The conversion of caatinga vegetation areas into pastures in the Brazilian semiarid region has depleted soil fertility due to degradation. The natural regeneration of the caatinga has been the alternative adopted to restore soil fertility. However, the real effectiveness of this practice in re-covering organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient stocks is unknown. This work evaluated the effect of natural regeneration of the caatinga vegetation on the restoration of levels and stocks of SOC, N, and P as a strategy to maintain the sustainability of the environment. We collected soil samples every 5 cm, up to 20 cm deep, in areas of degraded pasture, caatinga in regeneration (10 years), and regenerated caatinga (35 years) to evaluate the levels and stocks of SOC, N, and P. The depth sig-nificantly affects the levels and stocks of SOC, N, and P. Stocks and levels of SOC, N, and P were higher in regenerated caatinga > regenerating caatinga > degraded pasture. The regenerated caatinga increased SOC, N, and P stocks by 115%, 110%, and 117%, respectively, compared to the degraded pasture. Although 35 years of regeneration of the caatinga has improved soil fertility, the levels and stocks of SOC, N, and P remain low.

Red mud (RM) is a residue obtained from the production of alumina. It contains a high concentration of metal oxides and waste concentrated sodium hydroxide solution (pH = 13). To increase the value of RM, an environmentally friendly process of transesterification using waste cooking oil (WCO), MeOH and concentrated sodium hydroxide solution (CSHS) from aluminum production was proposed. Triglycerides of WCO reacted with MeOH at 60 oC to yield mixtures of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) in the presence of 2.03% (w/w) CSHS/WCO using the CSHS (0.204 mol L-1, predetermined by potentiometric titration) from aluminum production by the Bayer process or with the addition of 0.68% (w/w) fabric softener (3% w/w cetyltrimethylammonium chloride in solution) as a phase transfer (PTA) agent. The addition of PTA to the catalyst resulted in a better yield of the products (greater than 98% yield). A simplified mechanism is presented to account for the experimental results.

Background: Fungi are ubiquitous microorganisms that are easily dispersed through the air. In healthcare environments, indoor air can favor the spread of healthcare-associated fungal infections, compromising mainly immunocompromised hospitalized individuals. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the indoor air contamination in healthcare environments, investigating mainly the presence of potentially pathogenic yeasts. Methods: Indoor air samples were collected from twelve healthcare environments (hospital and medical clinics). After the growth, isolation, and purification of the yeast colonies, the isolates were identified by polymerase chain reaction using species-specific primers for yeasts of the genus Candida and sequencing of D1/D2 domains of the large ribosomal subunit (LSU rRNA). Results: Fourteen yeast species were identified, including emerging pathogens. Species of clinical importance such as Candida parapsilosis, Candida orthopsilosis, Candida glabrata, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, and Trichosporon mucoides were present. C. Parapsilosis was the most prevalent species, followed by Rodothorula mucilaginosa. Conclusions: The present study shows that potentially fungal pathogens were present in air samples from healthcare environments, proving the role of indoor air in spreading infections. Thus, monitoring air quality in healthcare environments is a fundamental approach in developing infection control measures, especially those related to invasive fungal infections.

(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.

The orchid genus Brachystele Schltr. comprises 20 species distributed from Mexico to Argentina; 10 are found in Brazil. Anatomical studies of Orchidoideae Lindl. have been scarce, and the anatomy and histochemistry of Brachystele are still largely unknown. We characterized the vegetative organs of B. guayanensis (Lindl.) Schltr. using standard anatomical and histochemical microtechniques. Brachystele guayanensis was observed to display the anatomical characters commonly found in the vegetative organs of representatives of the Orchidaceae and Orchidoideae (including a uniseriate epidermis, thin cuticle, amphistomatic leaves, anomocytic, diacytic and tetracytic stomata, a homogeneous mesophyll, collateral vascular bundles, rhizomes with pericyclic fibers, roots with velamen, uniseriate exodermis, endodermis and pericycle). Histochemical tests confirmed the presence of lignin, proteins, and alkaloids, the lipidic nature of the cuticle, starch grains stored in spiranthosomes in the roots, and the composition of the raphides. Alkaloids were observed in great abundance, especially in the roots, and may have potentially useful medicinal activities, as has been observed in groups phylogenetically related to Brachystele.

In recent decades the Mediterranean area observed an increase in large fires, despite the decrease in the number of fire ignitions, following a worldwide tendency. Climate change has been the main culprit for large burnt areas, and alterations of forest ecosystems, resulting in the increased recurrence of forest fires. In Portugal, the analogous trend resulted in the destruction of large rural, urban and industrial areas, where after the 2017 months of June and October catastrophic events, the government implemented the 2019 specific policies for preventing fire outbreaks and defending the forest against fires. This compulsory policy demanded that landowners and local governments alike needed to contact specific authorities requesting authorization for their intentions to clean properties in and around urban areas, roads, and forest limits. Despite policy and careful monitoring, ignitions still occur, and in many cases resulting from the implementation of such policies. The study analyses the before and after policy implementation, considering 6904 ignitions records from the period between 2014 and 2023 from the central area of Portugal, covering the transition area between the agricultural fields of the Tagus valley and the Monte-junto-Estrela Mountain range, the district of Santarém. The authorization to use fire in clearance practices is granted according to a set of weather conditions, temperature, wind intensity, and relative humidity, when analyzing fire ignitions with the average daily wind intensity at the site of the occurrence, we observed that more than half of wildfires occur on days with winds between 10 and 20 Km/h, whereas intensities greater than 30 Km/h only 1% of the total occurrences, and of these 22% occurred due to the use of fire in the burning of agricultural leftovers and cut and piled bushes. The circulation of the thermal depression in the Iberian Peninsula gives rise to increasing intensity throughout the day, reaching a maximum in the late afternoon, this factor combined with the misjudgment of safe conditions leads us to suggest stricter intervals and the need for awareness of daily variation in conditions.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different inoculation technologies on the aerobic biological semi-decomposition process of bokashi-type biofertilizer formulations. We examined their effects on the chemical and biological quality of the product, as well as their influence on the agronomic and nutritional characteristics of red-beet and cabbage crops in the field. The highest yields of field-grown beet crops were obtained from seedlings produced using the following treatments: bokashi biofertilizer + biodynamic preparations 502-507 BPB (62.6 Mg ha-1), bokashi + Chamomilla 12CH (60.2 Mg ha-1), and bokashi + Carbo vegetabilis 12 CH (56.3 Mg ha-1). These results corresponded to an increase of 60.9%, 54.7%, and 44.7%, respectively, compared to the yield of the control treatment (38.9 Mg ha-1). The increase in productivity of cabbage plants was higher in the treatment bokashi + Calcarea carbônica 12 CH (35.8 Mg ha-1), being 148.6% higher than the control (14.4 Mg ha-1).The content of moisture, carbon, nitrogen, C/N ratio, and pH H2O in the majority of the evaluated formulations, comply with the standards outlined in IN Nº 61, 2020, by Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Supply, qualifying them as class "A" solid organic compound fertilizers.

In this work, the cross-linked PMMA-based dental resins scraps were submitted to pyrolysis to recover MMA (Methylmethacrylate). The thermal degradation of cross-linked PMMA-based dental resins scraps was analyzed by TG/DTG to guide the operating conditions in pilot scale. The pyrolysis experiments carried out in a reactor of 143L, at 345, 405, and 420°C, 1.0 atmosphere. The reaction liquid products obtained at 345°C, physicochemical characterized for density, kinematic viscosity, and refractive index. The chemical composition of liquid products obtained at 345°C, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 110 minutes, at 405°C, 50, 70, and 130 minutes, and at 420°C, 40, 50, 80, 100, 110, and 130 minutes determined by GC-MS. The experiments show that liquid phase yields were 55.50%, 48.73%, and 48.20% (wt.), at 345, 405, and 420°C, respectively, showing a smooth sigmoid behavior, decreasing with increasing temperature, while that of gas phase were 31.69%, 36.60%, and 40.13% (wt.), respectively, increasing with temperature. The liquid products density, kinematic viscosity, and refractive index obtained at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 110 minutes, varied between 0.9227 and 0.9380 g/mL, 0.566 and 0.588 mm2/s, and 1.401 and 1.414, respectively, showing percentage deviations between 0.74 and 2.36%, 7.40 and 10.86%, and 0.00 and 0.92%, respectively, compared to standard values for density, kinematic viscosity, and refractive index of pure MMA at 20 °C. The GC-MS identified in the reaction liquid products at 345, 405, and 420°C, 1.0 atm, esters of carboxylic acids, alcohols, ketones, and aromatics, showing concentrations of MMA between 83.454 and 98.975% (area.). For all the depolymerization experiments, the concentrations of MMA in the liquid phase, between 30 and 80 minutes, reach purities above 98% (area.), decreasing drastically with increasing reaction time after 100 minutes, thus making it possible to depolymerize the cross-linked PMMA-based dental resins scraps by pyrolysis to recover MMA. The optimum operating conditions to achieve high MMA concentrations, as well as elevated yields of liquid reaction products were 345 °C and 80 minutes.

Biocomposite membranes based on polylactic acid (PLA) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were developed using a scientific approach. Dicumyl peroxide (DCP) was used as a polymerization ini-tiator, while tin octoate (Sn(Oct)2) and triphenylphosphane (P(C6H5)3) were used as catalysts. A torque rheometer was used to mix the components of the biocomposite, and thin films was prepared by solvent casting. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the coupling between the PLA and CNCs. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed that the CNCs were well-dispersed in the PLA matrix with an unimodal particle size distribution and a maximum particle size of around 200 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calo-rimetry (DSC) analysis demonstrated good thermal stability and improved biodegradability of the biocomposite membrane compared to pure PLA. Mechanical characterization showed a Young's modulus of 1.65 GPa, which is comparable to that of other composite materials, and a maximum tensile strength of 20.31 MPa, which is higher than that of pure PLA. These results suggest that the developed biocomposite membrane has potential applications in water filtration, food packaging, and biomedical devices.

The complete regression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) obtained pre-clinically with anti-carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) G36 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in doses equivalent to 10e8 CAR T cells/ Kg renewed the potential of this target to treat ccRCC and other tumors in hypoxia. The immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) brought durable clinical responses in advanced ccRCC and other tumors. Here we tested CD8/4-1BB compared to CD28-based anti-CAIX CAR PBMCs cells-releasing anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) IgG4 for human ccRCC treatment in vitro and in an orthotopic NSG mice model in vivo. Using a 10e7 CAR PBMCs cells/ Kg dose, anti-CAIX CD28 CAR T cells releasing anti-PD-L1 IgG highly decrease both tumor volume and weight in vivo, avoiding the occurrence of metastasis. This antitumoral superiority of CD28-based CAR PBMCs cells compared to 4-1BB occurred under ICB via PD-L1. Furthermore, T cell exhaustion status in peripheral CD4 T cells, additionally to CD8 was critical for CAR T cells efficiency. The lack of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity upon administration of 10e7 CAR PMBCs cells/Kg dose is the basis for carrying out clinical trials using anti-CAIX CD28 CAR PBMCs cells releasing anti-PD-L1 antibodies or anti-CAIX 4-1BB CAR T cells, offering exciting new prospects for the treatment of refractory ccRCC and hypoxic tumors.

Background: Idiopathic Toe Walking (ITW) is the persistence of a forefoot strike pattern at initial contact while walking beyond the age of three years, in the absence of other justifiable causes. This review aims to consolidate the current knowledge on the subject and to highlight recent advancements in literature. Methods: We conducted an electronic search in the following databases up to June 2023: Ovid MEDLINE, EBSCO, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and PubMed. The PICO framework was employed to define search terms. Results: Despite considerable methodological heterogeneity among studies, we found a stronger inclination toward investigating etiological and prognostic factors. There is a trend for a higher prevalence in boys with a positive family history. Novel classifications have been proposed to improve differential diagnosis. Among conservative treatment options, there is stronger evidence for gait improvement with the use of serial casting followed by orthoses. Severe cases may benefit from surgical Zone III gastrocsoleus lengthening. Conclusion: Further studies with standardized methodologies are required to clarify questions about the etiology, classification, and treatment of this condition. Nonetheless, there is a higher level of evidence supporting conservative treatments with serial casting and orthoses, as well as gastrocsoleus Zone III surgical lengthening for severe cases in the second decade of life.

Passiflora cincinnata Mast is a plant popularly used in traditional medicine in northeastern Brazil. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-lipoperoxidative and anti-α-amylase properties, and cytotoxicity of an extract and fraction of passion fruit leaves (P. cincinnata Mast), as well as the antihyperglecemiant activity of the fraction rich in glycosylated flavonoids and showing low cytotoxicity in rats with a postprandial hyperglycaemia condition. The ethyl acetate fraction (F.ACT) of the P. cincinnata leaves presented the best anti-lipoperoxide properties with TBARs 81.49%, 95.48% and 75.62% lower than AAPH, FeSO₄ and H₂O₂ induced controls, respectively, at 200 μg.mL-1. In addition, it presented an anti-α-amylase potential, with a better ability to inhibit the α-amylase enzyme in comparison to the acarbose control (IC₅₀ 6.49 ± 0.11 and 12.01 ± 0.4 μg.mL-1, respectively). The hydroalcoholic extract of P. cincinnata (ExEt) presented high content of total tannins, flavonoids and flavonols. However, F.ACT had the highest concentration of flavonoids among the fractions studied. HPLC analysis of this fraction revealed the presence of the flavonoids isovitexin, orientin and isoorientin. F.ACT showed low to no cytotoxicity below 150 μg.mL-1. Regarding the post-prandial antihyperglycaemic activity of F.ACT, it was observed at 50 and 100 mg.kg-1.

Leishmaniasis is a complex infectious parasitic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, belonging to a group of neglected tropical diseases. It poses significant global health challenges, particularly in socio-economically disadvantaged regions. Macrophages, as innate immune cells, play a crucial role in initiating the inflammatory response against the pathogens responsible for this disease. Macrophage polarization, the process of differentiating macrophages into pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes, is essential for the immune response in leishmaniasis. The M1 phenotype is associated with resistance to Leishmania infection, while the M2 phenotype is predominant in susceptible environments. Notably, various immune cells, including T cells, play a significant role in modulating macrophage polarization by releasing cytokines that influence macrophage maturation and function. Furthermore, other immune cells can also impact macrophage polarization in a T-cell-dependent manner. Therefore, this review comprehensively examines macrophage polarization's role in leishmaniasis and other immune cells' potential involvement in this intricate process.

Institutional sustainability is a dynamic and multifaceted concept that relies on the contributions of various institutions, including the legal and the scientific system. On the other side, consumers boycotts are an expression of political consumerism by which consumers can use their market power to attain sustainability objectives. This article explores institutional trust on the legal system and trust on scientists as potential drivers for consumers’ boycotts. Using data retrieved from the European Social Survey covering twenty-five countries, the study employs binary logistic regression to assess the importance of institutional trust and other potential drivers of product boycotts in Europe. Results confirm that boycotting behaviour is affected by institutional trust, as well as other individual variables including gender, age and life-cycle effects, education, interest in politics and level of satisfaction with the political system, generalized trust, personal well-being, and consumers’ use and perceptions of information and communication technologies. The results of this study enrich the literature on consumer boycotts and have implications for policymakers involved in sustainability initiatives.

The antioxidant activity of molecules constitutes an important factor for the regulation of redox homeostasis and reduction of oxidative stress. Cells affected by oxidative stress can undergo genetic alteration, causing structural changes and promoting the onset of chronic diseases, such as cancer. The in silico study performed here was developed to evaluate the antioxidant potential of two molecules, ZINC08706191 (Z91) and ZINC08992920 (Z20), with recognized epithelial anticancer potential. Molecular docking, chemical-quantum calculations and Pearson's correlation were performed. The Z91 and Z20 molecules showed lower binding free energy (ΔG) values for the receptor-ligand interaction than the reference molecules (caffeine – CAF and ascorbic acid – AA), and better results for values of molecular descriptors correlated with ΔG, resulting in a decrease of ΔG. Strong correlations were observed between ΔG values for the five receptors evaluated and ΔG values of the potential epithelial anticancer activity available in literature. These results attest to the significant antioxidant potential of the Z91 and Z20 molecules and their strong relation with the potential epithelial anticancer activity and may be indicated for further analysis in relation to the control of oxidative stress and epithelial anticancer activity.

Cancer is a complex disease, considered a major public health problem worldwide. Among the types of cancer, melanoma, and leukemias present high mortality rates in Brazil and worldwide. Currently, conventional cytotoxic treatments cause severe side effects by the non-selectivity between normal cells and cancer cells. Therefore, molecules of natural origin with more efficient anticancer properties and that present fewer adverse effects are of extreme importance for cancer therapy and improvement in patients’ quality of life. This study isolated, identified, and characterized the chemical structure of a new anthraquinone present in the extract of the roots of Senna velutina. In addition, we sought to evaluate the anticancer potential of this molecule against melanoma and leukemic cell lines and identify the pathways of cell death involved. To this end, a novel anthraquinone was isolated from the barks of the roots of S. velutina, analyzed by HPLC-DAD, and its molecular structure was determined by NMR. Subsequently, their cytotoxic activity was evaluated by the MTT method against non-cancerous, melanoma, and leukemic cells. The migration of melanoma cells was evaluated by the scratch assay. By flow cytometry technique, the apoptosis process, caspase-3 activation, analysis of mitochondrial membrane potential, and measurement of ROS were evaluated. In addition, the pharmacological cell death inhibitors NEC-1, RIP-1, BAPTA, Z-VAD, and Z-DEVD were used to confirm the related cell death mechanisms. With the results, it was possible to elucidate the novel compound characterized as 2'-OH-Torosaol I. In normal cells, the compound showed no cytotoxicity in PBMC but reduced the cell viability of all melanoma and leukemic cell lines evaluated. 2'-OH-Torosaol I inhibited chemotaxis of B16F10-Nex2, SK-Mel-19, SK-Mel28 and SK-Mel-103. The cytotoxicity of the compound was induced by apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway with reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, increased levels of reactive oxygen species, and activation of caspase-3. In addition, the inhibitors demonstrated the involvement of necroptosis and CA+ in the death process and confirmed caspase-dependent apoptosis death as one of the main programmed-cell death pathways induced by 2'-OH-Torosaol I. Taken together, the data characterize the novel anthraquinone 2'-OH-Torosaol I, demonstrating its anticancer activity and potential application in cancer therapy.

Tabebuia aurea (Silva Manso) Benth. & Hook. f. The ex S.Moore (yellow ipe), belonging to the Bignoniaceae family, used in the popular for fever, inflammation and healing of skin wounds. The extract was prepared by maceration, using 70% ethanol. Through HPLC analysis, it was possible to identify substances, mainly phenolic, such as lapachol, present in Bignoniaceae. The phenolic content was 21.36 mg / Eag in the antioxidant activity, the effective concentration of 50% was 53.03 ± 1.14 µg / mL. The antimicrobial activity against S.aureus, E. coli and C. albicans was evaluated by microdilution in broth, which verified action against the tested microorganisms. Cell viability has been inhibited for tumor cells, although this has not been observed for normal cells. The LD50 against A.aegypti mosquito larvae was 3504.6 mg / L and there was no mortality in the concentration tested for the snail B.glabrata. Nontoxic or low toxicity for A. salina and T. molitor, respectively, and did not exhibit hemolytic action at concentrations of antibacterial effect. Given the above, it was concluded that the bark extract of the studied species has bioprospecting potential for the future development of antimicrobial products.

Meloidogyne javanica causing root-knot nematode in soybean is an important problem in soybean areas, leading to several yield losses. Some accessions have been identified carrying resistance loci to this nematode specie. In this study, a set of 317 soybean accessions were characterized for resistance to M. javanica. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using SNPs from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), and a region of 29.2 Kbp on chromosome 13 was identified. The haplotype analysis showed that SNPs were able to discriminate susceptible and resistant accessions, leading to 25 accessions sharing the resistance locus. Furthermore, 5 accessions may be new M. javanica resistance sources. The screening of the SNPs in the USDA soybean germplasm showed that several accessions previous reported as resistance to other nematodes also showed the resistance haplotype on chromosome 13. High levels of concordance among the phenotypes of Brazilian cultivars and the SNPs in chromosome 13 were observed. A in silico analysis of the mapped region on soybean genome revealed a presence of 5 genes with structural similarity with major resistance genes. The expression levels of the candidate genes in the interval demonstrated a potential pseudogene, and other two model genes up-regulated in the resistance source after pathogen infection. The SNPs associated to the region conferring resistance is a important tool for introgression of the resistance by marker-assisted selection in soybean breeding programs.

C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocytes are blood biomarkers involved in "Inflamm-Aging", which is a risk factor for the onset and progression of age-related diseases. Studies show that higher serum concentrations of these biomarkers are associated with functional disability, increased risk of low muscle strength, decreased muscle mass and mortality in the elderly. The objective was to estimate the predictive power and discriminating criteria of C-reactive protein and leukocyte concentrations for the risk of adverse health factors in the elderly within 30 days after hospital discharge (HD). Prospective cohort study using exploratory methods and blood biomarkers with 135 older adults admitted to medical and surgical clinics at a government hospital. The elderly were monitored at home after 30 days of HD for adverse health factors (rehospitalization, falls, amount of medication consumed, disability in basic and instrumental activities of daily living and mortality). CRP> 2.4; ≥ 0.7 and> 24.7 mg / dL and leukocytes ≥ 6.410; ≥ 8.690 and> 8.310 mm³ were discriminant for rehospitalization, falls and mortality within 30 days after HD, respectively. The cut-off points described may be used as a reference in the screening of hospitalized elderly vulnerable to adverse health events after hospital discharge.

Cervical cancer is associated with persistent infections by high-risk HPV types that may have nucleotide polymorphisms and, consequently, different oncogenic potentials. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variability and structural effects of E7 oncogene of HPV58 in cervical scraping samples from Brazilian women. The study was carried out with patients from hospitals in metropolitan area of Recife, PE, Brazil. The most frequent HPV type was HPV16, 18 and 58, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolates were classified as sublineages A2, C1 and D2. Two positively selected mutations were found in E7: 63G and 64T. The mutations G41R, G63D and T64A in E7 protein were predicted to reduce the stability of the protein structure. Regarding the interaction of the E7 variant of HPV58 with the signaling of the NF-kB pathway, we observed that the variant HPV58/UFPE-54S decreased the activity of the pathway when compared to the prototype and the other variants behaved similarly to the prototype and the prototype increased the activity of the pathway when compared to pcDNA. In this study, it was possible to identify mutations that may interfere in the molecular interaction between the viral oncoproteins and host proteins.

SiO2-SO3H, with a surface area of 115 m2/g, pore volume of 0.38 cm3g-1 and 1.32 mmol H+/g, was used as a 20% w/w catalyst for the preparation of methyl salicylate (Wintergreen oil or MS) from acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). A 94% conversion was achieved in a microwave reactor during 40.0 minutes at 120 oC in MeOH. The resulting crude product was purified by flash chromatography. The catalyst could be re-used three times.

Geotechnology techniques were used to specialize the occurrences of the species, based on forest inventories and information available in open-access databases, as well as data from herbaria with catalogs available online, and bibliographical references indicating places of occurrence in the Amazon. GIS-integrated Weighted Mean Ordination (WMO) was chosen as the technique for evaluating the topoclimatic index. Thirteen topoclimatic variables were used, applying principal component analysis techniques such as multidimensional preference to compare the participation of each variable in the two components; Biplot to identify the relationships between the variables and cluster to identify the average distance between proximal classes. The interpolated surfaces of the specialized climatic variables were separated into frequency bands that helped calculate the probability of occurrence, from which a scale of 0 to 10 was established, indicating lower and higher probabilities. Three potential zones were identified, classified as high, medium and low, where areas with high potential occupied 32% of the territory of Pará, medium areas 36% and 32% with low potential for cultivation and presence. The intermediate class had the highest percentage, totaling 36% of the state, explained by the average ratio between the weights adopted.

Background: Elevated fasting plasma glucose and visceral fat area (VFA) is highly prevalent in obese adults. This study investigated the associations between systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) and laboratory, anthropometric, heart rate variability (HRV), and obstructive sleep apnea markers. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 95 obese patients treated at Obesity Treatment and Surgery Center, located in Salvador, BA, Brazil. SAH data were obtained from electronic medical records of patients. To evaluate the association of SAH with the predictor variables, the sample was stratified in Normotense Group (NG) and Hypertensive Group (HG), and laboratory markers, body composition, polysomnography data, and HRV were measured. Results: The average age of the NG was 36.3 ± 10.1 and HG 40.4 ± 10.6 years, 73.7% were women in the NG and 57.9% in HG; 82.4% in HG had insulin resistance. In the multivarious logistics regression model with adjustments age, sex, height, and oxyhemoglobin saturation, SAH was inversely associated with fasting plasma glucose mg/dL (odds ratio [OR] = 0.96; 95% interval confidence [CI] = 0.92 - 0.99) and VFA cm² (OR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.97 - 0.99). The area under curve the VFA was 0.728; CI 95% (0.620 - 0.836) and fasting plasma glucose 0.693; CI 95% (0.582 - 0.804). Conclusions: Lower VFA and fasting plasma glucose concentrations were inversely associated with SAH. These results indicate opportunities to improve the outcome in obese patients through counseling and clinical interventions.

The present study aimed to develop a mathematical model to estimate the performance of an indoor rowing event of 6000m through an 500 m all out test in junior athletes. We selected141 subjects from the Brazilian rowing confederation database (15.9 ± 1.0 years), subsequently randomised the sample to the development (~70%) and cross-validation (~30%) groups of the mathematical model. Performance data for 500m and 6000m were collected (there was a 48h washout between one test and anoth-er).Subsequently, the mathematical model: Time(min) 6000m = { [( Time(s) 500-m * 6) * 2] / 60} + 1.3, was developed by arithmetic modeling using machine learning and Regression analysis, being tested by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), Validity (Cb ), preci-sion (ρ) and bland-Altman plotting. The prediction of the result of 6000m through the mathematical model utilizando apenas o desempenho de 500m “all-out” test showed a significant reliability in de-velopment group (r2 = 0.730, ICC = 0.753; CCC = 0.895, Cb = 0.879, ρ: 0.957, pure error: 0.2 secounds (1.0% estimative error)); and in cross-validation group (r2 = 0.710, ICC = 0.747; CCC = 0.888, Cb = 0.875, ρ: 0.903, pure error: 0.3 secounds (1.4% estimative error)). When comparing the estimated re-sults of the 6000m performance by the mathematical model with the real performance of 6000m per-formed in indoor rowing, no statistical differences were observed. In addition, the mathematical model did not present a significant proportion bias in relation to the 6000 m performance in both groups. The mathematical model for predicting 6000m performance through a 500m fast test was significant for national level junior rowing athletes.

Genes encoding regulatory RNAs known as short RNAs (sRNAs) or non-coding sRNAs (ncRNAs), modulate physiological responses through different mechanisms, through RNA-RNA interaction or RNA-protein interaction. These molecules transcribed in trans and in cis relative to the target RNA. They are located between the coding regions of proteins, i.e., in the intergenic regions of the genome and show signals of promoters and termini sequences generally Rho-independent. The size of the ncRNAs genes ranges from ~ 50 to ~ 500 nucleotides and several transcripts are processed by RNase with smaller end products, which modulate physiological responses through different mechanisms, by RNA-RNA interaction or RNA-protein interactions and some interactions may be stabilized by the Hfq chaperone. The Riboswitches constitute another class of ncRNAs, located in the 5'UTR region of an mRNA that promote transcriptional regulation through their interaction with a linker molecule. Recently, in prokaryotes, CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) regions have described, which repeats of sequences of palindromic bases are. Each replicate consists of short segments of "spacer DNA" from exposures prior to a bacteriophage virus or exogenous plasmid. The CRISPR system consists of an immune system of resistance to exogenous molecules.

Molecular studies regarding regulatory elements such as small ncRNAs and their mechanisms are poorly understood in infectious diseases. Tuberculosis is one of the oldest infectious diseases of humanity, and it is still a challenge to prevent and treat it. The control of the infection as well as its diagnosis are still complex, and treatments used are linked to several side effects. This study aimed to investigate miRNA’s expression profile to identify possible biomarkers for tuberculosis. We applied NGS techniques to investigate miRNA’s global expression profile from blood samples of infected patients with tuberculosis, their respective healthy physicians, and external healthy individuals as controls. Samples from 22 individuals run through a differential expression, target genes, gene set enrichment, and miRNA-gene network analysis. We observed 153 altered miRNAs, among which, only three DEmiRNAs (hsa-let-7g-5p, hsa-miR-486-3p and hsa-miR-4732-5p) were found between the investigated patients and their respective physicians. These DEmiRNAs are suggested to play an important role in granuloma regulation and their immune physiopathology. Our results propose that miRNAs may be involved in immune modulation, regulating the repertoire of genes expressed in the immune system’s cells. Our findings encourage the application of miRNAs as potential biomarkers for tuberculosis.

Background: Clinical cases reports with snake accidents show that venom bite induces increased oxidative stress including several markers of lipid peroxidation and other oxidative stress marker in plasma. Methods: The main findings of this work were performed with BthTx-II on paw edema of animals treated with the toxin and biochemical measurement of COX-2, PGE2, MDA and the effects of peroxiredoxin inhibitors on edema and myotoxicity were also evaluated. Results: The results show that edema and myotoxocity induced by PLA2 (BthTx-II) induces a strong mobilization of arachidonic acid and an increase in cellular oxidative stress as measured by increased malondialdehydo (MDA) concentration and protein carbonylation. Thus, these findings establish the strong link between oxidative stress, arachidonic acid mobilization and that these events may explain the presence of oxidative stress markers in snake-bitten patients. Experiments performed with animals previously treated with commercially purchased inhibitors showed enzymes such as thioredoxin (TXN), thioredoxin reductase (TXNRD) and other glutathione (GSH)-related antioxidant defenses could play an essential role controlling and defining the end of edema on the late phase of PLA2 BthTx-II-induced process. Conclusion. This study showed that thioate-dependent antioxidant enzymes play an important role in resolving the edema induced by BthTx-II.

The Eucalyptus genus is the most planted forest crop in the world, with Brazil being one of the countries with the greatest productive potential. However, the occurrence of weeds can cause losses in productivity. Chemical control is widely used, but the efficiency of herbicides depends on factors such as the presence of straw in the soil and the occurrence of rainfall. Due to the scarcity of results regarding the interaction between herbicide, straw, and water depth in the forest sector, the objective of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of S-metolachlor + glyphosate in the control of grasses in different densities of eucalyptus straw and with simulated rain after the application of the product. The experiment was conducted in DBC, factorial 3×3×2, with four replications. The first factor represented 0, 50 and 100% of the commercial dose of S-metolachlor + glyphosate, the second 0, 5, and 10 ton ha-2 of straw, and the third 25 and 50mm of water depth applied in soil with a mix of grasses previously sowed. The rainfall simulation was performed 24 hours after herbicide application on each straw volume. The fresh mass of the aerial part of the grasses was collected 43 days after sowing and dried in an oven to determine the dry mass. Visual analyzes of the percentage of control were performed with scales ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 represents no control and 100 efficient control. The fresh and dry mass and the grasses' dry mass/water ratio decreased with increasing herbicide dosage and straw density. The dosage of 2.12 + 1.59 kg i.a. ha-1 of S-metolachlor + glyphosate resulted in greater control of grasses, and the treatments without straw and with the application of the herbicide had the highest percentages of control. Applying different water depths (25 mm or 50 mm) did not influence the control. Despite the control of grasses, the efficiency of the herbicide mixture was affected by the presence of vegetation cover.

This study proposes a risk analysis model based on the principles of ISO 31000 and decision theory for biological agents with potential for offensive use in Brazil. Bibliographic research was conducted on the main models already published on the subject. The German risk classification system was adopted as the main reference because it is adjustable and adopts a semiquantitative approach. After translating and adapting this model to the Brazilian context, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to generate a hierarchical tree with criteria and subcriteria to be considered in the risk assessment. A questionnaire was administered to a group of experts to evaluate the relevant criteria and subcriteria and the risks related to three biological agents (Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis and Francisella tularensis), which were selected in an exploratory manner to exemplify the application of the model. According to the results, the criterion of impact of a biological attack was given greater importance when compared with the probability of occurrence of this event. According to the subcriteria, the greatest weight was attributed to human health when compared with agriculture, the environment, or the economy. Finally, in the evaluation of the three pathogens, B. anthracis was identified as having the highest risk for offensive use in Brazil. This research is focused on a practical approach and can be implemented by competent agencies to foster their capacity for biological defense by determining which pathogens represent the greatest risk to society.

Surimi consists in a technique for concentrating myofibrillar proteins with gelling ability, which aims to make use of by-products from fish slaughter, such as bullfrog back, which can be basis for the manufacture of emulsified products. Due to the strategic need to develop clean label foods, products such as collagen have been reported as potential natural additives with bioactive properties. The objective was to elaborate a surimi from the mechanically separated bullfrog back and to develop an emulsion, replacing the soy lecithin used by hydrolyzed collagen, evaluating its emulsifying and antioxidant potential during 120 days of storage under freezing. Three meat emulsions were prepared: EC0 (100% soy lecithin), EC50 (50% soy lecithin + 50% collagen), and EC100 (100% collagen), which were subjected to analysis of chemical composition, emulsion stability, water holding capacity, luminosity, whiteness, texture profile, TBARS and antioxidant activity. Insertion of collagen increased whiteness, lightness, hardness, and chewiness values compared to the EC0, but showed greater fluid loss. All treatments showed stable WHC values (88 – 91%) over time. Replacement with collagen was satisfactory as an emulsifier and as an antioxidant, and the EC50 and EC100 treatments were not negatively affected in the investigated parameters.

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the world and one of its main features is chronic hyperglycemia. Among the therapeutic forms used to control the pathology are pharmacotherapy and the use of other alternatives such as regular exercise, which participates in glycemic control and the ingestion of plant extracts with antioxidant effects in the body. Among the different plants used, curcumin is a possible plant to be used to attenuate the hyperglycemic picture triggered by Diabetes Mellitus. Some studies suggest that this plant is antioxidant and hypoglycemic. The review aimed to know the antioxidant and hypoglycemic potential of curcumin supplementation in DM. The search was performed considering articles published between 2010 to 2019, in English and Portuguese, and a theoretical survey of relevant information was conducted in the main databases of scientific publications: Virtual Health Library and its indexed databases as Pubmed, LILACS, Scielo and Scientific Electronic Library Online. The associated use Turmeric and Physical Exercise demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic activity caused by Diabetes Mellitus. We may suggest that these are potential therapeutic ways to improve the quality and survival of diabetic patients.

Olefin metathesis of ethyl linoleate (EL) was investigated under different conditions of substrate amount, temperature, and catalyst. Second-generation Grubbs catalyst (G2) was used in experiments at 20 and 50 ºC for 24 and 48h, whereas first-generation Grubbs catalyst (G1) and [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₂perhydroazepine] (LN) were used in experiments at 50 ºC for 24h, with the latter also being investigated in the presence or absence of SnCl₂ as co-catalyst. Catalytic products were analyzed for GC-MS and discussed in terms of relative percent of the metathesis products. With G2 as catalyst, GC-MS chromatograms were similar in all the amounts of EL investigated at 50 ºC for 24h, except for ethyl hexadec-9-enoate (compound K), which was obtained with different percentage as a function of EL amount (55% for 2 and 5 mL and 65% for 8 mL). An α,ω-dicarboxylic acid with m/z = 444.00 (compound L) was produced from the experiments at 50 ºC for 24h with similar percentage as a function of EL amount. However, the relative percentage of L changed with the increase of EL volume in the experiments at 20 ºC (ca. 18, 27, and 28%, with 2, 5, and 8 mL of EL, respectively). The olefin metathesis of EL conducted by G1 reached lower selectivity than that conducted by G2 for 24h at 50 ºC. Several intense peaks reached with G1 were similar to those obtained with G2, in addition to new peaks of medium intensity. Compound L showed higher m/z, similar to that presented with G2, but with lower relative proportion in the mixture. LN was inert for olefin metathesis of EL; however, it was activated in the presence of SnCl₂ at 50 ºC for 24h. Different compounds and selectivity as a function of the catalyst type and reaction conditions were obtained.

Aim: To investigate how much aerobic and resisted physical exercise affects the behavior of AST and ALT proteins in the NAFLD spectrum. Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a pathology resulting from the excessive accumulation of triglycerides in the liver. The pathophysiology of the disease comes from several mechanisms, among them, metabolic, environmental, and genetic. The measurement of liver enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are essential to perform a differential diagnosis of NAFLD with other pathologies that affect the liver. The non-pharmacological treatment of NAFLD is based on aerobic and resisted physical exercise, and one of its aims is to reduce the inflammatory markers AST and ALT. Materials and Methods: Systematic review carried out in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Clinical trials that evaluated the effect of physical exercise on NAFLD on AST and ALT enzymes were included. Results: A total of 24 clinical trials met the inclusion criteria, with a sample size of 1141 participants, aged 20-82 years. The study protocol varied between aerobic exercise and resistance exercise with a weekly frequency between 2-6 times a week, a duration of 20-90 minutes for aerobics, and an intensity between 50-80% of peak VO2 and/or maximum HR for the resisted. Of the 24 studies included, only five showed improvements in both enzymes in the intervention group. Conclusion: Physical exercise cannot make significant changes in the behavior of AST and ALT liver parameters.

Despite the global richness of food plants, only a small portion is used as food for humans. Although most wild food plants (WFPs) are underutilized as food, they can contribute to food security and biocultural conservation through sustainable management. The goal of this research was to identify the best terminological presentation of a novel food product and to understand the influences of the expectations on products with WFP. This research was conducted using an online questionnaire with a final national sample of 724 people. The participants answered questions about their socioeconomic profile, food neophobia, prior knowledge, and expectations regarding the taste and appropriateness of native fruit juices. The questions were randomized so that a person would not receive the same picture or product name more than once. The results show that taste expectancy decreases in relation to products associated with WFP names and forest environments. Food neophobia is the variable that influences expectations the most. To ensure biocultural conservation and cultural valuation, WFP popularization programs should maintain the original (popular) name of the species. However, to help more distant consumers develop familiarity, the flavor, shape, color, or texture of these products can be associated with those of conventional plants.

Sugarcane plays a crucial role in global sugar and ethanol production. Conventionally, sugar-cane propagation involves planting billets. However, Brazilian researchers have introduced the innovative pre-sprouted seedlings (PSS) method, widely used in the MEIOSI (Simultaneously Occurring Interrotational Method) system. Although MPB has several advantages over the con-ventional method, its sensitivity to water scarcity is a challenge. The study aimed to evaluate the survival and growth of PSS inoculated with Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis under differ-ent water regimes. The experiment was conducted in the field in a randomized block in strips (split-block) using a 2×4 factorial scheme consisting of two inoculation conditions (with and without bacteria) and four water regimes (0%, 33%, 66%, and 100% of the ideal irrigation). The bacteria increased the PSS's survival and water use efficiency in the field. In addition, inocula-tion increased root and shoot growth, as well as the nutrient uptake such as N, P, Mn, Zn, and Cu, which resulted in a higher number of stalks per meter and, therefore, a higher multiplica-tion rate in the MEIOSI system. Inoculation proved to be a promising alternative for establishing PSS under water restriction.

The hemodynamic activity of Melipona flavolineata workers was evaluated during restraint stress for a period of 30 minutes. The observed parameters were power variation in the elapsed time, and subsequently six periods of one second were divided and called: A, B, C, D, E and F; in each period the electrocardiographic parameters were evaluated: Heart rate, Amplitude, R-R Interval, Duration of QRS and Q-T interval. The experiment was carried out with 8 worker bees of M. flavolineata, for which electrodes with nickel-chromium alloy were made. The bees were previously anesthetized with isoflurane and properly contained and fixed in a base for stereotaxis in which the electrode was implanted. All these procedures were performed inside a Faraday cage. The results showed power oscillations during the recording with the highest energy level between 300 and 600 s. Heart rate, QRS amplitude and QRS duration parameters underwent changes recorded during the restraint stress period. However, for the Q-T interval there was no difference during the recordings. Thus, the cardiac activity of M. flavolineata can be used as a biomarker and being used to clarify physiological issues or alterations caused by toxic agents and indicate risk factors for these animals.

Invasive macrophytes are considered problematic in natural environments and hydroelectric reservoirs. Climate changes, the occurrence of watercourses, and biotic interactions influence the biological invasion of macrophytes. Native species can correlate with invasives positively or negatively. Urochloa subquadripara is an invasive in natural or disturbed habitats co-occurring with the natives Eichhornia crassipes and Salvinia minima. Aquatic plant communities can be altered by climate change, so species distribution models (SDMs) are important tools for predicting in-vaded areas. This work aimed to make an SDM for U. subquadripara correlating with the poten-tial distribution of native species E. crassipes and S. minima. Occurrence data for U. subquadripara, E. crassipes, and S. minima were collected from databases and in consultation with the published literature. Parameters encompassing biological information of the species were entered into the CLIMEX software and used to generate the Ecoclimatic Index (EI). The species co-occurrence was performed based on multicriteria decision-making (MCDM), and weights were assigned using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). It was observed that U. subquadripara, E. crassipes, and S. minima have a higher occurrence in tropical and subtropical regions; however, it is predicted that, from climatic changes, these species may move to high latitudes. According to climate change, the risk of invasion by U. subquadripara in the northern hemisphere is mainly in lakes, while in the southern hemisphere, the areas conducive to invasions are rivers and reservoirs. In general, emerging and floating macrophyte species such as U. subquadripara, E. crassipes, and S. minima will be favored, causing suppression of submerged species. Therefore, identifying the potential distribution of these species allows the creation of pre-invasion intervention strategies.

Hoechst 33342 (H33342) is a fluorescent probe that is commonly used to stain DNA of living cells. To do so, it needs to interact with and permeate through cell membranes. The pH of biological media may vary quite significantly and this influences H33342 ionization state, and may change its rate of permeation through biomembranes. In this work, we address the effect of pH in the association of H33342 with lipid bilayers using a combined experimental and computational approach. The partition of H33342 to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) lipid membranes was experimentally quantified using fluorescence spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to select the most stable isomer of H33342 for the overall charges 0, +1, and +2, expected to predominate across the 5 < pH < 10 range. The interaction of these isomers with POPC bilayers was then studied by both unrestrained and umbrella sampling molecular dynamics simulations. While probe insertion occurs for all ionization states, with similar overall equilibrium location, orientation was found to depend on the probe charge, with the neutral form lying mostly parallel and the doubly charged displaying a significant tilt relative to the membrane plane. Both experimental results and computational free energy profiles indicate that the partition coefficient of H33342 displays a small variation over a wide pH range, not exceeding one order of magnitude. The enthalpy of interaction is negative and is larger at lower pH values. This suggests efficient hydrogen bonding between the probe and the lipid, namely for the protonated +2 form. The relatively high lipophilicity obtained for the charged species contrasts with the decrease in their general hydrophobicity as estimated from water and octanol partition. This highlights the distinction between lipophilicity and hydrophobicity, and the importance of considering association with lipid bilayers when predicting the affinity for biomembranes.

Advances in communication technologies have made the interaction of small devices, such as smartphones, wearables, and sensors, scattered on the Internet, bringing a whole new set of complex applications with ever greater task processing needs. These Internet of Things (IoT) devices run on batteries with strict energy restrictions. They tend to offload task processing to remote servers, usually to Cloud Computing (CC) in datacenters geographically located away from the IoT device. In such a context, this work proposes a dynamic cost model to minimize energy consumption and task processing time for IoT scenarios in Mobile Edge Computing environments. Our approach allows for a detailed cost model, with an algorithm called TEMS that considers energy, time consumed during processing, the cost of data transmission, and energy in idle devices. The task scheduling chooses among Cloud or Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server or local IoT devices to better execution time with lower cost. The simulated environment evaluation saved up to 51.6% energy consumption and improved task completion time up to 86.6%.

The effects of 0.4wt.% Sc addition on a typical Al-Si10-Mg alloy were systematically investigated in the present research. Samples with and without Sc produced refined dendritic arranged microstructures with sensitivity to the aging treatment after solidification, particularly in the case of the alloy without Sc. After being exposed to 300°C for 90 minutes, the dendritic spacing nearly doubled in the Al-10wt.%Si-0.45wt.%Mg samples. The rapidly solidified microstructures were constituted by the -Al dendritic phase surrounded by eutectic phases/intermetallics such as Si, Mg2Si and Al3Sc (in the case of the alloy containing Sc). 255°C and 300°C were deemed most appropriate temperatures for aging treatments, with four exposure times of up to 120 minutes tested for each alloy. The heat treatments allowed the Vickers hardness profiles to be plotted and compared. Moreover, in order to detect both Sc- and Mg- precipitates after aging, specific samples have been prepared for either SEM or TEM analyses. At first, the results pointed to a strong precipitate-related hardening effect formed as a result of the Sc addition to the alloy. All samples containing Sc showed a higher hardness value when compared to their respective treated samples without Sc. Secondly, when comparing the Al-10Si-Mg-Sc alloy samples among themselves after being treated at different conditions, high temperatures and excessive treatment times can become detrimental to the hardness. This was due to the growth of larger Sc-bearing precipitates of approximately 1 µm in size under such conditions, having less pronounced hardening effect. The best condition (255°C for 60 min) for as centrifuged samples in Cu-mold produced very fine dispersion of Mg- and Sc- intermetallics (~200 nm in size) with a peak hardness of 110 HV.

Evidence on adult mammalian neurogenesis and scarce studies with human brains led to the idea that adult human neurogenesis occurs in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus and in the subventricular zone (SVZ). However, findings published from 2018 rekindled controversies on adult human SGZ neurogenesis. We systematically reviewed studies published during the first decade of characterization of adult human neurogenesis (1994–2004) – when the two-neurogenic-niche concept in humans was consolidated – and compared with further studies. The synthesis of both periods is that adult human neurogenesis occurs in an intensity ranging from practically zero to a level comparable to adult mammalian neurogenesis in general, which is the prevailing conclusion. Nonetheless, Bernier and colleagues showed in 2000 intriguing indications of adult human neurogenesis in a broad area including the limbic system. Likewise, we later showed evidence that limbic and hypothalamic structures surrounding the circumventricular organs form a continuous zone expressing neurogenesis markers encompassing the SGZ and SVZ. The conclusion is that publications from 2018 on adult human neurogenesis did not bring novel findings on location of neurogenic niches. Rather, we expect that the search of neurogenesis beyond the canonical adult mammalian neurogenic niches will confirm our indications that adult human neurogenesis is orchestrated in a broad brain area. We predict that this approach may, for example, clarify that human hippocampal neurogenesis occurs mostly in the CA1-subiculum zone and that the previously identified human rostral migratory stream arising from the SVZ is indeed the column of the fornix expressing neurogenesis markers.

Exacerbated inflammatory responses are a hallmark of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Zileuton (Zi) is a selective inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase, an enzyme involved in the production of several inflammatory/pro-resolving lipid mediators. Herein, we investigated the effect of Zi treatment in a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) model. Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV)3-infected mice treated with Zi significantly improved the clinical score, weight loss, cardiopulmonary function, and survival rates compared with infected untreated animals. The protection observed in Zi-treated mice was associated with a lower inflammatory score, reduced dendritic cell-producing tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and increased neutrophil-producing interleukin (IL)-10 in the lungs 3 days after infection (dpi). At 5 dpi, the lungs of treated mice showed an increase in Th2-, Treg CD4+-, and Treg CD8+-producing IL-10 and reduced Th1 infiltrating cells. Furthermore, similar results were found upon Zi treatment after SARS-CoV2 infection in transgenic mice expressing the human angiotensin I-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor driven by the cytokeratin-18 (K18) gene promoter (K18-hACE2), significantly improving the clinical score, weight loss, and lung inflammatory score compared with untreated animals. Our data suggest that Zi protects against developing severe lung disease during SARS induced by betacoronavirus without affecting the host’s capacity to deal with infection.

The civil construction industry is one of the sectors that most consume natural resources in the world and, consequently, one of that generate more waste. Thinking about constructive techniques that generate less impact on the environment is vital to ensure sustainable development. In this scenario, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been presented as an internationally recognized approach, that assesses the potential impact of products and services on human health and the environment, throughout its entire life cycle. Aimed to identify construction techniques and vertical closing systems that generate less impact and consumption of natural resources, the impacts generated by the life cycle of the three vertical closing systems most applied in construction sites in Brazil were compared: ceramic brick masonry system (CBr); concrete block masonry system (CBk); and structural blocks masonry system (SBk). The SBk proved to be the least impacting to the “Resource Scarcity”, “Damage to Human Health”, and “Damage to the diversity of Ecosystems” interesting areas. This performance is directly related to the use of cement CPIII type and also by the fact that the SBk consumes less concrete and mortar than the others. Already the "Water Consumption" area, the CBk was the least impacting due to the lower consumption of electricity during its life cycle. The reliability of the results was proven through a sensitivity analysis of the normalization and characterization factors, which consisted of comparing the results obtained by applying two different methodologies. It is believed that the LCA study carried out can assist in the decision-making process regarding the choice of the most sustainable construction method.

Sporothrix brasiliensis is the most pathogenic species, responsible for the Brazilian cat-transmitted sporotrichosis hyperendemics. In this scenario, investigation of pathogen-host interaction can provide relevant information for future treatment strategies. To this end, the invertebrate Galleria mellonella has proven to be a suitable alternative to evaluate the virulence of pathogenic fungi since the insect immune system is similar to the mammalian innate immune response. The aim of this work was to investigate phenotypic and molecular aspects of the immune response of G. mellonella throughout the S. brasiliensis infection. Hemocyte density and the evolution of the fungal load were evaluated. In parallel, RT- qPCR expression analysis of genes encoding antimicrobial peptides (Gallerimycin and Galiomycin) and stress management genes (C7 Contig 15362 and C8 Contig 1910) was conducted. Fungal load and hemocyte densities were proportionally increasing simultaneously to the deleterious morphological events and larvae mortality. Gallerimycin, C7 Contig 15362, and C8 Contig 19101 genes were positively regulated (p<0.05) at distinct moments of S. brasiliensis infection, characterizing a time-dependent and alternately modulated profile. Galiomycin gene expression remained unchanged. Our results contribute to the future proposal of potential alternative pathways to treat and, consequently, control S. brasiliensis zoonosis, a major public Health in Latin America.

This study proposes a framework to integrate Sustainability within Management Systems Standards and subsequently implement and disclose Sustainable Development goals and results. Moreover, it investigates the SD goals (SDGs) and results (SDRs) that Portuguese organizations with Integrated Management Systems (IMSs) disclose to their interest parties. The study, supported by content analysis, highlights that the four more frequently disclosed SDGs are “life on land“(50.0%), “industry, innovation, and infrastructure” (47.1%), “responsible consumption and production” (47.1%), and “partnerships for the goals” (47.1%). Conversely, the four SDRs most frequently disclosed are “employment” (82.4%), “economic performance” (79.4%), “anti-corruption” (64.7%), and “occupational health and safety” (61.8%). Hence, SDGs disclosure emphasizes the environmental dimension, while SDRs disclosure highlights the social dimension (economic dimension present in both SDGs and SDRs). Finally, the disclosure of SDGs and SDRs in institutional reports presents a positive and strong correlation that is statistically significant. Overall, the contributions of this research are twofold. First, it supports the integration of the SDGs within organizations, and second, it stimulates the demonstration of their impacts on the SDGs (the SDRs).

Obesity is related to the establishment of chronic inflammation and metabolic diseases, but it can be positively influenced by the regular practice of physical activity. The study aimed to compare the anthropometric, metabolic, and inflammatory parameters of physically active Military Police Officers (MPOs) with those who are less physically active. Sixty male MPOs, low activity (n=28) and physically active (n=32) participated. The following parameters were measured: plasma cytokine levels, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, circulating glucose triglyceride (TAG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and plasma glutamic oxalacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamic-pyruvate transaminase (GPT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities. The physically active group presented lower body fat and reduced TAG and IL-8 levels compared to the low activity group. Moreover, a negative correlation between SPE and SBP, DBP, BPM was detected for the physically active group (p<0.05) but not in the low activity group. Furthermore, the physically active group's work time (WT) values were not correlated with the important metabolic markers SBP, DBP, BPM, GLU, TAG (p>0.05) but could be in the low activity group (p<0.05). These findings highlight the fundamental protective role of physical activity in controlling body composition, subclinical inflammation, and cardiovascular risk in MPOs.

In this work, the deoxygenation of organic liquid products (OLP) obtained by thermal catalytic cracking of palm oil at 450 °C, 1.0 atmosphere, with 10% (wt.) Na₂CO₃ as catalyst, in multistage countercurrent absorber columns using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) as solvent, with Aspen-HYSYS process simulator was systematically investigated. In a previous study, the thermodynamic data basis and EOS modeling necessary to simulate the deoxygenation of OLP has been presented [Molecules 2021, 26, 4382. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26144382]. This work address a new flowsheet, consisting of 0₃ absorber columns, 10 expansions valves, 10 flash drums, 08 heat exchanges, 01 pressure pump, and 0₂ make-up of CO₂, aiming to improve the deacidification of OLP. The simulation was performed at 333 K, 140 bar, and (S/F) = 17; 350 K, 140 bar, and (S/F) = 38; 333 K, 140 bar, and (S/F) = 25. The simulation shows that 81.49% of OLP could be recovered and the concentrations of hydrocarbons in the extracts of absorber-01 and absorber-02 were 96.95 and 92.78% (wt.) in solvent-free basis, while the bottom stream of absorber-03 was enriched in oxygenates compounds with concentrations up to 32.66% (wt.) in solvent-free basis, showing that organic liquid products (OLP) was deacidified and SC-CO₂ was able to deacidify OLP and to obtain fractions with lower olefins content. The best deacidifying conditions was obtained at 333 K, 140 bar, and (S/F) = 17.

Monitoring lakes in high-latitude areas can provide a better understanding of freshwater systems sensitivity and accrete knowledge on climate change impacts. Phytoplankton are sensitive to various conditions: warmer temperatures, earlier ice-melt and changing nutrient sources. Satellite imagery can monitor algae biomass over large areas. The detection of chlorophyll a (chl-a) concentrations in small lakes is hindered by the low spatial resolution of conventional ocean colour satellites. The short time-series of the newest generation of space-borne sensors (e.g. Sentinel-2) is a bottleneck for assessing long-term trends. Although previous studies have evaluated the use of high-resolution sensors for assessing lakes' chl-a, it is still unclear how the spatial and temporal variability of chl-a concentration affect the performance of satellite estimates. We discuss the suitability of Landsat (LT) 30-m resolution imagery to assess lakes' chl-a concentrations under varying trophic conditions, across extensive high-latitude areas in Finland. We use in situ data obtained from field campaigns in 19 lakes and generate remote sensing estimates of chl-a, taking advantage of the long-time span of the LT 5 and 7 archives, from 1984 to 2017. Our results show that linear models based on LT data can explain approximately 50 % of the chl-a interannual variability. However, we demonstrate that the accuracy of the estimates is dependent on the lake's trophic state, with models performing in average twice as better in lakes with higher chl-a concentration (> 20 µg/l) in comparison with less eutrophic lakes. Finally, we demonstrate that linear models based on LT data can achieve high accuracy (R2 = 0.9; p-value < 0.05) in determining lakes' annual mean chl-a concentration, allowing the mapping of the trophic state of lakes across large regions. Given the long time-series and high spatial resolution, LT-based estimates of chl-a provide a tool for assessing the impacts of environmental change.

Canga vegetation has high ecological importance in the Serra dos Carajás, southeastern Amazonia, but it coexists with the potential threat of large-scale iron ore mining. Considering Convolvulaceae, this canga environment has only 17 species, and 15 of these species had their pollen grains described in detail in this present work, aiming to contribute to the taxonomic knowledge of critically endangered plants, including Ipomoea cavalcantei. Pollen grains were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy, and the morphological parameters obtained were statistically analyzed using principal component analysis. Therefore, Aniseia cernua was described for the first time in the literature. In general, the echinae morphology were the main differentiating character among the Ipomoea species and was the basis for the proposed pollen key. The family Convolvulaceae in Carajás is eurypalynous, and the genus Ipomoea may be classified as stenopalynous. The set of morphological characters statically treated and correlated was effective for the separation of Ipomoea.

The present work analyzes the behavior in terms of corrosion resistance of three reinforced concrete formulations over a period of 1 year. The samples were accompanied by creating a monitoring methodology using the Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIE) technique, working only with the real component over time. Three mixtures were used, one conventional without pozzolanic addition (REF) and two others with pozzolanic additions, rice husk ash (RCA) and metakaolin (MK). Prototypes were created and exposed to the action of a 165g/l NaCl sodium chloride solution. The characterization of the materials was carried out by determining the chloride diffusion profile (ASTM 1556), analyzing images using tomography and with the support of analytical techniques such as x-ray fluorescence and x-ray diffraction. The monitoring methodology using the EIE demonstrated the positive effect of the insertion of pozzolans, rice husk ash (RCA) and metakaolin (MK), by delaying the process of chloride diffusion in the concrete, resulting in greater resistance to corrosion. The EIE also showed that the active mineral addition in concrete, of aluminum-silicic composition (MK), had a predominant protective effect on the steel//concrete interface against the attack of chloride ions.

This work aims to investigate the influence of reaction time and catalyst-to-residual fat ratio by catalytic upgrading from pyrolysis vapors of residual fat at 400 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, on the yields of reaction products, physicochemical properties (density, kinematic viscosity, and acid value) and chemical composition of bio-oils, over a catalyst fixed bed reactor of activated carbon pellets impregnated with 10.0 M NaOH, in semi pilot scale. The experiments were carried out at 400 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, using a process schema consisting of a thermal cracking reactor of 2.0 L coupled to a catalyst fixed bed reactor of 53 mL, without catalyst and using 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0% (wt.) activated carbon pellets impregnated with 10.0 M NaOH, in batch mode. Samples of liquid phase products were withdrawn during the course of reaction at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and 120 minutes in order to investigate the process kinetics. The physicochemical properties (density, kinematic viscosity, and acid value) of bio-oils were determined by official methods. The chemical composition of bio-oils determined by GC-MS. The thermal catalytic cracking of residual fat show bio-oils yields from 55.55 to 30.22 (wt.%), aqueous phase yields between 2.83 and 3.19 (wt.%), solid phase yields between 13.56 and 9.75 (wt.%), and gas yields from 27.89 to 55.60 (wt.%). The yields of bio-oil decreases from 74.41 to 30.22% (wt.) with increasing catalyst-to-Tallow kernel oil ratio, while that of gaseous phase increases from 12.87 to 55.60% (wt.). For all the thermal and thermal catalytic cracking experiments, the density, kinematic viscosity, and acid value of bio-oils decreases as the reaction time increases varying from 0.9266 to 0.8220 g/cm³, 8.10 to 2.24 mm²/s, and 144.14 to 2.37 mg KOH/g. The GC-MS of liquid reaction products identified the presence of hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, ring-containing alkanes, ring-containing alkenes, and aromatics) and oxygenates (carboxylic acids, ketones, esters, alcohols, and aldehydes). For all the pyrolysis and catalytic cracking experiments, the hydrocarbon selectivity in bio-oil increases with increasing reaction time, while those of oxygenates decrease, reaching concentrations of hydrocarbons up to 95.35% (area.). The best results for the physicochemical properties density, kinematic viscosity, and acid value were 0.8220 g/cm³, 3.03 mm2/s, and 2.37 mg KOH/g, respectively, with a maximum hydrocarbon concentration of 97.194% (area.) and 2.806% ketones (area.) were obtained at 400 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, 80 minutes, without catalyst. For the catalytic cracking experiments, the maximum hydrocarbon content of 75.763% (area.) and 17.041% (area.) carboxylic acids, 4.702% (area.) ketones (area.), and 2.494% (area.) non-identified oxygenates was obtained at 400 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, 90 minutes, using a catalyst fixed bed reactor, with 10.0% (wt.) activated carbon pellets impregnated with 10.0 M NaOH as catalyst.

Novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOC) are constantly threatening global public health. With no end date, the pandemic still persists with the emergence of novel variants that threaten the effectiveness of diagnostic tests and vaccines. Mutations in the Spike surface protein of the virus are regularly observed in the new variants, potentializing the emergence of novel viruses with different tropism from the current ones, which may change the severity and symptoms of the disease. Growing evidence has shown that mutations are being selected in favor of variants that are more capable of evading the action of neutralizing antibodies. In this context, the most important factor guiding the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is its interaction with the host’s immune system. Thus, as current vaccines cannot block the transmission of the virus, measures complementary to vaccination, such as the use of masks, hand hygiene, and keeping environments ventilated remain essential to delay the emergence of new variants. Importantly, in addition to the involvement of the immune system in the evolution of the virus, we highlight several chemical parameters that influence the molecular interactions between viruses and host cells during invasion and are also critical tools making novel variants more transmissible. In this review, we dissect the impacts of the Spike mutations on biological parameters such as (1) increase of Spike binding affinity to hACE2; (2) bound time for the receptor to be cleaved by the proteases; (3) how mutations associate with increase of RBD up-conformation state in the Spike ectodomain; (4) expansion of uncleaved Spike protein in the virion particles; (5) increment of Spike concentration per virion particles; and (6) evasion of the immune system. These factors play key roles in the fast spreading of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, including the Omicron.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a progressive decline of cognitive functions. The class of drugs used for the treatment are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Essential oils have contributed to folk medicine and discovery of new drugs for a long time. The purpose of the study was to investigate the in vitro and in silico the anti-acetylcholinesterase activity, as well as acute toxicity of the essential oil of Lippia origanoides. EOLO was obtained by hydrostelting and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The inhibition assay of acetylcholinesterase enzyme activity was evaluated in vitro, as well as in silico by docking. The effects of EOLO on hematological, biochemical and behavioral parameters were analyzed in mices. We expose that EOLO shows good anti-acetylcholinesterase activity and low toxicity, possibly resulting from the action of the majority compounds thymol, carvacrol and p-cymene. The anti-acetylcholinesterase potential in vitro demonstrating a 70% inhibition. The docking results elucidated the participation of the major phenolics in AChE inhibition by interacting with the catalytic cavity of AchE. The acute oral toxicity test classified as low toxicity. These results contribute to expand the knowledge about essential oil of Lippia origanoides. Therefore, appears to be promising for herbal medicine production with anti-acetylcholinesterase and antioxidant activity.

Let $\mathcal{N}$ be an arbitrary class of matroids, closed under isomorphism. For $k$ a positive integer, we say that $M \in \mathcal{N}$ is \emph{$k$-minor-irreducible} if $M$ has no minor $N \in \mathcal{N}$ such that $1\leq\left|E\left(M\right)\right|-\left|E\left(N\right)\right|\leq k $. Tutte's Wheels and Whirls Theorem establish that, up to isomorphism, there are only two families of 1-minor-irreducible matroids in the class of 3-connected matroids. More recently, Lemos classified the 3-minor-irreducibles with at least 14 elements in the class of triangle-free 3-connected matroids. Here we prove a local characterization for the 2-minor-irreducible matroids with at least 11 elements in the class of triangle-free 3-connected matroids. This local characterization is used to establish two new families of 2-minor-irreducible matroids in this class.

The growing interest related to the proposal of formal definition of a new geological period that has being called “Anthropocene” has introduced a buzzing dynamics in the scientific community, but its conduct is perhaps due to various interests involved in a discussion that has long surpassed the contours of the so-called “Geosciences”. Themes such as “Climate Change or Drift”, “Global Warming”, “Massive Extinction of Species” and “Loss of bio and geodiversity”, among others, are the wheel of a geomorphogenetic dynamics of anthropocentric origin, which leads the debate. But are the conditions for the formal establishment of a new morphosedimentary cycle following the Meghalayanian (Upper Holocene) Age? This work pursues a line of thought that seeks to answer these and other questions, based on the official position of the institutes that have the scientific competence for the formalization under consideration, and the formal criteria that should be considered for this purpose.

O26 enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), possesses a unique pseudocapsule composed of polysaccharides identical to the O antigen in their lipopolysaccharide (LPS) membrane. Therefore, the impact of O26 polysaccharides on the immune evasion mechanisms of capsulated O26 EPEC was investigated. Our findings reveal that the concentration of GlcNAc, an immunodominant unit of O26 polysaccharides capable of activating the MBL (Mannose Biding Lecting) pathway of the complement system, was found to be lower in capsulated EPEC O26 compared to naked shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O26 strain. It was noted that, unlike the naked STEC strain, the capsulated EPEC O26 strain was protected against lysis by the alternative pathway of the com-plement system by inhibiting C3b adhesion to its bacterial surface. Capsulated EPEC O26 strains were also able to avoid phagocytosis by macrophages. However, the immune evasion provided by the capsule was overcome in the presence of anti-O26 polysaccharide antibodies. Additionally, these antibodies were able to recognize O26 EPEC in the presence of biofilm and inhibit their adhesion to human epithelial cells. Overall, the results indicate that the O26 polysaccharides can generate an effective humoral immune response, making them promising antigens for the de-velopment of a vaccine against capsulated O26 E. coli

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.

Carbonate reservoirs, influenced by depositional and diagenetic processes and characterized by features like faults and vugs that impact storage capacity, require more than traditional Borehole Imaging logs (BHI) for accurate porosity data. This data is essential for geological assessments, production forecasting, and reservoir simulations. This work aims to address this limitation by developing methods to measure and monitor the sustainability of carbonate reservoirs and exploring the application of sustainability principles to their management. The study integrates BHI and conventional logs from two wells to classify porosity-based facies within the Barra Velha Formation (BVF) in the Santos Basin. The methodology involves four steps: (i) analyzing conventional logs; (ii) segmenting BHI logs; (iii) integrating conventional and segmented BHI logs using Self-Organizing Maps (SOM); and (iv) interpreting the resulting classes. Matrix porosity values and non-matrix pore sizes categorize the porosity into four facies (A to D). Facies A has high non-matrix porosity with 14,560 small megapores, 5,419 large megapores, and 271 gigapores (71.9%, 26.76%, and 1.34% of the 20,250 pores, respectively). Facies B shows moderate non-matrix porosity with 8,669 small megapores, 2,642 large megapores, and 33 gigapores (76.42%, 23.29%, and 0.29% of the 11,344 pores, respectively) and medium matrix porosity. Facies C exhibits low non-matrix porosity with 7,749 small megapores, 2,132 large megapores, and 20 gigapores (78.27%, 21.53%, and 0.20% of the 9,901 pores, respectively) and medium matrix porosity. Facies D has low non-matrix porosity with 9,355 small megapores, 2,346 large megapores, and 19 gigapores (79.82%, 20.02%, and 0.16% of the 11,720 pores, respectively) and low matrix porosity. The novelty of this work lies in integrating data from two sources to classify porosity across the Pre-Salt reservoir interval, serving as a proxy for preliminary litho-facies identification without core data. This study advances our understanding of carbonate reservoir sustainability and heterogeneity, offering valuable insights for robust, sustainable reservoir characterization and management in the context of global environmental and geological changes.

The use of plant fibers as reinforcement in composites with the aim of totally or partially replacing synthetic fibers has received significant attention in the last years. However, one of the disadvantages of the use of these fibers in polymeric composites is associated to the fact that they are hydrophilic, resulting in poor adhesion with most matrices when in the presence of moisture. In addition, another problem encountered is the lower strength of this type of fiber and, as a solution to minimize these problems, the composite can be hybridized by adding layers of natural and synthetic fibers and the use of resin protection along the thickness of the composite. (Lateral protection) to reduce moisture absorption by the laminate. The objective of this work is to obtain composites formed by five layers of reinforcement and terephthalic polyester matrix, one of which is reinforced only with short glass fiber-E blanket, another reinforced only with jute fiber and a third hybrid containing the fibers. Two types of reinforcements with interlayer layers. Afterwards, the loss of mechanical properties was observed when these materials were immersed in distilled water, with and without lateral protection, until reaching saturation. We evaluated parameters such as the influence of configuration type and environmental conditions, such as the amount of water absorption. The obtained results show that the hybrid composite obtained a behavior close to the composite containing only fiberglass, and better than the one containing only jute fiber and that the absorption was smaller in the samples with side protection.

This literature review aims to assess the extent and depth of existing angel investment literature, particularly focusing on the city of Florianópolis. Through an examination of available literature, the report seeks to elucidate the mechanisms and practices employed in angel investing within the Florianópolis ecosystem. This comprehensive analysis involves synthesizing scientific literature and incorporating insights from authoritative sources in the field. Key findings highlight the imperative for further research and exploration in this domain and the potential for increased angel investment within the studied ecosystem.

In this research, the concept of the instability of tension in Microgrid still becomes the focus of study and purpose. Scrutinously, First-Swing Instability occurs in the system in noted changes with properties of making the system unstable or restore to a state of stability. The latter calls itself as a phenomenon of re-synchronization. Allied to aspects of system instability, it is evident that by connecting fast electric chargers for battery-electric vehicles to the distribution system from microgrids, they increase the necessary basic electrical charges and reduce the stability of the electrical energy system. Transient electrical currents have the characteristic of severely impacting microgrids not prepared in connected states or island of the main system. The occurrences of the electromagnetic incompatibility of the inrush current, due to their unpredictability and intermittent characteristic, have complex identification studies. With the elevation of electricity demand by battery-electric vehicle chargers, concerns about the effects of the integration of the electricity grid increase proportionally. The research described in this article emphasizes the influence of fast chargers’ initialization on the power variation related to the re-synchronization phenomenon and its mitigation of the stability of electricity microgrid. An optimization algorithm based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) implements the development of virtual impedances. The PSO optimization algorithm analyzes all possible operating points and aims to maximize the stability index of microgrid, maintaining reactive energy incompatibilities at the minimum level supported. The fractional objective function facilitates the service to these goals simultaneously. The optimization algorithm is implemented in a case study and the corresponding virtual impedance is incorporated into the microgrid. Voltage levels are verified as a condition in the optimization process, comparing system effectiveness.

Malassezia species are part of human commensal microbiota and is also related to diseases. Little is known about the interaction of these microorganisms with their host. Here we established two standard culture conditions for Malassezia spp. to perform infection assays using C. elegans and T. molitor. Invertebrate hosts infected by Malassezia spp. cultured in M9M resulted in higher death rate on survival assays when compared to yeasts cultured in standard Dixon medium indicating that M9M cultured Malassezia species have increased virulence. The culture and infection conditions established in this work, using invertebrate alternative models, are valuable tools to understand Malassezia-host interaction.

The overlap of visual items in data visualization techniques is a known problem aggravated by data volume and available visual space issues. Several methods have been applied to mitigate occlusion in data visualizations, such as Random Jitter, Transparency, Layout Reconfiguration, Focus+Context Techniques, etc. This paper aims to present a comparative study to read visual variables values with partial overlap. The study focuses on categorical data representations varying the percentage limits of partial overlap and the number of distinct values for each visual variable: Hue, Lightness, Saturation, Shape, Text, Orientation, and Texture. A computational application generates random scenarios for a unique visual pattern target to perform location tasks. Each scenario presented the visual items in a grid layout with 160 elements (10 x16), each visual variable had from 3 to 5 distinct values encoded, and the partial overlap percentage applied, represented by a gray square in the center o each grid element, were 0% (control), 50%, 60%, and 70%. Similar to the preliminary tests, the tests conducted in this study involved 48 participants organized into four groups, with 126 tasks per participant, and the application captured the response and time for each task performed. The result analysis indicates that the Hue, Lightness, and Shape visual variables are robust to high percentages of occlusion and gradual increase in encoded visual values. The Text visual variable show promising results for accuracy, and resolution time was a bit higher than the last visual variables mentioned. In contrast, the Texture visual variable presented lower accuracy to high levels of occlusion and more different visual encoding values. At last, the Orientation and Saturation visual variables got the highest error and worst perfomance rates during the tests.

(1) Background: The HIV subtype D is generally associated with a faster decline in CD4+ T cell counts, a higher viral load, and a faster progression to AIDS. However, it is still poorly characterized in Brazil. In this study, we used genomics and epidemiological data to investigate the transmission dynamics of HIV subtype D in the state of Bahia, Northeast Brazil. (2) Methods: to achieve this goal, we obtained four novel HIV-1 subtype D partial pol genome sequences using the Sanger method. To understand the emergence of this novel subtype in the state of Bahia, we used phylodynamic analysis on a dataset comprising 3,704 pol genome sequences downloaded from the Los Alamos database. (3) Results: Our analysis revealed three branching patterns, indicating multiple introductions of the HIV-1 subtype D in Brazil from the late 1980s to the late 2000s and a single introduction event in the state of Bahia. Our data further suggest that these introductions most likely originated from European, Eastern African, Western African and Southern African countries. (4) Conclusion: Understanding the distribution of HIV-1 viral strains and their temporal dynamics is crucial for monitoring the real-time evolution of circulating subtypes and recombinant forms, as well as for designing novel diagnostic and vaccination strategies. We advocate for a shift to active surveillance, to ensure adequate preparedness for future epidemics mediated by emerging viral strains.

Vitamin A and E are important during pregnancy, the neonatal period, and childhood. The objective of this study was to assess whether maternal RRR-a-tocopherol supplementation affects serum and breast milk retinol. Serum was collected at baseline and twenty days later, and breast milk, at baseline, and on days 1, 7, and 20 after delivery. After the baseline serum collection, the supplemented group (n=16) received a single 400 IU of RRR-α-tocopherol. The control group (n=18) was only performed collections. Retinol and alpha tocopherol levels were determined by liquid chromatography. Serum retinol and alpha tocopherol at baseline and 20 days after delivery indicated proper vitamin A (> 20 µg/dL) and E (> 516 μg/dL) statuses in the control and supplemented groups (p > 0.05). Colostrum retinol levels on days 1 and 7 after delivery were significantly higher in the supplemented group (p = 0.018 and p = 0.012, respectively). Maternal vitamin E supplementation increased colostrum retinol by 52.23% and 111.2%, 24 hours and 7 days, respectively. However, retinol in mature milk did not differ between the groups (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the supplementation with 400 IU of RRR-α-tocopherol improved vitamin A bioavailability in breast milk.

Minimally processed fruits undergo changes that need to be controlled. The objective was to evaluate minimally processed papayas, using edible coatings based on chitosan and gelatin through different techniques. The following treatments were applied: control (distilled water), 1% chitosan, 4% gelatin, 1% chitosan + 4% gelatin (blend) and 1% chitosan under 4% gelatin (layer by layer). The infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of the coatings was analyzed, and fresh mass, firmness, pulp color (L*, a*, b* and Hue angle), pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, lycopene, β-carotene, total sugars and catalase from fruits. Gelatin and the layer-by-layer treatment had a positive effect on the conservation of minimally processed papaya. These coatings were able to reduce the loss of fresh mass, maintaining the firmness and orange color of the mesocarp. The treatments showed low SS content during the storage period, few variations in acidity, influencing maturation. Gelatin had a low polyphenol content, the layer-by-layer treatment did not show changes in vitamin C levels. These treatments did not show changes in lycopene and β-carotene levels over the days, showing a small increase in total sugars. Thus, the use of gelatin polymers and undercoat treatment (LBL) is a viable alternative to preserve minimally processed papayas for at least 8 days.

The paper primarily demonstrates that the three internal triangles formed by connecting any point on a midsegment with the vertices of a generic triangle satisfy the geometric Proof of the Pythagorean theorem in Euclidean geometry. Moreover, this study elucidates the Pythagorean relationships inherent within three-dimensional geometric constructs resulting from the arrangement of three-dimensional spatial triangles. This geometric relationship, akin to a generalized extension of the Pythagorean theorem, unveils a unique spatial region characterized by this harmonious area interrelation among triangles.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 that are the causal agent of a current pandemic are enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses of the Coronaviridae family. Proteases of SARS-CoV-2 are necessary for viral replication, structural assembly and pathogenicity. The ~33.8KDa M^pro protease of SARS-CoV-2 is a non-human homologue and highly conserved among several coronaviruses indicating M^pro could be a potential drug target for Coronaviruses.Methods: Here we performed computational ligand screening of four pharmacophores (OEW, Remdesivir, Hydroxycholoquine and N3) that are presumed to have positive effects against SARS-CoV-2 M^pro protease (6LU7) and also screened 50,000 molecules from the ZINC Database dataset against this protease target.Results: We found 40 pharmacophore-like structures of natural compounds from diverse chemical classes that exhibited better affinity of docking as compared to the known ligands. The 10 best selected ligands namely, ZINC1845382, ZINC1875405, ZINC2092396, ZINC2104424, ZINC44018332, ZINC2101723, ZINC2094526, ZINC2094304, ZINC2104482, ZINC3984030, and ZINC1531664, are mainly classified as β-carboline, Alkaloids and Polyflavonoids, and all of them displayed interactions with dyad CYS145 and HIS41 from the protease pocket in a similar way as with other known ligands.Conclusion: Our results suggest that these 10 molecules could be effective against SARS-CoV-2 protease and may be tested in vitro and in vivo to develop novel drugs against this virus.

Principle of memristor presented by Leon Chua and time reversal based non-linear elastic wave spectroscopy (TR-NEWS) which can be applied to acoustic tomography are reviewed. Correlation of acoustic or electromagnetic nonlinear waves and its time reversed wave can produce strong signal. Materials like transducer or biological skin can be assumed to be composed of a large number of small elastic unit: hysteretic elementary unit (HEU), and one can take a HEU as a memristor whose operation depends on time. Relation between TR-NEWS and solitonic wave in fluid, and relation between decomposition of time reversal operator (DORT) and chaotic oscillation are discussed.

Red mud (RM) is composed of a waste alkaline solution (pH = 13.3) obtained from the production of alumina. It contains high concentrations of soluble hematite (Fe2O3), goetite (FeOOH), gibisite [Al(OH)3], a boemite (AlOOH), anatase (Tetragonal - TiO2), rutile (Ditetragonal dipyramidal - TiO2), hydrogarnets [Ca3Al2(SiO4)3−x(OH)4x], and perovskite (CaTiO3). It was shown to be an excellent catalytic mixture for biodiesel production. To demonstrate the value of RM, an environmentally friendly process of transesterification in aqueous medium using waste cooking oil (WCO), MeOH and waste alkaline solution (WAS) obtained from aluminum production was proposed. Triglycerides of WCO reacted with MeOH at 60 oC to yield mixtures of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) in the presence of 0.019% (w/w) WAS/WCO using the WAS (0.204 mol L-1, predetermined by potentiometric titration) from aluminum production by the Bayer process. The use of the new catalyst (WAS) resulted in a high yield of the products (greater than 99% yield).

The N-acylhydrazone function has been reported as a pharmacophore group of molecules with diverse pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, this study evaluated the anti-inflammatory potential of the compound N'-(3-(1H-indol-3-yl)benzylidene)-2-cyanoacetohydrazide (JR19) in vivo. The study started with the carrageenan-induced peritonitis model, followed by an investigation of leukocyte migration using the subcutaneous air pouch test and an assessment of the antinociceptive profile using formalin-induced pain. To find out the likely mechanism of action, a preliminary molecular docking study was performed focusing on the crystallographic structures of NFκB, iNOS, and sGCs. The computational study revealed satisfactory interaction energies with the selected targets, and the same peritonitis model was used to validate the involvement of the nitric oxide pathway and cytokine expression in the peritoneal exudate of mice pretreated with L-NAME or methylene blue. In the peritonitis assay, JR19 (10 and 20 mg/kg) reduced leukocyte migration by 59% and 52%, respectively, compared to the control group, with the 10 mg/kg dose used in subsequent assays. In the subcutaneous air pouch assay, the reduction in cell migration was 66%, and the response to intraplantar formalin was reduced by 39%, particularly during the inflammatory phase, suggesting that the compound lacks central analgesic activity. In addition, a reversal of the anti-inflammatory effect was observed in mice pretreated with L-NAME or methylene blue, indicating the involvement of iNOS and sGC in the anti-inflammatory response of JR19. The compound effectively and significantly decreased the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17, and IFN-γ, and this effect was reversed in animals pretreated with L-NAME, supporting a NO-dependent anti-inflammatory effect. In contrast, pretreatment with methylene blue only reversed the reduction in TNF-α levels. Therefore, these results demonstrate the pharmacological potential of the novel N-acylhydrazone derivative, which acts through the nitric oxide pathway and cytokine signaling, making it a strong candidate as an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agent.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disease that affects approximately 6.1 million and is primarily caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons. Naphthoquinones have several biological activities explored in the literature, including neuroprotective effects. Therefore, this review shows an overview of natural and synthetic naphthoquinones with neuroprotective effects and with potential for the development of molecules for the treatment of PD. Many examples of natural naphthoquinones, such as shikonin, plumbagin and vitamin K, exerted a neuroprotective effect by preventing oxidative stress, in addition to multiple mechanisms. Synthetic naphthoquinones with inhibitory activity on the P2X7 receptor were also found, leading to a neuroprotective effect on Neuro-2a cells. It was found that naphthazarin can act as inhibitors of the MAO-B enzyme. Vitamin K and synthetic naphthoquinones hybrids with tryptophan or dopamine showed inhibition of the aggregation of α-synuclein. A library of synthetic derivatives of juglone and naphthazarin were able to protect Neuro-2a cells against neurodegenerative effects of neurotoxins. We report many examples of naphthoquinones that act in therapeutic pathways for the treatment of PD. In addition, routes for producing synthetic derivatives were also discussed. With the data presented, 1,4-naphthoquinones can be considered a promising class in the treatment of PD.

Although advertising literacy leads to critical thinking in the face of advertising, but so far, no action has been taken in Iran regarding a tool to measure this type of literacy. And after the investigations, it was determined that although much research has been done on advertising, but the lack of appropriate measurement tools to measure the level of advertising literacy is clearly evident. Therefore, this research provides a valid tool for measuring advertising literacy from students' perspective. In this study, referring to the dimensions of advertising literacy from the perspective of Malmelin (2010) and the views of related professors, a questionnaire was developed and to determine the validity of the structure, confirmatory factor analysis was used. In this study, the statistical population was high school students, considering the impact of advertising in this age range; finally, a tool with four dimensions of informational literacy, aesthetic literacy, rhetorical literacy and promotional literacy was obtained. According to the confirmation of this tool in the present study, it can be used to examine the status of items, their order and prioritization from the perspective of the mentioned population.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the evolution of the Syrah red and sparkling Moscatel wines stored for 12 months in green, amber and clear bottles. The phenolic compounds profile and antioxidant activity in vitro were determined. Commercial wines were bottled in an automatic filling machine, stored and analyzed every three months for one year. Several phenolic compound families were quantified through reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled to diode-array detection (DAD) and fluorescence detection (FD). The different bottle colors studied did not influence the evolution of the sparkling Moscatel and Syrah red wines, since the main variations obtained were related to storage time. The main changes were observed in the Syrah wine, where storage time was associated with an increase in hue (h*), decrease in catechins, increase in procyanidins and, most notably, a decrease in the anthocyanin malvidin 3-glucoside. In general, the wines showed good stability in relation to the antioxidant activity in vitro.

Recent years have shown that traditional regulatory techniques alone are not effective in achieving behavior change in important fields such as environmental sustainability. Governments all over the world have been progressively including behaviourally informed considerations in policy and law-making with the aim of improving the acceptance and impact of sustainability-oriented measures. This led to the arrival of alternative regulatory tools, such as nudges. The effectiveness of nudges for environmental sustainability (green nudges) has been largely reported but the practical and ethical implications are still largely neglected by academic research. In this contribution, “nudges” are conceptually distinguished from “boosts” and their ethical briefly explained. The analysis is made at the light of the current mostly European and US American academic literature.

Techniques and tools meant to aid fire management activities in the Cerrado, such as accurately determining fuel load and composition spatially and temporally, are pretty scarce. The need to have fuel information for more efficient management in a considerably heterogeneous, biodiverse, and fire-dependent environment makes a constant search for the improvement of the use of remote sensing techniques in determining fuel characteristics. This study presents the following objectives: (1) to assess the use of data from Landsat 8 OLI images to estimate the fine surface fuel load of the Cerrado during the dry season by adjusting multiple linear regression equations; (2) to estimate fuel load through Random Forest and k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) algorithms in comparison with re-gression analyses; and (3) to evaluate the importance of predictor variables from satellite images. Therefore, 64 sampling units were collected, and the pixel values associated with the field plots were extracted in a 3 x 3 pixel window surrounding the reference pixel. For the multiple linear regression analyses, the R² values ranged from 0.63 to 0.78, and the models fitted by the Random Forest al-gorithm ranged from 0.52 to 0.83, while those fitted by k-NN ranged from 0.30 to 0.68. Adopting the Random Forest algorithm resulted in improvements in the statistical metrics of evaluation of the fuel load estimates for Cerrado grassland relative to the multiple linear regression analyses.

BDD is a hoof disease characterized by inflammation of the second and fifth accessory digits and the skin in this region. This pathology is scarcely described in the literature; however, it has recently been observed in beef cattle in the Amazon Biome region. The objective of this study was to identify the epidemiological factors associated with BDD onset in cattle in the analyzed biome. Samples were collected from eight farms with extensive breeding systems located in Xinguara, Rondon do Pará, Curionópolis, and Ipixuna do Pará, in the state of Pará, Brazil. A total of 706 Nellore and Nellore crossbred with taurine animals of both sexes were evaluated, with males aged between 2–4 years and a mean weight of 650 kg and females aged between 2–11 years and a mean weight of 400 kg. Distal extremities were inspected during cattle management, and in case of accessory digit lesions, a specific examination was carried out after proper restraint. Animals were diagnosed with BDD in all farms analyzed. Of the 706 cattle inspected, 49 (6.94%) showed BDD, of which 19 (38.77%) were Nellore and 30 (61.22%) were crossbred. This was the first study to determine BDD’s occurrence in extensive farming systems in the Amazon region, also showing that pastures with large amounts of stumps and stones, the physical structure of pens, and trauma and injury incidence during animal management are the most important predisposing factors for the onset of BDD.

Background: Despite the existence of a wide variety of anti-inflammatory drugs, the vast majority are classified as steroidal or non-steroidal. Both classes with many side effects that limit usage. Thus, the search for new molecules with anti-inflammatory potential is still important. Methods: Five phenylbenzohydrazides were synthetized and evaluated in pre-clinical models of acute inflammation in vivo and in vitro. Results: Substances significantly reduced cell migration induced by carrageenan. It was also observed an intense inhibition in protein extravasation and cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) production as well as nitric oxide reduction. INL-11 demonstrated to be the most potent since the reduction was significant even when compared with dexamethasone. In vitro INLs also reduced cytokines and NO production and iNOS activity. INL-11 was the most effective in reducing cell migration in vitro. Conclusions: our data suggest that these substances are suitable for further development to new series of compounds that could lead to new hits and future drug prototypes for anti-inflammatory conditions.

In the discussion on environmental policies, the notion of eco-efficiency is often used. Eco-efficiency is defined as the delivery of products and services with competitive values, while reducing the ecological impacts and satisfying human needs. In an environment of great competitiveness in which the companies operate, the improvements in the productive process is one of the differentiating factors for guaranteeing a strong competition. Also it is essential rationalizing energy consumption and natural resources. For this it is necessary to understand the main operations and dynamics of the company. This work presents an empirical study of a Portuguese company in the industrial sector. The problematic here presented is based on the company’s growing concern to reduce the amount of scrap produced. From the literature research that was performed, a strong dependence relation between the different variables in the extrusion process was found. The main objective of this work is to model the aluminium extrusion process, with the aim of minimizing the production of scrap. For this several variables involved in the process are taking into account. Using statistical techniques, in particular multiple linear regressions, it was possible to identify the importance of the variables under study for the scrap production.

Improving antigen presentation is crucial for the success of immunization strategies. Yeasts are classically used as biofactories to produce recombinant proteins and are efficient vehicles for the delivery of vaccine antigens, besides present adjuvants properties. Despite the absence of epidemic outbreaks, several vaccine approaches continue to be developed for Zika virus infection. These prophylactic strategies are fundamental given the severity of clinical manifestations, mainly due to viral neurotropism. The present study aimed to evaluate in vivo the immune response induced by P. pastoris recombinant strains displaying epitopes of the Envelope (ENV) and NS1 ZIKV proteins. Intramuscular immunization with heat-attenuated yeast enhanced the secretion of IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, besides activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, in BALB/c mice. P. pastoris displaying ENV epitopes induced a more robust immune response, increasing immunoglobulin production, especially IgG isotypes. Both proposed vaccines showed the potential to induce immune responses without adverse effects, confirming the safety of administering P. pastoris as a vaccine vehicle. Here we demonstrated, for the first time, the evaluation of a vaccine against ZIKV based on a multiepitope construct, using yeast as a vehicle, reinforcing the applicability of P. pastoris as a whole yeast cell vaccine.

Yellow fever (YF) is a pansystemic disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), the prototype species of the family Flaviviridae and genus Flavivirus, and has a highly complex host-pathogen relationship, in which endothelial dysfunction reflects viral disease tropism. In this study, the in situ endothelial response was evaluated. Liver tissue samples were collected from 21 YFV-positive patients who died due to the disease and five flavivirus-negative controls who died of other causes and whose hepatic parenchyma architecture was preserved. Immunohistochemical analysis of tissues in the hepatic parenchyma of YF cases showed significantly higher expression of E-selectin, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and very late antigen-4 in YFV-positive cases than in flavivirus-negative controls. These results indicate that endothelium activation aggravates the inflammatory response by inducing the expression of adhesion molecules that contribute to the rolling, recruitment, migration, and construction of the inflammatory process in the hepatic parenchyma in fatal YF cases.

This study employed e-Vol DX cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) software to assess dentin remnants in the furcation area of mesial canals in mandibular molars during root canal retreatment (RCR). Four groups (Reciproc®, ProTaper Next®, Race Evo®, Protaper Gold®) were subjected to RCR, and CBCT images were captured before (T1) and after (T2) treatment. Measurements of remaining dentin thickness at 1 mm and 3 mm below the furcation were scrutinized. Results revealed no significant differences in mean thicknesses of mesiobuccal (MB) and mesiolingual (ML) canals at 1 mm and 3 mm from the furcation pre-treatment (T1). Post-treatment (T2) showed analogous findings, with no significant differences in mean thicknesses. However, disparities surfaced between MB and ML canals at both distances, both before and after retreatment. In essence, the evaluated instruments exhibited safety in RCR, implying their appropriateness for use in critical areas of mandibular molars without inducing excessive wear. This study underscores the instruments' reliability in navigating danger zones during RCR, contributing valuable insights for dental practitioners handling complex root canal scenarios in mandibular molars.

This paper has the objective of implementing the radial rotor position control of a three-phase bearingless induction machine with split winding and optimized drive structure, using the ADRC technique. Because it is a multivariable, nonlinear, time-varying system with coupled variables, it is necessary to use advanced control strategies in order for the system to operate efficiently and with good dynamic performance. The ADRC controller considers the total disturbance composed of unmodeled dynamics, nonlinearities, uncertainties, and load variations, as a new system state, to be estimated in real-time through an extended state observer. In this mode, disturbances are compensated in real-time, eliminating regime errors and with good response to disturbances in general.

(1) Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between IMO and burnout while assessing the contribution of job demands and resources on increasing internal orientation and worker well-being and, consequently, the levels of perceived performance; (2) Methods: Data were collected between April and December 2021 by completing an online questionnaire, developed in the Google Forms platform. The following descriptive statistics were analyzed: measures of central tendency (mean), dispersion (standard deviation), minimum value and maximum value. Next, Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to analyze the relationship between the variables under study.; (3) Results: The results showed the mediating effect of IMO between performance feedback and perceived performance, while burnout mediates the relationship between emotional and technology demands and perceived performance. (4) Conclusions: These conclusions demonstrate that constructive feedback might help a more efficient performance through better internal communication and the positive effects of technology demands could be the result of the interaction between personal and organizational resources.

Although the vegetation of the Cerrado biome is prone to fire, plant species composition can be altered according to its severity and frequency. Furthermore, many Cerrado plant species are resistant and can adapt to frequent fires. Little is known about how plant species of Cerrado environments respond to fire and the extent to which fire is beneficial for their conservation. The present study analyzed the responses of plant species of areas of campo sujo to fire and changes in floristics and vegetation structure at different post-fire intervals. Areas with frequent fires had a greater diversity of species, while the area with 10 years without burning had lower diversity and greater DBH. The distribution of species differed among the four the studied areas. We conclude that fire was beneficial for species diversity in the studied areas of Cerrado since it was able to promote the insertion and removal of species during intervals between fires.

This study focuses on the Cereja River, a Permanent Preservation Area located in Amazon coast. The hypothesis tested was that the water quality of the Cereja River has worsened over recent years due to unplanned urban growth. To assess changes in the water quality, seven campaigns were undertaken with data being collected at six fixed points, during two distinct periods (2013–2014 and 2018–2019). High-resolution satellite images from GoogleEarth (2012 and 2019) were used to register unplanned occupation. The DPSWR (Driver-Pressure-State-Welfare-Response) socioecological framework was used to identify potential measures for the management of environmental and anthropogenic problems. The increase in the number of households found on the Cereja margins between 2012-2019 has contributed to the river’s intense trophic condition, low concentrations of dissolved oxygen, high concentrations of pathogenic bacteria, and loss of vegetation cover. The water of the Cereja River is inadequate for any human use, and its contamination is one of the principal factors determining the reduction of the water quality of the Caeté estuary. According to the obtained results, the DPSWR model proved to be an excellent analytical tool for the evaluation of specific local scenarios, through the integrated analysis of socio-environmental issues. The scenario observed can be extrapolated to other rivers located within urban areas in the Amazon region that have relatively unplanned growth.

Plantago major L. is a worldwide available plant that has been used traditionally for several medical application due to its properties such as wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial etc. This work aimed to develop and evaluate nanostructured PCL electrospun dressing with P. major extract encapsulated in nanofibers for application in wound healing. The extract from leaves was obtained by extraction in a mixture of water:ethanol= 1:1 of the freeze-dried extract presented a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Staphylococcus Aureus susceptible and resistant to methicillin of 5.3 mg/mL, a high antioxidant capacity, but a low content of total flavonoids. Electrospun mats without defects were successfully produced using two P. major extract concentrations based on MIC value. The extract incorporation in PCL nanofibers was confirmed by FTIR and contact angle measurements. The PCL/P. major extract was evaluated by DSC and TGA demonstrating that incorporation of the extract decreases the thermal stability of the mats as well as the degree of crystallinity of PCL-based fibers. The P. major extract incorporation on electrospun mats produced a significant swelling degree (more than 400%) and increased the capacity of adsorbing wound exudates and moisture, important characteristics for skin healing. The extract-controlled release evaluated by in vitro study in PBS (pH, 7.4) shows that P. major extract delivery from the mats occurs in the first 24 h, demonstrating their potential capacity to be used in wound healing.

All neurological diseases have their pathological progress influenced by microglial cells, which react to insults with multiple morphofunctional phenotypes. However, the complete morphological spectrum of the reactive microglia, revealed by the three-dimensional microscopic reconstruction, has not been explored in detail in virus limbic encephalitis. Here, we used anatomical series of brain sections from a previous study using Piry arbovirus encephalitis, expanding the original investigation to CA1/CA2. The morphological response of the homeostatic and reactive microglia was investigated 8 days after infection. The hierarchical cluster and linear discriminant function analysis of multimodal morphometric features allowed to distinguish between the microglial morphology of infected individuals and controls. In order to represent more broadly the morphological spectrum of the microglia of each cluster, representative cells of the homeostatic and reactive microglia were chosen, using the sum of the distances of each cell in relation to all the others. Overall, the multivariate statistical analysis showed that the reactive microglia of infected animals have more complex trees and thicker branches, that cover a larger volume of tissue than the microglia of control animals. With this approach a more reliable representation of the microglia dispersion in the Euclidean space, would be closer to the spectrum of morphotypes of the control and infected groups, and help to avoid hiding the morphological kaleidoscope of surveillant and reactive microglia. As form precedes function in nature, our findings are a good starting point for future research with integrative approaches to microglia form and function.

All neurological diseases have their pathological progress influenced by microglial cells, which react to insults with multiple morphofunctional phenotypes. However, the complete morphological spectrum of the reactive microglia, revealed by the three-dimensional microscopic reconstruction, has not been explored in detail in virus limbic encephalitis. Here, we used anatomical series of brain sections from a previous study using Piry arbovirus encephalitis, expanding the original investigation to CA1/CA2. The morphological response of the homeostatic and reactive microglia was investigated 8 days after infection. The hierarchical cluster and linear discriminant function analysis of multimodal morphometric features allowed to distinguish between the microglial morphology of infected individuals and controls. In order to represent more broadly the morphological spectrum of the microglia of each cluster, representative cells of the homeostatic and reactive microglia were chosen, using the sum of the distances of each cell in relation to all the others. Overall, the multivariate statistical analysis showed that the reactive microglia of infected animals have more complex trees and thicker branches, that cover a larger volume of tissue than the microglia of control animals. With this approach a more reliable representation of the microglia dispersion in the Euclidean space, would be closer to the spectrum of morphotypes of the control and infected groups, and help to avoid hiding the morphological kaleidoscope of surveillant and reactive microglia. As form precedes function in nature, our findings are a good starting point for future research with integrative approaches to microglia form and function.

The aim was to evaluate levels of compassion fatigue in nursing professionals working in complex care units of a Brazilian university hospital. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study was carried out with nursing workers from complex care units of a University Hospital. Data were collected in the second half of 2019, in the pre-pandemic period of COVID-19, using the Brazilian version of the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL-BR). A total of 146 individuals partici-pated, including 41 (28.1%) nurses, 92 (63.0%) nursing technicians and 13 (8.9%) nursing assis-tants. It was observed that 26.1% presented high level of compassion satisfaction. For 17.5% there was level of burnout and 49.7%, medium level of burnout; and 22.0% with high and 46.1% with medium level of secondary traumatic stress. Twenty-eight (19.2%) professionals had compassion fatigue, of which 16 (57.1%) were nursing technicians. There is a high percentage of professionals with medium and high rates of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, a fact that is reinforced by the presence of compassion fatigue in almost one fifth of the studied individuals. These results highlights how much the health of these workers can be affected by living with traumatic patient experiences.

Volumetric models are a crucial tool for forest management. The study aimed to adjust the mixed model by Schumacher and Hall for estimating commercial volume in a dense ombrophilous forest situated in Ferreira Gomes, Amapá, Brazil. Cubage data from 100 sample trees of 5 species were used to adjust the Schumacher and Hall model in fixed and mixed non-linear forms with the diameter class as a random effect. In addition, the same model was also adjusted for each class to verify whether good equations will be generated by stratifying by diameter class. After analysis, it was found that most of the equations by diameter class do not present all significant parameters. On the other hand, the mixed models using class as a random effect showed good results. Finally, it can be seen that mixed models are a much better alternative than stratification by diameter class for volume estimation.

Renewable energy sources are increasingly crucial for meeting global energy demands in an eco-friendly manner, particularly as the world shifts away from fossil fuels and faces higher volatility of the market prices. Portugal, a country with limited fossil fuel reserves and high energy dependency, has heavily invested in renewables in recent years. However, renewables like sunlight, wind, and water are inherently unsteady due to climate influences, resulting in energy production fluctuations. To mitigate this issue, energy storage systems are being deployed to stabilize renewable energy supply during production lulls. This project aims to assess an energy storage system and define technical specification in order to maximize profitability at the Finerge-owned Alto Douro wind farm. To achieve this, we've conducted an energy demand analysis, followed by simulations to assess system performance in relation to energy use and profit, while varying parameters such as power and efficiency. We've also compared commercial proposals from different battery manufacturers utilizing various technologies. Our findings suggest that high-power, quick charge-discharge lithium-ion batteries are the most suitable solution, given their efficiency and modularity. These attributes are vital for achieving current and future profitability.

The World Health Organization has estimated an annual occurrence of approximately 392 million Dengue virus (DENV) infections in more than 100 countries where the virus is endemic, and this represents a serious threat to humanity. DENV is a serologic group with four distinct serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4) belonging to the genus Flavivirus, in the family Flaviviridae. Dengue is the most widespread mosquito-borne disease in the world. The ~10.7 kb DENV genome encodes three structural proteins (capsid [C], pre-membrane [prM], and envelope [E]) and seven non-structural (NS) proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5). The NS1 protein is a membrane-associated dimer and a secreted, lipid-associated hexamer. Dimeric NS1 is found on membranes both in cellular compartments and cell surfaces. Secreted NS1 (sNS1) is often present in patient serum at very high levels, which correlates with severe dengue symptoms. This study was conducted to discover how NS1 protein, microRNAs-15/16 (miRNAs-15/16), and apoptosis are related during DENV-4 infection in human liver cell lines. Huh 7.5 and HepG2 cells were infected with DENV-4, and miRNAs-15/16, viral load, NS1 protein, and caspases-3/7 were quantified after different times of infection. This study demonstrated that miRNAs-15/16 are overexpressed during infection of HepG2 and Huh 7.5 cells by DENV-4 and have a relationship with NS1 protein expression, viral load, and activity of caspases-3/7, thus making these miRNAs potential injury markers during DENV infection in human hepatocytes.

Anti-inflammatory agents are widely used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Nevertheless, the associated side effects of available drugs make necessary the search for new anti-inflammatory conditions. Here, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of solidagenone. Initially, we observed that a single dose of 30, 60 or 90 mg/Kg of solidagenone did not result in mortality or elicit any discernible signs of toxicity in the animals. At the same doses, solidagenone promoted a significative reduction in the migration of neutrophils in an acute peritonitis model and decreased mortality in a lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxic shock model. Interestingly, treatment with solidagenone conferred a protective effect against leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, hematological disorders commonly observed in sepsis conditions. In addition, treatment with all the doses of solidagenone promoted a significative reduction in nitric oxide, TNF-α, and IL-1β relative to the LPS-stimulated vehicle-treated cultures. Furthermore, gene expression and in silico analyses also supported the modulation of NF-κB pathway by solidagenone. Finally, in silico pharmacokinetics prediction indicated a favorable drugability profile for solidagenone. Taken together, the findings of the present investigation show that solidagenone exhibits significant anti-inflammatory properties in acute experimental models, potentially through the modulation of NF-κB signaling pathway.

Gut protozoan parasites are neglected and not targeted by specific control initiatives and this have led to a knowledge gap concerning their regional diversity and epidemiology. The present study aims to explore Giardia duodenalis genetic diversity and assess the epidemiologic scenario of subclinical infections in different Brazilian biogeographic regions. Cross-sectional surveys (n=1,334 subjects) were conducted in the Amazon, Cerrado, Semiarid and Atlantic Forest. Microscopy of non-diarrheal feces and nucleotide sequencing of a β-giardin gene fragment were performed. Twenty-seven (52.9%) β-giardin sequences were characterized as assemblage A and 24 (47.1%) as assemblage B. In Amazon, assemblage B was the most frequently detected with 2 novel sub-assemblages. Assemblage A predominated in the extra-Amazon region, with 5 novel sub-assemblages. Prevalence rates reached 17.8% in Amazon, 8.8% in Atlantic Forest, 7.4% in Cerrado and 2.3% in the Semiarid. People living in poverty and extreme poverty presented significantly higher positivity rates, reaching 11.9% and 14.5%, respectively. Giardiasis tended to be more frequent in stunted (21.6%) than in eutrophic children (12.9%). In conclusion, subclinical giardiasis in endemic in Brazilian communities in different biogeographic regions, presenting high genetic diversity and a heterogeneous genotypic distribution.

Data creation is often the only way for researchers to produce basic geospatial information for the pursuit of more complex tasks and procedures such as those that lead to the production of new data for studies concerning river basins, slope morphodynamics, applied geomorphology and geology, urban and territorial planning, detailed studies, for example, in architecture and civil engineering, among others. This exercise results from a reflection where specific data processing tasks executed in Google Sketchup (Pro version, 2018) can be used in a context of interoperability with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software. The focus is based on the production of contour lines and Digital Elevation Models (DEM) using an innovative sequence of tasks and procedures in both environments (GS and GIS). It starts in Google Sketchup (GS) graphic interface, with the selection of a satellite image referring to the study area—which can be anywhere on Earth's surface; subsequent processing steps lead to the production of elevation data at the selected scale and equidistance. This new data must be exported to GIS software in vector formats such as Autodesk Design Web format—DWG or Autodesk Drawing Exchange format—DXF. In this essay the option for the use of GIS Open Source Software (gvSIG and QGIS) was made. Correcting the original SHP by removing “data noise” that resulted from DXF file conversion permits the author to create new clean vector data in SHP format and, at a later stage, generate DEM data. This means that new elevation data becomes available, using simple but intuitive and interoperable procedures and techniques which confgures a costless work flow.

This work aims to investigate systematically the tecno-economic feasibility of ther-mos-catalytic cracking process for two solid waste materials, a lipid-base material (re-sidual fat/scum from retention box of the University Restaurant of UFPA) and a lig-nin-cellulosic material Açaí seed (Euterpe oleracea. Mart). The thermo-catalytic process-es were carried out in pilot scale (THERMTEK/LEQ/UFPA/IME/RJ), and their economic feasibility analyzed. The yields of biofuels produced by fractional distillation were al-so studied. The physicochemical characteristics of the raw materials, the organic liquid product (bio-oil) and the chemical composition of kerosene, light-diesel and heavy-diesel from the lipid-base material, as well as those of kerosene and light-diesel from the Açaí seed were also determined. The economic indicators for the evaluation of the most viable cracking (pyrolysis) and distillation process of bio-oils were: a) the sim-ple payback criterion, b) discounted payback, c) net present value (NPV), d) internal rate of return (IRR), and e) index of profitability (IP). The analysis of the indicators showed the economic viability of crude palm oil (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq) and unfeasibil-ity for the palm oil neutralization. The minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) obtained is this work for the biofuels was of 1.34 US$/L) and the breakeven point obtained was of 1.28 US$/L. The sensibility analysis demonstrated that the pyrolysis and distillation yields are the most important variables to affect the minimum fuel selling price (MFSP).

This research mapped significant social networks of victims of childhood sexual abuse, identifying relationships between childhood trauma and social bonds in adult life. Ten adult women, aged between 20 and 40 years, in psychiatric care for the consequences of trauma suffered in childhood participated in the research. For data collection, the map of significant social networks was used and analyzed through the structure, functions and attributes of the bonds. The network is composed of people from the Friendship, Family, Community, Work/Study and Health Teams group. The networks of friendships, family, co-workers or studies play a predominant role of emotional support, while the Health Teams also offer emotional support, but primarily provide clinical support in overcoming trauma and its consequences. The network of relationships has specific functions that maintain psychosocial integrity and help women to overcome the abuse suffered.

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the global gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets. The article begins by discussing the increasing demand for gas and LNG, particularly in Asia, as countries aim to transition to cleaner sources of energy. It explores how market volatility has led to energy security interventions and lasting economic and emissions impacts. It then explores the global supply and demand dynamics, highlighting the structural change expected in the market and the competition between Europe and Asia for limited new LNG supply. The article also focuses on Europe's increased flexibility and dependence on LNG imports, which have risen by 60% to 121 million tonnes, offsetting lower Russian pipeline imports. Furthermore, the article delves into global supply and demand dynamics, how the market is expected to remain tight, and how record gas and LNG prices have led to demand reductions. Additionally, it analyzes the future outlook and investment needs, highlighting the continued uptake of gas in heavy-duty transport and the need for further investment to avoid a supply-demand gap. The article concludes with an analysis of the implications for the future of the global gas and LNG markets.

This study explores the impact of regular physical exercise on the quality of life and body image among Para-athletes, emphasizing the necessity of such activities for physical, social, and psychological health. This qualitative study employs content analysis and ethnomethodology to evaluate seven Para-athletes from the Navy's Paralympic Project, using focus group interviews to assess their perceptions. The findings reveal that participation in structured sports programs positively influences body image and quality of life, leading to improved performance in training, social interactions, and competitive events. The analysis suggests that motivation and self-esteem are fundamental to the sporting success of Paralympic athletes. Both external and internal motivations are crucial for sustaining athletic careers and overcoming challenges. Self-esteem enables athletes to remain confident in their abilities, even after setbacks.