Virtual reality experiences are frequently created using game engines, yet they are not simple for novices and unskilled professionals who don’t have programming and 3D modeling skills. Concurrently, there is a knowledge gap in software project design for intuitive virtual reality authoring tools, which were supposed to be easier to use. This work compiles design guidelines derived from a systematic literature review to contribute in the development of more intuitive virtual reality authoring tools. We searched the Scopus and Web of Science databases for works published between 2018 and 2021 and discovered 14 papers. We compiled 14 requirement and feature design guidelines, such as Visual Programming, Immersive Authoring, Reutilization, Sharing and Collaboration, Metaphors, and Movement Freedom, among others. The collected guidelines have the potential to either guide the development of new authoring tools or to evaluate the intuitiveness of existing tools. Furthermore, they can also support the development of the metaverse, since virtual content creation is one of its bases.

Among the various complex systems that we experience each day, there is the physical phenomenon of infiltration. Infiltration is considered as the dynamics of water flow in the subsurface soil that in this work is framed for the context of civil construction. This issue is approached with the use of mathematical models and stochastic techniques, however, there are hardships in collecting the samples in the field, the adoption of a scale type, the influence in soil layers interfaces, the effects of soil anisotropic characteristics and so on. In this study, methodology is proposed to deal with the soil sampling input such as the retro model, constitutive model and optimization algorithms. Additionally, an automatic calibration is set forth to fix parameters from the mathematical model submitted. Especially among the existing Optimization Algorithms there are Genetic Algorithms and the Generalized Simulated Annealing Algorithm (GSA). This work presents an overview of these optimization methods and a proposal for a more efficient and faster algorithm called GSA-HYBRID based on convergence gradient technique. The applied strategy depends on the type of case study considering its physical properties and constraints. In this sense, it is found that while Genetic Algorithms are able to replicate the optimization surface, Generalized Simulated Annealing is much more adequate in characterizing the system at an extremely low computational cost. Nevertheless, the hybrid technique GSA-HYBRID performed the fastest. Further research is necessary to implement the novel GSA-HYBRID algorithm due to its flexibility and higher speed, also, studying its application at different case studies.

Virtual reality software might be challenging to utilize for beginners and unskilled professionals who do not have a programming or 3D modeling background. Concurrently, there is a knowledge gap in software project design for intuitive virtual reality authoring tools, which were supposed to be easier to use. These tools are frequently insufficient due to a lack of support and standard operating procedures. Adopting the Design Science Research paradigm, this study aims to evaluate the validity of fourteen design guidelines for the development of intuitive virtual reality authoring tools as an artifact. While a previous study completed the first steps of the Design Science Research, by identifying problems, defining solution objectives, and developing and demonstrating the design guidelines, this work seeks to qualitatively evaluate their application in a practical experiment. A group of engineering students with no prior experience in creating virtual worlds were tasked with examining the design guidelines while using the NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise as an exemplary use case and responding to a questionnaire and a focus group interview about how they perceived these guidelines. A correlation analysis confirmed that most guidelines scores behaved as expected and were ranked according to the use-case functionality. The participants understood the guidelines' definition and could decide if they agreed or disagreed with their presence during the experiment. We conclude that, in accordance with the Design Science Research, the proposed artifact is useful, i.e., the design guidelines for virtual reality authoring tools perform what they are designed to do and are operationally reliable in accomplishing their goals.

A major challenge of augmented and mixed reality applications is identifying the context and semantics of the real environment. Studies on object and action recognition were developed based on the improvement of machine learning techniques, allowing them to be annotated and recognized. This study aims to characterize current knowledge on the use of machine learning for recognizing objects and actions in augmented and mixed reality environments, increasing context awareness. Therefore, a systematic literature review of works related to these topics was made, using the Scopus and Web of Science knowledge bases. We searched articles and conference reviews or papers published between 2018 and 2022 and selected fifteen studies to be reviewed. The results indicate that there is a great demand for using machine learning to immersive technologies in factories, engineering, entertainment, education, health, among other application domains. However, these real-time interactive systems still have challenges and limitations to be solved, involving network communication, prediction time and the creation of a model that recognize objects and actions in broad contexts. Furthermore, additional research is needed to investigate how object and action recognition can increase context awareness in augmented reality applications.

To effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government of Bahia, Brazil, has distributed intensive and non-intensive care units along the nine regions that divide the state of Bahia, such that COVID-19 patients could be easily hospitalized in health care units located at the same regions where they live. However, the observed hospitalizations networks for COVID-19 patients shows that a considerable number of COVID-19 patients had to travel beyond their region of residence to be hospitalized. Hence, this study indicates that the current distribution of health care units in Bahia, Brazil, is not sufficient to effectively reduce the distances traveled by COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization. We believe that such unnecessary travels to distant hospitals may put the sick patients as well as healthy people involved in the transportation process in risk, further delaying the stabilization of the COVID-19 pandemic in each region of the state of Bahia.

Fisheries in Cambodia play an important role in supporting household food security and livelihoods throughout the country. Inland fisheries production is largely dependent on numerous ecosystem services, particularly the flood waters of the Tonle Sap Lake basin, which has been degraded from increased fishing pressure because of population growth and a rising demand for fish. To address the dual problem of food insecurity and overfishing, an integrated food security and climate change program involved the promotion of small-scale aquaculture through semi-intensive pond management. The objective of this study is to examine perceptions of small-scale aquaculture by participants in this program in order to assess the potential for aquaculture to contribute to household food security and conservation of the Tonle Sap Lake ecosystem. Focus group discussions and a household survey were conducted among current and previous fish farmers. Results demonstrate that most farmers continue to practice small-scale aquaculture as a means to supplement household food availability and income. Numerous barriers to adoption of small-scale aquaculture were identified, including access to water, prices of commercial fish feed, selling price of fish in markets, and concerns about profitability. Seasonal water scarcity is the most prominent challenge in promoting aquaculture technologies, so aquaculture development should be expanded in areas where there are abundant supplies of water, or where use of water storage techniques are feasible. Aquaculture technology appears to have the potential to contribute to food security, nutrition, and household income, and the expansion of the practice of small-scale aquaculture has the potential to reduce fishing pressure on the wild fisheries of the Tonle Sap Lake.

The market of natural and organic cosmetics has been growing in last decades. The increase in interest in this type of product is a consequence of the concern that consumers have been presenting in relation to the environment and health. In addition to the appreciation the use of sustainable ingredients in cosmetic formulations, the consumers are also concerned about pollution caused by the use of plastics, which leads industries to reinvent themselves and rethink about the composition of packaging. The factor that most drives the purchase of natural and organic cosmetics is the fact that the consumer, in addition to contributing to the preservation of the environment, is also using a sustainable product. The growing demand for natural and organic cosmetics results in a concern of the brands with the organic issue, with the decreased use of animal derived ingredients and with the updating the parameters required for certification of a cosmetic as natural or organic. Due to the few studies available in this area, the importance of clarifying the definitions and concepts of natural and organic cosmetics is evident, in order to contribute with accurate information for the cosmetic sector.

This study investigates the spatial signatures of seasonal snow in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) observations at different spatial scales and for different physiographic regions. Sentinel-1 C-band (SAR) backscattering coefficients (BSC) were analyzed in the Swiss Alps (SA), in high elevation forest and grasslands in Grand Mesa (GM), Colorado, and in North Dakota (ND) croplands. GM BSC exhibit 10dB sensitivity to wetness at small scales (~100 m) over homogeneous grassland. Sensitivity decreases to 5 dB in the presence of trees, and it is demonstrated that VH BSC sensitivity enables wet snow mapping below the tree-line. Area-variance scaling relationships show minima at ~100 m and 150-250 m respectively in barren and grasslands in SA and GM, increasing up to 1 km and longer in GM forests and ND agricultural fields. The spatial organization of BSC (as described by 1D-directional BSC wavelength spectra) exhibits multi-scaling behavior in the 100 -1,000 m range with a break at (180-360 m) that is also present in UAVSAR L-band measurements in GM. Spectral slopes in GM forested areas steepen during accumulation and flatten in the melting season with mirror behavior for grasslands reflecting changes in scattering mechanisms with snow depth and wetness, and vegetation mass and structure. Overall, this study reveals persistent patterns of SAR scattering variability spatially organized by land-cover, topography and regional winds with large inter-annual variability tied to precipitation. This dynamic scaling behavior emerges as an integral physical expression of snowpack variability that can be used to model sub-km scales and for downscaling applications.

Comminution is the most power-demanding stage, and the lack of geometallurgical testing, often for financial reasons, may result in an inefficient operation. The Geopyörä Rock Breakage test was developed with the objective of making mineral variability data more accessible by providing both standard comminution parameters and rock mechanical properties at low cost, and with a modest sample size, allowing a larger number of samples to be tested to reduce uncertainties and assure productivity. The objective of this work is to present the results of an extensive validation of this new rock breakage method against two of the main tests currently in use, namely the SMC® and Bond ball mill work index tests. More than 100 samples have been tested and the results compared, showing that the new method can accurately estimate the parameters of the traditional tests. This confirms that the new test is a reliable tool for comminution and geometallurgical tests.

The study proposes planning independent children's mobility through geoinformation technologies for listening to children. This research assumes that children’s values and expectations must be considered in city planning. A bibliographic review identifies 15 indicators which make spaces safe and attractive for children to circulate and play. Thematic maps of the indicators are prepared, integrated by Multicriteria Analysis by Weights of Evidence, according to the hierarchical importance of each variable. The definition of weights considers the opinion of children and technicians. Consultation with children is carried out by Mapping Volunteers (VGI), Consultation on Hierarchy, Geodesign of Ideas for the area and Artistic Workshop. In the technical study, the query applies the Delphi method. It uses the VGI – Volunteered Geographic Information – web-based platform, where children record places of topophilia and topophobia, while technicians map the presence of 15 indicators. The set of information is made available on a web-based platform of SDI – Spatial Data Infrastructure, in which there are resources for a Geodesign workshop when ideas for the area are elaborated through negotiation and co-creation. The product is a transformation design for the area through urban design and parameterisation of uses.

In the era of rapid digitalisation, the widespread integration of digital technology into various aspects of daily life has sparked significant interest in understanding its impact on cognitive mental processes. While the emerging data suggests that its influence may be positive or negative, the depth of evidence regarding neurobiological mechanisms remains limited. This review aims to synthesise previously published studies and explore the implications of digital technology components, specifically those resembling mobile technology, internet search engines, and conversational artificial intelligence models, on cognitive functions embedded in the brain’s ability to reorganise itself, known as neuroplasticity. Despite acknowledged limitations, through an exhaustive approach, this paper intends to offer a dynamic perspective on the effects of digital media on the human brain, before the onset of addiction.

Keywords: renal replacement therapy. Point-of-Care Ultrasound; intensive care; acute kidney injury; nephrologist.Point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) is gaining heightened significance in critical care settings as it allows for quick decision making at the bedside. While computerized to-mography is still considered the standard imaging modality for many diseases, the risks and delays associated with transferring a critically ill patient out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have prompted physicians to explore alternative tools. Ultrasound guidance has increased safety of invasive procedures in the ICU, such as the placement of vascular catheters and drainage of collections. Ultrasonography is now seen as an extension of the clinical examination, providing quick answers for rapidly deteriorating patients in the ICU. The field of nephrology is increasingly acknowledging the value of diagnostic Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS). By employing multi-organ POCUS, nephrologists can address specific queries arising during the diagnosis and treatment of patients with acute kidney injury. This approach aids in ruling out hydronephrosis and offering immediate information on hemodynamics, thereby consolidating patient data and facilitating the development of personalized treatment strategies.

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

A novel investigation into the structure-function relationship was undertaken to enhance understanding of the mechanism of action of the vasoactive peptide angiotensin II (AngII) using unconventional substitutions such as AIB (α-aminobutyric acid), CHA (cyclohexylalanine acid), IAP (isonipecotic acid), TOAC (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-4-amine-4-carboxylic acid) at position 3, and DMT (2,6-dimethyl-Tyrosine) at position 4. Biological potency assays were conducted on guinea pig ileum, and structural features were analyzed using circular dichroism (CD) and molecular dynamics (MD). CHA3-AngII and AIB3-AngII analogs retained some agonistic activity, whereas IAP3-AngII and TOAC3-AngII derivatives were inactive. CD results indicated low conformational flexibility for AIB3-AngII and CHA3-AngII, and greater conformational restrictions for IAP3-AngII and TOAC3-AngII, consistent with computational modeling analyses. DMT4-AngII exhibited significant agonistic activity compared to the inactive Phe4AngII. Molecular modeling suggested a potential interaction between the hydroxyl group of Tyr4 and the amide bond between positions 7 and 8. AngII showed greater conformational restriction compared to DMT4-AngII and Phe4-AngII, underscoring the importance of tyrosine at position 4.

The effect of legumes adapted to a temperate climate on gas production kinetics, enteric methane, and rumen fermentation in vitro was evaluated. The species studied were Acacia dealbatha, Acacia melanoxylon, Albizzia lopantha, Lupinus pubescens, Inga insignes, Senna multiglandulosa and Tecoma stans. The effective degradation of the dry matter was estimated, the in vitro gas production was measured up to 120 hours of incubation, and the production of enteric methane, VFAs, and ammonia were measured at 24 hours. Dry matter, organic matter, ash, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin were evaluated. The content of total phenols and condensed tannins was quantified. To determine digestibility, the samples were incubated for up to 120 hours. I. insignes presented a higher dry matter content and a high crude protein content. L. pubescens presented low dry matter digestibility. The neutral detergent fiber content was higher in I. insignes and with a higher value in dry matter digestibility and lower content of total phenols and condensed tannins. While S. multiglandulosa showed low detergent acid fiber content. The acid detergent lignin value was higher in I. insignes and lower in L. pubescens. In vitro gas and enteric methane production was higher in L. pubescens. propionic acid and ammonia they were higher in S. multiglandulosa. It is concluded that the amount of secondary compounds affects methane production, compromises digestibility and rumen kinetics of the legumes studied.

Model-based image reconstruction has brought improvements in terms of contrast and spatial resolution to imaging applications such as magnetic resonance imaging and emission computed tomography. However, their use for pulse-echo techniques like ultrasound imaging is limited by the fact that model-based algorithms assume a finite grid of possible locations of scatterers in a medium -- which does not reflect the continuous nature of real world objects and creates a problem known as off-grid deviation. To cope with this problem, we present a method of dictionary expansion and constrained reconstruction that approximates the continuous manifold of all possible scatterer locations within a region of interest. The expanded dictionary is created using a highly coherent sampling of the region of interest, followed by a rank reduction procedure based on a truncated singular value decomposition. We develop a greedy algorithm, based on the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP), that uses a correlation-based non-convex constraint set that allows for the division of the region of interest into cells of any size. To evaluate the performance of the method, we present results of 2-dimensional ultrasound image reconstructions with simulated data in a nondestructive testing application. Our method succeeds in the reconstructions of sparse images from noisy measurements, providing higher accuracy than previous approaches based on regular discrete models.

This work seeks to approach the comparative analysis of the distribution of POFs (polymeric optical fibers) arranged in a random and sorted manner in the manufacture of translucent concretes. The following characteristics were analyzed: compressive strength, flexural tensile strength, capillary water absorption and light transmittance. Portland cement, water, fine aggregate (sand), silica fume, polycarboxylate ether-based superplasticizer and polymeric optical fiber were used in the production of the composites. Except the fiber content, the mixture of all other inputs was kept as a fixed parameter. Groups with the following levels of POFs were produced: 0%, 2%, 3.5% and 5%. The POF content is the sum of the areas of the fiber sections in the composite with the total area of the translucent surface. The results showed that for the analysis of mechanical behavior (flexural tensile and compressive strength) and durability (capillary water absorption), composites with random and sorted fibers within the 2% POF presented to belong to statistically distinct groups. For the other fiber contents, there was no pattern of behavior, that is, it cannot be said that there is a difference within 3.5% or 5% POF between sorted and random fibers in relation to the mechanical and durability characteristics analyzed. As for the light transmittance, it was attributed that the statistical difference between the fiber arrangements only within the 5% POF content can be a consequence of their accumulation in certain points of the material, thus influencing this characteristic measured by a light meter.

Background: Most modern studies about human marijuana use have been made under a set of arbitrary cultural standards and policies not related to drug harm potential, loosely called Prohibition. Here we asked if potential health hazards generated by Prohibition are addressed in research design and analysis. Methods: For this, we have searched PubMed database (from inception to December 2017) for citations of prevalent contaminants of illegal street cannabis: fungi and pesticides. In addition, we performed full text evaluation of 23 studies selected from, and including, 2 meta-analysis reviews investigating potential health hazards from cannabis use. Results: Different combinations of the keywords cannabis, prohibition, pesticides, fungi, contaminants, cancer, schizophrenia, psychosis, show that these words coincide in less than 1% of the cannabis human studies within the database. In the scope of 141 abstracts in which the terms, cannabis and pesticides coincide, none is directed to distinguish cannabis and pesticide adverse effects on CNS. A similar picture emerges when fungi is the paired word. Full text evaluation shows that all but one of the studies analyzed, completely neglect or comment on the nature of cannabis source, legal status, or contamination as a confounding factor. Discussion: Our results show a potential bias on scientific investigation that may affect data reliability in informing about the health hazards of cannabis use. This finding suggests that other aspects of the Prohibition environment may also go unacknowledged. Conclusion: Prohibition related health risks usually go unacknowledged and unaccounted for in biomedical research on Cannabis.

Pharmacological treatment is not very effective for neuropathic pain (NP). A progressive decrease in the estimated effect of NP drugs has been reported, giving rise to an increase in the use of the multimodal analgesic approach. We performed a new, independent review to assess whether more evidence and of better-quality has become available since the last systematic review. We evaluated the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of double-blinded, randomized, controlled trials involving only adult participants and comparing combination therapy (CT: ≥ 2 drugs) to a placebo and/or at least one other comparator with an NP indication. The primary outcome assessed was the proportion of participants reporting ≥50% pain reductions from baseline. The secondary outcome assessed was the proportion of drop-outs due to treatment-emergent adverse events. After removing duplicates, 2323 citations were screened, with 164 articles assessed for eligibility, from which 16 were included for qualitative analysis. From the latter, only five lasted for at least 12 weeks and only six complied with the required data for complete analysis. CT has been adopted for years without robust evidence. Efforts have been made to achieve better-quality evidence, but the quality has not improved over the years. In this regard, guidelines for NP should attempt to make recommendations about CT research, prioritizing which combinations to analyze.

Introduction: In recent decades, health literacy, in connection with a broad range of public 1 health terms, has become a burgeoning field. This study aims to explore trends and biases in this 2 area through a bibliometric analysis. Methods: A Random Forest Model was utilized to identify 3 keywords and other metadata that predict annual citations in the field. In order to supplement 4 this machine learning analysis, we have also implemented a bibliometric review of the corpus. 5 Results: Findings indicate a high positive coefficient for the keyword ’Covid-19’ and ’Male’, whereas a 6 negative coefficient was observed for ’Female’, suggesting potential biases. Evolving themes such as 7 Covid-19, Mental Health, and Social Media were discovered. A significant shift was noted in the main 8 publishing journals, while the major contributing authors remained the same. Discussion: The results 9 hint at the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic and potential gender biases on citation likelihood, as 10 well as changing publication strategies despite the fact that the main researchers remain as the ones 11 that have been studying health literacy since its creation.

The conditions for safe Internet access and the development of skills enabling full participation in online environments are recognized in the Council of Europe’s strategy for child rights, from 2022. The guarantee of this right has implications for experiences inside and outside the school context. Therefore, this article aims to compare the perceptions of students from different educational levels, who participated in a digital storytelling workshop, regarding online safety, searching habits, and digital competences. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey completed by 84 Portuguese students from elementary and secondary schools. A non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance was used to identify differences as children advance across educational stages. The results revealed that secondary students tend to spend more time online, and demonstrated more advanced search skills. Interestingly, the youngest children exhibited higher competences in creating games and practicing safety measures regarding online postings. These findings emphasize the importance of schools, in a joint action with the educational community, including parents, teachers and students, developing a coordinated and vertically integrated approach to digital education that considers the children's current knowledge, attitudes, and skills as a starting point for pedagogical intervention.

The conducted investigation encompassed the comprehensive integration of mechanical, envi-ronmental, chemical, and microstructural evaluations of a composite amalgamating sandy soil and a synthetic polymer at two distinct concentrations (2.5% and %) across multiple curing in-tervals (0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 15, 30, and 45 days). The studied soil originates from an environmentally sig-nificant protected area in Brazil. The implementation of mechanisms for soil improvement in the region must adhere to technical criteria without causing environmental harm. Direct shear testing was conducted, permeability was assessed, and microstructure analysis and XRD and XRF/EDX studies of both the soil and composites were conducted. It was observed that longer curing times yielded improved results in shear stress, friction angle, and cohesive intercept, with SP_5% exhibiting the highest values compared to the soil and SP_2.5%. Adding the polymeric so-lution to the soil contributed to cementation and cohesion gains in the substrate. Through mi-crostructural characterization, the polymer's role as a cementing agent for the grains is evident, forming a film on the grains and binding them together. Based on the analyses and studies con-ducted in the research, it can be concluded that there is technical feasibility for applying the pol-ymeric solution at both dosages in geotechnical projects.

Research on Traffic Light Recognition (TLR) has grown in recent years, primarily driven by the growing interest in autonomous vehicles development. Machine Learning algorithms have been widely used to that purpose. Mainstream approaches, however, require large amount of data to properly work, and as a consequence, a lot of computational resources. In this paper we propose the use of Expert Instruction (IE) as a mechanism to reduce the amount of data required to provide accurate ML models for TLR. Given an image of the exterior scene taken from the inside of the vehicle, we stand the hypothesis that the picture of a traffic light is more likely to appear in the central and upper regions of the image. Frequency Maps of traffic light location were thus constructed to confirm this hypothesis. The frequency maps are the result of a manual effort of human experts in annotating each image with the coordinates of the region where the traffic light appears. Results show that EI increased the accuracy obtained by the classification algorithm in two different image datasets by at least 15%. Evaluation rates achieved by the inclusion of EI were also higher in further experiments, including traffic light detection followed by classification by the trained algorithm. The inclusion of EI in the PCANet achieved a precision of 83% and recall of 73% against 75.3% and 51.1%, respectively, of its counterpart. We finally presents a prototype of a TLR Device with that expert model embedded to assist drivers. The TLR uses a smartphone as a camera and processing unit. To show the feasibility of the apparatus, a dataset was obtained in real time usage and tested in an Adaptive Background Suppression Filter (AdaBSF) and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) algorithm to detect and recognize traffic lights. Results show precision of 100% and recall of 65%.

Variable nitrogen(N) rate fertilization based on remote sensing is challenging for cotton production fields, but active crop canopy sensors (ACS) appear as an alternative to make this practical on farm since they can be used at night as well. The crop spatial variability in inherent in crop production in general, and not on-the-go solutions can be used with this type of active sensing technologies. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of two vegetation indices to identify the N requirement variability for cotton plants and to develop prototype algorithms for topdressing nitrogen variable rate on commercial and experimental areas, using the N-sufficiency methodology based on virtual reference. The concept of virtual reference is to use a histogram to characterize the vegetation index of properly fertilized plants without establishing an N-rich plot as a reference strip. The experiment was conducted in strips with four different N rates (0, 45, 90 and 180 kgN ha^-1) during the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 crop seasons in partnership with large cotton producers in Mato Grosso and also in experimental area of Embrapa Agrosilvopastoral. Two algorithms for variable rate nitrogen fertilization for cotton were developed, namely: 1) N recommendation algorithm for cotton in commercial production system: N rate (kg.N ha^-1) = -234.79 ISN² + 49,879 ISN + 195.15; R² = 0.97; and 2) for cotton grown in experimental area: N dose (kgN ha^-1) = -174.73 ISN² - 107.21 ISN + 306.78; R² = 0.94.

Natural fibers are being increasingly used in different areas of engineering, including as composite reinforcement. Among these fibers, carauá stands out for its good mechanical properties and adherence to resin. Nevertheless, little is known about the behavior of this material in the manufacture of a composite or whether classic failure theory can be used in this case. In this context, the present study assesses the mechanical properties of two laminas made of unidirectional curauá fiber with volumetric fiber percentages of 30 % and 22 %, and compares the results with the values obtained for four failure criteria reported in the literature, using analysis of variance (ANOVA). To that end, tensile tests were conducted in the direction of the fiber and at other loading angles, in addition to iosipescu shear tests. The results show that the maximum stress criterion does not represent the failure behavior of these materials and that the best was the Hashin criterion.

Fiber-cement composites were prepared from cellulosic cotton residue (CCR) arise from sanding process (emerizing). The effect of different concentrations: 0.5% and 1%, and granulometry: thick (retained in a14 mesh sieve) and thin (retained in a 48 mesh sieve) of this residue were evaluated on tensile strength of cement slurries with seven (07) curing days. To characterize the CCR, TGA, FT-IR, SEM and XRD analysis were performed and the residue resistance in an alkaline environment was also evaluated. Splitting tensile strength test, known as Brazilian Test, was used to assess effects of the fibers on the mechanical behavior of cement matrix. Analyzing the results, the CCR proved to be resistant in an alkaline environment, meaning that it can withstand the alkaline environment of cement matrix. The results showed an improvement superior to 17% in tensile strength for 1% of CCR. Therefore, the CCR presents a great application potential in cement pastes used for oil well cementing that requires to increase its tensile strength, once a significant improvement was achieved with a low-residue employee.

Consumption of high amounts of ethanol is a risk factor for development of cardiovascular diseases such as arterial hypertension. The hypertensive state induced by ethanol is a complex multi-factorial event, and oxidative stress is a pathophysiological hallmark of vascular dysfunction associated with ethanol consumption. Increasing levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the vasculature triggers important processes underlying vascular injury, including accumulation of intracellular Ca2+ ions, reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO), activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), endothelial dysfunction, and loss of the anticontractile effect of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). The enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase plays a central role in vascular ROS generation in response to ethanol. Activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is an upstream mechanism which contributes to NADPH oxidase stimulation, overproduction of ROS and vascular dysfunction. This review discusses the mechanisms of vascular dysfunction induced by ethanol, detailing the contribution of ROS to these processes. Data examining the association between neuroendocrine changes and vascular oxidative stress induced by ethanol are also reviewed and discussed. These issues are of paramount interest to public health as ethanol contributes to blood pressure elevation in the general population, and it is linked to cardiovascular conditions and diseases.

Healthcare professionals constantly face situations that reflect ecosystems’ degradation. These can negatively affect their mental health. Research suggests that hope and resilience can play an important role in this scenario, since they are related to/predict mental health in highly heterogeneous samples (considering geography, age, profession, health, etc.). In this context, the aims of the present study are: to characterize and explore the relationship between hope, resilient coping and mental health of Portuguese healthcare professionals. Using Google Forms, 276 healthcare professionals answered to the GHQ-28, the (adult) Trait Hope Scale, and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (cross-sectional study). The minimum and maximum possible scores were reached, with the exception of the maximum score of GHQ-28-Total. Regarding Hope, 19.6% scored below the midpoint (M=43.46, SD=11.97); 29.3% revealed low resilience (M=14.93, SD=4.05); and the average of 4 of the 5 Mental Health scores (exception: Severe Depression) indicates the probability of a psychiatric case. Hope correlated with Social Dysfunction and GHQ-28-Total; resilient coping proved to be a (weak) predictor of 4 of the 5 GHQ-28 indicators (exception: Severe depression). The results support the need to promote the sample's mental health, hope and resilient coping. They also suggest that stimulating resilient coping may contribute to improving healthcare professionals’ mental health.

Brazil chicken production is around 13 million tons and about a third is exported to over 150 countries, placing Brazil as the world largest chicken meat producer, and therefore it is crucial to follow the legislation of all importer markets. This study conducted a survey by chance in 45 meat industries able to export. Therefore, 2580 chicken meat samples were collected and submitted to 11 analyte extraction and chromatographic verification of compliance in an accredited laboratory. Ten chemical residues (amoxicillin, bacitracin, colistin, dinitolmide + zoalene, spectinomycin, roxarsone, tiamulin, tylosin, trenbolone acetate and virginiamycin) were investigated in chicken meat and one (halofuginone hydrobromide) in chicken liver. The results showed that no compound exceeded the maximum residue limits established by seven legislations. All residue concentrations found were below the method quantification limit, thereby confirming the capability of Brazilian chicken meat industries in complying to foreign markets.

This work aimed at producing lactic acid (LA) from sugarcane bagasse after steam explosion at 195 ºC for 7.5 and 15 min. Enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out with Novozymes’ Cellic CTec3 and/or Cellic HTec3, whereas fermentation was performed with Bacillus coagulans DSM2314. Water-washing of pretreated solids before enzymatic hydrolysis improved both hydrolysis and fermentation yields. The presence of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) in substrate hydrolysates reduced hydrolysis efficiency, but their effect on fermentation was negligible. The presence of fermentation inhibitors in C5 streams was circumvented by adsorption on activated carbon powder with no detectable sugar losses. High carbohydrates-to-LA conversions (Yp/s) of 0.88 g·g-1 were obtained from enzymatic hydrolysates of water-washed steam-exploded materials that were produced at 195°C, 7.5 min and the use of centrifuged-but-never-washed pretreated solids decreased Yp/s by 16%. However, when the detoxified C5 stream was added at a 10% ratio, Yp/s was raised to 0.93 g·g-1 for an LA productivity of 2.55 g·L-1·h-1. Doubling the pretreatment time caused a decrease in Yp/s to 0.78 g·g-1, but LA productivity was the highest (3.20 g·L-1·h-1). For pretreatment at 195°C for 7.5 min, elimination of water washing seemed feasible, but the use of longer pretreatment times made it mandatory to eliminate fermentation inhibitors.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are being increasingly viewed as valuable tools to aid the management of farms. This kind of technology can be particularly useful in the context of extensive cattle farming, as production areas tend to be expansive and animals tend to be more loosely monitored. With the advent of deep learning, and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in particular, extracting relevant information from aerial images has become more effective. Despite the technological advancements in drone, imaging and machine learning technologies, the application of UAVs for cattle monitoring is far from being thoroughly studied, with many research gaps still remaining. In this context, the objectives of this study were threefold: 1) to determine the highest possible accuracy that could be achieved in the detection of animals of the Canchim breed, which is visually similar to the Nelore breed (\textit{Bos taurus indicus}); 2) to determine the ideal Ground Sample Distance (GSD) for animal detection; 3) to determine the most accurate CNN architecture for this specific problem. The experiments involved 1,853 images containing 8,629 samples of animals, and 15 different CNN architectures were tested. A total of 900 models were trained (15 CNN architectures * 3 spacial resolutions * 2 datasets * 10-fold cross validation), allowing for a deep analysis of the several aspects that impact the detection of cattle using aerial images captured using UAVs. Results revealed that many CNN architectures are robust enough to reliably detect animals in aerial images even under far from ideal conditions, indicating the viability of using UAVs for cattle monitoring.

Agroforestry homegardens are integrated arrangements of common vegetable plants in areas close to residences, which follow a structure similar to that of tropical forests, with the cultivation of multiple species to meet the basic needs of families, such as the provision of food and medicine, as well as ensuring an environment for other family activities. Considering the importance of these environments, this work aimed to address the composition and use of plant species in agroforestry homegardens, in order to support society initiatives and government policies to strengthen the management of natural resources and individual and collective well-being in the region. For this, 119 homegardens were studied in the municipalities of Belterra, Mojuí dos Campos and Santarém, in the state of Pará, in the Brazilian Amazonia, comprising five different zones (peri-urban, urban, floodplain, indigenous land and tourist land), obtaining the data via questionnaires and guided visitation by the residents. A total of 5,323 vegetal individual plants were surveyed, distributed in 188 species and 62 botanical families. The data showed that 80.5% of the individual plants are concentrated in 18.6% of the species, with no significant difference in the average of species per homegarden in the five zones. The predominance of species for food use, primarily fruit-bearing, stands out, showing a possible direction for incentive actions and/or for the ordering of public policies and programs aimed at these spaces. Most homegardens have up to 17 plant species; less than half of homegardens have species intended for medicinal use; and there is percentage parity between native plant species and those of exotic origin, where native plants stand out for shading. Agroforestry homegardens play a crucial role in the conservation and cultivation of species for food purposes, with the cultivation or maintenance of plants based on their various purposes, showing distinct profiles of distribution and choice of species, evidencing their socioeconomic and environmental importance. Thus, it is important that these land use systems are valued, investing financial resources in actions and projects aimed at maintaining and enhancing their benefits for the region.

With the rising trends in elderly populations around the world, there is a growing interest in understanding how climate sensitivity is related to their thermal perception. Therefore, we analyzed the associations between mortality in the elderly due to cardiovascular (CVD) and respiratory diseases (RD) and meteorological variables, for three cities in the State of São Paulo, Brazil: Campos do Jordão, Ribeirão Preto and Santos, from 1996 to 2017. We applied the Autoregressive Model Integrated with Moving Average (ARIMA) and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in order to evaluate statistical associations. Results showed CVD as a major cause of mortality, particularly in the cold period, when a high mortality rate is also observed due to RD. The mortality rate was higher in Campos do Jordão and lower in Santos (and intermediate values in Ribeirão Preto). Campos do Jordão results indicate an increased probability of mortality from CVD and RD due to lower temperatures. In Ribeirão Preto, the lower relative humidity may be related to the increase in CVD and RD deaths. This study emphasizes that, even among subtropical climates, there are significant differences. Therefore, this can assist decision makers in the implementation of mitigating and adaptive measures.

Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) was recently detected in Mozambique and appears to be limited to the provinces of Gaza, Maputo and Zambezia, but it has great potential to spread to other provinces. Despite its importance, nothing is known about the BBTV isolates that occur in Mozambique. In this study, the sequences of the S and R genes of 40 isolates chosen as representatives of samples collected previously from eleven farms of the four administrative posts of the district of Chóckwè, Gaza province, were sequenced and analyzed. The S-DNA nucleotide sequences of the analyzed isolates were highly conserved, with identity ranging from 97% to 100%. The same was observed for the R-DNA sequences, with most identities ranging between 98% and 100% among the isolates from Chókwè and above 90% when compared to the isolates from GenBank. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the Mozambican BBTV isolates belong to the Pacific-Indian Oceans (PIO) group, showing greater proximity to the isolate JQ820453 from Malawi than to the isolates from sub-Saharan countries, which were grouped in a distinct subclade. This is the first study conducted to determine the molecular characteristics of BBTV isolates present in Mozambique.

This research focused on the perception of visually impaired individuals regarding tactile image creation using 3D printing. We developed and applied an experiment with 28 participants with visual impairments. They performed tasks based on skills whose foundations are needed and used in their daily lives, such as scanning, tactile discrimination, picture and spatial comprehension. The tactile images used in this study were developed by additive manufacturing and printed over 180 g/m² sulphite paper. The best performances were obtained when (1) the tactile image contour line heights were between 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm; and (2) the texture presented densities between 10% and 50%, when alone, or between 10% and 90%, when combined with another texture. The tested line widths (0.8 mm and 1.2 mm) did not present statistically significant differences in the results. Vision status (low vision or blindness) and moment of vision loss (congenital or late blind) did not influence the results. Schooling affected the activities of identifying objects and locating their copies. In the Conclusion section, there is a detailed recommendation list for the production and application of tactile materials, which range from simplifying forms to encouraging the use of both hands during content assimilation.

This paper aims to analyze the effects of Covid-19 on financial markets from the perspective of Complexity. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused turmoil in financial markets and is already one of the most important financial crises in history, causing a fall in several stock markets as well as great volatility. Unlike past crises, which in most cases were caused either by problems of fiscal deficits or in the financial system, this crisis has its origin in an epidemic disease, which occurred in Wuhan, China, and quickly spread across the globe affecting transport networks, commerce and finance, and will affect the public debt of many countries. This is a systemic situation in which there is a need to consider several interconnected systems, financial instability and high financial risk, something that econophysics and some complexity theorists already do. Therefore, this paper intends to show, theoretically, the systemic and complex character of the recent financial crisis caused by Covid-19.

This work focused on proposing a plan for improvement and control of the customer service process in a customer service center, based on a waiting line analysis where it describes all the elements that interact in the system and a statistical analysis of processes to define the state in which it operates. Subsequently, the simulation of processes is applied to represent the system studied, and with it, to be able to evaluate different strategies for improvement and increase in productivity. The following strategies were evaluated: correction of the instability of customer service processes, establishment of new specification limits according to the promise of value to be fulfilled to customers, human resource management, administrative technical support. Finally, with the results obtained from the simulation of the system, the improvement and productivity increase plan is planned according to the DMAMC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control, or DMAIC) continuous improvement cycle established in six sigma

The purpose of this article is to conduct a bibliometric review of literary production in terms of market interdependence. We investigate the effect of contagion on agricultural commodities and identify the commodities and methods used in the most cited publications over the decades. For this, we used the SCOPUS database, sorting with Rayyan, Excel, and finally, the Bibliometrix/R-project. The results showed that corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, and sugar are the most studied commodities. There is no uniqueness concerning the methods used to identify interdependence and the contagion effect. Also, it is possible to perceive the growing scientific interest concerning the subject, with a diversity of authors and magazines. However, there is a direction of the and magazines most cited articles for analyzing agricultural commodities and energy, demonstrated a worldwide trend of studies relating natural resources, biofuels, clean energy, and efficiency. In addition, countries like China and the United States stand out in this scientific scenario as the countries that produce the most articles.

Introduction: activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) in smooth muscle vascular is able to induces vasodilation. The chronic activation of sGC was able to improves vascular function in congestive heart failure animal model. Thus, activation of sGC can be a way to vasodilation and improvement in endothelial function. Objective: Investigate whether the selective activator of sGC can revert the endothelial dysfunction, and investigate the mechanism of action. Methods: Normotensive (2K) and hypertensive (2K-1C) wistar rats were used. Intact aortic rings were placed in a myograph and incubated with atacicguat 0.1 µM during 30 min. Cumulative concentration-effect curves to acetylcholine (Ach) were performed to measure the endothelial function. The pD2 and maximum relaxant effect (Emax) was measured to Ach. In endothelial cell culture, the detection of superoxide anion (O2•-) was made by using fluorescent probes, including DHE and lucigenin. Results: Ataciguat improved the relaxation induced by acetylcholine in 2K-1C(pD2: 6.99 ±0.08, n=6) compared to control(pD2: 6.43±0.07, n=6, p<0.05), also improved in aortic rings from 2K(pD2: 7.04±0.13, n=6), compared to control(pD2: 6.59±0.07, n=6, p<0.05). Also, Emax was improved by ataciguat treatment in the 2K-1C aorta (Emax: 81.0±1.0; n=6), and 2K aorta (Emax: 92.98±1.83; n=6), compared to control (Emax 2K-1C: 52.14 ±2.16, n=6; and Emax 2K: 76.07±4.35, n=6, p<0.05). In endothelial cell culture, treatment with ataciguat (0.1, 1 and 10 µM) decreased the superoxide anion formation induced by angiotensin II. Conclusions: our results suggest that ataciguat were able to improve endothelial function by superoxide anion inactivation.

In this study we fabricate gold nanocomposites and model their optical properties. The nanocomposites are either homogeneous films or gratings containing gold nanoparticles embedded in a polymer matrix. The samples are fabricated using a recently developed technique making use of laser interferometry. The gratings present original plasmon-enhanced diffraction properties. In this work, we develop a new approach to model the optical properties of our composites. We combine the extended Maxwell-Garnett model of effective media with the Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) method and compute both the absorption spectra and the diffraction efficiency spectra of the gratings. We show that such a semi-analytical approach allows us to reproduce the original plasmonic features of the composites and can give us entails about their inner structure. Such approach could be a simple and efficient tool to study complex micro-structured system based on plasmonic components, such as metamaterials.

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

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most frequent cancer type. Drug resistance and toxicity are common challenges of the existing therapies, making the development of reliable preclinical models essential for the study of the involved molecular mechanisms as well as for eventual intervention approaches that improve the clinical outcome. Preclinical models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma have been traditionally based in cell lines and murine models. In this review, we will go over the most frequently used preclinical models, from immortalized-cell and primary tumour cultures in monolayer or 3D, to the currently available animal models. We will scrutinize their efficiency in mimicking the molecular and cellular complexity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of other envisaged putative approaches, as well as the potential of the preclinical models to further develop customized therapies will be discussed.

During mechanical ventilation, a disparity between flow, pressure or volume demands of the patient and the assistance delivered by the mechanical ventilator often occurs. Asynchrony effect and ventilator performance are frequently studied from ICU datasets or using commercially available lung simulators and test lungs. This paper introduces an alternative approach of simulating and evaluating patient-ventilator interactions with high fidelity using the electro-mechanical lung simulator xPULM™ under selected conditions. The xPULM™ approximates respiratory activities of a patient during alternating phases of spontaneous breathing and apnoea intervals while connected to a mechanical ventilator. Focusing on different triggering events, volume assist-controlled (V/A-C) and pressure support ventilation (PSV) modes were chosen to test patient-ventilator interactions. In V/A-C mode a double-triggering was detected every third breathing cycle leading to an asynchrony index of 16.67%, being classified as severe. This asynchrony causes a major increase of Peak Inspiratory Pressure PIP = 12.80 ± 1.39 cmH2O and Peak Expiratory Flow PEF = -18.33 ± 1.13 L/min when compared to synchronous phases of the breathing simulation. Additionally, events of premature cycling were observed during PSV mode. In this mode, the peak delivered volume during simulated spontaneous breathing phases almost doubles compared to apnoea phases. The presented approach demonstrates the possibility of simulating and evaluating disparities in fundamental ventilation characteristics caused by double-triggering and premature cycling under V/A-C and PSV ventilation modes. Various dynamic clinical situations can be approximated and could help to identify undesired patient-ventilation interactions in the future. Rapidly manufactured ventilator systems could also be tested using this approach.

The mining industry is known for the intense environmental impacts it triggers, especially when it is developed in an open environment. Pit lakes are formed in depleted deposits and may be promising opportunities for use by society as well as troubling environmental liabilities. While these artificial basins are increasing numerically in many parts of the world, they are still little known researchers in the Environmental Sciences, which makes their environmental management challenging. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental quality of sediments from three deactivated open-pit gold mines, located in the Mara Rosa, Brazil, through chemical, ecotoxicological and genotoxicology analyses. For this purpose, we collected samples in the dry season boom, and subsequently, we analysed metals. In sequence, acute ecotoxicological and a genotoxicology test (comet assay) were developed with Danio rerio fishes, in concentrations of 3.12%; 6.25%; 12.5%; 25%; 50% and 100%, in addition to the control group. The results indicated that the three lakes are environmentally compromised, especially Lago Azul, whose waters and sediments are undergoing an intense process of geological conditioning. Our results did not verify the ecotoxicity of the sediments of any of the lakes, only behavioural alterations in the test organisms exposed to the concentrations of 25%, 50% and 100% of the samples obtained in the Lago Azul. About the sediments, DNA damage at Danio rerio was detected in the three investigated environments, although fishes kept in the water sampled at Lago Azul presented the most extension of DNA damages.

Cutaneous Melanoma (CM) is the most lethal form of skin cancer if it becomes metastatic, where treatment options and survival chances decrease dramatically. Immunotherapy treatments based on the immunologic checkpoint inhibitors (PD-1 and CTLA4) constituted a main breakthrough in the treatment of metastatic CM, particularly in the long-term benefit. However, several molecular pathways are responsible for the failure of this strategy in about 50-70% of CM patients. Some Long Non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNA) are implicated in triggering pro- and antitumorigenic responses to various cancer treatments. The relationship between lncRNA, circRNA and Immune Checkpoint Blockade (ICB) immunotherapy is not extensively explored in cutaneous metastatic melanoma (CMM). The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential role of both circRNA and lncRNA as a predictive immunotherapy biomarker in CMM. RNA-seq from 12 FFPE samples from the metastatic biopsy of metastatic melanoma patients treated with Nivolumab were analyzed. Our findings indicate that specific lncRNA and circRNA are involved in regulatory networks of the immune response against metastatic melanoma under treatment with nivolumab. Moreover, we have established a risk score that allows the prediction of Overall survival (OS) and Progression-free survival (PFS) of CMM patients with high accuracy. This proof of principle work provides a possible insight on the function of ceRNA, contributing to decipher the complex molecular mechanism of ICB cancer treatment response.

For decades, neurologic and other extra glandular manifestations have been described in Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). More recently, neuropathic, psychological and cognitive alterations are being considered part of the disease. The lacrimal glands (LG), the ocular surface (OS), salivary glands (SG) and the central nervous system (CNS) are integrated to modulate the autonomic functions and, not just those organs, but also the hippocampus, which is linked to the autonomic nervous system, and modulate behavior responses appears to be compromised in the SS. Recent studies confirm that the tryptophan/kynurenine pathway (TKP) can be stimulated by interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and other cytokines, activating the indoleamine-pyrrole 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in SS. This pathway interferes on serotonergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission, mostly in the hippocampus, and other structures of the CNS. Although not demonstrated, it is plausible that this constant interference induces clinical signs of SS, and contributes to the discrepancy between symptoms and signs, towards manifestations of hyperalgesia and depression in patients with SS. Therapeutic strategies are being reexamined and new options designed and tested to regulate the involved steps of the TKP. In the future, the application of this concept may offer a clue to the mosaic of manifestations of SS.

Tryptophan, an essential amino acid in mammals obtained from the diet, is influenced by maternal diet, which impacts early life and development of offspring. This is studied under the Developmental Origins of Diseases and Health (DOHaD) concept, so factors from conception to early childhood affect health and disease susceptibility. Tryptophan is metabolized mainly through two pathways: serotonin (5-HT) and kynurenine. The kynurenine pathway, active in the brain, gut, liver, and placenta, breaks down over 95% of tryptophan and plays roles in inflammation, neurotransmission, immune responses, and immune modulation during pregnancy. The serotonin pathway uses up to 5% of Tryptophan, mainly in the gut, adipose tissues, pancreatic cells, and central nervous system, and regulates responses to environmental changes, including sleep, cognition, and feeding behavior. Key enzymes in these pathways include Trp-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO), indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) type1 (IDO1), and type 2 (IDO2) (kynurenine pathway), and tryptophan hydroxylase type 1 (TPH1) and type 2 (TPH2), serotonin pathway. The fetus-placental unit manages tryptophan metabolism. Serotonin and kynurenine are crucial for placental health and fetal development. Serotonin adjusts placental blood volume and aids neurodevelopment. Kynurenine metabolites protect the fetus from maternal immunity and offer initial neuroprotection. At birth, infants switch from placental nutrients to breast milk, rich in tryptophan and protective bioactive molecules. Tryptophan, solely from breast milk, is crucial for infants. Its levels are high in newborns (first three weeks, 2-4 times higher than in adults), gradually declining to adult levels by the fourth week. The highlights the importance of tryptophan for the serotonin and kynurenine pathways in fetuses, newborns and babies applied to the DOHaD concept.

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.

The violence against women is a theme that extrapolates health issues, since after a victim seek for a health care, there is the notification of the act [1]. In Brazil, many times, these women are first assisted by mobile urgency services (SAMU/SIATE) and, as far as we have concern, there are no other studies with specific data about these assistance. The present paper aimed to analyze SAMU/SIATE assistance to abused women. Qualitative and retrospective epidemiological study of assistance to assaulted women carried out by SIATE and SAMU Maringá/Norte Novo between 2011 and 2020. Women between 20 and 39 years old, non-pregnant, were the main victims, and 19,52% of them have used some kind of drug. The (ex)partner figured as the perpetrator in 17,35%, but there were no information about this variable in 73,75% of the records. The Qui-square test shows a mortality rate superior to 70% among the severe traumatized victims. This is one of the first studies to analyze this kind of care provided by SAMU/SIATE, and reveals some gaps in its “modus-operandi” that can limitate an extrapolation of the results to bigger spheres. More researches in mobile urgency care services, in other provinces also, are needed to propose strategies to fight against this epidemic.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapy revolutionized cancer treatment and consists of the genetic modification of T lymphocytes with a CAR gene, aiming to increase their ability to recognize and kill antigen-specific tumor cells. The dynamics of CAR-T cell responses in patients presents a multiphasic kinetics with distribution, expansion, contraction, and persistence phases. The characteristics and duration of each phase depend on the tumor type, the infused product, and on patient-specific characteristics. We present a mathematical model which describes the multiphasic CAR-T cell dynamics resulting from the interplay between CAR-T and tumor cells, considering patient and product heterogeneities. The CAR-T cell population is divided into functional (distributed and effector), memory, and exhausted CAR-T cell phenotypes. The model is able to describe the diversity of CAR-T cell dynamic behaviors in different patients and hematological cancers as well as their therapy outcomes. Our results indicate that the joint assessment of the area under the concentration-time curve in the first 28 days and the corresponding fraction of non-exhausted CAR-T cells may be considered as potential markers to classify therapy responses. Overall, the analysis of different CAR-T cell phenotypes can be a key aspect for a better understanding of the whole CAR-T cell dynamics.

Nanomaterials such as pH-responsive polymers are promising for targeted drug delivery systems, due to the difference in pH between tumor and healthy regions. However, there is a significant concern about the application of these materials in this field due to their low mechanical resistance, which can be mitigated by combining these polymers with mechanically resistant inorganic materials such as mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) and hydroxyapatite (HA). Mesoporous silica has interesting properties such as high surface area and hydroxyapatite has been widely studied to aid in bone regeneration, providing special properties adding multifunctionality to the system. Furthermore, fields of medicine involving luminescent elements such as rare earth are an interesting option in cancer treatment. The present work aims to obtain a pH-sensitive hybrid system based on silica and hydroxyapatite with photoluminescent and magnetic properties. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nitrogen adsorption methods, CHN elemental analysis, Zeta Potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrational sample magnetometry (VSM), and photoluminescence analysis. Incorporation and release studies of the antitumor drug doxorubicin were performed to evaluate the potential use of these systems in targeted drug delivery. The results showed the luminescent and magnetic properties of the materials and showed suitable characteristics for application in the release of pH-sensitive drugs.

This review delves into the critical role of automation and sensor technologies in optimizing parameters for thermal treatments within electricity power generation. The demand for efficient and sustainable power generation has led to a significant reliance on thermal treatments in power plants. However, ensuring precise control over these treatments remains challenging, necessitating the integration of advanced automation and sensor systems. This paper evaluates the pivotal aspects of automation, emphasizing its capacity to streamline operations, enhance safety, and optimize energy efficiency in thermal treatment processes. Additionally, it highlights the indispensable role of sensors in monitoring and regulating crucial parameters such as temperature, pressure, and flow rates. These sensors enable real-time data acquisition, facilitating immediate adjustments to maintain optimal operating conditions and prevent system failures. It explores the recent technological advancements, including machine learning algorithms and IoT integration, which have revolutionized automation and sensor capabilities in thermal treatment control. Incorporating these innovations has significantly improved the precision and adaptability of control systems, resulting in heightened performance and reduced environmental impact. This review underscores the imperative nature of automation and sensor technologies in thermal treatments for electricity power generation, emphasizing their pivotal role in enhancing operational efficiency, ensuring reliability, and advancing sustainability in power generation processes.

This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the More Light for Amazon (MLA) program, examining the roles played by each stakeholder involved in the concession process and identifying the limitations faced for program success. The research employs a content analysis methodology, analyzing a variety of documents, including the Program Operational Manual, Commitment Terms, news articles, and concessionaires' notes. The findings reveal the crucial role of the government as an inducer of actions, establishing objectives and guiding norms for the private sector. Conversely, concessionaires assume the role of program implementers but encounter specific limitations in remote locations, challenging the provision and maintenance of the electrical system in beneficiary communities. The implementation of microgrid systems through concessions enhances coordination and integration between generation and distribution services, allowing for increased government control and ensuring transparency, efficiency, and program effectiveness. These identified elements represent significant challenges for the implementation of public policies in remote regions of the Amazon. Overcoming these challenges take coordinated and strategic actions involving both the government and concessionaires to ensure the complete fulfillment of energy needs in MLA program beneficiary communities.

2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a globally used herbicide and is frequently found in water samples. This fact has prompted studies on its effects in non-target organisms, revealing significant alterations on liver structure and function. In this review, we evaluated the literature on the hepatotoxicity of 2,4-D, focusing on morphological damages, biomarkers of toxicity and affected liver functions. Searches were conducted on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus and 83 articles were selected after curation. Among the studies, 72% used in vivo models and 30% used in vitro models. Additionally, 48% used the active ingredient, and 35% used commercial formu-lations in exposure experiments. The most affected biomarkers were related to a decrease in an-tioxidant capacity, including alterations in the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase, and in the levels of malondialdehyde. Changes in energy metabolism, lipids, liver function, and xenobiotic metabolism were also identified. Furthermore, we found studies about the effects of 2,4-D in mixtures with other pesticides, as well as hepatoprotection trials. The reviewed data in-dicate that the reduction in antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress play an important role in 2,4-D-induced hepatotoxicity. However, the mechanism of action of the herbicide is still not ful-ly understood and further research in this area is needed.

Hypercholesterolemia plays a fundamental role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Current guidelines for treating dyslipidemia target low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C). Despite advances in the pharmacotherapy of atherosclerosis, the most successful agents used to treat this disease – statins – remain insufficient in the primary or secondary prevention of acute myocardial infarction. Advancing therapy for hypercholesterolemia with emerging new drugs, either as monotherapy or in combination, is expected to improve cardiovascular outcomes.

Strawberry is produced in tropical regions using imported cultivars adapted to temperate and subtropical climates. These cultivars, under tropical conditions, produce below their genetic potential. Through multivariate analyses, the objective was to evaluate and select short-day strawberry genotypes based on intraspecific crosses, product characteristics, and fruit quality. The genotypes were obtained from the cross between 'Camino Real' (female parent) and the first-generation genotypes RVCA16, RVCS44, RVFS06, RVFS07, and RVDA11 (male parent), obtained in previous selections. The experimental design consisted of augmented blocks with standard controls, consisting of first-generation genotypes and commercial cultivars. The fruits were harvested and evaluated for productivity and post-harvest characteristics: Total Fruit Mass (MTF); Total Number of Fruits (TFN); Average Fruit Mass (AFM); Commercial Fruit Mass (CFM); Fruit Commercial Number (CFN); Average Commercial Mass of Fruits (ACFM); Total Soluble Solids (TSS); Firmness (F); Brightness (L); Hue Angle (°Hue); Chroma (C). The selection index of Mulamba and Mock (1978) was used with an intensity of 3% to obtain superior genotypes and submitted to multivariate analysis for comparative purposes. Of the 1500 genotypes evaluated, it was possible to select 44 genotypes with characteristics superior to the 13 controls. The RVDA11CR59 genotype showed better values for the attributes of interest, but the RVCS44CR population, from the cross between 'Camino Real' × RVCS44 ('Camarosa' × 'Sweet Charlie'), obtained the highest number (16) of individuals among those selected. Significant traits had high heritability but were not necessarily reflected in high selection gain. Coefficients of genetic variation were high, indicating sufficient genetic variability to select genotypes for these traits. When multivariate analyses were used, it was possible to group the selected genotypes into the same cluster according to the similarity and balance in the responses to the evaluated variables, demonstrating that these analyses help other parameters choose superior genotypes. The multivariate analysis allowed the selection of more balanced genotypes for production and post-harvest traits for tropical climates.

In this study, we evaluated chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) under two extreme illumination conditions at plant scale with a passive spectroradiometer. Fluorescence (F) was estimated by reading directly from radiance spectra of a variety of plants illuminated with light-emitting diode (LED) grow lights in the laboratory. Solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) was estimated from spectral measurements of the same plants under sunlight using the Fraunhofer Line Depth (FLD) method. Chlorophyll fluorescence yield (F_yield) and solar-induced fluorescence yield (SIF_yield) were calculated by normalizing F and SIF with absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR). Two approaches to estimating APAR were compared: utilizing white reference spectra and reflected spectra versus white reference spectra combined with the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR) derived from literature. Average F and SIF were different by a factor of approximately twenty-four (F = 0.110 ± 0.038 Wm⁻²μm⁻¹sr⁻¹ versus SIF = 2.60 ± 1.87 Wm⁻²μm⁻¹sr⁻¹). In contrast, the average normalized values F_yield and SIF_yield were within the margin of error of one another (F_yield = 0.022 ± 0.008 μm⁻¹sr⁻¹ and SIF_yield = 0.030 ± 0.020 μm⁻¹sr⁻¹). This study highlights the influence of APAR on CF and the importance of properly accounting for it when estimating yield and demonstrates the ability of two simple and portable experimental setups with a passive instrument to obtain fluorescence metrics.

Native strains of Trichoderma, isolated from mangrove sediments of PE, Brazil were determining their morphological and molecular characterization, and were investigated to assess of their biocontrol potential over the phytopathogenic Fusarium strains isolated from Caatinga soil, PE, Brazil. The Trichoderma strains were characterized by polyphasic approach, which combined their morphological characteristics, macro- and microculture results, growth evaluation by Tukey test, with significance of 5%. The DNA was extracted and the product was amplified with primers ITS 1 and 2, and sequenced. Trichoderma strains were compatible morphologically with the description of the genus. The molecular identification of Trichoderma, sequences of 500 bp were amplified, deposited in GenBank and used for phylogenetic analysis. The growth rate analysis showed rate of 0.1207 cm^h-1 to Trichoderma strains and Fusarium spp. lower growth rate (0.031 cm^h-1) was observed. The antibiosis tests showed the best antagonistic level of effectiveness to T. asperellum UCP 0149 against F. solani UCP 1395(82.2%) and F. solani UCP 1075(70.0%), followed of T. asperellum UCP 0319 against F. solani UCP1083 (73.4%), and T. asperellum UCP 0168 against F. solani UCP1098 (71.5%), respectively. The data obtained could serve as the basis for developing several biotechnological processes of safe use.

Background: Seizures in the early postoperative period may impair patient recovery and increase risk of complication. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is any advantage in postoperative seizure prophylaxis following meningioma resection. Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PUBMED, Web of Science, Embase, Science Direct, and Cochrane were searched for papers until April 2023. Results: Among 9 studies, a total of 3,249 were evaluated patients, of which 984 patients received antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). A comparison between patients who received AEDs and those who did not showed a non-significant differences between both groups (RR 1.22, 95% CI 0.66 to 2.40; I² = 57%). Postoperative seizures occurred in 5% (95% CI: 1% to 9%) within the early time period (<7 days), and 9% (95% CI: 1% to 17%) in the late time period (>7 days), with significant heterogeneity (I² = 91% and 97% respectively). In seizure-naive patients, the rate of postoperative seizures was 2% (95% CI: 0% to 6%) in the early period and increased to 6% (95% CI: 0% to 15%) in the late period. High heterogeneity led to the use of random-effects models in all analyses. Conclusion: The current evidence does not provide sufficient support for the effectiveness of prophylactic AED medications in preventing postoperative seizures in patients undergoing meningioma resection. This underscores the importance of considering diagnostic criteria and conducting individual patient analysis to guide clinical decision-making in this context.

This work reports the role of structure and composition on the determination of the performances of p-type SnOx TFTs deposited by rf magnetron sputtering at room temperature, followed by a post-annealed step up to 200 °C at different oxygen partial pressures (Opp), between 0% and 20%, but where the p-type conduction was only observed between 2.8–3.8%. The role of structure and composition were evaluated by XRD and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies. The study allows to identify the best phases/compositions and thicknesses (around 12 nm) to be used that lead to the production of TFTs with a bottom gate configuration, on glasses coated with conductive Indium Tin Oxide, followed by Aluminium Titanium Oxide dielectric layer with saturation mobility of 4.6 cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹ and on-off ratio above 7 × 10⁴, operating at the enhancement mode with a saturation voltage of −10 V.

In order to monitor the diversity of terrestrial biomes, the Earth Exploration Satellite Services demand a high data rate for downlink transmissions while sharing their frequency spectrum with, and suffering interferences from, cellular Base Stations. Both highlight the dilemmas of spectral efficiency (bps/Hz) and spectral coexistence. Our research aims to mitigate interference on low orbit satellite downlinks using Cognitive Radio (CR) and Adaptive MODulation and CODing (MODCOD) techniques. To fulfill this: 1) we present CR approaches to enhance spectrum exploitation. Next, 2) we detail Adaptive MODCOD (ACM) technique to increase RF power and spectral efficiencies. Then, 3) we suggest the solution by combining 1) and 2). Afterwards, 4) we analyze it by monitoring the signal to interference plus noise ratio and the CR/MODCOD strategy. Finally, 5) we provide case studies to demonstrate the strategy’s effectiveness through the practical operation of satellite services, and 6) we conduct a bench test of the communication system.

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

New advances in creating effective and affordable copper-based catalysts for water splitting represent a promising strategy for driving sustainable energy technologies. However, ma- terials containing copper are susceptible to corrosion and agglomeration. In this study, we describe a synthesis route to produce olamine-functionalized CuO nanoparticles using the Hot Injection method. Nanoparticles were obtained and subsequently deposited on FTO substrates, undergoing thermal treatment at 500°C and 600°C in atmospheres containing O2 and N2, aiming to enhance the adhesion of the active material to the substrate and modify its oxidation state. Microstructural properties were analyzed using XRD, SEM, and TEM, while electrochemical properties were studied using CV, LSV, and EIS. Electrodes treated thermally in an N2 atmosphere at 600°C exhibited higher ESCA, indicating a greater area of active sites exposed to surface reactions and, therefore, superior catalytic activity in Hy- drogen Evolution Reaction (HER). These findings show an interesting strategy for avoiding rapid electron-hole recombination and, consequently, CuO corrosion. For Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER), samples treated thermally in O2 atmosphere at 500°C and 600°C appear to be more effective.

This paper presents the implementation of a control strategy based on fuzzy logic artificial intelligence (AI) for speed regulation of an electromagnetic frequency regulator (EFR) prototype, aiming to eliminate the dependence on knowledge of physical parameters in the most diverse operating conditions. Speed multiplication is one of the most important steps in power generation wind. Gearboxes are generally used for this purpose. However, they have a reduced lifespan and a high failure rate and are still noise sources. The search for new ways to match the speed (and torque) between the turbine and the generator is an important research area to increase the energy, financial and environmental efficiency of wind systems. The EFR device is an example of an alternative technology that this team of researchers has proposed. It counts the fact of taking advantage of the main advantages of an induction machine with the rotor in a squirrel cage positively. In the first studies, the EFR control strategy consisted of the conventional PID controllers, which has several limitations widely discussed in the literature. This strategy also limits the EFR's performance, considering its entire operating range. The simulation program was developed using the Matlab/Simulink platform, while the experimental results were obtained in the laboratory emulating the EFR-based system. The EFR prototype used has 2 poles, a nominal power of 2.2 kW, and a nominal frequency of 60 Hz. Experimental results were presented to validate the efficiency of the proposed control strategy.

This study assesses coastal flooding extension mapping based on two innovative approaches. The first is based on the coupling of two robust numerical models (SWASH and LISFLOOD), in this case, discharges were extracted from the wave overtopping results from SWASH 1D and set as boundary conditions for LISFLOOD on the crest of an existing seawall where overtopping typically occurs. The second, hereby called the ‘Tilted Bathtub Approach’ (TBTA), is based on wave run-up levels and buffering the affected area of a prior flooding event, adjusting it for expected sea-states according to different return periods. The proposed approaches are applied to a case study on the Northern Portuguese coast, at Furadouro beach, in the municipality of Ovar, which has been facing multiple flooding episodes throughout recent years, including a dramatic storm in February 2014. This event was used as validation for the proposed methods. A 30 years long hourly local wave climate time series was used both to perform an extreme value analysis in order to obtain expected sea-states according to different return periods, and also for performing a sensitivity test for established empirical formulas to estimate wave run-up at this particular case. Results indicate both approaches are valuable: they yield coherent flood extension predictions that align well with the real inundated area from the 2014 storm. The convergence of these findings underscores the potential for these methods in future coastal flood risk assessment and planning.

In this manuscript we use an exactly solvable stochastic binary model for regulation of gene expression to analyse the dynamics of response to a treatment aiming to modulate the number of transcripts of RKIP gene. We demonstrate the usefulness of our method simulating three treatment scenarios aiming to reestablish RKIP gene expression dynamics towards pre-cancerous state: i. to increase the promoter’s ON state duration; ii. to increase the mRNAs’ synthesis rate; iii. to increase both rates. We show that the pre-treatment kinetic rates of ON and OFF promoter switching speeds and mRNA synthesis and degradation will affect the heterogeneity and time for treatment response. Hence, we present a strategy for reducing drug dosage by simultaneously targeting multiple kinetic rates. That enables a reduction of treatment response time and heterogeneity which in principle diminishes the chances of emergence of resistance to treatment. This approach may be useful for inferring kinetic constants related to expression of antimetastatic genes or oncogenes and on the design of multi-drug therapeutic strategies targeting master regulatory genes.

Biphasic oily/water nanoemulsions have been proposed as delivery systems for the intranasal administration of curcumin (CUR) and quercetin (QU), due to their high drug entrapment efficiency, the possibility of simultaneous drug administration and protection of the encapsulated compounds from the degradation. To better understand the physicochemical and biological performance of the selected formulation simultaneously co-encapsulating CUR and QU, a stability test of the compounds mixture was firstly carried out using X-ray powder diffraction and thermal analyses, such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). The determination and quantification of the encapsulated active compounds was then required being an essential tool for the development of innovative nanomedicines. Thus, a new HPLC–UV/Vis method for the simultaneous determination of CUR and QU in the nanoemulsions and their evaluation in stability studies in simulated biological fluids was developed and validated. The X-ray diffraction analyses demonstrated that no interaction between the mixture of active ingredients, if any, is strong enough to take place in the solid state. Moreover, the thermal analysis demonstrated that the CUR and QU are stable in the nanoemulsion production temperature range. The proposed analytical method for the simultaneous quantification of the two actives was selective and linear for both compounds in the range of 0.5 – 12.5 µg/mL (R2 &gt; 0.9997), precise (RSD below 3%), robust and accurate (recovery 100 ± 5 %). The method was validated in accordance with ICH Q2 R1 “Validation of Analytical Procedures” and CDER-FDA 2validation of chromatographic methods” guideline. Furthermore, the low detection (LOD &lt; 0.005 µg/mL for CUR and &lt;0.14 µg/mL for QU) and quantification limits (LOQ &lt; 0.017 µg/mL for CUR and &lt; 0.48 µg/mL for QU) of the method were suitable for the application to drug release and permeation studies planned for the development of the nanoemulsions. The method was then applied for the determination of nanoemulsions CUR and QU encapsulation efficiencies (&gt; 99%), as well as for the stability studies of the two compounds in simulated biological fluids over time. The proposed method represents, to our knowledge, the only method for the simultaneous quantification of CUR, and QU in nanoemulsions.

Anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, poses a significant and widespread threat to the common bean crop. The use of plant genetic resistance has proven to be the most effective strategy for managing anthracnose disease. The Amendoim Cavalo (AC) Andean cultivar has resistance against multiple races of C. lindemuthianum, which is conferred by the Co-AC gene. Fine mapping of this resistance gene to common bean chromosome Pv01 enabled the identification of Phvul.001G244300, Phvul.001G244400, and Phvul.001G244500 candidate genes for further validation. In this study, we assessed the relative expression of Co-AC candidate genes, as well as other putative genes in vicinity of this locus and known resistance genes, in the AC cultivar following inoculation with the race 73 of C. lindemuthianum. Gene expression analysis revealed significantly higher expression levels of Phvul.001G244500. Notably, Phvul.001G244500 encodes a putative Basic Helix-Loop-Helix transcription factor, suggesting its involvement in the regulation of defense responses. Furthermore, we observed a significant modulation of the expression of defense related genes PR1a, PR1b, and PR2, in a time-course experiment. These findings contribute to the development of improved strategies for breeding anthracnose-resistant common bean cultivars, thereby mitigating the impact of this pathogen on crop yields and ensuring sustainable bean production.

Avipoxvirus (APV), a linear dsDNA virus belonging to the subfamily Chordopoxvirinae of the family Poxviridae, infects more than 278 species of domestic and wild birds. It is responsible for causing the avian pox disease, which is characterized by its cutaneous and diphtheric forms. With a high transmission capacity, it can cause high economic losses and damage to the ecosys-tem. Several diagnostic methods are available and vaccination of birds can be an effective pre-ventive measure. To update the molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of viruses isolated in Portugal between 2017 and 2023, ten APV-positive samples were analyzed. A P4b gene fragment was amplified by PCR and the nucleotide sequence of the amplicons was deter-mined by Sanger sequencing. The sequences obtained were aligned using ClustalW, and a max-imum likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed. With this study, it was possible to verify that the analyzed sequences are distributed in subclades A1, A2, B1, and B3. Since some of them are quite similar to others from different countries and obtained in different years, it is possible to conclude that there have been several viral introductions in Portugal. Finally, it was possible to successfully update the data on avipoxviruses in Portugal.

Text mining is a technological trend often highlighted in the continuous exchange of information through interconnected media. Its applicability goes beyond private organizations, as the public sector also requires it to treat textual information regarding services offered. Within this scenario, public security emerges as a prominent user of text mining that seeks to ensure the construction of data and knowledgebases to support decision-making about law enforcement actions to ensure citizen welfare. The primary objectives of this article are: (i) to develop a survey to identify text mining applications, techniques, opportunities, and challenges in public security, and (ii) to outline research directions concerning these topics and provide insights so that interested researchers can develop new studies. The literature was searched within four databases: Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Web of Science. A filtering process was applied to extract the works most aligned with the target theme, resulting in the selection of 194 of the most relevant works for a literature review. There were identified nineteen key applications of text mining related to public security and the most recurrent techniques and technologies reported between 2014 to 2021, supporting outlining three axes for future directions: one with possible expansion of objectives for new research; another on changes and adaptations in scopes for the methodological context; and the last one on expansions and changes in application scenarios based on the literature.

OBJECTIVE: Analyzing the effects of different physical exercise programs on the anthropometric, cardiovascular, metabolic, and strength variables of the elderly participating in health care programs. METHODS: Controlled clinical trial, with 60 elderly participants from health care groups, allocated into four groups: Group of resistance exercises in open-air gyms – GT1 (n = 17); Group of aerobic and localized exercises - GT2 (n = 11); Group of resistance exercises at GT3 gym (n = 17); Control group: non-exercise practitioners - CG (n = 15). Anthropometric (BMI, % body fat, and waist circumference), cardiovascular (SBP, DBP, HR, and DP), metabolic (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and glycemia), and strength variables were evaluated before and after 16 weeks of intervention. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, equal variance test, T-Student test, non-parametric Mann-Witney test, ANOVA One Way, multivariate data analysis using data mining and machine learning techniques, Pearson and Spearman correlation tests, Classical Clustering (Agglomerative Hierarchical Method); Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Z score, Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm, Euclidian Similarity Index and, Cohen’s equations were applied. RESULTS: To observe effect size, morphofunctional variables for the GT1 group show a small effect for fat percentage, WHR, and ULS and a medium effect for LLS. For the GT2 group, there was a small effect for fat percentage, WHR, and ULS and a large effect for LLS. For the GT3 group, there was a small effect for the percentage of fat and HC, a medium effect for ULS, and a large effect for LLS. A small effect for glycemia in GT1, a medium effect for glycemia and triglycerides for GT2, a small effect for total cholesterol for GT3, and a large effect for glycemia in CG, with this effect being an increase in this analyte. For the cardiovascular variables, there is a small effect for SBP and HR in GT1, a small effect for DBP, HR, and DP, and a large effect for SBP in GT2, a small effect for SBP, DBP, and HR in GT3 and small effects for SBP and HR in CG. The correlation between BMI (P = 0.0007) and Body Fat% (P = 0.007) with ULS. The variables TG, LLS, and ULS were the ones that differed most in each type of stimulus chosen as an intervention in the present study. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that GT2 caused more significant percentage reductions in body mass and BMI. However, GT3 caused greater fat percentage reduction. The GT2 caused the greatest decrease in waist circumference, while the GT3 caused the largest decline in hip circumference. The three groups induced an increase in strength (ULS and LLS). However, in ascending order, GT1 caused the smallest increase, GT2 an intermediate increase, and GT3 the greatest increase in strength, with considerable effects in GT2 and GT3. Finally, GT2 caused a greater percentage reduction in systolic blood pressure (large effect) and double product (small effect) than the other groups. The three methods proved to be efficient, but with particularities that may reflect the choice of one over another due to health conditions, objectives to be achieved, or characteristics of the patient at the time of their choice by the prescriber.

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

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

Dipteryx spp. is an important species in reforestation in the Amazon. The objective of this study is to characterize and compare the relationships between dendrometric variables in Dipteryx spp. stands in the Western Amazon by fitting linear regression equations for total height and crown diameter. Six forest stands were evaluated in three municipalities. Dendrometric variables collected included diameter at 1.3 m height (dbh), total height (ht) and crown diameter (dc). Simple and multiple linear regression equations were fitted to characterize the relationships between ht and dc. The total aboveground biomass of Dipteryx spp. trees and the carbon stock of the stands were estimated. The general equations showed higher R² values, exceeding 0.7. The general equations for estimating ht and dc were significant for all coefficients. The trees averaged 22 t/ha of aboveground biomass in the stands. There was a variation in carbon sequestration potential among stands, ranging from 5.12 to 88.91 t CO2.ha-1. Single-input equations using dbh as an independent variable are recommended for estimating dc and ht for individual Dipteryx spp. stands. Stands in the Western Amazon play a significant role in carbon sequestration and accumulation. Trees can sequester an average of 4.8 tons of CO2 per year.

High insertion torques increase the primary stability of dental implants, which might be beneficial for immediate loading protocols, but may lead to local ischemia and necrosis of the bone-implant interface. This study compared the outcomes of implants placed with low (&lt;45Ncm), conventional(45-70Ncm), and high (≥75Ncm) insertion torques in All-on-4 concept cases with up to 2-year follow-up. Patients included in this study presented edentulous or partially dentate arches with an indication for full-arch rehabilitation. Implants were installed following the All on four protocol and were divided into 3 groups: Low, Conventional, and High torque, and were followed periodically for 2 years with ISQ measurements. The results showed no significant differences in success rates between the three groups. This suggests that high insertion torques may maintain higher primary stability values for immediately loaded implants during the healing period. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

There are several Amazonian plant species with potential pharmacological validation for the treatment of acute kidney injury, a condition in which the kidneys are unable to adequately filter the blood, resulting in the accumulation of toxins and waste in the body. Scientific production on plant compounds capable of preventing or attenuating acute kidney injury, caused by several factors, including ischemia, toxins and inflammation, has shown promising results in animal models of acute kidney injury and some preliminary studies in humans. Despite the popular use of Amazonian plant species for kidney disorders, further pharmacological studies are needed to identify active compounds and subsequently conduct more complex preclinical trials. Thus, this review aimed to describe the pharmacological properties of phytocompounds from Amazonian plant species and their effectiveness in the prevention and treatment of Acute Kidney Injury. (AKI). The classes of Amazonian plant compounds with significant biological activities most evident in the consulted literature were alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, steroids and terpenoids. An expressive phytochemical and pharmacological relevance of the studied species was identified, although many of them with insufficiently explored potential, mainly in face of AKI, a clinical condition with high morbidity and mortality.

The World Health Organization has defined the outbreak of the new coronavirus as a public health emergency of international concern. The average age of patients affected by the disease caused by the virus ranges from 49 to 59 years. The symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection include fever, cough, acute respiratory disease, and, in severe cases, the disease may progress to pneumonia and renal failure that may lead to death. Many oral and maxillofacial hospital procedures produce aerosol and droplets contaminated by blood, bacteria, and viruses. The purpose of this study is to gather recommendations from health authorities and scientific articles in order to educate surgeons regarding the procedures to assist and treat in oral and maxillofacial surgeries. The objective is to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 during the treatment of patients in urgent and emergency situations. The study’s methodology used the guidelines provided by the Brazilian College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, in addition to the recommendations and epidemiologic data from national and international health authorities. The implementation of special precautions in oral and maxillofacial surgeries may elucidate questions related to the transmission of the disease by asymptomatic carriers and help control the spread of the virus.

In a hyperconnected society, computer networks play a pivotal role in all activities that permeate our daily lives. In the context of smart cities, theses networks play a pivotal role in enhancing urban efficiency and sustainability. The continuous flow of packets in these networks poses security challenges, from personal data leakage to service unavailability. Anomaly-based methods are commonly used to detect network attacks. In this context, Software-Defined Networking (SDN) emerges as a solution for anomaly detection in network traffic, facilitating comprehensive, real-time analyses and dynamic adaptation to changes. This study aims to present a systematic review of feature selection techniques and evaluate the effectiveness of attribute selection with a multi-class classifier in network anomaly detection. The objective of this paper is to inspire future research and identify trade-offs among these techniques for detecting Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. Based on the findings, the analysis of the entire dataset yields superior results in terms of precision (99%), but using the output of OneR, although resulting in a slight loss of precision compared to the complete dataset, presents the highest precision among other studied techniques, indicating a trade-off between precision and processing time efficiency.

Coagulant lectin from Moringa oleifera seeds (cMoL) was characterized by potentiometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using MOF, Metal-Organic Frameworks of [Cu3(BTC)2.H2O)3]n, to immobilize cMoL and construct biosensors. Developed aluminum-air batteries degraded indigo carmine dye formulated similar to a textile effluent; biosensors investigated cMoL interaction with specific galactose and monitored residual dye. SEM revealed components of electrode assembly steps. Oxide reduction reactions of batteries generated Al(OH)3 promoting dye electrocoagulation. Cyclic voltammetry showed differentiated redox peaks related to dye residue quantification by cMoL. Electrochemical systems evaluated cMoL interaction with ligand and efficiently degraded dye; biosensors could be used for lectin characterization and monitoring dye residues in environmental textile effluents.

This paper aims to analyze the intellectual structure and research fronts in application information security in smart cities to identify research boundaries, trends, and new opportunities in the area. It applies bibliometric analyses to identify the main authors and their influences on the information security and smart city area. Moreover, this analysis focuses on journals indexed in Scopus databases. The results indicate that there is an opportunity for further advances in the adoption of information security policies in government institutions. Moreover, the production indicators presented herein are useful for the planning and implementation of information security policies, and the knowledge of the scientific community about smart cities. The bibliometric analysis provides support for the visualization of the leading research technical collaboration networks among authors, co-authors, countries, and research areas. The methodology offers a broader view of the application information security in smarty city areas and makes it possible to assist new research that may contribute to further advances. The smart city topic has been receiving much attention in recent years, but to the best of our knowledge, there is no research on reporting new possibilities for advances. Therefore, this article may contribute to an emerging body of literature that explores the nature of application information security and smart city research productivity to assist researchers in better understanding the current emerging of the area.

Background and Objectives: C-arm free MIS techniques can offer significantly reduced rates of postoperative complications such as blood loss and hospitalization time. Another advantageous long-term aspect is the notably diminished exposure to radiation which is known to cause ma-lignant changes. This study emphasizes that, in some cases of spinal conditions which require a procedural intervention, C-arm free MIS techniques hold stronger indications than open surgeries guided by image intensifier. Materials and Methods: In this research, a retrospective analysis and review of various cervical and thoracic spinal procedures, performed in our hospital, by applying C-arm free techniques. The course of the study explains the basic steps of the procedures and demonstrating postoperative or intra-operative results. For anterior cervical surgery, we performed OPLL resection, while for posterior cervical surgery, we performed posterior fossa decompression for Chiari malformation, minimally invasive cervi-cal pedicle screw fixation (MICEPS) and modified Goel technique with C1 lateral mass screw for atlantoaxial subluxation. Re-garding the thoracic spine, we performed anterior correction for Lenke type 5 scoliosis, and transdiscal screw fixation for DISH fractures. Results: C-arm free techniques are safe procedures that offer precise and high-quality postoperative results by offering sufficient spine alignment and adequate decompression depending on the case. Blood loss, postoperative pain and wound infection are other important aspects of spine surgery that must be always taken into consideration. Conclusions: Navigated C-arm free techniques are safe and precise procedures implemented in the treatment of surgically demanding conditions. They can significantly increase accuracy while decreasing the operative time. They represent the advancement in the field spine surgery and are hailed as the future of the same

CETP activity reduces plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations, a correlate of increased risk of atherosclerotic events. However, our recent findings suggest that CETP expression in macrophages promotes an intracellular antioxidant state, reduces free cholesterol accumulation and phagocytosis, and attenuates pro-inflammatory gene expression. To determine whether CETP expression in macrophages affects atherosclerosis development, we transplanted bone marrow from transgenic mice expressing simian CETP or non-expressing littermates into hypercholesterolemic LDL receptor deficient mice. CETP expression did not change lipid-stained lesion areas but decreased macrophage content (CD68), neutrophil accumulation (LY6G) and aorta content of young male transplanted mice and decreased LY6G, TNF-α, iNOS and nitrotyrosine (3-NT) in aged female transplanted mice. These findings suggest that CETP expression in bone marrow-derived cells reduces inflammatory features of atherosclerosis. These novel mechanistic observations may help explain the failure of CETP inhibitors to reduce atherosclerotic events in humans.

The removal of sulfur from fossil fuels is one of the most important processes in modern refineries. It is accomplished via hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of the sulfur organic compounds in presence of heterogeneous catalysts. In the current work, heterogeneous catalysts containing cobalt and mo-lybdenum supported on mesoporous materials type SBA-15 and AlSBA-15 were synthesized for application in the HDS reactions of thiophene in n-heptane stream. The mesoporous materials were synthesized by hydrothermal method starting from TEOS, pseudobohemite, hydrochloric ac-id and water. Pluronic P123 was used as template. The best calcination conditions for removal of the organic template were optimized by thermogravimetry analysis (TG/DTG). The calcined SBA-15 and AlSBA-15 supports were submitted to co-impregnation with solutions of cobalt nitrate and ammonium heptamolybdate, aiming the production of 15% in mass of metal loading with atomic ratio of [Co/(Co+Mo)]=0.45. The obtained materials were dried and calcined for obtaining the mesoporous catalysts in the form of CoMo/SBA-15 and CoMo/AlSBA-15. The catalysts were char-acterized by XRD, TG/DTG, SEM and nitrogen adsorption. From XRD analysis, it was verified that after decomposition of the cobalt and molybdenun salts, were formed MoO3, Co3O4 and Co-MoO4 oxides on the supports, being attributed to these chemical species the activity for the HDS reactions. The activity of the obtained catalysts was evaluated in a continuously flowing tubular fixed-bed microreactor coupled on-line to a gas chromatograph, using n-heptane stream contain-ing 12070 ppm of thiophene (ca. 5100 ppm of sulfur) as a model compound. From the catalytic tests it was verified that the synthesized catalysts presented good activity for the reaction, and the main obtained products were cis- and trans-2-butene, 1-butene, n-butane and low amounts of iso-butane. The presence of 1,3-butadiene and tetrahydrothiophene (THT) were not detected. A mechanism of the primary and secondary reactions and subsequent formation of the olefins and paraffins, in the CoMo/SBA-15 and CoMo/AlSBA-15 mesoporous catalysts were proposed, con-sidering steps of desulfurization, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, THT decyclization and isomerization.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease that poses a significant long-term health risk due to its debilitating complications. While the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes are well-established, the monitoring of its numerous complications presents a challenge, which can compromise patients' prognosis and quality of life. We analyzed the proteome of ten saliva samples, five from healthy individuals and five from patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The aim was to identify potential biomarkers of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and its complications. We used PANTHER and FUNRICH tools to conduct a functional analysis and enrichment approach. Our findings revealed 622 proteins involved in 16 disrupted biological processes, which are linked to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Metabolic processes, response to stimuli, processes of the immune system, and signaling are notable due to their known relation with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Enrichment analysis has revealed that there are eleven biological processes that have been deregulated. These processes involve twenty different salivary proteins that are associated with multiple complications in diabetes. Our findings demonstrate that saliva is a dependable source of possible biomarkers that can be used to monitor diabetes and its complications.

Embryo quality evaluation during in vitro development is vital for the success of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). However, the subjective morphological assessment by embryologists may result in inconsistencies that affect the selection of the best embryo for transfer. To provide a more comprehensive evaluation of embryo quality, we performed the integration of embryo metabolomics with standardized morphokinetic classification. The culture medium of 55 embryos (from 21 couples undergoing ICSI) was collected at two timepoints (day 3 and 5). Samples were split into Good (n=29), Lagging (n=19) and Bad (n=10) according to embryo morphokinetic evaluation. Embryo metabolic performance was assessed by 1H-NMR, monitoring the variation of specific metabolites (pyruvate, lactate, alanine, glutamine, acetate, formate). Adjusted metabolite differentials were observed during the first three days of culture and found to be discriminative of embryo quality at the end of day 5. Pyruvate, alanine, glutamine, and acetate were major contributors to this discrimination. Good and Lagging embryos were found to export and accumulate pyruvate and glutamine in the 3 first days of culture, while Bad embryos consumed them. This suggests that Bad embryos have a less active metabolism than Good and Lagging embryos and these two metabolites as putative biomarkers for embryo quality. This study provides a more comprehensive evaluation of embryo quality and can lead to improvements in ART by enabling the selection of the best embryos. By combining morphological assessment and metabolomics, the selection of high-quality embryos with the potential to result in successful pregnancies may become more accurate and consistent.

Immunotherapy has gained great momentum with chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, in which patient’s T lymphocytes are genetically manipulated to recognize tumor-specific antigens increasing tumor elimination efficiency. In the last years, CAR-T cell immunotherapy for hematological malignancies achieved a great response rate on patients and is a very promising therapy for several other malignancies. Each new CAR design requires a preclinical proof-of-concept experiment using immunodeficient mouse models. The absence of a functional immune system in these mice makes them simple and suitable to be mathematically modeled. In this work, we developed a three population mathematical model to describe tumor response to CAR-T cell immunotherapy in immunodeficient mouse models, encompassing interactions between a non-solid tumor and CAR-T cells (effector and long-term memory). We account for several phenomena, such as tumor-induced immunosuppression, memory pool formation, and conversion of memory into effector CAR-T cells in the presence of new tumor cells. Individual donor and tumor specificities were considered as uncertainties in the model parameters. Our model is able to reproduce several CAR-T cell immunotherapy scenarios, with different CAR receptors and tumor targets reported in the literature. We found that therapy effectiveness mostly depends on some specific parameters such as the differentiation of effector to memory CAR-T cells, CAR-T cytotoxic capacity, tumor growth rate, and tumor-induced immunosuppression. In summary, our model can contribute to reduce and optimize the number of in vivo experiments with in silico tests to select specific scenarios that could be tested in experimental research. Such in silico laboratory was made available in a Shiny R-based platform called CARTmath. It is an open-source, easy to run simulator, available at github.com/tmglncc/CARTmath or directly on the webpage cartmath.lncc.br, containing this manuscript results as examples and documentation. The developed model, together with the CARTmath platform, provides potential use for assessing different CAR-T cell immunotherapy protocols and associated efficacy, becoming an accessory towards in silico trials.

Although monitoring and observing insect pest populations in the fields is essential in crop management, it is still a laborious and sometimes ineffective process. High infestation levels may diminish the photosynthetic activity of soybean plants, affecting their development and reducing the yield. An imprecise decision making in integrated pest management program may lead to an ineffective control in infested areas or the excessive use of insecticides. In order to reach a more efficient control of arthropods population it is important to evaluate the infestation in time to mitigate its negative effects on the crop and remote sensing is an important tool for monitoring. It was proposed that infested soybean areas could be identified, and the arthropods quantified from non-infested areas in a field by hyperspectral remote sensing. Thus, the goals of this study were to investigate and discriminate the reflectance characteristics of soybean non-infested and infested with Bemisia tabaci using hyperspectral remote sensing data. Therefore, samples of infested and non-infested soybean leaves were collected and transported to the laboratory to obtain the hyperspectral curves. The results obtained allowed to discriminate the different levels of infestation and to separate healthy from whitefly infested soybean leaves based on their reflectance.

Our aim was to determine the secondary antibody deficiency profiles of patients in a mesoregion of São Paulo state, Brazil, focusing on infectious diseases. Demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory data were obtained from electronic files; infections were classified as organ-specific and graded as mild, moderate, life-threatening, and fatal. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) accounted for 30% of patients, nephrotic syndrome (NS) 25%; chronic lymphocyte leukemia 20%, and multiple myeloma 15%. Patients with NS were younger than those in other groups, and hypo-γ-globulinemia was detected in 94.1%, IgG <400 mg/dL in 60.0%, IgA <40 mg/dL in 55.0%, and CD19 <20 cells/mm³ in 30.0%. One hundred and one infections were found; 82.1% were classified as mild or moderate, 7.9% as life-threatening, and 1.9% as fatal. Respiratory tract infections were more prevalent (41.5%), and pneumonia accounted for 19.8%. Lower levels of infections were found in patients with NS compared with NHL (P=0.0001). Most patients progressed to hypo-γ-globulinemia and secondary antibody deficiency after treatment with immunosuppressants, and mild and moderate infections were predominant. These therapies are increasing in patients with different diseases, therefore monitoring hypo-γ-globulinemia and infections may help to identify patients at high risk for severe complications, antibiotic prophylaxis or treatment, and immunoglobulin replacement

HIV-1 infection can activate the expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), particularly HERV-K (HML-2). HIV controllers (HICs) are rare people living with HIV (PLWH) who naturally control HIV-1 replication. The ability of HICs to control the expression of endogenous retroviruses has not been previously addressed. In this study, we measured ERVK-6 RNA expression in PBMCs of HICs (n = 23), antiretroviral (ART)-suppressed subjects (n = 8), and HIV-1-negative (NEG) individuals (n = 10) and correlated the transcript expression of ERVK-6 with multiple HIV-1 restriction factors. Our study reveals that ERVK-6 RNA expression in PBMCs from HICs was significantly downregulated compared with both ART and NEG control groups. Moreover, we detected that ERVK-6 RNA levels in PBMCs across all groups were negatively correlated with the expression levels of p21 and MCPIP1. In our previous study, these two cellular restriction factors were upregulated in HICs compared with control groups. Interestingly, p21 and MCPIP1 limit the activation of macrophages and T cells by downregulating the activity of NF-kB, a transcription factor that stimulates the LTR-driven transcription of HIV-1 and HERV-K proviruses. These findings support that HICs activate innate antiviral mechanisms that may simultaneously downregulate the transcription of both HIV-1 and endogenous retroviruses.

L-asparaginase (ASNase) is an aminohydrolase currently used in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Enzyme immobilization is an exciting option for both applications, allowing a more straightforward recovery and increased stability. High surface area and customizable porosity make carbon xerogels (CXs) promising materials for ASNase immobilization. This work describes the influence of contact time, pH, and ASNase concentration on the immobilization yield (IY) and relative recovered activity (RRA) using Central Composite Design methodology. The most promising results were obtained using CX with an average pore size of 4 nm (CX-4), reaching IY and RRA of 100%. At the optimal conditions, the ASNase-CXs biocomposite was characterized and evaluated in terms of kinetic properties and operational, thermal and pH stabilities. The immobilized ASNase onto CX-4 retained 71% of its original activity after six continuous reaction cycles, showed a good thermal stability at 37 °C (RRA of 91% after 90 min) and was able to adapt to both acidic and alkaline environments. Finally, the results indicated a 3.9-fold increase in the immobilized ASNase affinity for the substrate, confirming the potential of CXs as a support for ASNase and as a cost-effective tool for subsequent use in the therapeutic and food sectors.

This study aimed to evaluate the physico-chemical properties, biocompatibility and bioabsorption of 3 different new membranes for bone guided regeneration (PLGA associated with hydroxyapatite and beta-TCP) with three thicknesses (200, 500 and 700 µm) implanted in mice subcutaneously. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the quantification of Carbon, Hidrogen and Nitrogen were used to characterize the physico-chemical properties. One hundred Balb-C mice were divided into 5 experimental groups: Group 1 - Sham (without implantation); Group 2 - 200 μm; Group 3 - 500 μm; Group 4 - 700 μm; and Group 5 - Pratix®. Each group was subdivided into four experimental periods (7, 30, 60 and 90 days). Samples were collected and processed for histological and histomorphometrical evaluation. The membranes showed no moderate or severe tissue reactions in the experimental periods studied. The 500 μm membrane did not show tissue reaction for any experimental periods studied. The 200 μm membrane membranes began to exhibit fragmentation after 30- day, while the 500 and 700 µm membranes started the fragmentation at 90-day. All membranes studied were biocompatible, and the 500µm membrane showed the best results being a promissory membrane for bone guided regeneration.

Beans are the most widely used protein source in the world and their productivity is directly linked to nitrogen (N). The short crop cycle imposes the need for fast methodologies for N quantification. In this work, we evaluated the performance of four machine learning algorithms in nitrogen prediction using NIR spectroscopy. Increasing doses of nitrogen were applied to the plants and leaf reflectance was collected. Weka software was used to test the algorithms. The selection of the most effective spectral zones was made with the VIP. Considering predictions with the whole NIR, the best results were achieved with RF (R2 = 0,84 and RMSE = 2,69 g kg-1) and KNN (R2 = 0,77 and RMSE = 3,86 g kg-1). The intervals of 700-740 nm and 983-995 nm were considered the most important for the study of N. More efficient predictions were verified when only spectral regions screened by VIP were included, increasing the accuracy of the RF, KNN and M5 models by 6%, 4% and 8%, respectively. The efficiency of N prediction based on NIR reflectance combined with machine learning was verified. This approach can optimize the management of nitrogen fertilization, serving as an important tool in precision agriculture.

Sugarcane is an important sugar-source crop. As any other plant, it can be exposed to several abiotic stress conditions. Though some metals contribute to critical physiological processes in plants, the presence of aluminum ions (Al3+) can be very toxic. In order to develop plants that flourish in acidic soils, it is critical to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of sugarcane response to aluminum stress. To determine the genes involved in sugarcane response to aluminum stress we generated 372 million paired-end RNA sequencing reads, from roots of CTC-2 and RB855453 two contrasting cultivars. Data normalization resulted in 162,161 contigs and 97,335 trinity genes. After the read cutoff, the differentially expressed genes were 4,858 in CTC-2 and 1,307 in the RB855453, Treatment Vs Control, respectively. The differentially expressed genes were annotated into 34 functional categories. The majority of the genes were upregulated in the CTC-2 (tolerant cultivar) and down regulated in RB855453 (sensitive cultivar). Here, we present the first root-transcriptome of sugarcane under aluminum stress. The results and conclusions of this study provide a valuable resource for future genetic and genomic studies in sugarcane. This transcriptome analysis points out that sugarcane tolerance to aluminum may be explained by an efficient detoxification mechanism combined with the lateral root formation and activation of redox enzymes. Following our results, we present here, a hypothetical model for the aluminum tolerance in CTC-2 cultivar.

Despite successful vaccination efforts, the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants poses ongoing challenges to control COVID-19. Understanding humoral responses concerning SARS-CoV-2 infections and their impact is crucial for developing future vaccines that are effective worldwide. Here, we identified 41 immunodominant linear IgG B-cell epitopes in its Spike glycoprotein with a SPOT synthesis peptide array probed with a pool of serum from hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Bioinformatics showed a restricted set of epitopes unique to SARS-CoV-2 compared to other coronavirus family members. Potential crosstalk was also detected with Dengue virus (DENV), confirmed by screening individuals infected with DENV before the COVID-19 pandemic in a commercial ELISA assay for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Higher reactivity indices were often measured in individuals with a pre-pandemic dengue infection than those with COVID-19. A high-resolution evaluation of antibody reactivity against peptides representing epitopes in the spike protein identified ten sequences in the NTD, RBD, and S2 domains. Functionally, antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in SARS-CoV-2 infection of monocytes was observed with pre-pandemic dengue-positive sera. A significant increase in viral load was measured compared to controls, with no detectable neutralization or considerable cell death, suggesting its role in viral entry. This study highlights the importance of identifying the epitopes generated during the humoral response to a pathogenic infection to understand the potential interplay of previous and future conditions on disease. Vaccine development and optimization strategies should be mindful of the potential for A.D.E. that could differ geographically due to endemic biological risks.

Increased sugar intake is implicated in Type-2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. Mechanisms by which glucose and fructose components promote these conditions are unclear. We hypothesize that alterations in intestinal metabolite and microbiota profiles specific to each monosaccharide are involved. Two groups of six adult C57BL/6 mice were fed for 10-weeks with a diet where either glucose or fructose was the sole carbohydrate component (G and F, respectively). A third group was fed with normal chow (N). Fecal metabolites were profiled every 2-weeks by ¹H NMR and microbial composition was analysed by real-time PCR (qPCR). Glucose tolerance was also periodically assessed. N, G and F mice had similar weight gains and glucose tolerance. Multivariate analysis of NMR profiles indicated that F mice were separated from both N and G, with decreased butyrate and glutamate and increased fructose, succinate, taurine, tyrosine and xylose. Compared to N and G, F mice showed a shift in microbe populations from gram-positive Lactobacillus spp. to gram-negative Enterobacteria species. Substitution of normal chow carbohydrate mixture by either pure glucose or fructose for 10 weeks did not alter adiposity or glucose tolerance. However, F G and N mice generated distinctive fecal metabolite signatures with incomplete fructose absorption as a dominant feature of F mice.

Severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection are characterized by an immune response that leads to the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, resulting in damage to the lungs and other organs. This remarkable increase in cytokines and other inflammatory molecules is primary caused by viral proteins, in particular ORF8, a unique accessory protein specific to SARS-CoV-2. In addition to its role in cytokine induction, ORF8 is attributed with various other functions, including its ability to evade type I interferon responses. Despite the evidence, the mechanisms through which ORF8 exerts these functions remains a subject of controversy. In this mini review, we discuss the multifaceted roles of ORF8 as a modulator of cytokine response, focusing on type I interferon and IL-6. We also discuss data from our studies indicating that ORF8 augments production of IL-6 induced by Poly(I:C) in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mono-DCs).

Behavior analysis is a widely used non-invasive tool in the practical production routine, as the animal acts as a biosensor capable of reflecting its degree of adaptation and discomfort to some environmental challenge. Predominantly, conventional statistics use occurrence data for behavioral evaluation and well-being estimation, disregarding the temporal sequence of events. The Generalized Sequential Pattern (GSP) algorithm is a data mining method that identifies recurrent sequences that exceed a user-specified support threshold, whose potential has not yet been investigated for broiler chickens in enriched environments. Enrichment aims to increase environmental complexity with promising effects on animal welfare, stimulating priority behaviors and potentially reducing the deleterious effects of heat stress. The objective was to validate the application of the GSP algorithm to identify temporal correlations between heat stress and the behavior of broiler chickens in enriched environments through proof of concept. Video image collection was carried out automatically for 48 continuous hours, analyzing a continuous period of seven hours, from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, during two consecutive days of tests for chickens housed in enriched and non-enriched environments under comfort and stress temperatures. Chickens at comfort temperature showed high motivation to perform the behaviors of Preening (P), Foraging (F), Lying down (Ld), Eating (E), and Walking (W) whose sequences &lt;{Ld,P}&gt;; &lt;{Ld,F}&gt;; &lt;{P,F,P}&gt;; &lt;{Ld,P,F}&gt; and &lt;{E,W,F}&gt; were the only ones observed in both treatments. All other sequential patterns (comfort and stress) were distinct, suggesting that environmental enrichment alters the behavioral pattern of broiler chickens. Heat stress drastically reduced the sequential patterns found at the 20% threshold level in the tested environments. The behavior of lying laterally "Ll" is a strong indicator of heat stress in broilers and was only frequent in the non-enriched environment, which may suggest that environmental enrichment provides the animal with better opportunities to adapt to stress-inducing challenges, such as heat.

Conventional methods for pathogen detection in water rely on time-consuming enrichment steps followed by biochemical identification strategies, which require assay times ranging from 24 hours to up to a week. However, in recent years, significant efforts have been made towards the development of biosensing technologies enabling rapid and close-to-real-time detection of waterborne pathogens. In previous studies, we developed a plastic optical fiber (POF) immunosensor using an optoelectronic configuration consisting of a U-Shape probe connected to an LED and a photodetector. Bacterial detection was evaluated with the immunosensor immersed in a bacterial suspension in water with a known concentration. Here, we report on the sensitivity of a new optoelectronic configuration consisting of two POF U-Shape probes, one as the reference and the other as the immunosensor, for the detection of Escherichia coli. In addition, another way of detection was tested where the sensors were calibrated in the air, before immersed in bacterial suspension and then read in the air, making the immunosensor more sensitive and with a faster detection time. This new sensor detected the presence of E. coli at 104 CFU/mL in less than 10 minutes. Currently sub 10 minutes is faster than previous studies using fiber-optic based biosensors. It is also a much simpler and quicker methodology when compared with conventional laboratory technology.

The structure of wound dressing materials presents one of the most relevant characteristics for effective skin tissue repair. Electrospinning is a common technique used to produce polymeric fibres that can mimic fibrillar disposition of skin extracellular matrix, favouring cell migration, and thus regeneration of the damaged tissue. Moreover, beads, also known as by-products of electrospinning, have potential as reservoirs for sustained drug release. Processing parameters, such as molecular weight and viscosity of the polymer solution, can affect the desirable morphologies of electrospun films. Thereby, this work had the purpose of producing and characterized electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) mats loaded with propolis, a popular extract in traditional medicine with potential for skin repair aid. Films with different morphologies were obtained depending on the storage period of the solution prior to the lectrospinning, probably due to the PCL hydrolysis. FTIR analyses of the extract confirmed propolis composition. GPC and viscosity analyses demonstrated that the decrease in molar mass over the storage period was responsible for nanostructure diversity. Propolis acts as a lubricant agent, affecting the spun solutions' viscosity and the thermal properties and hydrophilicity of the films. All films are within the value range of the water vapour transpiration rate of the commercial products. The presence of beads did not affect the propolis release pattern. However, "in vitro" wound healing assay showed that propolis-loaded films composed by beaded fibres increased the cell migration process. Thus, it can be inferred that these films presented the potential for wound dressing application.

The objective was to compare the color match and color stability behavior of single and multishade resin-based composites (RBCs) used for direct restorations. This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Randomized clinical trials evaluating the shade performance of single-shade RBCs in direct restorations were included. A search of the scientific literature was performed in 5 databases (April 2024). The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4, calculating the risk difference (RD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the dichotomous outcome using a random effects model. Bias was assessed using the RoB 2.0 tool, and certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE tool. Four studies with 263 restorations analyzed were selected. The results showed comparable performance between single-shade RBCs and multishade RBCs in terms of color match and color stability over 12 months. Three studies had a low risk of bias with all expected results, and one study had some concerns. The certainty of evidence for color stability was considered low for all follow-up periods due to the small number of events and sample size. According to the United States Public Health Service Evaluation (USPHS) and the World Dental Federation (FDI), there is comparable clinical color performance between single-shade and multishade RBCs over 12 months.