BOLD-fMRI in the mouse auditory pathway

The auditory pathway is widely distributed throughout the brain, and is perhaps one of the most interesting networks in the context of neuroplasticity. Accurate mapping of neural activity in the entire pathway, preferably noninvasively, and with high resolution, could be instrumental for understanding such longitudinal processes. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has clear advantages for such characterizations, as it is noninvasive, provides relatively high spatial resolution and lends itself for repetitive studies, albeit relying on an indirect neurovascular coupling to deliver its information. Indeed, fMRI has been previously used to characterize the auditory pathway in humans and in rats. In the mouse, however, the auditory pathway has insofar only been mapped using manganese-enhanced MRI. Here, we describe a novel setup specifically designed for high-resolution mapping of the mouse auditory pathway using high-field fMRI. Robust and consistent Blood-Oxygenation-Level-Dependent (BOLD) responses were documented along nearly the entire auditory pathway, from the cochlear nucleus (CN), through the superior olivary complex (SOC), nuclei of the lateral lemniscus (LL), inferior colliculus (IC) and the medial geniculate body (MGB). By contrast, clear BOLD responses were not observed in auditory cortex (AC) in this study. Diverse BOLD latencies were mapped ROI- and pixel-wise using coherence analysis, evidencing different averaged BOLD time courses in different auditory centers. Some degree of tonotopy was identified in the IC, SOC, and MGB in the pooled dataset though it could not be assessed per subject due to a lack of statistical power. Given the importance of the mouse model in plasticity studies, animal models, and optogenetics, and fMRI's potential to map dynamic responses to specific cues, this first fMRI study of the mouse auditory pathway paves the way for future (...

Intelligent Relational Tagging System for Smartification Based Dashboard

It is mandatory to understand the customer in any process of product creation, and the process of developing new, innovative, and smart furniture is no exception to the rule. As a possible solution to achieve this understanding, an intelligent relational tagging system makes total sense, even because it is a process that involves not only the customer and experts but many interactions between them. These interactions require an intelligent system that can make rel- evant suggestions based on similar problems of other users, thus saving time and resources. The furniture it-self has already been invented, that said, the goal of this work is not to re- invent the design but to re-invent furniture functionality. This thesis proposes the development of a web interface and an intelligent classification system to apply tags (taxonomy and folksonomy) to understand the user's needs for smart furniture, namely the application and integration of IoT systems in the furniture creation and manufac- ture process. The system will be developed to recognize a pre-existent classification associated with smart furniture solutions and allow the user to collaborate by classifying new solutions. After understanding what the customer is looking for, these classifications will be used by the system to make suggestions of possible solutions. Satisfying the needs of the user and helping in the process of creating furniture utterly ade- quate to the user is the goal that this web interface and the tagging system aim to achieve.Entender o cliente é obrigatório em qualquer tipo de criação de um produto e o processo de desenvolver mobília nova, inovadora e inteligente não foge à regra. Como possível solução, em relação a perceber o cliente, um sistema relacional inteligente de tags parece fazer todo o sentido, até por ser um processo que envolve não só o cliente e especialistas, mas também muitas interações entre eles. Essas interações requerem assim um sistema inteligente com a capacidade de fazer sugestões relevantes com base em problemas semelhantes de outros cli- entes, economizando assim tempo e recursos. A mobília em si já foi inventada, ou seja, o obje- tivo deste trabalho não é reinventar o design, mas sim reinventar a funcionalidade da mobília. O propósito desta tese é, desenvolver uma interface web e um sistema de classificação inteli- gente, para aplicação de tags (taxonomia e folksonomia), com vista a perceber as necessidades do utilizador em "smartificar" mobiliário, nomeadamente a aplicação e a integração de siste- mas IoT no processo de criação e manufatura da mobília. O sistema será desenvolvido para reconhecer uma classificação pré-existente associado a soluções de mobília inteligente e per- mitir que os clientes colaborem classificando soluções depois de desenvolvidas. Satisfazer as necessidades e ajudar no processo de criação de mobiliário, completamente ade- quado ao utilizador, é o objetivo que a interface web e o sistema de tags a desenvolver espera atingir

Bio-valorization of crude glycerol through polyhydroxyalkanoates production

Due to the prospective partial replacement of fossil fuels by biodiesel, its production has continuously grown in the last decade. The increase in global biodiesel production demands the development of sustainable applications of its main by-product, crude glycerol. In this thesis the feasibility of producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) by a mixed microbial community using crude glycerol as feedstock was investigated. Several incubation conditions were studied in order to maximize PHA production. The microbial population selected under aerobic dynamic feeding conditions had the ability to consume both major carbon fractions present in the crude, glycerol and methanol. Two biopolymers were stored, poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and glucose biopolymer (GB), apparently using glycerol as the only carbon source for their production. The microbial enrichment obtained was able to accumulate up to 47% PHB of cell dry weight with a productivity of 0.24 g HA/L d. The overall PHA yield on total substrate consumed (0.32 g COD HB/g COD crude glycerol) was in the middle range of those reported in literature (0.08–0.58 g COD PHA/g COD real waste). The increase of temperature from 23ºC to 30ºC favored the culture fraction that accumulates glucose biopolymer with a maximum accumulation value of 25% of cell dry weight, which is an interesting value but not the main goal of this thesis. The fact that crude glycerol can be used to produce PHA without any pre-treatment step, makes the overall production process economically more competitive, reducing polymer final cost. This was the first study that demonstrates the valorization of the glycerol fraction present in the crude glycerol into PHA using an aerobic mixed microbial consortium

Flexible work arrangements in small and medium enterprises: incidence, motivations, advantages and disadvantages

Purpose - Examine SMEs' motivations for using flexible work arrangements (FWA). Analyse the incidence of different types of FWA and explore employers’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of those arrangements. Methodology - Exploratory study based on semi-structured interviews to SMEs’ managers operating in Portugal. Findings - The evidence suggests that the determined duration contract is the most frequent FWA used by SMEs. The findings indicate that the motivations for the use of FWA can be aggregated in voluntary, pull and push factors. The most mentioned factors were voluntary. Furthermore, the advantage and disadvantage most mentioned were, respectively, cost reduction and the decrease of productivity amongst flexible employees.Objetivo - Examinar as motivações do uso de diferentes contratos flexíveis (CF) nas pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs). Analisar a sua incidência e explorar as perceções dos empregadores sobre as suas vantagens e desvantagens. Metodologia - Estudo exploratório baseado em entrevistas semiestruturadas a gestores de PMEs em Portugal. Resultados - Os contratos a termo certo são os CF mais usados. Existem três tipos de fatores que contribuem para o seu uso: voluntários, de atração, e de pressão, sendo os voluntários os mais mencionados. A vantagem e desvantagem mais mencionadas foram, respetivamente, a redução de custos e a diminuição da produtividade dos trabalhadores

Work-family conflict and emotional labour: the moderator role of cognitive job demands

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the work-family conflict (WFC) nurses feel and the need to hide their emotions in the workplace when interacting with co-workers, through surface acting (SA). We will also explore the moderator role of cognitive job demands (CJD) in this relationship and its consequences to nurse's wellbeing.Este estudo examina a relação entre o conflito trabalho-família (CTF) que os enfermeiros sentem e a necessidade de esconderem as suas emoções quando interagem com os colegas, através de "surface acting". Iremos também explorar o papel moderador das exigências cognitivas do trabalho (ECT) nesta relação

Work-family conflict and emotional labour: the moderator role of cognitive job demands

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the work-family conflict (WFC) nurses feel and the need to hide their emotions in the workplace when interacting with co-workers, through surface acting (SA). We will also explore the moderator role of cognitive job demands (CJD) in this relationship and its consequences to nurse's wellbeing.Este estudo examina a relação entre o conflito trabalho-família (CTF) que os enfermeiros sentem e a necessidade de esconderem as suas emoções quando interagem com os colegas, através de "surface acting". Iremos também explorar o papel moderador das exigências cognitivas do trabalho (ECT) nesta relação

Flexible work arrangements in small and medium enterprises: incidence, motivations, advantages and disadvantages

Purpose - Examine SMEs' motivations for using flexible work arrangements (FWA). Analyse the incidence of different types of FWA and explore employers’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of those arrangements. Methodology - Exploratory study based on semi-structured interviews to SMEs’ managers operating in Portugal. Findings - The evidence suggests that the determined duration contract is the most frequent FWA used by SMEs. The findings indicate that the motivations for the use of FWA can be aggregated in voluntary, pull and push factors. The most mentioned factors were voluntary. Furthermore, the advantage and disadvantage most mentioned were, respectively, cost reduction and the decrease of productivity amongst flexible employees.Objetivo - Examinar as motivações do uso de diferentes contratos flexíveis (CF) nas pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs). Analisar a sua incidência e explorar as perceções dos empregadores sobre as suas vantagens e desvantagens. Metodologia - Estudo exploratório baseado em entrevistas semiestruturadas a gestores de PMEs em Portugal. Resultados - Os contratos a termo certo são os CF mais usados. Existem três tipos de fatores que contribuem para o seu uso: voluntários, de atração, e de pressão, sendo os voluntários os mais mencionados. A vantagem e desvantagem mais mencionadas foram, respetivamente, a redução de custos e a diminuição da produtividade dos trabalhadores

Interleukin-17 regulates matrix metalloproteinase activity in human pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is characterized by extensive pulmonary matrix breakdown. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is key in host defence in TB but its role in TB-driven tissue damage is unknown. We investigated the hypothesis that respiratory stromal cell matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production in TB is regulated by T-helper 17 (TH -17) cytokines. Biopsies of patients with pulmonary TB were analysed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and patient bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) MMP and cytokine concentrations were measured by Luminex assays. Primary human airway epithelial cells were stimulated with conditioned medium from human monocytes infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and TH -17 cytokines. MMP secretion, activity, and gene expression were determined by ELISA, Luminex assay, zymography, RT-qPCR, and dual luciferase reporter assays. Signalling pathways were examined using phospho-western analysis and siRNA. IL-17 is expressed in TB patient granulomas and MMP-3 is expressed in adjacent pulmonary epithelial cells. IL-17 had a divergent, concentration-dependent effect on MMP secretion, increasing epithelial secretion of MMP-3 (p < 0.001) over 72 h, whilst decreasing that of MMP-9 (p < 0.0001); mRNA levels were similarly affected. Both IL-17 and IL-22 increased fibroblast Mtb-dependent MMP-3 secretion but IL-22 did not modulate epithelial MMP-3 expression. Both IL-17 and IL-22, but not IL-23, were significantly up-regulated in BALF from TB patients. IL-17-driven MMP-3 was dependent on p38 MAP kinase and the PI3K p110α subunit. In summary, IL-17 drives airway stromal cell-derived MMP-3, a mediator of tissue destruction in TB, alone and with monocyte-dependent networks in TB. This is regulated by p38 MAP kinase and PI3K pathways. © 2017 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland

The biotechnological potential of the Chloroflexota phylum

Publisher Copyright: © 2024 American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.In the next decades, the increasing material and energetic demand to support population growth and higher standards of living will amplify the current pressures on ecosystems and will call for greater investments in infrastructures and modern technologies. A valid approach to overcome such future challenges is the employment of sustainable bio-based technologies that explore the metabolic richness of microorganisms. Collectively, the metabolic capabilities of Chloroflexota, spanning aerobic and anaerobic conditions, thermophilic adaptability, anoxygenic photosynthesis, and utilization of toxic compounds as electron acceptors, underscore the phylum’s resilience and ecological significance. These diverse metabolic strategies, driven by the interplay between temperature, oxygen availability, and energy metabolism, exemplify the complex adaptations that enabled Chloroflexota to colonize a wide range of ecological niches. In demonstrating the metabolic richness of the Chloroflexota phylum, specific members exemplify the diverse capabilities of these microorganisms: Chloroflexus aurantiacus showcases adaptability through its thermophilic and phototrophic growth, whereas members of the Anaerolineae class are known for their role in the degradation of complex organic compounds, contributing significantly to the carbon cycle in anaerobic environments, highlighting the phylum’s potential for biotechnological exploitation in varying environmental conditions. In this context, the metabolic diversity of Chloroflexota must be considered a promising asset for a large range of applications. Currently, this bacterial phylum is organized into eight classes possessing different metabolic strategies to survive and thrive in a wide variety of extreme environments. This review correlates the ecological role of Chloroflexota in such environments with the potential application of their metabolisms in biotechnological approaches.publishersversionpublishe