Social and cultural contexts change but intelligence persists as incisive to explain children’s academic achievement

The intelligence is a well established predictor of school achievement. Although school failure/success can be explained by cognitive variables, socio-familial variables can also have an impact. Since these variables haven’t been so systematically investigated together, the present study aims to consider both variables to understand their causal roles in academic achievement. With a sample of 376 Portuguese children aged 6 to 10 years, a path analysis was carried out based on a prior analysis to search for causal relationships between intelligence and socio-familial variables to explain children’s academic achievement. The results point to intelligence as a major influence on school performance, combined with socio-familial variables (directly: community, type of school, mother's education and school year; and indirectly: socioeconomic status and father’s education level). Practical implications were discussed concerning the relevance of the investigated variables in explaining academic achievement of children.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, IP (FCT) and the POCH/FSE under Grant SFRH/BD/85110/2012 to Ana Filipa Alves

Probable Person-to-Person Transmission of Legionnaires’ Disease

Correspondence to the Editor.Legionnaires’ disease is an often severe form of pneumonia that is typically acquired by susceptible persons (e.g., elderly persons and smokers) through inhalation of aerosols that contain legionella species.1-4 A cluster of cases of this disease occurred in Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, in 2014

Optimization of raw ewes’ milk high-pressure pre-treatment for improved production of raw milk cheese

Serra da Estrela protected designation of origin (PDO) cheese is manufactured with raw milk from Bordaleira and/or Churra Mondegueira da Serra da Estrela sheep breeds. Several socioenvironmental shortcomings have reduced production capacity; hence, treatments that may contribute to its efficient transformation into cheese are welcome. High-pressure processing (HPP) milk pre-treatment may contribute to a cheese yield increment, yet optimization of processing conditions is warranted. An initial wide-scope screening experiment allowed for pinpointing pressure intensity, holding time under pressure and time after HPP as the most important factors influencing curd yield. Based on this, a more targeted screening experiment allowed for selecting the range of experimental conditions to be used for an experimental design study that revealed an HPP treatment at 121 MPa for 30 min as the optimum for milk processing to improve curd yield (>9%) and effectively maintain the beneficial cheese microbiota; the optimum was validated in a final experimental framework.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

High dietary protein, n − 3/n − 6 ratio and β-carotene enhances Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) larval development

Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Grant/Award Number: LA/P/0069/2020, UIDB/04292/2020 and UIDP/04292/2020; Operational Programme MAR2020, Grant/Award Number: 16-02-01-FMP-0004; Scientific Employment Stimulus Programmes, Grant/Award Number: CEECINST/00051/2018; European Regional Development Fund, Grant/Award Number: Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000018.The nutritional characteristics of microalgae affect the growth, survival and fatty acid composition of sea urchin larvae. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of nutritive characteristics of single microalgal diets in Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) larval development, growth, and condition. Larvae of P. lividus were fed with three monospecific microalgal diets, Rhodomonas sp. (Rho), Dunaliella tertiolecta (Duna) and the diatom Chaetoceros calcitrans (Chae), and their development and growth were analysed until competence. Additionally, the fatty acid (FA) profile of larvae was analysed at competence and compared with the FA profile of the correspondent diet. The three groups of larvae attained competence simultaneously with differences in growth performance. The larvae fed with Chae attained the largest stomach and the shortest post-oral arm. The larvae were able to accumulate long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), such as docosahexaenoic (DHA, C22:6n − 3), eicosapentaenoic (EPA, C20:5n − 3) and arachidonic (ARA, C20:4n − 6) acids, either by assimilation and retention of dietary FA or by the synthesis from α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3n − 3) and linoleic acid (LA, C18:2n − 6). Furthermore, the low DHA/EPA ratio and high EPA/ARA and n − 3/n − 6 ratios of Rho and Chae and the high levels of the β-carotene present in Chae improved larval growth and development. In conclusion, the results indicated that of the three microalgal diets tested, C. calcitrans provided important nutritional characteristics, especially in terms of FA composition and carotenoids, improving P. lividus larval growth and condition.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multiplex immunoassay for inflammatory proteins quantification in saliva – a methodologic approach

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Magnetoliposomes based on NixCu1-xFe2O4 or NiFe2-yAlyO4 nanocrystals for applications in magnetic separation and classification

Ferrites are a broad class of compounds with general formula MFe2O4, where M stands for a divalent metallic cation. Among these, copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) presents a moderate saturation magnetization, while nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) holds a large one. Mixed ferrites with composition NixCu1-xFe2O4 were then prepared by coprecipitation method, in order to control the saturation magnetization with the fraction of Ni. Another possibility is the partial substitution of iron atoms with aluminium, as NiAl2O4 nanocrystals show very low saturation magnetization. Thus, ferrites of NiFe2-yAlyO4 composition were also obtained. XRD spectra of the obtained nanoparticles show the spinel-type crystalline phase. Solid magnetoliposomes of the prepared mixed ferrites were obtained, and their bilayer structure was proven by the use lipophilic fluorescence probes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A study of wastewater disinfection with photodynamic treatment and its ecotoxicological effects

Viruses have higher mutation rates when compared with other microorganisms, particularly RNA viruses [1]. The higher mutation rate promotes the development of resistance to traditional antivirals, establishing a resistance behavior in viruses populations [1]. RNA viruses in wastewater (WW) have already been reported, leading to potential public health risks [2]. Wastewater treated with conventional antimicrobial approaches (tertiary WW treatments) like UV light, chlorine, and ozone can lead to viruses mutations and the formation of toxic by-products harmful to humans and the environment [3]. All this, highlights the inevitability to provide alternative WW disinfection techniques. Antimicrobial Photodynamic treatment (PDt), an approach based on the action of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is being considered a promising alternative to viruses inactivation without the generation of viral mutations or toxic by-products [4,5]. This study evaluated the efficiency of PDt in the inactivation of bacteriophage Phi6 (RNA-viruses model) in real WW. PDt assays were carried out in a buffer solution (PBS, as a controlled medium) and in WW (after secondary treatment) with Methylene Blue (MB) as photosensitizer (PS), and a low energy consuming light source (LED). The disinfection protocol developed with MB resulted in an efficient inactivation of the bacteriophage Phi6, both in PBS and in the real WW. Considering that treated effluents are released into the environment, the acute toxicity of PDttreated WW to the model organism Daphnia magna was also evaluated during a 48h exposure to the PDt-treated WW with MB. In this communication it will be present and discuss the PDt protocol developed to photoinactivate the model RNAvirus bacteriophage Phi6 and the preliminary results of the acute toxicity of PDt-treated WW in Daphnia magna model.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A study of wastewater disinfection with photodynamic treatment and its ecotoxicological effects

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

High-yield synthesis and catalytic response of chainlike hybrid materials of the [(MoO3)m(2,2′-bipyridine)n] family

The one-dimensional organic–inorganic hybrid material [MoO3(2,2'-bipy)] (1) (2,2'-bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine) has been used as a starting material to prepare the bipy-deficient phases [Mo2O6(2,2'-bipy)] (2) and [Mo3O9(2,2'-bipy)2] (3) in excellent yields. The hybrid 2 was obtained by a solid-state thermal treatment of 1 (300 ºC, 10 min) while 3 was obtained by a hydrothermal treatment of 1 (160 ºC, 6 d). A study was performed to compare the catalytic properties of 1–3 in the epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene at 55 ºC with tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) or aqueous H2O2 as oxidant. In all cases Cy was converted to cyclooctene oxide (CyO) with 100% selectivity, and Cy conversions increased in the order 1 < 3 < 2, which parallels an increase in the Mo/2,20-bipy molar ratio of the hybrid (1 < 1.5 < 2). With compound 2, CyO yields at 24 h were 96% for TBHP (cosolvent a,a,a-trifluorotoluene) and 53% for H2O2 (cosolvent CH3CN). The catalytic reactions occurred in homogeneous phase with active species formed in situ from 1–3. All three hybrids react with aqueous H2O2 to give the catalytically active oxodiperoxo complex [MoO(O2)2(2,2'-bipy)]. The 2 : 1 hybrid 2 was further examined for the epoxidation of other cyclic and linear non-functionalised olefins with TBHP, namely cyclododecene, 1-octene and trans-2-octene, and the biomass-derived olefins DL-limonene, a-pinene and methyl oleate.publishe