Search

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an infectious disease predominant in countries located in the tropics. The prediction of occurrence of infectious diseases through epidemiologic modeling has revealed to be an important tool in the understanding of its occurrence dynamic. The objective of this study was to develop a forecasting model for the incidence of VL in Maranhão using the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model (SARIMA). We collected monthly data regarding VL cases from the National Disease Notification System (SINAN) corresponding to the period between 2001 and 2018. The Box-Jenkins method was applied in order to adjust a SARIMA prediction model for VL general incidence and by sex (male or female) for the period between January 2019 and December 2013. For 216 months of this time series, 10,431 cases of VL were notified in Maranhão, with an average of 579 cases per year. With regard to age range, there was a higher incidence among the pediatric public (0 to 14 years of age). There was a predominance in male cases, 6437 (61.71%). The Box-Pierce test figures for overall, male and female genders supported by the results of the Ljung-Box test suggest that the autocorrelations of residual values act as white noise. Regarding monthly occurrences in general and by gender, the SARIMA models (2,0,0) (2,0,0), (0,1,1) (0,1,1) and (0,1,1) (2, 0, 0) were the ones that mostly adjusted to the data respectively. The model SARIMA has proven to be an adequate tool for predicting and analyzing the trends in VL incidence in Maranhão. The time variation determination and its prediction are decisive in providing guidance in health measure intervention. Resumo A leishmaniose visceral (LV) é uma doença de natureza infecciosa, predominante em países de zonas tropicais. A predição de ocorrência de doenças infecciosas através da modelagem epidemiológica tem se revelado uma importante ferramenta no entendimento de sua dinâmica de ocorrência. O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver um modelo de previsão da incidência da LV no Maranhão usando o modelo de Média Móvel Integrada Autocorrelacionada Sazonal (SARIMA). Foram coletados os dados mensais de casos de LV através do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) correspondentes ao período de 2001 a 2018. O método de Box-Jenkins foi aplicado para ajustar um modelo de predição SARIMA para incidência geral e por sexo (masculino e feminino) de LV para o período de janeiro de 2019 a dezembro de 2023. Durante o período de 216 meses dessa série temporal, foram registrados 10.431 casos de LV no Maranhão, com uma média de 579 casos por ano. Em relação à faixa etária, houve maior registro no público pediátrico (0 a 14 anos). Houve predominância do sexo masculino, com 6437 casos (61,71%). Os valores do teste de Box-Pierce para incidência geral, sexo masculino e feminino reforçados pelos resultados do teste Ljung-Box sugerem que as autocorrelações de resíduos apresentam um comportamento de ruído branco. Para incidência mensal geral e por sexo masculino e feminino, os modelos SARIMA (2,0,0) (2,0,0), (0,1,1) (0,1,1) e (0,1,1) (2, 0, 0) foram os que mais se ajustaram aos dados, respectivamente. O modelo SARIMA se mostrou uma ferramenta adequada de previsão e análise da tendência de incidência da LV no Maranhão. A determinação da variação temporal e sua predição são determinantes no norteamento de medidas de intervenção em saúde.

The description of the stellar interior of compact stars remains as a big challenge for the nuclear astrophysics community. The consolidated knowledge is restricted to density regions around the saturation of hadronic matter ρ0=2.8×1014gcm−3, regimes where our nuclear models are successfully applied. As one moves towards higher densities and extreme conditions up to the quark/gluons deconfinement, little can be said about the microphysics of the equation of state (EoS). Here, we employ a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) strategy to access the variability at high density regions of polytropic piecewise models for neutron star (NS) EoS or possible hybrid stars, i.e., a NS with a small quark-matter core. With a fixed description of the hadronic matter for low density, below the nuclear saturation density, we explore a variety of models for the high density regimes leading to stellar masses near to 2.5M⊙, in accordance with the observations of massive pulsars. The models are constrained, including the observation of the merger of neutrons stars from VIRGO-LIGO and with the pulsar observed by NICER. In addition, we also discuss the possibility of the use of a Bayesian power regression model with heteroscedastic error. The set of EoS from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) was used as input and treated as the data set for the testing case.

DFT calculations and solid-state NMR spectroscopy are a powerful combination to provide a detailed characterization of phosphorus-containing graphene oxides with outstanding properties for diverse applications.

Introduction This study aims to assess safety and effectiveness of pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel in the neoadjuvant treatment (NeoT) of HER2-positive breast cancer. Methods Two consecutive retrospective cohorts (n = 94, 2012–2015 and 2015–2017) of adult women with HER2-positive breast cancer, receiving NeoT at the breast clinic in Portugal (IPO-Porto), were followed. All patients had surgery and received trastuzumab as adjuvant therapy. The 2012–2015 cohort received doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, docetaxel plus trastuzumab, whereas the 2015–2017 cohort was treated with the same protocol plus pertuzumab. Results The 2012–2015 cohort was older (median 53 years), with locally advanced tumors (48.1%), mostly hormone receptor positive (59.3%). The 2015–2017 cohort was younger (median 43 years) with 60% operable tumors. Pathologic complete response (pCR) improved in the second cohort, while maintaining a good safety profile and tolerability. Clinical staging (p = 0.001) and hormone receptor (p = 0.003) were significant predictors of pCR, but not treatment regimen (p = 0.304). Conclusion Further research with larger samples and longer follow-up is needed to understand the clinical differences. Clinical effectiveness of treatment should also be measured through overall and progression-free survival.

Qualitative research investigating pharmacists' participation in Long-Term Care (LTC) within interdisciplinary teams is scarce.To characterize how pharmacists' participation in a national network of LTC is perceived by healthcare professionals and other key stakeholders.Individual, in-depth, semi-structured interviews of participants (nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and LTC researchers) enrolled purposively or through snowballing sampling techniques, with the final sample being comprised of fourteen participants. Data analysis followed a deductive coding approach framed by Role Theory and supplemented with an inductive coding for additional themes.Four Role Theory constructs were identified from the primary data-role identity, overqualification, ambiguity, underqualification. Clinical pharmacy services, logistics and educational activities were pointed out as representing the identity of pharmacists' interventions. Despite the clear identification of LTC pharmacists' interventions, pharmacist expertise on medicine optimization seemed to be underused (role overqualification), as a result of lack of time, lower proactivity in healthcare teams' integration, and the absence of a legal framework targeted to LTC pharmacy practice (role ambiguity). Additional clinical training, including in the management of older people's health conditions, nutrition, and palliative care were missing (role underqualification).LTC pharmacists can provide essential services (e.g., clinical pharmacy, logistics, educational interventions), although additional training and a clearer legal framework are missing to better define pharmacists' roles in LTC pharmacy practice.

Here we present the spatially resolved study of six Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe), namely IC 4593, Hen 2-186, Hen 2-429, NGC 3918, NGC 6543, and NGC 6905, from intermediate-resolution spectra of the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope and the 1.54 m Danish telescope. The physical conditions (electron densities, Ne, and temperatures, Te), chemical compositions and dominant excitation mechanisms for the different regions of these objects are derived, in an attempt to go deeper on the knowledge of the low-ionization structures (LISs) hosted by these PNe. We reinforce the previous conclusions that LISs are characterized by lower (or at most equal) Ne than their associated rims and shells. As for the Te, we point out a possible different trend between the N and O diagnostics. Te[N ii] does not show significant variations throughout the nebular components, whereas Te[O iii] appears to be slightly higher for LISs. The much larger uncertainties associated with the Te[O iii] of LISs do not allow robust conclusions. Moreover, the chemical abundances show no variation from one to another PN components, not even contrasting LISs with rims and shells, as also found in a number of other works. By discussing the ionization photon flux due to shocks and stellar radiation, we explore the possible mechanisms responsible for the excitation of LISs. We argue that the presence of shocks in LISs is not negligible, although there is a strong dependence on the orientation of the host PNe and LISs.

The reduction of graphene oxide (GO) by means of thermal and/or chemical treatments leads to the production of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)—a material with improved electrical conductivity and considered a viable and low-cost alternative to pure graphene in several applications, including the production of supercapacitor electrodes. In the present work, GO was prepared by the oxidation of graphite recycled from spent Li-ion batteries using mixtures of sulfuric and phosphoric acids (with different H2SO4/H3PO4 ratios), leading to the production of materials with significant S and P contents. These materials were then thermally reduced, resulting in rGO papers that were investigated by solid-state 13C and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance, along with other methods. The electrochemical properties of the produced rGO papers were evaluated, including the recording of cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge curves, besides electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses. The samples obtained by thermal reduction at 150 °C exhibited good rate capability at high current density and high capacitance retention after a large number of charge–discharge cycles. The results evidenced a strong relationship between the electrochemical properties of the produced materials and their chemical and structural features, especially for the samples containing both S and P elements. The methods described in this work represent, then, a facile and low-cost alternative for the production of rGO papers using graphite recycled from spent batteries, with promising applications as supercapacitor electrodes.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of different hormone therapies, including hormonal contraceptives, in women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). Thirty reports of 28 studies were included, with a total of 4004 participants with POI from diverse aetiologies, of whom 3785 received hormone therapies and 219 received calcium supplementation, vitamin D, placebo or no treatment. Hormone therapy was superior to non-treatment, placebo, calcitriol or calcium in preserving bone mineral density (BMD) in women with POI. Hormone therapy was associated with up to 80% reduction in the prevalence of hot flushes and with stability or improvement in the quality of life scores. Hormone therapy induced significant increases in uterine volume and endometrial thickness in women with POI. The studies yielded convergent results and were of good quality, although some lacked blinding or had incomplete outcome data. Moderate to high quality evidence was found that hormone therapy with oestrogen and progesterone or progestin (including contraceptives) is beneficial to women with POI, not only to mitigate hypoestrogenic symptoms but also to preserve BMD and avoid uterine atrophy. More studies are needed to confirm the long-term safety of this therapy and to assess its possible impact on the risk of hard outcomes such as bone fractures and cardiovascular events.

A randomised clinical trial was conducted on 20 healthy, low-habitual fibre consumers to assess the short-term effects of water intake (2 l/day) on fibre supplementation with wheat bran, pectin, and green banana flour. During the 14-days trial, fibre intake doubled in both fibre (

Currently, different cutoff points for handgrip strength (HGS) have been used to estimate the prevalence of sarcopenia. In addition, the variability of equipment and protocols for this assessment can significantly influence the early detection of this important public health problem. Thus, this review aims to identify the different cutoff points for HGS adopted for older men and women in screening for sarcopenia.this review aims to identify the different cutoff points for HGS adopted for older men and women in screening for sarcopenia.In accordance with the PRISMA 2020 recommendations, which included published studies from the last 10 years, from 6 databases, in 3 different languages.19.730 references were identified, of which 62 were included for the review. All references analyzed used algorithms and definitions of sarcopenia already known in the literature. Of the studies found, 16 chose to develop cutoff values for HGS based on their own population. The variation in cutoff points was evident when compared between gender and regions of the world.It has become evident that there is a variability of normative values for HGS in sarcopenia screening. In addition, this systematic review shows the difference in the cutoff points used between the consensuses and those developed for each population.

Natural polymers are a promising alternative for reducing the environmental impact of batteries. For this reason, it is still necessary to study their behavior and implement its use in these devices, especially in separator membranes. This work reports on new separator membranes based on silk fibroin (SF) and silk sericin (SS) prepared by salt leaching method. The effect of the different SS relative content on the physiochemical properties of the membranes and on the electrochemical performance of the corresponding batteries with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) as cathodes has been reported. It is observed that the increasing of SS content leads to a decrease of the overall crystallinity of the membranes. All SF/SS membranes presented a well-defined porosity above 75% with a uniform distribution of interconnected micropores. The electrolyte uptake and the ionic conductivity are dependent on the relative SS content. The addition of 10 wt% of SS into SF membranes, induce a high ionic conductivity of 4.09 mS.cm−1 and high lithium transference number (0.52), due to the improvement of the Li+ ions conduction paths within the blended structure. Charge/discharge tests performed in Lithium/C-LFP half-cells reveal a discharge capacity of 85 mAh.g−1 at 2C after 100 cycles for batteries with a SF/SS separator, containing a 10 wt% of SS, which suggests a stabilizing effect of Sericin on discharge capacity. Further, a 50% and 35% of capacity of retention and capacity fade, respectively, is observed. The presented SF/SS membrane show high electrochemical stability, being suitable for implementation in a next generation of sustainable battery systems. This could allow the SS valorization considering that 150,000 tons of SS are abandoned each year, reducing the contamination of environmental effluents., The authors thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for financial support under the framework of Strategic Funding grants UID/FIS/04650/2020, UID/EEA/04436/2020, and UID/QUI/0686/2020 and under projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028157 and PTDC/FIS-MAC/ 28157/2017 funded by national funds through FCT and by the ERDF through the COMPETE2020—Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI). The authors also thank the FCT for financial support under FCT investigator contracts CEECIND/00833/ 2017 (RG) and 2020.04028.CEECIND (C.M.C.). Financial support from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK 2018 program (KK-2018/00098) is acknowledged. The authors thank for technical and human support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU/ ERDF, EU).

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is an electronic power device that delivers voltage to critical loads and whose application must satisfy standardized performance requirements. Usual control techniques demand the UPS model. In this article, we propose a simple, model-free procedure based on the generalized forced oscillation method to design the control system of a UPS output stage. The procedure involves the design of an inner current loop with a proportional gain and a proportional-multiresonant controller in the output voltage loop. We also compare the closed-loop results obtained in a single-phase 3.5 kVA UPS with the IEC 62040-3 performance criteria and show that the results are equivalent to model-based approaches.

Benznidazole (BZ) tablets are the currently prescribed treatment for Chagas disease. However, BZ presents limited efficacy and a prolonged treatment regimen with dose-dependent side effects. The design and development of new BZ subcutaneous (SC) implants based on the biodegradable poly-ɛ-caprolactone (PCL) is proposed in this study for a controlled release of BZ and to improve patient compliance. The BZ–PCL implants were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy, which indicated that BZ remains in its crystalline state dispersed in the polymer matrix with no polymorphic transitions. BZ–PCL implants, even at the highest doses, induce no alteration of the levels of hepatic enzymes in treated animals. BZ release from implants to blood was monitored in plasma during and after treatment in healthy and infected animals. Implants at equivalent oral doses increase the body’s exposure to BZ in the first days compared with oral therapy, exhibiting a safe profile and allowing sustained BZ concentrations in plasma to induce a cure of all mice in the experimental model of acute infection by the Y strain of T. cruzi. BZ–PCL implants have the same efficacy as 40 daily oral doses of BZ. Biodegradable BZ implants are a promising option to reduce failures related to poor adherence to treatment, with more comfort for patients, and with sustained BZ plasma concentration in the blood. These results are relevant for optimizing human Chagas disease treatment regimens.

Supplemental Movie 2: Animated EVAC streamlines (grey lines), showing the path taken by interstitial fluid, overlaid on vascular perfusion measurements (colour scale, measured in vivo using arterial spin labelling) and the location of blood vessels (yellow structures, measured ex vivo using micro-CT). The data were acquired in an LS174T colorectal carcinoma tumour xenograft.

Additional data describing the reproducibility of convectionMRI data, and a figure showing the convectionMRI acquisition sequence.

Several distinct fluid flow phenomena occur in solid tumors, including intravascular blood flow and interstitial convection. Interstitial fluid pressure is often raised in solid tumors, which can limit drug delivery. To probe low-velocity flow in tumors resulting from raised interstitial fluid pressure, we developed a novel MRI technique named convection-MRI, which uses a phase-contrast acquisition with a dual-inversion vascular nulling preparation to separate intra- and extravascular flow. Here, we report the results of experiments in flow phantoms, numerical simulations, and tumor xenograft models to investigate the technical feasibility of convection-MRI. We observed a significant correlation between estimates of effective fluid pressure from convection-MRI with gold-standard, invasive measurements of interstitial fluid pressure in mouse models of human colorectal carcinoma. Our results show how convection-MRI can provide insights into the growth and responsiveness to vascular-targeting therapy in colorectal cancers.Significance: A noninvasive method for measuring low-velocity fluid flow caused by raised fluid pressure can be used to assess changes caused by therapy. Cancer Res; 78(7); 1859–72. ©2018 AACR.

Supplemental Movie 4: Animated EVAC streamlines (grey lines), showing the path taken by interstitial fluid, overlaid on vascular perfusion measurements (colour scale, measured in vivo using arterial spin labelling) and the location of blood vessels (yellow structures, measured ex vivo using micro-CT). The data were acquired in an SW1222 colorectal carcinoma tumour xenograft.

Supplemental Movie 1: Schematic movie illustrating the physical principles underpinning the convection-MRI sequence

Supplemental Movie 5: Interstitial convection, measured using EVAC-MRI and animated using a particle simulation (left), compared with MRI signal enhancement with time, following injection with a contrast agent (Gd-DTPA), in an LS174T tumour.

High-resolution copy of Figure 6b. Fluid flow measured in vivo with convectionMRI is shown as grey streamlines and perfusion is shown as a colorscale. The location of blood vessels is represented by yellow volume renderings, acquired using ex vivo microvascular casting and imaged with micro-CT.

Supplemental Movie 3: Animated EVAC streamlines (grey lines), showing the path taken by interstitial fluid, overlaid on vascular perfusion measurements (colour scale, measured in vivo using arterial spin labelling) and the location of blood vessels (yellow structures, measured ex vivo using micro-CT). The data were acquired in an LS174T colorectal carcinoma tumour xenograft.

Postural instability is considered one of the most incapacitating motor symptoms and a primary cause of falls in Parkinson’s disease (PD), compromising the autonomy and well-being of people suffering from this condition. Usually, the clinical examination used to evaluate this symptom is the pull test since it does not require any instruments and is easy to perform. However, this test is difficult to standardize and is not sensitive to subtle but significant changes. Recent studies have shown that inertial measurement units constitute a portable and cost-effective solution to measure postural sway, which provides metrics sensitive to balance disorders as postural instability. Further studies are required to monitor patients’ postural conditions and implement an adequate treatment to improve postural stability, it is crucial to quantify balance under dynamic conditions. Hence, the proposed research focused on investigating the hypothesis of whether it is possible to differentiate between all the scores of the pull test through postural and gait metrics extracted from raw acceleration and angular velocity signals from the center of mass of patients with PD acquired while performing basic day-to-day tasks. A cross-sectional study was followed, including 23 patients, and the achieved results showed that most of the estimated metrics can differentiate the pull test scores (ρ-value≤0.048, R2≥0.513). Overall, satisfactory results were achieved as the statistical analysis revealed gait and postural metrics estimated under dynamic conditions were considered relevant to distinguish between the scores of the pull test.

Glutamine amidotransferases, enzymes that transfer nitrogen from Gln to various cellular metabolites, are modular, with the amidotransferase (GATase) domain hydrolyzing Gln, generating ammonia and the acceptor domain catalyzing the addition of nitrogen onto its cognate substrate. GMP synthetase (GMPS), an enzyme in the de novo purine nucleotide biosynthetic pathway, is a glutamine amidotransferase that catalyzes the synthesis of GMP from XMP. The reaction involves activation of XMP though adenylation by ATP in the ATP pyrophosphatase (ATPPase) active site, followed by channeling and attack of NH3 generated in the GATase pocket. This complex chemistry entails co-ordination of activity across the active sites, allosteric activation of the GATase domain to modulate Gln hydrolysis and channeling of ammonia from the GATase to the acceptor active site. Functional GMPS dimers associate through the dimerization domain. The crystal structure of the Gln-bound complex of Plasmodium falciparum GMPS (PfGMPS) for the first time revealed large-scale domain rotation to be associated with catalysis and leading to the juxtaposition of two otherwise spatially distal cysteinyl (C113/C337) residues. In this manuscript, we report on an unusual structural variation in the crystal structure of the C89A/C113A PfGMPS double mutant, wherein a larger degree of domain rotation has led to the dissociation of the dimeric structure. Furthermore, we report a hitherto overlooked signature motif tightly related to catalysis.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a tool that has the ability to protect a person whose function is to isolate part or all of the body from potential hazards in the workplace. This PPE consists of mandatory equipment used by workers in accordance with work hazards and risks used to maintain the safety of workers as well as those around them. In developing countries such as Timor-Leste, the issue of occupational health and safety still seems to be something that has not received the maximum portion of attention. The aim is to know and understand the use of Personal Protective Equipment for the Occupational Health and Safety of Employees of the Auto Vision Aimutin Company, Dili. This research is qualitative research with an analytical descriptive approach that serves to describe or provide an overview of the object under study through data or samples that have been collected as they are without analyzing and making conclusions that apply to the public. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is very important for the health and safety of workers, while those who do not use personal protective equipment are at high risk of contracting disease in the work environment. The results of respondents' answers about occupational health and safety, occupational health, work safety, and personal protective equipment (PPE) are the majority of respondents answered strongly agree with the percentage value (100%), while to agree and strongly disagree respondents did not provide answers with a percentage value (0%).

Structural and luminescence studies on Eu3+- and Nd3+-doped lanthanum niobates. High quenching concentration of Nd3+-doped samples and no quenching concentration for up to 20 mol% Eu3+samples with dopant concentration-dependent properties observed.

Modeling grounding systems is necessary for the calculation of ground potential rise (GPR), power system simulations and insulation coordination studies. In this work, a methodology for estimating equivalent circuit parameters through the optimization of the time-domain impulse response was developed. It allows to obtain equivalent circuits with positive parameters that accurately represent grounding systems considering both effects related to frequency and soil ionization. Additionally, linear and nonlinear equivalent circuits for calculating the impulse response of typical grounding systems were proposed. The Nelder-Mead optimization method was applied to adjust the circuit parameters. For evaluating the methodology developed and the proposed models, data from impulse current tests was used. It was found that the use of nonlinear circuits increases the accuracy of the simulated response, resulting in errors of less than 4% in the estimation of GPR. The proposed methodology allows obtaining representative circuits of typical grounding systems used in the electrical system. The circuits can be used for systemic studies and calculation of GPR considering short-circuit or lightning currents.

RESUMO A complexidade das mudanças globais e seus efeitos nos sistemas socioecológicos motivam o desenvolvimento de abordagens de gestão mais integradas e inovadoras para equilibrar as relações sociedade-natureza. Com o desafio de suprir demandas globais e considerar impactos locais, a Gestão Baseada em Ecossistemas (GBE) aparece como uma estratégia de avaliação e ação com potencial de qualificar as interações socioecológicas. Nesse sentido, as praias arenosas surgem como um importante e complexo sistema socioecológico cuja gestão é historicamente realizada de forma reducionista, imediatista, fragmentada e tecnocrática, o que são desafios para a implementação da GBE. Dessa forma, esse artigo visou discutir as oportunidades de incorporar a GBE na gestão de praias e os desafios para sua implementação na América Latina e Caribe. Assim, observa-se que a GBE pode orientar a adequação dos processos da gestão de praias. Apesar dos desafios enfrentados na AL&C sua implementação é uma ferramenta a ser fortalecida na região por meio da transdisciplinaridade e cooperação internacional para promover a sustentabilidade das praias. ABSTRACT The complexity of global changes and their effects on social-ecological systems motivate the development of more integrated and innovative management approaches to balance the society-nature relationship. With the challenge of meeting global demands and considering local impacts, Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) emerges as an assessment and action strategy with the potential to qualify social-ecological interactions. In this sense, sandy beaches are an important and complex social-ecological system whose management has been historically characterized by a reductionist, immediatist, fragmented and technocratic approach - all challenges for EBM implementation. This article aims to discuss opportunities to incorporate EBM in beach management and the challenges to its implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C). GBE can guide beach management processes towards achieving sustainability. Despite the challenges faced in LA&C, GBE implementation must be strengthened in the region to support beach sustainability through the promotion of transdisciplinarity and international cooperation.

Branching enzymes (BE) are responsible for the formation of branching points at the 1,6 position in glycogen and starch, by catalyzing the cleavage of α-1,4-linkages and the subsequent transfer by introducing α-1,6-linked glucose branched points. BEs are found in the large GH13 family, eukaryotic BEs being mainly classified in the GH13_8 subfamily, GH13_9 grouping almost exclusively prokaryotic enzymes. With the aim of contributing to the understanding of the mode of recognition and action of the enzymes belonging to GH13_8, and to the understanding of features distinguishing these enzymes from those belonging to subfamily 13_9, we solved the crystal structure of the glycogen branching enzyme (GBE) from the yeast Candida glabrata, CgGBE, in ligand-free forms and in complex with a maltotriose. The structures revealed the presence of a domain already observed in Homo sapiens and Oryza sativa BEs that we named α-helical N-terminal domain, in addition to the three conserved domains found in BE. We confirmed by phylogenetic analysis that this α-helical N-terminal domain is always present in the GH13_8 enzymes suggesting that it could actually present a signature for this subfamily. We identified two binding sites in the α-helical N-terminal domain and in the carbohydrate binding module 48 (CBM48), respectively, which show a unique structural organization only present in the Saccharomycotina phylum. Our structural and phylogenetic investigation provides new insight into the structural characterization of GH13_8 GBE revealing that unique structural features only present in the Saccharomycotina phylum thereby conferring original properties to this group of enzymes.

Within our program of physical characterization of trans-Neptunian objects and centaurs, we predicted a stellar occultation by the centaur (54598) Bienor to occur on January 11, 2019, with good observability potential. We obtained high accuracy astrometric data to refine the prediction, resulting in a shadow path favorable for the Iberian Peninsula. This encouraged us to carry out an occultation observation campaign that resulted in five positive detections from four observing sites. This is the fourth centaur for which a multichord (more than two chords) stellar occultation has been observed so far, the other three being (2060) Chiron, (10199) Chariklo, and (95626) 2002 GZ32. From the analysis of the occultation chords, combined with the rotational light curve obtained shortly after the occultation, we determined that Bienor has an area-equivalent diameter of 150 ± 20 km. This diameter is ∼30 km smaller than the one obtained from thermal measurements. The position angle of the short axis of the best fitting ellipse obtained through the analysis of the stellar occultation does not match that of the spin axis derived from long-term photometric models. We also detected a strong irregularity in one of the minima of the rotational light curve that is present no matter the aspect angle at which the observations were done. We present different scenarios to reconcile the results from the different techniques. We did not detect secondary drops related to potential rings or satellites. Nonetheless, similar rings in size to that of Chariklo’s cannot be discarded due to low data accuracy., European Research Council (ERC) 669416, Space Research Initiative from State of Florida, Spanish grant (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) AYA-2017-84637-R, National Research, Development & Innovation Office (NRDIO) - Hungary K-138962 CAPES-PRINT/UNESP 88887.310463/2018-00 88887.571156/2020-00, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ) 427700/2018-3 310683/2017-3 473002/2013-2 314772/2020-0 308150/2016-3 305917/2019-6 150612/2020-6, Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio De Janeiro (FAPERJ) E-26/111.488/2013, Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) 2018/11239-8, Spanish Government PGC2018-097374-B-I00, Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) 001, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ), Fundacao de Apoio a Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (FAPDF) 465376/2014-2, Spanish Government AYA-2017-84637-R SEV-2017-0709, Junta de Andalucia PY20_01309, Agencia Estatal de Investigacion PID2020-112789GB-I00, Fondos de Inversiones de Teruel (FITE)

BackgroundChagas disease (CD) is a neglected endemic disease with worldwide impact due to migration. Approximately 50–70% of individuals in the chronic phase of CD present the indeterminate form, characterized by parasitological and/or serological evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, but without clinical signs and symptoms. Subclinical abnormalities have been reported in indeterminate form of CD, including pro-inflammatory states and alterations in cardiac function, biomarkers and autonomic modulation. Moreover, individuals with CD are usually impacted on their personal and professional life, making social insertion difficult and impacting their mental health and quality of life (QoL). Physical exercise has been acknowledged as an important strategy to prevent and control numerous chronic-degenerative diseases, but unexplored in individuals with the indeterminate form of CD. The PEDI-CHAGAS study (which stands for “Home-Based Exercise Program in the Indeterminate Form of Chagas Disease” in Portuguese) aims to evaluate the effects of a home-based exercise program on physical and mental health outcomes in individuals with indeterminate form of CD.Methods and designThe PEDI-CHAGAS is a two-arm (exercise and control) phase 3 superiority randomized clinical trial including patients with indeterminate form of CD. The exclusion criteria are ConclusionThe findings from the present study may support public health intervention strategies to improve physical and mental health parameters to be implemented more effectively in this population.Clinical trial registration[https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-10yxgcr9/], identifier [U1111-1263-0153].

International audience

This paper extends the formulation of a data-driven control method - the Optimal Controller Identification (OCI) - to cope with non-minimum phase (NMP) systems, without a priori knowledge of the NMP transmission zero, i.e. without obtaining a prior model of the plant - as in any data-driven approach. The method is based on the Model Reference paradigm, in which the desired closed-loop performance is specified by means of a closed-loop transfer function - the reference model. Considering a convenient parametrization of the latter and a flexible performance criterion, it is possible to identify the NMP transmission zeros of the plant along with the optimal controller parameters, as it will be shown. Both diagonal and block-triangular reference model structures are treated in detail. Simulation examples show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.