JOBBID : a new online talent platform for the Portuguese market : assessing the interest of companies and candidates

The high unemployment levels, particularly on younger segments of the population, have become a pressing matter for the negative economic and social impact they are having in Portugal. With the growth of Internet adoption, as well as the positive impact online talent platforms can have over this issue, the aim of this dissertation is to understand the acceptance of both companies and candidates of a new recruitment/job search solution under the former category. The solution proposed here, JOBBID, is an online talent platform that works as an auction marketplace, where companies bid for a list of curated candidates that fit a certain job position. The platform addresses both students and professionals, focusing on the age range between 18-34, and its primary value proposition is to match the candidate with the job offer in the most efficient way. Starting with an extensive review of literature it was possible to obtain the underlying knowledge to both legitimate and conceptualize the platform. In order to validate this new solution an online survey was built for companies and candidates. Thereafter the results were analyzed. An adapted version of the Technology Acceptance Model of Davis (1989) was used to build a model for online talent platforms and the Intention to Use of the new solution was measured accordingly, when applicable. Moreover, a number of other topics, directly and indirectly, related with the platform were analyzed.Os elevados níveis de desemprego, particularmente nos segmentos mais jovens da população, são um tópico premente pelas consequências económicas e sociais negativas que estão a ter em Portugal. Com o aumento da adopção da Internet, bem como o impacto positivo que as plataformas de talento online podem ter sobre esta questão, o objectivo desta dissertação passa por compreender a aceitação por parte das empresas e candidatos de uma nova solução de recrutamento/procura-de-trabalho incluída na categoria anterior. A solução proposta, JOBBID, é uma plataforma de talento online que funciona como um marketplace de leilões, onde as empresas fazem ofertas a uma lista de candidatos pré-seleccionados cujo perfil corresponde a uma oferta de trabalho. A plataforma está direccionada para estudantes e profissionais, focada num intervalo de idades entre os 18-34, e a sua proposta de valor passa por garantir, de forma eficiente, que o perfil de um candidato corresponda a uma determinada oferta de trabalho. Começando por uma extensa revisão de literatura foi possível obter o conhecimento subjacente para legitimar e conceber a plataforma. De forma a validar esta nova solução foi construído um questionário online dirigido às empresas e candidatos. Subsequentemente os resultados foram analisados. Uma versão adapatda do Modelo de Aceitação de Tecnologia de Davis (1989) foi utilizada para construir um modelo para plataformas de talento online e a Intenção de Uso da nova solução foi medida consequentemente, quando aplicável. Adicionalmente, outros tópicos, directa e indirectamente, relacionados com a plataforma foram analisados

Ainfo: a experiência da Embrapa na disponibilização e recuperação de informação

O Ainfo é um sistema de informação desenvolvido pela Embrapa-CNPTIA que permite o gerenciamento, de forma integrada, de bases de dados documentais e processos bibliográficos, proporcionando rapidez e flexibilidade na captura, gerenciamento e recuperação de informações, além de oferecer aos seus usuários facilidade de uso. A partir da sua utilização nas bibliotecas da Embrapa, foi possível disponibilizar à sociedade em geral tanto a literatura adquirida quanto as teses e a produção científica dos pesquisadores da Embrapa e, também, uma grande e importante coleção de periódicos nacionais e internacionais, para consulta em CD-ROM e via Internet

QUANTIFICATION OF FLOODED AREAS OF PANTANAL BY SUB-PIXEL CLASSIFICATION OF MODIS TIME-SERIES DATA

Floods in the Pantanal affect the fish production and influence the dynamics of vegetation, also changing the meat production. The understanding of floods dynamics is crucial to infer the level of flooding, once it promotes changes in the whole plain. The understanding of floods dynamics is crucial to infer the level of flooding. MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) images provide wide coverage of the Earth.s surface with high temporal resolution, which are important features for flood monitoring. However, its moderate spatial resolution may cause the spectral mixing of different land cover classes within a single pixel. In this context, the objective of this study was to apply a methodology for sub-pixel classification using MODIS time-series data, in order to quantify the flooded areas in the Pantanal. Data from the mid-infrared channel of MODIS sensor allowed the monitoring of flood prone areas in the Pantanal during the 2008/2009 and 2007/2008 hydrological years. The drought and flood periods are quite variable, occurring from North to South and from East to West. The sub-pixel classification models, generated from Fuzzy ARTMAP neural network, demonstrated excellent suitability for the mapping and quantification of flooded areas of the Pantanal based on the Commitment measur

MAPEAMENTO DO RISCO DE INCÊNDIO NA BACIA DO ALTO PARAGUAI UTILIZANDO DADOS AVHRR-NOAA

Na Bacia do Alto Paraguai o fogo é muito utilizado para manejo de pastagens, principalmente durante a estação seca. A determinação do risco de incêndio em áreas de vegetação é uma informação importante para auxiliar as práticas de manejo adequado ao uso do fogo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar o mapeamento do risco de incêndio na Bacia do Alto Paraguai utilizando dados AVHRR-NOAA. A análise dos perfis temporais da Banda 1 e do NDVI nos meses de agosto, setembro e outubro de 2004 a 2008, em conjunto com os focos de calor detectados nas imagens NOAA, permitiu caracterizar o decréscimo da umidade da vegetação que proporciona a condição para ocorrência de incêndios. Os resultados mostraram que valores do fator de refletância da Banda 1 maiores que 5% e valores do NDVI menores que 0,40, podem estimar alto grau de risco de incêndio. O mapeamento do risco de incêndio utilizando dados AVHRR-NOAA demonstrou ter forte correlação com os focos de calor detectados nas imagens NOAA. O método mostrou ser viável e pode ser refinado para integrar os sistemas de prevenção de incêndio para alerta de queimadas e para tomadas de decisão para controle do fogo. Palavras-chave: Sensoriamento remoto. Processamento de imagens. Série temporal. Queimada. Pantanal. Fire risk mapping in the Alto Paraguai Basin using AVHRR-NOAA data In the Alto Paraguai River Basin the fire is widely used for pasture management, especially during the dry season. The determination of the fire risk in grasslands is a valuable information to aid the management practices of fire use. This study aimed to map the fire risk in the Alto Paraguai River Basin using NOAA-AVHRR data. The analysis of the temporal profiles derived from Channel 1 and NDVI in august, September and October from 2004 to 2008, in addiction to the hotspots detected by the NOAA images, allowed to characterize the decrease of vegetation moisture, which provides the condition for fire occurrence. The results have shown that values grater than 5% in Channel 1 and values lower than 0.40 in NDVI can estimate high fire risk. The fire risk mapping using NOAA-AVHRR data has shown a strong correlation with the hotspots detected in the NOAA images. The method has proved to be viable and can be refined to integrate the prevention systems to alert fire risks and for decision making to control the vegetation fire. Key words: Remote sensing. Image processing. Time-series. Vegetation fire. Pantanal

Representation of harmonic cycles of Modis time series for the analysis of sugarcane cultivation

The objective of this work was to evaluate sugarcane cultivation, in a harmonic analysis applied to a time series of Modis vegetation indices, with the representation of harmonic terms. Daily rainfall data were obtained from Agritempo for the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and accumulated for a period of 16 days of Modis compositions, from the 2004/2005 to 2011/2012 crop seasons. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were used in time-series decomposed in harmonic terms by the harmonic analysis. In order to visualize the growing conditions of vegetation in agricultural areas, specially the phase information, the HLS transformation was applied to the harmonic terms obtained by the Hants algorithm, using Envi software. Sugarcane cultivation in the state of São Paulo shows spatial patterns that are coherent with the sugarcane development cycle and consistent with the variability of seasonal rainfall that directly affect the maximum period of vegetation indices. The peak growth stage of sugarcane occurs in years of normal rainfall; however, in years with below normal rainfall, sugarcane maturation phase is anticipated, and, in years with above normal rainfall, the growth phase is anticipated, which causes maturation delay

ANALYSIS OF THE VEGETATION PHENOLOGY FROM THE ALTO PARAGUAI BASIN THROUGHT THE REPRESENTATION OF HARMONIC CYCLES OF EVI/MODIS TIME-SERIES

The Alto Paraguai Basin (BAP) is of strategic importance for Brazil, due to its ecological diversity of landscape, especially because it includes the Pantanal floodplain. The harmonic analysis can be used in remote sensing time-series data to study the cyclic behavior of vegetation indices. The visual representation of harmonic terms can help image interpretation through the combination of colors in the HLS (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) space which provides a soft visual transition effect between the cycles. The objective of this study was to analyze the vegetation phenology of the BAP using the harmonic analysis applied to an EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) time-series data from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) during 10 hydrologic years from October 2001 to September 2011, considering the HLS representation of the harmonic terms. The results show that the vegetation phenology of BAP presents spatial patterns coherent with the vegetation development and consistent with the variability of the seasonal inundations in Pantanal, which determines the hydrologic conditions of the region, directly affecting the moment of maximum EVI. The HLS representation of harmonic terms indicates that it is an effective tool for the visual interpretation of vegetation cycle

MAPPING OF SUMMER AGRICULTURAL CROPS IN THE ALTO PARAGUAI BASIN THROUGH EVI/MODIS TIME SERIES

The main land use and land cover (LULC) changes that a given area passes over the time can be evaluated by using spatial-temporal analysis of satellites images. Then, it is possible to identify the LULC changes, as well as the main causes of environmental impacts. The objective of this paper was to analyze the LULC changes of the main agricultural lands cultivated in the Alto Paraguai Basin (BAP). This paper focused on the summer crops (soybean and corn) and the analysis of agricultural expansion. The results, considering a16-year comparison, showed an increase of 40.60% in the expansion of agricultural areas. The evaluation of the accuracy showed the efficiency of the methodology of agricultural mapping, presenting a Kappa Index of 0.85 for the 2000/2001 and 0.86 for the 2015/2016 crop season

Neuromodulation and neuroprotective effects of chlorogenic acids in excitatory synapses of mouse hippocampal slices

The increased healthspan afforded by coffee intake provides novel opportunities to identify new therapeutic strategies. Caffeine has been proposed to afford benefits through adenosine A2A receptors, which can control synaptic dysfunction underlying some brain disease. However, decaffeinated coffee and other main components of coffee such as chlorogenic acids, also attenuate brain dysfunction, although it is unknown if they control synaptic function. We now used electrophysiological recordings in mouse hippocampal slices to test if realistic concentrations of chlorogenic acids directly affect synaptic transmission and plasticity. 3-(3,4-dihydroxycinnamoyl)quinic acid (CA, 1–10 μM) and 5-O-(trans-3,4-dihydroxycinnamoyl)-D-quinic acid (NCA, 1–10 μM) were devoid of effect on synaptic transmission, paired-pulse facilitation or long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in Schaffer collaterals-CA1 pyramidal synapses. However, CA and NCA increased the recovery of synaptic transmission upon re-oxygenation following 7 min of oxygen/glucose deprivation, an in vitro ischemia model. Also, CA and NCA attenuated the shift of LTD into LTP observed in hippocampal slices from animals with hippocampal-dependent memory deterioration after exposure to β-amyloid 1–42 (2 nmol, icv), in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. These findings show that chlorogenic acids do not directly affect synaptic transmission and plasticity but can indirectly affect other cellular targets to correct synaptic dysfunction. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of action of chlorogenic acids will allow the design of hitherto unrecognized novel neuroprotective strategies

SETDB2 and RIOX2 are differentially expressed among renal cell tumor subtypes, associating with prognosis and metastization

Increasing detection of small renal masses by imaging techniques entails the need for accurate discrimination between benign and malignant renal cell tumors (RCTs) as well as among malignant RCTs, owing to differential risk of progression through metastization. Although histone methylation has been implicated in renal tumorigenesis, its potential as biomarker for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) progression remains largely unexplored. Thus, we aimed to characterize the differential expression of histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and histone demethylases (HDMs) in RCTs to assess their potential as metastasis biomarkers. We found that SETDB2 and RIOX2 (encoding for an HMT and an HDM, respectively) expression levels was significantly altered in RCTs; these genes were further selected for validation by quantitative RT-PCR in 160 RCTs. Moreover, SETDB2, RIOX2, and three genes encoding for enzymes involved in histone methylation (NO66, SETD3, and SMYD2), previously reported by our group, were quantified (RT-PCR) in an independent series of 62 clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) to assess its potential role in ccRCC metastasis development. Additional validation was performed using TCGA dataset. SETDB2 and RIOX2 transcripts were overexpressed in RCTs compared to renal normal tissues (RNTs) and in oncocytomas vs. RCCs, with ccRCC and papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) displaying the lowest levels. Low SETDB2 expression levels and higher stage independently predicted shorter disease-free survival. In our 62 ccRCC cohort, significantly higher RIOX2, but not SETDB2, expression levels were depicted in cases that developed metastasis during follow-up. These findings were not apparent in TCGA dataset. We concluded that SETDB2 and RIOX2 might be involved in renal tumorigenesis and RCC progression, especially in metastatic spread. Moreover, SETDB2 expression levels might independently discriminate among RCC subgroups with distinct outcome, whereas higher RIOX2 transcript levels might identify ccRCC cases with more propensity to endure metastatic dissemination.This study was funded by research grants from Research Center of Portuguese Oncology Institute - Porto (CI-IPOP 4-2012 and CI-IPOP 27) and from Associacao Portuguesa de Urologia (APU-2010). ASP-L was supported by FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia fellowship (SFRH/SINTD/94217/2013). CSG is supported by FCT- Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia PhD fellowships (SFRH/BD/92786/2013) and BMC is funded by FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (IF/00601/2012).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio