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In clinical treatments of a class of tumors, e.g. skin tumors, the drug uptake of tumor tissue is helped by means of a pulsed electric field, which permeabilizes the cell membranes. This technique, which is called electroporation, exploits the conductivity of the tissues: however, the tumor tissue could be characterized by inhomogeneous areas, eventually causing a non-uniform distribution of current. In this paper, the authors propose a field model to predict the effect of tissue inhomogeneity, which can affect the current density distribution. In particular, finite-element simulations, considering non-linear conductivity against field relationship, are developed. Measurements on a set of samples subject to controlled inhomogeneity make it possible to assess the numerical model in view of identifying the equivalent resistance between pairs of electrodes.

Purpose: To assess the effects of Serenoa repens in the treatment of men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) consistent with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Materials and Methods: We performed a comprehensive search using multiple databases up to September 2022 with no language or publication status restrictions. We included parallel-group randomized controlled trials of participants with BPH who were treated with Serenoa repens or placebo/no treatment. We used standard Cochrane methods, including a GRADE assessment of the certainty of the evidence (CoE). Results: We included 27 studies involving a total of 4,656 participants. Serenoa repens results in little to no difference in urologic symptoms at short-term follow-up (International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS]: mean difference [MD] −0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] −1.74 to −0.07; I2=68%; 9 studies, 1,681 participants; high CoE). Serenoa repens results in little to no difference in the quality of life at short-term follow-up (high CoE). Serenoa repens probably results in little to no difference in adverse events (moderate CoE). Different phytotherapeutic agents that include Serenoa repens may result in little to no difference in urologic symptoms compared to placebo at short-term follow-up (IPSS: MD −2.41, 95% CI −4.54 to −0.29; I2=67%; 4 studies, 460 participants; low CoE). We are very uncertain about the effects of these agents on quality of life (very low CoE). These agents may result in little to no difference in the occurrence of adverse events (low CoE). Conclusions: Serenoa repens alone provides little to no benefits for men with LUTS due to benign prostatic enlargement. There is more uncertainty about the role of Serenoa repens in combination with other phytotherapeutic agents.

ABSTRACT: This study was conducted with the aim of analyzing the implications of removing the parameters from the mathematical model on the results of path analysis, with oats grown in different years and agricultural scenarios (with and without fungicide). For this, two field trials were conducted in southern Brazil, in five years of growth. The experimental design used in trial I (with fungicide application) was randomized complete blocks (RCB), in a 22 × 4 bifactorial arrangement, characterized by twenty-two oat cultivars and four fungicide applications. For trial II (without fungicide application) the RCB design was used, and the treatments were characterized by twenty-two oat cultivars, with three replications. The traits measured were panicle length, panicle mass, number of spikelets, number of grains, grain mass, and grain yield. For each year, data group, and scenario, the correlation coefficients between the explanatory variables and grain yield were calculated. The diagnosis of multicollinearity indicated violation of the statistical assumption, so it was necessary to proceed with a path analysis under multicollinearity (ridge). The removal of parameters from the mathematical model caused changes in the linear relationships between the oat yield traits, with the maintenance of the linear correlation coefficients in 3.30% and 20% of the situations, for the scenarios with and without fungicide application, respectively. Regarding the path coefficients, it was observed that the direct effects were maintained in 3.30% and 30% and indirect effects in 7.33% and 24.67% of the situations, for the scenarios with and without fungicide application, respectively.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the use of the product of thermal efficiency and photosynthetically active radiation (TEP) to model the growth of tomato seedlings across different growing seasons. The work was conducted in a completely randomized design with four replicates in two seasons (summer/autumn and winter/spring). Height, diameter, the Dickson’s Quality Index (DQI), and total plant mass (TPM) were measured at 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 days after sowing (DAS). The logistic model was fitted for each measured variable as a function of TEP, and the partial derivatives of the fitted function estimated the critical points. The results demonstrated that the logistic function effectively explained the nonlinear relationships of seedling growth. The fit quality parameters showed high fitted coefficients of determination and low values for the standard error of fit, residual standard deviation, and intrinsic and parametric nonlinearity. It was possible to characterize the growth process of tomato seedlings in both growth periods investigated. The logistic model fitted for the studied variables as a function of TEP becomes an accurate model capable of describing growth aspects of tomato seedlings, such as growth estimation, growth speed, and growth rate, essential parameters for decision-making in tomato cultivation.

ABSTRACT: The carrotculture stands out on the world stage due to its nutritional characteristics and economic importance, an aspect that demands the constant development of research aiming greater productivity. Thus, this study proposed an experimental plan, determining the estimates of plot size, sample size, and number of repetitions, with the purpose of increasing the precision and reliability of the results of the experiments with the carrot crop. Six uniformity trials were conducted, using three cultivars in two growing seasons (Season: 2019 and 2021).Each plant was considered a basic experimental unit and in each BEU, the variables shoot height, root length, shoot fresh mass, root fresh mass, and root diameter were measured. The size of the plot, sample, and the number of repetitions was estimated by the method of maximum curvature of the coefficient of variation. The results recommend that for experiments with the carrot crop, plots with twelve plants should be used. For a sampling of carrot plants in the plot, samples of eleven plants must be used in the direction of the row, considering a semi-amplitude of the confidence interval (D%) equal to 20% of the mean, with a confidence level of 95%. For a minimum significant difference in the Tukey test expressed as a percentage of the 50% mean, plots of twelve plants per crop row, with eight replicates, are recommended.

In our continuing search for new polymer composites with antimicrobial activity, we observed that even unmodified epoxy resins exhibit significant activity. Considering their widespread use as starting materials for the realization of multifunctional nanocomposites with excellent chemical and mechanical properties, it was deemed relevant to uncover these unexpected properties that can lead to novel applications. In fact, in places where the contact with human activities makes working surfaces susceptible to microbial contamination, thus jeopardizing the sterility of the environment, their biological activity opens the way to their successful application in minimizing healthcare-associated infections. To this end, three commercial and widely used epoxy resins (DGEBA/Elan-TechW 152LR, 1; EPIKOTETM Resin MGS®/EPIKURETM RIM H 235, 2 and MC152/EW101, 3) have been investigated to determine their antibacterial and antiviral activity. After 24 h, according to ISO 22196:2011, resins 1 and 2 showed a high antibacterial efficacy (R value > 6.0 log reduction) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Resin 2, prepared according to the ratio epoxy/hardener indicated by the supplier (sample 2a) and with 10% w/w hardener excess (sample 2b), exhibited an intriguing virucidal activity against Herpes Simplex Virus type-1 and Human Coronavirus type V-OC43 as a surrogate of SARS-CoV-2.

Nonlinear regression models represent an alternative way to describe plant growth. In this study, we aimed to model the growth of linseed using four methods for data collection (longitudinal, mean, random, and cross-sectional) and fitting the logistic and Von Bertalanffy nonlinear regression models. The data came from experiments conducted between 2014 and 2020 in the municipality of Curitibanos, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The study had a randomized block design, with experimental units consisting of six lines, 5.0 m long and 3.0 m wide, containing the varieties and cultivars of linseed with four replicates. We performed weekly assessments of the number of secondary stems and plant height and measured total dry mass fortnightly. After tabulation, the data were analyzed using the four methods, and the logistic and Von Bertalanffy models were fitted. The logistic model for the plant height variable exhibited the best performance using the longitudinal, mean, and cross-sectional methods. It was an alternative approach that reduced the time and labor required to conduct the experiment.

Introdução: As crianças representam quase um terço das vítimas de queimaduras no Brasil, sendo a maioria ocorridas em ambiente doméstico. Sabe-se que muitos acidentes envolvendo queimaduras podem ser evitados e que as primeiras ações são determinantes para a evolução clínica do caso. Objetivo: Relatar a experiên­cia de educação em saúde (oficinas) realizada por estudantes de Medicina sobre medidas de prevenção a queimaduras e primeiros socorros para crianças de um grupo de inclusão em escola pública de Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil. Relato da expe­riência: A primeira etapa da atividade consistiu em quatro rodas de conversa, com duração de 10 minutos cada, com os estudantes de Medicina divididos em duplas, com a finalidade de compreender qual o nível de conhecimento das crian­ças sobre queimaduras, primeiros socorros e medidas de prevenção. Depois da elaboração do jogo da memória pelos estudantes de Medicina, a segunda etapa baseou-se na aplicação do jogo e no diálogo sobre as ações no manejo inicial das intercorrências com queimaduras e no reconhecimento de situações e comporta­mentos potencialmente perigosos. A dinâmica do jogo da memória permitiu que as vivências pessoais das crianças, relacionadas ao tema das queimaduras, enri­quecessem o processo educativo, proporcionando uma construção colaborativa do conhecimento que gera tanto a interação social quanto o desenvolvimento cognitivo. Conclusão: A ação de educação em saúde mediada pela ferramenta lúdica do jogo da memória possibilitou a interação entre os estudantes e crianças e uma compreensão mais aprofundada do tema trabalhado. Para os estudantes de Medicina, a experiência oportunizou a reflexão acerca do seu papel em ações de promoção da saúde, além do desenvolvimento de habilidades de comunicação, empatia e contato com a realidade socioeconômica de alunos de escola pública.

O clima organizacional e a motivação dos trabalhadores há tempos se mantêm como pauta para os gestores das empresas. Desse modo, o presente artigo tem como objetivo avaliar a percepção dos trabalhadores da Cotrisal em relação a influência do clima organizacional na motivação no trabalho. Trata-se de um estudo de caso de cunho descritivo, com abordagem quantitativa. Para a coleta de dados utilizaram-se dois questionários, respondidos de forma anônima, que foram aplicados junto aos trabalhadores da unidade de peças, ferragens e implementos da empresa. Os dados obtidos foram dispostos em tabelas e quadros, e analisados de acordo com as visões dos autores presentes no referencial teórico. Os resultados trazem, segundo percepção dos trabalhadores, que o clima organizacional influencia na motivação e essa influência se dá devido a percepção e absorção das ideias, referentes às condições de trabalho, liderança, remuneração, satisfação pessoal, relacionamento com os colegas e organização do trabalho, por parte do trabalhador, perante à equipe de trabalho. Desse modo, conclui-se que embora a motivação tenha origem em fatores internos do indivíduo, os fatores externos, a exemplo daqueles que afetam o clima organizacional, também respingam na motivação do trabalhador para com a execução das atividades laborais.

Graphene oxide and its magnetic nanoparticle-based composites are a well-known tool to remove heavy metals from wastewater. Unfortunately, one of the major issues in handling such small particles consists of their difficult removal from treated wastewater (even when their magnetic properties are exploited), due to their very small diameter. One possible way to overcome this problem is to embed them in a macroscopic biopolymer matrix, such as alginate or chitosan beads. In this way, the adsorbent becomes easier to handle and can be used to build, for example, a packed column, as in a traditional industrial adsorber. In this work, the removal performances of two different embedded magnetic nanocomposite adsorbents (MNAs) are discussed. The first type of MNA is based on ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) generated by coprecipitation using iron(II/III) salts and ammonium hydroxide, while the second is based on a 2D material composed of MNP-decorated graphene oxide. Both MNAs were embedded in cross-linked alginate beads and used to treat artificial water contaminated with chromium(III), nickel(II), and copper(II) in different concentrations. The yield of removal and differences between MNAs and non-embedded magnetic nanomaterials are also discussed. From the results, it was found that the time to reach the adsorption equilibrium is higher when compared to that of the nanomaterials only, due to the lower surface/volume ratio of the beads, but the adsorption capacity is higher, due to the additional interaction with alginate.

Puzzle-based storage (PBS) systems are intended to increase storage density meaning using optimally available storage space. Having dynamic puzzle-based storage systems requires to find and validate tools to support optimal operation of such system. The problem is that as parameters of PBS change, the optimal way for operating that new setup may be needed to be recalculated. The changing parameters can be related to the change of the physical layout of the PBS (e.g. dimensions, number of carriers) or mode (e.g. amount of nodes that can be simultaneously moved, amount of orders simulaneously processed). Each of these parameters may require reevaluation for optimal approaches to control changed PBS. This article proposes to use a modular Petri Nets-based formalism for analysis of PBS setup for finding optimal control approaches. We architect adaptive PBS system that can dynamically adjust to changing configuration and/or control parameters.

Over the past few years, antibiotic resistance has reached global dimensions as a major threat to public health. Consequently, there is a pressing need to find effective alternative therapies and therapeutic agents to combat drug-resistant pathogens. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), largely employed as a clinical treatment for several malignant pathologies, has also gained importance as a promising antimicrobial approach. Antimicrobial PDT (aPDT) relies on the application of a photosensitizer able to produce singlet oxygen (1O2) or other cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon exposure to appropriate light, which leads to cell death after the induced photodamage. Among different types of 2D nanomaterials with antimicrobial properties, phosphorene, the exfoliated form of black phosphorus (bP), has the unique property intrinsic photoactivity exploitable for photothermal therapy (PTT) as well as for PDT against pathogenic bacteria.

Abstract An intense positron sources is a demanding element in the design of future lepton colliders. A crystal-based hybrid positron source could be an alternative to a more conventional scheme based on the electron conversion into positron in a thick amorphous target. The conceptual idea of the hybrid source is to have two separate objects, a photon radiator and a photon-to-positron converter target. In such a scheme an electron beam crosses a thin axially oriented crystal with the emission of a channeling radiation, characterized by a considerably larger amount of photons if compared to Bremsstrahlung. The net result is an increase in the number of produced positrons at the converter target. In this paper we present the results of a beam test conducted at the DESY TB 21 with 5.6 GeV electron beam and a crystalline tungsten radiator. Experimental data clearly highlight an increased production of photons and they are critically compared with the outcomes of novel method to simulate the number of radiated photons, showing a very good agreement. Strong of this, the developed simulation tool has been exploited to design a simple scheme for a positron source based on oriented crystal, demonstrating the advantages in terms of reduction of both deposited energy and the peak energy deposition density if compared to conventional sources. The presented work opens the way for a realistic and detailed design of a hybrid crystal-based positron source for future lepton colliders.

ABSTRACT Onion production is conditioned to the adopted techniques during the cultivation. Sowing depth, soil preparation and cultivars are determinant factors for productivity to be increased. Two experiments were developed, the first with the objective of evaluating the effect of sowing depths and soil preparation methods on the germination and development of onion seedlings, while the objective of the second was to evaluate the productivity of onion cultivars as a soil preparation function. In experiment I, the split plot scheme was adopted, where the main plots consisted on soil tillage methods (total area and bed) and in the subplots, the sowing depths (0.5; 1.0; 1.5 and 2.0 cm), with six replicates. Experiment II was carried out in a split plot scheme, in which the main plots consisted on soil tillage methods (total area and bed) and in the subplots, such as onion cultivars (Itajubá, Rainha, Salto Grande, Ômega, Mulata and BR29), with four replicates. The 1.5 cm sowing depth provided greater speed of germination and plant stand. Raising beds offers the best initial seedling development. The onion cultivation under beds offers the highest vegetative development and productivity.

Resource depletion and climate change have fostered sustainable initiatives in the waste management sector. Pyrolysis (Py) has emerged as an option for valorizing spent coffee grounds (SCG). In addition, inorganic compounds can have catalytic effects on the pyrolytic reaction of organic materials, increasing the char yield and porosity of biochar. This study investigates the slow pyrolysis of SCG using concentrated landfill leachate residue (CLLR) (1:1 wt%) as a pyrolitic additive due to its high salinity. Biochars were characterized based on their thermal behavior to discuss environmental benefits and potential applications. Slow-py experiments were conducted using a lab-scale pyrolizer, and thermal characterization was performed using TA Instruments, specifically the SDTQ600 model. Biochars were characterized by higher water contents and heating rates than those experienced by their feedstocks. It is suggested that the high metal content of CLLR could change the biochar’s thermal stability, decreasing its decomposition temperature. Values were 9.18 wt% and 18.11 MJ kg−1 and 23.25 wt% and 22.05 MJ kg−1 for biochars produced using SCG and SCG and CLLR (1:1 wt%), respectively. Future studies will include biochar ecotoxicity analyses and measure carbon–energy balance.

ABSTRACT Agriculture has caused numerous concerns regarding the preservation of natural resources. In this context, agroforestry systems are emerging as a more sustainable alternative. The present study aimed to evaluate growth characteristics, radiation use efficiency, biomass partition, and yield of soybean grown in two agroforestry systems and full sun. A field experiment was conducted in Southern Brazil during the 2014/2015 crop year, in which transmissivity of solar radiation, leaf area index, radiation use efficiency, and yield of soybean were evaluated. The solar radiation dynamics varied among the study factors, mainly due to the agroforestry arrangements. Shading influenced the leaf area index, radiation use efficiency, biomass partition, and soybean yield. Based on the soybean yield values generated in this study, the use of more spaced agroforestry arrangements and Peltophorum dubium forest species is recommended. However, because the yield values were below the expected levels, it is not yet possible to confirm the full potential of soybean crop in agroforestry systems. Thus, new studies should be conducted in order to generate alternatives that make soybean cultivation feasible in agroforestry systems, such as assessing the use of more spaced agroforestry arrangements, the insertion of the soybean crop in the initial years of cultivation of agroforestry, as well as reduce intraspecific competition by decreasing the plant population of the crop.

ABSTRACT: This study determined the meteorological variable that most contribute to the productivity of sugarcane stalks in the northwest and central regions of Rio Grande do Sul. The following sugarcane genotypes were used: UFSM XIKA FW, UFSM LUCI FW, UFSM PRETA FW, UFSM DINA FW, UFSM MARI FW, and IAC87-3396. The UFSM cultivars originate from a mutation process in the breeding program conducted at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Frederico Westphalen campus, and have low temperature tolerance. The productivity-associated morphological characters included in the models were average stem diameter, average stem number per meter of furrow, and average stem height. The following meteorological variables were used: minimum air temperature, precipitation, incident solar radiation, and accumulated thermal sum. Pearson’s correlation, canonical correlations, and Stepwise regression were performed between morphological characters and meteorological variables: minimum air temperature had the greatest influence on sugarcane productivity in the studied regions, and accumulated thermal sum showed the highest correlation and contributed most to stem diameter and average stem height. Thus, the models indicated that the growth of sugarcane is positively associated with the accumulated thermal sum, and sugarcane can be cultivated at the studied regions.

Vast and important cultural resources are entrusted to magnetic tape around the world, but they are susceptible to degradation, which may lead to severe replay problems. Audio magnetic tapes are complex and multicomponent devices containing organic compounds and metal systems, which can be potential catalysts for many degradative reactions in the presence of water, light, or heating. The aim of this review is to collect the literature concerning the analytical determinations and instrumental approaches that can achieve the chemical identification of the components in the tape and the degradation state. Thus, a combination of destructive (such as acetone extraction) and non-destructive techniques (such as ATR FTIR spectroscopy) have been proposed, together with SEM, ESEM, XRD and TGA analyses to assess the chemical and physical characterization of the tape with the purpose to individualize restoration treatments and optimize conditions for preservation. The impact of the studies reviewed in this paper may go beyond audio, being potentially relevant to video, data, instrumentation, and logging tapes.