Sapientia
UAlg Scientific Repository
About Sapientia
The SAPIENTIA repository gathers an exhaustive set of Algarve University's (UAlg) teachers and researchers scientific publications with an express goal of maximising its visibility, ensure easy and universal access and amelliorate the overall public impact of the university scientific endeavors, as well as the ongoing preservation of its memory.
Recent Submissions
The effect of smoking on lung function changes during a 16-week combined exercise program in middle-aged workers: a latent growth curve analysis
Publication . Gomes Moreira da Silva, Manuela Fernanda; Ferreira, José P.; Teixeira, Ana M.; Monteiro, Diogo; Duarte-Mendes, Pedro
Purpose To investigate the longitudinal changes in lung function of sedentary middle-aged workers over a 16-week combined exercise training program. Methods Thirty-six sedentary workers (53.70±6.92 years old) were randomly allocated to either a combined aerobic and resistance training program (n=18) or a control group (n=18). Lung function was evaluated through spirometry using a portable fow spirometer (Spiropalm 6MWT, Cosmed, Italy). Predicted percentages of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the frst second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, and mean forced expiratory fow between 25 and 75% of exhaled FVC (FEF25–75) were analyzed. Assessments were performed at baseline (M1), after 8-week (M2) and 16-week follow-up (M3). The changes in lung function were analyzed using the Latent Growth Curve Modeling that estimated interindividual and intraindividual growth paths. Results Smoking status revealed a signifcant efect on lung function growth with signifcant paths to intercept and slope for all models in both groups. The exercise group participants who are non-smokers revealed higher increases in FVC% (β=.22), FEV1% (β=.08), FEV1/FVC% ratio (β=.19), and FEF25–75% (β=.06) compared to those who are smokers from M1 to M3. The control group revealed a lower growth in lung function from M1 to M3, with a lower slope observed in smokers compared to non-smokers for FVC% (β=−.44), FEV1% (β=−.41), FEV1/FVC% (β=−.98), and FEF25–75% (β=−.52). Conclusion Our fndings suggest that a 16-week combined training program is an efective strategy to improve lung function among sedentary workers, with a higher magnitude of improvement for non-smokers compared to smokers. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04868240. Registered April 30, 2021.
The early–middle pleistocene transition in the gulf of Cadiz (NE Atlantic) – an interplay between subtropical gyre and extremely cold surface waters
Publication . Mega, Aline; Rodrigues, Teresa; Salgueiro, Emilia; Padilha, Mária; Kuhnert, Henning; Voelker, Antje
Besides the shift in dominant orbital cyclicity depicted in paleoclimate proxy records, the Mid-Pleistocene Transition or Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition (EMPT) was linked to a change in the deep thermohaline circulation. Those changes contributed to more intense and longer-lasting glacial periods and cooler sea surface temperatures (SSTs) during glacials. Within the Atlantic Ocean, the Iberian Margin is considered a key location to study climatic variations influenced by both high- and low-latitude processes. In this study we focus on IODP Site U1387 on the southern Portuguese margin to reconstruct surface water circulation changes and related plankton foraminifera ecosystems during the interval of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 28 to MIS 18 (1006-750 ka). Our planktonic foraminifera assemblages and SST reconstructions (foraminifera assemblages and U-37(K ') alkenone index) demonstrate warm, relative stable SST conditions during much of the interval due to persistent influence of subtropical gyre waters as indicated by the tropical-subtropical and Azores Current-related foraminifera species and the periods with dominant sinistral coiling direction of the species Globorotalia truncatulinoides. Maximum interglacial SSTs were up to 2 degrees C warmer than at present in both summer and winter, with the exception of interglacial MIS 23 with SSTs similar to 1.5 degrees C colder than in the other interglacials. Subsequent to the respective glacial inception, the relatively warm conditions were periodically interrupted by millennial-scale extreme cold events when polar species Neogloboquadrina pachyderma became abundant (> 30 %), and the SSTs, reconstructed from the foraminifera assemblage data, dropped below 10 degrees C in summer and 5 degrees C in winter, although some of those values might be overestimated. The most pronounced event, considering the amplitude of cooling and duration, occurred between 870 and 864 ka, marking the terminal stadial event of the MIS 22-MIS 21 transition (Termination X). Extreme cold events, always associated with the incursion of subpolar waters into the Gulf of Cadiz, mark all the terminal stadial events from Terminations XII to IX and the millennial-scale variability during the transitions to full glacial conditions, although the duration of the cooling varied greatly. The extreme cooling was only possible through migration of the subarctic front into the lower mid-latitudes as a consequence of cooling and freshening in the higher latitudes and the associated extreme reduction in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The amplitude of cooling, duration, and frequency of subpolar water incursions during MIS 24 to MIS 22 stands out, providing further evidence for the "900 ka event" being a key feature of the EMPT.
Data analytics to advance the inference of origin–destination in public transport systems: tracing network vulnerabilities and age-sensitive trip purposes
Publication . Cerqueira, Sofia; Arsenio, Elisabete; Barateiro, José; Henriques, Rui
Knowing the passengers' final destinations, underlying motifs, and commuting habits is critical to optimise public transportation systems, guide urban planning and contribute to a more sustainable urban mobility. In entry-only Automated Fare Collection systems, the body of literature has focused on the spatial dimension by estimating alighting stops, overlooking the inference of robust alighting times. Moreover, discriminating between transfers and activities is pivotal for determining their ultimate destinations. However, current methods often struggle to adapt to the stochastic nature of passenger behaviour, further disregarding the multiplicity of routes and stops to access specific facilities and individual motivations. Further research is required to address an effective spatio-temporal and contextual inference in both challenges. With the above concerns in mind, this research uses data analytics to propose an enhanced methodology for the inference of OD matrices, with the final goal of providing a comprehensive view of OD mobility patterns across distinct age-sensitive profiles-youth, adults, and older adults. Our methodological framework integrates the following approaches: (i) alighting stop-and-time inference, (ii) ensembled model for transfer classification, (iii) indicators retrieved from statistical analysis of network vulnerabilities (e.g., number of transfers, walkability needs), frequent destinations and their underlying putative motifs against the city amenities and others points-of-interest. The reliability of alighting data (timestamp and location) inference is improved by integrating OpenStreetMap data and the past boarding data from bus and railway systems. Considering Lisbon as the target study case, we apply the methodology over smart card data collected both from metro and bus systems. A comparative analysis with state-of-the-art methods revealed that the enhanced framework for alighting and OD inference led to longer journey times for trips. Furthermore, throughout the day, the older adult group experiences longer transfer times on average compared to both the children and young adult segment and the adult segment.
Unravelling domestication: introduction to the theme issue
Publication . Gillis, Rosalind; Corso, Marta Dal; Oliveira, Hugo; Spengler, Robert N.
The domestication of plants and animals is considered one of the key milestones of cultural evolution, on a par with the use of lithic technology and mastery of fire. Domesticated species are—and have been—fundamental
to the growth and economic success of human societies. Millennia of herding and agricultural intensification have caused irreversible changes to natural environments, while the ability to accrue and control food surpluses has been linked with the development of complex societies as well as the exacerbation of socioeconomic inequalities. From the mid-Holocene onwards, domesticated plants and animals became integral to the maintenance of human populations and their social orders across a range of contrasting environments. In a few cases, this form of economic production stretches back to the Pleistocene–Hol ocene transition. The intensification of agricultural systems has led to a series of demographic expansion waves that traversed the globe, and ultimately resulted in the congregation of densely clustered populations [1,2].
"Você fala Chatês?" utilizar novos media na aprendizagem da língua materna
Publication . Ignacio Aguaded; Côrtes Moreira, Sandra Cristina
Milhares de pessoas no mundo inteiro e em Portugal, também, usam hoje o telemóvel , as salas de conversação (chats) e os serviços de IM-instant messaging, como é o caso do MSN.