Derivation of an Abelian effective model for instanton chains in 3D Yang-Mills theory

In this work, we derive a recently proposed Abelian model to describe the interaction of correlated monopoles, center vortices, and dual fields in three dimensional SU(2) Yang-Mills theory. Following recent polymer techniques, special care is taken to obtain the end-to-end probability for a single interacting center vortex, which constitutes a key ingredient to represent the ensemble integration.Comment: 18 pages, LaTe

Pancreatic lesions and metabolic aggravation are prevented by low doses of sitagliptin in a rat model of type 2 diabetes

Introduction: The management of type 2 diabetes is designed to reduce disease-related complications and improve long-term outcomes. Inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) activity by sitagliptin has been shown to improve glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) by prolonging the actions of incretin hormones, but the real impact of low-dose sitagliptin treatment on cardiometabolic risk factors and pancreatic lesions is almost unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of low doses of sitagliptin on cardiovascular risk factors and histological pancreas parameters in Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats (ZDF (fa/fa)) an animal model of T2DM. Materials and Methods: Twenty weeks old diabetic obese (fa/fa) ZDF male rats were treated with vehicle or sitagliptin (10 mg/kg BW/day) during 6 weeks (n=8 each). The following parameters were assessed: glycaemia, HbA1c, insulin, lipidic profile; blood pressure. Specimens for pancreatic histopathology were stained with haematoxylin-eosin and periodic-acid-Shiff, examined by light microscopy. Endocrine and exocrine pancreas was evaluated semiquantitatively concerning inflammatory infiltrate, fibrosis, vacuolization and congestion, and scored from 0 (absent) to 3 (severe and extensive damage). Results: Sitagliptin in diabetic obese ZDF rats promoted a positive effect on dysglycaemia, dyslipidaemia and prevented the increase of blood pressure. Endocrine and exocrine pancreas presented a reduction/amelioration of fibrosis severity, inflammatory infiltrate, intra-islet vacuolation, and congestion vs the vehicle-treated diabetic rats. Conclusion: Simultaneous improvement of a sustainable glycaemic profile and of pancreatic histopathological lesions supports the favorable cardiovascular risk profile and may prove beneficial in decreasing long-term complications of T2DM.The authors are very grateful to the support of Fundação Merck Sharp & Dohm

Consumption of fruits and vegetables in two European countries: Results from a survey in France and Portuga

Presently, there is a huge burden on public health due to a very high incidence of chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity, among others. The modern lifestyle, with inadequate diets and insufficient physical activity, is one of the most important factors contributing to this situation. Therefore, a healthy diet can have a very positive impact on global population health. Fruits and vegetables are staple foods with a typically low caloric value that still contribute to an adequate ingestion of the necessary macro and micronutrients and bioactive compounds, with a beneficial effect on health. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge about the consumption of fruits and vegetables in two countries, Portugal and France. A questionnaire survey was carried out on a sample of 639 adult participants (382 French and 257 Portuguese). The results revealed significant differences in knowledge between countries, sexes, level of education, body mass index, satisfaction with body weight, reasons for dissatisfaction with weight, and having a chronic disease. The most influential sociodemographic variable was the country, while the most influential behavioral variable was practicing a varied diet. Factor analysis identified two factors, one accounting for items in the scale that were true, and the other accounting for false items; both factors had acceptable internal consistency. Finally, cluster analysis showed three clusters of participants: The first included individuals with high knowledge of both factors, the second included individuals with low or very low knowledge, and the third cluster included individuals with partial knowledge, who only knew about true items. These results are relevant for planning educational measures aimed at improving knowledge and thus helping to promote healthier diets.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estudo comparativo das castas tintas nobres do Dão: Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Tinta Roriz e Alfrocheiro

Dissertação de Mestrado em Qualidade e Tecnologia AlimentarOs vinhos DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada)Dão, são reconhecidos pelos consumidores e pela crítica, como vinhos de excelência, fruto da sua tipicidade e qualidade invulgares. Sendo as castas nobres do Dão a Touriga Nacional, o Jaen, a Tinta Roriz e o Alfrocheiro considerámos pertinente o estudo das características sensoriais e físico-químicas de vinhos monocasta produzidos a partir das referidas castas da Região Demarcada do Dão (RDD). Para prossecução desse objectivo dividiu-se o presente trabalho em duas partes distintas. Numa primeira parte foi realizado um levantamento dos dados documentados existentes referentes à região, nomeadamente sobre os vestígios históricos da produção de vinho na RDD; referindo-se ainda em detalhe a criação da Região Demarcada do Dão (origens, regulamentação, demarcação), é feita de igual modo uma caracterização do seu património vitícola, a evolução, regulamentação e caracterização das castas aptas à produção de 'Dão Nobre', bem como os principais estudos encontrados sobre a caracterização dos vinhos produzidos na Região Demarcada do Dão entre 1953 a 2012. A segunda parte da dissertação é constituída pelo trabalho experimental, nela se caracteriza o material em estudo (vinhos tintos mono-castas colheita de 2010 Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Tinta Roriz e Alfrocheiro Preto), referem-se as metodologias utilizadas na análise sensorial e físico-química, os resultados obtidos e as principais conclusões. Para os parâmetros sensoriais e físico-químicos avaliados os resultados obtidos evidenciaram uma clara inferioridade dos vinhos produzidos a partir da casta Alfrocheiro. Relativamente aos vinhos de Jaen e Tinta Roriz apresentam características muito semelhantes entre si e não mostraraam, para a maior parte dos parâmetros avaliados, diferenças estatísticamente significativas quando comparados com os Touriga Nacional. Foram os vinhos produzidos a partir da Touriga Nacional os que se destacaram em todas as análises efetuadas. Os resultados obtidos quer ao nível da prova sensorial quer nas análises físico-químicas permitem-nos afirmar que a Touriga Nacional, o Jaen e a Tinta Roriz são castas bem adaptadas a condições edafo-climáticas da RDD, com capacidade de ao nível mono-varietal originar vinhos de qualidade e levantam alguma discussão sobre a denominação nobre para a casta Alfrocheiro.ABSTRACT:The wines DOC (Denomination of Controlled Origin) Dão have been recognized by consumers and critics as excellent wines. This results of their unusual characteristics and quality. The species Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Tinta Roriz and Alfrocheiro are the noble varieties demarcated region of Dão (RDD). Thus we considered relevant the study of sensory characteristics and physicochemical properties of single variety wines produced from the grapes of those noble species. In order to achieve that purpose we divided the present work into two distinct parts. In the first part we review the historical traces of wine production in RDD. We detailed the creation of the demarcated region of Dão (origins, regulation, demarcation), as well as the description vineyard tradition, evolution, regulation. We also detailed the different vineard varieties suitable for the production of "Dão Nobre", as well as the major studies found on the characterization of wines produced in the RDD between the end of the XX century and the beginning of the XXI century. The second part of the present work describe the experimental work. A presentation of the material and methods used, the obtained results and the discussion of those results. Finally the conclusion and the major findings of the work. For the physical chemical and sensory parameters evaluated results showed a clear inferiority of the wines produced from the grape variety Alfrocheiro. The wines Jaen and Tinta Roriz have very similar characteristics and do not shown statiscally significant differences, when compared with Touriga Nacional. The wines produced from Touriga Nacional have excelled in every analysis. The obtained results in sensorial and in the physicochemical analyzes allow to affirm that the Touriga Nacional, Jaen and Tinta Roriz are vineyards well adapted to soil and climate conditions of the RDD and with ability to produce excellent 'noble' mono-varietal wine. The inclusion of the Alfrocheiro as noble variety deserves further discussion

Chestnut as a culinary ingredient: Analysis of recipes and proposed innovative thematic menu

Chestnuts are natural dried fruits grown in many regions of the globe and have been used in different gastronomic preparations for centuries. Chestnuts are part of the local gastronomic cultures in several regions and are also being used for culinary innovations. This work analysed 266 recipes containing chestnuts obtained from different sources, such as cookbooks or the internet. The recipes were classified according to different criteria, and data analysis included basic statistical tools, significance tests, factor analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed that the utilisation of chestnuts was particularly frequent in main dishes containing meat of some sort (26.3%), as well as in desserts (24.4%). The chestnuts were usually added to the recipes mostly fresh, whole (24.1%) or cut (26.7%). The nature of the recipes was divided into classical or modern, being significantly associated with the form of incorporation of the chestnut, but not significantly associated with most of the variables used to classify the recipes (dish type, cooking, cooking method, preparation time, or moment of incorporation of the chestnut). Factor analysis indicated three factors, clearly differentiated, that in globally explained 58.1% of the variance. Cluster analysis allowed the establishment of four clusters of recipes, which were found significantly different according to all the variables used to classify the recipes. Ingredient analysis showed that the most frequent categories were spices, followed by vegetables & legumes and that the ingredients used in lower quantities were most frequently listed. Word clouds based on frequency indicated, in each of the categories, the most relevant ingredients, which were flour, butter, egg, pork, bacon, shrimp, onion, garlic, lemon, almond, salt, pepper, oil, and sugar. Lastly, a successful innovative thematic menu was developed and composed of recipes containing chestnuts, including one starter, one main dish, and one dessert. This work allows to conclude about the diverse utilisation of chestnut as a gastronomic ingredient and not only as a dried fruit.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fruit and vegetable consumption: Study involving Portuguese and French consumers

The regular consumption of vegetables and fruits has been indicated as part of a healthy diet. They are considered healthy foods because they are sources of vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Adequate intake of these foods can reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and various types of cancer. The objective of the present study was to determine the consumption habits of vegetables and fruits in two different countries, Portugal and France. For this descriptive study, it was used a questionnaire survey, applied to individuals over 18 years old and carried out through the internet, being disseminated on social networks and by email. The sample was constituted by 640 participants (257 from Portugal and 383 from France). Statistical tools were used for the treatment of data, like the T-Test and chi-square test utilised to compare the results between Portuguese and French consumers. The results showed that the Portuguese eat out more often than the French. Portuguese and French like vegetables equally but the French eat more vegetables and fruit per week on average than the Portuguese. The French like soup as much as the Portuguese but the Portuguese eat soup more regularly than the French and prefer soup with cut pieces, unlike the French which prefer soup with grounded vegetables. The global consumption of vegetables and fruits is low in both countries and should be increased, most especially in Portugal, where the consumption is lower. In conclusion, despite some differences found across consumers according to country, the consumption of these foods is still below the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, and therefore, some more actions are necessary to incentivise a higher consumption of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Consumer Knowledge about Dietary Relevance of Fruits and Vegetables: A Study Involving Participants from Portugal and France

Fruits and vegetables are recommended as low-calorie foods that contribute to the proper intake of necessary micronutrients, macronutrients, and bioactive compounds with health benefits. However, the recommendations for the dietary intake of these foods fail to be attained in most European countries. For this reason, promoting more knowledge about the health effects of fruits and vegetables is essential to decrease the incidence of chronic diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the knowledge of the health benefits of fruits and vegetables among the population of Portugal and France. The present work involved a questionnaire survey of 639 participants (257 from Portugal and 382 from France). The results revealed that most participants were young females (68.9%) with good education (76%) and an average weight range. They consumed a varied diet (57%) but had body dissatisfaction (63.2%). The respondents had good knowledge about the health effects of fruits and vegetables. However, the French population knew more about the theme than the Portuguese. Portuguese individuals were more likely to have incomplete information. Gender and education significantly influenced knowledge levels, with females and highly educated individuals demonstrating greater understanding. Dissatisfaction with body weight drives individuals to seek nutrition information. This investigation enhances our comprehension of the factors that affect knowledge of vegetable and fruit consumption among young adults in Portugal and France. Moreover, it highlights the importance of implementing focused educational programs to enhance nutrition literacy, particularly for less-aware demographic groups. Going forward, a more in-depth analysis of these factors could assist in creating more efficient strategies to encourage healthier dietary habits and improve nutrition literacy among these communities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

MarinEye - A tool for marine monitoring

This work presents an autonomous system for marine integrated physical-chemical and biological monitoring – the MarinEye system. It comprises a set of sensors providing diverse and relevant information for oceanic environment characterization and marine biology studies. It is constituted by a physicalchemical water properties sensor suite, a water filtration and sampling system for DNA collection, a plankton imaging system and biomass assessment acoustic system. The MarinEye system has onboard computational and logging capabilities allowing it either for autonomous operation or for integration in other marine observing systems (such as Observatories or robotic vehicles. It was designed in order to collect integrated multi-trophic monitoring data. The validation in operational environment on 3 marine observatories: RAIA, BerlengasWatch and Cascais on the coast of Portugal is also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio