. Using a random utility model, I simulate the potential consumer welfare gains associated with policy options suggested in the literature to provide unsubsidized or subsidized debit cards, or subsidized prepaid cards to this consumer population. Simulation results show the relative improvement in consumer welfare among all three policy options.