What makes a video go viral? An analysis of emotional contagion and Internet memes

What qualities lead some Internet videos to reach millions of viewers while others languish in obscurity? This question has been largely unexamined empirically. We addressed this issue by examining the role of emotional response and video source on the likelihood of spreading an Internet video by validating the emotional response to an Internet video and investigating the underlying mechanisms. Results indicated that individuals reporting strong affective responses to a video reported greater intent to spread the video. In terms of the role of the source, anger-producing videos were more likely to be forwarded but only when the source of the video was an out-group member. These results have implications for emotional contagion, social influence, and online behavior.     

Persuade him by email,but see her in person: Online persuasion revisited

This study replicated and expanded on earlier research on gender differences in the evaluation of computer-mediated persuasive messages. Participants discussed a counter-attitudinal topic with a same-gender confederate. Those participants made to feel a sense of shared identity (high oneness) with the communicator were the most favorable toward the proposal whereas those participants made to feel a distinct identity (low oneness) were the least favorable. However, the results were different for men and women depending on communication modality. Cognitive responses indicated that men engaged in a more rational evaluation of the persuasive message in the email condition, even when the communicator and recipient did not share an identity. Thus, one implication of this research is that email may be an effective route for men to use for interacting with one another if they share no mutual identity.     

A Fast XPS Study of Propene Decomposition over Clean and Sulphated Pt{111}

The thermal decomposition of propene over clean and sulphate precovered Pt{111} has been followed by Fast XPS. The saturation propene coverage over the clean surface is 0.21 mL at 90 K. Propene is stable up to 200 K, above which molecular desorption and dehydrogenation result in the formation of a stable propylidyne intermediate adlayer at 300 K. Propylidyne decomposes above 400 K eventually forming graphitic carbon above 800 K. Preadsorbed surface sulphate promotes room temperature propene combustion associated with the decomposition of a thermally unstable alkyl--sulphate complex. Propylidyne also forms as on clean Pt{111}, but is less reactive, its decomposition above 450 K triggering partial oxidation with residual surface oxygen to liberate gas phase CO.     

Comparison of the compositional, microbiological, biochemical and volatile profile characteristics of three Italian PDO fermented sausages

Three Italian PDO fermented sausages, Varzi, Brianza and Piacentino, were compared for compositional, microbiological, biochemical and volatile profile characteristics. Mean values for the gross composition varied especially due to moisture, fat, total protein and nitrate concentration which reflected differences in the ingredients and some technological parameters. Cell numbers of the major microbial groups were almost similar among sausages. The major differences were found for Brochothrix thermosphacta, enterococci and moulds. Apart from their use as starters, Lactobacillus sakei and Lactobacillus curvatus were the dominant lactic acid bacteria and, as well as Staphylococcus xylosus, dominated the population of coagulase-negative staphylococci. Sausages differed for the hydrolysis of myofibrillar proteins and secondary proteolysis. Varzi, the sausage subjected to prolonged fermentation at 23–25 °C for 10 days before ripening, showed the highest degree of secondary proteolysis. Varzi and Brianza, the two fermented sausages manufactured by using microbial starters, showed the highest concentration and similar profiles of free amino acids. The peptidase activities contained in the aqueous extracts agreed with the above findings. A total of 52 volatile components, mainly alcohols, aldehydes and terpenes, were identified by solid-phase micro-extraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. The volatile profiles of the three Italian PDO fermented sausages differed in part and, except for terpenes, the highest levels of the other chemical classes were found in Varzi and Brianza sausages. The composition of free fatty acids of the three Italian PDO sausages was rather similar. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were found at the highest relative percentage followed by saturated (SFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. Oleic, palmitic, linoleic and stearic were the main free fatty acids found in all fermented sausages.     

Improved photovoltaic performances by post-deposition acidic treatments on tetrapod shaped colloidal nanocrystal solids

The ligand exchange reaction with pyridine is the standard procedure for the integration of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) in photovoltaic devices; however, for large sized and irregularly shaped branched NCs, such as CdSe@CdTe tetrapods, this procedure can lead to a considerable waste of materials and the aggregation of NCs in the colloidal solution, therefore resulting in the formation of an inhomogeneous film and low device performances. Here, we report on alternative post-deposition treatments with carboxylic acids on films of CdSe@CdTe tetrapod shaped NCs. This approach guarantees the removal of the insulating surfactant, necessary to obtain good charge transport among NCs, while preserving the film integrity. We perform a complete characterization of the nanocrystalline films treated with different carboxylic acids and demonstrate the successful integration of such films in photovoltaic devices, showing a doubled efficiency with respect to the standard ligand exchange procedure. Our approach represents a general route towards the development of NC based devices with improved performances and minimized waste of material.     

A structured approach for customised production in SME collaborative networks

This research aims to provide a model for SMEs to address needs and expectations of specific target groups – such as elderly, obese, disabled, or diabetic persons – to customise functional and fashionable clothes and footwear of high quality, affordable price and eco-compatible. This will be achieved by the development of a new framework for the textile, clothing and footwear industry (TCFI) based on methods and tools for (co-)design, development, configuration, production, and distribution of small order quantities in collaborative networks. The aim of this paper is to describe the reference model depicting its structure and the related tools for collaborative networks enabling products to stay as long as possible digital in order to be produced on-demand.     

Occurrence of non-lactic acid bacteria populations involved in protein hydrolysis of cold-stored high moisture Mozzarella cheese

The aim of this study was to analyse non-lactic acid bacteria populations (NLABPs) and evaluate their role in proteolysis of cold-stored high moisture (HM) Mozzarella cheese. NLABPs reached values close to 8 log cfu mL⁻¹ after seven days of cold storage. Sequencing of 16 rDNA and rpoB genes and molecular biotyping allowed to identify 66 bacterial strains belonging to 25 species from 15 genera, mainly represented by Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Rahnella. Fifteen strains showed proteolytic activity values higher than 1000.00 μg Gly mL⁻¹ after 24 h of growth in skimmed milk. Moreover, as shown by Urea-PAGE, 11 proteolytic strains caused partial or total disappearance of at least one of the caseins. Their proteolytic behaviour was assessed even when they grew inside the governing liquid together with HM Mozzarella cheese at 4 °C for 12 days. This is the first report that throws light on the complexity of NLABPs in HM Mozzarella cheese, demonstrating that some strains caused the partial hydrolysis of α, β, and γ caseins on its outer surface where a concomitant wrinkling and successive exfoliation became visible without significant changes in texture characteristics.