Synchrotron X-ray micro-computed tomography enhances our knowledge of the skull anatomy of a Late Triassic ecteniniid cynodont with hypercanines.

Hypercanines, or hypertrophied canines, are observed in a wide range of both extinct and extant synapsids. In non-mammaliaform cynodonts, the Permo-Triassic forerunners of mammals, long canines are not uncommon, appearing in several unrelated taxa within the clade. Among them is Trucidocynodon riograndensis, a carnivorous ecteniniid cynodont from the Late Triassic of Brazil, which exhibits a specialized dentition, including spear-shaped incisors, very long and narrow canines, and sectorial postcanines with distally oriented cusps, all of which have finely serrated margins.

Neurofilament Light Protein as a Biomarker in Severe Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Severe mental disorders (SMDs), such as schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD), are heterogeneous psychiatric diseases that impose a significant societal burden due to their chronic disabling nature. There are no objective and reliable diagnostic tests for SMDs; thus, there is an urgent need for specific biomarkers to improve diagnosis, treatment, and resource allocation. Neurofilaments, found in cerebrospinal fluid and blood, offer reliable diagnostic and prognostic potential.

An advanced light scattering apparatus for investigating soft matter onboard the International Space Station.

Colloidal solids (COLIS) is a state-of-the-art light scattering setup developed for experiments onboard the International Space Station (ISS). COLIS allows for probing the structure and dynamics of soft matter systems on a wide range of length scales, from a few nm to tens of microns, and on time scales from 100 ns to tens of hours. In addition to conventional static and dynamic light scattering, COLIS includes depolarized dynamic light scattering, a small-angle camera, photon correlation imaging, and optical manipulation of thermosensitive samples through an auxiliary near-infrared laser beam, thereby providing a unique platform for probing soft matter systems.

Effectiveness of multigene analysis for associating dimorphic partners in flat wasps (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae, Dissomphalus).

DNA sequences have proved valuable for associating males and females of the same dimorphic species in Hymenoptera. These molecular associations, however, depend on the used DNA sequences and the analysis methods. In the present study, we evaluated the molecular associations on 23 species of Dissomphalus (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) using the three most common DNA sequences in molecular studies of Hymenoptera (28S rRNA, COI and ITS2).

Cretaceous bird from Brazil informs the evolution of the avian skull and brain.

A dearth of Mesozoic-aged, three-dimensional fossils hinders understanding of the origin of the distinctive skull and brain of modern (crown) birds. Here we report Navaornis hestiae gen. et sp.

Low-cost architecture for iron-based coated conductors.

The design of iron-based coated conductors (IBS-CC) with a simplified architecture is possible thanks to the material properties that allow for milder requirements on the template crystalline quality. With respect to the state-of-the-art multilayered layout, it is possible to use a single buffer layer that remains necessary for protection and to promote the oriented growth of the superconducting film. In this work, Fe(Se,Te) films are grown via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on commercial tapes using a single, chemically deposited, CeO-based buffer layer, and interesting properties are obtained.

First record of rhynchosaurs (Archosauromorpha: Rhynchosauria: Hyperodapedontinae) from the early Late Triassic Santacruzodon Assemblage Zone of the Santa Maria Supersequence, Brazil.

Rhynchosauria is a group of extinct, exclusively Triassic, terrestrial, and herbivorous archosauromorphs, characterized by a peculiar maxillary-mandibular apparatus. They reached global distribution during the Carnian, with the Hyperodapedontinae clade. The rhynchosaurian record from South America is included in the Ladinian-?earliest Carnian Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone (Pinheiros-Chiniquá Sequence, Brazil) and Tarjadia Assemblage Zone (Chañares Formation, Argentina), and for strictly Carnian Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone (Lower Candelária Sequence, Brazil) and Ischigualasto Formation (Argentina).

Brazilian fossils reveal homoplasy in the oldest mammalian jaw joint.

The acquisition of the load-bearing dentary-squamosal jaw joint was a key step in mammalian evolution. Although this innovation has received decades of study, questions remain over when and how frequently a mammalian-like skull-jaw contact evolved, hindered by a paucity of three-dimensional data spanning the non-mammaliaform cynodont-mammaliaform transition. New discoveries of derived non-mammaliaform probainognathian cynodonts from South America have much to offer to this discussion.

Accelerating histopathology workflows with generative AI-based virtually multiplexed tumour profiling.

Understanding the spatial heterogeneity of tumours and its links to disease initiation and progression is a cornerstone of cancer biology. Presently, histopathology workflows heavily rely on hematoxylin and eosin and serial immunohistochemistry staining, a cumbersome, tissue-exhaustive process that results in non-aligned tissue images. We propose the VirtualMultiplexer, a generative artificial intelligence toolkit that effectively synthesizes multiplexed immunohistochemistry images for several antibody markers (namely AR, NKX3.

Copper excess in psychiatric disorders: a focus on mood spectrum disorders and sex.

Background: Meta-analyses show increased copper (Cu) levels in major depression disorder. However, the association of Cu biomarkers with clinical classification in other mental health disorders has not been fully explored.

Methods: To this aim, we compared an extensive panel of Cu biomarkers, composed of Cu, ceruloplasmin (Cp) Cp activity, Cp specific activity, Cu not bound to ceruloplasmin (non-Cp Cu, also known as 'free' copper) in 171 consecutive patients affected by psychiatric disorders and in 61 healthy controls (HC) using MANOVA adjusting for the effect of sex and age, and studied their association with the clinical scale outcomes at psychiatric examination, namely Global Assessment of Functioning, Clinical Global Impression, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale.

Association of Weight Status and Waist Circumference with Physical Activity in people with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and healthy controls.

Background: Individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD) often suffer from obesity and do limited Physical Activity (PA). PA has many beneficial effects on a variety of somatic and mental variables and it should be strengthened among people with mental disorders. The relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), and PA in this population is poorly understood, with a lack of precise PA assessment.

The True Impact of Voiding Dysfunctions after Transobturator Sub-Urethral Tape Procedures: A Systematic Review of Literature.

: Transobturator techniques are frequently used for the surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI), due to their high success rates and few intraoperative complications. However, controversial results have been reported in the literature regarding their incidence. The aim of this study is to analyze the real incidence and trend over time of such complications, especially voiding dysfunctions and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.

The impact of face masks on face-to-face neural tracking of speech: Auditory and visual obstacles.

Face masks provide fundamental protection against the transmission of respiratory viruses but hamper communication. We estimated auditory and visual obstacles generated by face masks on communication by measuring the neural tracking of speech. To this end, we recorded the EEG while participants were exposed to naturalistic audio-visual speech, embedded in 5-talker noise, in three contexts: (i) no-mask (audio-visual information was fully available), (ii) virtual mask (occluded lips, but intact audio), and (iii) real mask (occluded lips and degraded audio).

The DNA repair protein DNA-PKcs modulates synaptic plasticity via PSD-95 phosphorylation and stability.

The key DNA repair enzyme DNA-PKcs has several and important cellular functions. Loss of DNA-PKcs activity in mice has revealed essential roles in immune and nervous systems. In humans, DNA-PKcs is a critical factor for brain development and function since mutation of the prkdc gene causes severe neurological deficits such as microcephaly and seizures, predicting yet unknown roles of DNA-PKcs in neurons.

Knowledge on Sexually Transmitted Infections and Dedicated Health Care Centers Among Italian Adults: Insights From a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are a global concern. In Italy, despite the presence of publicly funded STI diagnostic centers, limited attention has been given to the knowledge of these services among the adult population. This study primarily aimed to evaluate Italian adults' knowledge about STI and dedicated health care centers.

Anatomy of the maxillary canal of Riograndia guaibensis (Cynodontia, Probainognathia)-A prozostrodont from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil.

Investigating the evolutionary trajectory of synapsid sensory and cephalic systems is pivotal for understanding the emergence and diversification of mammals. Recent studies using CT-scanning to analyze the rostral foramina and maxillary canals morphology in fossilized specimens of probainognathian cynodonts have contributed to clarifying the homology and paleobiological interpretations of these structures. In the present work, μCT-scannings of three specimens of Riograndia guaibensis, an early Norian cynodont from southern Brazil, were analyzed and revealed an incomplete separation between the lacrimal and maxillary canals, with points of contact via non-ossified areas.

Influence of the 3-Hydroxyvalerate Content on the Processability, Nucleating and Blending Ability of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate--3-hydroxyvalerate)-Based Materials.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate--3-hydroxyvalerate (P(3HB--3HV) copolymers are an attractive class of biopolymers whose properties can be tailored by changing the 3-hydroxyvalerate monomer (3HV) concentration, offering the possibility of counteracting problems related to high crystallinity, brittleness, and processability. However, there are few studies about the effects of 3HV content on the processability of copolymers. The present study aims to provide new insights into the effect of 3HV content on the processing step including common practices like compounding, addition of nucleation agents and/or amorphous polymers as plasticizers.

Fe(Se,Te) Thin Films Deposited through Pulsed Laser Ablation from Spark Plasma Sintered Targets.

Iron-based superconductors are under study for their potential for high-field applications due to their excellent superconducting properties such as low structural anisotropy, large upper critical fields and low field dependence of the critical current density. Between them, Fe(Se,Te) is simple to be synthesized and can be fabricated as a coated conductor through laser ablation on simple metallic templates. In order to make all the steps simple and fast, we have applied the spark plasma sintering technique to synthesize bulk Fe(Se,Te) to obtain quite dense polycrystals in a very short time.

New evidence from high-resolution computed microtomography of Triassic stem-mammal skulls from South America enhances discussions on turbinates before the origin of Mammaliaformes.

The nasal cavity of living mammals is a unique structural complex among tetrapods, acquired along a series of major morphological transformations that occurred mainly during the Mesozoic Era, within the Synapsida clade. Particularly, non-mammaliaform cynodonts document several morphological changes in the skull, during the Triassic Period, that represent the first steps of the mammalian bauplan. We here explore the nasal cavity of five cynodont taxa, namely Thrinaxodon, Chiniquodon, Prozostrodon, Riograndia, and Brasilodon, in order to discuss the main changes within this skull region.