Extending the Retail Brand to Non-traditional Products

This study focuses on retail brand extension from the consumer perspective when non-traditional products—in this case over-the-counter pharmaceuticals— are offered with the private label brand. A model in which attitude towards the extension (ATE) mediates the impact of some antecedents—national brand preference (NBP), trust towards the retailer (T), fit (FIT), private label knowledge (PLK) and consumer innovativeness (INN)—impacting the intention to purchase the extended PL brand (INTB) is proposed and tested. Direct effects regarding NBP and FIT are tested too. 500 questionnaires were collected from a sample of retail customers. Structural equation modeling serves to test the hypotheses. The model shows a good fit and the hypotheses are supported—except for INN

Extending the Retail Brand to Non-traditional Products

This study focuses on retail brand extension from the consumer perspective when non-traditional products—in this case over-the-counter pharmaceuticals— are offered with the private label brand. A model in which attitude towards the extension (ATE) mediates the impact of some antecedents—national brand preference (NBP), trust towards the retailer (T), fit (FIT), private label knowledge (PLK) and consumer innovativeness (INN)—impacting the intention to purchase the extended PL brand (INTB) is proposed and tested. Direct effects regarding NBP and FIT are tested too. 500 questionnaires were collected from a sample of retail customers. Structural equation modeling serves to test the hypotheses. The model shows a good fit and the hypotheses are supported—except for INN

Chapter VII. Plant use at Arslantepe Late Chalcolithic 3-4

This paper deals with the archaeobotanical assemblages of the Late Chalcolithic 3-4 at the site of Arslantepe (Turkey). The multi-decennial analyses of charred wood and seed remains recovered from different archaeological contexts have allowed to reconstruct the plant use in relation to social and cultural developments at the sit

Safe Energy Source in Battery-operated Toys for Children

Objectives: Serious and even fatal consequences of disk batteries ingestion in children are well known. Among other applications, disk batteries are used to power small toys, from which they can be unexpectedly extracted and swallowed. Methods: We tested a new cell intended for little toys (green cell [GC]), after 6 and 12 hours of in vitro close contact with esophageal swine mucosa. The GC was compared with lithium and silver button batteries under the same experimental conditions. Results: Tissues in contact with the GC did not show pH variations nor histological alterations after 6 and 12 hours. In such conditions, statistically significant differences were found between the GC and the lithium and silver batteries. Conclusions: So far, multidisciplinary medical effort has been driven to both emergency approach and subsequent operative strategies in children with ingested batteries. Our trial demonstrates the possibility to primarily prevent battery-induced damages by designing new-generation safe cells with no tissue toxicity to power little toys intended for children

Retrospective Molecular Survey on Bacterial and Protozoan Abortive Agents in Roe Deer (<i>Capreolus capreolus</i>) from Central Italy

Bacterial and protozoan agents can determine abortion and other reproductive disorders in domestic ruminants, but data regarding their occurrence in wild ruminants are scanty worldwide, including in Italy. The aim of this retrospective study was to verify the occurrence of the main bacterial and protozoan abortive agents in 72 spleen samples previously collected from roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) living in mountain areas of Central Italy. All samples were collected and submitted to DNA extraction for other investigations. Molecular analyses were carried out on the DNA samples to detect Brucella spp., Chlamydia abortus, Coxiella burnetii, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Neospora caninum, and Toxoplasma gondii. Three (4.16%) roe deer resulted PCR positive for C. burnetii and one (1.38%) for T. gondii. These findings suggest that roe deer living in the investigated areas do not act as important reservoirs of the searched agents. However, the tested animals lived in a closed area without contact with domestic animals that are usually involved in the epidemiology of the investigated pathogens. Monitoring of wild ruminants is pivotal to verify changes in the epidemiological scenario from a One Health perspective, too

Interventi archeologici a Borgo Castello di Andora (SV). Dalla stratigrafia archeologica all'analisi degli elevati

Le indagini archeologiche condotte tra il 2010 e il 2011 nel villaggio abbandonato in localit\ue0 Paraxo ad Andora (SV) sono state motivate dalla proposta progettuale di ristrutturazione e recupero delle strutture a rudere del Borgo Castello. La collocazione su un rilievo di grande importanza strategica e paesaggistica, in prossimit\ue0 di uno dei pi\uf9 noti e scenografici complessi architettonici della Liguria occidentale, costituito dal castello e dalla chiesa dei Santi Giacomo e Filippo, ha reso necessarie delle indagini archeologiche conoscitive

Changes in the Near Eastern chronology between the 5 th and the 3 rd millennium BC: New AMS 14 C dates from Arslantepe (Turkey)

In recent years the chronological framework provided by the AMS 14 C dating has had a great impact on archaeological studies in the Near East, also affecting the previous synchronization of cultural events across the Mediterranean region. Here we present a consistent set of 14 C dates from the site of Arslantepe (Turkey) between the 5 th and the 3 rd millennium BC. A total of 86 samples of charred wood remains were previously dated by the beta counting method, already providing a general framing to this exceptionally long sequence. However, the stratigraphy of building levels still needed a more accurate analysis, distinguishing sub-phases within the occupational periods. 13 new samples of mainly charred seeds and fruits from the Late Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze I levels have been dated by means of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) A tendency towards older radiocarbon ages is recorded. The new site chronology dates the post-Ubaid levels during the mid-5 th millennium BC, well corresponding to the Late Chalcolithic cultures of northern Mesopotamia. The last phases of the Late Chalcolithic were found in quick succession between 3600 and 3200 years BC, confirming the correlation with the Late Uruk culture in southern Mesopotamia. Lastly, the Early Bronze Age I levels appear to be earlier than the previous beta counting chronology. This indicates that the events following the collapse of the Late Chalcolithic Arslantepe society all belong to a very short period of time

Quantitative lineage analysis identifies a hepato-pancreato-biliary progenitor niche

Studies based on single cells have revealed vast cellular heterogeneity in stem cell and progenitor compartments, suggesting continuous differentiation trajectories with intermixing of cells at various states of lineage commitment and notable degrees of plasticity during organogenesis. The hepato-pancreato-biliary organ system relies on a small endoderm progenitor compartment that gives rise to a variety of different adult tissues, including the liver, pancreas, gall bladder and extra-hepatic bile ducts. Experimental manipulation of various developmental signals in the mouse embryo has underscored important cellular plasticity in this embryonic territory. This is reflected in the existence of human genetic syndromes as well as congenital malformations featuring multi-organ phenotypes in liver, pancreas and gall bladder. Nevertheless, the precise lineage hierarchy and succession of events leading to the segregation of an endoderm progenitor compartment into hepatic, biliary and pancreatic structures have not yet been established. Here we combine computational modelling approaches with genetic lineage tracing to accurately reconstruct the hepato-pancreato-biliary lineage tree. We show that a multipotent progenitor subpopulation persists in the pancreato-biliary organ rudiment, contributing cells not only to the pancreas and gall bladder but also to the liver. Moreover, using single-cell RNA sequencing and functional experiments we define a specialized niche that supports this subpopulation in a multipotent state for an extended time during development. Together these findings indicate sustained plasticity underlying hepato-pancreato-biliary development that might also explain the rapid expansion of the liver while attenuating pancreato-biliary growth

Proteomics-Driven Analysis of Ovine Whey Colostrum

The aim of this study was to shed light in to the complexity of the ovine colostrum proteome, with a specific focus on the low abundance proteins. The ovine colostrum is characterized by a few dominating proteins, as the immunoglobulins, but it also contains less represented protein species, equally important for the correct development of neonates. Ovine colostrum, collected immediately after lambing, was separated by 1D SDS-PAGE. Proteins bands were digested with trypsin and the resulting peptides were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. On the basis of the Swiss-Prot database, a total of 343 unique proteins were identified. To our knowledge, this study represents the most comprehensive analysis of ovine colostrum proteome

Narrative del disturbo da gioco d’azzardo e del disturbo da uso di sostanze. Una analisi multidimensionale per la caratterizzazione di possibili marcatori narrativi e linguistici delle dipendenze

Diversi studi hanno dimostrato che l’analisi della dimensione narrativa può rappresentare un valido strumento per far luce su alcuni aspetti psicologici critici; in questo senso, può essere utile per capire meglio il disturbo da dipendenza. Il presente articolo riporta tra l’altro alcuni tra i dati principali di una ricerca da noi condotta e pubblicata nella rivista Journal of Gambling Issues nel 2021. In tale ricerca abbiamo indagato gli aspetti psicologico-narrativi coinvolti nelle dipendenze, specificamente nel DUS e nel DGA, attraverso un’analisi quali-quantitativa multidimensionale di un’intervista semi-strutturata, che ha invitato due gruppi di soggetti dipendenti in trattamento (DGA e DUS) a raccontare le varie fasi della dipendenza. Le analisi narrative multidimensionali da noi condotte sembrano aver portato alla luce alcuni punti critici su cui focalizzare l’attenzione per la costruzione di un adeguato trattamento dei soggetti con dipendenza. Nello specifico, i risultati suggerirebbero la necessità di lavorare su aspetti dissociati del Sé al fine di: 1) favorire il processo di integrazione di motivazioni e azioni, aumentando la consapevolezza e il senso di autoefficacia, soprattutto con i giocatori d’azzardo; 2) migliorare la coerenza globale nella narrazione del desiderio al fine di diminuire la disregolazione emotiva tipica di questa fase; 3) migliorare la capacità di proiezione del Sé nel tempo. Quest’ultimo punto potrebbe essere particolarmente rilevante in una prospettiva di intervento riabilitativo, soprattutto per quanto riguarda gli strumenti di trattamento legati alla dimensione narrativa. Il rapporto circolare tra regolazione dell’impulsività, autocontrollo, integrità dell’Io, funzioni cognitive e dimensione narrativa trova nel fattore temporale uno dei principali perni comuni