Biblioteca Digital do IPB
Repositório de Publicações do Instituto Politécnico de Bragança
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Tamarindus indica sub-products as potential tools for simultaneous management of diabetes and obesity
Publication . Souza, Gustavo Henrique; Silva, Beatriz Paes; Viana Neto, Gabriel Arcanjo; Finimundy, Tiane C.; Santos, Thalita Faleiro Demito; Bueno, Paulo Sergio Alves; Souza, Felipe de Oliveira; Pilau, Eduardo J.; Barros, Lillian; Comar, Jurandir F.; Bracht, Livia; Peralta, Rosane M.; Bracht, Adelar; Sá-Nakanishi, Anacharis B.
Aiming at valorizing industrial wastes of tamarind, the present work evaluated the actions of seed, leaf and peel extracts on starch and fat absorption through starch and triglyceride tolerance tests in mice. The actions of all extracts on the α-amylase and lipase were also characterized using classical kinetic assays. All extracts inhibited starch digestion in vivo, but the seed extract was the most effective one with an ID50 of 151.4 mg kg−1. The mechanism behind this inhibition probably involves the pancreatic α-amylase, which was strongly inhibited by the seed extract under in vitro conditions (IC50 = 13.3 μg mL−1) and much less strongly by the leaf and peel extracts (IC50 values in the vicinity of 400 μg mL−1). The pancreatic lipase, conversely, was inhibited solely by the seed extract, with an IC50 of 31.5 μg mL−1. As a consequence of this property, the seed extract also inhibited triglyceride absorption, as indicated by olive oil tolerance tests, which revealed an ID50 of 214.9 mg kg−1. The seed extract also possessed the strongest antioxidant capacity and the highest content in phenolic groups. Chemical analyses revealed that all extracts present a great variety of phenolic compounds and that the seed extract possesses at least 5 unique compounds (ursodiol, masoprocol, lenticin, chenodeoxycolic acid and 13-keto-9Z,11E-octadecadienoic acid), which, according to docking studies, could be involved in the inhibition of both α-amylase and lipase. The overall conclusion is that the tamarind seed extract displays great potential for being used in the management of obesity and diabetes.
UAV-assisted navigation for insect traps in olive groves
Publication . Berger, Guido S.; Bonzatto Junior, Luciano; Pinto, Milena F.; Oliveira Júnior, Alexandre de; Mendes, João; Pereira, Ana I.; Silva, Yago M. R. da; Valente, António; Lima, José
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as valuable tools in precision agriculture due to their ability to provide timely and detailed information over large agricultural areas. In this sense, this work aims to evaluate the semi-autonomous navigation capacity of a multirotor UAV when applied in the field of precision agriculture. For this, a small aircraft is used to identify and track a set of fiducial markers (Ar Track Alvar) in an environment that simulates inspections of insect traps in olive groves. The purpose of this marker is to provide a visual reference point for the drone’s navigation system. Once the Ar Track Alvar marker is detected, the robot will receive navigation information based on the marker’s position to approach the specific trap. The experimental setup evaluated the computer vision algorithm applied to the UAV to make it recognize the Ar Track Alvar marker and then reach the trap efficiently. Experimental tests were conducted in a indoor and outdoor environment using DJI Tello. The results demonstrated the feasibility of applying these fiducial markers as a solution for the UAV’s navigation in this proposed scenario.
Presidential elections and secretary appointment: an event study for us biotechnology and drugs
Publication . Martins, António Miguel; Albuquerque, Bruno; Sardinha, Luís; Moutinho, Nuno
The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of the 2024 US presidential election and the appointment of the US health secretary to the largest US listed biotechnology and drug firms. Using an event study methodology, we find that President Donald Trump's election had no significant impact on the industry. On the contrary, the results show statistically significant negative stock price reactions around the US health secretary appointment. The negative industry reaction to the US health secretary appointment is largely explained by his scepticism about vaccination and criticism about the high prices of drug prescriptions and margins in the industry. These results highlight the importance of top government position appointments, especially when such appointments eliminate much of the uncertainty regarding future government action in the industry and political uncertainty hypothesis. Finally, cross-section analysis reveals that the firms most penalized by the 2024 US presidential election and the appointment of the US health secretary are those with the highest investments in R&D and capital expenditures. This could mean lower future investments in new vaccines or drugs, seriously harming society.
Unstructuring the sequentiality of commits into a semantic network with higher informational and functional quality
Publication . Patricio, Manuel; Sousa, Mario; Matos, Paulo; Oliveira, Pedro Filipe
Version control is an essential tool in software development, offering numerous well-known advantages, such as maintenance, traceability, collaborative work support, backup, and security. Commits provide the conceptual foundation of version control and contain helpful information for various stakeholders in the development and maintenance of applications, such as date, author, and a brief description of the changes made. Essentially, commits form a chronological sequence of data, but their utility is often underutilized and lacks efficiency in terms of accessibility. This paper presents an architectural solution that enables much greater utilization of commit history,
providing more functional perspectives for accessing this rich source of knowledge—which often conveys experience, practical solutions, the rationale behind those solutions, and even reasons for discarding alternative options. The proposed architecture enhances developers’ comprehension of intricate commit histories by enabling them to examine local changes and extract significant keywords from commit messages and code snippets. Because commit data is presented in a chronological sequence, it can be challenging to track dependencies and contextualize changes (commits). Our method facilitates sophisticated querying and visualization by arranging commit history into a graph structure representing thematic relationships among commits. Components for extracting commit data, processing it via a large language
model (ChatGPT) to identify relevant keywords, storing the outcomes in a graph database, and applying different algorithmic solutions to “redesign” the dependencies between commits are all part of the architecture. The system enables effective keywordbased searching within the integrated development environment by clustering related commits based on shared keywords through community detection algorithms. To better assist developers in managing intricate codebases and enhancing teamwork.
Innovation and creativity in tourism, business and social sciences
Publication . Nunes, Alcina; .
The accommodation and food services sector is vital to Portugal’s tourism industry, contributing significantly to economic output and employment. This study analyses the sector’s business dynamics from 2004 to 2022, focusing on key indicators such as business entry, exit, and survival rates. The research uses recent administrative data to examine in an exploratory manner how businesses within the sector have responded to significant economic challenges, including the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal a resilient yet evolving sector, with a noticeable shift towards corporate consolidation and a decline in sole proprietorships. The study highlights the sector’s sensitivity to economic fluctuations, underscoring the need for strategic planning and policy intervention to support sustained growth and stability. These insights provide valuable guidance for policymakers and industry stakeholders seeking to navigate future economic uncertainties and foster a more robust accommodation and food services sector in Portugal.