Aesthetic markers in the voice of radio professionals

Voice is one of the most essential means of expression in human experience and a valuable tool for communication. Its sound characteristics are most relevant in contexts such as social communication and particularly the radio, where the practice of communication is treated at a professional level and the need to captivate a public-listener through the vocal resources is identified. Therefore, this study intended to find if there are specific vocal qualities that contribute to a better or worse appreciation of vocal aesthetic of the radio professional concerning experienced radio listeners.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Food Processing: Comparison of Different Food Classification Systems

The substitution of minimally processed food and culinary home preparations for ready-to-eat products is increasing worldwide, which is overlooked as a cause of concern. The technological developments and the rise in highly processed food availability have introduced the concept of ultra-processed food (UPF). Food classification systems based on processing are now a new basis for epidemiological research. Different results from these classifications might influence conclusions on the populations consumption of UPF or its association with health outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare classification systems and to find out if their results are comparable when evaluating the extent of high/UPF on the overall diet. Portuguese data from the year 2000 was extracted from the DAFNE-AnemosSoft, and 556 food/beverages items were classified according to five systems. The contribution of UPF was calculated as a percentage of total available amount and discrepancy ranges used for comparisons. Results of UPF availability contributions were: NOVA 10.2%; UNC 15.2%; IFPRI 16.7%; IFIC 17.7%; IARC 47.4%. The highest discrepancy ranges were from alcoholic beverages (97.4%), milk/milk products (94.2%), sugar/sugar products (90.1%), added lipids (74.9%), and cereals/cereal products (71.3%). Inconsistencies among classifications were huge and the contribution from highly/UPF presented high discrepancies. Caution must be taken when comparing and interpreting such data

Dark Tourism in the land of Sunshine: An intercultural business model for the routes of death and disaster in Portugal

The main goal of this dissertation is the creation and subsequent implementation of dark tourism routes in Portugal, following a business model that already exists in other cultures. This typology of tourism is an extension of cultural tourism and is classified by the search for places where once disasters, suffering and death occurred. Thus, concentration camps, inactive prisons, serial killers' homes, cemeteries, and all other places that fit into the patterns of death, tragedy and suffering can be considered dark tourism sites. In Portugal, there are some places associated with the practice of dark tourism, although this type of business is not yet sufficiently explored. Therefore, this dissertation intends to use the country’s heritage, which is one of the levers for promoting tourism and an important factor of development, thus justifying the elaboration of a conceptual map associated with tourism. With the delineation of routes in this dissertation, we intend not only to introduce this market niche in the country, but also to contribute innovatively to the tourist dynamics, in order to blur the existing seasonality, which arises from the demand for sun and sea tourism. With the conception and design of these routes, we intend to make a pioneering contribution to the creation of a platform to promote dark tourism in the country. The creation of a business model and a marketing plan results from the need to assess the viability of the implementation of this project, and to discuss the best strategies for implementing it

BIOCHEMICAL DIFFERENTIATION AMONG S. aureus, S. Intermedius AND S. hyicus ISOLATED FROM BOVINES WITH SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS

Staphylococcus aureus é, entre as espécies de estafilococos, a mais relacionada a infecções em animais e humanos, bem como a doenças de origem alimentar. Entretanto, S. intermedius e S. hyicus, duas espécies com características morfológicas muito similares a S. aureus, também podem causar doenças, bem como produzir enterotoxinas em alimentos, tornando importante a diferenciação entre essas três espécies de estafilococos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência de oito técnicas bioquímicas com relação à sua capacidade para distinguir entre S. aureus, S. intermedius e S. hyicus. Para isso, 65 cepas, previamente identificadas em nível de espécie através de técnicas moleculares, foram submetidas aos testes de produção de pigmentos carotenóides, atividade hemolítica em ágar sangue, produção de b- galactosidase, produção de acetoína, atividade lipolítica em polisorbato, fermentação aeróbica da maltose, fermentação anaeróbica do manitol e crescimento em ágar Baird-Paker e ágar P suplementados com acriflavina. Verificou-se que os testes de sensibilidade a acriflavina e de produção de b- galactosidase apresentaram bom poder discriminatório, demonstrando serem os melhores testes bioquímicos para a diferenciação entre essas três espécies de estafilococos. Abstract Among staphylococcus species, Staphylococcus aureus is the one mostly related to animal and human infections, as well as food diseases. However, S. intermedius and S. hyicus, two species with very similar morphological characteristics to S. aureus, can also cause diseases as well as produce enterotoxins in food, what makes important the differentiation of these three species. The aim of this work was to study the efficiency of eight biochemical techniques regarding their capacity to distinguish among S. aureus, S. intermedius and S. hyicus. For that purpose, sixty five strains, previously identified at species level through molecular techniques, were submitted to the tests of carotenoid pigments production, hemolytic activity in blood agar, b- galactosidase production, acetoin production, lipolytic activity in polysorbate, maltose aerobic fermentation, manitol anaerobic fermentation and growth in Baird-Parker and P agar supplemented with acriflavine. It was verified that tests of sensitivity to acriflavine and b-galactosidase production display good distinguishing properties, constituting as a whole, the best biochemical tests for the identification of these three staphylococcus species

Synthesis and in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of polyhydroxylated 2-styrylchromones

2-Styrylchromones (2-SC) are a small class of naturally-occurring oxygen-containing heterocycles. Although they are scarce in nature, a large number of 2-SC derivatives has been synthesized and their biological activ ity evaluated, namely as antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant and antitumor agents [l]. As far as we know, the antidiabetic activity of 2-SC is still unexplored. With this rational in mind, a series of 12 polyhydroxylated derivatives of 2-SC (1) were synthethized and used as inhibitors of the carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzyme a-glucosidase. This enzyme catalyzes the final step of the digestive process of starch and break down oligosaccharides to monosaccharides being one of the most currently used therapeutic approaches to decrease postprandial hyperglycemia and consequently to control type 2 diabetes mellitus [2]. The synthesis of polyhydroxylated 2-SC involves a multi-step strategy starting with the condensation of the appropriate 2'-hydroxyacetophenones with cinnamic acid derivatives, base-promoted Baker- Yenkataraman rearrangement of the esters formed, cyclodehydration and finnaly cleavage of the protecting groups to afford the desired polyhydroxylated 2-SC (3]. The in vitro assay to evaluate the inhibitory activity of the compounds under study and the positive control, acarbose, against a-glucosidase was performed by monitoring the hydrolysis of the substrate p-nitrophenyl glucopyranoside into the product p-nitrophenol at 405 nm. In addition, the study of the inhibition type was carried out through nonlinear regression Michaelis-Menton enzymatic kinetics and the corresponding Lineweaver-Burk plot [4].This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds POCI/01 /0145/FEDER/007265) and National Funds (FCT/MEC, Fundayiio para a Ciencia e Tecnologia and Ministerio da Educação e Ciência) under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 UID/ AGR/00690/2013; UID/QUI/50006/2013; UID/QUI/00062/2019, and "Programa Operacional Competitividade e Intemacionalizayiio" (COMPETE) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029241), and under the framework of QREN (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000024).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inhibition of the carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase by hydroxylated xanthones

Xanthones are oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds that exhibit a wide range of biological and pharmacological properties. Some natural and synthetic derivatives have been identified for their antidiabetic profile, mainly as α-glucosidase inhibitors. However, studies concerning the inhibition of both carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase are scarce. Thus, in order to identify some of these dual-target antidiabetic agents, a series of new synthetic xanthones were evaluated together with their commercial parents mangiferin (4), α-mangostin (5) and γ-mangostin (6). The results showed that xanthones exhibited a systematic stronger inhibition against α-glucosidase rather than for α-amylase. Derivatives 2c, 3a and 3b, bearing one catechol moiety, were the most active inhibitors of α-amylase, while xanthones 2c, 3b and 3c were the most active against α-glucosidase activity, with IC50 values lower than 10 μM. These findings suggest that the substitution pattern of the xanthone scaffold modulated the inhibitory activity of these compounds, and some structure–activity relationships could be established for both assays. In addition, the type of inhibition was also studied, and the results indicate a competitive type of inhibition for α-amylase activity by xanthones 2c, 3b, 3c and γ-mangostin (6). On the other hand, non-competitive inhibition mechanisms can be ascribed for all xanthones 1–6 against α-glucosidase. The present work can open a promising area of research based on the design of novel xanthone derivatives, based on natural ones, for targeting key enzymes involved in glucose metabolism and therefore in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus.The work was supported by UIBD/00690/2020 and UIDB/50006/2020 with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds, and by EXPL/MED-QUI/0815/2021, with funding from FCT. Carina Proença acknowledges funding from FCT and MCTES through national funds and COMPETE, grant number PTDC/MED-QUI/29243/2017 -POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029243. Marisa Freitas acknowledges her contract under the Scientific Employment Stimulus - Individual Call (CEEC Individual) 2020.04126.CEECIND/CP1596/CT0006.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transphobia and gender identity: Social representations of trans women from brazil and colombia [Transfobia e identidade de gênero: Representações sociais de mulheres trans do brasil e colômbia]

The present research aimed to identify and discuss the social representations of trans women related to gender identity and transphobia in Brazil and Colombia. In this study participated 43 Trans women, 22 from Brazil, aged between 18 and 55 years (M=29.09, SD=8.53) and 21 from Colombia, aged between 21 and 41 years (M=28.19, SD=7.63). This study adopted a qualitative approach in which semi-structured interviews were used. The data were analyzed by the Iramuteq software, which identified the social representations in classes. The results showed what the participants understood about transphobia and how they regarded their experiences with this gender identity. The participants presented negative social representations, aiming at their personal experiences related to their social context. Themes related to violence, discrimination, prejudice, denial of rights and family support emerged from both the Brazilian and Colombian sample. Implications for Tran´s quality of life are discussed. © 2021, Associacao Brasileira de Pos - Graduacao em Saude Coletiva. All rights reserved

Fluorinated Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials: An Overview of Current Research

This chapter is focused on the massive potential and increasing interest on Fluorinated Ionic Liquids (FILs) as task-specific materials. FILs are a specific family of ionic liquids, with fluorine tags equal or longer than four carbon atoms, that share and improve the properties of both traditional ionic liquids and perfluoro surfactants. These compounds have unique properties such as three nanosegregated domains, a great surfactant power, chemical/biological inertness, easy recovery and recyclability, low surface tension, extreme surface activity, high gas solubility, negligible vapour pressure, null flammability, and high thermal stability. These properties allied to the countless possible combinations between cations and anions allow the design and development of FILs with remarkable properties to be used in specific applications. In this review, we highlight not only the unique thermophysical, surfactant and toxicological properties of these fluorinated compounds, but also their application as task-specific materials in many fields of interest, including biomedical applications, as artificial gas carries and drug delivery systems, as well as solvents for separations in engineering processes

Caracteres morfoagronômicos revelam elevada diversidade genética das variedades crioulas de pimenta Murupi

Murupi chili pepper is a hot Amazonian pepper that has been used as flavoring in the region, yet its diversity is unknown. This paper aims to assess the diversity in 20 landraces from Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon. The experiment was installed in Manaus-AM, using a randomized complete block design with three replicates and five plants per plot. Analyses of variance showed significant differences for all nine descriptors. Fruit yield showed, in average, to be 208.08 fruits per plant, tantamount to 381.44 g per plant. Given 50% of relative distances estimated by generalized Mahalanobis distances and, nearest neighbor clustering, they displayed six groups. Cluster I comprised 50% of the landraces. Clusters IV, V and VI were represented by ‘8’ (Putumayo, Colombia), ‘27’ (Yurimaguas, Peru) and ‘24’ (Jutaí-AM, Brazil), respectively. The highest yielding landrace showed to be ‘17’ (Manicoré-AM, Brazil), bearing 685.5 fruits and 1.92 kg per plant. Our findings suggest Murupi pepper may possibly be improved by selection and/ or hybridization. © 2018, Sociedade de Olericultura do Brasil. All rights reserved

Anticorpos líticos induzidos por infecção pelo Trypanosoma cruzi reconhecem epitopos presentes nas formas tripomastigotas e epimastigotas do parasita

Sera of Chaga's disease patients containing anti-T. cruzi lytic antibodies were submitted to affinity chromatography using Sepharose 4B conjugated with antigen extracted from epimasiigote or trypomasiigote forms of the parasite. Epimastigotes were obtained from culture at the exponential growth phase and the trypomastigotes from blood of infected and immunosuppressed mice. Antigen of both parasite forms was obtained by sonication of the parasites followed by centrifugation. Both antigens were then conjugated to activated Sepharose 4B. Affinity chromatography was performed by passing sera from chagasic patients through an immunoadsorbent column containing either epimasiigote or trypomasiigote antigens. Antibodies bound to the column were eluted with cold 0,2 M glycine buffer pH 2,8. The eluted antibodies were analysed regarding their isotype and lytic activity. The results showed that anti-T. cruzi lytic antibodies present in sera from chagasic patients are mainly located in the IgG isotype and recognize epitopes present in both trypomasiigote and epimastigote forms. A brief report of this work has already been published12.Soro de pacientes com doença de Chagas na fase crônica foram submetidos a cromatografia de afinidade com Sepharose 4B conjugada com um extrato antigênico obtido de formas epimastigotas ou tripomastigotas de T. cruzi: os epimastigotas foram obtidos de cultura na fase exponencial de crescimento e os tripomastigotas de sangue de camundongos infectados e imunossuprimidos. Os antígenos de ambas formas parasitárias foram obtidos por tratamento dos parasitas por ultra-som, seguido de centrifugação. A cromatografia de afinidade foi feita passando-se os soros chagásicos através de uma coluna de imunoadsorvente contendo antígenos de epimastigotas ou tripomastigotas. Os anticorpos foram eluídos da coluna com tampão glicina 0,2 M pH 2,8 a 4°C. Os anticorpos eluidos foram analisados quanto ao seu isotipo e atividade lítica. Os resultados mostraram que os anticorpos anti-T. cruzi com atividade lítica presentes em soros chagásicos estão localizados no isotipo IgG e reconhecem epitopos presentes tanto nos tripomastigotas quanto nos epimastigotas