Farms in a box : how a new e-commerce solution is disrupting the purchasing of fresh produce online

Box scheme is a service where consumers order fresh fruits and vegetables boxes online and that is delivered directly by producers. This service has emerged as a rapidly growing alternative to conventional grocery deliver systems. However, consumers are not attracted to buy fresh fruits and vegetables online, due to the variable quality and sensory nature of this category. Thus, this study aims to identify the factors that influence consumers’ willingness to purchase fresh fruits and/or vegetables box by e-commerce and to identify which box’s characteristics contributes to the overall customers’ satisfaction leading to repurchase intentions. These factors depend entirely on the online environment and not on the sensory experience of the product itself. Therefore, through an online questionnaire, a sample of 284 participants was collected and used to analyze the results, using confirmatory factor analysis and multiple linear regressions. The results obtained revealed that perceived quality, perceived healthiness, perceived convenience and information availability positively affect consumers’ willingness to purchase the boxes online. Hence, when consumers are willing to order a box online they create expectations for a desire outcome influencing their overall satisfaction with it. In addition, the degree of overall customers’ satisfaction, which has a positive impact on their repurchase intentions, is affected by the level of satisfaction with certain box characteristics, such as flexibility of box composition, freshness of the products and service precision.Os cabazes de frutas e legumes frescos são encomendados online pelo consumidor e são entregues diretamente pelos produtores. Este serviço apareceu como uma alternativa em rápida expansão aos convencionais sistemas de entrega dos supermercados. Contudo, a compra de frutas e legumes frescos online não atrai os consumidores, devido à qualidade variável e à natureza sensorial desta categoria. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo é identificar os fatores que influenciam a disposição dos consumidores de comprar um cabaz de frutas e/ou legumes frescos através do comércio eletrônico e identificar as características do cabaz que contribuem para a satisfação geral dos clientes, levando a intenções de recompra. Esses fatores dependem inteiramente do ambiente online e não da experiência sensorial do próprio produto. Assim, através de um questionário online foi recolhida uma amostra de 284 participantes que foi usada para a análise dos resultados, feita através de análise fatorial confirmatória e regressões lineares múltiplas. Os resultados obtidos revelaram que a qualidade percebida, saúde percebida, conveniência percebida e disponibilidade de informação afetam positivamente a disposição dos consumidores de comprar os cabazes online. Consequentemente, os consumidores estando dispostos a encomendar um cabaz online criam expectativas do resultado desejado influenciando a sua satisfação geral com o mesmo. Além disso, o grau de satisfação geral dos clientes, que tem um impacto positivo nas intenções de recompra dos mesmos, é afetado pelo nível de satisfação com certas características do cabaz, tais como a flexibilidade da composição do cabaz, a frescura dos produtos e a precisão do serviço

Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characterization of resistance mechanisms of Enterococcus spp. from the intestinal microbiota of food producing animals

O trato intestinal dos mamíferos constitui um reservatório natural de Enterococcus, bactérias oportunistas, ubiquitárias, frequentemente associadas a infeções nosocomiais multirresistentes em humanos, sendo Enterococcus faecium e Enterococcus faecalis as espécies mais importantes. Neste estudo foram identificadas as espécies de Enterococcus predominantes no conteúdo cecal de bovinos e suínos através de técnicas moleculares, tendo sido avaliados os perfis de suscetibilidade antimicrobiana das estirpes de E. faecium e E. faecalis pelos métodos de agar difusão e microdiluição, e identificados determinantes de resistência por PCR e Whole Genome Sequencing. Os suínos constituem um reservatório de estirpes multirresistentes de E. faecium e E. faecalis. Enteroccocus spp. resistentes a antibióticos de importância crítica, designadamente daptomicina e linezolid, foram identificados em intestino de bovinos e suínos, tendo sido detectados os determinantes de resistência ao linezolid (optrA e poxtA). Estes resultados enfatizam a importância de monitorizar a resistência antimicrobiana em bactérias de origem animal; ABSTRACT: The intestinal tract of mammals is a natural reservoir of Enterococcus, opportunistic and ubiquitous bacteria, frequently associated with multidrug resistant nosocomial infections in humans, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis being the most important species. In the present study, the prevalent species of Enterococcus in the cecum of cattle and pigs were identified through molecular techniques, the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of E. faecium and E. faecalis strains were assessed by agar diffusion and microdilution methods, and resistant determinants were identified through PCR and Whole Genome Sequencing. Pigs are a reservoir of multidrug resistant E. faecium and E. faecalis strains. Enterococcus spp. resistant to critically important antibiotics, namely daptomycin and linezolid, were found colonizing bovine and swine gut, and the corresponding linezolid resistance determinants were identified (optrA and poxtA). These results highlight the importance of monitoring antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in bacteria from animals

Participação das Forças Armadas Portuguesas na ISAF : contributo para a segurança e estabilização do Afeganistão

Composta por 51 Estados e com uma duração de 13 anos, a International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) representou a maior aliança e a mais desafiante missão da NATO até hoje. Sendo esta a primeira vez que o Artigo V foi evocado, Portugal assumiu o seu compromisso enquanto Estado membro da NATO e, em 2002 deu início à sua participação no Afeganistão, com o objetivo de garantir a estabilização e segurança do País, em cooperação com os outros Estados participantes. Após 12 anos, 8 Contingentes Nacionais e a participação dos três ramos das Forças Armadas Portuguesas, deu-se término à missão incumbida aos militares portugueses. Este projeto de investigação pretende dar a conhecer o relevante papel das Forças Armadas Portuguesas em operações internacionais e os seus contributos em operações de contrainsurgência e estabilização de um país. É imperativo entender que o papel das FFAA Portuguesas em manter o Estado afegão seguro não é apenas o combate a organizações fundamentalistas e terroristas, mas também a regularização do ambiente de conflito, o restabelecimento da paz, a promoção de um teatro de operações estável, o treino de forças nacionais afegãs e a colaboração na transição de autoridade para um governo afegão democrático e capaz de garantir o bem-estar da população. Assim, estudou-se o empenhamento do 8º Contingente Nacional, e os seus contributos no âmbito da segurança e estabilização do Afeganistão no período compreendido entre 12 de maio de 2014 e 28 de novembro de 2014. A questão principal associada a esta investigação é a seguinte: "O 8ºCN foi capaz de garantir a estabilização e segurança do Estado afegão durante o seu período de intervenção?". Tendo a resposta à mesma sido alcançada através do estudo de caso, com uma abordagem hipotético-dedutiva. Os dados foram recolhidos através de entrevistas, numa fase exploratória, e de questionários, numa fase analítica.Composed by fifty - one States and lasting for thirteen years, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was the largest alliance and the most challenging mission of NATO until today. Being this the first time that the Article V was evoked, Portugal was assigned to participate in the mission in Afghanistan in 2002 with the aim of ensuring stability and security of the country, in cooperation with others participating States. The Portuguese military ended their participation after twelve years, eight national contingents and the participation of the three branches of the Armed Forces. This research project aims to promote the role the Armed Forces in international operations and its contributions in counter insurgency and stabilization operations. Furthermore, it is imperative to understand that the role of the Portuguese Armed Forces, in keeping Afghanistan safe, not only aims to fight fundamentalist and terrorist organizations, but as well as to settle the conflict environment, to achieve peace, to promote a safe theatre of operations, to mentor Afghan national forces and to participate in the transition of a democratic Afghan government capable of ensuring the wellbeing of its citizens . Thus, it was analysed the commitment of the 8th National Contingent during the period between May 12, 2014 and November 28, 2014, and its contributions in the field of security and stabilization of Afghanistan. The main question associated to this research is "Was the 8º Portuguese National Contingent able to ensure the stability and security of the Afghan State during its period of intervention?". The response to it has been achieved through the case study, with a hypothetic deductive approach. Data was collected through interviews, in an exploratory phase, and questionnaires for the analytical phase

The impact of School Education, Family, Cultural Background and Political Attitudes and Experiences in Civic Knowledge

The IEA Civic Education Study in Portugal involved the observation of national representative samples of students from grades 8, 9 and 11. Grades 8 and 9 are the terminal years of basic (compulsory) education, and grade 11 is the mid-year of secondary education. Results on civic knowledge reveal a particular scenario that will be explored in this paper: 8 grade students score clearly below the international mean, but both 9 and 11 grade students score above the international mean. The impact of four relevant variables in the literature on political development - education, family cultural background, political interest and experiences, and interpersonal trust - will be analyzed and discussed

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of <i>Enterococcus</i> Isolates from Cattle and Pigs in Portugal: Linezolid Resistance Genes <i>optrA</i> and <i>poxtA</i>

Enterococci are part of the commensal gut microbiota of mammals, with Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium being the most clinically relevant species. This study assesses the prevalence and diversity of enterococcal species in cattle (n = 201) and pig (n = 249) cecal samples collected in 2017. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of E. faecium (n = 48) and E. faecalis (n = 84) were assessed by agar and microdilution methods. Resistance genes were screened through PCR and nine strains were analyzed by Whole Genome Sequencing. A wide range of enterococci species was found colonizing the intestines of pigs and cattle. Overall, the prevalence of resistance to critically important antibiotics was low (except for erythromycin), and no glycopeptide-resistant isolates were identified. Two daptomycin-resistant E. faecalis ST58 and ST93 were found. Linezolid-resistant strains of E. faecalis (n = 3) and E. faecium (n = 1) were detected. Moreover, oxazolidinone resistance determinants optrA (n = 8) and poxtA (n = 2) were found in E. faecalis (ST16, ST58, ST207, ST474, ST1178) and E. faecium (ST22, ST2138). Multiple variants of optrA were found in different genetic contexts, either in the chromosome or plasmids. We highlight the importance of animals as reservoirs of resistance genes to critically important antibiotics

Undiscovered roles for transthyretin: from a transporter protein to a new therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease

Transthyretin (TTR), an homotetrameric protein mainly synthesized by the liver and the choroid plexus, and secreted into the blood and the cerebrospinal fluid, respectively, has been specially acknowledged for its functions as a transporter protein of thyroxine and retinol (the latter through binding to the retinol-binding protein), in these fluids. Still, this protein has managed to stay in the spotlight as it has been assigned new and varied functions. In this review, we cover knowledge on novel TTR functions and the cellular pathways involved, spanning from neuroprotection to vascular events, while emphasizing its involvement in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We describe details of TTR as an amyloid binding protein and discuss its interaction with the amyloid Aβ peptides, and the proposed mechanisms underlying TTR neuroprotection in AD. We also present the importance of translating advances in the knowledge of the TTR neuroprotective role into drug discovery strategies focused on TTR as a new target in AD therapeutics.The group from i3S acknowledges for funding through a grant from Norte2020, Portugal (Norte-01-0145FEDER-000008- Porto Neurosciences), and Fundação Millennium bcp. The group at CIC biomaGUNE acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number CTQ2017-87637-R

Neuroprotection in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease is promoted by transthyretin angiogenic properties

Background While still controversial, it has been demonstrated that vascular defects can precede the onset of other AD hallmarks features, making it an important therapeutic target. Given that the protein transthyretin (TTR) has been established as neuroprotective in AD, here we investigated the influence of TTR in the vasculature. Methods We evaluated the thickness of the basement membrane and the length of brain microvessels, by immunohistochemistry, in AβPPswe/PS1A246E (AD) transgenic mice and non-transgenic mice (NT) bearing one (TTR+/−) or two (TTR+/+) copies of the TTR gene. The angiogenic potential of TTR was evaluated in vitro using the tube formation assay, and in vivo using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Results AD transgenic mice with TTR genetic reduction, AD/TTR+/−, exhibited a thicker BM in brain microvessels and decreased vessel length than animals with normal TTR levels, AD/TTR+/+. Further in vivo investigation, using the CAM assay, revealed that TTR is a pro-angiogenic molecule, and the neovessels formed are functional. Also, TTR increased the expression of key angiogenic molecules such as proteins interleukins 6 and 8, angiopoietin 2, and vascular endothelial growth factor, by endothelial cells, in vitro, under tube formation conditions. We showed that while TTR reduction also leads to a thicker BM in NT mice, this effect is more pronounced in AD mice than in NT animals, strengthening the idea that TTR is a neuroprotective protein. We also studied the effect of TTR tetrameric stabilization on BM thickness, showing that AD mice treated with the TTR tetrameric stabilizer iododiflunisal (IDIF) displayed a significant reduction of BM thickness and increased vessel length, when compared to non-treated littermates. Conclusion Our in vivo results demonstrate the involvement of TTR in angiogenesis, particularly as a modulator of vascular alterations occurring in AD. Since TTR is decreased early in AD, its tetrameric stabilization can represent a therapeutic avenue for the early treatment of AD through the maintenance of the vascular structure.The authors acknowledge the support of the i3S Scientific Platforms BioSciences Screening (BS) and Advanced Light Microcopy (ALM), members of the national infrastructure PPBI - Portuguese Platform of Bioimaging (PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122) and of the i3S Animal Facility. The flow cytometry analysis was performed at the Translational Cytometry i3S Scientific Platform with the assistance of E. Cardoso. Funding Grant from Norte2020, Portugal (Norte-01-0145FEDER-000008- Porto Neurosciences) and through a grant from Fundação Millennium bcp.Peer reviewe

Genetic Diversity of <i>Salmonella enterica</i> subsp. <i>enterica</i> Serovar Enteritidis from Human and Non-Human Sources in Portugal

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is one of the leading causes of foodborne infections associated with broilers and laying hens. Portugal has had the lowest notification rates of salmonellosis in recent years, due to the vaccinations of layer and breeder flocks and strict compliance with biosecurity measures. However, data about the genetic diversity of S. Enteritidis in Portugal are scarce. In this study, 102 S. Enteritidis isolates selected from human (n = 63) and non-human sources (n = 39) were characterized by serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility, and whole genome sequencing. The S. Enteritidis population was mainly resistant to fluoroquinolones, and a sole isolate showed resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins. ST11 was the most frequent sequence type, and three novel STs from human isolates (ST9236, ST4457, and ST9995) were assigned. Several Salmonella pathogenic islands (SPI) and Putative SPI were present in the genomes, namely SPI-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 14, C63PI, CS54_island, and 170 virulence genes were identified. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that strains from Portugal are genetically heterogeneous regarding sample type, collection date, and genetic content. This study increases the available data, essential to a better characterization of strains in a global context

Polymeric nanoparticles as oral delivery systems for a grape pomace extract towards the improvement of biological activities

Grape pomace (GP) is a major by-product from the wine industry, known for its bioactive compounds and their impact upon gastrointestinal (GI) health. However, bioaccessibility is often poor due to their degradation during digestion. This work aimed to encapsulate bioactive GP extract (GPE) into chitosan (CS) and alginate (Alg) nanoparticles (NPs) to mitigate degradation in the GI tract. Alg and CS NPs were optimized using a rotatable central composite design and NPs were characterized for their size, polydispersity, zeta potential and total phenolics (TP) association efficiency. The best formulations showed sizes ranging 523–853 nm, polydispersity indexes of 0.11–0.36, zeta potential of −15.0–14.9 mV and TP association efficiencies of 68 and 65%. FTIR confirmed that there was no formation of new chemical groups after association of the polymers with GPE. Both formulations improved the bioaccessibility of different phenolics following in vitro GI digestion, leading to in-creased antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Moreover, the permeability of bioactive compounds through a Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-culture was reduced, suggesting a higher residence time in the intestine. Cy5.5 was used for tracking the CS NPs, which did not affect the metabolic activity of Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cells. Confocal microscopy images confirmed the adsorption of NPs to the cellular layer and suggested a reduction of the tight junction protein occludin when cells were incubated with Cy5.5-CS in solution. This study suggests that encapsulation of GPE can offer protection against along the GI tract and improve its biological activity with significant impact for oral delivery applications, including functional foods.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio