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Renewable energies are alternatives to replace fossil fuels and are crucial for the sustainability of the agricultural sector, besides being an important alternative for pumping water in irrigation. Thus, understanding revenues and expenses is fundamental in economic feasibility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the behavior of economic indicators in off-grid solar energy system for irrigation based on different scenarios. Photovoltaic projects were developed for different irrigation powers ranging from 0.736 to 22.1 kW, and the costs for implementation and operation, as well as the occurrence of economy of scale were evaluated, and the levelized cost of energy for each power analyzed was determined. In addition, sensitivity analyses were performed, considering the variation in product price and investment cost, to demonstrate the responses in relation to economic indicators. Photovoltaic energy projects showed increasing costs with the increase in power, and the normalized cost per kW followed an economy of scale, while the levelized cost of energy showed feasibility, except for the power of 22.1 kW. The sensitivity analyses showed profitability for the analyzed configurations.

Preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection by modulating viral host receptors, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)1, could represent a new chemoprophylactic approach for COVID-19 that complements vaccination2,3. However, the mechanisms that control the expression of ACE2 remain unclear. Here we show that the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a direct regulator of ACE2 transcription in several tissues affected by COVID-19, including the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems. We then use the over-the-counter compound z-guggulsterone and the off-patent drug ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to reduce FXR signalling and downregulate ACE2 in human lung, cholangiocyte and intestinal organoids and in the corresponding tissues in mice and hamsters. We show that the UDCA-mediated downregulation of ACE2 reduces susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, in vivo and in human lungs and livers perfused ex situ. Furthermore, we reveal that UDCA reduces the expression of ACE2 in the nasal epithelium in humans. Finally, we identify a correlation between UDCA treatment and positive clinical outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection using retrospective registry data, and confirm these findings in an independent validation cohort of recipients of liver transplants. In conclusion, we show that FXR has a role in controlling ACE2 expression and provide evidence that modulation of this pathway could be beneficial for reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection, paving the way for future clinical trials.

Cirrhosis is associated with immune dysregulation and hyporesponsiveness to several vaccines including those against COVID-19. Our aim was to compare outcomes between patients with cirrhosis who received 3 doses of either the Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA or Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccines to a propensity-matched control group of patients at similar risk of infection who received 2 doses.This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with cirrhosis who received 2 or 3 doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine at the Veterans Health Administration. Participants who received 3 doses of the vaccine (n = 13,041) were propensity score matched with 13,041 controls who received 2 doses, and studied between July 18, 2021 and February 11, 2022, when B.1.617.2 (delta) and B.1.1.529 (omicron) were the predominant variants. Outcomes were aggregated as all cases with COVID-19, symptomatic COVD-19, with at least moderate COVID-19, or severe or critical COVID-19.Receipt of the third dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was associated with an 80.7% reduction in COVID-19 (95% CI 39.2-89.1, p0.001), an 80.4% reduction in symptomatic COVID-19, an 80% reduction in moderate, severe or critical COVID-19, (95% CI 34.5-87.6%, p = 0.005), a 100% reduction in severe or critical COVID-19 (95% CI 99.2-100.0, p = 0.01), and a 100% reduction in COVID-19-related death (95% CI 99.8-100.0, p = 0.007). The magnitude of reduction in COVID-19 was greater with the third dose of BNT 162b2 than mRNA-1273 and among participants with compensated rather than decompensated cirrhosis.Administration of a third dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was associated with a more significant reduction in COVID-19 in patients with cirrhosis than in the general population, suggesting that the third dose can overcome vaccine hyporesponsiveness in this population.Cirrhosis is associated with decreased responsiveness to several vaccines, including those against COVID-19. In this study of 26,082 participants with cirrhosis during the delta and omicron surge, receipt of the third dose of the vaccine was associated with an 80% reduction in COVID-19, a 100% reduction in severe/critical COVID-19, and a 100% reduction in COVID-19-related death. These findings support the importance of a third dose of mRNA vaccine among patients with cirrhosis.

Summary Inorganic scaling is a phenomenon of common occurrence both in nature and in industrial operations. In general, its effects can be highly detrimental for the oil industry, as fouling can take place in different stages of the production, from the wellbore and downhole production control valves to upstream primary oil processing and separation equipment. The deposition of precipitated crystals on pipe walls and valves can result in severe production decline. Despite the high costs involved in the design and operation of separate lines for additive injection, chemical inhibition is typically the solution adopted by the oil companies to mitigate scaling. The purpose of the present work is to show the results of large-scale laboratory pipe flow experiments to evaluate the performance of nonchemical solutions to mitigate and control calcium carbonate scaling. Magnetic, electromagnetic, and ultrasound devices have been tested in a setup that simulates the mixing of two incompatible brine solutions that cause precipitation and deposition of calcium carbonate for a high Reynolds number pipe flow. The performance of the devices is evaluated from pressure drop measurements along the pipe, carbonate deposited mass on the pipe wall, and pipe diameter reduction. Additional results include evaluation of particle-size distribution of precipitated crystals, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis for identification of the crystalline structure, and pH and conductivity. Results show that the magnetic field furnishes a beneficial effect, as it delays the time observed for the onset of flow restriction in both pipe and valve. The use of a magnetic field slows down scaling, thus delaying the increase in pressure drop. The time scale associated with this delay is of two to four times the required time in tests carried out without a magnetic field. Ultrasound devices are also shown to provide a beneficial impact on the delay of the appearance of scaling effects. An ultrasound field influences the precipitation phenomena, inducing particle sizes to be kept at very small values, an effect that prevents crystal deposition. The main contribution of the present work is to provide an evaluation method of antiscaling devices based on large-scale experiments that are representative of real field applications.

The Kidney Donor Risk Index (KDRI) by Rao et al. was developed to measure the quality of kidney allografts. While Rao's KDRI has been found to be a robust measure of kidney allograft survival for adult kidney transplant recipients, many studies have indicated the need to create a distinct pediatric KDRI.Our retrospective study utilized data from the United Network for Organ Sharing database. We examined 9295 deceased donor recipients' data for age 18 years from 1990 to 2020. We performed a multivariate Cox regression to determine the significant recipient and transplant factors impacting pediatric kidney allograft survival.Multivariate analysis found 5 donor factors to be independently associated with graft failure or recipient death: age, female sex, anoxia as the cause of death, history of cigarette use, and cold ischemia time. Using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and analyzing the predictive value of each KDRI at 1, 5, and 10 years, the proposed pediatric KDRI had a statistically significant and higher predictive value for pediatric recipients at 5 (0.60 versus 0.57) and 10 years (0.61 versus 0.57) than the Rao KDRI.The proposed pediatric KDRI may provide a more accurate and simpler index to assess the quality of kidney allografts for pediatric recipients. However, due to the mild increase in predictive capabilities over the Rao index, the study serves as a proof of concept to develop a pediatric KDRI. Further studies should focus on increasing the index's predictive capabilities. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

The exposure of the fetus/neonate to glycotoxins via the placenta or breast milk, such as themethylglyoxal (MG), has been related to short- and long-term disorders in its development.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of early exposure to methylglyoxal, duringthe lactation phase, on cardiac parameters at adulthood. All the experimental procedures wereapproved by the ethics committee of animal use of UFG (007/21). Eight pregnant rats wereseparated into: vehicle group (VEH); and MG group, MG (60 mg/kg), the treatment wascarried out from PN3 to PN14. The litters were standardized 4 male and 4 female pups. AtPN120, hearts were mounted in a Langendorff apparatus. 10’ of basal, 30’ ischemia and 30’of reperfusion were performed. Intraventricular systolic (ISP) and diastolic (IDP) pressure,dP/dt + and - were recorded. AUC of each experiment was calculated, and the results werecompared using two-way ANOVA with Sidak’s post-hoc test. Despite of no difference in theheart-to-body weight ratio, MG hearts presented reduced basal LV contractility in both male(p

Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 can be infection or vaccine-induced. Cirrhosis is associated with vaccine hyporesponsiveness, but whether there is decreased immunity after SARS-CoV-2 infection in unvaccinated patients with cirrhosis is unknown. The objective of our study was to compare infection-induced and vaccine-induced immunity against COVID-19 among patients with cirrhosis.This was a retrospective cohort study among US Veterans with cirrhosis between November 27, 2020, and November 16, 2021, comparing a vaccine-induced immunity group, defined as participants without a documented SARS-CoV-2 infection but fully vaccinated with two doses of an mRNA vaccine, and infection-associated immunity group, defined as unvaccinated participants who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Both groups were propensity score matched for observed characteristics, including location, and the date of the immunity acquiring event, to control for the community prevalence of COVID-19 variants. The outcome was a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR more than 60 days after previous infection in the infection-induced, or after full vaccination in the vaccine-induced immunity group.We compared 634 participants in the infection-induced immunity group with 27,131 participants in the vaccine-induced immunity group using inverse propensity of treatment weighting. Vaccine-induced immunity was associated with a reduced odds of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-0.20, p 0.0001). On multivariable logistic regression, vaccine-induced immunity was associated with reduced odds of developing symptomatic (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.36; 95% CI, 0.33-0.41, p 0.0001), moderate/severe/critical (aOR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.22-0.31, p 0.0001), and severe or critical COVID-19 (aOR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.16-0.26, p 0.001), compared with infection-induced immunity.In participants with cirrhosis, vaccine-induced immunity is associated with reduced risk of developing COVID-19, compared with infection-induced immunity.

ContextSaturated fats found in diets known as high-fat, cafeteria, or Western diets appear to have a negative effect on bone structure; however, few studies have focused on investigating this association, and the data available in the literature remain controversial.ObjectiveThe aim of the current review was to investigate the effects of a high-fat dietary intake on the bone structure of Wistar rats.Data SourcesA search for articles was carried out in the Pubmed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus databases.Data ExtractionIn total, 447 articles were found in the initial search; 5 articles were included in the systematic review, after application of the exclusion criteria.Data AnalysisThe review was guided by the PICOS strategy and based on the PRISMA protocol for animal reviews.ConclusionHigh-fat diets appear to affect bone structure of Wistar rats. Diet composition and exposure time are the factors determining the strength of the effect.

Harmonic and interharmonic estimation is essential for Power System monitoring, particularly for Power Quality (PQ) analysis. These components can interfere with the device functionality, leading to motor heating and energy consumption inefficiency. Usually, the estimation of these components is performed by Fourier Transform; however, the estimation accuracy can decrease in specific scenarios. If the sampled signal is asynchronous or is composed of interharmonics, for example, the energy is spread along the frequency spectrum, causing estimation errors. In this context, this work proposes an innovative method to estimate the harmonic and interharmonic, combining a re-sampling method, based on B-spline with a pre-filter, and Interpolated Discrete Fourier Transform (IpDFT) to avoid the leakage caused by asynchronous sampling and interharmonics. Three real-time re-sampling methods combined with IpDFT are analyzed via simulated voltage signals. The results show that the proposed method is accurate, and robust for all scenarios.

Soil life supports the functioning and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant soil arthropods regulating soil fertility and flow of energy through above- and belowground food webs. However, the global distribution of springtail diversity and density, and how these relate to energy fluxes remains unknown. Here, using a global dataset representing 2470 sites, we estimate the total soil springtail biomass at 27.5 megatons carbon, which is threefold higher than wild terrestrial vertebrates, and record peak densities up to 2 million individuals per square meter in the tundra. Despite a 20-fold biomass difference between the tundra and the tropics, springtail energy use (community metabolism) remains similar across the latitudinal gradient, owing to the changes in temperature with latitude. Neither springtail density nor community metabolism is predicted by local species richness, which is high in the tropics, but comparably high in some temperate forests and even tundra. Changes in springtail activity may emerge from latitudinal gradients in temperature, predation and resource limitation in soil communities. Contrasting relationships of biomass, diversity and activity of springtail communities with temperature suggest that climate warming will alter fundamental soil biodiversity metrics in different directions, potentially restructuring terrestrial food webs and affecting soil functioning. The article is an outcome of the #GlobalCollembola community initiative that is voluntarily supported by researchers around the world. Data collection and analysis was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (19-74-00154 to A.P.) and by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (493345801 to A.P. and 192626868—SFB 990 to S.S.). We acknowledge support by the Open Access Publication Funds of the Göttingen University. The following funding bodies provided support for individual contributors: ARC SRIEAS Grant SR200100005 Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future to S.L.C., Slovak Scientific Grant Agency VEGA 1/0438/22 to Ľ.K., RFBR 19-516-60002 to N.A.K., Carl Tryggers Stiftelse för Vetenskaplig Forskning and Qatar Petroleum to J.M.A., BIO 27 (2013-2014)-MAGyP and PICTO 2084 (2012)-ANPCyT to V.B., DAAD-19-10 and MSM200962001 to T.C., grant TE, PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-0358 to C.F., NWO grant 821.01.015 to O.F., National Natural Sciences Foundation of China No 41471037 and 41871042 to M.G., BIO 27 (2013-2014), MAGyP; PICT 2084 (2012), FONCyT to D.F.G., NRF South African National Antarctic Programme grant 110734 to M.G., Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), EcoEnergy Innovation Initiative under the Office of Energy Research and Development, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to I.T.H., L.A.V. and L.R., Independent Research Fund Denmark grant no. DFF-4002-00384 to M.H., Estonian Science Foundation G9145 to M.I., SA-France bilateral grant to C.J., SA (NRF)/Russia (RFBR) Joint Science and Technology Research Collaboration project no. 19-516-60002 (FRBR) and no. 118904 (NRF) to M.P. and C.J., European Research Council (ERC), European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 677232; to N.E.); iDiv, German Research Foundation (DFG–FZT 118, 202548816) to M.J. and N.E., French National Agency of Research (ANR) (JASSUR research project; ANR-12-VBDU-0011), «Ministère de l’Agriculture et de la Pêche» and «Ministère de l’Education Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie» (ACTA programme), «Ministère de l’Aménagement du Territoire et de l’Environnement» (Pnetox programme), EU-funded project, ECOGEN QLK5-CT-2002-01666 (www.ecogen.dk), “Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Énergie” (BIOINDICATEUR 2, BIOTECHNOSOL), ANDRA and GISFI (www.gisfi.fr) to S.J., GRR SER-BIODIV (Région Normandie, France) to MCha, ESF9258, B02 to A.K., Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant no. 2018CDXYCH0014) to D.L., DFG 316045089 to J.L., Massey University Research Fund grant to M.A.M., DFG SCHE 376/38-2 to M.M.P., grant from the Austria Academy of Science: Heritage_2020-043_Modeling-Museum to P.Q., Slovak Scientific Grant Agency: VEGA Nos. 1/0441/03 and 1/3267/06 to N.R., Higher Education Commission of Pakistan to M.I.R., RSF 21-74-00126 to R.A.S., Austrian Federal Government and European Union (Rural Development 2014-2020) to J.S., АААА-А17-122040600025-2 to A.A.T., Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development—CNPq (grant no. 152717/2016-1) to B.R.W., 309030/2018-8 to D.Z. and 305426/2018-4 to B.C.B., National Natural Science Foundation of China (31970434, 31772491) to N.N.G., Research and Innovation Support Foundation of Santa Catarina (FAPESC) (6.309/2011-6/FAPESC) and the CNPq (563251/2010-7/CNPq) to L.C.I.O.F., O.K.-F., the Latvian Council of Science Grants no. 90.108, 93.140, 96.0110, 01.0344 to E.J., CNPq for the Research Productivity Grant (305939/2018-1) to D.B., FPI-MICINN grant in the project INTERCAPA (CGL2014-56739-R) to P.H, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to Z.L., Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Hungary TKP2021-NKTA-43 to D.W. Authors are grateful to Penelope Greenslade for providing the literature on Australian Collembola communities. Authors are grateful to Frans Janssens for providing the global checklist of Collembola.

Resumo A existência de vários lugares para o educativo está sendo reconhecida na sociedade contemporânea. As game jams (GJ), contextos de criação de videojogos, vêm sendo estudadas como lugares onde o educativo pode ser emergente. Este artigo apresenta uma revisão da literatura, que integra estudos acerca das relações entre game jams e educação. Poucos estudos têm sido realizados, mobilizando métodos qualitativos e explorando as percepções e perspectivas das pessoas participantes sobre a forma como esse educativo desenvolve-se e concretiza-se. Este artigo recorre a dados de um estudo etnográfico multissituado e focado, desenvolvido no contexto de 5 GJ, e dados de 8 grupos de discussão focalizada, realizados de forma síncrona on-line, com participantes em GJ. Os resultados da análise revelam a emergência de quatro dimensões analíticas, que identificam as motivações educativas para a participação nas GJ e as características da experiência educativa vivida; as percepções sobre os resultados e efeitos educativos da experiência; os métodos, as estratégias e recursos educativos percebidos; e as percepções sobre o clima relacional e social vivido nas GJ. Essas dimensões analíticas permitiram explorar uma compreensão das GJ como novos lugares educativos, que concretizam a procura da integração ativa e dinâmica do lúdico, do tecnológico com e no educativo. As GJ, portanto, são reconhecidas e valorizadas pelas pessoas participantes como lugares educativos emergentes no panorama educativo contemporâneo, que integram dimensões facilitadoras da vivência de uma experiência educativa.

A pesquisa foi realizada em 216 canteiros de obras, correspondente a 59 empresas de construção civil no Estado de Pernambuco, escolhidas com base no faturamento anual e número de obras, com o objetivo de identificar se essas empresas atendem as exigências legais quanto ao controle do resíduo sólido gerado, em razão da existência legal desde 2001. Vale salientar que essas empresas, juntas, totalizam 78% do faturamento de todas as 234 existentes no Estado, conforme SINDUSCON-PE. Para isto, foi feito levantamento bibliográfico, visita in loco, análise nos relatórios de controle interno nos canteiros de obras e nos escritórios centrais das empresas, com ajuda de check-list balizado na lei sobre resíduos sólidos gerados pela construção e dos softwares SPSS versão 16.0 e Excel 2013. Após coleta e análises dos dados, chegou-se a conclusão que as empresas cumprem parcialmente os dispositivos legais e que há empresas com licenças vencidas a mais de seis meses sem quaisquer fiscalizações pelos órgãos competentes.