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Abstract Various techniques using fluorescent reporter probes have been developed, such as GFP transgenic mouse lines that are used to detect spatial–temporal expression levels of genes. Although GFP expression is largely considered non-toxic, recent reports have indicated that under certain conditions GFP can display cellular toxicity. We hereby report the nuclear toxicity of H2B-GFP using a K14 specific Tet-on reporter mouse system. Using this system, GFP accumulates in the nucleus of all K14 expressing cells, such as the ocular surface epithelia and ocular adnexa. Expression of high levels of nuclear GFP during embryonic stages led to an eye open-at-birth (EOB) phenotype and abnormal ocular adnexa development and during adult and aging stages showed notable toxicity to ocular tissues. Other tissues, such as skin, also presented multiple defects associated with H2B-GFP expression. This toxicity was found to be concentration dependent, with homozygous mice presenting extremely high toxicity, while heterozygous mice presented limited toxicity. Upon induction, the accumulation of H2B-GFP in the nucleus of homozygous mice led to apoptosis within 2 weeks. This study therefore shows that although the use of nuclear GFP reporter mice is a valuable tool, at high levels, nuclear GFP can be toxic, leading to cell death and affecting tissue function.

ABSTRACT Objective: to map evidence in the literature on the spirituality and religiosity of children, adolescents and their families in social vulnerability. Methods: this is a scoping review based on the JBI methodology, with the search without delimiting the time period, in English, Portuguese and Spanish, in the Virtual Health Library, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Results: twenty-two studies were identified. The most studied population were adolescents, followed by children and their families. Regarding the setting, the context of vulnerability related to the low socioeconomic level experienced by these populations was highlighted. Furthermore, spirituality and religiosity were considered important for coping, social support, purpose and strength. Conclusion: there is an influence of spirituality and religiosity in the lives of children, adolescents and families, being a protective factor and a source of comfort, playing essential tools for living in context.

Objetivos: O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar os efeitos da anemia infantil na queda neuroplasticidade cerebral. Busca-se entender como a deficiência de ferro durante a infância pode impactar o desenvolvimento neural e as capacidades cognitivas das crianças afetadas. Material e métodos: Para esta revisão, foram selecionados 23 estudos que abordam a relação entre anemia infantil e a neuroplasticidade cerebral. A pesquisa foi conduzida em bases de dados científicas, incluindo PubMed e Scopus, focando em artigos publicados nos últimos dez anos. Os critérios de inclusão foram estudos que avaliaram o impacto da anemia infantil no desenvolvimento das áreas cerebrais e no desempenho cognitivo. Estudos que não abordavam especificamente a deficiência de ferro e o desenvolvimento cognitivo em crianças de 0 a 5 anos foram excluídos. Foram considerados artigos de ensaios clínicos randomizados, estudos observacionais e revisões sistemáticas. Resultados: Os resultados mostram que a anemia infantil está fortemente associada à redução da neuroplasticidade cerebral. Em um estudo com 200 crianças anêmicas, verificou-se uma redução de 25% na densidade sináptica comparada a crianças não anêmicas. Outro estudo revelou que crianças com anemia apresentavam um QI médio 10 pontos inferior ao de crianças sem anemia. Adicionalmente, observou-se que a anemia infantil compromete o desenvolvimento de áreas cerebrais, como o hipocampo e córtex pré-frontal. Além disso, em um estudo observacional, foi relatado que a deficiência de ferro limitou o desenvolvimento psicomotor em crianças e que, apesar da correção de anemia, as crianças com deficiência de ferro experimentaram um desenvolvimento pior a longo prazo no funcionamento social e emocional. Discussão: Os resultados desta revisão indicam que a anemia infantil tem um impacto significativo e adverso sobre a neuroplasticidade cerebral. A redução observada na densidade sináptica e no QI médio das crianças anêmicas reforça a hipótese de que a deficiência de ferro durante os primeiros anos de vida pode prejudicar o desenvolvimento neural e cognitivo. Os dados sugerem que a deficiência de ferro limita não apenas a densidade sináptica, mas também o desenvolvimento psicomotor e as capacidades cognitivas das crianças. Essa limitação pode ser atribuída ao papel crucial do ferro na formação e manutenção das sinapses neurais, bem como no desenvolvimento cerebral. Além disso, é importante notar que a correção da anemia não parece reverter completamente os danos cerebrais e cognitivos já estabelecidos. Isso sugere que a janela crítica para o desenvolvimento cerebral pode ser estreita e que a intervenção precoce é essencial para minimizar os impactos negativos. Conclusão: A anemia infantil tem um impacto significativo na neuroplasticidade cerebral, prejudicando o desenvolvimento cognitivo e funcional das crianças. Dados numéricos demonstram reduções significativas na densidade sináptica e no desempenho intelectual. Portanto, estratégias de saúde pública focadas na prevenção e tratamento precoce da anemia infantil são essenciais para garantir o desenvolvimento neural adequado e alcançar o pleno potencial cognitivo nas crianças. Em vista disso, é importante que pais, educadores e profissionais de saúde estejam atentos aos sinais de anemia apresentados pelas crianças e promovam uma alimentação rica em ferro desde os primeiros anos de vida.

The genus Oenocarpus Martius, 1823 (Arecaceae) includes five species commonly used in Amazonia, especially for their fruits. Little is known about the cytogenetic characteristics and DNA amounts of these species, except for O. bataua (Martius, 1823). This study characterized and compared the types of interphase nuclei, the chromosome sets, and estimated the nuclear DNA amounts of Oenocarpus bacaba (Martius, 1823), O. bataua, O. distichus (Martius, 1823), O. mapora (H. Karsten, 1857) and O. minor (Martius, 1823). Standard cytogenetic analyses and estimates of the nuclear DNA amount by flow cytometry were carried out. These are the first reports of chromosome numbers and DNA amounts, except for O. bataua, as is the description of the chromatin distribution in interphase nuclei and karyotype for all species. All species presented 2n = 36, confirming the previous report for O. bataua. Differences between karyotype formulas and the positioning of secondary constrictions were observed. There were no significant differences for the nuclear DNA amounts among species. The constancy in chromosome number and variations in karyotype formulas suggest the occurrence of chromosome rearrangement as an important mechanism in Oenocarpus speciation.

Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the response of citrus seedlings formed from buds challenged with Phytophthora citrophthora to the infection caused by this pathogen. For this, ‘Pera’ orange and ‘Tahiti’ acid lime scions were grafted on ‘Rangpur’ lime rootstock. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, in a completely randomized design in 2×4 factorial arrangement. Seedlings were challenged by a P. citrophthora isolate. Lesion size, plant height, and stem diameter were evaluated, as well as the following physiological attributes: internal CO2 concentration, transpiration, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, and water use efficiency. In the ‘Pera’/‘Rangpur’ combination, seedlings formed by buds challenged by the pathogen exhibited smaller lesion sizes and higher photosynthetic rates. However, in the ‘Tahiti’/‘Rangpur’ combination, seedlings presented larger lesions, greater stem diameters, lower transpiration rates, and an increased water use efficiency. The challenge with the pathogen and the use of the ‘Pera’ orange/‘Rangpur’ lime combination (less sensitive to the disease) shows additive effects in the induction of resistance to gummosis.

The floods that struck the lower Tagus valley in February 1979 correspond to the most intense floods in this river and affected the largest number of people in a river flow event in Portugal during the last 150 years. In fact, the vast area affected significantly impacted circa 10 000 people in the lower Tagus sector (and an additional 7000 in other regions of Portugal), including thousands of people evacuated or made homeless. In this context, the present study focuses on an in-depth analysis of this event from a hydrodynamic perspective by means of the Iber+ numerical model and on developing strategies to mitigate the flood episodes that occur in the lower section of the Tagus River using the exceptional floods of February 1979 as a benchmark. In this sense, dam operating strategies were developed and analyzed for the most important dam along the Tagus River basin in order to propose effective procedures to take advantage of these infrastructures to minimize the effect of floods. Overall, the numerical results indicate a good agreement with watermarks and some descriptions of the 1979 flood event, which demonstrates the model capability to evaluate floods in the area under study. Regarding flood mitigation, results obtained indicate that the frequency of floods can be reduced with the proposed strategies, which were focused on providing optimal dam operating rules to mitigate flooding in the lower Tagus valley. In addition, hydraulic simulations corroborated an important decrease in water depth and velocity for the most extreme flood events, and also a certain reduction in the flood extension was detected. This confirms the effectiveness of the proposed strategies to help in reducing the flood impact in the lower Tagus valley through the efficient functioning of dams.

Archives have attracted renewed attention since the late 1990s and have been examined from different disciplinary perspectives. Far from being merely an artifact of power and at the service of states or colonial states (Stoler 2010), archives have also served to demonstrate and contest various forms of violence and thus shed light on different violations marked by their opacity. They are also reservoirs of social memory and bearers of a high affective and emotional value. The purpose of this work is to analyze the potential of a unique archive that we propose to create, based on a collaborative ethnographic research, to collect the testimonies of women who currently denounce having had their children separated from them at birth without their consent. The purpose of this archive will be to safeguard and emphasize the value of these stories, which for a long time were silenced and which not only reveal the different violent practices generally exerted on very young women who were forced to give up their children for adoption or were directly deprived of them, but also the prejudices and stigmas that later weighed on them. In this article we will examine the potential of building a documentary reservoir of this type and some of the challenges involved in this task. To do so, we first analyze the narratives of the women we have already interviewed in the framework of our research work, which focuses on the 2012-2022 period, in Argentina, in order to account for the particular characteristics of their stories and claims. These are semi-directed and in-depth interviews that we have conducted in an ethnographic research and that have allowed us to learn about and analyze the practices of which these women were victims and also the meanings that they attribute to them. Next, we present a review of some of the most important contributions that different authors have made on “alternative archives” or “community” archives. Thus, we argue that establishing an archive with silenced voices can serve as a tool to shed light on various violations and contribute to understanding different ways of managing “out-of-place motherhoods,” (Fonseca 2012) while also being a tool to challenge diverse forms of violence and serve as a mechanism for reparation

The synthetic peptide of lumican C-terminal 13 amino acids with the cysteine replaced by an alanine, hereafter referred to as lumikine (LumC13C-A: YEALRVANEVTLN), binds to TGFβ type I receptor/activin-like kinase5 (TBR1/ALK5) in the activated TGFβ receptor complex to promote corneal epithelial wound healing. The present study aimed to identify the minimum essential amino acid epitope necessary to exert the effects of lumikine via ALK5 and to determine the role of the Y (tyrosine) residue for promoting corneal epithelium wound healing. This study also aimed to determine the signaling pathway(s) triggered by lumican–ALK5 binding. For such, adult Lum knockout (Lum−/−) mice (~8–12 weeks old) were subjected to corneal epithelium debridement using an Agerbrush®. The injured eyes were treated with 10 µL eye drops containing 0.3 µM synthetic peptides designed based on the C-terminal region of lumican for 5–6 h. To unveil the downstream signaling pathways involved, inhibitors of the Alk5 and EGFR signaling pathways were co-administered or not. Corneas isolated from the experimental mice were subjected to whole-mount staining and imaged under a ZEISS Observer to determine the distance of epithelium migration. The expression of EGFR ligands was determined following a scratch assay with HTCE (human telomerase-immortalized cornea epithelial cells) in the presence or not of lumikine. Results indicated that shorter LumC-terminal peptides containing EVTLN and substitution of Y with F in lumikine abolishes its capability to promote epithelium migration indicating that Y and EVTLN are essential but insufficient for Lum activity. Lumikine activity is blocked by inhibitors of Alk5, EGFR, and MAPK signaling pathways, while EGF activity is only suppressed by EGFR and MAPK inhibitors. qRT-PCR of scratched HTCE cells cultures treated with lumikine showed upregulated expression of several EGFR ligands including epiregulin (EREG). Treatment with anti-EREG antibodies abolished the effects of lumikine in corneal epithelium debridement healing. The observations suggest that Lum/lumikine binds Alk5 and promotes the noncanonical Smad-independent TGFβ/TBRs signaling pathways during the healing of corneal epithelium debridement.

Past research has shown that assessments of engineering students' transferable skills have not been properly investigated or incorporated into the practices of higher education institutions. This study addressed this gap by proposing a System for Assessing Engineering Students' Transferable Skills (SACTEE, in Portuguese), which includes scales for assessment by self, peers, and teachers. The study also sought to provide evidence of the scale's content validity, internal consistency, and replicability. A total of 147 students, 23 professors, and 8 representatives of the academic management staff participated on the study to assure the scales' content validity and internal consistency. Two confirmatory focus groups with 15 representatives from public and private HEIs in Brazil analysed the usefulness and replicability of the system. The results demonstrated the preliminary psychometric quality of the instruments and the replicability of the SACTEE, thus contributing to engineering education research field and to assessing and developing students' transferable skills.

Coastal upwelling is of particular importance in the western Iberian Peninsula, considering its socioeconomic impact on the region. Therefore, it is of crucial interest to evaluate how climate change, by modifying wind patterns, might influence its intensity and seasonality. Given the limited spatial extension of the area, it is essential to use high-resolution data. Thus, the weather research and forecasting model was used to dynamically downscale data from a multi-model ensemble from the 6th phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, representing the latest climate projections. Two shared socioeconomic pathways, 2–4.5 and 5–8.5 scenarios, were considered. The results show that climate change will not modify the upwelling seasonality in the area, where the months from April to September represent the period of highest intensity. Conversely, this seasonality might be exacerbated throughout the 21st century, as upwelling is expected to strengthen during these months and decrease during others. Additionally, coastal upwelling shows the highest increase at the northerner locations of the western Iberian Peninsula, resulting in a homogenization of its intensity along this coast. These changes may result from the anticipated intensification and northward shift of the Azores High.

The cornea is continuously exposed to injuries, ranging from minor scratches to deep traumas. An effective healing mechanism is crucial for the cornea to restore its structure and function following major and minor insults. Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-β), a versatile signaling molecule that coordinates various cell responses, has a central role in corneal wound healing. Upon corneal injury, TGF-β is rapidly released into the extracellular environment, triggering cell migration and proliferation, the differentiation of keratocytes into myofibroblasts, and the initiation of the repair process. TGF-β-mediated processes are essential for wound closure; however, excessive levels of TGF-β can lead to fibrosis and scarring, causing impaired vision. Three primary isoforms of TGF-β exist—TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3. Although TGF-β isoforms share many structural and functional similarities, they present distinct roles in corneal regeneration, which adds an additional layer of complexity to understand the role of TGF-β in corneal wound healing. Further, aberrant TGF-β activity has been linked to various corneal pathologies, such as scarring and Peter’s Anomaly. Thus, understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which TGF-β1-3 regulate corneal wound healing will enable the development of potential therapeutic interventions targeting the key molecule in this process. Herein, we summarize the multifaceted roles of TGF-β in corneal wound healing, dissecting its mechanisms of action and interactions with other molecules, and outline its role in corneal pathogenesis.

Research Framework: Chile and Argentina are among the South American countries where the number of adoptees who are either searching for their origins or questioning them, and the various aspects of their personal identity has increased exponentially over the past decade.Objectives: In order to deepen academic knowledge of (re)naming processes, the specific aim of this study is to explore the history that each participant has constructed around their first and last name (birth and adopted), as well as the meanings they give to naming processes and the operations they actively perform in this regard.Methodology: The data presented in this article come from a subset of 13 participants in a multi-site qualitative study in Chile and Argentina of 75 national adoptees (legal and illegal). Their experiences were collected through qualitative interviews and analyzed along thematic analysis.Results: The narratives show the unique perspectives that adoptees have on maintaining, changing or combining their names, decisions that can be seen as an exercise in affirmation and ongoing transformation of their sense of self and the relationships they establish with their past, present and future.Conclusion: The question of name is at the heart of the identity-building process. It is essential to understand the identity-related operations that people actively, reflectively and creatively perform on their names.Contribution: By analyzing the identity operations carried out by adoptees, our article contributes to the understanding of the identity work they carry out throughout their lives as a result of their dual filiation.

La investigación social muestra que las relaciones de parentesco entre hermanos/as son primordiales en la vida de muchas personas. Sin embargo, en el campo de estudios interdisciplinarios sobre adopción, especialmente en el ámbito iberoamericano, se ha explorado escasamente estas relaciones. En el marco de un estudio multi-situado y comparativo, en este artículo examinamos las experiencias de un grupo de personas adultas adoptadas chilenas, argentinas y españolas que buscaron y encontraron a sus hermanos/as de origen. A la luz del material de campo realizado, analizamos la complejidad de las dinámicas y afectos involucrados en estos encuentros y su impacto en los procesos de construcción de identidad y de las relaciones de parentesco, teniendo como trasfondo profundas inequidades sociales, económicas y culturales de carácter estructural. Discutimos cómo nuestros hallazgos pueden aportar a la comprensión de los procesos de búsqueda de orígenes y proyectamos diversos desafíos en las políticas y prácticas adoptivas, así como también en los futuros estudios sobre el tema.

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify the scientific evidence on the impacts caused by the use of screens during the COVID-19 pandemic in children and adolescents, raising reflections for future interventions with this public. Data source: This is an integrative literature review, conducted in the databases Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), United States National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, published from March 2020 to January 2022, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Data synthesis: The search strategies allowed retrieving 418 articles, of which 218 were duplicates. The analysis of titles and abstracts resulted in the maintenance of 62 studies. Of these, 31 were excluded from the reading of the full text, since they did not clearly present the phenomenon investigated. Thirty-one were eligible, resulting in five categories: eye consequences; increased sedentary behavior and weight; change in eating habits; implications for sleep quality and impacts on mental health. Conclusions: The excessive use of screens during the pandemic led to numerous consequences for children and adolescents, with a higher incidence of visual damage, sedentary lifestyle, inadequate eating habit and increased weight gain, in addition to impaired sleep quality and mental health. This study provides subsidy for health professionals to carry out continuing education focused on this theme, and elaborate effective interventions for this public in this transition to the post-pandemic period.

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate blood cells and metabolites, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), digestibility, internal organs weight and histology, gene expression, and spleen cell proliferation of pre-weaned bull calves supplemented with a blend of essential oils in milk replacer (MR). Sixteen newborn Holstein × Gyr crossbred dairy bull calves, with body weight at birth of 33.3 ± 3.7 kg, were housed in individual sand bedded pens, blocked by genetic composition, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments in a randomized complete block design: Control (CON, n = 8) and blend of essential oils supplementation (BEO, n = 8, 1 g/day/calf, Apex Calf, Adisseo, China). The commercial blend was composed by plant extracts derived from anise, cinnamon, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Animals were fed 5 L of MR/day reconstituted at 15% (dry matter basis), divided into two equal meals. Water and starter were provided ad libitum. ß-hydroxybutyrate, urea, and glucose were evaluated weekly, IGF-1 was evaluated biweekly, and total blood cell count was performed every four weeks until the end of the trial at eight weeks of age. Feed samples were collected three times a week and polled for weekly analysis. Apparent total nutrient digestibility was determined from d 56 to 60 of age. On d 60 ± 1, animals were euthanized for organ weight, histology, spleen cell proliferation, and intestinal gene expression analysis. Data were analyzed independently using linear mixed models using the REML method in the nlme package in R for continuous outcomes. A non-parametric test was used for ordered categorical outcomes using the Artools package in R. There were no differences between groups for blood evaluations, digestibility, gene expression, and a spleen cell proliferation assay. However, BEO calves presented a heavier pancreas, heavier intestines, bigger ileum villi, and higher cecum butyrate levels (P

River floods, which are one of the most dangerous natural hazards worldwide, have increased in intensity and frequency in recent decades as a result of climate change, and the future scenario is expected to be even worse. Therefore, their knowledge, predictability, and mitigation represent a key challenge for the scientific community in the coming decades, especially in those local areas that are most vulnerable to these extreme events. In this sense, a multiscale analysis is essential to obtain detailed maps of the future evolution of floods. In the multiscale analysis, the historical and future precipitation data from the CORDEX (Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment) project are used as input in a hydrological model (HEC-HMS) which, in turn, feeds a 2D hydraulic model (Iber+). This integration allows knowing the projected future changes in the flow pattern of the river, as well as analyzing the impact of floods in vulnerable areas through the flood hazard maps obtained with hydraulic simulations. The multiscale analysis is applied to the case of the Miño-Sil basin (NW Spain), specifically to the city of Ourense. The results show a delay in the flood season and an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme river flows in the Miño-Sil basin, which will cause more situations of flooding in many areas frequented by pedestrians and in important infrastructure of the city of Ourense. In addition, an increase in water depths associated with future floods was also detected, confirming the trend for future floods to be not only more frequent but also more intense. Detailed maps of the future evolution of floods also provide key information to decision-makers to take effective measures in advance in those areas most vulnerable to flooding in the coming decades. Although the methodology presented is applied to a particular area, its strength lies in the fact that its implementation in other basins and cities is simple, also taking into account that all the models used are freely accessible.

Reservoirs play a key role in many human societies due to their capability to manage water resources. In addition to their role in water supply and hydropower production, their ability to retain water and control the flow makes them a valuable asset for flood mitigation. This is a key function, since extreme events have increased in the last few decades as a result of climate change, and therefore, the application of mechanisms capable of mitigating flood damage will be key in the coming decades. Having a good estimation of the outflow of a reservoir can be an advantage for water management or early warning systems. When historical data are available, data-driven models have been proven a useful tool for different hydrological applications. In this sense, this study analyzes the efficiency of different machine learning techniques to predict reservoir outflow, namely multivariate linear regression (MLR) and three artificial neural networks: multilayer perceptron (MLP), nonlinear autoregressive exogenous (NARX) and long short-term memory (LSTM). These techniques were applied to forecast the outflow of eight water reservoirs of different characteristics located in the Miño River (northwest of Spain). In general, the results obtained showed that the proposed models provided a good estimation of the outflow of the reservoirs, improving the results obtained with classical approaches such as to consider reservoir outflow equal to that of the previous day. Among the different machine learning techniques analyzed, the NARX approach was the option that provided the best estimations on average.