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The Multi-Swarm approach allows the use of multiple configurations between two or more populations of particles, where each one can present different approaches (e.g. lbest, gbest, Unified, Guaranteed-Convergence) directed towards improving the optimization process. This article presents a proposal for local/global stochastic interconnection applied to the context of the Multi-Swarm algorithm, as well as for incrementing a local search method for refining previously obtained solutions. Two proposals are introduced for this new Multi-Swarm PSO (MSO). The first one is the inclusion of “counterpart particles”, which establishes a sub-topology between inter-swarm particles, accessed by migration and evaluability rules. The other involves using customized crossover operators and is based on the BLX scheme (Blend Crossover) with direction information used as a reference for establish a subspace search around the particles. Performance and robustness of the new approaches were assessed by ten constrained engineering design optimization problems (COPs), as is compared to other solutions already published in the scientific literature. Results indicate significant performance improvements for all 10 COPs when compared to concurrent-based MSOs. By making available new references from other swarms, the counterpart particles approach tends to improve the optimization process in the search space, while an intermediate layer of local search based on a modified directed BLX crossover should provide an extra search around the particle, and thus, refining previously obtained solutions.

Various methods are applied to improve the quality of cement and concrete. Many efforts are made to enhance their quality by introducing additional compounds that can stabilize the chemical bonds between their components. Significant effects on hydrogen bonds under the influence of magnetic and electromagnetic waves have been observed. Results have been published with permanent magnetic fields for water treatment for concrete preparation with magnetic inductions B = 4000, 6000, 6000, 9000, and 9250 Gauss. Electromagnetic (e. m.) treated water has emerged as a promising approach for improving the properties of construction materials. Our investigation concerns the properties of concrete. Concrete is a composite building material mainly consisting of cement, aggregates, water, and various chemical additives. Water was activated with electromagnetic fields from solenoid, ranging from 20 to 40 kHz. The study employs Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) method. The experiments were performed on samples and control samples. The control samples were obtained with water before activation with EM fields. Treating the water in concrete preparation with electromagnetic fields leads to greater mixture homogeneity. SEM images substantiate this outcome. The FT-IR peaks are linked to heightened chemical reactivity from improved water parameters attributed to the treatment with the EVOdrop device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors conducted a qualitative content analysis of the 400 National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 from 2010-2017 selected for their instructional usefulness in science classrooms. The authors examined these expert-recommended science trade books to better understand their design and to identify the various aspects of science education to which various genres may contribute. In light of previous research demonstrating the importance of texts used in science classrooms, the authors attended to the books' scientific discourses and features. The authors present a typology helpful for understanding the books as related to science education broadly. The authors found general alignment between books that use expository language and those genres most likely to present knowledge accepted as reliable by the relevant scientific community. Genres apt to support the development of understandings about the nature of science and scientific inquiry, however, were more often composed of narrative. Given the richness of the text set and the multiple discourses therein, the authors were unable to bring their typology into alignment with arguments that certain kinds of trade books are unsuitable for science classrooms (e.g., biography, realistic fiction). A challenge with much of the existing research on science trade books and their use is that it has used oversimplified binary categories of narrative/expository to encourage limiting exposure to a single discourse or genre. Ultimately, through the typology presented, the authors seek to support the ability of science educators and researchers in identifying how different types of science trade books align with comprehensive science education.

Here, Cabral et al., perform a multi-omics analysis of the gut microbiome of capybara, the largest living rodent, unveiling enzymatic mechanisms for the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass, and report two undescribed families of carbohydrate-active enzymes.

Essential oils (EO) are volatile compounds with complex chemical compositions that are derived from the secondary metabolism of aromatic herbs. There are several applications of EO in the industrial and medical sectors. Basil (Ocimum sp.) is one of the most important EO-producing aromatic herbs. In this study, EO content (EOC) and linalool content (LC) in basil irrigated with reclaimed water were investigated. Plant development parameters, nutrient absorption and crude protein (CP) content were also evaluated. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, with five different treatments and five repetitions each. Compared with treatments only using water, the results of those with reclaimed water irrigation showed higher nutrient absorption, CP contents (in their foliar tissue), length of plant branches, foliar biomass weights, and EOC and LC. EOC reached up to 0.58% of the dry biomass and LC was up to 5.84% of EO mass. In practice, it is estimated that around 5.8 kg of EO and 0.34 kg of linalool can be obtained from one ton of dry basil biomass. HIGHLIGHTS Higher essential oil and linalool contents were obtained in plants irrigated with higher percentage of reclaimed water used.; Reclaimed water use resulted in the highest length of branches and biomass production of dry leaves, up to 30 cm and 28 g per plant, respectively.; Crude protein content in leaves increased proportionally to the percentage of reclaimed water used.; Approximately 5.8 kg of EO and 0.34 kg of linalool can be obtained per ton of basil dry mass.;

Xyloglucans are polysaccharides found in plant cell walls. Here, the authors describe the xyloglucan depolymerization machinery of phytopathogenic Xanthomonas bacteria, and show that sugars released by this system induce the expression of key virulence factors driving pathogenesis.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate minimally invasive diagnostic techniques, such as the semi-quantitative indirect IgG antibody enzyme immunoassay (EIA) using blood serum and the urinary lateral flow assay (LFA), for the detection of Histoplasma capsulatum in cats with histoplasmosis. Methods: Eight client-owned domestic cats diagnosed with histoplasmosis were selected based on cytological, histopathological, mycological, molecular or antigenic techniques. The blood serum of these animals was tested in a semi-quantitative indirect IgG antibody EIA for the detection of H capsulatum. Urine samples were tested for H capsulatum antigen using LFA. Results: Five cats were seropositive on IgG EIA (5/8, with diagnostic sensitivity equal to 62.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 24.5–91.5) and five cats were positive on H capsulatum antigen LFA (5/7, with diagnostic sensitivity equal to 71.4%; 95% CI 29.0–96.3). The combined diagnostic sensitivity when interpreted in parallel was 87.5% (7/8, 95% CI 47.3–99.7). The specificity for the anti- Histoplasma IgG EIA was 100% (95% CI 71.5–100) and for the H capsulatum antigen LFA it was also 100% (95% CI 71.5–100). Conclusions and relevance: The semi-quantitative indirect IgG antibody EIA for the detection of H capsulatum in blood serum and the urinary LFA for the detection of the same agent emerge as new minimally invasive diagnostic techniques that can assist in the approach to disseminated and pulmonary feline histoplasmosis, especially when both techniques are considered together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family 43 glycoside hydrolases (GH43) are involved in the breakdown of hemicellulose. Functional, structural and computational characterization of a GH43 enzyme, including a snapshot of an active Michaelis complex, reveal the hydrolysis mechanism and suggest two possible reaction pathways.

The systematically difficult task of diagnosing Lyme disease can be simplified by sensitive and specific laboratory tests. The currently recommended two-tier test for serology is highly specific but falls short in sensitivity, especially in the early acute phase. We previously examined serially collected serum samples from Borrelia burgdorferi-infected rhesus macaques and defined a combination of antigens that could be utilized for detection of infection at all phases of disease in humans. The five B. burgdorferi antigens, consisting of OspC, OspA, DbpA, OppA2, and the C6 peptide, were combined into a fluorescent cytometric bead-based assay for the detection of B. burgdorferi antigen-specific IgG antibodies. Samples from Lyme disease patients and controls were used to determine the diagnostic value of this assay. Using this sample set, we found that our five-antigen multiplex IgG assay exhibited higher sensitivity (79.5%) than the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (76.1%), the two-tier test (61.4%), and the C6 peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (77.2%) while maintaining specificity over 90%. When detection of IgM was added to the bead-based assay, the sensitivity improved to 91%, but at a cost of reduced specificity (78%). These results indicate that the rational combination of antigens in our multiplex assay may offer an improved serodiagnostic test for Lyme disease.