Browsing by Author "Fernandes, Carlos"
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- Before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in wine tourism. The case of the Beira Interior wine routePublication . Costa, Adriano; Fernandes, Carlos; Rei, Constantino; Liberato, Dália; Antunes, Joaquim; Liberato, PedroIn 2018, Portugal was distinguished for the second consecutive time as the best tourist destination in the world. In addition, Portugal has been taking over as an international reference country in the production of prestigious wines worldwide, such as Barca Velha, Pêra Manca, Principal, Carrocel, among others. Although not yet a destination of wine tourism of reference worldwide, in recent years it has been affirming itself as such, as result of a diversified offer that extends throughout the national territory, allowing brands creation of destination identity that must be preserved, highlighted and valued. Knowing that Portugal begins to be recognized as one of the best travel destinations for gastronomy & wines and this segment is one of the strategic assets suggested in successive strategic plans for Tourism, it is understood, therefore, that it is important to know and inventory the different wine routes existing in the national territory, as determining tools for the promotion and dissemination of wine tourism. However, as of 26 February 2020, with the emergence of the first suspected cases of people infected with COVID-19 in Portugal, it seems that all this has changed (DDS, 2020). People stopped traveling. Air transport and shipping have been suspended, restaurants have closed or changed the way of business, people's movement has been restricted, which has led to all activities directly or indirectly linked to tourism having closed, or in the process of closing its doors. For the moment, there is a war against Covid-19, which we all know what it is, but we cannot immediately identify and could be anywhere. There is a feeling of helplessness in fighting this virus as it may be just around the corner and we cannot uncover it. We do know that one of the main ways of spreading this virus is social contact. On the other hand, tourism in general and wine tourism in particular, is provided by people and to people. Social contact is one of the pillars of it. Hence the big questions that arise in the future are: how can the trust of wine-tourists be recovered; what kinds of experiences will be offered; which innovations will emerge regarding the tourism offer. For this, we will interview all members of the Beira Interior Wine Route.
- Bonding to Psychedelics: Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Targeting 4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B)Publication . Martins, Daniel; Fernandes, Carlos; Mendes, Ricardo F.; Cagide, Fernando; Silva, António Fernando; Borges, Fernanda; Garrido, Jorge; Garrido, JorgeThe increasing interest in utilizing psychedelics for therapeutic purposes demands the development of tools capable of efficiently monitoring and accurately identifying these substances, thereby supporting medical interventions. 4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) has gained significant popularity as one of the most widely used psychedelic compounds in non-medical settings. In this study, we aimed to create a material with selective recognition of 2C-B by synthesizing a series of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) using 2C-B as the template and varying ratios of methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer (1:2, 1:3, and 1:4). Both thermal and microwave-assisted polymerization processes were employed. The molar ratio between the template molecule (2C-B) and functional monomer (MAA) was 1:4, utilizing a microwave-assisted polymerization process. Isotherm studies revealed a Langmuir’s maximum absorption capacity (Bmax) value of 115.6 μmol·mg−1 and Kd values of 26.7 μM for this material. An imprint factor of 4.2 was determined for this material, against the corresponding non-imprinted polymer. The good selectivity against 14 other new psychoactive substances highlighted the material’s potential for applications requiring selective recognition. These findings can contribute to the development of tailored materials for the detection and analysis of 2C-B, supporting advancements in non-medical use monitoring and potential therapeutic models involving psychedelics.
- Influence of Hydroxypropyl- β -Cyclodextrin on the Photostability of Fungicide PyrimethanilPublication . Fernandes, Carlos; Encarnação, Igor; Gaspar, Alexandra; Garrido, Jorge; Borges, Fernanda; Garrido, E. ManuelaPesticides continue to play an important role in pest management. However, the intensive pesticide application has triggered several environment negative effects that cannot be disregarded. In this study, the inclusion complex of pyrimethanil with HP- β -CD has been prepared and characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The formation of the pyrimethanil/HP- β -CD inclusion complex increased the aqueous solubility of this fungicide around five times. To assess the influence of microencapsulation on the environmental photostability of the fungicide, the photochemical degradation of pyrimethanil and pyrimethanil/HP- β -CD inclusion complex has been investigated in different aqueous media such as ultrapure and river water under simulated solar irradiation. The studies allow concluding that pyrimethanil/HP- β -CD inclusion complex increases significantly the photostability of the fungicide in aqueous solutions, especially in natural water. Actually, the half-life of pyrimethanil/HP- β -CD inclusion complex was increased approximately by a factor of four when compared to the free fungicide. The overall results point out that pyrimethanil can be successfully encapsulated by HP- β -CD, a process that can improve its solubility and photostability properties.
- Nanotechnology and antioxidant therapy: An emerging approach for neurodegenerative diseasesPublication . Fernandes, Carlos; Oliveira, Catarina; Benfeito, Sofia; Soares, Pedro; Garrido, Jorge; Borges, FernandaThe efficacy, cellular uptake and specific transport of dietary antioxidants to target organs, tissues and cells remains the most important setback for their application in the treatment of oxidative-stress related disorders and in particular in neurodegenerative diseases, as brain targeting remains a still unsolved challenge. Nanotechnology based delivery systems can be a solution for the above mentioned problems, specifically in the case of targeting dietary antioxidants with neuroprotective activity. Nanotechnology-based delivery systems can protect antioxidants from degradation, improve their physicochemical drug-like properties and in turn their bioavailability. The impact of nanomedicine in the improvement of the performance of dietary antioxidants, as protective agents in oxidative- stress events, specifically through the use of drug delivery systems, is highlighted in this review as well as the type of nanomaterials regularly used for drug delivery purposes. From the data one can conclude that the research combining (dietary) antioxidants and nanotechnology, namely as a therapeutic solution for neurodegenerative diseases, is still in a very early stage. So, a huge research area remains to be explored that hopefully will yield new and effective neuroprotective therapeutic agents in a foreseeable future.
- Touristic organizations and people management: a multiple exploring real practices associated with social and psychological indicatorsPublication . Ferreira, Ana Teresa; Martins, Dora; Matos, Olga; Fernandes, CarlosTouristic organizations and people management: a multiple exploring real practices associated with social and psychological indicators