The financial sustainability of Microcredit in Portugal

Microcredit and microfinance emerged in the 1970’s in Bangladesh and other developing countries and expanded rapidly worldwide as a business model financially sustainable and able to fight poverty and social exclusion. Empirical evidence confirms microcredit ability to mitigate poverty but its financial sustainability is controversial. Using 2006-2009 Portuguese micro-level data, we estimate the failure rate of Portuguese micro-credit projects as 20,6%/year that, to be financially sustainable, would require a real interest rate by 25%/year. Using a territorial variable on a discrete Cox proportional hazard model with censured data, we estimate that the failure rate of those micro-credit projects located in the worst-case NUTS II Portuguese regions (Alentejo and Centro) and promoted by lower schooling people is significantly higher than best-case.Microcredit, Firms failure rate, Poverty, Financial sustainability

Knowledge Transfer for Melanoma Screening with Deep Learning

Knowledge transfer impacts the performance of deep learning -- the state of the art for image classification tasks, including automated melanoma screening. Deep learning's greed for large amounts of training data poses a challenge for medical tasks, which we can alleviate by recycling knowledge from models trained on different tasks, in a scheme called transfer learning. Although much of the best art on automated melanoma screening employs some form of transfer learning, a systematic evaluation was missing. Here we investigate the presence of transfer, from which task the transfer is sourced, and the application of fine tuning (i.e., retraining of the deep learning model after transfer). We also test the impact of picking deeper (and more expensive) models. Our results favor deeper models, pre-trained over ImageNet, with fine-tuning, reaching an AUC of 80.7% and 84.5% for the two skin-lesion datasets evaluated.Comment: 4 page

Avaliação da situação nutricional dos soutos de castanheiro do distrito de Bragança através de análises de terras e foliares

O castanheiro tem sido uma espécie fruteira cultivada em condições marginais, sendo as árvores raramente fertilizadas. Poucos estudos foram dedicados à gestão da fertilidade do solo e ao estado nutricional desta cultura. Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de análises de populações de 1041 e 198 amostras de solos e folhas, respetivamente colhidas em nove municípios no distrito de Bragança. Uma população suplementar de 80 amostras de solos, folhas e frutos foi ainda colhida nos três municípios mais produtivos do distrito de Bragança, estas nos mesmos pomares, para permitir o estabelecimento de relações entre parâmetros de fertilidade do solo e do estado nutricional das árvores. Os resultados das duas populações de solos mostram elevada acidez, baixo teor de matéria orgânica, baixo teor em fósforo e alto teor em potássio. Uma percentagem elevada de amostras de folhas mostrou concentrações de nutrientes abaixo do limite inferior do intervalo de suficiência, tanto na primeira como na segunda população de amostras, para azoto (respetivamente 63% e 47%), fósforo (18% e 15%), potássio (34% e 31 %), cálcio (19% e 52%), magnésio (21% e 13%) e boro (40% e 43%). No caso do boro, 6% e 8% das amostras de folhas da primeira e segunda populações apresentaram valores dentro do intervalo de concentrações excessivas. Os resultados deste trabalho revelaram ausência ou relações fracas entre propriedades e ou nutrientes disponíveis no solo e a concentração de nutrientes nas folhas. O estado nutricional dos soutos indica que é urgente começar a aplicar programas regulares de fertilização, principalmente com base na avaliação do estado nutricional das árvores através da análise de folhas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Agronomic and chemical evaluation of hop cultivars grown under Mediterranean conditions

Aim of study: Evaluation of the agronomic performance and chemical profile of four hop cultivars grown under Mediterranean conditions. Area of study: The study was undertaken in Bragança, north-eastern Portugal. Material and methods: The newly introduced cultivars (‘Columbus’, ‘Cascade’ and ‘Comet’) were compared with the well-stablished ‘Nugget’. The field experiment was carried out between 2017 and 2019. Dry matter (DM) yield (plant and cones), tissue elemental composition and bitter acid and nitrate (NO3-) concentrations in the cones were assessed. Main results: ‘Comet’ was the most productive cultivar with the highest total DM yield (1,624 to 1,634 g plant-1), cone yield (572 to 633 g plant-1), and dry weight of individual cones (0.28 to 0.79 g cone-1). ‘Cascade’ showed the lowest average total DM yield (723 to 1,045 g plant-1). The year affected the average values of DM yield and the concentration of bitter acids in the cones, with ‘Cascade’ showing the highest sensitivity between cultivars. The concentrations of α and β-acids in the cones were within or close to the normal ranges internationally accepted for all cultivars. ‘Columbus’ exhibited the highest levels of α-acids, ranging between 12.04 % and 12.23%, followed by ‘Nugget’ (10.17–11.90%), ‘Comet’ (9.32–10.69%) and ‘Cascade’ (4.46–8.72%). The nutrient accumulation criteria in cone and leaf tissues seem to be a differentiating factor between cultivars with influence on bitter acid biosynthesis and biomass production. Research highlights: All cultivars showed notable performance in terms of DM yield and bitter acid concentration in the cones when compared to international standards.Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF (Programme PT2020) CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2019) Scholarship to Sandra Afonso (BD/116593/2016)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Soil and plant analyses to diagnose hop fields irregular growth

In cultivated fields, patches of poorly developed vegetation often appear without a clear indication of what is affecting the growth of the plants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes behind these irregularities in the hop (Humulus lupulus L.) fields of NE Portugal which are greatly reducing crop yield and farmers’ profits and to provide guidance to farmers as to appropriate remedial action. Patches of different levels of plant development were selected within hop fields and categorized according to plant vigour (weak, fair and good). Several soil properties were determined and related to the plant nutritional status and dry matter yield of different parts of the plant (hops, leaves, stems). Data was subjected to analysis of variance and principal component analysis. The results suggest that crop yield is reduced mostly due to poor soil aeration and excessive soil and tissue Mn and Fe levels. The plants fromthe plots of weaker vigour seem to be particularly affected by toxic levels of Mn and the plants from the plots of fair vigour by Fe levels. pH, texture (clay content), cation exchange capacity and organic carbon seem to be other soil properties with some degree of influence on plant performance. From these results, farmers are advised to increase soil aeration by implementing a drainage systemand converting to a drip irrigation system, in addition to increasing soil pH by liming to reduce Mn toxicity.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under Programme PT2020 for the financial support to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and also the scholarship grant of Sandra Afonso (number BD/116593/2016) under the Programme PT2020 (UID/AGR/00690/2019).The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under Programme PT2020 for the financial support to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and also the scholarship grant of Sandra Afonso (number BD/116593/2016) under the Programme PT2020 (UID/AGR/00690/2019).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Twenty-years of hop irrigation by flooding the inter-row did not cause a gradient along the row in soil properties, plant elemental composition and dry matter yield

In hops (Humulus lupulus L.), irrigation by flooding the inter-row can carry away suspended particles and minerals, causing gradients in soil fertility. The effect of more than 20 years of flooding irrigation on soil and plants was evaluated in two hop fields by measuring soil and plant variables in multiple points along the rows. In a second experiment 1000 kg ha1 of lime was applied and incorporated into the soil to assess whether liming could moderate any gradient created by the irrigation. At different sampling points along the rows, significant differences were recorded in soil properties, plant elemental composition and dry matter yield, but this was not found to exist over a continuous gradient. The variations in cone yield were over 50% when different sampling points were compared. However, this difference cannot be attributed to the effect of irrigation, but rather to an erratic spatial variation in some of the soil constituents, such as sand, silt and clay. Flooding irrigation and frequent soil tillage resulted in lower porosity and higher soil bulk density in the 0.0–0.10 m soil layer in comparison to the 0.10–0.20 m layer. In turn, porosity and bulk density were respectively positively and negatively associated with crop productivity. Thus, irrigation and soil tillage may have damaged the soil condition but did not create any gradient along the row. The ridge appeared to provide an important pool of nutrients, probably caused by mass flow due to the evaporation from it and a regular supply of irrigation water to the inter-row. Liming raised the soil pH slightly, but had a relevant effect on neither soil nor plants, perhaps because of the small amounts of lime applied.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support from national funds FCT/MCTES, to CIMO (UIDB/AGR/00690/2020) and for Sandra Afonso’s doctoral scholarship (BD/116593/2016).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Response of hops to algae-based and nutrient-rich foliar sprays

Over recent years, some hopyards of northeast Portugal have presented poorly developed plants and reduced productivity. In this study, an attempt was made to improve the homogeneity of hop fields and restore their productivity by using plant biostimulants as foliar sprays. The experimental apparatus included four field trials carried out in four plots of different plant vigour, as evaluated by farmers over previous years (weak, fair, good and very good). The experiments were arranged as a factorial of foliar treatment (two plant biostimulants containing extracts of seaweed algae and an untreated control) and year (2017 and 2018). The plot and the year influenced greatly almost all the measured variables related to tissue nutrient concentration and crop performance. In the control plots, cone dry matter (DM) yield varied from 83.3 to 394.4 g plant1 from the weak to the very good plots. In 2018, cone DM yield was significantly higher than in 2017. The use of foliar sprays influenced less the elemental composition of plant tissue than the plot or the year. The use of foliar sprays only increased significantly crop yield in the plot of weak plant vigour. The foliar treatments did not increase - and -acid concentration in the cones; in the control treatment of the most productive plot, the values were, respectively, 11.2 and 3.9%. Although seaweed extracts tend to help plants cope with several abiotic and biotic stresses, they showed to be effective in mitigating the stress that is affecting these plants, which probably is poor soil drainage caused by the flooding irrigation system, only under conditions of severe stress.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support from national funds FCT/MCTES, to CIMO (UIDB/AGR/00690/2020) and for Sandra Afonso’s doctoral scholarship (BD/116593/2016).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio