Identifying ambient noise-based (ANb) signatures of streams can help in the estimation of their erosive potential (EP) that promotes reverie landslides and soil losses in the fluvial valleys. This is particularly imperative on flooding or rainy days, leading to stronger erosion-prone conditions (colluvium and boulders) of the valley beds inferred from georadar attribute analysis. Developing such research direction can benefit the local communities, as is the case with the Cerrado region of Brazil, where these phenomena have high destructive potential with social, economic, and climatic implications. For the present study, a seasonal stream in the Federal District of Brazil was investigated by ANb monitoring supported by Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) for site characterization. The ANb monitoring was conducted (at a safe distance) with a seismometer over several durations of dry and rainy conditions. The power spectral density (PSDs) was computed as a function of several variables, including weather conditions (rainfall, wind speed, and pressure), time-frequency spectrograms, and ambient noise displacement root mean square (RMS). This analysis also considered the single station horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR), where rain, wind, pressure, river flow and anthropogenic signatures were evident (at selective frequency ranges). Multi-peaks that emerged on the HVSR curve were further analyzed to identify amplitude and frequency changes, and the three peaks shift on average to a lower position during the rainy period. The GPR amplitude and waveform variation features were attributed to the stratigraphy (i.e., the boundary between valid and invalid regions and coherence value) of the floodplain and regions susceptible to erosion (erosion-prone lithological spots). This approach provides the basis for non-destructive monitoring tools enabling the detection of 'seismic signatures' and weak spots of the fluvial channels for improving environmental management.

In the context of Shared Autonomous Vehicles, the need to monitor the environment inside the car will be crucial. This article focuses on the application of deep learning algorithms to detect objects, namely lost/forgotten items to inform the passengers, and aggressive items to monitoring if violent actions may arise between passengers. For object detection algorithms was used public datasets (COCO and TAO) to train state-of-the-art algorithms, such as YOLOv5. For violent action detection was used the MoLa InCar dataset to train on state-of-the-art algorithms such as I3D, R(2+1)D, SlowFast, TSN and TSM. At the end an embedded automotive solution was used to demonstrate both methods running in real-time.

This study evaluated the hip joints of the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) through imaging and macroscopic analyses and proposed a surgical approach for arthrotomy procedures in this species. The study used four samples fixed in 10% formaldehyde and six thawed carcasses. Radiographic and ultrasound examinations and anatomical dissection allowed the proposal of a surgical approach for the hip joint. The radiographic evaluation occurred with frog-legged ventrodorsal and lateral projections, and the ultrasound enabled joint soft tissue assessment. The articular elements represented similar characteristics to other domestic species. Some anatomical particularities of muscle groups were the intermuscular septum between the tensor fasciae latae and superficial gluteus muscles at the level of the greater trochanter of the femur, which provides lateral access to the femoral head and neck more conservatively. In conclusion, the anatomical particularities of radiographic positioning, the clinical applications of joint ultrasound, and the arrangement of muscle groups must be considered when evaluating and surgically accessing the hip joint of the giant anteater.

In this study, the objective is to analyze the economic viability of municipal household solid waste (organic matter + paper) for the production of gas, coke and biofuel through the pyrolysis and distillation process. The waste was collected in the city of Belém do Pará-Brazil and pre-treated at UFPA. The analyzed fraction (organic matter + paper) was subjected to pre-treatment of drying, crushing, sieving and was subsequently subjected to proximate characterization and finally pyrolysis of the organic fraction (organic matter + paper) in a fixed bed reactor. Initially, it was necessary to review the literature and with the yields obtained by pyrolysis of the frac-tion, economic feasibility analyzes were carried out. The economic indicators for evaluating the most viable pyrolysis process were: simple payback, discounted payback, net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and profitability index (IL). The analysis of the indicators showed the economic viability considering an analysis horizon of 10 years, of materials based on organic material and paper. The break-even point obtained was 0.96 US$/L and the minimum biofuel sales price (MFSP – “Minimum Fuel Sale Price”) obtained in this work was 1.30 US$/L. The sensitivity analysis demonstrated that material costs (organic matter + paper), bio-oil yield, total project investment and electricity, respectively, are the variables that most affect the mini-mum biofuel sales price (MFSP).

The coffee industry loses millions of dollars annually worldwide due to the Coffee Berry Borer (CBB); these losses imply a decrease in quality and production. Traps are used to monitor their flight and for pest control. The main objective was to determine the flight pattern and trap capture percentages of the CBB population over time using column traps (CTs) in two independent field experiments. CTs were composed of four traps installed at four different heights 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5m above ground. Our results demonstrated a significant difference in CBB capture by traps placed at different heights above the ground. The CT capture maintained a pattern throughout this study's lag; the lower the height, the greater the percentage of CBBs captured. In Experiments A and B, the traps placed at 0.5m caught 67% and 85% of the CBBs captured, respectively. Furthermore, the trap set at 1.5m above the ground in the multi-level CT showed a higher capture percentage than the individually placed trap (also at 1.5m). The pattern of the capture and proportion of the CBB in the CTs were maintained throughout the study despite the season, changes in temperature, and relative air humidity. We suggested that CTs could be explored as a useful tool for capturing the CBB, considering its monitoring and management.

This article aimed to evaluate, using statistical tools, the generation and composition of urban solid waste (MSW) in the city of Belém, Pará, from nine urban collection sectors in the municipality, and the average nominal income of the population. Approximately 900kg of urban solid waste were col-lected from the municipality in the period from 2021 to 2022. Statistical tests were carried out on hypotheses with 5% significance in comparative evaluations, and their respective average nominal incomes. The results indicated that the organic fraction corresponds to 55.57% of the waste generated in the municipality, 14.26% is inert waste (potentially contaminating) and 0.67% is miscellaneous waste. It was observed that the waste generated by families with high purchasing power tends to contain higher percentages of recyclables, while in families with lower purchasing power the highest percentages tend to be organic. Knowledge of the generation of MSW is fundamental for the choice and dimensioning of operations and processes involved in the management chain at the municipal level. The decentralization of services offered based on solid waste management would enable greater success in serving the population.

As modern systems are becoming more complex their control strategy cannot longer relay only on measurement information that usually comes from probes but also from mathematical models. Those systems models can lead to unbearable computation times due to their own complexity, turning the control process non-viable, which leads to the implementation of surrogate models that enable to achieve estimates within acceptable time to take decisions. A control trained with Deep Reinforcement Learning algorithm, using a Physics-Informed Neural Network to obtain the temperature map on the following time step, replaces the need of running Direct Numerical Simulations. On this work we considered an 1D heat conduction problem, which temperature distribution feeds a control system to activate a heat source aiming to obtain a constant, previously defined, temperature value. With this approach, control training becomes much faster without the need of performing numerical simulations or laboratory measurements, as well the control is taken based on Neural Network enabling its implementation on simple processors to edge computing.

Changes brought about by the Internet to Scholarly Communication and the spread of Open Access movement, have made it possible to increase the number of potential readers of published research dramatically. This two-phase study aims, at first, to assert the satisfaction of the potential for increased open access to articles published by authors at the University of Coimbra, in a context when there was no stimulus for the openness of published science other than an institutional mandate set by the University policy on Open Access (“Acesso Livre”). The satisfaction of the access openness was measured by observing the actual archiving behavior of researchers (either directly or through their agents). We started by selecting the top journal titles used to publish the STEM research of the University of Coimbra (2004-2013) by using Thomson Reuters’ Science Citation Index (SCI). These titles were available at the University libraries or through online subscriptions, some of them in open access (21%). By checking the journals' policy at the time regarding self-archiving at the SHERPA/RoMEO service, we found that the percentage of articles in Open Access (OA) could rise to 80% if deposited at Estudo Geral, the Institutional Repository of the University of Coimbra, as prescribed by the Open Access Policy of the University. As we concluded by verifying the deposit status of every single paper of researchers of the University that published in those journals, this potential was far from being fulfilled, despite the existence of the institutional mandate and favorable editorial conditions. We concluded, therefore, that an institutional mandate was not sufficient by itself to fully implement an open access policy and to close the gap between publication and access. The second phase of the study, to follow, will rescan the status of published papers in a context where the Portuguese public funding agency, the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, introduced in 2014 a new significant stimulus for open access in science. The FCT Open Access Policy stipulates that publicly funded published research must be available as soon as possible in a repository of the Portuguese network of scientific repositories, RCAAP, which integrates the Estudo Geral.

This study takes as a starting point the importance and dependence of the media (Ball-Rokeach & DeFleur, 1976) to obtain information about the pandemic. The dependency theory of the media system was developed in the 1970s when mass media were the dominant source of information. Today, at a time when media choices have become abundant, studies are needed to understand the phenomenon of media dependence in light of new dimensions made important by the transformations that have taken place in the social and media fields - where the coexistence of mass media with social media platforms stands out. As large-scale crises rarely occur and the media environment changes rapidly, it is important to analyze how media dependence relates to choose and trust in different media (traditional media vs. social media) in times of crisis. Several questions arise. What is the trust attributed by individuals to social media as sources of information about the COVID-19? How well informed are the individuals who choose these sources as the main sources of information? From a questionnaire administered to 240 individuals in Portugal, during the first week of the state of emergency (March 2020), this research seeks to identify how people gained access to information about the COVID-19, how they acted critically towards the various sources and how they assess the reliability of different media. Finally, it analyzes the association between the type of medium chosen and adherence to misinformation content about the virus. The results reveal the existence of a phenomenon of dependence on the media, with a strong exposure (both active and accidental) to informative content, with conventional media being privileged as the main source, and positively distinguished in terms of confidence. Finally, a statistically significant association of a positive sign was identified between the use of social media as the main source and the acceptance of misinformation.

Gastrointestinal diseases caused by parasites are frequently diagnosed in the clinical routine of domestic animals, especially dogs and cats. In general, they trigger factors that can affect individual health due to zoonoses. Therefore, this study aims to identify the main intestinal parasites obtained from the fecal samples of dogs and cats in the municipality of Jata, Brazil, and their associated risk factors. Between October 2020 and March 2022, fecal samples were collected from 359 dogs and 55 cats through spontaneous defecation and subsequently subjected to coproparasitological analyses using the Willis fluctuation and Hoffman spontaneous sedimentation techniques. The following parasitic species were identified: Ancylostoma, Toxocara, Trichuris vulpis, Dipylidium caninum; Giardia, Entamoeba, Cystoisospora, and Platynosomum fastosum. The risk factors associated with parasitism include age, average income of owners, access to garbage, sewage, waste, outdated deworming, and contact with animals. The results demonstrate the need to establish public policies and implement preventive and control measures to reduce the occurrence of parasites in animals and the exposure of humans to pathogenic agents.

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

(1) Background: This study evaluated the spatial position and anatomical characteristics related to impacted third molars by map-reading strategy using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). (2) Methods: To determine the positioning of impacted third molars on CBCT it was used Winter's and Pell & Gregory's classifications, and the presence of external root resorption in mandibular second molars were based on Herman´s classification. The relationship between the mandibular third molar root apex and the mandibular canal was also analyzed. Fisher’s exact test was used to comparative statistical analysis. The significance level considered was 5%. (3) Results: The results showed that according to Winter's classification, 48.06 % of impacted teeth were in the mesioangular position. Using Pell & Gregory's classification, 43.22% of the impacted molars were in the position B and C, and 54.2% of the teeth were class II. 69.7% of teeth showed an absence of contact between the root apex and the mandibular canal and there was no occurrence of external root resorption in the distal of second molar in 88.7%. (4) Conclusions: The map-reading strategy using CBCT scans for anatomical positions and characteristics of impacted third molars increases professional confidence and establishes a parameter of quality and safety in the surgical procedure for the patient.

Despite the impact that climate change is having on our planet and considering its consequences for future generations, much of the academic literature focuses on adolescent and adult percep-tions, giving little relevance to children's perceptions. Children's voices have the potential to in-fluence public opinion, which may in turn determine the direction of a new policy on the cli-mate crisis. In this context, it is urgent that we understand how children perceive this problem. This quantitative study was based on the application of 245 questionnaires to children aged be-tween 9 and 13 years old from five schools in north-eastern Portugal, more specifically in the region of Trás-os-Montes. To collect the data, we used a questionnaire with 26 questions, being 24 of closed response, Likert type, one of them open response, and one multiple choices. The da-ta were statistically treated using SPSS software. The results show that most of the children ex-press concern about the study's potential problem. However, they show some doubts and a lack of knowledge about some of the themes. We found differences between the two study cycles, with children in the 6th grade having a higher average in the understanding of the phenomenon, as well as the level of education of the parents being positively correlated with a more ecocen-tric posture. The female students also showed a slightly more ecological posture, i.e., an eco-friendlier posture. From the results obtained, we can open new paths for future research and contribute to the definition of policies and educational practices since the school has the respon-sibility to cooperate in the production of values, attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviours.

.Cloud manufacturing is an evolving networked framework that enables multiple manufacturers to collaborate in providing a range of services, including design, development, production, and post-sales support. The framework operates on an integrated platform encompassing a range of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices, cloud computing, Internet communication, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and blockchains. The connectivity of industrial equipment and robots to Internet opens the cloud manufacturing to the massive attack surface of cybersecurity and cyber crime threats caused by external and internal attackers. The impacts can be severe because physical infrastructure of industries is at stake. One potential method to deter such attacks involves utilizing blockchain and artificial intelligence to track the provenance of IIoT devices. This research explores a practical approach to achieve this goal by gathering provenance data associated with operational constraints defined in smart contracts and identifying deviations from these constraints through predictive auditing using artificial intelligence. A software architecture comprising IIoT communications to machine learning for comparing the latest data with the predictive auditing outcomes and logging appropriate risks was designed, developed, and tested. The state changes in the smart ledger of smart contracts were linked with the risks such that the blockchain peers can timely detect high deviations and take actions. The research defined the constraints related to physical boundaries and weight lifting limits allocated to three forklifts and showcased the mechanisms of detecting risks of breaking these constraints with the help of artificial intelligence. It also demonstrated state change rejections by blockchains at medium and high-risk levels. This research followed software development in Java 8 using JDK 8, CORDA blockchain framework, and Weka package for random forest machine learning. As a result of this, the model, along with its design and implementation, has the potential to enhance efficiency and productivity, foster greater trust and transparency in the manufacturing process, booster risk management, strengthen cybersecurity, and advance sustainability efforts.

The population growth and its needs, has increasingly demanded water resources, requiring managers to adopt mechanisms to guarantee the availability and quality of water from springs. Among the instruments defined by law n. 9433/1997, water charges stand out. In this sense, the objective was to evaluate the evolution of charging for the use of water resources in Brazil, with emphasis on the channel of the Hydrographic Basin of the Paranaíba River. The methodology used was based on two phases, one of reviewing the articles available in Capes journals and the other, consulting the spreadsheets of the Araguari River Basin Agency with information on charges for the use of water within the competence of the Union in the Hydrographic Basin of the Paranaiba River. The results showed that charging for the use of water resources establish a relevant instrument for disciplining and raising financial resources that will enable improvements in the planning and management of water use. It should be noted that irrigation emerges as the main user of the flow captured from the Paranaíba River. However, the main source of funds for charging comes from the public supply. Among the Federation Units, the Federal District proved to be the largest source of contributions for charging the use of the Union's water resources in the Paranaíba River Basin.

Almost two decades ago, Ernesto P. Borges and Bruce M. Boghosian embarked on the intricate task of composing a manuscript to honor the profound contributions of Constantino Tsallis to the realm of statistical physics, coupled with a concise exploration of q-Statistics. Fast forward to Constantino Tsallis’ illustrious 80th birthday celebration in 2023, where Deniz Eroglu and Ugur Tirnakli delved into Constantino’s collaborative network, injecting renewed vitality into the project. With hearts brimming with appreciation for Tsallis’ enduring inspiration, Eroglu, Boghosian, Borges and Tirnakli proudly present this meticulously crafted manuscript as a token of their gratitude.

As consequence of the digital transformation, e-learning methodologies have become an inseparable part of the standard classes in schools and universities, assuming an increasingly significant role in compensating for the difficulties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous pedagogical methodologies and strategies can be easily implemented in high education, promoting students’ motivation and interest in learning. This research study analyses the implementation of gamification pedagogical strategy on 50-60 undergraduate chemical engineering students at the university, by evaluating its effect on the success rate on a specific topic of Chemical Reactions Engineering subject and the motivation effect for the following topics. Our results show a significant positive effect of the gamification strategy on university lectures, increasing up to 25-30 % of the success ratio with an apparent motivation effect. During the subsequent years, the changes in the lifestyle of study also play a role in students’ performance. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate case studies such as the one presented here to understand better the use of these pedagogical methods and strategies in high education, especially in technical subjects described in this paper.

This paper proposes an upper bound for mine productivity and also a simple truck dispatch rule that demonstrates how tight the upper bound can be using simulation. It also proposes a greedy search to approximate the productivity upper bound, which is faster and often exact. Uncertainty is added to the simulation in order to verify how the productivity responds to it. Typically, the productivity upper bound is less tight close to its saturation point as a function of the number of trucks, where adding more trucks only increases queues. Furthermore, more uncertainty in the model typically leads to a less tight upper bound. The results are conducted using real data from an open pit mine in Brazil.

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.

Cerebrovascular diseases represent a significant mortality rate worldwide and constitute a major public health and economic challenge. Many African countries such as Cape Verde are going through an epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases, demographic and socioeconomic changes and facing an increase in cerebrocardiovascular diseases associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence of risk factors that predispose to cardiovascular diseases in adult individuals residing on the island of Santiago. Cross-sectional population-based study with individuals over 18 years of age, of both sexes. Data collection took place in October and November 2021, in all municipalities on the island of Santiago. Individuals with Cape Verdean nationality who stayed abroad for more than one year and who arrived on the island of Santiago less than 30 days ago and individuals with any type of disability that could prevent them from participating in the study were excluded from the study. The sample size was calculated based on the projection of the population of the island of Santiago for the year 2021, according to the appropriate epidemiological model. Sociodemographic data were obtained through the application of a questionnaire containing age, sex, race, weight, height, risk factors (presence of diabetes, dyslipidemia, heredity, physical activity, smoking habits, history of cerebrovascular events, control of weight and blood pressure). RESULTS: Study sample is predominantly female (54.8%), the age group with the largest number was 18-27 years (21%); 42.2% with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2; 65.1% sedentary; Smoking 7.3% and alcoholism 14.4%; 6.5% with diagnosed heart disease; 19.9% with close family members with cardiac pathology; 2.7% had a stroke, 0.1% had a transient ischemic attack; 0.5% acute myocardial infarction; 23.5% had the periodic habit of assessing blood pressure; 32.6% hypertensive; 4.5% with diabetics. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that there is a high prevalence of cerebrovascular risk factors on Santiago Island, especially in females. Smoking and alcoholism showed a relationship with males. BMI, physical inactivity, diabetes and dyslipidemia were shown to be related to sex. Hypertension and Diabetes revealed a significant relationship with age group. Alcoholism, smoking, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia maintained a significant relationship with the municipalities.

The use of wind energy has been developing fast over the last years. The global cumulative wind power capacity increased by 10.5% in 2019, most of which comes from onshore wind farms. One of the consequences of this continuous increase is the use of land for onshore wind farms. There are already cases worldwide where lack of well-established plans and strategies have caused delays in projects. The need for efficiently using land for wind farms will be mandatory in the short term. In this work, we present a numerical analysis to evaluate wind farm land-use. By defining the ratio between mechanical output power over an area as a parameter called land-use ratio, this work focused on comparing several cases of aligned and staggered layouts. Mechanical output power was estimated using a validated code based on Blade Element Momentum code, and the wake velocities and wake interaction effects were estimated using a validated wind turbine CFD model. In terms of output power, staggered designs are more efficient than aligned designs. However, the results showed that even though staggered designs produced higher output power, aligned farms with tight lateral spacing could be as efficient as staggered ones in terms of land-use but using fewer turbines. In summary, tightly aligned designs should be a tendency in the future towards efficient use of land in wind farms.

Chondroitin is a glycosaminoglycan that has gained widespread use in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, mainly for treating osteoarthritis. Traditionally, it has been extracted from animal cartilage but recently, biotechnological processes have emerged as a commercial alternative to avoid the risk of viral or prion contamination and offer a vegan-friendly source. Typically, these methods involve producing the chondroitin backbone using pathogenic bacteria and then modifying it enzymatically through the action of sulfotransferases. Despite the challenges of expressing active sulfotransferases in bacteria, the use of eukaryotic microorganisms is still limited to a few works using Pichia pastoris. To create a safer and efficient biotechnological platform, we have constructed a biosynthetic pathway for chondroitin production in S. cerevisiae as a proof-of-concept. Up to 125 mg/L and 200 mg/L of intracellular and extracellular chondroitin were produced, respectively. Furthermore, as genome-scale models are valuable tools for identifying novel targets for metabolic engineering, a stoichiometric model of chondroitin-producing S. cerevisiae has been developed and used in optimization algorithms. Our research has yielded several novel targets, such as uridine diphosphate(UDP)-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (QRI1), glucosamine-6-phosphate acetyltransferase (GNA1) or N-acetylglucosamine-phosphate mutase (PCM1) overexpression that might enhance chondroitin production, which will guide future experimental research to develop more efficient host organisms for the biotechnological production process.

Ketamine, a racemic mixture of esketamine (S-ketamine) and arketamine (R-ketamine), has re-ceived particular attention for its rapid antidepressant and antisuicidal effects. NMDA receptor inhibition has been indicated as one of the main mechanisms of action of the racemic mixture, but other pharmacological targets have also been proposed. This study aimed at exploring the possible multiple targets of ketamine enantiomers related to their antidepressant and antisuicidal effects. To this end, targets were predicted in SwissTargetPrediction software for each ketamine enan-tiomer. The targets related to depression and suicide were collected by GeneCards database. The intersections of targets were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Network pharmacology analysis was performed in GeneMania and Cy-toscape softwares. Molecular docking was used to predict the main targets of the network. The results indicated that esketamine and arketamine share some biological targets, particularly NMDA receptor and phosphodiesterases 3A, 7A and 5A, but have specific molecular targets. While esketamine is predicted to interact with the GABAergic system, arketamine may interact with macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). Both ketamine enantiomers activate neuroplas-ticity-related signaling pathways and show addiction potential. Our results identified novel poorly explored molecular targets that may be related to the beneficial effects of esketamine and arketamine against depression and suicide.

Polysaccharides such as alginate and gellan gum are biocompatible and easily accessible biopolymers with excellent properties to produce microparticles as drug delivery systems. However, the production methods often fail in reproducibility, compromising the translational potential of such systems. In this work, microparticles made from gellan gum and alginate were optimized using the coaxial air flow method, and an inexpensive and reproducible production method. A Design of Experiments was used to identify the main parameters that affect the microparticle’s production and optimization, focusing on the diameter and dispersibility. Airflow was the most significant factor for both parameters. Pump flow affected the diameter, whilst the gellan gum/alginate ratio affected dispersibility. After optimization, microparticle swelling, drug entrapment and release profile were analyzed at two pH, 7.4 and 6.5. Using methylene blue as a model drug, higher encapsulation and swelling indexes were obtained at pH 7.4, whilst a more pronounced release occurred at pH 6.5. The microparticle release profiles were studied by resorting to well-known models, showing a Fickian type release. The developed microparticles show promising results as drug-delivery vehicles for biomedical applications.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex illness with both hereditary and environmental compo-nents. Globally, in 2019, 18 million people had RA. RA is characterised by persistent inflammation of the synovial membrane that lines the joints, cartilage loss, and bone erosion. Phenolic molecules are the most prevalent secondary metabolites in plants, with a diverse spectrum of biological ac-tions that benefit functional meals and nutraceuticals. These compounds have received a lot of at-tention recently because they have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-rheumatoid activity by modulating tumour necrosis factor, mitogen-activated protein kinase, nu-clear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, and c-Jun N-terminal kinases, as well as other preventative properties. This article discusses dietary polyphenols, their pharmacological properties, and innovative delivery technologies for the treatment of RA, with a focus on their possible biological activities. Nonetheless, commercialization of polyphenols may be achievable only after confirming their safety profile and completing successful clinical trials.

This study evaluated the grain size and high organic content from drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) in the properties of ceramics. Samples were studied using raw and oven dried DWTS at 110 °C in two granulometries (0.180 mm and 0.075 mm), with and without calcination (550 °C), as partial replacement of two soils commonly used in ceramic production. Specimens were prepared with 5, 10, and 20% DWTS and calcined at 950 °C to determine their chemical, physical, mineralogical and mechanical properties. The DWTS reduced the density and increased the absorption and shrinkage of the specimens after calcination. An increase in strength with up to 10% sludge, driven by the presence of fluxing agents, was verified. The processing method had little influence on the properties of ceramic with above 10% of sludge. In conclusion, the use of raw DWTS obtained better results with low energy usage for its reuse.

This paper studies the performance improvement of the IEEE 802.15.4 nonbeacon-enabled mode originated by the inclusion of the Request-To-Send/Clear-To-Send (RTS/CTS) handshake mechanism resulting in frame concatenation. Under IEEE 802.15.4 employing RTS/CTS, the backoff procedure is not repeated for each data frame sent but only for each RTS/CTS set. The maximum throughput and minimum delay performance are mathematically derived for both the Chirp Spread Spectrum and Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Physical layers for the 2.4 GHz band. Results show that the utilization of RTS/CTS significantly enhances the performance of IEEE 802.15.4 applied to healthcare in terms of bandwidth efficiency.

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

Forest road pavement needs an evaluation methodology based on a comprehensive assessment of road conditions. This research was conducted to evaluate the performance of a method for rating the surface condition of forest roads and eventually to adapt the method to the situation prevailing in a forest road network. The rating method selected as the basis for this experiment was the pavement condition index (PCI) developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A 53 km of forest roads were selected contained the most influential factors and conditions variability. Eventually, 201 road segments were delineated between 150-300 m in length. Within the given segments, sample plots were set 20 m in length consecutively. It was concluded that the panel scores for distress and surface condition of sample unit and section differed from forest road pavement condition index (FRPCI) and PCI. Linear regression was used to derive equations between distress and PCI score to determine effective FRPCI parameters that provide a numerical rating for the condition of road segments within the road network, where 0 worlds are the worst possible condition, and 100 is the best possible condition best. Also, regression analysis showed the FRPCI model with a 0.87 correlation for the total of the road is a performance index used for the first time in forest roads. This study showed a range of FRPCI from 7.8 to 96.3, different from PCI and URCI ratings (0.85-45 and 1.2-53). The FRPCI index helps forest managers in road maintenance, harvesting, and planning to use road information.

The chestnut tree (Castanea sativa Mill.) is gaining importance in the mountainous regions of southern Europe due to the high value of its fruits. It is essential to establish effective cultivation protocols, considering that this species is still relatively understudied. In this study, we present the outcomes of the initial establishment of a chestnut orchard conducted through a nutrient omission trial for four years. The treatments included a fertilization plan with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and boron (NPKB), the control, and four other treatments corresponding to the omission of each nutrient (-NPKB, N-PKB, NP-KB, NPK-B). The -NPKB and NP-KB treatments showed significantly lower trunk circumferences and canopy volumes compared to the other treatments. The NPK-B treatment resulted in the lowest fruit production, with a total accumulated yield (2020-2022) of 0.56 kg tree–1, a value significantly lower than that of NPKB (1.12 kg tree–1) and N-PKB (1.19 kg tree–1). The assessment of nutrient concentrations in the leaves revealed plants with deficient levels of B and K in treatments that did not receive these nutrients. Conversely, N levels in the leaves in the -NPKB treatment fell within the sufficiency range (20 to 28 g kg–1). This suggests that the sufficiency range should be adjusted to higher values, given the treatment's effect on tree growth. It was also observed that the -NPKB treatment led to lower soil organic matter compared to the other treatments, likely due to reduced herbaceous vegetation development under the canopy, leading to decreased organic substrate deposition in the soil. The main findings of this study are that N and K were crucial elements for the optimal growth of chestnut trees, while B played a significant role in fruit production.

(1) Background/Objectives: Accurate determination of chronological age is crucial in legal dental identification. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of different formulas in estimating the age of a Brazilian subpopulation by analyzing the pulp/tooth ratio of the maxillary canine and mandibular second premolar in panoramic and periapical radiographs. (2) Methods: The sample consisted of panoramic and periapical radiographs of 247 individuals. The file of each radiograph was opened in the Adobe Photoshop CS4® program to outline and obtain values in pixels for calculating the pulp/tooth ratio. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS program, with a significance level set at 5%. (3) Results: The interclass correlation coefficient demonstrated excellent intra-observer agreement (0.990 – 0.999). The determination coefficients (R2) suggested that only 30-35% of the actual age results could be explained by the pulp/tooth ratio. Smallest differences were observed with Cameriere's formula for the mandibular second premolar on panoramic radiographs (+4.1 years). The greatest differences were found with the formulas for the mandibular second premolar in panoramic radiographs of the Korean (+12.5 years) and Portuguese (-12.1 years) populations. (4) Conclusions: The equations employed allowed for estimating the age of a Brazilian subpopulation and showed little agreement between the actual age and the estimated age.

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

The study of photonic crystals has emerged as an attractive area of research in nanoscience in the last years. In this work we study the properties of a two-dimensional photonic crystal composed of dielectric rods. The unit cell of the system is composed of six rods organized on the sites of a C6 triangular lattice. We induce a topological phase by introducing an angular perturbation ϕ in the pristine system. The topology of the system is then determined by using the so-called k.p perturbed model. Our results show that the system presents a topological and a trivial phases, depending on the sign of the angular perturbation ϕ. The topological character of the system is probed by evaluating the electromagnetic energy density and analyzing its distribution in the real space, in particular on the maximal Wyckoff points. We also find two edge modes at the interface between the trivial and topological photonic crystals, which present a pseudospin topological behavior. By applying the Bulk-Edge correspondence, we study the pseudospin edge modes and conclude that they are robust against defects, disorder and reflection. Moreover, the localization of the edge modes leads to the confinement of light and the interface behaves as a waveguide for the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Finally, we show that the two edge modes present energy flux propagating in opposite directions, which is the photonic analogue of the quantum spin Hall effect.

The dysregulated release of cytokines has been identified as one of the key factors behind poorer outcomes in COVID-19. This ‘cytokine storm ‘produces an excessive inflammatory and immune response, especially in the lungs, leading to acute respiratory distress (ARDS), pulmonary edema and multi-organ failure. Alleviating this inflammatory state is crucial to improve prognosis. Pro-inflammatory factors play a central role in COVID-19 severity, especially in patients with comorbidities In these situations, an overactive, untreated immune response can be deadly, suggesting that mortality in COVID-19 cases is likely due to this virally driven hyperinflammation. Administering immunomodulators has not yielded conclusive improvements in other pathologies characterized by dysregulated inflammation such as sepsis, SARS-CoV-1 and MERS. The success of these drugs at reducing COVID-19-driven inflammation is still anecdotal and comes with serious risks. It is also imperative to screen the elderly for risk factors that predispose them to severe COVID-19. Immunosenescence and comorbidities should be taken into consideration. In this review, we summarize the latest data available about the role of the cytokine storm in COVID-19 disease severity as well as potential therapeutic approaches to ameliorate it. We also examine the role of inflammation in other diseases often comorbid with COVID-19, such as aging, sepsis, and pulmonary disorders. Finally, we identify gaps in our knowledge and suggest priorities for future research aimed at stratifying patients according to risk as well as personalizing therapies in the context of COVID19-driven hyperinflammation.

Wikipedia, as "social machine", is a privileged place to observe the collective construction of concepts without central control. Based on Dahlberg's theory of concept, and anchored in the pragmatism of Hjørland - in which the concepts are socially negotiated meanings - the evolution of the concept of Semantic Web (SW) was analyzed in the English version of Wikipedia. An exploratory, descriptive and qualitative study was designed and we identified 26 different definitions (between 7-12-2001 and 12/31/2017) of which 8 are of particular relevance for their duration, with the latter being the two recorded at the end of the analyzed period. According to them, SW: "is a extension of the web"and "is a Web of Data"; the latter, used as a complementary definition, links to Berners-Lee's publications. In Wikipedia, the evolution of the SW concept appears to be based on the search for the use of non-technical vocabulary and the control of authority carried out by the debate. As a space for collective bargaining of meanings, the Wikipedia study may bring relevant contributions to a community's understanding of a particular concept and how it evolves over time.

Objectives Bone fractures are very common diseases, which can be caused by impact injuries or physiological disorders. Thus, the present review aimed to study the use of medicinal plants in the healing mechanism of bone fractures. Evidence acquisition Through research in the PubMed, Google Academic, and Scielo databases, this article reviews 11 ethnopharmacological studies and 34 preclinical studies on the biological actions of different plants in bone fracture healing mechanism. Results Indian tribes have highlighted in the plants ethnopharmacological study for various diseases, including bone fractures. However, despite the large citations of traditional use, technical-scientific studies are still scarce in the literature. Chenopodium ambrosioides, Piper sarmentosum, quadrangular Cissus, Ricinus communis and Radix salvia miltiorrhiza plants were the most studied in the literature regarding their osteogenic, angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and remodeling effects, acting on bone receptors, stimulating bone metabolism, increasing minerals uptake, and assisting in free radicals breakdown. Conclusion Thus, the medicinal plants use is promising in the field of bone regeneration, as well as being alternative when conventional therapies are unfeasible, increasing herbal medicines demand and popularity.

A strategy to reduce qualitative and quantitative losses in crop-yields refers to early and accurate detection of insect-damage caused in plants. Remote sensing systems like hyperspectral proximal sensors are a promising strategy for managing crops. In this aspect, machine learning predictions associated with clustering techniques may be an interesting approach mainly because of its robustness to evaluate high dimensional data. In this paper, we model the spectral response of insect-herbivory-damage in maize plants and propose an approach based on machine learning and a clustering method to predict whether the plant is herbivore-attacked or not using leaf reflectance measurements. We differentiate insect-type damage based on the spectral response and indicate the most contributive wavelengths to perform it. For this, we used a maize experiment in semi-field conditions. The maize plants were submitted to three different treatments: control (health plants); plants submitted to Spodoptera frugiperda herbivory-damage, and; plants submitted to Dichelops melacanthus herbivory-damage. The leaf spectral response of all plants (controlled and submitted to herbivory) was measured with a FieldSpec 3.0 Spectroradiometer from 350 to 2500 nm for eight consecutive days. We evaluated the performance of different learners like random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), extreme gradient boost (XGB), neural networks (MLP), and measured the impact of a day-by-day analysis into the prediction. We proposed a novel framework with a ranking strategy, based on the accuracy returned by predictions, and a clusterization method based on a self-organizing map (SOM) to identify important regions in the reflectance measurement. Our results indicated that the RF-based framework algorithm is the overall best learner to deal with this type of data. After the 5th day of analysis, the accuracy of the algorithm improved substantially. It separated the three treatments into different groups with an F-measure equal to 0.967, 0.917, and 0.881, respectively. We also verified that the most contributive spectral regions are situated in the near-infrared domain. We conclude that the proposed approach with machine learning methods is adequate to monitor herbivory-damage of S. frugiperda and stink bugs like Dichelops melacanthus in maize, differentiating the types of insect-attack early on. We also demonstrate that the framework proposed for the analysis of the most contributive wavelengths is suitable to highlight spectral regions of interest.

Soil management in orchards can have several economic and environmental implications. In this study, three different soil management systems were compared in a dry-farmed olive grove: conventional tillage (Tillage), glyphosate-based herbicide (Herbicide) and Sheep Walking. The experiment lasted eleven years (2011-2022) and was carried out after a previous trial conducted on the same plot with the same treatments and duration (2001-2011). However, in the earlier trial, the Herbicide and Sheep Walking treatments switched positions in the plot, while the tillage treatment remained in its original place. The average total accumulated olive yields between 2011 and 2022 were 225.1, 230.9, and 245.0 kg tree–1 for the Sheep Walking, Tillage, and Herbicide treatments, respectively. However, no significant differences were observed between the treatments. The levels of total organic carbon in the soil, measured in samples collected in the last year of the study, were 41.3, 33.7, and 37.3 g kg–1, respectively for the same treatments. These findings indicated that the Tillage treatment exhibited lower soil organic matter content and reduced bioavailability of some nutrients, which raises concerns about its sustainability. On the contrary, employing Sheep Walking with an appropriate stocking rate, effectively controlling vegetation in the spring, ensured favourable soil properties and olive yields comparable to the other treatments. Moreover, the Sheep Walking approach provides supplementary advantages to the farmer, including revenue from the sale of animal products and the opportunity to transition to organic farming systems, which better align with the preferences of contemporary societies.

It has been demonstrated that brief cycles of ischemia followed by reperfusion (IR) applied before exercise can improve performance and, IR intervention, applied immediately after exercise (post-exercise ischemic conditioning – PEIC) exerts a potential ergogenic effect to accelerate recovery. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to identify the effects of PEIC on exercise performance, recovery and the responses of associated physiological parameters, such as creatine kinase, perceived recovery and muscle soreness, over 24 h after its application. From 3281 studies, six involving 106 subjects fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Compared to sham (cuff administration with low pressure) and control interventions (no cuff administration), PEIC led to faster performance recovery (p=0.004; ES=-0.49) and lower increase in creatine kinase (p<0.001; ES=-0.71) and muscle soreness (p<0.001; ES=-0.89) over 24 h. The effectiveness of this intervention is more pronounced in subjects with low/moderate fitness level and at least a total time of 10 min of ischemia (e.g. 2 cycles of 5 min) is necessary to promote positive effects.

Non-enzymatic thiol addition into α,ß-unsaturated carbonyl system is associated with several biological effects. In vivo, the reactions can form small-molecule thiol (e.g., glutathione) or protein thiol adducts. The reaction of two synthetic (4’-methyl- and 4’-methoxy substituted) cyclic chalcone analogs with glutathione and N-acetylcysteine was studied by HPLC-UV method. The selected compounds displayed in vitro cancer cell cytotoxicity (IC50) of different orders of magnitude. The structure of the formed adducts was confirmed by HPLC-MS. The incubations were performed under three different pH conditions (pH 3.5/3.8, 6.3/6.7, and 8.0/7.4). The chalcones intrinsically reacted with both thiols under all incubation conditions. The initial rates and compositions of the final mixtures depended on the substitution and the pH. The frontier molecular orbitals and the Fukui function were carried out to investigate the effects on open-chain and seven-membered cyclic analogs. Furthermore, machine learning protocols were used to provide more insights into physicochemical properties and to support the different thiol-reactivity. HPLC analysis indicated diastereoselectivity of the reactions. The observed reactivities do not directly relate to the different in vitro cancer cell cytotoxicity of the compounds.

This study adapted and assessed a shortened version of the IAT (Internet Addiction Test) scale completed by young people aged 12 years and older regarding their online behaviors and risk of online addiction. The psychometric qualities of the reduced version - Screening IAT - youth are presented in order to validate its use in the early detection of online addiction. The total sample is composed of 3021 participants being 55.9% female and 44.1% male, with a mean age of x ̅=15 years (σ=3.028), attending junior high school (56.2%), high school (37.8%) and college (5.9%). The procedure included a factorial analysis, in which the total sample was randomly divided into three samples. An exploratory factor analysis was performed with one part of the sample, and a confirmatory factor analysis was performed with the others parts, assessing internal consistency, construct reliability, and discriminant validity. The results indicate that this reduced version of the IAT for young people has good psychometric qualities and can be applied in research and clinical settings. With this version and the parent-teacher version there is a direct contribution to a tripartite assessment of internet addiction risk.

Quantum revival phenomena, wherein the wave function of a quantum system periodically returns to its initial state after evolving in time, are investigated in this study. Focusing on electrons confined within a quantum box with an impurity, both weak and strong coupling regimes are explored, revealing intricate relationships between impurity parameters and temporal dynamics. The investigation considers the influence of impurity position, impurity strength, and external factors such as aluminum concentration, temperature, and hydrostatic pressure on classical periods and revival times. Through analytical derivations and graphical analyses, the study elucidates the sensitivity of quantum revivals to these parameters, providing valuable insights into the fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. While no specific physical applications are discussed, the findings offer implications for quantum heat engines and other quantum-based technologies, emphasizing the importance of understanding quantum revivals in confined quantum systems.

Objective: Our goal is to develop an online questionnaire to survey the prevalence of suicidal behavior. Methods: We developed a questionnaire with 51 variables and proceeded with validations. Validations were performed using face validity, content validity, and construct validity. Reliability was performed by test-rest. Results: The face validity was 1.0 and the content validity was 0.91. The exploratory factor analysis got KMO = 0.86 and extracted one principal factor. The confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates RMSEA= 0.000 and CFI=1.000. The test-retest had an intraclass correlated coefficient of 0.98. Conclusion: The adequate development questionnaire was validated, and we have an instrument to survey suicide behaviors in the pandemic time.

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.

The health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are related with its chemical composition and the presence of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was evaluate antioxidant compounds (pigments, CoQ10 and phenolic compounds) and antioxidant properties of EVOO from the same region comparing different cultivars (Hojiblanca and Arbequina), harvest year and crop stage. Antioxidant properties of oils were studied before and after a gastrointestinal digestion process, by in vitro assays (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) and antioxidant markers in Caco-2 cells (reactive oxygen species production). The content of bioactive compounds measured was significantly affected by cultivar and harvest year (except for carotenoids) and by the crop stage (except for coenzyme Q10). Higher amount of coenzyme Q10 was observed in Hojiblanca than in Arbequina EVOO. Total phenol content and antioxidant properties were also different depending on cultivar and harvest year and the in vitro digestion process strongly improved antioxidant marker values. Antioxidant potential in bioaccessible fractions was mainly related with content of coenzyme Q10 and phenolic compounds in EVOO. Chemometric analysis showed that the oils were clearly classified by cultivars, harvest and crop stage, according with chemical composition and antioxidant activity analyzed in the present study

Sleep is of vital necessity for health, it has a restorative and protective function for children and adolescents with chronic conditions and their families. The purpose was to identify the scientific production on sleep patterns in children and adolescents with chronic conditions and their families. This integrative review was developed in March and June 2022, of the MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL and PSYCInfo. The articles included were original papers published be-tween January 2007 and mid-2022. Excluded were review studies that did not evaluate sleep and whose participants did not have chronic conditions or were not children, adolescents and/or their families. The searches returned 814 abstracts. After exclusions, 47 studies were selected to be read in full; of these, 29 were selected and were grouped empirically into four categories: major alterations in sleep patterns of children and adolescents with chronic conditions; the relationship between sleep disorders and symptoms in children and adolescents with chronic conditions; impaired sleep patterns of families of children and adolescents with chronic conditions; sleep alterations and their relationship with other problems in families of children and adolescents with chronic conditions. All studies showed sleep pattern impairment in children and adolescents with chronic conditions and their families.

The Roman villa of Pisões (Beja, Portugal), was part of the Lusitanian colony of Pax Iulia. This place stands out for the predominance of the water element in several structures of the villa, highlighting the balneum and the large natatio, one of the largest known in Roman Hispania. The records of the initial excavations that took place since 1967 do not allow the establishment of clear functionalities of the villa. The University of Évora, owner of the site, conceived an action plan for the requalification and enhancement of the archaeological site. One of the tasks aims to investigate using Applied Geophysics. This work analyses the landscape directly related to the villa, given that it is in the flooded area of a river, with a Roman containment dam. It is uncertain whether the water supply comes from this structure or other nearby springs. The use of ground-penetrating radar, combined with unnamed aerial vehicles, all integrated in a geographic information system, allows us to know the location of underground water connections and create a topographic model with high resolution. Considering all the information, we propose a model for the water transport inside the villa and estimate the location of the water supply.

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation into the applicability and performance of two prominent growth models, namely the Verhulst model and the Montroll model, in the context of modeling tumor cell growth dynamics. Leveraging the power of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), we aim to assess and compare the predictive capabilities of these models against experimental data obtained from the growth patterns of tumor cells. We employ a dataset comprising detailed measurements of tumor cell growth to train and evaluate the Verhulst and Montroll models. By integrating PINNs, we not only account for experimental noise but also embed physical insights into the learning process, enabling the models to capture the underlying mechanisms governing tumor cell growth. Our findings reveal the strengths and limitations of each growth model in accurately representing tumor cell proliferation dynamics. Furthermore, the study sheds light on the impact of incorporating physics-informed constraints on the model predictions. The insights gained from this comparative analysis contribute to advancing our understanding of growth models and their applications in predicting complex biological phenomena, particularly in the realm of tumor cell proliferation.

The present work focuses on fresh water signatures at the sediment-water interface (1 cm) using foraminiferal species in both austral winter and summer in eleven longitudinal transects on the Western South Atlantic continental margin between 27° and 37° S, at water depths of 11.7 to 250 m. Here we show that depth, salinity, temperature, oxygen, grain size (mud and sand percentage), suspended matter, organic matter, SiO₄, NO₂, and NO₃ in this order of importance are responsible for the distribution of foraminiferal species and thecamoebians. The presence of these microfossils indicate freshwater influx in four sectors over the continental shelf: Itajaí-Açu River, Laguna estuarine system, Patos Lagoon and RdlP (Rio de la Plata) will be explored further in detail. Our findings on freshwater signature on the continental shelf sediments through benthic species indicator are comparable to other continental systems worldwide, and a paleo record study would be useful for three South American countries (Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay). A freshwater signature in the continental shelf indicates deposition sites probably linked to anthropogenic impact since most of the pollutants and contaminants are dumped into water bodies that eventually reach and accumulate in the ocean. Therefore, the freshwater-related species on the continental shelf reflects exactly where the depositional sediment sites are, and where anthropogenic impacts accumulate. Foraminiferal microhabitat occupation within these zones is discussed in detail. And we conclude that together with the fauna, the abiotic parameters play an important role in determining the occurrence and degree of marine eutrophication induced by the input of polluted river waters, also showing possible anoxic environments on the shelf.

Usually, in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) datasets the user defines the limits between the useful signal and the noise through standard filtering to isolate the effective signal as much as possible. However, there are true reflections that mask the coherent reflectors that can be considered noise. In archaeological sites these clutter reflections are caused by scattering with origin in subsurface elements (e.g., isolated masonry, ceramic objects and archaeological collapses). Its elimination is difficult because the wavelet parameters similar to coherent reflections and there is a risk of creating artifacts. In this study a procedure to filtering the clutter reflection noise (CRN) from GPR datasets is presented. The CRN filter is a singular value decomposition-based method (SVD), applied in the 2D spectral domain. This CRN filtering was tested in a dataset obtained from a controlled laboratory environment, to establish a mathematical control of this algorithm. Also, it has been applied in a 3D-GPR dataset acquired in the Roman villa of Horta da Torre (Fronteira, Portugal), which is an uncontrolled environment. The results show an increase in the quality of archaeological-GPR planimetry that were verified via archaeological excavation.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the drying kinetics of the mass of jambu leaves and mass of jambu leaves in foam mat at different temperatures (50, 60 and 70 °C and thickness of 1.0 cm). The physicochemical characterization of the materials was performed before and after drying. Twelve different drying models were fitted to the drying kinetics data and the thermodynamic properties were calculated. The physicochemical parameters for the mass of leaves and foam after drying were moisture content from 2 to 7%, ash from 13 to 17%, protein content from 22 to 30%, lipids from 0.6 to 4% and total titratable acidity from 0.20 to 0.28% of tartaric acid. Wang & Singh and Midilli models were recommended for describing the drying kinetics. The use of foam mat promoted higher values of effective diffusion coefficient and activation energy and lower values of enthalpy and entropy, thus enhancing the reduction of drying time.

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

Several studies have already demonstrated the relationship between the loss of natural habitats and the incidence of diseases caused by vectors, such as dengue, which is an acute fever disease, considered a serious public health problem. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between land use changes between 2009 and 2019 and the occurrence of dengue fever in 2015 and 2019 by municipality, using the state of Minas Gerais as a case study. For this, secondary data obtained from openly available sources were used. Natural vegetation cover data were obtained from the MAPBiomas platform and dengue occurrence data from the Ministry of Health, in addition to socioeconomic indicators from the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics. Between 2015 and 2019, 1,255,731 cases of dengue were recorded throughout the state of Minas Gerais, ranging from 0 to 227 per thousand inhabitants between municipalities. The occurrence of dengue was distributed throughout all regions of Minas Gerais, affected by climatic and socioeconomic aspects. In general, municipalities with net loss of natural vegetation, predominantly located in the Cerrado biome, had the highest number of dengue cases in the studied period. Despite the significant positive relationship between these two variables, three of the eight socioeconomic parameters analyzed also affected the occurrence of dengue: population density, human development index (both positively) and Gini inequality index (negatively). These results indicate that, contrary to expectations, municipalities with better social conditions had more dengue cases. Our study indicates that natural vegetation is, directly or indirectly, involved in the ecosystem service of dengue control, despite the occurrence of this disease being affected by multiple factors that interact in a complex way. Thus, policies towards reducing deforestation must be complemented by a continuous investment in public health policies and reduction of social inequalities to efficiently control dengue fever.

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.

Medicinal plants for bone grafts are promising because they are free from infecting microorganisms and biocompatible. We report a novel study evaluating osteoregeneration of bone grafts from extracts of Alternanthera brasiliana and Fridericia platyphylla after bone injury induced by radius fracture in rats. Grafts were obtained using 2% chitosan gel and 0.5% hydroalcoholic extract. The rats were randomly divided into four experimental groups (N= 12): Negative control (NC) - Chitosan gel; Positive control (PC) - bovine mineral bone graft (Lumina Bone®, fine powder 0.5); F. platyphylla Graft (FRID) - 0.5% bone graft; A. brasiliana Graft (ABRA) - 0.5% bone graft. The animals were evaluated for three periods, 30, 60, and 90 days after fracture induction. Bone alkaline phosphatase (BSAP) and radiographic and histological evaluations were followed. After 90 days, there was an increase in BSAP for the ABRA group on the newly formed bone matrix but not for FRID, indicating the presence of active osteoblasts. Additionally, mature bone tissue and bone remodeling were observed, and a conspicuous presence of type I collagen for both FRID and ABRA. We demonstrated that FRID and ABRA grafts produced early bone neoformation. New perspectives for these species as a graft are suggested.

In municipal waterworks large amounts of waste in the form of sludge have to be discarded. This investigation focuses on the processing of ceramic floor tiles incorporated with a municipal waterworks sludge. Four floor tile formulations containing up to 10 wt. % of the municipal waterworks sludge in replacement of kaolin were prepared. The floor tile processing route consisted of dry powder granulation, uniaxial pressing, and firing between 1190 and 1250 °C using a fast-firing cycle (<60 min). The densification behavior and technological properties of the floor tile pieces as function of the sludge addition and firing temperature were determined. The development of the microstructure was followed by XRD and SEM/EDS. The results show that the replacement of kaolin with municipal waterworks sludge, in the range up to 10 wt. %, allows the production of ceramic floor tiles (group BIb and group BIIa, ISO 13006 Standard) at lower firing temperatures. These results suggest a new possibility for valorization of municipal waterworks sludge with many economical and environmental benefits.

Objectives: The impact of COVID-19 in metropolitan areas has been extensively studied. The geographic spread to smaller cities is of great concern and may follow hierarchical influence of urban centers. With that in mind, we investigated factors that affect vulnerability of inner municipalities in São Paulo State, Brazil, an area with 24 million inhabitants. Methods: Surveillance data for confirmed COVID-19 cases and admissions for severe acute respiratory disease (SARD) up to April 18^th were recorded for each of 604 municipalities that lay outside São Paulo metropolitan area. Vulnerability was assessed in Multivariable models, including sociodemographic indexes, road distance to the State Capital and the municipalities classification proposed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Municipalities of great regional relevance were used as reference category for that classification. The outcome of interest for Cox regression was having COVID-cases, with time counting from the first report in São Paulo State. For binomial negative regression models, the outcomes of interest were rates of confirmed COVID-19 cases and admissions for SARD.Results: A total of 198 (32.8%) municipalities had autochthonous COVID-19 cases. In Cox models, affected municipalities were likely to have greater population density (Hazard Ratio[HR] for each 100 inhabitants per square kilometer, 1.07; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], (1.05-1.10)), proportion of inhabitants in urban area (HR, 1.02; 95%CI, 1.00-1.04), higher human development index (HDI, HR for 1%, 1.06; 95%CI, 1.00-1.13) and Gini Index for Inequality of income (HR for 1%, 1.04, 95% CI, 1.00-1.07). On the other hand, distance from the Capital was protective (HR for each 100Km, 0.82; 95%CI, 0.74-0.90). The HR95%[95%CI] also varied negatively according to the categories of influence of major centers (0.41 [0.22-0.77], 0.16 [0.09-0.32], 0.07 [0.03-0.15]). The binomial negative regression models for COVID-19 incidence also detected positive association with population density (Incidence Rate Ratio[IRR], 1.13; 95%CI, 1.07-1.18) and proportion of urban population (IRR, 1.04; 95%CI, 1.01-1.05), protection for cities distant to the Capital (IRR=0.73; 95%CI, 0.68-0.81) and increasing negative association for categories of influence (0.19 [0.09-0.42], 0.07 [0.03-0.15] and 0.03 [0.02-0.08]). Similar findings were detected when we used SARD incidence as outcome.Conclusion: Municipalities with greater population, density and regional influence were more likely to be affected earlier and more intensely by COVID-19. Non-pharmacological measures should be strengthened in those areas of greater risk.

In recent decades, the requirements for implantable medical devices increased, but the risks of implant rejection still exist. These issues are primarily associated with poor osseointegration, leading to biofilm formation on the implant surface. This study focuses on addressing these issues by developing a biomaterial for implant coatings. 45S5 Bioglass has been widely used in tissue engineering due to its ability to form a hydroxyapatite layer, ensuring a strong bond between the hard tissue and the bioglass. In this context, 45S5 bioglasses, modified by the incorporation of different amounts of copper oxide, from 0 to 8 mol%, were synthesized by the melt-quenching technique. The incorporation of Cu ions does not show a significant change in the glass structure. Since the bioglass exhibited the capacity of being polarized, and therefore promoting the osseointegration effectiveness, the electrical properties of the prepared samples were studied using the impedance spectroscopy method, in the frequency range of 102-106 Hz and temperature range of 200-400 K. The effects of CuO on charge transport mobility were investigated. Additionally, the bioactivity of the modified bioglasses was evaluated through immersion tests in simulated body fluid. The results revealed the initiation of a Ca-P-rich layer formation on the surface within 24 h, indicating the potential of the bioglasses to enhance the bone regeneration process.

Composite biomaterials that combine osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties are a promising approach for bone tissue engineering (BTE) since it allows osteogenesis stimulation while mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM) morphology. In this context, the aim of the present research work was to produce polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers containing mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) 80S15 nanoparticles. These composite materials were produced by electrospinning technique. The design of experiments (DOE) was used to estimate the optimal electrospinning parameters to reduce average fiber diameter. The polymeric matrices were thermally crosslinked under different conditions, and the fiber’s morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Evaluation of the mechanical properties of nanofibrous mats revealed a dependence on thermal crosslinking parameters and on the presence of MBG 80S15 particles inside the polymeric fibers. Degradation tests indicated that the presence of MBG led to a faster degradation of nanofibrous mats. On the other hand, MBG presence also leads to higher swelling capacity. The assessment of in vitro bioactivity in simulated body fluid (SBF) was performed in MBG pellets and PVP/MBG (1:1) composites to assess whether the bioactive properties of MBG 80S15 were kept when it was incorporated into PVP nanofibers. FTIR and XRD analysis along with SEM–EDS results indicated that a hydroxy-carbonate apatite (HCA) layer was formed on the surface of MBG pellets and nanofibrous webs after soaking in SBF over different time periods. In general, the materials revealed no cytotoxic effects on Saos-2 cell line. The overall results for the produced materials show the potential of the composites to be used in BTE.

From the merge of arts and crafts towards a practice for mass production of desirability, consumption and product development in a capitalist economy of scale, design has lost its natural ability of problem comprehension and tension alleviation. The modern world needs the creativity, flexibility, and responsiveness embedded into design practices, mostly when a behavioural change, either individual or organizational, is intended. Still, the informality nature of the field is creating a gap between the study, research, and industrial design practice. Here it is presented the Biology of Creativity Model (BoC) which is a design-by-analogy method that promotes an empowered design practice through analysis of mostly biology reference texts for enhanced creativity and innovation performance in a diverse array of contexts.

Deep learning is emerging in many industrial sectors in hand with big data analytics to streamline production. In the biomanufacturing sector, big data infrastructure is lagging comparatively to other industries. A promising approach is to combine Deep Neural Networks (DNN) with prior knowledge in Hybrid Neural Network (HNN) workflows that are less dependent on the quality and quantity of data. This paper reviews published articles over the past 30 years on the topic of HNN applications to bioprocesses. It revealed that HNNs were applied to various bioprocesses, including microbial cultures, animal cells cultures, mixed microbial cultures, and enzyme biocatalysis. HNNs were mainly applied for process analysis, process monitoring, development of software sensors, open- and closed-loop control, batch-to-batch control, model predictive control, intensified design of experiments, quality-by-design, and recently for the development of digital twins. Most previous HNN studies combined shallow Feedforward Neural Networks (FFNNs) with physical laws, such as macroscopic material balance equations, following the semiparametric design principle. Only recently, deep HNNs based on deep FFNNs, Convolution Neural Networks (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks and Physics Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) have been reported. The biopharma sector is currently a major driver but applications to biologics quality attributes, new modalities, and downstream processing are significant research gaps.

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

Evolutionary ecologists seek to understand how phenotypic evolution relates to population level traits. To document that, we quantified functional traits (escape strategy, sprint speed and predatory performance) and population density across 10 lizard species representing the acquisition of burrowing snake-like morphs (BSLM), from Brazil. We used phylogenetic mixed models to test if: a) morph and substrate affects lizards’ flight strategy and speed, b) BSLM species get more access to different potential prey types than lacertoid ones, when in syntopy, and d) morph is correlated with population abundance and habitat use in a way expected from the output of the previous experiments. We found that BSLM rigidly relied on burrowing as flight strategy, while syntopic lacertoid species changed their strategy according to the substrate. Also, sand has opposite effects on sprint speed depending on morph, making lacertoids run slower and BSLM faster. Despite BSLM were overall slower than lacertoids, they were as good hunters of challengingly fast prey, and better hunters of underground prey. Further, in the sandy habitats where these morphs are syntopic, prey is most available at superficial leaf litter under vegetation, although there is a large stock of underground prey, under the vegetation, too. These results support our observed higher importance of sand for BSLM’s populations and the higher importance of vegetation for lacertoids’ population density. Finally, although BSLM species reached the highest populational densities among the studied species, a systematic effect of morphological evolution on abundance remains elusive.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) encompasses a wide variety of decision-making problems that affect business and supply chain performance as a whole. Since most of these problems involve uncertainty and hesitation on the part of Decision Makers (DMs), various studies have emerged recently that present SCM applications of techniques based on Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Term Sets (HFLTSs) and HFLTS extensions. Given the relevance of this subject and the lack of literature review studies, this study presents a systematic review of HFLTS and HFLTS extension applications to SCM decision-making problems. In order to answer a set of research questions, the selected papers have been classified in accordance with a group of factors that are pertinent to the origins of these studies, SCM, HFLTSs, and decision-making. The results demonstrate that the Source and Enable processes have been studied with greater frequency, while the most common problems have to do with supplier selection, failure evaluation, and performance evaluation. The companies of the automotive sector and Sustainable SCM and Green SCM strategies predominate in the analyzed studies. Even though most of the studies use techniques based on HFLTSs, we have identified applications of seven distinct HFLTS extensions, with Double Hierarchy Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Term Sets and Probabilistic Linguistic Term Sets being the most utilized. The identification of gaps in the literature presents avenues for future studies focused on innovative applications, integrations of techniques, comparisons of techniques, group decision-making, and validation procedures for new models. The results of this study offer a panorama of the state of the art in regard to this subject and can help researchers and practitioners develop new studies which involve the use of methods that employ HFLTSs and HFLTS extensions in SCM decision-making problems.

Despite the shift to private sector-driven affordable housing in Nigeria for decades, the housing deficit has continued to increase to the disadvantage of low-income families. This paper explores the enabling strategies for stimulating private-driven affordable housing in Nigeria. A case study of the Millard Fuller Foundation projects was undertaken and semi structured interviews were administered to 12 residents of the estates and the developer to explore their experience and highlight the considerations for designing appropriate strategies. The data generated was analysed using thematic analysis with the support of Nvivo. The study identifies four major components of construction costs- land, design, materials, and finance that policy improvement can target to stimulate private investment. It shows that developers are likely to adopt practices that will reduce these costs with repercussions for end-users. Mindful of this, and the concern to make returns on investment, strategies should aim to harmonise both developers’ interest and that of the end-users through widespread infrastructural development to make land available in all locations, and incremental owner-building approach so that end users can take decisions for their housing. Furthermore, access to the National Housing Fund (NHF) mortgages should be enhanced by recognising supplementary incomes in the loan origination procedures

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

The lung microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that colonize the respiratory tract of individuals from or even before birth. Although the lungs were traditionally believed to be sterile, recent research has shown that there is a diversity of bacterial species in the respiratory system. Knowledge about the lung microbiota in the newborn and its relationship with bacterial infections is of vital importance to understand the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases in neona-tal patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. In this article, the current evidence on the compo-sition of the lung microbiota in the newborn will be reviewed, as well as its role in the develop-ment of bacterial infections in mechanically ventilated neonates. Although advances in many as-pects of the neonatal intensive care unit care have significantly improved the survival of preterm infants, the diagnosis and treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia has not progressed in recent decades. Avoiding dysbiosis caused by inappropriate use of antibiotics around birth, as well as avoiding intubation of patients or promoting early removal of endotracheal tubes are among the most important preventive measures for ventilator-associated pneumonia. The use of probiotics and prebiotics to prevent infectious, allergic or metabolic complications in the short or long term constitutes a very important field of research in perinatal medicine.

INT-FFT algorithm presented in this work uses an interpolation methodology to densify 3D-GPR datasets to sharpen images obtained in GPR surveys obtained in an archaeological context. It allows the reconstruction of missing data from the combined use of mathematical transforms (e.g., the Fourier and Curvelet transform) and predictive filters. This technique makes it possible to calculate the missing signal simply by meeting two requirements: the data in the frequency domain must be limited in a range of values and must be able to be represented by a distribution of Fourier coefficients (verified conditions). The INT-FFT algorithm uses an open-access routine (Suinterp, Seismic Unix) to interpolate the GPR profiles based on seismic trace interpolation. This process uses automatic event identification routines by calculating spatial derivatives to identify discontinuities in space by detecting very subtle changes in the signal, thus allowing for more efficient interpolation without artifacts or signal deterioration. We successfully tested the approach using GPR datasets from the Roman Villa of Horta da Torre (Fronteira, Portugal). The results show an increase in the geometric sharpness of the GPR reflectors and have not produced any numerical artifacts. The tests performed to apply the methodology to GPR-3D data allowed for assessing the interpolation efficiency, the level of recovery of missing data, and the level of information lost when one chooses to increase the distance between profiles in the acquisition stage of the data.

This study examines the potential of combining decision support approaches to identify optimal bundles of ecosystem services. A forested landscape, Zona de Intervenção Florestal of Paiva and Entre-Douro and Sousa (Portugal), is used to test and demonstrate this potential. The landscape extends over 14,000 ha, representing 1,976 stands. The property is fragmented into 376 holdings. The overall analysis was performed in three steps. First, we selected six alternative solutions (A to F) in a Pareto frontier generated by a multiple criteria method within a decision support system (SADfLOR) for subsequent analysis. Next, an aspatial strategic multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) analysis was performed with the Criterium DecisionPlus (CDP) component of another decision support system (EMDS) to assess the aggregate performance of solutions A to F for the entire forested landscape with respect to their utility for delivery of ecosystem services. For the CDP analysis, SADfLOR data inputs were grouped into two sets of primary criteria: Wood Harvested and Other Ecosystem Services. Finally, a spatial logic-based assessment of solutions A to F for individual stands of the study area was performed with the NetWeaver component of EMDS. The NetWeaver model was structurally and computationally equivalent to the CDP model, but the key NetWeaver metric is a measure of the strength of evidence that solutions for specific land stands were optimal for the unit. Solutions D and B performed best in the aspatial strategic MCDA analysis, and a composite of the maps generated by NetWeaver demonstrated the spatial basis for the performance of solutions D and B in individual land stands. We conclude with a discussion of how the combination of decision support approaches encapsulated in the two systems could be further automated.

The difficulty in obtaining commercial fertilizers by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa makes it very important to optimize the use of local organic resources. In VilanKulo, Mozambique, a study was carried out on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) over two growing seasons in a haplic Lixisol, a loamy-sand textured soil, applying both bat guano and biochar prepared by an artisanal process. Bat guano was applied at two rates (5 and 10 t ha−1), one month and just before sowing. Biochar was also used at two rates (5 and 10 t ha−1) applied close to sowing. Mixtures of biochar and guano at two rates (1 and 4 t ha−1, and 2 and 8 t ha−1, respectively) were also used along with a non-fertilized control. Field trials were arranged in a completely randomized design with three replicates. The treatments receiving high rates of guano tended to show significantly higher fruit yields (&gt; 10 t ha−1, being the two-year average) in comparison to the control, which showed the lowest average okra fruit yield (6.21 t ha−1). In guano treatments, the apparent recovery by okra of some important nutrients, such as nitrogen (N), was greater than the amount of nutrient contained in the guano itself. This result, together with many others related to tissue nutrient concentration, soil properties and residual fertilizing value in guano plots, indicates a strong mineralization of guano during the growing season, probably due to its low carbon (C)/N ratio and favourable environmental conditions for the mineralization process, such as high temperature and well-aerated soil. The result also suggests some kind of manuring effect, i.e., a fertilizing effect of guano beyond what can be explained by the nutrient supply. The use of biochar increased total organic C in the soil and cation exchange capacity (CEC) compared to the control, but did not affect variables related to plant performance, such as tissue nutrient concentration or plant growth and yield.

As is known, the construction industry has one of the highest occupational accidents incidence rates among all economic sectors. Currently, Building Information Modeling (BIM) appears as a tool that addresses occupational safety issues throughout the construction life cycle projects, avoiding hazards and risks and, consequently, increasing safety. This work investigates BIM methodology and related technologies application for building safety planning in construction and demonstrates the potential of this technology for the integrated implementation of safety measures during the design phase and the construction site management. The first step consisted of a literature review on the application of BIM in safety in the design and planning phases. Following, to show the potentialities of construction simulation, a case study based on BIM 4D to prevent falls from height was developed. With BIM 4D, it is possible to follow the construction process over time, giving the construction safety technicians’, designers, supervisors and managers the capability to analyse, in each phase, the potential risks and which safety measures should be implemented. BIM can effectively integrate safety measures from the design phase to the construction and use phase and do integrated safety planning within construction planning, leading to reliable safety management throughout the construction process.

Therapeutic proteins are used to successfully treat hemophilia, Crohn’s Disease, diabetes, and cancer. Recent product recalls have occurred because of sub-visible particle formation resulting from the inherent instability of proteins. It has been suggested that particle formation is associated with late stage processing steps of filling, shipping, and delivery. Previous works demonstrated that cavitation might occur in therapeutic vials subjected to agitation or accidentally dropped, but that mitigation can be achieved with fluid property manipulation. The goal of this research was to (1) assess the risk of cavitation under common pharmaceutical manufacturing conditions (i.e., pipe contraction and pumps), (2) establish a simple threshold criterion for when particulate will form, and (3) suggest a series of mitigation techniques based on these thresholds. To accomplish these tasks, computational fluid dynamic simulations for a variety of pipe contraction and fluid properties were performed. The results of this research show that reducing the turbulence in a fluid system will reduce the likelihood of cavitation. Additionally, threshold bounds were created that establish a definitive transition at which cavitation will occur.

Forest community connections are crucial to ensure forest stewardship and sustainability. We explored the potential of mushrooming to enable such connections in contexts where these connections have been historically broken, alienating local people from forests. Taking the case of the recent devolution of a community forest (baldios) in central Portugal to the local population, we present a five-year pilot project to rework mycology from a mushroom-centered approach to a mushroom-in-baldios approach. Mushrooms were used as an entry-point to connect the forest ecology with the challenges of governance and community building. The devised activities provided an opportunity for people inside and outside the local community to adventure into the woods and find out more about their socio-ecological history, develop communal and convivial relationships and engage in the responsible gathering of wild mushrooms. However, the hosting of mushroomers to know, value and engage with the community forest recovery has constantly working against the enclosure of mushrooms to provide marketable forms of leisure. The outcome of these activities depends on the relationships established between mushrooms, mycologists, local administrators, commoners and poachers, all operating within a framework that favors the eradication of resources instead of long-term relationships that sustain places.

3D printing is commonly used to create complex objects at a low cost. It has also been applied in the fabrication of metamaterials and metasurfaces, which alter the propagation path of electromagnetic waves. These structures have diverse applications, including enhancing beam direction, improving antenna gain and signal-to-noise ratio, and creating filters and reflectors. Metasurfaces are cheap to fabricate and their use is expected to boost antenna efficiency in 5G telecommunications and beyond. However, accurately characterizing their profile remains a significant challenge. This paper presents a low-cost fully automated 4-axis instrument for microwave metasurface charac-terization, overcoming limitations of manual methods and offering an efficient and accurate approach. This research represents a significant advancement in microwave metasurface characterization, enabling sophisticated techniques to advance wireless communication technolo-gies, as it is the case of the future 5G and millimeter-wave communication systems. The equipment has an approximate cost of $1550 USD and was able to characterize a metalens with a focal distance of 20 cm designed for signals at 30 GHz. It was possible to create 2D and 3D profiles of the intensity distribution focused by the metalens and extract parameters such as the gain (8.05 dB), 3dB depth of focus (11 cm) and full width at half maximum (2.17 cm). The comparison of the measurements with the diffraction calculations of the metalens showed a very good agreement between the in-tensity distributions and the parameters of the metalens.

As use of composite materials increases, the search for suitable automated processes gains relevance to guarantee production quality by ensuring uniformity of the process, minimizing the amount of generated scrap and reducing time and energy consumption. Limitations on production by traditional means such as hand lay-up, vacuum bagging and in-autoclave methods, tend not to be as efficient when the size and shape complexity of the part being produced increases, motivating the search for alternative processes such as the Automated Tape Laying (ATL). This work aims to describe the process of modelling and simulating a composite ATL with in situ consolidation by characterizing the machine elements, using the finite differences method in conjunction with energy balances, in order to create a digital twin of the process for further control design. The modelling approach implemented is able to follow the process dynamics when changes to the heating element are imposed as well as to predict the composite material temperature response, making it suitable to work as a digital twin of a production process using an ATL machine.

The potential use of nanostructured dipeptide self-assemblies in materials science for energy harvesting devices is a highly sought-after area of research. Specifically, aromatic cyclo-dipeptides containing tryptophan have garnered attention due to their wide-bandgap semiconductor properties, high mechanical rigidity, photoluminescence, and nonlinear optical behavior. In this study, we present the development of a hybrid system comprising biopolymer electrospun fibers incorporated with the chiral cyclo-dipeptide L-Tryptophan-L-Tyrosine. The resulting nanofibers are wide-bandgap semiconductors (bandgap energy 4.0 eV) and consist of self-assembled nanotubes embedded within a polymer matrix, exhibiting intense blue photoluminescence. Moreover, the cyclo-dipeptide L-Tryptophan-L-Tyrosine incorporated into polycaprolactone nanofibers displays a strong effective second harmonic generation signal of 0.36 pm/V and also shows notable piezoelectric properties with a high effective coefficient of 22 pCN−1. These hybrid systems hold great promise for applications in the field of nanoenergy harvesting and nanophotonics.

Cervical cancer is caused by a persistent and high-grade infection, caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which, when entering cervical cells, alters their physiology and generates serious lesions. HPV 18 - is among those most involved in carcinogenesis in this region, but there are still no drug treatments that cause cure or total remission of lesions caused by HPV. Knowing that L-Asparaginase is an amidohydrolase, which plays a significant role in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the treatment of specific cancers, due to its antitumor properties, some studies have demonstrated its cytotoxic effect against cervical cancer cells. However, the commercial version of this enzyme has side effects, such as hypersensitivity, allergic reactions and silent inactivation due to the formation of antibodies. To mitigate these adverse effects, several alternatives have been explored, including the use of L-asparaginase from other microbiological sources, which is the case with the use of the fungus Aspergillus niger, a high producer of L-asparaginase. The study investigated the influence of the type of fermentation, precipitant, purification, characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity of L-asparaginase. The results revealed that semisolid fermentation produced higher enzymatic activity and protein concentration of A. niger. The characterized enzyme showed excellent stability at pH 9.0, temperature of 50ºC, resistance to surfactants and metallic ions, and an increase in enzymatic activity was also noted with the organic solvent ethanol. Furthermore, it exhibited low cytotoxicity in GM and RAW cells, and significant cytotoxicity in HeLa cells. These findings indicate that L-asparaginase derived from Aspergillus niger may be a promising alternative for pharmaceutical production. Its attributes, including stability, activity and low toxicity in healthy cells, suggest that this modified enzyme could overcome challenges associated with antitumor therapy.

Alzheimer's disease still holds many mysteries that are yet to be revealed. Exploring the reasons behind the increase in suicidal behavior in patients undergoing promising treatments for Alzheimer's disease is a scientific endeavor. Research practices must be built upon strong theoretical frameworks that can guide the investigation. Throughout decades of professional experience in caring for suicidal individuals and elderly people with cognitive disorders, we have noticed a connection that requires further exploration. It seems that existential distress may trigger various outcomes. At one end of the spectrum, we observe individuals who strongly resist adverse situations, making them more prone to developing suicidal behaviors. At the other end, we see individuals who exert great biological effort to adapt to the ongoing stresses of life, with Alzheimer's disease being a neurological consequence of this adaptation. To develop our understanding, we conducted an existentialist analysis to conceptualize the underpinnings of the human experience in a stress-filled world.

Emergency is a health condition that poses an imminent risk to life. In this context, operations and triage protocols play an important role in the correct functioning of the Emergency Department, a key component of national health systems. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of a group of patients regarding emergency departments that use the Manchester Triage System, a triage protocol widely adopted in Europe. The research approach used was phenomenography, which allows us to explore in depth the diversity of experiences lived by a group of patients. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed to identify the categories that allows a qualitative description of patient’s experiences. The results are structured in the following categories: “Healthcare professional roles“, “Waiting time to be cared“, “Triage protocol“ and “Emergency department utilization“. These results can be used to improve the way patients experience emergency situations and to contribute to increasing knowledge about the impact of emergency departments and triage protocols on patients.

Work reviews the new isolated isolated cembranoid diterpene derivatives from species belonging to the family Alcyoniidae, which comprises the genera Sarcophyton, Sinularia, and Lobophytum as well as their biological properties, during 2016–2017. The compilation permitted to conclude that much more new cembranoid diterpenes were found in the soft corals of the genus Sarcophyton sp. (33 new compounds) than in those belonging to the genera Lobophytum (17) or Sinularia (8). Several methods have been used for identifying these new compounds, after extraction with organic solvents and fractionation. The fractions obtained, in some cases, were followed by TLC, and again subjected to chromatographic procedures, including semi-preparative HPLC. Beyond the chemical composition, the biological properties were also evaluated, namely anti-microbial against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral against several types of cancer cells. Although the biological activities detected in almost all samples, they were not outstanding ones.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are a set of progressive, chronic, and incurable diseases characterized by the gradual loss of neurons, culminating in the decline of cognitive and/or motor functions. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are the most common NDs and represent an enormous burden both in terms of human suffering and economic cost. The available therapies for AD and PD only provide symptomatic and palliative relief for a limited period and are unable to modify the diseases’ progression. Over the last decades, research efforts have been focused on developing new pharmacological treatments for these NDs. However, to date, no breakthrough treatment has been discovered. Hence, the development of disease-modifying drugs able to halt or reverse the progression of NDs remains an unmet clinical need. This review summarizes the major hallmarks of AD and PD and the drugs available for pharmacological treatment. It also sheds light on potential directions that can be pursued to develop of new, disease-modifying drugs to treat AD and PD, thereby decreasing the social and economic burdens linked to these NDs.

Despite polycarbonate (PC) being a widely used engineering plastic, its notch and crack sensitivity pose challenges in critical applications. To address this, PC was blended with elastomeric polymers to explore the improvement in toughness. This study systematically investigates the toughening mechanisms of PC blended with acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), copolyether ester elas-tomer (COPE), and ABS and styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) copolymer grafted with maleic anhydride (MA). The morphology and mechanical behavior were evaluated under qua-si-static and high-speed tensile tests and Charpy impact tests using optical, electronic, and atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The morphological analysis reveals cavitation and crazing phenomena for COPE and SEBS-g-MA systems, and mostly debonding for ABS, indicating an improvement in toughening. While the addition of ABS improves the PC plastic deformation, modifying ABS with maleic anhydride enhances the elastic modulus. Blending PC with SEBS-g-MA increases the strain at break, and the addition of COPE significantly improves the deformation behavior of PC (by around 115%). This comparative study provides valuable insights into the performance of different PC-elastomer blends under similar conditions, supporting the selection of appropriate materials for given applications.

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.

Urinary infections are very prevalent in pregnant women and are a cause for great concern con-sidering the negative impacts they can have on both, the mother and the baby. The objectives were characterize urinary infections associated with pregnant women, study the most prevalent strains in urinary infections in pregnant women and analyze the antibiogram of the most prevalent strains in infections in pregnant women. A retrospective observational study was carried out on all posi-tive urine cultures from pregnant women between January 2018 and December 2022 at a Hospital Center in the Center of Portugal, totaling 201 samples. Data were collected with computer support, including age, origin, previous antibiotic therapy, catheterization, isolated bacteria and tested an-tibiotic therapy. The majority of pregnant women were in the third trimester of pregnancy and came from the External Consultation. The most identified bacteria was Escherichia coli, followed by Streptococcus agalactiae. Regarding the interaction with antibiotics, Escherichia coli showed total sensitivity to one antibiotic, while Streptococcus agalactiae showed sensitivity to four anti-biotics in 2022. This work contributes to the knowledge of urinary infections in pregnant women in the center of the country, being a contribution to the continued improvement of the care provided

Accurate channel estimation is of utmost importance for massive MIMO systems that allow providing significant improvements in spectral and energy efficiency. In this work, we investigate the spectral efficiency performance and present a channel estimator for multi-cell massive MIMO systems subjected to pilot-contamination. The proposed channel estimator performs well under moderate to aggressive pilot contamination scenarios without prior knowledge of the inter-cell large-scale channel coefficients and noise power. The estimator approximates the performance of a linear Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) as the number of antennas increases. Following, we derive a lower bound closed-form spectral efficiency of the Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) detector in the proposed channel estimator. The simulation results highlight that the proposed estimator performance approaches the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel estimator asymptotically.

This study involved a comprehensive examination of sensory attributes in Bísaro dry-cured loins, including odor, androsterone, scatol, color, fat color, hardness, juiciness, chewiness, flavor intensity, and flavor persistence. Analysis of 40 samples revealed a wide variation in these attributes, ensuring a robust margin for multivariate calibration purposes. The respective near-infrared (NIR) spectra unveil distinct peaks associated with significant components such as protein, lipid, and water. Support Vector Regression (SVR) models were methodically calibrated for all sensory attributes, with optimal results using multiplicative scattering correction pre-treatment, MinMax normalization, and radial base kernel (non-linear SVR model). The predictive models exhibited acceptable results, characterized by R-squared values close to 1 (0.9616 - 0.9955) and low RMSE values (0.0400 – 0.1031). The prediction set's relative standard deviation (RSD) remained under 5%. Comparisons with prior research revealed significant improvements in prediction accuracy, particularly when considering attributes like pig aroma, hardness, fat color, and flavor intensity. This research underscores the potential of advanced analytical techniques to improve the precision of sensory evaluations in food quality assessment.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common congenital infection worldwide, affecting between 0.7% and 1% of all live births. Approximately 11% of infected newborns are symptomatic at birth, and between 30% and 40% of these are at risk of developing long-term neurological sequelae. Until recently, the lack of an effective treatment did not justify universal testing of pregnant women. In recent years, however, valacyclovir at a dose of 8 g/day has been shown to be effective in preventing vertical transmission, and ganciclovir has been shown to be effective in preventing long-term sequelae in the treatment of symptomatic neonates. The aim of this article is to review congenital CMV infection, from its epidemiology to its treatment, using the most recent studies in the literature, and to help in the decision to modify protocols for universal testing of pregnant women according to the possibilities of each locality.

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

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Therefore, there is in-creasing interest in dietary interventions to reduce risk factors associated with these conditions. Cherries and berries are rich sources of bioactive compounds and have attracted attention for their potential cardiovascular benefits. This review summarizes the current research on the effects of cherries and berries consumption on cardiovascular health, including in vivo studies and clinical trials. These red fruits are rich in phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins and flavonoids, which have multiple bioactive properties. These properties include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilatory effects. Studies suggest that regular consumption of these fruits may reducing in-flammation and oxidative stress, leading to lower blood pressure, improved lipid profiles, and enhanced endothelial function. However, interpreting findings and establishing optimal dosages is challenge due to the variability in fruit composition, processing methods, and study design. Despite these limitations, the evidence highlights the potential of cherries and berries as components of preventive strategies against CVD. Further research is needed to maximize their health benefits and improve clinical practice.

At present, failure definition and damage characteristic curve (DCC) analysis included in the framework to assess bitumen fatigue cracking performance have an inconsistency in ranking bitumen fatigue behaviour. This study utilized two types of self-healing polymers (STP and IPA1w) to modify the neat asphalt (NA), and research four different types of bitumens: NA, STP-modified bitumen, IPA1w-modified bitumen, and styrene-butadiene-styrene modified bitumen (SBSB), to evaluate the above-mentioned framework. All bitumens were subjected to short-term and long-term aging and tested utilizing the Linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test and simplified viscoelastic-continuum-damage (S-VECD) model. The results showed that the SBSB exhibited the highest numbers of loading cycles (in long-term aging analysis) to reach failure points at 25°C, 28°C, and 31°C which were 2290, 2340, and 2510, respectively. However, this bitumen failed to exhibit the best performance in terms of DCC assessment under the same conditions, confirming the above-mentioned inconsistency. Besides, the current failure criterion could not accurately predict bitumen fatigue behaviour under certain test conditions because two R2 values were below 0.1. As a result, this study proposed a new failure definition and failure criterion to overcome these issues. The proposed failure definition agreed with the DCC analysis to rank bitumen fatigue performance, and the proposed failure criterion showed R2 values higher than 0.9. The new framework presented the modified bitumen containing 0.5% of STP as the asphalt binder with the best fatigue cracking performance, according to the selected test conditions.

Introdução: Os fatores de risco vasculares são decisivos na evolução da doença aterosclerótica e a ecografia Doppler carotídea e vertebral permite acompanhar o seu aparecimento e evolução. A medida do espessamento da parede arterial permite o diagnóstico precoce da doença potencializando seu tratamento e controle dos fatores de risco vasculares. Objetivo: Analisar a presença de doença ateromatosa em indivíduos com idade > 65 anos e compreender sua transformação com fatores de risco vascular. Materiais e Métodos: Estudo observacional transversal, em indivíduos com idade > 65 anos manifestados ao ecoDoppler carotídeo entre 1º de janeiro de 2012 e 31 de dezembro de 2021. Foi calculado o índice médio-intimal, a presença de placas ateromatosas, sua repercussão hemodinâmica e fatores de risco vascular foram registrados. Resultados: Obteve-se uma amostra de 5885 indivíduos, sendo 41,8% do sexo feminino e 58,2% do sexo masculino. A média de idade foi de 76,59 anos, variando entre 65 e 98 anos (+6,69). A hipertensão arterial foi a mais prevalente 81,3%. Houve relação positiva significativa entre índice médio-intimal, idade e história pessoal de doenças cardiovasculares e cerebrovasculares (p=0,001). Na presença de placas, sexo masculino, hipertensão arterial, diabetes, dislipidemia, tabagismo e história pessoal de doenças cardiovasculares e cerebrovasculares apresentadas de forma positiva. Conclusões: Nesta amostra, fatores de risco vascular não modificáveis ​​parecem ser determinantes na presença de aumento da espessura da parede arterial. Na presença de sinais de um estágio mais avançado da doença aterosclerótica, os fatores de risco vascular modificáveis ​​​​são decisivos,

The increased number of buildings in urban areas limits the creation of vegetated areas, leading to the search for alternatives to create spaces to promote contact with nature. In this context, green roofs have been increasingly studied. These structures have specific microclimatic condi-tions requiring an accurate study of the most appropriate vegetation to use. This study aims to analyze the long-term viability of vegetation installed on an experimental green roof open-air lab. This analysis was done through images obtained from photographic records and later in-serted into the ImageJ program, to identify species and evaluate the area covered by vegetation. Only a few of the species that were planted in the test beds over the years have persisted to the present, while other species have spontaneously appeared. Also, surveys were used to learn about people's preferences for the vegetation on these test beds. These showed that people favor recognizable plants with plenty of vibrantly colored blossoms. It was feasible to choose the best plants for green roofs in the studied conditions as a result of the analysis, taking into account the ground cover percentage by vegetation, its persistence, and the preferences of the respondents.

This paper aims to propose improvements for plastic waste management in Salvador – the Brazilian third most populated metropolis – via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). All indicators, constructs, and hypotheses regarding collection, sorting, recycling, and disposal in the proposed PLS model were derived from the literature review, and the dependence of the performance construct on efficiency, effectiveness, municipality's socioeconomic aspects and municipality infrastructure is evaluated. Academic and practitioner publics were surveyed, and after analysis in both SmartPLS and RStudio software, suggestions for improvement regarding plastics recycling rate, market maturity, and infrastructural aspects for optimized reverse logistics were made. Since almost double the minimum number of respondents answered the survey questionnaire and the PLS-SEM statistics showed that the modeling presents consistency, the discussion is relevant. The model can and will evolve, but examples of suggested improvement are the installation of Deposit-Return Systems (DRS) in parks, streets, and avenues for increasing selective collection and the direct purchasing of waste from residents by municipal administration, compensating them with vouchers for food. The model can be a basis for other cities worldwide sharing analogous characteristics. By considering it, organizations can contribute to both reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and reduced terrestrial pollution.

Evaluating mutation testing behavior can help decide whether refactoring successfully maintains the expected initial test results. Moreover, manually performing this analytical work is both time-consuming and prone to errors. This paper extends an approach to assess test code behavior and proposes a tool called MeteoR. This tool comprises an IDE plugin to detect issues that may arise during test code refactoring, reducing the effort required to perform evaluations. A preliminary assessment was conducted to validate the tool and ensure the proposed test code refactoring approach is adequate. By analyzing not only the mutation score but also the generated mutants in the pre- and post-refactoring process, results show that the approach is capable of checking whether the behavior of the mutants remains unchanged throughout the refactoring process. This proposal represents one more step toward the practice of test code refactoring. It can improve overall software quality, allowing developers and testers to safely refactor the test code in a scalable and automated way.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition with high hospital mortality. Elevated mortality has also been observed in patients after hospital discharge due to post-sepsis syndrome (PSS). The etiology of PSS is still not entirely known, but it involves inflammation. Plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) are recognized as a unique mechanism of intercellular communication in inflammatory processes. It has been reported that EV microRNA (miRNA) production during the acute sepsis phase may persist until after disease resolution and is associated with PSS. We employed mass spectrometry and qPCR analysis to determine the protein and miRNA composition of plasma-derived EVs of 36 patients during sepsis-related hospitalization, immediately after ICU discharge (post-sepsis), and three, six, twelve, and up to 36 months post-sepsis. We determined that patients’ immune system cells were the primary EV source. Fifteen differentially expressed EV miRNAs (DEmiRs) were identified in samples from septic patients compared to the control group. Predictive analyses revealed that these DEmiRs could influence inflammation by modulating pathways mediated by NF-κB, STAT3, and TLR4 signaling activation. Thirteen miRNAs (-15b-5p,-16-5p,-20a-5p,-25-3p,-27a-3p,-29a-3p,-30d-5p,-93-5p,-146a-5p,-148a-3p,-191-5p,-195-5p,-223-3p) were downregulated in the death group compared to the survivor group, making them candidate prognostic markers of ICU survival. One year after ICU discharge, the expression of miR-21-5p and miR-195-5p were decreased in the survivor group. The miRNAs identified in the present study represent potential biomarkers for the survival prognosis of post-sepsis patients.

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

Multicore magnetic nanoparticles of manganese ferrite were prepared using carboxymethyl-dextran and melamine as agglutinating agents. The nanoparticles prepared using melamine exhibit a flower-shape structure, a saturation magnetization of 6.16 emu/g and good capabilities for magnetic hyperthermia. Magnetoliposome-like structures containing the multicore nanoparticles exhibit sizes in the range 250 – 400 nm. A new antitumor thienopyridine derivative was loaded in these nanocarriers with a high encapsulation efficiency of 98% ± 2.6%. Release profiles in absence and presence of an AMF indicate a transport by diffusion, with a maximum compound release of 31% under the AMF. A sustained and controlled drug release in anticipated from the results, pointing to suitable characteristics of the magnetoliposomes for dual cancer therapy (combined magnetic hyperthermia and chemotherapy).

Global pose refinement is a significant challenge within Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) frameworks. For LIDAR-based SLAM systems, pose refinement is integral to correcting drift caused by the successive registration of 3D point clouds collected by the sensor. A divergence between the actual and calculated platform path characterizes this error. In response to this challenge, we propose a linear, parameter-free model, which uses a closed circuit for global trajectory corrections. Our model maps rotations to quaternions and uses Spherical Linear Interpolation (SLERP) for transitions between them. The intervals are established from the constraint set by the Least Squares (LS) method on rotation closure and are proportional to the circuit's size. Translations are globally adjusted in a distinct linear phase. Additionally, we suggest a coarse-to-fine pairwise registration method, integrating Fast Global Registration and Generalized ICP with multiscale sampling and filtering. The proposed approach is tested on three varied datasets of point clouds, including Mobile Laser Scanners and Terrestrial Laser Scanners. These diverse datasets affirm the model's effectiveness in 3D pose estimation with substantial pose differences and efficient pose optimization in larger circuits.

Pheidole oxyops Forel, 1908 is a generalist ant, which forages actively for plant debris to dead arthropods. In addition, its nest has an entrance that allows the ants gather resources passively by capturing falling preys into the nest. Our objective was to verify if different day periods, temperature and residual soil accumulation (ground pile in the side of nest entrance) could influence the patterns of foraging activity. Foraging activities were registered in the morning, afternoon and twilight. We measured direction and vector of trails, air temperature and humidity during foraging events. Our results showed that foraging routes are independent of residual soil accumulation and other nearby nests. However, air temperature and the time daily period are significant factors to foragers’ exits. Higher air temperatures influenced negatively the exits. In the period of the afternoon, the ants do not show any preference for routes, different from the morning and twilight. In addition, foraging activities were significantly more frequent during twilight period. Leaving the nest at twilight could allow ants foraging in an environment with less exposition to potential predators and competitors. Moreover, it may be also related to opportunism to hunt other nocturnal insects.

Contrary to what has been happening in most countries in the world, suicide mortality in Brazil has been increasing since 2016. To identify the epidemiological profile that may be associated with this increase in suicidal behavior in the population, we looked for a city with low rates of suicide mortality until 2016 and in which had a detectable growing epidemic wave in recent years to better elucidate the issue. This study aims to identify factors associated with suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, suicide attempts, and suicide.A validated questionnaire was used - Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index (KMO) = .86 (acceptable greater than .7) and intraclass correlated coefficient (ICC) = .98 (acceptable greater than .9). Data collected was obtained by sampling for the convenience of the online questionnaire with a minimum sample of 400 respondents. The general population of Marília’s city, a medium-sized city in São Paulo state of Brazil, voluntarily responded to the questionnaire. Prevalence data was described in ratios and incidence was described in tables. The association was measured by factor analysis. The state government's data information platform (DataSUS) was consulted to verify the incidence of suicides from 2016 to 2023. The prevalence ratio of suicide attempts in people with mental disorders was 8.09%. There was a 600% increase in the incidence of suicide from 2016 to 2023 among young adults. Interpersonal problems were highly prevalent in people with suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts. Heroism appears to be a suicidal equivalent and may be associated with most young deaths. Heroic behavior demonstrated a prevalence of 66.1% for committing tragic suicide. We get c² of 31.4 for 18 degrees of freedom (p=0.026) of 10 representative variables in factor analysis with eight of the 10 variables demonstrating an association for one component. The young population has demonstrated epidemically growing suicide rates. Social segregation can affect young people's social lives and increase suicidal behavior.