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Precision agriculture facilitates improved management by studying the spatial and temporal variability of soil attributes. Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) seeds may exhibit distinct quality when produced in different management zones. This study aimed to validate management zones during seed production and identify the variability and spatial distribution of soybean seed physiological quality using geostatistical tools. Management zones were defined based on interpolated maps of soil and vegetation attributes using the Smart Map Plugin (SMP) within the QGIS environment. Post-harvest, the variability of physiological seed quality across different management zones was assessed. Germination, accelerated aging, dry weight, emergence, electrical conductivity, and tetrazolium tests were conducted in a completely randomized design. Soil attributes, initial plant stand, and soybean seed productivity validated the management zones. Physiological seed quality varies across the production field, particularly in terms of vigor, thereby enhancing diagnostics through map interpolation. Geostatistics enable determination of the spatial distribution of soybean seed physiological quality in seed production areas, facilitating decision-making regarding harvest zones.

Seed treatments with chemical phytosanitary products can compromise mobilization of seed reserves for the seedlings under water deficit conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological quality, the initial seedling development, and the mobilization of reserves in soybean seeds treated with phytosanitary products under water deficit. The trial was set up in a completely randomized design in a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement: chemical treatments (control, Thiamethoxam, Fludioxonil + Metalaxyl-M, and Fipronil + Pyraclostrobin + Tiophanate-methyl) × osmotic potentials (0, -0.1, -0.2, and -0.3 MPa). We analyzed the following variables: germination; hypocotyl length, root length, and total seedling length; seedling length vigor index; cotyledon dry matter weight; seedling dry matter yield; seed reserve reduction; relative dry matter yield; seed reserve reduction rate; and conversion efficiency of seed reserves into seedling dry matter. Seed quality and seedling development decline under water deficit conditions. The treatment with Fipronil + Pyraclostrobin + Thiophanate-methyl results in lower phytotoxicity. The estimated cotyledon dry matter (CDM) weight is an indicator of phytotoxicity and water deficit. Mobilization of reserves is compromised in seeds treated with insecticides, reducing the capacity of conversion of reserves into dry matter. There is an inversely proportional relationship between the reduction in conversion and the efficiency of conversion of reserves of treated soybean seeds under water deficit. Resumo: O tratamento químico de sementes com produtos fitossanitários sob condições de déficit hídrico, podem comprometer a mobilização das reservas das sementes para as plântulas. Objetivou-se avaliar a qualidade fisiológica, o desenvolvimento inicial de plântulas e a mobilização de reservas em sementes de soja tratadas com produtos fitossanitários sob déficit hídrico. O ensaio foi instalado em delineamento inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 4 x 4: tratamentos químicos (Controle; Thiametoxam; Fludioxonil + Metalaxil-M e Fipronil + Piraclostrobina + Tiofanato-metílico) x potenciais osmóticos (0; -0,1; -0,2 e -0,3 MPa). Foram analisadas as variáveis: germinação, comprimento do hipocótilo, da raiz e total das plântulas, índice de vigor do crescimento, peso de matéria seca de cotilédones, rendimento de massa seca de plântulas, redução de reservas, rendimento relativo de matéria seca, taxa de redução de reservas e eficiência de conversão das reservas de sementes em matéria seca de plântulas. Há redução da qualidade de sementes e desenvolvimento das plântulas em condições de déficit hídrico. No tratamento com Fipronil + Piraclostrobina + Tiofanato-metílico a fitotoxidez é menor. O peso de matéria seca estimada de cotilédones (CDM) é um indicativo para fitotoxidez e déficit hídrico. A mobilização das reservas é comprometida em sementes tratadas com inseticidas diminuindo a capacidade de convertê-las em massa seca. Há uma relação inversamente proporcional entre a redução e a eficiência de conversão das reservas em sementes de soja tratadas sob déficit hídrico.

Background Covalent RNA modifications, such as N-6-methyladenosine (m 6 A), have been associated with various biological processes, but their role in cancer remains largely unexplored. m 6 A dynamics depends on specific enzymes whose deregulation may also impact in tumorigenesis. Herein, we assessed the differential abundance of m 6 A, its writer VIRMA and its reader YTHDF3, in testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), looking for clinicopathological correlates. Methods In silico analysis of TCGA data disclosed altered expression of VIRMA (52%) and YTHDF3 (48%), prompting subsequent validation. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 122 TGCTs (2005–2016) were selected. RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis and real-time qPCR (Taqman assays) for VIRMA and YTHDF3 were performed, as well as immunohistochemistry for VIRMA, YTHDF3 and m 6 A, for staining intensity assessment. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using Chi square and Fisher’s exact test. Distribution of continuous variables between groups was compared using the nonparametric Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Biomarker performance was assessed through receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve construction and a cut-off was established by Youden’s index method. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results In our cohort, VIRMA and YTHDF3 mRNA expression levels differed among TGCT subtypes, with Seminomas (SEs) depicting higher levels than Non-Seminomatous tumors (NSTs) (p < 0.01 for both). A positive correlation was found between VIRMA and YTHDF3 expression levels. VIRMA discriminated SEs from NSTs with AUC = 0.85 (Sensitivity 77.3%, Specificity 81.1%, PPV 71.6%, NPV 85.3%, Accuracy 79.7%). Immunohistochemistry paralleled transcript findings, as patients with strong m 6 A immunostaining intensity depicted significantly higher VIRMA mRNA expression levels and stronger VIRMA immunoexpression intensity (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion Abundance of m 6 A and expression of VIRMA / YTHDF3 were different among TGCT subtypes, with higher levels in SEs, suggesting a contribution to SE phenotype maintenance. VIRMA and YTHDF3 might cooperate in m 6 A establishment in TGCTs, and their transcript levels accurately discriminate between SEs and NSTs, constituting novel candidate biomarkers for patient management.

The commercial space launch sector is currently undergoing a significant shift, with increasing competition and demand for launch services, as well as growing concerns about the environmental impact of rocket launches. To address these challenges, within the New Space Portugal project scope, a multidisciplinary framework for designing and optimizing new launch vehicles is proposed. Creating a more resilient and responsible space industry can be achieved by combining technological innovation and environmental sustainability, as emphasized by the framework. The main scope of the framework was to couple all the disciplines relevant to the space vehicle design in a modular way. Significant emphasis was placed on the infusion of ecodesign principles, including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) considerations. Optimization techniques were employed to enhance the design and help designers conduct trade-off studies. In general, this multidisciplinary framework aims to provide a comprehensive approach to designing next-generation launch vehicles that meet the demands of a rapidly changing market while also minimizing their environmental impact. A methodology that leverages the strengths of both genetic and gradient-based algorithms is employed for optimizations with the objectives of maximizing the apogee altitude and minimizing the Global Warming Potential (GWP). Despite only being tested at the moment for sounding rockets, the framework has demonstrated promising results. It has illuminated the potential of this approach, leading to the identification of three optimal designs: one for maximizing the apogee, another for minimizing GWP, and a compromise design that strikes a balance between the two objectives. The outcomes yielded a maximum apogee of 6.41 km, a minimum GWP of 9.06 kg CO2eq, and a balanced compromise design featuring an apogee of 5.75 km and a GWP of 25.64 kg CO2eq.

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms, mostly affecting young men. Curability rates are high and adequate treatment relies on careful and accurate pathological and clinical assessment. Indeed, TGCTs' histopathological subtyping is critical for adequate therapeutic decision. Considering the limitation of currently available serum biomarkers, novel candidates have been proposed, most notably miR-371a-3p, which outperformed classical serum markers, but no detailed information concerning TGCT subtype was available. Thus, we carried out evaluation of miR-371a-3p expression levels among TGCT subtypes using a consecutive cohort of tissue samples. MiR-371a-3p discriminated TGCTs from control tissues with high sensitivity and specificity (AUC = 0.99). Furthermore, seminomas displayed higher miR-371a-3p expression levels compared to non-seminomatous TGCTs, which also showed significant differences among them. Nonetheless, prepubertal TGCTs depicted lower miR-371a-3p expression levels than postpubertal TGCTs. Globally, miR-371a-3p expression levels decreased in parallel with progressive cell differentiation. We concluded that miR-371a-3p is TGCTs-specific and it might be clinically useful for early detection and disease monitoring. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Frontiers in epigenetic chemical biology’.

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are a group of heterogeneous, biologically diverse and clinically challenging neoplasms. Despite the relatively low incidence and mortality rates, a subgroup of patients with disseminated disease relapse after conventional therapy and have a dismal prognosis. Moreover, TGCT afflict mostly young men and have therapeutic peculiarities, with some patients showing resistance to cisplatin-based treatments and others being troubled by irreversible side effects, such as infertility. Most TGCT share a common tumorigenic pathway and are cytogenetically similar, making room for Epigenetics to explain its heterogeneity at pathological and clinical level. In this review, we summarize the foremost epigenetic alterations among TGCT focusing on their clinical potential as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers.

In the Netherlands, subsidence of peat and clay soils due to (artificial) lowering of the groundwater table and loading of soft soils is commonplace, causing extensive damage to exposed and vulnerable assets. Awareness of subsidence-related damage to buildings has recently increased in the Netherlands, particularly after reported damages due to the 2018 extremely long dry period. However, despite this being a major concern to homeowners and public authorities, an integrated and systematic risk assessment on regional or national scale is currently lacking which inhibits concrete and meaningful action. In this paper, we propose a methodology for the systematic regional or countrywide assessment of two subsidence-related damage mechanisms to buildings: differential settlement of buildings on shallow foundation, and timber pile degradation due to low groundwater levels. The methodology is set up in a modular, systematic way – initially based on expert judgement and validation with available local detailed information and allows for future improvements. Progress in individual contributing factors to damages can be seamlessly integrated for the systematic improvement of damage estimates. This approach can be replicated for other damage mechanisms and detailed to provide a more local risk assessment. We expect results to be a valuable input for public or private decision making, e.g. in awareness raising and evaluating interventions.

According to the World Health Organization (WORLD..., 2014), a drug is any substance not produced by the body with the property to act on one or more systems, altering its functioning, and enabling the alteration of perception, mood, and sensations (BRASIL, 2014). According to the literature, the absence or the non-compliance of enforcement of the alcohol sale for individuals under 18 years old can also be a risk factor for its use (DALPI AZ et al., 2014; PASUCH; OLIVEIRA, 2014). [...]this study aimed to describe and analyze the occupational performance of female adolescents in periods before, during and after discontinuation of drug use. Realism was the etymological and ontological reference use, which relates experiences, meanings, and the reality of the participants, recognizing how individuals make sense of their experience and how the broader social context is presented in these meanings, keeping the focus on material and other limits of reality. [...]realistic research presupposes that the world has a natural truth that is knowable and real, discovered through experience and research (BRAUN; CLARKE, 2006).

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms, mostly affecting young men. Curability rates are high and adequate treatment relies on careful and accurate pathological and clinical assessment. Indeed, TGCTs' histopathological subtyping is critical for adequate therapeutic decision. Considering the limitation of currently available serum biomarkers, novel candidates have been proposed, most notably miR-371a-3p, which outperformed classical serum markers, but no detailed information concerning TGCT subtype was available. Thus, we carried out evaluation of miR-371a-3p expression levels among TGCT subtypes using a consecutive cohort of tissue samples. MiR-371a-3p discriminated TGCTs from control tissues with high sensitivity and specificity (AUC = 0.99). Furthermore, seminomas displayed higher miR-371a-3p expression levels compared to non-seminomatous TGCTs, which also showed significant differences among them. Nonetheless, prepubertal TGCTs depicted lower miR-371a-3p expression levels than postpubertal TGCTs. Globally, miR-371a-3p expression levels decreased in parallel with progressive cell differentiation. We concluded that miR-371a-3p is TGCTs-specific and it might be clinically useful for early detection and disease monitoring. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Frontiers in epigenetic chemical biology'.

Covalent RNA modifications, such as N-6-methyladenosine (m A), have been associated with various biological processes, but their role in cancer remains largely unexplored. m A dynamics depends on specific enzymes whose deregulation may also impact in tumorigenesis. Herein, we assessed the differential abundance of m A, its writer VIRMA and its reader YTHDF3, in testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), looking for clinicopathological correlates. In silico analysis of TCGA data disclosed altered expression of VIRMA (52%) and YTHDF3 (48%), prompting subsequent validation. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 122 TGCTs (2005-2016) were selected. RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis and real-time qPCR (Taqman assays) for VIRMA and YTHDF3 were performed, as well as immunohistochemistry for VIRMA, YTHDF3 and m A, for staining intensity assessment. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using Chi square and Fisher's exact test. Distribution of continuous variables between groups was compared using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Biomarker performance was assessed through receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve construction and a cut-off was established by Youden's index method. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. In our cohort, VIRMA and YTHDF3 mRNA expression levels differed among TGCT subtypes, with Seminomas (SEs) depicting higher levels than Non-Seminomatous tumors (NSTs) (p < 0.01 for both). A positive correlation was found between VIRMA and YTHDF3 expression levels. VIRMA discriminated SEs from NSTs with AUC = 0.85 (Sensitivity 77.3%, Specificity 81.1%, PPV 71.6%, NPV 85.3%, Accuracy 79.7%). Immunohistochemistry paralleled transcript findings, as patients with strong m A immunostaining intensity depicted significantly higher VIRMA mRNA expression levels and stronger VIRMA immunoexpression intensity (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Abundance of m A and expression of VIRMA/YTHDF3 were different among TGCT subtypes, with higher levels in SEs, suggesting a contribution to SE phenotype maintenance. VIRMA and YTHDF3 might cooperate in m A establishment in TGCTs, and their transcript levels accurately discriminate between SEs and NSTs, constituting novel candidate biomarkers for patient management.