Optimization and validation of a new cytology stain – CytoPath line®

Cytology plays an important role in the screening and diagnosis of cervical cancer. The correct staining of cervical smear allows the recognition of essential characteristics for the diagnosis of some pathologies. However, given the existence of flaws in the current staining procedures, the development of new staining techniques as well as the optimization of the existing ones is important. Recently, a new staining line - the CytoPath line® is being developed by DiaPath S.p.A. The objective of this work is to evaluate its performance in the staining of gynecological cytology samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Simultaneously prediction of sheep and goat carcass composition and body fat depots using in vivo ultrasound measurements and live weight

The present study established multiple linear regression models using two ultrasound in vivo measurements (at lumbar and sternal regions, with different real-time ultrasonography machines and probes) and live weight, to predict simultaneously carcass composition and body fat depots of different breeds of sheep and goat. This study is important for the small ruminant industry, considering the feasibility of using the ultrasound methodology in field conditions, as well as an online system of the carcass evaluation. The multiple linear regression models were obtained by selecting the best subset of variables between using the in vivo measurements (raw variables), their second degree and interactions, evaluated in terms of prediction performance using cross-validation “K-folds” and validated by a test group. Overall, high accuracy (adj R2) was obtained from the linear relationship between predicted and experimental values of the group test for each of the nine dependent variables, with values varying between adj R2 0.88 and 0.98.The authors are grateful to Laboratory of Carcass and Meat Quality of Agriculture School of Polytechnic Institute of Bragança ‘Cantinho do Alfredo’. The authors are members of the CYTED network HEALTHY MEAT (119RT0568).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O1-5 Digital tools for physical activity assessment and brief counselling in Primary Health Care: The Portuguese model

Issue/problem Implementation of national systems for patients' physical activity (PA) assessment and counselling is a cost-effective strategy recommended in the WHO Global Action Plan for PA 2018-2030. Although Primary Health Care (PHC) professionals are recognized as key agents for PA promotion, challenges remain on how to develop feasible and scalable tools to support them in promoting patients' PA. The Portuguese model could help other countries improve PA assessment and brief counselling in PHC settings. This study aims to describe the tools' development and usage. Description of the problem The Portuguese Directorate-General of Health developed two evidence-based digital tools to support PA promotion by healthcare professionals: a) PA brief assessment tool; and b) brief counselling tool. The assessment tool was incorporated within the electronic medical health record software ?SClínico? in September 2017. It includes three questions: 1) how many days per week the patient performs any kind of PA (work, commuting or leisure-time); 2) how much time per day; and 3) how many hours per day the patient spends in sedentary behaviours. The PA brief counselling tool is available through the electronic medical prescription software ?PEM? since December 2017 and consists of five inter-related self-explanatory guides that can be delivered to patients (printed or by email), according to their motivation and PA levels. They facilitate person-centered and autonomy-supportive PA counselling, targeting specific behaviour change mediators, and using validated techniques. Results From September 2017 to December 2021, 159,179 patients had their PA assessed (2235 per 100,000 users of the National Health Service) and, from these, 16133 received PA brief counselling guides (177 per 100000 residents in Portugal, ≥ 15 years old), with a six-fold and three-fold increases, respectively, between 2018 and 2019 (previous to the COVID-19 pandemic). Future actions will address cost-effectiveness of this policy. Lessons The brief assessment and brief counselling tools were well-accepted and are increasingly being used, with potential for generalized adoption within the Portuguese Health Care System. Main messages Portugal has taken a decisive action to promote PA using PHC as a priority setting. PA tools usage is increasing considerably, highlighting the importance of making available easy-to-use PA promotion tools

Higher education systems and institutions, Guinea Bissau

The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a small country (approximately 36,125 square kilometers) on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Senegal to the north and the Republic of Guinea-Conakry to the southeast. With a population estimated at around 1.9 million inhabitants, it is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 178th of the 189 countries listed in the Human Development Index of 2019. The population’s life expectancy is 57 years, the adult literacy rate is 46%, and the most recent figures on expenditure on education reveal that, in 2013, only 2.13% of its GDP was allocated to the different levels of the education system. Even though Portuguese is the official language, the majority of the population speaks Creole. Constant political instability contributes to the country’s economic difficulties. Guinea-Bissau gained its independence from Portugal in 1974 after a destructive war and PAIGC, the political party resulting from the main independence...info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The critical success factors of GDPR implementation - a systematic literature review

Purpose: The digital paradigm people live in today, which drastically increased the consumption of data, is a threat to their privacy. To create a high level of privacy protection for its citizens, the European Union proposed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which introduces obligations for organizations regarding the storing, processing, collecting and disclosing of data. This paper aims to identify the critical success factors of GDPR implementation. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted by following a strict review protocol, where 32 documents were found relevant to perform the review and to answer to the proposed research questions. Findings: The critical success factors of GDPR implementation were identified, including barriers and enablers. Furthermore, benefits of complying with GDPR were identified. Research limitations/implications: As GDPR is a relatively recent subject, there are still few scientific papers about it. Therefore, the authors were unable to neither identify nor present a robust conclusion regarding specific topics, such as practical outcomes. Originality/value: On the basis of the literature, the identified critical success factors may be useful for organizations as these can be better prepared to achieve compliance by prioritizing the enablers and avoiding the barriers.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The triglyceride lowering effect of fish oils is affected by fish consumption

We investigated the efficacy of fish oils in Portuguese patients with hypertriglyceridaemia and mixed hyperlipidaemia, and the influence of fish consumption on the triglyceride lowering capacity of fish oils. Forty patients participated in this double-blind study, consisting of a 4-week dietary or wash-out baseline period after which patients were randomly assigned to receive either 12 fish oil capsules (3.6 g/day of omega 3) or similar 12 soya oil capsules per day for a period of 2 months. There were no statistically significant changes of total, HDL or LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides. Nevertheless, triglycerides increased 19.9% with soya oil and decreased 27.8% with fish oils. Also, there was an inverse relationship (rho = -0.352) between fish consumption and fish oils effect on triglycerides, and the triglyceride lowering with fish oils increased (from 27.8% to 44.4%), reaching borderline significance, if we excluded patients consuming one or more meals with fish per day. Glucose increased 11% (P = 0.0047) with fish oils. These findings suggest that the triglyceride lowering effect of fish oils is affected by fish consumption, and confirm that fish oils increase blood glucose levels in diabetics and non-diabetics

Interferência na quantificação de proteínas em cultura de G. diazotrophicus em meio semi-sólido contendo glicose.

Apresenta as observações sobre os efeitos interferentes da glicose e apresenta subsídios para uma abordagem alternativa para dosagem de proteínas quando glicose estiver presente no meio de cultivo em condições específicas.bitstream/item/42763/1/COT121-09.pd

Individual actors and embeddedness in business-to-business interactions

Individual actors are hardly ever considered in business-to-business marketing literature. This paper uses Service-dominant Logic and Neo-institutional Theory as the bases for twelve case studies. These case studies provide a better understanding of how individuals who represent firms make sense of the social rules, norms, procedures, values, and beliefs of the network (i.e. institutional logics) where they are embedded and how the business interaction is shaped by those influences, through the individual behaviour. This paper makes two main contributions. First, we develop an empirical model of how individuals consider the institutional logics of the network in interactions with suppliers. Second, we present three patterns of individual behavior in interactions, different from what is often assumed by business-to-business researchers. Managerial contributions are also pointed out.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Mycobiota predominant and aflatoxins content in shell and shelled Brazil nuts

Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa Humb. and Bonpl.) are an important product of the Brazilian Amazon. Currently, its marketing is compromised by the high incidence of aflatoxins (AF). The most known naturally occurring AF are named AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2. This study aimed to identify the potentially aflatoxigenic mycobiota associated with shelled Brazil nuts and with the shells, and to determine which one of these fractions contributes to aflatoxins (AF) contamination, since that official method use integral Brazil nuts samples to AF test. Samples of Brazil nuts were collected from the agro forestry system production area in Amazonian rain forest, in Brazil. These samples were split in shells and shelled nuts, and the total count of Aspergillus spp. was analysed after sanitation (sodium hypochlorite 1% / 10 minutes) and without sanitation, by plating AFPA medium, for 7 days, at 25 °C. The isolates identified as Aspergillus section Flavi were plated in YES medium (5days at 25°C) for determination of the aflatoxigenic potential by agar plug technique. To analyze AF, 500 g samples were milled and were extracted with chloroform. The chromatographic analysis was performed by HPLC–FD system in an isocratic mode [Waters pump W600, Waters module autosampler W717, Fluoresce detector W2475 and column Waters X-Terra (4.6x150mm and 5μm -- RP18)]. The mobile phase was water milli-Q/acetonitrile/methanol (600:150:150 v/v) and the injected volume was 5μL both to standards and samples. The average incidence of infection from Aspergillus spp. in sections Flavi, Nigri and Circumdati were 48%, 8% and 1%, respectively. The sanitization treatment reduced the fungi counts. There were AF production by fungi isolated from both types of samples, 30% of the samples were positive for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 and 23.8% produced AFB1, AFB2, and AFG1. Concerning the Brazil nuts AF analysis, it was observed that the concentration of AFB1 and AFG1 obtained were higher than AFB2 and AFG2. The AFB1 content was 35.281 and 1.782 μg/Kg in shelled Brazil nuts and shells, respectively. AFB2 and AFG2 were detected only in shelled samples. The HPLC-FD presented limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LQ) of 0.2 and 0.4 μg/kg, respectively

Geometric singular perturbartion theory for non-smooth dynamical systems

In this article we deal with singularly perturbed Filippov systems Zε: (1) ˙x = ( F(x, y, ε) if h(x, y, ε) ≤ 0, G(x, y, ε) if h(x, y, ε) ≥ 0, εy˙ = H(x, y, ε), where ε ∈ R is a small parameter, x ∈ Rn, n ≥ 2, and y ∈ R denote the slow and fast variables, respectively, and F, G, h, and H are smooth maps. We study the effect of singular perturbations at typical singularities of Z0. Special attention will be dedicated to those points satisfying q ∈ {h(x, y, 0) = 0} ∩ {H(x, y, 0) = 0} where F or G is tangent to {h(x, y, 0) = 0}. The persistence and the stability properties of those objects are investigated.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP