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Tissue engineering is a fascinating branch of science that aims to develop strategies to respond to tissue/organ damage with the slightest biological rejection. It is currently known that electric cues can trigger several cell metabolic responses such as differentiation, proliferation, growth, attachment, alignment, and apoptosis. Electro-responsive polymer-based materials are considered one of the most appropriate classes of materials for developing advanced conducting systems that can fulfill this purpose. These materials act as conducting platforms that can properly transmit electrical signals to cells and work as a physical environment to ensure cell nutrition and development. The motivation of this review is to summarize the recent work in terms of polymer-based conducting scaffolds for electro-assisted cell culture. An overview of the most commonly studied polymers and scaffold design methodologies is presented. Moreover, the mechanisms behind the effect of electric cues on cell fate are briefly described. Finally, the conclusions and future perspectives regarding conducting polymer-based scaffolds for tissue engineering are also given.

Background and aim Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are a large heterogeneous group of about 170 rare inherited metabolic disorders due to defective protein and lipid glycosylation. This study aimed to assemble and summarise available data on the epidemiology of CDG. Methods A set of keywords related to epidemiology and CDG was defined. The keywords were combined through a custom Python script, search through the MEDLINE database, using PubMed as the search engine. The script retrieved the correspondent MEDLINE data from each article, and the relevant information was exported. Next, inclusion and exclusion criteria were set and applied during the selection phase. Finally, epidemiology-related information was extracted and compiled. Results One hundred sixty-five papers on CDG epidemiology were included in this literature review. Most of them reported on the frequency of symptoms in CDG patients followed in cohort studies, on pathogenic variant allelic frequency, and on the prevalence of the disorder in populations. According to this review, the most reported CDG was phosphomannomutase-2 deficiency (PMM2-CDG) followed in descending order by FKTN-CDG, EXT1/EXT2-CDG, ALG6-CDG, and PIGA-CDG. Conclusions We provide an overview on epidemiological data regarding 93 CDG by compiling information from the literature. Generating epidemiological data on CDG is important to appropriately target resources for CDG research and drug development and to support public health decision-making.

This work studied the influence of hydrogel’s physical properties (geometry and hierarchical roughness) on the in vitro sorption/release profiles of molecules. To achieve this goal, chitosan (CS) solutions were cast in 3D-printed (3DP) molds presenting intricate shapes (cubic and half-spherical with/without macro surface roughness) and further immersed in alkaline solutions of NaOH and NaCl. The resulting physically crosslinked hydrogels were mechanically stable in aqueous environments and successfully presented the shapes and geometries imparted by the 3DP molds. Sorption and release profiles were evaluated using methyl orange (MO) and paracetamol (PMOL) as model molecules, respectively. Results revealed that distinct MO sorption/PMOL release profiles were obtained according to the sample’s shape and presence/absence of hierarchical roughness. MO sorption capacity of CS samples presented both dependencies of hierarchical surface and geometry parameters. Hence, cubic samples without a hierarchical surface presented the highest (up to 1.2 × greater) dye removal capacity. Moreover, PMOL release measurements were more dependent on the surface area of hydrogels, where semi-spherical samples with hierarchical roughness presented the fastest (~1.13 × faster) drug delivery profiles. This work demonstrates that indirect 3DP (via fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology) could be a simple strategy to obtain hydrogels with distinct sorption/release profiles.

Atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Although this subject arouses much interest, there are limitations associated with the biomechanical investigation done in atherosclerotic tissues, namely the unstandardized tests for the mechanical characterization of these tissues and the inherent non-consensual results obtained. The variability of tests and typologies of samples hampers direct comparisons between results and hinders the complete understanding of the pathologic process involved in atherosclerosis development and progression. Therefore, a consensual and definitive evaluation of the mechanical properties of healthy and atherosclerotic blood vessels would allow the production of physical biomodels that could be used for surgeons’ training and personalized surgical planning. Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, has attracted significant attention due to the potential to fabricate biomodels rapidly. However, the existing literature regarding 3D-printed atherosclerotic vascular models is still very limited. Consequently, this review intends to present the atherosclerosis disease and the consequences of this pathology, discuss the mechanical characterization of atherosclerotic vessels/plaques, and introduce AM as a potential strategy to increase the understanding of atherosclerosis treatment and pathophysiology.

A alimentação é uma questão importante do Património Cultural Imaterial. A sua dimensão de saber e saber-fazer, transmitidos de geração em geração, alicerçados principalmente nas tradições orais e centrados nas práticas culturais e sociais, conferem poder, identidade e continuidade temporal às comunidades. Em 2000, o Conselho de Ministros de Portugal emanou uma resolução que visa estudar e preservar “o receituário tradicional português, assente, designadamente, em matérias-primas de fauna e flora utilizadas ao nível nacional, regional ou local, bem como em produtos agroalimentares produzidos em Portugal, e que, pelas suas características próprias, revele interesse do ponto de vista, histórico, etnográfico, social ou técnico, evidenciando valores de memória, antiguidade, autenticidade, singularidade ou exemplaridade” (RCM Nº 96/2000). Assim, a lei estabelece diversas regras com o objetivo de preservar e desenvolver a promoção de uma gastronomia nacional como elemento representativo do património cultural português. O processo de definição das bases do patrimônio é uma construção das elites e possui uma dimensão política e ideológica que não pode ser escamoteada e que determina o que deve ser valorizado, num determinado momento temporal e contexto político. Neste sentido, os territórios são quebra-cabeças políticos que refletem identidades desejadas e transitórias, ao mesmo tempo cristalizadas e transformadas no tempo. O património é dotado de uma dimensão política determinante na identidade gastronómica e alimentar, no que se refere ao local, regional e global. Já as instituições de governança local buscam estimular os territórios sob a sua influência, por meio da aceitação e / ou promoção de ações de marketing e “rótulos” geradores de marcas locais que, muitas vezes, reforçam símbolos de identidade ou os (re) inventam. Os processos de turistificação dos lugares históricos e centros das cidades estão pouco distantes dessas atitudes e, tal como nestes casos, a intenção inicial de preservação dos sistemas alimentares, pode resultar na adulteração dos pratos servidos

One of the leading causes of death is cardiovascular disease, and the most common cardiovascular disease is coronary artery disease. Percutaneous coronary intervention and vascular stents have emerged as a solution to treat coronary artery disease. Nowadays, several types of vascular stents share the same purpose: to reduce the percentage of restenosis, thrombosis, and neointimal hyperplasia and supply mechanical support to the blood vessels. Despite the numerous efforts to create an ideal stent, there is no coronary stent that simultaneously presents the appropriate cellular compatibility and mechanical properties to avoid stent collapse and failure. One of the emerging approaches to solve these problems is improving the mechanical performance of polymeric bioresorbable stents produced through additive manufacturing. Although there have been numerous studies in this field, normalized control parameters for 3D-printed polymeric vascular stents fabrication are absent. The present paper aims to present an overview of the current types of stents and the main polymeric materials used to fabricate the bioresorbable vascular stents. Furthermore, a detailed description of the printing parameters’ influence on the mechanical performance and degradation profile of polymeric bioresorbable stents is presented.

The use of additive manufacturing technologies for biomedical applications must begin with the knowledge of the material to be used, by envisaging a very specific application rather than a more general aim. In this work, the preliminary study was focused on considering the cartilaginous tissue. This biological tissue exhibits different characteristics, such as thickness and mechanical properties, depending on its specific function in the body. Due to the lack of vascularization, cartilage is a supporting connective tissue with limited capacity for recovery and regeneration. For this reason, any approach, whether to repair/regenerate or as a total replacement, needs to fulfill the adequate mechanical and chemical properties of the surrounding native cartilage to be successful. This work aims to explore the possibility of using new polymers for cartilage total replacement approaches with polymeric materials processed with the specific 3D printing technique of fused filament fabrication (FFF). The materials studied were Nylon® 12 (PA12), already described for this purpose, and LAY-FOMM® 60 (FOMM). FOMM has not been described in the literature for biomedical purposes. Therefore, the chemical, thermal, swelling capacity, and mechanical properties of the filaments were thoroughly characterized to better understand the structure–properties–application relationships of this new polymer. In addition, as the FFF technology is temperature based, the properties were also evaluated in the printed specimens. Due to the envisaged application, the specimens were also characterized in the wet state. When comparing the obtained results with the properties of native cartilage, it was possible to conclude that: (i) PA12 exhibits low swelling capacity, while FOMM, in its dry and wet forms, has a higher swelling capacity, closer to that of native cartilage; (ii) the mechanical properties of the polymeric materials, especially PA12, are higher than those of native cartilage; and (iii) from the mechanical properties evaluated by ultra-micro hardness tests, the values for FOMM indicate that this material could be a good alternative for cartilage replacement in older patients. This preliminary study, essentially devoted to expanding the frontiers of the current state of the art of new polymeric materials, provides valuable indications for future work targeting the envisaged applications.

Perante uma sociedade do conhecimento, são visíveis profundas mudanças, nas quais os indivíduos necessitam de desenvolver e aperfeiçoar constantemente as suas competências e conhecimentos. Espera-se que as organizações sejam capazes de criar um ambiente de polivalência no seu capital humano, de modo a preservar a sua competitividade no mercado de trabalho. Neste contexto, a formação profissional tem um papel crucial e contribui para o enriquecimento de qualquer organização. Por outro lado, também se espera que as universidades possuam um papel mais ativo e próximo das organizações, não só em relação à investigação, mas também à formação. Esta investigação parte de um estágio curricular desenvolvido na PRIO Energy, S.A e tem como objetivo o cruzamento do interesse na temática em causa com a necessidade de compreender como é que as universidades se estão a adaptar a esta importante ferramenta de gestão de recursos humanos. In the midst of a knowledge society, profound changes are visible, in which students need to develop and improve their skills and knowledge. It is expected that organizations will be able to create an environment of versatility in their human capital, in order to preserve their competitiveness in the labor market. In this context, professional training plays a crucial role and contributes to the improvement of any organization. On the other hand, universities are also expected to have a more active and closer role with organizations, not only in relation to research, but also to training. This investigation is part of a curricular internship developed at PRIO Energy, S.A and has the goal to cross interest the thematic studied in question with the need to understand how universities are using an important tool of human resources management. Mestrado em Administração e Gestão Pública

A formação do leitor é um processo complexo. Todo leitor lê o mundo, dependendo da sua capacidade de construir e partilhar memórias. Explorando o tema da água, esta comunicação tem por objeto principal a leitura de O que vês dessa janela?, livro com texto de Isabel Minhós Martins e ilustrações de Madalena Matoso (EDIA/Museu da Luz, 2011). É esta uma narrativa sobre a história recente da Aldeia da Luz, que foi totalmente reconstruída num local que colocasse as suas gentes ao abrigo da inevitável submersão provocada pelo enchimento da albufeira do Alqueva. Na sua leitura estão envolvidos temas como passado / futuro, memória / descoberta / mudança, medo / aventura / sedução, partida / perda / reconquista. A propósito da leitura de O que vês dessa janela? Serão exploradas atividades didáticas que envolverão igualmente outros textos, quer de tradição oral quer de autor.

The chapter focuses on the reflection around the relationship between entrepreneurial empowerment and regional development, based on the assumptions, methodology and results of a self-sustained supramunicipal project in entrepreneurship education, promoted by a wide network of partners representing all the municipalities of Baixo Alentejo, Portugal, and coordinated by the Polytechnic Institute of Beja (IPBeja). The project Promoting Entrepreneurship Education at the Schools of Baixo Alentejo (PEEBA) was carried out in collaboration with Elementary Schools (1st to 2nd Ciclos) and kindergartens of Baixo Alentejo with the objective to nurture entrepreneurial competencies in children and youngsters aged 3–12 through practical and experiential entrepreneurship education. It provided them with entrepreneurial skills and attitudes that will increase their opportunities, by helping them face their lives with more initiative and confidence and/or be more proactive at work, or even start their own business in a near future, in the hope that this may eventually contribute to reduce the brain drain in Baixo Alentejo. With the motto the socioeconomic future of our region will be shaped by the students we are educating now, the PEEBA is innovative and unique, since it consists in a platform that brings together all the key stakeholders in the field of entrepreneurship education within all the municipalities of a NUTS, in this particular case Baixo Alentejo, who show an interest in working collaboratively for a common goal: to create a shared ecosystem favourable to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial capacity.

O objetivo deste trabalho é refletir acerca de algumas profissões ligadas ao vinho – viticultor, vindimador, tanoeiro, oleiro, taberneiro – e do jargão profissional que lhe está associado bem como de alfaias e técnicas específicas destas profissões. Toma-se como ponto de partida a taberna e desta olha-se os barris e as talhas, e o percurso da uva até ser vinho. Volta-se à taberna e olha-se o lugar e os objetos onde ela toma forma, as questões espaciais e de género, as sociabilidades, a ligação ao Cante (no Alentejo e na região metropolitana de Lisboa) e às extintas “Procissões de Bêbados” e de “Bêbadas” que se relacionam com antiquíssimos cultos Báquicos e Dionisíacos. Abordar-se-ão igualmente os provérbios que pontuam os discursos sobre o vinho – da sua produção ao seu consumo. A metodologia é baseada em observação participante, resultante de trabalho de terreno, e na recolha de histórias de vida, complementadas com pesquisa bibliográfica.