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Chronic respiratory diseases often necessitate lung transplantation due to irreversible damage. Organ engineering offers hope through stem cell-based organ generation. However, the crucial sterilization step in scaffold preparation poses challenges. This study conducted a systematic review of studies that analysed the extracellular matrix (ECM) conditions of decellularised lungs subjected to different sterilisation processes. A search was performed for articles published in the PubMed, Web of Sciences, Scopus, and SciELO databases according to the PRISMA guidelines. Overall, five articles that presented positive results regarding the effectiveness of the sterilisation process were selected, some of which identified functional damage in the ECM. Was possible concluded that regardless of the type of agent used, physical or chemical, all of them demonstrated that sterilisation somehow harms the ECM. An ideal protocol has not been found to be fully effective in the sterilisation of pulmonary scaffolds for use in tissue and/or organ engineering.

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This study utilized Bayesian inference in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify genetic markers associated with traits relevant to the adaptation of Hereford and Braford cattle breeds. We focused on eye pigmentation (EP), weaning hair coat (WHC), yearling hair coat (YHC), and breeding standard (BS). Our dataset comprised 126,290 animals in the pedigree. Out of these, 233 sires were genotyped using high-density (HD) chips, and 3750 animals with medium-density (50 K) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips. Employing the Bayes B method with a prior probability of π = 0.99, we identified and tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms (Tag SNPs), ranging from 18 to 117 SNPs depending on the trait. These Tag SNPs facilitated the construction of reduced SNP panels. We then evaluated the predictive accuracy of these panels in comparison to traditional medium-density SNP chips. The accuracy of genomic predictions using these reduced panels varied significantly depending on the clustering method, ranging from 0.13 to 0.65. Additionally, we conducted functional enrichment analysis that found genes associated with the most informative SNP markers in the current study, thereby providing biological insights into the genomic basis of these traits.

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Cold sores require Healthcare professionals to employ specific approaches for prevention and management, with the need for effective therapeutic guidelines and ongoing improvement in patient care. AIM: To evalúate the methodological quality of Clinical Guidelines (CG), clinical guides and manuals for care of the population affected by herpes labialis, to verify their compliance with evidence-based health standards. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A search was conducted for CG on labial herpes in the MedicalLiteratureAnalysis andRetrieval System Online (Medline) database, Google Scholar, Brazilian Virtual Health Library (BVS), and sites of institutions/professional categories, using the descriptors "herpes labialis" or "oral herpes". Document quality was assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation Instrument (AGREE II). The Kappa test was used to avoid randomness or poor agreement between results. RESULTS: Analysis of the 12 selected publications on the management of labial herpes revealed flaws in quality, as the publications did not follow a quality standard. The main quality flaws identified were in "rigor in development" and "applicability. ". CONCLUSIONS: Priorities need to be redefined in the development of CG for clinical practice related to fever blisters to reduce the variability of the quality standard, and generate reliable, applicable recommendations.

A Herpes labial requer dos profissionais abordagens específicas para prevenido e manejo, com a ne-cessidade de diretrizes terapéuticas eficazes e continuo aprimoramento do cuidado ao paciente. OBJETIVO: avaliar a qualidade metodológica de documentos que abordaram Diretrizes Clínicas (DC), guias clínicos e manuais para o cuidado da populando afetada pelo herpes labial, verificando sua conformidade com padroes de saúde baseados em evidencias. MATERIAIS E MÉTODO: As DC sobre herpes labial foram pesquisadas na base de dados Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Google Académico, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) e em sites de instituigoes/categorias profissionais, utilizando os descritores "herpes labial" ou "herpes oral". Utilizamos aferramenta The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation Instrument (AGREE II) para a avaliagdo da qualidade. O teste Kappa também foi utilizado para evitar aleatoriedade ou baixa concordáncia entre os resultados. RESULTADOS: Na análise das 12 publicagoes selecionadas sobre o manejo do herpes labial, foram identificadas falhas na qualidade dos documentos, que ndo seguiram um padrdo de qualidade. As principais falhas de qualidade identificadas foram em "rigor no desenvolvimento" e "aplicabilida-de". CONCLUSÃO: é necessário um reenfoque para definir prioridades no desenvolvimento de DC para a prática clínica do herpes labial, a fim de reduzir a variabilidade do padrdo de qualidade e gerar recomendagoes que possam ser confiáveis e aplicáveis.

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Information theory explains how systems encode and transmit information. This article examines the neuronal system, which processes information via neurons that react to stimuli and transmit electrical signals. Specifically, we focus on transfer entropy to measure the flow of information between sequences and explore its use in determining effective neuronal connectivity. We analyze the causal relationships between two discrete time series, X:=Xt:t∈Z and Y:=Yt:t∈Z, which take values in binary alphabets. When the bivariate process (X,Y) is a jointly stationary ergodic variable-length Markov chain with memory no larger than k, we demonstrate that the null hypothesis of the test-no causal influence-requires a zero transfer entropy rate. The plug-in estimator for this function is identified with the test statistic of the log-likelihood ratios. Since under the null hypothesis, this estimator follows an asymptotic chi-squared distribution, it facilitates the calculation of p-values when applied to empirical data. The efficacy of the hypothesis test is illustrated with data simulated from a neuronal network model, characterized by stochastic neurons with variable-length memory. The test results identify biologically relevant information, validating the underlying theory and highlighting the applicability of the method in understanding effective connectivity between neurons.

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This study investigated the effect of AgNPs and AgNO3, at concentrations equivalent, on the production of primary and secondary metabolites on transgenic soybean plants through an NMR-based metabolomics. The plants were cultivated in a germination chamber following three different treatments: T0 (addition of water), T1 (addition of AgNPs), and T2 (addition of AgNO3). Physiological characteristics, anatomical analyses through microscopic structures, and metabolic profile studies were carried out to establish the effect of abiotic stress on these parameters in soybean plants. Analysis of the 1H NMR spectra revealed the presence of amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and polyphenols. The metabolic profiles of plants with AgNP and AgNO3 were qualitatively similar to the metabolic profile of the control group, suggesting that the application of silver does not affect secondary metabolites. From the PCA, it was possible to differentiate the three treatments applied, mainly based on the content of fatty acids, pinitol, choline, and betaine.

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Embolism resistance of xylem tissue varies among species and is an important trait related to drought resistance, with anatomical attributes like pit membrane thickness playing an important role in avoiding embolism spread. Grafted Citrus trees are commonly grown in orchards, with the rootstock being able to affect the drought resistance of the whole plant. Here, we evaluated how rootstocks affect the vulnerability to embolism resistance of the scion using several rootstock/scion combinations. Scions of 'Tahiti' acid lime, 'Hamlin', 'Pera' and 'Valencia' oranges grafted on a 'Rangpur' lime rootstock exhibit similar vulnerability to embolism. In field-grown trees, measurements of leaf water potential did not suggest significant embolism formation during the dry season, while stomata of Citrus trees presented an isohydric response to declining water availability. When 'Valencia' orange scions were grafted on 'Rangpur' lime, 'IAC 1710' citrandarin, 'Sunki Tropical' mandarin or 'Swingle' citrumelo rootstocks, variation in intervessel pit membrane thickness of the scion was found. The 'Rangpur' lime rootstock, which is known for its drought resistance, induced thicker pit membranes in the scion, resulting in higher embolism resistance than the other rootstocks. Similarly, the rootstock 'IAC 1710' citrandarin generated increased embolism resistance of the scion, which is highly relevant for citriculture.

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Estuarine mangroves are often considered nurseries for the Atlantic Goliath grouper juveniles. Yet, the contributions of different estuarine primary producers and habitats as sources of organic matter during early ontogenetic development remain unclear. Given the species' critically endangered status and protection in Brazil, obtaining biological samples from recently settled recruits in estuaries is challenging. In this study, we leveraged a local partnership with fishers and used stable isotope (C and N) profiles from the eye lenses of stranded individuals or incidentally caught by fishery to reconstruct the trophic and habitat changes of small juveniles. The eye lens grows by the apposition of protein-rich layers. Once these layers are formed, they become inert, allowing to make inferences on the trophic ecology and habitat use along the development of the individual until its capture. We used correlations between fish size and the entire eye lens size, along with estuarine baselines, to reconstruct the fish size and trophic positions for each of the lens layers obtained. We then used dominant primary producers and basal sources from mangrove sheltered, exposed estuarine and marine habitats to construct an ontogenetic model of trophic and habitat support changes since maternal origins. Our model revealed marine support before the juveniles reached 25 mm (standard length), followed by a rapid increase in reliance on mangrove sheltered sources, coinciding with the expected size at settlement. After reaching 60 mm, individuals began to show variability. Some remained primarily supported by the mangrove sheltered area, while others shifted to rely more on the exposed estuarine area around 150 mm. Our findings indicate that while mangroves are critical for settlement, as Goliath grouper juveniles grow, they can utilize organic matter produced throughout the estuary. This underscores the need for conservation strategies that focus on seascape connectivity, as protecting just one discrete habitat may not be sufficient to preserve this endangered species and safeguard its ecosystem functions.

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Over time, the body undergoes a natural, multifactorial, and ongoing process named senescence, which induces changes at the molecular, cellular, and micro-anatomical levels in many body systems. The brain, being a highly complex organ, is particularly affected by this process, potentially impairing its numerous functions. The brain relies on chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters to function properly, with dopamine being one of the most crucial. This catecholamine is responsible for a broad range of critical roles in the central nervous system, including movement, learning, cognition, motivation, emotion, reward, hormonal release, memory consolidation, visual performance, sexual drive, modulation of circadian rhythms, and brain development. In the present review, we thoroughly examine the impact of senescence on the dopaminergic system, with a primary focus on the classic delimitations of the dopaminergic nuclei from A8 to A17. We provide in-depth information about their anatomy and function, particularly addressing how senescence affects each of these nuclei.

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Background: Lung cancer represents a significant global health concern, often diagnosed in its advanced stages. The advent of massive DNA sequencing has revolutionized the landscape of cancer treatment by enabling the identification of target mutations and the development of tailored therapeutic approaches. Unfortunately, access to DNA sequencing technology remains limited in many developing countries. In this context, we emphasize the critical importance of integrating this advanced technology into healthcare systems in developing nations to improve treatment outcomes. Methods: We conducted an analysis of electronic clinical records of patients with confirmed advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a verified negative status for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. These patients underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS) for molecular analysis. We performed descriptive statistical analyses for each variable and conducted both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses to assess their impact on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Additionally, we classified genetic mutations as actionable or non-actionable based on the European Society for Medical Oncology Scale of Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets (ESCAT) guidelines. Results: Our study included a total of 127 patients, revealing the presence of twenty-one distinct mutations. The most prevalent mutations were EGFR (18.9%) and Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) (15.7%). Notably, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) [hazard ratio (HR): 0.258, P<0.001], tumor mutation burden (TMB) (HR: 2.073, P=0.042) and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (HR: 0.470, P=0.032) demonstrated statistical significance in both the univariate and multivariate analyses with respect to PFS. In terms of OS, ALK (HR: 0.285, P<0.001) and EGFR (HR: 0.482, P=0.024) exhibited statistical significance in both analyses. Applying the ESCAT classification system, we identified actionable genomic variations (ESCAT level-1), including EGFR, ALK, breast cancer (BRAF) gene, c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1), and rearranged during transfection (RET) gene, in 32.3% of the patients. Conclusions: Our findings from massive DNA sequencing underscore that 32.3% of patients who test negative for the EGFR mutation possess other targetable mutations, enabling them to receive personalized, targeted therapies at an earlier stage of their disease. Implementing massive DNA sequencing in developing countries is crucial to enhance survival rates among NSCLC patients and guide more effective treatment strategies.

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ABSTRACT Cold sores require Healthcare professionals to employ specific approaches for prevention and management, with the need for effective therapeutic guidelines and ongoing improvement in patient care. Aim To evalúate the methodological quality of Clinical Guidelines (CG), clinical guides and manuals for care of the population affected by herpes labialis, to verify their compliance with evidence-based health standards. Materials and Method A search was conducted for CG on labial herpes in the MedicalLiteratureAnalysis andRetrieval System Online (Medline) database, Google Scholar, Brazilian Virtual Health Library (BVS), and sites of institutions/professional categories, using the descriptors "herpes labialis" or "oral herpes". Document quality was assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation Instrument (AGREE II). The Kappa test was used to avoid randomness or poor agreement between results. Results Analysis of the 12 selected publications on the management of labial herpes revealed flaws in quality, as the publications did not follow a quality standard. The main quality flaws identified were in "rigor in development" and "applicability. " Conclusions Priorities need to be redefined in the development of CG for clinical practice related to fever blisters to reduce the variability of the quality standard, and generate reliable, applicable recommendations.

RESUMO A Herpes labial requer dos profissionais abordagens específicas para prevenido e manejo, com a ne-cessidade de diretrizes terapéuticas eficazes e continuo aprimoramento do cuidado ao paciente. Objetivo avaliar a qualidade metodológica de documentos que abordaram Diretrizes Clínicas (DC), guias clínicos e manuais para o cuidado da populando afetada pelo herpes labial, verificando sua conformidade com padroes de saúde baseados em evidencias. Materiais e Método As DC sobre herpes labial foram pesquisadas na base de dados Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Google Académico, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) e em sites de instituigoes/categorias profissionais, utilizando os descritores "herpes labial" ou "herpes oral". Utilizamos aferramenta The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation Instrument (AGREE II) para a avaliagdo da qualidade. O teste Kappa também foi utilizado para evitar aleatoriedade ou baixa concordáncia entre os resultados. Resultados Na análise das 12 publicagoes selecionadas sobre o manejo do herpes labial, foram identificadas falhas na qualidade dos documentos, que ndo seguiram um padrdo de qualidade. As principais falhas de qualidade identificadas foram em "rigor no desenvolvimento" e "aplicabilida-de". Conclusao é necessário um reenfoque para definir prioridades no desenvolvimento de DC para a prática clínica do herpes labial, a fim de reduzir a variabilidade do padrdo de qualidade e gerar recomendagoes que possam ser confiáveis e aplicáveis.

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Weeds can be hosts of root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne. The importance of the species Meloidogyne morocciensis parasitizing many crops is recognized, but their reproductive capacity in weeds is not known. The present study hypothesizes the ability of M. morocciensis to parasitize and reproduce in different weed species found in Brazil. The objective was to evaluate the reproduction of M. morocciensis in 36 weed species. The plants were individually inoculated with 5,000 eggs and second stage juveniles and kept in greenhouse for 60 days. The experimental design was completely randomized with twelve replications. The root system of each plant was evaluated for gall index (GI), final nematode population (PF), number of nematode/g of root (NNGR) and reproduction factor (RF). It was verified that M. morocciensis has the capacity to parasite 36 weed species belonging to 16 different botanical families, confirming the hypothesis proposed. From the 36 species evaluated, 77.8% (28) were susceptible (FR ≥ 1.0) to M. morocciensis. The present study is the first to identify different weeds as hosts of M. morocciensis, evidencing its polyphagous habit, indicating species of plants with high capacity to multiply this nematode and that need more attention during the integrated management of these pathogen.

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Knowledge of the 10B microdistribution is of great relevance in BNCT studies. Since 10B concentration assesment through neutron autoradiography depends on the correct quantification of tracks in a nuclear track detector, image acquisition and processing conditions should be controlled and verified, in order to obtain accurate results to be applied in the frame of BNCT. With this aim, an image verification process was proposed, based on parameters extracted from the quantified nuclear tracks. Track characterization was performed by selecting a set of morphological and pixel-intensity uniformity parameters from the quantified objects (area, diameter, roundness, aspect ratio, heterogeneity and clumpiness). Their distributions were studied, leading to the observation of varying behaviours in images generated by different samples and acquisition conditions. The distributions corresponding to samples coming from the BNC reaction showed similar attributes in each analyzed parameter, proving to be robust to the experimental process, but sensitive to light and focus conditions. Considering those observations, a manual feature extraction was performed as a pre-processing step. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) and a fully dense Neural Network (NN) were optimized, trained, and tested. The final performance metrics were similar for both models: 93%-93% for the SVM, vs 94%-95% for the NN in accuracy and precision respectively. Based on the distribution of the predicted class probabilities, the latter had a better capacity to reject inadequate images, so the NN was selected to perform the image verification step prior to quantification. The trained NN was able to correctly classify the images regardless of their track density. The exhaustive characterization of the nuclear tracks provided new knowledge related to the autoradiographic images generation. The inclusion of machine learning in the analysis workflow proves to optimize the boron determination process and paves the way for further applications in the field of boron imaging.

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Traffic simulations are valuable tools for urban mobility planning and operation, particularly in large cities. Simulation-based microscopic models have enabled traffic engineers to understand local transit and transport behaviors more deeply and manage urban mobility. However, for the simulations to be effective, the transport network and user behavior parameters must be calibrated to mirror real scenarios. In general, calibration is performed manually by traffic engineers who use their knowledge and experience to adjust the parameters of the simulator. Unfortunately, there is still no systematic and automatic process for calibrating traffic simulation networks, although some methods have been proposed in the literature. This study proposes a methodology that facilitates the calibration process, where an artificial neural network (ANN) is trained to learn the behavior of the transport network of interest. The ANN used is the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), trained with back-propagation methods. Based on this learning procedure, the neural network can select the optimized values of the simulation parameters that best mimic the traffic conditions of interest. Experiments considered two microscopic models of traffic and two psychophysical models (Wiedemann 74 and Wiedemann 99). The microscopic traffic models are located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. Moreover, we tested the different configurations of the MLP (layers and numbers of neurons) as well as several variations of the backpropagation training method: Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD), Adam, Adagrad, Adadelta, Adamax, and Nadam. The results of the experiments show that the proposed methodology is accurate and efficient, leading to calibration with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.8, when the calibrated parameters generate more visible effects on the road network, such as travel times, vehicle counts, and average speeds. For the psychophysical parameters, in the most simplified model (W74), the correlation coefficient was greater than 0.7. The advantage of using ANN for the automatic calibration of simulation parameters is that it allows traffic engineers to carry out comprehensive studies on a large number of future scenarios, such as at different times of the day, as well as on different days of the week and months of the year.

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Multimorbidity is defined as the presence of two or more chronic medical conditions in a person, whether physical, mental or long-term infectious diseases. This is especially common in older populations, affecting their quality of life and emotionally impacting their caregivers and family. Technology can allow for monitoring, managing, and motivating older adults in their self-care, as well as supporting their caregivers. However, when several conditions are present at once, it may be necessary to manage several types of technologies, or for technology to manage the interaction between conditions. This work aims to understand and describe the technologies that are used to support the management of multimorbidity for older adults. We conducted a systematic review of ten years of scientific literature from four online databases. We reviewed a corpus of 681 research papers, finally including 25 in our review. The technologies used most frequently by older adults with multimorbidity are mobile applications and websites, and they are mostly focused on communication and connectivity. We then propose opportunities for future research on addressing the challenges in the management of several simultaneous health conditions, potentially creating a better approach than managing each condition as if it were independent.

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Plant-herbivore interactions have been extensively studied in tomato plants and their most common pests. Tomato plant chemical defenses, both constitutive and inducible, play a role in mediating these interactions. Damaged tomato plants alter their volatile profiles, affecting herbivore preferences between undamaged and damaged plants. However, previous studies on tomato volatiles and herbivore preferences have yielded conflicting results, both in the volatile chemistry itself as well as in the attraction/repellent herbivore response. This study revisits the volatile-mediated interactions between tomato plants and two of their main herbivores: the leafminer Tuta absoluta and the whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum. Tomato plant volatiles were analyzed before and after damage by each of these herbivores, and the preference for oviposition (T. absoluta) and settling (T. vaporariorum) on undamaged and damaged plants was assessed both after conspecific and heterospecific damage. We found that both insects consistently preferred damaged plants over undamaged plants. The emission of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) increased after T. absoluta damage but decreased after T. vaporariorum damage. While some of our findings are in line with previous reports, T. absoluta preferred to oviposit on plants damaged by conspecifics, which differs from earlier studies. A comparison of HIPVs emitted after damage by T. absoluta and T. vaporariorum revealed differences in up- or down-regulation, as well as significant variations in specific compounds (12 for T. absoluta and 26 for T. vaporariorum damaged-plants). Only two compounds, ß-caryophyllene and tetradecane, significantly varied because of damage by either herbivore, in line with the overall variation of the HIPV blend. Differences in HIPVs and herbivore preferences may be attributed to the distinct feeding habits of both herbivores, which activate different defensive pathways in plants. The plant's challenge in simultaneously activating both defensive pathways may explain the preference for heterospecific damaged plants found in this study, which are also in line with our own observations in greenhouses.

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The basal ganglia are a subcortical collection of interacting clusters of cell bodies, and are involved in reward, emotional, and motor circuits. Within all the brain processing necessary to carry out voluntary movement, the basal nuclei are fundamental, as they modulate the activity of the motor regions of the cortex. Despite being much studied, the motor circuit of the basal ganglia is still difficult to understand for many people at all, especially undergraduate and graduate students. This review article seeks to bring the functioning of this circuit with a simple and objective approach, exploring the functional anatomy, neurochemistry, neuronal pathways, related diseases, and interactions with other brain regions to coordinate voluntary movement.

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This research evaluated the effects of long-term (30 years) winter cover crops under conventional farming system and no-tillage system on edaphic fauna in a Rhodic Hapludox soil, from Paraná State, Brazil. We used three winter cover crops (black oat, hairy vetch and fallow), and as a reference a fragment of natural forest. Soil monoliths were collected at two times, one during the flowering of maize (April 2013) and the other during the flowering of soybean (January 2014). The extraction of the monoliths was carried out in three layers in the soil profile (0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm). Seventeen taxonomic groups were sampled. The density of the edaphic fauna is inversely related to soil depth. The winter crops associated with the no-tillage system in long-term resulted in fauna densities similar to the natural environment, with a higher density (density increase of 2.2x) at a depth of 10-20 cm in areas with black oat. At 0-10 cm depth, black oat and vetch under no-tillage systems resulted in an increase of 62% and 69% (April 2013) and 46 and 44% (January 2014), respectively, in the density of soil fauna, when compared to the same winter crops in conventional farming system.

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This study evaluated the technological viability of yogurt with the addition of green-banana biomass (Musa spp.) considering the resistant starch (BBV) as a potential prebiotic ingredient and texture agent. Four yogurt formulations were prepared: control; 3% BBV; 5% BBV; and 10% BBV. They were subjected to analysis of resistant starch, lactose, fat, total dry extract, defatted dry extract, moisture, ash, proteins, pH and titratable acidity; syneresis analysis, instrumental texture and instrumental color. All four formulations met the requirements of the identity and quality regulation for fermented milks regarding the physicochemical and microbiological parameters. In the instrumental color analysis, in all treatments with added BBV, darkening was observed after 21 days, with a reduction of a* coordinate and an increase of b* coordinate. In the instrumental texture analysis, the yogurt in the Control treatment had the highest firmness (0.430 N) at 21 days among these treatments. Among the treatments with added BBV, the yogurt with 5% added BBV showed the best results for increasing the viability of lactic bacteria. It was found that yogurt with added BBV is a promising alternative in the elaboration of functional dairy products, adding value to the banana production chain by reducing the green fruit waste.

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Juvenile wood (JW) can influence the performance of structural boards since it presents lower physical and mechanical properties. This study aimed evaluate the influence of JW proportion on density and modulus of elasticity (MOE) on boards for structural use. Pinus taeda logs 30 years old, had growth rings manually counted (on the pith to bark direction), and the first six rings were painted with color red (0-6), followed by blue (6.1-12), orange (12.1-18), green (18.1-24), and yellow (over 24.1), successively, and cut into boards. The proportion of each color was obtained by analysis of the transversal areas of boards with software. MOE was obtained by a nondestructive test. Multiple linear regression models were applied with 5% of significance. The estimated MOE indicates that boards with at least 57% of orange and green colors (between 12.1 - 24 years old) can achieve the minimum MOE value for using as structural as well as boards without red color but with the presence of green and yellow can have MOE bigger than 7000 MPa. The study indicates a behavior tendency about which proportion and mixed colors can affect the MOE of the board to be classified as structural.

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Despite the importance of earthworms for soil formation, more is needed to know about how Pre-Columbian modifications to soils and the landscape. Gaining a deeper understanding is essential for comprehending the historical drivers of earthworm communities and the development of effective conservation strategies in the Amazon rainforest. Human disturbance can significantly impact earthworm diversity, especially in rainforest soils, and in the particular case of the Amazonian rainforest, both recent and ancient anthropic practices may be important. Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are fertile soils found throughout the Amazon Basin, created by sedentary habits and intensification patterns of pre-Colombian societies primarily developed in the second part of the Holocene period. We have sampled earthworm communities in three Brazilian Amazonian (ADEs) and adjacent reference soils (REF) under old and young forests and monocultures. To better assess taxonomic richness, we used morphology and the barcode region of the COI gene to identify juveniles and cocoons and delimit Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs). Here we suggest using Integrated Operational Taxonomical units (IOTUs) which combine both morphological and molecular data and provide a more comprehensive assessment of diversity, while MOTUs only rely on molecular data. A total of 970 individuals were collected, resulting in 51 taxonomic units (IOTUs, MOTUs, and morphospecies combined). From this total, 24 taxonomic units were unique to REF soils, 17 to ADEs, and ten were shared between both soils. The highest richness was found in old forest sites for ADEs (12 taxonomic units) and REFs (21 taxonomic units). The beta-diversity calculations reveal a high species turnover between ADEs and REF soils, providing evidence that ADEs and REFs possess distinct soil biota. Furthermore, results suggest that ADE sites, formed by Pre-Columbian human activities, conserve a high number of native species in the landscape and maintain a high abundance, despite their long-term nature.

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