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

Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) enable a growing number of Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications with large geographical coverage, low bit-rate, and long lifetime requirements. LoRa (Long Range) is a well-known LPWAN technology that uses a proprietary Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) physical layer, while the upper layers are defined by an open standard - LoRaWAN. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective method to improve the Quality-of-Service (QoS) of LoRa networks by fine-tuning specific radio parameters. Through a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem formulation, we find optimal settings for the Spreading Factor (SF) and Carrier Frequency (CF) radio parameters, considering the network traffic specifications as a whole, to improve the Data Extraction Rate (DER) and to reduce the packet collision rate and the energy consumption in LoRa networks. The effectiveness of the optimization procedure is demonstrated by simulations, using LoRaSim for different network scales. In relation to the traditional LoRa radio parameter assignment policies, our solution leads to an average increase of 6% in DER, and a number of collisions 13 times smaller. In comparison to networks with dynamic radio parameter assignment policies, there is an increase of 5%, 2.8%, and 2% of DER, and a number of collisions 11, 7.8 and 2.5 times smaller than equal-distribution, Tiurlikova's (SoTa), and random distribution, respectively. Regarding the network energy consumption metric, the proposed optimization obtained an average consumption similar to Tiurlikova's, and 2.8 times lower than the equal-distribution and random dynamic allocation policies. Furthermore, we approach the practical aspects of how to implement and integrate the optimization mechanism proposed in LoRa, guaranteeing backward compatibility with the standard protocol.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of athletes' respiratory muscle strength, as assessed through maximal inspiratory (MIP) and expiratory pressure (MEP), on aerobic endurance, as indicated by maximal oxygen consump-tion (Max VO2) kinetics. Respiratory muscle strength was assessed using a digital spirometer (Pony FX Cosmed, Italy), while maximal oxygen utilization capacity was measured using a breath-by-breath automatic portable gas analysis system (Cosmed K5, Italy). Statistical analysis was conducted utilizing SPSS 22.0. Based on the standardized regression coefficients (β), it was found that MEP (mean ± SD: 130.95 ± 42.82) and inspiratory diaphragmatic circumference values significantly influenced ventilatory equivalent (VE), oxygen consumption (VO2), and carbon dioxide pro-duction (VCO2). Conversely, the remaining predictor variables did not exhibit a sig-nificant effect on VE (mean ± SD: 134.80 ± 36.69), VO2 (mean ± SD: 3877.52 ± 868.47 ml), and VCO2 (mean ± SD: 4301.27 ± 1001.07 ml). In contrast, measurements of chest circumference (mean ± SD: 91.40 ± 10.72 cm), MEP, and diaphragmatic cir-cumference during inspiration (mean ± SD: 95.20 ± 10.21 cm) were found to signifi-cantly impact Max VO2 (mean ± SD: 58.52 ± 10.74 ml/kg/min), while the other pre-dictor variables did not demonstrate a significant effect on Max VO2. Conclusively, the study revealed that measured values of diaphragmatic circumference during inspiration and MEP exerted a notable influence on Max VO2, VE, VO2, and VCO2. Our findings underscore the importance of considering respiratory muscle strength in assessing and enhancing athletes' aerobic performance. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between respiratory function and exercise capacity, offering potential avenues for optimizing training regimens and perfor-mance outcomes in athletic contexts.

Recognition, decoding and tracking of vortex patterns is of increasing importance in many fields reaching from astronomical observation of distant galaxies to turbulence phenomena in liquids or gases. Currently, coherent light beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) are of particular interest for optical communication, metrology, micro-machining or particle manipulation. One common task is to identify characteristic spiral patterns in pixelated intensity maps at real-world signal-to-noise ratios. Recently, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was applied to the quantitative analysis of spiral interference patterns of OAM beams. Our study considers this approach in more detail. It is demonstrated that specific information can be extracted by combining conformal mapping by polar transform with determining one- or two-dimensional angular frequency spectra either in spatially fixed or scanning mode. Results of proof-of-principle experiments are presented.

Textile and clothing is one of the most important industrial sectors, not only due to the significant number of jobs generated, but also because it addresses one of the people’s fundamental needs (clothing). It is, however, a sector with a huge environmental impact, all over the world, and also an important social impact, especially in developing countries. Sustainability in the Textile & Clothing value chain is a known issue, concerning both environmental, and economical-social facets of sustainability. One way to improve sustainability in this sector is by measuring the environmental, economic and social impacts of value chain activities and, ultimately, computing an Environmental and Circular score for each batch of textile and clothing product, and an Economical and Social score for each involved firm, reflected in their products. The consumer will then have the opportunity and responsibility for selecting products with the least negative environmental, economical and social impact. This article presents the results of STVgoDigital project - PPS1, developed in Portugal with the aim of implementing the traceability of textile and clothing products, boosting sustainability in this sector, and preparing the ground for the implementation of the circular economy. More exactly, a blockchain-based textile and clothing value-chain traceability platform is presented, for tracing textile product lots and activities, along the value chain, classifying them with a score, which measures their environmental and social impact. The environmental, economic and social impact scores are based on a set of proposed indicators. The results are assessed through the presentation of a case study of a face towel (home textile) and a case study of a T-shirt (clothing).

Quantum turbulence deals with the phenomenon of turbulence in quantum fluids, such as superfluid helium and trapped Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). Although much progress has been made in understanding quantum turbulence, several fundamental questions remain to be answered. In this work, we investigated the entropy of a trapped BEC in several regimes, including equilibrium, small excitations, the onset of turbulence, and a turbulent state. We considered the time evolution when the system is perturbed and let to evolve after the external excitation is turned off. We derived an expression for the entropy consistent with the accessible experimental data, that is, using the assumption that the momentum distribution is well-known. We related the excitation amplitude to different stages of the perturbed system, and we found distinct features of the entropy in each of them. In particular, we observed a sudden increase in the entropy following the establishment of a particle cascade. We argue that entropy and related quantities can be used to investigate and characterize quantum turbulence.

This paper proposes two max-pooling engines, named the RTB-MAXP engine and the CMB-MAXP engine, with a scalable window size parameter for FPGA-based convolutional neural network (CNN) implementation. The max-pooling operation for the CNN can be decomposed into two stages, i.e., a horizontal axis max-pooling operation and a vertical axis max-pooling operation. These two one-dimensional max-pooling operations are performed by tracking the rank of the values within the window in the RTB-MAXP engine and cascading the maximum operations of the values in CMB-MAXP engine. Both the RBM-MAXP engine and the CMB-MAXP engine were implemented using VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) and verified by simulations. They have been employed for and tested in our CNN accelerator targeting at the CNN model YOLOv4-CSP-S-Leaky for object detection.

Native plants from the Brazilian Amazon Biome are rich in nutrientes, oils and fats and, therefore, represent a very important regional food resource. Althoung there is a global interest in the nutritional potential of tropical fruits, the potential of Amazonian fruits as source of essential fatty acids is still under exploited, since their composition is still understudied. ¹H Magnetic Resonance Nuclear (¹H NMR) is a robust spectroscopic tool to profile fatty acids components in oils. The objectives of this work were to use ¹H NMR to determine the fatty acids profile and the physicochemical properties of crude oils and fats obtained from fruits of Brazilian Amazon: açaí, ata-brava, bacaba, buriti, buritirana, murici amarelo, murici vermelho, piaçaba braba, tucumanzinho, pupunha red and yellow varieties. Oils were obtained by Soxhlet extraction using hexane as a solvent. After solvent removal by rotoevaporation, the resulting oils and fats were analyzed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Unsaturated fatty acids oleic (ω9), linoleic (ω6) and linolenic (ω3) acids were quantified in the oils and their physicochemical properties were determined. It was observed that the oils have predominately ω9 fatty acids, followed by ω6 and ω3 representatives. The physicochemical properties confirmed edibility and good quality of oils and fats present in the aforementioned Amazonian fruits.

The pandemic of Covid-19 has contributed to the increase of the number of cases of anxiety, depression, and stress, especially in vulnerable workers. The objective of this study was to analyze factors associated with mental health of waste pickers and street sweepers in Brasília, Brazil, during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a cross-sectional cohort study with a quantitative approach. SRQ-20 test was used to assess mental health. The study sample included 886 workers: 601 street sweepers and 285 waste pickers. Of the total, 71 workers (8.0%) had SRQ-20 ≥ 7, which is equivalent to adverse mental health. The characteristics associated with adverse mental health were women (PR: 3.36; 95%CI:1.86;6.08), worker between 18-39 years old (PR: 2.19; 95% CI 1.32;3.65), waste pickers (PR: 1.65; 95%CI:1.01;2.70), worker who reported two (PR: 3.24; 95%CI:1.72; 6.12), three or more (PR: 4.73; 95%CI:2.40;9.32) health problems. For the symptoms, 17.05% of the people interviewed said they felt sad and 18.25% nervous, tense, and worried. Female waste pickers, young adults, with many health problems were more susceptible to adverse mental health and it doesn't just affect them, but also their families. Public policies are needed to protect these professionals so that they can work safely and establish early interventions to maintain these workers' mental integrity.

Quantum turbulence is characterized by many degrees of freedom interacting non-linearly to produce disordered states, both in space and time. The advances in trapping, cooling, and tuning the interparticle interactions in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) make them excellent candidates for studying quantum turbulence. In this work, we investigate the decaying regime of quantum turbulence in a trapped BEC. Although much progress has been made in understanding quantum turbulence, other strategies are needed to overcome some intrinsic difficulties. We present an alternative way of investigating this phenomenon by defining and computing a characteristic length scale, which possesses relevant characteristics to study the establishment of the quantum turbulent regime. One intrinsic difficulty related to these systems is that absorption images of BECs are projected to a plane, thus eliminating some of the information present in the original momentum distribution. We overcome this difficulty by exploring the symmetry of the cloud, which allows us to reconstruct the three-dimensional momentum distributions with the inverse Abel transform. We present our analysis with both the two- and three-dimensional momentum distributions, discussing their similarities and differences. We argue that the characteristic length allows us to visualize the time evolution of the turbulent state intuitively.

Biohydrogen is a versatile energy carrier for the generation of electric energy from renewable sources. Hydrogenases can be used in enzymatic fuel cells to oxidize dihydrogen. The rate of electron transfer (ET) at the anodic side between the [NiFe]-hydrogenase enzyme distal iron-sulfur cluster and the electrode surface can be described by the Marcus equation. All parameters for the Marcus equation are accessible from DFT calculations. The distal cubane FeS-cluster has a three cysteine and one histidine coordination [Fe₄S₄](His)(Cys)₃ first ligation sphere. The reorganization energy (inner- and outer-sphere) is almost unchanged upon a histidine-to-cysteine substitution. Differences in rates of electron transfer between the wild-type enzyme and the all-cysteine mutant can be rationalized by a diminished electronic coupling between the donor and acceptor molecules in the [Fe₄S₄](Cys)₄ case. The fast and efficient electron transfer from the distal iron-sulfur cluster is realized by a fine-tuned protein environment which facilitates the flow of electrons. This study enables the design and control of electron transfer rates and pathways by protein engineering.

This article conducts a literature review of current and future challenges in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cyber physical systems. The literature review is focused on identifying a conceptual framework for increasing resilience with AI through automation supporting both, a technical and human level. The methodology applied resembled a literature review and taxonomic analysis of complex internet of things (IoT) interconnected and coupled cyber physical systems. There is an increased attention on propositions on models, infrastructures and frameworks of IoT in both academic and technical papers. These reports and publications frequently represent a juxtaposition of other related systems and technologies (e.g. Industrial Internet of Things, Cyber Physical Systems, Industry 4.0 etc.). We review academic and industry papers published between 2010 and 2020. The results determine a new hierarchical cascading conceptual framework for analysing the evolution of AI decision-making in cyber physical systems. We argue that such evolution is inevitable and autonomous because of the increased integration of connected devices (IoT) in cyber physical systems. To support this argument, taxonomic methodol- ogy is adapted and applied for transparency and justifications of concepts selection decisions through building summary maps that are applied for designing the hierarchical cascading conceptual framework.

Ménière's disease (MD) has an unclear cause. The microvascular dysregulation of the inner ear has been increasingly pointed as a potential contributor. This study investigates the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in MD patients compared to those with posterior circulation cerebral infarction (POCI). CVRFs like hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, coronary heart disease, and smoking were assessed in both MD and POCI patients. Brain MRI identified POCI etiology as "small vessel occlusion" (SVO) or "other etiology" (OE). The study included 64 MD and 84 POCI patients. Compared to MD, POCI OE showed a higher prevalence of CVRFs across various age groups, including hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and smoking. Notably, the odds of having POCI OE were significantly higher for individuals with hypertension and smoking. On the other hand, POCI SVO showed similar prevalence of CVRFs compared to MD. This study reveals no significant difference in CVRF prevalence between MD and smaller vessel POCI. However, a clear distinction emerges when comparing MD to POCI with involvement of larger blood vessels. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore potential shared risk factors between POCI (SVO) and MD.

This study aimed to compare three different extracts of Saco sweet cherry, namely non-coloured fraction, coloured fraction and total extract concerning phenolic composition, antioxidant and antidiabetic potential, erythrocytes’ protection and effects on Caco-2 cells. A total of 22 phenolic compounds were identified by LC-DAD. Hydroxycinnamic acids were the most predominant in both non-coloured fraction and total extract, while cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside was the main anthocyanin found in the coloured fraction. The total extract was the most effective against DPPH, nitric oxide and superoxide radicals, and in the inhibition of α-glucosidase enzyme. Finally, the protective effect of the extracts to prevent oxidative damage in human erythrocytes was assessed. The coloured fraction revealed the best activity against hemoglobin oxidation and hemolysis. Regarding to Caco-2 cells, the coloured extract exhibited the most cytotoxic effects, while the total extract was the most efficient in protecting these cells against oxidative damage induced by t-BHP.

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

In this work, nine fruits cultivated in the northern Amazon were studied: abiu, acerola, araçá, bacupari, biribá, caçarí, fruta-do-conde, graviola and taperebá, with the objective of carrying out a bromatological and nutritional study of the pulps of fruits studied. Of all of them, are the pulps of graviola (76.83 ± 0.02 kcal 100 g^-1) bacupari (76.83 ± 0.02 kcal 100 g^-1) and fruta-do-conde (46.66 ± 0.02 kcal 100 g^-1). Among the macronutrients, the high concentration of potassium stands out, especially in the graviola (541.16 ± 0.24 mg 100 g^-1) and the biribá (468.21 ± 0.13 mg 100 g^-1). Among the micronutrients, iron concentrations are representative for araçá pulp (3.04 ± 0.02 mg 100g-1), abiu is rich in zinc (3.71 ± 0.02 mg 100 g^-1) and manganese (6.61 ± 0.11 mg 100 g^-1). The presence of cobalt at the level of traces in some of the pulps studied stands out. The Pearson correlation coefficient was evaluated, as well as the statistical treatment by multivariate analysis PCA to establish the correlation between the variables studied.

Background: Extremametly lean athletes could have difficulty for adaptive eating (intuitively or consciously) during ad libitum refeed. Aims: we verificate if there is a relation between adaptive eating and coping strategies with energy intake in a model of refeed proposed for bodybuilders. Methods: Fourteen male bodybuilders (29.6±3.1yrs; 85.6±6.8kg, ≥6 competitions) completed the 4-week each consisting of a 5 days of energy restriction following 2 days of refeed. Dietary assessment, body composition (ultrasound), Recovery stress questionnaire (REST-Q) and BRUMS (Brunel mood scale) were accessed pre and post; Coping Function Questionnaire (CFQ), Mindful Eating Scale version 2 (MES 2) and the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) was used at 4th week. Results: The refeed day resulted in a daily caloric increment of ~44% compared to the average energy intake on the energy restriction days, culminating in a weekly calorie deficit of ~27% and a drop in body mass of 3.1±1.4% with relation to initial values. The most reduced body fat and preserved or gained lean mass. The energy consumption during refeed maintained an inverse relationship with the perception of satiety (r=-0.9; p<0.01), total scores of IES 2 (r=-0.82; p<0.01), as well as with the confidence in hunger and satiety cues (r=-0.62; p=0.02) and congruence in food-body choice (r=-0.56; p=0.04) dimensions. Coping based in emotions maintained a relationship with the total scores of IES 2 (r=0.54; p<0.05) and an inverse relationship with energy intake during refeed (r=-0.42; p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that a higher perception of internal hunger and satiety signals and higher scores in intuitive eating may contribute to energy intake adequate, even when high scores of coping based in emotions are present.

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

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is a vulnerable specie from Central and South America and is considered extinct in Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Uruguay. Therefore, studies describing the reproductive characteristics of this species are pivotal for its conservation. Thus, this study aimed to provide a morphological description of their female reproductive tissues. We collected tissue samples from six female giant anteaters, and performed gross, morphological, and histochemical analyses. Five adult and one young subjects were enrolled in the study. In the ovary, classifications were made according to the follicle and oocyte sizes: primordial, primary, secondary, early antral, or antral. Typical follicles with a single oocyte surrounded by a simple or stratified layer of cubic epithelium, atretic follicles, corpora lutea, corpora albicans, and ovarian cysts were also observed. No ovarian lesions were observed. By contrast, endometritis, metritis, mucometra, and endometrial cysts were identified in the uterus. Uterine alterations in these subjects were frequent and could affect reproduction.

Purpureocillium lilacinum PL11 (formerly Paecilomyces lilacinus) is a ubiquitous fungus found in several habitats, mainly in the soil, and belongs to the Ophiocordycipitaceae family. This fungus was shown to have potential applications in agriculture as a biocontrol agent and biofertilizer. P. lilacinum can inhibit plant‒pathogenic fungi and nematodes, including root-knot and potato cyst nematodes. Additionally, P. lilacinum produces siderophores and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), enhancing plant development and increasing soil nutrient availability. P. lilacinum has been extensively studied in various commodities, including pineapple, maize, soybean, and legume. Most studies have evaluated P. lilacinum as a biocontrol agent, especially for nematode control. Other studies have evaluated the production of secondary metabolites and bioremediation, and few studies have used this fungus as a plant growth promoter. This review addressed important aspects of using this fungus. P. lilacinum is a promising fungus that can be used for agricultural production, reducing environmental impact, and thus collaborating for a sustainable agriculture production system.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether chronic undernutrition modifies the response to rostafuroxin in juvenile rats. Chronic undernutrition was induced in male rats using a multideficient diet known as Regional Basic Diet (RBD), mimicking alimentary habits in impoverished regions worldwide. Animals were given RBD – or a control/CTRL normal diet for rodents – from weaning to 90 days, and rostafuroxin (1 mg/kg body mass) or vehicle were orally administered during the last 30 days. Undernourished rats became hypertensive at 55–60 days of age (tail-cuff recording). During the last two days, the rats were hosted in metabolic cages to measure food/energy, water, Na⁺ ingestion, and urinary volume. Blood and kidneys were collected after euthanasia. Rostafuroxin increased food/energy and Na⁺ intake in CTRL and RBD rats but had opposite effects on Na⁺ balance (intake minus urinary excretion): negative in CTRL and positive in RBD. The drug normalized the decreased plasma Na⁺ concentration found in RBD rats, increased urinary volume in RBD but not in CTRL, and decreased and increased urinary Na⁺ concentration in the RBD and CTRL groups, respectively. Rostafuroxin decreased the ouabain-sensitive (Na⁺+K⁺)ATPase and increased the ouabain-resistant, furosemide-sensitive Na⁺-ATPase from proximal tubule cells in both groups, and normalized the systolic blood pressure in RBD without effect in CTRL rats. We conclude that chronic undernutrition modifies the response of blood pressure, caloric metabolism, Na⁺ distribution in liquid compartments, mobilization of Na⁺ from non-osmotic compartments, Na⁺ and water balance, and activity of renal Na⁺-transporting ATPases to rostafuroxin.

This dissertation is a rigorous study of ecology and macrocellular biology as a subfield of abstract algebra. We begin with the creation of an axiomatic paradigm, then move onto constructing a universal genetic code of biology. We use this to define increasingly complex algebraic structures (ecosystem, evolving populations, etc.). We prove a variety of theorems regarding to the members of the previous mathematical constructs, notably the following three: 1. There is one unique phenotypic representation of each organism. For example, if you subdivide any piece of genetic code into its phenotypic components, then two identical organisms have identical decomposed DNA 2. There are a finite number of indivisible phenotypic traits. 3. The three sophioid-definitions are equivalent: (a) dynamical evolutionary enlargement of the medial temporal lobe and frontal lobe, (b) reliance upon intelligence, (c) the existence of an intellectually- or socially-hierarchical society. Much has yet to be done on this work, but as a first draft, it stands as a jumping point for future exploits; I am working on an entirely revised second draft.

The atherosclerosis, a chronic and inflammatory disease that occurs when there are high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on plasma. This important risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death worldwide. MicroRNAs have recently emerged as potential biomarkers and therapeutic target for lipid metabolism disorders. In this review, we will provide profile of surrounding miRNAs that have demonstrated being regulators of PCSK9, LDLR and APOB100 genes. Recent work has identified the mir-148, mir-128, mir-27a/b, mir-185, mir-301, mir-130 as important regulators of this pathway because they decrease supply of LDL receptors through interaction with PCSK9. Inhibition of LDLR expression cause elevation of plasma LDL levels which induces atherosclerosis. While mir-30c, mir-122, mir-34 decrease MTTP, which promotes degradation of APOB100 preventing assembly and secretion of VLDL. We conclude that, when overexpressed, mir-148a, mir128 and mir-27a/b, mir-122 and mir-34 are related to decrease in LDLR, facilitating occurrence of atherosclerosis. While mir-30 has been linked to decreased atherosclerosis. Detection of miRNAs profile could be used in the future as a biomarker for disturbs linked to c-LDL uptake and in future anti-miRNAs therapies may be used in the treatment of atherosclerosis.

A brown seaweed consumed worldwide, Fucus vesiculosus, has been used to prevent atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia, among other uses, however, the mechanisms of action that lead to these effects are not yet fully understood. An F. vesiculosus aqueous extract, prepared as a soup was characterized as rich in sev-eral bioactive compounds, mainly phlorotannin and peptides. This work aims to study the in vitro effect of this extract on the expression of different proteins involved in the synthesis and transport of cholesterol in HepG2 cells, though a proteomic analysis, western blot and qRT-PCR. The results demonstrated that, in liver cells, the extract decreases the expression of 4 proteins involved in cholesterol biosynthesis process and also decrease the expression of two important transporters proteins of cholesterol, NPC1L1 and ABCG5, as well as decrease the NPC1L1 mRNA levels. Our study demonstrates some mechanisms of action of bioactive com-pounds from F. vesiculosus that may explain its previously reported hypocholesterolemic effect.

In this study, we address the formidable challenge of solving large-scale Max-Cut problems (MCP). We introduce a rapid computational procedure utilizing a hybrid 1-flip/r-flip local search heuristic. This innovative strategy significantly reduces the computational time required for MCP problems while consistently generating solutions of exceptional quality. The paper presents substantial computational insights, showcasing the effectiveness of our approach on very-large-scale Max-Cut instances with varying densities. Our proposed heuristic is rigorously evaluated by comparing its performance against a quantum annealing solver, leveraging a multi-start Tabu Search framework. The results underscore the potency of this unique combination as an efficient and effective solution for large-scale QUBO problems. Notably, our hybrid heuristic consistently delivers high-quality solutions within the stringent CPU time limits of 600 seconds, demonstrating its efficacy across Max-Cut instances ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 variables. This research contributes to advancing the state-of-the-art in large-scale QUBO problem-solving, offering a powerful and time-efficient approach with broad applicability.

In mobile robotics, laser scanners have a wide spectrum of indoor and outdoor applications, both in structured and unstructured environments, due its accuracy and precision. Most works that use this sensor have their own data representation and their own case-specific modeling strategies, and no common formalism is adopted. To address this issue, this manuscript presents an analytical approach for identification and localization of objects using a 2D LiDARs Our main contribution lies in formally defining laser sensor measurements and their representation, the identification of objects, their main properties and their location in a scene. We validate our proposal with experiments in generic semi-structured environments common in autonomous navigation, and we demonstrate its feasibility on multiple object detection and identification, following strictly its analytical representation. Finally, our proposal further encourages and facilitates the design, modeling and implementation of other applications that use laser scanners as a distance sensor.

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

(1) Background: Metabolic syndrome is associated with cardiovascular complications. Therefore, this study aims to establish cut points for the conicity index based on the components of the metabolic syndrome and to associate it with characteristics sociodemographic, food consumption and occupational factors in Brazilian rural workers; (2) Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out with farmers. The receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated and the cutoff points for the conicity index were identified by the area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity. The variables included in the binary logistic regression analysis were selected by considering p &lt; 0.20 in the bivariate test; (3) Results: The cut points were similar in females according to both criteria, resulting in a single cut-off of 1.269. In males, the cut points showed differences, resulting in 1.272 according to the NCEP-ATP III and 1.252 according to the IDF. We have shown that younger people, those who work more than 40 hours a week and the lowest contribution of culinary ingredients are associated with increased odds of abdominal obesity. While the consumption of the products they sell or produce decreases these chances; (4) Conclusions: The conicity index showed high discriminatory power for the identification of abdominal obesity in rural workers.

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) is one of the most destructive diseases in banana farming worldwide. Knowledge of the factors of genetic diversity and virulence of the pathogen contributes to the development of resistant cultivars and in management strategies based on exclusion. In this study, phenotypic traits such as virulence and aggressiveness in a sample of 52 Foc isolates, were analyzed and their relationship to the presence of putative effectors of gene SIX (Secreted in Xylem) pathogenicity homologues, verified. According to the dissimilarity matrix, there were three isolates closest to the standard Foc race 1 strain. Isolates 229A and 218A, were selected according to their aggressiveness profile in 'Grand Naine' and 'Prata-Anã', respectively, I order to replace the standard isolate of race 1 in the resistance screening process carried out by the breeding program. Two homologues of the SIX8 gene, SIX8a and SIX8b, are present in isolates of Foc from Brazil and the SIX8b gene correlates with avirulence in the cultivar ‘Grand Naine’ (Cavendish). These results are important to support the banana genetic breeding program by identification of sources of resistance to Foc and contribute in the establishment of the function of SIX effector proteins.

Plants exhibit the capacity for adaptation through their metabolic processes to various changes in environmental conditions. Investigating these adaptations in current and future climatic scenarios is of great importance for ensuring productive agricultural crops. This adaptative potential is commonly employed as an indicator of genotypes with higher potential in breeding programs. However, the complexity and interaction of plant metabolic parameters pose a challenge to selection strategies. In this context, the aim of this study was to explore phenotypic plasticity within the germplasm of Hybrid Timor coffee. Additionally, we assessed the utility of the Phenotypic Plasticity Index (MVPi) as a promising tool to predict genotype performance across diverse climatic conditions. To achieve this, we evaluated the performance of seven accessions from the Hybrid Timor germplasm in comparison to the Rubi and IPR 100 cultivars, known for their susceptibility and resistance to drought, respectively. The experiment was conducted at greenhouse conditions, with two treatments: a control scenario, maintaining soil moisture near its maximum water-holding capacity, and a water deficit scenario involving irrigation cessation followed by rehydration. Data encompassing physiological, biochemical, and growth aspects were collected during three distinct stages: pre-application of water deficit, its imposition, and subsequent rehydration. Furthermore, field evaluations of the productivity of the same genotypes were carried out over two consecutive seasons. Based on physiological and biochemical assessments, the MVPi was computed, employing Euclidean distance between principal component multivariate analysis scores. Subsequently, this index was correlated with growth and productivity data through linear regressions. Our findings reveal that the more plastic genotypes, capable of significantly altering physiological and biochemical parameters in response to environmental stimuli, exhibited reduced biomass loss in both aerial and root parts, consequently positively influencing their productivity. Enhanced plasticity was particularly prominent in accessions from the MG Germplasm Collection: MG 311 - Hybrid Timor UFV 428-02, MG 270 - Hybrid Timor UFV 377-21, and MG 279 - Hybrid Timor UFV 376-31, alongside the Rubi MG 1192 cultivar. The MVPi emerged as a valuable instrument to assess genotype adaptability and predict their performance under varying climatic scenarios.

Vaccines decrease morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, their benefits depend on public response. During COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy and refusal were rampant, threatening public health. A thorough understand-ing of opponents' arguments is required to address the diffusion of unreliable information on social media and prevent vaccine hesitancy from developing into vaccine refusal. Accordingly, the article examines vac-cine opponents' justifications on social media. Textual content analysis of reader comments on three health-related Israeli Facebook pages was conducted. Data collection encompassed the Israeli COVID-19 vaccination period from October 2020 to May 2022. The comments were analyzed according to the health beliefs model (HBM). We found that vaccine opponents were characterized by low perceptions of the severity of the disease combined with high perceptions of the damages of the vaccine; low perceived benefits of vac-cine compliance; vaccine hesitancy and fear along with public distrust as barriers to change; and call for ac-tion to resist the vaccine and spread related anti-establishment views on the web. As vaccination hesitancy was found to develop into public distrust in the state systems and escalate into conspiracy beliefs and an-ti-vaccination activism, its early detection may prevent future vaccine resistance.

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

Genetic testing has expanded out of the research laboratory into medical practice and the direct-to-consumer market, and rapid analysis of the resulting genotype data can now have significant impact. We present a method for summarizing personal genotypes as ‘genotype fingerprints’ that meet these needs. Genotype fingerprints can be derived from any single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based assay, and remain comparable as chip designs evolve to higher marker densities. We demonstrate that they support distinguishing types of relationships among closely related individuals and closely related individuals from individuals from the same background population, as well as high-throughput identification of identical genotypes, individuals in known background populations, and de novo separation of subpopulations within a large cohort through extremely rapid comparisons. While fingerprints do not preserve anonymity, they provide a useful degree of privacy by summarizing a genotype in a way that prevents reconstruction of individual marker states. Genotype fingerprints are therefore well-suited as a format for public aggregation of genetic information to support ancestry and relatedness determination without revealing personal health risk status.

In this paper, we consider a manufacturer who produces and sells a kind of innovative product in the monopoly market environment. Because the life cycle of innovative product is usually shorter than its procurement lead time, one unique demand quantity (scenario) will occur in the selling season, thus there is only one chance for the manufacturer to determine both optimal production quantity and optimal sale price. Considering this one-time feature of such a decision problem, a price-setting newsvendor model for innovative products is proposed. Different to the existing price-setting newsvendor models, the proposed models determine the optimal production quantity and sale price based on some specific state (scenario) which is most applicable for the manufacturer. The theoretical analysis provides managerial insights into the manufacturers’ behaviors in a monopoly market of an innovative product and several phenomena in the luxury goods market are well explained.

Baía de Todos os Santos is the second largest bay in Brazil and is home to important ecosystems, including estuarine systems and mangroves. However, studies on the seasonal variability of its soil properties and composition are still scarce. For this study, soil and leaf samples were seasonally collected from mangrove forests at four sites (Cacha Prego, Ponta Grossa, Ilha de Maré, and Pitinga), which are representative of different environmental conditions within the BTS. Soil physicochemical properties, soil composition and partition of Fe forms were determined, and analysis of minerals by Scanning Electron Microscope, was performed on soil samples. Isotopic ratios (δ13C, δ15N) were also determined on soil and leaf samples. Soils showed significant spatial and temporal changes affecting both their properties (pH, Eh) and their composition (TOC, pyrite and Fe oxyhydroxide contents). Clear spatial changes were observed in redox potential, significantly affecting the concentrations of the different geochemical forms of Fe, particularly the concentrations of crystalline oxyhydroxydes and pyrite in one of the studied sites. In three of the study sites, pyrite crystals showed clear evidence of degradation associated with sandy soils. Finally, δ13C and N/C ratios in soils seem to suggest a mixed origin of organic matter.

(1) Background: Reduced magnesium (Mg) levels may be associated with a faster de-cline in renal function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of serum and uri-nary Mg levels with body composition and inflammatory markers; (2) Methods: Lon-gitudinal study with patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing non-dialysis treatment in stages 3A, 3B and 4. Venous samples were collected after a 12-hour night fast. Body composition was evaluated by Double X-Ray Emission Absorptiometry and Air Displacement Plethysmog-raphy; (3) Results: The sample consisted of 134 patients. In the adjusted linear regression model, uric acid, percentage of lean mass and ali-mentar intake of Mg were positively associated with the sergic Mg. Triglyceride levels, WC and fat mass percentage were negatively associated with serum Mg. For the Mg urinal, in the adjusted model, the eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate), IL (interleukin 6), food intake of Mg and the percentage of lean mass showed a positive correlation.; (4) Conclusions: Serum Mg levels were positively associated with lean mass and negatively with total and central body fat and urinary Mg was positively associated with IL6 and lean mass.

Computer vision models of salient object detection attempt to mimic the ability of the human visual system to select relevant objects in images. To this end, the development of deep neural networks on high-end computers has recently made it possible to achieve high performance. However, it remains a challenge to develop deep neural network models of the same performance for devices with much more limited resources. In this work, we propose a new approach for a lightweight salient object detection neural network model, inspired by the cone and spatial opponent processes of the primary visual cortex (V1), that inextricably link color and shape in human color perception. Our proposed model, namely CoSOV1net, is trained from scratch, without using backbones from image classification or other tasks. Experiments, on the most widely used and challenging datasets for salient object detection, show that CoSOV1Net achieves competitive performance (i.e. Fβ=0.931 on the ECSSD dataset) with state-of-the-art salient object detection models, while having low number of parameters (1.14M), low FLOPS (1.4G) and high FPS (211.2) on GPU (nvidia Geforce RTX 3090 TI) compared to the state-of-the-art in the salient object detection or lightweight salient object detection task. Thus, CoSOV1net turns out to be a lightweight salient object detection that can be adapted to mobile environments and resource-constrained devices.

Additive Friction Extrusion Deposition (AFED) is a recently developed additive manufacturing technique that promises high deposition rates at low forces. Due to the novelty of the process, the underlying phenomena and their interactions are not fully understood, and in particular the processing strategy and tool design are still in their infancy. This work contributes to the state of the art of AFED through a comprehensive analysis of its working principles and an experimental program including a representative sample component. The working principle and process mechanics of AFED are broken down into their individual components. Forces, their origins and effects on the process are described, and measures of process efficiency and theoretical minimum energy consumption are derived. Three geometrical features of the extrusion die are identified as most relevant to the active material flow, process forces and deposition quality: the topography of the inner and outer circular surfaces and the geometry of its extrusion channels. Based on this, the experimental program investigates seven different tool designs in terms of efficiency, force reduction and throughput. The experiments using AA 6061-T6 as feedstock show that AFED is capable of both high material throughput (close to 550 mm³/s) and reduced substrate forces: For example, the forces for a run at 100 mm³/s remained continuously below 500 N, and for a run at 400 mm³/s below 3500 N. Material flow and microstructure of the AFED are assessed from the macrosections. Significant differences are found between the advancing and retracting sides for both process effects and material flow. Banded structures show strong similarities to other solid state processes. The fabrication of the sample components demonstrates that AFED is already capable of producing industrial grade components. In mechanical testing, interlayer bonding defects result in a more brittle failure behavior in the direction of the structure, in the microstructure show strong similarities to other solid-state processes. The manufacturing of the sample components demonstrates that AFED is already capable of producing industrial grade components. In mechanical tests, interlayer bonding defects result in a more brittle failure behavior in the direction of the structure, while in the horizontal direction of the structure mechanical properties corresponding to a T4 temper have been achieved.

Nutraceuticals are bioactive compounds present in foods, utilized to ameliorate health, prevent diseases, and support the proper functioning of the human body. They have gained attention due to their ability to hit multi-targets and act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and modulators of immune response and cell death. Therefore, nutraceuticals are being studied to prevent and treat liver ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI). This study evaluated the effect of a nutraceutical solution formed by resveratrol, quercetin, omega-3 fatty acid, selenium, ginger, avocado, leucine, and niacin on liver IRI. IRI was performed with 60 min of ischemia and 4 hours of reperfusion in male Wistar rats. Afterward, the animals were euthanized to study hepatocellular injury, cyto-kines, oxidative stress, gene expression of apoptosis-related genes, TNF-alpha and Caspase 3 proteins, and histology. Our results show that the nutraceutical solution was able to decrease apoptosis and histologic injury. The suggested mechanisms of action are a reduction in gene expression and the Caspase 3 protein and a reduction in the TNF-alpha protein in liver tissue. The nutraceutical solution was unable to decrease transaminases and cytokines. These findings suggest that the nutraceuticals used favored the protection of hepatocytes and their combination represent a promising therapeutic proposal against liver IRI.

P2Y2 and P2Y4 receptors are physiologically activated by UTP and are widely expressed in many cell types in humans. They promote an increase in intracellular calcium via PLCβ/ IP3 and act on ion flux and water secretion. P2Y2 plays an important role in inflammation and proliferation of tumor cells, which could be attenuated with the use of antagonists. However, little is known about the physiological functions related to P2Y4 due to the lack of selective ligands for these receptors, which can be solved through the search of novel compounds with antagonistic activity. In the present study, we have applied a methodology of calcium measurement to identify new antagonist candidates for these receptors. Firstly, we established optimal conditions for calcium assay using J774.G8, a murine macrophage cell line, which expresses functional P2Y2 and P2Y4 receptors. J774.G8 cells were loaded with 2 μM of Fluo-4 to test its sensitivity in responding calcium stimuli. ATP and ionomycin, known as inductors of intracellular calcium rise, were used to stimulate cells. The EC50 obtained were 11 μM and 103 nM, respectively. Subsequently, investigation of P2Y2 and P2Y4 expression was performed. These cells responded with EC50 of 1.021 μM to the UTP stimulation. Screening assays were performed and a total of 100 extracts from Brazilian natural products were tested. JA2, RA3, and RB3 extracts stood out for their ability to inhibit UTP-induced responses without causing cytotoxicity and presented IC50 of 32.32 μg/mL, 14.99 μg/mL, and 12.98 μg/mL, respectively. Collectively, our results point to the discovery of potential antagonists candidates from natural products for UTP-activated receptors.

Vine growth habit (VGH) is a notable property of wild soybean plants that also holds a high degree of importance in the context of domestication as it can preclude the use of these wild cultivars for the breeding and improvement of domesticated soybean. Here, a bulked segregant analysis (BSA) approach was employed to study the genetic etiology of VGH in soybean plants by integrating linkage mapping and population sequencing approaches. To develop a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, the cultivated Zhongdou41 (ZD41) soybean cultivar was bred with ZYD02787, a wild soybean accession. The VGH status of each line in the resultant population was assessed, ultimately leading to the identification of 6 and 9 QTLs from the BSA sequencing of the F4 population and F6- F8 population sequence mapping, respectively. One QTL shared across these analyzed generations was detected on chromosome 19. Three other QTLs detected by BSA-seq were validated and localized to 90.93 kb, 2.9 Mb, and 602.08 kb regions of chromosomes 6 and 13, respectively harboring 14, 53, and 4 genes. Four consistent VGH-related QTLs located on chromosomes 10, 13, and 19 were detected by both analytical approaches in a minimum of two environments, while an additional five loci on chromosomes 2, 10, and 18 were detected in at least two environments only via ICIM mapping. Of the detected loci, five had been reported previously whereas six represent novel QTLs. Together, these data offer new insight into the genetic basis for VGH in soybean plates, providing a rational basis to inform the use of wild accessions in future breeding efforts.

Real-time tracking is one of the most challenging problems in computer vision. Most Transformer-based trackers usually require expensive computational and storage power, which leads to the inability of these robust trackers to achieve real-time performance in resource-constrained devices. In this work, we propose a lightweight tracker, AnteaTrack. To localize the target more precisely, we develop a scaling-invariant max-filtering operator employing a sliding window combined with local max-pooling, which filters out the suspected target from the feature and performs an augmented representation while suppressing the background. For a more tight bounding box, we employ Pixel-Shuffle to increase the resolution of the feature map and get a more fine-grained representation of the target. In addition, AnteaTrack can run in real-time at 47 frames per second(FPS) on the CPU. We tested AnteaTrack on 5 datasets, and a large number of experiments have shown that AnteaTrack provides the most efficient solution compared to the same type of CPU real-time trackers. The code will be available at https://github.com/cnchange/AnteaTrack.

The importance of detecting and diagnosing the imminence of aneurysm rupture before it occurs cannot be overstated. However, this process is often time-consuming and challenging, with variability in conclusions not uncommon among experts. Furthermore, current state-of-the-art models in medical image segmentation suffer from limited availability of large annotated datasets for training, exacerbated by an immense data imbalance. In most segmentation tasks, 3D segmentation is preferred due to its capacity to leverage more contextual information. However, these models require more data, which is constrained by the aforementioned issues. In the realm of current diagnosis models, those lacking geographic context are notably ineffective. To address these issues, the aim is to develop a model pipeline to accurately detect cerebral intracranial aneurysms and diagnose rupture imminence through 3D magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and tabular input, augmented with the implementation of neuro-symbolic ai. The utilization of data fusion to tackle the lack of context in tabular models is proposed, leveraging extracted geographical features from a segmentation model. To enhance segmentation results and tackle the data imbalance in aneurysm segmentation, a two-stage model pipeline that extracts contextual geographic features before aneurysm segmentation is suggested. Segmentation results are additionally improved through ensemble techniques and novel preprocessing techniques. Finally, a neuro-symbolic aspect is introduced to enhance model diagnosis, interpretability and performance. The multi-step Integrated Neuro-Symbolic Analysis Pipeline for Cerebral Aneurysm Rupture Diagnosis is introduced.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic illness caused by the Orthopoxvirus monkeypox virus (MPXV). Since 1970, outbreaks of MPXV have occurred in several Sub-Saharan African countries. However, from May 2022 to April 2023, recent outbreaks of MPXV occurred in several countries outside of Africa, and these cases quickly spread to over 100 non-endemic countries on all continents. Because of this, in July 2022, World Health Organization declared monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International. MPXV disproportionately affects men who have sex with men and members of the HIV-infected population. The current strategy for control and pre-exposure prophylaxis or post-exposure prophylaxis for people at high risk is vaccination. In this context, Peru has the fourth-highest number of MPXV cases in Latin America. Because of this, in this review, we describe public health indicators in Peru and reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic so that health authorities can join forces to identify and control MPXV transmission routes.

(1) Background: Metabolic syndrome is a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease thus the objective of the study was to verify the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in farmers, as well as to verify the association with sociodemographic, work and lifestyle factors. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study, carried out with 790 individuals. For the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria were used. Pearson's chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to verify factors associated with metabolic syndrome (3) Results: The prevalence of MS according to the IDF criteria was 16.3% overall, with 9.7% of women (95% CI: 6.66–16.16) and 6.6% of men (95% CI: 5.17–11.97). According to the NCEP/ATP III criterion, it was 12.3% overall, with 7.5% corresponding to women (95% CI: 6.62 – 13.13) and 4.8% to men (95% CI: 3.5 – 8.70). With regard to the conditions that make up metabolic syndrome, it was found that high density lipoprotein, high blood pressure and high waist circumference were the most prevalent. (4) Conclusions: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is considerable in the population when compared to other regions, both rural and urban, in Brazil.

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a diverse group of microorganisms including genera such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Serratia, Enterobacter and Klebsiella. These bacteria have the ability to colonize roots externally and internally, and to directly enhance plant growth employing various mechanisms like phytohormone production and nutrient mineralization. These microbes can also promote plant growth indirectly by secreting antimicrobial compounds (e.g., siderophores, hydrogen cyanide) to antagonize root pathogens or by inducing defensive responses in the plant. Interestingly, there are also cases where production of antibiotic compounds such as 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol have the direct effect of enhancing plant growth and yield, irrespective of their biocontrol effects. The objective of this paper is to review publications showcasing PGPRs that have the capacity to both control root pathogens and stimulate plant growth, and to discuss what mechanisms might be involved.

Ransomware constitutes a distinctive category of pernicious software that sequesters a user's digital assets by encryption, holding them hostage until a sum is extorted from the victim. These incursions have escalated to become among the most prevalent and significant threats confronting both individuals and corporate entities. In combatting this virulent program, dynamic analysis has been established as the favored detection modality. Such analyses typically hinge on Windows API calls, the conduits through which programs requisition services from the operating system. Yet, the superfluous and unrelated Windows API calls interjected by adversaries into the execution stream of suspect binaries precipitate an excessively noisy behavioral sequence, which impairs the performance of counter-ransomware mechanisms. The research outlined herein introduces a novel non-signature-based detection paradigm that harnesses efficacious Windows API call sequences through supervised machine learning strategies. An innovative Enhanced Min Max (EmRmR) filter technique is proposed, aiming to purge noisy features and isolate the most indicative feature subset that encapsulates the ransomware's true behavior. The EmRmR method, diverging from the traditional Min Max approach, circumvents the superfluous calculations that are a hallmark of the conventional algorithms, thereby necessitating a reduced number of evaluations. Additionally, a refinement procedure has been integrated to contract the program's call trace volume by discarding those Windows API calls lacking a robust correlation with ransomware's pivotal behavior. Subsequent to rigorous experimental analyses and juxtaposition with extant behavior-based detection methodologies, the proposed strategy has demonstrated its efficacy in differentiating ransomware behavior, delivering high detection precision alongside a diminution in false-positive occurrences.

Canine mammary tumors (CMT) are the most common cancer in noncastrated female dogs. Interestingly, triple-negative tumors are the most common molecular subtype in female dogs. In this study, we proposed to evaluate the expression of VEGFR-2, PDGFR and microvascular density (MVD) in a group of metastatic and nonmetastatic triple-negative CMT and compare the expression based on clinical parameters. Twenty-six female dogs with triple-negative mammary tumors were divided into three groups: nonmetastatic tumors (NMT) (N=11), tumors with lymph node metastasis (LNM) (N=10) and tumors with lung metastasis (LM) (N=5). We observed increased VEGFR-2 expression in LNM compared with NMT and a positive correlation between tumor grade and VEGFR-2 expression. A positive correlation was noted between VEGFR-2 and PDGFR expression. Regarding microvascular density (MVD), we identified a higher number of vessels in primary tumors with lymph node metastasis and lung metastasis compared with tumors with no metastasis. The primary tumors with lung metastasis exhibited an increased MVD compared with carcinoma with lymph node metastasis. Overall, our results suggest a deregulation of VEGFR-2 and PDGFR and high MVD in metastatic tumors, indicating a role for angiogenesis in tumor progression.

The high radio frequency polarization imaging of non-thermal emission from active galactic nuclei (AGN) is a direct way to probe the magnetic field strength and structure in the immediate vicinity of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and is crucial in testing the jet-launching scenario. To explore the the magnetic field configuration at the base of jets in blazars, we took advantage of the full polarization capabilities of the GMVA (Global Millimeter VLBI Array). With an angular resolution of ~50 micro-arcseconds at 86 GHz, one could reach scales down to ~900 Schwarzschild radii (for a 10^9 solar mass black hole). We present here the preliminary results of our study on the blazar BL Lac. Our results imply that on sub-mas scales the core and central jet of BL Lac is significantly polarized with two distinct regions of polarized intensity. We also noted a great morphological similarity between the 7mm/3mm VLBI images at very similar angular resolution.

: The objective of this study was to obtain different dry matter contents and proportions of mel-on plant biomass for silage making. A completely randomized design was adopted with a facto-rial scheme (3 x 2) in four replications. The first factor corresponded to three mixtures of melon biomass on as fed basis (AF) of plant (branch + leaf) and fruit (harvested melon) as follows: 100% plant, 90% plant + 10% fruit, and 100% fruit. The other factor corresponded to the ensiled materi-al with fresh and dehydrated melon plant biomass (40% DM) which was dried in the field, after harvest. Silages with partial dehydration of the biomass available after fruit harvest with 0% and 10% fruit showed the greatest DM values: 297 and 293 g/kg DM, respectively. Silages with 0, 100 and 10% fruit showed medium LAB populations: 5.79, 5.14 and 4.58 logs CFU/g, respectively. Higher concentrations of acetic acid contents were observed in silages with 0 and 10% fresh fruit, which were 14.9 and 14.1 g/kg DM, respectively. Silages with 0% and 100% of dehydrated fruit showed better results for the indicators of good-quality silage. Dehydration improves the fer-mentative profile and quality of the melon silage.

Buildings are subject to intrinsic and extrinsic failures at all stages of the construction process, i.e., design to occupancy (i.e., use) as several failure types can affect them. There are three basic steps for researching building failures: listing, cataloging, and solving/deciding whether highlighting the least invasive and lowest cost intervention. Therefore, this research presents some methods used in construction for the intervention prioritization and seeks to illustrate the most suitable methodology for different settings failure x diagnosis x intervention. Therefore, the most traditional tools are shown: BASICO, SWIFT, FEMEA, AAF, and GUT matrix, where a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses is carried out. After that, a case study on maintenance services for the moisture on the building facades was performed. Finally, the GUT matrix and the FMEA method are the best results

The Internet-of-Things (IoT) triggers new types of cyber risks. Therefore, the integration of new IoT devices and services requires a self-assessment of IoT cyber security posture. By security posture this article refers to the cybersecurity strength of an organisation to predict, prevent and respond to cyberthreats. At present, there is a gap in the state-of-the-art, because there are no self-assessment methods for quantifying IoT cyber risk posture. To address this gap, an empirical analysis is performed of 12 cyber risk assessment approaches. The results and the main findings from the analysis is presented as the current and a target risk state for IoT systems, followed by conclusions and recommendations on a transformation roadmap, describing how IoT systems can achieve the target state with a new goal-oriented dependency model. By target state, we refer to the cyber security target that matches the generic security requirements of an organisation. The research paper studies and adapts four alternatives for IoT risk assessment and identifies the goal-oriented dependency modelling as a dominant approach among the risk assessment models studied. The new goal-oriented dependency model in this article enables the assessment of uncontrollable risk states in complex IoT systems and can be used for a quantitative self-assessment of IoT cyber risk posture.

Polyploidy induction is recognized as one of the major evolutionary processes presenting remark-able morphological, physiological, and genetic variations in plants. Soybean (Glycine max L.), also known as soja bean or soya bean, is an annual leguminous crop of the pea family (Fabaceae) that shares a paleopolypoidy history, dating back to approximately 56.5 million years ago with other leguminous crops such as cowpea and other Glycine specific polyploids. This crop has been documented as one of the polyploid complex species among legumes whose gene evolution and result-ant adaptive growth characteristics, following induced polyploidization has not been fully explored. Furthermore, there are no successfully established in vivo or in vitro based polyploidy in-duction protocols that have been reported so far, particularly, with the intention to develop mutant plants showing strong resistance to abiotic salinity stress. This review, therefore, describes the role of synthetic polyploid plant production in soybean for the mitigation against high soil salt stress levels, and how this evolving approach could be used to further enhance nutritional, pharmaceutical and economic industrial value of soybeans, including addressing challenges involved during the polyploidization process.

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

The German wine sector has encountered new challenges in water management recently. To manage water resources responsibly, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the input of water and the output of wine, in terms of quantity and quality. The objectives of this study are to examine water use at the farm scale at three German wineries, and to develop and apply, for the first time, a quality-based indicator. Water use is analyzed in terms of wine production and wine-making over three years. After the spatial and temporal boundaries of the wineries and the water flows are defined, the farm water productivity indicator is calculated to assess water use at the winery scale. Farm water productivity is calculated using the AgroHyd Farmmodel modeling software. Average productivity on a quantity basis is 3.91 L wine per m3 of water. Productivity on a quality basis is 329.24 °Oechsle per m3 of water. Water input from transpiration for wine production accounts for 99.4–99.7% of total water input in the wineries, and, because irrigation is not used, precipitation is the sole source of transpired water. Future studies should use both quality-based and mass-based indicators of productivity.

Research Question: To what extent is local flora influenced by ornithogenic soil biochemical-composition in the South Sandwich Islands, with special attention given to Zavodovski, and what are the down-stream effects on the geology of the islands? Hypothesis: Areas supplied by fluvial run-off from penguin colonies, especially crˆeches, host the most productive and species rich floral landscapes, even after controlling for geothermal activity.

We describe a novel machine that uses the greater-than-100% efficiency of air/ground-source heat pumps to recursively generate electricity via steam-powered generators, taking thermal energy from the ambient environment to convert into electrical power. The invention of a machines that generate clean power at low costs will be fundamental to the future of electricity. We estimate efficiency and calculate minimum efficiencies for unknown parts to consider the applicability of this machine to the real world.

Community peer review is a method that extends the ethics of consent into scientific practices. It gives communities affected by scientific research the ability to determine whether research may cause them harm and be part of determining how knowledge should best circulate to reduce or eliminate that harm. This paper introduces the method of community peer review by first looking at the concepts of consent and refusal, then outlining the steps to community peer review, using a case study of community meetings on a study of plastic ingestion by fish to elucidate the details of each step. Steps include: hiring a community member to the team; researching the social, cultural, and economic contexts of the community; identify the community; ensure skills for community conversation are in place; call the community meeting; conduct the community meeting; and analyze feedback for consent and refusal. Community peer review is premised on the idea that research is not inherently good and can cause harm, and that the best people to know whether and what kinds of harms are likely to occur are community members rather than researchers. The second premise is that the researcher’s “right” to research never supersedes a community’s right to not be harmed.

(1) Background: In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy a subject participating in a (bio) medical experiment is termed a guinea pig. In Germany (Versuchskaninchen), The Netherlands, all of Scandinavia, and most of Eastern Europe, the term rabbit is used for such a subject. We have searched for potential differences in attitudes towards biomedical research by inhabitants of the respective European countries by making an analysis of frequency and motivation to participate in biomedical experiments on both sides of the European rabbit borderline. (2) Methods: We have performed an analysis of the use of experimental animals for research in European countries as well as country specific scientific output in PubMed indexed literature. Attitudes towards biomedical research in European countries was derived from EU questionnaires. (3) Results: In biomedical experiments with animals, more guinea pigs are used in laboratories in “rabbit countries” than in “guinea pig countries”. Inhabitants of “rabbit countries” have a higher participation rate in biomedical experiments and donation of blood than people from “guinea pig” countries. The reasons to participate in a medical experiment are not purely altruistic, especially in “rabbit countries”. (4) Conclusions: inhabitants of European countries in which a person who participates in a biomedical experiment is labeled as an (experimental) rabbit participate more in biomedical experiments as well as tissue and organ donation. Motives to do so are not just altruistic, because financial reasons also play a role.

New proposals for the equation of state of four- and five-dimensional hard-hypersphere mixtures in terms of the equation of state of the corresponding monocomponent hard-hypersphere fluid are introduced. Such proposals (which are constructed in such a way so as to yield the exact third virial coefficient) extend, on the one hand, recent similar formulations for hard-disk and (three-dimensional) hard-sphere mixtures and, on the other hand, two of our previous proposals also linking the mixture equation of state and the one of the monocomponent fluid but unable to reproduce the exact third virial coefficient. The old and new proposals are tested by comparison with published molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation results and their relative merit is evaluated.

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

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

Despite extensive research, the links between the accumulation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and the clinical features seen in patients suffering from various forms of Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) have yet to be further elucidated. This is particularly true for the neuropathology of these disorders, even though the neurological symptoms are currently incurable, even in the cases where a dis-ease-specific therapeutic approach does exist. One of the best ways to get insights on the molecular mechanisms driving that pathogenesis is the analysis of patient-derived cells. Yet, not every pa-tient-derived cell holds potential to recapitulate relevant disease features. For the neurodegenerative forms of these diseases in particular, it is challenging to grow neuronal cultures that accurately represent them because of the obvious inability to access live neurons. This scenario changed sig-nificantly since Yamanaka et al. published their protocol for induction of pluripotent stem cells (SC) from adult human fibroblasts. From then on, a series of differentiation protocols to generate neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) was developed and extensively used for disease mod-eling. Currently, human iPSC and iPSC-derived cell models have been generated for several MPS and numerous lessons were learnt from their analysis. Here we review most of those studies, not only listing the currently available MPS iPSC lines and their derived models, but also summarizing how they were generated and the major information different groups have gathered from their analysis. Finally, and taking into account that iPSC generation is a laborious/expensive protocol that holds significant limitations, we also comment on a tempting alternative to establish MPS pa-tient-derived neuronal cells in a much more expedite way by taking advantage of the existence of a population of multipotent SC in human dental pulp, to establish mixed neuronal and glial cultures.

Barchan dune fields are a dominant landscape feature in SE Qatar and a key element of the peninsula’s geodiversity. The migration of barchan dunes is mainly controlled by dune size, wind pattern, vegetation cover and human impact. We investigate the variability of dune migration in Qatar over a time period of 50 years using high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery and explore its relation to the regional Shamal wind system, teleconnection patterns, and limitations in sand supply associated with the transgression of the Arabian Gulf. We detect strong size-dependent differences in migration rates of individual dunes as well as significant decadal variability on a dune-field scale, which was found to be correlating with the intensity of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). High uncertainties associated with the extrapolation of migration rates back into the Holocene, however, do not permit to further specify the timing of the loss of sand supply and the onset of the mid-Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) highstand. For the youngest phase considered in this study (2006–2015), human impact is anticipated to have accelerated dune migration under a weakening Shamal regime through sand mining and excessive vehicle frequentation upwind of the core study area.

Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are toxic substances that contaminate aquatic environments, interfere with the development of the nervous system, and induce Neurodevelopmental Toxicity (NDT) in animals and humans. The canonical mechanism of OP neurotoxicity involves the inhibi-tion of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), but other mechanisms non-AChE are also involved and not fully understood. We used network toxicology and molecular docking to identify molecular targets and toxicity mechanisms common to OPs. Targets related to diazinon-oxon, chlorpyrifos oxon, and paraoxon OPs were predicted using the Swiss Target Prediction and PharmMapper databases. Targets related to NDT were compiled from GeneCards and OMIM databases. In order to construct the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, the common targets between OPs and NDT were imported into the STRING. Networks topological analyses identified EGFR, MET, HSP90AA1, and SRC as hub nodes common to the three OPs. Using Reactome pathway and gene ontology we found that signal transduction, axon guidance, cellular responses to stress, and glutamatergic signaling activation play key roles in OP-induced NDT.

The global trade and transportation sectors heavily rely on the maritime industry. Still, its dependence on fossil energy sources poses significant environmental challenges and leads to unstable fuel prices that affect the cost of goods transported by sea. This paper aims to evaluate the viability of seaports as energy-intensive entities and explore the feasibility of implementing a Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy System (NRHES). The study presents a case study of the Tanjung Priok Port in Indonesia, focusing on estimating energy consumption, emissions, and the potential impact of carbon taxation on seaport operations. By quantifying these factors, the research provides insights into the energy requirements, environmental effects, and potential costs associated with seaport carbon taxation. A comprehensive analysis of the technical and economic feasibility of implementing an NRHES in the seaport case study is conducted, determining the optimal sizing and composition of components, considering the proportion of nuclear and renewable energy sources. Additionally, the economic analysis considers energy costs, net present cost, cash flow, return on investment, and internal rate of return. The findings aim to inform decision-makers about the benefits and challenges of adopting an NRHES, contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable future for the maritime industry.

DiFX is a software VLBI correlator currently adopted by several main correlation sites around the globe. After the launch of the RadioAstron Space-VLBI mission in 2011, an extension was necessary to handle processing of an orbiting antenna, to be correlated with supporting ground arrays. We present here a branch of the main DiFX distribution (2.4), recently uploaded on the publicly available repository, that MPIfR developed to process data of the three AGN-imaging RadioAstron key science projects. It can account for general relativistic correction of an orbiting antenna with variable position/velocity, providing a routine to covert the native RDF format to the more common M5B one. Also, a fringe-finding algorithm able to manage arbitrary large fringe-search window is included, allowing one to increase the search space normally adopted by common software packages like HOPS.

A FIB/STEM interfacial study was performed on a TBC/Ti₂AlC MAX phase system, oxidized in an aggressive burner rig test (Mach 0.3 at 1300°C for 500 h). The 7YSZ TBC, a-Al₂O₃ TGO, and MAXthal 211 Ti₂AlC base were variously characterized by TEM/STEM, EDS, SADP, and HRTEM. The YSZ was a mix of ‘clean’ featureless and ‘faulted’ high contrast grains. The latter exhibited ferro-elastic domains of high Y content tetragonal t'' variants. No martensite was observed. The TGO was essentially a duplex a-Al₂O₃ structure of inner columnar plus outer equiaxed grains. It maintained a perfectly intact, clean interface with the Ti₂AlC substrate. The Ti₂AlC substrate exhibited no interfacial Al-depletion zone, but rather numerous faults along the basal plane of the hexagonal structure. These are believed to offer a means of depleting Al by forming crystallographic, low-Al planar defects, proposed as Ti_2.5AlC_1.5. These characterizations support and augment prior optical, SEM, and XRD findings that demonstrated remarkable durability for the YSZ/Ti₂AlC MAX phase system in aggressive burner tests.

The skyrocketing growth in the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices will certainly pose a huge traffic demand for fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks and beyond. In-band full-duplex (IBFD), which is theoretically expected to double the spectral efficiency of a half-duplex (HD) wireless channel and to connect more devices, has been considered as a promising technology to accelerate the development of IoT. To exploit the full potential of IBFD, the key challenge is how to handle network interference (including self-interference, co-channel interference and multiuser interference) more effectively. In this paper, we propose a simple yet efficient user grouping method, where a base station (BS) serves strong downlink users and weak uplink users and vice versa in different frequency bands, mitigating severe network interference. We aim to maximize a minimum rate among all users subject to bandwidth and power constraints, which is formulated as a highly nonconvex optimization problem. By leveraging inner approximation framework, we develop a very efficient iterative algorithm to solve this problem, which guarantees at least a local optimal solution. Numerical results are provided to show not only the benefit of using full-duplex raido at BS, but also the advantage of the proposed user grouping method.

In a 1.5°C warmer world, the Northeastern (NE) South America’s ecosystems will experience more severe droughts, associated with decreasing rainfall. The severity of flash drought events based on vegetation and surface soil moisture has not been identified over the Caatinga ecosys-tem. This study aimed to characterize the impact of flash drought events on vegetation response via soil moisture over NE South America during the first two decades of the 2000s. Three drought indices were used to characterize flash droughts: the Standardized Difference Vegetation Index (SDVI) derived from Meteosat Second Generation (MSG), the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) from ground-data, and the Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) product-based Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS). Results revealed dramatic impacts of flash drought events on vegetation dynamics that caused abrupt changes in the regional vegetation phenology. The regional patterns of flash drought events in 2012 over NE South America were identified and had a severe impact on its Caatinga-like vegetation-dependent moisture response. In 2012, anomalously long dry spells with negative rainfall anomalies in the non-rainy season and persistent on vege-tation greenness and rapidly decreased soil moisture were prominent, thus identifying NE South America to the impacts of flash drought events. Additionally, the results from the trends analysis of radiance fluxes estimated from the MSG satellites over 18 years revealed that an overall drying trend in the NE South America semiarid ecosystem during the last two decades. Here, flash drought events were identified as the conse-quent rainfall deficiency at SPI-3< −1 for a period of five consecutive weeks or more, which the soil moisture content dropping from the 40th percentile to below the 20th percentile, with the NDVI lower than 0.30 unit. These results could be useful to guide flash-droughts early warning systems in NE South America.

Background: Evidences on the effects of chemotherapy treatment cycles on measures of muscle, mental state, social and cognitive performance are scarce. Objective: To analyze the effects of chemotherapy cycles on muscle strength and activation, functional capacity, quality of life, fatigue and anxiety of women with breast cancer. Methods: Twenty-two women divided into a treatment group (n = 10; 46.6 ± 9.6 years) and control group (n = 12; 51.6 ± 7.0 years) participated in the study. Analysis of muscle performance, quality of life, fatigue and anxiety after the 2nd and 4th cycle of chemotherapy with anthracyclines and cyclophosphamide were performed in women with breast cancer (TRA) and compared to healthy women (CTR). Two-way ANOVA was used to compare the variance of the means and the significance level was set as p≤0.05. Results: Differences were found in the muscular activation of the vastus medialis between the groups at post time (p = 0.038), as well as in the sit and stand test in the baseline (p<0.001) and post moment (p<0.001). Functional capacity performance was different between baseline (p<0.001) and post-time (p<0.001) groups. Additionally, the TRA group worsened the quality of life in the domains of functional capacity (p<0.001) and limitation of physical aspects (p=0.002), besides presenting negative changes in fatigue. Conclusion: Anthracycline and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy cycles reduce muscular performance and affect biopsychosocial variables in women with breast cancer.

We are calling for a paradigm shift in engineering education. In times of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (“4IR”), a myriad of potential changes is affecting all industrial sectors leading to increased ambiguity that makes it impossible to predict what lies ahead of us. Thus, incremental culture change in education is not an option any more. The vast majority of engineering education and training systems, having remained mostly static and underinvested in for decades, are largely inadequate for the new 4IR labor markets. Some positive developments in changing the direction of the engineering education sector can be observed. Novel approaches of engineering education already deliver distinctive, student centered curricular experiences within an integrated and unified educational approach. We must educate engineering students for a future whose main characteristics are volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Talent and skills gaps across all industries are poised to grow in the years to come. The authors promote an engineering curriculum that combine timeless didactic tradition, such as Socratic inquiry, project-based learning and first-principles thinking with novel elements (e.g. student centered active and e-learning by focusing on the case study and apprenticeship pedagogical methods) as well as a refocused engineering skillset and knowledge. These capabilities reinforce engineering students’ perceptions of the world and the subsequent decisions they make. This 4IR engineering curriculum will prepare engineering students to become curious engineers and excellent communicators better navigating increasingly complex multistakeholder ecosystems.

Iodide is an essential micronutrient present in very small quantities in the human body, with a fundamental action for the adequate synthesis of thyroid hormones, which are critical for cell differentiation, growth and metabolism. In the form of iodide, iodine is widely distributed in the environment, although in an irregular manner, occurring in abundant amounts in the oceans and in coastal areas and scarcely found on islands and mountains. The diet is the main source of iodine, whose intake varies according to the amount present in soil and water and according to eating habits. Governmental policies have been adopted to satisfy and guarantee the necessary daily supply of iodine, such as fortification of industrialized salt for domestic iodine consumption or addition to the bread commonly consumed in a given region, or the offer of iodized oil to the population, or even iodine supplementation through medications. Iodide deficiency is the main avoidable cause of brain damage to fetuses and children, as well as retardation of psychomotor development. Thyroid hormones are almost universally involved in the development and proliferation of fetal neural tissue. Permanent lesions of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum may occur, with loss of, or damage to the brainstem or spinal cord, affecting cortical areas that integrate highly specialized stimuli, which become poorly defined on an anatomical basis, including silent areas of the associative cortex. One of the more significant metabolic problems due to dietary iodine deficiency is the presence of goiter (increased volume of the thyroid gland). Thyroid carcinoma is the most frequent endocrine neoplasia affecting the human species and plasma iodine concentration is related to the development of specific subtypes of this neoplasia. An increased prevalence of follicular carcinoma, a more aggressive tumor, has been observed in areas of iodine deficiency, while the correction of this deficiency is associated with a higher prevalence of papilliferous carcinoma, a less aggressive form. CONCLUSION: An ideal plasma iodide concentration is necessary to insure the proper mental development of fetuses and young children and to minimize the aggressiveness of thyroid cancer from follicular cells in humans.

In many countries, increasing concern for animal welfare is driving retailer commitments and government legislation that aim to improve the lives of farmed fish. One aspect of fish welfare involves stunning fish prior to slaughter. The feasibility of stunning depends on the species of fish and physical farm characteristics. In this article, we provide an overview of stunning before slaughter in European sea bass and sea bream aquaculture, one of the largest finfish farming industries in the developed world that does not yet stun most of its production. Sea bass and sea bream stunning necessitates the use of electrical stunning equipment aboard harvest vessels, often a significant distance from the shoreline; this presents an interesting engineering and policy challenge. Together, Türkiye, Greece, Spain, and Italy produced over 400,000 t of sea bass and sea bream in 2020. In Türkiye and Greece, farms are numerous and located very close to the shoreline. In Spain and Italy, farms are few and located far from the shoreline. The highest average production is found in farms from Türkiye (1,000 t) and Spain (1,300 t, and lower average production is found in Greece (300 t) and Italy (350 t). Producer progress towards the installation of electrical stunning appears comparatively well-developed for Türkiye, Spain, and Greece, though we emphasise that producers and other stakeholders require continued support to realise this opportunity. Producers in Italy appear slower to make progress on this aspect of animal welfare and may require additional support.

Strigolactones (SLs) are a novel emerging plant hormones, which play important roles in regulating plant organ development and environmental stress tolerance. Even though the SL related genes have been identified and well characterized in some plants. The information of SL related genes in soybean is not fully established yet, especially in response to salt stress. In this study, we identified nine SL biosynthesis genes: two D27, two CCD7, two CCD8, and three MAX1, and seven SL signaling genes: two D14, two MAX2 and three D53 in soybean genome. We found that SL biosynthesis and signaling genes are conserved during evolution in different species. Syntenic analysis of these genes revealed their location on nine chromosomes as well as existence of ten pairs of duplication genes. Moreover, plant hormone and stress-responsive elements were identified in the promoter regions of SL biosynthesis and signaling genes. By using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), we confirmed that SL genes have different tissue expression in roots, stems and leaves. Further, we also explored the expression profiles of SL biosynthesis and signaling genes under salt stress. These results suggested that SL signaling genes may play important regulatory roles in response to salt stress. In conclusion, we identified and provided valuable information on the soybean SL biosynthesis and signaling genes, and established a foundation for further functional analysis of soybean SL related genes in response to salt stress.

Background: Changes in body weight are associated with the regulation of DNA methylation (DNAm). In this study, we investigated the associations between maternal gestational weight gain-related DNAm and foetal and neonatal body composition. Methods: Brazilian pregnant women from the Araraquara Cohort Study were followed up during pregnancy, delivery, and after hospital discharge. Women with normal pre-pregnancy BMI were allocated to two groups: adequate gestational weight gain (AGWG, n=45) and excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG, n=30). Foetal and neonatal body composition was evaluated by ultrasound and plethysmography, respectively. DNAm was assessed in maternal blood using Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip arrays. Linear regression models were used to explore the associations between DNAm and foetal and neonatal body composition. Results: Maternal weight, GWG, neonatal weight, and fat mass were higher in the EGWG group. Analysis of DNAm identified 46 differentially methyl-ated positions and 11 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between the EGWG and AGWG groups. Nine human phenotypes were enriched for these 11 DMRs located in 13 genes (EMILIN1, HOXA5, CPT1B, CLDN9, ZFP57, BRCA1, POU5F1, ANKRD33, HLA-B, RANBP17, ZMYND11, DIP2C, TMEM232), highlighting the terms insulin resistance, and hyperglycaemia. Maternal DNAm was associated with foetal total thigh and arm tissues and subcutaneous thigh and arm fat, as well as with neonatal fat mass percentage and fat mass. Conclusion: The methylation pat-tern in the EGWG group indicated a risk for developing chronic diseases and involvement of ma-ternal DNAm in foetal lean and fat mass and in neonatal fat mass.

This study explores the impact of temperature and molarity on the pyrolysis of Açaí seeds (Euterpe Oleraceae, Mart.) activated with KOH on the yield of bio-oil, hydrocarbon content of bio-oil, antioxidant activity of bio-oil and chemical composition of aqueous phase. The experiments were carried out at 350, 400, and 450 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, with 2.0 M KOH, and at 450 °C and 1.0 at-mosphere, with 0.5 M, 1.0 M and 2.0 M KOH, in laboratory scale. The composition of bio-oils and aqueous phase determined by GC-MS, while the acid value, a physical-chemical property of fundamental importance in biofuels, of bio-oils and aqueous phases by AOCS methods. The antioxidant activity of bio-oils determined by the TEAC method. The solid phase (biochar) characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The diffractograms identified the presence of Kalicinite (KHCO3) in bio-char, and those higher temperatures favor the formation peaks of Kalicinite (KHCO3). The pyrolysis of Açaí seeds activated with KOH show bio-oil yields from 3.19 to 6.79 (wt.%), aqueous phase yields between 20.34 and 25.57 (wt.%), solid phase yields (coke) between 33.40 and 43.37 (wt.%), and gas yields from 31.85 to 34.45 (wt.%). The yield of bio-oil shows a smooth exponential increase with temperature. The acidity of bio-oil varied between 12.3 and 257.6 mgKOH/g, decreasing exponentially with temperature, while that of aqueous phase between 17.9 and 118.9 mgKOH/g, showing and exponential decay behavior with temperature, demonstrating that higher temperatures favor not only the yield of bio-oil but also bio-oils with lower acidity. For the experiments with KOH activation, the GC-MS of bio-oil identified the presence of hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes, cycloalkenes, and aromatics) and oxygenates (carboxylic acids, phenols, ketones, and esters). The concentration of hydrocarbons varied between 10.19 to 25.71 (area.%), increasing with temperature, while that of oxygenates from 52.69 to 72.15 (area.%), decreasing with temperature. For the experiments with constant temperature, the concentrations of hydrocarbons in bio-oil in-crease exponentially with molarity, while those of oxygenates decrease exponentially, showing that higher molarities favor the formation of hydrocarbons in bio-oil. The antioxidant activity of bio-oils decreases with increasing temperature, as the content of phenolic compounds decreases, and de-creases with increasing KOH molarity, as higher molarities favors the formation of hydrocarbons. Finally, it can be concluded that chemical activation of Açaí seeds with KOH favors the not only the yield of bio-oil but also the content of hydrocarbons. The study of process variables is of utmost importance in order to clearly assess reaction mechanisms, economic viability and design goals that could be derived from chemically activated biomass pyrolysis processes.

To understand the biological relevance and mode of action of artificial protein ligands, crystal structures with their protein targets are essential. Here, we describe and investigate all known crystal structures that contain a so-called “molecular tweezer” or one of its derivatives with an attached natural ligand on the respective target protein. The aromatic ring system of these compounds is able to include lysine and arginine side chains, supported by one or two phosphate groups that are attached to the half-moon shaped molecule. We analyse the corresponding crystal structures with 14-3-3 proteins in complex with mono- and diphosphate tweezers. Furthermore, we solved crystal structures of two different tweezer variants in complex with the enzyme 1-Pyrroline-5-carboxyl-dehydrogenase (P5CDH), and found that the tweezers are bound to a lysine and methionine side chain, respectively. The different binding modes and their implications for affinity and specificity are discussed, as well as the general problems in crystallizing protein complexes with artificial ligands.

TThe XPRIZE Foundation designs and operates multi-million-dollar, global competitions to incentivize the development of technological breakthroughs that accelerate humanity toward a better future. To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation coordinated with several organizations to make available data sets about different facets of the disease and to provide the computational resources needed to analyze those data sets. This is paper is a case study of the requirements, design, and implementation of the XPRIZE Data Collaborative, a cloud-based infrastructure that enables the XPRIZE to meet its COVID-19 mission and host future data-centric competitions. We examine how a Cloud Native Application can use an unexpected variety of Cloud technologies, ranging from containers, serverless computing, to even older ones like Virtual Machines. We also search and document the effects that the pandemic had on application development in the Cloud. We include our experiences of having users successfully exercise the Data Collaborative, detailing the challenges encountered and areas for improvement and future work.

Lower back musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are an important public health problem and the leading cause of disability worldwide, but with prevalence yet unknown among shellfish gatherers. To investigate the prevalence and work-related factors associated with lower back MSD in a population of female shellfish gatherers, an epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out in Saubara, Bahia – Brazil, in 2013. The Brazilian version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), in addition to a questionnaire containing the physical demands adapted to the artisanal work, were applied to a random sample of 209 female shellfish gatherers. The prevalence of lower back MSD was 72.7%. Using multivariate logistic regression, the shellfish gatherers who had worked for more than 26 years in the activity showed a prevalence of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.04-1.44) times higher compared to those unexposed. Lower back MSD was 1.24 (95%CI: 1.08-1.42) times higher among those more exposed to work sitting with trunk flexion. Those performed manual handling and muscle force with the arms had a prevalence ratio of 1.18 (95%CI: 1.01-1.39). These results show the need for greater awareness of health and social welfare factors impacting workers in small-scale fisheries and will promote the elaboration of health care policies for this occupational class.

Following legalization, cannabis has quickly become an important horticultural crop in Canada and increasingly so in other parts of the world. However, due to previous legal restrictions on cannabis research there are limited scientific data on the relationship between nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) supply (collectively: NPK) and the crop yield and quality. This study examined the response of a high delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Cannabis sativa cultivar grown in deep-water culture with different nutrient solution treatments varying in their concentrations (mg L^-1) of N (70, 120, 180, 250, 290), P (20, 40, 60, 80, 100) and K (60, 120, 200, 280, 340) according to a central composite design. Results demonstrated that inflorescence yield responded quadratically to N and P, with the optimal concentrations predicted to be 194 and 59 mg L^-1, respectively. Inflorescence yield did not respond to K in the tested range. These results can provide guidance to cultivators when formulating nutrient solutions for soilless cannabis production and demonstrates the utility of surface response design for efficient multi-nutrient optimization.

Most commercial Cannabis sativa L. (cannabis) genotypes are short-day plants and cultivators typically use a 12.0 h uninterrupted dark period to induce flowering; however, scientific information is lacking to prove this is the optimal dark period for all genotypes, and cultivar specific photoperiods may increase productivity. Tissue culture can be used for research requiring multiple treatments, proper replication, and in a controlled environment on a smaller scale compared to greenhouse and indoor facilities. To determine whether cannabis explants can flower under varied photoperiods in vitro, explants were grown under one of six photoperiod treatments: 12.0, 13.2, 13.8, 14.4, 15.0, and 16.0 h for four weeks. The percentage of flowering explants was highest under 12.0 and 13.2 h treatments. There were no treatment effects on the fresh weight, final height, or growth index of the explants. The results suggest an uninterrupted dark period of at least 10.8 h (i.e. 13.2 h photoperiod) is needed to induce the flowering of this genotype. In vitro flowering could provide a unique and high throughput approach to study floral/seed development and secondary metabolism in cannabis under highly controlled conditions. Further research should determine if this response is the same on a whole plant level.

Although the vegetative stage of indoor cannabis production can be relatively short in duration, there is a high energy demand due to higher light intensities (LI) than the clonal propagation stage and longer photoperiods than the flowering stage (i.e., 16 – 24 hours vs. 12 hours). While electric lighting is a major component of both energy consumption and overall production costs, there is a lack of scientific information to guide cultivators in selecting a LI that corresponds to their vegetative stage production strategies. To determine the vegetative plant responses to LI, clonal plants of ‘Gelato’ were grown for 21 days with canopy-level photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD) ranging between 135 and 1430 µmol·m^-2·s^-1 on a 16-hour photoperiod (i.e., daily light integrals of ≈ 8 to 80 mol·m^-2·d^-1). Plant height and growth index responded quadratically; the number of nodes, stem thickness, and aboveground dry weight increased asymptotically; and internode length and water content of aboveground tissues decreased linearly with increasing LI. Foliar attributes had varying responses to LI. Chlorophyll content index increased asymptotically, leaf size decreased linearly and specific leaf weight increased linearly with increasing LI. Generally, PPFD levels of ≈ 900 µmol·m^-2·s^-1 produced compact, robust plants that are commercially relevant, while PPFD levels of ≈ 600 µmol·m^-2·s^-1 promoted plant morphology with more open architecture – to increase airflow and reduce the potential foliar pests in compact (i.e., indica-dominant) genotypes.

Following the WHO's declaration of a public health emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the subsequent quarantine and confinement measures that were adopted, including distance learning measures, were shown to have caused a significant deterioration in the mental health of medical students. The goal of this study was to explore the mediating role of resilience and life satisfac-tion in the relationship between perceived stress and burnout among medical students in the con-text of COVID-19. A transversal assessment was performed using an online questionnaire, to which 462 students responded. The instruments applied were the Perceived Stress Scale-10, the Resilience Scale-25 items, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Burnout Scale (Olden-burg Inventory). A regression model was estimated for each dimension of burnout. The results revealed that resilience and life satisfaction play a mediating role in the association between stress and the dimensions of burnout. This suggests that measures of promoting mental health based on resilience and improving perceptions of life should be implemented.

In the recent years, tubular nanostructures have been related with immense advances in various fields of science and technology. Considerable research efforts have been centered on the theoretical prediction and manufacturing of non-carbon nanotubes (NTs), which meet modern requirements for the developing of novel devices and systems. In this context, diatomic inorganic nanotubes formed by atoms of elements from the 13th group of the periodic table (B, Al, Ga, In, Tl) and nitrogen (N), have received much research attention. In the present work, the elastic properties of single-walled boron nitride, aluminium nitride, gallium nitride, indium nitride and thallium nitride nanotubes were numerically evaluated using the nanoscale continuum modelling approach (also called molecular structural mechanics). The elastic properties (rigidities, surface Young´s and shear moduli, and Poisson´s ratio) of nitride nanotubes are discussed with respect to the bond length of the corresponding diatomic hexagonal lattice. The results obtained contribute to a better understanding of the mechanical response of nitride compound-based nanotubes, covering a broad range from the well-studied boron nitride NTs to the hypothetical thallium nitride NTs.

There are complex ethical dilemmas inherent in medicine teaching, particularly in clinical prac-tice involving actual patients. Questions must be raised on fulfilling medical students' training needs while still respecting patients' fundamental rights to autonomy and privacy. We aimed to assess patients' perspectives regarding medical students' involvement in their medical care. An observational, cross-sectional study was developed, and an interview-like questionnaire was ap-plied randomly to patients waiting for a consult/admitted to three distinct departments: General Surgery, Obstetrics/Gynaecology, and Infectious Diseases. Of the 77% interviewed patients who reported previous experiences with medical students, only 59% stated that they were asked for consent for their participation and 28% that students had adequately introduced themselves. Pa-tients from Gynaecology/Obstetrics were the ones who reported lower rates of these practices and were also the ones who were most bothered by students' presence, stating that they would refuse students' participation in the future. Male patients received more explanations than female pa-tients regarding the same matters. 35% of patients stated they would feel more comfortable without the medical students' presence. The study shows a need to pay closer attention to ful-filling patients' fundamental rights.

Load variations in any power system result in losses escalation and voltage drops. With the sensible and optimal allocation of distributed generators (DGs), these problems could be considerably mitigated. It has been seen in the priorly existing methods that ideally allocation of DGs has been carried out during fixed loads and constant power requirements. However, in real scenarios the loads are always variable and allocation of DGs must be done in accordance to the variations of the connected load. Therefore, the current paper addressed the aforementioned problem by distinctive optimal allocation of DGs for each variability of 24hour load horizon. However, the single exclusive solution is considered among all allocations of 24 hours. The min-max regret concept has been utilized in order to deal with such methodology. Altogether, 24 scenarios are analyzed wherein each scenario corresponds to a specific hour of the respective day. The optimal allocation of DGs in terms of their optimal sizing and placement has been carried out by using three algorithms including battle royal optimization (BRO), accelerated particle swarm optimization (APSO) and genetic algorithm (GA). The multi-objective optimization problem is evaluated on the basis of minimum value criterion of the multi-objective index (MO). MO comprises of active and reactive power losses and voltage deviation. Hence, in order to find robustness of proposed technique, Conseil international des grands réseaux electriques (CIGRE’s) MV benchmark model incorporating 14 buses has been considerably used as a test network. In the end the results of three proposed algorithms have been compared.

In this work, the possibility of fabrication magneto-optical ceramics by vacuum sintering of compacts prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) from suspensions of (Ho0.95La0.05)2O3 (HoLa) nanopowders made by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and (Y0.9La0.1)2O3 (YLa) nanopowders made by laser synthesis was systematically investigated. The processes of the formation of bulk one- and two-layer compacts by the EPD method from non-aqueous suspensions of nanopowders was studied. The use of acetylacetone and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) was shown to make it possible to obtain stable alcohol suspensions of the nanopowders characterized by high zeta potential values (+29…+80 mV) and to carry out a stable EPD process. One-layer compacts were made from the YLa and HoLa nanopowders with a density of 30–43%. It was found out that the introduction of PVB into the suspension leads to a decrease in the mass and thickness of the green bodies deposited, but does not significantly affect their density. A possibility to make two-layers (YLa/HoLa) compacts with a thickness of up to 2.6 mm and a density of up to 46% was demonstrated. Sintering such compacts in a vacuum at a temperature of 1750°C for 10 hours leads to the formation of ceramics with a homogeneous boundary between the YLa/HoLa layers and thickness of the interdiffused ions layer of about 30 μm.

COVID-19 and long COVID-19 vulnerabilities may be caused indirectly by albumin binding deficiency (ABD) which can be corrected by the correct administration of human serum albumin (HSA). The liver is the primary site of nutrient regulation and fluid volume maintenance, control of both is by changes to albumin concentration. In healthy subjects the HSA lymphatic nutrient pump (HSALNP) ensures continual pumping of nutrients from the liver are appropriately distributed to organs. Nutrients are delivered to cells according to the availability of binding to HSA. The HSALNP therefore maintains the correct nutrients and colloidal pressure balance in all tissues independently. In unhealthy tissues, following COVID-19 infection, the passage of HSA/nutrients through the interstitial spaces and lymph will be impeded. Fluid therapy into the periphery leads to dilution of essential nutrients attached to the protein-carriers such as albumin. The levels of albumin being charged by the liver with nutrients is critical in maintaining immune stability by maintaining nutrient support and colloidal pressure of cellular structures. The site of HSA binding by the liver is of great importance and direct infusion of albumin into the Hepatic Portal Vein is the most appropriate method of maintaining colloid pressure and cellular nutrient levels.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with abdominal obesity, but this association has not yet been investigated in individuals on hemodialysis. This cross-sectional study, developed with 1014 individuals, aimed to analyze the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its association with the consumption of ultra-processed foods in individuals on hemodialysis. Consumption of ultra-processed foods was measured using a questionnaire, whose list of foods was based on the Surveillance System of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases through Telephone Enquiry. Waist circumference was used to determine the presence of abdominal obesity. The difference in proportions between the independent variables and the outcome was verified using Pearson's chi-square test. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine the association between the outcome and the independent variables. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 77.22%. In the final model, higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, be male and an adult, have between 8 and 11 years of schooling and practice physical activity below the recommended level increased the chances of having abdominal obesity. The research provides a basis for the creation and improvement of public policies that promote improvements in these health determinants.

Self-assembly is a spontaneous process through which macroscopic structures are formed from basic microscopic constituents (e.g. molecules or colloids). By contrast, the formation of large biological molecules inside the cell (such as proteins or nucleic acids) is a process more akin to self-organization than to self-assembly, as it requires a constant supply of external energy. Recent studies have tried to merge self-assembly with self-organization by analyzing the assembly of self-propelled (or active) colloid-like particles whose motion is driven by a permanent source of energy. Here we present evidence that points to the fact that self-propulsion considerably enhances the assembly of polymers: self-propelled molecules are found to assemble into polymer-like structures, the average length of which increases towards a maximum as the self-propulsion force increases. Beyond this maximum, the average polymer length decreases due to the competition between bonding energy and disruptive forces that result from collisions. The assembly of active molecules might have promoted the formation of large pre-biotic polymers that could be the precursors of the informational polymers we observe nowadays.

Human Activity Recognition (HAR) technology enables continuous behavior monitoring, particularly valuable in healthcare. This study investigates the viability of using an ear-worn motion sensor for classifying daily activities, including lying, sitting/standing, walking, ascending stairs, descending stairs, and running. Fifty healthy participants (between 20 and 47 years old) engaged in these activities while under monitoring. Various machine learning algorithms, ranging from interpretable shallow models to state-of-the-art deep learning approaches designed for HAR, were employed for classification. Results demonstrate the ear sensor's efficacy, with deep learning models achieving 98% accuracy rate of classification. The obtained classification models are agnostic regarding which ear the sensor is worn and robust against moderate variations in sensor orientation (e.g., due to differences in auricle anatomy), meaning no initial calibration of the sensor orientation is required. The study underscores the ear's efficacy as a suitable site for monitoring human daily activity and suggests its potential for combining HAR with in-ear vital signs monitoring. This approach offers a practical method for comprehensive health monitoring by integrating sensors in a single anatomical location. This integration facilitates individualized health assessments, with potential applications in tele-monitoring, personalized health insights, and optimizing athletic training regimes.

68Ga-based radiopharmaceuticals are routinely used for PET imaging of multiple types of tumors tumours. Gallium-68 is commonly obtained from 68Ge/68Ga generators, which are limited in the quantity of activity produced. Alternatively, gallium-68 can easily be produced on a cyclotron using liquid targets. In this study we optimized the GMP production of [68Ga]GaFAPI-46 using gallium-68 produced from a standard medical cyclotron using liquid targets. Starting from the published synthesis and quality control procedures described for other 68Ga-based radiopharmaceuticals, we have validated the synthesis process and the analytical methods to test the quality parameters of the final product to be used for routine clinical studies. [68Ga]GaFAPI-46 was successfully produced with high radiochemical purity and yield using an IBA Synthera® Extension module. Gallium chloride was cyclotron produced on a medical cyclotron using a liquid target with an activity of 4.31 ± 0.36 GBq at the end-of-purification (EOP). Analytical methods were established and validated meeting Ph. Eur. standards. Fully GMP production was also validated in three consecutive batches, producing 2.50 ± 0.46 GBq of [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 at the end-of-synthesis (EOS), with 98.94 ± 0.72% radiochemical purity by radio-HPLC. Quality was maintained for up to 3 h after the EOS. Production of [68Ga]GaFAPI-46 was performed and validated using a standard medical cyclotron with liquid targets. Quality control parameters (e.g. sterility, purity, and residual solvents) conform to Eur. Phar. and shelf life of 3 h was established. Activity of [68Ga]GaFAPI-46 produced is substantially higher than the one obtained with generators enabling a better response to the clinical need for this radiopharmaceutical.

This article develops a multi-perspective view on motivations and methods for tobamovirus purification through the ages, and presents a novel efficient, easy-to-use approach that can be well-adapted to different species of native and functionalized virions. We survey the various driving forces prompting researchers to enrich tobamoviruses: from the search for the causative agents of mosaic diseases in plants to their increasing recognition as versatile nanocarriers in biomedical and engineering applications. Best practice and also rarely applied options for the serial processing steps required for successful isolation of tobamoviruses are then reviewed. Adaptations for distinct particle species, pitfalls and 'forgotten' or underrepresented technologies are considered as well. The article is topped off with our own development of a method for virion preparation, rooted in historical protocols. It combines selective re-solubilization of polyethylene glycol (PEG) virion raw precipitates with density step gradient centrifugation in biocompatible iodixanol formulations, yielding ready-to-use particle suspensions. This newly established protocol and some considerations for perhaps worthwile further developments could serve as putative stepping stones towards preparation procedures appropriate for routine practical uses of the multivalent soft-matter nanorods.

This work investigated the effect of temperature and acid or alkalis chemical activation by pyrolysis of Açaí seeds (Euterpe Oleraceae, Mart.) on the yield of bio-oil, hydrocarbon content of bio-oil, and chemical composition of aqueous phase. The experiments were carried out at 350, 400, and 450 °C and 1.0 atmosphere, KOH and HCl activation, in laboratory scale. The acidity of bio-oils and aqueous phases determined by AOCS methods, while the chemical composition of bio-oils and aqueous phase by GC-MS and FT-IR. The bio-char characterized by XRD. For the activation with KOH, the XRD analysis identified the presence of Kalicinite (KHCO3), the dominant crystalline phase in bio-char, while an amorphous phase was identified in bio-chars for the activation with HCl. The yield of bio-oil, for the pyrolysis of Açaí seeds activated with KOH, varied between 3.19 and 6.79 (wt.%), showing a smooth exponential increase with temperature. The acidity of bio-oil varied between 12.3 and 257.6 mgKOH/g, decreasing exponentially with temperature, while the acidity of aqueous phase lies between 17.9 and 118.9 mgKOH/g, showing and exponential decay behavior with temperature, demonstrating that higher temperatures favor not only the yield of bio-oil but also bio-oils with lower acidity. For the pyrolysis experiments activated with HCl, the yield of bio-oil varied between 2.13 and 3.37 (wt.%), decreasing linearly with temperature, while that of gas phase varied between 17.91 and 37.94 (wt.%), increasing linearly with temperature. The acidity of bio-oil varied between 127.1 and 218.5 mgKOH/g, increasing with temperature, showing that higher temperatures did not favor the yield of bio-oil and bio-oils acidity. For the chemical activation with KOH, the FT-IR analysis of bio-oils identified the presence of chemical groups characteristics of hydrocarbons and oxygenates, while that of aqueous phase only groups characteristics of oxygenates. For the chemical activation with HCl, the FT-IR analysis of bio-oil and aqueous phases identified only the presence of groups characteristics of oxygenates. For the experiments with KOH activation, the GC-MS of bio-oil identified the presence of hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes, cycloalkenes, and aromatics) and oxygenates (carboxylic acids, phenols, ketones, and esters). The concentration of hydrocarbons varied between 10.19 to 25.71 (area.%), increasing with temperature, while that of oxygenates from 52.69 to 72.15 (area.%), decreasing with temperature. For the experiments with HCl activation, the GC-MS of bio-oil identified only the presence of oxygenates. Finally, it can be concluded that chemical activation of Açaí seeds with KOH favors the not only the yield of bio-oil but also the content of hydrocarbons while activation with HCl produced bio-oils with only oxygen compounds.

Resistance spot welding is an established joining process in the production of safety-relevant components in the automotive industry. Therefore, a consecutive process monitoring is essential to meet the high-quality requirements. Artificial neural networks can be used to evaluate the process parameters and signals to ensure the individual spot weld quality. The predictive accuracy of such algorithms depends on the provided training data set and the prediction of untrained data is challenging. The aim of this paper is to investigate the extrapolation capability of the multi-layer perceptron model. That means, that the predictive performance of the model will be tested with data that clearly differs from the training data in terms of material and coating composition. Therefore, three multi-layer perceptron regression models were implemented to predict the nugget diameter from process data. The three models were able to predict the trained datasets very well. The models, which were provided with features from the dynamic resistance curve predicted the new dataset better than the model with only process parameters. This study shows the beneficial influence of the process signals on the predictive accuracy and robustness of artificial neural network algorithms. Especially, when predicting a data set from outside of the training space.

Analysis of plesiosaur swim dynamics by means of a digital 3D armature (wireframe “skeleton”) of a pliosauromorph (“Ava”) demonstrates that: 1, plesiosaurs used all four flippers for primary propulsion; 2, plesiosaurs utilized all four flippers simultaneously; 3, respective pairs of flippers of Plesiosauridae, front and rear, traveled through distinctive, separate planes of motion, and; 4, the ability to utilize all four paddles simultaneously allowed these largely predatory marine reptiles to achieve a significant increase in acceleration and speed, which, in turn, contributed to their sustained dominance during the Mesozoic.

This article shortly introduces Gaussian processes as a new approach for modelling time series in the field of blazar physics. In the second part of the paper, recent results from an application of GP modelling to the multi-wavelength light curves of the blazar PKS 1502+106 are discussed.

Despite the recommendation to treat depression using the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), novel findings raised doubts over the tDCS efficacy in managing depressive episodes. Neurophysiologic approaches to understand the specificities of brain responses to tDCS in de-pressed patients remains a feature. Objective: to compare the immediate hemodynamic responses to tDCS on left dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex (DLPFC; F3-Fp2 montage) in patients with depres-sive disorder and healthy controls (no additional stimuli). Methods: Sixteen participants were al-located in depression group and 16 in the control group. Both groups received 2mA tDCS for 20 minutes, using the F3-Fp2 montage. The hemodynamic effect over the DLPFC was assessed using near-infrared intracranial spectroscopy (NIRS) positioned on the left supraorbital region (Fp1). Mean, minimal and maximal values of baseline and post-stimulation rates of oxygen saturation (SatO2) were recorded. The oxygenated hemoglobin rates (HbO) were extracted. Results: Be-tween-group differences were detected for mean and minimal baseline rates of SatO2 and HbO levels. The depression group showed lower results compared to the control group. After the pro-tocol, only the depression group showed increased mean and minimal rates of SatO2 and HbO. The post-tDCS rates were equal for both groups. Conclusion: The findings showed immediate anodal tDCS effects over DLPFC hemodynamics. The effects were exclusive for the lowest base-line rates group, not affecting the normal oxygen rates group. The minimal increase of SatO2 and HbO rates after the protocol in the depression group suggests that those with reduced cerebral perfusion may be more affected by tDCS.

Bacteriophages, viruses that are widespread throughout the world, are highly specific for bacteria, usually of a single species and often of a particular strain. After being discovered and isolated 100 years ago, their use, called phage therapy, was instituted in medicine two years later and quickly used around the world to treat various bacterial infections. In the West, phage therapy was overshadowed in the second half of the 20th century by antibiotic therapy, which was then thought to be the definitive solution. But because of the increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the idea of using bacteriophages in medicine has been reawakened. The innumerable observations reported over the years in the literature constitute an invaluable experience. We and some of our colleagues have, in the last decade treated some patients compassionately. With the available documentation and our own experience we discuss the potential indications and limitations of phage therapy. The observation of the increasing number of therapeutic failures in the announced perspective of a post-antibiotic era, we believe, that the introduction of bacteriophages into the therapeutic arsenal seems conceivable today to two preconditions: that their production as biologic drug meets current regulatory standards and that the benefit-risk assessment was conducted in a modern setting. Phage therapy could be applied as a substitution or supplement to antibiotic therapy under multiple circumstances in different modes, precise indications and limits.