Live streaming - child sexual abuse (LS-CSA): the case of the Philippines

O presente trabalho procura analisar um tema cuja visibilidade permanece algo reduzida. Esta ‘nova’ forma de abuso apropria-se das vulnerabilidades tradicionais e locais, mas também das ferramentas que, enquanto sociedade, agora nos encontramos altamente dependentes. Nomeadamente o acesso à internet, este novo ‘terreno’ dá lugar a novas rotas para antigas formas de criminalidade e dá origem a toda uma panóplia de ferramentas que permitem crimes como o abuse sexual de crianças tomar todo um novo paradigma. Tendo em conta a globalização e a conetividade do mundo atual, crimes como o abuso sexual de crianças ‘via live stream’ tendem a surgir cada vez mais, colocando crianças de todos os locais do mundo em perigo. Face a esta problemática o presente estudo procura, através de uma abordagem exploratória, dar a conhecer o fenómeno do abuso sexual de crianças ‘via live stream’, especificamente no contexto da sociedade Filipina, onde, de acordo com diversas entidades internacionais como a Europol e a Unicef é o verdadeiro epicentro deste tipo de cibercrime. O tema é tido em conta com recurso à perspetiva da população local, a sua cultura, história, valores e como estes podem ou não influenciar a crescente expansão do crime pelo país. Neste sentido o trabalho adota uma metodologia de investigação qualitativa que permite aceder aos testemunhos de 8 Filipinos através de entrevistas que foram depois analisadas e discutidas de acordo com as questões de investigação pré-definidas. Em adição realizou-se a análise documental de diversas fontes de forma a permitir comparar-se as conclusões adquiridas através das entrevistas. E por último foi brevemente analisado o trabalho de 5 organizações de cariz internacional e que estiveram ou estão atualmente a desenvolver iniciativas nas Filipinas. Num país onde predomina a pobreza e existem poucos métodos de investigação da cibercriminalidade, concluiu-se ainda que os valores e a cultura Filipina contribuem para proliferação deste tipo de abuso. As famílias são concorrentemente responsáveis por expor os próprios filhos a esta realidade como forma de escapar à pobreza, algo que é encobrido por uma cultura de silêncio generalizada.The aim of this paper is to enlighten and bring attention to a growing issue, a form of abuse that not only takes advantage of traditional and local vulnerabilities but also of the very means and tools we, as a society, have grown dependent on The Internet has rose as breeding ground with new routes for old crimes but it has also been the place of birth for a while new set of tool that allow crimes like online child sexual abuse to take place. In face of globalization and the undeniable connectivity of the current world, crimes like live streaming – child sexual abuse (LS-CSA) tend to emerge and expand rapidly reaching children from all corner of the world. Given the gravity of the issue the present study seeks, through an exploratory approach, to share some of the details about this phenomenon, specifically as it takes place in the Filipino society, recognized by several organizations like EUROPOL and UNICEF as the epicenter of this type of cybercrime. The study of the topic resources to the perspective of the local population, its culture, history and values to know how they may influence the expansion of the crime throughout the nation. The study is composed of a qualitative methodological design, in which, the interview of 8 Filipino individuals was conducted and whose data was then analyzed and discussed accordingly to pre-established research questions. In addition, an analysis of documental data was conducted to provide grounds for the comparison of the collected data. Lastly the work of 5 international organizations currently/or not present in the country were also considered. In a country where poverty is established and there’s a real gap in the enforcement of the law in cybercrimes, it was also concluded that the values and Filipino culture contribute for the proliferation of LS-CSA where the families are often ‘facilitators’ and expose their children in order to escape poverty; something seemingly indivisible from a generalized culture of silence

Overview about oral films in mental disorders

Mental disorders are increasing worldwide, and efforts have been developed by multidisciplinary research groups to combine knowledge from different areas such as psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and biotechnology to develop strategies and products to promote the prevention of mental disorders. Excessive antipsychotic consumption is a public health problem, and innovative strategies must be devised. The development of innovative and, if possible, natural products is one of the strategies to combat this public health problem. Oral films are recent delivery systems that have been developed with several advantages that should be applied in this area. This review intends to draw attention to these new dosage forms of drugs and bioactive molecules pertinent to the field of mental health prevention and therapy and to the need for regulatory guidelines to ensure their quality and safety. This is a critical overview about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to oral film implementation in mental disorder treatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Capacidade de nitrificação e desnitrificação da ETAR Sul da SIMRIA

Mestrado em Engenharia do AmbienteA água é um bem essencial e indispensável à sobrevivência dos seres vivos. O consumo desmedido de água e a sua poluição pode ter inúmeras consequências para a saúde das populações, para o equilíbrio dos ecossistemas ou até mesmo levar à escassez ou desequilíbrio entre água necessária e disponível para consumo humano. Desta forma, torna-se essencial proteger os recursos hídricos, evitando a sua poluição e tratando-os. O processo de tratamento biológico de águas residuais urbanas por lamas ativadas, tem vindo a ser amplamente usado nas ETAR- Estação de Tratamento de Águas Residuais. O presente relatório tem como objetivo o estudo da capacidade de nitrificação do reator biológico da ETAR Sul, se este processo esta já a ser realizado ou no caso de não, qual o dimensionamento necessário para tal. Foi realizado o estudo do dimensionamento para o tanque com e sem processo de nitrificação, com base numa caracterização de diversas formas de azoto afluente ao reator biológico, nomeadamente, azoto total, azoto de Kjeldahl, nitratos e nitritos. Conclui-se que para o caudal atual, a ETAR precisa de 6112 m3, para realizar o processo de nitrificação e para o caudal esperado nos próximos anos, de 22134 m3/d, precisará de um volume de 7562,8 m3. Estes dois casos são possíveis uma vez que o volume necessário não ultrapassa o existente. No caso do caudal descrito para o horizonte de projeto, a ETAR iria precisar de 9539,7 m3 a mais do que o existente. Em relação ao processo de desnitrificação a ETAR consegue realizar o processo juntamente com a nitrificação apenas para o caudal atual, quando utilizados os outros valores de caudal a ETAR não consegue dar resposta em termos de volume disponível à realização dos processos.Water is essential and indispensable to the survival of living beings. The excessive consumption of water and its pollution may have numerous consequences for the health of populations, the balance of ecosystems or even lead to water scarcity or imbalance between needed and available water for human consumption. Thus, it becomes essential to protect water resources, preventing pollution and treating them. The process of biological treatment of urban waste water by activated sludge has been widely used in WWTP- Wastewater Treatment Plant. This report aims to evaluate the ability of nitrification of the biological reactor, verify if this process is already being done, or if not, what is the required sizing for this. The study was conducted for scaling the tank with and without nitrification process, based on a characterization of various forms of nitrogen affluent to the biological reactor, including nitrogen total Kjeldahl nitrogen, nitrate and nitrite. It was concluded that to the current flow , the WWTP needs 6,112 m3 to perform nitrification and for the flow rate expected in the upcoming years, 22,134 m3 / d, will need a volume of 7562.8 m3. These two cases are possible once the required volume does not exceed the existing one. In the case of the flow described for the horizon project, the WWTP would need 9539.7 m3, more than the existing one. Regarding the denitrification process , the WWTP can perform the process with nitrification only for the current flow. When using other flow values , the WWTP fails to answer in terms of volume available to the realization of the processes

Kombucha: challenges for health and mental health

Background: Increasing research into probiotics is showing potential benefits for health in general and mental health in particular. Kombucha is a recent beverage and can be considered a probiotic drink, but little is known about its effects on physical and mental health. This product is experiencing growth in the market; however, there are no scientific results to support its potential for physical and mental health. Aim: This review article aims to draw attention to this issue and to highlight the lack of studies in this area. Key findings and conclusions: The lack of legislation for the correct marketing of this product may also constrain clinical studies. However, clinical studies are of utmost importance for an in-depth understanding of the effects of this product on the human body. More research is needed, not only to better understand the impact of Kombucha on the human body, but also to ensure the application of regulatory guidelines for its production and marketing and enable its safe and effective consumption.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fucoidans: exploring its neuroprotective mechanisms and therapeutic applications in brain disorders

Background: Marine-derived natural products have been attracting attention from both the food and pharmaceutical sectors due to their promising therapeutic attributes. Algae and their biomolecules are examples of marine-derived products for ongoing research endeavors. Fucoidan, an algae-derived polysaccharide, has emerged as a recent biomolecule related to a diverse array of beneficial properties, with particular emphasis on its neuroprotective activities. Scope and approach: This review intended to understand the neuroprotective properties of Fucoidan and its impact on brain disorders. Fucoidan has risen to prominence as one of the most promising neuroprotective agents obtained from macroalgae, with in vitro and in vivo studies proving its efficiency. Nevertheless, the extant literature underscores the imperative for further clinical trials to substantiate its therapeutic prowess. The neuroprotective effect of fucoidan is related to oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, neuroinflammation, apoptosis, as well as the interaction between gut-brain-microbiota. Key findings and conclusions: Despite having numerous health benefits being approved by regulatory entities, fucoidan products consumption, and use by industry still needs to be explored. Henceforth, there is a need to search for an efficient method for the successful commercialization of fucoidan, focusing on its suitable dosage for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications, but it is also necessary to have clinical studies proving its efficacy in brain disorders. Therefore, this biomolecule has the potential to be exploited by researchers, investors and consumers. In this way, fucoidan could contribute to the promotion and improvement of society’s quality of life concerning specific brain pathologies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development of a neuropsychophysiological protocol to evaluate oral films for the delivery of neuroactive substances

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Validation of psychophysiological measures for caffeine oral films characterization by machine learning approaches

Background: The oral films are a new delivery system that can carry several molecules, such as neuromodulator molecules, including caffeine. These delivery systems have been developed and characterized by pharmacokinetics assays. However, new methodologies, such as psychophysiological measures, can complement their characterization. This study presents a new protocol with psychophysiological parameters to characterize the oral film delivery systems based on a caffeine model. (2) Methods: Thirteen volunteers (61.5% females and 38.5% males) consumed caffeine oral films and placebo oral films (in different moments and without knowing the product). Electrocardiogram (ECG), electrodermal (EDA), and respiratory frequency (RF) data were monitored for 45 min. For the data analysis, the MATLAB environment was used to develop the analysis program. The ECG, EDA, and RF signals were digitally filtered and processed, using a windowing process, for feature extraction and an energy mean value for 5 min segments. Then, the data were computed and presented to the entries of a set of Machine Learning algorithms. Finally, a data statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS. (3) Results: Compared with placebo, caffeine oral films led to a significant increase in power energy in the signal spectrum of heart rate, skin conductance, and respiratory activity. In addition, the ECG time-series power energy activity revealed a better capacity to detect caffeine activity over time than the other physiological modalities. There was no significant change for the female or male gender. (4) Conclusions: The protocol developed, and the psychophysiological methodology used to characterize the delivery system profile were efficient to characterize the drug delivery profile of the caffeine. This is a non-invasive, cheap, and easy method to apply, can be used to determine the neuromodulator drugs delivery profile, and can be implemented in the future.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Da biotecnologia à psicologia: protocolo neuropsicofisiológico para avaliar filmes orais com cafeína

Resumo do 13º Congresso Nacional de Psicologia da Saúde, realizado de 30 de janeiro a 1 de fevereiro de 2020, na Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade da Beira Interior.Introdução: Os filmes orais são novos dispositivos de administração oral utilizados para entrega de drogas/fármacos que capturaram o interesse da indústria farmacêutica e de alimentos nos últimos anos. Estes filmes têm alcançado muita popularidade devido às várias vantagens, tais como, a conveniência da administração (dosagem, transporte, textura, a não utilização de água para a administração, etc.) e à sua disponibilidade em vários tamanhos e formatos quando comparados às formulações orais convencionais. Apesar da investigação existente, de estudos de caracterização, estudos in vitro e alguns estudos farmacocinético, pouco se conhece sobre o efeito psicofisiológico destes filmes. Neste sentido, foi objecto de estudo o desenvolvimento de um protocolo para avaliação neuropsicofisiológica. Métodos: Após uma revisão da literatura de 298 publicações científicas, apenas 6 obdeceram aos critérios de inclusão no estudo. Resultados: A análise aprofundada da literatura permitiu conhecer a escassez de estudos nesta área e possibilitou o delinear de um protocolo, baseado na avaliação de medidas psicofisiológicas, com vantagens inerentes (oportunidade de realizar uma avaliação mais direta, objetiva e não invasiva; não se restringe apenas ao autorrelato e apresenta resultados precisos em tempo real). Discussão: Deste modo, pretende-se colmatar a lacuna existente nesta área – falta de avaliação neuropsicofisiológicas – potenciando eficácia de utilização destes filmes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clonal Diversity and Antimicrobial Resistance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius Isolated from Canine Pyoderma

[EN] The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) antimicrobial resistance and epidemic genetic lineages is posing a challenge in veterinary medicine due to the limited therapeutical options. MRSP has been identified as an important canine pyoderma pathogen. Thus, we aimed to characterize the antimicrobial resistance and clonal lineages of MRSP isolated from canine cutaneous pyoderma. Thirty-one MRSP isolates recovered from pyoderma were further characterized. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the isolates was performed by the KirbyBauer disc diffusion method against 14 antimicrobial agents. The presence of antimicrobial and virulence genes was carried out by PCR. Multilocus sequence typing was performed in all isolates. All strains had a multidrug-resistant profile showing resistance mainly to penicillin, macrolides and lincosamides, aminoglycosides, tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, which was encoded by the blaZ, ermB, msr(A/B), aac(6′ )-Ie-aph(2′′ )-Ia, aph(3′ )-IIIa, ant(4′ )-Ia, tetM, tetK and dfrG genes. All isolates harbored the lukS-I/lukF-I virulence factors. Isolates were ascribed to nine previously described sequence types (STs): ST123, ST339, ST727, ST71, ST537, ST45, ST1029, ST118 and ST1468; and to five STs first described in this study: ST2024, ST2025, ST2026, ST2027 and ST2028. In this study, most isolates belonged to ST123 (n = 16), which belongs to CC71 and is the most common clone in Europe. All isolates were multidrug-resistant, which may impose a serious threat to animal healthSIThis research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain, Project RTI2018-098267-R-C33) and the Junta de Castilla y León (Consejería de Educación, Spain, Project LE018P20). This work was funded by the R&D Project CAREBIO2: Comparative assessment of antimicrobial resistance in environmental biofilms through proteomics—towards innovative thera- nostic biomarkers, with reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030101 and PTDC/SAU-INF/30101/2017, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020) and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). This work was supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV, which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020). Vanessa Silva is grateful to FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) for financial support through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/137947/201

In vitro design of a novel lytic bacteriophage cocktail with therapeutic potential against organisms causing diabetic foot infections

In patients with diabetes mellitus, foot infections pose a significant risk. These are complex infections commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, all of which are potentially susceptible to bacteriophages. Here, we characterized five bacteriophages that we had determined previously to have antimicrobial and wound-healing potential in chronic S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii infections. Morphological and genetic features indicated that the bacteriophages were lytic members of the family Myoviridae or Podoviridae and did not harbour any known bacterial virulence genes. Combinations of the bacteriophages had broad host ranges for the different target bacterial species. The activity of the bacteriophages against planktonic cells revealed effective, early killing at 4 h, followed by bacterial regrowth to pre-treatment levels by 24 h. Using metabolic activity as a measure of cell viability within established biofilms, we found significant cell impairment following bacteriophage exposure. Repeated treatment every 4 h caused a further decrease in cell activity. The greatest effects on both planktonic and biofilm cells occurred at a bacteriophage : bacterium input multiplicity of 10. These studies on both planktonic cells and established biofilms allowed us to better evaluate the effects of a high input multiplicity and a multiple-dose treatment protocol, and the findings support further clinical development of bacteriophage therapy.supported by TechnoPhage S.A. and Tecnifar; Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/SAUMIC/122816/2010 – ‘Biofilms in diabetic foot: microbial virulence characterization and cross-talk of major isolates’); FCT PhD fellowship (SFRH/BD/72872/2010); FCT ‘Ciência 2007’ programmeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio