The role of religiousness on substance-use disorder treatment outcomes: a comparison of black and white adolescents

This study compares 41 Black and 124 White adolescents at intake and discharge from a residential treatment program for substance-use disorders. Study data were obtained as part of a larger study (N = 195) that sought to assess the relationship of helping behavior and addiction recovery. This post-hoc analysis aims to identify cultural strengths that may be associated with recovery from substance-use disorders among Black adolescents. Using regression analyses and controlling for the severity of substance use and background variables that distinguish racial groups, religious practices and behaviors at intake were examined. Specifically, Black youth and White youth were compared on treatment outcomes, including alcohol or drug use during treatment, drug craving, 12-Step work, and 12-Step helping. The burden of health and socioeconomic disparities at intake did not disproportionately disfavor Black adolescents. Outcomes related to 12-Step measures were similar between Black and White youth. White adolescents reported higher craving scores at discharge, and Black adolescents were more likely to use drugs during treatment. High levels of religiousness at treatment intake were linked to greater 12-Step work and greater 12-Step helping at discharge. High levels of religiousness at intake were not related to drug use during treatment or to craving scores at discharge. The relationship between intake levels of religiousness and treatment-related outcomes did not differ by race.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437261/Accepted manuscrip

Unveiling the bioactive potential of fresh fruit and vegetable waste in human health from a consumer perspective

Food supply disruption and shortage verified during the current pandemic events are a scenario that many anticipate for the near future. The impact of climate changes on food production, the continuous decrease in arable land, and the exponential growth of the human population are important drivers for this problem. In this context, adding value to food waste is an obvious strategy to mitigate food shortages, but there is a long way to go in this field. Globally, it is estimated that one-third of all food produced is lost. This is certainly due to many different factors, but the lack of awareness of the consumer about the nutritional value of certain foods parts, namely peels and seeds, is certainly among them. In this review, we will unveil the nutritional and bioactive value of the waste discarded from the most important fresh fruit and vegetables consumed worldwide as a strategy to decrease food waste. This will span the characterization of the bioactive composition of selected waste from fruits and vegetables, particularly their seeds and peels, and their possible uses, whether in our diet or recycled to other ends.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reinforced and prestressed concrete hollow beams under torsion

Recently a new rational theoretical model for beams under torsion has been proposed. This model, called Softened Membrane Model for Torsion (SMMT), is able to predict well the global behaviour of reinforced and prestressed concrete solid beams under torsion. This paper presents a study in order to check the SMMT for reinforced and prestressed concrete hollow beams under torsion. Theoretical predictions from SMMT are compared to some experimental results of hollow beams available in the literature and also with the predictions of another theoretical model previously proposed from the authors. It is shown that SMMT, with some corrections, is able to predict satisfactorily the overall behaviour of reinforced and prestressed concrete hollow beams under torsion

Green extraction techniques as advanced sample preparation approaches in biological, food, and environmental matrices: A review

Green extraction techniques (GreETs) emerged in the last decade as greener and sustainable alternatives to classical sample preparation procedures aiming to improve the selectivity and sensitivity of analytical methods, simultaneously reducing the deleterious side effects of classical extraction techniques (CETs) for both the operator and the environment. The implementation of improved processes that overcome the main constraints of classical methods in terms of efficiency and ability to minimize or eliminate the use and generation of harmful substances will promote more efficient use of energy and resources in close association with the principles supporting the concept of green chemistry. The current review aims to update the state of the art of some cutting-edge GreETs developed and implemented in recent years focusing on the improvement of the main analytical features, practical aspects, and relevant applications in the biological, food, and environmental fields. Approaches to improve and accelerate the extraction efficiency and to lower solvent consumption, including sorbent-based techniques, such as solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and fabric-phase sorbent extraction (FPSE), and solvent-based techniques (μQuEChERS; micro quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), in addition to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and pressurized solvent extraction (PSE), are highlighted.This research was funded by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) through the CQM Base Fund, UIDB/00674/2020, Programmatic Fund, UIDP/00674/2020, and CEB—Centre of Biological Engineering, and by ARDITI (Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação Tecnologia e Inovação) through the project M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000005, Centro de Química da Madeira (CQM+; Madeira 14-20 Program). The authors also acknowledge FCT and the Madeira 14–20 Program to the Portuguese Mass Spectrometry Network (RNEM) through the PROEQUIPRAM program, M14-20 M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000008). ARDITI is also acknowledged for the postdoctoral fellowship granted to J.A.M.P. (Project M1420-09-5369-FSE-000001).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Use of refurbished shipping containers for the construction of housing buildings: details for the structural project

Construction using refurbished shipping containers is a recent building system, with already many successful examples around the world. This system presents a huge potential in the field of sustainable construction provided by the recycling of used containers. This paper aims to contribute to a better knowledge of this construction system in what concerns to the structural project. The general constitution of two maritime shipping containers is presented as well as some aspects of their structural behavior. For this purpose, numerical analyses were performed using a finite elements analysis program. Normative aspects for the structural project are also presented. This paper also presents the analysis of a case study with the use of refurbished shipping containers to build a single-family house. The evaluation of the strength of the refurbished shipping containers to building actions is carried out. It is shown that such evaluation is not easy because some mechanical parameters of noncommercial steel section of the elements that compose the shipping containers are unknown. Nevertheless, this study shows the feasibility of this building system

ESTUDO COMPARATIVO DO POTENCIAL INFLAMATÓRIO DE EXTRATOS VEGETAIS INSETICIDAS

Pediculose é uma infestação causada pelo parasita Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer, conhecido popularmente como piolho. A doença é considerada um problema sério de saúde pública. Embora existam diversos tratamentos populares para a infestação, poucos estudos científicos comprovam a eficácia dos tratamentos. A utilização de espécies vegetais com atividade inseticida antipediculose, além de acessível à população de baixa renda, também se constitui em tratamento alternativo eficaz para o controle da doença. Os extratos vegetais obtidos de Melia azedarach L., Ruta graveolens L. e Sambucus australis Cham. et Schlecht  apresentam atividade antipediculose, no entanto é importante investigar o potencial inflamatório destes extratos. O presente trabalho analisou o poder de indução inflamatória de extratos hidroalcoólicos das espécies vegetais M. azedarach, R. graveolens e Sambucus australis, empregando ratos da linhagem Wistar. Neste estudo não foi possível constatar a existência de inflamação significativa produzida pelos três extratos vegetais nos níveis dos tempos investigados

Circulating adrenomedullin in cirrhosis: relationship to hyperdynamic circulation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Peripheral arterial vasodilation may be the key factor in the sodium and water retention of cirrhosis. The mechanism responsible for this vasodilation remains to be fully elucidated. Adrenomedullin is a novel peptide, highly expressed in cardiovascular tissues, with potent and long-lasting vasodilating activity. METHODS: The possible implication of adrenomedullin in the hemodynamic changes of cirrhosis has been investigated. We measured the plasma concentration of adrenomedullin in 20 cirrhotic patients and 11 healthy subjects. In addition, systemic, portal and renal hemodynamics, hormonal factors and renal function parameters were evaluated in the same patients. RESULTS: Circulating adrenomedullin was significantly higher in the group of patients with cirrhosis (72.1; 46-100 vs 21.6; 11-34 fmol/dl, respectively; p<0.02) and was directly correlated with the Pugh score (r: 0.6; p: 0.01), inversely correlated with the creatinine clearance (r: -0.6; p<0.01) and tended to inversely correlate with systemic vascular resistance index (r: -0.46; p: 0.07). There were no portal-peripheral differences in adrenomedullin levels. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt insertion did not induce changes in the peripheral concentration of adrenomedullin, but baseline values of this hormone predicted the degree of hyperdynamic circulation after TIPS. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating adrenomedullin is increased in cirrhosis. These levels increase with the severity of the disease, especially in patients with hepatorenal syndrome. This peptide may contribute to vasodilation of cirrhosis

How mitochondrial dysfunction affects zebrafish development and cardiovascular function: an in vivo model for testing mitochondria-targeted drugs

Background and Purpose Mitochondria are a drug target in mitochondrial dysfunction diseases and in antiparasitic chemotherapy. While zebrafish is increasingly used as a biomedical model, its potential for mitochondrial research remains relatively unexplored. Here, we perform the first systematic analysis of how mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibitors affect zebrafish development and cardiovascular function, and assess multiple quinones, including ubiquinone mimetics idebenone and decylubiquinone, and the antimalarial atovaquone. Experimental Approach Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were chronically and acutely exposed to mitochondrial inhibitors and quinone analogues. Concentration-response curves, developmental and cardiovascular phenotyping were performed together with sequence analysis of inhibitor-binding mitochondrial subunits in zebrafish versus mouse, human and parasites. Phenotype rescuing was assessed in co-exposure assays. Key Results Complex I and II inhibitors induced developmental abnormalities, but their submaximal toxicity was not additive, suggesting active alternative pathways for complex III feeding. Complex III inhibitors evoked a direct normal-to-dead transition. ATP synthase inhibition arrested gastrulation. Menadione induced hypochromic anaemia when transiently present following primitive erythropoiesis. Atovaquone was over 1000-fold less lethal in zebrafish than reported for Plasmodium falciparum, and its toxicity partly rescued by the ubiquinone precursor 4-hydroxybenzoate. Idebenone and decylubiquinone delayed rotenone- but not myxothiazol- or antimycin-evoked cardiac dysfunction. Conclusion and Implications This study characterizes pharmacologically induced mitochondrial dysfunction phenotypes in zebrafish, laying the foundation for comparison with future studies addressing mitochondrial dysfunction in this model organism. It has relevant implications for interpreting zebrafish disease models linked to complex I/II inhibition. Further, it evidences zebrafish's potential for in vivo efficacy or toxicity screening of ubiquinone analogues or antiparasitic mitochondria-targeted drugs

On the Nonlinear Stability of Asymptotically Anti-de Sitter Solutions

Despite the recent evidence that anti-de Sitter spacetime is nonlinearly unstable, we argue that many asymptotically anti-de Sitter solutions are nonlinearly stable. This includes geons, boson stars, and black holes. As part of our argument, we calculate the frequencies of long-lived gravitational quasinormal modes of AdS black holes in various dimensions. We also discuss a new class of asymptotically anti-de Sitter solutions describing noncoalescing black hole binaries.Comment: 26 pages. 5 figure

Research at the learning and vision mobile robotics group 2004-2005

Spanish Congress on Informatics (CEDI), 2005, Granada (España)This article presents the current trends on wheeled mobile robotics being pursued at the Learning and Vision Mobile Robotics Group (IRI). It includes an overview of recent results produced in our group in a wide range of areas, including robot localization, color invariance, segmentation, tracking, audio processing and object learning and recognition.This work was supported by projects: 'Supervised learning of industrial scenes by means of an active vision equipped mobile robot.' (J-00063), 'Integration of robust perception, learning, and navigation systems in mobile robotics' (J-0929).Peer Reviewe