The price of music : how sonic logos influence the willingness to pay

Sonic logos are the acoustic equivalents of visual logos and represent a branch of the sonic branding field. As the effects of music on the listener have been explored extensively in both psychology and marketing, this dissertation applies this knowledge on sonic logos to investigate whether they can be taken advantage of in a new business perspective. This research aims to study the correlation between sonic logos and the perceived value (in terms of willingness to pay) of the brand, focusing on the mediation effect of emotional response to and personal perceptions towards the music in the sonic logo. To accomplish this objective, primary data is collected both qualitatively and quantitatively. The qualitative part is composed of in-depth interviews and the quantitative part is in form of an online survey, which includes an experimental design: respondents are randomly divided into two groups, each of which is subjected to one version of a sonic logo of a fictitious brand of coffee and is subsequently asked about their WTP, brand perceptions, emotional response to the music, and personal perceptions towards the music. Results show that sonic logos influence WTP, and that this influence is partially mediated by both emotional response to and personal perceptions towards the music in the sonic logo. Specifically, a sonic logo positively affects WTP if its music is perceived as emotional, melancholic, exciting, interesting, elegant, familiar; however, it negatively affects WTP if its music is perceived as depressing, novel, excessively noisy.Os sonic logos são os acústicos equivalentes aos logotipos visuais e representam um ramo do campo do sonic branding. Como os efeitos da música no ouvinte têm sido extensivamente explorados em psicologia e marketing, esta dissertação aplica este conhecimento em sonic logos para investigar se eles podem ser aproveitados em uma nova perspectiva de negócios. Esta pesquisa visa estudar a correlação entre os sonic logos e a perceção de valor (em termos de disposição a pagar) da marca, enfocando o efeito de mediação da resposta emocional e percepções pessoais em relação à música no sonic logo. Para atingir este objetivo, os dados primários são recolhidos qualitativamente e quantitativamente. A parte qualitativa é composta de entrevistas extensivas e a parte quantitativa é em forma de uma pesquisa online, que inclui um desenho experimental: os entrevistados são divididos aleatoriamente em dois grupos, cada um dos quais é submetido a uma versão de um sonic logo de uma marca fictícia de café e, em seguida, é questionada sobre sua DDP, percepções da marca, resposta emocional à música e percepções pessoais em relação à música. Os resultados mostram que os sonic logos influenciam a DDP, e que essa influência é parcialmente mediada por respostas emocionais e percepções pessoais em relação à música no sonic logo. Especificamente, um sonic logo afeta positivamente a DDP se sua música for percebida como emocional, melancólica, excitante, interessante, elegante, familiar; no entanto, afeta negativamente a DDP se sua música for percebida como deprimente, nova, excessivamente ruidosa

Fingerprinting ash deposits of small scale eruptions by their physical and textural features

Correlation of distal ash deposits with their proximal counterparts mainly relies on chemical and mineralogical characterization of bulk rock and matrix glasses. However, the study of juvenile fragments often reveals the heterogeneity in terms of clast shape, external surface, groundmass texture and composition. This is particularly evident in small-scale eruptions, characterized by a strong variability in texture and relative abundance of juvenile fragments. This heterogeneity introduces an inherent uncertainty, that makes the compositional data alone inadequate to unequivocally characterize the tephra bed. Pyroclast characteristics, if described and quantified, can represent an additional clue for the correct identification of the tephra. The paper presents morphological, textural and compositional data on the products of an ash eruption from Middle Age activity of Vesuvius, to demonstrate the information that can be extracted from the proposed type of analysis. Juvenile fragments from five ash layers throughout the studied products were randomly hand-picked, and fully characterized in terms of external morphology, particle outline parameterization, groundmass texture and glass composition. Statistical analysis of shape parameters characterized groups of fragments that can be compared with the other textural and physical parameters. The main result is that the data do not show important cross-correlations, so suggesting that all of these parameters, together with accurate field data are needed for the complete fingerprinting of a tephra bed. We suggest that this approach is especially important for characterizing the products of small scale, compositionally undistinguishable, eruptions and represents the necessary step to deal with before going into more detailed compositional analyses

Diseño e implementación de una aplicación de composición musical educativa basada en AngularJS 2 y Ionic 2

La idea de este proyecto de fin de grado surge de la pérdida de interés por el aprendizaje musical, sobre todo a edades tempranas. Actualmente hay bastantes aplicaciones para poder aprender de distintos temas musicales, sin embargo, son más complejas y no tienen ese carácter simple y sencillo para que la gente se pueda interesar a pesar de no saber nada a nivel musical. Con este trabajo se pretende ofrecer un medio para aprender la creación de escalas de acordes, impartiendo teoría y de forma que se puedan hacer grabaciones de distintas progresiones, con lo que el usuario descubrirá una forma interesante de aprender a través de la composición. También podrá compartir sus composiciones y gestionarlas, todo ello desde un dispositivo móvil.The main motivation about developing this project, is to offer to users an application to learn some of the concepts of music composition theory. To make this application possible, the development is focused to present an attractive and easy-to-use app so even kids could use it. The presentation layer of the application, will be designed thinking in the interactive way people use mobile applications. This last point will be very important in the implementation process since the real instruments are mainly based in the concept of interactive and this application needs to give that concept too. The other mainly point about this technologic solution is to offer an application that allows users to share their compositions with the theory learnt through the application. This concept will be very important during the development as almost the whole mobile applications currently make use of sharing concepts and social networks.Ingeniería Informática (Plan 2011

Progettazione,sintesi e caratterizzazione di nuovi inibitori della serina-treonina chinasi AKT a struttura 2-oxindolica variamente funzionalizzata in posizione 3 e 5

Il processo di carcinogenesi è il risultato di un disturbo di equilibrio tra divisione e crescita cellulare da un lato e di morte cellulare programmata dall’altro. Spesso ad alterare questo equilibrio è un danno, indotto chimicamente o fisicamente, all’integrità cromosomiale, che riduce l’abilità della cellula nel regolare la sopravvivenza, la crescita e la proliferazione cellulare. La maggior parte dei fattori oncogenici appartiene a diverse famiglie di protein-chinasi, coinvolte nei processi di trasduzione del segnale. Fattori di crescita autocrini, citochine, amminoacidi, ioni, lipidi si legano alla regione extracellulare di alcuni dei differenti tipi di recettori trans membrana e le cellule rispondono a queste varie forme di stimoli attraverso alcune vie di trasduzione dei segnali, che utilizzano una serie di proteine chinasi, le quali danno reazioni di fosforilazione. Le chinasi possono essere ricondotte a due principali classi: chinasi a serina/treonina e chinasi a tirosina, in grado di trasferire un gruppo fosfato a residui di serina e treonina, o a residui di tirosina, rispettivamente. Negli ultimi anni è stato dimostrato come la via PI3K/AKT, coinvolta nei processi di trasduzione, sia frequentemente alterata in alcuni tipi di tumore; l’asse PI3K/AKT è importante, non solo nello sviluppo dei tumori, ma anche nello studio di nuove terapie contro il cancro. Come uno dei maggiori bersagli di PI3K nella trasduzione del segnale, AKT gioca un ruolo centrale nel promuovere la sopravvivenza e la proliferazione cellulare: tra tutti i nuovi approcci in fase di studio, gli inibitori di AKT sono stati recentemente presi in considerazione come agenti antitumorali. Tali inibitori includono: antagonisti del dominio PH, inibitori ATP-competitivi, inibitori allosterici

The 2nd to 4th century explosive activity of Vesuvius: new data on the timing of the upward migration of the post-A.D. 79 magma chamber

ber (SMM), the eruption cycle occurred at Vesuvius (Italy) in the period between the A.D. 79 plinian and the A.D. 472 subplinan eruptions. Historical accounts report only sporadic, poorly reliable descriptions of the volcanic activity in this period, during which a stratified sequence of ash and lapilli beds, up to 150 cm thick, with a total volume estimated around 0.15 km3, was widely dispersed on the outer slopes of the volcano. Stratigraphic studies and component analyses suggest that activity was characterized by mixed hydromagmatic and magmatic processes. The eruption style has been interpreted as repeated alternations of continuous and prolonged ash emission activity intercalated with short-lived, violent strombolian phases. Analyses of the bulk rock composition reveal that during the entire eruption cycle, magma maintained an homogeneous phonotephritic composition. In addition, the general trends of major and trace elements depicted by the products of the A.D. 79 and A.D. 472 eruptions converge to the SMM composition, suggesting a common mafic endmember for these eruptions. The volatile content measured in pyroxene-hosted melt inclusions indicates two main values of crystallization pressures, around 220 and 70 MPa, roughly corresponding to the previously estimated depth of the magma reservoirs of the A.D. 79 and A.D. 472 eruptions, respectively. The study of SMM eruption cycle may thus contribute to understand the processes governing the volcano reawakening immediately after a plinian event, and the timing and modalities which govern the migration of the magma reservoir

Volcanology and magma geochemistry of the present day activity: constraints on the feeding system

Stromboli volcano is famous in the scientific literature for its persistent state of activity, which began about 1500 years ago and consists of continuous degassing and mild intermittent explosions (normal Strombolian activity). Rare lava emissions and sporadic more violent explosive episodes (paroxysms) also occur. Since its formation, the present-day activity has been dominated by the emission of two basaltic magmas, differing chiefly in their crystal and volatile contents, whose characteristics have remained constant until now. The normal Strombolian activity and lava effusions are fed by a crystal-rich, degassed magma, stored within the uppermost part of the plumbing system, whereas highly vesicular, crystal-poor light-colored pumices are produced during paroxysms testifying to the ascent of volatile-rich magma batches from deeper portions of the magmatic system. Mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopic data, together with data on the volatile contents of magmas, are presented here with the aim of discussing (1) the relationships between the different magma batches erupted at Stromboli, (2) the mechanisms of their crystallization and transfer, (3) the plumbing system and triggering mechanisms of Strombolian eruptions.Unpublished203.5. Geologia e storia dei sistemi vulcanici4.3. TTC - Scenari di pericolosità vulcanicareserve

The paroxysmal event and its deposits

The 5 April 2003 eruption of Stromboli volcano (Italy) was the most violent in the past 50 years. It was also the best documented due to the accurate geophysical monitoring of the ongoing effusive eruption. Detailed field studies carried out a few hours to a few months after the event provided further information that were coupled with visual documentation to reconstruct the explosive dynamics. The eruption consisted of an 8-min-long explosive event preceded by a short-lived precursory activity that evolved into the impulsive ejection of gas and pyroclasts. Meter-sized ballistic blocks were launched to altitudes of up to 1400 m above the craters falling on the volcano flanks and on the village of Ginostra, about 2 km far from the vent. The vertical jet of gas and pyroclasts above the craters fed a convective plume that reached a height of 4 km. The calculated erupted mass yielded values of 1.1–1.4 × 108 kg. Later explosions generated a scoria flow deposit, with an estimated mass of 1.0–1.3 × 107 kg. Final, waning ash explosions closet the event. The juvenile fraction consisted of an almost aphyric, highly vesicular pumice mingled with a shallow-derived, crystal-rich, moderately vesicular scoria. Resuming of the lava emission a few hours after the paroxysm indicate that the shallow magmatic system was not significantly modified during the explosions. Combination of volume data with duration of eruptive phases allowed us to estimate the eruptive intensity: during the climactic explosive event, the mass discharge rate was between 106 and 107 kg/s, whereas during the pyroclastic flow activity, it was 2.8–3.6 × 105 kg/s. Strong similarities with other historical paroxysms at Stromboli suggest similar explosion dynamics

The onset of an eruption: selective assimilation of hydrothermal minerals during pre-eruptive magma ascent of the 2010 summit eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano, Iceland

The complex processes occurring in the initial phases of an eruption are often recorded in the products of its opening stage, which are usually characterized by small volume and limited dispersal, and thus generally poorly studied. The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland) represents a unique opportunity for these investigations thanks to the good preservation of tephra deposits within the ice/snow pack. A detailed geochemical investiga- tion on the glassy groundmass of single ash clasts disclosed a population of fragments with unusual high 87Sr/86Sr (up to 0.70668) for Icelandic magmatism, and anomalous elemental composition with respect to most of the ju- venile material of the eruption. This suggests that during its rise, before intruding into the ice cover, magma at a dyke tip selectively assimilated hydrothermal minerals with seawater-related, high-Sr isotopic ratios (zeolites, silica phases, anhydrite) hosted in altered volcanic/epiclastic rocks. According to the observed precursory seismic- ity, only restricted to few hours before the onset of the eruption, this process could have accompanied subcritical aseismic fracture opening during the days before the eruption, possibly related to stress corrosion-cracking pro- cesses, which enhanced the partial dissolution/melting and subsequent selective assimilation of the host rocks

Leachate Analyses of volcanic ashes from the 2010 Eyjafjallaj\uf6kull eruption

Volcanic processes which lead to eruptions can be investigated by monitoring a variety of parameters, including the composition of ash leachates. Fine-grained tephra erupted from active vents, and transported through volcanic plumes, can adsorb, and therefore rapidly scavenge, volatile elements such as sulphur, halogens, and metal species in the form of soluble salts adhering to ash surfaces. Analysis of such water-soluble surface materials is a suitable complement for the remote sensing of volcanic gases at inaccessible volcanoes. The April 2010 Eyjafjallaj\uf6kull eruption has been characterised by several distinct phases, with an initial effusion of alkali basalt on the volcano's northeast flank since March 20th, followed (since April 14th) by a complex summit, sustained, explosive to mixed activity, characterised by trachyandesitic magma The first phase of the summit eruption (14 to 18 April) was initially characterised by interaction between glacial meltwater from the icecap and erupting magma, and by three main pulses during which dark ash plumes were dispersed to the SE and S. Following a decrease in the intensity in explosive activity associated to the emission of a lava flow (from 19 April to 4 May), activity renewed in intensity on 5 May, when an ash-laden plume, up to 10 km in height, was continuously dispersed until May 18. Activity progressively declined and eruption closed on 9 June [1]. Here, we report on the chemical composition of leachates from volcanic ash samples deposited during the Eyjafjallaj\uf6kull explosive phase (from 14 April to 8 May). Twenty-eight freshly fallen volcanic ash samples were collected at various distances from the eruptive vent, and their leached solutions were analyzed for major and trace elements. We show that ash leachate solutions from Eyjafjallaj\uf6kull are dominated - among cations - by Na and Ca, while they display nearly equal S:Cl:F abundances (mean S/Cl and S/F molar ratios of 1.04 and 0.76 respectively), as characteristic of divergent-plate and within-plate volcanism. The good correlations between Ca and F (r2=0.8), Ca and SO4 (r2=0.7), and Na and Cl (r2=0.9) in ash leachates suggest that fluorite, anhydrite, and halite were the most likely soluble surface minerals formed in the plume (and therefore leached during our experiments). These correlations in the extracted solutions also indicate that either the sources of cations and anions in ash leachates were the same (e.g. direct condensation of NaCl(g) and CaSO4(g) from the plume) or, more probably, that the highest the condensation of plume acidic compounds (e.g., SO2(g), HCl(g), HF(g)) on ash, the largest the leaching of cations from silicate fragments. Indeed, our data bring evidence for that the extent of gas-ash reaction (likely, a proxy for ash residence time in the plume) was a key casual factor in determining ash leachate composition. Samples from the 4- 8th May eruptive period, showing the most acid pH values (4.5-5.5), consistently have the highest abundances for all elements, and especially Mg, S and F. Large variations in S and halogens proportions are observed in our dataset, with samples from the 4-8th May eruptive period showing the highest S/Cl and lowest Cl/F ratios. To interpret these variations, and particularly to verify whether they reflect changes in plume gas composition, in gas-ash reaction dynamics and rates,2]will require in-depth comparison with direct (FTIR) measurement of the Eyjafjallaj\uf6kull gas plume[2] . [1] Hoskuldsson, A., et al., 2011. Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 13, EGU2011-14165, 2011; [2] Allard, P., et al., 2010. Abstract V53F-07 presented at Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif. 13-17 Dec.