Analysis of Macronutrients in Soil Using Impedimetric Multisensor Arrays.

The need to increase food production to address the world population growth can only be fulfilled with precision agriculture strategies to increase crop yield with minimal expansion of the cultivated area. One example is site-specific fertilization based on accurate monitoring of soil nutrient levels, which can be made more cost-effective using sensors. This study developed an impedimetric multisensor array using ion-selective membranes to analyze soil samples enriched with macronutrients (N, P, and K), which is compared with another array based on layer-by-layer films.

Accuracy of artificial intelligence in implant dentistry: A scoping review with systematic evidence mapping.

Statement Of Problem: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in dentistry has grown. However, the accuracy of clinical applications in implant dentistry is still unclear.

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review with systematic evidence mapping was to identify and describe the available evidence on the accuracy and clinical applications of AI in implant dentistry.

Livestock intensification and environmental sustainability: An analysis based on pasture management scenarios in the brazilian savanna.

Brazil's major beef production occurs in the Cerrado, predominantly as extensive pastures that covers ∼50 Mha of the biome, of which approximately 2/3 show signs of degradation. Pasture recovery is now a key environmental policy, as it improves land use efficiency and soil carbon sequestration. However, as intensification leads to higher cattle stocking rates and external inputs (fertilizers, liming, etc.

Results of consolidative radiotherapy for relapsed diffuse B-cell lymphoma.

Background: Recurrent diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a disease with high mortality. The standard of care involves autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT), which is not always feasible. We investigated the impact of radiotherapy as part of the salvage treatment for patients with relapsed disease.

Effects of Water Deficit on Growth and Productivity in Tomato Crops Irrigated with Water Treated with Very Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Resonance Fields.

The tomato crop is very sensitive to stress conditions. A water deficit is defined as when precipitation is less than the evapotranspiration (ETc) of the crop in a given period, and in this scenario of climate change, it is identified as responsible for global productivity losses. The use of potential technologies for better irrigation management, such as electromagnetically treated water, remains controversial.

Using machine learning and an electronic tongue for discriminating saliva samples from oral cavity cancer patients and healthy individuals.

The diagnosis of cancer and other diseases using data from non-specific sensors - such as the electronic tongues (e-tongues) - is challenging owing to the lack of selectivity, in addition to the variability of biological samples. In this study, we demonstrate that impedance data obtained with an e-tongue in saliva samples can be used to diagnose cancer in the mouth. Data taken with a single-response microfluidic e-tongue applied to the saliva of 27 individuals were treated with multidimensional projection techniques and non-supervised and supervised machine learning algorithms.

A-DVM: A Self-Adaptive Variable Matrix Decision Variable Selection Scheme for Multimodal Problems.

Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) is a Swarm Intelligence optimization algorithm well known for its versatility. The selection of decision variables to update is purely stochastic, incurring several issues to the local search capability of the ABC. To address these issues, a self-adaptive decision variable selection mechanism is proposed with the goal of balancing the degree of exploration and exploitation throughout the execution of the algorithm.

Explainable Matrix - Visualization for Global and Local Interpretability of Random Forest Classification Ensembles.

Over the past decades, classification models have proven to be essential machine learning tools given their potential and applicability in various domains. In these years, the north of the majority of the researchers had been to improve quantitative metrics, notwithstanding the lack of information about models' decisions such metrics convey. This paradigm has recently shifted, and strategies beyond tables and numbers to assist in interpreting models' decisions are increasing in importance.

Enamel Defects in Deciduous Dentition and Their Association with the Occurrence of Adverse Effects from Pregnancy to Early Childhood.

Purpose: To verify the prevalence of developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in deciduous teeth and analyse the association with adverse events that occurred during pregnancy and early childhood.

Materials And Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 152 children with an average age of 3.57 ± 1.

Development and comprehensive characterization of porcine hepatocellular carcinoma for translational liver cancer investigation.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. New animal models that faithfully recapitulate human HCC phenotypes are required to address unmet clinical needs and advance standard-of-care therapeutics. This study utilized the Oncopig Cancer Model to develop a translational porcine HCC model which can serve as a bridge between murine studies and human clinical practice.

Initial steps in selenocysteine biosynthesis: The interaction between selenocysteine lyase and selenophosphate synthetase.

The selenocysteine (Sec) incorporation is a co-translational event taking place at an in-frame UGA-codon and dependent on an organized molecular machinery. Selenium delivery requires mainly two enzymes, the selenocysteine lyase (CsdB) is essential for Sec recycling and conversion to selenide, further used by the selenophosphate synthetase (SelD), responsible for the conversion of selenide in selenophosphate. Therefore, understanding the catalytic mechanism involved in selenium compounds delivery, such as the interaction between SelD and CsdB (EcCsdB.

Dietary Exposure to Tebuconazole Affects Testicular and Epididymal Histomorphometry in Frugivorous Bats.

This study evaluated the effects of a commercially recommended concentration (1 mL/L) of a fungicide tebuconazole (TBZ) on testicular and epididymal histomorphometry of Artibeus lituratus, following 7 and 30-day oral exposure. TBZ30 bats showed a reduction in the percentage of tubules and seminiferous epithelium, as well as a decrease in tubule and epithelium somatic indexes, and tubular diameter. Inversely, these animals showed increased percentage of intertubular compartment, Leydig cells and blood vessels.

Mitochondrial Stress Restores the Heat Shock Response and Prevents Proteostasis Collapse during Aging.

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the programmed repression of the heat shock response (HSR) accompanies the transition to reproductive maturity, leaving cells vulnerable to environmental stress and protein aggregation with age. To identify the factors driving this event, we performed an unbiased genetic screen for suppressors of stress resistance and identified the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) as a central regulator of the age-related decline of the HSR and cytosolic proteostasis. Mild downregulation of ETC activity, either by genetic modulation or exposure to mitochondria-targeted xenobiotics, maintained the HSR in adulthood by increasing HSF-1 binding and RNA polymerase II recruitment at HSF-1 target genes.

Biochemical characterization and low-resolution SAXS structure of an exo-polygalacturonase from Bacillus licheniformis.

Among the structural polymers present in the plant cell wall, pectin is the main component of the middle lamella. This heterogeneous polysaccharide has an α-1,4 galacturonic acid backbone, which can be broken by the enzymatic action of pectinases, such as exo-polygalacturonases, that sequentially cleave pectin from the non-reducing ends, releasing mono or di-galacturonic acid residues. Constant demand for pectinases that better suit industrial requirements has motivated identification and characterization of novel enzymes from diverse sources.

Immiscible phase filter extraction and equivalent amplification of genotypes 1-6 of hepatitis C RNA: The building blocks for point-of-care diagnosis.

The lack of hepatitis C virus (HCV) diagnostic tests designed for use in decentralized settings is a major obstacle for providing access to treatment and prevention services particularly in low and middle income countries. Here we describe the development and validation of two building blocks of the HCV Quant Assay, a test in development for point-of-care use: 1) an RT-qPCR assay with noncompetitive internal control that equivalently detects the 6 major HCV genotypes and 2) an automated sample prep method using immiscible phase filter technology. This novel assay has wide dynamic range of HCV quantification and a limit of detection of 30IU/ml with 200μl specimen volume.

Regional variation in the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Decreasing disparities with multimodality therapy.

Background: Survival in pancreatic cancer remains poor with curative potential dependent on operative resection. We reviewed national adherence to practice guidelines to evaluate regional variation in the treatment and survival of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Retrospective cohort review of adults with pancreatic adenocarcinoma using the National Cancer Data Base from 2006 to 2013.

Use of transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia - a systematic review.

Introduction: Auditory hallucinations are defined as experiences of auditory perceptions in the absence of a provoking external stimulus. They are the most prevalent symptoms of schizophrenia with high capacity for chronicity and refractoriness during the course of disease. The transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) - a safe, portable, and inexpensive neuromodulation technique - has emerged as a promising treatment for the management of auditory hallucinations.

Filtration Isolation of Nucleic Acids: A Simple and Rapid DNA Extraction Method.

FINA, filtration isolation of nucleic acids, is a novel extraction method which utilizes vertical filtration via a separation membrane and absorbent pad to extract cellular DNA from whole blood in less than 2 min. The blood specimen is treated with detergent, mixed briefly and applied by pipet to the separation membrane. The lysate wicks into the blotting pad due to capillary action, capturing the genomic DNA on the surface of the separation membrane.

The nematode displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorants.

A simple, affordable diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is urgently needed to improve detection of active Recently, it has been suggested that animal behavior can be used as a biosensor to signal the presence of human disease. For example, the giant African pouched rats can detect tuberculosis by sniffing sputum specimens while trained honeybees respond to three of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected in the breath of TB positive patients by proboscis extension. However, both rats and honeybees require animal housing facilities and professional trainers, which are outside the scope of most disease testing facilities.

Molecular characterization of a family 5 glycoside hydrolase suggests an induced-fit enzymatic mechanism.

Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) play fundamental roles in the decomposition of lignocellulosic biomaterials. Here, we report the full-length structure of a cellulase from Bacillus licheniformis (BlCel5B), a member of the GH5 subfamily 4 that is entirely dependent on its two ancillary modules (Ig-like module and CBM46) for catalytic activity. Using X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations, we propose that the C-terminal CBM46 caps the distal N-terminal catalytic domain (CD) to establish a fully functional active site via a combination of large-scale multidomain conformational selection and induced-fit mechanisms.

Serotonergic signalling suppresses ataxin 3 aggregation and neurotoxicity in animal models of Machado-Joseph disease.

Polyglutamine diseases are a class of dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorders for which there is no effective treatment. Here we provide evidence that activation of serotonergic signalling is beneficial in animal models of Machado-Joseph disease. We identified citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in a small molecule screen of FDA-approved drugs that rescued neuronal dysfunction and reduced aggregation using a Caenorhabditis elegans model of mutant ataxin 3-induced neurotoxicity.

Investigating the spreading and toxicity of prion-like proteins using the metazoan model organism C. elegans.

Prions are unconventional self-propagating proteinaceous particles, devoid of any coding nucleic acid. These proteinaceous seeds serve as templates for the conversion and replication of their benign cellular isoform. Accumulating evidence suggests that many protein aggregates can act as self-propagating templates and corrupt the folding of cognate proteins.

Calcium influx inhibition is involved in the hypotensive and vasorelaxant effects induced by yangambin.

The pharmacological effects on the cardiovascular system of yangambin, a lignan isolated from Ocotea duckei Vattimo (Lauraceae), were studied in rats using combined functional and biochemical approaches. In non-anaesthetized rats, yangambin (1, 5, 10, 20, 30 mg/kg, i.v.

Insights on the structure of native CNF, an endogenous phospholipase A2 inhibitor from Crotalus durissus terrificus, the South American rattlesnake.

Several snake species possess endogenous phospholipase A2 inhibitors (sbPLIs) in their blood plasma, the primary role of which is protection against an eventual presence of toxic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from their venom glands in the circulation. These inhibitors have an oligomeric structure of, at least, three subunits and have been categorized into three classes (α, β and γ) based on their structural features. SbγPLIs have been further subdivided into two subclasses according to their hetero or homomeric nature, respectively.