Plastic pellet pathways: Understanding transport patterns to Santa Catarina Island, Southwestern Atlantic Ocean.

Among the various types of plastics present in the marine environment, pellets stand out due to their wide dispersion. This study aims to assess the trajectory of plastic pellets reaching Santa Catarina Island (southern Brazil) from nearby port regions, and to investigate their distribution and fate. Using a Lagrangian particle tracking model and outputs from a hydrodynamic model, we evaluated particle transport and sources.

Oil reaching the coast: Is Brazil on the route of international oceanic dumping?

After the oil spill disaster occurred in 2019, various events of tar balls reaching the Brazilian coast and archipelagos have been reported. The hypothesis here is that the oil/waste dumped in international waters by ships on-route to Cape of Good Hope is reaching the Brazilian coast. On that account, 30-year probabilistic simulations were used to estimate the probability of dumped oil residue reaching the Brazilian coast.

A proof-of-concept study of vicarious extinction learning and autonomic synchrony in parent-child dyads and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Though threat-extinction models continue to inform scientific study of traumatic stress, knowledge of learning and extinction as mechanisms linking exposure to psychopathology remains critically limited among youth. This proof-of-concept study advances the study of threat-extinction in youth by determining feasibility of electrodermal stimulation (EDS), vicarious extinction learning via their parent, and social threat learning in pediatric PTSD (pPTSD). Typically developing (TD) and PTSD-diagnosed youth in 45 mother-child dyads completed an extinction learning paradigm.

Mysterious oil spill on the Brazilian coast - Part 2: A probabilistic approach to fill gaps of uncertainties.

Over 5000 tons of spilled oil reached the northeast coast of Brazil in 2019. The Laboratory for Computational Methods in Engineering (LAMCE/COPPE/UFRJ) employed time-reverse modeling and identify multiple potential source areas. As time-reverse modeling has many uncertainties, this article carried out a methodology study to mitigate them.

A novel dual mode X-band EPR resonator for rapid in situ microwave heating.

A unique dual mode X-band Continuous Wave (CW) EPR resonator designed for simultaneous EPR measurement and rapid microwave (MW) induced sample heating is described. Chemical reactions subjected to a flow of energy and matter can be perturbed away from the thermodynamic equilibrium by imposing a rapid shock or physical change to the system. Depending on the magnitude of the perturbation, these changes can dictate the subsequent evolution of the entire system, allowing for instance to populate non-equilibrium reactive intermediate states.

3D Patterning of Si by Contact Etching With Nanoporous Metals.

Nanoporous gold and platinum electrodes are used to pattern n-type silicon by contact etching at the macroscopic scale. This type of electrode has the advantage of forming nanocontacts between silicon, the metal and the electrolyte as in classical metal assisted chemical etching while ensuring electrolyte transport to and from the interface through the electrode. Nanoporous gold electrodes with two types of nanostructures, fine and coarse (average ligament widths of ~30 and 100 nm, respectively) have been elaborated and tested.

The association between gene variants and longitudinal structural brain changes in psychosis: a systematic review of longitudinal neuroimaging genetics studies.

Evidence suggests that genetic variation might influence structural brain alterations in psychotic disorders. Longitudinal genetic neuroimaging (G-NI) studies are designed to assess the association between genetic variants, disease progression and brain changes. There is a paucity of reviews of longitudinal G-NI studies in psychotic disorders.

Tunable Surface Structuration of Silicon by Metal Assisted Chemical Etching with Pt Nanoparticles under Electrochemical Bias.

An in-depth study of metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) of p-type c-Si in HF/HO aqueous solutions using Pt nanoparticles as catalysts is presented. Combination of cyclic voltammetry, open circuit measurements, chronoamperometry, impedance spectroscopy, and 2D band bending modeling of the metal/semiconductor/electrolyte interfaces at the nanoscale and under different etching conditions allows gaining physical insights into this system. Additionally, in an attempt to mimic the etching conditions, the modeling has been performed with a positively biased nanoparticle buried in the Si substrate.

Development of secondary mutations in wild-type and mutant EZH2 alleles cooperates to confer resistance to EZH2 inhibitors.

The histone methyltransferase Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) is frequently dysregulated in cancers, and gain-of-function (GOF) EZH2 mutations have been identified in non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Small-molecule inhibitors against EZH2 demonstrated anti-tumor activity in EZH2-mutated lymphomas and entered clinical trials. Here, we developed models of acquired resistance to EZH2 inhibitor EI1 with EZH2-mutated lymphoma cells.

Impact of the Smoothened inhibitor, IPI-926, on smoothened ciliary localization and Hedgehog pathway activity.

A requisite step for canonical Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation by Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) ligand is accumulation of Smoothened (Smo) to the primary cilium (PC). Activation of the Hh pathway has been implicated in a broad range of cancers, and several Smo antagonists are being assessed clinically, one of which is approved for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma. Recent reports demonstrate that various Smo antagonists differentially impact Smo localization to the PC while still exerting inhibitory activity.

Changes in phytoplankton composition in response to tides, wind-induced mixing conditions, and freshwater outflows in an urbanised estuarine complex.

Recent reports have shown an increase in potentially harmful phytoplankton in Santos bay (Southeastern Brazilian Coast), located in a highly urbanised estuarine complex. Prediction of blooms is, thus, essential but the phytoplankton community structure in very dynamic regions is difficult to determine. In the present work, we discriminate bloom forming microphytoplankton dominance and their relationship to physical and meteorological variables to look for patterns observed in different tides and seasons.

Design, optimization and fabrication of an optical mode filter for integrated optics.

We present the design, optimization, fabrication and characterization of an optical mode filter, which attenuates the snaking behavior of light caused by a lateral misalignment of the input optical fiber relative to an optical circuit. The mode filter is realized as a bottleneck section inserted in an optical waveguide in front of a branching element. It is designed with Bézier curves.

Prognostic Factors for Injection-Site Sarcomas in Cats.

In this retrospective study of cases from Italy and Switzerland, the clinical features of injection-site sarcomas in 57 cats were reviewed. In addition to routine physical, laboratory, and radiographic examinations, advanced imaging (computed tomographic scans) was conducted to delineate tumor extent. Treatment was by wide surgical excision including partial scapulectomy, spinous process removal, and amputation (appendicular lesions).

Optical devices for ultra-compact photonic integrated circuits based on III-V/polymer nanowires.

We demonstrated the potential application of III-V/polymer nanowires for photonic integrated circuits in a previous paper. Hereby, we report the use of a spot size converter based on 2D reverse nanotaper structure in order to improve the coupling efficiency between the nanowire and optical fiber. A total coupling enhancement of up to a factor 60 has been measured from an 80 nm x 300 nm cross-section tip which feeds an 300 nm-side square nanowire at its both ends.

Treatments for feline long bone fractures.

Orthopedic injuries in cats occur frequently and are amenable to a variety of surgical and nonsurgical treatment options. Complications and delayed healing have been reported and can be attributed to improper fixation. Clinicians have numerous options ranging from external to internal fixation, casting, cage rest, and limb amputation.

Osteochondrosis of the femur.

Osteochondrosis can occur in the stifle joint(s) of young, rapidly growing large breeds of dogs. Although not as common as osteochondrosis of the shoulder, elbow, and hock joints, the osteochondral defect in the femoral condyle(s) and stifle joint fragment can cause a clinically apparent lameness. Radiography is beneficial in identifying the lesion(s), and surgical therapy is useful in restoring limb function.