Uncovering the Corporate Brand Identity: A case study on Rovio Entertainment

Thesis purpose: To identify and describe the corporate brand identity of a successful company from the mobile gaming industry, examining its corporate brand development at different growth stages. Methodology: This thesis assumes a constructionist ontological stance and interpretivist epistemological position. We chose an exploratory, qualitative single case study approach where semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out in addition to email interviews. We also took advantage of secondary data in the form of previous interviews, conference speeches and gathering information from company press releases, company’s website(s) and official blog. Theoretical perspective: The thesis is based upon a theory consisting of literature and academic articles within the fields of branding, product brand identity, corporate brands, corporate brand identity and corporate brand building from a SME context. Empirical data: The presentation of findings is in the form of business history, represented as a timeline. The empirical data has been collected through primary data of three semi-structured and in-depth interviews, and two email interviews. Additional qualitative data in the form of secondary data has been gathered from company press releases, past interviews, company’s website(s) and official blog. Conclusion: We conclude that Rovio Entertainment is a corporate brand, whereas predecessor Relude was not and Rovio Mobile only in later stage developed a weak, yet hidden corporate brand. We also conclude that the corporate brand identity has grown and been influenced alongside Rovio flagship product brand ‘Angry Birds’. We find that it is only recently that the Rovio corporate brand identity has become developed and diverged from the Angry Birds brand

Fear of the COVID-19 and medical liability. Insights from a series of 130 consecutives medico-legal claims evaluated in a single institution during SARS-CoV-2-related pandemic

Objectives: The aim of the current work was to evaluate the frequency and the type of cases of medical liability from a single center in the first ten months of the pandemic as well as to identify critical issues associated with the organization of public health during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: We compared 130 cases evaluated for medical liability from March 2020 to January 2021 and compared with 159 cases from March 2019 to January 2020. The cases were divided in four pre-established groups: surgical error, diagnostic/therapeutic errors and nosocomial diseases, delays, and problems related to assistance. Results: Analysis showed a significant increase in cases due to delay in treat-ment/hospitalization and shortages in health care of non-autonomous patients [χ2 (1, N = 289) = 5.6746, p = 0.02]. Conclusions: The work showed an increase in medical/legal cases regarding non-COVID-19 emergencies in which the outcome is related to the time of treatment and/or arrival at the hospital. There was also a rise in complaints of deficits in supervision and care for non-autonomous patients. Despite the persistence of preventive measures for the current pandemic, measures should be taken to improve health care in these categories of patients

Analysis of the impact of intermittent distribution by modelling the network-filling process

In many countries, users acquire private tanks to reduce their vulnerability to water scarcity. In such conditions, water managers often apply intermittent distribution in order to reduce the water volumes supplied to the users. This practice modifies the hydraulic behaviour of the network and determines competition among users that need to collect enough water resource for their uses. Intermittent distribution is thus responsible for the inequality that can occur among users: those located in advantaged positions of the network are able to obtain water resources soon after the service period begins, while others have to wait much longer, after the network is full. This paper analyses the inequalities that take part when intermittent distribution is applied in water scarcity scenarios. Considering the complexity of the process, the analysis was performed by means of an unsteady numerical model. The model was applied to a real case study which provided interesting insights into the network filling process, helping to highlight the advantaged and disadvantaged areas of the network in different water scarcity scenarios

IGHV mutational status of nodal marginal zone lymphoma by NGS reveals distinct pathogenic pathways with different prognostic implications

The precise B cell of origin and molecular pathogenesis of nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL) remain poorly defined. To date, due to the rarity of NMZL, the vast majority of already-published studies have been conducted on a limited number of samples and the technical approach to analyze the immunoglobulin genes was of amplifying rearranged variable region genes with the classical direct sequencing of the PCR products followed by cloning. Here, we studied the B cell Ig heavy-chain repertoires by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in 30 NMZL cases. Most of the cases were mutated (20/28; 71.5%) with homologies to the respective germ line genes ranging from 85 to 97, 83%, whereas 8/28 (28.5%) were unmutated. In addition, our results show that NMZL cases have a biased usage of specific immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable (IGHV) region genes. Moreover, we documented intraclonal diversity in all (100%) of the mutated cases and ongoing somatic hypermutations (SHM) have been confirmed by hundreds of reads. We analyzed the mutational pattern to detect and quantify antigen selection pressure and we found a positive selection in 4 cases, whereas in the remaining cases there was an unspecific stimulation. Finally, the disease-specific survival and the progression-free survival were significantly different between cases with mutated and unmutated IGHV genes, pointing out mutational status as a possible new biomarker in NMZL

The Inhibitory Effects of HYDAMTIQ, a Novel PARP Inhibitor, on Growth in Human Tumor Cell Lines With Defective DNA Damage Response Pathways.

The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes play a key role in the regulation of cellular processes (e.g., DNA damage repair, genomic stability). It has been shown that PARP inhibitors (PARPIs) are selectively cytotoxic against cells having dysfunctions in genes involved in DNA repair mechanisms (synthetic lethality). Drug-induced PARP inhibition potentiates the activity of anticancer drugs such as 5-fluorouracil in enhancing DNA damage, whose repair involves PARP-1 activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of a novel PARPI, HYDAMTIQ, on growth in human tumor cell lines characterized by different features with regard to DNA damage response pathways (BRCA mutational status, microsatellite status, and ATM expression level) and degree of sensitivity/resistance to 5-fluorouracil. HYDAMTIQ showed a more potent inhibitory effect on cell growth in a BRCA2 mutant cell line (CAPAN-1) compared with wild-type cells (C2-6, C2-12, and C2-14 CAPAN-1 clones, and MCF-7). No statistically significant difference was observed after HYDAMTIQ exposure between cells having a different MS status or a different MRE11 mutational status. HYDAMTIQ induced greater antiproliferative effects in SW620 cells expressing a low level of ATM than in H630 cells expressing a high level of ATM. Finally, the combination of HYDAMTIQ and 5-fluorouracil exerted a synergistic effect on the inhibition of SW620 cell growth and an antagonistic effect on that of H630 cell growth. Our results show that the novel PARP inhibitor HYDAMTIQ potently inhibits the growth of human tumor cells with defective DNA damage response pathways and exerts synergistic cytotoxicity in combination with 5-fluorouracil. These data provide relevant examples of synthetic lethality and evidence for further development of this novel PARPI.</jats:p

Minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy (MIVAT)

Minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy (MIVAT) was first described in 1999 and it has become a widespread technique performed worldwide. Although initially limited to benign thyroid nodules, MIVAT was progressively adopted for all types of thyroid diseases, while remaining within the selection criteria. It is reported that, in selected cases, MIVAT is comparable to standard open thyroidectomy (SOT) in terms of oncologic radicality, time, costs and complications rate, with the advantage of a better cosmetic result and a lower post-operative pain

The Venular Side of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: Proof of Concept of a Neglected Issue.

Small vessel diseases (SVD) is an umbrella term including several entities affecting small arteries, arterioles, capillaries, and venules in the brain. One of the most relevant and prevalent SVDs is cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), whose pathological hallmark is the deposition of amyloid fragments in the walls of small cortical and leptomeningeal vessels. CAA frequently coexists with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and both are associated with cerebrovascular events, cognitive impairment, and dementia. CAA and AD share pathophysiological, histopathological and neuroimaging issues. The venular involvement in both diseases has been neglected, although both animal models and human histopathological studies found a deposition of amyloid beta in cortical venules. This review aimed to summarize the available information about venular involvement in CAA, starting from the biological level with the putative pathomechanisms of cerebral damage, passing through the definition of the peculiar angioarchitecture of the human cortex with the functional organization and consequences of cortical arteriolar and venular occlusion, and ending to the hypothesized links between cortical venular involvement and the main neuroimaging markers of the disease

Clinical recommendations for diagnosis and treatment according to current updated knowledge on BIA-ALCL

Shared strategies and correct information are essential to guide physicians in the management of such an uncommon disease as Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). A systematic review of the literature was performed to collect the most relevant evidence on BIA-ALCL reported cases. A panel of multidisciplinary experts discussed the scientific evidence on BIA-ALCL, and updated consensus recommendations were developed through the Delphi process. The lastest reported Italian incidence of BIA-ALCL is 3.5 per 100.000 implanted patients (95% CI, 1.36 to 5.78), and the disease counts over 1216 cases worldwide as of June 2022. The most common presentation symptom is a late onset seroma followed by a palpable breast mass. In the event of a suspicious case, ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration should be the first step in evaluation, followed by cytologic and immunohistochemical examination. In patients with confirmed diagnosis of BIA-ALCL confined to the capsule, the en-bloc capsulectomy should be performed, followed by immediate autologous reconstruction, while delayed reconstruction applies for disseminate disease or radically unresectable tumor. Nevertheless, a multidisciplinary team approach is essential for the correct management of this pathology