Asians are more likely than North Americans to refuse a small gift that is offered to them by a casual acquaintance. Five experiments confirmed this difference and explored the reasons for its occurrence. Asians, who are inclined to think of themselves in relation to others, are more likely than North Americans to invoke a reciprocity norm in exchanging gifts with casual acquaintances, and they refuse a gift in order to avoid the feeling of indebtedness they would experience if they cannot reciprocate. North Americans, however, who are inclined to think of themselves independently of others, are more likely to base their acceptance of the gift on its attractiveness without considering their obligation to reciprocate. These cultural differences are not evident when the gift is offered by a close friend with whom individuals have a communal relationship. Implications of our findings for miscommunication between members of different cultures are discussed.

People are able to order food using a variety of computer devices, such as desktops, laptops, and mobile phones. Even in restaurants, patrons can place orders on computer screens. Can the interface that consumers use affect their choice of food? The authors focus on the “direct-touch” aspect of touch interfaces, whereby users can touch the screen in an interactive manner. In a series of five studies, they show that a touch interface, such as that provided by an iPad, compared with a nontouch interface, such as that of a desktop computer with a mouse, facilitates the choice of an affect-laden alternative over a cognitively superior one—what the authors call the “direct-touch effect.” The studies provide some mediational support that the direct-touch effect is driven by the enhanced mental simulation of product interaction with the more affective choice alternative on touch interfaces. The authors also test the moderator of this effect. Using multiple product pairs as stimuli, the authors obtain consistent results, which have rich theoretical and managerial implications.

Individuals' physical closeness to one another can either increase or decrease their preference for distinctive products. When individuals perceive their proximity to others to be voluntary, they are likely to interpret it as an indication of their affiliation motivation. Consequently, in a product choice task, they choose options that others consider desirable. When people perceive that their close proximity to others results from circumstances beyond their control, however, they feel that their personal space is violated and experience a need for to express their individuality. In this case, they are more likely to choose products that distinguish themselves from others.

Daunorubicin, idarubicin, doxorubicin and epirubicin are anthracyclines widely used for the treatment of lymphoma, leukemia, and breast, lung, and liver cancers, but tumor resistance limits their clinical success. Aldo-keto reductase family 1 B10 (AKR1B10) is an NADPH-dependent enzyme overexpressed in liver and lung carcinomas. This study was aimed to determine the role of AKR1B10 in tumor resistance to anthracyclines. AKR1B10 activity toward anthracyclines was measured using recombinant protein. Cell resistance to anthracycline was determined by ectopic expression of AKR1B10 or inhibition by epalrestat. Results showed that AKR1B10 reduces C13-ketonic group on side chain of daunorubicin and idarubicin to hydroxyl forms. In vitro, AKR1B10 converted daunorubicin to daunorubicinol at Vmax of 837.42±81.39 nmol/mg/min, Km of 9.317±2.25 mM and kcat/Km of 3.24. AKR1B10 showed better catalytic efficiency toward idarubicin with Vmax at 460.23±28.12 nmol/mg/min, Km at 0.461±0.09 mM and kcat/Km at 35.94. AKR1B10 was less active toward doxorubicin and epirubicin with a C14-hydroxyl group. In living cells, AKR1B10 efficiently catalyzed reduction of daunorubicin (50nM) and idarubicin (30nM) to corresponding alcohols. Within 24 hours, approximately 20±2.7% of daunorubicin (1μM) or 23±2.3% of idarubicin (1μM) was converted to daunorubicinol or idarubicinol in AKR1B10 expression cells compared to 7±0.9% and 5±1.5% in vector control. AKR1B10 expression led to cell resistance to daunorubicin and idarubicin, but inhibitor epalrestat showed a synergistic role with these agents. Together our data suggests that AKR1B10 participates in cellular metabolism of daunorubicin and idarubicin, resulting in drug resistance. These data are informative for the clinical use of idarubicin and daunorubicin.