Technological innovation in banking services: an exploratory analysis to perceptions of the front office employee

It is widely recognized that the increased intensity of competition in the banking sector has had direct implications for financial institutions’ approach to customers and how they define their business strategy. Considering that the current economic stance embraces innovation and technology as fundamental elements of strategic management and business and economic development, new approaches to the relationship between technological innovation and financial services are essential in achieving competitive advantage. Based on this premise, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the main effects of technological innovation on financial services at the bank branch level by evaluating responses from front office employees. The results show that information and communication technologies are an important lever in the modernization of the sector. Practical implications, strengths and limitations of our empirical study are also presented.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Foxj1a is expressed in ependymal precursors, controls central canal position and is activated in new ependymal cells during regeneration in zebrafish

© 2017 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are creditedZebrafish are able to regenerate the spinal cord and recover motor and sensory functions upon severe injury, through the activation of cells located at the ependymal canal. Here, we show that cells surrounding the ependymal canal in the adult zebrafish spinal cord express Foxj1a. We demonstrate that ependymal cells express Foxj1a from their birth in the embryonic neural tube and that Foxj1a activity is required for the final positioning of the ependymal canal. We also show that in response to spinal cord injury, Foxj1a ependymal cells actively proliferate and contribute to the restoration of the spinal cord structure. Finally, this study reveals that Foxj1a expression in the injured spinal cord is regulated by regulatory elements activated during regeneration. These data establish Foxj1a as a pan-ependymal marker in development, homeostasis and regeneration and may help identify the signals that enable this progenitor population to replace lost cells after spinal cord injury.This research was supported by FCT (Portugal) grants (PTDC/BIM-MED/1375/2012 and PTDC/BIM-MED/3295/2014) given to L.S. L.S. was supported by an IF contract from FCT (Portugal). A.R. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship of the FCT (Portugal) (SFRH/BPD/100162/2014) and EMBO (605-2012)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

AS RELAÇÕES COMERCIAIS ENTRE RÚSSIA E UNIÃO EUROPEIA E OS IMPACTOS DA CRISE NA UCRÂNIA

O presente artigo tem como objetivos principais traçar um panorama das relações comerciais entre União Europeia (UE) e Rússia na última década e analisar os impactos das sanções econômicas aplicadas em 2014 entre as partes em decorrência da crise ucraniana, partindo da análise descritiva de séries de dadosprimários e de pronunciamentos oficiais. A hipótese é de que as sanções tiveram efeitos negativos sobre as relações comerciais entre Rússia e UE, o que é validado pelos dados empíricos. Conclui-se que a alta interdependência entre a economia russa e a europeia impede a aplicação de sanções amplas, que tenham um impacto incontornável nessas economias. Assim, as sanções atuais não têm poder coercitivo alto o bastante para cumprir o objetivo a que se propõem: coagir a Rússia ou mesmo a UE a fim de resolver o conflito na Ucrânia

Nd:YAG laser scribed zinc oxide on semi-flexible copper foils

In this work, a novel approach to synthesise zinc oxide (ZnO) directly on flexible copper substrates is proposed. The produced samples show a foam-like morphology made of agglomerates of small ZnO particles when processed at laser energy density of 18.0 J/cm2. On the other hand, the samples processed at higher beam energy density, i.e. 33.2 J/cm2, resulted in a more granular morphology, with some ZnO particles dispersed over the sample’s surface. Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that this method resulted in the formation of wurtzite-ZnO crystalline phase in all samples. Room temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy analysis revealed the presence of a broad visible band in the orange-red region dominating the spectra, with a small contribution from the near band edge emission in the UV spectral region. Decreasing the beam energy fluence from 33.2 to 18.0 J/cm2 resulted in samples with higher overall visible band intensity, in line with what was observed for their crystalline quality. Moreover, the shift of the broad band maxima towards longer wavelengths could be an indication of the possibility of tuning the visible emission according to the chosen laser processing conditions.publishe

A modular reactor to simulate biofilm development in orthopedic materials

Surfaces of medical implants are generally designed to encourage soft- and/or hard-tissue adherence, eventually leading to tissue- or osseo-integration. Unfortunately, this feature may also encourage bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. To understand the mechanisms of bone tissue infection associated with contaminated biomaterials, a detailed understanding of bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation on biomaterial surfaces is needed. In this study, a continuous-flow modular reactor composed of several modular units placed in parallel was designed to evaluate the activity of circulating bacterial suspensions and thus their predilection for biofilm formation during 72 h of incubation. Hydroxyapatite discs were placed in each modular unit and then removed at fixed times to quantify biofilm accumulation. Biofilm formation on each replicate of material, unchanged in structure, morphology, or cell density, was reproducibly observed. The modular reactor therefore proved to be a useful tool for following mature biofilm formation on different surfaces and under conditions similar to those prevailing near human-bone implants. [Int Microbiol 2013; 16(3):191-198]Keywords: orthopedic materials · orthopedic conditions · modular reactors · continuous flow · biomaterials · biofilm formatio

Impact of atomic layer deposited TiO2 on the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2/w-VA-CNT nanocomposite materials

Titanium oxide (TiO2) has been widely investigated as a photocatalytic material, and the fact that its performance depends on its crystalline structure motivates further research on the relationship between preparation methods and material properties. In this work, TiO2 thin films were grown on non- functionalized wave-like patterned vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (w-VA-CNTs) via the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis revealed that the structure of the TiO2/VA-CNT nanocomposites varied from amorphous to a crystalline phase with increasing deposition temperature, suggesting a “critical deposition temperature” for the anatase crystalline phase formation. On the other hand, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies revealed that the non-functionalized carbon nanotubes were conformally and homogeneously coated with TiO2, forming a nanocomposite while preserving the morphology of the nanotubes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provided information about the surface chemistry and stoichiometry of TiO2. The photodegradation experiments under ultraviolet (UV) light on a model pollutant (Rhodamine B, RhB) revealed that the nanocomposite comprised of anatase crystalline TiO2 grown at 200 ?C (11.2 nm thickness) presented the highest degradation efficiency viz 55% with an illumination time of 240 min. Furthermore, its recyclability was also demonstrated for multiple cycles, showing good recovery and potential for practical applications.publishe

Interpretation of gravity data to delineate structural features connected to low-temperature geothermal resources at Northeastern Portugal

A great number of low-temperature geothermal fields occur in Northern-Portugal related to fractured rocks. The most important superficial manifestations of these hydrothermal systems appear in pull-apart tectonic basins and are strongly conditioned by the orientation of the main fault systems in the region. This work presents the interpretation of gravity gradient maps and 3D inversion model produced from a regional gravity survey. The horizontal gradients reveal a complex fault system. The obtained 3D model of density contrast puts into evidence the main fault zone in the region and the depth distribution of the granitic bodies. Their relationship with the hydrothermal systems supports the conceptual models elaborated from hydrochemical and isotopic water analyses. This work emphasizes the importance of the role of the gravity method and analysis to better understand the connection between hydrothermal systems and the fractured rock pattern and surrounding geology. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Deteção da mentira em crianças

A presente investigação tem como objetivo analisar se os indivíduos com formação em avaliação da credibilidade e veracidade do testemunho e se as forças de segurança (profissionais com experiência), conseguem detetar mais facilmente a mentira que indivíduos que não têm formação nem experiência. A amostra é constituída por 101 participantes onde 32 tinham formação em avaliação do testemunho e no instrumento CBCA mas não tinham experiência na área, 37 não tinham formação na avaliação da credibilidade e veracidade do testemunho nem qualquer experiência na área e 32 pertenciam às forças de segurança portuguesas, nomeadamente Guarda Nacional Republicada e Policia de Segurança Pública. Para isso, foram apresentados quatro vídeos, dois com relatos verdadeiros e dois falsos. Os participantes deveriam identificar se o testemunho era verdadeiro ou falso, o grau de confiança que tinham na sua resposta e referir quais os indicadores que utilizaram para justificar a mesma, sendo que no grupo com formação os indicadores utilizados foram os critérios do CBCA. Os resultados observados não mostram diferenças estatisticamente significativas, no entanto, verificou-se que quanto mais os participantes erravam menor era o seu grau de confiança na resposta. Relativamente aos indicadores em que baseavam as suas respostas, o grupo das forças de segurança baseou-se maioritariamente em indicadores verbais, enquanto o grupo de sujeitos sem formação, baseou-se tendencialmente em indicadores verbais quando acertavam e em indicadores comportamentais quando erravam, corroborando a literatura que indica que os indicadores comportamentais induzem mais vezes em erro.The present research aims to examine whether individuals with training in credibility and truthfulness evaluation of a witness and the security forces (experienced professionals) can better detect the truth that individuals who have no training or experience. The sample consists of 101 participants where 32 had training in evaluating the credibility and veracity of the witness as well as in the CBCA (criteria-based content analysis) instrument, 37 had no training in assessing the credibility and veracity of the witness or any experience in the field and 32 belonged to the Portuguese security forces. For this, participants were presented four videos, two truthful and two false reports, they should identify whether the testimony was true or false, and the degree of confidence they had in their response and what criteria they used to justify their answer, whereas in the group with training the utilized indicators were the CBCA criteria. The observed results do not present significant statistical differences, nevertheless it has been found that the more attendees made mistakes the lower the degree of confidence in the response got. Regarding the indicators in which they based their responses, the group of the security forces largely based their responses in verbal indicators, while the group of individuals with no training based in verbal indicators when they answered correctly and behavioral indicator when they were wrong, corroborating with the literature which indicates that the behavioral indicators induce more times in error.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lie detection in children

Revista de Psicologia da Criança e do Adolescente. - ISSN 1647-4120. - V. 5, n. 1 (Janeiro-Junho 2014). - p. 117-134.A presente investigação tem como objetivo analisar se os indivíduos com formação em avaliação da credibilidade e veracidade do testemunho e se as forças de segurança (profissionais com experiência), conseguem detetar mais facilmente a mentira que indivíduos que não têm formação nem experiência. A amostra é constituída por 101 participantes onde 32 tinham formação em avaliação do testemunho e no instrumento CBCA mas não tinham experiência na área, 37 não tinham formação na avaliação da credibilidade e veracidade do testemunho nem qualquer experiência na área e 32 pertenciam às forças de segurança portuguesas, nomeadamente Guarda Nacional Republicada e Policia de Segurança Pública. Para isso, foram apresentados quatro vídeos, dois com relatos verdadeiros e dois falsos. Os participantes deveriam identificar se o testemunho era verdadeiro ou falso, o grau de confiança que tinham na sua resposta e referir quais os indicadores que utilizaram para justificar a mesma, sendo que no grupo com formação os indicadores utilizados foram os critérios do CBCA. Os resultados observados não mostram diferenças estatisticamente significativas, no entanto, verificou-se que quanto mais os participantes erravam menor era o seu grau de confiança na resposta. Relativamente aos indicadores em que baseavam as suas respostas, o grupo das forças de segurança baseou-se maioritariamente em indicadores verbais, enquanto o grupo de sujeitos sem formação, baseou-se tendencialmente em indicadores verbais quando acertavam e em indicadores comportamentais quando erravam, corroborando a literatura que indica que os indicadores comportamentais induzem mais vezes em erro

Encapsulated bacteriophages in alginate-nanohydroxyapatite hydrogel as a novel delivery system to prevent orthopedic implant-associated infections

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2019.102145.An innovative delivery system based on bacteriophages-loaded alginate-nanohydroxyapatite hydrogel was developed as a multifunctional approach for local tissue regeneration and infection prevention and control. Bacteriophages were efficiently encapsulated, without jeopardizing phage viability and functionality, nor affecting hydrogel morphology and chemical composition. Bacteriophage delivery occurred by swelling-disintegration-degradation process of the alginate structure and was influenced by environmental pH. Good tissue response was observed following the implantation of bacteriophages-loaded hydrogels, sustaining their biosafety profile. Bacteriophages-loaded hydrogels did not affect osteoblastic cells' proliferation and morphology. A strong osteogenic and mineralization response was promoted through the implantation of hydrogels system with nanohydroxyapatite. Lastly, bacteriophages-loaded hydrogel showed excellent antimicrobial activity inhibiting the attachment and colonization of multidrug-resistant E. faecalis surrounding and within femoral tissues. This new local delivery approach could be a promising approach to prevent and control bacterial contamination during implantation and bone integration.Funding: This work was supported by FEDER – Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 – Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, by Portuguese funds through FCT/MCTES in the framework of the project “institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274), by Project Biotherapies (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012) and by Joana Barrosʼ PhD grant (SFRH/BD/102148/2014). This work was also supported by Portuguese funds through FCT/MCTES (UID/QUI/50006/2019).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio