Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-11-01"
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- Macroprudential policy and aggregate demandPublication . Teixeira, André; Venter, ZoeThis paper assesses the impact of macroprudential policy (MaPP) on aggregate demand in the EU between 2000 and 2019. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that MaPP reduces household consumption and increases firm investment. These effects are relatively mild in the short run but become more pronounced in the long run. Our findings point to a weaker macroeconomic impact than suggested in previous studies.
- Current challenges and future perspectives for the full circular economy of water in European countriesPublication . Koseoglu-Imer, Derya Y.; Oral, Hasan Volkan; Calheiros, Cristina Sousa Coutinho; Krzeminski, Pawel; Güçlü, Serkan; Pereira, Sofia Almeida; Surmacz-Górska, Joanna; Plaza, Elzbieta; Samaras, Petros; Binder, Pablo Martin; Hullebusch, Eric D. van; Devolli, AriolaThis paper reviews the current problems and prospects to overcome circular water economy management challenges in European countries. The geopolitical paradigm of water, the water economy, water innovation, water management and regulation in Europe, environmental and safety concerns at water reuse, and technological solutions for water recovery are all covered in this review, which has been prepared in the frame of the COST ACTION (CA, 20133) FULLRECO4US, Working Group (WG) 4. With a Circular Economy approach to water recycling and recovery based on this COST Action, this review paper aims to develop novel, futuristic solutions to overcome the difficulties that the European Union (EU) is currently facing. The detailed review of the current environmental barriers and upcoming difficulties for water reuse in Europe with a Circular Economy vision is another distinctive aspect of this study. It is observed that the biggest challenge in using and recycling water from wastewater treatment plants is dealing with technical, social, political, and economic issues. For instance, geographical differences significantly affect technological problems, and it is effective in terms of social acceptance of the reuse of treated water. Local governmental organizations should support and encourage initiatives to expand water reuse, particularly for agricultural and industrial uses across all of Europe. It should not also be disregarded that the latest hydro politics approach to water management will actively contribute to addressing the issues associated with water scarcity.
- Akkermansia muciniphila encapsulated in calcium-alginate hydrogelated matrix: viability and stability over aerobic storage and simulated gastrointestinal conditionsPublication . Machado, Daniela; Fonseca, Mariana; Vedor, Rita; Sousa, Sérgio; Barbosa, Joana Cristina; Gomes, Ana MariaAkkermansia muciniphila is considered a next-generation probiotic to be incorporated in new food and pharmaceutical formulations. Effective delivery systems are required to ensure high probiotic viability and stability during product manufacture, shelf-life, and post-consumption, namely, throughout digestion. Hydrogelated matrices have demonstrated promising potential in this dominion. Hence, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of a calcium-alginate hydrogelated matrix on A. muciniphila viability during 28-days refrigerated aerobic storage and when exposed to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, in comparison with that of free cells. Akkermansia muciniphila was successfully encapsulated in the calcium-alginate matrix via extrusion (60% encapsulation yield). Furthermore, encapsulated A. muciniphila exhibited high stability (a loss in viability lower than 0.2 log-cycle) after 28-days of refrigerated aerobic storage, maintaining its viability around 108 CFU/g. Prominently, as the storage time increased, encapsulated A. muciniphila revealed higher viability and stability regarding in vitro gastrointestinal conditions than free cells. This suggests that this encapsulation method may attenuate the detrimental effects of prolonged aerobic storage with a subsequent gastrointestinal passage. In conclusion, encapsulation via extrusion using a calciumalginate hydrogelated matrix seems to be a promising and adequate strategy for safeguarding A. muciniphila from adverse conditions encountered during refrigerated aerobic storage and when exposed to the gastrointestinal passage.
- Streptomyces sp. Strain SRH22: a potential bioremediation agent for glyphosate-contaminated agricultural soilsPublication . Rebai, Hadjer; Sholkamy, Essam Nageh; Alharbi, Reem Mohammed; Abdel-Raouf, Neveen; Boufercha, Oumeima; Castro, Paula; Boudemagh, AllaoueddineGlyphosate, also known as N-phosphonomethylglycine, is the herbicide that is widely used across the globe. As there are concerns over its potential toxicity to non-target soil species, there is a growing interest in identifying glyphosate-degrading microorganisms in soil. Biodegradation, by actinobacteria, is a very promising approach to eliminate this pesticide from contaminated environments. The present work isolated and identified actinobacteria capable of degrading glyphosate from Saharan agriculture, as well as determined how the application of this herbicide affects the abundance of actinobacteria present in soil. It was observed that the use of glyphosate led to an increased abundance of actinobacteria in the soil compared to the untreated soil. Among this population, an actinobacterial strain was isolated from glyphosate contaminated soil by the enrichment method, and was identified to possess the greatest capability to degrade glyphosate at 50 mg/L. The identification of this strain was achieved through a combination of cultural, morphological, biochemical, and molecular techniques. This included the use of 16S rDNA sequencing, leading to its successful classification as Streptomyces sp. strain SRH22. This strain was assigned the accession number OQ302556 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). A rapid, sensitive, and straightforward spectrophotometric technique was employed for the quantification of glyphosate. Results showed that the optimal biodegradation (90.2%) was obtained under a temperature of 30 degrees, a PH of 7.2, and an inoculum volume of 4% timed over six days. This work shows that the Streptomyces SRH22 presents good potentiality to be used as a bioremediation agent for agricultural soils in the Algerian Sahara.
- A chemical study of yoghurt produced under isostatic pressure during storagePublication . Vieira, Patrícia; Pinto, Carlos A.; Goodfellow, Brian James; Gomes, Ana M.; Sousa, Sérgio; Machado, Manuela; Delgadillo, Ivonne; Saraiva, Jorge A.Yoghurt fermented under sub-lethal high pressure (10, 20, 30 and 40 MPa at 43 °C), and afterward placed under refrigeration (4 °C for 23 days) was studied and compared with yoghurt fermented at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa). For a deeper analysis, metabolite fingerprinting by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), sugars and organic acids assessment by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), total fatty acids (TFA) determination and quantification by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) were performed. Metabolomic analyses revealed that only 2,3-butanediol, acetoin, diacetyl and formate vary with the increase of pressure and probable relation with pressure influenced diacetyl reductase, acetoin reductase and acetolactate decarboxylase. Yoghurts fermented at 40 MPa had the lowest content in lactose (39.7 % of total sugar reduction) and the less content in TFA (56.1 %). Further research is of interest to understand more about fermentation processes under sub-lethal high pressure.