Veritati
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Recent Submissions
Decomposing spatial effects of state-level health outcomes: a methodological demonstration and re-analysis
Publication . Gruda, Dritjon; Hanges, Paul; McCleskey, Jim A.
While spatial autoregressive (SAR) models are increasingly used in population-level psychological studies, researchers often overlook the crucial step of parsing effects into direct, indirect and total impacts, a standard practice in spatial econometrics. In this paper, we demonstrate the necessity of this practice by re-analyzing Gruda et al.'s (2024) U.S. Dark-Triad and health dataset with heteroskedasticity-robust SAR models and full impact decomposition, revealing significant changes. The previously observed direct protective effect of state-level narcissism on hypertension mortality disappeared when accounting for interstate spillovers. Conversely, the association with lower cancer prevalence and depression strengthened. Several health-behaviour findings reversed direction, indicating naïve regressions conflated within- and between-state effects. Machiavellianism and psychopathy coefficients also shifted. These results demonstrate that spatial spillovers can dilute, negate or reverse local effects, cautioning against policy inferences based solely on direct estimates.
A importância da cultura organizacional na motivação dos colaboradores
Publication . Barboza, Raquel Amaral; Ribeiro, Célia dos Prazeres; Pereira, Paulo Jorge de Almeida
A cultura organizacional constitui o conjunto de valores, crenças e princípios que orientam o comportamento e as práticas de uma organização, influenciando diretamente o seu funcionamento e o alcance do sucesso. A motivação dos colaboradores assume, por conseguinte, um papel determinante no desempenho das funções, na eficiência dos processos e na produtividade global. As organizações devem reconhecer que o capital humano representa um recurso estratégico essencial e que é através dos colaboradores que se concretizam os objetivos e metas organizacionais. A relação entre a cultura organizacional e a motivação dos colaboradores revela se, assim, de particular relevância, uma vez que o alinhamento entre os valores, as crenças e os objetivos de ambas as partes potenciam o compromisso e o desempenho organizacional. O presente estudo teve como objetivo compreender o impacto da cultura organizacional na motivação dos colaboradores. A investigação foi de caráter quantitativa, descritiva e correlacional, recorrendo à aplicação de um questionário a 205 colaboradores de uma empresa do setor farmacêutico. Os resultados da investigação demonstraram que uma cultura organizacional que privilegia a estruturação do trabalho, a comunicação interna, o reconhecimento e a valorização do colaborador promove níveis mais elevados de motivação e desempenho. Por outro lado, verificou-se que fatores estruturais e culturais podem gerar desigualdades na perceção de realização e envolvimento, principalmente em funções com menor autonomia e reconhecimento. Os dados que foram obtidos permitiram responder aos objetivos específicos sugerindo que a cultura organizacional constitui um fator determinante para a motivação e o desempenho dos colaboradores, sendo essencial que as organizações desenvolvam uma cultura positiva.
Metagenomic analyses of pristine, Arctic environments for the risk assessment : evaluation of antibiotic resistance genes presence
Publication . Diniz, Vitor Gaspar; Dziewit, Lukasz Jacek; Decewicz, Przemysław
Antimicrobial resistance is a major global public health challenge, and it is essential to understand its origin and spread in different ecosystems. This study investigated microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance genes in soils from the Arctic, an extreme and underexplored environment. Classical microbiological and metagenomic approaches were used to characterize the microbiota and assess the presence of antibiotic resistance genes. The results revealed significant microbial diversity and the presence of resistance genes, even in areas with no apparent anthropogenic impact. The metagenomic analysis indicated that resistance may be associated with natural mechanisms of microbial adaptation, reinforcing the need for environmental monitoring to better understand the risks of antimicrobial resistance spread. These findings contribute to the assessment of the ecological risk of antimicrobial resistance.
Multimodal machine learning framework for cardiovascular risk stratification in adult obesity: a cross-sectional study
Publication . Ribeiro, Pedro; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; Brandão, Marconi Pereira; Neto, Octávio Barbosa; Leite, Camila Ferreira; Rodrigues, Pedro Miguel
Background and objectives: Cardiovascular diseases account for approximately 80% of all deaths caused by known medical conditions, making them the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The resent study investigates the use of electrocardiogram (ECG) non-linear features and different topological medical features (heart rate, anthropometry, blood, glucose, and lipid profile, and heart rate variability) to discriminate between different Framingham Cardiovascular Risk Scale status groups in adult obesity using machine learning. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study between November 2023 and May 2024 in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Based on the Framingham Cardiovascular Risk Scale, patients were categorized into three cardiovascular risk groups: Low (22 participants), Moderate (14 participants), and High (17 participants). From ECG signals at two different positions (ECG_Down and ECG_UP), 27 non-linear features were extracted using multi-band analysis. Additionally, 42 medical features provided by physicians were included. From a pool of 19 machine learning classifiers, models were trained and tested within a nested leave-one-out cross-validation procedure using information solely from ECG, solely from medical features, and combining both (multimodal), respectively, to distinguish between Low vs. Moderate, Low vs. High, Moderate vs. High, and All vs. All. Results: The multimodal model resented the best results for every comparison group, reaching (1) 88.89% Accuracy and 0.8831 area under the curve (AUC) for Low vs. Moderate; (2) 97.44% Accuracy and 0.9706 AUC for Low vs. High; (3) 93.55% Accuracy and an AUC of 0.9412 for Moderate vs. High; (4) 86.79% Accuracy and 0.9346 AUC for All vs. All. Conclusions: The multimodal model outperformed single-source models in cardiovascular risk classification. ECG-derived non-linear features, especially from ECG_Down, were key drivers, with medical features adding complementary value. The results support its potential use in clinical triage and diagnosis.
Can broad bean (Vicia faba) and white lupin (Lupinus albus) flours serve as carbon sources to support probiotic growth?
Publication . Vieira, Evla; Vasconcelos, Marta W.; Gomes, Ana Maria
Background: There is growing interest in identifying substrates that support the growth of probiotics in foods. Pulses are an excellent source of nutrients and bioactive compounds, including non-digestible oligosaccharides from the ?-galactoside group, which are probiotic growth factors. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of white lupin and broad bean flours to support the growth of seven probiotic strains of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium. Results: Different Man-Rogosa-Sharpe broth media were prepared using whole or dehulled flour as carbon sources at different concentrations (20, 30, 40, and 60 g/L) and inoculated with 2% (w/v) of each probiotic strain. Viable cell numbers and medium acidification were monitored throughout fermentation and compared to negative (MRS without a carbon source) and positive (MRS with 20 g/L glucose) controls. White lupin at 60 g/L concentration proved to be a suitable carbon source for both Lactobacillus acidophilus Ki and Lactobacillus casei ssp. paracasei L26, while concentrations of 40 g/L and 60 g/L supported Bifidobacterium animalis Bb12 growth. Conclusions: Flour concentration had a greater impact on probiotic growth than composition (hull vs. dehulled). These results suggested that white lupin is a promising ingredient for the development of functional foods. How to cite: Vieira E, Vasconcelos MW, Gomes AM. Can broad bean (Vicia faba) and white lupin (Lupinus albus) flours serve as carbon sources to support probiotic growth? Electron J Biotechnol 2026;5;79. https: doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2025.100697.