Veritati
Institutional Repository of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Recent Submissions
Channel integration puzzle: internal obstacles, industry drivers and omnichannel capabilities
Publication . Hajdas, Monika; Radomska, Joanna; Kawa, Arkadiusz; Klimas, Patrycja; Silva, Susana C.
Purpose – In this paper, we aim to advance the research on how companies navigate channel integration by examining the internal and external challenges they encounter. Specifically, we investigate how internal obstacles and external industry drivers affect the level of channel integration. Design/methodology/approach – In our quantitative study, we collected the relevant data from 412 firms operating in over 20 diverse industries and offering both online and offline channels. We also explore how organizational omnichannel capabilities moderate the relation between internal and external factors and the level of channel integration. Findings – Our results indicate that channel integration is hindered by internal barriers, including limitations in operational efficiency, strategy and organizational culture. Additionally, external pressures stemming from industry-specific factors contribute to these challenges. Conversely, positive influences may arise from micro- environmental factors, such as an existing customer base already literate with omnichannel solutions or competitors advanced in omnichannel strategies. Originality/value – To evaluate the effects of channel integration, we examine its influence on performance across multiple dimensions (short-term, long-term and comparative), extending prior research that has predominantly emphasized short-term performance metrics.
Oat and lentil-based muffins as a functional food: enhance glycaemia control, anti-inflammatory effects, and intestinal epithelium integrity
Publication . Geraldo, Rafaela; Machado, Manuela; Silva, Sara; Pinho, Simão; Gouveia, Alexandra; Neves, Delminda; Pinto, Elisabete; Pintado, Manuela; Vasconcelos, Marta W.
The increased interest in functional foods has driven research into health-promoting properties. This study evaluated muffins made with 100 % oatmeal (OM) or a 50:50 lentil/oatmeal flour mix (LM) using the INFOGEST in vitro model. Analysis included starch composition, glycaemic response, cytotoxicity, and immunomodulatory effects in Caco-2 cells under basal and stimulated conditions. Digestion revealed limited hydrolysis in oral/gastric phases, with increase in intestinal phase. OM exhibited 8.9 % higher starch and greater hydrolysis. In contrast, LM presented 9.3 % lower estimated glycaemic index. Both muffins were non-toxic. Under stimulation, LM showed stronger anti-inflammatory effects, decreasing interleukin-6/8 mRNA and cytokine levels, while upregulating Transforming Growth Factor-β under basal conditions. LM enhanced barrier integrity, reduced Acetyl-Coenzyme A acetyltransferase 2 , and upregulated Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and Sirtuin 1 , indicating improved metabolic regulation. These findings highlight lentil/oatmeal muffins as functional options that may support glycaemic control and intestinal health, aiding strategies against diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Predicting different dimensions of music performance anxiety in young adolescents: the role of gender, psychological vulnerability, and music self-efficacy
Publication . Dias, Pedro; Veríssimo, Lurdes; Silva, Inês
The present study aimed to examine sociodemographic, music-related, and psychological predictors of music performance anxiety (MPA) in a group of 145 adolescent music students. The study also aimed to confirm the bifactorial structure of the Portuguese version of the MPAI-A. Results from the CFA showed an appropriate fit of the bi-dimensional organization of MPA into two dimensions: cognitive-somatic and performance. The results showed that each dimension of MPA was predicted by different variables: cognitive-somatic MPA was predicted by gender (female), higher levels of emotional and behavioural problems, and lower levels of music self-efficacy; performance MPA was predicted by lower levels of music self-efficacy. Results highlight the importance of mental health and motivational cognitions, particularly the role of emotional and behavioural problems and self-efficacy on MPA.
CA2/3-dependent stability of frontal mnemonic representations predict episodic deficits in human amnesia
Publication . Miller, Thomas D.; Hickling, Alice L.; Wu, Yan I.; Zhou, Joseph H.; Handel, Adam E.; Coutinho, Ester; Pollak, Thomas A.; Zandi, Michael S.; Maguire, Eleanor A.; Rosenthal, Clive R.
The hippocampus reconstructs past experiences by integrating sensory, perceptual, and conceptual information across a cortico-hippocampal autobiographical memory network. Here, in 18 human participants with amnesia, we decode the effects of bilateral focal hippocampal damage on distinct autobiographical representations using representational dissimilarity matrices (RDMs). Hippocampal pathology results in impaired generalized episodic memory retrieval RDM model fit in the left angular gyrus and in reduced distinct episodic memory RDM model fit in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), while right angular gyrus (rANG) and right orbitofrontal cortex (rOFC) fall below multiple correction thresholds. Trial-by-trial voxelrepresentational stability is reduced in the rANG, rIFG, and rOFC. The RDM model fits and mnemonic stability are predicted by total CA2/3 volumes. Trial-by-trial retrieval stability within the rOFC and rIFG predicts episodic memory performance, providing a direct neural correlation between hippocampal dysfunction, altered mnemonic representations, and amnesia.
Testing methodological and population-specific influences on the detection of Zipf’s law of brevity in chimpanzee gestures
Publication . Safryghin, A.; Badihi, G.; Ferrer-i-Cancho, R.; Grund, C.; Hayashi, M.; Mielke, A.; Mine, J.; Rodrigues, E. D.; Soldati, A.; Zuberbühler, K.; Hobaiter, C.; Zulberti, C.
Zipf’s law of brevity is a widespread manifestation of information compression found across human languages and other communication systems. Chimpanzee gesture represents a rare absence of its expression in short-range communication. But, whether this absence reflects a feature of ape gesture production, or results from methodological obstacles or population differences is unclear. Selecting the appropriate unit of analysis is crucial for detecting linguistic patterns in any system. We assess gestural repertoires of three chimpanzee communities for Zipf’s law, while discriminating and testing different levels of unit durations (segmentation) and how finely gestural units are split (granularity). We report the first repertoire-wide detection of Zipf’s law in ape gesture in one chimpanzee community at a specific level of segmentation and granularity. We suggest that both methodological and socio-ecological factors can shape the detection and expression of Zipf’s law, emphasizing the importance of species-relevant units and metrics for meaningful cross-species comparisons.