Electromechanical Modulations in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets: Implications for Environmental Sensors

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are key players in the two-dimensional materials nanoarena due to their exquisite optoelectronic properties under a standard environment (room temperature and atmospheric pressure). Nevertheless, as reported in the literature, they may also portray interesting physical properties under different environments. Here, we show two distinct and significant electromechanical modulations in TMD nanosheets which are tuned by the environmental conditions (applied pressure and adsorbents). Using scanning probe microscopy techniques, we modify the environmental conditions and observe steplike rises in the electrical response of all studied TMDs (MoS2, WS2, MoSe2, and WSe2—monolayers and few layers). Ab initio calculations enable full understanding of specific mechanisms behind these electromechanical modulations, which may find important applications in the design of TMD-based environmental sensors

Uma experiência de coleta seletiva em condomínios residenciais

Neste texto, relatamos uma experiência de coleta seletiva de resíduos e Educação Ambiental em condomínios residenciais do bairro Engenheiro Goulart, na zona Leste de São Paulo. Os idealizadores e executores do projeto foram alunos do segundo ano do curso de Gestão Ambiental da Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da USP (EACH-USP), contemplados com bolsas da Pró-Reitoria de Cultura e Extensão Universitária. O foco principal do projeto foi a abordagem técnica de coleta seletiva dentro de condomínios residenciais, com o objetivo de inserir o trabalho da cooperativa de reciclagem da região dentro da rotina dos condôminos. O grupo trabalhou com a sensibilização e a conscientização dos moradores a respeito da temática ambiental e social. A abordagem de cunho social foi de grande relevância, visto que o grande potencial de renda para a cooperativa era inexplorado devido a dificuldades de acesso. Esta intervenção favoreceu aos condôminos e trabalhadores da cooperativa uma nova maneira de olhar a região na qual habitam

Canine cutaneous mast cell tumors: retrospective study of cases attended by the oncology service at the Veterinary Hospital of FCAV-Unesp, Jaboticabal, from 2005 to 2015

Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar os casos de mastocitomas cutâneos em cães atendidos no Hospital Veterinário Governador Laudo Natel da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV) Unesp Câmpus Jaboticabal, no período de 2005 a 2015, além de avaliar a ocorrência dessa neoplasia em relação à raça, sexo e idade; determinar as regiões corpóreas mais acometidas e as características neoplásicas observadas, assim como, os métodos de diagnóstico mais utilizados no setor, estabelecer os principais graus histológicos diagnosticados e os tratamentos preconizados, verificar alterações de tamanho em relação aos linfonodos, à taxa de recidiva, metástase e possíveis associações entre as variáveis consideradas. Foram avaliados 192 prontuários clínicos de pacientes e observou-se que os cães sem raça definida (SRD) (n=46, 23,96%) foram os mais acometidos, seguidos por cães da raça Boxer (n=40, 20,83%) e Pit bull (n=27, 14,06%). A maioria dos cães eram fêmeas (n=107, 55,7%), e com idade de 7 a 11 anos (n=120, 62,5%). Do total, 32 pacientes apresentaram (16,7%) tumores localizados em membro pélvico, seguidos por nódulos em membro torácico (10,4%, n=20). Sessenta e cinco animais possuíam nódulos ulcerados (33,9%), sendo 96 nódulos de consistência firme (50%). Setenta e seis animais apresentavam múltiplos nódulos (39,6%) e aqueles acima de três centímetros perfaziam 39,1% da amostra (n=75). O método mais utilizado para o diagnóstico foi a punção aspirativa por agulha fina associado à histopatologia (HT), totalizando 39,8% dos nódulos (n=66), seguido pela HT com 37,3% (n=62). Em relação às variáveis histológicas, 18 pacientes apresentaram grau I (11,8%), 112 com grau II (73,7%) e 22 com grau III (14,5%) de acordo com Patnaik et al. (1984). Segundo a classificação de Kiupel et al. (2011), 37 casos foram classificados como de alto grau (35,2%) e 68 como sendo de baixo grau (64,8%). Foi observada associação estatística quando se avaliou a presença de nódulos solitários/múltiplos e o grau histológico, segundo Patnaik et al. (1984) (p=0,008) e Kiupel et al. (2011) (p=0,004), sendo que nódulos com piores características prognósticas eram mais frequentes nos animais diagnosticados com múltiplos nódulos, independente da classificação histológica empregada. Também foi observada a associação entre a presença de nódulos múltiplos com estadio II ou IV (p<0,001) e com a presença de recidiva (p=0,001). Em relação à classificação histológica de Kiupel et al. (2011) foi possível observar associação estatística entre o grau histológico e o tamanho do tumor (p=0,001), a consistência (p=0,028) e a velocidade de crescimento do nódulo (p<0,001); aumento de linfonodo (p<0,001) e o tratamento empregado (p=0,002). Nódulos com tamanho superior a três centímetros (56,8%, n=21) e de crescimento rápido (52,9%, n=36%), eram mais frequentes nos tumores de alto grau. Aumento de linfonodo (80,6%, n=25) e tratamento quimioterápico (83,3%, n=5) também estavam associados a pacientes com alto grau histológico. Em relação à classificação de Patnaik et al. (1984), as variáveis raça e sexo diferiram proporcionalmente entre os grupos histológicos (p=0,008 e 0,040 respectivamente), sendo que o aumento do linfonodo e o crescimento rápido do tumor também tiveram associação com o grau histológico (p=0,002 e 0,001). Quase a metade dos pacientes (47,4%) foi submetidas ao tratamento cirúrgico e quimioterápico (n=91), sendo que em 31,3% (n=60) dos pacientes realizou-se apenas o procedimento cirúrgico. Sessenta e um animais (31,8%) apresentaram aumento de tamanho em linfonodos regionais (31,8%), sendo que 71,9% dos nódulos avaliados tiveram crescimento rápido. O tempo de evolução clínica do tumor foi menor ou igual a um ano, em 158 pacientes (82,3%), seguido por 25 pacientes (13%) com evolução de 1 a 2 anos. Foram observados 66 casos (40,5%) de recidiva e 16 (8,3%) de metástase à distância. Com este estudo, pode-se concluir que cães sem raça definida são os mais acometidos pelo mastocitoma cutâneo, na região de Jaboticabal, seguido por cães da raça Boxer, com idade variando entre 7 e 11 anos, não sendo observada predileção sexual; os nódulos encontrados eram predominantemente não ulcerados, solitários e menores que três centímetros; a maioria dos pacientes apresentou mastocitoma grau II, segundo Patnaik et al. (1984) e baixo grau segundo Kiupel et al. (2011); não se observou recidiva, em sua maioria, nem metástase em linfonodos e/ou a distância; o diagnóstico mais utilizado foi a punção aspirativa por agulha fina associada à histopatologia; a localização dos nódulos era mais prevalente nos membros pélvicos e torácicos, seguido por cabeça e pescoço. A consistência dos nódulos era de apresentação firme ou macia; e a metade dos pacientes foi submetida ao procedimento cirúrgico associado à quimioterapia antineoplásica.This study analyzed the cases of cutaneous mastocytomas in dogs seen at the Governador Laudo Natel Veterinary Hospital of the College of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences (FCAV), Unesp, in Jaboticabal, from 2005 to 2015. The objective was to determine the occurrence of this neoplasm regarding breed, sex, and age, the most affected body parts and observed neoplastic characteristics; the most widely used diagnosis methods, the main histological grades and recommended treatments, to evaluate size changes in relation to lymph nodes, recurrence rate, metastasis and to verify possible associations between the evaluated variables. The clinical files of 192 patients were evaluated. The most affected dogs were of mixed breed (n=46, 23.96%), followed by Boxer (n=40, 20.83%) and Pitbull (n=27, 14.06%). Most of the dogs were females (n=107, 55.7%), aged between 7 and 11 years old (n=120, 62.5%). Thirty-two patients had (16.7%) tumors located in the pelvic limb, followed by thoracic limbs (10.4% n=20). Sixty-five animals had ulcerated nodules (33.9%), of which 96 had firm consistency (50%). Seventy-six animals had multiple nodules (39.6%), and 39.1% of the sample (n=75) had nodules larger than three centimeters. The most used diagnosis method was fine needle aspiration together with histopathology (HT), totaling 39.8% of nodules (n=66), followed by HT in 37.3% of the patients (n=62). Regarding the histological variables, 18 patients had grade I (11.8%), 112 grade II (73.7%), and 22 grade III (14.5%) classified according to Patnaik et al. (1984). According to the classification of Kiupel et al. (2011) 37 cases were classified as high grade (35.2%) and 68 as low grade (64.8%). Statistical association was observed when the presence of solitary/multiple nodules and the histological grade were evaluated according to Patnaik et al. (1984) (P=0.008) and Kiupel et al. (2011) (P=0.004). The nodules with worse prognostic feature were more frequent in animals diagnosed with multiple nodules, regardless of the histological classification used. The presence of multiple nodules in stage II or IV (p<0.001) and recurrence of the disease (p=0.001) was also observed. Regarding the histological classification of Kiupel et al. (2011), there was a statistical association between histological grade and tumor size (p=0.001), consistency (p=0.028) and nodule growth rate (p<0.001), lymph node enlargement (p<0.001) and the treatment used (p=0.002). Nodules larger than three centimeters (56.8% n=21) and fast growing (52.9% n=36%) were more frequent in high-grade tumors. Lymph node enlargement (80.6% n=25) and chemotherapeutic treatment (83.3% n=5) were also associated with patients with this histological grade. According to the classification of Patnaik et al. (1984), breed and sex differed proportionally between the histological groups (p=0.008 and 0.040 respectively), and lymph node enlargement and rapid tumor growth were also associated with histological grade (p=0.002 and 0.001). Almost half of the patients (47.4%) underwent surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment (n=91) while only surgical procedure was performed in 31.3% (n=60) of the patients. Sixty-one animals (31.8%) had enlarged regional lymph nodes (31.8%), and 71.9% of the nodes evaluated had rapid growth. The clinical evolution time of the tumor was less than or equal to one year in 158 patients (82.3%), followed by 1 to 2 years in 25 patients (13%). There were 66 cases (40.5%) of recurrence and 16 (8.3%) of distant metastasis. With this study, it can be concluded that dogs with mixed breed are the most affected by cutaneous mastocytoma in Jaboticabal city, followed by Boxer dogs, with ages varying between 7 and 11 years, with no sexual predisposition observed. It was also concluded that nodules were predominantly non-ulcerated, solitary and smaller than 3 centimeters, that the majority of patients presented grade II mastocytoma according to Patnaik et al. (1984) and low grade according to Kiupel et al. (2011), not being observed in most of them recurrence, lymph node or distance metastasis. The most commonly used diagnosis was fine-needle aspiration associated with histopathology, and in relation to location, nodules were found predominantly in pelvic and thoracic limbs, followed by head and neck. The consistency of the nodules was both firm and soft, and half of the patients underwent the associated surgical procedure of antineoplastic chemotherapy

Retention of progenitor cell phenotype in otospheres from guinea pig and mouse cochlea

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud Culturing otospheres from dissociated organ of Corti is an appropriate starting point aiming at the development of cell therapy for hair cell loss. Although guinea pigs have been widely used as an excellent experimental model for studying the biology of the inner ear, the mouse cochlea has been more suitable for yielding otospheres in vitro. The aim of this study was to compare conditions and outcomes of otosphere suspension cultures from dissociated organ of Corti of either mouse or guinea pig at postnatal day three (P3), and to evaluate the guinea pig as a potential cochlea donor for preclinical cell therapy.\ud \ud \ud Methods\ud Organs of Corti were surgically isolated from P3 guinea pig or mouse cochlea, dissociated and cultivated under non-adherent conditions. Cultures were maintained in serum-free DMEM:F12 medium, supplemented with epidermal growth factor (EGF) plus either basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα). Immunofluorescence assays were conducted for phenotype characterization.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud The TGFα group presented a number of spheres significantly higher than the bFGF group. Although mouse cultures yielded more cells per sphere than guinea pig cultures, sox2 and nestin distributed similarly in otosphere cells from both organisms. We present evidence that otospheres retain properties of inner ear progenitor cells such as self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation into hair cells or supporting cells.\ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud Dissociated guinea pig cochlea produced otospheres in vitro, expressing sox2 and nestin similarly to mouse otospheres. Our data is supporting evidence for the presence of inner ear progenitor cells in the postnatal guinea pig. However, there is limited viability for these cells in neonatal guinea pig cochlea when compared to the differentiation potential observed for the mouse organ of Corti at the same developmental stage

The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the Second Phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since 2014 July. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the 14th from SDSS overall (making this Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes the data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (2014–2016 July) public. Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey; the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data-driven machine-learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from the SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS web site (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020 and will be followed by SDSS-V

Global age-sex-specific fertility, mortality, healthy life expectancy (HALE), and population estimates in 204 countries and territories, 1950-2019 : a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Accurate and up-to-date assessment of demographic metrics is crucial for understanding a wide range of social, economic, and public health issues that affect populations worldwide. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 produced updated and comprehensive demographic assessments of the key indicators of fertility, mortality, migration, and population for 204 countries and territories and selected subnational locations from 1950 to 2019. Methods: 8078 country-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 938 surveys, 349 censuses, and 238 other sources were identified and used to estimate age-specific fertility. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate age-specific fertility rates for 5-year age groups between ages 15 and 49 years. With extensions to age groups 10–14 and 50–54 years, the total fertility rate (TFR) was then aggregated using the estimated age-specific fertility between ages 10 and 54 years. 7417 sources were used for under-5 mortality estimation and 7355 for adult mortality. ST-GPR was used to synthesise data sources after correction for known biases. Adult mortality was measured as the probability of death between ages 15 and 60 years based on vital registration, sample registration, and sibling histories, and was also estimated using ST-GPR. HIV-free life tables were then estimated using estimates of under-5 and adult mortality rates using a relational model life table system created for GBD, which closely tracks observed age-specific mortality rates from complete vital registration when available. Independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated by an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys and antenatal clinic serosurveillance and other sources were incorporated into the estimates in countries with large epidemics. Annual and single-year age estimates of net migration and population for each country and territory were generated using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model that analysed estimated age-specific fertility and mortality rates along with 1250 censuses and 747 population registry years. We classified location-years into seven categories on the basis of the natural rate of increase in population (calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate) and the net migration rate. We computed healthy life expectancy (HALE) using years lived with disability (YLDs) per capita, life tables, and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty was propagated throughout the demographic estimation process, including fertility, mortality, and population, with 1000 draw-level estimates produced for each metric. Findings: The global TFR decreased from 2·72 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 2·66–2·79) in 2000 to 2·31 (2·17–2·46) in 2019. Global annual livebirths increased from 134·5 million (131·5–137·8) in 2000 to a peak of 139·6 million (133·0–146·9) in 2016. Global livebirths then declined to 135·3 million (127·2–144·1) in 2019. Of the 204 countries and territories included in this study, in 2019, 102 had a TFR lower than 2·1, which is considered a good approximation of replacement-level fertility. All countries in sub-Saharan Africa had TFRs above replacement level in 2019 and accounted for 27·1% (95% UI 26·4–27·8) of global livebirths. Global life expectancy at birth increased from 67·2 years (95% UI 66·8–67·6) in 2000 to 73·5 years (72·8–74·3) in 2019. The total number of deaths increased from 50·7 million (49·5–51·9) in 2000 to 56·5 million (53·7–59·2) in 2019. Under-5 deaths declined from 9·6 million (9·1–10·3) in 2000 to 5·0 million (4·3–6·0) in 2019. Global population increased by 25·7%, from 6·2 billion (6·0–6·3) in 2000 to 7·7 billion (7·5–8·0) in 2019. In 2019, 34 countries had negative natural rates of increase; in 17 of these, the population declined because immigration was not sufficient to counteract the negative rate of decline. Globally, HALE increased from 58·6 years (56·1–60·8) in 2000 to 63·5 years (60·8–66·1) in 2019. HALE increased in 202 of 204 countries and territories between 2000 and 2019

The 13th Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the SDSS-IV Survey Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) began observations in July 2014. It pursues three core programs: APOGEE-2,MaNGA, and eBOSS. In addition, eBOSS contains two major subprograms: TDSS and SPIDERS. This paper describes the first data release from SDSS-IV, Data Release 13 (DR13), which contains new data, reanalysis of existing data sets and, like all SDSS data releases, is inclusive of previously released data. DR13 makes publicly available 1390 spatially resolved integral field unit observations of nearby galaxies from MaNGA,the first data released from this survey. It includes new observations from eBOSS, completing SEQUELS. In addition to targeting galaxies and quasars, SEQUELS also targeted variability-selected objects from TDSS and X-ray selected objects from SPIDERS. DR13 includes new reductions ofthe SDSS-III BOSS data, improving the spectrophotometric calibration and redshift classification. DR13 releases new reductions of the APOGEE-1data from SDSS-III, with abundances of elements not previously included and improved stellar parameters for dwarf stars and cooler stars. For the SDSS imaging data, DR13 provides new, more robust and precise photometric calibrations. Several value-added catalogs are being released in tandem with DR13, in particular target catalogs relevant for eBOSS, TDSS, and SPIDERS, and an updated red-clump catalog for APOGEE.This paper describes the location and format of the data now publicly available, as well as providing references to the important technical papers that describe the targeting, observing, and data reduction. The SDSS website, http://www.sdss.org, provides links to the data, tutorials and examples of data access, and extensive documentation of the reduction and analysis procedures. DR13 is the first of a scheduled set that will contain new data and analyses from the planned ~6-year operations of SDSS-IV.PostprintPeer reviewe

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens