A New Laboratory Scale Olive Oil Extraction Method with Comparative Characterization of Phenolic and Fatty Acid Composition

The establishment of operation protocols for olive oil (OO) extraction at non-industrial scale is crucial for research purposes. Thus, the present study proposes a simple and cost-effective method for OO extraction at the laboratory scale (LS) level. To validate the proposed methodology, industrial OO extraction (IS) was performed in parallel, using the same cultivars ‘Galega vulgar’ (GV), ‘Cobrançosa’ (COB) and ‘Arbequina’ (ARB) collected from the same orchards, within the same period. Obtained results showed highest extractability for COB and ARB, of about 53%, while GAL showed 50%. All produced OO showed values lower than the regulated limits for the physicochemical parameters (acidity, K232, K268 and ΔK), classifying them as extra virgin OO (EVOO). Highest total phenolic content was observed for COB, with no significant differences (pvalue > 0,05) between extraction methods. Regarding fatty acid composition, oleic acid (C18:1) showed the lowest percentage for ARB, with about 66% and 68%, for LS and IS, respectively, and the highest for GV with about 72% for both LS and IS. Furthermore, all samples from both extraction methods were compared to the European Community Regulation, with fatty acid composition within the regulated levels for EVOO. This work showed promising results regarding extraction yields and OO extractability, as well as its quality parameters

MARKET ASSISTED LAND REFORM IN NE BRAZIL: A STOCHASTIC FRONTIER PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY EVALUATION

We evaluate the "Cédula da Terra" Pilot Project, a land reform project whose conception, mechanisms and operational structure is different from traditional agrarian reform based on expropriation. The land distributed by the project, is first acquired by the agricultural producers associations, and a given set of incentives is established to obtain a better efficiency use of resources. The main objective of this article is to characterize the sources of technical and allocative inefficiency from a cross section of 309 beneficiaries from five states in NE Brazil. We estimated a potential production frontier following the methodology of BATTESE and COELLI (1995), using the software FRONTIER 4.1. (Tim COELLI, 1996). The main conclusion is that technical assistance, human capital (years of schooling) and better access to credit reduce inefficiency, or thus increase technical and allocative efficiency of the beneficiaries.

The geography of high-value biodiversity areas for terrestrial vertebrates in Western Europe and their coverage by protected area networks

We identified high-value biodiversity areas (HVBAs) of terrestrial vertebrates according to a combined index of biodiversity (CBI) for each major taxon and a standardized biodiversity index (SBI) for all taxa in 2195 cells of 50 × 50 km in Western Europe to evaluate whether these areas are included in the current protected area networks. The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and NATURA 2000 protected area network were used to assess the protected area cover in HVBAs. WDPA and NATURA 2000 were geographically quite complementary as WDPA is more densely represented in Central and Northern Europe and NATURA 2000 in the Mediterranean basin. A total of 729 cells were identified as HVBAs. From the total of these HVBA areas, NATURA 2000 network was present in more cells (660) than the WDPA network (584 cells). The sum of protected land percentages across all the HVBA cells was 28.8%. The identified HVBA cells according to the SBI included 603 or 78.2% of all vertebrate species in the study region, whereas the identified HVBA cells according to the SBI for individual taxa included 47 (90.4%) species of amphibians, 79 (74.5%) of reptiles, 417 (88.5%) of birds, and 130 (91.5%) of mammals. However, neither network was present in 7 or 3% of the identified HVBA cells. Thus, we recommend expanding protected areas in Europe to fill this gap and improve coverage of vertebrate species to strengthen biodiversity conservation.This research was supported by the\ud Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grants CGL2010-\ud 18312 to JMRB, and CGL2010-22119 to MAR), and the\ud Madrid Government REMEDINAL project (S2009AMB-1783).\ud M. J. T. Assunc¸ao-Albuquerque was supported by the Brazil- ˜\ud ian Ministry of Education, through CAPES (Coordenac¸ao de ˜\ud Aperfeic¸oamento de Pessoal de N´ıvel Superior) Doctorate\ud scholarship and FSA was supported by BIOTREE-net-project\ud funded by BBVA Foundation. We are indebted to two anonymous\ud reviewers that greatly improved a former version of this manuscrip

Use of in-vivo induced antigen technology to identify bacterial genes expressed during Solea senegalensis infection with Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida

The marine fish pathogen Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Phdp) is responsible for important disease outbreaks affecting several fish species including flatfish Solea senegalensis (Kaup). Phdp is able to avoid host defences by invasion and intracellular survival in non-phagocytic cells, mainly epithelial cells. Virulence factors reported in Phdp include restricting complement-mediated activity, apoptosis of phagocytes caused by exotoxins secretion, iron acquisition mechanisms such as siderophores that enable the pathogen to obtain iron from transferrin and ability to bind haemin and antioxidant enzymatic activities capable to counteract superoxide radicals (Do Vale et al., 2005; Andreoni and Magnano, 2014). Commonly, genes expressed during pathogen infection are important for pathogenicity. In vivo-induced antigen technology (IVIAT) (Handfield et al., 2000) has been used to identify in vivo-induced genes using pooled sera from fish that have experienced photobacteriosis. Materials and methods Sera were obtained from surviving S. senegalensis specimens after sublethal infection with Phdp (Lg41/01) and subsequently pooled and adsorbed against in vitro grown Phdp Lg41/01 and Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells and lysates according to Handfield et al. (2000). The efficiency of sera adsorption was evaluated based on the immunoreactivity after each adsorption step with whole and lysed Phdp cells grown in vitro. A genomic expression library of Phdp Lg41/01 was generated in E. coli BL21 (DE3) using pET-30 expression system (Novagen, San Diego, CA, USA). The expression library was probed with adsorbed and non-absorbed sera using immunoblot technique. Reactive clones of in vivo-induced and in vitro antigens were obtained, purified and their inserted DNA sequenced (Macrogen Europe, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Nucleotide sequences were compared against the NCBI protein database using BLASTx. Results A progressive reduction in sera immunoreactivity against in vitro grown Phdp cells was detected after the adsorption rounds, especially after the first adsorption step. Thus, following adsorption steps substantially removed antibodies against in vitro expressed antigens and resulted in relative enrichment in antibodies recognizing in vivo expressed antigens. The library from Phdp Lg14/01 constructed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) consisted of approximately 6500 recombinants. A total of 117 clones were selected for their reactivity with pooled adsorbed and non-adsorbed sera from convalescent S. senegalensis specimens after a first round of screening. In a second screening, 14 out of 117 candidate clones showed positive reaction, among which two clones were clearly positive and two gave weak reaction against adsorbed sera. Predicted proteins codified by inserted sequences have intracellular and membrane cell location and are involved in virulence, synthesis of intermediary products, energy metabolism and gene replication. Inosine-5’-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpC) have been identified as in vivo induced antigens expressed during S. senegalensis infection with Phdp. Iron/manganese superoxide dismutase (Fe/Mn-SOD) and alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AlaRS) proteins have also been identified, though with weak signal. Discussion and conclusion Identification of immunogenic bacterial proteins during Phdp infection is essential for understanding bacterial pathogenesis and development of effective vaccines. AhpC peroxidase activity has a protective role by reducing hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite and organic hydroperoxides. Immunization with AhpC conferred protection against Helicobacter pylori infection (O’Riordan et al., 2012). IMPDH catalyzes the conversion of products essential in de novo synthesis of guanine nucleotides. Adequate levels of purine nucleotides are critical for cell proliferation, nucleic acid replication, cell signaling and as a biochemical energy source. This gene is an important therapeutic target against bacterial diseases (Shu and Nair,2008). In conclusion, different genes expressed during Phdp infection in S. senegalensis have been identified. Among them, IMPDH and AhpC have been identified as in vivo induced antigens expressed during S. senegalensis infection with Phdp. Thus, they are likely to play a role in the virulence of Phdp. The antigenic character of these proteins makes them potential targets for the development of new vaccines. References Andreoni, F., and Magnani, M., 2014. Photobacteriosis: Prevention and Diagnosis. Journal of Immunology Research, 2014: 1-7. Do Vale, A., Silva, M.T., dos Santos, N.M., Nascimento, D.S., Reis Rodrigues, P., Costa Ramos, C., Ellis, A.E., and Azevedo, J.E., 2005. AIP56, a novel plasmid-encoded virulence factor of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida with apoptogenic activity against sea bass macrophages and neutrophils. Molecular Microbiology, 58: 1025-1038. Handfield, M., Brady, L.J., Progulske-Fox, A., and Hillman, J.D., 2000. IVIAT: a novel method to identify microbial genes expressed specifically during human infections. Trends in Microbiology, 8: 336-339. O’Riordan A.A., Morales V.A., Mulligan L., Faheem N., Windle H.J., and Kelleher D.P., 2012. Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase: a candidate Helicobacter pylori vaccine. Vaccine, 30:3876-3884. Shu, Q., and Nair, V., 2008. Inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) as a target in drug discovery. Medicinal Research Reviews, 28:219-232.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

ANÁLISE DA RELAÇÃO ENTRE A IMAGEM INSTITUCIONAL E A SATISFAÇÃO DOS ALUNOS PARA SUBSIDIAR O MARKETING EDUCACIONAL

O marketing educacional das universidades precisa considerar os diversos públicos relacionados a ela e estar embasado em atributos chave, como são a satisfação e a imagem percebida. No caso das instituições de ensino superior pago o marketing torna-se mais necessário, pois a realidade atual no Brasil apresenta um mercado educacional de altíssima concorrência. Com o objetivo de preencher alguma das carências em pesquisas que abordem estes assuntos se analisa a relação existente entre a satisfação e a imagem corporativa percebida pelos alunos de uma universidade privada de Santa Catarina. Os dados foram obtidos numa pesquisa survey com 535 alunos em 2005. O questionário foi estruturado em sete blocos, correspondendo os seis primeiros às imagens percebidas das características gerais (bloco A, nove itens); instalações físicas (bloco B, 7 itens); funcionários (bloco C, 7 itens); ensino (bloco D, 6 itens); serviços oferecidos (bloco E, 5 itens); e, ambiente da universidade (bloco F, 3 itens). Por sua vez, a satisfação foi aferida por um bloco único (G) com dez itens. Os resultados obtidos na análise canônica indicam correlações significativas para os seis primeiros pares de variáveis canônicas entre o bloco da satisfação e a percepção da imagem, quando considerados em conjunto os seis blocos. A correlação canônica, nessa condição, alcançou o valor de RCAN= 0,838. As análises em separado do bloco da satisfação com cada bloco da percepção da imagem mostram que o valor máximo se registra para a correlação canônica com o ensino (RCAN= 0,735), seguido pela existente com os serviços oferecidos pela instituição de ensino superior - IES (RCAN= 0,721), as características gerais (RCAN= 0,697), o ambiente na universidade (RCAN= 0,589), os funcionários (RCAN= 0,582), até atingir o mínimo valor, mas também significativo, com as instalações físicas (RCAN= 0,528). Se for calculada a correlação canônica entre a satisfação e as afirmativas que dizem respeito da reputação e da qualidade, considerando os blocos do ensino, serviços oferecidos e características gerais, seu valor alcança RCAN= 0,782. A correlação canônica calculada a partir das segmentações idade, faixa de renda e período mostram também aspectos importantes a considerar. Os diversos achados permitem concluir que o fortalecimento da IES no mercado em que atua dependerá dos investimentos feitos no sentido de aumentar principalmente sua reputação e a qualidade dos serviços oferecidos

Percepção da imagem e satisfação em egressos universitários: uma análise correlacional.

As universidades, como instituições estratégicas no desenvolvimento nacional e regional, precisam desenvolver um marketing educacional embasado em atributos chave, como são a satisfação e a imagem percebida, tanto pelos atuais membros da organização quanto por aqueles que por ela passaram ou são servidos. No caso do Brasil, esta situação torna-se mais necessária para aquelas instituições de ensino superior pago, pois se encontram inseridas num mercado onde a concorrência foi crescente durante as duas últimas décadas. Embora esta realidade seja consenso entre os gestores, são poucas as pesquisas que abordam estes assuntos e menos, ainda, as instituições que as usam nos seus planejamentos de marketing. Com o objetivo de analisar a relação existente entre imagem e satisfação dos alunos, em uma universidade privada do Meio Oeste catarinense, foi realizada uma pesquisa survey com 273 egressos, que concluíram seus cursos em 2004. Os resultados obtidos indicam correlações significativas entre as imagens cognitiva, afetiva e global com a satisfação. Os dois primeiros fatores extraídos da matriz correspondente às percepções da imagem cognitiva, relacionados à qualidade (r = 0,59) e à reputação (r = 0,26) respectivamente, apresentam os maiores valores de correlação com a satisfação, sendo a reputação o fator que mostrou maior relacionamento com a imagem global (r = 0,36) e com a imagem afetiva (r = 0,56). A análise dos dados permite concluir que investimentos em qualidade e reputação serão relevantes para o fortalecimento da organização perante o mercado em que atua

Comparison and Potentials

UID/SOC/04647/2019Academic conferences have always been privileged spaces and moments for the dissemination of new scientific knowledge, as well as for social interaction and for the establishment and development of social networks among scientists. However, the virtual dimension of conferences, in which individuals are not physically present in the same place, begins to emerge as an increasingly used possibility, which implies a different framing of these scientific events. This paper seeks to comparatively analyse several models of academic conferences, putting forth their advantages, limitations and potentials. Furthermore, it also seeks to reasonably envision the importance and challenges to be faced in the near future. The analysis allows concluding that virtual conferences tend to take on an increasingly central role in this type of scientific dissemination, but without totally relegating the conference mode with face-to-face interaction. Moreover, there may be conferences that emerge as a hybrid between these two types of conferences, in an attempt to provide their main benefits to the various participants. However, the insufficient literature on this topic calls for the need to develop and deepen studies in this area that allow understanding this academic and social, but also economic phenomenon, in its broader implications.publishersversionpublishe

Effect of Security on Hostels’ Price Premiums: a hedonic pricing approach

This article evaluates the impact of security in the hostel industry on the willingness to pay by customers. More specifically, given the importance of security in the decision to travel and in the choice of a given destination, we analyze the impact of security guest reviews on a consumer-generated website on hostel room prices. Furthermore, we investigate whether the impact of security guest reviews on the hostel room prices is higher for the hostels located in the countries with the lowest ranking in the Global Peace Index. Finally, we examine whether females and older guests are willing to pay a premium in terms of price for a hostel with a higher level of security. For this purpose, we estimate a hedonic price function for a sample of consumer reviews of 477 hostels in 22 worldwide capitals, with different levels of peace, from Hostelworld. The results highlight the importance of security on the determination of hostel room prices. We find that customers are willing to pay a higher premium in terms of price, in the least worldwide peaceful countries, for a hostel room with higher levels of security. In the case of women and older guests, the premium they are willing to pay is higher.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Social network analysis applied to knowledge creation and transfer in the portuguese agricultural R&D field: an exploratory study

Paper presented at the 9th European Conference on Knowledge Management, Southampton Solent University, Southampton, UK, 4-5 Sep. 2008. URL: http://academic-conferences.org/eckm/eckm2008/eckm08-home.htmThere is growing interest in the nature and scale of scientific collaboration regarding the processes involved with knowledge creation and sharing. One of the possible approaches to developing metrics for this area of research is based on the idea that co-authorship creates a social network of researchers. We present an exploratory study using a social network approach to examine the structure and pattern of knowledge creation and sharing within a Portuguese research community, working in the agricultural field, over the last seven years. The members of this community are with the Instituto Nacional da Investigação Agrária (INIA) which recently became part of a newly created R&D State Laboratory, Instituto Nacional dos Recursos Biológicos (INRB), under the umbrella of the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development and Fisheries. The social network analysis used data from an information system containing the results from all the scientific activities developed in the last seven years by the research community working in INIA. The information system was the major result of AGRO 444 - Development of an Information System for Knowledge and Innovation Discovery and Diffusion in the Agro-Rural Sector, a project funded by Measure 8.1 of Programa AGRO, one of the policy instruments of “3º Quadro Comunitário de Apoio” (Third European Framework Aid to Portugal, 2000-2006). From this data, a knowledge network was developed based on co-authorship patterns extracted from the information system, covering the period 2000-2006. This knowledge network supported the analysis of specific paths through which knowledge sharing occurred and by which knowledge capital was nurtured within the agricultural R&D activities of this institution. The present exploratory study is concerned with the creation and evolution of the network at the biggest research unit within INIA, the Estação Agronómica Nacional (EAN). Here, there are over 140 actors developing research activities in the following sub-domains: natural resources and environment; crops protection; eco-physiology, genetic resources and breeding; production technology; post-harvest technology; and agricultural economics, sociology and development. The study seeks to understand the evolutionary process and to analyse the network structure, showing how knowledge creation and transfer takes place within this unit. The identification of such networked co-authorship relationships may suggest ways to more effectively utilize knowledge capital and other resources. It is also expected that this approach could be used to analyse the remaining six INIA units

Observatory of sustainability of the Algarve region for tourism - Overview and outset

The Observatory of Sustainability of the Algarve Region for Tourism (OBSERVE) is an instrument for monitoring and evaluating the sustainability levels of the region. Its principal main goal is to provide environmental, economic, social-cultural and institutional indicators to support the decision making process for a sustainable growth of the Algarve region.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio