What Grounds Our Loyalty towards “Authentic Brand Activism” of a Sustainable Food Brand?

“Authentic brand activism” is an under-researched area of study, and it suffers from a clear lack of understanding concerning the effectiveness of its practices. This study aims to assess how consumers’ evaluations of a brand regarding brand reputation, competence, credibility, and benevolence affect consumers’ brand trust and brand loyalty. This research focuses on the Italian brand “Libera Terra” (“Free Land”), an organisation that uses assets confiscated from the mafias for the production of environmentally and socially sustainable agri-food products. Based on a sample of 366 randomly chosen consumers in a supermarket in the urban district of Bologna (Italy), the results show that consumers’ perceptions of brand performance contribute to their perceived levels of brand trust. The brand trust subsequently impacts consumers’ brand loyalty. This research confirms that alignment between an organisation’s values, business practices, and marketing strategies ensures that authentic brand activism is effective, highlighting the need for businesses to consciously adopt brand activism and avoid “woke washing” practices. The theoretical and managerial implications arising from this research are also presented

Design and performance of a space-time virtual element method for the heat equation on prismatic meshes

We present a space-time virtual element method for the discretization of the heat equation, which is defined on general prismatic meshes and variable degrees of accuracy. Strategies to handle efficiently the space-time mesh structure are discussed. We perform convergence tests for the $h$- and $hp$-versions of the method in case of smooth and singular solutions, and test space-time adaptive mesh refinements driven by a residual-type error indicator

Coronary artery-pulmonary artery fistula: case report

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery fistulas are rare congenital or acquired coronary artery anomalies that can originate from any of the three major coronary arteries and drain in all the cardiac chambers and great vessels. CASE PRESENTATION: An 11-year-old boy was referred for evaluation of an exertional dyspnoea. He reported recent history of few episodes of shortness of breath associated with moderate entity physical activity. At physical examination a mild continuous murmur could be heard mainly at the level of the second intercostal space of the left parasternal area. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed a continuous flow at color Doppler analysis in the high parasternal short axis view, originating from a small entry site on the wall of the main pulmonary artery. A selective left coronary angiography revealed a fistula connecting the proximal portion of the left anterior descending coronary artery with the main pulmonary artery. CONCLUSION: A combination like the one described in the present case is unusual since fistulas originate from the left coronary artery in about 35% of cases and drainage into the pulmonary artery occurs in only 17%

Space-time virtual elements for the heat equation

We propose and analyze a space-time virtual element method for the discretization of the heat equation in a space-time cylinder, based on a standard Petrov-Galerkin formulation. Local discrete functions are solutions to a heat equation problem with polynomial data. Global virtual element spaces are nonconforming in space, so that the analysis and the design of the method are independent of the spatial dimension. The information between time slabs is transmitted by means of upwind terms involving polynomial projections of the discrete functions. We prove well posedness and optimal error estimates for the scheme, and validate them with several numerical tests

Superfluid properties of superconductors with disorder at the nanoscale: a random impedance model

Some two-dimensional superconductors like, e.g., LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 heterostructures or thin films of transition metal dichalcogenides, display peculiar properties that can be understood in terms of electron inhomogeneity at the nanoscale. In this framework, unusual features of the metal-superconductor transition have been interpreted as due to percolative effects within a network of superconducting regions embedded in a metallic matrix. In this work we use a mean-field-like effective medium approach to investigate the superconducting phase below the critical temperature Tc at which the resistivity vanishes. Specifically, we consider the finite frequency impedance of the system to extract the dissipative part of the conductance and the superfluid stiffness in the superconducting state. Intriguing effects arise from the metallic character of the embedding matrix: upon decreasing the temperature below Tc proximity effects may rapidly increase the superfluid stiffness. Then, a rather fragile superconducting state, living on a filamentary network just below Tc , can be substantially consolidated by additional superconducting regions induced by proximity effect in the interstitial metallic regions. This mean-field prediction should call for further theoretical analyses and trigger experimental investigations of the superconducting properties of the above systems

Thermodynamic phase diagram of the competition between superconductivity and charge order in cuprates

We argue that there is a special doping point in the phase diagram of cuprates, such that the condensation of holes into a charge-ordered and into a superconducting phase are degenerate in energy but with an energy barrier in between. We present a Monte Carlo simulation of this problem without and with quenched disorder. While in the clean case charge order and superconductivity are separated by a first-order line which is nearly independent of temperature, in the presence of quenched disorder, charge order is fragmented into domains separated by superconducting filaments reminiscent of the supersolid behavior in $^4$He. The resulting phase diagram is in good agreement with the experiments.Comment: 30 pages, 17 figure

On polynomial Trefftz spaces for the linear time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation

We study the approximation properties of complex-valued polynomial Trefftz spaces for the $(d+1)$-dimensional linear time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation. More precisely, we prove that for the space-time Trefftz discontinuous Galerkin variational formulation proposed by G\'omez, Moiola (SIAM. J. Num. Anal. 60(2): 688-714, 2022), the same $h$-convergence rates as for polynomials of degree $p$ in $(d + 1)$ variables can be obtained in a mesh-dependent norm by using a space of Trefftz polynomials of anisotropic degree. For such a space, the dimension is equal to that of the space of polynomials of degree $2p$ in $d$ variables, and bases are easily constructed

Relationship between adipose tissue dysfunction, Vitamin D deficiency and the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. Its pathogenesis is complex and not yet fully understood. Over the years many studies have proposed various pathophysiological hypotheses, among which the currently most widely accepted is the "multiple parallel hits" theory. According to this model, lipid accumulation in the hepatocytes and insulin resistance increase the vulnerability of the liver to many factors that act in a coordinated and cooperative manner to promote hepatic injury, inflammation and fibrosis. Among these factors, adipose tissue dysfunction and subsequent chronic low grade inflammation play a crucial role. Recent studies have shown that vitamin D exerts an immune-regulating action on adipose tissue, and the growing wealth of epidemiological data is demonstrating that hypovitaminosis D is associated with both obesity and NAFLD. Furthermore, given the strong association between these conditions, current findings suggest that vitamin D may be involved in the relationship between adipose tissue dysfunction and NAFLD. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of recent advances in the pathogenesis of NAFLD in relation to adipose tissue dysfunction, and in the pathophysiology linking vitamin D deficiency with NAFLD and adiposity, together with an overview of the evidence available on the clinical utility of vitamin D supplementation in cases of NAFLD

Denervation does not induce muscle atrophy through oxidative stress

Denervation leads to the activation of the catabolic pathways, such as the ubiquitin-proteasome and autophagy, resulting in skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness. Furthermore, denervation induces oxidative stress in skeletal muscle, which is thought to contribute to the induction of skeletal muscle atrophy. Several muscle diseases are characterized by denervation, but the molecular pathways contributing to muscle atrophy have been only partially described. Our study delineates the kinetics of activation of oxidative stress response in skeletal muscle following denervation. Despite the denervation-dependent induction of oxidative stress in skeletal muscle, treatments with anti-oxidant drugs do not prevent the reduction of muscle mass. Our results indicate that, although oxidative stress may contribute to the activation of the response to denervation, it is not responsible by itself of oxidative damage or neurogenic muscle atrophy

Peroxynitrite activates the NLRP3 inflammasome cascade in SOD1(G93A) mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Neuroinflammation, characterized by the appearance of reactive microglial and astroglial cells, is one of the several pathogenic mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fast-progressing and fatal neurodegenerative disease. Cerebrospinal fluid and spinal cord of ALS patients and SOD1 mutant mice show high concentrations of IL-1β. This interleukin, expressed as an inactive precursor, undergoes a proteolytic maturation by caspase1, whose activation, in turn, depends on inflammasomes. Whether and how inflammasome is activated in ALS models is still to be clarified. The mechanism of inflammasome activation was studied in murine microglial cells overexpressing hSOD1(G93A) and verified in the spinal cord of hSOD1(G93A) mice. Murine microglial hSOD1(G93A) cells express all the inflammasome components and LPS activates caspase1 leading to an increase in the secretion of IL-1β. By activating NF-κB, LPS increases ROS and NO levels that spontaneously react to form peroxynitrite, thus leading to protein nitration. Reduction in peroxynitrite levels results in a decrease in caspase1 activity. Protein nitration and caspase1 activity are concomitantly increased in the spinal cord of pre-symptomatic SOD1(G93A) mice. Oxidative/nitrosative stress induces peroxynitrite formation that may be a key trigger of caspase1/inflammasome activation. Peroxynitrite formation may play a critical role in inflammasome activation and might be exploited as potential therapeutic target for ALS