Publications by authors named "Ana R Pena"

The home is becoming a key location for healthcare delivery, including the use of technology driven by autonomous systems (AS) to monitor and support healthcare plans. Using the example of a smart mirror, this paper describes the outcomes of focus groups with people with multiple sclerosis (MS; = 6) and people who have had a stroke ( = 15) to understand their attitudes towards the use of AS for healthcare in the home. Qualitative data were analysed using a thematic analysis.

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Background: Digital contact tracing (DCT) apps have been implemented as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has focused on understanding acceptance and adoption of these apps, but more work is needed to understand the factors that may contribute to their sustained use. This is key to public health because DCT apps require a high uptake rate to decrease the transmission of the virus within the general population.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cashew is an important cash crop in West Africa, especially Guinea-Bissau, with a notable 10% of trees showing dieback symptoms in a recent study on Bolama Island.
  • Researchers isolated and identified fungi from symptomatic cashew trees using methods like surface sterilization and growth on potato dextrose agar, confirming rapid growth and specific morphological traits.
  • Molecular identification of the fungal isolates was conducted by extracting DNA and amplifying certain gene regions, resulting in sequences that matched a reference strain with 100% identity.
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Brassica is one of the most economically important genus of the Brassicaceae family, encompassing several key crops like Brassica napus (cabbage) and broccoli (Brassica oleraceae var. italica). This family is well known for their high content of characteristic secondary metabolites such as glucosinolates (GLS) compounds, recognize for their beneficial health properties and role in plants defense.

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The southern African Miombo and Mopane ecoregions constitute a unique repository of plant diversity whose diversification and evolutionary history is still understudied. In this work, we assessed the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of Miombo and Mopane tree legumes within the Zambezian phytoregion. Data were retrieved from several plant and gene databases and phylogenetic analyses were performed based on genetic barcodes.

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Over the previous decades, numerous studies focused on how oceanic islands have contributed to determine the phylogenetic relationships and times of origin and diversification of different endemic lineages. The Macaronesian Islands (i.e.

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