Thermodynamics of protein-ligand interactions seems to be associated to a narrow range of Gibbs Free Energy. As a consequence, a linear enthalpy-entropy relationship showing an apparent Enthalpy-Entropy compensation (EEC) is frequently observed associated to the study of protein-ligand interactions. This EEC affects negatively the design and discovery of new and more efficient drugs capable of binding protein-targets with a higher affinity. Originally attributed to experimental errors, compensation between H and TS values is a real observable fact, although its molecular origin has remained obscure and controversial. Herein we show the results of a data search of G values of 2558 protein-ligand interactions and 3025 “in vivo” ligand concentrations from the Protein Data Bank bind Database and the Metabolome Data Base (2020). These results, together with the mechano-statistical interpretation of the thermodynamic properties leads to the conclusion that the EEC has no basis in statistical thermodynamics. It can be plausibly explained as a consequence of the narrow range of G associated to protein-ligand interactions. The Gaussian distribution of the G values matches very well with that of ligands. These results suggest the hypothesis that the set of G values for the protein-ligand interactions is the result of the evolution of proteins. The conformation versatility of present proteins and the exchange of thousands (even millions) of minute amounts of energy with the environment may have functioned as a homeostatic mechanism to make G of proteins adaptive to changes in availability of ligands, and therefore achieve the maximum regulatory capacity of the protein function. Finally, a plausible strategy to avoid the EEC is suggested.

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 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.

Microbes do not live in isolation but in microbial communities. The relevance of microbial communities is increasing due to the awareness about their biotechnological influences in a huge number of environmental, health and industrial processes. Hence, being able to control and engineer the output of both natural and synthetic communities would be of great interest. However, most of the available methods and biotechnological applications (both in vivo and in silico) have been developed in the context of isolated microbes. In vivo microbial consortia development, i.e. to reproduce the community life conditions in the wet-lab, is extremely difficult and expensive requiring of computational approaches to advance knowledge about microbial communities, mainly with descriptive modelling, and further with engineering modelling. In this review we provide a detailed compilation of available examples of engineered microbial communities as a launch pad for an exhaustive and historical revision of those computational methods devoted so far toward the better understanding, and rational engineering of natural and synthetic microbial communities.

In this paper, we introduce a model for the automatic generation of literary sentences in French. It is based on algorithms that we have previously used to generate sentences in Spanish and Portuguese, and on a new corpus consisting of literary texts in French that we have constructed, called [FR]. Our automatic text generation algorithm combines language models, shallow parsing and deep learning, artificial neural networks. We have also proposed and implemented a manual evaluation protocol to assess the quality of the artificial sentences generated by our algorithm, by testing if they fulfill four simple criteria. We have obtained encouraging results from the evaluators for most of the desired features of our artificially generated sentences.

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.

Solid polymer electrolytes and composite polymer electrolytes serve as crucial components in all-solid-state energy storage devices. Structural batteries and supercapacitors present a promising alternative for electric vehicles, integrating structural functionality with energy storage capability. However, despite their potential, these applications are hampered by various challenges, particularly in the realm of developing new solid polymer electrolytes that require more investigations. In this study, novel solid polymer electrolytes and composite polymer electrolytes were synthesized using epoxy resin blends, ionic liquid, lithium salt, and alumina nanoparticles, and subsequently characterized. Among the formulations tested, the optimal system, designated as L70P30ILE40Li1MAl2 and containing 40 wt.% of ionic liquid and 5.7 wt.% of lithium salt, exhibited exceptional mechanical properties. It displayed a remarkable storage modulus of 1.2 GPa and reached ionic conductivities of 0.085 mS/cm at 60°C. Furthermore, a proof-of-concept supercapacitor was fabricated, demonstrating the practical application of the developed electrolyte system.

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.

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.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an Athletic Performance Program, performed in addition to teams’ regular training routines, on match performance variables in professional football players. Twenty-nine professional football players (age=27.21±4.95 years; body mass=79.56±5.21 kg) of the Spanish First Division (LaLiga) underwent a 10-week training program focused on the development of mobility, stability, strength, and multidirectional running skills. The APP included 5 indoor sessions per week and on-field micro-dosing stimulus in addition to regular training practices. Match performance variables obtained with GPS devices during official matches and jump performance were measured before and after the APP. The APP increased peak running speed (31.1±1.4 vs 32.1±1.0 km/h, P < 0.001, d=1.88), the number of sprints (0.14±0.03 vs 0.16±0.03 sprint/min, P< 0.001, d=1.44) and the sprint distance (6.45±1.43 vs 8.35±1.22 m/min P< 0.001, d=2.49) during the matches. The intervention also increased countermovement jump height (34.1±2.7vs 35.8±2.5 cm, P< 0.001, d=2.20). The APP was effective to improve intense actions during competitive match play in professional football players. Strength and conditioning coaches may consider the use of multicomponent physical training programs included in the usual training week to enhance players’ match running at high intensity.

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.

Objective. To test the hypothesis that a session of unilateral tSMS over the dominant primary motor cortex (M1) in healthy subjects produces a transient decrease in manual dexterity. Methods. A triple-blinded randomized control trial was conducted in 40 healthy participants who were allocated to real- or sham-tSMS group. Each participant underwent one session of tSMS and were assessed before, immediately after, 15 minutes, and 40 minutes after stimulation. Outcome measures were Finger Tapping Test (FTT), 5-seconds FTT, nine Hole Peg Test, and the hand grip assessment. Results: Significant differences were found between groups 15 minutes after stimulation in favor of the tSMS group in the FTT (2.2 ± 0.99; CI= .18-4.22; d= .84p=.034), and 5-second FTT (4.2 ± 1.98; CI= .199-8.2, d= .68; p=.04). In the intragroup analysis, a significantly lower number of taps 15 minutes after stimulation was observed in sham group (3.3 ± 1.01; CI= .47-6.13; d= .42; p=.015), but not in the real stimulation group. Conclusion: A unilateral session of tSMS in the M1 of the dominant hemisphere of healthy individuals does not reduce manual dexterity or grip strength. This technique could have benefits on the motor performance of the arm contralateral to the stimulated motor cortex

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.

Iberian ham, a traditional Spanish meat product, is renowned for its unique nutritional and sensory attributes, garnering widespread appreciation both domestically and internationally [1]. It is one of the most outstanding Spanish gastronomic treasures, with very special nutritional and sensory properties that make it highly appreciated throughout the world [2]. Recent trends indicate a notable surge in its consumption, a pattern projected to persist [3]. For an enhanced online shopping experience, understanding the specific characteristics and requirements of various consumer segments is crucial. This study aims to scrutinize national Iberian ham consumption patterns and, through survey methodologies, discern the preferences and needs of online consumers purchasing whole Iberian hams. The subsequent cluster analysis will empower suppliers with insights to pinpoint business prospects and craft segment-specific online marketing strategies.

Background: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition that significantly affects the daily life of those who suffer from it, requiring complex and personalized management with active participation of the patient in the management of their disease. Objective: to describe the design and development process of a mobile application, using the Design Thinking method, for the follow-up of patients with atopic dermatitis. Methods: User-centered design and prototype creation method, differentiating the phases of the empathize, define, idea, prototype, and test. A purposive snowball sampling was used to recruit patients with atopic dermatitis, family members, and health professionals. Three two-hour workshops were held, attended by 25 people. Results: the parameters to be monitored will include objective data (physical, behavioral, treatments, environmental, integration of daily routines) and subjective data (user experience). On the other hand, it will figure out behavior patterns, set up rewards, foster a feeling of community, and use notifications and a chatbot. Conclusion: The active integration of all stakeholders at each stage of the design and development of the digital solution has improved its relevance and acceptance, resulting in a tool that is expected to significantly improve the management of atopic dermatitis.

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 architectural configuration of the space plays a crucial role in the acoustics of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). The design of the environment, the materials used in construction, and the organisation of noise sources within the room significantly influence the noise levels present in these critical areas. For this research, noise levels found in two hospitals, with different architectural configurations and sizes but similar construction materials, have been analyzed. Data were recorded at 1-second intervals over a period of more than 24 hours. The data collected in these hospitals confirm the magnitude of the noise problem in NICUs, highlighting the urgent need to address it effectively to ensure an appropriate and safe environment for the recovery of neonates. Good architectural planning can help mitigate noise, while poor configuration can exacerbate acoustic problems, negatively affecting both patients and healthcare staff. It is crucial to involve architects, acoustic engineers, and healthcare staff in the design and renovation of NICUs to create spaces that not only meet medical needs but also consider the auditory well-being of neonates.

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

The 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.

Mechanical ventilation systems, which are used for breathing support when a person is not able to do it by their own, requires a device for measuring the air flow to the patient in order to monitoring and a assure the magnitude establish by a medical staff. Flow sensors are the conventional devices used for the air flow measuring; however, there were not available in Peru, because of the international demand during COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, a novel air flow sensor based on orifice plate and an intelligent transducer stage were developed as an integrated design. Advanced methodologies in simulations and experiments using specially designed equipment for this application were carried out. The obtained data was used for a mathematical characterization and dimensions validation of the integrated design. The device was tested in its real working conditions, it was implemented in a breathing circuit connected to a low-cost mechanical ventilation system based on cams. Results indicate that the designed air flow sensor/transducer is a low-cost complete medical device for mechanical ventilators able to provide satisfactorily all the ventilation parameters air flow, pressure and volume over time by measuring the air flow and calculating the others. Furthermore, this device provides directly a filtered equivalent electrical signal for a display or a computer.

Introduction and objectives: arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a hereditary heart disease defined by the progressive replacement of the ventricular myocardium with fibroadipose tissue, which can act as a substrate for arrhythmias, sudden death, or even give rise to heart failure (HF). Sudden death is frequently the first manifestation of the disease, particularly among young patients. The aim of this study is to describe a new pathogenic variant in the PKP2 gene. Methods: A descriptive observational study that included 8 initially non-interrelated families with a diagnosis of ACM undergoing follow-up at our HF and Familial Cardiomyopathies Unit, who were carriers of the NM_004572.3:c.775_776insG; p. (Glu259Glyfs*77) variant in PKP2 gene. The genetic testing employed next-generation sequencing for the index cases, and the Sanger method for the targeted study with family members. We compiled personal and family histories, demographic and clinical characteristics, data from the additional tests at the time of diagnosis, and arrhythmic events at diagnosis and during follow-up. Results: We included 47 subjects, of whom 8 were index cases (17%). Among the evaluated family members, 16 (34%) were carriers of the genetic variant, 3 of whom also had a diagnosis of ACM. The majority were women (26 patients; 55.3%), with a mean age on diagnosis of 48.9 ± 18.6 years, and a median follow-up of 39 [24-59] months. Worthy of note are the high incidence of arrhythmic events as the form of presentation and in follow-up (21.5% and 20.9% respectively), and the onset of HF in 25% of the sample. The most frequent ventricular involvements were right (4 patients 16.7%) and biventricular (4 patients 16.7%); we found no statistical differences in any of the variables analysed. Conclusions: This variant is a pathogenic variant of gene PKP2 that has not previously been described and is not present in the control groups associated with ACM. It has incomplete penetrance, a highly variable phenotypic expressivity, and was identified in 8 families of our geographical area in Malaga (Andalusia, Spain), where we can establish a founder effect and describe the clinical and risk characteristics.

The analytical method for the calculation of the properties of a bolted connection established by the structural Eurocodes proposes the T-stub as a component for the characterization of the tension and compression zones in moment joints. In this article, a review of the state of the art on the T-stub component is developed, where the works developed since it was initially defined, and from the perspectives of formulation, experimentation and numerical simulation are summarized and discussed. Additionally, possible future lines of work are proposed.

(S)-Atenolol ((S)-2-(4-(2-Hydroxy-3-(isopropylamino)propoxy)phenyl)acetamide) has been synthesized in >99% ee with use of Candida antarctica lipase B from Syncozymes (Shanghai, China), in a kinetic resolution of the corresponding racemic chlorohydrin. Deprotonation of the starting phenol building block was base catalyzed. The enantiopurity of the chlorohydrin building block remained unchanged upon subsequent amination. All four steps in the synthesis protocol have been optimized compared to previously reported methods, which makes this new protocol more sustainable and in accordance with green chemistry principles compared to previously reported protocols.

Background: The Micro Hand S robot is the first domestically produced surgical robot that has entered clinical use in China, and this is the first report of its application in colon cancer. Objective: This study aimed to validate the safety and efficacy of the domestically produced Chinese minimally invasive Micro Hand S surgical robot system in complex surgery, such as robotic complete mesocolic excision (R-CME). Methods: From March 2018 to December 2018, 30 patients with right hemicolon cancer underwent R-CME with the Micro Hand S robot system. The operative findings, morbidities, oncological findings and unique characteristics were summarizedwere analyzed. Result: 12 patients with right hemicolon cancer and 18 patients with sigmoid colon cancer underwent RCME with the Micro Hand S robot system. During the study period, the median operative duration was 209 (range, 180-255) min, and the median estimated blood loss volume was 35 (range, 25-75) ml. The median number of lymph nodes harvested was 42 (21-77), and the median postoperative hospital stay was 5 (range, 4-7) days. According to the Clavien-Dindo classification, there were no severe complications except for 7 cases of grade I complications and 5 cases of grade II complications. The conversion rate for all operations was 0%. There were no cases of 30-day readmission or 30-day mortality. Conclusion: Clinical application of domestically produced Chinese minimally invasive surgical robot system “Micro Hand S ” in selected colon cancer patients is technically feasible and safe.

Background: The Micro Hand S robot is the first domestically produced surgical robot that has entered clinical use in China, and this is the first report of its application in colon cancer.Objective: This study aimed to validate the safety and efficacy of the domestically produced Chinese minimally invasive Micro Hand S surgical robot system in complex surgery, such as robotic complete mesocolic excision (R-CME).Methods: From March 2018 to December 2018, 30 patients with right hemicolon cancer underwent R-CME with the Micro Hand S robot system. The operative findings, morbidities, oncological findings and unique characteristics were summarizedwere analyzed.Result: 12 patients with right hemicolon cancer and 18 patients with sigmoid colon cancer underwent RCME with the Micro Hand S robot system. During the study period, the median operative duration was 209 (range, 180-255) min, and the median estimated blood loss volume was 35 (range, 25-75) ml. The median number of lymph nodes harvested was 42 (21-77), and the median postoperative hospital stay was 5 (range, 4-7) days. According to the Clavien-Dindo classification, there were no severe complications except for 7 cases of grade I complications and 5 cases of grade II complications. The conversion rate for all operations was 0%. There were no cases of 30-day readmission or 30-day mortality. Conclusion: Clinical application of domestically produced Chinese minimally invasive surgical robot system “Micro Hand S ” in selected colon cancer patients is technically feasible and safe.

Physical exercise is the greatest stress on the cardiovascular system, not only in humans but also in all vertebrates. Consequently, the cardiovascular response cannot be thought of as having only one "anthropocentric" interpretation. The modulation of cardiac output (Q) in response to exercise in the five major groups of vertebrates exhibits considerable variability. Moreover, the response of the heart rate (HR) and the stroke volume (SV), the fundamental factors that cause the rise in Q, is also highly variable. The difference in the range of HR is difficult to determine in many vertebrates, both at rest and at maximal effort. Additionally, the increase in SV varies among vertebrates. For example, while rainbow trout and leopards increase their SV by increasing end diastolic volume (EDV), humans do so at the expense of both increasing EDV and reducing end systolic volume (ESV). The variation in arterial pressure that arises during exercise varies notably among vertebrates, such as amphibians, whose blood pressure values do not increase as significantly as in mammals. Such differences in cardiovascular response among vertebrates may be linked to their habitat or living environment. This review aims to analyze the cardiovascular response of vertebrates to physical exercise as the most common stressor.

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, was an almost neglected pathogen until its introduction in the Americas in 2015, where it has been responsible for a threat to global health, causing a great social and sanitary alarm due to its increased virulence, rapid spread, and an association with severe neurological and ophthalmological complications. Currently, no specific antiviral therapy against ZIKV is available, and treatments are palliative and mainly directed to symptoms relief, such as fever and rash, by administering antipyretics, anti-histamines, and fluids for dehydration. Nevertheless, lately, a great effort has been made to search for antiviral candidates using different approaches and methodologies, ranging from repurposing of specific compounds with known antiviral activity to the screening of libraries and of natural compounds. The identified antiviral candidates include drugs targeting viral components (structural proteins and enzymes), as well as cellular ones. Here, we present an updated review of current knowledge about anti-ZIKV strategies, focusing on host-directed antivirals as a realistic alternative to combat ZIKV infection.

In this paper, we present a new concept of the generalized core orthogonality (called the C-S orthogonality) for two generalized core invertible matrices $A$ and $B$. $A$ is said to be C-S orthogonal to $B$ if $A^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}B=0$ and $BA^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}=0$, where $A^{\tiny\textcircled{S}}$ is the generalized core inverse of $A$. The characterizations of C-S orthogonal matries and the C-S additivity are also provided. And the connection between the C-S orthogonality and C-S partial order has been given using their canonical form. Moreover, the concept of the strongly C-S orthogonality is defined and characterized.

SARS-CoV-2 is a new coronavirus that has caused a worldwide pandemic. It produces severe acute respiratory disease (COVID-19), which is fatal in many cases, characterised by cytokine release syndrome (CRS). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), those who smoke are likely to be more vulnerable to infection. Here, in order to clarify the epidemiologic relationship between smoking and COVID-19, we present a systematic literature review until 28 April 2020 and a meta-analysis. It includes 18 recent COVID-19 clinical and epidemiological studies based on smoking patient status from 720 initial studies in China, USA, and Italy. The percentage of hospitalised current smokers was 7.7% (95%CI: 6.9-8.4) in China, 2.3% (95%CI: 1.7-2.9) in the USA and 7.6% (95%CI: 4.2-11.0) in Italy. These percentages were compared to the smoking prevalence of each country and statistically significant differences were found in them all (p <0.0001). By means of the meta-analysis, we offer epidemiological evidence showing that smokers were statistically less likely to be hospitalised (OR=0.18, 95%CI: 0.14-0.23, p<0.01). CRS and exacerbated inflammatory response are associated with aggravation of hospitalise patients. In this scenario, we hypothesise that nicotine, not smoking, could ameliorate the cytokine storm and severe related inflammatory response through the cholinergic-mediated anti-inflammatory pathway.

Unidentified abortion, of which leptospirosis, brucellosis and ovine enzootic abortion are important factors, is the main cause of disease spread between animals and humans in all agricultural systems in most developing countries. Although there are well-defined risk factors for these diseases, these characteristics do not represent the prevalence of the disease in different regions. This study predicts the unidentified abortion burden from multi-microorganisms in ewes based on artificial neural networks approach and GLM. Methods: A two-stage cluster survey design was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of abortifacient microorganisms, and to identify putative factors of infectious abortion. Results: Overall seroprevalence of Brucella was 70.7%, while Leptospira spp. was 55.2%, C. abortus 21.9% and B. ovis 7.4%. Serological detection with the 4 abortion-causing microorganisms was determined only in 0.87% of sheep sampled. The best GLM is integrated by serological detection of serovar Hardjo and Brucella ovis in animals of the slopes with elevation between 2600 to 2800 meters above sea level from municipality of Xalatlaco, as well water supply, sheep pen built with materials of metal grids and untreated wood, with dirt and concrete floors, and bed of straw that remained independently associated with infectious abortion in ewes. Approximately 80% of those respondents did not wear gloves or masks to prevent the transmission of the abortifacient zoonotic microorganisms. Conclusions: Sensitizing stakeholders on good agricultural practices could improve public health surveillance. Further studies on the effect of animal-human transmission in such a setting are worthwhile to further support the One Health initiative.

The number of applications for nanobodies is steadily expanding, positioning these molecules as fast-growing biologic products in the biotechnology market. Several of their applications require protein engineering, which in turn would greatly benefit from having a reliable structural model of the nanobody of interest. However, as with antibodies, structural modeling of nanobodies is still a challenge. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), several methods have been developed in recent years that attempt to solve the problem of protein modeling. In this study, we have compared the performance in nanobody modeling of several state-of-the-art AI-based programs, either designed for general protein modeling, such as AlphaFold2, OmegaFold, ESMFold and Yang-Server, or specifically designed for antibody modeling, such as IgFold, and Nanonet. While all these programs performed rather well in constructing the nanobody framework and CDRs 1 and 2, modeling of CDR3 sill represents a big challenge. Interestingly, tailoring an AI method for antibody modeling does not necessarily translate into better results for nanobodies.

The 2030 Agenda sets out seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The educational goal is to promote the education of citizens on sustainable development, among other things. Educating today's digital citizens on sustainability means training them for justice and social activism, commitment and political engagement. However, research into the subject shows a lack of consistency in the education of university students. This paper presents a study of students of Education, on education on sustainability through the practice of active and critical digital citizenship. A quasi-experimental method was used to learn about the behaviours of digital citizens, and intervention was carried out by means of an SDG-focused workshop and observation of the final level of commitment. The results show a positive level of commitment and digital activism around content related to sustainable development, which can be addressed from the university syllabus in a cross-curricular way.

We study L_2-approximation problems in the weighted Hilbert spaces in the worst case setting. Three interesting weighted Hilbert spaces appear in this paper, whose weights are equipped with two positive parameters $\ga_j$ and $\az_j$ for $j=1,\,2,\dots,\,d$. We consider the worst case error of algorithms that use finitely many arbitrary continuous linear functionals. We discuss the exponential convergence-(t,s)-weak tractability (EC-(t,s)-WT) of these L_2-approximation problems under the absolute or normalized error criterion. In particular, we obtain the sufficient and necessary conditions for EC-(1,1)-WT and EC-(t,1)-WT with t

Glypicans are a family of heparan sulfate proteoglycans that are attached to the outer plasma membrane leaflet of the producing cell by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. Glypicans are involved in the regulation of many signalling pathways, including those that regulate the activities of Wnts, Hedgehog (Hh), Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) and Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs), among others. In the Hh signalling pathway, glypicans have been shown to be essential for ligand transport and the formation of Hh gradients over long distances, for the maintenance of Hh levels in the extracellular matrix and for its unimpaired reception in distant recipient cells. Recently, two mechanistic models have been proposed to explain how Hh can form the signalling gradient and how glypicans may contribute to it. In this review, we describe the structure, biochemistry and metabolism of glypicans and their interactions with different components of the Hh signalling pathway that are important for the release, transport and reception of Hh.

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare malignant growth characterized by the production of mucin and the potential for peritoneal relapse. This study aimed to investigate the immunohistochemical and biological characteristics of mucin in patients with cellular and acellular PMP. We prospectively analyzed mucin specimens obtained from our patient cohort and described the composition and type of mucin present in each sample. A metagenomic analysis of the samples was performed to investigate the bacterial composition of the PMP microbiome. Secreted mucins 2 and 5AC and membrane-associated mucin-1 were the primary components of mucin in both cellular and acellular tumor specimens. The metagenomic study revealed a predominance of the phylum Proteobacteria and the genus Pseudomonas. Notably, Pseudomonas plecoglossicida, a species not previously reported in the human microbiome, was found to be the most abundant organism in the mucin of pseudomyxoma peritonei. Our findings suggest that the presence of MUC-2 and mucin colonization by Pseudomonas is a characteristic feature of both cellular and acellular disease. These results may have significant implications for the diagnosis and treatment of this rare entity.

We present the case of a 35-year-old male with first degree family history of gastric cancer (father diagnosed at the age of 45), that was presumed to have gastric cancer himself when evaluating the features of his upper endoscopy performed after hematemesis. Surprisingly, no cancer cells were found in the biopsies. Thanks to a different diagnostic suspicion subsequent to performing a full clinical history, a more favorable diagnosis was reached: gastric syphilis.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disease common in people aged 50 years and older. This condition is characterized by the presence of pain and stiffness involving mainly the shoulder and pelvic girdle. Besides the frequent association with giant cell arteritis (GCA), several conditions may mimic PMR or present with PMR features. Since the diagnosis is basically clinical, an adequate diagnosis of this condition is usually required. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) has proved to be a useful tool for the diagnosis of PMR. The use of 18F-FDG-PET imaging appears promising as it provides detailed information on inflammatory activity that may not be evident with traditional methods. However, since PET-CT is not strictly necessary for the diagnosis of PMR, clinicians should consider several situations in which this imaging technique can be used in patients with suspected PMR.

Ship detection from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is crucial for various fields in real-world applications. Numerous deep learning-based detectors have been investigated for SAR ship detection, which require a substantial amount of labeled data for training. However, SAR data annotation is time-consuming and demands specialized expertise, resulting in that deep learning-based SAR ship detectors struggle due to a lack of annotations. With limited labeled data, semi-supervised learning is a popular approach for boosting detection performance by excavating valuable information from unlabeled data. In this paper, a semi-supervised SAR ship detection network is proposed, termed as Multi-Teacher Dempster-Shafer Evidence Fusion Net-work (MTDSEFN). The MTDSEFN is an enhanced framework based on the basic teacher-student skeleton frame, comprising two branches: the Teacher Group (TG) and the Agency Teacher (AT). The TG utilizes multiple teachers to generate pseudo-labels for different augmentation versions of unlabeled samples, which are then refined to obtain high-quality pseudo-labels by using Dempster-Shafer (D-S) fusion. The AT not only serves to deliver weights of its own teacher to the TG at the end of each epoch, but also updates its own weights after each iteration, enabling the model to effectively learn rich information from unlabeled data. The combination of TG and AT guarantees both reliable pseudo-label generation and learning comprehensive diversity information from numerous unlabeled samples. Extensive experiments were performed on two public SAR ship datasets, and the results demonstrated the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach.

Enteric methane (CH4) emitted by ruminant species is known as one of the main greenhouse gases produced by the agricultural sector. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition, in vitro gas production, dry matter degradation (DMD), digestibility, CO2 production and CH4 mitigation potential of five tropical tree species with novel forage potential including: Spondias mombin, Acacia pennatula, Parmentiera aculeata, Brosimum alicastrum and Bursera simaruba mixed at two levels of inclusion (15 and 30%) with a tropical grass (Pennisetum purpureum). Crude protein content was similar across treatments (135 g kg-1 DM), while P. purpureum was characterized by a high content of acid detergent fiber (335.9 g kg-1 DM) and B. simaruba by a high concentration of condensed tannins (20 g kg-1 DM). Likewise, A. pennatula and P. aculeata were characterized by a high content of cyanogenic glycosides and alkaloids respectively. Treatments SM30-PP70 (30% S. mombin + 70% P. purpureum) and BA30-PP70 (30% B. alicastrum + 70% P. purpureum) resulted in superior digestibility than P. purpureum, while in the AP30-PP70 (30% A. pennatula + 70% P. purpureum) was lower than the control treatment (P≤0.05). At 24 and 48 h, treatments that contained P. aculeata and B. alicastrum produced higher CH4 ml g-1 DOM than P. purpureum (P≤0.05). The inclusion of B. simaruba at 30% reduced CH4 at 25% compared to P. purpureum. Tropical tree species can improve the nutritional quality of ruminant rations and reduce CH4 emissions to consequently contribute to the development of sustainable ruminant production systems that generate diverse ecosystem services.

Topological indices have been used to modeling biological and chemical properties of molecules in quantitive structure property relationship studies and quantitive structure activity studies. All the degree based topological indices have been defined via classical degree concept. In this paper we define a novel degree concept for a vertex of a simple connected graph: S degree. And also we define S indices of a simple connected graph by using the S degree concept. We compute the S indices for well-known simple connected graphs such as paths, stars, complete graphs and cycles.

Background: Cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) is a growing concern for public health, with a growing incidence due to improved survival rates for patients with hematological malignancies due to diagnostic and therapeutic advances. Identification of patients at risk CTRCD is vital to develop preventive strategies. Methods: A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted between 1 January 2017 and 15 February 2023. Medical records of patients with lymphoma treated with first-line anthracyclines were reviewed. Demographic data, cardiovascular risk factors, biomarkers of myocardial damage and echocardiographic information were collected. Results: A total of 200 patients were included. The incidence of CTRCD was 17.4 % (35/200). Patients with CTRCD were older than those without CTRCD, with a mean age of 65.17 years vs 56.77 (p = 0.008). Dyslipidemia (DL) (31.4% vs 13.4% p = 0.017) and previous cardiovascular disease (40% vs 13.3%, p< 0.001) were more frequent in the group who developed an event. Mean baseline NT-proBNP levels in the subgroup with cardiovascular events were 388.73 kg /L ± 101.02, and 251.518 kg /L ± 26.22 in those who did not (p = 0.004). Differences in Troponin I levels were identified during and after treatment without exceeding the laboratory’s upper reference limit. Patients were followed for a median of 51.83 months (0.76-73.49). The presence of a CTCRD event had a negative impact on overall mortality from any cause (HR = 2.23 (95% CI 1.08-2.93), p = 0.031). Conclusions: Early identification of risk factors is crucial to manage patients at risk for CTRCD.

Cascalote pods are an important source of phenolic compounds, mainly recovered using solvent extraction methods. As a sustainable alternative, this study aimed to evaluate solid-state fermentation (SSF) to enhance the extractability of total phenolic compounds (TPC) with antioxidant activity (AA) from cascalote pods. Aspergillus niger GH1 was selected based on the amount of TPC released and AA measured (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP) in a shorter time. Moreover, moisture, temperature, inoculum size, and mineral composition were evaluated. The largest amount of TPC released was 124.17 mg/gdm (g of dry material) after 12 h of culture, strongly and highly significantly correlated with the AA. Moisture and KH2PO4 concentration were the main influencing factors on TPC release. Treatment 6 [1x 107 spores/gdm, 30 °C, 60% moisture, mineral composition (g/L): KH2PO4, 1.52; NaNO3, 7.65; and MgSO4, 1.52] was selected due to the highest values of both TPC and AA. SSF-assisted extraction allowed increase 118 % and 93 % in TPC and AA values, respectively. Corilagin, lagerstannin, geraniin, and ellagic acid were the main phenolic compounds identified by RP-HPLC-ESI-MS in cascalote extracts. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of SSF-assisted extraction as a biotechnological alternative for the recovery of important bioactive molecules from this underutilized material.

Pigs are a social species and they stablish hierarchies for a better use of resources and to reduce conflicts. However, in pig production, the opportunities for growing can differ in dominant and subordinate animals. In the present study a system was tested to perform a Dominance versus Subordinate test in growing pigs to investigate how the hierarchy affects feeding behaviour, growth and gut microbiota assessed in faeces. 64 animals housed in eight different pens were used, with four castrated males and four females in each one, weighing 18kg at arrival and maintained during the whole growing period, until 140 kg. Three stool samplings were obtained from the animals directly from the anus to avoid contamination of the faeces on 58, 100 and 133 days after the start of the study to investigate the microbiota composition. The dominant animals had higher gains during the growing period that the subordinate. In addition, they were performing more visits to the feeder throughout the day. Differential abundance patterns were observed in five bacterial genera, Oliverpabstia, Peptococcus, and Faecalbacterium being more abundant in dominant animals and Holdemanella and Acetitomaculum being overrepresented in subordinate ones. This microbial biomarker accurately classified dominant versus subordinate groups of samples with an AUC of 0.92.

Nowadays, the identification and characterization of grapevine cultivars resilient to climate and water stress while preserving quality traits is crucial for the wine industry. Therefore, the objective of this work was to characterize according to their aromatic potential 9 white and 6 red minority cultivars recently recovered from Castilla-La Mancha region (Spain), subjected at two different water deficit regimes: rainfed, with subsistence irrigation, and irrigated. For this, the varietal aromatic potential index (IPAv) and the detailed aromatic composition were analyzed by HS-SBSE-GC/MS, in extracts of two different ph. For IPAv values, red varieties did not show a clear trend with respect to irrigation. However, in white minority varieties, higher values were obtained under irrigation conditions. Thus, a clear differentiation of the minority varieties in comparison to the references was observed, primarily attributed to the content of esters and acids, in both white and red varieties. A notable contrast was observed at different pH, indicating a greater extractability of certain compounds like linalool, under more acidic conditions. This suggests that some recovered minority cultivars could be promising for cultivation in semi-arid regions with limited water, contributing to the wine sector sustainability in the future.

Diastolic dysfunction, a prevalent condition characterized by impaired relaxation and filling of the left ventricle, significantly contributes to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Galectin-3, a β-galactoside-binding lectin, has garnered attention as a potential biomarker and mediator of fibrosis and inflammation in cardiovascular diseases. This comprehensive review investigates the impact of galectin-3 on diastolic dysfunction. We explore its molecular mechanisms, including its involvement in cellular signaling pathways and interaction with components of the extracellular matrix. Evidence from both animal models and clinical studies elucidates galectin-3's role in cardiac remodeling, inflammation, and fibrosis, shedding light on the underlying pathophysiology of diastolic dysfunction. Additionally, we examine the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of galectin-3 in diastolic dysfunction, emphasizing its potential as both a biomarker and a therapeutic target. This review underscores the significance of comprehending galectin-3's role in diastolic dysfunction and its promise in enhancing diagnosis and treatment approaches for HFpEF patients.

Euler’s product formula over the primes and Euler’s zeta function equate to enshrine the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic that every integer > 1 is the product of a unique set of primes. The product formula has no zero, and with a domain ≤1 Euler’s zeta diverges. Dirichlet’s eta function η(s), negates alternate terms of zeta, permitting convergence when s∈C and Re(s) < 1, and its non-trivial zeros {ρ}, have a deep relationship with the distribution of the primes. The Riemann Hypothesis is that all the non-trivial zeros have Re(ρ) = 1/2. This work examines the symmetries in a partial Euler’s zeta series with a complex domain equating it to the difference between two finite vector series whose matched terms have mirror-image arguments, but whose magnitudes differ when Re(s) ≠ 1/2. Analytical continuation generates a modified eta series η_l(s), in which every l^th term is multiplied by (1-l). If the integer l is appropriately determined by the Im(s), similar paired finite vector series have a difference that closely follows η_l (s) and their terminal vectors intersect in a unique way permitting zeros only when Re(s) = 1/2. Furthermore, those vectors tracking the derivatives of the series, have a special relationship permitting zeros of the differential only when Re(s) > 1/2.

Despite well-documented health benefits of probiotics Saccharomyces, its application in oral health has not been comprehensively assessed. Dental caries is a transmissible disease initiated by acid production of cariogenic bacteria and yeast, such as Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans, on tooth enamel and followed by subsequent enamel demineralization. Here, we investigated the effect of two Saccharomyces strains (Saccharomyces boulardii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on S. mutans-C. albicans cross-kingdom interactions using a cariogenic planktonic model. Viable cells, pH changes and gene expression were measured. S. cerevisiae and S. boulardii inhibited the growth of C. albicans either in dual-, or multi-species conditions. Saccharomyces also inhibited C. albicans hyphal formation. Furthermore, Saccharomyces reduced the acidity of the culture medium which usually plummeted below pH 5 when S. mutans and C. albicans were present in the model. The presence of Saccharomyces maintained the culture medium above 6 even after overnight incubation, demonstrating a protective potential against dental enamel demineralization. S. boulardii significantly downregulated S. mutans atpD and eno genes expression. Overall, our results shed light on a new promising candidate, Saccharomyces, for dental caries prevention due to its potential to create a less cariogenic environment marked by a neutral pH and reduced growth of C. albicans.

Prime numbers are the atoms of mathematics and mathematics is needed to make sense of the real world. Finding the Prime number structure and eventually being able to crack their code is the ultimate goal in what is called Number Theory. From the evolution of species to cryptography, Nature finds help in Prime numbers. One of the most important advances in the study of Prime numbers was the paper by Bernhard Riemann in November 1859 called “Ueber die Anzahl der Primzahlen unter einer gegebenen Grösse” (On the number of primes less than a given quantity). In that paper, Riemann gave a formula for the number of primes less than x in terms the integral of 1/log(x) and the roots (zeros) of the zeta function defined by: Where ζ(z) is a function of a complex variable z that analytically continues the Dirichlet series. Riemann also formulated a conjecture about the location of the zeros of RZF, which fall into two classes: the "trivial zeros" -2, -4, -6, etc., and those whose real part lies between 0 and 1. Riemann's conjecture Riemann hypothesis [RH] was formulated as this: [RH] The real part of every nontrivial zero z* of the RZF is 1/2. Proving the RH is, as of today, one of the most important problems in mathematics. In this paper we will provide a proof of the RH. The proof of the RH will be built following these five parts: PART 1: Description of the RZF PART 2: The C-transformation PART 3: Application of the C-transformation to in Re(z) 0 to obtain ζ(z)=X(z)-Y(z) PART 4: Analysis of the values of z such that X(z)=Y(z), and |X(z)|=|Y(z)|, that equates to ζ(z)=0 Proof that |X(z)|=|Y(z)| only if Re(z)=1/2 Conclude that ζ(z)=0 only if Re(z)=1/2 for Re(z) 0 PART 5: We will also prove that all non-trivial zeros of ζ(z) in the critical line of the form are not distributed randomly. There is a relationship between the values of those zeros and the Harmonic function that leads to an algebraic relationship between any two zeros.

Optoacoustic imaging is an emerging technology that holds great promise for improving general clinical practice since it offers a unique combination of optical absorption contrast, high resolution, and high penetration depth. This combination of factors provides a distinct advantage over alternative imaging modalities in oncology, cardiology, dermatology, or endocrinology among other medical fields. Optoacoustic technology affords the medical practitioner the possibility of visualizing light-absorbing biomolecules like water, lipids, oxy/deoxy hemoglobin, or melanin in deep tissue with relatively cheap and small form factor instruments, without the need of contrast agents or ionizing radiation. Moreover, exogenous fluorescent contrast agents like indocyanine green or methylene blue can also be observed. Driven by its potential for new applications in the clinic, the field has experienced intense changes in the last 20 years. Continuous technological advancements in instrumentation, image formation methods, or acquisition geometries, have led to the development of numerous clinical devices also motivating the creation of several startup companies that aim to translate the technology from the lab to the clinic. Thus, the question arises: how far are we from clinical adoption? In this article, we aim to shed light on such question by reviewing the clinical studies that have been performed in the last 10 years. Our intention is to go beyond the classical review format by providing a brief general overview of the steps that new imaging methods undergo on their journey from the lab to clinical adoption. Then we examine the progress that optoacoustic technology has made on such a journey.

. Protein cysteine S-glycosylation is a relatively rare and less well characterized post-translational modification (PTM). Creating reliable model proteins that carry this modification is challenging. The lack of available model or natural S-glycosylated proteins significantly hampers the development of MS-based methodologies for detecting protein cysteine S-glycosylation in real-world proteomic studies. There is also limited MS-sequencing data describing easier to create synthetic S-glycopeptides. Here, we present the results of an in-depth manual analysis of automatically annotated CID/HCD spectra for model S-glucopeptides. The CID spectra show a long series of y/b-fragment ions with retained S-glucosylation, regardless of the dominant m/z signals corresponding to neutral loss of 1,2-anhydroglucose from the precursor ions. In addition, the spectra show signals manifesting glucosyl transfer from the cysteine position onto Lys, Arg side chains, and a peptide N-terminus. Other spectral evidence indicates that the N-glucosylated initial products of transfer are converted into N-furanosylated (i.e., glycated) structures due to Amadori rearrangement. We discuss the peculiar transfer of the glucose oxocarbenium ion (Glc+) to positively charged guanidinium residue (ArgH+) and propose a mechanism for the gas-phase Amadori rearrangement involving a hydride ion shift.

Background: COVID-19 made its debut as a pandemic in 2020; since then, more than 607 million cases and at least 6.5 million deaths have been reported worldwide. While the burden of disease has been described, the long-term effects or chronic sequelae are still being described. Objective: To describe the findings of a current systematic review of the long-term effects related to post-COVID-19 sequelae. Design: A systematic review was carried out in which cohort studies, case series, clinical case reports were included, and the PubMed, Scielo, SCOPUS and Web of Science databases were ex-tracted. Information published 2020 to June 1, 2022, was sought. Results: We reviewed 300 manuscripts during the first step of the literature review process. Then 260 abstracts were analyzed. In the end, we included 32 manuscripts: 9 for pulmonary, 6 for cardiac, 2 for renal, 9 for neurological and psychiatric, and 8 for cutaneous sequelae. Conclusion: Studies show that the most common sequelae are those linked to the lungs, followed by skin, cutaneous and psychiatric alterations. Women report a higher incidence of the sequelae, as well as those with comorbidities and severer COVID-19 history. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only caused death and disease since its apparition but has also sickened millions of people around the globe who potentially suffer from serious illnesses that will continue to add to the list of health problems and further burden healthcare systems around the world.

Immune response stimulation may be an adjuvant to antimicrobial treatment. Here, we evaluated the impact of immune response modification by lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) combined with imipenem or ceftazidime in murine models of peritoneal sepsis (PS) and pneumonia by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Imipenem and ceftazidime-susceptible strain (Pa39), and imipenem and ceftazidime-resistant strain (Pa238) were used. Ceftazidime pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters were determined. Therapeutic efficacy, and TNF-α and IL-10 levels were determined in murine models of PS and pneumonia by Pa39 and Pa238 treated with LPC, imipenem or ceftazidime, alone or in combination. In PS model, LPC+ceftazidime reduced spleen and lungs Pa238 concentrations (-3.45 and -3.56 log10 CFU/g; P<0.05) than ceftazidime monotherapy, while LPC+imipenem maintained the imipenem efficacy (-1.66 and -1.45 log10 CFU/g; P>0.05). In pneumonia model, LPC+ceftazidime or LPC+imipenem reduced lungs Pa238 concentrations (-2.37 log10 CFU/g, P=0.1, or -1.35 log10 CFU/g, P=0.75). For Pa39 no statistically significant difference has been observed in PS and pneumonia models between combined therapy and monotherapy. Moreover, LPC+imipenem and LPC+ceftazidime decreased and increased significantly TNF-α and IL-10 levels, respectively, in comparison with untreated controls and monotherapies. These results demonstrate the impact of immune response modification by LPC plus antibiotics on the prognosis of infections by ceftazidime-resistant P. aeruginosa.

Worldwide, hypoxia-related conditions, including cancer, COVID-19, and neuro-degenerative diseases, often lead to multi-organ failure and significant mortality. Oxygen, crucial for cellular function, becomes scarce as levels drop below 10 mmHg (<2% O2), triggering mitochondrial dysregulation and activating hypoxia-induced factors (HiFs). Herein, Oxygen nanoBubbles (OnB), an emerging versatile oxygen de-livery platform, implies to offer a novel approach to address hypoxia-related pathologies. This review explores OnB oxygen delivery strategies and systems, including diffusion, ultrasound, photodynamic, and pH-responsive nanobubbles. It delves into the nanoscale mechanisms of OnB, elucidating their role in mitochondrial metabolism (TFAM, PGC1alpha), hypoxic responses (HiF-1alpha), and their interplay in chronic pathologies including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, amongst others. By understanding these dynamics and underlying mechanisms, this article aims to contribute to our accruing knowledge of OnB and the developing potential in ameliorating hypoxia- and metabolic stress-related conditions and fostering innovative therapies.

This paper analyses the application of deep learning techniques for predicting wave overtopping events in port environments using sea state and weather forecasts as inputs. The study was conducted in the outer port of Punta Langosteira, A Coruña, Spain. A video recording infrastructure was installed to monitor overtopping events from 2015 to 2022, identifying 3709 overtopping events. The data collected was merged with actual and predicted data for the sea state and weather conditions during the overtopping events, creating three datasets. We used these datasets to create several machine learning models to predict whether an overtopping event would occur based on sea state and weather conditions. The final models achieved a high accuracy level during the training and testing stages: 0.81, 0.73, and 0.84 average accuracy during training and 0.67, 0.48, and 0.86 average accuracy during testing, respectively. The results of this study have significant implications for port safety and efficiency, as wave overtopping events can cause disruptions and potential damage. Using deep learning techniques for overtopping prediction can help port managers take preventative measures and optimize operations, ultimately improving safety and helping to minimize the economic impact that overtopping events have on the port's activities.

The implementation of management systems has become a strategic advantage in achieving business goals, especially in industrial organizations, but the implementation of social responsibility requirements is especially ethical. Large multinational companies have long been developing and, in particular, implementing their own codes of conduct, which include their suppliers, to demonstrate their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The compliance with CSR requirements from stakeholders is thus extended or intertwined with requirements in established management systems (MSs). The objectives of the study were to (1) analyze the different approaches to CSR in internationally recognized cross-industry and industry-specific standards and codes in different industries; (2) select the most appropriate framework for assessing the degree of applicability of CSR in the selected management systems and develop a methodology for its assessment; (3) apply the proposed methodology (referred to as SRIMS) in the selected areas: automotive industry, research organization, and metallurgical industry; (4) through ANOVA, validate its use for assessing the overall level of CSR applicability in an organization's established management systems. The application of the Bonferroni method confirmed the hypotheses that the developed SRIMS model is a sufficiently appropriate tool for assessing the overall level of applicability of CSR requirements to established MSs.

In Ecuador, particularly in the El Oro province, gold mining has been historically hampered by arsenic contamination in the ores. This research addresses the persistent issue of arsenic in gold-bearing ores from Miraflores Mine in Cerro Azul, Atahualpa Canton, and the challenges it presents to mining operations. The study's purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of an alkaline leaching process for arsenic removal. The ore underwent thorough characterisation, employing advanced techniques like fire assay and atomic absorption. Once the ore's nature was discerned, an arsenic extraction experiment using a leaching solution was conducted. The implemented process achieved an arsenic removal efficiency of 90.54%. This enhanced ore quality facilitates efficient metallurgical applications and, more notably, reduces the environmental footprint by diminishing the need for harmful reagents like sodium cyanide. However, a significant implication of this method is the added cost due to the need for heat during the leaching test, amounting to an approximate $30 per ton increase. The alkaline leaching process emerges as a promising solution for arsenic challenges in El Oro’s mining sector. While the findings are encouraging, further expansive tests are recommended to validate the results and underscore the urgency for sustainable and hazard-conscious mining practices.

Products derived from Cannabis sativa have gained increased interest and popularity. As these products become common amongst the public, the heath and potential therapeutic values associated with hemp have become a premier focus of research. While the psychoactive and medicinal properties of Cannabis products have been extensively highlighted in literature, the antibacterial properties of CBD have not been explored in depth. This research serves to examine the antibacterial potential of CBD against Salmonella newington and Salmonella typhimurium. In this study we observed bacterial response to CBD exposure through biological assays, bacterial kinetics, and fluorescence microscopy. Additionally, comparative studies between CBD and ampicillin were conducted against Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella newington to determine comparative efficacy. Furthermore, we observed potential resistance development of our Salmonella spp. against CBD treatment.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the establishment of a nursing practice for micropigmentation of the nipple-areola complex at the San Cecilio University Hospital in Granada on women who have undergone unilateral or bilateral mastectomies. Micropigmentation is a procedure for decorating the human body by implanting pigments and dyes at the sub-epidermal level for a temporary duration of several months or years. Methodology: Retrospective descriptive study conducted in the micropigmentation clinic of HUSC-Granada (Spain). The sample consisted of 167 patients: 24 declined the treatment, 3 had second thoughts and cancelled the appointment, and 135 were accepted. Results: The mean age of the women was 53 years (range:35–75 years). Of the patients, 64.1% came from San Cecilio University Hospital in Granada, the rest from Virgen de las Nieves Hospital in Granada (19.6 %), hospitals in the province of Almería (7.2 %), and private hospitals and clinics (9.2 %). In the last two years, 36.4 % of the women had undergone surgery in the last 2 years. Complications arising from this technique are almost nonexistent. Conclusions: A very high number of women accepted the technique, with the highest proportion being those under 48 years of age. It is a technique that has not presented complications; therefore, it would be interesting to study how the application of the technique would affect women's self-esteem and quality of life

The bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say.)) is one of the main pests of stored beans in the world. Heterogeneous Inbreed Families (HIF) Population of Near Isogenic Lines (NILs) could be an exceptional strategy to study the inheritance of the resistance against A. obtectus. We developed a HIF population of NILs of R-bufa-80-12 (Phaseolus vulgaris) to study the inheritance related to bean weevil resistance and to search NILs with high resistance to the pest within the HIF population. The objective of this research was to study the inheritance in a HIF population and to identify the best lines to provide weevil resistance in bean breeding for commercial genotypes that could reduce pesticide applications. To achieve this objective, we developed a set of 148 NILs which were near-homozygous in the genome, except in the region under study. The HIF were evaluated in two environments under natural infestation with A. obtectus in free choice bioassays in a warehouse highly infested. The population showed wide variability for the traits studied, from 17.2 to 29.2 g for 100 seed weight, 0.0-0.8 for consumption in grams, 2.0-30.0 for consumption in percent and 1.2-9.6 for preference (number of adults in the bottle to the end of the experiments. The heritabilities for resistance traits were from very low to low 0.0 to 0.19. The heritability for 100 seed weight was the highest, with a value of 0.90. All traits studied in this research have a normal distribution, so they are considered to be quantitatively inherited. However, a great variability was found for the traits studied, which allows selecting lines with a high level of resistance within the R-bufa-80-12 HIF population. All traits studied in present research are of quantitative inheritance. The best lines of the HIF population for resistance to A. obtectus were the Line-45, Line-129, Line-124, Line-108 and Line-47.

The Galápagos Islands are one of the most emblematic protected areas on the planet, and also one of the most studied. Their main economic activity is tourism, which has grown rapidly in recent years. The increase in tourists is associated with the increase in population and the introduction of invasive species, which puts conservation at risk. This makes adequate management even more necessary and relevant on an international scale, since the economy of Galápagos depends on the good state of conservation of its ecosystems and species. Numerous studies have shown that social factors, rather than physical-natural ones, determine the success or failure of a marine protected area (MPA), so they must be urgently incorporated into all phases of MPA management. In this study we have analyzed the management of the protected areas of Galápagos: the National Park and the Marine Reserve. The methodology used presents five prescribed scenarios in which priority is given to one or other factors, each of which has an impact on biophysical and socio-economic systems that are influenced by the MPA. These scenarios have been called: proactive, interactive, centralized, learning, and formal management. The results show that the archipelago's protected areas follow a proactive management model, with a continuous feedback loop. This feedback is a key element in any adaptive management process, which also allows practitioners to anticipate future problems. Both public participation and strategic planning are essential.

Abstract: Pasteurella spp. is a gram-negative bacterium that is part of the oral and upper respira-tory tract microbiota of many animals such as canids and felines. In humans it can produce pa-thology primarily associated with animal bites or scratches. In addition, members of this genus, and especially Pasteurella multocida, may also be involved in systemic infections, mainly in im-munocompromised patients in close contact with pets. The aim of this study is to analyse the prevalence and clinical characteristics of infections caused by Pasteurella spp. as well as the sensitivity profile of these isolates obtained in the Microbiology laboratory of the Hospital Can Misses (Ibiza, Ibiza and Formentera Health Area, ASEF) in the period from January 2013 to December 2018. The group of islands of Ibiza and Formentera is known as the Pitiusas Islands. Retrospective descriptive study in which all Pasteurella spp. isolates were analysed in the Microbiology Laboratory of Hospital Can Misses from 1 January 2013 to 31 De-cember 2018. Bacterial identification was performed by Vitek 2 automated biochemical test panel (bioMérieux, Spain) and antimicrobial susceptibility by E-test or antibiotic discs in Mueller-Hinton blood agar, interpreted based on European Committee on An-timicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) standards, 2022 version. Medical records were systematically reviewed by collecting demographic data of infected patients, comorbidities, epidemiological data and clinical features of the infection. A total of 22 isolates of Pasterurella spp. were obtained from 22 different patients, 62.8% female, from three different species: 18 P. multocida, 2 P. canis and 2 P. pneumo-tropica. Most isolates came from soft tissue infection samples: 7 wound exudates and 5 abscess material. The antibiotics tested with the highest sensitivity profile were gen-tamicin and cefepime (100% sensitivity). The species most commonly isolated in our environment is P. multocida. Close contact with companion animals, especially cats and dogs, is the main risk factor for Pasteurella spp. infections, although in many cases such contact cannot be established. So Pasteurella spp. infection should be considered a zoonosis in possible emergency, especially in rural areas such as Pitiusas Islands.

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

Several researchers have contemplated deep learning-based post-filters to increase the quality of statistical parametric speech synthesis, which perform a mapping of the synthetic speech to the natural speech, considering the different parameters separately and trying to reduce the gap between them. The Long Short-term Memory (LSTM) Neural Networks have been applied successfully in this purpose, but there are still many aspects to improve in the results and in the process itself. In this paper, we introduce a new pre-training approach for the LSTM, with the objective of enhancing the quality of the synthesized speech, particularly in the spectrum, in a more efficient manner. Our approach begins with an auto-associative training of one LSTM network, which is used as an initialization for the post-filters. We show the advantages of this initialization for the enhancing of the Mel-Frequency Cepstral parameters of synthetic speech. Results show that the initialization succeeds in achieving better results in enhancing the statistical parametric speech spectrum in most cases when compared to the common random initialization approach of the networks.

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

The viewpoint and reaction of a country towards climate change are shaped by its political, cultural, and scientific backgrounds, in addition to the distinct characteristics of its evolving climate and the anticipated and actual consequences of the phenomenon in the times ahead. A region's climate has a significant impact on how water is managed and used, mostly in the primary sector (agroforestry systems, livestock, and agriculture), and both the distribution of ecosystem types and the amount and spreading of species on Earth. As a result, the environment and agricultural practices are affected by climate, so evaluating both distribution and evolution is extremely pertinent. Towards this aim, the climate distribution and evolution in the S. Francisco River basin (SFRB) is assessed in three periods (1970−2000, 1981−2022) in the past and 20412060 in the future from an ensemble of GCMs under two SSPs (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways), SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5. The Köppen-Geiger (KG) climate classification system is analyzed, and climate change impacts are inferred for this watershed located in central-eastern Brazil, covering an area equivalent to 8% of the country. Results predict the disappearance of the hot-summer (Csa) and warm-summer (Csb) Mediterranean climates, and a reduction/increase in the tropical savanna with dry winter (Aw)/dry summer (As). A striking increase in the semi-arid hot (BSh-steppe) climate is predicted with a higher percentage (10%) under SSP5-8.5. The Source and the mouth of SFRB are projected to endure the major impacts of climate change that is followed by a predicted increase/decrease in temperature/precipitation. Future freshwater resource availability, and quality for human use will all be impacted. Consequences on ecosystems, agricultural and for the socioeconomic sectors within the SFRB might deepen the current contrasts between regions, urban and rural areas, and even between population groups, thus translating to a larger extent, the inequality that still characterizes Brazilian society. Maps depicting land use and cover changes in the São Francisco River basin from 1985 to 2022 highlight tendencies such as urbanization, agricultural expansion, deforestation, and changes in shrubland and water bodies. Urban areas fluctuated slightly, while cropland significantly increased from 33.57% to 45.45%, and forest areas decreased from 3.88% to 3.50%. Socioeconomic data reveals disparities among municipalities: 74.46% with medium Human Development Index (HDI), 0.59% with very high HDI, and 9.11% with low HDI. Most municipalities have a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita below US$ 6,000. Population distribution maps show a predominance of small to medium-sized urban and rural communities, reflecting the basin's dispersed demographic and economic profile. To build routes towards a shared sustainable goal—namely, to adapt and reduce the expected climate change impacts in SFRB—it is imperative that integrated measures be conducted with the cooperation of stakeholders, local population, and decision-makers.

We recently reported the isolation and characterization of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, called IgG-A7, that protected transgenic mice expressing the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE-2) from the infection with SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan. We show here that IgG-A7 protected 100% of the transgenic mice infected with Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) at doses of 0.5 and 5 mg/kg, respectively. In addition, we studied the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and Toxicology (Tox) of IgG-A7 in CD-1 mice at single doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. PK parameters at those high doses were proportional to the dose, with the half-life in serum of ~10.5 days. IgG-A7 was well tolerated with no signs of toxicity in urine and blood samples, nor in histopathology analyses. Tissue Cross-reactivity (TCR) with a panel of mouse and human tissues showed no evidence of IgG-A7 interaction with tissues of these species, supporting the PK/Tox results in vivo and suggesting that while IgG-A7 has a broad efficacy profile it is not toxic in humans. The information generated in CD-1 mouse as PK/Tox model, complemented with the mouse and human TCR, could be of relevance as alternatives to NHPs in rapidly emerging viral diseases and/or quickly evolving viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

This article is about a framework for determining the degree of realism of any given 1 passenger ride motion discomfort measurement formula. After providing some context and reviewing 2 evidence of deficiency in currently popular ride motion discomfort measurement formulas, the article 3 outlines the research program that needs to be carried out in order to establish such a framework. 4 The research begins with gathering recordings of uncomfortable ride motion episodes encountered in 5 a chosen type of passenger transport service. It then has test subjects compare the episodes via a ride 6 motion simulator and adjust their amplitudes pair wise until they cause equal discomfort. It explains 7 how to take the pair wise amplitude adjustments and determine amplitude adjustments that bring all 8 of the motion episode recordings to a common level of discomfort so that they form a normalized set. 9 Then, the lower the scatter of the scores assigned by any given discomfort measurement formula to 10 the members of that set, the more realistic that formula will be for the chosen service.

Podiatric surgeons routinely use electrosurgical devices to cut and coagulate tissue during surgical procedures. Although advances in technology have made electrosurgery increasingly safer for patients and personnel, its use is still poorly understood by those using it and the hazards associated with its use still exist presently. Human error, direct or indirect transfer of electricity to a conductive device, or device malfunction can cause serious adverse events, including burns, electrical shocks, and or fires. Here, we report a rare case of a 43-year-old man who suffered severe burns during hallux valgus surgery. The surgeon and the nursing staff did not notice any injuries during the surgical intervention. This case highlights the need to implement tools to help health professionals improve patient safety during surgery. Based on the case herein reported, a specific checklist was implemented to prevent adverse events related to electrosurgery in our podiatric unit to reduce the risk of electrosurgical complications.

Recent studies have demonstrated an important role for vitamin C in the epigenetic regulation of cancer-related genes via DNA demethylation by the ten-eleven translocation (TET) methylcytosine dioxygenase enzymes. DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) reverses this, increasing DNA methylation and decreasing gene expression. Dual oxidase (DUOX) enzymes produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in normal pancreatic tissue but are silenced in pancreatic cancer (PDAC). Treatment of PDAC with pharmacologic ascorbate (P-AscH-, intravenous, high dose vitamin C) increases DUOX expression. We hypothesized that inhibiting DNMT may act synergistically with P-AscH- to further increase DUOX expression and cytotoxicity of PDAC. PDAC cells demonstrated dose-dependent increases in DUOX mRNA and protein expression when treated with DNMT inhibitors. PDAC cells treated with P-AscH- + DNMT inhibitors demonstrated increased DUOX expression, increased intracellular oxidation, and increased cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo compared to either treatment alone. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic, epigenetic mechanism to treat PDAC.

In this systematic review, the PRISMA method was applied to examine publications from the last two decades that have investigated the noxious gaseous emissions from dairy barns. The aim was to analyse the outcomes from literature studies estimating the quantities of polluting gases produced in dairy barns, with specific focus on ammonia (NH₃) emissions. The review also explores proposed methods to reduce the associated effects through mitigation strategies. Estimation of NH₃ emissions is significantly influenced by the complex interactions among several factors, including animal management practices, such as controlling animal behavioral activities; manure management, like utilising practices for floor manure removal; the type of structure housing the animals, whether it is naturally or mechanically ventilated; and environmental conditions, such as the effects of temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and ventilation rate on NH₃ release in the barn. These influential components have been considered by researchers, identifying targeted mitigation strategies. Despite growing attention to the issue, gaps in the scientific literature were identified and discussed, particularly regarding the analysis of mitigation strategies and their long-term impacts (i.e., environmental, economic and productivity-wise).

The COVID-19 pandemic over the past years has shown a great need for rapid, low-cost and on-site detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this paper, an aptamer-based colloidal gold nanoparticle lateral flow test strip was well developed to realize the visual detection of wild type SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP) and multiple variants. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a low detection limit of SARS-CoV-2 S protein of 0.68 nM was acquired, and the actual detection recovery was 83.3% to 108.8% for real world samples. This suggests a potential tool for the prompt detection of SARS-CoV-2 with good sensitivity and accuracy, and a new method for the development of alternative antibody test strips for the detection of other viral targets.

Micro-combs [1-4] - optical frequency combs generated by integrated micro-cavity resonators – offer the full potential of their bulk counterparts [5,6], but in an integrated footprint. The discovery of temporal soliton states (DKS – dissipative Kerr solitons) [4,7-11] as a means of mode-locking micro-combs has enabled breakthroughs in many fields including spectroscopy [12,13], microwave photonics [14], frequency synthesis [15], optical ranging [16,17], quantum sources [18,19], metrology [20,21] and more. One of their most promising applications has been optical fibre communications where they have enabled massively parallel ultrahigh capacity multiplexed data transmission [22,23]. Here, by using a new and powerful class of micro-comb called “soliton crystals” [11], we achieve unprecedented data transmission over standard optical fibre using a single integrated chip source. We demonstrate a line rate of 44.2 Terabits per second (Tb/s) using the telecommunications C-band at 1550nm with a spectral efficiency – a critically important performance metric - of 10.4 bits/s/Hz. Soliton crystals exhibit robust and stable generation and operation as well as a high intrinsic efficiency that, together with a low soliton micro-comb spacing of 48.9 GHz enable the use of a very high coherent data modulation format of 64 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulated). We demonstrate error free transmission over 75 km of standard optical fibre in the laboratory as well as in a field trial over an installed metropolitan optical fibre network. These experiments were greatly aided by the ability of the soliton crystals to operate without stabilization or feedback control. This work demonstrates the capability of optical soliton crystal micro-combs to perform in demanding and practical optical communications networks.

Vertically aligned Fe, S, and Fe-S doped anatase TiO₂ nanotube arrays are prepared by electrochemical anodization process using an organic electrolyte in which lactic acid is added as an additive. In the electrolyte, nanotube layers of greater length (12 μm) and high order with inner diameter of approx. 90 nm and outer diameter of approx. 170 nm are achieved. Doping of Fe, S, and Fe-S via simple wet impregnation method substituted Ti and O sites with Fe and S, which leads to enhance the rate performance at high discharge current densities. Discharge capacities of TiO₂ tubes increased from 82 mAh g-1 (bare) to 165 mAh g-1 for Fe-S doped TiO₂ at high current densities of 0.3 mAcm-2 after 100 cycles with exceptional capacity retention of 85% after 100 cycles. Owing to the enhancement of thermodynamic and kinetic properties by doping of Fe-S, Li-diffusion increas2ed resulting in remarkable discharge capacities of 143 mAh g-1 and 89 mAh g-1 at a current density of 7.4 mA cm-2 and 19 mA cm-2, respectively.

Planning and implementation of construction projects are difficult processes and are burdened with many risk elements. The budget spread over time, which is developed on the basis of the schedule, presents the expected distribution of costs throughout the duration of the works, which during the implementation of the project is subject to constant changes resulting from time, cost and organizational factors. Managing construction contracts requires managers to be able to analyze on an ongoing basis the variances of production costs - from the values calculated in the offer cost estimate and assumed in the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled. The article attempts to analyze the emerging time and cost variances using proprietary C-S and S-C monitoring, based on simple indicators of the EVM method. An example of construction of a multi-family housing development was used to study the variances of planned and incurred costs.

Live video streaming has become one of the main multimedia trends in networks in recent years. Providing Quality of Service (QoS) during live transmissions becomes a challenge due to the stringent requirements for low latency and minimal interruptions. This scenario has led to a high dependence on cloud services, implying a widespread usage of Internet connections, which constrains contexts where an Internet connection is not available. Thus, alternatives such as Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) emerge as potential communication techniques. These networks operate autonomously with mobile devices serving as nodes, without the need for coordinating centralized components. However, these characteristics lead to challenges to live-video streaming, such as dynamic node topologies or periods of disconnection. Considering these constraints, this paper investigates the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based classification techniques to provide adaptive streaming in MANETs. For this, a software-driven architecture is proposed to route stream in offline MANETs, predicting the stability of individual links and compressing video frames accordingly. The proposal has been implemented and assessed in a laboratory context, analyzing the model performance and QoS metrics. As a result, the model is implemented in a decision forest algorithm, which provides 95.9% of accuracy. Also, obtained latency values become assumable for video streaming, manifesting a reliable response for routing and node movements.

Natural products have a significant role in the development of new drugs, being relevant the pentacyclic triterpenes extracted from Olea europaea. Anticancer effect of uvaol, a natural triterpene, has been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to understand the anticancer mechanism of uvaol in HepG2 cell line. Cytotoxicity results showed a selectivity effect of uvaol with higher influence in HepG2 than WRL68 cells used as control. Uvaol presented anti-migratory capacity in HepG2, supported by the morphological changes and higher HSP-60 expression. This compound also induced arrest in G0/G1 phase and an increase in apoptosis rate. These results are supported by decreased Bcl-2 expression and down-regulation of AKT/PI3K signaling pathway. A reduction in reactive oxygen species levels in HepG2 cells was observed. Altogether, results showed anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effect of uvaol on hepatocellular carcinoma, constituting an interesting challenge in the development of new treatments against this type of cancer.

Introduction: Studies of the socio-economic function of entrepreneurship have emphasized the critical role that entrepreneurial competence and its implementation play at different stages of the education system. In this paper, we seek to determine the entrepreneurial interest of Spanish youth aged between 15 to 18 years of age, who find themselves in the state-regulated education system, at an initial stage in the development of entrepreneurship. A previously validated ad hoc questionnaire was applied through simple random sampling to 1,764 students at a secondary school in Spain. The analysis is done with Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), a technique that reduces the high dimensionality of data through Cooperative Maximum Likelihood Hebbian Learning (CMLHL), applying neurocomputational methods to the educational sciences. Spanish youth expressed a medium level of interest in entrepreneurship. Analysis with ANN shows that education in entrepreneurial competence is an influential aspect of interest in entrepreneurship. As conclusion, educational and curricular reforms must be undertaken to promote the development of entrepreneurial competence at various stages of compulsory education to increase interest in entrepreneurship.

We report on the occurrence of natural Magnesium Alumina Silicate Hydrate (M-(A)-S-H) cement at Feragen and Leka in eastern and western Trøndelag Norway, respectively. Both occurrences are located in the sub-arctic climate zone and form in glacial till and moraine material deposited on ultramafic rock during the Weichselian glaciation. Weathering of serpentinized peridotite dissolve brucite and result in a relative high pH alkaline fluid that subsequently reacts with the felsic minerals of the till (quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar) to form a cement consisting of an amorphous material or a mixture of nanocrystalline Mg-rich phyllosilicates, including illite. The presence of plagioclase in the till results in the enrichment of alumina in the cement, i.e., forms M-A-S-H instead of the M-S-H cement. Dissolution of quartz results in numerous etch-pits and negative quartz crystals filled with M-A-S-H cement. Where the quartz dissolution is faster that the cement precipitation, a honeycomb-like texture is formed. Compositionally the cemented till (tillite) contains more MgO and has a higher loss of ignition than the till, suggesting that the cement is formed by a MgO fluid that previously reacted with the peridotite. The M-(A)-S-H cemented till represent a new type of duricrust, coined magsilcrete. The study of natural Mg-cement provides information on peridotites as a Mg-source for Mg-cement and as a feedstock for CO2 sequestration.

This note first summarizes the history of the manuscript "On a Continuum Model for Avalanche Flow and Its Simplified Variants" by Grigorian and Ostroumov―published in the Special Issue on snow avalanche dynamics of Geosciences―since the early 1990s and explains the guiding principles in editing it for publication. The changes are then detailed and some explanatory notes given for the benefit of readers who are not familiar with the early Russian work on snow avalanche dynamics. Finally, the editor's personal views as to why he still considers this paper of relevance for avalanche dynamics research today are presented in brief essays on key aspects of the paper, namely the role of simple and complex models in avalanche research and mitigation work, the status and possible applications of Grigorian's stress-limited friction law, and non-monotonicity of the dynamics of the Grigorian–Ostroumov model in the friction coefficient. A comparison of the erosion model proposed by those authors with two other models suggests to enhance it with an additional equation for the balance of tangential momentum across the shock front. A preliminary analysis indicates that continuous scouring entrainment is possible only in a restricted parameter range and that there is a second erosion regime with delayed entrainment.

The present Feature Paper highlights the application of bacterial surface (S-) layer proteins as versatile components for the fabrication of biosensors. One technologically relevant feature of S‑layer proteins is their ability to self-assemble on many surfaces and interfaces to form a crystalline 2D protein lattice. The S-layer lattice on the surface of a biosensor becomes part of the interface architecture, linking the bioreceptor to the transducer interface, which may cause signal amplification. The S-layer lattice as ultrathin, highly porous structure with functional groups in a well-defined special distribution and orientation and an overall anti-fouling characteristics can significantly raise the limit in terms of variety and ease of bioreceptor immobilization, compactness of bioreceptor molecule arrangement, sensitivity, specificity, and detection limit for many types of biosensors. The present paper discusses and summarizes examples for the successful implementation of S-layer lattices on biosensor surfaces in order to give a comprehensive overview on the application potential of these bioinspired S-layer protein-based biosensors.

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is currently used to monitor not only the spread of the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2 but also for other viruses in endemic conditions, particularly in the absence of syndromic surveillance. Continuous monitoring of sewage requires high costs and significant time investment, highlighting the need for standardized methods and structured monitoring strategies. In this context, we conducted weekly wastewater monitoring in northwestern Italy, targeting Human Adenovirus (HAdV), Norovirus Genogroup II (NoVggII), Enterovirus (EV), and SARS-CoV-2. Samples collected at the entrance of treatment plants were concentrated using PEG/NaCl precipitation and viral nucleic acids were extracted and detected by real-time (RT-)qPCR. NoVggII resulted the most identified target (84.4%), followed by HAdV, SARS-CoV-2, and EV. Only HAdV and EV exhibited seasonal peaks in spring and summer. SARS-CoV-2 results compared with data previously collected in the same study area (February 2021 to September 2021) revealed a shift from an epidemic to a pandemic status, likely due to the evolution of variants. In conclusion, WBE, using standardized methods and an efficient monitoring strategy, proves valuable for virus surveillance in pandemic and epidemic scenarios, enabling the identification of temporal-local distribution patterns that are useful for making informed public health decision.

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

The sulfur-containing amino acids methionine (Met), cysteine (Cys) and taurine (Tau) are common dietary constituents with important cellular roles. Met restriction is already known to exert in vivo anticancer activity. However, since Met is a precursor of Cys, and Cys produces Tau, the role of Cys and Tau in the anticancer activity of Met-restricted diets is poorly understood. In this work, we screened the in vivo anticancer activity of several Met-deficient artificial diets supplemented with Cys, Tau or both. Diet B1 (6% casein, 2.5% leucine, 0.2% Cys and 1% lipids) and diet B2B (6% casein, 5% glutamine, 2.5% leucine, 0.2% Tau and 1% lipids) showed the highest activity and were selected for further studies. Both diets induced a marked anticancer activity in two animal models of metastatic colon cancer, which were established by injecting CT26.WT murine colon cancer cells in the tail vein or peritoneum of immunocompetent BALB/cAnNRj mice. Diets B1 and B2B also increased the survival of mice with disseminated ovarian cancer (intraperitoneal ID8 Tp53 -/- cells in C57BL/6JRj mice) and renal cell carcinoma (intraperitoneal Renca cells in BALB/cAnNRj mice). The high activity of diet B1 in mice with metastatic colon cancer may be useful in colon cancer therapy.

Patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) need new therapies to improve the low survival rates achieved with standard treatments. In this work, we show that the survival of mice with metastatic TNBC can be markedly increased by replacing their normal diet with artificial diets in which the levels of amino acids (AAs) and lipids are strongly manipulated. After observing selective anticancer activity in vitro, we prepared five artificial diets and evaluated their anticancer activity in a challenging model of metastatic TNBC. The model was established by injecting 4T1 murine TNBC cells into the tail vein of immunocompetent BALB/cAnNRj mice. First-line drugs doxorubicin and capecitabine were used as positive controls. AA manipulation led to modest improvements in mice survival when the levels or lipids were normal. Reducing lipid levels to 1% markedly improved the activity of several diets with different AA content. Mice fed the artificial diets as monotherapy lived longer than mice treated with doxorubicin and capecitabine. An artificial diet without 10 non-essential AAs, with reduced levels of essential AAs, and with 1% lipids improved the survival not only of mice with TNBC but also of mice with other types of metastatic cancers.

This paper is the first of a series of papers which aims to address Islamist violent radicalization from different angles: the nature of violent radicalization in the context of Spain, a comparison between European, North American and Indian violent radicalization, the need to refine territorial radicalization indexes within the context of preventing violent radicalization and the relation between Islamist violent radicalization and other forms of violent radicalization in Europe. This set of articles builds upon the general theoretical framework set by the author on two previous works (García, 2018; 2019). These works are framed under the known conception of three layers of micro, meso and macro factors contributing to violent radicalization processes (McCauley, Moskalenko, 2017). The paper starts by defining Islamist violent radicalization, then it explores different theoretical explanations and finally proposes an explanatory hypothesis that is tested against, on the one hand, data proceeding from different institutional sources in Spain and, on the other, some initial conversations which will become life stories and a in depth interviews to Spanish security officials and people who whether radicalized and regretted or lived very close to others that did it.

The impact of instructional guidance on learning outcomes in higher biomedical education is subject of intense debate. There is the teacher-centered or traditional way of teaching (TT) and, on the other side, the notion that students learn best under minimal guidance (problem-based learning, PBL). Although the benefits of PBL are well-known, there are aspects susceptible to improvement. Hence, a format merging TT and PBL (hybrid-PBL, h-PBL) may advance education in biomedical sciences. Here, we systematically reviewed studies that employed h-PBL in higher biomedical education compared to TT and/or pure PBL. We found that h-PBL resulted in better overall students’ performance and perception than TT or pure PBL. These findings encourage more research on investigating the pedagogical benefits of h-PBL and posit an eclectic system in which the pedagogical tools from TT and PBL are used cooperatively in the best interest of the education and satisfaction of the students.

Patients with degenerative diseases refer to feeling more pain during the night. However, it is unknown whether spinal nociception can be circadian and how is it controlled. We investigated whether the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) could exhibit physiological circadian behavior as well as the contribution of the dopaminergic A11 nucleus and the spinal dopamine (DA) receptors (DRs) on the circadian PWT and the spinal clock gene transcription. Results revealed that control rats present a circadian PWT. Injecting 6-hydroxidopamine (6-OHDA) into the dopaminergic A11 nucleus reduced DA tissue content in the lumbar spinal cord, abolished the circadian PWT, induced allodynia, and reduced Period 1 and 2 (Per1 and 2), retinoid-related orphan receptor α (Rorα), Cryptochrome 1 (Cry1), and brain and muscle aryl-hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like protein (Bmal) mRNA. Likewise, administration of D1-like and D2-like DR antagonists blunted circadian PWT, producing allodynia, and altered the clock genes mRNA. In contrast, administration of D1-like or D2-like DR agonists blocked 6-OHDA-induced allodynia. This study shows that the spinal cord has physiological circadian PWT, which is modulated by the descending dopaminergic A11 through differential activation of the spinal DRs. Also, A11 nuclei and spinal DRs can regulate the clock gene transcription, which can likely modulate the circadian PWT.

A new discrete distribution for count data called extended biparametric Waring (EBW) distribution is developed. Its name is related to the fact that, in a specific configuration of its parameters, it can be seen as a biparametric version of the univariate generalized Waring (UGW) distribution, a well-known model for the variance decomposition into three components: randomness, liability and proneness. Unlike the UGW distribution, the EBW can model both overdispersed and underdispersed data sets. In fact, the EBW distribution is a particular case of a UWG distribution when its first parameter is positive; otherwise, it is a particular case of a Complex Triparametric Pearson (CTP) distribution. Hence, this new model inherits most of their properties and, moreover, it helps to solve the identification problem in the variance components of the UGW model. We compare the EBW with the UGW by a simulation study, but also with other over and underdispersed distributions through the Kullback-Leibler divergence. Additionally, we have carried out a simulation study in order to analyse the properties of the maximum likelihood parameter estimates. Finally, some application examples are included which show that the proposed model provides similar or even better results than other models, but with fewer parameters.

Technology has transformed aeroponics, providing numerous advantages over traditional soil-based agriculture. However, there remains a need for comprehensive information on the types of technology employed in aeroponics and their impact on the growing process. This paper presents a literature review of 47 studies published between 2012 and 2023 in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. As a result, it identifies the status and tendencies in the usage of technology in aeroponics as well as the main opportunities and challenges. Furthermore, this paper introduces the Technology Adoption and Integration in Sustainable Agriculture (TAISA) model. TAISA is a model that identifies the degree of technology integration in any sustainable agriculture system to determine how technology affects production and quality. Overall, the systematic review suggests that technology can play a vital role in improving the efficiency and sustainability of aeroponic farming. However, careful consideration must be given to the costs and technical requirements associated with using these technologies. Moreover, the TAISA model reveals that technology has primarily been employed in creating new processes that are not possible to implement without the help of technology. Therefore, we conclude that technology use has taken root in aeroponics and can be promoted to improve sustainable agriculture.

This article focuses on generating an alternative in order to identify traffic officers during driving. This research employed the latest You Only Look Once (YOLO) model, using a six-phase methodology: data collection, data preparation involving resizing and labeling, implementation of various filters to avoid overfitting, model training, prediction evaluation, and result interpretation. The YOLO model was applied across three iterations using a dataset of 1862 images. To enhance training efficiency and detection speed, the graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration was utilized, further enhancing the experimental process. The results of this study revealed that the YOLOv8x variant produced the most promising results. This proposed model attained a remarkable F1 score of 0.95, bolstered by a confidence score of 0.631, with the potential for an increase to 0.80 in confidence without significantly compromising the F1-score. These findings are poised to make a substantial contribution to the broader research landscape, particularly in advancing the effectiveness of detection models for traffic officers.

Background: breastfeeding is the optimal nourishment for infants and recommends that children commence breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for the initial 6 months of life. Our objective was to determine which factors related to mothers could influence the degree of exclusive breastfeeding during hospitalization, as well as to assess breastfeeding mothers' attitudes towards breastfeeding. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was undertaken in the healthcare area of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The reduced Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS-s) was employed to gauge maternal attitudes toward feeding their baby. Results: 64 women were studied. The overall score of IIFAS-s (mean ± standard deviation) was 36.95 ± 5.17. No use of pacifier by the newborn was associated with a positive attitude for breastfeeding. Having previous children (ORa=6,40; IC95% 1,26 – 32,51) and previous experience with breastfeeding (ORa=6,70; IC95% 1,31 – 34,27) increase the likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding during admission. Conclusions: It is important to identify the factors that contribute to increasing the probability that mothers choose exclusive breastfeeding. We must guide our training efforts to these factors.

Members of the insect ATP binding cassette transporter subfamily C2 (ABCC2) in several moth species are known as receptors for the Cry1Ac insecticidal protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Mutations that abolish the functional domains of ABCC2 are known to cause resistance to Cry1Ac, although the reported levels of resistance vary widely depending on insect species. In this study, the function of the ABCC2 gene as putative Cry1Ac receptor in Helicoverpa zea, a major pest of over 300 crops, was evaluated using CRISPR/Cas9 to progressively eliminate different functional ABCC2 domains. Results from bioassays with edited insect lines support that muta-tions in ABCC2 was associated with Cry1Ac resistance ratios (RR) ranging from 7.3- to 39.8-fold. No significant differences in susceptibility to Cry1Ac were detected between H. zea with partial or complete ABCC2 knockout, although highest levels of tolerance were observed when knocking out half of ABCC2. Based on >500-1,000-fold RRs reported in similar studies for closely related moth species, the low RRs observed in H. zea knockouts support that ABCC2 is not a major Cry1Ac receptor in this insect.

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.

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is recolonizing historical distribution areas after decades of absence. As in other human-dominated landscapes, finding a balance to protect this species by favoring recolonization and mitigating human-wildlife conflicts is a challenge. Since wolves are often generalist opportunistic predators, we studied their diet composition in the Central Spain to evaluate the consumption of domestic ungulates and provide reliable data that help local authorities to deal with the current wolf-cattle ranchers conflict and coexistence. Diet composition (% prey occurrence, % prey ingested biomass) was analyzed through the identification of prey hairs present in 671 scats collected between 2017 and 2021. Wolves fed more on wild ungulates (82% occurrence) than domestic ones (18%). Wild boar (Sus scrofa, 44% occurrence) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, 35%) were the most consumed prey. Wolves positively selected these two species. The wolf's diet varied between seasons, years, and forest regions, but a diet based on wild ungulates predominated over domestic ones. Food niche breadth and showed variations depending on seasons and years. Preserving the availability and diversity of wild ungulates may favor reducing livestock attacks and would be an achievable goal that help to conserve this species and reduce conservation conflicts.

Let R be a commutative graded ring with unity, S be a multiplicative subset of homogeneous elements of R and P be a graded ideal of R such that P\bigcap S=\emptyset In this article, we introduce several results concerning graded S-prime ideals. Then we introduce the concept of graded weakly S-prime ideals which is a generalization of graded weakly prime ideals. We say that P is a graded weakly S-prime ideal of R if there exists s\in S such that for all x, y\in h(R), if 0\neq xy\in P, then sx\in P or sy\in P. We show that graded weakly S-prime ideals have many acquaintance properties to these of graded weakly prime ideals.

Irregular female migration to Europe is a growing phenomenon, as more and more women are fleeing their countries of origin due to gender inequality and violence. During the migration process, women experience physical, psychological and social problems that affect their sex lives. The aim of our study is to describe and understand how irregular migrant wom-en living in humanitarian reception centers experience their sexuality at different stages of the migration process. This qualitative phenomenological study collected data through a sixteen in-depth interviews with irregular migrant women between January and February 2023. Data anal-ysis was carried out using ATLAS-ti 23.0 software, from which three themes were extracted: 1) The sexual reality of sub-Saharan women, 2) In search of a better life: take the risk or surrender, and 3) The migrant sexual revolution. The sexual reality of sub-Saharan women is subject to a complex normative order. The migratory process has severe consequences on migrant women's sex life. The sexual needs of irregular migrant women admitted to humanitarian reception cen-ters undergo a process of change that must be understood by healthcare providers in order to make improvements to care provision.

this article presents the results of implementing existing software tools in the accounting field. The teaching processes regarding the use of Learning and Knowledge Technologies (TAC) in the university environment, and very specifically, in what has to do with the pedagogical integration of the same in the curriculum is deficient and disjointed with the current technological development. Thus, in the different curricula of professional programs of Public Accounting and related, the courses related to computer automation processes are oriented only towards the management of computer science and accounting software and the great diversity of existing applications that would undoubtedly directly benefit the student to know the potential of these in their future accounting practice is not taken into account. Strengthen the various skills of a Public Accountant in training through Learning and Knowledge Technologies (TAC), under the hypothesis of developing skills in the accounting field through TACs. The research was developed using a quantitative approach, an empirical-analytical method, with a type of descriptive research under an experimental design based on G1 x O1 and G2–O2, three phases were defined. In the first phase, the characterization of the existing software tools in the accounting field was carried out. In the second phase, their relevance was determined. In the third phase, performance was evaluated and then classified in a repository. The data obtained were analyzed with parametric analysis techniques through which it was found that the difference in quantitative results in the academic process between the experimental and control groups was statistically significant, which concluded the success of the experimental treatment. The use of CT scans in the classroom by the experimental group resulted in an improvement in their academic performance compared to the control group, strengthening their self-learning processes and facilitating the development of cognitive functions and skills necessary in the exercise of their accounting profession. This research supports and strengthens the work skills developed in the classroom for public accounting students. The tools TAC is developed from the request made by the radiometry laboratory as a first phase and a second phase is necessary for validation with experts.

We have carried out a systematic review of the scientific literature published on PM and, more specifically, on its presence in fish and seafood of interest to the population from Mediterranean area. Given its preference and wide acceptability in the scientific community, we followed the PRISMA. The potential functional and clinical toxicity in humans due to MP in fish must be considered by the chemical composition of the microplastics the presence of PM and its additives, associated contaminants and pathogens in fish and shellfish, as well as the possible effects on human health, requires improving legislation on evaluation and providing a basis for consumer protection.

Cancer cells cannot proliferate and survive unless they obtain sufficient levels of the 20 proteinogenic amino acids (AAs). Unlike normal cells, cancer cells have genetic and metabolic alterations that may limit their capacity to obtain adequate levels of the 20 AAs under challenging metabolic environments. However, since normal diets provide all AAs at relatively constant levels and ratios, these potentially lethal genetic and metabolic defects are eventually harmless to cancer cells. If we temporarily replace the normal diet of cancer patients with artificial diets in which the levels of specific AAs are manipulated, cancer cells may be unable to proliferate and survive. This article reviews in vivo studies that have evaluated the antitumor activity of diets restricted or supplemented with the 20 proteinogenic AAs, individually and in combinations. It also reviews our recent studies that show that manipulating the levels of several AAs simultaneously can lead to marked survival improvements in mice with metastatic cancers.

In computer vision, human action recognition is a hot topic, popularized by the development of deep learning. Current models have achieved high accuracy results on public datasets. Despite this success, they require significant computational resources for training. Given that transfer learning based techniques allow reusing what other models have already learned and training models with less computational resources, in this work we propose using a transfer learning based approach for action recognition in videos. We describe a methodology for human action recognition using transfer learning techniques in a custom dataset. The proposed method consists of four stages: 1) human detection and tracking, 2) video preprocessing, 3) feature extraction (using pretrained models with ImageNet), and 4) action recognition using a two-stream model consisting of TCNs, LSTMs, and CNNs layers. The custom dataset is imbalanced with 189, 390, 490, 854, and 890 videos per class, respectively. For feature extraction, we analyzed the performance of seven pretrained models: Inception-v3, MobileNet-v2, MobileNet-v3-L, VGG-16, VGG-19, Xception, and ConvNeXt-L. We show that the best results were obtained with the last one. Finally, using pretrained models for feature extraction allowed training in a PC with a single GPU with an accuracy of 94.9%.