Efeito da aplicação de escória de siderurgia granulada em cana-soca junto com a adubação NPK.

FERTBIO 2010

Effects of high fat diet on salivary alpha-amylase serum parameters and food consumption in rats

Salivary a-amylase, a major protein in saliva, has been described as a marker for sympathetic nervous system activity, hence for metabolic energy balance. In this context, its expression in overweight and obesity is of interest. Rats fed with a diet enriched with sunflower oil differentially gained weight yielding two subgroups according to their susceptibility (OP) or resistance (OR) to obesity. Elevated plasmatic levels of leptin in the OP subgroup and altered plasmatic lipid profiles (lower triglycerides and higher total choles- terol/HDL ratio compared to controls) in OR subgroup were observed. Animals from OP subgroup presented higher a-amylase expression and activity even prior to the dietary treatment, suggesting that this salivary protein may constitute a putative indicator of susceptibility for fat tissue accumulation. After 18 weeks of high-fat diet consumption, salivary a-amylase levels did not significantly changed in OP subgroup, but increased 3-fold in OR subgroup. The raise of a-amylase for the latter might represent an adaptation to lower starch intake. These results suggest that salivary a-amylase secretion might be useful to predict susceptibility for weight gain induced by high-fat diet consumption.This paper is funded by FEDER Funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE and National Funds through FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology under the Strategic Projects PEst-C/AGR/UI01, PEst-OE/AGR/ UI0115/2014, 15/2011, PEst-C/SAU/LA0001/2011 and PEst-C/QUI/ UI0062/2011. Authors acknowledge also the financial support from the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) in the form of Post- Doctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/63240/2009) of Elsa Lamy. The Portu- guese Science Foundation (FCT) played no role in the develop- ment of the present work or upon its submission for publication

Traffic noise: Annoyance assessment of real and virtual sounds based on close proximity measurements

The negative impact of noise on human health is well established and a high percentage of environmental noise is related with traffic sources. In this study, we compared annoyance judgments of real and virtual traffic sounds. Virtual sounds were generated through an auralization software with input from close proximity tyre/road noise measurements and real sounds were recorded through a Head and Torso Simulator. Both groups had sounds generated at two speeds and from three urban pavement surfaces (asphalt concrete, concrete blocks and granite cubes). Under controlled laboratory conditions, participants rated the annoyance of each real and virtual stimulus. It was found that virtual stimuli, based on close proximity tyre/road noise, can be used to assess traffic annoyance, in spite of systematic lower rates than those found for real stimuli. The effects of type of pavement and speed were the same for both conditions (real and virtualized stimulus). Opposed to granite cubes, asphalt concrete had lower annoyance rates for both test speeds and higher rate differences between real and virtual stimuli. Additionally, it was also found that annoyance is better described by Loudness than by LAmax. This evidence is stronger for the virtual stimuli condition than for the real stimuli one. Nevertheless, we should stress that it is possible to accurately predict real annoyance rates from virtual auralized sound samples through a simple transformation model. The methodology developed is clearly efficient and significantly simplifies field procedures, allowing the reduction of experimental costs, a better control of variables and an increment on the accuracy of annoyance ratings.This work was financed by FEDER grants through the Operational Competitiveness Program – COMPETE and ON.2 – Novo Norte (Programa Operacional Regional do Norte 2007/2013) integrated in the structural funds QREN and the project PEst-OE/ECI/UI4047/2014 supported by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An MCDM approach to the selection of novel technologies for innovative in-vehicle information systems

Driving a car is a complex skill that includes interacting with multiple systems inside the vehicle. Today’s challenge in the automotive industry is to produce innovative In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS) that are pleasant to use and satisfy the costumers’ needs while, simultaneously, maintaining the delicate balance of primary task vs. secondary tasks while driving. The authors report a MCDM approach for rank ordering a large heterogeneous set of human-machine interaction technologies; the final set consisted of hundred and one candidates. They measured candidate technologies on eight qualitative criteria that were defined by domain experts, using a group decision-making approach. The main objective was ordering alternatives by their decision score, not the selection of one or a small set of them. The authors’ approach assisted decision makers in exploring the characteristics of the most promising technologies and they focused on analyzing the technologies in the top quartile, as measured by their MCDM model. Further, a clustering analysis of the top quartile revealed the presence of important criteria trade-offs.Operational Competitiveness Program – COMPETE, QREN (Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional), European Regional Development Funds (European Union), R&D project in joint-promotion (HMIEXCEL-2013-2015 36265/2013) HMIEXCEL - I&D crítica em torno do ciclo de desenvolvimento e produção de soluções multimédia avançadas para automóvelStrategic program FCT-UID/EEA/00066/2013Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (IF/00217/2013)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PD/BD/105966/2014

Tyre/road noise annoyance assessment through virtual sounds

Road-traffic noise is the most significant source of environmental noise. Among the several different sources of noise emission from vehicles, tyre/road noise at speeds above 40 km/h is the most prevalent. Its negative impact on health is now better known and may be mitigated by optimising road surface characteristics. Experimental data linking the characteristics of the road surface to levels of annoyance regarding noise remain scarce. Moreover, assessing annoyance by experimental means using real sounds is complex and could impede study interactions with a wide set of variables. In this chapter we describe, discuss and present the results of a straightforward method to assess tyre/road noise and related annoyance, based on the virtual sounds made by vehicles, with no interferences

Perceção do risco para peões através do ruído rodoviário

Neste trabalho estudou-se a influência do ruído proveniente do tráfego rodoviário na perceção do risco e a forma como varáveis que para ele contribuem (e.g. velocidade e tipo de pavimento) conseguem influenciar a tomada de decisão dos peões numa situação de atravessamento de uma rodovia. Recorreu-se à apresentação de estímulos auditivos em ambiente simulado constituídos por amostras de ruído de tráfego rodoviário adquiridas através do método da passagem controlada (CPB) a um conjunto de participantes. A experiência realizada permitiu concluir que o nível de ruído do tráfego rodoviário apresenta grande importância na forma como os peões avaliam uma potencial situação de risco numa passagem para peões, sendo que quanto mais intenso for o ruído do tráfego mais conservadora é a opção tomada pelos peões.FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia e contém informação proveniente dos projetos PEst-OE/ECI/UI4047/2014, PEst-OE/EEI/UI0319/2014 financiados no âmbito do Programa Operacional Temático Fatores de Competitividade (COMPETE) e comparticipados pelo Fundo Comunitário Europeu FEDER, do projeto PTDC/ECM-TRA 3568/2014 cofinanciado pelo Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização e pelo projeto NORTE-07-0162-FEDER-000076- cave@CCG, ON.2 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte

Classificação de pavimentos através de uma abordagem psicoacústica

Sumário O ruído rodoviário é um dos principais contribuintes para o ruído ambiente, o qual pode causar um impacto considerável sobre a saúde pública e a qualidade de vida das populações. No entanto, o ruído proveniente do tráfego rodoviário levanta várias questões, pois, se por um lado está associado a vários problemas de saúde e de bem-estar, por outro, a sua inexistência afeta a deteção das fontes sonoras, o que, consequentemente, constitui um risco para a segurança dos utilizadores das estradas. Assim, torna-se essencial classificar os pavimentos rodoviários não só com base em indicadores acústicos, mas também com base em indicadores psicoacústicos. Através do método da Proximidade Imediata (CPX) fez-se uma abordagem inovadora para a aquisição de ruído pneu-pavimento. Neste trabalho apresenta-se a caracterização acústica de cinco tipos diferentes de pavimento usando dois indicadores acústicos (nível de pressão sonora máxima e equivalente, com ponderação A) e um psicoacústico (Loudness) em função da velocidade. Cada variável foi relacionada com as respostas de vinte e seis indivíduos sobre a avaliação do incómodo quando submetidos a estímulos compostos pelos sons adquiridos. Como principais resultados, o Loudness mostrou ser uma variável mais sensível à velocidade do veículo e ao tipo de pavimento do que os indicadores acústicos, ajustando-se melhor às respostas individuais.FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia e contém informação proveniente dos projetos PEst-OE/ECI/UI4047/2014, PEst-OE/EEI/UI0319/2014 financiados no âmbito do Programa Operacional Temático Fatores de Competitividade (COMPETE) e comparticipados pelo Fundo Comunitário Europeu FEDER e pelo projeto NORTE-07-0162-FEDER-000076-cave@CCG, ON.2 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte

Leishmaniose visceral canina: avaliação de métodos para detecção de IgG em amostras de soro e eluato

The Brazilian Ministry of Health recommends the culling and euthanasia of dogs with a positive serological test for canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). In the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, the technique used for the diagnosis of CVL is the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), using blood samples eluted on filter paper (eluate). A dog survey was conducted over a period of one year in the region of Carapiá, in order to evaluate the diagnosis of CVL in this region. All animals underwent clinical examination, and blood samples (serum and eluate) were collected for analysis by enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) and IFAT. A skin biopsy was obtained for parasitological examination (culture). A total of 305 animals were studied and Leishmania chagasi was isolated from nine animals. Sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 96.6% for ELISA, respectively, 100% and 65.5% for IFAT (cut-off at a 1:40 dilution), 100% and 83.4% for IFAT (cut-off at a 1:80 dilution), and 22.2% and 97.0% for eluate IFAT. In conclusion, ELISA was the best tool for the diagnosis of CVL among the serological techniques tested. The present results suggest the need for a better evaluation of filter paper IFAT as the only diagnostic method for CVL in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro.O Ministério da Saúde recomenda a eutanásia de cães sororreatores como controle da leishmaniose visceral canina (LVC). No Município do Rio de Janeiro, a técnica utilizada para o diagnóstico da LVC é o teste de imunofluorescência indireta (IFI), utilizando amostras de sangue eluídas em papel de filtro (eluato). Um levantamento, durante um ano, foi conduzido na região de Carapiá, a fim de avaliar o diagnóstico da LVC nesta região. Todos os animais foram submetidos a exame clínico e coleta de sangue (soro e eluato) para realização do ensaio imunoenzimático (ELISA) e imunofluorescência indireta (IFI). Biópsia de pele foi obtida para o exame parasitológico (cultura). Foram avaliados 305 (89,4%) animais de uma população de 341 cães e Leishmania chagasi foi isolada de nove animais. A sensibilidade e especificidade do ELISA foram de 100% e 96,6%, na IFI (ponto de corte 1:40) de 100% e 65,5%, na IFI (ponto de corte 1:80) de 100% e 83,4% e na IFI (eluato) de 22,2% e 97,0%, respectivamente. A partir dos resultados obtidos podemos concluir que entre as técnicas sorológicas empregadas, o teste de ELISA apresentou-se como a melhor ferramenta para o diagnóstico da LVC. Os resultados sugerem a necessidade de uma melhor avaliação do teste de IFI realizada com eluato, como único método de diagnóstico para LVC no município do Rio de Janeiro

Cysteine oxidation targets peroxiredoxins 1 and 2 for exosomal release through a novel mechanism of redox-dependent secretion

Non-classical protein secretion is of major importance as a number of cytokines and inflammatory mediators are secreted via this route. Current evidence indicates that there are several mechanistically distinct methods of non-classical secretion. We have recently shown that peroxiredoxin (Prdx) 1 and Prdx2 are released by various cells upon exposure to inflammatory stimuli such as LPS or TNF-α. The released Prdx then acts to induce production of inflammatory cytokines. However, Prdx1 and 2 do not have signal peptides and therefore must be secreted by alternative mechanisms as has been postulated for the inflammatory mediators IL-1β and HMGB1. We show here that circulating Prdx1 and 2 are present exclusively as disulphide-linked homodimers. Inflammatory stimuli also induce in vitro release of Prdx1 and 2 as disulfide-linked homodimers. Mutation of cysteines Cys51 or Cys172 (but not Cys70) in Prdx2, and Cys52 or Cys173 (but not Cys71 or Cys83) in Prdx1 prevented dimer formation and this was associated with inhibition of their TNF-α-induced release. Thus, the presence and oxidation of key cysteine residues in these proteins are a prerequisite for their secretion in response to TNF-α and this release can be induced with an oxidant. In contrast, the secretion of the nuclear-associated danger signal HMGB1 is independent of cysteine oxidation, as shown by experiments with a cysteine-free HMGB1 mutant. Release of Prdx1 and 2 is not prevented by inhibitors of the classical secretory pathway; instead, both Prdx1 and 2 are released in exosomes from both HEK cells and monocytic cells. Serum Prdx1 and 2 are also associated with the exosomes. These results describe a novel pathway of protein secretion mediated by cysteine oxidation that underlines the importance of redox-dependent signalling mechanisms in inflammation

Measuring a technology’s potential for innovative In-Vehicle Information Systems: an MCDM approach using a large set of alternatives

Publicado em: "Proceedings of the 1st EWG-DSS International Conference on Decision Support System Technology on Big Data Analytics for Decision Making, Belgrade, Serbia, May 27th - 29th, 2015 (ICDSST 2015)". ISBN 978-86-7680-313-2.Driving a car is a complex skill that includes the primary task of driving but also secondary tasks related with interacting with multiple systems in the car (e.g. infotainment). Current automobile industry trends, point towards maximizing the benefits of using more secondary task functions inside the car without affecting the primary task of the driver. Technologies for novel IVIS (In-Vehicle Information Systems) must satisfy different criteria since they should be innovative and pleasurable to use but also secure, feasible to implement and, at the same time, improve secondary task performance. We report here a multi-criteria decision making approach for rank ordering a large set of existing human-machine interaction technologies. The decision problem was assessing their potential for innovative IVIS products. Alternatives were either available as commercial products or were still in their conceptual and prototype form, and included more than a hundred technologies; the list was diverse with nine different categories. We were interested in the properties of the best alternatives and examined the criteria tradeoffs in the top quartile.Operational Competitiveness Program – COMPETE, QREN (Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional); R&D project in joint-promotion (HMIEXCEL-2013-2015 36265/2013) HMIEXCEL - I&D crítica em torno do ciclo de desenvolvimento e produção de soluções multimédia avançadas para automóvel; European Regional Development Funds (European Union); Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (IF/00217/2013); partially funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PD/BD/105966/2014