Registration of retinal images by a MAS-ICP approach - a preliminary study

Diabetic retinopathy has been revealed as the most common cause of blindness among people of working age. For monitoring the pathology image registration algorithms applied to retinal images is very useful. In this work, a novel vessel-based retinal image registration approach is proposed. The segmentation of the vasculature is performed by a multi-agent system model. All these information is then used in a Robust Point Matching Iterative Closest Point algorithm improved by a Region Bootstrap approach. With this preliminary study, the novelty of integrating all these algorithms for image registration preceded by a multi-agents system for image edges detection seems to be efficient for temporal retinal image registration. Consequently, a system developed on basis of this approach could help in screening programs for the diabetic retinopathy prevention.C. P. thanks the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal for the Ph.D. Grant SFRH/BD/ 61829/2009

Influence of Air-Drying Conditions on Quality, Bioactive Composition and Sensorial Attributes of Sweet Potato Chips

The drying process is an essential thermal process for preserving vegetables and can be used in developing dried products as healthy alternative snacks. The effects of air-drying conditions using a convection dryer with hot air at different temperatures (60°, 65°, 70°, 75°, and 80 °C, in the range 5–200 min, at a fixed air speed of 2.3 m/s) were tested on the quality of slices (2.0 ± 0.1 mm) of dried sweet potato (Bellevue PBR). For each time and temperature, drying condition, physicochemical parameters (moisture content, CIELab color, texture parameters, total phenolic and carotenoid contents) and a sensory evaluation by a panel at the last drying period (200 min) were assessed. Drying time was shown to have a more significant effect than temperature on the quality of dried sweet potato as a snack, except for carotenoid content. Given the raw tuber content, thermal degradation (p < 0.05) of total phenolic compounds (about 70%), regardless of tested conditions, contrasted with the higher stability of total carotenoids (<30%). The dried product, under optimal conditions (≥75 °C for 200 min), achieved a moisture content (≤10%) suitable for preservation, providing a crispy texture with favourable sensory acceptance and providing a carotenoid content similar to the raw product.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Marked object recognition multitouch screen printed touchpad for interactive applications

The market for interactive platforms is rapidly growing, and touchscreens have been incorporated in an increasing number of devices. Thus, the area of smart objects and devices is strongly increasing by adding interactive touch and multimedia content, leading to new uses and capabilities. In this work, a flexible screen printed sensor matrix is fabricated based on silver ink in a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Diamond shaped capacitive electrodes coupled with conventional capacitive reading electronics enables fabrication of a highly functional capacitive touchpad, and also allows for the identification of marked objects. For the latter, the capacitive signatures are identified by intersecting points and distances between them. Thus, this work demonstrates the applicability of a low cost method using royalty-free geometries and technologies for the development of flexible multitouch touchpads for the implementation of interactive and object recognition applications.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2013. The authors thank the FCT for financial support under projects PTDC/EEI-SII/5582/2014 and PTDC/CTM-ENE/5387/2014. P. C., J.O. and V. C. also thank the FCT for the SFRH/BPD/110914/2015, SFRH/BPD/98219/2013 and SFRH/BPD/97739/2013 grants, respectively. Financial support from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK Program is also acknowledged as well as funding by theSpanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-Rinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

INFLAMMATORY PROFILE IN DOGS WITH MYXOMATOUS MITRAL VALVE DISEASE

Inflammatory substances such as interleukins (IL), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been demonstrated to play a role in heart failure progression. The aims of this study were two-fold: to investigate the concentration of circulating cytokines in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in different stages, and to assess the relationship between these substances and cardiac morphology and function. For this purpose, twelve dogs with MMVD (7 stage-B2; 5 stage-C) and nine healthy controls underwent a transthoracic echocardiogram and had their serum concentrations of IL-1β, 4, 6, 10, TNF-α and CRP assessed. Data was submitted to Shapiro-Wilk normality test, groups were compared with ANOVA or Krukal-Wallis test according to distribution, and correlation coefficients were obtained with Spearman test. The IL-1β levels were different (P: 0.0056) between groups. Also, a positive correlation existed between IL-1β and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (R: 0.56), left atrium-to-aorta ratio (R: 0.63) and echocardiography congestion surrogates. Similarly, IL-4 exhibited moderate-to-strong positive correlation with parameters of cardiac remodeling and congestion, while IL-6 was negatively correlated with the shortening fraction (R: -0.49). As the main conclusion, IL-1β levels increases in dogs with MMVD, and even higher levels are observed in overtly symptomatic animals

Valorisation of Wasted Immature Tomato to Innovative Fermented Functional Foods

Abstract: In this study, the lactic fermentation of immature tomatoes as a tool for food ingredient production was evaluated as a circular economy-oriented alternative for valorising industrial tomatoes that are unsuitable for processing and which have wasted away in large quantities in the field. Two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were assessed as starter cultures in an immature tomato pulp fermentation to produce functional food ingredients with probiotic potential. The first trial evaluated the probiotic character of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LAB97, isolated from immature tomato microbiota) andWeissella paramesenteroides (C1090, from the INIAV collection) through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion simulation. The results showed that LAB97 and C1090 met the probiotic potential viability criterion by maintaining 6 log10 CFU/mL counts after in vitro simulation. The second trial assessed the LAB starters’ fermentative ability. Partially decontaminated (110 C/2 min) immature tomato pulp was used to prepare the individually inoculated samples (Id: LAB97 and C1090). Non-inoculated samples, both with and without thermal treatment (Id: CTR-TT and CTR-NTT, respectively), were prepared as the controls. Fermentation was undertaken (25 C, 100 rpm) for 14 days. Throughout storage (0, 24, 48, 72 h, 7, and 14 days), all the samples were tested for LAB and Y&M counts, titratable acidity (TA), solid soluble content (SSC), total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (AOx), as well as for organic acids and phenolic profiles, and CIELab colour and sensory evaluation (14th day). The LAB growth reached ca. 9 log10 CFU/mL for all samples after 72 h. The LAB97 samples had an earlier and higher acidification rate than the remaining ones, and they were highly correlated to lactic acid increments. The inoculated samples showed a faster and higher decrease rate in their SSC levels when compared to the controls. A nearly two-fold increase (p < 0.05) during the fermentation, over time, was observed in all samples’ AOx and TPC (p < 0.05, r = 0.93; similar pattern). The LAB97 samples obtained the best sensory acceptance for flavour and overall appreciation scores when compared to the others. In conclusion, the L. plantarum LAB97 starter culture was selected as a novel probiotic candidate to obtain a potential probiotic ingredient from immature tomato fruits.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A review on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons distribution in freshwater ecosystems and their toxicity to benthic fauna

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of organic compounds, found ubiquitously in all environmental compartments. PAHs are considered hazardous pollutants, being of concern to both the environmental and human health. In the aquatic environment, PAHs tend to accumulate in the sediment due to their high hydrophobicity, and thus sediments can be considered their ultimate sink. Concurrently, sediments comprise important habitats for benthic species. This raises concern over the toxic effects of PAHs to benthic communities. Despite PAHs have been the subject of several reviews, their toxicity to freshwater benthic species has not been comprehensively discussed. This review aimed to provide an overview on PAHs distribution in freshwater environments and on their toxicity to benthic fauna species. The distribution of PAHs between sediments and the overlying water column, given by the sediment-water partition coefficient, revealed that PAHs concentrations were 2 to 4 orders of magnitude higher in sediments than in water. The sediment-water partition coefficient was positively correlated to PAHs hydrophobicity. Toxicity of PAHs to benthic fauna was addressed through Species Sensitivity Distributions. The derived hazardous concentration for 5% of the species (HC5) decreased as follows: NAP (376 μg L-1) > PHE > PYR > FLT > ANT (0.854 μg L-1), varying by 3 orders of magnitude. The hazardous concentrations (HC5) to benthic species were inversely correlated to the hydrophobicity of the individual PAHs. These findings are pertinent for environmental risk assessment of these compounds. This review also identified future challenges regarding the environmental toxicity of PAHs to freshwater benthic communities, namely the need for updating the PAHs priority list and the importance of comprehensively and more realistically assess the toxicity of PAHs in combination with other stressors, both chemical and climate-related.publishe

Dietary restriction abrogates antibody production induced by a DNA vaccine encoding the mycobacterial 65 kDa heat shock protein

Abstract\ud \ud \ud \ud Background\ud \ud Protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) is the most common type of malnutrition. PCM leads to immunodeficiency and consequent increased susceptibility to infectious agents. In addition, responses to prophylactic vaccines depend on nutritional status. This study aims to evaluate the ability of undernourished mice to mount an immune response to a genetic vaccine (pVAXhsp65) against tuberculosis, containing the gene coding for the heat shock protein 65 from mycobacteria.\ud \ud \ud \ud Methods\ud \ud Young adult female BALB/c mice were fed ad libitum or with 80% of the amount of food consumed by a normal diet group. We initially characterized a mice model of dietary restriction by determining body and spleen weights, hematological parameters and histopathological changes in lymphoid organs. The ability of splenic cells to produce IFN-gamma and IL-4 upon in vitro stimulation with LPS or S. aureus and the serum titer of specific IgG1 and IgG2a anti-hsp65 antibodies after intramuscular immunization with pVAXhsp65 was then tested.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud Dietary restriction significantly decreased body and spleen weights and also the total lymphocyte count in blood. This restriction also determined a striking atrophy in lymphoid organs as spleen, thymus and lymphoid tissue associated with the small intestine. Specific antibodies were not detected in mice submitted to dietary restriction whereas the well nourished animals produced significant levels of both, IgG1 and IgG2a anti-hsp65.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud \ud 20% restriction in food intake deeply compromised humoral immunity induced by a genetic vaccine, alerting, therefore, for the relevance of the nutritional condition in vaccination programs based on these kinds of constructs.The present study was supported by a scholarship award to Larissa L. W. Ishikawa by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Brazil.The present study was supported by a scholarship award to Larissa L. W. Ishikawa by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Brazil

Comparative insight upon chitosan solution and chitosan nanoparticles application on the phenolic content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of individual grape components of Sousão variety

Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide, has been previously proposed as an elicitor in plants to prevent pathogen infections. The present study aimed to analyze the e ect of chitosan solution and chitosan nanoparticles treatment applied on the grapevine variety Sousão with respect to the phenolic composition, antioxidant potential and antibacterial activity of its individual grape components. Grapevine plants of selected lines were sprayed with chitosan solution and chitosan nanoparticles, and ethanolic extracts of stems, seeds and skins were prepared from grapevines treated and not treated with chitosan. Total phenolic, anthocyanin and tannin contents were studied, and the identification of the individual phenolic compounds was performed by HPLC-DAD. The antimicrobial susceptibility method was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disc di usion method against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Overall, there was small increase in the concentration of phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in grape components treated with chitosan solution. Seed extracts showed the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The studied individual components obtained from chitosan-treated grapevines could represent an added value due to the increased antioxidant and antibacterial potentials. The phenolic compounds found in components may be used in food and pharmaceutical industries as natural food preservers and antibiotic adjuvants.This research was founded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain, Project RTI2018-098267-R-C33) and the Junta de Castilla y León (Consejería de Educación, Spain, Project LE164G18). This work was supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UID/QUI/50006/2019). Vanessa Silva is grateful to FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) for her PhD grant SFRH/BD/137947/2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Optimising grapevine summer stress responses and hormonal balance by applying kaolin in two Portuguese Demarcated Regions

In Mediterranean-like climate areas, field-grown grapevines are typically exposed to severe environmental conditions during the summer season, which can negatively impact the sustainability of viticulture. Despite the short-term mitigation strategies available nowadays to cope with climate change, little is known regarding their effectiveness in different demarcated winegrowing regions with differing climate features. Hence, we applied a kaolin suspension (5 %) to Touriga-Franca (TF) and Touriga-Nacional (TN) grapevine varieties located in two Portuguese demarcated regions (Alentejo and Douro) with different mesoclimates to study its effect on the physiological performance, hormonal balance and ABA-related grapevine leaf gene expression during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. Data show that 2017 was warmer than 2018 due to the occurrence of two heatwaves in both locations, highlighting the protective effect of kaolin application under severe environmental conditions. In the first study year, at midday, kaolin enhanced water use efficiency (23 % in Douro and 13 % in Alentejo), carbon assimilation rates (PN; 72 % in Douro and 25 % in Alentejo), and the soluble sugar content of grapevine leaves, while decreasing the accumulation of plant growth regulators (ABA, IAA, and SA) during the ripening stage. The results show an up-regulation of ABA biosynthesis-related genes (VvNCED) in TF treated vines from the Douro vineyard mainly in 2017, suggesting an increased stress response under severe summer conditions. Additionally, kaolin triggered the expression of ABA-responsive genes (VvHVA22a and VvSnRK2.6) mainly in TF, indicating different varietal responses to kaolin application under fluctuating periods of summer stress