Numerical and experimental investigation of a droplet vitrification process: A thermofluidic analysis for cryopreservation.

One of the biggest challenges in studying vitrification protocols for small volumes of biological materials, especially the microdroplet vitrification protocol, is measuring the solidification rate, requiring equipment with a high level of technology, making it practically impossible to measure the degree of crystallization. An alternative is using mathematical models applied in computer simulations (CFD), helping to improve and develop new vitrification protocols. This study investigates the vitrification process utilizing the microdroplet method through experimental and numerical analysis.

Myocardial Injury in Patients with Hip Fracture: A HIP ATTACK Randomized Trial Substudy.

Background: Myocardial injury after a hip fracture is common and has a poor prognosis. Patients with a hip fracture and myocardial injury may benefit from accelerated surgery to remove the physiological stress associated with the hip fracture. This study aimed to determine if accelerated surgery is superior to standard care in terms of the 90-day risk of death in patients with a hip fracture who presented with an elevated cardiac biomarker/enzyme measurement at hospital arrival.

Comprehensive assessment of clean-up strategies for optimizing an analytical multi-method to determine pesticides and mycotoxins in Brazilian medicinal herbs using QuEChERS-LC-TQ-MS/MS.

The use of medicinal herbs has increased significantly. However, the presence of pesticide residues and mycotoxins in medicinal herbs has generated constant discussion and concern among regulatory agencies. Developing and validating an analytical method for determining pesticides and mycotoxins in medicinal plants is challenging due to the naturally occurring substances in these plants.

The relative merits of using a high-sensitivity cardiac Troponin T assay compared to a nonhigh-sensitivity troponin T assay after noncardiac surgery.

Introduction: Troponin elevation after noncardiac surgery is associated with an elevated risk of 30-day mortality. Little is known about relative merit of using a high-sensitivity Troponin T (hsTnT), the fifth-generation assay, vs the nonhigh sensitivity Troponin T (non-hsTnT), the fourth-generation assay, in the noncardiac surgery setting. We aimed to identify whether hsTnT can identify additional patients at risk that would have gone undetected with non-hsTnT measurement.

Early choroidal and retinal changes detected by swept-source oct in type 2 diabetes and their association with diabetic kidney disease: a longitudinal prospective study.

Background: To evaluate structural changes in retina and choroid in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and their association with diabetic kidney disease (DKD).

Methods: T2D patients with mild or no diabetic retinopathy (DR) were followed for 3 years using structural SS-OCT and OCT angiography (OCT-A) taken every 6 months. Parameters were compared longitudinally and according to the DKD status on baseline.

Comparison of 17β-estradiol, bisphenol-A and caffeine concentration levels before and after the water treatment plant.

This article compares the concentration levels of 17β-estradiol (E2), bisphenol-A (BPA) and caffeine (CAF) in the Sinos River, Brazil, which is a source of drinking water and the presence of contaminants after the conventional treatment in a municipal water treatment plant (WTP). A total of nine sampling campaigns were carried out, with sample collection in the Sinos River, upstream and downstream of the WTP, in addition to a drinking water sample (DW). The samples were extracted with solid phase extraction (SPE) and the concentration by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

The association of attentional foci and image interpretation accuracy in novices interpreting lung ultrasound images: an eye-tracking study.

It is unclear, where learners focus their attention when interpreting point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) images. This study seeks to determine the relationship between attentional foci metrics with lung ultrasound (LUS) interpretation accuracy in novice medical learners. A convenience sample of 14 medical residents with minimal LUS training viewed 8 LUS cineloops, with their eye-tracking patterns recorded.

Ostracods from the Barbalha and Crato formations, Aptian of the Araripe Basin, northeast Brazil.

Ostracods have been widely used for biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental purposes for the Lower Cretaceous deposits of northeastern interior Brazilian basins. The ostracods of the Romualdo and Crato formations of the Araripe Basin are particularly well known; however, the ones from the underlying Barbalha Formation are less so. Here we report 10 ostracod species, of which three are new, obtained from 56 samples of the Barbalha and Crato formations collected from boreholes 1PS-06-CE and 1PS-10-CE: Candonopsis? alagoensis Tomé et al.

Early Aptian marine incursions in the interior of northeastern Brazil following the Gondwana breakup.

This study reports a set of primeval marine incursions identified in two drill cores, 1PS-06-CE, and 1PS-10-CE, which recovered the Barbalha Formation, Araripe Basin, Brazil. Based on a multi-proxy approach involving stratigraphy, microbiofacies, ichnofossils, and microfossils, three short-lived marine incursions were identified, designated Araripe Marine Incursions (AMI) 1-3. AMI-1 and AMI-2, which occur within the shales of the Batateira Beds (lower part of the Barbalha Formation), were identified by the occurrence of benthonic foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, dinocysts, and a mass mortality event of non-marine ostracods.

Effects of the Interculturality and Mindfulness Program (PIM) on University Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Rates of mental health issues have been increasing among university students. This study investigates the effects of the Interculturality and Mindfulness Program (PIM) on academic students on mindfulness, emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction, optimism, positive solitude, and loneliness. A quasi-experimental research was conducted, with pre- and post-test comparative measurements in three groups: in-person (IG), synchronous online (OG), and passive control (CG).

Covid-19 Outbreak in Brazil: Health, Social, Political, and Economic Implications.

COVID-19 outbreak quickly spread to all corners of the globe. In Brazil, the outbreak was particularly frightening because it worsened existing health, political, economic, and social problems. The results already observed show the contagion ripple-spreading process across the country, causing the death of thousands of people each day and counting, added to a very serious wave of unemployment, scientific denial, and social precariousness.

REDA: A New Methodology to Validate Sensor Systems for Person Detection under Variable Environmental Conditions.

Perception of the environment by sensor systems in variable environmental conditions is very complex due to the interference influences. In the field of autonomous machines or autonomous vehicles, environmental conditions play a decisive role in safe person detection. A uniform test and validation method can support the manufacturers of sensor systems during development and simultaneously provide proof of functionality.

Determination of roughness coefficient in 3D digital representations of rocks.

The roughness property of rocks is significant in engineering studies due to their mechanical and hydraulic performance and the possibility of quantifying flow velocity and predicting the performance of wells and rock mass structures. However, the study of roughness in rocks is usually carried out through 2D linear measurements (through mechanical profilometer equipment), obtaining a coefficient that may not represent the entire rock surface. Thus, based on the hypothesis that it is possible to quantify the roughness coefficient in rock plugs reconstructed three-dimensionally by the computer vision technique, this research aims to an alternative method to determine the roughness coefficient in rock plugs.

Method for evaluating roughness and valley areas coefficients of surfaces acquired by laser scanner.

The quantitative determination of average roughness parameters, from the determination of height variations of the surface points, is frequently used to estimate the adhesion between an adhesive and the surface of a substrate. However, to determine the interaction between an adhesive and a surface of a heterogeneous material, such as a red ceramic, it is essential to define other roughness parameters. This work proposes a method for determining the roughness of red ceramic blocks from a three-dimensional evaluation, with the objective of estimating the contact area that the ceramic substrate can provide for a cementitious matrix.

Antimicrobial agents in dental restorative materials: Effect on long-term drug release and material properties.

The present study reports on the long-term drug release and mechanical properties of bioactive dental filling materials based on chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX) or octinidine (di)hydrochloride (ODH) incorporated in a composite based on dimethacrylates or an ormocer. CHX or ODH were added to a nano-hybrid ormocer (O) and a nano-hybrid composite (C) with the amount of 2 wt% to achieve four matrix-drug combinations: O-CHX, O-ODH, C-CHX, and C-ODH. Drug extraction and release were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD), while drug distribution was assessed by using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).

Antimicrobial agents in dental restorative materials: Effect on polymerization, short-term drug release and biological impact.

With the aim to design bioactive dental restorative material, the present study investigated the influence of the antimicrobial agents chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX) and octinidine (di)hydrochloride (ODH) when incorporated in two different materials. Selected parameters were polymerization enthalpy, short-term drug release, and the effect on Streptococcus mutans as well as human gingival fibroblasts. Samples were made by mixing a nano-hybrid ormocer (O) and a methacrylate-based nano-hybrid composite (C), each with a mass fraction of 2% CHX or ODH.

A Bibliometric Network Analysis of Recent Publications on Digital Agriculture to Depict Strategic Themes and Evolution Structure.

The agriculture sector is one of the backbones of many countries' economies. Its processes have been changing to enable technology adoption to increase productivity, quality, and sustainable development. In this research, we present a scientific mapping of the adoption of precision techniques and breakthrough technologies in agriculture, so-called Digital Agriculture.

Fire association with respiratory disease and COVID-19 complications in the State of Pará, Brazil.

Background: Brazil has faced two simultaneous problems related to respiratory health: forest fires and the high mortality rate due to COVID-19 pandemics. The Amazon rain forest is one of the Brazilian biomes that suffers the most with fires caused by droughts and illegal deforestation. These fires can bring respiratory diseases associated with air pollution, and the State of Pará in Brazil is the most affected.

Early neurovascular retinal changes detected by swept-source OCT in type 2 diabetes and association with diabetic kidney disease.

Purpose: To evaluate retinal thickness and capillary density in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and their association with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with T2D patients with mild or no diabetic retinopathy (DR) and nondiabetic controls. Inner retinal layer thickness was measured with SS-OCT.

Data mining and knowledge discovery in databases for urban solid waste management: A scientific literature review.

The processes related to solid waste management (SWM) are being revised as new technologies emerge and are applied in the area to achieve greater environmental, social and economic sustainability for society. To achieve our goal, two robust review protocols (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Context (PICOC) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)) were used to systematically analyze 62 documents extracted from the Web of Science database to identify the main techniques and tools for Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) and Data Mining (DM) as applied to SWM and explore the technological potential to optimize the stages of collecting and transporting waste. Moreover, it was possible to analyze the main challenges and opportunities of KDD and DM for SWM.

Big Data for Biomedical Education with a Focus on the COVID-19 Era: An Integrative Review of the Literature.

Medical education refers to education and training delivered to medical students in order to become a practitioner. In recent decades, medicine has been radically transformed by scientific and computational/digital advances-including the introduction of new information and communication technologies, the discovery of DNA, and the birth of genomics and post-genomics super-specialties (transcriptomics, proteomics, interactomics, and metabolomics/metabonomics, among others)-which contribute to the generation of an unprecedented amount of data, so-called 'big data'. While these are well-studied in fields such as medical research and methodology, translational medicine, and clinical practice, they remain overlooked and understudied in the field of medical education.

Recognizing the enemy: do predator cues influence hatching in Neotropical annual killifish?

Annual fish species have evolved complex adaptations to survive in temporary wetlands. The main adaptation of these fish is the ability to produce embryos that survive dry periods. Embryo development of this fish can show variation at multiple levels influenced by many environmental factors, such as photoperiod and temperature.

Development of a freeze-dried symbiotic obtained from rice bran.

This study aimed to assess the growth potential of and in rice bran, a co-product from the food industry, and subsequently develop a freeze-dried symbiotic. Furthermore, phytochemicals and antioxidant properties were analysed. The growth was measured using growth kinetics over 72 h.