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Nos últimos anos observou-se um interesse crescente na determinação dos níveis de nitrato em produtos alimentícios, essencialmente devido ao potencial de redução de nitrato em nitrito, que é conhecido por ter efeitos adversos na saúde humana e animal. O nitrato é intermediário no ciclo do nitrogênio e sua alta concentração na água é indicador de baixa qualidade (Wang et al.). A determinação direta em águas é realizada na região do ultravioleta em meio ácido e no comprimento de onda específico (205 nm) (APHA, 2012). Esse procedimento é muito útil em águas potáveis, mas suscetível a efeito de matriz em águas com pH alcalino ou com elevada força iônica (APHA, 2012). Assim, propôs-se no presente trabalho utilizar o método de adição de padrão (MAP) em comparação com o procedimento de calibração convencional (MC) descrito no livro de normas “Métodos Físico-químicos para Análise de Alimentos” (técnica 195/IV) (IAL, 2008) e executado no Laboratório de Análises Físico-químicas do Instituto Adolfo Lutz - Centro de Laboratório Regional de São José do Rio Preto X, em contrapondo, ao procedimento de adições cumulativas do padrão (MAP-C). Diante disso, foi realizada uma comparação entre os métodos MC, MAP e MAP-C, objetivando viabilizar e validar um tratamento de dados diferente do original para a estimativa do cálculo da incerteza, destacando para esse fim a abordagem bottom-up. Além, de identificar as limitações dos métodos que podem ser empregados para a vigilância da qualidade da água mineral e de abastecimento. De acordo com a ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17025:20175, foram determinados os parâmetros de desempenho para os três procedimentos: limite de detecção, limite de quantificação, exatidão, precisão intermediária e a incerteza. Para a execução dos ensaios as condições ambientais foram monitoradas e estabelecidas as curvas de calibração (absorbância x concentração da solução padrão de nitrato de sódio, 9,98 mg L-1, calculado em N, para MC, MAP e para o MAP-C uma solução de 2,00 mg L-1), com o objetivo de determinar a concentração de nitrato de sódio. Assim, foram ensaiados 100 mL provenientes de 4L das amostras de água mineral de três marcas com diferentes pH (8,44; 6,96; e 5,77). Os parâmetros de desempenho dos procedimentos foram determinados a partir de diluições das soluções padrão e os resultados obtidos.

Many children experience adversity, yet few receive needed psychiatric services. Pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) are uniquely positioned to intervene but often lack training and resources to provide patients with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) the psychiatric support they need. The current study examines characteristics of youth with and without ACEs who were the focus of PCP contacts with a statewide child psychiatry access program (CPAP). Compared to those without ACEs, patients with ACEs were more often receiving medication treatment at time of CPAP contact, prescribed two or more psychotropic medications, and diagnosed with two or more mental health disorders. Study findings indicate that patients with ACEs for whom PCPs sought CPAP support were experiencing more clinically severe and complex mental health concerns. These findings underscore the important role of CPAPs in supporting PCPs with pediatric patients who have ACEs and will inform training provided by CPAPs to PCPs.

There are limited prospective data in a United States cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) specifically enrolled and systematically assessed for advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis due to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis in a prospectively recruited cohort of adults with T2DM.This prospective study enrolled adults age ≥ 50 years with T2DM recruited from primary care or endocrinology clinics. Participants underwent a standardized clinical research visit with magnetic resonance imaging proton-density-fat-fraction (MRI-PDFF), magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). NAFLD was defined as MRI-PDFF ≥ 5% after exclusion of other liver diseases. Advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis were defined by established liver stiffness cut points on MRE or VCTE if MRE was not available.Of 524 patients screened, 501 adults (63% female) with T2DM met eligibility. The mean age and BMI were 64.6 (±8.1) years and 31.4 (±5.9) kg/mUtilizing a uniquely well-phenotyped prospective cohort of patients aged ≥ 50 years with T2DM, we found that the prevalence of advanced fibrosis was 14% and cirrhosis was 6%. These data underscore the high risk of advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis in adults ≥ 50 years with T2DM.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), however, there are limited prospective data characterizing the prevalence of advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis using the most accurate non-invasive biomarkers of liver fat and fibrosis. We show that 14% of older adults with T2DM have advanced fibrosis and 6% have cirrhosis, which places them at risk for liver failure and liver cancer. Accurate prevalence rates and comparative analysis regarding the diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive tests in this population will guide the optimal screening strategy and future cost-effectiveness analysis. These results will inform future Hepatology and Endocrinology practice guidelines regarding NAFLD screening programs in older adults with T2DM.

Aims As has been shown in larger animal models, knee immobilization can lead to arthrofibrotic phenotypes. Our study included 168 C57BL/6J female mice, with 24 serving as controls, and 144 undergoing a knee procedure to induce a contracture without osteoarthritis (OA). Methods Experimental knees were immobilized for either four weeks (72 mice) or eight weeks (72 mice), followed by a remobilization period of zero weeks (24 mice), two weeks (24 mice), or four weeks (24 mice) after suture removal. Half of the experimental knees also received an intra-articular injury. Biomechanical data were collected to measure passive extension angle (PEA). Histological data measuring area and thickness of posterior and anterior knee capsules were collected from knee sections. Results Experimental knees immobilized for four weeks demonstrated mean PEAs of 141°, 72°, and 79° after zero, two, and four weeks of remobilization (n = 6 per group), respectively. Experimental knees demonstrated reduced PEAs after two weeks (p < 0.001) and four weeks (p < 0.0001) of remobilization compared to controls. Following eight weeks of immobilization, experimental knees exhibited mean PEAs of 82°, 73°, and 72° after zero, two, and four weeks of remobilization, respectively. Histological analysis demonstrated no cartilage degeneration. Similar trends in biomechanical and histological properties were observed when intra-articular violation was introduced. Conclusion This study established a novel mouse model of robust knee contracture without evidence of OA. This was appreciated consistently after eight weeks of immobilization and was irrespective of length of remobilization. As such, this arthrofibrotic model provides opportunities to investigate molecular pathways and therapeutic strategies. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2023;12(1):58–71.

The transition period in taurine dairy cows is widely reported in the literature. However, little is known about the metabolism of zebu animals and their crossbreeding with taurine breeds during this phase. Considering the importance of these breeds in tropical and subtropical regions, this study aimed to evaluate the feed intake, milk production and hepatic metabolism in Holstein, Gyr and Girolando-F1 (½ Holstein × ½ Gyr) heifers presenting high body condition score (BCS) during the transition period (prepartum weeks -2 and -1 and postpartum weeks +1 and + 3). Twelve heifers of each genetic group were used, totaling 36 animals. Variables considered were blood metabolites related to liver function, dry matter intake (DMI), body condition score (BCS), body weight (BW), milk yield (MY), and fat and protein concentrations in milk. Gyr heifers had the lowest concentrations of paraoxonase in weeks -2 (43.13 U/mL), -1 (62.10 U/mL) and + 3 (77.89 U/mL), albumin in week -1 (3.07 g/dL), and the highest concentration of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in weeks -2 (1.35 mmol/L) and -1 (1.19 mmol/L). β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and NEFA values were negatively correlated with prepartum DMI (-0.82 and -0.57, respectively), while paraoxonase was positively correlated to DMI (0.54). Gyr cows were more susceptible to inflammation despite having intermediate BCS and lower milk yield. Girolando-F1 animals showed the highest BCS among groups, although their hepatic metabolism had better results than Gyr cows. Holstein animals had lower lipomobilization and higher DMI and MY between breeds. These results suggest that the metabolism of zebu and crossbred cows does not react equally to the metabolism of Holstein cows concerning stress factors such as transition period and obesity. Therefore, the present study addresses an emerging theme that highlights the need for differentiated management during the transition period between the different breeds studied in order to ensure the maximum health and welfare of these animals.

Background: Although students with disabilities are enrolling in higher education in larger numbers than ever before, they are still underrepresented in colleges and universities, particularly among four-year institutions. College choice has been explored across multiple facets, but limited research has examined the college choice processes of students with disabilities. Research Questions: (1) What factors are most influential to the successful college choice processes of students with disabilities? (2) To what extent are these factors different from those that influence the choice processes of students without disabilities? (3) How do students describe the influence of key factors on their college choice process? (4) How does the college choice process for students with disabilities vary across institutional types? Setting: This research took place at three public institutions in the state of Massachusetts, one public research university (Research University [RU]) and two regional comprehensive universities (City State University [CSU], Suburban State University [SSU]). Research Design: We utilized a convergent mixed methods study composed of survey research and qualitative interviews. Participants: For the quantitative survey, we recruited students with and students without disabilities by sending invitations to a random sample of 30% of students at RU and all students at CSU and SSU. A total of 1,981 students completed the survey. For the qualitative interviews, we recruited students via a targeted email invitation sent through the disability services office on each campus, resulting in 27 participants. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected through a quantitative survey and a qualitative interview. The survey took approximately 15 minutes and took place over Qualtrics; data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and chi-squared tests. Qualitative data were collected through 60- to 90-minute semistructured interviews and were analyzed through deductive and inductive coding. Conclusions and Recommendations: Our findings revealed that although students with disabilities considered the same factors as their peers without disabilities, they faced additional considerations related to the quality of disability services and accessibility of the campus. We also found that although factors such as family, school, and distance had similar influence across students with disabilities, subtle distinctions emerged in how students approached these categories when they chose a research university versus a regional comprehensive institution. We concluded with recommendations for further research into how disability and institutional type shape college choice and for practices to help students with disabilities in their college search and choice processes.

INTRODUCTION: Genetics and omics studies of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia subtypes enhance our understanding of underlying mechanisms and pathways that can be targeted. METHODS: We identified key remaining challenges: First, can we enhance genetic studies to address missing heritability? Can we identify reproducible omics signatures that differentiate between dementia subtypes? Can high-dimensional omics data identify improved biomarkers? How can genetics inform our understanding of causal status of dementia risk factors? And which biological processes are altered by dementia-related genetic variation? RESULTS: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning approaches give us powerful new tools in helping us to tackle these challenges, and we review possible solutions and examples of best practice. However, their limitations also need to be considered, as well as the need for coordinated multidisciplinary research and diverse deeply phenotyped cohorts. DISCUSSION: Ultimately AI approaches improve our ability to interrogate genetics and omics data for precision dementia medicine.

Xenograft and other biologic dressings have been an integral part of burn care for many years. Porcine graft is both inexpensive and, for partial thickness burns, provides the additional benefit of avoiding painful dressing changes when compared with topical agents. In this case, we discuss a patient suffering from deep partial thickness burns for whom xenograft was used for initial wound coverage. This porcine graft became unexpectedly incorporated, and the patient ultimately underwent operative debridement and autologous re-grafting. The case demonstrates a gap in the understanding of wound-healing mechanisms around porcine xenografts and raises the potential for future innovation in expedited wound healing using xenografting.

El objetivo de este trabajo es publicar los grabados rupestres del Monte das Porreira 6, situado en Paredes de Coura, en el no de Portugal. El estudio se ha basado en un levantamiento fotogramétrico y el posterior contraste con la determinación de la distancia geométrica. Se trata de una roca profusamente decorada con una larga diacronía de grabados. La fase inicial incluye el arte atlántico clásico, integrado en el Calcolítico Reciente. La segunda fase incluye la representación de équidos, jinetes y puñales con mango de antenas. Basándose en los paralelos de dichas armas, es posible integrar estos motivos entre la Edad de Bronce Final y la Edad de Hierro Inicial. También es posible observar el paso de una gramática abstracta, durante la primera fase, a una gramática figurativa, en la que se puede identificar una narrativa relacionada con los sacrificios humanos y de animales, asociada al uso de puñales con mango de antenas. Estas representaciones evocan un simbolismo que recuerda a los textos de Estrabón y objetos de bronce que contienen escenas de sacrificio. La última fase del grabado indica nuevos cambios simbólicos, con la valorización de acciones aisladas perpetradas por un jinete, portando un arma arrojadiza, que pueden representar a una divinidad o a un héroe.

The bone tissue can regenerate itself completely and continuously; however, large-scale bone defects may overpower this self-regenerative process. Furthermore, the aging population, the increment in obesity incidence, and the sedentary lifestyles are serious risk factors for bone diseases' development which are associated with the self-regenerative process's failure, high morbidity, and mortality rates. Thus, there is an ever-growing need for strategic approaches targeting bone replacement, its remodelling, and its regeneration. Bone scaffolds have successfully been used as synthetic bone grafts for many years, yet recent bone tissue engineering strategies attempt to explore their multifunctionality by investigating them as drug delivery systems. Bone diseases' treatments can be substantially difficult due to the avascular nature of the surrounding cartilage; thus, targeted drug delivery to the bone can be advantageous: it provides local high drug concentrations and minimizes adverse effects while securing a space for new, healthy tissue growth. Despite the promising scientific progress, studies underlining bone scaffolds' use as local drug delivery systems are not abundant. Hence, this work reviews bone scaffolds' therapeutic interest for local drug delivery in five distinct bone disorders-osteomyelitis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, osteosarcoma, and cancer bone metastasis. Additionally, it presents the challenges of this possible therapeutic approach and its future perspectives. Albeit bone scaffolds present therapeutic benefits by acting as drug delivery systems, further pre-clinical and clinical assessments are needed to strengthen their understanding and enable research evidence translation into clinical practice. The mismatch between scientific evolution and regulatory frameworks remains one of the major future challenges.

BACKGROUND: MRI-derived proton density fat fraction (PDFF) is an accurate, reliable, and safe biologic marker for use in the noninvasive diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Because of the cost and limited availability of MRI, it is necessary to develop an accurate method to diagnose NAFLD with potential point-of-care access. PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the quantitative US (QUS) fat fraction (FF) estimator with that of the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) in the diagnosis of NAFLD using contemporaneous MRI-derived PDFF as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants with or suspected of having NAFLD were prospectively recruited at the NAFLD Research Center between July 2015 and July 2019. All participants underwent MRI-derived PDFF measurement, transient elastography with CAP measurement, and QUS. QUS FF was derived using computed QUS parameters from the acquired radiofrequency US data using a calibrated reference phantom. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the accuracy of QUS FF and CAP in the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis (defined as MRI-derived PDFF ≥ 5%). AUCs were compared using the DeLong test. RESULTS: A total of 123 participants were included (mean age, 52 years ± 13 [SD]; 67 [54%] women). Of these participants, 100 (81%) had MRI-derived PDFF of 5% or more. QUS FF had a significantly higher AUC for diagnosis of NAFLD than did CAP (0.92 [95% CI: 0.87, 0.98] vs 0.79 [95% CI: 0.67, 0.90], P = .03). QUS FF had a sensitivity of 98% (98 of 100) and a specificity of 48% (11 of 23). CAP had a sensitivity of 87% (87 of 100) and a specificity of 57% (13 of 23). CONCLUSION: The quantitative US fat fraction estimator is more accurate than the controlled attenuation parameter in the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in patients with or suspected of having nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Ito in this issue.

Despite constant medical evolution, the reimbursement policy of Portuguese National Health Service (NHS) for the study and risk stratification of coronary heart disease has remained unchanged for several decades. Lack of adjustment to contemporary clinical practice has long been evident. However, the recent publication of the European Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of chronic coronary syndromes further highlighted this gap and the urgent need for a change. Prompted by these Guidelines, the Working Group on Nuclear Cardiology, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Cardiac CT, the Working Group on Echocardiography and the Working Group on Stress Pathophysiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology, began a process of joint reflection on the current limitations and how these recommendations could be applied in Portugal. To this end, the authors suggest that the new imaging methods (stress echocardiogram, cardiac computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance), should be added to exercise treadmill stress test and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in the available exam portfolio within the Portuguese NHS. This change would allow full adoption of European guidelines and a better use of tests, according to clinical context, availability and local specificities. The adoption of clinical guidance standards, based on these assumptions, would translate into a qualitative improvement in the management of these patients and would promote an effective use of the available resources, with potential health and financial gains.

The corrosion resistance of chromium-plated steel sheets produced on an industrial scale was investigated. Two parameters of the production process were considered: pickling and chemical treatment. The specimens were produced at the industrial plant considering two different pickling conditions and two different chemical treatments: non-electrolytic and electrolytic pickling and non-electrolytic and electrolytic passivation respectively. Accelerated corrosion tests in the humid chamber, microscopy analyses, analyses of roughness and content of trivalent chromium in the passivation film and analyses of the content of metallic chromium in the coating by coulometry technique were performed. The results showed a low corrosion resistance of the materials produced with the non-electrolytic passivation, regardless of the pickling condition. The highest degree of protection of the base steel was achieved for the specimen produced by using the electrolytic route for both pickling and chemical treatment steps. This condition produced a mass of trivalent chromium in the passivation film greater than 8.0 mg∙m−², which provided an effective performance of the chromium-plated steel sheet.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) includes a heterogeneous group of disorders pathologically characterized by the degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes. In addition to major genetic contributors of FTLD such as mutations inMAPT, GRN, andC9orf72, recent work has identified several epigenetic modifications including significant differential DNA methylation inDLX1, andOTUD4loci. As aging remains to be one of the major risk factors for FTLD, we investigated the presence of accelerated epigenetic aging in FTLD compared to controls. We calculated epigenetic age in both peripheral blood and brain tissues of multiple FTLD subtypes using several DNA methylation clocks, i.e., DNAmClockMulti, DNAmClockHannum, DNAmClockCortical, GrimAge and PhenoAge, and determined age acceleration and its association with different cellular proportions and clinical traits. Significant epigenetic age acceleration was observed in the peripheral blood of both frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients compared to controls with DNAmClockHannum, even after accounting for confounding factors. A similar trend was observed with both DNAmClockMultiand DNAmClockCorticalin post-mortem frontal cortex tissue of PSP patients and in FTLD cases harboringGRNmutations. Our findings support that increased epigenetic age acceleration in the peripheral blood could be an indicator for PSP and to a smaller extent, FTD.

Secondary manifestations of volcanism found out at Fogo Volcano (São Miguel Island, Azores) comprise essentially hydrothermal fumaroles, thermal and cold-CO2 rich springs, as well as diffuse degassing areas. Visible emissions are essentially located on the north flank of the volcano and are associated to the general NW-SE faults of the Ribeira Grande graben. Diffuse degassing surveys aiming at measuring the soil CO2 concentration at about 50 cm depth were carried out in the north flank of the volcano in the last 20 years and anomalous CO2 was associated to NW-SE trends, coincident with the graben faults. Soil CO2 flux surveys, through the accumulation chamber method, were carried out during summer-autumn 2022 in the areas surrounding the three main fumarolic fields: Caldeira Velha, Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande, and Pico Vermelho. A total of 1207 sites were sampled in an area with about 1 km2. Interpolated data (sequential Gaussian simulation) together with the Graphical Statistical Approach estimated a value around 95.5 t/d for the CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. Main anomalous CO2 fluxes are correlated with temperature anomalies and DDS (Diffuse Degassing Structures) show general NW-SE orientations, suggesting the correlation between degassing and tectonic structures in the study site, similarly to the observed in previous studies. This work contributes not only to the estimation on the total carbon-budget, but may also be a valuable tool to identify potential anomalies related with unrest of the volcanic system.This work was partially funded by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, under project MAGAT - From MAGma to the ATmosphere - uma contribuição para desenvolver a próxima geração de sensores geoquímicos para a monitorização em tempo real do movimento do magma em profundidade (CIRCNA/OCT/0016/2019).

Cultural heritage in coastal or shallow aquatic environments is often located in areaswhere access is difficult or where accurate survey and documentation may notalways be possible with terrestrial or aquatic equipment. The combination of photo-grammetry and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) generates a range of possibilitiesacross multiple sectors, including history, ethnography and cultural heritage studies.Additionally, these methods can be used to prospect new archaeological sites. Thisarticle presents three case studies that use UAV techniques and Structure fromMotion and Multiview Stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry to conduct topographicand geometric registrations of archaeological, historical and ethnographic sites (someof which are classified as cultural heritage sites). These examples are located incoastal or shallow aquatic environments that are difficult to survey with traditionalmethods. The results show that it is possible to carry out detailed geometric registra-tion and heritage prospection over large coastal or shallow aquatic environmentsusing a low-cost UAV. Furthermore, the results of this work show great advantagesin terms of cost and quality, even in cases where the seabed is below a shallow watercolumn. Other particularities of SfM-MVS application in aquatic environments arediscussed. From an interdisciplinary perspective, this methodology will offer newpossibilities for the study, restoration and conservation of archaeological, historicaland ethnographic monuments SI

Atomistic machine learning focuses on the creation of models that obey fundamental symmetries of atomistic configurations, such as permutation, translation, and rotation invariances. In many of these schemes, translation and rotation invariance are achieved by building on scalar invariants, e.g., distances between atom pairs. There is growing interest in molecular representations that work internally with higher rank rotational tensors, e.g., vector displacements between atoms, and tensor products thereof. Here, we present a framework for extending the Hierarchically Interacting Particle Neural Network (HIP-NN) with Tensor Sensitivity information (HIP-NN-TS) from each local atomic environment. Crucially, the method employs a weight tying strategy that allows direct incorporation of many-body information while adding very few model parameters. We show that HIP-NN-TS is more accurate than HIP-NN, with negligible increase in parameter count, for several datasets and network sizes. As the dataset becomes more complex, tensor sensitivities provide greater improvements to model accuracy. In particular, HIP-NN-TS achieves a record mean absolute error of 0.927 kcalmol for conformational energy variation on the challenging COMP6 benchmark, which includes a broad set of organic molecules. We also compare the computational performance of HIP-NN-TS to HIP-NN and other models in the literature.

Eu(III) and Yb(III) complexes with the carbazole-dipicolinato ligand dpaCbz(2−), namely K(3)[Eu(dpaCbz)(3)] and K(3)[Yb(dpaCbz)(3)], were isolated. The Eu(III) complex displayed metal-centred emission upon one-photon excitation with a sensitized emission efficiency [Formula: see text] of 1.8±0.3 %, corresponding to an intrinsic emission efficiency [Formula: see text] of 46% and a sensitization efficiency of η(sens) 3.9%, with an emission lifetime of the emissive state τ of 1.087±0.005 ms. The Yb(III) complex displayed [Formula: see text] of 0.010±0.001 %, and a τ of 2.32±0.06 μs. The Eu(III)-centred emission was sensitized as well upon two-photon excitation and a two-photon absorption cross-section σ(2PA) of 63 GM at 750 nm was determined for the complex. The one- or two-photon sensitized emission intensity of the Eu(III) complex changes by more than two-fold when the solvent viscosity is varied in the range 0.5 – 200 cP and the emission is independent of dissolved oxygen. The Yb(III) complex displays a change in emission intensity as well. However, in this case, a dependence of the emission intensity on dissolved oxygen content was observed.

Expanding water demands and increasing uncertainties associate with water availability in the context of climate change are drivers of future development scenarios in water management of river basins. Water limitations can be particularly important in developing countries, where agriculture and livestock constitute the basis of the economy. Although many researchers have dealt with quantification of water, the application of methods to evaluate the relationship between demand and availability is still scarce in the literature. In the present research, water demand prospective scenarios for the São Francisco River Basin, Brazil were developed, allowing the determination of management procedures to spare this resource. Starting from the present situation, three distinct future evolution scenarios were drawn for water withdrawal flows for the years 2025 and 2035 based on sub-basin water use sectors (farming, industry, human supply—urban and rural, and water diversion for external use): a tendential scenario (B) drawn from the present water uses; a moderate water consumption scenario (A), associated with smaller economic and social development; and a stronger development scenario (C), with increases in water demand. Sustainability of water demand is assessed by comparing water availability, as the ratio between the water demand and observed flows. Regardless of the complexity and extent of the region, applied geographic information system was able to depict the water availability and determine management procedures. The main water withdrawal is associated with irrigated agriculture. For the three prospective scenarios, it is expected that the situation tends to get worse, leading to severe water scarcity in most sub-basins and posing several challenges for the water resources management. Management actions are proposed, in order to equilibrate the water availability in the basin.

The success of the first licensed mRNA-based vaccines against COVID-19 has created a widespread interest on mRNA technology for vaccinology. As expected, the number of mRNA vaccines in preclinical and clinical development increased exponentially since 2020, including numerous improvements in mRNA formulation design, delivery methods and manufacturing processes. However, the technology faces challenges such as the cost of raw materials, the lack of standardization, and delivery optimization. MRNA technology may provide a solution to some of the emerging infectious diseases as well as the deadliest hard-to-treat infectious diseases malaria, tuberculosis, and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), for which an effective vaccine, easily deployable to endemic areas is urgently needed. In this review, we discuss the functional structure, design, manufacturing processes and delivery methods of mRNA vaccines. We provide an up-to-date overview of the preclinical and clinical development of mRNA vaccines against infectious diseases, and discuss the immunogenicity, efficacy and correlates of protection of mRNA vaccines, with particular focus on research and development of mRNA vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.