University of Minho

The rising demand for safe and effective alternatives for bone regeneration has spurred extensive research into biomaterials derived from marine collagen. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the feasibility of marine collagen-based compounds and derived constructs for bone regeneration in in vivo preclinical models while critically assessing the methodological quality of the included studies. The review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, utilizing the PICO framework to delineate the scope and research focus. After applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, a comprehensive search across multiple databases identified 15 eligible studies. Methodological quality was appraised using the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines, and the risk of bias was weighed through the SYRCLE tool. The selected studies evaluated collagens derived from fish and marine sponges, which were processed into scaffolds, membranes, and hydrogels. These biomaterials exhibited notable biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, and efficacy in promoting new bone formation. Furthermore, synergistic combinations with hydroxyapatite, chitosan, and growth factors such as BMP-2 significantly enhanced their regenerative capacity. However, several critical shortcomings were observed in experimental designs, including inadequate randomization, absence of blinding, and insufficient reporting of animal handling protocols. These limitations raise concerns regarding reproducibility and the overall validity of the findings. In conclusion, marine collagen-based biomaterials hold significant potential for bone regeneration applications. Nevertheless, achieving greater standardization and methodological rigor in preclinical research is paramount to ensuring their successful clinical translation.

Shareable abstractThe Portuguese version of the PREM-C9 questionnaire is translated and culturally adapted for people with COPD, providing a tool to assess patient experiences, guide patient-centred care and support quality improvements in Portuguese healthcarehttps://bit.ly/48QhSFS

The management of acoustic cavitation is crucial for enhancing the performance of optimised sonoreactors in various fields. With a growing interest in eco-friendly methods employing sono-reactors, the assessment of cavitation caused by ultrasonic devices is increasingly significant. Controlling cavitation is vital to maximise energy efficiency and its related impacts. Currently, traditional measurement methods include physical techniques (such as aluminium foil tests and calorimetry), optical methods (such as high-speed imaging, sonoluminescence, and particle image velocimetry), chemical approaches (including fluorescence and dosimetry), as well as acoustic methods (like hydrophones and active cavitation detectors). However, each of these methodologies possesses inherent limitations that can compromise measurement accuracy, lead to unnecessary costs, and result in a lack of methodological rigour. This review suggests an organised framework designed to assist in selecting the most suitable technique from the widely used methods, tailored to different application contexts. The framework includes application-specific questions derived from the review, helping to pinpoint methods that meet specific requirements. • Framework defined to improve the selection of techniques for acoustic cavitation control. • Control acoustic cavitation mainly relies on acoustic, physical, chemical, or optical methods. • Optical methods combined with acoustic ones are most common. Cross-methods improve assessment.

Soil biodiversity and functioning are the foundation of ecosystem sustainability, but we do not know whether current nature conservation areas are efficiently protecting soils. Here, we investigated the contribution of terrestrial nature conservation areas to protect soil biodiversity and functioning across scales. We found no general positive effect on diversity of bacteria, fungi, protists, invertebrates, and nematodes, captured as richness, Shannon diversity and dissimilarity, and 5 soil functions (pathogen control, nutrient provision, soil carbon, soil organic matter decomposition, and soil aggregate stability). Our findings suggest that nature conservation areas show an inconsistent role in protecting soil biodiversity and functioning, as we found mostly non-significant and otherwise mixed effects across scales. Despite few positive and negative effects of protection status, our work highlights the urgent need to directly target soils in nature conservation.

Children’s skin is uniquely vulnerable, requiring specialised design solutions that transcend traditional aesthetics. This exploratory study investigates the importance of paediatric dermatology in informing functional fashion design through expert medical perspectives. Using a qualitative approach, data were gathered from a purposive cohort of paediatric dermatologists and immunoallergologists and analysed through inductive thematic analysis. Findings identify four core themes: the physiological immaturity of children’s skin (notably the prevalence of atopic dermatitis), clothing’s role as a symptomatic aggravator rather than a primary aetiology, the clinical risks posed by chemical additives in synthetic textile processes, and the therapeutic potential of natural fibres and biofunctional agents. The data also highlights significant diagnostic constraints in paediatric patch testing, emphasising the necessity of proactive material safety. The findings suggest that integrating healthcare expertise into human-centred design may support the development of safer paediatric clothing solutions, ensuring that fashion industry innovation meets the physiological requirements of children. By transitioning from hazardous synthetic processes to biocompatible textiles, such as undyed natural fibres and medicinal plant-derived dyes, the industry can transform apparel from a potential irritant into a secondary protective barrier. This provides initial insights for developing clothing that safeguards the skin barrier and improves the overall wellbeing of vulnerable populations.

Digital transformation is widely considered the most significant structural challenge for companies’ business models. In this sense, it is important to assess the evolution of the digital transition, analyzing patterns, challenges, and trends. This research methodology is composed of three phases: the first is a survey to assess the readiness of Portuguese industrial companies, the second phase is a literature review to collect relevant studies, and the third is a qualitative comparison of the sample analysed with the literature. Comparing 18 Portuguese industrial companies with 12 previous studies, the study shows that digitalization has progressed little, mainly at the operational level, but average readiness remains intermediate, with integration and advanced analysis below the standard reported in the literature. The results show that Portuguese industrial companies must strengthen systems integration, data management, and analytical skills to advance in digital maturity. The findings offer a clear diagnosis that can guide managers and decision-makers in prioritizing investments and defining more strategic digital transformation roadmaps. By integrating empirical evidence with a comparative analysis of 12 international studies, this research offers an original and in-depth perspective on the assessment of industrial digital maturity and a global qualitative comparison.

Surface texture plays a key role in pavement safety and performance, yet its degradation is influenced by multiple interacting factors that vary across road networks. This study developed statistical models to characterize and predict surface texture evolution on Portuguese highways using linear mixed-effects modeling. Texture measurements collected on 7204 pavement sections, each 100 m in length, over three monitoring cycles were analyzed alongside traffic, climatic, pavement structural, geometric, and spatial variables. The hierarchical structure of the data, with repeated measurements nested within pavement sections, was explicitly accounted for via random intercepts and random slopes. At the same time, temporal correlation was modeled via an autoregressive error structure. Two model specifications were evaluated: a model including only traffic and climatic variables and an extended model incorporating pavement and geometric characteristics. Results indicate that texture evolution is statistically associated with cumulative traffic loading, temperature-related indicators, precipitation, surface course type, lane position, vertical alignment, and altitude. The extended model showed a significantly better fit and superior predictive performance, as confirmed by information criteria and cross-validation metrics. The findings highlight the importance of accounting for section-level heterogeneity and roadway characteristics when modeling texture degradation. The proposed modeling framework provides a statistically scalable and robust tool for texture prediction, accounting for regional-specificities and long-term pavement management decisions.