Executive compensation in banking

Executive compensation has raised, over the years, interest not only in the international community, but also in researchers who try to understand which factors are behind this “phenomenon”. Is compensation of executives structured to encourage risk taking? Why do CEOs receive higher compensation than other employees and a wide range of benefits? In this paper, the main goal is to answer these questions, by analysing executive compensation in banking, throughout a sample of the financial industry in the United States of America. In the end, it will be possible to conclude about a likely relationship between executive compensation and firm characteristics, as well as features of bank executives.A compensação de executivos tem suscitado, ao longo dos anos, muito interesse por parte não só da comunidade internacional mas também por parte de estudiosos, que procuram entender que efeitos estão por detrás deste “fenómeno”. Será que a compensação dos altos quadros das empresas está estruturada para promover a tomada de risco? Porque razão os CEO recebem valores tão elevados e tantos benefícios? Ao longo deste trabalho, procura-se responder a estas questões, analisando a compensação de executivos na banca, através de uma amostra do sector financeiro dos Estados Unidos da América. No final, será possível aferir sobre a eventual relação entre a compensação de executivos e as características da empresa, bem como as características dos executivos dos bancos

High Mass Higgs boson Searches in ATLAS and CMS

The recently discovered resonance at 125 GeV shows properties, so far, consistent with the Stan- dard Model Higgs boson. It is, nonetheless, important to directly search the full mass range avail- able at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Searches for a high-mass Higgs boson, with SM-like properties, can be performed without placing any bias on the nature of the new particle. Moreover, they can be used as a starting point for Beyond the Standard Model scenarios, that can be stud- ied by simply rescaling the Standard Model analyses. The latest results from ATLAS and CMS, using data from the LHC to search for SM-like Higgs bosons with masses substantially above the observed 125 GeV Higgs boson, are presented. These include ZZ and WW decay modes and explore the 200 GeV to 1 TeV mass range, where no significant excesses have been observed.Peer Reviewe

The impact of brand gender on consumer-brand engagement and consumer-based brand equity on Facebook

In this research, we investigate how two distinct and universal dimensions of brand personality - brand masculinity and brand femininity - which constitute the two dimensions of brand gender (Grohmann 2009) influence consumer-brand engagement on Facebook. Another critical aim is to investigate the relationship between brand masculinity and brand femininity perceptions and consumer-based brand equity, on Facebook

Constructing and validating a scale to measure Social media brand community enjoyment (SMBCE)

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Eventos mediados por fosforilação na descoberta de biomarcadores para a doença de Alzheimer

Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is one of the most common forms of dementia worldwide; representing 60-70% of all dementia cases. This neurodegenerative disorder is characterized by the presence of senile plaques (SPs), neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and synaptic loss. Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), the major constituent of SPs, is a fundamental player in AD, since it can trigger several pathogenic events such as neurotoxicity and activation of inflammatory and apoptotic cascades. All these events associate with neurodegeneration and consequently gradual cognitive decline are evident in AD patients. Abnormal phosphorylation is accepted as one of the key signaling transduction mechanism involved in AD pathogenesis. In fact, several studies have reported abnormal protein kinase and protein phosphatase activities in AD brains as well as abnormal phosphorylation levels of both amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Tau protein, two proteins in the genesis of SPs and NFTs. This thesis aimed to address how phosphorylation mediated events could impact the neuronal phosphoproteome, thereby unravelling novel disease molecular targets. To achieve this, two distinct models were employed: one using okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase inhibitor and a potent neurotoxin; and the other using the neurotoxic Aβ peptide as a relevant AD specific mimicking model. In both cases, several phosphoproteins were identified. Neuronal treatment with OA lead to the recovery of 245 phosphoproteins that significantly increased and 75 phosphoproteins that significantly decreased; while exposure to Aβ resulted in 73 phosphorylated proteins that increased, and 68 that decreased in response to peptide exposure. In addition, due to the key role played by Aβ in AD, its effect on the phosphorylation state of the two key proteins in AD, APP (at Thr668 residue) and Tau (at Ser262 and Ser396 residues), were also evaluated. Data shows that Aβ itself can impact the phosphorylation state of both proteins, and thus, by affecting APP phosphorylation and potential APP processing, it can contribute to its own production. Taken together these findings suggest that Aβ plays a fundamental role in abnormal protein phosphorylation, potentially leading to abnormal signaling cascades, and consequently contributing to AD pathology. Interestingly, this work also unravels several candidates that can contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying AD pathology, but more so it identified novel putative biomarker candidates that can open avenues for the development of future diagnostic and therapeutic tools.A doença de Alzheimer (DA) é uma das formas mais comuns de demência em todo o mundo representando 60-70% de todos os casos de demência. Esta doença neurodegenerativa é caracterizada pela presença de placas senis (PSs), emaranhados neurofibrilares (TNFs) e por perda sináptica. O peptídeo Aβ, principal constituinte das PSs, é fundamental na DA, dado que pode desencadear vários eventos patogénicos, como neurotoxicidade e ativação de cascatas inflamatórias e apoptóticas. Todos estes eventos estão associados à neurodegeneração e, consequentemente, ao declínio cognitivo gradual evidente nos doentes. A fosforilação anormal é aceite como um dos principais mecanismos de transdução de sinais envolvidos na patogénese da DA. De facto, vários estudos relataram atividades anormais de proteínas cinase e fosfatase no cérebro de doentes, bem como níveis de fosforilação anormais das proteínas APP (proteína precursora da amiloide) e Tau, duas proteínas na génese das PSs e TNFs. Esta tese teve como objetivo avaliar de que modo eventos mediados por fosforilação podem ter impacto no fosfoproteoma neuronal, com o intuito de revelar novos alvos moleculares da doença. Para tal, dois modelos distintos foram aplicados: um deles utilizava o ácido ocadaico (AO), inibidor de proteínas fosfatase e potente neurotoxina; e outro que usava o peptídeo neurotóxico Aβ, como modelo relevante e mais específico da DA. Em ambos as situações, várias fosfoproteínas foram identificadas. O tratamento neuronal com AO levou à recuperação de 245 fosfoproteínas significativamente aumentadas e 75 fosfoproteínas significativamente diminuídas, enquanto a exposição ao Aβ conduziu ao aumento de 73 proteínas fosforiladas e à diminuição de 68, em resposta ao peptídeo. Adicionalmente, devido ao papel relevante desempenhado pelo Aβ na DA, os seus efeitos na fosforilação de duas proteínas-chave na DA, APP (no resíduo Thr668) e Tau (nos resíduos Ser262 e Ser396), foram também avaliados. Os resultados mostram que o Aβ pode alterar o estado de fosforilação de ambas as proteínas e, ao afetar a fosforilação da APP e potencialmente o seu processamento, pode contribuir para sua própria produção. Em conjunto, estes resultados sugerem que o Aβ desempenha um papel fundamental na fosforilação anormal de proteínas, ativando potencialmente cascatas de sinalização anormais e, consequentemente, contribuindo para a patologia da DA. Este trabalho revelou vários candidatos que podem contribuir para a compreensão dos mecanismos moleculares subjacentes à patologia da DA; mas, mais ainda, identificou novos potenciais biomarcadores que podem abrir caminho para o desenvolvimento de futuras ferramentas de diagnóstico e terapêutica para a doença.Programa Doutoral em Biomedicin

Absorbed dose maps of patients submitted to 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT

Although nuclear medicine (NM) procedures are highly effective diagnostic tools, they have been contributing significantly, together with other medical diagnostic and therapeutic methodologies, to the increase in exposure to ionizing radiation in recent years. There is an urgent need to opti mize NM techniques, to maintain diagnostic quality at a minimum possible radiation absorbed dose. 68Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomog raphy (68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT) imaging has rapidly gained notoriety in the NM field and, at the same time, personalized dosimetry studies using voxel-based methods have been performed. This study aimed to calculate the absorbed dose at the voxel level in the kidneys, liver, spleen, and red bone marrow, compare the results with other studies and draw conclusions regarding the safety of using 68Ga-PSMA-11 in NM clinics. Whole-body PET/CT images from six patients were acquired after a single 68Ga-PSMA 11 injection. After registration of the CT and PET images, the target organs were manually seg mented in the CT and resampled to the PET voxel size. Voxel S-values were computed for spe cific tissues using the Monte-Carlo N-Particle transport 6.1 code. The absorbed dose rates were obtained by convolution of the PET activity images with the specific S-values of each tissue. A time integral was then applied to each distribution to account for all 68Ga decay. Statistical dose values were computed and compared with the available literature. Considering all the patients included in this study, the kidneys received the highest radi ation, with a mean overall absorbed dose of 0.0561 mGy/MBq and a median overall absorbed dose of 0.0499 mGy/MBq. In contrast, the red bone marrow received the lowest absorbed dose values (mean dose: 0.0015 mGy/MBq, median dose: 0.0013 mGy/MBq). The present study showed lower dosimetry values than the literature, resulting in deviations ranging from -38.1% (in the liver) to -91.3% (in the red bone marrow). The present study employs a voxel-based approach, which considers a non-uniform bio distribution of the radiopharmaceutical in the organs and leads to dosimetry estimates closer to the real ones. The reasonable low absorbed doses in the four organs herein studied is an argument in favor of using 68Ga-PSMA-11 in NM clinics. In the Future Work chapter, a more specific dynamic NM imaging methodology, taking into consideration the radiopharmaceutical pharma cokinetics, is presented

Observation and measurement of the Higgs boson in the WW* decay channel with ATLAS at the LHC

Tese de doutoramento, Física, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 201

Bioactivity of highly hydrolytic bacteria isolated from Chiapas Cheese : México

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely used in food industry. This group of microorganisms not only have the ability to produce lactic acid, which contributes to the taste and texture of fermented products but also show the capability to produce, during milk fermentation, bioactive peptides that can be important in human health by having antihypertensive, antimicrobial, antioxidative, antithrombotic and mineral-binding activities. Chiapas cream cheese, a traditional type of Mexican cheese, is obtained through a prolonged acid-enzymatic coagulation of cow raw milk and has unique sensory characteristics due to the endogenous LAB in milk from this region. Thus, the aim of this project was to select and study the bioactivity of high hydrolytic isolates from Chiapas cheese. An initial selection from 84 isolates was made for production of diacetyl and a negative production of catalase. Further analysis to measure the degree of hydrolysis and to obtain the peptide profile was carried out. Selected isolates were compared to Lactobacillus helveticus DSM 13137 and used to study the potential activity of peptides released through lactic fermentation. The antioxidant properties of whey fractions, after 24h and 48h of fermentation in reconstituted skimmed milk (RSM), were evaluated by two spectrophotometric methods. Scavenging of the cation radical of 2, 2’-Azino-Bis (3– Ethylbenzthiazoline–6-Sulfonic Acid) (ABTS) ranged from 50%-86% while ferric reducing antioxidant power assay presented variable FRAP values among the selected strains. An angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory assay by HPLC was performed showing inhibitions by average mean of 75% in the isolates compared to 96% in DSM 13137. The potential inhibitory effects of the bioactive peptides produced by the selected isolates were also tested against some food-poisoning pathogenic organisms: Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhi, Salmonella Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes, using the paper disc method, showing cases with inhibitory zones by average mean of 12 mm diameter zone. The results indicated suggest that these strains could have applications as starters in dairy industry and as a source of new bioactive peptides with different modes of action.As bactérias do ácido láctico (BAL) são amplamente utilizadas na indústria alimentar. Este grupo de microrganismos não só têm a capacidade de produzir ácido láctico, que contribui para o sabor e a textura dos produtos fermentados, mas também possuem a capacidade de produzir, durante a fermentação do leite, péptidos bioactivos que podem ser importantes para a saúde humana por terem actividade anti-hipertensiva, antimicrobiana, antioxidante ou anti trombótica. O queijo creme de Chiapas, queijo tradicional mexicano, é obtido através de uma coagulação ácida e enzimática prolongada de leite cru de vaca e tem características sensoriais únicas devido às BAL endógenas no leite desta região. Assim, o objectivo deste projecto foi seleccionar e estudar a bioactividade de isolados altamente hidrolíticos do queijo Chiapas. Uma selecção inicial de 84 isolados foi realizada para produção de diacetil e uma produção negativa de catalase. Uma análise adicional para medir o grau de hidrólise e para obter o perfil de péptidos foi realizada. Os isolados seleccionados foram comparados com Lactobacillus helveticus DSM 13137 e utilizados para estudar a actividade potencial dos péptidos libertados durante a fermentação láctica. As propriedades antioxidantes de fracções de soro de leite, após 24h e 48h de fermentação em leite reconstituído desnatado (LRD), foram avaliadas por dois métodos espectrofotométricos. Através da captura do radical 2,2´- azinobis (3- etilbenzotiazolina-6-ácido sulfônico) (ABTS) variou entre 50%-86%, enquanto que pelo ensaio do poder antioxidante redutor do ferro apresentou valores de FRAP variáveis entre as amostras seleccionadas. Um ensaio de inibição da enzima de conversão da angiotensina (ACE) por HPLC foi realizado, mostrando inibições médias de 75% nos isolados em comparação com 96% em DSM 13137. Os efeitos inibidores potenciais dos péptidos bioactivos produzidos por os isolados seleccionados também foram testados contra alguns organismos patogénicos: Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhi, Salmonella Enteritidis e Listeria monocytogenes, usando o método de disco de papel e mostrando casos com zonas de inibição de diâmetro de 12 mm, em média. Os resultados indicados sugerem que estas estirpes podem ter aplicações como starters na indústria de lacticínios e como fonte de novos péptidos bioactivos com diferentes modos de acção

Correlation of magnetic susceptibility with 18O data in magnetite- and ilmenite-type granites from Iberian massif

The relationship between oxygen isotopic values and magnetic susceptibility composition on 11 Variscan Portuguese granites has been investigated. Whole-rock oxygen-isotope (18O ) values for Vieira do Minho (VM), Vila Pouca de Aguiar (VPA), Chaves, Castelo Branco (CB), Manteigas and Serra da Estrela (SE) granitoids, were compilated from bibliography [1,2,3,4], and 18O for Santa Eulalia Plutonic Complex (SEPC) were obtained by laser fluorination at the Stable Isotopic Laboratory of Salamanca. Magnetic susceptibility (Km) values were obtained with a Kappabridge equipment from Toulouse University and Geology Centre, Porto University [2,5,6,7,8]. In this study is shown that there is a significant inverse correlation between Km and 18O. Magnetite-type granites (Manteigas granodiorite and SEPC external facies) have Km>10-3 SI and low 18O values ranging from 8.9 to 10.3 0/00 instead those of ilmenite-type (all the other granites) have Km 10-4 SI and are 18O enriched (9.3 to 13.5 0/00). The I-type granites (VM, VPA, Chaves, Manteigas and SEPC external facies) show lower average 18O (10.2 0/00) and higher Km values (100x10-6 SI) than the S-type granites (SE and CB) with 18O = 12.6 0/00 and Km = 65x10-6 SI. Figure 1: Semi-log plot of Km (in Si units) versus 18O. This work has been financially supported by PTDC/CTEGIX/ 099447/2008 (FCT-Portugal, COMPETE/FEDER). [1] Martins et al. (in prep.) [2] Martins et al. (2009) Lithos 111, 142-155. [3] Antunes et al. (2008) Lithos 103, 445-465. [4] Neiva et al. (2009) Lithos 111, 186-202. [5] Sant’Ovaia et al. (2010) JSG 32, 1450-1465. [6] Sant’Ovaia et al. (2000) TRSE, ES 91, 123-127. [7] Sant’Ovaia et al. (2008) 33rd IGC CD. [8] Sant’Ovaia et al. (2011) Min. Mag. 75, 3, 1795

Brand mergers: How attitudes influence consumer identity preferences

In the context of a merger, management of corporate brand names and logos assumes a critical role. The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the corporate brand redeployment decision. This study analyses how consumers’ attitudes towards the corporate brands influence their preferences regarding the different branding strategies. Results suggest that the preference for a monolithic alternative is only clearly supported when one of the partners in the merger is a weak partner. When the merger involves two familiar brands, there is a tendency among consumers to combine elements of both brands’ identity. Finally, it is concluded that the affective and behavioural dimension of attitude towards the brand have a significant influence on consumers’ preferences