The impact of video streaming service’s brand image on consumer loyalty : does word-­of-­mouth make a difference?

Video streaming services have grown substantially in the past few years, due to their convenience, low cost and variety of original movies and tv shows. Consumers have switched from traditional broadcasting TV to streaming service platforms, which has led to the entrance of several players in the industry. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the video streaming service’s brand image, with a particular focus on Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video, impact customer loyalty, while also studying the moderation effect of word­of­mouth. Furthermore, the mediation effect of expectations and perceived quality were also analyzed. In order to study the proposed model, six different stimuli were created based on online reviews. The stimuli presented either negative word­of­mouth or positive word­of­mouth, and were then used on an online survey, randomly assigned to each participant. Results show that the video streaming service’s brand image positively impacts customer loyalty. It was also concluded that both expectations and perceived quality media te the relationship between brand image and customer loyalty. Moreover, it was also proven that word­of­mouth also impacts this relationship.Os serviços de streaming têm crescido substancialmente nos últimos anos, devido à sua conveniência, baixo custo e variedade de filmes e programas de televisão originais. Os consumidores passaram da televisão tradicional para as plataformas de streaming, o que levou à entrada de vários intervenientes na indústria. O objectivo deste estudo é investigar como a imagem de marca dos serviços de streaming, com particular ênfase na Netflix, Disney Plus e Amazon Prime Video, tem impacto na fidelidade dos clientes, estudando ao mesmo tempo o efeito de moderação do boca a boca. Além disso, foi também analisado o efeito de mediação das expectativas e da perceção de qualidade. A fim de estudar o modelo proposto, foram criados seis estímulos diferentes com base em comentários online. Os estímulos apresentavam comentários negativos ou positivos, e foram posteriormente utilizados num inquérito online, sendo atribuídos aleatoriamente a cada participante. Os resultados mostram que a imagem de marca do serviço de streaming tem um impacto positivo na fidelidade dos clientes. Também se concluiu que tanto as expectativas como a perceção de qualidade medeiam a relação entre a imagem de marca e a fidelidade do cliente. Além disso, ficou também provado que o boca a boca também tem impacto nesta relação

FACING URBAN PROBLEMS. THE TEACHING OF INTERDISCIPLINARITY THROUGH THE URBANISM DESIGN STUDIO

El artículo aborda la interdisciplinaridad en el Urbanismo, en la perspectiva de la enseñanza, cuestionando como pueden las asignaturas de proyecto poner en evidencia el encuentro de diferentes áreas del saber, simulando el enfrentar de cuestiones urbanas concretas. Para eso, recurre a tres casos de estudio de enseñanza del Urbanismo en Portugal, en la formación de arquitectos y de arquitectos de paisaje, en tres escuelas diferentes, en el primero y segundo ciclos de estudios del año lectivo de 2013-2014: (1) el proyecto del 5º año del Master Integrado en Arquitectura, con especialización en Urbanismo, de la Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Lisboa; (2) el curso de Urbanismo del 4º año del Master en Arquitectura Paisajista del Instituto Superior de Agronomía de la misma universidad, y; (3) el proyecto del 1º año del Master Integrado en Arquitectura de la Universidad de Beira Interior. Desarrollando un ejercicio práctico sobre territorios concretos, la enseñanza del Urbanismo obliga a enfrentar problemas urbanos con diferentes enfoques disciplinares, ciertamente desarrollando las potencialidades de la formación disciplinar del curso, como será el objetivo, pero también confrontando los estudiantes con la necesidad de buscar otros saberes para lidiar con las problemáticas no centrales a los contenidos disciplinares de su curso. En una realidad compleja e multifacética como es la ciudad contemporánea, en que los problemas urbanos no tienen disciplina en si mismo, el papel del profesor de proyecto es central para abrir horizontes interdisciplinarios, entre otros, coordinando el ejercicio con otros cursos del año, aportando contribuíos de invitados de otras áreas del saber, o reforzando la amplitud de las problemáticas en las clases y en la tutoría del desarrollo del ejercicio de proyecto.The article focuses on the interdisciplinarity in Urbanism, trough the perspective of teaching, addressing how the project design studios can reinforce the convergence of different areas of knowledge, by facing concrete urban problems. In this sense, it uses tree case studies of the teaching of Urbanism in Portugal, in the formation of architects and landscape architects, in three different faculties, both on the first and second cycles of studies of the 2013-2014 school year: (1) the 5th year project design studio on the Integrated Master in Architecture, with specialization in Urbanism, at the Faculty of Architecture, Lisbon University; (2) the Urbanism curricular unit of the 4th year of Landscape Architecture Master, in the Agronomy Higher Institute, at the same university, and; (3) the 1st year project design studio on the Integrated Master in Architecture, at the Beira Interior University. Developing a practical exercise on concrete territories, the teaching of Urbanism is obliged to face urban problems with different disciplinary approaches. It certainly allows for the development of the disciplinary potentialities, as it should be the objective; but it also confronts the students with the need to interact with other areas of knowledge, in order to find the necessary tools to address these urban questions, some not being central ones on the course plan. On a complex and multifaceted urban context, as it is the contemporary one, problems don’t have disciplines. In that sense, the role of the project design studio teacher becomes central to open interdisciplinary horizons, e.g.: (1) coordinating the practical exercise with other curricular units; (2) joining contributions by experts from other areas of knowledge, or; (3) reinforcing the amplitude of the problems students are addressing, both in classes and in the tutorial development of the exercise

The moderating effect of gender on the relationship between coping and suicide risk in a Portuguese community sample of adults

Background and aims(s): The study evaluated the contribution of coping strategies, based on the Toulousiane conceptualization of coping, to the prediction of suicide risk and tested the moderating effect of gender, controlling for depressive symptoms. Method: A two-time data collection design was used. A community sample of 195 adults (91 men and 104 women) ranging in age from 19 to 65 years and living in several Portuguese regions, mostly in Alentejo, participated in this research. Results: Gender, depressive symptoms, control, and withdrawal and conversion significantly predicted suicide risk and gender interacted with control, withdrawal and conversion, and social distraction in the prediction of suicide risk. Coping predicted suicide risk only for women. Conclusions: Results have important implications for assessment and intervention with suicide at-risk individuals. In particular,the evaluation and development of coping skills is indicated as a goal for therapists having suicide at-risk women as clients

Self-report depressive symptoms do not directly predict suicidality in nonclinical individuals: Contributions toward a more psychosocial approach to suicide risk

Although suicidality is associated with mental illness in general and depression in particular, many depressed individuals do not attempt suicide and some individuals who attempt to or do die by suicide do not present depressive symptoms. This article aims to contribute to a more psychosocial approach to understanding suicide risk in nonclinical populations. In advocating a psychosocial perspective rather than a depression-focused approach, this article presents four diverse studies that demonstrate sampling and measurement invariance in findings across different populations and specific measures. Study 1 tests the mediation effects of 2 interpersonal variables, thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, in the association between depressive symptoms and recent suicidality. Studies 2 and 3 evaluate the contribution of hopelessness and psychache, beyond depressive symptoms, to suicidality. Study 4 tests the contribution of life events behind depressive symptoms, and other relevant sociodemographic and clinical variables, to the estimation of “future suicidality.” Overall, results demonstrate that depressive symptoms do not directly predict suicidality in nonclinical individuals, but that other psychosocial variables mediate the association between depressive symptoms and suicidality or predict suicidality when statistically controlling for depressive symptoms. The article contributes to understanding some of the nonpsychopathological factors that potentially link depressive symptoms to suicide risk and that might themselves contribute to suicidality, even when controlling for depressive symptoms

A comprehensive assessment of the transcriptome of cork oak (Quercus suber) through EST sequencing

Background: Cork oak (Quercus suber) is one of the rare trees with the ability to produce cork, a material widely used to make wine bottle stoppers, flooring and insulation materials, among many other uses. The molecular mechanisms of cork formation are still poorly understood, in great part due to the difficulty in studying a species with a long life-cycle and for which there is scarce molecular/genomic information. Cork oak forests are of great ecological importance and represent a major economic and social resource in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. However, global warming is threatening the cork oak forests by imposing thermal, hydric and many types of novel biotic stresses. Despite the economic and social value of the Q. suber species, few genomic resources have been developed, useful for biotechnological applications and improved forest management. Results: We generated in excess of 7 million sequence reads, by pyrosequencing 21 normalized cDNA libraries derived from multiple Q. suber tissues and organs, developmental stages and physiological conditions. We deployed a stringent sequence processing and assembly pipeline that resulted in the identification of ~159,000 unigenes. These were annotated according to their similarity to known plant genes, to known Interpro domains, GO classes and E.C. numbers. The phylogenetic extent of this ESTs set was investigated, and we found that cork oak revealed a significant new gene space that is not covered by other model species or EST sequencing projects. The raw data, as well as the full annotated assembly, are now available to the community in a dedicated web portal at http://www.corkoakdb.org. Conclusions: This genomic resource represents the first trancriptome study in a cork producing species. It can be explored to develop new tools and approaches to understand stress responses and developmental processes in forest trees, as well as the molecular cascades underlying cork differentiation and disease response.Peer Reviewe

O Memorial de Imigração Polonesa em Curitiba: dinâmicas culturais e interesses políticos no âmbito memoralista

Neste artigo, analisa-se o conceito de memorial, considerando as atuais definições de Museu propostas pelo Conselho Internacional de Museus e pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Museus, tendo como objeto de investigação o Memorial de Imigração Polonesa de Curitiba. Evidenciam-se a importância e a complexidade no trato com o patrimônio e as dificuldades de pensá-lo a partir dos sujeitos e das referências culturais de determinado grupo em contraponto aos interesses políticos e econômicos; no caso em questão, voltadas às necessidades da política de city marketing como estratégia de construção da imagem da cidade. Para tanto, foram considerados os perfis de atuação dos memoriais em diferentes partes do mundo, na tentativa de delimitação conceitual, exemplificando-se a pluralidade de temas e formatos dessas instituições no âmbito nacional e global. As discussões levantadas permitem pensar que os Museus Memoriais desempenham as atividades de um memorial no âmbito museológico, confirmando a ambivalência dessas duas instituições e sua interface privilegiada com o poder político.This article analyzes the memorial concept, considering the Museum definition presented by the International Council of Museums and the Brazilian Institute of Museums. The aim of this study was the Curitiba Polish Immigration Memorial. It highlights the importance and complexity in dealing with the heritage and the difficulties of thinking it from the individuals and the cultural references of certain groups as opposed to political and economic interests; in this case the needs of the city marketing policy as city image building strategy. Therefore, the memorials performance profiles in different parts of the world in an attempt to conceptual definition, exemplifying the diversity of themes and formats of these institutions at the national and global levels. The discussions show that it is possible to consider that the Memorials Museums perform the same activities of a memorial within the museological context, confirming the ambivalence of these two institutions and prime interface with political power

Combined fit to the spectrum and composition data measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory including magnetic horizon effects

The measurements by the Pierre Auger Observatory of the energy spectrum and mass composition of cosmic rays can be interpreted assuming the presence of two extragalactic source populations, one dominating the flux at energies above a few EeV and the other below. To fit the data ignoring magnetic field effects, the high-energy population needs to accelerate a mixture of nuclei with very hard spectra, at odds with the approximate E$^{-2}$ shape expected from diffusive shock acceleration. The presence of turbulent extragalactic magnetic fields in the region between the closest sources and the Earth can significantly modify the observed CR spectrum with respect to that emitted by the sources, reducing the flux of low-rigidity particles that reach the Earth. We here take into account this magnetic horizon effect in the combined fit of the spectrum and shower depth distributions, exploring the possibility that a spectrum for the high-energy population sources with a shape closer to E$^{-2}$ be able to explain the observations

Studies of the mass composition of cosmic rays and proton-proton interaction cross-sections at ultra-high energies with the Pierre Auger Observatory

In this work, we present an estimate of the cosmic-ray mass composition from the distributions of the depth of the shower maximum (Xmax) measured by the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We discuss the sensitivity of the mass composition measurements to the uncertainties in the properties of the hadronic interactions, particularly in the predictions of the particle interaction cross-sections. For this purpose, we adjust the fractions of cosmic-ray mass groups to fit the data with Xmax distributions from air shower simulations. We modify the proton-proton cross-sections at ultra-high energies, and the corresponding air shower simulations with rescaled nucleus-air cross-sections are obtained via Glauber theory. We compare the energy-dependent composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays obtained for the different extrapolations of the proton-proton cross-sections from low-energy accelerator data