Recovery of Incomplete Data of Statistical Livestock Number Applying an Entropy Approach

Livestock Production/Industries, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

A minimum cross entropy model to generate disaggregated agricultural data at the local level

This work presents an entropy approach to disaggregate agricultural data at a local level. It comprises two different steps. In a first one, an information prior at disaggregated level based on experts’ opinions, available cartography of land use and biophysical data is created. In a second step, it’s used a minimum cross entropy process in order to manage these information inputs and to guaranty a solution compatible with all the different restrictions. The model was applied to the region of Algarve in the year of 1999, in order to disaggregate the data at the pixel and county level. Results show that the model was able to provide some satisfactory results since the estimated values obtained for the different areas revealed a good approximation to the true values. These results were then analyzed and provided a new insight about the policies’ consequences in the territory.Minimum cross entropy, data disaggregation, local level, Algarve, agricultural policies, Agricultural and Food Policy, C11, C81, Q15, R14,

PORTUGUESE AGRICULTURE AND ITS ROLE IN MULTIFUNCTIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Paper aims to demonstrate the ability or inability of Portuguese agriculture to respond to changing economic conditions as well as societal expectations and demands. The main question is to know how the CAP’s evolutions through a policy with a double emphasis – on market orientation and competitiveness and on sustainability

ATITUDE DOS CONSUMIDORES E PERCEPÇÃO DO RISCO ASSOCIADO AO CONSUMO DE CARNE DE VACA EM PORTUGAL

O mercado alimentar europeu, em geral e o português em particular, tem vindo a sofrer variadas crises alimentares, das quais se destacam a da BSE (encefalopatia espongiforme bovina), a das dioxinas e a dos nitrofuranos. Com uma cobertura mediática intensa, estas crises transformaram, em muitas ocasiões, as preocupações dos consumidores em alarmismo generalizado. Como resultado, os sistemas de controlo de qualidade vieram a ser reforçados, os métodos de rastreabilidade e certificação a ser implementados e em consequência, aumentados os custos de produção assim como os preços ao consumidor. Por seu lado, o consumidor está cada vez mais exigente e consciente da qualidade e segurança alimentares, discrédito relativamente aos alimentos comercializados e aos riscos percebidos, desejoso de maior transparência na cadeia alimentar e, para muitos produtos, desconfiado dos processos produtivos. Assim, dependendo da percepção que têm dos riscos associados ao produto em questão, os consumidores reagem de forma diferenciada. Com base num modelo probit estimado, o objectivo do artigo é analisar as attitudes e percepção do consumidor em relação à carne de vaca em Portugal. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a influência dos meios de comunicação são relevantes para explicar a atitude face à segurança alimentar assim como a confiança dos consumidores acerca da informação contida no rótulo. A percepção da segurança alimentar parece variar com o género do consumidor e a fonte de informação utilizada, tendo os homens uma atitude mais positiva relativamente à segurança da carne de vaca do que as mulheres. Quanto ao risco percebido, a experiência de consumo de carne de vaca é importante embora não jogue o papel principal

A minimum cross entropy model to generate disaggregated agricultural data at the local level

This work presents an entropy approach to disaggregate agricultural data at a local level. It comprises two different steps. In a first one, an information prior at disaggregated level based on experts’ opinions, available cartography of land use and biophysical data is created. In a second step, it’s used a minimum cross entropy process in order to manage these information inputs and to guaranty a solution compatible with all the different restrictions. The model was applied to the region of Algarve in the year of 1999, in order to disaggregate the data at the pixel and county level. Results show that the model was able to provide some satisfactory results since the estimated values obtained for the different areas revealed a good approximation to the true values. These results were then analyzed and provided a new insight about the policies’ consequences in the territory

PORTUGUESE AGRICULTURE AND ITS ROLE IN MULTIFUNCTIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Paper aims to demonstrate the ability or inability of Portuguese agriculture to respond to changing economic conditions as well as societal expectations and demands. The main question is to know how the CAP’s evolutions through a policy with a double emphasis – on market orientation and competitiveness and on sustainability.CAP, multifunctional rural development, quality of life in rural areas, Agribusiness,

Redistributing Agricultural Data by a Dasymetric Mapping Methodology

This paper examines the adaptation of dasymetric mapping methodologies to agricultural data, including their testing and transposition, in order to recover the underlying statistical surface (i.e., an approximation of the real distribution of data). A methodology based on the ideas of Gallego and Peedell (2001) and on the binary method is proposed. It has several steps: (i) the exclusion of target zones for which no observations exist (binary method), (ii) the application of an iterative process to define the most precise densities for data distribution, and (iii) the stratification/definition of sub-units with homogenous characteristics if the results of the previous step are not satisfactory, and the subsequent application of step two. // The methodology was applied in the Alentejo region of Portugal, using data from the 1999 Agricultural Census. Several counties are used as source zones. The aim was to generate a distribution of agro-forestry occupations as close as possible to reality. Two lines of analysis were followed: (i) application of the methodology simultaneously to all counties (definition of regional densities), and (ii) application of the methodology separately to the different sub-areas with similar characteristics (definition of sub-regional densities). For an easy application of the methodology, a computer tool was created, which allowed the easy optimization, validation, and exportation of the data into a Geographic Information System (GIS). // The results were validated using several error indicators at the county level, as well as in a sample of parishes. We show that the second variant of the methodology yielded more precise results, and is superior for the types of data available. This method yielded maps in which the distribution of the most relevant agro-forestry occupations is closest to reality

Chalcones Isolated from Arrabidaea brachypoda Flowers as Inhibitors of NorA and MepA Multidrug Efflux Pumps of Staphylococcus aureus

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a public health issue around the world. The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of chalcones isolated from flowers of Arrabidaea brachypoda, and their potential as efflux pump inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus efflux pumps. Microdilution assays were performed with natural products from A. brachypoda. Chalcones 1, 3, 4, and 5 did not show intrinsic antimicrobial activity against all S. aureus strains tested, but they were able to potentiate the Norfloxacin action against the SA1199-B (norA) strain, with a better modulating action for the 4 trimethoxylated chalcone. All chalcones were also able to potentiate the action of EtBr against SA1199-B strain, suggesting a potential NorA inhibition. Moreover, chalcone 4 was able to interfere in the activity of MepA, and interfered weakly in the QacA/B activity. Molecular docking analyzes showed that tested chalcones are capable of binding in the hydrophobic cavity of NorA and MepA, in the same Norfloxacin binding site, indicating that chalcone 4 compete with the antibiotic for the same NorA and MepA binding sites. Association of chalcone 4 with Norfloxacin could be an alternative against multidrug resistant S. aureus over-productive of NorA or MepA