Observation of Bundle Sheath Digestion of \u3ci\u3ePanicum maximum\u3c/i\u3e Jacq,

Cross-sections of available forage and extrusa fractions of leaf blades of Tanzânia-1, Mombaça and Massai grasses were evaluated for anatomic structure and observations of residue of in vitro digestibility. The observations showed greater frequency of scherenchyma girders in leaf blades of cv Massai, compared with order grasses. Tanzânia-1 and Mombaça residues were more susceptible to digestion, while Massai presented more frequently scherenchyma girders associated with less digestible bundle sheath

Agar extraction from integrated multitrophic aquacultured Gracilaria vermiculophylla: Evaluation of a microwave-assisted process using response surface methodology

Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of agar from Gracilaria vermiculophylla, produced in an integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) system, from Ria de Aveiro (northwestern Portugal), was tested and optimized using response surface methodology. The influence of the MAE operational parameters (extraction time, temperature, solvent volume and stirring speed) on the physical and chemical properties of agar (yield, gel strength, gelling and melting temperatures, as well as, sulphate and 3,6-anhydro-Lgalactose contents) was evaluated in a 2^4 orthogonal composite design. The quality of the extracted agar compared favorably with the attained using traditional extraction (2 h at 85ºC) while reducing drastically extraction time, solvent consumption and waste disposal requirements. Agar MAE optimum results were: an yield of 14.4 ± 0.4%, a gel strength of 1331 ± 51 g/cm2, 40.7 ± 0.2 _C gelling temperature, 93.1 ± 0.5ºC melting temperature, 1.73 ± 0.13% sulfate content and 39.4 ± 0.3% 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose content. Furthermore, this study suggests the feasibility of the exploitation of G. vermiculophylla grew in IMTA systems for agar production

Low-dietary fiber intake as a risk factor for recurrent abdominal pain in children

Objective: To evaluate dietary fiber intake in children with recurrent abdominal pain.Design: Cross-sectional study with control group.Setting: Outpatients of the Pediatric Gastroenterology public health clinic of the Darcy Vargas Children's Hospital, Brazil.Subjects: Forty-one patients with recurrent abdominal pain were evaluated and 41 children, as a control group.Interventions: Macronutrients and fiber intake evaluation by the Daily Food Intake method. Two tables of fiber composition in foods were used.Results: According to the Brazilian table the mean intake of fiber ( g/day) by the children of the recurrent abdominal pain groups with chronic constipation or not, and the control group was, respectively, 18.2, 16.6 and 23.7 for total fiber ( P 0.001), 7.5, 6.9 and 9.5 for soluble fiber ( P 0.001) and 10.7, 9.7 and 14.1 for insoluble fiber ( P 0.002). According to the AOAC table, the recurrent abdominal pain group with chronic constipation or not ( 10.6 and 9.9 g/day) also had lower intake of total fiber than the control group ( 13.4 g/day) ( P 0.008). the intake of fiber was lower than the minimum recommended value ( age+5g) and statistically associated ( P 0.021) with the recurrent abdominal pain group ( 78%) in comparison with the control one ( 51.2%). the odds ratio was 3.39 ( 95% CI, 1.18 - 9.95).Conclusion: fiber intake below the minimum recommended value is a risk factor for recurrent abdominal pain in children.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pediat, Paulista Sch Med, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilDarcy Vargas Childrens Hosp, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pediat, Paulista Sch Med, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Agreement between different methods to measure the active drag coefficient in front-crawl swimming

The aim of this study was to analyze the agreement of the active drag coefficient measured through drag and propulsion methods. The sample was composed of 18 swimmers (nine boys: 15.9 ± 0.9 years; nine girls: 15.3 ± 1.2 years) recruited from a national swimming team. The velocity perturbation method was used as the drag measurement system and the Aquanex system as the propulsion system. For both sexes combined, the frontal surface area was 0.1128 ± 0.016 m2, swim velocity 1.54 ± 0.13 m∙s-1, active drag 62.81 ± 11.37 N, propulsion 68.81 ± 12.41 N. The level of the active drag coefficient agreement was calculated based on the mean values comparison, simple linear regression, and Bland Altman plots. The mean data comparison revealed non-significant differences (p > 0.05) between methods to measure the active drag coefficient. Both the linear regression (R2 = 0.82, p < 0.001) and Bland Altman plots revealed a very high agreement. The active drag coefficient should be the main outcome used in the interpretation of the swimmers’ hydrodynamic profile, because it is less sensitive to swimming velocity. Coaches and researchers should be aware that the active drag coefficient can also be calculated based on propulsion methods and not just based on drag methods. Thus, the swimming community can now use different equipment to measure the hydrodynamics of their swimmersThis work was supported by national funds (FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) under the project UIDB/DTP/04045/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hydrodynamic conditions affect the proteomic profile of marine biofilms formed by filamentous cyanobacterium

Proteomic studies on cyanobacterial biofilms can be an effective approach to unravel metabolic pathways involved in biofilm formation and, consequently, obtain more efficient biofouling control strategies. Biofilm development by the filamentous cyanobacterium Toxifilum sp. LEGE 06021 was evaluated on different surfaces, glass and perspex, and at two significant shear rates for marine environments (4 s(-1) and 40 s(-1)). Higher biofilm development was observed at 4 s(-1). Overall, about 1877 proteins were identified, and differences in proteome were more noticeable between hydrodynamic conditions than those found between surfaces. Twenty Differentially Expressed Proteins (DEPs) were found between 4 s(-1) vs. 40 s(-1). On glass, some of these DEPs include phage tail proteins, a carotenoid protein, cyanophynase glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase, and the MoaD/ThiS family protein, while on perspex, DEPs include transketolase, dihydroxy-acid dehydratase, iron ABC transporter substrate-binding protein and protein NusG. This study contributes to developing a standardized protocol for proteomic analysis of filamentous cyanobacterial biofilms. This kind of proteomic analysis can also be useful for different research fields, given the broad spectrum of promising secondary metabolites and added-value compounds produced by cyanobacteria, as well as for the development of new antibiofilm strategies

Films negros en edifícios históricos de Oporto: caracterización y experiencias de limpieza

Los films negros constituyen el principal motivo de las intervenciones de limpieza de fachadas de edificios hist&oacute;ricos en la ciudad de Oporto, Portugal, construidos con el granito de Oporto de dos micas, de grano medio a grueso, compuesto de cuarzo, microclina, plagioclasa, muscovita y biotita. Varios estudios realizados sobre la calidad del aire urbano y la deposici&oacute;n de part&iacute;culas atmosf&eacute;ricas apuntan a un origen antropog&eacute;nico de estas capas de alteraci&oacute;n. El estudio llevado a cabo sobre muestras de films negros del &ldquo;Hospital de Santo Ant&oacute;nio&rdquo; revela la presencia de hidrocarburos arom&aacute;ticos polic&iacute;clicos (PAH) en cantidades apreciables, detectada por LC-FD (Cromatograf&iacute;a l&iacute;quida con detector de fluorescencia). El an&aacute;lisis por SEM-EDX (Microscop&iacute;a electr&oacute;nica de barrido con microan&aacute;lisis de rayos X) de estos films muestra que est&aacute;n constituidos por una gran cantidad de part&iacute;culas de dimensi&oacute;n reducida (que raramente pasan los 10-20 m), asociadas a una matriz de material homog&eacute;neo de naturaleza probablemente amorfa. Estas part&iacute;culas se caracterizan por una gran complejidad mineral&oacute;gica y morfol&oacute;gica, destac&aacute;ndose part&iacute;culas ricas en Fe, part&iacute;culas ricas en Pb, no cristalinas, cenizas volantes esf&eacute;ricas de superficie lisa de Si y Al. Las consecuencias de la presencia de estos compuestos en la superficie de los materiales p&eacute;treos son su oscurecimiento. Estas capas de alteraci&oacute;n se diferencian de las costras negras debido a su textura, forma, exposici&oacute;n a la acci&oacute;n del agua de la lluvia y composici&oacute;n mineral&oacute;gica. En consecuencia, las t&eacute;cnicas aplicables a su limpieza son tambi&eacute;n distintas de las habitualmente usadas para las costras negras. Finalmente, se describen experiencias en operaciones de limpieza llevadas a cabo en edificios de la ciudad de Porto con m&eacute;todos abrasivos y qu&iacute;micos y se discuten posibilidades tecnol&oacute;gicas y par&aacute;metros de control de calidad de las intervenciones.Tópico 6: Patrimonio Urbano de los siglos XVIII al XX. Técnicas de Limpieza y de Conservación

A digital-based integrated methodology for the preventive conservation of cultural heritage: the experience of HeritageCare project

A sustainable conservation strategy for cultural heritage protection is not feasible without a systematic documentation, registration and management of the information. The adoption of integrated inspection protocols and regular tracking processes, based on standardized procedures and uniform criteria, are the basis to successfully replace actual curative strategies with proactive conservation approaches. The opportunities brought by the digital tools can offer tremendous advantages in this regard. This paper explores the leading role that digitization is assuming in the context of heritage conservation through the experience of the HeritageCare project - Monitoring and preventive conservation of historic and cultural heritage" (SOE1/P5/P0258). The project has developed a digital-based integrated methodology aimed at providing enhanced tools and services to properly document cultural heritage buildings and engage directly owners in the conservation process of their legacy. The structured digital workflow on which the HeritageCare protocol relies is described in detail, encompassing different levels of information. Finally, the full application of the protocol is presented with reference to one of the most emblematic case studies of the project, the Ducal Palace of Guimaraes, Portugal.- This work was partly financed by FEDER funds through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE) and by national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) within the scope of project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007633

Design, Characterization and Biological Properties

Funding Information: This work was financed by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of projects UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences—UCIBIO, the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy—i4HB, project UIDP/04129/2020 of LEAF—Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food—Research Center, and projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication—i3N. Diana Araújo and Catarina Roma-Rodrigues were funded by FCT/MCTES, with grant numbers SFRH/BD/140829/2018 and SFRH/BPD/124612/2016, respectively. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.FucoPol, a fucose-rich polyanionic polysaccharide, was used for the first time for the preparation of hydrogel membranes (HMs) using Fe3+ as a crosslinking agent. This study evaluated the impact of Fe3+ and FucoPol concentrations on the HMs’ strength. The results show that, above 1.5 g/L, Fe3+ concentration had a limited influence on the HMs’ strength, and varying the FucoPol concentration had a more significant effect. Three different FucoPol concentrations (1.0, 1.75 and 2.5 wt.%) were combined with Fe3+ (1.5 g/L), resulting in HMs with a water content above 97 wt.% and an Fe3+ content up to 0.16 wt.%. HMs with lower FucoPol content exhibited a denser porous microstructure as the polymer concentration increased. Moreover, the low polymer content HM presented the highest swelling ratio (22.3 ± 1.8 g/g) and a lower hardness value (32.4 ± 5.8 kPa). However, improved mechanical properties (221.9 ± 10.2 kPa) along with a decrease in the swelling ratio (11.9 ± 1.6 g/g) were obtained for HMs with a higher polymer content. Furthermore, all HMs were non-cytotoxic and revealed anti-inflammatory activity. The incorporation of FucoPol as a structuring agent and bioactive ingredient in the development of HMs opens up new possibilities for its use in tissue engineering, drug delivery and wound care management.publishersversionpublishe

Trabalhadoras domésticas: trajetórias, vivências e vida cotidiana

Em um contexto de mudanças na legislação, com ampliação de direitos no trabalho doméstico, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa para investigar as práticas e os sentidos produzidos no cotidiano de trabalhadoras domésticas. A pesquisa foi realizada em duas regiões metropolitanas brasileiras: Grande Florianópolis e Baixada Fluminense. A partir dos chamados métodos biográficos, foram entrevistadas 27 trabalhadoras domésticas, mensalistas e diaristas, tendo como instrumentos complementares fotografias e agenda colorida. A análise resultou na identificação de três núcleos de significação: 1)&nbsp;trajetórias educacionais e laborais, 2) vivências no trabalho e 3) gestão da vida cotidiana e trabalho. As trajetórias revelam entrada precoce na vida laboral e baixa escolaridade como fatores que contribuíram para que exercessem o trabalho doméstico remunerado. As vivências foram permeadas por ambiguidades afetivas nas relações com contratantes e familiares, particularmente para as mensalistas. A gestão do cotidiano revela peculiaridades do trabalho de diaristas e mensalistas e capacidade de negociação com uso de astúcias e saberes tácitos. A análise evidencia a articulação entre ambiguidades afetivas e demandas imperativas num cotidiano de trabalho intenso, íntimo e com traços de herança escravagista.In a context of changes in legislation and with expansion of rights in domestic service, it was made a research to investigate the practices and the meanings produced in the daily lives of domestic workers. The investigation occurred in two Brazilian metropolitan regions: Grande Florianópolis and Baixada Fluminense. Based on biographic methods, 27 domestic workers (housemaids and cleaners) were interviewed, with use of photographs and colorful schedule. In the analysis, three meaning cores were identified: educational and work trajectories, labor experiences and management of daily life and work. The trajectories reveal early entry into working life and low education level as factors that reinforced to perform paid domestic work. The experiences were constituted by emotional ambiguities in relations with employers and families, particularly for the housemaids. The management of daily life reveals peculiarities of housemaids and cleaners work and ability to negotiate with cunning and tacit knowledge. The analysis stresses the articulation between emotional ambiguities and imperative demands in an intense, intimate everyday work life marked by traces of slave heritage