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An inertial measurement system, using a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers, is of great interest to capture tennis movements. We have assessed the key biomechanical moments of the serve phases and events, as well as the kinematic metrics during the serve, to analyze their influence on serve speed. Eighteen male competitive tennis players, equipped with the inertial measurement units, performed a prolonged serve game consisting of 12 simulated points. Participants were divided into groups A and B in accordance with their positioning above or below the sample average serve speed. Group A (compared with their counterparts) presented with lower back hip adduction and knee flexion, and a higher leftward thoracic tilt during the impact event (−14.9 ± 6.9 vs. 13.8 ± 6.4, 2.8 ± 5.9 vs. 14.3 ± 13.0 and −28.9 ± 6.3 vs. 28.0 ± 7.3°). In addition, group A exhibited higher maximal angular velocities in the wrist and thorax, as well as a lower maximal angular velocity in the back hip than group B (427.0 ± 99.8 vs. 205.4 ± 9.7, 162.4 ± 81.7 vs. 193.5 ± 43.8, 205.4 ± 9.7 vs. 308.3 ± 111.7, 193.5 ± 43.8 vs. 81.1 ± 49.7°/s). The relevant biomechanical differences during the serve were identified, highlighting the changes in joint angles and angular velocities between the groups, providing meaningful information for coaches and players to improve their serve proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relying upon the Pasinettian notion of vertical integration (Pasinetti, L. 1981. Structural Change, and Economic Growth: A Theoretical Essay on the Dynamics of the Wealth of Nations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), we develop a disaggregated version of the post-Kaleckian (Bhaduri, A. and S. Marglin. 1990. 'Unemployment and the Real Wage: The Economic Basis for Contesting Political Ideologies.' Cambridge Journal of Economics 14 (4): 375–393) approach to economic growth. With this analysis, the structural changes are conditioned not only to patterns of evolving demand but also to the distributive features of the economy. Considering oligopolist power and under-capacity utilization within the structural economic dynamic framework allows for heterogeneous final demand and mark-ups, with the profit margins of the consumption sector depending on the mark-up of the corresponding investment sector. Besides, in this set-up, it emerges the possibility vnthat each sector in the economy exhibits either a profit-led or a wage-led growth regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical stimulation of pedicle screws is a technique used to ensure its correct placement within the vertebrae pedicle. Several authors have studied these screws' electrical properties with the objective of understanding if they are a potential source of false negatives. As titanium screws are anodized with different thicknesses of a high electrical resistance oxide (TiO2), this study investigated, using analytical, numerical, and experimental methods, how its thickness may affect pedicle screw's resistance and conductivity. Analytical results have demonstrated that the thickness of the TiO2 layer does result in a significant radial resistance increase (44.21 mΩ/nm, for Ø 4.5 mm), and a decrease of conductivity with layers thicker than 150 nm. The numerical approach denotes that the geometry of the screw further results in a decrease in the pedicle screw conductivity, especially after 125 nm. Additionally, the experimental results demonstrate that there is indeed an effective decrease in conductivity with an increase in the TiO2 layer thickness, which is also reflected in the screw's total resistance. While the magnitude of the resistance associated with each TiO2 layer thickness may not be enough to compromise the ability to use anodized pedicle screws with a high-voltage electrical stimulator, pedicle screws should be the subject of more frequent electrical characterisation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. We did not identify ossified turbinals in the nasal cavity of these taxa and if present, as non-ossified structures, they would not necessarily be associated with temperature control or the development of endothermy. We do, however, notice a complexification of the cartilage anchoring structures that divide the nasal cavity and separate it from the brain region in these forerunners of mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musicians' body behaviour has a preponderant role in audience perception. We investigated how performers' motion is perceived depending on the musical style and musical expertise. To further explore the effect of visual input, stimuli were presented in audio-only, audio–visual and visual-only conditions. We used motion and audio recordings of expert saxophone players playing two contrasting excerpts (positively and negatively valenced). For each excerpt, stimuli represented five motion degrees with increasing quantity of motion (QoM) and distinct predominant gestures. In the experiment (online and in-person), 384 participants rated performance recordings for expressiveness, professionalism and overall quality. Results revealed that, for the positively valenced excerpt, ratings increased as a function of QoM, whilst for the negatively valenced, the recording with predominant flap motion was favoured. Musicianship did not have a significant effect in motion perception. Concerning multisensory integration, both musicians and non-musicians presented visual dominance in the positively valenced excerpt, whereas in the negatively valenced, musicians shifted to auditory dominance. Our findings demonstrate that musical style not only determines the way observers perceive musicians' movement as adequate, but also that it can promote changes in multisensory integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor cells have the ability to invade and form small clusters that protrude into adjacent tissues, a phenomenon that is frequently observed at the periphery of a tumor as it expands into healthy tissues. The presence of these clusters is linked to poor prognosis and has proven challenging to treat using conventional therapies. We previously reported that p60AmotL2 expression is localized to invasive colon and breast cancer cells. In vitro, p60AmotL2 promotes epithelial cell invasion by negatively impacting E-cadherin/AmotL2-related mechanotransduction. Methods: Using epithelial cells transfected with inducible p60AmotL2, we employed a phenotypic drug screening approach to find compounds that specifically target invasive cells. The phenotypic screen was performed by treating cells for 72 h with a library of compounds with known antitumor activities in a dose-dependent manner. After assessing cell viability using CellTiter-Glo, drug sensitivity scores for each compound were calculated. Candidate hit compounds with a higher drug sensitivity score for p60AmotL2-expressing cells were then validated on lung and colon cell models, both in 2D and in 3D, and on colon cancer patient-derived organoids. Nascent RNA sequencing was performed after BET inhibition to analyse BET-dependent pathways in p60AmotL2-expressing cells. Results: We identified 60 compounds that selectively targeted p60AmotL2-expressing cells. Intriguingly, these compounds were classified into two major categories: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) inhibitors and Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal motif (BET) inhibitors. The latter consistently demonstrated antitumor activity in human cancer cell models, as well as in organoids derived from colon cancer patients. BET inhibition led to a shift towards the upregulation of pro-apoptotic pathways specifically in p60AmotL2-expressing cells. Conclusions: BET inhibitors specifically target p60AmotL2-expressing invasive cancer cells, likely by exploiting differences in chromatin accessibility, leading to cell death. Additionally, our findings support the use of this phenotypic strategy to discover novel compounds that can exploit vulnerabilities and specifically target invasive cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consistent underperformance of the Brazilian economy in the 21st century, despite some years of higher gross domestic product (gdp) growth in the 2000s, has coincided with positive outcomes in its financial system. This contradiction is examined in the article through the concepts of hegemony and financialization. The aim is to establish a connection between financial hegemony, economic structure, and aggregate profitability, to identify how the former affects negatively the latter. The weight of the financial sector and its ability to influence economic policies and sustain its gains in different contexts are evaluated. Additionally, the determinants of the profit rate and its relationship with structural factors are examined. The evidence points to a significant influence of financial capital, which, through adverse structural changes, affects long-term profit rate trends, and consequently affects the industry and foreign trade, while also allowing the financial sector to maintain its gains over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rowing performance depends on the design and building materials used for competition. Recently, attempting to improve rowing performance, the Randall foil has been attached to the top edge of a rowing Big blade, making it spoon shaped. The current study aimed to analyse the differences between Big blades with and without Randall foils in force-related variables. Nineteen rowers performed two bouts of 90 s at maximal effort tethered rowing and differences were found in cycle average peak force (4.33 ± 1.46 vs. 5.26 ± 1.57 N/kg), propulsive cycle average time (1.79 ± 0.38 vs. 1.52 ± 0.24 N/kg.s) and rate of force development (8.79 ± 4.75 vs. 12.07 ± 4.60 N/kg/s) for Big blades with and without foils (respectively). Differences were also observed between the middle (4.79 ± 1.21 vs. 4.08 ± 1.48 N/kg) and final phases (4.86 ± 1.45 vs. 4.04 ± 1.47 N/kg) of the rowing effort for the cycle average peak force of Big blades with and without Randall foils. Data suggest a positive effect of these foils on the force–time curve profile. Future studies should focus on testing its influence on free on-water rowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep apnea is a prevalent sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) condition that affects a large population worldwide. Research has demonstrated the potential of using electrocardiographic (ECG) signals (heart rate and ECG-derived respiration, EDR) to detect SDB. However, EDR may be a suboptimal replacement for respiration signals. Methods: We evaluated a previously described ECG-based deep learning algorithm in an independent dataset including 198 patients and compared performance for SDB event detection using thoracic respiratory effort versus EDR. We also evaluated the algorithm in terms of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) estimation performance, and SDB severity classification based on the estimated AHI. Results: Using respiratory effort instead of EDR, we achieved an improved performance in SDB event detection (F1 score = 0.708), AHI estimation (Spearman's correlation = 0.922), and SDB severity classification (Cohen's kappa of 0.62 was obtained based on AHI). Conclusion: Respiratory effort is superior to EDR to assess SDB. Using respiratory effort and ECG, the previously described algorithm achieves good performance in a new dataset from an independent laboratory confirming its adequacy for this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is based on the fact that there is a solid imaginary about the female maleficent underpinning the entire medieval culture of the West, whose roots are rooted in Classical Antiquity and the Judeo-Christian tradition. Based on this verification, the study investigates certain formations and figures of the medieval cultural imaginary regarding the attribute of maleficence to women and their unhealthy and perverse nature both in their biblical creation and in their generation proposed by Ancient Science. Not intending to specifically investigate the political and ideological aspects of this construction that denigrates women, the objective of this study is to present a descriptive repository of fundamental aspects of the negative naturalization of the female figure cultivated in the imagination of the Middle Ages, finally constituting an exciting study of the culture of ideas about the configurations of this misogynist attribute in one of its fiercest historical expressions - the Medieval Period. Starting from pronouncements rescued from the auctoritas tradition, the study makes critical anatomy of the feminine based on comparing images and suggestions consonant to androcentric rhetoric of the imaginary of the badly conforming of her figure and reality. Finally, it reaches the expected result in the critical perspective that verifies that the way and being of the feminine have been a constant cultural construction compromised in its proposed values, for which the horizon of medieval ideas and imaginary contributed a lot. In this way, and bearing the burden of defamation, bizarre creatures such as mermaids, basilisks, serpent-women, and even demonized ones, such as witches, are the figures, between picturesque and ideological, of this imaginary of evil about the feminine in the Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a computationally efficient algorithm for 4-class sleep staging based on cardiac activity and body movements. Using an accelerometer to calculate gross body movements and a reflective photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor to determine interbeat intervals and a corresponding instantaneous heart rate signal, a neural network was trained to classify between wake, combined N1 and N2, N3 and REM sleep in epochs of 30 s. The classifier was validated on a hold-out set by comparing the output against manually scored sleep stages based on polysomnography (PSG). In addition, the execution time was compared with that of a previously developed heart rate variability (HRV) feature-based sleep staging algorithm. With a median epoch-per-epoch κ of 0.638 and accuracy of 77.8% the algorithm achieved an equivalent performance when compared to the previously developed HRV-based approach, but with a 50-times faster execution time. This shows how a neural network, without leveraging any a priori knowledge of the domain, can automatically "discover" a suitable mapping between cardiac activity and body movements, and sleep stages, even in patients with different sleep pathologies. In addition to the high performance, the reduced complexity of the algorithm makes practical implementation feasible, opening up new avenues in sleep diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In investigating the influence of body movement in multimodal perception, human motion displays are frequently used as a means of visual standardization and control of external confounders. However, no principle is established regarding the selection of an adequate display for specific study purposes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of adopting 4 visual displays (point-light, stick figure, body mass, skeleton) on the observers' perception of music performances in 2 expressive conditions (immobile, projected expressiveness). Two hundred eleven participants rated 8 audio-visual samples in expressiveness, match between movement and music, and overall evaluation. The results revealed significant isolated main effects of visual display and expressive condition on the observers' ratings (in both, p < 0.001), and interaction effects between the two factors (p < 0.001). Displays closer to a human form (mostly skeleton, sometimes body mass) exponentiated the evaluations of expressiveness and music-movement match in the projected expressiveness condition, and of overall evaluation in the immobile condition; the opposite trend occurred with the simplified motion display (stick figure). Projected expressiveness performances were higher rated than immobile performances. Although the expressive conditions remained distinguishable across displays, the more complex ones potentiated the attribution of subjective qualities. We underline the importance of considering the variable display as an influencing factor in perceptual studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biomechanical analysis of Acrobatic Gymnastics elements has not been extensively explored in scientific research to date. Due to the increased challenge of implementing experimental protocols and collecting data from multiple individuals, it is required to develop strategies that allow a safe, valid and reproducible methodology. This work aims to collect information and systematically analyze the biomechanical approach in Acrobatic Gymnastics to date. A search was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, PubMed and ISBS databases. After the selection and quality-control phases, fourteen documents were included. The results revealed that the biomechanical research in Acrobatics has been focused on balance evaluation, in which the force plate and the center of pressure are the most used instrument and variable, respectively. Research has been focused on kinetics evaluation. Kinematics analysis of pair/group elements would provide scientific answers to unresolved problems, considering that Gymnastics provides almost limitless possibilities to study human motion. Researchers should focus on the type of element, difficulty degree, main characteristics, relationship between the instrument and floor surface specificity and safety conditions. We encourage gymnastics clubs and coaches to establish networks with biomechanics laboratories, allowing to bridge the gap between research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banco do Brasil's Carteira de Crédito Agrícola e Industrial (CREAI) was the most important institution for financing production in Brazil until the creation of the BNDE in 1952. However, the work aimed at evaluating its performance is still scarce, even in the face of his contribution in the period from 1937 to 1969, marked by the Import-Substituting Industrialisation and developmentalism. The main hypothesis points out that, despite having innovated by institutionalizing credit for production for the first time, the main limiting factor for CREAI's performance was its funding structure. The primary source is the Banco do Brasil reports presented at the General Shareholders' Meetings, using here the statistics of financing of economic activities and resource structure. The results confirm the hypothesis but also highlight that the predominance of the agricultural sector cannot underestimate the importance of the portfolio to industry financing, for the first time in an official way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meteor shower outbursts happen every year, but cannot be observed by a single meteor camera network. In addition, bad weather might prevent the recording of such event. In order to enable the observation of meteor shower outburst, we developed a "Mobile Observation of METeor" device. It involves two suitcases for meteor double station observations. Each case includes a total of 5 cameras to maximise the scientific output. Each camera is controlled by a mini-PC (RaspBerry pi or Odroid) and runs the "RMS" software (Vida et al. 2021, MNRAS, 506, 4, 5046). The MoMET devices were successfully used to record the 2021 Arids meteor shower from Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hereditary amyloidosis associated with transthyretin (ATTRv), is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by length-dependent symmetric polyneuropathy that has gait impairment as one of its consequences. The gait pattern of V30M ATTRv amyloidosis patients has been described as similar to that of diabetic neuropathy, associated with steppage, but has never been quantitatively characterized. In this study we aim to characterize the gait pattern of patients with V30M ATTRv amyloidosis, thus providing information for a better understanding and potential for supporting diagnosis and disease progression evaluation. We present a case series in which we conducted two gait analyses, 18 months apart, of five V30M ATTRv amyloidosis patients using a 12-camera, marker based, optical system as well as six force platforms. Linear kinematics, ground reaction forces, and angular kinematics results are analyzed for all patients. All patients, except one, showed a delayed toe-off in the second assessment, as well as excessive pelvic rotation, hip extension and external transverse rotation and knee flexion (in stance and swing phases), along with reduced vertical and mediolateral ground reaction forces. The described gait anomalies are not clinically quantified; thus, gait analysis may contribute to the assessment of possible disease progression along with the clinical evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To provide a systematic review with meta-analysis providing evidence of the current diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) of pedicle screw electrical stimulation. Methods: A systematic database search on PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science was performed according to the PRISMA-DTA guidelines, and eligibility criteria applied to reduce the results to: (1) only journal articles reporting electrical stimulation of the pedicle screw head, (2) screw position confirmation by imaging techniques, and (3) enough information allowing the calculation of a 2 × 2 contingency table. Sample characteristics, image confirmation method, electrical current threshold and stimulation results were retrieved and analyzed using according to appropriate DTA analysis methods, and allowing the calculation of specificity, sensitivity for pedicle screws insertion at the lumbar and thoracic levels. Results: Lumbar screw stimulation presents a higher sensitivity (0.586 [0.336, 0.798] and specificity (0.984 [0.958, 0.994]) than thoracic screws (sensitivity: 0.270 [0.096; 0.562]; specificity: 0.958 [0.931, 0.975]). The same is observed in terms of the diagnostic odds ratio for lumbar (88.32 [32.136, 242.962]) and thoracic (8.460 [2.139, 33.469]) levels. When performing a sub-group analysis, it is possible to divide the lumbar stimulation threshold as 8 and 10–12 mA, and the thoracic threshold as 6 and 9–12 mA. A threshold of 8 mA at the lumbar level provides higher sensitivity and specificity. Increasing the threshold results in higher specificity but not sensitivity. In fact, at the range of 10–12 mA, the diagnostic validity is too low to confer this technique any robust diagnostic validity. Similarly, at the thoracic level, lower threshold currents are associated with increased sensitivity, but their diagnostic validity is very low. Conclusion: Electrical stimulation of the pedicle screw can be used as an adequate diagnostic capability at the lumbar level with a threshold of 8 mA. However, thoracic stimulation is currently not reliable, with very low sensitivity and diagnostic validity at 6 mA or higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small, variable transmission delays over Zoom disrupt the typical rhythm of conversation, leading to delays in turn initiation. This study compared local and remote (Zoom) turn transition times using both a tightly controlled yes/no Question and Answer (Q&A) paradigm (Corps et al., 2018) and unscripted conversation. In the Q&A paradigm (Experiment 1), participants responded yes/no as quickly as possible to prerecorded questions. Half of the questions were played over Zoom and half were played locally from their own computer. Local responses had an average latency of 297 ms, whereas remote responses averaged 976 ms. These large increases in transition times over Zoom are far greater than the estimated 30-70 ms of audio transmission delay, suggesting disruption of automated mechanisms that normally guide the timing of turn initiation in conversation. In face-to-face conversations (Experiment 2), turn transition times averaged 135 ms, but transition times for the same dyads over Zoom averaged 487 ms. We consider the possibility that electronic transmission delays disrupt neural oscillators that normally synchronize on syllable rate, at around, 150-300 ms per cycle (Wilson & Wilson, 2005), and enable interlocutors to effortlessly and precisely time the initiation of their turns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to evaluate whether the established scientific knowledge for machining homogeneous and isotropic materials remains valid for machining additively manufactured parts. The machinability of thin-walled structures produced through two different variants of wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) was studied, namely conventional MIG deposition and the innovative hot forging variant (HF-WAAM). Cutting operations were carried out varying the undeformed chip thickness (UCT) and the cutting speed, using a tool rake angle of 25°. A systematic comparison was made between the existing theoretical principles and the obtained practical results of the orthogonal cutting process, where the relation between the material properties (hardness, grain size, yield strength) and important machining outcomes (cutting forces, specific cutting energy, friction, shear stress, chip formation and surface roughness) is addressed. Additionally, high-speed camera records were used to evaluate the generated shear angle and chip formation process during the experimental tests. The machinability indicators shown that, through the appropriate selection of the cutting parameters, machining forces and energy consumption can be reduced up to 12%, when machining the mechanical improved additive manufactured material. Therefore, it has been confirmed the feasibility of machining such materials following the traditional machining principles, without compromising the surface quality requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to empirically analyze the economic growth regimes in Brazil from 2000 to 2015. In theoretical terms, we follow the augmented neo-Kaleckian model proposed by Palley (2016). Therefore, we incorporate in the analysis the role of the personal and functional distribution of income. In empirical terms, we use a vector autoregressive model. The results suggest that the growth regime of the Brazilian economy was wage-led. This means that capital accumulation and aggregate demand were favored by policies to reduce inequality in the labor market and personal income. Based on the results, we discussed the Brazilian model, arguing in favor of adopting a growth model that can reconcile income distribution and export incentive policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) techniques are usually implemented during spine surgery to avoid nefarious abuse of the nervous system, which can cause postoperative problems. A lack of bibliometric analysis on the topic of IONM in spine surgery has been identified. Therefore, the aims of this study are to provide information about the main contributors to this field and their publication dynamics, as well as conceptual and cooperative networks. Results have shown that a steady publication increase has been occurring since 1991, with high levels of citations in the first decade, but irregular publication rates have been recorded more recently. Research production by country seems to be in line with what is observed in other surgical fields, but research funding for IONM in spine surgery seems to be lower, even with the clear interest of private funding agencies. The conceptual networks have shown the importance of motor-evoked potential, electromyography, and the effect of anesthesia, particularly in scoliosis surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to conduct a biophysical comparison of angular (Biorower) and linear (Concept2) rowing ergometers across a wide spectrum of exercise intensities. Sixteen (eleven male) skilled rowers, aged 29.8 ± 8.6 and 23.6 ± 1.5 years, with international competitive experience, performed 7 × 3 min bouts with 30 W increments and 60 s intervals, plus 1 min of all-out rowing on both machines with 48 h in between. The ventilatory and kinematical variables were measured breath-by-breath using a telemetric portable gas analyzer and determined using a full-body markerless system, respectively. Similar values of oxygen uptake were observed between ergometers across all intensity domains (e.g., 60.36 ± 8.40 vs. 58.14 ± 7.55 mL/min/kg for the Biorower and Concept2 at severe intensity). The rowing rate was higher on the Biorower vs. Concept2 at heavy and severe intensities (27.88 ± 3.22 vs. 25.69 ± 1.99 and 30.63 ± 3.18 vs. 28.94 ± 2.29). Other differences in kinematics were observed across all intensity domains, particularly in the thorax angle at the finish (e.g., 19.44 ± 4.49 vs. 27.51 ± 7.59° for the Biorower compared to Concep2 at heavy intensity), likely due to closer alignment of the Biorower with an on-water rowing technique. The overall perceived effort was lower on the Biorower when compared to the Concept2 (14.38 ± 1.76 vs. 15.88 ± 1.88). Rowers presented similar cardiorespiratory function on both rowing ergometers, while important biomechanical differences were observed, possibly due to the Biorower's closer alignment with an on-water rowing technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have demonstrated a promising material efficiency potential in comparison to traditional material removal processes. A new directed energy deposition (DED) category AM process called wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is evolving due to its benefits which include faster build rates, capacity to build large volumes, and inexpensive feedstock materials and machine tools compared to more technologically mature powder-based AM technologies. However, WAAM products present challenges like poor surface finish and lower dimensional accuracy compared to powder-based processes or machined parts, prevalence of thermal distortions, residual stresses, and defects like porosity, cracks, and humping, often requiring post-processing operations like finish machining and heat treatment. These post-processing operations add to the production cost and environmental footprint of WAAM-built parts. Therefore, considering the opportunities and challenges presented by WAAM, this paper analyses the environmental impact, production costs, and mechanical properties of WAAM parts and compares them with those achieved by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and traditional computer numerical control (CNC) milling. A high-strength low-alloy steel (ER70S) mechanical part with medium complexity was fabricated using WAAM. Based on the data collected during this experiment, environmental impact and cost models were built using life cycle assessment and life cycle costing methodologies. WAAM was observed to be the most environmentally friendly option due to its superior material efficacy than CNC milling and has a better energy efficiency than LPBF. Also, WAAM was the most cost-friendly option when adopted in batch production for batch sizes above 3. The environmental and cost potential of WAAM is amplified when used for manufacturing large products, resulting in significant material, emission, and cost savings. The fabricated WAAM part demonstrated good mechanical properties comparable to that of cast/forged material. The methodology and experimental data presented in this study can be used to calculate environmental impacts and costs for other products and can be helpful to manufacturers in selecting the most ecofriendly and cost-efficient manufacturing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este artículo se centra en un comprensivo análisis crítico-interpretativo del complejo concepto de naturaleza cultivado durante el devenir de los siglos medievales. Investiga los diferentes matices de este concepto dentro de sus diversas condicionantes socioculturales. Principalmente en el terreno religioso letrado, el estudio desarrolla un abordaje representativo y comparatista de los principales pensadores de la Antigüedad Clásica que influenciaron directa o indirectamente en la política ideológica de tradición judeocristiana (dominante en el pensamiento cultural de la Edad Media sobre la naturaleza). El artículo hace un fuerte enfoque social en su contemporaneidad temática. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines one of the most significant properties of Manoel de Barros's poetic construction in Arranjos para assobio, namely, the re-signification of the symbolism of nature and of its animal kingdom which is sought in the bestiary medieval tradition. The article demonstrates through a comparative analysis that exist similarities between images and figuralities of Manoel de Barros' poetry and the medieval bestiary which approach them in terms of vision and understanding of the World: the understanding that the wholeness of existence lies in the fragmentation of things and in the harmonies of their unusual approximations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large part of the worldwide population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder impairing the restorative function of sleep and constituting a risk factor for several cardiovascular pathologies. The standard diagnostic metric to define OSA is the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), typically obtained by manually annotating polysomnographic recordings. However, this clinical procedure cannot be employed for screening and for long-term monitoring of OSA due to its obtrusiveness and cost. Here, we propose an automatic unobtrusive AHI estimation method fully based on wrist-worn reflective photoplethysmography (rPPG), employing a deep learning model exploiting cardiorespiratory and sleep information extracted from the rPPG signal trained with 250 recordings. We tested our method with an independent set of 188 heterogeneously disordered clinical recordings and we found it estimates the AHI with a good agreement to the gold standard polysomnography reference (correlation = 0.61, estimation error = 3±10 events/h). The estimated AHI was shown to reliably assess OSA severity (weighted Cohen's kappa = 0.51) and screen for OSA (ROC–AUC = 0.84/0.86/0.85 for mild/moderate/severe OSA). These findings suggest that wrist-worn rPPG measurements that can be implemented in wearables such as smartwatches, have the potential to complement standard OSA diagnostic techniques by allowing unobtrusive sleep and respiratory monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the perspective of an intertextual reading, this article aims to question and reflect about the idea of city in The City of Ladies, by Christine de Pizan, idealized in 1405. The purpose is to discuss the construction of this female city through a critical reading that gives a new meaning to the realities of women exposed by the ideology of the medieval misogyny. To this end, some themes and issues pertinent to views of representatives male figures of this medieval misogynist literary genre will be identified and discussed whose antifeminine pronouncements are present in the book. The article discusses as Christine de Pizan's main contribution her originality in arguing and proposing the construction of a city favorable to the idea of inclusion and dialogue by and for women. It is a city designed to promote, through its example, the emancipation of women from the misogynistic yoke of the traditional male views. In this sense, pioneering and adventitious for its time, the metaphorical construction of Christine de Pizan's City of Ladies resignifies the arcane symbolism of the female weaving of misogynistic shape to propose a possible female consciousness of the historical and cultural conditions of the women in those times of robust vernacular adaptations of the legacy of misogyny in the late literary Middle Ages. Mutatis mutandis, had it not been for the question of epistemological property, Christine de Pizan would have been, at the end of the Middle Ages, a voice of decoloniality of the hegemonic misogynistic discourse, if, as it will be seen, she had not reproduced in her discourse traditional ways and forms of being of the traditional discourse of the coloniality of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Respiratory activity is an essential parameter to monitor healthy and disordered sleep, and unobtrusive measurement methods have important clinical applications in diagnostics of sleep-related breathing disorders. We propose a respiratory activity surrogate extracted from wrist-worn reflective photoplethysmography validated on a heterogeneous dataset of 389 sleep recordings. Approach: The surrogate was extracted by interpolating the amplitude of the PPG pulses after evaluation of pulse morphological quality. Subsequent multistep post-processing was applied to remove parts of the surrogate with low quality and high motion levels. In addition to standard respiration rate performance, we evaluated the similarity between surrogate respiratory activity and reference inductance plethysmography of the thorax, using Spearman's correlations and spectral coherence, and assessed the influence of PPG signal quality, motion levels, sleep stages and obstructive sleep apnea. Main results: Prior to post-processing, the surrogate already had a strong similarity with the reference (correlation = 0.54, coherence = 0.81), and reached respiration rate estimation performance in line with the literature (estimation error = 0.76± 2.11 breaths/min). Detrimental effects of low PPG quality, high motion levels and sleep-dependent physiological phenomena were significantly mitigated by the proposed post-processing steps (correlation = 0.62, coherence = 0.88, estimation error = 0.53± 1.85 breaths/min). Significance: Wrist-worn PPG can be used to extract respiratory activity, thus allowing respiration monitoring in real-world sleep medicine applications using (consumer) wearable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two specimens of Campinasuchus dinizi (CPPLIP 1319 and CPPLIP 1360) belonging to Baurusuchidae (Crocodyliformes, Notosuchia) from the Upper Cretaceous Bauru Group of Minas Gerais state (Brazil) were scanned in a Toshiba Aquilion 64 CT machine. Based on these data, it was possible to identify and reconstruct the paranasal sinuses, the nasal cavity proper, the nasopharyngeal duct, the encephalon, the paratympanic sinuses, and the semicircular canals of the inner ear. The paranasal sinuses present similar morphology to those of other mesoeucrocodylians, especially eusuchians. The nasal cavity proper occupies the entire rostral region, with an expansion in the olfactory region. The expansion in the nasal cavity is present in other notosuchians and theropod dinosaurs (e.g., Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn, 1905), but less developed in aquatic crocodilians, which may indicate an olfactory acuity related to terrestrial habits. The encephalon is similar in shape to that of other mesoeucrocodylians. The rostral semicircular canal is smaller than the caudal one, differing from most mesoeucrocodylians. The paratympanic sinuses are more developed in C. dinizi than in eusuchians, being more similar to Tyrannosaurus rex. Campinasuchus dinizi presents few variations in the internal structures of the skull in relation to taxa with different ecological niches, probably indicating that ecological factors do not strongly influence the morphology of these structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article begins by noting that the literary writing represents geographies and cultural landscapes of other locations, beyond its own reality and context, in rhetorical, imaginary and symbolic manner, reflecting ideological formations, political and cultural order. Following this idea, the article examines, through theoretical and critical assumptions, sought in the gender discourse studies and their engendering strategies of reality, the main trope of literature of discovery and conquest, namely, the feminization or sexualization of the ethno-anthropological reality to be conquered by means of its reduction to the feminine principle as regent of the natural world and the social and cultural reality. Based on these notions, the article proposes to examine representative texts of chronicles about America of the discoveries and colonization and the East of Luís Vaz de Camões' The Lusiads, as writings which are committed to aspects of the ethnocultural and androcentric complex of the Western tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower limb exoskeletons have the potential to mitigate work-related musculoskeletal disorders; however, they often lack user-oriented control strategies. Human-in-the-loop (HITL) controls adapt an exoskeleton's assistance in real time, to optimize the user–exoskeleton interaction. This study presents a HITL control for a knee exoskeleton using a CMA-ES algorithm to minimize the users' physical effort, a parameter innovatively evaluated using the interaction torque with the exoskeleton (a muscular effort indicator) and metabolic cost. This work innovates by estimating the user's metabolic cost within the HITL control through a machine-learning model. The regression model estimated the metabolic cost, in real time, with a root mean squared error of 0.66 W/kg and mean absolute percentage error of 26% (n = 5), making faster (10 s) and less noisy estimations than a respirometer (K5, Cosmed). The HITL reduced the user's metabolic cost by 7.3% and 5.9% compared to the zero-torque and no-device conditions, respectively, and reduced the interaction torque by 32.3% compared to a zero-torque control (n = 1). The developed HITL control surpassed a non-exoskeleton and zero-torque condition regarding the user's physical effort, even for a task such as slow walking. Furthermore, the user-specific control had a lower metabolic cost than the non-user-specific assistance. This proof-of-concept demonstrated the potential of HITL controls in assisted walking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to determine which approach to calculating shoulder ratios is the most sensitive for determining shoulder torque imbalance in handball players. Twenty-six participants (handball athletes, n = 13; healthy controls, n = 13) performed isokinetic concentric and eccentric shoulder internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) assessment at 60, 180 and 300°/s. We used eight approaches to calculating shoulder ratios: four concentric (i.e. concentric ER torque divided by concentric IR torque), and four functional (i.e. eccentric ER torque divided by concentric IR torque) at the velocities of 60, 180 and 300°/s for both IR and ER, and combining 60°/s of ER and 300°/s of IR. A three factorial ANOVA (factors: shoulder ratios, upper limb sides, and groups) along with Tukey's post-hoc analysis, and effect sizes were calculated. The findings suggested the functional shoulder ratio combining 60°/s of ER and 300°/s of IR is the most sensitive to detect differences between upper limbs for handball players, and between players and controls for the dominant side. The functional shoulder ratio combining 60°/s of ER with 300°/s of IR seems to present advantages over the other approaches for identifying upper limb asymmetries and differences in shoulder torque balance related to throwing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines some of the most significant examples that constitute the symptoms of medieval horror to woman's demonic maleficence. Starting from mythical and fabulous accounts of emblematic figures of the feminine malignancy of the ancient and medieval tradition, such as the snake-women, the gorgons and the basilisk, the article brings misogynistic testimonies of theologian saints of the medieval Church and of lay commentators on the monstrous nature of woman, arriving to her demonic "consecration" at the end of the Middle Ages. The hypothesis of reflection of this evil conjugation is the natural disposition of this category of maleficence towards the deformed and monstrous. This theological collusion of the woman with the devilish, measured in the representation of the witch and the medieval sorceress, has its properties conferred in the Malleus maleficarum (The Hammer of Sorceresses), one of the most efficient inquisitorial manuals of the time examined in some of its fundamental passages referent to the thematic treatment of the article. Finally, the article proposes, in addition to the instruction that it may provide on the subject, to present a proposal of undoubtedly ethical value, to combat prejudices, the misogyny, which so harsh and unhealthy, even today, affect people and our society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The misogynistic tradition of the Western Middle Ages manifested its literary influence in the eleventh and twelfth centuries by means of a kind of satirical criticism of the feminine reality written in Latin. One of the most representative figures of this literature of satirical intention, besides Walter Map and Andre the Chaplain, is Marbod de Rennes (c. 1035-1123), whose De meretrice (The Whore) is the object of study and critical analysis of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of near physiological organoid technology has produced a step change in our understanding of stem cells and has provided the research community with a powerful new cell based tool to model human physiology and disease. We review the pros and cons of intestinal organoid culture systems. The molecular and genetic tools to manipulate them and how they are being used to answer fundamental questions in metabolic research, including the function of enteroendocrine cells in health and disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insomnia disorder is a widespread sleep disorder with a prevalence of approximately 10%. Even though the link between insomnia and cardiovascular activity is not exactly clear, it is generally assumed that cardiovascular autonomic modifications could occur as a result of sleeplessness, or, alternatively, that autonomic alterations could be an expression of a hyper-arousal state. This review investigates whether cardiovascular measures are different between insomniacs and controls. Methods: Electronic databases were systematically searched, and 34 studies were identified. Heart rate variability features, the association of cardiac and EEG activity, physiologic complexity measures, and cardiovascular activity, assessed by measures such as pre-ejection time, blood pressure, and heart rate dynamics were studied. Given the heterogeneity of the studies, a narrative synthesis of the findings was performed. Results: This review study found overall differences in cardiovascular activity between insomniacs and controls in most of the observational studies (21/26), while the expression of cardiovascular regulation varied between the examined insomniac groups. All the studies that investigated the association of cardiac activity and EEG power reported an altered relation between autonomic activity and EEG parameters in insomniacs. Conclusion: Autonomic regulation tends to be consistent between insomniacs, as long as they are grouped according to their respective phenotype, as shown in the insomnia subgroup with objectively short sleep duration. Our hypothesis is that these differences in the expression of cardiovascular activity could be explained by the heterogeneity of the disorder. Therefore, the determination of insomnia phenotypes, and the study of cardiovascular measures, rather than heart rate variability alone, will give more insight into the link between insomnia and cardiovascular regulation. This study suggests that cardiovascular activity differs between insomniacs and controls. These new findings are of interest to clinicians and researchers for a more accurate insomnia assessment, and the development of personalized technological solutions in insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we describe a new Zygothrica species that is morphologically, ecologically and evolutionarily related to Zygothrica vittimaculosa through molecular and morphological analyses. Moreover, we compare distribution, abiotic and biotic niches between both species and perform ecological simulations in order to assess the potential influence played by ecology versus geography in the divergence of the target species, which was also dated with the use of a nuclear marker. The aedeagus and wing morphometry patterns were underpinned by molecular evidence, as obtained for the mitochondrial COI and COII partitions. In fact, reciprocal monophyly and a barcoding gap were detected, in spite of the strict external resemblance, the strong abiotic and biotic niche overlaps and the frequent sympatry and syntopy observed between both species. Thus, we hypothesize here a mechanism of geographic speciation associated with a pattern of niche conservatism to the pair of Zygothrica species diverged at the Pliocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the discursive strategies employed between 2012 and 2014 by Paulo Portas in order to legitimize austerity policies in Portugal. Drawing from Fonseca and Ferreira’s (2015) work, the article argues, based on critical discourse analysis, that the legitimization discursive strategies, namely the invocation of a “state of exception”, blaming, efficiency, no alternatives, and appeal to emotions, are associated with a complex articulation between the concepts of “output legitimacy” and “input legitimacy” (Scharpf, 1999), as well as to an empirical model of political decision-making in a context of crisis (Jones, 2009). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical context in which José Sarney assumed the presidency accounted for one of the main reasons for their weakness when he assumed the government. Housed in the historic moment of the decline of the military regime, the president-elect in opposition plate reaped the hostility of the streets and the indifference of the political establishmet. Knowing he could not count on the support of the political class nor the Brazilian society, Sarney tried to make the economic measures of broad popular impact his primary vehicle for legitimacy. After collapsing the Cruzado Plan, the president tried to make the negotiation of external debt his main political banner. He has sought, through the boastful tone in which he involved it, raise the internal support they so desperately needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the concept of emerging power established to the understanding of international affairs. The work observes that the use of the lexicon emerging - regarding to markets, countries or powers - as qualifier for a range of international relations phenomena became a constituent part of the matter. In spite of that, the empirical denotation of the predicate is ahead of the amount of efforts on its theoretical contextualization. Our methodological hypothesis is that the rational denial of the concepts prevailing connotative spectrum by acknowledging the embedded wisdom about cognate phenomena synthesizes a theoretical framework on its accurate use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preserving an accurate cell count is crucial for maintaining homeostasis. Apical extrusion, a process in which redundant cells are eliminated by neighboring cells, plays a key role in this regard. Recent studies have revealed that apical extrusion can also be triggered in cells transformed by oncogenes, suggesting it may be a mechanism through which tumor cells escape their microenvironment. In previous work, we demonstrated that p60AmotL2 modulates the E-cadherin function by inhibiting its connection to radial actin filaments. This isoform of AmotL2 is expressed in invasive breast and colon tumors and promotes invasion in vitro and in vivo. Transcriptionally regulated by c-Fos, p60AmotL2 is induced by local stress signals such as severe hypoxia. In this study, we investigated the normal role of p60AmotL2 in epithelial tissues. We found that this isoform is predominantly expressed in the gut, where cells experience rapid turnover. Through time-lapse imaging, we present evidence that cells expressing p60AmotL2 are extruded by their normal neighboring cells. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that tumor cells exploit this pathway to detach from normal epithelia and invade surrounding tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by recent successes using single-stranded DNA tiles to produce complex structures, we develop a two-step coarse-graining approach that uses detailed thermodynamic calculations with oxDNA, a nucleotide-based model of DNA, to parametrize a coarser kinetic model that can reach the time and length scales needed to study the assembly mechanisms of these structures. We test the model by performing a detailed study of the assembly pathways for a two-dimensional target structure made up of 334 unique strands each of which are 42 nucleotides long. Without adjustable parameters, the model reproduces a critical temperature for the formation of the assembly that is close to the temperature at which assembly first occurs in experiments. Furthermore, the model allows us to investigate in detail the nucleation barriers and the distribution of critical nucleus shapes for the assembly of a single target structure. The assembly intermediates are compact and highly connected (although not maximally so), and classical nucleation theory provides a good fit to the height and shape of the nucleation barrier at temperatures close to where assembly first occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to discuss the discursive legitimation strategies used by the Portuguese government to legitimate its political action between 2011 and 2014 in the context of the financial, economic and social crisis and the implementation of a three-year bailout programme and consequent austerity policies. Drawing from Critical Discourse Analysis for discussing discursive legitimation strategies, we selected eight political discourses delivered by the Portuguese Prime Minister and organised his discursive legitimation strategies into four main categories: (1)‘state of exception’, (2) blame allocation, (3) no alternative options and the appeal to emotions and (4) effectiveness. We conclude that, between 2011 and 2014, the Portuguese Prime Minister, through the ‘state of exception’ narrative and blame allocation strategies, sought to impose and legitimate governmental political action as the only viable option to overcome the crisis, as well as to reify the idea that austerity policies were the correct path to ensure a sustainable growth and to build a dynamic, prosperous and fair country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guidance systems exist within learning, working and welfare cultures, which are upheld by prevailing institutions and stakeholders. Implementing a lifelong approach questions rooted codes and idiosyncrasies of the sectors across which guidance is distributed. To support individuals' careers, unlock their potential and increase their contribution to the economy i.e. support their process of becoming, lifelong guidance must strive for effective systems' integration across policy fields, cultures and organisations. This article departs from national experiences and discusses how cultures and institutional contexts generate resistance to change, but can also be the departure point for the successful development of lifelong support to people's careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One additional FD patient has been described with CRAO associated with marked optic disc edema [[14]]. Indeed, at the time of the diagnosis, our patient was screened for systemic involvement of FD, and only mild renal abnormalities were present. Graph: Supplementary file1 (DOCX 61 KB) References 1 Germain DP, Fouilhoux A, Decramer S. Consensus recommendations for diagnosis, management and treatment of Fabry disease in paediatric patients. Here we describe a FD female patient who presented with sequential and combined AION and CRAO in the same eye, and further conduct a literature review on CRAO and AION in FD. [Extracted from the article]

An algorithm for recovering transmitted static identifiers (IDs) in rolling shutter based Optical Camera Communication systems is proposed by the authors, considering a system comprised of a camera and a circular light source. The goal is to allow the correct decoding when the ID frame is only partially detected in the image. A baseline algorithm as reference for the frame recovery success rate (FRSR) and a reconstruction algorithm based on the idea of capturing multiple frame fragments and reassembling them is proposed in order to recover the transmitted ID not entirely seen on a single image. It was proven, by simulation, that the maximum distance at which the IDs recovery can be guaranteed is increased by 2.5 fold with the proposed algorithm, for 6‐bit, 8‐bit and 10‐bit codewords. An experimental validation algorithm was also proposed, using image processing techniques to extract the bitstreams and test the ID recovery process. The proposed algorithm improves the FRSR for a given distance, even in the presence of considerable bit errors in the bitstreams extracted from the images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swimming performance is likely influenced by strength, but differences between butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and front crawl, as well as between novice and expert swimmers, are unclear. We have examined the associations between sprint performances, upper and lower limb strength, and anthropometric characteristics in 14 (six males and eight females) non-elite and 16 (nine males and seven females) elite-level swimmers. After an anthropometric characterisation, participants performed four 25 m maximal swims (one per technique) with 10 min intervals, right and left shoulder flexion/extension isokinetic testing at 90 and 300º/s angular velocities and three countermovement jumps. Pearson correlation analysis showed that sprint times were moderate–largely negatively correlated with upper and lower limb strength and power (r ± 95%CI = 0.39 ± 0.26–0.77 ± 0.13, p < 0.05). Elite swimmers higher strength levels were associated with longer stroke length in butterfly and front crawl, and with higher stroke rate in backstroke and breaststroke (r ± 95%CI = 0.37 ± 0.32–0.68 ± 0.21; p < 0.05). Butterfly, backstroke and front crawl sprint times were moderate–largely negatively related with arm span (r ± 95%CI = 0.37 ± 0.26, 0.39 ± 0.25 and 0.69 ± 0.17, p < 0.05). The predictive model indicated that higher dry-land strength values distinguished elite from non-elite swimmers (r2 = 0.67–0.81; p < 0.001). This association was not observed per performance level and per sex, confirming that sprint swimming performance levels can be differentiated by dry-land strength testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human sleep comprises several stages including wake, rapid-eye-movement sleep, light sleep, and deep sleep. Cardiorespiratory activity has been shown to correlate with sleep stages due to the regulation of autonomic nervous system. Here, the cardiorespiratory interaction (CRI) during sleep is analyzed using a visibility graph (VG) method that represents the CRI time series in complex networks. We demonstrate that the dynamics of the interaction between heartbeats and respiration can be revealed by VG-based networks, whereby sleep stages can be characterized and differentiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]