Chitin and its derivative, chitosan, have diverse applications in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and biosensors, amongst others. Extraction is primarily conducted from marine sources, such as crustaceans, which have been the focus of optimization process studies. However, there are other sources that are more readily available, such as insects, where insufficient research has been conducted. The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is a promising source for chitin extraction because of its high chitin content, availability, and short lifespan. Modern chemical chitin extraction methods have not been standardized due to the use of different reagents, molar concentrations, temperatures, and reaction times across publications. Therefore, in this study, the compositional analysis of Acheta domesticus cricket flour was determined: 2.62% humidity, 4.3% ash content, 56.29% protein, 13.35% fat, 23.44% carbohydrates, and 15.71% crude fiber content. After a drying, defatting, demineralization, deproteinization, and bleaching process, chitin extraction was performed, and chitosan was obtained via a deacetylation reaction. The demineralization process was standardized at 30ºC for 3 hours using HCl 2M, resulting in 95.85 ± 0.012%. The deproteinization process was optimized at 80ºC for 45 minutes using NaOH 2.56 M, yielding 46.37 ± 3.86%. Finally, the identity and physicochemical characteristics of the compounds were determined through characterization with FTIR, XRD, SEM and DSC.

Nitrogen is one of the most important macronutrients for crops, and in conjunction with artificial intelligence algorithms, it is possible to estimate it with the aid of vegetation indices through remote sensing. Various indices were calculated and those with a correlation ≥ 0.7 were selected for subsequent use in Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Artificial Neural Networks to determine their relationship with nitrogen levels measured in the laboratory. Random Forest showed no relationship, yielding an R2 of zero, whereas Artificial Neural Networks yielded the best results with an R2 of 0.93. Thus, it is reliable to estimate nitrogen levels using this algorithm by feeding it with data from TCARI, MCARI, TCARI/OSAVI, and MCARI/OSAVI, assisted by technological tools.

In this paper, we report a comprehensive and consistent annotation of the locus encoding the horse T cell receptor b-chain (TRB), as inferred from the most recent genome assembly. The horse TRB locus spans approximately 1 Mb, making it the largest locus among the mammalian species stud-ied to date, with a significantly higher number of genes related to extensive duplicative events. In the region, 136 TRBV, belonging to 29 subgroups, 2 TRBD, 13 TRBJ and 2 TRBC genes, were iden-tified. The general genomic organization resembles that of other mammals, with a V-cluster of 135 TRBV genes, located upstream of two in-tandem aligned TRBD-J-C clusters, and an inverted TRBV gene at the 3’ end of the last TRBC gene. However, the horse b-chain repertoire would be affected by a high number of non-functional TRBV genes. Thus, we queried a transcriptomic da-taset derived from splenic tissue of a healthy adult horse, using each TRBJ gene as a probe to ana-lyse clonotypes encompassing the V(D)J junction. This analysis provided insights into the usage of the TRBV, TRBD and TRBJ genes and the variability of the juxtaposition region. Our results clearly demonstrated that the horse β-chain constitutes a complex level of variability broadly like that described in other mammalian species.

Background: Peripheral Ossifying Fibroma (POF) is a benign gingival tumor generally presenting as a slow-growing mass, usually not ulcerated, and without bleeding. Histopathological exam shows fibrous connective tissue with spots or extensive areas of intralesional calcifications, which can also be detectable on radiograms. Methods and case presentation: We present the case of a 4-year-old male with a retro-incisive swelling of the hard palate, associated with speaking and feeding difficulties. On CT scans, a small intralesional calcification was detected. After conscious sedation, the patient was subjected to diode laser excision (910 nm, 2W, CW, 300 m fiber) with-out post-operative complications. A review was conducted by searching the words “peripheral ossifying fibroma” AND “children” OR “infant” and including manuscripts of the last 15 years. Results: POF is an uncommon lesion of the oral mucosa and may sporadically affect the palatal mucosa in children. Considering its epidemiology and conventional clinical presentation as epu-lis, the pre-operative diagnosis may be relatively difficult. Risk factors could be represented by plaque, calculus, or trauma, all supporting a possible reactive pathogenesis, but a certain etiology is still missing. The main problem of POF is the recurrence rate, which is particularly high (8-20%), thus suggesting that a deep excision is recommended with full extension to the hard tis-sue of bone and to the adjacent periodontal ligament. Diode laser surgery may be recommended for such treatments, especially in pediatric patients, associated with intraoperative conscious se-dation. Data emerging from the relevant literature on POF management in children have been collected and discussed. Conclusions: The authors suggest the use of diode laser for the complete excision of POF, especially in less-compliant patients as children, with a low grade of comorbidi-ties and good outcomes, giving the surgeon a viable alternative to conventional surgery.

Background: Metastatic tumors to the oro-facial tissues are rare, with an incidence ranging between 1% and 8% of all oral malignant tumors. Generally reported with a peak of incidence in the 5th–7th decades, but possibly occurring at any age, metastases may represent the first sign of an occult cancer or manifest in patient with an already known history of a primary carcinoma, mostly from the lungs, kidney, prostate, and colon-rectum in males, or uterus, breast, lung, and ovary in females. In the oro-facial tissues the sites mostly involved are the oral mucosa, gingiva/jawbones, tongue, and the salivary glands. Methods: A systemic Review of the literature on the oro-facial metastases from Renal Cell Carcinoma has been conducted by searching the most used databases, also focusing the attention on the Clear Cell histological variant, representing the most frequent one. Results: Among the 160 analyzed studies, 211 cases of oral metastases of renal cancer were found (148 in males, 70.1%; 63 in females, 29.8%), with an average age of 59.8 years. In almost 40% of cases, metastasis represented the first clinical manifestation of the primary tumor and 122 were histologically diagnosed as ccRCCs (57.8%). The tongue was involved in most of the cases (26% - 55 cases), followed by mandible (18.9% - 40 cases), gingiva (18.4% - 39 cases), maxilla (10.9% - 23 cases), parotid gland (10.4% - 22 cases), buccal mucosa (5.2% - 11 cases), lips (3.3% - 7 cases), hard palate (2.8% - 6 cases), soft palate, masticatory space and submandibular gland (0.9% - 2 cases), lymph nodes, tonsil and oral floor (0.4% - 1 case). Among the 122 ccRCCs (84 were males, 68.8 %; 38 females, 31.1%), with an average age of 60.8 years and representing in 33.6% the first clinical manifestation, the tongue remained the most involved site (25.4% - 31 cases), followed by the gingiva (17.2% - 21 cases), parotid gland (13,1% - 16 cases), mandibular bone (12.2% - 15 cases), maxillary bone (11.4% - 14 cases), buccal mucosa and lips (4.9% - 6 cases), hard palate (4% - 5 cases), submandibular gland and soft palate (1.6% - 2 cases), lymph nodes, tonsil, oral floor and masticatory space (0.8%. 1 case). The clinical presentation in soft tissues was represented by a fast-growing exophytic mass, sometimes accompanied by pain. Instead inn bone appeared as radiolucent lesions, with ill-defined borders and cortical erosion. Conclusions: Our data focus the attention on the incidence of Renal cancer Metastases in the oro-facial tissues. Their early identification surely represents a diagnostic challenge, especially when the clinical work-up is limited to the cervico-facial region. Nevertheless, early diagnosis and recently introduced adjuvant therapies may represent the key for better outcomes. Therefore, general guidelines about clinical and radiological identification of oro-facial potentially malignant lesions should be part of the cultural background of any dentists.

Introduction. Autopsy is a medical procedure that consists of the corpse’s examination to determine the cause of death and obtain information on pathological conditions or injuries present in the body. In recent years there has been a reduction in hospital autopsies and an increase in forensic autopsies. Material and methods. A retrospective observational study was conducted on the reports of all the 645 hospital autopsies performed at Polyclinic of Bari from 2006 to 2021.Results. Group A, 2006-2009, 174 cases were studied: 58% male, 58% adults, 55% neonatology, pulmonary disease was the cause of death in 23%, and 55% of discrepancy between clinical and autopsy diagnosis. Group B, 2010-2013, comprised 119 cases: 52% male, 46% infants, 48% neonatology, pulmonary disease was the cause of death in 25%, and 56% of discrepancy between clinical and autopsy diagnosis. Group C, 2014-2017, comprised 168 cases: gender equality, 37% infants, 25% gynecology, pulmonary disease was the cause of death in 24%, and 58% of discrepancy between clinical and autopsy diagnosis. Group D, 2018-2021 comprised 184 cases: 56% male, 38% adult, 32% gynecology, pulmonary disease was the cause of death in 27%, and 58% discrepancy between clinical and autopsy diagnosis.Conclusion. The study of hospital autopsies at the Polyclinic of Bari shows that the discrepancy between clinical and autopsy diagnosis is around 56.75%. Thus, the hospital autopsy is helpful in the modern age, especially for diagnosing fetal and neonatal diseases.

In the past thirty years, childhood obesity rates have risen significantly worldwide, affecting over 340 million children in affluent nations. This surge is intricately tied to metabolic disorders, notably insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the continually evolving spectrum of metabolic-associated (dysfunction) steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This review underscores the alarming escalation of childhood obesity and delves comprehensively into the evolving and dynamic changes of nomenclature surrounding diverse conditions of hepatic steatosis, from the initial recognition of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to the progressive evolution into MASLD. Moreover, it emphasizes the crucial role of pediatric endocrinologists in thoroughly and accurately investigating MASLD onset in children with T2DM where each condition influences and exacerbates the progression of the other. The review critically highlights the inadequacies of current screening strategies and diagnosis, stressing the need for a paradigm shift. A proposed solution involves the integration of hepatic magnetic resonance imaging assessment in the diagnostic arsenal for children showing insufficient glycaemic control and weight loss post-T2DM diagnosis, thereby complementing conventional liver enzyme testing. This holistic approach aims to significantly enhance diagnostic precision, fostering improved outcomes in this vulnerable high-risk pediatric population.

Klippel-Feil disease is a condition characterized by a defect in the spine, consisting in the fusion or non-separation of two or more vertebrae of the cervical tract. It usually affects 1 every 50.000 newborns, and the pathogenesis remains unknown to date, although the role of certain genes deputed in segmentation processes is being studied. A single case of gene Myosin Heavy Chain 3 (MYH3) mutation is described by researchers. Affected patients are often characterized by a relatively short neck and, therefore, poor mobility, a low hairline and obesity and may have other health problems of different nature. The frequent presence of comorbidities worsens the quality of life of these young patients. The following case describes the synergistic effect of Incobotulinum toxin type A and physiotherapy in a small patient with MYH3 mutation-related Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS) complicated by bilateral paraplegia, to improve the spasticity condition of the lower limbs. To assess improvements over time, the patient underwent rating scales to determine spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale: MAS), the neck’s range of motion (ROM), and muscle tone by using MyotonProÒ. Specifically, measurements were taken on the day of the first medical examination (T0), the month after the injection and the startup of therapeutic exercise (T1), at three months (T2), and then once a month for a total of 6 months (T3, T4 and T5). This therapeutic approach led to entirely satisfactory results with the child’s well-being, prolonged until the sixth month and with a total absence of any side effects.

The North Sea Offshore Grid concept has been envisioned as a promising alternative to: 1) ease the integration of offshore wind and onshore energy systems, and 2) increase the cross-border capacity between the North Sea region countries at low cost. In this paper we explore the techno-economic benefits of the North Sea Offshore Grid using two case studies: a power-based offshore grid, where only investments in power assets are allowed (i.e. offshore wind, HVDC/HVAC interconnectors); and a power-and-hydrogen offshore grid, where investments in offshore hydrogen assets are also permitted (i.e. offshore electrolysers, new hydrogen pipelines and retrofitted natural gas pipelines). We compare these scenario results with a business as usual scenario, in which offshore wind is connected radially to the shore and no offshore grid is deployed. All scenarios are run with the IESA-NS model, without any specific technology ban and under open optimization. This paper also presents a novel methodology, combining Geographic Information Systems and Energy System Models, to cluster offshore spatial data and define meaningful offshore regions and offshore hub locations. This novel methodology is applied to the North Sea region to define nine offshore clusters taking into account offshore spatial claims, and identifying suitable areas for single-use and multi-use of space for renewable energy purposes. The scenario results show that the deployment of an offshore grid provides relevant cost savings, ranging from 1% to 4.1% of relative cost decrease (2.3 bn € to 8.7 bn €) in the power-based, and ranging from 2.8% to 7% of relative cost decrease (6 bn € to 14.9 bn €) in the power-and-hydrogen based. In the most extreme scenario (H2) an offshore grid permits to integrate 283 GW of HVDC connected offshore wind and 196 GW of HVDC meshed interconnectors. Even in the most conservative scenario (P1) the offshore grid integrates 59 GW of HVDC connected offshore wind capacity and 92 GW of HVDC meshed interconnectors. When allowed, the deployment of offshore electrolysis is considerable, ranging from 61 GW to 96 GW, with capacity factors of around 30%. Finally, we also find that, when imported hydrogen is available at 2 €/kg (including production and transport costs), large investments in an offshore grid are not optimal anymore. In contrast, at import costs over 4 €/kg imported hydrogen is not competitive.

Lichen Amyloidosis (LA) is a type of cutaneous amyloidosis characterized by brownish hyperkeratotic and itchy papules on the lower leg, back, forearm or thigh. It is associated with itching and Atopic Dermatitis (AD) according to an etiopathogenetic mechanism that has not yet been fully elucidated. Currently, available therapies for this condition include oral antihistamines, laser, cyclosporine, topical corticosteroids and phototherapy, but in light of the overlap with AD, Dupilumab may also be indicated. We report the case of a female, 52 years old, suffering from AD and LA for about 27 years. She had lesions attributable to both diseases on the trunk and lower limbs associated with severe itching and had proved resistant to cyclosporine therapy. It was decided to opt for Dupilumab with induction of 2 fl of 300 mg and maintenance with 1 fl every other week. The therapy proved effective, returning a total resolution of both diseases one year after the beginning of the treatment. Dupilumab demonstrated efficacy and safety in LA related to AD and led to clinical and quality of life improvement in this patient. Therefore, Dupilumab should be considered when treating LA. Further studies should be conducted focusing on the efficacy of the drug on LA (whether or not related to AD), changes in skin lesions after discontinuation, and the safety of long-term application.

This study introduces a cybernetic control and architectural framework for a robotic fish avatar operated by a human. The behavior of the robot fish is influenced by the electromyographic (EMG) signals of the human operator, triggered by stimuli from the surrounding objects and scenery. An deep artificial neural network (ANN) with perceptrons classifies EMG signals, discerning the type of muscular stimuli generated. The research unveils a fuzzy-based oscillation patterns generator (OPG) designed to emulate functions akin to a neural central pattern generator, producing coordinated fish undulations. The OPG generates swimming behavior as an oscillation function, decoupled into coordinated step signals, right and left, for a dual electromagnetic oscillator in the fish propulsion system. Furthermore, the research presents an underactuated biorobotic mechanism of the subcarangiform type, comprising a two-solenoid electromagnetic oscillator, an antagonistic musculoskeletal elastic system of tendons, and a multi-link caudal spine composed of helical springs. The biomechanics dynamic model and control for swimming, as well as the ballasting system for submersion and buoyancy, are deduced. Experimental results encompass EMG pattern recognition, OPG, and coordinated fish locomotion, with additional topics illustrated through numerical simulations.

Breast cancer in patients with prior breast augmentation poses unique challenges for detection, diagnosis, and management. Mastectomy rates are increasing, and patients with prior augmen-tation often have a lower body mass index, making autologous techniques unsuitable. This study aims to assess the best reconstructive option in patients with a history of subglandular or dual plane breast augmentation. Materials and methods: a prospective analysis was conducted on pa-tients who underwent breast reconstruction after mastectomy. Patients with subglandular or dual plane breast augmentation were included. Patients were divided into submuscular breast recon-struction (group 2) or prepectoral breast reconstruction (group 1) groups. Demographic and sur-gical data were collected. Results: A total of 47 patients were included, with 23 in Group 1 and 24 in the Group 2. Complications occurred in 11 patients (23.4%), with significant differences be-tween groups. The most common complication was seroma formation. Implant loss occurred in 4.3% of cases in the Group 1, while no implant loss was observed in the Group 2. Patient-reported satisfaction scores were similar between groups at 12 months postoperatively. Conclusions: sub-pectoral breast reconstruction with a tissue expander seems a safer and effective technique for pa-tients with prior breast augmentation. It resulted in fewer complications. This approach should be considered as an option for breast reconstruction after mastectomy in this cohort of patients.

Inertial focusing based Lab-on-Chips represent nowadays a promising technology for cell sorting in various applications, thanks to their coherence with the ASSURED criteria recommended by the World Health Organization, being: Affordable, Sensitive, Specific, User-friendly, Rapid and Ro-bust, Equipment-free and Delivered. Inertial focusing in spiral microchannel can offer a rapid, portable and ease of prototyping solution for cell-sorting. In literature, different geometries of microfluidic channel have been investigated to understand how hydrodynamic forces, due to primary and secondary flow, influence particle focusing. The balancing of these forces in spiral microchannels allows for high throughput and filtration efficiency across different particle and sizes. The understanding of such mechanism represents a key aspect to address the prototyping of spiral devices for the target application. A clear, complete and orderly overview in the current literature is lacking. For this reason, we aim to compare the main features of inertial focusing depending on various cross-section (rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, hybrid) in spiral devices. Additionally, details about materials and prototyping techniques will be provided. This review study will provide readers a comprehensive overview of current research, guiding future ex-perimentation by expediting the selection of spiral geometries and materials based on the type of particle to be separated.

The study of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and other peripheral blood components (known as “liquid biopsies”) is promising and has been investigated especially in solid tumors. Nevertheless, it is increasingly showing greater utility in the diagnosis, prognosis, and response to treatment of hematological malignancies; in the future, it could prevent invasive techniques, such as bone marrow (BM) biopsy. Most of the studies about this topic have been focused on B cell lymphoid malignancies; some of them have shown that cfDNA can be used as a novel way for diagnosis and minimal residual monitoring in B cell lymphomas, using techniques such as next-generation sequencing (NGS). In myelodysplastic syndromes, multiple myeloma, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia, liquid biopsies may allow for an interesting genomic representation of the tumor clones affecting different lesions (spatial heterogeneity). In acute leukemias, it can be helpful in the monitoring of early treatment response and the prediction of treatment failure. In chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the evaluation of cfDNA permits the definition of clonal evolution and drug resistance in real-time. However, there are limitations such as the difficulty in obtaining sufficient circulating tumor DNA for achieving a high sensitivity to assess minimal residual disease or the lack of standardization of the method and clinical studies to confirm its prognostic impact. This review focuses on clinical applications of cfDNA on minimal residual disease in hematological malignancies.

Background: Depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle the athlete is in, some kinetic, physiological and fatigue variables will show differences. The aim of this study is to analyze whether there are changes in these variables over the course of the menstrual cycle. Methods: Eight regular female runners and triathletes performed a maximal treadmill test, as well as a submaximal test (6’ stages at 50%, 60% and 80% of maximal aerobic speed) in each of the phases of the menstrual cycle: bleeding phase (day 2.4 ± 0.7), follicular phase (day 10.4 ± 2.2) and luteal phase (day 21.8 ± 2.1). Running dynamics were measured (using RunScribe) at the end of each test, as were lactate concentration, heart rate and fatigue (evaluated on a scale of 0 to 5). Results: Higher shock (G) values were recorded in the bleeding phase and higher vertical spring stiffness (kN/m) in the follicular phase. The phase of the menstrual cycle had a significant effect on average and peak heart rate, which was significantly higher in the follicular phase. Conclusions: Higher vertical spring stiffness was observed in the follicular phase, as well as higher peak and average heart rate.

The human innate immune response to the pore-forming toxin of Vibrio cholerae VCC, is currently under study. Here, in vitro studies on a human macrophage cell line (THP-1), helped explore the activated pathways involved on the onset the innate immune response towards the cytotoxin. The secreted monomeric 65 KDa form interacts with mature macrophages in pg/ml concentrations, determined by dose response experiments after treatments under 1 h. Non vacuolating concentrations (pg/ml) were applied to the cells; immunoblots revealed activation of MAPKs: early overexpression of p38 and ERK. Cell lysis by release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was not apparent in the first hour, nonetheless it was positive after 24 h. Finally, to discern whether the VCC stimulates transcriptional activators via MAPKs pathway, NF-κB and AP-1 were studied by real time quantitation. Increased expression of p50 (NF-κB), cJun and cFos (AP-1) was observed. Given that NF-κB is the transcription factor initiating inflammation of innate immune response and in turn, AP-1 is responsible for cell surviving response, results from this study lead us to conclude that VCC in vitro treatments, induce a pro-inflammatory and a surviving response, in less than one hour on activated macrophages.

This work is part of an ongoing research project to develop an unmanned flying social robot to monitor dependants at home in order to detect the person’s state and bring the necessary assistance. In this sense, this paper focuses on the description of a virtual reality (VR) simulation platform for the monitoring process of an avatar in a virtual home by a rotatory-wing autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This platform is based on a distributed architecture composed of three modules communicated through the Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol: the UAV Simulator implemented in MATLAB/Simulink, the VR Visualiser developed in Unity, and the new emotion recognition (ER) System developed in Python. Using a face detection algorithm and a convolutional neural network (CNN), the ER System is able to detect the person’s face in the image captured by the UAV’s on-board camera and classify the emotion among seven possible ones (surprise, fear, happiness, sadness, disgust, anger or neutral expression). The experimental results demonstrate the correct integration of this new computer vision module within the VR platform, as well as the good performance of the designed CNN, with around 85% in the F1-score, a mean of the precision and recall of the model. The developed emotion detection system can be used in the future implementation of the assistance UAV that monitors dependent people in a real environment, since the methodology used is valid for images of real people.

Many historic buildings and monuments on the Salento Peninsula (Apulia, southern Italy) were built from locally quarried Miocene calcarenites belonging to the Pietra Leccese Formation (Late Burdigalian-early Messinian). The main facies consists of a homogeneous and porous biomicrite, pale yellow in color and fine- to medium-grained, very rich in planktonic Foraminifera and massive or thick-bedded in outcrop. Additionally, there are other facies among which Piromafo stands out for its aesthetic appearance, which is enhanced by its greenish-brown or greenish-grey colors. Its physical characteristics, in terms of thermal properties mainly due to the mineral content and fabric, make it a good refractory and insulation material. Piromafo occurs in the upper part of the Pietra Leccese Fm. and is repre-sented by a fine- to medium-grained glauconitic and phosphatic biomicrite with macrofossils, es-pecially Bivalves and Gastropods. Despite its important historical use as building and ornamental material, especially in the Roman and Baroque architecture, a research gap exists in the scientific literature describing the properties of the stone and their correlation. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present a wide range of properties useful to explain the in-situ behavior and damage susceptibility of the stone in monu-ments and buildings, but also for selecting preservation treatments and strategies. Thus, an overall assessment of the main petrophysical and mechanical properties especially for restoration/conservation purposes was performed using both standard and unconventional tech-niques. Starting from rock fabric inspection, particular attention was given to the relationship be-tween pore-size distribution and, hydraulic and thermal properties of the material. Unconfined compressive strength, flexural strength and indirect tensile strength were also estimated.

Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases in the urinary system and a highly aggressive neoplasm. The prognosis is not favourable usually and its evolution for particular patients is very difficult to find out. In this paper we propose a dynamic mathematical model that describes the bladder tumor growth and the immune response evolution. This model is customized for a single patient, determining appropriate model parameter values via model calibration. Due to the uncertainty of the tumor evolution, using the calibrated model parameters, we predict the tumor size and the immune response evolution over the next few months assuming three different scenarios: favourable, neutral and unfavourable. In the former, the cancer disappears; in the second a 5mm tumor is expected around the middle of August 2018; in the worst scenario, a 5mm tumor is expected around the end of May 2018. The patient has been cited around June 15th, 2018, to check the tumor size, if it exists.

Tumid Lupus Erythematosus has been the subject of heated debate as to its correct nosographic classification. In particular, its definition has changed over time, depending on the different studies performed. In this review we address the initial definition of TLE, the changes that have taken place in the understanding and placement within the classification of Lupus Erythematosus (LE), and focus on clinical, histopathological, immunophenotypical and differential diagnosis aspects.

Here we show how a recently-introduced method from algebraic topology, namely proximal planar vortex 1-cycles, might be helpful in detecting hidden features of the shapes and holes in images, therefore contributing to the solution of both cold and fresh forensic cases. In particular, we test the efficacy of this technique by assessing one of the most puzzling cases of recent history, i.e., Aldo Moro’s death. Terrorists of the Red Brigades claimed that they killed Moro when he was placed inside the trunk of a car,shooting him with a barrage of bullets. We demonstrate, based on the analysis of the photographs taken during the autoptic procedure, that the terrorist’s account does not hold true. Our results, showing different series of shots, point towards a three-step execution, with the first phasestaking place outside the car. In conclusion, the novel forensic analysis method introduced in this paper permits the evaluation of a collection of vortex cycles/nerves equipped with a connectedness proximity, which makes it possible to assess unexpected spatial clusters in photographs.

The stromal vascular cell fraction (SVF) of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and SAT) has increasingly come into focus in stem cell research, since these compartments represent a rich source of multipotent adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). ASCs exhibit a self- renewal potential and differentiation capacity. Our aim was to study the different expression of embryonic stem cell markers NANOG, SOX2 and OCT3/4 and to evaluate if there exists a hierarchal role in this network in ASCs derived from both SAT and VAT. ASCs were isolated from SAT and VAT biopsies of 72 consenting patients (23 men, 47 women; age 45 ± 10; BMI between 25 and 30 range) undergoing elective open-abdominal surgery. Sphere-forming capability was evaluated by plating cells in low adhesion plastic. Stem cell markers CD90 and CD105 were analyzed by flow cytometry and stem cell transcription factors NANOG, SOX2 and OCT3/4 were detected by immunoblotting and Real-Time PCR. NANOG, SOX2 and OCT3/4 interplay was explored by gene silencing. ASCs from VAT and SAT confirmed their mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) phenotype expressing the specific MSC markers CD90, CD105, NANOG, SOX2 and OCT3/4. NANOG silencing induced a significant OCT 3/4 (70% ± 0.05) and SOX2 (75% ± 0.03) down-regulation whereas SOX2 silencing did not affect NANOG gene expression. Adipose tissue is an important source of MSC, and siRNA experiments endorse a hierarchical role of NANOG in the complex transcription network that regulates pluripotency and plasticity.

This review explores the combination of renewable energy production and agriculture through agrivoltaic, with a focus on its impact on fruit crops. As the world seeks alternatives to fossil fuels, agrivoltaics offers a promising solution by integrating solar panels with farming practices. The study examines various agrivoltaic configurations with different fruit crops, emphasizing their influence on microclimatic conditions beneath the panels and the effects on crop produc-tion. In particular, it underscores the need for tailored solutions to balance energy yield and crop productivity and quality, with different shading levels affecting fruit quality/production. De-spite ongoing research, a comprehensive understanding of agrivoltaics' potential benefits and challenges remains crucial for its successful application and implementation in sustainable ag-riculture.

The goal of this study was to analyze the forest degradation in the Reserve for San Rafael National Park, Paraguay, during the period 2005-2019. This Reserve is one of the most important forest remnants of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest Ecoregion. A multitemporal analysis of degradation was carried out due to the occurrence of three disturbances: forest fires, a twister and illicit crops, using the Continuous Degradation Detection (CODED) algorithm, for which 3 factors were considered: variations due to pixel in the NDFI index values before, during and after every disturbance registered. In this context, the phenomenon with the greatest impact in terms of magnitude of degradation were the forest fires of 2005, being that year at the same time, the one that reported the highest degradation values. Secondly, there are the illicit crops established until the first semester of 2019, and lastly, the twister that occurred in 2017. Our findings demonstrate that CODED algorithm can detect multi-temporal degradation events in a Subtropical Broadleaf Forest, and the post-disturbance regeneration process after every disturbance tends to occur immediately. The response in terms of degradation-regeneration is highly variable, depending of the nature and severity of each disturbance and the vegetation recovery dynamics.

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo) is a seasonal vegetable with high nutritional and medical value. Many useful properties of this fruit are attributed to its bioactive compounds. Zucchini fruits (“Yellow” and “Light Green” varieties) and four distinctive components (lutein, β-carotene, zeaxanthin and dehydroascorbic acid)were selected. Firstly it was determinated the lutein, β-carotene, zeaxanthin and dehydroascorbic acid content in these fruits and then, in order to measure the safety and suitability of their use different assays were carried out: (i) Genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity tests to determine the safety and DNA-protection against hydrogen peroxide; (ii) cytotoxicity and (iii) DNA fragmentation assay to evaluate the proapoptotic effect. Results showed that: (i) all the substances were non-genotoxic, (ii) all the substances were antigenotoxic except the highest concentration of lutein, (iii) “Yellow” Zucchini epicarp and mesocarp exhibited the highest cytotoxic activity (IC₅₀ > 0.1 mg/mL and 0.2 mg/mL, respectively) and iv) “Light Green” Zucchini skin and pulp induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation . To sump up, Zucchini fruit could play a positive role in human health and nutrition due to this fruit and its components were safe, able to inhibit significantly the H₂O₂-induced damage and exhibit antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic properties toward HL60 tumour cells. The information generated from this research should take into account to select potential accessions for breeding programs purposes.

The aim of this prospective, randomized, clinical study was to evaluate the use of the pleth variability index (PVi) to guide the rate of intra-operative fluid therapy as compared with a traditional fixed fluid rate approach in ASA 1-2 dogs undergoing surgery. Twenty-seven dogs meet the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to conventional fluid management group (CFM, n = 12) or PVi-guided group (PVi, n = 15). The CFM group received a fixed rate of 5 ml kg-1 h-1 of crystalloid solution, while in the PVi group the rate was continuously adjusted based on PVi: PVi < 14% = 3 ml kg-1 h-1; 14% ≤ PVi ≥ 20% = ml kg-1 h-1; PVi > 20% = 15 ml kg-1 h-1. Hypotension (MAP < 65 mmHg) was managed in CFM with maximum two fluid boluses (5 ml kg-1 in 10 minutes) and in case of no response dobutamine (1-3 mcg kg-1 min-1) was administered. In the PVi group treatment of hypotension was similar except when PVi > 14% when dobutamine was directly initiated. The total fluid amount was significantly lower in PVI group (0.056 ± 0.027 ml kg-1 min-1) vs. CFM group (0.132 ± 0.115 ml kg-1 min-1), and hypotension incidence was lower (p = 0.023) in PVi group (0%) vs. CFM group (41%). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was significantly higher during surgery in the PVi group. Dobutamine was never administered in both groups. Preliminary data suggest that PVi may be considered a potential target to guide fluid therapy in dogs; larger studies are needed, especially in cases of cardiovascular instability.

In the ongoing shift towards electric vehicles (EVs) primarily utilizing lithium-ion battery technology, a significant population of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) remains operational, reliant on established NiMH battery systems. Over the last twenty years, these HEVs have generated a substantial quantity of NiMH batteries that are either inoperable, experiencing performance degradation, or approaching the end of their service life. This results in a twofold challenge: a growing volume of environmentally hazardous waste due to the difficulty of NiMH battery reclamation, and escalating maintenance costs for HEV owners necessitated by replacement battery purchases. Patent WO2015092107A1, published in 2015, proposed a "Method for regenerating NiMh batteries." This method claims the ability to restore NiMH batteries to their original functionality. However, a comprehensive review of relevant scientific literature fails to identify any empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of the regeneration technique detailed in the patent. Within this context, this paper presents a detailed analysis and evaluation of the feasibility of the aforementioned patented method. To achieve this objective, the authors propose a prototype constructed utilizing NiMH battery cells sourced from a Toyota Prius. The experimental results obtained from this prototype demonstrate the potential for battery regeneration using the proposed method. These findings offer a promising solution for mitigating the challenges associated with NiMH battery disposal and maintenance within the HEV domain.

Ovariectomy appears to be the best method to control the density of wild ungulate populations. The aim of the present study was to compare two surgical approaches, via the flank and midline, in mouflon’s ovariectomy in field conditions. Twenty female mouflons were enrolled in the study. The animals were divided randomly in two groups, Group F animals were gonadectomized via flank approach, while Group A animals were sterilized via linea alba access. The parameters evaluated were duration of surgery, duration of anaesthesia, recovery time, intra- and post-operative complications, intra-operative nociception and pain in the post-operative period. There were no intra- and post-operative complications. The evaluated parameters showed a very similar trend in both groups. Both techniques are found to be effective and safe in execution.

Background: Introduction of new technologies in the management of oral disease has revolutionized treatment approaches, offering less invasive options and improved patient outcomes. Among oral cavity diseases, sialolithiasis is the most common disorder of the salivary glands. It involves the formation of calculi or stones within the salivary ducts, primarily affecting the submandibular gland due to its tortuous duct and the alkaline nature of its saliva. In particular, Laser-assisted techniques have shown significant promise in enhancing the precision and safety in the management of sialolith removal. This article aims to present a case report and also explores the scientific evidence supporting these innovative methods, highlighting their benefits and limitations in clinical practice.; Methods: The research was conducted using PubMed and Scopus search engines with a combination of relevant keywords, including laser, laser-assisted, laser treatment in combination with sialolith, sialolith removal, and sialoadenectomy. Selected articles were carefully reviewed to identify studies reporting data on the effectiveness of laser-assisted sialolith removal; Results: The results of the literature review indicate a growing interest in the application of Diode Laser and CO2, with evidence suggesting improved clinical outcomes and reduced postoperative pain compared to traditional methods; Conclusions: Although lasers offer enhanced safety and reduced morbidity and bleeding, which ensures optimal visibility, their high cost and the need for specialized training are limitations. Further randomized clinical trials and longer follow-up studies are needed to better evaluate their use in sialolith removal.

The following article analyses the relationship between the mental health index and the variables of the Environment, Social and Governance-ESG model in the Italian regions between 2004 and 2023. The econometric analysis is aimed at investigating in detail the relationships between the mental health index and the individual components of the ESG model. The results are critically discussed

Tuberculosis (TB) associated with diabetes (DM) is a growing problem, particularly in low and medium-resource countries. We conducted an open-label, parallel-group, randomized, and controlled trial in a tertiary care center in Mexico City to assess TB preventive treatment with isoniazid (INH) or rifampicin (RIF) in people with DM. Participants were assigned six months of INH 300mg/day plus pyridoxine 75mg or three months of RIF 600mg/day. The primary outcomes were adverse events resulting in permanent treatment cessation and considered possibly or probably related to study drugs. We included 130 subjects, 68 randomized to INH and 62 to RIF. We prematurely halted the study based on recommendations of the Adverse Event Safety Panel. There was no difference between arms in the overall frequency of adverse events. However, the INH group had significantly more permanent treatment interruptions due to grade 2 recurrent or grade 3 or 4 hepatoxicity. In comparison, the RIF arm had more treatment interruptions due to grade 3 or 4 gastrointestinal intolerance. TB preventive treatment is not safe enough to be considered a universal indication to patients with DM and LTBI. These results underline the need to search for alternative TB prevention in DM patients with better safety profiles.

(max 200 words): The contamination of groundwater is a serious concern for ecosystems and human health. In this regard, biochar represents a promising low-cost and sustainable material for in-situ groundwater remediation. Herein, biochar waste of biomass energy production process derived from pine wood gasification at 950°C was used as active carbonaceous material in combination with different biopolymers: chitosan (CS), alginate (ALG), potato starch (PST), and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) to produce BC@biopolymer composite materials. Different concentrations of biochar (0.3–1.0 g·L-1) and biopolymers (0.2–20.0 g·L-1) were tested and blending mode was used as simple and straightforward strategy to obtain BC composites. Scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), UV-Visible, infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, specific surface area (BET method), pore volume, and pore size distribution (textural parameters), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ζ-potential were used to investigate the composite chemical structure, stability, and to assess the interaction among counterparts. On optimized formulations, breakthrough tests and batch adsorption isotherms on trichloroethylene (TCE) as a model contaminant were performed to evaluate the capability of composites to be delivered through a porous medium determining the transport properties, (hydrodynamic dispersion retention percentage, and adsorption capacity). This biopolymer-modified biochar holds significant promise as a sustainable and effective solution to address various groundwater pollution challenges.

This article explores the profound implications of Dr. Anthony Fauci's testimony before the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, where he admitted that key COVID-19 policies lacked scientific backing. By analyzing the foundation of these decisions, the piece delves into the broader issues of scientific evidence, hypothesis validation, and the societal consequences of implementing unverified measures. It raises critical questions about the role of scientific rigor and accountability in policy-making, urging a reflection on our approach to scientific inquiry and decision-making in public health.

Sarcopenia is an age-related condition that involves a progressive decline in muscle mass and function, leading to increased risks of falls, frailty, and mortality. Although the exact mechanisms are not fully understood, aging-related processes like inflammation, oxidative stress, reduced mitochondrial capacity, and cell apoptosis contribute to this decline. Disruption of the circadian system with age may initiate these pathways in skeletal muscle, preceding the onset of sarcopenia. At present, there is no pharmacological treatment for sarcopenia, only resistance exercise and proper nutrition may delay its onset. Melatonin, derived from tryptophan, emerges as an exceptional candidate for treating sarcopenia due to its chronobiotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Its impact on mitochondria, organelle where it is synthesized and crucial in aging skeletal muscle, further highlights its potential. In this review, we discuss the influence of clock genes in muscular aging, with special reference to peripheral clock genes in the skeletal muscle, as well as their relationship with melatonin, which is proposed as a potential therapy against sarcopenia.

K+ channels do play a role in cell shape changes observed during cell proliferation and apoptosis. Research suggested that the dynamics of aggregation of Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) into AQP4-OAPs isoforms can trigger cell shape changes in malignant glioma cells. Here, we investigated the relationship between AQP4 and some K+ channels in the malignant glioma U87 line. The U87 cells transfected with the human M1-AQP4 and M23-AQP4 isoforms were investigated for morphology, gene expression of KCNJ8, KCNJ11, ABCC8, ABCC9, KCNMA1, and Cyclin genes by RT-PCR, recording the whole-cell K+ ions currents by patch-clamp experiments. AQP4 aggregation into OAPs increases the plasma membrane functional expression of the Kir6.2 and SUR2 subunits of the KATP channels, and of the KCNMA1 of the BK channels in U87 cells leading to a large increase in inward and outward K+ ion currents. These changes were associated with changes in morphology with a decrease in cell volume in the U87 cells and an increase in the ER density. These U87 cells accumulate in the mitotic and G2 cell cycle. The KATP channel blocker zoledronic acid reduced cell proliferation in either M23 AQP4-OAPs and M1 AQP4-tetramers transfected cells leading to early and late apoptosis, respectively. BK channel sustains the efflux of K+ ions associated with the M23 AQP4-OAPs expression in the U87 cells, but it is downregulated in the M1 AQP4-tetramers cells; KATP channels are effective in the M1 AQP4-tetramers and M23 AQP4-OAPs cells. Zoledronic acid can be effective in targeting pathogenic M1 AQP4-tetramers cell phenotype inhibiting KATP channels and inducing early apoptosis.

The “circular bioeconomy” offers numerous opportunities for the health, cosmetic, and nutrition sectors through the potential reuse of Castanea sativa by-products. This abundant and sustainable resource provides valuable bioactive secondary metabolites with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. The transformation of these by-products into high-value products for human health can contribute to sustainable economic growth and reduce the environmental impact of traditional waste disposal practices, thus creating added value from previously underutilized resources. In the present study, we investigated the antioxidant capacity, phytochemical composition and in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of C. sativa burrs (CSB) aqueous extract. The spectrophotometric study yielded optimal total phenolic content (TPC) values, along with significant antioxidant and anti-radical properties. The utilization of UPLC-MS-MS techniques for phytochemical investigation resulted in the identification of a total of 56 metabolites, providing confirmation of the presence of phenolic compounds in CSB. In addition, CSB significantly downregulated pro-inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells without significant cell toxicity.

In this work, the first phytochemical analysis ever performed on the whole cone of Araucaria bidwillii Hook is presented. This was carried out by means of column chromatography, NMR spectroscopy and MS spectrometry on the female cone, evidencing the presence of forty metabolites, thirty-three of which are primary metabolites whilst the remaining are secondary metabolites. A chemophenetic evaluation was also performed reporting seven new compounds for the species. These results are important since they provide more information on the phytochemistry of this species and also underline the need to study more of its populations.

Health differences across socioeconomic strata have always pointed out that poorer and minorities have higher mortality and morbidity than richer and majorities. This difference is exacerbated for particular populations such as the victims of ongoing armed conflicts, who are also much harder to quantify due to the conflict itself. This study applies network analysis to a combination of three large administrative records for the health system and mortality records in the province of Risaralda (Colombia) between 2011 and 2016. It produces the most common causes of morbi-mortality for both victims of violence and the poorest inhabitants of Risaralda, defined as those who qualify as recipients of subsidies from the Colombian welfare program called SISBEN in the categories of highest need. Both populations show high morbidity frequencies for non-communicable diseases such as Type II diabetes, hypertension, and hyperglyceridaemia, mostly associated with exposure to unhealthy lifestyles. Additionally, the mortality outcomes reflect the different lifestyles and medical treatments of both subpopulations. While the poorest replicate the same causes identified for morbidity, the victims of armed conflict die of additional causes including Type II diabetes, which reflects the even worse conditions they face.

The Apennine sector formed by Sannio and Irpinia is one of the most important seismic districts in Italy, representing a good case of study due to the plenty of recorded earthquakes that have therein occurred from Roman times up to nowadays. We have merged the historical record and the new satellite techniques that allow a precise determination of ground movements, and then derived physical dimensions like strain rate. In this way, we have verified that in Irpinia the hazard of new strong shocks forty years after one of the strongest known seismic events in the district is still high. This aspect must be considered very important from many points of view, particularly for Civil Protection plans, as well as civil engineering and urban planning development.

As a prominent organizational issue there was limited evidence in the literature about the relationship between organizational strategy, workplace health, safety, and wellbeing, and performance measurement that demonstrate a measurable impact on organizational performance. Whilst the literature reports numerous studies into the relationship between employee engagement and performance, they hardly incorporate workplace health, safety, and well-being within this relationship. This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between organizational strategy, workplace health, safety, and wellbeing strategy, employee engagement, and strategy efficacy from a corporate perspective. Findings from Phase two, the online survey, revealed a seven-factor HSW Strategy framework. The workplace health, safety, and wellbeing strategy framework provide empirical evidence towards a suitable and valuable framework for high-risk businesses to improve individual and organizational performance.

The following article analyses the relationship between the mental health index and the variables of the Environment, Social and Governance-ESG model in the Italian regions between 2004 and 2023. First of all, a static analysis is proposed aimed at identifying trends relating to mental health in the Italian regions with indication of the regional gaps. Subsequently, a clustering with k-Means algorithm is proposed. Below is a comparison of 11 machine learning algorithms for predicting the performance of the mental health index. Finally, the article offers some economic policy suggestions. The results are critically discussed in light of the scientific literature.

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the major complications resulting from the implantation of a joint prosthesis. Staphylococci are responsible for more than 50% of prosthetic infections, about 20% can be polymicrobial, 15% are gram-negative and about 10% of cultures are negative. The complete eradication of the infection is extremely difficult. For a correct treatment is first of all useful to perform a clinical staging based on the anatomical location of the infection and on the immune characteristics of the host. However, regardless the area of infection, the role of the surgeon is crucial, firstly in terms of timing and secondly in assessing the degree of invasiveness of the infected and necrotic tissues required. The goal of the treatment must be to eradicate the infection ensuring the maximum functional result.

A new cocrystal salt of metformin, an antidiabetic drug, and N,N’-(1,4-phenylene)dioxalamic acid, was synthesized by mechanochemical synthesis, purified by crystallization from solution and characterized by single X-ray crystallography. The structure revealed a salt-type cocrystal composed of one dicationic metformin unit, two monoanionic units of the acid and four water molecules namely H2Mf(HpOXA)2∙4H2O. X-ray powder, IR, 13C-CPMAS, thermal and BET adsorption-desorption analyses were performed to elucidate the structure of the molecular and supramolecurar structure of the anhydrous microcrystalline mesoporous solid H2Mf(HpOXA)2. The results suggest that their structures, conformation and hydrogen bonding schemes are very similar between them. To the best of our knowledge, the selective formation of the monoanion HpOXA⁻, as well as its structure in the solid, is herein reported for the first time. Regular O(-)∙∙∙C(), O(-)∙∙∙N+ and bifacial O(-)∙∙∙C()∙∙∙O(-) of n→* charge-assisted interactions are herein described in H2MfA cocrystal salts which could be responsible of the interactions of metformin in biologic systems. The results, support the participation of n→* charge-assisted interactions independently, and not just as a short contact imposed by the geometric constraint due to the hydrogen bonding patterns.

Some of the European countries affected by COVID-19 have not learned from previous experience in China. Italy did not learn from China and Spain did neither learn from China nor from Italy. Confinement in Spain was postponed due to pressure from economic interests and traveling of infected people, especially from Madrid to the beaches in South-East Spain, was allowed. Strict confinement and border closure came late, when the curve of infected people and the death toll already had the worse trend worldwide. Tests to SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection by PCR, were first unavailable and, later, faulty and/or detecting antibodies and not the virus itself. Instead of mobilizing research laboratories for making tests, and instead of making masks and ventilators, mediatic scientists asked for money for controversial clinical trials and for obtaining a vaccine. In this scenario, common sense indicates that ad hoc measures should be taken at the end of confinement in order to minimize pain. The chain of errors should be avoided in the management of next pandemics by designing Good Practice Rules (GPRs). In addition, post-confinement measures should be implemented as soon as possible to be ready for SARS-CoV-2 return next season. In this sense a longitudinal study in the most affected cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Vitoria and Pamplona) should be performed with the primary objective of detecting carriers with no symptoms, to stratify patients according to symptoms, and to early detection of virus reappearance. Also relevant is to sequence as many viruses as possible to detect possible variants; there are still patients that are PCR positive.

Recently, several reports have emerged describing the long-term consequences of COVID-19 that may affect multiple systems, suggesting its chronicity. As further research is needed, we conducted a longitudinal observational study to report the prevalence and associated risk factors of long-term health consequences of COVID-19 by symptom clusters in patients discharged from the Temporary COVID-19 Hospital (TCH) in Mexico City. Self-reported clinical symptom data were collected via telephone calls over 90 days post-discharge. Among 4670 patients discharged from the TCH, we identified 45 symptoms across eight symptom clusters (neurological; mood disorders; systemic; respiratory; musculoskeletal; ear, nose, and throat; dermatological; and gastrointestinal). We observed that the neurological, dermatological, and mood disorder symptom clusters persisted in >30% of patients at 90 days post-discharge. Although most symptoms decreased in frequency between day 30 and 90, alopecia and the dermatological symptom cluster significantly increased (p<0·00001). Women were more prone than men to develop long-term symptoms and invasive mechanical ventilation also increased the frequency of symptoms at 30-days post-discharge. Overall, we observed that symptoms often persisted regardless of disease severity. We hope these findings will help promote public health strategies that ensure equity in the access to solutions focused on the long-term consequences of COVID-19.

Total edentulism is the loss of all teeth for any cause by a multifactorial process that involves biological and patient-related factors. Studies on edentulism and risk factors in Mexico are limited, and the epidemiological surveillance data is scarce and controversial since official governmental reports are not statistically representative of the country. We estimate the distribution for edentulism according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables in adults from a low-income state in 2003 and its progress in Mexico. We analyzed data from the National Performance Evaluation Survey in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the annual reports of the Epidemiological Surveillance System of Oral Pathologies in 2009-2019 using X². Oaxacan patients older than 75 y.o (17.9%, p<0.05), those with lower schooling (11.2%), and diabetes (14.5%) presented the highest percentage of edentulism. We do not observe differences in edentulism between sex or residence (p>0.05). From 2009 to 2019, country data reports the lowest rate of edentulism in adults over 20 y.o (0.32%; 95% CI 0.18%-0.48%) and the most affected population over 79 y.o. (7.29%; 95% CI 5.2%-9.30%). As it is a cumulative phenomenon, it is necessary to establish better surveillance, prevention, and treatment programs to improve the oral health of older thus reducing edentulism.

This article presents and discusses analytical data on the scientific publication record from 1910 to 2020 on two topics: "climate" and "climate change/global warming/climate emergency". The goal is to visualize how the publication record on these two topics has evolved over time, from different classification perspectives (year, country, source and organization). Three hypotheses are tested using data collected from Web of Science and various graphical representations of the data. It is found that research output related to the Earth’s contemporary changing climate overtook that of general climate research in 2011, and the publication ratio has been expanding in the last decade. There are significant differences in the publication countries and sources between the two topics, and conversely less significant differences in terms of organizations publishing these works. Differentiation factors that affect the level of research output and engagement on the climate challenge include: island versus landlocked nations, specialized versus general scientific journals, academic versus institutional organizations. The future of the publication records is discussed, such as the emergence of new terms to refer to the climate challenge, such as “climate emergency”.

The purpose of this finite element analysis (FEA) was to evaluate the stress experienced by both the prosthetic components and the bone in relation to varying cement thicknesses ranging from 20 to 60 μm, utilized in the attachment of a zirconia crown on a conometric cap. The study focused on two distinct types of implants (Cyroth and TAC, AoN Implants, Grisignano di Zocco, Italy) featuring a Morse cone connection. Detailed three-dimensional (3D) models were created to repre-sent the bone structure (cortical and trabecular) and the prosthetic components, encompassing the crown, cement, cap, abutment, and the implant. The two implants were placed in a 1.5 mm sub-crestal position and subjected to an inclined load of 200 N at 45° on the crown. The results re-vealed that an increase in cement thickness resulted in a reduction of von Mises stress on the cor-tical bone for both Cyroth and TAC implants, while the decrease in stress on the trabecular bone was relatively less pronounced. However, the TAC implant exhibited a higher stress field and de-formation in the apical area compared to the Cyroth implant. In summary, this study investigated the impact of cement thickness on stress transmission across prosthetic components and peri-implant tissues by means of FEA analysis, indicating that the 60 μm cement layer manifested higher stress values nearing the material strength limit.

Cryptocurrencies have now become an emerging blockchain-based payment technology. Users’ identities on such networks are pseudo-anonymous in that all transactions made from an address are transparent and searchable by anyone; to preserve their privacy, users often use many different addresses. In recent years, some studies have been conducted regarding analyzing clusters of Bitcoin addresses that, according to certain heuristics, belong to the same entity. Such action allows law enforcement to have relevant information in cases where cryptocurrencies are used for illegal trafficking. Clustering methods based on a single heuristic do not allow the clustering of many addresses in a complete and accurate manner. This paper proposes Bitcoin Address Clustering based on multiple Heuristics (BACH), a tool that uses three different clustering heuristics to identify clusters of Bitcoin addresses, which are displayed through a three-dimensional graph. Based on the results, several analyses were conducted, including a comparison with Wallet Explorer, an address clustering tool similar to BACH. BACH, in addition to introducing the innovative feature of graphical visualization of the internal structure of clusters, is shown to improve address aggregation through the joint use of three heuristics for clustering.

The growing need for water has pressured society and governments to focus more on preservation, planning and management of this natural resource, in which is fundamental to ecosystems and especially to humans. In this sense, the goal of this study was to analyze the national policy of water resources in Brazil and Italy, figuring out aspects that could promote its improvement, aiming at the preservation of water sources, guaranteeing satisfactory quantity and quality. They were carried out in 2019 by the environmental agencies of both countries, listing the main disciplinary regulations. The results show that although they are countries with different realities, they resemble similarities in managerial aspects of water resources, with legislation addressing qualitative and quantitative aspects of water, with guiding principles, instruments and actions aimed at the defence of this natural resource.

This analytical cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the association between glycemic control and peripheral arterial disease in patients with diabetic foot with more than ten years of evolution of diabetes mellitus who attended the diabetic foot outpatient clinic of the Guillermo Almenara National Hospital between June 2015 and February 2017. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were used to diagnose glycemic control and peripheral arterial disease, respectively. A generalized Poisson log-linear regression model was used to calculate the crude (cPR) and adjusted (aPR) prevalence ratios, with 95% confidence intervals, and a significance level of p < 0.05. 226 patients were included in the study, finding 23% (n=52) with good glycemic control, and 44.7% (n=101) with peripheral arterial disease. The adjusted model found statistically significant associations for glycemic control, age, and sedentary lifestyle with peripheral arterial disease. Compared with patients with good glycemic control, those with poor glycemic control had a 34% higher probability of presenting peripheral arterial disease (aPR: 1.34, 95%CI: 1.01-1.79, p=0.045). The prevalence of good glycemic control in the population with diabetic foot is low. Poor glycemic control was found to be independently associated with the presence of peripheral arterial disease.

Different polyurethanes (PUs) were synthesized with polycarbonate polyols of molecular weights 500, 1000 and 2000 Da. Their self-healing abilities at 20 °C were tested and their structural, thermal, and mechanical properties were analyzed. The PUs made with polycarbonates of molecular weights 500 (YC500) and 1000 Da (YC1000) exhibited self-healing at 20 °C and the self-healing time of YC1000 was the shortest. The high mobility of the short polymeric chains, the absence of crystallinity and the low degree of micro-phase separation favored self-healing at 20 °C in YC500. However, the presence of tack and the existence of allophanate species and urethane-carbonate and urea-carbonate hydrogen bonds disfavored self-healing. Consequently, the self-healing time at 20 °C of YC500 was longer than expected. On the other hand, YC1000 exhibited an “equilibrium” between the urethane-carbonate and urea-carbonate hydrogen bonds and carbonate-carbonate interactions among the soft segments, so a particular structural order was produced which was associated to its fastest self-healing at 20 °C. The PU made with the polycarbonate of molecular weight 2000 Da did not exhibit self-healing at 20 °C because its significant micro-phase separation and the presence of semi-crystalline soft domains.

Two polyurethanes (PUs) were similarly synthesized by reacting a cycloaliphatic isocyanate with 1,4 butanediol and two polyols of different nature (polyester, polycarbonate diol) with molecular weights of 1000 Da. The PU made with polycarbonate diol polyol (YCD) was the only showing intrinsic self-healing at 20 °C. For assessing the mechanism of intrinsic self-healing of YCD, a structural characterization by molecular weights determination, infrared and X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was carried out. It was concluded that the self-healing at 20 °C of YCD was due to non-covalent dynamic exchange interactions among the carbonate groups of the soft segments. Therefore, the chemical nature of the polyol played a key role in developing PUs with intrinsic self-healing at 20 °C.

Climate change affects water resources through the decrease of rainfall and the increase in temperatures and evapotranspiration. An indirect impact of climate change is also the increase of water uses by human activities. In this review, 320 papers were retrieved, of which 134 spanning five continents impacts and solutions to be used to better understand the effects of climate change on water resources, ecosystems, human health, security and socio-economic aspects were selected. Here, suggestions and proposals by scientists from around the world towards solutions, tips and ideas to deal with climate change and the best solutions for future water management were presented. The main solutions highlighted concern integrated water resources management, political direction, policies, increase in knowledge and new technologies. Furthermore, most of the papers analyzed underline that water resources management needs to incorporate protection and restoration of ecosystems and their services. Nature-based solutions need to be the starting point of new scientific and innovative ways to deal with climate change and towards future climate adaptation. In this complex evolution of the water resource, where is the management of the water resource in Italy going?

Stress during a pandemic increased the risk of alcohol consumption, which may require pharmacological management. The characteristics of emergency calls for alcohol-related issues for patients pharmacologically treated, admitted to, or not admitted to the emergency department (ED) were analyzed. An observational single-center retrospective study was conducted from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021, and divided into 2-year periods (2018–2019 and 2020–2021). This study focused on calls to one of the EDs of seven hospitals in the Bari (Italy) metropolitan area for patients requiring emergency services (ES) who were either admitted or not admitted, due to their refusal. A 30% reduction in emergency calls for alcohol-related issues and a 41.17% reduction in calls for patients who refused to be admitted to the ED were observed during the pandemic. During the pandemic, a reduced rate of pharmacological treatment for calls coded green (non-critical), and an increase in calls coded yellow (fairly critical) and red (very critical) were recorded. Metadoxine was administered in almost all alcohol-related emergencies, primarily in conjunction with drugs acting on the gastrointestinal tract, irrespective of age, the period considered, and whether patients were admitted or not admitted to the ED. ES is the first and only out-of-hospital service encountered by numerous patients with alcohol-use disorders who refuse to be admitted to the ED. These patients should be directed by ES personnel to a multidisciplinary program to receive treatment for drinking, improve their quality of life, and reduce sanitation costs.

The nutritional composition of food for animal production can be completed using olive tree and plant by-products due to their high contents of bioactive compounds, such as pentacyclic triterpenes. Here, we present a novel application of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the prediction of the total or individual [maslinic acid (MA), oleanolic acid (OA), and uvaol (UO)] pentacyclic triterpene concentrations in a feed additive obtained from a plant mixture. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity of these types of samples demonstrated the existence of a high antioxidant capacity. The conventional determination methods of pentacyclic triterpenes concentration are costly, labor-intensive, and not practical for analyzing several lines within a limited timeframe at the factory level. The optimal regression model developed in our work demonstrated high correlation values for the calibration and validation sets, along with a high residual prediction deviation value. The NIRS method can be applied directly to dried powder and avoids extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Our results also demonstrate that NIRS can accurately quantify pentacyclic triterpenes even at low concentrations in food additives. It can be used at the factory level to directly determine the concentrations in the additive powder obtained at the same time that the powder is produced.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the cross-linguistic influence of previously learned languages and working memory capacities on the vocabulary performance of two different typological languages. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare the working memory capacities of bilingual adults in relation to the vocabulary performance of two different languages never learned by the participants, and (2) to analyze to what extent the typology of previously learned languages influences working memory capaci-ties in relation to the vocabulary performance of French and Nahuatl. A group of 43 Mexican-Spanish college students participated in this experimental study. The participants completed a series of working memory tasks in Nahuatl and French. The results showed that working memory capacities were lower in Nahuatl than in French. Thus, a correlation was found between their first and second language and vo-cabulary performance in French. We can consider the influence of previously learned languages as a significant factor in vocabulary acquisition in accordance with the participants' working memory capacities.

Legacy mining industry has left a large number of tailings ponds exposed to water and wind erosion that causes serious environmental and health problems. Prior to rehabilitation actions a deep sampling of the materials infilling the pond used to be necessary. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to demonstrate the usefulness of the Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) method as a non-invasive tool to determine the physicochemical composition of mine tailings ponds, enabling more efficient and low-cost surveys. To achieve this objective, three ERT profiles and three boreholes in each profile were carried out, from each borehole three waste samples from differents depths were collected and a geochemical characterization of the samples was carried. In order to estimate the composition of the infilling wastes in tailing ponds from electrical resistivity measures, several regression models were calculated for different physicochemical properties and metal concentrations. As a result, a high resistivity area was depicted in profiles G2 and G3 while a non-resistive area (profile G1) was also found. Relationships among low resistivity values and high salinity, clay content and high metal concentrations and mobility were established. Specifically, calibrated models were obtained for electrical conductivity, particles sizes of 0.02-50 µm and 50-2000 µm, total Zn and Cd concentration, and bioavailable Ni, Cd and Fe. Therefore, the ERT technique could be considered as a useful tool for mine tailings ponds characterization, and it can be used to estmate some physicochemical properties and metal concentrations of this mine waste.

Cyclooxygenases (COX), or prostaglandin endoperoxide synthases (PTGS), are key enzimes in the synthesis of prostaglandins, which are chemical species critical in mediating inflammatory processes. There are two highly homologous COX isoforms: COX-1 and COX-2. COX-1 is involved in the production of prostaglandins, chemical compuounds that take part in physiological processes such as: protection of the gastric epithelium, maintenance of renal flow, platelet aggregation, neutrophil migration and, also, are expressed in the vascular endothelium. Meanwhile, COX-2 is induced by proinflammatory stimuli. It is very frequent the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to counteract the symptoms of inflammatory processes. These drugs, in addition to its benefits, can cause side effects on people’s health, such as cardiovascular and respiratory problems, among others. In the past years, it has been recognized the potential of plants secondary metabolites as pharmacological agents, prompting the need for investigations that shed light into its mechanism of action. In this work we have applied computational techniques, based on quantum chemistry and mechanical statistics, to study the protein-ligand interaction involving COX’s and secondary metabolites from natural sources. Our aim is to determine the structure activity interplay in processes involving the participation of secondary plant metabolites such as luteolin, galangin, kaempferol, apigenin, morine and quercetin on the inactivation of COX’s. From molecular docking analysis, we have extracted the energetics of the COX-(1,2)/metabolite coupling. By defining energy based factors, we have determined a procedure that predicts the chemical species with highest stability and selectivity towards inactivation of COX-2 over COX-1. The results are discussed with regard to conformational features of the selected ligands and its intermolecular strong/weak interactions inside the active-sites of the COX’s hosts.

Cisplatin (CDDP) is widely used to treat several types of cancer. However, CDDP induces nephrotoxicity. This toxicity could be avoided, applying a lower cisplatin dose; however, it could induce a lesser therapeutic activity. In this paper, we present the cytotoxic activity against prostate human cancer cell line (PC-3) of the combination of CDDP with masticadienonic acid (MDA), a triterpene isolated from Amphypterygium adstringens.The combinations A (half of the IC₅₀), B (IC₅₀) and C (twice IC₅₀ of the compounds) in a radio 1:1 were evaluated. Our results showed that the B and C combinations presented synergism effect. However, B combination showed almost 100% inhibition of cell proliferative activity and increased apoptosis compared with those presented by each compound apart. A pretreatment of MDA 24 h to cells before the CDDP, AMD or B combination administration result in a resistance to the treatments. A xenograft study using PC-3 cells showed that the combination of 47.5 mM/kg (AMD) plus 4 mM/kg (CDDP) administered weekly for 3 weeks reducing the tumor volume in approximately 47 %. However, the combination of 47.5 mg/kg (AMD) plus 2 mg/kg (CDDP) administered every third day for 21 days reduce, approximately 82% of tumor compared with mice no treated.

Recently, the conformable derivative and its properties have been introduced. In this paper, we propose and prove some new results on conformable Boundary Value Problems. First, we introduce a conformable version of classical Sturm´s separation, and comparison theorems. For a conformable Sturm-Liouville problem, Green's function is constructed, and its properties are also studied. In addition, we propose the applicability of the Green´s Function in solving conformable inhomogeneous linear differential equations with homogeneous boundary conditions, whose associated homogeneous boundary value problem has only trivial solution. Finally, we prove the generalized Hyers-Ulam stability of the conformable inhomogeneous boundary value problem.

This review presents an updated overview of research concerning Leishmania protein structures, primarily sourced from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), that play a role in the metabolic pathways of the Leishmania parasite. Furthermore, we assess the current progress in the identification and development of bioactive chemical agents aimed at addressing this substantially overlooked tropical disease. We have analyzed experimental data obtained from in vitro, in vivo and in silico sources. This data has been categorized into four main areas: a) vector taxonomy and geographic distribution; b) parasite taxonomy and geographic distribution; c) enzymatic functions of proteins engaged in parasite/host interactions throughout various developmental stages (such as oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases, ligases, and cytokines); and d) established and experimental treatments employing bioactive chemical compounds. Our objective is to establish a foundational point of reference for research efforts concentrating on the elucidation of interaction mechanisms and the processes of ligand-protein activation/inactivation, specifically linked to Leishmania infections. Consequently, we emphasize enzymes recognized for their involvement in the biochemical pathways incited during Leishmania infection episodes. This review encapsulates the current understanding, offering insights to inform and direct future explorations aimed at targeting proteins and pathways to enhance the management of Leishmania-related diseases.

Background: Neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) have a variable decline in cognitive function, while loneliness was associated with cognitive impairment and increased dementia risk. In the present study, we examined the associations of loneliness with functional and cognitive status in patients with minor (mild cognitive impairment) and major NCDs (dementia). Methods: We diagnosed mild NCD (n=42) and major NCD (n=164) through DSM-5 criteria on 206 participants aged>65 years using the UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3) to evaluate loneliness, the activities of daily living (ADL) and the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scales to measure functional status, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to assess cognitive functions. Results: In a multivariate regression model, the effect of loneliness on cognitive functions was negative in major (=-1.05-p<.0001) and minor NCD (=-0.06-p<.01). In the fully-adjusted multivariate regression model (sex-age-education-multimorbidity-depressive symptoms-antidementia drug treatment), the effect of loneliness remained negative for major NCD and became positive for minor NCD (=0.09-p<.001). The effect of loneliness on IADL (=-0.26-p<.0001) and ADL (=-0.24-p<.001) showed a negative effect for major NCD across the different models, while for minor NCD, the effect was positive (IADL:=0.26-p<.0001-ADL:=0.05-p=0.01). Minor NCD displayed different levels of MMSE (=6.68-p<.001), but not ADL or IADL, compared to major NCD for the same levels of loneliness. MANOVA pill’s test suggested a statistically significant and different interactive effect of loneliness on functional and cognitive variables between minor and major NCDs. Conclusions: We confirmed the relationships between loneliness and cognitive and functional status in major NCD, observing a novel trend in minor NCD.

The enhanced multi-objective symbolic discretization for time series (eMODiTS) method employs a flexible discretization scheme using different value cuts for each non-equal time interval, which requires a computational cost for evaluating each objective function. Therefore, surrogate models were implemented to minimize this disadvantage. Nevertheless, each solution found by eMODiTS is a different-sized vector, so the surrogate model must be able to handle data sets under this characteristic. Consequently, this work's contribution lies in analyzing the surrogate models' implementation on the time series discretization, where each potential scheme is a real-number different-sized vector. For this reason, the surrogate model proposed was k-nearest Neighbors for regression with Dynamic Time Warping as a distance measure. Results suggest our proposal finds a suitable approximation to the final eMODiTS solutions with a functions evaluation reduction rate between 15% and 95%. However, according to Pareto front performance measures, the proposal Pareto front is competitive compared to the eMODiTS Pareto front, reaching an average Generational Distance (GD) between 0.0447 and 0.0536. Moreover, the average Hypervolume Ratio (HVR) ranges between 0.334 and 0.3891. Finally, our proposal compared against SAX-based methods presents a similar behavior regarding classification tasks and statistical tests.

The study of rare diseases is important not only for the individuals affected but also for the advancement of medical knowledge and a deeper understanding of human biology and genetics. The wide repertoire of structural information now available from reliable and accurate prediction methods provides the opportunity to investigate the molecular origins of most of the rare diseases reviewed in the Orpha.net database. Thus, it has been possible to analyze the topology of the missense mutations found in the 2,535 proteins involved in Mendelian rare diseases (MRD), which form the database for our structural bioinformatics study. The amino acid substitutions responsible for MRD show different mutation site distributions at different three-dimensional protein depths. We then predicted the depth-dependent effects of mutations for the 20,248 pathogenic variants that are present in our database. The results of this structural bioinformatics investigation are relevant, as they provide additional clues to mitigate the damage caused by MRD.

B chromosomes (B) are supernumerary elements found in many taxonomic groups. Most B chromosomes are rich in heterochromatin and composed of abundant repetitive sequences, especially transposable elements (TEs). Bs origin is generally linked to the A chromosome complement (A). The first report of a B chromosome in African cichlids was on Astatotilapia latifasciata, which can harbor 0, 1 or 2 B chromosomes. Classical cytogenetics studies found high TE content on the species B chromosome. In this study, we aim to understand TE composition and expression on A. latifasciata genome and its relation to the B chromosome. We use bioinformatics analysis to explore TEs genome organization and also their composition on the B chromosome. Bioinformatics findings were validated by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and real-time PCR (qPCR). A. latifasciata has a TE content similar to other cichlid fishes and several expanded elements on its B chromosome. With RNA sequencing data (RNA-seq) we showed that all major TE classes are transcribed in brain, muscle and male/female gonads. The evaluation of TE expression between B- and B+ individuals showed that few elements have differential expression among groups and expanded B elements were not highly transcribed. Putative silencing mechanisms may the acting on the B chromosome of A. latifasciata to prevent adverse consequences of repeat transcription and mobilization in the genome.

Western countries are experiencing an increasing aging population, resulting in heightened disability and mobility issues. This trend is expected to escalate in the coming decades. Therefore, ensuring adequate accessibility in collective residential housing –where individuals spend much of their daily lives– is of paramount importance. This paper presents a case study focused on the accessibility of building entrances in collective residential housing in Southeast Spain, specifically in the Region of Murcia. In this region, 9.8% of the population has disabilities, and 15.75% were over 64 years old in 2020. The study began by compiling the relevant national and regional accessibility regulations for existing buildings. Subsequently, extensive fieldwork was conducted, analyzing 150 collective residential housing buildings. Based on this analysis, a set of recommendations to enhance accessibility was formulated for buildings not complying with the regulations. The results are presented and discussed in detail. The most frequent recommendation was the construction of accessible ramps, identified as the primary solution in over 40% of cases, either alone or in conjunction with other measures. In 54% of the cases, multiple interventions were necessary to achieve effective accessibility adaptation. The findings of this study could inform the development of public policies aimed at improving accessibility conditions in urban areas.

After brings about a brief review of the theoretical explanations and researches on the reasons for being a victim, this article is organized into two sections. The first presents a comparative analysis of the data for 1999 and 2016 in terms of perceptions, profiles and most significant sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables. The second one shows an explanatory analysis based on a multivariate logistical regression model using as an independent variable lifestyle of the population and socioeconomic variables, and as dependent variables individual’s susceptibility to becoming a victim of certain crimes. The results points towards an explanatory model of victimization in which sociodemographic variables play an increasingly less important role while variables related to lifestyle and subjective perceptions make a significant contribution to greater understanding of the nature of being the victim of a crime.

In recent years, Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ACVD), Obesity and Diabetes, have increase exponentially worldwide. In the present work, we evaluate the genoprotective effect of consuming a flavonoids-rich chocolate and the improvement in the biochemical parameters related to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular risk and metabolic syndrome in young Mexican adults. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was undertaken in the Autonomous University of Baja California. The treatments were a daily intake of 2 grams of dark chocolate containing 70% cooca or milk chocolate. Total phenolic compounds and flavonoids were evaluated in both chocolates. Anthropometrical and Biochemical parameters were measured in the 84 participants before and after the study. Buccal epithelial genotoxicity was also evaluated from the beginning to the end of the experiment in the participants. Result suggested that flavonoids of cocoa intake have protective effects against DNA damage, and Biochemical parameters (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol level in blood) and anthropometrical parameters (waist circumference) were also improved after six months of daily intake of 2 grams of dark chocolate with a 70% of cocoa.

The use of wind energy has been developing fast over the last years. The global cumulative wind power capacity increased by 10.5% in 2019, most of which comes from onshore wind farms. One of the consequences of this continuous increase is the use of land for onshore wind farms. There are already cases worldwide where lack of well-established plans and strategies have caused delays in projects. The need for efficiently using land for wind farms will be mandatory in the short term. In this work, we present a numerical analysis to evaluate wind farm land-use. By defining the ratio between mechanical output power over an area as a parameter called land-use ratio, this work focused on comparing several cases of aligned and staggered layouts. Mechanical output power was estimated using a validated code based on Blade Element Momentum code, and the wake velocities and wake interaction effects were estimated using a validated wind turbine CFD model. In terms of output power, staggered designs are more efficient than aligned designs. However, the results showed that even though staggered designs produced higher output power, aligned farms with tight lateral spacing could be as efficient as staggered ones in terms of land-use but using fewer turbines. In summary, tightly aligned designs should be a tendency in the future towards efficient use of land in wind farms.

This paper presents a novel improvement of MuSIASEM (Multiscale Integrated Analysis of the Societal and Ecological Metabolism) by incorporating a new regional analysis of the electricity metabolism across levels. An analysis of Mexico illustrates this toolkit and shows that the industry sector had Economic Energy Intensity (EEI) with 40.3 MWh/MMXN reached a higher value than the commerce and services sector with 0.84 MWh/MMXN. Regarding the Economic Labor Productivity (ELP) indicator (AV/h), the industrial sector with 208.5 TMXN/Kh reached a higher value than the Commercial and services sector with 114.3 TMXN/Kh. With reference to the Exosomatic Metabolic Rate (EMR), the Household sector obtained 59.3 KWh/Kh whereas the paid sector reached 2,486.4 KWh/Kh. Disaggregation of the EMR indicator into economic sectors shows that the Industrial sector obtained 8.4 KWh/Kh and the commercial and services sector reached 0.10 KWh/Kh. The lack of complete data for the agricultural sector does not allow us to calculate EEI, ELP, and EMR indicators accurately. Considering the analysis of indicators by regions, regarding the EEI rate, the Central region had the lowest value with 12.7 MWh/MMXN, followed by the Northeast with 21.4 MWh/MMXN and Western with 29.4 MWh/ MMXN, which means that they require less electricity to produce more added value. In terms of the ELP indicator, it was found regions with higher values were Northeast with 182.3 MMXN/Mh, Central with 177.5 MMXN/Mh, and North with 127 MMXN/Mh, which means that these regions produce more added value per hour of work. About the EMR, it is observed that regions in the northern part of the country had higher values: Northwest with 337 KWh/Kh, Baja California Sur with 334 KWh/Kh, Baja California with 328 KWh/Kh, North with 313 KWh/Kh and Northeast with 274 KWh/Kh, which means that these regions consume more electricity per hour. This innovative approach is useful for governance because it helps to understand and reduce asymmetries across regions, resulting in more social equality and a better economic equilibrium across sectors and regions.

Special preparation of SBA-15 materials has been carried out for creating adsorbents exhibiting an enhanced and selective adsorption toward CO2. This creation starts from an adequate conditioning of the silica surface, via a thermo-alkaline treatment to increase the population of silanol species on it. CO2 adsorption is only reasonably achieved when the SiO2 surface becomes aminated after put in contact with a solution of an amino alkoxide compound in the right solvent. Unfunctionalized and amine-functionalized substrates were characterized through X-ray diffraction, N2 sorption, Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopy, 29Si solid-state NMR, and NH3 thermal programmed desorption. These analyses proved that the thermo-alkaline procedure desilicates the substrate and eliminates the micropores (without affecting the SBA-15 capillaries), present in the original solid. NMR analysis confirms that the hydroxylated solid anchors more amino functionalizing molecules than the unhydroxylated material. The SBA-15 sample subjected to hydroxylation and amino- functionalization displays a high enthalpy of interaction, a reason why this solid is suitable for a strong deposition of CO2 but with the possibility of observing a low-pressure hysteresis phenomenon. Contrastingly, CH4 adsorption on amino-functionalized, hydroxylated SBA-15 substrates becomes almost 5 times lesser than the CO2 one, thus giving proof of their selectivity toward CO2.

Weight loss solutions are on the rise, and there is growing interest in natural alternatives to the pharmaceuticals in the market, which are not devoid of relevant side effects. To this end, the objective of the current study is to assess the effects of a botanical-based blend comprised of lemon verbena and hibiscus extracts in weight management, body fat, appetite, lipid, and glucose profiles, in an overweight population, for 90 days. As a result, the volunteers presented significant weight loss in absence of diet, which coincided with decreased body fat. Body fat was assessed by anthropometry, electrical bioimpedance and DEXA scan. Cholesterol levels were also significantly decreased. Satiety assessment revealed that the product contributed to increased feeling of fullness and satisfaction after a meal, compared to the placebo group, which could contribute to the weight loss observed. Blood glucose and blood pressure levels remained unchanged, which was expected as the volunteers were normoglycemic and their blood pressure was in the healthy range. In conclusion, daily supplementation of a botanical-based blend contributes to weight loss in overweight individuals, in absence of diet, while not affecting other parameters that are in the healthy range. This product could be a candidate alternative or add-on to other weight loss products, as part of a healthy lifestyle.

While adequate for English-speaking users in the United States, as well as many Commonwealth countries and other English-speaking jurisdictions (e.g., Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa among others), typing in Romance Languages (Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian) by using a standard US-QWERTY Keyboard is not easy since it is not adapted to special characters such as accented vowels, tildes and cedillas or ligatures, used in Romance Languages. With regard to the International Layout, intended to enable access to the most common diacritics used in Western European Languages, the problem comes from the fact that accented vowels are spread throughout the Keyboard layout, and their uppercase versions need chord combinations which can require good manual dexterity. This paper will analyze how the Spanish or Portuguese Keyboards are the best options for these users since they are QWERTY-based and the most compatible ones for the different character sets in Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian Languages.

This article aims to approach the Mudejar architecture developed in Mexico during the 16th and 17th centuries. The subject has been little studied although both general and specific contributions have been made by the author’s research group. At the methodological level, this study is based on the existing bibliography as well as archive and field research which allow an accurate scientific approach and results. The article analyses the social and productive conditions in Mexico during the Viceregal period along with the systematization carried by the Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, the guild ordinances and the architectural typologies. The perception of territory and the use of constructive models by the Viceregal authorities would justify the use of the Mudejar style as cultural and unity criteria

We present an analytic calculation of the cooperative decay of a one-dimensional chain of N two-level atoms in the single-excitation configuration. Whereas the subradiant decay is zero for infinite lattices, we prove that for finite lattice the subradiant decay rate decreases as 1/N. We compare the results obtained using the scalar and the vectorial model. The calculations provide simple analytic expressions for the decay rate of the excitation, for arbitrary lattice spacing.

The transport and entanglement of photons is becoming prominent in optics applied to information and quantum computing, where the angular momentum of light stands out in the exchange and inversion of quantized states, with prospects for several technological applications, such as the transport and storage of quantum information. In order to contribute to the understanding of quantized states in photon-matter interaction, we describe a quantized state equation in multidimensional Hilbert space for the diagnosis of OAM states, where probabilities arise in a relativistic setting. It was found that the classical-relativistic variability of the probabilities constitutes a resultant capable of describing the quantized states of light, where the state variable is the variation of the angular momentum of the photon, capable of estimating the orbital angular momentum inversion points at angular incidence. It was found that the chances of finding the quantized states of light at angular incidence can be treated by purely relativistic probabilities, explaining that when both states have equal chances of being found and the angular momentum variation is zero, the source-observer synchronizations occur at the step of increasing relativistic regime of the photon dynamics. We found that the relativistic effect from the perspective of the source referential is able to alter the chances of an event occurring, dilating and contracting the probabilities of finding a quantized state of light at angular incidence.

The effects of photon inertia on the determination of its trajectory were verified and the representation of a displacement mass characterized by the flow of the number of wavefronts and the decomposition of photon inertia into parts associated with translation and rotation motions was considered. It was found that with the relativistic increase of the photon's resistance to change its directional properties, it inhibits the relativistic trajectory of the second torque, of Minkowski, in an angular range of incidence. After synchronizations, in the OAM inversions, there are reductions of the inertia associated to the translational part that assumes classical predominance, where the relativistic trajectory is allowed while the photon offers less resistance to changes in its directional properties. The classical-relativistic variability of the photon inertia characterizes the classical or relativistic profile of the energy distribution in forms of motion, where adjustments of the rotational and translational parts can be performed as a function of the refractive index rate, temperature and angle of incidence. It was found that with increasing temperature of the refringent medium, the synchronizations displacement in the sense of the normal incidence. A specific vacuum temperature for the refringent medium was characterized, where the photon exhibits a classical-relativistic synchronization under all angles of incidence, characteristic of its immaterial state in vacuum.

This article introduces a new fractional approach to the concept of information dimension of complex networks, based on a (q,q′)-entropy proposed in the literature. The q parameter measures how far is the number of subsystems (for a given size ε) from the mean number of overall sizes. The q′ (interaction index) measures when the interactions between subsystems are greater (q′&gt;1), lesser (q′&lt;1) or equal to the interactions into these subsystems. The computations of the proposed information dimension are carried out on several real-world and synthetic complex networks. The results from the proposed information dimension are compared with those from the information dimension based on the Shannon entropy.

Leishmaniasis in wild canids is a vector-borne disease caused in Europe by the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum. To date, there is limited information on clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities in wolves due to leishmaniasis. The current clinical case report described a female Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) housed in semi-captivity conditions at the Centro del Lobo Ibérico “Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente”, in Robledo de Sanabria, Zamora (Spain) with an interdigital ulcerous wound at the right forepaw, hyper-gammaglobulinemia, and abnormal liver blood parameters. Definitive serodiagnosis of leishmaniasis was established using antileishmanial serum antibodies and PCR analysis of different biological samples. A gold standard anti-L. infantum treatment protocol consisting in intramuscular meglumine antimoniate and oral allopurinol combination was installed. However, the presence of pain at the site of injection due to meglumine antimoniate administration forced its substitution by oral miltefosine. A progressive reduction of the levels of anti-L. infantum serum antibodies and the concentrations of gamma-globulin fraction was detected after antileishmanial treatment as well as a decline of liver GPT. To our knowledge, this is the first case of leishmaniasis diagnosed in a wolf housed in semi-captivity conditions treated and successfully cured.

Background: the Investigator ESSplex SE QS Kit (Qiagen) is a next generation PCR kit that, in 60 minutes, amplifies 17 STRs markers, including the 5 European Standard Set (ESS) loci, the SE33 marker and the locus Amelogenin for sex determination. Two Quality Sensors (QS1 and QS2) are co-amplified to check PCR performance. Since forensic laboratories carry out annually hundreds of DNA typing, we verified the kit performance using half reaction volumes with the aim to improve the number of samples that may amplified with a kit, reducing consequently the laboratory costs. Methods: in the study, that is intended as a technical note and not an internal validation, were analyzed control samples (oral swabs) with known DNA profiles and 40 real caseworks samples. Results: we observed that reducing the total reaction volume, while keeping unaltered all components ratio’s, yields DNA profiles comparable to the ones obtained using standard reaction volumes and with alleles peaks higher than with standard volumes.. Conclusions: the use of half volumes for PCR amplification allows the analysis of a wider number of samples than the standard protocol, reducing laboratory costs while maintaining unaltered the quality level of the analysis.

The clinical application of Phentolamine Mesylate (PM) as an anaesthetic reversal agent has been documented in paediatric patients and in conservative dentistry, but no studies have been found in implant surgery. A prospective randomised study was conducted in 60 patients eligible for mandibular implant treatment, randomly divided between the Control Group (CG) and Experimental Group (EG), who were administered PM. Haemodynamic changes, adverse effects and patient satisfaction were assessed. No statistically significant differences in haemodynamic changes and postoperative pain were found between CG and EG (p&lt;0.05), except for Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) which increased slightly in EG, without posing a risk to the patient. There were no differences in the presence of adverse effects between the two groups, except in the CG which presented greater difficulty in chewing and biting (p&lt;0.05) and the EG with greater pain in the injection area (p=0.043). 83.3% of the EG patients would request PM again for future dental treatment. The use of PM offers an alternative in implant surgery, without increasing the risks and increasing the patient's quality of life.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence in Implantology; AI in Dental Implantology; Machine Learning in Dental Implantology; Deep Learning in Implant Dentistry; Robotics in Dental Implantology; AI-Based Implant Planning.

Dye sensitized solar cell technology is having an important role in renewable energy research due to its features and low cost manufacturing processes. Devices based on this technology appear very well suited for integration into glazing systems due to their characteristics of transparency, color tuning and manufacturing directly on glass substrates. Field data of thermal and electrical characteristics of dye sensitized solar modules (DSM) are important since they can be used as input of building simulation models for the evaluation of their energy saving potential when integrated into buildings. However still few works in the literature provide this information. The study here presented wants to contribute to fill this gap providing a thermal and electrical characterization of a DSM in real operating conditions using a method developed in house. This method uses experimental data coming from test boxes exposed outdoor and dynamic simulation to provide thermal transmittance and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of a DSM prototype. The device exhibits an U-value of 3.6 W/m²K, confirmed by an additional measurement carried on in the lab using a heat flux meter, and a SHGC of 0.2, value compliant with literature results. Electrical characterization evidences an increase of module power with respect to temperature causing DSM suitable for integration in building facades.

The effect of Mg particles on PLA's thermal, chemical, physical, and mechanical properties has been studied. The thermal and physical properties have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry, analysing the stability of the α and α’-crystals of the PLA. A colloidal route was used to introduce Mg particles inside the PLA matrix, ensuring a good dispersion of the particles. Materials with Mg contents from 0 to 10 wt.% have been prepared, with additions of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy has been used to confirm the influence of Mg, PEI, and PEG on PLA properties. The mechanical properties have been measured with a universal tensile test machine on printed filaments via Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), which were naturally aged to stable conditions. Filaments with and without a notch were studied to obtain the materials' tensile strength, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness. Different analytical models to explain the results of the PLA-Mg were studied, in which the interface strength of the PLA-Mg composites was calculated.

This work proposes a methodological approach applied to ephemeral gravel-bed streams to verify the change in the magnitude and frequency of hydrological events affecting the morphological dynamics and sediment budget in this type of channel. For the case study the Azohía Rambla, located in southeastern Spain, was chosen, emphasizing the research on two reference riverbed sections (RCRs): an upper one, with a predominance of erosion, and a middle one, where processes of incision, transport, and deposition converge. First, this approach focuses on relationships between peak discharges and sediment budgets during the period 2018 to 2022. For this purpose, water level measurements from pressure sensors, a One-Dimensional Hydrodynamic model, and findings from comparative analyses of high-resolution differential digital elevation models (HRDEM of Difference - HRDoD) based on SfM-MVS and LiDAR datasets were used. In a second phase the GeoWEPP model was applied to the period 1996-2022 in order to simulate runoff and sediment yield at the event scale for the watersheds draining into both RCRs. During the calibration phase a sensitivity analysis was carried out to detect the most influential parameters in the model and to confirm its capacity to simulate peak flow and sediment delivery in the area described above. Values of NS (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency) and PBIAS (percent bias) equal to 0.86 and 7.81%, respectively, were found in the calibration period, while these indices were 0.81 and -4.1% in the validation period. Finally, different event class patterns (ECPs) were established for the monitoring period (2018-2022), according to flow stage and morphological channel adjustments (overtopping, bankfull and sub-bankfull, and half-sub-bankfull), and then retrospectively extrapolated to stages of the prior simulated period (1996-2018) from their typical sequences (PECPs). The results revealed a significant increase in the number of events and PECPs leading to lower bed incision rates and higher vertical accretion, which denotes a progressive increase in bed armoring and bank erosion processes.

The mechanisms underlying the establishment of asymmetric structures during development remain elusive. The wing of Drosophila is asymmetric along the Anterior-Posterior (AP) axis, despite that its growth signals that drive its growth are presumably symmetric. Here, we investigated the contribution of cell recruitment, a process that drives wing fate differentiation in Drosophila, to the asymmetric shape and pattern of the adult wing. Genetic impairment of cell recruitment results in a significant reduction in adult wing asymmetry, primarily affecting the region between longitudinal vein 5 and the wing margin (L5-M). Morphometric analysis reveals that the lack of cell recruitment results in a more symmetric wing with respect to the AP, suggesting a contribution of cell recruitment to the establishment of asymmetry in the adult wing. A close examination of the expression of the wing selector gene vestigial (vg) in wing disc does not support this hypothesis. However, the circularity of the Vg pattern significantly increase in recruitment-impaired wing disc, suggesting that while the decrease of the L5-M region in the adult wing may not be attributed to cell recruitment, it could contribute to the overall asymmetry of the adult wing. We conclude that cell recruitment, a widespread mechanism that participates in growth and patterning of several developing systems, could drive, at least partially, the asymmetric shape of the Drosophila wing.

Iron ore processing involves critical steps that affect the quality of the final product. Determining the diameter of the pellets is the necessary initial step for volume measurement and, ultimately, for porosity and bulk density measurement, crucial characteristics for optimizing the burning process in the blast furnace. Traditional measurement methods using mercury present issues related to operator safety and environmental preservation, while the practices described in ISO 4698 standard require lengthy preparation and execution time. In light of environmental needs, operator safety, and the time consumed in tests, implementing a new method based on digital image processing and convolutional neural networks for measuring the diameter of burnt iron ore pellets is proposed. The methodology involves capturing images of the pellets using a high-resolution camera and utilizing digital image processing and neural networks capable of performing pixel-by-pixel object segmentation in the images, providing precise information about the pellets to calculate their volume automatically. The results were compared with those obtained using traditional methods, evaluating their conformity with the ISO 4698 standard. In conclusion, this study offers a new approach to measuring the volume of burnt iron ore pellets, providing accurate and reliable results in compliance with safety and environmental preservation standards.

African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable viral disease of domestic and wild suids. Despite intensive re-search efforts, the pathogenesis of the disease is still far from being understood. Analysis of biomarkers in different body fluids may supplement traditional pathogenesis studies. As reliable protocols are often es-tablished in laboratories with lower biosafety, reliable inactivation of samples is crucial. The objective of this study was to find a procedure that inactivates the virus while preserving the biomarkers for down-stream analyses. To this means, three different inactivation protocols were employed, namely Tergitol-type NP-40 (NP-40) and polyoxyethylene-p-t-octylphenol (Triton X-100), respectively, and one with 95 °C heating. It could be demonstrated that all samples treated with 0.5% (v/v) concentration of both deter-gents showed absence of virus infectivity. The same was true for heated samples. However, heated serum was not suitable for analyses. Next, the treatment impact on biomarker readouts was assessed. While all protocols had an impact on the detection of biomarkers, correlation was retained. Especially NP-40 could be the desired detergent for more accurate measurements while achieving efficient virus inactivation. Based on these studies, samples can be reliably inactivated for most biomarker analyses and thus broader interdisciplinary cooperation is possible.

Contrary to previous belief, mutation frequency also depends on how essential a gene is. Mutation frequency is substantially lower in the coding regions of essential genes and higher in less essential genes. Even though the mutation bias based on gene essentiality is incapable of invalidating Darwinism, this bias certainly added a rather unsubtle obstacle to it by contradicting a paradigm that was widely held: that mutations are random in the sense of being independent of their function for the organism. The reason this bias occurs is currently unknown. Here, I present the theoretical solution of why genetic mutations also depend on whether the gene is more or less essential. My theory is that each gene or epigene has its own level of resistance to entropic elevation, something directly proportional to the frequency of its expression. The more a gene is expressed, the higher is its resistance to entropic elevation and vice versa. For genetic information to be conserved instead of suffering mutation, a relevant factor is also the frequency of its expression. The energy expenditure directed to a gene of current utility engenders resistance to entropic elevation of the information encoded in that gene, as energy enables not only the existence of information but also its conservation. My theory—which is based on fundamental physics and contains predictions that can be empirically tested—solves a crucial problem in evolutionary biology and genetics; if I am right, I will have established a biological law. Finally, my aim here is also to provide a substantial advance in knowledge about the relationship between information, genetics, and thermodynamics.

The effect of dentin pretreatment with desensitizing paste containing 8% arginine and calcium carbonate on the retention of laser-sintered cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr)-based crowns was examined. Forty molars were prepared using a standardized protocol. The Co-Cr crowns were produced using selective laser melting. The teeth were either pretreated with the desensitizing paste or not pretreated. After one week, each group was cemented with glass ionomer cement (GIC) or zinc phosphate cement (ZPC). Surface areas of the teeth were measured before cementation. After aging, the cemented crown-tooth assemblies were tested for retentive strength using a universal testing machine. The debonded surfaces of the teeth and crowns were examined at 2.7× magnification. Pretreating the dentin surfaces with the desensitizing paste before cementation with GIC or ZPC did not affect the retention of the Co-Cr crowns. The retention of the GIC group (6.04±1.10 MPa) was significantly higher than that of the ZPC group (2.75±1.25 MPa). The predominant failure mode for the ZPC and for the nontreated group of the GIC was adhesive cement-dentin; for the GIC-treated group, it was adhesive cement-crown. The desensitizing paste can be safely used to reduce postcementation sensitivity without reducing the retentive strength of Co-Cr crowns cemented with GIC or ZPC.

(1) Background: This article reviews the available scientific literature on drug-related problems and negative outcomes associated with medications identified by medication review with follow-up for end-stage renal disease and discussed with the physicians; (2) Methods: A systematic review was conducted of the scientific literature retrieved from the following databases: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library: The Cochrane Central Register and Control Trials (CENTRAL) and Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe (LILACS), Medicina en Español (MEDES), and the SciELO bibliographic database (collection of scientific journals). The following terms were used as descriptors and searched in free text: "end-stage renal disease", "medication review", and "drug-related problems” and “negative outcomes associated with medication". The following limits were applied: "humans" and "adults (more than 18 years)”; (3) Results: A total of 59 references were recovered and after applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 16 articles were selected. Of these selected articles, 15 provided information on drug-related problems and only 1 on negative outcomes associated with medications; (4) Conclusions: It can be concluded that drug-related problems and negative outcomes associated with medication affect patients with end-stage renal disease, mainly those receiving renal replacement therapy. More evidence is needed, especially on negative outcomes associated with medication.

Epithelial barrier damage plays a central role in the development and maintenance of allergic inflammation. The rise in airways epithelial barrier permeability alters the tissue homeostasis and allows the allergen and other external agents penetration. Different factors contribute to barrier impairment, such as eosinophilic infiltrate and allergens proteases action: the eosinophilic cationic proteins and the allergens' proteolytic activity have a central role in contributing to epithelial damage. In the airways, the allergens proteases degrade the epithelial junctional proteins allowing the allergen penetration and the uptake by dendritic cells. The increase in allergen-immune system interactions induce the release of the alarmins and the activation of type 2 inflammatory pathways causing, or worsening, the main symptoms at skin, bowel and respiratory levels. We aim to highlight the molecular mechanisms underlying allergenic proteases-induced epithelial barrier damage and the role of immune response in allergic asthma onset, maintenance and progression. We further will explore clinical and radiological potential biomarkers of airways remodeling in allergic asthma patients.

Climate and land use changes are two factors affecting the hydrology of watersheds. The greatest effect of climate change is probably the change in the hydrological cycle, thus water availability for human consumption, industry, and power generation. While the change in land use can cause changes in the hydrological components of the basin, such as evapotranspiration, runoff, and groundwater recharge. From these projections, it is necessary to understand the processes involved in climate change and land use and its impact on water systems. In this context, the objective of this study was to simulate climate change scenarios combined with the land use change and to analyze the impacts on the hydrology in the Piracicaba basin. Two periods were selected based on the preliminary result of detection of the abrupt change point of the annual flow series, using Petitt's non-parameter test. The first period selected prior to the occurrence of the point of the change was from 1985 to 2000. The other period after the point of the change was 2001 to 2015. Land use maps of the years 1990 and 2010 were used to represent the two periods. The results showed a good performance of the SWAT model. The NS (Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient) was 0.88 in calibration for both periods. In the validation, the NS was 0.92 and 0.94 for the first and second periods respectively. We then simulate climate and land use changes scenarios and compare them to the current scenario (baseline). The simulation results showed that the hydrological processes in the Piracicaba basin in the period 1985-2015, had more intense responses to land use change than climate.

Aimed to obtain purple garlic varieties, 360 bolting bulbs from the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Las Pedroñeras” were selected for their size, and the presence of abundant external scales. After a further selection, 243 out of the 360 bulbs were discarded due to undesired characteristics, as light purple color, high number of small cloves, cloves affected by Fusarium spp. and mites, among other. It was stablished that each bulb would give rise to a family. Thus, 117 families were planted under a random design during season 2021-2022. Either physiological, morphological and phenological traits were assessed for each family, and the affectations by pest and pathogens were also controlled. After the assessment of this trial, 103 out 117 families remained in the program, and were used for the establishment of a second trial the next season. Unlike the first trial, after the evaluations only 23 families remained in the program. There was observed a high variability for most of traits, with a great influence of families. The phenotypic behavior of families was significative influenced by environment, highlighting the need of their assessment under different environmental conditions. The high variability registered for the target sample, opens the possibility to select new garlic varieties from this PGI.

This study presents a novel kinematic tracking model, designed for a networked exoskeleton system that is asynchronously taught by a remote therapist. On the server side, the therapist’s rehabilitation exercises are quantitatively assessed using a monocular passive vision system. The resultant analytical metrics are then transmitted asynchronously over the network to patients equipped with exoskeletons. On the client side, the exoskeleton utilizes these analytical metrics as reference paths for exercises, complemented by electromyography (EMG) feedback. This work introduces a calibration approach aimed at estimating angular positions by utilizing EMG observations. The calibration model establishes real-time correlations between polynomial reference positions. This calibration mechanism is integrated into simulations of both upper and lower limb exoskeletons. We further explore redundant kinematics, incorporating an EMG observer for linear, time-variant rehabilitation tracking control. Our methodology is validated using vision-based metric data and experimental EMG measurements for various exercises, including shoulder flexion, elbow flexion, and rowing-like movements. This work also includes computer simulations for tracking the control of rehabilitation exercises, demonstrating the adaptability of the system in reliably, robustly, and effectively following desired trajectories.

The Attentional Networks Test for Interactions and Vigilance–executive and arousal components (ANTI-Vea) is a computerized task of 32 min duration in the standard format. The task simultaneously assesses the main effects and interactions of the three attentional networks (i.e., phasic alertness, orienting, and executive control) and two dissociated components of vigilance with reasonable reliability (executive and arousal vigilance). We present this free and publicly accessible resource (ANTI-Vea-UGR; https://anti-vea.ugr.es/) developed to easily run, collect, and analyze data with the ANTI-Vea (or its subtasks measuring some attentional and/or vigilance components embedded in the ANTI-Vea). Available in six different languages, the platform allows for adaptation of stimuli timing and procedure to facilitate data collection from different populations (e.g., clinical patients, children). Collected data can be freely downloaded and easily analyzed with the provided scripts and tools, including a Shiny app. We discuss previous evidence supporting that attention and vigilance components can be assessed in typical lab conditions as well as online and outside the laboratory. We hope this tutorial will help researchers interested in measuring attention and vigilance with a tool useful to collect data from large sample sizes and easy to use in applied contexts.

This work is located in a growing sector within the field of renewable energies, wave energy converters (WECs). Specifically, it focuses on one of the point absorbers wave (PAWs) of the hybrid platform W2POWER. With the aim of maximising the mechanical power extracted from the waves by these WECs and reduce their mechanical fatigue, the design of five different model predictive controllers (MPCs) with hard and soft constraints has been carried out. As contribution of this paper, two of the MPCs have been designed with the addition of an embedded integrator. In order to validate the MPCs, an exhaustive study on performance and robustness is realized through simulations carried out in which uncertainties in the WEC dynamics are considered. Furthermore, looking for realistic in these simulations, an identification methodology for PAWs is proposed and validated by means of real time series of a scale prototype.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Although prognosis continually improved along years, a significant proportion of patients still relapse from the disease due to leukemia resistance to therapy. Methotrexate (MTX), a folic acid antagonist, is a chemotherapy agent commonly used against ALL and a immune-system suppressant for rheumatoid arthritis, that presents multiple and complex mechanisms of action and resistance. Previous studies have shown that MTX modulates the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, an important family of transcription factors involved in inflammation, immunity, cell survival, and proliferation, frequently hyperactivated in ALL. Using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) on publicly available gene expression data from 161 newly diagnosed pediatric ALL patients, we found “TNF-α signaling pathway” to be the most enriched Cancer Hallmark in MTX poor responder patients. Transcriptomic analysis in a panel of ALL cell lines (6 BCP-ALL and 7 T-ALL) also identified the same pathway as differentially enriched among MTX resistant cell lines, as well as in slowly dividing cells. To better understand the crosstalk between NF-κB activity and MTX resistance, we genetically modified the cell lines to express luciferase under a NF-κB biding site promoter. We observed that the fold change in NF-κB activity triggered by TNF-α (but not MTX) treatment correlated with MTX resistance and proliferation across the lines. At the individual gene level, NFKB1 expression was directly associated with a poorer clinical response to MTX, and with both an increased TNF-α-triggered NF-κB activation and MTX resistance in the cell lines. Despite these results, pharmacological inhibition (with BAY 11-7082 and parthenolide) or stimulation (with exogenous TNF-α supplementation) of the NF-κB pathway did not alter MTX resistance of the cell lines significantly, evidencing a complex interplay between MTX and NF-κB in ALL.

The present work aimed to validate a low-cost passive monitoring procedure. For its validation, the monitoring of atmospheric organic pollutants - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was carried out in a capital of the central-western region of Brazil. The sensors were fixed on poles intended for electrification during the dry season. After 15 days, samples were extracted by solvent extraction and analysed by High-Resolution Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector (HRGC-FID). For the validation of the procedure, PAHs monitored and standardised by the American Environmental Agency (EPA), a benchmark for environmental monitoring of air quality by several countries, were analysed. The results demonstrated that the low-cost passive monitoring method was effective in the quantification of PAH in the environment-air, capable of being used by countries that do not have many resources for monitoring air quality.