ProTSA: A Testing Process for Automotive Software Domain

This study evaluates the development of a testing process for the automotive software domain, highlighting challenges stemming from the absence of adequate processes. The research demonstrates the application of Design Science Research methodology in developing, an automotive software testing process—ProTSA, using six functional testing modules. Additionally, the study evaluates the benefits of implementing ProTSA in a specific Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) using an experimental single-case approach with industry professionals’ participation through a survey. The study concludes that combining testing techniques with effective communication and alignment is crucial for enhancing software quality. Furthermore, survey data indicates that implementing ProTSA leads to productivity gains by initiating tests early, resulting in time savings in the testing program and increased productivity for the testing team. Future work will explore implementing ProTSA in cybersecurity, over-the-air software updates, and autonomous vehicle testing processes. .

Bioremediation Potential of the Macroalga Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta) for Ammonium Removal in Elastomer Industry Wastewater

During the production of nitrile rubber, significant amounts of nitrogen in the form of ammonium are generated in the wastewater. The discharge of this high-nitrogen wastewater can lead to serious environmental issues, including eutrophication, disruption of aquatic ecosystems, and groundwater contamination. To mitigate these impacts, this research explored the bioremediation capabilities of the macroalgae Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta) for removing nitrogen from nitrile rubber production wastewater. The study employed single-phase and Michaelis-Menten decay models based on ammonium consumption, using various dilutions of wastewater to identify the optimal concentration for treatment. The physiological state of the macroalgae was monitored by measuring the photosynthetic capacity and specific growth rate during the experiments. In the presence of U. lactuca, ammonium concentrations decreased in all treatment groups, confirming that the ammonium kinetics conformed to both applied models. Our results show that U. lactuca effectively reduces ammonium concentrations, with an approximate removal rate of 0.020 µM·g−1·min−1 across different wastewater concentrations (70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%). Notably, the treatments with 70%, 80%, and 90% wastewater strength achieved about 67% reduction in ammonium, demonstrating the alga’s capacity to treat high-nitrogen wastewater. The photosynthetic performance of U. lactuca initially declined in control conditions but stabilized across all treatments, highlighting its adaptability. The kinetic analysis using the Michaelis-Menten model indicated a Vmax of 1342 μM·g−1·DMh−1, suggesting a robust capacity for ammonium uptake when fully saturated. Our study underscores the potential of Ulva lactuca as a cost-effective and efficient agent for wastewater bioremediation, particularly in settings with high nitrogen loads.

Prototyping low-cost automatic weather stations for natural disaster monitoring

Weather events put human lives at risk mostly when people might occupy areas susceptible to natural disasters.Deploying Professional Weather Stations(PWS)in vulnerable areas is key for monitoring weather with reliable measurements.However,such professional instrumentation is notably expensive while remote sensing from a number of stations is paramount.This imposes challenges on the large-scale weather station deployment for broad monitoring from large observation networks such as in Cemaden—The Brazilian National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters.In this context,in this paper,we propose a Low-Cost Automatic Weather Station(LCAWS)system developed from Commercial Off-The-Shelf(COTS)and open-source Internet of Things(IoT)technologies,which provides measurements as reliable as a reference PWS for natural disaster monitoring.When being automatic,LCAWS is a stand-alone photovoltaic system connected wirelessly to the Internet in order to provide real-time reliable end-to-end weather measurements.To achieve data reliability,we propose an intelligent sensor calibration method to correct measures.From a 30-day uninterrupted observation with sampling in minute resolution,we show that the calibrated LCAWS sensors have no statistically significant differences from the PWS measurements.As such,LCAWS has opened opportunities for reducing maintenance costs in Cemaden's observational network.

More stories on Th17 cells

为超过二十年，免疫学者一直在使用所谓的 Th1/Th2 范例解释大多数与适应免疫有关的现象。Th1/Th2 范例暗示了存在二不同，互相调整了， CD4+ T 助手子集：Th1 房间，涉及织物损坏的开车调停房间的有免疫力的回答和对细胞内部的寄生虫的战斗感染；并且调停的 Th2 房间 IgE 生产并且特别地涉及肠虫的感染的嗜曙红的发炎，过敏症和清理。设置的 T 助手，的第三个成员 IL-17-producing CD4+ T 房间，现在叫的 Th17 房间，最近被描述为做自己分内的事的一个不同的系有 Th1 或 Th2 房间的发展小径。Th17 子集被连接了到自体免疫的混乱，能在另外的煽动性的 cytokines 之中生产 IL-17， IL-17F 和 IL-21。有趣地，有，这被报导了不仅一在 Th1， Th2 和 Th17 受动器房间之中跨规定但是也在 Th17 和 T 的产生有两分规章的房间。因此， Treg 和 Th17 受动器房间以一种互相独占的方式产生，取决于他们是否面对加象 IL-6 那样的煽动性的 cytokines 的 TGF- 尾或 TGF- 尾被激活。这评论将在他们的发展和规定探讨 Th17 房间，和最近的进步的发现。

Mitomycin C in pterygium treatment

Pterygium is a benign lesion usually growing from the nasal side of the conjunctiva onto the cornea.Most cases of pterygium does not cause problem or requires specific treatment.The exact cause of pterygium is not clear yet,but some factors are pointed as causes,being the most important the long-term ultraviolet ray exposure.Pterygium surgery is usually considered when there are symptoms that do not respond to conservative treatment.Recurrence is the main complication of the surgery,and much has been done to avoid it.Mitomycin C（MMC） has been used as a fibroblast proliferation inhibitor during the surgery to reduce the chance of recurrence of the pterygium.This review describes the use of MMC as an adjunctive,the optimal dosage,the duration of administration of MMC and possible complications,when used during,after and before the surgery.Most studies suggest that increased exposure（dose or duration） of MMC is associated with a lower recurrence,but with higher risks of complications.

Burn injury induces histopathological changes and cellproliferation in liver of rats

AIM: To investigate effects of severe burn injury(BI) in rat liver through the histopathological and inflammatory markers analysis. METHODS: Forty-two male Wistar rats were distributed into two groups, control(C) and subjected to scald BI(SBI). The animals were euthanized one, four and 14 d post sham or 45% of the total body surface BI. Liver fragments were submitted to histopathological, morphoquantitative(hepatocyte area and cell density), ciclooxigenase-2(COX-2) immunoexpression, and gene expression [real-time polymerase chain reaction for tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, inducible nitric oxide synthase(i NOS) and caspase-3] methods. RESULTS: Histopathological findings showed inflammatory process in all periods investigated and hepatocyte degeneration added to increased amount of connective tissue 14 d post injury. Hepatocyte area, the density of binucleated hepatocytes and density of sinusoidal cells of SBI groups were increased when compared with control. COX-2 immunoexpression was stronger in SBI groups. No differences were found in TNF-α, i NOS and caspase-3 gene expression. CONCLUSION: BI induces histopathological changes, upregulation of COX-2 immunoexpression, and cell proliferation in liver of rats.

What have we learned about the kallikrein-kinin and renin-angiotensin systems in neurological disorders?

The kallikrein-kinin system(KKS) is an intricate endogenous pathway involved in several physiological and pathological cascades in the brain. Due to the pathological effects of kinins in blood vessels and tissues, their formation and degradation are tightly controlled. Their components have been related to several central nervous system diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and others. Bradykinin and its receptors(B1R and B2R) may have a role in the pathophysiology of certain central nervous system diseases. It has been suggested that kinin B1R is up-regulated in pathological conditions and has a neurodegenerative pattern, while kinin B2R is constitutive and can act as a neuroprotective factor in many neurological conditions. The renin angiotensin system(RAS) is an important blood pressure regulator and controls both sodium and water intake. AngⅡ is a potent vasoconstrictor molecule and angiotensin converting enzyme is the major enzyme responsible for its release. AngⅡ acts mainly on the AT1 receptor, with involvement in several systemic and neurological disorders. Brain RAS has been associated with physiological pathways, but is also associated with brain disorders. This review describes topics relating to the involvement of both systems in several forms of brain dysfunction and indicates components of the KKS and RAS that have been used as targets in several pharmacological approaches.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries and a proposal for neuromuscular training to prevent lower limb injuries in Brazilian Army soldiers:an observational study

Background: The activities carried out by soldiers in the army involve great physical demands and require intense trainings to perform combat-specific tasks. Musculoskeletal injury is a potential threat to the health and physical integrity of the soldier. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of lower limb musculoskeletal injuries among soldiers and to propose a training protocol to prevent the most frequent injuries.Methods: This observational(cross-sectional) study recruited a sample of 103 soldiers who required medical attention,from a total 202 new battalion soldiers. The medical records(paper and online) had a form of running text. All data collected were recorded by the registered physicians of the battalion medical post. The records were analyzed by the following variables: medical diagnosis, injury site, mechanism, type of treatment, time loss, existence of previous injury,and recurring injury.Results: A total of 112 musculoskeletal injuries were diagnosed in 71 soldiers, and other types of diseases/injuries were diagnosed in the other soldiers. Joint pain accounted for 55.4% of the diagnoses. The knee was the most affected site, while trauma and overload were the most common mechanisms of injury. Drug treatment was used most frequently, accounting for 58% of the cases. The majority of the sample obtained a temporary leave of absence for1 to 6 days or not at all. Previous injuries and recurrence were not presented as risk factors for injury. With the data received, a protocol for the prevention of injuries to the lower limbs was proposed.Conclusions: This study indicated that the most frequent site of injury is the knee, and joint pain is the most common diagnosis. These results may support the necessity to develop a neuromuscular training protocol to prevent lower limb injuries, which we suggest to be applied in future studies.

Communicating with the non-dominant hemisphere:Implications for neurological rehabilitation

Aphasic syndromes usually result from injuries to the dominant hemisphere of the brain. Despite the fact that localization of language functions shows little interindividual variability, several brain areas are simultaneously activated when language tasks are undertaken. Mechanisms of language recovery after brain injury to the dominant hemisphere seem to be relatively stereotyped, including activations of perilesional areas in the acute phase and of homologues of language areas in the non-dominant hemisphere in the subacute phase, later returning to dominant hemisphere activation in the chronic phase. Plasticity mechanisms reopen the critical period of language development, more specifically in what leads to disinhibition of the non-dominant hemisphere when brain lesions affect the dominant hemisphere. The non-dominant hemisphere plays an important role during recovery from aphasia, but currently available rehabilitation therapies have shown limited results for efficient language improvement. Large-scale randomized controlled trials that evaluate well-defined interventions in patients with aphasia are needed for stimulation of neuroplasticity mechanisms that enhance the role of the non-dominant hemisphere for language recovery. Ineffective treatment approaches should be replaced by more promising ones and the latter should be evaluated for proper application. The data generated by such studies could substantiate evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for patients with aphasia.

Is there a place for serum laminin determination in patients with liver disease and cancer?

Laminin is a glycoprotein which has an important role in the mechanism of fibrogenesis and is,thus,related to hepatic fibrosis in addition to presenting increased levels in several types of neoplasias. However,its determination is not routinely considered in the study of hepatic fibrosis. In this review,the authors critically comment on the role of this glycoprotein compared to other markers of fibrosis through non-invasive procedures(Fibroscan). They also consider its clinical investigational potential and believe that the continuation of these investigations might contribute to a better understanding of the fibrogenic mechanism,which could in turn either lead to the identification of patients at risk of developing fibrosis non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH) or at least be used as an indicator for hepatic biopsy in such patients. Finally,the authors believe that serum laminin determination might contribute to the diagnosis of epithelial tumor metastasis and peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Expression of Messenger RNA of Oncoproteins E6 and E7 of Human Papilomavirus in Women with Negative Oncotic Cytologies, Epithelial Squamous Atypias of Undefined Significance and Low-Grade Intraepithelial Lesions

Objectives: To verify the prevalence of E6/E7 RNAm expression of HPV in patients with negative cervicovaginal cytology, ASC-US and LSIL;to correlate with negative anatomopathological exams and/or squamous intraepithelial neoplasy grade I (SIN 1) of the lower genital tract (LGT);to relate the RNAm expression with viral infection types;to assess the genotyping in single infections. Methods: Findings from 825 women submitted to E6/E7 RNAm survey and 422 women submitted to LGT biopsies were analyzed. Results: A larger percentage of E6/E7 in ASC-US and LSIL cytologies occurred. Negative results of RNAm expression were in accordance with negative cytologies and negative anatomopathological exam. In positive cases, the infection by a single HPV type was most prevalent, with the type 16 being the most common. Conclusions: the expression of mRNA was most prevalent in ASC-US and LSIL cytologies, comparing with the negative ones. The findings of SIN 1 biopsies were related to the positive expression of mRNA and negative cytologies;the negative expression was in agreement with negative anatomopathological exam. The infection by a HPV type was more frequent in cases of positive expression, the HPV type 16 being most frequently found. Patients with low grade intraepithelial lesion cytologies had a higher percentage of multiple infections.

Renin Angiotensin System Components and Cancer: Reports of Association

Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) is involved with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. However, the association of RAS components to cancer still causes suspicion. To try to clarify this, here we aimed to show this association for three important components: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 1 (ACE1), Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor (AGTR1) and Angiotensin Type 2 Receptor (AGTR2). The first articles show that association of RAS components with cancer dates back to the 70’s. ECA1 and AGTR1 have close association with cancer and ACE1 inhibitors or AGTR1 blockers are candidates to treatment of some tumors. Moreover, the action of AGTR2 is still controversial, but most studies show that the increased expression of AGTR2 can attack the cancer cells. In breast cancer, these components have also been widely studied and many works have shown that the correlation exists. Therefore specific target using these RAS components could be a beneficial, novel therapy to various tumors.

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori vacA,cagA,dupA and oipA Genotypes in Patients with Gastric Disease

Gastric diseases such as chronic gastritis and gastric cancer are most commonly caused by virulence factors of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), such as the vacA, cagA, dupA and oipA genes. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence and the combination of these virulence factors from patients with gastric diseases. The endoscopic biopsies were obtained from 516 patients with gastric symptoms, 101 of which were from patients with normal gastric tissue, 365 of which were from patients with chronic gastritis, and 50 of which were from patients with gastric cancer. H. pylori and the virulence factors were detected by PCR. The oipA gene exhibited an increased risk for chronic gastritis (p = 0.0296), and the vacA gene demonstrated a risk for gastric cancer from chronic gastritis (p = 0.0002). Based on the combination of the virulence factors, cagA, vacA, dupA and oipA genes exhibited a high prevalence in patients with chronic gastritis and gastric cancer. The cagA+/dupA+ genotype demonstrated a significant correlation in patients with normal gastric mucosa (p = 0.0278). In the chronic gastritis group, a significant association was observed between the cagA+ and the vacA s1m1 genotypes (p cagA+/dupA+ genotypes (p = 0.0183), the dupA+/oipA+ genotypes (p cagA, vacA, dupA, and oipA genes, which contributed to the risk of developing gastroduodenal diseases. Furthermore, this is the first study to reveal a high prevalence of the oipA gene in H. pylori isolates in Brazil.

Susceptibility to Fluconazole and Ketoconazole of Candida spp. Isolated from Primary and Episodic Vulvovaginites by E-Test (São Paulo, SP, Brazil)

Purpose: To evaluate the profile of in vitro susceptibility of yeasts isolated from cases of primary and espisodic vulvovaginitis to two antifungal agents. Methods: 40 Candida isolates from episodes of vulvovaginal candidiasis were identified by classic methodologies. The susceptibility testing of the in vitro fluconazole and ketoconazole activity against the isolates was accessed by E-test. Results: C. albicans was the most common species identified in 70% of the occurrences followed by C. glabrata (20%), C. tropicalis (7.5%), and C. guilliermondii (2.5%). In the susceptibility profile to antifungal agents, 12.5% and 16.7% of the isolates obtained from primary and episodic vulvovaginal candidiasis were resistant to fluconazole, respectively. To ketoconazole, we found that 6.25% and 12.5% of the isolates respectively from primary vulvovaginal candidiasis (PVVC) and episodic vulvovaginal candidiasis (EVVC) had high MIC values. Conclusions: E-test is a reliable method for the susceptibility testing of Candida spp. due to its simplicity, reproducibility, and lack of specialized equipment. Resistant strains and non-albicans species were verified more in cases of EVVC than in PVVC. Clinical and mycological cure of patients with episodic vulvovaginal candidiasis or complicated cases occurred after prolonged treatment and sometimes with multiple antifungals use.

Lactobacillus bulgaricus inhibits colitis-associated cancer via a negative regulation of intestinal inflammation in azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate model

BACKGROUND Colitis-associated cancer(CAC)accounts for 2%-3%of colorectal cancer(CRC)cases preceded by inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD)such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.Intestinal microbiota has been reported to play a central role in the pathogenesis of IBD and CAC.Recently,numerous prebiotics and probiotics have being investigated as antitumor agents due to their capacity to modulate inflammatory responses.Previous studies have indicated that lactic acid bacteria could be successfully used in managing sporadic CRC,however little is known about their role in CAC.AIM To investigate the effect of the probiotic Lactobacillus bulgaricus(L.bulgaricus)during the development of an experimental model of colitis associated colon cancer(CAC).METHODS C57BL/6 mice received an intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane(10 mg/kg),followed by three cycles of sodium dextran sulphate diluted in water(5%w/v).Probiotic group received daily L.bulgaricus.Intestinal inflammation was determined by scoring clinical signs.Cytokines levels were determined from colon and/or tumor samples by ELISA BD OptEIATM kits.The level of significance was set at P<0.05.Graphs were generated and statistical analysis performed using the software GraphPad Prism 6.0.RESULTS L.bulgaricus treatment inhibited of total tumor volume and mean size of tumors.In addition,the probiotic also attenuated the clinical signs of intestinal inflammation inducing a decrease in intestinal and tumor levels of IL-6,TNF-α,IL-17,IL-23 and IL-1β.CONCLUSION Our results suggest a potential chemopreventive effect of probiotic on CAC.L.bulgaricus regulates the inflammatory response and preventing CAC.

Nutrition and exercise can attenuate inflammatory and psychobiological changes in hypoxia?

Exposure to hypoxia causes damage in several physiological systems, whose tissues are dependent on the O2 supply. Recently, there has been growing attention on the immunosuppressive and inflammatory potential of the hypoxia, including stimulation, nuclear factor kappa B pathway in macrophages and Th2 response from lymphocytes. These changes may result in transient immunosuppression and happen at the same time to worsening of cognition and other psychobiological aspects. Furthermore, exercise and nutrition, especially glutamine supplementation may provide important role, not pharmacological partially reversing the effects of hypoxia. In fact, recent studies show that moderate exercise can improve cognition in people exposed to hypoxia while the exercise associated with glutamine supplementation can reverse the increase in inflammatory markers and the Th1/Th2 balance. This review aims to bring the light of the discussion about nonpharmacological ways to prevent the effects of hypoxia on the connection between the immune system and the central nervous system.

Impact of Radical Prostatectomy on Urinary Incontinence, Erectile Dysfunction and General Quality of Life

The aims of this study were to evaluate the impact of radical retropubic prostatectomy on patient’s quality of life. Patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy were followed for six months after surgery. We used quality of life questionnaires to study specific urinary symptoms and general health. WHOQOL-Bref (World Health Organization for Quality of Life) questionnaire was used to evaluate general health aspects, ICIQ-SF (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form), OABq (Overactive Bladder) and IPSS (International Prostatic Symptom Score) to evaluate incontinence and overactive bladder symptoms and Male Sexual Quotient to assess postoperative sexual dysfunctions. The questionnaires were scheduled before surgery, one, three and six months after surgery. Regarding the OAB-q scores, I-PSS and WHOQOL-Bref (physical, psychological, environmental, general, Question 1 and Question 2), symptoms worsened after one month if compared to preoperative symptoms. After six months, the WHOQOL’s social domain, the ICIQ-SF and QS-M scores remained worse if compared to preoperative evaluation. The incidence of sexual dysfunctions after six months was 0.83. In conclusion, urinary incontinence affects patient’s quality of life with gradual recovery after six months postoperatively. The social domain was the most common aspect affected by urinary incontinence. Our sexual dysfunction incidence was higher than other studies and this fact could be explained by many surgeries having been done by residents.

Formal Auditory Training with Individuals after Traumatic Brain Injury

Purpose: Establishing the effects of a formal auditory training program on individuals, after a traumatic brain injury by means of behavioral and electrophysiological tests. Study Design: Longitudinal study. Setting: Study conducted at the electrophysiology clinic of the Federal University of S&#227;o Paulo. Patients: Nine individuals with normal hearing, 20 to 37 years old, who were exposed to severe traumatic brain injury (score of 3 - 8 on the Glasgow Coma Scale upon hospital admission), 6 - 24 months earlier (11 months on average) and had imaging tests showing diffuse axonal injury with or without associated focal lesion. Intervention(s): subjected to a formal auditory training program in an acoustic booth involving eight 45-minute sessions aiming at training the auditory temporal order judgment (frequency and duration of sounds), auditory closure, and figure-ground separation skills for verbal and nonverbal sounds in monotic and dichotic listening tasks. The sessions and activities, in each session, were organized in increasing order of complexity to challenge the auditory system. In order to establish the efficacy of the auditory training, all participants were subjected to behavioral and electrophysiological assessments of the auditory processing, before and after the formal auditory training. Results: On the electrophysiological assessment, the absolute latencies of waves III and V, and of interpeak interval I-V decreased after the auditory training. However, the P300 did not exhibit a significant difference in either the latency or the amplitude parameters. Regarding the behavioral assessment of the auditory processing, it was verified that adequacy of the auditory figure-ground skills for verbal sounds, and the temporal order judging skills. Conclusions: individuals with diffuse axonal injury following a severe traumatic brain injury exhibited an improvement of central auditory processing after formal auditory training, as manifested on electrophysiological and behavioral assessments.

Fluorescence of Chlorophyll a for Discovering Inhibitors of Photosynthesis in Plant Extracts

Aims: Twelve crude extracts were prepared from different parts of Pluchea sagittalis, Cecropia palmata and Brachiaria brizantha, and their effect on the light reaction of photosynthesis. Study Design: Use of fluorescence of ChL a (Chlorophyll a) to detect inhibitors of photosynthesis in plant extracts. Place and Duration of Study: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da Terra, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), between July 2015 and January 2016. Methodology: The samples had their effect on the light reaction of photosynthesis studied by Chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence transient by the use of chloroplasts isolated from spinach leaves. As negative controls we used the same amounts of DMSO that have been employed to solubilize the samples, and as positive control we have used 10 μM of the commercial herbicide DCMU (Diuron). Results: The extracts inhibited the photosynthesis, and their inhibition sites were located in the range of electron flow from OEC complex and between P680 to QA of PS II, and inhibited the photosystem II (PS II) by inducing the appearance of the transient bands K and J. Conclusion: Our results suggest an indicative that the photochemical apparatus probably is failing at the donor and acceptor sides of PSII, causing damage to electron transport during the photosynthesis phenomenon.