Race Ethnicity and In-store Mobile-Assisted Shopping in the US

This research primarily investigates the relationship between race ethnicity and consumer use of mobile phones in-store to facilitate purchase decisions. Data were collected by a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults between January 5 and January 8, 2012. The data collection was sponsored by the Pew Foundation and made available for this research. The data were analyzed with the software R and its survey package that allow researchers to incorporate the sampling weights to estimate population statistics, standard errors, and confidence intervals. The independent variables were demographic variables (race ethnicity, gender, and household income) and behavioral variables (tablet and E-reader ownership index, and social networking service (SNS) and Twitter use index. Results showed that minority (Non-White) adults were significantly more likely than White adults to use their mobile phone in-store to 1.) purchase products with mobile coupons, and 2.) scan barcodes for product information. Univariate analyses showed SNS use and tablet/E-reader ownership were both significantly associated with the instore use of mobile coupons and of mobile phones to scan barcodes for product information. Multivariate analyses showed that only SNS use was associated with instore mobile coupon use. Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that greater household income was significantly related to a greater mobile coupon use but was not associated with greater likelihood of barcode scans for product information. These results show that minorities are forefront of the use of mobile phones to assist with in-store purchase decisions

Acessos de mandioca açucarada coletados no Nordeste paraense possuem o mesmo genótipo detectado por marcadores microssatélites.

A mandioca é encontrada na região Norte do Brasil e é usada como fonte de subsistência para muitas famílias. A mandioca açucarada ou mandiocaba, é um tipo de mandioca que armazena em suas raízes, além do amido, açúcares livres como reservas. Atualmente, vêm recebendo destaque pelo seu potencial para uso na fabricação de álcool combustível, devido ao acúmulo de glicose que pode ser convertida em etanol diretamente. Foi realizado teste para avaliar a diversidade genética de acessos de mandiocas açucaradas coletadas em diferentes locais do estado do Pará mantidos no banco de germoplasma da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental. Foi realizada a genotipagem molecular de nove acessos de mandioca açucarada e um acesso de mandioca brava com marcadores microssatélites. Para isso, foram utilizados 13 primers microssatélites e a corrida dos produtos amplificados foi realizada em géis de poliacrilamida 6%. Após a análise dos géis, foi verificado que todas as nove amostras de mandioca açucarada possuíam o mesmo genótipo, sendo verificada baixa variabilidade genética para esse grupo de mandiocas

Fiber reinforced thermoplastics compounds for electromagnetic interference shielding applications

Market demands for lightweight and lower cost products drive manufacturers to improve current product portfolios. In the case of electronic devices, the most significant weight originates from the enclosure, traditionally in steel or aluminum, that ensures excellent mechanical and electromagnetic shielding performance. The use of thermoplastics filled with electrically conductive fibers, such as carbon or stainless steel, was investigated as a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to steel sheet for creating electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding enclosures for electronic devices. This paper presents an EMI shielding analysis workflow for the development of plastic enclosures for an electronic device. The workflow starts by measuring the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic compounds shielding effectiveness (SE) with an experimental method in the 30 MHz–3 GHz frequency band. This analysis helps to filter a vast list of materials with a wide range of shielding performance, 20–100 dB, and allows to obtain empirical data for the second phase of the workflow, computer simulations. Simulations with experimentally adjusted material properties were used to validate the design concept of an enclosure in its early development phase. Results from this study showed that the selected material has better EMI SE performance than a steel sheet venting grid.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by Portugal Incentive System for Research and Technological Development, Project no 36265/2013

Microinjection of polipropylene with nanoclays

Polypropylene (PP)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites micro samples was produced by micro injection molding at concentrations 2, 6 and 10% of Nanomax. The dispersion of the nanoclay particles in polypropylene was characterized using optical microscopy in polarized light, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the mechanical characterisation was performed using the tensile test. The results of x-ray diffraction indicated the formation of nanocomposites with partially exfoliated or intercalated structures, depending on the concentration of clay, with a maximum basal spacing of 6.217 nm. The micrographs obtained by scanning electron microscopy of fractured nanocomposite showed good dispersion of clay in polymer matrix without the presence of clusters. The tensile strength of PP/MMT is not much improved compared with pure PP but deformation increased significantly

Impact of the economic crisis on human resources for health policies in Southern EU countries

Background The economic and financial crisis which started in the European Union in 2008 affected some countries more than others. Cyprus, Greece, and Portugal had to receive emergency financial aid from the so-called Troika (International Monetary Fund, Central European Bank, European Commission) and consequently were imposed severe austerity measures. All sectors were affected, including health. This paper focuses on the effects of the crisis on the health workforce, which represents the largest share of expenditures in the sector, and on policy responses from these three governments to measures ‘imposed' by the Troika. Methods A systematic search of peer-reviewed and grey literature, and key sources such as government websites was performed. Interviews with key informants were also conducted. Country data and information served to assess policy responses and their effects on the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of human resources for health. Results Countries responded to the crisis and to the conditions set by lenders by reducing or freezing salaries and benefits, by cutting on recruitment and even dismissing personnel, by increasing workloads, and by introducing other cost containment measures. The three countries do not seem to have used the crisis as an opportunity to make efficiency gains and thereby improve the performance of their health workforce. Conclusions This paper is included in the Workshop because it discusses policy responses to a major economic shock by governments facing external constraints, which at the same time limited their capacity for action and provided opportunities for reforminfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Flirting Online and the Connection between the Use of Dating Websites and Dating Applications

For this research, we used data collected by the Pew Foundation\u27s Internet and American Life Project Tracking Survey, conducted in Spring 2013. The data was adjusted through the use of sampling weights to estimate for general population parameters. The collected data examined online flirting, use of dating websites, and the use of dating apps. Findings suggest women between the ages of 18-34 years are just as likely as men to signal their romantic interest by engaging in online flirtation. In addition, women ages 50 years or older are less likely than men to signal their romantic interest by engaging in online flirtation. Also, adults ages 50 years or more who flirt online are more likely to use an online dating website or app. Findings concerning Generation X are also discussed. Marketing implications include a concentration on “flirting-focused” options, especially in relation to free trials, promotional offers, and marketing tactics for digital dating services. Strategies for appealing to the Baby Boomer market may involve a focus on active lifestyles and geographic marketing. Marketing to Millennials may need to be increasingly strategic given the equal amount of online flirting among males on females

Linfangioleiomiomatose pulmonar inicial provável e linfangioleiomioma mediastinal

A 68 year old woman was submitted to a mediastinal lymphangioleiomyoma resection found in a follow-up study of lower left lung resection due to bronchiectasis complicated by chylothorax. This led to a revaluation of the pulmonary specimen that revealed, in addition to inflammatory bronchiectasis, small spindle cell nodules in the lung parenchyma, similar to minute pulmonary meningothelial-like nodules, but with smooth muscle actin immunohistochemical positivity. The possibility of initial pulmonary development of lymphangioleiomyomatosis is discussed

Functionalized carbon nanotubes-polyamide composites produced by microinjection moulding

Polymer composites containing carbon nanotubes (CNT) have attracted much attention due to the possibility to obtain electrically conductive and reinforcing materials at relatively low CNT concentrations, and for their potential applications in electronics, and chemical and biological sensing. Microinjection molding (μIM) is an emerging efficient and cost-effective process for the large-scale production of thermoplastic nanocomposite microparts. The present work reports the dispersion of CNT in polyamide 6 (PA 6) for the production of nanocomposites with different amounts of functionalized and non-functionalized CNT. The nanocomposites were microinjection molded under specific conditions and the electrical and mechanical properties of the specimens obtained were measured.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - POCI/QUI/59835/2004, bolsa de doutoramento T. Ferreira (SFRH/BD/39119/2007)

Screening of volatile composition from portuguese multifloral honeys using headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry

The volatile composition from four types of multifloral Portuguese (produced in Madeira Island) honeys was investigated by a suitable analytical procedure based on dynamic headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by thermal desorption gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry detection (GC–qMS). The performance of five commercially available SPME fibres: 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS; 85 μm polyacrylate, PA; 50/30 μm divinylbenzene/carboxen on polydimethylsiloxane, DVB/CAR/PDMS (StableFlex); 75 μm carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane, CAR/PDMS, and 65 μm carbowax/divinylbenzene, CW/DVB; were evaluated and compared. The highest amounts of extract, in terms of the maximum signal obtained for the total volatile composition, were obtained with a DVB/CAR/PDMS coating fibre at 60 °C during an extraction time of 40 min with a constant stirring at 750 rpm, after saturating the sample with NaCl (30%). Using this methodology more than one hundred volatile compounds, belonging to different biosynthetic pathways were identified, including monoterpenols, C13-norisoprenoids, sesquiterpenes, higher alcohols, ethyl esters and fatty acids. The main components of the HS-SPME samples of honey were in average ethanol, hotrienol, benzeneacetaldehyde, furfural, trans-linalool oxide and 1,3-dihydroxy-2-propanone