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Summary: Plants can modify their anatomy and physiology to improve their survival. Water stress is one of several factors that have been identified as potential wood modifiers. This study aimed to analyse whether soil physical properties and dioecy influence the wood density of Astronium fraxinifolium (Anacardiaceae). Samples of A. fraxinifolium trees were obtained from 20 male and 20 female individuals in two fields (an impacted area (IA) and a non-impacted area (NIA)) and the physical properties of soils from both areas were analysed. The apparent densities of the bark-to-bark wood samples were determined by X-ray densitometry. The apparent density values were calculated using QMS software. The IA soil showed lower porosity (macroporosity and microporosity) than the NIA soil. The wood densities of IA trees differed significantly, with IA trees having higher values than the NIA trees. The results indicated that trees growing in soils with low porosity and high soil bulk density had higher wood density. Based on the results of this study, which showed that species in areas with compacted soils had relatively high wood densities, it was concluded that A. fraxinifolium trees in environments with low water availability have dense wood with conducting vessels of large diameters. None of the wood features were influenced by the dioecy of A. fraxinifolium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of “service” has been characterized in different disciplines and by different authors from various points of view. This variety of characterizations has emerged because although this notion seems intuitive, it is far from trivial, with many interrelated perspectives. Given their importance in enterprise computing and Service Science in general, we believe that a clear account of services and service-related concepts is necessary and would serve as a basis for communication, consensus and alignment among approaches and perspectives. In this paper we propose a commitment-based account of the notion of service captured in a core reference ontology called UFO-S. We address the commitments established between service providers and customers, and show how such commitments affect the service lifecycle. Moreover, we show that the commitment-based account can serve to harmonize different notions of service in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Sera of ten dogs infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum were analyzed by immunoblotting proteins of first stage larvae (L1) and adult parasites. The molecular weights (m.w.) of the principal L1 proteins identified by IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE were 18–118 kDa and those of the adult parasite were 28–209 kDa. The L1 proteins had not been recognized by IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies in sera of dogs naturally infected with Toxocara canis, Ancylostoma caninum, and Dipylidium caninum, although only weakly by IgE. Adult parasite proteins were recognized by antibodies in sera of dogs naturally infected with gastrointestinal helminths. Adult parasite proteins with m.w. of approximately 51, 63, 92, and 209 kDa recognized by IgG could be used for specific diagnosis of canine angiostrongylosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There was difference between Astronium fraxinifolium trees located in impacted and non-impacted areas. • Wood anatomical features could be influenced by stress and sexual dimorphism in non-impacted areas. • Indicative that the disturbed environment exerted pressure on Astronium fraxinifolium , which expressed features in response. The survival of plants is linked to their capacity to respond to environmental selection. Plants may show different wood anatomical features related to survival, such as an increase in parenchyma and decrease in diameter of vessels. The aim of this study was to investigate the wood anatomical features of male and female Astronium fraxinifolium trees growing in environments characterized by degraded and non-degraded soil. It was expected that the trees to present: (i) a response to environment that would allow better hydraulic conductivity, and (ii) a wood anatomy difference according to the species' gender. The results showed that the wood anatomy differed significantly between male and female plants only in the non-degraded area. The male trees had larger rays and fibre lumens, but the fibre wall thickness and length did not differ significantly. Neither nor did the diameter and density of vessels. Comparing the areas, the wood of the impacted area showed vessels of larger diameter and lower density, larger rays and fibres with smaller lumens and thicker walls, but no significant difference in the fibre length. Some wood anatomical features in the impacted area, such as greater vessels, supported by larger rays and thicker fibre walls, were probably influenced by stress at the site. The anatomical features of female trees presented lower values than the male ones in the non-impacted area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives There are 2 grading approaches to radical prostatectomy (RP) in multifocal cancer: Grade Group (GG) and percentage of Gleason pattern 4 (GP4%). We investigated whether RP GG and GP4% generated by global vs individual tumor grading correlate differently with biochemical recurrence. Methods We reviewed 531 RP specimens with GG2 or GG3 cancer. Each tumor was scored separately with assessment of tumor volume and GP4%. Global grade and GP4% were assigned by combining Gleason pattern 3 and 4 volumes for all tumors. Correlation of GG and GP4% generated by 2 methods with biochemical recurrence was assessed by Cox proportional hazard regression and receiver operating characteristic curves, with optimism adjustment using a bootstrap analysis. Results Median age was 63 (range, 42-79) years. Median prostate-specific antigen was 6.3 (range, 0.3-62.9) ng/mL. In total, the highest-grade tumor in 371 (36.9%) men was GG2 and in 160 (30.1%) men was GG3. Global grading was downgraded from GG3 to GG2 in 37 of 121 (30.6%) specimens with multifocal disease, and 145 of 404 (35.9%) specimens had GP4% decreased by at least 10%. Ninety-eight men experienced biochemical recurrence within a median of 13 (range, 3-119) months. Men without biochemical recurrence were followed up for a median of 47 (range, 12-205) months. Grade Group, GP4%, and margin status correlated with the risk of biochemical recurrence using highest-grade tumor and global grading, but the degrees of these correlations varied and were statistically significantly different between the 2 grading approaches. Conclusions Grade Group, GP4%, and margin status derived by global vs individual tumor grading predict postoperative biochemical recurrence statistically significantly differently. This difference has important implications if results derived from cohorts graded using different methods are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary area that involves a diverse body of knowledge and a complex landscape of concepts, which can lead to semantic problems, hampering communication and knowledge transfer. Ontologies have been successfully used to solve semantics and knowledge-related problems in several domains. This paper presents a systematic literature review that investigated the use of ontologies in the HCI domain. The main goal was to find out how HCI ontologies have been used and developed. 35 ontologies were identified. As a result, we noticed that they cover different HCI aspects, such as user interface, interaction phenomenon, pervasive computing, user modeling / profile, HCI design, interaction experience and adaptive interactive system. Although there are overlaps, we did not identify reuse among the 35 analyzed ontologies. The ontologies have been used mainly to support knowledge representation and reasoning. Although ontologies have been used in HCI for more than 25 years, their use became more frequent in the last decade, when ontologies address a higher number of HCI aspects and are represented as both conceptual and computational models. Concerning how ontologies have been developed, we noticed that some good practices of ontology engineering have not been followed. Considering that the quality of an ontology directly influences the quality of the solution built based on it, we believe that there is an opportunity for HCI and ontology engineering professionals to get closer to build better and more effective ontologies, as well as ontology-based solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) is a complex communication phenomenon involving human beings and computer systems that gained large attention from industry and academia with the advent of new types of interactive systems (mobile applications, smart cities, smart homes, ubiquitous systems and so on). Despite of its importance, there is still a lack of formal and explicit representations of what the HCI phenomenon is. In this paper, we intend to clarify the main notions involved in the HCI phenomenon, by establishing an explicit conceptualization of it. To do so, we need to understand what interactive computer systems are, which types of actions users perform when interacting with an interactive computer system, and finally what human–computer interaction itself is. The conceptualization is presented as a core reference ontology, called HCIO (HCI Ontology), which is grounded in the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO). HCIO was evaluated using ontology verification and validation techniques and has been used as core ontology of an HCI ontology network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to study urban heat island (UHI) in Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro (MARJ) based on the analysis of land-surface temperature (LST) and land-use patterns retrieved from Landsat-5/Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat-7/Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Landsat-8/Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensors (TIRS) data covering a 32-year period between 1984 and 2015. LST temporal evolution is assessed by comparing the average LST composites for 1984–1999 and 2000–2015 where the parametric Student t -test was conducted at 5% significance level to map the pixels where LST for the more recent period is statistically significantly greater than the previous one. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon rank sum test has also confirmed at the same 5% significance level that the more recent period (2000–2015) has higher LST values. UHI intensity between “urban” and “rural/urban low density” (“vegetation”) areas for 1984–1999 and 2000–2015 was established and confirmed by both parametric and non-parametric tests at 1% significance level as 3.3 °C (5.1 °C) and 4.4 °C (7.1 °C), respectively. LST has statistically significantly (p-value < 0.01) increased over time in two of three land cover classes (“urban” and “urban low density”), respectively by 1.9 °C and 0.9 °C, except in “vegetation” class. A spatial analysis was also performed to identify the urban pixels within MARJ where UHI is more intense by subtracting the LST of these pixels from the LST mean value of “vegetation” land-use class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To assess the quality of life (QOL) as a predictor of volume reduction in women undergoing complex physical therapy (CPT) for lymphoedema following breast cancer. Methods. Clinical trial in 57 women undergoing CPT. Results. At baseline, in measuring quality of life for the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire subscale of functionality, the worst scores for emotional function (55 points) and better social function (89 points) were observed. The symptom scales showed the worst pain averaged (66 points). The overall quality of life showed a low score (40 points). In the BR 23 module, low scores were observed in the field of future perspective (47 points). After treatment of lymphoedema, absolute reduction of excess volume between the upper limbs of 282 mL was observed, representing a reduction of 15%. No association was observed between the domains of quality of life and response to treatment of lymphoedema. Conclusion. This study included 57 women with advanced and chronic lymphoedema in early treatment with CPT and low scores for quality of life. The lymphoedema therapeutic response was not influenced by the QOL at the beginning of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This work reports on the thermo optical parameters of TeO2–PbO–GeO2 glasses as a function of the concentration of gold nanoparticles. Techniques such as thermal lens and heat capacity measurements allowed the determination of the thermal diffusivity D, thermal conductivity K and the temperature coefficient of optical path (ds/dT). It is shown an expressive decrease in ds/dT as a function of gold nanoparticles concentration, while the opposite effect was observed for the thermal diffusivity D. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The following study has the primary objective of identifying the major competitive advantages owned by Brazilian beef processing plants in their internationalization process. In order to reach it, it was carried out an exploratory research, based on the survey of official data and publications concerning world's beef cattle production, followed by a literature review and finally, by a single case study. This case study was conducted through an interview with former employee of Redenção Frigorífico do Pará Ltda. The obtained results allowed the identification of the major competitive advantages of the studied company in its internationalization process, such as the raw material quality and availability, production scale, Brazilian cattle's extensive production system, and control and prevention of main cattle diseases. It was concluded that Brazilian beef production plants really have competitive advantages within the internationalization process context, some of them practically observed in the studied company, and others that can be effectively corroborated by future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

6-nitrodopamine (6-ND) is released from human umbilical cord vessels and modulates vascular reactivity by acting as a dopamine antagonist. Here we investigate whether 6-ND is released by the rat isolated vas deferens and its effect on this tissue. Dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline and 6-ND levels were quantified in rat isolated vas deferens by LC-MS-MS. Electric-field stimulation (EFS) and concentration-response curves to 6-ND, noradrenaline, dopamine and adrenaline were performed in the absence and in the presence (30 min) of L-NAME, SCH-23390, haloperidol, PG-01037, sonepiprazole, desipramine, clomipramine, amitriptyline, cyclobenzaprine, carbamazepine, maprotiline, paroxetine, oxcarbazepine and ketanserin in the rat isolated epididymal vas deferens (RIEVD). Basal releases of 6-ND and noradrenaline were detected from the rat isolated vas deferens. 6-ND release was reduced by tissue incubation with L-NAME and from the vas deferens obtained from L-NAME-treated rats. SCH-23390 caused leftward shifts on concentration-response curves to 6-ND without affecting dopamine- or EFS-induced RIEVD contractions. Haloperidol, PG-01037 and sonepiprazole caused significant rightward shifts on concentration-response curves to dopamine but had no effect on either the 6-ND or EFS-induced RIEVD contractions. The tricyclic compounds desipramine, clomipramine, amitriptyline, cyclobenzaprine and carbamazepine induced rightward shifts on 6-ND concentration-response curve but did not reduce the noradrenaline, dopamine and adrenaline contractile responses. They also reduced the EFS-induced RIEVD contractions in control but not in tissues obtained from L-NAME-treated animals. Maprotiline, oxcarbazepine, paroxetine and ketanserin had no effect in either 6-ND or EFS-induced RIEVD contractions. Thus, 6-ND modulates RIEVD contractility, and desipramine, clomipramine, amitriptyline, cyclobenzaprine and carbamazepine act as selective 6-ND receptor antagonists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a study of tellurite glasses doped with Eu3+ and Au nanoparticles. Luminescence of Eu3+ ions in the yellow-red region was examined as a function of Au nanoparticles concentration, while the thermal lens technique furnished the thermal diffusivity of the samples. The influence of the nanoparticles concentration on the thermal diffusivity of the glass and the Eu3+ luminescence is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]