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- Impact of red wine vinegar-based solution on bacterial communities of squid and shrimp skewers: a classic and genomic approachPublication . Rezende, Lourenço Pinto de; Barbosa, Joana Bastos; Carvalho, Teresa Bento de; Vaz-Moreira, Ivone; Monteiro, Maria João P.; Teixeira, PaulaSeafood is an essential component of a balanced and healthy diet, which increases its demand. However, its biological composition and high moisture content make these products extremely perishable. To prevent spoilage, and the consequent food waste and fnancial expenses throughout the seafood supply chain, new technologies have been successfully developed to inhibit bacterial growth, the main cause of seafood spoilage. This work aimed to test a shelf life extension technique for seafood skewers whilst maintaining an all-natural label using a fnancially feasible red wine vinegar treatment applied by immersion or pulverisation. Bacterial growth was monitored by classical methods and by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing during the 5 days of storage. Immersion of samples in a vinegar-based solution efectively reduced Pseudomonas and Enterobacterales counts (by 2 log cfu/g), immediately after application and throughout storage. The overall structure and diversity of the bacterial community were analysed, and a strong reduction in bacterial diversity and impact on bacterial composition was observed immediately after immersion in the red wine vinegar solution. In untreated samples, Pseudomonadota (especially the Gammaproteobacteria class) was the principal phylum, whereas the microbiota of the treated samples was dominated by Bacillota (mainly the Bacilli class). Sensory analysis revealed a mild vinegar or vinaigrette favour in treated samples; however, these characteristics were not unpleasant. Although applying a vinegar-based solution by immersion promoted a signifcant reduction in the growth of spoilage bacteria during the frst days of storage, further tests are required to confrm the shelf life extension.
- A convergência tecnológica e as transformações no processo de produção de conteúdo radiofónicoPublication . Roldão, Beatriz Reis Gomes; Ribeiro, Nelson CostaO presente estudo resulta de um estágio curricular realizado na rádio Mega Hits, na área de produção e redes sociais do programa Snooze e Girls Night Out, entre outubro de 2023 e abril de 2024, sendo objeto de estudo apenas o Snooze. O principal objetivo é compreender de que forma é que a convergência tecnológica veio influenciar e, de certo modo, modificar a forma do Snooze criar e produzir conteúdo. Assim sendo, surge a pergunta de investigação: “De que forma é que a convergência tecnológica influencia o processo de produção nas emissoras radiofónicas?” Para dar resposta à pergunta de investigação, foi adotada uma metodologia de abordagem mista com uma análise de conteúdo quantitativa, para examinar os conteúdos do Snooze publicados nas plataformas digitais com mais aposta – Instagram e TikTok. Para além disso, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas ao diretor da estação de rádio Nelson Cunha, ao coordenador da equipa de Multimédia David Carronha, e à produtora executiva do Snooze, Matilde Prata. Com este estudo, apurou-se que, efetivamente, o Snooze constrói o seu conteúdo para vingar no digital e que todos os pormenores contam, como a duração do conteúdo, a plataforma em que é publicado, quando e até o tema abordado, porque, no final de contas, tudo se resume a números. O Snooze serve como exemplo da capacidade que uma rádio tradicional tem em reinventar-se e permanecer relevante num cenário mediático em constante transformação. Com estratégias bem delineadas para maximizar o alcance e a interação, o programa da manhã da Mega Hits garante uma presença significativa na vida dos jovens.
- O impacto do digital na rádio contemporânea : as audiências radiofónicas e os seguidores digitais do Instagram da Mega HitsPublication . Sena, Maria Isabel Silva; Ribeiro, Nelson CostaNo âmbito do estágio curricular realizado na rádio Mega Hits, o presente relatório tem como objetivo analisar o impacto do digital nas audiências da rádio Mega Hits, investigando a relação entre as audiências analógicas e os seguidores digitais do Instagram da rádio jovem. Além disso, procura perceber se as audiências digitais da estação acompanham a emissão radiofónica e, ainda, apurar se existem pessoas que não ouvem a estação, embora sigam os seus conteúdos no Instagram. Numa primeira fase, é explorada teoricamente a evolução da rádio e das suas audiências, desde o seu surgimento até aos dias de hoje; o caso português; e o fenómeno de convergência do meio radiofónico, paralelo ao papel das redes sociais. Segue-se uma investigação empírica, com base no estágio curricular realizado na rádio Mega Hits, com entrevistas a membros da equipa da estação e a aplicação de um inquérito por questionário junto dos ouvintes e/ou seguidores da estação jovem. Com esta investigação, verificou-se que o digital tem uma importância cada vez mais crescente no meio radiofónico, com o Instagram a servir como uma ferramenta dessa evolução. No caso da rádio Mega Hits, a sua presença digital através do Instagram reforça a ligação dos ouvintes e/ou seguidores, apesar de se verificarem públicos distintos que interagem de forma diferente. Enquanto uns acompanham a rádio tanto pela emissão como pelo digital, outros preferem exclusivamente um formato, seja a escuta da emissão hertziana ou os conteúdos digitais. A interação dos animadores nos media sociais e conteúdos como a rubrica "Cala-te Boca" influenciam na atração de ouvintes, embora fatores como a falta de sintonização em certas regiões limitem a conversão de seguidores digitais em ouvintes regulares.
- Shifts in aerobic granular sludge bacteriome driven by seawater intrusion in wastewaterPublication . Miranda, Catarina; Castro, Paula M. L.; Amorim, Catarina L.High salinity levels in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can be attributed to multiple sources, including seawater intrusion in wastewater streams. In coastal WWTPs, this phenomenon is becoming more frequent, causing transient salinity shocks on the microbial populations involved in the treatment process. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) has emerged as a revolutionary technology that has been adopted worldwide for treating several types of wastewater. Much of its success is related to its great tolerance to extreme environments, including high-saline wastewater. In this study, a laboratory-scale AGS reactor was exposed to different salinity stresses over 286 days. First, over 131 days, the seawater content in wastewater was gradually increased in the feeding regime (1.5 – 15 g/L). For the remainder of the operation, the AGS had to deal with daily salinity oscillations, ranging from high (7.5 g/L) to very high (22.5 g/L) seawater levels in wastewater. Throughout the operation, the removal performance of organic carbon, ammonium, and phosphate was consistently effective, despite the daily fluctuations in the seawater content of the wastewater. This was likely ensured by the nutrient removal-related taxa present in the AGS core microbiome, which was highly diverse and resilient to changes in wastewater composition. Over time, enrichment of the core microbiome with halotolerant taxa and extracellular polymeric substance producers proved crucial for maintaining the integrity and stability of the reactor’s performance. The findings of this work underscore the flexibility and robustness of AGS communities in thriving under diverse environmental challenges and adapting to sustain AGS reactor performance.
- Unveiling the power of supplier-country image on B2B customers' perceptions: beyond the product’s beautyPublication . Crespo, Cátia Fernandes; Crespo, Nuno Fernandes; Silva, Susana C.Researchers in business-to-business (B2B) sectors often assume that findings regarding country-of-origin (COO) effects on end consumers can be directly applied to the industrial marketing context. This tendency to generalize can result in an inaccurate understanding of how buyers perceive COO information in B2B scenarios. This study investigates the effect of supplier-country image on international customers’ perceptions of both perceived product quality and relationship quality in a B2B market environment. We further examine the consequences of perceived product quality and relationship quality on supplier awareness and customer loyalty. Data collected from 182 international B2B buyers in the Portuguese footwear, molds, and wood products and furniture industries were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that supplier-country image influences the relationship quality dimensions (trust, commitment, and satisfaction) and perceived product quality. Moreover, trust and commitment enhance customer loyalty, while trust and satisfaction leverage supplier awareness. In contrast, perceived product quality only influences customer loyalty, albeit to a weaker extent. Thus, relationship quality plays a more significant role than perceived product quality in influencing supplier awareness and customer loyalty in B2B environments. These results challenge the notion that the impact of COO on end consumers can be equally applied in B2B contexts, and they expand our understanding of how supplier-country image affects relationship quality in the industrial setting. Furthermore, they draw managers’ attention to the importance of mitigating a potentially negative COO image through measures aimed at improving relationships.
- Ajustamento da passionate love scale para uma amostra de participantesPublication . Silva, Bárbara Catarina da; Leite, Ângela Maria TeixeiraO amor apaixonado é considerado como sendo de extrema importância para a maioria dos indivíduos, permitindo a criação de relações com parceiros românticos. O amor apaixonado é descrito por emoções fortes que induzem mecanismos diferentes dos observados em relações de amizade. Para a medição deste construto, a Passionate Love Scale (PLS) permite avaliar os componentes do amor apaixonado ao nível cognitivo, comportamental e emocional. Assim, neste trabalho, procura-se avaliar o modelo de ajustamento da PLS para a amostra em estudo, bem como analisar e relacionar a escala com as variáveis sociodemográficas. Para o efeito, foi levada a cabo uma análise fatorial exploratória, seguida de uma análise fatorial confirmatória, bem como testes de correlação e de diferenças. Foi encontrado um bom modelo de ajustamento tanto para a versão A, como para a versão B da PLS. Os resultados obtidos nesta investigação permitiram concluir a importância do amor apaixonado nas relações amorosas e a relevância de explorar diferentes variáveis associadas ao mesmo, como a duração da relação, o responsável pelo fim da relação, entre outras. Assim sendo, este estudo torna-se relevante no sentido em que é possível adquirir informações/conhecimentos sobre o tema do amor apaixonado no contexto português.
- High specificity clinical signs of impending death: a scoping reviewPublication . Simões, Catarina; Carneiro, Rui; Teixeira, Abílio CardosoBackground Accurate diagnosis of impending death is essential to provide proper care in the last days and hours of life. Recognising the death situation immediately allows adjustment of care goals, ensuring that they suit the patient's condition, as well as tuning the team's and family's expectations. Objective To map and describe evidence on high specificity clinical signs of impending death in cancer and noncancer hospitalised patients over 18 years of age. Methods A comprehensive search of the published literature was conducted According to Joanna Briggs Institute's methodology for scoping reviews. Online databases, including MEDLINE, CINAHL complete, SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the search for unpublished studies included OpenGrey, DART-Europe, and RCAAP. Publications in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish were included, and no period was set. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extensions to scoping review guidelines were used to report the results. The review protocol was registered in Open Science Framework (Simões et al., 2022). Results The 15 studies included in this review were published in English between 2013 and 2023. In addition to identifying the clinical signs of impending death, some researchers intend to develop accurate prognostic models for this clinical situation. Only two studies in the noncancer population met the inclusion criteria. Twelve articles were prospective observational studies (seven were multicentre studies), one was a retrospective cohort study, and two were narrative reviews. A clinical sign that is common to studies in both populations is respiration with mandibular movement, particularly in the last 12 h of life. Conclusions Clinical signs of impending death and prediction models can help clinicians identify impending death. However, they should not replace clinical judgement. Further research is required to understand whether the dying process differs among different patient populations and care settings.
- What is the impact of thiamine deficiency on cognitive function in patients with alcohol use disorder? - a systematic reviewPublication . Teixeira, Joana; Pereira, Inês; Castanho, Miguel; Couto, Frederico Simões doCognitive impairments are frequently observed in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Thiamine deficiency is often found in AUD patients and has been suggested as a possible cause of cognitive impairments. While thiamine deficiency is not consistently present in all AUD patients with cognitive deficits, thiamine is traditionally prescribed to patients with AUD to treat or prevent cognitive impairment. To better understand the relationship between thiamine levels and cognitive impairments in AUD patients, we conducted a systematic literature review following the Cochrane guidelines and adhering to the PRISMA-P framework. Additionally, this review is registered in PROSPERO under the reference CRD42024522058. Our research question was: “what is the impact of thiamine deficiency on cognitive function in patients with AUD?”. The studies included in this review assessed thiamine levels in AUD patients and found values at or above the threshold for many measures of thiamine deficiency. Despite baseline thiamine levels being above the cutoff for deficiency in these studies, many still identified a correlation between thiamine levels and cognitive function with lower thiamine levels associated with cognitive impairments in AUD patients. This review indicates that there is a relationship between thiamine levels and cognitive function in AUD patients, even in the absence of thiamine deficit. The cognitive domains particularly affected are visuospatial/executive ability, abstraction, attention, verbal fluency, and memory scores, notably delayed memory. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that thiamine supplementation in AUD patients, even in the absence of thiamine deficit, leads to improvements in cognitive function.
- Editorial: use of biostimulants in beneficial plant-microbe interactionsPublication . Pereira, Sofia I. A.; Aroca, Ricardo; Cornejo, Pablo