Aims. We explore the relations between physical and orbital properties of planets and properties of their host stars to identify the main observable signatures of the formation and evolution ...processes of planetary systems. Methods. We used a large sample of FGK dwarf planet-hosting stars with stellar parameters derived in a homogeneous way from the SWEET-Cat database to study the relation between stellar metallicity and position of planets in the period-mass diagram. We then used all the radial-velocity-detected planets orbiting FGK stars to explore the role of planet-disk and planet-planet interaction on the evolution of orbital properties of planets with masses above 1 MJup. Results. Using a large sample of FGK dwarf hosts we show that planets orbiting metal-poor stars have longer periods than those in metal-rich systems. This trend is valid for masses at least from ≈10 M⊕ to ≈4 MJup. Earth-like planets orbiting metal-rich stars always show shorter periods (fewer than 20 days) than those orbiting metal-poor stars. However, in the short-period regime there are a similar number of planets orbiting metal-poor stars. We also found statistically significant evidence that very high mass giants (with a mass higher than 4 MJup) have on average more eccentric orbits than giant planets with lower mass. Finally, we show that the eccentricity of planets with masses higher than 4 MJup tends to be lower for planets with shorter periods. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the planets in the P − MP diagram are evolving differently because of a mechanism that operates over a wide range of planetary masses. This mechanism is stronger or weaker, depending on the metallicity of the respective system. One possibility is that planets in metal-poor disks form farther out from their central star and/or they form later and do not have time to migrate as far as the planets in metal-rich systems. The trends and dependencies obtained for very high mass planetary systems suggest that planet-disk interaction is a very important and orbit-shaping mechanism for planets in the high-mass domain.
Stroke leads to significant impairment in upper limb (UL) function. The goal of rehabilitation is the reestablishment of pre-stroke motor stroke skills by stimulating neuroplasticity. Among several ...rehabilitation approaches, functional electrical stimulation (FES) is highlighted in stroke rehabilitation guidelines as a supplementary therapy alongside the standard care modalities. The aim of this study is to present a comprehensive review regarding the usability of FES in post-stroke UL rehabilitation. Specifically, the factors related to UL rehabilitation that should be considered in FES usability, as well a critical review of the outcomes used to assess FES usability, are presented. This review reinforces the FES as a promising tool to induce neuroplastic modifications in post-stroke rehabilitation by enabling the possibility of delivering intensive periods of treatment with comparatively less demand on human resources. However, the lack of studies evaluating FES usability through motor control outcomes, specifically movement quality indicators, combined with user satisfaction limits the definition of FES optimal therapeutical window for different UL functional tasks. FES systems capable of integrating postural control muscles involving other anatomic regions, such as the trunk, during reaching tasks are required to improve UL function in post-stroke patients.
The climbing habit has evolved multiple times during the evolutionary history of angiosperms. Plants evolved various strategies for climbing, such as twining stems, tendrils and hooks. Tendrils are ...threadlike organs with the ability to twine around other structures through helical growth; they may be derived from a variety of structures, such as branches, leaflets and inflorescences. The genetic capacity to grow as a tendrilled climber existed in some of the earliest land plants; however, the underlying molecular basis of tendril development has been studied in only a few taxa. Here, we summarize what is known about the molecular basis of tendril development in model and candidate model species from key tendrilled families, that is, Fabaceae, Vitaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Passifloraceae and Bignoniaceae. Studies on tendril molecular genetics and development show the molecular basis of tendril formation and ontogenesis is diverse, even when tendrils have the same ontogenetic origin, for example leaflet-derived tendrils in Fabaceae and Bignoniaceae. Interestingly, all tendrils perform helical growth during contact-induced coiling, indicating that such ability is not correlated with their ontogenetic origin or phylogenetic history. Whether the same genetic networks are involved during helical growth in diverse tendrils still remains to be investigated.
Scars interfere with the motor system; however, the influence of c-section scars has not been described yet. The aim of this study is to relate the presence of abdominal scars from a caesarean ...section with changes in postural control-stability and orientation and abdominal and lumbar neuromuscular control in the orthostatic position.
Cross-sectional analytical observational study comparing healthy primiparous women with caesarean delivery (
= 9) and physiologic delivery (
= 12) who have delivered more than one year before. The relative electromyographic activity of the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis/oblique internus and lumbar multifidus muscles, antagonist co-activation, the ellipse area, amplitude, displacement, velocity, standard deviation, and spectral power of the centre of pressure, and thoracic and lumbar curvatures, were evaluated in the standing position in both groups, through an electromyographic system, a pressure platform and spinal mouse system. In the "caesarean delivery" group, scar mobility was evaluated using a modified adheremeter.
Significant differences in CoP medial-lateral velocity and mean velocity were observed between groups (
< 0.050), while no significant differences were in the level of muscle activity, antagonist co-activation, and thoracic and lumbar curvatures (
> 0.05).
The information provided by the pressure signal seems to identify postural impairments in women with c-sections.
Active transportation (walking or cycling) as a substitute for car trips still represents a small percentage of all daily travels in many European cities. This study aimed to estimate the health and ...economic co-benefits for the adult population of modal shift from driving to active travel in urban environments. Three scenarios were modelled for the case study, the city of Porto, Portugal, by comparing travel patterns of 2013 to hypothetical scenarios of modal shifts from driving to active transport, namely: i) SC1 - conservative scenario, with a change of 5% from driving to cycling and 10% from driving to walking; ii) SC2 - moderate scenario, with a shift of 10% and 15%, respectively; and iii) SC3 - optimistic scenario, with a shift of 15% and 20%, respectively. The mortality risk reduction for five health outcomes (colon and breast cancers, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease) was assessed, including an estimation of traffic injury and air pollution exposure risks. Results were presented in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) avoided. Economic valuation for each scenario was performed using a Willingness-to-Pay approach for morbimortality and a Cost of Illness approach for 2013 hospitalizations and work absenteeism. Significant health benefits were found in all modelled scenarios, ranging from 1657 (16%) to 2881 (28%) DALYs avoided. Total costs averted ranged from €3894 to €6769 million through the scenarios. Cardio and cerebrovascular diseases mortality presented the largest benefit, accounting for about 3/4 of all avoidable DALYs in all scenarios. Reductions in CO2 and PM10 emissions were calculated, showing a decrease from 31.6 to 73.7 kt of CO2 and 7 to 16 t for PM10, respectively. A modal shift towards active transportation could lead to significant health and economic benefits, indicating that the evaluation of health impacts should be included in the analysis of active transport interventions.
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•This is the first study in Portugal valuing health impacts of a shift to active transport.•Health and economic benefits of a modal shift to active transportation were modelled.•Benefits achieved were due to increased levels of physical activity.•Effects of air pollution and traffic injuries were taken into account.•Reductions in CO2 and PM emissions were similar to local industry emissions.
Health impact assessment should be included when performing a cost-benefit analysis regarding active transportation on public transport policies planning, to understand the economic benefits of related reduced mortality.
HA1000 had larger grain size, increased roughness, decreased total surface area and lower porosity, with larger pore diameters when compared to HA725, allowing for increased fibronectin and ...osteonectin adsorption, and higher levels of MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells adhesion, viability and cell number.
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► Two stable hydroxyapatite bioceramic substrates presenting nanoscale grain size sintering were successfully developed (HA1000 and HA725). ► HA1000 showed a more organized structure, with larger grain size, increased roughness, lower total surface area and lower porosity with larger pore diameters when compared to HA725. ► HA1000 surfaces allowed for a higher amount of fibronectin and osteonectin to be adsorbed. ► Regarding the MC3T3-E1 osteoblast adhesion results, higher levels of viability and cell number were found for HA1000 surfaces as compared to HA725 surfaces.
The characteristic topographical features (crystallite dimensions, surface morphology and roughness) of bioceramics may influence the adsorption of proteins relevant to bone regeneration. This work aims at analyzing the influence of two distinct nanophased hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics, HA725 and HA1000 on fibronectin (FN) and osteonectin (ON) adsorption and MC3T3-E1 osteoblast adhesion and morphology. Both substrates were obtained using the same hydroxyapatite nanocrystals aggregates and applying the sintering temperatures of 725
°C and 1000
°C, respectively. The two proteins used in this work, FN as an adhesive glycoprotein and ON as a counter-adhesive protein, are known to be involved in the early stages of osteogenesis (cell adhesion, mobility and proliferation). The properties of the nanoHA substrates had an important role in the adsorption behavior of the two studied proteins and clearly affected the MC3T3-E1 morphology, distribution and metabolic activity. HA1000 surfaces presenting slightly larger grain size, higher root-mean-square roughness (Rq), lower surface area and porosity, allowed for higher amounts of both proteins adsorbed. These substrates also revealed increased number of exposed FN cell-binding domains as well as higher affinity for osteonectin. Regarding the osteoblast adhesion results, improved viability and cell number were found for HA1000 surfaces as compared to HA725 ones, independently of the presence or type of adsorbed protein. Therefore the osteoblast adhesion and metabolic activity seemed to be more sensitive to surfaces morphology and roughness than to the type of adsorbed proteins.
Potassium homeostasis is vital for all organisms, but is challenging in single-celled organisms like bacteria and yeast and immobile organisms like plants that constantly need to adapt to changing ...external conditions. KUP transporters facilitate potassium uptake by the co-transport of protons. Here, we uncover the molecular basis for transport in this widely distributed family. We identify the potassium importer KimA from Bacillus subtilis as a member of the KUP family, demonstrate that it functions as a K
/H
symporter and report a 3.7 Å cryo-EM structure of the KimA homodimer in an inward-occluded, trans-inhibited conformation. By introducing point mutations, we identify key residues for potassium and proton binding, which are conserved among other KUP proteins.
The common black box nature of machine learning models is an obstacle to their application in health care context. Their widespread application is limited by a significant "lack of trust." So, the ...main goal of this work is the development of an evaluation approach that can assess, simultaneously, trust and performance. Trust assessment is based on (i) model robustness (stability assessment), (ii) confidence (95% CI of geometric mean), and (iii) interpretability (comparison of respective features ranking with clinical evidence). Performance is assessed through geometric mean. For validation, in patients' stratification in cardiovascular risk assessment, a Portuguese dataset (N=1544) was applied. Five different models were compared: (i) GRACE score, the most common risk assessment tool in Portugal for patients with acute coronary syndrome; (ii) logistic regression; (iii) Naïve Bayes; (iv) decision trees; and (v) rule-based approach, previously developed by this team. The obtained results confirm that the simultaneous assessment of trust and performance can be successfully implemented. The rule-based approach seems to have potential for clinical application. It provides a high level of trust in the respective operation while outperformed the GRACE model's performance, enhancing the required physicians' acceptance. This may increase the possibility to effectively aid the clinical decision.The common black box nature of machine learning models is an obstacle to their application in health care context. Their widespread application is limited by a significant "lack of trust." So, the main goal of this work is the development of an evaluation approach that can assess, simultaneously, trust and performance. Trust assessment is based on (i) model robustness (stability assessment), (ii) confidence (95% CI of geometric mean), and (iii) interpretability (comparison of respective features ranking with clinical evidence). Performance is assessed through geometric mean. For validation, in patients' stratification in cardiovascular risk assessment, a Portuguese dataset (N=1544) was applied. Five different models were compared: (i) GRACE score, the most common risk assessment tool in Portugal for patients with acute coronary syndrome; (ii) logistic regression; (iii) Naïve Bayes; (iv) decision trees; and (v) rule-based approach, previously developed by this team. The obtained results confirm that the simultaneous assessment of trust and performance can be successfully implemented. The rule-based approach seems to have potential for clinical application. It provides a high level of trust in the respective operation while outperformed the GRACE model's performance, enhancing the required physicians' acceptance. This may increase the possibility to effectively aid the clinical decision.
Thanks to the importance that the star-planet relation has to our understanding of the planet formation process, the precise determination of stellar parameters for the ever increasing number of ...discovered extra-solar planets is of great relevance. Furthermore, precise stellar parameters are needed to fully characterize the planet properties. It is thus important to continue the efforts to determine, in the most uniform way possible, the parameters for stars with planets as new discoveries are announced. In this paper we present new precise atmospheric parameters for a sample of 48 stars with planets. We then take the opportunity to present a new catalogue of stellar parameters for FGK and M stars with planets detected by radial velocity, transit, and astrometry programs. The compiled catalogue is available online. The data can be used for statistical studies of the star-planet correlation, as well as for the derivation of consistent properties for known planets.
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