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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common public health problem, mainly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Patients with chronic UTIs are usually treated with long-acting prophylactic antibiotics, which promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant UPEC strains and may complicate their long-term management. D-mannose and extracts rich in D-mannose such as mannan oligosaccharides (MOS; D-mannose oligomers) are promising alternatives to antibiotic prophylaxis due to their ability to inhibit bacterial adhesion to urothelial cells and, therefore, infection. This highlights the therapeutic potential and commercial value of using them as health supplements. Studies on the effect of MOS in UTIs are, however, scarce. Aiming to evaluate the potential benefits of using MOS extracts in UTIs prophylaxis, their ability to inhibit the adhesion of UPEC to urothelial cells and its mechanism of action were assessed. Additionally, the expression levels of the pro-inflammatory marker interleukin 6 (IL-6) were also evaluated. After characterizing their cytotoxic profiles, the preliminary results indicated that MOS extracts have potential to be used for the handling of UTIs and demonstrated that the mechanism through which they inhibit bacterial adhesion is through the competitive inhibition of FimH adhesins through the action of mannose, validated by a bacterial growth impact assessment.

Given the importance of iron in human nutrition and the significance of waste and by-product valorisation in a circular economy environment, we investigated the effects of protein and iron concentration on the production yield of iron–peptide complexes from spent Saccharomyces cerevisiae. For this purpose, different amounts of protein and iron were used in the complexation process. The results have shown that higher concentrations, although permitting a faster and larger scale process, provide a significantly lower complexation yield, which deems the process less feasible. This is corroborated by fluorescence analysis, which shows a lower degree of complexation with higher protein concentration. In addition, varying the concentration of iron does not change the quality of formed complexes, as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis. The morphology of all samples was also evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Therefore, further studies are needed to optimize the process and to evaluate the best conditions for an economically sound valorization process for iron–peptide complexes. Nonetheless, current results in the development of a new process for the valorisation of spent yeast, in the form of iron-peptide complexes, look promising.

Iron (Fe) deficiencies are a major health condition concern and over the years many solutions in the form of Fe supplementation have been investigated. Organic Fe-complexes are the most promising for Fe deficiencies remediation. The aim of present study was to value peptide rich waste streams from β-glucan and mannan production from spent yeast (Gpep and Mpep, respectively) as Fe-peptide complexes for Fe supplementation. These waste streams were first subjected to ultrafiltration treatment before assessing the capacity of these fractions to complex Fe was evaluated, without, and with nitrogen. Results have shown that Gpep> 1 kDa was the best fraction with a optimal pH of 6.0 and a time of 30 min. The resulting Fe-peptide complex was characterized using powder XDR, fluorescence, FTIR, SEM and Mastersizer Laser Diffraction. Results have shown that Gpep and Mpep waste streams have potential application as Fe supplementation in the form of Fe peptide complexes.

Employment is considered a fundamental pillar of the overall refugee integration. The following paper aims at revealing the inhibiting and stimulating factors influencing the integration of refugees into the labour market. It is divided into a collective and an individual part. The collective part starts by providing an overview of the refugee crisis worldwide and in Portugal: then, it zooms in one of the theoretical models of acculturation and concludes by introducing the major factors influencing integration; the individual part investigates seven case studies within the hospitality industry with the intention of providing Mezze with sufficient recommendations and food for thought for its future refugee training program.

Esta investigação tem como objetivo compreender se a conciliação família-trabalho influencia positivamente a satisfação na carreira e a qualidade de vida, através do suporte organizacional percebido. Neste estudo participaram 93 individuos trabalhadores, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 74 anos (M = 35,64, DP = 12,08). Após a análise dos resultados, comprovou-se que não existe uma relação significativa entre o conflito família-trabalho e a satisfação na carreira, mas por outro lado, quanto maior é o conflito família-trabalho, menor é a qualidade de vida (Hipótese 1); comprovou-se que quanto maior a perceção de suporte organizacional, maior a qualidade de vida e que quanto maior a perceção de suporte organizacional, maior a satisfação na carreira. Contudo, o suporte organizacional percebido não modera significativamente a relação para ambas as variáveis dependentes (Hipótese 2). Conclui-se que os resultados podem estar associados a políticas de Recursos Humanos inadequadas ou a inexistência das mesmas; a perceção de cada individuo de satisfação na carreira pode não estar diretamente associada a uma maior perceção de suporte organizacional; a existência ou não de outros tipos de suporte e, por fim, as próprias condições de trabalho, as infraestruturas e os salários. A implementação de políticas de Recursos Humanos, principalmente no sentido de promover um suporte organizacional, dos colegas e das chefias, acarreta benefícios para os colaboradores. As organizações têm deveres importantes tais como, fornecer todos os apoios necessários para melhorar as condições de trabalho, desenvolver e implementar medidas que ajudem na prevenção de doenças dos seus colaboradores. This research aims to understand if family-work balance positively influences career satisfaction and quality of life through perceived organizational support. In this study, 93 individuals participated, aged between 18 and 74 years (M = 35.64, SD = 12.08). After an analysis of the results, it was found that there is no significant relationship between work-family conflict and job satisfaction, but on the other hand, the greater the work-family conflict, the lower the quality of life (Hypothesis 1); The higher the perception of organizational support, the higher the quality of life and the higher the perception of organizational support, the greater the career satisfaction. However, perceived organizational support does not moderate the relationship to both dependent variables (Hypothesis 2). It is conclude that the results may be associated with inadequate or nonexistent HR policies; each individual's perception of career satisfaction may not be directly associated with a greater perception of organizational support; a presence or not of other types of support and, finally, as working conditions, as infrastructure and earnings. The implementation of Human Resources policies, especially in order to promote organizational support from colleagues and leaders, brings benefits to employees. The organizations have important duties such as providing all the necessary support to improve working conditions, develop and implement measures that help in preventing illness of their employees.

Estágio realizado na AlgaFuel e orientado pelo Doutor Vítor Verdelho Vieira Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Química. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2008