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The South American species of the myrmecomorphic spider genus Mazax O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898 (Castianeirinae, Corinnidae) are revised for the first time, increasing the number of known species from South America from two to six and the number of species in the genus from seven to 11. Here, we reevaluate the identity of Apochinomma acanthaspis Simon, 1896, propose its transfer to Mazax, and consider M. akephaloi Perger & Pett, 2022 as a junior synonym of M. acanthaspis comb. nov. Additional documentation of M. ramirezi Rubio & Danişman, 2014 is provided. The species M. pax Reiskind, 1969 and M. spinosa (Simon, 1898) are recorded from South America for the first time. Three new species are proposed, all based on both sexes: Mazax mokana sp. nov. and M. leonidas sp. nov. from Colombia, and M. tembe sp. nov. from Brazil. Emended diagnoses of the genus and of all six known South American species, as well as a key to males and females for all 11 species in the genus, are provided.

Dorvilleidae Chamberlin, 1919 is a family of Annelida containing some of the smallest ‘polychaetes’ species, being poorly studied worldwide, and with little knowledge regarding its diversity and occurrence. Samples obtained in oceanographic campaigns performed in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean (Brazilian coast) revealed a high number of specimens of dorvilleids, adding to our knowledge of the family’s biodiversity. A detailed morphological analysis of these organisms has revealed a new genus, Ceciamaralia gen. nov., with two new species. The new genus differs from other Dorvilleidae genera in (i) the robust and enlarged pharynx which are frequently everted, (ii) unique composition of maxillae, with an elongated pair of serrated basal plates and one pair of anterior free maxillary plates with a long and thin anterior spine and (iii) ventral cirri present only in few first chaetigers. Ceciamaralia lanai gen. et sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of a broad and large dorsal cirrus on a few anterior parapodia and by furcate chaeta in supra-acicular fascicles. While Ceciamaralia nonatoi gen. et sp. nov. presents one geniculate chaeta instead of one furcate, the absence of dorsal cirri and, in some specimens, the absence of palps. A cladistic analysis supported the monophyly of Ceciamaralia gen. nov. by four synapomorphies related to the unique morphology of its maxillae, pharynx and appendages. This study is part of several recent taxonomic studies aiming to elucidate and increase the knowledge of Dorvilleidae, since it is part of a Ph.D project focused on the family.

A hidroxiureia (HU) é usada para aumentar os níveis de hemoglobina fetal, reduzindo complicações como vasoclusão, hemólise e inflamação na anemia falciforme (AF). No entanto, a HU interfere na função das células-tronco e progenitoras hematopoéticas (CTPHs), o que pode limitar o sucesso de transplantes e terapias gênicas curativas. Considerando a falta de estudos na caracterização detalhada das CTPHs na AF, este estudo investigou a integridade imunofenotípica das CTPHs circulantes em pacientes com AF tratados (HU = 10) ou não tratados com HU (CT = 7), e analisou a diferenciação e proliferação das colônias de CTPHs em outros 5 pacientes com AF (HU = 3 e CT = 2). Para isso, as células mononucleares do sangue periférico (PBMC) de pacientes e doadores saudáveis (DS, n = 5) foram isoladas e analisadas por citometria de fluxo usando um painel de anticorpos específico para CTPHs, mais as moléculas CD49d e CD235a. Para cultura, 60 células foram selecionadas a partir da gate de CD34: sorting single cell, em uma placa de 96 poços e 1,7 x 103 por sorting convencional, em uma placa de 24 poços, numa densidade de 210 células por poço. A proliferação, perfil de diferenciação, e intensidade média de fluorescência foram avaliadas ao fim de 20 dias de incubação. A análise estatística foi realizada com o teste de Kruskal-Wallis e o teste de Dunn (p < 0.05). Observou-se que a contagem total de células viáveis CD34+ é maior nos pacientes com AF, com o grupo tratado com HU apresentando a maior mediana. As células CD34+CD49d+ são mais numerosas nos grupos HU e CT em comparação com os DS. No compartimento de células tronco multipotentes (CTM), diferenças significativas na contagem de células foram encontradas entre os pacientes tratados com HU e os DS (p < 0.01). As CTMs CD49d+ são mais frequentes no grupo CT, enquanto as CD235a+ são mais prevalentes no grupo HU. Em relação às células-tronco hematopoiéticas (CTH), os DS não apresentam essas populações no sangue periférico, indicando que a presença delas é característica da AF. A mediana de células CTHs positivas para CD49d e CD235a também é maior nos grupos HU e CT em comparação com os DS. No estudo de colônias, foi observado uma quantidade maior de colônias brancas do tipo granulócito-macrófago (CFU-GM) no grupo HU quando comparada ao grupo CT (ns), que apresenta uma prevalência de colônias vermelhas, como unidades formadoras de colônia-eritroide (CFU-E) e unidades formadoras de erupções (BFU-E) (ns). A presença do marcador de adesão celular e cinética hematopoiética CD49d, em CTHs circulantes sugere uma hematopoiese ineficaz, visto que a expressão normal dessa molécula se dá na medula óssea. A coexpressão de CD235a e CD34 indica uma diferenciação celular acelerada, já que esse receptor é presente em progenitores já comprometidos com a linhagem eritroide. A HU também deve influenciar na proliferação e diferenciação das colônias, dado que nesse grupo houve um aumento no número de colônias brancas, uma provável resposta celular para o caráter citotóxico da droga. Esses resultados revelam uma heterogeneidade imunofenotípica nas CTPHs dos pacientes com AF e uma contribuição significativa da HU para essas alterações. Parte das células envolvidas na hematopoiese desses pacientes demonstra comprometimento da sua função, o que pode afetar a eficácia das CTHs na terapia gênica. Financiamento: FUNDHERP, CTC/FAPESP (2013/08135-2), FAPESP (2022/09643-0), INCTC/CNPq (465539/2014-9).

PDA, the most frequent and aggressive subtype of pancreatic cancer, has a stroma-rich TME (̃80% of tumor mass). The characteristically hypoxic TME orchestrates an extensive metabolic reprogramming in immune, stromal and tumor cells, inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), promoting migration to regions better perfused and establishing physical and functional barriers that limit infiltration and affect the distribution and function of immune cells, resulting in a typically immuno-excluded profile associated with resistance to immunotherapies. Here, we sought to establish a 3D spheroid model of PDA's TME to dynamically evaluate spatial distribution of stromal and tumor cells, to phenotypically characterize the distribution of infiltrating immune cells and the contribution of hypoxia to these aspects. To this end, spheroids were generated with fluorescently-labeled cells from PDA (CAPAN-1) and stromal (HS-5) lines. The spatial distribution was evaluated at different times by automated quantitative microscopy (24h, 48h and 72h) or flow cytometry (72h). Fluorescently-labeled blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors, activated or not with Ionomycin and PMA, were plated together with unlabeled tumor and stromal cells to incorporate into forming spheroids, or after their formation (24h post-plating) for infiltration evaluation. After 48h, the spheroids were enzymatically dissociated and T-cells were immunophenotyped by flow cytometry with CD4, CD8 and CD25 antibodies. The Image-iT Green Hypoxia reagent was used to fluorescently label the cells in the spheroid core hypoxic compartment. After 24h of plating, tumor and stromal cells were well distributed in the formed spheroid; however, after 48h and 72h, tumor cells migrated to spheroid periphery. In agreement, cytometry revealed higher proportion of tumor cells occupied the normoxic compartment, while the hypoxic compartment was enriched for stromal cells. Immunophenotyping showed a enrichment of CD4+ cells (̃70-90%) in relation to CD8+ cells (̃10-30%) in the hypoxic compartment in all experimental conditions. Of note, the CD8+ cells percentage in the hypoxic region was higher in conditions in which PBMCs were activated (̃20-30%), compared to non-activated (̃10%). In turn, normoxic regions had similar proportions of both populations (̃50% of each) in conditions with activated PBMCs, while with non-activated PBMCs a higher CD4+ cells (70%) proportion was observed. For activated PBMCs, in both conditions, we found higher CD25+ cells percentage among the CD4+ and CD8+ populations in the hypoxic compartment (̃90%), compared to normoxic compartment (̃60%). However, for PBMCs infiltrating spheroids already formed, there was a greater activation of lymphocytes, resulting in the presence of CD4+CD25High cells, with a supposedly regulatory profile (Tregs), enriched especially in the hypoxic compartment (̃9%). We successfully developed an experimental approach that allowed us to quantitatively and qualitatively characterize how the spatial distribution of tumor, stromal, and immune cells are affected by the hypoxia in the TME of a PDA model. Our in vitro approach may help to systematize the evaluation of new therapeutic approaches.

We propose a new point-prediction model, the DEep Learning WAVe Emulating model (DELWAVE), which successfully emulates the behaviour of a numerical surface ocean wave model (Simulating WAves Nearshore, SWAN) at a sparse set of locations, thus enabling numerically cheap large-ensemble prediction over synoptic to climate timescales. DELWAVE was trained on COSMO-CLM (Climate Limited-area Model) and SWAN input data during the period of 1971–1998, tested during 1998–2000, and cross-evaluated over the far-future climate time window of 2071–2100. It is constructed from a convolutional atmospheric encoder block, followed by a temporal collapse block and, finally, a regression block. DELWAVE reproduces SWAN model significant wave heights with a mean absolute error (MAE) of between 5 and 10 cm, mean wave directions with a MAE of 10–25°, and a mean wave period with a MAE of 0.2 s. DELWAVE is able to accurately emulate multi-modal mean wave direction distributions related to dominant wind regimes in the basin. We use wave power analysis from linearised wave theory to explain prediction errors in the long-period limit during southeasterly conditions. We present a storm analysis of DELWAVE, employing threshold-based metrics of precision and recall to show that DELWAVE reaches a very high score (both metrics over 95 %) of storm detection. SWAN and DELWAVE time series are compared to each other in the end-of-century scenario (2071–2100) and compared to the control conditions in the 1971–2000 period. Good agreement between DELWAVE and SWAN is found when considering climatological statistics, with a small (≤ 5 %), though systematic, underestimate of 99th-percentile values. Compared to control climatology over all wind directions, the mismatch between DELWAVE and SWAN is generally small compared to the difference between scenario and control conditions, suggesting that the noise introduced by surrogate modelling is substantially weaker than the climate change signal.

A vegetação confere beleza à paisagem urbana e pode trazer benefícios para o conforto térmico e bem-estar das pessoas em regiões onde a temperatura é elevada. Este estudo se desenvolve no Centro Histórico de Cuiabá/MT, região de clima tropical continental, tombado em nível nacional e cuja configuração urbana se caracteriza por ruas e calçadas estreitas, o que limita a adoção de vegetação arbórea. Esta pesquisa objetiva avaliar os impactos no microclima e no conforto térmico dos pedestres decorrentes da simulação de implantação de vegetação arbórea na região do Centro Histórico de Cuiabá/MT. Empregou-se uma abordagem baseada em simulações computacionais utilizando o software ENVI-met, no qual a região foi modelada com a atual (9%) e com uma taxa de arborização projetada (20%), focando em analisar as variáveis ambientais de temperatura, umidade e velocidade do ar e temperatura radiante, nas calçadas e vias. No cenário projetado com maior quantidade de vegetação arbórea ocorreu elevação na temperatura do ar e redução da umidade relativa do ar no horário mais crítico do dia (14h). Por sua vez, devido ao efeito de reflexão e sombreamento proporcionado pelas folhas das copas, houve redução da temperatura média radiante e na velocidade do ar. Como consequência, o impacto na sensação térmica se deu mais sob as copas e com pouca extensividade ao redor dos espécimes arbóreos. Desta forma, um adequado posicionamento e espaçamento da arborização nas vias devem ser considerados ao se pensar a ambiência térmica dos pedestres dentro do centro histórico. Diante dos achados, aponta-se para debate sobre a perda da arborização existente nos espaços públicos e privados, a reflorestação e a conservação do patrimônio no perímetro de tombamento, cujas temáticas se caracterizam por serem inerentemente interligadas, devendo assim serem abordadas de forma coletiva.

In science, technology and assistance to smallholder farming or large crop acreages of Stevia rebaudiana is necessary to report data using information components to facilitate investors to understand the local field conditions to make assertive economic decisions for long periods. Stevia rebaudiana produces consistent natural sweeteners with safe performance as reported in a multitude of scientific publications. The leaf chemicals components are suitable to humans with healthy disorders affected by the consumption of sugarcane or many other industrial sweeteners. Otherwise, aspects related to the agriculture of sweeteners production still require additional discussion to improve qualitative and quantitative traits necessary for cultivating cost-effective crops. The current text highlighted some agriculture decisions necessary to make the crop more profitable to investors as researchers, agriculture influencers, farmer assistants and consultants of companies looking for alternatives within agro-ecological systems.

ABSTRACT: This trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing soybean meal with microalgae meal (MM; Arthrospira spp.) during grower and finisher phases on productive performance, footpad dermatitis (FPD) occurrence, breast meat quality, amino acid digestibility and plasma metabolomics profile of broiler chickens. One thousand day-old Ross 308 male chicks were divided into 5 experimental groups (8 replicates, 25 birds/each): CON, fed a commercial soybean-based diet throughout the trial (0–41 d); F3 and F6, fed the CON diet up to 28 d of age and then a finisher diet (29–41 d) with either 30 or 60 g MM/kg, respectively; and GF3 and GF6, receiving CON diet until 14 d and then diets containing 30 or 60 g MM/kg from 15 to 41 d, respectively. All diets were iso-energetic and with a similar amino acid profile. Growth performances were recorded on a pen basis at the end of each feeding phase and apparent ileal amino acid digestibility was determined at 41 d. Footpad dermatitis occurrence was assessed on all processed birds, while breast and plasma samples were collected for meat quality and metabolomics analysis (proton nuclear magnetic resonance - 1H-NMR). At 41 d, CON group showed higher body weight than F6 and GF6 ones (2,541 vs. 2,412 vs. 2,384 g, respectively; P < 0.05). Overall, GF6 group exhibited the highest feed conversion ratio, while F3 did not present significant differences compared to CON (1.785 vs. 1.810 vs. 1.934 g feed/g gain, respectively for CON, F3 and GF6; P < 0.01). The occurrence and the risk of developing FPD were similar among groups. MM administration increased breast meat yellowness and reduced amino acid digestibility (P < 0.001). The 1H-NMR analysis revealed variations in the levels of some circulating metabolites, including histidine, arginine and creatine, which play important metabolic roles. Overall, these findings can contribute to expand the knowledge about the use of Arthrospira spp. as protein source in broiler diets.

The recent fast development of the microalgae-related biotechnologies has enabled the availability of sustainable and nutrients-rich raw materials to be used as substitution of conventional sources in aquafeed formulation. However the cost of energy of the photobioreactors used to produce these microorganisms still constrained their wider inclusion into aquafeed compounds. By exploiting industrial waste outputs, Nannochloropsis sp. and Spirulina sp. were produced and utilised to formulate two experimental enrichments (LM1 and LM2). During a 60 days trial, their efficacy have been tested as Artemia metanauplii enrichments in the diet of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae, in comparison to a commercial control. Larvae were fed with isonitrogenous and isolipidic dietary treatments. Each dietary treatment presented a specific profile for the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids ARA, DHA and EPA. Ratio of DHA/EPA in enriched Artemia of 4:1 as in the case of LM1 and LM2 in the presence of 1.4% of ARA (as a % on total fatty acid) guaranteed equal results to the control which displayed a ratio of DHA/EPA of 2:1 with 2.2% of ARA. No significant effects of the dietary treatments were detected in final survival, growth performance and incidence of skeletal anomalies. Regarding oxidative status, larvae fed with LM2 enrichment presented lower catalase activity than control larvae with no signs of oxidative damage, suggesting a potential antioxidant effect of LM2. The present study contributes to expanding the existing literature on successful utilisation of microalgae and cyanobacteria, used to produce valuable nutrients, in a perspective of circular nutrients economy.

The ability to encode different operations into a single miniaturized optical device is required to reduce the complexity and size of optical paths for light manipulation, which usually employs dynamic optical components, interferometric setups, and/or multiple bulky elements in cascade. A very efficient solution is provided by metalenses, which are flat optical elements able to generate and manipulate structured light beams in a compact and efficient way, offering a powerful and attractive tool in many fields, such as life science and telecommunications. In this work, we present the design and test of transmission dielectric bi-functional metalenses that exploit both the dynamic and the geometric phases, to enable the spin-controlled manipulation of different focused orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams, depending on the circularly polarized state in input. In detail, we provide numerical algorithms for the design and simulation of the meta-optics in the telecom infrared, the fabrication processes, and the optical characterization under different impinging polarized optical vortices. This solution provides new integrated flat optics for applications in imaging, optical tweezing and trapping, optical computation, and high-capacity telecommunication and encryption.

A re-analysis of the morphological phylogeny of the Nopinae is made, based on an update in the description of Aamunops Galán-Sánchez & Álvarez-Padilla, 2022 and the addition of the recently described genera Nopsma Sánchez-Ruiz, Brescovit & Bonaldo, 2020 and Roddemberryus Sánchez-Ruiz & Bonaldo, 2023. Two new species, Aamunops hoof sp. nov. (male) and Aamunops yiselae sp. nov. (male and female), are also described, which allows a better understanding of the genus morphology and resulted in an emended diagnosis. The description of Aamunops has been updated to include several characteristics of the ultrastructural morphology, legs, chelicerae, palps and female genitalia. The inclusion of these new characters of Aamunops along with those of Nopsma and Roddemberryus in the previous data matrix resulted in a new, completely different hypothesis of the relationships of the nopine genera: Nopsma is part of a group formed by Cubanops and Nyetnops, while Aamunops and Roddemberryus are grouped with representatives of Tarsonops. The four-eyed Nopsides ceralbonus Chamberlin, 1924 was recovered as the most basal species of Nopinae. The relationships among genera of Nopinae and the phylogenetic position of three species, whose taxonomic position is doubtful (Cubanops luquillo Sánchez-Ruiz, Brescovit & Alayón, 2015, Orthonops confuso Galán-Sánchez & Álvarez-Padilla, 2022 and Tarsonops irataylori Bond & Taylor, 2013), is also discussed.

Increasing sea levels and water temperatures have been detected at several coastal locations worldwide with severe consequences on the communities and ecosystems. Coastal lagoons are particularly vulnerable to such changes due to their low land elevation and limited connections with the open sea. Here the recent and future climatic changes in the Lagoon of Venice (Italy) are investigated using in-situ observations and high-resolution hydrodynamic modeling. Trend analysis was applied to observed time series of meteorological and oceanographic climate essential variables to identify significant long-term changes in mean and extreme values. The mean relative sea level rose at a rate of 4.9 mm per year in Venice due to the combined action of eustacy and subsidence while air and sea temperatures increased on average by 1.8 and 1.1°C in 30 years, respectively. These rates, as well as climate projections, were used following a pseudo-global-warming approach to investigate the near future (up to 2050) evolution of the lagoon's dynamics focusing on sea level and temperature extremes. The lagoon will amplify the temperature changes expected for the Adriatic Sea, especially in the shallow tidal flats where the intensity of the marine heat waves will be more than four times larger than that in the open sea. Moreover, the model allowed us to perform “what-if” scenarios to explore to which extent the flood protection MoSE barriers will modify the lagoon's dynamics. According to the simulations, the number of floods and therefore of the MoSE closure strongly increases with sea level rise. In the most severe scenario, MoSE will have to close for more than 20% of the time in October, November, and December resulting in the reduction of water exchange with the open sea and exacerbation of marine cold spells. Some considerations on the implications of the expected changes on the lagoon's ecology are proposed.

The pericellular matrix (PCM) is a specialized extracellular matrix that surrounds cells. Interactions with the PCM enable the cells to sense and respond to mechanical signals, triggering a proper adaptive response. Collagen VI is a component of muscle and tendon PCM. Mutations in collagen VI genes cause a distinctive group of inherited skeletal muscle diseases, and Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD) is the most severe form. In addition to muscle weakness, UCMD patients show structural and functional changes of the tendon PCM. In this study, we investigated whether PCM alterations due to collagen VI mutations affect the response of tendon fibroblasts to mechanical stimulation. By taking advantage of human tendon cultures obtained from unaffected donors and from UCMD patients, we analyzed the morphological and functional properties of cellular mechanosensors. We found that the length of the primary cilia of UCMD cells was longer than that of controls. Unlike controls, in UCMD cells, both cilia prevalence and length were not recovered after mechanical stimulation. Accordingly, under the same experimental conditions, the activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, which is related to cilia activity, was impaired in UCMD cells. Finally, UCMD tendon cells exposed to mechanical stimuli showed altered focal adhesions, as well as impaired activation of Akt, ERK1/2, p38MAPK, and mechanoresponsive genes downstream of YAP. By exploring the response to mechanical stimulation, for the first time, our findings uncover novel unreported mechanistic aspects of the physiopathology of UCMD-derived tendon fibroblasts and point at a role for collagen VI in the modulation of mechanotransduction in tendons.

Neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD) poses a significant health challenge in cattle herds, resulting in considerable economic losses and antimicrobial use. In response to the escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance, viable alternatives are imperative, aligning with European policies. This study evaluated the in-milk supplementation of the chestnut and quebracho tannin extract in preweaning calves on performance, diarrhoea occurrence, Cryptosporidium spp. shedding, protein digestibility, and intestinal health. Twenty newborn calves were divided, after colostrum administration, into two experimental groups for 30 days as follows: the control (CTRL) was fed with whole milk and solid feed, and tannins (TAN) were fed whole milk supplemented with 6/g day of tannin extract and solid feed. Faecal samples were collected on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 30 for the evaluation of Cryptosporidium oocyst shedding and protein digestibility. Faecal consistency was evaluated during the sampling using the faecal score scale (0–3 scale, considering diarrhoea > 1). The results showed a significant reduction in diarrhoea frequency in the TAN compared to the CTRL group (p < 0.05) over 30 days of the trial. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was generally low (12%), considering all analysed samples. Protein digestibility revealed comparable values for the TAN and CTRL groups, suggesting that tannins did not negatively affect milk protein availability. In conclusion, the in-milk supplementation of 6/g day of the chestnut and quebracho tannin extract could be considered a valuable functional feed additive to decrease NCD occurrence, thus supporting animal health and decreasing antibiotic use in livestock.

Dorvilleidae Chamberlin, 1919 is a family of Annelida containing some of the smallest 'polychaetes' species, being poorly studied worldwide, and with little knowledge regarding its diversity and occurrence. Samples obtained in oceanographic campaigns performed in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean (Brazilian coast) revealed a high number of specimens of dorvilleids, adding to our knowledge of the family's biodiversity. A detailed morphological analysis of these organisms has revealed a new genus, Ceciamaraliagen. nov., with two new species. The new genus differs from other Dorvilleidae genera in (i) the robust and enlarged pharynx which are frequently everted, (ii) unique composition of maxillae, with an elongated pair of serrated basal plates and one pair of anterior free maxillary plates with a long and thin anterior spine and (iii) ventral cirri present only in few first chaetigers. Ceciamaralia lanaigen. et sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of a broad and large dorsal cirrus on a few anterior parapodia and by furcate chaeta in supra-acicular fascicles. While Ceciamaralia nonatoigen. et sp. nov. presents one geniculate chaeta instead of one furcate, the absence of dorsal cirri and, in some specimens, the absence of palps. A cladistic analysis supported the monophyly of Ceciamaraliagen. nov. by four synapomorphies related to the unique morphology of its maxillae, pharynx and appendages. This study is part of several recent taxonomic studies aiming to elucidate and increase the knowledge of Dorvilleidae, since it is part of a Ph.D project focused on the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]