Primary hyperoxalurias (PHs) are a group of inherited alterations of the hepatic glyoxylate metabolism. PHs classification based on gene mutations parallel a variety of enzymatic defects, and all involve the harmful accumulation of calcium oxalate crystals that produce systemic damage. These geographically widespread rare diseases have a deep impact in the life quality of the patients. Until recently, treatments were limited to palliative measures and kidney/liver transplants in the most severe forms. Efforts made to develop pharmacological treatments succeeded with the biotechnological agent lumasiran, a siRNA product against glycolate oxidase, which has become the first effective therapy to treat PH1. However, small molecule drugs have classically been preferred since they benefit from experience and have better pharmacological properties. The development of small molecule inhibitors designed against key enzymes of glyoxylate metabolism is on the focus of research. Enzyme inhibitors are successful and widely used in several diseases and their pharmacokinetic advantages are well known. In PHs, effective enzymatic targets have been determined and characterized for drug design and interesting inhibitory activities have been achieved both in vitro and in vivo. This review describes the most recent advances towards the development of small molecule enzyme inhibitors in the treatment of PHs, introducing the multi-target approach as a more effective and safe therapeutic option.

With the continuous growth of electric and electronic appliances’ usage, the waste produced with obsolete material (e-waste) has an increasing environmental impact. Also, the production of such appliances bears to increased consumption of natural resources and produces a multitude of toxic and hazardous substances, which typically are not properly treated. One of the approaches that may be adopted to reduce such problems relies on the circularization of the current linear model, commonly adopted in the EEE value chain. This includes recovering eol products and reintroducing its parts, components, or raw materials into the value chain (e.g. semiconductors, circuit boards, raw metals, etc.), thus contributing to a more sustainable value chain. In this article, we present a state-of-art review that focuses on approaches and solutions for the EEE value chain traceability, and analyses the technologies that may be beneficial for promoting and implementing the CE model in this value chain.

This work explored and contrasted the effect of microstructure on the tensile properties of AlSi10Mg alloys generated by transient directional solidification depending on variations in cooling rate and Magnesium (Mg) content (i.e., 0.45 and 1wt.% Mg), with a focus on understanding the dendritic growth and phases constitution. Optical and Scanning electron (SEM) microscopies, CALPHAD and thermal analysis were used to describe the microstructure, forming phases and resulting tensile properties. The findings showed that the experimental evolution of the primary dendritic spacing is very similar when both directionally solidified (DS) Al-10wt.% Si-0.45wt.% Mg and Al-10wt.% Si-1wt.% Mg alloys samples are compared. The secondary dendritic spacing was lower for the alloy with more Mg, especially considering the range of high growth velocities. Moreover, a greater fraction of (Al+Si+Mg2Si) ternary eutectic islands surrounding the -Al dendritic matrix was noted for the alloy with 1wt.% Mg. As a result of primary dendritic spacings greater than 180 m related to lower cooling rates, slightly higher tensile properties were attained for the Al-10wt.% Si-0.45wt.% Mg alloy. In contrast, combining dendritic refining (< 150 m) and larger Mg2Si fraction, fast solidified DS Al-10wt.% Si-1wt.% Mg samples exhibited higher tensile strength and elongation. The control of cooling rate and fineness of the dendritic array provided a new insight related to the addition of Mg in slightly higher levels than conventional ones, capable of achieving a better balance of tensile properties in AlSi10Mg alloys.

Terpenoids, including monoterpenoids (C₁₀), norisoprenoids (C₁₃) and sesquiterpenoids (C₁₅), constitute a large group of plant-derived naturally occurring secondary metabolites which chemical structure is highly diverse. A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model to predict the terpenoids toxicity and to evaluate the influences of their chemical structure, was developed in this study, by assessing the toxicity of 27 terpenoid standards using Gram-negative bioluminescent Vibrio fischeri, in real time. Under the test conditions, at concentration of 1 µM, the terpenoids showed a toxicity level lower than five %, with exception of geraniol, citral, (S)-citronellal, geranic acid, (±)-α-terpinyl acetate and geranyl acetone. Moreover, the standards tested displayed a toxicity level higher than 30 % at concentration of 50 to 100 µM, with the exception of (+)-valencene, eucalyptol, (+)-borneol, guaiazulene, β-caryophellene and linalool oxide. Regarding the functional group, the terpenoids toxicity was observed in the following order: alcohol > aldehyde ~ ketone > ester > hydrocarbons. CODESSA software was employed to develop the QSAR models based on the correlation of terpenoids toxicity and a pool of descriptors related to each chemical structure. The QSAR models, based on t-test values, showed that terpenoids toxicity was mainly attributed to geometric (e.g., asphericity) and electronic (e.g., max partial charge for a C atom [Zefirov's PC]) descriptors. Statistically, the most significant overall correlation was the four-parameter equation with training and test coefficient correlation higher than 0.810 and 0.535, respectively, and square coefficient of cross-validation (Q²) higher than 0.689. According to the obtained data, the QSAR models are a suitable and a rapid tool to predict the terpenoids toxicity in a diversity of food products.

Melt mixing is a convenient method to prepare polymer nanocomposites, but the extent of the dispersion of the solid filler reached is often limited, and may compromise the anticipated performance of these materials during service. Since the efficiency of extensional flows on dispersion is now well recognized, several mixers were designed with the aim of inducing both shear and extensional flow components. This work combines experimental and numerical data to better understand the kinetics of the dispersion of graphite nanoplates in a polypropylene melt, using a mixing device that consists of a series of stacked rings with equal outer diameter and alternating larger and smaller inner diameters, thus creating a series of converging/diverging flows. Numerical simulation of the flow using the opensource OpenFOAM software assuming both inelastic and viscoelastic responses predicted the velocity, streamlines, flow type and shear and normal stress fields for the mixer. Experimental and computed data were combined to determine the trade-off between the local degree of dispersion of the PP/GnP nanocomposite, measured as Area ratio, and the absolute average value of the hydrodynamic stresses multiplied by the local cumulative residence time. From considerations based on a theoretical approach to dispersion, the cohesive strength of the GnP agglomerates studied was estimated to be in the range 3 - 10kPa.

Infrared thermography has already been proven to be a significant method in non-destructive evaluation since it gives information with immediacy, rapidity and low cost. However, the thorniest issue for wider application of IRT is the quantification. In this work, we proposed a specific depth quantifying technique by employing the Gated Recurrent Units (GRU) in composite material samples via pulsed thermography (PT). Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer(CFRP) embedded with flat bottom holes were designed via Finite Element Method (FEM) modeling in order to precisely control the depth and geometrics of the defects. The GRU model automatically quantified the depth of defects presented in the CFRP material. The proposed method evaluated the accuracy and performance of synthetic CFRP data from FEM for defect depth predictions.

Introduction: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrinologic disorder that affects 5-15 % of women of their reproductive age and is a frequent cause of infertility. Major symptoms include hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, a characteristic multi-follicular morphology of the ovary, an elevated ratio of LH/FSH, and often obesity and/or insulin resistance. PCOS also represents a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is closely interlinked with the metabolic features. Inflammatory processes consist of the acute inflammatory response and resolution processes initiated concomitantly. "Classical" pro-inflammatory lipid mediators like prostaglandins (PG), leukotrienes (LT), or thromboxanes (TX) are derived from arachidonic acid (AA) and are crucial for the initial response. Resolution processes are driven by four families of so-called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs): resolvins, maresins, lipoxins, and protectins. SPM biosynthesis starts from the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids DHA, DPA, or EPA via certain hydroxylated intermediates (18-HEPE, 17-HDHA, 14-HDHA). The present study aimed to establish lipid mediator profiles of PCOS patients compared to healthy women to identify differences in their resolutive and pro-inflammatory lipid parameters. Material and Methods: Blood samples were taken (20 ml), separated into plasma and serum, and analyzed by HPLC/MS-QQQ. Fifteen female patients (18-45 years) were diagnosed with PCOS according to Rotterdam criteria, and five healthy women, as comparator group, were recruited for the study. The main outcome measures were: Pro-inflammatory lipid mediators (PG, LT, TX) and their precursor AA; SPMs (Resolvins, Maresins, Protectins, Lipoxins), their precursors EPA, DHA, DPA, and their active biosynthesis pathway intermediates (18-HEPE, 17-HDHA, 14-HDHA). Ratio [(sum of pro-inflammatory molecules)/sum of SPMs]. Results: The level of pro-inflammatory parameters in serum was significantly higher in PCOS-affected women. The ratio [(sum of pro-inflammatory molecules) / (sum of SPMs plus hydroxylated intermediates)] reflecting the inflammatory state was significantly lower in the group of healthy women. Conclusion: There is a strong pro-inflammatory state in PCOS patients. Further research will clarify whether supplementation with SPMs or their precursors may improve this state.

The saturation properties of symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter have been computed using the finite range simple effective interaction having Yukawa form-factor. The results of higher order derivatives of the energy per particle and the symmetry energy computed at saturation, namely, Q0, Ksym, Kτ, Qsym, are compared with the corresponding range of values extracted from studies involving theory, experiment and astrophysical observations. The ability of the equations of state computed with this simple effective interaction in predicting the threshold mass for prompt collapse in binary neutron star merger and gravitational redshift have been examined in terms of the compactness of the neutron star and the incompressibility at the central density of the maximum mass star. The correlations existing between neutron star properties with the nuclear matter saturation properties have been analyzed and compared with the predictions of other model calculations.

'Cv 'Doña María' table grape is a high-quality table grape variety included in the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) of the European Union "The bagged grape of the Vinalopó." The PDO stipulates that grape clusters must be protected with paper bags from inclement weather and insects, which helps enhance the final grape quality. However, 'Doña María' is a variety prone to high shattering in the late stages of ripening on the vine and during postharvest. Inorganic calcium treatments are one of the most commonly used tools to reduce this disorder, but the translocation of this mineral from veraison onward has been questioned. In this study, five applications were performed, from veraison to harvest, using sorbitol-chelated calcium (0.7 % + 1.0 %), Ca(NO3)2 (Ca) at 0.7% and sorbitol at 1%. It was observed that bagged grapes (not wetted with the solutions) only increased the concentration of total and bound calcium when treated with Sorbitol-Ca. This resulted in reduced berry drop during cultivation and postharvest and improved fruit firmness. Additionally, it reduced grape metabolism indicators such as respiration rate, weight loss, malic acid degradation, prevented abscisic acid (ABA) and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and favored the accumulation of secondary metabolites such as total polyphenols, increased antioxidant activity, and sugar content. The application of sorbitol-chelated calcium is an effective and safe tool that enhances fruit quality and prevents losses due to shattering during postharvest.

60\% of the global population is expected to be in cities by 2050. At the same time the climate is changing at an accelerated rate. In this short paper we discuss the conflation of these two phenomena and how it may change the cities of the future. We formulate this as an optimization problem that could help answer important questions such as where are they likely to be located? How are they to be powered? What would be their demand for mobility and how might this be met? How over or under ground might these cities be? This paper first looks at a historical paradigm of cities in the absence of the climate crisis and then proposes the new paradigm to look at cities of the future faced by the challenge of the climate change crisis.

This critical review revisited the new classification system for periodontitis, specifically for staging, suggesting modifications, and introducing a new flowchart for a better clinical evaluation. It evaluated articles published between 2018 and 2024 in the English language, which had an educational motivation focused on staging periodontitis. PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Embase databases were used to retrieve the articles. The focus questions involved the analysis of all parameters for staging periodontitis. A total of 836 articles were initially found; 388 duplicated were excluded; 448 were evaluated by title and abstract; 26 articles followed for full-text reading, and 6 articles were included in this critical review (k=0.98). All articles included detailed parameters and steps about how to diagnose periodontitis. Therefore, it was possible to observe instability and “gray zones” in the staging step, which was due to a lack of priority and an organized order sequence. This review suggests the severity parameters cannot be overcome by complexity parameters, following a cumulative sequence: CAL (1^st), RBL (2^nd), TLP (3^rd), and, after, complexity parameters. An exception must be permitted only for complexity factors between Stages III and IV that can change the initial Stage (III or IV) obtained through the severity analysis, but only between themselves. Moreover, for patients without tooth loss or with TLP of ≤4 teeth (without need for complex rehabilitation) and presenting any type of drifting or flaring or a secondary traumatic occlusion, it cannot be a justification for moving the diagnosis from Stage III to Stage IV.

The purpose of this project is to develop and build an extensible fixture. This fixture is ideal to milling, drilling, and shaping operations. Jigs and fittings are often the most cost-effective methods of mass fabricating a component. As a result, jigs and fittings are used and play a vital part in the mass production system. These are specialist work holding and tool-guiding devices. The quality of jigs and fixtures used in a process has a substantial impact on its performance. A fixture is distinctive because it is meant to fit a given area or shape. The basic purpose of a fixture is to find and, in certain instances, hold a workpiece throughout an operation. A jig differs from a fixture in that it leads the tool to the right position or movement during an operation, in addition to locating and supporting the workpiece. When a key is reproduced, the original key serves as a base for the path reader, which regulates the tool's movement to construct the duplicate key. In this situation, a CWC machine's route reader works as a jig, with the original being referred to as the template. Sometimes the template and jig refer to the same part of a production system.

This note applies the Logistic model approximation to determine the suitable start and end dates for the observed epidemic curves in the total number of cases for different countries. The Logistic model is presented and explicit relations for the beginning and end dates are obtained together with the total epidemic duration. Using data from Brazil, Germany, Italy, and South Korea, the extreme dates are calculated. Since the epidemic onset time is found, a fair comparison of the epidemic curve for these countries is obtained. The result does not depend on the poor statistics available in the early phase of the epidemic when the initial number of infectives is unknown. In fact, the total duration depends only on the characteristic time parameter of the LM model.

Amid the covid-19 pandemic, other diseases, including viruses, are still acting to the detriment of their seasonality and risk factors for contagion. For this reason, it is interesting to know the degree of impact of other viruses, mainly respiratory, in which they have similar symptoms, in diagnoses for contamination by the new coronavirus based on epidemiological surveys, via epidemiological weeks, in Brazil. To what extent there may be a hypothesis of confusion of contaminated data, harming the health system, with regard to the need for intensive care units and control of viruses, and negatively or positively implying in the control or uncontrolling of viruses in general.

Objectives: The goal of this pilot study was to validate and introduce a new AI tool (algorithm), providing and comparing (1) the periodontal/peri-implant diagnosis between professional (specialist) and automated tool, (2) risk assessment and prognostication with the algorithm, and (3) establish cut-off limits for clinically significant disease with a new score system (GF-PeDRA score). Methods: All patients were evaluated by two evaluators, and in case of any divergence, the case was revisited and discussed until clarification and definition. The validation sample constituted 221 patients. The AI tool (GF-PeDRA©) had eighteen parameters to be assessed, involving systemic and local predictors, achieving an octadecagon (an eighteen-sided polygon). The parameters were: (1) The highest probing depth (PD); (2) Number of interproximal sites with bone loss; (3) The highest clinical attachment loss (CAL); (4) Maximum radiographic bone loss (RBL); (5) Bleeding on probing (% BoP); (6) Bone loss pattern; (7) Tooth loss including periodontally hopeless teeth planned for extraction; (8) Evidence of progression over five years; (9) Need for complex rehabilitation; (10) Patient’s age; (11) CAL and biofilm accumulation; (12) Smoking; (13) Diabetes; (14) Extension and distribution of the disease; (15) Peri-implant disease; (16) Other systemic conditions (other than diabetes); (17) Furcation involvement; and (18) Necrotizing lesion. A new score system (GF-PeDRA© score) based on the percentual of the octadecagon area is obtained; if the area was ≥0% to ≤9%, the prognosis is good; ≥10% and ≤ 24%, it is fair; ≥25% and ≤37%, poor; ≥38% and ≤49%, it is questionable; and between ≥50% to ≤100%, the prognosis is hopeless. Results: 221 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 46.73. 5301 teeth were examined. 187 non-smokers (84.62%) and 34 smokers (15.38%) were included. 193 (87.33%) patients did not have diabetes, whereas 28 (12.67%) had. Comparing the diagnosis between both evaluators, k=0.83; all disagreed cases were re-discussed, and a final decision/diagnosis was reached. After this, the diagnosis found was contrasted with the diagnosis achieved by GF-PeDRA© and a perfect agreement was observed, 100% (k=1.0). 28 patients were diagnosed as periodontally healthy, 55 with plaque-induced gingivitis, and 138 with periodontitis. Only one case of molar/incisor pattern was observed. No peri-implant disease or necrotizing condition was found. The mean CAL found was 3.19 mm; 25 patients (11.31%) had a furcation involvement. The mean percentual of BoP found was 28.67% (median = 19%; maximum: 100%; minimum: 100%); and the mean PD was 5.31 mm. The mean of the new GF-PeDRA© score (ranging from 0% to 100%) was 28.64%, with a median of 32.2% (minimum: 0.6% and maximum: 64.1%). Then, analyzing the GF-PeDRA© score of 221 patients enrolled, 48 (21.73%) were sorted as a Good prognosis for periodontal treatment, 43 (19.45%) had a Fair prognosis, 43 (19.45%) had a Poor prognosis, 68 (30.77%) had a Questionable prognosis, and 19 (8.60%) had a Hopeless prognosis. Conclusion: The new AI tool (GF-PeDRA©) was validated and proved to be extremely helpful in diagnosing and providing risk assessment and prognosis.

In a meta-analysis, we examined the behavioral portfolio of invasive brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) and native green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) in urban and non-urban environments. We hypothesized that invasive anoles should display more agonistic and bold signals (head bobbing, dewlap extensions and pushups) than their native range counterparts, and their native competitors. We found that in urban settings, anoles of both species signaled more with dewlap extensions than with head-bobs. The brown anoles displayed significantly higher in non-urban habitats and their native range compared to urban habitats and invasive ranges. The outcome of our analysis suggests that brown anoles have plastic behavioral portfolios, whereas the green anole have relatively balanced preferences for head-bobbing irrespective of the habitat in which the populations were collected. We attribute the success of the brown anole invasion to the flexible strategy in face of higher mate competition, higher predation risks, and less resource competition in the urban environments and invasive ranges. Lastly, we observed publication biases. More studies are conducted with urban and invasive brown anoles and specifically in manipulative mesocosm experimental settings - transplanting populations from native field settings. We show this altered the display rates across all studied signals.

During normal ageing, physical changes take place, namely in terms of the biomechanical, musculoskeletal, and psychomotor systems, that reduce strength, flexibility, motor coordination, balance, and precision of movements. This article analyses the motion behaviour of a sample of 49 senior and pre-senior subjects during the process of entry to (ingress) and exit from (egress) new car models not experienced before, obtained over five days at the Geneva International Motor Show. The methodological process is based on visual studies using photography and video to analyse motion behaviour. This investigation identifies five entry movement strategies and three exit movement strategies in three types of vehicle groups. The movements adopted in the egress of the vehicle were more complex and difficult, in general, than those observed for ingress, requiring greater flexibility, agility/dexterity, and physical strength of subjects, involving more contact or support with vehicle parts. The main factor that influences movement strategies is essentially related to subjects’ levels of physical capacity and previous experiences. In conclusion, there are no significant changes in the subjects’ somatic movement strategies based on vehicle types.

The literature, aimed at understanding the income-price elasticity of air passenger demand, bases its analysis on airport movement. The diversity of studies regarding the casualty between air transportation and economic growth are examples. Some studies covering this link, estimate the income-price relationship with the demand considering international traffic. Considering a domestic setting, where this traffic is significant in Brazil, studies related to remote regions are scarce, and the existing ones focus on governmental policies and subsidies. In addition, empirical studies on the theme consenter themselves in developed regions, such as Europe, North America, and Australia. For Brazil, where we find the Amazon region, there are no empirical researches. This paper analyses the price-income elasticity of the demand regarding domestic passengers in air links from remote cities of the Brazilian Amazon. This study uses panel data regression analysis method on a database of domestic scheduled flights of Brazil´s National Civil Aviation Agency. The results show that air passengers involving remote region flights present a lower sensitiveness regarding local income and airline´s price variations than those in flights among capitals. The higher difference is in income-elasticity of the remote city of origin, which is lower than that of the air traffic among capitals.

Background: Research articles are essential for describing new ideas, techniques, and procedures and consolidating concepts. It creates an opportunity to expose studies and publicly assimilate published knowledge. Therefore, one of them is the most used and accepted index to verify the author’s scientific impact is the H-index or Hirsch index. It provides a robust single metric that combines quality and quantity. Therefore, it presents disadvantages, (1) researchers with shorter scientific carriers may have fewer articles and citations than those with longer scientific life; (2) it allows scientists to receive citations even if no new papers are published; (3) it is only useful for comparing the better scientists in a field; (4) this indicator can never decrease; (5) it is only weakly sensitive to the number of citations received; (6) the major and minor (or no) contributor in the research gained equal h-index. Then, the H-index ignores the total of citations and the time of a researcher's experience (“scientific age” [sa]). Objective: Thus, the goal of this study was to present a new index system (GFsa index ©) based on the two variables completely forgotten (total of citations and “scientific age”), introducing a new terminology “scientific age”, to evaluate the best-ranked researchers in Dentistry. Methods: The AD Scientific Index was used, and all researchers included in this study were cited in the AD Scientific Index (2024) in the Dentistry field and had the Google Scholar page accessible for a consultation to manually obtain the total of citations and calculate the “scientific age”. The information was retrieved by two authors (G.V.O.F. and J.C.H.F.), who assessed the data twice to avoid errors or mistakes. For inclusion: a minimum H-index value of 30; for exclusion: (i) the author did not have a Google Scholar page; (ii) duplicated author; or (iii) presented any suspicious activities about manipulation of articles. Then, a dataset of all researchers who were reported in Dentistry was prepared (name, H-index, i10 index, and publications). The formula developed and applied was GFsa=(total number of citations)/(“scientific age)². The Pearson correlation statistically evaluated the data obtained; the confidence interval was 95%. Results: A total of 9,093 researchers in Dentistry were recorded, of whom 1,020 were included. Then, we collected all 1,020 researchers' Google Scholar data (publications, citations, and indexes), and each researcher's total citations and “scientific age” were registered and calculated. The mean “scientific age” registered was 34.18 ± 13.34 (standard error of mean = 0.4181). With this information and data collected, GFsa index © was calculated, presenting a minimum value of 0.2186 and a maximum of 154.8 (mean = 10.33 ± 11.82; standard error of mean = 0.3706). Then, the data was organized and sorted following the ranking obtained in the GFsa index ©. The Pearson correlation showed that the H-index had a weakly positive association with the researcher’s “scientific age”; this fact means that the H-index will increase according to the “scientific age” increase. Otherwise, a moderately negative correlation between GFsa and “scientific age” was demonstrated, whereby a higher GFsa © had a lower “Scientific age”. This assessment shows that the variables introduced were fairly used. Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between both indexes (H-index and GFsa). Conclusion: It is possible to conclude that the new variable reported (“Scientific age”) and using the total citations brought a fairer and more feasible evaluation among the researchers. Thus, we are launching the new GFsa index © and the new information named “Scientific age” for the first time in the literature. The future perspective of the GFsa © application will be (1) the evaluation of the 9,093 researchers in Dentistry (total initially registered), including more authors/researchers in the Dentistry field, (2) expanding the exposition of this new index for other areas of the knowledge, and (3) provide free access of all data through the website (http://gfindex.us.to).

A large amount of data is produced every day by stakeholders of the Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, in particular airline operators, airports, and air navigation service provider (ANSP). Most data is kept private for many reasons, including commercial and security concerns. More than data, shared information is precious, as it leverages intelligent decision-making support tools designed to smooth daily operations. We present a framework to detect, identify and characterise anomalies in past aircraft trajectory data. It is based on an open source of ADS-B based aircraft trajectories, and extracted information can benefit a wide range of stakeholders: Air Traffic Control (ATC) training centres could play more realistic simulations; ANSP may improve capacity indicators; academics improve safety models and risk estimations; and commercial stakeholders, like airlines and airports, may use such information to improve short-term predictions and optimise their operations. The technique is based on autoencoding artificial neural networks applied on flows of trajectories, which provide a useful reading grid associating cluster analysis with quantified level of abnormality. In particular, we find that the highest anomaly scores correspond to poor weather conditions, whereas anomalies with a lower score relate to ATC tactical actions.

Advanced Nano structural hard coatings are thin materials films that range in thickness from a few nanometers to a few micrometers and are applied to different surfaces to increase their hardness and wear resistance. Physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods are frequently used to deposit these coatings. These coating’s distinctive characteristics result from their microstructure, which is made up of material columns or grains with a diameter of only a few nanometers. Increased hardness, higher wear resistance, and improved tribological properties result from these short dimensions. In applications with significant wear and/or high contact pressures, such as cutting tools, bearings, and engine parts, the usage of sophisticated Nano structural hard coatings is crucial. Advanced Nano structural hard coatings include, 1. Amorphous carbon coatings with high hardness, low friction, and exceptional wear resistance are known as diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings. DLC coatings are frequently used in a variety of industries, including the automotive, aerospace, and biomedical ones. 2. Coatings made of titanium nitride (TiN): These metallic coatings have high hardness and wear resistance. Cutting tool, machining, and aerospace industries frequently use TiN coatings. 3. Chromium nitride (CrN) coatings: These coatings have great corrosion resistance, good wear resistance, and high hardness. Cutting tools, gears, and bearings are just a few of the objects that use CrN coatings. 4. Tungsten carbide (WC) coatings: These coatings, which have a high degree of hardness and wear resistance, are frequently employed in cutting tools and other applications that require wear resistance. Advanced Nano structural hard coatings provide many advantages over conventional coatings, including better hardness, increased wear resistance, and improved tribological qualities. The automotive, aerospace, and biomedical industries are just a few that could use these coatings. In this paper the author will explain about the design synthesis and applications of advanced Nano structural hard coating in aerospace and automotive applications.

Purpose: The goal of this article was to introduce a new technique for root coverage (RC), the Mixed-Thickness Tunnel access (MiTT), approaching a full-split design, showing the results obtained in a case series and demonstrating it step-by-step. Methods: Healthy individuals, non-smokers, and non-diabetics, who were diagnosed with gingival recession (GR) type 1 or 2 (RT1 or RT2). After all necessary evaluations, prophylaxis was performed 14 days before the surgical procedure. Then, after the basics clinical conduct and anesthesia, one or two vertical incision(s) on the mucosa (around 1-2 mm apical to the MGJ), lateral to the papilla base, were done. Initial detachment of the mucosa from the muscles (split design); it was permitted (but not mandatory) to do intrasulcular incisions; from the MGJ to coronal, subperiosteal access was done to raise the full-thickness tunnel. It must communicate up to the gingival sulcus area and the papilla’s base, keeping the papilla’s tip intact. A connective tissue graft was harvested, which was inserted through the linear incision or intrasulcularly. Interrupted sutures were done and may be used as adjunctive material. Results: Nine healthy individuals (7 females and 2 males) aged 19 and 43 years were enrolled. They were treated following the MiTT steps. There were four cases with a single GR, 2 patients with 2 teeth involved, and three with 3 or 4 GR. Seven cases were RT1 and two RT2. All RT1 cases achieved 100% RC, while the mean RC obtained for RT2 was around 80%. Conclusion: MiTT can be considered a more straightforward approach for minimally invasive surgical technique, which is a feasible option to treat RC with a high success rate, predictability, and esthetic preservation. There is a technical sensitivity to performing the full-split design procedure.

This study was carried out with a low-cost electronic nose prototype based on eight metal oxide sensors (MQ) in order to characterize samples of lemons treated with 0.5% and 0.1% of sodium benzoate. The MQ sensors designed are sensitive to one or more chemicals to detect the presence of a variety of chemicals in the air. The sensor MQ135 detects ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and benzene. Signal data were studied to obtain a pattern recognition of rotten in lemon fruits. Network analysis was used to obtain a calibration of measures among the stage of lemons. In this article, an electronic nose prototype based on 8 MQ metal oxide sensors has been used in order to analyze and characterize different lemon varieties to which different chemical treatments have been applied in pre-harvest. PCA-based data analyzes were used to observe clusters in the data. Through the combined use of the data obtained by the nose and these Sequential Neural Networks (SNNs) a classification tool for lemon varieties and applied treatments has been obtained. It is shown the ability of this device to be used as a reliable discrimination method, in addition to providing low cost and optimization of time and expert resources.

Objectives: To assess the short-term impact of a single global stretching session on plantar pressures and lumbar range of motion (RoM) over one week in sedentary university students. Design: A randomised controlled trial with two parallel groups. Participants: Sixty-four university students were randomly assigned to a stretching group or control group. The stretching group received a single session of global stretching and the control group remained seated for the same length of time as the stretching session. Main outcome measures: Lumbar RoM and plantar pressures were assessed before, immediately after, 48 hours after, and 7 days after intervention. Results: Group-by-time interaction was significant for lumbar lateral flexion (p = 0.044), right maximal pressure (p = 0.003), left maximal pressure (p = 0.008), right mean pressure (p = 0.025), left mean pressure (p = 0.002), and maximal pressure minus mean pressure in right foot (p = 0.007). The model with plantar pressures showed a significant difference for group-by-time interaction (p = 0.010).Conclusion: Global stretching seems to counteract the ill-effects of prolonged sitting up to seven days with respect to plantar pressure in standing without improving lumbar ROM

Chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) have been a major public health concern worldwide, especially diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, in addition to obesity, which is even more worrying when the subject involves the covid-19 pandemic, because such incidences correlate with the need for intensive care units, including the possibility of death of the patient. Therefore, for countries with the highest numbers of critical cases, it is important to assess the incidence of these diseases to guide the public that most needs guidance on public policies for social isolation.

The purpose of this study is to provide an accurate formula for calculating entropy for short DNA sequences and to demonstrate how to use it to examine leukemia patient surviving. We used IDIBAPS leukemia patient’s data base with 117 anonymized records. The generalized form of the Robust Entropy Estimator (EnRE) for short DNA sequences was proposed and key EnRE futures was showed. The Survival Analysis has been done using statistical package IBM SPSS. Entropy EnRE were calculated for leukemia patients for two samples: A. 2 groups divided by median EnRE and B. 2 groups of patients were formed according to their belonging to 1st and 4th quartiles of EnRE. The result of survival analysis are statistically significant: A. p &lt; 0.05; B. p &lt; 0.005. The death hazard for a patient with EnRE below median is 1.556 times that of a patient with EnRE over median and that the death hazard for a patient of 1st quartile (lowest EnRE) is 2.143 times that of a patient of 4th quartile (highest EnRE). The transition from median to quartile patients’ groups with more EnRE differentiation confirmed the unique significance of the entropy of DNA sequences for leukemia patients surviving.

The second external cause of death from unintentional injuries is falls in people over 60, a worldwide public health problem. Associated factors are identified early in Primary Health Care. Thus, we analyze professional narratives about older adults/old age and the organization of services in the presence of fall-inducing frailty. A structured narrative was applied under the following stages: understanding the context; setting/plot/character analysis; and interpretive synthesis. Data were collected from August to November 2022, distributing 21 health professionals in three Narrative Focus Groups. In the analyses, the collective conceptions dialogued with Bourdieu’s Epistemology of field, habitus, and capital. Among the results, technical and common sense representations of older adults were simultaneously observed, along with the belief of old age as a problematic life stage. Care is centered on the installed disease/ailment. Encouraging autonomy and self-care emerges in integrative health practices, which older adults underestimate. Professionals access the lives of older adults according to their habitus, which, in turn, is structured (structuring) in the disputes for installed capital. Thus, the care provided disregards subjectivities and symbolic systems associated with falls.

Syphilis continues to be a significant global health concern, and understanding the latest advancements in immunology and pharmacological treatment is crucial for effective disease management. This review article provides an in-depth exploration of these advancements, aiming to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on syphilis research. The epidemiology of syphilis sets the stage for this review, highlighting the persistent burden of the disease worldwide. Current trends and challenges in disease control are discussed, shedding light on the need for comprehensive prevention strategies and improved surveillance systems. The immunological aspects of syphilis are the focus of this review. The intricate interplay between the host immune response and the evasive strategies employed by Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, are explored. These include the mechanisms of immune evasion, the role of adaptive and innate immunity, and the development of immune-mediated tissue damage. The article also highlights advancements in diagnostic methods, with emphasis on the importance of accurate and timely detection. From traditional serological tests to the emergence of novel molecular and point-of-care assays, these developments have significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of syphilis diagnosis. In terms of pharmacological treatment, the review covers the current recommendations and emerging strategies for managing syphilis infections. The challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance are addressed, emphasizing the importance of appropriate treatment regimens and close monitoring of therapeutic efficacy. Looking to the future, this review highlights the potential of vaccine development as a preventive measure against syphilis. Promising vaccine candidates and ongoing research efforts are discussed, offering hope for an effective means of disease prevention. In conclusion, this comprehensive review explores the advancements in syphilis research, from the understanding of immunological complexities to the development of innovative treatment strategies. By collectively advancing our knowledge, we can strive towards better disease management and minimize the impact of syphilis on global public health.

Quantum correlations, especially time correlations, are crucial in ghost imaging in order to significantly reduce the background noise on the one hand while increasing the imaging resolution. Moreover, the time correlations serve as a critical reference, distinguishing between signal and noise, which in turn enable clear visualization of biological samples. Quantum imaging also addresses the challenge involved in imaging delicate biological structures with minimal photon exposure and sample damage. Here we explore the recent progress in quantum correlation-based imaging, notably its impact on secure imaging and remote sensing protocols as well as on biological imaging. We also exploit the quantum characteristics of heralded single-photon sources (HSPS) combined with decoy-state methods for secure imaging. This method uses Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) principles to reduce measurement uncertainties and protect data integrity. It is highly effective in low-photon-number regimes for producing high-quality, noise-reduced images. The versatility of decoy-state methods with WCSs (WCS) is also discussed, highlighting their suitability for scenarios requiring higher photon numbers. We emphasize the dual advantages of these techniques: improving image quality through noise reduction and enhancing data security with quantum encryption, suggesting significant potential for quantum imaging in various applications, from delicate biological imaging to secure quantum communication.

Molecular visualisation is fundamental in the current scientific literature, textbooks and dissemination materials, forming an essential support for presenting results, reasoning on and formulating hypotheses related to molecular structure. Visual exploration has become easily accessible on a broad variety of platforms thanks to advanced software tools that render a great service to the scientific community. These tools are often developed across disciplines bridging computer science, biology and chemistry. Here we first describe a few Swiss Army knives geared towards protein visualisation for everyday use with an existing large user base, then focus on more specialised tools for peculiar needs that are not yet as broadly known. Our selection is by no means exhaustive, but reflects a diverse snapshot of scenarios that we consider informative for the reader. We end with an account of future trends and perspectives.

Biomechanics is a branch of biophysics that deals with mechanics applied to biology. The biomechanics of the cornea plays a significant role in managing patients with glaucoma. While evidence suggests a higher risk of glaucoma in patients with thin and stiffer corneas, it also affects the measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP). We reviewed the pertinent literature to help the understanding of corneal biomechanics and how it can help optimize clinical and surgical treatments and a better approach to diagnosing and managing patients with glaucoma.

The combination of eco-respectful epoxy compounds with the humins, a by-product of biomass chemical conversion technologies, allow the obtention of materials with high added value. In this work, we propose the chemical connection study of humins with two aliphatic diepoxides through the copolymerization reactions to synthesize sustainable bio-based thermosets. The mechanism insights for the crosslinking between the epoxides and humins was proposed considering the different functionalities of the humins structure. FT-IR spectroscopy, 1 D and 2 D NMR spectroscopy techniques were used to build the proposed mechanism. By these techniques, the principal chain connections and the reactivity of all the components were highlighted in the synthesized networks.

Forensic anthropologists play a key role in skeletal trauma analysis and commonly use macroscopic features to distinguish between trauma types. However, this approach can be challenging, particularly in cases of highly comminuted or incompletely recovered fractures. Histological analysis of microscopic fracture characteristics in fractured bones may thus help provide additional information on trauma type and bone fracture biomechanics in general. This study analysed the extent of microcrack damage to osteons in long bones with blunt force trauma (BFT) and gunshot trauma (GST), from both traumatic death cases and post-mortem experimental fractures. We identified four types of osteonal damage (OD). In traumatic death cases, OD affecting the inside of the osteon and compromising the Haversian canal (type 1) was found to be indicative of BFT. Moreover, OD affecting the cement line (type 3) and interstitial lamellae (type 4) was more common in the GST samples. OD affecting the inside of the osteon without compromising the Haversian canal (type 2) was not found to be indicative of either trauma type. In cases of experimental fractures, our study revealed that post-mortem fractures in dry bone samples featured the highest amount of OD, particularly of type 4. This study also found that the experimentally produced GST featured similar OD pattern to GST death cases. These findings support our hypothesis that there are distinct osteonal damage patterns in human long bones with BFT and GST, which are of relevant value for trauma analysis in forensic anthropology.

Recent findings have demonstrated an increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight in Portugal, urging the need to study modifiable risk factors such as parental feeding practices. The Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ) is an important self-report measure assessing a broad range of responsive and non-responsive feeding practices. However, the CFPQ has not yet been validated in Portugal. Therefore, the present study aimed to test the validity of this measure with Portuguese parents of 2- to 8-year-old children. A sample of 409 parents completed a Portuguese-adapted version of the CFPQ and the already validated Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and psychometric analysis were conducted. CFA demonstrated the original 12-factor structure did not fit the sample. EFA identified an 8-factor structure, comprising 29 items: Monitoring, Modeling, Environment, Involvement, Emotion Regulation, Restriction for Weight Control, Restriction for Health, and Pressure. Findings suggest that parental feeding practices are sensitive to parents’ background culture and children’s developmental period.

Aerosol optical depth (AOT) was measured at Xavier University of Louisiana (29.96ᵒ N, 90.11ᵒ W and about 3m above sea level) using a hand-held sun photometer. AOT was measured at two different wavelengths (green at 505nm and red at 625nm) during the period from Sept-2017 to Feb-2018. In this study, we investigate the relationship between AOT and temperature, precipitation, barometric pressure and relative humidity. The maximum monthly average value for green AOT was 0.176 (measured in September) and the minimum monthly value is 0.040 (measured in January). For the red AOT the maximum monthly average value was 0.123 (measured in September) and the minimum is 0.034 (measured in December). The AOT–temperature relationship was predominantly positive, meaning that high AOT values correspond to high temperatures and low AOT values correspond to low temperatures. Relationship between AOT and rainfall is negative, meaning high rainfall averages are associated with low AOT values. AOT and atmospheric pressure have a predominantly negative relationship. The relationship between relative humidity and AOT is a complicated one and is hard to qualify as relative humidity varies very little during the study period.

The agronomic characteristics of Cenchrus purpureus were assessed through a randomized block experimental design with seven accessions (Taiwan grass, King grass, Elephant grass, Merkeron, CT-115, Purpule grass and Maralfalfa) as treatments and four replications research was carried out at the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Tantoyuca, in 2019 and 2020, under rainfed conditions. Sowing density was established at 36 tillers in 25 m2. Green and dry matter yield, daily rates of dry matter accumulation in leaves, leaf/stem ratio, height, leaf area index and cutting frequency were assessed. Rainfall amount, temperature, relative humidity and global radiation levels were recorded to assess their effect on the evaluated variables. One-way ANOVA and multivariate analysis techniques, such as multiple linear regression (MLR), Clustering, and Principal component analysis (PCA) with the Statistica V7 software, were used. The leaf area index was greatest (p &lt; 0.05) on the dry season. Green and dry matter yield were greatest in Maralfalfa (p &lt; 0.05). Variation in the results is attributed to weather phenomena; nonetheless, Elephant grass and Maralfalfa showed the highest yields. Quality parameters must be evaluated to identify those grasses with the best attributes.

This study analyzed methodologies for identifying β-casein genotypes in dairy cows and the purity of A2 fermented milk. The research was justified by the need for quick and accurate techniques for herd screening and A2 milk quality control. The methodology included the development of an ELISA test to detect β-casein A1 in fermented milk and the evaluation of a commercial Lateral Flow Immuno Assay (LFIA) to identify A2A2 genotypes and the purity of A2 milk. The results showed that the ELISA test had high sensitivity and specificity (100%) in detecting β-casein A1. The LFIA test was 100% effective in identifying A2A2 genotypes and verifying the purity of A2 milk with a minimum detectable contamination of 5% for raw milk and 10% for fermented milk. Compared to traditional genotyping, these methods proved to be highly reliable and more practical for large-scale screening. It was concluded that the ELISA and LFIA were valuable tools for ensuring the quality and authenticity of A2 milk, meeting the demands of producers and consumers for safe and healthy dairy products.

Diabetes is a prevalent global health issue associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a well-known inflammatory, neurovascular complication of diabetes and a leading cause of preventable blindness in developed countries among working-age adults. However, the ocular surface components of diabetic eyes are also at risk of damage due to uncontrolled diabetes, which is often overlooked. Inflammatory changes in the corneas of diabetic patients indicate that inflammation plays a significant role in diabetic complications, much like in DR. The eye´s immune privilege restricts immune and inflammatory responses, and the cornea and retina have a complex network of innate immune cells that maintain immune homeostasis. Nevertheless, low-grade inflammation in diabetes contributes to immune dysregulation. This article aims to provide an overview and discussion of how diabetes affects the ocular immune system’s main components, immune-competent cells, and inflammatory mediators. By understanding these effects, potential interventions and treatments may be developed to improve the ocular health of diabetic patients.

Plant viral diseases constitute a major contributor to agricultural production losses, significantly impacting the economies of exporting countries by more than $30 billion annually. Understanding and researching the biology and genomics of viruses is crucial for developing virus-resistant, genetically edited or genetically modified plants. Genetic modifications can be targeted to specific regions within genes of target plants which are important or essential for the virus to establish a systemic infection, thus fostering resistance or enabling plants to effectively respond to invading agents while preserving their yield. This review provides an overview of viral incidence and diversity in tropical fruit crops and aims to examine the current state of the knowledge on recent research efforts aimed at reducing or eliminating the damage caused by viral diseases, with emphasis on genetically edited products that have reached the market in recent years.

Different polyurethanes (PUs) were synthesized with polycarbonate polyols of molecular weights 500, 1000 and 2000 Da. Their self-healing abilities at 20 °C were tested and their structural, thermal, and mechanical properties were analyzed. The PUs made with polycarbonates of molecular weights 500 (YC500) and 1000 Da (YC1000) exhibited self-healing at 20 °C and the self-healing time of YC1000 was the shortest. The high mobility of the short polymeric chains, the absence of crystallinity and the low degree of micro-phase separation favored self-healing at 20 °C in YC500. However, the presence of tack and the existence of allophanate species and urethane-carbonate and urea-carbonate hydrogen bonds disfavored self-healing. Consequently, the self-healing time at 20 °C of YC500 was longer than expected. On the other hand, YC1000 exhibited an “equilibrium” between the urethane-carbonate and urea-carbonate hydrogen bonds and carbonate-carbonate interactions among the soft segments, so a particular structural order was produced which was associated to its fastest self-healing at 20 °C. The PU made with the polycarbonate of molecular weight 2000 Da did not exhibit self-healing at 20 °C because its significant micro-phase separation and the presence of semi-crystalline soft domains.

Two polyurethanes (PUs) were similarly synthesized by reacting a cycloaliphatic isocyanate with 1,4 butanediol and two polyols of different nature (polyester, polycarbonate diol) with molecular weights of 1000 Da. The PU made with polycarbonate diol polyol (YCD) was the only showing intrinsic self-healing at 20 °C. For assessing the mechanism of intrinsic self-healing of YCD, a structural characterization by molecular weights determination, infrared and X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was carried out. It was concluded that the self-healing at 20 °C of YCD was due to non-covalent dynamic exchange interactions among the carbonate groups of the soft segments. Therefore, the chemical nature of the polyol played a key role in developing PUs with intrinsic self-healing at 20 °C.

Infrared thermography has already been proven to be a significant method in non-destructive evaluation since it gives information with immediacy, rapidity, and low cost. However, the thorniest issue for the wider application of IRT is quantification. In this work, we proposed a specific depth quantifying technique by employing the Gated Recurrent Units (GRU) in composite material samples via pulsed thermography (PT). Finite Element Method (FEM) modeling provides the economic examination of the response pulsed thermography. In this work, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) specimens embedded with flat bottom holes are stimulated by a FEM modeling (COMSOL) with precisely controlled depth and geometrics of the defects. The GRU model automatically quantified the depth of defects presented in the stimulated CFRP material. The proposed method evaluated the accuracy and performance of synthetic CFRP data from FEM for defect depth predictions.

As climate change should lead to an increase in the vulnerability and the sensitivity of forests to extreme climatic events, quantifying and predicting their response to more severe droughts remains a key task for foresters. Furthermore, recent works have suggested that tree diversity may affect forest ecosystem functioning, including their response to extreme events. In this study we aimed at testing whether the growth response of forest stands to stressful climatic events varied between mixed and monospecific stands, under various environmental conditions. We focused on beech-fir forests (Fagus sylvatica [L.] and Abies alba [L.]) and beech-oak forests (Fagus sylvatica [L.] and Quercus pubescent [L.]) in the French Alps. We used a dendrochronological dataset sampled in forest plots organized by triplets (one mixture and two monospecific stands) distributed in six sites along a latitudinal gradient. We tested (1) whether stand diversity (two-species stands vs monospecific stands) modulates the stands’ response to drought events in terms of productivity, (2) whether species identity may drive the diversity effect on resistance and recovery, and (3) whether this can be explained by interspecific interactions. We found that (1) interspecific differences in response to extreme drought events (possibly due to interspecific differences in hydraulic characteristics) can induce a mixture effect on stand growth, although it appeared (2) to be strongly depending on species identity (positive effect only found for beech-fir mixed stands), while (3) there were no significant non-additive effects of diversity on stand resistance and recovery, except for some specific cases. Overall, our study shows that promoting selected mixed stands management may buffer extrem drought effect on stand productivity.

Magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) are smart materials consisting of micro-scale magnetizable particles suspended in a carrier fluid. The rheological properties of a MRF can be changed from a fluid-state to a solid-state upon the application of an external magnetic field. This study reports the development of a particle-level simulation code for magnetic solid spheres moving through an incompressible Newtonian carrier fluid. The numerical algorithm is implemented within an open-source finite-volume solver coupled with an immersed boundary method (FVM-IBM) to perform fully-resolved simulations. The particulate phase of the MRF is modeled using the discrete element method (DEM). The resultant force acting on the particles due to the external magnetic field (i.e., magnetostatic polarization force) is computed based on the Clausius-Mossotti relationship. The fixed and mutual dipole magnetic models are then used to account for the magnetic (MAG) interactions between particles. Several benchmark flows were simulated using the newly-developed FVM-IBM-DEM-MAG algorithm to assess the accuracy and robustness of the calculations. First, the sedimentation of two spheres in a rectangular duct containing a Newtonian fluid is computed without the presence of an external magnetic field, mimicking the so-called drafting-kissing-tumbling (DKT) phenomenon. The numerical results obtained for the DKT case study are verified against published data from the scientific literature. Second, we activate both the magnetostatic polarization and the dipole-dipole forces and resultant torques between the spheres for the DKT case study. Next, we study the robustness of the FVM-IBM-DEM-MAG solver by computing multi-particle chaining (i.e., particle assembly) in a two-dimensional (2D) domain for area volume fractions of 20% (260 particles) and 30% (390 particles) under vertical and horizontal magnetic fields. Finally, the fourth computational experiment describes the multi-particle chaining in a three-dimensional (3D) domain allowing to study fully-resolved MRF simulations of 580 magnetic particles under vertical and horizontal magnetic fields.

Village has a vital role in the national development efforts. The concept of development considered village as an object instead of a subject of development. This study focused on determining the important points in enabling a village to be independent by shifting the paradigm of “building the village” into “the building village”. This study was an exploratory research of public policies with qualitative legal studies. This study was conducted in 3 villages in Bandung regency with different characteristics, namely Neglawangi with urban characteristics, Cibiru Wetan with sub-urban characteristics, and Rancamanyar with plural characteristics. The results of this study showed that the wise step in building an independent village is through “the building village” road maps. First, encourage the inception of critical and care community and community organizations who dynamically interact in the policy making processes of village development. Second, implement a participative, accountable, and transparent planning and budgeting system within the limits of their authorities. Third, empower inclusive village economic institutions. The three road maps can succeed if they are supported by good implementation of participative, systematic, effective and efficient planning and budgeting system, as well as good monitoring.

The olfactory system is capable of distinguishing individual odorants from among a virtually unlimited number. Fish, for example, detect changes in the electric field environment induced by prey and other sources. Floral electric fields exhibit variations in pattern and structure, which can be discriminated by bumblebees. We have constructed an electric field sensor, which, in the course of focussing on achieving maximum sensitivity and consistency, ultimately resembles features of the insect sensorium. A “fingerprint” 3D plot ( time, frequency range, voltage amplitude), representing the emitted electric field profile, is presented for each of a variety of odorants and other chemicals. The substance-specific electric-field emission and identification is not impeded by containers or barriers or distance.

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) and computer-aided design (CAD) still have limited up-take in biomedical and bioengineering research and education, despite the significant potential of these technologies. The utility of organ-scale 3D-printed models of living structures is widely appreciated, while the workflows for microscopy data translation into tactile-accessible replicas are not well developed yet. Here, we demonstrate an accessible and reproducible CAD-based methodology for generating 3D-printed scalable models of human cells cultured in vitro and imaged using conventional scanning confocal microscopy and fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing. We termed this technology CiTo-3DP (Cells-in-Touch for 3D Printing). As a proof-of-concept, we created CiTo-3DP models of human pancreatic cancer cells and healthy dermal fibroblasts by using selectively stained nuclei and the cytoskeleton components (f-actin and α-smooth muscle actin). The production of dismountable sets of cellular components was al-so shown. The CiTo-3DP approach can be adapted to comprehensively present various cell types, subcellular structures and extracellular matrices. We envisage that the resulting CAD and 3D printed models could be used for further applications, including but not limited to in silico simulations for biology, medicine, pharmacological research, tissue engineering, morphometrical analysis, multiphysics modelling, education, rehabilitation of visually impaired people, and integration into virtual reality.

The resolution of façade construction is not considered in the design process, as it can be expressed by complex technological innovations that emphasize the beauty of buildings. Nevertheless, resorting to this type of technology solution may not always be necessary. This study demonstrates this hypothesis through the investigation of five iconic case studies emphasizing the construction system analysis and the revelation of the brainwave idea. The brainwave idea defines the construction innovation that enables the detail by simplification rather than sophistication. Notable, unlike complex technological innovation, standard systems or elements applied strategically are considered little innovations to facilitate the resolutions of the façade complexity. Many of these innovations occur during the visual and constructive prototype progress required to validate the proposed solution and its performance. Therefore, real-scale prototype development that operates as a real-scale laboratory is necessary to correct and validate successive solutions.

Overcrowding in the emergency department is a problem that generates several implications for bed management, which is deemed one of a hospital's most critical processes. Effective management of hospital production capacity includes bed management processes, which can be improved in order to leverage hospital performance. Thus, this study sought to understand how bed management works and identify the main factors that influence its management. The study was performed through a case study, with data collected from semi-structured interviews and bibliographic research, which were triangulated. Thematic content analysis of the interviews and cross-analysis were performed. As a result, the main factors that influence hospital Bed management were identified: communication between teams and units; definition of performance goals; decisions shared between units; occupation and discharge planning by the teams; length of stay; the role of the nurses; and COVID-19. The greatest difficulties in the management process are related to these factors. Additionally, suggestions are provided to mitigate such reported difficulties.

In Cameroon, alcoholic beverages remain the main consumed drink. In the Northern regions, indigenous sorghum beers are popular and widely consumed in an actively fermenting state by the people. In this study, some physicochemical parameters of the alcoholic sorghum beverages and correlations between them were evaluated during fermentation for 10 days. The indigenous white and red beers were produced at the laboratory scale assisted by experimented producers and some parameters (pH, total acidity, alcohol, sugars, density, total solids, temperature, and conductivity) were measured on the wort and fermented beverages. The pH decreases from 3.2 to 2.4 and 3.11 to 2.41; total acidity increases from 1.07 to 5.1 g/l and 0.5 to 4.6 g/l; alcohol enhances from 0 to 9.5% and 0 to 6.8% (v/v); total solids drop from 13.6 to 5°P and 12.2 to 3.3°P were observed respectively in the white and red sorghum beers. The multivariate analysis showed a good correlation between consumption of sugar, the decrease of total solids and density with the decrease in pH. It was also shown that, a perfect link exist between the production of alcohol and organic acids. The hierarchical analysis showed that indigenous red beer samples fermented for 1 and 2 days and those fermented for 4 to 10 days are related and could be separate in two distinct groups, whereas white turbid beer samples are separated in three different groups, those fermented for 1 to 4 days, those 5 to 6 days and those 7 to 10 days. The results obtained could serve as a guide to better understand the fermentation process of the indigenous alcoholic sorghum-based beverages.

In the frame of the I-MOVE-COVID-19 project, a cohort of 2050 patients admitted in two Spanish reference hospitals between March 2020 and December 2021 was selected, and a range of clinical factors data were collected at admission to assess their impact on the risk COVID-19 severity outcomes through a multivariate adjusted analysis and nomograms. The need for ventilation and ICU admission were found directly associated with a higher mortality risk (OR 6.9 and 3.2, respectively). The clinical predictors of mortality were need for ventilation and ICU, advanced age, neuromuscular disorders, thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminaemia, dementia, cancer, elevated CPK and neutrophilia (OR between 1.8 and 3.5), whilst the presence of vomiting, sore throat and cough diminished risk of death (OR 0.5, 0.2 and 0.1 respectively). Admission to ICU was predicted by the need for ventilation, abdominal pain and elevated LDH (OR 371.0, 3.6 and 2.2, respectively) as risk factors; otherwise, it was prevented by advanced age (OR 0.5). In turn, the need for ventilation was predicted by low oxygen saturation, elevated LDH and CPK, diabetes, neutrophilia, obesity and elevated GGT (OR between 1.7 and 5.2), whilst prevented by hypertension (OR 0.5). These findings could enhance patient management and strategic interventions to combat COVID-19.

As consequence of COVID-19, millions of households suffered mobility restrictions and changes in their lifestyle during several months. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 home confinement in food habits, lifestyle and emotional balance of the Spanish population. This cross-sectional study used data collected via an anonymous online questionnaire during the last month before lockdown finished in Spain in a total of 675 participants. 38.8% of the respondents experienced weight gain while 31.1% lost weight during confinement. The increase in body weight was positively correlated with the age (Rs = 0.14, p &lt;0.05) and BMI (Rs = 0.20, p &lt;0.05). We also identified that 39.7% reported poorer quality sleep, it was positively correlated with BMI (Rs = -0.18, p &lt;0.05) and with age (Rs = -0.21, p &lt;0.05). 44.7% of the participants had not performed physical exercise during confinement with differences by sex (p &lt;0.05), by age (p &lt;0.05), by BMI (p &lt;0.05) and sleep quality (p &lt;0.05). According to emotional-eater questionnaire, 21.8% and 11% were classified as emotional eater and very emotional eater, respectively. We emphasize the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle, as the COVID-19 pandemic nowadays is ongoing.

The Ethnographic Museum in Dubrovnik holds an extensive textile collection that includes a range of dress and costume from Croatia and neighbouring countries. Until recently, the costumes were displayed on mannequins created by the academic artist Zvonimir Lončarić (1927–2004). His sculptures are expressive forms constructed from terracotta, fibreglass, wood, metal, acrylic paint and other materials selected for their visual appeal. Due to their importance, the museum considered the mannequins as protected artworks in the permanent exhibition, however, they had a harmful effect on the costumes displayed. In 2018, after completing a series of conservation-restoration projects within the collection, it was decided to replace the existing mounts with new, museum–quality mannequins. Two project–based learning workshops were organised, led by a team of textile conservators from the University of Dubrovnik and the Croatian Conservation Institute, in cooperation with the curator of the Ethnographic Museum. This case study highlights the challenges of exhibiting ethnographic costumes by discussing past presentation methods and how new solutions have been implemented conforming with the modern conservation-restoration profession. The new solutions consider ethics, decision–making processes, and the understanding of contemporary materials and methodology.

Drafting is a common technique to reduce the drag experienced by elite runners on races, leading to better running efficiency and energy savings. The tactic has been successfully used in previous races where world records were set, especially by Eliud Kipchoge in the 2018 and 2022 editions of the Berlin marathon. In the 2023 edition of the Chicago Marathon, Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum broke the Marathon record after a 2:00:35 finish. This feat becomes even more impressive by the lack of use of drafting formations, despite the availability of two pacers for the majority of the race. In this study, the drag faced by Kiptum and his pacers during the race is calculated by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The performance of each runner is evaluated from an energetic standpoint, and the analysis is extended to include more efficient drafting formations. Our results indicate that, by properly using the advantages of drafting, Kiptum could have finished the race at a staggering 1:57:34, a full three minutes better than his own record and 215 seconds better than the previous world record.

Nutraceuticals comprise dietary supplements, functional foods, medicinal foods, and pharmaceuticals. However, to date all these concepts are interpreted in different ways with the rapid increasing knowledge on nutrition, medicine, and plant biotechnology changing the concepts about food, health and agriculture. What matters are the bioactive elements conveyed by foodstuffs as nutrients or non-nutrients, which interfere with human metabolism and have impact on health, aging and well-being. Food, not nutrients, is the fundamental unit in nutrition and edible mushrooms, are fungi that supply unique biological compounds, different from plant or animal origin, which significantly impact on health status. Their influence on medicinal interventions has been known and studied for many years. The role on neurodegenerative disorders has been recently investigated and their significance on many other diseases has been well demonstrated. On this note it is synthesized the more recent knowledge of some edible mushrooms and preparations on Ménière’s disease, a lifelong condition it can develop at any age, but most commonly appearing between 40 and 60 years of age.

Defensive behavior is a function of specific survival circuits, the “aversive brain system”, that are thought to be conserved across vertebrates, and involve threat detection and the organization of defensive responses to reduce or eliminate threat. In mammals, these circuits involve amygdalar and hypothalamic subnuclei and midbrain circuits. The increased interest in teleost fishes as model organisms in neuroscience created a demand to understand which brain circuits are involved in defensive behavior. Telencephalic and habenular circuits represent a “forebrain circuit” for threat processing and organization of responses, being important to mounting appropriate coping responses. Specific hypothalamic circuits organize neuroendocrine and neurovegetative outputs, but are the less well-studied in fish. A “midbrain circuit” is represented by projections to interneurons in the optic tectum which mediate fast escape responses via projections to the central gray and/or the brainstem escape network. Threatening stimuli (especially visual stimuli) can bypass the “high road” and directly activate this system, initiating escape responses. Increased attention to these circuits in an evolutionary framework is still needed.

The ascidian fauna of the Bahamas remains grossly understudied. Here, we examined specimens of the genus Clavelina collected from four Bahamian islands using morphological observations and genetic barcoding. Only 3 species of Clavelina have been previously reported in the Caribbean: C. picta, C. oblonga, and C. puertosecensis. Here, we report C. picta (Verrill, 1900) and three new species in the Bahamas: C. rochae; C. pawliki; and C. erwinorum. C. picta and C. pawliki were found in the northernmost island surveyed, while C. rochae and C. erwinorum were particularly prevalent on the southeastern Bahamian islands. A complete review of genetic barcoding data and morphological characters of accepted Clavelina species was performed. The unique combination of in vivo coloration, morphological characteristics, haplotypes, and species distribution all supported the establishment of three new species, significantly adding to the diversity of the genus Clavelina in the Caribbean.

The research paper investigates the synthesis of metal matrix composites (MMCs) through the amalgamation of aluminum and silicon carbide particles, employing a two-step mixing methodology called the stir casting method. Metal matrix composites are materials that enhance the capabilities of a metallic matrix by incorporating another material. This leads to better characteristics such as tensile and shear moduli, fatigue and fracture properties, thermal expansion coefficient, and more. Aluminum-matrix composites are a class of materials that possess distinct characteristics that may be modified by altering factors such as the type of reinforcing material, the amount of reinforcement, and the fabrication technique employed to produce the composite. The concept aims to combine the desirable properties of metals and ceramics by incorporating durable refractory particles into a malleable metal structure. The fabrication process employs the stir casting technique, where reinforcing phases are mechanically stirred into a molten matrix to create cast composites with reinforcement volume percentages of up to 30%. The study utilizes Response Surface Methodology to enhance the mechanical properties of the composites through the optimization of manufacturing parameters, including stirring temperature, time, and speed. The study entails analyzing the correlation between different casting conditions and the resulting changes in hardness and tensile strength.

Glucose is a simple sugar molecule. The sugar molecule is chemically symbolised as C6H12O6. This means that the glucose molecule contains 6 carbon atoms (C), 12 hydrogen atoms (H) and 6 oxygen atoms (O). In human blood, the molecule glucose circulates as blood sugar. Normally after eating or drinking, our body breaks down the sugars in food and uses them to obtain energy for our cells. To do this, our pancreas produces insulin. Insulin "pulls" sugar from the blood and puts it into the cells for use. If someone has diabetes, their pancreas can't produce enough insulin. As a result, the level of glucose in the blood rises. This can lead one to many potential complications, including blindness, disease, nerve damage, amputation, stroke, heart attack and damage to blood vessels etc. In this study, a non-invasive method for monitoring blood glucose has been developed and is therefore easily usable. The device developed can measure the glucose level continuously and eliminates the disadvantages of the invasive system. Near-IR sensors (optical sensors) were used to estimate the concentration of glucose in the blood; these sensors have a wavelength of 940 nm. The sensor is placed on the tip of the finger and the output of the optical sensor is then connected to the microcontroller at the analogue input. Another sensor used, but only to provide more medical information was the heartbeat sensor. After processing and regression analysis, the glucose level is predicted, and data is sent via the Bluetooth network to a developed APP. The results of the implemented device were compared with available invasive methods. The study consists of a hardware platform inserted into an armband and then a small black parallelepiped-shaped box in which the optical sensors are inserted. The hardware consists of a microcontroller, a Near-IR optical sensor, a heartbeat sensor and a Bluetooth module.

Acrylamide (AA), a molecule which potentially increases the risk of developing cancer, is easily formed in food rich in carbohydrates, such as biscuits, wafers and breakfast cereals, at temperatures above 120 °C. Thus, it is eminent the need to detect and quantify the AA content in processed foodstuffs, in order to delineate the limits and mitigation strategies. This work reports the development and validation of a high-resolution mass spectrometry-based methodology for identification and quantification of AA in specific food matrices of biscuits, by using LC-MSⁿ with electrospray ionization and Orbitrap as mass analyser. The developed analytical method showed good repeatability (RSD_r 11.1%) and 3.55 μg kg^-1 and 11.8 μg kg^-1 as limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), respectively. The choice of multiplexed targeted-SIM mode (t-SIM) for AA and AA-d3 isolated ions provided enhanced detection sensitivity, as demonstrated in this work. Results for AA concentration obtained vary between 323.7 and 2056.1 μg kg^-1. During baking an increase in AA concentration was observed, as well as between samples taken from different areas of the baking oven. Statistical processing of data was performed in order to compare the AA levels with several production parameters, such as time/cooking temperature, placement on the cooking conveyor belt, color and moisture for different biscuits. The composition of the raw materials was statistically the most correlated factor with the AA content when all samples are considered. The statistical treatment presented herein enables an important prediction of factors influencing AA formation in biscuits contributing for putting in place effective mitigation strategies.

Since it was proposed, the Robot Operating System (ROS) has fostered solutions for various problems in robotics in the form of ROS packages. One of these problems is Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), a problem solved by computing the robot pose and a map of its environment of operation at the same time. The increasingly availability of robot kits ready to be programmed and also of RGB-D sensors often pose the question of which SLAM package should be used given the application requirements. When the SLAM subsystem must deliver estimates for robot navigation, as is the case of applications involving autonomous navigation, this question is even more relevant. This work introduces an experimental analysis of GMapping and RTAB-Map, two ROS compatible SLAM packages, regarding their SLAM accuracy, quality of produced maps and use of produced maps in navigation tasks. Our analysis aims ground robots equipped with RGB-D sensors for indoor environments and is supported by experiments conducted on datasets from simulation, benchmarks and from our own robot.

Abstract: Chitosan spherical scaffolds, derived from the deacetylation of chitin, are natural polymers with significant potential, though challenges remain in optimizing their properties. The use of chitosan as a carrier for the controlled release of iron chloride is not yet fully established, despite iron’s critical role in various essential biological processes, including as a component of metalloenzymes and in the maintenance of life. Methods: This study aimed to develop a novel protocol for synthesing chitosan scaffolds and to characterize their properties using analytical techniques. Additionally, the release profile of iron was modeled using two primary controlled-release mathematical models. Results: The results demonstrated successful synthesis and physicochemical characterization of the chitosan sphere scaffolds. These scaffolds exhibited appropriate topography for iron loading and cellular interaction, as confirmed by SEM analysis, and contained functional groups as identified by FTIR. The scaffolds were also semi-crystalline (XRD), showed controlled degradation, and were confirmed to be non-toxic biomaterials. Furthermore, the modeling of the controlled release of iron chloride adsorbed on the scaffold surface, as well as the modeling of iron chloride specimens using the MEDUZA software, was successfully conducted. A theoretical curve was generated from the experimental dose-response data collected over time, considering variations in pH and medium concentration. Conclusions: In conclusion, a novel protocol for chitosan-based carriers was successfully developed, enabling thorough physicochemical characterization and modeling of both absorption and controlled release.

Many applications in the context of Industry 4.0 require precise localization. However, indoor localization remains an open problem, especially in complex environments such as industrial environments. In recent years, we have seen the emergence of Ultra WideBand (UWB) localization systems. The aim of this article is to evaluate the performance of a UWB system to estimate the position of a person moving in an indoor environment. To do so, we implemented an experimental protocol to evaluate the accuracy of the UWB system both statically and dynamically. The UWB system is compared to a ground truth obtained by a motion capture system with a millimetric accuracy.

In recent years, numerous approaches have been developed to comprehend the molecular altera-tions underlying thyroid cancer (TC) oncogenesis and explore novel therapeutic strategies for TC. It is now well established that the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) is overexpressed in cancer cells and that NK-1R is essential for viability of cancer cells. The binding of substance P (SP) to NK-1R in neoplastic cells plays a pivotal role in cancer progression by promoting neoplastic cell growth, protecting tumour cells from apoptosis, triggering invasion and metastasis through enhanced migration of cancer cells, and stimulating endothelial cell proliferation for tumour angiogenesis. Remarkably, all types of human TC (papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic), as well as met-astatic lesions, exhibit overexpression of SP and NK-1R compared to the normal thyroid gland. TC cells synthesize and release SP, which exerts its multiple functions through autocrine, para-crine, intracrine, and neuroendocrine processes, including the regulation of tumour burden. Con-sequently, the secretion of SP from TC results in increased SP levels in plasma, which are signifi-cantly higher in TC patients compared to controls. Additionally, NK-1R antagonists have demonstrated a dose-dependent antitumour action. They impair cancer cell proliferation on one side and induce apoptosis of tumour cells on the other side. Furthermore, it has been demonstrat-ed that NK-1R antagonists inhibit neoplastic cell migration, thereby impairing both invasiveness and metastatic abilities, as well as angiogenesis. Given the consistent overexpression of NK-1R in all types of TC, targeting this receptor represents a promising therapeutic approach for TC. Therefore, NK-1R antagonists, such as the drug aprepitant, may represent novel drugs for TC treatment.

The development of electric aircrafts is becoming an important technology for achieving the goals set by the European Commission for the reduction of gases emissions by 2050 in the aeronautical transportation system. However, there is a gap between the values of specific power in commercial electric machines and the ones required for aeronautical applications. Therefore, the search for alternative materials and non-conventional designs is mandatory. One emergent solution is using superconducting machines and systems to overcome the current limits of conventional electrical machines. This work reviews the new hybrid and all-electric aircraft tendencies, complementing it with recent research on the design and development of high specific power superconducting machines. This includes the main topologies for hybrid and all-electric aircraft, with an overview of the ongoing worldwide projects of these types of aircrafts, systematizing the main characteristics of their propulsion systems. It also includes the research on superconducting machines for the purpose of high specific power, considering the impact on the redesign of aircraft systems in the electrical, cooling, and fuel source sense.

This article provides a comprehensive review of the intersection of 5G technology and Beyond, and Smart Grids, focusing on the potential of Vehicle-to-Fog as an industrial alternative for addressing energy efficiency challenges in data processing. This study aims to investigate relevant articles and patents to understand the collaborative potential between 5G and Smart Grids. It explores how to establish new regulatory standards within the architectural framework of 5G to facilitate decentralized data processing and remodel energy consumption patterns. The hypothesis suggests that decentralized 5G architecture and Smart Grids can be most effectively applied through vehicular fogging powered by solar energy. A combined quantitative and qualitative methodology guides the exploration of articles and patents. The study concludes by advocating for new standards that embrace decentralized 5G data processing, emphasizing the potential of Vehicle-to-Fog and the future deployment of 6G technology in Smart Grids. These advancements can significantly enhance energy efficiency in the context of 5G and pave the way for future innovations.

Background: Demographic aging is a reality in developed countries, which poses a social challenge of great responsibility. Thus, numerous studies have been developed in an attempt to understand which factors best predict healthy aging. The aim of this study was to investigate and systematize literature on intervention programs that simultaneously include cognitive stimulation and physical activity, understand the importance of the use of new technology in these programs, and understand their impact on cognitive function in older adults, giving indications about their contribution to healthy aging. Methods: A narrative approach was used for extraction and synthesis of the data. Relevant studies were identified from electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Academic Search Complete. Results: Thirty-two articles, involving 2815 participants, were identified. All selected studies were randomized controlled studies. The studies were published between 2011 and 2020. All studies included a combination of cognitive and physical interventions. Many of the studies used technology to administer the cognitive stimulation program. Conclusions: Most of the analyzed studies use new technologies in physical and cognitive interventions, demonstrating that this new form of intervention exerts lasting and stable benefits in cognition.

Brushless Synchronous Machines (BSM) are replacing conventional synchronous machines with static excitation in generation facilities due to the absence of sparking and lower maintenance. However, this excitation system makes challenging measuring electric parameters in the rotor. This fact highly difficult the detection of ground faults, which are the most common type of electrical fault in electric machines. In this paper, a ground fault detection method for BSM is proposed. It is based on an inductive AC/DC rotating current sensor installed in the shaft. In case of a ground fault in the rotating parts of the BSM, a fault current will flow through the rotor’s sensor, inducing voltage in its stator. Analyzing the frequency components of the induced voltage the detection of a ground fault in the rotating elements is possible. The ground faults detection method proposed covers the whole rotor and discern between DC and AC sides. To corroborate the detection method, experimental tests have been performed using a prototype of this sensor connected to laboratory synchronous machines achieving satisfactory results.

Incorporating renewables in the power grid presents challenges for stability, reliability, and operational efficiency. Integrating Energy Storage Systems (ESS) offers a solution by managing unpredictable loads, enhancing reliability, and serving the grid. Hybrid storage solutions have gained attention for specific applications, suggesting higher performance in some respects. This paper compares the performance of hybrid energy storage systems (HESS) to single battery, evaluating their energy supply cost and environmental impact through optimization problems. The model generates an optimized dispatch, minimizing cost or environmental impact of supplying energy to a generic load while considering battery degradation. Seven technologies are assessed, with an example applied to an industrial site contrasting vanadium redox flow (VRFB) and lithium batteries considering the demand of a local load (building). The results also indicates that efficiency and degradation curves have the highest impact in the final costs and environmental functions on the various storage technologies assessed. For the simulations of the example case, a single system only outperforms the hybrid system in cases where lithium efficiency is higher than approximately 87% and vanadium is lower approximately 82%.

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) represents 1/3 of the weight of all-waste produced. Increasing their recycling and reutilization with recycled aggregates (RA) means closing the life cycle of construction materials. Research has been carried out on artificial aggregates from the exclusive crushing of structural concrete waste in selective demolitions (CDWRConc). This study analyses the use of recycled concrete as graded aggregate (GARConc) and in cement soil (CSRConc). The material complies with the requirements as a road base, although due to the low values of resistance to fragmentation these materials are adequate for use in sensitive road systems and other places such as urban roads and car parks. The sensitive road systems are infrastructures in places of great natural wealth and low traffic intensity, with an annual average of heavy vehicle traffic (AADTh) below 50 vhp/d. As soluble salt contents have been detected, additional waterproofing or drainage measures must be adopted to prevent water infiltration into the layers made up of CDWRHorm. Finally, the high initial values of UCS allow the temporary passage of light vehicles over CSRConc after 3 days.

The number of documents published on the Web other languages than English grows every year. As a consequence, it increases the necessity of extracting useful information from different languages, pointing out the importance of researching Open Information Extraction (OIE) techniques. Different OIE methods have been dealing with features from a unique language. On the other hand, few approaches tackle multilingual aspects. In such approaches, multilingual is only treated as an extraction method, which results in low precision due to the use of general rules. Multilingual methods have been applied to a vast amount of problems in Natural Language Processing achieving satisfactory results and demonstrating that knowledge acquisition for a language can be transferred to other languages to improve the quality of the facts extracted. We state that a multilingual approach can enhance OIE methods, being ideal to evaluate and compare OIE systems, and as a consequence, to applying it to the collected facts. In this work, we discuss how the transfer knowledge between languages can increase the acquisition from multilingual approaches. We provide a roadmap of the Multilingual Open IE area concerning the state of the art studies. Additionally, we evaluate the transfer of knowledge to improve the quality of the facts extracted in each language. Moreover, we discuss the importance of a parallel corpus to evaluate and compare multilingual systems.

In this paper, we introduce the application of Type-I fuzzy inference systems (FIS) as an alternative to improve the prioritization in the FMECA analysis applied in cyber-power grids. Classical FMECA assesses the risk level through the Risk Priority Number (RPN). The multiplication between three integer numbers computes this, called risk factors, representing the severity, occurrence, and detectability of each failure mode and are defined by a team of experts. The RPN does not consider any relative importance between the risk factors and may not necessarily represent the real risk perception of the FMECA team members, usually expressed by natural language; this is the main FMECA shortcoming criticized in the literature. Our approach considers fuzzy variables defined by FMECA experts to represent the uncertainty associated with the human language and a rule base consisting of 125 fuzzy rules to represent the risk perception of the experts. To test our approach, we select a cyber-power grid previously analyzed by the authors using the classical FMECA. The results reveal our proposed fuzzy approach as promissory to represent the uncertainty associated with expert knowledge and to perform an accurate prioritization of failure modes in the context of electrical power systems.

As a medical student (Granada University Medical School, Spain), interested in Pediatrics, expended countless hours at the hospital pediatric facilities and got to know many of the children and their medical problems. A particular case, still vivid on my mind, awaken my scientific curiosity. One day, walking and talking with a seven years old child he unexpectedly felt down unconscious with multiple, incontrollable and erratic muscular contractions involving face, body and extremities and salivating. I was overwhelmed thinking it was the child’ last hour. At the time, my knowledge of epilepsy was nil. Following the seizures, the child was up, talking and walking with me as if nothing has happened and without any knowledge of the event. What could have caused the brain motor cortex to suddenly discharge that amount of altered activity causing generalized and erratic muscular contractions remains inexplicable. I migrated to USA, become a Pediatric (Developmental) Pathologist and Director of the Pediatrics Autopsy Service (1962-1999) at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, New Hampshire. I carried out countless postmortem studied of children brains, normal (unaltered) as well as those altered by hemorrhagic, hypoxic-ischemic and/or traumatic damage. With an NIH Fellowship, I spend one year (1967-68) at the Cajal Institute (Madrid, Spain) studying Cajal’ old Golgi preparations and learning about the method. Some of my Golgi studies of children’ brains have been published: The Human Brain. Prenatal Development and Structure, Springer, Heidelberg, Germany, 2012. The present monograph explores the developmental neuropathology of selected perinatal cortical injuries through their acute, subacute and chronic stages. Including: a) how an altered neuronal activity evolves in a damaged cortical region; b) how it moves through the cortex (epileptic auras); and c) how it reaches the motor cortex to be discharged as erratic and incontrollable muscular contractions. Understanding these processes should provide insights into the pathogenesis of epilepsy secondary to perinatal brain damage.

Weight loss solutions are on the rise, and there is growing interest in natural alternatives to the pharmaceuticals in the market, which are not devoid of relevant side effects. To this end, the objective of the current study is to assess the effects of a botanical-based blend comprised of lemon verbena and hibiscus extracts in weight management, body fat, appetite, lipid, and glucose profiles, in an overweight population, for 90 days. As a result, the volunteers presented significant weight loss in absence of diet, which coincided with decreased body fat. Body fat was assessed by anthropometry, electrical bioimpedance and DEXA scan. Cholesterol levels were also significantly decreased. Satiety assessment revealed that the product contributed to increased feeling of fullness and satisfaction after a meal, compared to the placebo group, which could contribute to the weight loss observed. Blood glucose and blood pressure levels remained unchanged, which was expected as the volunteers were normoglycemic and their blood pressure was in the healthy range. In conclusion, daily supplementation of a botanical-based blend contributes to weight loss in overweight individuals, in absence of diet, while not affecting other parameters that are in the healthy range. This product could be a candidate alternative or add-on to other weight loss products, as part of a healthy lifestyle.

This comprehensive review is devoted to an under-exploited family of phenolic compounds, the coumarins, and the most relevant strands in which they are involved in some spirit beverages – wine spirit, brandy, whiskey, sugar cane spirits (rum and cachaça) and grape marc spirit – with great importance worldwide in terms of production, trade and consumption. It gathers the key discoveries on the topic considering the production process of each spirit beverage, the related sources of coumarins (different kinds of wood used in the ageing stage) along with the factors that govern them and can influence the sensory properties of the aged beverages. An overview of the analytical methods available for their identification/quantification is also included, as well as the corresponding trends for the advancement of knowledge in this field. Moreover, the remarkable role of coumarins as nutraceuticals, their importance as chemical markers for authenticity purposes, and their relationship with food safety of these spirit beverages are also addressed, highlighting the current gaps and issues, and providing clues for future research.

The integration of bacteriophages, a particular class of viruses that specifically infect bacteria and archaea, in biosensors for the monitoring of pathogens in foods and beverages is highly desirable. To this end, an increasing focus has been set on the exploration of covalent and physical methods for the immobilization of phages on solid surfaces. This work investigates the electrostatic assembly of tailed phages, specifically anti-Listeria monocytogenes P100 phages, on an ultrathin self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 11-amino-1-undecanethiol (AUT). The cationic properties of AUT may allow for the electrostatic capture of P100 in a capsid-down fashion, thus, exposing the specific receptor-binding proteins on their tails to the corresponding pathogens in analytical samples. The physical properties of immobilized phages have been studied using AFM, SEM, and electrochemical techniques, providing insight into the orientation of the phages and revealing that the pH plays a remarkable role in the morphology and charge transfer behavior of the adsorbed films. Overall, this research portrays SAMs of amino-akylthiols as a valid platform for the oriented immobilization of bacteriophages on surfaces for electroanalytical purposes.

As most of the videos are destined for human perception, many techniques have been designed to improve video coding based on how the human visual system perceives video quality. In this paper, we propose the use of two perceptual coding techniques, namely contrast masking and texture masking, jointly operating under the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. These techniques aim to improve the subjective quality of the reconstructed video at the same bit rate. For contrast masking, we propose the use of a specific weighting matrix for each block size (from 4×4 up to 32×32). We achieve average Bjøntegaard Delta-Rate (BD-rate) gains of between 2.5% and 4.48%, depending on the perceptual metric and coding mode used. The texture masking scheme is based on the classification of each coding unit, using its mean directional variance features as input to a support vector machine model. According to this classification, the block’s energy, the type of coding unit, and its size, an over-quantization is computed to provide a QP offset (DQP) for this coding unit. By applying both techniques in the HEVC Reference Software, an overall average of 5.79% BD-rate gain is achieved.

The 70/30 copper–nickel alloy is mainly used in critical parts with more demanding conditions in marine settings. There is a need for innovative methods that offer fast production and cost-effectiveness to supplement current copper–nickel alloy manufacturing processes. In this study, we employ wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to fabricate the 70/30 copper–nickel alloy. The as-built microstructure is characterized by columnar grains with prominent dendrites and chemical segregation in the inter-dendritic area. The aspect ratio of the columnar grain increases with increasing travel speed (TS) at the same wire feed speed (WFS). This is in contrast to an equiaxed grain structure with a more random orientation of conventional sample. The sample built with a WFS of 8 m/min, TS of 1000 mm/min, and a track distance of 3.85 mm exhibits superior corrosion properties in the 3.5 wt% NaCl solution compared to the conventional one, as evidenced by a higher film resistance and breakdown potential, along with a lower passive current density of the WAAM sample. The corrosion morphology reveals the critical roles played by the nickel element unevenly distributed between the dendrite core and inter-dendritic area.

Currently, in a context of biorefinery and bioeconomy, lignocellulosic biomass is increasingly used to produce biofuels, biochemicals and value-added products. Microwaves and ultrasounds are emerging techniques that enable efficient and environmentally more sustainable routes in the transformation of lignocellulosic biomass. This review is divided into four parts. In Part I, the theoretical foundations of microwaves and ultrasounds are revisited. Dielectric constants for biomass, factors that influence pre-treatment, are some of the subjects addressed. In Part II, the effects that these technologies have on lignocellulosic biomass (on the size and surface area of the particle; on the content of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose; on the crystallinity index of cellulose; on the effect of solubilization of organic matter; on hydrolysis and reduction of sugars) are analyzed. In Part III, emphasis is given on how microwaves and ultrasounds can contribute to the achievement of value-added products. In this context, several examples of liquefactions and extractions are presented. Part IV describes examples of sonocatalysis of lignocellulosic biomass to obtain value-added products such as for instancethe production of furfural, which is significantly reduced by ultrasound.

Background: The 2021 “Universal Definition of Heart Failure (HF)” Proposed the following left ventricle ejection (LVEF) phenotype classification: ≤40%; HF with intermediate LVEF: between 41-49% and HF with preserved LVEF: ≥50%. LVEF represents the percentage of left ventricular ejected volume in each cardiac cycle and Cut-points considered statistically normal are: ≥52% in men and ≥54% in women. The prevalence HFpEF is of 35-60% among the HF phenotypes, with a facing to increase rates in relation to HFrEF and is associated with mortality rates similar to those of HFrEF. The pathophysiology of HFpEF is based on vascular and metabolic dysfunction, therefore, there is less neurohumoral stimulation compared to HFrEF. Methodology: A systematic review was performed to report of information related to Sacubitril-valsartan and the treatment of HFrEF. Terms related to “treatment” and “brazil” were used in the databases PubMed (MEDLINE) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO). Results: Clinical trials testing drugs that modulate the neurohumoral system in patients with HFpEF failed to demonstrate benefit in the combined endpoint of reduced mortality/hospitalization due to HF compared to placebo to date. Sacubitril-valsartan is a drug with a mechanism of action surrogate the pathophysiological concept of HFpEF, it is safe and decreased endpoints of natriuretic peptides and left atrial structure in a phase II clinical study. Conclusions: The PARAGON-HF trial demonstrated that sacubitril-valsartan reduced the primary endpoint of the study when assessed the pre-specified subgroup of LVEF≤57% and improved the secondary endpoints of performance status and renal function in the population.

Phosphorus (P) is a vital macronutrient crucial for crop productivity. Plants absorb P salts, mainly orthophosphate, from soil, yet the primary P source resides in organic materials. Soil phosphomonoesterases (APases) play a vital role in releasing P from organics via hydrolysis. Acid and alkaline phosphatases are crucial for alleviating P deficiency in plants. In this review focused on agricultural soils, we studied the relationship of biophysicochemical, agricultural management, and climate factors on APases also its connection with crop growth and yields. Our findings indicate a strong linkage between both APases and soil pH, positively influenced by clay content, organic matter, microbial biomass carbon, and nitrogen. Adopting healthy soil practices like balanced organic fertilizer usage, optimal soil water levels, reduced tillage, crop rotation, and using beneficial plant microbes help boost APase activity. However, the connection between APases and crop productivity remains uncertain due to insufficient research in this area. Our review emphasizes the vital need to evaluate the relationship between APases and meso-macrofauna, alongside essential plant nutrients such as potassium, nutrient ratios, and the synergistic effects of various factors. Understanding the rapid, efficient assimilation of P through APases in the plant-soil and/or plant-microbiota ecosystem it can be crucial for crop productivity and yields.

Nowadays the dynamism induced by the constant change of strategic decisions on the markets produces an extra difficulty in the management of an organization. The strategic decisions made by managers can become obsolete in a short period of time. One of the major difficulties in managing a commercial organization is to predict, with some precision degree, the impact some strategic decisions have on the financial results. Business Intelligence (BI) is an area widely used to help managers to make strategic decisions. But the methods used, behind the scenes, to achieve the conclusions are kept secret by BI company-based services. Modelling the environment can be a good option to study the impact of an action, provided by a strategic decision, in a real environment. A good model should give an approximate result of an action applied to a previous state of the environment. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are proven to be excellent in modeling environments with some level of data noise. The same strategic action can have different results in different organizations. A tool that allows an evaluation of a strategic action applied to an environment should have a major importance in the management scope. Modeling the environment should save time and money for the organization to improve the performance of the strategic plan. If one evaluates the state of the environment after a strategic action being applied, it can be possible to mitigate the risk of failure of the strategic plan. As we will be able to verify, it is possible to use ANNs to model strategic environments that should allow the prediction of sales and operating results by the used strategies with some precision, although the level of success will be directly related with the user’s necessity.

The corrosion behavior of Fe-containing directionally solidified (DS) and centrifugally cast (CC) Al-Si-Cu-Zn alloys with either Co or Ni additions has been investigated. Electrochemical and immersion corrosion methods were used to investigate the corrosion behavior in 0.6 M NaCl after short (1-hour) and long (30-day) exposure periods. The employed solidification methods allowed the production of samples with a wide range of secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) while preserving Si and Fe-containing phases. The 0.5 wt.% Ni and Co additions led to the growth of the AlFeSi(Ni) and AlFeSi(Co) phases, but no binary AlNi nor AlCo intermetallic par-ticles have been generated. Potentiodynamic polarization studies at early exposure revealed an increase in the corrosion potential as the Ni was added for either fast or slow solidified samples. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at early exposure demonstrated that the Ni-modified alloy, on the other hand, was associated to smaller charge transfer resistances, in-dicating a reduction in corrosion resistance after short elapsed time into the electrolyte. Howev-er, 30-day immersion tests revealed much lower corrosion rate of the Ni-modified alloy than the other alloys, while the corrosion rates of the Co-modified and non-modified alloys were simi-lar. In the Ni-containing alloy, decreased corrosion rate under long-term corrosion process was attributed to the formation of a thick and dense alumina layer, effectively protecting the surface under such conditions. This work contributes to a better knowledge of the corrosion behavior of Ni- and Co-corrected Al industrial scrap compositions.

The so-called Born-Huang ansatz is a fundamental tool in the context of ab-initio molecular dynamics, viz., it allows to effectively separate fast and slow degrees of freedom and thus treating electrons and nuclei at different mathematical footings. Here we consider the use of a Born-Huang-like expansion of the three-dimensional time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation to separate transport and confinement degrees of freedom in electron transport problems that involve geometrical constrictions. The resulting scheme consists of an eigenstate problem for the confinement degrees of freedom (in the transverse direction) whose solution constitutes the input for the propagation of a set of coupled one-dimensional equations of motion for the transport degree of freedom (in the longitudinal direction). This technique achieves quantitative accuracy using an order less computational resources than the full dimensional simulation for a prototypical two-dimensional constriction.

Anomaly detection is an active area of research with numerous methods and applications. This survey reviews the state-of-the-art of data-driven anomaly detection techniques and their application to the the aviation domain. After a brief introduction to the main traditional data-driven methods for anomaly detection, we review the recent advances in the area of neural networks, deep learning and temporal-logic based learning. We cover especially unsupervised techniques applicable to time series data because of their relevance to the aviation domain, where the lack of labeled data is the most usual case, and the nature of flight trajectories and sensor data is sequential, or temporal. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are presented in terms of computational efficiency and detection efficacy. The second part of the survey explores the application of anomaly detection techniques to aviation and their contributions to the improvement of the safety and performance of flight operations and aviation systems. As far as we know, some of the presented methods have not yet found an application in the aviation domain. We review applications ranging from the identification of significant operational events in air traffic operations to the prediction of potential aviation system failures for predictive maintenance.

While adequate for English-speaking users in the United States, as well as many Commonwealth countries and other English-speaking jurisdictions (e.g., Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa among others), typing in Romance Languages (Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian) by using a standard US-QWERTY Keyboard is not easy since it is not adapted to special characters such as accented vowels, tildes and cedillas or ligatures, used in Romance Languages. With regard to the International Layout, intended to enable access to the most common diacritics used in Western European Languages, the problem comes from the fact that accented vowels are spread throughout the Keyboard layout, and their uppercase versions need chord combinations which can require good manual dexterity. This paper will analyze how the Spanish or Portuguese Keyboards are the best options for these users since they are QWERTY-based and the most compatible ones for the different character sets in Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian Languages.

Graphene-based Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) integrated with microstrip patch antennas offer a promising approach for Terahertz signal radiation. In this study, a dual-stage simulation methodology is employed to comprehensively investigate the device’s performance. The initial stage, executed in MATLAB, delves into charge transport dynamics within a FET under asymmetric boundary conditions, employing hydrodynamic equations for electron transport in the graphene channel. Electromagnetic field interactions are modeled via Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) techniques. The second stage, conducted in COMSOL Multiphysics, focuses on the microstrip patch antenna’s radiative characteristics. Notably, analysis of the S11 curve reveals minimal reflections at the FET’s resonant frequency of 1.34672 THz, indicating efficient impedance matching. Examination of the radiation pattern demonstrates the antenna’s favorable directional properties. This research underscores the potential of graphene-based FETs for Terahertz applications, offering tunable impedance matching and high radiation efficiency for future Terahertz devices.

In the present work we revise and extend the Characteristic Crystallographic Element (CCE) norm, an algorithm used to simultaneously detect radial and orientational similarity of computer-generated structures with respect to specific reference crystals and local symmetries. Based on the identification of point group symmetry elements, the CCE descriptor is able to gauge local structure with high precision and finely distinguish between competing morphologies. As test cases we use computer-generated monomeric and polymer systems of spherical particles interacting with the hard-sphere and square-well attractive potentials. We demonstrate that the CCE norm is able to detect and differentiate, between others, among: hexagonal close packed (HCP), face centered cubic (FCC), hexagonal (HEX) and body centered cubic (BCC) crystals as well as non-crystallographic fivefold (FIV) local symmetry in bulk 3-D systems; triangular (TRI), square (SQU) and honeycomb (HON) crystals, as well as pentagonal (PEN) local symmetry in thin films of one-layer thickness (2-D systems). The descriptor is general and can be applied to identify the symmetry elements of any point group for arbitrary atomic or particulate system in two or three dimensions, in the bulk or under confinement.

The relative proportions between nutrients affects the fate of them for metabolic interconversion, storage and turnover or, essentially for energy, in a process of partition modulated by hormonal and metabolic factors. A basic common chow model was used: ST or standard diet, HF high-fat and HP or high-protein had a common substrate. A CF cafeteria-type diet was added for comparison. Rats (female and male) received the diet for 30d. Nutrient intake and body composition were measured. Plasma glucose, lactate, testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) were measured. Common groups energy intake, was largely based in carbohydrates CH, yielding 6C units, which were fully oxidized or stored as 2C fragments (fatty acids). Lactate (3C) was partially stored as glycerol of TAG. Accrual of 2C far exceeded about ten-fold that of 3C. Amino acid (AA) catabolism yielded 2C, 3C and 4C-5C fragments, the latter acting as Krebs cycle anaplerotic intermediates (KCAI), that facilitated the oxidation of 2C in detriment of TAG accumulation Lactate levels, were related to lactic dehydrogenase activities in muscle and liver. TAG accrual was maximal in CF, quite differently from HF with similar diet lipid proportion. Maximal rates of lipid storage were found in ST (and CF) groups. Females showed a higher ability to oxidize CH and to store less TAG. T increased N and protein deposition, whilst E2 decreased them favoring AA oxidation and the availability of KCAI. In the rat, an effective energy partition scheme requires that about half of the energy is provided by CH (polysaccharide), and needs enough protein to provide KCAI for a smooth 2C oxidation.

Background: Gingival enlargement is defined as an abnormal overgrowth of gingival tissues. A case of a 34–year–old female presenting with maxillary chronic inflammatory gingival enlargement associated with a nickel wire allergy is reported here. Replacement of the wire, good oral hygiene therapy and surgical therapy was carried out to provide a good aesthetic outcome. Histopathological evaluation was done of the excised specimen. There is only one similar case reported in literature to the best of our knowledge and ours is the second case. Result: A Histopathological diagnosis of inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia was established. No recurrence was reported at the end of 1 year. Conclusion: The patient should be made aware of the allergy at the initial visit and oral hygiene instructions should be reinforced at every visit. The significance of patient compliance during and following therapy as an important factor in the success of treatment.

Animal welfare assessment protocols are important for identifying welfare problems in conservation programs. This study aimed to develop a baseline welfare protocol for the assessment of welfare in huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) in conservation centers. This protocol is based on the Welfare Quality® (WQ) framework for cattle, considering the available literature on the behaviours, ecology, conservation plans, captive management of this species, and welfare assessment protocols for other ungulate species. As a result, the protocol was specifically developed for huemuls and included four principles, 12 criteria, and 23 animal- and resource-based indicators. The 12 criteria of the WQ protocol were reduced to nine, and three new criteria were added because they were both feasible and essential for welfare assessment in captive huemuls. This protocol is mainly intended to identify welfare problems in endangered species in the context of conservation centers (reproduction, rescue, rehabilitation, or treatment centers). Thus, aggregation of different measures to obtain a global score has not been proposed. However, a scoring system that assigns a value on a 0-2 scale (0= No welfare concern; 1= welfare concern; 2= urgent welfare concern) is proposed for each category. Although further research is still needed to fully validate the protocol, this is the first development of a completed protocol for huemul welfare assessment.

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

Covid-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which has spread worldwide since the beginning of 2020. Several pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical strategies were proposed to contain the virus dissemination, including vaccination and lockdowns. One of the consequences of the pandemic was the denial or delay of access to convenient health care services, but also potentially the increase of adverse events within those services, like the number of hospital infections. Therefore, the main question here is: What happened to the performance and sustainability of hospitals? The main goal of this work was to test if the Portuguese public hospitals' performance has been affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We used the Benefit-of-Doubt method integrated with the Malmquist Index to analyze the performance evolution over time. Then, we employed a multiple regression model to test whether some pandemic-related variables could explain the performance results. We considered a database of 40 Portuguese public hospitals evaluated from January 2017 to May 2022. The period 2017 to 2019 corresponds to the baseline (pre-pandemic), against which the remaining period will be compared (during the pandemic). We also considered fourteen variables characterizing hospital quality, divided into three main performance definitions (efficiency and productivity; access; safety and care appropriateness). As potential explanatory variables, we consider seven dimensions, including vaccination rate and the need for intensive care for Covid-19 infected people. Results suggest that Covid-19 pandemic features help explain the drop on access after 2020, but not the evolution of safety and appropriateness of care, which surpris-ingly increased the whole time.

3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a new psychoactive substance (NPS) and the most widespread and life-threatening synthetic cathinone of the “bath salts”. Preclinical research has proven the cocaine-like psychostimulant effects of MDPV and its potential for abuse. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid that has emerged as a new potential treatment for drug addiction. Here, we tested the effects of CBD (20 mg/kg) on MDPV (2 mg/kg)-induced conditioned place preference and MDPV (0.05 and 0.075 mg/kg/infusion) self-administration paradigm. We also assessed the effects of the combination of CBD, and MDPV (3 and 4 mg/kg) on anxiety-like behaviour using the elevated plus maze (EPM). CBD mitigated the MDPV-induced conditioned place preference. On the contrary, CBD administration throughout the MDPV (0.075 mg/kg/infusion) self-administration increased drug-seeking and taking behaviours, but only in the high-responders group of mice. Additionally, CBD exerted anxiolytic-like effects, but only in MDPV-treated mice. Taken together, our results indicate that CBD modulation of MDPV-induced motivational responses in mice vary depending on the requirements of the learning task, resulting in a complex response. More research attempting to decipher the behavioural and molecular interactions between CBD and MDPV is needed.

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid state welding process for joining metallic alloys and dissimilar metals. It has emerged as an alternative technology for welding high strength alloys that are difficult to join with conventional techniques. FSW is used to produce products with better mechanical properties. Now a days aluminum alloys have been widely used in several industrial applications such as aerospace, marine, automobile and commercial applications due to their light weight structure, better mechanical properties and high corrosion resistance.In this work, three welding parameters such as spindle speed, welding speed and plunge depth were considered for friction stir welding. FSW was carried out between dissimilar aluminum alloy plates (AA6061 and AA 8011) to produce butt joint.A Box-Behnken design with three factors and three levels was chosen to minimize the number of experimental conditions .The tensile strength and hardness of the welded regions were evaluated. The optimum level settings and the major parameters that influence the joint strength were obtained by Box-Behnken design.

As Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD) increase, preventive approaches become more crucial. In this review, Calorie Restriction (CR) effects on human beings were evaluated, comparing benefits and risks of different CR diets: classic CR vs ketosis-inducing diets, including Intermittent Fasting (IF), Classic Ketogenic Diet (CKD), Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD), Very-Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD) and Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet (SKMD). Special emphasis on Insulin Resistance (IR) was placed, as it mediates Metabolic Syndrome (MS), a risk factor for CNCD, and predicts MS diagnosis. CR is the most robust intervention known to increase lifespan and health span, with high evidence and known biochemical mechanisms. CR improves cardiometabolic risk parameters, boosts exercise insulin sensitivity response, and there may be benefits of implementing moderate CR on healthy young and middle-aged individuals. However, there is insufficient evidence to support long-term CR. CKD is effective for weight and MS management, and may have additional benefits such as prevention of muscle loss and appetite control. SKMD has extreme significance benefits for all the metabolic parameters studied. Studies show inconsistent benefits of IF compared to classic CR. More studies are required to study biochemical parameters, reinforce evidence, identify risks, and seek effective and safe nutritional CR approaches.

In this paper, we analyze data from the 2012 Encuesta de Integración Social y Salud (Social Integration and Health Survey) of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spanish National Institute of Statistics) to obtain profiles created by combining disability, poverty and social exclusion. We hypothesize that the probability that people will experience social exclusion increases if they have a disability, chronic illness or limitation in conducting everyday activities, and that this probability is greater for women than for men. To conduct our analysis, we constructed a social exclusion model based on a series of social determinants that acts as a dependent variable. In this context, social exclusion is understood to go beyond the concept of financial poverty. We performed bivariate analyses, in which we calculated the Odds Ratios (OR) for certain variables considered to be predictors of social exclusion. We also performed a means comparison test and an ANOVA test to observe differences between individuals with recognized disability and those without. Finally, we conducted logistic regression analysis to determine which vulnerability profiles are most likely to experience a situation of social exclusion. We also discuss the limitations of our study, and suggest areas in, which the relationships between health, social exclusion and disability can be further investigated.

In cotton cultivars, an insect that causes irreversible damage is the Spodoptera frugiperda, known as the fall armyworm. Since the visual detection of plants is a burdensome task for human inspection, the spectral information related to plant damage, registered on a spectral scale, can be useful. These measurements, associated with machine learning techniques, produce useful information for a rapid and non-invasive inspection method development. To contribute to this gap fulfillment, this paper proposes a machine learning framework to model the spectral response of cotton plants under the attack of the fall armyworm. Additionally, a theoretical model is presented, built from the results of the machine learning analysis, to infer this damage with up-to-date orbital sensors. The data was composed of the reflectance measurements collected at a cotton field with control plants and plants submitted to Spodoptera frugiperda damage. Their spectral response was recorded with a hand-held spectroradiometer ranging from 350 to 2,500 nm, for eight consecutive days. Different machine learning models were evaluated and the overall best model was defined by accuracies comparisons on a testing-set. A ranking approach was adopted based on the model accuracy, returning the most contributive wavelengths for the classification. Sequentially, an unsupervised neural network (Self-Organizing Map - SOM) was implemented to reduce data-dimensionality and assist in the definition of important spectral regions. The regions were associated with the spectral bands of the two sensors (OLI and MSI) and a theoretical model using a band simulation process with the overall best machine learning model was proposed. The results indicated that the Random Forest (RF) algorithm is the most suitable to predict cotton-plants damaged by insects and that the last day of analysis (8th day) was better to separate it, with F-measure equals 0.912. The ranking approach combined with the SOM method indicated the spectral regions at the red to near-infrared (650 to 1,350 nm) and shortwave infrared (1,570 to 1,640 nm) as the most important regions to the analysis. The proposed theoretical model simulated with the OLI and MSI sensor-bands returned an F-Measure of 0.865 and 0.886, respectively. In conclusion, this framework can be used to map cotton-plants under insect-attack. The theoretical model presents high accuracy to infer the insect-damaged on cotton plants based on multispectral bands from other sensors, being a useful tool for future research that intends to evaluate it in other areas and at different field scales.

(1) Background: Although manual therapy for pain relief has been used as an adjunct in treatments for chronic low back pain (CLBP), there is still the belief that a single session of myofascial release would be effective. This study aimed to investigate whether a single session of a specific technique reduces pain and disability. (2) Methods: This was a crossover clinical trial in which 41 participants over 18 years old with CLBP were randomly enrolled into 3 situations - experimental, placebo, control, in a balanced and cross-over manner. The subjects underwent a single session of myofascial release on thoracolumbar fascia and compare it with the control and placebo. Outcome were pain and functionality, evaluated using the numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), pressure pain threshold (PPT) and Oswestry (ODI). (3) Results: There was no effects between-, within-tests, and interaction for all the outcomes, i.e., NPRS (η 2 = 0.32, F = 0.48, p = 0.61), PPT (η2 = 0.73, F = 2.80, p = 0.06), ODI (η 2 = 0.02, F = 0.02, p = 0.97). (4) Conclusion: A single trial of thoracolumbar myofascial release technique was not enough to reduce pain and disability in subjects with CLBP.

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