Organizational and job resources on employees' job insecurity during the first wave of COVID-19: the mediating effect of work engagement

The world of work has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the high instability observed in the labor market, bringing several new challenges for leaders and employees. The present study aims to analyze the role of organizational and job resources in predicting employees’ job insecurity during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, through the mediating role of work engagement. A sample of 207 Portuguese employees participated (Mean age = 45 years old, SD = 9.92), of which 64.7% were women. Data was collected using an online survey, including self-report measures of organizational resources (perceived organizational support), job resources (performance feedback and job autonomy), job insecurity, and work engagement. Data showed that job and organizational resources negatively influenced job insecurity. Moreover, work engagement was a significant mediator of the relation between performance feedback (facet of job resources) and job insecurity. Findings suggest that investing in job and organizational resources can act as protective factors to minimize feelings of job insecurity. Likewise, leaders should foster work engagement among employees to help them balance the relation between these resources and job insecurity, especially in crisis situations. Overall, this study takes a new, underexplored perspective, theoretically bridging organizational and job resources with job insecurity and work engagement during a time of great uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic

On sampling collection procedure effectiveness for forest soil characterization

One of the most important measures to prevent wild forest fires is the use of prescribed and controlled burning actions as it reduce the fuel mass availability. The impact of these management activities on soil physical and chemical properties varies according to the type of both soil and vegetation. Decisions in forest management plans are often based on the results obtained from soil-monitoring campaigns. Those campaigns are often man-labor intensive and expensive. In this paper we have successfully used the multivariate statistical technique Robust Principal Analysis Compounds (ROBPCA) to investigate on the sampling procedure effectiveness for two different methodologies, in order to reflect on the possibility of simplifying and reduce the sampling collection process and its auxiliary laboratory analysis work towards a cost-effective and competent forest soil characterization

Effects of different slipping methods on the mortality of sardine, Sardina pilchardus, after purse-seine capture off the Portuguese Southern coast (Algarve)

The effects of two different slipping methods on the survival, physical and physiological response of sardines, Sardina pilchardus, captured in a purse-seine fishery were investigated in southern Portugal. Sardines were collected and transferred into holding tanks onboard a commercial fishing vessel after being captured, crowded and deliberately released using two slipping procedures: standard and modified. The standard slipping procedure aggregated fish at high densities and made them "roll over" the floatline, while the modified procedure aggregated the fish at moderate densities and enabled them to escape through an opening created by adding weights to the floatline. Both slipping methods were compared with minimally harmed non-slipped sardines (sardines collected from the loose pocket of the purse seine). Survival rates were monitored in captivity over 28 days using three replicates for each treatment. The estimated survival of sardines was 43.6% for the non-slipped fish, 44.7% for the modified slipping and 11.7% for the standard slipping treatments. Scale loss indicated the level of physical impact experienced, with dead fish from the non-slipped and modified slipping technique showing significantly lower scale loss than those fish from the standard slipping treatment within the same period. Of the physiological indicators of stress measured, cortisol, glucose, lactate and osmolality attained peak values during slipping and up to the first hours after introduction to captivity. This work indicates that although delayed mortality after release may be substantial, appropriately modified slipping techniques significantly enhance survival of slipped sardines.FCT [SFRH/BPD/116307/2016]; European Commission's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme [634495

Unveiling biological activities of marine fungi: the effect of sea salt

There is an urgent need for new substances to overcome current challenges in the health sciences. Marine fungi are known producers of numerous compounds, but the manipulation of growth conditions for optimal compound production can be laborious and time-consuming. In Portugal, despite its very long coastline, there are only a few studies on marine fungi. From a collection of Portuguese marine fungi, we screened for antimicrobial, antioxidant, enzymatic, and cytotoxic activities. Mycelia aqueous extracts, obtained by high pressure-assisted extraction, and methanolic extracts of culture media showed high antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities. The mycelium extracts of Cladosporium rubrum showed higher antioxidant potential compared to extracts from other fungi. Mycelia and culture media extracts of Aspergillus affinis and Penicillium lusitanum inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Kocuria rhizophila, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including multiresistant strains. Penicillium lusitanum and Trichoderma aestuarinum inhibited the growth of clinical strains of Candida albicans, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis. All extracts from culture media were cytotoxic to Vero cells. Sea salt induced alterations in the mycelium's chemical composition, leading to different activity profiles.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Is prnt a pseudogene? identification of ram prt in testis and ejaculated spermatozoa

A hallmark of prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopaties is the conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC), expressed by the prion gene (prnp), into an abnormally folded isoform (PrPSc) with amyloid-like features that causes scrapie in sheep among other diseases. prnp together with prnd (which encodes a prion-like protein designated as Doppel), and prnt (that encodes the prion protein testis specific - Prt) with sprn (shadow of prion protein gene, that encodes Shadoo or Sho) genes, constitute the "prion gene complex". Whereas a role for prnd in the proper functioning of male reproductive system has been confirmed, the function of prnt, a recently discovered prion family gene, comprises a conundrum leading to the assumption that ruminant prnt is a pseudogene with no protein expression. The main objective of the present study was to identify Prt localization in the ram reproductive system and simultaneously to elucidate if ovine prnt gene is transcribed into protein-coding RNA. Moreover, as Prt is a prnp-related protein, the amyloid propensity was also tested for ovine and caprine Prt. Recombinant Prt was used to immunize BALB/c mice, and the anti-Prt polyclonal antibody (APPA) immune response was evaluated by ELISA and Western Blot. When tested by indirect immunofluorescence, APPA showed high avidity to the ram sperm head apical ridge subdomain, before and after induced capacitation, but did not show the same behavior against goat spermatozoa, suggesting high antibody specificity against ovine-Prt. Prt was also found in the testis when assayed by immunohistochemistry during ram spermatogenesis, where spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and spermatozoa, stained positive. These observations strongly suggest ovine prnt to be a translated protein-coding gene, pointing to a role for Prt protein in the ram reproductive physiology. Besides, caprine Prt appears to exhibit a higher amyloid propensity than ovine Prt, mostly associated with its phenylalanine residue.publishersversionpublishe

Ionogels based on a single ionic liquid for electronic nose application

165186/2015-1 307501/2019-1 424027/2018-6 grant reference SCENT-ERC-2014-STG-639123 (2015-2020) UIDB/04378/2020 POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007728Ionogel are versatile materials, as they present the electrical properties of ionic liquids and also dimensional stability, since they are trapped in a solid matrix, allowing application in electronic devices such as gas sensors and electronic noses. In this work, ionogels were designed to act as a sensitive layer for the detection of volatiles in a custom-made electronic nose. Ionogels composed of gelatin and a single imidazolium ionic liquid were doped with bare and functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles, producing ionogels with adjustable target selectivity. After exposing an array of four ionogels to 12 distinct volatile organic compounds, the collected signals were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and by several supervised classification methods, in order to assess the ability of the electronic nose to distinguish different volatiles, which showed accuracy above 98%.publishersversionpublishe

Condenação ao abate em bovinos devido a lesões parasitárias e seu impacto econômico em estabelecimentos do Sistema Federal de Inspeção no Brasil e no Sistema Estadual de Inspeção no Rio Grande do Sul

Slaughter condemnations are important sources of information on cattle health. The incidence of bovine parasitic diseases is still very high in Brazil. These diseases, in addition to causing harm to the animals health, are neglected zoonotic diseases in several parts of world. The study analysed not only the Carcass losses, but also the economic damage resulting from slaughter condemnations due to parasitic causes. Cattle slaughter data from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), over the period of 2012 to 2015 and data from the Secretary of Livestock and Irrigation of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (SEAPI-RS) were analyzed between 2014 and 2018.The number of organs and carcasses condemned was multiplied by the respective values (in Brazilian Real) obtained from slaughterhouses and subsequently converted into dollars. Brazilian analysis in SIF (Federal Inspection System) establishments showed that more than 1.2 million organs (3,884,505 kg) and 20,000 carcasses (4,547,718 kg) were condemned only due to parasitic causes during post-mortem inspection. In Rio Grande do Sul, in state inspection establishments, more than 1.7 million organs (8,210,559 kg) and 5,000 carcasses (1,243,200 kg) were condemned. These data are alarming and support the need for public policies to control these parasitic diseases.Condenações durante o abate são importantes fontes de informação sobre a sanidade dos rebanhos. Ainda são altas as incidências de doenças parasitárias, as quais trazem consequências à saúde dos animais, são zoonoses e têm sua importância negligenciada em diversos países. O estudo objetivou quantificar não apenas as perdas encontradas, mas o prejuízo econômico resultante das condenações ao abate por causas parasitárias. Para isso foram analisados dados de abate de bovinos do Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento, no período de 2012 a 2015, e dados da Secretaria da Agricultura Pecuária e Irrigação, do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, no período de 2014 a 2018. A quantidade de órgãos e carcaças condenados foi multiplicada pelos respectivos valores (em Reais), obtidos da indústria frigorífica e, posteriormente, convertidos para dólar. A análise brasileira de estabelecimentos com SIF (Serviço de Inspeção Federal) mostrou que mais de 1,2 milhão de órgãos (3.884.505 kg) e 20 mil carcaças (4.547.718 kg) foram condenados devido a causas parasitárias durante a inspeção. No estado do Rio Grande do Sul, nos estabelecimentos de inspeção estadual, foram condenados mais de 1,7 milhão de órgãos (8.210.559 kg) e 5 mil carcaças (1.243.200 kg). Os dados são alarmantes e ressaltam a necessidade de políticas públicas para controlar estas parasitoses

Screening of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria strains from artisanal soft cheese: probiotic characteristics and prebiotic metabolism

Today's growing interest in functional foods is due to their positive impacts on human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the probiotic properties and prebiotic metabolism of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria from artisanal Serpa cheese. Twenty strains presented better tolerance to stress conditions found in the gastrointestinal tract, highlighting Lactobacillus brevis C1Lb21 for its adequate auto-aggregating ability and significantly higher hydrophobicity. However, eight strains were discarded for their antibiotic resistance and biogenic amine production. Finally, prebiotic fermentation study showed that lactulose supported better growth of lactobacilli and induced the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). During lactulose fermentation, Lb. pentosus G4Lb7 produced statistically more SCFA, and Lb. plantarum G1Lb5 lactic acid. Thus, Lb. brevis C1Lb21, Lb. plantarum G1Lb5 and Lb. pentosus G4Lb7 are promising probiotic candidates, and in combination with lactulose could be used for developing a symbiotic cheese

Characterization of Plasma Labile Heme in Hemolytic Conditions

The deposited article is the accepted manuscript (post-print version) posted online 7 August 2017 and provided by The Febs Journal. This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. The deposited article version contains attached the supplementary materials within the pdf. This publication hasn't any creative commons license associated, although it is in open access.Extracellular hemoglobin (Hb), a byproduct of hemolysis, can release its prosthetic heme groups upon oxidation. This produces metabolically active heme that is exchangeable between acceptor proteins, macromolecules and low molecular weight ligands, termed here labile heme. As it accumulates in plasma labile heme acts in a pro-oxidant manner and regulates cellular metabolism while exerting pro-inflammatory and cytotoxic effects that foster the pathogenesis of hemolytic diseases. Here we developed and characterized a panel of heme-specific single domain antibodies (sdAbs) that together with a cellular-based heme reporter assay, allow for quantification and characterization of labile heme in plasma during hemolytic conditions. Using these approaches we demonstrate that labile heme generated during hemolytic conditions is bound to plasma molecules with an affinity higher than 10(-7) M and that 2-8% (~2-5 μM) of the total amount of heme detected in plasma can be internalized by bystander cells, i.e. bioavailable heme. Acute, but not chronic, hemolysis is associated with transient reduction of plasma heme binding capacity (HBC1/2 ), that is, the ability of plasma molecules to bind labile heme with an affinity higher than 10(-7) M. The heme-specific sdAbs neutralize the pro-oxidant activity of soluble heme in vitro, suggesting that these maybe used to counter the pathologic effects of labile heme during hemolytic conditions. Finally, we show that heme-specific sdAbs can be used to visualize cellular heme. In conclusion, we describe a panel of heme-specific sdAbs that when used with other approaches provide novel insights to the pathophysiology of heme. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia grants: (RECI-IMI-IMU-0038-2012, PTDC/SAU-TOX/116627/2010, HMSP-ICT/0018/2011, SFRH/BD/44828/2008, SFRH/BPD/47477/2008, PTDC/SAU-FAR/119173/2010, IF/01010/2013/CP1183/CT0001); ERC grants: (ERC-2011-AdG 294709-DAMAGECONTROL); NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship: (1003484).info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Synthesis, Solubility, Permeability, and In Vitro Activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Funding Information: This work was supported by FCT-MCTES (PTDC/QUI-QOR/32406/2017, PEst-C/LA0006/2013, RECI/BBBBQB/0230/2012) and by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV (FCT-MCTES UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020). The NMR spectrometers are part of the National NMR Network (PTNMR) and are partially supported by Infrastructure Project N° 022161 (co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE 2020, POCI, PORL, and FCT through PIDDAC). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.The development of novel pharmaceutical tools to efficiently tackle tuberculosis is the order of the day due to the rapid development of resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Herein, we report novel potential formulations of a repurposed drug, the antimalarial mefloquine (MFL), which was combined with organic anions as chemical adjuvants. Eight mefloquine organic salts were obtained by ion metathesis reaction between mefloquine hydrochloride ([MFLH][Cl]) and several organic acid sodium salts in high yields. One of the salts, mefloquine mesylate ([MFLH][MsO]), presented increased water solubility in comparison with [MFLH][Cl]. Moreover, all salts with the exception of mefloquine docusate ([MFLH][AOT]) showed improved permeability and diffusion through synthetic membranes. Finally, in vitro activity studies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed that these ionic formulations exhibited up to 1.5-times lower MIC values when compared with [MFLH][Cl], particularly mefloquine camphorsulfonates ([MFLH][(1R)-CSA], [MFLH][(1S)-CSA]) and mefloquine HEPES ([MFLH][HEPES]).publishersversionpublishe