e-RetailTest: Scale to Assess the Attitude of Consumers towards E-Commerce in the Retail Sector

Changes in consumer behavior are driven by tastes and preferences that change over time as their socioeconomic conditions change. The objective of this study was to validate the psychometric characteristics of the e-RetailTest scale, created to measure consumer attitudes towards online shopping in developing countries, particularly in the Peruvian market. The e-RetailTest evaluates five variables present in the online purchase process: (a) quality of web design, (b) risk when making a purchase, (c) customer service, (d) security and (e) satisfaction, with a total of twenty items using a Likert scale. A total of 422 valid responses were collected from Peruvian consumers who had had online shopping experience in the retail sector. Statistically, we worked with the AFE exploratory factor analysis and the AFC confirmatory factor analysis. The results suggest that this first version of the e-RetailTest presents adequate psychometric evidence to measure the attitude of consumers towards online purchases in the retail sector in the Peruvian market. Thus, it seeks to contribute to the advancement of the study of these important variables of Latin American consumer behavior

e-RetailTest: Scale to Assess the Attitude of Consumers towards E-Commerce in the Retail Sector

Changes in consumer behavior are driven by tastes and preferences that change over time as their socioeconomic conditions change. The objective of this study was to validate the psychometric characteristics of the e-RetailTest scale, created to measure consumer attitudes towards online shopping in developing countries, particularly in the Peruvian market. The e-RetailTest evaluates five variables present in the online purchase process: (a) quality of web design, (b) risk when making a purchase, (c) customer service, (d) security and (e) satisfaction, with a total of twenty items using a Likert scale. A total of 422 valid responses were collected from Peruvian consumers who had had online shopping experience in the retail sector. Statistically, we worked with the AFE exploratory factor analysis and the AFC confirmatory factor analysis. The results suggest that this first version of the e-RetailTest presents adequate psychometric evidence to measure the attitude of consumers towards online purchases in the retail sector in the Peruvian market. Thus, it seeks to contribute to the advancement of the study of these important variables of Latin American consumer behavior

Estimation of Indoor 222Rn Concentration in Lima, Peru Using LR-115 Nuclear Track Detectors Exposed in Different Modes

Radon is the main source of natural radioactivity, and its measurement is considered extremely important in radioprotection, given its relationship with the occurrence of lung cancer. In the last two years, measurements of this radioactive gas were carried out in Lima considering a grid of 5 km (Formula presented.) and the population density to determine the number of measurements to be carried out. Cellulose nitrate nuclear track detectors exposed in bare mode and diffusion chamber mode were used to estimate (Formula presented.) Rn concentrations. In diffusion chamber mode, non-commercial monitors and commercial monitors were used. The monitoring results are presented for 43 districts of the Lima Province whose population is approximately ten million inhabitants occupying a total area of 2655.15 km (Formula presented.). Measurements were made obtaining an average concentration of 49 Bq·m (Formula presented.) using bare detectors and 66 Bq·m (Formula presented.) using non-commercial diffusion chambers. Average concentrations obtained by both detector exposure modes were below the maximum concentration recommended by the WHO. A radon ((Formula presented.) Rn) map was also obtained as a visual representation of the (Formula presented.) Rn levels in the Lima province using inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation

Varejo Online e Varejo Físico: o Caso Nicoboco

The main objective of this study was to identify the differences and similarities of the retail marketing mix. The object examined are the businesses which have physical and online stores, looking for the generic strategies, competitive advantage, target market and positioning. It has been chosen the exploratory qualitative research, via the case study method. The sources of evidence adopted in this study were direct observation in the physical and virtual stores of the Nicoboco company and an in-depth interview with the general manager of the stores, following a semi structured script. From an analysis of these sources it was identified that the company adopts different strategies in the retail marketing mix. For this reason, there may be benefits in the traditional store, for those customers who prefer to touch the product and try it and also for the consumers who do not have access to the physical store and shop by a virtual connection. Therefore, it was understood that companies which sell products in physical and online stores have a competitive advantage over against those who act in only one of them, because they reach a wider audience.O objetivo do estudo foi identificar as diferenças e semelhanças do composto de marketing no segmento de varejo, conhecido também como composto varejista. O olhar recai sobre os negócios com lojas físicas e virtuais, explorando as estratégias genéricas, vantagem competitiva, mercado alvo e posicionamento. Optou-se pela pesquisa exploratória qualitativa, por meio do método de estudo de caso. A partir da análise das fontes de evidência, identificou-se que a empresa adota estratégias distintas no composto de varejo. Por esse motivo, pode haver benefícios na loja tradicional, para aqueles clientes que preferem uma experiência tátil com o produto e, no âmbito virtual, para os consumidores que não têm acesso à loja física. Portanto, compreendeu-se que as empresas que vendem produtos em lojas físicas e on-line acabam tendo uma vantagem competitiva perante aquelas que atuam em apenas uma delas, por poderem atingir um público maior

The Magnitude of Global Marine Species Diversity

Background: The question of how many marine species exist is important because it provides a metric for how much we do and do not know about life in the oceans. We have compiled the first register of the marine species of the world and used this baseline to estimate how many more species, partitioned among all major eukaryotic groups, may be discovered. Results: There are ∼226,000 eukaryotic marine species described. More species were described in the past decade (∼20,000) than in any previous one. The number of authors describing new species has been increasing at a faster rate than the number of new species described in the past six decades. We report that there are ∼170,000 synonyms, that 58,000–72,000 species are collected but not yet described, and that 482,000–741,000 more species have yet to be sampled. Molecular methods may add tens of thousands of cryptic species. Thus, there may be 0.7–1.0 million marine species. Past rates of description of new species indicate there may be 0.5 ± 0.2 million marine species. On average 37% (median 31%) of species in over 100 recent field studies around the world might be new to science. Conclusions: Currently, between one-third and two-thirds of marine species may be undescribed, and previous estimates of there being well over one million marine species appear highly unlikely. More species than ever before are being described annually by an increasing number of authors. If the current trend continues, most species will be discovered this century

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Radiaciones ionizantes y su impacto Primer Simposio Internacional sobre Medioambiente (ISE 2017)

Son ya varias las décadas en las que en América Latina se ha trabajado arduamente sobre las radiaciones ionizantes; tanto en las ionizantes directas, tales como las partículas beta positivas y negativas, las partículas alfa, los protones, los mesones cargados, los muones y los iones pesados, así como también en las ionizantes indirectas (las producidas por partículas sin cargas), como las generadas por fotones con energías superiores a los 10 keV y los neutrones. Por otro lado, las radiaciones no ionizantes también han sido objeto de detallados estudios, y muy especialmente las provenientes del Sol, como el factor natural más influyente sobre la Tierra. En esta obra se presentan algunos de los avances en los que han participado reconocidos científicos latinoamericanos, como el Dr. Héctor Vega Carrillo, Dr. Daniel Palacios, Dra. Patrizia Pereyra, Dra. Sheila Serrano, y el Dr. Manuel Ernesto Delgado, entre otros. Esta obra puede ser de interés para profesionales del área de la protección radiológica, la ingeniería ambiental, física de la atmósfera y áreas afines, así como para estudiantes

Categorización del estado de conservación de los anfibios de la República Argentina

A más de una década de la primera Lista Roja de herpetofauna propuesta por la Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (Lavilla et al., 2000), se recategorizaron los anfibios a partir de nueva información taxonómica, biogeográfica, bio-ecológica y de modificaciones metodológicas respecto a la evaluación anterior. Mediante la participación de 35 especialistas de toda la Argentina se reevaluaron 175 taxones de anfibios (171 en la anterior) incluyendo 23 taxones nuevos para Argentina y obteniéndose como resultado la inclusión de 51 especies en la Lista Roja (8 En Peligro, 11 Amenazadas, 32 Vulnerables), 21 Insuficientemente Conocidas y 103 No Amenazadas. En relación con la categorización anterior de la AHA, los cambios de categorías han sido: un taxón descendió de las categorías En Peligro a Amenazado, siete taxones descendieron de Amenazados o Vulnerables a Insuficientemente Conocidos y nueve de Insuficientemente Conocidos a No Amenazados. Tres No Amenazados y 10 Insuficientemente Conocidos fueron elevados a distintas categorías de amenaza, nueve taxones Vulnerables fueron elevados a Amenazados, cinco de Vulnerables a En Peligro, y un taxón fue elevado de Amenazado a En Peligro. De 23 taxones no evaluados en el 2000, 16 se ubican en la categoría No Amenazados, tres en Insuficientemente Conocidos y cuatro en Vulnerables. Estas modificaciones son el resultado de: (1) mayor información sistemática, biogeográfica y bio-ecológica disponible para la evaluación,(2) cambios en cuanto a las presiones antrópicas sobre las especies o sus hábitats, (3) modificaciones metodológicas que incluyeron instructivos para aplicar los conceptos, la discusión y consenso entre especialistas y el análisis de las incertidumbres.More than a decade after the first red list of herpetofauna proposed by the Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (Lavilla et al., 2000), we recategorized amphibians based on new taxonomic, biogeographical, bio-ecological information and methodological changes in the former evaluation. Through the participation of 35 specialists from all over Argentina 175 taxa of amphibians (171 in the previous categorization) are reevaluated including 23 new taxa added to Argentina, obtaining as results the inclusion of 51 Red List species (8 Endangered, 11 Threatened, 32 Vulnerable), 21 Insufficiently Known and 103 Not Threatened. In relation to the former categorization of the AHA the changes were: one taxon descended from Critically Endangered to Endangered, seven taxa descended from Endangered orVulnerable to Insufficiently Known, and nine from Insufficiently Known to Not Threatened. Three Not Threatened and 10 Insufficiently Known were elevated to different categories of threat, nine taxa were elevated from Endangered to Vulnerable, five from Vulnerable to Endangered, and one from Threatened was elevated to Critically Endangered. Of 23 taxa not evaluated in 2000, 16 are placed as Not Threatened, three Vulnerable, and four Insufficiently Known. These changes are the result of: (1) more available information for evaluation from systematic, biogeography and bio- ecology, (2) changes in human pressures over the species or over their habitats, (3) methodological changes that included recommendations for applying concepts, discussion and consensus among experts and analysis of uncertainties.Asociación Herpetológica Argentin

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research