Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) replacement therapy is evolving as a feasible approach to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In majority of the preclinical studies, RPE cells are transplanted as cell suspension into immunosuppressed animal eyes and transplant effects were monitored only short-term. We investigated long-term effects of human iPSC derived RPE transplants in immunodeficient Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat model, in which RPE dysfunction lead to photoreceptor degeneration. iPSC-RPE cultured as polarized monolayer on nanoengineered ultrathin parylene C scaffold was transplanted into the subretinal space of 28-day old immunodeficient RCS rat pups and evaluated after 1, 4 and 11 months. Assessment at early time points showed good iPSC-RPE survival. The transplants remained as a monolayer, expressed RPE specific markers, performed phagocytic function and contributed to vision preservation. At 11-month post-implantation, RPE survival was observed only in 50% of the eyes that were concomitant with vision preservation. Loss of RPE monolayer characteristics at the 11month time point was associated with peri-membrane fibrosis, immune reaction through activation of macrophages (CD 68 expression) and transition of cell fate (expression of mesenchymal markers). The overall study outcome supports the therapeutic potential of RPE grafts despite the loss of some transplant benefits during long-term observations.

Different machine learning models (multiple linear regression, vector support machines, artificial neural networks and random forests) are applied to predict the monthly global irradiation (MGI) from different input variables (latitude, longitude and altitude of meteorological station, month, average temperatures, among others) of different areas of Galicia (Spain). The models were trained, validated and queried using data from three stations, and each best machine model was checked in two independent stations. The results obtained confirmed that the best ML methodology is the ANN model which presents the lowest RMSE value in the validation and querying phases 122.6·10kJ/(m2∙day) and 113.6·10kJ/(m2∙day), respectively, and predict conveniently for independent stations, 201.3·10kJ/(m2∙day) and 209.4·10kJ/(m2∙day), respectively. Given the good results obtained, it is convenient to continue with the design of artificial neural networks applied to the analysis of monthly global irradiation.

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

Jalapeño peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are an important agricultural product worldwide. Despite its high demand in recent years, there are few studies on its production under adverse conditions caused by environmental phenomena. Crops in protected environments such as aeroponics offer greater control of these phenomena and enable efficient use of resources. However, it is necessary to validate the cultivation technique for which new technologies are being used. One of these is the analysis of images captured in the visible and near and far infrared spectrum which involves using non-invasive techniques in order to characterize the growth of a plant and diagnose if it presents any type of stress. This study presents the characterization of vegetative growth and fruiting of jalapeño pepper plants in an aeroponic system, where the root, leaf development parameters and fruits were measured in four jalapeño pepper crops through images of plants captured in the visible (VIS), near infrared (NIR) and far infrared (IR) spectrums. Four crops of thirty jalapeño pepper plants were sown to obtain a total of one hundred and twenty plants which were characterized in the different phases of growth and fruiting. Each of the four jalapeño pepper crops were monitored for sixty days in an aeroponic system in a greenhouse. The first crop was intended to carry out tests to establish the appropriate fertigation times, the next three crops were grown under favorable conditions. Algorithms were developed in Matlab to obtain, over ten image capture sessions, the morphometric and thermal parameters of the roots (perimeter, area, length and average temperature), plants (perimeter, area, height and average temperature), and fruiting. (yield and number of fruits). The statistical analysis was carried out using the ANOVA and Tukey tests considering a value of p ≤ 0.05. The results obtained indicate that there is no significant difference between the characterizations of the four crops. This statement is also supported by the visual analysis of the growth curves parameters of the four crops. In addition, the temperature inside the aeroponic system was contrasted with the ambient temperature and it was verified that the temperature to which the roots are exposed was in the range of 10°C – 20°C. The thermal analysis determined that a plant that presents water stress and is also exposed to high temperatures has an average leaf temperature of 3.7 to 5 °C above the optimal condition for the plant, while a plant with stress at normal temperatures was 1.3 °C higher than the plant without stress.

The aim of this work was to classify the business incubators in Spain according to the four phases of startups incubation. Taking into account that the graduation rate implies greater survival and business success of the incubated companies, they have been identified at each stage of the incubation (spread of entrepreneurship, pre-incubation, advanced incubation, and graduation). The activities that present higher impacts on the success of the incubated companies and the activities carried out by the incubator that have a greater relevance on the graduation of the companies have concretely been considered. Principal component (PC) cluster analysis have been applied. All the incubation variables were used simultaneously, reducing their number, and grouping them into factors, finally the cases were grouped according to these latent variables. Principal components analysis reduced dimensionality to 8 factors with a 74 % of explained variance. Factor 1 was positively related to pre-incubation variables, factor 2 was linked to training and collaboration variables within the entrepreneurship diffusion phase. Factor 3 called activity monitoring and control and was related to phase 3 or basic incubation variables. Clusters analysis facilitates the grouping of incubators into three clusters: Group 1 (16 % of the total), incubators with strong deficits in incubation phases 1, 2 and 3. They are small Business Incubators, often located in rural areas or cities and low graduation rate. Group 2 (30 %), business incubators with very high graduation rate, and strongly positive values in factor 1 and 2. Factor 3 although positive is susceptible to improvement. They are the largest incubators and usually located in industrial and technological parks. Group 3 (54 %) is the majority, with values close to cluster 2 and 3.

The retina is a complex and fragile photosensitive part of the central nervous system which is prone to degenerative diseases leading to permanent vision loss. No proven treatment strategies exist to treat or reverse the degenerative conditions. Recent investigations demonstrate that cell transplantation therapies to replace the dysfunctional retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and or the degenerating photoreceptors (PRs) are viable options to restore vision. Pluripotent stem cells, retinal progenitor cells and somatic stem cells are the main cell sources used for cell transplantation therapies. The success of retinal transplantation based on cell suspension injection is hindered by limited cell survival and lack of cellular integration. Recent advances in material science helped to develop strategies to grow cells as intact monolayers or as sheets on biomaterial scaffolds for transplantation into the eyes. Such implants are found to be more promising than the bolus injection approach. Tissue engineering techniques are specifically designed to construct biodegradable or non-degradable polymer scaffolds to grow cells as a monolayer and construct implantable grafts. The engineered cell construct along with the extracellular matrix formed, can hold the cells in place to enable easy survival, better integration and improved visual function. This article reviews the advances in the use of scaffolds for transplantation studies in animal models and its application in current clinical trials.

Background The high incidence of diverticulitis and hemorrhoidal proctitis episodes in the population imposes an important healthcare and economic burden. Aim To determine the association between intake of certain plant foods and diverticulitis and hemorrhoidal proctitis episodes. Methods Case-control study with quantitative food frequency questionnaire focusing on selected plant foods and derived products. These were grouped by main chemical components into: ethanol, caffeine/theine/theobromine, capsaicin, alliin, acids, eugenol, and miscellaneous foods like curcumin. We quantified intake according to 24-h recall, either on a 1-4 scale (no intake, low, moderate, high intake) or as the number of units consumed (e.g. cups of tea/coffee, n of oranges or lemons); this value was multiplied by the number of reported intake days per week (1-7). Overall intake was expressed as a continuous variable obtained by successively multiplying the score for each food category, and the result was transformed into a common logarithm (range 0.3 to 27.7). Cases and controls were compared using the chi-squared test, student’s t test, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), and predictive analysis (multiple logistic regression). Results The sample included 410 cases and 401 controls, who were similar in mean age and gender distribution. The mean score for overall intake of included plant foods was 6.3 points (standard deviation [SD] 4.5), and this was significantly higher in cases (8.5 points, SD 5.3) than in controls (4.1 points, SD 1.2; p < 0.001). Overall intake was similar in cases presenting diverticulitis or hemorrhoidal proctitis. Cases had 13 times the odds of being in the upper quartile for overall intake (> 7 points) compared to controls (OR 13.2, 95% CI 8.3 to 20.8, p < 0.001). Predictive logistic regression models showed that the chemical food group most closely associated with diverticulitis and hemorrhoidal proctitis was capsaicin, followed by ethanol, eugenol, caffeine/theine/theobromine, and acids. The OR for age was near the null value. Neither alliin nor miscellaneous food groups showed any association. Conclusions High, frequent consumption of some plant foods and derived products increases the risk of presenting symptoms of diverticulitis and hemorrhoidal proctitis.

Hip fractures are the most frequently treated fractures in the world. Of these, intertrochanteric fractures (ITFs) account for almost 50%. After surgical fixation of ITFs, nonunion is rare. Nonunions are commonly produced from mal-reduction (in varus) and/or inadequate stability of the bone-implant construct and/or fatigue failure of the implants. Other causes of nonunion include posteromedial comminution and osteoporosis. The published incidence of ITF nonunion is 1%-2%. Mechanical complications of ITFs include cut-out, excessive shortening of the proximal femur, delayed union, nonunion, early implant fracture, nail toggle and cut through/medial migration. That is why a fundamental goal in the treatment of ITFs is to achieve stable fixation in osteoporotic bone, allowing early weight bearing. Intraoperative determination of fracture stability is essential. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) clinical practice guidelines for the management of intertrochanteric fractures (ITF) in patients older than 55 years are the following: 1) In patients with stable ITF, the use of either a sliding hip screw (SHS) or a cephalomedullary nail (CMN) is advised (strong strength of evidence). 2) In patients with reverse obliquity fractures, a CMN is recommended (strong strength of evidence). 3) Patients with unstable ITF should be treated with a CMN (strong strength of evidence). 4) In patients with ITF, a short or long CMN may be considered (limited strength of evidence).

Oral pyogenic granuloma (PG) is generally a solitary benign connective tissue proliferation of unknown etiology. It is the most common type of oral inflammatory hyperplasia histologically characterized by proliferation of granulation tissue with inflammatory infiltrates and high angiogenic capacity. Vascular neoformations of different diameters are usually present. Due to their structural characteristics, tendency to bleed, and rapid and alarming growth rate, these neoformations may have serious consequences. Sometimes, it is complex to make an accurate diagnosis. Therefore, adequate management and treatment are based on the characteristics and systemic conditions of each patient. This review was carried out to provide an overview of the factors involved in, or attributed to the etiopathogenesis of oral PG. It describes the different forms of presentation and clinical evolution, as well as the most frequent signs and symptoms that characterize this disease, while incorporating recent radiographic and microscopic findings. In addition, it describes the different modalities for the management of oral pyogenic granuloma depending on the particular characteristics of each patient.

In this paper, we prove some random fixed point theorems for generalized random $\alpha-\psi-$contractive mappings in a Polish space and, as some applications, we show the existence of random solutions of second order random differential equation.

During March and April 2020, the European Union (EU) was the center of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many National Governments imposed severe lockdown policies to mitigate the health crisis. The European Parliament commissioned a survey to analyse the citizens’ attitudes over a number of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 21804 European citizens in 21 EU countries responded the survey between 23 April and 1 May 2020. The paper analyses empirically the individual satisfaction that European citizens have experienced over the measures taken by the respective National Governments to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis is based on a micro-econometric model (ordered probit) that explains the citizens’ satisfaction by a number of attitudes and sociodemographic factors. Our results reveal that Spaniards are the least satisfied citizens in comparison with Danes, Irelanders, Greeks and Croats who are the most satisfied nationals. The years of education and the social class also play a determinant role. We also find that the most important determinant is the political support to the Government, and that those who are more worried by the economy and the protection of individual rights are usually more critic with the measures than those who are more worried by the health consequences.

The introduction of exoskeletons in the industry has focused on improving worker safety. Exoskeletons have the objective of decreasing the risk of injury or fatigue when performing physically demanding tasks. The exoskeleton’s effects on the muscles is one of the most common focus in the assessments. The present study aims to analyse the muscle interactions generated by using a passive lumbar exoskeleton during load-handling tasks in laboratory conditions with and without an exoskeleton. Electromyographic data of the muscles involved in the task were recorded from twelve participants performing load-handling tasks. Correlation Coefficient, Coherence Coefficient, Mutual Information, and Multivariate Sample Entropy were calculated to determine if there were significant differences in muscle interactions between the two test conditions. Results showed statistically significant differences for all pairs of muscles and indicated that the use of the exoskeleton implied more constant values throughout the exercise. The Directed Conditional Granger Causality was obtained to study the directionality of the interactions, with significant differences in two muscle pairs Gluteus-Quadriceps and Gluteus-Lumbar in the gravity-positive direction in both cases. In conclusion, EMG parameters chosen appear to be appropriate measurements for studying the exoskeleton effects over muscle couplings.

A key goal of modern neuroscience involves understanding how connections in the brain form and function. Such a knowledge is essential to better inform how defects in the exquisitely complex steps of nervous system growth underlie neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. In the last 40 years, studies of the nervous system in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster enabled the discovery of a wealth of molecular and genetic mechanisms that drive the development of these synaptic connections – specialized cell-to-cell connections that are the essential substrate for information flow and processing in the nervous system. The major driver of knowledge focused on studies at the neuromuscular junction due to its ease of examination. Analogous studies in the central nervous system lagged behind due to a lack of genetic accessibility of specific central neuron classes, appropriate synaptic labels compatible with cell-type specific access, and high resolution, quantitative imaging strategies. However, understanding how synapses in central circuits form remains a prerequisite to understanding brain development. In the last decade, a host of new tools and techniques made possible the extension of genetic studies of synapse organization into central circuits and greatly enhanced our understanding of central synapse formation, organization, and maturation. In this review, we consider the current state-of-the-field, focusing on two major elements. We first discuss the tools, technologies, and strategies developed to visualize and quantify synapses in vivo in genetically identifiable neurons of the Drosophila CNS. Second, we explore in depth how these tools enabled a clearer understanding of synaptic development and organization in different circuits of the fly brain and discovered novel molecular mechanisms that underlie synapse formation. These studies establish multiple brain regions in the fly as powerful in vivo genetic models that offer novel insights into synaptogenic regulators and mechanisms of neural development.

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

Transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels are calcium channels with diverse expression profiles and physiological implications in the retina. Neurons and glial cells of rat retinas with photoreceptor degeneration caused by retinitis pigmentosa (RP) exhibit basal calcium levels that are above those detected in healthy retinas. Inner retinal cells are the last to degenerate and are responsible for maintaining the activity of the visual cortex even after complete loss of photoreceptors. We considered the possibility that TRPC1 and TRPC5 channels might be associated with both the high calcium levels and the delay in inner retinal degeneration. TRPC1 is known to mediate protective effects in neurodegenerative processes, while TRPC5 promotes cell death. In order to comprehend the implications of these channels in RP, the co-localization and subsequent physical interaction between TRPC1 and TRPC5 in healthy retina (Sprague-Dawley rats) and degenerating (P23H-1, a model of RP) retina were detected by immunofluorescence and proximity ligation assays. There was an overlapping signal in the innermost retina of all animals where TRPC1 and TRPC5 physically interacted. This interaction increased significantly as photoreceptor loss progressed. Both channels function as TRPC1/5 heteromers in the healthy and damaged retina, with a marked function of TRPC1 in response to retinal degenerative mechanisms. Furthermore, our findings support that TRPC5 channels also function in partnership with STIM1 in Müller and retinal ganglion cells. These results suggest that increase in TRPC1/5 heteromers may contribute to slowing of the degeneration of the inner retina during the outer retinal degeneration.

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) are a solution with a reasonable cost/benefit ratio when provid-ing broadband internet access. The concept is being used not only in IEEE networks but also in other wireless networks such as cellular networks (4G/5G) and Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN). IEEE 802.11s is the facto standard and is well known for working with WMN. The standard defines Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol (HWMP) as a layer 2 routing protocol. The met-ric proposed by the protocol is Air Time Link (ALM), and the IEEE 802.11 standard proposes an equation for its calculation. This work proposes a new methodology for the calculation of ALM which has been developed in the following way: through several scripts, which simulate various WMN scenarios in NS-3, collect information in several databases, and then take the data to RStu-dio, where different statistical tests are developed, such as linear models (LM), generalized linear models (GLM), and other statistical tests for both the original and new model proposals. The result is a new methodology for the calculation of metrics, using statistical techniques in the selection and validation of model regressors, presenting an a priori tool to improve the per-formance of the WMS's.

Abstract: This article aims to better understand the mechanisms that connect climate change perceptions and general willingness to engage in pro-environmental behavior using Spanish cross-sectional data (N = 403). To do this, we first developed and validated the General Willingness for Environmental Behavior Scale (GWEBS), which includes the classical approach of voluntarily doing new actions but also actions implying not doing things (degrowth) and actions forced by social constraints. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit for the one-factor structure, which had adequate validity based on their relationship with other variables. Additionally, the GWEBS distinguished between women and men, left- and right-oriented people, and people who belonged to pro-environmental groups and people who did not. In the second place, we tested the parallel mediator role of eco-anxiety and trust in science in the relationship between climate change perceptions and the GWEBS. The results showed that eco-anxiety, fully, and trust in science partially mediated such a relationship, making them crucial to mobilize the intention to act following the perception. This study contributes to our understanding of the psychological mechanisms that eventually drive pro-environmental behaviors and provides a clear direction for future research.

We give three new authentication schemes without secrecy. The first two on finite fields and Galois rings, using Gray map for this link. The third construction is given on Galois rings. The main achievement in this work is to obtain optimal impersonation and substitution probabilities in the schemes. Additionally, in the first and second scheme, we simplify the source space and bring a better relationship between the size of the message space and the key space than the given in [8]. Finally, we provide a third scheme on Galois rings, which generalizes the scheme over finite fields constructed in [9].

This paper an approach for analyzing the impact of sea level changes on prehistoric human settlement patterns in the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula. The approach is based on highly qualified and fully georeferenced information sources managed within a spatial database. This allows for a more precise analysis of the distance to the coast and its relation to marine resources from a specific location, areas that may have lost their archaeological potential due to being currently submerged, and the actual distribution of sites as a starting point for territorial analysis. Coastal changes, such as sea level fluctuations over the past 120,000 years, have affected the position of the coastline and influenced human settlement patterns. Through an analysis of the archaeological site locations relative to their paleo-coastlines based on available dating data, this study emphasizes the necessity of adopting a comprehensive approach to comprehend human settlement patterns and their correlation with the dynamic coastal changes. This approach provides valuable insights for formulating strategies for exploiting coastal resources and structuring socio-economic systems in the region.

The penetrability and directivity of ultrasound in different media is of interest in engineering and medical applications (imaging, nondestructive testing, sonochemistry, among others). The nonlinearity of a liquid can be used in the parametric antenna framework to generate low-frequency components with particular features from several ultrasonic signals at the source. Bubbly liquids are dispersive liquids in which a small amount of tiny gas bubbles leads to the increase of the nonlinear parameter of the media over certain frequency ranges. Parametric antenna applied to this huge nonlinear media gives rise to low-frequency components with relatively small intensity at the source. The evolution of a low-frequency component (difference-frequency component obtained from two primary signals) during its propagation in a bubbly liquid is somehow unknown. It is thus interesting to analyse its characteristics to establish whether this component can benefit from the quality of its own frequency and from the primary frequencies in terms of directivity and penetrability into the medium. It must be noted that no such study in bubbly liquids exists in the litterature, but only for homogeneous media. To this end, several numerical models developed previously are used here to analyse the difference-frequency component obtained from a parametric antenna emitting from two ultrasonic signals at the source in one and two-dimensional domains. These models allow us to observe the behavior of this frequency component. An angle that measures the directivity of a beam is also defined. Our results show a point hardly found in the literature: the high directivity and the huge penetrability of the secondary beam associated to the difference-frequency component into the bubbly liquid, compared to the same frequency signal excited directly from the source in the bubbly liquid and to the parametric acoustic array in homogeneous fluids.

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

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

Maize (Zea mays sp) is one of the most important basic grains in our diets, and requires high levels pf nitrogen and phosphorus for optimum growth. However, phosphorus is problematic due to its high reactivity in the soil matrix, meaning that it is fixed in a very short time and inaccesible to plants. The lupinus genus, and more specifically, Lupinus albus through its root clusters, or proteoid roots, have the ability to solubilize portions of phosphorus when it is found in a limited environment. The objetive of the current study was to evaluate the effect of lupinus montanus under phosphorus stress conditions intercropped with maize, utilizing sandy soils with calcium phosphate bands. Materials and Methods: Work was conducted in growth chambers using rhizotrons, which allowed the authors to observed the growth and root behavior of both species (Lupinus monatnus and maize), The SAS 9.0 program was used for the statistical Analysis and ANOVA and tukey test were perfomed. Results : The phosphorus analysis in the plant tissue indicated that is concentration in maize was slightly higher in intercropping conditions than in monoculture planting. Conclusion: From this, we calculated that lupinus montanus is capable of solubilizing portions of phosphorus making available for other crops.; likewise, we also observed that proteoid structures did not develop, leaving the study open for other wild species.

Based on a measuring system to determine the statistical heterogeneity of individual polygons we propose a method to use polygonal shape patterns as a source of data in order to determine the Shannon entropy of biological organizations. In this research, the term entropy is a particular amount of data related with levels of spatial heterogeneity in a series of different geometrical meshes and sets of random polygons. We propose that this notion of entropy is important to measure levels of information in units of bits, measuring quantities of heterogeneity in geometrical systems. In fact, one important result is that binarization of heterogeneity frequencies yields a supported metric to determine geometrical information from complex configurations. Thirty-five geometric aggregates are tested; biological and non-biological, in order to obtain experimental results of their spatial heterogeneity which is verified with the Shannon entropy parameter defining low particular levels of geometrical information in biological samples. Geometrical aggregates (meshes) include a spectrum of organizations ranging from cell meshes to ecological patterns. Experimental results show that a particular range (0.08 and 0.27) of information is intrinsically associated with low rates of heterogeneity. We conclude it as an intrinsic feature of geometrical organizations in multi-scaling biological systems.

Seizure-mediated oxidative stress is a crucial mechanism in the pathophysiology of epilepsy. This study evaluated the antioxidant effects of daytime-restricted feeding (DRF) and the role of the Nrf2 signaling pathway in a lithium-pilocarpine model seizure model that induces status epilepticus (SE). We performed a lipoperoxidation assay and dihydroethidium fluorescence to measure oxidative stress markers in the hippocampus (malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species). The protein content of Nrf2 and its downstream protein SOD2 was evaluated by Western blot. Cellular distribution of the Nrf2 and SOD2 proteins in the pyramidal cell layer of both CA1 and CA3 hippocampal subfields and astrocytes (GFAP marker) were quantified by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry respectively. Our results indicate that DRF reduced malondialdehyde levels and the production of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, a significant increase in Nrf2 and SOD2 protein content was observed in animals subjected to restrictive diet. In addition, DRF increased the relative intensity of the Nfr2 fluorescence in the perinuclear and nuclear compartments of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 subfield. Nfr2 immunoreactivity and the astrocyte marker GFAP also increased their colocalization in DRF conditions. Also, SOD 2 immunoreactivity was increased in CA1 pyramidal neurons but not in CA3 region. Our findings suggest that DRF partially prevents oxidative stress by increasing the Nrf2 transcriptional factor and the SOD2 enzyme during the development of SE.

According to official sources, the numbers of children-to-parent violence (CPV) in the most advanced countries have been on an increasing trend for more than a decade, which generates great social concern. This phenomenon has also aroused enormous interest among researchers, who have identified risk and protective factors related to adolescent CPV in numerous studies. To contribute to a better explanation of CPV, the aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between family communication problems and CPV, through psychosocial adjustment variables -psychological distress and positive attitude toward the transgression of social norms- in schooled adolescents. The sample consisted of 8115 adolescents enrolled in schools in the State of Nuevo León (Mexico) (51.5% boys, 49.5% girls), whose ages ranged from 11 to 16 years (M = 13.34, SD = 1.04). Structural equation modeling was performed using Structural Equation Modeling Software (EQS). The results showed that family communication problems have a direct and signif-icant relationship with CPV. It was also observed that there is an indirect relationship between both variables, through the relationships of psychological distress and positive attitude towards the transgression of social norms. The multigroup analysis performed showed gender differences in some of these relationships. Finally, the results and their implications in the field of family intervention are discussed.

In oral pathology, the appearance of a large ulcerated lesion may suggest a malignant process that requires an early diagnosis given the uneasiness of the patient and his or her family. Finding lingual carcinoma in children is, however, extremely rare We present the case of a 13-year-old girl who came to the oral medicine clinic, referred by her orthodontist, with a large round lesion on the ventral side of the tongue (15 x 12 mm) that did not heal, after three weeks of evolution and after eliminating the existing traumatic factors (orthodontic appliance in the lower jaw) and treatment with topical gel based on PVP (polyvinyl pyrrolidone), glycyrrhetinic acid and hyaluronic acid (Aloclair PLUS®). The objective of this article is analyse the possible causes and provide a review of the literature of a large ulcerated lesions.

This work simulates the performance of lithium batteries for electric vehicles under different charge and discharge rates. The simulation is based on similarity factors for power, voltage and current, reproducing the real operation conditions of an electric vehicle at the model scale. Most current driving modes have been analysed corresponding to discharge rates from 0.1C to 0.37C. The simulation has also been applied to determine charging time using charge power in real conditions, from 6.1 kW to 18.3 kW (0.1 C to 0.3C). Driving conditions are obtained using equations for vehicle motion including all forces. Tests have been run under two configurations, continuous and alternate current circuits, to reproduce the two types of engines that electric vehicles use. The simulation shows very good agreement in charge and discharge processes, average deviation of 3% related to real conditions, and 1.6% between them, which proves the validity of the simulation process.

This paper aims to understand better how attitudes towards the environment could influence preferences and willingness to pay for the development of sustainable tourism products on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria. A hybrid choice model is estimated to analyse how different latent constructs related to environmental concerns affect individuals’ preferences for a set of sustainable tourism activities. The data used in the analysis is obtained from a discrete choice experiment where different scenarios with nature-based tourism packages are created. A set of measurement indicators allowed us to gain insight into the underlying latent structure regarding the individuals’ attitudes towards the environment. The analysis consists of integrating these attitudes into a choice model, focusing on a market segment primarily comprised of potential customers who are young residents and non-residents. Results reveal significant heterogeneity in preferences and willingness to pay for the various activities under study when attitudinal latent factors are incorporated into the model. Our findings provide valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners promoting sustainable tourism products.

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

A frequent problem in Geotechnics is the soils with inadequate physical-mechanical properties before the efforts to which they will be subjected by the constructions, incurring cost overruns caused by their engineering improvement. The need to improve the engineering properties of soils is not recent, currently observing that the most common alternatives are binders such as cement and lime. The climate change observed in recent decades and the uncontrolled emission of greenhouse gases have motivated Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental researchers to seek mechanisms for soil reinforcement from a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach by proposing the use of recycled and waste materials. An alternative is natural fibers, which can be obtained as waste from many agro-industrial processes, implying their high availability and low cost. Sawdust as a by-product of wood processing has a rough texture that can generate high friction between the fiber and the matrix of the soils, leading to a significant increase in its shearing strength and bearing capacity. This concept of improving the properties of soils using natural fibers distributed randomly is inspired by the natural phenomenon of grass and/or plants that when growing on a slope can effectively stabilize a said slope.

Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus is a mosquito native to Southeast Asia. Currently, it has a wide distribution in America where natural infection with arboviruses of medical and veterinary importance has been reported. In spite of their importance in the transmission of endemic arbovirus, basic information of parameters affecting their vectorial capacity is poorly investigated. The aim of the work was to update the distribution range of Ae. albopictus in the Americas, review the blood-feeding patterns and compare the minimum infection rate (MIR) of the dengue virus (DENV) between studies of vertical and horizontal transmission. The current distribution of Ae. albopictus encompasses 21 countries in the Americas. Extensive review has been conducted for the blood-feeding patterns of Ae. albopictus. The results suggest that the mosquito is capable of feeding on 16 species of mammals and five species of avian. Humans, dogs, and rats are the most common host. Eight arboviruses with the potential to infect humans and animals have been isolated in Ae. albopictus. In the United States of America (USA), Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Keystone virus, La Crosse Virus, West Nile virus, and Cache Valley virus were isolated in the Asian mosquito. In Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica, DENV (all serotypes) has been frequently identified in field-caught Ae. albopictus. Overall, the estimated MIR in Ae. albopictus infected with DENV is similar between horizontal (10.95) and vertical transmission (8.28). However, in vertical transmission, there is a difference in the MIR values if the DENV is identified from larvae or adults (males and females emerged from a collection of eggs or larvae). MIR estimated from larvae is 14.04 and in adults is 4.04. In conclusion, it has to be highlighted that Ae. albopictus is an invasive mosquito with wide phenotypic plasticity to adapt to broad and new areas, it is highly efficient to transmit the DENV horizontally and vertically, it can participate in the inter-endemic transmission of the dengue disease, and it can spread zoonotic arboviruses across forest and urban settings.

The aim of the work was to update the distribution range of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus Skuse in the Americas, review the blood-feeding patterns and compare the minimum infection rate (MIR) of the dengue virus (DENV) between studies of vertical and horizontal transmission. The current dis-tribution of Ae. albopictus encompasses 21 countries in the Americas. Extensive review has been conducted for the blood-feeding patterns of Ae. albopictus. The results suggest that the mosquito is capable of feeding on 16 species of mammals and five species of avian. Humans, dogs, and rats are the most common host. Eight arboviruses with the potential to infect humans and animals have been isolated in Ae. albopictus. In the United States of America (USA), Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Keystone virus, La Crosse Virus, West Nile virus, and Cache Valley virus were isolated in the Asian mosquito. In Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica, DENV (all serotypes) has been frequently identified in field-caught Ae. albopictus. Overall, the estimated MIR in Ae. albopictus infected with DENV is similar between horizontal (10.95) and vertical transmission (8.28). However, in vertical transmission, there is a difference in the MIR values if the DENV is identified from larvae or adults (males and females emerged from a collection of eggs or larvae). MIR es-timated from larvae is 14.04 and in adults is 4.04. In conclusion, it has to be highlighted that Ae. albopictus is an invasive mosquito with wide phenotypic plasticity to adapt to broad and new areas, it is highly efficient to transmit the DENV horizontally and vertically, it can participate in the inter-endemic transmission of the dengue disease, and it can spread zoonotic arboviruses across forest and urban settings.

We describe the design and fabrication of an industrial injection moulding system which can be mounted and used on the NCD-SWEET Small-angle X-Ray Scattering Beamline at ALBA. We show how highly useful time-resolved data can be obtained using this system. We are able to evaluate the fraction of material in the mould cavity and identify the first material to solidify and how this varies with the injection tem-perature. The design follows current industrial practice and provides opportunities to collect time-resolved data at several points within the mould cavity so we can build up a 4D perspective of the morphology and its temporal development. The quantitative data obtained will prove invaluable for the optimisation of the next generation of in-jection moulding techniques. This preliminary work used results from the injection moulding of a general purpose isotactic polypropylene.

Hydrotherapy, including the use of therapeutic showers and bathtubs, has been studied for its potential benefits in labor pain management. Previous research has indicated that hydrotherapy can alleviate pain, but comparative studies between therapeutic showers and bathtubs are scarce. Objective: This study aims to compare the effects of therapeutic showers and bathtubs on pain perception, labor duration, use of epi-dural analgesia, and maternal and neonatal outcomes during labor. Methods: A total of 124 pregnant women were included in this study. Participants were divided into two groups: those who used a thera-peutic shower and those who used a bathtub during labor. Pain levels were measured using a visual analog scale (VAS). Labor duration, use of epidural analgesia, types of delivery, maternal outcomes (postpartum hemorrhage, perineal status, maternal hypotension, fever, and breastfeeding), and neonatal outcomes (APGAR scores, fetal heart rate, complications, and neonatal unit admissions) were recorded and analyzed. Results: Both the therapeutic shower and the bathtub effectively reduced pain perception, with the bathtub showing a greater reduction in VAS scores. The therapeutic shower group experienced a signifi-cantly shorter labor duration compared to the bathtub group. The majority of participants in both groups did not require epidural analgesia, with no significant differences between the groups. There were no sig-nificant differences in the types of delivery. Maternal outcomes indicated a lower incidence of perineal tears and episiotomies in the therapeutic shower group. Neonatal outcomes, including APGAR scores and fetal heart rate, were similar between the groups, with no significant differences in complications or neo-natal unit admissions. Conclusions: Both therapeutic showers and bathtubs are effective for pain relief during labor, with the bathtub showing a higher reduction in pain intensity. The therapeutic shower is as-sociated with a shorter labor duration and a lower incidence of perineal tears and episiotomies. Both meth-ods are safe for neonatal well-being, making hydrotherapy a viable non-pharmacological option for pain management in labor. However, the therapeutic shower may offer additional benefits in terms of labor du-ration and maternal outcomes.

Decoherence with recurrences appear in the dynamics of the one-body density matrix of an $F = 1$ spinor Bose-Einstein condensate, initially prepared in coherent states, in the presence of an external uniform magnetic field and within the single mode approximation. The phenomenon emerges as a many-body effect of the interplay of the quadratic Zeeman effect, that breaks the rotational symmetry, and the spin-spin interactions. By performing full quantum diagonalizations very accurate time evolution of large condensates are analyzed, leading to heuristic analytic expressions for the time dependence of the density matrix, in the weak and strong interacting regimes. We are able to find accurate analytical expressions for both the decoherence and the recurrence times, in terms of the number of atoms and strength parameters, that show remarkable differences depending on the strength of the spin-spin interactions. We discuss the nature of these limits in the light of the thermodynamic limit.

This research is aimed at the knowledge of the effectiveness of the material resources in the sensa-tions of exploratory procedures in 365 older people who take part in the physical activity that the Sport Municipal Institute (SMI) offers in the different sports centers assigned to it in the city of Se-ville, using a descriptive design and with a questionnaire developed and validated previously by the Delphi method; showing the relationship between the basic emotions that seniors experience when handling sport, and the materials. So it is claimed that exist a relation between older people, which practice exercise with the materials that they use on it.

In recent years, the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in regulating cell physiology has begun to be better understood. Recent discoveries in viral molecular biology have revealed that such cellular functions are disturbed during viral infections mainly due to host cell ncRNAs, cellular factors, and virus-derived ncRNAs. Apart from the interplay between those molecules, other interactions derive from the specific folding of RNA virus genomes. These fulfill canonical regulation functions such as replication, translation, and viral packaging. In some cases, folds serve as precursors of small viral RNAs whose biogenesis is not yet clearly understood. Since ncRNAs and RNA viral genomes modulate complex molecular and cellular processes in viral infections, a new taxonomy is being proposed here overarching three main categories, considering the current information about ncRNA interactions in some well-known viral infections. The first category shows examples of host ncRNAs associated with the trigger of the immune response under viral infections. The second category describes interactions between the virus and host ncRNAs. The last category shows how the shape of the RNA viral genome is essential in processing RNAs derived from viruses. Finally, we introduce evidence of how these three categories can also work as a framework in order to organize known interactions of ncRNAs and cellular factors under DENV infection. This new taxonomy of interactions provides a comprehensive framework for organizing the ncRNA regulatory roles in the context of viral interactions and an RNA world.

The Puuc Biocultural State Reserve (PBSR is an unique model for tropical dry forest conservation in Mexico. Preserving forest biodiversity and carbon within the PBSR depends on the mainte-nance of low impact productive activities coordinated by multiple communal and private land-owners. In this study, we used state-of-the-art remote sensing data to investigate past spatial patterns in forest clearing dynamics and its relation to forest carbon density and forest plant species richness and diversity in the context of the forest conservation goals of the PBSR. We used a Landsat-based continuous change detection product for the 2000-2021 period and compared it to carbon density and tree species richness models generated from ALOS-2 PALSAR 2 imagery and national scale forest inventory data. The estimated error-adjusted area of detected annual forest clearings from the year 2000 until the year 2021 was 230,511 ha in total (+19,979 ha). The analysis of annual forest clearing frequency and area suggests that although forest clearing was significantly more intensive outside of the PBSR than within the PBSR during the entire 2000-2021 period, there is no evidence suggesting that the frequency and magnitude of forest clearing has changed over the years after the creation of the PBSR in 2011. An emergent hotspot analysis shows, however, that high spatiotemporal clustering of forest clearing events (hotspots) during the 2012-2021 pe-riod was less common than prior to 2011 and these more recent hotspots have been confined to areas outside the PBSR. After comparing forest clearing events to carbon density and tree species richness models, results show that land owners outside the PBSR often clear forests with lower carbon density and species diversity than land owners inside the PBSR. This suggests that, compared to land owners outside the PBSR, land owners within the PBSR might be practicing longer fallow periods allowing forests to attain higher carbon density and tree species richness and hence better soil nutrient recovery after land abandonment. In conclusion, our results show that the PBSR effectively acted as a stabilizing forest management scheme during the 2012-2021 period minimizing the impact of productive activities by lowering the frequency of forest clearing events and preserving late secondary forests within the PBSR. We recommend the continuation of efforts for providing alternative optimal field data collection strategies and modeling techniques to spatially predict key tropical forest attributes. The combination of these models with contin-uous change detection datasets will allow to reveal underlying ecological processes and generate information better adapted to forest governance scales.

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

Pharmacogenetics and DNA methylation influence therapeutic outcomes and provide insights into potential therapeutic targets for brain-related disorders. To understand the effect of genetic polymorphisms on drug response and disease risk, we analyzed the relationship between global DNA methylation, drug-metabolizing enzymes, transport genes, and pathogenic gene phenotypes in serum samples from two groups of patients: Group A, which showed increased 5-methylcytosine (5mC) levels during clinical follow-up, and Group B, which exhibited no discernible change in 5mC levels. We identified specific SNPs in several metabolizing genes, including CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP4F2, GSTP1, and NAT2 that were associated with differential drug responses. Specific SNPs in CYP had a significant impact on enzyme activity, leading to changes in phenotypic distribution between the two patient groups. Group B, which contained a lower frequency of normal metabolizers and a higher frequency of ultra-rapid metabolizers compared to patients in Group A, did not show an improvement in 5mC levels during follow-up. Furthermore, there were significant differences in phenotype distribution between patient Groups A and B for several SNPs associated with transporter genes (ABCB1, ABCC2, SLC2A9, SLC39A8, and SLCO1B1) and pathogenic genes (APOE, NBEA, and PTGS2). These findings appear to suggest that the interplay between pharmacogenomics and DNA methylation has important implications for improving treatment outcomes in patients with brain-related disorders.

This document makes a comprehensive analysis of the inequality of the water market in Chile, measured by the Gini coefficient method. The situation of water rights in Chile is of particular interest because it is a completely privatized system, where rights are traded in the market and therefore water is presented as a commodity. This privatization of water in Chile occurred as part of the process of neoliberalization since the 1981 Water Code. The results of this study indicate that both the concentration and the inequality in the distribution of water rights is very high. It proposes a profound revision of applying a mercantile logic to a scarce basic resource for life such as water and exploring the importance of its role as a national good for public use.

CO₂ geological storage in deep saline aquifers was recently developed at industrial scale mainly in sandstone formations. Experiences on CO₂ injections in carbonates aquifers for permanent trapping are quite limited, mostly from US projects such as AEP Mountaineer, Michigan and Williston Basin. The behavior of fractures in carbonates plays a key role in those reservoirs in which porous matrix permeability is very poor, which drives the CO₂ plume migration through the fracture network where hydromechanics and geochemical effects take place due to injection. Hontomín (Spain) is the actual on-shore injection pilot in Europe (EP Resolution of 14 January 2014), whose reservoir is comprised of fractured carbonates. Existing experiences from field scale tests conducted on site have supported to better understand the behavior of this type of reservoirs for CO₂ geological storage. Innovative CO₂ injection strategies are being carried out in ENOS Project (EU H2020 Programme, http://www.enos-project.eu). First results based on field tests conducted at Hontomín, and the advanced modelling developed so far will be analyzed and discussed in this article, as well as, the description of future works. The evolution of operating parameters such as flow rate, pressure and recovery term during the tests confirm the CO₂ migration through the fractures.

Two new systematic authentication codes based on the Gray map over a Galois ring are introduced. The first introduced code attains optimal impersonation and substitution probabilities. The second code improves space sizes but it does not attain optimal probabilities. Besides it is conditioned to the existence of a special class of bent maps on Galois rings.

The aim of this study was to determine whether a rowing training program improved the quantity and quality of physical activity and quality of life in female breast cancer survivors (stage I - 4.35%; II - 30.43%; III - 52.17%; and IV - 8.7%) diagnosed 6.57 ± 5.02 years previously, who had undergone a subsequent intervention (preservation 53.52%; total mastectomy 39.13% and double mastectomy 4.35%) and had a current mean age of 53.70 ± 7.88 years. The participants (N = 30) engaged in a 12-week training program, each week comprising three sessions and each session lasting 60-90 minutes. An anthropometric evaluation was performed before and after the program. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) were also administered. The results showed statistically significant improvements in levels of physical activity and in the dimensions of quality of life. We can conclude that a 12-week rowing training program tailored to women who have had breast cancer increases physical activity levels, leading to improved health status and quality of life.

The aim of this study was to determine whether a rowing training program improved the quantity and quality of physical activity and quality of life in female breast cancer survivors (stage I - 4.35%; II - 30.43%; III - 52.17%; and IV - 8.7%) diagnosed 6.57 ± 5.02 years previously, who had undergone a subsequent intervention (preservation 53.52%; total mastectomy 39.13% and double mastectomy 4.35%) and had a current mean age of 53.70 ± 7.88 years. The participants (N = 30) engaged in a 12-week training program, each week comprising three sessions and each session lasting 60-90 minutes. An anthropometric evaluation was performed before and after the program. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) were also administered. The results showed statistically significant improvements in levels of physical activity and in the dimensions of quality of life. We can conclude that a 12-week rowing training program tailored to women who have had breast cancer increases physical activity levels, leading to improved health status and quality of life.

Introduction: Adverse events related to vaccines are reactions that can lead to serious complications, in the present that we live at the publication of this article with the need to generate high rates of vaccination have been presented in the case of vaccine agents against COVID-19 adverse events, with thrombotic events being the most important. Case Presentation: This is a 37-year-old female patient who presents 11 days after ChAdOx1-S vaccination against COVID-19 presents with intense headache associated with symptoms of intracranial hypertension, she was initially taken to simple cranial tomography showing presence of cerebral edema and indirect signs of cerebral venous thrombosis, it is proposed to carry out cerebral angiography which showed the presence of thrombosis of both transverse venous sinuses, no hypercoagulability states were found in the laboratories, the immunological tests carried out for antiphospholipid syndrome were negative, the thrombotic event was associated with the ChAdOx1-S vaccine, later the patient was taken to thrombectomy by Neuroradiology, achieving complete channeling of both transverse venous sinuses. Conclusions: Adverse events associated with vaccination have been described with multiple vaccine agents, this component against COVID-19 is also an event to consider, knowing the pathophysiology of these events is essential to be able to reduce these risks and select the least risky agent. Despite this risk, vaccination remains the only cost-effective measure to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19.

The 1884 Andalusia Earthquake, with an estimated Magnitude between 6.2 and 6.7, is one of the most destructive events that shook the Iberian Peninsula, causing around 1200 casualties. Ac-cording to paleoseismology studies and intensity maps, the earthquake source relates to the nor-mal Ventas de Zafarraya Fault (Granada, Spain). Diverse studies registered and later analyzed hydrological effects, such as landslides, rockfalls, soil liquefaction, all-around surge and loss of springs, alterations in the phreatic level, discharge in springs and brooks, and well levels, along with changes in water properties. Further insight into these phenomena found an interplay be-tween hydro-geomechanical processes and crust surface deformations, conditions, and properties. This study focuses on analyzing and simulating the features involved in the major 1884 event and aims at elucidating the mechanisms concerning the mentioned effects. This ex-post analysis builds on the qualitative effects and visible alterations registered by historical studies. It encompasses conceptual geological and kinematic models, and a 2D finite element simulation to account for the processes undergone by the Zafarraya Fault. The study focuses on the variability of hy-dro-geomechanical features and the time evolution of the ground pore-pressure distribution in both the preseismic and coseismic stages, matching some of the shreds of evidence found by field studies. This methodology can be applied to other events registered in the National Catalogues of Earth-quakes to achieve a deeper insight, further knowledge, and a better understanding of past earth-quakes.

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

Secure attachment, developed through consistent relationships with attachment figures in childhood, is a crucial factor in fostering healthy interpersonal relationships and a positive self-perception. This research aimed to assess how perceived security, as an indicator of secure attachment, predicts adult self-concept through the mediating effects of resilience and positive self-esteem. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and non-probabilistic study was conducted with 383 participants, of whom 76.2% were females, aged between 17 and 86 years (M = 28.52, SD = 12.23). Correlational analyses revealed significant positive associations between perceived security, self-concept, resilience, and positive self-esteem. Path analysis demonstrated that resilience and positive self-esteem sequentially mediate the relationship between perceived security during childhood and adult self-concept (Total Effect R2 = .34, F(1,381) = 193, p < .001; Indirect effect of sequential mediation b = .02, CI 95% [.01, .04]). Findings suggest that the ability to cope with ad-versity and personal acceptance underlie the impact of perceived security on self-concept. It is recommended to promote not only secure attachment in family interventions but also resilience and self-esteem in programs targeting adolescents, youth, and adults.

Diversification in agroecosystems can increase the sustainability of agricultural production and reduce input dependence in agroecological transitions. This study evaluated the effects of intercropping and the introduction of flowering (aromatic) plant strips on the ratio of land use efficiency and crop damage for broccoli and lettuce association. Two experiments were conducted in 2022 and 2023 in experimental plots in southwestern Colombia. Crop association alone did not impact crop yield; the production was higher in the lettuce monoculture. However, in the presence of flowering plant strips, the land use equivalent ratio (LER) is &gt;1 in the two years of study, with a high yield for broccoli. Regarding the damage by the silverback moth Plutella xilostella L on broccoli, no differences were found between crops established with or without flower strips. Similarly, flower strips did not affect the incidence of lettuce rot caused by Sclerotinia spp. In summary, our results support the idea that farmers can introduce flower strips into their horticultural fields to improve the eco-productive efficiency of their farms and reduce dependence on external polluting inputs. However, further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying these results.

The effects of 0.4wt.% Sc addition on a typical Al-Si10-Mg alloy were systematically investigated in the present research. Samples with and without Sc produced refined dendritic arranged microstructures with sensitivity to the aging treatment after solidification, particularly in the case of the alloy without Sc. After being exposed to 300°C for 90 minutes, the dendritic spacing nearly doubled in the Al-10wt.%Si-0.45wt.%Mg samples. The rapidly solidified microstructures were constituted by the -Al dendritic phase surrounded by eutectic phases/intermetallics such as Si, Mg2Si and Al3Sc (in the case of the alloy containing Sc). 255°C and 300°C were deemed most appropriate temperatures for aging treatments, with four exposure times of up to 120 minutes tested for each alloy. The heat treatments allowed the Vickers hardness profiles to be plotted and compared. Moreover, in order to detect both Sc- and Mg- precipitates after aging, specific samples have been prepared for either SEM or TEM analyses. At first, the results pointed to a strong precipitate-related hardening effect formed as a result of the Sc addition to the alloy. All samples containing Sc showed a higher hardness value when compared to their respective treated samples without Sc. Secondly, when comparing the Al-10Si-Mg-Sc alloy samples among themselves after being treated at different conditions, high temperatures and excessive treatment times can become detrimental to the hardness. This was due to the growth of larger Sc-bearing precipitates of approximately 1 µm in size under such conditions, having less pronounced hardening effect. The best condition (255°C for 60 min) for as centrifuged samples in Cu-mold produced very fine dispersion of Mg- and Sc- intermetallics (~200 nm in size) with a peak hardness of 110 HV.

A mechanical ventilation system is a big support for breathing complications, in which an external solution is quite necessary to keep oxygen compensation in the patients. Its knowledge is well widespread and different equipment has been developed. However, they are very expensive and their quantity in medical centers is not sufficient, especially in Peru. Hence, it has been required to develop new methods to provide oxygen by a low cost equipment; Protofy, a research group from Spain, designed one of the first low cost mechanical ventilation systems which was medically validated by its government. In this sense, a redesign of the mechanical ventilation system was carried out according to the local requirements and available technology, a different airbag resuscitator with different properties and geometry, but maintaining its working concept based on a cam compression mechanism. Sensors and a display were added to improve the performance with a control algorithm for the rotation frequency and to show the ventilation curves over time to the medical staff. It was necessary to develop a mathematical model to relate the behavior between ventilation curves for a patient and physical variables of the design, especially in the epidemic COVID 19, that many countries are dealing with at the time research is being conducted. The mechanical ventilation system was redesigned, fabricated, and tested measuring its ventilation curves over time. Results indicate that this redesign provides a sturdy equipment able to work during a longer lifetime than the original. The replicability of the ventilation curves behavior is assured, while the mechanism dimensions are adapted for a particular airbag resuscitator. The mathematical model of the whole system can predict satisfactorily the ventilation curves over time and was used to provide the air pressure, volume, and flow as a function of the rotation angle measured by sensors.

Mammalian cells have evolved to function under Earth’s gravity, but how they respond to microgravity remains largely unknown. Neural stem cells (NSCs) are essential for the maintenance of central nervous system (CNS) functions during development and the regeneration of all CNS cell populations. Here, we examined the behavior of space (SPC)-flown NSCs as they readapted to Earth’s gravity. We found that most of these cells survived the space flight and self-renewed. Yet, some showed autophagy-like behaviors (ALB). To ascertain if the secretome from SPC-flown NSCs contained molecules inducing this behavior, we incubated naïve, non-starved NSCs in a medium containing SPC-NSCs secretome. We found a four-fold increase in the ALB rate. Proteomic analysis of the secretome revealed that the protein of highest content produced by SPC-NSCs was secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), which triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress leading to lethal ALB. These results offer novel knowledge on the response of neural cells, particularly NSCs, subjected to space microgravity. Moreover, some secreted proteins have been identified as microgravity sensing, paving a new venue for future research aiming at targeting SPARC metabolism. Although we did not establish a direct relationship between ALB and SPARC as a potential marker, these results represent the first step in the identification of gravity sensing molecules as targets to be modulated and to design effective countermeasures to mitigate intracranial hypertension in astronauts using structure-based-protein design.

This work shows the potential of a new way of co-treatment of domestic wastewater (DWW) and a liquid stream coming from the thermal hydrolysis of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) mediated by a mixed culture of purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) capable of assimilating carbon and nutrients from the medium. The biological system is an open single-step process operated under microaerophilic conditions at an oxidative reduction potential (ORP) &lt; 0 mV with a photoperiod of 12/24 h and fed during the light Stage only, so the results can be extrapolated to outdoors open ponds operation by monitoring the ORP. The effluent mostly complies with the discharge values of the Spanish legislation in COD and P values (&lt;125mg/L &lt;2 mg/L), respectively, and punctually on values in N (&lt;15mg/L). Applying an HRT of 3 d and a ratio of 100:7 (COD:N), the presence of PPB in the mixed culture surpassed 50% of 16S rRNA gene copies, removing 78% of COD, 53% of N and 66% of P. Furthermore, increasing the HRT to 5 d, removal efficiencies of 83% of COD, 65% of N and 91% of P were achieved. In addition, the reactors were further operated in a membrane bioreactor, thus separating the HRT from the SRT to increase the specific loading rate. Very satisfactory removal efficiencies were achieved by applying HRT and SRT of 2.3 and 3 d, respectively: 84% of COD, 49% of N and 93% of P despite low presence of PPB due to more oxidative conditions, which anyway step-by-step re-colonized the mixed culture until reaching &gt;20% of 16S rRNA gene copies after 49 d of operation. These results open the door to scale up the process in open photobioreactors capable of treating urban wastewater and municipal solid waste in a single stage and under microaerophilic conditions by controlling the ORP of the system. This novel urban biorefinery allows reducing treatment costs of two urban wastes and embed them in the circular bioeconomy through water recycling and valorizing PPB biomass as a source of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.

Introduction: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are low-incidence tumors whose clinical and histopathological factors are associated with adverse oncological outcomes. This study evaluated prognostic factors (PF) associated with tumor recurrence and overall survival (OS) in patients diagnosed with STS of the extremities, treated at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INC), Bogotá, Colombia. Materials and methods: An analytical observational study of a historical cohort was carried out, including patients diagnosed with STS and managed surgically in the Functional Unit for Breast and Soft Tissue Tumors of the INC from January 2008 to December 2018. Results: A total of 227 patients were included; 74.5% had tumors greater than 5 cm. Most patients (29.1%) were in stage IIIB at diagnosis. Age was associated with higher mortality (HR=1.01; CI95%: 1–1.02; p=0.048); tumor persistence at admission to the INC (HR=2.34; CI95%: 1.25–4.35; p=0.007), and histologic grade III (HR=5.36; CI95%: 2.29–12.56; p=<0.001) showed statistical significance in the multivariate analysis for recurrence of any type, as were the PFs associated with a higher risk of local recurrence (HR=2.85; CI95%: 1.23–6.57; p=0.014 and HR=6.09; CI95%: 2.03–18.2; p=0.001), respectively. Tumor size (HR=1.03; CI95%: 1–1.06; p=0.015) and histologic grade III (HR=4.53; CI95%: 1.42–14.49; p=0.011) were associated with a higher risk of distant recurrence. Conclusion: This cohort showed that in addition to histologic grade and tumor size, tumor persistence at the time of admission has an impact on disease recurrence, so STS should be managed by a multidisciplinary team with experience in this pathology in high-volume reference centers.

Knowledge of water availability in terms of spatial (i.e., depth) and temporal variability of soil water is essential to describe soil water infiltration and storage processes accurately. Therefore, performing simulations of soil water dynamics can be a valuable tool to evaluate different land uses and their impact on water availability. Consequently, this study aimed to model the volumetric soil water content (θ, cm3 cm-3) under agroforestry systems (AFS) with cocoa. For this purpose, the θ was monitored at different depths (0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, 80-100 cm) in the soil profile of four plots (20 × 50 m) of cocoa under agroforestry systems. Environmental conditions significantly influenced the water balance of the cocoa crop. There were seven moments when evapotranspiration (ET0) was higher than 5 mm d-1. During those moments, the environment exhibited higher PAR values of 1041 µmol m-2 s-1, very low atmospheric relative humidity (RHa) levels (around 45%), higher ambient temperatures of 32.2 ºC and a vapor pressure deficit of 1.6 kPa whose θ levels reached 0.32 cm3 cm-3 and a water balance of -5.7 mm, which presented negative values during most of the study period. The θ obtained from the HYDRUS-1D model presented a slight bias as a high level of coherence between the observed values, based on the model's goodness-of-fit estimators. The above provides accurate simulations of soil water content at various depths, much-needed information for management schemes for cocoa cultivation under agroforestry systems.

There has been growing interest in using permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) for pumping applications to improve energy efficiency. One promising approach for powering these motors in variable speed applications is using modular multilevel cascaded converters based on a Triple-Star Bridge Cell (M3C) due to their inherent fault tolerance capability. However, M3C converters require a more complex control system than simpler converters. For instance, A basic M3C control system for power transmission requires seventeen (17) PI controllers, whose adjustment depends on the M3C’s dynamical model parameters’ value knowledge needing extensive and time-consuming testing to obtain them. To solve this control system issue, we propose an adaptive M3C control system for variable speed drives powering multiple PMSM-driven centrifugal pumps that reduces the number of controllers to six (6). Furthermore, the proposal does not require knowledge of the converter, motor, or load parameters, making it more practical and versatile. The proposal introduces an ad-hoc hybrid passivity-based model reference adaptive controller in cascade with a passivity-based control. It has been validated through theoretical stability proof and comparative simulation results with a basic control system under normal and fault operations. As a result, the proposal effectively follows the required rotor speed while enhancing performance by decreasing the current consumption and recovering from a 10% input phase imbalance, a cell short circuit, and an open cell.

Molecular visualisation is fundamental in the current scientific literature, textbooks and dissemination materials, forming an essential support for presenting results, reasoning on and formulating hypotheses related to molecular structure. Visual exploration has become easily accessible on a broad variety of platforms thanks to advanced software tools that render a great service to the scientific community. These tools are often developed across disciplines bridging computer science, biology and chemistry. Here we first describe a few Swiss Army knives geared towards protein visualisation for everyday use with an existing large user base, then focus on more specialised tools for peculiar needs that are not yet as broadly known. Our selection is by no means exhaustive, but reflects a diverse snapshot of scenarios that we consider informative for the reader. We end with an account of future trends and perspectives.

The cancer stem cell hypothesis suggests that neoplastic cells with stem characteristics hierarchically regulate tumor generation and its high cellular heterogeneity. These cells have been detected in all cancer types, and specific signaling pathways give the regulation of self-renewal and differentiation. In prostate cancer, androgen receptor signaling has been extensively studied, and in non-stem cells, it promotes cell proliferation and tumor progression, but in the cancer stem cell population, it negatively regulates processes such as self-renewal. However, in other types of cancer, such as breast and glioblastoma, the androgen receptor seems to favor the maintenance of cancer stem cells, suggesting that androgen signaling has different effects depending on the tumor context. This review discusses the role of androgen receptor in maintaining cancer stem cells by regulating proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation, as well as the possible signaling pathways involved in these processes.

As β-glucosidases represent the major bottleneck for industrial degradation of plant biomass, great efforts are being devoted both to discover novel and robust versions of these enzymes, as well as to develop efficient and inexpensive ways to produce them. In this work, raw glycerol from chemical production of biodiesel was tested as carbon source for the fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae with the aim of producing enzyme cocktails rich in this activity. Approximately 11 U/mL β-glucosidase were detected in these cultures, constituting the major cellulolytic activity. Proteomic analysis revealed BGL-3 as the most abundant protein and the main β-glucosidase. This enzyme crude was successfully used to supplement a basal commercial cellulolytic cocktail (Cellu-clast 1.5L) for saccharification of pretreated wheat straw, corroborating that even hardly exploitable industrial wastes, such as glycerol, can be used as secondary raw materials to produce valuable enzymatic preparations in a framework of circular economy

As a consequence of the global sanitary crisis in early 2020, universities had to tackle with a sudden shift in their teaching-learning strategies so that the preset competences could be fulfilled. This study presents the learning outcomes of the tasks implemented, student experiences and feedback, as well as some reflections from the instructors with a holistic perspective of the courses due to the measures and adaptations adopted. Six courses taught at Civil Engineering degrees of three universities, two from Spain and one from Peru, are analyzed. The teaching and evaluation strategies are described and some reflections are made by comparing the student’s performance with the previous course. Although the shift to online learning had to be made from day to day, with no time for preparation, the experience has proved that online learning can be beneficial in some aspects and have probably come to stay, although some others are difficult to replace with respect to face-to-face learning, especially students’ engagement and motivation.

This longitudinal study aimed to analyze the effects of a team rowing-based training program on physical fitness and anthropometric parameters in female breast cancer survivors (n=40; 56.78±6.38 years). Participants were divided into two groups: one rowed in fixed seat rowing (FSR) boats (n=20; 56.35±4.89 years) and the other in sliding seat rowing (SSR) boats (n=20; 57.20±7.7 years). Both groups engaged in two 75-minute sessions per week for 24 weeks. Significant improvements were observed in both groups in terms of weight (FSR: -1.93 kg, SSR: -1.75 kg), body mass index (FSR: -0.73 kg/m², SSR: -0.67 kg/m²), waist circumference (FSR: -2.83 cm, SSR: -3.66 cm), and hip circumference (FSR: -2.02 cm, SSR: -2.88 cm). Muscle strength improved in lower extremities (jump test: FSR: 2.99 cm, SSR: 3.11 cm) and upper extremities (dominant: FSR: 4.13 kgf, SSR: 4.34 kgf; non-dominant: FSR: 3.67 kgf, SSR: 3.32 kgf). Aerobic capacity also improved, with the SSR group showing a greater increase (FSR: 63.05 m, SSR: 93.65 m). Flexibility tests revealed better results in the SSR group for both dominant (SSR: 1.75 cm vs. FSR: -5.55 cm) and non-dominant limbs (SSR: 1.72 cm vs. FSR: -3.81 cm). These findings suggest that the type of rowing modality can influence physical fitness outcomes, with the SSR group showing superior improvements compared to the FSR group.

The use of the voice of the customer as a main input to guide decision making towards customer centricity strategies has become a necessity for companies. This research proposes a structured method of textual processing using the KDD (Knowledge Discovery Databases) methodology applied to the tweets of users of Colombian public sector companies, through the analysis of temporal sentiments and topic modeling to identify the areas in which actions should be taken to improve the perception of service. To fulfill such purpose, tweets from January to June 2022 are processed, followed by a temporal analysis of the evolution of the sentiment based on 3 enriched dictionaries; after, the LDA (Linear Discriminant Analysis) algorithm is implemented to find the areas with ailment for the user, in addition to propose a method to homologate the CIER (Comisión de Integración Energética Regional) survey. Finally, metrics are detailed to follow up the perception of the service. It is concluded that for the Acueducto the topic with the highest number of complaints is related to "Water truck request", for Enel "Servide Outages" and for Vanti: " Case solution and request information". Also, the homologation of 3 of the 5 pillars on which the CIER survey is based is presented.

Nowadays, probiotics has been proposed for substituting antibiotics in animal feed, since the European Union (EU) banned the latter compounds in 2006 to avoid their serious side effects on human health. Therefore, this work aimed to produce a probiotic product by fed-fermentation of whey with kefir grains for use in animal feed. The whey was fermented with a combination of kefir grains AGK1 and the free biomass present in whole milk fermented milk used to activate these kefir grains. The probiotic culture obtained was characterized with high levels of biomass, total viability and antibacterial activity. Some probiotic properties of the probiotic culture were investigated in vitro, including its survival at low pH values, under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, after freezing in skim milk at − 20 ºC, and in the commercial feed during storage at room temperature. The viable cells of lactic and acetic acid bacteria and yeasts exhibited higher tolerance to acidic pH and simulated gastrointestinal conditions when the cells were protected with skim milk and piglet feed, compared with washed cells. The results indicated the feasibility of producing a probiotic product at a low cost with a potential application in animal feed.

The present article proposes a complete framework for Supply Chain Strategy (SCS) analysis that is adapted to the specific characteristics of the agrifood chain, thereby facilitating management of the former. As a specific case of analysis, the horticultural supply chain, originating in Spain and ending with the European consumer, is analyzed, taking as a reference the marketing companies at origin (mainly social economy companies, i.e.; cooperatives). In addition, a survey of marketing companies is conducted to possibly determine which explicit cooperative growth strategies may include horizontal and vertical collaboration relationships with other members of the chain. The aim is to analyze with whom the cooperative collaborates within the supply chain and the key points of such collaboration. A model analyzing the influence of collaboration on company performance is also considered. The results reveal that, in recent years, aspects related to quality and health have been surpassed and replaced by the concept of sustainability within a framework of collaboration with customers. In any case, it becomes evident that there is a need to expand collaboration within the chain by incorporating the supplier of the supplier, with the aim of making the chain more profitable.

The management of large medical files is a critical challenge in the health sector. Conventional systems have security, scalability, and efficiency deficiencies. This project proposes a hybrid architecture between blockchain and cloud computing to address these challenges. Blockchain ensures the immutability and traceability of medical records, while the cloud allows scalable and efficient storage. Together, these technologies can transform data management in electronic health record applications. The essential objective of this research is to thoroughly look at the existing strategies, devices, and conventions that encourage a secure interaction between blockchain applications and the cloud. Special emphasis is set on maintaining the integrity and security of the blockchain while tackling the potential and efficiency of cloud infrastructures. Through a meticulous investigation of these approaches, along with their successful usage and encountered challenges, this paper offers a comprehensive overview of the present state of this integration. Altogether, this paper does not propose new concepts or developments. Its central focus is to provide a comprehensive and insightful examination of the modern landscape concerning the integration of blockchain and cloud advances. By shedding light on the existing approaches and assessing their viability, this work aims to highlight the current challenges and build up a solid establishment for future development. This, in turn, will cultivate a consistent integration of blockchain security with the dynamic potential of cloud computing while guaranteeing information integrity and security remain uncompromised. In conclusion, this paper serves as a important resource for analysts, specialists, and partners looking for to dig into and development the integration of blockchain and cloud innovations, subsequently contributing to a more secure and productive cloud environment.

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to determine the effects of a rowing training program on physical fitness and body composition in female breast cancer survivors (56.78 ± 6.38 years). Over six months, the participants (n=40) performed two training sessions per week for an average of 75 minutes, combining resistance and muscle strength exercises with rowing. To evaluate the impact of the program, physical fitness tests and anthropometric measurements were carried out before and after the training protocol. The results show statistically significant improvements in measures such as weight (-1.84 kg), BMI (-0.7 kg/m2), hip (-3.24 cm) and waist circumference (-2.45 cm). In addition, variables associated with physical fitness also improved including leg strength (3.04 cm), dominant handgrip strength (4.24 kgf), non-dominant handgrip strength (3.49 kgf), aerobic endurance (78.35 m) and muscle flexibility (3.96 cm). We can therefore conclude that a rowing-based exercise program is an effective strategy to improve physical fitness in this type of population, yielding improvements in both anthropometric measurements and basic physical capacity variables, essential factors for better health and quality of life.

Background: Cognitive-behavioral alterations can occur after an acquired brain injury. It is a stressful situa-tion for patient and relatives. Objectives: To develop and evaluate a synchronous online training program on emotional intelligence (EI) for caregivers of adult patients with cognitive-behavioral impairment due to acquired brain injury. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was designed, a target population of ten caregivers attended to a one-month virtual synchronous course about EI. The emotional status of caregivers was registered one-month-previous and one-month-post program using comparative measures: The Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Results: Median age of the ten caregivers was 48 years, 80% of women with a median care-time of 6 years. 50% of them were spouses of the patients. 60% of the patients were affected by stroke (hemorrhagic or ischemic cause). The main cognitive impairment of the patients reported by relatives was memory deficit. After re-ceiving training, favorable changes were found regarding emotional affect measured with the PANAS, both positive (increase) and negative (decrease), as well as with the TMMS-24-mood-repair area (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Training in EI helps caregivers to make their mood more positive and improve aspects of their emotional intelligence such as emotional regulation.

We aimed to delineate cardiopulmonary interactions in acute bronchiolitis and to evaluate the capacity of a combined cardiopulmonary ultrasonography to predict the need for respiratory support. This was a prospective observational single-center study that includes infants < 12 month of age admitted to a hospital due to acute bronchiolitis. All the included patients under-went clinical, laboratory and cardiopulmonary ultrasonographic evaluation at the same time point within 24 hours of hospital admission. The existence of significant correlation between car-diac and respiratory parameters was the primary outcome. The association of different cardio-pulmonary variables with the need of respiratory support higher than O2, the length of stay hos-pitalization, the PICU stay, and the duration of respiratory support were a secondary outcome. We enrolled 112 infants (median age 1 (0.5-3) months; 62% males) hospitalized with acute bron-chiolitis. Increased values of the pulmonary variables (BROSJOD score, pCO2 and LUS) showed moderate correlations with NT-proBNP and all echocardiographic parameters indicative of pulmonary hypertension and myocardial dysfunction. Up to 36 (32%) infants required respira-tory support during the hospitalization. This group presented with higher lung ultrasound score (p<0.001), and increased values of Tei index (p<0.001) and pulmonary artery pressures (p<0.001). All the analyzed respiratory and cardiac variables showed moderate to strong correlations with the LOS hospitalization and the time of respiratory support. Lung ultrasound and echocardiog-raphy showed a moderate to strong predictive accuracy for the need of respiratory support in the ROC analysis, with AUC varying from 0.74 to 0.87. Conclusion: Those cases of bronchiolitis with a worse pulmonary status presented with a more impaired cardiac status. Cardiopulmonary ul-trasonography could be a good strategy to easily identify high-risk population for a complicated acute bronchiolitis hospitalization.

This paper shows the proposal of the use of linked data for smart metering systems. The aim of linked data in smart grid applications such as smart metering systems is to give semantic knowledge of the energy transactions between all participators in the power markets. In combination with other technologies like blockchain, the linked data could improve decentralization and security in the world's energetic future.

As the novel COVID-19 disease spreads around the world, the most affected population are those who suffer from the most common chronic diseases, such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, which are quite associated with the so-called age-related diseases. On the other hand, since the Spanish influenza outbreak, humanity has not experienced an infectious disease that synergizes so quickly with chronic diseases, making it mortal for those individuals with comorbidities. In this context, COVID-19 is challenging for health systems all around the world due to the high prevalence of chronic diseases. Nowadays, we are facing the beginning of a new era in which health infectious and chronic diseases meet. Therefore, epidemiologic and biomedical researchers must work together to solve further contingencies, and politicians should direct science-centered decisions on public health. In the present paper, we make an urgent call to learn from the COVID-19 lessons in order to mitigate the chronic diseases prevalence and to address the influence of the infectious diseases on the aging process; since we are about to begin the Decade of Healthy Aging.

A community food environment plays an essential role in explaining the healthy life-style patterns of its community members. However, there is a lack of compelling quantitative approaches to evaluate these environments. This study introduces and validates a new tool named the Facility List Coder (FLC), whose purpose is to assess food environments based on data sources and classification algorithms. Using the case of Mataró (Spain), we randomly selected 301 grids areas (100 m2) where we conducted street audits in order to physically identify all the facilities by name, address and type. Then, audit-identified facilities were matched with those automatically-identified and were classified using the FLC in order to determine its quality. Our results suggest that automatically-identified and audit-identified food environments have a high level of agreement. The ICC estimates and their respective 95% confidence intervals for the overall sample, yield the result “excellent” (ICC ≥ 0.9) for the level of reliability of the FLC.

In recent years, intensive work has been carried out to achieve maximum energy production in photovoltaic power plants. Today, this challenge has to be solved for arrays of solar panels that move with the object on which they are installed (vehicles, trucks, ships, etc.). The present work tries to find the best solution for both constant voltage systems and for cases of maximum intensity. Once found, these solutions will be applied in real time for the dynamic recharging of battery packs, trying to achieve energetically autonomous vehicles.To solve these situations, a new computational method of voltage and amperage calculation has been developed in this paper, based on Dijkstra’s minimum path finding algorithm on graph theory, adapted to electrical circuits. For this purpose, panel performance analysis sensors, developed at the University of Malaga, have been combined with different electronic solutions (wifi relay devices using esp8266 or similar chips) achieving an accurate and sufficiently fast solution at very low cost. With this, series or parallel configurations can be carried out depending on the type of energy generation sought. The theoretical solutions using Minkowski paths, achieved in the past, have been simulated and subsequently constructed in this article, indicating the diagrams necessary for their realisation.

The relationship between Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease, and palmitoylation, a post-translational lipid modification, is not well understood. In this study, we have analyzed the differential palmitome present in the cerebral cortex of PD patients compared to controls (n=4 per group) to better understand the role of protein palmitoylation in PD and the pathways altered in this disease. Data-mining of the cortical palmitome from PD patients and controls has allowed to: i) detect a set of 150 proteins with altered palmitoylation in PD subjects in comparison with controls, ii) describe the biological pathways and targets predicted to be altered by these palmitoylation changes, and iii) depict the overlap between the differential palmitome identified in our study with protein interactomes of the PD-linked proteins α-synuclein, LRRK2, DJ-1, PINK1, GBA and UCHL1. In summary, we have partially characterized the altered palmitome in the cortex of PD patients which is predicted to impact cytoskeleton, mitochondrial and fibrinogen functions, as well as cell survival. Our study points out that protein palmitoylation could have a role in the pathophysiology of PD, and that comprehensive palmitoyl-proteomics offers a powerful approach for elucidating novel cellular pathways modulated in this neurodegenerative disease.

Earthquakes often entail alterations in the groundwater flow regime, in the phreatic level, in the surge and loss of springs, and discharge in brooks and springs. As for the latter, there are diverse feasible mechanisms, so there is a variety of theoretical approaches to elucidate the post-earthquake effects on spring discharge. This study adopts a conceptual approach, primarily presenting various methods for estimating water released by earthquakes by calculating discharge surpluses in springs. This study delves into refined techniques rooted in groundwater hydraulics, displaying applications of analytical and simulation methodologies to quantify seismic-induced groundwater discharge in springs. Investigating springs as natural indicators, this research applies mathematical precipitation-runoff models, specifically the CREC model, for simulating hydrographs in post-earthquake scenarios. We apply analytical procedures or mathematical simulation techniques employed in groundwater hydraulics for natural aquifer recharge calculations. Firstly, we briefly describe the methods based on the analysis of depletion curves of hydrographs in spring discharge. Additionally, certain mathematical rainfall-runoff models utilized in simulating hydrographs of karstic springs, along with derived analytical approximations, are adapted for this scenario. These hydraulic calculations involve the depletion coefficient and hydrodynamic volumes of aquifers, parameters that reveal certain aspects of the relation between groundwater and earthquakes, such as: a) Acknowledging faults as the primary geological structures in transmitting pore pressures due to earthquakes. b) Clarifying mechanisms of permeability enhancement during earthquakes. c) Highlighting the substantial volumes in motion within the Earth's interior, which, for instance, could constitute a significant source for the origin of mineral deposits. The findings highlight diverse features of the complex interplay between hydrogeological and tectonic processes at challenging spatial and temporal scales.

The significance of Linked Open Data datasets for traffic information goes beyond just including open traffic data. It extends to incorporating links to other relevant thematic datasets available on the web. This enables federated queries across different data platforms from various countries and sectors, such as transport, geospatial, environmental, weather, and more. Businesses, researchers, national operators, administrators, and citizens at large can benefit from having dynamic traffic open data connected to heterogeneous datasets across different Member States. This paper focuses on the development of a semantic model that enhances the basic service of accessing open traffic data through a LOD-enhanced Traffic Information System in alignment with the ITS Directive (2010/40/EU). The objective is not limited to just viewing or downloading data but also to improve the extraction of meaningful information and enable other types of services that are only achievable through LOD. By structuring the information using the RDF format meant for machines and employing SPARQL for querying, LOD allows for comprehensive and unified access to all datasets. Considering that the European standard DATEX II is widely used in many priority areas and services mentioned in the ITS Directive, LOD DATEX II was developed as a complementary approach to DATEX II XML. This facilitates the accessibility and comprehensibility of European traffic data and services. As part of this development, an ontological model called dtx_srti, based on the DATEX II Ontology, was created to support these efforts.

Nanoporous carbons were prepared by chemical and physical activation from mangosteen peel-derived chars. The removal of atrazine was studied due to the bifunctionality of the N-groups. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second order and intraparticle pore diffusion kinetic models were analyzed. Adsorption isotherms were also analyzed according to Langmuir and Freundlich models. Results obtained were compared against two commercial activated carbons with comparable surface chemistry and porosimetry. The highest uptake was found for the carbons with higher content of basic surface groups. The role of the oxygen-containing groups on the removal of atrazine was estimated experimentally by the surface density. Results were compared with the adsorption energy of atrazine theoretically estimated on pristine and functionalized graphene with different oxygen-groups using periodic DFT methods. The energy of adsorption follows the same trend observed experimentally, namely the more basic the pH the more favored is the adsorption of atrazine. Micropores play an important role in the uptake of atrazine at low concentration but the presence of mesoporous is also required to inhibit the pore mass diffusion limitations. The present work contributes to the understanding of the interactions between triazine-based pollutants and the surface functional groups on nanoporous carbons in the liquid-solid interface.

The management and classification of solid waste is one of the most important challenges around the world, in order to sustain economic growth and preserve the environment. The objective is to propose the use of Smart Ecological Points as a strategy to address the problem related to the solid waste management system at the source, which has become one of the biggest problems globally and Colombia is no exception. The article describes the current state of the problem in the country and in turn, presents the possibility of developing a prototype corresponding to a low-cost Smart Ecological Point supported by the use of an experimental capacitive sensor and Machine Learning algorithms, which will reduce the time necessary for the classification of recyclable and non recyclable waste, minimizing the health risks and increasing the percentage of waste that can be reused, by reducing the probability of being contaminated at the source, an aspect that is very common when done manually. According to the results obtained, it was evident that the proposed prototype made an adequate classification of waste, generating the possibility of being manufactured with existing technology in the environment, in order to promote adequate waste classification at the source.

Background: Acute ischemic stroke is among the main causes of mortality worldwide; a rapid and opportune diagnosis is crucial to improve a patient's outcome. MicroRNAs are quite useful for a rapid and accurate diagnosis.Methods: We perform both structural networks approach and a meta-analysis (using a random-effect model to evaluate the heterogeneity and risk bias, according to the PRISMA statement) to analyze the feasibility to develop a microRNA-based biomarker panel for an opportune AIS diagnosis. Results: Structural networks identify a set of eight miRNAs (miR-16, miR-124-3p, miR-484, miR-15a, miR-4454, miR-107, miR-125b-5p and miR-320b) as preliminary microRNA-based biomarker panel, from these only three microRNAs are significantly associated with the main risk factors of AIS, (miR-107: hypertension, 95% CI 9.74-53.24 p<0.0001, type 2 Diabetes mellitus, 95% CI 2.18-19.26); p=0.0008; miR-16 hypertension, 95% CI 1.26-3.56 p=0.0046, smoking, 95% CI 1.07-3.54 p=0.0277; and miR-15a hypertension, 95% CI 1.26-3.56 p=0.0046; smoking, 95% CI 1.07-3.54 p=0.0277). However, the meta-analysis reveals that data is highly heterogeneous and biased; and only microRNAs isolated from plasma samples and further processed in microarrays are the most reliable to distinguish AIS patients.Conclusions: Together our results show that although there are some miRNAs that seem to be associated with AIS, we are still far to develop a miRNA-based biomarker for AIS diagnosis and it is necessary to harmonize the protocols, results and include more populations for further studies otherwise we will remain throwing punches in the dark.

The anthropogenic deterioration of aquatic ecosystems affects water resources due to agricultural malpractices, pollution from domestic septic tanks, recreational activities, and poor watershed management, among others. This study examines the management of Las Curias Reservoir (176,974 m2), San Juan, Puerto Rico, post the 2016 arrival of the invasive aquatic fern Salvinia molesta. In December 2019, a community-led initiative introduced the Cyrtobagous salviniae weevil, an effective biological control agent for S. molesta, and commenced a mechanical removal campaign using an aquatic harvester. Limnological sampling (September 2019 to March 2022) and drone flights were employed to measure physicochemical and floating plant cover changes, respectively, in the reservoir. Monitoring of weevils in the reservoir demonstrated a rapid establishment and dispersal, which resulted in visible damage including browning of plants and eventually sinking of entire mats. By January 29, 2021, 71% (125,652 m2) of the reservoir surface was covered by salvinia. In 2022, the reservoir recorded an average dissolved oxygen concentration of 2.38 mg/L -1 (± 0.021, n = 144), the highest in the study period and indicative of ecosystem recovery. After three years of control efforts, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance returned to levels recorded prior to Salvinia molesta introduction. This ecosystem recovery, a first in Puerto Rico, could be attributed to an early use of mechanical control and a long-term impact of biological control.

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

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a highly prevalent and a critical complication of cardiac surgery (CS). Serum lactate levels (sLac) have consistently shown an association with morbimortality after CS. We performed a cross-sectional study including 264 adult patients that had a cardiac surgery between January and December 2020. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with AKI development. We measured the postoperative levels of sLac to all participants immediately after CS (T0) and after 4 hours (T4) of the surgical intervention. Linear regression model was carried out to identify the factors influencing both levels of sLac. We identified four risk predictors of AKI; one was preoperative (atrial fibrillation), one intraoperative (cardiopulmonary bypass time), and two were postoperative (length of hospital stay and postoperative sLac). T0 and T4 sLac levels were higher among CS-AKI patients than in Non-CS-AKI. Postoperative sLac levels were significant independent predictors of CSA-AKI and the sLac levels are influenced by length of hospital stay, the number of packed red blood cells transfused and the use of furosemide in CS-AKI patients. These findings may facilitate the earlier identification of patients susceptible to AKI after CS.

This article proposes a monitoring system that allows to track transitions between different stages in the berry harvesting process (berry picking, waiting for transport, transport, and arrival to the packing) solely using information from temperature and vibration sensors located in the basket. The monitoring system assumes a characterization of the process based on Hidden Markov Models and uses the Viterbi algorithm to perform inference and estimate the most likely state trajectory. The obtained state trajectory estimate is then used to compute a potential damage indicator in real-time. The proposed methodology does not require information about the weight of the basket to identify each of the different stages, which makes it effective and more efficient than other alternatives available in the industry.

This study assessed the hydrological performance and runoff water quality of 12 green roof (GR) modular systems located at the Universidad de los Andes campus (Bogotá, Colombia). Based on 223 rainfall events spanning a 3-year period, average rainfall retention was 85% (SD = 25%). T-tests, Welch Test, multiple linear regressions and correlation analysis were performed in order to assess the potential effect of air temperature, substrate type, vegetation cover, relative humidity, antecedent dry weather period (ADWP), rainfall duration and rainfall maximum intensity. In some cases, GR design variables (i.e. growing media and type of vegetation) were found to be significant for describing rainfall retention efficiencies and, depending on the GR type, some hydrological variables were also correlated with the rainfall retention. Rainfall and GR runoff were monitored for Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, Total Phosphorus (TP), Phosphates, pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Color, Turbidity, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Coliforms, metals and Poliaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results obtained confirmed that GR systems have the ability to neutralize pH, but are source of the rest of the aforementioned parameters, excluding PAHs (with concentrations below detection limits), Ammonia, TSS, Se and Li, where differences with reference values (rainfall and plastic panel runoff) were not statistically significant. Substrate type, event size and rainfall regime are relevant variables for explaining runoff water quality.

Human violence recognition is an area of great interest in the scientific community, given its broad spectrum of applications, especially in video surveillance systems, since detecting violence in real-time could prevent criminal acts and save lives. Despite the number of existing proposals and research, most focus on the precision of results, leaving aside efficiency and its practical implementation. Thus, this work proposes a model that is effective and efficient in recognizing human violence in real-time. The proposed model consists of three modules: a first module called Spatial Motion Extractor (SME), in charge of extracting regions of interest from a frame; a second module called Short Temporal Extractor (STC), whose function is to extract temporal characteristics of rapid movements, finally the Global Temporal Extractor (GET) module, responsible for identifying long-lasting temporal features and fine-tuning the model. The proposal was evaluated regarding efficiency, effectiveness, and ability to operate in real-time. The results obtained on Hockey, Movies, and RWF-2000 datasets demonstrated that this approach is highly efficient compared to other alternatives. A VioPeru dataset was created to validate real-time applicability with violent and non-violent videos captured by real video surveillance cameras in Peru. The effectiveness results in this dataset outperformed the best existing proposal. Therefore, our proposal has contributions in efficiency, effectiveness, and real-time.

Industrial discrete event dynamic systems (DEDSs) are commonly modelled by means of Petri nets (PNs). PNs have the capability to model behaviours such as concurrency, synchronization, and resource sharing, compared to a GRAphe Fonctionnel de Commande Etape Transition (GRAFCET) which is a particular case of a PN. However, there is not a systematic way to implement a PN in a programmable logic controller (PLC), and so it is very common the implementation of such a controller outside a PLC, in some external software that will communicate with the PLC. There have been some attempts to implement PNs within a PLC, but they are dependent on how the logic of places and transitions is programmed for each application. This work proposes a novel application-independent and platform-independent PN implementation methodology. This methodology is a systematic way to implement a PN controller within industrial PLCs. A great portion of the code will be validated automatically prior to PLC implementation. Net structure and marking evolution will be checked on the basis of PN model structural analysis, and only net interpretation will be manually coded and error-prone. Thus, this methodology represents a systematic and semi-compiled PN implementation method. A use case supported by a digital twin (DT) is shown where the automated solution required by a manufacturing system is carried out and executed in two different devices for portability testing, and the scan cycle periods are compared for both approaches.

The search for a continuous continental record of interglacial periods in semi-arid regions is problematic due to the absence of stable and continuous sedimentary systems over time in this type of climate. In this work, a relatively stable basin is described and analyzed during the last interglacial in a semi-arid region of the western Mediterranean. For this purpose a geomorphological, stratigraphic and sedimentological study has been carried out, with dating through 230Th. A semi-endorrheic Pleistocene basin has been identified, with two units that correspond to a fluvial-lacustrine system (unit P1) and an alluvial system (unit P2). Unit P1 has been dated in the MIS 5e interglacial episode. A framework is described in which the Aljezares Quaternary basin can be considered as a possible source of paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic information in semi-arid regions from the last interglacial period in future studies.

The evolution of some epidemics, as influenza, shows common patterns both in different regions and from year to year. On the contrary, epidemics like the novel COVID-19 show quite heterogeneous dynamics and are extremely susceptible to the measures taken to mitigate their spread. In this paper we propose empirical dynamic modeling to predict the evolution of influenza in Spain’s regions. It is a non-parametric method that looks into the past for coincidences with the present to make the forecasts. Here we extend the method to predict the evolution of other epidemics at any other starting territory and we test also this procedure with Spanish COVID-19 data. We finally build influenza and COVID-19 networks to check possible coincidences in the geographical distribution of both diseases. With this, we grasp the uniqueness of the geographical dynamics of COVID-19.

Dairy products are an important source of protein and other nutrients in the Mediterranean diet. In these countries the most common source of milk for producing dairies are cow, goat, sheep and buffalo. Andalusia is traditionally the largest producer of goat milk in Spain. Kefir is a fermented product made from bacteria and yeasts which has health benefits beyond its nutritional properties. There is a lack of knowledge about the molecular mechanisms and metabolites that bring about these benefits. In this work, the combination of analytical techniques (GC-FID, UHPLC-MS-QToF, GC-QqQ-MS, and GC-ToF-MS) resulted in the detection of 105 metabolites in kefir produced with goat milk from two different thermal treatments (raw and pasteurized) fermented at four times (12, 24, 36, and 48 h, using 0 h as control). Of these, 27 metabolites differed between kefir produced with raw and pasteurized milk. These changes could be possibly caused by the effect of pasteurization on the microbial population in the starting milk. Some interesting molecules were identified, as shikimic acid, dehydroabietic acid, GABA and tyramine that could be related to antibacterial properties, enhance of immune system and arterial pressure. Moreover, a viability assay of the NIRS technique was performed to evaluate its use on monitoring the fermentation and classification of samples, which had resulted in a 90 % of correct classified samples according to their fermentation time. This study represents the most comprehensive metabolomic analysis of goat milk kefir so far, revealing the intricate changes in metabolites during fermentation and the impact of milk treatment.

In this work, the manufacture of thin walls with sharp corners has been optimized by adjusting the limits of a 3-axis cartesian kinematics through data recorded and analyzed off-line, such as axis speed, acceleration and the positioning of the X and Y axes. The study was carried out with two powder materials (SS316L and IN718) using the directed energy deposition process with laser. 1 mm thick walls were obtained with only one bead per layer and straight/sharp corners at 90º. After adjusting the in-position parameter G502 for positioning precision on the FAGOR 8070 CNC system, it has been possible to obtain walls with minimal accumulation of material in the corner, and with practically constant layer thickness and height, with a radii of internal curvature between 0.11 and 0.24 mm for two different precision configuration. The best results have been obtained by identifying the correct balance between the decrease in programmed speed and the precision in the positioning to reach the point defined as wall corner, with speed reductions of 29% for a programmed speed of 20 mm/s and 61% for a speed of 40 mm/s. The walls show minimal defects such as residual porosities, and the microstructure is adequate.

The escape and establishment of Iberian wild goats, Capra pyrenaica, from an enclosure in the 1990s marked the beginning of the recovery of the species in the Pyrenees. This population has occupied part of the Prepyrenees and has contacted another population reintroduced in France since 2014. It coexists with other wild ungulates, including the feral and domestic goats Capra hircus that has been living free since the 1960s. Today it’s the largest Iberian wild goat Pyrenean population. Between 2006 and 2022 we monitored the population and its expansion based on vantage points, itineraries and testimonies. The results indicate: (i) a population, of uncertain genetic origin, in numerical (15% average annual growth) and areal expansion, with the capacity to connect with other populations; (ii) an estimate of at least 500 individuals; (iii) in the process of expansion in contact with Iberian wild goats from France; (iv) sympatry with feral and domestic goat population in its main nucleus whose estimate exceeds 2000 specimens and (v) hybridization with feral and domestic goats. In 2022 sustainable hunt started with a hunting quota of 20 individuals. Genetic characterization and the establishment of an international coordinated monitoring are two of the current priorities.

Climate change is affecting the production of temperate fruit crops. Freeze damage, particularly in spring, has resulted in significant economic losses in peach production in the southeastern United States. Research efforts in peach and other Prunus species have primarily focused on dormancy-related traits associated with bloom time, such as chill and heat requirement, with fruitlet freeze tolerance not equally represented. This study reports fruitlet freeze tolerance in 75 peach and nectarine accessions at six freezing temperatures (0 to -10ºC) using electrolyte leakage method over two seasons (2022-2023). Fruitlet freeze tolerance ranged from -3.94 to -10.22 °C with an estimated damage ranging from 16-48% with the majority of the accessions showing tolerance to cold temperatures in the -4 to -6ºC and 25-35% range. Variability in tolerance was noted across years, including some inconsistencies between tolerance group assignments. Grouping based on the estimated damage showed better stability and some accessions changed their grouping from the extremes to an intermediate tolerance group. Interestingly, nectarine accessions were among most tolerant in both seasons. Broad-sense heritability of 0.52 and 0.85, for freeze tolerance and estimated damage, respectively, suggested genetic control of this trait with a potential for improvement via breeding.

Some studies have demonstrated that in vivo degradation processes are influenced by the material’s physico-chemical properties. The present study compares two hydroxyapatites manufactured on an industrial scale, deproteinized at low and high temperatures, and how physico-chemical properties can influence the mineral degradation process of material performance in bone biopsies retrieved 6 months after maxillary sinus augmentation. Residual biomaterial particles were examined by field scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to determine the composition and degree of degradation of the bone graft substitute material. According to the EDX analysis, the Ca/P ratio significantly lowered in the residual biomaterial (1.08±0.32) compared to the initial composition (2.22±0.08) for the low-temperature sintered group, which also presented high porosity, low crystallinity, low density, a large surface area, and poor stability and a high resorption rate compared to the high-temperature sintered material. This demonstrates that variations in the physico-chemical properties of bone substitute material clearly influence the degradation process. Further studies are needed to determine whether the resorption of deproteinized bone particles proceeds slowly enough to allow sufficient time for bone maturation to occur.

Meniere Disease (MD) is a multifactorial disorder of the inner ear characterized by vertigo attacks associated with sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus with a significant heritability. Although MD has been associated with several genes, no epigenetic studies have been performed in MD. Here we performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing in 14 MD patients and 6 healthy controls, with the aim of identifying a MD methylation signature and potential disease mechanisms. We observed a high number of differentially methylated CpGs (DMC) when comparing MD patients to controls (N= 9,545), several of them in hearing loss genes such as PCDH15, ADGRV1 and CDH23. Bioinformatic analyses of DMCs and cis-regulatory regions predicted phenotypes related to abnormal excitatory postsynaptic currents, abnormal NMDA-mediated receptor currents and abnormal glutamate-mediated receptor currents when comparing MD to controls. Moreover, we identified various DMCs in genes previously associated with cochleovestibular phenotypes in mice. We have also found 12 undermethylated regions (UMR) that were exclusive to MD, including 2 UMR in an inter CpG island in the PHB gene. We suggest that the DNA methylation signature allows to distinguish between MD patients and controls. The enrichment analysis confirms previous findings of a chronic inflammatory process underlying MD.

Anxiety, chronical stress and depression during pregnancy are considered to affect the offspring, presumably through placental dysregulation. We have studied the term placentae of pregnancies clinically monitored with the Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). A cutoff threshold for BAI/EPDS of 10 classed patients into an Index group (>10, n=23) and a Control group (<10, n=23). Cortisol concentrations in hair (HCC) were periodically monitored throughout pregnancy and delivery. Expression differences of main glucocorticoid pathway genes: i.e. corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD11B2), glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), as well as other key stress biomarkers (Arginine Vasopressin, AVP and O-GlcNAc transferase, OGT) were explored in medial placentae using real-time qPCR and western blotting. Moreover, gene expression changes were considered for their association with HCC, offspring, gender and birthweight. A significant dysregulation of gene expression for CRH, AVP and HSD11B2 genes was seen in the Index group, compared to controls, while OGT and NR3C1 expression remained similar between groups. Placental gene expression of the stress-modulating enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD11B2) was related to both hair cortisol levels (Rho= 0.54; p<0.01) and the sex of the newborn in pregnancies perceived as stressful (Index, p<0.05). Gene expression of CRH correlated with both AVP (Rho= 0.79; p<0.001) and HSD11B2 (Rho= 0.45; p<0.03), and also between AVP with both HSD11B2 (Rho= 0.6; p<0.005) and NR3C1 (Rho= 0.56; p<0.03) in the Control group but not in the Index group; suggesting a possible loss of interaction in the mechanisms of action of these genes under stress circumstances during pregnancy.

Smoked cigarette butts (SCB) can be used as precursors to obtain activated carbon (AC) due to their high carbon content related to the presence of cellulose acetate and components that are retained in the tobacco combustion process. In this way, it was analyzed how the process of pyrolysis or formation of char from this residue occurs, for this a study of the kinetics of formation of char is carried out by thermogravimetry, using three heating speeds 5, 10 and 15 °C/min. Based on the data obtained, mathematical models such as Kissenger - Akahira - Sunose (KAS), Starink (STK) and Ozawa - Flynn - Wall (OFW) were used in order to identify thermodynamic parameters through the energy of activation. The char obtained was subjected to an activation treatment with KOH in order to increase the surface area and pore volume, obtaining values of 433 m2/g of BET area and 0.25 cm3/g of micropore volume. Finally, the adsorbent was applied in the removal of Cr (VI) obtaining a Qmax capacity determined by the Langmuir model of 55.8 mg/g.

Currently, the clinical impact of cell therapy after a myocardial infarction (MI) is limited by low cell engraftment due to significant cell death, including apoptosis, in an infarcted, inflammatory, poor angiogenic environment, low cell retention and secondary migration. Cells interact with their environment through integrin mechanoreceptors that control their survival/apoptosis/differentiation/migration/proliferation. Optimizing these interactions may be a way of improving outcomes. The association of free cells with a 3D-scaffold may be a way to target their integrins. Collagen is the most abundant structural component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the best contractility levels are achieved with cellular preparations containing collagen, fibrin, or Matrigel (i.e. tumor extract). In the interactions between cells and ECM, 3 main proteins are recognised: collagen, laminin and RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) peptide. The RGD plays a key role in heart development, after MI, and on cardiac cells. Cardiomyocytes secrete their own laminin on collagen. The collagen has a non-functional cryptic RGD and is thus suboptimal for interactions with associated cells. The use of a collagen functionalized with RGD may help to improve collagen biofunctionality. It may help in the delivery of paracrine cells, whether or not they are contractile, and in assisting tissue engineering a safe contractile tissue.

This study reports on allelic and genotypic frequencies of OCT1, OCT2, OCT3 polymorphisms among metformin-treated DMT2 patients. It also reports the association with HbA1c control on 59 DMT2 patients. They were genotyped through real-time PCR (TaqMan assays). Metformin plasmatic levels were determined through mass spectrometry. Neither the analysis of HbA1c control by SNPs in SLC22A1, SLC22A2, and SLC22A3, nor the dominant genotypic model analysis yielded statistical significance across genotypes in polymorphisms rs72552763 (p=0.4678), rs622342 (p= 0.2215), rs316019 (p=0.2209), and rs2076828 (p=0.215). HbA1c levels were different in rs72552763 (p= 0.0220) and rs622342 (p=0.0093) genotypes. The dominant genotypic model found the lowest HbA1c levels by GAT/GAT (p= 0.0058) and A/A (p=0.0108), in rs72552763 and rs622342 respectively. We may conclude that rs72552763 and rs622342 polymorphisms in SLC22A1, exercise a relevant effect in metformin response determined by HbA1c levels among Mexican-Mestizo DMT2 patients.

The main contribution of this paper is to develop a graphical tool to evaluate the suitability of a candidate parametric model to fit a data set. The practical motivation is to check the adequacy of the so called SAINT model proposed in Jarner and Kryger (2011). This model has been implemented in practice by an important European pension fund concerned with setting annuity reserves for all current or former employees of Denmark. So, one particular relevant question is whether this mortality model is actually fitting old-age. Our graphical test can be described as follows. First we transform the data by means of the parametric model which is being evaluated. Should the model be correct, the transformed data will be in accordance with an Exponential distribution with rate 1. Then we construct a family of local linear hazard estimates based on the data on the transformed scale. Finally we use the statistical tool SiZer to assess the goodness-of-fit of the Exponential distribution to the data on the transformed scale. If the model is correct the SiZer map should not reveal any significant feature in the family of kernel estimates. Our method allow us to establish a diagnostic regarding the validity of the SAINT model when describing mortality patterns in four different countries.