Assessing the role played by meteorological conditions on the interannual variability of fire activity in four subregions of Iberia

The Iberian Peninsula is recurrently affected by severe wildfires resulting from an interplay of human activities, landscape features and atmospheric conditions. Aims. The role played by atmospheric conditions on wildfire activity in 2001–2020 is assessed in four pyror- egions of the Iberian Peninsula. Methods. Wildfire activity is characterised by Fire Radiative Power (FRP) and meteorological danger is rated by the Fire Weather Index (FWI). The distribution of log 10 FRP in each pyroregion consists of a truncated lognormal central body with Generalised Pareto distributions as tails, and the model is improved using FWI as covariate. Synthetic time series of total annual FRP are generated using the models with and without FWI as covariate, and compared against observed FRP. Key results. Pyroregions NW, N, SW and E present increases of 1, 5, 6 and 7% in interannual explained variance of FRP when progressing from the model without to that with FWI as covariate. Conclusions. The models developed characterise the role of meteorological conditions on fire activity in the Iberian Peninsula, and are especially valuable when comparing expected impacts for different scenarios of climate change. Implications. The largest effects of atmospheric conditions on fire activity are in regions of the IP where the strongest impact of climate change is expectedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sol-gel preparation of a di-ureasil electrolyte doped with lithium perchlorate

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) synthesized by the sol-gel process and designated as ormolytes (organically modified electrolytes), have been prepared through the incorporation of lithium perchlorate, LiClO4 into the U(2000) organic-inorganic hybrid network. Electrolytes with lithium salt compositions of n (where n indicates the number of oxyethylene units per Li+ ion) between ∞ and 0.5 were characterized by conductivity measurements, cyclic voltammetry at a gold microelectrode, thermal analysis and spectroscopic techniques. The conductivity results obtained suggest that this system offers a quite significant improvement over previously characterized analogues doped with lithium triflate.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - POCI/QUI/59856/2004.Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian - MMS.Universidade do Minho.Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro

Study of sol-gel derived di-ureasils doped with zinc triflate

Prova tipográfica (In Press)A publicar em "Solid States Sciences".Zinc triflate (Zn(CF3SO3)2)-doped sol-gel derived di-urea cross-linked POE/siloxane ormolytes (designated as di-ureasils) with ∞ > n ≥ 1 (where the salt content is expressed as n, the molar ratio of oxyethylene moieties to Zn2+ ions) were investigated. The hybrids with n ≥ 5 are entirely amorphous; those with n > 10 are thermally stable up to approximately 305 ºC. The siliceous network of representative samples (n = 200 and 10) is essentially composed of (SiO)3Si(CH2)- environments and is thus highly branched. The distance between the structural units in samples with 200 ≥ n ≥ 10 and n ≤ 7 is 4.2 and 4.3 Å, respectively. The estimated interdomain distance is 11 and 13 Å for xerogels with 200 ≥ n ≥ 20 and n ≤ 10, respectively. At n = 1 a crystalline POE/Zn(CF3SO3)2 complex of unknown stoichiometry is formed. The conductivity maxima are located at n = 60 (3x10-6 S cm-1) and n = 20 (7x10-5 S cm-1) at 30 and 100 ºC, respectively.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - POCTI/P/CTM/46780/03; SFRH/BD/13559/03

Characterization of non-volatile oxidation products formed from triolein in a model study at frying temperature

Frying allows cooking food while promoting their organoleptic properties, imparting crunchiness and flavor. The drawback is the oxidation of triacylglycerides (TAGs), leading to the formation of primary oxidized TAGs. Although they have been associated with chronic and degenerative diseases, they are precursors of pleasant flavors in fried foods. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge about the oxidation species present in foods and their involvement in positive/negative health effects. In this work, high-resolution (HR) C30 reversed-phase (RP)−liquid chromatography (LC)−tandem HR mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used to identify primary oxidation TAGs resulting from heating triolein (160 °C, 5 min). This allows simulating the initial heating process of frying oils usually used to prepare fried foods, such as chips, crisps, and snacks. Beyond hydroxy, dihydroxy, hydroperoxy, and hydroxy−hydroperoxy derivatives, already reported in phospholipids oxidized by Fenton reaction, new compounds were identified, such as dihydroxy−hydroperoxy−triolein derivatives and positional isomers (9/10- and 9/12-dihydroxy−triolein derivatives). These compounds should be considered when proposing flavor formation pathways and/or mitigating lipid-derived reactive oxygen species occurring during food frying.publishe

Sol-gel derived Li+-doped poly(ε-caprolactone)/siloxane biohybrid electrolytes

Electrolytes based on a poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/siloxane organic/inorganic host framework doped with lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3) were synthesised through the sol-gel process. In this biohybrid matrix short PCL chains are covalently bonded via urethane linkages to the siliceous network. Samples with salt composition n (molar ratio of PCL repeat units per Li+ ion) ranging from ∞ to 0.5 were investigated. All the ormolyte materials analysed are amorphous. Xerogels with n > 0.5 are thermally stable up to about 300°C. The most conducting ormolyte of the series is that with n = 0.5 (1.6×10−7 and 3.2×10−5 Ω−1 cm−1 at 25 and 100°C, respectively). This sample is electrochemically stable between −1 and 6 V versus Li+.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - POCTI/P/CTM/33653/00, SFRH/BD/13559/03, POCTI/P/CTM/46780/03.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Molecular Beacon Assay Development for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Detection

The fast spread of SARS-CoV-2 has led to a global pandemic, calling for fast and accurate assays to allow infection diagnosis and prevention of transmission. We aimed to develop a molecular beacon (MB)-based detection assay for SARS-CoV-2, designed to detect the ORF1ab and S genes, proposing a two-stage COVID-19 testing strategy. The novelty of this work lies in the design and optimization of two MBs for detection of SARS-CoV-2, namely, concentration, fluorescence plateaus of hybridization, reaction temperature and real-time results. We also identify putative G-quadruplex (G4) regions in the genome of SARS-CoV-2. A total of 458 nasopharyngeal and throat swab samples (426 positive and 32 negative) were tested with the MB assay and the fluorescence levels compared with the cycle threshold (Ct) values obtained from a commercial RT-PCR test in terms of test duration, sensitivity, and specificity. Our results show that the samples with higher fluorescence levels correspond to those with low Ct values, suggesting a correlation between viral load and increased MB fluorescence. The proposed assay represents a fast (total duration of 2 h 20 min including amplification and fluorescence reading stages) and simple way of detecting SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples from the upper respiratory tract.This work was supported by project No. 149 “Track and Trace COVID-19” funded in first edition “RESEARCH 4 COVID-19” by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) in collaboration with Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (AICIB)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Propranolol therapy for cerebral cavernous malformations

Funding Information: The present study was funded by IPOLFG EPE and by iNOVA4Health (UID/Multi/04462/2019) a program finan‑ cially supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)/Ministério da Educação e Ciência, through national funds. The PhD fellowship of FLC was funded by FCT (PD/BD/128337/2017).Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are vascular malformations characterized by the abnormal growth of vascular structures in the central nervous system. However, the precise mechanism(s) responsible for the development of CCM vascular abnormalities remain poorly understood. Although the mechanisms of action of propranolol in CCM have not yet been fully explored it is not commonly prescribed, it has been shown to be effective in children and appears to play a protective role in the prevention of CCM-derived hemorrhage in adults. The present study performed in vitro and ex vivo assays in order to examine the effects of propranolol on endothelial cells (ECs). The percentage of CD14+/CD31+ cells and the levels of VEGF in the peripheral blood (PB) of a child patient with CCM, with recurrent seizures and hemorrhages, who was maintained under propranolol therapy, were also analyzed. In addition to the effects of propranolol on differentiated ECs, and the decrease angiogenic-related features in vitro and ex vivo, it was observed that in the PB of this patient, propranolol administration decreased the percentage of circulating cells sharing monocytic and EC features (CD14+/CD31+ cells), as well as the VEGF levels; this was concomitant with a good prognosis and with the reversion of CCM lesions. A decrease in VEGF levels by propranolol may also be involved in the impairment of the recruitment of CD14+/CD31+ monocytes functioning as endothelial progenitor cells to sustain the vascular lesion. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that propranolol impairs angiogenesis in vitro and may thus be a useful tool for the clinical management of CCM. Moreover, the present study highlights the monitorization of the levels of CD14+/CD31+ monocytes and VEGF levels as a useful tool for predicting the clinical efficacy of propranolol in patients with CCM.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

Viral genetic clustering and transmission dynamics of the 2022 mpox outbreak in Portugal

Pathogen genome sequencing during epidemics enhances our ability to identify and understand suspected clusters and investigate their relationships. Here, we combine genomic and epidemiological data of the 2022 mpox outbreak to better understand early viral spread, diversification and transmission dynamics. By sequencing 52% of the confirmed cases in Portugal, we identified the mpox virus sublineages with the highest impact on case numbers and fitted them into a global context, finding evidence that several international sublineages probably emerged or spread early in Portugal. We estimated a 62% infection reporting rate and that 1.3% of the population of men who have sex with men in Portugal were infected. We infer the critical role played by sexual networks and superspreader gatherings, such as sauna attendance, in the dissemination of mpox virus. Overall, our findings highlight genomic epidemiology as a tool for the real-time monitoring and control of mpox epidemics, and can guide future vaccine policy in a highly susceptible population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio