University of Minho

Resource subsidies mediated by non-native species: a review

Non-native species are recognized as one of the major drivers of biodiversity change globally, with profound impacts on ecosystem functions and services. Despite the high number of studies on non-native species published, mainly in the last two decades, an often-overlooked aspect...

Modeling Parkinson’s Disease Through Combined DJ-1 Deficiency and Noradrenergic Degeneration

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system while increasing evidence indicates that early pathology also involves the locus coeruleus (LC) and the noradrenergic system. However, whether LC degeneration increases...

Predicting and optimizing energy efficiency in buildings: a multi-output machine learning framework with explainability and constrained optimization

Purpose Nine multi-output regression models were compared for simultaneous HL and CL prediction, supplemented by domain-informed feature engineering, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP explainability), robustness testing and a calibrated physics baseline comparison. The best-per...

Police Narratives on Ethical Issues of Big Data: A Sociotechnical Approach

Despite increasing integration of Big Data into law enforcement globally, few studies have examined how police officers construct ethical narratives around it. Drawing on Science and Technology Studies (STS), this article adopts a sociotechnical perspective to analyze how police...

Identification and Political Listening Theory

This essay is one part of a forum issue entitled “Reconsidering the Definition of Listening.” It intends to address a notable shortage of theoretical reflection linking Political Listening to the communicational processes that shape the democratic experience stemming from citizen...

Electromagnetic Induction Heating-Activated Self-Healing of Asphalt Mastics with Alternative Fillers: Mechanical Recovery and Rheological Response

Electromagnetic induction heating (EIH) enables rapid thermal activation of self-healing asphalt, but the extent to which EIH susceptibility translates into a flow-capable condition, mechanical recovery, and subsequent rheological response remains insufficiently established at th...

From Lab to Industry: Optimization and Industrial Application of Microalgae-Based Formulations for Dyeing and Functionalization of Linen Fabrics

Abstract Microalgae are promising renewable resources for textile dyeing and functionalization, but their industrial transfer remains limited. This work developed and optimized whole microalgal biomass-based formulations for application onto 100% linen fabric using dip–pad–dry pr...

Effect of localized damage on lateral–torsional buckling capacity of continuous steel I-beams

This paper investigates the Lateral-Torsional Buckling (LTB) resistance of continuous hot-rolled steel I-beams with localized cross-sectional damage. Due to the alternating sagging and hogging moment regions, continuous beams exhibit spatially varying compression flanges and buck...

From printing to intelligence: Smart polymer composite actuators for next-generation soft robotics

Smart polymer composite actuators are emerging as enabling materials for next-generation soft robotics by combining mechanical compliance, multifunctionality, and programmable responsiveness within lightweight architectures. Their ability to convert electrical, thermal, magnetic,...

Green practices and perceived cost pressures in pork retailing: evidence from Northern Portugal

Purpose This paper examines whether environmental management practices in pork retailing, proxied by the monitoring of water, energy and waste indicators, are associated with retailers' perceived cost pressures in Northern Portugal. Design/methodology/approach Primary data were c...

Portuguese Consumers’ Awareness of the Digital Product Passport (DPP): Implications for Sustainable and Circular Textile Systems

The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a regulatory tool proposed by the European Union to strengthen traceability, sustainability and transparency in the textile industry. This study analyses the awareness, attitudes and behaviour of Portuguese consumers regarding the adoption of...

An Integrated Framework Combining Degradation-Risk Assessment and SWOT Analysis for Coastal Geoheritage Management in Portuguese Protected Areas

Coastal geoheritage is exposed to interacting natural and human pressures that require management approaches capable of linking degradation diagnosis with conservation responses. This study applies an integrated decision-support framework combining an established quantitative deg...

Pedagogical Interventions That Support Self-Regulated Learning in Secondary School Students: A Systematic Literature Review

Self-regulation of learning (SRL) is a key skill for secondary school students, placing them as active and conscious agents of their own learning. It enables learners to plan, monitor, and evaluate their progress, fostering autonomy and responsibility. Teachers play a crucial rol...

Influence of Continuous Chelation on Root Dentin: A Laboratory Study

Background/Objectives: Continuous chelation has emerged as an alternative to conventional sequential irrigation by combining sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) with weak chelators in a single irrigant solution. This study evaluated and compared the effects of different final irrigation...

Deep learning framework for breast cancer subtypes detection and diagnosis

Molecular subtyping of breast cancer serves as a cornerstone for personalised diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring; nevertheless, the deployment of advanced deep learning models is often hindered by the lack of accurate tumour segmentations in extensive datasets and the intrinsic...

Groundwork for human nature developmentalism

This article introduces Human Nature Developmentalism (HND), a normative framework that views human beings as creative purposive agents and assesses the moral permissibility of biomedical interventions based on their contribution to human flourishing. Positioned between transhuma...

Environmental DNA for detecting marine fish species: testing the volume of sampled water, markers and primers in a public oceanarium

To maximize the efficiency of marine fish detection using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, methodological factors such as PCR amplification bias and sampled water volume must be carefully considered. In this study, we evaluated the influence of different genetic markers (C...

Examining Diagnostic Criteria for Atypical Anorexia Nervosa Post Metabolic Bariatric Surgery

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the applicability of current diagnostic criteria for atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN) to patients 1 year post Metabolic Bariatric Surgery (MBS). Method This prospective ongoing cohort study included patients from the multicenter Psychosocial Registry...

Re-Engineering InSAR Kinematics via Local Markov Memory: A Scalable Machine Learning Framework for Corridor Slope Displacement Forecasting

Slope instabilities pose a significant threat to transportation infrastructure, creating the need for reliable data-driven approaches for displacement forecasting. This study proposes a scalable machine learning framework that integrates Small Baseline Subset Interferometric Synt...

Zinc oxide in photocatalytic cementitious materials for environmental remediation and self-cleaning: Performance, limitations, and critical research gaps

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a promising functional additive for cementitious materials due to its photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties. While numerous studies have reported positive outcomes in terms of pollutant degradation efficiency, antimicrobial performance, and, in some case...