Changes in Climate and Land Use Over the Amazon Region: Current and Future Variability and Trends

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers media via the DOI in this recordThis paper shows recent progress in our understanding of climate variability and trends in the Amazon region, and how these interact with land use change. The review includes an overview of up-to-date information on climate and hydrological variability, and on warming trends in Amazonia, which reached 0.6–0.7°C over the last 40 years, with 2016 as the warmest year since at least 1950 (0.9°C + 0.3°C). We focus on local and remote drivers of climate variability and change. We review the impacts of these drivers on the length of dry season, the role of the forest in climate and carbon cycles, the resilience of the forest, the risk of fires and biomass burning, and the potential “die back” of the Amazon forests if surpassing a “tipping point”. The role of the Amazon in moisture recycling and transport is also investigated, and a review of model development for climate change projections in the region is included. In sum, future sustainability of the Amazonian forests and its many services requires management strategies that consider the likelihood of multi-year droughts superimposed on a continued warming trend. Science has assembled enough knowledge to underline the global and regional importance of an intact Amazon region that can support policymaking and to keep this sensitive ecosystem functioning. This major challenge requires substantial resources and strategic cross-national planning, and a unique blend of expertise and capacities established in Amazon countries and from international collaboration. This also highlights the role of deforestation control in support of policy for mitigation options as established in the Paris Agreement of 2015.National Institute of Science and Technology for Climate ChangeFAPESPNational Coordination for High Level Education and Training (CAPES)Deutsche ForschungsgemeinschafNewton Fun

Os efeitos do cigarro e do consumo de café sobre a formação óssea e a integração óssea de implantes de hidroxiapatita

The present study aims to assess the effects of cigarette smoke inhalation and/or coffee consumption on bone formation and osseous integration of a dense hydroxyapatite (DHA) implant in rats. For this study, 20 male rats were divided into four groups (n = 5): CT (control) group, CE (coffee) group, CI (cigarette) group and CC (coffee + cigarette) group. During 16 weeks, animals in the CI group were exposed to cigarette smoke inhalation equivalent to 6 cigarettes per day; specimens in the CE group drank coffee as liquid diet; and rats in the CC group were submitted to both substances. In the 6th week a 5 mm slit in the parietal bone and a 4 mm slit in the tibia were performed on the left side: the former was left open while the latter received a DHA implant. As soon as surgeries were finished, the animals returned to their original protocols and after 10 weeks of exposure they were euthanised (ethically sacrificed) and the mentioned bones collected for histological processing. Data showed that exposure to cigarette smoke inhalation and coffee consumption did not interfere in weight gain and that solid and liquid diet consumption was satisfactory. Rats in the CC group showed a decrease in bone neoformation around the tibial DHA implant (31.8 ± 2.8) as well as in bone formation in the parietal slit (28.6 ± 2.2). On their own, cigarette smoke inhalation or coffee consumption also led to diminished bone neoformation around the implant and delayed the bone repair process in relation to the CT group. However, reduction in the bone repair process was accentuated with exposure to both cigarette smoke inhalation and coffee consumption in this study.O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos do tabagismo e do consumo de café, isolada ou concomitantemente, sobre a formação óssea e a osseointegração de implantes hidroxiapatita densa. Foram utilizados 20 ratos machos, divididos em quatro grupos (n = 5): grupo CT (controle); grupo CA (café); grupo CI (cigarro), e grupo CC (cigarro + café). Durante 16 semanas, os animais do grupo CI foram expostos à fumaça de seis cigarros/dia; os animais do grupo CA consumiram café como dieta líquida, e os animais do grupo CC, ambas as substâncias. Após seis semanas de exposição, uma falha óssea de 5 mm foi produzida no osso parietal esquerdo e de 4 mm, na tíbia esquerda dos animais. A falha do parietal foi mantida aberta, enquanto na tíbia corpos cerâmicos de hidroxiapatita densa (HAD) foram implantados em cavidade produzida cirurgicamente. Após as cirurgias, os animais retornaram aos protocolos experimentais e, ao término de dez semanas, foram eutanasiados, sendo as tíbias e os parietais coletados para processamento histológico. A exposição à fumaça do cigarro e o consumo de café não interferiram no ganho de peso dos animais, e os consumos de dieta líquida e sólida foram satisfatórios entre os grupos. Os animais do grupo CC apresentaram menor volume de osso neoformado ao redor do implante de HAD na tíbia (31,8 ± 2,8) e menor osteogênese na falha produzida no osso parietal (28,6 ± 2,2). O café e o cigarro consumidos isoladamente provocam a diminuição do volume de osso ao redor do implante e o atraso no processo de reparação óssea. Observou-se que o consumo de café associado à exposição à fumaça do cigarro reduziu de forma acentuada o processo de reparação óssea, no presente estudo.17317

Three- dimensional assessment of craniofacial asymmetry in children with transverse maxillary deficiency after rapid maxillary expansion: A prospective study

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate craniofacial asymmetry in children with transverse maxillary deficiency, with or without functional unilateral posterior crossbite (UPC), before and after rapid maxillary expansion (RME).Setting and sample populationA sample of 51 children with cone beam computed tomography scans obtained before RME (T1) and a year after RME (T2).Material and methodsThis prospective study consisted of 2 groups: 25 children with functional UPC (6.77 ± 1.5 years) and 26 children without UPC (7.41 ± 1.31 years). Linear and angular measurements were obtained from zygomatic, maxilla, glenoid fossa and mandible, using original and mirrored 3D overlapped models. All right and left side comparisons in both groups and intergroups asymmetries were compared using MANOVA and t test for independent samples, respectively, statistically significant at P < .05.ResultsThe UPC group showed no side differences, but mandibular horizontal rotation at T1, and this asymmetry was improved in T2. The non- UPC group showed at baseline significant lateral asymmetry in orbitale, position of palatine foramen, respectively, in average 2.95 mm and 1.16 mm, and 0.49 mm of average asymmetry in condylar height. The glenoid fossa was symmetric in both groups at T1 and T2.ConclusionsChildren with transverse maxillary deficiency showed slight morphological asymmetry, located in the mandible position in cases of UPC, and in the orbital and maxillary regions in cases without UPC. One year after RME, patients improved their craniofacial asymmetry, with significant changes in the mandible and correction of the mandibular rotation in patients who presented UPC.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156195/2/ocr12370_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156195/1/ocr12370.pd

Could Work Be a Source of Behavioural Disorders? A Study in Horses

Stress at work, as shown by a number of human studies, may lead to a variety of negative and durable effects, such as impaired psychological functioning (anxiety, depression…). Horses share with humans this characteristic of working on a daily basis and are submitted then to work stressors related to physical constraints and/or more “psychological” conflicts, such as potential controversial orders from the riders or the requirement to suppress emotions. On another hand, horses may perform abnormal repetitive behaviour (“stereotypies”) in response to adverse life conditions. In the present study, we investigated whether the type of work the horses are used for may have an impact on their tendency to show stereotypic behaviour (and its type) outside work. Observations in their box of 76 horses all living in the same conditions, belonging to one breed and one sex, revealed that the prevalence and types of stereotypies performed strongly depended upon the type of work they were used for. The stereotypies observed involved mostly mouth movements and head tossing/nodding. Work constraints probably added to unfavourable living conditions, favouring the emergence of chronic abnormal behaviours. This is especially remarkable as the 23 hours spent in the box were influenced by the one hour work performed every day. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of potential effects of work stressors on the emergence of abnormal behaviours in an animal species. It raises an important line of thought on the chronic impact of the work situation on the daily life of individuals

The association between stress and mood across the adult lifespan on default mode network

Aging of brain structure and function is a complex process characterized by high inter- and intra-individual variability. Such variability may arise from the interaction of multiple factors, including exposure to stressful experience and mood variation, across the lifespan. Using a multimodal neuroimaging and neurocognitive approach, we investigated the association of stress, mood and their interaction, in the structure and function of the default mode network (DMN), both during rest and task-induced deactivation, throughout the adult lifespan. Data confirmed a decreased functional connectivity (FC) and task-induced deactivation of the DMN during the aging process and in subjects with lower mood; on the contrary, an increased FC was observed in subjects with higher perceived stress. Surprisingly, the association of aging with DMN was altered by stress and mood in specific regions. An increased difficulty to deactivate the DMN was noted in older participants with lower mood, contrasting with an increased deactivation in individuals presenting high stress, independently of their mood levels, with aging. Interestingly, this constant interaction across aging was globally most significant in the combination of high stress levels with a more depressed mood state, both during resting state and task-induced deactivations. The present results contribute to characterize the spectrum of FC and deactivation patterns of the DMN, highlighting the crucial association of stress and mood levels, during the adult aging process. These combinatorial approaches may help to understand the heterogeneity of the aging process in brain structure and function and several states that may lead to neuropsychiatric disorders.The work was supported by SwitchBox-FP7-HEALTH-2010-Grant 259772-2 and by ON.2, O NOVO NORTE, North Portugal Regional Operational Programme 2007/2013, of the National strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) 2007/2013, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A comparison of two methods for expert elicitation in health technology assessments.

BACKGROUND: When data needed to inform parameters in decision models are lacking, formal elicitation of expert judgement can be used to characterise parameter uncertainty. Although numerous methods for eliciting expert opinion as probability distributions exist, there is little research to suggest whether one method is more useful than any other method. This study had three objectives: (i) to obtain subjective probability distributions characterising parameter uncertainty in the context of a health technology assessment; (ii) to compare two elicitation methods by eliciting the same parameters in different ways; (iii) to collect subjective preferences of the experts for the different elicitation methods used. METHODS: Twenty-seven clinical experts were invited to participate in an elicitation exercise to inform a published model-based cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative treatments for prostate cancer. Participants were individually asked to express their judgements as probability distributions using two different methods - the histogram and hybrid elicitation methods - presented in a random order. Individual distributions were mathematically aggregated across experts with and without weighting. The resulting combined distributions were used in the probabilistic analysis of the decision model and mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and the expected values of perfect information (EVPI) were calculated for each method, and compared with the original cost-effectiveness analysis. Scores on the ease of use of the two methods and the extent to which the probability distributions obtained from each method accurately reflected the expert's opinion were also recorded. RESULTS: Six experts completed the task. Mean ICERs from the probabilistic analysis ranged between £162,600-£175,500 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) depending on the elicitation and weighting methods used. Compared to having no information, use of expert opinion decreased decision uncertainty: the EVPI value at the £30,000 per QALY threshold decreased by 74-86 % from the original cost-effectiveness analysis. Experts indicated that the histogram method was easier to use, but attributed a perception of more accuracy to the hybrid method. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusion of expert elicitation can decrease decision uncertainty. Here, choice of method did not affect the overall cost-effectiveness conclusions, but researchers intending to use expert elicitation need to be aware of the impact different methods could have.This paper presents independent research funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for the South West Peninsula

Understanding the adoption of business analytics and intelligence

Cruz-Jesus, F., Oliveira, T., & Naranjo, M. (2018). Understanding the adoption of business analytics and intelligence. In Á. Rocha, H. Adeli, L. P. Reis, & S. Costanzo (Eds.), Trends and Advances in Information Systems and Technologies, pp. 1094-1103. (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing; Vol. 745). Springer Verlag. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-77703-0_106Our work addresses the factors that influence the adoption of business analytics and intelligence (BAI) among firms. Grounded on some of the most prominent adoption models for technological innovations, we developed a conceptual model especially suited for BAI. Based on this we propose an instrument in which relevant hypotheses will be derived and tested by means of statistical analysis. We hope that the findings derived from our analysis may offer important insights for practitioners and researchers regarding the drivers that lead to BAI adoption in firms. Although other studies have already focused on the adoption of technological innovations by firms, research on BAI is scarce, hence the relevancy of our research.authorsversionpublishe

Fluorescence studies on new potential antitumoral benzothienopyran-1-ones in solution and in liposomes

Fluorescence properties of four new potential antitumoral compounds, 3-arylbenzothieno[2,3-c]pyran-1-ones, were studied in solution and in lipid membranes of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (Egg-PC) and dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB). The 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzothieno[2,3-c]pyran-1-one (1c) exhibits the higher fluorescence quantum yields in all solvents studied. All compounds present a solvent sensitive emission, with significant red shifts in polar solvents for the methoxylated compounds. The results point to an ICT character of the excited state, more pronounced for compound 1c. Fluorescence (steady-state) anisotropy measurements of the compounds incorporated in liposomes of DPPC, DODAB and Egg-PC indicate that all compounds have two different locations, one due to a deep penetration in the lipid membrane and another corresponding to a more hydrated environment. In general, the methoxylated compounds prefer hydrated environments inside the liposomes. The 3-(4- fluorophenyl)benzothieno[2,3-c]pyran-1-one (1a) clearly prefers a hydrated environment, with some molecules located at the outer part of the liposome interface. On the contrary, the preferential location of 3-(2-fluorophenyl)benzothieno[2,3-c]pyran-1-one (1b) is in the region of lipid hydrophobic tails. Compounds with a planar geometry (1a and 1c) have higher mobility in the lipid membranes when phase transition occurs.Portugal and FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional), for financial support through Centro de Física (CFUM) and Centro de Química (CQ-UM) of University of Minho and through the Project PTDC/QUI/81238/2006. M.S.D. Carvalho and R.C. Calhelha acknowledge FCT for their PhD grants SFRH/BD/47052/2008 and SFRH/BD/29274/2006, respectively.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT