Who wants a price discount? The differential effects of price discounts on luxury brands and fast­-fashion brands

The fashion industry is a significant contributor to the global economy, and marketing strategies, such as price promotions, are commonly used to attract customers and promote sales. However, the impact of these promotions on consumers' perceptions of product quality and value can vary depending on the type of product. This study aims to investigate the effect of price promotions on consumers' perceptions of quality and value for apparel products, as well as the impact on consumer’s self­esteem and social­-display­-self­-esteem, with a focus on the differences between luxury fashion and fast-fashion brands. The research employed a between­-subjects experimental design and collected and analyzed survey data to compare how price discounts impact fast­-fashion and luxury fashion brands in terms of their effects on consumers' perceptions and behavior. The findings revealed that price promotions have negative effects on the perceived value of luxury goods, but the inverse effect was observed on fast-­fashion brands. Regarding perceived quality, luxury-­fashion brands, which rely on their image and reputation to convey a sense of high quality, are more sensitive to the negative effects of price promotions, while fast­-fashion brands are less affected. Additionally, consumers in the luxury-­promotion category had higher self­-esteem than those in the fast­-fashion promotion category, and consumers had higher levels of social­-display-­self­esteem, when consuming luxury­-fashion brands. This dissertation provides theoretical and managerial implications for fashion retailers and marketing management in understanding the potential positive and negative effects of price promotions on apparel consumption for different brand categories.A indústria da moda contribui significativamente para a economia global, e neste setor, faz-se um uso constante de promoções para atrair clientes e aumentar as vendas. No entanto, o impacto destas promoções na perceção de qualidade e valor dos consumidores pode variar dependendo do tipo de produto. Este estudo visa investigar o efeito das promoções na perceção de qualidade e valor que os consumidores atribuem ao vestuário, bem como o impacto na sua autoestima, e na autoestima que resulta da exibição pública dos produtos, com foco nas diferenças entre marcas de luxo e fast-fashion. Foi utilizado um design experimental entre indivíduos, tendo sido recolhidos e analisados dados através de um questionário online, para comparar os efeitos de promoções nas perceções e comportamentos dos consumidores, nas diferentes categorias de marcas. As conclusões revelaram que as promoções têm efeitos negativos no valor percebido dos bens de luxo, mas o efeito inverso foi observado nas marcas de fast-fashion. Relativamente à qualidade percebida, as marcas de luxo, que dependem da sua imagem e reputação, são mais sensíveis aos efeitos negativos das promoções, do que as marcas de fast-fashion. Adicionalmente, os consumidores da categoria de promoção de luxo apresentaram níveis de autoestima superior aos da promoção de fast-fashion, e níveis mais elevados de autoestima resultante da exibição pública dos produtos ao consumirem marcas de luxo. Esta dissertação proporciona implicações teóricas e práticas de gestão na compreensão dos potenciais efeitos positivos e negativos das promoções no consumo de vestuário para diferentes categorias de marcas

Assessing the need for adaptive radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients using an automatic planning tool

BACKGROUND: Unbiased analysis of the impact of adaptive radiotherapy (ART) is necessary to evaluate dosimetric benefit and optimize clinics’ workflows. The aim of the study was to assess the need for adaptive radiotherapy (ART) in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients using an automatic planning tool in a retrospective planning study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty H&N patients treated with adaptive radiotherapy were analysed. Patients had a CT scan for treatment planning and a verification CT during treatment according to the clinic’s protocol. Considering these images, three plans were retrospectively generated using the iCycle tool to simulate the scenarios with and without adaptation: 1) the optimized plan based on the planning CT; 2) the optimized plan based on the verification CT (ART-plan); 3) the plan obtained by considering treatment plan 1 re-calculated in the verification CT (non-ART plan). The dosimetric endpoints for both target volumes and OAR were compared between scenarios 2 and 3 and the SPIDERplan used to evaluate plan quality. RESULTS: The most significant impact of ART was found for the PTVs, which demonstrated decreased D98% in the non-ART plan. A general increase in the dose was observed for the OAR but only the spinal cord showed a statistical significance. The SPIDERplan analysis indicated an overall loss of plan quality in the absence of ART. CONCLUSION: These results confirm the advantages of ART in H&N patients, especially for the coverage of target volumes. The usage of an automatic planning tool reduces planner-induced bias in the results, guaranteeing that the observed changes derive from the application of ART.

Relação entre a Fadiga e a Atividade Física na DPOC

Introdução e Objetivos: A Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crónica (DPOC) manifesta-se através da dispneia, tosse e expetoração. Porém, o 2º sintoma mais prevalente – a fadiga - é muitas vezes negligenciado e pode estar associado a uma menor capacidade para a prática de Atividade Física (AF). Assim, explorou-se a relação entre a fadiga e a AF na DPOC, e a influência de outros fatores na fadiga (objetivo secundário). Material e Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo transversal em pessoas com DPOC. Foram recolhidos dados de espirometria e dos instrumentos: Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) para avaliar a dispneia; n.º de exacerbações no último ano; classificação GOLD e ABCD; Checklist of Individual Strength (CIS20) e a sua Dimensão Subjetiva de Fadiga (DSF); acelerómetro Actigraph GT3X para avaliar a AF (i.e., AF leve, AF Moderada-a-Vigorosa (AFMV), AF total e n.º de passos). Realizaram-se correlações de Spearman (ρ) e de Phi (ϕ) e regressões lineares. Resultados: A amostra incluiu 83 participantes (68±8 anos; 83% homens; 47±18 FEV1% previsto), em que 72% relatou presença de fadiga (DSF≥27) e apresentou uma média de 73±25 no score total do CIS20-P. Foi observada uma correlação negativa entre a fadiga e a AF (AFMV e CIS20-P: ρ=-0,29; AFMV e DSF: ρ=-0,28; passos/dia e CIS20-P: ρ=-0,30; passos/dia e DSF: ρ=-0,25) (p<0,05). Verificaram-se correlações positivas entre a fadiga e as exacerbações (CIS20-P: ρ=0,30; DSF: ρ=0,27), classificação ABCD (CIS20-P: ρ=0,43; DSF: ρ=0,38) e a dispneia (CIS20-P ρ=0,50; DSF: ρ=0,47) (p<0,05). A correlação entre ‘ter fadiga’ e a participação num programa de reabilitação respiratória, hábitos tabágicos e nível de dispneia (mMRC<2 vs. mMRC≥2) foi fraca (ϕ= 0,12, ϕ= 0,16, ϕ= 0,30, respetivamente). A dispneia revelou-se o maior preditor do CIS20-P e da DSF (ambos β=0,48, p<0,005). Conclusões: As pessoas com DPOC menos ativas apresentam maiores níveis de fadiga, embora a relação seja fraca. A dispneia parece ter a maior influência sobre a fadiga. São necessários mais estudos para explorar a relação entre a fadiga, a AF e outros fatores nesta população.N/

Development of multifunctional liposomes containing magnetic/plasmonic MnFe2O4/Au core/shell nanoparticles

Multifunctional liposomes containing manganese ferrite/gold core/shell nanoparticles were developed. These magnetic/plasmonic nanoparticles were covered by a lipid bilayer or entrapped in liposomes, which form solid or aqueous magnetoliposomes as nanocarriers for simultaneous chemotherapy and phototherapy. The core/shell nanoparticles were characterized by UV/Visible absorption, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID). The magnetoliposomes were characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and TEM. Fluorescence-based techniques (FRET, steady-state emission, and anisotropy) investigated the incorporation of a potential anti-tumor drug (a thienopyridine derivative) in these nanosystems. The core/shell nanoparticles exhibit sizes of 25 ± 2 nm (from TEM), a plasmonic absorption band (λmax = 550 nm), and keep magnetic character. XRD measurements allowed for the estimation of 13.3 nm diameter for manganese ferrite core and 11.7 nm due to the gold shell. Aqueous magnetoliposomes, with hydrodynamic diameters of 152 ± 18 nm, interact with model membranes by fusion and are able to transport the anti-tumor compound in the lipid membrane, with a high encapsulation efficiency (EE (%) = 98.4 ± 0.8). Solid magnetoliposomes exhibit hydrodynamic diameters around 140 nm and also carry successfully the anticancer drug (with EE (%) = 91.2 ± 5.2), while also being promising as agents for phototherapy. The developed multifunctional liposomes can be promising as therapeutic agents for combined chemo/phototherapy.European Fund of Regional Development (FEDER), COMPETE2020 and Portugal2020. This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding of CF-UM-UP (UID/FIS/04650/2013) and CQUM (UID/QUI/00686/2016) and through the research project PTDC/QUI-QFI/28020/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028020), financed by the European Fund of Regional Development (FEDER), COMPETE2020 and Portugal2020. The APC was also funded by FCT. A.R.O.R. acknowledges FCT for a research grant under UID/FIS/04650/2013 funding.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio