Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2017"
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- ABC series on diagnostic parasitology part 2: the McMaster methodPublication . Nóbrega, Cármen; Santos, Carla; Mega, Ana Cristina; Coelho, Catarina; Cruz, Rita; Vala, Helena; Esteves, Fernando; Mesquita, João R.Classical coprological methods allow for inexpensive, quick and reliable detection of parasitic elements. However, the detection of these parasitic elements may be insufficient and quantification of the parasitic burden may be required. As such, faecal egg counts can play a crucial role in providing these extra data. Herewith we describe the McMaster method, one of the most used faecal egg count methods described.
- Study of total phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of fresh cheese with red fruitsPublication . Gonçalves, Fernando; Leitão, Soraia; Correia, Paula; Guiné, RaquelThe dietary guidelines worldwide recommend the intake of vegetables and fruits like berries, in order to provide their benefits. Moreover dairy products could be beneficial to human health, as source of bioactive compounds. Berry fruits are considered to be a good source of natural phenolic compounds which are known for their high antioxidant activity. The main objective of this work was to quantify the total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of new products based on cheese enriched with red fruits. For that, fresh cheeses enriched with red fruits (blueberry or raspberry) were produced. Extracts of methanol and ethanol:water were obtained in order to determine phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. The results obtained showed that for all cheeses studied the amount of phenolic compounds quantified was higher in the methanolic extracts than in the ethanol:water extracts. However, with regards to the antioxidant activity, it was also higher for the extracts of methanol when the DPPH method was used but lower when the ABTS method was used. Comparing the fruits, the blueberries increased more the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity when compared with raspberries. It was concluded that the addition of red fruits resulted in cheeses with higher levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity improving their potential health benefits.
- Variação das propriedades físicas de frutos com a secagem e estudo cinéticoPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Sousa, Cristina; Carmo, Jéssica; Ferreira, Susana; Pereira, Carla; Marques, IvoneNo presente trabalho foi estudada a secagem de duas frutas (kiwi e maçã) no que respeita às propriedades físicas de textura e cor e ainda foi avaliada a cinética de secagem com ajuste a modelos de camada fina. Para a secagem usou-se uma câmara de convecção a 80 ºC e com velocidade do ar de 0.5 m/s. Antes e depois da secagem os frutos foram analisados no que respeita à sua cor e textura, por serem propriedades que são bastante afetadas por este tipo de processo térmico. A medição da cor fez-se com um colorímetro nas coordenadas CIELab e para a análise do perfil de textura utilizou-se um texturómetro equipado com uma sonda de 75 mm. Os resultados mostraram que a secagem originou diferenças de cor muito assinaláveis em ambos os casos, com valores de E de 8.6 e 10.7, respetivamente para o kiwi e para a maçã. No caso do kiwi, verificaram-se diferenças importantes entre a polpa, a parte interna do fruto e ainda as sementes (L* a variar entre 42 e 62, a* entre -8 e -1, b* entre 17 e 33). No que respeita à textura, a secagem produziu alterações marcantes na estrutura dos frutos, com diminuição da dureza (40-62%) e mastigabilidade (13-42%) contrabalançadas por um aumento na resiliência (226-131%), coesividade (17-25%) e elasticidade (20-23%). Em relação à cinética, os dois frutos testados apresentaram um comportamento semelhante, tendo demorado 2,5 horas a atingir um conteúdo de humidade de cerca de 20%. De entre os dois modelos testados, o que se revelou mais ajustado aos dados experimentais foi o modelo de Wang & Singh, com coeficientes de correlação de 0.998 e 0.999, respetivamente para o kiwi e a maçã.
- Português língua estrangeira no ensino superior: dar voz às vozes dos estudantesPublication . Melão, DulceResumo: O caráter pluricêntrico da língua Portuguesa tem sido vincado na literatura de especialidade como muito relevante para o redesenho curricular do Português língua estrangeira. No entanto, poucos estudos focam ainda as representações do Português língua estrangeira dos estudantes do ensino superior e o seu papel no âmbito de abordagens pedagógicas em tal nível de ensino. Assim, nesta comunicação temos como objetivo refletir sobre o contributo das representações sociais para a didática do Português língua estrangeira, apontando para itinerários que possibilitem o refinamento da formação dos estudantes e o seu reajustamento à crescente diversidade linguística dos formandos no ensino superior. Partindo do enquadramento teórico das representações sociais, apresentamos os resultados da primeira fase de um estudo cujos principais objetivos foram os seguintes: i) compreender as representações sobre o Português Língua Estrangeira dos estudantes desse nível de ensino; ii) indagar os benefícios que associavam à sua aprendizagem; iii) conhecer as principais dificuldades que consideravam que a sua aprendizagem engloba. Os participantes do nosso estudo foram 18 estudantes inscritos na unidade curricular de Português Língua Estrangeira I (ano letivo de 2016/2017), aos quais foi aplicado um inquérito por questionário. Inferimos que os estudantes encaravam o Português sobretudo enquanto língua «complexa» e «difícil», mas também «bela» e «divertida». Adicionalmente, atribuíam como principal benefício da aprendizagem do Português a possibilidade de incremento da empregabilidade, apontando como principais dificuldades na sua aprendizagem aspetos prosódicos e sintáticos. Concluímos que escutar as vozes destes estudantes se reveste de importância para o redesenho curricular do Português língua estrangeira.
- Internal versus external service quality: reflections of employees and customers in the mirrorPublication . Ganic, Emir; Babic-Hodovi, Vesna; Arslanagic-Kalajdzic, MajaIntroduction: The purpose of this study to investigate internal service quality (as perceived by employees) and external (customer) perceptions of quality in the context of service profit chain (SPC). Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of internal service quality on students’ perceptions of quality and to test the significance of a direct link between internal and external service quality. Methods: We measured the perceived service quality using a SERVPERF instrument and the multilevel modeling approach with HLM 7.01. Results: The empirical findings support a link between perceptions of internal and external service quality. We show that when employees (faculty) perceive university services as being of high quality, it has a positive spill-over effect on students’ overall perceptions of the quality of university services. Perceptions of internal service quality are also positively related to students’ perceptions of reliability, responsiveness and quality assurance. Conclusions: The perceptions of internal service quality by faculty members are positively related to students’ perceptions of quality. Comparing the levels of internal and external service quality will help managers define priorities for allocating resources to improve quality.
- Surface application of acidified cattle slurry compared to slurry injection: Impact on NH 3 , N 2 O, CO 2 and CH 4 emissions and crop uptakePublication . Fangueiro, David; Pereira, José Luís; Macedo, Sofia; Trindade, Henrique; Vasconcelos, Ernesto; Coutinho, JoãoIntensive cattle production has a severe environmental impact due, partly, to ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from handling of the large amounts of slurry (liquid manure) produced. The present study aimed to compare, in terms of NH3, N2O, CH4 and CO2 emissions and crop yield, slurry injection in soil (reference technique) and a combined approach of slurry (S) treatment (by separation and/or acidification) followed by surface application. A pot experiment was performed over 67 days with an oat forage crop amended with S or the separated liquid fraction (LF), with and without acidification to pH 5.5. Injection of S was compared with surface application of treated S followed or not by soil incorporation. Soil injection reduced NH3 emissions to insignificant levels and did not increase N2O emissions, while maintaining oat yields similar to those for the surface application of S. Surface application of acidified S or acidified LF led to NH3 emissions < 7% of applied NH4+-N, with no increase of N2O emissions relative to surface application of S. Furthermore, a stronger decrease of N losses can be achieved by surface application of acidified S followed by soil incorporation. However, surface application of LF without incorporation led to significant NH3 emissions and therefore is not recommended. Significantly lower (p < 0.05) CH4 emissions were observed with application of acidified slurry and LF, relative to the respective non-acidified treatments. These results show that surface application of acidified slurry is a good alternative to slurry injection when the latter technique cannot be used.
- Physico-chemical and sensory characterization of fruit jams of S. Tomé and PríncipePublication . Ramalhosa, Elsa; Sousa, Agostinho; Fernandes, Luana; Delgado, Teresa; Fidalgo, Maria; Pereira, JoséIntroduction: São Tomé and Príncipe has a wide variety of fruit trees, being most of the fruits consumed in fresh. In certain periods of the year, fruits are available at significant amounts; however, it is not common to use the surplus of those fruits. Thus, this excess may be used in the preparation of other fruit based products (ex. jams), in order to increase product diversity and allow the annual consumption of these seasonal fruits. Objetives: Valorise fruits’ production in S. Tomé and Príncipe. Methods: Preparation of jams of banana, ambarella, guava (dark and light) and papaya, with two levels of sugar, and perform their physico-chemical characterization (color, pH, moisture and acidity). Furthermore, sensory analysis was also done, through preference and acceptability tests. Results: The jams prepared had different colours, acidity values, and moisture and ash contents, demonstrating the possibility of producing different products by changing the formulation. Regarding jams preference, 60% of the consumers preferred the less sweet in the case of banana and guava (light), whereas, over 67% of the panellists preferred the sweetest ambarella jam. Concerning dark guava and papaya, the percentages were similar for both sugar contents. For all attributes analysed (appearance, colour, taste, acidity, sweetness and global evaluation), most of the panellists liked slightly all jams.Conclusion: Jams production in S. Tomé and Príncipe may be a promising activity.
- Knowledge of heatlh effects of dietary fiber among nurses and the general population in croatia: comparative analysisPublication . Ljubicic, Marija; Saric, Marijana; Curin, Katja; Guiné, RaquelINTRODUCTION: Nurses play diverse roles in educating patients about healthy diet and in promoting healthy eating habits, through their conversations with patients and families and through their work providing enteral and parenteral feeding to critically ill patients. Given the position of nurses as key providers of dietary guidance, and given the health benefits of dietary fibre, we wanted to assess the level of fibre-related knowledge among nurses in Croatia. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this cross sectional study was to compare knowledge between nurses and general population from Croatia about the health importance of consuming dietary fibre. METHODS: Knowledge of 369 nurses and 727 residents from the general population about fibre was assessed using a validated survey developed by the CI&DETS Polytechnic Institute, Viseu, Portugal. Differences between nurses and general population were assessed for significance using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test, while associations between study variables and knowledge were explored using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The level of knowledge among nurses and the general population in Croatia about dietary fibre varies from «undecided» to «partial knowledge». No association was observed between nurse education level and either general knowledge about fibre or knowledge about the health benefits of fibre intake. No significant differences were observed between nurses and general population in general knowledge (p = 0.894) or in health-related knowledge (p = 0.578). CONCLUSION: Results suggest the need for updating and expanding nursing curricula. The similar level of knowledge between nurses and the general population about dietary fibre indicates the need to strengthen nurse education and training in the areas of diet and diet therapy in Croatia. Given the role of nurse as diet educators and advisors, this may help improve the quality of health care.
- New therapeutic approaches on chronic kidney diseasePublication . Nogueira, A.; Vala, Helena; Nóbrega, Carmen; Pires, C. A.; Colaço, B.; Oliveira, P. A.; Pires, M. J.Introduction: chronic kidney disease is a serious public health problem that affects millions of patients worldwide. So, the main research goals in the CKD patients are the research of new therapeutic approaches capable of slowing down the progression to end-stage renal disease. Objective: the aim of this work, was to evaluate the effects of chronic administration of chaetomellic acid A (CAA), which selectively blocks H-Ras farnesylation, on kidney chronic lesions in 5/6 nephrectomized Wistar rats, an animal model of chronic renal disease. Material and methods: sixty male Wistar rats (Rattus norvergicus) were housed under controlled conditions. After seven weeks of acclimatization, rats (weighing 359 to 402 g) were sham-operated (SO) or submitted to 5/6 nephrectomy (RMR). One week after surgery surviving animals (n=53) were distributed into four groups: SO: SO rats receiving no treatment (n=13); SO+CAA: SO rats receiving CAA treatment (n=13); RMR: RMR rats receiving no treatment (n=14); RMR+CAA: RMR rats receiving CAA treatment (n=13). CAA was intraperitoneally administered (0.23 µg/Kg) three times a week for six months. Six months after the surgical procedure, in the left kidney of each animal was evaluated the mean cortical and medullary echogenicity by two-dimensional ultrasonography. Then, the kidneys were removed, fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin and processed for routine histopathological diagnosis and chronic lesions were evaluated, by Hematoxylin-Eosin, reticulin and Masson trichrome methods, for severity. All experimental procedures followed the European (European Directive 2010/63/EU) and National (Decree-Law 113/2013) legislation on the protection of the animals used for scientific purposes. Results: the kidneys of the RMR animals treated with CAA showed a significantly decrease in the medullary echogenicity (p<0.05) compared with the RMR rats that received no treatment. Glomerulosclerosis and arteriolosclerosis scores were significantly lower (p<0.001) in the RMR+CAA group when compared with the RMR group. There were no significant differences in interstitial fibrosis, interstitial inflammation and tubular dilatation scores between the RMR+CAA and RMR groups.Conclusion: this data suggests that pharmacological inhibition of H-Ras proteins activation may be a future strategy in the prevention of end-stage renal disease.
- A importância do toque em marketingPublication . Morgado-Ferreira, Bruno; Capelli, SoniaO toque continua a ser o sentido menos estudado em marketing sensorial. As dificuldades de verbalização das sensações táteis constituem explicitamente a primeira barreira. No entanto, os mecanismos de influência do toque continuam a suscitar a curiosidade de muitos investigadores. Estes estudos recorrem maioritariamente a protocolos experimentais para se testarem os diversos efeitos produzidos pelo toque e identificarem quais os benefícios deste sentido em contextos comerciais. Este artigo faz uma extensa revisão da literatura sobre o tema, com o objetivo de compreender melhor a importância do toque no marketing. Começamos por definir o que é o sentido do toque. De seguida, abordamos dois tipos de contactos táteis. O primeiro foca-se na interação do toque com os produtos e o segundo diz respeito ao toque entre indivíduos. Sem desprezar as limitações e os efeitos menos positivos ou até mesmo constrangedores do toque, este artigo pretende servir de base para investigação futura.