The paradoxical success of corrupt politicians: evidence from a field experiment

This paper contributes to the literature on the explanations for the often observed phenomenon of the electoral success of corrupt politicians. It focuses on the particular case of the Portuguese municipality of Oeiras, where Isaltino Morais was elected as mayor after being convicted for corruption-related crimes. We collected data on 557 residents of the municipality. Data were collected four weeks after the October 2017 election. We find no evidence for the ignorant voter explanation but strong support for the implicit trading theory

Integrated bioprocess approach for the production of xylooligosaccharides

The demand of prebiotic ingredients has been growing over the years as consumers pay more attention to their health. Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are considered emergent and competitively priced prebiotics, presenting high potential as food ingredients. As a result, the industry is focused on developing new approaches to improve their production efficiency to meet the increasing demand while reducing costs. Hence, the main purpose of this work was to develop an integrated bioprocess, based on one-step fermentation, for the production of prebiotic XOS, towards the simplification and cost reduction of the process. The one-step fermentation of 13 agro-residues was done using two Trichoderma species. The most promising results were found for T. reesei using brewers spent grain (BSG) as substrate. BSG is an inexpensive and abundant agroindustrial residue that was proven interesting for the production of arabino-xylooligosaccharides (AXOS). In order to reduce the production time obtained with T. reesei (3 d), the Bacillus subtilis 3610 wild type (wt) was successfully used to produce AXOS through direct fermentation of BSG, reducing the production time to 12 h. Genetic engineering was used to further optimize the microorganism performance, by cloning the T. reesei xylanase gene coupled with a secretion tag into the B. subtilis chromosome (B. subtilis 3610 clone 2). This strategy led to a yield increase of 33 % comparing to the wt, and 29 % comparing to the T. reesei. B. subtilis 3610 clone 2 was also selected for downscale production of XOS by direct fermentation of commercial beechwood xylan. The maximum production yield, 306 ± 4 mg/g (XOS/xylan), was achieved after 8 h of fermentation operating under one-time impulse fed-batch regimen. In vitro studies using human fecal inocula were performed to evaluate and compare the potential prebiotic effect of commercial lactulose and the XOS herein produced. The significant increase in the production of short chain fatty acids and CO2, added to the reduction of pH and ammonia concentration suggest that the XOS hold potential functional properties for human health. The results gathered provide important insights for the development of new integrated strategies for XOS production from agro-residues.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gibbs free energy of transfer of a methylene group on {UCON + (sodium or potassium) phosphate salts} aqueous two-phase systems: Hydrophobicity effects

The Gibbs free energy of transfer of a suitable hydrophobic probe can be regarded as a measure of the relative hydrophobicity of the different phases. The methylene group (CH2) can be considered hydrophobic, and thus be a suitable probe for hydrophobicity. In this work, the partition coefficients of a series of five dinitrophenylated-amino acids were experimentally determined, at 23 °C, in three different tie-lines of the biphasic systems: (UCON + K2HPO4), (UCON + potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7), (UCON + KH2PO4), (UCON + Na2HPO4), (UCON + sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7), and (UCON + NaH2PO4). The Gibbs free energy of transfer of CH2 units were calculated from the partition coefficients and used to compare the relative hydrophobicity of the equilibrium phases. The largest relative hydrophobicity was found for the ATPS formed by dihydrogen phosphate salts.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Programa "Ciência 2007", SFRH/BD/43439/2008LSREFEDER/POCI/201

Screening of fungal sources of -galactosidase with potential for the synthesis of prebiotics

Book of Abstracts of CEB Annual Meeting 2017[Excerpt] β-Galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23), also known as lactases, are a family of enzymes able to catalyse two different types of reactions, namely hydrolysis and transgalactosylation. The hydrolytic activity is commonly applied in the food industries to reduce the lactose content of dairy products, preventing lactose crystallization problems and increasing sweetness, flavour and solubility. On the other hand, transgalactosylation reactions have been explored in the synthesis of lactose-based prebiotics, such as galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), lactosucrose [1] and lactulose [2], with potential application in the pharmaceutical and food industry. These prebiotics are enzymatically produced through the hydrolysis of lactose and further transfer of a galactosyl residue to a suitable acceptor, i.e. fructose for the disaccharide lactulose; sucrose for the trisaccharide lactosucrose; and lactose for GOS. The sources of βgalactosidase are extensively distributed in nature, namely in microorganisms, plants and animal organs. [...]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cation effect on the (PEG 8000 + sodium sulfate) and (PEG 8000 + magnesium sulfate) aqueous two-phase system: Relative hydrophobicity of the equilibrium phases

The partitioning of four dinitrophenylated (DNP-) amino acids in aqueous two-phase systems of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8000sodium sulfate and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8000magnesium sulfate in five different tie-lines was experimentally determined at 298.15 K. The Gibbs free energy of transfer of a methylene group between the two phases was calculated from the measured partition coefficients. This characterizes the relative hydrophobicity of the equilibrium phases. Values of G(CH2) were in range from (-0.674 to -1.012) kJ·mol-1. A comparison of both systems was carried out. The results show that the cation type has a strong influence on the amino acids partitioning process. The largest relative hydrophobicity was noted for the ATPS system formed by sodium sulfate. This showed to be a better system for the separation.FCT/MEC and FEDER under Programe PT2020 (Project UID/EQU/50020/2013), and co-financed by QREN, ON2 and FEDER (Projects NORTE-07-0162-FEDER-000050 and NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-0000011

Laccase partition in ATPS: finding some molecular descriptors

Aqueous Two-Phase Systems (ATPS) are known since 1896, when Beijerinck reported the formation of a biphasic system after mixing aqueous solutions of gelatine and agar or gelatine and starch. However, only in the 50’s, Albertsson showed the potential of these systems in the separation and purification of several biological constituents.1 In general, ATPS are obtained by mixing two aqueous solutions of different constituents that become immiscible above certain critical conditions, like temperature, concentration, etc. Both phases are composed mainly by water (>80%) and each one is enriched in a different component. ATPS formed by two polymers or a polymer and a salt represent the traditional systems. Nevertheless, other alternative biphasic systems can be obtained using surfactants, micellar compounds or ionic liquids

intervenção de enfermagem de reabilitação

A cognição é uma complexa coleção de funções mentais que incluem atenção, perceção, compreensão, aprendizagem, memória, resolução de problemas e raciocínio, que permitem ao homem compreender e relacionar-se com o mundo e seus elementos. O compromisso de tais funções tem consequências funcionais importantes, independentemente do compromisso motor existente, sendo o Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC) um dos eventos responsáveis e do qual poderão decorrer alterações nos domínios motor, sensorial e cognitivo que impõem mudanças e desencadeiam necessidades de adaptação que sendo superiores à capacidade de se autocuidar geram um défice de autocuidado (AC). Considerando a pessoa com alteração cognitiva após AVC é provável que essa capacidade esteja limitada, constituindo-se a teoria do deficit do autocuidado de Orem fundamental na estruturação da atuação do Enfermeiro Especialista de Enfermagem de Reabilitação (EEER). A intervenção do EEER à pessoa com alteração cognitiva resultante de AVC alicerça-se na capacidade neuro plástica do cérebro. Provavelmente a recuperação ocorre mediante uma combinação de processos espontâneos e dependentes de aprendizagem, incluindo restituição, substituição e compensação, promovida por intervenções que consideram o enriquecimento do ambiente e a regulação sensorial como coadjuvantes do plano de reabilitação. Este relatório tem como propósito expor a análise crítica das atividades desenvolvidas nos campos de estágio e reflexão sobre as aprendizagens que permitiram alcançar as competências preconizadas pela Ordem dos Enfermeiros (OE) para o EE, EEER e Descritores de Dublin. Conclui-se que ação do EEER, dirigida a pessoas com diagnóstico de AVC, deve considerar as alterações cognitivas e físicas, contemplando intervenções promotoras da estimulação dos processos cognitivos. A inclusão de um programa de regulação sensorial estruturado revelou-se como promotor da reabilitação para reverter as alterações observadas e concorreu para incrementar a motivação, a autonomia, o conforto e bem-estar.Cognition is a complex collection of mental functions that include attention, perception, comprehension, learning, memory, problem-solving, and reasoning, which allow humans to understand and relate to the world around them and its elements. The impairment of such functions has important functional consequences, regardless of the existing motor impairment. A Cerebrovascular accident (CVA/stroke) is one of the events responsible for such a thing to occur. The alterations that result from this are visible in the motor, sensory, and cognitive domains. The resulting squeals impose changes that trigger the need for adaptation. In the face of an imbalance, if the person's needs are greater than their ability to self-care, a self-care deficit (SC) arises. Considering the person with cognitive impairment, after a CVA this ability is likely to be limited. Thus, Orem's theory of self-care deficit is essential in structuring the performance of a Specialist Nurse in Rehabilitation (SNR). The SNR’s intervention regarding the person with cognitive impairment resulting from a CVA is based on the neuroplastic capacity of the brain. Recovery is likely to occur through a combination of spontaneous and learning-dependent processes, including restitution; replacement, and compensation, promoted by interventions that consider environmental enrichment and sensory regulation as coadjutants in the rehabilitation plan. The purpose of this study is to present a critical analysis of the activities developed in the internship fields and reflect on the learning experiences that allowed achieving the competencies recommended by the "Ordem dos Enfermeiros" (OE) for the NRS and Descriptors de Dublin We can conclude that the action of the NSR, directed at people diagnosed with a stroke should consider both cognitive and physical changes, contemplating interventions that promote the stimulation of cognitive processes. The inclusion of a structured sensory regulation programme has proved to promote rehabilitation to reverse the effects of the stroke and contributed to increase motivation, autonomy, comfort, and well-being of the patient

Enzymatic synthesis of monosaccharide fatty acid esters

The non-ionic and biodegradable surfactant family known as sugar fatty acid esters (SFAEs) includes a wide range of products broadly used in several industrial applications. They are considered as important compounds in the food due to their remarkable technological properties. SFAEs are composed of lipophilic fatty acid moieties and hydrophilic sugar head groups which result in particular physicochemical characteristics that are the basis for their broad range of applications. A great variety of coupling possibilities between hydrophilic sugar head groups and hydrophobic alkyl chains can be explored, leading to the production of different SFAEs with promising industrial features. SFAEs can be obtained by chemical esterification. However, the alternative synthesis by enzymatic route using lipases as biocatalysts has gained increased attention in the last decades. When enzymes are used as catalysts, reactions are carried out in mild conditions, avoiding product degradation. Moreover, enzymes are biodegradable and present higher specificity, thus minimizing the formation of undesirable side-products. In this work, the enzymatic synthesis of SFAEs in t-butanol was followed and qualitatively evaluated by thin layer chromatography. The esterification between different mono-, di- or trisaccharides and butyric acid was performed by commercial immobilized Lipase B from Candida antarctica, at 60°C. The results showed that SFAEs were successfully biosynthesized under these conditions using monosaccharides.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit, and by LABBELS – Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. BB acknowledges her PhD grant from FCT (2020.05612.BD).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

β-glucan from brewers spent yeast as a techno-functional food ingredient

Brewer’s spent yeast (BSY) is a by-product generated during beer production. After heat inactivation, large quantities of BSY are discarded or sold as a low-cost animal feed supplement. Fortunately, BSY can be a good source of valuable compounds such as β-glucan, which has several biological and techno-functional properties for application as a food ingredient. Practical application of β-glucan from BSY requires disruption cell wall and purification steps that significantly influences the yield, cost, biological, physic-chemical, and technological characteristics of this compound. This mini-review presents the use of BSY as a source of β-glucan, the available methods to extract it, and its biological and techno-functional properties.The authors acknowledge the CNPq, CAPES, FAPEG, IF Goiano and UFRJ by support. SS acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit, and by LABBELS—Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exploitation of olive oil mil wastewater for esterase production

[Excerpt] Development of bio-sustainable and renewable resource technologies is extremely important on environmental contexts. Waste can contain many valuable substances and, through a suitable process or technology, this material can be converted into value-added products or raw materials that can be used in secondary processes. To reduce the environmental problems caused by olive oil mill wastewater (OOMW), which is the liquid effluent produced during the extraction process of olive oil, this waste can be applied to bioproducts production. (...