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In this work MCM-41 solid was evaluated for the adsorption of dodecamethylpentasiloxane (L5) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) siloxanes. The adsorbent was synthesized at room temperature using the sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and N2 adsorption-desorption at 77 K. Adsorption equilibrium and kinetic studies were performed in isooctane at 25 °C in single and binary modes. The equilibrium data by Langmuir isotherm showed maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of 0.058 mmol g−1 (22.3 mg g−1) and 0.019 mmol g−1 (7.05 mg g−1) for single mode of L5 and D5, respectively, while in binary mode these values were 0.054 (20.8 mg g−1) and 0.032 mmol g−1 (11.9 mg g−1) for L5 and D5, respectively. The adsorption kinetics in both contact modes were typically of pseudo-first order. DFT simulations to calculate the adsorption energies between the ligands (siloxanes) and the receptor (MCM-41) showed a value of −0.76 eV for the MCM-L5 system, which is much higher than that found for MCM-D5 (−0.50 eV). This base research is important from an environmental and technological perspective, in which researchers will use the initial values obtained in this research to optimize the adsorbent matrix with an infinite number of modifications that can be made.

This retrospective case series investigates thoracolumbar fractures resulting from speed humps during bus travel in Rio de Janeiro. The study encompasses 19 patients who experienced such fractures between 2013 and 2021 without collision events. Factors examined included demographics, injury specifics, management strategies, and outcomes. The study aims to elucidate the prevalence, characteristics, and treatment of these injuries. Analyses were conducted using clinical evaluations, AOSpine classification, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, and TL AOSpine Injury Score (TL AOSIS). Surgical and non-surgical interventions were compared, highlighting the need for strict traffic regulations and preventive measures to mitigate such accidents. Results reveal a predominance of fractures in women, with a mean age of 61.26 years, and an emphasis on L1 vertebra involvement. Surgical intervention was required in over 50% of cases, demonstrating favorable outcomes. However, limitations due to the study's retrospective nature and the tertiary care setting were acknowledged. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of preventive measures, such as stricter traffic regulations, mandatory seatbelt use in public transportation, and enhanced speed-hump safety measures to curtail these accidents and subsequent injuries.

In recent decades, alternative water resources have been explored to address water scarcity; the use of reclaimed water in agricultural practices has been particularly studied. To evaluate the impact of different irrigation waters on lettuce cultures, 18 plants were grown across two seasons (fall and summer), using tap water as control, and two types of reclaimed water as substitute irrigation water sources. Samples were collected from the rhizosphere soil of the lettuces and were analyzed using Liquid Chromatography – High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS) with Data-Independent Acquisition (DIA). Non-target metabolomic profiling was performed using the Regions of Interest procedure (ROI), followed by Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) for simultaneous analysis of MS1 and MS2 signals in positive and negative ionization modes. In total, 37 chemical compounds (endogenous and exogenous) were identified belonging to different classes and origins, such as several sesquiterpene lactones or flavonoids that play a key role in the secondary metabolism of plants. Subsequent statistical and chemometric analyses highlighted that the sampling campaign season had a greater effect on the metabolomic profile than the type of water used for irrigation. Based on these findings, reclaimed waters did not exhibit sufficient influence on the rhizosphere to be discarded as a potential alternative for use in the agricultural industry.

Background Concomitant traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ocular trauma (OT) are caused by the same physical mechanisms, which may complicate therapeutic intervention if screening and evaluation of each condition are not promptly initiated. The aim of this study is to identify concomitant TBI in OT patients and characterize the pattern of those injured service members (SMs) in non-combat environments to assist in the early detection and treatment of both TBI and OT.Methods Encounters matching the case definitions of TBI and OT for injured SMs were extracted from the Military Health System. Concomitant TBI and OT was identified as patients who were diagnosed with both medical conditions within 30 days. Incidence rates of concomitance were analyzed using a Poisson regression model. The odds of mechanisms and types of OT with concomitant TBI were analyzed using logistic regression models.Results From 2017 to 2021, there were 71 689 SMs diagnosed with TBI, and 69 358 patients diagnosed with OT. There were 3251 concomitant cases identified. The overall concomitance rate in OT patients was 4.7%. Clinical presentations of concomitant OT had a higher rate of complications. Blast, transport accidents, assaults, alcohol, falls, and sports-related injuries (in decreasing order) were significantly associated with concomitance rates. Compared with closed globe injuries, OT with orbital fractures, rupture, laceration, adnexal periocular injury, and penetrating injury had higher risks of concomitant TBI. For patients with orbital fractures, nearly half (44.1%) sustained a concomitant TBI.Conclusions A practical approach using temporal proximity of diagnostic data was developed to identify concomitant cases of TBI and OT which presented with more severe injury types than non-concomitant cases. These results indicate OT patients with orbital or open globe injuries sustained from high-impact mechanisms warrant further TBI screening to prompt early detection and treatment.Level of evidence IV.

Contribution: In the research presented in this article, a procedure for determining student workload has been designed, tested, and validated. This procedure also makes it possible to analyze how different teaching variables are affected by workload and to visualize the learning environment generated in the course. Background: When the project-based learning (PBL) methodology is used in a course, if the students' workload is not properly planned and controlled, important variables in the educational environment, such as the teaching organization and the students' approach to learning, can be affected. The PBL methodology may even become unfeasible as it affects the other courses with which it shares year and semester. This justifies the need to know the student workload of a subject. The previous research has presented procedures for establishing student workload. However, they use questionnaires with a high number of questions. A questionnaire with many questions affects the reliability of students' answers. The questionnaire presented in this article reduces the number of questions without affecting the results obtained and it is easily applicable to other courses. Research Questions: The questions to be answered in this research are: 1) is the workload of the students, when using the PBL methodology in a course, in line with the one established in the syllabus? and 2) is the learning environment created in the course as expected? Methodology: The methodology used to obtain the necessary data is based on students completing weekly surveys, two critical incident questionnaires (CIQs), and a final survey. The aim was always to minimize the number of questions to be answered, ensuring that the data collected provided a true picture of the workload and the educational environment. Findings: The analysis of the data obtained by applying the procedure provides mechanisms to control the workload, ensure involvement and motivation, improve students' academic results and show the learning environment created in the course. The implementation of this method, during three academic years, has allowed to test its effectiveness, validate some of the initial hypotheses, and confirm the conclusions of some previous studies.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a severely disabling disease often leading to death. CCN2 (Cellular Communication Network factor 2, also known as CTGF) is a known mediator of fibrosis and clinical trials studying anti-CCN2 efficacy in pulmonary fibrosis are currently underway. Fork head box D1 (FoxD1) transcription factor is transiently expressed in several mesenchymal cell types, including those of fetal lungs. Differentiation of FoxD1-progenitor derived pericytes into myofibroblasts involves CCN2 expression and contributes importantly to maladaptive tissue remodeling in for example kidney and lung fibrosis models. To generate a model for studying the contribution of CCN2 expression in FoxD1-progenitor derived cells to development of fibrotic tissue remodeling, we set out to establish a FoxD1Cre - CCN2flox/flox mouse colony. However, all double-transgenic mice died soon after birth due to asphyxia. Histopathological examination revealed a reduction in alveolar space and lung weight, and subtle axial (thoracic and cervical) skeletal deformities. Together with the previously reported association of a FoxD1 containing locus with human adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, our data suggest that the fatal pulmonary hypoplasia resulting from selective deletion of CCN2 from FoxD1-progenitor derived mesenchymal cells developed secondary to impaired breathing movements due to aberrant axial skeletogenesis.