Relationships between the perceived quality of life and the personality styles measured with the The Millon Index of Personality Styles Revised (MIPS-R)

This exploratory study aims to determine whether the personality styles measured with the Portuguese adaptation of Millon Index of Personality Styles Revised, MIPS-R affect the perceived quality of life. The MIPS-R is a theory-based inventory that measures 24 personality styles in normally functioning adults. Life satisfaction was measured with the Portuguese version of the Quality of Life Inventory, QOLI (Fagulha, Duarte & Miranda, 2000). It refers to a person’s subjective evaluation of the degree to which his/her most important needs, goals and wishes have been fulfilled. This study was carried out with a sample of 43 college students, 36 females (age mean = 19,7; SD = 3,1) and 7 males (age mean = 27,4; SD = 11,4). Based on the participants’ overall life satisfaction score three groups were defined: (1) Low/Very Low quality of life, (2) Average quality of life, (3) High quality of life. Discriminant Factor Analysis (DFA) and the Kruskal-Wallis Test were used to identify the styles that most differentiate these groups and to compare each style in the groups. The Other-Nurturing style is the one that best differentiates the groups. DFA results will be further exploited. Considering the Kruskal-Wallis Test, differences are observed in the Pleasure-Enhancing (p=.006), the Actively Modifying (p=.002), the Gregarious/Outgoing (p=.012), the Passively Accommodating (p=.027), the Asocial/Withdrawing (p=.036), the Unconventional/Dissenting (p=.041) and in the Dissatisfied/Complaining (p=.019) styles. Multiple comparisons were used to compare these styles in the groups. The authors believe that the discussion of these results will provide a better understanding of the MIPS-R.Instituto de Psicologia das Relações Humana

Lipid-free Antigen B subunits from echinococcus granulosus: oligomerization, ligand binding, and membrane interaction properties

Background: The hydatid disease parasite Echinococcus granulosus has a restricted lipid metabolism, and needs to harvest essential lipids from the host. Antigen B (EgAgB), an abundant lipoprotein of the larval stage (hydatid cyst), is thought to be important in lipid storage and transport. It contains a wide variety of lipid classes, from highly hydrophobic compounds to phospholipids. Its protein component belongs to the cestode-specific Hydrophobic Ligand Binding Protein family, which includes five 8-kDa isoforms encoded by a multigene family (EgAgB1-EgAgB5). How lipid and protein components are assembled into EgAgB particles remains unknown. EgAgB apolipoproteins self-associate into large oligomers, but the functional contribution of lipids to oligomerization is uncertain. Furthermore, binding of fatty acids to some EgAgB subunits has been reported, but their ability to bind other lipids and transfer them to acceptor membranes has not been studied.<p></p> Methodology/Principal Findings: Lipid-free EgAgB subunits obtained by reverse-phase HPLC were used to analyse their oligomerization, ligand binding and membrane interaction properties. Size exclusion chromatography and cross-linking experiments showed that EgAgB8/2 and EgAgB8/3 can self-associate, suggesting that lipids are not required for oligomerization. Furthermore, using fluorescent probes, both subunits were found to bind fatty acids, but not cholesterol analogues. Analysis of fatty acid transfer to phospholipid vesicles demonstrated that EgAgB8/2 and EgAgB8/3 are potentially capable of transferring fatty acids to membranes, and that the efficiency of transfer is dependent on the surface charge of the vesicles.<p></p> Conclusions/Significance: We show that EgAgB apolipoproteins can oligomerize in the absence of lipids, and can bind and transfer fatty acids to phospholipid membranes. Since imported fatty acids are essential for Echinococcus granulosus, these findings provide a mechanism whereby EgAgB could engage in lipid acquisition and/or transport between parasite tissues. These results may therefore indicate vulnerabilities open to targeting by new types of drugs for hydatidosis therapy.<p></p&gt

Sweet cherries from Fundão possess antidiabetic potential and protect human erythrocytes against oxidative damage

Cherries are one of the most appreciated summer fruits due to their attractive colour, sweet taste, high water content, low level of calories and composition in bioactive compounds which, in turn, are important to prevent some pathologies like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In this work we evaluated the phenolic profile and biological potential of 5 varieties of sweet cherries from Fundão region (Portugal) (Saco, Sweetheart, Satin, Maring and Hedelfinger). A total of 23 phenolic compounds were identified by LC-DAD and distributed by the several classes: 6 anthocyanins, 1 hydroxybenzoic acid, 8 hydroxycinnamic acids, 3 flavan-3-ols and 5 flavonols. Maring revealed higher contents in anthocyanins, while Hedelfinger was the richest in non-coloured phenolics. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated against DPPH and nitric oxide radicals. Hedelfinger was the most active against DPPH• (IC50=12.1μg/mL) and Maring against nitric oxide (IC50=140.9μg/mL). Afterwards, antidiabetic capacity was evaluated through the inhibition of α-glucosidase activity, pointing Hedelfinger as the most active (IC50=10.3μg/mL). The capacity of Saco extracts to inhibit the hemoglobin oxidation and the hemolysis of human erythrocytes was also evaluated. Both assays revealed a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect (IC50=38.6μg/mL and IC50=73.0μg/mL, respectively). The results obtained in this study allow us to conclude that sweet cherries possess a great biological potential, and further investigation should be done to promote commercialization and encourage its use in food supplements and in new pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contribuição das suiniculturas na selecção e disseminação de Enterococcus spp resistentes às tetraciclinas

Apesar dos antibióticos terem sido abolidos na União Europeia como promotores de crescimento, uma elevada percentagem de Enterococcus spp resistentes às tetraciclinas e genes que lhes conferem resistência (tetM, tetL, tetS) foram detectados em amostras animais e ambientais de suiniculturas portuguesas. Estes dados são preocupantes e podem estar associados a um elevado consumo destes antibióticos em medicina veterinária. A presença de tais estirpes em amostras de ar e de estrume usado como fertilizante agrícola pode ainda promover a sua dispersão fora das explorações animais. Although antibiotics were banned from European Union as animal growth promoters, a high percentage of Enterococcus spp resistant to tetracyclines and genes conferring resistance to these agents (tetM, tetL, tetS) were detected in animal and environmental samples collected in Portuguese piggeries. These data are of concern and might be associated to the consumption of high amounts of these antibiotics in veterinary medicine. The presence of such strains in air and manure used as fertilizer in agriculture might promote their dissemination outside the animal production setting

Use of a modified Gompertz equation to model synthetic dye decolourization by yeasts in liquid media

Forty six yeast strains isolated from two wastewater treatment stations along with other 81 cheese isolates were compared on their ability to decolorize five textile dyes in solid media. After a screening methodology that included liquid culture decoulorisation ability evaluation, yeasts isolates, LIII S 36 and L III ST 7 presented the best performance in the decolourisation for the five dyes tested: Remazol Black BA, Remazol Yellow RR, Levafix Blue CA, Remazol Brilliant Blue R and Levafix® Red CA).A modified Gompertz equation was used to model the decolourisation in liquid media; the estimated parameters, which all have biological attribution, allow us to assess quantitatively the decolourisation and a more accurate comparison between the different behaviours of the strains for each dye.Molecular biology methodologies also allowed the identification and the confirmation of the differences between the strains previous selected to liquid decolourisation based on classic methodologies. For the isolates from the wastewater treatment stations, we had a variety of different species identifications, such as Candida ortopsilosis, Debaromyces hansenii and for a small group of strains it should be necessary explore other methodologies of identification to obtain a correct identification. For the two strains with the best performance (L III S 36 and strain L III ST 7) were performed spectral scanning, is possible observe that, depending on the dye, the strains exhibit different behaviours in the decolourisation process, can achieve it through mechanisms of adsorption or due true degradation. Both strains produce extracellular manganese peroxidase. After 36 hours of incubation for the strain L III ST 7 and L III S 36 an average of 2.30 and 2.06 IU. l-1 of manganese peroxidase activity were detected, respectively. Due to the obvious morphological differences between filamentous fungi and yeasts, the enzymatic activities detected for the yeasts are interesting. Based on the results obtained it is possible to postulate that the decolourisation may be related with the MnP enzymatic activity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estilos de personalidade e vulnerabilidade à sugestão no contexto de uma relação interpessoal

A compreensão do papel das diferenças individuais na exactidão dos testemunhos, em particular na sugestionabilidade, é o objectivo deste trabalho. Consideramos que existem diferenças individuais na vulnerabilidade à sugestão e que estas se relacionam com características da personalidade dos indivíduos. Uma amostra de 258 indivíduos (média de idades de 31.8 anos, desvio padrão de 12.0), participou em sessões individuais e respondeu às adaptações portuguesas da Escala de Sugestionabilidade de Gudjonsson (GSS1) e da Edição Revista do Índice de Estilos da Personalidade de Millon (MIPS-R). Consideraram-se três grupos com diferentes graus de vulnerabilidade à sugestão: pouco sugestionáveis, moderadamente sugestionáveis, muito sugestionáveis. Na Análise Factorial Discriminante (AFD), observa-se que os estilos do MIPS-R que melhor discriminam os grupos são: Realista/Sensitivo(a), Imaginativo(a)/Intuitivo(a), Orientado(a) pelo pensamento, Cooperante/Condescendente. Na Análise de Variância Multivariada (MANOVA) verifica-se um efeito significativo, de média dimensão, da vulnerabilidade à sugestão sobre os estilos do MIPS-R, sendo elevada a potência do teste (λMaior Raiz de Roy = .22, p = .005, η2p = .18, π = .99). Os resultados da AFD e da MANOVA são consistentes e evidenciam a importância dos estilos de personalidade da dimensão modos cognitivos, na caracterização de pessoas com diferentes graus de vulnerabilidade à sugestão

Recombination of asphalt with bio-asphalt : binder formulation and asphalt mixes application

The bio-oil from fast pyrolysis is mainly produced using organic waste materials. This is a viscoelastic material, and after a heat treatment it has a viscosity and high/intermediate thermal rheological behavior similar to many types of asphalt used in the paving industry. These two characteristics show that this material could be a good alternative to replace asphalt. In order to improve the performance of bio-oil, it was hypothesized that the addition of crumb rubber would change the rheology of the modified bio-oil, making it rheologically similar to the conventional paving asphalts. Therefore, two sources of ground rubber from used tires (GTR), from different manufacturing processes, were used to modify the bio-oil. Then, two blends were produced by adding 20% (w/w) of this bio-binder to two different asphalts, a PG58-28 and a PG64-22. The binders were aged, and then storage stability tests (separation sensibility) were performed. The rheology of the initial bio-oil, bio-binder, asphalts and resulting binder-blends were assessed by using a Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), namely by performing frequency sweeps at different temperatures. The results were then used to build the master curves of the materials, and to determine their high temperature continuous performance grade. Additionally, the performance related behavior of mixtures produced with this new material was also assessed, in order to evaluate the advantages of its use in pavements. Therefore, two mixes were produced with the binder that showed better performance regarding thermal rheological behavior, aging susceptibility and separation tendency. These new mixes were finally studied using performance related tests that are able to estimate their future behavior in situ in different environmental and traffic conditions, in particular in regard to water susceptibility, fatigue cracking, dynamic modulus, flow number and low temperature fracture resistance. The results from this first set of experiments showed that this material can perform as well or better than conventional asphalts over a large range of temperatures.FEDER -Federación Española de Enfermedades Rara