The aim of this study was to use latent profile analysis to identify specific profiles of burnout syndrome in combination with work engagement and to identify whether job satisfaction, psychological well-being, and other sociodemographic and work variables affect the probability of presenting a profile of burnout syndrome and low work enthusiasm. A total of 355 healthcare professionals completed the Spanish Burnout Inventory, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Job Satisfaction Scale, and the Psychological Well-Being Scale for Adults. Latent profile analysis identified 4 profiles: 1) burnout with high indolence (BwHIn); 2) burnout with low indolence (BwLIn); 3) high engagement, low burnout (HeLb); and 4) in the process of burning out (IPB). Multivariate logistic regression showed that a second job in a government health care institution; a shift other than the morning shift; being divorced, separated or widowed; and work load are predictors of burnout profiles with respect to the HeLb profile. These data are useful for designing intervention strategies according to the needs and characteristics of each type of burnout profile.

In the context of freshwater ecosystems, turbidity and suspended solids play crucial roles, with their levels significantly influenced by anthropogenic activities. This study focuses on assessing and monitoring these parameters in Albufera de Valencia using Sentinel-2 imagery. The primary aim is to establish reliable estimation algorithms that can contribute to effective ecosystem management. The study calibrated and validated algorithms for estimating turbidity and suspended solids. The R783×R705/R490 model proved to have the best performance for estimating turbidity and total solids in the Albufera. However, R783/R490 obtained a higher coefficient of de-termination for the organic part, while the R705 band was selected for the inorganic part. However, to achieve better estimates of turbidity and inorganic matter, more research is needed in the future. The implications of excessive suspended solids are underscored, including the depletion of dissolved oxygen, and reduced primary productivity due to limited light penetration and habitat availability. Collaboration between disciplines such as limnology, optics and water chemistry are crucial to advance water quality estimation models in lakes and lagoons such as Albufera. By integrating expertise and approaches from these diverse fields, new knowledge can be gained and the basis for more effective management and conservation strategies can be laid.

Hydrothermal pyrite is an important source of thallium (Tl) but this rare element can be also detected in the secondary iron goethite-lepidocrocite and jarosite ores, associated to hydrothermal kerogen, manganese oxides, accessorial potassium minerals and tiny Tl-bearing clusters shielded in quartz masses. We studied Tl-bearing samples collected from Fe-Mn ores hosted in dolostone rocks sited along ca. 15 km of fossil thermal springs following a geological fault in the Lodares surroundings. Samples were analyzed by environmental scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (ESEM-EDS), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Tl LIII-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, Micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). We found epithermal pyrite, sphalerite, galena and baryte and secondary gypsum, jarosite, scorodite, anglesite, goethite, epsomite and elemental sulfur produced by both hydroxylation and bacterial processes. The highest Tl contents were found in hydrothermal pyrite (200 mg kg-1), kerogen (13 mg kg-1), manganese ores (27 mg kg-1) and iron sulfate-hydroxides (142 mg kg-1). The aquatic kerogen was formed in a marine environment and later heavily carbonized during the hydrothermal processes. The Lodares outcrops exhibit interesting details on the geochemical cycle of Tl in a genetic frame of epithermal formation of pyrite and kerogen.

Foundational and state-of-the-art anomaly detection methods through power system state estimation are reviewed. The traditional components for bad data detection such as chi-square testing, residual-based methods, and hypothesis testing are discussed to explain the motivations for recent anomaly detection methods given the increasing complexity of power grids, energy management systems, and cyber-threats. In particular, state estimation anomaly detection based on data-driven quickest change detection and artificial intelligence are discussed and directions for research are suggested with particular emphasis on considerations of the future smart grid.

The reactive nature of traditional frequency stability methods can lead to delayed corrective actions and unnecessary loss-of-load. This work presents a distributed model predictive control method for proactive power system frequency stability. Dynamic state estimation model is derived through a particle filter. By being able to estimate the future state of frequency, corrective actions can be taken before the system reaches a critical condition. Proactive approach makes it possible to optimize the response to a disturbance, which results in a decrease of the amount of compensation utilized. The method is tested via Matlab simulations based on Kundur's Two-Area System, and the IEEE 14-Bus system. Performance metrics are provided and evaluated against other contemporary solutions found in literature. Easy-to-derive model, without hard-to-design parameters, indicate potential towards real-life applications.

The Albufera of Valencia is a coastal lagoon located in the western area of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Iberian Peninsula. It has an area of 23.1 km2 and an average depth of only 1 m, with a maximum depth of 1.6 m. This lagoon is the rest of an original and more extensive wetland of about 220 km2, mostly dedicated to rice cultivation nowadays. Surface water is supplied through several main and many secondary canals for a total of 64 water entry points and three exit points to the sea. It is difficult to evaluate the renewal rate due to the lack of reliable measurements of the inflow or outflow, as well as continuous measurements. Between 1988 and 2018 several procedures have been used, synthesizing in this work the result, in which it is observed a decrease of the inflow in these thirty years, and therefore the residence time is increasing. There is a temporal variation during the year of renewal influenced by rainfall and cultivation periods. Likewise, it is observed that the natural hydrological zoning of the lagoon causes a spatial heterogeneity with small areas with more renewal, practically weekly, and large extensions with little renewal during months. It is impossible to know this information if flow measurements are not taken in each of the main watercourses.

Instead of the conventional 0 and 1 values, bipolar reasoning uses -1, 0, +1 to describe double-sided judgements in which neutral elements are halfway between positive and negative evaluations (e.g., “uncertain” lies between “impossible” and “totally sure”). We discuss the state-of-the-art in bipolar logics and recall two medieval forerunners, i.e., William of Ockham and Nicholas of Autrecourt, who embodied a bipolar mode of thought that is eminently modern. Starting from the trivial observation that “once a wheat sheaf is sealed and tied up, the packed down straws display the same orientation”, we work up a new theory of the bipolar nature of networks, suggesting that orthodromic (i.e., feedforward, bottom-up) projections might be functionally coupled with antidromic (i.e., feedback, top-down) projections via the mathematical apparatus of presheaves/globular sets. When an entrained oscillation such as a neuronal spike propagates from A to B, changes in B might lead to changes in A, providing unexpected antidromic effects. Our account points towards the methodological feasibility of novel neural networks in which message feedback is guaranteed by backpropagation mechanisms endowed in the same feedforward circuits. Bottom-up/top-down transmission at various coarse-grained network levels provides fresh insights in far-flung scientific fields such as object persistence, memory reinforcement, visual recognition, Bayesian inferential circuits and multidimensional activity of the brain. Implying that axonal stimulation by external sources might backpropagate and modify neuronal electric oscillations, our theory also suggests testable previsions concerning the optimal location of transcranial magnetic stimulation’s coils in patients affected by drug-resistant epilepsy.

Our study utilized density functional theory (DFT) to explore a 2D MoP2 surface for hydrogen storage. Optimization determined a gravimetric capacity for pristine MoP2 of 5.72%, with an adsorption energy of ‒ 0.13 eV/molecule. For this surface with 12.5% Mo vacancies, we achieved 6.02% and ‒ 0.14 eV/molecule. We then introduced a novel criterion to test the attraction forces in hydrogen storage at a given temperature. This involved a first-principles molecular dynamics approach at various temperatures. To determine the number of molecules adsorbed on the surface at temperature T1, we conducted an FPMD calculation at T1, using the optimization as the initial system configuration. Subsequently, we performed a second FPMD calculation at a temperature T2 (with T2 ‹‹ T1), using the stable configuration of the first FPMD calculation as the initial configuration. If there were attraction forces on the molecules, they would move towards the surface. We identified as adsorbed molecules at temperature T1, only those that moved back toward the surface at temperature T2. The defective surface gave the best gravimetric capacity, ranging from 5.27% at 300 K to 6.02% at 77 K. The latter met the requirement from the US-DOE, indicating the potential practical application of our research in hydrogen storage.

Set theory faces two difficulties: formal definitions of sets/subsets are incapable of assessing biophysical issues; formal axiomatic systems are complete/inconsistent or incomplete/consistent. To overtake these problems reminiscent of the old-fashioned principle of individuation, we provide formal treatment/validation/operationalization of a methodological weapon termed “outer approach” (OA). The observer’s attention shifts from the system under evaluation to its surroundings, so that objects are investigated from outside. Subsets become just “holes” devoid of information inside larger sets. Sets are no longer passive containers, rather active structures enabling their content’s examination. Consequences/applications of OA include: a) operationalization of paraconsistent logics, anticipated by unexpected forerunners, in terms of advanced truth theories of natural language, anthropic principle and quantum dynamics; b) assessment of embryonic craniocaudal migration in terms of Turing’s spots; c) evaluation of hominids’ social behaviors in terms of evolutionary modifications of facial expression’s musculature; d) treatment of cortical action potentials in terms of collective movements of extracellular currents, leaving apart what happens inside the neurons; e) a critique of Shannon’s information in terms of the Arabic thinkers’ active/potential intellects. Also, OA provides an outer view of a) humanistic issues such as the enigmatic Celestino of Verona’s letter, Dante Alighieri’s “Hell” and the puzzling Voynich manuscript; b) historical issues such as Aldo Moro’s death and the Liston/Clay boxing fight. Summarizing, the safest methodology to quantify phenomena is to remove them from our observation and tackle an outer view, since mathematical/logical issues such as selective information deletion and set complement rescue incompleteness/inconsistency of biophysical systems.

When an edge is removed, a cycle graph Cn becomes a n-1 tree graph. This observation from extremal set theory leads us to the realm of set theory, in which a topological manifold of genus-1 turns out to be of genus-0. Starting from these premises, we prove a theorem suggesting that a manifold with disjoint points must be of genus-0, while a manifold of genus-1 cannot encompass disjoint points.

This study has been monitored for five years by Sentinel-2 satellite images, at different seasons of the year, of the fluctuations in the water level of the Gallocanta Lake (between the provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain) considered a hypersaline and endorheic wetland, which has characteristics that make it unique in the geographical area in which it is located, as well as for the operation of the system. Rainfall in the area has a wide variation giving the maximums in the months of May and June and the minimums in January and February. There are considerable fluctuations in the water level from the almost total drying of the lagoon to the filling with a depth of approximately 3 meters.

In the present study, a five-year follow-up was performed by remote sensing of the calcium carbonate precipitation in La Gitana karstic lake (located on the province of Cuenca, Spain). The important role that calcium carbonate precipitation plays in the ecology of the lake is well known for its influence on the vertical migrations of phytoplankton, the concentration of bioavailable phosphorus and, therefore, the eutrophication and quality of the waters. Whiting take place between the months of July and August, and it can be studied at this time through its optical properties, with the main objective of offering updated data on a phenomenon traditionally studied and establishing possible relationships between abiotic factors such as temperature and/or rainfall. The atmospheric temperature data collected by the meteorological station suggest a possible relationship between the appearance of the white phenomenon and a pulse of previous maximum temperatures. On the other hand, no apparent relationship was found between rainfall and water bleaching.

This work is mainly focused on improving the differential evolution algorithm with the utilization of shadowed and general type 2 fuzzy systems to dynamically adapt one of the parameters of the evolutionary method. In this case, the mutation parameter is dynamically moved during the evolution process by using a shadowed and general type-2 fuzzy systems. The main idea of this work is to make a performance comparison between using shadowed and general type 2 fuzzy systems as controllers of the mutation parameter in differential evolution. The performance is compared with the problem of optimizing fuzzy controllers for a D.C. Motor. Simulation results show that general type-2 fuzzy systems are better when higher levels of noise are considered in the controller.

Agriculture in Morocco has been extensive until the middle of the 20th century due to the distribution of rainfall and the availability of water. In the middle of the last century hydraulic works were built that allowed the transition to intensive agriculture by the increase of irrigated areas, allowing that in the territories where there is water for irrigation and the climate allows it, the crops adapt to the demands of the market. The objective of the study is to assess by satellite images the land cover between 1985 and 2020, analyzing the changes in cultivation areas, as well as the changes in desert, sub-desert and forest areas of the Oum Er Rbia hydrological basin in Morocco. Landsat satellite images have been used since 1984 by the US government (Aerospace and Geological Agencies). A series of vegetation indices (NDVI, RVI, TNDVI and EVI) have been used; among which TNDVI (Transformed Normalized Vegetation Index) stands out for its better accuracy, which has allowed us to distinguish vegetation in cultivated and forest areas, as well as arid zones. In addition, the study has compared the use of two methodologies to calculate changes in the coverage of the Earth’s surface, has used local image processing from the Sentinel Application Platform tool and has also used the Google Earth Engine tool. The latter being the most optimal, although at the moment it has great limitations. In both methodologies and in the different indices it has been possible to observe during these 35 years as the cultivated area has increased (related to the availability of water by the construction of reservoirs and canals), how plant cover has improved in forest areas, and a range of variations in arid areas.

PIK3CA is a gene usually mutated in breast cancer and has an important role in tumor progression and treatment. Therefore, there is required a technique to detect low-rate PIK3CA mutations improving the clinical conduct. This study aimed to compare chip-based dPCR and Sanger sequencing to detect PIK3CA mutations in breast cancer patients. Fifty-seven tumor samples from breast cancer patients were collected and analyzed by Sanger sequencing and dPCR for PIK3CA mutations (E545K, H1047R, and H1047L). Digital PCR sensitivity, specificity, and overall performance were estimated by contingency tables, receptor operator characteristic (ROC), and area under the curve (AUC). Sanger sequencing identified PIK3CA mutations in six patients (10.5%), two with H1047R, and four with E545K. Digital PCR confirmed those mutations and identified 19 additional patients with at least one mutation. Comparison between dPCR and Sanger sequencing showed a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI 53-100%), and a specificity of 84.2% (95% CI 83 - 84.2%). Besides, H1047R mutation showed a significant association with breast cancer phenotype (p =0.019) and lymphatic node infiltration (p =0.046). Digital PCR showed a high sensitivity to detect mutations in tumor samples and it might be capable to detect low-rate mutations and tumor subpopulations not detected by Sanger sequencing.

The basic hydrolysis of Malachite Green in the presence of β-Cyclodextrin has been studied and a catalytic effect has been found. Indeed, this basic hydrolysis is catalyzed by the interaction of deprotonated cyclodextrin hydroxyl group with the carbocation in the host-guest complex. This behavior is like the hydrolysis of Cristal Violet in the same reaction media.

Wind is one of the factors that has a great influence on suspended matter in lakes, especially in shallow lagoons. In order to know how wind affects the water in Albufera of Valencia, a shallow coastal lagoon, the measured variables of turbidity and transparency have been correlated with the estimates by processing Sentinel-2 satellite images with the Sen2Cor processor. Data from four years of study show that most of them are light to gentle easterly breezes and moderate to fresh westerly breezes. The results obtained show significant correlations between the measured variables and those obtained from the satellite images for total suspended matter and water transparency and with the average daily wind speed. There is no significant correlation between wind and chlorophyll a. Moderate to fresh breezes resuspend the fine sediment reaching concentration values from 100 to 300 mg L-1 according to satellite data. However, it is necessary to obtain field data for the values of moderate and fresh winds, as for now there are no experimental data to verify the validity of the satellite estimates.

The aim of this work is to introduce a mathematical model representing the evolution of the temperature in a vegetation cover and the ground underneath it. Vegetation, and its interaction with soil, plays a very important role in the protection of soil surface from the action of sun and precipitations. A reduction in the vegetated mass increase the risk of desertification, soil erosion or surface runoffs which which can give rise to soil loss and sediment retention. These processes can favour climate change and global warming, which are major concerns nowadays. The mathematical model presented takes into account the main processes involved in vegetation cover and the interaction with the soil, among which, we can mention the Leaf Area Index, which is a dimensionless quantity defined as the one-sided green leaf area per unit ground surface area, or albedo and co-albedo which are clearly influenced by the vegetation. It is also considered a nonlinear heat capacity in the soil which incorporates the latent heat of fusion, when the phase change takes place. The numerical technique used to solve the mathematical model is based on a finite volume scheme with Weighted Essentially Non Oscillatory technique for spatial reconstruction and the third order Runge-Kutta Total Variation Diminishing numerical scheme is used for time integration. Some numerical examples are solved to obtain the distribution of temperature both in the vegetation cover and the soil.

Using first-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD), we performed numerical simulations at 300 K to explore the interaction of a 2D MoS2 surface and a platinum atom, calculating the optical properties of the resulting material. The pristine MoS2 is a semiconductor with a gap of around 1.8 eV. The Pt atom is chemisorbed by the surface with an adsorption energy of −1.718 eV. With the adsorption of the Pt atom, the material remains a semiconductor, and its energy band gap reduces to 1.04 eV. But changes in the material's energy band structure imply substantial changes in its optical properties. The energy band structure of the 2D MoS2 with a sulfur vacancy VS shows that the material becomes a conductor, and there are significant changes in its optical properties. We also found that the Pt atom chemisorbs in a sulfur vacancy of the material, with an adsorption energy of −4.1164 eV. After the adsorption of Pt atoms in the sulfur vacancy, the material becomes a semiconductor with a band gap of 1.06 eV, and the changes in the optical absorption and reflectivity are significant.

The railway infrastructure has played a crucial role in urban development since its inception in the 19th century. This article aims to show how the transformations resulting from the implementa-tion of this transport system have had a particular impact on the city of Istanbul, considering a technical, an engineering and the heritage perspective. To achieve this, an exhaustive review of collected drawings, articles and reports has been carried out since 2012, while starting to work on the architectural coordination of the project. These documents reflect how the Marmaray project covers different aspects, such as materials, signage, civil protection and landscaping. The results obtained demonstrate how a railway infrastructure project not only improves the technical and operational efficiency of traffic in the city, but also protects the natural and historical heritage. As a main conclusion of this investigation, it highlights the necessity for proper coordination between technical interventions in the infrastructure and a comprehensive and integrated strategy that encompasses both the heritage and the urban landscape of Istanbul.

The unexploited unification of general relativity and quantum physics is a painstaking issue that prevents physicists to properly understanding the whole of Nature. Here we propose a pure mathematical approach that introduces the problem in terms of group theory. Indeed, we build a cyclic groupoid (a nonempty set with a binary operation defined on it) that encompasses both the theories as subsets, making it possible to join together two of their most dissimilar experimental results, i.e., the commutativity detectable in our macroscopic relativistic world and the noncommutativity detectable in the quantum, microscopic world. This approach, combined with the Connes fusion operator, leads to a mathematical framework useful in the investigation of relativity/quantum mechanics relationships.

Mechanical properties such as shape, volume and size affect the dynamics of biological systems. Most of the current methodological approaches are inclined to remove the existence of holes and impurities from systems’ description, regarding them as routes toward mechanical failure. On the contrary, we suggest that the occurrence of holes might be of utmost functional importance, allowing reversible transformations of cellular structures. The focus here is on the widespread occurrence of intracytoplasmic holes, that deeply modifies the topology of living cells and provides researchers with novel operational tools to investigate intracellular dynamics. We take as example the prokaryotic gas vesicles, i.e., intracellular cavities filled with gases spreading from the nearby medium. The mechanical and topological cellular properties dictated by intracytoplasmic holes are investigated, focusing on the physical constraints imposed by their very existence. For instance, the presence of gas vesicles breaks the cytoplasmic homogeneity, leading to inhomogeneity in functional activities and modifications in intracellular flows. Also, a topological approach to cytoplasmic holes suggests novel physiological roles for gas vesicles. For example, the gas vesicles’ ability to increase/decrease cellular volumes provides a mechanism that counteracts the detrimental effects of the surface/volume ratio. In conclusion, a structural/methodological approach based on the occurrence of holes testifies once again how the simple biophysical structure alone can dictate the function.

Ramsey’s economic theory of saving (RTS) estimates how much of its commodities a nation should save to safeguard the well-being of future generations. Since RTS retains many attractive qualities such as simplicity, strength, breadth and generality, here we ask if it would be useful to investigate biophysical issues. Specifically, we focus on a biological topic that lends itself as a backdrop for the study of the imbalance between intake and expenditure, i.e., the evaluation of the multicellular living organisms’ energetic requirements and constraints. Our problem is to find at each time the optimum distribution and the right balance of the cellular energy budget between consumption and storage: how much must a living organism spare to increase its chances of survival over long periods? Suggesting how to find the optimum allocation of the available energy between expenditure and saving at each time, RTS approaches to biological energy budgets may have a wide range of experimental applications, such as: a) optimization of the long-term survival chances of either immortalized cell cultures, or beneficial bacterial colonies and exogenous probiotic mixtures; b) eradication of detrimental biofilms, such as, e.g., heart valves’ Streptococcus colonies; c) novel anti-stress and anti-ageing strategies.

Ramsey’s theory (RAM) from combinatorics and network theory goes looking for regularities and repeated patterns inside structures equipped with nodes and edges. RAM represents the outcome of a dual methodological commitment: by one side a top-down approach evaluates the possible arrangement of specific subgraphs when the number of graph’s vertices is already known, by another side a bottom-up approach calculates the possible number of graph’s vertices when the arrangement of specific subgraphs is already known. Since natural neural networks are often represented in terms of graphs, we suggest to utilize RAM for the analytical and computational assessment of a peculiar structure supplied with neuronal vertices and axonal edges, i.e., the human brain connectome. We discuss how a RAM approach in neuroscientific issues might be able to locate and trace unexplored motifs shared between different cortical and subcortical subareas. Furthermore, we will describe how notable RAM outcomes, such as the Ramsey’s theorem and the Ramsey’s number, could contribute to uncover still unknown anatomical connexions endowed in neuronal networks and unexpected functional interactions among grey zones of the human brain.

The unexploited unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics (QM) prevents the proper understanding of the micro- and macroscopic world. Here we put forward a mathematical approach that introduces the problem in terms of negative curvature manifolds. We suggest that the oscillatory dynamics described by wave functions might take place on hyperbolic continuous manifolds, standing for the counterpart of QM’s Hilbert spaces. We describe how the tenets of QM, such as the observable A, the autostates ψa and the Schrodinger equation for the temporal evolution of states, might work very well on a Poincaré disk equipped with rotational groups. This curvature-based approach to QM, combined with the noncommutativity formulated in the language of gyrovectors, leads to a mathematical framework that might be useful in the investigation of relativity/QM relationships. Furthermore, we introduce a topological theorem, termed the punctured balloon theorem (PBT), which states that an orientable genus-1 surface cannot encompass disjoint points. PBT suggests that hyperbolic QM manifolds must be of genus ≥ 1 before measuring and genus zero after measuring. We discuss the implications of PBT in gauge theories and in the physics of the black holes.

We suggest that the 14^th century scholar Nicholas of Autrecourt can be regarded as a precursor of the paraconsistent logics developed around 1950. We show how the Sorbonne licentiatus in theology provided in his few extant writings a refutation of both the principle of explosion and the law of non-contradiction, in accordance with the tenets of paraconsistent logics. This paves the way to the most advanced theories of truth in natural language and quantum dynamics.

The dynamical processes of living systems are characterized by the cooperative interaction of many units. This claim enables us to portray the embryo-fetal development of the central and peripheral nervous systems in terms of assemblies of building blocks. We describe how the structure and arrangement of nervous fibers is - at least partially - dictated by biophysical and topological constraints. The far-flung field of soft-matter polymers/nematic colloids sheds new light on the neurulation in mammalian embryos, suggesting an intriguing testable hypothesis: the development of the central and peripheral nervous systems might be correlated with the occurrence of local thermal changes in embryo-fetal tissues. Further, we show a correlation between the fullerene-like arrangement of the cortical microcolumns and the Frank-Kasper phases of artificial quasicrystals assemblies. The last, but not the least, we explain how and why the multisynaptic ascending nervous fibers connecting the peripheral receptors to the neocortical areas can be viewed as the real counterpart of mathematical tools such as knot theory and braid groups. Their group structure and generator operations point towards a novel approach to long-standing questions concerning human sensation and perception, leading to the suggestion that the very arrangement and intermingling of the peripheral nervous fibers contributes to the cortical brain activity. In touch with the old claims of D’Arcy Thompson, we conclude that the arrangement and the pattern make the function in a variety of biological instances, leading to countless testable hypotheses.

Once a wheat sheaf has been sealed and tied up, its packed down straws display the same orientation and zero-divergence. This observation brings us to the mathematical notion of presheaf, i.e., a topological structure in which diverging functions are locally superimposed. We show how the concepts of presheaves and the correlated globular sets, borrowed from category theory and algebraic topology, allow a well-founded mathematical approach to otherwise elusive activities of the brain. The mathematical assessment of brain functions in terms of presheaves: a) explains why spontaneous random spikes synchronize; b) leads to the counterintuitive intuition of antidromic effects in neuronal spikes: when an entrained oscillation propagates from A to B, changes in B lead to changes in A. We provide testable previsions: a) we suggest the proper locations of transcranial magnetic stimulation’s coils to improve the clinical outcomes of drug-resistant epilepsy; b) we advocate that axonal stimulation by external sources backpropagates and alters the neuronal electric oscillatory frequency. Further, we describe how the hierarchical information transmission inside globular sets provides fresh insights concerning different issues at various coarse-grained scales, such as object persistence, memory reinforcement in spite of random noise, Bayesian inferential circuits.

Visual imagery, i.e., the mental experience of an object occurring in the absence of external visual stimulus, might encompass diverse content according to different observers. Further, subjectively experienced time is encoded in the later entorhinal cortex. Starting from these two observations, and considering Einstein’s account of spacetime, we show how, in terms of special relativity, the content of visual imagery is not stationary and fixed, rather depends on the standpoint of the observer. We elucidate how the subjective definition of time (perceived by our mind as static) might give rise to modifications in the length of the imagined object which are experimentally assessable and quantifiable. In particular, based on recent neuroscientific literature, we show how changes in our mental time windows are able to squeeze the visual content of mental imagery.

Dewetting transition - a concept borrowed from fluid mechanics - is a physiological process which takes place inside the hydrophobic pores of ion channels. This transient phenomenon causes a metastable state which forbids water molecules to cross the microscopic receptors’ cavities. This leads to a decrease of conductance, a closure of the hole and, subsequently, severe impairment of cellular performance. We suggest that artificially-provoked dewetting transition in ion channels’ hydrophobic pores could stand for a molecular candidate to erase detrimental organisms, such as viruses, bacteria and cancer cells. We describe a novel type of high-affinity monoclonal antibody, which: a) targets specific trans-membrane receptor structures of harmful or redundant cells; b) is equipped with lipophilic and/or hydrophobic fragments that prevent physiological water flows inside ion channels. Therefore, we achieve an artificial dewetting transition inside receptors’ cavities which causes transmembrane ionic flows discontinuity, channel blockage and subsequent damage of morbid cells. As an example, we describe dewetting monoclonal antibodies targeting the M2 channel of the Influenza A virus: they might prevent water to enter the pores, thus leading to virion impairment.

Causal relationships lie at the very core of our scientific description of biophysical phenomena. Nevertheless, observable facts such as chaotic dynamics, symmetry breaks, long-range collisionless neural interactions, zero-value energy singularities, particle/wave duality, ecological approaches to visual perception elude cause effect inductive explanations. We illustrate how simple topological claims, seemingly useless and far away from scientific inquiry (e.g., “given at least some wind on Earth, there must at all times be a cyclone or anticyclone somewhere”; “if one stirs to dissolve a lump of sugar in a cup of coffee, it appears there is always a point without motion”; “at any moment, there is always a pair of antipodal points on the Earth’s surface with equal temperatures and barometric pressures”) describe a real world, made of projections and mappings unsupplied with causality. Unavoidable, necessary, passive, spontaneous changes in systems’ shapes, dimensions and symmetries incarnate biophysical quantifiable counterparts of abstract mathematical concepts. Real features arising from topological mechanisms do not require causal powers to be produced, because are independent of exerted physical forces, energetic fields’ actions and thermodynamic constraints. Providing examples that shed novel interpretative light on phenomena such as double slit experiments, cellular mechanisms and brain function, we conclude as follows: countless scientific matters can be accessed through methodological weapons which not just break causality, replace temporal correlations and probabilistic a priori knowledge of previous cases, but also permit augments in available information devoid of entropy increases and energy losses.

Geometry deals both with analogical thinking and physical/biological observables. Naïve, common-sense descriptions of objects’ shapes and systems’ trajectories in geometric phase spaces may help experimental investigation. For example, very different biological dynamics, as the developmental growth patterns of the oldest known animal (the extinct Dickinsonia) and the human brain electric oscillations, display a striking analogy: when encompassed in abstract geometric spaces, their paths describe the same changes in curvature: from convex, to flat, to concave and vice versa. This dynamical behavior, anticipated by Nicholas de Cusa in his analogical account of “coincidentia oppositorum” (1440), helps to describe widespread biological paths in the manageable terms of concave, flat and convex curves on donut-like structures. Every trajectory taking place on such toroidal manifolds can be located, through a topological technique called Hopf fibration, into a four-dimensional space. We discuss how the correlation between Hopf fibration and Navier-Stokes equations allows us to treat the above-mentioned biological and neuroscientific curved paths in terms of flows taking place into a viscous fluid medium that can be experimentally assessed and quantified.

We describe cosmic expansion from the standpoint of an observer’s comoving horizon. When the Universe is small, the observer detects a large amount of the total cosmic bits, which number is fixed. Indeed, information, such as energy, cannot be created or destroyed in our Universe, i.e., the total number of cosmic bits must be kept constant, despite the black hole paradox. When the Universe expands, the information gets ergodically “diluted” in our isotopic and homogeneous Cosmos. This means that the observer can perceive just a lower number of the total bits, due the decreased density of information in the cosmic volume (or its surrounding surface, according to the holographic principle) in which she is trapped by speed light’s constraints. Here we ask: how does the second law of thermodynamics enter in this framework? Could it be correlated with cosmic expansion? The correlation is at least partially feasible, because the decrease in the information detected by a local observer in an expanding Universe leads to an increase in detected cosmic thermodynamic entropy, via the Bekenstein bound and the Laudauer principle. Reversing the classical scheme from thermodynamic entropy to information entropy, we suggest that the quantum vacuum’s cosmological constant, that causes cosmic expansion, could be one of the sources of the increases in thermodynamic entropy detected by local observers.

The French-Swiss Professor in inductive philosophy Richard Avenarius (1843-1896), the father of empirio-criticism together with Ernst Mach, is one of the most underrated and misunderstood philosophers ever. It mostly depends upon his terminology, which displays an insurmountable difficulty. However, influenced by the most innovative proposals of his times of transition between the idealistic/rationalist legacies and the new Materialism/scientific interpretation of reality – i.e, by cultural evolutionism, linguistics, biomechanics, entropy/energy and, above all, by the newborn experimental psychology-, he produced a complete system of philosophy and innovative methods of investigation of the laws of knowledge. Hints (chunk, scrap, fragments) of his original ideas can be found not only in philosophers of mind after him - such as Gestalt, phenomenalism, behaviourism, functionalism and cybernetics, autopoiesis, dynamical systems theory, embedded/embodied mind, free-energy principle of the brain – but also in recent neuroscientific theories – nervous transduction, electric spikes, cracking of neural code, multisensory integration -. Our aim is to provide the first chronological English summary of his masterpiece, the “Kritik”, to give the possibility to the (almost) totally unaware English speakers to appreciate such a neglected and innovative thinker.

Carukia barnesi (Cb), Malo kingi (Mk) and Chironex fleckeri (Cf) are dangerous Australian box jellyfish species that provoke distinct and not well understood envenomation syndromes. Specifically, Cb and Mk are small, rare and able to induce a systemic syndrome of generalised muscle pain and catecholamine excess termed “Irukandji syndrome”; Cf has been widely regarded as one of the most venomous organisms in the animal kingdom causing severe sting site pain combined with potentially lethal cardiotoxicity. Building on past studies of major chirodropid and carybdeid species venoms, this study compared the utility of various cubozoan specific antibody reagents to better define the relationships between venom proteins from both exemplar Irukandji species (Cb and Mk) and the archetype C. fleckeri box jellyfish. With the aid of commercial ovine derived Cf-specific antivenom, mouse antibodies reactive to Cb and Mk and rabbit antibodies specific to two Cf toxins (CfTX-1 and 2), as well as human sera, the cross-reactivity of jellyfish species-specific polyclonal antibodies against these three cubozoan venoms was investigated. Immunoblot assays revealed distinc levels of immune recognition across the three species, indicating that Mk specific reagents may bind both Irukandji and Cf venoms. Irukandji venom appears to be antigenic with the exception of a few proteins in the range of 43/46 kDa maybe homologous to CfTX-1 and 2. The implications of such antibody binding for future antivenom development require further investigation.

The current health crisis derived from COVID 19 has become a serious threat to humanity. The collateral effects related to economic aspects are affecting companies, workers and, of course, families in general. The problems of financial insolvency are frequently present in debtors who have contracted a debt with their creditor. Therefore, the objective of the study is focused on modeling a debt restructuring proposal, through three hypothetical scenarios in which the debt is reconvened when some documents have expired and others are yet to expire. In each of the scenarios, the mathematical model is designed and subsequently corroborated in an Excel spreadsheet. The predominant variables in the restructuring are the adjustment rates used to update the past due promissory notes and the discount rates of those promissory notes that have not yet expired, capitalizations, transaction costs and, if applicable, whether the debt is in foreign currency. In this case, it is converted to the local currency, then the spot exchange rate is used.

This experimental research presents an easier model for fitting experimental results that can be simulate the dynamical behaviour of a single degree freedom system, SDFS, subjected in a forced vibration in a shaking table. The fractional damping using a Kelvin-Voigt fractional derivative rheological model, KVFRdm, to represent a fractional oscillator and compare with the experimental model.

Background: Citicoline, a medical food, lacks proven efficacy for ischemic stroke and has uncertainties around its harms. The continued prescription should be reevaluated given the more robust, high-quality Evidence against that medical food. This essay is based on a recent Cochrane review and uses only one all-cause mortality as the primary outcome. Therefore, the essay should be considered as something other than an updated Cochrane review but like a reflection based on Evidence-based Medicine and Philosophy of Science analysis. Question Research: Why citicoline (a medical food) should not be prescribed to treat people with acute ischemic stroke: The certainty of the Evidence.? Objective: Demonstrate from evidence-based medicine and philosophy of science perspective that citicoline should not be prescribed for acute ischemic stroke due to lack of efficacy and harm uncertainties. Search publications: We searched in PubMed and Cochrane Library from 2020 until 30 October 2023. We, furthermore, used engineering machines Bing and Google Scholar to detect additional papers. Additionally, we also reviewed reference lists of the retrieved publications and review articles and searched the websites of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). Selection criteria: We included systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized clinical trials, clinical guidelines focused on acute ischemic stroke and comparing citicoline versus placebo or no intervention. We excluded narrative reviews, observational studies and ongoing trials. Data collection and analysis: We identified only new randomized clinical trials and assessed the risk of bias in seven domains. The other eight trials were already included in the mentioned Cochrane review. The systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses were assessed using McMaster University guidelines. We estimated risk ratios (RRs) for that outcome. We measured statistical heterogeneity using the I² statistic. We conducted our analyses using the fixed effect model. We did not use the GRADE approach due to what is shown in a Cochrane review published in 2020 by Martí-Carvajal et al. We used the RevMan 5.4 software from Cochrane Collaboration to conduct the forest plot. We used a Trial Sequential Analysis with Copenhagen Trial Unit Software. We estimated a Bayes factor from the relative risk and 95% confidence interval. Results: We identified only one new RCT (N = 99) reported mortality data and three clinical guidelines. We conducted a new meta-analysis with nine trials (N = 4461) having a high risk of bias and showing little to no difference in mortality between citicoline and placebo (17.1% vs 18.4%; RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.06; I2 = 0%). The Bayes factor was 0.7, indicating weak Evidence for the null over the alternative hypothesis. Trial sequential analysis suggested sufficiency of Evidence for mortality. No guidelines recommend citicoline. Conclusions: This essay reassessed citicoline for acute ischemic stroke after the 2020 Cochrane review. Adding a new RCT further supported the lack of mortality benefit with citicoline. The overall evidence quality could be better. Analyses using evidence-based medicine and philosophy of science approaches do not support prescribing citicoline due to a lack of efficacy substantiation and potential harms.

The cornea is an avascular tissue which has attracted much attention by the uniqueness of its anatomical characteristics, it has, in proportion, an enormous size, in relation to the number of vessels, because on average few cells in the organism are away more than 30 microns of a blood vessel. However, the cornea, with a diameter of between 11 and 12 mm, is a unique example. It has been tried to explain the notable absence of blood vessels in the cornea, arguing that corneal tissues are able to take oxygen directly from the air. In this article we are explaining that based on the physicochemical characteristics of molecular oxygen and the cell membrane, cytoplasm, water, and cellular metabolism, it is not possible that epithelial corneal cells directly take oxygen from the air, instead, corneal cells have molecules that can dissociate the water molecules thereby these cells, like any other eukaryotic cells, take the oxygen from the intracell water, like plants.

The Mar Menor is a Spanish coastal lagoon of great ecological and economic interest. The agricultural and tourist activities developed in the surroundings of the lagoon, together with the modifications in its channels of connection with the Mediterranean Sea, have notably affected the quality of its waters, which is altering the natural balance of the ecosystem. In this work, an analysis of the density of phytoplankton present in the lagoon between the months of May to December 2017 has been carried out. There, it has been a notable increase in the density of organisms in post-summer samplings, following the recording of higher temperatures, and the presence of Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Chrysophyceae and nanoplanktonic Cryptophyceae stands out. The data collected indicate a significant increase in the eutrophication process of the lagoon that requires the development of management plans to reduce agricultural discharges and promote the recovery of the lagoon and its native species.

This review evaluates the trajectory and sustainability of the global and Mexican aquaculture industry. Globally, the sector is experiencing rapid growth, catalyzed by evolving consumption patterns and technological advancements. Notwithstanding the benefits, environmental concerns necessitate an urgent shift towards sustainable practices. The focus then narrows to Mexico's aquaculture, tracing its history from the late 19th century. With an emphasis on species diversification, the country's sector demonstrates resilience and potential, with an impressive yield of 249,613.71 tons in 2021 despite regional consolidation. However, persistent challenges such as technological limitations, funding shortages, and access to quality seeds hinder progress. Risks, including disease outbreaks, negative environmental impact, economic volatility, regulatory compliance, and climate change, further underscore the need for sustainable strategies. With government support and unique geographical and climatic advantages, Mexico shows promise for a significant % growth projection of 25% over the next five years. This review underscores the importance of embracing technological innovation, implementing sustainable practices, and enacting supportive legislation for the long-term success of the aquaculture sector worldwide, with a particular focus on Mexico.

In this study, we investigated water transparency estimation models in the hypertrophic lagoon of the Albufera of Valencia using Sentinel-2 images. Water transparency, a crucial environmental indicator, was assessed via Secchi disk depth (ZSD) measurements. Three optical models (R490/R560, R490/R705, R560/R705) were explored to establish a robust algorithm for ZSD estimation. Through extensive field sampling and laboratory analyses, weekly data spanning 2018 to 2023 were collected, including water transparency, temperature, conductivity, and chlorophyll-a concentration. Remote sensing imagery from the Sentinel-2 mission was employed, and images were processed using SNAP software. The R560/R705 model, calibrated for turbid lakes, emerged as the most suitable. The algorithm's calibration was validated with high correlation coefficients (R2) in both calibration (0.6149) and validation (0.916) phases, demonstrating the model's accuracy in estimating ZSD. This new algorithm significantly outperformed a previous approach, highlighting the importance of tailoring algorithms to specific water body characteristics. The study contributes to improved water quality assessment and resource management, underscoring the value of remote sensing in environmental research.

Turbulence is a fluid dynamic problem refractory to mathematical treatment. Examining a theoretical model of liquid water flowing in a cylinder at different Raleigh numbers, we propose a novel approach to elucidate the first stages of turbulent flows. The weakly bonded molecular assemblies of liquid water form a fluctuating branched polymer in which every micro-cluster displays different density. Against the common view of liquid water as an incompressible and continuous fluid, we suggest that the occurrence of transient local aggregates could be able to generate the vortices and eddies that are the hallmarks of turbulence. We quantify the local changes in velocity, diameter and density required to engender “obstacles” to the average flow. Then, we show how these microstructures, equipped with different Raleigh numbers and characterized by high percolation index, could generate boundary layers that contribute to micro-vortices production. We conclude that the genesis of turbulence cannot be assessed in terms of collective phenomena, rather is sustained, among many other factors, by the underrated microscopic inhomogeneities of fluids like liquid water.

Grid modernization has been ushered in by rising electricity consumption, deteriorating infrastructure, and increasing reliability concerns for electric utilities. New advances, collectively referred to as the smart grid, include modern electronics, technology, telecommunications, and computing capabilities. Smart grid telecommunication frameworks provide two-way communication to support grid operations. Software-defined networking (SDN) has been proposed as a method of monitoring and controlling telecommunication networks, enabling increased smart grid visibility, control, and security. However, being connected to telecommunications infrastructure means that smart grid networks are exposed to cyber-attacks. Attackers may use unauthorized access to intercept messages, inject false data into system measurements, flood communication channels with false data packets, or target centralized controllers to cripple network control. Defense and security techniques against these threats are constantly evolving, necessitating an up-to-date, comprehensive study analyzing cyber attacks and defense methods for smart grid networks. Previous smart grid security surveys do not contain recent techniques and to our knowledge most, if not all, address only one type of attack type and/or one type of defense. This survey considers the latest security techniques, simultaneous multi-pronged cyber attacks and defensutilityes to meet the challenges of the next-generation SDN smart grid research with the goal of identifying future research needs, describing the open security challenges, and exposing both emerging threats and their potential impact on SD-SG deployment.

Physical properties like shape, volume and size affect the dynamics of biological systems. Along these lines, we focus on the topological properties of biological fluids and their biochemical and physiological outcomes. We take as a paradigmatic example the salivary fluid and describe how its topological features may affect the physiopathology of the oral cavity. Topological approaches assess the general properties of saliva, ignoring small-scale physical details such as density, flow rate, stiffness, viscosity. Specifically, the mucin aggregates scattered in the salivary fluid can be tackled in terms of topological holes, i.e., vortical clusters that modify the direction, flow, impulse, local rate-of-change and velocity of saliva. While the current methodological approaches are inclined to remove the effects of impurities assessing systems as homogeneous structures, we argue that the occurrence of mucins breaks up the salivary fluid’s homogeneity, leading to unexpected biophysical modifications. We suggest that every collected salivary sample is not reliable for accurate clinical and experimental investigation, since it displays highly local as well as variable chemical, physical and biological features, not reflecting the current physiological state of the oral cavity. Therefore, the assessment of a single salivary sample is not fully reproducible and cannot provide information about the biophysical, enzymatic and microbiological content of the whole saliva. In sum, the very topological features of the saliva - such as volume, shape, antipodal cells, vortex area, whirling fluid mass, segmentation, discretization, triangulation, node numbering - produce unnoticed biological consequences and network connectivity features with intriguing operational implications.

The central dogma of molecular biology dictates that, with only a few exceptions, information proceeds from DNA to protein through an RNA intermediate. Examining the enigmatic steps from prebiotic to biological chemistry, we take another road suggesting that primordial peptides acted as template for the self-assembly of the first nucleic acids polymers. Arguing in favour of a sort of archaic “reverse translation” from proteins to RNA, our basic premise is a Hadean Hearth where key biomolecules such as amino acids, polypeptides, purines, pyrimidines, nucleosides and nucleotides were available under different prebiotically plausible conditions, including meteorites delivery, shallow ponds and hydrothermal vents scenarios. Supporting a protein-first scenario alternative to the RNA world hypothesis, we propose the primeval occurrence of short peptides termed “selective amino acid- and nucleotide-matching oligopeptides” (henceforward SANMAOs) that noncovalently bind at the same time the polymerized amino acids and the single nucleotides dispersed in the prebiotic milieu. We describe the chemical features of this hypothetical oligopeptide, its biological plausibility and its virtues from an evolutionary perspective. We provide a theoretical example of SANMAO’s selective pairing between amino acids and nucleosides, simulating a poly-Glycine peptide that acts as a template to build a purinic chain corresponding to the glycine’s extant triplet codon GGG. Further, we discuss how SANMAO might have endorsed the formation of low-fidelity RNA’s polymerized strains, well before the appearance of the accurate genetic material’s transmission ensured by the current translation apparatus.

Metaheuristic algorithms are widely used as optimization methods, due to their global exploration and exploitation characteristics, which obtain better results than a simple heuristic. The Stochastic Fractal Search (SFS) is a novel method inspired by the process of stochastic growth in nature and the use of the fractal mathematical concept. Considering the chaotic-stochastic diffusion property, an improved Dynamic Stochastic Fractal Search (DSFS) optimization algorithm is presented. The DSFS algorithm was tested with benchmark functions, such as the multimodal, hybrid and composite functions, to evaluate the performance of the algorithm with dynamic parameter adaptation with type-1 and type-2 fuzzy inference models. The main contribution of the article is the utilization of fuzzy logic in the adaptation of the diffusion parameter in a dynamic fashion. This parameter is in charge of creating new fractal particles, and the diversity and iteration are the input information used in the fuzzy system to control the values of diffusion.

The unexploited unification of quantum physics, general relativity and biology is a keystone that paves the way towards a better understanding of the whole of Nature. Here we propose a mathematical approach that introduces the problem in terms of group theory. We build a cyclic groupoid (a nonempty set with a binary operation defined on it) that encompasses the three frameworks as subsets, representing two of their most dissimilar experimental results, i.e., 1) the commutativity detectable both in our macroscopic relativistic world and in biology; 2) and the noncommutativity detectable both in the microscopic quantum world and in biology. This approach leads to a mathematical framework useful in the investigation of the three apparently irreconcilable realms. Also, we show how cyclic groupoids encompassing quantum mechanics, relativity theory and biology might be equipped with dynamics that can be described by paths on the twisted cylinder of a Möbius strip.

Background: Previous research studies have suggested the importance of studying the relationship between emotional regulation and sleep habits. Some investigations have especially focused on how emotional regulation could impact sleep habits in children and adolescents. Therefore, these researchers have stated there exists a two-way direction in this relationship. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the influence of emotional regulation on sleep habits in Spanish children and adolescents, and the mediating role of anxiety in this relationship. Method: Participants were 953 Spanish parents who completed the assessment protocol according to their children and adolescents’ information. Results: The results revealed moderate-strong correlations between emotional regulation problems and sleep habits disturbances (r=0.375, p<0.001), trait (r=0.488, p<0.001) and state (r=0.589, p<0.001) anxiety. Also, emotional regulation showed a direct impact on sleep habits (β=0.011, p=0.005). Trait and state anxiety demonstrated a significant mediating role in the relationship between emotional regulation and sleep habits. Conclusions: Emotional regulation may have an impact on sleep habits during childhood and adolescence, suggesting the importance of early intervention focused on the emotions management and the prevention of sleep habits disturbances.

Intestinal gases are usually discarded as physiologically inert, useless sub-products of colonic fermentation that must be expelled to prevent discomfort and meteorism. Starting from the observation that many living beings use exogenous and/or endogenous gases to attain evolutionary benefits, we question whether intestinal gases in healthy humans could have underestimated physiological effects, either intestinal or extra-intestinal. We examine gaseous volume, composition, source and local distribution in proximal as well as distal gut, providing extensive data that may serve as reference for future studies. We analyze each one of the most abundant intestinal gases and describe their diffusive patterns, active trans-barrier transport dynamics, chemical properties, intra-/extra-intestinal metabolic effects mediated by intracellular, extracellular, paracrine and distant actions. Discussing the physical properties of the whole intestinal gaseous mixture, we illustrate how changes in volume/pressure can be generated by two different mechanisms, namely, physical muscular gut contraction and biological colonic fermentation, with quite different metabolic outcomes. The experimental gas laws suggest that the gaseous exchanges between lumen and bloodstream are impaired by muscular contraction and improved by muscular relaxation. In turn, the surface-area-to-volume ratio suggests that the gaseous exchanges are impaired by microorganismal overproduction and improved by microorganismal reduction. Further, theoretical stochastic approaches from probability theory indicate that the non-turbulent, random paths of gas molecules inside colonic haustra do not homogenously spread over the whole mucosal surface. This means that the intestinal area available for lumen/blood metabolic exchanges is much less than expected not just in disease states, but also in healthy individuals.

Neuroscientists are able to detect physical changes in information entropy in available neurodata. However, the information paradigm is inadequate to fully describe nervous dynamics and mental activities such as perception. This paper provides an effort to build explanations to neural dynamics alternative to thermodynamic and information accounts. We recall the Banach–Tarski paradox (BTP), which informally states that, when pieces of a ball are moved and rotated without changing their shape, a synergy between two balls of the same volume is achieved instead of the original one. We show how and why BTP might display this physical and biological synergy meaningfully, making it possible to tackle nervous activities. The anatomical and functional structure of the central nervous system’s nodes and edges allows to perform a sequence of moves inside the connectome that doubles the amount of available cortical oscillations. In particular, a BTP-based mechanism permits scale-invariant nervous oscillations to amplify and propagate towards far apart brain areas. Paraphrasing the BPT’s definition, we could state that: when a few components of a self-similar nervous oscillation are moved and rotated throughout the cortical connectome, two self-similar oscillations are achieved instead of the original one. Furthermore, based on topological structures, we illustrate how, counterintuitively, the amplification of scale-free oscillations does not require information transfer.

Physical measurements might display range values extending towards infinite. The occurrence of infinity in physical equations, such as the black hole singularities, is a troublesome issue that causes many theories to break down when assessing extreme events. Different methods, such as re-normalization, have been proposed to avoid detrimental infinity. Here a novel technique is proposed, based on physical geometrical considerations and the Alexander Horned sphere, that permits to undermine infinity in physical equations. In this unconventional approach, a continuous monodimensional line becomes an assembly of countless bidimensional lines that superimpose in quantifiable knots and bifurcations.

During the exploration of the surrounding environment, the brain links together external inputs, giving rise to perception of a persisting object. During imaginative processes, the same object can be recalled in mind even if it is out of sight. Here, topological theory of shape provides a mathematical foundation for the notion of persistence perception. In particular, we focus on ecological theories of perception, that account for our knowledge of world objects by borrowing a concept of invariance in topology. We show how a series of transformations can be gradually applied to a pattern, in particular to the shape of an object, without affecting its invariant properties, such as boundedness of parts of a visual scene. High-level representations of objects in our environment are mapped to simplified views (our interpretations) of the objects, in order to construct a symbolic representation of the environment. The representations can be projected continuously to an environmental object that we have seen and continue to see, thanks to the mapping from shapes in our memory to shapes in Euclidean space.

Starting from unidentified objects moving inside a two-dimensional Euclidean manifold, we propose a simple method to detect the topological changes that occur during their reciprocal interactions and shape morphing. This method, which allows the detection of topological holes development and disappearance, makes it possible to solve the uncertainty due to disconnectedness, lack of information and absence of objects’ sharp boundaries, i.e., the three troubling issues which prevent scientists to select the required proper sets/subsets during their experimental assessment of natural and artificial dynamical phenomena, such as fire propagation, wireless sensor networks, migration flows, neural networks’ and cosmic bodies’ analysis.

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 entangled antipodal points on black hole surfaces, recently described by t’Hooft, display an unnoticed relationship with the Borsuk-Ulam theorem. Taking into account this observation and other recent claims, suggesting that quantum entanglement takes place on the antipodal points of a S³ hypersphere, a novel framework can be developed, based on algebraic topological issues: a feature encompassed in an S² unentangled state gives rise, when projected one dimension higher, to two entangled particles. This allows us to achieve a mathematical description of the holographic principle occurring in S². Furthermore, our observations let us to hypothesize that a) quantum entanglement might occur in a four-dimensional spacetime, while disentanglement might be achieved on a motionless, three-dimensional manifold; b) a negative mass might exist on the surface of a black hole.

Starting from the tenets of human imagination, i.e., the concepts of lines, points and infinity, we provide a biological demonstration that the skeptical claim “human beings cannot attain knowledge of the world” holds true. We show that the Euclidean account of the point as “that of which there is no part” is just a conceptual device, untenable in our physical/biological realm: terms like “lines, surfaces and volumes” label non-existent, arbitrary properties. We also elucidate the psychological and neuroscientific features hardwired in our brain that lead us humans to think to points and lines as truly occurring in our environment. Therefore, our current scientific descriptions of objects’ shapes, graphs and biological trajectories in phase spaces need to be revisited, leading to a proper portrayal of the real world’s events. In order to provide also a positive account, we view miniscule bounded physical surface regions as the basic objects in a biological context in a traversal of spacetime instead of the usual Euclidean points. Our account makes it possible to erase a painstaking problem that causes many theories to break down and/or being incapable of describing extreme events: the unwanted occurrence of infinite values in equations, such as singularity in the description of black holes. We propose a novel approach, based on point-free geometrical standpoints, that banishes infinitesimals and leads to a tenable physical/biological geometry. We conclude that points, lines, volumes and infinity do not describe the world, rather they are fictions introduced by ancient surveyors of land surfaces.

In the vaginal ecosystem there is a symbiotic relationship between the microbiota and the host, particularly Candida spp., which are considered commensals of the vaginal mucosa. During pregnancy there is an increase in hormonal secretion that alters the vaginal microbiota and favors the development of Candida infection. Several studies have shown the increased prevalence of Candida during pregnancy, as well as its association with perinatal complications and current clinical practice guidelines recommend fluconazole as the treatment of choice during pregnancy in case of infection by Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida. However, in the Mexican population, this association has not been studied. So in this study, an intentional search for colonization by Candida spp. in pregnant women who attended the obstetric triage of the Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de Ixtapaluca during the period from May to October 2019, and they were followed up until the end of the pregnancy. Data on age, number of pregnancies, gestational age, body mass index, and perinatal outcomes were analyzed. Of 83 patients included in the study, yeasts corre-sponding to C. albicans (12) and C. glabrata (4) were isolated in 16. In the group of patients with Candida, the maternal age range was from 15 to 36 years old, of which 7 were adolescents and 2 with advanced maternal age, with an average of 2 gestations, the range of body mass index was from 19.3 to 42.4, of which 4 were overweight and 7 obese. Perinatal complications were observed in three patients, one presented chorioamnionitis and in two the neonates were small for gestational age. No association was found between colonization by Candida spp. and the number of preg-nancies, gestational age, body mass index or perinatal results. However, it was found that age (adolescence) may be a risk factor for the development of vulvovaginitis during pregnancy.

We investigate some of the fundamental features of the interaction of mixed kaleidoscope states, namely, particular statistical mixtures of coherent states, with two-level atoms in the Jaynes-Cummings model framework. We begin our analysis by calculating the von Neumann entropy of the field which is determined with help of the virtual atom method. Oscillations appear in this entropy that indicate a state of purity greater than the initial state, {it i.e.}, a purification of the initial state is achieved. In this oscillatory region, we obtain the field Wigner function that resembles Schrodinger's cats.

Nowadays, there is extensive production and use of plastic materials for different industrial activities. These plastics, either from their primary production sources or through degradation processes of the plastics themselves, can contaminate the ecosystem with micro and nanoplastics. Once in the aquatic environment, these microplastics can be the basis for the adsorption of chemical pollutants, favoring that these chemical pollutants disperse more quickly in the environment and can affect living beings. Due to the lack of information on adsorption, three machine learning models (random forest, support vector machine, and artificial neural network) to predict different microplastic/water partition coefficients (log Kd) were developed using two different approximations (based on the number of input variables). The best-selected machine learning models present, in general, correlation coefficients upper than 0.92 in the query phase, which indicate that these type of models could be used for a rapid estimation of the absorption of organic contaminants on microplastics.

This article investigates the vibration analysis of the mast on the bridge top of a 28-meter tugboat, in the quasi-static regime. The study aims to determine the natural frequencies using an equivalent dynamic model of the mast and considers the accelerations of different degrees of freedom of the vessel. Practical design and reinforcement strategies for the local bridge top structure are proposed, utilizing numerical and analytical tools. The investigation explores various alternatives to optimize the structural arrangement. By analyzing the modal behavior, insights are provided for efficient design and reinforcement. The results contribute to understand the mast's vibration characteristics, offering guidance for similar structures. The study employs numerical and analytical methods, enhancing the optimization of the mast's behavior. It determines natural frequencies, proposes practical design strategies, and explores alternatives for structural optimization. The findings provide insights for shipbuilding and mast design applications in other vessels and industries such as radar mast, compass deck and guyed mast.

The socioeconomic sectors increasingly rely on prompt and affordable tools to predict climatic conditions. This study uses a decision tree classifier model to identify similar monthly ENSO 3.4 indices from March 2001 to February 2011 through monthly historical ENSO3.4 indices (December 1950 – February 2001). Historical monthly ENSO3.4 indices were used to extract available high-resolution monthly historical precipitation grids (1950-2001) for Mexico and constructed monthly ensembles (March 2001 – February 2011 hindcasts). Formerly, a precipitation categorization of monthly observed and simulated precipitation (2001-2011 hindcasts) was employed. Thereafter, global vector data and spatial map assessments were performed seasonally (winter, spring, summer, and fall). Global KSS and HSS metrics indicated the model approach has skill, especially in the spring and fall. Spatial metrics exposed large areas with hit rates > 0.60 in winter and spring, though in winter and spring (dry seasons), it was due to the precipitation categorization hindcast and observed were within the first classification. Lower hit rates, but still acceptable (> 0.40), were detected in summer and fall (during the rainy season and at the end, respectively) because more precipitation classifications were tested and prone to miss. Spatial Spearman correlations provided specific areas of significant model performances and found that high hit rates during the winter and spring are spurious. Meanwhile, it was also found that during the fall the model approach is reliable in most of Mexico, followed by the spring, and in constraint areas in summer and winter across the country. It also appears that dominant ENSO neutral events followed by balanced ENSO cooling and warming events do not prefer the model skill. Overall, the empirical method shows promise (low-cost human and computational resources if ENSO indices expose certainty in its Lead months to forecast) and has the potential to be used in other developing countries influenced by El Niño phenomena.

Mexico is currently facing important water management challenges. Cities in the country are facing water scarcity and at the same time, they struggle with floods during the raining season. The water sensitive urban design (WSUD) approach has proved to be helpful in tackling urban water challenges such as floods and water scarcity and it is being implemented in cities around the world. The WSUD approach highlights the role of both the water cycle and the water utilities systems, when transitioning towards a water sensitive stage. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyse the current situation of the water cycle and the water utility (SIAPA). To do so, we have selected the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara (MAG) and proposes a case study approach. Within our case of study, we answer two questions: 1) What are the causes of water scarcity and flooding in the MAG? and 2) What are the proposals to solve these problems under a WSUD approach? By answering these questions, we identified that the water management in the MAG corresponds to a single purpose infrastructure. This type of management does not contribute to solve the problems of water scarcity and floods. The water supply policy is based only on the construction of large dams disregarding the storage and use of rainwater, and reuse of greywater, and water-conservation devices. In order to transition towards a water sensitive stage, a WSUD approach that includes multi-purpose infrastructure should be considered. Such as green roofs, swales, rainwater gardens, infiltration trenches, etc.

Leaf temperature (T_leaf) influences photosynthesis and respiration. Currently, there is a growing interest on including lianas in productivity models due to their increasing abundance, and their detrimental effects on net primary productivity in tropical environments. Therefore, understanding the differences of T_leaf between lianas and trees is important for future of forest on whole ecosystem productivity. Here we determined the displayed leaf temperature (T_d= T_leaf – ambient temperature) of several species of lianas and their host trees during ENSO and non-ENSO years to evaluate if the presence of lianas affects the T_d of their host trees, and if leaves of lianas and their host trees exhibit differences in T_d. Our results suggest that close to midday, the presence of lianas does not affect the T_d of their host trees; however, lianas tend to have higher values of T_d than their hosts across seasons, in both ENSO and non-ENSO years. Although lianas and trees tend to have similar physiological-temperature responses, differences in T_d could lead to significant differences in rates of photosynthesis and respiration based temperature response curves. Future models should thus consider differences in leaf temperature between these life forms to achieve robust predictions of productivity.

Coronaviruses are pathogens recognized for having an animal origin, commonly associated with terrestrial environments. However, although in a few cases, there are reports of their presence in aquatic organisms like fish, frogs, waterfowls and marine mammals. None of these cases has led to human health effects when contact with these infected organisms has taken place, whether they are alive or dead. Aquatic birds seem to be the main group carrying and circulating these types of viruses among healthy bird populations. Although the route of infection for CoVID-19 by water or aquatic organisms has not yet been observed in the wild, the relevance of its study is highlighted because there are cases of other viral infections known to have been transferred to humans by aquatic biota. It is encouraging to know that aquatic species, such as fish, marine mammals, and amphibians, shows very few cases of coronaviruses and that some other aquatic animals may also be a possible source of cure or treatment against then, as some evidence with algae and marine sponges suggest.

This research is mainly focused on the evaluation of TiO2/Fe2O3 composite and two industrial types of waste (kaolin (Clay-K) and a blast furnace sludge (BFS)) as adsorbent materials of cyanide and as photocatalysts. First, adsorption tests were performed in the absence of light. During photodegradation experiments, the effect of the type of irradiation (ultraviolet (UV) light), visible light and natural sunlight), irradiation time, the type of photocatalyst, as well as irradiance in case of natural sunlight use, were investigated. Adsorption results indicate that Clay-K and TiO2/Fe2O3 materials adsorb approximately twice as much cyanide compared to the BFS sample, which only adsorbs 33.3% (124.87 mg/g); this is due to its smaller specific surface area (5.69 m2/g) compared to that of the other two materials (Clay-K and TiO2/Fe2O3 (14.93 m2/g and 66.59 m2/g, respectively). The results obtained from the study of photodegradation of cyanide under UV irradiation, indicate that Clay-K and BFS samples photodegrade cyanide by 96.44% and 92.66%, respectively. On the other hand, using UV irradiation plus solar irradiation and visible plus solar irradiation, the best photocatalyst was the TiO2/Fe2O3, with 98.66% photodegradation. The use of natural sunlight (irradiance of 600 to 800 W/m2) of a NaCN solution of 750 mg/L, the BFS material was the most efficient to photodegrade cyanide, obtaining 97% in two hours and 87% in just 30 minutes of irradiation.

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a challenge for global health services, affecting millions and leading hundreds to end-stage liver disease each year. This comprehensive review explores the interactions between HBV and the host, examining their impact on clinical outcomes. HBV infection encompasses a spectrum of severity, ranging from acute hepatitis B to chronic hepatitis B, which can potentially progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI), characterized by low HBV DNA levels in hepatitis B surface antigen-negative individuals, can reactivate and cause acute hepatitis B. The identification of diverse HBV genotypes reveals distinct geographical distributions and associations with clinical outcomes. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the host genome have been linked to several clinical outcomes, including cirrhosis, HCC, OBI, hepatitis B reactivation, and spontaneous clearance. The immune response plays a key role in controlling HBV infection by eliminating infected cells and neutralizing HBV in the bloodstream. Furthermore, HBV can modulate host metabolic pathways involved in glucose and lipid metabolism and bile acid absorption, further influencing disease progression. HBV clinical outcomes correlate with three levels of viral adaptation. In conclusion, the clinical outcomes of HBV infection could result from complex immune and metabolic interactions between the host and HBV. These outcomes can vary among populations and are influenced by HBV genotypes, host genetics, environmental factors, and lifestyle. Understanding the degrees of HBV adaptation is essential for developing region-specific control and prevention measures.

The health emergency caused by Covid 19 highlighted the food dependency of many cities in the world and Cali and the cities of Valle del Cauca were no exception as they depended on food flows from other regions and countries, so these Entities are part of the corporate food system, to which their rulers delegated food security for their inhabitants. In the same territory and for the last nine years, a second-level organization has been consolidating that brings together 14 peasant agroecological markets and that despite strict confinement measures was able to continue supplying food to consumers in the municipalities of influence that have supported this initiative. The foregoing leads to think that said organization can become a platform for an agroecological food system of regional scope, for which the characteristics that said system should have according to a model based on the principles of agroecology were evaluated.

Objectives: 1) to demonstrate the anti-inflammatory and anabolic effect of Ozone by determining in serum samples the biochemical levels of IL-6 and IGF-1 in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients in a real world in Rehabilitation Setting; 2) to evaluate clinical effectiveness by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and WOMAC scale, and biochemical effect by C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Material and methods: 65 patients with knee OA Kellgren Lawrence (KL) grade 2 or more were analyzed in a retrospective observational study. The study run from January 2018 to September 2021. Inclusion criteria: a) patients 18 years or older; b) with knee OA KL 2º or more; c) biochemical analysis before-and-after treatment; d) pain more than 3 on VAS. Exclusion Criteria: a) previous knee surgery; b) favism; c) pregnancy; d) any other disease that originates lack of collaboration for infiltration. Primary Outcome variables: a) IL-6; b) IGF-1 in diabetes mellitus (DM)/obese and non-DM/non-obese patients; both before-and-after Ozone treatment. Secondary Outcome variables: a) CRP, b) ESR, c) uric acid, d) VAS pain, e) WOMAC pain, function and stiffness. Ozone protocol consisted of 4 sessions (once a week) of an intra-articular infiltration of 20 mL (20µg/mL concentration) of a gas mixture of Oxygen-Ozone 95-5% (produced by Ozone generator Ozonosan-α Plus ®). For biochemical evaluation, SNIBE MAGLUMI ™ IL-6 (CLIA) and SNIBE MAGLUMI ™ IGF-1 (CLIA) kits were used. CRP and uric acid were analyzed by Abbott Alinity c kit; and ESR was evaluated by DIESSE VES MATIC CUBE 30. Results: There is a linear correlation between age and OA severity. IL-6 decreased both in DM and non-DM patients and in all OA KL grades (from 2.7 to 1.59 pg/mL). IGF-1 decreased in total group (OA + DM + obesity) from 112.09 to 107.19 ng/mL. When only knee OA patients were analyzed, Ozone improved IGF-1 levels (from 100.17 to 102.03 ng/mL). Ozone decreased CRP, ESR, uric acid, and improved VAS pain, WOMAC pain, function and stiffness (p<0.05). Conclusions: Ozone is a valid option for the management of knee osteoarthritis in real world Rehabilitation Setting, because of its anti-inflammatory, metabolic and anabolic properties. Ozone downregulates pro-inflammatory IL-6 cytokine. Ozone has a metabolic/hypoglycemic effect on obese/diabetic knee osteoarthritis patients by reducing IGF-1. Ozone has an anabolic effect on non-diabetic/non-obese patients by improving IGF-1. Ozone reduces other biomarkers of inflammation (CRP, ESR and uric acid) and improves, pain, function and quality of life.

In this article, a critical reflection is made that involves questioning the notion of historic urban landscapes profiled in the Memorandum of Vienna (UNESCO, 2005) and the Paris Recommendation (UNESCO, 2011) as a conceptual paradigm on which to base urban conservation in the 21st century. Its limited methodological development and the assumption of change as an inherent part of the urban condition constitutes the source of many of the problems and difficulties posed by management and protection of contemporary cities, since there is no consensus as to what the acceptable limits of change should be in historic urban landscapes - difficulties that become ever more apparent, given the background of Weberian administrative doctrines present in current governance models. Likewise, the concept of Buffer Zones as a landscape management tool is analyzed, with the aim of establishing new methodological proposals that enable spatial organization to be regulated by defining areas of harmonization that are made up of flexible and multifunctional spaces for cooperation where territorial scale comes into contact with modernization of the historical fabric.

Electrical rotating machines like Induction Motors (IMs) are widely used in several industrial applications since their robust elements, provide high efficiency and give versatility in industrial applications. Nevertheless, the occurrence of faults in IMs is inherent to their operating conditions, hence, Inter-turn short-circuit (ITSC) is one of the most common failures that affect IMs and its appearance is due to electrical stresses leads to the degradation of the stator winding insulation. In this regard, this work proposes a diagnosis methodology for the assessment and detection of incipient ITSC in IMs, the proposed method is based on the processing of vibration, stator currents and magnetic stray-flux signals. Certainly, the novelty and contribution include the characterization of different physical magnitudes by estimating a set of statistical time domain features, as well as, their fusion and reduction through the Linear discriminant Analysis technique within a feature-level fusion approach. Furthermore, the fusion and reduction of information from different physical magnitudes leads to perform the automatic fault detection and identification by a simple Neural-Network (NN) structure. The proposed method is evaluated under a complete set of experimental data and the obtained results demonstrate that the fusion of information from different sources (physical magnitudes) allows to improve the accuracy during the detection of ITSC in IMs , the results make this proposal feasible to be incorporated as a part of condition-based maintenance programs in the industry.

The air transport industry has experienced important transformations over the last decades, despite its continuous global trend of growth. After air transport liberalization process, the present market situation depicts a reduced number of large hub & spoke airlines and an important number of so-called low-cost carriers (LCC). One may wonder why airlines that were once thriving and profitable before liberalization have disappeared, some even recently amid an expansion in demand. To answer that question and others related to it, this paper proposes a management model focused on the airline business, putting in relation the main variables defining the business behavior of an airline. The lessons learned from the past, and the solutions gathered from the model related with, will provide a sound basis to address the new challenges for the next years to come, as it is the case of the new environmental regulations focused on the air transport decarbonization.

The brain, rather than being homogeneous, displays an almost infinite topological genus, because is punctured with a very high number of topological vortexes, i.e., .e., nesting, non-concentric brain signal cycles resulting from inhibitory neurons devoid of excitatory oscillations. Starting from this observation, we show that the occurrence of topological vortexes is constrained by random walks taking place during self-organized brain activity. We introduce a visual model, based on the Pascal’s triangle and linear and nonlinear arithmetic octahedrons, that describes three-dimensional random walks of excitatory spike activity propagating throughout the brain tissue. In case of nonlinear 3D paths, the trajectories in brains crossed by spiking oscillations can be depicted as the operation of filling the numbers of the octahedrons in the form of “islands of numbers”: this leads to excitatory neuronal assemblies, spaced out by empty area of inhibitory neuronal assemblies. These procedures allow us to describe the topology of a brain of infinite genus, to assess inhibitory neurons in terms of Betti numbers, and to highlight how non-linear random walks cause spike diffusion in neural tissues when tiny groups of excitatory neurons start to fire.

The Universe, rather than being homogeneous, displays an almost infinite topological genus, because it is punctured with a countless number of gravitational vortexes, i.e., black holes. Starting from this view, we aim to show that the occurrence of black holes is constrained by geometric random walks taking place during cosmic inflationary expansion. At first, we introduce a visual model, based on the Pascal’s triangle and linear and nonlinear arithmetic octahedrons, which describes three-dimensional cosmic random walks. In case of nonlinear 3D paths, trajectories in an expanding Universe can be depicted as the operation of filling the numbers of the octahedrons in the form of “islands of numbers”: this leads to separate cosmic structures (standing for matter/energy), spaced out by empty areas (constituted by black holes and dark matter). These procedures allow us to describe the topology of an universe of infinite genus, to assess black hole formation in terms of infinite Betti numbers, to highlight how non-linear random walks might provoke gravitational effects also in absence of mass/energy, and to propose a novel interpretation of Beckenstein-Hawking entropy: it is proportional to the surface, rather than the volume, of a black hole, because the latter does not contain information.

Male infertility (MI) involves various endogenous and exogenous facts. These include oxidative stress (OS), which is known to alter several physiological pathways and it is estimated to be present at high levels in up to 80 % of infertile men. That is why since the late 20th Century, the relationship between OS and MI has been widely studied. New terms have emerged, such as Male Oxidative Stress Infertility (MOSI), which is proposed as a new category to define infertile men with high OS levels. Another important term is MOXI: Male, Antioxidants, and Infertility. Such term refers to the hypothesis that antioxidants could improve male fertility without the use of assisted reproductive technology. However, there is no evidence-based antioxidant treatments that directly improve seminal parameters or birth ratio. In this regard, there is controversy about their use. While certain scientists argue against their use due to the lack of results, others support this use because of their safety profile and low price. Some uncertainties related to the use of antioxidants for treating MI are their questionable efficacy or the difficulties to know their correct dosage. In addition, the lack of quality methods for OS detection can lead to an excessive antioxidant supplementation, resulting in “reductive stress”. Another important problem is that, although the inflammatory process is interdependent and closely linked to OS, it is usually ignored. To solve these uncertainties, new trends have recently emerged. These include the use of molecules with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential, and which are also able to specifically target the reproductive tissue; as well as the use of new methods that allow for reliable quantification of OS and a quality diagnosis. This review aims to elucidate the main uncertainties about MOXI and to outline the latest trends in research to achieve effective therapies with clinically relevant outcomes.

In this work, an entropy-stable and well-balanced numerical scheme for a one-dimensional blood flow model is presented. Such scheme is obtained from an explicit entropy conservative flux along with a second order discretization of the source term by using centered finite differences. We prove that the scheme is entropy-stable and preserves steady-states solutions. In addition, some numerical examples are included to test the performance of the proposed scheme.

In many practical applications, it is more convenient to characterize the quality of production processes or service operations throughout the count of nonconformities. In the context of SPC, nonconformities are usually assumed to appear according to the binomial probability model. The conventional way for monitoring nonconformities involves Shewhart-type control procedures based on both constant and time-varying sample sizes. In this article, an EWMA scheme is proposed for monitoring the fraction of nonconforming items with time-varying sample sizes. The proposed control chart is referred to as the EWMAG-B and can be easily adapted to work with a constant sample size by fixing it at a needed value. By means of simulation, it was found out that the EWMAG-B chart outperforms the conventional p control chart in Phase II while detecting changes in the process level is wanted.

Relationships among near set theory, shape maps and recent accounts of the Quantum Hall effect pave the way to quantum computations performed in higher dimensions. We illustrate the operational procedure to build a quantum computer able to detect, assess and quantify a fourth spatial dimension. We show how, starting from two-dimensional shapes embedded in a 2D topological charge pump, it is feasible to achieve the corresponding four-dimensional shapes, which encompass a larger amount of information. This novel, relatively straightforward architecture not only permits to increase the amount of available qbits in a fixed volume, but also converges towards a solution to the problem of optical computers, that are not allowed to tackle quantum entanglement through their canonical superposition of electromagnetic waves.

An alleged association of chronic use of thiazide diuretics with an increased risk of bone fragility fractures has been highlighted by a relatively recent prospective cohort study (Am J Med. 2016 Dec; 129(12):1299-1306). However, the concept that thiazides exert a beneficial effect on osteoporosis is still a predominant view. This effect would be mediated by the decrease in renal clearance of calcium ions, a pharmacological feature recognized for a long time now to this class of drugs , as opposed to the increase in calcium urinary excretion attributed instead to loop diuretics, i.e. furosemide and similar drugs . The purpose of this retrospective study is to attempt to clarify whether regular use of thiazide diuretics as antihypertensive therapeutics is associated with a significantly increased risk of osteoporotic fractures in female patients, aged over 70 years.

This article introduces an innovative design method for public lighting systems that surpasses the limitations of conventional approaches, which rely on predefined lamp characteristics and spatial arrangement. By employing a multi-criteria decision algorithm, our study proposes an optimal design methodology considering several key aspects, including the distance between lamps, their type, power, and light distribution. The goal is to achieve optimal illumination that enhances visibility on public roads for drivers and pedestrians while simultaneously minimizing glare, installation costs and maximizing energy efficiency. The proposed methodology is implemented through an algorithm developed in Matlab, with results validated through simulations in Dialux. This information is used to construct a decision matrix, assessed using the CRITIC method across 180 different scenarios within a specific case study. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of multi-criteria decision-making as a tool for significantly improving the planning and design of lighting in public illumination systems, allowing for selecting the optimal combination of parameters that ensure the best lighting conditions.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and periodontitis are two chronic diseases that are interconnected. The coexistence of these conditions leads to increased severity of periodontitis and challenges in controlling blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate both the influence of periodontal disease and its treatment in patients with DM in terms of a reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin levels at 3 and 6 months after treatment. Methods: A sequential, nonprobabilistic, controlled, prospective and longitudinal case−control study was carried out at the University Dental Clinic of the Morales Meseguer Hospital in Murcia, Spain. Thirty diabetic patients were divided into two groups: patients with periodontitis (test group) and patients without periodontitis (control group). The periodontal and endocrine-metabolic variables were measured at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after periodontal treatment for both groups. Results: Statistically significant differences were found at 3 and 6 months after periodontal treatment with respect to HbA1c levels in the group of periodontal patients. However, these differences were not observed in the control group. Conclusion: The presence of periodontal disease increased HbA1c levels in patients with DM. Nonsurgical periodontal treatment significantly decreased the degree of periodontal inflammation and the HbA1c level at 3 and 6 months after treatment.

The internationals guidelines about food intolerances, allergy and immunity provide for rigorous steps in which ultrasonography is not provided. However there is evidence in literature about an ancillar role of ultrasonography in these conditions. In this report we analyze the main pathologies with allergic or immune pathogenesis

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between the type of conization, the volume and dimensions of the cone, with the persistence/recurrence of CIN 2-3, presence of affected margins and post-cone HR-HPV positivity. Methods: 227 women treated with LLETZ and histologically confirmed CIN2-3 were evaluated between 1996 and 2006 and followed up until June 2016. Age, type of resection according to IFCPC 2011, volume, cone dimensions, margins were studied. of resection, post-cone high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) status and viral load. Determinants of HR-HPV positivity were estimated using unconditional logistic regression and time to recurrence was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: Persistent/recurrent CIN2-3 was found in 12 cases (5.2%), type 1 conization was performed in 81 patients, with 5 recurrences (6.1%), type 2 in 101 patients, with 6 recurrences (5 .9%) and type 3 resection in 45 women, with 1 recurrence (2.2%). Volume and dimensions were not associated with recurrence. The Log-Rank Test did not show a significant difference between the 3 treatments (p= 0.18). The free margins in type 1 were 37%, in type 2 resection 61% and in type 3 71% (p=0.001). Resection type 1 had 15% HR-HPV post positive cone, type 2 reached 16% and type 3 had 9%, this difference being non-significant (p=0.58). The incidence of recurrence at 36 months in type 1 resection was 0.08%, in type 2 treatment it was 0.04% and in type 3 resection it was 0.0%. Conclusions : Type 3 resection had a higher proportion of free margins and lower post-cone HR-HPV positivity, with a lower incidence of persistence/recurrence.

Self-perceived health is an important indicator of occupational health. This research explores the relationship between poor self-perceived health and exposure to psychosocial risk factors, taking into account potential socio-demographic, occupational and employment determinants. Using data from the First Survey of Occupational Safety and Health Conditions covering 1049 salaried workers in Guayaquil, Ecuador descriptive and stratified binary logistic regression analyses (Odds Ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals) were carried out. No significant relationship was found between exposure to psychosocial risk factors and the probability of presenting poor self-perceived health by socio-demographic, occupational and employment characteristics. Occupational exposure factors to psychosocial risks are predictors of self-perceived ill health and are related to the variables analyzed; the most frequently expressed factors among the respondents were Cognitive Demands (DGOG) and Job Insecurity (IL). The results have implications in terms of designing effective workplace interventions pursuant of ensuring the health and wellbeing of employee.

Breast cancer (BC) affects millions of women; it is the leading cause of death by neoplasia in wom-en worldwide, with at least 500 thousand deaths each year, 70% of which occur in developing countries. Elastography evaluates tissue stiffness, making this a promising non-invasive real-time technique. BI-RADS is recognized as a standard and helpful technique for establishing BC risk. This study aimed to determine, by strain elastography (SE), the fat-to-lesion index (F/L index), sen-sitivity, specificity, and optimal cut-off to diagnose BC. This prospective study included 216 wom-en who underwent SE, ultrasound, mammography, and breast biopsy; according to mammogra-phy, we recruited BI-RADS category 2 (n= 5), category 3 (n=29), category 4 (n= 94), category 5 (n= 71) and category 6 (n=17); after biopsy, 108 women were classified as negative, and 108 were pos-itive for BC. Three expert BC radiologists performed all imaging interpretations and biopsies. Our results show mean values of the F/L index for negative biopsies of 3.70±2.57 and positive biopsies of 18.10±17.01; we developed two models for the prediction of BC, a logistic regression model with an AUC of 0.893 and a neural network with an AUC of 0.902. The Youden index yielded a F/L index cut-off >5.76, with a sensitivity and specificity of 84.26%. Positive Spearman's Rho cor-relation coefficient was observed between the F/L index and BI-RADS, r=.073 (p< 0.001). ANOVA test showed a difference between F/L index vs. molecular subtypes (p=0.002). SE is helpful as a di-agnostic complement to mammography, or in cases where the latter is contraindicated, elas-tography has an adequate predictive capacity and is a fast and minimally invasive procedure.

One of the main challenges for autonomous learning in virtual environments is finding the right material that fits students’ needs and supports their learning process. Personalized recommender systems partially solve this problem by suggesting online educational resources to students based on their preferences. However, in educational environments (which need a proper characterization of both users and educational resources), most existing recommendation algorithms either fail to include all the available information or use hybrid processes that do not exploit possible relationships between users and item features. This article presents a personalized recommender system for educational resources aimed at combining user and item information into a single mathematical model based on matrix factorization. As a result, estimated latent factors can provide insight into possible interactions between users and item features, improving the quality of the information retrieval process. We validated the proposed model on a real dataset that contains the ratings assigned by students from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Universidade Feevale to educational resources in the Colombian Federation of Learning Object Repositories (FROAC in Spanish). User characterization included learning style and educational level, whereas item characterization (obtained from the objects’ metadata), included interactivity level, aggregation level and type, and resource format. These results, compared to those obtained when not all the available information is included, show that our method can improve the recommendation process.

Background. To determine the effectiveness and safety of meropenem in routine clinical practice, in terms of clinical and microbiological response. Methods. A real-world, observational, descriptive, longitudinal study with daily monitoring of clinical history records was conducted on all patients who were medically prescribed meropenem during a period between October 2015 and March 2016 at a university hospital in Bucaramanga (Colombia). Results. The study evaluated 84 patients with an average age of 63.2 years, mostly older adults with multiple comorbidities, of whom 54.8% were men. A positive clinical or microbiological response was obtained in 98.8% of the patients. At the end of the treatments, significant improvements in dysthermia (0% vs 29% at the beginning, p = 0.000), tachycardia (13% vs 47%, p = 0.049) and leukocytosis (39% vs 15% at the beginning, p = 0.008) were evidenced. The improvement in the indicator that combines all the SIRS criteria was also significant (p = 0.000). The treatment was well tolerated, although we identified some non-serious and expected adverse reactions. Conclusions. Generic meropenem proved to be effective and well tolerated for different types of infection in routine clinical practice. The results are consistent with the findings of the clinical studies with the innovator drug.

One of the interactions that has been studied in recent decades under the ecohydrological approach is infiltration, which is difficult to determine because the existing methods for estimation depends on certain variables that are difficult to establish or identify, and in other cases, the implementation of instrumentation is expensive. Given this, saturated hydraulic conductivity has been the descriptive variable of the infiltration process by recent authors, being understood as the conduction of water that occurs through the soil and its composition through the vegetation cover. The present design generated an easily accessible portable instrumentation model for the monitoring and collection of infiltration data in situ for basins and ecosystems with different land uses, in an automated manner with the objective of determining the vegetation patterns necessary to sustain the infiltration function. The INDI-INECOL tension infiltrometer [1] was chosen as the reference instrument. It evaluates the saturated hydraulic conductivity based on a column of water that descends through the system and it is exchanged in the soil by the air between the pores. To automate data collection, a measurement system has been proposed through a SCADA system, which is defined as a control, action, decision, storage and data recording system. This system collects field data from a sensor VL053L0X connected to a master station, in our case an Arduino board UNO, connected through the serial port and by a graphical user interface programmed on Python, to display, storage and enrichment of the sensor data and finally to be exported in files suitable for Microsoft Excel.

A novel metaheuristic optimization method is proposed based on an earthquake that is a geology phenomenon. The novel Earthquake Algorithm (EA) proposed, adapts the principle of propagation of geology waves P and S through the earth material composed by random density to ensure the dynamic balance between exploration and exploitation, in order to reach the best solution to optimization complex problems by searching for the optimum into the search space. The performance and validation of the EA are compared against the Bat Algorithm (BA) and the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) by using 10 diverse benchmark functions. In addition, an experimental engineering application is implemented to evaluate the proposed algorithm. Early results show a feasibility of the proposed method with a clearly constancy and stability. It is important highlight the fact that the main purpose of this paper is to present a new line of research, which is opened from the novel EA.

Plazomicin is a recently U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved semisynthetic aminoglycoside. Its structure consists of a sisomicin scaffold modified by adding a 2(S)-hydroxy aminobutyryl group at the N1 position and a hydroxyethyl substituent at the 6′ position. These substitutions produced a molecule refractory to most aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. The main enzyme within this group that recognizes plazomicin as substrate is the aminoglycoside 2′-N-acetyltransferase type Ia [AAC(2′)-Ia], which reduces the antibiotic’s potency. Designing formulations that combine an antimicrobial with an inhibitor of resistance is a recognized strategy to extend the useful life of existing antibiotics. We have recently found that several metal ions inhibit acetylation of numerous aminoglycosides catalyzed by the aminoglycoside 6′-N-acetyltransferase type Ib [AAC(6′)-Ib]. In particular, Ag1+, which also enhances the effect of aminoglycosides by other mechanisms, is very effective in interfering with AAC(6′)-Ib-mediated resistance to amikacin. Here we report that silver acetate is a potent inhibitor of AAC(2′)-Ia-mediated acetylation of plazomicin in vitro, and it reduces resistance levels of Escherichia coli carrying aac(2′)-Ia. The resistance reversion assays produced equivalent results when the structural gene was expressed under the control of the natural or the blaTEM-1 promoters. The antibiotic effect of plazomicin in combination with silver was bactericidal, and the mix did not show significant toxicity to human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells.

Background: In PE, the methodology used to develop coeducation must consider the tastes and preferences of students. The purpose of this work was to analyze how teachers work with different aspects of PE classes and how their work is perceived by students. Methods: The sample was formed by 176 teachers and 1,136 secondary school students. The research design was descriptive. The Questionnaire of Coeducational Aspects in Physical Education for teachers and the Questionnaire of Perception of Equality and Discrimination in Physical Education for Students. Results: The different statistical analyses showed significant differences in how male and female teachers assigned responsibility to the students and their control of motor activity space. In regards to the students, significant differences were found between boys and girls in their opinions of how their teachers apply the same rules to all the students. Conclusions: No differences exist between male and female teachers in regards to their utilization neither of materials and sexist language or in their evaluation and feedback given to the students. In regards to the students, girls perceive to a greater extent than their male counterparts that the activities in PE classes promote equality in the improvement of their capacities.

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.

This work focused on proposing a plan for improvement and control of the customer service process in a customer service center, based on a waiting line analysis where it describes all the elements that interact in the system and a statistical analysis of processes to define the state in which it operates. Subsequently, the simulation of processes is applied to represent the system studied, and with it, to be able to evaluate different strategies for improvement and increase in productivity. The following strategies were evaluated: correction of the instability of customer service processes, establishment of new specification limits according to the promise of value to be fulfilled to customers, human resource management, administrative technical support. Finally, with the results obtained from the simulation of the system, the improvement and productivity increase plan is planned according to the DMAMC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control, or DMAIC) continuous improvement cycle established in six sigma

Nowadays, energy saving is considered a key issue worldwide, as it brings a variety of benefits: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing demand for energy imports, and lowering costs on a household and economy-wide level. Researchers and building designers are looking to optimize building efficiency by means of new energy technologies. Changes in existing buildings can also be made to reduce energy consumption and costs. These may include the usage of new heat transfer fluids based on nanofluids. In this work, an extended experimental campaign (from February 2020 to March 2021) has been carried out on an educational building in the Campus of University of Salento, Lecce – Italy, in order to evaluate the increase in performance of the HVAC system, due to the usage of a nanofluid. The results show that, under optimal operating conditions, plant performance improves more than 10%, with average daily peaks of about 15%.

The use of covers to protect blueberry orchards from adverse weather events has increased due to the variability in climate patterns, but the effects of rain cover and netting materials on yield and fruit quality have not been studied yet. This research evaluated the simultaneous effect of LDPE plastic cover, woven cover and netting materials on environmental components (UV light, PAR, NIR and growing degree days, GDD), plant performance (light interception, leaf area index, LAI, yield and flower development), and fruit quality traits (firmness, total soluble solids and acidity) in two blueberry cultivars. On average, UV transmission under netting was 11% and 43% higher compared to that under woven and LDPE plastic covers, while NIR was 8 -13% higher with both types of rain covers, with an increase in fruit air temperature and GDD. Yield was 27% higher under woven cover with respect to netting, but fruit firmness values under netting were 12% higher than those of LDPE plastic cover. Light interception, LAI and flower development explained 64% (p=0.0052) of the yield variation due to the cover material effect. The obtained results suggest that the type of cover differentially affects yield and fruit quality in blueberries due to the specific light and temperature conditions generated under these materials.

The absence of interdental papillae leads to the appearance of black triangle. For most patients, the appearance of these triangles is an important reason for concern and affects their social relationships. Multiple reconstruction techniques have been developed with different degrees of success and predictability. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of hyaluronic acid (HA) injected into interproximal papillae six months after injection and to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis. After a systematic review, five articles were selected: a clinical randomised controlled trial and four clinical trials. In total, eighty-five patients with a deficiency in upper papillae in the front of the maxilla and jaw were included in the study. The height variable was evaluated (mm) six months after HA injection. In total, one hundred and four interproximal papillae were studied. Three articles showed an important difference in favour of intervention. The total result regarding in the injection of AH was favourable with an approximate average filling of 0.7 mm in the height of the interdental papilla. The injection of HA for the reconstruction of deficient papillae in the region of the upper and lower maxilla was a possible option treatment strategy.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) develops as a challenging nerve-damaging adverse effect of anticancer drugs used in chemotherapy. The disorder may require a dose reduction of chemo-therapy and its most common sensory symptoms are severe pain, tingling, and numbness in the hands and feet. CIPN affects dramatically the patient's quality of life (QoL). Pain and sensory abnormalities may occur for months, or even years after the termination of chemotherapy. This disease has complicated pathophysiology featured by underlying mechanisms not completely known. Although many pharmaco-logical and non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches have been tested to overcome these symptoms, there is currently no standardized cure to prevent or treat CIPN. According to current guidelines, Duloxe-tine is the only recommended agent for painful neuropathic symptoms. Therefore, finding effective thera-pies for CIPN is mandatory. The purpose of this review is to dissect CIPN, the target and immunothera-py-based approaches to this disorder, as well as to offer new insights for novel therapeutic perspectives.

An activated carbon manufacturing process using winemaking waste is analyzed and designed at industrial scale. Starting from experimental research, the chemical transformations and thermodynamics during pruning wood conversion are studied as a basis for plant design. In this way, mass and energy balances of hydrothermal carbonization and physical activation are fulfilled and a thermoeconomic methodology is applied to develop an energy-integrated plant. To achieve this target, a network of heat exchangers is allocated to minimize heat consumption and supply hot domestic water, while a cogeneration cycle is designed to provide electricity and satisfy the remaining heat demand. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to determine the influence of the production scale and other operation parameters, such as annual workload, service life, and capital and feedstock costs, on the economic viability of the plant. The energy balance of the plant indicates that the energy integration design manages to provide 48.9% of the overall process energy demand by crossing hot and cold streams and recovering heat from residual flue gas. On the other hand, the exergy cost analysis identifies the combustion of pruning wood used to provide heat demands as the main source of exergy destruction, confirming the suitability of integration to improve the thermodynamic performance. Including activated carbon production, electricity, and hot domestic water, the exergy efficiency of the plant stands at 11.5%.

Collective spread of aggregated viral particles may have beneficial effects on viral capability to survive in the external environment, to counteract immune responses, and to successfully colonize host cells. Here we ask whether SARS-Cov-2 particles, responsible for COVID-19, display collective clustering behavior. Looking at microphotographs and movies of SARS-Cov-2 particles emerging from the surface of cultured cells, we describe single virions that tend to aggregate in progressively larger globular assemblies, until a network-like appearance is achieved. When SARS-Cov-2 particles stick into each other, the squeezing of single virions leads to improved viral package in host’s fluids. We discuss how these findings might explain both the ability to spread of SARS-Cov-2 and the clinical severity of COVID-19 in humans, paving the way to novel therapeutic strategies to mechanically disrupt collective clustering.

Defects are considered one of the wastes in manufacturing systems that negatively affect the delivery times, cost and quality of products leading to manufacturing companies facing a critical situation with the customers and to not comply with the IPC-A-610E standard for the acceptability of electronic components. This is the case is a manufacturing company located in Tijuana, Mexico. Due to an increasing demand on the products manufactured by this company, several defects have been detected in the welding process of electronic boards, as well as in the components named Thru-Holes. It is for this reason that this paper presents a lean manufacturing application case study. The objective of this research is to reduce at least 20% the defects generated during the welding process. In addition, it is intended to increase 20% the capacity of 3 double production lines where electronic boards are processed. As method, the PDCA cycle, is applied. The Pareto charts and the flowchart are used as support tools. As results, defects decreased 65%, 79% and 77% in three analyzed product models. As conclusion, the PDCA cycle, the Pareto charts, and the flowchart are excellent quality tools that help decrease the number of defective components.