Caracterização do Engaço da Uva e Avaliação do seu Potencial como Matéria‐Prima Lenhocelulósica

Resumo O presente estudo avalia a composição química detalhada do engaço da uva de modo a encontrar novas formas para a sua valorização. O engaço da uva é um subproduto vinícola de origem lenhocelulósica, com 30-31% de celulose, 21% de hemicelulose, 17-18% de lenhina, 15-16% de taninos e cerca de 6,0% de proteínas. A análise dos monossacarídeos mostrou que, a seguir à celulose, a xilana é o segundo polissacarídeo mais abundante no engaço (ca. 12%). A celulose foi isolada pelo método Kürscher e Hoffer e foi caracterizada por difração de raios-X (DRX). Esta análise revelou a existência de uma célula unitária típica de celulose I com um elevado grau de cristalinidade (ca. 75%). Também foi possível verificar uma elevada abundância de compostos extratáveis em água (ca. 24%), atribuídos principalmente a sais inorgânicos solúveis, taninos hidrolisáveis e pectinas. A lenhina Klason foi caracterizada por espectroscopia de infravermelho e espectroscopia de ressonância magnética tendo-se verificado tratar-se de uma lenhina do tipo HGS, com predominância de unidades guaiacilo.Abstract The present study evaluates the detailed chemical composition of grape stalks to find new forms of recovery. Grape stalk is a by-product from winemaking process of lignocellulosic source with 30-31% cellulose, 21% hemicellulose, 17-18% lignin, 15-16% tannin and about 6.0% protein. Analysis of monosaccharides showed that, after cellulose, the xylan is the second most abundant polysaccharide in stalks (ca. 12%). Cellulose was isolated by the Kürscher and Hoffer method and was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). This analysis revealed the existence of a typical unit cell of cellulose I with a high degree of crystallinity (ca. 75%). It was also observed a high abundance of water extractable compounds (ca. 24%), attributed to mainly soluble inorganic salts, hydrolysable tannins and pectins. Klason Lignin was characterized by infrared spectroscopy and magnetic resonance spectroscopy and it was found that this is a HGS lignin-type, predominantly with guaiacyl units

Perceptions and knowledge regarding quality and safety of plastic materials used for food packaging

The objective of this study is to investigate the consumer perceptions about quality and safety of foods packed in plastic, as well as the impact of plastic materials on human health. To carry out the study, a questionnaire survey about the consumption habits and knowledge about plastic packaging was conducted to a sample of 487 Portuguese adult citizens. The results revealed that most respondents (81%) think about food safety and quality when purchasing foods. Additionally, it was found that the consumer’s knowledge about the toxicity of components possibly migrating from the plastic packaging to the food is still limited (only 46% of participants). However, other negative effects of plastics well known to consumers include environmental pollution and marine fauna degradation (67 and 82% of participants, respectively). Thus, it was concluded that the Portuguese population need to be further educated about the toxicity of some chemical compounds present in plastic packaging, which can be ingested by migrating to the food or which can be absorbed from the environmental microplastics resulting from incorrect disposal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chromium Adsorption by Modified Wood

Chromium is one of the most common heavy metals which exist in very high concentrations in wastewater. The removal is very expensive due to the high cost of normal adsorbents. Lignocellulosic materials and mainly treated materials have proven to be a good solution for this problem. Adsorption tests were performed at different pH, different times and with varying concentrations. Results show that is at pH 3 that treated wood absorbs more chromium ranging from 70% (2h treatment) to almost 100% (12 h treatment) much more than untreated wood with less than 40%. Most of the adsorption is made in the first 2-3 hours for untreated and heat treated wood. Modified wood adsorbs more chromium throughout the time. For all the samples, adsorption fitted relatively well the Langmuir model with correlation coefficient ranging from 0.85 to 0.97. The results show that heat treated wood is a good adsorbent ant that this might be a good utilization for sawdust from treating companies

Particleboard Production from Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Steud. Grown in Portugal

Paulownia wood has raised high attention due to its rapid growth and fire resistance. The number of plantations in Portugal has been growing, and new exploitation methods are needed. This study intends to determine the properties of particleboards made with very young Paulownia trees from Portuguese plantations. Single layer particleboards were produced with 3-year-old Paulownia trees using different processing parameters and different board composition in order to determine the best properties for use in dry environments. The standard particleboard was produced at 180 °C and a 36.3 kg/cm2 pressure for 6 min using 40 g of raw material with 10% urea-formaldehyde resin. Higher particle size lead to lower-density particleboards, while higher resin contents lead to higher density of the boards. Density has a major effect on board properties with higher densities improving mechanical properties such as bending strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE) and internal bond, lower water absorption but higher thickness swelling and thermal conductivity. Particleboards meeting the requirements for dry environment according to NP EN 312 standard, could be produced with young Paulownia wood with acceptable mechanical and thermal conductivity properties with density around 0.65 g/cm3 and a thermal conductivity of 0.115 W/mK.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of extracts obtained form cherry seeds.

Annual cherry production in Portugal is around 19,000 tonnes, in an area of about 6,450 ha and covering about 11,100 farms, concentrated in some northern and central interior territories. It is also in these regions that in recent decades there has been a significant increase in farms specialized in the production of cherry, using new cultivars and new technologies in a business production model. Apart from being consumed in fresh form, cherries are used for many food preparations, like sweets, jellies or confectionary. In the plants that transform cherries, a significant amount of cherry seeds (also called cherry pits) is generated as residue or waste. The possible usage of these residues as raw material for extraction of compounds with antioxidant properties is beneficial in term of economic value as well as environmental impact. Hence, the objective of this work was to obtain extract rich in compounds with antioxidant activity from cherry seeds. The cherry seeds were obtained from a local waste management company, Nutrofertil, located in Tondela, in the district of Viseu (Portugal). They were grinded and then submitted to extraction procedures testing different operating conditions: magnetic stirrer versus ultrasound, different solvents (methanol, ethanol, water) and temperatures (from 35 ºC to 80 ºC). For the obtained extracts antioxidant activity was evaluated through spectrophotometric methods, using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonic acid)) radicals, and also the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay (FRAP). All measurements were replicated at least trice, and were expressed as mg Trolox equivalents per gram (mg TE/g). The results obtained for the different experimental conditions indicated that least efficient extractions at ambient temperature were obtained with methanol using magnetic stirrer and with water using ultrasounds, for which the antioxidant activities measured by the DPPH method were 0.26 and 0.33 mg TE/g and by the ABTS method were 0.82 and 0.86 mg TE/g, respectively. Most efficient methods were water:ethanol (at 50% concentration) and water (100%), using magnetic stirrer in both cases. Highest antioxidant activity was obtained for water:ethanol by the DPPH method (0.72 mg TE/g) and for water (100%) by the ABTS method (1.25 mg TE/g). Tests with different concentrations for the aqueous solutions of ethanol and at different temperatures revealed that with increasing concentration of water the antioxidant diminished, from 0.62 to 0.27 mg TE/g at 35 ºC using the DPPH method. Additionally, the variation in temperature allowed reaching a maximum extraction of compounds with antioxidant activity at 70 ºC and decreasing thereafter. The maximum values obtained were registered at 70 ºC for all cases and were 0.74 mg TE/g for the water:ethanol 50:50 (v/v) by the DPPH method, 2.16 mg TE/g for the water:ethanol 60:40 (v/v) by the ABTS method and 3.43 mg TE/g for the water:ethanol 60:40 (v/v) by the FRAP method. The results obtained by the different methods were concordant in terms of the observed trends but giving different values of the measured antioxidant activity, which is a common characteristic observed in these types of evaluation techniques. This research allowed establishing some operational conditions that should be selected in order to maximize the extraction of compounds with antioxidant activity from cherry seeds. The use of ultrasounds was not found beneficial and the magnetic stirrer technique revealed to be more useful. Also the use of methanol was not found suitable, which is a good point given that this solvent is more pollutant and has more problems of toxicity. With respect to temperature, it was found that temperatures higher than 70 ºC are not beneficial because they induce the degradation of some bioactive compounds thus reducing the antioxidant activity of thee extracts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of pre- and post-harvest factors on the selected elements contents in fruit juices

Pre- and post-harvest factors determine the levels of the selected risk elements in100% fruit juices. The juices samples closely followed the Brix international reference values. Fruit juices presented the following order of the elements mean concentrations: cadmium (1.597 μg/l), chromium (2.767 μg/l), lead (20.75 μg/l), nickel (73.37 μg/l), zinc (545.9 μg/l), and iron (1792 μg/l), measured by AAS. The pre-harvest factors (origin, fruit, and agriculture) and the post-harvest factors (blending, packaging, conservation, pasteurisation, and process) were evaluated according to the manufacturers information and were correlated with the elements concentrations of fruit juices. A strong relationship was detected between the fruit species used for the juice production (i.e. pre-harvest factor) and their elements concentrations. Furthermore, multiple correspondence analysis was used for reducing the data dimension by grouping the factors. The zinc concentration was detected as a potential proxy for the identification of the fruit juices manufacturing process

The European Reference Genome Atlas: piloting a decentralised approach to equitable biodiversity genomics.

ABSTRACT: A global genome database of all of Earth’s species diversity could be a treasure trove of scientific discoveries. However, regardless of the major advances in genome sequencing technologies, only a tiny fraction of species have genomic information available. To contribute to a more complete planetary genomic database, scientists and institutions across the world have united under the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), which plans to sequence and assemble high-quality reference genomes for all ∼1.5 million recognized eukaryotic species through a stepwise phased approach. As the initiative transitions into Phase II, where 150,000 species are to be sequenced in just four years, worldwide participation in the project will be fundamental to success. As the European node of the EBP, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) seeks to implement a new decentralised, accessible, equitable and inclusive model for producing high-quality reference genomes, which will inform EBP as it scales. To embark on this mission, ERGA launched a Pilot Project to establish a network across Europe to develop and test the first infrastructure of its kind for the coordinated and distributed reference genome production on 98 European eukaryotic species from sample providers across 33 European countries. Here we outline the process and challenges faced during the development of a pilot infrastructure for the production of reference genome resources, and explore the effectiveness of this approach in terms of high-quality reference genome production, considering also equity and inclusion. The outcomes and lessons learned during this pilot provide a solid foundation for ERGA while offering key learnings to other transnational and national genomic resource projects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background: Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings: Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8-13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05-6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50-75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation: Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life

VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad

Acta de congresoLa conmemoración de los cien años de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918 se presentó como una ocasión propicia para debatir el rol de la historia, la teoría y la crítica en la formación y en la práctica profesional de diseñadores, arquitectos y urbanistas. En ese marco el VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad constituyó un espacio de intercambio y reflexión cuya realización ha sido posible gracias a la colaboración entre Facultades de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño de la Universidad Nacional y la Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba, contando además con la activa participación de mayoría de las Facultades, Centros e Institutos de Historia de la Arquitectura del país y la región. Orientado en su convocatoria tanto a docentes como a estudiantes de Arquitectura y Diseño Industrial de todos los niveles de la FAUD-UNC promovió el debate de ideas a partir de experiencias concretas en instancias tales como mesas temáticas de carácter interdisciplinario, que adoptaron la modalidad de presentación de ponencias, entre otras actividades. En el ámbito de VIII Encuentro, desarrollado en la sede Ciudad Universitaria de Córdoba, se desplegaron numerosas posiciones sobre la enseñanza, la investigación y la formación en historia, teoría y crítica del diseño, la arquitectura y la ciudad; sumándose el aporte realizado a través de sus respectivas conferencias de Ana Clarisa Agüero, Bibiana Cicutti, Fernando Aliata y Alberto Petrina. El conjunto de ponencias que se publican en este Repositorio de la UNC son el resultado de dos intensas jornadas de exposiciones, cuyos contenidos han posibilitado actualizar viejos dilemas y promover nuevos debates. El evento recibió el apoyo de las autoridades de la FAUD-UNC, en especial de la Secretaría de Investigación y de la Biblioteca de nuestra casa, como así también de la Facultad de Arquitectura de la UCC; va para todos ellos un especial agradecimiento

Consumer Perspectives About the Quality and Safety of Plastic Packaging Used for Food

Food packaging is essential in today's globalized markets to preserve the foods or beverages, guaranteeing their quality and safety along the food supply chain. Plastics have been used extensively for food packaging due to their many advantages, like being light, cheap, and versatile. However, some of the chemical molecules released from plastics may have toxic effects on the human body if ingested, and they are also harmful to the environment. In this way, the present work investigated consumer awareness about food quality and safety when in contact with plastic packaging materials, and also the impact of these plastics on human health. The research was conducted through a questionnaire survey applied after approval by the Ethics Committee to a sample of 487 Portuguese participants. The obtained results revealed that most of the participants consider food safety and quality aspects when buying food products (85% and 93% of respondents, respectively). As recognized by the participants, the most important functions of the plastic package were to protect and preserve the food. It was also found that the general consumer still has very limited knowledge about the possible toxicity of molecules that could migrate from the plastic to the food. Nevertheless, other adverse effects of plastics related to environmental pollution and degradation of marine fauna are well recognised. So, in conclusion, it is necessary to further inform the Portuguese citizens about possible toxicity of some chemical compounds present in plastic packaging which can reach the human body, either by being released from the package into the food or by being absorbed from the environmental micro plastics which are becoming abundant in nature as result of incorrect plastic disposal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio