Applicability of SERVQUAL in restaurants: an exploratory study in a Portuguese resort

SERVQUAL is the most popular instrument to ascertain service quality. However, some debate exists about its ability to characterize different service environments. Furthermore, there is not a consensus about the inclusion of customer expectations in the model. The research presented in this paper intends to discuss the applicability of SERVQUAL to restaurant services and to analyze the inclusion of customer expectations in such environment. The research was developed in a Portuguese resort and more than 300 customers, from two different restaurants, were invited to participate in the study

In vitro tests of suitability of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria, as potential biopreservation cultures in vacuum-packaged cold-smoked salmon

The objectives of this study were to ascertain the in vitro potential of nine bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, isolated from vacuum-packaged cold-smoked salmon (CSS), for possible use as biopreservative cultures against Listeria monocytogenes. The antilisterial activity of cultures’ supernatants was assessed at 0.5%, 3.0% and 5.0% w/v of salt, at 5ºC, 10ºC and 25ºC both in aerobic and anaerobic atmospheres, simulating the conditions pertaining in vacuum-packaged CSS. The kinetics of growth, bacteriocin biosynthesis, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ten antibiotics, histamine and tyramine production of LAB strains, were determined jointly with the haemolytic activity for the enterococci. Only five strains were able to secrete active bacteriocins into the culture medium, at high salt concentrations and low temperatures, both in aerobic and anaerobic atmospheres. Enterococci showed neither haemolyt ic activity nor vancomycin resistance. The production of histamine was not observed for any of the bacteriocin-producing strains

Advanced mimetic materials for meniscus tissue engineering : targeting segmental vascularization

Meniscus lesions are among the most common orthopaedic injuries which can ultimately lead to degeneration of the knee articular cartilage. The human meniscus has a limited healing potential, partly due to a poor vasculature, and thus meniscus regeneration using tissue engineering strategies has recently been investigated as a promising alternative to total/partial meniscectomy [1]. Advanced scaffolds for tissue engineering of meniscus should be able to mimic and preserve the asymmetric vascular network of this complex tissue, i.e. enable controlling the segmental vascularization during the regeneration process. Novel scaffolds were produced combining a silk polymeric matrix (12 wt%) [2] and the methacrylated gellan gum hydrogel (iGG-MA), which has been shown to be able to prevent the ingrowth of endothelial cells and blood vessels into the hydrogels [3,4]. The angiogenic/ anti-angiogenic potential of acellular and cell-laden silk-12 scaffolds combined with iGG-MA hydrogel was investigated in vivo, using the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. For producing the cell-laden scaffolds, human meniscus cells (HMC¢s) were isolated from morphologically intact human menisci using an enzymatic-based digestion and expanded using standard culture conditions. The HMC’sladen hydrogel/silk scaffolds were produced by encapsulating the HMC’s into a 2 wt% GG-MA hydrogel, followed by impregnation onto the 12 wt% silk scaffold and ionic-crosslinking in a saline solution. A CAM assay was used to investigate the control of segmental vascularization of the acellular and HMC¢s-laden hydrogel/silk scaffolds by the effect of GG-MA hydrogel, until day 14 of embryonic development. The in vivo study allowed investigating the number of macroscopic blood vessels converging to the implants. The evaluation of possible inflammation and endothelial cells ingrowths was performed by histological (haematoxylin and eosin - H&E - staining) and immunohistochemical methods (SNA-lectin staining). When the silk-12 scaffold was combined with the hydrogel, an inhibitory effect was observed as demonstrated by the low number of convergent blood vessels. Results have shown that iGG-MA hydrogel prevented the endothelial cells adhesion and blood vessels infiltration into the HMC’s hydrogel/silk scaffolds, after 4 days of implantation. This study showed that the hydrogel/silk scaffolds enabled controlling the segmental vascularization, thus it can possibly mimic the native vasculature architecture during meniscus regeneration

Salicornia ramosissima: secondary metabolites and testicular protection induced by ethanol extract

XXIII Encontro Nacional da Sociedade Portuguesa de Química. Aveiro, 12-14 de Junho 2013.The structure and spectroscopic characterization of the isolated compounds from etanol and dichloromethane extracts (PUFA omega3 ethylated, sterol and a rare wax) will be presented and discussed. Concerning the effect of ethanolic extract on mice testicular tissue under carbon tetrachloride exposure, it was clearly demonstrated that ethanol extract had a protective effect.University of Aveiro, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and FEDER for funding the QOPNA, CICECO, CESAM and the Portuguese National NMR Network (RNRMN)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi community and glomalin in dry forest ecosystems, Brazil

Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a abundância e diversidade de fungos micorrízicos arbusculares (FMA), bem como a produção de proteína do solo relacionada á glomalina (PSRG) (GT- glomalina total; GFE – glomalina facilmente extraível) em ecossistemas de Mata Seca no Norte de Minas Gerais. As amostras de terra foram coletadas em áreas com diferentes estádios de sucessão (inicial, intermediária, tardia e pasto) no Parque Estadual da Mata Seca no município de Manga, MG. A amostragem foi inteiramente casualizada, sendo coletadas três amostras simples para constituir uma composta, em um total de nove amostras compostas por área de estudo. Verificou-se que as áreas em inicio de sucessão (estádio inicial e pasto) estão estimulando a produção de propágulos de FMAs (esporos e biomassa de micélio externo), bem como a sua diversidade (riqueza total e índices de Shannon e Pielou) e produção de PSRG, as quais se encontram equivalentes ou superiores as áreas em estádios mais avançados (intermediário e tardio) de sucessão. Tal padrão pode contribuir para o estabelecimento de espécies vegetais de início de sucessão, que costumam apresentar elevada dependência micorrízica, e consequente avanço do processo sucessional.This study aimed to evaluate the abundance and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and production of soil protein related to Glomalin (PSRG) (GT- Total Glomalin; GFE - easily extractable Glomalin) in Dry Forest ecosystems in North of Minas Gerais. The soil samples were collected in areas with different stages of succession (early, middle, late and pasture) in the Dry Forest State Park in the municipality of Manga, MG. Sampling was completely random, and three simple samples were collected to form a composite sample in a total of nine composite samples by study areas. The production of AMF propagules (spores and mycelial biomass external), their diversity (total wealth and Shannon and Pielou indices) and PSRG production were stimulated in early succession areas (early stage and pasture), which were equivalent or better to areas in more advanced succession stages (intermediate and late). Such pattern may contribute to the establishment of early succession plant species, which often have high mycorrhizal dependency, and consequently advance the successional process.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi community and glomalin in dry forest ecosystems, Brazil

Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a abundância e diversidade de fungos micorrízicos arbusculares (FMA), bem como a produção de proteína do solo relacionada á glomalina (PSRG) (GT- glomalina total; GFE – glomalina facilmente extraível) em ecossistemas de Mata Seca no Norte de Minas Gerais. As amostras de terra foram coletadas em áreas com diferentes estádios de sucessão (inicial, intermediária, tardia e pasto) no Parque Estadual da Mata Seca no município de Manga, MG. A amostragem foi inteiramente casualizada, sendo coletadas três amostras simples para constituir uma composta, em um total de nove amostras compostas por área de estudo. Verificou-se que as áreas em inicio de sucessão (estádio inicial e pasto) estão estimulando a produção de propágulos de FMAs (esporos e biomassa de micélio externo), bem como a sua diversidade (riqueza total e índices de Shannon e Pielou) e produção de PSRG, as quais se encontram equivalentes ou superiores as áreas em estádios mais avançados (intermediário e tardio) de sucessão. Tal padrão pode contribuir para o estabelecimento de espécies vegetais de início de sucessão, que costumam apresentar elevada dependência micorrízica, e consequente avanço do processo sucessional.This study aimed to evaluate the abundance and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and production of soil protein related to Glomalin (PSRG) (GT- Total Glomalin; GFE - easily extractable Glomalin) in Dry Forest ecosystems in North of Minas Gerais. The soil samples were collected in areas with different stages of succession (early, middle, late and pasture) in the Dry Forest State Park in the municipality of Manga, MG. Sampling was completely random, and three simple samples were collected to form a composite sample in a total of nine composite samples by study areas. The production of AMF propagules (spores and mycelial biomass external), their diversity (total wealth and Shannon and Pielou indices) and PSRG production were stimulated in early succession areas (early stage and pasture), which were equivalent or better to areas in more advanced succession stages (intermediate and late). Such pattern may contribute to the establishment of early succession plant species, which often have high mycorrhizal dependency, and consequently advance the successional process.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Genotipagem de multilocus de Cryptosporidium hominis associado a surto diarréico em creche de São Paulo

A number of species of Cryptosporidium are associated with diarrhea worldwide. Little data exists regarding the genotypes and species of Cryptosporidium associated with cases of infections in Brazil. PURPOSE: In the present study, we ascertained by molecular methods the species and the genotype of Cryptosporidium sp from a diarrhea outbreak diagnosed in a day care at the Hospital Clínicas, São Paulo University Medical School. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Specific identification and typing of the isolates associated with the outbreak was done by DNA sequencing analysis of fragments amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from 3 different Cryptosporidium loci: the SSUrRNA coding region, the Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) gene, and the microsatellite locus 1 (ML1), a tandem GAG-trinucleotide repeat containing substitutions that differentiate the genotypes of Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis. RESULTS: A total of 29 positive samples from the outbreak were studied by the molecular methods described. Our study revealed the presence of a single genotype of Cryptosporidium hominis in all samples. CONCLUSION: The molecular analysis reinforced the hypothesis that the transmission of Cryptosporidium hominis during the period the samples were collected occurred in an outbreak pattern, possibly by person-to-person contact through the fecal-oral route. As far as we know, this is the first time that molecular tools have been used to identify the species and the genotype of isolates showing the presence of the ML1 genotype in samples from Brazilian patients.Mundialmente, diferentes espécies de Cryptosporidium estão relacionadas com doenças diarréicas. No Brasil há poucos dados sobre os genótipos das espécies de Cryptosporidium associadas a infecções. OBJETIVO: No presente estudo, caracterizamos, por métodos moleculares, a espécie e o genótipo de Cryptosporidium sp diagnosticado em surto diarréico ocorrido na creche do Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, Brasil. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Identificação específica e tipagem dos isolados associados ao surto foram feitos a partir do seqüenciamento de fragmentos de DNA amplificados por PCR dos seguintes loci: a região que codifica o SSUrRNA, o gene que codifica uma proteína do envoltório dos oocistos de Cryptosporidium (COWP), e o locus de microsatélite ML1, representado por seqüências repetitiva de três nucleotídeos GAG contendo substituições que diferem entre os genótipos de Cryptosporidium parvum e Cryptosporidium hominis. RESULTADOS: Um total de 29 amostras positivas para Cryptosporidium associadas ao surto diarréico foi analisado com base nos métodos moleculares acima descritos. O estudo revelou a presença do genótipo ML1 de Cryptosporidium hominis. DISCUSSÃO: A análise molecular reforçou a hipótese de que a transmissão de Cryptosporidium hominis durante o surto diarréico ocorreu de pessoa a pessoa através da rota fecal oral. Esta é a primeira vez que ferramentas moleculares são utilizadas para identificação de espécies e genótipos de isolados acusando a presença do genótipo ML1 em pacientes brasileiros

An expeditious and consistent procedure for tetrahydrofuran (THF) drying and deoxygenation by the still apparatus

Despite the availability of alternative methods for drying tetrahydrofuran (THF), the use of the still apparatus, wherein a THF solution containing Na-bezophenone ketyl is heated to reflux, remains widespread. We herein propose a set of procedures to solve the problems usually faced in applying this drying technique. Moreover, a discussion is made on the chemical knowledge underlying such procedures. Safety and economy issues concerned with the operation of the THF still apparatus are also discussed

Solid and aqueous magnetic liposomes as nanocarriers for a new potential drug active against breast cancer

In this work, iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs), with diameters around 12 nm, were synthesized by coprecipitation method. Both aqueous and solid magnetic liposomes containing magnetite NPs were obtained, with sizes below 140 nm. A new antitumor compound, a diarylurea derivative of thienopyridine, active against breast cancer, was incorporated in both aqueous and solid magnetoliposomes, being located mainly in the lipid membrane. A promising application of these magnetic liposomes in oncology is anticipated, allowing a combined therapeutic approach, using both chemotherapy and magnetic hyperthermia.Financial support by FCT-Portugal is acknowledged (Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2013 and PhD grant SFRH/BD/90949/2012).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio