Wealth Effects in Emerging Market Economies

We build a panel of 14 emerging economies to estimate the magnitude of housing, stock market, and money wealth effects on consumption. Using modern panel data econometric techniques and quarterly data for the period 1990/1-2008/2, we show that; (i) wealth effects are statistically significant and relatively large in magnitude; (ii) housing wealth effects tend to be smaller for Asian emerging markets while stock markets wealth effects are, in general, smaller for Latin American countries; (iii) housing wealth effects have increased for Asian countries in recent years; and (iv) consumption reacts stronger to negative than to positive shocks in housing and financial wealth.wealth effects, consumption, emerging markets.

Asset prices, Credit and Investment in Emerging Markets

We build a panel of 31 emerging economies to uncover the determinants of private investment growth in emerging markets. Using several econometric techniques and quarterly data for the period 1990:1-2008:3, we show that: (i) the GDP and the cost of capital are among the fundamental determinants of private investment; (ii) the equity price impacts positively and significantly on investment; (iii) financial factors (such as, credit and lending rate) play an important role on the dynamics of investment, in particular, for Asian and Latin American countries; (iv) investment growth exhibits substantial persistence and responds sluggishly to shocks; and (v) crises episodes magnify the negative response of investment.investment, credit, asset prices, emerging markets.

Printability evaluation of Chlorella vulgaris snacks

The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) additions on the printability of cereal-based doughs. Increasing C. vulgaris levels of incorporation (2–30 % w/w) were tested and a limit of incorporation (30 %) for printing was reached. Evaluation of printability was conducted based on the rheology and texture properties of the doughs and shape fidelity of the 3D printed doughs. The combination of rheology and texture properties and shape fidelity assessment led to the development of printability maps, where doughs were grouped into different levels of printability (1–3), providing industrial relevant information for successful printing of food materials. Doughs with lower texture (firmness and adhesiveness) and rheology (viscoelasticity and viscosity) properties corresponded to doughs with lower levels of C. vulgaris incorporation. Doughs with up to 12 % microalga incorporation presented the most accurate printed structures. Color measurements indicated that increasing additions of microalga produced darker doughs with perceptible color differences by human eye, when comparing the control dough to doughs with C. vulgaris. Sensory analysis revealed that low microalga incorporation (2 %) improved snack's global appreciation. Further results from CATA analysis revealed that subtle sensory attributes had a positive impact on global appreciationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Industrial waste whey as a low-cost, efficient and environmentally safe disinfectant, with potential applications for minimally processed foodstuff

Current Approaches in Science and Technology Research, Vol. 14, Chapter 11Being a fast and reliable way to access healthy products, fresh-cut fruit and vegetables are becoming a rapidly rising sector of the horticultural industry with a concomitant high consumer demand. Fresh-cut processing usually involves sanitizing steps, with chlorine washing being the general choice. Due to the health harming effects of chlorine, there has been an increasing demand for alternative disinfecting agents. Under this context, fermented cheese whey has shown potential as a natural sanitizing agent but has been poorly tested in fresh-cut produce. Furthermore, it also continues to pose an environmental problem because it still contains a high organic load. Here we aimed at developing a low-cost, scalable fermentation protocol to produce a disinfectant from dairy waste that has very little organic content and high levels of lactic acid. Fermentation was achieved with industrial whey from ewe, goat, and cow´s milk, using a specific mesophilic-lactic acid bacteria starter mix over a more prolonged fermentation of 120 h, which yielded the highest lactic acid production and the lowest lactose content. Antibacterial activity was observed against Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7, plus a total of thirteen other food pathogenic and spoilage strains, and antibacterial activities were determined to be highest after 120 h. We further validated this whey’s application as a disinfectant in shredded lettuce and compared its efficacy to that of chlorine, evaluating microbial quality, texture, color, and sensory perception, pH, and O2 and CO2 determinations. Results showed that not only was microbial quality better when using our whey solution (p < 0.05), but also the quality indicators for whey were statistically similar to those treated with chlorine. Hence, our work validates the use of an industrial waste whey as a low-cost, efficient, and environmentally safe disinfectant, with potential applications for minimally processed foodstuffs as an alternative to chlorineinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O povoado da Idade do Bronze de Santa Catarina, Guimarães (Norte de Portugal). Resultado dos trabalhos arqueológicos de 2002

Com este texto, pretende-se relatar os trabalhos de escavação arqueológica realizados, durante o mês de Julho de 2002, na estação arqueológica de Santa Catarina, no âmbito do projecto "The Entre-Douro-e-Minho landscape since middle of III to the end of II millenium BC" . Este local, bastante destruído, desde os finais do séc. XIX , forneceu importante espólio arqueológico, depositado no Museu da Sociedade Martins Sarmento, em Guimarães, e indevidamente estudado. As escavações recentes, apesar das vicissitudes, permitiram identificar um nível de ocupação da Idade do Bronze, conectável, genericamente, com grande parte do espólio depositado no referido museu e com algumas referências bibliográficas. Tal, contribuirá para uma melhor contextualização cronológico-cultural do sítio, assim como para a sua reconstituição paleoambiental.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prediction of low frequency sound fields in buildings near railway lines

The design of new buildings in the vicinity of railway lines must consider protection against noise and vibrations induced by railway traffic. However, the prediction methods available involve heavy numerical models which have frequency limitations. In this paper a prediction method combining finite elements (FEM) with natural mode analysis is presented for use in reinforced concrete buildings with heavy walls. The method considers 2D FEM models of the railway, ground and buildings to identify the transfer function of vibration from the railway to building foundations. Also 3D models of the buildings are considered to identify the transfer functions of vibration from foundations to walls and floors. Finally, as the impedance of heavy walls and floors is much higher than the acoustic impedance of air, the numerically assessed vibration fields of walls and floors are used to calculate sound fields in rooms by means of natural mode analysis. A set of in situ measurements were made in two different situations in order to calibrate the prediction method and also to identify the factors which most affect vibration and sound transmission

Evolution of commensal bacteria in the intestinal tract of mice

The deposited article is a post-print version and has been submitted to peer review.This deposit is composed by the main article, and it hasn't any supplementary materials associated.This publication hasn't any creative commons license associated.Hundreds of different bacterial species inhabit our intestines and contribute to our health status, with significant loss of species diversity typically observed in disease conditions. Within each microbial species a great deal of diversity is hidden and such intra-specific variation is also key to the proper homeostasis between the host and its microbial inhabitants. Indeed, it is at this level that new mechanisms of antibiotic resistance emerge and pathogenic characteristics evolve. Yet, our knowledge on intra-species variation in the gut is still limited and an understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms acting on it is extremely reduced. Here we review recent work that has begun to reveal that adaptation of commensal bacteria to the mammalian intestine may be fast and highly repeatable, and that the time scales of evolutionary and ecological change can be very similar in these ecosystems.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grant SFB 680 and the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation FCT (SFRH/BPD/111725/2015 and UID/BIM/04501/2013 support to AS, SFRH/BPD/110750/2015 support to NF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Motor and cognitive deficits in the heterozygous leaner mouse, a Cav2.1 voltage-gated Ca2+ channel mutant

Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.The leaner mutation in mice affects the Ca(v)2.1 voltage-gated calcium channel alpha(1A)-subunit gene (Cacna1a), causing a reduction in calcium currents predominantly in Purkinje cells. This reduction in calcium currents causes severe progressive cerebellar ataxia, beginning around postnatal day 10, in homozygous leaner mice (tg(la)/tg(la)), while their heterozygous littermates (tg(la)/+) present no obvious behavioral deficits. In humans, heterozygous mutations in the Cacna1a orthologous gene produce a broad range of neurological manifestations. To evaluate the phenotypic status of the tg(la)/+ animals, we assessed motor performance and cognition, at different ages, in these mutant mice. We were able to observe age-dependent impairment in motor and cognitive tasks; balance and motor learning deficits were found in demanding tasks on the rotarod and on the hanging wire test, while spatial learning and memory impairment was observed in the Morris water maze. Progressive dysfunction in escape reflexes, indicative of neurological impairment, was also present in tg(la)/+ animals. Although not presenting major motor alterations, tg(la)/+ mice show age-dependent motor and cognitive deficits.We would like to thank Carolina Lemos for her help with statistical analysis and Victor Mendes for image technical assistance. This work was supported by research grants POCTI/MGI/34517/00, POCTI/NSE/45352/2002 and POCI/SAU-MMO/56387/2004, FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) and co-funded by FEDER. I.A. is recipient of a scholarship from FCT, Portugal

A estação arqueológica de Nossa Senhora da Penha, Guimarães (Norte de Portugal): notícia preliminar das escavações de 2002

Com este texto, pretende-se relatar os trabalhos de escavação arqueológica, realizados durante o mês de Julho d e 2002, na estação arqueológica d a Senhora da Penha, no âmbito do projecto "The Entre-Douro-e -Minho landscape since middle of III to the end of II millenium BC". Este local, profundamente destruído, desde, pelo menos, os inícios do séc. XX. Forneceu inúmero e importante espólio arqueológico, hoje depositado nos Museus da Sociedade Martins Sarmento, em Guimarães, e Nacional de Arqueologia, em Lisboa. As escavações actuais, apesar de não terem fornecido os resultados esperados, permitiram, pelos menos, identificar um nível de ocupação calcolítica, conectável, genericamente, com grande parte do espólio depositado nos referidos museus. Tal, contribuirá para uma melhor contextualização cronológico-cultural do sítio, assim como para a sua reconstituição paleoambiental.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio