Impacts of Central Bank Digital Currency on Regional Economic Integration: Evidence from the Greater Bay Area of China - Lei, Weng Chi; Wang, Xinru (The Chinese Economy, 2024)
An increasing number of countries have launched their central bank digital currencies (CBDC) in recent years, but the economic impacts of CBDC adoption are underexplored. To empirically assess how CBDC adoption influences regional economic integration, this paper investigates the Greater Bay Area, where China carried out one of its first digital renminbi pilot programs. The Greater Bay Area provides a good example because the growing acceptance of digital renminbi in the area can potentially mitigate transaction costs and risks due to the exchange rate volatility of the Chinese renminbi, Hong Kong dollar, and Macao pataca. CBDC adoption can lead to greater real and financial integrations by facilitating cross-border trade in goods and services. This paper evaluates deviations from uncovered interest rate parity, purchasing power parity, and real interest rate parity across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao based on monthly interest rate and price data from January 2016 to December 2022. The time series have mean values near zero, which validate the parity conditions and indicate high degrees of financial, real, and economic integrations. The Markov regime-switching regression model identifies three regimes: (1) pre-Covid, (2) post-Covid, and (3) post-CBDC. The Covid-19 outbreak brought lower integration and stability, but the launch of the CBDC restored some of the pre-Covid integration and stability. Regimes 1 and 2 are persistent, and transitions from Regime 3 back to Regime 1 are probable. Hence, this study finds evidence that CBDC adoption improves regional economic integration in the short and long run.
Keywords: Central bank digital currency; Greater Bay Area; digital renminbi; economic integration; financial integration

IMPACTS OF CHINA’S ENTRY ON THE PRODUCT LINE RIVALRY IN THE GLOBAL CIVIL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY - Chen, Yawen (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
As international tourism continues to flourish and airlines are eager to expand their fleets, the demand for civil aircraft has continues to grow in the global market. The market has been a duopolistic one, shared by Boeing and Airbus. However, the recent entry of the Chinese company, Comac, had the potential to turn it into a triopoly within certain segment of the product line. This observation motivates the research objective to analyze the impact of Comac's entry on the production strategies of the incumbents. Specifically, this dissertation studies the impact on each firm’s allocation of production capacity toward different civil aircraft in the product line in response to how Comac’s entry, which can also impact the effects of capacity increase and market expansion on the product line rivalry. This dissertation is based on a multi-product, oligopolistic model of Boeing and Airbus. To provide insights on the strategy and behavior of each firm in the evolving competitive environment, this dissertation solves and extends the mathematical model to incorporate Comac as the entrant and compares model results with data of orders and deliveries of the three companies in the past 15 years. This model finds that when Comac's C919, a relatively small plane, enters the global civil aircraft market, Boeing and Airbus will increase the production of their small planes and decrease the production of the relatively large planes under the production capacity constraints. If the production capacity increases, both Boeing and Airbus will produce more planes, but will allocate more additional capacity to large planes than to small planes compared to the duopolistic competitive environment. When the market demand increases, despite the entry of the C919, Boeing and Airbus iv will continue to increase the production of both large and small planes, but the response is greater to an increase of demand for large planes than that for small planes. The orders and deliveries data provide some but insufficient support for the model predictions. As the market participation of Comac continues to grow, future researchers can re-assess the models’ propositions with more available data
Keywords: Capacity allocation; Civil aircraft; Comac; Duopoly; Oligopoly; Product line rivalry; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); Triopoly; University of Saint Joseph

Impacts of Policies and Infrastructure on the Usage of Electric Vehicles in Macao - Weng Chi Lei; Tai, On Teng (2023 Symposium on Environmental Science and Sustainable Technology (ESST2023), 2023)

IMPLEMENTATION OF SDG 1 IN CAPE VERDE: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICIES AND ACTORS - Pasquinha, Patrick Delgado (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
In the 21st century, poverty still remains a serious issue for the world, halting development and growth of nations. SDG 1 refers to the first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) established by United nations. It has as goal to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere”. Cape Verde as an UN member also adopted it and aligned national policies to achieve it. This thesis aimed to analyze the different policies adopted by the government of Cape Verde to implement SDG 1. Moreover, this dissertation will also point out the different actors behind the implementation of SGD 1 in Cabo Verde (both national and international actors), as well as find out their role in alleviating poverty in Cabo Verde, in other words, how they contribute to poverty alleviation in Cabo Verde. Based on a qualitative methodology, using document analysis as method to collect the data and further using thematic analysis to analyze, code and categorize the collected data, the study was able to answer the two research questions: Research question 1: What are the different policies adopted by the government of Cape Verde to implement SDG 1. Research question 2: Who and what are the roles of the actors involved in the implementation of SDG 1 in Cape Verde? The findings of the study revealed that: As to research question 1, the study found out that the government of Cape Verde has adopted several policies geared towards poverty reduction. Such policies included social protection policies, investment in infrastructure policies, investment in education policies, investment in health policies, investment in rural development policies, economic diversification policies, gender equality and women empowerment policies, job creation policies and climate change adaptation policies. As for research question 2, the study 4 revealed there are two main Actors are responsible for the implementation of SDG 1, government institutions and National and International Partners. On one hand, the government of Cape Verde is focused on creating and adopting polices that target the poor, as result this make sure that they can lift from poverty or at least avoid they sinking into deeper poverty. On the other hand, the partners (here known as Actors) helping on the implementation of SDG 1 in Cape Verde work as a backup for the government, helping it on other issues related to SDG 1 implementation such as knowledge and capital provision and so on. The Cape Verde government is dedicated to reducing poverty, focusing on the unemployment and migration phenomenon. These factors contribute to poverty and exacerbate it. Despite these challenges, the overall outlook on poverty reduction in Cape Verde is optimistic, indicating a significant commitment to address the root causes of poverty
Keywords: Actors; Cape Verde; Multidimensional poverty; Poverty reduction policies; SDG 1 implementation; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Government Studies (MGS); University of Saint Joseph

In Memorial and Serenity: Introducing VR Grave Mourning in the Chapel of St. Michael in Macao - Olga Ng Ka Man, Sandra; Caires, Carlos Sena (International Journal of Creative Interfaces and Computer Graphics, 2022)
Macao inhabit a population of 683,100. The birth rate has been dropping while the death rate has risen compared to two years ago. Cemeteries are becoming crowded, and burial spots are demanding. In this case, video calls and social media can be the solution. How about our beloved ancestors? Can we video call them on their memorial days? This paper presents a VR experience of immersing oneself in the 3D VR of the Chapel of St. Michael of Macao to create a peaceful atmosphere for grave mourning. The chapel is also a personal space where we can be truly isolated in serenity. It is a retreat to pray, disconnect, and reconnect to the beloved deaths that may not be buried in an easily accessible location. The authors propose a possible future of mourning our loved ones through virtual reality and telepresence: an immersive experience connected with Macao's extraordinary and cultural unicity.

Inclusive Education Teachers—Strategies of Working Collaboratively With Parents of Children With Special Educational Needs in Macau - Ng, Shun Wing; Kwan, Yee Wan (International Journal of Educational Reform, 2020)
Education for learners with special education needs has become one of the major concerns of education policies in every corner of the world. In Macau, however, the transformation of schools into inclusive environments is reported to be slow because many teachers in Macau have not accepted the key values of inclusive education and possess little knowledge of their responsibilities as inclusive education teachers. Despite being nonempirical, the aim of this article is twofold: to inform inclusive education teachers, especially those in Macau and other developing regions, of the necessary knowledge, skills and strategies of working collaboratively with parents of children with SEN and provide policy makers concerned with practical ideas of designing effective professional development programmes for teachers working in the inclusive environment. The ultimate aim is to ensure that children with SEN benefit from an education process that includes quality learning opportunities.

INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ) MANAGEMENT IN MACAO: MONITORING PARTICULATE MATTER (PM10 AND PM2.5) AT THE RENOVATION SITE IN LARGE SHOPPING MALLS - Chan, Weng Ian (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
"Over time, the large shopping malls in Macao will require some changes to improve space utilization, resulting in renovation projects that affect indoor particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations. Employees work long hours in an environment where the ambient air quality is poor, directly affecting their work efficiency. Nonetheless, the concentration of PM produced by the interior renovation of shopping malls has yet to receive particular attention. Therefore, this study will investigate IAQ, in particular, PM10 and PM2.5 in large-scale shopping mall renovation projects in three different indoor locations (i.e., public, renovation, and construction areas) to understand the causes of indoor PM10 and PM2.5. This study will collect on-site PM data for analysis, examine whether the current control measures are appropriate and propose some improvements. The data collected will be compared with IAQ standards from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG), specifically PM concentrations. The research results can provide a reference guide for decision-makers, management, construction teams, design consultant teams and renovation teams of large-scale projects. In addition, the monitoring of IAQ can ensure a comfortable environment for employees and customers."
Keywords: Construction Dust; Health Exposure; PM Monitoring; Particulate Matter; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Environmental Sciences and Management (MESM); University of Saint Joseph

INFLUENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON WORK ENGAGEMENT: A MEDIATING ROLE OF JOB SATISFACTION IN MACAU SIX GAMING CONCESSIONAIRES - Wong, Ka Son (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
The Macau six gaming concessionaires are encouraged to diversify their business activities beyond the gaming sector to promote a more balanced economy in Macau. It is worth noting that a substantial portion of the workforce within these organizations is employed in non-gaming sectors. Unlike previous studies that primarily concentrated on the gaming sector, this study aims to assess the extent of work engagement among all employees, encompassing both gaming and non-gaming employees, within the six gaming concessionaires of Macau. It also aims to explore the correlation between organizational culture and work engagement, as well as the mediating role of job satisfaction in this relationship. The survey design utilized convenience and referral sampling methods to select the sample. A quantitative approach was employed, and data was collected through an online self-response questionnaire with a total of 396 participants. The study findings reveal a positive correlation among all variables, with a particularly strong relationship observed between supportive organizational culture and various aspects of work engagement. Notably, the mediating variable of job satisfaction, specifically the nature of work, had a more significant impact than the direct effect of organizational culture on emotional and physical work engagement. These findings suggest that organizations should prioritize the development of a supportive organizational culture to enhance work engagement. Furthermore, it is crucial to provide employees with motivating and meaningful work that gives them a sense of accomplishment upon completion. Future studies could explore the relationship between organizational culture and work engagement by examining two distinct employee groups, such as local employees and expatriates
Keywords: Job Satisfaction; Macau Gaming Concessionaires; Nature of Work; Organizational Culture; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); University of Saint Joseph; Work Engagement

Influence of Parenting Styles Across Generations in Chinese Families in Macao - Chan, Lai Teng (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

Influencer Industry Development in Macau: Case Study about Social Media Influences in Macau - Madan, Roberto (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph

Influencing Companies’ Green Governance Through the System of Legal Liability for Environmental Infractions in China and Brazil: Lighting the Way Toward BRICS Cooperation - Wei, D.; Rafael, Ângelo Patrício (BRICS Law Journal, 2023)
Peer-rewieved journal

INFORMAL RECYCLING IN MACAU: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - Ng, Sut Wa (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
Informal recycling plays a crucial role in municiapl solid waste management in many cities, particularly in the global South. This study examines the practices, challenges, and opportunities of informal recycling in Macau, a small city and Self Autonomous Region (S.A.R.) in China. Using qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews, this study explores the motivations and strategies of informal recyclers, the challenges they face, and the potential for collaboration with formal waste management systems. The findings of this study reveal that informal recycling in Macau is a complex and multifaceted reality and practice that involves a range of actors, from waste pickers to small-scale processors to exporters, all with their specific challenges. Informal recyclers are motivated by economic necessity, and they employ a variety of strategies to collect and process recyclable materials. However, they also face significant challenges, including high rental and transportation costs, lack of manpower, China’s waste import policies and ensuing restrictions, fluctuating global price rates of materials and the unstable income as serious consequence, accompanied by limited support from the local Government. This study also identifies opportunities for sustainable development of informal recycling in Macau, supported by the analysis of data collected via questionnaire survey regarding Macau citizens’ waste separation habits and their willingness to pay for resource separation and recovering process. The identified oppurtunities include establishing partnerships between informal and formal waste management actors, improving the infrastructure, and introducing environmental levy system and consistent policies and regulations. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the role of informal recycling sector in waste management in Macau and provides insights into potential strategies for improving the sustainability of resource and waste management practices in the city
Keywords: Circular Economy (CE); Informal Recycling; Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM); Recycline Rate; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Thesis and Dissertations Master of Environmental Sciences and Management (MESM); University of Saint Joseph; Waste Hierarchy

INNOVATING IN OPEN DISTANCE TEACHING WITH FACE-TO-FACE RETREATS WITHIN A DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN DIGITAL MEDIA ART - Fernandes-Marcos, A; Tavares, M (IATED Academy, 2022)

Innovation Analysis and Research on the Mode of KOL Live Commerce - Fong, Hou Man (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
With the rapid development of digital media, internet celebrity live streaming has become a key factor in influencing the consumer decision-making of adolescents, presenting unique regional characteristics in different socio-cultural and economic contexts. This study investigates the differences in consumption habits among adolescents in Macau and Mainland China and their impact on the innovation and reform of the commercial model of internet celebrity live streaming. The methodology employs a questionnaire survey and data analysis to systematically compare the consumption behavior of adolescents in Macao and mainland China, collecting live streaming consumption habits of adolescents in both regions. Statistical methods are used to compare and analyze the consumption patterns within the regions. The analysis indicates that influencers, as internet celebrities with a large number of fans on social media, have a significant impact on adolescents' consumption decisions through their recommendations and evaluations. Firstly, the convenience and diversity of e-commerce platforms provide adolescents with a wealth of consumption choices, such as characteristics and usage effects of products. Secondly, the recommendations and evaluations of influencers have become an important reference for adolescents' consumption. Results show that adolescents in Macau tend to seek entertainment and interaction in their consumption of internet celebrity live streaming, whereas those in Mainland China place greater emphasis on the practicality of the live streaming content and the cost-effectiveness of the products. Moreover, the study reveals the roles of socio-cultural and economic levels in the differences in consumption between the two regions. Based on these insights, it is recommended that live streaming platforms should advance the innovation and reform of their business models to cater to different market characteristics—such as optimizing content recommendation algorithms, enhancing interactive elements, and improving the integration of e-commerce features, thereby promoting business sustainability and economic benefits
Keywords: Adolescent Consumption Habits; Internet Celebrity; Live Streaming; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

Inside the embroidery. The rematerialization of traditional embroidery in a post-digital approach: No interior do bordado. A rematerialização do bordado numa vertente pós-digital - Pereira, Selma; Fernandes-Marcos, Adérito (ARTECH 2021: 10th International Conference on Digital and Interactive Arts, 2021)

Instance-based deep transfer learning with attention for stock movement prediction - He, Qi-Qiao; Siu, Shirley Weng In; Si, Yain-Whar (Applied Intelligence, 2022)
Stock movement prediction is one of the most challenging problems in time series analysis due to the stochastic nature of financial markets. In recent years, a plethora of statistical methods and machine learning algorithms were proposed for stock movement prediction. Specifically, deep learning models are increasingly applied for the prediction of stock movement. The success of deep learning models relies on the assumption that massive training data are available. However, this assumption is impractical for stock movement prediction. In stock markets, a large number of stocks do not have enough historical data, especially for the companies which underwent initial public offering in recent years. In these situations, the accuracy of deep learning models to predict the stock movement could be affected. To address this problem, in this paper, we propose novel instance-based deep transfer learning models with attention mechanism. In the experiments, we compare our proposed methods with state-of-the-art prediction models. Experimental results on three public datasets reveal that our proposed methods significantly improve the performance of deep learning models when limited training data are available.
Keywords: Attention mechanism; Deep transfer learning; Instance-based; Stock movement prediction

Integrating digital technologies during the COVID-19 kindergarten suspension period in Hong Kong. - Hu, X.; Yelland, N.; Leung, W. M. V.; Liang, Y.; Sun, C. R.; Graham, C. R. (Digital Technologies and Early Childhood in China: Policy and Practice, 2024)

INTEGRATING ROBOTS INTO READING IN AN INCLUSIVE ESL CLASSROOM AT LOWER PRIMARY - Lei, Ut Wa (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
Establishing and improving the independent reading ability of middle school students has become one of the critical topics in the world, especially for second language learners. The cultivation of independent reading ability has specific challenges. This action research investigated the effectiveness of integrating robot-assisted teaching in reading lessons at lower primary grades. A group of third-grade students (n=15) participated in this research. The instruments include the pre-and post-test of a reading competency test (RCT) and motivational index (MI), a teacher reflection journal, and focus group discussion with parents. The whole intervention is conducted in two cycles, and requires the completion of four 40-minute lessons each week per cycle. The findings support the view that integrating robot-assisted teaching in the classroom can improve students' learning motivation to a certain extent, and that intervention programs positively impact students' learning motivation and independent reading ability in English. This study provides suggestion for the design of English reading instruction, and encourages English teachers to pay more attention to improving students' independent reading ability
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; independent reading skills; learning motivation; robot-assisted teaching

INTEGRATING VARIATION THEORY WITH MULTILINGUAL INSTRUCTION IN MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOMS: BRIDGING THEORY AND PRACTICE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACQUISITION - Gomes, Nuno Miguel Alves dos Santos Teixeira; Correia, Ana Maria; Thota, Neena Jawaharlal (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
This thesis explores language teaching and language acquisition by multilingual learners using a Variation Theory approach and multilingual teaching in a university setting in Macao, China. It includes three case studies applied to students of the Spanish language in the introductory level which took place from late August to early December of the year 2017. The first study describes Macao’s multilingual language learners in the University of Macao in 2017. Based on the LEAP-Q questionnaire, a questionnaire was created to inquire all Spanish language students about their languages´ background, their motivations to learn new languages, as well as their learning strategies. The second study shows how the usage of Variation Theory techniques and multilingual teaching techniques boosted the teaching and the learning during the semester. This study employs a case study methodology, by analysing in-class multiple interactions gathering information on how multilinguals´ language background affects the pedagogical process. It analyses a total of 28 classes of 1 hour and 15 minutes. The third study presents the analysis of a questionnaire to 82 students of the initial level of Spanish language in the University of Macao, along with the analysis of interviews from 10 selected multilingual students about their linguistic background and how they experienced the semester. These interviews collected more information about the effectiveness of the Variation Theory in the semester in terms of in-class teaching and learning. From the triangulation of these three studies, some conclusions have been drawn about the advantages of using Variation Theory and multilingual teaching techniques for multilingual students, for the language teacher and ultimately also into the curricular design of foreign language teaching. In sum, that the linguistic background of students plays a major role in how they acquire a new language and, that applying Variation Theory techniques can be an immensely effective technique in a language classroom setting; suggesting that multilingual students will gain from being previously identified and placed in a separate class where these variation techniques were applied. Since this thesis focuses solely on an introductory language course, there is ground to explore this same approach on more advanced multilingual language learners
Keywords: Foreign language teaching; Multilingualism; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Education (D-SE); University of Saint Joseph; Variation Theory

Integrative Educational Platform Focusing on Steam Approaches: A Macau Case-Study - Un Man Cheng (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

Intelligent Data Fusion System for Assessing and Classifying the Long-Term Effects of Exposure to COVID-19 in Pregnancy (Long Covid): Associated Neurophysiological and Epigenetic Mechanisms and Consequences for Infant Development - Lobo Marques, J. A. (2023 7th International Conference on Data Mining, Communications and Information Technology (DMCIT & CSMO 2023), 2023)

Intention Towards Online Counseling among Service Provider in Macau=: 澳門社會服務提供者對應用線上輔導的意向 - Lao, Hoi Keong (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Social Work (MSW); University of Saint Joseph

Interaction Design for a Contemporary Learning and Teaching Environment: Promoting Independent Learning at the Primary Level - Chan, Ka Chi (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

Interaction design for a contemporary learning and teaching environment: promoting independent learning at the primary level - Chan, Ka Chi (USJ Theses and Dissertations, 2022)
The world is perpetually changing, and the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that the future is full of unforeseen challenges and potentialities. What are the implications of the advancement in technology on education? How are teachers coping with contemporary educational expectations? Is there a need to redesign the learning environment? What is the exact nature of the forces driving such a change? Is there anything we can learn from successful innovations around the globe? The goals of this dissertation include designing a learning/teaching app and redesigning classroom furniture for primary-level education. A design thinking methodology is used, working through the phases of empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing the two potential designs
Keywords: Design; Interaction analysis in education; Interactive multimedia

Interactive bedside lamp design - Leong, Kit Teng (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

Interculturality and formation - Gallares, Judette (Engaging our diversity : interculturality and consecrated life today, 2020)

Interim remedies in Macau arbitration proceedings [Practice Note] - Diakite, Ansoumane Douty (LexisNexis, 2023)
This Practice Note provides an overview of the powers of tribunals and courts to issue interim remedies including an anti-suit injunction pursuant to the Arbitration Law and the Civil Procedure Code of Macau and provisions dealing with emergency arbitrator appointments pursuant to the Macau Arbitration Law.

International collaboration for mutual benefit: a Southwest China and Southeast United States partnership - Jackson, M. Sebrena; Gardell, Debra Nelson; Williams, Javonda; Tang, Ning; Yang, Fan (China Journal of Social Work, 2021)
China’s return to social work education, after a nearly 35-year absence, opened the door for partnerships like the 2012 China Collaborative partnership between the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Katherine A. Kendall Institute, the China Association of Social Work Education (CASWE) and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW). The University of Alabama School of Social Work (UA SSW) was selected to participate in the collaborative and was connected to the Southwest China Region, specifically partnered with Yunnan University. This manuscript will share the strategies used to engage faculty and students from each partnering institution. Data collected by UA SSW over the five-year partnership will be utilised to contribute to the discussion of the extent to which Western knowledge and theory about social work education might usefully be applied to the Chinese context.
Keywords: China collaborative; International social work; University of Alabama; Yunnan University; social work education

International Student Diversity Experiences in their Host Cities - Ge, Yun; Ho, Kong Chong (Governing Diverse Cities in Europe and AsiaAt: Singapore, 2022)

Internationalisation of higher education: new players in a changing scene - Ge, Yun (Educational Research and Evaluation, 2022)

Intersectoral Linkages in Booming Sector Economies - Gomes, Sérgio Ricardo Santos; Marques, Joao Alexandre Lobo; Reis, Ricardo Ferreira (ICEME 2022: 2022 13th International Conference on E-business, Management and Economics, 2022)

Investigating the influence of Instagram on the local foodservice sector in Macau: A Consumers' Perspective - Mac, Hoi Kuan (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
Nowadays marketers and practitioners recognize the importance of social marketing as a strategy to acquire customers. Accordingly, the enterprises and brands are embracing the use of social network in communicating with potential consumers ad actual consumers, in order its performance so as to increase its sales. Among all those social media platforms, Instagram is one of the platforms which is image orientated and can easily connect with users and provide information with photos and images. As Macau is small‐sized city where there are abundant small to medium‐sized enterprises, the local small firms are switching their marketing strategies by utilizing the Instagram to promote their product online. In order to get a better grasp of how Instagram affects the promotion of the food and beverage product in Macau, the research question has been formulated: “To what extend can the local food sectors in Macau use Instagram as a marketing tool to engage purchasing intention and strengthen their brand equity? From the perspective of customers.” Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants who are the Instagram users, with diverse situations of engagement on Instagram. According to the interviews, participants expressed that how Instagram can associate effects with arousal and brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty) and formation of purchase intention eventually through the Instagram marketing activities. The results showed that Instagram marketing activities strongly correlated the brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, and perceived quality while which in turn led to purchasing intention towards the brand. This research comprehensively illustrates the influences of Instagram marketing activities on customer‐based brand equity. The findings of this study will enable local food brands to more accurately forecast the future purchasing behaviors of their customers through Instagram marketing activities and provide a guide in managing brand equity as well
Keywords: Brand Equity; Instagram; Purchase Intention; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

Investigation on citizen trust towards e-government services in GBA – A study on WeChat and Alipay government service mini-programs - Lai, Chimeng; Joao, Alexandre Lobo Marques (Association for Computing Machinery, 2022)
Citizens' trust in eGovernment is crucial for the successful implementation of new electronic services. This relationship in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) plays an essential role since the Government services rely on mobile mini-programs This study investigates the trust towards government service mini-programs in WeChat and Alipay. A user feedback questionnaire was designed, and a total of 609 valid samples were collected from Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau. The findings imply that competence, integrity, and benevolence are the key components of trust in e-government (TIEG). TIEG positively influences perceived value (PV), which positively affects citizens' Intention to adopt service mini-programs. PV significantly mediates the relationship between TIEG and Intention. Although TIEG does not effectively reduce perceived risk (PR), risk issues cannot be ignored in the adoption process. Finally, this article proposes relevant implications and suggestions for the GBA government agents and policy makers.

IoT Application into Macau Secondary School - Chan, Long Wai (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

IoT-based smart health system for ambulatory maternal and fetal monitoring - Lobo Marques, J. A. (Symposium on Intelligent Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence Technologies (ISIMAIT 2022), 2022)

IoT-Based Smart Health System for Ambulatory Maternal and Fetal Monitoring - Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; Han, Tao; Wu, Wanqing; Madeiro, João Paulo do Vale; Neto, Aloísio Vieira Lira; Gravina, Raffaele; Fortino, Giancarlo; de Albuquerque, Victor Hugo C. (IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 2021)
The adoption of IoT for smart health applications is a relevant tool for distributed and intelligent automatic diagnostic systems. This work proposes the development of an integrated solution to monitor maternal and fetal signals for high-risk pregnancies based on IoT sensors, feature extraction based on data analytics, and an intelligent diagnostic aid system based on a 1-D convolutional neural network (CNN) classifier. The fetal heart rate and a group of maternal clinical indicators, such as the uterine tonus activity, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and oxygen saturation are monitored. Multiple data sources generate a significant amount of data in different formats and rates. An emergency diagnostic subsystem is proposed based on a fog computing layer and the best accuracy was 92.59% for both maternal and fetal emergency. A smart health analytics system is proposed for multiple feature extraction and the calculation of linear and nonlinear measures. Finally, a classification technique is proposed as a prediction system for maternal, fetal, and simultaneous health status classification, considering six possible outputs. Different classifiers are evaluated and a proposed CNN presented the best results, with the F1-score ranging from 0.74 to 0.91. The results are validated based on the diagnosis provided by two specialists. The results show that the proposed system is a viable solution for maternal and fetal ambulatory monitoring based on IoT.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Biomedical monitoring; Cloud computing; Feature extraction; Fetal heart rate; Internet of Things; Medical diagnostic imaging; Monitoring; convolutional neural networks (CNNs); feature extraction; fetal monitoring; health analytics; maternal monitoring

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF PLASTIC POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) DEGRADING AND POLYHYDROXYALKANOATES (PHAs) PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM SOIL AND WATER - Saidu, Muhammad Bashir (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
The demand for plastic has led to enormous plastic waste in the environment, which persist and negatively impact the ecosystems. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common thermoplastic polymers available on the market. The concerns about plastic waste generated an interest in strategies to enhance its biodegradation and finding alternative polymers. In this work was investigated the possibility of using bacteria to degrade PET and to produce bioplastics (Polyhydroxyalkanoates, PHAs). Finally, the integration of the two processes was tested. Overall, the work aimed to investigate the potential to recycle PET into bioplastic using bacteria. The potential of bacterial consortia from various environmental samples to degrade PET granules in liquid matrix was investigated. . The results revealed maximum PET granules degradation of 1.1 % by one of the tested consortia. PET degradation intermediate terephthalic acid (TPA) was not detected at the end of 55 days. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed major spectral peak shifts and bends on PET chemical structure compared to non-inoculated control. The biodegradation of PET films buried in the soil (A), with mangrove plants (B), and bioaugmented with a bacterial consortium (C) was also investigated. The experiments were conducted for 270 days at ambient conditions. The results revealed no difference between treatments in the degradation, with a maximum weight loss of 0.118 % in the bioaugmented treatment. Nevertheless, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and FTIR results indicated significant surface changes, spectral peak shifts, and stretches in PET chemical structures. Bacterial consortia isolated from the soil of the experimental treatments were assessed for degradation of PET monomers, TPA and monoethylene glycol (MEG), and intermediate Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET). The consortia were inoculated in flasks containing minimal media with 1000 mg/L TPA or BHET or1113 mg/L MEG as the sole carbon source. Results showed complete degradation of TPA and significant degradation of BHET (96.09%), and MEG (83.65%) by the consortia. In the second part of the study, bacteria were isolated from various environmental samples and screened for PHA production using Sudan Black B staining on colonies and smeared glass slides. Transmission Electron Microscope images were captured to confirm the intracellular PHA inclusions. A total of 35 isolates were screened for PHA, and 22 showed positive staining. The isolate showing higher levels of PHA synthesis (EC2-30-3) was identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence as Bacillus sp. and selected for PET monomers degradation and fermentation cultures for PHA production. It was cultured in minimal (Moreira et al., 2013) media with 1000 mg/L TPA and 1113 mg/L MEG as the carbon source for eight days. The isolate grew better in media containing MEG, which was selected as a substrate model for PHA fermentation. To integrate PET monomers biodegradation and production of PHA, the isolate was cultured in 0.2 % MEG. A control with 0.2 % of glucose was prepared, and the cultures were incubated for 96 hours. Bacillus sp. EC2-30-3 showed higher PHA accumulation in media supplied with MEG (40.31%) than glucose (25.53%). This is the first report showing that Bacillus sp. uses PET monomer as carbon source to produce a biopolymer. FTIR results of the extracted PHA identified its functional units as C–H, CH3, C=O, and C–O groups. The absorption bands obtained are closely related to the structure of PHB. The study thus confirmed the ability of the isolated bacteria to degrade PET monomers and produce biopolymers. The results of this work open the possibility for upscaling the use of bacteria to mitigate the impact of PET on the environment while producing environmentally friendly bioplastics
Keywords: Biodiversity; China; Green Roof; Macao SAR; Nature-based Solutions; Sustainability; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Science (D-SC); University of Saint Joseph

Java面向对象程序设计 - 梁胜彬 (清华大学出版社, 2023)
结合实用案例讲解Java语法、面向对象程序设计技术和核心API。 全书共10章，内容涵盖Java概述、Java语法基础、面向对象基础、面向对象高级技术、 Java API、异常处理机制、Java I/O流、多线程、Java GUI编程和Java网络编程等知识要点。案例丰富，以JDK 17和IntelliJ IDEA等流行的开发环境为依托，力求让读者通过案例 掌握Java编程技术。另一个特色是在阐释专业内容的同时自然融入思政元素， 具有鲜明的时代性和引领性。 可作为普通高等院校计算机、软件工程、人工智能等专业“面向对象程序设计”“Java程序设计”课程的教材，也适 合编程爱好者自学和培训使用。

Job Satisfaction, Dilemmas and Causes of Hearing Impaired People in Macau =: 澳門聽障人士工作滿意度、困境及其原因 - Pang, Wan I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Social Work (MSW); University of Saint Joseph

John Henry Newman and the development of doctrine: encountering change, looking for continuity - Morgan, Stephen (The Catholic University of America Press, 2021)
"In focusing on the gestation of "An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine" (1845), John Henry Newman's last work as an Anglican and presaging his transition to Catholicism, this book examines how Newman accounted for doctrinal continuity in the face of evidence of change in the history of the church"--

Jornalismo e Qualidade no Mundo de Expressão Portuguesa - Camponez, Carlos; Simões, José Manuel; Christofoletti, Rogério (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
"Jornalismo e Qualidade no Mundo de Expressão Portuguesa"propõe uma análise sobre a paisagem do jornalismo nos oitopaíses de língua oficial portuguesa - Portugal, Angola, Brasil, Cabo Verde, Moçambique, Guiné-Bissau, São Tomé e Príncipee Timor-Leste - e na Região Autónoma Especial de Macau. Olivro é uma reflexão sobre a legislação, o plano jurídico-constitucionalque enquadra os media no espaço lusófono, os contextosde mercado, as especificidades inscritas em fatoreshistóricos e económicos, em percursos políticos, bem comosobre as relações entre os media e os jornalistas e estes e opoder regulador do Estado.Os trabalhos reunidos nesta obra escrita por autores que partilhamentre si um dos idiomas mais falados do planeta, mostram as diferentes realidades do jornalismo no espaço dalíngua portuguesa, nomeadamente as suas redes de conhecimento, de empenho na promoção da qualidade da informação, de intercompreensão entre povos e culturas, de novas einovadoras formas de parcerias sociais com vista à partilha e àconstrução de mundividências.

Journalism Ethics and the Common Good: The Formation of Values and Virtues for Just and Harmonious Societies - Gassner, Franz; Simoes, José Manuel (Disentangled Vision On Higher Education: Preparing The Generation Next, 2022)

Key Issues for Digital Factory Designing and Planning: A Survey - Wang, Han; Du, Wencai; Li, Shaobin (Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Networking and Parallel/Distributed Computing, 2022)
Digital Factory (DF) planning is the key of intelligent factory construction, where intelligent production technologies of big data analysis, cloud computing, blockchain, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, 5G, Time Sensitive Network (TSN), Digital Twin (DT), additive manufacturing are included. By applying the modern techniques, DF performs great advantages on the aspects of product lifecycle management, enterprise resource planning, operation management, supply chain management, real-time database construction, advanced process control, as well as the new technologies of distributed control system and fieldbus control system. This article delivers a review of key issues of DF top-level design and planning from the aspects of networking, precision, automation and digitalization. Solutions are explored based on 5G, TSN and DT advanced technologies, literately and practically. Additionally, the article describes the method and application of efficient big data comprehensive solution. Therefore, this study contributes valuable decision-making support for DF applications.
Keywords: 5G; Big data comprehensive solution; Digital Factory; Digital twin; Time Sensitive Network

Kindergarten Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusive Education: Perspectives from Macau. - Sun, C. R. (21st PECERA International Conference, 2021)

Knowledge and Attitude of Parents with Regular Primary Children Towards Inclusive Education in Macau =: 澳門小學普通生家長對澳門融合教育的認識及態度之調查報告 - Chong, Leng Leng (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

La terre des autochtones potiguara du brésil: une construction sociale et politique - Simões, José Manuel (E-Journal of Intercultural Studies, 2022)
The land of the potiguara indians of Brazil: a social and political construction The space in which the potiguaras of Brazil live is, today as in the past, the result of a longterm process, many negotiations and well-managed refuges. Paradoxically, despite their recurrent discourse invoking the ancestry of their lands of origin, the Potiguara fight and continue to fight politically for the return to the spaces where their colonial refuge took place.

LatinX in AI research - Banda, Juan M.; Ruiz-Garcia, Ariel; Montoya, Laura N.; Arraut, Ivan (Neural Computing and Applications, 2023)
We are delighted to present this special issue editorial for Neural Computing and Applications special issue on LatinX in AI research. This special issue brings together a collection of articles that explore machine learning and artificial intelligence research from various perspectives, aiming to provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of what LatinX researchers are working on in the field. In this editorial, we will introduce the overarching theme of the special issue, highlight the significance of the selected papers, and offer insights into the contributions made by the authors. The LatinX in AI organization was launched in 2018, with leaders from organizations in Artificial Intelligence, Education, Research, Engineering, and Social Impact with a purpose to together create a group that would be focused on “Creating Opportunity for LatinX in AI.” The main goal is to increase the representation of LatinX professionals in the AI industry. LatinX in AI Org and programs are volunteer-run and fiscally sponsored by the Accel AI Institute, 501(c)3 Non-Profit.

Leadership and Neurosciences - The analysis of emotional arousal during decision-making processes with decision-makers exposed to acute stress - Marques, Joao Alexandre Lobo (European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance, 2023)
Corporate leaders are constantly dealing with stress in parallel with continuous decision-making processes. The impact of acute stress on decision-making activities is a relevant area of study to evaluate the impact of the decisions made, and create tools and mechanisms to cope with the inevitable exposure to stress and better manage its impact. The intersection of leadership and neurosciences techniques is called Neuroleadership. In this work, an experiment is proposed to detect and measure the emotional arousal of two groups of business professionals, divided into two groups. The first one is the intervention/stress group, n=30, exposed to stressful conditions, and the control group, n=14, not exposed to stress. The participants are submitted to a sequence of computerized stimuli, such as watching videos, answering survey questions, and making decisions in a realistic office environment. The Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) biosensor monitors emotional arousal in real-time. The experiment design implemented stressors such as visual effects, defacement, unfairness, and time-constraint for the intervention group, followed by decision-making tasks. The results indicate that emotional arousal was statistically significantly higher for the intervention/stress group, considering Shapiro and Mann-Whitney tests. The work indicates that GSR is a reliable stress detector and may be useful to predict negative impacts on executive professionals during decision-making activities.

LEADERSHIP STYLE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE INFLUENCE ON EMPLOYEES’ ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT UNDER THE PANDEMIC SITUATION - Sun Leung, Wai Chai (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of leadership styles and organizational cultures to employee’s organizational commitment under the pandemic situation in Macao. The dependent variables comprise of the three dimensions of organizational commitment. Among those three, affective commitment and continuance commitment are considered to be analyzed in this study. The leadership styles concept and organizational cultures are applied as the independent variables. The objectives are achieved using quantitative research method with questionnaires in Likert scale scores. The two significance reveals that laissez-faire leadership style had a positive relationship with continuance organizational commitment (H4) and innovative culture had a positive correlation with continuance organization commitment (H6). Such outcomes were extended to a qualitative study with qualitative approach on discourse analysis to explore the potential factor and a leadership discourse analysis was initiated. While the findings on influence of leadership and culture on organizational commitment is not a major concern for Macao employees in the pandemic situation, the significance of specific leadership style and culture rationalizes the transformation and status of Macao employees’ views towards leadership and employers’ perspective on organizational culture. The data collected in this study may also provide valuable resources for future study and training programs for the coming batch of employees in the coming new phase of Macao in entering the 2nd round of gaming licensing. Create the right leadership and culture for the organization to bring back the passion of Macao employees
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); University of Saint Joseph

Learning dynamics of kernel-based deep neural networks in manifolds - Wu, Wei; Jing, Xiaoyuan; Du, Wencai; Chen, Guoliang (Science China Information Sciences, 2021)

Learning God’s Mercy: Spiritual Transformation According to Hos 11:8 - Gassner, Franz (The Journal of the Macau Ricci Institute, 2022)
A growing focus on God’s mercy and forgiveness emerged in the wake of the recent Pontificates of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. Our time with its multiple crises cries for healing, forgiveness, and the experience of God’s mercy. In social, political, and global terms, humanity craves for “lasting peace, born of the marriage of justice and mercy” (John Paul II, 2001, no. 15). The experience of God’s forgiveness, merciful healing and new life has been expressed many times in the Bible. But, theologically, it has never been formulated as directly as in Hosea 11:8, when God’s own heart becomes “turned over”, “converted” following the blaze of his own overwhelming compassion, paving the way for a fundamental spiritual transformation, rooted in forgiveness and mercy, that opens wellsprings of dignity, healing, and new life for all.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF CONSTRUCTED WETLAND SYSTEMS FOR TOURISM UNITS WASTEWATER TREATMENT - Lo, Weng In (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
With water being an essential for life on Earth, it is vital to preserve it and regenerate it, in order to be available for a myriad of uses. Though many types of wastewater management and treatment are available, most rely on high energy input and are therefore not ideal for many circumstances. Constructed wetlands (CW) are an alternative nature-based solution to be applied to wastewater treatment. This study undertakes a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a CW as a means of wastewater treatment and aims to understand how these systems can be an environmentally conscious alternative. The CW under study is located in a rural mountain area in the north of Portugal. Receives wastewater from a tourism unit and operates with horizontal subsurface. The LCA analyses the CW through the construction, operation (treatment), and composting phases. This approach allows the entire scope of the life cycle to be included, of which, the composting phase has been absent in similar LCA previously undertaken. Analysis focuses on the impact categories: Ozone Layer Depletion Potential, Global Warming Potential, Acidification Potential, Eutrophication Potential and Human Toxicity Potential. Of the five categories, none increase during the treatment phase, and indeed, Acidification Potential, Eutrophication Potential, and Human Toxicity potential all decrease. Ozone Layer Depletion Potential and Global Warming Potential increase significantly during the construction and composting phases respectively. Both can be rationalized, with the former being a result of heavy diesel machinery use in construction and the latter a natural byproduct of composting. The results are net positive and display the ability for CW as a low energy wastewater treatment which can limit environmental impact by choice of construction and composting methodology
Keywords: Lifecycle assessment; Master of Environmental Sciences and Management (MESM); University of Saint Joseph; constructed wetland; wastewater treatment

Life Is not a Walk across a Field - Morrison, Keith (European Scientific Institute, 2024)

Lighting Up A Place with Good Stories: Heritage Interpretation Strategies and the Macau Historic Centre - Ip, Kin Man (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of History & Heritage Studies (MHHS); University of Saint Joseph

Linguistic and economic capital in Macau - Morrison, Keith (Macau Business, 2023)
Macau, Macau Business, MAG, MB, MB Featured, Opinion | Macau wisely looks to mainland China, South-East Asia, and Portuguese-speaking countries, as part of its economic diversification. However, to be a player on the international stage and world-wide market, it must look wider, and, hence, the standard of English in Macau must improve dramatically and urgently.

LISTENING TO CHILDREN’S IDEAS TO IMPROVE IN LEARNING AND DEVELOPING HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS THROUGH REFLECTION WITH DAILY DOCUMENTATION - Ae, Young Choi; Ho, Ka Lee Carrie (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Listening to children’s voices is still not considered an essential part of education in some schools, including many in Asian countries. The authority of schools and teachers is still highly valued under the continued influence of Confucian Heritage Culture in many Asian schools, including a significant number in Macao. Teachers in international schools in Asian countries often experience some difficulties when communicating with young children because of their low English proficiency and the traditional views supported by many parents who grew up with the Confucian Heritage Culture, which encourages children to be quiet in the classroom to be good listeners. This Action research took fifteen months between two school years, 2018- 2019 and 2019-2020, with two groups of four and five-year-old students in a kindergarten classroom. Documentation posters were created for young children to use the next morning to reflect on their learning. The pedagogy of listening and pedagogical documentation from the Reggio Emilia approach were implemented to discover and record young children’s ideas and interests, work with daily documentation posters, and help them reflect on documentation posters to improve their learning and develop their higher-order thinking skills. Photos and videos, observation notes with the children’s comments, documentation posters, and reflective discussions were used as interventions to collect the children’s ideas and record their learning activities. The children learned to use documentation posters to remember, think, share, and improve their learning. The children’s comments from Learning Centres, recess, and reflective discussions were used to examine their understanding of learning and higher-order thinking skills. During one Pilot Cycle and three structured data collection cycles, the children demonstrated improvement in learning for each learning project and development of their thinking skills both with and without the teacher’s support. The children demonstrated higher-order thinking skills more often from Learning Centres and recess when they had to solve problems. They also demonstrated higher-order thinking skills more often during the whole group reflective discussions than in small group reflections, when a bigger number of children joined or when they had enough time to think. The thinking skills when children were reflecting were observed to concentrate on remembering and understanding as they focused on remembering and sharing the previous day’s work. The children’s other higher-order thinking skills did not show an increase in frequency during reflective discussions. However, the children demonstrated active engagement and a range of higher-order thinking skills when the teacher asked openended questions and provided support and comments to help them to connect their learning to their past experiences. Findings indicated that the children’s learning from each Learning Centre showed change and improvement during their play over time according to their interests, indicated by their material use and comments. The research was limited by its small number of participants within their age group due to convenience sampling and the children’s relatively limited ability to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills. This study has shown how teachers could help children use daily documentation posters to develop their learning and thinking skills by visualizing their ideas and the teacher’s important role in supporting children’s learning with active listening and support in the classroom
Keywords: Bloom’s Taxonomy; Early Childhood Education; Pedagogical Documentation; Reggio Emilia Approach; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Education (D-SE); University of Saint Joseph

Liturgical Text as Mandorla: windows from the Everyday to the Sacred, from the Sacred to the Everyday - Morgan, Stephen (Sacred and the Everyday: Comparative Approaches to Literature, Religious and Secular, 2021)

Local Matters - Design Driven by Urban Conditions [Video] - Soares, Nuno (TEDx Senado Square. TED Conferences., 2020)

Look Before You Eat: An Augmented Reality Menu - Cheang, Ka Pui (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

LSDA-APF: A Local Obstacle Avoidance Algorithm for Unmanned Surface Vehicles Based on 5G Communication Environment - Li, Xiaoli; Jiao, Tongtong; Ma, Jinfeng; Duan, Dongxing; Liang, Shengbin (Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, 2023)
In view of the complex marine environment of navigation, especially in the case of multiple static and dynamic obstacles, the traditional obstacle avoidance algorithms applied to unmanned surface vehicles (USV) are prone to fall into the trap of local optimization. Therefore, this paper proposes an improved artificial potential field (APF) algorithm, which uses 5G communication technology to communicate between the USV and the control center. The algorithm introduces the USV discrimination mechanism to avoid the USV falling into local optimization when the USV encounter different obstacles in different scenarios. Considering the various scenarios between the USV and other dynamic obstacles such as vessels in the process of performing tasks, the algorithm introduces the concept of dynamic artificial potential field. For the multiple obstacles encountered in the process of USV sailing, based on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), the USV determines whether the next step will fall into local optimization through the discrimination mechanism. The local potential field of the USV will dynamically adjust, and the reverse virtual gravitational potential field will be added to prevent it from falling into the local optimization and avoid collisions. The objective function and cost function are designed at the same time, so that the USV can smoothly switch between the global path and the local obstacle avoidance. The simulation results show that the improved APF algorithm proposed in this paper can successfully avoid various obstacles in the complex marine environment, and take navigation time and economic cost into account.

Lung Segmentation of Chest X-Rays Using Unet Convolutional Networks - dos Santos Silva, Bruno Riccelli; Cesar Cortez, Paulo; Gomes Aguiar, Rafael; Rodrigues Ribeiro, Tulio; Pereira Teixeira, Alexandre; Bernardo Gois, Francisco Nauber; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre (Computerized Systems for Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19, 2023)
The gold standard to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection consider testing methods based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Still, the time necessary to confirm patient infection can be lengthy, and the process is expensive. On the other hand, X-Ray and CT scans play a vital role in the auxiliary diagnosis process. Hence, a trusted automated technique for identifying and quantifying the infected lung regions would be advantageous. Chest X-rays are two-dimensional images of the patient’s chest and provide lung morphological information and other characteristics, like ground-glass opacities (GGO), horizontal linear opacities, or consolidations, which are characteristics of pneumonia caused by COVID-19. But before the computerized diagnostic support system can classify a medical image, a segmentation task should usually be performed to identify relevant areas to be analyzed and reduce the risk of noise and misinterpretation caused by other structures eventually present in the images. This chapter presents an AI-based system for lung segmentation in X-ray images using a U-net CNN model. The system’s performance was evaluated using metrics such as cross-entropy, dice coefficient, and Mean IoU on unseen data. Our study divided the data into training and evaluation sets using an 80/20 train-test split method. The training set was used to train the model, and the evaluation test set was used to evaluate the performance of the trained model. The results of the evaluation showed that the model achieved a Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 95%, Cross entropy of 97%, and Mean IoU of 86%.

Macao’s mangroves - Tagulao, Karen; Chan, Sek Kiu (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)

Macao Soundscape as an Analysis Tool for Sound Quality Assessment - Pestana, Pedro; Barbosa, Alvaro; Estadieu, Gerald (Multimodus’22 - 1st International Conference on Sound and Image in Art & Design, 2022)
Macao SAR, China is one of the more densely-populated territories in the world, and as such necessarily struggles with Soundscape quality. Nonetheless, the territory has already been identified as a unique location for to function as a Soundscape living lab (Cordeiro et al., 2014), since it has a very small manageable area that includes many types of geographical varieties, from extremely high density urban areas to natural environments with dense vegetation highland or varied water front typologies. In addition, Macao has extremely wide multicultural population with a broad range of subjects that have diverse cultural perceptions and thresholds in regards to sonic cognition. The potential impact of this diversity has already been noticed in both tourism (To & Chung, 2019) and research (Chung et al., 2016). The concept of Soundscape itself is garnering increased awareness as a viable alternative to assess the quality of the sonic environment, of use to policy management and legislation, shown not only by the increasing numbers of scientific articles on the subject (Moscoso et al., 2018), but also by recent international standardisation efforts in measuring it (ISO,2018). In this talk we shall give a preliminary description and illustration of the Soundscape in a territory that is rich in diversity and has huge potential for citizen participation. This includes approaches like noise mapping, sound mapping, Soundwalks, grounded theory efforts for detailed descriptions of the environment and use of alternative objective metrics. We will describe how to use the richness of this gathered data in developing artificial-intelligence algorithms to autonomously assess and predict the evaluation of a given Soundscape based on recordings alone. This goal will alleviate the intense human effort in subjective assessment, and may prove to be an effective and substantial diagnostics tool in planning the soundscape for prospective built environments, functioning not only as an analysis and diagnostics tool, but as a design strategy for a sustainable sonic future.

Macau 2.0: New Gaming Law and its Implications for Casino Market - Ho, Hong-Wai; Phillips, Jenny (Gaming Law Review, 2023)
This article discusses the new gaming law in Macau with emphasis on the critical aspects concerning the gaming operators, concession regime, and other regulatory obligations.1 Thanks to the gaming liberalization commenced in 2001,2 Macau has experienced tremendous economic growth. The past two decades have seen the rapid development of large-scale integrated resorts, and Macau now ranks among the world's major gaming jurisdictions.3 Policy and regulatory challenges have also emerged along with the growth of the junket-driven VIP business in casinos.4 With the recent amendment of Law No. 16/2001 and the subsequent enactment of Law No. 16/2022, Macau has strengthened the legal underpinnings of its system of gaming regulation to oversee various groups involved in casinos and their industry practices. The present study is among the first to review the scope and impact of the revised gaming law, and associated managerial and operational implications for Macau casinos. Topics covered include policy directions, concession requirements, industry participants, gaming taxes, and fair business practices. This study could provide insights into the “Macau 2.0” project and how casinos are to be operated and managed over the next decade. This article could also provide practical guidance for policy makers charged with formulating gaming policy and regulation in other jurisdictions.
Keywords: Macao; concession; economic diversification; gaming regulation; junket; operation

Macau: 7 desenhos, 7 artistas, 7 perfis, 7 pontes entre a China e o mundo lusófono - Simoes, José Manuel (Em português: falar, viver e pensar no século XXI, 2022)

Macau Ambient Air Pollutants Forecasting By Pollutant Time Series And Meteorological Data Using Machine Learning Methods - Ng, Chung Wang (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
" Air pollution in Macau has become a serious problem following the Pearl River Delta’s (PRD) rapid industrialization that began in the 1990s. While there has been continual improvement in recent years, harmful air pollutant concentration levels are still common, impacting Macau residents' health and creating long-term medical costs to local society. With this in mind, Macau needs an air quality forecast system that accurately predicts pollutant concentration and an early alert system instead of only daily real-time reminders. Some scholars have previously carried out studies to develop an air quality forecast for Macau by successfully using statistical models. Therefore, pursuant to the outcomes of previous studies, this dissertation aims to build upon research results and explore further possibilities of building a better ML air quality forecast model based on the time series of air pollutants concentration and meteorological data. Four different state-of-the-art ML algorithms were used to create predictive models to forecast PM2.5, PM10, and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations for the next 24 and 48-hour. These were Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Random Forest (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). In addition, Multiple Linear Regression MLR, a standard ML model, was used for this dissertation as a baseline reference for performance comparison. The daily measurements of air quality data in Macau from 2016 to 2021 were collected for this dissertation. The 2020 and 2021 datasets were used for model testing while the four-year data prior to 2020 and 2021 were used to build and train the ML models. The results showed that SVM, ANN, RF, and XGBoost were able to provide a very good performance in building up a 24-hour forecast with higher R2 and lower RMSE, MAE, and BIAS. Meanwhile, all ML models in 48-hour forecasting performance were satisfactory enough to be accepted as a two-day continuous forecast even if the R2 value was lower than the 24-hour forecast. The 48-hour forecasting model could be further improved by proper feature selection based on the 24-hour dataset, using the SHAP value test, and the adjusted R2 value of the 48-hour forecasting model."
Keywords: Air pollution; Macau; Machine Learning; Meteorological features; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Environmental Sciences and Management (MESM); Transboundary pollutants; University of Saint Joseph

Macau: Carlos Marreiros, macaense, luso-descendente – um testemunho de uma carreira internacional de um arquiteto e artista - Simoes, José Manuel (Em português: falar, viver e pensar no século XXI, 2022)

Macau Mobility: Empowering the Commuter in Partial: Case study: E.Mobility Application - Pereira, Julieta Soares Gomes (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

Macau's First Modern University: Exploring the Early History of the University of East Asia - Roberts, Priscilla (2023)

Macau’s gaming culture hits higher education - Morrison, Keith (Macau Business, 2021)

Macau's Historical House Taxonomy: The Shophouses at the Rua de Cinco de Outubro (Case Studies) - Fu Ho I (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of History & Heritage Studies (MHHS); University of Saint Joseph

Macau Secondary School Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education and Concern Over It =: 澳門中學教師對融合教育的態度與憂慮之研究 - 陳瀅瀅 (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

Macau Sound Gallery: Soundscapes of Macau An Immersive Interactive Installation - U, Chin Cheng (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

Machine learning-based cardiac activity non-linear analysis for discriminating COVID-19 patients with different degrees of severity - Ribeiro, Pedro; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; Pordeus, Daniel; Zacarias, Laíla; Leite, Camila Ferreira; Sobreira-Neto, Manoel Alves; Peixoto, Arnaldo Aires; de Oliveira, Adriel; Madeiro, João Paulo do Vale; Rodrigues, Pedro Miguel (Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, 2024)
Objective: This study highlights the potential of an Electrocardiogram (ECG) as a powerful tool for early diagnosis of COVID-19 in critically ill patients with limited access to CT–Scan rooms. Methods: In this investigation, 3 categories of patient status were considered: Low, Moderate, and Severe. For each patient, 2 different body positions have been used to collect 2 ECG signals. Then, from each collected signal, 10 non-linear features (Energy, Approximate Entropy, Logarithmic Entropy, Shannon Entropy, Hurst Exponent, Lyapunov Exponent, Higuchi Fractal Dimension, Katz Fractal Dimension, Correlation Dimension and Detrended Fluctuation Analysis) were extracted every 1s ECG time-series length to serve as entries for 19 Machine learning classifiers within a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure. Four different classification scenarios were tested: Low vs. Moderate, Low vs. Severe, Moderate vs. Severe and one Multi-class comparison (All vs. All). Results: The classification report results were: (1) Low vs. Moderate - 100% of Accuracy and 100% of F1–Score; (2) Low vs. Severe - Accuracy of 91.67% and an F1–Score of 94.92%; (3) Moderate vs. Severe - Accuracy of 94.12% and an F1–Score of 96.43%; and (4) All vs All - 78.57% of Accuracy and 84.75% of F1–Score. Conclusion: The results indicate that the applied methodology could be considered a good tool for distinguishing COVID-19’s different severity stages using ECG signals. Significance: The findings highlight the potential of ECG as a fast and effective tool for COVID-19 examination. In comparison to previous studies using the same database, this study shows a 7.57% improvement in diagnostic accuracy for the All vs All comparison.
Keywords: Accuracy; COVID-19; ECG signals; Machine learning classifiers; Non-linear analysis; –

Machine learning over the free-parameters of the Black-Scholes equation: Stock market and Option market - Arraut, Jorge Mario; Arraut, Ivan; Lei, Ka I. (LatinX in AI Workshop at ICML 2023 (Regular Deadline), 2023)
The Black-Scholes equation is famous for predicting values for the prices of Options inside the stock market scenario. However, it has the limitation of depending on the estimated value for the volatility. On the other hand, several Machine learning techniques have been employed for predicting the values of the same quantity. In this paper we analyze some fundamental properties of the Black-Scholes equation and we then propose a way to train its free-parameters, the volatility in particular. This with the purpose of using this parameter as the fundamental one to be learned by a Machine Learning system and then improve the predictions in the stock market.

Magmatic Evolution of Garnet-Bearing Highly Fractionated Granitic Rocks from Macao, Southeast China: Implications for Granite-Related Mineralization Processes - Quelhas, Pedro; Mata, João; Dias, Ágata (Journal of Earth Science, 2021)
The widespread W-(Mo)-Sn-Nb-Ta polymetallic mineralization in Southeast (SE) China is genetically associated with Mesozoic highly fractionated granitic rocks. Such rocks have enigmatic mineralogical and geochemical features, making its petrogenesis an intensely debated topic. To better understand the underlying magma evolution processes, petrography, garnet chemistry and whole-rock major and trace element data are reported for Jurassic highly fractionated granitic rocks and associated microgranite and aplitepegmatite dikes from Macao and compared with coeval similar granitic rocks from nearby areas in SE China. Despite the fact that the most evolved rocks in Macao are garnet-bearing aplite-pegmatite dikes, the existence of coeval two-mica and garnet-bearing biotite and muscovite granites displaying more evolved compositions (e.g, lower Zr/Hf ratios) indicates that the differentiation sequence reached higher degrees of fractionation at a regional scale. Although crystal fractionation played an important role, late-stage fluid/melt interactions, involving F-rich fluids, imparted specific geochemical characteristics to Macao and SE China highly fractionated granitic rocks such as the non-CHARAC (CHArge-and-RAdius-Controlled) behavior of trace elements, leading, for example, to non-chondritic Zr/Hf ratios, Rare Earth Elements (REE) tetrad effects and Nb-Ta enrichment and fractionation. Such process contributed to the late-stage crystallization of accessory phases only found in these highly evolved facies. Among the latter, two populations of garnet were identified in MGI (Macao Group I) highly fractionated granitic rocks: small grossular-poor euhedral grains and large grossular-rich skeletal garnet grains with quartz inclusions. The first group was mainly formed through precipitation from highly evolved Mn-rich slightly peraluminous melts under low-pressure and relatively low temperature (∼700 °C) conditions. Assimilation of upper crust metasedimentary materials may have contributed as a source of Mn and Al to the formation of garnet. The second group has a metasomatic origin related to the interaction of magmatic fluids with previously crystallized mineral phases and, possibly, with assimilated metasedimentary enclaves or surrounding metasedimentary strata. The highly fractionated granitic rocks in Macao represent the first stage in the development of granite-related W-(Mo)-Sn-Nb-Ta mineralization associated with coeval more evolved lithotypes in SE China.

Malacca Portuguese Creole - Pillai, Stefanie; Baxter, Alan N.; Soh, Wen-Yi (Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 2021)
Malacca Portuguese Creole (MPC) (ISO 639-3; code: mcm), popularly known as Malacca Portuguese or locally as (Papiá) Cristang, belongs to the group of Portuguese-lexified creoles of (South)east Asia, which includes the extinct varieties of Batavia/Tugu (Maurer 2013) and Bidau, East Timor (Baxter 1990), and the moribund variety of Macau (Baxter 2009). MPC has its origins in the Portuguese presence in Malacca, and like the other creoles in this subset, it is genetically related to the Portuguese Creoles of South Asia (Holm 1988, Cardoso, Baxter & Nunes 2012).

Malaria Blood Smears Object Detection Based on Convolutional DCGAN and CNN Deep Learning Architectures - Gois, Francisco Nauber Bernardo; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; de Oliveira Dantas, Allberson Bruno; Santos, Márcio Costa; Neto, José Valdir Santiago; de Macêdo, José Antônio Fernandes; Du, Wencai; Li, Ye (Computer and Information Science, 2023)
Fast and efficient malaria diagnostics are essential in efforts to detect and treat the disease in a proper time. The standard approach to diagnose malaria is a microscope exam, which is submitted to a subjective interpretation. Thus, the automating of the diagnosis process with the use of an intelligent system capable of recognizing malaria parasites could aid in the early treatment of the disease. Usually, laboratories capture a minimum set of images in low quality using a system of microscopes based on mobile devices. Due to the poor quality of such data, conventional algorithms do not process those images properly. This paper presents the application of deep learning techniques to improve the accuracy of malaria plasmodium detection in the presented context. In order to increase the number of training sets, deep convolutional generative adversarial networks (DCGAN) were used to generate reliable training data that were introduced in our deep learning model to improve accuracy. A total of 6 experiments were performed and a synthesized dataset of 2.200 images was generated by the DCGAN for the training phase. For a real image database with 600 blood smears with malaria plasmodium, the proposed Deep Learning architecture obtained the accuracy of 100% for the plasmodium detection. The results are promising and the solution could be employed to support a mass medical diagnosis system.

Malaria Blood Smears Object Detection Based on Convolutional DCGAN and CNN Deep Learning Architectures - Gois, Francisco Nauber Bernardo; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; De Oliveira Dantas, Allberson Bruno; Santos, Márcio Costa; Neto, José Valdir Santiago; De Macêdo, José Antônio Fernandes; Du, Wencai; Li, Ye (Computer and Information Science, 2023)

Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme: Prespectives of Macau Employees - Cheong, Kit I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Government Studies (MGS); University of Saint Joseph

Mangrove Conservation in Macao SAR, China: The Role of Environmental Education among School Students - Tagulao, Karen Araño; Bernardo, Allan B. I.; Kei, Loi Hoi; Calheiros, Cristina Sousa Coutinho (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022)
Mangrove forests are one of the most ecologically valuable ecosystems in the world and provide a wide variety of ecosystem services to coastal communities, including cities. Macao, a highly urbanized coastal city located on the southern coast of China west of the Pearl River, is home to several species of mangroves with many associated flora and fauna. Mangrove forests in Macao are vulnerable to threats due to pressure from rapid and massive urban developments in the area, which led to mangrove loss in the past decades. To address this issue, the local authorities established special Ecological Zones for the management of the local mangroves. To reinforce local conservation efforts, educating the local population about the value of mangroves, especially school students, is of utmost importance. To evaluate the impact of environmental education activities on the environmental orientation, knowledge, and values of students toward mangrove conservation in Macao, a quasi-experimental study was undertaken. The effectiveness of a mangroves exhibition and field visit were evaluated using the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale—Macao version in a group of local school students who participated in the activities. Overall, the results provided consistently positive evaluations of the impact of the environmental education program. The strongest improvements were found in the students’ pro-environmental orientations, knowledge about mangroves, and value for environmental protection.
Keywords: NEP-New Ecological Paradigm; conservation; environmental orientation; environmental protection; urban mangroves

Mangroves as a nature-based solution for a cleaner and safer Macao - Tagulao, Karen (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Marine Sustainable Development Seminar, 2022)

Mangroves as a Nature-Based Solution for Coastal Water Eutrophication in Macao Sar China - Lai, Wai Ian (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Master of Environmental Sciences and Management (MESM); University of Saint Joseph

Mangroves as a nature-based solution for water and climate change issues in Macao: from scientific research to environmental education - Tagulao, Karen (Fostering applied research on the synergies between biodiversity and climate, 2022)

Mangroves as ecosystem services providers in an urban context: case study of Macao, SAR China - Vanessa, W. L.; Calheiros, Cristina S. C.; Tagulao, Karen (4th Meeting – online edition – Functional Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, 2020)

Mangroves as nature-based solution for coastal water eutrophication in Macao, SAR China - Vanessa, W. L.; Calheiros, Cristina S. C.; Tagulao, Karen (CIIMAR, 2020)

Mangroves for phytoremediation of coastal water eutrophication in Macao, SAR China - Tagulao, Karen (The 9th WETPOL (Wetland Pollution and Dynamics), 2021)

Mary and Fátima: A Modest C-Inductive Argument for Catholicism - Mcnabb, Tyler Dalton; Blado, Joseph E. (Perichoresis, 2020)
AbstractC-Inductive arguments are arguments that increase the probability of a hypothesis. In this paper, we offer a C-Inductive argument for the Roman Catholic hypothesis. We specifically argue that one would expect the Miracle of Fátima on Roman Catholicism more so than on alternative hypotheses. Since our argument draws on confirmation theory, we first give a primer for how confirmation theory works. We then, provide the historical facts surrounding the Miracle of Fátima. We offer up two competing naturalistic explanations that attempt to explain the historical facts, but then, argue that a supernatural explanation is superior. Having established that something miraculous likely occurred at Fátima, we move to argue for the overall thesis of the paper. Finally, we engage several objections to our argument.

Material Source of Sediments from West Clarion–Clipperton Zone (Pacific): Evidence from Rare Earth Element Geochemistry and Clay Minerals Compositions - Qiu, Zhongrong; Tao, Chunhui; Ma, Weilin; Dias, Ágata Alveirinho; Hu, Siyi; Shao, Yuexiao; Yang, Kehong; Zhang, Weiyan (Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 2022)
The geochemistry and mineralogy of sediments provide relevant information for the understanding of the origin and metallogenic mechanism of ferromanganese nodules and crusts. At present, there are still few studies on the sediment origin of the Clarion–Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the east Pacific, particularly on the systematic origin of sediments with a longer history/length. Here, bulk sediment geochemistry and clay mineral compositions were analyzed on a 5.7 m gravity core (GC04) obtained at the CCZ, an area rich in polymetallic nodules. The results indicate that the average total content of rare earth elements (REE), including yttrium (REY), in sediments is 454.7 ppm and the REEs distribution patterns normalized by the North American Shale Composite of samples are highly consistent, with all showing negative Ce anomalies and more obvious enrichment in heavy REE (HREE) than that of light REE (LREE). Montmorillonite/illite ratio, discriminant functions and smear slide identification indicate multiple origins for the material, and are strongly influenced by contributions from marine biomass, while terrestrial materials, seamount basalts and their alteration products and authigenic source also make certain contributions. The REY characteristics of the sediments in the study area are different from those of marginal oceanic and back-arc basins, and more similar to pelagic deep-sea sediments. Based on LREE/HREE-1/δCe and LREE/HREE-Y/Ho diagrams, we conclude that samples from the study area had pelagic sedimentary properties which suffered from a strong “seawater effect”.
Keywords: Clarion–Clipperton Zone; material source; rare earth elements; sediments geochemistry

Maternal Postpartum Experience in Macao: The Relationship Between Demographics, Income, Social Support and Postpartum Depression - Bonthuis, Ana Maria Barradas Leitão Abril (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

Matteo Ricci's teaching on the goodness of human nature: its Thomistic and neo‐Confucian sources - Cai, Yilun (The Heythrop Journal, 2024)
Abstract The Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci's teaching on the goodness of human nature in The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven represents the fruit of the first encounter between Catholicism and Confucianism. This article will consider the Thomistic and neo‐Confucian sources in Ricci's enunciation of the Catholic doctrine on the goodness of human nature in this Chinese catechism. It will illustrate that Ricci developed his teaching, which is fundamentally Thomistic, with the help of terminology borrowed from the Chinese philosophical tradition. His distinction between the good of nature and the good of virtue leads to prioritising the cultivation of human nature. Ricci's teaching reflects the early modern Jesuits’ appreciation of human freedom. It also displays a Catholic reaction to the sixteenth‐century neo‐Confucian intellectual trend that ignored the importance of moral cultivation.

Measuring Specific Traditional Chinese Values in Relation to Satisfaction of the Five Maslow Needs - Taormina, Robert J.; Gao, Jennifer H.; Kuok, A. C.H. (Psychological Thought, 2022)
To determine whether living according to specific traditional Chinese cultural values was associated with satisfaction of the five needs in Maslow’s motivational hierarchy and overall life satisfaction, a mixed-method approach was employed, with an empirical questionnaire and supplemental interviews. The questionnaire assessed the hypothesized relationships that traditional Chinese values had with personal life outcomes, including health, employment, satisfaction of the five needs from Maslow’s hierarchy, and life satisfaction. The interviews examined the relationships that several demographic variables had with living by traditional Chinese values. The results of the empirical data revealed that most Chinese people today are still living according to the traditional Chinese cultural values, and that living by those traditional values are strongly associated with satisfaction of all five of the human needs in the Maslow hierarchy, as well as with overall life satisfaction. Additionally, the results of the qualitative interviews readily supported the empirical findings, and also revealed that the time during which inter-generational transmission of the Chinese cultural values occurs is when parents teach those values to their children at a very early age, that is, between 3 and 8 years old, before the children start primary school.

Medical Information Extraction of Clinical Notes and Pictorial Visualisation of Electronic Medical Records Summary Interface - Singh, Praveen; Chaudhary, Gopal; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre (Smart Distributed Embedded Systems for Healthcare Applications, 2023)

Memory and Identity: the proceedings of the 28th ASEACCU Annual Conference - Morgan, Stephen (USJ University Press, 2023)

Mentes abertas, artenativa e um novo Camões - Simões, José Manuel (Aspectus. Revista de Arte & Ciência, 2022)

Message from Program Chairs - Ma, J.; Du, W.; Lu, W. (Proceedings - 2022 IEEE/ACIS 22nd International Conference on Computer and Information Science, ICIS 2022, 2022)

METAVERSE: A STUDY OF CONSUMER PERSPETIVE IN MACAU - Chan, Vanda Cardoso (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
Technology is an essential and valuable tool nowadays. New technology and innovations are introduced to the public day by day. Metaverse will be a new trend, as the Macau government has been trying to promote this technology since the COVID-19 pandemic is still here. Before this technology goes deeply to the public, this paper attempts to examine the consumer’s perspective of Metaverse and understand the cognition of Macau people about Metaverse. And bring out what factors and conditions will make them accept this technology. A qualitative research method will address the questions and problem to understand consumer perspectives towards this technology. Entrepreneurs, managers, and professionals will be invited to take part in this research. Ten interviews will be carried out in this research for data analysis, which may provide a board overview of this technology in Macau and give recommendations to local entrepreneurs. In conclusion, consumers think it is still not a well-developed technology and is not globally used at this stage. In contrast, if this technology is ready-to-use, it will be a helpful assistant in their businesses. They expect the metaverse to be fully developed in ten or more years
Keywords: Consumer perspective; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; augmented reality; extended reality; marketing strategy; virtual reality

Methods, understandings, and expressions of causality in educational research - Morrison, Keith; van der Werf, Greetje (Educational Research and Evaluation, 2020)

Mind your own business - Morrison, Keith (Macau Business, 2022)
Macau, Macau Business, MAG, MB, MB Featured, Opinion | Across the world, a civil service job pays well and is secure. Not bad if you can get it, with competitive entry to it by hordes of applicants.

Minimising Maximum Illud: Early Resistance to Missionary Inculturation in China - Law, Cyril Jerome (Orientis Aura: Macau Perspectives in Religious Studies, 2022)

Modelling the barriers that are preventing e-commerce to thrive – a case study from Portugal, international journal of business excellence - Silva, Susana Costa e; Machado, Joana Costa; Martins, Carla; Duarte, Paulo; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo (International Journal of Business Excellence, 2021)
The identification of barriers for e-commerce to thrive in specific countries is a topic of great interest. This work proposes two models to study the barriers to B2C e-commerce adoption in Portugal, highlighting obstacles less exploited by previous research: the impact of offline shopping pleasure and the influence of the distance to shopping malls on online shopping intent. An online survey was conducted based on different constructs. A multivariate OLS hierarchical regression was used to analyse the proposed models regarding the intention to buy online and the number of online purchases. The results revealed that customer satisfaction is a strong predictor of intent to buy online and that perceived product risk remains a barrier to e-commerce. Consumers living in high urbanised areas have more propensity to buy online. Helpful information is provided regarding the impact of context, culture, product, and individual barriers, showing that multichannel strategies are best suited for success.
Keywords: E-commerce barriers; Online shopping; Portugal; Retail

Modelos de Incorporação do Desenvolvimento Sustentável nos Acordos de Comércio - Rafael, Ângelo Patrício (Uma viagem Jurídica Entre o Rio das Pérolas e a Pérola do Índico: Publicação Comemorativa dos 25 Anos da Cooperação entre a Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (FDUEM) e a Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Macau (FDUM), 2024)

Modulações em português de imagens, experiências e estesias orientais: revisão das razões do fascínio de alguma dicção poética chinesa e japonesa como utopia da poesia - Borges, Vera (Alea: Estudos Neolatinos, 2022)
Resumo O fascínio do Ocidente pela dicção poética oriental está atestado em várias latitudes e línguas, e resultou numa profícua produção na área da poesia. Sabe-se que a reinvenção da poesia chinesa da autoria de Pound, em grande medida na origem da sua proposta de revolução do idioma poético, nas primeiras décadas do séc. XX, assentou, na verdade, numa falácia; numa concepção errada da natureza da escrita chinesa (e japonesa) como essencialmente pictográfica e ideogramática, na base de propriedades expressivas reconhecidas na poesia que resultariam numa particular eficácia na apreensão e tradução do real. Pessanha enaltece, em termos similares aos da exaltação poundiana, a escrita da poesia chinesa clássica. Interessa-nos rever alguns inventários dos traços da dicção poética chinesa e japonesa que explicam que ela seja tomada como metonímia e metáfora da poesia, ou como meta e utopia da poesia, para perceber o que terá levado autores muito díspares a tentar a mão nos haikus, processo em que sondaremos algumas formulações poéticas em língua portuguesa. Consideramos também que esse fascínio por uma (sonhada) origem da dicção poética, quando cruzada com o habitar (não metafórico, neste caso) do pequenino enclave de Macau, de autores que nele lançaram raízes, resultou em alguns exercícios poéticos particularmente felizes e singulares. Serão trazidos à colação nesta abordagem poemas de Eugénio de Andrade, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, José Tolentino Mendonça, Yao Feng, Fernanda Dias e Fernando Sales Lopes.
Keywords: Macau; Pound; falácia; haiku; poesia; poesia chinesa; trocar de voz

Modular 3D-Printed Tangibles for Children’s VR Toys - Chau, Iok Fong (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

Monitor or On-site? Macau kindergartener parents’ learning experience in face-to-face and online parent education seminars - Ng, M. H.; Leong, K. I. Q.; Mak, M. C. K.; Cheng, P. W.; Ho, G. W. S; Chan, A. O. K.; Tse, T. P. M. (The International Conference on Learning and Teaching 2021 (ICLT 2021), 2021)

Monitoring PM2.5 at a Large Shopping Mall: A Case Study in Macao - Lei, Thomas M. T.; Chan, Yan W. I.; Mohd Nadzir, Mohd Shahrul (Processes, 2023)
Employees work long hours in an environment where the ambient air quality is poor, directly affecting their work efficiency. The concentration of particulate matters (PM) produced by the interior renovation of shopping malls has not received particular attention in Macao. Therefore, this study will investigate the indoor air quality (IAQ), in particular of PM2.5, in large-scale shopping mall renovation projects. This study collected on-site PM data with low-cost portable monitoring equipment placed temporarily at specific locations to examine whether the current control measures are appropriate and propose some improvements. Prior to this study, there were no measures being implemented, and on-site monitoring to assess the levels of PM2.5 concentrations was non-existent. The results show the highest level of PM2.5 recorded in this study was 559.00 μg/m3. Moreover, this study may provide a reference for decision-makers, management, construction teams, design consultant teams, and renovation teams of large-scale projects. In addition, the monitoring of IAQ can ensure a comfortable environment for employees and customers. This study concluded that the levels of PM2.5 concentration have no correlation with the number of on-site workers, but rather were largely influenced by the processes being performed on-site.
Keywords: air pollution; construction dust; health exposure; indoor air quality; particulate matter

MONITORING THE CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE MATTER (PM10 AND PM2.5) IN SEVERAL ROADSIDE LOCATIONS IN MACAO - Ma, Fa Chong (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
Road transportation is one of the main sources of air pollution in Macao. This study mainly explores four major roadside locations with high traffic flow in Macao from March to May 2022 and measures their pollutant concentrations (PM10 and PM2.5), traffic flow and their fuel type, as well as considering the meteorological parameters and pollutant concentration of SMG Macao to analyze the relationship between traffic flow and pollutants on roadside locations. Under the measuring distance between 3 and 6 meters, showing that the four locations had a good correlation with the roadside station data provided by SMG on both weekdays and weekends/holidays (PM2.5: R2 is 0.59 to 0.81 on weekdays and 0.79 to 0.88 on weekends/holidays, p<0.01; PM10: R2 is 0.33 to 0.82 on weekdays and 0.30 to 0.58 on weekends/holidays, p<0.05), the overall PM2.5 is 41 to 86% higher than that of the same period of Macao roadside station (SMG), and 68 to 186% higher than that of Taipa Ambient (SMG), indicating that it is more harmful to daily pedestrians. The overall relationship between PM concentration and traffic flow is small on the long-term scale (PM2.5: R2 is 0.01 to 0.13; PM10: R2 is 0.00 to 0.02). This study also analyzed air quality on EBL, the overall PM2.5 and PM10 decreased by 12.3% to 24.8% compared with non-EBL during the period, so that is indeed beneficial to the reduction of pollutant concentrations. In addition, narrower roads were overall higher when road widths added for comparison. Lastly, meteorological data added for comparison, except for relative humidity, it can be found that there is a significant correlation with long-term pollutants (p<0.05). While previous studies have found that single-day traffic flow is related to the increase in PM concentration, this paper is more inclined to their two-way effect when exploring their long-term relationship
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Environmental Sciences and Management (MESM); University of Saint Joseph; air pollution; monitoring campaign; particulate matter; traffic characterization

Moral Self-Regulation or Consistency: The Role of Cultural Values and Workplace Status - Leong, Kin Hei (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); University of Saint Joseph

Motivations of preservice teachers: a case study on career changers to teaching in Macau - Thang, Tony Mana (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

Movie Censorship – A Legitimate Tool or a Dictatorial Technique - Borges, Rui Carlos Moura (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph

Multi-Branch-CNN: Classification of ion channel interacting peptides using multi-branch convolutional neural network - Yan, Jielu; Zhang, Bob; Zhou, Mingliang; Kwok, Hang Fai; Siu, Shirley W. I. (Computers in Biology and Medicine, 2022)
Ligand peptides that have high affinity for ion channels are critical for regulating ion flux across the plasma membrane. These peptides are now being considered as potential drug candidates for many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancers. In this work, we developed Multi-Branch-CNN, a CNN method with multiple input branches for identifying three types of ion channel peptide binders (sodium, potassium, and calcium) from intra- and inter-feature types. As for its real-world applications, prediction models that are able to recognize novel sequences having high or low similarities to training sequences are required. To this end, we tested our models on two test sets: a general test set including sequences spanning different similarity levels to those of the training set, and a novel-test set consisting of only sequences that bear little resemblance to sequences from the training set. Our experiments showed that the Multi-Branch-CNN method performs better than thirteen traditional ML algorithms (TML13), yielding an improvement in accuracy of 3.2%, 1.2%, and 2.3% on the test sets as well as 8.8%, 14.3%, and 14.6% on the novel-test sets for sodium, potassium, and calcium ion channels, respectively. We confirmed the effectiveness of Multi-Branch-CNN by comparing it to the standard CNN method with one input branch (Single-Branch-CNN) and an ensemble method (TML13-Stack). The data sets, script files to reproduce the experiments, and the final predictive models are freely available at https://github.com/jieluyan/Multi-Branch-CNN.
Keywords: Classification; Deep learning; Drug discovery; Ion channel; Multi-Branch-CNN; Peptides

Multi-view convolutional neural network with leader and long-tail particle swarm optimizer for enhancing heart disease and breast cancer detection - Lan, K.; Liu, L.; Li, T.; Chen, Y.; Fong, S.; Marques, J.A.L.; Wong, R.K.; Tang, R. (Neural Computing and Applications, 2020)

MULTICULTURAL CAREGIVER TEAMS IN ELDERLY CENTRES IN MACAO: COMMUNICATION AND PERCEIVED SERVICE QUALITY - Mejia Dominguez, Victor Alejandro (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
This study explored the effect of communication (i.e., among staff, and between staff and clients) and of cultural diversity on job satisfaction (i.e., intrinsic, extrinsic, and general) and perceived service quality of formal caregivers working in elderly services in Macao. We applied a quantitative methodology, based on a cross-sectional design using a self-response questionnaire to 162 staff in six elderly centres in Macao. Based on an extensive review of the literature, we proposed that: H1) cultural diversity is negatively related to (a) intrinsic job satisfaction, (b) extrinsic job satisfaction, (c) general job satisfaction, and (H5) negatively related to perceived competence and service quality; (H2) communication (a) among staff and (b) between staff and clients is positively related to intrinsic job satisfaction (H3) extrinsic job satisfaction, (H4) general job satisfaction, and (H6) perceived service quality; and finally that (H7) intrinsic, (H8) extrinsic, and (H9) general job satisfaction mediate the relationship between (a) cultural diversity, (b) communication among staff and (c) communication between staff and clients, and perceived service quality. We found that more communication among staff was related to higher intrinsic, extrinsic and general job satisfaction, and perceived competence and service quality. And intrinsic job satisfaction mediated the positive effect of communication among staff on perceived service quality. Opposite to predicted communication between staff and clients was related to lower levels of job satisfaction. And cultural diversity was positively related to satisfaction, as well as perceived competence and service quality. The theoretical and practical implications of findings, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research were discussed
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); University of Saint Joseph; caregivers; communication; elderly services; job satisfaction; multicultural teams; service quality

Multilingual freedom of the press in Macau - Simões, José Manuel; Mayes, Lee ([RMd] RevistaMultidisciplinar, 2020)
There can be no conclusive determining regarding true press freedom in Macau, and perhaps this statement can be applied elsewhere as well. Issues of self-censorship, partisanship, or cultural loyalty exist in cities and countries around the world, and most of the time there is simply no reliable measurement to determine their impact. The Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Macau is separate and distinct from mainland China, but that does not mean that it is entirely without question regarding its freedom of the press, ethical journalistic practices, and interference by non-authorized agencies at the three languages local newspapers.
Keywords: autocensura; ingerência; liberdade de imprensa; partidarismo; práticas éticas

Multimodal Game Design Framework for Creativity in Macau's Educational System Through Digital and Tangible Games: Chinese, Portuguese, and English Languages - Martins de Abreu, F.; Barbosa, Álvaro Mendes (International Journal of Creative Interfaces and Computer Graphics (IJCICG), 2022)
Creativity and collaboration are crucial to learning development in today's fast-paced educational environment. New technology can bridge humans and their natural needs through immersion in digital environments with physical objects. As knowledge and information evolve, digital interactive experienc...

Narodziny buddyzmu humanistycznego na Tajwanie: Mistrz Shengyan i szkoła Góry Bębna Dharmy (Emergence of Humanistic Buddhism in Taiwan: Master Shengyan and the School of Dharma Drum Mountain) - Duraj, Jaroslaw (Chiny Dzisiaj, 2022)

NATURAL HAZARDS AND THE ROLE OF MANGROVES AS A NATURE-BASED SOLUTION FOR COASTAL PROTECTION IN MACAO SAR - Lam, Sut Ieng (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
The inundation problem in Macao is getting more attention recently, especially after the destructive impacts of typhoons Hato (2017) and Mangkut (2019). The inundation caused by storm surges is getting more severe with the rapid sea-level rise in Macao. Moreover, the potential threat of a tsunami in Macao, may be enhanced with rising sea-level. This research evaluated the risk of coastal hazards in Macao by analyzing the local meteorological data. The results of the analysis indicate a rising trend in the tropical cyclone intensity and more severe storm surges are expected to occur in the future. Moreover, this research explores the potential of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), particularly mangroves, to address the inundation problem in Macao. The study included a preliminary laboratory-based experiment and the application of local mangroves data in numerical models. The results of the experiment and numerical models demonstrate the ability of mangroves to attenuate waves. These findings, although preliminary, indicate that mangroves could be a promising NbS to address inundation issues in Macao. To effectively implement this NbS, further field investigations are needed to measure attenuation in-situ, as well as determine optimal locations for mangrove restoration projects
Keywords: Inundation; Mangroves; Master of Environmental Sciences and Management (MESM); Nature-based solutions; Sealevel rise; Storm surges; University of Saint Joseph; Wave attenuation

Nature-Based Solutions for Environmental Education in the East Asian Context - Tagulao, Karen Araño (Enhancing Environmental Education Through Nature-Based Solutions, 2022)
Environmental education (EE) has long been practiced worldwide, while Nature-based solutions (NBS) is a relatively new concept. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the EE and NBS practices in East Asia and evaluate how these two valuable applications can be used concurrently. East Asia has a well developed environmental education (EE) programs and activities, both in formal and informal education. These ranges from developing green schools and campuses to establishing policies and acts. While EE has been actively practiced for decades in the region, the adoption of NBS to address environmental and societal challenges is limited. The educational benefits and opportunities from NBS are also lacking. Although there are some projects that can be classified as NBS, like the use of wetlands for wastewater treatment, they are not clearly categorized as one. These projects are also not integrated into environmental education programs. Considering this, the region should develop innovative environmental education programs for schools, universities and communities, that integrate NBS projects. Integrating the two together will boost the effectiveness of environmental education in raising environmental awareness and changing the environmental attitude and behavior of people, which will also help address societal issues.
Keywords: Environmental awareness; Environmental policies/acts; Green schools; Green universities; Sponge cities; Wetlands

‘Navigation for an ocean of interminable scepticism’ revisited: John Henry Newman and the place of theology in the university - Morgan, Stephen (International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church, 2021)
The place of theology is under threat in the modern university. It is denied a place, except insofar as it is useful in the training of religious professionals or as a phenomenon in its own right, on the grounds that relate to an unscientific scientism that both makes metaphysical assumptions it itself does not recognise as scientific or denies its own epistemological commitments. This article argues that the notion of education in ‘liberal knowledge’ or ‘universal knowledge’, the idea at the heart of John Henry Newman’s The Idea of a University provides a sufficiently robust counter to these assaults on the place of theology proper in the modern university and that refusing such a place to it undermines the claim of universities to use the name at all. It is precisely the uselessness of theology that guarantees its place in the university committed to universal knowledge and universal enquiry.
Keywords: Derrida; Newman; education; liberal education; religious studies; secularisation; theology; university

Nestes tempos, precisamos aprender a amar de novo - Simões, José Manuel (Aspectus. Revista de Arte & Ciência, 2022)

Neuroeconomics Applications Based on Multiple Monitoring Tools. - Lobo Marques, J. A. (13th International Conference on E-business, Management and Economics (ICEME 2022), 2022)

NEUROFINANCE - ANALYZING AND UNDERSTANDING STOCK TRADER’S DECISION-MAKING PROCESS BASED ON REAL-TIME MONITORING OF EMOTIONAL REACTIONS - Hsu, Hsin-Tzu (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
Human emotions can be meticulously associated with decision-making, and emotion can generate behaviours. Due to the fact that it could be bias and exhaustively complex to examine how human beings make choices, important groups of study in finance are stock traders and non-traders. The objective of this work is to analyze the connection between emotions and the decision-making process of investors and non-investors to understand how emotional arousal might dictate the process of deciding policy. As facial expressions are fleeting, neuroscience tools such as AFFDEX (Real-Time Facial Expression Analysis), Eye-Tracking, and GSR (galvanic skin response) were adopted to facilitate the experiment and its accompanying analysis process. Thirty-seven participants attended the study, ranging from 18 to 72 years old; the distribution of investors and non-investors was twenty-four and thirteen, respectively. The experiment initially disclosed a thought-provoking result between the two groups under the certainty and risk-seeking prospect theory; there were more risk-takers among non-investors at 75%, while investors were inclined toward certainty at 79.17%. The implication could be that the non-investing individuals were less complex in thought and therefore pursued higher returns besides a high probability of losing the game. In addition, the automatic emotion classification system indicates that when non-investors confronted a stock trending chart beyond their acquaintance or knowledge, they were psychologically exposed to fear, anger, sadness, and surprise. Investors, on the contrary, were detected with disgust, joy, contempt, engagement, sadness, and surprise, where sadness and surprise overlapped in both parties. Under time pressure conditions, 54.05% of investors or non-investors tend to make decisions after the peak(s) of emotional arousal. Variations were found in the deciding points of the slopes: 2.70% were decided right after the peak(s), 37.84% waited until the emotions turned stable, and 13.51% were determined as the emotional indicators started to slide downwards. Several combinations of emotional responses were associated with decisions. For example, negative emotions could induce passive decision-making, in this case, to sell the stock; nevertheless, it was also examined that as the slope slipped downwards to a particular horizontal point, the individuals became more optimistic and selected the "BUY" option. The support of physiological monitoring tools makes it possible to capture the individuals' responses and discover the science of decision-making. Future works may consider expanding the study to more significant demographic populations for further discoveries
Keywords: Decision-making; Emotions; Investors; Physiological Monitoring; Stock Trading; Theses and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

Neurofinance: Exploratory Analysis Stock Trader's Decision-Making Process by Real-Time Monitoring of Emotional Reactions - Hsu, Hsin-Tzu; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo (European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance, 2023)
Human emotions can be associated with decision-making, and emotions can generate behaviors. Due to the fact that it could be biased and exhaustively complex to examine how human beings make choices, it is necessary to consider relevant groups of study, such as stock traders and non-traders in finance. This work aims to analyze the connection between emotions and the decision-making process of investors and non-investors submitted to the same set of stimuli to understand how emotional arousal might dictate the decision process. Neuroscience monitoring tools such as Real-Time Facial Expression Analysis (AFFDEX), Eye-Tracking, and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) were adopted to monitor the related experiments of this paper and its accompanying analysis process. Thirty-seven participants attended the study, 24 were classified as stock traders, and 13 were non-traders; the mean age for the groups was 35 and 25, respectively. The designed experiment initially disclosed a thought-provoking result between the two groups under the certainty and risk-seeking prospect theory; there were more risk-takers among non-investors at 75%, while investors were inclined toward certainty at 79.17%. The implication could be that the non-investing individuals were less complex in thought and therefore pursued higher returns besides a high probability of losing the game. In addition, the automatic emotion classification system indicates that when non-investors confronted a stock trending chart beyond their acquaintance or knowledge, they were psychologically exposed to fear, anger, sadness, and surprise. On the contrary, investors were detected with disgust, joy, contempt, engagement, sadness, and surprise, where sadness and surprise overlapped in both parties. Under time pressure conditions, 54.05% of investors or non-investors tend to make decisions after the peak(s) of emotional arousal. Variations were found in the deciding points of the slopes: 2.70% were decided right after the peak(s), 37.84% waited until the emotions turned stable, and 13.51% were determined as the emotional indicators started to slide downwards. Several combinations of emotional responses were associated with decisions. For example, negative emotions could induce passive decision-making, in this case, to sell the stock; nevertheless, it was also examined that as the slope slipped downwards to a particular horizontal point, the individuals became more optimistic and selected the "BUY" option. Future works may consider expanding the study to larger sample size, different demographic groups, and other biometrics for further analysis and conclusions.

Neuromarketing and Global Branding Reaction Analysis Based on Real-Time Monitoring of Multiple Consumer's Biosignals and Emotions - Goncalves, Marcus V.; Marques, Joao Alexandre Lobo; Silva, Bruno Riccelli Santos; Luther, Valorie; Hayes, Sydney (2022)
Consumers' selections and decision-making processes are some of the most exciting and challenging topics in neuromarketing, sales, and branding. Multicultural influences and societal conditions are also crucial aspects to consider from a global perspective. Applying neuroscience tools and techniques in international marketing and consumer behavior is an emergent and multidisciplinary field that aims to understand consumers' thoughts, reactions, and selection processes in branding and sales. This study focuses on real-time monitoring of different physiological signals using eye-tracking, facial expressions recognition, and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) acquisition methods to analyze consumers' responses, detect emotional arousal, measure attention or relaxation levels, analyze perception, consciousness, memory, learning, motivation, preference, and decision-making. The primary purpose of this research was to monitor human subjects' reactions to these signals during an experiment designed in three phases consisting of different types of branding advertisements. The non-advertisement exposition was also monitored during the gathering of survey responses at the end of each phase. A feature extraction module was implemented with a data analytics module to calculate statistical metrics and decision-making supporting tools based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Feature Importance (FI) determination based on the Random Forest technique. The results indicate that when compared to image ads, video ads are more effective in attracting consumers' attention and creating more emotional arousal.
Keywords: Branding Reaction; Consumer Biosignal; Galvanic Skin Response; consumer decision-making; eye-tracking; neuromarketing; neurosciences

Neuromarketing and Global Branding Reaction Analysis Based on Real-Time Monitoring of Multiple Consumer's Biosignals and Emotions - Goncalves, Marcus; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre; Silva, Bruno Riccelli Santos; Luther, Valorie; Hayes, Sydney (Journal of International Business and Management, 2023)
Consumers' selections and decision-making processes are some of the most exciting and challenging topics in neuromarketing, sales, and branding. From a global perspective, multicultural influences and societal conditions are crucial to consider. Neuroscience applications in international marketing and consumer behavior is an emergent and multidisciplinary field aiming to understand consumers' thoughts, reactions, and selection processes in branding and sales. This study focuses on real-time monitoring of different physiological signals using eye-tracking, facial expressions recognition, and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) acquisition methods to analyze consumers' responses, detect emotional arousal, measure attention or relaxation levels, analyze perception, consciousness, memory, learning, motivation, preference, and decision-making. This research aimed to monitor human subjects' reactions to these signals during an experiment designed in three phases consisting of different branding advertisements. The nonadvertisement exposition was also monitored while gathering survey responses at the end of each phase. A feature extraction module with a data analytics module was implemented to calculate statistical metrics and decision-making supporting tools based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Feature Importance (FI) determination based on the Random Forest technique. The results indicate that when compared to image ads, video ads are more effective in attracting consumers' attention and creating more emotional arousal.

Neuromarketing As A Tool To Measure And Evaluate The Consumer Behaviour Of Guanding Teahouse's Social Media Advertisement - Zeng, Ian Mei; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre (Association for Computing Machinery, 2023)
This research aims to evaluate a Macau tea brand's social media advertising effectiveness with neuromarketing tools, including physiological monitoring that can measure emotional arousal. This research bridges the gap of social media marketing on Instagram for brands through the neuromarketing method. Data from 40 respondents were collected with iMotions software using neuroscientific tools. This research uses the stimuli of Guanding Teahouse, a newly established Macau tea brand, to evaluate social media advertising effectiveness. The neuroscientific tools – Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensors, Eye-tracking, Facial Expression Analysis (FEA) and emotion analysis are used to do the experiment. The data analysis was drawn from one representative respondent to measure the emotions and attention on the Instagram advertisements. Video 1 recorded 9 GSR peaks and Video 2 recorded 12 GSR peaks, both videos attention is ranging between 96-98 indexes. Results show that advertising videos should focus more on the products than the model. Moreover, the participant is more interested in Video 2, but the effectiveness of advertising is showing a lower focus on the brand and the tea. Future studies should consider comparing the video advertising effectiveness of Instagram stories and Instagram reels to prevent disruption of video on the stories ad.

Neuromarketing: Evaluating Consumer Emotions and Preferences to Improve Business Marketing Management - Zeng, Ian Mei; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo (European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance, 2023)
The invention of neuroscience has benefited medical practitioners and businesses in improving their management and leadership. Neuromarketing, a field that combines neuroscience and marketing, helps businesses understand consumer behaviour and how they respond to advertising stimuli. This study aims to investigate the consumer purchase intention and preferences to improve the marketing management of the brand, based on neuroscientific tools such as emotional arousal using Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensors, eye-tracking, and emotion analysis through facial expressions classification. The stimuli for the experiment are two advertisement videos from the Macau tea brand “Guanding Teahouse” followed by a survey. The experiment was conducted on 40 participants. 76.2% of participants that chose the same product in the first survey responded with the same choice of products in the second survey. The GSR peaks in video ad 1 measured a total of 60. On the other hand, video ad 2 counted a total of 55 GSR peaks. The emotions in ad1 and ad2 have similar responses, with an attention percentage of 76%. The results showed that ad1 has a higher engagement time of 11.1% and ad2 has 9.6%, but only 19 of the respondent’s conducted engagement in video ad1, and 31 showed engagement in video ad2. The results demonstrated that although ad 1 has higher engagement rates, the respondents are more attracted to video ad 2. Therefore, ad2 has better marketing power than ad 1. Overall, this study bridges the gap of no previous research on measuring tea brand advertisements with the neuroscientific method. The results provide valuable insights for marketers to develop better advertisements and marketing campaigns and understand consumer preferences by personalising and targeting advertisements based on consumers' emotional responses and behaviour of consumers' purchase intentions. Future research could explore advertisements targeting different demographics.

Neuronal Mechanisms of Behavioural Plasticity in the Peacock Blenny Salaria Pavo - Vieira, Pedro Cachapa (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
"Adult neurogenesis, i.e., the production of new neurons in the adult brain, has been studied intensively in the past years, both in humans and in animal models, as the understanding of this process can have major clinical implications. The study of neurogenesis in fish has been receiving more attention as, unlike mammals, they possess remarkably high levels of adult neurogenesis and a high capability for neuronal regeneration and replacement where neuronal death has occurred. Less is known, however, on the importance of adult neurogenesis for behavioural plasticity, i.e., for the capacity to change behaviour according to context. As a product of the brain, behaviour relies on functional neuronal networks and it may be expected that more permanent changes in behavioural states imply structural reorganization of neuronal circuits, with the integration of new neurons. Interestingly, the high level of brain plasticity of fish is paralleled by a high degree of behavioural plasticity, with many examples of species that change, either reversibly or irreversibly, their behavioural phenotype during their lifetime, as illustrated by species with functional sex-change and alternative reproductive phenotypes. Flexibility in behaviour may thus require a reorganization of neuronal networks underlying these behaviours with recruitment of new neurons. In this thesis, the link between brain and behavioural plasticity was studied in a small marine fish that inhabits the Mediterranean and adjacent Atlantic coasts, the peacock blenny Salaria pavo. In this species, males adopt nests in rock crevices and attract females into the nest for egg laying, with the male taking care of the eggs until hatching. In some populations, a scarcity of nest sites drives smaller and young males to adopt an alternative reproductive tactic to reproduce. These “sneaker” males mimic the females’ morphology and reproductive behaviour in order to illude the larger nesting males and parasitically fertilize eggs during mating events. Sneaker males later transition into the nesting male phenotype, and this major behavioural transformation in the same animal, first courting males and afterwards courting females, may imply significant reorganization of brain areas associated with reproductive behaviour. During the study, a brain atlas for the species was developed and the main cell proliferation regions, i.e. niches of stem cells birth that may differentiate into cells of the nervous system, characterized. Proliferative areas were observed throughout the whole brain and paralleled the pattern described for other teleosts. Proliferative cells were abundant namely in areas like the olfactory bulbs (granular and glomerular), the anterior subdivision of the dorsomedial telencephalon (DMa), the dorsal and ventral part of the ventral subdivision of the dorsomedial telencephalon (DMvd and DMvv), the dorsal part of the dorsal subdivision of the dorsomedial telencephalon (DMdd), the posterior subdivision of the dorsolateral telencephalon (DLp), the posterior zone of the dorsal telencephalic area (DP), the preoptic area (POA), the dorsal, supracommissural and ventral nucleus of the ventral telencephalic area (Vd, Vs and Vv), the optic tectum and its periventricular grey zone (TeO and PGZ), the ventral zone of the periventricular hypothalamus (Hv), the cerebellum, mainly the molecular layer (CCeM) and the caudal lobe (LCa). A study of the brain nuclei activated during female courtship events using immediate early-genes suggested that some of the areas of the social behaviour network (SBN), a set of brain nuclei underlying the expression of social behaviour across vertebrates, are implicated in female courtship, in particular nuclei in the ventral telencephalic regions. This was followed by an experiment to investigate the possible link between cell proliferation and male tactic switch. Nest availability was manipulated to allow a fraction of sneaker males to adopt a nest and start the transition to nesting males. Ten days after the experiment, some of the smaller males had indeed started switching into nesting males, adopting a nest and starting to develop male secondary sexual characters. The pattern of brain proliferation was studied in these fish to try to confirm that the irreversible behavioural transition would be associated with the reorganization of brain nuclei, assuming that cell proliferation relates to neurogenesis and structural reorganization. Transitional males had elevated cell proliferation levels, as compared to males that remained sneakers, in the dorsolateral anterior and posterior telencephalic regions, thought to be homologous to the hippocampus in mammals. Cell proliferation levels were generally elevated in ventral and ventromedial telencephalic nuclei in both sneakers and transitional males, as compared with nesting males and females, areas considered to be homologous to nuclei of the amygdaloid complex of mammals. There was large variation in proliferation levels within transitional males, and in particular one male more advanced in the transition had higher numbers of BrdU-positive cells than the others. This suggests that a longer time-window for detecting the peak in brain cell proliferation associated with tactic transition in some fish may have been needed. Overall, the study supports the hypothesis that behavioural transition in males of this species is paralleled by an increase in cell proliferation in nuclei potentially relevant for the expression of reproductive behaviours, and establishes the peacock blenny as a new relevant model for the study of neuronal plasticity in vertebrates."
Keywords: Behavioural Plasticity; Neurogenesis; Peacock Blenny; Phenotypic Plasticity; Teleost Fish; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Science (D-SC); University of Saint Joseph

New Great Learning Oneness Epistemic Model for the Greater Peace: A Philosophical Analysis on the Concept of Oneness and its Application with Veganism - Hun, Kuong U. (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Philosophy (MPH); University of Saint Joseph

No reino dos sentidos - Simões, José Manuel (Aspectus. Revista de Arte & Ciência, 2022)
José Manuel Simões

No templo de Hare Krishna - Simões, José Manuel (Aspectus. Revista de Arte & Ciência, 2021)

Noise Detection and Classification in Chagasic ECG Signals Based on One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks - Caldas, Weslley Lioba; Do Vale Madeiro, João Paulo; Pedrosa, Roberto Coury; Gomes, João Paulo Pordeus; Du, Wencai; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo (Computer and Information Science, 2023)

Noise Detection and Classification in Chagasic ECG Signals Based on One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks - Caldas, Weslley Lioba; do Vale Madeiro, João Paulo; Pedrosa, Roberto Coury; Gomes, João Paulo Pordeus; Du, Wencai; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo (Computer and Information Science, 2023)
Continuous cardiac monitoring has been increasingly adopted to prevent heart diseases, especially the case of Chagas disease, a chronic condition that can degrade the heart condition, leading to sudden cardiac death. Unfortunately, a common challenge for these systems is the low-quality and high level of noise in ECG signal collection. Also, generic techniques to assess the ECG quality can discard useful information in these so-called chagasic ECG signals. To mitigate this issue, this work proposes a 1D CNN network to assess the quality of the ECG signal for chagasic patients and compare it to the state of art techniques. Segments of 10 s were extracted from 200 1-lead ECG Holter signals. Different feature extractions were considered such as morphological fiducial points, interval duration, and statistical features, aiming to classify 400 segments into four signal quality types: Acceptable ECG, Non-ECG, Wandering Baseline (WB), and AC Interference (ACI) segments. The proposed CNN architecture achieves a $$0.90 ± 0.02$$accuracy in the multi-classification experiment and also $$0.94 ± 0.01$$when considering only acceptable ECG against the other three classes. Also, we presented a complementary experiment showing that, after removing noisy segments, we improved morphological recognition (based on QRS wave) by 33% of the entire ECG data. The proposed noise detector may be applied as a useful tool for pre-processing chagasic ECG signals.
Keywords: Chagas disease; Deep learning; ECG quality assessment

Noise-induced hearing loss correlates with inner ear hair cell decrease in larval zebrafish - Lara, Rafael A.; Breitzler, Lukas; Lau, Ieng Hou; Gordillo-Martinez, Flora; Chen, Fangyi; Fonseca, Paulo J.; Bass, Andrew H.; Vasconcelos, Raquel O. (Journal of Experimental Biology, 2022)
Anthropogenic noise can be hazardous for the auditory system and wellbeing of animals, including humans. However, very limited information is known on how this global environmental pollutant affects auditory function and inner ear sensory receptors in early ontogeny. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a valuable model in hearing research, including investigations of developmental processes of the vertebrate inner ear. We tested the effects of chronic exposure to white noise in larval zebrafish on inner ear saccular sensitivity and morphology at 3 and 5 days post-fertilization (dpf), as well as on auditory-evoked swimming responses using the prepulse inhibition (PPI) paradigm at 5 dpf. Noise-exposed larvae showed a significant increase in microphonic potential thresholds at low frequencies, 100 and 200 Hz, while the PPI revealed a hypersensitization effect and a similar threshold shift at 200 Hz. Auditory sensitivity changes were accompanied by a decrease in saccular hair cell number and epithelium area. In aggregate, the results reveal noise-induced effects on inner ear structure–function in a larval fish paralleled by a decrease in auditory-evoked sensorimotor responses. More broadly, this study highlights the importance of investigating the impact of environmental noise on early development of sensory and behavioural responsiveness to acoustic stimuli.

Noise-induced hearing loss in zebrafish: investigating structural and functional inner ear damage and recovery - Breitzler, Lukas; Lau, Ieng Hou; Fonseca, Paulo J.; Vasconcelos, Raquel O. (Hearing Research, 2020)
Exposure to continuous moderate noise levels is known to impair the auditory system leading to Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in animals including humans. The mechanism underlying noise-dependent auditory Temporary Threshold Shifts (TTS) is not fully understood. In fact, only limited information is available on vertebrates such as fishes, which share homologous inner ear structures to mammals and have the ability to regenerate hair cells. The zebrafish Danio rerio is a well-established model in hearing research providing an unmatched opportunity to investigate the molecular and physiological mechanisms of NIHL at the sensory receptor level. Here we investigated for the first time the effects of noise exposure on TTS and functional recovery in zebrafish, as well as the associated morphological damage and regeneration of the inner ear saccular hair cells. Adult specimens were exposed for 24h to white noise at various amplitudes (130, 140 and 150 dB re. 1 μPa) and their auditory sensitivity was subsequently measured with the Auditory Evoked Potential (AEP) recording technique. Sensory recovery was tested at different times post-treatment (after 3, 7 and 14 days) and compared to individuals kept under quiet lab conditions. Results revealed noise level-dependent TTS up to 33 dB and increase in response latency. Recovery of hearing function occurred within 7 days for fish exposed to 130 and 140 dB noise levels, while fish subject to 150 dB only returned to baseline thresholds after 14 days. Hearing impairment was accompanied by significant loss of hair cells only at the highest noise treatment. Full regeneration of the sensory tissue (number of hair cell receptors) occurred within 7 days, which was prior to functional recovery. We provide first baseline data of NIHL in zebrafish and validate this species as an effective vertebrate model to investigate the impact of noise exposure on the structure and function of the adult inner ear and its recovery process.
Keywords: Fish; Hair cells; Hearing sensitivity; Noise; Sound pressure level; Temporary threshold shift

Nonlinear characterization and complexity analysis of cardiotocographic examinations using entropy measures - Marques, J.A.L.; Cortez, P.C.; Madeiro, J.P.V.; Albuquerque, V.H.C.; Fong, S.J.; Schlindwein, F.S. (Journal of Supercomputing, 2020)

Nonlinear Prediction for the COVID-19 Data Based on Quadratic Kalman Filtering - Marques, Joao Alexandre Lobo; Gois, Francisco Nauber Bernardo; Xavier-Neto, José; Fong, Simon James (Predictive Models for Decision Support in the COVID-19 Crisis, 2020)

Nostalgia in Flux From the Perspective of Chinese Jia and Heidegger’s Heimat - Lai, Tong Chon (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Philosophy (MPH); University of Saint Joseph

Nowcasting Gross Domestic Product and Gross Gaming Revenue of Macau: a Theoretical and Conceptual Framework - Chau, Manuel; Lei, Weng Chi (The 5th Academia-Industry Exchange Institute of International Business & Governance (IIBG) Symposium 2021, 2021)
This paper aimed to build up the theorical and conceptual understanding of future forecasting study of Macau’s GDP and Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) by co-movement of economic indicators. Macau GDP and GGR showed co-movements with a number of time series economic indicators, including China’s exports and imports, China’s manufacturing PMI, non-manufacturing PMI, China's electricity production growth, share price of some Macau’s gaming operators, etc. These time series data can be found in statistics departments of China, Macau and Hong Kong, stock exchanges, and international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO). Burns and Mitchell’s study in 1946 identified co-movements between economic indicators and being further carried out and developed leading, coincident and lagging indicators, which is essential for future econometric models and nowcasting techniques developments to study these co-movements. In particular, with the proper application of nowcasting techniques, future studies can exploit the data of leading and coincident economic indicators to forecast Macau’s GDP and GGR within an acceptable level of error. Since Macau is a “monotown,” where the gaming revenue makes a significant contribution to the economy. The forecasting of gaming revenue is crucial as it aids the gambling and tourism industries in preparing supply and provides information to policymakers to plan for the near future. This research also contributes to understand Macau’s economy by investigating its internal and external economic variables.

O Autoconceito no Pré-Escolar em Contexto Educativo Multicultural e Plurilinguίstico=Preschool Children’s Self-concept in a Multicultural and Multilingual Educational Context - Sousa, Joana Luísa Dourado de (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

O trabalho de recuperação de crianças resgatadas do tráfico humano no Nepal=Recovery work for rescued children from human trafficking in Nepal - Espindola, Marcelo Gonçalves (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph

Occurrence and precipitation mechanism of silver in pyrite from chimney fragments in the Edmond hydrothermal field, Central Indian Ridge - Zhang, Huichao; Chen, Kean; Tao, Chunhui; Alveirinho Dias, Ágata; Liang, Jin; Yang, Weifang; Liao, Shili; An, Fang; Yin, Bohao; Sun, Chuanqiang (Ore Geology Reviews, 2023)

Occurrence and remobilization of gold in the Dayingezhuang deposit in Jiaodong, North China Craton: Evidence from textural and geochemical features of pyrite - Yuan, Zhong-Zheng; Li, Zhan-Ke; Li, Jian-Wei; Zhao, Xin-Fu; Wu, Ya-Fei; Xu, Hai-Jun; Sun, Hua-Shan (Ore Geology Reviews, 2021)
The Dayingezhuang gold deposit in the Jiaodong district, eastern margin of the North China Craton is hosted in Mesozoic granitic rocks and consists of quartz-sulfide veins/veinlets and sulfide disseminations in alteration envelopes. Previous studies mainly focused on the geochronology, sources of ore-forming fluids and metals to investigate the ore genesis. However, enrichment mechanism of Au and other associated trace metals remain unclear. In this study, we present detailed textures and in-situ LA-ICP-MS trace-element compositions of different generations of pyrite, as well as EMP analysis of Au-bearing minerals to discuss the occurrence and enrichment mechanism of Au at this deposit. Three generations of pyrite (Py1, Py2 and Py3) formed during three hydrothermal ore stages (I, II, and III) at Dayingezhuang. Py1 occurs as disseminations in sericitic alteration assemblages and is characterized by low Au (mean 0.15 ppm), Ag, As and Te contents. The time-resolved depth-concentration profiles indicate that Au in Py1 mainly occurs as nanoparticles and/or micron-sized inclusions. Py2 can be further divided into the early undeformed Py2a and later Py2b, which is the product of deformed Py2a with different degrees of brittle to plastic deformation and recrystallization. Py2a in pyrite-siderite-quartz veins is relatively enriched in invisible Au (mean 0.41 ppm), Ag, As, and Te compared to Py1, and contains numerous micron-sized Au inclusions. In contrast, Py2b contains lesser invisible Au (0.21 ppm) and host abundant gold minerals along the grain boundaries and microfractures. Py3 in polymetallic sulfide veins has little Au. As a whole, Au in pyrite is positively correlated with Ag and Te, which is consistent with the results of EMP analysis showing the occurrence of Au as electrum, native gold and minor petzite in pyrite. Such evidences show that the deformation and recrystallization of auriferous Py2a potentially caused local remobilization of Au (mainly as micron-sized inclusion Au) via solid-state ductile flow and subsequent reconcentration of Au in microfractures of Py2b. The pyrite deformation and Au remobilization events were suggested to be related to the continuous reactivation of the regional Zhaoping Fault contemporaneous with gold mineralization. Our study highlights the importance of remobilization and reconcentration of Au triggered by syn-ore tectonic activities at Dayingezhuang and possibly other Au deposits in the Jiaodong district.
Keywords: Dayingezhuang; EBSD; Gold remobilization; Jiaodong; Pyrite deformation

Ockham on the Side of the Angels: Why a Classical Theist Shouldn't be Moved by Oppy's Argument from Simplicity - McNabb, Tyler; DeVito, Michael (New Blackfriars, 2022)

Ogień zapalony niegdyś na górze Moria: Woltyła i Newman o warunkach dla propozycju Chrystusa'=The fire once kindled on Moriah: Wojtyła and Newman on the conditions for the proposal of Christ - Morgan, Stephen (Jan Paweł II: Komunikacja i Kultura, 2020)

Oligopolistic Strategies in the Gaming and Hospitality Industries of Macau - Leong, Chi Leng (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

On the probability flow in the Stock market I: The Black-Scholes case - Arraut, Ivan; Au, Alan; Tse, Alan Ching-biu; Marques, Joao Alexandre Lobo (arXiv.org, 2020)
It is known that the probability is not a conserved quantity in the stock market, given the fact that it corresponds to an open system. In this paper we analyze the flow of probability in this system by expressing the ideal Black-Scholes equation in the Hamiltonian form. We then analyze how the non-conservation of probability affects the stability of the prices of the Stocks. Finally, we find the conditions under which the probability might be conserved in the market, challenging in this way the non-Hermitian nature of the Black-Scholes Hamiltonian.
Keywords: General Finance

Once More with Feeling: The Debate Over Yalta Resurrected [Concluding Remarks] - Roberts, Priscilla (H-Diplo State of the Field Roundtable on the Eastern European Settlements during the Second World War: Making the Peace Amidst the War, 2024)

Online Gaming with Digital Currencies: A Comparative Legal Study - Chan, Ka Yuen (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Lusophone and International Public Law(MLIPL); University of Saint Joseph

ONLINE IMPULSE BUYING BEHAVIOR: A STUDY OF MACAU CONSUMERS - Cheong, I. Lam (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
Due to the expansion of the Internet and advancements in technology, e-commerce has been frequently and widely used nowadays. The popularity of online shopping continues to develop and become increasingly common, yet, the concept of impulsive buying has consistently drawn significant attention over the years. In order to fit into the current shopping trend, recognizing the needs and wants of online shoppers as well as providing appropriate approaches are essential tasks for companies to achieve. The question of how to attract consumers to make purchases has been a concern for a long time, and in fact, it is necessary to explore consumers’ online purchase decisions in relation to their impulse buying behavior. In accordance with current academic knowledge, the main objective of this study is to investigate factors that influence consumers' online impulsive buying behavior based on external stimuli (such as sales promotions and websites characteristics) and the elements of marketing mix strategy (product, price, place, and promotion). According to the analysis, the promotion strategy has been identified as the most significant influence on consumers’ decision to make an online impulsive purchase. Therefore, the findings from this study are beneficial for companies and marketers to build a framework in order to develop suitable and effective strategies in order to encourage and stimulate consumers' desire for purchases. Furthermore, the research applies the qualitative methodology by conducting semi-structured interviews with 11 consumers who have previously experienced an online impulse buying
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; e-commerce; external stimuli; marketing mix strategy; online impulse buying; online shopping

Orbital Eccentricity. Sound performance, using commercial and military satellites with real time tracking data - Paquete, Hugo; Bernardino Bastos, Paulo; Fernandes-Marcos, Adérito (ARTECH 2021: 10th International Conference on Digital and Interactive Arts, 2021)
Keywords: Micro Sound; Performance; Sonification; Sound art

Order parameter conditions from mutual information and symmetry conditions - Arraut, Ivan; Yu, Wing Chi (International Journal of Modern Physics B, 2024)
The mutual information method has demonstrated to be very useful for deriving the potential order parameter of a system. Although the method suggests some constraints which help to define this quantity, there is still some freedom in the definition. The method then results inefficient for cases where we have order parameters with a large number of constants in the expansion, which happens when we have many degenerate vacuums. Here, we introduce some additional constraints based on the existence of broken symmetries, which help us to reduce the arbitrariness in the definitions of the order parameter in the proposed mutual information method.
Keywords: Mutual information; order parameter; quantum phase transitions; spontaneous symmetry breaking

Ore-Forming Process of the Menez Gwen Hydrothermal Field: In situ S Isotopes and Trace Metals Constraints - Dias, Ágata; Qiu, Wenhong; Costa, Isabel Maria Amaral; Barriga, Fernando J A S (Goldschmidt2020, 2020)

ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN MACAO - Kaewmanee, Celina dos Santos (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
This study examined the relationships between organizational justice, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being of medical doctors and nurses in Macao. It applied a quantitative methodology through a cross-sectional applying self-response questionnaires to 149 healthcare workers. Consistent with the group-engagement model (Tyler & Blader, 2003), findings indicate that organisational justice and job satisfaction improve subjective well-being. Yet, inconsistent with the model and our hypotheses, organizational justice did not affect work satisfaction. Finally, nurses experienced less positive justice perceptions than doctors. The study provides insights into the relationship between organizational justice, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being among healthcare professionals, which might help enhance working conditions. Healthcare organizations should prioritize promoting job satisfaction and justice perceptions to increase healthcare personnel's subjective well-being. The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences about variable relationships, and the self-reported data may have social desirability or response biases. Still, the originality and value of this paper lie in its contribution to the literature on the well-being of healthcare workers, particularly in the unique context of Macao. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Macao to examine the relationship between organizational justice, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being among healthcare workers
Keywords: Healthcare; Job Satisfaction; Organizational Justice; Subjective well-being; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); University of Saint Joseph

Origin of the Qiyugou gold deposit in the southern margin of the North China Craton: Insights from trace elements of pyrite and mineralogy of Bi-minerals - Wu, Qiang; Zhao, Tai-Ping; Chen, Wei Terry; Gao, Xin-Yu; Meng, Lei; Qiu, Wenhong Johnson (Ore Geology Reviews, 2021)
The Qiyugou gold deposit, located in the Xiong’ ershan area of the North China Craton, contains abundant bismuth-sulfosalts that are closely associated with gold mineralization. Pyrite is the dominant Au-hosted mineral, and has been formed in three generations (Py1, Py2, and Py3). Py1 grains, generally intergrown with milky quartz, are coarse (>1 mm), euhedral in shape, and Au-depleted in composition. In contrast, subhedral Py2 grains, associated with light gray quartz, are medium to coarse (0.2–3 mm) and are enriched in gold that is both invisible and visible. Py3 grains (0.1–0.5 mm), intergrown with abundant sulfide minerals, are relatively fine and Au-depleted. The time-resolved LA-ICP-MS depth profiles of the Py2 grains indicate that invisible gold occurs as either solid solution or nano-particles of native gold and electrum. Visible gold occurs as small blebs in the Py2 grains where inclusions of native bismuth, galenobismutite, lillianite homologs, tetradymite, and galena are also present. In addition, it is common that electrum in microfracture infillings or along grain boundaries of the Py1 and Py2, are intergrown with bismuthinite derivatives, Bi-Cu sulfosalts, emplectite, tetradymite, chalcopyrite, galena, and Py3. Based on textural relationships and mineral assemblages, calculation of physicochemical conditions show that gold was formed in conditions of fTe2 = ~10−11 and fS2 = ~10−11 to 10−12 for Py2, and fTe2 = ~10−9 to 10-11and fS2 = ~10−10 to 10−11 for Py3. We thus proposed that such physicochemical conditions may have triggered the precipitation of Bi melt, and sulfidation driven by cooling or increase in sulfur content results in the transformation of the Au-Bi liquid into a stable assemblage of native gold and bismuthinite. These bismuth minerals are associated with native gold/Au-bearing minerals, indicating that the Au mineralization of the Qiyugou gold deposit might be genetically associated with Bi melt. The present study highlights the role of Bi as important gold scavengers in arsenic-deficient ore-forming fluid.
Keywords: Bi melts scavenging Au; Bismuth minerals; Qiyugou gold deposit; The southern margin of the North China craton; Trace element of pyrite

Original Sin and Reprobation in Renaissance Thomism: The Cases of Domingo Bañez and John of St. Thomas - Cai, Thomas Yilun (Nos sumus tempora, 2020)

Oxyhydroxide Hydrothermal Crusts from Saldanha Hydrothermal Field - Costa, Pedro; Dias, Ágata (Goldschmidt2020, 2020)

Palate Consciousness: A Philosophical Analysis on the Cultivation of Gustatory Aesthetics Through the Framework of Phenomenology of Perception - Chiang, I. Man (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Philosophy (MPH); University of Saint Joseph

Pandemic (Im)mobilities - Adey, Peter; Hannam, Kevin; Sheller, Mimi; Tyfield, David (Mobilities, 2021)

Papal Bull: A Response to Contemporary Papal Scholarship - McNabb, Tyler Dalton (Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, 2021)

Parental Involvement and Child Development in Macao: Association with Family Income, Parental Education and Working in the Gambling Industry - Kung, Hang I (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

Parental Perspectives on Inclusive Education in Macau - Leong, Ka Man (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

Parental Stress and Family Relations in Macao: The Mediating Role of Parenting Styles - Siu Kuan Lei (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Social Work (MSW); University of Saint Joseph

Parental Stress and Marital Satisfaction in Macao: The Mediating Effect of Parental Involvement - Wong, Pek Ieng (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

Parental stress and parenting in Chinese immigrant families: The mediating role of social support - Liu, Shu-Wen; Zhai, Fuhua; Gao, Qin (Child & Family Social Work, 2020)
Abstract As the population of Chinese immigrants has been growing rapidly in the United States, it has been understudied on the parenting behaviours as well as the roles parental stress and social support playing in parenting in this group. This study investigated whether parental stress was associated with parenting and whether this relationship was mediated by social support in a sample of 255 Chinese immigrant parents from the Survey of Asian American Families in New York City. Regression analyses with a rich array of control variables found that a higher level of parental stress and the presence of one or more stressors such as unemployment, low income, and low education were positively associated with the use of harsh discipline and parent?child conflicts and negatively associated with positive parenting practices. Social support functioned as a significant mediator in the relationships between parental stress and positive parenting practices but not in the relationships of parental stress with parent?child conflict or the use of harsh discipline.
Keywords: Chinese immigrants; harsh discipline; parental stress; parenting practices; parent–child conflict; social support

Parenting Training for Enhancing Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Emotional Regulation of Mothers Who Were Victims of Domestic Violence - Lou, On I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

Parents’ Experiences in Macau: From Assessment to Inclusive Placement for Children with SEN - Estadieu, Karine Anne Marie Thepot (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

Park-meter: Designing an Innovative Macau System - Cheang, Chi Tat (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph

Pavilhão de Bambu Intertwine – Preservação, Inovação e Promoção do Património Imaterial de Macau - Soares, Nuno (VIII Fórum Internacional CIALP, 2022)

Perceções das competências requeridas a futuros bibliotecários: um estudo internacional - Sanches, Tatiana; Chan, Emily (Atas do Congresso Nacional de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas e Documentalistas, 2023)
Resumo Os bibliotecários são profissionais que se devem manter constantemente atualizados, procurando ativamente o desenvolvimento das suas competências profissionais, pelas próprias características das funções que desempenham. Porém, é importante perceber o que pensam estes atores acerca da sua atual formação de base, concretamente se esta tem vindo a acompanhar as tendências de atualização. Assim, partindo de uma análise prévia ao conteúdo de diversos documentos orientadores, emanados de associações internacionais, no sentido de encontrar as competências preconizadas para a área de atuação, é realizado um questionário ao nível nacional e internacional a futuros profissionais, estudantes na área das ciências documentais. O principal objetivo é o de procurar entender, comparativamente, que habilidades e competências são valorizadas para o futuro desempenho profissional. O questionário foi aplicado a grupos de estudantes de ciências da documentação e informação em Portugal, Macau e República Checa, evidenciando-se as perspetivas comuns entre os inquiridos sobre as competências necessárias e aquelas que são recebidas na formação inicial, concluindo-se que existem ainda algumas assimetrias entre as necessidades da profissão e a formação recebida, na perspetiva dos futuros profissionais, independentemente do território a que pertencem.

Perception About Challenges and Opportunities of Social Enterprise in Macau - Wong, Chong Chio (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Community Development (MCD); University of Saint Joseph

Perception on occupational stress in the Hospitality Industry in Macau - Lam Chi Ieng (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
Employees in the hospitality industry, in particular, face difficult conditions such as overwork, job security, understaffing, and work-life imbalance in today's fast-paced society. Because of that, employees in the hospitality industry experience high levels of occupational stress. Severe conditions of occupational stress may not only lead to health issues for the employee but also affect their work performance. In order to get a better grasp of how occupational stress affects the employees in the hospitality industry in Macau, the research questions are: 1) What are the sources of stress in the Macau hospitality industry? 2) How does the COVID-19 pandemic change the perception of occupational stress among employees in the Macau hospitality industry? How do the companies help the employees in the Macau hospitality industry cope with occupational stress? have been formulated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven participants working in the hospitality industry, with a median age of 39 years and a median range of 13 years. Based on these interviews, participants expressed their perceptions of occupational stress under the categories of distress and eustress, while coding schemes were applied to all semi-structured interviews. The results on distress showed that reactions from employees and their working conditions, in particular, were the two most important determinants of occupational stress, while motivation helped people grow and develop their confidence. For the changes in occupational stress due to the pandemic, mental reactions from employees were the most significant determinant of occupational stress in the Macau hospitality industry during the changes brought about by the pandemic in these years, closely followed by employee job insecurity. In order to cope with occupational stress, employees should take responsibility for coping with their stress, but employers also have a role to play in this process, like providing good communications and proactive assistance to the employees. Finally, employees' responses were described as more negative as a result of their experience. Further research could focus on more methods for employees to cope with occupational stress in both physical and mental ways
Keywords: Stress; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; hospitality industry; occupational stress; stress management interventions

PERCEPTIONS OF, AND ATTITUDES TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS’ IDENTITY AND ETHOS IN MACAO: TOWARDS A COMMON FRAMEWORK OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS’ IDENTITY - The Reh, Lawrence (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
The thesis identifies concerns preserving, maintaining, and developing the Catholic identity of Catholic schools in Macao, the largest providers of schooling whilst being a minority religion, and with its teachers, parents, and students coming from Catholic and non-Catholic backgrounds, cultures, and values. To understand the present situation of Catholic identity in Macao’s Catholic schools, manifesting itself in part through the Catholic ethos of schools, and to identify key features, mission, vision, values, and areas for the development of Catholic identity, together with its presence and practices, this thesis reports a study of the perceptions of, and attitudes to, Catholic identity held by three key stakeholder parties in a carefully chosen representative selection of Catholic schools: teachers, parents, and students. The thesis reports their views on what the Catholic schools are currently doing in the areas of Catholic identity, and what they consider that they should be doing in these areas. The areas of focus draw on scholarship and teachings on Catholic identity, with particular emphasis placed on documents on Catholic identity and ethos from the Vatican, Archbishop Miller, and Monsignor Stock. A large-scale empirical survey here found that there was considerable support for Catholic schools in Macao, their identity, ethos, and values from the three parties. Two emergent patterns of findings are reported concerning the steps that Catholic schools were taking to promote their identity: (a) what Catholic schools should be doing concerning Catholic identity received consistently higher scores than what they were currently doing; and (b) consistently higher support for Catholic identity came from the teachers, slightly less so from the parents, and slightly less than that from the students. The study conducted a follow-up, small-scale study to investigate why these might be the case, and it suggested that the combination of Catholic values and Chinese cultural features might explain the findings on Catholic identity in the schools. The study identifies areas for possible development of, and improvements to, the identity of Catholic schools, that take account of the local cultural contexts and the teachings of the Catholic church on identity, and how these might be addressed in practice
Keywords: Catholic Schools' Ethos; Catholic Schools' Identidy; Catholic schools; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Education (D-SE); University of Saint Joseph

Perceptions of Sports Agents in a Small Territory: The Case of Macao - Deng, Hao You (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This study aims to investigate the difficulties and challenges faced by sports agents in the development of Macao, as well as the feasibility of the emergence of this industry in Macao. Since there is a lack of research on sports agents and related sectors in Macao, this study analyses the current environment of Macao's sports industry and tries to explore the development of sports tourism projects in Macao as an industrial upgrading and transformation and to promote the emergence of sports agents as a breakthrough, which will help Macao find a better way of development to become a world center of tourism and leisure, in the context of the diversification of the ""1+4"" industries. This study also aims to contribute to developing sports tourism in Macao. This study also provides modest suggestions for the professionalization of sports and the commercialization of the sports market in Macao, as well as for the future personal development of Macao's athletes and the sustainable development of the sports industry. This study adopts a qualitative research approach, starting with a basic introduction to sports agents, the origin and development of sports agents, and the definition of the concepts, and then further insights into the current development status, constraints, and future outlook of sports agents in Macao through industry experiences. The study sought out ten local sports industry practitioners in Macao for in-depth interviews. By analyzing and summarising the data, the study proposes meaningful recommendations for the sustainable development of the sports agent industry in Macao. Overall, the study found that the development of sports agents in Macao is still early. With the improvement of the talent admission system in Macao, society will pay more attention to the development of the sports industry, and the profession of sports agent will be nurtured in the context of a developed sports environment. However, the lack of professional athletes and large-scale sports events in Macao and the lack of innovative thinking of the General Sports Association in cultivating sports talents will limit the emergence of sports agents to a certain extent
Keywords: Macao; Sport Agent; Sport Industry; Talent Introduction; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

Personal Care and Cosmetic Products as a Potential Source of Environmental Contamination by Microplastics in a Densely Populated Asian City - Bashir, Saidu M.; Kimiko, Sam; Mak, Chu-Wa; Fang, James Kar-Hei; Gonçalves, David (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021)
The prevalence of microplastics in the environment has become a major global conservation issue. One primary source of environmental microplastics is personal care and cosmetic products (PCCPs) containing microbeads. The market availability of PCCPs containing microbeads and the level of contamination of coastal sediments by microplastics was studied in one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Macao in China. We found that PCCPs containing microbeads are still widely available for sale in the region, with over 70% of surveyed PCCPs containing at least one type of microbeads as an ingredient, with polyethylene (PE) being the most common one. In an estimate, the use of PCCPs in the territory may release over 37 billion microbeads per year into the environment via wastewater treatment plants. The density of microplastics in coastal sediments varied between 259 and 1,743 items/L of sediment, amongst the highest reported in the world. The fraction of < 1 mm was the most abundant, representing an average of 98.6% of the total, and correlated positively with the abundance of larger sized fragments. The results show that although environmental pollution with microplastics released from PCCPs usage is significant, other sources, namely fragmentation of larger plastic debris, likely contribute more to the issue. The study highlights the magnitude of the problem at a local level and suggests possible mitigating strategies.

Perspectives and Practices of Macau Secondary School Teachers Regarding ICT in Teaching and Learning - Das, Amit (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

Perspectives of Local Communities on the Impact of Chinese Aid: A Case Study of China's Aid Projects in the Education Sector in Guinea - Diakite, Ansoumane Douty (Journal of Globalization Studies, 2023)
China's re-emergence as an aid donor has attracted the attention and criticism from Western donors, academia, and the media. In contrast to traditional donors, China's aid has been portrayed as anti-poverty aid, mainly due to its combination with other instruments, such as investment, and the absence of any political or economic conditions. This paper examines the impact of Chinese aid projects in Guinea's education sector from the perspective of the beneficiaries. The author collected data from both primary (interviews) and secondary (document analysis) sources. The present study concludes that China's aid projects in the education sector have received both positive and negative feedback, mainly because the recipients' needs have not been appropriately targeted. This study contributes to the literature on China's role in Africa. More specifically, it discusses the conditions for aid effectiveness in the field of education. Moreover, in the context of the globalization of aid practices, the study proposes best practices for China to adopt in order to improve the practices of its aid delivery. The novelty of this study lies in the methodology (qualitative method) used to understand China's aid from the perspective of the beneficiaries of its aid.

Pestilent Popes or a Pestilent Church? Judaism, Catholicism, and Skeptical Theism - McNabb, Tyler Dalton (The Heythrop Journal, 2020)

Physiology, endocrinology and chemical communication in aggressive behaviour of fishes - Silva, Melina Coelho da; Canário, Adelino Vicente Mendonça; Hubbard, Peter Colin; Gonçalves, David (Journal of Fish Biology, 2021)
Fishes show remarkably diverse aggressive behaviour. Aggression is expressed to secure resources; adjusting aggression levels according to context is key to avoid negative consequences for fitness and survival. Nonetheless, despite its importance, the physiological basis of aggression in fishes is still poorly understood. Several reports suggest hormonal modulation of aggression, particularly by androgens, but contradictory studies have been published. Studies exploring the role of chemical communication in aggressive behaviour are also scant, and the pheromones involved remain to be unequivocally characterized. This is surprising as chemical communication is the most ancient form of information exchange and plays a variety of other roles in fishes. Furthermore, the study of chemical communication and aggression is relevant at the evolutionary, ecological and economic levels. A few pioneering studies support the hypothesis that aggressive behaviour, at least in some teleosts, is modulated by “dominance pheromones” that reflect the social status of the sender, but there is little information on the identity of the compounds involved. This review aims to provide a global view of aggressive behaviour in fishes and its underlying physiological mechanisms including the involvement of chemical communication, and discusses the potential use of dominance pheromones to improve fish welfare. Methodological considerations and future research directions are also outlined.

Pilgrimage Christian and Secular: a Phenomenological Approach - Yuan, Haojun (USJ Theses and Dissertations, 2021)
In the light of the many kinds of journeys that have been considered pilgrimages, this book uses phenomenology as a method to examine the claim that pilgrimage is a journey to the ‘center’ during which pilgrims seek meaning s for themselves. First, by analyzing a phenomenology of Christian pilgrimage, this work attempts to identify what commonalities, as well as differences, exist between Christian pilgrimage and secular pilgrimage in terms of ‘natural attitude’. Next, by using a phenomenological method, such as transcendental reduction, the distinction between these two types of pilgrimage could be clarified that the happiness sought in Christian pilgrimage is both intentionally spiritual and sustainable, while primarily intellectual or sensory in secular pilgrimage. Lastly, this work seeks to establish whether or not ‘being at leisure’ is the primary element for pilgrims whose aim is to attain an understanding of happiness during a pilgrimage
Keywords: Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages; Phenomenology

Place Marketing: Macao as the Art City for the Future Direction - Wong Ka I (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph

Plugin Program Reconfigurable Architecture System For Sustainable Future - Au Yeung, Kam Sheung (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
The primary research focus of this dissertation revolves around the concept of a "plugin" program. It raises a fundamental question about whether a building can attain long-term usability through metabolic flexibility (plugin units and their reconfigurable space), promoting adaptability (accommodating various program transfers), and meeting sustainable future criteria. Specifically, this dissertation inquires whether this "plugin" building design, with its reconfigurable units and metabolic system, can adapt to different spatial programs and become sustainable architecture
Keywords: Building program transfer; Metabolism Architecture; Plugin capsule units; Reconfigurable; Sustainable Architecture; Theses and Dissertations Master of Architecture (MARCH); University of Saint Joseph

Pope John Paul II, ‘Memory and Identity: conversations at the dawn of a millennium’ - Morgan, Stephen (Memory and Identity: the proceedings of the 28th ASEACCU Annual Conference, 2023)

Positive Approach in Preventing Depression in Adolescents: Comparing Local Chinese and Filipino Migrant Adolescents in Macao - Tejada, Anali Jane Gabala (University of Saint Joseph, 2021)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

Post-Digital Fashion: The Evolution and Creation Cycle - Pereira, Selma; Fernandes-Marcos, Adérito (ZoneModa Journal, 2021)
In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fashion industry was surprised and quickly had to adapt to digital media. However, the relationship between fashion and the multiplicity of screens is not new. Fashion emerged and took its first steps with Cinema, in Modernity. Although there are times when these two systems are further apart from each other, the alliance survived. To analyse contemporaneity, we take as main reference the studies of Gilles Lipovetsky, and his reflections on aesthetic capitalism. The fashion system has many Western fields of life, including art and technology. In this article we discuss how this relationship of fashion adapts and develops with aesthetic capitalism and post-digital art while we analyse representative artefacts from/about fashion. We propose to put the recent digital fashion artefacts in dialogue with post-digital aesthetics theories, discussing the blurred boundaries between the digital and the post-digital, and proposing the instantiation of a post-digital creation cycle applied to fashion artefacts.

Post Disaster Temporary Housing System based on Generative Design Method - Afonso, Filipe (The 6th International Conference on Architecture, Materials and Construction ICAMC, 2020)

Post-disaster Temporary Housing System based on Generative Design Method - Afonso, Filipe G.; Lu, Jun C. (International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, 2021)

Post-Divorce Parent-Child Relationships Impacts and Coping Mechanisma: Qualitative Study In Macao - Vong, Iek Chong (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

Post-pandemic Human Resources Challenges in Macau’s Hospitality Industry: Christy, Chu Ian I - Chu, Ian I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
In today's rapidly changing and fiercely competitive environment, talents are the key factor for a company's success and success, and a good strategy for retaining talents is how to use effective management measures to grasp employees' focus, vitality and service on work enthusiasm can generate dedication and loyalty to the enterprise, making the enterprise more consolidated and sustainable. Previous studies have shown that human resource management measures can increase employee contribution. Therefore, this study takes the important role of human resource management as an intermediary to explore how the human resource management of Macau's hospitality industry is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes in post-pandemic human resource management. At the same time, the company's commitment to its employees after the outbreak is further analyzed for the success of the solutions made by the human resource management of the hospitality industry in Macau. The research results are expected to be used as a reference for leaders or managers in the hospitality industry when an unexpected pandemic occurs, by enhancing and improving human resource management. The qualitative research method was adopted, and in-depth interviews were conducted with hotel employees. The key findings of this research were that there are five factors affecting human resource management post-pandemic in the hospitality industry. More importantly, we found that Macau’s hospitality industry needs to transform in the future, which will also have a key impact on human resources management
Keywords: Dilemmas 2; Diversified 1; Theses and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; Vulnerabilities 3

Power Allocation for 5G Mobile Multiuser Cooperative Networks - Yin, Fagen; Du, Wencai (Journal of Advanced Transportation, 2021)
With the fifth generation (5G) communication technology, the mobile multiuser networks have developed rapidly. In this paper, the performance analysis of mobile multiuser networks which utilize decode-and-forward (DF) relaying is considered. We derive novel outage probability (OP) expressions. To improve the OP performance, we study the power allocation optimization problem. To solve the optimization problem, we propose an intelligent power allocation optimization algorithm based on grey wolf optimization (GWO). We compare the proposed GWO approach with three existing algorithms. The experimental results reveal that the proposed GWO algorithm can achieve a smaller OP, thus improving system efficiency. Also, compared with other channel models, the OP values of the 2-Rayleigh model are increased by 81.2% and 66.6%, respectively.

Predicting the Geographic Spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study from Brazil - Marques, Joao Alexandre Lobo; Gois, Francisco Nauber Bernardo; Xavier-Neto, José; Fong, Simon James (Predictive Models for Decision Support in the COVID-19 Crisis, 2020)

Prediction for Decision Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Marques, Joao Alexandre Lobo; Gois, Francisco Nauber Bernardo; Xavier-Neto, José; Fong, Simon James (Predictive Models for Decision Support in the COVID-19 Crisis, 2020)

Predictive Models for Decision Support in the COVID-19 Crisis - Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; Gois, Francisco Nauber Bernardo; Xavier-Neto, Jose; Fong, Simon James (SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology, 2021)
COVID-19 has hit the world unprepared, as the deadliest pandemic of the century. Governments and authorities, as leaders and decision makers fighting the virus, enormously tap into the power of artificial intelligence and its predictive models for urgent decision support. This book showcases a collection of important predictive models that used during the pandemic, and discusses and compares their efficacy and limitations. Readers from both healthcare industries and academia can gain unique insights on how predictive models were designed and applied on epidemic data. Taking COVID19 as a case study and showcasing the lessons learnt, this book will enable readers to be better prepared in the event of virus epidemics or pandemics in the future.

Predictive models to the COVID-19 - Bernardo Gois, Francisco Nauber; Lima, Alex; Santos, Khennedy; Oliveira, Ramses; Santiago, Valdir; Melo, Saulo; Costa, Rafael; Oliveira, Marcelo; Henrique, Francisco das Chagas Douglas Marques; Neto, José Xavier; Martins Rodrigues Sobrinho, Carlos Roberto; Lôbo Marques, João Alexandre (Data Science for COVID-19, 2021)
Following the World Health Organization proclaims a pandemic due to a disease that originated in China and advances rapidly across the globe, studies to predict the behavior of epidemics have become increasingly popular, mainly related to COVID-19. The critical point of these studies is to discuss the disease's behavior and the progression of the virus's natural course. However, the prediction of the actual number of infected people has proved to be a difficult task, due to a wide range of factors, such as mass testing, social isolation, underreporting of cases, among others. Therefore, the objective of this work is to understand the behavior of COVID-19 in the state of Ceará to forecast the total number of infected people and to aid in government decisions to control the outbreak of the virus and minimize social impacts and economics caused by the pandemic. So, to understand the behavior of COVID-19, this work discusses some forecast techniques using machine learning, logistic regression, filters, and epidemiologic models. Also, this work brings a new approach to the problem, bringing together data from Ceará with those from China, generating a hybrid dataset, and providing promising results. Finally, this work still compares the different approaches and techniques presented, opening opportunities for future discussions on the topic. The study obtains predictions with R2 score of 0.99 to short-term predictions and 0.93 to long-term predictions.
Keywords: COVID-19; Forecast; Holt Winters; Kalman filter; Machine learning; Prophet; SEIR

Prefeace for Espectros Inquietos, Elis Bodêgo - Simoes, José Manuel (2021)

Preservation and Rehabilitation of Macao Industrial Heritage: A Case Study of the Iec Long Firecracker Factory - Ng, Kit Leng (University of Saint Joseph, 2020)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of History & Heritage Studies (MHHS); University of Saint Joseph

Primary teachers' burnout at the inclusive education schools in Macao - Ieong, Iek Kuan (University of Saint Joseph, 2023)
"In 2021/2022 academic year, there are 2,244 SEN students in Macau and its growth rate is 36% in ten years. However, at the present, there are 38 schools providing the related education to them. Admittedly, this is an unbalanced supply and demand. In fact, the teachers who work at inclusive education schools are bearing all responsibility to teach SEN students and their mental health is worth to attention. Moreover, there are 1,224 SEN students in primary (2021/2022 academic year), it accounting for 55% of all. That is, the numbers of their teachers are the most and they are representative. Therefore, exploring primary teachers’ burnout at inclusive education schools becomes the topic of this study, even more important, it is including to compare normal and resource teachers. This topic is rarer currently in Macau. On the one hand, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and (reduced) personal accomplishment are dimensions of burnout (Maslach et al., 1996). These become the dependent variables of this study. According Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) and the factors of self-efficacy in inclusive education (Sharma et al., 2012), the following hypotheses are provided to guide this study: (1) normal teachers’ emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment are higher than those in resource teachers; (2) teachers’ attitudes into inclusive education, (3) teachers’ self-efficacy to use inclusive instruction (SEII), (4) teachers’ self-efficacy in collaboration (SEC) and (5) teachers’ self-efficacy in v managing behavior (SEMB) both are negatively related to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment; (6) teachers’ stress of Covid19 is positively related to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. On the other hand, quantitative methodology, and snowball sampling are used in this research. At last, 132 responds are collected, including 100 normal teachers and 32 resource teachers. They are from 48 inclusive education schools in Macau. All data were analyzed by SPSS 25.0. The results of this study are followed: (1) teachers’ emotional exhaustion level is middle, their depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment levels both are low; (2) resource teachers’ emotional exhaustion and depersonalization are higher than normal teachers; (3) teachers’ attitudes into inclusive education negatively related to depersonalization but positively related to reduced personal accomplishment; (4) in the factors of self-efficacy, only SEII is negatively related to reduced personal accomplishment; (5) teachers’ stress of Covid-19 is positively related to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment."
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

Prize-giving time for Macau - Morrison, Keith (Macau Business, 2020)

Probabilistic Forecasting Model for the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on the Composite Monte Carlo Model Integrated with Deep Learning and Fuzzy System - Fong, Simon James; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; Li, Gloria; Dey, Nilanjan; Crespo, Rubén González; Herrera-Viedma, Enrique; Gois, Francisco Nauber Bernardo; Neto, José Xavier (Epidemic Analytics for Decision Supports in COVID19 Crisis, 2022)
There are several techniques to support simulation of time series behavior. In this chapter, the approach will be based on the Composite Monte Carlo (CMC) simulation method. This method is able to model future outcomes of time series under analysis from the available data. The establishment of multiple correlations and causality between the data allows modeling the variables and probabilistic distributions and subsequently obtaining also probabilistic results for time series forecasting. To improve the predictor efficiency, computational intelligence techniques are proposed, including a fuzzy inference system and an Artificial Neural Network architecture. This type of model is suitable to be considered not only for the disease monitoring and compartmental classes, but also for managerial data such as clinical resources, medical and health team allocation, and bed management, which are data related to complex decision-making challenges.
Keywords: COVID-19; Composite Monte Carlo simulation; Healthcare decision-making systems; Prediction

Problematic Internet Use and Subjective Wellbeing Among University Students in Macao - Kam, Chi Fat (University of Saint Joseph, 2022)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Government Studies (MGS); University of Saint Joseph