The present research aimed to identify if consumption values influence the attitudes of Millennials who intend to purchase organic products. The research was quantitative, with a correlational scope and a cross-sectional design, and it was conducted on 509 Peruvian millennials. A questionnaire consisting of 23 questions was administered, and responses were quantified using a five-point Likert scale. The results were processed through an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences 24 and AMOS 24. The study identified that environmental attitudes of Millennials do influence their intentions to purchase organic products, and the antecedents of these attitudes are functional and social values, whereas emotional, conditional, and epistemic values do not. The study confirmed that consumption values, either as a second-order variable or as a single construct, do not influence the attitudes of Millennials who intend to purchase organic products, thus confirming that these dimensions should be measured independently.

Intravitreal injections (IVTs) of corticosteroids as triamcinolone acetonide (TA) are frequently used for the treatment of many vitreous and retinal disorders. However, IVTs are related to severe ocular complications. Lately, a topical ophthalmic TA loaded liposomes formulation (TALF) was designed to transport TA into the posterior segment of the eye when instilled in the ocular surface. To evaluate the safety, tolerability, and biologic activity of TALF, an animal study and a phase I clinical assay was performed. Moreover, four patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) were treated with TALF in order to explore the biologic activity of the formulation. No inflammation, lens opacity, swelling or intraocular pressure rising were recorded after the instillation of TALF in any of the animal or clinical study. Mainly, mild and transient adverse events such as dry eye (30%) and burning (30%) were reported. TALF improves significantly visual acuity and diminishes central foveal thickness in patients with DME. The current data demonstrate the safety, tolerability, and biologic activity of TALF. It seems that TALF can be used topically to treat vitreous and retinal diseases that respond to TA such as DME, avoiding the use of corticosteroids IVTs and its associated hazards.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the growth of hybrid and online learning environments and the trend to introduce more technology into the classroom. One such change would be the use of smart synchronous hybrid learning environments (SSHLE), which are settings with both in-person and online students concurrently, and in which technology plays a key role in sensing, analyzing, and reacting throughout the teaching and learning process. These changing environments and the incorporation of new technologies can place a greater orchestration load on participants and a reduction in teacher agency. In this context, the aim of this paper is to analyse the orchestration load and teacher agency in different SSHLEs. The NASA-TLX model was used to measure the orchestration load in several scenarios. Questionnaires and interviews were used to measure teacher agency. The results obtained indicate that the orchestration load of the teacher tends to be high (between 60 and 70 points out of 100 of the NASA-TLX workload), especially when they lack experience in synchronous hybrid learning environments, and the orchestration load of the students tends to have average values (between 50 and 60) in the SSHLEs analysed. Meanwhile, the teacher agency does not appear to be altered but shows potential for improvement.

In this work, we synthesized chitosan grafted-poly acrylic acid (CS-g-PA) through surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). We also studied the adsorption process of copper and lead ions onto CS-g-PA surface. Adsorption equilibrium studies indicated pH 4.0 as the best pH for the adsorption process, while the maximum adsorption capacity for Pb2+ ions was 98 mg*g-1 and for Cu2+ was 164 mg*g-1, higher adsorption capacities than chitosan alone (CS), where Pb2+ was only 14.8 mg*g-1and Cu2+ was 140 mg*g-1, respectively. Furthermore, the adsorption studies indicated that Langmuir model describes all the experimental data. All these results suggest that the new CS-g-PA polymers had potential as adsorbent for hazardous and toxic metal ions produced by different industries.

Novel strategies have been developed to reduce or to avoid the intravitreal injections (IVTs) of the antiangiogenic (ranibizumab; RBZ) and the anti-inflammatory (triamcinolone acetonide; TA) agents used to treat vitreoretinal diseases. One of the strategies include liposomes. In this study, it was evaluated the safety and efficacy of topical triamcinolone-loaded liposomes formulation (TALF) as an adjuvant to intravitreal RBZ therapy in treatment-naive patients with neovascular age related macular degeneration (nAMD). Subjects were randomly assigned to the RBZ-TALF or the RBZ-pro re nata (RBZ-PRN) group. Patients from the RBZ-TALF group were instructed to apply TALF for a 12-month period after a single dose of RBZ. Patients from the RBZ-PRN group received three monthly RBZ-IVTs. Retreatment with RBZ was considered in case of nAMD reactivation. Related to safety, non-ocular abnormalities were observed during TALF therapy. Owing to the efficacy, non-significant differences are identified in visual acuity or central foveal thickness when the RBZ-PRN and RBZ-TALF groups are compared. Importantly the average number of RBZ injections was significantly lower in the RBZ-TALF group (2.5 ± 1.4 vs 6.1 ± 1.3 IVTs; p=0004). Therefore, TALF used as an adjuvant to RBZ reduce the number of RBZ-IVTs retreatment with optimal visual and anatomic results.

Purpose: To assess the tolerability, safety, and efficacy of an ophthalmic topical formulation containing helenalin from Arnica montana and hyaluronic acid 0.4% (HA) in patients with mild to moderate dry eye disease (DED) exhibiting positive Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) test results. Methods: Tolerability and safety were evaluated in 24 healthy subjects. Participants were in-structed to routinely apply one drop of the formulation three times a day in the study eye, for a period of two weeks, followed by a clinical follow-up of 21 days. Efficacy was studied in 48 DED patients randomized into Study (Group 1/ receiving the study formulation) or Control (Group 2/ Receiving HA 0.4% eye lubricant) groups, for 4 weeks. Assessments included MMP-9 positivity, conjunctival impression cytology (CIC), Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), non-invasive tear film breakup time (NIF-BUT), non-invasive average breakup time (NIAvg-BUT), ocular surface staining, Schirmer's test, and meibomiography. A crossover design with a four-week follow-up was applied to the control group. Results: Healthy subjects receiving the study formulation exhibited good tolerability and no ad-verse events. Group 1 showed significant MMP-9 reduction (25% positivity rate) unlike Group 2 (87.5% positivity rate). Group 1 displayed improved CIC (33.3% vs. 0% SSD) compared to Group 2 (29.1%). OSDI and NIF-BUT scores improved in both groups (p < 0.001). Only Group 1 showed improved NIAvg-BUT and Schirmer’s test scores (p < 0.001), while Group 2 did not (p > 0.05). MMP-9-positive subjects shifted from 25% to 91.6% in Group 1 and 87.5% to 20.8% in Group 2 after the follow-up. Conclusion: The topical formulation containing helenalin from Arnica montana and hyaluronic acid is well tolerated and has a good safety profile. Our formulation reduces DED sympto-matology and modulates the ocular surface inflammatory process; this is evidenced by the en-hancement of CIC, the improvement of DED-related tear film status, and the reduction of MMP-9 positivity rate.

A significant part of the global economy is focused on financial technologies, such as digital wallets, a rapidly growing sector. In 2020, 2.4 billion people used digital banking services globally, and this figure is projected to rise to 3.6 billion by 2026. This study aims to evaluate the current state and future trends in research on digital wallets using scientific databases. The methodology employed was a scoping review that analyzed 778 documents after the eligibility process. The terms used were “digital wallet,” “mobile wallet,” and “e-wallet.” Results indicate that India, the United States, and China lead in digital wallet research. Factors such as data security, ease of use, and integration with traditional payment systems significantly influence the adoption of digital wallets. Despite numerous studies, this article provides the first in-depth bibliometric analysis using Scopus and Web of Science. There has been an exponential research increase over the last decade, with a shift towards technological adoption and innovation. Less developed but key topics such as “digital wallets,” “blockchain,” and “block-chain” are fundamental yet have potential for further development. Driving themes like “electronic money,” “e-wallet,” and “electronic commerce” are central and highly developed, indicating their relevance and high research activity.

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.

Introduction: Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH) is a devastating condition mostly in preterm infants at < 30 weeks GA with large morbidities and mortality usually in the first 72 hours after birth. Prevention seems to be the only way to completely deal with this problem. The IVH prevention in this age group has been studied and includes some strategies such as prenatal corticosteroids, cesarean delivery, careful extraction among others, but still, it has an unacceptably high incidence in this population. A protocol with the name Drive to Zero IVH Prevention Project that was presented in one of EpicLatino conferences some years ago. As with any quality improvement in practices, we adapted this project to our unit. Objective: To compare the IVH incidence in our unit after the protocol implementation with and historic cohort from the same unit and with all other units un the epilactino network. Material and method: In October 2017 we begun to implement a neuro protection protocol. For this analysis we include every patient born <30 weeks of GA, inborn or outborn but less than 2 days old, that survived at least three days and had a neuroimaging preformed. We include cases until July 2022, and we use the EpicLatino, a Latin-American database, from 2018 to 2020 excluding our own unit for comparison as well as an historical cohort from our unit from 2010-2017. The protocol consists of: Minimal manipulation, low volume ventilation, one routine fiscal exam a day, neutral head position, one blood pressure measured per shift, no keel stick measurements, continuous dim light and low noise level, minimal touch, no vasoactive therapy except in extreme cases, temperature and humidity at 80%, catheters, when possible, fluid restriction followed with diuresis, no PDA therapy or Echo if possible and routine therapy with hydrocortisone, erythropoietin, caffeine, parenteral nutrition, and trophic feeding. e performed a univariate analysis for IVH and groups and a logistic regression model with variables that had statistical significance in the univariate analysis. Results: The study group included 64 cases, the historic cohort 123 and the EpicLatino 1029. Demographic characteristics were similar with few statistically significant differences. We found four grade 1-2 and six grade 3-4 IVH in the study group (some caused by very traumatic delivery with multiples hematomas in head, body, and extremities), all significantly lower that the other two groups. The logistic regression model confirmed the independent statistically significant result in the study group. Conclusion: The hemorrhage during delivery must be prevented by the obstetric team. Afterwards, a set of interventions like very gentle handling with minimal manipulation and unnecessary strict lab managing seams to decrease the incidence of IVH.

Introduction: Some of the practices in medicine are carried out of habit without proven benefits. This is the case of premature babies from 30 to 34 weeks of gestation who are always given parenteral fluids, even though this practice has been associated with an increase incidence of infection. At the end of 2017, we started a protocol of rationalization in the use of parenteral fluid. To administer nutrition/fluids, we used oral fluids by suction if this was possible or otherwise by oral/nasogastric tube at volumes of 70-80 mL/Kg/day divided every 3 hours, with 5 mL increments every 12-24 hours until 200 mL/K/day was achieved, always using breast milk when possible. Material and methods: The present study sought to compare results before and after this new policy. For this work, we review all premature babies between 30-34 weeks of gestation in two time periods, the first from 01/01/2010 to 12/31/2017 and the second from 01/01/2018 to 08/15/2022. The number of cases with and without parenteral fluids (PF), the incidence of infection, the weight at admission and discharge, and the change in the weight Z score between birth and discharge were compared. Both the anthropometric and outcome variables were compared using the different statistical methods according to each variable. Results: were found 920 cases with the described characteristics. The groups before and after the intervention did not show significant differences in their general demographic characteristics. We observed a decrease use of PF in the second period, from 425 cases (82.0%) before to 297 (26.2%) after implementation, p <0.0001 and fewer days of use (4.1 days/average before vs 1.3 after, p <0.0001) of PF. The weight at discharge and the change in weight Z-score were the same in both groups. Infections went from nine cases before to two cases after but it was not statistically significant. There were no complications due to less use of PF. Discussion: This study showed that the use of PF is not associated with significant changes in outcomes of interest, which reinforces that its use does not generate any benefit for the patient. Larger number of cases is required to detect differences in low incidence events such as infections.

One mechanism by which fructose could exert deleterious effect in metabolism and inflammation is via its potency vis-à-vis de Maillard reaction. We employed simulated stomach and duodenum digestion of ovalbumin to test the hypothesis that indeed AGEs are formed by fructose during simulated digestion of an ubiquitous food protein with intrinsic allergenic potential and under model physiological conditions. Methods: OVA was subjected to simulated gastric and intestinal digestion using standard models, in presence of fructose or glucose (0-100 mM). Peptide fractions were analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy and intensity at Excitation: λ370 nm, Emission: λ 440nm. Results: AGE adducts form between fructose and OVA which can be found in peptide fractions (< 5 kDa) at times (30 min) and concentration ranges (10 mM) plausibly found in the intestines, whereas no reaction occurs with glucose. The reaction is inhibited by chlorogenic acid at concentrations compatible with those found in the gut. The reaction is inhibited by AG, a specific antiglycation agent. Conclusion: Our proof of principle study shows that fructose-AGE formation on an ubiquitous allergenic protein indeed occurs in one hour and thereby may pave the way for the study of yet another mechanism by which the excess fructose in our Western diets is contributing to disease: intestinal AGE formation, absorption and RAGE engagement.

To determine the influence of child abuse on academic performance from the perspective of teachers of a private school from Piura, 2024. Method: The present study is an applied, non-experimental design with a continuous qualitative approach. The technique used was the survey and as an instrument the questionnaire on knowledge of child abuse with 12 questions, with a population of 20 teachers. Results: For the statistical analysis was used through Microsoft Excel 2023 and IBM SPSS software, in addition the Shapiro Wilks statistical test was used, the results show that 85% of respondents, from their perspective, neglect has a high level of influence on academic performance, 65% of respondents, from their perspective, state that psychological maltreatment has a high level of influence on academic performance and 50% of respondents, from their perspective, determine that physical maltreatment has a high level on academic performance. Conclusions: The value of p=0.553 &gt; 0.05, therefore, it is concluded that according to the perspective of the teachers of a private school from Piura, there are no significant changes in the academic performance of students who suffer from child maltreatment.

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 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.

Background: Recent years have seen chaos in the neonatology use of antibiotics with diverse opinions and recommendations in international guidelines and societies. This has created great uncertainty in which cases to use, for how long, and which tests apply to make these decisions. We conducted a retrospective cohort study about the use of antibiotics in the EpicLatino neonatal units and a Latin American network database, after noting these variations in the 2019 report. Methods: For the year 2019 using the EpicLatino database, we included cases (only first admission) ≤32 weeks gestational age at birth, excluding one unit that did not accept to participate. The number of cases and days receiving antibiotics were recorded as well as the progression for each unit. Inappropriate use of antibiotics was defined as greater than 3 days in patients with negative cultures (blood/CSF cultures) excluding: major malformations, urinary tract infections, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and cases with suspected chorioamnionitis in the mother (the latter two only during the course of diagnosis of NEC or chorioamnionitis). This study was approved by the EpicLatino board of directors and by the participating units. Results: A total of 6,543 days of antibiotics were observed, 49.5% of cases had at least one positive blood/CSF culture. A total of595 days of antibiotics without justification were found in 72 courses in 61 cases; 14/72(19.4%) had no diagnosis of infection in the database, 7/72(9.7%) did not document any culture throughout their stay, and 37/72(51,4%) obtained only one blood/CSF culture during their entire stay. Most diagnosis were clinical sepsis and in 24/58(41%) curses, a diagnosis of pneumonia with a poor positive culture correlation was found. Furthermore, 74% of the units didn´t use pneumonia as a justification to use antibiotics. Other diagnosis found: Conjunctivitis, NEC 1A and rotavirus NEC. Conclusions: Although the method of reviewing the use of antibiotics in a database has a number of limitations, especially the cause that motivated the use of antibiotics and other tools used for diagnosis of infections, the notable differences between units is striking. Although it is difficult to make recommendations to all units, it is important to control infections in some units and in others to reduce the excessive use of antibiotics, especially with diagnosis of pneumonia in neonates and negative blood/CSF cultures.

A Global Historical Megatsunami Catalog (GHMCat) is presented, including all the events documented to date. The oldest event is from 1674 the Santorini event, ~3600 BP, is considered a particular case, and the most recent is from 2020. Although there is no formal definition of the term megatsunami, it is usually associated to the maximum height or runup reached by the waves when hitting the coast. Here we adopt this criterion and define a megatsunami when the wave reaches a height of 40 m or more. The catalog is initially based on tsunamis that meet this condition from the two existing Global Historical Tsunami Databases (GHTDs). Then, each of the events have been researched for its available references including earliest in order to verify the data, mainly on the maximum height of the waves and their causes. After a comprehensive review of published or on-line literature on historical tsunamis, including regional and local catalogs, papers, books, studies, reports and other available references, some of the oldest events have been ruled out. On the other hand, the literature review has also led to include in the catalog some new megatsunamis not included in the GHTDs. The global catalog contains 37 events from 1674 to 2023, 11 of which are either not included in the GHTDs or included with (erroneous) wave heights &lt;40 m. All of them are described and characterized as far as can be gathered within the limitations of the scope of a global catalog and the available information on each historical case. The analysis of recorded historical megatsunamis shows that virtually all have been originated by large landslides, most of them subaerial landslides, with an unusual frequency of events in certain glaciated areas of Alaska and Norway, mainly in the first decades of the 20th century. In contrast, it is worth noting the small number of megatsunamis caused by submarine landslides or associated with volcanic explosions.

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.

Introduction: In general, everyone believes that the smallest preterm infants should achieve normal intrauterine growth rates, but many thinks that this is not possible with current nutrition guidelines. There is resistance to giving enough nutrition for fear of "toxicity". The difference in weight Z-score between birth and a corrected gestational age (CGA) at discharge is assess in postnatal growth in our unit. Material and methods: An observational study was done between January 2018 and December 2020 where all cases that had ≤ 29 weeks of GA at birth and survived to 36 weeks corrected GA or that were discharged home. An aggressive nutrition protocol including parenteral as well as enteral nutrition was followed. Patients and their weight trajectory was plotted on the Fenton 2013 growth curve. The patients who had had a smaller WZP difference were also plotted. Results: A total of 32 cases were found. The median change in Z-score between birth and discharge of the whole group was -0.52 (IQR 0.53). Six of 32 (19%) had a more than one WZP, all of whom had severe pathologies. The median decline in Z score for this group with poor growth was 1.24 (IQR 0.22). There were 26 cases with a < 1 WZP (81%) and a median Z score fall of 0.39 (IQR 0.55). No important complications secondary to the ingested volumes or parenteral nutrition were reported. Conclusion: The group of cases with a > 1 WZP drop had severe pathologies. All the other cases had adequate growth parallel to normal weight growth charts and a few cases had some catch-up growth. The study showed that it is possible for many preterm infants to achieve normal intrauterine growth rates if they are given enough nutrition, but bigger multicenter studies are needed to confirm these findings.

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.

This study applies several natural language processing techniques for characterizing social groups by analyzing published text in social media. The resulting computed values are proposed as features for modeling social groups and measure distances or similarities among them, along further data that could help understanding group behavior according to language usage. In this study, we have analyzed the messages published on Twitter regarding patriotism by the main political parties in Spain. The results show that lexical resources and topic modelling algorithms are useful to model different groups and serve as comparison tools to better understand the topics these groups are talking about.

The comparative phylogeography of marine species with contrasting dispersal potential across the southern Caribbean Sea was evaluated by the presence of two putative barriers: the Magdale-na River plume (MRP) and the combination of the absence of a rocky bottom and permanent upwelling in the La Guajira Peninsula (ARB+PUG). Three species of rocky shallow bottoms were selected with different dispersal potentials: Acanthemblemaria rivasi (PLD < 22 days), Cittarium pica (PLD < 6 days), and Nerita tessellata (PLD > 60 days). We generated a set of SNPs for the three species using the ddRad-seq technique. Samples of each species were collected in five locations from Capurganá to La Guajira. For the first time, evidence of a phylogeographic break caused by MRP is provided, mainly for A. rivasi (AMOVA: ФCT = 0.420). The ARB+PUG barrier causes an-other break for A. rivasi (ФCT = 0.406) and C. pica (ФCT = 0.224). Three populations (K = 3) were identified for A. rivasi and C. pica, while N. tessellata presented one population (K = 1). The Mantel correlogram indicated that A. rivasi and C. pica fit the hierarchical population model, and only the A. rivasi and C. pica comparisons showed phylogeographic congruence. Our results demon-strate how the biological traits of these three species and the biogeographic barriers have influ-enced their phylogeographic structure.

BACKGROUND: Head and Neck Sarcomas (HNSs) are rare malignant tumors derived from mesenchymal cells characterized by rapid growth, local aggressive behavior, and multiple re-lapses. The Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and the Osteosarcoma (OS) are the more frequent HNS. The present study aims to evaluate the clinical impact of multimodal treatment in patients diagnosed with HNS. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of medical records from patients diagnosed with HNS multimodal treated, four groups were formed: a) surgery and chemotherapy (CTX); b) surgery, CTX, and RT; c) surgery and RT; d) CTX and RT exclusively. The overall survival (OSS), disease-free survival (DFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier test. RESULTS: Among 39 patients, 23.1% were diagnosed with RMS , 66.7% with OS and 10.3% with other subtypes of HNS. Moreover, 59% showed initial clinical staging (T1/T2) and of those 35.9% were T1. Surgery was performed in 87.2% patients, RT in 35.9% and CTX in 84.7%. RT performed showed not statistically significant clinical role regarding OSS (p=0.74), DFS (p=0.09) and PFS (p=0.90) rates independent of histological subtype. Finally, OSS (p=0.89), DFS (p=0.13) and PFS (p=0.50) rates were not statistically different for patients treated with monotherapy or multimodal therapy. CONCLUSION: RT has not showed a clinically important role referred to improve OSS, DFS and PFS rates in patients with HNS, regardless of the histological subtype of the primary tumor. Multimodal treatment could influence in survival rates and locoregional control of the disease; however, longitudinal studies such as randomized clinical trials must be conducted.

Pollen, a remarkably versatile natural compound collected by bees for its abundant source of proteins and nutrients, represents a rich reservoir of diverse bioactive compounds with noteworthy chemical and therapeutic potential. Its large range of biological effects has been known and exploited since ancient times. Today, there is an increased interest in finding natural compounds agaisnt oxidative stress, a factor that contributes to various diseases. Recent research has unraveled a multitude of biological activities associated with bee pollen, ranging from antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties to potential antiviral and anticancer applications. Comprehending the extensive repertoire of biological properties across various pollen sources remains a challenge. By investigating a spectrum of pollen types and their chemical composition, this review produces an updated analysis of the bioactive constituents and the therapeutic prospects they offer. The findings of this review emphasize the necessity for further exploration and standardization of diverse pollen sources and bioactive compounds that could contribute to the development of innovative therapies.

We evaluate the complexity of Colombian climate from extreme behavior of gauge temperature and precipitation, using the the novel Tsallis' non-extensive entropy principle based on physical information through the q-index. We find the spatial structure of non additive universal categories (q-index) and compare with some complex systems with the potential to have some degree of dynamical affinity. Our results evidence the great dynamical variability of regional climate expressed in the large range of values of $q$-index, and the high degree of non-extensitivity for both temperature and precipitation.

Obesity is a risk factor for the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, the most optimal type of nutritional intervention to prevent GDM in high-risk women is not clearly defined. This study investigates if nutritional treatment based on the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) before 12th gestational week (GW) in women at high risk due to a body mass index (BMI)≥25kg/m2, reduces the rate of GDM and metabolic syndrome (MetS) at 3 years postpartum. We performed a post-hoc analysis of the San Carlos Gestational Prevention Study. A total of 735 women with BMI≥25kg/m2 were evaluated between 2015-2018, 246 in standard diet control group (CG) and 489 in MedDiet intervention group (IG). The rate of GDM was significantly lower in IG compared to CG (25.1%vs31.7%;p=0.037). Postnatal follow-up was completed by 141 women in CG (57%) and 312 women in IG (64%). At 3 years postpartum, we observed a reduction (relative risk 95% confidence interval) in the rates of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (0.51 (0.28-0.92);p=0.019), obesity (0.51 (0.28-0.92),p=0.041), waist circumference (WC)≥89.5cm (0.54 (0.31-0.94);p=0.022) and MetS (0.56 (0.33-0.94);p=0.003). MedDiet reduces the rate of GDM and postpartum MetS in women with BMI)≥25kg/m2, suggesting that its implementation should be routinely recommended from the first GWs.

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.

Thermally-induced moisture flow in unsaturated soils is a complex coupled thermal-hydro process involving moisture flow both in vapor and liquid phases. Thermally-induced moisture flow in unsaturated sands is usually less pronounced than fine soils due to their low field capacity. It is affected by many factors, including soil density, particle size, moisture content, and gravity-induced flow. Besides, soil moisture sensors need to be highly accurate and calibrated for temperature effects in order to monitor the thermally induced moisture flow accurately. A silty sand with 35% non-plastic fines was selected to study the coupled thermo-hydro processes in a closed heat cell. The heat cell consists of two temperature-controlled heat exchanger plates at the top and bottom, heat flux sensors, moisture sensors, thermocouples, and heat conductivity sensors. The soil was prepared at various initial moisture content and tested under a constant 1-D temperature gradient. The soil moisture sensors were first calibrated in the test soil at room temperature and then at elevated temperatures. The soil moisture redistribution, temperature and thermal conductivity profiles were determined. The critical moisture content, corresponding to maximum moisture movement, was also determined. The results offer new insights into coupled moisture-heat flow in unsaturated sands.

Building Country Resilience is a long-term process particularly in the hyper connected world we are living today; and depends on good governance and appropriate equilibrium of respect for people, planet and profits as well as avoiding depleting natural resources that end up affecting the biosphere. Hence represent a most needed Learning ability that may be seeing to be related to the process of Sustainable Development. So, this paper seeks to find best practices and a Ranking of Countries that may help as guides to foster Country Resilience. For this purpose, it was developed a World Resilience Index - WRI based on a Statistical Analysis with updated data from 108 Countries divided into 3 Groups: American Countries – AMER (20 Countries), Advanced Economies - AVECO (22 Countries) mostly from Europe and OTHER (66 Countries); and using a set of Synthetic Variables like the Social Progress Index – SPI, the Environmental Performance Index – EPI, and the Sustainable Development Goals Index – SDGI, besides some related to Governance and the World Risk Index – WRI.

Introduction: The objective of this study was: compare the continuous infusion of cefepime with the intermittent infusion in patients with sepsis caused by Gram negative bacilli (GNB). Methods: Randomized 1:1 multicenter double-blinded placebo-controlled study with allocation concealment. Multicenter study in Intensive Care Units of Colombia. Patients with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock and GNB suspected bacteraemia. Cefepime was administered for 7 to 14 days over 30 m intermittently every 8 h over 24 h plus continuous saline solution (0.9%) (G1) or 3 g administered continuously plus saline solution every 8 h (0.9%) (G2). Percentage of clinical response at 3, 7, 14 days, relapse at 28 days and mortality at discharge were measured. Results: The recruitment was stopped by suggestion of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), following an FDA alert about cefepime. Thirty-two patients were randomized, 25 received the intervention and GNB bacteremia was confirmed in 16 (9 G1 and 7 G 2). Favourable clinical response in days 3,7,14 was 88.8%, 88.8%, 77.8 % (G 1) and was similar for G 2 (85.7%). There were not relapses and deaths in G2 while in G1 one relapse and 2 deaths were observed. Conclusions: The results of this study support the use of cefepime for the treatment of Gram-negative infections in critically ill patients but we could not demonstrate differences between continuous or intermittent administration, because of the small sample size, given the early suspension of the study.

Radical reactions in water or aqueous media are important for organic synthesis, realizing high yielding processes under non-toxic and environmentally friendly conditions. This overview includes (i) a general introduction to organic chemistry in water and aqueous media, (ii) synthetic approaches in-, on- and with-water as well as in heterogeneous phase, (iii) reaction of carbon-centered radicals with water (or deuterium oxide) activated through coordination with various Lewis acids, (iv) photocatalysis in water and aqueous media, and (v) synthetic applications bioinspired from naturally occurring processes. A wide range of chemical processes and synthetic strategies under different experimental conditions have been reviewed that lead to important functional group translocation and transformation reactions, leading to the preparation of complex molecules. These results reveal how water as a solvent/medium/reagent in radical chemistry has matured over the last two decades and how further discoveries are foreseen to come in the near future.

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.

Background: Caring for a loved one can be rewarding but also associated with substantial caregiver burden, developing mental outcomes and affecting happiness. Eventually, these physical and psychological disorders can lead to an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system. Meditation has been found to offer multiple benefits to relieve these disorders and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a four-week 16-hour presential meditation program on physiological and psychological parameters and vagal nerve activity in high-burden caregivers, comparing the results with those not receiving this program. Methods: A non-randomized repeated-measures controlled clinical trial was conducted, dividing participants between intervention and control groups by convenience allocation because random assignment was ethically inappropriate. Results: After the meditation program, the experimental group showed a significant reduction in anxiety levels (F= 24.92, p<0.001), a non-significant amelioration of depression levels (F= 1.75, p=0.19), and significantly improved heart rate variability (F= 8.40, p<0.05) and SDNN (F=15.59, p<0.05). Conclusions: Meditation can be a useful therapy to enhance the mental health and autonomic nervous system balance of informal caregivers, improving symptoms of physical and mental overload.

This work implements a stable algorithm in Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) for which two architectures (unrolling the loop) were developed and analyzed. The algorithm recovers sources located at the boundary separating two homogeneous media that make up a two-dimensional non-homogeneous region from measurements on the boundary of such region. The problem of recovering these sources is an ill-posed inverse problem as small errors in the measurement can produce important changes in the source location. Inverse source problems have many applications in different areas, such as engineering and medicine, making the proposed implementation important. The first architecture (mode one) allows considering different operating speeds, which is an advantage depending on whether we work with fast or slow signals. The second one (mode two) reduces resource consumption by exploiting the characteristics of the source identification algorithm, which is an advantage for multichannel problems such as inverse electrocardiography or electroencephalography. The architectures were tested on four FPGAs of the 7 Series of Xilinx: Spartan-7 xc7s100fgga484, Virtex-7 xc7v585tffg1157, Kintex-7 xc7k70tfbg484, and Artix-7 xc7a35tcpg236. The two FPGA implementations of the algorithm were validated using synthetic examples implemented in MATLAB. The results presented here can be extended to concentric spheres and complex geometries.

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.

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.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) pathophysiology comprises clinical and genetic factors. In fact, GDM has been associated with several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This study aimed to build a prediction model of GDM combining clinical and genetic risk factors. A total of 1588 pregnant women from the San Carlos Cohort participated in the present study, 1069 (67.3%) Caucasian (CAU) and 519 (32.7%) Latin American (LAT), 255 (16.1%) with GDM. The incidence of GDM was similar in both groups (16.1% CAU and 16.0% LAT). Genotyping was performed by IPLEX Mass ARRAY PCR selecting 110 SNPs based on literature references. The SNPs showing the strongest likelihood of GDM development were the rs10830963, rs7651090 and rs1371614 in CAU and rs1387153 and the rs9368222 in LAT. Clinical variables including age, pre-pregnancy body mass index and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) at 12 gestational weeks predicted the risk of GDM (AUC 0.648, 95%CI 0.601-0.695 in CAU; AUC 0.688, 95%CI 0.628-9.748 in LAT) and adding the SNPs modestly improved prediction (AUC 0.722, 95%CI 0.680-0.764 in CAU; AUC 0.769, 95%CI 0.711-0.826 in LAT). In conclusion, adding genetic variants enhanced the prediction model of GDM risk in CAU and LAT pregnant women. An RCT is underway to demonstrate its usefulness

Urban vitality, understood as a key factor for the achievement of cities’ sustainability, shows a strong relationship with urban morphology. The city theorist Jane Jacobs suggested morphologi-cal aspects to promote vital cities already in the 1960s, which remain valid in the present. How-ever, few studies in the Andean region quantitatively exemplify this. This paper aims to test the measurement of urban vitality in a neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador, called La Mariscal, inte-grating Jacobs’ approach. In particular, three urban vitality indexes are evaluated with the appli-cation of GIS software using cadastral data obtained from the municipality and field data col-lection. Results show that the context-based previous knowledge and the scale of analysis are es-sential factors in the configuration of dimensions, indicators, and spatial representation of any urban vitality index. In the study area land use mixture, contact opportunity, and accessibility dimensions are fundamental. Regarding indicators, the incorporation of the informal small-scale commerce, the quality of sidewalks, the street slope, and the good-conditioned street furniture is recommended. Finally, a hybrid representation (raster and vectorial) is suggested to precisely measure urban vitality at a block scale. Altogether, by providing a comparative approach, we in-tend to bring a useful framework for researchers and planners to study urban vitality in Andean cities.

In this paper, a non-destructive test to diagnose wear of blade´s compressor of a gas turbine is reported. Gas turbine was operating in Campeche City, Mexico, in a very aggressive environment, where the entry of solid particles is unavoidable. The objective was to reduce cost of maintenance in this equipment. Analysis on a blade of gas turbine was performed, which was in operation on an offshore platform. Compressor blade was exposed to a severe damage by the impact of particles and environmental pollutants such as salts, sands and sulphurs. In first stage of this analysis, a visual inspection with a borescope was performed, which has the ability to illuminate dark internal areas, with a bright light for visual examination and/or make a photographic reproduction in semi-annual maintenance cycles. Images analysis was used to determine the typical failure modes. In a second stage, a tribological characterization was carried out. Chemical composition of the material of blades was obtained. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to measure roughness and evaluate degradation of surfaces of blades after 30,000 service hours. The points, where peak stresses were calculated, correspond to those places in witch corrosion and some irregular scratches similar to plowing action, was observed. These are the points in which failures take place. Results showed wear modes were originated by a severe stinging action. Also, large craters, similar to those observed in solid particle erosion, were developed by at normal impact. In the same way it could be found some localized areas with a witch corrosion and irregular scratches similar to plowing action, was observed. These are the points in which failures take place.

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

Obstacle-avoidance robots have become an essential field of study in recent years. This paper analyzes two cases that extend reactive systems focused on obstacle detection and its avoidance. The scenarios explored get data from their environments through sensors and generate information for the models based on artificial intelligence to obtain a reactive decision. The main contribution is focused on the discussion of aspects that allow comparing both approaches, such as the heuristic approach implemented, requirements, restrictions, response time, and performance. The first case presents a mobile robot that applies fuzzy logic to achieve soft turning basing its decision on depth image information. The second case introduces a mobile robot based on multi-layer perceptron and ultrasonic sensors to decide how to move in an uncontrolled environment. The analysis of both options offers perspectives to choose between reactive obstacle-avoidance systems based on ultrasonic or Kinect sensors, models that infer optimal decisions applying fuzzy logic or artificial neural networks, with key elements and methods to design mobile robots with wheels. Therefore, we show how AI or Fuzzy Logic techniques allow us to design mobile robots that learn from their “ experience ” by making them safe and adjustable for new tasks, unlike traditional robots that use large programs to perform a specific task.

This study presents a new kinetic scheme for the mass yield prediction of waste lignocellulosic biomasses treated by Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC). The proposed reactions are based on the decomposition, solubilization, and polymerization of each main fraction of the biomass: cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The ash content was assumed to be inert. The kinetic parameters have been obtained by non-linear adjustment using a data set with 220 experimental runs collected from the literature. The results indicate that the pre-exponential factors range was from 7.33 x10¹ to 1.412x10⁵ min^-1, and activation energies were between 33.75 y 225.3 kJ/mol. A good fit is achieved between the observed and predicted data with an R² of 0.81 and an RMSE of 7.7 %. The proposed scheme was validated with the experimental data obtained by the HTC of sawdust (Pinus radiata) and rapeseed (Brassica napus). The experiments were carried out at temperatures of 190, 220, and 250 ºC and reaction times of 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min. The predicted values showed an average error of 2.3 and 3.5 %, respectively. Therefore, the kinetic scheme is a useful tool in the conversion analysis of waste biomass treated by HTC.

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.

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.

Urban wind energy has emerged as an attractive source of distributed generation in cities to achieve sustainable development goals. The advance in technologies for the use of urban wind energy has turned this source into an attractive alternative for the decarbonization of cities and the energy transition. The objectives of this work are (1) to identify the potential of wind energy through numerical weather prediction (NWP) data tools and (2) to identify the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. A methodology was developed in two phases and applied to a case study in the Dominican Republic. The first phase consisted of estimating the wind energy potential for the 32 provinces at a height of 10 m using open-access geographic reference systems tools provided by NASA. In the second phase, 28 stakeholders were identified through snowball sampling. The Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Informed (RACI) matrix tool was applied to identify the roles of the 28 institutions addressed at the country level as relevant in the decision-making process for the energy sector. The annual average wind speed and energy potential for each province were determined. It was found 24 provinces have poor potential, below &lt;4.5 m/s. In the northwest and east is where there is the greatest potential, between 4.83 - 6.63 m/s. The population density was established and was observed that the provinces with greater potential are less densely populated. Through 59 interviews 28 institutions were identified and evaluated due to their relevance in decision-making for the implementation of energy projects. The MEM has strongly categorized as “A”, electricity distribution companies as “R”, energy associations and universities as “C”, and educational and justice institutions as “I”.

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.

(1) E-governance is defined as the application of electronic means in the interaction between government and citizens and government and business, as well as in internal government operations to simplify and improve democratic, governmental, and business aspects of governance. Thus, e-governance is built from a paradigmatic dimension such as e-democracy (relationship between government and citizens) and an operational one such as e-government. The objective was to design and validate an instrument to measure e-governance based on three factors: a) e-administration, b) e-services, and c) e-democracy; (2) Methods: Based on the level of importance given to each factor (sample of 2042 Latin American citizens), as well as the relationships between them, an analysis of the importance of each factor is carried out; (3) Results: After the confirmatory analysis, the definitive instrument with which e-governance can be measured by other researchers and future research is obtained, considering the three selection factors, namely: e-administration, e-services and e-democracy; (4) Conclusions: This research contributes to political science through the design and validation of an instrument consisting of 39 items that can be used to measure e-governance according to the dimensions proposed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

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.

Paving blocks are concrete pieces placed in exposed places to the weather, which are sub-jected to loads and wear. Hence, quality control in the manufacture of paving blocks is es-sential to guarantee the properties and durability of the product in construction projects. In Ecuador, the requirements are described in the Ecuadorian technical standard "NTE INEN 3040", and tensile splitting strength is a fundamental requirement to guarantee product quality. It is analyzed using quality control measurements such as dimensions, the weight of the fresh paving block in the vibro-compacted process, and the percentage of water absorption in order to know how the variables influence and manage to predict the tensile splitting strength to avoid product non-conformity in advance, having a timely and better control of the manufacturing process. The data was obtained from a company that can produce 30 000 units per day of rectangular paving blocks with 6 cm thickness. Mul-tivariate models such as multiple linear regression, regression trees, random forests and neural networks are performed to predict the tensile splitting strength variable through two groups of predictors; the first group is the thickness mm, width mm, length mm, mass of fresh paving block g and percentage of water absorption %. The second group of pre-dictor variables is the density of the fresh paving block kg/m3 and the percentage of water absorption %. It is concluded that the multiple linear regression method performs better in predicting the first group of predictor variables with a mean square error (MSE) of 0.110086, followed by the neural network without hidden layers resulting in an MSE of 0.112198. The best method for the second set of predictors was the neural network with-out hidden layers with a mean square error ( MSE ) of 0.112402, closely followed by the multiple linear regression model with an MSE of 0.115044.

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.

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.

This study introduces a Fiber Specklegram Sensor (FSS) design for temperature measurement utilizing a single-multi-single mode optical fiber configuration. FSS technology offers unique advantages for potential development into portable sensing systems. This investigation explores an FSS design compatible with miniaturization by optimizing the interrogation system based on the relationship between speckle grain size and filtering fiber area. Temperature variations are detected through fluctuations in optical power at the sensor output, offering a simple and reduced interrogation scheme. The performance of the FSS is assessed through post-calibration measurements compared to a commercial Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor, demonstrating comparable results. These findings pave the way for compact and portable fiber optic temperature sensing systems leveraging FSS advantages while maintaining compatibility with established fiber optic measurements.

The extrusion of food for human and animal consumption is a unit operation that includes mixing, shearing and force to the materials related to the rheological properties of the materials in the extruder. The present work aims to study the rheological behavior of an extruded fish diet incorporating hydrolyzed protein flour processed by extrusion. The measurement was carried out online with a slit die rheometer, defining the rheological models and parameters that fit the process. During the extrusion process, the raw materials used were hydrolyzed protein meal, fish meal and cassava starch. For the results, the evaluated treatments were adjusted to the Power Law, where an increase in the shear rate decreases the viscosity of the material, corresponding to a pseudoplastic behavior. The incorporation of hydrolyzed protein flour presented a significant effect on the value of n and Klp, increasing the viscosity with the increase in the percentage of inclusion of HPH. The models obtained for the prediction of the viscosity are adjusted to the changes in shear rate, temperature and humidity of the system.

Preterm birth (PB) is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. PB prediction is per-formed by measuring cervical length, with a detection rate of around 70%. Although it is known that a cytokine-mediated inflammatory process is involved in the pathophysiology of PB, no screening method implemented in clinical practice includes cytokine levels as a predictor varia-ble. Here, we quantified cytokines in cervical-vaginal mucus of pregnant women (18-23.6 weeks of gestation) with high- or low-risk for PB determined by cervical length, collecting relevant obstetric information. IL-2, IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 were significantly higher in the high-risk group, while IL-1ra was lower. Two different models for PB prediction were created using the Random Forest machine-learning algorithm: the full model with 12 clinical variables and cyto-kine values, and the adjusted model, including the most significant variables -maternal age, IL-2, and cervical length- (detection rate 66 vs 87%, false positive rate 12 vs 3.33%, false negative rate 28 vs 6.66%, and area under the curve 0.722 vs 0.875, respectively). The adjusted model integrat-ing cytokines showed a detection rate 8 points higher than the gold standard calculator, which may allow us to identify PB risk more accurately and implement strategies for preventive in-terventions

Starch is a biopolymer with wide potential for the generation of new biodegradable packages due to its high availability and low price. However, due to its weak functional properties, it is necessary to limit the interaction of some hydroxyl, and to evaluate blends with other polymers to improve their performance. Glycerol plasticized acetylated corn starch films were developed by the casting method, and the impact of incorporating chitosan (TPS:CH) at various proportions (75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 v/v) was studied. The effect of the chitosan ratios on the films' physical, mechanical, water vapor barrier, and thermal properties was evaluated. Chitosan protonated amino groups promote the formation of intermolecular bonds, improving the tensile strength, the thermal stability, the water adsorption capacity, and the gas barrier of starch films. Where the film composed of TPS25-CH75 was the one that presented the best barrier to water vapor. These composite films are a good option for development of biodegradable packaging.

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.

This paper investigates the effect of Fe contamination on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-7Si-0.7Mg-Fe2.5 alloy processed by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and heat treated in two different conditions: (1) Solution Heat Treatment (SHT) at 520 °C, followed by artificial ageing at 160 °C (T6), and (2) Direct Artificial Ageing of the as-printed material at 160 °C (DAA). Microstructural characterization was carried out by Optical Microscopy (OM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Mechanical characterization was carried out by tensile tests at room temperature. The formation of fine AlSiFe phases such as α-AlFeSi, β-AlFeSi, and π-Al8Si6Mg3Fe had no deleterious effect on the mechanical properties compared to previous studies for AlSIMg alloys without Fe. However, compared to the as-printed condition, the T6 heat treatment decreased the ultimate tensile strain significantly, while the elongation to the fracture presented a slight improvement.

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) by symbiotic bacteria plays a vital role in sustainable agriculture. However, current quantification methods are often expensive and impractical. This study explores the potential of Raman spectroscopy, a non-invasive technique, for rapid assessment of BNF activity in soybeans. Raman spectra were obtained from soybean plants grown with and without rhizobia bacteria to identify spectral signatures associated with BNF. δN15 isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was used to determine actual BNF percentages. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was employed to develop a model for BNF quantification based on Raman spectra. The model explained 80% of the variation in BNF activity. To enhance the model's specificity for BNF detection regardless of nitrogen availability, a subsequent elastic net (Enet) regularization strategy was implemented. This approach provided insights into key wavenumbers and biochemicals associated with BNF in soybeans.

Objective: To identify risk factors(RF) related to abnormal glucose regulation(AGR) 3 years postpartum according to 3-month-postpartum glucose status. Research design: Normoglycemic pregnant women of the St. Carlos Gestational Study included before gestational week 12, during 2015-2017. Of 3,036 eligible women, 2529 were followed-up until delivery: 1400 participated in postpartum follow-up. AGR defined as fasting serum glucose (FSG)>5.6 mmol/L and/or HbA1c >5.7% (39 mmol/mol) and/or 2h-SG ≥140/mg/dL after 75-g OGTT. 12-modifiable and 3-unmodifiable RF were analyzed for associations with glycemic changes. Reinforcement of Mediterranean Diet adherence was provided to all women at the postpartum visit by a dietitian Results: 137/1400(9.8%) women presented AGR 3 years postpartum, 27/137(19.7%) also had at 3 months, whereas 110/137(80.2%) had not. The remaining 1,263(90.2%) women were normoglycemic 3 years postpartum, 1180/1263(84.3%) were at 3 months, while 83/1263(6.08%) had AGR and became normoglycemic. Women with GDM were more likely to progress to AGR 3 years postpartum (OR:1.60[1.33-1.92]) and less likely to remain normoglycemic (OR:0.22[0.15-0.33]) versus non-GDM women. Having >2/3 unmodifiable RF was associated with a reduced rate of maintained normoglycemia (OR:0.56[0.39-0.80]) and an increased risk of progression to AGR (OR:1.90[1.28-2.83]). Having >5/12 modifiable RF was associated with a reduced rate of maintained normoglycemic (OR:0.74[0.51-0.99]) and reversion of AGR (OR:0.49[0.25-0.97]), an increased progression to AGR (OR:1.40[1.00-2.09]), and persistence of AGR (OR:2.57[1.05-6.31]). Pre-gestational BMI≥25kg/m2 (OR:1.80[1.19-2.71]), post-delivery weight gain (OR:2.22[1.10-4.48]), and waist circumference >89.5cm (OR:0.54[0.36-0.79]), (all p<0.05) were the main modifiable RF. Conclusions: RF related to an increased probability for 3-year-postpartum AGR despite 3-month normoglycemia were identified, potentially useful when designing personalized strategies for pregnant women, directed towards minimizing unfavorable outcomes.

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.

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.

This study develops a structure for mapping native vegetation in a transition area between Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest from integrated spatial information from the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites. Most studies use this data separately, however, the integrated use of optical sensors with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors can improve the methodology for classifying land use and land cover (LULC). The fusion of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2, for example, can increase the accuracy of mapping algorithms, using complementary information, such as spectral, backscattering, polarimetry, and interferometry. The study area comprises the Lobo Reservoir Hydrographic Basin, which is part of an environmental conservation unit protected by Brazilian law and with significant human development. LULC were classified, using the random forest deep learning algorithm. The classifying attributes were backscatter coefficients, polarimetric decomposition, and interferometric coherence for radar data (Sentinel-1), and optical spectral data, comprising bands in the red edge, near infrared, and shortwave infrared (Sentinel-2). The attributes were evaluated in three settings in which the SAR and optical data were evaluated separately (C1 and C2, respectively) and in an integrated manner (C3). The study found greater accuracy for C3 (96.54%), an improvement of nearly 2% compared to C2 (94.78%) and more than 40% in relation to C1 (55.73%). The classification algorithm encountered significant challenges in identifying wetlandsin C1, but performance improved in C3, enhancing differentiation by stratifying a greater number of classes during training and facilitating visual interpretation during sampling. Accordingly, the use of SAR and optical data becomes an alternative to optimize LULC mapping in tropical regions, due to the limited influence of atmosphere on images in the microwave range.

The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is the latest pandemic lineage causing COVID-19. Despite having a vaccination rate ≥ 85% Ecuador recorded a high incidence of Omicron from December 2021 to March 2022. Since Omicron emerged it is evolving into multiple sublineages with distinct prevalence in different regions. In this work, we use all Omicron sequences from Ecuador available at GISAID until March 2022 and the software Nextclade and Pangolin to identify which lineages circulate in this country. We detected 12 different sublineages (BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.1.1.1, BA.1.1.14, BA.1.1.2, BA.1.14, BA.1.15, BA.1.16, BA.1.17, BA.1.6, BA.2, BA.2.3), which has been reported in Africa, America, Europe, and Asia suggesting multiple introduction events. Sublineages BA.1.1 and BA.1 were the most prevalent. Genomic surveillance must continue to evaluate the dynamic of current sublineages, early introduction of new ones and vaccine efficacy against evolving SARS-CoV-2.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Colombia is the world's leading producer of mild washed arabica coffee and produces 12.6 million bags of green coffee, but at the same time 784,000 tons of waste biomass are dumped in open fields, of which only 5% is recovered or used. The objective of this project was to evaluate the production of platform chemicals from these coffee wastes. To achieve this, biomass characterization was carried out using proximate analysis, ultimate analysis and structural analysis. Hydrothermal valorization was carried out at a temperature range of 120-180 °C (LHW) and 180-260 °C (HTC) for one hour, the platform chemicals obtained were quantified by HPLC-IR, monitored by pH and conductivity, and the solid fraction was characterized by monitoring the functional groups in IR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Hydrolysis processes were obtained from 150 °C, production of platform chemicals from 180 °C and maximum concentration at 180 °C-4h, over 200 °C degradation of the products in the liquid fraction starts to take place. Homogeneous basic and acid catalysts were used to improve the yields of the reaction. The kinetics of the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic structures to sugars were also analyzed and described, and reaction orders of 1 (LHW), 3 (HTC) and their respective reaction rate equations were reported.

The coffee industry loses millions of dollars annually worldwide due to the Coffee Berry Borer (CBB); these losses imply a decrease in quality and production. Traps are used to monitor their flight and for pest control. The main objective was to determine the flight pattern and trap capture percentages of the CBB population over time using column traps (CTs) in two independent field experiments. CTs were composed of four traps installed at four different heights 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5m above ground. Our results demonstrated a significant difference in CBB capture by traps placed at different heights above the ground. The CT capture maintained a pattern throughout this study's lag; the lower the height, the greater the percentage of CBBs captured. In Experiments A and B, the traps placed at 0.5m caught 67% and 85% of the CBBs captured, respectively. Furthermore, the trap set at 1.5m above the ground in the multi-level CT showed a higher capture percentage than the individually placed trap (also at 1.5m). The pattern of the capture and proportion of the CBB in the CTs were maintained throughout the study despite the season, changes in temperature, and relative air humidity. We suggested that CTs could be explored as a useful tool for capturing the CBB, considering its monitoring and management.

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.

Background: Study to assess glucose levels of people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) overnight based on insulin type and timing. Methods: Real-world, retrospective study in T1D using multiple daily insulin injections. Contin-uous glucose monitoring and insulin injections data were collected for ten hours after dinner us-ing the Insulclock® connected cap. Meal events were identified using ROC detection methodology. The timing of rapid insulin, second injections, and the type of insulin analogs used were evaluat-ed. Results: Nocturnal profiles (n=775, 49 subjects) were analyzed. Higher glucose AUC over 180mg/dL was observed in delayed injections (number; %; mg/dL x h): -45-15min (n=136; 17.5%, 175.9 ±271.0); -15-0min (n= 231; 29.8%, 164.0 ±237.1); 0+45min (n= 408; 52.6%, 203.6 ±260.9), (p 0.049). The use of ultrarapid (FiAsp®) (URI) vs rapid insulin analogs (RI) was associated with less hypoglycemia events (7.1 vs 13.6%; p 0.005) and TBR70 (1.7 +6.9 vs 4.6 +13.9%; p 0.003). Us-ers of glargine U300 vs degludec had higher TIR (70.7 vs 58.5 %) (Adjusted R-squared: 0.22, p < 0.001). The use of a correction injection (n= 144, 18.6%) was associated with higher hypoglycemia events (18.1 vs 9.5%; p 0.003), TBR70 (5.5 +14.2 vs 3.0 +11.1%; p 0.003), glucose AUC over 180 mg/dL (226.1 +257.8 vs 178.0 +255.3 mg/dL x h; p 0.001), and lower TIR (56.0 +27.4 vs 62.7 +29.6 mg/dL x h; p 0.004). Conclusions: Dinner rapid insulin timing, insulin types and correction injections affect nocturnal glucose profile in T1D.

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.

This study investigates the implementation of equipment to obtain pyroligneous acid as an alternative to control aphids in mandarin cultivation on the El Arrayanal farm, Monte Olivo parish, Carchi province, Ecuador. Derived from mandarin pruning biomass using a dry distillation pilot oven, pyroligneous acid is an ecological option compared to synthetic phytosanitary products, with less impact on the environment and human health. Using a DBCA design, different concentrations of pyroligneous acid (250 ml, 500 ml, 750 ml, and 1000 ml) applied to immature shoots affected by aphids were analyzed. The 1000 ml concentration achieved 98% control of the pest. Analysis by Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC-MSD) and Total Polyphenols confirmed the effectiveness of pyroligneous acid. The results of the study, carried out in the research and linkage laboratories of the State University of Bolívar, Guaranda, Ecuador, demonstrated significant differences between the doses applied (p-value <0.005), with greater control in the treatment of 1000 ml of acid pyroleño compared to the 250 ml, 500 ml and 750 ml treatments. This pyroligneous acid has multiple uses in organic agriculture as a bioherbicide, biofungicide, biorepellent and foliar and root biostimulant, representing an alternative to obtain sustainable organic products. Despite operational limitations, local pyrolysis technology can be optimized to increase production, positioning pyroligneous acid as a viable and sustainable alternative in organic agriculture, promoting efficient waste management and reducing the use of chemicals.

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.

With the arrival of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, a new stage of the pandemic commenced, with new challenges ahead. During the coming months, countries will be implementing their COVID-19 vaccination programs depending on their implementation of vaccine availability and its prescription on risk stratification. Although children will not benefit from active immunization programs, now, with the beginning of the era of the anti-COVID19 vaccines, the suffering of children can no longer be ethically tolerated or neglected. The time has come to provide specific lasting strategies for children living in the COVID-19 era. Here we propose a child-focused indirect COVID-19 vaccination strategy.For better or worse, children depend on their natural caregivers (adults) and the rest of society for their well-being and achieving their full potential. We believe that including in the priority categories also those adults in close contact with children could ensure a safety net of child protection.A child-focused vaccination strategy would allow the faster return to "normality" for children and their families. Such an approach would not only enable the reopening and continuity of essential services for children but also would allow adults to return to their routine economic/productive activities.

With a data revolution underway for some time, there is an increasing demand for formal privacy protection mechanisms that are not so destructive. Hereof microaggregation is a popular high-utility approach designed to satisfy the popular k-anonymity criteria while applying low distortion to data. However, standard performance metrics are commonly based on mean square error, which will hardly capture the utility degradation related to a specific application domain of data. In this work, we evaluate the performance of k-anonymous microaggregation in terms of the loss in classification accuracy of the machine learned models built from perturbed data. Systematic experimentation is carried out on four microaggregation algorithms that are tested over four data sets. The empirical utility of the resulting microaggregated data is assessed using the learning algorithm that obtains the highest accuracy from original data. Validation tests are performed on a test set of non perturbed data. The results confirm k-anonymous microaggregation as a high-utility privacy mechanism in this context and distortion based on mean squared error as a poor predictor of practical utility. Finally, we corroborate the beneficial effects for empirical utility of exploiting the statistical properties of data when constructing privacy preserving algorithms.

In polymer-based dental composites, wear is a three-body wear system mainly abrasive, because of the food particles and wear products suspended in the oral cavity, which are transferred to the microcavities of the surface of the replacements. Due to this fact, the incorporation of nanodiamond as reinforcement in these polymer matrix composites, which promotes the creation of a solid lubricant tribofilm surface could be advantageous. When nanodiamond is added in contents of 0.8, 1.6 and 3.2 wt %, an increase in microhardness from 95 up to 420 %, compared to the one of neat BisGMA/TEGDMA, is observed. Additionally, the incorporation of a content of 1.6 wt % is enough to cause a diminution of ~78 % in the friction coefficient and a reduction of the specific wear rate and Archard’s coefficient of ~50 %. Nevertheless, the addition of relatively high contents reduces the effectiveness of photoinitiation and UV-curing, which is related to the scattering and absorption of UV radiation by ND.