Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-12"
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- Volatilomic fingerprinting from edible flowers. Unravelling some impact compounds behind its attractivenessPublication . Izcara, Sergio; Perestrelo, Rosa; Morante-Zarcero, Sonia; Sierra, Isabel; Câmara, José S.; Câmara, José; Perestrelo, RosaIn recent years edible flowers emerged in gourmet cuisine, giving any dish the beauty of attractive colours, freshness, texture, and aromatic notes. Moreover, they also constitute a potential source of phytochemical compounds associated with beneficial effects on human health. In this work, the volatilomic fingerprinting of 4 different species of edible flowers [blue mallow (Malva sylvestris L.), pomegranate flower (Punica granatum L.), hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.), and nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.)] used in gourmet dishes, was estab lished, and comparatively investigated. The volatile metabolites were extracted by solid-phase microextraction in headspace mode and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to understand the chemistry behind its attractiveness better. A total of 78 volatile metabolites, belonging to diverse chemical groups were identified. Blue mallow is mainly characterised by sesquiterpenoids (61.5% of the total volatile fraction), whereas in flowers from pomegranate, hibiscus, and nasturtium, terpenoids (56.6%), carbonyl compounds (88.0%) and organo sulfur compounds (98.0%) are the dominant chemical groups, respectively. In blue mallow flowers, τ-muurolene and valencene are the dominant volatiles, followed by α-cubebene and δ-cadinene. Pomegranate flowers are rich in furfural and linalool, while the aldehydes 2-hexenal, hexanal and 2-octenal are dominant volatile metabolites in hibiscus. Benzyl isothiocyanate, a potent antimicrobial agent, accounts for 98% of the total volatile fraction of nasturtium flowers. In addition to flavour notes, some of the identified volatile metabolites present bioactive properties, which could be explored for application in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The volatile metabolites profiles combined with unsupervised principal component analysis facilitated the differ entiation of the edible flowers under investigation, revealing the most related volatile metabolites of each sample, which can be used as markers for the authentication of these valuable food samples.
- Corporate sustainability of Portuguese seaportsPublication . Santos, Solange; Rodrigues, Lúcia Lima; Branco, Manuel Castelo; Santos, SolangeResponding to calls for studies examining corporate sustainability (CS) in a seaport setting, this study analyzes the Portuguese case since it is little known, despite some pioneering initiatives of Portuguese seaports as the development of the Logistic Single Window. Following a qualitative approach, information was collected through semi-structured interviews, publicly available news and videos, seaports’ websites, and reports. Starting from Oliver’s (1991) model, which combines institutional theory and resource dependence perspective, we extended the theory by adding the resource-based view to analyze the institutional factors that predict seaports’ strategic responses to CS. Our findings suggest that, while CS interpretation by Portuguese seaports has an underlying acquiescence strategy, the way CS is put into practice reveals a compromise one. CS strategies are related to seaports’ legitimacy and reveal great dependence on seaports from their external institutional context, resulting in a harmonious port-city relationship and promoting consistency between institutional pressures and organi zational norms, voluntarily widespread in a context of great interconnectedness.
- Real-time measurement of refractive index using 3D-printed optofluidic fiber sensorPublication . Leça, João M.; Magalhães, Yannis; Antunes, Paulo; Pereira, Vanda; Ferreira, Marta S.; Leça, João MicaelThis work describes a 3D-printed optofluidic fiber sensor to measure refractive index in real time, combining a microfluidic system with an optical fiber extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometer. The microfluidic chip platform was developed for this purpose through 3D printing. The Fabry–Perot cavity was incorporated in the microfluidic chip perpendicularly to the sample flow, which was of approximately 3.7 µL/s. The optofluidic fiber sensor platform coupled with a low-cost optical power meter detector was characterized using different concentrations of glucose solutions. In the linear regression analysis, the optical power shift was correlated with the refractive index and a sensitivity of −86.6 dB/RIU (r2 = 0.996) was obtained. Good results were obtained in terms of stability with a maximum standard deviation of 0.03 dB and a sensor resolution of 5.2 × 10−4 RIU. The feasibility of the optofluidic fiber sensor for dynamic analyses of refractive index with low sample usage was confirmed through real-time measurements.
- Behind the scenes of anthocyanins—From the health benefits to potential applications in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic fieldsPublication . Câmara, José S.; Monica Locatelli; Pereira, Jorge A. M.; Oliveira, Hélder; Arlorio, Marco; Fernandes, Iva; Perestrelo, Rosa; Freitas, Victor; Bordiga, Matteo; Câmara, José; Augusto Machado Pereira, JorgeAnthocyanins are widespread and biologically active water-soluble phenolic pigments responsible for a wide range of vivid colours, from red (acidic conditions) to purplish blue (basic conditions), present in fruits, vegetables, and coloured grains. The pigments’ stability and colours are influenced mainly by pH but also by structure, temperature, and light. The colour-stabilizing mechanisms of plants are determined by inter- and intramolecular co-pigmentation and metal complexation, driven by van der Waals, π–π stacking, hydrogen bonding, and metal-ligand interactions. This group of flavonoids is well-known to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which explains the biological effects associated with them. Therefore, this review provides an overview of the role of anthocyanins as natural colorants, showing they are less harmful than conventional colorants, with several technological potential applications in different industrial fields, namely in the textile and food industries, as well as in the development of photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells, as new photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy, pharmaceuticals, and in the cosmetic industry, mainly on the formulation of skin care formulations, sunscreen filters, nail colorants, skin & hair cleansing products, amongst others. In addition, we will unveil some of the latest studies about the health benefits of anthocyanins, mainly focusing on the protection against the most prevalent human diseases mediated by oxidative stress, namely cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and diabetes. The contribution of anthocyanins to visual health is also very relevant and will be briefly explored.
- Influência da espiritualidade e da prática de mindfulness nas consequências do mobbing nos profissionais da educaçãoPublication . Rodrigues, Telma Denisa Mendes; Garcês, Soraia Fernandes; Pocinho, Margarida Maria Ferreira Diogo DiasAnalisar a influência da espiritualidade e da prática de mindfulness nas consequências do mobbing nos profissionais da educação é de extrema importância, pois o mobbing é um fenómeno que afeta significativamente os trabalhadores, tanto a nível físico, como psicológico (Pocinho & Garcês, 2018; Portelada et al., 2018; Rueda et al., 2017; Stephan et al., 2018). Ademais, a prática de mindfulness e a espiritualidade possuem influência na mitigação do mobbing na comunidade escolar, na promoção de um meio laboral caraterizado pela colaboração e respeito, assim como no fomento do bem-estar nos professores e nas organizações escolares (Couto & Paschoal, 2020; Fernández & Errazu, 2016; Portelada et al., 2018; Stephan et al., 2018), Neste estudo tem-se como objetivo compreender de que modo a prática de mindfulness e a espiritualidade influenciam as consequências do mobbing em profissionais de educação. A amostra deste estudo é constituída por 315 indivíduos, docentes e não docentes nas escolas de Portugal, com uma idade média global de aproximadamente 49 anos. No que concerne, aos instrumentos utilizados, tem-se a Escala de Avaliação de Mobbing (Pocinho & Garcês, 2018) e a Escala de Avaliação da Espiritualidade (Pinto & Pais-Ribeiro, 2007). Relativamente, aos resultados deste estudo, é possível afirmar que existe uma relação significativa negativa entre o Mobbing e a Espiritualidade no fator otimismo; a Prática de Mindfulness e a Espiritualidade no fator crenças não tem influência na perceção de Mobbing, no entanto, os Benefícios do Mindfulness têm influência na perceção de Mobbing. Implicações práticas são também discutidas.
- Personalidade proativa e aprendizagem em contexto desportivo: análise do papel mediador da robustez mentalPublication . Silva, João Rui Cotrim Gomes da; Rodrigues, Nuno Miguel VieiraA aprendizagem e os fatores que a influenciam são alvo de grande atenção na literatura em variados contextos de realização. Neste quadro, caraterísticas individuais nucleares como a personalidade proativa e a robustez mental têm recebido destaque enquanto potenciais preditores válidos desta variável critério. O presente estudo desenvolve se no contexto desportivo e centra-se na validade preditiva da personalidade proativa em relação à aprendizagem dos atletas federados, bem como na análise do papel mediador da robustez mental nesta relação. Quanto à operacionalização da robustez mental, adotou-se a linha teórica de Gucciardi, considerando esta variável um estado psicológico. Em relação à aprendizagem (learning), partiu-se da conceptualização de prosperidade (thriving), na qual a aprendizagem individual em conjunto com a vitalidade (vitality) constituem as duas dimensões nucleares deste constructo. Assim, partiu-se para a análise destes efeitos no âmbito desportivo, tendo por base uma amostra de 151 atletas federados e procedendo à mensuração das variáveis em análise através de um design transversal com recurso à aplicação de um questionário em formato de papel e lápis, bem como por via on-line. Os resultados revelaram, como expectável, uma relação positiva e de magnitude forte entre personalidade proativa e aprendizagem, suportando assim a validade deste traço de personalidade para a predição desta variável-critério. O posicionamento da robustez mental enquanto mediadora da relação entre personalidade proativa e aprendizagem recebeu também suporte empírico, verificando-se que o efeito da personalidade proativa na aprendizagem é totalmente mediado pela robustez mental. As principais implicações teóricas e práticas destes resultados são apresentadas e discutidas.
- Code-switching: the use of the english language in the context of madeiran portuguesePublication . Freitas, Angélica José Silva; Kurtes, SvetlanaThe English language has been achieving global recognition. Not only is it widely spoken in a variety of professional and public domains, it is commonly taught at all levels of formal education. Portugal is one such country, offering English as a subject from the first grade of elementary school. Due to these and other cultural, economic and geo-political factors, English has become a globally accepted língua franca, that is to say, a language used for communication between interlocutors who do not share a common language. Additional factors contributing to the popularisation and the global spread of English are the media and the entertainment industry (videogames, music, films, TV programmes), the great majority of which is produced in English. The factors mentioned above are seen as contributing to the phenomenon known as code switching (or translanguaging), which denotes the practice of changing and alternating the language codes in spoken or written interaction. This practice is quite widespread in Portugal, particularly among younger speakers, who tend to code-switch in daily communication, inserting English words and phrases in their utterances, or switching entirely to English in certain communicative situations. The dissertation intends to investigate this phenomenon, focusing in particular on the practice of code-switching among the younger Portuguese-speaking population of the Island of Madeira. In order to achieve this goal, a questionnaire was designed and distributed among younger Madeirans of both genders, various levels of education, as well as various levels of the English language proficiency. The collected data was analysed and reflected upon and relevant conclusions were suggested.
- Madeira safe to discover. A multimodal and contrastive analysis of regulations and instructions regarding COVID-19 in Madeira Island and in the international frameworkPublication . Silva, Leandro da Silva da; Kurtes, Svetlana; Gouveia, André Xavier SilvaThis internship with Associação de Promoção da Madeira (APM) and its investigation project was developed in the context of the master’s degree in Linguistics: Societies and Cultures. The project analyzed aspects of multilingual and multimodal narratives employed in COVID-19 regulations to identify how they were used in professional and public environments, specifically the ones associated with tourism. The project looked at editing choices, photography, design, drawing, color, and writing to get a better understanding of multimodal communication, semiotics, image analysis, and its correlation with the written text and the way it has been perceived and interpreted by the locals and visitors, be it in online or in-person contexts. A contrastive analysis between different communities in the online spectrum was also considered, specifically between the English and Portuguese-speaking communities, looking into instructions about the pandemic via online resources such as forums, websites, video clips, and the COVID-19 mobile application by the Associação de Promoção da Madeira called Madeira Safe to Discover which attempts to ensure that the activities and sights in the island are safe from COVID-19, incentivize tourism with a point-based reward system, and follow the norms and regulations required by the institutions against the virus. Additionally, the project looked at bilingual (mainly English–Portuguese) and multilingual texts, multimodal manifestations, and communicative and semiotic effectiveness.
- Internship report. Translating and interpreting for the cultural and creative industriesPublication . Sousa, Rui Pedro Costa; Kurtes, Svetlana; Canavezes, SaraMany will agree that the internship experience provides a singular opportunity to put the knowledge, skills, and competences acquired during the process of formal university study into practice. An intern, usually a graduate student with a strong theoretical background in the area of specialization, can benefit from some job experience, which will enable him or her to get a deeper understanding of actual working situations. Additionally, the host institution that is providing the internship may benefit from it as well, taking advantage of the chance to put the intern's abilities to use. This internship was done to conclude my MA in Linguistics: Societies and Cultures in which I worked on the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias in Funchal, Madeira. The internship lasted 640 hours, over the course of about 7 months, and saw in it many tasks of smaller scale, such as translating flyers and other smaller documents, to larger assignments such as the translation of a cultural agenda. This internship report then comprises that experience, starting with an introduction to the interning institution, a contextualisation of the work’s important themes, an extensive overview of the activities done, an analysis and discussion of said activities and the concluding thoughts of the experience.
- Editorial: Food bioactives: cutting-edge methodologies for extraction and characterizationPublication . Pereira, Jorge A. M.; Casado, Natalia; Câmara, José S.; Augusto Machado Pereira, Jorge; Câmara, José
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