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Este estudo buscou analisar a influência das crenças comportamentais, da justiça percebida, da atitude às experiências passadas e da complexidade do fato na intenção de reporte pela abordagem de reclamação. Realizou-se um survey com 218 estudantes de Ciências Contábeis, cujas relações e capacidade explicativa foram analisadas pelas técnicas de equações estruturais com mínimos quadrados parciais (PLS-SEM), análise multigrupos (MGA) e complementadas com análise qualitativa comparativa por lógica Fuzzy (fsQCA) para a identificação de soluções para cenários de elevada complexidade. As crenças de controle comportamental percebido, norma subjetiva e atitude influenciam a intenção de reclamação. A justiça percebida influenciou diretamente a atitude e indiretamente a intenção de reclamação, mediada pelas crenças de atitude. Em relação às atitudes às experiências passadas, a atitude ao sucesso influenciou positivamente a atitude e a justiça percebida, enquanto a atitude à falha apresentou relações significativas e negativas. Em cenários de alta complexidade, as relações entre as crenças comportamentais e a intenção de reclamação mantiveram relações positivas e significativas, mas na baixa complexidade, a atitude e a justiça percebida não demonstraram relações significativas na intenção de reclamação. O estudo contribui com as teorias comportamentais, evidenciando resultados empíricos da avaliação da justiça percebida e a atitude frente às experiências passadas, além de demonstrar o impacto da complexidade do fato nas relações entre intenção de reclamação e seus determinantes.

Soil information is critical for a wide range of land resource and environmental decisions. These decisions will be compromised when the soil information quality is unsatisfactory. Thus, users of soil information need to understand and consider the uncertainty of the available soil information and be able to judge whether it is fit for purpose. The uncertainty information provided with the SoilGrids 2.0 product was examined in a case study. We hypothesised that the soil property predictions for the Netherlands (NL) might be less uncertain than those of New Zealand (NZ) because there were more relevant training data for NL than for NZ. The study objectives were to: 1) understand whether the provided uncertainty information is correct for both countries; 2) explore spatial patterns and relationships in the prediction error and uncertainty information using quantitative tools and new graphical analyses; 3) analyse whether these patterns and relations can be explained; and 4) explore how the uncertainty information and insights derived from graphical analyses might assist an end user to determine whether a map is suitable for their purpose. The study focused on soil texture.Independent datasets showed that the SoilGrids 2.0 uncertainty information was too optimistic for sand and too pessimistic for clay for both countries. The graphical analyses confirmed the initial assumption that NL predictions were more accurate than those for NZ, but they also indicated that some locations in NL have high uncertainty. The graphical analyses allowed only a limited identification of the four sources of uncertainty in digital soil maps, but were quite insightful in helping us to better understand the reliability of the information. A set of recommendations was developed for both producers and consumers of digital soil mapping (DSM) products. This includes the provision of a summary map of accuracy classes. We suggest that more research and educational effort is needed to ensure that digital soil maps are used appropriately.

In response to the growing societal awareness of the critical role of healthy soils, there has been an increasing demand for accurate and high-resolution soil information to inform national policies and support sustainable land management decisions. Despite advancements in digital soil mapping and initiatives like GlobalSoilMap, quantifying soil variability and its uncertainty across space, depth and time remains a challenge. Therefore, maps of key soil properties are often still missing on a national scale, which is also the case in the Netherlands. To meet this challenge and fill this data gap, we introduce BIS-4D, a high-resolution soil modeling and mapping platform for the Netherlands. BIS-4D delivers maps of soil texture (clay, silt and sand content), bulk density, pH, total nitrogen, oxalate-extractable phosphorus, cation exchange capacity and their uncertainties at 25 m resolution between 0 and 2 m depth in 3D space. Additionally, it provides maps of soil organic matter and its uncertainty in 3D space and time between 1953 and 2023 at the same resolution and depth range. The statistical model uses machine learning informed by soil observations amounting to between 3815 and 855 950, depending on the soil property, and 366 environmental covariates. We assess the accuracy of mean and median predictions using design-based statistical inference of a probability sample and location-grouped 10-fold cross validation (CV) and prediction uncertainty using the prediction interval coverage probability. We found that the accuracy of clay, sand and pH maps was the highest, with the model efficiency coefficient (MEC) ranging between 0.6 and 0.92 depending on depth. Silt, bulk density, soil organic matter, total nitrogen and cation exchange capacity (MEC of 0.27 to 0.78), and especially oxalate-extractable phosphorus (MEC of −0.11 to 0.38) were more difficult to predict. One of the main limitations of BIS-4D is that prediction maps cannot be used to quantify the uncertainty in spatial aggregates. We provide an example of good practice to help users decide whether BIS-4D is suitable for their intended purpose. An overview of all maps and their uncertainties can be found in the Supplement. Openly available code and input data enhance reproducibility and help with future updates. BIS-4D prediction maps can be readily downloaded at https://doi.org/10.4121/0c934ac6-2e95-4422-8360-d3a802766c71 (Helfenstein et al., 2024a). BIS-4D fills the previous data gap of the national-scale GlobalSoilMap product in the Netherlands and will hopefully facilitate the inclusion of soil spatial variability as a routine and integral part of decision support systems.

Abstract Background Adolescents and young adults in residential care and correctional institutions face various challenges, leading to negative life outcomes. Implementation barriers within these institutions, such as limited financial and spatial resources, pose significant hurdles to providing necessary support. Web-based approaches address these challenges by offering cost-effective, accessible solutions. This study aims to assess the efficacy of a newly developed web-based version of the existing evidence-based START NOW skills training in fostering emotion regulation and resilience among institutionalized adolescents and young adults. We present the study protocol (Version 5, August 2023) of the trial titled “Implementation of an e-version of the skills training START NOW for promoting emotion regulation and resilience in residential youth care and correctional institutions”. Methods The study is a monocentric, prospective, confirmatory randomized controlled trial with 150 institutionalized adolescents and young adults with a need to improve resilience (predefined cut-offs). Participating institutions will be randomized to one of three conditions: (i) 9-week web-based group training guided by a facilitator, (ii) 9-week web-based self-help training, (iii) and treatment as usual. The primary endpoint is the change in psychological flexibility, assessed by the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth score, from baseline to follow-up 12 weeks post skills training. Secondary objectives encompass assessing pre-post changes in psychological flexibility and other psychological health-related outcome measures in participating adolescents, young adults, and caretakers from baseline, to post training, and to 12- and 24-week follow-ups. Discussion This study evaluates the efficacy of START NOW as web-based training for institutionalized adolescents and young adults, providing valuable insights into web-based interventions and aiming to optimize support levels. Trial registration {2a and 2b} ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05313581. Registered on 6 April 2022.

BackgroundPeriodontitis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the supporting tissues of the teeth, and can lead to serious complications such as tooth loss and systemic health problems, including diabetes, which have a bidirectional relationship with periodontitis. Circulating microparticles originate from different cell types after stimuli such as activation or apoptosis. Interleukins are related to processes in the regulation of the immune response, inflammation, and cell growth. This study aimed to evaluate circulating microparticles as well as interleukins in the plasma, at baseline and 1 month after the end of the non-surgical periodontal treatment.MethodsSamples were collected from 45 patients, with moderate to severe periodontitis with diabetes (N = 25) and without diabetes (N = 20). Microparticles were evaluated in the platelet-poor plasma by flow cytometer. Cytokine levels were evaluated by the enzyme immunoabsorption assay (ELISA).ResultsHigher levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines were found in the group with diabetes compared to the non-diabetic group both at baseline and 1 month after the end of the treatment. A higher IL-6/IL-10 ratio was found in patients with diabetes compared to the group without diabetes at T0 and T1, whereas an increased IFN-γ/IL-10 ratio was only found at T1 in patients with diabetes in comparison to the group without diabetes. In the group with diabetes, it was verified positive correlations between IL-10 and IL-6 or IFN-γ and a negative correlation between IL-6 and PMP, at T0; in contrast, in the T1, negative correlations were found between TNF-α and IL-10 or PMP. Besides, at T0, it was evidenced positive correlations both between circulating TNF-α and IL-6, and IL-10 and EMP, as well as a negative correlation between IL-10 and PMP in the group with diabetes. In addition, it was observed in T1 positive correlations between levels of TNF-α and IL-6, IFN-γ, or IL-10, and between PMP and IFN-γ, and between EMP and IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ in this group.ConclusionThe results suggest a modulatory effect of the periodontitis associated with diabetes, as well as the periodontal treatment, in the systemic inflammatory status of the participants of the study.

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the profile of graduates of the Postgraduate Program (PGP) in Cardiology of a public federal university, according to sociodemographic factors and professional trajectory. Methods: The variables were collected from databases from the observed institution and digital platforms. The analysis of differences between the various levels of degrees was carried out in three cohorts: the entire historical series (graduates from 1978–2021), the first 20 years (1978–1997) and the second 20 years (1998–2018). Results: The results demonstrated that most students from the PGP completed a PhD and are men over 30 years old, they came from public universities and the Southeast region. In the first 20 years, significant differences were observed in the distribution of masters and doctors working professionally at the institution analyzed, as well as in the age of the students. In the 20 years of the second half, there were differences between masters and PhD working professionally in the institution itself, as they came from private universities, they are women and PhD. Conclusions: The changes in the profile of masters and PhD that graduated from this PGP in cardiology reflect transformations that occurred in the job market and academy over the decades.

Abstract For restoring soil health and mitigating climate change, information of soil organic matter is needed across space, depth and time. Here we developed a statistical modelling platform in three-dimensional space and time as a new paradigm for soil organic matter monitoring. Based on 869 094 soil organic matter observations from 339,231 point locations and the novel use of environmental covariates variable in three-dimensional space and time, we predicted soil organic matter and its uncertainty annually at 25 m resolution between 0–2 m depth from 1953–2022 in the Netherlands. We predicted soil organic matter decreases of more than 25% in peatlands and 0.1–0.3% in cropland mineral soils, but increases between 10–25% on reclaimed land due to land subsidence. Our analysis quantifies the substantial variations of soil organic matter in space, depth, and time, highlighting the inadequacy of evaluating soil organic matter dynamics at point scale or static mapping at a single depth for policymaking.

Infections with Campylobacter species mainly cause gastrointestinal disease and are usually self-limiting. Systemic complications such as bacteremia and osteoarticular infections are rare. Here we report a very rare case of a vertebral osteomyelitis due to C. jejuni, and we reviewed the literature for similar cases, identifying six other cases. Therapy should be guided on resistance testing if available due to emerging resistance rates, especially to fluoroquinolones. Azithromycin may be a treatment option for C. jejuni spondylodiscitis.

Abstract Numerous drivers such as farming practices, erosion, land-use change, and soil biogeochemical background, determine the global spatial distribution of phosphorus (P) in agricultural soils. Here, we revised an approach published earlier (called here GPASOIL-v0), in which several global datasets describing these drivers were combined with a process model for soil P dynamics to reconstruct the past and current distribution of P in cropland and grassland soils. The objective of the present update, called GPASOIL-v1, is to incorporate recent advances in process understanding about soil inorganic P dynamics, in datasets to describe the different drivers, and in regional soil P measurements for benchmarking. We trace the impact of the update on the reconstructed soil P. After the update we estimate a global averaged inorganic labile P of 187 kgP ha−1 for cropland and 91 kgP ha−1 for grassland in 2018 for the top 0–0.3 m soil layer, but these values are sensitive to the mineralization rates chosen for the organic P pools. Uncertainty in the driver estimates lead to coefficients of variation of 0.22 and 0.54 for cropland and grassland, respectively. This work makes the methods for simulating the agricultural soil P maps more transparent and reproducible than previous estimates, and increases the confidence in the new estimates, while the evaluation against regional dataset still suggests rooms for further improvement.

Abstract Background Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders have been reported with an increasing frequency of up to 3%. The increase in the incidence can be explained by the rising rate of Caesarean section (CS), assisted reproductive technology (ART) and previous uterine surgeries. PAS disorders are usually associated with postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). In our study, we investigated the risk factors for increased blood loss in women with histologically verified PAS disorders independent of delivery mode. Methods In a retrospective single-centre cross-sectional study, 2,223 pregnant women with histologically verified PAS disorders were included. Risk factors for PPH in women with PAS disorders were examined and compared between women with PPH (study group; n = 879) and women with normal blood loss (control group; n = 1150), independent of delivery mode. PAS disorders were diagnosed histologically from the following specimens: placenta, placental-bed specimens, uterine curettage, uterine resection and/or total/partial hysterectomy. Medical data were extracted from clinical records of pregnant women with PAS disorders delivering at the University Hospital Basel between 1986 and 2019. The placenta data of women with PAS disorders were obtained and identified through a search from the database of the Department of Pathology, University Hospital Basel. Results Between 1986 and 2019, there were 64,472 deliveries at the University Hospital Basel. PAS disorders were histologically verified in 2,223 women (2,223/64,472), and the prevalence of PAS disorders was 3.45%. A total of 879 women with PAS disorders showed PPH, independent of delivery mode (43.3%). Due to missing data for 194 women, the final analysis was conducted with the remaining 2,029 women. Placenta praevia (O.R. = 6.087; 95% CI, 3.813 to 9.778), previous endometritis (O.R. = 3.011; 95% CI, 1.060 to 9.018), previous manual placenta removal (O.R. = 2.530; 95% CI, 1.700 to 3.796), ART (O.R. = 2.169; 95% CI, 1.593 to 2.960) and vaginal operative birth (O.R. = 1.715; 95% CI, 1.225–2.428) can be considered important risk factors, and previous CS (O.R. = 1.408; 95% CI, 1.016 to 1.950) can be considered a moderate potential risk factor of PPH in women with PAS disorders. Conclusions Placenta praevia, previous endometritis, previous placenta removal, ART and vaginal operative birth can be considered important risk factors of PPH in women with PAS disorders. Study registration The study was registered under http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05542043) on 15 September 2022.

Abstract Background The BioFire® FilmArray® Blood Culture Identification Panel 1 (BF-FA-BCIP) detects microorganisms with high accuracy in positive blood cultures (BC) – a key step in the management of patients with suspected bacteraemia. We aimed to compare the time to optimal antimicrobial therapy (OAT) for the BF-FA-BCIP vs. standard culture-based identification. Methods In this retrospective single-centre study with a before-after design, 386 positive BC cases with identification by BF-FA-BCIP were compared to 414 controls with culture-based identification. The primary endpoint was the time from BC sampling to OAT. Secondary endpoints were time to effective therapy, length of stay, (re-)admission to ICU, in-hospital and 30-day mortality. Outcomes were assessed using Cox proportional hazard models and logistic regressions. Results Baseline characteristics of included adult inpatients were comparable. Main sources of bacteraemia were urinary tract and intra-abdominal infection (19.2% vs. 22.0% and 16.8% vs. 15.7%, for cases and controls, respectively). Median (95%CI) time to OAT was 25.5 (21.0–31.2) hours with BF-FA-BCIP compared to 45.7 (37.7–51.4) hours with culture-based identification. We observed no significant difference for secondary outcomes. Conclusions Rapid microorganism identification by BF-FA-BCIP was associated with a median 20-h earlier initiation of OAT in patients with positive BC. No impact on length of stay and mortality was noted. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04156633, registered on November 5, 2019.

Most phosphorus (P) in soils is unavailable for direct biological uptake, as it is locked within primary or secondary mineral particles, adsorbed to mineral surfaces, or immobilized inside of organic material. Deciphering the composition of different P forms in soil is critical for understanding P bioavailability and its underlying dynamics. However, widely used global estimates of different soil P forms are based on a dataset containing few measurements in which many regions or soil types are unrepresented. This poses a major source of uncertainty in assessments that rely on these estimates to quantify soil P constraints on biological activity controlling global food production and terrestrial carbon balance. To address this issue, we consolidated a database of six major soil P “forms” containing 1857 entries from globally distributed (semi-)natural soils and 11 related environmental variables. These six different forms of P (labile inorganic P (Pi), labile organic P (Po), moderately labile Pi, moderately labile Po, primary mineral P, and occluded P) were measured using a sequential P fractionation method. As they do not represent precise forms of specific discrete P compounds in the soil but rather resemble operational pools, we will now refer to them as P pools. In order to quantify the relative importance of 11 soil-forming variables in predicting soil P pool concentrations and then make further predictions at the global scale, we trained random forest regression models for each of the P pools and captured observed variation with R2 higher than 60 %. We identified total soil P concentration as the most important predictor of all soil P pool concentrations, except for primary mineral P concentration, which is primarily controlled by soil pH and only secondarily by total soil P concentration. When expressed in relative values (proportion of total P), the model showed that soil pH is generally the most important predictor for proportions of all soil P pools, alongside the prominent influences of soil organic carbon, total P concentration, soil depth, and biome. These results suggest that, while concentration values of P pools logically strongly depend on soil total P concentration, the relative values of the different pools are modulated by other soil properties and the environmental context. Using the trained random forest models, we predicted soil P pools' distributions in natural systems at a resolution of 0.5∘×0.5∘. Our global maps of different P pools in soils as well as the pools' underlying drivers can inform assessments of the role of natural P availability for ecosystem productivity, climate change mitigation, and the functioning of the Earth system.

Amorphous iron- and aluminium-(hydr)oxides are key soil properties in controlling the dynamics of phosphorus availability and carbon storage. These oxides affect the potential of soils to retain phosphorus and carbon, thus affecting ecosystem services such as crop production, water quality and carbon sequestration. In this study, we spatially predicted oxalate-extractable Fe and Al (FeOX, AlOX) contents in the Netherlands at 25 m resolution across six soil depth layers between 0 and 200 cm and quantified the associated prediction uncertainty using quantile regression forest. For model training and validation, geo-referenced data of FeOX and AlOX contents were used including 12,110 wet-chemical observations and 102,393 NIR spectroscopy observations. Over 150 spatial covariates were selected that provide information about soil typology, climate, soil organisms, land use, relief, parent material and space (sampling depth and oblique coordinates). Map quality was assessed by comparing predictions with observations using an independent data set of 4841 soil samples from agricultural fields. Soil sample locations were selected by stratified random sampling, allowing us to assess map quality using design-based statistical inference. Map quality was evaluated using the metrics Model Efficiency Coefficient (MEC), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Mean Error (ME). Map quality differed, depending on the target variable and soil depth, with MEC ranging from 0.19 to 0.80, RMSE from 13.5 to 56.9 mmol kg−1 and ME from −6.8 to 6.8 mmol kg−1. Overall, map quality was better for topsoil than for subsoil and better for AlOX contents than for FeOX contents. Prediction uncertainty quality was evaluated by calculating the Prediction Interval Coverage Probability of the 90 per cent Prediction Interval, which were close to 0.90 in all cases and slightly below 0.90 for AlOX. Thus, prediction uncertainties were generally reliable, though for AlOX contents uncertainty was slightly underpredicted. The maps are a valuable tool for site-specific manure and fertiliser management strategies aiming to balance crop production, water quality and carbon sequestration in agriculture.

Abstract Background Pharmacoinvasive strategy is an effective myocardial reperfusion therapy when primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) cannot be performed in a timely manner. Methods Authors sought to evaluate metrics of care and cardiovascular outcomes in a decade-long registry of a pharmacoinvasive strategy network for the treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Data from a local network including patients undergoing fibrinolysis in county hospitals and systematically transferred to the tertiary center were accessed from March 2010 to September 2020. Numerical variables were described as median and interquartile range. Area under the curve (AUC-ROC) was used to analyze the predictive value of TIMI and GRACE scores for in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 2,710 consecutive STEMI patients aged 59 [51–66] years, 815 women (30.1%) and 837 individuals with diabetes (30.9%) were analyzed. The time from symptom onset to first-medical-contact was 120 [60–210] minutes and the door-to-needle time was 70 [43–115] minutes. Rescue-PCI was required in 929 patients (34.3%), in whom the fibrinolytic-catheterization time was 7.2 [4.9–11.8] hours, compared to 15.7 [6.8–22,7] hours in those who had successful lytic reperfusion. All cause in-hospital mortality occurred in 151 (5.6%) patients, reinfarction in 47 (1.7%) and ischemic stroke in 33 (1.2%). Major bleeding occurred in 73 (2.7%) patients, including 19 (0.7%) cases of intracranial bleeding. C-statistic confirmed that both scores had high predictive values for in-hospital mortality, demonstrated by TIMI AUC-ROC of 0.80 [0,77–0.84] and GRACE AUC-ROC of 0.86 [0.83—0.89]. Conclusion In a real world registry of a decade-long network for the treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction based on the pharmacoinvasive strategy, low rates of in-hospital mortality and cardiovascular outcomes were observed, despite prolonged time metrics for both fibrinolytic therapy and rescue-PCI. Register Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02090712 date of first registration 18/03/2014.

Abstract Aim This study aimed to evaluate the interference of intensive fish farming in the physicochemical variables of water and in the zooplankton community from a tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1758) pond in southern Brazil. In addition, it was verified whether the analyzed zooplankton groups could be bioindicators of changes in the quality of pond water. Methods The water and zooplankton sample collections were carried out monthly in different places of the pond: at the water supply site (affluent), in the middle of the pond and at the water outlet site (effluent). Analyzes related to nitrogen series (total nitrogen, total ammonia, nitrite + nitrate), dissolved oxygen, total hardness, total alkalinity, total phosphorus, pH, turbidity and water temperature were performed at all sampling sites. In addition, the density of the zooplankton groups Copepoda (adults and nauplii), Rotifera and Cladocera was determined. Results Regarding the changes between the quality variables of the affluent and effluent water of the pond, the outlet water showed a significant increase only in the variable total alkalinity. Rotifers were the most abundant organisms, and nauplii Copepoda showed a significant increase in the density of organisms in the middle of the pond compared to the inlet water. Both the redundancy analysis (RDA) and the Spearman correlation matrix revealed that zooplanktonic groups are associated with certain physicochemical variables of the water. According to the Analysis of Indicator Species (IndVal), the evaluated organisms are not related to bioindicator species in this environment. Conclusions Therefore, intensive production of O. niloticus caused changes only in the total alkalinity of the pond water. The zooplanktonic organisms correlated with the physicochemical variables of the water and between the groups, and did not show potential for bioindicators of water quality in the different locations of the pond.

Phosphorus (P) availability affects the response of terrestrial ecosystems to environmental and climate change (e.g., elevated CO2), yet the magnitude of this effect remains uncertain. This uncertainty arises mainly from a lack of quantitative understanding of the soil biological and geochemical P cycling processes, particularly the P exchange with soil mineral surfaces, which is often described by a Langmuir sorption isotherm. We first conducted a literature review on P sorption experiments and terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) using a Langmuir isotherm. We then developed a new algorithm to describe the inorganic P exchange between soil solution and soil matrix based on the double-surface Langmuir isotherm and extracted empirical equations to calculate the sorption capacity and Langmuir coefficient. We finally tested the conventional and new models of P sorption at five beech forest sites in Germany along a soil P stock gradient using the QUINCY (QUantifying Interactions between terrestrial Nutrient CYcles and the climate system) TBM. We found that the conventional (single-surface) Langmuir isotherm approach in most TBMs largely differed from P sorption experiments regarding the sorption capacities and Langmuir coefficients, and it simulated an overly low soil P-buffering capacity. Conversely, the double-surface Langmuir isotherm approach adequately reproduced the observed patterns of soil inorganic P pools. The better representation of inorganic P cycling using the double-surface Langmuir approach also improved simulated foliar N and P concentrations as well as the patterns of gross primary production and vegetation carbon across the soil P gradient. The novel model generally reduces the estimates of P limitation compared with the conventional model, particularly at the low-P site, as the model constraint of slow inorganic P exchange on plant productivity is reduced.

Selenium is essential for human health and mainly delivered via terrestrial foodstuffs. An advanced characterization of selenium chemical forms shows that organic matter increases its accumulation in soils but could limit its supply to plants

Introduction: Studies into food-related behaviors and emotions are increasingly being explored with Virtual Reality (VR). Applications of VR technologies for food science include eating disorder therapies, eating behavior studies and sensory analyzes. These applications involve 3D food stimuli intended to elicit cravings, stress, and/or emotions. However, the visual quality (i.e., the realism) of used food stimuli is heterogeneous, and this factor’s influence on the results has never been isolated and evaluated. In this context, this work aims to study how the visual quality of food stimuli, exposed in a virtual reality environment, influences the resulting desire to eat.Methods: 28 subjects without eating disorders were included in this protocol, who evaluated the desire to eat induced by 10 3D food stimuli, each duplicated in 7 quality levels (for a total of 70 stimuli).Results: Results show that visual quality influences the desire to eat, and this effect depends on the type of food and users’ eating habits. We found two significant thresholds for visual quality: the first provides the minimal quality necessary to elicit a significant desire to eat, while the second provides the ceiling value above which increasing the quality does not improve further the desire to eat.Discussion: These results allow us to provide useful recommendations for the design of experiments involving food stimuli.

ABSTRACT The morphological characteristics of the external genitalia of the bull may contribute to the etiopathogenesis of preputial diseases that trigger the impotence coeundi and losses in farms. The goal of this study was to establish morphometric parameters of the preputial ostium, the internal preputial leaflet (IPL), the free part and glans of the penis; describe the histological characteristics of the IPL; perform a count of the preputial sebaceous glands and compare these variables between 24-month-old Aberdeen Angus and Nellore bulls. At the slaughterhouse, 20 preputial pieces were collected from each breed. A device composed of base, rod, ring, and funnel was designed to hold each suspended and distended part. The IPL, the free part of the penis and the glans were measured. The ostium diameter was measured, and the radius, perimeter, and area of the preputial ostium were calculated. Samples were collected from the dorsal and ventral regions and from the cranial, medial, and caudal portions of the IPL. By electronic and optical microscopy, IPL characterization and sebaceous gland counts were performed. Analysis of variance was performed using the F test at 5%. It was concluded that Nellore bulls have a more extensive IPL and free part of the penis and more preputial sebaceous glands than Aberdeen Angus bulls. In both breeds, there are more glands in the ventral region of the ostium.

Este estudo objetivou refletir sobre a importância da bitcoin como um novo formato das transações financeiras. Além de tudo, buscou entender sobre as características e funcionamento do dinheiro virtual, analisando comparativamente entre as transações com a moeda convencional e criptomoeda. Para construção do artigo foi realizado um levantamento bibliográfico e documental, no qual se verificou que em relação à moeda tradicional a bitcoin possui inúmeras vantagens e desvantagens e que cada uma conta com seus atributos. Diante do exposto conclui-se que a utilização do (dinheiro) virtual denominada bitcoin é vantajosa nas realizações de transações financeiras, possibilitando benefícios aos seus donos e sem intervenção de instituições bancárias, ou seja, o usuário faz a administração do seu próprio montante. Além disso, a bitcoin oportuniza custos menores em cada transferência.

Introduction: Although it is broadly known that monocyte recruitment is involved in atherosclerosis development and that, in accordance with the microenvironment, these cells can be modulated into three well-known subpopulations: Classical (CD14++CD16−), intermediate (CD14++CD16+), and non-classical (CD14+CD16++), the effects of treatment with different pharmacological strategies (based on lipid-lowering and antiplatelets) after acute myocardial infarction upon the monocytes modulation and the role of the chemokine receptors CCR2, CCR5 and CX3CR1 in this context, are poorly understood.Methods: In this study, patients [n = 148, both men (n = 105, 71%) and women (n = 43, 29%)] submitted to treatment with a 2×2 factorial design, in which they received rosuvastatin 20 mg or simvastatin 40 mg plus ezetimibe 10 mg, as well as ticagrelor 90 mg or clopidogrel 75 mg were enrolled. Monocyte subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry at baseline (BL), and after one (1-M) and 6 months (6-M) of treatment.Results: Firstly, our results showed that, regardless of the treatment received, higher percentages of classical monocytes and lower of non-classical monocytes were found at the 6-M time point than BL values, whilst the percentage of intermediate monocytes was higher in all time points assessed than the other subsets. There were reductions in the CCR2 expression by non-classical and intermediate monocytes, without differences for the classical subtype. Concerning the CCR5 expression, there were reductions in the three monocyte subtypes, whereas the CX3CR1 expression increased both in intermediate and classical monocytes, without differences for non-classical monocytes. In relation to the treatment received, a higher percentage of intermediate monocytes at the 6-M time point than the values BL was observed in the group treated with simvastatin + ezetimibe + clopidogrel. No significant differences were found concerning non-classical, intermediate, and classical monocytes, for CCR2, CCR5, and CX3CR1 in the four treatment arms.Conclusion: Taken together, our results demonstrated that even under lipid-lowering and antiplatelet therapy for 6 months, the inflammatory phenotype of monocytes still persisted in the patients enrolled in this study.

Current understanding of phosphorus (P) cycling in soils can be enhanced by integrating previously discrete findings concerning P speciation, exchange kinetics, and the underlying biological and geochemical processes. Here, we combine sequential extraction with P K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and isotopic methods (33P and 18O in phosphate) to characterize P cycling on a climatic gradient in Hawaii. We link P pools to P species and estimate the turnover times for commonly considered P pools. Dissolved P turned over in seconds, resin-extractable P in minutes, NaOH-extractable inorganic P in weeks to months, and HCl-extractable P in years to millennia. Furthermore, we show that in arid-zone soils, some primary mineral P remains even after 150 ky of soil development, whereas in humid-zone soils of the same age, all P in all pools has been biologically cycled. The integrative information we provide makes possible a more dynamic, process-oriented conceptual model of P cycling in soils.

Soil represents the largest phosphorus (P) stock in terrestrial ecosystems. Determining the amount of soil P is a critical first step in identifying sites where ecosystem functioning is potentially limited by soil P availability. However, global patterns and predictors of soil total P concentration remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we constructed a database of total P concentration of 5275 globally distributed (semi-)natural soils from 761 published studies. We quantified the relative importance of 13 soil-forming variables in predicting soil total P concentration and then made further predictions at the global scale using a random forest approach. Soil total P concentration varied significantly among parent material types, soil orders, biomes, and continents and ranged widely from 1.4 to 9630.0 (median 430.0 and mean 570.0) mg kg−1 across the globe. About two-thirds (65 %) of the global variation was accounted for by the 13 variables that we selected, among which soil organic carbon concentration, parent material, mean annual temperature, and soil sand content were the most important ones. While predicted soil total P concentrations increased significantly with latitude, they varied largely among regions with similar latitudes due to regional differences in parent material, topography, and/or climate conditions. Soil P stocks (excluding Antarctica) were estimated to be 26.8 ± 3.1 (mean ± standard deviation) Pg and 62.2 ± 8.9 Pg (1 Pg = 1 × 1015 g) in the topsoil (0–30 cm) and subsoil (30–100 cm), respectively. Our global map of soil total P concentration as well as the underlying drivers of soil total P concentration can be used to constraint Earth system models that represent the P cycle and to inform quantification of global soil P availability. Raw datasets and global maps generated in this study are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14583375 (He et al., 2021).

Information on soils' composition and physical, chemical and biological properties is paramount to elucidate agroecosystem functioning in space and over time. For this purpose, we developed a national Swiss soil spectral library (SSL; n=4374) in the mid-infrared (mid-IR), calibrating 16 properties from legacy measurements on soils from the Swiss Biodiversity Monitoring program (BDM; n=3778; 1094 sites) and the Swiss long-term Soil Monitoring Network (NABO; n=596; 71 sites). General models were trained with the interpretable rule-based learner CUBIST, testing combinations of {5,10,20,50, and 100} ensembles of rules (committees) and {2, 5, 7, and 9} nearest neighbors used for local averaging with repeated 10-fold cross-validation grouped by location. To evaluate the information in spectra to facilitate long-term soil monitoring at a plot level, we conducted 71 model transfers for the NABO sites to induce locally relevant information from the SSL, using the data-driven sample selection method RS-LOCAL. In total, 10 soil properties were estimated with discrimination capacity suitable for screening (R2≥0.72; ratio of performance to interquartile distance (RPIQ) ≥ 2.0), out of which total carbon (C), organic C (OC), total nitrogen (N), pH and clay showed accuracy eligible for accurate diagnostics (R2>0.8; RPIQ ≥ 3.0). CUBIST and the spectra estimated total C accurately with the root mean square error (RMSE) = 8.4 g kg−1 and the RPIQ = 4.3, while the measured range was 1–583 g kg−1 and OC with RMSE = 9.3 g kg−1 and RPIQ = 3.4 (measured range 0–583 g kg−1). Compared to the general statistical learning approach, the local transfer approach – using two respective training samples – on average reduced the RMSE of total C per site fourfold. We found that the selected SSL subsets were highly dissimilar compared to validation samples, in terms of both their spectral input space and the measured values. This suggests that data-driven selection with RS-LOCAL leverages chemical diversity in composition rather than similarity. Our results suggest that mid-IR soil estimates were sufficiently accurate to support many soil applications that require a large volume of input data, such as precision agriculture, soil C accounting and monitoring and digital soil mapping. This SSL can be updated continuously, for example, with samples from deeper profiles and organic soils, so that the measurement of key soil properties becomes even more accurate and efficient in the near future.

Abstract For cardiovascular disease prevention, statins alone or combined with ezetimibe have been recommended to achieve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol targets, but their effects on other lipids are less reported. This study was designed to examine lipid changes in subjects with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after two highly effective lipid-lowering therapies. Twenty patients with STEMI were randomized to be treated with rosuvastatin 20 mg QD or simvastatin 40 mg combined with ezetimibe 10 mg QD for 30 days. Fasting blood samples were collected on the first day (D1) and after 30 days (D30). Lipidomic analysis was performed using the Lipidyzer platform. Similar classic lipid profile was obtained in both groups of lipid-lowering therapies. However, differences with the lipidomic analysis were observed between D30 and D1 for most of the analyzed classes. Differences were noted with lipid-lowering therapies for lipids such as FA, LPC, PC, PE, CE, Cer, and SM, notably in patients treated with rosuvastatin. Correlation studies between classic lipid profiles and lipidomic results showed different information. These findings seem relevant, due to the involvement of these lipid classes in crucial mechanisms of atherosclerosis, and may account for residual cardiovascular risk. Randomized clinical trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02428374, registered on 28/09/2014.