Users' Perceptions of Signage Systems at Three Portuguese Hospitals

This article is a report on the quantitative data collected from patients, family members, and visitors using the outpatient areas of three hospitals in Portugal. It details the users' views regarding the existing signage and presents suggestions to improve the design and implementation of the signage systems. A questionnaire was used with 1,287 respondents. The results showed that almost all users had a positive opinion regarding the current signage. However, some of the users' answers and observed behaviors indicated that the majority tended to ignore the signs and preferred to ask staff for help. Additionally, when asked for suggestions, many of the respondents were able to point out existing problems that affected their wayfinding. Although the signage was generally evaluated as good, many of the users perceived a variety of problems and, as already mentioned, asked the staff for directions, which results in lost time and hidden costs for the institutions

Healthcare Signage Design: A review on recommendations for effective signing systems

This article provides a set of recommendations, selected from the systematic literature review carried out, regarding signage systems for healthcare institutions that can be used for designing or redesigning more competent signage systems. The signage systems in healthcare settings are usually poorly designed due to the expansion of the original facilities, a lack of awareness of existing guidelines by the developers, and a lack of agreement between the existing recommendations. There are several guidelines and recommendations available in the literature; however, each work was developed for specific cultural contexts, so there is a lack of uniformity among them. Hence, there is a need to uniformize the guidelines for signage design in healthcare, in order to provide supportive information for developers to build and implement effective and efficient signage systems. This study examined the available literature on the subject and established a set of guidelines organized in categories to help the design process. A literature review was conducted, and 34 selected publications were analyzed from which recommendations were created. A best practices manual was also studied and used as the analytical framework to establish the design categories of the developed recommendations. This review resulted in guidelines divided into nine design categories that should be considered in the design and implementation process of signage systems in healthcare facilities

Fundamental studies on natural deep eutectic solvents: physico-chemical, thermal and rheological properties

When combined at particular molar fractions, sugars, aminoacids or organic acids a present a high melting point depression, becoming liquids at room temperature. These are called Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents – NADES and are envisaged to play a major role on the chemical engineering processes of the future. Nonetheless, there is a significant lack of knowledge of its fundamental and basic properties, which is hindering their industrial applications. For this reason it is important to extend the knowledge on these systems, boosting their application development [1]. In this work, we have developed and characterized NADES based on choline chloride, organic acids, amino acids and sugars. Their density, thermal behavior, conductivity and polarity were assessed for different compositions. The conductivity was measured from 0 to 40 °C and the temperature effect was well described by the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation. The morphological characterization of the crystallizable materials was done by polarized optical microscopy that provided also evidence of homogeneity/phase separation. Additionally, the rheological and thermodynamic properties of the NADES and the effect of water content were also studied. The results show these systems have Newtonian behavior and present significant viscosity decrease with temperature and water content, due to increase on the molecular mobility. The anhydrous systems present viscosities that range from higher than 1000Pa.s at 20°C to less than 1Pa.s at 70°C. DSC characterization confirms that for water content as high as 1:1:1 molar ratio, the mixture retains its single phase behavior. The results obtained demonstrate that the NADES properties can be finely tunned by careful selection of its constituents. NADES present the necessary properties for use as extraction solvents. They can be prepared from inexpensive raw materials and tailored for the selective extraction of target molecules. The data produced in this work is hereafter importance for the selection of the most promising candidates avoiding a time consuming and expensive trial and error phase providing also data for the development of models able to predict their properties and the mechanisms that allow the formation of the deep eutectic mixtures.Rita Craveiro and Alexandre Paiva are grateful for financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the grants PTDC/EQUEPR/12191/2010/ENIGMA and SFRH/BPD/44946/2008. The research leading to these results has received funding from through the projects ENIGMA - PTDC/EQU-EPR/121491/2010, PTDC/QUI-QUI/119210/2010, PTDC/EQUEQU/122106/2010, PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2013 from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and from Project “Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches (Ref.: RL1 - ABMR - NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016)” co-financed by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Design of controlled release systems for THEDES - therapeutic deep eutectic solvents, using supercritical fluid technology

Deep eutectic solvents (DES) can be formed by bioactive compounds or pharmaceutical ingredients. A therapeutic DES (THEDES) based on ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and menthol was synthesized and its thermal behavior was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A controlled drug delivery system was developed by impregnating a starch:poly-ϵ-caprolactone polymeric blend (SPCL 30:70) with the menthol:ibuprofen THEDES in different ratios (10 and 20 wt%), after supercritical fluid sintering at 20 MPa and 50 °C. The morphological characterization of SPCL matrices impregnated with THEDES was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Drug release studies were carried out in a phosphate buffered saline. The results obtained provide important clues for the development of carriers for the sustainable delivery of bioactive compounds.Projects ENIGMA - PTDC/EQU-EPR/121491/2010, PTDC/QUI-QUI/119210/2010, PTDC/EQU-EQU/122106/2010, PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2013 from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° REGPOT - CT2012-316331-POLARIS and from Project “Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches (Ref.: RL1 - ABMR - NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016)” co-financed by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2–O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Comproportionation of CO2 and Cellulose to Formate Using a Floating Semiconductor-Enzyme Photoreforming Catalyst

Funding Information: We would like to thank the European Research Council (ERC) for a Proof of Concept Grant (SolReGen; to E.L. and E.R.) and a Consolidator Grant (MatEnSAP; to M.M. and E.R.), the Swiss National Science Foundation (Early Postdoc Fellowship: P2EZP2 191791 to E.L.) as well as the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for a Postdoctoral Fellowship (S.L.). We thank also Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) for fellowship DFA/BD/7897/2020 (R.M.), grant PTDC/BII-BBF/2050/2020 (I.A.C.P.), MOSTMICRO-ITQB unit (UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020) and Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE (LA/P/0087/2020). Ariffin Mohamad Annuar, Subhajit Bhattacharjee, Dongseok Kim (University of Cambridge) and Victor Mougel (ETH Zürich) are acknowledged for helpful discussions. Funding Information: We would like to thank the European Research Council (ERC) for a Proof of Concept Grant (SolReGen; to E.L. and E.R.) and a Consolidator Grant (MatEnSAP; to M.M. and E.R.), the Swiss National Science Foundation (Early Postdoc Fellowship: P2EZP2 191791 to E.L.) as well as the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for a Postdoctoral Fellowship (S.L.). We thank also Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) for fellowship DFA/BD/7897/2020 (R.M.), grant PTDC/BII‐BBF/2050/2020 (I.A.C.P.), MOSTMICRO‐ITQB unit (UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020) and Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE (LA/P/0087/2020). Ariffin Mohamad Annuar, Subhajit Bhattacharjee, Dongseok Kim (University of Cambridge) and Victor Mougel (ETH Zürich) are acknowledged for helpful discussions. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.Formate production via both CO2 reduction and cellulose oxidation in a solar-driven process is achieved by a semi-artificial biohybrid photocatalyst consisting of immobilized formate dehydrogenase on titanium dioxide (TiO2|FDH) producing up to 1.16±0.04 mmolformate g (Formula presented.) −1 in 24 hours at 30 °C and 101 kPa under anaerobic conditions. Isotopic labeling experiments with 13C-labeled substrates support the mechanism of stoichiometric formate formation through both redox half-reactions. TiO2|FDH was further immobilized on hollow glass microspheres to perform more practical floating photoreforming allowing vertical solar light illumination with optimal light exposure of the photocatalyst to real sunlight. Enzymatic cellulose depolymerization coupled to the floating photoreforming catalyst generates 0.36±0.04 mmolformate per m2 irradiation area after 24 hours. This work demonstrates the synergistic solar-driven valorization of solid and gaseous waste streams using a biohybrid photoreforming catalyst in aqueous solution and will thus provide inspiration for the development of future semi-artificial waste-to-chemical conversion strategies.publishersversionpublishe

Aboriginal Women Against Violence Project Evaluation Report

In 2008 Joan Harrison’s Support Services for Women received funding under the National Community Crime Prevention Programme (NCCPP) in relation to the Aboriginal Women Against Violence Project. The overall aim of the project was ‘to address family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Liverpool and Campbelltown areas’ (Attorney General’s Funding schedule). The project identified two specific strategies to achieve this general aim: to train local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to become trainer, mentors and advocates in their own communities;to establish an Aboriginal Women Against Violence Committee. This evaluation reports on the agreed outcomes identified in the funding agreement as well as identifying broader lessons arising from the project in relation to addressing violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.Joan Harrison’s Support Services for Wome

Distinção entre incidências numa mamografia

O cancro de mama é o mais comum nas mulheres sendo a segunda principal causa de morte por cancro entre as mesmas. A mamografia tem mostrado ser uma ferramenta eficaz na deteção do cancro da mama em fases precoces e consequentemente mais facilmente tratável, continuando assim a ser a principal modalidade de imagiologia usada para o diagnosticar. O diagnóstico assistido por computador (CAD) tem sido visto como primordial para a deteçãoprecoce de regiões suspeitas em mamogramas permitindo, assim, reduzir as taxas de morte. Este artigo consiste na utilização das características de imagens mamográficas por um algoritmo computacional capaz de fazer a distinção entre as diferentes incidências possíveis: mama esquerda/direita e projeções Crânio-caudal/Médio-lateral Oblíqua. Deste modo, o algoritmo desenvolvido contribui para a automatização da fase de identificação mamária em sistemas de diagnóstico assistido por computador

Bromelain-based enzymatic burn debridement: Spanish multidisciplinary consensus

Bromelain; Burn wound; Enzymatic debridementBromelina; Herida por quemadura; Desbridamiento enzimáticoBromelina; Ferida per cremada; Desbridament enzimàticBackground Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement is gaining increased interest from burn specialists in the last few years. The objective of this manuscript is to update the previous, first Spanish consensus document from 2017 (Martínez-Méndez et al. 43:193–202, 2017), on the use of enzymatic debridement with NexoBrid® in burn injuries, adding the clinical experience of a larger panel of experts, integrating plastic surgeons, intensivists, and anesthesiologists. Methods A consensus guideline was established by following a modified Delphi methodology of a 38-topic survey in two rounds of participation. Items were grouped in six domains: general indication, indication in critical patients, pain management, conditions for NexoBrid® application, NexoBrid® application technique, and post-debridement wound care. Results In the first round, experts established consensus (strongly agree or agree) on 13 of the 38 statements. After the second round, a consensus was reached on 24 of the 25 remaining statements (97.2%). Conclusions The present updated consensus document provides recommendations on the use of bromelain-based enzymatic debridement NexoBrid®, integrating the extensive clinical experience of plastic surgeons, intensivists, and anesthesiologists in Spain. Further clinical trials and studies are required to corroborate, modify, or fine tune the current statements

A Genetic Code Alteration Is a Phenotype Diversity Generator in the Human Pathogen Candida albicans

BACKGROUND: The discovery of genetic code alterations and expansions in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes abolished the hypothesis of a frozen and universal genetic code and exposed unanticipated flexibility in codon and amino acid assignments. It is now clear that codon identity alterations involve sense and non-sense codons and can occur in organisms with complex genomes and proteomes. However, the biological functions, the molecular mechanisms of evolution and the diversity of genetic code alterations remain largely unknown. In various species of the genus Candida, the leucine CUG codon is decoded as serine by a unique serine tRNA that contains a leucine 5'-CAG-3'anticodon (tRNA(CAG)(Ser)). We are using this codon identity redefinition as a model system to elucidate the evolution of genetic code alterations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have reconstructed the early stages of the Candida genetic code alteration by engineering tRNAs that partially reverted the identity of serine CUG codons back to their standard leucine meaning. Such genetic code manipulation had profound cellular consequences as it exposed important morphological variation, altered gene expression, re-arranged the karyotype, increased cell-cell adhesion and secretion of hydrolytic enzymes. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study provides the first experimental evidence for an important role of genetic code alterations as generators of phenotypic diversity of high selective potential and supports the hypothesis that they speed up evolution of new phenotypes