Gelatin industry residues are increasingly used as fertilizer and soil conditioner. However, correct residue dosage is critical for grass development and minimizing environmental impacts. This randomized block design study determined adequate dosage of Mixed Gelatin Sludge (MGS) for Marandu grass production in wet/dry seasons in Brazil. Five MGS levels (0%–200% of required nitrogen) were compared to mineral fertilizer. Agronomic/productivity characteristics, bromatological composition, macro/micro-nutrient composition of leaves, and soil chemical attributes were evaluated. Agronomic/productivity characteristics were influenced by MGS dose in both dry/rainy seasons, except for leaf blade pseudostem ratio and percentage of leaves/pseudostem. Bromatological composition was influenced by MGS doses in dry/rainy seasons except for dry/mineral material quantities. Marandu leaf tissue chemical composition was significantly influenced by MGS dose, except for potassium, boron, and iron. Chemical composition of four soil layers between 0–50 cm influenced GMS dose, except for pH, organic matter, magnesium, copper, manganese, and zinc. GMS dose for Marandu production should be 200% of nitrogen (N) requirement. GMS application increased productivity/quality of Marandu grass. Macronutrients (N, phosphorus) and micronutrients (Ca, Mg, S, Cu, and Zn) increased in Marandu grass and in the soil (Ca, S, and Na). Increased sodium (Na) level was not limiting.

Acne vulgaris is a prevalent dermatological disorder that impacts the quality of life for millions of people around the world. The multifactorial nature of this disorder requires innovative and effective treatment strategies. Over time, there has been a growing interest regarding the use of natural topical therapies, with cannabinoids emerging as a promising group of compounds for investiga-tion. In the context of acne treatment, cannabinoids are of particular interest due to their anti-acne properties, namely, lipostatic, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities. Among these bioactive compounds, cannabidiol stands out as a notable derivative, exhibiting a promising spectrum of therapeutic actions. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have proven its ability to modulate sebum production, reduce inflammation, and inhibit bacterial proliferation - all of which are critical components in the pathogenesis of this dermatosis. This review provides a comprehen-sive overview of cannabinoids' potential as a novel and holistic approach to acne vulgaris treatment and summarizes recent developments in this area.

The understanding of spatiotemporal variations in reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and its long-term trends is of paramount importance for water cycle studies, modeling, and water resource management, especially in the context of climate change. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to critically evaluate the performance of various CMIP5 global climate models in simulating the Penman-Monteith reference evapotranspiration and its associated climate variables (maximum and minimum air temperature, incident solar radiation, relative humidity, and wind speed). This evaluation is based on data from nine climate models and 33 automatic meteorological stations (EMA) in the state of Mato Grosso, spanning the period 2007-2020. The statistical metrics used for evaluation include Bias, root mean square error, and Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. The projections of the most accurate model were then used to analyze the spatial and temporal changes and trends in ETo under the RCP 2.6, 4.5, and RCP 8.5 scenarios from 2007 to 2100. The HadGEM2-ES model projections indicate static averages similar to current conditions until the end of the century in the RCP 2.6 scenario. However, in the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, there is a continuous increase in ETo, with the most significant increase occurring during the dry period (May to September). The areas of the Amazon biome in the north of Mato Grosso exhibit the largest increases in ETo when comparing the observed (2007-2020) and projected (2020-2100) averages. The trend analysis reveals significant changes in ETo and its variables across the state of Mato Grosso in the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. In the RCP 2.6 scenario, significant trends in ETo are observed only in the northern Amazon areas. Despite not being observed in all AWSs, the trend analysis of the observed data demonstrates more intense changes in ETo and the existence of the evapotranspiration paradox with an increase in the Cerrado areas and reductions in the Pantanal and southern Amazon areas.

The introduction on Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnOn) in sunscreens solved the issue of poor spreadability of these formulations, which often left a white film on the skin. However, safety concerns have arisen regarding the topical application of ZnOn. Some studies employed commercial sunscreens to address the safety issues of the topical application of ZnOn; however, commercial formulations are often complex and contain a wide range of ingredients that could attenuate the potential damage caused by the ZnOn. Therefore, in this study we aimed to develop a simple stable formulation containing 20% of coated and uncoated ZnOn, characterize the formulations and the nanoparticles, and assess the skin penetration in Franz diffusion cell. The Feret's diameter for the uncoated and coated ZnOn was 137 nm and 134 nm, respectively. For the uncoated ZnOn the hydrodynamic size in water was 368 nm and for the coated ZnOn, the average hydrodynamic size in ethyl acetate was 135 nm. The incorporation of ZnOn led to formulations more consistent and easier to spread, as suggested by the lower work of shear and higher values of firmness, cohesiveness, consistency and index of viscosity compared with the vehicle. The stability assessment at 45ºC suggested that the formulations containing the ZnOn were stable for 30 days and the vehicle was stable for 90 days. The assessment off the skin penetration by reflectance confocal laser microscopy indicated that the formulations did not permeate into the deepest layers of the skin, but accumulated on the skin furrows, hair and hair follicle.

Myelolipoma is a benign, typically inert neoplasm of uncertain aetiology that is rarely reported in cats. Although commonly asymptomatic, in some cases, myelolipomas can cause abdominal discomfort or present with rupture and haemorrhage. Here, we describe a rare case of a splenic myelolipoma in a Domestic Long Hair cat in which, after extensive diagnostic investigations, clinical signs of hyporexia and weight loss were attributable to the presence of an intra-abdominal mass. The patient was treated by splenectomy and unexpectedly died during the post-operative period. Although splenectomy appears to be a sensible intervention in symptomatic patients, the optimal management of splenic myelolipomas in cats remains unknown. The risk-benefit ratio of surgical management needs to be carefully considered, and therapeutic intervention should be tailored individually to each patient.

Peri-implantitis continues to be one of the major reasons for implant failures. We propose a new approach for incorporating MTA into Zirconia implant surfaces with Nd:YAG laser and investigate the biological response of peri-implant cells as well as the microbiological response. Discs of Zirconia stabilized with Yttria and Titanium were produced according 4 tested groups: Nd:YAG laser textured Zirconia coated with MTA (Zr MTA); Nd:YAG laser textured Zirconia (Zr Textured); Zirconia and Titanium discs (Zr and Ti ). Contact profilometry was used to evaluate surface roughness. Human osteoblasts, gingival fibroblasts and S. oralis were cultured on samples. Cell adhesion and morphology, cell viability, cell differentiation markers and bacterial growth were assessed. Zr Textured roughness was significantly higher compared to all other groups. Cellular adhesion was observed at 1 day in all samples in both cell lines. Osteoblasts viability was lower in Zr MTA group, unlike fibroblasts viability was shown to be higher in Zr MTA group compared to Zr Textured group at 3 and 7 days. Osteocalcin and IL-8 release by osteoblasts were higher in Zr MTA. Zr Textured showed higher IL-8 values released by fibroblasts. No differences in S. oralis CFUs were observed between groups. The results suggest that Zirconia implant surfaces coated with MTA seems to promote fibroblasts proliferation and osteoblasts differentiation, however does not appear to have antibacterial properties.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays a role in several inflammatory diseases and is capable of inducing the release of inflammatory mediators in several cell types. The objective was to investigate the potential of Ang II to induce mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators by cultured primary human periodontal cells. A synergistic effect of a co-treatment with Ang II and IL1β on mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators was also explored. Primary cultures of human fibroblast-like cells isolated from gingival and periodontal ligament tissues from 3 subjects were established using explant techniques. Immunophenotyping of STRO-1, Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and Ang II type 2 receptor (AT2R) was performed by flow cytometry analysis. Cell cultures were challenged with Ang II (1M) for 3, 6 and 24h with or without a co-treatment with IL1β (0.1ng/mL) for 24h. mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators was performed by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). We present, for the first time, a precise quantification for AT1R and AT2R on human gingival and periodontal fibroblast-like cell types; the percentage of positive immunostaining compared to the total population of cells varied from 3.35% through 5.29% for AT1R and 2.97% through 4.57% for AT2R. Ang II slightly upregulated mRNA expression of IL6 and CCL2/MCP1 in gingival cells and IL8 and PTGS2/COX2 in periodontal ligament cells. IL1β induced upregulation of IL8, IL6 CCL2/MCP1, PTGS2/COX2 and IL1β mRNA in both cell types. Co-treatment with Ang II and IL1β did not show a synergistic effect under these experimental conditions. Ang II shows a low potential to induce mRNA upregulation of inflammatory mediators in cultured primary human gingival and periodontal ligament cells, most likely due to the low percentage of Ang II receptors in such cells, and no synergistic effect with the co-treatment with IL1β.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays a role in several inflammatory diseases and is capable of inducing the release of inflammatory mediators in several cell types. The objective was to investigate the potential of Ang II to induce mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators by cultured primary human periodontal cells. A synergistic effect of a co-treatment with Ang II and IL1β on mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators was also explored. Primary cultures of human fibroblast-like cells isolated from gingival and periodontal ligament tissues from 3 subjects were established using explant techniques. Immunophenotyping of STRO-1, AT1 and AT2 receptors was performed by flow cytometry analysis. Cell cultures were challenged with Ang II (1M) for 3, 6 and 24h with or without a co-treatment with IL1β (0.1ng/mL) for 24h. mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators was performed by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). We present, for the first time, a precise quantification for AT1 and AT2 receptors on human gingival and periodontal fibroblast-like cell types; the percentage of positive immunostaining compared to the total population of cells varied from 3.35% through 5.29% for AT1 and 2.97% through 4.57% for AT2. Ang II slightly upregulated mRNA expression of IL6 and CCL2/MCP1 in gingival cells and IL8 and PTGS2/COX2 in periodontal ligament cells. IL1β induced upregulation of IL8, IL6 CCL2/MCP1, PTGS2/COX2 and IL1β mRNA in both cell types. Co-treatment with Ang II and IL1β did not show a synergistic effect under these experimental conditions. Ang II shows a low potential to induce mRNA upregulation of inflammatory mediators in cultured primary human gingival and periodontal ligament cells, most likely due to the low percentage of Ang II receptors in such cells, and no synergistic effect with the co-treatment with IL1β.

Mexico shows a high prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents. Geographical location and cultural environment could play a role in the promotion of healthy lifestyles in terms of physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB) and nutrition. The purpose of this study was to assess rural and urban differences in body composition (BC), physical fitness (PF), PA and nutritional status of adolescents from the state of Jalisco (Mexico). The study involved 469 students aged 13-17 years (55.0% girls) from 8 high schools. BC was analyzed by bioimpedance, and PF by standardized field tests. Objective measurements of PA and SB were taken in a subsample (n=240). Energy intake (EI) was calculated from two 24h recalls. Rural residents presented a higher prevalence of overweight, waist circumference, trunk fat mass, regional fat free mass and muscle handgrip strength (all p<0.05, ηp2<0.06). Cardiorespiratory fitness was similar among participants, whereas urban adolescents showed higher muscle power, speed-agility and flexibility scores (all p<0.05, ηp2<0.07). Overall lifestyle behavior in urban adolescents was more sedentary (p<0.05, ηp2= 0.11). EI was similar in both locations. In conclusion, urban Mexican adolescents presented a generally higher sedentary behavior and better fitness and fatness profile than their rural peers.

Crop yield estimation supported by satellite remote sensing data can provide expeditious and strategic information for farmers’ decision-making. Most recent forecasting methods have indicated a promising pathway based on machine learning algorithms. However, validation performances, demand for big data and their inherent inexplicability have not yet consolidated a substantial differential to replace methods based on simpler and more understandable models. This paper proposes an approach based on simple linear models fitted from vegetation indices (VIs) assessed at regular intervals of time series derived from MODIS satellite images, aiming to forecast cotton yields in representative areas of the Brazilian Cerrado. Data from 281 commercial production plots were taken to train (167 plots) and test (114 plots) linear regression models relating seed cotton yield and nine well-known VIs averaged in 15-days intervals. Among the evaluated VIs, EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) and TVI (Triangular Vegetation Index) showed the lowest root mean square errors (RMSE) and the highest determination coefficients. The best periods for in-season yield prediction were from the 90-105 to 135-150 days after sowing (DAS), i.e. phenological phases corresponding to boll development, open boll and fiber maturation, with lowest RMSE of about 750 kg ha-1 and R2=0.70. The best forecasts for early crop stages were provided by models at the peaks (maximum value of the VI time-series) for EVI and TVI, which occurred around 80-90 DAS. The proposed approach makes the yield predictability more inferable along the crop time series just by providing sowing dates, contour maps and its respective VIs.

We analyzed the interaction of two acceptor materials, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and [6,6]-phenyl-C6-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), and poly(3-hexylthiphene) (P3HT), as well as the dependence of its photophysical properties with the temperature in the range 90 to 300 K. The nanocomposite of the films was analyzed by optical absorption ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) and photoluminescence (PL) and emission ellipsometry (EE) in a function of sample temperature. The surface morphology was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). We noted that onset levels (Eonset) of the nanocomposite of P3HT and RGO is smaller than the others. The PL spectra showed the presence of anomalies in the emission intensities in the nanocomposite of P3HT and PCBM. It was also possible to determine the electron-phonon coupling by calculating the Huang-Hys parameters and its dependence with the sample’s temperature. Through EE it was possible to analyze the degree of polarization and the anisotropy. We observed a high degree of polarized emission of the P3HT films which varies subtly according to the temperature. For nanocomposites with RGO the polarization degree in the emission decreases and the roughness on the surface increases. As a result, the RGO improves the energy transfer between adjacent polymer chains at the cost of greater surface roughness. Then, the greater energy transfer may favor applications of this type nanocomposite in OPVC's with enhancement in energy conversion efficiency.

Atmospheric turbulence characteristics are essential in determining the quality of astronomical images and implementing adaptive optics systems. In this study, the vertical distributions of optical turbulence at the Peak Terskol observatory (43.27472 ° N 42.50083 ° E, 3127 m a.s.l.) using the Era-5 re-analysis and scintillation measurements are investigated. For the closest reanalysis grid node to the observatory, vertical profiles of the structural constant of the air refractive index turbulent fluctuations Cn2 were obtained. The calculated Cn2(z) vertical profiles are compared with the vertical distribution of turbulence intensity obtained from tomographic measurements with Shack-Hartmann sensor. The atmospheric coherence length at the location of Terskol Peak was estimated. Using combination of atmospheric models and scheme paramaterization of turbulence, Cn2(z) profiles at Mt. Kurapdag were obtained. The values of atmospheric coherence length at the Peak Terskol are compared with estimated values of this length at the ten astronomical sites including Ali, Lenghu and Daocheng.

The Douro Demarcated Region (DDR) has peculiar edaphoclimatic characteristics that provide a suitable terroir for premium wine production. As climate change effects continue to emerge, ensuring productivity and quality becomes increasingly important for viticulturists, as those directly determine their profits. Cultural approaches, such as the use of biostimulants, are actively being developed to mitigate abiotic stress. The main objective of this work was to assess the effect of foliar sprays of a seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) based extract (ANE) and glycine betaine (GB) on grape berry quality, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity. A trial was installed in a commercial vineyard (cv. Touriga Franca) in the Douro Superior (Upper Douro) sub-region of the Douro Demarcated Region. In 2020, a total of three foliar sprayings were performed during the growing season, namely at pea-size, bunch closure, and veraison. There was a positive effect of both biostimulants (ANE and GB) on the physiological and biochemical performance of cv. Touriga Franca exposed to summer stress. In general, the GB 0.2% spraying was the most promising treatment for this grape cultivar, as it increased berry quality, the concentration of bioactive compounds (total phenolics, flavonoids and ortho-diphenols), and the antioxidant activities. These results revealed the efficacy of biostimulants sprayings as sustainable viticultural practice, improving berry quality under summer stress conditions.

Plant-based extracts have been recently employed as sustainable tools to improve biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and increase grape quality. However, knowledge about the effect of these extracts on secondary metabolism compounds, that are fundamental for grape and wine quality, is still scarce. In this study, a trial was installed in an experimental vineyard with the variety Touriga Franca located at University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Baixo Corgo sub-region of the Douro Demarcated Region, in two growing seasons: 2019 and 2020. Foliar sprayings with the natural products, nettle extract (NE) and Japanese knotweed extract (JKE), were tested to evaluate their effect on downy mildew incidence and severity, on grapevines bioactive compounds contents and antioxidant activity, at veraison and harvest. NE and JKE have stimulated an improvement in the concentration of total carotenoids in leaves and the concentration of total phenolics in berries along with an improved concentration of total phenolics and flavonoids in leaves and berries. Thus, it was verified that these extracts enhance grapevines bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity and, consequently, the physiological performance of the plant and the quality of the berries. Considering the challenges posed by climate change in the Mediterranean basin viticulture sector, the use of plant extracts might represent a sustainable tool to mitigate the increasing severity of drought, often associated to heatwaves and high irradiation. Moreover, downy mildew incidence results suggest that an integrated disease management approach combining conventional control with alternative fungicides can be used in the future for a more sustainable viticulture.

(1) Background: Obesity and its comorbidities can cause burdens and limitations. Bariatric surgery (BS) is indicated as a safe procedure to reduce body mass and improve present comorbidities. Yet, several complications were reported, like vitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency. We evaluated if 25(OH)D serum levels relate to clinical characteristics, symptoms, or habits in women after their BS and whether the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene's TaqI and FokI polymorphisms affected 25(OH)D levels and the total body bone mineral density (TBBMD). (2) Methods: This cohort cross-sectional comparative analytical prospective study consisted of 27 women, 61.6 ± 5.0 years, submitted to BS one year prior at a public reference hospital, DF-Brazil. All participants were asked to follow the physical and dietary activity recommendations and received vitamin D3 supplements. Their anthropometric, biochemical, and immunological measurements and blood samples were obtained. (3) Results: 73.3% of participants had low 25(OH)D levels, and their levels correlated positively with TBBMD and negatively with systolic pressure. VDR TaqI did not affect 25(OH)D levels, whereas VDR FokI's allele f presence correlated to a median rise in 25(OH)D levels. Neither polymorphism correlated to TBBMD. (4) Conclusions: 25(OH)D levels were positively correlated with TBBMD, negatively with systolic blood pressure, and were higher in those with the VDR FokI allele f.

With a worldwide growing concern for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their impact on human health and the environment, transportation has become a central theme in mitigation, responsible for 14% of human GHG emissions. To build endurance to climate change, transportation services must adapt to the current scenario and act quickly to avert future changes. Deeply rooted changes in socio-technical systems will be necessary to achieve significant CO2 reduction and secure the well-being of future generations. This study's objective is to comprehensively review the current state of carbon mitigation in the transportation sector. This is done through a systematic literature review engrained in the socio-technical transition theory and the structural theory of contingency. Twenty-six review papers covering 2,983 original articles are selected for full-text examination concerning carbon emissions in transportation. Enablers, barriers, benefits, disadvantages and metrics in carbon emissions reduction are identified, and a comprehensive framework is built. Results provide a view of the current sustainability scenario in transportation and allow a better understanding of the factors influencing carbon emission initiatives in transportation and its outcomes.

The North-Marchean Apennines (central Italy) host an extraordinary geological and geomor-phological heritage, significant for its richness, diversity, rarity, scientific interest, aesthetic ap-peal, naturalistic, cultural, and educational values. The area, which covers 600 square kilometres and includes numerous spectacular geosites, embraces 18 municipalities in the provinces of Pesaro-Urbino and Ancona. These municipalities are distributed along the ridge that includes the peaks of Mts. Strega, Catria, Acuto, Petrano, Tenetra and Nerone and covers the parallel ridge of Mts. Paganuccio-Pietralata, together with the spectacular Furlo Gorge. It is a real geological museum outdoors, which, with its continuous stratigraphic succession of 200 million years, its geosites, and a vast system of karstic caves, is distinctive for geologists all over the world. This study aims to analyse the environmental heritage of the North-Marchean Apennines through the integrated study and description of the geo-environmental aspects of 7 geosites, se-lected from a list of 44, presented here and localized. These 7 geosites were chosen as being par-ticularly significant from a scientific, naturalistic as well as aesthetic, and cultural point of view. The richness of its geological and geomorphological heritage and the great wealth of its naturalistic, historical, and cultural aspects make it an area with high educational, tourist and recreational potential.

Classical k-ratio models, e.g. ZAF and phi(rho z), used in electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) assume a homogeneous or multi-layered material structure, which essentially limits the spatial resolution of EPMA to the size of the interaction volume where characteristic x-rays are produced. We present a new model for characteristic x-ray emission that avoids assumptions on the material structure to not restrict the resolution of EPMA a-priori. Our model bases on the spherical harmonic (PN) approximation of the Boltzmann equation for electron transport in continuous slowing down approximation. PN models have a simple structure, are hierarchical in accuracy and well-suited for efficient adjoint-based gradient computation, which makes our model a promising alternative to classical models in terms of improving the resolution of EPMA in the future. We present results of various test cases including a comparison of the PN model to a minimum entropy moment model as well as Monte-Carlo (MC) trajectory sampling, a comparison of PN-based k-ratios to k-ratios obtained with MC, a comparison with experimental data of electron backscattering yields as well as a comparison of PN and Monte-Carlo based on characteristic X-ray generation in a three-dimensional material probe with fine structures.

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the largest pollutants and generator of toxic solvent resi-dues for the environment and human beings. In the last decade, there has been a huge evolution in the design and development of new environmentally friendly products and processes, in re-sponse to the global environmental concern and the growing demand for products with quality ingredients and manufacturing processes aimed at achieving sustainability. Consumers are looking for products with the benefits of natural products, with sustainable and environmentally friendly formulations with few synthetic molecules as possible. Thus, based on the origins of the pharmaceutical industry, it is important to return to Nature and enjoy the benefits that natural products bring to us. Deep eutectic solvents appear as an alternative to toxic solvents commonly used to extract bioactive compounds. These solvents are considered green solvents because they are made up of natural compounds such as sugars, amino acids, and carboxylic acids. In addition, they are simple to prepare, with an atomic economy of 100%, with attractive physicochemical properties. This paper is a comprehensive review in which is described the main properties, characteristics, and production methods of deep eutectic solvents as well as its application to extract from natural sources bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical interest.

Climate change will pose a challenge for the winemaking sector worldwide, bringing progressively drier and warmer conditions and increasing the frequency and intensity of weather extremes. The short-term adaptation strategy of applying biostimulants through foliar application serves as a crucial measure in mitigating the detrimental effects of environmental stresses on grapevine yield and berry quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of foliar application of a seaweed based biostimulant (A. nodosum – ANE) and glycine betaine (GB) on berry quality, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and elucidated their action on the secondary metabolism. A trial was installed in a commercial vineyard (cv. ‘Touriga Franca’) in the Cima Corgo (Upper Corgo) sub-region of the Douro Demarcated Region. A total of four foliar sprayings were performed during the growing season: at flowering, pea size, bunch closer, and veraison. There was a positive effect of GB in the berry quality traits. Both ANE and GB increased the synthesis of anthocyanins and other phenolics in berries and influenced the expression of genes related to the synthesis and transport of anthocyanins (CHS, F3H, UFGT, MATE1 and GST). So, they have the potential to act as elicitors of secondary metabolism, leading to improved grape quality, but also sets the foundation for sustainable agricultural practices in the long run.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) simplifies the fabrication of complex geometries. Its scope has rapidly expanded from the fabrication of pre-production visualization models to the manufacturing of end use parts driving the need for better part quality assurance in the additively manufactured parts. Machine learning (ML) is one of the promising techniques that can be used to achieve this goal. Current research in this field includes the use of supervised and unsupervised ML algorithms for quality control and prediction of mechanical properties of AM parts. This paper explores the applications of supervised learning algorithms - Support Vector Machines and Random Forests. Support vector machines provide high accuracy in classifying the data and is used to decide whether the final parts have the desired properties. Random Forests consist of an ensemble of decision trees capable of both classification and regression. This paper reviews the implementation of both algorithms and analyzes the research carried out on their applications in AM.

This paper proposes an Integrated Fire Management (IFM) framework to address the challenges posed by both damaging and beneficial fires. Designing and implementing IFM approaches in Kenya calls for a systematic understanding of the various uses of fire and the underlying perceptions and traditional ecological knowledge of the local people. The proposed IFM framework allows evaluating the risks posed by fires, balancing them with the beneficial ecological and economic effects and developing effective fire management approaches. The IFM framework is applied in the case study Gathiuru forest that is part of the larger Mt. Kenya forest ecosystem. Focus group discussions were held with key resource persons, primary and secondary data on socio-economic activities were studied, fire and weather records were analysed and the current fire management plans were observed. Questionnaires were used to assess how the IFM is implemented in the Gathiuru forest station. The results show that the proposed IFM framework is scalable and can be applied in places with fire-dependent ecosystems as well as in places with fire-sensitive ecosystems in Kenya. The effectiveness is dependent on the active participation, formulation and implementation of the IFM activities by the main stakeholder groups (KFS, KWS, and CFA). The proposed IFM framework helps in implementing cost-effective approaches to prevent damaging fires and maintain desirable fire regimes in Kenya.

The Brazilian Pantanal region suffers intensely from biomass burning during the dry season. Large quantities of gases and particles are emitted into the atmosphere during this period, with serious implications for fauna and flora. Understanding the dynamics of these emissions is es-sential for mitigating the ecosystem, its functioning, and possible anthropogenic disturbances. In this sense, this study analyzed emissions over the north of the Brazilian Pantanal during the 2022 drought. Measurements of concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), Black carbon (BC), and elemental concentration (25 chemical elements) were determined by gravimetry, reflectance analysis, and X-ray fluorescence, respectively, for samples collected between August and Octo-ber 2022. The average concentrations of PM2.5 and BC had their values increased by approxi-mately 4 and 2.5 times, respectively, when compared to the averages from a decade ago. The maximum concentrations found are close to values typical of the southern Amazon region, a re-gion with high rates of deforestation and changes in land use. The elemental analysis showed large changes in concentrations, mainly associated with biomass burning emission (BB) and soil resuspension. Furthermore, analyses of lead (Pb) concentrations showed strong anthropization at the study site.

(1) Background: The severity of malaria is associated with low bioavailability of antioxidants and high concentration of free radicals that induce oxidative damage in cerebral and pulmonary microcirculation. This can be prevented by the action of consumable antioxidants present in foods. Therefore, we investigated the protective role of lycopene (LYC) on the oxidative changes induced by Plasmodium berghei (Pb); (2) Methods: Mice were infected by intraperitoneal injection of 106 parasitized red blood cells and treated via gavage with LYC (3.11 mg/kg bw/day) or NAC (62 mg/kg bw/day). They were then evaluated for 1, 4, 8 or 12 days after infection. Levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), antioxidant capacity by inhibition of ABTS radicals (AC-ABTS) and DPPH (AC-DPPH), uric acid (UA), and nitric oxide (NO) were measured in brain and lung tissues; (3) Results: The infection caused oxidative stress confirmed by increased levels of TBARS, AC-ABTS, AC-DPPH, UA, and NO in the tissues leading to the death of the animals. LYC prevented the increase in TBARS, AU, and NO levels compared to Pb (p< 0.0001) and NAC+Pb groups (p<0.0001), reaching values similar to those of Sham animals; (4) Conclusions: These results are striking evidence of the beneficial effect of lycopene supplementation on oxidative stress in experimental malaria in vivo and emphasize the importance of antioxidant supplementation in the treatment of the disease.

Compared to traditional multi-robot path planning problems, multi-chain robot path planning (MCRPP) is more challenging because it must account for collisions between robot units and between the bodies of a chain and the leading unit during towing. To address MCRPP more efficiently, we propose a novel algorithm called Multi-Train Safe Interval Path Planning (MT-SIPP). Based on safe interval path planning principles, we categorize conflicts in the multi-train planning process into three types: travel conflicts, waiting conflicts, and station conflicts. To handle travel conflicts, we use an improved k-robust method to ensure trains avoid collisions with other trains during movement. To resolve waiting conflicts, we apply a time correction method to ensure the safety of positions occupied by trains during waiting periods. To address station conflicts, we introduce node constraints to prevent other trains from occupying the station positions of trains that have reached their target stations and are stopped. Experimental results on three benchmark maps show that the MT-SIPP algorithm achieves about a 30% improvement in solution success rate and nearly a 50% increase in the maximum number of solvable instances compared to existing methods. These results confirm the effectiveness of MT-SIPP in addressing the challenges of MCRPP.

The Arabian Desert is characterised by very low rainfall and high evaporation, yet on its northeastern edge in central Iraq are 210 springs along the Abu Jir lineament, which represents the western depositional margin of a foreland basin infilled by the floodplain sediments of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; there is little evidence of faulting. The springs discharge from gently east-dipping Paleocene-Eocene limestones, either where groundwater flowpaths intersect the ground surface or where groundwater flow is forced to the surface by confining aquitards. Calculated annual recharge to the aquifer system across the Arabian Desert plateau (130-500 million m3) is enough to sustain the Abu Jir springs provided groundwater extraction is not excessive. The hydrochemistry of the springs is determined by evaporation, rainfall composition (high SO4 concentrations are due to dissolution of wind-blown gypsum in the rainfall), and plant uptake of Ca and K (despite the sparse vegetation). Limestone dissolution has relatively little impact; many of the springs are undersaturated with respect to calcite and lack tufa/travertine deposits. The springs at Hit-Kubaysa contain tar and high levels of H2S that probably seeped upwards along subvertical faults from underlying oil reservoirs; the presence of hydrocarbons makes the water reducing and converts the dissolved SO4 to H2S.

Due to failure of the continuum hypothesis for higher Knudsen numbers, rarefied gases and microflows of gases are particularly difficult to model. Macroscopic transport equations compete with particle methods, such as DSMC to find accurate solutions in the rarefied gas regime. Due to growing interest in micro flow applications, such as micro fuel cells, it is important to model and understand evaporation in this flow regime. Here, evaporation boundary conditions for the R13 equations, which are macroscopic transport equations with applicability in the rarefied gas regime, are derived. The new equations utilize Onsager relations, linear relations between thermodynamic fluxes and forces, with constant coefficients, that need to be determined. For this, the boundary conditions are fitted to DSMC data and compared to other R13 boundary conditions from kinetic theory and Navier-Stokes-Fourier (NSF) solutions for two one-dimensional steady-state problems. Overall, the suggested fittings of the new phenomenological boundary conditions show better agreement to DSMC than the alternative kinetic theory evaporation boundary conditions for R13. Furthermore, the new evaporation boundary conditions for R13 are implemented in a code for the numerical solution of complex, two-dimensional geometries and compared to NSF solutions. Different flow patterns between R13 and NSF for higher Knudsen numbers are observed.

In bone tissue engineering, ceramics have been the choice due to their excellent biological properties. But the paradigm changed with the discovery of bioactive glasses (BGs) in 1969 by Larry Hench and co-workers, due to their ability to bond to living tissues through the formation of an interfacial bone-like hydroxyapatite layer when the bioglass was put in contact with biological fluids in vivo. Among a number of tested compositions, the one exhibiting the highest bioactivity index is the well-known trademarked 45S5 Bioglass®. The topic received increasing attention particularly after 1985 when this material entered in the market of biomedical devices, inspiring many other investigations aiming at further exploring the in vitro and in vivo performances of this BG, or developing other related BG compositions. The research efforts gradually revealed a number of shortcomings of 45S5 Bioglass®, mostly derived from its high sodium content, initially intended to decrease the melting temperature and accelerating the degradation of the silicate network over time. But the extensive release of sodium from 45S5 Bioglass® in the biological fluids creates a high pH cytotoxic environment. Other serious drawbacks include a fast degradation rate, and a poor sintering ability, which hinders the reliable fabrication of porous scaffolds. Therefore, sol-gel was regarded as an attractive alternative to prepare alkali-free BG compositions. The process uses inorganic and/or organic precursors, which undergo hydrolysis and condensation at room-temperature, being less costly. When properly conducted, the sol-gel process might result in amorphous structures with all the components intimately mixed at the atomic scale. Moreover, developing new better performing materials for bone tissue engineering is a growing concern, as the ageing of the world’s population leads to lower bone density and osteoporosis. This work describes the sol-gel synthesis of a novel quaternary silicate-based BG with the composition 60 SiO2 – 34 CaO – 4 MgO – 2 P2O5 (mol%) was prepared using acidified distilled water as single solvent. By controlling the kinetics of the hydrolysis and condensation steps, an amorphous glass structure could be obtained. The results of XRD of samples calcined within the temperature range from 600-900 ºC demonstrated that amorphous nature was maintained until 800 ºC, followed by partial crystallization at 900 ºC. The specific surface area, an important factor in osteoconduction, was also evaluated over different temperatures, ranging from 160.6 ± 0.8 m2/g at 600 ºC down to 2.2 ± 0.1 m2/g at 900 ºC, being accompanied consistent changes in average pore size and agreeing pore size distribution. The immersion of the BG particles in simulated body fluid (SBF) led to the formation of an extensive apatite layer on its surface. These overall results indicate the proposed material is very promising for biomedical applications in bone regeneration and tissue engineering.

Microplastics (MPs), typically defined as plastic fragments smaller than 5mm, are pervasive in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. There is a need for rapid, portable, low-cost detection systems to assess health and environmental risks. Fluorescent tagging with Nile Red (NR) has emerged as a popular detection method, but variations in fluorescent emissions based on NR solvent, plastic polymer, excitation wavelength, and additives complicate standardization. In this study, seven plastic samples stained with acetone-based NR were analyzed using a fluorescent spectrometer to identify optimal emission peaks across UV-Vis excitation wavelengths. These findings aid in selecting appropriate excitation wavelengths and optical filters for future detection systems. Additionally, a straightforward polymer identification scheme was validated against field-collected plastic samples, whose material composition was confirmed via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. This work contributes towards developing accessible microplastic detection technologies by characterizing the fluorescent properties of NR-stained plastics and enhancing the capability for effective environmental monitoring. Future research will expand the dataset to include diverse plastics with varying additives and weathering, and incorporate computer-vision tools for automated data processing and polymer identification.

Objective: To evaluate the direct costs of treating patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) in outpatient care, from a hospital and Unified Health System (SUS) perspective. Methods: Observational study with data collection by microfunding, carried out with patients diagnosed with neuromyelitis optics, treated at a university hospital, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Mann-Whitney tests were performed to measure cost differences between patient groups by disease severity and analysis perspective. Results: Nine individuals with a median age of 48 years (IQR 30 - 59 years) were included. The median total costs for patients with greater severity from the perspective of the SUS and the hospital were R$ 21,638.22 (IIQ: R$ 15,614.63; R$ 25,985.32) and R$ 32,094.11 (IIQ: R$ 25,610 .60; R$ 38,617.25) respectively. For patients with moderate severity the median was R$ 7,339.85 (IIQ: R$ 6,235.45; R$ 11,912.05) from the SUS perspective and R$ 11,505.80 (IIQ: R$ 7,339.85; R$ 22,424.76) from the perspective of the hospital, where the use of medications had a major impact. Conclusion: The main cost drivers were medicines, especially those used off-label, and procedures.

(1) Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the second largest cause of mortality in female worldwide. Besides from basic risk factors, there are several hereditary variables that contribute to BC. Breast cancer has been linked to a variety of nuclear DNA changes as well as mitochondrial DNA alterations. The aim of this study was to analysis the association of mitochondrial tRNA leucine2 gene with BC. (2) Material and methods: In the current study, 24 samples have been collected from various families in Peshawar. DNA was extracted from Blood. PCR was used to amplify the mitochondrial tRNA MT-TL2 gene, and 22 samples were sequenced. The sequence was compared with accession #NC-012920.1 of the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS). (3) Results: The results (Chromatograph, nucleotide sequence and rCRS alignment) shows mutations in mitochondrial tRNA MT-TL2 gene in our participants is not the cause of Breast cancer. (4) Conclusion: Yet, a significant number of BC patients must be studied, and their full mitochondrial DNA must be analyzed. This will provide an indication of the potential DNA marker that might be used to prevent BC deaths at the earliest stages.

The global financial crisis of 2008, triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, highlighted a banking system that was widely exposed to systemic risk. The minimization of the systemic risk via a close and detailed monitoring of the entire banking network became a priority. This is a complex and demanding task considering the size of the banking systems: in the US and the EU they include more than 10000 institutions. In this paper, we introduce a methodology which identifies a subset of banks that can: a) efficiently represent the behavior of the whole banking system and b) provide, in the case of a failure, a plausible range of the crisis dispersion. The proposed methodology can be used by the regulators as an auxiliary monitoring tool, to identify groups of banks that are potentially in distress and try to swiftly remedy their problems and minimize the propagation of the crisis by restricting contagion. This methodology is based on Graph Theory and more specifically Complex Networks. We termed this setting a “multivariate Threshold – Minimum Dominating Set” (mT–MDS) and it is an extension of the Threshold – Minimum Dominating Set methodology (Gogas e.a., 2016). The method was tested on a dataset of 570 U.S. banks: 429 solvent and 141 failed ones. The variables used to create the networks are: the total interest expense, the total interest income, the tier 1 (core) risk-based capital and the total assets. The empirical results reveal that the proposed methodology can be successfully employed as an auxiliary tool for the efficient supervision of a large banking network.

Landslides are natural disasters that normally cause misery over the Mount Elgon region, especially in Bududa district. A landslide early warning system was developed in collaboration with the community and this study investigated it’s effectiveness in disseminating warnings to the community. The data were collected from 82 respondents (mean age 43) and 4 focus group discussions (one per village). Majority of the respondents lost crops (35.9%); land (29.8%); lives and livestock (6.9%). The frequent occurrence of landslides is due to the changes in landuse patterns; settlement on steep slopes; and prolonged rainfall of low intensities. The study found that, 93.2% of respondents have ever received the warnings and alerts. 78.8% of those who received the warnings evacuated. The use of radios to disseminate warnings is the most efficient communication channel (44.4%) followed by using the clan members (19.5%). Only 40% of the women received the early warning through radios, an indicator that this channel puts women at a disadvantage. The main challenges regarding utilization of early warning system were: poor timing (29.9%); poor coordination (20.7%); and poor sensitization (18.4%). There is need to strengthen the community networks, and with continuous sensitization, the effectiveness of the landslides early warning will improve and this is expected to enhance the resilience of the community to landslides.

Abstract: The spectral and dynamic properties of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO)

The cannabis plant has been known for millennia for its properties such as textile fiber, food, recreational and medicinal use. Since the origin of its domestication in Asia, cannabis has been transported to the rest of the continents by merchants, nomads, settlers, and slaves, who have also carried with them valuable knowledge about its uses. Its medical use was one of the major contributions of this plant in the various civilizations through which it passed. This article aims to understand its origins, dissemination, and medical use over the years to the present day.

We aimed to apply DNA barcoding tool for the molecular identification of horn snails T. telescopium using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (mt-COI) and to investigate their evolutionary relationship along with location-specific bio-geographical variations. The molecular data sets of this study indicate that strong probability of T. telescopium species taxonomic confirmation using mt-COI sequences. Results of the phylogenetic analysis suggest that Telescopium sp. was monophyletic with disseminated nodes and the evolution of group II originated from group I. The substantial genetic distance among the mt-COI sequences (0.005 to 0.184) were noticed. Large divergence between the south-west coast of India and Australia region population indicates limited gene flow between the two continents. Our study suggests that the genera Telescopium is globally ubiquitous but genetically showing inter-region differentiation. We conclude that mt-COI gene can be used to identify gastropod T. telescopium species.

This study compares lifestyles behaviour in Italian and Latvian university students, to assess if there are differences for sex, age, university or studies specialties. An online questionnaire investigating 8 lifestyle dimensions has been compiled by 156 (43,6 % females) from Italy and 105 from Latvia (82,9% females). Answers were collected between April and December 2020. Presence of smokers are negligible. The questionnaire showed to have a good internal consistency (Cronbach α =.929). On the total group, significant statistically differences were found for all the dimensions regarding age, sex, study specialty and university. Physical activity was associated with healthier lifestyles choices. Geographical-induced differences were found (eating and sleep behaviours, alcohol awareness) as well as socio-economic differences. Female students shown to be more stressed than males. Occupational wellness increased by age. Sport students shown more health awareness. Many of the differences found in the total group disappeared when comparing only sport students of the two university, showing females increasing their scores. This result can be explained by a masculinization effect of sport.

The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)-CoV (Coronavirus)-2 S(spike)-protein mRNA/cDNA currently being used as vaccines are antigenic but not antigens against SARS-CoV-2, that causes COVID (Coronavirus Disease) -19. Furthermore, the mRNA and cDNA antigenic vaccines also have potentials for homologous as well as heterologous recombination, primarily into the somatic cell DNA of the vaccine recipients. On the contrary, a SARS-CoV-2 RBD-protein antigen, a part of the S-protein, will directly stimulate antibody production against SARS-CoV-2. Hence, a vaccine composed of SARS-CoV-2 RBD-protein as a safer, fast acting, and effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and thus against COVID-19. This is also useful for some immune compromised individuals.

Feline sporotrichosis is an endemic disease with high occurrence in Brazil. Itraconazole (ITZ), remains the drug of choice for treating this disease in cats, despite the increasing reports of therapeutic failure. A controlled, randomized clinical trial was performed on 166 naive cats with sporotrichosis to assess the effectiveness and safety of the combination therapy (ITZ+KI) com-pared with ITZ monotherapy. Cats were randomly allocated in two treatment groups: G1 - ITZ 100 mg/cat/day and G2 - ITZ 100mg/cat/day + KI 2.5-20 mg/kg/day. Cats treated in G2 presented 77% more risk of reaching clinical cure (a positive effect) than those treated in G1, even when controlled by negative predictors. The survival curves of the two treatment protocols indicates that clinical cure was achieved faster in G2. An increase in the KI dose was necessary in 28 cats due to persistence of clinical signs. Adverse reactions were equally frequent in both groups and manageable with a temporary drug suspension and/or a hepatoprotective therapy. The combination therapy was associated with a higher cure rate and a shorter treatment time, suggesting that ITZ+KI arises as a better option for treating feline sporotrichosis and should be considered as the first-line treatment in the presence of negative predictors.

This study compares lifestyles behaviour in Italian and Latvian university students, to assess if there are differences for sex, age, university or studies specialties. An online questionnaire investigating 8 lifestyle dimensions has been compiled by 156 (43,6 % females) from Italy and 105 from Latvia (82,9% females). Answers were collected between April and December 2020. Presence of smokers are negligible. The questionnaire showed to have a good internal consistency (Cronbach α =.929). On the total group, significant statistically differences were found for all the dimensions regarding age, sex, study specialty and university. Physical activity was associated with healthier lifestyles choices. Geographical-induced differences were found (eating and sleep behaviours, alcohol awareness) as well as socio-economic differences. Female students shown to be more stressed than males. Occupational wellness increased by age. Sport students shown more health awareness. Many of the differences found in the total group disappeared when comparing only sport students of the two university, showing females increasing their scores. This result can be explained by a masculinization effect of sport.

Background. The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ) is widely used to measure functional ability in persons with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The instrument was developed with limited involvement from persons with RA, and their perception of the instrument has not been studied in depth. The aim of this study was to explore how persons with RA experience the use of the HAQ in care. Methods. Forty persons with RA were purposefully recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were then analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Results. The participants questioned the relevance of the HAQ but nevertheless experienced that the instrument had a profound effect on their understanding of health and how care is delivered. The analysis resulted in three themes: Problems with individual items, meaning of the summative score, and effects on care and health perceptions. Conclusions. To make the HAQ relevant to persons with RA, it needs to be revised or to include an option to select items most meaningful to the respondent. To ensure relevance, the HAQ update should preferably be co-created by researchers, clinicians and persons with RA.

Rats, including those of the Sprague Dawley strain, may kill mice. Because of this muridical behavior, it is standard practice in many research animal housing facilities to separate mice from rats (i.e., the predators) to minimize stress for the mice. We therefore tested the effect of cohousing on the stress levels of mice from either the C57BL/6J (BL6) or the CD1 strain and Sprague Dawley (SD rat) by determining their fecal corticosterone or cortisol metabolites (FCM) concentration and investigated how cohousing impacts a behavioral assay, i.e., conditioned place preference for intragenus (i.e., mouse-mouse or rat-rat) dyadic social interaction (DSI CPP) that had been shown be sensitive to social factors, especially to handling by humans. We found that the two delivery batches of BL6 mice or SD rats, respectively, had different stress levels at delivery that were statistically significant for the BL6 mice. Even so, the BL6 mice cohoused with rats had significantly increased FCM concentrations, indicative of higher stress levels, as compared to (1) BL6 mice housed alone or (2) BL6 mice at delivery. In contrast to their elevated stress levels, the attractiveness for contextual cues associated with mouse-mouse social interaction (DSI CPP) even increased in rat-cohoused BL6 mice, albeit nonsignificantly. Thus, cohousing BL6 mice and rats did not impair a behavioral assay in BL6 mice that had proved to be sensitive to handling stress by humans in our laboratory. SD rats cohoused with BL6- or CD1 mice and CD1 mice cohoused with SD rats showed DSI CPP that was not different from our previously published data on SD rats and BL6 mice of the Jackson- or NIH substrain obtained in the absence of cohousing. Our findings suggest that the effect of cohousing rats and mice under the conditions described above on their stress levels as opposed to their behavior might be less clearcut than generally assumed and might be overriden by conditions that cannot be controlled, i.e., different deliveries. Our findings can help to use research animal housing resources, which usually are limited, more efficiently.

This paper proposes a new approach for multi-focus images fusion based on Region Mosaicing on Contrast Pyramids (REMCP). A density-based region growing method is developed to construct a focused region mask for multi-focus images. The segmented focused region mask is decomposed into a mask pyramid, which is then used for supervised region mosaicking on a contrast pyramid. In this way, the focus measurement and the continuity of focused regions are incorporated and the pixel level pyramid fusion is improved at the region level. Objective and subjective experiments show that the proposed REMCP is more robust to noise than compared algorithms and can fully preserves the focus information of the multi-focus images meanwhile reducing distortions of the fused images.

Memristors were proposed in the early ’70s of the XXth century by Leon Chua as a new electrical element linking the charge and the flux. Since that first introduction, these devices have positioned themselves to be considered as possibly fundamental for the new generations of electronic devices. It has to be mentioned that actual memristors have only been recognized to exist as physical elements. In this paper, we apply a modeling framework to generate a model describing experimental measurements performed on a ReRAM. We show how to apply the Dynamic Route Map technique in the general case to obtain an approximation to the differential equation that determines the behaviour of the device.

The concept of a Social License to Operate (SLO) has become increasingly important in the sustainability literature in recent years. Having its origins in the business discourse of the mining industry with respect to limiting opposition to mining projects, the notion of a social contract above and beyond legal requirements has since become applied across a number of different industries. Despite the concepts adoption confusion exists over the practices and outcomes of SLO, and particularly the nature of engagement. Given this situation it is surprising that not more attention to the role of marketing, and social marketing in particular, in operationalizing the concept. The paper discusses the potential of social marketing to contribute to SLO. Economic, political and social relations are complex in SLO and exchange is intricate in such relational environments. A community-based social marketing orientation is proposed as a means to improve exchange relations and enhance engagement. Seven models of SLO related social marketing models are discussed with community-based social marketing and adaptive co-marketing models being regarded as the most positive for the achievement of an SLO. Potential barriers to adoption of these approaches are noted.

Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) can be caused by mutations in PSEN1 that encodes presenilin-1, a component of the gamma-secretase complex that cleaves amyloid precursor protein. Alterations in calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis and glutamate signaling are implicated in the pathogenesis of FAD, however it has been difficult to assess in humans whether or not these phenotypes are the result of amyloid or tau pathology. This study aimed to assess early calcium and glutamate phenotypes of FAD by measuring the Ca2+ response of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons bearing PSEN1 mutations to glutamate and the ionotropic glutamate receptor agonists NMDA, AMPA and kainate compared to isogenic control and healthy lines. The data shows that in early neurons, even in the absence of amyloid and tau phenotypes, FAD neurons exhibit increased Ca2+ responses to glutamate and AMPA, but not NMDA or kainate. Together this suggests that PSEN1 mutations alter Ca2+ and glutamate signaling as an early phenotype of FAD.

This paper presents a study on the influence of the frequency variation of a nonlinear1 control allocation technique execution, developed by the author [1], named by Fast Control2 Allocation (FCA) for the Quadrotor Tilt-Rotor (QTR) aircraft. Then, through Software In The3 Loop (SITL) simulation, the proposed work considers the use of Gazebo, QGroundControl, and4 Matlab applications, where different frequencies of the FCA can be implemented separated in5 Matlab, always analyzing the QTR stability conditions from the virtual environment performed in6 Gazebo. TheresultsshowedthattheFCAneedsatleast200HzoffrequencyfortheQTRsafeflight7 conditions, i. e., 2 times smaller than the main control loop frequency, 400 Hz. Lower frequencies8 than this one would case instability or crashes during the QTR Operation.

In this working paper we intended to address the emergence of what, potentially, will be a central concept in the very near future, Society 5.0 and that arises politically in (with) following the implementation of the concept of Industry 4.0. Society 5.0 proposes to deepen the potential of the individual-technology relationship in the promotion of the improvement of the quality of life of all people through a super smart society, is an extremely recent concept as a guiding social development that can have a profound impact in societies at all levels, such as quality of life and sustainability. It is a presentation that is based on very recent3 publications, but which also has a prospective component, which always generates some indetermination and uncertainty. Also, for this reason, it is a contribution that seeks above all else to contribute to this very urgent and necessary discussion.

The ceramic pastes of ca. 31 samples recovered from the Almaraz archaeological site, located in the south bench of Tagus River, were studied in detail using XRF, micro-Raman and GSDR spectroscopies, as well as the XRD technique. The ceramic sherds could be grouped into six categories, Red Slip tableware, Decorated tableware, Yellow Slip tableware, Grey tableware, Common tableware and Handmade pottery. Our studies of the mineralogic composition of the sherds` body indicate that all ceramics were produced locally, using silicious clays in most cases and calcareous clays in a few ones. Micro-Raman and ground state diffuse reflectance absorption spectroscopy provided useful information regarding the materials used to produce the coloured ceramics: hematite and brookite for the red slip and decorated ceramics, jacobsite or carbon black for the black decoration or grey ceramics. For the yellow slip tableware a simple engobe rich in yellow clay was used. XRF spectroscopic studies provided the elemental composition of all samples, and biplots of the Potassium (K) versus Calcium (Ca) contents, normalized to the silicon content of each ceramic paste, clearly show that Pliocene and Miocene local clays sources were used to produce most ceramics. Only one sherd can be considered a Lisbon production.

Most recent university campuses follow the North American model, built on city limits or countryside, with large separate buildings in open green spaces. Studies suggest that prevalence and severity of mental health issues among university students are increasing over the past decade in most countries. University services were created to face this growing problem, however individual based interventions have limited effects on mental health and well-being of a large population. Our aim was to verify if and how the natural environment in Campuses is focused on programs to cope with the issue of mental health and well-being among students. Systematic review of literature was undertaken with search in Scopus and LILACS with the keywords “green areas” AND “well-being” AND “Campus”, following PRISMA guidelines. As a result, 32 articles were selected. Research on the topic is recent, mostly in the USA, Bulgaria, and China. Most studies used objective information on campuses’ greenness and/or university students’ perception. Mental health was usually measured by validated scores. Findings of all the studies indicated positive association between campus greenery and well-being of students. We conclude that there is a large potential for use of university campuses in programs and sites for students´ restoration and stress relief.

This article aims to understand the domains and conceptual uses of contagion, its modalities and its effects, in its different historical contexts and meanings, as an expression of the process of interdependence between the positions and the different points of view of different actors involved in multiple scientific, moral, social and political challenges. Another objective focuses on understanding the process of collective management of contagion, disease and health, where prevention is an essential element of its objectives and justifications, its discursive order, as well as its practical activities.

Shot peening is an attractive technique for fatigue enhanced performance of metallic components, because it promotes crack initiation retardation and later crack growth. Engineering design based on fatigue crack propagation predictions applying the principles of fracture mechanics is commonly used in aluminum structures for aerospace engineering. The main purpose of present work was to analyze the effect of shot peening on the fatigue crack propagation of the 7475 aluminum alloy, under both constant amplitude loading and periodical overload blocks. The tests were performed on 4 and 8 mm thickness specimen's with stress ratios of 0.05 and 0.4. The analysis of the shot-peened surface showed a small increase of the micro-hardness values, due to the plastic deformations imposed by shot peening. The beneficial effect of surface peening on fatigue crack growth rates is quite limited to an increasing near the threshold. The specimens’ thickness has only marginal influence on the crack propagation, in opposite to the stress ratio. Periodic overload blocks of 300 cycles promotes a reduction of the fatigue crack growth rate for both intervals of 7,500 and 15,000 cycles.

Sociology and History as consolidated scientific and academic projects have maintained a peculiar and paradoxical relationship. The growing disciplinary and subdisciplinary specialization of these two sciences poses relevant epistemological and methodological challenges to face potential situations of isolation, fragmentation and enable the apology of an interdisciplinary perspective characterized by the historicity of social structures, actions and senses.Several types of reasons shape this diffuse process of approach/distinction between Sociology and History, namely, epistemological and methodological, disciplinary closure, academic, professional, configuring what can be called contained dialogues. This paper, starting from the sociological perspective of the authors, seeks to contribute to the reflection on the relevance of a scientific project aimed at affirming an interdisciplinary perspective that may foster the heuristic potentialities of both Sociology and History in the analysis of the complexity of social reality and human action.

In this short communication, following a brief introduction, we undertake a comprehensive analytical study of the weighted Simpson index. Our primary emphasis concerns the precise determination of the optimal point (minimizer) coordinates and of the minimum value of the index, a differentiable convex function, which is related to the harmonic mean concept. Furthermore, we address and solve the inversion problem and show the tight connection between both approaches. Last, we give some insights and final remarks on this subject.

The purpose of this paper is to examine if there are links between interpersonal trust and competences, relations and cooperation in Polish telecom companies. It examines what factors affect trust in coworkers and managers in sustainable organizations. The paper surveys a sample of 175 employees of telecom companies in Poland by means of a questionnaire. The results indicate that the competences, relations and cooperation are related to interpersonal trust. Regression analysis showed that the competences and relations predict a significant variance in trust amongst coworkers. Additionally, cooperation contributes to prediction of trust in mangers. Given the importance of trust in sustainable organizations, a better comprehension of what factors are related to team confidence provides valuable information for stakeholders. The results provide valuable clues how to improve interpersonal trust in sustainable organizations.

Understanding tourist behaviour during and after major tourism crises is essential to help destinations recover. The COVID-19 pandemic, a period of uncertainty and risk, makes it relevant to assess factors that influence travel intentions. There has been little research on tourist behaviour during health crises and, in particular, on perceived health risk and uncertainty effects on travel intentions. This study was carried out during the first months of the pandemic in Brazil and aims to investigate the role of health risk perception and intolerance of uncertainty on travel intentions for 2020 and 2021. We applied an online survey to 1,150 Brazilian participants from March to May of 2020. Our findings indicate that perceived COVID-19 severity, perceived probability of contracting it, and expected pandemic duration are significant predictors of travel intentions for both years. This paper sheds new light on tourist behaviour in the context of global health crises.

Plasma medicine is a new field focusing on biomedical and clinical applications of cold physical plasmas, including their anticancer effects. Cold plasmas can be applied directly or indirectly as plasma activated liquids (PAL). The effect of plasma activated cell growth medium (PAM) and plasma activated phosphate buffered saline (PAPBS) were tested using a plasma pen generating streamer corona discharge in ambient air, on different cancer cell lines (melanoma A375, glioblastoma LN229 and pancreatic cancer MiaPaCa-2) and normal cells (human dermal fibroblasts HDFa). The viability reduction and apoptosis induction were detected in all cancer cells after incubation in PAL. In melanoma cells we focused on detailed insights to the apoptotic pathways. The anticancer effects depend on the plasma treatment time or PAL concentration. The first 30 minutes of incubation in PAL were enough to start processes leading to the cell death. In fibroblasts, no apoptosis induction was observed, only PAPBS, activated for longer time, slightly decreased their viability. Anticancer effects of PAM and PAPBS on cancer cells showed selectivity compared to normal fibroblasts, depended on correctly chosen activation time and PAL concentration. This selectivity, supported by optimum ratio of hydrogen peroxide and nitrites in PAL, is very promising for potential clinical applications.

Subnational governments play a key role responding to climate change risks in terms of policy strategies and instruments. This article analyzes how Brazilian municipal and state governments have developed and implemented public policies to mitigate and to adapt to climate change risks. We surveyed all cities’ and states’ climate policies within the country. The methodological approach includes five main points of analysis: 1. mitigation targets and intentions; 2. adaptation actions; 3. stakeholders’ participation; 4. policy implementation; 5. participation in networks related to climate change. Our results suggest that even though subnational climate policies in Brazil are isolated initiatives within the national context, they play an important role responding to climate change risks in different scales and levels. The strongest Brazilian policies with both mitigation and adaptation actions counted on previous mobilization for the climate issue involving different stakeholders from several segments of the society. These governments have also participated in transnational cooperation networks related to climate change.

Bone is a dynamic tissue with the capacity of repair and regeneration in specific conditions. Nevertheless, due to the increased incidence of bone disorders, the need of bone grafts has been growing over the past decades and the development of an ideal bone graft with optimal properties remains a clinical challenge. This review addresses the bone properties (morphology, composition and their repair and regeneration capacity) and puts the main focus on the potential strategies for developing bone repair and regeneration materials. It describes the requirements for designing a suitable scaffold material, types of materials (polymers, ceramics and composites) and techniques to obtain the porous structures (additive manufacturing techniques/robocasting or derived from marine skeletons) for bone tissue engineering applications. The main objective of this review is to gather the knowledge on the materials and methods for the production of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering and highlighting the potential of natural porous structures such as marine skeletons as promising alternative bone graft substitute materials without any further mineralogical changes, or after partial or total transformation into calcium phosphate. The suitability of the marine-derived porous bone graft substitutes for the intended applications will be also discussed.

This scholarly article introduces the "Change Through Play: Rethinking Masculinity" program, a potential intervention designed to address gun violence in the United States by targeting its societal roots, particularly through the lens of gender socialization. The program focuses on transforming children’s, particularly young boys', perceptions of masculinity away from gun violence by influencing the types of toys they play with. By promoting non-violent play, the initiative aims to foster a future generation less inclined to engage in gun violence. This community-interactive and educational approach emphasizes the importance of evidence-based interventions that respect community values and cultural dynamics. The program employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research to evaluate its effectiveness. The program highlights the necessity of sustained, collective action to transform the entrenched practices and beliefs that perpetuate violence, ultimately striving for a society that prioritizes peace, justice, and safety.

In this paper any superalgebra is generalized to a new form, namely ultra algebra. We study some algebraic structure results for ultra algebras and we have defined some maps on ultra algebras to know ultra derivation and Jordan ultra derivation. Moreover on certain assumptions we have proved that Jordan ultra derivation is an ultra derivation.

A number of third order nonlinear processes can occur in single-mode fibres and an understanding of such phenomena is almost a prerequisite for actual lightwave-system designers. In this paper we review the main limitations imposed by several nonlinear effects, namely the self- and cross-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, stimulated Raman scattering and stimulated Brillouin scattering, on the performance of optical fiber communication systems.

Humans learn from a lot of information sources to make decisions. Once this information is learned in the brain, spatio-temporal associations are made, connecting all these sources (variables) in space and time represented as brain connectivity. In reality, to make a decision, we usually have only part of the infor-mation, either as a limited number of variables, or limited time to make the decision, or both. The brain functions as spatio-temporal associative memory. Inspired by the ability of the human brain, a brain-inspired spatio-temporal associative memory was proposed earlier, that utilizes the NeuCube brain-inspired spiking neural network framework. Here we apply the STAM framework to develop STAM for neuroimaging data, on the cases of EEG and fMRI, resulting in STAM-EEG and STAM-fMRI. The paper shows that once a NeuCube STAM classification model is trained on a complete spatio-temporal EEG or fMRI data, it can be recalled using only part of the time series, or/and only part of the used variables. We evaluate accordingly the temporal association accuracy and spatial association accuracy. This is a pilot study that opens the field for the development of multimodal classification systems on other multimodal neuroimaging data, such as the also shown longitudinal MRI data, trained on complete data, but recalled on partial data collected across different settings, in different labs and clinics, that may vary in terms of variables, time of data collection, and other parameters. The proposed methods will allow also for brain diagnostic/prognostic marker discovery using spatio-temporal neuroimaging data.

Historically the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in paediatrics dates back to 1984 with the intro-duction of a computer-assisted medical decision-making system called SHELP. Since then, research on the use of AI in pediatrics has become much more popular, and the number of reviewed publications largely increased. Consequently, a need for a holistic research landscape enabling researchers and other interested parties to gain insights into, deepen their knowledge about or inform them about the use of AI in pediatrics arised. To fill this gap a novel methodology named synthetic knowledge synthesis was applied. Using SKS we identified most prolific countries, in-stitutions, source titles, funding agencies, research themes, research gaps and hot spots.

Introduction: Sarcopenia, muscle loss, often coexists with MASLD, a common liver disorder, which is more prevalent in those with sarcopenia. Sarcopenia also increases the risk of liver conditions like steatosis and fibrosis. Studies on sarcopenia in MASLD are common in developed countries, but fewer follow the EWGSOP2 guidelines in Brazil. Aim: to assess sarcopenia prevalence in MASLD patients. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted at the Gastroen-terology/Hepatology Service of ISCMPA with patients diagnosed with MASLD. The EWGSOP2 criteria were used to evaluate sarcopenia. Categorical data presented as absolute and relative frequency; parametric continuous data ex-pressed as mean±standard deviation; non-parametric continuous data as me-dian and IQR. Gender differences in were analyzed using Fisher's Exact Test or Chi-squared tests, and for continuous variables, T Student tests (parametric) and Mann-Whitney U tests for independent samples (non-parametric). The significance level was set at 5% (p<0.05). Results: The study involved 103 MASLD patients with an average age of 60.39 years, comprising 48 (46.60%) adults and 55 (53.40%) older individuals. Concerning sarcopenia diagnosis, four individuals exhibited decreased muscle strength; two had reduced MME (sarcopenia); and one showed decreased walking speed (severe sarcopenia). Among the participants, 63 (60.6%) were physically active. 35 (62.5%) had mild to moderate steatosis, while 21 (37.5%) had severe steatosis. In terms of EHNA, 13 subjects (24.08%) had moderate to severe EHNA. Regarding fibrosis classi-fication, 68 (72.34%) individuals had undetermined or high probability based on the NAFLD score, with higher prevalence in males (n=23; 88.5%). Fibrosis assessment via liver biopsy revealed 27 (28.72%) in F1 and F2 and 15 (16.96%) in F3 and F4. Stratification of fibrosis into F3 and F4 was more com-mon among men (n=9; 47.4%). Conclusion: Most of the population was physi-cally active. The parameters indicating sarcopenia exceeded the thresholds recommended by EWGSOP2. The prevalence of sarcopenia was low in individuals with MASLD.

The possibility of using additive manufacturing (AM) in the medicine area has created a new opportunities in health care. This has contributed to a sharp increase in demand for 3D printers, their systems and materials that are adapted to strict medical requirements. We described herein a medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethane (S-TPU), which was developed and then formed into a filament for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers during a melt-extrusion process. S-TPU consisting of aliphatic hexamethylene 1,6-diisocyanate (HDI), amorphous α,ω-dihydroxy(ethylene-butylene adipate) (PEBA) and 1,4 butandiol (BDO) as a chain extender, was synthesized without the use of a catalyst. The filament properties were characterized by rheological, mechanical, physico-chemical and in vitro biological properties. The tests showed biocompatibility of the obtained filament as well as revealed no significant effect of the filament formation process on its properties. This study may contribute to expanding the range of medical-grade flexible filaments for standard low-budget FDM printers.

In recent decades, many attempts have been made to automate the entire welding process, how-ever, there remain many non-automated welding operations that present a constant hazard to workers. This article presents an automated welding solution with collaborative robots, with this contribution, we intend to help companies in this sector increase productivity, improve quality, effectively reduce costs, and improve working conditions.

The primary sources of particulate matter are linked to human activity. Certain particulate emissions, particularly those of a finer nature, can significantly impact human health, making them one of the most concerning pollutants. Ultrafine particles (UFP), which have a diameter of less than 100 nm, are of particular concern due to their impact on human health and the difficulty in controlling them. The concentration of ultrafine particles (UFP) in the workplace is a growing concern and is classified as an emerging risk. Workers may be exposed to UFP through inhalation, skin absorption, ingestion, or a combination of these routes. This study aims to determine the levels of UFP exposure among workers in environments with varying direct particle emission patterns. Measurements were conducted to compare the results with the levels recommended by the WHO. The study monitored industrial workplaces with direct particulate matter emissions, such as a carpentry and a bakery, as well as social sector sites without or almost without direct particle emissions, such as a school and a health clinic. One conclusion drawn from this study is that all tasks and occupations are susceptible to high levels of UFP, exceeding WHO recommended values in virtually all monitored environments. Therefore, monitoring and controlling UFP is crucial. Further in-depth studies on this subject are also necessary..

High concentrations of Na⁺ or [Co(NH₃)₆]³⁺ can induce the B to Z conformational transition in alternating (dC-dG) oligo and polynucleotides. The use of short DNA oligomers (dC-dG)₄ and (dm⁵C-dG)₄ as models can allow a thermodynamic characterization of the transition. Both form right handed double helical structures (B-DNA) in standard phosphate buffer with 115 mM Na⁺ at 25 ^oC. However, at 2.0 M Na⁺ or 200 mM [Co(NH₃)₆]³⁺, (dm⁵C-dG)₄ assumes a left handed double helical structure (Z-DNA) while the unmethylated (dC-dG)₄ analogue remains right handed under those conditions. We have previously demonstrated that the enthalpy of the transition at 25 ^oC for either inducer can be determined using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) [Ferreira, J. M. & Sheardy, R. D., Biophys. J. 2006, 91, 1–7]. Here, ITC is used to investigate the linkages between temperature, water activity and DNA conformation. We found that the determined enthalpy for each titration varied linearly with temperature allowing determination of the heat capacity change (DC_p) between the initial and final states. As expected, the DC_p values were dependent upon the cation (i.e. Na⁺ vs [Co(NH₃)₆]³⁺) as well as the sequence of the DNA oligomer (i. e., methylated vs unmethylated). Osmotic stress experiments were carried out to determine the gain or loss of water by the oligomer induced by the titration. The results are discussed in terms of solvent accessible surface areas, electrostatic interactions and the role of water.

The aim of this paper is to study the main areas in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) will impact the field of project management that relates to cost, risk and scheduling. The research model was based on a previous study of the ten project management knowledge areas presented in the PMI’s PMBOK 6th edition where project schedule-, cost- and risk management knowledge areas were identified as being the ones most likely to be affected by the development of AI. A group of experts that participated in the study agreed that AI will affect the project management profession in the future. Different elements of the three knowledge areas were considered to be affected more by AI than others. The schedule baseline is the element believed to be affected the most out of the project schedule management elements. For project cost management, the estimation of resource cost is believed to be affected the most. In the case of project risk management, the application of AI will have the strongest impact on the probability and impact format.

This study takes as a starting point the importance and dependence of the media (Ball-Rokeach & DeFleur, 1976) to obtain information about the pandemic. The dependency theory of the media system was developed in the 1970s when mass media were the dominant source of information. Today, at a time when media choices have become abundant, studies are needed to understand the phenomenon of media dependence in light of new dimensions made important by the transformations that have taken place in the social and media fields - where the coexistence of mass media with social media platforms stands out. As large-scale crises rarely occur and the media environment changes rapidly, it is important to analyze how media dependence relates to choose and trust in different media (traditional media vs. social media) in times of crisis. Several questions arise. What is the trust attributed by individuals to social media as sources of information about the COVID-19? How well informed are the individuals who choose these sources as the main sources of information? From a questionnaire administered to 240 individuals in Portugal, during the first week of the state of emergency (March 2020), this research seeks to identify how people gained access to information about the COVID-19, how they acted critically towards the various sources and how they assess the reliability of different media. Finally, it analyzes the association between the type of medium chosen and adherence to misinformation content about the virus. The results reveal the existence of a phenomenon of dependence on the media, with a strong exposure (both active and accidental) to informative content, with conventional media being privileged as the main source, and positively distinguished in terms of confidence. Finally, a statistically significant association of a positive sign was identified between the use of social media as the main source and the acceptance of misinformation.

This paper maps the causes of the demographic, economic and social decline of a selected border micro-region during the last century. The decline occurred due to the location being remote, lacking natural resources and having an unsuitable industrial structure. Historical events associated with the post-war deportation of the German population and efforts to create a classless society also played a role in the decline. The results are an 87% population decrease, the demise of most companies, a very low level of human capital and unemployment reaching up to 5%. In order to comprehend the current state of the border micro-region and predict future development, it is necessary to understand the development that has occurred since approximately the middle of the nineteenth century. The European countryside is certainly not homogeneous, and different regions have shown unique mixes of positional, natural, economic and political factors. Some hope has been raised in relation to the transition to a post-productive economy, a transition that turns the remoteness of the region into an advantage. This is confirmed by the positive migration balances of the smallest municipalities in the last decade.

Keywords: Forest management; sustainability; FSC; PEFC; research; market share

Groundwater habitats in the Dinaric Karst are home to the only known cave-adapted genus of bivalve mollusks, which currently survives as three distinct species with a highly fragmented distribution. Over the past few decades, Congeria populations suffered a steep decline across their range, as a result of human activities. Here, we identify the most pressing issues concerning the current conservation status of Congeria and identify key priorities for its scientific study. The building of dams and other hydrotechnical constructions have led to a significant decrease in the water inputs that used to supply underground systems where Congeria lives, contributing to a reduction of the cave habitats feasible for bivalve settlement. This is relatively well documented in Popovo polje where, as a result of hydrotechnical interventions on Trebisnjica river, water level drop destroyed well over 99 % of Congeria kusceri population in Zira cave and caused their complete disappearance in other caves. Similar factors are likely to have also affected the sister species Congeria jalzici in the Lika region. In addition, the salinization of Neretva river, lack of proper wastewater management, intense agriculture, tourist exploitation, and additional hydrotechnical plans add to the ongoing decline of the quality of Congeria habitats. These threats are expected to least to drastic reductions in population size within the next few decades, and this situation might be further aggravated by the lack of regulations and active measures for Congeria protection, as well by the limited understanding of its biology. Future scientific studies should be aimed at better elucidating microhabitat preference, defining the range of tolerance of environmental parameters, and assessing the size and genetic viability of existing Congeria populations. However, we highlight that these efforts would most certainly require the collaboration of local authorities and the allocation of appropriate financial resources in order to be effective.

Existing literature on the relationship between ride-hailing (RH) and transit services is limited to empirical studies that lack real-time spatial contexts. To fill this gap, we took a novel real-time geospatial analysis approach. With source data on ride-hailing trips in Chicago, Illinois, we computed real-time transit-equivalent trips for all 7,949,902 ride-hailing trips in June 2019; the sheer size of our sample is incomparable to the samples studied in existing literature. An existing Multinomial Nested Logit Model was used to determine the probability of a ride-hailer selecting a transit alternative to serve the specific O-D pair, P(Transit|CTA)[1]. We find that 31% of ride-hailing trips are replaceable, whereas 61% of trips are not replaceable. The remaining 8% lie within a buffer zone. We measured the robustness of this probability using a parametric sensitivity analysis and performed a two-tailed t-test. Our results indicate that of the four sensitivity parameters, the probability was most sensitive to the total travel time of a transit trip. The main contribution of our research is our thorough approach and fine-tuned series of real-time spatiotemporal analyses that investigate the replaceability of ride-hailing trips for public transit. The results and discussion intend to provide perspective derived from real trips and we anticipate that this paper will demonstrate the research benefits associated with the recording and release of ride-hailing data. [1] This value defines the replaceability of the trip, where a value ranging from 0 to 0.45 is considered not-replaceable (NR), and a value ranging from 0.55 to 1.0 is considered replaceable (R).

Breast cancer represents the most common neoplasm worldwide. Viral infections are involved with carcinogenesis, especially those caused by oncogenic Human Papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes. The relationship between HPV and various types of cancer, such as breast and lung, still requires further studies. After infection with HPV, there is a remodeling of the tumor microenvironment, providing a post-infection alteration with immunosuppressive characteristics. This study evaluated the role of HPV in breast adenocarcinoma cell lineage (MDA-MB-231), transfected with the HPV16 E5, E6, and E7 oncogenes and co-cultured with PBMCs. Immunophenotyping was performed. There was an increase in CD4+ T cells number when compared with non-transfected and transfected MDA-MB-231, especially the Treg profile. Moreover, proinflammatory intracellular cytokines, such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17 were impaired by transfected cells and a decrease in the cytolytic ac-tivity of the CD8+ and CD56+ lymphocytes was also observed in the presence of HPV oncogenes, mainly with E6 and E7 in NK and TCD8+ cells. In conclusion, MDA-MB-231 breast cell lineage transfected with HPV oncogenes can downregulate the number and function of lymphocytes and monocytes.

COVID-19 is a well-known respiratory disease spreading worldwide since January 2020, causing many deaths and massive pressure on health systems. This pandemic’s appearance compromised the health services’ sustainability and quality as many procedures were postponed or even canceled out, with an expected increase of adverse events like nosocomial infections, in-hospital deaths, and the worsening of the patients’ clinical status. Therefore, assessing whether the healthcare providers’ performance has changed is paramount. In this case, we evaluated the public hospitals in Portugal as the leading secondary health care providers in the country, which in turn has been highly affected by the pandemic. To this end, we developed a network Data Envelopment Analysis model serially relating efficiency and effectiveness. Using 2,795 observations from public hospitals and 18 variables, we observed consistent drops in efficiency when the pandemic started, followed by a recovery to levels above the pre-pandemic ones. Regarding effectiveness, we observed a positive trend during the evaluated period. In short, these results allow us to conclude that, apart from the great resilience of public healthcare providers, the Portuguese State was not prepared for a pandemic like COVID-19, but still the actions taken (including massive vaccination) were beneficial.

This research work uses a simplified approach to combine location information from beacons propagation signal interaction with a mobile device with local building information to give real-time location and guidance to a user inside a building. This is an interactive process with visualisation information that can help user’s orientation inside unknown buildings and the data stored from different users can provide useful information about users movements inside a public building. Beacons installed on the building at specific pre-defined position emit signals that give a geographic position with an associated imprecision, related with Bluetooth’s range. This uncertainty is handled by building layout and users’ movement in a developed system that maps users’ position, gives guidance and store user movements. This system is based on an App (Find Me!) for Android OS (Operating System) which captures the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signal coming from the beacon(s) and shows, through a map, the location of the user ‘s smartphone and guide him to the desired destination. Also, the beacons can deliver relevant context information. The application was tested by a panel of new and habitual campus users against traditional wayfinding alternatives yielding navigation times about 30% smaller, respectively.

The main purpose of this article is to identify key areas of research on climate change in the context of the SDGs, focusing on the potential development impacts on Bolivia and Paraguay. Application of the Delphi technique with the involvement of a panel of experts allowed the consolidation of different perspectives and knowledge on climate change, focusing on those that experts considered to have the greatest potential impact on the regions. The results of this study constitute a valuable guide for decision-makers and funding bodies, highlighting research areas that could have a significant impact at the national and regional levels, as well as for researchers, identifying specific research areas crucial for regional development and climate change mitigation.

An oceanic radar altimeter such as TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) is typically for observing elevation changes over the open oceans or large inland lakes/rivers, with limited applications over solid earth due to its large footprint and susceptibility to waveform contamination and slope effect. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to construct a long-term time series of glacier elevation change from T/P-series radar altimeters over two flat surfaces near a glacier terminus and an icefield (Sites A and B, with slopes of 2° and 0.8°) in Mt. Tanggula, Tibet, at elevations over 5400 m. We retracked radar waveforms using the subwaveform threshold algorithm, selected quality altimeter data (1/4 of the original) with nearly the same slope and adjusted the original elevations by fitting with a time-varying, 2nd order surface. The glacier elevation changes at the two sites from T/P (1993–2002) show seasonal elevation oscillations with linear rates at about −3 m/year and abnormal seasonal changes around the 1997–98 El Niño. Site A is over a deep valley in southern Tanggula. Its elevation dropped about 30 m over 1993–2002 (from T/P) and the glacier almost disappeared by 2016 (from altimeters and satellite images). Despite the sporadic Jason-2 and Jason-3 altimeter data, we also derived long-term rates of glacier elevation change over 1993–2017. Landsat-derived glacier area and elevation changes near the two sites confirm the rapid glacier thinning from the altimeters. The glacier meltwater near Site A supplied increasing source water to Chibuzhang Co west of Mt. Tanggula, contributing partially to its accelerated rising lake level. The glacier thinning at Site B (icefield) was correlated with the increased discharge of the Tuotuo River in eastern Mt. Tanggula, a source region of the Yangtze River. The successful detection of glacier thinning at the two sites shows that T/P-series altimeters can serve as a virtual station at a flat glacier spot to monitor long-term glacier elevation changes in connection to climate change. This virtual station concept is particularly useful for inaccessible glaciers, but its implementation faces two challenging issues: increasing the volume of quality altimeter data and improving the ranging accuracy over a targeted mountain glacier spot.

Nowadays, frameworks and models are critical to enabling organizations to identify their current sustainability integration into business and to follow up on these initiatives over time. In this context, the maturity models offer a structured way of analyzing how a supply chain meets specific sustainability requirements and which areas demand attention to reach maturity levels. This study proposes a five-level maturity model to help supply chains identify their level of engagement with sustainability practices combining three perspectives: intra and inter-organizational sustainability practices, triple-bottom-line approach and critical areas for sustainability. All the steps followed in constructing the maturity model were based on a literature review, and case studies supported its improvement, application, and testing. The proposed model presents many advantages, such as being used as a self-assessment tool, a roadmap for sustainability behaviour improvement, and a benchmarking tool to evaluate and compare standards and best practices among organizations and supply chains.

The aim of this article is to summarize recent bioinformatic and statistical developments applicable to NMR-based metabolomics. Extracting relevant information from large multivariate datasets by statistical data analysis strategies may be of considerable complexity. Typical tasks comprise for example classification of specimens, identification of differentially produced metabolites, and estimation of fold changes. In this context it is of prime importance to minimize contributions from unwanted biases and experimental variance prior to these analyses. This is the goal of data normalization. Therefore, special emphasize is given to different data normalization strategies. In the first part, we will discuss the requirements and the pros and cons for a variety of commonly applied strategies. In the second part, we will concentrate on possible solutions in case that the requirements for the standard strategies are not fulfilled. In the last part, very recent developments will be discussed that allow reliable estimation of metabolic signatures for sample classification without prior data normalization. In this contribution special emphasis will be given to techniques that have worked well in our hands.

We describe a competitive colorimetric assay that enables rapid and sensitive detection of galactose and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) via colorimetric readouts and demon-strates its usefulness for monitoring NAD+-driven enzymatic reactions. We present a sensitive plasmonic sensing approach for assessing galactose concentration and the presence of NADH using galactose dehydrogenase immobilized gold nanostars (AuNS-PVP-GalDH). The AuNS-PVP-GalDH assay remains turquoise blue in the absence of galactose and NADH; however, as galactose and NADH concentrations grow, the reaction well color changes to a characteristic red color in the presence of an alkaline environment and metal ions catalyst (detection solution). As a result, when galactose is sensed in the presence of H2O2, the colored response of the AuNS-PVP-GalDH assay transforms from turquoise blue to light pink, then to wine red in a con-centration-dependent manner discernible to the human eye. This competitive AuNS-PVP-GalDH assay could be a viable analytical tool for rapid and convenient galactose quantification in re-source-limited areas.

The ceramic sherds from approximately 20 samples of lead-glazed tableware, recovered from diverse archaeological sites, including three repurposed storage pits transformed into dumpsters within the medieval city of Santarém (13th-14th century), underwent a meticulous examination. This investigation utilized techniques such as micro-Raman, ground state diffuse reflectance absorption, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies, in addition to X-ray diffraction and stereomicroscopy. A parallel study was conducted on contemporaneous European ceramics (glazed sherds) sourced from archaeological sites dating back to the 13th-15th centuries in Saintonge (France), Ardenne, Zomergem, and Bruges (Belgium), as well as Surrey-Hampshire, Kingston, and Cheam (England). The colour of the ceramic bodies is predominantly white or whitish, with a few exhibiting a vivid red hue. Ceramic sherds with a light paste composition were likely crafted using kaolin clays as raw materials. Analyses of fabric, mineralogical, and elemental composition of the sherds suggest that the majority of Santarém's glazed ceramics were locally or regionally produced, potentially derived from a Pliocene kaolin-rich sand formation. However, this conclusion is not supported by the absence of discovered lead glaze kilns or workshops in Santarém for the late Middle Ages. A distinctive feature from the European workshop ceramics lies in the quartz temper content and fabric.

Financial stress can have significant implications for individuals, businesses, asset prices and the economy as a whole. This study examines the nonlinear structure and dynamic changes in the multifractal behavior of cross-correlation between the financial stress index (FSI) and four well-known commodity indices, namely Commodity Research Bureau Index (CRBI), Baltic Dry Index (BDI), London Metal Index (LME) and Brent Oil prices (BROIL), using multifractal detrended cross correlation analysis (MFDCCA). For analysis, we utilized daily values of FSI and commodity index prices from 16th June 2016 to 9th July 2023. The following are the most important empirical findings: (I) All of the chosen commodity market indices show cross correlations with the FSI and have notable multifractal characteristics. (II) The presence of power law cross-correlation implies that a noteworthy shift in FSI is likely to coincide with a considerable shift in the commodity indices. (III) The multifractal cross-correlation is highest between FSI and Brent Oil (BROIL) and lowest with LME. (IV) The rolling windows analysis reveals a varying degree of persistency between FSI and commodity markets. The findings of this study have a number of important implications for commodity market investors and policymakers.

Liposomes have been used for several decades for the encapsulation of drugs and bioactives in cosmetics and cosmeceuticals. On the other hand, the use of these phospholipid vesicles in food applications is more recent and has been increasing significantly in the last ten years. Although in different stages of technological maturity - in the case of cosmetics, many products are on the market - processes to obtain liposomes suitable for the encapsulation and delivery of bioactives are highly expensive, especially aiming at scaling-up. Among the bioactives proposed for cosmetics and food applications, vitamins are the most frequently used. Despite the differences between the administration routes (oral for food and mainly dermal for cosmetics), some challenges are very similar (e.g., stability, bioactive load, average size, increase of drug bioaccessibility and bioavailability). In the present work, a systematic review of the technological advancements in the nanoencapsulation of vitamins using liposomes and related processes was performed; challenges and future perspectives were also discussed in order to underline the advantages of these drug loaded biocompatible nanocarriers for cosmetics and food applications.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of death due to cancer. About 30% of patients with PCa who have been castrated develop a castration-resistant form of the disease (CRPC), which is incurable. In the last decade, new treatments that control the disease have emerged, slowing progression and spread, and prolonging survival while maintaining the quality of life. These include immunotherapies; however, we do not yet know the optimal combination and sequence of these therapies with the standard ones. All therapies are not always suitable for every patient due to co-morbidities or adverse effects of therapies or both, so there is an urgent need for further work on new therapeutic options. Advances in cancer immunotherapy with an immune checkpoint inhibition mechanism (e.g., ipilimumab, an anti-CTLA-4 inhibitor) have not shown a survival benefit in patients with CRPC. Other immunological approaches have also not given clear results, which has indirectly prevented breakthrough for this type of therapeutic strategy into clinical use. Currently, the only approved form of immunotherapy for patients with CRPC is a cell-based medicine, but it is only available to patients in some parts of the world. Based on the experience gained from recently completed clinical research on immunotherapy with dendritic cell-based immunohybridomas, the aHyC dendritic cell vaccine, for patients with CRPC, we highlight the current status, and possible alternatives that should be considered in the future.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a cytoprotective endogenous gas that is ubiquitously produced by the stress response enzyme heme-oxygenase. Being a gas, CO rapidly diffuses through tissues and binds to hemoglobin (Hb) increasing carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels. COHb can be formed in the erythrocytes or in plasma from cell-free Hb. Herein, it is discussed whether endogenous COHb is or is not an innocuous and inevitable metabolic waste product and it is hypothesized that COHb has a biological role. In the present review literature data is presented to support this hypothesis based on two main premises: (i) there is no direct correlation between COHb levels and CO toxicity; and (ii) COHb seems to have a direct cytoprotective and antioxidant role in erythrocytes and in hemorrhagic models in vivo. Moreover, CO is also antioxidant by generating COHb, which protects against the pro-oxidant damaging effects of cell free Hb. Up to now COHb has been considered as a sink for both exogenous and endogenous CO generated during CO intoxication or heme metabolism, respectively. Hallmarking COHb as an important molecule with a biological (and eventually beneficial) role is a turning point on CO Biology research, namely in CO intoxication and CO cytoprotection.

Due to the use of structural and seismic techniques an attempt has been made in this study to determine the hydrocarbon potential and future exploration in Pakistan's Lower Indus basin area and offshore region. In addition to the possibility of hydrocarbon accumulation, the major goals of this research are to analyze structural patterns in the subsurface of the study region, identify the horizons of various formations using surface seismic, and interpret seismic lines. Seismic data has been used to find and integrate the exposed Cretaceous/Tertiary basalt at Ranikot in the lower Indus basin to the well-known Deccan basalts of the Indo-Pak plate, which is the secondary goal of the current investigation. According to the interpretation of seismic data, the Indo-Pakistan plate has experienced rifting because of tectonic activity. Graben and horst structures have been identified in the study area horizon, which indicates that the area has undergone major structural and depositional changes. While faults provide a pathway for hydrocarbons to migrate from their source to reservoir rock, grabens are principally responsible for the accumulation of hydrocarbons. We further deduce that the prior exploration failures in the area were due to a lack of knowledge of the subsurface formations and structural trends, which are essential for characterizing the hydrocarbon play and trap features. Our results can be productive for the local hydrocarbon drilling projects as well as worldwide tectonic stratigraphy studies on passive continental edges.

Intussusceptive pillars, regarded as a hallmark of intussusceptive angiogenesis, have been described in developing vasculature of many organs and organisms. The aim of this study was to resolve the question about pillar formation and their further maturation employing zebrafish caudal vein plexus (CVP). The CVP development was monitored by in vivo confocal microscopy in high spatio-temporal resolution using the transgenic zebrafish model Fli1a:eGPF//Gata1:dsRed. We tracked back the formation of pillars (diameter ≤4µm) and intercapillary meshes (diameter >4µm) and analysed their morphology and behaviour. Transluminal pillars in the CVP arose by a combination of sprouting, lumen expansion, and/or by creation of intraluminal folds, and those mechanisms were not associated directly with blood flow. The follow-up of pillars indicated that one third of them disappeared between 28-48 hours post fertilisation (hpf) and of the remaining ones only 1/17 changed their cross-section area by >50%. The majority of the bigger meshes (39/62) increased their cross-section area by >50%. Plexus simplification and establishment of hierarchy was dominated by the dynamics of intercapillary meshes, which formed mainly by sprouting angiogenesis. These meshes were observed to grow, reshape, and merge with each other. Our observations suggested an alternative view on intussusceptive angiogenesis in the CVP.

The article explores the integration of generative artificial intelligence with active methodologies in modern education, highlighting how this combination can transform pedagogical practices and promote more personalized and effective learning. The study investigates the application of tools such as ChatGPT , which enhance the personalization of teaching, providing immediate feedback and adjusting content to students' individual needs. The research is structured into three chapters: the first addresses practical strategies for applying these methodologies with AI, the second evaluates their effectiveness in learning and the third presents practical examples of integration. Adapting teaching through AI was a central element in developing a more efficient learning environment aligned with the specific needs of each student. The results point to a significant increase in student engagement, understanding and retention of content, although they highlight the need for careful and ethical implementation to avoid challenges such as superficiality in learning and data privacy issues. It is concluded that the integration of generative AI with active methodologies can significantly transform the educational environment, but must be carried out in a balanced and responsible way, complementing traditional pedagogical practices and ensuring the comprehensive training of students.

This overview initially describes insect immune reactions and then brings together present knowledge of the interactions of vector insects with their invading parasites and pathogens. It is a way of introducing this special issue with subsequent papers presenting the latest details of these interactions in each particular group of vectors. Hopefully, this paper will fill a void in the literature since brief descriptions of vector immunity have now been brought together in one publication and could form a starting point for those interested and new to this important area. Descriptions are given on the immune reactions of mosquitoes, blackflies, sandflies, tsetse flies, lice, fleas and triatomine bugs. Cellular and humoral defences are described separately but emphasis is made on the co-operation of these processes in the completed immune response. The paper also emphasises the need of great care in extracting haemocytes for subsequent study as appreciation of their fragile nature is sometimes overlooked with non-sterile media, smearing techniques and excessive centrifugation sometimes used. The potential vital role of eicosanoids in the instigation of many of the immune reactions described is also discussed. Finally, the priming of the immune system, mainly in mosquitoes, is considered and one possible mechanism is presented

Abstract: An attractive application of crude glycerol is in the generation of biomethane by means of anaerobic co-digestion, involving the decomposition of the organic matter in two or more substrates by bacteria and archaea, in the absence of oxygen. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of neural networks and fuzzy logic to predict the production of biomethane from the anaerobic co-digestion of glycerol and/or sugarcane molasses. Firstly, a reactor model was implemented using Scilab, with Monod kinetics involving two substrates and an intermediate (M2SI model), to generate a database for subsequent fitting and evaluation of neural and fuzzy models. The neural network package of Matlab was used. Fuzzy modeling was applied using the Takagi-Sugeno approach available in the ANFIS package of Matlab. The biomethane production results simulated by M2SI were used in neural network modeling, firstly employing a “generic” network applicable to all 8 scenarios. A very good fit was obtained (R²>0.99). Excellent performance was also observed for specific artificial neural networks (one for each condition). The parameters of the M2SI model for the 8 different conditions were also mapped using a neural network, as a function of the organic material composition. A fit with R²>0.99 was obtained using 25 neurons. In the case of the fuzzy logic, RMSE of 18.88 mL of methane was obtained with 216 rules, which was a value lower than 0.5% of the order of magnitude of the accumulated methane. It could be concluded from the results that fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks offer excellent ability to predict methane production, as well as to parameterize the M2SI kinetic model (using neural networks).

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that mainly affects the respiratory system and the central nervous system. One of the main virulence factors is the capsule, constituted by the polysaccharides glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) and glucuronoxylomanogalactan (GXMGal). Polysaccharides are immunomodulators. One of the target cell populations for modulation are macrophages, part of the first line of defense, important for innate and adaptive immunity. It has been reported that macrophages can be modulated to act as a "Trojan horse" taking phagocytosed yeasts to strategic sites or having their machinery activation compromised. The scarcity of information on canine cryptococcosis led us to assess whether the purified capsular polysaccharides from C. neoformans would be able to modulate the microbicidal action of macrophages. In the present study, we observed that the capsular polysaccharides, GXM, GXMGal or capsule total did not present toxic effects for the DH82 macrophage cell line. However, it was possible to demonstrate that phagocytic activity was decreased after treatment with polysaccharides. In addition, yeasts recovered from macrophages treated with the polysaccharides, after phagocytosis, could be cultured, showing that their viability was not altered. The polysaccharides led to a reduction in ROS production and the expression of IL-12 and IL-6. We observed that GXMGal inhibits MHC class II expression and GXM reduces ERK phosphorylation. In contrast, GXMGal and GXM were able to increase the PPAR- expression. Furthermore, our data suggests that capsular polysaccharides can reduce the microbicidal activity of canine macrophages DH82.

The Social Economy (SE) emerges as an interesting alternative to deal with social problems that often cannot be met by the services provided by the State. However, one of the concerns relates to the ability of these institutions to meet the demands of stakeholders concerning accountability. In this sense, the present work aimed to determine if the IPSS are prepared to meet the management requirements by increasing their accountability. For that purpose, we conducted qualitative research, with an exploratory focus, with 31 Portuguese Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS). The interviews took place between June and July 2019, with those responsible for managing the entities. The interviews were guided on a semi-structured script based on the literature review. After Content Analysis, it was found that, in most of the institutions interviewed, the board does not use management tools, such as performance analysis, social impact assessment, strategic planning and quality management systems, even recognising the importance of using them. The fact is due to the lack of access or knowledge about its use. In addition, the majority of the IPSS interviewed showed concern about the transparency and ethics of managers. Current strategic management practices are remarkably targeted at companies in the for-profit sector and can compromise the principle of investments in human and social issues. Thus, the introduction of new activities can further reinforce the pressure felt by these institutions in carrying out operational activities.

Given the extreme importance of improving the accountability of Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS), both for reasons of legal compliance (hard law) and for reasons of improving legitimacy and notoriety among their stakeholders (soft law), this paper aims to present a framework designed under a more comprehensive research project, for the assessment of IPSS accountability and, consequently, its improvement. This study also present results of the indicators conceived, identifying the main trends of the framework dimensions and sub-dimensions from a pilot test for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 in Portugal. Given the results, we believe that the framework designed answers the research question: How to promote accountability (social, financial and economic) in the social economy sector, in particular: the case of the IPSS?, however, as this is an exploratory article, it incorporates the limitation that this is a pilot test with only 7 entities.

Social Economy institutions seek to provide answers to social problems, given that they naturally have a socially responsible mission. This study aims to answer the research question: how sustainable practices, namely environmental behaviour, have been adopted by Portuguese Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS) with the purpose of contributing to Sustainable Development? To achieve this objective, qualitative research was carried out in 31 IPSS, which was framed within the scope of the TFA project (Theoretical framework for promotion of accountability in the social economy sector: the IPSS case). Semi-structured interviews were conducted, with a script based on the literature review, from May to July 2019, with those responsible for the management of these entities. A content analysis was conducted, using the NVivo12 Version 12.6.0 software, which enables data to be coded and categorised, reducing any researcher bias. The results indicate that most entities carry out activities of an environmental nature, related to the reuse of materials, the recycling of waste, the sale of materials for recycling, and user awareness. Several entities expressed financial limitations to the implementation of Environmental Management Systems and their accomplishment. However, the objections presented are not impossible to overcome, according to studies presented in other countries.

Transitioning towards net zero emissions is critical in the chemical and process industries to combat climate change and ensure environmental sustainability. Key focus areas of this review include the reduction of carbon emissions, the efficient utilization of energy resources, and the adoption of sustainable practices. Cutting-edge technologies such as biomass utilization, biotechnology applications, and waste management strategies are crucial in achieving this transition. Industries, including cement production, encounter unique challenges in their quest for sustainability and must actively seek innovative solutions to mitigate their carbon footprint effectively. The role of hydrogen as a clean fuel and its potential to revolutionize the chemical and process sectors is also discussed. The European Green Deal and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are significant for the chemical industry. They provide a clear roadmap and framework for promoting sustainability, driving innovation, and reducing the industry's environmental impact. By aligning with these initiatives, the chemical industry can enhance its competitiveness, contribute to societal well-being, and foster collaboration across sectors to achieve shared sustainability objectives.

The aging ability of dry white wines has been increasingly recognised. The present work aimed to understand which sensory factors drive their quality evaluation by experienced tasters. Individuals assessed several aesthetic, synthetic, and analytic flavour attributes, using dark tasting glasses. Wines originated from the grape varieties Alvarinho, Arinto, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Bianco with a wide range of ages. Basic physical-chemical analysis, browning (Abs 420 nm), elemental composition and a partial volatile fraction were also determined. The overall quality scores were a function of complexity and balance and were negatively influenced by the perception of faultiness. The different ages could be associated with a continuous sensory space characterised by a decreasing perception of freshness and an increase in the mellowed flavours. All wines shared an austere in-mouth perception elicited by their acidity, saltiness, bitterness, smoothness and dryness. Nevertheless, quality scores were similar from the youngest to the oldest-tasted wines (17 years old). The exception was a Sauvignon Blanc wine from a recent vintage that was judged as faulty due to the perception of earthiness. Overall, the tasted wines displayed an unexpected aging ability as demonstrated by the difference between the predicted and real wine ages. To improve the recognition of old wines, the metaphor “mellowed by age” is proposed to describe flavours resulting from beneficial aging instead of “oxidised by age”.

The objective of this study was to investigate the transcriptomic profiling of differentially ex-pressed genes between a commercial layer breed and an indigenous Indian breed. RNA was ex-tracted from NDV-infected and uninfected embryo lung tissue samples of Aseel, Kadaknath, and White Leghorn chickens. RNA-Seq was performed, and reads were aligned to the chicken refer-ence genome (Galgal7). A total of 594 genes were significantly differentially expressed, with 264 upregulated and 330 downregulated in infected embryos. Highly overexpressed genes in infect-ed conditions included C8A, FGG, PIT54, FETUB, APOC3, FGA, SPIA1, AvBD13, APOH, AMBP, TTR, PLA2G12B. Additionally, 29 novel transcripts and 20 lncRNAs were upregulated. White Leghorn embryos showed distinct expression patterns for CAV1 and GATA3, while Kadaknath healthy embryos had higher levels of CYTB, HBBA, ND4, ND4L, and ND5, indicating breed uniqueness. The analysis revealed significant gene involvement through Gene Ontology and KEGG pathways, highlighting alterations in gene expression related to immune function, me-tabolism, cell cycle, nucleic acid processes, and mitochondrial activity due to NDV infection. ALDOB, PRPS2, XDH, DCK2, and TK1 genes, which were involved in several metabolic path-ways, clearly displayed an altered expression pattern in the infected embryo. Additionally, ALB, TLR4, TLR2, TLR21, IL1R2, IL22RA2, HSP90AA, HSPB9(p60), and HSPB8 were significantly up-regulated in infected lung samples, while CXCR4, CXCL14, GATA3, IL17REL, and IL22RA1 were downregulated. Notably, higher expression of HSPs in Kadaknath suggests heat tolerance. This research provides insights into the genetic differences between commercial and local breeds and reveals the impact of NDV infection on metabolic processes, potentially identifying candidate genes for breed improvement.