Med-CORDEX initiative for Mediterranean climate studies

The Med-CORDEX initiative is a unique framework in which the research community makes use of regional earth system models to increase the reliability of past and future regional climate information. The Mediterranean is expected to be one of the most prominent and vulnerable climate change “hot spots” of the 21st century, and the physical mechanisms underlying this finding are still not clear. Furthermore complex interactions and feedbacks involving ocean-atmosphere-land-biogeochemical processes play a prominent role in modulating the climate and environment of the Mediterranean region on a range of spatial and temporal scales. Therefore it is critical to provide robust climate change information for use in Vulnerability/Impact/Adaptation assessment studies considering the Mediterranean as a fully coupled environmental system. The Med-CORDEX initiative aims at coordinating the Mediterranean climate modeling community towards the development of fully coupled regional climate simulations, improving all relevant components of the system, from atmosphere and ocean dynamics to land surface, hydrology and biogeochemical processes. The primary goals of Med-CORDEX are to improve understanding of past climate variability and trends, and to provide more accurate and reliable future projections, assessing in a quantitative and robust way the added value of using high resolution and coupled regional climate models. The coordination activities and the scientific outcomes of Med-CORDEX can produce an important framework to foster the development of regional earth system models in several key regions worldwide.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Host-derived biomarkers for risk assessment of invasive fungal diseases

Host-Derived Biomarkers for Risk Assessment of Invasive Fungal DiseasesInvasive fungal diseases are major complications associated with the treatment of hematologic malignancies. The integration of host-derived biomarkers into clinical processes to predict the risk and progression of fungal disease is a promising approach in immunocompromised patients. Recent insights into human antifungal immunity have highlighted the remarkable influence of host genetics in modulating susceptibility to infection. In this chapter, we describe protocols to examine human genetic variation and to assess its functional consequences using the pattern recognition receptor PTX3 as an example.European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (Research Grant 2012 to A.C.) and the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (SFRH/BPD/96176/2013 to C.C. and IF/00735/2014 to A.C.). Further support was provided by FCT, cofunded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2—O Novo Norte), the Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN) through the Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), and the Projeto Estratégico PEst-C/SAU/LA0026/2013info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Industrial management for industry 4.0 – simulation system to support learning of opportunities and challenges of dealing with real-time data

The fourth industrial revolution brings many opportunities for the exploration of new business models, based on increasing digitalization that ultimately enables the prediction of the behavior of systems. Several challenges may be identified in the Industrial Management (IM) field. One of the most relevant is the opportunity to deal with real-time data and adapt the decision-making processes with agile approaches. IM learners will need to increase their awareness of these opportunities and challenges, both in professional training and in higher education. Thus, this study proposes a simulation system to support the learning process of opportunities and challenges to deal with big data from production systems' sensors. The proposed simulation system implements simple dispatching rules for the jobs entering the production queue. Additionally, the system allows the creation of many coupled machines, each one associated with a one-level bill of materials, and a set of sensors delivering data to an excel file simulating a cloud. The study will show how to use the data in a learning experience for learners to understand the high amount of data delivered by sensors and the type of information and decisions it allows.This work was developed in the context of project 619325-EPP-1-2020-1-TH-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP, “Reinforcing Non-University Sector at the Tertiary Level in Engineering and Technology to Support Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry” which has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. This work was partially supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope UIDB/00319/2020

A systematized approach for reduction of medical appointment waiting list

Paper aims: This work aims to develop a systematized approach for the reduction of medical appointment waiting lists, proposing an optimization decision-making model followed by continuous people engagement towards a systematic approach for waiting list problem-solving. Originality: There are several studies related to waiting lists in healthcare contexts, however, the present study presents an innovative approach for waiting list problem-solving by proposing prescriptive decision-making models followed by continuous improvement and people engagement. Research method: A research approach with the following phases was developed: system analysis, problem quantification, and development of an optimization model. After these phases, the model was applied, and the results were analysed, as contributions to a systematized model. Main findings: The model was applied to the screening waiting list for orthopaedics appointments followed by the fundamental involvement of medical doctors, which made it possible to implement the optimal solution generated by the model, resulting in a reduction of 90% by 56 days in waiting time for the screening process. Implications for theory and practice: This model contributes for theory and for practice as a way to deal with different scenarios for waiting list reduction in the upcoming days during and after the pandemic.This work was supported by projects UIDB/00319/2020 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030299, from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal

Optimization model for waiting list management and service continuous improvement

Purpose - This study aims to assess the number of hours*doctor required per day in each week, in a time horizon of 52 weeks, so that it is possible to gradually and controllably reduce the waiting list and the response time for the triage process that precedes the scheduling of an hospital appointment of orthopaedics speciality. A national decree law requires a response time equal or less than 5 days for the triage process, but currently, in the hospital under study, with a waiting list of 1244 users, the response time is, on average, 66 days for the speciality of orthopaedics. Design / methodology / approach - With a team of orthopaedists (constituted with the objective of improving access to orthopaedics speciality appointments), the current status of the waiting list was analysed and possibilities for improvement were discussed. Based on the professional's expertise, several parameters were defined as the more relevant to manage the waiting list for the triage process, allowing the development of an optimization model which aims to minimize the number of hours*doctor per day per week required to achieve the defined objectives. Findings - The model is able to define an optimal number of hours*doctor per day per week meeting all the process constraints. Thus, it is required 1400 hours*doctor to reduce and maintain the waiting list between the boundaries defined as acceptable, as well as reduce the waiting time to 9 days. The model is also capable of orienting the professionals to search alternative optimal solutions that for specific contexts may better fill the hospital needs. Originality / value - This study presents a tool that can support waiting lists management across any service provided by health organizations. The model ease of use allows for fast parameterization and results achievement in continuous improvement meetings.The authors would like to thank to the hospital administration and health professional that collaborated with the research team during this work. This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Projects UIDB/00319/2020 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030299

Laser printing of micro-electronic communication systems for smart implants applications

Endow the implant with intrinsic communication system between sensors and actuators or between implant and patient is a key factor for its long-term success. The capacity of early diagnosis of failures and the ability to remedy them are necessary to minimize expensive complications and reducing revision procedures. Ti6Al4V is the most used titanium alloy for implant’s fabrication. In this sense, this work presents a promising approach to print communication systems by using laser technology, aiming integrate the smart components on titanium implants. Laser has been employed as a versatile tool to modify the surface in different ways, such as texturing, oxidizing and sintering. Silver wires have been printed on Ti6Al4V surface in order to conduct electrical current. To minimize current loss for the substrate, titanium oxide layer has been produced by different methods (laser and anodization). Laser sintering (LS) has been also compared to a conventional method (Hot-pressing- HP) to consolidate the silver powder into the cavities. In comparison to the conventional techniques, laser demonstrated to be a competitive approach to oxidizing the surface and also for consolidating the micro-wires on Ti6Al4V surface. Consequently, the micro-wires printed by laser approach presented satisfactory results in terms of electrical resistance, actuating as the conductor path for electrical current, with values of 0.0131 Ω, which is similar to the resistance of the wire printed in an insulator substrate.This work has been supported by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia -Portugal) in the scope of the projects UID/EEA/04436/ 2019 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000018-HAMaBICo and Add.Additive_Manufacturing to Portuguese Industry_POCI-01-0247- FEDER-024533. I wish to thank the CNPq (205791/2014-0)

Flora de Cabo Verde: Plantas Vasculares - 32. Cucurbitaceae

Ervas anuais ou perenes, escandentes, trepadoras ou prostradas, com gavinhas, raramente ervas erectas sem gavinhas. Folhas alternas, palminerveas, simples ou pedadamente compostas. Gavinhas distalmente 2-fidas ou proximalmente 2-7-fidas, raras vezes reduzidas a espinhos ou ausentes, em geral urna por nó. Flores unissexuadas, monóicas ou dióicas, axilares, diversamente dispostas, as Q geralmente solitarias. Probrácteas por vezes presentes na base dos pedúnculos. Tubo-receptáculo (hipanto) curto a tubular, em geral -i-lobado, lobos geralmente pequenos. Pétalas em geral 5, livres ou diversamente unidas, corola na maioria dos casos regular. Androceu basicamente com 5 estames, diversamente modificado, em geral com 2 duplos estames e 1 estame simples, livres ou f unidos; tecas das anteras frequentemente convolutas; estaminódios com frequência presentes nas flores Q. Ovário ínfero, 1-locular ou por vezes 34ocular, geralmente formado a partir de 3 carpelos unidos; placentacão parietal, raramente axilar, placentas com frequência intrusivas; óvulos anatrópicos, horizontais, pêndulos ou ascendentes; estilete 1, com 2 ou geralmente 3 lobos estigmáticos. ou 3 estiletes. Fruto seco ou carnudo, cápsula, baga ou pepónio de casca dura, diversamente deiscente ou indeiscente, I -polispérmico, raras vezes tuna sâmara 1-spérmica. Sementes frequentemente achatadas, por vezex aladas: embrião grande; endosperma ausente. Familia pantropical de cerca de 600 espécies, algumas economicamente importantes como plantas alimenticias

Echinacea purpurea fractions represent promising plant-based anti-inflammatory formulations

Echinacea purpurea is traditionally used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Therefore, we investigated the anti-inflammatory capacity of E. purpurea dichloromethanolic (DE) and ethanolic extracts obtained from flowers and roots (R). To identify the class of compounds responsible for the strongest bioactivity, the extracts were fractionated into phenol/carboxylic acid (F1) and alkylamide fraction (F2). The chemical fingerprint of bioactive compounds in the fractions was evaluated by LC-HRMS. E. purpurea extracts and fractions significantly reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 6 and/or tumor necrosis factor) and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) production by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated primary human monocyte-derived macrophages. Dichloromethanolic extract obtained from roots (DE-R) demonstrated the strongest anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, fractions exhibited greater anti-inflammatory activity than whole extract. Indeed, alkylamides must be the main compounds responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of extracts; thus, the fractions presenting high content of these compounds presented greater bioactivity. It was demonstrated that alkylamides exert their anti-inflammatory activity through the downregulation of the phosphorylation of p38, ERK 1/2, STAT 3, and/or NF-κB signaling pathways, and/or downregulation of cyclooxygenase 2 expression. E. purpurea extracts and fractions, mainly DE-R-F2, are promising and powerful plant-based anti-inflammatory formulations that can be further used as a basis for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.This work was financially supported by the FCT to the Ph.D. grants of S.F.V. (PD/BD/135246/2017 and COVID/BD/152012/2021), S.M.G. (SFRH/BD/136814/2018), and C.C. (CEECIND/04058/2018), and the projects PATH (PD/00169/2013), HEALTH-UNORTE (NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-000039) and the NORTE 2020 Structured Project, co-funded by Norte2020 (NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-000021

The impact of multicomponent exercise protocols order on the maximum voluntary contraction of older women

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of exercise order in multicomponent training (MCT) on the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of older women. A total of 91 older women, ranging in age from 60 to 85 years, were randomly assigned to either Group A or Group B. Group A performed a warm up followed by aerobic training and resistance training, whereas Group B followed a warm up followed by resistance training and aerobic training. A control group (CG) did not engage in any exercise interventions. Statistical analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA for between-group comparisons, and ANOVA was used for repeated measures. The results revealed that Group A demonstrated significant increases in MVC for knee extensors (KEs) between M1 and M3 (p < 0.001) and between M2 and M3 (p < 0.001). Similarly, Group A exhibited significant increases in MVC for knee flexors (KFs) between M1 and M3 (p = 0.001) and between M2 and M3 (p < 0.001). Both Group A and Group B demonstrated significant increases in MVC for elbow flexors (EFs) between M1 and M3 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, Group B showed a significant increase in hand grip strength (HGS) between M1 and M3 (p < 0.001). Overall, the findings suggest that initiating MCT with aerobic training followed by resistance training is the most effective approach for improving muscle strength in older women.This research was funded by national funds via the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. I.P.: grant number UIDB/04748/2020 and grant number UID/04045/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Investigating low-velocity fluid flow in tumours using convection-MRI

Several distinct fluid flow phenemena occur in solid tumours, including intravascular blood flow and interstitial convection. To probe low-velocity flow in tumors resulting from raised interstitial fluid pressure, we have developed a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique named convection-MRI. It uses a phase-contrast acquisition with a dual-inversion vascular nulling preparation to separate intra- and extra-vascular flow. Here, we report the results of experiments in flow phantoms, numerical simulations and tumor xenograft models to investigate the technical feasibility of convection-MRI. We report a good correlation between estimates of effective fluid pressure from convection-MRI with gold-standard, invasive measurements of interstitial fluid pressure in mouse models of human colorectal carcinoma and show that convection-MRI can provide insights into the growth and response to vascular-targeting therapy in colorectal cancers