Physicochemical quality, macronutrients, and dietary fiber in apples from the protected geographical indication ‘Maçã de Alcobaça’, Portugal

Apple is a major fruit in the European diet. The range of cultivar types and origins diversify the nutritional composition of apples. Eight apple cultivars (Malus xdomestica Borkh. 'Casa Nova', 'Fuji', 'Galaxy', 'Golden Delicious', 'Granny Smith', 'Jonagored', 'Reinette', and 'Starking') with the " Maca de Alcobaca" Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), Portugal, were harvested at commercial maturity, stored for 3 to 3.5 months at 0 degrees C, and characterized at the edible stage for their nutritional composition. Fruit quality was assessed by color, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, pH, Thiault index and firmness. The concentration moisture, dry matter, carbohydrates, protein, fat, ash, and fiber defined the nutritional profile. 'Reinette' had highest soluble solids content, titratable acidity, carbohydrates, protein, ash, energy, dry matter. 'Granny Smith' had the lowest soluble solids and carbohydrates contents, dry matter and energy. 'Casa Nova', a traditional cultivar, had high fiber content. Energy content varied by more than 30%, lowest in 'Granny Smith' and highest in 'Reinette', and is strongly correlated with dry matter and soluble solids content. The cultivarspecific range of nutritional value provides a basis for market segmentation based on nutritional content.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The role of dogs in the relationship between telework and performance via affect: A moderated moderated mediation analysis

Although there is evidence that pets may help individuals facing significant daily stressors, and that they may enhance the well-being of their owners, little is known about the benefits of pets for job performance. Since the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, teleworking was a strategy implemented in many countries to reduce the virus widespread and to assure organizational productivity. Those who work from home and who own pets may work close to them. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study aimed to analyze whether positive affect mediated the relationship between telecommuting and self-reported job performance and if psychological and physical closeness to the pet would moderate this relationship in such a way that it would be stronger for those who worked closer to their pet, and who were more emotionally attached to them. For this study, we collected data from 81 teleworkers who did not own pets, and from 320 teleworkers who owned pets. Both answered an online questionnaire. Findings: Results from the study showed the existence of significant differences between those who owned and who did not own pets regarding positive affect and performance, in which those who owned pets reported higher levels of positive affect and self-reported performance and perceived telework more positively. Moreover, positive affect mediated the relationship between telework and self-reported job performance. Furthermore, emotional and physical closeness moderated the mediating effect. This study contributes to a better understanding of the human-animal interaction and how pets can be a personal resource able to change their owners’ affective experiences and job performance while they are working from home. The findings demonstrate that telework may be a suitable organizational strategy for pet-owners.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Advocating the Broad Use of the Decision Tree Method in Education

Predictive studies have been widely undertaken in the field of education to provide strategic information about the extensive set of processes related to teaching and learning, as well as about what variables predict certain educational outcomes, such as academic achievement or dropout. As in any other area, there is a set of standard techniques that is usually used in predictive studies in the field education. Even though the Decision Tree Method is a well-known and standard approach in Data Mining and Machine Learning, and is broadly used in data science since the 1980\u27s, this method is not part of the mainstream techniques used in predictive studies in the field of education. In this paper, we support a broad use of the Decision Tree Method in education. Instead of presenting formal algorithms or mathematical axioms to present the Decision Tree Method, we strictly present the method in practical terms, focusing on the rationale of the method, on how to interpret its results, and also, on the reasons why it should be broadly applied. We first show the modus operandi of the Decision Tree Method through a didactic example; afterwards, we apply the method in a classification task, in order to analyze specific educational data. Accessed 2,463 times on https://pareonline.net from November 06, 2017 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

Plantas na Medicina Tradicional de Cabo Verde

Neste trabalho apresenta-se o resultado de uma pesquisa pormenorizada sobre as plantas medicinais e aromáticas que se desenvolvem no arquipélago de Cabo Verde, apoiada na bibliografia actualmente disponível sobre o assunto. Indicam-se as famílias, nomes científicos e vernáculos, e distribuição no arquipélago, bem como os respectivos princípios activos, propriedades terapêuticas e as partes das plantas utilizadas na medicina popular tradicional. Foram identificados 157 táxones, pertencentes a 68 famílias, com interesse medicinal e aromático conhecido. Estas plantas são maioritariamente alóctones, introduzidas, subespontâneas, naturalizadas ou cultivadas. Cabo Verde, devido a diversos condicionalismos, nomeadamente, situação geográfica, humidade e altitude das diferentes ilhas, é rico em espécies endémicas com interesse medicinal mas cujas potencialidades são ainda pouco conhecidas. Neste estudo foram localizados 27 táxones com interesse medicinal, distribuídos por 21 famílias. Conclui-se que é necessário proceder a mais estudos sobre os endemismos, de forma a melhor avaliar o seu potencial interesse como plantas medicinais e aromáticas. No âmbito da medicina tradicional, urge realizar os seguintes estudos: (1) etnobotânicos; (2) composição química dos vários órgãos das plantas referidas com interesse, sobretudo, para combater as patologias para as quais ainda não foi encontrada resolução satisfatória; (3) distribuição geográfica e habitat precisos das plantas; (4) avaliação e experimentação do seu possível cultivo, de forma a evitar a extinção ou erosão genética motivada pela sua colheita excessiva; (5) propriedades terapêuticas; (6) toxicológicos, a fim de se conhecer os doseamentos eficientes e seguros e as respectivas contra-indicações

Semi-parametric probability-weighted moments estimation revisited

PEst-OE/MAT/UI0006/2011 PEst-OE/MAT/UI0297/2011In this paper, for heavy-tailed models and through the use of probability weighted moments based on the largest observations, we deal essentially with the semi-parametric estimation of the Value-at-Risk at a level p, the size of the loss occurred with a small probability p, as well as the dual problem of estimation of the probability of exceedance of a high level x. These estimation procedures depend crucially on the estimation of the extreme value index, the primary parameter in Statistics of Extremes, also done on the basis of the same weighted moments. Under regular variation conditions on the right-tail of the underlying distribution function F, we prove the consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimators under consideration in this paper, through the usual link of their asymptotic behaviour to the one of the extreme value index estimator they are based on. The performance of these estimators, for finite samples, is illustrated through Monte-Carlo simulations. An adaptive choice of thresholds is put forward. Applications to a real data set in the field of insurance as well as to simulated data are also provided.authorsversionpublishe

Beef cattle stocking rate, a key to the conservation of the pastoral system in Brazilian biomes.

Abstract: In Brazil, beef cattle are raised in predominantly extensive systems. The feeding base is represented by native and/or cultivated pastures. The latter may be in a well conserved state or may present some degree of degradation. The amount of animals per hectare, supported by the pasture by each time unit, is basically related to the pasture production. There is interaction between quality and production, and changes in these parameters are strongly affected by the stocking rate. Therefore, the adjustment in the stocking rate is the most important management factor and the main determinant of animal production and pasture composition. Municipal data from the 2006 agriculture and cattle raising business census were considered with the objective to analyze, by means of typologies, the use of pastoral areas in Brazil. In the census, the producers declared their pastoral areas according to the following classification: native pasture areas (PN), cultivated pasture areas in good conservation status (PC) and cultivated pasture areas with some degree of degradation (PCD). They also indicated the number of bovine in each type of pasture. The data were submitted to exploratory factorial analysis, with varimax rotation. The first two factors (extracted by main components) explained 0.83 of the (co)variance, and the estimate of the Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin (KMO) adequacy test was 0.76, which meant good adjustment of the variables selected. The commonalities of the variables selected, PN area; total pasture area (TP), bovines in PN (Bov_PN); bovines in PCD area (Bov_PCD); bovines in PC area (Bov_PC); bovines in total pasture area (Bov_APT); and the stocking rate (TxLota) were 0.65; 0.97; 0.77; 0.74; 0.79; 0.87; and 0.99, respectively. The first factor was associated with the variables PN, TP, Bov_PN, Bov_PCD, Bov_PC, and Bov_APT, which directs to the latent variable correlated to those municipalities with large pasture areas, in general, and also with the largest cattle population. The variable TxLota presented the most significant factorial load in the second factor, that is, all those municipalities with the greatest concentration of cattle per unit area are represented in the second factor. The municipalities that were best represented in factor_1 are different from the ones represented in factor_2. The non-parametric correlation between the classifications of the two groups of municipalities formed by the factorial scores in the first and the second factors is small (0,24). This indicates that the context of those municipalities with the highest stocking rate is a lot different from the ones with the largest areas and cattle herds. The application of livestock development policies in the different Brazilian biomes should take into account all the distinguishing features of the municipalities, regarding their context, especially the pasture areas and their vocation for primary livestock production.ICAS VI