GResilient index to assess the greenness and resilience of the automotive supply chain

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to suggest an Index entitled GResilient Index to assess the greenness and resilience of the automotive companies and corresponding supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: An integrated assessment model is proposed based on Green and Resilient practices. These practices are weighted according to their importance to the automotive supply chain competitiveness. The Delphi technique is used to obtain the weights for the focused supply chain paradigms and corresponding practices. The model is then tested using a case study approach in the automotive supply chain. Findings: The case study results confirmed the applicability of this Index in a real-world supply chain. The results show that the Resilient supply chain management paradigm is the one considered as the one that more contributes for the automotive supply chain competitiveness. Research limitations/implications: The proposed Index was developed in the automotive sector context therefore it could not be adjusted to a different one. Future research could consider other aggregation methods for the Index construction. Practical implications: Supply chain participants will be able to evaluate the performance of their companies or supply chain in terms of Green and Resilient paradigms. Also, the Index can be effectively employed for functional benchmarking among competing companies and supply chains.Green; resilient; supply chain management; index; automotive industry

Aplicação da Filosofia Lean na Gestão da Manutenção de uma Empresa de Reparação Naval

The radical changes that have been felt in the Global Market emphasized the need to upgrade the existing management systems. It was within this scope that a study has started in a Portuguese ship repair company, with the objective of applying lean philosophy in the production and maintenance management. This article presents not only the proposed model to implement the philosophy of continuous improvement in the current maintenance management systems, but also which tools are more appropriate in this market sector. The model presumes a global approach to the activities problems, in order to identify the most critical ones, bearing in mind the seven key principles to apply the Lean. The first conclusions of its application are presented, as well as the role the personnel need to have for the success of the project.publishersversionpublishe

Climate change and impact on renewable energies in the Azores strategic visions for sustainability

The energy sector is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, but could also be seriously affected by climate change, calling into question society’s current consumption patterns. In this communication, climate projections based on a set of numerical models of global circulation are used to simulate the climate until the end of the century and keep in mind the alternative scenarios of pollutant emissions. Apart from solar energy, the results for the Azores region show a negative impact on the production and consumption of renewable energies. In the regional context, this issue assumes special relevance, given the geographical constraints, such as territorial discontinuity and insularity. Based on these assumptions, measures and recommendations are pointed out for the sectors that most penalize greenhouse gas emissions, considering the energy sustainability in the Azores and the commitments and goals assumed under international agreements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Phytochemical study and evaluation of the antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of Cuscuta racemosa

Cuscuta racemosa Mart. is a parasitic plant of the Convolvulaceae family, used in popular medicine as an anti-inflammatory and a diuretic, for stomach and hepatic disorders, and for treating fresh wounds. This plant is popularly known as "cipó-chumbo" and "fios-de-ovos". In this study, it was chemically investigated and tested for its antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity. The flavonoid and tannin content of the dried plant were 2.79% and 2.01%, respectively. Furthermore, the 4'-methoxyquercetin flavanoid compound was isolated from the ethanolic fraction. The minimum inhibiting concentration in the antimicrobial test was 2.0 mg/ml for Staphylococcus aureus, and a DL50 of 0.231 mg/mL was obtained in the cytotoxicity experiment. The fraction directed to alkaloids was able to eliminate 100% of the brine shrimp used for the test

Erythropoietin reduces the expression of myostatin in mdx dystrophic mice

Erythropoietin (EPO) has been well characterized as a renal glycoprotein hormone regulating red blood cell production by inhibiting apoptosis of erythrocyte progenitors in hematopoietic tissues. EPO exerts regulatory effects in cardiac and skeletal muscles. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a lethal degenerative disorder of skeletal and cardiac muscle. in this study, we tested the possible therapeutic beneficial effect of recombinant EPO (rhEPO) in dystrophic muscles in mdx mice. Total strength was measured using a force transducer coupled to a computer. Gene expression for myostatin, transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was determined by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Myostatin expression was significantly decreased in quadriceps from mdx mice treated with rhEPO (rhEPO = 0.60 +/- 0.11, control= 1.07 +/- 0.11). On the other hand, rhEPO had no significant effect on the expression of TGF-beta 1 (rhEPO = 0.95 +/- 0.14, control= 1.05 +/- 0.16) and TNF-alpha (rhEPO = 0.73 +/- 0.20, control= 1.01 +/- 0.09). These results may help to clarify some of the direct actions of EPO on skeletal muscle.Fac Med ABC, BR-09060650 Santo Andre, SP, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, BR-05508 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Inst Ciencias Quim Ambientais & Farmaceut, Diadema, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Inst Ciencias Quim Ambientais & Farmaceut, Diadema, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Concepções sobre educação em saúde de professores e estudantes de enfermagem à luz do pensamento complexo / Conceptions on health education of nursing teachers and students in the light of complex thought

A educação em saúde constitui um conjunto de saberes e práticas orientados para a prevenção de doenças e promoção da saúde, contudo, a formação do enfermeiro para a prática da educação em saúde, bem como dos demais profissionais desta área, ainda é carente de um conceito ampliado e aprofundado. Desta maneira, este estudo objetivou analisar as concepções de educação em saúde para professores e estudantes de um currículo integrado de enfermagem à luz do pensamento complexo. Trata-se de um estudo de caso que ocorreu de novembro de 2013 a fevereiro de 2016, com abordagem qualitativa e compreensiva. Desenvolveu-se com alunos e professores de um curso de graduação em enfermagem de uma instituição de ensino superior pública localizada no norte do Estado do Paraná, Brasil e sua operacionalização aconteceu por meios de grupos focais, aplicação de questionários e entrevistas semiestruturadas. Os achados foram submetidos à análise compreensiva e triangulação de dados. Como resultado, emergiram duas categorias empíricas: Concepções conceituais sobre educação em saúde e Concepções sobre as finalidades da educação em saúde. Para discussão, realizaram-se inferências e interpretação dos achados, com sustentação de literaturas correlatas, bem como de obras de Edgar Morin acerca da teoria da complexidade, referencial teórico da presente investigação. Conclui-se que criar estratégias para que os atores investigados possam se despir do reducionismo rumo ao entendimento complexo da educação em saúde mostra-se essencial para aparar as arestas destas concepções confusas e ingênuas, tanto por parte dos alunos quanto dos professores

Proteomics to Identify New Blood Biomarkers for Diagnosing Patients With Acute Stroke

Funding Information: UCIBIO-UID/Multi/04378/2019 also supported by FCT (CEEC Funding Information: This work was financed by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) with PTDC/MEC-NEU/28750/2017 grant, LA/P/0140/2020 funding,iNOVA4Health—UIDB/04462/2020, and UCIBIO-UID/Multi/04378/2019 units. A.S.C. is supported by FCT. R.M. is also supported by FCT (CEEC position, 2019–2025 investigator). Funding Information: This work was financed by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) with PTDC/MEC-NEU/28750/2017 grant, LA/P/0140/2020 funding, Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors.BACKGROUND: Blood biomarkers are a potential tool for early stroke diagnosis. We aimed to perform a pilot and exploratory study on untargeted blood biomarkers in patients with suspected stroke by using mass spectrometry analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a prospective observational study of consecutive patients with suspected stroke admitted within 6 hours of last being seen well. Blood samples were collected at admission. Patients were divided into 3 groups: ischemic stroke (IS), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and stroke mimics. Quantitative analysis from mass spectrometry data was performed using a supervised approach. Biomarker-based prediction models were developed to differentiate IS from ICH and ICH+stroke mimics. Models were built aiming to minimize misidentification of patients with ICH as having IS. We included 90 patients, one-third within each subgroup. The median age was 71 years (interquartile range, 57–81 years), and 49 participants (54.4%) were women. In quantitative analysis, C3 (complement component 3), ICAM-2 (intercellular adhesion molecule 2), PLGLA (plasminogen like A), STXBP5 (syntaxin-binding protein 5), and IGHV3-64 (immunoglobulin heavy variable 3-64) were the 5 most significantly dysregulated proteins for both comparisons. Biomarker-based models showed 88% sensitivity and 89% negative predictive value for differentiating IS from ICH, and 75% sensitivity and 95% negative predictive value for differentiating IS from ICH+stroke mimics. ICAM-2, STXBP5, PLGLA, C3, and IGHV3-64 displayed the highest importance score in our models, being the most informative for identifying patients with stroke. CONCLUSIONS: In this proof-of-concept and exploratory study, our biomarker-based prediction models, including ICAM-2, STXBP5, PLGLA, C3, and IGHV3-64, showed 75% to 88% sensitivity for identifying patients with IS, while aiming to minimize misclassification of ICH. Although our methodology provided an internal validation, these results still need validation in other cohorts and with different measurement techniques.publishersversionpublishe

In vitro bioaccessibility of macro and trace elements in biofortified and conventional farmed gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Biofortification is a promising strategy to improve the nutrient profile of farmed fish but requires consideration of the nutrient bioaccessible fraction. In this study, the in vitro bioaccessibility of macro and trace elements was investigated in biofortified and conventional farmed gilthead seabream and common carp, also taking into account the effect of cooking (by steaming). Biofortification enhanced iodine and selenium levels in seabream and carp fillets. Steaming increased iodine and selenium contents in biofortified seabream, and increased selenium and decreased copper levels in biofortified carp. Higher iodine bioaccessibilty (> 80%) was observed in biofortified seabream compared to biofortified carp (45%). In both species, selenium, iron, and zinc bioaccessibility was ≥ 70%. Upon steaming iodine and iron bioaccessibility decreased in seabream, while selenium bioaccessibility decreased in carp. The consumption of steamed biofortified seabream and carp contributes to significantly higher daily intakes of iodine (up to 12% and 10%, respectively) and selenium (up to 54% and above 100%, respectively) compared to conventional counterparts. The present study demonstrates the potential of developing innovative biofortified farmed fish using natural sustainable feed ingredients to improve the intake of important nutrients for human health.Highlights: - Iodine bioaccessibility is 80% in seabream and lower than 50% in carp. - Selenium, iron and zinc bioaccessibility were always above 70%. - Overall, bioaccessibility decreased after steaming (e.g., K: lower than 50%). - The availability of I and Se for absorption following the digestive process was higher in biofortified fillets.This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement no. 773400 (SEAFOODTOMORROW).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio