National Nuclear Energy Commission

Abstract Tropical carbon emissions are largely derived from direct forest clearing processes. Yet, emissions from drought-induced forest fires are, usually, not included in national-level carbon emission inventories. Here we examine Brazilian Amazon drought impacts on fire incidence and associated forest fire carbon emissions over the period 2003–2015. We show that despite a 76% decline in deforestation rates over the past 13 years, fire incidence increased by 36% during the 2015 drought compared to the preceding 12 years. The 2015 drought had the largest ever ratio of active fire counts to deforestation, with active fires occurring over an area of 799,293 km 2 . Gross emissions from forest fires (989 ± 504 Tg CO 2 year −1 ) alone are more than half as great as those from old-growth forest deforestation during drought years. We conclude that carbon emission inventories intended for accounting and developing policies need to take account of substantial forest fire emissions not associated to the deforestation process.

Abstract Here, 10 guidelines are presented for a standardized definition of type I and type II photosensitized oxidation reactions. Because of varied notions of reactions mediated by photosensitizers, a checklist of recommendations is provided for their definitions. Type I and type II photoreactions are oxygen‐dependent and involve unstable species such as the initial formation of radical cation or neutral radicals from the substrates and/or singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 1 ∆ g ) by energy transfer to molecular oxygen. In addition, superoxide anion radical ( ) can be generated by a charge‐transfer reaction involving O 2 or more likely indirectly as the result of O 2 ‐mediated oxidation of the radical anion of type I photosensitizers. In subsequent reactions, may add and/or reduce a few highly oxidizing radicals that arise from the deprotonation of the radical cations of key biological targets. can also undergo dismutation into H 2 O 2 , the precursor of the highly reactive hydroxyl radical ( ) that may induce delayed oxidation reactions in cells. In the second part, several examples of type I and type II photosensitized oxidation reactions are provided to illustrate the complexity and the diversity of the degradation pathways of mostly relevant biomolecules upon one‐electron oxidation and singlet oxygen reactions.

The economic viability of low temperature fuel cells as clean energy devices is enhanced by the development of inexpensive oxygen reduction reaction catalysts. Heat treated iron and nitrogen containing carbon based materials (Fe-N/C) have shown potential to replace expensive precious metals. Although significant improvements have recently been made, their activity and durability is still unsatisfactory. The further development and a rational design of these materials has stalled due to the lack of an in situ methodology to easily probe and quantify the active site. Here we demonstrate a protocol that allows the quantification of active centres, which operate under acidic conditions, by means of nitrite adsorption followed by reductive stripping, and show direct correlation to the catalytic activity. The method is demonstrated for two differently prepared materials. This approach may allow researchers to easily assess the active site density and turnover frequency of Fe-N/C catalysts.

Opportunistic fungal pathogens may cause superficial or serious invasive infections, especially in immunocompromised and debilitated patients. Invasive mycoses represent an exponentially growing threat for human health due to a combination of slow diagnosis and the existence of relatively few classes of available and effective antifungal drugs. Therefore systemic fungal infections result in high attributable mortality. There is an urgent need to pursue and deploy novel and effective alternative antifungal countermeasures. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) was established as a successful modality for malignancies and age-related macular degeneration but photodynamic inactivation has only recently been intensively investigated as an alternative antimicrobial discovery and development platform. The concept of photodynamic inactivation requires microbial exposure to either exogenous or endogenous photosensitizer molecules, followed by visible light energy, typically wavelengths in the red/near infrared region that cause the excitation of the photosensitizers resulting in the production of singlet oxygen and other reactive oxygen species that react with intracellular components, and consequently produce cell inactivation and death. Antifungal PDT is an area of increasing interest, as research is advancing (i) to identify the photochemical and photophysical mechanisms involved in photoinactivation; (ii) to develop potent and clinically compatible photosensitizers; (iii) to understand how photoinactivation is affected by key microbial phenotypic elements multidrug resistance and efflux, virulence and pathogenesis determinants, and formation of biofilms; (iv) to explore novel photosensitizer delivery platforms; and (v) to identify photoinactivation applications beyond the clinical setting such as environmental disinfectants.

Nanoparticles play a crucial role in the field of nanotechnology, offering different properties due to their surface area attributed to their small size. Among them, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attracted significant attention due to their antimicrobial properties, with applications that date back from ancient medicinal practices to contemporary commercial products containing ions or silver nanoparticles. AgNPs possess broad-spectrum biocidal potential against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and Mycobacterium, in addition to exhibiting synergistic effects when combined with certain antibiotics. The mechanisms underlying its antimicrobial action include the generation of oxygen-reactive species, damage to DNA, rupture of bacterial cell membranes and inhibition of protein synthesis. Recent studies have highlighted the effectiveness of AgNPs against various clinically relevant bacterial strains through their potential to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens. This review investigates the proteomic mechanisms by which AgNPs exert their antimicrobial effects, with a special focus on their activity against planktonic bacteria and in biofilms. Furthermore, it discusses the biomedical applications of AgNPs and their potential non-preparation of antibiotic formulations, also addressing the issue of resistance to antibiotics.

NPs adsorbent after AO8 adsorption was very satisfactory, with reuse for up to five cycles being possible. The results indicate that it was possible to obtain highly pure silica in a nanosize from the waste material and produce an adsorbent with high adsorption capacity and the possibility of reuse.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT), standard endodontic treatment and the combined treatment to eliminate bacterial biofilms present in infected root canals. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten single-rooted freshly extracted human teeth were inoculated with stable bioluminescent Gram-negative bacteria, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to form 3-day biofilms in prepared root canals. Bioluminescence imaging was used to serially quantify bacterial burdens. PDT employed a conjugate between polyethylenimine and chlorin(e6) as the photosensitizer (PS) and 660-nm diode laser light delivered into the root canal via a 200-micro fiber, and this was compared and combined with standard endodontic treatment using mechanical debridement and antiseptic irrigation. RESULTS: Endodontic therapy alone reduced bacterial bioluminescence by 90% while PDT alone reduced bioluminescence by 95%. The combination reduced bioluminescence by >98%, and importantly the bacterial regrowth observed 24 hours after treatment was much less for the combination (P<0.0005) than for either single treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Bioluminescence imaging is an efficient way to monitor endodontic therapy. Antimicrobial PDT may have a role to play in optimized endodontic therapy.

The effect of glass dosage (0.001 g ml(-1) to 0.015 g ml(-1)) on the in vitro dynamic dissolution behavior of melt-derived 45S5 and sol-gel-derived 58S bioactive glasses, in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 degrees C, was evaluated. These glasses differ significantly in texture, especially the specific surface area and porosity, as a result of differences in manufacturing route. The concentrations of elements (Si, Ca, P, and Na) leached from the glasses into the dissolution medium, from 1 to 22 h, were evaluated with the use of induced coupled plasma analysis (ICP). The reacted powders were analyzed with the use of FTIR to observe the formation of a hydroxycarbonate apatite layer on the surface. The results show that the rate of HCA formation on both gel- and melt-derived bioactive glass powders in vitro depends on the concentration of the powders in solution. This result must be taken into account when carrying out in vitro cell-culture studies to simulate conditions in vivo and in experiments using extracts of the bioactive glass powders.

A avaliação in vitro da biocompatibilidade de diferentes tipos de biomateriais foi realizada pelo teste de citotoxicidade em cultivo de células de tecido conectivo de camundongos, NCTC Clone 929 da American Type Culture Collection. O estudo comparativo do ensaio de citotoxicidade foi realizado com duas metodologias: 1) ensaio de difusão em ágar e 2) ensaio de incorporação do vermelho neutro. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que ambas as metodologias podem ser utilizadas, de acordo com o tipo de amostra a ser analisada.

At a nano-level, optical properties of gold are unique and gave birth to an emerging platform of nanogold-based systems for diverse applications, because gold nanoparticle properties are tunable as a function of size and shape. Within the available techniques for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles, the radiolytic synthesis allows proper control of the nucleation process without the need for reducing agents, in a single step, combined or not with simultaneous sterilization. This review details and summarizes the use of radiation technologies for the synthesis and preparation of gold nanoparticles concerning fundamental aspects, mechanism, current pathways for synthesis and radiation sources, as well as briefly outlines final applications and some toxicity aspects related to nanogold-based systems.

A method for estimating the microscopic probability rate of phonon-assisted energy transfer between rare-earth $(3+)$ ions in solids was developed based on Dexter's theory for phonon-assisted energy transfer. The proposed method in this paper enables one to calculate the overlap integral from fundamental cross-section spectra of nonresonant energy transfer involving a multiphonon generation in both donor and acceptor sites. A translation of the donor emission spectrum towards the acceptor absorption scaled with the $N$-phonon emission probability represents the $m$-phonon emission band which performs the energy transfer to the acceptor. A nonvanishing overlap integral ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}--{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ times smaller than for the resonant case is found. A multiphonon generation probability assisting the energy transfer was considered due to a combined mechanism of creation and annihilation of phonons. The participation of each phonon in the process was determined. This method was used to investigate the ${\mathrm{Tm}}^{3+}{(}^{3}{F}_{4})\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{Ho}}^{3+}{(}^{5}{I}_{7}),{\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}{(}^{4}{I}_{13/2})\ensuremath{\rightarrow}[{\mathrm{Ho}}^{3+}{(}^{5}{I}_{7}),{\mathrm{Tm}}^{3+}{(}^{3}{F}_{4})]$ direct energy transfers in ${\mathrm{LiYF}}_{4}$ crystals, as well the back transfers.

This study presents the manufacture of highly porous hydroxyapatite by a novel technique that employs the foaming of suspensions prior to the in situ polymerization of organic monomers contained in the compositions. This method produces strong gelled bodies with up to 90% porosity that can withstand machining in the green state. Complex-shaped components can be obtained if the process comprises casting in one of the processing steps. The organic additives are eliminated at temperatures above 300 degrees C, and sintering is carried out for consolidation of the ceramic matrix. Spherical interconnected cells with sizes ranging from 20 to 1000 micrometer characterize the porous structure, depending on the specimen density. Cytotoxicity tests were conducted on extracts from sintered HA foams based on a quantitative method of cell colony formation and the determination of cell death after indirect contact of the porous material with mammalian cells. This in vitro test of biological evaluation revealed that the original purity of the biomedical-grade hydroxyapatite powder was affected neither through processing nor by the employed reagents.

The corrosion products of carbon steel and weathering steel exposed to three different types of atmospheres, at times ranging from one to three months, have been identified. The steels were exposed in an industrial site, an urban site (São Paulo City, Brazil), and a humid site. The effect of the steel type on the corrosion products formed in the early stages of atmospheric corrosion has been evaluated. The corrosion products formed at the various exposure locations were characterized by Raman microscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and their morphology was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Three regions of different colours (yellow, black and red) have been identified over the steel coupons by Raman microscopy. Analysis carried out on each of these areas led to the characterization of the correspondent oxide/hydroxide phases. The main phases present were lepidocrocite (g-FeOOH) and goethite (a-FeOOH). Small amounts of magnetite (Fe3O4) were also eventually encountered.

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, before placing dental implants, the compromised teeth are removed and the extraction sockets are left to heal for several months. To preserve the alveolar bone level from the collapse caused by healing and to reduce treatment time in situations in which tooth extraction precedes implant placement, some clinicians began to install the implant immediately into the postextraction socket without waiting for the site to heal. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to review the literature regarding treatment outcomes of immediate implant placement into sites exhibiting pathology after clinical procedures to perform the decontamination of the implant's site. The following questions were raised: Does the presence of periodontal or endodontic infection affect immediate implant placement success? What is suggested to address the infection in the socket prior to immediate placement? MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search in PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA) was undertaken in March 2013. The titles and abstracts from these results were read to identify studies within the selection criteria. Eligibility criteria included both animal and human studies, and excluded any review and case reports articles. The publication's intervention had to have been implant placement into a site classified as having an infection (periapical, endodontic, perioendodontic, and periodontal). RESULTS: The search strategy initially yielded 706 references. Thirty-two studies were identified within the selection criteria, from which nine were case reports and review articles and were excluded. Additional hand-searching of the reference lists of selected studies yielded five additional papers. CONCLUSIONS: The high survival rate obtained in several studies supports the hypothesis that implants may be successfully osseointegrated when placed immediately after extraction of teeth presenting endodontic and periodontal lesions, provided that appropriate clinical procedures are performed before the implant surgical procedure such as meticulous cleaning, socket curettage/debridement, and chlorhexidine 0.12% rinse. However, more randomized controlled clinical trials with a longer follow-up are required to confirm this procedure as a safe treatment. Moreover, the outcome measures were not related to the type of infection; the classification of infection was often vague and varied among the studies. The benefits of antibiotic solution irrigation and systemic antibiotic administration in such conditions are not yet proved and remain unclear.

Slash-and-burn clearing of forest typically results in increase in soil nutrient availability. However, the impact of these nutrients on the soil microbiome is not known. Using next generation sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic DNA, we compared the structure and the potential functions of bacterial community in forest soils to deforested soils in the Amazon region and related the differences to soil chemical factors. Deforestation decreased soil organic matter content and factors linked to soil acidity and raised soil pH, base saturation and exchangeable bases. Concomitant to expected changes in soil chemical factors, we observed an increase in the alpha diversity of the bacterial microbiota and relative abundances of putative copiotrophic bacteria such as Actinomycetales and a decrease in the relative abundances of bacterial taxa such as Chlamydiae, Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia in the deforested soils. We did not observe an increase in genes related to microbial nutrient metabolism in deforested soils. However, we did observe changes in community functions such as increases in DNA repair, protein processing, modification, degradation and folding functions, and these functions might reflect adaptation to changes in soil characteristics due to forest clear-cutting and burning. In addition, there were changes in the composition of the bacterial groups associated with metabolism-related functions. Co-occurrence microbial network analysis identified distinct phylogenetic patterns for forest and deforested soils and suggested relationships between Planctomycetes and aluminium content, and Actinobacteria and nitrogen sources in Amazon soils. The results support taxonomic and functional adaptations in the soil bacterial community following deforestation. We hypothesize that these microbial adaptations may serve as a buffer to drastic changes in soil fertility after slash-and-burning deforestation in the Amazon region.

Normal human keratinocytes synthesize and secrete biologically active nerve growth factor (NGF) in a growth regulated fashion (Di Marco, E., Marchisio, P. C., Bondanza, S., Franzi, A. T., Cancedda, R., and De Luca, M. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 21718-21722). Here we show that the same human keratinocytes bind NGF via low and high affinity receptors. In parallel with the course of NGF synthesis, the expression of low affinity NGF receptor (p75NGFr) decreases when a confluent, differentiated, and fully stratified epithelium is obtained. In skin sections, p75NGFr is present in basal keratinocytes and absent from suprabasal, terminally differentiated cells. The trkA protooncogene product (p140trkA), a component of the NGF receptor, is not expressed by keratinocytes. Instead, keratinocytes express a new member of the trk family (that we termed trkE), which generates 3.9-kilobase transcripts. Keratinocyte-derived NGF plays a key role in the autocrine epidermal cell proliferation. This has been proven by (i) direct effect of NGF on [3H]thymidine incorporation, (ii) inhibition of autocrine keratinocyte growth by monoclonal antibodies (alpha D11) inhibiting human NGF biological activity, and (iii) inhibition of autocrine keratinocyte proliferation by a trk-specific inhibitor, the natural alkaloid K252a. These data provide evidence that NGF, in addition to its effect as a survival and differentiation factor, is a potent regulator of cell proliferation, at least in human epithelial cells.

A protein-free microemulsion (LDE) with a lipid composition resembling that of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was used in metabolic studies in rats to compare LDE with the native lipoprotein. LDE labeled with radioactive lipids was injected into the bloodstream of male Wistar rats, and plasma kinetics of the labeled lipids were followed on plasma samples collected at regular intervals for 12 h after injection. The 24-h LDE uptake by different tissues was also measured in tissue samples excised after the animals had been sacrificed. We found that LDE plasma kinetics were similar to those described for native LDL [fractional clearance rate (FCR) of cholesteryl ester, 0.42 +/- 0.11 h-1]. The major site for LDE uptake was the liver, and the tissue distribution of the LDE injected radioactivity was as one would expect for LDL. To test whether LDE was taken up by the specific LDL receptors, the LDE emulsion was injected into rats treated with 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol, which is known to increase the activity of these receptors; as expected, removal of LDE from the bloodstream increased (FCR = 0.90 +/- 0.35 h-1). On the other hand, saturation of the receptors that remove remnants by prior infusion of massive amounts of lymph chylomicrons did not change LDE plasma kinetics. These results indicate that LDE is cleared from plasma by B,E receptors and not by the E receptors that remove remnants. Incorporation of free cholesterol into LDE increased LDE plasma clearance. Incubation studies also showed that LDE incorporates a variety of apolipoproteins, including apo E, a ligand for recognition of lipoproteins by specific receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mycotoxins present a great concern to food safety and security due to their adverse health and socio-economic impacts. The necessity to formulate novel strategies that can mitigate the economic and health effects associated with mycotoxin contamination of food and feed commodities without any impact on public health, quality and nutritional value of food and feed, economy and trade industry become imperative. Various strategies have been adopted to mitigate mycotoxin contamination but often fall short of the required efficacy. One of the promising approaches is the use of bioactive plant components/metabolites synergistically with mycotoxin-absorbing components in order to limit exposure to these toxins and associated negative health effects. In particular, is the fabrication of β-cyclodextrin-based nanosponges encapsulated with bioactive compounds of plant origin to inhibit toxigenic fungi and decontaminate mycotoxins in food and feed without leaving any health and environmental hazard to the consumers. The present paper reviews the use of botanicals extracts and their phytochemicals coupled with β-cyclodextrin-based nanosponge technology to inhibit toxigenic fungal invasion and detoxify mycotoxins.

Although major progress has recently been achieved through ex situ methods, there is still a lack of understanding of the behavior of the active center in non-precious metal Fe-N/C catalysts under operating conditions. Utilizing nitrite, nitric oxide, and hydroxylamine as molecular probes, we show that the active site for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is different under acidic and alkaline conditions. An in-depth investigation of the ORR in acid reveals a behavior which is similar to that of iron macrocyclic complexes and suggests a contribution of the metal center in the catalytic cycle. We also show that this catalyst is highly active toward nitrite and nitric oxide electroreduction under various pH values with ammonia as a significant byproduct. This study offers fundamental insight into the chemical behavior of the active site and demonstrates a possible use of these materials for nitrite and nitric oxide sensing applications or environmental nitrite destruction.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and transcutaneous electrical neural stimulation (TENS) on the improvement of mouth opening in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). BACKGROUND DATA: TMDs are conditions that affect the form and/or function of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), masticatory muscles, and dental apparatus. Often TMD is associated with pain localized in the TMJ and/or in the muscles of the face and neck. METHODS: This clinical trial was performed in 10 patients, 18-56 years old, diagnosed with TMD of multiple causes. All patients received both methods of treatment in two consecutive weeks. LLLT was delivered via a 670-nm diode laser, output power 50 mW, fluence 3 J per site/4 sites (masseter muscle, temporal muscle, mandibular condyle, and intrauricular). TENS therapy was applied with a two-electrode machine at 20 W, maximum frequency of 60 Hz, adjusted by the patient according to their sensitivity. The amplitude of mouth opening was recorded before treatment and immediately after using a millimeter rule; the measurements were performed from the incisal of the upper incisors to the incisal of the lower incisors. A paired t-test was applied to verify the significance of the results. RESULTS: A significant improvement in the range of motion for both therapies was observed immediately after treatment. Comparing the two methods, the values obtained after LLLT were significantly higher than those obtained after TENS (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Both methods are effective to improve mouth opening. Comparing the two methods, LLLT was more effective than TENS applications.