Variación en la explotación de la cuarcita durante el Paleolítico Superior en el Suroeste de la Península Ibérica

The Upper Paleolithic of SW Iberia is marked by the presence of chopper and flake assemblages in quartzite. Detailed characterization at regional and chronological levels of these assemblages is of the utmost importance because, in the most Paleolithic recent phases, they can be found without type-fossils associated or in non-datable deposits. In this study, we used 24 quartzite assemblages from SW Iberia, to test the diagnostic character of this raw material through attribute analysis and refitting. Results indicate that Gravettian, Solutrean and Magdalenian can be distinguished on their quartzite assemblages, enabling, by itself, the differentiation of the Upper Paleolithic key-sequence. They also indicate that Gravettian and Magdalenian assemblages are technologically closer to each other than to Solutrean, a pattern possibly related with the adaptation to the Last Glacial Maximum.El Paleolítico Superior del Suroeste de la Península Ibérica está marcado por la presencia de conjuntos de cantos tallados y lascas en cuarcita. La caracterización detallada a nivel regional y cronológico de estos conjuntos es de la mayor importancia, ya que, en las fases más recientes del Paleolítico, se pueden encontrar sin asociación a fósiles-guía o depósitos datables. En este estudio, hemos utilizado 36 conjuntos de cuarcita de esa región para poner a prueba el carácter diagnóstico de esta materia prima a través de análisis de tributos y remontajes. Los resultados indican que Gravetiense, Solutrense y Magdaleniense se pueden distinguir en sus conjuntos de cuarcita, lo que permite, por sí mismo, la diferenciación de la secuencia clave del Paleolítico Superior. También indican que los conjuntos Gravetiense y Magdaleniense están tecnológicamente más próximos entre sí que respecto al Solutrense, un patrón posiblemente relacionado con la adaptación al Último Máximo Glaciar

Conceções metodológicas nas aulas de Educação Física: satisfação dos alunos na abordagem dos Jogos Desportivos Coletivos de Invasão

Com este estudo pretendeu-se perceber em que dimensões os alunos atribuem maiores níveis de satisfação à disciplina de Educação Física e analisar essa satisfação em função do expertise dos professores. Participaram no estudo 155 alunos, a quem foi aplicado um questionário de satisfação em oito aulas de educação física. Os resultados indicaram que o tratamento pessoal, a estratégia e instrução na aula, são as escalas em que os alunos revelaram maiores níveis de satisfação. Verificaram-se também diferenças significativas nas respostas dos alunos de professores experientes e principiantes, sendo os valores de satisfação mais elevados nas aulas dos professores principiantes

Controlo de gestão em contexto de obra civil : o caso da Empresa Casais (Gibraltar) Limited

Para conclusão do mestrado em gestão realizei um estágio no departamento económico e financeiro da empresa Casais (Gibraltar) Limited. O trabalho desenvolvido consistiu na análise das práticas de planeamento, gestão e controlo da produção em contexto de obra civil, através do contacto direto com o orçamento e a informação real obtida através de tarefas de rotina do departamento entre Outubro de 2018 e Junho de 2019, tendo lidado, por exemplo, com o lançamento de faturas, pagamentos, e análises das contas de clientes e fornecedores. Foi possível também analisar a organização das pessoas e os centros de custo, e trabalhar com as ferramentas informáticas que apoiam a gestão da empresa. Este estudo foi desenvolvido ao longo do estágio enquadrado numa revisão bibliográfica adaptado ao setor de atividade da empresa, através da experiência vivida dentro da organização e do diálogo com alguns dos seus quadros superiores. À data do início do estágio (Outubro de 2018) a empresa apresentou um desafio muito concreto que consistiu na implementação de um sistema de controlo de custos aplicado nas suas obras, com o propósito de aumentar a sua rentabilidade. Procedeu-se por isso à análise crítica de sistemas informáticos e dos processos e práticas de reporte, nomeadamente a ligação entre o sistema de back-office “SAP” e o sistema de orçamentação de obras “Candy”. O trabalho desenvolvido teve um caráter essencialmente prático e permitiu sugerir o redesenho, tanto em termos de forma como de substância, dos painéis de indicadores das tabelas de reporte (a preencher pelas direções de obra para enviar ao departamento financeiro), e dos quadros a apresentar à direção (a preencher por parte do departamento financeiro). Estes painéis de indicadores para além de conterem informação que não era até agora analisada com detalhe, pretendem dar-lhes uma apresentação que se considerou ser mais prática e sucinta. Sugerimos também alterações nos critérios para alocação de custos a cada centro de custo e na distribuição dos encargos gerais por obra. Como consequência do trabalho realizado, a Casais (Gibraltar) Limited passou a fazer um controlo mensal de custos em 2019, mapeando desvios e analisando-os juntamente com cada diretor de obra.In order to conclude the master’s degree in management, I have worked as a trainee in the economic and financial department of Casais (Gibraltar) Limited. An analysis of planning, management and control of production practices in the contexto of construction projects was conducted, through the direct contact with the budget and the real information obtained through the routine activities of the department between October 2018 and June 2019, dealing with activities such as monitoring invoices, payments, and the analysis of customers and suppliers. It as also possible to study the organization of the emplyees in the company as well as the cost centres, and to work with the computer tools which support the company’s management. This study was carried out during an internship, framed in a bibliografic review adapted to the construction sector, throug the experience lived within the organization and the dialogue with some of its senior staff. By the beggining of the internship (October 2018) the company faced a huge challenge which was to implement a cost control system to apply to all its projects, in order to increase its profitability. The company proceeded to the critic analysis of IT systems and reporting processes and practices, namely the link between the “SAP” back-office system and the “Candy” construction budgeting and planning system. The internship in this company was mainly practical and made it possible to suggest new layouts for the reporting tables (to be filled in by the site managers to be sent to the financial department), and for the tables to be presented to top management (to be filled in by the cost control employees). These layouts, in addition to containing information which was not previously studied in detail, sum up and present the information in a more practical and succint way. We also suggest changes in the criteria when allocating costs to each cost centre, and distributing structure cost through the projects. As a consequence of this internship Casais (Gibraltar) Limited went on to preform a monthly cost control in 2019, mapping deviations and analyzing them, together with each site manager

New Peptide Functionalized Nanostructured Lipid Carriers with CNS Drugs and Evaluation Anti-proliferative Activity

Nanoparticulate systems have been widely investigated as delivery vectors for efficient drug delivery in different diseases. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) are composed of both solid and liquid lipids (glyceryl dibehenate and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether) and have demonstrated enhanced biological compatibility and increased drug loading capability. Furthermore, the use of peptides, in particular cell-penetrating peptides, to functionalize nanoparticles and enhance cell membrane permeation was explored in this paper. In this paper, we described the synthesis of a new conjugated of tranylcypromine with MAP. In addition, taking into consideration our previous results, this study developed different NLCs loaded with three central nervous system (CNS) drugs (tacrine (TAC), rasagiline (RAS), and tranylcypromine (TCP)) functionalized with model amphipathic peptide (MAP) and evaluated their activity against cancer cells. Particle size analysis demonstrated NLC presented less than 200 nm and a polydispersity index less than 0.3. Moreover, in vitro results showed that conjugation of MAP with drugs led to a higher decrease in cell viability of a neuroblastoma cell line and Caco-2 cell line, more than MAP alone. Furthermore, NLC encapsulation contributed to higher cellular delivery and enhanced toxic activity at lower concentrations when compared with free or co-administration drug-MAP conjugate.Funding: This work was financed by FEDER—Fundo Europeu de Desenvolimento Regional through the COMPETE 2020—Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, in a framework of the projects in CINTESIS, R&D Unit (reference UIDB/4255/2020, RISE (RISELA/P/0053/2020) and iMed.ULisboa (UID/DTP/04138/2019), as well by LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE), UIDB/50020/2020 and UIDP/50020/2020 (LSRE-LCM), funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). N.V. also thanks support from FCT and FEDER (European Union), award number IF/00092/2014/CP1255/CT0004 and CHAIR in Onco-Innovation. Acknowledgments: N.V. thanks support FCT and FEDER (European Union), award number IF/00092/ 2014/CP1255/CT0004 and CHAIR in Onco-Innovation. S.S. thanks FCT for PhD Grant (PD/BD/135456/ 2017) and PhD Programme in Medicines and Pharmaceutical Innovation (i3DU) from the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and the University of Porto (Portugal). D.D. acknowledges FCT for funding her PhD grant (SFRH/BD/140734/2018).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparison of different pretreatment processes envisaging the potential use of food waste as microalgae substrate

A significant fraction of the food produced worldwide is currently lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, squandering natural and economic resources. Food waste valorization will be an important necessity in the coming years. This work investigates the ability of food waste to serve as a viable nutritional substrate for the heterotrophic growth of Chlorella vulgaris. The impact of different pretreatments on the elemental composition and microbial contamination of seven retail food waste mixtures was evaluated. Among the pretreatment methods applied to the food waste formulations, autoclaving was able to eliminate all microbial contamination and increase the availability of reducing sugars by 30%. Ohmic heating was also able to eliminate most of the contaminations in the food wastes in shorter time periods than autoclave. However, it has reduced the availability of reducing sugars, making it less preferable for microalgae heterotrophic cultivation. The direct utilization of food waste containing essential nutrients from fruits, vegetables, dairy and bakery products, and meat on the heterotrophic growth of microalgae allowed a biomass concentration of 2.2 × 108 cells·mL?1, being the culture able to consume more than 42% of the reducing sugars present in the substrate, thus demonstrating the economic and environmental potential of these wastes.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of the UIDB/04469/2020 unit, with DOI 10.54499/UIDB/04469/2020, and by LABBELS—Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Micro-electromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. This work was funded by the European Union throughthe Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 101036388. Pedro Geada acknowledges FCT for the Junior Research contract obtained under the scope of the Scientific Stimulus Employment with the reference 2022.00930.CEECIND (https://doi.org/10.54499/2022.00930.CEECIND/CP1718/CT0023). Ricardo N. Pereira and Joana T. Martins acknowledge FCT for their Assistant Research contract obtained under the scope of Scientific Stimulus Employment with reference CEECIND/02903/2017 (https://doi.org/10.54499/CEECIND/02903/2017/CP1458/CT0006) and 2022.00788.CEECIND/CP1718/CT0024 (https://doi.org/10.54499/2022.00788.CEECIND/CP1718/CT0024), respectively. Luís Machado acknowledges FCT for its fellowship supported by doctoraladvanced training (SFRH/BD/07475/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Open-Air Cold Plasma Device Leads to Selective Tumor Cell Cytotoxicity

The need for effective and safe therapies for cancer is growing as aging is modifying its epidemiology. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has gained attention as a potential anti-tumor therapy. CAP is a gas with enough energy to ionize a significant fraction of its constituent particles, forming equal numbers of positive ions and electrons. Timely-resolved output voltage measurement, emission spectroscopy, and quantification of reactive species (RS) in plasma-activated media (PAM) were performed to characterize the physical and chemical properties of plasma. To assess the cytotoxicity of cold atmospheric plasma in human tumors, different cell lines were cultured, plated, and exposed to CAP, followed by MTT and SRB colorimetric assays 24 h later. Human fibroblasts, phenotypically normal cells, were processed similarly. Plasma cytotoxicity was higher in cells of breast cancer, urinary bladder cancer, osteosarcoma, lung cancer, melanoma, and endometrial cancer. Cytotoxicity was time-dependent and possibly related to the increased production of hydrogen peroxide in the exposed medium. Sixty seconds of CAP exposure renders selective effects, preserving the viability of fibroblast cells. These results point to the importance of conducting further studies of the therapy with plasma

Diabetes as an independent predictor of high atherosclerotic burden assessed by coronary computed tomography angiography: The coronary artery disease equivalent revisited

(1) To study the prevalence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in diabetic patients. (2) To provide a detailed characterization of the coronary atherosclerotic burden, including the localization, degree of stenosis and plaque composition by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Single center prospective registry including a total of 581 consecutive stable patients (April 2011-March 2012) undergoing CCTA (Dual-source CT) for the evaluation of suspected CAD without previous myocardial infarction or revascularization procedures. Different coronary plaque burden indexes and plaque type and distribution patterns were compared between patients with (n = 85) and without diabetes (n = 496). The prevalence of CAD (any plaque; 74.1 vs. 56 %; p = 0.002) and obstructive CAD (≥50 % stenosis; 31.8 vs. 10.3 %; p<0.001) were significantly higher in diabetic patients. The remaining coronary atherosclerotic burden indexes evaluated (plaque in LM-3v-2v with prox. LAD; SIS; SSS; CT-LeSc) were also significantly higher in diabetic patients. In the per segment analysis, diabetics had a higher percentage of segments with plaque in every vessel (2.6/13.1/7.5/10.5 % for diabetics vs. 1.4/7.1/3.3/4.4 % for nondiabetics for LM, LAD, LCx, RCA respectively; p<0.001 for all) and of both calcified (19.3 vs. 9.2 %, p<0.001) and noncalcified or mixed types (14.4 vs. 7.0 %; p<0.001); the ratio of proximal-to-distal relative plaque distribution (calculated as LM/proximal vs. mid/distal/branches) was lower for diabetics (0.75 vs. 1.04; p = 0.009). Diabetes was an independent predictor of CAD and was also associated with more advanced CAD, evaluated by indexes of coronary atherosclerotic burden. Diabetics had a significantly higher prevalence of plaques in every anatomical subset and for the different plaque composition. In this report, the relative geographic distribution of the plaques within each subgroup, favored a more mid-to-distal localization in the diabetic patients

Are Strength Indicators and Skin Temperature Affected by the Type of Warm-Up in Paralympic Powerlifting Athletes?

(1) Background: the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of different types of warm-ups on the strength and skin temperature of Paralympic powerlifting athletes. (2) Methods: the participants were 15 male Paralympic powerlifting athletes. The effects of three different types of warm-up (without warm-up (WW), traditional warm-up (TW), or stretching warm-up (SW)) were analyzed on static and dynamic strength tests as well as in the skin temperature, which was monitored by thermal imaging. (3) Results: no differences in the dynamic and static indicators of the force were shown in relation to the different types of warm-ups. No significant differences were found in relation to peak torque (p = 0.055, F = 4.560, η2p = 0.246 medium effect), and one-repetition maximum (p = 0.139, F = 3.191, η2p = 0.186, medium effect) between the different types of warm-ups. In the thermographic analysis, there was a significant difference only in the pectoral muscle clavicular portion between the TW (33.04 ± 0.71 °C) and the WW (32.51 ± 0.74 °C) (p = 0.038). The TW method also presented slightly higher values than the SW and WW in the pectoral muscles sternal portion and the deltoid anterior portion, but with p-value > 0.05. (4) Conclusions: the types of warm-ups studied do not seem to interfere with the performance of Paralympic Powerlifting athletes. However, the thermal images showed that traditional warm-up best meets the objectives expected for this preparation phase.post-print1305 K

Coronary computed tomography angiography-adapted Leaman score as a tool to noninvasively quantify total coronary atherosclerotic burden

To describe a coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-adapted Leaman score (CT-LeSc) as a tool to quantify total coronary atherosclerotic burden with information regarding localization, type of plaque and degree of stenosis and to identify clinical predictors of a high coronary atherosclerotic burden as assessed by the CT-LeSc. Single center prospective registry including a total of 772 consecutive patients undergoing CCTA (Dual-source CT) from April 2011 to March 2012. For the purpose of this study, 581 stable patients referred for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) without previous myocardial infarction or revascularization procedures were included. Pre-test CAD probability was determined using both the Diamond-Forrester extended CAD consortium method (DF-CAD consortium model) and the Morise score. Cardiovascular risk was assessed with the HeartScore. The cut-off for the 3rd tercile (CT-LeSc ≥8.3) was used to define a population with a high coronary atherosclerotic burden. The median CT-LeSc in this population (n = 581, 8,136 coronary segments evaluated; mean age 57.6 ± 11.1; 55.8 % males; 14.6 % with diabetes) was 2.2 (IQR 0-6.8). In patients with CAD (n = 341), the median CT-LeSc was 5.8 (IQR 3.2-9.6). Among patients with nonobstructive CAD, most were classified in the lowest terciles (T1, 43.0 %; T2, 36.1 %), but 20.9 % were in the highest tercile (T3). The majority of the patients with obstructive CAD were classified in T3 (78.2 %), but 21.8 % had a CT-LeSc in lower terciles (T1 or T2). The independent predictors of a high CT-LeSc were: Male sex (OR 1.73; 95 % CI 1.04-2.90) diabetes (OR 2.91; 95 % CI 1.61-5.23), hypertension (OR 2.54; 95 % CI 1.40-4.63), Morise score ≥16 (OR 1.97; 95 % CI 1.06-3.67) and HeartScore ≥5 (OR 2.42; 95 % CI 1.41-4.14). We described a cardiac CT adapted Leaman score as a tool to quantify total (obstructive and nonobstructive) coronary atherosclerotic burden, reflecting the comprehensive information about localization, degree of stenosis and type of plaque provided by CCTA. Male sex, hypertension, diabetes, a HeartScore ≥5 % and a Morise score ≥16 were associated with a high coronary atherosclerotic burden, as assessed by the CT-LeSc. About one fifth of the patients with nonobstructive CAD had a CT-LeSc in the highest tercile, and this could potentially lead to a reclass

Physiological and biochemical evaluation of different types of recovery in national level Paralympic powerlifting

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