Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2021-01-01"
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- Synergistic effect of organo-mineral amendments and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the establishment of vegetation cover and amelioration of mine tailingsPublication . Benidire, L.; Madline, A.; Pereira, S. I. A.; Castro, P. M. L.; Boularbah, A.Mine tailings pose a huge hazard for environmental and human health, and the establishment of vegetation cover is crucial to reduce pollutant dispersion for the surroundings. However, their hostile physicochemical conditions hamper plant growth, compromising phytoremediation strategies. This study aims to investigate the role of organo-mineral amendments and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the improvement of mine tailings properties and Lolium perenne L. (ryegrass) growth. Plants were grown in mine tailings mixed with an agricultural soil (1:1), 10% compost, and supplied with two different inorganic amendments – rock phosphate (6%) or lime (3%), and inoculated with the rhizobacterial strains Advenella kashmirensis BKM20 (B1) and Mesorhizobium tamadayense BKM04 (B2). The application of organo-mineral amendments ameliorated tailings characteristics, which fostered plant growth and further enhanced soil fertility and microbial activity. These findings were consistent with the increase of total organic carbon levels, with the higher numbers of heterotrophic and phosphate solubilizing bacteria, and higher dehydrogenase and urease activities, found in these substrates after plant establishment. Plant growth was further boosted by PGPR inoculation, most noticeable by co-inoculation of both strains. Moreover, inoculated plants showed increased activities for several antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, polyphenoloxidase, and glutathione reductase) which indicate a reinforced antioxidant system. The application of agricultural soil, compost and lime associated with the inoculation of a mixture of PGPR proved to enhance the establishment of vegetation cover, thus promoting the stabilization of Kettara mine tailings. Nonetheless, further studies are needed in order to confirm its effectiveness under field conditions.
- Oral health behaviour perception scale applied among a sample of Portuguese adolescentsPublication . Amaral, Odete; Couto, Patrícia; Coelho, Inês; Correia, Maria José; Veiga, Nélio JorgeIntroduction: The application of a scale can be particularly useful for the epidemiological studies comparing different populations and for analysis of the influence of distinct aspects of oral health on the development of certain health conditions. The aim of this study consists in the creation of a scale to classify the level of perception of the oral health behaviors applicable to a sample of Portuguese adolescents. Material and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was designed with a total of 649 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years old from five public schools in the Viseu and Guarda districts, in Portugal. Data was collected by the application of a self-administered questionnaire and, after analysis of data collection, the newly Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) oral health perception scale was created. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-IBM software version 24.0 (IBM SPSS, Chicago, Il., USA). In the descriptive statistical analysis, absolute and descriptive frequencies were used for variables with nominal measurement level, mean as a measure of central tendency and standard deviation as a measure of dispersion for interval variables. Results: Oral health behaviors perception respecting the assumptions defined by the present scale has been elaborated. The result showed that 67% of the sample presented a poor perception of their oral health behaviors, 23.9% intermediate/sufficient, while 8.2% refer having good perception, respecting the assumptions defined for the elaboration of the present scale. Conclusion: For this purpose, through the scale to classify the level of oral health behaviors applicable to the sample of portuguese adolescents, it is possible to compare the data of several samples and understand what are the most frequent oral or eating habits among adolescents.
- Franz Rosenzweig’s dialogic humanism in The Star of RedemptionPublication . Henriques, Mendo CastroThe Star of Redemption (1921) is the major work of Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1927); it is one of the most important books of the 20th century about the problematic of (co)existential philosophy, comparable and opposable to Heidegger’s Being and Time (1927). Its purpose may be summed up by saying that human being is born into his own existence through the discovery of absolute Otherness. This New thinking, as Rosenzweig entitled it in a short 1925 essay, created a dialogic humanism alongside the critique of monological thought in the philosophical tradition. One should point out the main co-existential categories of Rosenzweig’s proposal and briefly compare his unique point of view as a religious thinker with some main trends of modern and postmodern philosophy.
- Structure and properties of silk fibroin-based aerogel particles prepared by emulsion-gelation followed by supercritical CO2 for wound healingPublication . Bernardes, Beatriz; López-Iglesias, Clara; Costa, Raquel; García-González, Carlos A.; Oliveira, Ana Leite
- O impacto da pandemia de COVID-19 nas IPSS e seus utentes em PortugalPublication . Bragança, Ana; Horta, Marta; Martins, Filipe; Marcos, Vanessa; Mendes, Américo Carvalho; Castro, Joana Morais e; Alves, Sofia MexiaO estudo exploratório “Impacto da pandemia de COVID-19 nas IPSS e seus utentes em Portugal”, elaborado pela ATES – Área Transversal de Economia Social do Centro Regional do Porto da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, em colaboração com a CNIS – Confederação Nacional das Instituições de Solidariedade, visou compreender o impacto da pandemia de COVID-19 nas Instituições Particulares de Solidariedade Social (IPSS) e nos seus utentes. Durante os meses de junho e julho de 2020, altura em que os portugueses já tinham vivenciado três estados de emergência e se encontravam em desconfinamento gradual, esteve disponível um inquérito de preenchimento online e de âmbito nacional, que havia sido estruturado combinando perguntas de resposta dicotómica, escolha múltipla, escala e abertas. A partir das respostas de pessoas com responsabilidades de coordenação de 329 IPSS e instituições equiparadas, obteve-se um conjunto equilibrado de dados quantitativos e qualitativos, que permitiram uma caracterização descritiva sobre o fenómeno em estudo e, sobretudo, identificar e retratar as perceções, necessidades, desafios, respostas e histórias de superação destas instituições. Em síntese, elencamos de seguida os principais resultados do estudo realizado.
- Valorization of citrus limon peels: nutritional and antioxidant approachPublication . Magalhães, D.; Vilas Boas, A.; Teixeira, P.; Pintado, M.Citrus is the most abundant crop of fruit trees in the world, with an annual production of approximately 124.2 million tons. Among the different types of citrus, lemons and limes represent 15.9 million tons [1]. Processing of citrus fruits results in a significant amount of waste (peels, pulps and seeds), which represent about 50% of the raw processed fruits, and are a potential source of valuable co-products. Structurally, lemon peels consist of the outer layer, called flavedo and the inner layer, called albedo. The flavedo contains high amounts of polyphenolic compounds, carotenoids and essential oils, whereas the albedo is rich in dietary fibers, particularly pectin, which grant them nutritional value and health benefits with antioxidant properties [2,3]. So, valorization of those by- products increases the potential return, while at the same time helps preserving the environment.