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Understanding the intricate pathways of protein secretion in bacteria is crucial for advancing research on bacterial diseases and their potential treatments, particularly in the case of non-classical protein secretion pathways. These pathways pose unique challenges due to the complex signaling mechanisms involved. To address this, we employed advanced machine learning techniques and gathered physical–chemical characteristics of amino acids from the AA index site. Through a meticulous six-step methodology, we curated a comprehensive dataset by filtering raw genome data and juxtaposing it with a positive dataset comprising 141 proteins from authoritative literature sources. Leveraging a conventional Random Forest machine learning algorithm, we achieved an impressive accuracy rate of approximately 91% in classifying non-classical secreted proteins. This validation was conducted on a dataset of 14 positive and 92 negative proteins, resulting in a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 86%. Notably, our study distinguishes itself by its rapid execution of non-classical secretion pathway analyses, rendering it particularly suitable for large datasets. This speed does not compromise accuracy, allowing for comprehensive Omics analyses. Consequently, our research underscores the significance of carefully selecting appropriate descriptors and constructing a robust training dataset to enhance Omics analyses of bacterial protein secretion via non-classical pathways. For further details, please refer to the complete study available at https://github.com/santosardr/non-CSPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is characterized by specific changes in the composition of the gut microbiota (GM). Exercise can contribute to the modulation of GM. This is the first case study to analyze the composition and metabolism of the GM of an obese runner in a single‐stage mountain ultramarathon (MUM) with a mileage of 217 km. Fecal samples were collected 7 days before the race (T0), 15 min after the end of the race (T1), and 7 days after the end of the race (T2). GM composition was analyzed by real‐time PCR and shotgun sequencing. We observed a decrease in Bacillota/Bacteroidota ratio and α‐diversity after the race. After the 217‐km MUM, we observed a decrease in symbiont microorganisms and a notable increase in harmful bacteria. In conclusion, we found that the 217‐km MUM may have contributed to the intestinal dysbiosis of the obese runner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Claims with high severity and low probability constitute a high risk for the insurance market. One tool to deal with this kind of event is the Extreme Value Theory (EVT). The main goal of this article is to apply the EVT to Actuarial Science using a different estimator for parameters, allowing the calculation of pure reinsurance premiums and the choice for the retention limit for insurance companies. The execution was split into two parts: (i) comparing the estimators through simulations, and; (ii) using data from 5 SUSEP lines of business with different natures, intending to estimate some extreme value statistics. In simulation studies, the Pickands estimator was very promising, but the limited amount of data resulted in a great variance when applied to real cases. Lastly, we concluded that the EVT is a powerful tool for insurance, capturing the behavior of extreme clams amount better than traditional models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transmission line is one of the most crucial electric power system components, demanding special attention since they are subject to failures that can cause disruptions in energy supply. In this scenario, the fault location emerges as a fundamental task, providing an approximate position where the failure occurred in the line. This paper presents a method for fault location using a novel dynamic regressor selection (DRS) framework, in which we introduce embedded normalization, incorporating the data scaling process inside the framework. The DRS aims to select the most accurate models from a pool of regressors to predict the fault distance. Moreover, since there is a lack of a public dataset, this paper presents and makes a new fault dataset available to the scientific community with several features extracted from current and voltage signals of representative failure events. In our experiments, we demonstrate the importance of this embedded normalization as well as the significance in the variation of critical hyperparameters of the DRS strategy, such as the distance metric used to define the region of competence and the criterion to select the best regressors from the pool of predictors. This work also presents the definition of the oracle concept in DRS, which represents the ideal predictor selection scheme. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method with a mean error of 0.7086 km ± 0.0068 km, representing 0.1712% ± 0.0016% of the transmission line extension (414 km). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance of two strawberry genotypes submitted to different cultivation technologies in an organic production system. The genotypes tested were CREA FRF LAM 269.19 (short-day) and CREA FRF 114.01(day-neutral). The plants were grown in soil, troughs, slabs and pots. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial arrangement. The parameters evaluated were: dates of bloom onset, fructification and harvesting; several plant features; several fruit features; and yield components - total production; number of fruits, commercial production; production of small fruits and; total productivity. The dayneutral genotype allowed earlier onset of harvesting and greater vegetative development. Trough and bed cultivation provided higher fruit yield and quality in both genotypes. In beds, the fruits presented higher soluble solids content in both genotypes. In sum, the dayneutral genotype associated with the cultivation in beds provided the best agronomic performance in an organic cultivation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops an interpretation about the systematic role of the logical movement in Hegel's later philosophy, as well as offers a historical-genetic hypothesis for understanding the development of the unification of logic and metaphysics first applied, in a consolidated way, in the Phenomenology of Spirit. More specifically, we draw from the differentiation between Logic (die Logik) and the logical (das logische) the resource for explaining Hegel's metacategorial notion of his method of autonomous negation, extended both to logic, philosophy of nature and philosophy of spirit as diverse disciplines. Henceforth, we show how the metacategorial understanding of negation has its emergence from the systematic adjustments that Hegel makes while still in Jena and how the successful application of this method operated as a point of resolution of his philosophical impasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity, lifestyle interventions, particularly in nutritional education programs, should be prioritized among university students. Monitoring sedentary behavior is an important step toward preventing and controlling obesity. Therefore, we assessed the reliability and validity of an online questionnaire on sedentary behavior among university students from low-income regions. Methods: this cross-sectional methodological feasibility study evaluated the psychometric properties of the South American Youth/Child Cardiovascular and Environmental (SAYCARE) questionnaire. We administered this questionnaire in an online format to 195 and 117 university students (aged between 17 and 53 years) to assess its validity and reliability, respectively. The questionnaire measures the daily time spent watching TV, playing electronic games, using a computer, studying and passive commuting on weekdays and weekends. The questionnaire involved two stages (Q1 and Q2) separated by an interval of 2 weeks. Reliability was assessed using Spearman's correlation analysis. The structural validity of the construct was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis. Results: all variables showed acceptable reliability (Spearman's rho > 0.30 and p < 0.05). Regarding construct structural validity, the exploratory factor analysis identified 4 factors (variance explained: 71.4 %) and did not exclude any items. Conclusion: the online SAYCARE questionnaire exhibited acceptable reliability and structural validity for assessing sedentary behavior among university students from low-income regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between land use and cover and a basin hydrological regime are complex and dynamics. The identification of trends and changes in rainfall and flow regimes in a region is relevant in water resources planning and management so that environmental, economic and social adversities are avoided. Thus, this study aims to identify possible trends in the historical series of rainfall and fluviometric stations in Rio das Mortes basin, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as to relate the modifications in the flow rate behaviour due to changes in land use and cover in the basin between the years of 1985 and 2017. For that, hydrological data were used from the Ibituruna-MG river station and 12 rainfall stations and orbital images from Landsat-5 and Sentinel satellites. Flow rate and precipitation behavior were performed using the nonparametric Mann-Kendall test and the Pettitt's test, while the land use and cover classification was performed in an eCognition Developer® 64 environment. Significant trends were observed in the average of total annual rainfall series and decreasing trends in the average of monthly flow rate series of lowest runoff over the years 1925 to 2014. There were changes in land use and cover in the studied region, however, these were not significant enough to modify the hydrological regime of Rio das Mortes basin during the analysed period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the implications of µ-opioid receptor expression in the brainstem for respiratory control. The rise in opioid use has led to a significant increase in fatal opioid overdoses, which has become a public health crisis. Opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) is a global issue that requires coordinated efforts in public health policy, medical education, and patient safety initiatives. The article explores the expression of µ-opioid receptors in specific brainstem areas involved in respiratory control and related behaviors. Understanding the neural control of breathing and the impact of opioids at various levels is crucial for developing interventions and improving patient outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a study which investigated the changes that occurred in the gut microbiota (GM) of a Brazilian elite athlete in the Brazil 135 Ultramarathon-2021 edition, who finished the 217 kilometer (km) single-stage mountain ultramarathon running (MUM) in seventh place. Topics include his usual diet, bacterial general and bacterial species identified in the stool samples, and relative abundance in different taxonomic levels by shotgun genomic analysis.

• Provides an adaptative feature extraction method for small texture datasets based on a large-margin discriminant. • Faster training than a conventional convolutional network due to fewer parameters and fewer training instances. • Performs well on multiclass datasets. • It is not hindered by imbalanced scenarios. This paper presents a novel approach combining convolutional layers (CLs) and large-margin metric learning for training supervised models on small datasets for texture classification. The core of such an approach is a loss function that computes the distances between instances of interest and support vectors. The objective is to update the weights of CLs iteratively to learn a representation with a large margin between classes. Each iteration results in a large-margin discriminant model represented by support vectors based on such a representation. The advantage of the proposed approach w.r.t. convolutional neural networks (CNNs) is two-fold. First, it allows representation learning with a small amount of data due to the reduced number of parameters compared to an equivalent CNN. Second, it has a low training cost since the backpropagation considers only support vectors. The experimental results on texture and histopathologic image datasets show that the proposed approach achieves competitive accuracy with lower computational cost and faster convergence compared to equivalent CNNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus HD100 on experimental periodontitis (EP) in rats. Methods: Thirty‐two rats were divided into four groups: control, C‐HD100 (B. bacteriovorus), EP, and EP‐HD100. On day 0, EP was induced by the placement of cotton ligatures around the mandibular first molars (MFMs) in the EP and EP‐HD100 groups. In the C‐HD100 and EP‐HD100 groups, suspensions containing 1 × 109 PUF/ml of B. bacteriovorus HD100 were topically administered to the subgingival region of MFMs on days 0, 3, and 7. Animals were euthanized on day 14. Morphometrics analyses were performed in hemimandibles. The levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin (IL)‐6, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)‐1, IL‐10, IL‐1β, transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β), macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF) and regulated on activation and normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) were determined by enzymatic immunoassays in gingival tissues. Beta defensin (BD)‐1, BD‐2, and BD‐3, Toll‐like receptors (TLR)‐2 and TLR‐4, and a cluster of differentiation (CD)‐4, CD‐8 and CD‐57 were analyzed by immunohistochemistry in hemimandibles. Data were statistically analyzed. Results: The EP group showed greater alveolar bone loss than EP‐HD100 (p <.05). The EP‐HD100 group showed higher levels of MCP‐1, RANTES, IL‐10, and TGF‐β, lower levels of TNF‐α than the EP group (p <.05). No differences were observed in IL‐1β, IL‐6, and M‐CSF levels between EP and EP‐HD100 groups. The C‐HD100 group had higher IL‐6, TNF‐α, RANTES, and MCP‐1 levels than the control group (p <.05). Regarding BD, the EP‐HD100 group showed a larger immunolabeling pattern for BD‐1, BD‐2, and BD‐3 than the EP group (p <.05). No significant differences in the immunolabeling pattern were observed for TLR‐2, TLR‐4, CD‐4, CD‐8, and CD‐57 between EP and EP‐HD100 groups. Conclusion: The topical use of B. bacteriovorus HD100 reduces alveolar bone loss, increases expression of BD, and modulates the cytokines levels on periodontal tissues in rats with EP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • In the PPTg, most cholinergic neurons are also glutamatergic. • There is no PPTg neuron degeneration in this experimental PD model. • The neurons of PPTg may contribute to ventilatory modulation during hypercapnia. • Hypoxia does not activate PPTg neurons. • PPTg region receives direct projections from SNpc but does not input the RTN or preBotC. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a motor disorder resulting from degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), with classical and non-classical symptoms such as respiratory instability. An important region for breathing control, the Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus (PPTg), is composed of cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic neurons. We hypothesize that degenerated PPTg neurons in a PD model contribute to the blunted respiratory activity. Adult mice (40 males and 29 females) that express the fluorescent green protein in cholinergic, glutamatergic or GABAergic cells were used (Chat-cre Ai6, Vglut 2 -cre Ai6 and Vgat-cre Ai6) and received bilateral intrastriatal injections of vehicle or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Ten days later, the animals were exposed to hypercapnia or hypoxia to activate PPTg neurons. Vglut 2 -cre Ai6 animals also received retrograde tracer injections (cholera toxin b) into the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) or preBötzinger Complex (preBötC) and anterograde tracer injections (AAV-mCherry) into the SNpc. In 6-OHDA-injected mice, there is a 77% reduction in the number of dopaminergic neurons in SNpc without changing the number of neurons in the PPTg. Hypercapnia activated fewer Vglut 2 neurons in PD, and hypoxia did not activate PPTg neurons. PPTg neurons do not input RTN or preBötC regions but receive projections from SNpc. Although our results did not show a reduction in the number of glutamatergic neurons in PPTg, we observed a reduction in the number of neurons activated by hypercapnia in the PD animal model, suggesting that PPTg may participate in the hypercapnia ventilatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world scenario regarding consumption and demand for products based on fossil fuels has demonstrated the imperative need to develop new technologies capable of using renewable resources. In this context, the use of biomass to obtain chemical intermediates and fuels has emerged as an important area of research in recent years, since it is a renewable source of carbon in great abundance. It has the benefit of not contributing to the additional emission of greenhouse gases since the CO2 released during the energy conversion process is consumed by it through photosynthesis. In the presented review, the authors provide an update of the literature in the field of biomass transformation with the use of niobium-containing catalysts, emphasizing the versatility of niobium compounds for the conversion of different types of biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysosomes are highly dynamic organelles involved in the breakdown and recycling of macromolecules, cell cycle, cell differentiation, and cell death, among many other functions in eukaryotic cells. Recently, lysosomes have been identified as cellular hubs for the modulation of intracellular signaling pathways, such as the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Here we analyzed morphological and functional characteristics of lysosomes in muscle and non-muscle cells during chick myogenesis, as well as their modulation by the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Our results show that (i) muscle and non-muscle cells show differences in lysosomal size and its distribution, (ii) lysosomes are found in spherical structures in myoblasts and fibroblasts and tubular structures in myotubes, (iii) lysosomes are found close to the plasma membrane in fibroblasts and close to the nucleus in myoblasts and myotubes, (iv) lysosomal distribution and size are dependent on the integrity of microtubules and microfilaments in myogenic cells, (v) alterations in lysosomal function, in the expression of LAMP2, and in Wnt/beta-catenin pathway affect the distribution and size of lysosomes in myogenic cells, (vi) the effects of the knockdown of LAMP2 on myogenesis can be rescued by the activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, and (vii) the chloroquine Lys05 is a potent inhibitor of both the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and lysosomal function. Our data highlight the involvement of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in the regulation of the positioning, size, and function of lysosomes during chick myogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The contour method (CM) allows characterizing the distribution of the normal component of the residual stresses that acts in the entire cross-section of mechanical parts. The technique starts with the well-controlled cutting of the part to be measured, usually carried out by wire electric discharge machining (WEDM). The geometric shape of the cross-section is carefully measured and used to determine the displacements resulting from the elastic relaxation of the residual stresses arising from the cut. Finally, this data is used to indirectly determine the residual stresses acting on the part before cutting. This method has been successfully applied to relatively large parts, where shape deviations can be properly measured with tactile coordinate measuring machines. When parts with small cross-sections are involved, the shape deviations on the cut surfaces are too small to be properly measured by tactile methods. Objective: The objective is to provide a way to apply the contour method in cross-sections of small size parts using an alternative optical method. Method: In this paper the authors use a tailor-made scanning white-light interferometer (SWLI) to measure the contours of the cut surfaces. On the one hand, interferometric measurement achieves sub-micrometer resolution over a large cloud of points. On the other hand, the measurements are strongly influenced by the natural roughness resulting of the EDM cutting process, which, on this scale, give rise to considerable noise levels. Different data processing strategies are compared to reduce noise effects and extract useful shape deviation information to calculate residual stresses. To evaluate the procedure, a steel part with a cross-section of 6.0 × 19.0 mm2 was measured. In order to make a reliable comparison, the sample was submitted to thermal treatment to reduce residual stresses. After that, a permanent four-point bending load was applied. Two WEDM cuts were made: (a) the first one in the central region of the specimen with bending-induced residual stresses and (b) the second one in a region of the bar where no residual stresses are expected. Results: The obtained residual stress distribution of the central region showed good agreement with values resulting from the analytical prediction. The results from the stress-free region were closer to zero, which is good evidence that the WEDM cutting process was correctly made. All steps of the contour method needed to be done carefully, aiming to reduce the impact of the surface roughness and cutting artifacts in the results. Conclusion: The paper brings some recommendations to use the contour method to measure residual stresses in cross-sections of small parts. Achievements, limitations and challenges are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrequent metadynamics uses biased simulations to estimate the unbiased kinetics of a system, facilitating the calculation of rates and barriers. Here the method is applied to study intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions involving peroxy radicals, a class of reactions that is challenging to model due to the entropic contributions of the formation of ring structures in the transition state. Using the self-consistent charge density-functional based tight-binding (DFTB) method, we applied infrequent metadynamics to the study of four intramolecular H-transfer reactions, demonstrating that the method can qualitatively reproduce these high entropic contributions, as observed in experiments and those predicted by transition state theory modeled by higher levels of theory. We also show that infrequent metadynamics and DFTB are successful in describing the relationship between transition state ring size and kinetic coefficients (e.g., activation energies and the pre-exponential factors). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrequent metadynamics uses biased simulations to estimate the unbiased kinetics of a system, facilitating the calculation of rates and barriers. Here the method is applied to study intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions involving peroxy radicals, a class of reactions that is challenging to model due to the entropic contributions of the formation of ring structures in the transition state. Using the self-consistent charge density-functional based tight-binding (DFTB) method, we applied infrequent metadynamics to the study of four intramolecular H-transfer reactions, demonstrating that the method can qualitatively reproduce these high entropic contributions, as observed in experiments and those predicted by transition state theory modeled by higher levels of theory. We also show that infrequent metadynamics and DFTB are successful in describing the relationship between transition state ring size and kinetic coefficients (e.g., activation energies and the pre-exponential factors). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the shift in Russian domestic and foreign policies with the rise of Yevgeny Primakov to positions in the Russian government and how his pragmatic and multipolar doctrine has remained since then, culminating in the formation of OCX. We point out that the project created from Primakov exhibits a greater inclination towards partnerships in the East in the effort against the unipolarity of the United States in the post-Cold War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients often experience impairment of autonomic and respiratory functions. These include conditions such as orthostatic hypotension and sleep apnea, which are highly correlated with dysfunctional central chemoreception. Blood flow is a fundamental determinant of tissue CO 2 /H+, yet the extent to which blood flow regulation within chemoreceptor regions contributes to respiratory behavior during neurological disease remains unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that 6-hydroxydopamine injection to inducing a known model of PD results in dysfunctional vascular homeostasis, biochemical dysregulation, and glial morphology of the ventral medullary surface (VMS). We show that hypercapnia (FiCO 2 = 10%) induced elevated VMS pial vessel constriction in PD animals through a P2-receptor dependent mechanism. Similarly, we found a greater CO 2 -induced vascular constriction after ARL67156 (an ectonucleotidase inhibitor) in control and PD-induced animals. In addition, we also report that weighted gene correlational network analysis of the proteomic data showed a protein expression module differentially represented between both groups. This module showed that gene ontology enrichment for components of the ATP machinery were reduced in our PD-model compared to control animals. Altogether, our data indicate that dysfunction in purinergic signaling, potentially through altered ATP bioavailability in the VMS region, may compromise the RTN neuroglial vascular unit in a PD animal model. • CO 2 -induced RTN vessel constriction in PD animals through a P2-receptor dependent mechanism. • PD animal model have an abnormal function in the ATP machinery. • Neurovascular-glia interaction and breathing control are compromised in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) involves the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SNpc) and manifests with both classic and non-classic motor symptoms, including respiratory failure. Our study aims to investigate the involvement of the commissural and intermediate nucleus of the solitary tract (cNTS and iNTS) in the attenuated respiratory response to hypoxia in PD. Using a PD rat model induced by bilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the striatum of male Wistar rats, we explored potential alterations in the population of Phox2b neurons or hypoxia-activated neurons in the NTS projecting to the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN). Additionally, we explored neuronal connectivity between SNpc and cNTS. Projections pathways were assessed using unilateral injection of the retrograde tracer Fluorogold (FG) in the cNTS and RTN. Neuronal activation was evaluated by analyzing fos expression in rats exposed to hypoxia. In the PD model, the ventilatory response, measured through whole-body plethysmography, was impaired at both baseline and in response to hypoxia. A reduction in Phox2b-expressing neurons or hypoxia-activated neurons projecting to the RTN was observed. Additionally, we identified an indirect pathway linking the SNpc and cNTS, which passes through the periaqueductal gray (PAG). In conclusion, our findings suggest impairment in the SNpc-PAG-cNTS pathway in the PD model, explaining the loss of Phox2b-expressing neurons or hypoxia-activated neurons in the cNTS and subsequent respiratory impairment during hypoxic stimulation. We propose that the reduced population of Phox2b-expressing neurons in the NTS may include the same neurons activated by hypoxia and projecting to the RTN. [Display omitted] • The dopaminergic neurons of the SNpc do not have a direct connection to the cNTS. • SNpc and cNTS communication may be indirect via PAG neurons and impaired in PD model. • There is impaired ventilatory response to hypoxia in PD model. • Impaired hypoxia response may result from cNTS neuron degeneration. • cNTS neurons impaired in PD model likely express Phox2b and project to the RTN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of housing buildings using refurbished shipping containers constitutes a successful recent building system. As construction modules, disposed and recycled containers are considered to contribute for a sustainable construction system. This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of this construction system, in particular, the architectural project. A methodology based on the typological and modular coordination is proposed as a key tool to help with the development of spatial arrangements by considering the shipping container as a unit/module. The functional occupation typologies were proposed to characterize the main housing activities to be considered in modular coordinated design, allowing to adapt the housing to the family needs according to their social and cultural dynamics. The module constitution and geometry considering two commercial maritime shipping containers are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To diagnose the economic aspects and the productive force of the Administrative Regions of the Federal District, in the light of the characteristics that make up the concept of smart cities. Methodology: Secondary data on the economy were extracted from the Federal District government website referring to information on the planning of government activities, the Pluriannual Plan, and Budget Balance, period 2016-2019. As for the productive force, the information was obtained from the Federal Revenue website, called Cnpj.info, from more than 263 thousand business entities, in 2018. Based on content analysis techniques and spatial analysis, the organizational entities were grouped into five categories of technological intensity, classified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as high, medium-high, medium, medium-low, and low technological intensity. Originality/Relevance: The study is justified considering information on the development characteristics of the regions contributes to the improvement of public policies in the construction of modern cities, in addition to identifying flaws and opportunities, reproducing good examples for the understanding research on this current matter. Results: The mapping made it possible to know the types of companies and their potential, as well as the economic and innovative competences in the Federal District. In 2018, there were 112 business entities classified as having a high level of technology intensity. Micro-enterprises concentrated most companies at all technological levels, totaling 178,289. The Federal District still has an incipient productive force regarding the process of building a smart city. Social contributions / for management: It is intended to contribute to decision-making in the field of public policies aimed at economic and social actions in the Federal District, especially with a view to the field of production and innovation that enable the structuring of a smart city in line with the new global development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PiCo cholinergic neurons are responsible for postinspiratory activity. • PiCo has connections from areas related to breathing and autonomic regulation. • We found small number of hypoxia activated NTS neurons with PiCo projections. • Optogenetic activation of PiCo neurons increase the postinspiratory component of the vagus nerve. The postinspiratory complex (PiCo) is a region located in the ventromedial medulla involved with the post-inspiratory activity. PiCo neurons are excitatory (VGlut 2 +) and express the enzyme choline acetyl transferase (ChAT+). Evidence also suggests that PiCo is coupled to two additional groups of neurons involved in breathing process, i.e. the pre-Bötzinger complex (preBötC, inspiration) and the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN, active expiration), composing all together, the hypothesized triple respiratory oscillator. Here, our main objective is to demonstrate the afferent connections to PiCo region. We mapped projecting-neurons to PiCo by injecting Fluorogold (FG) retrograde tracer into the PiCo of adult Long-Evans Chat-cre male rats. We reported extensive projections from periaqueductal grey matter and Kölliker-Fuse regions and mild projections from the nucleus of the solitary tract, ventrolateral medulla and hypothalamus. We also injected a cre-dependent vector expressing channelrhodopsin 2 (AAV5-ChR2) fused with enhanced mCherry into the PiCo of ChAT-cre rats to optogenetic activate those neurons and investigate the role of PiCo for inspiratory/postinspiratory activity. Both in urethane-anesthetized and unrestrained conscious rats the response of ChR2-transduced neurons to light induced an increase in postinspiratory activity. Our data confirmed that PiCo seems to be dedicated to postinspiratory activity and represent a site of integration for autonomic and motor components of respiratory and non-respiratory pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work has the purpose of presenting the Latin American Integration Route (RILA) as the achievement of diplomatic objectives already traced in the Brazilian imperial era between itself and Paraguay. This paper will show how, in the diplomatic field, the Empire can be qualified as the historical period which designed Brazil, fixing it as a regional power and positioning itself in the way of ensuring policies whose consequences would be beneficial even for its neighbors. The border relations between Brazil and Paraguay will be treated with its peculiarities, besides a description of the region’s hydrography with regards to the River Plate Basin. So, this work will enter in its historical part by analyzing the formation of the Brazilian Empire’s Second Reign, explaining its development and characteristics that interest to this paper, presenting its diplomatic conceptions, showing the problems faced by the tropical monarchy in the Platine Region and the objectives and paths searched to bypass them. In the end, it will be brought to analysis the idea of the RILA and its Latin American integration project, with investments aiming to use the region’s hydrography to export local products, linking it with the geopolitical objective searched since imperial times to guarantee the free access to the Platine rivers. This research utilized qualitative methodology, analyzing books and articles in the area to base the central thesis. The result achieved met the original goal, showing that the RILA comes from the development of a conception of foreign relations created, for Brazil, in the Monarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the current study was to use the CIELab system to evaluate the performance of the whitening treatment involving violet light-emitting diode (LED) combined with a home 10% and 22% carbamide peroxide dental bleaching technique on dental enamel. Methods: Fifty blocks of bovine dental enamel were divided into five groups: control group (control), receiving only LED irradiation; Whitening 10%, receiving 10% carbamide peroxide treatment; Whitening 10%+VL, receiving 10% carbamide peroxide treatment combined with LED irradiation; Whitening 22%, receiving 22% carbamide peroxide treatment; and Whitening 22%+VL, receiving 22% carbamide peroxide treatment combined with violet LED irradiation. Color tests were performed before the protocols, after 1 week and after 2 weeks of treatment by using a spectrophotometer and the CIELab parameters: L*, (a*) and (b*). The Whitening 10%, Whitening 10%+VL, Whitening 22% and Whitening 22%+VL groups were submitted to 10% and 22% carbamide peroxide 8 h per day for 14 days, whereas the Control was only stored in artificial saliva. For irradiation in the Control, Whitening 10%+VL, and Whitening 22%+VL groups, we used violet LED at a wavelength of 405-410nm activated for 60 permanent seconds and 30 sec of pause once per week. As all data exhibited normal distribution, the comparisons were performed by using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. A post hoc t-test was employed, followed by the Ryan-Holm stepdown Bonferroni procedure. Results: After 1 week, the Whitening 22%+VL group differed significantly from all other groups in relation to hue, while no difference was found between the remaining groups (p < 0.05). Analyzing lightness, the Whitening 22%+VL and Whiteness10%+VL groups differed from the other groups (p > 0.05). In the 2nd week, the Whitening 22%+VL groups differed significantly from all other groups (p < 0.05) in hue, chroma, and lightness. The comparative analysis of bleaching times within the same group revealed significant differences in the Whitening 22%+VL group between baseline and week 1, baseline and week 2, as well as weeks 1 and 2 in terms of hue (p > 0.05). In the Whitening 22%+VL group, significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between baseline and week 2 as well as between weeks 1 and 2 in chroma (p > 0.05). In the Whitening 22%+VL group, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between baseline and week 1, baseline and week 2, as well as between weeks 1 and 2 in lightness. In the Whitening 10%+VL group, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between baseline and week 1, between baseline and week 2, as well as between weeks 1 and 2 in lightness. Conclusions: Tooth whitening treatment involving 10% and 22% carbamide peroxide combined with violet light promoted changes in the three axes of color (DH, DC, and DL) of the specimens evaluated. The use of the gel bleach alone was more efficient when the higher concentration was used. When violet light was combined with the gel, the lower concentration was more efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates an unusual behavior observed in the Raman spectra of natural rhodochrosites under ambient conditions and varying temperature and pressure. While the typical MnCO3 spectrum is maintained, the relative intensities of libration (L) and translation (T) bands exhibit significant variations, potentially linked to changes in the Mn2+ state within the crystal lattice. Mapping experiments under ambient conditions revealed intensity inversions in lattice modes depending on the sampling region and excitation wavelength. Initially attributed to laser-induced degradation, this phenomenon was ruled out by temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy, which showed no significant intensity changes even under conditions promoting sample degradation. Further investigations under hydrostatic pressure revealed a decrease in L band intensity, potentially indicating crystal compaction and modified cation–anion interactions. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated using both linear and quadratic fitting methods, demonstrating that while linear fitting provides acceptable results for temperature-dependent analysis, a quadratic approach is crucial for pressure-induced changes, influencing the value of calculated Gruneisen and anharmonicity parameters. This work highlights the sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy to subtle changes within the rhodochrosite structure and provides valuable insights into the intricate interplay of temperature, pressure, and Mn ion configuration in this mineral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder anatomically characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra compacta (SNpc). Much less known, yet clinically very important, are the detrimental effects on breathing associated with this disease. Consistent with the human pathophysiology, the 6-hydroxydopamine hydrochloride (6-OHDA) rodent model of PD shows reduced respiratory frequency (fR) and NK1r-immunoreactivity in the pre-Bötzinger complex (preBötC) and PHOX2B+ neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN). To unravel mechanisms that underlie bradypnea in PD, we employed a transgenic approach to label or stimulate specific neuron populations in various respiratoryrelated brainstem regions. PD mice were characterized by a pronounced decreased number of putatively rhythmically active excitatory neurons in the preBötC and adjacent ventral respiratory column (VRC). Specifically, the number of Dbx1 and Vglut2 neurons was reduced by 47.6% and 17.3%, respectively. By contrast, inhibitory Vgat1 neurons in the VRC, as well as neurons in other respiratory-related brainstem regions, showed relatively minimal or no signs of neuronal loss. Consistent with these anatomic observations, optogenetic experiments identified deficits in respiratory function that were specific to manipulations of excitatory (Dbx1/Vglut2) neurons in the preBötC. We conclude that the decreased number of this critical population of respiratory neurons is an important contributor to the development of irregularities in inspiratory rhythm generation in this mouse model of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay discusses the relation between knowledge, comprehension and culture, identifies the epistemological and intersubjective roots in the notion of comprehension and stresses some of the bonds between the studies on culture and comprehension as a method. Based on Montaigne's, Medina's, Morin's and others' critique of the fragmentation of scientific knowledge, the paper charts the path treaded by several authors who have contributed for the concept of comprehension as a method to link, unite, gather lore and knowledge. In dialogue with scholars of several fields, i.e. Arendt, Buber, Campbell, Weber, Popper, Latour and Bakhtin, we present the dialog between different practices of knowledge as a way for knowing, communicating and participating in cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests have been disorderly exploited, and many species are considered endangered. Some initiatives have been taken in order to prevent forests from being destroyed. A good alternative would be to plan a spatial distribution of plants, with higher number of females than males. Determining the gender of seedlings would provide important information for a possible strategy. Another common problem that researchers in this field very often face, in order to perform their experiments, is the lack of a representative database. To overcome this difficulty, we introduce a new database in this work, which is composed of nuclear magnetic resonance of adult Araucaria angustifolia plants. In order to gain better insight into this database, we have tested different strategies and classifiers. A first set of experiments took three classifiers trained to discriminate males from females considering the original database. A second round of experiments applied the genetic algorithm technique to select subsets of attributes based on single-objective and two-objective functions. After analyzing the achieved results, we have also proposed a new strategy based on statistical measures for selecting subsets from the attributes. A comprehensive set of experiments has shown that the proposed selecting strategy has achieved better performances, with an accuracy of 80.3% (AUC = 79.4). We believe that researchers will find this database a useful tool in their work on determining the Araucaria angustifolia gender. On the other hand, the proposed selecting strategy would be useful for reducing the complexity of databases and accelerating the process of building classification models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the Substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), which leads to motor and non-motor symptoms (NMS). NMS can appear many years before the classical motor symptoms and are associated with the neurodegeneration of several nuclei; in this work, we highlight the neurodegeneration of Locus coeruleus (LC) in PD. The aim was to investigate the effects of depleting SNpc and LC catecholaminergic neurons on behavioral and neurobiological endpoints. Here we used 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in order to induced neurotoxic damage in three independent experimental groups: SNpc lesion group, which 6-OHDA was injected into CPu (CPu-6-OHDA), LC lesion group, which 6-OHDA was injected directly on LC to selectively caused a damage on this nucleus (LC-6-OHDA), and the combined SNpc and LC lesion group (CL-6-OHDA). Next, the behavioral studies were performed using the Morris water maze (MWM), open field (OF), and elevated plus maze (EPM). After stereotaxic surgeries, the animals showed a loss of 67% and 77% of Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) reactive neurons in the SNpc and LC, respectively. The behavioral analysis showed the anxiety-like behavior in CL-6-OHDA group in the EPM test; in the MWM test, the combined lesions (CL-6-OHDA) showed an impairment in memory acquisition and spatial memory; and no changes were observed in locomotor activity in all the tests. Furthermore, our investigation demonstrating the effects of depleting SN and LC catecholaminergic neurons on behavioral and neurobiological parameters. All these data together lead us to believe that a bilateral PD model including a LC bilateral degeneration is potentially a more accurate model to evaluate the NMS in the pathological development of the disease in rodents. [Display omitted] • Bilateral 6-OHDA injections into the CPu (24 μg/μL; 0.5 μL) and/or LC (24 μg/μL; 0.5 μL) do not change locomotor activity. • The absence of LC with neurodegeneration of the SNpc leads to an anxiety-like behavior. • The absence of LC with neurodegeneration of the SNpc impaired memory acquisition and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A threshold density for hydrodynamics between sparse and dense vegetation was found. • A secondary gyre that is generally missing in non-vegetated cavities was observed. • The mean retention time cannot be estimated with a single decay fit for all densities. • Vegetation further increases the macro-roughness function of lateral cavities. Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) were used to investigate the hydrodynamics and mass transfer between the flow in the main channel and a vegetated lateral cavity. Fourteen vegetation densities (0 to 10.65 %) were tested, revealing two distinct hydrodynamic patterns. For cavities with low vegetation density (a < 3.99 %), one primary gyre in contact with the interface between main channel and cavity with high velocity was formed; the thickness of the mixing layer grew longitudinally along the interface, and regions with high vorticity and turbulence kinetic energy appeared at the interface and inside the cavity. For cavities with high vegetation density (a > 3.99 %), two gyres in contact with the interface with low velocity were formed, the thickness of the mixing layer did not grow, and the vorticity and turbulence kinetic energy were low inside the cavity. The mass transport presented the same threshold value as the hydrodynamics (a = 3.99 %). For cavities with low vegetation density, a fast mass transfer occurred through the interface between the main channel and cavity and inside the cavity, while the opposite was observed for cavities with high vegetation density. Finally, the modelled hydrodynamics was used to infer possible sediment deposition patterns and flow resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiration is regulated by various types of neurons located in the pontine-medullary regions. The Kölliker-Fuse (KF)/A7 noradrenergic neurons play a role in modulating the inspiratory cycle by influencing the respiratory output. These neurons are interconnected and may also project to brainstem and spinal cord, potentially involved in regulating the post-inspiratory phase. In the present study, we hypothesize that the parafacial (pF) neurons, in conjunction with adrenergic mechanisms originating from the KF/A7 region, may provide the neurophysiological basis for breathing modulation. We conducted experiments using urethane-anesthetized, vagotomized, and artificially ventilated male Wistar rats. Injection of L-glutamate into the KF/A7 region resulted in inhibition of inspiratory activity, and a prolonged and high-amplitude genioglossal activity (GG EMG). Blockade of the α 1 adrenergic receptors (α 1 -AR) or the ionotropic glutamatergic receptors in the pF region decrease the activity of the GG EMG without affecting inspiratory cessation. In contrast, blockade of α 2 -AR in the pF region extended the duration of GG activity. Notably, the inspiratory and GG EMG activities induced by KF/A7 stimulation were completely blocked by bilateral blockade of glutamatergic receptors in the Bötzinger complex (BötC). While our study found a limited role for α 1 and α 2 adrenergic receptors at the pF level in modulating the breathing response to KF/A7 stimulation, it became evident that BötC neurons are responsible for the respiratory effects induced by KF/A7 stimulation. • We previously found direct noradrenergic inputs from the KF to the parafacial region (pF). • Stimulation of KF region elicited apnea and high amplitude burst activity. • KF stim minimally modulates breathing via glutamatergic and adrenergic receptors in the pF. • Breathing response to KF stim is mainly mediated by BötC neurons, not pF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] (A) Scheme illustrating the anatomical and functional changes caused by 6-OHDA injection into the CPu: once injected into the CPu, 6-OHDA promotes local damage and is captured by the terminals of dopaminergic neurons in the region, promoting retrograde damage to SNc neurons. In RTN and preBotC, degeneration occurs in this model of PD induced by 6-OHDA, and as a consequence of neuronal death in the center that generates the respiratory rhythm (preBotC), a reduction in the basal respiratory rate is observed. (B) Scheme illustrating the anatomical and functional changes promoted by the injection of 6-OHDA into the CPu of TNFR1-/- animals or those treated with i.p. minocycline: the injection of 6-OHDA into the CPu also promotes local degeneration in this nucleus and retrograde degeneration in the SNc, however, in RTN and preBotC, neuronal death is prevented. As a consequence, the reduction in baseline fR is no longer observed. (C) Scheme illustrating the mechanisms of degeneration in brain nuclei: in the CPu and SNc, local neuronal death occurs through an increase in ROS induced by 6-OHDA, which culminates in oxidative stress, consequently leading to an inflammatory process by the increase of NF-κB expression and also leading to neuronal apoptosis. In RTN and preBotC, degeneration occurs in response to increased local neuroinflammation that promotes TNF-α release and induction of apoptosis in these nuclei through the interaction of this cytokine with its TNFR1 receptor. Abbreviations: 6-OHDA, 6-hydroxydopamine; CPu, putamen caudate nucleus; SNc, compact portion of the substantia nigra; preBotC, Pre-Botzinger complex; RTN, retrotrapezoid nucleus; WT, wild type; i.p., intraperitoneal; fR, respiratory rate; Veh, vehicle; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha; TNFR1, receptor 1 for TNF-α; TNFR1-/-, TNFR1 knockout; ROS, reactive oxygen species; NF-κB - nuclear factor kappa B. • Astrocytes and microglia cells contribute to brainstem degeneration in 6-OHDA mice. • In the 6-OHDA model, TNFR1 is necessary for preBotC and RTN degeneration. • Minocycline treatment prevented preBotC and RTN degeneration in 6-OHDA animals. • Respiratory deficits are prevented in TNFR1-/- and minocycline treated 6-OHDA mice. Parkinson's Disease (PD) is characterized by classic motor symptoms related to movement, but PD patients can experience symptoms associated with impaired autonomic function, such as respiratory disturbances. Functional respiratory deficits are known to be associated with brainstem neurodegeneration in the mice model of PD induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Understanding the causes of neuronal death is essential for identifying specific targets to prevent degeneration. Many mechanisms can explain why neurons die in PD, and neuroinflammation is one of them. To test the influence of inflammation, mediated by microglia and astrocytes cells, in the respiratory disturbances associated with brainstem neurons death, we submitted wild-type (WT) and TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) knockout male mice to the 6-OHDA model of PD. Also, male C57BL/6 animals were induced using the same PD model and treated with minocycline (45 mg/kg), a tetracycline antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties. We show that degeneration of brainstem areas such as the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) and the pre-Botzinger Complex (preBotC) were prevented in both protocols. Notably, respiratory disturbances were no longer observed in the animals where inflammation was suppressed. Thus, the data demonstrate that inflammation is responsible for the breathing impairment in the 6-OHDA-induced PD mouse model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On August 31, 2020, the President of the Republic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro (without a party), declared to the press that the government could not compel citizens to take any immunization vaccine against COVID-19. The speech generated great repercussion in the press and on the networks. The article seeks to analyze, through Content Analysis (Bardin, 2011), how the speech reverberated on Twitter and how it was linked to aspects of scientific negationism. The corpus was collected using software that listed the posts with the greatest impact on the network in the days following the declaration. It discusses, therefore, the fragility of the social field of science and the way in which political communication is inserted in a debate maximized by a mediatized society, where information and content pass through new circuits of sociability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers reflections about the homo digitalis and possible correlations between his way of being and some of the main aspects that constitute neoliberal rationality. It tries to inquire about the meanings of neoliberalism, especially how its ideological components make the new homogeneous subject emerge throughout these two decades of the 21st century. Discuss the formation of the legitimate individual in a company culture, something that is almost indisputably worshiped in neoliberal society. It also stresses that this perspective results in individualistic attitudes revealed through a constant isolation of the self that increasingly turns only to itself, because it is satisfied and it has at its fingertips the device of digital technology and all the mechanisms that combine it as a consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the performance evaluation of power transformers, the occurrence of eddy currents and their effects on the transformer tank have been widely modelled and studied for the cases of power frequency in the steady state. Nonetheless, for the cases when harmonic components are present (zero‐sequence flux) or for transient conditions (inrush or geomagnetically induced current (GIC) events) there is much to do. With this aim, this work presents the proposal in using temporal modelling for evaluating eddy currents in transformer tank walls in practical cases of sinusoidal, harmonic and transient excitations. Obtained results are compared with consolidated commercially available software based on finite elements for showing how good this proposition is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baccharis coridifolia is one of the most common poisonous plants affecting livestock in Uruguay. Poisoning occurs when animals raised in areas free of B. coridifolia are transported to pastures containing the plant. Young stock become spontaneously averted to it after ingesting non-toxic amounts of the plant. As B. coridifolia is widespread in the country, farmers selling livestock report when animals have been raised in areas with the plant, meaning that they are naturally averted and will not ingest it if introduced in B. coridifolia -containing paddocks. Of 2456 farmers from 18 departments of Uruguay selling cattle through online auctions between June 2019 and May 2020, 78% mentioned that the animals they were selling were raised in grasslands containing B. coridifolia. However, only 35.8% of the farmers from three departments of Eastern Uruguay mentioned that their cattle were raised in grasslands with B. coridifolia. Herds from these departments presented 16.7 times (95% CI: 13.1–21.3; p < 0.001) more risk of not being naturally averted to B. coridifolia ingestion than the herds of the other 15 departments of the country. In this paper we review all outbreaks of B. coridifolia poisoning reported in livestock in Uruguay from 1911 to present. We also describe three outbreaks of poisoning, one in cattle and two in sheep that were poisoned in the same farms in which the animals were raised. Intoxication occurred when the animals raised indoors and/or in cultivated pastures without B. coridifolia were introduced into grasslands of the same farms containing B. coridifolia. Typical gastrointestinal lesions were observed in pathological examinations. Furthermore, two of three necropsied heifers showed severe acute nephrosis, which had not been reported previously in this poisoning. • Baccharis coridifolia causes acute poisoning in livestock due to digestive lesions. • The plant induces natural aversion in young animals that ingest it in non-toxic amounts. • Poisoning occurs when non-averted livestock are introduced in paddocks with the plant. • In Uruguay 78% of the herds are raised in grassland with the plant and are averted to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Weightless Artificial Neural Networks (WANNs) are known to be more cheaper and faster than traditional neural networks. • WiSARD is the most adopted WANN model, having already been used in many different tasks and domains. • ClusWiSARD is an extension that improves accuracy in tasks where patterns of the same class are very heterogeneous. • The n-Tuple Regression Network (nTRN) was the only WANN model capable of performing regression. • This work proposes new models: Regression WiSARD and ClusRegression WiSARD, which are based in nTRN, WiSARD and ClusWiSARD. • In this work the novel proposed models are analyzed, including in the exploration of three different ensemble architectures. This paper explores two new weightless neural network models, Regression WiSARD and ClusRegression WiSARD, in the challenging task of predicting the total palm oil production of a set of 28 (twenty eight) differently located sites under different climate and soil profiles. Both models were derived from Kolcz and Allinson's n -Tuple Regression weightless neural model and obtained mean absolute error (MAE) rates of 0.09097 and 0.09173, respectively. Such results are very competitive with the state-of-the-art (0.07983), whilst being four orders of magnitude faster during the training phase. Additionally the models have been tested on three classic regression datasets, also presenting competitive performance with respect to other models often used in this type of task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe2O3 nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 15 to 53 nm were synthesized by a modified sol-gel method. Maghemite particles as well as particles with admixture of maghemite and hematite were obtained and characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis photoacoustic and Mössbauer spectroscopy, TEM, and magnetic measurements. The size and hematite/maghemite ratio of the nanoparticles were controlled by changing the Fe:PVA (poly (vinyl alcohol)) monomeric unit ratio used in the medium reaction (1:6, 1:12, 1:18, and 1:24). The average size of the nanoparticles decreases, and the maghemite content increases with increasing PVA amount until 1:18 ratio. The maghemite and hematite nanoparticles showed cubic and hexagonal morphology, respectively. Direct band gap energy were 1.77 and 1.91 eV for A6 and A18 samples. Zero-field-cooling-field-cooling curves show that samples present superparamagnetic behavior. Maghemite-hematite phase transition and hematite Néel transition were observed near 700 K and 1015 K, respectively. Magnetization of the particles increases consistently with the increase in the amount of PVA used in the synthesis. Mössbauer spectra were adjusted with a hematite sextet and maghemite distribution for A6, A12, and A24 and with maghemite distribution for A18, in agreement with XRD results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to analyze the interviews conducted by the Jornal Nacional with the five main candidates in the 2018 presidential elections. Faced with the strong position of television news in electoral scenarios, the article brings the hypothesis that JN using the premises of journalistic legitimacy transforms the questions in spaces of debate and confrontation. In prime time, the questions gained enormous visibility, given the candidates exposure time, which in some circumstances surpassed the presidential space of the free television time for electoral advertising (HGPE). To understand how the television news conducted the questions will be used content analysis methodology (Bardin, 2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence from multiple studies indicates that Parkinson's disease (PD) patients suffer from a spectrum of autonomic and respiratory motor deficiencies in addition to the classical motor symptoms attributed to substantia nigra degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Animal models of PD show a decrease in the resting respiratory rate as well as a decrease in the number of Phox2b‐expressing retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) neurons. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which substantia nigra pars compact (SNc) degeneration induced RTN biomolecular changes and to identify the extent to which RTN pharmacological or optogenetic stimulations rescue respiratory function following PD‐induction. SNc degeneration was achieved in adult male Wistar rats by bilateral striatal 6‐hydroxydopamine injection. For proteomic analysis, laser capture microdissection and pressure catapulting were used to isolate the RTN for subsequent comparative proteomic analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). The respiratory parameters were evaluated by whole‐body plethysmography and electromyographic analysis of respiratory muscles. The results confirmed reduction in the number of dopaminergic neurons of SNc and respiratory rate in the PD‐animals. Our proteomic data suggested extensive RTN remodeling, and that pharmacological or optogenetic stimulations of the diseased RTN neurons promoted rescued the respiratory deficiency. Our data indicate that despite neuroanatomical and biomolecular RTN pathologies, that RTN‐directed interventions can rescue respiratory control dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 94% of colorectal cancer cases have mutations in one or more Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway components. Inactivating mutations in APC or activating mutations in β-catenin (CTNNB1) lead to signaling overactivation and subsequent intestinal hyperplasia. Numerous classes of medicines derived from synthetic or natural small molecules, including alkaloids, have benefited the treatment of different diseases, including cancer, Piperine is a true alkaloid, derived from lysine, responsible for the spicy taste of black pepper (Piper nigrum) and long pepper (Piper longum). Studies have shown that piperine has a wide range of pharmacological properties; however, piperine molecular mechanisms of action are still not fully understood. By using Wnt/β-catenin pathway epistasis experiment we show that piperine inhibits the canonical Wnt pathway induced by overexpression of β-catenin, β-catenin S33A or dnTCF4 VP16, while also suppressing β-catenin nuclear localization in HCT116 cell line. Additionally, piperine impairs cell proliferation and migration in HCT116, SW480 and DLD-1 colorectal tumor cell lines, while not affecting the non-tumoral cell line IEC-6. In summary, piperine inhibits the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and displays anti-cancer effects on colorectal cancer cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of Chagas disease in pregnant women and the vertical transmission of the disease.Methods: Observational studies were identified from eight electronic databases, and details on study design, population and prevalence of Chagas disease were extracted. The data were pooled using a random-effects model, and choropleth maps were created based on geopolitical regions and countries.Results: The search identified 7788 articles, of which 50 were eligible. We observed a 9% prevalence of Chagas disease among pregnant women in the Americas (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8-10, I2  = 99.96%). High disease prevalence was identified in pregnant women in South American countries (12%, 95% CI: 11-13), while lower values were identified in pregnant women in North America (2%, 95% CI: 1-3). Countries with medium Human Development Index (HDI) had a higher prevalence of Chagas disease in pregnant women (15%, 95% CI: 13-16, I2  = 99.98%) than countries with high HDI (3%, 95% CI: 2-3). The rate of vertical transmission in the continent was 2% (95% CI: 1-2). The statistical analysis showed that this heterogeneity was explained by the study design, region of the Americas and mean income of the country.Conclusion: South and Central American countries have a high prevalence and vertical transmission of Chagas disease. Therefore, systematic screens for this disease during the prenatal period are necessary in addition to the diagnosis and treatment of children at risk for Trypanosoma cruzi infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big data, the massive amount of structured and unstructured data, too large or too complex to be analyzed by conventional database software, signals for new methods to record, organize, analyze and provide access to information. To help understand how information science (IS) has incorporated big data as a topic of study, this paper researched the scientific output of the area indexed in main referential databases. The paper reviews the emergence of large volumes of data, the definition, dimensions and components of big data, and the related concepts of e-science and data science. In this bibliometric study, data collection was done through searches in the main referential IS databases to identify the scientific literature on big data. Authors and their programs/ departments, institutions and countries were identified. Then, the works were categorized through content analysis of their titles, keywords and abstracts. The results present a map of how IS scientific output has approached big data, showing topics of research and a ranking of universities/organizations, graduate programs/ departments, authors and countries that produced the articles on big data indexed in the LISA and LISTA databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bimetallic vanadium and niobium oxide catalyst using alumina as support was developed for the conversion of crude glycerol from biodiesel production into formic acid. The high dispersion of the active oxide phase combined with the presence of acid and redox active centers resulted in a high glycerol conversion (>90% for 25 h) with a good selectivity for formic acid (∼55%). This process is the first example of a heterogeneous liquid-phase process for the conversion of crude glycerol to formic acid, which is an important chemical intermediate currently derived from petroleum feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]