Difficulties inadaptationand academic performance in higher education: ananalysis in terms of vocational preferences and level of education

[Resumo] Assiste-se a urna maior sensibilidade por parte dos investigadores e autoridades académicas com as dificuldades de adaptaçao e de realizaçao dos estudantes do Ensino Superior. Tais dificuldades sao particularmente sentidas junto dos alunos do 10 ano. Um projecto de investigaçao neste dominio decorre na Universidade do Minho. Neste artigo apresentam- se alguns dados descritivos das dificuldades académicas de urna amostra portuguesa de estudantes do Ensino Superior (n=370), tomando-se quer o facto dos estudantes poderem ou nao estarem a frequentar o curso e estabelecimento de ensino correspondente a sua 1ª escolha vocacional, quer o ano escolar em que os estudantes se encontram. Os resultados sugerem que as dificuldades académicas nas áreas avaliadas nao se diferenciam de acordo com as opçoes vocacionais dos estudantes, muito embora algumas diferenzas sao encontradas quando comparamos os alunos dos anos iniciais e terminais do curso superior que frequentam

Mapping portuguese Natura 2000 sites in risk of biodiversity change caused by atmospheric nitrogen pollution

In this paper, we assess and map the risk that atmospheric nitrogen (atN) pollution poses to biodiversity in Natura 2000 sites in mainland Portugal. We first review the ecological impacts of atN pollution on terrestrial ecosystems, focusing on the biodiversity of Natura 2000 sites. These nature protection sites, especially those located within the Mediterranean Basin, are under-characterized regarding the risk posed by atN pollution. We focus on ammonia (NH ) because this N form is mostly associated with agriculture, which co-occurs at or in the immediate vicinity of most areas of conservation interest in Portugal. We produce a risk map integrating NH emissions and the susceptibility of Natura 2000 sites to atN pollution, ranking habitat sensitivity to atN pollution using expert knowledge from a panel of Portuguese ecological and habitat experts. Peats, mires, bogs, and similar acidic and oligotrophic habitats within Natura 2000 sites (most located in the northern mountains) were assessed to have the highest relative risk of biodiversity change due to atN pollution, whereas Natura 2000 sites in the Atlantic and Mediterranean climate zone (coastal, tidal, and scrubland habitats) were deemed the least sensitive. Overall, results allowed us to rank all Natura 2000 sites in mainland Portugal in order of evaluated risk posed by atN pollution. The approach is of great relevance for stakeholders in different countries to help prioritize site protection and to define research priorities. This is especially relevant in countries with a lack of expertise to assess the impacts of nitrogen on biodiversity and can represent an important step up from current knowledge in such countriesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In vitro digestion and bioaccessibility studies of vitamin E-loaded nanohydroxyapatite pickering emulsions and derived fortified foods

Vitamin E is a lipophilic vitamin playing an essential role in human health. Due to oxidative instability, it presents fast degradation and bioactivity loss. In this study, vitamin E-loaded Pickering emulsions stabilized by nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HAp) were produced using a static mixer (NETmix), a technique enabling continuous production and droplet size tailoring. Thus, oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing vitamin E at a content of 1mg/mL were produced with different droplet sizes (7.53, 11.56 and 17.72m) using an O/W ratio of 20/80 (v/v). Their stability during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and vitamin E bioaccessibility were investigated. It was observed that n-HAp particles disrupt in the stomach and subsequently aggregate as random calcium phosphates in the small intestine, leading to low vitamin E bioaccessibility due to oil entrapment. The emulsion showing the highest vitamin E bioaccessibility (3.29±0.57%, sample with the larger average droplet size) was used to produce fortified gelatine and milk, resulting in an increased bioaccessibility (10.87±1.04% and 18.07±2.90%, respectively). This fact was associated with the presence of macronutrients and the lower n-HAp content. Overall, n-HAp Pickering emulsions offer advantages for vitamin E encapsulation directed to fortified foods development, a process able to be extended to other lipophilic vitamins.This work was financially supported by Base Funding -UIDB/50020/2020 of the Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM -funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), Base Funding -UIDB/00690/2020 of CIMO -funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), and Base Funding -UIDB/04469/2020 of the CEB funded by national funds through FCT. Andreia Ribeiro acknowledges her PhD fellowship funded by Project NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000028, supported by N2020, under PT2020, through ESF, and Raquel F. Goncalves acknowledges the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for their fellowship (SFRH/BD/140182/2018). Authors thank Fluidinova S.A. for providing samples of nanoXIM-CarePaste and Instituto de Investigacao e Inovacao em Saude (i3S) for the services provided with CLSM analysis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of in vitro digestion and in vitro colonic fermentation on stability and functional properties of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil.) beverages

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a plant that grows naturally in South America. From its leaves and thin stems different kinds of beverages are prepared (chimarrão, tererê and tea mate), all of them rich in bioactive substances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation on the stability of the polyphenols and on the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumoral activities of the yerba mate beverages. The phenolic chromatographic profile revealed that both the in vitro digestion and the colonic fermentation caused a pronounced decrease in 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid in the preparations. However, 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid and salvianolic acid I were only barely affected in all preparations. Despite the decrease in the phytochemicals content, yerba mate beverages maintain their functional properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial and antitumoral activities.The authors thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Proc. 3079/2015-8) and Fundação Araucária (Proc.24/2012) for funding this study. Authors V.G. Correa and G.A. Gonçalves thanks Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento do Pessoal do Ensino Superior (CAPES) for the financial support provided for their post-graduate studies in Universidade Estadual de Maringá. A. Bracht, and R.M. Peralta research grant recipients of CNPq. The authors are also thankful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Program PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013), L. Barros (SFRH/BPD/107855/2015) and M.I. Dias (SFRH/BD/84485/2012) grant. To POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 (LA LSRE-LCM), funded by ERDF, through POCI-COMPETE2020 and FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inoculation with the endophytic bacterium Herbaspirillum seropedicae promotes growth, nutrient uptake and photosynthetic efficiency in rice

Main conclusion: Higher vacuolar proton pump activity may increase plant energy and nutrient use efficiency and provide the nexus between plant inoculation with Herbaspirillum seropedicae and growth promotion. Abstract: Global change and growing human population are exhausting arable land and resources, including water and fertilizers. We present inoculation with the endophytic plant-growth promoting bacterium (PGPB) Herbaspirillum seropedicae as a strategy for promoting growth, nutrient uptake and photosynthetic efficiency in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Because plant nutrient acquisition is coordinated with photosynthesis and the plant carbon status, we hypothesize that inoculation with H. seropedicae will stimulate proton (H+) pumps, increasing plant growth nutrient uptake and photosynthetic efficiency at low nutrient levels. Plants were inoculated and grown in pots with sterile soil for 90 days. Herbaspirillum seropedicae endophytic colonization was successful and, as hypothesized, inoculation (1) stimulated root vacuolar H+ pumps (vacuolar H+-ATPase and vacuolar H+-PPase), and (2) increased plant growth, nutrient contents and photosynthetic efficiency. The results showed that inoculation with the endophytic bacterium H. seropedicae can promote plant growth, nutrient uptake and photosynthetic efficiency, which will likely result in a more efficient use of resources (nutrients and water) and higher production of nutrient-rich food at reduced economic and environmental costs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparative study of the antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of two types of Moroccan Euphorbia entire honey and their phenolic extracts

Honey is a natural food product very famous for its health benefits for being an important source of antioxidant and phenolic compounds. Euphorbia honeys obtained from different regions of Morocco were evaluated for their ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase, lipoxygenase, tyrosinase and xanthine oxidase activities. Their antioxidant properties were evaluated using the: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging capacity, nitric oxide scavenging activity (NO) and scavenging ability of superoxide anion radical. Then, the phenolic extracts of the same entire honey samples were evaluated by liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-MS) and tested for the biological activities previously evaluated on the entire honeys, in order to conduct a comparative study between both (honey and phenolic extracts). The chromatographic profiles for the studied Euphorbia honey extracts were different. Phenolic compounds gallic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and p-coumaric acid were detected in all samples, whereas kampferol was only present in two samples. Physicochemical parameters and total phenolic content were also determined. Entire honey that recorded the highest rate of phenols was sample M6 (E. resinifera) = 69.25 mg GAE/100 g. On the other hand, the phenolic extracts had better antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities than the entire honeys, regardless the monofloral honey type. In conclusion, the studied Euphorbia honeys may have a great potential as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tyrosinase sources for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New 99mTc-Labeled Digitoxigenin Derivative for Cancer Cell Identification

In recent years, cardiac glycosides (CGs) have been investigated as potential antiviral and anticancer drugs. Digitoxigenin (DIG) and other CGs have been shown to bind and inhibit Na+/K+-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase). Tumor cells show a higher expression rate of the Na+/K+-ATPase protein or a stronger affinity towards the binding of CGs and are therefore more prone to CGs than non-tumor cells. Cancer imaging techniques using radiotracers targeted at specific receptors have yielded successful results. Technetium-99m (99mTc) is one of the radionuclides of choice to radiolabel pharmaceuticals because of its favorable physical and chemical properties along with reasonable costs. Herein, we describe a new Na+/K+-ATPase targeting radiotracer consisting of digitoxigenin and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), a bifunctional chelating ligand used to prepare 99mTc-labeled complexes, and its evaluation as an imaging probe. We report the synthesis and characterization of the radiolabeled compound including stability tests, blood clearance, and biodistribution in healthy mice. Additionally, we investigated the binding of the compound to A549 human non-small-cell lung cancer cells and the inhibition of the Na+/K+-ATPase by the labeled compound in vitro. The 99mTc-labeled DTPA–digitoxigenin (99mTc-DTPA–DIG) compound displayed high stability in vitro and in vivo, a fast renal excretion, and a specific binding towards A549 cancer cells in comparison to non-tumor cells. Therefore, 99mTc-DTPA–DIG could potentially be used for non-invasive visualization of tumor lesions by means of scintigraphic imaging

Seroprevalence of Chikungunya Virus after Its Emergence in Brazil.

Chikungunya has had a substantial impact on public health because of the magnitude of its epidemics and its highly debilitating symptoms. We estimated the seroprevalence, proportion of symptomatic cases, and proportion of chronic form of disease after introduction of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in 2 cities in Brazil. We conducted the population-based study through household interviews and serologic surveys during October-December 2015. In Feira de Santana, we conducted a serologic survey of 385 persons; 57.1% were CHIKV-positive. Among them, 32.7% reported symptoms, and 68.1% contracted chronic chikungunya disease. A similar survey in Riachão do Jacuípe included 446 persons; 45.7% were CHIKV-positive, 41.2% reported symptoms, and 75.0% contracted the chronic form. Our data confirm intense CHIKV transmission during the continuing epidemic. Chronic pain developed in a high proportion of patients. We recommend training health professionals in management of chronic pain, which will improve the quality of life of chikungunya-affected persons