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This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the ultrasound intensity (0, 5, 10, and 20 W/cm

Microbial lipids are a valuable source of potential biofuels and essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. The optimization of the fermentation conditions is a strategy that affects the total lipid concentration. The genus Nigrospora sp. has been the target of investigations based on its potential bioherbicidal action. Therefore, this study developed a strategy to maximize the biomass concentration and lipid accumulation by Nigrospora sp. in submerged fermentation. Different media compositions and process variables were investigated in shaken flasks and bioreactor in batch and fed-batch modes. Maximum biomass concentration and lipid accumulations were 40.17 g/L and 21.32 wt% in the bioreactor, which was 2.1 and 5.4 times higher than the same condition in shaken flasks, respectively. This study presents relevant information to the production of fungal lipids since few investigations are exploring the fed-batch strategy to increase the yield of fungi lipids, as well as few studies investigating Nigrospora sp. to produce lipids.

We apply a generalized logistic growth model, with time dependent parameters, to describe the fatality curves of the COVID-19 disease for several countries that exhibit multiple waves of infections. In the case of two waves only, the model parameters vary as a function of time according to a logistic function, whose two extreme values, i.e., for early and late times, characterize the first and second waves, respectively. For the multiple-wave model, the time-dependency of the parameters is likewise described by a multi-step logistic function with N intermediate plateaus, representing the N waves of the epidemic. We show that the theoretical curves are in excellent agreement with the empirical data for all countries considered here, namely: Brazil, Canada, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden, and US. The model also allows for predictions about the time of occurrence and severity of the subsequent waves. It is shown furthermore that the subsequent waves of COVID-19 can be generically classified into two main types, namely, standard and anomalous waves, according as to whether a given wave starts well after or well before the preceding one has subsided, respectively.

A generalized pathway model, with time dependent parameters, is applied to describe the mortality curves of the COVID-19 disease for several countries that exhibit multiple waves of infections. The pathway approach adopted here is formulated explicitly in time, in the sense that the model’s growth rate for the number of deaths or infections is written as an explicit function of time, rather than in terms of the cumulative quantity itself. This allows for a direct fit of the model to daily data (new deaths or new cases) without the need of any integration. The model is applied to COVID-19 mortality curves for ten selected countries and found to be in very good agreement with the data for all cases considered. From the fitted theoretical curves for a given location, relevant epidemiological information can be extracted, such as the starting and peak dates for each successive wave. It is argued that obtaining reliable estimates for such characteristic points is important for studying the effectiveness of interventions and the possible negative impact of their relaxation, as it allows for a direct comparison of the time of adoption/relaxation of control measures with the peaks and troughs of the epidemic curve.

Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases among women worldwide with about 25% of new cases each year. In Brazil, 59,700 new cases of breast cancer were expected in 2019, according to the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA). Survival analysis has been an useful tool for the identifying the risk and prognostic factors for cancer patients. This work aims to characterize the prognostic value of demographic, clinical and pathological variables in relation to the survival time of 2,092 patients diagnosed with breast cancer in Parana State, Brazil, from 2004 to 2016. In this sense, we propose a Bayesian analysis of survival data with long-term survivors by using Weibull regression models through integrated nested Laplace approximations (INLA). The results point to a proportion of long-term survivors around 57:6% in the population under study. In regard to potential risk factors, we namely concluded that 40-50 year age group has superior survival than younger and older age groups, white women have higher breast cancer risk than other races, and marital status decreases that risk. Caution on the general use of these results is nevertheless advised, since we have analyzed population-based breast cancer data without proper monitoring by a healthprofessional.

Funding Information: Funding: This work was supported by the promoters of CISA (Camões, Institute of Cooperation and Language, Portugal; Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG); Government of Bengo Province; Angolan Ministry of Health—MINSA) and the National Malaria Control Program, Angola; the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, grants reference SFRH/BD/91566/2012, UIDB/00006/2020, UIDP/00006/2020, and UID/04413/2020); and the FCG (grant number 212008), Lisbon, Portugal. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Undernutrition, anemia, and intestinal parasitic infections are public health problems in Angola, especially in pre-school children. We analyzed binary data from a longitudinal four-arm randomized parallel trial conducted in Bengo Province, northern Angola, over the course of two years, with seven follow-up assessments to explore the effects of four interventions (deworming and a test-and-treat approach for intestinal parasites, at both the individual and household levels) on wasting and stunting, and to understand their indirect benefits for anemia, malaria, diarrhea, and vomiting. A total of 121 children with intestinal parasitic infections received baseline treatment, and were allocated to the four arms (1:1:1:1). Using continuous outcome variables of height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ) statistical approaches did not reveal a clear benefit of any particular arm (Pathogens 2021, 10, 309). Next, HAZ and WHZ were transformed into binary variables of stunting and wasting, respectively, considering their mild-to-severe (Z-score < −1) and moderate-to-severe degrees (Z-score < −2). Original clinical data (on anemia, diarrhea, vomiting, and malaria) were also analyzed. From a binary longitudinal analysis with different dependence structures, using the R package bild, fitted models revealed the potential benefit of a test-and-treat approach at the individual level for wasting compared with annual albendazole at the individual level, especially considering mild-to-severe forms (ORadj = 0.27; p = 0.007). All arms showed similar effects on stunting, compared with annual albendazole, at a 5% significance level. Time and age at baseline presented favorable effects in the percentage of stunting using both severity degrees. Results showed a decreased chance of having anemia and diarrhea over time, although with no significant differences between arms. Data from longitudinal studies are essential to study the direct and indirect effects of interventions, such as deworming, and to explore additional approaches aiming at better understanding the temporal structure of nutrition and health outcomes in children. publishersversion published

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) were tested as advanced clean methods to obtain polysaccharides from Phoma dimorpha mycelial biomass. These methods were compared to conventional extraction (hot water extraction, HWE) in terms of polysaccharides-enriched fractions (PEF) yield. A central composite rotational design was performed for each extraction method to investigate the influence of independent variables on the yield and to help the selection of the condition with the highest yield using water as an extraction solvent. The best extraction condition of PEF yielded 12.02 wt% and was achieved when using UAE with direct sonication for 30 min under the intensity of 75.11 W/cm2 and pulse factor of 0.57. In the kinetic profiles, the highest yield (15.28 wt%) was obtained at 50 °C under an ultrasound intensity of 75.11 W/cm2 and a pulse factor of 0.93. Structural analysis of extracted polysaccharide was performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal property. The water solubility index, water holding capacity, and emulsification index of PEF were 31.3 ± 1.5%, 138.1 ± 3.2%, and 62.9 ± 2.3%, respectively. The submerged fermentation demonstrates the huge potential of Phoma dimorpha to produce polysaccharides with bioemulsifying properties as a biotechnologically cleaner alternative if compared to commercial petroleum-derived compounds. Furthermore, UAE and PHWE are green technologies, which can be operated at an industrial scale for PEF extraction.

This study describes the use of spray drying technology to obtain biomolecules containing powder from Diaporthe schini with herbicidal activity produced by submerged fermentation. The efficiency of...

Potassium can influence the productivity and the physical and physiological qualities of grains and seeds of flooded rice, although its influence is not clear yet. Based on the necessity of more information, this work presents the evaluation of different stages of potassium application on rice grains productivity, physical quality (whole grain and chalk kernel) and seed physiological quality (vigor and germination). The results show that the potassium fertilization has an influence on the physical quality of rice grains. When performed near to the reproductive stage, it can increase the percentage of whole grains and decrease the chalk kernel index. For producing seeds, all fertilization should be done up to the V3 stage in order to increase the seed vigor.

Cell wall degrading enzymes (chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase) were produced by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using the fungus Trichoderma harzianum and different agro-industrial products, mainly residues. The influence of temperature (25–35 °C), initial moisture content (50–90% w/w), nutrient solution (1–2% v/w), and yeast extract (1–2% w/w) on enzyme activity was evaluated. The application of ultrasound during fermentation for different times (0–6 h/day) was also studied. White rice was the substrate that showed the highest chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase activities, which were 31.31 U/g for chitinase and 23.83 U/g for β-1,3-glucanase after 10 days of fermentation. Application of ultrasound waves during fermentation positively affected (p

This study focused on obtaining a spray-dried powder containing chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase as active ingredients for the control of agricultural pests. Different carriers were tested in the spray drying of these enzymes. The effectiveness of the application of the enzymes was evaluated against Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). The combination of maltodextrin (2.5% w/v), gum Arabic (2.5% w/v), and soluble starch (5.0% w/v) as carriers showed the best result of residual activity of β-1,3-glucanase (88.36%) and chitinase (69.82%), with a powder recovery of 45.49%. The optimum conditions for the operational parameters of the spray drying process were: inlet air temperature of 120 °C, drying airflow rate of 1.1 m3/min, feed flow rate of 5.8 mL/min, and nozzle air pressure of 0.4 MPa. The powder produced showed 65.6% efficiency for the control of the fly. These results demonstrated the possibility of using the spray drying process to obtain an enzymatic potential product for biological pest control.