Measuring consumer perceptions of online shopping convenience

The aim of this master thesis is to identify which dimensions of convenience affect consumers’ intention of using online shopping. Also it explores a conceptual model to measuring consumer perceptions of online shopping convenience. This paper contains prospects about online consumer behavior, and the results have important implications for retailers, managers and marketers, related to online shopping strategies. An empirical investigation was carried out to test the hypotheses. In order to answer the research question, data collection was done through a web-based survey with a convenient sample as a means to collect customers’ feedback, opinion, feelings, attitudes, and perceptions about their last online shopping experience. The findings were further discussed in the light of existing literature. The sample includes 250 young Portuguese anonymous participants. It was used a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in the scale validation for the analysis and measurement of specific constructs and a Structural Equation Model (SEM) in order to test the relationships of the model. The results reveal that the model proposed Possession, Transaction and Evaluation are the dimensions with more influence in online shopping convenience. The outcomes of this study help to understand which dimensions of online convenience prevent or encourage the use intention of online shopping. The results not only help develop a better understanding of online shopping theories for researchers, but they also offer viable knowledge to those involved in promoting online shopping to potential purchasers

miRNAs detection for non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis

Lung cancer is one of the most severe and prevalent cancers worldwide. Last year, it was responsible for around two million new cases, and represented the leading cancer regarding mortality. Lung cancer subtype non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes the majority of total lung cancer cases, getting generally diagnosed in advanced stages. Current NSCLC diagnosis approaches lack of sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, most accurate NSCLC diagnosis comprises risky patient-invasive procedures like biopsies. The forward-looking demand for new innovative NSCLC diagnosis approaches that could reinforce ongoing procedures is crucial for an even more precise NSCLC staging and early diagnosis. Recently, new molecular biomarkers are emerging as potential non-invasive diagnostic agents for early-stage NSCLC screening, including multiple miRNAs that display an unusual expression profile in NSCLC. Furthermore, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) miRNA profile could relate to NSCLC diagnosis. Molecular beacons (MBs) are oligonucleotide probes with a stem-loop structural configuration capable of detect specific nucleic acid sequences throughout fluorescence. The following work studied the development of an in situ MB-based strategy for miRNA detection in NSCLC biological samples. Initially, plasma and PBMCs were isolated from whole blood samples from NSCLC and healthy individuals. miRNA expression profile was screened in PBMCs by RT-qPCR analysis, and further MBs were designed targeting selected miRNAs. Obtained results revealed an upregulated expression of miR-21-3p, miR-21-5p, miR-155-3p and miR-3662 in NSCLC PBMCs, whereas levels of miR-92b-5p, miR-150-3p, miR-155-5p and miR-181a-5p were reduced. Therefore, an in situ method involving miR-21 detection in PBMCs via MBs was shaped and optimized. Accomplished results demonstrated the developed MB approach potential towards miR-21 detection in PBMCs for NSCLC diagnosis.O cancro do pulmão é considerado um dos mais severos e prevalentes a nível mundial. Em 2020 foi responsável por cerca de dois milhões de novos casos, assim como teve a mais elevada taxa de mortalidade. O cancro do pulmão de não-pequenas células (CPNPC) é o subtipo de cancro do pulmão mais comum, sendo geralmente diagnosticado em estadios avançados. A procura por novas metodologias para o diagnóstico do CPNPC que possam reforçar os procedimentos já praticados é crucial para um diagnóstico precoce e caraterização mais precisa do cancro. Recentemente, novos biomarcadores moleculares estão a surgir como potenciais alvos para o diagnóstico precoce e não-invasivo do CPNPC, nos quais se enquadram múltiplos microRNAs (miRNAs) com expressão alterada. Adicionalmente, o perfil de expressão de miRNAs em plasma e células mononucleares do sangue periférico está conectado com o diagnóstico e estadio do CPNPC. Sondas moleculares são sequências de oligonucleótidos com uma configuração estrutural em stem-loop que lhes permite detetar sequências específicas de ácidos nucleicos através de um sinal fluorescente. O trabalho apresentado estudou o desenvolvimento de uma abordagem in situ baseada em sondas moleculares para a deteção de miRNAs em amostras biológicas para o diagnóstico do CPNPC. O perfil de expressão de miRNAs foi analisado em células mononucleares do sangue periférico através da técnica de RT-qPCR, e posteriormente foram desenhadas sondas moleculares direcionadas para os miRNAs selecionados. Os resultados obtidos mostraram um perfil sob expresso para o microRNA 21-3p (miR-21-3p), miR-21-5p, miR-155-3p e miR-3662 em células mononucleares do sangue periférico de CPNPC, nas quais o miR-92b-5p, miR-150-3p, miR155-3p e o miR-181a-5p apresentaram uma expressão reduzida relativamente aos controlos. Consequentemente, uma abordagem in situ envolvendo sondas moleculares foi desenvolvida, a qual mostrou potencial para a deteção do miR-21 em RNA total de células mononucleares do sangue periférico para o diagnóstico de CPNPC

Forensic Box for Quick Network-Based Security Assessments

Network security assessments are seen as important, yet cumbersome and time consuming tasks, mostly due to the use of different and manually operated tools. These are often very specialized tools that need to be mastered and combined, besides requiring sometimes that a testing environment is set up. Nonetheless, in many cases, it would be useful to obtain an audit in a swiftly and on-demand manner, even if with less detail. In such cases, these audits could be used as an initial step for a more detailed evaluation of the network security, as a complement to other audits, or aid in preventing major data leaks and system failures due to common configuration, management or implementation issues. This dissertation describes the work towards the design and development of a portable system for quick network security assessments and the research on the automation of many tasks (and associated tools) composing that process. An embodiment of such system was built using a Raspberry Pi 2, several well known open source tools, whose functions vary from network discovery, service identification, Operating System (OS) fingerprinting, network sniffing and vulnerability discovery, and custom scripts and programs for connecting all the different parts that comprise the system. The tools are integrated in a seamless manner with the system, to allow deployment in wired or wireless network environments, where the device carries out a mostly automated and thorough analysis. The device is near plug-and-play and produces a structured report at the end of the assessment. Several simple functions, such as re-scanning the network or doing Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) poisoning on the network are readily available through a small LCD display mounted on top of the device. It offers a web based interface for finer configuration of the several tools and viewing the report, aso developed within the scope of this work. Other specific outputs, such as PCAP files with collected traffic, are available for further analysis. The system was operated in controlled and real networks, so as to verify the quality of its assessments. The obtained results were compared with the results obtained through manually auditing the same networks. The achieved results showed that the device was able to detect many of the issues that the human auditor detected, but showed some shortcomings in terms of some specific vulnerabilities, mainly Structured Query Language (SQL) injections. The image of the OS with the pre-configured tools, automation scripts and programs is available for download from [Ber16b]. It comprises one of the main outputs of this work.As avaliações de segurança de uma rede (e dos seus dispositivos) são vistas como tarefas importantes, mas pesadas e que consomem bastante tempo, devido à utilização de diferentes ferramentas manuais. Normalmente, estas ferramentas são bastante especializadas e exigem conhecimento prévio e habituação, e muitas vezes a necessidade de criar um ambiente de teste. No entanto, em muitos casos, seria útil obter uma auditoria rápida e de forma mais direta, ainda que pouco profunda. Nesses moldes, poderia servir como passo inicial para uma avaliação mais detalhada, complementar outra auditoria, ou ainda ajudar a prevenir fugas de dados e falhas de sistemas devido a problemas comuns de configuração, gestão ou implementação dos sistemas. Esta dissertação descreve o trabalho efetuado com o objetivo de desenhar e desenvolver um sistema portátil para avaliações de segurança de uma rede de forma rápida, e também a investigação efetuada com vista à automação de várias tarefas (e ferramentas associadas) que compõem o processo de auditoria. Uma concretização do sistema foi criada utilizando um Raspberry Pi 2, várias ferramentas conhecidas e de código aberto, cujas funcionalidades variam entre descoberta da rede, identificação de sistema operativo, descoberta de vulnerabilidades a captura de tráfego na rede, e scripts e programas personalizados que interligam as várias partes que compõem o sistema. As ferramentas são integradas de forma transparente no sistema, que permite ser lançado em ambientes cablados ou wireless, onde o dispositivo executa uma análise meticulosa e maioritariamente automatizada. O dispositivo é praticamente plug and play e produz um relatório estruturado no final da avaliação. Várias funções simples, tais como analisar novamente a rede ou efetuar ataques de envenenamento da cache Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) na rede estão disponíveis através de um pequeno ecrã LCD montado no topo do dispositivo. Este oferece ainda uma interface web, também desenvolvida no contexto do trabalho, para configuração mais específica das várias ferramentas e para obter acesso ao relatório da avaliação. Outros outputs mais específicos, como ficheiros com tráfego capturado, estão disponíveis a partir desta interface. O sistema foi utilizado em redes controladas e reais, de forma a verificar a qualidade das suas avaliações. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com aqueles obtidos através de auditoria manual efetuada às mesmas redes. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o dispositivo deteta a maioria dos problemas que um auditor detetou manualmente, mas mostrou algumas falhas na deteção de algumas vulnerabilidades específicas, maioritariamente injeções Structured Query Language (SQL). A imagem do Sistema Operativo com as ferramentas pré-configuradas, scripts de automação e programas está disponível para download de [Ber16b]. Esta imagem corresponde a um dos principais resultados deste trabalho

Devices and Data Workflow in COPD Wearable Remote Patient Monitoring: A Systematic Review

Background: With global increase in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) prevalence and mortality rates, and socioeconomical burden continuing to rise, current disease management strategies appear inadequate, paving the way for technological solutions, namely remote patient monitoring (RPM), adoption considering its acute disease events management benefit. One RPM’s category stands out, wearable devices, due to its availability and apparent ease of use. Objectives: To assess the current market and interventional solutions regarding wearable devices in the remote monitoring of COPD patients through a systematic review design from a device composition, data workflow, and collected parameters description standpoint. Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify wearable device trends in this population through the development of a comprehensive search strategy, searching beyond the mainstream databases, and aggregating diverse information found regarding the same device. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and quality appraisal of identified studies was performed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) quality appraisal checklists. Results: The review resulted on the identification of 1590 references, of which a final 79 were included. 56 wearable devices were analysed, with the slight majority belonging to the wellness devices class. Substantial device heterogeneity was identified regarding device composition type and wearing location, and data workflow regarding 4 considered components. Clinical monitoring devices are starting to gain relevance in the market and slightly over a third, aim to assist COPD patients and healthcare professionals in exacerbation prediction. Compliance with validated recommendations is still lacking, with no devices assessing the totality of recommended vital signs. Conclusions: The identified heterogeneity, despite expected considering the relative novelty of wearable devices, alerts for the need to regulate the development and research of these technologies, specially from a structural and data collection and transmission standpoints.Introdução: Com o aumento global das taxas de prevalência e mortalidade da Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crónica (DPOC) e o seu impacto socioeconómico, as atuais estratégias de gestão da doença parecem inadequadas, abrindo caminho para soluções tecnológicas, nomeadamente para a adoção da monitorização remota, tendo em conta o seu benefício na gestão de exacerbações de doenças crónicas. Dentro destaca-se uma categoria, os dispositivos wearable, pela sua disponibilidade e aparente facilidade de uso. Objetivos: Avaliar as soluções existentes, tanto no mercado, como na área de investigação, relativas a dispositivos wearable utilizados na monitorização remota de pacientes com DPOC através de uma revisão sistemática, do ponto de vista da composição do dispositivo, fluxo de dados e descrição dos parâmetros coletados. Métodos: Uma revisão sistemática foi realizada para identificar tendências destes dispositivos, através do desenvolvimento de uma estratégia de pesquisa abrangente, procurando pesquisar para além das databases convencionais e agregar diversas informações encontradas sobre o mesmo dispositivo. Para tal, foram seguidas as diretrizes PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), e a avaliação da qualidade dos estudos identificados foi realizada utilizando a ferramenta CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme). Resultados: A revisão resultou na identificação de 1590 referências, das quais 79 foram incluídas. Foram analisados 56 dispositivos wearable, com a ligeira maioria a pertencer à classe de dispositivos de wellness. Foi identificada heterogeneidade substancial nos dispositivos em relação à sua composição, local de uso e ao fluxo de dados em relação a 4 componentes considerados. Os dispositivos de monitorização clínica já evidenciam alguma relevância no mercado e, pouco mais de um terço, visam auxiliar pacientes com DPOC e profissionais de saúde na previsão de exacerbações. Ainda assim, é notória a falta do cumprimento das recomendações validadas, não estando disponíveis dispositivos que avaliem a totalidade dos sinais vitais recomendados. Conclusão: A heterogeneidade identificada, apesar de esperada face à relativa novidade dos dispositivos wearable, alerta para a necessidade de regulamentação do desenvolvimento e investigação destas tecnologias, especialmente do ponto de vista estrutural e de recolha e transmissão de dados

The business model through an ecosystem perspective: An exploratory approach applied to a cultural card

This paper aims to explore the relationship between the concepts of business model and ecosystem, applied to the creation of cultural cards that generate symbolic, cultural, social and economic value. This is a hybrid study - conceptual and empirical - and exploratory, based on literature review and data analysis collected by 602 questionnaires and 27 interviews. Was conducted a mixed methodology, qualitative and quantitative, and an interpretivist paradigm of constructivist nature. Three main conclusions were drawn. The first suggests that a cultural card is only viable if designed and managed as a business model, with all blocks coherent and articulated with each other and executed in synchronization. The second configures a cultural card as a complex network of interdependent actors functioning in an ecosystem logic that enhances economic growth affirmed by creative competitiveness. The third points out a cultural card as a cultural agent, for the symbolic value it promotes dominated by the discourse of ‘now’ and ‘already’, inherent in the access-based economy This paper: (1) perspectives that cultural and creative development involves the creation of a valuable macro ecosystem and a robust national network articulated with local and specific micro ecosystems; (2) evidences the importance of creativity and innovation, inherent to the business model, for the production and diffusion of knowledge, fruition and democratization of culture in the face of the diversity of emerging market segments and (3) provides propositions applicable to the universe of cultural and creative industries that are carriers of new insights that can be explored and knowledge increased. The value of this paper lies in the exploration of a new look at the theme of cultural cards embodied in a logic of an ecosystemic business model.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Glass Microfluidic platforms for molecular detection by SERS

Nowadays due to increasing concerns in public health, technologies have been developed for the sensitive detection of food contaminants. Since current methods are time-consum-ing, expensive and complex to operate, this project has as the objective to develop a mi-crofluidics device for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). SERS consists in a simple, robust, sensitive and fast technique for detection of ves-tigial components that can be advantageously adapted to the detection of food contami-nants. In order to develop an appropriate substrate for SERS, a study was performed of different parameters for the hydrothermal synthesis of zinc oxide nanorods (temperature, time and pH). Afterwards, they were covered with silver nanoparticles with different thicknesses (2, 4, 6 e 8 nm) deposited by physical vapour deposition (PVD), originating the substrate Ag NPs@ZnONRs. The efficiency of the different substrates was similar, regardless the thickness of silver, with enhancement factor (EF) values around 105~106. Simultaneously, obelisk nanorods were developed with good SERS efficiency, and EFs around 106. Finally, it was created a microfluidics device in PDMS, which allowed to observe the SERS signal of a rhodamine-6G solution in its interior. The assays performed in the work allowed to infer the behaviour of SERS signal with different geometric parameters of components of SERS substrates