Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-10"
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- Commensality constitutes communalism: producing emergent bonds in experimental small groups by sharing food and drinkPublication . Brito, Rodrigo; Waldzus, Sven; Schubert, Thomas Wolfgang; Sekerdej, Maciej; Louceiro, Ana; Simão, CláudiaRelational models theory provides an alternative framework to study group and intergroup processes. One of four models people use to constitute groups is communal sharing (CS). Ethnographic and experimental evidence suggests that CS is produced by concrete and symbolic enactments of connections between bodies (cuddling, touching, synchronicity, commensality). We tested the effect of commensality on CS and ingroup favouritism in four Experiments with 3-person groups (total n = 330) and found that commensality enhances emergent group communal sharing but does not enhance ingroup favouritism. In Experiment 1, sharing food enhanced ingroup communal sharing but in Experiment 2 this effect was not significant. In Experiments 3 and 4, sharing water enhanced communal sharing, but only when served from the same bottle, implying consubstantial assimilation. Ingroup favouritism was not enhanced by commensality in any experiment, even when explicitly presented as exclusively ingroup (Experiment 2), suggesting non-comparative group formation through ingroup commensality.
- Oral health literacy strategies focused on community-based learningPublication . Veiga, N.; Moura, A. C.; Correia, P.; Couto, P.; Pereira, R.; Lopes, P.; Correia, M. J.
- Impact of microbial inoculants on maize growthPublication . Guedes, Alexandra; Sousa, Ana S. S.; Castro, Paula; Pereira, Sofia I. A.
- Implementation of a circular bioeconomy: obtaining cellulose fibers derived from portuguese vine pruning residues for heritage conservation, oxidized with TEMPO and ultrasonic treatmentPublication . Araújo, Liliana; Machado, Adriana R.; Sousa, Sérgio; Ramos, Óscar L.; Ribeiro, Alessandra B.; Casanova, Francisca; Pintado, Manuela E.; Vieira, Eduarda; Moreira, PatríciaInspired by the principles of the circular economy, using vineyard pruning residues as a source of raw materials for producing nanocellulose is a promising approach to transforming vineyard resources into value-added products. This study aimed to obtain and characterize cellulose and cellulose nanofibers from such sources. The cellulose collected from different fractions of micronized stems (500, 300, 150 μm, and retain) of vines was submitted to autohydrolysis and finally bleached. Soon, it underwent treatment via (2,2,6,6-tetrametil-piperidi-1-nil)oxil (TEMPO) oxidation and ultrasonic to obtain nanocellulose fibers. The cellulose films were obtained at a microscale thickness of 0.05 ± 0.00; 0.37 ± 0.03; 0.06 ± 0.01 e 0.030 ± 0.01 mm, with the following particle size: 500 µm, 300 µm, 150 µm, and retain (<150 µm). The bleaching efficiency of the cellulose fibers of each particle size fraction was evaluated for color through a colorimeter. In addition, the extraction of cellulose fibers was assessed by infrared with Fourier transform, and size and shape were assessed by microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction were performed to confirm the thermal and crystalline properties. Combining autohydrolysis with a bleaching step proved to be a promising and ecological alternative to obtain white fractions rich in cellulose. It was possible to perform the extraction of cellulose to obtain nanocellulose fibers from vine pruning residues for the development of coatings for the conservation of heritage buildings from environmental conditions through an environmentally friendly process.
- Os contratos eletrónicos B2CPublication . Antunes, José EngráciaOs contratos eletrónicos B2C (“business-to-consumer”) são uma das projeções jurídicas fundamentais do comércio eletrónico (“e-commerce”): a contratação eletrónica funciona 24 horas por dia, 7 dias por semana, e 365 dias por ano, representando em 2023 um volume de negócios global superior a 2 triliões de dólares em todo o mundo e de 700 biliões de euros na Europa. A sua importância também chegou a Portugal: no ano de 2022, 43% dos consumidores portugueses realizaram compras em linha e 18% das empresas portuguesas receberam encomendas em linha. Esta centralidade dos contratos eletrónicos B2C tem-nos tornado, crescentemente, num novo paradigma dos contratos de consumo. O presente estudo constitui uma primeira reflexão sobre o regime jurídico deste contrato consumerista, passando sucessivamente em revista as respetivas fontes, requisitos, negociação, formação, confirmação, forma e prova, e extinção, bem assim como outros aspetos (em particular, a contratação no âmbito de plataformas eletrónicas).
- The potential of bioaugmentation-assisted phytoremediation derived maize biomass for the production of biomethane via anaerobic digestionPublication . Paulo, Ana M.; Caetano, Nídia S.; Marques, Ana P. G. C.Anthropogenic behaviors are causing the severe build-up of heavy metal (HM) pollutants in the environment, particularly in soils. Amongst a diversity of remediation technologies, phytoremediation is an environmentally friendly technology that, when coupling tolerant plants to selected rhizospheric microorganisms, can greatly stimulate HM decontamination of soils. Maize (Zea mays) is a plant with the reported capacity for HM exclusion from contaminated soil but also has energetic importance. In this study, Zea mays was coupled with Rhizophagus irregularis, an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), and Cupriavidus sp. strain 1C2, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as a remediation approach to remove Cd and Zn from an industrial contaminated soil (1.2 mg Cd kg−1 and 599 mg Zn kg−1) and generate plant biomass, by contrast to the conservative development of the plant in an agricultural (with no metal pollution) soil. Biomass production and metal accumulation by Z. mays were monitored, and an increase in plant yield of ca. 9% was observed after development in the contaminated soil compared to the soil without metal contamination, while the plants removed ca. 0.77% and 0.13% of the Cd and Zn initially present in the soil. The resulting biomass (roots, stems, and cobs) was used for biogas generation in several biomethane (BMP) assays to evaluate the potential end purpose of the phytoremediation-resulting biomass. It was perceptible that the HMs existent in the industrial soil did not hinder the anaerobic biodegradation of the biomass, being registered biomethane production yields of ca. 183 and 178 mL of CH4 g−1 VS of the complete plant grown in non-contaminated and contaminated soils, respectively. The generation of biomethane from HM-polluted soils’ phytoremediation-derived maize biomass represents thus a promising possibility to be a counterpart to biogas production in an increasingly challenging status of renewable energy necessities.
- Biomarcadores de genotoxicidade em imagiologia medico-dentária: uma revisão sistemáticaPublication . Alonso, Susana; Correia, Maria José; Silva, Raquel M.; Santos, Luís SilvaObjetivos: As técnicas de diagnóstico imagiológico são largamente utilizadas em Medicina Dentária, contribuindo para a elevada exposição global a radiação ionizante verificada nas sociedades modernas. Considerando o bem caracterizado risco genotóxico associado à exposição à radiação ionizante, é altamente desejável a identificação de biomarcadores fiáveis para a biomonitorização dos efeitos genotóxicos da exposição a baixas doses de radiação ionizante em imagiologia dentária. Com este objetivo, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática, de acordo com as diretrizes PRISMA. Materiais e métodos: Revisão sistemática realizada através da metodologia PRISMA, tendo por base os critérios PICO. A busca foi realizada nos bancos de dados PubMed e Web of Science, usando uma expressão de busca baseada nos seguintes termos MeSH: (Mouth mucosa) AND ((Chromosome Aberrations) OR (Cytogenetic Analysis) OR (Cytogenetics) OR (DNA damage) OR (Mutagenicity Tests)) AND ((Dental radiography) OR ((Dentistry) AND (Diagnostic imaging))). Resultados: As pesquisas nas bases de dados devolveram 246 registos, tendo sido incluídos 30 nesta revisão sistemática. 14 (46,7% ) destes estudos apresentaram evidência significativa (p<0,05) de genotoxicidade em células esfoliadas da mucosa oral após irradiação em contexto de diagnóstico dentário imagiológico (comparação pós-exposição versus pré-exposição). A frequência de micronúcleos aos 7-15 dias após a exposição foi claramente o biomarcador mais frequentemente utilizado (26 estudos), tendo sido observados resultados significativos em apenas 38,5% destes estudos. O enrev port estomatol med dent cir maxilofac. 2022;64(S1) :1-53 33 saio Comet foi efetuado em 3 outros estudos, todos com resultados significativos. Um estudo utilizou os níveis de expressão de gH2AX e pChk2, enquanto outro utilizou os níveis de 8-oxo-dG e de quebra de cadeia dupla como biomarcadores de genotoxicidade, ambos com resultados positivos. Conclusões: Estes resultados sugerem que o uso de técnicas imagiológicas em Medicina Dentária pode resultar em danos no ADN e que outros biomarcadores, para além da frequência de micronúcleos, podem ser mais adequados para demonstrar esses danos em futuros estudos de biomonitorização. São necessários mais estudos para confirmar estes resultados.
- Impact of susceptibility-induced distortion correction on perfusion imaging by pCASL with a segmented 3D GRASE readoutPublication . Domingos, Catarina; Fouto, Ana R.; Nunes, Rita G.; Ruiz-Tagle, Amparo; Esteves, Inês; Silva, Nuno A.; Vilela, Pedro; Gil-Gouveia, Raquel; Figueiredo, PatríciaPurpose: The consensus for the clinical implementation of arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion imaging recommends a segmented 3D Gradient and Spin-Echo (GRASE) readout for optimal signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR). The correction of the associated susceptibility-induced geometric distortions has been shown to improve diagnostic precision, but its impact on ASL data has not been systematically assessed and it is not consistently part of pre-processing pipelines. Here, we investigate the effects of susceptibility-induced distortion correction on perfusion imaging by pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) with a segmented 3D GRASE readout. Methods: Data acquired from 28 women using pCASL with 3D GRASE at 3T was analyzed using three pre-processing options: without distortion correction, with distortion correction, and with spatial smoothing (without distortion correction) matched to control for blurring effects induced by distortion correction. Maps of temporal SNR (tSNR) and relative perfusion were analyzed in eight regions-of-interest (ROIs) across the brain. Results: Distortion correction significantly affected tSNR and relative perfusion across the brain. Increases in tSNR were like those produced by matched spatial smoothing in most ROIs, indicating that they were likely due to blurring effects. However, that was not the case in the frontal and temporal lobes, where we also found increased relative perfusion with distortion correction even compared with matched spatial smoothing. These effects were found in both controls and patients, with no interactions with the participant group. Conclusion: Correction of susceptibility-induced distortions significantly impacts ASL perfusion imaging using a segmented 3D GRASE readout, and this step should therefore be considered in ASL pre-processing pipelines. This is of special importance in clinical studies, reporting perfusion across ROIs defined on relatively undistorted images and when conducting group analyses requiring the alignment of images across different subjects.
- Impact of microbial inoculants on maize growthPublication . Guedes, Alexandra; Sousa, Ana Sofia; Castro, Paula M. L.; Pereira, Sofia I. A.
- The biochemical, microbiological, antioxidant and sensory characterization of fermented skimmed milk drinks supplemented with probiotics Lacticaseibacillus casei and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosusPublication . Shabbir, Iqra; Al-Asmari, Fahad; Saima, Hafiza; Nadeem, Muhammad Tahir; Ambreen, Saadia; Kasankala, Ladislaus Manaku; Khalid, Muhammad Zubair; Rahim, Muhammad Abdul; Özogul, Fatih; Bartkiene, Elena; Rocha, João MiguelA variety of foods fermented with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) serve as dietary staples in many countries. The incorporation of health-promoting probiotics into fermented milk products can have profound effects on human health. Considering the health benefits of Yakult, the current study was undertaken to develop an enriched Yakult-like fermented skimmed milk drink by the addition of two probiotic strains, namely Lacticaseibacillus casei (Lc) and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (Lr). The prepared drinks were compared in terms of various parameters, including their physicochemical properties, proximate chemical composition, mineral estimation, microbial viable count, antioxidant activity, and sensory evaluation. Each strain was employed at five different concentrations, including 1% (T1), 1.5% (T2), 2% (T3), 2.5% (T4), and 3% (T5). The prepared Yakult samples were stored at 4 °C and analyzed on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 to evaluate biochemical changes. The findings revealed that the concentration of the starter culture had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) impact on the pH value and moisture and protein contents, but had no marked impact on the fat or ash content of the developed product. With the Lc strain, Yakult’s moisture content ranged from 84.25 ± 0.09 to 85.65 ± 0.13%, whereas with the Lr strain, it was from 84.24 ± 0.08 to 88.75 ± 0.13%. Protein levels reached their highest values with T5 (3% concentration). The acidity of all treatments increased significantly due to fermentation and, subsequently, pH showed a downward trend (p ≤ 0.05). The total soluble solids (TSS) content decreased during storage with Lc as compared to Lr, but the presence of carbohydrates had no appreciable impact. The drink with Lc exhibited a more uniform texture and smaller pore size than Yakult with Lr. Except for the iron values, which showed an increasing trend, the contents of other minerals decreased in increasing order of the added probiotic concentration used: 1% (T1), 1.5% (T2), 2% (T3), 2.5% (T4), and 3% (T5). The highest lactobacilli viable count of 8.69 ± 0.43 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL was observed with the T1 Lr-containing drink at the end of the storage period. Regarding the storage stability of the drink, the highest value for DPPH (88.75 ± 0.13%) was found with the T1 Lc drink on day 15, while the highest values for FRAP (4.86 ± 2.80 mmol Fe2+/L), TPC (5.97 ± 0.29 mg GAE/mL), and TFC (3.59 ± 0.17 mg GAE/mL) were found with the T5 Lr drink on day 28 of storage. However, the maximum value for ABTS (3.59 ± 0.17%) was noted with the T5 Lr drink on the first day of storage. The results of this study prove that Lc and Lr can be used in dairy-based fermented products and stored at refrigerated temperatures.