A remnant planetary core in the hot-Neptune desert.

The interiors of giant planets remain poorly understood. Even for the planets in the Solar System, difficulties in observation lead to large uncertainties in the properties of planetary cores. Exoplanets that have undergone rare evolutionary processes provide a route to understanding planetary interiors. Planets found in and near the typically barren hot-Neptune 'desert'1,2 (a region in mass-radius space that contains few planets) have proved to be particularly valuable in this regard. These planets include HD149026b3, which is thought to have an unusually massive core, and recent discoveries such as LTT9779b4 and NGTS-4b5, on which photoevaporation has removed a substantial part of their outer atmospheres. Here we report observations of the planet TOI-849b, which has a radius smaller than Neptune's but an anomalously large mass of [Formula: see text] Earth masses and a density of [Formula: see text] grams per cubic centimetre, similar to Earth's. Interior-structure models suggest that any gaseous envelope of pure hydrogen and helium consists of no more than [Formula: see text] per cent of the total planetary mass. The planet could have been a gas giant before undergoing extreme mass loss via thermal self-disruption or giant planet collisions, or it could have avoided substantial gas accretion, perhaps through gap opening or late formation6. Although photoevaporation rates cannot account for the mass loss required to reduce a Jupiter-like gas giant, they can remove a small (a few Earth masses) hydrogen and helium envelope on timescales of several billion years, implying that any remaining atmosphere on TOI-849b is likely to be enriched by water or other volatiles from the planetary interior. We conclude that TOI-849b is the remnant core of a giant planet.

Rootstocks affect the vulnerability to embolism and pit membrane thickness in Citrus scions.

Embolism resistance of xylem tissue varies among species and is an important trait related to drought resistance, with anatomical attributes like pit membrane thickness playing an important role in avoiding embolism spread. Grafted Citrus trees are commonly grown in orchards, with the rootstock being able to affect the drought resistance of the whole plant. Here, we evaluated how rootstocks affect the vulnerability to embolism resistance of the scion using several rootstock/scion combinations. Scions of 'Tahiti' acid lime, 'Hamlin', 'Pera' and 'Valencia' oranges grafted on a 'Rangpur' lime rootstock exhibit similar vulnerability to embolism. In field-grown trees, measurements of leaf water potential did not suggest significant embolism formation during the dry season, while stomata of Citrus trees presented an isohydric response to declining water availability. When 'Valencia' orange scions were grafted on 'Rangpur' lime, 'IAC 1710' citrandarin, 'Sunki Tropical' mandarin or 'Swingle' citrumelo rootstocks, variation in intervessel pit membrane thickness of the scion was found. The 'Rangpur' lime rootstock, which is known for its drought resistance, induced thicker pit membranes in the scion, resulting in higher embolism resistance than the other rootstocks. Similarly, the rootstock 'IAC 1710' citrandarin generated increased embolism resistance of the scion, which is highly relevant for citriculture.

Interaction of the antifungal ketoconazole and its diphenylphosphine derivatives with lipid bilayers: Insights into their antifungal action.

Ketoconazole (Ke) is an important antifungal drug, and two of its diphenylphosphinemethyl derivatives (KeP: Ph2PCH2-Ke and KeOP: Ph2P(O)CH2-Ke) have shown improved antifungal activity, namely against a yeast strain lacking ergosterol, suggesting alternative modes of action for azole compounds. In this context, the interactions of these compounds with a model of the cell membrane were investigated, using POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) large unilamellar vesicles and taking advantage of the intrinsic fluorescence of Ke, KeP and KeOP. Steady-state fluorescence spectra and anisotropy, including partition and aggregation studies, as well as fluorescence lifetime measurements, were carried out. In addition, the ability of the compounds to increase membrane permeability was assessed through carboxyfluorescein leakage. The membrane/water mole fraction partition coefficients (Kp,x): (3.31 ± 0.36) x105, (8.31 ± 1.60) x105 and (4.66 ± 0.72) x106, for Ke, KeP and KeOP, respectively, show that all three compounds have moderate to high affinity for the lipid bilayer. Moreover, KeP, and particularly KeOP interact more efficiently with POPC bilayers than Ke, which correlates well with their in vitro antifungal activity. Furthermore, although the three compounds disturb the lipid bilayer, KeOP is the quickest and most efficient one. Hence, the higher affinity and ability to permeabilize the membrane of KeOP when compared to that of KeP, despite the higher lipophilicity of the latter, points to an important role of Ph2P(O)CH2- oxygen. Overall, this work suggests that membrane interactions are important for the antifungal activity of these azoles and should be considered in the design of new therapeutic agents.

Tag SNP selection for prediction of adaptation traits in Braford and Hereford cattle using Bayesian methods.

This study utilized Bayesian inference in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify genetic markers associated with traits relevant to the adaptation of Hereford and Braford cattle breeds. We focused on eye pigmentation (EP), weaning hair coat (WHC), yearling hair coat (YHC), and breeding standard (BS). Our dataset comprised 126,290 animals in the pedigree. Out of these, 233 sires were genotyped using high-density (HD) chips, and 3750 animals with medium-density (50 K) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips. Employing the Bayes B method with a prior probability of π = 0.99, we identified and tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms (Tag SNPs), ranging from 18 to 117 SNPs depending on the trait. These Tag SNPs facilitated the construction of reduced SNP panels. We then evaluated the predictive accuracy of these panels in comparison to traditional medium-density SNP chips. The accuracy of genomic predictions using these reduced panels varied significantly depending on the clustering method, ranging from 0.13 to 0.65. Additionally, we conducted functional enrichment analysis that found genes associated with the most informative SNP markers in the current study, thereby providing biological insights into the genomic basis of these traits.

Characterization and Investigation of Risk Factors for Late-Relapsing Hepatitis After Yellow Fever.

BACKGROUND: Late-relapsing hepatitis after yellow fever (LHep-YF) during the convalescent phase of the disease has been described during recent yellow fever (YF) outbreaks in Brazil. LHep-YF is marked by a rebound in liver enzymes and nonspecific clinical manifestations around 46-60 days after YF symptom onset. METHODS: Here we have characterized the clinical course and risk factors for LHep-YF using data from a representative cohort of patients who survived YF in Brazil, 2017-2018. A total of 221 YF-positive patients were discharged from the infectious disease reference hospital in Minas Gerais and were followed up at 30, 45, and 60 days post-symptom onset. RESULTS: From 46 to 60 days post-symptom onset, 16% of YF patients (n = 36/221) exhibited a rebound of aminotransferases (aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase >500 IU/L), alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin levels. Other etiologies of liver inflammation such as infectious hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, and metabolic liver disease were ruled out. Jaundice, fatigue, headache, and low platelet levels were associated with LHep-YF. Demographic factors, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, ultrasound findings, and viral load during the acute phase of YF were not associated with the occurrence of LHep-YF. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide new data on the clinical course of Late-relapsing hepatitis during the convalescent phase of YF and highlight the need for extended patient follow-up after acute YF.

Looking Outside the Square: The Growth, Structure, and Resilient Two-Dimensional Surface Electron Gas of Square SnO2 Nanotubes.

Nanotechnology has delivered an amazing range of new materials such as nanowires, tubes, ribbons, belts, cages, flowers, and sheets. However, these are usually circular, cylindrical, or hexagonal in nature, while nanostructures with square geometries are comparatively rare. Here, a highly scalable method is reported for producing vertically aligned Sb-doped SnO2 nanotubes with perfectly-square geometries on Au nanoparticle covered m-plane sapphire using mist chemical vapor deposition. Their inclination can be varied using r- and a-plane sapphire, while unaligned square nanotubes of the same high structural quality can be grown on silicon and quartz. X-ray diffraction measurements and transmission electron microscopy show that they adopt the rutile structure growing in the [001] direction with (110) sidewalls, while synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals the presence of an unusually strong and thermally resilient 2D surface electron gas. This is created by donor-like states produced by the hydroxylation of the surface and is sustained at temperatures above 400 °C by the formation of in-plane oxygen vacancies. This persistent high surface electron density is expected to prove useful in gas sensing and catalytic applications of these remarkable structures. To illustrate their device potential, square SnO2 nanotube Schottky diodes and field effect transistors with excellent performance characteristics are fabricated.

Effect of Cisplatin and Its Cationic Analogues in the Phase Behavior and Permeability of Model Lipid Bilayers.

Increasing evidence suggests a critical role of lipids in both the mechanisms of toxicity and resistance of cells to platinum(II) complexes. In particular, cisplatin and other analogues were reported to interact with lipids and transiently promote lipid phase changes both in the bulk membranes and in specific membrane domains. However, these processes are complex and not fully understood. In this work, cisplatin and its cationic species formed at pH 7.4 in low chloride concentrations were tested for their ability to induce phase changes in model membranes with different lipid compositions. Fluorescent probes that partition to different lipid phases were used to report on the fluidity of the membrane, and a leakage assay was performed to evaluate the effect of cisplatin in the permeability of these vesicles. The results showed that platinum(II) complex effects on membrane fluidity depend on membrane lipid composition and properties, promoting a stronger decrease in the fluidity of membranes containing gel phase. Moreover, at high concentration, these complexes were prone to alter the permeability of lipid membranes without inducing their collapse or aggregation.

Better Together: Volatile-Mediated Intraguild Effects on the Preference of Tuta absoluta and Trialeurodes vaporariorum for Tomato Plants.

Plant-herbivore interactions have been extensively studied in tomato plants and their most common pests. Tomato plant chemical defenses, both constitutive and inducible, play a role in mediating these interactions. Damaged tomato plants alter their volatile profiles, affecting herbivore preferences between undamaged and damaged plants. However, previous studies on tomato volatiles and herbivore preferences have yielded conflicting results, both in the volatile chemistry itself as well as in the attraction/repellent herbivore response. This study revisits the volatile-mediated interactions between tomato plants and two of their main herbivores: the leafminer Tuta absoluta and the whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum. Tomato plant volatiles were analyzed before and after damage by each of these herbivores, and the preference for oviposition (T. absoluta) and settling (T. vaporariorum) on undamaged and damaged plants was assessed both after conspecific and heterospecific damage. We found that both insects consistently preferred damaged plants over undamaged plants. The emission of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) increased after T. absoluta damage but decreased after T. vaporariorum damage. While some of our findings are in line with previous reports, T. absoluta preferred to oviposit on plants damaged by conspecifics, which differs from earlier studies. A comparison of HIPVs emitted after damage by T. absoluta and T. vaporariorum revealed differences in up- or down-regulation, as well as significant variations in specific compounds (12 for T. absoluta and 26 for T. vaporariorum damaged-plants). Only two compounds, ß-caryophyllene and tetradecane, significantly varied because of damage by either herbivore, in line with the overall variation of the HIPV blend. Differences in HIPVs and herbivore preferences may be attributed to the distinct feeding habits of both herbivores, which activate different defensive pathways in plants. The plant's challenge in simultaneously activating both defensive pathways may explain the preference for heterospecific damaged plants found in this study, which are also in line with our own observations in greenhouses.

Optical switching a photon-avalanche-like mechanism in NdAl3(BO3)4 particles excited at 1064 nm by an auxiliary beam at 808 nm.

In recent years, an unconventional excitation of trivalent neodymium ions (N d 3+) at 1064 nm, not resonant with ground-state transitions, has been investigated with the unprecedented demonstration of a photon-avalanche-like (PA-like) mechanism, in which the temperature increase plays a fundamental role. As a proof-of-concept, N d A l 3(B O 3)4 particles were used. A consequence of the PA-like mechanism is the absorption enhancement of excitation photons providing light emission at a broad range covering the visible and near-infrared spectra. In the first study, the temperature increase was due to intrinsic nonradiative relaxations from the N d 3+ and the PA-like mechanism ensued at a given excitation power threshold (P t h ). Subsequently, an external heating source was used to trigger the PA-like mechanism while keeping the excitation power below P t h at room temperature. Here, we demonstrate the switching on of the PA-like mechanism by an auxiliary beam at 808 nm, which is in resonance with the N d 3+ ground-state transition 4 I 9/2→{4 F 5/2,2 H 9/2}. It comprises the first, to the best of our knowledge, demonstration of an optical switched PA, and the underlying physical mechanism is the additional heating of the particles due to the phonon emissions from the N d 3+ relaxation pathways when exciting at 808 nm. The present results have potential applications in controlled heating and remote temperature sensing.

Development of prebiotic yogurt with addition of green-banana biomass (Musa spp.).

This study evaluated the technological viability of yogurt with the addition of green-banana biomass (Musa spp.) considering the resistant starch (BBV) as a potential prebiotic ingredient and texture agent. Four yogurt formulations were prepared: control; 3% BBV; 5% BBV; and 10% BBV. They were subjected to analysis of resistant starch, lactose, fat, total dry extract, defatted dry extract, moisture, ash, proteins, pH and titratable acidity; syneresis analysis, instrumental texture and instrumental color. All four formulations met the requirements of the identity and quality regulation for fermented milks regarding the physicochemical and microbiological parameters. In the instrumental color analysis, in all treatments with added BBV, darkening was observed after 21 days, with a reduction of a* coordinate and an increase of b* coordinate. In the instrumental texture analysis, the yogurt in the Control treatment had the highest firmness (0.430 N) at 21 days among these treatments. Among the treatments with added BBV, the yogurt with 5% added BBV showed the best results for increasing the viability of lactic bacteria. It was found that yogurt with added BBV is a promising alternative in the elaboration of functional dairy products, adding value to the banana production chain by reducing the green fruit waste.

Influence of juvenile wood proportion on density and modulus of elasticity in softwood boards for structural use: a preliminary study.

Juvenile wood (JW) can influence the performance of structural boards since it presents lower physical and mechanical properties. This study aimed evaluate the influence of JW proportion on density and modulus of elasticity (MOE) on boards for structural use. Pinus taeda logs 30 years old, had growth rings manually counted (on the pith to bark direction), and the first six rings were painted with color red (0-6), followed by blue (6.1-12), orange (12.1-18), green (18.1-24), and yellow (over 24.1), successively, and cut into boards. The proportion of each color was obtained by analysis of the transversal areas of boards with software. MOE was obtained by a nondestructive test. Multiple linear regression models were applied with 5% of significance. The estimated MOE indicates that boards with at least 57% of orange and green colors (between 12.1 - 24 years old) can achieve the minimum MOE value for using as structural as well as boards without red color but with the presence of green and yellow can have MOE bigger than 7000 MPa. The study indicates a behavior tendency about which proportion and mixed colors can affect the MOE of the board to be classified as structural.

Reproduction of Meloidogyne morocciensis (Tylenchida: Meloidogynidae) in weeds found in Brazil.

Weeds can be hosts of root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne. The importance of the species Meloidogyne morocciensis parasitizing many crops is recognized, but their reproductive capacity in weeds is not known. The present study hypothesizes the ability of M. morocciensis to parasitize and reproduce in different weed species found in Brazil. The objective was to evaluate the reproduction of M. morocciensis in 36 weed species. The plants were individually inoculated with 5,000 eggs and second stage juveniles and kept in greenhouse for 60 days. The experimental design was completely randomized with twelve replications. The root system of each plant was evaluated for gall index (GI), final nematode population (PF), number of nematode/g of root (NNGR) and reproduction factor (RF). It was verified that M. morocciensis has the capacity to parasite 36 weed species belonging to 16 different botanical families, confirming the hypothesis proposed. From the 36 species evaluated, 77.8% (28) were susceptible (FR ≥ 1.0) to M. morocciensis. The present study is the first to identify different weeds as hosts of M. morocciensis, evidencing its polyphagous habit, indicating species of plants with high capacity to multiply this nematode and that need more attention during the integrated management of these pathogen.

Edaphic fauna in soil profile after three decades of different soil management and cover crops in a subtropical region.

This research evaluated the effects of long-term (30 years) winter cover crops under conventional farming system and no-tillage system on edaphic fauna in a Rhodic Hapludox soil, from Paraná State, Brazil. We used three winter cover crops (black oat, hairy vetch and fallow), and as a reference a fragment of natural forest. Soil monoliths were collected at two times, one during the flowering of maize (April 2013) and the other during the flowering of soybean (January 2014). The extraction of the monoliths was carried out in three layers in the soil profile (0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm). Seventeen taxonomic groups were sampled. The density of the edaphic fauna is inversely related to soil depth. The winter crops associated with the no-tillage system in long-term resulted in fauna densities similar to the natural environment, with a higher density (density increase of 2.2x) at a depth of 10-20 cm in areas with black oat. At 0-10 cm depth, black oat and vetch under no-tillage systems resulted in an increase of 62% and 69% (April 2013) and 46 and 44% (January 2014), respectively, in the density of soil fauna, when compared to the same winter crops in conventional farming system.

Omicron SARS-CoV-2 antiviral on poly(lactic acid) with nanostructured copper coating: Wear effects.

Surface modification corresponds to a set of viable technological approaches to introduce antimicrobial properties in materials that do not have such characteristics. Antimicrobial materials are important to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms and minimize the transmission of diseases caused by pathogens. Herein, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was decorated with nanocones through copper sputtering followed by a plasma etching. Antiviral assays by Quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) show that nanostructured Cu-coated PLA has high antiviral activity against Omicron SARS-CoV-2, showing a relative reduction in the amplified RNA (78.8 ± 3.9 %). Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and wear-resistance tests show that 20 wear cycles disrupt the surface nanocone patterns and significantly reduce the Cu content at the surface of the nanostructured Cu-coated PLA, leading to total loss of the antiviral properties of nanostructured PLA against Omicron SARS-CoV-2.

Analysis of the Underwater Radiated Noise Generated by Hull Vibrations of the Ships.

Shipping traffic is recognised as the main man-noise source of the anthropogenic noise generated in the marine environment. The underwater acoustic pollution is increased due to the increment of the human activity at seas supposing a threat for marine habitats. The ship as acoustic source must be understood and controlled to manage the maritime areas both in time and space to reduce the impact of noise in marine fauna. Shipping noise is mainly composed of flow noise, propeller noise and machinery noise. This research is focused on the analysis and estimation of the underwater radiated noise generated by the vibrations of the onboard machinery or structure-borne noise based on the calculation of the transfer function. This function relates the acceleration levels of the vibrations of the hull's panels and the radiated noise by them using the radiation efficiency. Different analytical methods to estimate the radiation efficiency are presented and compared with data collected at sea. The measurements are performed acquiring simultaneously acceleration and acoustic levels by means on accelerometers installed on the hull's panels at different positions and hydrophones deployed close to the bow, middle and stern of the ship. The analysis of the transmission of the vibrations along the ships is performed using the data from different locations of the hydrophones. The quality of the measurements is analysed using the coherence function through the spectral correlation between the measurement of vibrations and acoustic levels. On the other hand, signal-to-noise ratio is computed to verify the strength of the noise sources. The computed transfer function is used to predict the underwater radiated noise from vibrations showing differences less than 2 dB re to 1 µPa2.

Automatic Calibration of Microscopic Traffic Simulation Models Using Artificial Neural Networks.

Traffic simulations are valuable tools for urban mobility planning and operation, particularly in large cities. Simulation-based microscopic models have enabled traffic engineers to understand local transit and transport behaviors more deeply and manage urban mobility. However, for the simulations to be effective, the transport network and user behavior parameters must be calibrated to mirror real scenarios. In general, calibration is performed manually by traffic engineers who use their knowledge and experience to adjust the parameters of the simulator. Unfortunately, there is still no systematic and automatic process for calibrating traffic simulation networks, although some methods have been proposed in the literature. This study proposes a methodology that facilitates the calibration process, where an artificial neural network (ANN) is trained to learn the behavior of the transport network of interest. The ANN used is the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), trained with back-propagation methods. Based on this learning procedure, the neural network can select the optimized values of the simulation parameters that best mimic the traffic conditions of interest. Experiments considered two microscopic models of traffic and two psychophysical models (Wiedemann 74 and Wiedemann 99). The microscopic traffic models are located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. Moreover, we tested the different configurations of the MLP (layers and numbers of neurons) as well as several variations of the backpropagation training method: Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD), Adam, Adagrad, Adadelta, Adamax, and Nadam. The results of the experiments show that the proposed methodology is accurate and efficient, leading to calibration with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.8, when the calibrated parameters generate more visible effects on the road network, such as travel times, vehicle counts, and average speeds. For the psychophysical parameters, in the most simplified model (W74), the correlation coefficient was greater than 0.7. The advantage of using ANN for the automatic calibration of simulation parameters is that it allows traffic engineers to carry out comprehensive studies on a large number of future scenarios, such as at different times of the day, as well as on different days of the week and months of the year.

Denture cleanser effect on resilient liners with distinct optical characteristics.

PURPOSE: To evaluate denture cleansing solutions regarding the surface roughness and color stability of two resilient liners with distinct optical characteristics used for the maximum recommended period of use. METHODS: The specimens of each resilient liner, transparent and white, were randomly distributed into groups (n= 15) of a daily 20-minute immersion simulation of 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% sodium hypochlorite (SH) and 4% acetic acid solutions. Surface roughness (Ra) and color stability (ΔE CIELab formula and NBS systems) were measured after 7, 14, 21, 30, 60, 90, 180, and 270 days. The factors of variations analyzed were material, solutions, and time of immersion. Statistical analysis used three-way ANOVA and Tukey tests (Ra), and repeated measure ANOVA (ΔE and NBS systems), P< 0.05. RESULTS: For Ra analysis, the variations occurred regardless of time and solution, as the white liner showed the greatest changes (P< 0.001). Regarding interactions between solution and time, in the period of 21 days until 270 days, Ra was equivalent for all solutions (P= 0.001). ΔE analysis showed a difference between solutions (P= 0.000) and interaction between time and solution (P= 0.000). For the transparent liner, the greatest changes were found for 1% SH after 60 days, however, at 270 days there was a color change equivalence with 0.5% SH, while 4% acetic acid solution showed intermediate values. For the white liner, 1% SH showed the highest color changes for all evaluated times, and the other evaluated solutions were similar after 270 days. For both resilient liners, 0.25% SH showed the smallest changes for the evaluated properties. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The changes found were dependent on the concentration of the solution used, as well as the length of exposure to the solution. In addition, the white resilient liner showed to be less susceptible to color changes. For both resilient liners, 0.25% sodium hypochlorite showed the least changes for the evaluated properties.

Scientometric analysis and literature synthesis of 60 years of science on the Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara).

Here, the authors investigate the evolution of scientific literature on the Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest grouper species in the Atlantic. This species was considered threatened according to the IUCN for nearly three decades due to overfishing and has been protected from fishing in a large part of its range. For the purpose of evaluating the scientific production on an endangered species banned from fishing, the authors present a scientometry and synthesis review analysing the literature produced in the timeline and the content of their studies. To this end, they set up an almost 60-year literary database through the Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar platforms. They analyse the publication and knowledge area patterns over the time in the world and in Brazil. They also feature the main areas, locations, ecosystems and types of those research studies and briefly describe the main records found in each decade. An increase in the number of publications was observed from the 1990s onwards worldwide, and particularly in Brazil from the 2000s, coinciding with the pioneering legislations for species protection. Most of the studies were classified within ecology and conservation and took place in countries that implemented moratoriums and had extensive areas of mangroves. Thus, fishing moratorium, classification as endangered, mangroves distribution and conservation all play a role in the studies distribution and contribute positively to the knowledge, as well as support conservation strategies for the species and its ecosystems of occurrence.

Influence of image file and white balance on photographic color assessment.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: How the color parameters obtained from digital photographs may be influenced by illumination, file format, and subject color is unclear. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate color differences (ΔE00) and CIELab color coordinates among different types of file formats of dental shade tab images with and without white balance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Different shade tab colors (n=10) were photographed with a digital camera under standard conditions. The photographs were stored in RAW, JPEG, and TIFF file formats and evaluated with and without white balance (WB) adjustment by using an image software program and a gray reference card with known color coordinates. CIEDE2000 color differences between each image file format and the control group (RAW WB) were calculated, and interpreted by the visual perceptibility (PT00=0.8) and acceptability (AT00=1.8) thresholds. The ΔE00 color shift was defined according to CIEDE2000 lightness, chroma, and hue and interpreted by the following respective visual acceptability thresholds: 2.92, 2.52, and 1.90. The differences among the color coordinates were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Bonferroni post hoc tests (α=.05). RESULTS: The color coordinates presented statistically significant differences between the file formats and control group (P<.001). Excellent matches (ΔE00 ≤0.8) were observed on TIFF and JPEG saved from RAW-WB. Images without WB presented unacceptable mismatches (ΔE00 >5.4). ΔE00 color shift of images without WB were predominantly influenced by ΔH00, while JPEG, WB, and TIFF WB were mostly influenced by ΔC00. CONCLUSIONS: Only compressed JPEG or TIFF files of dental shade tabs derived from original RAW WB photographs were able to achieve color differences within the limits of the 50:50% perceptibility threshold, providing excellent color matches with the RAW WB files.

Role of Wnt signaling in synaptic plasticity and memory.

Ever since their discoveries, the Wnt pathways have been consistently associated with key features of cellular development, including metabolism, structure and cell fate. The three known pathways (the canonical Wnt/ß-catenin and the two non-canonical Wnt/Ca++ and Wnt/JNK/PCP pathways) participate in complex networks of interaction with a wide range of regulators of cell function, such as GSK-3ß, AKT, PKC and mTOR, among others. These proteins are known to be involved in the formation and maintenance of memory. Currently, studies with Wnt and memory have shown that the canonical and non-canonical pathways play key roles in different processes associated with memory. So, in this review we briefly summarize the different roles that Wnt signaling can play in neurons and in memory, as well as in Alzheimer's disease, focusing towards animal studies. We start with the molecular characterization of the family and its receptors, as well as the most commonly used drugs for pharmacological manipulations. Next, we describe its role in synaptic plasticity and memory, and how the regulations of these pathways affect crucial features of neuronal function. Furthermore, we succinctly present the current knowledge on how the Wnt pathways are implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and how studies are seeing them as a potential candidate for effective treatments. Lastly, we point toward challenges of Wnt research, and how knowledge on these pathways can lead towards a better understanding of neurobiological and pathological processes.