The COVID-19 pandemic has become the largest public health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Despite the extensive research conducted on the SARS-CoV-2 virus in humans, little is still known about animal-related transmission and its consequences. Therefore, this study contributed to a better understanding of this issue by focusing on the serological survey of SARS-CoV-2 in samples from the serum bank of the Bovine Virology Laboratory at the Biological Institute of São Paulo, as well as horses and dogs from the Military Police of the State of São Paulo, and tapirs and bats from the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. To achieve this, the possible presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic and wild animal species was evaluated using the ID Screen® "SARS-CoV-2 Double Antigen Multi Species" ELISA test (ID-Vet.®), following the manufacturer's recommendations. The findings of this study demonstrate a higher occurrence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic animals compared to wild animals, as well as different antibody profiles among the species analyzed, with horses showing a wide range of seroconversion comparable to humans.

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.

⦁ Introduction: The challenging context, resulting from a post-pandemic scenario, wars, and various natural disasters, does not allow for the ideal assurance of efficiency in the Agri-food supply chain. ⦁ Research significance Currently, Agri-food supply chains and Reverse logistics show critical characteristics such as centralization, limited flexibility, distrust, bureaucratization, Border and Documentary Compliance and there are problems about efficiency, security, and safety Agri-Food. using the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) framework, with the purpose of achieving Sustainable Development Goals, promoting transparency, traceability, and non-linearization of the agri-food supply chain. ⦁ Methodology The methodology is combined, the first part uses Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) identifying 72 articles with the principal contribution in the literature. The second part combines the application of Supply Chain Operations References (SCOR) and the Blockchain Technology aiming to decentralize the linear Agri-food Supply Chain and Reverse logistics. ⦁ Results/findings The results revealed a transformation of the traditional Agri-food Supply Chain, transitioning from linear management to a circular one. Additionally, after application it is possible to know a new way to manage the Reverse Logistic with more decentralization, flexibility, traceability, and reducing the unnecessary activities, which include Border and Documentary Compliance. The originality of this research is the novel combination of SCOR Model and Blockchain showing a priority about the key activities that add value and come close to the Sustainable practices. ⦁ Conclusion / Implications Based on the results is possible to conclude that the synergy between Blockchain and SCOR Model enables a new way to manage the Agri-food supply chain, improving efficiency and reducing activities without value. Also, it is possible to ensure that the practices of Reverse Logistics are improved based on terms of cost and time, and the reduction of the exposition on the Defective Product Risk. ⦁ Social Implications This paper could enhance confidence in all operations of the Agri-food supply chain as there are numerous issues regarding the security and safety of food. Additionally, it will aid in diminishing unnecessary activities and inefficient resource consumption practices, thereby accomplishing objectives 2 "zero hunger", 9 "Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure", and 12 "Responsible consumption and production", along with their respective indicators. ⦁ Practical implications Regarding the practical implications, this research could contribute to analyses of the application of technology Blockchain in different sectors and identify the possible limitations when the main objective is to apply it on a big scale.

This paper introduces an application of R programming language for geostatistical data processing with a case study of the Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean. The formation of the Mariana Trench, the deepest among all hadal oceanic depth trenches, is caused by complex and diverse geomorphic factors affecting its development. Mariana Trench crosses four tectonic plates: Mariana, Caroline, Pacific and Philippine. The impact of the geographic location and geological factors on its geomorphology has been studied by methods of statistical analysis and data visualization using R libraries. The methodology includes following steps. Firstly, vector thematic data were processed in QGIS: tectonics, bathymetry, geomorphology and geology. Secondly, 25 cross-section profiles were drawn across the trench. The length of each profile is 1000-km. The attribute information has been derived from each profile and stored in a table containing coordinates, depths and thematic information. Finally, this table was processed by methods of the statistical analysis on R. The programming codes and graphical results are presented. The results include geospatial comparative analysis and estimated effects of the data distribution by tectonic plates: slope angle, igneous volcanic areas and depths. The innovativeness of this paper consists in a cross-disciplinary approach combining GIS, statistical analysis and R programming.

In view of the diminishing contribution of natural products from plants to the discovery of new chemical structures, the aim of this study was to compile the articles from 2021 to 2022, assessing: (1) which classes of compounds these new structures belong to; (2) which plants and families these compounds belong to and (3) assessing the degree of novelty of the compound with an already known structure. The review was elaborate following the Preferred Reporting Items for System-atics Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement checklist for guide reporting of systematic reviews. A total of 464 articles were selected for the new compounds of natural origin survey. We included 117 complete articles in this review and reported approximately 109 new structures elucidated during the years 2021 and 2022. Many of the compounds showed small structural var-iations in relation to already known molecules. For some, however, this small modification was decisive for the biological activity reported, demonstrating the importance of descriptive phytochemical studies.

The clinical practice implies a research translation that helps the use of scientific data and thera-peutic evidence for patient benefits. This review critically summarizes the potential impact of cannabinoids in concomitance with other drugs in the following chronic diseases as Epilepsy, Au-tism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Oncology, Multiple Sclerosis, and Chronic Pain. The potential in-teractions can change the predicted clinical outcomes of therapeutic protocols and need to be evaluated. Some of the effects would be additive, synergistic or antagonistic, but can also enroll changes in absorption, distribution, metabolism, particularly via cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoen-zymes (e.g CYP2C9 and CYP3A4) and excretion. For instance, the combination of canna-bis-derived compounds and the antifungal drug ketoconazole, a CYP3A4 inhibitor, increases plasma concentration of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD (CBD). Opposable, rifampic-in, a CYP3A4 inducer, stands out for the approximately 20-40% reduction in plasma THC levels and 50% to 60% for CBD. Other CYP3A4 inhibitors and inducers are likely to have a similar effect on plasma concentrations if co-administered. Indeed, pharmacokinetic interactions have been also reported with antiseizure drugs. Moreover, pharmacodynamic interactions between cannabinoids and drugs with sympathomimetic effects (eg tachycardia, hypertension), central nervous system depressants (eg drowsiness, ataxia), and anticholinergics (eg tachycardia and drowsiness) are also expected. Even though pending further studies, there is currently clinical evidence supporting drug interaction with cannabinoids, demanding doctors evaluate the risk of drug combinations with cannabinoids. The tables herein provided were designed to facilitate the identification of bi-orelevant interactions that may compromise therapeutic efficacy and toxicity.

Dietary approach is essential to obesity control, but the effectiveness of changes in meal frequency (MF) as strategies for loss and maintenance of body mass remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of MF on a hypocaloric diet on weight loss, active ghrelin levels and metabolic indicators of women with obesity. This is a randomized, parallel clinical trial, including forty women, randomized in two groups, both following a hypocaloric diet, according to MF (G1 – six meals/day; G2 – three meals/day). Dietary, laboratory, anthropometric and body composition indicators were assessed, as well as energy expenditure (EE), before and after the 90 days of intervention. After intervention, both groups decreased body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fat mass (FM), insulin and HOMA-IR. G1 increased insulin sensitivity and G2 reduced triglyceride and FM and increased fat-free mass (FFM). MF increased ghrelin levels. There were no differences in EE variables. Hypocaloric diet with different MF promoted a reduction in total weight, BMI, WC and FM and an improvement in glycidic metabolism. However, the accomplishment of the three meals/day increased the FFM and active ghrelin and reduced triglyceride, while six meals/day was more beneficial in increasing insulin sensitivity.

Does cell clustering influence intrinsic and acquired multi-drug resistance (MDR) differently? To address this question, we studied cultured monolayers (representing individual cells) and cultured spheroids (representing clusters) formed by drug-naïve (intrinsic MDR) and drug-exposed (acquired MDR) lines of ovarian cancer A2780 cells by cytometry of reaction rate constant (CRRC). MDR efflux was characterized by accurate and robust “cell number vs. MDR efflux rate constant (kMDR)” histograms. Both drug-naïve and drug-exposed monolayer cells presented unimodal histograms; the histogram of drug-exposed cells was shifted towards higher kMDR value suggesting greater MDR activity. Spheroids of drug-naïve cells presented a bimodal histogram indicating the presence of two subpopulations with different MDR activity. In contrast, spheroids of drug-exposed cells presented a unimodal histogram qualitatively similar to that of the monolayers of drug-exposed cells but with a moderate shift towards greater MDR activity. The observed greater effect of cell clustering on intrinsic than on acquired MDR can help guide the development of new therapeutic strategies targeting clusters of circulating tumor cells.

(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.

We use Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) to probe Beyond Standard Model physics in the neutrino sector. Recently the abundances of primordially produced light elements D and He-4 were determined from observations with better accuracy. The good agreement between the theoretically predicted abundances of primordially produced and derived from observations light elements allows to update the BBN constraints on Beyond Standard Models (BSM) physics. We provide numerical analysis of several BSM models of BBN and obtain precise cosmological constraints and indications for new neutrino physics. Namely, we derive more stringent BBN constraints on electron neutrino-sterile neutrino oscillations corresponding to 1% uncertainty of the observational determination of the primordial He-4. The cosmological constraints are obtained both for the case of zero and non-zero initial population of the sterle neutrino state. Then in a degenerate BBN model with neutrino νe↔νs oscillations we analyze the change of the cosmological constraints in case lepton asymmetry L is big enough to suppress oscillations. We obtain constraints on the lepton asymmetry L . We discuss a possible solution to the dark radiation problem in degenerate BBN models with νe↔νs oscillations in case L is large enough to suppress neutrino oscillations during BBN epoch. Interestingly, the required value of L for solving DR problem is close to L indicated by EMPRESS experiment and close to the value of lepton asymmetry necessary to relax Hubble tension.

Leishmania parasites present astonishing adaptative abilities that represent a matter of life or death within disparate environments during the heteroxenous parasite life cycle. From an evolutionary perspective, organisms develop methods of overcoming such challenges. Strategies that extend beyond the genetic diversity have been discussed and include variability between parasite cells during the infections of their hosts. The occurrence of Leishmania subpopulation fluctuations with variable structural genomic contents demonstrates that a single strain might shelter the variability required to overcome inconsistent environments. Such intrastrain variability provides parasites with an extraordinary ability to adapt and thus survive and propagate. However, different perspectives on this evolution have been proposed. Strains or species living in the same environment can cooperate but also compete. These interactions might increase the replication rate of some parasites but cause the loss of more aggressive competitors for others. Adaptive responses to intra- and interspecific competition can evolve as a fixed strategy (replication is adapted to the average genetic complexity of infections) or an optional strategy (replication varies according to the genetic complexity of the current infection). This review highlights the complexity of interspecies and intrastrain interactions among Leishmania parasites as well as the different factors that influence this interplay.

The aim of this study was to compare the screw removal torque of mini conical prosthetic components and straight trunnion of indexed morse taper implants, after mechanical cycling. The sample consisted of 40 implants and 20 mini-conical prosthetic components (MC group) and 20 straight trunnion components (ST group). Each group consisted of 10 specimens, with 2 implants in each, and cobalt-chromium metallic crowns were screwed into each sample. The components of the MC group received a torque of 20 N.cm with a digital torque wrench and after 10 minutes were retightened with the same value as the initial torque. The components of the ST group received a torque of 30 N.cm, with a digital torque wrench and after 10 minutes, they were retightened with the same value. The screws of the respective crowns of the two groups received a torque of 10 N.cm and after 10 minutes were retightened with the same value. Each group was subjected to the fatigue test in a mechanical cycler at 2.000.000 cycles, with a load of 250 N and frequency of 4 Hz. At the end of the fatigue test, the loosening torque of each screw of the specimens was measured through a digital torque wrench. The data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey test. In both groups, there were loss of torque. The results showed no statistic difference between MC and ST groups.

This paper exposes the initial part of a larger research on the impact of the automotive on human health and the quality of life and environment. After a brief introduction on the need for responsible and sustainable approaches and few questions on the subject, some considerations and statistical data are presented, based on a study of the literature on the impact of road traffic and vehicles noise and vibration on people's comfort and health and their quality of life. The research results show, based on official statistics, the significant harmful impact of noise and vibration from motor vehicles and road transport on people's health and quality of life, especially in urban areas during the day. Also, the significant increase in the number of electric and hybrid vehicles from one year to another, a reality and a necessity nowadays, and the awareness that electric vehicles are not perfectly quiet and comfortable, open new research opportunities and require the development of new standards, materials, tools, equipment and test methods in the field of NVH, in a sustained synergistic approach from all stakeholders, to meet the needs and demands of today's consumers, and to comply with existing regulations and standards on environmental protection and sustainable development.

The objective was to evaluate the metabolic and performance differences in primiparous Nellore cows, which became pregnant at 14 or 24 months. Thirty-eight primiparous Nellore cows, which were bred for first pregnancy at 14 or 24-mo of age, with 202 ± 5 days of gestation were divided into two treatments according to breeding age: 14 or 24 months in the breeding season. Cows were evaluated for weight, body condition score (BCS), carcass characteristics, milk yield and blood parameters: glucose, total proteins, albumin, urea, beta-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), progesterone, and for insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). There was an in-teraction (p < 0.01) between age at first pregnancy and time for body weight, where 24-mo cows were heavier, but both categories loss weight at parturition which concomitant decrease in the BCS (p < 0,01). However, BW of 24-mo remained stable (p > 0.05) after parturition. Milk yield was higher in 24-mo cows (p < 0.01). Interaction between sampling time and breading age was observed for Longissimus muscle area (p < 0.01) and tended for Longissimus muscle depth, where 24-mo cows had greater values in prepartum. Calves born from the cows bred at 24-mo, where was higher (p < 0.01) from 160 days of age until weaning at 240 days. Glucose, urea, total proteins, albumin and NEFA were affected (p < 0.01) by the parturition data-point. There was an interaction (p < 0.01) between breading age and sampling period for β-OHB. Progesterone concentration was greater in 24-mo cows (p < 0.01). It was concluded that primiparous cows that became pregnant at 14 or 24 months of age have different nutritional and metabolic responses.

This study evaluated the influence of methotrexate (MTX) and non-surgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) on the composition of the oral-gut microbiota in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Assessments were performed at baseline (T0), 6 months after MTX treatment (T1), and 45 days after NSPT (T2). The composition of the oral and gut microbiota was assessed by amplifying the V4 region of the 16S gene from subgingival plaques and stools. The results of the analysis of continuous variables were presented descriptively and non-parametric tests were adopted. Thirty-seven patients (27 with periodontitis) were evaluated at T0; 32 patients (24 with periodontitis) at T1; and 28 patients (17 with periodontitis) at T2. Nine individuals were lost to follow-up. MTX tended to reduce the alpha diversity of the oral-gut microbiota, while NSPT appeared to increase the number of different species of oral microbiota. MTX and NSPT influenced beta diversity in the oral microbiota. The relative abundance of oral microbiota was directly influenced by periodontal status. MTX did not affect the periodontal condition but modified the interactions between clinical parameters and the oral-gut microbiota. MTX and NSPT directly affected the composition and richness of the oral-gut microbiota. However, MTX did not influence periodontal clinical parameters.

Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the main cause of mortality worldwide, and it is characterized by high levels of circulating cholesterol. The drugs currently available for hypercholesterolemia control have several side effects, so it is necessary to develop new effective and safer therapies. Seaweeds serve as sources of several bio-active compounds with claimed beneficial effects. Eisenia bicyclis (Aramé) and Porphyra tenera (Nori) are edible seaweeds which were previously recognized as rich in bioactive compounds. In the present study, we aim to evaluate the anti-hypercholesterolemia effect of these two seaweeds ex-tracts and their health potential. Both extracts, but more efficiently Aramé extract demonstrated to have liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) inhibitory activity and to reduce approximately 30 % cholesterol permeation through human Caco-2 cells simulating the intestinal lining, targets for hypercholesterolemia treatments. An untargeted metabolomic assay on human intestinal Caco-2 and liver Hep-G2 cells lines exposed to Aramé and Nori extracts revealed changes in the cell’s metabolism as indicators of the extract’s health beneficial effects. The metabolic pathways affected by exposure to both extracts were associated to lipid metabolism, such as phospholipids, and fatty acid metabolism, pathways of amino acid, cofactors and vitamins and cellular respiration metabolism. More profound for Aramé treated cells, but also seen for Nori ex-posed cells, the metabolites modifications were associated with the protection against CVDs and other diseases and, to the improvement of cells oxidative stress tolerance. The results obtained for the anti-hypercholesterolemia properties, in addition to the revelation of the positive impact on cells metabolism, are an important contribution for further evaluation of these seaweeds extracts as functional foods or for CVDs prevention.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the blending and grinding influence over the nutritional, sensorial and sustainable aspects of coffee. To do so, a systematic review of the literature was accomplished. The database for the selection of relevant papers was the Portal de Periódicos da Capes, with remote access via CAFe. For the elaboration of the research, a chronological criterion with period restriction was used, considering the period between 2008-2022, to access all possible works related to the theme of this work. The following terms were used: blending; grinding; coffee; nutrition-al; sensorial; sustainability. To filter the searches, the association of these terms was also used by means of links and word associations. In the terminology, the Boolean operator AND was used to interconnect the terms used. Roasting degree, grinding, and amount of each coffee species impacts the nutritional and sensorial aspects of coffee. And the determination of each blending influences the sustainability of the environment, economic and social aspects of the coffee chain.

The use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) leads to an increase, in variable amounts, of milk production in buffalo, but there is a lack of information on the influence of rbST on their metabolism. This study looked at the effects of a single 500 mg dose of rbST on lipid profile, liver and kidney function and physical, chemical and cellular constitution of milk in 14 buffalo over 14 days, from the 100th day of lactation, and compared them with 14 animals in a control group. From the 1st day after rbST, there was a rise in beta hydroxybutyrate (β-HBO), possibly due to the higher dry matter intake or by biotransformation of NEFA into β-HBO. Treatment did not influence blood glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), triglycerides, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, AST, GGT, bilirubin, urea or creatinine. In 71.3% of the buffalo there was a gradual increase in milk production with maximal response in the first week that was then followed by a gradual decrease, whilst in 21.4%, the increase in production occurred between 7 and 10 days, and only 7.1% of animals did not respond. On the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th days after treatment, an increase was found in milk production between the two groups equal to 1.04, 1.52, 1.42 and 1.06 liters, respectively. In relative terms this means an increase in milk production, respectively, of 15.1%; 21.0%; 19.8 % and 15.1 %. The constitution of the milk showed no difference in the amounts of fat, lactose, total solids or somatic cell count; however, on the 3rd day after rbST, there was a decrease in protein; notably, from the 5th day, protein values show no statistical difference. It can be concluded that the application of rbST in buffalo from the 100th day of lactation is metabolically safe, since the treatment neither caused imbalances in fat metabolism nor overloaded the liver or renal function, and the changes in milk composition were transient and limited to a decrease in milk protein.

The main challenge in milk production has been to maintain a focus on efficient processes that enhance production outcomes, while aligning with animal welfare and sustainability and being valued by society. As an alternative to improve cow welfare in production and provide better handling of the waste generated by the activity, the system called compost-bedded pack barn (CBP) is an alternative that has been widely adopted in countries with temperate climates and higher milk production. This CBP has been attracting global interest, including from countries with tropical and subtropical climates, such as Brazil, where many producers have started to use it due to the response in terms of milk productivity. A CBP can be designed either in a) an open facility with natural ventilation or positive pressure ventilation system or b) totally closed facilities, equipped with negative pressure ventilation systems and permanent thermal control. The latter system is being implemented in Brazil, despite insufficient knowledge about its efficiency. The objective of this study was, through a review, to gather and describe the most recent information on the use of open and closed CBP systems for dairy cattle housing, mainly how it is applied in tropical climate regions. To achieve the proposed objective, this review study included the following topics related to CBPs: (i) implementation; (ii) bedding; (iii) general construction and architectural characteristics; iv) ambient thermal conditioning. Knowledge gaps and directions for future research are also identified.

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 current management of colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM) patients involves a multidisciplinary approach with surgical resection remaining the primary curative option. The advances in liver surgery have improved outcomes, enabling more patients to undergo surgery successfully. In addition, the development of imaging software has improved the preoperative planning and patient selection for surgery and other interventions. Systemic therapies, such as targeted therapies and immunotherapies have enhanced the chances of complete resection. Targeted agents in combination with chemotherapy, have shown efficacy in downstaging tumors and increasing resectability.

A relevant aspect in the epidemiology of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (TL) is the Leishmania parasites carrying a viral endosymbiont Leishmania RNA Virus 1 (LRV1), a dsRNA virus. Leishmania parasites carrying LRV1 are prone to causing more severe TL symptoms, increasing the likelihood of unfavorable clinical outcomes. LRV1 has been observed in cultured strains of five L. (Viannia) species, and host specificity was suggested when studying LRV1 from L. braziliensis and L. guyanensis strains. The coevolution hypothesis of LRV1 and Leishmania was based on phylogenetic analyses, implying an association between LRV1 genotypes, Leishmania species, and their geographic origins. This study aimed to investigate LRV1 specificity to Leishmania (Viannia) species hosts by analyzing LRV1 from L. (Viannia) species. To this end, LRV1 was screened in L. (Viannia) species other than L. braziliensis or L. guyanensis, and it was detected in 11 out of 15 L. naiffi and in 2 out of 4 L. shawi. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial LRV1 genomic sequencing supported the hypothesis of host specificity, as LRV1 clustered according to their respective Leishmania species hosts. These findings underscore the importance of investigating Leishmania and LRV1 coevolution and its impact on Leishmania (Viannia) species dispersion and pathogenesis in the American Continent.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease and affects more than 350 million people worldwide. However, there are no vaccines for humans, and current treatment is hampered due to its high cost, numerous side effects, and painful administration routes. Ending its epidemics by 2030 has become a United Nations goal, and the multitarget drug strategy emerges as a promising alternative. Flavonoids are an example of multitarget compounds and organic synthesis represents a tool to obtain high yields of these molecules. In our study, we synthesized 17 flavonoid analogs using a scalable, easy-to-reproduce, and inexpensive method. All compounds demonstrated an impressive inhibition capacity against rCPB2.8, rCPB3, and rH84Y, which are highly expressed in the amastigote stage, the target form of the parasite. Compounds 3c, f12a, and f12b stood out as effective against all isoforms and intermolecular interactions were investigated through a molecular modeling study. The compounds were highly potent against the parasite and demonstrated low cytotoxic action against mammalian cells. The results were pioneering, representing an advance in the investigation of the mechanisms behind the antileishmanial action of flavonoid derivatives. Furthermore, compounds have shown to be promising leads for the design of other cysteine protease inhibitors for the treatment of leishmaniasis diseases.

This study aimed to conduct a cross-cultural adaptation of the development of the cat-owner/dog-owner relationship scales. The method encompassed several stages: conceptual, item, semantic, operational, measurement, and functional equivalence. Processes included translations, synthesis of translations, back-translations, consensus on the English versions, external evaluation by the original authors, expert committee evaluation, and pre-tests. The study involved surveying 342 pet owners throughout Brazil using a 20-item questionnaire. Data analyses utilized confirmatory factor analysis, covariance-based modeling, and multigroup analysis. The techniques confirmed that the scale preserved its psychometric properties and showed no variance between dog and cat owners, indicating that the measured constructs are universal and unaffected by specific cultural nuances. Hence, the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the scale facilitate applying and testing concepts and measures in diverse contexts, enriching our understanding of the dynamics between owners and their pets (dogs and cats) in different living situations. In addition, this research holds particular significance in Brazil, given the country’s vast cultural diversity.

A hybrid material, consisting of commercially available nitrocellulose (NC) membrane non-covalently modified with amino-polyethylene glycol functionalized reduced graphene oxide (NH2-PEG-rGO) nanoparticles, was successfully synthesized for oligonucleotide extraction. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the modification of the NC membrane, revealing characteristic peaks of both compounds NC and NH2-PEG-rGO. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) exhibited morphological changes in the NC/NH2-PEG-rGO hybrid membrane, marked by the introduction of NH2-PEG-rGO particles, resulting in a distinctly smothered surface compared to the porous surface of the NC control membrane. Wettability assays revealed hydrophobic behavior for the NC/NH2-PEG-rGO hybrid membrane, with a water contact angle exceeding 90°, contrasting with the hydrophilic behavior characterized by a 16.7° contact angle in the NC membrane. The performance of the NC/NH2-PEG-rGO hybrid membrane was evaluated for the extraction of ssDNA with fewer than 50 nucleotides from solutions containing various ionic species (MnCl2, MgCl2, and MnCl2/MgCl2). The NC/NH2-PEG-rGO hybrid membrane exhibited optimal performance when incubated in MgCl2, presenting the highest fluorescence emission at 525 relative fluorescence units (r.f.u.). This corresponds to the extraction of approximately 610 pg (≈13%) of the total oligo-DNA, underscoring the efficacy of the pristine material, which extracts 286 pg (≈6%) of oligo-DNA in complex solutions.

This work presents a new type of chaotic dynamical system originated from Dirichlet Eta function. Although the exposition describes only a bidimensional instance, it is certainly possible to construct higher dimensional such models. The novelty resides in the multitude of interesting characteristics concentrated in only one kind of dynamical system, mainly because of its simple abstract definition - it provokes dissipative, chaotic and itinerant behavior, and its paths typically display nonrecurring quasi-attractors and associate regions of ruin. In addition, it is discrete and nonautonomous, being additively driven by a simple real vector sequence. Also, the defining formulas have parameters which permit to activate bifurcatory effects, mainly related to setting the number of quasi-attractors and overall geometric complexity and diversity. In this fashion, it holds a certain similarity with classical itinerant chaotic systems, but it is a completely different object. One of its parameters is very influential and may be intuitively compared to a type of "potential energy", capable of changing the duration of sojourns etc. In this fashion, there is a potential opportunity to employ artificial inference techniques for designing specific structures on paths. Of course, the other parameters are also relevant, but not necessarily in the control of the number of quasi-attractors and the permanence periods near them. It is important to state that the described system was found during a previous investigation about certain features of the Riemann hypothesis, using the Dirichlet Eta function instead of the Riemann Zeta function - the components of the system under study here were part of certain series whose convergence had to be established, and that scenario produced this very positive side effect. The text also suggests an atypical, but important, potential application in philosophy: the representation of the Hindu concepts of Samsara and Moksha.

The main objective of this study was to study the effect of occupational stress on turnover intentions, as well as whether this relationship is mediated by burnout levels and moderated by motivation. The sample of this study consisted of 603 participants, all employees of the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority, which is part of the Ministry of Finance and belongs to the Direct State Administration. The results indicate that occupational stress (with managers, with career and remuneration and with work overload) has a positive and significant effect on turnover intentions and that this relationship is mediated by burnout. Motivation (intrinsic and identified) has a negative and significant effect on turnover intentions. Intrinsic motivation moderates the rela-tionship between occupational stress (with managers, with colleagues, with career and pay and with family problems) and turnover intentions. These results indicate that among the dimensions of occupational stress, the most critical are stress with managers, work overload and career and pay. These are factors that the Direct State Administration should be concerned about in trying to minimize their causes.

This paper aims to introduce an overview of several aspects of the so-called Artificial Intelligence, their potential impacts on economic and social dimen- sions, and suggestions for possible approaches of investiment based upon effective and mature techniques. In this fashion, it is important to address from educational and academic issues to industrial densities and profiles, rel- atively to a given region, country or continent. Even etymological adequacy and psychological consequences of the denomination ”Artificial Intelligence” need some reflection, and suggestions for a lucid replacement are presented. In addition, suggestions about how can specific firms choose the right type of technique in order to improve profit and organizational efficiency. After all, what are the main transformations needed to amplify gains and structural improvements from the use of higher level technological mecha- nisms? Which connections can be established between the pillars of evolu- tionary economics and this field of knowledge? Which institutional contexts are able to benefit from AI tools, inducing constructive externalities to firms in terms of education, technical and scientific skills upgrading, so as to reach higher levels of employment in the long term and limit unemployment in the short one? Which branches of the so-called Artificial Intelligence are best suited to which types of activities? This work aims to contribute in the search for answers to these questions.

Among all Brazilian economic sectors, the livestock sector stands out due to its large production and high export volume. However, beef production is associated to significant environmental impacts, such as deforestation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. The Paris Agreement was settled to avoid that global mean temperature rise up to 1.5 – 2º C by 2100. In 2020, Brazil committed in its nationally determined contribution (NDC) to reduce its GHG emission by 43% until 2030. This study aims to identify the association of beef production and beef cattle emissions, as well as assess predictive GHG emission scenarios for 2030 and value these emissions. To translate the environmental impacts of beef production into economic impacts, and thus amplify the discussion, we valued GHG emissions using the social cost of carbon (SCC). The results showed that the business as usual (BAU) GHG emission derived from beef production would range between 0.423 and 0.634 GtCO₂e in 2030, whereas the maximum emission estimated to meet the NDC should be 0.257 GtCO₂e. The SCC revealed the opportunity to reduce between US $18.8 and $42.6 billion in the cost of BAU emissions from beef production in 2030 if the NDC is met. Lastly, assessing a scenario where climate targets and beef exports are prioritized, between 2-10 kg of beef per capita would be available in the domestic market in 2030. Our results reveal the need and urgency of changes in livestock production to emit less GHG per kg of beef produced, and the avoided monetary cost of reducing emissions.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used in food and nonfood industries. During industrial fermentations yeast are exposed to fluctuations in oxygen concentration, osmotic pressure, pH, ethanol concentration, nutrient availability and temperature. Fermentation performance depends on the ability of different yeast strains to adapt to these changes. Suboptimal growth conditions trigger responses to these external stimuli to allow cellular homeostasis to be maintained. Stress-specific signaling pathways are activated to coordinate changes in tran-scription, translation, protein function, and metabolic fluxes while a transient arrest of growth and cell cycle progression occur. cAMP-PKA, HOG-MAPK and CWI signalling pathways are signal transduction pathways turned on during stress re-sponse. Comprehension of the mechanisms involved in the responses and in the adaptation to these stresses during fermentation is key to improving this industrial process. The scope of this review is to outline the advancement of knowledge about the cAMP-PKA signalling and the crosstalk of this pathway with the CWI and HOG-MAPK cascades in response to the environmental challenges heat and hy-perosmotic stress.

Deterministic simulations using the SWAN model were conducted along a stretch of the Tietê-Paraná waterway in the Ilha Solteira dam reservoir, São Paulo, Brazil, to assess the water waves generated by winds. Simultaneously employs a probabilistic metamodeling approach (PCE) and Sobol indices, to quantify uncertainty of the five involved physical parameters (wind velocity and direction, bottom friction (JONSWAP), whitecapping and depth-induced breaking index). In the deterministic part, Janssen’s formulation yielded the most successful and accurate estimations of wave heights. Probabilistic analysis underscored the importance of wind data and the whitecapping parameter in model calibration, with a significant influence of wind speed indicated by Sobol indices. The results not only refined the model calibration process, but also allowed the creation of contour maps for wave height and period that offer practical pre-project applications. This work advances understanding of wind wave hydrodynamics deterministically and probabilistically, with good concordance and performance indices compared to field data, despite being scarce.

We describe the effect of the expansion of space on the wavelength of the light beam in a Fabry-Pérot interferometer. For an instrument such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), which has high sensitivity and a long period of light storage, the wavelength ${\lambda }_L$ of laser photons are redshifted due to the expansion of space in each cavity by an amount $\delta \lambda$ given by $\delta \lambda /{\lambda }_L=H_0{\tau }_s\approx 8.8\times {10}^{-21}$ , where $H_0\approx 2.2\times {10}^{-18}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ is the Hubble constant and ${\tau }_s\approx 4\mathrm{ms}$ is the light storage time for the cavity. Since ${\tau }_s$ is based on the cavity finesse $\mathcal{F}$ which depends on the laser beam full width at half maximum (FWHM) $\delta \omega$ of each cavity, we show that a difference in finesses between the LIGO arm cavities produces a signal $h_H\left(t\right)$ at the anti-symmetric output port given by $h_H\left(t\right)=2a_1{H}_0\left(\frac{1}{\delta {\omega }_X\left(t\right)}-\frac{1}{\delta {\omega }_Y\left(t\right)}\right),$ where $\delta {\omega }_X\left(t\right)$ and $\delta {\omega }_Y\left(t\right)$ are the beam FWHM at time t, respectively, for the X and Y arm cavities and $a_1$ is a beam proportionality constant to be determined expermentally. Assuming $a_1\approx 1$ , then for cavity beams FWHM of $\delta \omega \left(t\right)\approx (523.2\pm 31)\mathrm{rad}.{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ the output signal has the range $\mid h_H\left(t\right)\mid \le 1\times {10}^{-21}$ , which is detectable by advanced LIGO.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by spreading rapidly a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has imposed a unique situation for the humanity. Sao Paulo has reported 124,105 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5,623 deaths up to June 14th, being considered the epicenter of the pandemic in Brazil and in South America. Due to the measures for social distancing, there was a drop in the air pollution concentration in Sao Paulo. Starting on March 16th, 2020, we broke 90 days of social distancing into 13 weeks and compared to an equivalent period in 2019. We investigated the air quality improvement during the quarantine period and compared the associated avoided deaths to COVID-19 burden deaths. Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) was the best indicator of air quality in the analyzed weeks, since its reduction reached 58 %. Our study showed that the 5,623 deaths occurred during the analyzed weeks of quarantine represents an economic health loss of US$ 10.5 billion. In opposite, we observed a significant air quality improvement due to pollutants concentrations’ reductions during the analyzed weeks. Considering PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and NO₂, the decrease of concentration levels respectively avoided 78, 337 and 387 premature deaths and prevented up to US$ 1.5 billion on health costs. These results highlight the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations and measures to protect human health both during and after COVID-19 pandemic.

Arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NATs) are cytosolic enzymes, highly polymorphic, present in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. These enzymes play an important role in the detoxification and activation of xenobiotics as well as in the synthesis of endogenous compounds. Specific NATs have been pointed out in the literature as possible therapeutic targets. In particular, the human NAT1, for the treatment of certain cancers, and the NAT from M. tuberculosis (TBNAT), for the treatment of tuberculosis. This paper describes an in silico approach to prospect and select potentially inhibitors of NAT1 and TBNAT from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) using free available tools. A library with ligands from TCM was previously screened in order to select only compounds with optimal pharmacological properties. The affinity of the selected ligands with respect to NAT enzymes was then evaluated by virtual screening (VS). Subsequently, the complexes with the best ligands were submitted to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations aiming to obtain better quality information on affinity and selectivity. The results for one specific ligand, ZINC14690579, indicated its potential for affinity and selectivity. ZINC14690579 structure may represent the discovery of a new scaffold for future development of NAT inhibitors.

The growth of the wind power sector has been marked by environmental, economic, and political drivers. Its starring role is also visible in the emergence of the so-called “green jobs”. Notwithstanding, its evolution ought not to compromise issues related to occupational risks. This exploratory study examines psychosocial risks in the operation and maintenance of onshore wind turbines in a leading Portuguese company. We conducted interviews with main stakeholders (Human Resources, OHS professionals, and team leaders); developed an “activity diary” for the operation and maintenance technicians to describe their activity and perceived impacts on health, complemented with collective interviews; and applied the Work and Health Survey. The results revealed particular risks and health impacts: working under adverse weather conditions; working at heights and in confined spaces; spending long work hours inside of the nacelles to achieve an optimum balance between favorable wind slots to intervene and avoiding additional trips up and down the wind turbines without lifts (70m-120m); and the feeling of early ageing. At a time when these workers are striving for recognition of their profession as a “rapid wear profession”, it is a key moment to discuss these results to guarantee sustainable conditions for future generations of workers.

The data-oriented paradigm has proven to be fundamental for the technological transformation process that characterizes Industry 4.0 (I4.0) so that Big Data & Analytics is considered a technological pillar of this process. The literature reports a series of system architecture proposals that seek to implement the so-called Smart Factory, which is primarily data-driven. Many of these proposals treat data storage solutions as mere entities that support the architecture's functionalities. However, choosing which logical data model to use can significantly affect the performance of the architecture. This work identifies the advantages and disadvantages of relational (SQL) and non-relational (NoSQL) data models for I4.0, taking into account the nature of the data in this process. The characterization of data in the context of I4.0 is based on the five dimensions of Big Data and a standardized format for representing information of assets in the virtual world, the Asset Administration Shell. This work allows identifying appropriate transactional properties and logical data models according to the volume, variety, velocity, veracity, and value of the data. In this way, it is possible to describe the suitability of SQL and NoSQL databases for different scenarios within I4.0.

The popular appreciation of dry white wines is most frequently directed to young wines. However, present consumption trends comprise the valorisation of aged dry white wines. Therefore, the present work was aimed at the sensory analysis of these wines with different ages to define their sensory space and to understand which factors drive their quality evaluation by experienced tasters (critics, oenologists and students). Individuals were asked to evaluate several synthetic and aesthetic attributes and to characterise the analytic sensory profile through a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) methodology. The quality evaluations were differently correlated with wine synthetic parameters according to the taster group. For both critics and oenologists, overall quality scores were driven by persistence and complexity. Moreover, quality was also highly correlated with power for critics and with balance for oenologists. Quality scores were highly correlated with wine browning (absorbance at 420 nm) for critics. The tasting panel showed a homogeneous analytic description of aroma, taste and mouthfeel consistent with wine age. The different ages could be associated to a continuous sensory space characterised by a decreasing perception of freshness and increase in mature and mellowed descriptors. All wines shared an austere in-mouth perception elicited by their acidity, saltiness, bitterness, smoothness and dryness. The age prediction showed that most tasters failed to guess the age wines with more than roughly 13 years old, indicating that tasters were not familiar with the sensory features of white wines with 17 to 46 years old. In conclusion, experienced tasters consistently described the sensory space and recognised the high quality of aged dry white wines. Education programs may use the defined sensory spaces according to aging and to expand the range of quality perception by consumers.

This work presents significant results obtained by the application of global optimization techniques to the design of finite, normal form games with mixed strategies. To that end, the Fuzzy ASA global optimization method is applied to several design examples of strategic games, demonstrating its effectiveness in obtaining payoff functions whose corresponding games present a previously established Nash equilibrium. In other words, the game designer becomes able to choose a convenient Nash equilibrium for a generic finite state strategic game and the proposed method computes payoff functions that will realize the desired equilibrium, making it possible for the players to reach the favorable conditions represented by the chosen equilibrium. Considering that game theory is a very significant approach for modeling interactions between competing agents, and Nash equilibrium represents a powerful solution concept, portraying situations in which joint strategies are optimal in the sense that players cannot benefit from individually modifying their current strategies provided that other players do not change their strategies as well, it is natural to infer that the proposed method may be very useful for strategists in general. In summary, it is a genuine instance of artificial inference of payoff functions after a process of global machine learning, applied to their numerical components.

The aim of the paper is to analyze the experimental results of the influence of elevated temperatures and strain rate on the mechanical and structural properties of steel 42CrMo4. The experiments were based on uniaxial tension and compression tests at high temperatures between 700 °C and 1000 °C and strain rates range 0.0018 - 0.1 s^-1. The influence of temperature and strain rate on yield stress, strain to fracture, hardness, structural changes, and fracture characteristics were analyzed. Due to the dynamic recrystallization phenomenon present during the hot tensile tests, an increase in the flow stress is observed at the beginning of the deformation, after which it decreases until the fracture. By increasing the deformation temperature from 700 °C to 1000 °C, the tensile stress decreases significantly for all strain rates. The increase in the strain rate leads to the increase in the tensile stress. In compression tests by increasing the strain rate, the true strain is slightly increasing, but this depends on the temperature. The non-uniformity of deformations obtained at different values of the strain rate and temperature were also analyzed. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed the ductile behavior of the material. The degree of damage of the material caused by the presence of cavities increases by increasing the deformation temperature. For all the presented deformation conditions, the presence of the fracture through the ductile fracture mechanism was produced by the localized of necking and the coalescence of microvoids. By increasing the deformation temperature and reducing the strain rate, the fracture behavior of 42CrMo4 steel can be improved.

Human infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, called COVID-19, is a new pandemic with devastating effects worldwide. Science seeks the rational and systematic explanation of phenomena. In pandemics, decisions on prevention and treatment of people should be consistently taken, supported by scientific knowledge and ethical principles to produce more good than harm. At first, prospective observational studies to systematically collect patient data, correlating protective or therapeutic interventions with outcomes to assess effectiveness and safety, should be prioritized as the most appropriate type of study. The proposed protocol in this article aims to provide doctors with information on the reduction of harm in early COVID-19 patients by applying individualized interventionist or expectant therapeutic strategies, respecting the autonomy and preferences of physicians and patients in clinical decision-making. The evaluation of the clinical status, besides laboratory confirmation of COVID-19, comprises an individualized symptom score for each patient, a global self-perception scale of the severity of the disease, a clinical progression scale developed by the WHO for clinical studies in COVID-19 and, at the first consultation, doctors´ overall impression on the clinical prognosis. The analysis of anonymized data should preferably use descriptive and inferential statistical resources. The case report form is available for free use in the protocol, along with examples of patient informed consent forms for the prescription of off-label medications and authorization to use the data. Their results may be useful to indicate interventions that are candidates for efficacy trials, in randomized controlled trials, with a higher chance of success. It respects the autonomy and preferences of doctors and patients to decide the best options for treatment in uncertain situations. It also allows the gathering of useful information for future more rigorous clinical trials, trying to link science, ethics, and personal clinical experience.

Eryngium foetidum L., a biennial herb with diverse applications in food and traditional medicine, holds economic and pharmacological significance. Given its growing commercial interest, implementing biotechnological approaches like plant tissue culture is vital for sustainable propagation and metabolite production. In this study, we investigated the in vitro photoautotrophic potential of E. foetidum, examining growth, chlorophyll a fluorescence, photosynthetic pigments, and anatomical features under different sucrose concentrations and gas exchange rates. Acclimatization and survival rates of plants after ex vitro transfer were also assessed. E. foetidum exhibited robust growth in both photoautotrophic and photomixotrophic conditions, with natural ventilation significantly enhancing plant development. Chlorophyll a fluorescence and photosynthetic performance were influenced by sucrose and gas exchange, highlighting the importance of these factors in plant micropropagation. Moreover, the species demonstrated remarkable plasticity during acclimatization, with high survival rates and rapid inflorescence emission. The research provides valuable insights into optimizing in vitro cultivation conditions for E. foetidum, emphasizing the potential for large-scale clonal propagation and exploring secondary metabolites. The observed phenotypic plasticity underscores the adaptability of the species to diverse environments. These biotechnological strategies open avenues for future studies, including the application of elicitors for enhanced secondary metabolite production.

With the increase in life expectancy and consequent aging of the world’s population, the prevalence of many neurodegenerative diseases is increasing, without concomitant improvement in diagnostics and therapeutics. These diseases share neuropathological hallmarks, including mitochondrial dysfunction. In fact, as mitochondrial alterations appear prior to neuronal cell death at an early phase of the disease onset, the study and modulation of mitochondrial alterations rise as promising strategies to predict and prevent neurotoxicity and neuronal cell death before the onset of cell viability alterations. In this work, differentiated SH-SY5Y cells were treated with the mitochondrial-targeted neurotoxicants 6-hydroxydopamine and rotenone. These compounds were used at different concentrations and for different time points to understand the similarities and differences in their mechanisms of action. To accomplishing this, data on mitochondrial parameters was acquired and analyzed using unsupervised (hierarchical clustering) and supervised (decision tree) machine learning methods. Both biochemical and computational analyses resulted in an evident distinction between the neurotoxic effects of 6-hydroxydopamine and rotenone, specifically for the highest concentrations of both compounds.

This study aims to analyze various types of pellet fuels used as energy sources in Bulgaria, focusing on their energy characteristics and the consumer preferences. Both standard and specialized methods such as thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are used for the analyses. The results from TG and DSC indicate that during the drying of the samples, moisture is evaporated from their surface, along with the release of volatile substances. The processes during the analysis are accompanied by energy absorption, with the main stage being combustion, where the primary amount of heat is generated. Standard analysis methods show that wood pellets usually contain about 7.31% moisture, 0.72% ash and have a calorific value of 18.33 kJ/kg, while sunflower pellets contain about 7.62% moisture, 2.42% ash and have a calorific value of 19.63 kJ/kg. Mixed pellets contain about 7.07% moisture, up to 0.69% ash and have a calorific value of 18.05 kJ/kg. A specialized marketing research was conducted to investigate consumer attitudes and preferences toward purchasing different types of solid biomass fuels on Bulgarian market. This study provides information on the quality of pellets as fuel by offering a detailed analysis of their fuel properties and ensuring their effective utilization as an energy source.

Hydrodynamic modeling and hazard mapping are essential tools for urban flood mitigation and spatial planning. Leveraging software like HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center - River Analysis System) and ArcGIS, this study aimed to map flood-prone areas along the Jijia River in the Ungheni administrative unit of Iasi County. Human-induced environmental changes and global climate shifts have heightened flood risks worldwide, particularly in urbanized areas. Hydrological and hydraulic modeling anticipate and assess flood events, while hydrodynamic modeling accurately simulates flow propagation, in-forming flood extent, timing, and volume. Flood hazard maps offer essential insights into flooded areas, water depths, and velocities, assisting in risk assessment and mitigation strategies. Through the use of different scenarios, river modeling aims to accurately replicate real-world conditions. This study focuses on Ungheni commune in Iasi County, Romania, situated along the Prut River's eastern bank. Utilizing a combination of fixed-grid and irregular mesh elements in modeling al-lows for fine-tuning of flow details and optimization of simulation times. Model accuracy, particularly regarding peak river levels, hinges on hydrograph duration. While a 30-minute error is typically accepted, greater tolerances may apply to river basins with longer response times. The extraction and processing of model results, including maximum water depths, flood extents, and velocity maps, are facilitated by ArcGIS, providing valuable data for effective flood management strategies.

The rise of digital technology and artificial intelligence has led to a significant change in the way financial services are delivered. One such development is the emergence of robo-advising, which is an automated investment advisory service that utilizes algorithms to provide investment advice and portfolio management to investors. Robo-Advisors collect information about their clients’ preferences, financial situation and future goals through questionnaires, then recommend ETF based portfolios supposed to fit investor’s risk profile. However, questionnaires seem to be vague, and robos do not reveal the methods used for investor profiling or asset allocation. This study aims at contributing by proposing an investor profiling method, based only on the level of relative risk aversion (RRA) of investors. We show how to determine RRA optimal portfolios and compare the performance of our portfolios with portfolios proposed by the Riskalyze platform.

Euschistus heros (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is one of the main pests of soybean. Egg parasitoids such as Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) can be highly effective in attacking E. heros eggs, preventing the establishment at levels of economic damage. This study evaluated two re-lease methods of T. podisi in soybean. The treatments compared results from release of T. podisi adults fed with honey in cardboard capsules and the release of pupae in bulk. Four aerial releas-es per area were carried out via drone (7,500 females/ha) distributed at 10 points. The population density of E. heros, productivity and reproductive aspects of soybean were evaluated. Total pop-ulation of E. heros was lower in adult release treatment and male population was lower with pupae release. Thousand grain weight had higher values in fed adults treatments compared to release of pupae and control. Number of damage grains was lower in both release treatments compared with the control area. Therefore, the use of biological control with inundative release of T. podisi, regardless of the release method, is recommended within IPM programs, supporting production parameters and benefiting the sustainability of the agroecosystem.

Ethylene is a plant hormone controlling physiological and developmental processes such fruit maturation, hairy root formation and leaf abscission. Its effect on regeneration systems, such as organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis (SE), has been studied and progresses in molecular biology techniques have contributed to unveil mechanisms behind its effects. This compound affects regeneration differently, depending on the species, genotype and explant. In some species, ethylene seems to revert recalcitrance in genotypes with low regeneration capacity. However, its effect is not addictive, since in genotypes with high regeneration capacity this ability decreases in the presence of ethylene precursors, suggesting that regeneration is modulated by ethylene. Several lines of evidence have shown that the role of ethylene on regeneration is markedly connected to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as to hormonal-crosstalk, in particular with key regeneration hormones and growth regulators of the auxin and cytokinin families. Transcriptional factors of the ethylene response factor (ERF) family are regulated by ethylene and strongly connected to SE induction. Thus, an evident connection between ethylene, stress responses and regeneration capacity is markedly established. In this review the effect of ethylene and the way it interacts with other players during organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis is discussed.

Peri-implant diseases are defined as pathological inflammatory reactions in the tissue surrounding the osseointegrated implants. They are classified into two categories: mucositis - defined as peri-implant soft tissue inflammation and peri-implantitis - bone loss in the peri-implant region. A clinical case of a 61-years-old woman with an implant in the 46 anatomical position and a 5-year follow-up is presented. A probe depth of 5mm and a bone defect length of 35% was observed. The Implacure® Protocol was applied, with the main objective of eliminating the biofilm present on the exposed implant surface. There are multiple approaches to treat peri-implant diseases. While non-surgical treatment is essential for mucositis control, the treatment of peri-implantitis surgical treatment should be considered. Regenerative bone reconstruction promotes bone repair in the defect area and reduces bleeding during probing. To achieve that, autologous fibrin combined with Cerasorb M® was used. The proposed approach in the exposed clinical case involves the application of Implacure® Protocol, whose combination of the physical decontamination technique, together with the use of chlorhexidine and orthophosphoric acid, added with the combination Piperacillin + Tazobactam together with hyaluronic acid, provide a base that allows to regenerate bone using platelet-rich fibrin with Cerasorb M® and increase the survival time of the implant.

Product Development Process is widely known among industry and automobile companies. With the advance of technology and the need to improve product efficiency, many companies have been applying Lean Thinking principles. Their benefits lead those companies to implement their concepts and tools, like Value Stream Design in Indirect Areas, Obeya, Just-in-time (JIT) which is based on the production control system developed and implemented by Toyota. This article describes the case study of the implementation of Lean Product &amp; Process Development (LPPD) on the current Product Development Process (PDP) in an automotive company. The PDP was created by the organization and adapted from Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP). The main findings were a Value Stream Design model of an improved PDP as a useful and successfully contribution for the company. These improvements reduced the product development lead time from 700 days to 369 days. The process efficiency increased from 68% to 85%. The communication and transparency between the cross-functional team (CFT) was improved and show promise for achieving a successful launch of new products.

This paper exposes the initial part of a research consisting in a need analysis carried out by the Romanian partner in the Erasmus+ "Media Education for Aware Adults" project, regarding digital competences and media education of adult educators or trainers. After a short introduction on the subject, in the paper are presented the main findings of the desk research, and two focus group sessions, first one for identifying the necessary digital competences of adult educators, and second one for identifying the elements that educators need in order to adequately support adults in their learning process, especially in relation to the digital environment. The results of the initial research will lead to the development of the main intellectual outputs, namely the digital competences framework, handbook, online platform and training material on digital and media education. In their development will be taken into account, on the one hand, the needs identified in the initial research, and, on the other hand, the need for a sustainable approach to all activities, resources and outputs produced, as well as education itself, this goal being assumed through the project.

Blood Concentrates (BCs) are autologous non-transfusional therapeutical preparations with biological properties applied in tissue regeneration. These BCs differ in the preparation method, in fibrin network architecture, growth factors release as well as in platelet/cell content. Methodological changes result in distinct matrices that can compromise their clinical effectiveness. The present study evaluated the influence of different g-forces and types of tubes in the release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) as a function of time. The PRF-like samples were obtained with three g-forces (200, 400, and 800 x g) for 10 minutes in pure glass tubes or in polystyrene-clot activator tubes. Scanning and Transmission electron microscopy was used to morphometric analyzes of PRF’s specimens and flow cytometry was used to quantify VEGF slow release until 7 days. Our results showed that platelets were intact and adhered to the fibrin network, emitting pseudopods and in degranulation. The fibrin network was rough and twisted with exosomic granulations impregnated on its surface. An increase in the concentration of VEGF in the PRF supernatant was observed until 7 days for all g forces (200, 400 or 800 x g), with the highest concentrations observed with 200 x g, in both tubes, glass or plastic. Morphological analyzes showed a reduction in the diameter of the PRF fibers after 7 days. Our results showed that g-force interferes with the shape of the fibrin network in the PRF, as well as affect the release of VEGF stored into platelets. This finding may be useful in applying PRF to skin lesions, in which the rapid release of growth factors can favor the tissue repair process. Our observations point to a greater clarification on the methodological variations related to obtaining PRF matrices, as they can generate products with different characteristics and degrees of effectiveness in specific applications.

Retailers must have accurate sales forecasts to operate their businesses efficiently and effectively and to remain competitive in the marketplace. Global forecasting models like RNNs can be a powerful tool for forecasting in retail settings, where multiple time series are often interrelated and influenced by a variety of external factors. By including covariates in a forecasting model, we can better capture the various factors that can influence sales in a retail setting. This can help improve the accuracy of our forecasts and enable better decision-making for inventory management, purchasing, and other operational decisions. In this study we investigate how the accuracy of global forecasting models is affected by the inclusion of different potential demand covariates. To ensure the significance of the study's findings, we used the M5 forecasting competition's openly accessible and well-established dataset. The results obtained from the DeepAR models, which were trained on various combinations of features including time, price, events, and IDs, suggest that individually only the features corresponding to IDs improve the baseline model. However, when all the features are used together, the best performance is achieved, indicating that the individual relevance of each feature is emphasized when the information is given jointly. Comparing the model with features to the model without features, there is an improvement of 1.76\% for MRMSSE and 6.47\% for MMASE.

This work uses a new approach to investigate the Riemann hypothesis, drawing conclusions about its trueness. It is based on the more general method presented in a very recent publication, by the same author, showing in detail how to approach that very well-known and interesting problem. This is achieved by means of the theory of dynamical systems (Poincaré index associated to equilibria of 2-dimensional systems) and the study of the zeros of the Dirichlet eta function, defined by a Dirichlet series. By using the well-known fact that the zeros of the eta function include all zeros of the Riemann zeta function in the (open) critical strip, excluded the critical line, ((0,1/2) ∪ (1/2,1)) × (−∞,∞), the development proceeds using only the eta function. In addition, the open and simply connected region (1/2,1) × (0,∞) is used along the text, taking into account the symmetries of zeros of the functions under analysis in the critical strip. The basic line of proof is to find the mathematical expression for the Poincaré index of the vector field associated to the eta function, assuming the existence of a zero of the eta function outside the critical line (in (1/2,1) × (0,∞)), and investigating the resulting unfoldings. Eventually, an inconsistency occurs and the proof ends by contradiction.

This work introduces an approach to investigate the existence of zeros for holomorphic complex functions, defined on open and simply connected subdomains of C, in a systematic and direct way. This is achieved by means of the theory of dynamical systems (Poincar\'e index) and the perception that a zero of a specific complex function is an equilibtium for the associated dynamical system. The logical basis of proof is to find the mathematical expression for the Poincaré index of the vector field associated to the function under study, assuming the existence of a zero, and investigating the consequences. Depending on the value of the index, an inconsistency may occur, establishing a contradiction.

This paper presents an extension of the results obtained in previous work concerning the application of global optimization techniques to the design of finite strategic games with mixed strategies. In that publication the Fuzzy ASA global optimization method was applied to many examples of synthesis of strategic games with one previously specified Nash equilibrium, evidencing its ability in finding payoff functions whose respective games present those equilibria, possibly among others. That is to say, it was shown it is possible to establish in advance a Nash equilibrium for a generic finite state strategic game and to compute payoff functions that will make it feasible to reach the chosen equilibrium, allowing players to converge to the desired profile, con- sidering that it is an equilibrium of the game as well. Going beyond this state of affairs, the present article shows that it is possible to ”impose” multiple Nash equilibria to finite strategic games by following the same reasoning as before, but with a fundamental change: using the same fundamental theorem of Richard McKelvey, modifying the originally prescribed objective function and globally minimizing it. The proposed method, in principle, is able to find payoff functions that result in games featuring an arbitrary number of Nash equilibria, paving the way to a substantial number of potential applications.

This work addresses the problem of sampling from Gaussian probability distributions by means of uniform samples obtained deterministically and directly from space-filling curves (SFCs), a purely topological concept. To that end, the well-known inverse cumulative distribution function method is used, with the help of the probit function,which is the inverse of the cumulative distribution function of the standard normal distribution. Mainly due to the central limit theorem, the Gaussian distribution plays a fundamental role in probability theory and related areas, and that is why it has been chosen to be studied in the present paper. Numerical distributions (histograms) obtained with the proposed method, and in several levels of granularity, are compared to the theoretical normal PDF, along with other already established sampling methods, all using the cited probit function. Final results are validated with the Kullback-Leibler and two other divergence measures, and it will be possible to draw conclusions about the adequacy of the presented paradigm. As is amply known, the generation of uniform random numbers is a deterministic simulation of randomness using numerical operations. That said, sequences resulting from this kind of procedure are not truly random. Even so, and to be coherent with the literature, the expression ”random number” will be used along the text to mean ”pseudo-random number”.

Type-2 fuzzy sets were introduced by L. Zadeh aiming at modelling some settings in which fuzzy sets (usually called type-1 fuzzy sets) are not sufficient to reflect certain uncertainty degrees - loosely speaking, they are fuzzy sets whose membership degrees are ordinary fuzzy sets. On the other hand, fiber bundles are topological entities of extreme importance in Mathematics itself and many other scientific areas, like Physics (General Relativity, Field Theory etc.), finance modelling, and statistical inference. The present work introduces a conceptual link between the two ideas and conjectures about the potential mutual benefits that can be obtained from this viewpoint.As an objective and usable product of the presented ideas, it is described a framework for defining type-2 fuzzy hedges, proper to operate on interval type-2 fuzzy sets.

Background: Interventions with the performance of sessions with sprints in different intensity manipulations, can be a great alternative to improve physical performance. Objective: To verify the influence of different break times between sprints on the performance of amateur futsal athletes Methods: 10 individuals, men, amateur futsal athletes (Age: 21.5 ± 1.6; Weight: 72.4 ± 6.88; Height: 1.72 ± 0.05; BMI: 24.3 ± 1.2; Fat%: 13.7 ± 3.3, VO2peak: 49.1 ± 10.5) participated in the study. For the intervention, individuals were randomly selected to perform sessions with sprints (10 sets 20 meters) with different pause times, being 15 (S15), 30 (S30) and 60 (S60) seconds. For performance analysis, the speed (km / h) applied to each sprint was used, monitored by a device with a photocell (CEFISE Biotecnologia Esportiva®, Nova Odessa, São Paulo) and the statistical treatment of all data was through the software Statistica 7.0 (Statsoft ™, Tulsa, OK, USA) using a significance level of p≤0.05. Results: There was an interaction between speed and interval time (p = 0.000). For condition S15, a greater reduction in performance was observed (p≤0.05), while for S30 and S60, no significant reduction in performance was observed (p> 0.05). The data for the area under the curve showed a significant difference (p = 0.000), where the interval of 60 seconds (S60) was longer compared to the values of 30 (S30) (p = 0.000) and 15 seconds (S15) (p = 0.000). However, there were no significant differences between the 30 and 15 second data (p = 0.248). Conclusion: Shorter time (15 seconds) of interval between repeated sprints can significantly affect performance when compared to longer breaks (30 and 60 seconds). But, all the conditions tested here, can be positive for the improvement of the performance, mainly in sports that demand fast and efficient motor actions, as for example, futsal.

The Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP) has specified the Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) radio access technology in Releases 14 and 15, with a focus on facilitating direct communication between vehicles through the sidelink PC5 interface. This interface offers a robust cloud-native core network with end-to-end network slicing functionality. The performance of di-rect vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications has been improved by using the sidelink interface, which allows for network infrastructure by-pass. Sidelink transmissions make use of orthogonal resources that are either centrally allocated (Mode 1) or chosen by the vehicles themselves (Mode 2). The development of radio access technologies that enable dependable and low-latency vehicular communications has become of utmost relevance with the rise in interest in connected and autonomous vehicles. This is especially necessary when there are heavy traffic conditions and patterns. We thoroughly examined the New Radio (NR) sidelink’s performance under various vehicle densities, speeds, and distance settings. Thus, by evaluating sidelink’s strengths and drawbacks, we are able to optimize resource allocation to obtain maximum coverage in urban areas. The performance evaluation is conducted on Network Simulator 3 (NS3.34/5G-LENA) utilizing various network metrics such as average packet reception rate, throughput, and latency.

Currently available DNA detection techniques frequently require compromises between simplicity, speed, accuracy, and cost. Here, we propose a simple, label-free and cost-effective DNA detection platform developed at screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) modified with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The preparation of the detection platform involved a two-step electrochemical procedure based on GO reduction onto SPCEs followed by the electrochemical reduction of HAuCl4 to facilitate the post-grafting reaction with AuNPs. The final sensor was fabricated by the simple physical adsorption of a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) probe onto AuNPs-RGO/SPCE electrode. Each preparation step was confirmed by morphological and structural characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Furthermore, the electrochemical properties of the modified electrodes have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results demonstrated that the introduction of AuNPs onto RGO/SPCEs led to an enhancement in surface conductivity, characteristic that favored an increased sensitivity in detection. The detection process relied on the change in the electrochemical signal induced by the binding of target DNA to the bioreceptor, and was monitored particularly by the change in the charge transfer resistance of a [Fe(CN)6]4−/3− redox couple added in the test solution.

This study investigates the relationship between clean and dirty energy markets, specifically focusing on clean energy stock indexes and their potential as hedging assets and safe havens during periods of global economic uncertainty. The research analyzes five clean energy indexes and five dirty energy indexes from May 2018 to May 2023, considering events like the global pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The main objective is to examine the causal relationship among different stock indexes pertaining to dirty and clean energy by using the Granger causality test (VAR Granger Causality/Block Exogeneity Wald Test) to determine whether clean energy indexes can predict future prices of dirty energy indexes. However, the findings reveal that clean and dirty energy indexes do not exhibit hedging characteristics or serve as safe havens during times of economic uncertainty, rejecting the research question. These results have important implications for investment strategies, as assets lacking safe haven characteristics may not preserve portfolio efficiency in uncertain times. The study's insights provide valuable guidance for investors, poli-cymakers, and participants in energy financial markets. It highlights the need to adapt investment approaches and seek alternative options to navigate uncertain economic conditions effectively.

Throughout the world, disabilities people have worse health prospects, lower education levels, lower economic participation, and higher poverty rate in comparative terms to people without disabilities. For disabilities people achieve better, more long-lasting prospects, we must empower these people and remove barriers that restrict them from participating in the community have access to quality education, to find decent work and have their voices heard. In statistical terms, a very useful alternative that can provide support and monitoring of public policies in this area is proposing to be used continuously. A risk index called risk index disabled person who is to assess which factors are associated to this risk, as well as the intensity and direction of each of these factors, yielding a final score that can be sorted or classified according to the probability of people acquire a certain disability. In the Brazilian case, we propose the use of techniques such as binary and ordinal logistic regression to select the most significant factors using criteria such as AIC, BIC and DIC. Calculate the risk probability for different disabilities (see, hear, move and intellectual) and number of disabilities to the dataset Sample of respondents for Full Questionnaire at IBGE 2010 Census. In this work, by using stereotype ordinal logistic model with ordinal response, it was possible to improve the fit quality, to be compared with binary response logistic model. By using ordinal response merged the disability risk for different severity degree and amount of deficiencies. Mains conclusions were: i)the model required a smaller number of explanatory variables was intellectual or mental and greater number was disabilities; ii) the most sensitive adjust was using stereotype ordinal logistic; iii) different disabilities aren´t homogenous as the different predictor variables, and finally; iv) higher incidence of risks were noted visual disability, living in the northeast, female, age 80, yellow race, instruction level until incomplete fundamental, works production form their own consumption and high number of children.

BACKGROUND: Is pharmacovigilance at a moment of prominence for science and in relation to government responsibilities towards their nations, as the new coronavirus pandemic has surprised everyone in a negative and lethal way. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate pharmacovigilance as a resource for controlling and understanding the adverse effects caused by vaccines in use. DESIGN AND SETTING: Narrative review developed by a research group at Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto. METHODS: This is a narrative review of the literature available in electronic media, government bulletins and similar bodies. The search was carried out using the descriptors: "Pharmacovigilance AND COVID-19 in Brazil", "Vaccine Development AND COVID-19 in Brazil", "Vaccination Hesitancy AND COVID-19 in Brazil", "Pharmacovigilance AND COVID-19", "Vaccine Development AND COVID-19", "Vaccination Hesitancy AND COVID-19", Pharmacovigilance AND COVID-19, Vaccine Development AND COVID-19, Vaccination Hesitancy AND COVID-19, "Public Health Surveillance AND COVID-19". In the period from May 2021 to June 2022. RESULTS: From the database search, 3 journal articles, 4 government bulletins and 535 scientific articles were identified. Of the total of 542 bibliographic materials, 36 were selected according to the selection criteria and objectives of the study. CONCLUSIONS: The vaccines in use have proven efficacy, despite adverse reactions that cannot be attributed solely and exclusively to their use, since the medical history of each patient should be considered in the investigation of each case, especially when there is death. The Brazilian data for adverse events, although the country is continental in its size, are acceptable given the number of deaths recorded.

Climate change, the scarcity of fossil fuels, technical advances in clean energy, and the volatility of crude oil prices are just a few of the factors that have prompted the world to recognize clean energy as a viable alternative to dirty energy. As part of the Paris Climate Accord of 2015, many countries agreed to change their economies to be more sensitive to climate change. Due to this Accord, which increased interest from investors and decision-makers, investments in clean energy companies have benefited [1,2]. Clean energy stocks, which are a part of the larger world of tradable reserves, might experience pricing inefficiencies. In this paper, we investigate the multifractal scaling behavior and efficiency of green finance markets, as well as traditional markets like gold, crude oil, and natural gas between January 1, 2018, and March 9, 2023, which covers periods of low volatility and financial instability (2020 and 2022 events). To test the serial dependency (autocorrelation) and the efficient market hypothesis, in its weak form, we employed the Lo and Mackinlay test and the DFA method. The empirical findings demonstrated that both periods exhibit severe multifractal and significant asymmetry, indicating that the price indices under study are not at all efficient.

Water footprint has been widely used to illustrate the consumption of water in many situations; for instance, in products, processes or regions of interest. In this work, we analyzed – using a sensitivity analysis approach – the effect of some variables in the calculation of the water footprint in the viticulture in Brazilian Serra Gaúcha (the major producing region of Brazilian Wine).The classical Penman-Monteith model for evapotransporation was considered, with uncertainties in some parameters (dead mulch covering fraction in the vineyard, maximum temperatures for some months, altitudes and latitudes of the site). The sensitivity analysis was conducted using the SAFE toolbox under Octave framework. The results indicated that the the portion of the water footprint corresponding to the evapotranspiration is more sensitive to the values of mulch covering fraction and the altitude of the site in comparison with the latitude and the maximum temperatures.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the agent of tuberculosis, one of the most important infectious diseases in the world. This microorganism stands out from other bacteria, not only for its extremely high infection capacity, but also for its cellular characteristics that include an extremely resistant and hydrophobic cellular parade the passage of antibiotics. An incredible ability to adapt to adverse conditions inside the host as well as its vast arsenal of virulence factors that allow its survival within the inhospitable environment within the macrophage can be highlighted. This review aims to discuss several aspects of MTB microbiology, genetics, and physiology. We will address in this review details of the metabolism of MTB that allows it to replicate in the active phase and remain viable during latency, as well as the characteristics of its cell wall that contribute to the blockade of the immune response and its resistance to antibiotics.

Dogs play an important role in the transmission of Leishmania infantum but epidemiologic and clinical studies of canine tegumentary leishmaniasis (CTL) are scarce. In an endemic area of human American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (ATL) caused by Leishmania braziliensis, we determine the prevalence and incidence of both CTL and subclinical (SC) L. braziliensis infection in dogs and evaluated if the presence of dogs with the CTL or the SC L. braziliensis infection is associated with the occurrence of human ATL. SC infection in healthy animals and CTL in animals with ulcers was determined by PCR on biopsied healthy skin or on the ulcer or detecting antibodies against soluble leishmania antigen. We compared the occurrence of human ATL in homes with dogs with CTL or SC infection with control homes without dogs or with dogs without CTL or SC infection. The prevalence of SC infection was 35% and of CTL 31%. The incidence of SC infection in dogs was 4.6% and of CTL was 9.3%. The frequency of ATL in humans was 50% in homes with infected dogs and 13% in homes without L. braziliensis infection in dogs. CTL and SC infection is highly prevalent, and dogs may participate in the transmission chain of L. braziliensis.

Exercise produces oxidants from a variety of intracellular sources, including NADPH oxidases (NOX) and mitochondria. Exercise-derived ROS are beneficial, and the amount and location of these ROS are important to avoid muscle damage associated with oxidative stress. We discuss here some of the evidence that involves ROS production associated with skeletal muscle contraction and the potential oxidative stress associated with muscle contraction. We also discuss the potential role of H2O2 produced after NOX activation in the regulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle. Finally, we propose a model based on evidence for the role of different populations of mitochondria in skeletal muscle in the regulation of ATP production upon exercise. The sub-sarcolemmal population of mitochondria has the enzymatic and metabolic components to establish a high mitochondrial membrane potential when fissioned at rest but lacks the capacity to produce ATP; calcium entry to the mitochondria will further increase the metabolic input. Upon exercise, sub-sarcolemmal mitochondria will fuse to intermyofibrillar mitochondria and will transfer the membrane potential to them. These mitochondria are rich in ATP synthase and will subsequentially produce the ATP needed for muscle contraction in long-term exercise. These events will optimize energy use and minimize mitochondria ROS production.

This review resumes published data on fungal diversity in and within monuments (e.g., religious and secular monuments, museums, and statues), covering a multidisciplinary investigation into the complex interactions between fungi and cultural heritage structures. Fungi represent remarkable adversaries to monuments, potentially compromising their structural integrity and aesthetic value. Based on a bibliographic search of manuscripts published, the knowledge of fungal communities colonizing monuments was comprehensively assessed. This work first describes the diverse fungal species implicated in the degradation of monument materials (e.g., stone, metal, and glass). It elucidates the factors governing fungal colonization and proliferation in and within these structures (e.g., environmental conditions, construction materials, and human interventions). Finally, the efficacy of preservation and restoration techniques to mitigate fungal threats and safeguard our cultural heritage is also discussed. This synthesis highlights the pivotal role of mycological research in heritage conservation, and a platform for future studies to address critical knowledge gaps is provided. Understanding fungal diversity in and within monuments is critical to preserving these invaluable cultural treasures, as it informs targeted conservation strategies and ensures their longevity in the face of fungal challenges.

BACKGROUND: Functional constipation can lead to painful defecations, fecal incontinence, and abdominal pain, significantly affecting a child's quality of life. Treatment options include non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches, but some cases are intractable and require alternative interventions like neuromodulation. A subtype of neuromodulation, called Transcutaneous Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation (TPTNS), comprises electrical stimulation at the ankle level, by means of electrodes fixed to the skin. TPTNS is a minimally invasive, easy-to-apply technique that can potentially improve constipation symptoms in the pediatric population by stimulating the sacral nerves. AIM: To evaluate the clinical results and applicability of TPTNS as an adjuvant treatment for children and adolescents with functional constipation. METHODS: Between April 2019 and October 2021, 38 patients diagnosed with functional constipation according to the Rome IV Criteria were invited to participate in the study. The study followed a single-center, uncontrolled, prospective cohort design. Patients received TPTNS for 4 or 8 weeks, with assessments conducted immediately after the periods of TPTNS and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention period. The data normality distribution was determined by the Shapiro-Wilk test. Wilcoxon test and Student's t-test for paired samples were used to compare quantitative variables, and the McNemar test was used to compare categorical variables. RESULTS: Of the 38 enrolled patients, 28 children and adolescents with intractable function constipation completed the study, receiving TPTNS for 4 weeks. Sixteen patients (57.1%) extended the intervention period for 4 extra weeks, receiving 8 weeks of intervention. TPTNS led to significant improvements in stool consistency, frequency of defecation, and bowel function scores, with a reduction in abdominal pain. Quality of life across physical and psychosocial domains showed substantial enhancements. The quality of life-related to bowel habits also improved significantly, particularly in lifestyle, behavior, and embarrassment domains. The positive effects of this intervention are seen relatively early, detected after 4 weeks of intervention, and even 4 weeks after the end of the intervention. TPTNS was well-tolerated, with an adherence rate of approximately 78%, and no adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSION: TPTNS is an adjuvant treatment for intractable functional constipation, improving bowel function and quality of life. The effects of TPTNS were observed relatively early and sustained even after treatment cessation.

The anti-Covid19 vaccination campaign has been fortified on the positive effects that immunization is bringing the nations, since infection rates, hospitalizations, and deaths have been falling according to the data in constant disclosure by official government organs and the channels of communication. In Brazil, the effective and free National Vaccination Program haven’t prioritized patients with rare diseases, who have extreme comorbidities, and who had to follow the calendar prepared by the government. The problematic question is why these “rare people” weren´t considered priorities. The understanding of the reasons and the resumption of the debate about the rights of patients with rare diseases justify this study, which sought to be based on regular descriptors issued by official government agencies and by critics of rare disease issues in debates made in scientific articles. We sought to respond to the following objectives: analyze dispensed care of rare disease patients in the vaccination campaign anti-Covid-19; identify the procedures implemented by the National Vaccination Plan for the Brazilian population over 18 years of age; describe the panorama of the pandemic disease since its discovery to the mutations already disseminated; and evaluate the effectiveness of the plan implemented from the perspective of “rare person”.

Buildings’ thermal energy needs are inherently linked to climate conditions. Consequently, it is crucial to evaluate how climate changes affect these energy demands. Despite extensive analysis, a comprehensive assessment involving a diverse range of building types has not been consistently conducted. The primary objective of this research is to perform a coherent evaluation of the influence of climate changes, construction element properties, and the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system type of control on the energy requirements of six buildings (residential, services, and commercial). The buildings are considered located in a temperate Mediterranean climate. Our focus is on the year 2070, considering three distinct climatic scenarios: (i) maintaining the current climate without further changes, (ii) moderate climate changes, and (iii) extreme climate changes. The buildings are distributed across three different locations, each characterized by unique climatic conditions. Buildings’ envelope features a traditional External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) serves as thermal insulation material. Two critical design factors are explored: EPS thickness ranging from 0 (no insulation) to 12 cm; and horizontal external fixed shading elements varying lengths from 0 (absence) to 150 cm. Six alternative setpoint ranges are assessed for the HVAC system control: three based on the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and three based on indoor air temperature (Tair). Results were obtained with a validated in-home software tool. They show that, even under extreme climate conditions, the application of thermal insulation remains energetically favorable, however its relative importance diminishes as climate severity increases. Then, proper insulation design remains important for energy efficiency. The use of external shading elements for glazing (e.g., overhangs, louvers) proves beneficial in specific cases. As climate changes intensify, the significance of shading elements grows. Thus, strategic placement and design are necessary for good results. The HVAC system’s energy consumption depends on the level of thermal comfort requirements, on the climate characteristics and on the building’s type of use. As climate change severity intensifies, energy demands for cooling increase, while energy needs for heating decrease. However, it’s essential to recognize that the impact of climate changes on HVAC system energy consumption significantly depends on the type of building.

The research explores the impact of financial indicators on the credit ratings of companies listed on the S&amp;P 500, employing a Sys-GMM Model to address endogeneity concerns. The study investigated three independent variables categorized as market and survival factors alongside with seven control variables sourced from leverage, liquidity, interest coverage, profitability, market, survival, and macroeconomic domains. The sample comprised 2398 observations from Capital IQ Pro, spanning nine years (2013 to 2021) and encompassing 240 public companies. The findings suggest that neither Tobin's Q (TQ) and Total Shareholder Return (TSR) lack significant correlations with credit ratings, implying that stock market performance and total shareholder return do not directly impact credit ratings. In contrast, the Altman Z-score (AZS) emerged as a significant predictor, indicating its importance in assessing credit risk. These insights enhance understanding of financial indicators' impact on credit ratings, aiding financial institutions and companies in prudent lending and financing decisions.

The work proposes a new approach for evolutionary global optimization which, in simple terms, may be described as a fusion of quantum and simulated annealing. This becomes possible by using basic concepts from Homotopy Theory, conjugated to the already existing Fuzzy Adaptive Simulated Annealing paradigm and other components. In this fashion, it occurs a temporal and nonlinear superposition of the two types of annealing, provoking interesting effects in runtime, including the so-called quantum tunneling, when there is a sudden transition between attraction basins of different minima without "climbing" potential barriers. In addition, the proposal includes a generalization of the "deformation" of Hamiltonians used in quantum annealing by suggesting the use of general homotopies between the surface corresponding to the cost function under processing and another specific landscape, being this possible because of the ability of Fuzzy ASA of handling time-varying objective functions. The proposed paradigm shows that it is possible and beneficial to superpose the two types of annealing, displaying amazing numerical results and suggesting a kind of interlacing or synergic behavior - perhaps we could call it an "annealing entanglement". Finally, given the fast advances in commercial quantum annealing processors, it seems sensible to expect that an implementation of the proposed approach using such devices may occur very soon. In order to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm, some significant and detailed examples are included in the text, so as to illustrate and clarify the presented ideas.

Tributyltin (TBT) is an environmental contaminant present on all continents, including Antarctica, with a potent biocidal action. Its use began to be intensified during the 1970s, being effectively banned in 2003, but remaining in the environment to this day due to several factors that increase its half-life and misuse despite the bans. In addition to the endocrine disrupting effect of TBT, that may lead to imposex induction in some invertebrate species, there are several studies that demonstrated that TBT also has an immunotoxic effect. The immunotoxic effects that have been observed experimentally in vertebrates using in vitro and in vivo models involve different mechanisms, but mainly alterations in the expression and/or secretion of cytokines. In this review, we summarize and update the literature on the impacts of TBT on the immune system, as well as discuss what still needs to be done to fill the knowledge gaps regarding the impact of this endocrine disrupting-chemical on immune system homeostasis.

Tendons and ligaments injuries are frequent in sport horses and humans, representing a great therapeutic challenge. Tissue regeneration and function recovery are the paramount of tendon and ligament lesions management. Nowadays, several regenerative treatments are being developed, based on the use of stem cell and stem cell-based therapies. In the present study, the preparation of equine synovial membrane mesenchymal stem cells (eSM-MSCs) for clinical use - collection, transport, isolation, differentiation, characterization, and application is described. These cells are fibroblast-like and grow in clusters. They retain an osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential. 16 clinical cases of tendonitis and desmitis, treated with allogenic eSM-MSCs and autologous serum are also presented, including their evaluation, treatment and follow-up. The use of autologous serum as a vehicle concern to a decreased immunogenic response after the administration of this combination and to its healing properties, due to the presence of growth factors and immunoglobulins. Most of the cases (14/16), healed in 30 days and presented a good outcome. Treatment of tendon and ligament lesions with the mixture of eSM-MSCs and autologous serum appears to be a promising clinical option for this category of lesions in equine patients.

Background and Objectives: Renal cell carcinomas and upper tract urothelial carcinomas are types of malignancies that originate in the kidneys. Each of these examples shows an increasing trend in the frequency and the mortality rate. This study aims to comprehensively define carcinomas by analysing clinical, paraclinical, and histological aspects to predict aggressiveness and mortality. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective investigation on a group of patients suspected with kidney cancers. Results: We identified 188 cases. We observed a higher mortality rate and older age in individuals with urothelial carcinomas. Anemia, acute kidney injury, hematuria and perineural invasion were the main risk factors that predicted their mortality. Tumour size in renal cell carcinomas correlates with the presence of necrosis and sarcomatoid areas. Factors that indicate a higher rate of death are older age, exceeding of the renal capsule, the lesion that includes the entire kidney, lymphovascular invasion, acute kidney injury, and anemia. Conclusions: Even if they originate at the renal level, and the clinical-paraclinical picture is similar, the histopathological characteristics make the difference. In addition, to these are added the previously mentioned common parameters that can represent important prognostic factors. In conclusion, the characteristics commonly identified in one type of cancer may act as risk factors for the other tumor. The detected data include threshold values and risk factors, making a significant contribution to the existing literature.

The circular economy is one of the main strategies for mitigating the environmental impacts of civil construction, due to the generation of construction and demolition waste (CDW). In this transition, evaluating alternatives for using buildings as material banks is a way to make the process of reusing construction components more efficient. Thus, the article aimed to evaluate the state of the art of publications on the relationship between the circular economy in civil construction and the conceptual model of buildings as material banks, to mitigate the environmental impacts of CDW. The authors chose the methodological design of Systematic Literature Review, using the Scopus and Web of Science databases for research, with the following search strings: ("construction" or "civil construction" or "built environment" or "construction industry" ) and ("circular economy" or "circular construction") and ("material banks" or "BAMB" or "buildings as material banks" or "building stocks" or "building materials") and ("construction waste" or "demolition waste" or "CDW" or "construction and demolition waste" or "environmental impacts"). After a screening in which only articles published in journals were selected, from 2013 to 2023, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, to evaluate only those that had a direct relationship with CDW management through circular economy strategies and buildings such as banks of material. As a result, 93 articles remained, which were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approach. The quantitative results showed an increase in publications since 2020, which are concentrated in European countries and China. The predominance of applied studies was also noted, through case studies that evaluate the management of materials and waste in the urban environment. The qualitative analysis, carried out using a SWOT Matrix, highlighted the strengths of the buildings, such as material banks, the potential reduction of resource extraction and urban mining, promoting the circulation of construction products. However, the recycling of waste, such as aggregates, still stands out as the main end-of-life strategy adopted, even without occupying the top of the waste hierarchy.

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

The present study explored whether exposure to complex childhood trauma (CCT) is reflected in the resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) temporal alpha power of complex trauma-exposed adolescents, given the association of temporal alpha with fear circuitry (learning and conditioning) in a sample of 25 adolescents and similar controls, ages 12-17 years. Both trauma and psychopathology were screened or assessed, and resting-state EEG was recorded, following a preregistered protocol for data collection. Temporal alpha power, corresponding to T5 and T6 electrode location (10-20 international system), was extracted from resting-state EEG in both eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. We found that in the eyes-open condition, right, but not left, temporal alpha was significantly higher in adolescents exposed to CCT, relative to healthy controls, suggesting that childhood trauma exposure may have a measurable impact on alpha oscillatory patterns, specifically in the right temporal region. Our study highlights the importance of considering neural markers, such as temporal alpha power, in understanding the long-term consequences of CCT exposure in developmental samples, with possible important clinical implications in guiding neuroregulation interventions.

In the quest for robust and efficient digital communication, this paper introduces cutting-edge key exchange protocols leveraging tropical semirings’ computational prowess and block matrices’ structural resilience. Moving away from the conventional use of finite fields, these protocols deliver markedly faster processing speeds and heightened security. We present two implementations of our concept, each utilizing a different platform for the set of commuting matrices: one employing tropical polynomials of matrices and the other employing Linde-de la Puente matrices. The inherent simplicity of tropical semirings leads to a decrease in operational complexity, and using block matrices enhances our protocols’ security profile. The security of these protocols relies on the Matrix Decomposition Problem. We also provide a comparative analysis of our protocols against existing matrix block-based protocols in finite fields. This research marks a significant shift in cryptographic protocol design, specifically tailored for demanding engineering applications, and sets a new standard in secure and efficient digital communication.

Keywords: environmental impacts of hotels; environmental management in lodging facilities; corporate sustainability.

Several Lung diseases can result in lung damage structural changes, with lung transplantation as a only therapeutic option when the disease reaches an advanced progression, unfortunately, the success of lung transplantation is limited. In this context, lung bioengineering is considered a potential therapeutic alternative and the current approach is based on the use of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of the decellularized lung. The use of undifferentiated cells to seed an ECM can be a more practical strategy for lung bioengineering but the sterilization of the organ for this recellularization process is still a challenge. In this sense, Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) can emerge as a potential treatment alternative. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify if LLLT, can optimize lung recelularization with mesenchymal stem cells by cytokine modulation. For this, we decellularized lungs from C57BL/6 mice perfusing SDS 1% via pulmonary artery, sterilized with LLL (660nm, 100mW, 30s). Whole lung scaffolds were recellularized: (1) Recellularized Lung (2) Recellularized Lung + LLLT. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human tooth pulp (DPSc) were seeded into lungs and incubated for 24 hours at 37ºC, 5% CO₂, in a bioreactor-like conditions, maintaining CPAP at 20cmH2O, 90% O2, and LLL at wavelength of 808nm, 100mW, 30s. Culture medium were analyzed at 24 hours. H&amp;E, immunostaining, SEM and ELISA assay were performed. We produced viable biological scaffolds absent of DNA content, preserving glycosaminoglycans and collagen I, III and IV, fibronectin, laminin and elastin and lung structure (SEM). The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were stable during the 24 hours of culture. IFN-γ levels showed significant difference in the DPSc and DPSc+LLLT group in the 24-hour evaluation. The levels of IL-10 decreased after LLLT. These findings highlight LLLT's role in cytokine regulation and contamination prevention during lung recellularization with mesenchymal stem cells. Overall, these results demonstrated that LLLT's modulated cytokine levels and could prevent contamination during the lung recellularization process with mesenchymal stem cells, offering promise for enhanced therapeutic strategies in lung bioengineering

Many neurodegenerative diseases are directly related to the formation of toxic protein aggregates, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, which are associated with the aggregation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) and beta-amyloid (Aβ ), respectively. In this context, protein fibrils are the hallmark of these neurodegenerative diseases. In this sense, planning or designing compounds that are capable of preventing or reducing the formation of protein aggregation in the brain can be of fundamental importance for the curative treatment of these diseases. This work presents an in silico and experimental study to investigate the inhibitory potential of the ligands Octovespin (bioinspired by the wasp venom Polybia Occidentalis) and Fraternine-10 (bioinspired by the wasp venom Parachartergus fraternus wasp) against the aggregation of fibrils of the peptides Aβ(17-42) and α-syn, respectively. Using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations with 100 ns, the disaggregation capacity of these ligands was studied. The results obtained indicate that Octovespin and Fraternine-10 interact with the Aβ and α-syn protein fibrils throughout the simulation time. The RMSD values and the interactions with amino acids responsible for fibril aggregation demonstrate that both Octovespin and Fraternine-10 have a significant disaggregation potential, which corroborates the observations in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, experimental results of Fraternine-10 demonstrate an anti-aggregation effect, indicating that it can promote the disaggregation of fibrils and prevent them from aggregating again to form oligomers. These discoveries qualify these molecules as potential candidates to become medicines against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) can have several etiologies, such as trauma and iatrogenic interventions that can lead to the loss of structure and/or function impairment. These changes can cause a partial or complete loss of motor and sensory functions, physical disability, and neuropathic pain, what in turn can affect the quality of life. For those reasons, PNI is a major public health concern. This review aims to revisit the concepts associated with the PNI. First, the anatomy of the peripheral nerve is detailed to explain the different types of injury. Then, some of the available therapeutic strategies are explained, including surgical methods, pharmacological therapies, and the use of cell-based therapies alone or in combination with biomaterials in the form of tube guides. Nevertheless, even with the various available treatments, it is difficult to achieve a perfect outcome with complete functional recovery. This review aims to explain the urge for new approaches and to understand the methods to evaluate nerve regeneration in a One Health perspective. In vitro models followed by in vivo models are very important to be able to translate the achievements to human medicine.

The human interferon-induced transmembrane (IFITM) proteins inhibit the fusion of a broad spectrum of enveloped viruses, both when expressed in target cells and when present in infected cells. Upon expression in infected cells, IFITMs incorporate into progeny virions and reduce their infectivity by a poorly understood mechanism. Since only a few Env glycoproteins are present on HIV-1 particles, and Env clustering has been proposed to be essential for optimal infectivity, we asked if IFITM protein incorporation modulates HIV-1 Env clustering. The incorporation of two members of the IFITM family, IFITM1 and IFITM3, into HIV-1 pseudoviruses verified by Western blotting correlated with a marked reduction of infectivity. Super-resolution imaging of Env distribution on single HIV-1 pseudoviruses did not reveal significant effects of IFITMs on Env clustering. However, IFITM3 markedly reduced the Env processing and incorporation into virions relative to control and IFITM1-containing viruses. These results suggest that IFITM1 and IFITM3 restrict progeny HIV-1 infectivity via distinct mechanisms. We propose that IFITM1 interferes with viral fusion by altering the properties of the viral membrane or Env functionality by means other than disrupting Env clusters, while IFITM3 also targets Env processing and incorporation into progeny virions.

This study analyzes the convergence between artificial intelligence (AI) and management accounting in hospital contexts. Management accounting plays a central role in the effectiveness of planning, control and decision-making in healthcare institutions such as hospitals. The application of AI in this scenario offers powerful tools to improve accounting processes, optimize operational efficiency and maximize the use of available resources, resulting in an improvement in the quality of care provided to patients. Through in-depth analysis, the article explores how AI is bringing about a revolution in hospital management accounting, presenting case studies illustrating its successful implementation, outlining the tangible benefits.

Seaweed polysaccharides can substitute synthetic compounds present in commercial stimulants and fertilizers, used in agriculture to improve crops yield and vigor. In this study, three different poly-saccharides (alginate, agar and carrageenan) were extracted from one brown seaweed, Saccorhiza polyschides, and two red seaweeds, Gracilaria gracilis and Chondrus crispus, respectively, and applied on potted turnip greens (Brassica napus L.), with intention to analyze their impact on plant growth, development and metabolism. Turnip plants treated with polysaccharides, specially, carrageenan of Chondrus crispus showed the best results in improving the crop’s productivity, such as plant length and weight, number of leaves, nutrient and pigment content, and soil fertility, compared with turnip plants from the negative control or treated with a commercial leaf fertilizer. λ-carrageenan extracted from the tetrasporophyte generation of Chondrus crispus had the highest bioactivity and positive effect in turnip plants among all treatments. λ-carrageenan has shown that can improve plant growth, increase plant’s biomass, and root system, enhance photosynthetic activity, increase the uptake of soil nutrients, and protect plants against abiotic and biotic stresses, stimulating the production of secondary metabolites and manage its defense pathways. Seaweed extracted polysaccharides have the potential to be used in sustainable agriculture.

Green investors have expressed concerns about the environment and sustainability due to the high energy consumption involved in cryptocurrency mining and transactions. This article investigates the safe haven characteristics of clean energy stock indexes in relation to 3 cryptocurrencies, taking into account their respective levels of "dirty" energy consumption from May 16, 2018, to May 15, 2023. By virtue of analyzing a tumultuous era in the global economy, the level of integration between clean energy stock indexes and cryptocurrencies will be inferred by using Gregory and Hansen's methodology. Furthermore, to assess the presence of a volatility spillover effect between clean energy stock indexes and “dirty-classified” cryptocurrencies, the ?-test of heteroscedasticity of two samples from Forbes and Rigobon will be employed. The empirical findings show that clean energy stock indexes may offer a viable safe haven for dirty energy cryptocurrencies. However, the precise associations differ depending on the cryptocurrency under examination. The implications of the study's results are significant for investment strategies, this knowledge can inform decision-making procedures and facilitate the adoption of sustainable investment practices. Investors and policymakers can gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between investments in renewable energy and the cryptocurrency market.

The implementation of green roofs as sustainable urban drainage systems provides benefits for stormwater control and the environment and is always more encouraged. In this paper, the estimation of the probability of vegetation survival without irrigation has been proposed as a guide to choose the proper values for the design parameters; in particular the growing medium thickness has been related to the average return interval of the water content at the end of the dry period. Moreover the study represents an improvement of the analytical probabilistic approach since a chain of consecutive rainfall events has been considered, in order to take into account the possibility that the storage capacity is not completely available at the beginning of each event because of the pre-filling from more than one previous rainfall as typically happens for green roofs. Finally, developed equations have been validated by means of their application to two case studies, respectively in northern and southern Italy.

Long Covid is a term used for patients who have recovered from COVID-19 but exhibit persistent cognitive dysfunction, including mental confusion, difficulties in attention, impairment in executive functions and slow movements, among other common symptoms. A study was conducted with 65 patients who had a positive RT-PCR diagnosis and reported symptoms of cognitive impairment, such as memory loss and attention difficulties after recovery. The patients underwent neuropsychological evaluation and completed questionnaires on cognition, mood, and quality of life. During the cognitive screening, 71% of the patients showed alterations, with deficits in visual memory (69%), language (54%), visuospatial construction (49%), verbal episodic memory (37%), executive functions (36%), attentional abilities (34%), and premorbid intelligence (12%). It is important to highlight the need for treatments and further studies to understand the long-term side effects of this disease.

Hospitalizations for patients with diabetes and dementia take a significant health and economic toll on older adults in the United States. The present study sought to examine the differences in hospitalization characteristics and outcomes associated with diabetes and dementia separately and together using discharge record data of Los Angeles County residents aged 50+ from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information for the period 2019-2021. Results from multiple linear regression analyses indicated that when compared to those with no diabetes or dementia, patients with diabetes alone exhibited the highest total charges, while those with comorbid diabetes and dementia exhibited lower charges (p≤.05). Results of a multinomial logistic regression found that patients with comorbid diabetes and dementia had the highest odds of having a length of stay of 7+ days (AOR=1.49; 95% CI=1.44-1.53). A matched-case control analysis found that comorbid diabetes and dementia was associated with significantly lower odds of hypertensive disease than diabetes alone (MOR=0.81; 95% CI=0.67-0.97). These results highlight the complexity of factors affecting variation in hospitalization outcomes across these distinct disease profiles. Findings suggest a need to carefully consider this complexity when developing health policies or strategies to improve hospitalization outcomes involving these disease conditions.

Promoting sustainable consumer behavior is now an obligation under new European legislation, requiring Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for accurate environmental impact evaluation. Portugal is a key textile producer, edge in competitiveness in sustainable textile production, driven by electricity-reduced carbon footprint and closed-loop manufacturing. Additionally, while simple spreadsheets can estimate a product's carbon footprint, openLCA software, combined with ecoinvent database, greatly enhances environmental footprint calculations by integrating diverse impact categories, otherwise difficult to estimate. In this study, openLCA is used to evaluate the environmental footprint of a white T-shirt made in Portugal, with 50% recycled cotton from post-industrial wastes combined with 50% organic cotton from Turkey, to assist the design of environmental key performance indicators (KPI). The RECIPE and EF method (adapted) are used to calculate the environmental impacts and allow aggregation in a single score. The KPI related to the global warming impact is validated using a spreadsheet calculator. We propose an “Envi-Score” based on an A to E classification for benchmarking and better communication with the buyers. E is set as the normalized environmental impact of the European benchmark for a mixture material T-shirt encompassing cradle-to-gate boundaries. The introduction of recycled cotton proves to be environmentally beneficial over organic and conventional cotton. Organic cotton proves to be beneficial in comparison with conventional cotton for most environmental categories, except to the ones affected by the lower production yield, for example Land Use. The hotspots for the main impact categories are identified and finally proposed a labelling scheme, to clearly inform about the environmental performance of the products and avoid greenwashing, with the “Envi-Score” rate, carbon footprint, land use and water depletion.

The possession and appraisal of agricultural fields have significant economic and social impacts. The objective of this study is to examine the perception of the factors that contribute to the value of agricultural fields and those that diminish their value in the appraisal process. The utilized quantitative methodology is based on a questionnaire administered to farmers in Huambo Province, Angola. The sample size consists of 644 respondents. The results allow concluding that the income generated from farming activities and the presence of infrastructure greatly facilitate the appraisal of agricultural fields. Conversely, the absence of legal ownership documentation and conflicts related to land ownership reduce the value of the fields. The exploratory factor analysis has identified seven determinant factors in the appraisal of agricultural fields: inherent location characteristics of the property, market dynamics related to agricultural fields, the availability of water on the property, proximity to tourist destinations, physical conditions of the fields, the positive externalities generated, and the advantages offered by the fields. We believe that this study will assist appraisers, farmers, and public administration in understanding the factors that positively and negatively impact the appraisal of agricultural fields.

Global models have been developed to tackle the challenge of forecasting sets of series that are related or share similarities, but not for heterogeneous datasets. Various methods of partitioning by relatedness have been introduced to enhance the similarities of the set, resulting in improved forecasting accuracy but often at the cost of a reduced sample size, which could be harmful. To shed light on how the relatedness between series impacts the effectiveness of global models in real-world demand forecasting problems we perform an extensive empirical study using the M5 competition dataset. We examined cross-learning scenarios driven by the product hierarchy commonly employed in retail planning, which allow global models to capture interdependencies across products and regions more effectively. Our findings show that global models outperform state-of-the-art local benchmarks by a considerable margin, indicating that they are not inherently more limited than local models and can handle unrelated time series data effectively. The accuracy of data partitioning approaches increases, as the size of the data pools and the models' complexity decrease. However, there is a trade-off between data availability and data relatedness. Smaller data pools lead to increased similarity among time series, making it easier to capture cross-product and cross-region dependencies, but this comes at the cost of a reduced sample, which may not be beneficial. Finally, it's worth noting that the successful implementation of global models for heterogeneous datasets can significantly impact forecasting practice.

Since people spend most of their time in indoor environments, the objective of this work was to study indoor air quality perception and its effects on users’ thermal comfort. Based on previous data from a building with a central air-conditioning system and two mixed-mode buildings located in the humid subtropical climate of Florianópolis, southern Brazil, statistical analyses were performed. Each user subjective answer obtained through a questionnaire was combined with the corresponding environmental conditions – measured using microclimate stations, a portable thermo-anemometer and a CO2 analyser. Results showed that improvement in air quality was associated with the reduction of air temperature and humidity ratio. Also, there was a significant influence of thermal, air movement and humidity sensation and acceptability of air quality perception. Users felt more satisfied or neutral with air quality for being in thermal comfort, and not because of the CO2 level – which means that air quality perception is influenced by factors other than CO2. This study recommends the implementation of an air exchange device in split air-conditioners with air recirculation used in mixed-mode buildings in Brazil. It is important to provide suitable indoor ventilation to reduce pollutants concentration, ensure good air quality and prevent respiratory diseases.

Preliminaries Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) applications have recently emerged in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems focusing mostly on vibration analysis. However, the SHM literature shows clearly that there is a lack of application regarding the combination of PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate) based method and CNN. Likewise, applications using CNN along with the Electromechanical Impedance (EMI) technique applied to SHM systems are rare. To encourage this combination, an innovative SHM solution through the combination of the EMI-PZT and CNN is presented here. To accomplish this, the EMI signature is split into several parts followed by computing the Euclidean distances among them to form a RGB (red, green and blue) frame. As a result, we introduce a dataset formed from the EMI-PZT signals of 720 frames, encompassing a total of 4 types of structural conditions for each PZT. In a case study, the CNN-based method was experimentally evaluated using three PZTs glued onto an aluminum plate. The results reveal an effective pattern classification; yielding a 100% hit rate which outperforms other SHM approaches. Furthermore, the method needs only a small dataset for training the CNN, providing several advantages for industrial applications.

The number of people affected by eye conditions is growing every year, due to the popularity of electronic devices and an aging population. In the world of medicine, accomplishing eye medication administration has always been a difficult task. Despite the fact that there are many eye drops on the market, most of them have important limitations due to quick clearance mechanisms and ocular barriers. One solution with tremendous potential is the contact lens used as medication delivery vehicle to bypass this constraint. Therapeutic contact lenses for ocular medication delivery have attracted a lot of attention because they have the potential to improve ocular bioavailability, patient compliance, and reduce side effects. However, it is essential not to compromise essential features such as water content, optical transparency, and modulus in order to target successful in vitro and in vivo sustained drug delivery profile from impregnated contact lenses. Aside from difficulties like drug stability and burst release, the changing of lens physical and chemical properties caused by therapeutic or non-therapeutic components can limit the commercialization potential of pharmaceutical-loaded lenses. Research has progressed towards bioinspired techniques and smart materials to improve the efficacy of drug-eluting contact lenses. The bioinspired method uses bioinspired polymeric materials to improve biocompatibility, a specialized molecule recognition technique called molecular imprinting, or a stimuli-responsive system to improve biocompatibility and support drug delivery efficacy of drug-eluting contact lenses. This review encompasses strategies of material design, lens manufacturing and drug impregnation under the current auspices in ophthalmic therapies and projects an outlook onto future opportunities in the field of eye conditions management by means of active principles-eluting contact lens.

Most Neotropical Psittacidae have a diploid number of 2n=70, and a dichotomy in chromosome patterns. Long-tailed species have biarmed macrochromosomes, while short - tailed ones have telo/acrocentric macrochromosomes. However, the use of chromosome painting with chicken and white hawk probes has demonstrated that karyotype evolution in Psittacidae includes a high number of inter/intrachromosomal rearrangements. Hence, to determine the phylogeny of Long and Short-Tailed species, and to propose a putative ancestral karyotype for this group, we constructed homology maps of Pyrrhura frontalis (PFR) and Amazona aestiva (AAE) and compared them to other previously analyzed long-tailed species. Chromosomes were analyzed by conventional staining and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using whole chromosome paints of G. gallus (GGA) and L. albicollis (LAL). Conventional staining showed a karyotype with 2n=70 in both species, with biarmed macrochromosomes in Pyrrhura frontalis and telo/acrocentric chromosomes in Amazona aestiva. Comparison of the results with the putative avian ancestral karyotype (PAK) showed fusions in P. frontalis of PAK1p/PAK4q (PFR1) and PAK6/PAK7 (PFR6) with a paracentric inversion in PFR6. However, in A. aestiva there was only the fusion between PAK6/7 (AAE7) with a paracentric inversion. Hybridizations with LAL probes confirmed these results. The results indicate that PFR retained a more basal karyotype than Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus (AHY), Ara macao (AMA) and Ara chloropterus (ACH), because these three species show the fusion PAK8/PAK9 that is not seen in PFR. Hence, we suggest that the ancestral karyotype of species with biarmed chromosomes have the fusions PAK1p/PAK4 and PAK6/PAK7 and, additionally, a pericentric inversion of PAK6/PAK7, while the fusion PAK8/PAK9 would have appeared in the common ancestor of Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus, Ara macao and Ara chloropterus. However, the species A. aestiva shows a characteristic plesiomorphic trait, since PAK1p/PAK4q and PAK8/9 fusions are absent. Our results base on chromosome rearrangements suggest the classification following the criterium of tail length may no reflect the real phylogenetic history of Neotropical Psittacidae.

Considering the health benefits of the kombucha, already widely studied, the objective of the study was to development of the beverage with the addition of infusion of special arabica coffee from the first fermentation varying the proportion of special coffee (2% a 13%) and evaluate the pH, volatile acidity, degree of alcohol, centesimal composition, sodium contents, colour parameters as like acceptability of the beverages. With respect to the pH, all the formulations conformed with the kombucha identity standard, but K3 and K4 were below the established minimum for volatile acidity. Except for K4, all the other formulations were classified as alcoholic kombuchas, although the values were very close to the limit for non-alcoholic. The formulations presented low sugar and sodium content, which corroborated the low caloric value. Therefore, coffee-flavored kombucha fermented for 18 days becomes an option for consumers looking for low-calorie, refreshing and healthy drinks. The luminosity of the beverages decreased as the proportion of coffee increased, and consequently the values for a* and b* increased, indicating a strong tendency for a yellowish red colour. Sensorially, the formulations K4 and K3 were the most well accepted in all respects and can therefore be considered formulations with high commercialization potential.