Understanding Flash Sintering of Semiconductor Oxide Materials at the Nano- Atomic Scale

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Effect of Microstructural Refinement on Electrical Properties of BST-Based Ceramics Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering and Spark Plasma Texturing

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A homoparentalidade na perspectiva de estudantes do Ensino Superior

Pretendeu-se com este estudo analisar a opinião de estudantes do Ensino Superior (N=115) relativamente à homoparentalidade, através da aplicação de um questionário. Verificou-se que a maioria dos sujeitos (66%) revela uma posição de desacordo relativamente à igualdade de circunstâncias entre homossexuais e heterossexuais no que diz respeito ao exercício da parentalidade, registando-se diferenças significativas no género, com o masculino menos receptivo a essa igualdade (U=654; p=0,001), assim como estudantes de Desporto e Actividade Física, em comparação com os do curso de Educação Social (U=976,5; p=0,010). O mesmo não aconteceu nas V.I. Idade e Urbanidade. A partir dos resultados são tecidas considerações relativas às responsabilidades das instituições do Ensino Superior neste tema

Oral Complications of HIV Disease

Oral lesions are among the early signs of HIV infection and can predict its progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). A better understanding of the oral manifestations of AIDS in both adults and children has implications for all health care professionals. The knowledge of such alterations would allow for early recognition of HIV-infected patients. The present paper reviews epidemiology, relevant aspects of HIV infection related to the mouth in both adults and children, as well as current trends in antiretroviral therapy and its connection with orofacial manifestations related to AIDS

Particle characteristics’ influence on FLASH sintering of potassium sodium niobate: A relationship with conduction mechanisms

Funding Information: This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 & UIDP/50011/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate, co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. This work was also financed by Portugal 2020 through European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the frame of Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (POCI), in the scope of the project "FLASH sintering of lead-free functional oxides towards sustainable processing of materials for energy and related applications-FLASH", POCI-01-0247-FEDER-029078. Ricardo Serrazina acknowledges FCT for financial support (SFRH/PD/BD/128411/2017).The considerable decrease in temperature and time makes FLASH sintering a more sustainable alternative for materials processing. FLASH also becomes relevant if volatile elements are part of the material to be processed, as in alkali‐based piezoelectrics like the promising lead‐free K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN). Due to the volatile nature of K and Na, KNN is difficult to process by conventional sintering. Although some studies have been undertaken, much remains to be understood to properly engineer the FLASH sintering process of KNN. In this work, the effect of FLASH temperature, TF, is studied as a function of the particle size and impurity content of KNN powders. Differences are demonstrated: while the particle size and impurity degree markedly influence TF, they do not significantly affect the densification and grain growth processes. The conductivity of KNN FLASH‐sintered ceramics and KNN single crystals (SCs) is compared to elucidate the role of particles’ surface conduction. When particles’ surfaces are not present, as in the case of SCs, the FLASH process requires higher temperatures and conductivity values. These results have implications in understanding FLASH sintering towards a more sustainable processing of lead‐free piezoelectrics.publishersversionpublishe

COMPARAÇÃO ENTRE O ESTADO NUTRICIONAL DE MULHERES IDOSAS E MULHERES JOVENS: RELAÇÃO COM A LEPTINA E O IGF-I

Aim: to compare nutritional status between old and young women, from anthropometric, dietetic and biochemical variables, looking for relation with leptin and IGF-I concentration. Methods: 18 voluntary women were distributed in two groups: -more than 60 years old (n=10), named “old” (O); - between 20-30 years (n=8), named “young” (Y). They were evaluated: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and body composition by bioelectric impedance (fat mass and fat free mass); diet evaluation by three food diary calculated by energy, macronutrients and cholesterol; plasmatic concentration of lipids, glucose, albumin, leptin and IGF-I. Methods: 18 voluntary women were distributed in two groups: -more than 60 years old (n=10), named “old” (O); - between 20-30 years (n=8), named “young” (Y). They were evaluated: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and body composition by bioelectric impedance (fat mass and fat free mass); diet evaluation by three food diary calculated by energy, macronutrients and cholesterol; plasmatic concentration of lipids, glucose, albumin, leptin and IGF-I. Results: “O” group presented higher values from BMI, WC, percent body fat, leptin levels and low density lipoproteins. “Y” group presented higher values from IGF-I and percent lean body mass. Leptin correlated positive and significantly with fat mass and WC, when analyzed for all individuals. After adjustment of leptin for body fat, there were not significant differences between groups. After adjustment of IGF-I by body lean mass, “Y” presented higher values. Conclusions : leptin levels are higher in old women, proportional to an increase in body fat, specifically visceral fat. It  was possible to identify a relation among leptin, somatotrophic axis and liver lipoprotein metabolism. Energetic balance was negative for all the subjects without any deviation in nutritional status; it should be due to underreporting of food ingestion and overreporting of physical activity. Objetivos:comparar, entre mulheres idosas e mulheres jovens, o estado nutricional a partir de variáveis antropométricas, dietéticas e bioquímicas, buscando relação com as concentrações plasmáticas de leptina e IGF-I. Métodos: 18 mulheres voluntariamente recrutadas foram distribuídas em dois grupos: I= idosas (mais de 60 anos, n=10) e J= jovens (entre 20-30 anos, n=8). Foram avaliados: índice de massa corporal (IMC), circunferência de cintura (CC) e composição corporal (massa gorda e massa livre de gordura) por bioimpedância elétrica; três diários alimentares calculados quantitativamente em energia, macronutrientes e colesterol; concentrações plasmáticas de glicose, lipídeos, albumina, leptina e IGF-I. Resultados :O grupo I apresentou maiores valores de IMC, CC, percentual de gordura corporal e concentração plasmática de leptina e lipoproteínas de baixa densidade. O grupo J apresentou maiores valores para as concentrações plasmáticas de IGF-I e para o percentual de massa magra. A leptina correlacionou-se positiva e significativamente com a massa gorda e com a CC na análise do grupo todo. Após o ajuste da leptina pela massa gorda, não foram observadas diferenças entre os grupos. Após o ajuste do IGF-I pela massa livre de gordura, o grupo J apresentou maiores valores. As concentrações plasmáticas de albumina e de glicose apresentaram-se dentro da normalidade e sem diferenças entre os grupos. Conclusões: as concentrações de leptina são mais elevadas em mulheres idosas, proporcionalmente ao aumento da massa gorda, em especial a gordura visceral. Foi possível identificar relação entre leptina, eixo somatotrófico, e metabolismo hepático de lipoproteínas. O balanço energético foi negativo para ambos os grupos, porém não foram identificados desvios no estado nutricional, o que pode indicar subnotificação de relatos alimentares e supernotificação de atividade física

Dibucaine in Ionic-Gradient Liposomes: Biophysical, Toxicological, and Activity Characterization

Administration of local anesthetics is one of the most effective pain control techniques for postoperative analgesia. However, anesthetic agents easily diffuse into the injection site, limiting the time of anesthesia. One approach to prolong analgesia is to entrap local anesthetic agents in nanostructured carriers (e.g., liposomes). Here, we report that using an ammonium sulphate gradient was the best strategy to improve the encapsulation (62.6%) of dibucaine (DBC) into liposomes. Light scattering and nanotracking analyses were used to characterize vesicle properties, such as, size, polydispersity, zeta potentials, and number. In vitro kinetic experiments revealed the sustained release of DBC (50% in 7 h) from the liposomes. In addition, in vitro (3T3 cells in culture) and in vivo (zebrafish) toxicity assays revealed that ionic-gradient liposomes were able to reduce DBC cyto/cardiotoxicity and morphological changes in zebrafish larvae. Moreover, the anesthesia time attained after infiltrative administration in mice was longer with encapsulated DBC (27 h) than that with free DBC (11 h), at 320 μM (0.012%), confirming it as a promising long-acting liposome formulation for parenteral drug administration of dibucaine.Fil: Couto, Verônica M.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Prieto, Maria Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB; ArgentinaFil: Igartúa, Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB; ArgentinaFil: Feas, Daniela Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB; ArgentinaFil: Ribeiro, Lígia N.M.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Silva, Camila M.G.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Castro, Simone R.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Guilherme, Viviane A.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Dantzger, Darlene D.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Machado, Daisy. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Alonso, Silvia del Valle. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB; ArgentinaFil: de Paula, Eneida. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; Brasi

The influence of sleep deprivation and obesity on DNA damage in female Zucker rats

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate overall genetic damage induced by total sleep deprivation in obese, female Zucker rats of differing ages. METHOD: Lean and obese Zucker rats at 3, 6, and 15 months old were randomly distributed into two groups for each age group: home-cage control and sleep-deprived (N = 5/group). The sleep-deprived groups were deprived sleep by gentle handling for 6 hours, whereas the home-cage control group was allowed to remain undisturbed in their home-cage. At the end of the sleep deprivation period, or after an equivalent amount of time for the home-cage control groups, the rats were brought to an adjacent room and decapitated. The blood, brain, and liver tissue were collected and stored individually to evaluate DNA damage. RESULTS: Significant genetic damage was observed only in 15-month-old rats. Genetic damage was present in the liver cells from sleep-deprived obese rats compared with lean rats in the same condition. Sleep deprivation was associated with genetic damage in brain cells regardless of obesity status. DNA damage was observed in the peripheral blood cells regardless of sleep condition or obesity status. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that obesity was associated with genetic damage in liver cells, whereas sleep deprivation was associated with DNA damage in brain cells. These results also indicate that there is no synergistic effect of these noxious conditions on the overall level of genetic damage. In addition, the level of DNA damage was significantly higher in 15-month-old rats compared to younger rats

Nutritional and functional evaluation of inula crithmoides and mesembryanthemum nodiflorum grown in different salinities for human consumption

The nutritional composition and productivity of halophytes is strongly related to the biotic/abiotic stress to which these extremophile salt tolerant plants are subjected during their cultivation cycle. In this study, two commercial halophyte species (Inula crithmoides and Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum) were cultivated at six levels of salinity using a soilless cultivation system. In this way, it was possible to understand the response mechanisms of these halophytes to salt stress. The relative productivity decreased from the salinities of 110 and 200 mmol L−1 upwards for I. crithmoides and M. nodiflorum, respectively. Nonetheless, the nutritional profile for human consumption remained balanced. In general, I. crithmoides vitamin (B1 and B6) contents were significantly higher than those of M. nodiflorum. For both species, β-carotene and lutein were induced by salinity, possibly as a response to oxidative stress. Phenolic compounds were more abundant in plants cultivated at lower salinities, while the antioxidant activity increased as a response to salt stress. Sensory characteristics were evaluated by a panel of culinary chefs showing a preference for plants grown at the salt concentration of 350 mmol L−1. In summary, salinity stress was effective in boosting important nutritional components in these species, and the soilless system promotes the sustainable and safe production of halophyte plants for human consumption.CCMAR/Multi/04326/201, MED/UIDB/05183/202, SFRH/BD/140143/2018, SFRH/BD/149398/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio