Critical success factors for refilling : an application to the beauty industry

Esta tesis se encarga de examinar y analizar las opiniones y percepciones de consumidores en relaci?n a la reutilizaci?n de empaques en la industria de la belleza, concepto conocido como ?refilling?. El objetivo consisti? en identificar los factores cr?ticos de ?xito que deben ser considerados cuando una empresa desarrolla un modelo de refilling. Para lograr el objetivo se utiliza data recaudada por Marta Marinho, My-Linh Thieu, Zhengbo Huang, y yo misma para la tesis presentada a EDHEC Business School. El estudio que se llev? a cabo utiliza fuentes primarias y secundarias. La informaci?n primaria se obtuvo a trav?s de encuestas a consumidores, cuestionarios virtuales, y observaci?n en tiendas. La informaci?n secundaria se obtuvo a trav?s de an?lisis de documentos virtuales. Para comenzar, se analiz? el concepto de refilling: definici?n, beneficios, caracter?sticas, razones por la que los consumidores lo hacen, y barreras para consumidores. Tambi?n, se revis? como distintas marcas de Estados Unidos y Europa ofrecen refilling. Luego, se exponen los resultados de la investigaci?n primaria. Finalmente, con la informaci?n recaudada en estas 3 partes de la tesis se comparan los resultados obtenidos y concluye con los factores de ?xito. Como resultado, los factores de ?xito encontrados fueron los siguientes: precio, calidad, conveniencia, higiene, comunicaci?n, y empaque

Intermediate-Mass Black Holes in Star Clusters and Dwarf Galaxies

Black holes (BHs) with masses between 100 to 100,000 times the mass of the Sun ($\rm{M}_{\odot}$) are classified as intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), potentially representing a crucial link between stellar-mass and supermassive BHs. Stellar-mass BHs are endpoints of the evolution of stars initially more massive than roughly 20 $\rm{M}_{\odot}$ and generally weigh about 10 to 100 $\rm{M}_{\odot}$. Supermassive BHs are found in the centre of many galaxies and weigh between $10^{6}$ to $10^{10} \ \rm{M}_{\odot}$. The origin of supermassive BHs remains an unresolved problem in astrophysics, with many viable pathways suggesting that they undergo an intermediate-mass phase. Whether IMBHs really stand as an independent category of BHs or rather they represent the heaviest stellar mass and the lightest supermassive BHs is still unclear, mostly owing to the lack of an observational smoking gun. The first part of this chapter discusses proposed formation channels of IMBHs and focuses on their formation and growth in dense stellar environments like globular and nuclear star clusters. It also highlights how the growth of IMBHs through mergers with other BHs is important from the point of view of gravitational waves and seeding of supermassive BHs in our Universe. The second part of the chapter focuses on the multi-wavelength observational constraints on IMBHs in dense star clusters and dwarf galactic nuclei. It also examines the potential insights that future gravitational wave detectors could offer in unraveling the mystery surrounding IMBHs.Comment: To appear as Chapter 2 of the book, "Black Holes in the Era of Gravitational Wave Astronomy", ed. Arca Sedda, Bortolas, Spera, pub. Elsevier. All authors equally contributed to the chapter. A. Askar is the author of part I of the chapter. V. F. Baldassare and M. Mezcua are authors of part II. Figures from other publications have been reproduced with permissio

The antinociceptive effect of systemic gabapentin is related to the type of sensitization-induced hyperalgesia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gabapentin is a structural analogue of gamma-aminobutyric acid with strong anticonvulsant and analgesic activities. Important discrepancies are observed on the effectiveness and potency of gabapentin in acute nociception and sensitization due to inflammation and neuropathy. There is also some controversy in the literature on whether gabapentin is only active in central areas of the nervous system or is also effective in the periphery. This is probably due to the use of different experimental models, routes of administration and types of sensitization. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of the spinal cord sensitization on the antinociceptive activity of gabapentin in the absence and in the presence of monoarthritis and neuropathy, using the same experimental protocol of stimulation and the same technique of evaluation of antinociception.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied the antinociceptive effects of iv. gabapentin in spinal cord neuronal responses from adult male Wistar rats using the recording of single motor units technique. Gabapentin was studied in the absence and in the presence of sensitization due to arthritis and neuropathy, combining noxious mechanical and repetitive electrical stimulation (wind-up).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The experiments showed that gabapentin was effective in arthritic (max. effect of 41 ± 15% of control and ID50 of 1,145 ± 14 micromol/kg; 200 mg/kg) and neuropathic rats (max. effect of 20 ± 8% of control and ID50 of 414 ± 27 micromol/kg; 73 mg/kg) but not in normal rats. The phenomenon of wind-up was dose-dependently reduced by gabapentin in neuropathy but not in normal and arthritic rats.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that systemic gabapentin is a potent and effective antinociceptive agent in sensitization caused by arthritis and neuropathy but not in the absence of sensitization. The potency of the antinociception was directly related to the intensity of sensitization in the present experimental conditions. The effect is mainly located in central areas in neuropathy since wind-up was significantly reduced, however, an action on inflammation-induced sensitized nociceptors is also likely.</p

A survey on power grid faults and their origins: A contribution to improving power grid resilience

UID/EEA/00066/2019One of the most critical infrastructures in the world is electrical power grids (EPGs). New threats affecting EPGs, and their different consequences, are analyzed in this survey along with different approaches that can be taken to prevent or minimize those consequences, thus improving EPG resilience. The necessity for electrical power systems to become resilient to such events is becoming compelling; indeed, it is important to understand the origins and consequences of faults. This survey provides an analysis of different types of faults and their respective causes, showing which ones are more reported in the literature. As a result of the analysis performed, it was possible to identify four clusters concerning mitigation approaches, as well as to correlate them with the four different states of the electrical power system resilience curve.publishe

Enthalpy-entropy compensation effect in chemical kinetics and experimental errors: a numerical simulation approach

Many kinetic studies concerning homologous reaction series report the existence of an activation enthalpy-entropy linear correlation (compensation plot), its slope being the temperature at which all the members of the series have the same rate constant (isokinetic temperature). Unfortunately, it has been demonstrated by statistical methods that the experimental errors associated with the activation enthalpy and entropy are mutually interdependent. Therefore, the possibility that some of those correlations might be caused by accidental errors has been explored by numerical simulations. As a result of this study, a computer program has been developed to evaluate the probability that experimental errors might lead to a linear compensation plot parting from an initial randomly scattered set of activation parameters (p-test). Application of this program to kinetic data for 100 homologous reaction series extracted from bibliographic sources has allowed concluding that most of the reported compensation plots can hardly be explained by the accumulation of experimental errors, thus requiring the existence of a previously existing, physically meaningful correlation

Impacts of increasing temperature due to global warming on key habitat-forming species in the Mediterranean sea: Unveiling negative biotic interactions

Temperature plays a pivotal role in prey-predator interactions, acting as a potent source of disturbance that can reshape the strengths of interactions between prey and predators. This alteration can subsequently destabilize populations and trigger shifts in the dynamics of ecosystems and food webs. The rising temperatures are exerting significant impacts on Mediterranean biodiversity and community structure. These changes have the potential to influence predation dynamics among co-occurring species, each with distinct responses to the changing climate. Here, we present a case study that delves into the impact of temperature on the biotic interaction between a thermophilic predator polychaete (Hermodice carunculata) and a threatened, key structuring coral species (Astroides calycularis). Through manipulative laboratory experiments, we explored three main aspects: i) polychaete Prey Preference: the prey preference of H. carunculata, revealing that it indeed displays a distinct preference for feeding on A. calycularis over other options. ii) Temperature Effect on Predator Ingestion Rate: we examined how temperature influences the ingestion rate of the predator. Notably, we found that the predator's predation performance peaks at a temperature of 25.6 oC, which is in close proximity to the upper thermal limit of the coral. iii) Prey Metabolic Response: when exploring the metabolic response of the prey to contact with the predator, we observed an immediate reaction from the prey. This response led to a decline in the coral's feeding capability and an alteration in its metabolic functioning, effectively worsening the coral's overall performance. These findings underscore that H. carunculata not only displays a preference for consuming A. calycularis but also exhibits optimal predation performance at a temperature near the coral's upper thermal threshold. Furthermore, the prey's response to the presence of the predator has rapid and detrimental consequences, negatively impacting the coral's metabolic function. Comprehending the repercussions of environmental change on biotic interactions holds paramount importance. It allows us to forecast and manage the trajectory and conservation efforts of biodiversity under current and projected climate change conditions

The common diseases of freshwater ornamental fishes and the treatments applied by local fish owners in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines

The demand for freshwater ornamental fish as anti-stress pets and a source of livelihood had become popular in Puerto Princesa City (PPC), Palawan during the surge of COVID-19. However, the occurrence of many health-related issues become a major problem due to a lack of experience and knowledge of some fish owners engaged in freshwater ornamental fish keeping and breeding methods. This study was conducted on 13 local fish owners to determine the common diseases in freshwater ornamental fishes, affected species and their life stages and the treatments and preventive measures. A total of 19 diseases were recorded infecting the freshwater ornamental fishes in PPC. White-spot or ich disease was the most prominent disease, followed by tail and fin rot. Juvenile and adult of goldfish (Carassius auratus), Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) and guppy (Poecilla reticulata) were the most infected fishes, observed by 1 (7.7%) to 5 (38.5%) fish hobbyist. The salt bath was the most common treatment applied. Measures to increase the awareness of local fish hobbyist in terms of fish handling, breeding and health management is highly suggested to continuously improve and expand this developing fishery in Palawan as a source of income and pet companion