Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2025-01-01"
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- Bacteriological safety and quality of composted products from animal, urban or sewage sludge wastesPublication . Vaz-Moreira, Ivone; D’Arnese, Angelo; Knoll, Maurice; Teixeira, A. Margarida; Barbosa, Joana Bastos; Teixeira, Paula; Manaia, Célia M.Abstract: This study investigated the presence of culturable bacterial pathogens, and antibiotic resistance and associated genes (quantitative PCR) in commercially available composted products from animal excrements or manure (n=7), urban wastes (n=1) or (sewage sludge) (n=1). Metals quantification and 16S rRNA-based bacterial community composition analyses supported the results to infer potential risks to downstream environments (e.g., soils). Bacilli and Actinomycetes were the dominant bacterial classes in seven composts, while two were dominated by different classes of Pseudomonadota or the class Bacteroidia. Salmonella spp. was not detected in all composts, meeting recommended quality criteria, while Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes were only detected in the sewage sludge compost. The antibiotic resistance genes ermB and ermF were detected in most of the composts, and the antibiotic resistance gene sul1 and the intI1 gene (proxy for antibiotic resistance recombination) in all composts in the range of 6-9 log gene copy number/g dry weight. Listeria spp. and the gene blaCTX-M were detected only in chicken/poultry composts suggesting increased risk. All composts, except the urban waste compost, presented at least one metal (zinc, copper, and/or cadmium) above the recommended value. The genes uidA, crAssphage, ermB and blaCTX-M were negatively correlated with the abundance of total heterotrophs and moisture content, and the genes intI1 and sul1 were negatively correlated with the concentration of the metals Cr, Ni and Pb. Overall, the urban waste compost presented the best quality, exhibiting the lowest antibiotic resistance load. These findings alert for the fact that composts may contribute to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance, highlighting the need of regular assessment. It is suggested that multiple factors, including the raw materials, may influence the safety of the final compost, and the knowledge of the variables affecting compost safety need to be thoroughly investigated and understood.
- Preparing the 2025 revision of the International Code of Nomenclature of ProkaryotesPublication . Oren, Aharon; Arahal, David R.; Christensen, Henrik; Göker, Markus; Manaia, Célia M.; Moore, Edward R.B.The editorial Board of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) – the Prokaryotic Code – has compiled already ratified proposed emendations of the ICNP, together with additional editorial changes and clarifications. These were implemented in a draft 2025 revision of the Prokaryotic Code. To comply with Articles 13(b)(4) and 4(d) of the statutes of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP), a public discussion of the document will start on 1 January (or later if required) 2025, to last for 6 months. Here, we present the basis for the revision and the procedure for the discussion. The discussion will be followed by the balloting of the ICSP members.
- Predicting consumer ad preferences: leveraging a machine learning approach for EDA and FEA neurophysiological metricsPublication . Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; Neto, Andreia C.; Silva, Susana C.; Bigne, EnriqueThis research unveils to predict consumer ad preferences by detecting seven basic emotions, attention and engagement triggered by advertising through the analysis of two specific physiological monitoring tools, electrodermal activity (EDA), and Facial Expression Analysis (FEA), applied to video advertising, offering a twofold contribution of significant value. First, to identify the most relevant physiological features for consumer preference prediction. We integrated a statistical module encompassing inferential and exploratory analysis tools, which identified emotions such as Joy, Disgust, and Surprise, enabling the statistical differentiation of preferences concerning various advertisements. Second, we present an artificial intelligence (AI) system founded on machine learning techniques, encompassing k-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest (RF). Our findings show that the RF technique emerged as the top performer, boasting an 81% Accuracy, 84% Precision, 79% Recall, and an F1-score of 81% in predicting consumer preferences. In addition, our research proposes an eXplainable AI module based on feature importance, which discerned Attention, Engagement, Joy, and Disgust as the four most pivotal features influencing consumer ad preference prediction. The results indicate that computerized intelligent systems based on EDA and FEA data can be used to predict consumer ad preferences based on videos and effectively used as supporting tools for marketing specialists.
- Valorisation of protein-rich extracts from spent brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae): an overviewPublication . Oliveira, Ana Sofia; Ferreira, Carlos; Pereira, Joana Odila; Pintado, Manuela E.; Carvalho, Ana P.As one of the main brewing by-products, Saccharomyces cerevisiae extracts (from spent yeast) have been commercialized as food supplement for years. Among their several claims, the application as protein source is highlighted. In fact, their high protein content (about 45–60%) including essential amino acids with high biological value, safety and low cost are primarily responsible for their spreading in agri-food sector. Meanwhile, cosmetic and health sectors have been working on yeast bioactive peptides because of their antihypertensive, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, among others. Several studies related to valorisation of S. cerevisiae are currently ongoing, aiming to create novel products and optimize production processes. The present review aims to provide an overview from production of protein-rich extracts from S. cerevisiae to their chemical characterisation, detailing protein extraction, isolation and purification processes, as well as characterisation methods for the final extracts.
- A robust method to date recessions and compute output gaps: the portuguese casePublication . Assunção, João B.; Fernandes, Pedro AfonsoThe application of the Hodrick-Prescott (HP) and other linear filters to remove trend and extract business cycles in macroeconomic time series is a common practice despite its limitations, namely, in signaling recessions. Median filters and other nonlinear techniques can perform better by accommodating sharp but fundamental changes in the growth trend and passing only the relevant information to the cycle component, a possible measure of the output gap of an economy. An application to the Portuguese relevant macroeconomic series confirmed the robustness of nonlinear filters in signaling the recessions and recoveries. In particular, the Mosheiov-Raveh (MR) filter estimates piecewise trend growth paths that naturally date the specific periods of the Portuguese economy since 1977.
- Enhancement of oxidative stability and antioxidant potential of flaxseed oil with cinnamon extractPublication . Rizwan, Muhammad; Khan, Ammar Ahmad; Rehman, Abdul; Nadeem, Muhammad Tahir; Tanweer, Saira; Khan, Usman Mir; Saeed, Kanza; Bano, Yasmeen; Alsulami, Tawfiq; Saleem, Faraz Sajid; Morya, Sonia; Ghafar, Saba; Rocha, Joao Miguel; Khalid, Muhammad ZubairOxidation in edible oils and fats is one of the main problems faced by the fat and oil industry. Using natural antioxidants is considered the preferred choice to minimize the application of synthetic antioxidants in food products. The present study was conducted to extract cinnamon extract and evaluate its antioxidant potential. The cinnamon extract was incorporated in flaxseed oil samples at different concentrations of 0.5, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, and 0.25% (v/v) and compared with the control (with no addition of natural/synthetic antioxidant) and another sample with 0.1% (v/v) of synthetic antioxidant (butylated hydroxytoluene [BHT]). The antioxidant activity of the flaxseed oil added with cinnamon extract was carried out by DPPH and FRAP assay. The extraction method, time and temperature treatments, and solvent concentrations significantly affected cinnamon extracts’ proximate composition, DPPH, and FRAP activity. Cinnamon extract showed higher flavonoid and total phenolic contents, which led to higher antioxidant activity. Phenolic contents were observed at 313.61 ± 19.83 mg GAE/100 g acetone extract. The DPPH assay showed a significant observation of 84.58 ± 3.80%, while the FRAP assay was 143.82 ± 11.21 μmol/g. During 28 days of storage, there was a significant decrease in free fatty acids, peroxide, iodine, and thiobarbituric acid values for the treatments with higher concentrations of cinnamon extract as compared to the control. The T1 and T2, exhibited PV of 4.69 and 4.53 milli-equivalents (meq/kg), respectively. The maximum value of peroxide was detected in T0 (4.78 meq/kg) and the lowest in TBHT (3.50 meq/kg), followed by T3 (3.97 meq/kg), T4 (3.94 meq/kg) and T5 (3.89 meq/kg). As compared to T0 and TBHT, cinnamon extract was significant in reducing the peroxide value. T0 showed the highest iodine value (198.51 I2/100 g), while TBHT and T5 showed the lowest iodine values of 173.76 and 175.29 g of I2 / 100 g, respectively. Moreover, T1, T2, T3, and T4 showed iodine values of 194.34, 195.10, 179.78, and 177.42 g of I2/100 g, respectively. The results revealed that the TBA value of oil increases with the increase of the storage period. T0 showed the highest TBA value (6.95 mg MDA/kg) and T5 had the lowest TBA value (5.92 mg MDA/kg). The TBA values of T1, T2, and T3 were 6.87, 6.63, and 6.68 mg MDA/kg, respectively. Overall, the cinnamon extract improved the oxidative stability of flaxseed oil as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants with no harmful effects on human health.
- Wise leaders fostering employees’ speaking up behaviors: developing and validating a measure of leader-expressed practical wisdomPublication . Rego, Arménio; Meyer, Marcel; Júnior, Dálcio Reis; Cunha, Miguel Pina ePractical wisdom, an essential component of leadership, has been approached mainly from a theoretical perspective. While there are barely any empirical studies on leaders’ practical wisdom, quantitative ones are even rarer, and no valid measure of a leader’s practical wisdom exists. Thus, our understanding of whether and how wise leaders influence their followers is limited. Inspired by Thomas Aquinas’ ideas on practical wisdom, we operationalize it as a tridimensional capacity of inquiring, judging, and acting in an emotionally regulated way, and develop and validate a corresponding measure of leader-expressed practical wisdom. To support our operationalization, we test how leader-expressed practical wisdom predicts employees’ speaking up behaviors via their psychological safety. Our rationale is that to make better decisions, wise leaders are receptive to employees’ views that address matters of concern and challenge the status quo with the intention of improving the situation – such a receptiveness being enabled by fostering employees’ psychological safety. Through a two-wave field study, a three-wave field study, and a vignette-based experiment carried out in three countries we obtain empirical support for that three-dimensional construct and show that leader-expressed practical wisdom predicts employees’ speaking up behaviors via their psychological safety.
- Home, family, and violence: the films of João CanijoPublication . Ribas, DanielPortuguese filmmaker João Canijo’s films and his use of family and home present a portrait of contemporary Portugal: underprivileged families trying to survive in the modern world, emphasising the women’s lack of power and the imposition of a patriarchal community. Moreover, using the same narrative pattern, these films allow a study of the tensions in Portuguese society. The place where the narrative develops is the family’s home, the site for the struggle of everyday life. This artistic analysis can be read through the lenses of a cultural analysis made in the past decades by researchers and essayists who examine how the Portuguese cultural representations are strongly attached to a Salazaristic ideology. The films of João Canijo build upon these cultural representations against a harsher reality, which is represented by the way families implode with systemic violence. Thus, this article argues how the home is a claustrophobic space –filled with markers of nationality in its mise-en-scène–, where families cannot live together, and where violence destroys the idyllic cultural representations of Portugal.
- Manufacturing public perception: big lies, alternative facts, and controlled languagePublication . Ribeiro, NelsonThe chapter argues that propaganda techniques of the 20th century, such as the production of “big lies” and “alternative facts” remain central in contemporary attempts to persuade people to believe in falsehoods. Likewise, pre-propaganda, the control of language, and the rewriting of history, which Jacques Ellul and George Orwell described in their seminal works, continue to be at the forefront of contemporary propagandistic strategies. Using examples that range from the Spanish Civil War to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the chapter discusses how today’s propaganda can be understood through the lens of concepts that have shed light on how earlier regimes and leaders used propaganda to lead people to support war and authoritarian regimes. By looking into examples from the past, the chapter also discusses citizens’ agency in countering propaganda and how subversive media consumption practices can help circumvent the control imposed by dictators on people’s access to information.
- Consumer sensory profiling and liking of bolognese-type sauces: how do insect and plant foods really fare against red meat?Publication . Costa, A. I. de Almeida; Monteiro, M. J. P.; Maya, C.; Rocha, C.; Faria, B. F.; Lima, R. C.; Cunha, L. M.; Roos, N.Meeting global targets for healthier and more sustainable diets calls for a substantial reduction of meat consumption in Western nations, especially red and processed meat. This requires a transition to the large-scale production, marketing, and adoption of alternative proteins. The current state of development of new plant- and insect-based foods holds good promise, but optimizing their sensory quality to the point where they can satisfactorily replace everyday meat-eating experiences remains a challenge, demanding a more consumer-oriented approach. This study investigated how Portuguese adults (N = 130, 18-40 years old, 50% female, regular meat eaters) perceived the sensory characteristics of seven Bolognese-style pasta sauces - made with 100% red meat (beef and pork), plant (soya beans or peas) or edible insect (house cricket or yellow mealworm larvae) protein - and how this affected their hedonic preferences for these products. Expectedly, the meat-based sauce was generally the most appreciated. Still, consumers liked all products slightly to moderately apart from mealworm mince. Sensory-mediated disgust affected the evaluations of some insect- and plant-based sauces, while others benefitted from formulations that enhanced savouriness and the prototypical attributes of a tomato pasta sauce. Moreover, the disconfirmation of positive sensory-affective judgements of 'meatiness' induced by mince-like texture cues penalized liking. High inter-individual variation in evaluations was observed. Distinct preferences for spiciness, for instance, moderated the effects of meat substitution on product liking, with over half of participants appreciating a mild or a spicy plant-based option more than the typical beef Bolognese. Sociodemographics, Beef Consumption, Healthy Eating Consciousness and Food Disgust Sensitivity were all important predictors of patterns of product liking, pointing out that the type of protein selected is just one of the many factors driving the acceptance of meat substitutes by consumers that can be leveraged by the food industry.