Instituto Politécnico de Beja

About: Instituto Politécnico de Beja is a education organization based out in Beja, Portugal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Petri net & Process architecture. The organization has 323 authors who have published 525 publications receiving 5468 citations.

Spatial and temporal variability of droughts in Portugal

Abstract: [1] An analysis of droughts in mainland Portugal based on monthly precipitation data, from September 1910 to October 2004, in 144 rain gages distributed uniformly over the country is presented. The drought events were characterized by means of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) applied to different time scales (1, 6, and 12 consecutive months and 6 months from April to September and 12 months from October to September). To assess spatial and temporal patterns of droughts, a principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering (KMC) were applied to the SPI series. In this way, three different and spatially well-defined regions with different temporal evolution of droughts were identified (north, central, and south regions of Portugal). A spectral analysis of the SPI patterns obtained with principal component analysis and clusters analysis, using the fast Fourier transform algorithm (FFT), showed that there is a manifest 3.6-year cycle in the SPI pattern in the south of Portugal and evident 2.4-year and 13.4-year cycles in the north of Portugal. The observation of the drought periods supports the occurrence of more frequent cycles of dry events in the south (droughts from moderate to extreme approximately every 3.6 years) than in the north (droughts from severe to extreme approximately every 13.4 years). These results suggest a much stronger immediate influence of the NAO in the south than in the north of Portugal, although these relations remain a challenging task.

Prevalence of adult overweight and obesity in 20 European countries, 2014.

Abstract: Background Monitoring obesity and overweight prevalence is important for assessing interventions aimed at preventing or reducing the burden of obesity This study aimed to provide current data regarding the prevalence of overweight and obesity of adults, from 20 European countries Methods Participants were 34 814 (16 482 men) adults with mean age 508 ± 177 Data from European Social Survey round 7, 2014, were analysed Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from self-reported height and weight Results The proportion of underweight was only 2%, and 449% for normal weight Overweight and obese accounted for 531% More men than women were overweight (447% vs 305%) Older adults were significantly more overweight (424%) and obese (209%) than middle age and younger adults Retired people account for a greater proportion of overweight (420%) and obese (215%), when compared with employed, unemployed and students People from rural areas were significantly more overweight (391 vs 361%) and obese (170 vs 153%) than those who lived in urban areas The estimates indicate that the highest prevalence of overweight was in Czech Republic (452%), Hungary (437%) and Lithuania (417%) For obesity, Slovenia (208%), Estonia (197%) and the United Kingdom (192%) were the countries with the highest prevalence Conclusion Even though data was self-reported, and individuals tend to overestimate their height and underestimate their weight, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is considered high More than half of the European population is overweight and obese This study strengthens and updates the claims of an excessive weight epidemic in Europe