Vybrané nutričné parametre brokolice a reďkve v ekologickom a konvenčnom systéme hospodárenia

Cielom práce bolo porovnať obsah vybraných nutričných parametrov v brokolici a reďkvi v ekologickom a konvenčnom systéme hospodárenia. Vybrané zeleniny boli pestované v dvoch rozdielnych sponoch, v troch opakovaniach. Pokus prebiehal v roku 2007 a 2008. Z vybraných nutričných parametrov boli analyzované Karotenoidy, vitamín C a celkové cukry. Vybrané nautričné parametre deklarovali v niektorých prípadoch štatisticky významné rozdiely (P=95), medzi ekologickou a konvenčnou produkciou

Measuring quality in vegetables using electrochemical methods and nutritional values

The work was to assess the quality of the broccoli variety 'Belstar F1' and the radish variety 'Jarola F1' when grown by both organic and conventional methods. Quality was measured using electrochemical values (pH, redox potential and electrical conductivity) and the derived P-values, levels of vitamin C, mineral content, dry matter and roughage

UK and global food security in the era of ‘permacrisis’

The UK’s food security is currently dependent on complex international supply chains that are under threat from climate change, conflicts, and geopolitical stressors; at the same time, climate change and the repercussions of Brexit challenge the UK's ability to increase self-reliance and internal resilience. Jennifer Cole and Ivica Petrikova examine the key drivers and pressures on global food security currently and how this is likely to be impacted in the near- and mid-term future, including by shifting geopolitical alliances

Digital payments as an indicator of financial inclusion in Euro Area countries

The process of digitisation in the financial sector is developing through the systematic introduction of computer systems, the establishment of Internet connectivity and the use and ownership of various information and communication devices. Information and communication technologies can increase the desired degree of financial inclusion in a country by increasing the availability of various financial services. This study examines the individual attributes that can affect financial inclusion in the Euro Area countries in 2021. Our analysis applies a probit model to data from the World Bank Global Findex database, focusing on digital payments as a proxy for financial inclusion. The main finding highlights that higher income, higher education, female gender, and younger age groups are associated with an increased propensity to engage in digital payments. Notably, our expectation of a non-linear relationship between age and digital payments is confirmed, as evidenced by the application of the Robin Hood algorithm. Specifically, we observe a positive correlation between age and digital payment usage. However, this trend reverses beyond a specific breakpoint, approximately around the age of 40, leading to a subsequent decline in digital payment activity. Furthermore, our research shows that individuals who utilised alternative payment methods alongside cash before the COVID-19 pandemic are likelier to engage in higher digital payments. Additionally, a tendency for higher adoption of digital payments coincides with countries that achieved a higher Digital Access Index (DAI), an indicator assessing the degree of digitalisation in a country. Furthermore, it is associated with countries among the Euro Area’s founding members

Digital Technologies for Community Engagement in Decision-Making and Planning Process

The way that we describe and understand cities is radically transforming—just like the tools we use for designing and implementing them. The change is often seen only as a technological aspect, for example, in the concept of smart cities. Smart cities are believed to provide societies with a higher quality of life thanks to modern technologies. However, there is also a human factor that is needed to make these changes go smoothly: acceptance. For many, change and innovation cause fear and disrupt everyday habits. Public participation is crucial both for understanding citizens’ needs and for adopting new programs. The ability to try, engage, or entertain with new technologies will move innovation from the abstract level to the level of understanding. A smart city can be a living laboratory that tests new technologies and services where citizens and urban communities are active actors in the process. Innovation can be used by the city to improve its services, mutual communication, and engage citizens in its activities and projects, co-creating urban space and city strategy through new participatory tools. Trends in European cities show that the use of modern digital technologies and interactive tools can be used to involve citizens in urban decision-making processes, e.g., when creating or revitalizing public spaces. Modern participatory technologies that enable citizens to explore, analyze, design, and evaluate spatial information on the basis of shared and open data that bring new challenges and new opportunities to cities, as well as for citizens. Our knowledge of the use of these new technologies, however, is still narrow and limited today. In the following research, the authors intend to explore the potential of digital technologies for community engagement in the decision-making process in smart cities by examining the specific settings upon which social innovation builds

Does income inequality affect aggregate consumption? Revisiting the evidence

The standard Keynesian view predicts that equalization of the income distribution leads to an increase in aggregate consumption. We revisit the analysis carried out by the seminal empirical contributions which test such a hypothesis using modern econometric methods and the most comprehensive dataset existing on income distribution measures. Our results indicate that there is no empirical evidence of a negative effect of income inequality on aggregate consumption

In Pursuit of Food Security: Who Should Provide Aid Where and How

Despite persistently high levels of food insecurity in the world and large annual flows of aid from the global North to the global South in support of economic and social development, very little research to date has analysed the link between the two phenomena. This PhD thesis contributes to filling this gap in literature by examining whether development aid has any effect on food security and whether this effect varies with the type of aid provided and with the quality of governance among recipients. It set out to answer these questions using mixed methods in four different levels of analysis: a quantitative study of all low- and middle-income countries; a qualitative country case study of Peru, Ethiopia, India, and Vietnam; a quantitative analysis of household data from the same four countries; and a mixed-methods examination of data collected during field research in northern India. In all four levels of analysis, aid appeared to have a small but significant positive impact on food security, enhanced by the presence of good national as well as local governance. Moreover, some types of aid were found to be more directly supportive of food security than others – as was the case for example with aid to social sectors as opposed to aid to economic sectors or with aid implemented by non-governmental as compared to aid implemented by governmental agencies. Other types of aid, including concessional loans and budget support, seemed to have a positive effect on food security only in countries with a higher quality of governance. I conclude by formulating several relevant policy recommendations, with the most important one being that donors should take greater care in considering which types of aid are suitable to which specific countries, localities, and development goals

Estimating Cost Efficiencies of Propane use in Broiler Production: Case Study From Savoy, Arkansas and Trnaca Pri Laborci, Slovak Republic

This study focuses on analyzing the common practice of U.S. broiler farmers to operate on cash basis instead open credit lines for operating cost of propane gas for heating. Data for analysis were taken over from U.S. ABRF at Savoy and Slovak Farm Univerza at Trnava pri Laborci. Predicting the propane gas usage and propane gas cost was analyzed using the OLS model. It describes impact of selected factors on gas usage and cost. The overall purpose of the thesis is to find out which approach from designed scenarios is more economically efficient for farmer: (a) to pre-purchase propane gas with credit (operating loan) or (b) to continue purchasing propane gas regularly without credit (cash basis)

Increased Barefoot Stride Variability Might Be Predictor Rather than Risk Factor for Overuse Injury in the Military

Funding Information: This research was financially supported by a Rīga Stradiņš University doctoral research grant. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Footwear usage could be a promising focus in reducing musculoskeletal injury risk in lower extremities commonly observed among the military. The goal of this research was to find potential gait-related risk factors for lower leg overuse injuries. Cases (n = 32) were active-duty infantry soldiers who had suffered an overuse injury in the previous six months of service before enrolling in the study. The control group (n = 32) included infantry soldiers of the same age and gender who did not have a history of lower leg overuse injury. In the gait laboratory, individuals were asked to walk on a 5-m walkway. Rearfoot eversion, ankle plantar/dorsiflexion and stride parameters were evaluated for barefoot and shod conditions. Barefoot walking was associated with higher stride time variability among cases. According to the conditional regression analysis, stride time variability greater than 1.95% (AUC = 0.77, 95% CI (0.648 to 0.883), p < 0.001) during barefoot gait could predict lower leg overuse injury. Increased barefoot gait variability should be considered as a possible predictive factor for lower leg overuse injury in the military, and gait with military boots masked stride-related differences between soldiers with and without lower leg overuse injury.Peer reviewe

Does income inequality affect aggregate consumption? Revisiting the evidence

The standard Keynesian view predicts that equalization of the income distribution leads to an increase in aggregate consumption. We revisit the analysis carried out by the seminal empirical contributions which test such a hypothesis using modern econometric methods and the most comprehensive dataset existing on income distribution measures. Our results indicate that there is no substantive empirical evidence of an effect of income inequality on aggregate consumption. (authors' abstract)Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Serie