Wolf 1465: Not a Bright Dwarf Carbon Star

Wolf 1465 has been suggested as a candidate for a bright dwarf carbon star. It is not

Early X-ray emission from Type Ia supernovae originating from symbiotic progenitors or recurrent novae

One of the key observables for determining the progenitor nature of Type Ia supernovae is provided by their immediate circumstellar medium, which according to several models should be shaped by the progenitor binary system. So far, X-ray and radio observations indicate that the surroundings are very tenuous, producing severe upper-limits on the mass loss from winds of the progenitors. In this study, we perform numerical hydro-dynamical simulations of the interaction of the SN ejecta with circumstellar structures formed by possible mass outflows from the progenitor systems and we estimate numerically the expected numerical X-ray luminosity. We consider two kinds of circumstellar structures: a) A circumstellar medium formed by the donor star's stellar wind, in case of a symbiotic binary progenitor system; b) A circumstellar medium shaped by the interaction of the slow wind of the donor star with consecutive nova outbursts for the case of a symbiotic recurrent nova progenitor system. For the hydro-simulations we used well-known Type Ia supernova explosion models, as well as an approximation based on a power law model for the density structure of the outer ejecta. We confirm the strict upper limits on stellar wind mass loss, provided by simplified interpretations of X-ray upper limits of Type Ia supernovae. However, we show that supernova explosions going off in the cavities created by repeated nova explosions, provide a possible explanation for the lack of X-ray emission from supernovae originating from symbiotic binaries. Moreover, the velocity structure of circumstellar medium, shaped by a series of nova explosion matches well with the Na absorption features seen in absorption toward several Type Ia supernovae.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, submitted to MNRA

Exploring the relative importance of customers’ perceived relationship benefits and costs in the context of an e-service

This paper explores the customers’ expectations and perceptions of relational benefits and costs, in the context of a non-merchant informational e-service. It further tests the effect of perceived relational benefits and costs on customers’ overall evaluation of the service. Quantitative data were collected with the use of an e-questionnaire from 444 users of the service. Results indicate that all three types of benefits, functional, special treatment and social, have a significant impact on overall evaluation. Regarding costs, only privacy concerns showed a significant but low effect. This work contributes to existing literature by empirically studying relational benefits and relational costs together and examining social benefits in an e-context

Consumer-Brand Relationships in Social Media

The paper focuses on consumer-brand relationships, and attempts to identify what relational benefits and costs consumers-members of social media brand pages perceive. Considering the rapid development of social media and their penetration in business marketing actions, this study is an exploratory step towards the understanding of relational benefits and costs together in the context of social media. A qualitative approach was employed for this study. Data were collected from four focus groups consisting of 32 Greek social media users who are members of popular brand pages on both Facebook and Twitter, providing preliminary evidence about the perceived benefits and costs arising from consumers’ participation in social media brand pages. Results indicate that consumers perceive social benefits, information benefits, time & effort benefits, economic benefits, and personal treatment benefits. Overload, privacy concern, and annoyance are members’ perceived costs from interacting with companies in social media brand pages. The study identifies and proposes several opportunities for company managers, suggesting practices for effective social media handling, towards the enhancement of perceived relational benefits and the reduction of relational costs

Arqueologia Cognitiva e Epidemiologia Cultural. Estudos Aplicados sobre o Fenómeno da Arte Rupestre do Calcolítico

A presente tese de doutoramento tem como principal perspetiva partilhar e fornecer contribuições para superar o impasse conceitual existente na investigação científica da arte rupestre europeia e internacional; não somente pela falta de abordagens de ideia s subjetivas, mas pela ausência de um critério metodológico e interpretativo que propõe novos modelos científicos para a análise e estudo. Outro aspeto precípuo deste questionamento é a evolução de um discurso com ênfase na relação entre as gravuras e/ou as pinturas in situ e o seu contexto cultural e ambiental adjacente e distante (space syntax - sintaxe espacial). Clarificar, por exemplo, o sentido da concentração, da distribuição, da l ógica do movimento dos agentes da arte rupestre em Valcamonica e do crescimento do sítio arqueológico em relação ao seu espaço limítrofe, determinadores da transformação dinâmica de sua paisagem. A Space Syntax Analysis faz precisamente isto: explora como o Homem organiza e gere os padrões do espaço concebido em termos morfológicos. Assim, considerando a arte pré-histórica como “atrativo” presente no território e o seu campo acometido por outras “regiões nodais”, pode-se determinar a “potencialidade” da área, expressa no conceito de “potencial espacial”. Ou seja, o grau de concentração da posição relativa de um elemento no espaço. Este fato justifica a reintrodução do modelo arqueo-mitológico, efetivado com modernos aparelhos conceituais empregues nas neurociências, como na memética e na genética cognitivista (epidemiologia), na classificação das dinâmicas socioeconómicas das sociedades pretéritas, através da arte pré-histórica e da cultura material. No intuito de deslindar, com clareza, o tema abordado, foi estabelecido um framework: a noosfera, entendida como esfera das coisas da mente, dos saberes, das crenças, dos mitos, das lendas e das ideias. Assumindo que a mente humana desenvolve, desde a pré-história, formas de inteligência que serão estendidas na praxis (atividade transformadora e produtora), na téchne (atividade produtora de artefatos) e na teoria (conhecimento contemplativo ou especulativo) desenvolvem-se reflexões de relação; por conseguinte, a noosfera representa o elemento aglutinante numa interação integral entre Natureza e Homo Sapiens. Desta forma, a mente humana abre-se ao mundo através da racionalidade, do mito, da técnica e da magia, que se traduz no desenvolvimento da praxis funerária e na prática de outras atividades como a caça e a pesca. Essa assertiva preconiza o fato de que, cada artefacto da cultura material engloba elementos da noosfera do ser humano (meme) e cada lasca desses pode emanar insights para engendrar e adicionar novos estímulos na circulação da informação cultural, talvez distantes no tempo e no e spaço. O meme funciona como réplica da informação cultural e consequentemente é o elemento construtivo de uma corrente de ideias. Imbuído de que a arqueologia se torna digna no momento em que faz uso de métodos lógico -matemáticos apropriados e cientificamente corretos, buscase ser o mais aderente possível a um modelo hipotético -dedutivo-nomológico (Hypothetic-deductive-nomologic - HDN model); e assim, eliminar a arbitrariedade contida na interpretação das imagens de mundos antigos, ou seja, a arte pré-histórica, tal como as mentes humanas a visionaram. Estes insights unificados a dados arqueográficos, considerados nessas análises, advêm, essencialmente, do projeto RockCare, que se tornou um campo privilegiado para estudar os modos de pensamento dos nossos antepassados

An Integrative Typology Of Relational Benefits And Costs In Social Media Brand Pages

The paper focuses on consumer-brand relationships in the social media environment, and suggests a typology of the benefits & costs consumers perceive when interacting with social media brand fan pages. Based on a series of focus groups and with the use of an online questionnaire, qualitative and quantitative data were collected from four focus groups and from 1,792 consumers-users of popular brand fan pages on both Facebook and Twitter. Study results indicate that consumers-users of brand fan pages on Facebook and Twitter, perceive social, functional, enjoyment, special treatment, self enhancement, advice, and status benefits. Privacy concern, information overload, and ad irritation are consumers’ perceived costs. As the same seven factors of relational benefits and three factors of relational costs have been confirmed across all Facebook and Twitter brand fan pages, it can be argued that the structure and dimensions of relational benefits and costs are cross-medium and brand invariant, and are perceived in the same way by Facebook and Twitter users. Considering the rapid development of social media and their penetration in business marketing actions, this study contributes to the digital marketing literature by providing a better understanding of relational benefits, relational costs and consumer-brand relationships in a social media context

Do Relationship Building Websites Pay Off? An Investigation Of The Role Of Relational Benefits And Costs Within An FMCG Context

The paper examines whether investments on the development of websites dedicated to broadening the customer-company relationship is a viable strategy. Relational benefits and the, somewhat neglected, relational costs are used as predictors of relational outcomes such as increase at the website loyalty, positive word-of-mouth towards the website, and intentions to increase purchases of company’s products. Results from visitors of a relationship building website developed and sponsored by Procter & Gamble, provide evidence in support of such strategic initiatives for both broadening and strengthening customer-company relationships

The Conceptualisation And Measurement Of Perceived Value In Social Media: The Case Of Facebook Brand Pages

The paper focuses on online consumer-brand relationships and explores how perceived value can be conceptualized and measured in social media brand pages, by identifying the benefits and costs consumers-members of Facebook brand pages perceive. Data were collected from consumers who follow popular brands on Facebook, with the use of a questionnaire that was uploaded on the Facebook fan pages of the two leading companies in Greece. Results indicate that perceived value in social media brand pages can be conceptualized as a second-order construct consisting of seven relational benefits i.e. social, special treatment, self-enhancement, enjoyment, functional and advice benefits, and three relational costs i.e. privacy concern, information overload and ad irritation. Further, this value had a significant impact on fan page relationship quality. The study proposes social media practices towards the enhancement of perceived value, through a balanced delivery of relational benefits and costs

Η εφαρμογή της αρχής nullum crimen nulla poena sine lege certa στο πειθαρχικό διοικητικό δίκαιο

Με την παρούσα εργασία, εξετάζεται η επέκταση της εφαρμογής, στο πειθαρχικό διοικητικό δίκαιο, της αρχής του ποινικού δικαίου nullum crimen nulla poena sine lege certa. Αρχικά, παρατίθεται η κρατούσα στην νομολογία και στην παλαιότερη θεωρία γνώμη κατά την οποία τα πειθαρχικά παραπτώματα δεν μπορούν να καθορίζονται στον νόμο περιοριστικά και με την σαφήνεια που καθορίζονται τα ποινικά αδικήματα. Στο πρώτο μέρος, εξετάζονται οι διαφορές που χωρίζουν το πειθαρχικό από το ποινικό δίκαιο, οι οποίες αποτέλεσαν και την βάση για την απόρριψη της εφαρμογής αρχών του ποινικού στο πειθαρχικό δίκαιο. Κατόπιν, αναλύονται οι ομοιότητες του πειθαρχικού φαινομένου με τον ποινικό κολασμό, γεγονός που οδήγησε, αφενός, την νεότερη θεωρία και νομολογία να δεχθούν σε περιορισμένο βαθμό και, αφετέρου, τον πειθαρχικό νομοθέτη να αναγνωρίσει εν μέρει, την επέκταση θεμελιωδών αρχών του ποινικού κολασμού και στο πειθαρχικό διοικητικό δίκαιο. Στο δεύτερο μέρος, αναλύεται η νομολογία των εθνικών δικαστηρίων για το περιεχόμενο του κατ’ εξοχήν αόριστου πειθαρχικού παραπτώματος, της «αναξιοπρεπούς ή ανάρμοστης ή ανάξιας για υπάλληλο συμπεριφοράς εντός και εκτός υπηρεσίας», καθώς και δικαστικές αποφάσεις, όπου εμφανίσθηκε, ως μειοψηφία, ο προβληματισμός για την αόριστη διατύπωση των πειθαρχικών παραπτωμάτων. Στην συνέχεια, παρουσιάζεται η νομολογία του Ευρωπαϊκού Δικαστηρίου των Δικαιωμάτων του Ανθρώπου, με την οποία αναδεικνύεται ο κίνδυνος που ελλοχεύει από αόριστα πειθαρχικά παραπτώματα για την λειτουργική ανεξαρτησία δημοσίων λειτουργών. Τέλος, συμπεραίνεται ότι, ακόμη και αν δεν γίνει δεκτή η αναλογική εφαρμογή του άρθρου 7 παρ. 1 Συντ. στο πειθαρχικό διοικητικό δίκαιο, το κράτος δικαίου και, ειδικότερα, η αρχή της προστασίας της δικαιολογημένης εμπιστοσύνης επιβάλλουν την όσο γίνεται πιο σαφή περιγραφή του περιεχομένου των πειθαρχικών παραπτωμάτων.In the present thesis, I examine the implementation in disciplinary law of the penal law principle nullum crimen nulla poena sine lege certa. Beginning, I cite the leading view both in domestic case-law and the past scholarship that disciplinary offences cannot be described with the same clarity as criminal offences. In the first part, I investigate the differences between disciplinary and penal law, which initially triggered the vast objection towards extending fundamental penal law principles into the disciplinary law dogma. Next, I describe the similarities between the disciplinary core phenomena and the scope of the penal law, which eventually persuaded in part both the recent scholarship and the courts’ jurisdiction as well as the disciplinary legislator itself to recognise the implementation of fundamental penal law principles in disciplinary law as well. In the second part, I inspect domestic case-law interpreting one of the virtually most ill-defined disciplinary offences, namely the «undignified, inappropriate or unworthy behaviour in and out of public service», as well as judgments where an allegation about the low clarity of various disciplinary offences made its debut as a dissenting opinion. Moreover I cite the relevant case-law of the European Court of Human Rights where the independence of magistrates being at stake due to the vague description of the relevant disciplinary offences was subject to judicial scrutiny. Last, I conclude that—even denying implementing Art. 7(1) of the Greek Constitution in disciplinary law—the rule of law and most significantly the principle of protection of the legitimate expectations call for the most definite description of the disciplinary offences’ content