Unidentified Galactic High-Energy Sources as Ancient Pulsar Wind Nebulae in the light of new high energy observations and the new code

In a Pulsar Wind Nebula (PWN), the lifetime of inverse Compton (IC) emitting electrons exceeds the lifetime of its progenitor pulsar (as well as its shell-type remnant), but it also exceeds the age of those that emit via synchrotron radiation. Therefore, during its evolution, the PWN can remain bright in IC so that its GeV-TeV gamma-ray flux remains high for timescales much larger (for 10^5 - 10^6 yrs) than the pulsar lifetime and the X-ray PWN lifetime. In this scenario, the magnetic field in the cavity induced by the wind of the progenitor star plays a crucial role. This scenario is in line with the discovery of several unidentified or "dark" sources in the TeV gamma-ray band without X-ray counterparts; and it is also finding confirmation in the recent discoveries at GeV gamma rays. Moreover, these consequences could be also important for reinterpreting the detection of starburst galaxies in the TeV gamma-ray band when considering a leptonic origin of the gamma-ray signal. Both theoretical aspects and their observational proofs will be discussed, as well as the first results of our new modeling code.Comment: Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy (Gamma2012

Advertising and country-of-origin images as sources of brand equity and the moderating role of brand typicality

Purpose: This research has two main purposes: (i) to explore the influence of an individual’s attitude towards advertising and country-of-origin images (brand origin and country of manufacture) on brand equity creation; and (ii) to investigate how brand typicality moderates the effect of brand origin macro image on perceived quality. Design/methodology/approach: The data to test the hypotheses were elicited from a consumer survey in the Greater Lisbon area (305 Portuguese consumers). The product category of smartphones was selected for two main reasons: (i) it has not been extensively analysed in previous studies on the subject of brand equity; (ii) it is a device well-known to Portuguese consumers (particularly in the Greater Lisbon area). Three criteria guided the selection of the brands. The first criterion is to select brands which are well-known to consumers. The second is to choose brands with a distinctive brand origin and a main country of manufacture. The third and final criterion is to consider brands in different positions in the brand ranking. In order to estimate structural path coefficients, R2, Q2, and Bootstrap techniques, the current study employs the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach. Findings: The results show that individuals' attitudes towards advertisements have a positive impact on brand equity creation, whereas those towards the country of manufacture do not significantly influence brand equity creation. Attitudes towards brand origin only have a partial influence. Brand typicality, however, exerts a significant direct effect on brand equity dimensions and, hence, does not have a significant moderating effect. Research limitations/implications: The authors suggest analysing the influence of country-of-origin on dimensions of brand equity considering consumer segmentation, types of industry and a range of brands, as well as different levels of consumer involvement with the product category. Several brands with the same country-of-origin should be analysed in order to understand whether the effects on brand equity depend on the product category. Although the current study is a first attempt to combine the potential effect of individuals' attitudes towards advertisements and country-of-origin on creating brand equity, further research should examine additional potential antecedents of brand equity. Finally, cross-cultural studies are recommended. Practical implications: Regarding managerial implications, three main aspects should be taken into consideration. First, creative, original and different advertising strategies are more effective than the country-of-origin in creating brand equity and, consequently, in building loyalty among smartphone consumers. Secondly, consumers do not tend to care about the place, country or region where the smartphone is produced, but the image of the country where the brand originated may be important. Finally, managers should be aware that, at least, in the smartphone sector, the way consumers create favourable associations with the brand and typicality, trust the company and consider it good value for money, are more effective in building brand loyalty than the perceived quality of the product/brand. Social implications: Relating to the interrelationship between country-of-origin and brand equity, the results of the current study prove that the effects of country-of-origin are category specific. Therefore, more studies focused on other contexts of products and brands are still needed to know in more detail how country-of-origin exerts an influence on brand equity dimensions. Even within a product category context, the results can depend on individual brands being analysed. Originality/value: To the knowledge of the authors, this study is the first to investigate the dual (simultaneous) effect of individuals’ attitudes towards advertisements and country-of-origin images on brand equity dimensions. Adding to the originality of the paper, the category of smartphone with respect to brand equity has not been extensively analysed in previous studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Love and respect in the soccer industry

WOS:000427297600234 (Nº de Acesso Web of Science)info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Novel approaches to tuberculosis vaccine development

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the deadliest infectious disease. The widely used bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine offers only limited protection against TB. New vaccine candidates for TB include subunit vaccines and inactivated whole-cell vaccines, as well as live mycobacterial vaccines. Current developments in TB vaccines are summarized in this review

Luxury values as drivers for affective commitment: the case of luxury car tribes

Brand communities have been regarded as avenues where the relationship between consumers and a brand can flourish. The main aim of this research was to investigate if luxury values, that is, the individual, social and functional values and believes influence the affective commitment in the luxury car context. This study explores the effect of luxury values on luxury car affective commitment mediated by brand tribalism and brand reputation. The proposed model was tested through a survey on car brand communities (BMW, Mercedes and Audi). Findings reveal that brand tribalism is more important than brand reputation when developing brand relationship. Functional values are more effective to create brand reputation than to improve brand tribalism. Social values influence more on brand tribalism than on brand reputation. Individual values exercise a significant effect on brand tribalism.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Numerical simulation of the initial stage of unipolar arcing in fusion-relevant conditions

A model for the initial phase of unipolar arcing has been developed with account of an external energy source which triggers the arcing, the vaporization of the atoms from the heated surface, the ions and electrons produced by ionization of the vapor, the electron emission from the metal surface, and melt motion and surface deformation. Current transfer outside the arc attachment is taken into account and the potential difference between the plasma and the metal surface (the plate) is evaluated from the condition that the net current transferred to the plate is zero at each moment. The model is used for simulation of the interaction of an external energy load (laser beam) with a tungsten plate immersed in a helium background plasma. The results revealed the formation of a crater, but no jet formation or droplet detachment. If the plate is large (R = 100 mm), the peak temperature attained is 5200 K, and the plate potential remains below the plasma potential. If the plate is small (R = 10 mm), a peak temperature of 7500 K is reached, the potential of the plate surpasses the plasma potential, circulation of the melt at the pool periphery occurs, and the erosion (which is mainly due to the vaporization of the metal atoms in the spot) reaches the value of 37 μg.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Argon Dark Matter Experiment (ArDM)

The ArDM experiment, a 1 ton liquid argon TPC/Calorimeter, is designed for the detection of dark matter particles which can scatter off the spinless argon nuclei. These events producing a recoiling nucleus will be discerned by their light to charge ratio, as well as the time structure of the scintillation light. The experiment is presently under construction and will be commissioned on surface at CERN. Here we describe the detector concept and give a short review on the main detector components.Comment: Proceedings of 4th Patras workshop (DESY) on Axions, Wimps and Wisps (4 pages, 4 figures