Pulses protein quality control at different storage conditions for further protein extraction – a review: Poster

The storage conditions are of extreme importance with regards to grains (cereal & pulses) components (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins) preservation and quality for industry (that may interfere to whole process and quality of the final product). In addition, the vegetarian consumers’ interest of protein supplement (capsules) from pulses such as beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.), lentils (Lens culinaris L.), peas (Pisum sativum L.), peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.), also soybeans (Glycine max L.) has grown considerably, mainly due to their non-lactose&non-animal-based ingredients and also non-transgenic in some of the pulses. Therefore, there is a need of information regarding pulses storage conditions on their components’ quality/quantity and so for safety of the raw material utilized for protein extract purposes. In addition, to get safe pulses raw materials for protein extraction aimed for vegetarian supplements, one needs to take into account (a) quite controlled storage conditions, apart from (b) pesticide residues and mycotoxins contamination control. Therefore, the present reviewgathers and compiles the characterization of six different pulses by evaluating amino acids profile as indicators of protein quality, and compares them with different varieties for further protein extraction.The storage conditions are of extreme importance with regards to grains (cereal & pulses) components (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins) preservation and quality for industry (that may interfere to whole process and quality of the final product). In addition, the vegetarian consumers’ interest of protein supplement (capsules) from pulses such as beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.), lentils (Lens culinaris L.), peas (Pisum sativum L.), peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.), also soybeans (Glycine max L.) has grown considerably, mainly due to their non-lactose&non-animal-based ingredients and also non-transgenic in some of the pulses. Therefore, there is a need of information regarding pulses storage conditions on their components’ quality/quantity and so for safety of the raw material utilized for protein extract purposes. In addition, to get safe pulses raw materials for protein extraction aimed for vegetarian supplements, one needs to take into account (a) quite controlled storage conditions, apart from (b) pesticide residues and mycotoxins contamination control. Therefore, the present reviewgathers and compiles the characterization of six different pulses by evaluating amino acids profile as indicators of protein quality, and compares them with different varieties for further protein extraction

Tensile strain hardening of a metakaolin based fibre reinforced composite

Portland cement concrete is the most used building material in the world. However, its manufacture is energy-intensive and it is susceptible to harsh environments. Alternative binder systems without ordinary Portland cement, such as geopolymers or alkali-activated materials, are recently new in the Civil Engineered world. These alternative binder systems seek, among other characteristics, improved durability and environmental efficiency. The attaining of strain hardening and multiple cracking typical of Strain Hardening Cementitious Composites (SHCC) using these alternative binder systems is very attractive from a conceptual point of view, since additional endurance to certain harsh or extreme environments, as well as enhanced durability, are usually expected as two of the main outcomes. In the present work, the behaviour of two different composites was studied: an existing Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) and a new composite based on an alternative binder prepared with metakaolin. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres were used in both materials. A series of experiments, including compressive and direct tensile testing were carried out to characterize and compare the mechanical properties of both materials. The results showed that the alternative binder composite, when subjected to uniaxial tension, developed multiple cracks at steadily increasing tensile stress and strain, which is also typical of ECCs showing strain hardening behaviour. The development of fibre reinforced geopolymer or alkali-activated materials showing strain hardening ability in tension may still be considered as a novel research topic, with great potential for creating new and interesting developments for Civil Engineering and structural applications, particularly the ones subjected to harsh environments

Telephone-based psychological crisis intervention: the Portuguese experience with COVID-19

Published online: 07 Jun 2020Portugal is one of the European countries that implemented early protective measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Portugal declared a state of emergency on 18 March, and a set of regional and national preventive public health measures was progressively implemented. Studies on the psychological impact of pandemics show evidence of the negative impact on mental health. Of particular concern are individuals with previous fragility (e.g. personal, family or occupational) and those undergoing life transitions. In this paper, we present a telephone-based psychological crisis intervention that was implemented to provide brief, appropriate, and timely psychological help. This intervention follows standard models of crisis intervention and is structured in five phases and five different intervention modules to take into account the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of specific risk groups. With these support services, we hope to help our community better cope with the immediate impact of the pandemic and to contribute to preventing serious mental health problems in the medium and long term.This study was partially conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (PSI/01662), University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (UID/PSI/01662/2019), through the national funds (PIDDAC). We acknowledge Associação de Psicologia da Universidade do Minho (APsi-UMinho) and APsiUMinho collaborators for supporting the telephone-based psychological crisis intervention: Ana Daniela Silva, Ana Isabel Gonçalves, Ana Rita Pereira, Andreia Milhazes, Ângela Ferreira, Alexandra Vieira, Célia Sampaio, Carina Magalhães, Cátia Braga, Delfina Fernandes, Dulce Lopes, Dulce Pinto, Inês Castro, Inês Marques, Gabriela Santana, Joana Andrade, Joana Coutinho, Joana Guimarães, Joana Soares, Joana Teixeira, Joana Torres, João Batista, João Tiago Oliveira, Mariana Leite, Marta Sousa, Patrícia Mendes, Sara Lima, Soraia Mesquita, Teresa Castanho. We would like to thanks P5 and affiliated Psychologists: Liliana Amorim, and Inês Fernandes. We gratefully acknowledge OutSystems for the financial support through OutSystems COVID-19 Community Response Program

Quality and safety conditions of flocked oats (Avena sativa L.) stored in bags: Poster

Oats (Avena sativa L.) have reached the healthy food market worldwide due to its special nutrients composition and fiber high quality. Therefore, quality & safety control is a must, both during the storage and commercialization stages. The current study evaluated the physicochemical characteristics (flakes size/variation %, pH, moisture content-mc, water activity-aw), living organisms (insects & mites / mycoflora - fungi load& genera identification), mycotoxins(ochratoxin A – OTA / zearalenone – ZON / aflatoxins – AFLs / esterigmatocistin – EST)andthe storage conditions of flocked oats stored inbags.Regarding the oats physicochemical characteristics, flakes particle size varied, however most of the samples present size uniformityand only one sample had high percentage of residue. That indicates high insects and other living organisms activity (consumption / proliferation) of oats starch and other nutrients. The analysis through stereomicroscope showed intense presence of insects and mites. Samples were seen also sheltering those living organisms (27%), which are not allowed by regulation (no soils, parasites and larvae presence). As expected, mc (10.8-13.2%) and/or aw (0.61-0.90) varied, however they kept on the safer levels (< 13% / 0.90) insects/mites and fungi growth wise. With respect to pH, it varied from4.1to 5.85, indicating some rancidity/fermentation reactions taking place, thus changes in organoleptic parameters. The total fungi load ranged from 3x102 to 1.29x105 CFU/g, with Aspergillus and Rhizopusthe genera more identified. Only one sample was toxin contaminated (OTA - 80 µg/kg). Insects are known vectors of fungal spores and can spread their hyphae on their dead/live skeleton, apart from mites that can trigger allergies in humans and animals. Therefore, current data demonstrate that despite the storage conditions control application, living organisms can occur in flocked oats (stored in bags) and it is necessary to apply decontamination methods to control/prevent their proliferation.Oats (Avena sativa L.) have reached the healthy food market worldwide due to its special nutrients composition and fiber high quality. Therefore, quality & safety control is a must, both during the storage and commercialization stages. The current study evaluated the physicochemical characteristics (flakes size/variation %, pH, moisture content-mc, water activity-aw), living organisms (insects & mites / mycoflora - fungi load& genera identification), mycotoxins(ochratoxin A – OTA / zearalenone – ZON / aflatoxins – AFLs / esterigmatocistin – EST)andthe storage conditions of flocked oats stored inbags.Regarding the oats physicochemical characteristics, flakes particle size varied, however most of the samples present size uniformityand only one sample had high percentage of residue. That indicates high insects and other living organisms activity (consumption / proliferation) of oats starch and other nutrients. The analysis through stereomicroscope showed intense presence of insects and mites. Samples were seen also sheltering those living organisms (27%), which are not allowed by regulation (no soils, parasites and larvae presence). As expected, mc (10.8-13.2%) and/or aw (0.61-0.90) varied, however they kept on the safer levels (< 13% / 0.90) insects/mites and fungi growth wise. With respect to pH, it varied from4.1to 5.85, indicating some rancidity/fermentation reactions taking place, thus changes in organoleptic parameters. The total fungi load ranged from 3x102 to 1.29x105 CFU/g, with Aspergillus and Rhizopusthe genera more identified. Only one sample was toxin contaminated (OTA - 80 µg/kg). Insects are known vectors of fungal spores and can spread their hyphae on their dead/live skeleton, apart from mites that can trigger allergies in humans and animals. Therefore, current data demonstrate that despite the storage conditions control application, living organisms can occur in flocked oats (stored in bags) and it is necessary to apply decontamination methods to control/prevent their proliferation

State-dependent complexity of the local field potential in the primary visual cortex

The local field potential (LFP) is as a measure of the combined activity of neurons within a region of brain tissue. While biophysical modeling schemes for LFP in cortical circuits are well established, there is a paramount lack of understanding regarding the LFP properties along the states assumed in cortical circuits over long periods. Here we use a symbolic information approach to determine the statistical complexity based on Jensen disequilibrium measure and Shannon entropy of LFP data recorded from the primary visual cortex (V1) of urethane-anesthetized rats and freely moving mice. Using these information quantifiers, we find consistent relations between LFP recordings and measures of cortical states at the neuronal level. More specifically, we show that LFP's statistical complexity is sensitive to cortical state (characterized by spiking variability), as well as to cortical layer. In addition, we apply these quantifiers to characterize behavioral states of freely moving mice, where we find indirect relations between such states and spiking variability

Glutamine and cystine-enriched diets modulate aquaporins gene expression in the small intestine of piglets

Research Areas: Science & Technology ; Other TopicsABSTRACT - The regulation of glycerol permeability in the gastrointestinal tract is crucial to control fat deposition, lipolysis and gluconeogenesis. Knowing that the amino acid glutamine is a physiological regulator of gluconeogenesis, whereas cystine promotes adiposity, herein we investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with glutamine and cystine on the serum biochemical parameters of piglets fed on amino acid-enriched diets, as well as on the transcriptional profile of membrane water and glycerol channels aquaporins (AQPs) in the ileum portion of the small intestine and its impact on intestinal permeability. Twenty male piglets with an initial body weight of 8.8 ± 0.89 kg were allocated to four dietary treatments (n = 5) and received, during a four week-period, a basal diet without supplementation (control) or supplemented with 8 kg/ton of glutamine (Gln), cystine (Cys) or the combination of the two amino acids in equal proportions (Gln + Cys). Most biochemical parameters were found improved in piglets fed Gln and Cys diet. mRNA levels of AQP3 were found predominant over the others. Both amino acids, individually or combined, were responsible for a consistent downregulation of AQP1, AQP7 and AQP10, without impacting on water permeability. Conversely, Cys enriched diet upregulated AQP3 enhancing basolateral membranes glycerol permeability and downregulating glycerol kinase (GK) of intestinal cells. Altogether, our data reveal that amino acids dietary supplementation can modulate intestinal AQPs expression and unveil AQP3 as a promising target for adipogenesis regulation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the indicators of inflammation in the diagnosis of ovine mastitis

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar diferentes indicadores inflamatórios no diagnóstico da mamite em ovinos da raça Santa Inês. Após a realização do exame físico das mamas e a prova de fundo escuro, foram coletadas e analisadas 390 amostras de leite, sendo as metades mamárias divididas de acordo com o exame bacteriológico e a prova de fundo escuro, resultando em 290 amostras negativas em ambos os exames, 90 amostras negativas à prova de fundo escuro e positivas na cultura bacteriológica, 5 amostras positivas à prova de fundo escuro e negativas ao exame bacteriológico e 3 amostras positivas em ambos os testes. Nestas amostras foram realizadas a contagem automática de células somáticas (CCS), o California Mastitis Test (CMT), a determinação da concentração hidrogeniônica (pH) e dos teores de cloreto e lactose, e ainda a avaliação do índice de cloreto-lactose. Os maiores valores preditivos foram observados para a CCS, CMT e teor de cloreto; o pH, o teor de lactose e o índice cloreto-lactose apresentaram-se como marcadores inflamatórios menos sensíveis, onde se considerou o resultado da cultura bacteriológica como padrão ouro. O exame físico não se mostrou como método diagnóstico seguro quando utilizado isoladamente, exaltando a importância da associação de outros meios diagnósticos indiretosThe aim of this trial was to evaluate distinct indictors of inflammation in the diagnosis of mastitis in Santa Ines ewes. The physical examination and the dark bottom cup test were performed. Afterwards, the bacteriologic samples of 390 milk samples were analyzed. The samples were divided according to the bacteriological examination and the dark cup bottom test, resulting in 290 samples negative in both tests, 90 samples positive in the bacteriological examination and negative in the dark cup bottom test, 5 samples positive in the dark cup bottom test and negative in bacteriological culture, and 3 samples positive in both tests. The automatic somatic cell count (SSC), the California mastitis test (CMT), the pH, the chloride and lactose content, and the chloride-lactose number were established. Then, their predictive value as a indicator of inflammation was calculated assuming the bacteriologic examination as the gold standard test. The CCS, CMT and chloride content proved to be the best predictors, while the pH, the lactose content and chloride-lactose number were the least sensitive tests. The physical examination was revealed to be a nonsensitive diagnostic procedure when used as the only procedure to detect the disease, showing that other diagnostics tests are requiredFAPESPCNP