Browsing by Author "Alves, Marco"
Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Detecção precoce das doenças de Alzheimer e Parkinson através de parâmetros não-lineares multibanda de sinais EEGPublication . Silva, Gabriel; Alves, Marco; Bispo, Bruno C.; Rodrigues, Pedro M.Este trabalho tem como objetivo a detecção precoce das doenças de Alzheimer e Parkinson através de parâmetros não-lineares multibanda de sinais EEG. Para cada par de grupos de estudo, uma seleção dos parâmetros é realizada através de algoritmo genético. Os parâmetros selecionados são utilizados como entrada para classificadores com validação cruza da leave-one-out. Acurácias de classificação de 100% são obtidas, empelo menos uma sub-banda, para 3 pares de grupos de estudo enquanto 90,60% é alcançado para o par Controle vs Alzhei-mer/Parkinson. A sub-banda delta foi a que, em geral, apresentou maiores diferenças significativas entre os grupos.
- Development of a new beetroot snack: impact of pulsed electric fields (PEF) pretreatment on the physicochemical and bioactive propertiesPublication . Orvalho, Telma; Dias, Sara; Machado, Daniela; Soares, Inês; Vedor, Rita; Gomes, Ana; Alves, MarcoIntroduction: Low-caliber vegetables are used to produce juices, flours and dried snacks. The valorization of non-marketable products through the development of new high value-added food products is aligned with current trends and contributes for a more sustainable and circular food sector. PEF is an emerging and promising technology with the potential to reduce freeze-drying time and improve the quality characteristics of processed fruit and vegetables. Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of PEF pretreatment on the physicochemical and bioactive properties of a freeze-dried snack made from low-caliber beetroot.
- Effects of conventional hot air dehydration and lyophilization on the total phenolic content and antioxidant potential of broccoli stalk powdersPublication . Machado, Daniela; Soares, Inês; Vedor, Rita; Orvalho, Telma; Alves, Marco; Gomes, Ana MariaIntroduction: The valorization of agro-industrial byproducts plays a key role in promoting sustainability and supporting the development of functional foods (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2019; Ramírez- Pulido et al., 2021). Broccoli stalks, often industrially discarded, are a rich source of bioactive substances, particularly phenolics, with potential health- promoting effects (Yan et al., 2023). Efficient drying methods can transform these byproducts into high-value ingredients, while preserving their bioactive potential (Ramírez-Pulido et al., 2021). Objectives: Evaluate the impact of two drying methods (conventional hot air dehydration and lyophilization) on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of broccoli stalk powders. Conclusions: This work reinforces the potential of broccoli stalks as sources of bioactive substances, especially phenolic compounds. Both drying methods enabled the preservation of bioactive content, fostering the development of functional ingredients and supporting circular economy practices through food waste reduction and sustainable byproduct utilization.
- Enhancing optimization planning models for health human resources management with foresightPublication . Amorim-Lopes, Mário; Oliveira, Mónica; Raposo, Mariana; Cardoso-Grilo, Teresa; Alvarenga, António; Barbas, Marta; Alves, Marco; Vieira, Ana; Barbosa-Póvoa, AnaAchieving a balanced healthcare workforce requires health planners to adjust the supply of health human resources (HHR). Mathematical programming models have been widely used to assist such planning, but the way uncertainty is usually considered in these models entails methodological and practical issues and often disregards radical yet plausible changes to the future. This study proposes a new socio-technical methodology to factor in uncertainty over the future within mathematical programming modelling. The methodological approach makes use of foresight and scenario planning concepts to build tailor-made scenarios and scenario fit input parameters, which are then used within mathematical programming models. Health stakeholders and experts are engaged in the scenario building process. Causal map modelling and morphological analysis are adopted to digest stakeholders and experts’ information about the future and give origin to contrasting and meaningful scenarios describing plausible future. These scenarios are then adjusted and validated by stakeholders and experts, who then elicit their best quantitative estimates for coherent combinations of input parameters for the mathematical programming model under each scenario. These sets of parameters for each scenario are then fed to the mathematical programming model to obtain optimal solutions that can be interpreted in light of the meaning of the scenario. The proposed methodology has been applied to a case study involving HHR planning in Portugal, but its scope far extends HHR planning, being especially suited for addressing strategic and policy planning problems that are sensitive to input parameters.
- Reimagining waste: exploring the nutritional and biological power of a freeze-dried snack based on broccoli stalk powderPublication . Soares, Inês; Vedor, Rita; Orvalho, Telma; Dias, Sara; Alves, Marco; Machado, Daniela; Gomes, Ana MariaIntroduction: The global food industry is progressively adopting closed-loop systems to promote sustainability and resource efficiency. Upcycling of food by-products has emerged as a critical strategy within this paradigm, with the aim of minimising waste while maximising the use of nutrient-rich residues. Broccoli stalks, which are often discarded during processing, are rich in dietary fibre and bioactive compounds, making them an ideal candidate for upcycling. Objectives: Investigate the nutritional composition of a freeze-dried snack based on broccoli stalk powder, determining its suitability for upcycling. Evaluate the bioactive properties of this novel food, focusing on the total phenolic content, antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. Conclusion: The freeze-dried snack based on broccoli stalk powder demonstrated multifunctional potential supported by an interesting nutritional profile, noteworthy phenolic content and valuable antioxidant and antidiabetic properties. Incorporating broccoli stalk powder into food formulations not only supports sustainability goals by reducing food waste, but also meets growing consumer demand for nutrient-enriched, health-oriented products. This approach exemplifies the dual role of up-cycled ingredients in driving nutritional innovation and environmental sustainability in the food industry.
- Sustainable snacking: development of a functional snack using apple pomace powderPublication . Vedor, Rita; Soares, Inês; Machado, Daniela; Orvalho, Telma; Alves, Marco; Gomes, Ana Maria
- Unlocking nutritional value: the role of fruit and vegetable by-products in sustainable food systemsPublication . Soares, Inês; Machado, Daniela; Vedor, Rita; Orvalho, Telma; Alves, Marco; Gomes, Ana MariaIntroduction: Sustainable waste management has become a key priority in the agri-food industry, driven by growing environmental and economic concerns. Fruit and vegetable waste contributes to approximately 42% of total food loss, including peels, seeds, stems, stalks, and other processing by-products (Ganesh, K.S. et al., 2022). These residues are frequently discarded despite being rich in dietary fibre, plant proteins, and bioactive compounds (Nirmal N.P. et al., 2023), making them valuable for the development of health-oriented functional ingredients. Converting such by-products into nutrient-dense powders presents a promising strategy for reducing waste while enhancing the nutritional quality and sustainability of food products. Objectives: Evaluate the nutritional composition of three plant-based industrial by-product powders: apple pomace, pear pomace, and broccoli stalk. Conclusions: All three plant-based industrial by-product powders exhibited favourable nutritional profiles, characterised by low fat and high dietary fibre content, reinforcing their potential as value-added ingredients in food applications. Broccoli stalk powder was identified as a promising source of protein and fibre, while pear pomace powder exhibited the highest fibre content, suggesting its suitability for fibre-enriched formulations. Apple pomace powder was found to contain a balanced composition, with interesting levels of total sugars and fibre. This suggests potential applications in natural sweetening and textural enhancement. Collectively, findings support the valorisation of fruit and vegetable processing by-products in the development of sustainable, nutritionally enhanced food systems aligned with circular economy principles.
- Validation of psychophysiological measures for caffeine oral films characterization by machine learning approachesPublication . Batista, Patrícia; Rodrigues, Pedro Miguel; Ferreira, Miguel; Moreno, Ana; Silva, Gabriel; Alves, Marco; Pintado, Manuela; Oliveira-Silva, PatríciaBackground: The oral films are a new delivery system that can carry several molecules, such as neuromodulator molecules, including caffeine. These delivery systems have been developed and characterized by pharmacokinetics assays. However, new methodologies, such as psychophysiological measures, can complement their characterization. This study presents a new protocol with psychophysiological parameters to characterize the oral film delivery systems based on a caffeine model. (2) Methods: Thirteen volunteers (61.5% females and 38.5% males) consumed caffeine oral films and placebo oral films (in different moments and without knowing the product). Electrocardiogram (ECG), electrodermal (EDA), and respiratory frequency (RF) data were monitored for 45 min. For the data analysis, the MATLAB environment was used to develop the analysis program. The ECG, EDA, and RF signals were digitally filtered and processed, using a windowing process, for feature extraction and an energy mean value for 5 min segments. Then, the data were computed and presented to the entries of a set of Machine Learning algorithms. Finally, a data statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS. (3) Results: Compared with placebo, caffeine oral films led to a significant increase in power energy in the signal spectrum of heart rate, skin conductance, and respiratory activity. In addition, the ECG time-series power energy activity revealed a better capacity to detect caffeine activity over time than the other physiological modalities. There was no significant change for the female or male gender. (4) Conclusions: The protocol developed, and the psychophysiological methodology used to characterize the delivery system profile were efficient to characterize the drug delivery profile of the caffeine. This is a non-invasive, cheap, and easy method to apply, can be used to determine the neuromodulator drugs delivery profile, and can be implemented in the future.