Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is thought to have beneficial effects on human health and well-being. GABA enrichment by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could be used in the development of functional fermented foods. In this work, four GABA-producing strains each of Lactococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus were isolated from cowʼs milk, and their phenotypic, technological, and safety profiles were determined. Genome analysis provided genetic support for the majority of the analyzed traits. The operon harboring the glutamate decarboxylase gene (gadB) was chromosomally encoded in all strains and showed the same gene content and gene order as that reported, respectively, for L. lactis and S. thermophilus. In the latter species, the operon was flanked (as in most strains of this species) by complete or truncated copies of insertion sequences (IS), suggesting recent acquisition by horizontal gene transfer. The genomes of three L. lactis and two S. thermophilus strains showed a gene encoding a caseinolytic proteinase (PrtP in L. lactis and PrtS in S. thermophilus). These strains grew in milk forming a coagulum of good appearance and an appealing acidic flavor and taste. They also produced GABA from monosodium glutamate in this medium. Two L. lactis strains were identified as belonging to the biovar. diacetylactis, utilized citrate from milk and produced significant amounts of acetoin. None of the strains showed any noticeable antibiotic resistance, nor did their genomes harbor transferable antibiotic resistance genes, genes involved in toxicity, virulence, or pathogenicity. Altogether these results suggest all eight strains may be considered candidates for use as starter or components of mixed LAB cultures for the manufacture of GABA-enriched fermented dairy products.

The Self-determination theory and The Vallerand's Hierarchical Model has been studied with different types of social factors that can bring different consequences. The purpose of this work was if responsibility and social climate could predict the social and prosocial behaviors and vio-lence. For this, 429 students (M = 11.46, SD = 1.92) participated in this study answering a ques-tionnaire with five variables: school climate, responsibility, motivation, satisfaction of psycholog-ical needs, prosocial and antisocial behaviors and violence. The main results saw that the most part of variables were correlated positive and directly except with antisocial behaviors and vio-lence. On the other hand, prediction model (X2 = 584.145 (98); RMSEA = 0.104 [90% CI = 0.096, 0.112]; TLI = 0.849; CFI = 0.894) showed that responsibility and school climate can predict psy-chological basic needs and these needs, can improve the autonomous motivation and finally have positive consequences improving prosocial behaviors and reducing antisocial behaviors and vio-lence. In conclusion, school climate and responsibility can improve positive consequences to the classroom, specifically, prosocial behaviors and reducing violence and antisocial behaviors.

Considering the concerns for emissions reduction in the maritime sector, the present paper evaluates, through modeling and simulation, the oxy-fuel combustion in a two-stroke ship engine (2SE) and the best production system configuration to obtain the required oxygen (O2). An initial model of a ship engine is calibrated with the engine manufacturer’s data, and then adapted to work with O2 as the oxidant to eliminate nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to control the in-cylinder combustion temperature. Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conducting (MIEC) membranes produce the necessary O2 from the ambient air, which is heated up and pressurized by a heat exchanger and turbocharging coupled system to provide the air conditions required for the proper operation of the MIEC. Several layouts of this system are evaluated for the full load engine operating point to find the optimum O2 production system configuration. Results reveal that the engine operating under oxy-fuel combustion conditions avoids NOx emissions at the expense of higher brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) to obtain the original brake torque, and also expels a stream composed exclusively of CO2 and H2O, what facilitates the separation of CO2 from exhaust gases.

This work explored and contrasted the effect of microstructure on the tensile properties of AlSi10Mg alloys generated by transient directional solidification depending on variations in cooling rate and Magnesium (Mg) content (i.e., 0.45 and 1wt.% Mg), with a focus on understanding the dendritic growth and phases constitution. Optical and Scanning electron (SEM) microscopies, CALPHAD and thermal analysis were used to describe the microstructure, forming phases and resulting tensile properties. The findings showed that the experimental evolution of the primary dendritic spacing is very similar when both directionally solidified (DS) Al-10wt.% Si-0.45wt.% Mg and Al-10wt.% Si-1wt.% Mg alloys samples are compared. The secondary dendritic spacing was lower for the alloy with more Mg, especially considering the range of high growth velocities. Moreover, a greater fraction of (Al+Si+Mg2Si) ternary eutectic islands surrounding the -Al dendritic matrix was noted for the alloy with 1wt.% Mg. As a result of primary dendritic spacings greater than 180 m related to lower cooling rates, slightly higher tensile properties were attained for the Al-10wt.% Si-0.45wt.% Mg alloy. In contrast, combining dendritic refining (< 150 m) and larger Mg2Si fraction, fast solidified DS Al-10wt.% Si-1wt.% Mg samples exhibited higher tensile strength and elongation. The control of cooling rate and fineness of the dendritic array provided a new insight related to the addition of Mg in slightly higher levels than conventional ones, capable of achieving a better balance of tensile properties in AlSi10Mg alloys.

This document presents, from environmental thinking (ecosystem - culture relations), the concept of the Main Agroecological Structure of Agroecosystems (MAS, EAP, for its acronym in Spanish), considered as a dissipative cultural structure. It discusses its possible applications (resilience, production, diversity) both inside and outside the farms. The MAS can be useful in the land planning on the farms, based on the concept of potential MAS that allows the quantification of the management of internal and external corridors, including natural vegetation. At the same time, it can be useful in the context of landscape management because it shows a series of cultural relations (economic, social, symbolic and technological) hidden from the partial analysis of landscape ecology.

Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient for the production of vegetable crops, but anthropogenic sources pose risks due to its transformation into several reactive forms and movement throughout the environment. To mitigate the impact of environmental losses, current research efforts aim to improve management practices to obtain a greater Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE). From a chemical, biological, and ecophysiological perspective, at a reductionist level we have acquired a considerable mechanistic understanding about the N cycle, the varied N chemical forms, microbial interactions and physiology of crop uptake. However, at a holistic level, we are far from obtaining an adequate understanding of the myriad of multi-level cropping system, genetic, socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological interactions that have an effect on the N cycle and NUE. Here, based on a selected review of the literature, we provide a perspective on the potentials to increase the NUE of vegetable crops, by adopting a range of best management practices and by highlighting some of the N x system interactions that may be considered to better understand the complex dynamics of the N cycle, to optimize the NUE of vegetable crops, and to explore alternatives to the reliance on the use of synthetic N sources.

Grafting polyethylene glycol (PEG) on polymers surface is widely used to improve biocompatibility by reducing protein and cell adhesion. Although PEG is considered to be bioinert, its incorporation to biomaterials has shown to improve cell viability depending on the amount and molecular weight (MW) used. This phenomenon was studied here by grafting PEG of three MW onto polyurethane (PU) substrata at three molar concentrations to assess their effect on PU surface properties and on the viability of osteoblasts and fibroblasts. PEG formed a covering on the substrata which increased the hydrophilicity and surface energy of PUs. Among the results it was observed that osteoblast viability increased for all MW and grafting densities of PEG employed compared with unmodified PU. However, fibroblast viability only increased at certain combinations of MW and grafting densities of PEG, suggesting an optimal level of these parameters. PEG grafting also promoted a more spread cell morphology than that exhibited by unmodified PU; nevertheless, cells became apoptotic-like as PEG MW and grafting density were increased. These effects on cells could be due to PEG affecting culture medium pH, which became more alkaline at higher MW and concentrations of PEG. Results support the hypothesis that surface energy of PU substrates can be tuned by controlling the MW and grafting density of PEG, but these parameters should be optimized to promote cell viability without inducing apoptotic-like behavior.

This paper addresses the issue of the automatic identification of river reaches and their planform type, given the (observed) set of geomorphic elements and units. It introduces further advances with respect to the original proposal by Nardini and Brierley. And it explores explicitly the ability of the algorithm and associated tools to work properly on significantly different rivers while adopting a given same parametrization. This was indeed an envisaged ability speculated as a challenging conclusion of the previous work. The Duqueco, Laja and Biobío rivers (Chile) are analyzed for this purpose. The conclusion is definitely positive, what opens future promising application horizons.

The need to develop novel lightweight materials and their manufacturing processes is sets out to meet the new aerospace, automotive and construction requirements. Within this context, this research work is proposed to develop a novel thermoplastic composite material with high mechanical properties. These composites will be based on thermoplastic matrixes made from polyamide and 35% short glass fiber filled-polyamide reinforced with different types of fabrics. As reinforcement, glass fiber fabrics will be used as the base. They will be treated with different processes, both chemical and physical, to promote adherence to the matrix. Textile overmoulding technology was selected for manufacturing these composites. This technology was primarily developed to manufacture aesthetic lined components and has achieved a great implantation. Once these new composites are manufactured, they will be submitted to different tests to evaluate their behavior regarding adhesion, impact strength and stiffness. It is expected an improvement on stiffness and impact absorption.

Climate change is one of the main issues that humanity is currently facing due to carbon dioxide emissions caused by the use of fossil fuels. Organic Rankine cycles may play an important role in reducing these emissions since they can be operated by using industrial waste heat of renewable energies. The present study presents a comprehensive bibliographic review of organic Rankine cycles. The study not only actualizes previous reviews that mainly focused on basic cycles operating on subcritical or supercritical conditions but also includes the analysis of novel cycles such as two-stage and hybrid cycles and the used fluids. Recuperative and regenerative cycles are more efficient than reheated and basic single-stage cycles. The use of two-stage cycles makes it possible to achieve higher thermal efficiencies and net power outputs of up to 20% and 44%, respectively, compared with those obtained with single-stage cycles. Theoretical studies show that hybrid systems, including Brayton and organic Rankine cycles, are the most efficient; however, they require very high temperatures to operate. Most organic Rankine cycle plants produce net power outputs from 1 kW up to several tens of kW, mainly using microturbines and plate heat exchangers.

This paper assesses the behaviour of active distribution networks with high penetration of renewable energy sources when the control is performed in a centralised manner. The control assets are the on-load tap changers of transformers at the primary substation, the reactive power injections of the renewable energy sources and the active and reactive power exchanged between adjacent feeders when they are interconnected through a DC link. A scaled-down distribution network is used as testbed to emulate the behaviour of an active distribution system with massive penetration of renewable energy resources. The laboratory testbed involves hardware devices, real-time control, and communication infrastructure. Several key performance indices are adopted to assess the effects of the different control actions on the system operation. The experimental results demonstrate that the combination of control actions enables the optimal integration of a massive penetration of renewable energy.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) fatal outcomes have been associated with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. In new epidemic areas, such as Latin America, there is a lack of studies about this. Here, we evaluated those factors in a retrospective cohort of patients in a national reference hospital of Lima, Peru. Design. A retrospective cohort observational study was done. For this study, information was obtained from clinical records of the hospital for the cases that were laboratory-diagnosed and related, during March 6^th and April 30^th, 2020. rRT-PCR was used for the detection of the RNA of SARS-CoV-2 following the protocol Charité, Berlin, Germany, from nasopharyngeal swabs at the National Institute of Health. Calculation of the odds ratio (OR) with the respective 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was done, also logistic regression for adjusted OR (multivariate) was done. Values of p < 0.05 were considered significant for all analyses. Results. One hundred six hospitalized patients were evaluated. The mean age of patients was 61.58 years (SD 16.81). Cardiovascular risk factors among them were hypertension (46.2%), diabetes (28.3%), and obesity (28.3%), among others. Fifty-six patients died (52.8%). Mortality associated factors at the multivariate analysis were arterial hypertension (OR=1.343, 95% 1.089-1.667), myocardial injury (OR=1.303, 95% 1.031-1.642), and mechanical ventilation (OR 1.262, 95% 1.034-1.665), as associated factors. Conclusion. As observed in other regions of the world, cardiovascular risk factors represent a significant and independent threat to be considered in patients with COVID-19. Further studies and interventions in Peru and Latin America are expected.

A new approach to the measurement with elastic lidar of depolarization produced by atmospheric aerosols is presented. The system uses two different telescopes: one for depolarization measurements and another for total-power measurements. The system architecture and principle of operation are described. The first experimental results are also presented, corresponding to a collection of atmospheric conditions over the city of Barcelona.

Nuclear vacuoles are specific structures present on the head of the human sperm of fertile and non-fertile men. Human sperm head vacuoles have been previously studied using motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) and their origin related to ab-normal morphology, abnormal chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation. How-ever, other evidences argued that human sperm vacuoles are physiological structures and consequently, to date, the nature and origin of the nuclear vacuoles remains to be elucidat-ed. Here, we aim to define the incidence, position, morphology, and molecular content of the human sperm vacuoles using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immuno-cytochemistry techniques. Results showed that ~50% of the analyzed human sperm cells (n = 1908; 17 normozoospermic human donors) contained vacuoles mainly located (80%) in the anterior head region. A significant positive correlation was also found between the sperm vacuole and nucleus areas. Furthermore, it was confirmed that nuclear vacuoles were invaginations of nuclear envelope containing cytoskeletal proteins and a cytoplas-mic enzyme, discarding a nuclear or acrosomal origin. According to our findings, these human sperm head vacuoles are cellular structures which take the origin from nuclear invaginations and contain perinuclear theca (PT) components, allowing to define a new term of ‘nuclear invaginations’ rather than ‘nuclear vacuoles.

The aim was to implement a value-promoting program (Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility, TPSR) and to assess its impact on students. Method: The program was applied for 8 months with 257 students from three secondary school centres (151 boys and 106 girls) with a mean of 15.97 years old (SD = 2.31). They were in three groups, 67 students (control group), 90 students receiving at least 60% of the total teaching time the value-promoting program (experimental group for global education, EG-GE) and 100 students (experimental group only for physical education, EG-PE). As main results improvements were found in the EG-GE for responsibility, psychological mediator index, self-determination index, resilience, climate and prosocial behaviours. In the EG-PE improved were observed in the self-determination index, classroom climate and prosocial behaviours. Female students and from EG-GE improve much more than males and from EG-PE. The outcomes in psychological variables can be higher if TPSR is applied to the whole subjects apart from physical education. These results are even more pronounced for female students in personal and social responsibility. It is worth highlighting the importance of coordinating educational institutions to facilitate the involvement of the greatest number of teachers.

Abstract: Background: The periodization of physical exercise to optimize the objectives is common in competitive sports, however physical exercise programs for the older adults do not usu-ally present periodization in their programming, they are limited to carrying out similar sessions throughout the program. Methods:137 people over 60 years old performed a physical exercise program, 71 people participated in a multicomponent non-periodized program as the Control Group (CG) and 66 people participated in a program periodized in blocks as the Experimental Group (EG). The block periodization program was oriented to the development of strength, and was carried out in 86 sessions three times per week during a period of 8 months. Anthropometric assessments were made using: weight, height, BMI and electrical bioimpedance; and functional evaluations through standardized tests: SPPB, TUG, handgrip and two-minute stair test. Results: After the intervention, the EG presents significant improvements in the TUG, in the weight and in the BMI. On the other hand, the CG presents significant improvements in fat weight, in BMI and in the 2-minute stair test. The SPPB did not present changes after the intervention. Conclusion: The periodization of physical exercise for older adults does not have a significant impact on the functional capacity in this population group.

Tumors of the central nervous system produce adverse outcomes in everyday life; however, low-grade gliomas are uncommon in adults. For this reason, the objective is to describe the executive function of a 59-year-old adult neuro-oncological patient. Pre- and postintervention evaluation of neurological and neuropsychological functioning was performed through neuroimaging techniques (iRM, Spectroscopy, Electroencephalography), hospital history, psychological interview, and Wisconsin Card Classification Test (WCST). Executive performance exhibited a noticeable decline in typical and centile WCST results, as evidenced by deterioration in persistent scores, failure to maintain an attitude and difficulty learning from clinical samples. This information coincides with the evolution of the neuroimage over time. Finally, this topic is discussed in the literature.

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.

Among the plant resources in pre-Columbian Mexico and Central America, the Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is unique in being the only member of the Lamiaceae cultivated for the mericarps. Recently the crop has gained considerable attention due to its high of content omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, antioxidants, fibre and protein classifying it as a nutraceutical.

Data is the most valuable asset of a company or organisation nowadays, for the management of such data there are several techniques used for the storage and analysis of these data, if the organisation chooses wrongly among the alternatives it could face a very costly problem. Based on the above information we will study a very important issue today in the business world, with the global economic growth has also grown the world of technology and therefore organizations or companies also need to move forward with firm and fast pace how business evolves; Its weaknesses, strengths and the need to always be at the forefront of technological tools we will dive into the subject of business intelligence or also known as Business Intelligence (BI), Datawarehouse and Data Mining which is nothing more than a group of applications and tools that allow you to extract, transform and load some data to get to get information and knowledge in order to make a quick decision, accurate and efficient in the organization to achieve the objectives outlined. Due to the fact that there are still companies or organisations that make blind decisions in their customer or strategic processes. In order to solve this problem we rely on data mining as an alternative to minimise risks, which can lead to major and valuable losses within an organisation. In the case of a private company where data mining is applied to study patterns of customer behaviour on their own parameters of location, consumption, etc.. And third party data. The search for information is profitable for the business administration. Data mining is applied as a tool for the development of marketing tactics in competitive production and industrial sectors. This technology attempts to help perceive the attachment of databases. Data mining works on a preferential level looking for patterns, behaviours, orders or groupings that can create a model that allows us to better understand the concept and help in decision making so organisations rely on different systems such as CRM, ERP and many others, but to move from just information to generate business intelligence must be centralised in a single place where you can run data analysis of all types to discover trends that help decision making that place can be mainly a Lake or a Warehouse.

The real estate market is exposed to many fluctuations in prices, because of existing correlations with many variables, some of which cannot be controlled or might even be unknown. Housing prices can increase rapidly (or in some cases, also drop very fast), yet the numerous listings available online where houses are sold or rented are not likely to be updated that often. In some cases, individuals interested in selling a house (or apartment) might include it in some online listing, and forget about updating the price. In other cases, some individuals might be interested in deliberately setting a price below the market price in order to sell the home faster, for various reasons. In this paper we aim at developing a machine learning application that identifies opportunities in the real estate market in real time, i.e., houses that are listed with a price substantially below the market price. This program can be useful for investors interested in the housing market. We have focused in a use case considering real estate assets located in the Salamanca district in Madrid (Spain) and listed in the most relevant Spanish online site for home sales and rentals. The application is formally implemented as a regression problem, that tries to estimate the market price of a house given features retrieved from public online listings. For building this application, we have performed a feature engineering stage in order to discover relevant features that allows attaining a high predictive performance. Several machine learning algorithms have been tested, including regression trees, $k$-nearest neighbors, support vector machines and neural networks, identifying advantages and handicaps of each of them.

Eating disorders, especially restrictive eating, are common among female athletes. There are two main types of winter sports, those that are practised outdoors on snow (-25 to +5ºC and 2500 m), such as alpine skiing or snowboarding, and those that are practiced indoors on ice (5-10º C at low altitude), such as figure skating and ice hockey. The aim of this research was to identify the nutritional status and potential risk of female athletes practising winter sports considering the altitude of training. The sample was composed of 58 women (aged 19.81 years (SD: 12.61) who were competitors in some winter sports. Anthropometrics and nutritional variables were taken. Statistically significant differences were found between groups for all the characteristics except thigh skinfold and neither group had an EI that matched their TEE. Both groups met at least 2/3rd of the RDI for all minerals and vitamins, except iodine, fluorine, vit D, E and retinol. This study suggest that female winter sports athletes have insufficient energy, vitamin and mineral intake that can be worsened by altitude.

In this paper, an iterative procedure to find the solution of a nonlinear structural model is introduced. The model presents different multiplicities where parameters are randomly selected within a solvability region. To achieve this aim, a class of multipoint fixed-point iterative schemes for single roots is modified to find multiple roots, reaching the fourth order of convergence. Complex discrete dynamics techniques are employed to select the members with the most stable performance. The structural problem, as well as some academic problems involving multiple roots, are solved numerically to verify the theoretical analysis, robustness and applicability of the proposed scheme.

The use of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T cells) for the treatment of patients with malignant haematological diseases has become a well-established application, for conditions such as refractory or relapsed B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL), B cell lymphomas (BCL), and multiple myeloma (MM). Nearly 35,000 patients have received autologous CAR-T cells for the treatment of these conditions only in the USA. Since their approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017, over 1200 clinical trials have been initiated globally and there are at least 10 different CAR-T cells with approval by different regulatory agencies around the globe. In the USA the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 6 commercial CAR-T cells that are widely distributed worldwide. At the time of this writing, several clinical trials have been performed in patients with solid tumours such as glioblastoma, renal and pancreatic cancer, as well as in patients with autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM), and systemic sclerosis (SS). There are also several studies showing the potential benefit of CAR-T cells for other non-malignant diseases such as asthma and even fungal infections. In this review, without pretending to cover all the current areas of treatments with CAR-T cells, we offer a brief summary of some of the most relevant aspects of the use of CAR-T cells for some of these conditions.

Nitrogen and phosphorous loading drives eutrophication of aquatic systems. Lakes and reservoirs are often effective N and P sinks, but information is needed on the variability of their biogeochemical dynamics, especially for tropical systems. A long-term N and P mass balance (2003-2018) in a small tropical eutrophic reservoir lake, Valle de Bravo (VB), Mexico, showed it is a net sink of N (-41.7 g N m-2 y-1), and P (-2.7 g P m-2 y-1), mainly through net sedimentation, equivalent to 181% and 68% of their respective loading (23.0 g N m-2 y-1 and 4.2 g P m-2 y-1). N mass balance showed that VB has a high net N atmospheric influx (31.6 g N m-2 y-1), which was 1.3 times the external load, and likely dominated by N2 fixation. During a period of high water level fluctuations (WLF), the net N atmospheric flux decreased by half compared to high level years. WLF can be a useful management tool to improve the trophic status of water bodies by decreasing anoxic conditions and net atmospheric fluxes, possibly through decreasing nitrogen fixation and/or promoting denitrification and other microbial processes that alleviate the N load.

This paper investigates portfolio optimization methodologies and short-term investment strate-gies in the context of the cryptocurrency market, focusing on ten major cryptocurrencies from January 2020 to November 2023. We employ high frequency data and utilize the Kurtosis Mini-mization methodology, alongside other optimization strategies, to construct and evaluate port-folios under different rebalancing frequencies. The empirical analysis reveals that cryptocurren-cies exhibit significant volatility, skewness, and kurtosis, necessitating sophisticated portfolio management techniques. We find that the Kurtosis Minimization methodology consistently outperforms other optimization strategies, delivering optimal returns to investors, particularly in shorter-term investment horizons. We demonstrate the diversification benefits of integrating cryptocurrencies into multi-asset portfolios and emphasize the importance of regular portfolio rebalancing in the volatile cryptocurrency market. Our findings offer insights for portfolio man-agers and investors seeking to optimize their investment outcomes in the cryptocurrency market, highlighting the importance of risk management, diversification, and dynamic portfolio man-agement strategies.

There is a relationship between systemic sarcoidosis (SS) and malignancy. Sarcoidosis results from an exaggerated immune response in genetically susceptible individuals. In oncologic pa-tients with sarcoidosis, tumoral antigens and antineoplastic treatment are considered potential triggering factors. The observation of a patient with granulomas in a parotid carcinoma that later developed SS led us to review previous tumors of patients with SS. The aim of the study is to see if granulomas were already present in the tumors that preceded sarcoidosis. We identified 196 sarcoidosis patients, 47 of which had a previous tumor. We were able to review 29 cases 12 of which showed tumor associated granulomas (TAGs)(41.4%). This ratio is much higher than that of the normal population. We analyzed five control patients without sarcoidosis for each tumor. In conclusion, we have observed TAGs in patients who later develop SS. In our series, the ratio of TAGs in patients with SS was significantly greater than in the normal population. To prove our findings, we suggest reviewing the history of patients with SS in search of previous tumors. The histology of such tumors should be reviewed in an attempt to identify granulomas.

In this paper, we present a three-step sixth-order iterative schemes to estimate the solutions of a nonlinear systems of equations, for predicting the shear strength of a reinforced concrete beam. This procedure is designed by means of a weight function technique. The values for the parameters of this system were randomly selected inside the prescribed ranges by technical standards for structural concrete; moreover, some of this parameters were fixed taking into consideration the solvability region of the adopted steel constitutive model. The efficiency of the new class is compared with other current schemes, with very good results.

This research work aims to develop a mathematical modeling for production-inventory systems. Two mathematical models are present: An infinite dimensional, partial differential equation (PDE), production level modeling is present and a finite dimensional system for a coupled dynamic pricing, production rate and inventory level ordinary differential equations (ODE), integrating a proper Lyapunov stability analysis of the dynamical system and simulations.

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) may progress to severe forms of dementia, so therapy is needed to maintain cognitive abilities. The neural circuitry for oculomotor control is closely linked to that which controls cognitive behavior. In this study, we tested whether training the oculomotor system with gaze-controlled video games could improve cognitive behavior in MCI patients. Patients played a simple game for a month while a control group played the same game using a mouse. Cognitive improvement was assessed using the MoCA screening test and CANTAB. We also measured eye pupil and vergence responses in an oddball paradigm. The results showed an increased score on the MoCA test specifically for the visuospatial domain and on the Rapid Visual Information Processing test of the CANTAB battery. Pupil responses also increased to target stimuli. Patients in the control group did not show significant improvements. This pilot study provides evidence for the potential cognitive benefits of gaze-controlled gaming in MCI patients.

Objective: To determine the association of edentulism with different chronic diseases in Mexicans aged 60 years and over. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using data from the World Health Survey for Mexico, which had a probabilistic, multi-stage and cluster sampling. The results of the self-report of chronic diseases (diabetes, arthritis, depression, angina pectoris, asthma and schizophrenia) and of edentulism were analyzed. Dental data were available for 20 of the 32 States of the Mexican Republic. Statistical analysis was performed in Stata 14.0 using the svy module for complex samples. Results: In total, 4213 subjects were included, representing a population of 7,576,057 individuals. The mean age was 70.13 ± 7.82 years (limits 60 to 98). Women represented 56.2%. The chronic diseases analyzed were presented as follows: diabetes 15.0% (N = 1,132,693); arthritis 13.2% (N = 1,001,667); depression 5.5% (N = 414,912); angina pectoris 4.5% (344,315); asthma 3.6% (N = 269,287); and schizophrenia 2.2% (N = 16,988). The prevalence of edentulism was 26.3%, which represents 1,993,463 people aged 60 years and over with this characteristic. For the presence of angina in women aged 60 to 69 years (p &lt;0.05) and depression in men aged 70 years and over (p &lt;0.0001), a higher prevalence of edentulism was observed. Conclusions: In general, there was no observation of association between edentulism was observed on the different chronic diseases included in the study. In the stratified analysis, only in women aged 60 to 69 years, for angina, and in men aged 70 and over, for depression, were associated.

The complex interplay between dietary factors, inflammation, and macrophage polarization is pivotal in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic liver diseases (CLDs). Omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) have been attracted attention due to their potential to modulate inflammation and exert protective effects in various pathological conditions. This review explores the emerging role of omega-3 FAs and their specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) in the context of macrophage polarization, with a focus on chronic liver diseases. Omega-3, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have promising effects in mitigating inflammation and enhancing the resolution of inflammatory responses. They influence the M1/M2 macrophage phenotype balance, promoting a shift towards the M2 anti-inflammatory phenotype. SPMs, such as resolvins (Rvs), protectins (PDs), and maresins (MaRs), have emerged as potent regulators of inflammation and macrophage polarization. They show anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving properties. These mediators modulate the expression of cytokines, facilitate the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, and promote tissue repair. MaR1, in particular, has demonstrated significant hepatoprotective effects by promoting M2 macrophage polarization, reducing oxidative stress, and inhibiting key inflammatory pathways such as NF-κB. In the context of CLD, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cirrhosis, omega-3 and their SPMs have shown promise in attenuating liver injury, promoting tissue regeneration, and modulating macrophage phenotypes. However, the mechanisms underlying their effects and their interactions with other cell types within the liver microenvironment require further investigation. Understanding the intricate relationship among SPM and macrophage polarization holds unlimited potential for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for chronic liver diseases.

The recent green manufacturing demands have boosted the development of new biodegradable lubricants to replace petroleum-based lubricants. In this regard, water-based lubricants have been at the forefront of recent research for a wide range of industrial applications, including metalworking fluids (MWFs). In this work, we present an experimental investigation on the performance of novel green MWFs based on aqueous nopal mucilage solutions. For this, fully biodegradable solutions with different mucilage concentrations were evaluated in terms of rheological, tribological, thermal stability and turning (minimum quantity lubrication) performance, and compared to a commercial semisynthetic oil-based MWF (Cimstar 60). Mucilage solutions exhibited viscoelastic shear-thinning behavior, which was enhanced along with mucilage concentration. The solution with the highest mucilage content studied resulted in the lowest wear, friction and temperature in comparison to the other solutions and neat water in extreme pressure four-ball tests, and a similar level of lubricity as compared to the commercial MWF in cutting tests. This performance is associated to the enhanced viscosity and elasticity of the solution, as well as to the contents of lipids with fatty acids in the mucilage. Overall, the present results reveal the relevance of the viscoelastic behavior of the lubricant, elasticity in particular, in lubrication processes, and points to nopal mucilage as an effective green additive to produce innocuous MWFs.

Abstract: Increasing physical activity (PA) and personal and social values are two of the greatest demands in the current educational system. This study examined the effect of a hybrid pro-gramme based on the Personal and Social Responsibility Model and Gamification. A total of 58 students (13.89 years old, SD = 1.14) in two groups (Experimental and Control) participated dur-ing a complete academic year. Motivation, physical activity and sedentary behaviour were as-sessed though questionnaires. Physical fitness was evaluated using previously validated field tests. The results showed significant differences over time between EG and CG in afterschool physical activity (APA) at the weekend (p = 0.003), sedentary time (p = 0.04) and speed-agility (p = 0.04). There were no significant differences in motivation. Regarding the intervention, speed-agility (p = 0.000), strength (p = 0.000), agility (p = 0.000), cardiorespiratory fitness (p = 0.001), APA-weekend (p = 0.000), APA-week (p= 0.000) and sedentary time (p = 0.000) increased signifi-cantly in the EG. Speed-agility (p = 0.000), APA-weekend (p = 0.03) and sedentary time (p = 0.008) increased in the CG. The use of this hybrid program can be useful to produced improvements in physical fitness, physical activity and sedentary hevaviours. The use of a hybrid program based on teaching personal and social responsibility and gamification strategies, produced improvements in physical fitness, physical activity and sedentary behavior, but not in motivation variables. Further research is demanded in order to contrast this relevant findings due to the potential drawbacks and diversity found in the scientific literature among model-based practice.

Deep learning machines are computational models composed of multiple processing layers of adaptive weights to learn representations of data with multiple levels of abstraction. Their structure is mainly reflecting the intuitive plausibility of decomposing a problem into multiple levels of computation and representation since it is believed that higher layers of representation allow a system to learn complex functions. Surprisingly, after decades of research, from learning and design perspectives these models are still deployed in a heuristic manner. In this paper, deep learning feed-forward machines are modeled from a statistical mechanics point of view as disordered physical systems where its macroscopic behavior is determined in terms of the interactions defined between the basic constituent of these models, namely, the artificial neuron. They are viewed as the equilibrium states of a theoretical body that is subject to the law of increase of the entropy. The study of the changes in energy of the body when passing from one equilibrium state to another is used to understand the structure and role of the phase space of the system, the stability of the equilibrium states, and the resulting degree of disorder. It is shown that the topology of these models is strongly linked to their stability and resulting level of disorder. Furthermore, the proposed theoretical characterization permit to assess the thermodynamic efficiency with which information can be processed by these models, and to provide a practical methodology to quantitatively estimate and compare their expected learning and generalization capabilities. These theoretical results provides new insights to the theory of deep learning and their implications are shown to be consistent through a set of benchmarks designed to experimentally assess their validity.

Mexico is an exceptional setting for ethnomycology since human cultures have interacted with fungi for thousands of years; the state of Michoacán is particularly important since nearly 11% of the fungi species recorded in Mexico occur there, 139 species being edible. This study aimed to analyze the taxonomic diversity and use forms of fungi, their position in worldview of people, and the management forms practiced on edible fungi in the Purépecha communities of Cherán and Pichátaro and the environmental problems in relationship with fungi management. We conducted semi-structured interviews during visits to regional markets, participant observations in harvesting areas, workshops, and presentation of results to the communities and communal authorities. We recorded ethnoecological information for 21 edible fungi species. The words jongo and terekua correspond to useful fungi in Purépecha, while jeramba refers to not edible fungi. In Cherán people identify different vegetation types where mushrooms occur; they recognize the “pinadas forest” dominated by Pinus leiophylla, “encineras” (dominated by Quercus crassipes), “tepamu forest” (dominated by Alnus acuminata), “sharhari forest” (Quercus aff. laeta), and grasslands, all of them sites where mushrooms grow. Fungi handlers identified environmental problems like land use changes, illegal extraction of forest resources, deforestation, unplanned urban growth, uncontrolled fires, livestock raising, and agricultural intensification, which affect fungi communities. In turn, these factors have secondary consequences like soil erosion, reduction of native vegetation and reduction of rainwater retention that directly disturb diversity, distribution, and abundance of fungi. Information from this study and workshops conducted with the community helped to design strategies for conservation of both forests and fungi.

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

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a world health problem for humans and other mammals; affecting critical stages of development. Pigs have been used as an experimental model for the study and prevention of anemia because of physiological and metabolic similarities with humans. Iron dextran particles (IDP) are used for intramuscular (IM) IDA treatments in pigs, but are insufficient for prevention of anemia due to quick metabolization. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop chitosan thermosensitive hydrogels (CTH) formulations and to study their potential as a mammalian parenteral iron dextran supplementation strategy. CTH were loaded with IDP at increasing iron concentrations (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 g of theorical iron/g of chitosan) and characterized as an IM iron supplement. All the CTH-IDP formulations were thermosensitive and can be injected IM at ~4 °C, with a significant rise in viscosity between 25-37 °C. IDP content was physically trapped in the chitosan hydrophobic gel at 37 °C, without evidence of chemical bonding. We conclude that CTHs are a promising strategy for IM delivery strategy of IDP, and these results may be useful for future iron supplementation studies in pigs, humans and other mammals.

The increase in hypoxia events, a result of climate change in coastal and fjord ecosystems, impacts the health and survival of mussels. These organisms deploy physiological and molecular responses as an adaptive mechanism to maintain cellular homeostasis under environmental stress. However, the specific effects of hypoxia on mussels of socioeconomic interest, such as Mytilus chilensis, are unknown. Using RNA-seq, we investigated the transcriptomic profiles of the gills, digestive gland, and adductor muscle of M. chilensis under hypoxia (10 days at 2 mg L-1) and reoxygenation (10 days at 6 mg L-1). There were 15,056 differentially expressed transcripts identified in gills, 11,864 in the digestive gland, and 9,862 in the adductor muscle. The response varied among tissues, showing chromosomal changes in Chr1, Chr9, and Chr10 during hypoxia. Hypoxia regulated signaling genes in the Toll-Like, mTOR, citrate cycle, and apoptosis pathways in gills, indicating metabolic and immunological alterations. These changes suggest that hypoxia-induced a metabolic shift in mussels, reducing reliance on aerobic respiration and increasing reliance on anaerobic metabolism. Furthermore, hypoxia appeared to suppress the immune response, potentially increasing disease susceptibility, with negative implications for the mussel culture industry and natural bed populations. This study provides pivotal insights into metabolic and immunological adaptations to hypoxia in M. chilensis, offering candidate genes for adaptive traits.

Contamination by microplastics (MP) in aquatic ecosystems is largely due to the release of millions of these particles from treated effluents from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP). Due to the lack of policies and regulations that establish criteria for the control and elimination of MP from WWTP effluents, this research evaluated the presence of MP for particle sizes of 38 and 150 µm in influents and effluents from three WWTP in the port of Acapulco, Mexico. Using optical microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques, the MP detected were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). MP removal efficiencies of 82.5 to 98.7% (38 µm) and 86.8 to 97.5% (150µm) were obtained; the MP average daily emissions to the receiving bodies of these three WWTPs were in the ranges of 9.5 x 106 - 4.70 x 108 particles and the annual emissions in the range of 3.05 x 109 - 1.72 x 1011 particles. This work reveals the urgency of implementing regulatory policies to avoid the continuous emission of MP to aquatic ecosystems from WWTPs in Acapulco, Mexico.

Naturally occurring small molecules include a large variety of natural products from different sources that have confirmed activity against epigenetic targets. In this work we review chemoinformatic, molecular modeling and other computational approaches that have been used to uncover natural products as inhibitors of DNA metiltransferases, a major family of epigenetic targets with significant potential for the treatment of cancer and several other diseases. Examples of these computational approaches include docking, similarity-based virtual screening, and pharmacophore modeling. It is also commented the chemoinformatic-based exploration of the chemical space of naturally occurring compounds as epigenetic modulators which may have significant implications in epigenetic drug discovery and nutriepigenetics.

Cobalt, like other critical elements, is gaining in importance today. The great technological advances and the deep knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of this element have allowed to enhance its applications in various fields, such as: catalysts, paints, alloys for the mechanical and aerospace industries, as well as the medical sector and in recent times, its use within the rechargeable battery industry. The main exploitable deposits are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have economic potential due to a strong influence on their mineralization processes. However, the growing demand for cobalt and the search for less dependence on African deposits leads to targeting other regions, so it is necessary to carry out exhaustive exploration to find out the potential of its reserves for a subsequent benefit of the mineral. Generally, cobalt comes as a by-product of the extraction of other metallic minerals, mainly from Cu-Co, Ni-Co, Ni-Cu-Co deposits. From the above, a first review is carried out on the differences that exist in the geochemical, mineralogical and forecast properties that exist within the different deposits that harbor cobalt. As a second review topic, it delves into efficient processing for cobalt recovery, which is generally carried out by flotation, acid leaching, in addition to its recovery from secondary sources, such as batteries and metallurgical waste. However, generally speaking there is still a vast lack of fundamental knowledge about the processability of cobalt. Said processing has been affected from the point of view of mineralogy, that is, understanding and knowing the cobalt-bearing minerals, as well as gangue mineralogy, these aspects exercise significant control during their processing and selection of the most appropriate route. suitable for cobalt extraction (leaching and/or flotation). In this context, the document concludes with a vision of the challenges that the mining industry must implement to enter circular economy models, mainly in the creation of sustainable processes from secondary sources.

This study examined the effect of an educational hybrid physical education (PE) intervention on cognitive performance and academic achievement in adolescents. A 9-month group-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 150 participants (age: 14.63 ± 1.38) allocated into control group (CG, n = 37) and experimental group (EG, n = 113). Inhibition, verbal fluency, planning and academic achievement were assessed. Significant differences were observed in the post-test for cognitive inhibition, verbal fluency in animals, and the average from verbal fluency in favour of the EG. With regard to the intervention, verbal fluency in animals, verbal fluency in vegetables, the average of verbal fluency, cognitive inhibition, language, the average of all subjects, the average of all subjects except PE, and the average from the core subjects) increased significantly in the EG. The last five variables (the academic ones and cognitive inhibition) also increased in the CG, in addition to mathematics. This study contributes to the knowledge by suggesting that both methodologies produced improvements in the measured variables, but the use of a hybrid program based on TPSR and gamification strategies produce improvements in cognitive performance, specifically through the cognitive inhibition and verbal fluency.

Hepatic hemangiomas (HH) are the most frequent benign tumors of the liver. They are usually asymptomatic and small in size. However, others can present as large tumors and can be symptomatic. In this case surgical resection is recomemend. We present a case report for treatment in our hospital. A 48 years old male, who was brought to the emergency room complaining of vomiting and pain in the right upper quadrant that had been going on for 8 years. The examination showed a firm mass in the right hypochondrium that extended below the umbilicus. The ultrasound (US) reported severe hepatomegaly secondary to giant hypoechoic lesions. The study was completed with a computed tomography scan (CT-scan) or Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This case was evaluated by a multi - disciplinary team, who decided to do a liver transplant. After three months signed up on the waiting list,the patient finally received a new liver from a matched brain - dead organ donor. In this case the surgery was completed with caval - preserving Piggy - back implant technique, without the need of a classic technique nor a veno - venous bypass. He received a transfusion of 8 units of packed red blood cells during the operation. The postoperative time passed with good evaluation. Patient went back home after 14 days in the hospital. The pathology report showed a giant multifocal hemangioma, with a size of 28 x 19 x 15 cms. Some HH needs surgery, there are different options: simple enucleation to complete hepatectomy associating liver transplant as our case. The correct treatment is too important, and these case have to be tried with multi - disciplinary team. This group is composed of hepatobiliary surgeons, hepatologists and anesthetists. The bleeding massive risk is large, so it is necessary to know the clasic surgery technique.

A reliability-based criterion to estimate strength amplification factors for buildings with asymmetric yielding located within a seismic region presenting different soil conditions is proposed and applied. The approach involves the calculation of the mean annual rate of exceedance of structural demands of systems with different levels of asymmetric yielding. Two simplified mathematical expressions are developed considering different soil conditions of the valley of Mexico. The mathematical expressions depend on the ductility of the structural systems, their level of asymmetric yielding, their fundamental vibration period and the dominant period of the soil. In addition, the proposed expressions are compared with that recommended by the current Mexico City Building Code (MCBC). Since the expressions are developed with the help of simplified structural systems, the validity of such expressions is corroborated by comparing the expected ductility demand of multi-degree of freedom (MDOF) structural systems with respect to that of their equivalent simplified systems. Both structural representations are associated with a given annual rate of exceedance value of an engineering demand parameter. The expressions proposed in this study will be incorporated in the new version of the MCBC.

Background: Despite hearing aids adequately compensate for hearing loss, a substantial proportion of the population leave their hearing difficulties untreated. Even though this is a well-known clinical issue, the optimal approach to address this issue during the hearing rehabilitation process is still unclear. Purpose: The present study aims to characterise behavioural and neurophysiological auditory and cognitive processing skills in experienced hearing aid users versus those with normal hearing, aimed at providing clinicians with the evidence required to adequately manage the expectations of their clients, thus indirectly reinforcing hearing-aid adoption within the adult population with hearing loss. Research design: Behavioural tests included auditory, cognitive, and speech-in-noise tasks; and neurophysiological testing included cortical auditory evoked potentials evoked by a /da/ stimulus presented at 65 dB SPL. The tests were selected based on previous literature supporting specific speech-understanding skills. Study sample: Ten participants (7 female, 21—68 years) with bilateral, mild-moderate to moderately-severe sensorineural hearing loss (HL), and 10 with clinically normal hearing (NH, 8 female, 19—62 years) participated in the study. Data collection and analysis: Behavioural data was analysed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and neurophysiological analysis used measurements such as independent t-test, time-frequency analysis and inter-trial phase coherence. Results: The NH and HL groups presented similar scores in all the behavioural tasks. Time-frequency analysis revealed a statistically significantly reduction in alpha (8–12 Hz) synchronisation at the centro-frontal electrodes in the HL group – a brain activity pattern that has been associated with listening effort, inhibition and selective attention. Conclusions and significance: Results support the conclusion that hearing aids are effective in compensating for the audibility of their users, enabling them to perform at similar levels than their normal-hearing peers. However, the reduced alpha synchronisation observed in the HL population indicates that adequate audibility does not extend to improved neural responses. Future studies need to investigate the induced activity in speech understanding paradigms to explore the auditory processing differences at cortical level. The results are only from a small sample size but the findings have the potential to support clinicians in managing adequately the expectations of their clients in regards the benefits of hearing aid technologies.

This work demonstrates the antimycotic activity and structural damage of stingless bee propolis against Malassezia pachydermatis,causative agent of canine otitis.Two propolis ethanolic extracts(EEP) derived from the stingless bees, Scaptotrigona mexicana and Tetragonisca angustula were tested against three clinical strains of Malassezia pachydermatis and one of reference (ATCC 14522). Each ethanolic extract of propolis was analyzed by Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry(GC-MS). Antimycotic activity was evaluated by plate microdilution. To evaluate the induced changes in yeasts, by fluorescence microscopy, stains were performed with chalcofluor white and propidium iodide. For both propolis, sesquiterpenes were the main components determined by GC-MS. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 32 mg/mL and a minimum fungicidal concentration of 64 mg/Ml were determined in both extracts. EPP of Scaptotrigona mexicana and Tetragonisca angustula caused significant damage to yeast morphology. Propidium iodide penetration was observed, indicating damage to the yeast and with calcofluor-white stain, only morphology deformation was observed..The antimycotic activity and structural damage of propolis from Scaptotrigona mexicana and Tetragonisca angustula against Malassezia pachydermtais was demonstrated .This probably being the first scientific report that demonstrates structural damage in Malassezia pachydermatis of Mexican stingless bee propolis

Despite widespread industrial use, the environmental safety of Hydroquinone (HQ), a benzene compound from plants used in processes like cosmetics, remains uncertain. This study evaluated the ecotoxicological impact of HQ on soil and river environments, utilizing non-target indicator organisms from diverse trophic levels: Daphnia magna, Vibrio fischeri, Allium cepa, and Eisenia fetida. For a more environmentally realistic assessment, microbial communities from a river and un-treated soil underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with growth and changes in community-level physiological profiling assessed using Biolog EcoPlate™ assays. The water indicator D. magna exhibited the highest sensitivity to HQ (EC50 = 0.142 µg/mL), followed by V. fischeri (EC50 = 1.446 µg/mL), and A. cepa (LC50 = 7.631 µg/mL), while E. fetida showed the highest resistance (EC50 = 234 mg/Kg). Remarkably, microbial communities mitigated HQ impact in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. River microorganisms displayed minimal inhibition, except for a significant re-duction in polymer metabolism at the highest concentration (100 µg/mL). Soil communities demonstrated resilience up to 100 µg/mL, beyond which there was a significant decrease in population growth and the capacity to metabolize carbohydrates and polymers. Despite microbial mitigation, HQ remains highly toxic to various trophic levels, emphasizing the necessity for en-vironmental regulations.

This study delves into the foundational aspects of electrocardiographic (ECG) lead systems, specifically focusing on Einthoven’s Triangle and Wilson’s Central Terminal. We introduce the innovative concept of a Precordial Central Terminal, a strategic arrangement of thoracic electrodes that establishes two Einthoven’s triangles within the horizontal plane, in accordance with physical-mathematical principles. Furthermore, we meticulously scrutinize Goldberger’s contributions to the field of ECG, particularly augmented leads, which shed light on the development of our theory. Additionally, we propose the implementation of a novel standardized electrocardiograph, characterized by its use of exclusively “precordial” electrodes, yet capable of providing a comprehensive three-dimensional perspective of cardiac electrical activity. By amalgamating theoretical underpinnings with empirical experimentation, our study lays the groundwork for future investigations, including the experimental validation of our innovative Precordial Terminal. This validation holds the promise of yielding substantial advancements in the realm of clinical electrocardiography.

The accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals on wet surfaces that have a mechanical function causes biofouling, which can result in structural or other functional deficiencies. The maritime shipping industry must constantly manage biofouling to optimize operational performance, which is a common and long-lasting problem. It can occur in any metal structure in contact or submerged in ocean water, which represents additional costs in terms of repairs and maintenance. This study is focused on the production of antifouling coatings, made with nanoparticles of copper selenide (CuSe) modified with gum arabic, within a water-base acrylic polymeric matrix. During the curing of the acrylic resin, the CuSe NPs remain embedded in the resin but this does not prevent the release of ions. The coatings presented to release copper and selenium ions for up to 80 days, selenium was the element that was released the most. The adhesion of film coatings to metallic substrates showed good adhesion, scale 5B (ASTM D3359 standard). Antimicrobial activity tests show that the coatings have an inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. The effect being more noticeable when the coating is detached from the substrate and placed on a growing medium, than compared to the coating on a substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations show that nanostructured CuSe coatings are made up of rod-shaped and spherical particles whose range ranges from 12 to 25 nm. The Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) studies showed that the ratio of selenium nanoparticles is greater than that of copper and that their distribution is homogeneous

Abstract: Commercialization of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) requires a best before date recom-mended at up to 24 months after bottling, stored under specific conditions. Thus, it is expected that the product retains its chemical properties and preserves its ‘extra virgin’ category. However, in-adequate storage conditions could alter the properties of EVOO. In this study, Arbequina EVOO was exposed to five storage conditions for up to one year to study the effects on the quality of the oil and the compounds responsible for flavor. Every 15 or 30 days, samples from each storage condition were analyzed determining physicochemical parameters, the profiles of phenols, volatile compounds, α-tocopherol and antioxidant capacity. Principal component analysis was utilized to better elucidate the relationships between composition of EVOOs and the storage conditions. EVOOs stored at -23 and 23 °C in darkness and 23 °C with light, differed from the oils stored at 30 and 40 °C in darkness. The former were associated with higher quantity of non-oxidized phenolic compounds and the latter with higher elenolic acid, oxidized oleuropein and ligstroside derivatives, which also increased with storage time. E-2-Nonenal (detected at trace levels in fresh oil) was selected as a marker of the degradation of Arbequina EVOO quality over time, with significant linear regressions identified for the storage conditions at 30 and 40 °C. Therefore, early oxidation in EVOO could be monitored by measuring E2-Nonenal levels.

Excess sedentary behaviour (SB) and insufficient physical activity (PA) have been identified as risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in adolescents, some factors may affect how much time they spent on these activities. This study sought to compare the SB and PA patterns as well as the compliance with PA recommendations by sex, geographical location, and time of the week in Mexican adolescents. In a cross-sectional design, we objectively assessed SB and PA in 106 adolescents (15 to 18 y) through waist-worn accelerometers for one week. The time spent in SB and in PA at different intensities was compared by sex, geographical location and time of the week with two-way and three-way repeated measures MANOVAs, while the compliance with physical activity recommendations (i.e. ≥60 min/day) was compared using chi-squared and McNemar tests. Male participants spent more time in moderate, vigorous, and moderate to vigorous PA than females both in the whole week and in weekdays (all p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in SB nor PA by geographical location (i.e., metropolitan vs non-metropolitan areas). Moreover, all participants spent more time on moderate, vigorous, and moderate to vigorous PA on weekdays than on weekends (p < 0.05). Compliance with international PA recommendations also showed a sex difference (males > females) and change between weekdays and weekends with no difference by geographical location. While geographical location does not seem to be a relevant factor, sex and time of the week appear to influence the SB and PA patterns in Mexican adolescents.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a protease-modulated chronic disorder with heterogenous clinical manifestations which may lead to an imprecise diagnosis. So far, there are no diagnostic protease tests for AD. We explored the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) protease profile of periodontally-healthy individuals with moderate/severe AD compared to healthy controls. An exploratory case-control study was conducted. Matching AD patients (n=6) and controls (n=6) were enrolled at the International Center for Clinical Studies, Santiago, Chile. Complete dermatological and periodontal evaluations (involving the collection of GCF samples) were made. The levels of 35 proteases were analyzed using a human protease antibody array. The GCF levels of zinc-binding ADAM8, ADAM9, MMP8 and Neprilysin/CD10, aspartyl-binding Cathepsin E, and serin-binding Protein convertase9 and uPA/Urokinase proteases were lower in moderate/severe AD patients compared to controls (p<0.05). No inter-group differences in the levels of the other 28 proteases were found. MMP8, Cathepsin E and ADAM9 were the biomarkers with the highest sensitivity and specificity regarding the detection of AD (p < 0.05). The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for MMP-8+ADAMP-9 was 0.90. In conclusion, differences in the protease profile between AD and control patients associated with MMP8, Cathepsin E and ADAM9. MMP8, ADAM9 and Cathepsin E may be useful as combined diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of moderate/severe AD.

The self-assembly is an intriguing process of great importance in general soft matter and thus re-ceives an ever-growing scientific interest. Its most trivial example is the entropy-driven crystalli-zation of hard spheres. Past works have established the similarities and differences in the phase behavior of monomers and chains made of hard spheres. In the present work, inspired by the dif-ference in the melting points of the pure components, we study, through Monte Carlo simulations, the phase behavior of athermal mixtures composed of fully flexible polymers and individual monomers of uniform size. We analyze how the relative number fraction and the packing density affect crystallization and the established ordered morphologies. A synergetic effect is observed in the crystallization leading to synchronous crystallization of the two species. Structural analysis of the resulting ordered morphologies shows perfect mixing and thus no phase separation, which could split the system into polymer-rich and monomer-rich domains. Due to the constraints imposed by chain connectivity, the local environment of the individual spheres is systematically more spherical and more symmetric compared to the one of spheres belonging to chains. In general, increasing polymer content leads to reduction of the degree of crystallinity. According to the present findings, relative concentration is another determining factor to control the phase behavior of hard colloidal systems based on polymers.

Polyalcohol liquefaction can be done by acid or basic catalysis producing polyols with different properties. This study compared the mechanical properties of foams produced using polyols from liquefied Cytisus scoparius obtained by acid and basic catalysis and using two different foam catalysts. The differences were monitored using FTIR analysis. Acid-catalyzed liquefaction yielded 95.1 %, with the resultant polyol having an OH index of 1081 mg KOH/g while basic catalysis yielded 82.5 %, with a similar OH index of 1070 mg KOH/g. Generally, compressive strength with dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) ranged from 16 - 31 kPa (acid-liquefied polyol) and 12 -21 kPa (base-liquefied polyol), while with stannous octoate (TIN), it ranged from 17 - 42 kPa (acid) and 29 - 68 kPa (base). Increasing water content generally decreased the compressive modulus and strength of foams. Higher water content led to a higher absorption at 1670 cm-1 in the FTIR spectrum due to the formation of urea. Higher isocyanate indices generally improved compressive strength, but high amounts led to unreacted isocyanate that could be seen by a higher absorption at 2265 cm-1 and 3290 cm-1. DBTL was shown to be the best foam catalyst due to higher trimer conversion seen in the spectra by a higher absorption at 1410 cm-1. Acid and base-derived polyols lead to different polyurethane foams with different FTIR spectra, particularly with a higher absorption at 1670 cm-1 for foams from acid-derived liquefaction.

Circular Economy (CE) is a growing topic among scholars, industry and government aiming at decoupling economic growth and development from the consumption of finite resources. CE incorporates different meanings, from reduce, reuse and recycle activities to environmental degradation or resource scarcity, and supported by specific indicators to attain sustainable development. However, so far, there has been no agreement to measure how effective an industry/product is in making the transition from linear to circular approaches, particularly those affected the society. This research work aims to perform a systematic literature review (n=60) to analyze and discuss how social aspects have been considered and integrated in the CE research so far. Moreover, this review provides and overview of the literature on social impact within CE, that resulted in three main outputs: a knowledge map of the CE, an analysis of social aspects within CE, and the theories/frameworks used to evaluate social impact of CE. Finally, this study brings to light how CE implementation can affect society and highlights the importance of social dimension in the domains of CE and policy-making community, which could help moving CE towards a sustainable development.

Brushless Synchronous Machines (BSM) are replacing conventional synchronous machines with static excitation in generation facilities due to the absence of sparking and lower maintenance. However, this excitation system makes challenging measuring electric parameters in the rotor. This fact highly difficult the detection of ground faults, which are the most common type of electrical fault in electric machines. In this paper, a ground fault detection method for BSM is proposed. It is based on an inductive AC/DC rotating current sensor installed in the shaft. In case of a ground fault in the rotating parts of the BSM, a fault current will flow through the rotor’s sensor, inducing voltage in its stator. Analyzing the frequency components of the induced voltage the detection of a ground fault in the rotating elements is possible. The ground faults detection method proposed covers the whole rotor and discern between DC and AC sides. To corroborate the detection method, experimental tests have been performed using a prototype of this sensor connected to laboratory synchronous machines achieving satisfactory results.

The high transmissibility, rapid evolution, and immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 variants can influence the course of infection and, in turn, morbidity and mortality in COVID-19, posing a challenge in controlling transmission rates and contributing to the emergence and spread of new variants. The factors that shape viral genetic variation are consequently essential for understanding the evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2, especially in vaccinated individuals where immune response plays a role in the progression and spread of this disease. This study assessed. In this context, we evaluated the impact of immunity induced by the CoronaVac vaccine (Butantan/Sinovac) on intra-host genetic diversity, analyzing 118 whole-genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from unvaccinated and vaccinated patients infected with the Gamma variant. Vaccination with CoronaVac favors negative selection at the intra-host level in different genomic regions and prevent greater genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2, which may help reduce the emergence of new mutations, reinforcing the importance of vaccination in reducing virus transmission.

Eysenhardtia platycarpa (Fabaceae) is a medicinal plant used in México and it lacks biotechnological studies for its use. The aim of this work was to establish a cell suspension cultures (CSC) of E. platycarpa, determine the phytochemical profile, and evaluate its antifungal activity. Friable callus and CSC were established with 2 mg/L 1-naphthaleneacetic acid plus 0.1 mg/L kinetin. The highest total phenolics of CSC was 15.6 mg GAE/g dry weight and the total flavonoids content ranged from 56.2 to 104.1 µg QE/g dry weight. CG‒MS analysis showed that the dichloromethane extracts of CSC, sapwood and heartwood have a high amount of hexadecanoic acid (22.3 ‒ 35.3 %) and steroids (13.5 ‒ 14.7%). Heartwood and sapwood defatted hexane extracts have the highest amount of stigmasterol (≈ 23.4%) and β-sitosterol (≈ 43%), and leaf extracts presented β-amyrin (16.3%). Methanolic leaves extracts showed mostly sugars and some polyols, mainly D-pinitol (74.3%). Dichloromethane and fatty hexane extracts of CSC exhibited the percentages inhibition higher for Sclerotium cepivorum with 71.5 and 62.0%, respectively. The maximum inhibition for Rhizoctonia solani was with fatty hexane extracts of the sapwood (51.4%). Our study suggest that CSC extracts could be used as a possible complementary alternative to synthetic fungicides.

The introduction of three single nucleotide mutations into the genome of the virulent RVFV ZH548 strain allows the rescue of a fully attenuated virus in mice (ZH548-rA2). These mutations are located in the viral genes encoding the RdRp and the non-structural protein NSs. This paper shows the results obtained after subcutaneous inoculation of ZH548-rA2 in adult sheep and subsequent challenge with the parental virus (ZH548-rC1). Inoculation with ZH548-rA2 virus caused no detectable clinical or pathological effect in sheep, whereas inoculation of the parental rC1 virus caused lesions compatible with viral infection characterized by the presence of scattered hepatic necrosis. Viral infection was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, with hepatocytes within the necrotic foci appearing as the main cells immunolabelled against viral antigen. Furthermore, inoculation of sheep with rA2 virus prevented the liver damage expected after rC1 virus inoculation, suggesting a protective efficacy in sheep which correlated with the induction of both humoral and cell mediated immune responses.

We introduce a novel algebraic structure, termed algebra B, which generalizes Lie algebras through the definition of a non-associative and unital algebra. We demonstrate that algebra B retains essential properties such as bilinearity and antisymmetry, and satisfies both the Jacobi and Malcev identities; this occurs when the product operations of Lie and Malcev algebras are derived from the product operation defined in our algebra. By examining the connections between algebra B, Malcev algebras, and Lie algebras, we establish that algebra B effectively generalizes these structures. Furthermore, we show that algebra B can generate complex entities with a novel structure distinct from those currently known. Our findings lay the groundwork for future investigations into the practical applications and further theoretical development of this new algebraic framework.

Forty-five male Dorper crossbred lambs (40.17 ± 0.35 kg BW) were used in order to investigate the effects of the duration of calcium propionate (CaPr) supplementation in lambs finished with zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) on the productive performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Lambs were individually housed and fed a finishing-diet for 42 d before being slaughtered. Lambs received the following treatments: 1) No additives (CTL), 2) ZH supplementation for 28 d (with 3 d ZH withdrawal before slaughter) at a dosage of at 7.2 mg/kg diet (ZH), for treatments 3, 4, and 5, lambs received ZH and 10g CaPr/lamb/d throughout the entire phase (42 d), or during the last 28 or 14 d before slaughter. Compared to CTL, ZH lambs exhibited a similar average daily gain (ADG) but had lower dry matter intake (DMI), leading to increased feed efficiency. Supplementing with ZH alone did not affect carcass traits, visceral mass, whole cuts, or meat quality. Lambs that received both CaPr and ZH exhibited quadratic increases (p &lt; 0.05) in final BW (FBW), ADG, and dressing percentage (D%). These increases were optimal at an estimated inclusion durations of 26 d for FBW, 30 for ADG, and 39 d for D%. The ADG:DMI ratio and the longissimus muscle area (LMA) both exhibited quadratic increases (p &lt; 0.05). The optimal duration of CaPr supplementation for ADG:DMI ratio was found to be 28 d, while for LMA, it was 14 d. As the period of CaPr supplementation increased, there was a linear increase (p &lt;0.05) in hot carcass weight, leg circumference, and whole cuts of breast IMPS209 and shoulder IMPS207. Cook loss percent increased quadratically (p &lt; 0.05), being higher when CaPr was included for an estimated duration of 26 d. As the duration of CaPr supplementation increased, the purge loss percentage (PLR) also increased linearly (p &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, including CaPr in the diet for a duration of 28 d in lambs improved the response to ZH supplementation on the productive performance, carcass weight and some whole cuts. However, it can also have a negative effect on PRL%.

Piperine, an active plant alkaloid from black pepper (Piper nigrum), has several pharmacological effects: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory, which involves inhibiting molec-ular events associated with various stages of cancer development. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of action of piperine in relation to its potential anticancer effect on head and neck cancer cells. Parameters related to neoplastic potential, analysis of cyto-kine, protein and gene expression were investigated in the head and neck cancer cell lines (HEp-2 and SCC-25) treated with piperine. The results of the tests indicated that piperine modified mor-phology, inhibited viability and the formation of cell colonies. Piperine promoted genotoxicity by triggering apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G2/M and S. A decrease in cell migration was also observed, and decreased expression of MMP2/9 genes. Piperine also reduced the expression of inflammatory molecules (PTGS2 and PTGER4), regulated the secretion of cytokines (IF-y and IL-8) and modulated the expression of ERK and p38. These results suggest that piperine exerts anti-cancer effects on tumor cells, and could be a promising natural treatment by regulating signaling pathways associated with head and neck cancer.

Cloud platforms are widely employed in today's educational context to enhance collaborative learning and the overall quality of the teaching-learning process. In 2016, Nextcloud was im-plemented in the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technological University of Havana "José Antonio Echeverría" (CUJAE), Cuba. Subsequently, an evaluative phase was conducted to ensure the continuous development of the platform. The objective was to assess the use and ac-ceptance of the Nextcloud platform from the perspective of students and professors in the Fac-ulty. An exploratory, non-experimental, and cross-sectional study was conducted. Data was col-lected through observation and a survey. Matomo Analytics tool was employed for observation, revealing low visitation numbers. The survey was based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model. Better results were obtained in positive acceptances compared to negative ones, both for professors and students. It is concluded that the evaluation of the Next-cloud platform is infrequently used by users; however, there were higher positive acceptances than negatives from the perspectives of both students and professors.

Background: The study demonstrates the sustainable synthesis of translucent zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires using Moringa seed extract, highlighting eco-friendly and sustainable approaches. Methods: Characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the formation of ZnO nanostructures with diverse morphologies, including nanowires and spherical clusters. Results: The synthesized ZnO nanowires exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activity, achieving over 89% degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) under UV light within 80 minutes, demonstrating their potential for wastewater treatment applications. Conclusions: The research findings support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to clean water, climate action, and life below water and on land, highlighting the role of eco-friendly nanostructures in environmental remediation. The dual advantage of Moringa seed extract, providing both a sustainable synthesis route and health benefits due to its rich content of vitamins and phytochemicals, underscores the potential of integrating natural resources in nanotechnology for environmental and health applications.

In this paper, four probability functions are compared with the purpose of establishing a methodology to improve the accuracy of the estimated wind energy in a desert city in northwestern Mexico. For the statistical modeling, 3 time series of wind speed data were used, corresponding to the years 2017, 2018, and 2019, recorded with a sonic anemometer at a sampling frequency of 10 Hz. From these, the analysis is performed with different stationarity periods (5, 30, 60, and 600 seconds). The estimation of the parameters characterizing the probability density functions was performed using different methods; the statistical models were evaluated by the coefficient of determination and the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient, while their accuracy by the measured quadratic error, the mean square error, the mean absolute error, and the mean absolute percentage error. It was found that Weibull with the energy pattern factor method and Gamma using the method of moments were the probability density functions that best describe the statistical behavior of the wind speed and, therefore, better estimate the energy generated, so it is concluded that the proposed methodology will allow having greater confidence, both in the estimation of the wind speed and in the small wind energy available for its use.

The Chagas disease (CD) is an endemic infectious disease in a large part of Latin America. This disease is characterized by the fact of being caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Some symptoms of this disease are cardiopathies and gastrointestinal problems. Therefore, the commonly used treatment consists of nitro drugs such as benznidazole and nifurtimox, which target the nitroreductase enzyme that docks to the coenzyme flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and an oxidation-reduction reaction is generated. From this reaction, the nitro chemical function of benznidazole and nifurtimox is reduced to amine. This amine in turn interacts with the parasite´s DNA. In vitro tests experimentally help in the study of the parasite resistance to the drug benznidazole. This fact could explain how nonsynonymous mutations in the nitroreductase (NTR) enzyme do not allow the anchorage of the FMN coenzyme and as a consequence the parasite susceptibility to benznidazole decreases as the drug cannot be reduced. The structural relations from the hybrid Quantum Mechanics-Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) allow to detect the small changes generated in the system, considering a charge distribution associated with the structure, angle changes, interaction distances, potential surface calculations between the wildtype enzyme and the mutation found.

Participatory landscape conservation is an innovative approach that weaves theory and practice to bridge the gap between theoretical models and practical applications. Intertropical regions as the case of Mexico face challenges to conciliate regional governability, social justice, and nature conservation. The State of Michoacan is one of these regions where the challenges exacerbate since nature conservation is last due to its ongoing territorial disputes. We implemented the participatory landscape conservation approach by creating a complementary form of protected areas with ongoing conflicts, drought conditions, and extreme poverty. We conducted participatory mapping and land cover/use analyses as main methodological tools to reach consensus among stakeholders. We integrated, macro, micro and social scales to provide sound arguments to integrate local, scholar and policy makers perceptions. The outcomes of the participatory mapping analyses were assessed. The present papers provide evidence of the positive outcome of using a Participatory Landscape Conservation to establish a Biosphere Reserve, safeguarding one of the most biologically diverse and delicate ecosystems consisting of seasonally dry tropical forests within a rather disputed region. We discussed the relevance of our findings and compared them to ongoing regional and global trends in the light of other forms of establishing protected areas.

A common fault in turbomachinery is rotor--casing rub. Shaft vibration, measured with proximity probes, is the most powerful indicator of rotor-stator rub. However, in machines such as aeroderivative turbines, with increasing industrial relevance in power generation, constructive reasons prevent the use of those sensors, being only acceleration signals at selected casing locations available. This implies several shortcomings in the characterization of the machinery condition, associated with a lower information content about the machine dynamics. In this work we evaluate the performance of the Continuous Wavelet Transform to isolate the accelerometer signal features that characterize rotor-casing rub in an aeroderivative turbine. The evaluation is carried out on a novel rotor model of a rotor flexible casing system. Due to damped transients and other short-lived features that rub induces in the signals, the Continuous Wavelet Transform proves being more effective than both Fourier and Cepstrum Analysis. This creates the chance for enabling early fault diagnosis of rub before it may cause machine shutdown or damage.

With the current increase in the demand from animal and agricultural products, management of agrowaste has become critical to avoid greenhouse gas emissions. The present article investigates the applicability of ammonium bicarbonate synthesis via flash distillation to valorize and stabilize several types of anaerobic digestate produced from individual fermentations of amino acids. Prior to the development of the model in Aspen Plus v12, the description of the system aqua-ammonia-carbon dioxide provided by the electrolyte non-random two-liquid property method was validated with empirical data available in the literature. The content of CO₂ in the digestate was found to be responsible of the OH alkalinity (0.4 equivalents of acid/kg digestate), while the partial and total alkalinities (0.8 eq/kg digestate) were essentially derived from the content of NH₃. The most suitable conditions for the flash distillation were 95 ⁰C and 1 bar with the condensation occurring at 25 ⁰C. However, in order to attain the precipitation of NH₄HCO₃ in the distillate, it was necessary to consider digestates with a moisture content of 50 wt.%, since the minimum levels of inorganic nitrogen and inorganic carbon were not attained otherwise. Even under these conditions, few amino acids (i.e. arginine, glycine, and histidine) were able to provide an anaerobic digestate, upon fermentation, that would be suitable for NH₄HCO₃ stabilization. Despite alanine digestate and glutamine digestate presented sufficient concentrations of inorganic nitrogen and inorganic carbon, the NH₄HCO₃-stabilization was not feasible due to the limited volatilization of NH₃. The process of stabilization with a capacity of a tonne of digestate per hour was improved by adding hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide at rates 44 kg/h, leading to production of 34 kg NH₄HCO₃/h. The economic viability of this process needs to be investigated considering not only the market value of the isolated inorganic fertilizer but the carbon credits saved, resulting from handling a more stabilized organic manure. Furthermore, given the role of the volatile elements of the biogas as endogenous stripping agents, it is recommended to use a fresh and saturated digestate as feed for the flash distillation.

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.

Less than half of e-waste plastics is sorted worldwide and this rate is likely to decline as major processing countries have banned importation of e-waste plastics. This forces the development of decentralized processing facilities, also known as microfactories. The present work investigates the recyclability of different grades of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymer, polycarbonate, and polypropylene, which were found to be very abundant in a recycling site in the UK. The determination of the matrix relied on the resin identification code imprinted in the e-waste plastic and subsequent FTIR analysis. The melt-blend extrusion technology enabled the valorization of the wasted thermoplastics as 3D filament without significant degradation of the polymers. The recycled materials maintained the tensile strength around 2.5 MPa in agreement with the specifications offered by virgin polymers. Further characterization was done by means of laser microscope, thermogravimetric analysis, and XRF to determine the commercial viability of the recycled filament. A modified solvent-based method was developed with acetone to remove the brominated flame retardants: 25g/100mL, 30 minutes of contact time, and 4 extraction steps. The FTIR results show that the degradation of the rubbery dispersed phase corresponding to the butadiene can be accumulated in the less soluble fraction of the waste ABS.

Natural products (NPs) are a rich source of structurally novel molecules, and the chemical space they encompass is far from being fully explored. Over history, NPs have represented a significant source of bioactive molecules and have served as a source of inspiration for developing many drugs on the market. On the other hand, computer-aided drug design (CADD) has contributed to drug discovery research, mitigating costs and time. In this sense, compound databases represent a fundamental element for the CADD. This work reviews the progress toward developing compound databases of natural origin, particularly databases developed in Latin America, and their practical applications in the drug discovery area. We also survey the computational methods, emphasizing chemoinformatic approaches to profile natural product databases.

We have much to learn from historic buildings. The fact that they are still standing is obvious, but unfortunately often not appreciated. In this paper the results obtained from a series of parametric analyses, where the influence that geometric and mechanical parameters have in the structural response of existing cob walls within an Irish context, are presented. A design of experiments using central composite designs was implemented along with analysis of variance following two computational approaches, namely, finite element method and kinematic limit analysis. As results, a series of response surfaces and parametric equations with which it is possible to compute safety factors and collapse multipliers (within the range of values studied) are provided. Based on the results obtained, it could be concluded that traditional cob walls in Ireland are very robust. Relatively high acceleration values, unlikely to happen in a low seismic hazard region such as Ireland, would be needed to start the collapse mechanisms studied or cause yielding in typical vernacular cob walls. Furthermore, the equations generated with the refined regression models, can be used by practitioners as a first approach to estimate the safety levels of existing cob buildings with similar characteristics.

Rural women constitute one of the most marginalized and vulnerable groups in the world. Despite playing a critical role in sustainable development and food security, they face systemic inequalities and structural constraints that limit their access to resources, services and opportunities. The purpose of this research is to identify advances and setbacks in the formulation of 17 SDG indicators for rural women. Systematic Review Registered in PROSPERO: CRD42023420583. Sixteen articles were included. Three indicators were identified: entrepreneurship, empowerment and gender equality. Due to its relevance in rural areas where women have an active role in family income through cooperatives, associations and companies to improve quality of life and that of their community, however, aspects of discrimination are still evident in gender and inequality in participation in economic spheres and decision making.

Quasistatic nanoindentation is a proven tool that provides information on the micromechanical behavior of wood cell walls. However, quasistatic tests cannot probe the time-dependent mechanical behavior shown by wood. Nanoindentation dynamic mechanical analysis (nanoDMA) can mesaure the viscoelastic properties of wood cell walls. This research aimed to study the quasistatic and viscoelastic properties of individual radiata pine wood (Pinus radiata D. Don) cell wall layers. To minimize variability and retrieve both properties at the same locations, a load function composed of a multiload-quasistatic function followed by dynamic reference frequency segments was developed. Nanoindentations were then performed on the S2 layer and compound corner middle lamella (CCML) of unembedded latewood cells. Because the S2 layer is anisotropic, both transverse and longitudinal-tangential wood planes were studied. In the transverse plane, the average results of the quasistatic elastic moduli (Es) for the S2 layer and CCML were 15.7 GPa and 4.6 GPa, respectively. In the longitudinal-tangential plane, the E_s was 3.9 GPa. In the transverse section, the hardness (H) of the S2 layer and CCML were 331 MPa and 277 MPa, respectively, and in the longitudinal-tangential section H was 244 MPa. To acquire the viscoelastic properties, measurements were made over more than three decades of frequency. An increase of the storage modulus (E'), and a reduction of the loss modulus (E'') and loss factor (tan⁡ δ ) as frequency increased were found in both wood orientations. The quasi-static and dynamic indentations equivalent at 0.1 Hz showed similar values for Es and E’. This study contributes to our knowledge of wood cell wall micromechanical properties.

The strong couplings among ecological, economic, social and technological processes explains the complexification of human-made systems, and phenomena such as globalization, climate change, the increased urbanization and inequality of human societies, the power of information, and the COVID-19 syndemics. Among complexification’s essential features are non-decomposability, asynchronous behavior, components with many degrees of freedom, increased likelihood of catastrophic events, irreversibility, nonlinear phase spaces with immense combinatorial sizes, and the impossibility of long-term, detailed prediction. Sustainability for complex systems implies enough efficiency to explore and exploit their dynamic phase spaces and enough flexibility to coevolve with their environments. This in turn means solving intractable nonlinear semi-structured dynamic multi-objective optimization problems, with conflicting, incommensurable, non-cooperative objectives and purposes, under dynamic uncertainty, restricted access to materials, energy and information, and a given time horizon, aiming at enhancing the co-evolutionary power of the Biosphere and its human subsystems. Giving the high-stakes, the need for effective, efficient, diverse solutions, their local-global, present-future effects, and their unforeseen short, medium and long-term impacts, achieving sustainable complex systems implies the need for Sustainability-designed Universal Intelligent Agents, harnessing the strong functional coupling between human, artificial and nonhuman biological intelligence in a no-zero-sum game to achieve sustainability.

For years, effort has been devoted to establishing an effective bull breeding soundness evaluation procedure; usual research on the subject is based on BBSE (Bull Breeding Soundness Examination) methodologies, which have significant limitations in terms of their evaluation procedure, such as high cost, time-consuming and administratively difficult. This research focuses on the creation of a prediction model to supplement and/or improve the BBSE approach, through the study of two algorithms, Clustering and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), to find the optimum Machine Learning (ML) approach for our application, with an emphasis on data categorization accuracy. The tool is designed to assist veterinary medicine and farmers in identifying key factors and increasing certainty in their decision-making during the selection of bulls for breeding purposes, providing data from a limited number of factors generated from a deep pairing study of bulls. Zebu Bulls, European Bulls, and Crossbred Bulls were the general groupings. The data utilized in the model's creation (N =359) considers five variables that influence improvement decisions. This approach enhances decision-making by 12%. ANN obtained an accuracy of 90%; Precision was 97% for satisfying, 92% for unsatisfying, and 85% for Bad.

Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular types of diet at the moment because it is an effective nutritional strategy in terms of weight loss. The main objective of this review is to analyze the effects that intermittent fasting has on sports performance. We are going to focus on analyzing physical capacities: aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, strength and power, we are also going to analyze its effect on body composition. For this, a bibliographic search was carried out in several databases where 25 research articles were analyzed to clarify these objectives. This review was registered in PROSPERO with code ref. 407024, and an evaluation of the quality or risk of bias was performed. After this analysis, results were obtained regarding the improvement of body composition and the maintenance of muscle mass. Finally, it can be concluded that fasting provides benefits in terms of body composition without reducing physical performance, maintenance of lean mass and improvements in maximum power. But despite this, it is necessary to carry out new studies focusing on the sports field since the samples have been very varied.

The electron Transport layer (ETL) plays a crucial role in solar cell technology, particularly in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), where nanostructured TiO2 films have been investigated as superior ETL’s compared to compact TiO2. In this study we explore the nanocolumnal growth of TiO2 in the anatase phase, for bilayer thin films by magnetron sputtering (MS) technique and glancing angle deposition (GLAD). By optimizing the growth parameters, we achieved the formation of TiO2 nanocolumns with a cross-sectional diameter ranging from 50 to 75 nm. The average thickness of the films exceeded 12.71 ± 0.5µm , while the filaments exhibited an inclination angle close to 70◦ , corresponding to the deposition angle. Furthermore, we observed a correlation between the quality of the initial layer and enhanced growth of the TiO2 nanocolumns.

Hyperspectral images are an important tool to assess ecosystem biodiversity both on terrestrial and benthic habitats. To obtain more precise analysis of biodiversity indicators that agree with indicators obtained using field data, analysis of spectral diversity calculated from images have to be validated with field based diversity estimates. The plant species richness is one of the most important indicators of biodiversity. This indicator can be measured in hyperspectral images considering the Spectral Variation Hypothesis (SVH) which states that the spectral heterogeneity is related to spatial heterogeneity and thus to species richness. The goal of this research is to capture spectral heterogeneity from hyperspectral images for a terrestrial neo tropical forest site using Vector Quantization (VQ) method and then use the result for prediction of plant species richness. The results are compared with that of Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering (HAC). The validation of the process index is done calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient between the Shannon entropy from actual field data and the Shannon entropy computed in the images. Terrestrial dry forest and marine coastal hyperspectral images with different resolutions have been used for spectral diversity feature validation.

Wildfires have always been a part of the history of Mediterranean forests. However, forest regeneration after a wildfire is not certain. It depends on many factors, some of which may be influenced by land management activities. Failure of regeneration will cause a regime shift in the ecosystem, reducing the provision of ecosystem services and ultimately leading to desertification. How can we increase Mediterranean forests’ resilience to fire? To answer this question, we did a literature review, investigating chains of processes that allow forests to regenerate (which we label “regeneration mechanisms”), and assessed the impact of selected management practices documented in the WOCAT database on the regeneration mechanisms. We identified three distinct regeneration mechanisms that enable Mediterranean forests to recover, as well as the time frame before and after a fire in which they are at work, and factors that can hinder or support resilience. The three regeneration mechanisms enabling a forest to regenerate after a fire consist of regeneration (1) from a seed bank; (2) from resprouting individuals; and (3) from unburned plants that escaped the fire. Management practices were grouped into four categories: (1) fuel breaks, (2) fuel management, (3) afforestation, and (4) mulching. We assessed how and under what conditions land management modifies the ecosystem’s resilience. The results show that land management influences resilience by interacting with resilience mechanisms before and after the fire, and not just by modifying the fire regime. Our analysis demonstrates a need for adaptive – i.e. context- and time-specific – management strategies.

In the last decade, the integration of robots into agricultural tasks has significantly transformed food production from planting to harvest. The precision and efficiency of a robot allow for specialized crop management in cases such as; plant disease identification, optimization of water and fertilizer use, monitoring of environmental and soil conditions, among others. That is, the adoption of robots in agricultural practices through intelligent automation increases crop yields and decreases environmental impact. Intelligent automation faces contemporary challenges such as climate change and population growth, promoting sustainable food security. Therefore, this article presents a review of the state of the art of modular robots and their applications in agriculture. Modular robots have the ability to reconfigure and adapt to different tasks, promoting versatile solutions for the agricultural sector. These solutions are linked to the robot's control systems, which can be centralized, decentralized, and hybrid. Firstly, centralized control allows for unified management and coordination in high-precision tasks. Secondly, the decentralized approach offers flexibility and robustness in changing environments where adaptability is required. Thirdly, hybrids incorporate features of both control types balancing control and autonomy to increase efficiency and effectiveness in practical applications. In some cases, control systems incorporate bio-inspired motion control techniques, where the robot mimics natural movements and behaviors to improve its adaptability in performing a task. For example, the chemosynthesis model, which is a biological process where bacteria convert an inorganic compound into energy, has been adapted for individual robots to explore and navigate their environment. Therefore, this article presents an overview of modular robots, the incorporation of bio-inspired motion control techniques, and their convergence towards the sustainable solution of contemporary problems in the agro-industry.

In bone tissue engineering, ceramics have been the choice due to their excellent biological properties. But the paradigm changed with the discovery of bioactive glasses (BGs) in 1969 by Larry Hench and co-workers, due to their ability to bond to living tissues through the formation of an interfacial bone-like hydroxyapatite layer when the bioglass was put in contact with biological fluids in vivo. Among a number of tested compositions, the one exhibiting the highest bioactivity index is the well-known trademarked 45S5 Bioglass®. The topic received increasing attention particularly after 1985 when this material entered in the market of biomedical devices, inspiring many other investigations aiming at further exploring the in vitro and in vivo performances of this BG, or developing other related BG compositions. The research efforts gradually revealed a number of shortcomings of 45S5 Bioglass®, mostly derived from its high sodium content, initially intended to decrease the melting temperature and accelerating the degradation of the silicate network over time. But the extensive release of sodium from 45S5 Bioglass® in the biological fluids creates a high pH cytotoxic environment. Other serious drawbacks include a fast degradation rate, and a poor sintering ability, which hinders the reliable fabrication of porous scaffolds. Therefore, sol-gel was regarded as an attractive alternative to prepare alkali-free BG compositions. The process uses inorganic and/or organic precursors, which undergo hydrolysis and condensation at room-temperature, being less costly. When properly conducted, the sol-gel process might result in amorphous structures with all the components intimately mixed at the atomic scale. Moreover, developing new better performing materials for bone tissue engineering is a growing concern, as the ageing of the world’s population leads to lower bone density and osteoporosis. This work describes the sol-gel synthesis of a novel quaternary silicate-based BG with the composition 60 SiO2 – 34 CaO – 4 MgO – 2 P2O5 (mol%) was prepared using acidified distilled water as single solvent. By controlling the kinetics of the hydrolysis and condensation steps, an amorphous glass structure could be obtained. The results of XRD of samples calcined within the temperature range from 600-900 ºC demonstrated that amorphous nature was maintained until 800 ºC, followed by partial crystallization at 900 ºC. The specific surface area, an important factor in osteoconduction, was also evaluated over different temperatures, ranging from 160.6 ± 0.8 m2/g at 600 ºC down to 2.2 ± 0.1 m2/g at 900 ºC, being accompanied consistent changes in average pore size and agreeing pore size distribution. The immersion of the BG particles in simulated body fluid (SBF) led to the formation of an extensive apatite layer on its surface. These overall results indicate the proposed material is very promising for biomedical applications in bone regeneration and tissue engineering.

The importance of diet and the gut-brain axis for brain health and cognitive function is increasingly acknowledged. Dietary interventions are tested for their potential to prevent and/or treat brain disorders. Intermittent fasting (IF), the abstinence or strong limitation of calories for 12 to 48 hours, alternated with periods of regular food intake, has shown promising results on neurobiological health in animal models. In this review article, we discuss the potential benefits of IF on cognitive function and the possible effects on the prevention and progress of brain-related disorders in animals and humans. We do so by summarizing the effects of IF which - through metabolic, cellular and circadian mechanisms - lead to anatomical and functional changes in the brain. Our review shows that there is no clear evidence of a positive short-term effect of IF on cognition in healthy subjects. Clinical studies show benefits of IF for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis on disease symptoms and progress. Findings from animal studies show mechanisms by which Parkinson’s disease, ischaemic stroke, autism spectrum disorder and mood- and anxiety disorders could benefit from IF. Future research should disentangle whether positive effects of IF hold true regardless of age or the presence of obesity. Also, variations in fasting patterns, total caloric intake and intake of specific nutrients may be relevant components of IF success. Longitudinal studies and Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) will provide a window into the long-term effects of IF on the development and progress of brain-related diseases.

Early diagnosis and appropriate treatments are crucial to reducing mortality risk in septic patients. Low SOFA scores and current biomarkers may not discern adequately patients that could develop severe organ dysfunction or have an elevated mortality risk. The aim of this prospective observational study is to evaluate the predictive value of the biomarkers midregional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM), procalcitonin (PCT), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and lactate for 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis and a SOFA score ≤ 6. 284 patients were included, with a 28-day all-cause mortality of 8.45 % (N=24). Non-survivors were older (p=0.003), required mechanical ventilation (p=0.04) and were ventilated for longer (p=0.02), had a higher APACHE II (p=0.015) and SOFA (p=0.027) scores. Lactate showed the highest predictive ability for all-cause 28-day mortality with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.67 (0.55–0.79). The AUROC for all-cause 28-day mortality in patients with community-acquired infection was 0.69 (0.57–0.84) for SOFA, and 0.70 (0.58–0.82) for MR-proADM. A 2.1 nmol/L cut-off point for this biomarker in this subgroup of patients discerned with 100% sensibility survivors from non-survivors at 28 days. In patients with community acquired sepsis and initial SOFA score ≤ 6, MR-proADM could help identify patients at risk of 28-day mortality.

Cancer cells can release EGF-like peptides, acquiring the capacity of autocrine stimulation via EGFR-mediated signaling. One of these peptides (HBEGF) was found to be released from a membrane-bound precursor protein, and is critically implicated in the proliferative potential of cancer cells. We observed that the increased lactate levels characterizing neoplastic tissues can induce the release of uPA, a prote-ase promoting HBEGF shedding. This effect led to EGFR activation and increased ERK1/2 phosphoryla-tion. Since EGFR-mediated signaling potentiates glycolytic metabolism, this phenomenon can induce a self-sustaining deleterious loop, favoring tumor growth. A well characterized HBEGF inhibitor is CRM197, a single-site variant of diphtheria toxin. We observed that when administered individually, CRM197 did not trigger evident antineoplastic effects. However, its association with a uPA inhibitor caused dampening of EGFR-mediated signaling and apoptosis induction. Overall, our study highlights that the increased glycolytic metabolism and lactate production can foster the activated state of EGFR receptor, and suggests that the inhibition of EGFR-mediated signaling can be attempted by means of CRM197 administered with an appropriate protease inhibitor. This attempt could help in overcoming the problem of the acquired resistance to the conventionally used EGFR inhibitors.

Hazelnut shells (HS), scientifically known as Corylus avellana L. shells, are a waste produced in companies that process nuts. The main objective of this study was to find an efficient way to maximize the chemical potential of HS by solubilizing the hemicelluloses, which could then be used to recover sugars and at the same time increase the lignin content of this material in order to produce adhesives or high strength foams. In order to optimize the pre-hydrolysis process, two different temperatures (160 and 170 C) and times varying from 15 to 180 min were tested. All the remaining solid materials were then liquefied by polyalcohols with acid catalysis. The chemical composition of hazelnut shells was determined before and after the pre-hydrolysis. All the process was monitored by FTIR-ATR by determining the spectra of solids and liquids after pre-hydrolisis and liquefactions steps. The highest solubilization of hazelnut shells was found for 170 C and 180 min, resulting in a 25.8% solubilization. Chemical analysis after the hydrolysis process showed a gradual increase in the solubilization of hemicelluloses as both the temperature and time of the reactor were increased. Simultaneously, the percentages of α-cellulose and lignin in the material also increased with rises in temperature and duration. FTIR-ATR allowed for the detection of significant spectral changes in the hazelnut shells from their initial state to the solid residue and further into the liquefied phase. This confirmed that pre-hydrolysis was effective in enhancing the chemical composition of the material, making it more suitable for the production of adhesives or polyurethane foams with enhanced mechanical strength.

We explore the concept of Euclidean locality within treonic topological spaces. Our study establishes a foundational theoretical framework, elucidating the properties of continuity, homeomorphisms, and compactness in these spaces. We assess the Euclidean locality of treonic spaces through the analysis of specific homeomorphisms, which enables us to define manifolds in treonic spaces and extend recent research on Bermejo Algebras. For the first time, we characterize treonic manifolds by incorporating the property of Euclidean locality alongside previously studied properties such as Hausdorff spaces and second countable spaces. Our findings advance the understanding of the topological and geometric properties of treonic spaces, providing significant insights for advanced mathematical research.

Bermejo Algebras, which consist of Algebra B and Treon Algebra, are non-associative and unital algebraic structures that introduce new complex entities. Recently, a Hausdorff space associated with the space where these algebras act was defined. We constructed a second-countable treon space utilizing a novel metric derived from these algebras. We defined topological spaces and established a metric to prove the second-countable property within Bermejo Algebras. Our findings contribute to the construction of manifolds in treon spaces by defining a countable base using the density of rationals in the real numbers.

We conducted a topological analysis of the novel, non-associative, and unital algebraic structure known as Bermejo Algebras, developed by Alejandro Bermejo, which includes the Algebra B and Treon Algebra. This algebras can define Lie and Malcev algebras when their product operations are derived from the Bermejo Algebras product. Central to this study are treons, complex entities that arise as isomorphisms of Algebra B when the field is real. We define the vector spaces associated with Bermejo Algebras to establish equivalence classes and a quotient topology, resulting in Hausdorff spaces that do not depend on traditional norms, inner products, or metrics. Our findings lay the groundwork for constructing new types of differential manifolds, opening new avenues for advanced mathematical research.

We explored an extension of the Cauchy-Riemann equations to the algebra of treons, recently described by Alejandro Bermejo, whose elements are ordered 3-tuples. We leveraged the isomorphism between the algebra of treons and algebra B, and deduced the Cauchy-Riemann equations for the algebra of treons, establishing the necessary conditions for analyticity in this algebraic structure. This work significantly broadened our horizons in complex analysis and introduced new possibilities for applications across various fields of advanced mathematics.

We present an exploration of algebra B, a recently published unital and non-associative algebra. Unique complex entities emerged from this algebra, distinct from both quaternion and complex number systems, which we termed treons. We defined the treonic number system and established an isomorphism between this system and the real vector space. Our findings revealed that the treonic representation maintained structural integrity under the defined operations. Based on this foundation, we proceed to determine Euler identity for algebra B within the treonic system. By presenting the fundamental definitions and properties of algebra B, we derived a generalized version of Euler identity applicable within this algebra. This formula revealed the emergence of hyperbolic trigonometric entities, extending the applicability of Euler identity beyond traditional complex numbers. Our results provide a theoretical foundation for a deeper understanding of the properties and behaviors of complex entities within this expanded algebraic framework, thus enabling new theoretical developments and practical applications in the realms of advanced mathematics and theoretical physics.

The number of physical devices connected to the Internet such as vehicles, household appliances and other "things" has been steadily increasing in recent years, thus forming the basis for the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT ecosystem extends beyond country borders and application domains, combining thousands of versatile devices that differ in terms of their structures, capabilities, and available resources. It is therefore not surprising that the landscape of wireless communication technologies and the degree of IoT devices available today is excessively broad and diverse. Interference between networks leads to frame collisions and consequent packet loss. Frame collisions occur when two or more packets overlap in time and frequency and use the same Long Range (LoRa) parameters, i.e. the same Spreading Factor (SF), Bandwidth (BW) and Carrier Frequency (CF). When most devices use the same configuration, collision probability is higher. The probability of frame collisions is also affected by traffic characteristics, particularly the periodicity of the transmission and the payload size. Larger payload sizes and more frequent transmissions accumulate with higher Time on Air (ToA) and channel occupancy [1]. Transmission powers and the location of the gateways also influences this situation. The aim of this experimental work is to verify the effects of collisions and interference in Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), regarding the periodicity of transmissions and the payload sizes in a context of an inter-SF interference scenario. And to validate measuring tools like Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), ToA and Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) in the reliability of a network. We validate our conclusions by analyzing ToA according with RSSI and different data sizes, the RSSI for different SFs and different data sizes and finally the packet loss through the PDR for a better understanding of the reliability of packet transmission in our link. In the end we conclude that in an environment with inter-SF interference, the choice of SFs and packet lengths impacts ToA. When dealing with multiple devices near gateways, different SFs and varying packet lengths can lead to increased latency and longer ToA. Consequently, the risk of packet loss becomes more significant, especially if the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) is low. This limitation will therefore affect scalability, particularly in Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) scenarios.

Floods are one of the most wide-spread, frequent, and devastating natural disasters that continue to increase in frequency and intensity. Remote sensing, specifically synthetic aperture radar (SAR), has been widely used to detect surface water inundation to provide retrospective and near-real time (NRT) information due to its high-spatial resolution, self-illumination, and low atmospheric attenuation. However, the efficacy of flood inundation mapping with SAR is susceptible to reflections and scattering from a variety of factors including dense vegetation and urban areas. In this study, the topographic dataset height above nearest drainage (HAND) was investigated as a potential supplement to Sentinel-1A C-Band SAR along with supervised machine learning to improve the detection of inundation in heterogeneous areas. Three machine learning classifiers were trained on two sets of features SAR only (VV & VH) and VV, VH & HAND to map inundated areas. Three study sites along the Neuse River in North Carolina, USA during the record flood of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 were selected. The binary classification analysis (inundated as positive vs. non-inundated as negative) revealed significant improvements when incorporating HAND in several metrics including classification accuracy (ACC) (+37.1%), true positive rate (TPR) (+51.2%), and negative predictive value (NPV) (+23.7%), A marginal improvement of +1.4% was seen for positive predictive value (PPV), but true negative rate (TNR) fell -15.1%. By incorporating HAND, a significant number of areas with high SAR backscatter but low HAND values were detected as inundated which increased true positives. This in turn also increased the false positives detected but to a lesser extent as evident in the metrics. This study demonstrates that HAND could be considered a valuable feature to enhance SAR flood inundation mapping especially in areas with heterogeneous land covers with dense vegetation that interfere with SAR.

Inside hippocampal circuits, neuroplasticity events that individual cells may undergo during synaptic transmissions occur in the form of Long Term Potentiation (LTP) and Long Term Depression (LTD). The high density of NMDA receptors expressed on the surface of the dendritic CA1 spines confers to hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses, the ability to easily undergo NMDA-mediated LTP and LTD, that is essential for some forms of explicit learning in mammals. Providing a comprehensive kinetic model that can be used for running computer simulations of the synaptic transmission process is currently a major challenge. Here, we propose a compartmentalized kinetic model for CA3-CA1 synaptic transmission. Our major goal was to tune our model in order to predict the functional impact caused by disease associated variants of NMDA receptors related to severe cognitive impairment. Indeed, for variants Glu413Gly and Cys461Phe, our model predicts negative shifts in the glutamate affinity and changes in the kinetic behavior, consistent with experimental data. These results pinpoint to the predictive power of this multiscale viewpoint, which aims to integrate the quantitative kinetic description of large interaction networks typical of system biology approaches with a focus on the quality of few, key, molecular interactions typical of structural biology ones.

With confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassing the 8.5 million mark around the globe, there is an imperative need to deepen the efforts from the international scientific community to gain comprehensive understanding of SARS-CoV-2. Although the main clinical manifestations are associated with respiratory or intestinal symptoms, reports of specific and non-specific neurological signs and symptoms, both at presentation or during the course of the acute phase, are increasing. Approximately 25-40% of the patients present neurological symptoms. The etiology of these neurological manifestations remains obscure, and probably involves several direct pathways, not excluding the direct entry of the virus to the Central Nervous System (CNS) through the olfactory epithelium, circumventricular organs, or disrupted blood-brain barrier (BBB). Furthermore, neuroinflammation might occur in response to the strong systemic cytokine storm described for COVID-19, or due to dysregulation of the CNS angiotensin system. Descriptions of neurological manifestations in patients in the previous coronavirus (CoV) outbreaks have been numerous for the SARS-CoV and lesser for MERS-CoV. Strong evidence from patients and experimental models suggests that some human variants of CoV have the ability to reach the CNS and that neurons, astrocytes and/or microglia can be target cells for CoV. A growing body of evidence shows that astrocytes and microglia have a major role in neuroinflammation, responding to local CNS inflammation and/or to dysbalanced peripheral inflammation. This is another potential mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 damage to the CNS. In this work we will summarize the known neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, explore the potential role for astrocytes and microglia in the infection and neuroinflammation, and compare them with the previously described human and animal CoV that showed neurotropism. We also propose possible underlying mechanisms by focusing on our knowledge of glia, neurons, and their dynamic intricate communication with the immune system.

This article presents a unique set of voltage and current data from a public building and acquired using a hybrid measurement solution that combines Python and Grafana. The transversal purpose consists of contributing to the community with a vision of the quality of the supply more oriented to the monitoring of the state of the network, providing a more realistic vision, which allows a better understanding, and the adoption of the best decisions to achieve the efficient energy management and thus optimize the operation and maintenance of power systems. The work focuses on higher order statistical estimators that, combined with exploratory data analysis techniques, improve the characterization of the shape of the stress signal. These techniques and data, together with the acquisition and monitoring system, present a unique combination in the line of low-cost measurement solutions. It also incorporates the underlying benefit of the contribution to industrial benchmarking. The paper also includes a computational comparison between Python and LabVIEW to elicit the performance of the measurement solution.

In this work, we investigated for the first time the complexation of sepiapterin (SP), the natural precursor of the natural essential cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin, that displays mild water-solubility and short biological half-life, with the hydrophobic triacetyl-β-cyclodextrin (TAβCD) to improve its encapsulation within methoxy-poly(ethylene-glycol)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (mPEG-PCL) nanoparticles. First, TAβCD-SP complexes were produced by spray-drying of TAβCD/SP binary solutions by utilizing the Nano Spray Dryer B-90 HP. Then, dry powders were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission and scanning electron microscopy (SEM and TEM, respectively) and compared to the complex components and physical mixtures (PMs). Next, SP was encapsulated within methoxy-poly(ethylene-glycol)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (mPEG-PCL) nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation of a SP/TAβCD complex/mPEG-PCL solution. In addition to complex nanoencapsulation, we assessed encapsulation of pure SP by nanoprecipitation with an intermediate step, which comprised the co-drying of SP, TAβCD and mPEG-PCL copolymer solution in organic solvent; this step aimed to promote the formation of molecular interactions between SP, TAβCD and the PCL blocks in the copolymer. SP-loaded mPEG-PCL nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and SEM. Nanoparticles with size of 74-75 nm and small polydispersity index (PDI <0.1) were obtained when SP-TAβCD equimolar spray-dried complex was used for nanoencapsulation, and SEM analysis indicated the absence of free SP crystals. Moreover, the encapsulation efficiency (%EE) and drug loading (DL) were 85% and 2.6%, respectively, as opposed to those achieved with pure SP encapsulation (14% and 0.6%, respectively). Overall, our results confirm that spray-drying of SP/TAβCD solutions at the appropriate molar ratio leads to the hydrophobization of the relatively hydrophilic SP molecule, enabling its encapsulation within mPEG-PCL nanoparticles.

In December 2019, the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in the province of Wuhan, China. Since then, it has spread worldwide with new mutations being reported. We performed genomic analysis to identify the changes in genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 between December 2019 and November 2020, and through molecular surveillance, we monitored the mutations that could be involved in viral fitness. We analyzed 2,213 complete genomes from 6 geographical regions worldwide, which were downloaded from GenBank and GISAID databases. Although SARS-CoV-2 presented low genetic diversity, there has been an increase over time, with the presence of several hotspot mutations throughout its genome. We identified 7 frequent mutations that resulted in non-synonymous substitutions (dN). Two of them, C14408T>P323L and A23403G>D614G, located in the nsp12 and Spike protein, respectively, emerged early in the pandemic and showed a considerable increase in frequency over time. Two other mutations, A1163T>I120F in nsp2 and G22992A>S477N in the Spike protein emerged recently and have spread in Oceania and Europe. Continuous molecular surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 will be necessary to detect and describe the transmission dynamics of new variants of the virus with clinical relevance. This information is important to improve programs to control the virus.