Implementation of Eco-Innovation in Hotels: A Dynamic Capabilities Approach

In a context of increasing concern with environmental factors, hotels show a tendency to respond with passivity to eco-innovation. Furthermore, the literature is scarce about the way hotels adopt and integrate eco-innovation changes in their internal processes. As such, this article intends to present an integrative perspective of the dimensions that influence the adoption of eco-innovation, starting from the external dimension, which incorporates the context and drivers of eco-innovation. The internal dimension is divided into two levels: ordinary and dynamic capabilities. Based on a survey of a sample of hotels, the data were analyzed using partial least squares. The results indicate a positive and significant relationship between context and drivers in both dynamic and ordinary capacities. The influence of context on the green behaviour of hotels was only found in the technological dimension, while external drivers show a strong correlation with eco-innovation. The results also indicate that the two dynamic capacities and the three ordinary capacities studied have a positive and significant relationship with eco-innovation. The role of knowledge is highlighted, not only by its role in establishing a link with the external dimension, but also in the reconfiguration of the set of implementation capabilities that triggers eco-innovation

Antioxidant properties, total phenols and pollen analysis of propolis samples from Portugal

Pollen analysis, total phenols content and antioxidant activity were studied for the first time in Portuguese propolis samples from Bornes and Fundão regions. Total phenols content was determined by colorimetric assay and their amount was of 329 mg/g of GAE in Bornes sample and 151 mg/g of GAE in Fundão propolis. The antioxidant capacity of propolis extracts was assessed through the scavenging effects on DPPH (2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and reducing power of iron (III)/ ferricyanide complex assays. A concentration- dependent antioxidative capacity was verified in DPPH and reducing power assays. Low values of EC50 on DPPH scavenging assay were obtained for Bornes and Fundão propolis (of 6.22 lg/mL and 52.00 lg/mL, respectively). For reducing power the values were 9.00 lg/mL, for Bornes propolis, and 55.00 lg/mL, for Fundão propolis. The high activity of propolis from Bornes could be related with their different pollen composition. The results obtained indicate that Portuguese propolis is an important source of total phenols showing antioxidant properties that could be beneficial for human health

Antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of phenolic compounds extracts of Northeast Portugal honey

Phenolic compounds of dark and clear honeys from Trás-os-Montes of Portugal were extracted with Amberlite XAD-2 and evaluated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The antioxidant effect was studied using the in vitro test capacity of scavenge the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and of reducing power of iron (III)/ferricyanide complex. The antimicrobial activity was screened using three Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus lentus) and three Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli). The results obtained from the partial identification of honey phenolic compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector showed that p-hydroxibenzoic acid, cinnamic acid, naringe- nin, pinocembrin and chrysin are the phenolic compounds present in most of the samples analyzed. Anti- oxidant potential was dependent of honey extract concentration and the results showed that dark honey phenolic compounds had higher activity than the obtained from clear honey. In the biological assays, results showed that S. aureus were the most sensitive microrganisms and B. subtilis, S. lentus, K. pneumo- niae and E. coli were each moderately sensitive to the antimicrobial activity of honey extracts. Neverthe- less, no antimicrobial activity was observed in the test with P. aeruginosa

Events and their influence on the destination value

The study of the influence of events on the destinations where they take place has gained strength over the years. The current study investigates the effects on tourism with importance on promoting, positioning and shaping the image of the destination. This study aims to understand the influence of an event to the value of the destination while addressing topics like sustainability, image and value of the destination, the local community, and value creation. To test the hypothesis, we followed a mixed-method approach through a survey applied to visitors of an event and to residents, followed by qualitative investigation in the form of a semi-structured interview. The findings reveal that with the exception of the local community, the event has a positive influence on other measures of value. The conclusions drawn from this study can provide a model for strategic assessment of the three forces – event, destination and local community.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genetics and breeding of phenolic content in tomato, eggplant and pepper fruits

Phenolic acids and flavonoids are large groups of secondary metabolites ubiquitous in the plant kingdom. They are currently in the spotlight due to the numerous health benefits associated with their consumption, as well as for their vital roles in plant biological processes and in plant-environment interaction. Tomato, eggplant and pepper are in the top ten most consumed vegetables in the world, and their fruit accumulation profiles have been extensively characterized, showing substantial differences. A broad array of genetic and genomic tools has helped to identify QTLs and candidate genes associated with the fruit biosynthesis of phenolic acids and flavonoids. The aim of this review was to synthesize the available information making it easily available for researchers and breeders. The phenylpropanoid pathway is tightly regulated by structural genes, which are conserved across species, along with a complex network of regulatory elements like transcription factors, especially of MYB family, and cellular transporters. Moreover, phenolic compounds accumulate in tissue-specific and developmental-dependent ways, as different paths of the metabolic pathway are activated/deactivated along with fruit development. We retrieved 104 annotated putative orthologues encoding for key enzymes of the phenylpropanoid pathway in tomato (37), eggplant (29) and pepper (38) and compiled 267 QTLs (217 for tomato, 16 for eggplant and 34 for pepper) linked to fruit phenolic acids, flavonoids and total phenolics content. Combining molecular tools and genetic variability, through both conventional and genetic engineering strategies, is a feasible approach to improve phenolics content in tomato, eggplant and pepper. Finally, although the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway has been well-studied in the Solanaceae, more research is needed on the identification of the candidate genes behind many QTLs, as well as their interactions with other QTLs and genes

Major Minors - Ontological representation of minorities by newspapers

The stigma associated with certain minorities has changed throughout the years, yet there’s no central data repository that enables a concrete tracking of this representation. Published articles on renowned newspapers are a way of determining the public perception on this subject, mainly digital newspapers, being it through the media representation (text and photo illustrations) or user comments. The present paper seeks to showcase a project that attempts to fulfill that shortage of data by providing a repository in the form of an ontology: RDF triplestores composing a semantic database (W3C standards for Semantic Web). This open-source project aims to be a research tool for mapping and studying the representation of minority groups in a Portuguese journalistic context over the course of two decades.(undefined

Estudo do funcionamento diferencial do item para a Escala de Competência de Estudo - ECE (Sup)

Este estudo visou verificar o ajuste da Escala de Competência em Estudo – ECE (Sup) ao modelo Rasch e se os seus itens sofrem um viés relacionado à área de conhecimento na qual se insere o curso que frequentam, considerando tanto os estudantes portugueses, quanto os brasileiros. Participaram 1304 estudantes, sendo 56,7% portugueses e 43,3% brasileiros, que cursavam as áreas de Ciências e Tecnologias (58,9%) e Sociais e Humanidades (41,1%) em universidades brasileiras e portuguesas. As idades variaram de 17 a 58 anos, com média igual a 24,16 anos (DP = 6,93), sendo 54,6% do gênero feminino e 45,4% do masculino. Foi aplicado de forma coletiva a ECE, com duração média de 20 minutos. Os resultados quanto ao ajuste ao modelo de Rasch, tanto para o infit (M = 1,00; DP = 0,30), quanto para o outfit (M = 1,02; DP = 0,32) revelaram que 35 itens estavam ajustados à escala. Contudo, 12 itens apresentaram valores acima de 1,30, e oito abaixo de 0,70, revelando serem itens com problemas de ajustamento à escala. Em relação ao Funcionamento Diferencial dos Itens (DIF), os resultados evidenciaram que, dos 55 itens da escala, 24 indicaram diferenciarem-se quanto à área estudada, sendo que desses itens, 12 favorecem a adesão de resposta pelos estudantes da área de Sociais e Humanidades

Different Root Morphological Responses to Phosphorus Supplies in Grafted Pepper

Grafting technique is increasing thanks to its potential to produce plants more efficient and tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses. Likewise, there is a growing interest in reducing inputs of fertilizers. The development of rootstocks suitable for low input agriculture is conditioned to the understanding of the changes on the root when facing such stresses. Our aim was to evaluate the morphological root response to Phosphorus (P) starvation of a rootstock selected for its good performance under low P conditions. Adige was grafted onto the selected rootstock and grown hydroponically in two different P concentrations, the selft-graft was done as control. Plants were then collected and analysed. Results showed that despite the differences in terms of P concentration among treatment the stress was not enough to cause a great biomass loss. However, there is evidence that individuals showed different root adaptations, modifiying root length, mass and volume, etc, under stress conditions, having the selected rootstock higher root length and volume under low P nutrient solutio