Broadening the concept of luxury : Transformations and contributions to well-being

Luxury has always been an intrinsic part of human societies. Prior research shows how luxury transforms from being-to-having and owning-to-searching for meaningfulness via shifting from having-to-being and from owning-to-experiencing. The study here is a critical commentary of foundational literature that includes examining the ongoing luxury transformation in the ongoing COVID-19 era in a world of climate change and disaster displacements, environmental degradation, and awareness of future pandemics. Building on prior advances in luxury transformations and the macromarketing literature on well-being, this commentary takes a fresh look at the prevailing role of luxury and its accompanying well-being in Western European societies amid the progressing tripartite storm. This critical commentary serves to clarify and broaden luxury's meaning and roles in making the shift from a micro individualistic focus to a macromarketing sustainable foundation. Entering the fourth year of COVID-19, the commentary implies that luxury goes beyond experiencing to catalyze cherishing self-care, nurturing, and the well-being of others.Peer reviewe

An axisymmetric time-domain spectral-element method for full-wave simulations: Application to ocean acoustics

The numerical simulation of acoustic waves in complex 3D media is a key topic in many branches of science, from exploration geophysics to non-destructive testing and medical imaging. With the drastic increase in computing capabilities this field has dramatically grown in the last twenty years. However many 3D computations, especially at high frequency and/or long range, are still far beyond current reach and force researchers to resort to approximations, for example by working in 2D (plane strain) or by using a paraxial approximation. This article presents and validates a numerical technique based on an axisymmetric formulation of a spectral finite-element method in the time domain for heterogeneous fluid-solid media. Taking advantage of axisymmetry enables the study of relevant 3D configurations at a very moderate computational cost. The axisymmetric spectral-element formulation is first introduced, and validation tests are then performed. A typical application of interest in ocean acoustics showing upslope propagation above a dipping viscoelastic ocean bottom is then presented. The method correctly models backscattered waves and explains the transmission losses discrepancies pointed out in Jensen et al. (2007). Finally, a realistic application to a double seamount problem is considered.Comment: Added a reference, and fixed a typo (cylindrical versus spherical

PATH MULTIMODALITY IN A FEEDFORWARD SNN MODULE, USING LIF WITH LATENCY MODEL

In this paper, the network transmission properties of a feedforward Spiking Neural Network (SNN) affected by synchronous stimuli are investigated with respect to the connection probability and the synaptic strengths. By means of an event-driven method, all simulations are conducted using the Leaky Integrateand-Fire with Latency (LIFL) model. Typical cases are taken into consideration, in which a network section (module) is able to process the input information, introducing a particular behavior, that we have called path multimodality. Simulation results are discussed. Through this phenomenon, the output layer of the network can generate a number of temporally spaced groups of synchronous spikes. The multimodality effect could be applied for various purposes, for instance in coding or else transmission issue

A DÊIXIS NA TEORIA DA ENUNCIAÇÃO DE BENVENISTE

O categoria da dêixis é examinada a partir da teoria de Benveniste como fundamento da representação da subjetividade na linguagem

Miscarriage following dengue virus 3 infection in the first six weeks of pregnancy of a dengue virus-naive traveller returning from Bali to Italy, April 2016

We report miscarriage following dengue virus (DENV)-3 infection in a pregnant woman returning from Bali to Italy in April 2016. On her arrival, the woman had fever, rash, asthenia and headache. DENV RNA was detected in plasma and urine samples collected the following day. Six days after symptom onset, she had a miscarriage. DENV RNA was detected in fetal material, but in utero fetal infection cannot be demonstrated due to possible contamination by maternal blood

Intratumoral injection of hydrogel-embedded nanoparticles enhances retention in glioblastoma

Intratumoral drug delivery is a promising approach for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, drug washout remains a major challenge in GBM therapy. Our strategy, aimed at reducing drug clearance and enhancing site-specific residence time, involves the local administration of a multi-component system comprised of nanoparticles (NPs) embedded within a thermosensitive hydrogel (HG). Herein, our objective was to examine the distribution of NPs and their cargo following intratumoral administration of this system in GBM. We hypothesized that the HG matrix, which undergoes rapid gelation upon increases in temperature, would contribute towards heightened site-specific retention and permanence of NPs in tumors. BODIPY-containing, infrared dye-labeled polymeric NPs embedded in a thermosensitive HG (HG-NPs) were fabricated and characterized. Retention and distribution dynamics were subsequently examined over time in orthotopic GBM-bearing mice. Results demonstrate that the HG-NPs system significantly improved site-specific, long-term retention of both NPs and BODIPY, with co-localization analyses showing that HG-NPs covered larger areas of the tumor and the peri-tumor region at later time points. Moreover, NPs released from the HG were shown to undergo uptake by surrounding GBM cells. Findings suggest that intratumoral delivery with HG-NPs has immense potential for GBM treatment, as well as other strategies where site-specific, long-term retention of therapeutic agents is warranted. This journal i