Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro

Resumo O artigo foca-se na discussão da Renda Básica Universal (RBU) como proposta política redistributiva radical que projeta modos alternativos de organizar a sociedade e de viver a vida, mais ajustados às muitas exigências, desafios e expectativas que marcam a vida contemporânea. O propósito central da análise passa por discutir os grandes princípios da RBU, procurando compreender as suas implicações em termos de construção de condições de liberdade material, bem como o seu potencial para induzir transformações sociais estruturais. Considerando estes objetivos e tendo por base os contributos proporcionados pela pesquisa bibliográfica, é possível depreender que a RBU poderá assegurar uma base material de liberdade efetiva, promotora de capacidades de autodeterminação, e contribuir para (novas) sociedades e subjetividades de bem-estar, num quadro de renovação e reforço do Estado de bem-estar social.

Climate change pose significant challenges to modern agriculture management systems, threatening food production and security. Therefore, tackling its effects has never been so imperative to attain sustainable food access and nutrition worldwide. In the case of viticulture, besides jeopardizing grape production, climate change has severe impact in quality, which has becoming more challenging to manage, due to the increasingly frequent fungal contamination, with consequences for relevant quality parameters such as the aromatic profiles of grapes and wines and their phenolic compounds. This has been leading to a reconfiguration of the wine industry geostrategic landscape and economy dynamics, particularly in Southern Europe. To address these and other emerging challenges, in-field deployable proximity-based precision technologies have been enabling real-time monitoring of crops ecosystems, including climate, soil and plants, by performing relevant data gathering and storage, paving the way for advanced decision support under the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. This paper explores the integration of agronomic and technological knowledge, emphasizing the proper selection of IoT-capable sensors for viticulture, while considering more general ones from agriculture to fill gaps when specialized options are unavailable. Moreover, advisable practices for sensor installation are provided, according to respective types, data acquisition capabilities and applicability.

Synthetic pesticides are known for their toxic effects on non-target aquatic organisms. However, little is known about their effects when present in mixtures, which are closer to realistic exposure scenarios. Therefore, this study evaluates the toxicity of pesticides such as diuron, atrazine and glyphosate, individually and in combination, in zebrafish embryos, investigating their mechanisms of oxidative stress. The results revealed acute toxicity for diuron and atrazine, with LC50 values of 9.6 mg/L and 53.57 mg/L for 96-h-old zebrafish, respectively. On the other hand, no effect was observed for glyphosate alone at the maximum concentration tested (100 mg/L). The mixture of diuron and atrazine showed a synergistic effect, resulting in a decrease in the LC50 of each pesticide. Mixtures of diuron + glyphosate and atrazine + glyphosate were considered additive and antagonistic, respectively. All biomarkers analyzed (AChE, LDH, GST, CAT and GPx) showed significant changes. Furthermore, an increase in ROS production was observed in larvae exposed to individual and in the mixture composed of atrazine and diuron. These findings indicate that atrazine and diuron exhibit increased toxicity when combined, with their mechanisms of action—both in isolation and in mixtures—being at least partially linked to oxidative stress.

Severe pulmonary conditions in patients undergoing surgery place them at greater risk of adverse outcomes. Alternatives to general anesthesia are encouraged, particularly for emergent interventions, as these procedures can compromise the patients' full recovery postoperatively. We describe an example of an underused anesthetic technique, continuous spinal anesthesia, to circumvent the perioperative risk of major abdominal surgery, successfully avoiding invasive mechanical ventilation in these patients.

Background and Aim: Papillomaviruses (PVs) infections have been documented in numerous animal species across different regions worldwide. They often exert significant impacts on animal health and livestock production. Scientists have studied natural products for over half a century due to their diverse chemical composition, acknowledging their value in fighting cancer. Acorns (Quercus ilex) are believed to have several unexplored pharmacological properties. This study aimed to evaluate the in vivo safety and cancer chemopreventive activity of an infusion extract of Q. ilex in a transgenic mouse model of human PV (HPV)-16, which developed squamous cell carcinomas through a multistep process driven by HPV16 oncogenes. Materials and Methods: Q. ilex extract was prepared by heating in water at 90°C and then characterized by mass spectrometry. Phenolic compounds from this extract were administered in drinking water to female mice in three different concentrations (0.03, 0.06, and 0.09 g/mL) over a period of 28 consecutive days. Six groups (n = 6) were formed for this study: group 1 (G1, wildtype [WT], water), group 2 (G2, HPV, water), group 3 (G3, WT, 0.09 g/mL), group 4 (G4, HPV, 0.03 g/mL), group 5 (G5, HPV, 0.06 g/ mL), and group 6 (G6, HPV, 0.09 g/mL). Throughout the experiment, humane endpoints, body weight, food intake, and water consumption were recorded weekly. Following the experimental period, all mice were sacrificed, and blood, internal organs, and skin samples were collected. Blood was used to measure glucose and microhematocrit and later biochemical parameters, such as creatinine, urea, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, and total proteins. Histological analysis was performed on skin and organ samples. Results: The administration of Q. ilex extract resulted in a statistically significant increase in relative organ weight among HPV transgenic animals, indicating adaptive biological response to the tested concentrations. Moreover, a reduction in characteristic skin lesions was observed in animals treated with the 0.06 and 0.09 g/mL extract. Conclusion: These results provide a favorable chemopreventive profile for Q. ilex extract at concentrations of 0.06 and 0.09 g/mL. This study highlights the potential of Q. ilex extract as a safe and effective therapeutic strategy against HPV16- associated lesions in transgenic mouse models. The limitation of our study was the durability of transgenic animals. As a more sensitive species, we must always be careful with the durability of the test. We intend to study concentrations of 0.06 and 0.09 g/mL for longer to further investigate their possible effects. Keywords: acorn, antioxidant capacity, cancer, mouse model, polyphenols, Quercus spp.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving require high positioning performance (high accuracy, reliability, and availability). These requirements are not always possible due to disruptions and limitations on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals. Cooperative positioning approaches aim to mitigate the drawbacks of GNSS by exploring the collaboration of road participants enhancing positioning performance. The development, testing and evaluation of cooperative positioning approaches is a complex process that is very difficult to conduct in real world since it depends on several vehicles equipped with sensors for perception and localization, as well as referencing systems which are expensive. To overcome this, researchers rely on simulation tools to experiment with their systems. This paper presents a study on simulation tools suitable for testing cooperative positioning scenarios using GNSS as one of the main sensors. We focus on tools capable of simulating realistic environments for vehicles with multiple sensors (autonomous driving), traffic and mobility models, V2X communications, and generating raw GNSS signals. We compare applications, features, and interfaces of these tools and analyze their integration for a cooperative positioning simulation pipeline.

Sense of personal agency (SPA) is crucial for adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment and well-being. The relationships with parents and peers, as well as the adolescent’s sex, have been suggested as important correlates of adolescents’ SPA. Nevertheless, no prior study has adopted a gender perspective to analyze how the intertwining of relationships between parents and peers relates to adolescent’s sense of agency. The current study investigates whether attachment to peers mediates the links between attachment to parents and SPA and whether these links are equal for boys and girls. The sample includes 1119 Portuguese adolescents (56.2% girls; 43.8% boys) aged 14 to 19. Structural equation modeling results suggest that attachment to peers is more strongly associated with boys’ SPA than girls. Results also indicate that regardless of adolescent sex, the quality of the emotional bond with the mother, but not the father, is positively associated with adolescents’ SPA. Furthermore, the results suggest that attachment to peers mediates the links between attachment to parents and adolescents’ SPA. Quality relationships with the adolescent’s different-sex parental figures (mother-son, father-daughter) are associated with higher-quality peer relationships, which are associated with a stronger SPA. On the contrary, inhibition relationships with the adolescent’s same-sex parental figure (mother-daughter, father-son) are associated with lower quality in adolescent’s peer relationships, which is associated with a lower SPA. These findings underline the importance of considering a gender perspective to understand better the role of family and peer contexts in the adolescent SPA.

Background The herd age structure, i.e., distribution of sows within a farm based on their parity number, and its management are essential to optimizing farm reproductive efficiency. The objective of this study is to define different types of herd age structure using data from 623 Spanish commercial sow farms. Additionally, this study aims to determine which type of herd age structure can enhance reproductive efficiency at the farm level. Results Farms are classified into three groups according to the quadratic function fitted to the percentage of sows by parities. This classification unveils three types of herd structures: type 1 (HS1) exhibits a concave-downward trend, with a higher percentage of sows in intermediate parities (mean of 45.5% sows between the 3rd to 5th parity); type 2 (HS2) presents a trend curve that is close to a straight line, with a gradual decrease in the percentage of sows per parity (approximately 2% loss of sows census per parity); and type 3 (HS3) shows an upward concave trend curve, with an increase in the percentage of sows in later parities (19.0% of sows between 7th and ≥ 8th parity). Parametric tests assess productivity differences between the three types of herd structures ( p < 0.01). HS1 farms have the best productive outcomes over a year, with 31.2 piglets weaned per sow and year (PWSY) and a farrowing rate of 87%, surpassing HS2 and HS3 farms (30.1 and 28.7 PWSY; 85.3% and 83.4% farrowing rates, respectively). HS1 also have the lowest percentage of sows returning to oestrus (11.8%) and the highest number of weaned piglets per litter (12.8), compared to HS2 (13.2% and 12.4 piglets weaned) and HS3 (15.1%, 11.9 piglets weaned). These differences show a medium effect size (η ² between 0.06 to < 0.14). Conclusions This study shows the importance of herd age structure on sow-breeding farms as a factor of reproductive efficiency. The results endorse the proposed classification based on the curvature of the trend parabola obtained with the quadratic function to categorize herd structures into three groups. Additionally, these findings highlight the importance of considering the herd age structure in farm decision-making.

Bats are known hosts for a wide range of coronaviruses (CoVs), including those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it has become increasingly important to understand the diversity and prevalence of CoVs in bat populations. This systematic review aimed to compile studies that have sampled CoVs from bats across Europe and assessed various aspects related to the testing of bat samples, including the country where the bats were collected, the CoV genomic region studied, the CoV genera that were detected, and the identification of bat species that were found to be carrying CoV. We identified 30 studies that assessed CoVs presence in bats across multiple countries including Italy, Germany, and various other nations with one or two studies each, which tested them for CoVs using a variety of matrices. CoVs were found in nine genera of bats, and the genomic regions included RdRp, ORF1a gene, as well as full genome, detecting α- and/or β-CoVs, with most of them being detectable only in faeces. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the CoVs detected in bats across Europe and highlights the importance of continued surveillance and monitoring of bat populations for potential emerging zoonotic CoVs.

This is a retrospective study about haematological ratios in different stages of canine periodontal disease in one single breed, more specifically the Portuguese Podengo. The aim of the study was to assess the clinical significance of five haematological ratios, namely neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume-to-platelet count ratio (MPV/PLT), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-to-neutrophil ratio (PNR), easily obtained through the parameters provided by the complete blood count, in the stages of gingivitis and periodontitis, compared to clinical healthy individuals. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to identify ideal sensitivity and specificity cut-offs for cases of gingivitis or periodontitis. Our study included 80 dogs, which comprised 24 healthy dogs, 26 diagnosed with gingivitis, and 30 with periodontitis. The median NLR was significantly lower in periodontitis than in clinical healthy dogs (p = 0.040) and in dogs with gingivitis (p = 0.037). The median PLR was significantly lower in cases of gingivitis (p = 0.020) and periodontitis (p = 0.024) than in healthy dogs. MPV/PLT and MLR did not demonstrate significant differences between any of the three groups. The median PNR was significantly lower in gingivitis than in control dogs (p = 0.019). PNR had the highest accurate results, in distinguishing between healthy individuals and those with gingivitis, with an area under the curve of 0.692 (95% CI [0.539–0.845], p = 0.020). However, even this index had weak discriminatory power between the groups in the analysis. The impact of systemic inflammation generated by canine periodontal disease can thus be seen through some of these indices. However, the results obtained here demonstrate the need for complementarity with other methods to diagnose canine periodontal disease and reinforce the need for additional studies with more markers of systemic inflammatory response.

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) stems, a by-product of winemaking, possess significant potential value due to their rich polyphenolic composition, which allows their exploitation for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. This presents a promising opportunity for valorisation aimed at developing innovative products with potential health-promoting effects. In this study, the polyphenolic profile of extracts from grape stems of seven white grape varieties was determined using spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods, specifically high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector and electrospray ionization multi-stage mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-ESI-MSn), as well as on their ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and radical scavenging capacity, using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH●) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS●+) radicals. This study also evaluated the anti-aging activity and skin depigmenting activity of these extracts. These findings revealed a diverse polyphenolic profile, encompassing proanthocyanidins and catechin derivatives (PCDs), phenolic acids, and flavonols. Among the varieties studied, ‘Códega do Larinho’ exhibited the highest concentrations of six distinct polyphenols and the highest total phenolic content. It also demonstrated the highest results for antioxidant capacity and elastase and tyrosinase inhibition. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between certain PCDs with both FRAP and DPPH assays, as well as between the identified flavonols and anti-elastase activity. These results underscore the potential health benefits of grape stem extracts and emphasize the importance of their polyphenolic composition in enhancing antioxidant and anti-aging properties, thus supporting their application in different industries.

In this work we prove that the non-negative functions u ∈ L loc s ⁢ ( Ω ) {u\in L^{s}_{\rm loc}(\Omega)} , for some s > 0 {s>0} , belonging to the De Giorgi classes ⨍ B r ⁢ ( 1 - σ ) ⁢ ( x 0 ) | ∇ ( u - k ) - | p d x ⩽ c σ q Λ ( x 0 , r , k ) ( k r ) p ( | B r ( x 0 ) ∩ { u ⩽ k } | | B r ⁢ ( x 0 ) | ) 1 - δ , \barint_{B_{r(1-\sigma)}(x_{0})}|\nabla(u-k)_{-}|^{p}\,dx\leqslant\frac{c}{% \sigma^{q}}\,\Lambda(x_{0},r,k)\bigg{(}\frac{k}{r}\bigg{)}^{p}\bigg{(}\frac{|B% _{r}(x_{0})\cap\{u\leqslant k\}|}{|B_{r}(x_{0})|}\bigg{)}^{1-\delta}, under proper assumptions on Λ, satisfy a weak Harnack inequality with a constant depending on the L s {L^{s}} -norm of u . Under suitable assumptions on Λ, the minimizers of elliptic functionals with generalized Orlicz growth belong to De Giorgi classes satisfying the above condition; thus this study gives a wider interpretation of Harnack-type estimates derived to double-phase, degenerate double-phase functionals and functionals with variable exponents.

Background/Objectives: Sexuality is part of everyone’s life, especially during adolescence, when young people are discovering themselves and experiencing several changes. Adolescents need to be informed about their sexuality, so they seek and receive information about it from a variety of sources and on different topics. This systematic review aimed to synthesize studies that explored the sources adolescents use and topics they search for. Methods: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed articles published in Portuguese, Spanish, or English and with respondents aged between 12 and 20 years were included in this study. To fulfill the proposed objectives, three online databases (EBSCOhost, PubMed, and Web of Science) were used, including a total of 48 studies. Results: The most common sources of information are family, friends, school, and the Internet, depending mainly on the reliability of the source and the anonymity when using it. The main topics adolescents search for are sexual intercourse, contraception, relationships, and LGBT issues, since these are less addressed topics. Conclusions: These results are useful in a practical way as a basis for the development of sex education programs that correspond to the needs of adolescents, since they allow us to know which information they are looking for and the sources from which they can receive it.

Pseudopregnancy (PPG) is a common reproductive disorder in dairy goats, characterized by the accumulation of sterile fluid in the uterus and persistence of a corpus luteum, leading to temporary infertility and reduced farm efficiency. This study aimed to determine the pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) profile in dairy goats and to evaluate the PAG/P4 ratio as a potential novel biomarker for PPG diagnosis. A total of 605 Saanen and crossbreed mated goats were evaluated via transabdominal ultrasonography between 31 and 52 days after the removal of bucks in four intensive dairy farms, presenting an overall PPG incidence of 7.8%. Blood samples from PPG (n = 47), nonpregnant (NPG; negative control; n = 11), and pregnant (PG; positive control; n = 10) does were collected for PAG and P4 analysis. The PAG plasma levels were 0.08 ± 0.02, 0.13 ± 0.04, and 1.45 ± 0.04 OD (optical density) in the PPG, NPG, and PG groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The PAG/P4 ratio was lower in the PPG group (0.01 ± 0.11; p < 0.001) than in the NPG (0.24 ± 0.23) and PG (0.18 ± 0.23) groups. This difference allows for the establishment of a new methodological diagnostic approach to PPG. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.996 for a cut-off of 0.04 and 97.9% and 100% sensitivity and specificity, respectively. This study suggests that the PAG/P4 ratio can serve as a reliable biomarker for PPG diagnosis, helping to distinguish it from pregnancy and nonpregnancy and improving reproductive management in dairy goats.

Purpose Exergames, which combine digital games and physical exercise, have become increasingly popular for rehabilitation in the health domain. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of exergame rehabilitation on the quality of life of cancer patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Methods This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of exergame rehabilitation on the quality of life of cancer patients who had undergone abdominal surgery. Seventy postoperative patients were included, and data collection took place between January 2023 and May 2023. The patients were randomly assigned to either an exergame rehabilitation program (n = 35) or a traditional rehabilitation program (n = 35). The assessed outcome was the quality of life, and data collection occurred at three different time points: upon admission, 48 h postoperatively, and on the 7th day after surgery. Results Quality of life was evaluated using the WHOQOL-BREF Scale. At the third assessment, a statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups (p = 0.016), indicating that the intervention group had a higher quality of life than the control group. Conclusions The study showed a positive effect of exergames on the population under investigation. By the 7th day after surgery, the intervention group demonstrated an improvement in their quality of life compared to the control group. Clinical trial registration Center of Open Science OSF https://osf.io/286zb/, registered in July, 2023.

Understanding consumer choices and their drivers of willingness to pay (WTP) for a bottle of wine has been a research challenge in wine economics, particularly in niche markets such as sparkling wine. This study investigates the determinants of WTP for sparkling wine based on data from Portuguese consumers. The results provided by two alternative methodologies are compared: a traditional econometric model, based on the estimation of an ordered probit model; and a modelling approach based on data-driven and using machine learning algorithms. Both approaches present similar results, highlighting the relevance of some determinants including income, Champagne brand, not being a protected designation of origin and being a red wine consumer as main predictors of WTP for sparkling wine in Portugal.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly relevant due to the need to decide on planned management of land use and natural resources as well as sustainable development in the context of cities. This study aims to identify indicators for measuring the sustainable development of districts/countries in Bulgaria. Using the Multivariate Analysis (MVA) method, where we examine multiple variables in several dimensions, the results show that in the environmental pillar, the management of natural resources, including water and soil, was under pressure due to industrial and urban activities. Air quality and waste management were also critical issues in some urban areas. The promotion of sustainable building practices and the adoption of renewable energies could be areas of focus for improving environmental sustainability in Bulgarian cities. This study is innovative becouse it underscores the imperative need for urban sustainability to integrate the foundational pillars of sustainability harmoniously. Central to this integration is the cultivation of economic growth that upholds environmental integrity and fosters social equity and opportunity. More theorectical and managerial contributios are also presented.

Periodontal disease affects about 80% of dogs, highlighting the importance of addressing periodontitis in veterinary dental care. The periodontal ligament (PDL) is a key structure holding the potential to regenerate the entire periodontal complex. This work presents an in vitro model of canine PDL-derived cell cultures that mimic the PDL’s regenerative capacity for both mineralised and soft tissues. Explant outgrowth-derived PDL cells were cultured under standard conditions in osteoinductive medium and with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (Hap NPs). Cell behaviour was assessed for viability/proliferation, morphology, growth patterns, and the expression of osteogenic and periodontal markers. Osteogenic conditions, either achieved with osteoinducers or an osteoconductive biomaterial, strongly promoted PDL-derived cells’ commitment towards the osteogenic phenotype and significantly increased the expression of periodontal markers. These findings suggest that cultured PDL cells replicate the biological function of the PDL, supporting the regeneration of both soft and hard periodontal tissues under normal and demanding healing conditions. This in vitro model will offer a platform for testing new regenerative treatments and materials, ultimately contributing to canine dental care and better outcomes.