Caracterização de Puccinia hemerocallidis causadora do primeiro surto de ferrugem de lírio-de-um-dia na Europa

Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) is an ornamental plant widely used in gardens. Daylily rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia hemerocallidis, has disseminated through all continents only in the 21th century, except in Europe, where it has been considered a quarantine disease by the European Plant Protection Organisation. In Portugal, since November 2015, typical rust symptoms were observed in daylily plants in gardens in Lisbon, Alentejo, Algarve and Madeira, attaining high prevalence, incidence and severity. The causal agent was identified as P. hemerocallidis and the Koch’s postulates were fulfilled. Phylogenetic data suggest that this fungus may have been introduced from North America. Using flow cytometry, the genome size of the P. hemerocallidis populations present in Portugal was estimated to be 345 Mbp (0.3533 pg DNA/1C). For such analysis Rhamnus alaternus was validated as a DNA standard, exhibiting a nuclear content of 0.680 pg DNA/2C. The identification of this disease in diverse locations in Portugal represents a threat to European breeding and nursery industries, since there are the appropriate conditions for inoculum maintenance and propagation from Portugal to the rest of Europeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cape Verde: The Case for Euroization

After 10 years of a fixed exchange rate against the euro and a deepening integration with the European Union (EU), the authorities of Cape Verde maintain a strong commitment to nominal stability and are now considering the official euroization of the country. Compared to the current pegging, euroization could be costly if the economic conditions of Cape Verde were to require control over the interest rates and the exchange rate. Given the strong economic and financial integration between Cape Verde and Europe, and the fact that Cape Verde records inflation rates at levels that are similar to those of the European Monetary Union (EMU), the relevant issue is whether the European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy fits the needs of Cape Verde. In order to answer this question, we empirically assess the synchronization between the business cycle of Cape Verde and the business cycle of the EMU. For that purpose, we compute output gaps and then use conventional correlation measures as well as other indicators recently suggested in the literature. Replicating the methodology for each of the current 27 EU members, our results show that Cape Verde ranks better than several EU countries and even better than some EMU countries. We thus argue that there is a strong case for the euroization of Cape Verde. Euroization would secure the benefits already attained with the pegging to the euro and would warrant additional benefits, most likely with no relevant costs stemming from inappropriate ECB monetary policies.Africa, Cape Verde, European Monetary Union, Euroization, Business Cycles

Port wine characterisation and positioning in Portugal

Port wine is a fortified wine produced in the demarcated region of Douro. This region is situated in the northeast of Portugal, in the Douro hydrographical basin, surrounded by mountains that give it exclusive mesologic, climacteric and agrologic characteristics that enable the production of quality wines. Port wine is the most successful of all Portuguese wines throughout the years, home and abroad. This article aims at characterizing and analysing the positioning of the Port Wine brand in the context of Portuguese wine brands, and to define strategies for this brand. In order to achieve this, indicators and management tools such as SWOT Analysis, General Electric/McKinsey Matrix and Porter Generic Strategies were used. From the analysis it can be understood that the Port Wine brand occupies a favourable position in the wine market with an important role in the national economy, and as such it should be ever more promoted and its potential further reinforced abroad to make the most of its brand value and potential for the brand, the country and other national wines. JEL: M10; M30

Precipitating and expectations of retirement from the perspective of newly retired

Antecedentes: REATIVA es un proyecto, financiado por la FCT, cuyo objeto es desarrollar un programa de intervención en salud que promueva la auto-eficacia, la autoestima y la capacidad de recuperación de la familia en el proceso de transición que es la jubilación. La primera etapa de este proyecto tiene como objetivo entender cómo los portugueses recién jubilados perciben esta transición. Objetivos: Comprender las expectativas de los participantes en la experiencia de la jubilación y los factores precipitantes de esta transición. Metodología: cualitativa y descriptivo-exploratoria, basada en 16 grupos focales cuyos participantes pertenecen a las unidades funcionales de salud de ACES incluidas en el Centro Regional de Salud de Portugal y que se hayan jubilado hace 5 años o menos. Los procedimientos éticos y formales inherentes a la investigación fueron respetados y se llevó a cabo un análisis de contenido mediante el programa de QRS Internacional NVivo10®. Resultados: El recién jubilado describe el momento antes de su retiro para dar sentido al momento presente. Refiere que antes de su jubilación, creó expectativas sobre ella, como idealizaciones de bienestar y de realización de proyectos por terminar. Como desencadenantes del paso a la jubilación, los participantes señalaron la falta de salud, la búsqueda de beneficios personales y familiares y la inminencia de un no deseado desempleo. Observamos, también, que algunos de los jubilados se refieren al período comprendido entre la preparación de la reforma y su aplicación como un momento de introspección, de preparación para la nueva fase de la vida, comparable a la moratoria psicosocial, de Erikson (1979). La jubilación es una transición deseada por muchos, desencadenada por varios factores y que es vista como la posibilidad de conseguir logros no realizados durante la vida laboral. Vamos a seguir estudiando esta fase de transición y a conocer la forma en que se materializan las expectativas creadas.Background: REATIVA project, funded by FCT, aims to build a health intervention program that promotes self-efficacy, self-esteem and family resilience in the transition process which is retirement. The first stage of this project aims to understand how the newly retired Portuguese perceive this transition. Objectives: Understand the expectations of the participants on the experience of retirement and the precipitants of this transition. Methodology: Qualitative and descriptive-exploratory study, based on 16 focus group whose participants fitted in to functional health units of ACES belonging to Regional Health Centre of Portugal and were retired for 5 years or less. The ethical and formal procedures inherent in research were respected and a content analysis using QRS International NVivo10® program was held. Results: The newly retired wish to describe the time before retirement to make sense of the present moment. They reported that before retirement, they created expectations about it, as idealizations of well-being and projects to finish. As precipitants of retirement, participants pointed the absence of health, the pursuit of personal and family benefits and the imminence of an unwanted unemployment. We note, too, that some of the retirees refer to the period between the application of the reform and its implementation as a moment of introspection, in preparation for the new life phase, comparable to the psychosocial moratorium, of Erikson (1979). Conclusions: Retirement is a transition desired by many, is precipitated by several factors and it is seen as the possibility of achieving activities not possible during working life. We will continue to study this transition phase to know how they materialize the created expectations.Enquadramento: A situação de reforma/aposentação é um dos acontecimentos transicionais da meia-idade para o qual os indivíduos nem sempre estão preparados. O projeto REATIVA, financiado pela FCT [PTDC/MHC–PSC/4846/2012], tem como objetivo construir um programa de intervenção em saúde que promova a autoeficácia, a autoestima e a resiliência familiar no processo de transição que é a aposentação. A primeira etapa deste projeto tem como objetivo perceber de que forma os recém-aposentados portugueses percecionam esta transição. Objetivos: Conhecer as expetativas dos recém-aposentados relativas à vivência da aposentação; compreender os precipitantes dessa transição. Metodologia: Estudo qualitativo, descritivo-exploratório, concretizado com base na informação obtida a partir de entrevistas realizadas em 16 focus group cujos participantes, inscritos em unidades funcionais de saúde de ACES pertencentes à Administração Regional de Saúde do Centro de Portugal, estavam aposentados há 5 ou menos anos. Respeitaram-se os procedimentos éticos e formais inerentes à investigação. Fez-se a análise de conteúdo das entrevistas utilizando o programa QRS International NVivo10®. Resultados: Os recém-aposentados descrevem o momento antes da passagem à reforma paradar sentido ao momento atual. Referem que antes da reforma criaram expetativas sobre a mesma, na forma de idealizações de bem-estar e de projetos a concretizar. Como precipitantes da passagem à reforma, os participantes apontaram a ausência de saúde, a busca de benefícios pessoais e familiares e a iminência de um desemprego indesejado. Alguns dos aposentados referem-se ao período entre o pedido de reforma e a sua efetivação como um momento de introspeção, de preparação para a nova fase da vida, comparável à moratória psicossocial, de Erikson (1971). Conclusões: A aposentação é uma transição desejada por muitos, é precipitada por vários fatores e é tida como a possibilidade de concretização de atividades não possíveis no ativo. Continuaremos a estudar esta fase de transição para conhecer de que forma se concretizam as expetativas criadas.peerReviewe

O posicionamento da marca vinho do Porto no panorama nacional

A vitivinicultura desempenhou sempre um papel muito importante na agricultura portuguesa, exercendo o vinho um papel relevante na economia nacional. De entre os vinhos portugueses, aquele que mais sucesso conheceu em Portugal e além fronteiras foi o Vinho do Porto. O Vinho do Porto é uma bebida licorosa produzida na região demarcada do Douro, região situada a Nordeste de Portugal, na bacia hidrográfica do Douro. As condições singulares (mesológicas e climatéricas) verificadas na região, a selecção criteriosa de castas, a delimitação geográfica, os processos de fabrico são alguns dos factores que contribuem para a elevada qualidade dos produtos marca Vinho do Porto. Já a longevidade da marca e a confiança dos consumidores garantem-lhe um posicionamento de destaque na hora de escolha do produto. Tendo em conta o sucesso alcançado pelo Vinho do Porto, os autores procuraram, neste artigo, posicionar a marca Vinho do Porto no contexto das marcas de vinho portuguesas, através da aplicação de alguns indicadores e instrumentos de gestão estratégica. Da análise concluiu-se que o Vinho do Porto apresenta-se numa posição de destaque no mercado dos vinhos, desempenhando um papel importante na economia nacional, cuja qualidade e preços superiores orienta a estratégia da marca para o mercado internacional

Online peer assessment for learning: Findings from higher education students

Assessment practices in the higher education (HE) context have undergone profound changes over recent years, particularly regarding their purpose, strategies, and available resources. This exploratory study seeks to analyze, through the perceptions of HE students, the contribution and adequacy of an assessment for learning strategy, namely, online peer assessment (OPA), inspired by the conceptual framework of the PrACT Model, a framework which aims to contribute to the dissemination of alternative assessment practices. The main data collection technique used was the survey questionnaire and the study participants (n = 16) were students from a higher education institution in Portugal. Results point to the lack of student experience in the practice of OPA and are discussed in conformity with the dimensions of the PrACT framework. OPA is considered, from the student’s perspective, an adequate alternative digital assessment strategy, contributing to student motivation as well as to the development of cognitive, metacognitive, and digital skills.This work is funded by CIEd-Research Centre on Education, Institute of Education, University of Minho, projects UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT

The impact of online peer assessment on student learning in higher education: A systematic review of literature

In recent years, the educational processes and scenarios have slowly aimed at empowering the students with 21st century skills as well as core competencies required for career readiness [1]. This means shifting focus from a knowledge-based to a competency-based curriculum which promotes the development of skills such as autonomy, responsibility, critical thinking, and self-awareness. At the same time, with the accelerated digital transformation, technology is expected to occupy an unprecedented position in classrooms. Learning assessment practices must respond to this combination of circumstances. A new evaluation culture [2] has emerged where the student is an active participant and this is expected to produce a positive impact on students’ educational outcomes and cognitive development. Studies on alternative digital assessment [3] [4] indicate that an important contribution to the development of lifelong learning skills and sustainable assessment practices is Online Peer Assessment (OPA). “Peer assessment (also called peer review) is a collaborative learning technique based on a critical analysis by learners of a task or artefact previously undertaken by peers” (p.72) [5]. Beyond the grading procedure, the literature emphasizes the active and self-regulatory learning process enhancing student critical thinking and fostering the development of essential professional skills. To understand the importance of OPA in higher education, a systematic review of literature was carried out considering the following research question: In what dimensions could OPA, as an alternative digital assessment practice, impact student learning in higher education? A literature search was conducted in the online portal B-on and SCOPUS database, restricted to the years 2017 to 2021. Only peer-reviewed studies published in English or Portuguese and with full-text access were taken into consideration. Through a rigorous documented systematic literature review scoping process [6], studies were screened and analyzed. Findings were divided into two main categories which provide evidence on the positive impact of OPA on enhanced student learning. On the one hand, the implementation of OPA in higher education is an effective assessment technique which stimulates student performance and facilitates the acquisition of knowledge, while fostering self-awareness and critical thinking and improving metacognitive and collaborative skills. On the other hand, students are generally motivated to participate in OPA, acknowledging the several benefits presented. The creation of OPA contexts in higher education is strongly encouraged based on the results of these studies.This work is funded by CIEd – Research Centre on Education, Institute of Education, University of Minho, projects UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT

Hemoglobinopatias: a que casais oferecer o diagnóstico pré-natal?

As hemoglobinopatias (alfa-talassémia, beta-talassémia, drepanocitose e talassodrepanocitose) constituem anemias hereditárias, de transmissão autossómica recessiva, que nas suas formas mais graves são altamente incapacitantes. Dada a impossibilidade de cura, aos casais em risco de terem descendência afetada com as formas mais graves da doença deve ser disponibilizada a realização de diagnóstico pré-natal (DPN) molecular. Anteriormente à disponibilização do DPN já deve conhecer-se a alteração molecular de cada progenitor, uma vez que isto permite: i) a classificação de cada mutação quanto às suas consequências funcionais; ii) o conhecimento dos possíveis genótipos do feto; e iii) inferir o respetivo fenótipo clínico/sintomatologia associado a cada genótipo do futuro descendente. Assim, se um dos genótipos possíveis do descendente corresponder a uma forma grave de hemoglobinopatia (drepanocitose, talassémia major/intermédia, talassodrepanocitose, doença da hemoglobina H ou síndrome de Hb Bart’s Hydrops Foetalis) é mandatório oferecer ao casal o DPN, contrariamente aos casais que possuam mutações suaves não está indicada esta disponibilização. As alterações moleculares mais frequentemente associadas às hemoglobinopatias em Portugal são bem conhecidas assim como a sua distribuição geográficaa,b. Contudo, face aos fluxos migratórios recentes, têm sido introduzidas em Portugal novas mutações que interessa identificar e caracterizar. Assim, o diagnóstico clínico, hematológico e bioquímico, a investigação molecular, o estabelecimento de testes genéticos fiáveis e o aconselhamento genético deverão continuar a contribuir de forma concertada e continuada para a identificação de portadores e de casais em risco, para identificar as novas alterações moleculares e respetiva correlação genótipo/fenótipo. Nos últimos 16 anos realizámos 224 DPNs de hemoglobinopatias, sendo 43 fetos afetados e dos 181 restantes, 107 eram portadores/heterozigóticos e 74 apresentavam um genótipo normal. Estes resultados são reveladores do impacto que o rastreio de portadores de hemoglobinopatias tem tido na nossa população, refletindo a identificação de casais em risco e a efetiva prevenção das hemoglobinopatias em Portugal. a) Martins MC, et al (1993). J Med Genet 30:235-239. b) Faustino P, et al (1992). Hum Genet 89:573-576

Goat and Sheep Milk as Raw Material for Yogurt

Yogurts are prepared by bacterial fermentation of milk using bacterial cultures composed of a mixture of Streptococcus ssp. thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus. In the regions where small ruminants are important to the economy, the development of new products may and the diversification of the offer might represent good strategies to attract new consumers since it allows producers to go beyond the usual cheesemaking. Those were the reasons that led to the production of a yogurt that would include different proportions of sheep and goats milk, a final product with the right physicochemical quality properties and sensory attributes. The addition of sheep milk is meant to attract more and more potential consumers and to additionally improve the nutritional value of the product, mainly with respect to the amount of fatty acid and mineral contents. Consumers tend to prefer yogurts made of cow milk, but this work shows that people enjoy and accept yogurts produced with goat and sheep milk as well. Therefore, it seems evident that the milk produced by these small ruminants can be an alternative and has the potential to become a good food product