Browsing by Author "Cunha, Ana"
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- Constructing and Using Multimodal Narratives to Research in Science Education: Contributions Based on Practical ClassroomPublication . Lopes, Joaquim; Silva, António; Cravino, José; Santos, Carla; Cunha, Ana; Pinto, José; Silva, Adília; Viegas, Clara; Saraiva, Maria; Branco, MariaThis study deals with the problem of how to collect genuine and useful data about science classroom practices, and preserving the complex and holistic nature of teaching and learning. Additionally, we were looking for an instrument that would allow comparability and verifiability for teaching and research purposes. Given the multimodality of teaching and learning processes, we developed the multimodal narrative (MN), which describes what happens during a task and incorporates data such as examples of students’ work.
- A detailed and comparative elemental analysis (Poland vs. Portugal) of espresso coffeePublication . Almeida, Agostinho; Cunha, Ana; Pinto, Edgar; Azevedo, Rui; Seroczynska, Kinga; Konieczynski, Pawel; Wesolowski, MarekCoffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. There are many different types of coffee, but “espresso” has become the favourite in many countries. In Portugal, 80% of people drink coffee daily and prefer to make it as an espresso. Annual per capita coffee consumption (dry beans) is estimated at 5 kg, being higher in many other Western European countries, namely the Nordic countries. In Poland, also more than 80% of adults consume coffee every day, but instant coffee still takes up the largest share. National per capita consumption (2021) is estimated at between 0.72.5 kg. Espresso coffee is prepared by passing water at high temperature (88-92 ºC) and under high pressure (8-10 bar) through ground coffee (6-8 g) for 20-30 seconds to produce around 25-40 ml of beverage. The extraction of substances existing in coffee powder is very efficient, so their concentration in coffee (beverage) is also very high. In this work, we carried out a comparative study of the elemental composition (n=34 macrominerals and trace elements) of espresso coffee from two different European origins: Northern Poland (n=60, areas of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Elbląg) and Northern Portugal (n=22, Porto Metropolitan Area). Samples (5-10 ml) were taken from the beverage as served in cafes, restaurants and gas stations. In order to better document the contribution of coffee (powder) to the final composition of the beverage, water samples were taken in parallel at the same locations. The analysis was performed by ICP-MS. In both cases, espresso coffee proved to be a concentrated source of many elements (Table 1), with levels much higher than those of water from the same location. Polish waters were globally much more mineralized than Portuguese waters, and generally Polish coffee also showed significantly higher levels of macrominerals and trace elements than the Portuguese ones.
- Persistent organic pollutant levels in human visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue in obese individuals - Depot differences and dysmetabolism implicationsPublication . Pestana, Diogo; Faria, Gil; Sá, Carla; Fernandes, Virgínia C.; Teixeira, Diana; Norberto, Sónia; Faria, Ana; Meireles, Manuela; Marques, Cláudia; Correia-Sá, Luísa; Cunha, Ana; Guimarães, João T.; Taveira-Gomes, António; Santos, Ana Cristina; Domingues, Valentina F.; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Monteiro, Rosário; Calhau, ConceiçãoBackground: The role of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with endocrine disrupting activity in the aetiology of obesity and other metabolic dysfunctions has been recently highlighted. Adipose tissue (AT) is a common site of POPs accumulation where they can induce adverse effects on human health. Objectives: To evaluate the presence of POPs in human visceral (vAT) and subcutaneous (scAT) adipose tissue in a sample of Portuguese obese patients that underwent bariatric surgery, and assess their putative association with metabolic disruption preoperatively, as well as with subsequent body mass index (BMI) reduction. Methods: AT samples (n=189) from obese patients (BMI ≥35) were collected and the levels of 13 POPs were determined by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD). Anthropometric and biochemical data were collected at the time of surgery. BMI variation was evaluated after 12 months and adipocyte size was measured in AT samples. Results: Our data confirm that POPs are pervasive in this obese population (96.3% of detection on both tissues), their abundance increasing with age (RS=0.310, p<0.01) and duration of obesity (RS=0.170, p<0.05). We observed a difference in AT depot POPs storage capability, with higher levels of ΣPOPs in vAT (213.9±204.2 compared to 155.1±147.4 ng/g of fat, p<0.001), extremely relevant when evaluating their metabolic impact. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between POP levels and the presence of metabolic syndrome components, namely dysglycaemia and hypertension, and more importantly with cardiovascular risk (RS=0.277, p<0.01), with relevance for vAT (RS=0.315, p<0.01). Finally, we observed an interesting relation of higher POP levels with lower weight loss in older patients. Conclusion: Our sample of obese subjects allowed us to highlight the importance of POPs stored in AT on the development of metabolic dysfunction in a context of obesity, shifting the focus to their metabolic effects and not only for their recognition as environmental obesogens.