Analysis of member retention in fitness through satisfaction, attributes perception, expectations and well-being

The objective of this study was to understand how attributes perception, expectations, well-being and satisfaction influence membership retention in fitness clubs. To what extent do the perception of the service attributes by the members; the expectations, what is expected from a certain service; the well-being, pleasant feeling of body and mind; and the satisfaction, contentment of needs and desires, influence retention in fitness clubs. Data from a sample of 2,250 fitness club members were collected from a Fitness Network; statistical analysis included descriptive and inferential analysis. The inferential study was based on factor analysis involving extraction of principal components with Varimax. Path analysis was subsequently performed, through multiple linear regressions and analytical model representation. It was observed that well-being in the club is the variable with the largest causal effect on membership retention, followed by the facilities and equipment, expectations and, less relevantly, human resources, and finally innovation and services. The results indicate that fitness clubs should focus on club maintenance, offer suitable and modern facilities and equipment, and strive to cultivate strong customer relationships, in order to provide a pleasant experience to club members and increase the duration of their training sessions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estudo de caracterização de adultos idosos dependentes de substâncias

Mestrado em Psicologia - Psicologia Clínica e da SaúdeO principal objetivo da presente dissertação é caracterizar os utentes ativos do CRIA, com 50 anos ou mais, sociodemográficamente; relativamente aos consumos e do ponto de vista clínico, comparando-os consoante o programa de tratamento de manutenção opióide em que se inserem. O crescente envelhecimento da população traz novos desafios, como o envelhecimento da população com perturbações pelo uso de substâncias (EMCDA, 2010). Este grupo tem estado a aumentar e espera-se que continue até pelo menos 2020 (Han, Gfroerer, Colliver, & Penne, 2009). Apesar disso, o desconhecimento do fenómeno é grande e são necessários mais estudos, especialmente devido às vulnerabilidades específicas desta faixa etária. Dos 102 utentes ativos, desta faixa etária, 71 reúnem as condições necessárias para participar no estudo e 42 realizaram a avaliação psicológica. A bateria de avaliação consistiu nos seguintes instrumentos: BSI, MOCA, IAFAI, GDS e WHOQOL-Bref e a análise de dados foi realizada através do SPSS – Versão 20. Foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre os dois programas de tratamento no MOCA, no WHOQOL-Bref (domínio 2 e 4) e no IAFAI (IE). Em todos esses casos o programa de manutenção com metadona obteve piores resultados clínicos que o programa de manutenção com buprenorfina. A amostra global diferiu significativamente da população normal no WHOQOL-Bref (domínio geral), obtendo piores resultados de qualidade de vida; e em alguns domínios do BSI, obtendo melhores resultados de sintomatologia psicológica. Apesar das diferenças encontradas, a amostra encontra-se melhor do que seria de esperar face ao contexto de vida em que se insere.The main goal of this dissertation is to characterize the active patients of the CRIA, with 50 or more years, social and demographically; in respect to their consumption and clinically, comparing them according to the program of opioid maintenance treatment received by them. The growing aging of the general population brings new challenges such as the increase of the age population with substance use disorders (EMCDA, 2010). This group has been increasing and is expected to continue until at least 2020 (Han, Gfroerer, Colliver, & Penne, 2009). Nevertheless, the ignorance of this phenomenon is huge and more studies are largely necessary, especially due to the specific vulnerabilities of this age group. Of the 102 active patients in this age group, 71 meet the necessary conditions for participating in the study and 42 underwent psychological evaluation. The assessment battery consisted of the following instruments: BSI, MOCA, IAFAI, GDS and WHOQOL-Bref and data analysis was performed using SPSS - Version 20. Significant differences between the two treatment programs were found at MOCA, WHOQOL-Bref (domain 2 and 4) and IAFAI (IE). In all these cases the methadone maintenance program got worse clinical outcomes than the buprenorphine maintenance program. The global sample differed significantly from the normal population in the WHOQOL-Bref (general domain), showing worst results of quality of life; and in some domains of the BSI, obtaining better results of psychological symptomatology. Despite those differences the sample is better than expected due the life context in which they are embedded

Multiresponsive supramolecular systems for information processing at the molecular level

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Química SustentávelInformation processing at the molecular level requires systems able to move between several states under control of specific inputs. Flavylium salts (2-phenyl-1-benzopyrylium salts)analogues of naturally occurring anthocyanin dyes, are a versatile family of molecules that illustrates the multistate/multiresponsive concept. On the basis of the pH and light dependent network of chemical reactions of the flavylium network, different forms can be obtained by external stimuli exhibiting different properties. The research work developed in the framework of this PhD thesis aimed the synthesis and study of multiresponsive covalently linked supramolecular systems, based on a flavylium unit coupled redox-active and/or metal-complexing moieties. It is intended to increase the number of stimuli in the complex network of flavylium, including electrons and metal ions besides protons and photons (flavylium). In an initial study, two new benzopyrylium salts with directly attached metalcomplexing groups were synthesized and characterized (Chapter 2). The electrical stimulus was introduced with a viologen (Chapter 3) and finally redox- and photoactive units such as Ru(II)polypyridyl complexes (Chapter 4) are discussed. Regarding their possible applications as model compounds to optical memories, it is expected to achieve with these new systems a larger number of states, which allow increased functionality and versatility

Fitness industry: the influence of service attributes in membership renewal

Nowadays there are several scientific researches about factors that encourage intention to renew and consequently promote retention. Alexandris, Zahariadis, Tsorbatzoudis & Grouios (2004) consider expectations and the influence of satisfaction in retention with Murray and Howat (2002). Green (2005) focuses on motivation for the participation and commitment in physical activity. Bodet (2006) mentions that the quality is related to the member perception of results. Although the service attributes don´t have the same value and consequently don’t have the same influence in satisfaction (Bodet, 2006), it is necessary to understand the more significant attributes

A new model for explaining long-range correlations in human time interval production

Time series displaying long-range correlations have been observed in numerous fields, such as biology, psychology, hydrology, and economics, among others. For rhythmic movements such as tapping tasks, the Wing–Kristofferson model offers a decomposition of the inter-response intervals based on a cognitive component and on a motor component. It has been suggested that the cognitive component should be modeled as a long- memory process and the motor component should be treated as a white noise process. Some probabilistic explanations for long-range dependences have been proposed, such as the aggregation of short-memory processes, the renewal-reward processes, and the error-duration processes. A new approach to the Wing–Kristofferson model which provides insights into the origin of long memory based on regime-switching processes is proposed. Under some assumptions, the autocorrelation function and the spectral density function of the model are obtained. Furthermore, an estimator of the parameters based on the maximization of the frequency-domain representation of the likelihood function is proposed. A simulation study evaluating the sample properties of this estimator is performed. Finally, an experimental study involving tapping tasks with two target frequencies is presented.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Parameterized estimation of long-range correlation and variance components in human serial interval production

Parameterized estimation of long-range correlation and variance components in human serial interval production Repetitive movements lead to isochronous serial interval production which exhibit inherent variability. The Wing-Kristofferson model offers a decomposition of the interresponse intervals in tapping tasks based on a cognitive component and on a motor component. We suggest a new theoretical and fully parametric approach to this model in which the cognitive component is modeled as a long-memory process and the motor component is treated as a white noise process, mutually independent. Under these assumptions, we obtained the autocorrelation function and the spectral density function. Furthermore, we propose an estimator based on the maximization of the frequency-domain representation of the likelihood function. Finally, we conducted a simulation study to assess the properties of this estimator and performed an experimental study involving tapping tasks with two target frequencies (1.250 Hz and 0.625 Hz) .info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lithics in a Mesolithic Shell Midden: New Data from Poças de São Bento (Portugal).

The development, since 2010, of a research project on the Mesolithic of the Sado valley has provided new insights into the study of the lithic technology of the last hunter-gatherer societies. The new excavations carried out at Poças de São Bento shell midden, one of the largest and richest sites identified in the Sado valley, include a protocol for the systematic recovery and recording of archaeological remains, including the water sieving of all the excavated sediments. Therefore, as the new lithic materials do not suffer from any excavation or previous selection bias, it is possible to characterize raw material resources, lithic reduction strategies, tool production and functional areas in a more reliable approach. Selecting a specific excavation area and two different stratigraphic units for analyses allowed us to evaluate site integrity and to test some conventional interpretations concerning tool production and discard. Besides the common lithic blanks (flakes and bladelets) and tools (geometric armatures) already known from previous archaeological works, the analysed sample showed an unsuspected amount of non-characteristic debris, which was underrepresented in the collections of the 1950s, 1960s and even the 1980s. This fact is not exclusively related to the applied recovery methods; it also relates to the existence of intra-site variability (different functional areas) as recent investigations at the shell midden seem to indicate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O Regulamento (CE) n.º 1060/2009 e os problemas das notações de risco: o caso particular da dívida soberana

As sucessivas e acentuadas deteriorações das notações de risco de alguns Estados durante a crise financeira, pelo seu impacto na estabilidade financeira do próprio país e pelo seu efeito sistémico noutros países e mercados, têm reacendido a atenção dos reguladores comunitários quanto à qualidade das notações atribuídas pelas agências de rating. Na medida em que a preocupação com a qualidade das notações só tem razão de ser quando estas condicionam o comportamento dos agentes financeiros e o funcionamento do mercado (seja por imposição legal e regulamentar – por exemplo, por imposição da Directiva 2006/48/CE, respeitante ao cálculo dos requisitos mínimos dos fundos próprios das instituições de crédito –, seja pelo ascendente que possuem em relação aos intervenientes no mercado, que, numa atitude acrítica face ao risco, depositam excessiva confiança nos ratings), procura-se nesta tese identificar as fontes dessa dependência, estreitamente associada à inegável utilidade dos ratings em geral, bem como o impacto das notações, outlooks e credit watches de Estados no preço dos valores mobiliários e na estabilidade financeira em geral. Analisa-se, em particular, uma tentativa de solução do problema da qualidade e dependência das notações de risco - o Regulamento (CE) n.º 1060/2009, relativo às agências de notação de risco, recentemente alterado pelo Regulamento (UE) n.º 513/2011, de 11 de Maio e objecto de uma nova proposta de alteração, apresentada pela Comissão Europeia em 15 de Novembro de 2011.The successive and abrupt rating downgrades of some sovereigns during the financial crisis, given their systemic impact in other Sovereigns and markets, have gathered EU regulators attention to the quality of the ratings assigned by credit rating agencies. Considering that the worries on the quality of ratings arise from their impact in the functioning of financial markets (either driven by legal requirements – for instance, the Directive 2006/48/EC regarding the minimum capital requirements for financial institutions – or the excessive confidence by market participants on ratings, therefore performing a less critical judgment regarding risks), this study identifies the sources of that dependence, which is linked to the usefulness of ratings, and also identifies the impacts of rating changes, outlooks and credit watches of sovereigns in the pricing of financial instruments and in the overall financial stability. This study examines, in particular, one of the tentative avenues to solve the identified problem of quality and over-reliance on ratings - Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on credit rating agencies, recently amended by Regulation (EU) No 513/2011, of 11 May and a new proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009, announced by the European Commission on the 15th November