Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-03"
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- Chitosan-hydroxyapatite composites made from sustainable sources: a morphology and antibacterial studyPublication . Scalera, F.; Pereira, S. I. A.; Bucciarelli, A.; Tobaldi, D. M.; Quarta, A.; Gervaso, F.; Castro, P. M. L.; Polini, A.; Piccirillo, C.Chitosan (Cs) and hydroxyapatite (HA) 3D scaffolds/composites were prepared with a sustainable process, as HA was obtained using CaCO3 derived from cork, a natural material used as a template agent. The HA@Cs composites were prepared with HA in situ formation in a Cs solution, with a dissolution-precipitation mechanism. Different reaction times were considered, with time of 72 h leading to the best materials (sample CsHA_72). X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed HA formation. The analysis of Cs unit cell parameters showed that, for the unmodified Cs, the cell had larger dimensions and a higher degree of distortion than previously reported in literature; HA incorporation in the CsHA_72 composite led to a further increase in the cell dimensions. The morphology of the scaffolds was studied with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and a high level of porosity was observed; a statistical comparison was performed between the unmodified Cs and CsHA_72 to determine the pore size, structure, and distribution. This analysis, the first of this kind for this type of composites, showed smaller and more circular pores for the CsHA_72 composite (average diameter of 70 μm vs. 88 μm for unmodified Cs). The overall level of porosity, however, did not change (>77%); likewise, the Young modulus was not affected by HA incorporation (about 11 kPa). Antibacterial tests, performed on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, showed that HA presence did not significantly reduce the antimicrobial properties; the composites were particularly effective towards S. aureus, as a >90% the bacterial population reduction was observed for an incubation time of 2 h. HA@Cs also showed excellent biocompatibility and good cell proliferation. The properties of these 3D scaffolds make them suitable for application as biomaterials.
- Blue planet law and ecological sustainability in the Twenty-First centuryPublication . Cortês, AntónioIn the twenty-first century, the international community and states face the challenge of reconciling the economic and technological development of our post-industrial societies with the prevention or mitigation of global environmental problems such as climate change, ocean degradation, and biodiversity loss. Nowadays, international environmental law leaves up to the sovereignty of each state most of the measures necessary to prevent pollution, ecosystem degradation, and unsustainable use of natural resources. An important step, together with other international and national efforts, towards the transition to a more globalised and effective environmental law, a Blue Planet Law, will be the approval of the Global Pact for the Environment, which is being discussed at UN level. The Pact, along with other new international environmental conventions, will provide a legal framework that will help promote more effective ecological sustainability and preventive responsibility, considering namely the precautionary principle and intergenerational equity. The development of a Blue Planet Law, a Global Law of the Earth Ecosystem, is as urgent now as Human Rights Law was after the Second World War, and, in the next decade, it will be a crucial element for international and domestic implementation of the Agenda 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Rhizobacterial isolates from the metal hyperaccumulator noccaea caerulescens growing in a ni enriched soilPublication . Prieto-Fernandez, Ángeles; Moreira, Helena; Pereira, Sofia I. A.; Castro, Paula M. L.; Kidd, Petra; Rodríguez-Garrido, Beatriz
- Building granite characterisation, construction phases, mason’s marks and glyptography of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe Church, Mouçós e Lamares, Galicia-North Portugal EuroregionPublication . Freire-Lista, David M.; Campos, Bruno B.; Moreira, Patrícia; Ramil, Alberto; López, Ana J.The Romanesque church of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe of Mouçós e Lamares is located in Vila Real (North of Portugal). The exterior part of its nave is preserved almost unaltered. Most of the granite ashlars and corbels that make up this church have a mason’s mark in the centre of their faces. The building granites (Sanguinhedo and Vale das Gatas) have been identified and characterised petrographically and petrophysically. The mason’s marks have been as well identified; all the ashlars with visible mason’s marks have been mapped, and a glyptographic study has been carried out. In addition, the surface roughness of ashlars was measured. All these analyses have made it possible to locate the main historical quarry, to calculate the number of stonemasons who worked in the construction of the church, and to determine its construction phases. There are eight main types of mason’s marks on the nave façades. The quarrymen extracted the main building granite (Sanguinhedo granite) from the same quarry, or from nearby quarries. Although the most experienced stonemason has been identified, most stonemasons worked as a team during all construction phases of the church. Techniques such as petrography, ultrasonic P wave velocity, colourimetry, roughness and the determination of hydric properties will guarantee the quality and durability of the heritage stone for restorations. In addition, the glyptographic analysis revealed important historical and ethnographic findings that will be very useful for the appreciation of the monument. Therefore, the knowledge of built heritage, such as mason’s marks contribute to the conservation of historical quarries and traditions, as well as help understand the close cultural association societies have had with heritage stones. In this way, the scientific corpus of historical-cultural heritage can face for the development of tourism in Galicia-North Portugal Euroregion in a long-lasting sustainable way.
- Correspondence between language performance of children in formal alternative care and the placement environment: preliminary data from a systematic reviewPublication . Capinha, Ana Carolina; Mineiro, Ana; Moita, Mara; Abreu, Ana MariaAn estimated 2.7 million children live in formal alternative care (FAC). FAC varies in living conditions and care provided. However, research has shown that living in FAC adversely afects child development. This should be cautiously interpreted as studies reporting these efects have mainly been conducted in the northern hemisphere, in psychosocially deprived settings. Conversely, due to socio-economic factors, FAC compares favorably to domestic care in low-income countries. Here, we sought to understand the correspondence between children’s language performance in FAC and the placement setting (residential, foster, and kinship care), a query subset from a more extensive main study aiming to investigate children’s language development in formal alternative care. Materials and methods We systematically searched APA PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, Embase, ERIC, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases between October and November 2021. The search was not circumscribed to a period. Only primary English reports published in peerreviewed journals investigating the language performance of children up to age 18 in FAC were included. Results We identifed ten reports that matched these criteria. Eight reports (80%) described changes in the setting in FAC leading to variations in children’s linguistic performance. We found that children who transition from low-quality settings (i.e., settings in which some aspect of care is substantially lower than suggested by best practice) to higherquality environments show a "catch-up efect" in their linguistic performance. When this change happens early, children in FAC have equivalent language performances to the comparison groups (children living with their biological parents). Conversely, children who stay with their families in situations of abuse or exposure to war show lower linguistic performance scores than children in FAC. Conclusions Thus, not all settings, even if family-based, can be linguistically enriching; there needs to be reciprocity in interactions between carers and children to promote this development. Training and support for carers in all care settings are essential to ensure responsiveness and developmentally appropriate environments for children in FAC.
- Green roofs as a biotechnological tool to urban climate change mitigationPublication . Mendes, Ana Mafalda; Monteiro, Cristina M.; Santos, Cristina
- The effects of entrepreneurial ecosystems, knowledge management capabilities, and knowledge spillovers on international open innovationPublication . Ferreira, João J.; Fernandes, Cristina I.; Veiga, Pedro Mota; Dooley, LawrenceWhile there is a large body of literature on the benefits of open innovation, little is known about the knowledge flows and the interrelationship of the purposeful and serendipitous spillover of knowledge flows that deliver value from international open innovation (IOI) collaborations. This study examines these knowledge flows occurring from IOI and the extent to which the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) context, knowledge management (KM) capabilities of the firm, and knowledge spillovers (KS), nurture IOI engagement. A quantitative study is adopted where data on 98,809 firms from 15 European Union countries to empirically tested a proposed model through multiple linear regressions of logit models. The results highlight the positive effect of KS on IOI engagement, and the positive mediating effect of KM capability on the relationship between KS and IOI. Additionally, the results show a positive moderating effect of the EE on the relationship between the firm's KM capability and IOI engagement. Additionally, the findings emphasize the beneficial nature of the EE on nurturing KM capabilities within firms located in the ecosystem and its impact on nurturing KS within the network.
- Risk factors based vessel-specific prediction for stages of coronary artery disease using Bayesian quantile regression machine learning method: results from the PARADIGM registryPublication . Park, Hyung Bok; Lee, Jina; Hong, Yongtaek; Byungchang, So; Kim, Wonse; Lee, Byoung K.; Lin, Fay Y.; Hadamitzky, Martin; Kim, Yong Jin; Conte, Edoardo; Andreini, Daniele; Pontone, Gianluca; Budoff, Matthew J.; Gottlieb, Ilan; Chun, Eun Ju; Cademartiri, Filippo; Maffei, Erica; Marques, Hugo; Gonçalves, Pedro de A.; Leipsic, Jonathon A.; Shin, Sanghoon; Choi, Jung H.; Virmani, Renu; Samady, Habib; Chinnaiyan, Kavitha; Stone, Peter H.; Berman, Daniel S.; Narula, Jagat; Shaw, Leslee J.; Bax, Jeroen J.; Min, James K.; Kook, Woong; Chang, Hyuk JaeBackground and Hypothesis: The recently introduced Bayesian quantile regression (BQR) machine-learning method enables comprehensive analyzing the relationship among complex clinical variables. We analyzed the relationship between multiple cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and different stages of coronary artery disease (CAD) using the BQR model in a vessel-specific manner. Methods: From the data of 1,463 patients obtained from the PARADIGM (NCT02803411) registry, we analyzed the lumen diameter stenosis (DS) of the three vessels: left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (LCx), and right coronary artery (RCA). Two models for predicting DS and DS changes were developed. Baseline CV risk factors, symptoms, and laboratory test results were used as the inputs. The conditional 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% quantile functions of the maximum DS and DS change of the three vessels were estimated using the BQR model. Results: The 90th percentiles of the DS of the three vessels and their maximum DS change were 41%–50% and 5.6%–7.3%, respectively. Typical anginal symptoms were associated with the highest quantile (90%) of DS in the LAD; diabetes with higher quantiles (75% and 90%) of DS in the LCx; dyslipidemia with the highest quantile (90%) of DS in the RCA; and shortness of breath showed some association with the LCx and RCA. Interestingly, High-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed a dynamic association along DS change in the per-patient analysis. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the clinical utility of the BQR model for evaluating the comprehensive relationship between risk factors and baseline-grade CAD and its progression.
- Consumer vulnerability and well-being across contexts: Implications for international businessesPublication . Duarte, Paulo; Linardi, Marcelo Augusto; Domingues, Helena Sá; Silva, Susana C.This article assesses the relationship between consumer vulnerability (CV) and well-being (WB) by comparing the effects of ordinary (non-pandemic) and pandemic consumption contexts among Portuguese and Brazilian consumers. Data on pre-and post-pandemic perceived vulnerability and well-being from a cross-cultural sample of 397 consumers were analyzed through structural equations modelling using the PLS-Path. The results revealed an inverse relationship between CV and well-being, which worsened with the emergence of the pandemic. Refund Policies, Product Promotions and Purchase Ability are the dimensions of CV identified as the most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, fear proved to mediate the effect of vulnerability on well-being partially. The findings allow us to conclude that the most disrupted CV dimensions during COVID-19 are Refund Policy (RP), Purchase Ability (PA), and Product Promotion (PP). Studies comparing consumer vulnerability in international contexts are scarce. By finding the most critical dimensions of CV during a pandemic crisis, this study provides novel insights for companies and public institutions when planning responses and strategies to future disruptive occurrences. The conclusions represent an original contribution by analysing and comparing consumers' vulnerability in an everyday consumption situation and an extreme situation deployed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Valuable insights for governments and policymakers are provided. Firms working in international markets can use the insights to adapt their business strategy as effects on well-being vary across cultures.
- De figura simbólica a emblema da educação: cruzando olhares sobre o labirintoPublication . Araújo, Alberto Filipe; Araújo, Joaquim Machado de