Brand logo design: examining consumer responses to figurativeness

In a previous investigation, aimed at studying brand identity preferences in a merger context, researchers found the most preferred logos are figurative ones. Additionally, results suggested the aesthetic appeal of the logo significantly influences consumers’ identity choices. These results find support in logo strategy literature. The main purpose of this study is to investigate more thoroughly the influence of logo design characteristics, and particularly of figurativeness, on consumers’ responses. In two studies, this research will try to shed light on consumer logo preferences, by investigating psychological properties of figurativeness. Firstly, this research will allow classifying a significant sample of international logos according to the figurativeness of logo design. Then, this study will evaluate affect towards logo design.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Brand Logo Design: Examining Consumer Responses to Name and Logo Characteristics

available in the context of a brand merger. Yet research on this topic is relatively limited. This paper aims to start filling this gap in the literature, by developing a typology of the visual identity structures that may be assumed in the context of a merger, as well as an exploratory study (n = 467) analysing consumers’ preferences regarding the alternative branding strategies. It uses an innovative design, which gives respondents freedom to choose their preferred solution. Results suggest that there is a clear preference for figurative logos. Furthermore, there is evidence that the logo may play a role as important as the name in a merger, ensuring consumers that there will be a connection with the brand’s past. Data also show that the choice of the logo reflects consumers’ aesthetic responses, whereas the choice of the name reflects consumers’ evaluation of the brand’s offer or off the brand’s presence in the market. These results should guide managers in the evaluation and choice of the postmerger branding strategy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Brand mergers: Examining consumer response to name and logo design

It is critical to investigate reactions to the various name and logo redeployment alternatives available in the context of a brand merger. Yet research on this topic is relatively limited. This paper aims to start filling this gap in the literature, by developing a typology of the visual identity structures that may be assumed in the context of a merger, as well as an exploratory study (n = 467) analysing consumers’ preferences regarding the alternative branding strategies. It uses an innovative design, which gives respondents freedom to choose their preferred solution. Results suggest that there is a clear preference for figurative logos. Furthermore, there is evidence that the logo may play a role as important as the name in a merger, ensuring consumers that there will be a connection with the brand’s past. Data also show that the choice of the logo reflects consumers’ aesthetic responses, whereas the choice of the name reflects consumers’ evaluation of the brand’s offer or off the brand’s presence in the market. These results should guide managers in the evaluation and choice of the postmerger branding strategy

Occurrence of Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Resulting from the Selective Pressure of Antibiotics: A Comprehensive Analysis of ESBL K. pneumoniae and MRSP Isolated in a Dog with Rhinorrhea

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Use in Companion Animals)Because of public health concerns, much greater scrutiny is now placed on antibiotic use in pets, especially for antimicrobial agents that have human analogs. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the phenotypic and genotypic profiles of multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from nasal swabs samples taken from a one-year-old male Serra da Estrela dog with rhinorrhea that was treated with amikacin. An extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated in the first sample taken from the left nasal cavity of the dog. Seven days later, methicillin-resistant (MRSP) Staphylococcus pseudintermedius was also isolated. Nevertheless, no alterations to the therapeutic protocol were performed. Once the inhibitory action of the antibiotic disappeared, the competitive advantage of the amikacin-resistant MRSP was lost, and only commensal flora was observed on both nasal cavities. The genotypic profile of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae revealed the same characteristics and close relation to other strains, mainly from Estonia, Slovakia and Romania. Regarding MRSP isolates, although resistance to aminoglycosides was present in the first MRSP, the second isolate carried aac(6')-aph(2″), which enhanced its resistance to amikacin. However, the veterinary action was focused on the treatment of the primary agent (ESBL K. pneumoniae), and the antibiotic applied was according to its phenotypic profile, which may have led to the resolution of the infectious process. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of targeted therapy, proper clinical practice and laboratory-hospital communication to safeguard animal, human and environmental health.Simple Summary: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major threat to human and animal health. One of the causes underlying the emergence of increasingly resistant strains is antibiotic selective pressure. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of treatment with amikacin on an extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated in a dog with rhinorrhea. In the middle of the treatment, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) was isolated from the left nasal cavity of the dog. At the end of the treatment, K. pneumoniae was not recovered from nasal swab samples, while MRSP displayed phenotypical and genotypical changes. Six weeks after the end of the treatment, only commensal flora was observed in both nasal cavities. These results warn of the effects of antibiotic pressure, which can lead to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains either by directly promoting the enrichment of bacteria with resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents or via the subsequent acquisition of resistance genes. Therefore, adapting clinical practice to this new reality is crucial to limit the selection and spread of multi-resistant bacteria among pets, humans and the environment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inter-annual variations of macrobenthic communities over three decades in a land-locked coastal lagoon (Santo André, SW Portugal)

Santo Andre is an enclosed brackish water coastal lagoon with temporary connections to the sea by a man-made channel. The exchange and mixture of saltwater and freshwater is irregular and the lagoon may show daily and seasonal fluctuations, but also long-term variation. Different benthic communities may be present along the annual cycle according to the magnitude of episodic freshwater and sea water inputs. In the last 30 years the communication with the sea has followed different regimes from year to year and, as a consequence, macrobenthic communities, assessed several times during the period before the opening to the sea, shifted from freshwater to marine affinities. Major differences were found between 1979 and 2010, with a preponderance of species with marine affinity, and the 1980s in which the organisms with freshwater affinity prevailed. Benthic communities are frequently used to assess aquatic environmental condition. Metrics used in the indices currently under discussion to assess ecological status of aquatic ecosystems within the scope of European Water Framework Directive were applied to Santo Andre data and the applicability of these metrics to assess quality in this coastal land-locked lagoon was discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.National Institute of Scientific Research; ICNB (Nature, Conservation and Biodiversity Institute); EEC (European Economic Community); Cohesion Fund under Priority 111 of the Operational Programme for Territorial Development (POVT); FCT (Science and Technology Foundation) [PTDC/AAC-AMB/104639/2008, PEst-OE/MAR/UI0199/2011]; FCT [SFRH/BPD/29579/2006

Gulls in Porto Coastline as Reservoirs for Salmonella spp.: Findings from 2008 and 2023

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Microorganisms Associated with Human Health)Gulls act as intermediaries in the exchange of microorganisms between the environment and human settlements, including Salmonella spp. This study assessed the antimicrobial resistance and molecular profiles of Salmonella spp. isolates obtained from fecal samples of gulls in the city of Porto, Portugal, in 2008 and 2023 and from water samples in 2023. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiling revealed an improvement in the prevalence (71% to 17%) and antimicrobial resistance between the two collection dates. Two isolate collections from both 2008 and 2023 underwent serotyping and whole-genome sequencing, revealing genotypic changes, including an increased frequency in the monophasic variant of S. Typhimurium. qacE was identified in 2008 and 2023 in both water and fecal samples, with most isolates exhibiting an MDR profile. The most frequently observed plasmid types were IncF in 2008 (23%), while IncQ1 predominated in 2023 (43%). Findings suggest that Salmonella spp. circulate between humans, animals, and the environment. However, the genetic heterogeneity among the isolates from the gulls' feces and the surface water may indicate a complex ecological and evolutionary dynamic shaped by changing conditions. The observed improvements are likely due to measures to reduce biological contamination and antimicrobial resistance. Nevertheless, additional strategies must be implemented to reduce the public health risk modeled by the dissemination of pathogens by gulls.Funding: WGS was supported by funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 773830: One Health European Joint Programme, as part of the DiSCoVeR project (Discovering the sources of Salmonella, Campylobacter, VTEC, and Antimicrobial Resistance).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Silk-based biomaterials functionalized with fibronectin type II promotes cell adhesion

The objective of this work was to exploit the fibronectin type II (FNII) module from human matrix metalloproteinase-2 as a functional domain for the development of silk-based biopolymer blends that display enhanced cell adhesion properties. The DNA sequence of spider dragline silk protein (6mer) was genetically fused with the FNII coding sequence and expressed in Escherichia coli. The chimeric protein 6mer + FNII was purified by non-chromatographic methods. Films prepared from 6mer + FNII by solvent casting promoted only limited cell adhesion of human skin fibroblasts. However, the performance of the material in terms of cell adhesion was significantly improved when 6mer + FNII was combined with a silk-elastin-like protein in a concentration-dependent behavior. With this work we describe a novel class of biopolymer that promote cell adhesion and potentially useful as biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Statement of Significance This work reports the development of biocompatible silk-based composites with enhanced cell adhesion properties suitable for biomedical applications in regenerative medicine. The biocomposites were produced by combining a genetically engineered silk-elastin-like protein with a genetically engineered spider-silk-based polypeptide carrying the three domains of the fibronectin type II module from human metalloproteinase-2. These composites were processed into free-standing films by solvent casting and characterized for their biological behavior. To our knowledge this is the first report of the exploitation of all three FNII domains as a functional domain for the development of bioinspired materials with improved biological performance. The present study highlights the potential of using genetically engineered protein-based composites as a platform for the development of new bioinspired biomaterials.This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT – Portugal) Funded Project “Chimera” (PTDC/EBB-EBI/109093/2008), by FCT/MEC through Portuguese funds (PIDDAC) – PEst-OE/BIA/UI4050/2014, by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2013 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569) funded by national funds through the FCT I.P. and by the ERDF through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI). TC is thankful to the FCT, ESF and POPH for its support through the Investigador FCT Programme (IF/01635/2014). ARibeiro thanks FCT for the SFRH\BPD\98388\2013 grant. AMPereira, RMachado and AdaCosta acknowledge FCT for PD/BD/113811/2015, SFRH-BPD/86470/2012 and SFRH/BD/75882/2011 grants, respectively

Thermal stability of the essential oils isolated from Tunisian Thymus capitatus Hoff. et Link.: Effect on the chemical composition and the antioxidant and antibacterial activities

The chemical composition, the antioxidant and the antibacterial activities of essential oils, isolated from the aerial parts of Tunisian Thymus capitatus during the flowering phase, and stored in the dark during 37 days in the oven, at 60 degrees C were evaluated. Samples taken periodically were used to evaluate the chemical composition, the antioxidant and the antibacterial activities. With some fluctuations, carvacrol (68-74%) was the major component of the oil independent of the storage period. alpha-Terpinene and gamma-terpinene decreased over time, whereas p-cymene increased in the same period. Despite the thirty-seven days of storage at 60 degrees C, T. capitatus essential oil still showed high antioxidant and stable antimicrobial activity

Corrigendum to ‘‘Silk-based biomaterials functionalized with fibronectin type II promotes cell adhesion” [Acta Biomater. 47 (2017) 50–59]

The authors regret that Telma C. Bernardo was inadvertently omitted in the author line-up. The correct authorship order should be as follows: Ana Margarida Pereira, Raul Machado, André da Costa, Artur Ribeiro, Telma C. Bernardo, Tony Collins, Andreia C. Gomes, Isabel B. Leonor, David L. Kaplan, Rui L. Reis, Margarida Casal. Telma C. Bernardo participated in recombinant 6mer+FNII production and purification. The authors regret the error and would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.- (undefined

Effect of bio-functional MAO layers on the electrochemical behaviour of highly porous Ti

Ti foams are attractive for orthopaedic applications due to reduced Young's modulus and ability of bone ingrowth. However, poor corrosion behaviour and lack of bioactivity are yet to be overcome. In the present work, highly porous Ti samples were processed by powder metallurgy with space holder technique and bio-functionalized by micro-arc oxidation, resulting in nano/micro structured TiO2 surfaces containing bioactive elements. The electrochemical behaviour of these bio-functionalized highly porous Ti surfaces was evaluated through potentiodynamic polarization and EIS in physiological solution at body temperature. Results showed that bio-functionalization improved the corrosion behaviour of highly porous Ti. However, increased macro-porosity led to an increased corrosion rate.This work is supported by FCT with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2019, M-ERA NET/0001/2015 project, and Programa de Accoes Universitarias Integradas Luso-Francesas' (PAUILF TC-12_14). CQE is financed by FCT under Pluriannual contract 2020-2023. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the "Investissements d'avenir" programs (nos. ANR-11-IDEX-0003-02 and ANR-10-EQPX-37 MATMECA Grant) for financial support on Micro-CT analysis