Penicillium glabrum cork colonising isolates – preliminary analysis of their genomic similari

Cork stopper manufacturing process includes an operation, known as stabilisation, by which humid cork slabs are extensively colonised by fungi. The effects of fungal growth on cork are yet to be completely understood and are considered to be involved in the so called “cork taint” of bottled wine. It is essential to identify environmental constraints which define the appearance of the colonising fungal species and to trace their origin to the forest and/or as residents in the manufacturing space. The present article correlates two sets of data, from consecutive years and the same season, of systematic biologic sampling of two manufacturing units, located in the North and South of Portugal. Chrysonilia sitophila dominance was identified, followed by a high diversity of Penicillium species. Penicillium glabrum, found in all samples, was the most frequent isolated species. P. glabrum intra-species variability was investigated using DNA fingerprinting techniques revealing highly discriminative polymorphic markers in the genome. Cluster analysis of P. glabrum data was discussed in relation to the geographical location of strains, and results suggest that P. glabrum arise from predominantly the manufacturing space, although cork resident fungi can also contrib

Exploraty Multivariate Statistical Methods Applied to Pharmaceutical Industry CRM Data

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

Digital Divide Across the European Union

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

How can clusters help in the product type choice? The case of a specialized retail store

This work project (WP) is a study about a clustering strategy for Sport Zone. The general cluster study’s objective is to create groups such that within each group the individuals are similar to each other, but should be different among groups. The clusters creation is a mix of common sense, trial and error and some statistical supporting techniques. Our particular objective is to support category managers to better define the product type to be displayed in the stores’ shelves by doing store clusters. This research was carried out for Sport Zone, and comprises an objective definition, a literature review, the clustering activity itself, some factor analysis and a discriminant analysis to better frame our work. Together with this quantitative part, a survey addressed to category managers to better understand their key drivers, for choosing the type of product of each store, was carried out. Based in a non-random sample of 65 stores with data referring to 2013, the final result was the choice of 6 store clusters (Figure 1) which were individually characterized as the main outcome of this work. In what relates to our selected variables, all were important for the distinction between clusters, which proves the adequacy of their choice. The interpretation of the results gives category managers a tool to understand which products best fit the clustered stores. Furthermore, as a side finding thanks to the clusterization, a STP (Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning) was initiated, being this WP the first steps of a continuous process.