Satisfaction to compete? Proposal of a model for health and wellness tourism

Purpose: The main objective of this research was to develop an index to assess the perceived value of tourism services at the level of customer satisfaction by applying it in the context of health and wellness tourism. Methodology: Using exploratory factorial analysis (EFA), the model’s constructs were identified, and the satisfaction index of thermal customers was estimated. This method was applied to a set of data collected through a questionnaire distributed to users from thermal spa of Chaves, Portugal, through probabilistic sampling. A total of 107 participants were obtained, with a response ratio of 53.5%. Results: Participants expressed a high level of satisfaction due to the perceived quality of various services offered, including the infrastructure and technical team. The satisfaction index of the technical team is higher than that of the infrastructures and services provided, representing the highest contribution rate to the global model.Limitations: As limitations, other variables that influence customer satisfaction could have been included, such as prices, emotional components, and corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, only customer satisfaction in a particular thermal establishment was analysed. Future academics studies can compare the model with other establishments and/or contexts, identifying critical points and strategies to continuously improve customer satisfaction. Practical implications: By establishing a thermal customer satisfaction index, tourism authorities and the different economic agents can obtain objective information on the results of thermal services. Tourism managers can thus set goals for improvement, competitiveness, and loyalty. Originality: This study's unique contribution lies in how thermal customer satisfaction index or indicators are easily measured by applying EFA. A new approach is used to measure satisfaction based on a scale from 0 to 100%. The index results are very useful for making decisions on resource allocation and comparing different thermal establishments compared to traditional techniques.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis and stereochemical assignment of methyl 3-(3-hydroxyphenoxy) acrylate via cis-trans photoisomerization

Methyl 3-(3-hydroxyphenoxy)acrylate (2), a new and important starting material for several reactions and a potential precursor of the natural product 3-(3-hydroxyphenoxy)-2-propenal (1), was synthesized from resorcinol and methyl propiolate. The trans configuration of the double bond present in 2 was confirmed through a photoisomerization reaction.3-(3-Hidroxi-fenoxi)acrilato de metila (2), um novo e importante material de partida para inúmeras reações e um precursor potencial do produto natural 3-(3-hidroxi-fenoxi)-2-propenal (1), foi sintetizado a partir de resorcinol e propiolato de metila. A configuração trans da dupla ligação presente no composto 2 foi confirmada através de uma reação de fotoisomerização.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

CONHECIMENTO SOBRE OS ASPECTOS NUTRICIONAIS QUE ENVOLVEM A DIETA VEGETARIANA

Introduction: Vegetarianism, with more and more followers, requires nutritional care, such as adequate planning and monitoring. Objective: The present study aimed to know and discuss if subjects that follow the vegetarian diet do it correctly, including a complete diet in nutrients, and if they are monitored by a trained professional. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out by collecting data from 116 students of medicine, pharmacy, biomedicine and dentistry courses at a private university in the south of Minas Gerais. Results: According to the Vegetarian Classification, 86.2% of the research subjects are not vegetarians, 11.2% are ovolactovegetarians and the rest are divided into restricted vegetarian, vegetarian egg and vegan. The main benefits, mentioned by the investigated, about the vegetarian diet were the low intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, high intake of dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates, and the presence of antioxidants. Participants also cited nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium and zinc. Conclusion: Most of the dieters do not follow up with nutritionists and are not aware of the foods to be suitable for the diet so as not to present deficiencies.Introducción: El vegetarianismo, con un aumento de adherentes, requiere cuidados nutricionales, como una planificación y monitoreo adecuados. Objetivo: El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer y discutir si los sujetos que siguen la dieta vegetariana lo hacen correctamente, abarcando una dieta completa en nutrientes, y si están acompañados por un profesional capacitado. Metodología: Se realizó un estudio transversal a través de la recolección de datos de 116 estudiantes de los cursos de medicina, farmacia, biomedicina y odontología de una universidad privada en el sur de Minas Gerais. Resultados: Según la Clasificación Vegetariana, el 86,2% de los sujetos de investigación no son vegetarianos, el 11,2% son ovolactovegetarianos y el resto se dividen entre vegetarianos restringidos, vegetarianos de huevo y veganos. Los principales beneficios, mencionados por los investigadores, en la dieta vegetariana fueron la baja ingesta de grasas saturadas y colesterol, la alta ingesta de fibras dietéticas y carbohidratos complejos y la presencia de antioxidantes. Los participantes también citaron deficiencias nutricionales como vitamina B12, hierro, calcio y zinc. Conclusión: La mayoría de los adherentes a la dieta no hacen un seguimiento con los nutricionistas y no son conscientes de los alimentos que se deben agregar a la dieta para no presentar deficiencias.Introdução: O vegetarianismo, com cada vez mais adeptos, requer cuidados nutricionais, como planejamento e acompanhamento adequados. Objetivo: O presente estudo teve como objetivo conhecer e discutir se sujeitos que seguem a dieta vegetariana a fazem de maneira correta, englobando uma dieta completa em nutrientes, e se são acompanhados por profissional capacitado. Metodologia: Realizado um estudo transversal através da coleta de dados de 116 alunos dos cursos de medicina, farmácia, biomedicina e odontologia de uma Universidade particular do sul de Minas Gerais. Resultados: Mediante a Classificação Vegetariana, 86,2% dos sujeitos da pesquisa não são vegetarianos, 11,2% são ovolactovegetarianos e o restante se divide entre vegetariano restrito, ovo vegetariano e vegano. Os principais benefícios, citados pelos investigados, sobre a dieta vegetariana foram a baixa ingestão de gorduras saturadas e colesterol, alta ingestão de fibras dietéticas e de carboidratos complexos e a presença de antioxidantes. Os participantes também citaram deficiências nutricionais como vitamina B12, ferro, cálcio e zinco. Conclusão: A maior parte dos adeptos da dieta não fazem acompanhamento com nutricionistas e não são conhecedores dos alimentos a serem adicionados à dieta para não apresentarem deficiências

Downscale fermentation for xylooligosaccharides production by recombinant Bacillus subtilis 3610

Supplementary material related to this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.09.088.The global demand of prebiotics such as xylooligosaccharides (XOS) has been growing over the years, motivating the search for different production processes with increased efficiency. In this study, a cloned Bacillus subtilis 3610, containing the xylanase gene xyn2 of Trichoderma reesei coupled with an endogenous secretion tag, was selected for XOS production through direct fermentation of beechwood xylan. A mixture of XOS with a degree of polymerization ranging from 4-6 was obtained, presenting high stability after a static in vitro digestion (98.5±0.2%). The maximum production yield expressed as total XOS per amount of xylan (306±4mg/g) was achieved after 8h of fermentation operating under one-time impulse fed-batch. The optimal conditions found were pH 6.0 and 42.5°C, using 2.5g/L of initial concentration of xylan increased up to 5.0g/L at 3h. Xylopentaose was the major oligosaccharide produced, representing 47% of the total production yield.CA, SCS, ACP, EC and LRR acknowledge their grants (PD/BD/ 105870/2014, SFRH/BPD/88584/2012, SFRH/BPD/ 101181/2014, SFRH/BPD/70589/2010 and SFRH/BSAB/142873/2018) from Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The study received financial support from FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit; COMPETE 2020 (POCI-010145-FEDER-006684); QOPNA research Unit (FCT UID/QUI/00062/ 2013), through national founds and where applicable co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement; the Project MultiBiorefinery (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016403); the Project FoSynBio (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029549) and Lignozymes (POCI-01-0145FEDER-029773). The authors also acknowledge BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio