Analysing intention and action in mobile banking services

Technological advances at the level of mobile devices are transforming the world. Banking users are able to conduct banking services at any place, and at any time, with m-banking. The purpose of this research is to analyse intention and action in m-banking services. A research model was developed and PLS was used to test the causalities in the proposed model. Our proposal extends the existing models with an assessment of the actual usage of m-banking and of how behavioural intention translates into action. This study found that the main determinants of behavioural intention for m-banking are social influence and relative advantage. Furthermore, perceived risk, lack of information and usage barriers have a negative effect on m- banking behavioural intention. Perceived risks, e-banking use, and behaviour intention are found to be significant antecedents of m-banking use. Gender has a positive and significant influence on m-banking usage, but not on the construction of behavioural intention.

Quality evaluation of cortex berberidis from different geographical origins by simultaneous high performance liquid chromatography combined with statistical methods

Purpose: To develop an effective method for evaluating the quality of Cortex berberidis from different geographical origins. Methods: A simple, precise and accurate high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was first developed for simultaneous quantification of four active alkaloids (magnoflorine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, and berberine) in Cortex berberidis obtained from Qinghai, Tibet and Sichuan Provinces of China. Method validation was performed in terms of precision, repeatability, stability, accuracy, and linearity. Besides, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to study the quality variations of Cortex berberidis from various geographical origins. Results: The proposed HPLC method showed good linearity, precision, repeatability, and accuracy. The four alkaloids were detected in all samples of Cortex berberidis. Among them, magnoflorine (36.46 - 87.30 mg/g) consistently showed the highest amounts in all the samples, followed by berberine (16.00 - 37.50 mg/g). The content varied in the range of 0.66 - 4.57 mg/g for palmatine and 1.53 - 16.26 mg/g for jatrorrhizine, respectively. The total content of the four alkaloids ranged from 67.62 to 114.79 mg/g. Moreover, the results obtained by the PLS-DA and ANOVA showed that magnoflorine level and the total content of these four alkaloids in Qinghai and Tibet samples were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those in Sichuan samples. Conclusion: Quantification of multi-ingredients by HPLC combined with statistical methods provide an effective approach for achieving origin discrimination and quality evaluation of Cortex berberidis. The quality of Cortex berberidis closely correlates to the geographical origin of the samples, with Cortex berberidis samples from Qinghai and Tibet exhibiting superior qualities to those from Sichuan.

Integrated Omics for the global mapping of biomolecules in LDL

Circulating low density lipoproteins (LDL) are thought to play a crucial role in the onset and development of atherosclerosis, though the detailed molecular mechanisms responsible for their biological effects remain controversial. The complexity of biomolecules (lipids, glycans and protein) and structural features (isoforms and chemical modifications) found in LDL particles hampers the complete understanding of the mechanism underlying its atherogenicity. For this reason the screening of LDL for features discriminative of a particular pathology in search of biomarkers is of high importance. Three major biomolecule classes (lipids, protein and glycans) in LDL particles were screened using mass spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatography. Dual-polarity screening resulted in good lipidome coverage, identifying over 300 lipid species from 12 lipid sub-classes. Multivariate analysis was used to investigate potential discriminators in the individual lipid sub-classes for different study groups (age, gender, pathology). Additionally, the high protein sequence coverage of ApoB-100 routinely achieved (≥70%) assisted in the search for protein modifications correlating to aging and pathology. The large size and complexity of the datasets required the use of chemometric methods (Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis, PLS-DA) for their analysis and for the identification of ions that discriminate between study groups. The peptide profile from enzymatically digested ApoB-100 can be correlated with the high structural complexity of lipids associated with ApoB-100 using exploratory data analysis. In addition, using targeted scanning modes, glycosylation sites within neutral and acidic sugar residues in ApoB-100 are also being explored. Together or individually, knowledge of the profiles and modifications of the major biomolecules in LDL particles will contribute towards an in-depth understanding, will help to map the structural features that contribute to the atherogenicity of LDL, and may allow identification of reliable, pathology-specific biomarkers. This research was supported by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Program (IEF 255076). Work of A. Rudnitskaya was supported by Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation, through the European Social Fund (ESF) and "Programa Operacional Potencial Humano - POPH".

Avaliação de nova estratégia extrativa, baseada em NTDs, combinada com dados de análise cromatigráfica e quimiométrica para a deteção de biomarcadores de diferentes tipos de cancro

A elevada incidência e mortalidade mundiais associadas ao cancro justificam o desenvolvimento e implementação de estratégias eficazes e não-invasivas conducentes a um diagnóstico precoce. Neste contexto, pretendeu-se avaliar a performance de uma metodologia inovadora, a microextração por “needle trap” (NTME), na extração de metabolitos voláteis (VOMs) da urina de pacientes oncológicos com diferentes tipos de cancro - cólon, pulmão e mama, e de indivíduos saudáveis, com a finalidade de identificar um conjunto de VOMs potenciais biomarcadores dos diferentes tipos cancros em estudo. De modo a maximizar a eficiência da extração dos VOMs, foram otimizados diferentes parâmetros experimentais, nomeadamente a natureza do sorvente, a temperatura, o tempo de equilíbrio, o volume de headspace, a força iónica, o pH do meio e o volume e a agitação da amostra. Usando como sorvente o DVB/Car1000/CarX, os melhores resultados foram obtidos com 4 mL de urina acidificada (pH= 2), 20% NaCl, 40 mL de headspace e 40 min de equilíbrio a 50 °C. Foi ainda avaliada a estabilidade dos VOMs no sorvente até 72 h após a extração. Nos quatro grupos em estudo foram identificados, por GC-MS, 259 VOMs pertencentes a diversas famílias químicas, nomeadamente cetonas, compostos sulfurados, furânicos e terpénicos. A matriz de dados obtida para cada grupo em estudo foi submetida a análise discriminante, usando o método dos mínimos quadrados parciais (PLS-DA), que resultou em clusters distintos diferenciadores de cada grupo. A aplicabilidade do modelo foi avaliada através do método de classificação SIMCA (modelagem suave e independente de analogias de classe), com elevadas taxas de classificação, sensibilidade e especificidade. Este foi o primeiro estudo usando NTME para o estabelecimento do padrão volatómico da urina. Os resultados obtidos revelam-se muito promissores originando perfis voláteis de maior expressividade, mais completos e abrangentes, que os obtidos usando metodologias de referência.

The effects of celebrity endorsement on the consumers’ perceptions towards global brands

Brands are those lifestyles which consumers chose to buy in order to gain the value offered by the company, in order to be part of the community created through the brand equity elements and validated in the purchase of the products. Companies have understood how important it is to build a strong brand and many of them spend millions on aligning the brand with the design and style of the products, projecting the face and values of the company into the advertising campaigns. One of the most popular methods is through endorsement, placing a renounced celebrity and leveraging on the positive feedback of those customers that also follow the activities of the star whose face is on the cover of the marcom campaign. Celebrities have been used for a very long time to promote brands, sell products and services. Research has shown that those spokesmen of a brand who are more attractive can improve the statistics of recall and appeal more interest to the promotion campaign, as well as influence more on customer’s intention of buying the product (Kahle and Homer, 1985). The main purpose of this research is to investigate how celebrity endorsements influence the brand equity dimensions (brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality and brand associations) as well as stimulate consumers’ word-of-mouth through brand identification, growth in interest and the advertising memorability. The hypotheses were tested with the aid of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in the PLS (Partial Least Squares) software. The survey is comprised of a target group of 589 respondents, from three countries – Brazil, Moldova and Portugal. Results evidence that the Attitude towards the Celebrity influences different Brand Equity dimensions and affects brand identification, growth in advertisement interest and advertising memorability, generating positive word of mouth (or negative, depending on the type of advertisement and reputation). Based on these findings we suggest further investigation in this area with the possibility to gain more data about the different fields of marcom and the different types of CE which are more appropriate for the given type of business.

The domiciliary support in the vision of the informal care provider

The home support services are a social response in order to improve the quality of life directed predominantly for the elderly and for people with varying degrees of disability and dependence. Examples of those services are hygiene and personal comfort, medication, housekeeping and cleaning, preparation and monitoring of the meals; the dressing, etc. It is necessary to make society aware of the importance of these services to all those who need them. The general objective was to understand the most important relationships among informal caregivers, those who are care and home support services providers. Material and Methods. Data were collected through a questionnaire, using the various dimensions of the construct Quality SERVPERF model of service that matches the 22 items of SERVQUAL model. The various items used to assess the perception of care individuals and informal caregivers about the quality of home care services. 82 individuals participated providers of informal care, to receive home support services, and exclusion criteria, the fact of having a diagnosed psychiatric illness or psychological factors that prevent them from responding. The analysis was performed with SPSS and SEM-PLS for the estimation of the proposed structural model. Written consent was obtained, free and clear of each subject. Results and Conclusions. The results showed that the relationships with healthcare professionals are the most important positive effects on satisfaction. This research emphasizes the need to work closely with health professionals to improve the relationship between technicians and patients. Although current constructs appear to explain much of the satisfaction, it is recommended that the future researches exploit new variables, to get a better understanding of the effects of public health policies on the quality of life of these patients.

El impacto del compromiso por la calidad y la cultura emprendedora sobre el comportamiento innovador de la pyme manufacturera bajo un enfoque de dirección participativa

Esta investigación de carácter exploratorio, contribuye a explicar cómo afecta al comportamiento innovador de la pyme manufacturera dos filosofías empresariales. En concreto, se estudia el impacto sobre el comportamiento innovador del compromiso por la calidad y del fomento de una cultura emprendedora, bajo un enfoque de dirección participativa. Para ello se establece un modelo estructural con las relaciones entre dichas variables y se analiza con la técnica PLS (Partial Least Squares). Los resultados muestran que tanto una como otra postura afectan al comportamiento innovador de una manera muy similar.

Análisis de intangibles estratégicos y su impacto en los comportamientos de la Pyme manufacturera

Tesis inédita presentada en la Universidad Europea de Madrid. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Programa de Doctorado en Economía y Empresa

TESE = Governança e Satisfação: um estudo nos APLs Têxtil e de Confecções e Moveleiro do Grande ABC

Tese apresentada ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração da Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul como requisito para a obtenção do título de Doutora em Administração.

Avaliação de nova estratégia extrativa, baseada em NTDs, combinada com dados de análise cromatigráfica e quimiométrica para a deteção de biomarcadores de diferentes tipos de cancro

A elevada incidência e mortalidade mundiais associadas ao cancro justificam o desenvolvimento e implementação de estratégias eficazes e não-invasivas conducentes a um diagnóstico precoce. Neste contexto, pretendeu-se avaliar a performance de uma metodologia inovadora, a microextração por “needle trap” (NTME), na extração de metabolitos voláteis (VOMs) da urina de pacientes oncológicos com diferentes tipos de cancro - cólon, pulmão e mama, e de indivíduos saudáveis, com a finalidade de identificar um conjunto de VOMs potenciais biomarcadores dos diferentes tipos cancros em estudo. De modo a maximizar a eficiência da extração dos VOMs, foram otimizados diferentes parâmetros experimentais, nomeadamente a natureza do sorvente, a temperatura, o tempo de equilíbrio, o volume de headspace, a força iónica, o pH do meio e o volume e a agitação da amostra. Usando como sorvente o DVB/Car1000/CarX, os melhores resultados foram obtidos com 4 mL de urina acidificada (pH= 2), 20% NaCl, 40 mL de headspace e 40 min de equilíbrio a 50 °C. Foi ainda avaliada a estabilidade dos VOMs no sorvente até 72 h após a extração. Nos quatro grupos em estudo foram identificados, por GC-MS, 259 VOMs pertencentes a diversas famílias químicas, nomeadamente cetonas, compostos sulfurados, furânicos e terpénicos. A matriz de dados obtida para cada grupo em estudo foi submetida a análise discriminante, usando o método dos mínimos quadrados parciais (PLS-DA), que resultou em clusters distintos diferenciadores de cada grupo. A aplicabilidade do modelo foi avaliada através do método de classificação SIMCA (modelagem suave e independente de analogias de classe), com elevadas taxas de classificação, sensibilidade e especificidade. Este foi o primeiro estudo usando NTME para o estabelecimento do padrão volatómico da urina. Os resultados obtidos revelam-se muito promissores originando perfis voláteis de maior expressividade, mais completos e abrangentes, que os obtidos usando metodologias de referência.

Perspectivas del trabajo institucional de la policía nacional en relación al fenómeno del pandillismo en Bogotá. sector del Codito. (2004-2015-1)

El pandillismo es un fenómeno social que se presenta en las principales ciudades de Colombia desde hace varias décadas, sin embargo, solo en los últimos años el fenómeno a comenzado a acaparar mayor atención mediática e institucional. El pandillismo se ha convertido en una preocupación para la seguridad ciudadana, especialmente en las áreas urbanas. La Policía Nacional, en conjunto a Instituciones locales y nacionales ha venido realizando un trabajo focalizado para hacerle pie al fenómeno. En este trabajo se realizó una revisión histórica del pandillismo en Bogotá y un panorama continental. De la misma manera, se hace una descripción de los programas y estrategias que la Policía Nacional y las entidades públicas han realizado desde el año 2004 hasta el año 2015. Por último se realiza una evaluación del trabajo institucional enfocado en el sector del Codito, en la localidad de Usaquén.

Modelo de competencias en TIC para el personal de una organización del sector eléctrico

La presente investigación pretendió incorporar el uso intensivo de TIC en los procedimientos establecidos y necesarios en los procesos de generación, distribución y control de la energía, lo que se expresa en un manual para el sistema de gestión humana de la organización analizada. La investigación partió de un levantamiento de un estado del arte, continuó con la realización de un análisis de actitudes y aptitudes de los colaboradores, basado en propuestas teóricas y mejores prácticas existentes del medio, y, por último, concluyó con un manual de gestión humana en el que se indican las competencias en los diferentes perfiles de la organización para el uso de TIC y su aplicación, con el propósito de alinearse con las perspectivas y objetivos de la organización analizada al tener como base la perdurabilidad y la competitividad de la misma.

Estudio de empresas de sectores hegemónicos en Colombia para los años 2013 y 2014

Este documento evidencia las posiciones hegemónicas que han llegado a ocupar las empresas más poderosas del país, basándose en el estudio de datos cuantitativos del conteo de las cien empresas con mejores ventas para los años 2013 y 2014, según la revista Gerente. Se usan cinco variables: ventas totales, activos, pasivos, patrimonio y utilidades netas. En la primera sección, se hace una revisión bibliográfica que conecta el origen de la hegemonía en un panorama económico con la influencia del neoliberalismo y la globalización en el actual tejido industrial colombiano. Posteriormente, se realiza una explicación sobre la metodología aplicada para el estudio de la base de datos; la cual es seguida por una exposición de los resultados obtenidos a partir de herramientas estadísticas como el análisis de correlación lineal, quintiles y variaciones porcentuales. Finalmente, se aborda el Programa de Transformación Productiva, esto con el objetivo de mostrar los puntos focales que necesitan especial atención para lograr catalizar el desarrollo económico de Colombia.

NIR spectrocospy can evaluate the crystallinity and the tensile and burst strenghts of nanocellulosic films.

The near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy presents itself as an interesting non-destructive test tool as it enables a fast, simple and reliable way for characterizing large samplings of biological materials in a short period of time. This work aimed to establish multivariate models to estimate the crystallinity indices and tensile and burst strength of cellulosic and nanocellulosic films through NIR spectroscopy. NIR spectra were recorded from the films before tensile and bursting strength, and crystallinity tests. Spectral information were correlated with reference values obtained by laboratory procedures through partial least square regression (PLS-R). The PLS-R model for estimating the crystallinity index presented a coefficient of determination in cross-validation (R2cv) of 0,94 and the ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) was 3,77. The mechanical properties of the films presented a high correlation with the NIR spectra: R2p = 0,85 (RPD = 2,23) for tensile and R2p = 0,93 (RPD = 3,40) for burst strength. The statistics associated to the models presented have shown that the NIR spectroscopy has the potential to estimate the crystallinity index and resistance properties of cellulose and nanocellulose films on in-line monitoring systems.

Uso da espectroscopia de reflectância do infravermelho próximo (NIRS) para previsão da composição bromatológica de vagens de algaroba e palma forrageira.

Espécies forrageiras adaptadas às condições semiáridas são uma alternativa para reduzir os impactos negativos na cadeia produtiva de ruminantes da região Nordeste brasileira devido à sazonalidade na oferta de forragem, além de reduzir custo com o fornecimento de alimentos concentrados. Dentre as espécies, a vagem de algaroba (Prosopis juliflora SW D.C.) e palma forrageira (Opuntia e Nopalea) ganham destaque por tolerarem o déficit hídrico e produzirem em períodos onde a oferta de forragem está reduzida, além de apresentam bom valor nutricional e serem bem aceitas pelos animais. Porém, devido à variação na sua composição, seu uso na alimentação animal exige o conhecimento profundo da sua composição para a elaboração de dietas balanceadas. No entanto, devido ao custo e tempo para análise, os produtores não fazem uso da prática de análise da composição químico-bromatológica dos alimentos. Por isto, a espectroscopia de reflectância no infravermelho próximo (NIRS) representa uma importante alternativa aos métodos tradicionais. Objetivou-se com este estudo desenvolver e validar modelos de predição da composição bromatológica de vagem de algaroba e palma forrageira baseados em espectroscopia NIRS, escaneadas em dois modelos de equipamentos e com diferentes processamentos da amostra. Foram coletadas amostras de vagem de algaroba nos estados do Ceará, Bahia, Paraíba e Pernambuco, e amostras de palma forrageira nos estados do Ceará, Paraíba e Pernambuco, frescas (in natura) ou pré-secas e moídas. Para obtenção dos espectros utilizaram-se dois equipamentos NIR, Perten DA 7250 e FOSS 5000. Inicialmente os alimentos foram escaneados in natura em aparelho do modelo Perten, e, com o auxílio do software The Unscrambler 10.2 foi selecionado um grupo de amostras para o banco de calibração. As amostras selecionadas foram secas e moídas, e escaneadas novamente em equipamentos Perten e FOSS. Os valores dos parâmetros de referência foram obtidos por meio de metodologias tradicionalmente aplicadas em laboratório de nutrição animal para matéria seca (MS), matéria mineral (MM), matéria orgânica (MO), proteína bruta (PB), estrato etéreo (EE), fibra solúvel em detergente neutro (FDN), fibra solúvel em detergente ácido (FDA), hemicelulose (HEM) e digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca (DIVMS). O desempenho dos modelos foi avaliado de acordo com os erros médios de calibração (RMSEC) e validação (RMSECV), coeficiente de determinação (R2 ) e da relação de desempenho de desvio dos modelos (RPD). A análise exploratória dos dados, por meio de tratamentos espectrais e análise de componentes principais (PCA), demonstraram que os bancos de dados eram similares entre si, dando segurança de desenvolver os modelos com todas as amostras selecionadas em um único modelo para cada alimento, algaroba e palma. Na avaliação dos resultados de referência, observou-se que a variação dos resultados para cada parâmetro corroboraram com os descritos na literatura. No desempenho dos modelos, aqueles desenvolvidos com pré-processamento da amostra (pré-secagem e moagem) se mostraram mais robustos do que aqueles construídos com amostras in natura. O aparelho NIRS Perten apresentou desempenho semelhante ao equipamento FOSS, apesar desse último cobrir uma faixa espectral maior e com intervalos de leituras menores. A técnica NIR, associada ao método de calibração multivariada de regressão por meio de quadrados mínimos (PLS), mostrou-se confiável para prever a composição químico-bromatológica de vagem de algaroba e da palma forrageira. Abstract: Forage species adapted to semi-arid conditions are an alternative to reduce the negative impacts in the feed supply for ruminants in the Brazilian Northeast region, due to seasonality in forage availability, as well as in the reducing of cost by providing concentrated feedstuffs. Among the species, mesquite pods (Prosopis juliflora SW DC) and spineless cactus (Opuntia and Nopalea) are highlighted for tolerating the drought and producion in periods where the forage is scarce, and have high nutritional value and also are well accepted by the animals. However, its use in animal diets requires a knowledge about its composition to prepare balanced diets. However, farmers usually do not use feed composition analysis, because their high cost and time-consuming. Thus, the Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy in the (NIRS) is an important alternative to traditional methods. The objective of this study to develop and validate predictive models of the chemical composition of mesquite pods and spineless cactus-based NIRS spectroscopy, scanned in two different spectrometers and sample processing. Mesquite pods samples were collected in the states of Ceará, Bahia, Paraiba and Pernambuco, and samples of forage cactus in the states of Ceará, Paraíba and Pernambuco. In order to obtain the spectra, it was used two NIR equipment: Perten DA 7250 and FOSS 5000. sSpectra of samples were initially obtained fresh (as received) using Perten instrument, and with The Unscrambler software 10.2, a group of subsamples was selected to model development, keeping out redundant ones. The selected samples were dried and ground, and scanned again in both Perten and FOSS instruments. The values of the reference analysis were obtained by methods traditionally applied in animal nutrition laboratory to dry matter (DM), mineral matter (MM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), soluble neutral detergent fiber (NDF), soluble acid detergent fiber (ADF), hemicellulose ( HEM) and in vitro digestibility of dry matter (DIVDM). The performance of the models was evaluated according to the Root Mean Square Error of Calibration (RMSEC) and cross-validation (RMSECV), coefficient of determination (R2 ) and the deviation of Ratio of performance Deviation of the models (RPD). Exploratory data analysis through spectral treatments and principal component analysis (PCA), showed that the databases were similar to each other, and may be treated asa single model for each feed - mesquite pods and cactus. Evaluating the reference results, it was observed that the variation were similar to those reported in the literature. Comparing the preprocessing of samples, the performance ofthose developed with preprocessing (dried and ground) of the sample were more robust than those built with fresh samples. The NIRS Perten device performance similar to FOSS equipment, although the latter cover a larger spectral range and with lower readings intervals. NIR technology associate do multivariate techniques is reliable to predict the bromatological composition of mesquite pods and cactus.