Dengue disease, basic reproduction number and control

Dengue is one of the major international public health concerns. Although progress is underway, developing a vaccine against the disease is challenging. Thus, the main approach to fight the disease is vector control. A model for the transmission of Dengue disease is presented. It consists of eight mutually exclusive compartments representing the human and vector dynamics. It also includes a control parameter (insecticide) in order to fight the mosquito. The model presents three possible equilibria: two disease-free equilibria (DFE) and another endemic equilibrium. It has been proved that a DFE is locally asymptotically stable, whenever a certain epidemiological threshold, known as the basic reproduction number, is less than one. We show that if we apply a minimum level of insecticide, it is possible to maintain the basic reproduction number below unity. A case study, using data of the outbreak that occurred in 2009 in Cape Verde, is presented.Comment: This is a preprint of a paper whose final and definitive form has appeared in International Journal of Computer Mathematics (2011), DOI: 10.1080/00207160.2011.55454

Rota de Arte Rupestre do Noroeste Português. Um projeto para o desenvolvimento de uma prática turística sustentável

A Rota de Arte Rupestre do Noroeste é um projeto que pretende explorar as potencialidades da arte rupestre do NW de Portugal enquanto recurso passível de desenvolvimento de uma prática turística sustentável. O NW português é uma área rica em arte rupestre de ar livre de cronologia pós-paleolítica, em especial do estilo designado de Arte Atlântica, específico da área. Além do seu inegável valor científico, o caráter estratégico deste recurso patrimonial deveria integrar programas de desenvolvimento e de organização do território. Para que tal se concretize há que colmatar carências ao nível da investigação, tais como a compilação e sistematização dos dados que promovam o avanço do conhecimento científico e, simultaneamente, propiciem discursos atrativos para o público em geral. O projeto tenciona aprofundar a investigação da arte rupestre segundo perspetivas arqueológicas e antropológicas, contribuir para salvaguardar este património arqueológico e promover a sua valorização na fachada ocidental no NW de Portugal, por forma a que se possa criar o produto turístico sustentável “Rota de Arte Rupestre do Noroeste”. Visa, ainda, rentabilizar o património “intangível” ligado a estes recursos, os recursos humanos das parcerias envolvidas no projeto – e incrementar o desenvolvimento sustentável do território abordado. Serão divulgadas as ações já materializadas e/ou em vias de materialização, bem como os resultados atingidos para diferentes áreas do NW.The!project!“ Northwest%Rock%Art%Route”!aims!to!explore! Portuguese! NW rock! art! resource! potentialities! as! capable!of!increase!sustainable!development!of!touristic! practices. The!Portuguese!NW is! rich!in!openSair!postSPalaeolithic! rock! art,! especially! from! the! designated! Atlantic! Art,! specific!from!the!area.!Along!with!its!scientific!value,!its strategic! character should! integrate! programs! of! territory!development!and!organization. In! order! to! achieve! that,! some! scientific! needs! have! to! be!overcome,!like data!compilation!and!systematization,! promoting scientific! knowledge! and! allowing attractive! discourses!to!general!public. The! project! intends! to! deepen! rock! art! research! according! to! archaeological! and! anthropological! perspectives,! to! contribute! to! its! protection,! and! to! promote! its! valorisation! in! the! western! façade! of! Portuguese! NW.! Ultimately,! it! pretends! to! create! the! sustainable! touristic! product! “Northwest% Rock% Art% Route”.!It!also!aims!to!transform!its!related “intangible”! heritage! in! something! profitable,! so! as! the! involved! project!partnerships!human!resources,!and!increase!the! sustainable!development!of!the!addressed!area. The! materialized! and/or! in! process! of! materialization! actions! will! be! presented,! so! as! the! different! achieved! results!from!each!NW area.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Label-free quantum dot conjugates for human protein IL-2 based on molecularly imprinted polymer

The authors acknowledge the financial support from European Research Council though the Starting Grant, ERC-StG-3P´s/2012, GA 311086, (to MGF Sales) and from the CANCER project (NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000029).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synchrotron X-ray studies on polyamide composites prepared by reactive injection molding

Semicrystalline polyamide 6 (PA6) and composites on its basis are among the most frequently used polymer materials for highly demanding applications. The performance of these composites depends on the crystalline structure of the PA6 matrix in which two crystalline forms most frequently coexist: α- and γ-polymorphs. This work reports on the crystalline structure of a variety of composite materials produced by in-mold reactive polymerization of caprolactam in specially designed semi-automatic equipment for reactive processing of nylons (NYRIM), carried out in the presence of particulate mineral reinforcements (natural or-ganically treated aluminum silicates and synthetic titanosilicates), PA6 oriented monofilaments and textile structures of glass fibers. The morphology and the crystalline structure of all composites were studied by syn-chrotron X-ray diffraction. Transcrystalline PA6 layer was observed in all fibrous PA6 laminates whose struc-ture fine crystalline structure was accessed.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia; German Synchrotorn Radiation Source - DESY, Hambur

The potencial role of soil application of a tris (3-hydroxy-4-pyridinonate) iron (III) complex in iron deficiency chlorosis treatment

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combined use of phosphonium-erythrosin B-based nanoGUMBOS, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and chemometrics for discrimination and quantification of proteins

Nanoparticles derived from a group of uniform materials based on organic salts (nanoGUMBOS) are considered promising candidates for protein analysis due to their facile synthesis in aqueous media and high tunability. In this study, a phosphonium-erythrosin B-based nanoGUMBOS (i.e., [P4444]2[EB]) was prepared using an ultrasound-assisted reprecipitation method, and its ability to discriminate and quantify proteins was evaluated. Sonication time (30 s, 5 min, and 15 min) and cyclodextrin templating (α-, 2-HP-β-, and γ-CD) were investigated for their effects on discrimination performance of synthesized nanomaterial. Six proteins (albumin, hemoglobin, trypsin, catalase, lysozyme, and cytochrome c) with different abundance levels and physicochemical properties were selected as target analytes. Absorbance response patterns generated from interactions between [P4444]2[EB] nanoGUMBOS and proteins were analyzed using partial least squares discriminant analysis. Percentages of correct protein discrimination ranged from 94.6 to 99.6%, with the latter being the best result obtained using non-templated nanoGUMBOS formed after 5 min sonication. Under optimized conditions, it was possible to discriminate all protein samples with percentages of correct assignments greater than 90% for concentrations as low as 2.0 μg mL−1. The discrimination capability of synthesized nanoGUMBOS was further evaluated using mixtures of different ratios of lysozyme, cytochrome c, and hemoglobin. Finally, partial least squares models were developed for protein quantification and the best performance was observed for albumin. Results support potential use of [P4444]2[EB] nanoGUMBOS in combination with ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and chemometrics for qualitative and quantitative analyses of individual proteins and mixtures of proteins.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Social support in people with chronic respiratory diseases: an exploratory study

Objectives: Social support influences health status and manage-ment of people with chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), but it is largely unexplored. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the quantity, quality and network composition of social support in peo-ple with CRDs.Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted in people with CRDs. Quantity (number of people), quality (level of satisfaction) and network composition (who provides support) of social support were assessed with the 6-item short form Social Su-pport Questionnaire (SSQ6). For each item, participants were asked to provide two answers: i) to list all people or institutions who fit the description of the question (range: 0 to 9 people; quantity and network composition); and ii) to indicate how satisfied they were with the support these people or institutions provided (range: 1 very dissatisfied to 6 very satisfied; quality). Total score for quantity and quality was computed using the mean of the scores from the 6 items. Descriptive statistics was used, and values were presented as median, minimum and maximum or frequencies.Results: Forty-eight people with CRDs (chronic obstructive pulmo-nary disease [COPD] n = 39, asthma n = 4, interstitial lung disease [ILD] n = 4 and lung cancer n = 1; 70 [51-84] years old, 32 [66.7%] male) were included. Participants had a median quantity and quality of social support of 1.66 [0.67-7.67] people and 6 [3.5-6] points, respectively. Their support network was mainly composed by close relatives (i.e., spouse and children) in all items of SSQ6 (Table).Conclusions: People with CRDs seem to have low quantity of social support but perceive it as high quality. The network composition of social support seems to lack support from the community (e.g., neighbours and/or institutions) in this population.publishe

New potential antitumoral di(hetero)arylether derivatives in the thieno[3,2-b]pyridine series : synthesis and fluorescence studies in solution and in nanoliposomes

New fluorescent methoxylated di(hetero)arylethers in the thieno[3,2-b]pyridine series were prepared by a copper-catalyzed Ullmann-type C-O coupling of the methyl 3-amino-6-bromothieno[3,2-b]pyridine-2-carboxylate with ortho, meta and para-methoxyphenols, using N,N-dimethylglycine as the ligand and Cs2CO3 as the base. The compounds obtained were tested for their inhibitory growth activity in three human tumor cell lines MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), A375-C5 (melanoma), NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer). The di(hetero)arylethers bearing a methoxy group in the ortho and meta positions showed very low GI50 values (1.1 - 2.5 µM) in all the three tumor cell lines. Their fluorescence properties in solution and when encapsulated in different nanoliposome formulations, composed either by egg-yolk phosphatidylcholine (Egg-PC), dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DMPG), dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB), distearoyl phosphatidylcholine (DSPC), with or without cholesterol (Ch), or distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine-(polyethylene glycol)2000 (DSPE-PEG), were studied. All compounds can be carried in the hydrophobic region of the liposome membrane. The liposomes with incorporated compounds are nanometric in size (diameter lower than 150 nm) and have generally low polydispersity.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho).Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER)Research Centres, CQ/UM - PEstC/QUI/UI0686/2011, FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022716)] and CFUM [PEst-C/FIS/UI0607/2011, F-COMP-01-0124-FEDER-022711)], PTDC/QUI/81238/2006, (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007467) (photophysical studies), PTDC/QUI-QUI/111060/2009 (F-COMP-01-0124-FEDER-015603) (organic synthesis and biological studies)COMPETE/QREN/EU

Measuring the impact on impedance spectroscopy of pseudo-reference electrode accumulations

Silver is widely used on screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) to provide a reference potential for electrochemical measurements such as impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The redox activity between silver and electrolyte in SPE-based experiments is rarely reported in detail, despite the critical reliance of potentiometric measurement accuracy on the predictability of reactions at reference electrodes. In this work, potassium ferrous cyanides typically used as electrolyte components were shown to adsorb to the silver surface when applied to SPEs. EIS was performed in a two-electrode configuration to demonstrate redox instability at the silver electrode, highlighting the need for evaluation of similar systems to prevent reference potential drift caused by side reaction depositions

An integrated in vitro approach unveils the biocompetence and glutathiolomic profile of a human hepatocyte-like cell 3d model

Funding: This work was supported by FCT (Portugal) through the research grant PTDC/MED-TOX/29183/2017. Acknowledgments: The authors thank ECBio S.A. for providing the hnMSCs and F.A. Beland (NCTR, Jefferson, AR, USA) for the kind donation of nevirapine. FCT (UID/DTP/04138/2019, UID/QUI/00100/2019, RECI/QEQ-MED/0330/2012, SFRH/BD/144130/2019 to J.S.R., SFRH/BD/110945/2015 to P.F.P. and CEECIND/02001/2017 to A.M.M.A) are also acknowledged.The need for competent in vitro liver models for toxicological assessment persists. The differentiation of stem cells into hepatocyte-like cells (HLC) has been adopted due to its human origin and availability. Our aim was to study the usefulness of an in vitro 3D model of mesenchymal stem cell-derived HLCs. 3D spheroids (3D-HLC) or monolayer (2D-HLC) cultures of HLCs were treated with the hepatotoxic drug nevirapine (NVP) for 3 and 10 days followed by analyses of Phase I and II metabolites, biotransformation enzymes and drug transporters involved in NVP disposition. To ascertain the toxic effects of NVP and its major metabolites, the changes in the glutathione net flux were also investigated. Phase I enzymes were induced in both systems yielding all known correspondent NVP metabolites. However, 3D-HLCs showed higher biocompetence in producing Phase II NVP metabolites and upregulating Phase II enzymes and MRP7. Accordingly, NVP-exposure led to decreased glutathione availability and alterations in the intracellular dynamics disfavoring free reduced glutathione and glutathionylated protein pools. Overall, these results demonstrate the adequacy of the 3D-HLC model for studying the bioactivation/metabolism of NVP representing a further step to unveil toxicity mechanisms associated with glutathione net flux changes.publishersversionpublishe