Brill-Noether loci for divisors on irregular varieties

WetakeupthestudyoftheBrill–NoetherlociWr(L,X):={η∈Pic0(X)|h0(L⊗η) ≥ r + 1}, where X is a smooth projective variety of dimension > 1, L ∈ Pic(X), and r ≥ 0 is an integer. By studying the infinitesimal structure of these loci and the Petri map (defined in analogy with the case of curves), we obtain lower bounds for h0(KD), where D is a divisor that moves linearly on a smooth projective variety X of maximal Albanese dimension. In this way we sharpen the results of [Xi] and we generalize them to dimension > 2. In the 2-dimensional case we prove an existence theorem: we define a Brill–Noether number ρ(C, r) for a curve C on a smooth surface X of maximal Albanese dimension and we prove, under some mild additional assumptions, that if ρ(C,r) ≥ 0 then Wr(C,X) is nonempty of dimension ≥ ρ(C,r). Inequalities for the numerical invariants of curves that do not move linearly on a surface of maximal Albanese dimension are obtained as an application of the previous results

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

Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) Scoring Method

The Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) is a quantitative test battery that assesses motor competence across the whole lifespan. It is composed of three sub-scales: locomotor, stability, and manipulative, each of them assessed by two different objectively measured tests. The MCA construct validity for children and adolescents, having normative values from 3 to 23 years of age, and the configural invariance between age groups, were recently established. The aim of this study is to expand the MCA’s development and validation by defining the best and leanest method to score and classify MCA sub-scales and total score. One thousand participants from 3 to 22 years of age, randomly selected from the Portuguese database on MC, participated in the study. Three different procedures to calculate the sub-scales and total MCA values were tested according to alternative models. Results were compared to the reference method, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, Cronbach’s Alpha, and Bland–Altman statistics were used to describe agreement between the three methods. The analysis showed no substantial differences between the three methods. Reliability values were perfect (0.999 to 1.000) for all models, implying that all the methods were able to classify everyone in the same way. We recommend implementing the most economic and efficient algorithm, i.e., the configural model algorithm, averaging the percentile scores of the two tests to assess each MCA sub-scale and total scores.4811-99FE-2ECD | Luis Paulo RodriguesN/

Percolative phase transition on ferromagnetic insulator manganites: uncorrelated to correlated polaron clusters

In this work, we report an atomic scale study on the ferromagnetic insulator manganite LaMnO$_{3.12}$ using $\gamma-\gamma$ PAC spectroscopy. Data analysis reveals a nanoscopic transition from an undistorted to a Jahn-Teller-distorted local environment upon cooling. The percolation thresholds of the two local environments enclose a macroscopic structural transition (Rhombohedric-Orthorhombic). Two distinct regimes of JT-distortions were found: a high temperature regime where uncorrelated polaron clusters with severe distortions of the Mn$^{3+}$O$_{6}$ octahedra survive up to $T \approx 800 K$ and a low temperature regime where correlated regions have a weaker JT-distorted symmetry.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Figures, submitted to PRL, new version with more data, text reformulate

Motor competence assessment (MCA) scoring method

The Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) is a quantitative test battery that assesses motor competence across the whole lifespan. It is composed of three sub-scales: locomotor, stability, and manipulative, each of them assessed by two different objectively measured tests. The MCA construct validity for children and adolescents, having normative values from 3 to 23 years of age, and the configural invariance between age groups, were recently established. The aim of this study is to expand the MCA’s development and validation by defining the best and leanest method to score and classify MCA sub-scales and total score. One thousand participants from 3 to 22 years of age, randomly selected from the Portuguese database on MC, participated in the study. Three different procedures to calculate the sub-scales and total MCA values were tested according to alternative models. Results were compared to the reference method, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, Cronbach’s Alpha, and Bland–Altman statistics were used to describe agreement between the three methods. The analysis showed no substantial differences between the three methods. Reliability values were perfect (0.999 to 1.000) for all models, implying that all the methods were able to classify everyone in the same way. We recommend implementing the most economic and efficient algorithm, i.e., the configural model algorithm, averaging the percentile scores of the two tests to assess each MCA sub-scale and total scoresThis work was supported by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) under Grant number UIDB/00447/2020 (unit 447); the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020 under Project TECH—Technology, Environment, Creativity and Health, Grant number Norte-01-0145-FEDER-00004; and the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) under Grant number UID04045/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estimation of the Best Method for the Calculation of the Subscales and Total Scores of the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA)

The MCA (Motor Competence Assessment) is an instrument to assess motor competence (MC). along the lifespan. For the first time, we can assess MC from childhood to old age using the same instrument, without an age ceiling effect and of feasible and objective execution. After establishing the MCA construct validity, the six tests’ normative values from childhood to young adulthood were published, and recently, the invariance of the MCA across age groups was assessed. The aim of this study is now to find the best method for the calculation of the subscales and total MCA scores. One thousand participants representing four age group subsamples (3-to-6, 7-to-10, 11-to-16, and 17-to-22 years) with 250 participants each, were assessed on the MCA, and their results on the sub-scales were calculated according to three different methods: (1) a general factor score index, where each item’s weight is derived from its factor loading of the MCA model; (2) an age-group factor score index, where each item’s weight is derived from its factor loading of the respective age-group MCA model; and (3) an equal score index with a non-weighed participation of each test for the subscale calculation. Each subscale was calculated using the three tested methods, and the results compared using bivariate correlations and intraclass correlations for the all sample and for each agegroup sub-sample. Results showed a very high agreement between the three methods tested with intraclass correlations and bivariate correlations values higher than 0.99. These results allow to conclude for the use of the simpler method for calculating the MCA subscales, there is to use equal weights for each test. In conclusion we suggest that, after being transformed into age and sex normative values (percentiles), an average of the two tests of each MCA subscale can be used to adequately represent the individual motor competence on that category (locomotor, stability, or manipulative), and a total MCA score can be found by the average of all six testsLPR and VPL work was supported by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) under Grant number UID04045/2020. RC work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Grant UIDB/00447/2020 to CIPER.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Siblings’ influence on the motor competence of preschoolers

The number of single-child families has been rising steadily in recent years, resulting in a childhood absent of sibling relationships. Being an only child has been shown to have a negative impact on physical fitness, somatic fitness, and motor development. In this study, we aimed to understand how living with and without siblings can impact the motor competence of children. One hundred and sixty-one children (87 boys, 74 girls) from 3.0 to 6.0 years of age (34 only children, 125 siblings) and with no known motor or cognitive disability were assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA). Their standardized results on the three MCA subscales (stability, locomotor, and manipulative) and total MCA were used to group them into high, average, and low motor competence groups. Motor competence percentile distribution of the sibling and only child group condition was compared using chi-square tests. Results showed a significative and positive association between the sibling condition and the distribution between the three MC groups (chi-square = 6.29; p = 0.043), showing that children in a household with siblings, independent of their age and sex, show a clear tendency for developing better motor competence.L.P.R. and V.P.L. were partly supported by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT), under Grant UID04045/2020. R.C. was partly supported by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT), under Grant UIDB/00447/2020 (unit 447). The research project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project TECH-Technology, Environment, Creativity and Health, Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000043.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparing different packaging conditions on quality stability of high-pressure treated Serra da Estrela cheeses during cold storage

Serra da Estrela cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is a traditional cheese that is wrapped in paper without vacuum. High-pressure processing (HPP), which requires vacuum packaging of the cheese, has been used for its cold pasteurization to overcome safety issues. In this study, two packaging systems were studied: non-vacuum greaseproof paper wrapping package and vacuum packaging in plastic film. Lactococci, lactobacilli, enterococci, and total mesophiles reached ca. 8 log cfu g−1 and 4–6 log cfu g−1 in control (unpasteurized) and HPP-treated cheeses, respectively, with no significant differences between packaging systems. Spoilage microorganisms' viable cell numbers were reduced to 5 log cfu g−1 in non-vacuum paper-wrapped cheeses. A vacuum-packaging system enabled better control of cheese proteolysis, which was revealed to be closer to that of the original control cheese values at the end of the 10-month storage period. In addition, cheese stored under vacuum film packaging became harder than non-vacuum paper-wrapped cheeses at each time point. Overall, conventional non-vacuum paper wrapping is adequate for short storage periods (<3 months), but for long periods vacuum packaging in plastic film is preferable.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The combined effect of pressure and temperature on kefir production - a case study of food fermentation in unconventional conditions

Food fermentation under pressure has been studied in recent years as a way to produce foods with novel properties. The purpose of this work was to study kefir production under pressure (7–50 MPa) at different temperatures (17–32 °C), as a case study of unconventional food fermentation. The fermentation time to produce kefir was similar at all temperatures (17, 25, and 32 °C) up to 15 MPa, compared to atmospheric pressure. At 50 MPa, the fermentation rate was slower, but the difference was reduced as temperature increased. During fermentation, lactic and acetic acid concentration increased while citric acid decreased. The positive activation volumes (Va) obtained indicate that pressure decreased the fermentation rate, while the temperature rise led to the attenuation of the pressure effect (lower Va). On the other hand, higher activation energies (Ea) were observed with pressure increase, indicating that fermentation became more sensitive to temperature. The condition that resulted in a faster fermentation, higher titratable acidity, and higher concentration of lactic acid was 15 MPa/32 °C. As the authors are aware, this is the second work in the literature to study the combined effect of pressure and temperature on a fermentative process.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Metabolic stability and metabolite profiling of emerging synthetic cathinones

We thank Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, for financial support through projects UIDB/QUI/00100/2020 and UIDP/00100/2020 (to CQE), LA/P/0056/2020 (to IMS), UIDB/04046/2020 and UIDP/04046/2020 (to BioISIBiosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute), UIDB/04292/2020 and UIDP/04292/2020 (to MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre). FCT is also acknowledged for the PhD grant 2022.04738. PTDC to RPL. Joint funding from FCT and the COMPETE Program through grant RNEMLISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-022125 funding are also gratefully acknowledged.Synthetic cathinones constitute the second largest groups of new psychoactive substances (NPS), which are especially popular among adolescents and young adults. Due to their potential toxicity, the recreational use of these NPS constitute a serious worldwide public health problem. However, their fast appearance in the market renders the continuous updating of NPS information highly challenging for forensic authorities. The unavailability of pharmacokinetic data for emerging NPS is critical for forensic and clinical verifications. With the ultimate goal of having a proactive approach towards the NPS issue, high resolution mass spectrometry was used in the current work to assess preliminary pharmacokinetic data for 8 selected cathinones: 4 reported substances (4-CIC, 3-CMC, 4-CMC and 4-MEAP) and 4 previously unreported ones (3-CIC, 4-MDMB, 4-MNEB and 4-MDMP) for which the emergence on the NSP market is expected to be eminent, were also included in this study. Based on the calculation of pharmacokinetic parameters, half-life and intrinsic clearance, 4-CMC and 4-MDMB are low and high clearance compounds, respectively, and all the remaining cathinones included in this study are intermediate clearance compounds. This fact anticipates the key role of metabolites as suitable biomarkers to extend detection windows beyond those provided by the parent cathinones. Reduction of the keto group and hydroxylation on the alkyl chains were the common metabolic pathways identified for all cathinones. However, the relative importance of these metabolic transformations is dependent on the cathinone substituents. The glucuronic acid conjugation to metabolites stemming for keto group reduction constituted the sole Phase II transformation identified. To our knowledge, this study constitutes the first metabolite profiling of the already reported synthetic cathinones 4-CIC, 3-CMC and 4-CMC. Noteworthy is the fact that 3-CMC accounts for almost a quarter of the quantity of powders seized during 2020. The analytical methods developed, and the metabolites characterized, are now available to be included in routine screening methods to attest the consumption of the 8 cathinones studied.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio