Analysis of a vegetable oil performance in a milling process by MQL Lubrication

In this work, we carried out a comparison between the dry machining of an aluminum block with conventional cutting oil and a block with vegetable oil. The two oils had different flow rates. Using the Taguchi method, it was possible to determine the matrices for optimizing the best parameters for each group of tests. Then, we studied the utility of using vegetable oil as a cutting lubricant. We found that the vegetable oil studied in this work had good properties in terms of reducing cutting temperatures but was less effective than conventional cutting oil in reducing the surface roughness of the machined part. Tribological tests were carried out to understand the influence of the selected lubricants in reducing friction and wear. After the sliding experiments, which were performed without lubrication in the presence of the same lubricants that were used in the machining tests and in the presence of distilled water, we concluded that vegetable oil has satisfactory lubricating properties that are similar to those of the conventional cutting fluid, indicating a potential for consideration as an effective alternative to the conventional cutting fluid, with economic, environmental, and health advantages.Financial support was provided by Portugal’s national funding FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO) (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020). Additionally, this work was partially supported by Portuguese FCT, under the reference projects UIDB/04077/2020, UIDB/00532/2020 and UIDB/04436/2020. This research was also partially funded by EXPL2021CIMO_01. Inês Afonso acknowledges the financial support of CIMO through EXPL2021CIMO_01

Comparison of different pretreatment processes envisaging the potential use of food waste as microalgae substrate

A significant fraction of the food produced worldwide is currently lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, squandering natural and economic resources. Food waste valorization will be an important necessity in the coming years. This work investigates the ability of food waste to serve as a viable nutritional substrate for the heterotrophic growth of Chlorella vulgaris. The impact of different pretreatments on the elemental composition and microbial contamination of seven retail food waste mixtures was evaluated. Among the pretreatment methods applied to the food waste formulations, autoclaving was able to eliminate all microbial contamination and increase the availability of reducing sugars by 30%. Ohmic heating was also able to eliminate most of the contaminations in the food wastes in shorter time periods than autoclave. However, it has reduced the availability of reducing sugars, making it less preferable for microalgae heterotrophic cultivation. The direct utilization of food waste containing essential nutrients from fruits, vegetables, dairy and bakery products, and meat on the heterotrophic growth of microalgae allowed a biomass concentration of 2.2 × 108 cells·mL?1, being the culture able to consume more than 42% of the reducing sugars present in the substrate, thus demonstrating the economic and environmental potential of these wastes.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of the UIDB/04469/2020 unit, with DOI 10.54499/UIDB/04469/2020, and by LABBELS—Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Micro-electromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. This work was funded by the European Union throughthe Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 101036388. Pedro Geada acknowledges FCT for the Junior Research contract obtained under the scope of the Scientific Stimulus Employment with the reference 2022.00930.CEECIND (https://doi.org/10.54499/2022.00930.CEECIND/CP1718/CT0023). Ricardo N. Pereira and Joana T. Martins acknowledge FCT for their Assistant Research contract obtained under the scope of Scientific Stimulus Employment with reference CEECIND/02903/2017 (https://doi.org/10.54499/CEECIND/02903/2017/CP1458/CT0006) and 2022.00788.CEECIND/CP1718/CT0024 (https://doi.org/10.54499/2022.00788.CEECIND/CP1718/CT0024), respectively. Luís Machado acknowledges FCT for its fellowship supported by doctoraladvanced training (SFRH/BD/07475/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

‘People lie’: overcoming obstacles to incorporate social science research to biodiversity conservation

Mesmo com o reconhecimento da importância da interdisciplinaridade na conservação da biodiversidade, ainda há resistência em incorporar a pesquisa em ciências sociais (PCS) ao pensamento e à prática conservacionista. As razões para tal resistência podem ser resumidas em três afirmações gerais ainda comumente atribuídas à PCS: 'tem pouca utilidade' e 'menos rigor metodológico' quando comparada à pesquisa em ciências naturais e, sobretudo, é pouco confiável porque 'as pessoas mentem'. Neste ensaio, desenvolvido a partir da experiência dos participantes de uma comunidade de prática, formada por profissionais de diversas áreas e setores relacionados à conservação, e das discussões geradas nesse espaço de aprendizado coletivo, abordamos as limitações e os equívocos por trás das afirmações acima. A PCS não é menos útil na conservação e nem tem menos rigor metodológico do que a pesquisa em ciências naturais, e quando as pessoas mentem para o pesquisador o problema não está na pesquisa em si, mas na relação entre sujeito e pesquisador. Argumentamos que à medida que os conservacionistas se familiarizam com a PCS e que os princípios de equidade e justiça são incorporados aos valores e objetivos da conservação, a importância e necessidade da PCS na conservação tornam-se óbvias, e a falta de confiança entre pesquisador e sujeitos deixa de ser uma preocupação significativa. Capacitar, integrar e apoiar são nossas recomendações básicas para pesquisadores, educadores, gestores e tomadores de decisão nas áreas de conservação, ensino, publicação e financiamento, para que a PCS cumpra plenamente seu papel na conservação.Despite the acknowledged importance of interdisciplinarity in biodiversity conservation, there is still resistance to incorporate social science research (SSR) to both conservationist thinking and practice. The reasons for such a resistance can be summarized in three general statements still commonly attributed to SSR, namely: it is of 'little use' and it has 'less methodological rigor' than research in the natural sciences and, above all, it is unreliable because 'people lie'. The current essay was developed based on the experience of participants of a community of practice (formed by professionals from different fields and sectors  associated with conservation), as well as on discussions held in this space of collective learning. It addresses the limitations and misconceptions behind the aforementioned statements. SSR is not less useful in conservation and not less methodologically rigorous than research conducted in the natural sciences. When researchers are lied to, the problem does not lie on the research itself, but on the subject-researcher relationship. We herein argue that as conservationists become more familiar with SSR, and as principles like equity and justice are incorporated to conservation values and goals, both the importance and need of SSR in conservation become obvious, making the lack of trust between researcher and subjects no longer a significant concern. Increasing capacity, integrating and supporting are our basic recommendations for researchers, educators, managers and decision-makers in the conservation, teaching, publishing and funding fields, so that SSR can fully fulfill its role in conservation

Combination of a Gellan Gum-Based Hydrogel With Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Cervical spinal cord trauma represents more than half of the spinal cord injury (SCI) cases worldwide. Respiratory compromise, as well as severe limb motor deficits, are among the main consequences of cervical lesions. In the present work, a Gellan Gum (GG)-based hydrogel modified with GRGDS peptide, together with adipose tissue-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) and olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), was used as a therapeutic strategy after a C2 hemisection SCI in rats. Hydrogel or cells alone, and a group without treatment, were also tested. Four weeks after injury, compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) were performed to assess functional phrenic motor neuron (PhMN) innervation of the diaphragm; no differences were observed amongst groups, confirming that the PhMN pool located between C3 and C5 was not affected by the C2 injury or by the treatments. In the same line, the vast majority of diaphragmatic neuromuscular junctions remained intact. Five weeks post-injury, inspiratory bursting of the affected ipsilateral hemidiaphragm was evaluated through EMG recordings of dorsal, medial and ventral subregions of the muscle. All treatments significantly increased EMG amplitude at the ventral portion in comparison to untreated animals, but only the combinatorial group presented increased EMG amplitude at the medial portion of the hemidiaphragm. No differences were observed in forelimb motor function, neither in markers for axonal regrowth (neuronal tracers), astrogliosis (GFAP) and inflammatory cells (CD68). Moreover, using Von Frey testing of mechanical allodynia, it was possible to find a significant effect of the group combining hydrogel and cells on hypersensitivity; rats with a SCI displayed an increased response of the contralateral forelimb to a normally innocuous mechanical stimulus, but after treatment with the combinatorial therapy this behavior was reverted almost to the levels of uninjured controls. These results suggest that our therapeutic approach may have beneficial effects on both diaphragmatic recovery and sensory function

Efeitos e aplicabilidade da terapia espelho na neurorreabilitação - revisão de literatura / Effects and applicability of mirror therapy in neurorehabilitation - literature review

Introdução: A Terapia Espelho (TE) foi originalmente desenvolvida na década de 90, pelo neurocientista indiano Ramachandran. A técnica utiliza um espelho posicionado no plano médio sagital, entre o membro afetado e o membro saudável, fornecendo feedback visual do membro saudável e gerando a sensação de dois membros móveis, como se o membro afetado estivesse realizando movimentos saudáveis no hemicampo negligenciado. Isso resulta na excitabilidade corticoespinhal e das áreas somatossensoriais, contribuindo para a recuperação motora. Objetivo: Identificar a aplicabilidade e os efeitos da Terapia Espelho como recurso da reabilitação neurológica.   Materiais e métodos: Trata-se de uma revisão de literatura, onde as bases de dados utilizadas foram Pedro, SciELO, PubMed e Lilacs, no período de Setembro de 2017 a Outubro de 2018. Utilizou-se como estratégia de pesquisa, nas bases de dados, a combinação dos descritores de acordo com o idioma. Além disso, foi realizada a busca manual na lista de referências dos artigos apresentados. Os estudos foram submetidos a uma avaliação da qualidade metodológica, utilizando-se a escala PeDro. Resultados: Foram encontrados 62 artigos, porém apenas 9 foram analisados. Eram compostos por amostras de indivíduos com diagnóstico de dor fantasma por amputação, Paralisia Cerebral (PC), lesão traumática cerebral ou Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC) em suas fases aguda, subaguda e crônica. Os instrumentos de avaliação variaram entre os estudos, assim como o modo de execução, a frequência e a duração do tratamento. Conclusão: A TE é benéfica para a recuperação motora de membros superiores e inferiores, função sensório-motora e para a diminuição da dor. Porém, a literatura voltada para o modo de execução da TE é muito escassa e existem muitas controvérsias em relação ao protocolo utilizado, tornando-se necessária a realização de novos estudos com maior número amostral, de modo que possam obter resultados mais significativos e amplos

High VEGFA Expression Is Associated with Improved Progression-Free Survival after Bevacizumab Treatment in Recurrent Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GB) is one of the deadliest human cancers. Many GB patients do not respond to treatment, and inevitably die within a median of 15–18 months post-diagnosis, highlighting the need for reliable biomarkers to aid clinical management and treatment evaluation. The GB microenvironment holds tremendous potential as a source of biomarkers; several proteins such as MMP-2, MMP-9, YKL40, and VEGFA have been identified as being differentially expressed in GB patient samples. Still to date, none of these proteins have been translated into relevant clinical biomarkers. This study evaluated the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, YKL40, and VEGFA in a series of GBs and their impact on patient outcome. High levels of VEGFA expression were significantly associated with improved progression-free survival after bevacizumab treatment, thus having potential as a tissue biomarker for predicting patients’ response to bevacizumab. Noteworthily, VEGFA expression was not associated with patient outcome after temozolomide treatment. To a lesser extent, YKL40 also provided significant information regarding the extent of bevacizumab treatment. This study highlights the importance of studying secretome-associated proteins as GB biomarkers and identifies VEGFA as a promising marker for predicting response to bevacizumab

Mutant A53T α-synuclein improves rotarod performance before motor deficits and affects metabolic pathways

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016The protein α-synuclein (α-Syn) interferes with glucose and lipid uptake and also activates innate immune cells. However, it remains unclear whether α-Syn or its familial mutant forms contribute to metabolic alterations and inflammation in synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we address this issue in transgenic mice for the mutant A53T human α-Syn (α-SynA53T), a mouse model of synucleinopathies. At 9.5 months of age, mice overexpressing α-SynA53T (homozygous) had a significant reduction in weight, exhibited improved locomotion and did not show major motor deficits compared with control transgenic mice (heterozygous). At 17 months of age, α-SynA53T overexpression promoted general reduction in grip strength and deficient hindlimb reflex and resulted in severe disease and mortality in 50 % of the mice. Analysis of serum metabolites further revealed decreased levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in α-SynA53T-overexpressing mice. In fed conditions, these mice also showed a significant decrease in serum insulin without alterations in blood glucose. In addition, assessment of inflammatory gene expression in the brain showed a significant increase in TNF-α mRNA but not of IL-1β induced by α-SynA53T overexpression. Interestingly, the brain mRNA levels of Sirtuin 2 (Sirt2), a deacetylase involved in both metabolic and inflammatory pathways, were significantly reduced. Our findings highlight the relevance of the mechanisms underlying initial weight loss and hyperactivity as early markers of synucleinopathies. Moreover, we found that changes in blood metabolites and decreased brain Sirt2 gene expression are associated with motor deficits.This work was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (PTDC/SAU-ORG/114083/2009). TFP was “Investigador FCT”; JEC is a postdoctoral FCT fellow (BPD/87647/2012); LVL is an “Investigador FCT”; TFO is supported by the DFG Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio