Spatial Characterization of Woody Species Diversity in Tropical Savannas Using GEDI and Optical Data.

Developing the capacity to monitor species diversity worldwide is of great importance in halting biodiversity loss. To this end, remote sensing plays a unique role. In this study, we evaluate the potential of Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) data, combined with conventional satellite optical imagery and climate reanalysis data, to predict in situ alpha diversity (Species richness, Simpson index, and Shannon index) among tree species.

qPCR as a Tool for the Diagnosis of Visceral and Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Ensuring accuracy in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis is crucial due to the myriad of potential differential diagnoses. Given the inherent limitations of serological techniques, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) emerges as a superior alternative. Furthermore, parasitological methods, conventionally regarded as the gold standard owing to their high specificity, encounter challenges concerning sensitivity and invasiveness for patients.

Effect of a driving pressure-limiting strategy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to community-acquired pneumonia: the STAMINA randomised clinical trial.

Background: This study aimed to assess whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy based on positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration according to best respiratory system compliance and tidal volume adjustment increases the number of ventilator-free days within 28 days in patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Methods: This is a multi-centre, randomised trial, enrolling adults with moderate to severe ARDS secondary to community-acquired pneumonia. Patients were randomised to a driving pressure-limiting strategy or low PEEP strategy based on a PEEP:FiO table.

INTESTINAL ENDOMETRIOSIS: OUTCOMES FROM A MULTIDISCIPLINARY SPECIALIZED REFERRAL CENTER.

Background: Deep penetrating endometriosis (DE) can affect abdominal and pelvic organs like the bowel and bladder, requiring treatment to alleviate symptoms.

Aims: To study and investigate clinical and surgical outcomes in patients diagnosed with DE involving the intestines, aiming to analyze the effectiveness of surgical treatments.

Methods: All cases treated from January 2021 to July 2023 were included, focusing on patients aged 18 years or older with the disease affecting the intestines.

Prospective, randomized, controlled trial assessing the effects of a driving pressure-limiting strategy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to community-acquired pneumonia (STAMINA trial): protocol and statistical analysis plan.

Background: Driving pressure has been suggested to be the main driver of ventilator-induced lung injury and mortality in observational studies of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy can improve clinical outcomes is unclear.

Objective: To describe the protocol and statistical analysis plan that will be used to test whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy including positive end-expiratory pressure titration according to the best respiratory compliance and reduction in tidal volume is superior to a standard strategy involving the use of the ARDSNet low-positive end-expiratory pressure table in terms of increasing the number of ventilator-free days in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to community-acquired pneumonia.

Physiological evaluation of yeast strains under anaerobic conditions using glucose, fructose, or sucrose as the carbon source.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiology of 13 yeast strains by assessing their kinetic parameters under anaerobic conditions. They included Saccharomyces cerevisiae CAT-1 and 12 isolated yeasts from different regions in Brazil. The study aimed to enhance understanding of the metabolism of these strains for more effective applications.

Catalytic properties of amylases produced by Cunninghamella echinulata and Rhizopus microsporus.

The present work aimed to characterize and compare the catalytic properties of amylases from Cunninghamella echinulata and Rhizopus microsporus. The highest production of amylase by C. echinulata, 234.

A new approach for purification of the catalytic site of the angiotensin-conversion enzyme, N-domain, mediated by the ELP-Intein system.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme I (ACE) is a key part of the renin-angiotensin system. Its main function is to regulate blood pressure and the balance of salts in the body. Somatic ACE has two domains, N-C-, each of which has a catalytic site that exhibits 60%sequence identity.

Partial and total defoliation during the filling period affected grain industrial and nutraceutical quality in soybean.

Background: Little is known about soybean grain chemical composition response to defoliation. The objectives of our study were: (i) to quantify the impact of different levels and timing of defoliation during the filling period on soybean grain yield and grain chemical content and composition, including protein, oil, fatty acids, and isoflavones; and (ii) to establish associations between them and the level and timing of defoliation.

Results: Yield and grain chemical components were reduced by defoliation treatments, these effects being more pronounced as defoliation increased.

Sentiment analysis based on a social media customised dictionary.

This article presents a methodology to classify the polarity of words from selected Tweets. Usually, social media sentiment (SMS) is lexically determined, manually or by machine learning. However, these methods are either slow or based on a pre-established dictionary, thus not providing a customised analysis.

β-glucosidase from thermophilic fungus Thermoascus crustaceus: production and industrial potential.

Microbial β-glucosidases can be used in several industrial processes, including production of biofuels, functional foods, juices, and beverages. In the present work, production of β-glucosidase by solid state cultivation of the fungus Thermoascus crustaceus in a low-cost cultivation medium (comprising agroindustrial residues) was evaluated. The highest production of β-glucosidase, about 415.

Effect of tocilizumab on clinical outcomes at 15 days in patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019: randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine whether tocilizumab improves clinical outcomes for patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19).

Design: Randomised, open label trial.

Setting: Nine hospitals in Brazil, 8 May to 17 July 2020.

Evaluation of the Fermentative Capacity of CAT-1 and BB9 Strains and BB2 at Simulated Industrial Conditions.

The search for promising yeasts that surpass the fermentative capacity of commercial strains, such as CAT-1, is of great importance for industrial ethanol processes in the world. Two yeasts, BB2 and BB9, were evaluated in comparison to the industrial yeast CAT-1. The objective was to evaluate the performance profile of the three studied strains in terms of growth, substrate consumption, and metabolite formation, aiming to determine their behaviour in different media and pH conditions.

Effects of the carbon source on the physiology and invertase activity of the yeast FT858.

FT858 is an industrial yeast strain with high fermentative efficiency, but marginally studied so far. The aim of this work was to evaluate the biotechnological potential of FT858 through kinetic growth parameters, and the influence of the concentration of the substrate on the synthesis of the invertase enzyme. Invertases have a high biotechnological potential and their production through yeast is strongly influenced by the sugars in the medium.

Catalytic and thermodynamic properties of β-glucosidases produced by Lichtheimia corymbifera and Byssochlamys spectabilis.

The objective of the present study was to optimize parameters for the cultivation of Lichtheimia corymbifera (mesophilic) and Byssochlamys spectabilis (thermophilic) for the production of β-glucosidases and to compare the catalytic and thermodynamic properties of the partially purified enzymes. The maximum amount of β-glucosidase produced by L. corymbifera was 39 U/g dry substrate (or 3.

Vaccine confidence and hesitancy in Brazil.

Despite the overall benefits of immunization, vaccine hesitancy has been a growing trend and has been associated with the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. The aim of this study was to assess vaccine confidence and hesitancy in Brazil, as part of a wider project to map vaccine confidence globally. One thousand subjects were interviewed, either online or face-to-face, based on a general questionnaire regarding perceptions on vaccines and vaccination.

Biochemical characterization and evaluation of invertases produced from Saccharomyces cerevisiae CAT-1 and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa for the production of fructooligosaccharides.

Invertases are used for several purposes; one among these is the production of fructooligosaccharides. The aim of this study was to biochemically characterize invertase from industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae CAT-1 and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa isolated from Cerrado soil. The optimum pH and temperature were 4.

Catalytic Properties of Amylolytic Enzymes Produced by Using Agroindustrial Residues on Solid-State Fermentation.

Amylases catalyze the hydrolysis of starch, a vegetable polysaccharide abundant in nature. These enzymes can be utilized in the production of syrups, alcohol, detergent, pharmaceutical products, and animal feed formulations. The aim of this study was to optimize the production of amylases by the filamentous fungus by solid-state fermentation and to evaluate the catalytic properties of the obtained enzymatic extract.

Minilaparoscopy-assisted transumbilical laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

The role of laparoscopy in the modern surgery era is well established. With the prospect of being able to improve the already privileged current situation, new alternatives have been proposed, such as natural orifice endoscopic surgery (NOTES), the method for single transumbilical access (LESS - Laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery) and minilaparoscopy (MINI). The technique proposed by the authors uses a laparoscope with an operative channel like the flexible endoscope used in NOTES.

A Graph is Worth a Thousand Words: How Overconfidence and Graphical Disclosure of Numerical Information Influence Financial Analysts Accuracy on Decision Making.

Previous researches support that graphs are relevant decision aids to tasks related to the interpretation of numerical information. Moreover, literature shows that different types of graphical information can help or harm the accuracy on decision making of accountants and financial analysts. We conducted a 4×2 mixed-design experiment to examine the effects of numerical information disclosure on financial analysts' accuracy, and investigated the role of overconfidence in decision making.

Production and Catalytic Properties of Amylases from Lichtheimia ramosa and Thermoascus aurantiacus by Solid-State Fermentation.

The present study compared the production and the catalytic properties of amylolytic enzymes obtained from the fungi Lichtheimia ramosa (mesophilic) and Thermoascus aurantiacus (thermophilic). The highest amylase production in both fungi was observed in wheat bran supplemented with nutrient solution (pH 4.0) after 96 hours of cultivation, reaching 417.

Environmentally Realistic Doses of Cadmium as a Possible Etiologic Agent for Idiopathic Pathologies.

Cadmium is a heavy metal of increasing environmental concern that has long been associated to several human pathological processes. Recent population surveys have correlated cadmium non-occupational exposure to widespread idiopathic pathologies. Food and tobacco are reported to be the main exposure sources of cadmium to the general population, as phosphate fertilizers are rich in such a metal, thus contaminating the crops.