CONTROLAB MUFA: a multi-level fusion architecture for intelligent navigation of a telerobot

This paper proposes a MUlti-level Fusion Architecture (MUFA) for controlling the navigation of a tele-commanded Autonomous Guided Vehicle (AGV). The architecture combines ideas derived from the fundamental concepts of sensor fusion and distributed intelligence. The focus of the work is the development of an intelligent navigation system for a tricycle drive AGV with the ability to move autonomously within any office enviromnent, following instructions issued by client stations connected to the office network and reacting accordingly to different situations found in the real world. The modules which integrate the MUFA architecture are discussed and results of some simulation experiments are presented

Effect of chitosan and Aloe Vera extract concentrations on the physicochemical properties of chitosan biofilms

Chitosan films have been extensively studied as dressings in formulations for the treatment of chronic wounds. The incorporation of aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) into chitosan dressings could potentialize the healing process since aloe vera shows several pharmacological activities. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of aloe vera and chitosan concentrations on the physicochemical properties of the developed films. The films were obtained by casting technique and characterized with respect to their color parameters, morphology, barrier and mechanical properties, and thermal analysis. Results showed that the presence of aloe vera modified the films color parameters, changed barrier properties, increased fluid handling capacity (FHC), and decreased water-vapor permeability (WVP). The reduced elongation at break resulted in more rigid films. Aloe vera concentration did not significantly change film properties, but the presence of this gel increased the films stability at temperatures below 200 °C, showing similar behavior as chitosan films above 400 °C. The results suggest a crosslinking/complexation between chitosan and aloe vera, which combine appropriate physicochemical properties for application as wound dressing materials.This work was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (2010/17.721-4), Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) through the projects M-ERA-NET/0004/2015 (PAIRED) and UIDB/04469/2020 (strategic fund) funded by national funds, and co-financed Education (FCT/MEC) from national funds and FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT202info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nanopharmaceuticals for eye administration: sterilization, depyrogenation and clinical applications

As an immune-privileged target organ, the eyes have important superficial and internal barriers, protecting them from physical and chemical damage from exogenous and/or endogenous origins that would cause injury to visual acuity or even vision loss. These anatomic, physiological and histologic barriers are thus a challenge for drug access and entry into the eye. Novel therapeutic concepts are highly desirable for eye treatment. The design of an efficient ocular drug delivery system still remains a challenge. Although nanotechnology may offer the ability to detect and treat eye diseases, successful treatment approaches are still in demand. The growing interest in nanopharmaceuticals offers the opportunity to improve ophthalmic treatments. Besides their size, which needs to be critically monitored, nanopharmaceuticals for ophthalmic applications have to be produced under sterilized conditions. In this work, we have revised the different sterilization and depyrogenation methods for ophthalmic nanopharmaceuticals with their merits and drawbacks. The paper also describes clinical sterilization of drugs and the outcomes of inappropriate practices, while recent applications of nanopharmaceuticals for ocular drug delivery are also addressed.The authors acknowledge the sponsorship received from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation, Ministry of Science and Education (FCT/MEC) through national funds, co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 for the project UIDB/04469/2020 (strategic fund) granted to EBS, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil, for the project 425271/2016-1 granted to M.V.C., and the Coordenação Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) and Fundação de Ámparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Sergipe (FAPITEC) (88887.159533/2017-00), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq301964/2019-0 Chamada 06/2019, and Chamada CNPq nº 01/2019), granted to P.S.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cachexia: pathophysiology and ghrelin liposomes for nose-to-brain delivery

Cachexia, a severe multifactorial condition that is underestimated and unrecognized in patients, is characterized by continuous muscle mass loss that leads to progressive functional impairment, while nutritional support cannot completely reverse this clinical condition. There is a strong need for more effective and targeted therapies for cachexia patients. There is a need for drugs that act on cachexia as a distinct and treatable condition to prevent or reverse excess catabolism and inflammation. Due to ghrelin properties, it has been studied in the cachexia and other treatments in a growing number of works. However, in the body, exogenous ghrelin is subject to very rapid degradation. In this context, the intranasal release of ghrelin-loaded liposomes to cross the blood-brain barrier and the release of the drug into the central nervous system may be a promising alternative to improve its bioavailability. The administration of nose-to-brain liposomes for the management of cachexia was addressed only in a limited number of published works. This review focuses on the discussion of the pathophysiology of cachexia, synthesis and physiological effects of ghrelin and the potential treatment of the diseased using ghrelin-loaded liposomes through the nose-to-brain route.Funded by PROSUP/Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES), University of Sorocaba (UNISO), São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP/2014/50928-2), Brazil, granted to MVC, and by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT/MCT) and from European Funds (PRODER/COMPETE), co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 granted to EBS (UIDB/04469/2020 (strategic fund)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Xylella fastidiosa gene expression analysis by DNA microarrays

Xylella fastidiosa genome sequencing has generated valuable data by identifying genes acting either on metabolic pathways or in associated pathogenicity and virulence. Based on available information on these genes, new strategies for studying their expression patterns, such as microarray technology, were employed. A total of 2,600 primer pairs were synthesized and then used to generate fragments using the PCR technique. The arrays were hybridized against cDNAs labeled during reverse transcription reactions and which were obtained from bacteria grown under two different conditions (liquid XDM2 and liquid BCYE). All data were statistically analyzed to verify which genes were differentially expressed. In addition to exploring conditions for X. fastidiosa genome-wide transcriptome analysis, the present work observed the differential expression of several classes of genes (energy, protein, amino acid and nucleotide metabolism, transport, degradation of substances, toxins and hypothetical proteins, among others). The understanding of expressed genes in these two different media will be useful in comprehending the metabolic characteristics of X. fastidiosa, and in evaluating how important certain genes are for the functioning and survival of these bacteria in plants

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Consistent patterns of common species across tropical tree communities

Trees structure the Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical forests. The vast number of tree species presents a formidable challenge to understanding these forests, including their response to environmental change, as very little is known about most tropical tree species. A focus on the common species may circumvent this challenge. Here we investigate abundance patterns of common tree species using inventory data on 1,003,805 trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm across 1,568 locations1,2,3,4,5,6 in closed-canopy, structurally intact old-growth tropical forests in Africa, Amazonia and Southeast Asia. We estimate that 2.2%, 2.2% and 2.3% of species comprise 50% of the tropical trees in these regions, respectively. Extrapolating across all closed-canopy tropical forests, we estimate that just 1,053 species comprise half of Earth’s 800 billion tropical trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm. Despite differing biogeographic, climatic and anthropogenic histories7, we find notably consistent patterns of common species and species abundance distributions across the continents. This suggests that fundamental mechanisms of tree community assembly may apply to all tropical forests. Resampling analyses show that the most common species are likely to belong to a manageable list of known species, enabling targeted efforts to understand their ecology. Although they do not detract from the importance of rare species, our results open new opportunities to understand the world’s most diverse forests, including modelling their response to environmental change, by focusing on the common species that constitute the majority of their trees.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate