PurposeThis study investigates how functional and symbolic utilities at both product and brand levels influence perceived quality, price sensitivity, and purchase intention in sports footwear consumption among lower-middle-income Generation Z consumers in Brazil and Portugal, considering cultural and socioeconomic contexts.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative cross-national survey was conducted with 259 Generation Z consumers from Brazil and Portugal. Validated scales were used to measure functional and symbolic utilities, perceived quality, price sensitivity, and purchase intention. Data were analysed using multi-group Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), complemented by psychographic cluster analysis.FindingsValue formation differs across contexts. In Brazil, functional utilities at both product and brand levels had a significant influence on perceived quality, suggesting a pragmatic consumption orientation. In Portugal, symbolic product utility played a more prominent role in shaping perceived quality. Price sensitivity was not directly associated with functional utility in either country, but it was positively associated with the symbolic utility of the brand in Brazil. Both perceived quality and price sensitivity were positively associated with purchase intention in both markets. Psychographic analysis identified six distinct consumer profiles in each country, with Brazilian consumers displaying stronger emotional brand engagement, while Portuguese consumers showed more utilitarian and sceptical orientations.Practical implicationsIn Brazil, branding should emphasise functional performance and value for money. In Portugal, symbolic positioning and lifestyle alignment are more effective when supported by functional credibility.Originality/valueThis study contributes to sports marketing and consumer behaviour by demonstrating that value formation among Generation Z is segmented and context-dependent, rather than universal.
Landfill leachate, a byproduct of municipal solid waste treatment, typically contains hazardous substances such as toxic metals (e.g., lead) and eutrophication agents (e.g., phosphate). This study addresses the pressing challenge of polishing complex wastewater, such as landfill leachate, through the development of a novel ternary layered double hydroxide (LDH). As CaFe-LDHs are known to have an affinity for anions, and CoFe-LDHs have shown an affinity for toxic metal cations, CoCaFe-LDH was proposed to integrate both functionalities. The LDH was anchored on activated biochar to synthetize the novel composite adsorbent CoCaFe-LAB. Key operational parameters (including initial pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial adsorbate concentration, presence of coexisting ions, and regeneration capability) were systematically evaluated. Kinetic and equilibrium analyses revealed that Elovich and Sips models, respectively, best described the adsorption behavior of Pb2+ and PO43-, indicating a heterogeneous adsorption system. Maximum adsorption capacities in synthetic solutions reached 140.81 mg Pb2+ g(-1) and 25.19 mg PO43- g(-1) at 45 degrees C. The CoCaFe-LAB composite proved highly effective, particularly for lead removal. In real effluent tests, the adsorbent achieved complete phosphate removal (100%) from electro-oxidized landfill leachate at a dosage of 2.0 g L-1, confirming its practical applicability and efficiency.
Coastal lagoons are ecologically sensitive environments increasingly exposed to human pressures, particularly in regions affected by seasonal tourism. These pressures may alter water quality and induce sublethal biological responses in aquatic organisms. This study evaluated physicochemical and microbiological parameters and cytogenetic biomarkers in the fish Geophagus iporangensis from nine lagoons within the Tramandaí River Basin (TRB), southern Brazil, sampled before, during, and after the summer vacation period. Water samples were analyzed for dissolved oxygen (DO) and thermotolerant coliforms (TC), while micronuclei (MN) and nuclear abnormalities (NA) were assessed in fish erythrocytes. DO concentrations in all samples complied with standards for the highest water quality class. In contrast, TC levels exceeded limits for primary contact recreation in eight lagoons in at least one sampling event, and four lagoons remained above these limits throughout all sampling periods. MN frequencies showed no significant spatial or temporal variation. NA frequencies ranged from 1.3 to 12.3‰ and exhibited significant spatial and temporal variability among lagoons. Seasonal population increases during the vacation period coincided with elevated fecal contamination in two lagoons and higher NA frequencies in four lagoons; however, no consistent seasonal pattern was observed across the study area. Moreover, no clear association was detected between TC concentrations and cytogenetic damage. These findings indicate that genotoxic responses in the TRB lagoons are influenced by lagoon specific and potentially diffuse contamination sources rather than by seasonal population increases alone. The co occurrence of fecal contamination and genotoxic responses raises concerns regarding environmental quality in coastal tourist areas.
This paper examines how Spotify Wrapped is perceived and understood by Brazilian users, exploring the algorithmic imaginaries (Bucher, 2017). that surround its appropriation in everyday life and how the datafication and the dashboarding of music consumption are incorporated into performances of taste (Airoldi, 2021; Prey, 2018). Focusing on Wrapped as an annual 'algorithmic event' (Annabell & Rasmussen, 2024) we contextualise it as part of ongoing discussions on the platformisation of music and the algorithmic mediation of identity, as well as debates about digital memory and media events. Based on a social network analysis of posts collected from Twitter/X and a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 38 Spotify users, we argue that in Brazil the 'eventness' of Spotify Wrapped is distributed, clustered but sparsely connected, and marked by fleeting, fluid and ephemeral feelings of shared experience and recognition rather than by enduring communities. Foregrounding ordinary acts of constrained agency (Siles, et al., 2022), our findings also indicate that Brazilian users playfully and skilfully incorporate the perceived logics of datafied consumption and algorithmic mediation to produce desirable Wrapped results - whilst also hoping that 'the algorithm' would be able to understand listening contexts and only capture those sessions that are 'Wrapped-worthy'. We conclude by highlighting the continuities and specificities of the phenomenon in relation to existing theorisations of everyday data cultures (Burgess et al., 2022). In doing so, we contribute to the growing body of literature on music streaming studies, platform studies, and critical algorithm studies.
The outbreak occurred in three farrowing rooms from a commercial farrow-to-wean farm with 4,600 sows located in southern Brazil. During the first week of outbreak, diarrhea and vomiting were recorded in sows, and inflammatory lesions were reported in neonatal piglets. Lesions were located on the tail, hock, perineal area, teats, vulva, male genital organs, sole, coronary band, ear, and jaw, which progressed to necrosis within few days. A total of 562 sows were evaluated for the presence of diarrhea and vomiting. Their litters, comprising 8,344 suckling piglets, were individually assessed for the presence, location and type of lesions. Laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of ergosterol in feed, which indicates a poor microbiological stability and fungal yeast invasion of the feed. Diarrhea was observed in 2.3
