The health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are related with its chemical composition and the presence of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was evaluate antioxidant compounds (pigments, CoQ10 and phenolic compounds) and antioxidant properties of EVOO from the same region comparing different cultivars (Hojiblanca and Arbequina), harvest year and crop stage. Antioxidant properties of oils were studied before and after a gastrointestinal digestion process, by in vitro assays (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) and antioxidant markers in Caco-2 cells (reactive oxygen species production). The content of bioactive compounds measured was significantly affected by cultivar and harvest year (except for carotenoids) and by the crop stage (except for coenzyme Q10). Higher amount of coenzyme Q10 was observed in Hojiblanca than in Arbequina EVOO. Total phenol content and antioxidant properties were also different depending on cultivar and harvest year and the in vitro digestion process strongly improved antioxidant marker values. Antioxidant potential in bioaccessible fractions was mainly related with content of coenzyme Q10 and phenolic compounds in EVOO. Chemometric analysis showed that the oils were clearly classified by cultivars, harvest and crop stage, according with chemical composition and antioxidant activity analyzed in the present study

There is an urgent need to develop new therapies for cancer treatment due to high rates of resistance and tumor relapse. Moreover, chemotherapy and radiation weaken the immune system and leave patients susceptible to sudden death from infections and organ failure since antineoplastic drugs lack specificity. Hence, scientists worldwide continue the search for natural alternatives with anticancer activities and fewer side effects. In this regard, traditional medicine offers strategies for preventing and treating numerous diseases and nowadays scientific studies worldwide highlight some of the mechanisms underlying their potential as an effective alternative for the management of cancer. In Mexico, Mayan healers have been prescribed mainly medicinal plants for more than 2,000 years. Furthermore, their ethnomedical knowledge has led to drug discovery or the development of herbal remedies. Medicinal plants from the genus of Cissus remain an important element of all indigenous medical systems in Mexico including the Mayan tribes in Yucatan, particularly for the management of gastrointestinal illnesses, sores, cutaneous diseases, and tumors. In this review, we present the reported bioactivities against cancer cells of the extract and compounds from the species of Cissus with a particular focus on recent studies on the phytochemistry of C. trifoliata which is widely distributed in Mexican territory and used for tumor management in traditional medicine.

Self-consciousness can be considered as the internal disposition to direct attention to oneself. This dispositional tendency can be focused on private aspects of the self, but also on public characteristics of the individual. We examine self-consciousness in online consumer behavior. This concept has been poorly investigated in consumer research. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the influence of the dimensions of self-consciousness in consumer adoption of online shopping. This study is based on a sample of 725 Spanish undergraduates. Results indicated that public self-consciousness is a significant predictor of the adoption of online shopping.

The origin of cancer remains one of the most important enigmas in modern biology. This paper presents a hypothesis for the origin of carcinomas in which cellular aging and inflammation enable the recovery of cellular plasticity that may ultimately result in cancer. The process is described as the result of dedifferentiation undergone by epithelial cells in hyperplasia due to replicative senescence towards a mesenchymal cell state with potential cancerous behavior. In support of the hypothesis, the molecular, cellular, and histopathological evidence was critically reviewed and reinterpreted when necessary to postulate a plausible generic model for the origin and progression of carcinomas. In addition, the implications of this theoretical framework for the current strategies of cancer treatment are discussed against recent evidence of the molecular events underlying the epigenetic switches involved in the resistance of breast carcinomas. Subsequently, is proposed an epigenetic landscape for their progression and a potential mechanism to restrain the degree of dedifferentiation and malignant behavior. Finally, is suggested a novel understanding of the involution and carcinogenesis of tissues associated with aging as a perspective that might inspire integrative approaches in the study and management of chronic diseases.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease mainly characterized by joint inflammation. It presents extra-articular manifestations, with the lungs one of the affected areas. Among these, damage to the pulmonary interstitium (Interstitial Lung Disease -ILD) has been linked to proteins involved in the inflammatory process and related to extracellular matrix deposition and lung fibrosis establishment. Peptidyl arginine deiminase enzymes (PAD), which carry out protein citrullination, play a role in this context. A genetic association analysis was conducted on genes encoding two PAD isoforms, PAD2 and PAD4. This analysis also included ancestry informative markers and protein level determination in samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, RA-associated ILD, and clinically healthy controls. Significant single nucleotide variations (SNV) and a haplotype were identified as susceptibility factors for ILD-RA development. Elevated levels of PAD4 were found in ILD-RA cases, while PADI2 showed an association with RA susceptibility. This document presents the data obtained from the conducted research, which has been published.

CagY is the largest and most complex protein from Helicobacter pylori's type IV secretion system (T4SS) and may participate in the modulation of gastric tissue inflammation. A three-dimensional structure has been reported for only two segments of the protein. To build a more complete model, particularly the region that spans between the outer membrane (OM) and the inner membrane (IM), we employed different approaches, including homology modeling, ab initio, and deep learning techniques. For the long-middle repeat region (MRR), modeling was performed using deep learning techniques and Molecular Dynamics. The modeled segments were assembled into a chain of 1595 aa, and a 14-chain CagY multimer structure was composed by structural alignment. The final multimer structure correlated with previously published struc-tures and allows to show how the multimer may form the T4SS channel through which CagA and other molecules are translocated to gastric epithelial cells. The model further confirmed that MRR, the most polymorphic and complex region of CagY, presents numerous cysteine residues forming disulfide bonds that stabilize the protein and suggest this domain probably functions as a contractile region that may play an essential role in the modulatory activity of CagY on tissue inflammation.

Inbreeding depression is expected to be more pronounced in fitness-related traits, such as pig litter size. Recent studies have suggested that the genetic determinism of inbreeding depression may be heterogeneous across the genome. Therefore, the objective of this study is to conduct a genomic scan across the pig autosomal genome to detect the genomic regions that control inbreeding depression for litter size in two varieties of Iberian pigs (Entrepelado and Retinto). The datasets consist of 2,069 (338 sows) and 2,028 (327 sows) records for litter size (Total Number Born and Number Born Alive) for the Entrepelado and Retinto varieties. All sows were genotyped using the Geneseek GGP PorcineHD 70 K. We employed the Unfavorable Haplotype Finder software to extract runs of homozygosity (ROHs) and conducted a mixed model analysis to identify highly significant differences between homozygous and heterozygous sows for each specific ROH. A total of 8 genomic regions located on SSC2, SSC5, SSC7, SSC8, and SSC13, were significantly associated with inbreeding depression, housing some relevant genes such as FSHR, LHCGR, CORIN, AQP6, and CEP120.

Post-quantum public cryptosystems introduced so far do not define an scalable public key infrastructure for the quantum era. We demonstrate here a public certification system based in Lizama’s non-invertible Key Exchange Protocol which can be used to implement a public key infrastructure (PKI), secure, scalable, interoperable and efficient. We show functionality of certificates across different certification domains. Finally, we discuss that non-invertible certificates can exhibit Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS).

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common complication of non-kidney solid organ transplant (NKSOT). Identifying predisposing factors is crucial for an early approach and correct referral to nephrology. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective observational study of a cohort of CKD patients under follow-up in Nephrology Department between 2010 to 2020. Statistical analysis was performed between all the risk factors and four dependent variables: end-stage renal disease (ESKD), increased serum creatinine ≥50%, renal replacement therapy (RRT), and death in pre-transplant, peri-transplant and post-transplant period. Results: 74 patients were studied (7 heart transplant, 34 liver transplants, and 33 lung transplant). Patients who were not followed-up by nephrology in the pre-transplant (p<0.027), peri-transplant (p<0.046), and the longest time until outpatient clinic follow-up (HR 1,032) were associated with a higher risk of creatinine increase ≥50%. Receiving a lung transplant conferred higher risk than liver or hear transplant for developing a creatinine increase ≥50% and ESKD. Peri-transplant mechanical ventilation, peri-transplant and post-transplant anticalcineurin overdose, nephrotoxic and the number of hospital admissions were significantly associated to present a creatinine increase ≥50% and develop ESKD. Conclusion: An early follow-up by the nephrology department was associated with a decrease in the worsening of renal function.

We introduce a novel key exchange protocol based on non-commutative matrix multiplication defined in $\mathbb{F}_p^{n \times n}$. The security of our method does not rely on computational problems as integer factorization or discrete logarithm whose difficulty is conjectured. We show that the public, secret and channel keys become indistinguishable to the eavesdropper under matrix multiplication. Remarkably, for achieving a 512-bit security level, the public key is 1024 bits and the private key is 768 bits, making them the smallest keys among post-quantum key exchange algorithms. Also, we discuss how to achieve key authentication, interdomain certification and Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS). Therefore, Lizama's algorithm becomes a promising candidate to establish shared keys and secret communication between (IoT) devices in the quantum era.

We present an error reconciliation method for Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) that corrects 100% of errors generated in regular binary frames transmitted over a noisy quantum channel regardless of the quantum channel error rate. In a previous investigation, we introduced a novel distillation QKD algorithm whose secret key rate descends linearly with respect to the channel error rate. Now, as the main achievement of this work, we demonstrate an improved algorithm capable of retaining almost all the secret information enclosed in the regular binary frames. Remarkably, this technique increases quadratically the secret key rate as a function of the double matching detection events and doubly quadratically in the number of the quantum pulses. Furthermore, this reconciliation method opens up the opportunity to use less attenuated quantum pulses, would allow greater QKD distances at drastically increased secret key rate. Since our method can be implemented as a software update, we hope that quantum key distribution technology would be fast deployed over global data networks in the quantum era.

We introduce a novel key exchange protocol based on non-commutative matrix multiplication defined in $\mathbb{Z}_p^{n \times n}$. The security of our method does not rely on computational problems as integer factorization or discrete logarithm whose difficulty is conjectured. We claim that the unique eavesdropper's opportunity to get the secret/private key is by means of an exhaustive search which is equivalent to the unsorted database search problem. Furthermore, we show that the secret/private keys become indistinguishable to the eavesdropper. Remarkably, to achieve a 512-bit security level, the keys (public/private) are of the same size when matrix multiplication is done over a reduced 8-bit size modulo. Also, we discuss how to achieve key certification and Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS). Therefore, Lizama's algorithm becomes a promising candidate to establish shared keys and secret communication between (IoT) devices in the quantum era.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the feasibility of using waste from granite gang saws (GCW-GS) to manufacture ultra-high performance, steel-fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). These machines cut granite blocks by abrasion using a steel blade and slurry containing fine steel grit. The waste generated by gang saws (GCW-GS) contains up to 15% Fe2O3 and up to 5% CaO. This is the main difference from the waste produced by diamond saws (GCW-D). Consequently, the second objective of this study is to compare the results of the waste obtained with gang saws with that from diamond saws, in order to determine the influence of iron and calcium oxides. The waste from cutting granite with gang saws was used in different percentages to replace micronized quartz powder of natural origin in the manufacture of UHPRFC. All the test specimens were analysed to determine their compressive strength, elasticity modulus, flexural strength and indirect tensile strength. The final conclusion is that wastes from both gang saws and diamond saws can be used to manufacture UHPFRC with an improvement in the mechanical properties up to a 35% replacement. The results for GCW-GS are better, mainly due to the pozzolanic effect of the iron dioxide. For higher percentage replacements the mechanical properties are close to the control concrete with small decreases.

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

Spent batteries recycling is an important way to obtain low-cost graphite. Nevertheless, the obtaining of crystalline graphite with a rather low density of defects is required for many applications. In the present work, high-quality graphites have been obtained from different kinds of spent batteries. Black masses from spent alkaline batteries (batteries black masses, BBM), and lithium-ion batteries from smartphones (smartphone black masses, SBM) and electric and/or hybrid vehicles (lithium-ion black masses, LBM) were used as starting materials. A hydrometallurgical process was then used to obtain recycled graphites by acidic leaching. Different leaching conditions were used depending on the type of the initial black mass. The final solids were characterized by a wide set of complementary techniques.

We investigate the influence of the Abrikosov vortex lattice on the Casimir force in a setup constituted by high-temperature superconductors subject to an external magnetic field. The Abrikosov lattice is a property of type II superconductors in which normal and superconducting carriers coexist and these latter define a periodic pattern with squared symmetry. We find that the optical properties determined by spatial redistribution of the superconducting order parameter induce Casimir forces with a periodic structure whose minimal strengths coincide with the vortex cores.

The vegetation in constructed wetlands (CWs) plays an important role in wastewater treatment. Popularly, the common emergent plants in CWs have been vegetation of natural wetlands. However, there are ornamental flowering plants that have some physiological characteristics similar to the plants of natural wetlands that can stimulate the removal of pollutants in wastewater treatments; such importance in CWs is described here. A literature survey of 87 CWs from 21 countries showed that the four most commonly used flowering ornamental vegetation genera were Canna, Iris, Heliconia and Zantedeschia. In terms of geographical location, Canna spp. is commonly found in Asia, Zantedeschia spp. is frequent in Mexico (a country in North America), Iris is most commonly used in Asia, Europe and North America, and species of the Heliconia genus are commonly used in Asia and parts of the Americas (Mexico, Central and South America). This review also compares the use of ornamental plants versus natural wetland plants and systems without plants for removing pollutants (COD, BOD, nitrogen and phosphorous compounds). The removal efficiency was similar between flowering ornamental and natural wetland plants. However, pollutant removal was better when using ornamental plants than in unplanted CWs. The use of ornamental flowering plants in CWs is an excellent option, and efforts should be made to increase the adoption of these system types and use them in domiciliary, rural and urban areas.

Gamma titanium aluminides (γ-TiAl) present an excellent behaviour under high temperature conditions, being a feasible alternative to nickel-based superalloy components in aeroengine sector. However, considered as a difficult to cut material, process cutting parameters require special study to guarantee components quality. In this work, developed drilling mechanistic model is a useful tool in order to predict drilling force (F_z) and torque (T_c) for optimal drilling conditions determination. The model is validated for three types of Gamma-TiAl alloys. Integral hard metal end-drilling tools and different cutting parameters (feeds and cutting speeds) are tested in three different sized holes for each alloy.

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

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

Cystoseira is a relevant alga, which forms dense meadows on rocky substrates up to 100 meters deep. They are widely recognized as bioindicators for their restricted habitat (sub-coastal zone) and low tolerance to pollution. We have monitored Cystoseira sensu lato (sl) spp. in abrasion platforms in Cabo de Las Huertas (Alicante, SE Spain), a total of seven species. A cladogram has been constructed using fifteen phenotypic taxonomic relevant characters. We have also optimized Cystoseira DNA extraction and sequenced amplicons from mt23S, tRNA-Lys, and psbA genes of five Cystoseira sl species from Cabo de Las Huertas. Our phylogenetic supertree, built with these sequences, backs three clades in the genus. Rare species Treptacantha sauvageauana and Treptacantha algeriensis, sequenced for the first time, are included with T. elegans and the Atlantic species T. baccata and T. abies-marina in Cystoseira-VI or Cystoseira-II clades. Our data supports a complex colonization of Cystoseira (sl) spp. in the Mediterranean, perhaps involving Atlantic clades.

We present a new post-processing method for Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) that raise cubically the secret key rate in the number of double matching detection events. In Shannon’s communication model information is prepared at Alice’s side then it is intended to pass it over a noisy channel. In our approach, secret bits do not rely in Alice’s transmitted quantum bits but in Bob’s basis measurement choices. Therefore measured bits are publicly revealed while bases selections remain secret. Our method implements sifting, reconciliation and amplification in a unique process, it just require a round iteration, no redundancy bits are sent and there is no limit in the correctable error percentage. Moreover, this method can be implemented as a post processing software into QKD technologies already in use.

Heat waves represents a major concern for the tourism industry in the Mediterranean area. Therefore, it is necessary to deepen the study of the influence of high temperatures and their effects on tourist behavior. This research aims to develop a structural model that allows measuring how heat waves affect the behavior of external tourist demand in coastal destinations. The results are useful for the design by tourist destinations of adaptation measures to climate change. The proposed hypotheses have been contrasted using non-linear structural equations (SEM), estimated with data from the National Institute of Statistics on external demand in Spain. The results confirm lower tourist flows with the increase in high temperatures to the coasts of the Spanish Mediterranean area from traditional source markets, such as the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the tourist flow to the Balearic Islands decreases with high temperatures.

Penicillium digitatum is the major postharvest pathogen of citrus fruit under Mediterranean climate conditions. In the present work, we have addressed the study of the role of P. digitatum’s proteases in virulence following two complementary approaches. In a first approach, we have undertaken the functional characterization of the P. digitatum prtT gene, which codes for a transcription factor previously shown to regulate extracellular proteases in other filamentous fungi. Deletion of prtT caused a significant loss in secreted protease activity during in vitro growth assays. However, there was no effect on virulence. Gene expression of the two major secreted acid proteases was barely affected in the ΔprtT deletant during infection of citrus fruit. Hence, no conclusion could be drawn on the role of these secreted acidic proteases on the virulence of P. digitatum. In a second approach, we have studied the effect of different protease inhibitors and chelators in virulence. Co-inoculation of citrus fruit with P. digitatum conidia and a cocktail of protease inhibitors resulted in almost a complete absence of disease development. Analysis of individual inhibitors revealed that the metalloprotease inhibitor 1,10-phenanthroline was responsible for the observed effect. The application of metal ions reverted the protective effect caused by the metallopeptidase inhibitor. These results may set the basis for the development of new alternative treatments to combat this important postharvest pathogen.

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

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

Previously, using the conjugate frame-based reconciliation approach, we defined a method to correct errors produced in pairs of non-orthogonal quantum states that are transmitted through a quantum key distribution (QKD) link. The security of the frame-based reconciliation was discussed in order to deal with Photon Number Division (PNS) attack and Intercept and Forward (IR) attack, among others. However, until the time of publication we did not have the distillation software to test our method. In this article, following the conjugate frame distillation method, we present the implementation of the post-processing system that demonstrates that it is capable of correcting errors in the presence of error rates close to unity. The system shows that when the number of double-sensing events at Bob's station is as low as 100, the number of secret bits stays above 4500 bits in about 12 seconds, giving a secret rate of 375 bits per second while that the channel error rate reaches 90\%.

Background: The relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and both physical fitness (PF) and physical activity (PA) level has been analysed in several studies. The aim of this research was to describe, compare and analyse the level of PF and PA in schoolchildren aged 6-13 in the Region of Murcia, according to adherence to the MD. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed. A total of 370 schoolchildren (44.9% girls) aged 6-13 (8.7±1.8) from six primary schools in the Region of Murcia (Spain). Results: Only 25.9% of the schoolchildren had optimal adherence to the MD. Regarding the scores of the different PF tests in MD groups, only statistically significant differences were found for CRF (p=0.048) in boys. PA level, showed statistically significant differences in both boys (p=0.040) and girls (p=0.016). A positive relationship was found between the KIDMED index and CRF (ρ=.127), standing broad jump (ρ=.133) and PA level (ρ=.235). A higher probability of having a greater CRF (OR=1.17; CI95%=1.02–1.34) and PA level (OR=7.84; CI95%=2.84–21.60) was found in High MD group. Conclusion: These results suggest that an optimal adherence to the MD is associated with higher CRF and PA level in the selected schoolchildren.

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

This paper presents new above-ground biomass (AGB) and biomass components equations for seventeen forest species in the temperate forests of northwestern Mexico. A data set corresponding to 1336 destructively sampled oak and pine trees was used to fit the models. Generalized method of moments was used to simultaneously fit systems of equations for biomass components and AGB, to ensure additivity. Additionally, the carbon content of each tree component was calculated by the dry combustion method, in a TOC analyser. The fitted equations accounted for on average 91, 83, 84 and 78% of the observed variance in stem wood and stem bark, branch and foliage biomass, respectively, whereas the total AGB equations explained on average 93% of the total observed variance in AGB. The inclusion of h or d²h as additional predictor in the d-only based equations systems slightly improved estimates of stem wood, stem bark and total above-ground biomass, and greatly improved the estimates produced by the branch and foliage biomass equations. The fitted equations were used to estimate AGB stocks at stand level from a database on growing stock from 429 permanent sampling plots. Three machine-learning techniques were used to model the estimated stand level AGB and carbon contents; the selected models were applied to map the AGB and carbon distributions in the study area, which yielded mean values of 129.84 Mg ha^-1 and 63.80 Mg ha^-1, respectively.

The rapid ageing of populations around the World is creating complex challenges for national governments. The establishment of sustainable and equitable long-term care systems for old and dependent people is one of the main issues of social policy in developed countries. The aim of this work is to define a cost model for residential and day care centres for dependent persons in Cantabria (Spain). The cost model will make it possible to establish the theoretical cost of attending to the needs of the different types of dependent persons in the different types of care centres, and the methodology used could be extrapolated to other regions. The daily cost per user for elderly residential care is €53.72. The cost per user in elderly day centres (5 days) is 32.56 euros. In residential centres for people with disabilities, the values range between €47.41 and €75.25 depending on the category of the centre. In three categories of centres the public price is not enough to cover the cost (physical disability, intellectual disability, mental illness – low care), and therefore the administration should reconsider their public prices for these kind of centres if they want to really contribute to the sustainability of these residential care centres. This research will have important implications for policy-makers in a context of fulfilment of SDGs and where better support for old and disabled people and their carers, as well as fair and efficient financing of social care services, are essential to address the current and future challenges of dependency.

Antisepsis of the hands of medical personnel is one of the most important steps in the process of patient care, since direct contact can cause the cross-transfer of potentially pathogenic microorganisms at surgical sites.This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of microorganisms on the hands of 131 surgeons in a university hospital before the surgical procedure. Swabs were collected from each clinician's hands before and after handwashing. The samples were placed in a transport medium and immediately delivered to a private Clinical Analysis Laboratory from São Luis-Maranhão. The microorganisms were identified by ionization source mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption (MALDI-TOF), and antibiotic susceptibility tests (AST) were performed using the Vitek2 automated system. The results showed a high frequency (100%) of microorganisms before handwashing, but after surgical antisepsis, the rate dropped significantly (p&lt;0.05) to 27.5%. Gram-positive cocci and rods were the most common microbes, followed by gram-negative bacilli species. The effectiveness of hand antisepsis was 72.5%. The ideal would be 100% efficacy, that is, 0% microorganisms in all surgeons. It is logical that the presence of any organism, no matter how infrequent it may be, will always represent a great risk of postoperative infection for any patient.

Delayed discharge for non-clinical reasons is defined as a period of stay that continues after a patient has been deemed medically fit to leave the hospital but is unable to do so for non-medical reasons. This circumstance overburdens the healthcare system and constitutes a major problem for healthcare systems and the patients themselves in this situation.The aim of this study was to evaluate the delay in effective discharge for non-medical reasons in patients admitted to acute care hospitals in Spain. A scoping review was conducted in order to revise and obtain an up-to-date review. The initial search strategy identified a total of 123 references, which were successively screened to a final selection of 13 studies. To conclude, delayed discharge from hospital for non-clinical reasons is a multifactorial problem. It may be due to factors internal or external to the hospital, as well as personal factors. The main causes of the delay are similar among the studies found, as are the clinical characteristics of the patients, most of whom are elderly, frail, and more dependent due to declining functional capacities. Further studies addressing the socio-familial characteristics of the patients and the perspective of the patient and families would be necessary.

Acute and chronic bone infections, especially those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), remains a major complication and therapeutic challenge. It is documented that local administration of vancomycin offers better results than the usual routes of administration (e.g. intravenous) when ischemic areas are present. In this work, we evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy against S. aureus and S. epidermidis and analyzed the potential cytotoxic effect of a novel hybrid 3D-printed scaffold based on poly(caprolactone) and chitosan loaded with different vancomycin concentrations (1, 5, 10 and 20%). For this purpose, vancomycin release was measured by means of HPLC, and the biological response of ah-BM-MSCs in the presence of the scaffolds was evaluated in terms of cytotoxicity (LDH activity), proliferation (AlamarBlueⓇ) and osteogenic differentiation (ALP activity, Alizarin Red staining). In addition, two cold plasma treatments were evaluated to improve the adhesion of hydrophobic polymers to hydrogels. The hybrid PCL/CS/Van scaffolds tested were found to be biocompatible, bioactive, and bactericide, as demonstrated by no cytotoxicity or functional alteration and by bacterial inhibition. Our results suggest that the scaffolds developed would be excellent candidates to be used in a wide range of biomedical fields such as drug delivery systems or tissue engineering applications.

This paper presents a state machine based architecture which enhances flexibility and reusability of industrial robots, more concretely dual-arm multisensor robots. The proposed architecture, in addition to allowing absolute control of the execution, eases the programming of new applications by increasing the reusability of the developed modules. Through an easy-to-use graphical user interface, operators are able to create, modify, reuse and maintain industrial processes increasing the flexibility of the cell. Moreover, the proposed approach is applied in a real use case in order to demonstrate its capabilities and feasibility in industrial environments. A comparative analysis is presented for evaluating presented approach versus traditional robot programming techniques.

Sometimes there are clear and natural limits to the scope of action of a science, and in other cases they are simply convenient ones. Geographic Information Science (GISc) is a transversal science, with contacts with all geosciences but also with various formal sciences such as Mathematics, Logic and Computer Science. A first approach to specifying the limits of a science is through its definition. Definitions of GISc are often so expansive that they have been rightly criticized for practicing gerrymandering, in particular with the rest of the geosciences. To avoid this, an operational definition is proposed that places GISc among the sciences that handle Data and not Information. This solves the gerrymandering problem without really implying a significant cut of what is usually considered within GISc. As an unforeseen consequence, this delimitation will allow it to be characterized as Formal Science, leaving it as the only geoscience with this characteristic.

A basic pattern in the body plan architecture of many animals, plants and some molecular and cellular systems is five-part units. This pattern has been understood as a result of genetic blueprints in development and as a widely conserved evolutionary character. Despite some efforts, a definitive explanation of the abundance of pentagonal symmetry at so many levels of complexity is still missing. Based on both, a computational platform and a statistical spatial organization argument, we show that five-fold morphology is substantially different from other abundant symmetries like three-fold, four-fold and six-fold symmetries in terms of spatial interacting elements. We develop a measuring system to determine levels of spatial organization in 2D polygons (homogeneous or heterogeneous partition of defined areas) based in principles of regularity in a morphospace. We found that spatial organization of five-fold symmetry is statistically higher than all other symmetries studied here (three to ten-fold symmetries) in terms of spatial homogeneity. The significance of our findings is based on the statistical constancy of geometrical constraints derived from spatial organization of shapes, beyond the material or complexity level of the many different systems where pentagonal symmetry occurs.

The commonly accepted definition of sustainability considers the availability of relevant resources to make an activity feasible and durable while also recognizing users' support as essential part of the social side of sustainability. IoT represents a disruption in the general scenario of computing for both users and professionals, The real expansion and integration of applications based on IoT depend on our capacity of exploring the necessary skills and professional profiles that are essential for implementation of IoT projects, but also on the perception of relevant aspects for users, e.g., on privacy, legal, IPR and security issues. Our participation in several EU-funded projects with focus in this area has enabled the collection of information on both sides of IoT sustainability through surveys but also collecting data from a variety of sources. Thanks to these varied and complementary sources of information, this article will explore the user and professional aspects for sustainability of Internet of Things in practice.

The impact of the presence of Microplastics (Mp's) has become popular due to its presence in all environments, however, its transportation, accommodation and destination is still unknown. This study developed a laboratory-scale experiment, using eco-technologies for the treatment of domestic wastewater and reused for agriculture. A Constructed Wetland System of horizontal subsurface flow conditioned with substrate gravel and with two types of ornamental plants Hippeastrum Hybridum Hort and Heliconia Bihai Marginata, obtained an average 90% efficiency in the removal of pollutants COD, TDS, NH4, NT, PO4 , NO2 and PT; directing water through a drip irrigation system for irrigation of the Phaseolus vulgaris crop, selected for its nutritional importance (36% of daily protein intake), grown in two Growth Beds; The crop irrigated with treated water presented a greater relationship between growth and number of pods; finally identify the presence of Mp's through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis in the different types of water (domestic waste, treated waste and well) and determine the quality of the fruit for consumption with safety tests. Escherichia coli and Salmonella.

The viral nervous necrosis virus (VNNV) is the causative agent of an important disease affecting fish species cultured worldwide. Early and accurate diagnosis is at present the most effective control and prevention tool, and the molecular techniques have been strongly introduced and accepted by official organizations. Among those, real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (rt-qPCR) is nowadays displacing other molecular techniques. However, another PCR-based technology, the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), is on the increase. It has many advantages over qPCR, such as higher sensitivity and more reliability of the quantification. Therefore, we decided to design and validate a protocol for diagnosis and quantification of SJ and RG type VNNV, using reverse transcription-ddPCR (RT-ddPCR). We obtained an extremely low limit of detection, 10 to 100-folds lower than with RT-qPCR. Quantification by RT-ddPCR, with a dynamic range of 6.8 – 6.8 x 104 (SJ type) or 1.04 x 101 – 1.04 x 105 (RG) cps/rctn, was more reliable than with RT-qPCR. The procedure was tested and validated in field samples, providing the high clinical sensitivity and negative predictive values. In conclusion, we propose this method to substitute RT-qPCR protocols because it exceeds the expectations of qPCR in the diagnosis and quantification of VNNV.

We recently screened a series of new aziridines β-D-galactopyranoside derivatives for selective anticancer activity and identified 2-methyl-2,3-[N-(4-methylbenzenesulfonyl)imino]propyl 2,3-di-O-benzyl-4,6-O-(S)-benzylidene-β-D-galactopyranoside (AzGalp) as the most promising compound. In this article, we explore possible mechanisms involved in the cytotoxicity of this aziridine and evaluate its selective anticancer activity using cancer cells and normal cells from a variety of tissues. Our data show that AzGalp induces DNA damage (detected with the comet assay). Cells deficient in the DNA repair pathway nucleotide excision repair (NER) were hypersensitive to the cytotoxicity of this compound. These results suggest that AzGalp induces bulky DNA adducts, and that cancer cells lacking a functional NER pathway may be particularly vulnerable to the anticancer effects of this aziridine. Several experiments revealed that neither the generation of oxidative stress nor the inhibition of glycolysis played a significant role in the cytotoxicity of AzGalp. The combinations of AzGalp with either oxaliplatin or 5-fluorouracil slightly improved the ability of both anticancer drugs to selectively kill cancer cells. AzGalp also displayed selective cytotoxicity against a panel of malignant cells versus normal cells; the highest selectivity was observed for two acute promyelocytic leukemia cell lines. Additional preclinical studies are necessary to evaluate the anticancer potential of AzGalp.

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

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

Large datasets play a crucial role in the progression of surgical robotics, facilitating advancements in the fields of surgical task recognition and automation. Moreover, public datasets enable the comparative analysis of various algorithms and methodologies, thereby assessing their effectiveness and performance. The ROSMA (Robotics Surgical Maneuvers) dataset provides 206 trials of common surgical training tasks performed with the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK). In this work, we extend ROSMA dataset with two annotated subsets: ROSMAT24, which contains bounding box annotations for instrument detection, and ROSMAG40, which contains high and low level gesture annotations. We propose an annotation method that provides independent labels for the right-handed tool and the left-handed tool. For instrument identification, we validate our proposal with a YOLOv4 model in two experimental scenarios. We demonstrate the generalization capabilities of the network to detect instruments in unseen scenarios. For gesture segmentation, we propose two label categories: high-level annotations that describe gestures at a maneuvers level, and low-level annotations that describe gestures at a fine-grain level. To validate this proposal, we have designed a recurrent neural network based on a bidirectional long-short term memory layer. We present results for four cross-validation experimental setups, reaching up to a 77.35% mAP.

This paper presents a study and implementation of a convolutional neural network to identify and recognize humpback whale specimens from the unique patterns of their tails. Starting from a dataset composed of images of whale tails, all the phases of the process of creation and training of a neural network are detailed – from the analysis and pre-processing of images to the elaboration of predictions, using TensorFlow and Keras frameworks. Other possible alternatives are also explained when it comes to tackling this problem and the complications that have arisen during the process of developing this paper.

Wildfires present a significant risk to societies globally due to population growth, con- centrated activities, climate change, and extreme environmental conditions. To establish effective fire suppression and management policies, it is crucial to determine whether the distance between ignition points and urban areas is increasing or decreasing. This study analyses 101,597 fires in Spain and California between 2007 and 2015, using the Mann-Kendall test to determine trends. The study analyses the location and cause of fires to determine their distance from human constructions over time at two spatial scales. The findings suggest that wildfires are not moving away from buildings and, in some areas, are moving significantly closer.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the high prevalence of comorbidities in Mexico, as well as the disparities between public and private health subsystems, substantially contributed to the severe impact it had in the country. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare risk factors present at admission for mortality of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. A 2-year retrospective cohort study of hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 was conducted at a private tertiary care center. The study population consisted of 1,258 patients with a median age of 56 ± 16.5 years, of whom 1,093 recovered (86.8%) and 165 died (13.1%). In the univariate analysis, older age (p &lt;0.001), comorbidities such as hypertension (p &lt;0.001) and diabetes (p &lt;0.001), signs and symptoms of respiratory distress, and markers of acute inflammatory response were significantly more frequent in non-survivors. The multivariate analysis showed that older age (p &lt;0.001), the presence of cyanosis (p 0.005) and previous myocardial infarction (p 0.032) were independent predictors for mortality. In the studied cohort, risk factors present at admission associated with an increased risk of death were older age, cyanosis and a previous myocardial infarction, which can be used as valuable predictors for patients’ outcomes. To our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing predictors of mortality in COVID-19 patients attended on a private tertiary hospital in Mexico.

The construction of random fillings from the excavation of medium hardness rocks, with high particle sizes, presents limitations in compaction control. This research applies new control techniques with revised test procedures in the construction of the random fillings core, which constitutes the main part of the embankment, with the bigger volume and provides the geotechnical stability to the infrastructure. The maximum layer thickness researched was 800mm. As there are many types of rocks, this research is applied to metamorphic slates. Quality control has been carried out by applying new research associated with the revision of wheel impression test, topographic settlements and plate bearing test (PBT). A statistical analysis of the core of 16 slate random fillings has been carried out, with a total of 2250 in situ determination of density and moisture content, 75 wheel impression tests, 75 topographic settlement control and 75 PBT. The strong associations found between different tests have allowed to simplify the quality control.

(1) Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in the preparation of the normal wound healing response. Therefore, a correct balance between low or high levels of ROS is essential. Antioxidant dressings that regulate this balance is a target for new therapies. The purpose of this review is to identify the compounds with antioxidant properties that have been tested for wound healing and to summarize the available evidence on their effects. (2) Methods: A literature search was conducted and included any study that evaluated the effects or mechanisms of antioxidants in the healing process (in vitro, animal models, or human studies). (3) Results: Seven compounds with antioxidant activity were identified (Curcumin, N-acetyl cysteine, Chitosan, Gallic Acid, Edaravone, Crocin, Safranal, and Quercetin) and 46 studies reporting the effects on the healing process of these antioxidants compounds were included. (4) Conclusions: These results highlight that numerous novel investigations are being conducted to develop more efficient systems for wound healing activity. The application of antioxidants is useful against oxidative damage and accelerates wound healing. Designing biomaterials that can scavenge excess reactive oxygen species requires new technologies and further research, especially human studies.

Our research assesses the effects of four forest species, namely Swietenia macrophylla King, Swietenia mahogany (L.) Jack., Pinus occidentalis Swartz, and Pinus caribaea Morelet var. Caribaea, on organic carbon (OC) dynamics and carbon dioxide equivalent balance (BCO2 Eq.) in the soils beneath these species. Reforestation projects in the study region cover 1,200, 543, 770, and 1,152 hectares, with these four species, respectively, being the most relevant species in reforestation projects within the country. To determine the BCO2 Eq. per unit area, we compared the greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) with the OC reserves found in the mineral soil to a depth of 30 cm and in the forest litter. For 18 months, we conducted field measurements in sixteen stands, four for each species. Our results indicate that S. macrophylla absorbed the highest amount of CO2, while S. mahogany released the highest amount into the atmosphere. BCO2 Eq. from S. macrophylla soils was -23.19 metric tons of CO2 Eq. ha-1 year-1, while for P. occidentalis, S. mahogany, and P. caribaea, the corresponding quantities were -3.838, -2.299, and +0.982, respectively. During the measurement period, soils under S. macrophylla, P. occidentalis, and P. caribaea were net sinks of CO2 Eq., while soils under S. mahogany behaved as a source. The absorption rate of CO2 Eq. from the atmosphere was approximately 6, 10, and 24 times higher in S. macrophylla when compared to the respective rates of P. occidentalis, P. caribaea, and S. mahagony.

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

Tobacco and cannabis use pose major health risks and are major contributors to causes of death worldwide. Mobile phone-based cessation apps for these substances are gaining popularity, often used as a component of traditional interventions. This study aimed to analyze adherence to an intervention using a mobile phone application (App-therapy Prescind) as a function of sociodemographic variables (age, gender, educational level, and profession) as well as the primary activities supported by the app (reducing tobacco or cannabis use and increasing physical exercise). The participants were recruited through the web pages of the Occupational Risk Prevention Service and the Psychology Clinic of the University of Granada during the Covid-19 confinement period. The application’s content includes three components (self-report, motivational phrases, and goal-setting). Our findings indicate that being male, aged between 26 and 62, having a secondary or high school education, and being unemployed increase the likelihood of adherence to the Prescinde App-therapy three months after usage. Our findings highlight the importance of developing new therapeutic approaches and conducting in-depth studies on the factors associated with adherence to tobacco and cannabis cessation treatments via mobile phone applications.

Ribosomal proteins (RPs) mediate protein synthesis and stability of the ribosomal complex. RPs and rRNA form ribosomal subunits and ri-bosomes, the cellular machinery for protein synthesis, a fundamental biological process related to cell growth and proliferation. The differ-ences between paralogs within the same RP family have led them to ac-quire extraribosomal functions involved in plants' growth, develop-ment, and biotic and abiotic stresses. From transcriptomic analysis, it has been revealed that ribosomal proteins have a crucial role during MTs development. The RPLs; RPL11, RPL29 and RPL40 interact with PEBP family members (Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins), poten-tial activators in the MTs development. In potatoes, genome editing is a promising technology to introduce crop breeding traits. Recently, the edition of the genome through the CRISPR/Cas9 system has made it the most efficient and powerful genetic modification method. Based on this, the gene modulation by overexpression and silencing in RPL11, RPL29 and RPL40 will guide us to understand the effect on the microtuberiza-tion process and produce improved potato plants with the capability of growing under adverse environments (biotic and abiotic stresses). By understanding the molecular biology mechanisms that RPs govern, we can improve crops under today's changing climatic conditions.

Introduction: The exponential growth of the SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission during the first months of 2020 has placed substantial pressure on health systems worldwide. The complications derived from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vary in due to comorbidities, sex and age, with more than 50% of the patients who require some level of intensive care developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Areas covered: Various complications caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection have been identified, the most lethal being the acute respiratory distress syndrome, caused most likely by the presence of severe immune cell response and the concomitant alveolus inflammation. The authors carried out an extensive and comprehensive literature review on SARS-CoV-2 infection, the clinical, pathological and radiological presentation as well as the current treatment strategies. Expert Opinion Elevation of inflammatory biomarkers is a common trend among seriously ill patients. The information available strongly suggests that in COVID-19 patients, their altered immune response, including a massive cytokine storm, is responsible for the further damage evidenced among ARDS patients. The increasingly high number of scientific articles and evidence available can only suggest that the individualization of each case is the norm, not all patients with acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19 meet the Berlin definition and therefore ARDS should be considered as a heterogeneous disease, with a wide range in the expression of its severity and clinical manifestations.

Particle size can pose a challenge to random embankment compaction control methods, where practical techniques have hardly been developed and procedural control is used instead. In order to develop new quality control procedures for slate random fill, the necessary fieldwork and laboratory tests were carried out. This involved the revision of certain methods such as the wheel-tracking or topographic settlement tests. More than six hundred in-situ density and moisture content measurements were carried out for this research. In addition, more three hundred topographic settlements and three hundred wheel-tracking carriage tests were performed. The quality control processes were completed with more than thirty plate bearing tests. Possible evidence of statistical correlations between compaction control tests were identified. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. When testing proved relationships between them, the replacement of one of them by the other was assessed by deduction. Finally, the study suggests new procedures for compaction quality control of random slate fill used in crown area.

In this article, we first present and discuss eighteenth-century descriptions of minerals that contributed decisively to the development of crystallography. Remarkably, these old crystallographic descriptions included morphologies with symmetries incompatible with an internal periodic order of atoms, which, however, have been recognised to be characteristics of quasicrystals. Moreover, we also review a number of studies of minerals with aperiodic crystal structures, including recently reported natural quasicrystals of extra-terrestrial origin. Finally, we discuss the current investigations addressing the search for new quasicrystalline minerals in nature.

Introduction: Osteosarcomas of the jaw (OSJ) are rare tumors with a different behavior from osteosarcomas of other bones. This study aims to analyze the clinical, pathological, and therapeutic characteristics of this type of sarcoma. Methods: a retrospective observational study of cases diagnosed with OSJ registered at the “La Paz” University Hospital (Madrid). Results: Eight cases with a diagnosis of OSJ were obtained in a study period of 22 years (2000-2022). The mean age was 41 years. The distribution was 1:1 between the maxilla and mandible. Painful inflammation was the most frequent clinical manifestation. Conventional osteoblastic osteosarcoma was the most common. Survival at 5 years was 50%, while at 10 years, it decreased to 25%. Conclusions: OSJ differs from conventional osteosarcomas of long tubular bones. Surgery continues to be the mainstay of treatment; more studies are needed in which more standardized protocols can be proposed for adjuvant therapeutic management.

Structural hydroxide groups in layered magnesium-aluminum double hydroxides were partially replaced by fluoride ions. Fluorinated and fluorine-free materials were used as hosts for two dyes, carminic acid and hydroxyl naphthol blue, resulting in a hybrid pigment color palette. Additionally, the pigments were protected with a magnesium hydroxide phase to prevent the color from fading over time. The color properties of the pigments were significantly influenced by the host of dye, since the presence of fluorine directly influences the acid-base properties of the layered double hydroxides. Finally, the pigments were successfully applied to prepare colored creams.

Spatial modeling in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) always involves choices. The existence of constraints, either of a financial nature or related to the specifics of the software itself, to the algorithms, the uncertainty and even the reliability of the data, the purposes and the applications of the studies, make this a kind of guiding compass for GIS analysts. Building on a previous exercise of data acquisition (check-ins) based on two Digital Social Networks (DSN—Facebook and Foursquare) and on the awareness of the use of voluntary geographic information generated by tourists sharing their topophilic ties through DSN, the present analysis aims to evaluate the contribution of modern techniques of spatial analysis applied to tourism in the “Alta and University of Coimbra” area. Concepts and procedural tasks related to density determination, cluster analysis and identification of patterns associated with regionalized variables have thus been implemented with the purpose of evaluating and comparing the results obtained through the application of two techniques of spatial analysis, Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and Optimized Hot-Spot Analysis (OHSA) & Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) Interpolation.

Many drylands around the world have seen both soil and vegetation degradation around watering points. It can be seen in spaceborne imagery as radial brightness belts that fade with distance from the water areas. The study's primary goal was to characterize spatio-temporal land degradation/rehabilitation in the drylands of the southeast Iberian Peninsula. The brightness index of Tasseled Cap was discovered to be the best spectral transformation for enhancing the contrast between the bright-degraded areas near the points and the darker surrounding areas far from and in-between these areas. To comprehend the spatial structure present in spaceborne imagery of two desert sites and three key time periods, semi-variograms were created (mid-late 2000s, around 2015, and 2020). In order to assess spatio-temporal land-cover patterns, a geostatistical model (kriging) was used to smooth brightness index values extracted from 30 m spatial resolution images. To assess the direction and intensity of changes between study periods, a change detection analysis based on kriging prediction maps was performed. These findings were linked to the socioeconomic situation prior to and following the EU economic crisis. The study discovered that degradation occurred in some areas as a result of the region's agricultural activities being exploited.

The environmental problems generated by waste from the mining industry in the mineral extraction for business purposes are known worldwide. The aim of this work is to evaluate the microalga Muriellopsis sp. as a potential remover of metallic ions such as copper (Cu⁺²), zinc (Zn⁺²) and iron (Fe⁺²), pollutants of AMD type waters. For this, the removal of these ions was verified in artificial acid waters with high concentrations of the ions under examination. As well as, the removal was evaluated in waters obtained from areas contaminated by mining waste. The results showed that Muriellopsis sp. removed metals in waters with high concentrations after 4 to 12 hours and showed tolerance to pH between 3 to 5. These results allow proposing this species as a potential bioremediator for areas contaminated by mining activity. In this work, some potential alternatives for application in damaged areas are proposed as a decontamination plan and future prevention.

Study of alterations in Osteoarthritis (OA) of Glypicans 1 to 6 (GPCs) and Notum in plasma, bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) and osteoblasts. Plasma levels of GPCs and Notum were measured of 25 patients and 24 healthy subjects. In addition, BM-MSCs from eight OA patients and eight healthy donors were cultured during 21 days with culture me-dium and osteogenic medium. Protein and gene expression levels of GPCs and Notum were de-termined by ELISA and qPCR at 0, 7 ,14 and 21 days. GPC5 and Notum have been found de-creased in OA patients’ plasma. OA BM-MSCs showed downexpression of GPC6 and upregula-tion of Notum. A decrease in GPC5 and Notum proteins and an increase in GPC3 were found. During osteogenic differentiation, elevated GPC2, 4, 5, 6 and Notum mRNA levels and decreased GPC3 were observed in OA. Furthermore, the protein levels of GPC2, GPC5 and Notum de-creased and GPC3 increased. Glypicans and Notum are altered in BM-MSCs and during osteo-genic differentiation from patients with OA. Furthermore, GPC5 and Notum can be proposed as new biomarkers of the pathology. The alterations found indicate that Notum could be a prom-ising therapeutic strategy for Osteoarthritis.

Based on a measuring system to determine levels of spatial organization in 2D polygons (homogeneous or heterogeneous partition of defined areas) lying on principles of regularity, we propose the entropy term linked to the concept of “information”, from the “information theory field”, in order to obtain an information measurement regarding a quantity of or amount of information in the architecture of complex 2D biological organizations. The term “quantity” does not refer to the amount of data (size), but to the probability of a geometrical basic pattern within a set of possible statistical configurations regarding levels of homogeneity and heterogeneity. It is this notion of information that is important in information theory, and measures of information in units of bits, what we propose to use for measuring quantities of organization in the architecture of complex geometrical systems. Two complex systems are tested, biological and non biological in order to obtain experimental results, which are verified with the evaluation criteria “entropy”. Experimental results show that the lowest levels of information and entropy, in addition with low rates of heterogeneity and high rates of homogeneity are particular features of geometrical organizations in biological systems.

The fast pace development of the Internet and the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic have impacted considerably on the educative sector; encouraging the constant transformation of the teaching-learning strategies and more in technological areas as Educational Software Engineering. Web programming, a fundamental topic in Software Engineering and Cloud-based applications, deals with various critical challenges in education, such as learning continuous emerging technological tools, plagiarism detection, generating innovative learning environments, among others. Continual change and more with the current digitization becomes a challenge for teachers and students who cannot depend on traditional educational methods. The article presents a sustainable teaching-learning methodology for web programming courses in Engineering Education using a project-based integrated approach adaptable to the continuous web technological advances. The methodology has been developed and improved for 9 years, 15 groups, and 3 different universities. Our results demonstrate that the methodology is 100% adaptable with new technologies that might arise; it also presents the advantages of avoiding plagiarism in the best case and a personalized induction for every specific student in the learning process.

Sr4Al6O12SO4 samples were obtained from the compound mixture formed by a solid–state reaction of Al2O3, SrSO4, and SrCO3. Samples were compacted at 100MPa to form pellets of 1 and 4cm in diameter and were sintered at 1400°C for 4 hours. The compound was analyzed by X–ray diffraction. Static immersion and wettability tests were performed to evaluate corrosion resistance in contact with Al–Si. Corrosion tests were carried out by immersion at 800, 900, and 1000°C for 24, 50, and 100 hours, while wettability was carried out at 900, 1000, and 1100°C for 2 hours. Subsequently, the samples were prepared metallographically. Samples were analyzed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and image analysis. In general, reaction products consisting of alumina, spinel, oxides, and sulfates were found. The contact angles obtained were 124° to 135°. It is concluded that ceramic substrate Sr4Al6O12SO4 is resistant to corrosion by Al–Si alloy, since the slight thickness of the reaction products found in the samples (100μm) considering the severe conditions of the experiment: 1000°C and 100 hours of isothermal temperature. Furthermore, it can be said that Sr4Al6O12SO4 is not wettable by Al–Si alloys.

The future of machine tools will be dominated by highly flexible and interconnected systems, in order to achieve the required productivity, accuracy and reliability. Nowadays, distortion and vibration problems are easily solved in labs for the most common machining operations by using models based on equations describing the physical laws of the machining processes; however additional efforts are needed to overcome the gap between scientific research and the real manufacturing problems. In fact, there is an increasing interest in developing simulation packages based on “deep-knowledge and models” that aid machine designers, production engineers or machinists to get the best of the machine-tools. This article proposes a methodology to reduce problems in machining by means of a simulation utility, which uses the main variables of the system&process as input data, and generates results that help in the proper decision-making and machining planification. Direct benefits can be found in a) the fixture/clamping optimal design, b) the machine tool configuration, c) the definition of chatter-free optimum cutting conditions and d) the right programming of cutting toolpaths at the Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) stage. The information and knowledge-based approach showed successful results in several local manufacturing companies and are explained in the paper.

Computer vision is a powerful technology that has enabled solutions in various fields by analyzing visual attributes in images. One field that has taken advantage of computer vision is agricultural automation, which promotes high-quality crop production. The nutritional status of a crop is a crucial factor in determining its productivity. This status is mediated by approximately 14 chemical elements acquired by the plant, and their determination plays a pivotal role in farm management. To address the timely identification of nutritional disorders, this study focuses on the classification of three levels of phosphorus deficiencies through individual leaf analysis. The methodological steps include: (1) generating a database with laboratory-grown maize plants that were induced to total phosphorus deficiency, medium deficiency, and total nutrition, using different capture devices; (2) processing the images with state-of-the-art transfer learning architectures (i.e. VGG16, ResNet50, GoogLeNet, DenseNet201, and MobileNetV2); and (3) evaluating the classification performance of the models using the created database. The results show that the VGG16 model achieves superior performance, with 98% classification accuracy. However, the other studied architectures also demonstrate competitive performance and are considered state-of-the-art automatic leaf deficiency detection tools. The proposed method can be a starting point to fine-tune machine vision-based solutions tailored for real-time monitoring of crop nutritional status.

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

Endurance triathlons impose substantial physiological stress, yet effects of short-course formats remain relatively unexplored. In this preliminary study, we assessed proteinuria and hydration levels in 27 well-trained triathletes (41.9 [7.4] years) who completed a sprint triathlon consisting of a 1500-m swim, 26-km cycle, and 8-km run. Urine samples were collected before and after the race. The results showed an increase in cases of post-race proteinuria from four to nine (p=0.03). Also, one case of urobilinuria and ketoacidosis was observed after the race. Pre-race glucosuria, which was present in nine cases, decreased to three cases post-race. Although hematuria cases decreased from six to two (p=0.13), pre-race leukocyturia (found in two cases) resolved post-race. There was a significant increase in urine specific gravity (from 1.018 to 1.023, p=0.03), indicating dehydration. In conclusion, short-course triathlons were found to induce post-race proteinuria, urobilinuria, and dehydration without exacerbating pre-race glucosuria, hematuria, or leukocyturia. These preliminary findings contribute to our understanding of medical guidelines for sprint triathlons, an area of endurance sports that has received limited research attention. Further investigation, both mechanistic and longitudinal, is warranted in this regard.

This document summarizes the evidence currently available about the effects of the anesthetic agents and techniques used in primary cancer surgery and long-term oncologic outcomes, and the biomolecular mechanisms involved in their interaction..

In this paper, the stabilization and high efficiency of an unstable Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) of a Nd : YVO4 laser with a KTP intracavity is carried out by using a passive Q-switching crystal and a parametric modulation method (harmonic modulation) is shown. The harmonic modulation was defined as um(t) = Amsin(2π fmt), with modulation amplitude as Am(Vpp), and modulation frequency as fm(Hz), applied to the pumping of the Nd : YVO4 -KTP laser to control the amplitude and frequency of the emission, thus stabilizing the dynamic states of this laser. The promising application of this green light source is materialized when such light is necessary for high-density optics, such as in the treatment materials industry or in some aesthetic applications.

The mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a group of 11 lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) produced by mutations in the enzymes involved in the lysosomal catabolism of glycosaminoglycans. Most of the mutations affecting these enzymes may lead to changes in processing, folding, glycosylation, pH stability, protein aggregation, and defective transport to the lysosomes. The use of small molecules, called pharmacological chaperones (PCs), that can restore the folding, trafficking and biological activity of mutated enzymes has been extensively explored in LSDs as a therapeutic alternative. PCs have the advantage of wide tissue distribution, potential oral administration, lower production cost, and fewer issues of immunogenicity. In this paper, we will review the advances in the identification and characterization of PCs for the MPS. These molecules, mainly based in molecules mimicking the enzyme substrates, have been described for MPS II, IVA, and IVB, showing a mutation-dependent enhancement of the mutated enzymes. Although the results show the potential of this strategy, further studies should focus in the development of disease-specific cellular models that allow a proper screening and evaluation of the identified PCs. In addition, in vivo evaluation, both pre-clinical and clinical, should be performed, before they can become a real therapeutic strategy for the treatment of MPS patients.

Coffee is not only a delicious beverage but also an important dietary source of natural antioxidants. We live in an oxidative world where it is impossible to avoid pollution, stress, food additives, radiation, and other sources of oxidants that eventually lead to severe health disorders. Fortunately, there are chemicals in our diet that counteract the hazards posed by the reactive species that trigger oxidative stress. They are usually referred to as antioxidants; some of them can be versatile compounds that exert such a role in various ways. This review summarizes, from a chemical point of view, the antioxidant effects of relevant molecules found in coffee. Their ways of action and trends in activity are analyzed, considering the data gathered so far from both theory and experiments. The influence of the media and pH in aqueous solution, and structure-activity relationships are discussed. The protective role of the explored compounds is examined. A particular section is devoted to derivatives of some coffee components, and another one to their bioactivity. The data used in the analysis come from theoretical anc computational protocols, which have been proven to be very usefull in this context. Hopefully, the information provided here will promote further investigations into the amazing chemistry contained in our morning cup.

Coffee is not only a delicious beverage but also an important dietary source of natural antioxidants. We live in an oxidative world where it is impossible to avoid pollution, stress, food additives, radiation, and other sources of oxidants that eventually lead to severe health disorders. Fortunately, there are chemicals in our diet that counteract the hazards posed by the reactive species that trigger oxidative stress. They are usually referred to as antioxidants; some of them can be versatile compounds that exert such a role in various ways. This review summarizes, from a chemical point of view, the antioxidant effects of relevant molecules found in coffee. Their ways of action and trends in activity are analyzed, considering the data gathered so far from both theory and experiments. The influence of the media and pH in aqueous solution, and structure-activity relationships are discussed. The protective role of the explored compounds is examined. A particular section is devoted to derivatives of some coffee components, and another one to their bioactivity. Hopefully, the information provided here will promote further investigations into the amazing chemistry contained in our morning cup.

In this work, an evaluation and quantification of the impact of using mixtures based on Supercritical Carbon Dioxide "s-CO2" (s-CO2/COS, s-CO2/H2S, s-CO2/NH3, s-CO2/SO2) are made as a working fluid in simple and complex recompression Brayton s-CO2 power cycles configurations that have pressure drops in their components. These cycles are coupled to a solar thermal plant with parabolic-trough collector (PTC) technology. The methodology used in the calculation performance is to establish values of the heat recuperator total conductance (UAtotal) between 5 and 25 MW/K. The main conclusion of this work is that the cycle's efficiency has improved due to s-CO2 mixtures as working fluid; this is significant compared to that obtained using the standard fluid (pure s-CO2). Furthermore, a techno-economic analysis is carried out that compares each configuration's costs using pure s-CO2 and a mixture of s-CO2/COS with a molar fraction (70/30) respectively as working fluid where relevant results are obtained. These results show that the best configuration in terms of thermal efficiency and cost is the RCC-RH for pure sCO2 with values ​​of 41.25% and 2811 $/kWe, while for the mixture sCO2/COS, the RCC-2RH configuration with values ​​of 45, 05% and 2621 $/kWe is optimal. Using the mixture costs 6.75% less than if it is used the standard fluid (s-CO2).

Linear programming formulations of forest ecosystem management (FEM) problems proposed in the 60s have been adapted and improved upon over the years. Generating management alternatives for forest management planning is a key step in building these models. Global forests are diverse, and a variety of models have been developed to simulate management alternatives. Climate change has made forest management calculations even more complex, requiring flexibility, diverse parameters, models, and methods. Despite this complexity, consistent concepts can be applied in developing management alternatives for forest management planning. This work describes iGen, a flexible forest prescription generator that applies the AI technique Rule-Based System (AI-RBS). iGen projects the state and associated inputs and outputs for a set of management units using rules from its knowledge base. An Inference Engine uses the rules to simulate a set of prescriptions in a tree-like graph structure. Without needing IT specialists, forest managers can describe the potential development of their forest through variables, rules, formulas, functions, and procedures. A key feature of iGen is that it is not limited to, adapted to, or focused on any specific region, landscape, forest condition, projection method, or yield function. Instead, it aims to maximize generality, enabling it to address a broad range of FEM problems. This article introduces iGen, explaining its concepts, structure, and algorithms through two FEM problems: natural regeneration with shelterwood harvests and plantation/coppice. For data and iGen source programs, visit github.com/…/iGen.

This study aimed to investigate Coll-I, III, IV and elastin in canine normal prostate and PC, using Picrosirius red (PSR) and Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. Eight normal prostates and 10 PC from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples were used. Collagen fibers area was analyzed with ImageJ software. The distribution of Coll-I and Coll-III was approximately 80% around prostatic ducts and acini, 15% among smooth muscle and 5% surrounding blood vessels, in both normal prostate and PC. There was a higher median area of Coll-III in PC, when compared to normal prostatic tissue (p=0.001 for PSR and p= 0.05 for IHC). Immunostaining for Coll-IV was observed in the basal membrane of prostate acini, smooth muscle, blood vessels, and nerve fibers of normal and PC samples. Although there was no difference in Coll-IV area between normal tissue and PC, tumors with Gleason score 10 showed absence of Coll-IV, when compared to scores 6 and 8 (p=0.0095). Elastic fibers were found in the septa dividing the lobules and around the prostatic acini of normal samples, and was statistically higher in PC, compared to normal tissue (p=0.00229). Investigation of ECM components brings new information and should be correlated with prognosis in future studies.

Manufacturing corporations has the acceptance of the Outsourcing Process (OP) to improve industrial activities as well as to archive the revenue objectives, and with this, Risk Analysis (RA) tools are constantly used to assure expected results. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is one of preferred RA tools, moreover, it is proven that FMEA adds uncertainty because of the human participation at the RA, afterward it is demonstrated that Pythagorean Fuzzy Dimensional Analysis – FMEA – Value Stream Mapping (PFDA-FMEA-VSM) method removes the uncertainty in RA, likewise it aids to the stakeholders for decision making, giving more advantages improving the use of the resources on the project. This document exhibits a real case scenario in a manufacturing firm applying PFDA-FMEA-VSM method adapted for manufacturing OP. The application of PFDA-FMEA-VSM shows solid RA results, removing the human intervention uncertainty added to the risk ranking, gives advantages to the stakeholders for visualize the main risks in detailed diagram, as well as make easier to take better decisions on where to apply resources and mitigate risks during OP.

Abstract: Thermal desalination is yet a reliable technology in the treatment of brackish water and seawater; however, its demanding high energy requirements have lagged it compared to other non-thermal technologies such as reverse osmosis. This review provides an outline of the development and trends of the three most commercially used thermal or phase change technologies worldwide: Multi Effect Distillation (MED), Multi Stage Flash (MSF), and Vapor Compression Distillation (VCD). First, state of water stress suffered by regions with little fresh water availability and existing desalination technologies that could become an alternative solution are shown. The most recent studies published for each commercial thermal technology are presented, focusing on optimizing the desalination process, improving efficiencies, and reducing energy demands. Then, an overview of the use of renewable energy and its potential for integration into both commercial and non-commercial desalination systems is shown. Finally, research trends and their orientation towards hybridization of technologies and use of renewable energies as a relevant alternative to the current problems of brackish water desalination are discussed. This reflective and updated review will help researchers to have a detailed state of the art of the subject and to have a starting point for their research, since current advances and trends on thermal desalination are shown.

Eight lesions were analyzed using some algorithms of Intelligence Artificial: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), melanoma (MEL), actinic keratosis (AK), benign keratosis (BKL), dermatofibromas (DF), melanocytic nevi (NV), and vascular lesions (VASC). This manuscript presents the possibility of using concatenated signatures (instead of images) obtained from different integral transforms, such as Fourier, Mellin, and Hilbert, to classify skin lesions. Eleven other Artificial Intelligence models were applied so that eight skin lesions could be classified by analyzing the particular signatures of each lesion. The database was randomly divided into 80%–20% for the training and test datasets images, respectively. The metrics that are being reported are accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and precision. Each case was repeated 30 times to avoid bias, according to the central limit theorem in this work, and the average and ±standard deviation were reported. Although all the results were very satisfactory, the best average mark for the eight lesions analyzed was obtained using the Subspace KNN model, where the metrics for the test were 99.98% accuracy, 99.96% sensitivity, 99.99% specificity, and 99.95% precision.

Chronic Kidney Disease is a medical condition that causes the decrease in the kidney function and can eventually derive in a total cessation of the work of the organ. It currently affects >10% of the global population, and the number is expected to grow within the next few years, since the correlated diabetes condition is escalating too. Diagnosing the disease on its early stages is crucial to improve life quality, and to increase the chances of survival. The traditional diagnostic methods, which include a biopsy, are invasive, expensive and dangerous. With the use of machine learning algorithms like neural networks, random forest and genetic algorithms, this paper seeks to discover an algorithm with high accuracy, whose selected attributes will be the most optimal combination aiming to reduce the cost, level of invasiveness, and easiness to obtain.

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

A novel gas-phase electrocatalytic system based on a low-temperature proton exchange membrane (Sterion) was developed for the gas phase electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to liquid fuels. This system achieved gas-phase electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 at low temperatures (below 90 ºC) over a Cu cathode by using water electrolysis-derived protons generated in-situ on an IrO2 anode. Three Cu-based cathodes with varying metal particle sizes were prepared by supporting this metal on an activated carbon at three loadings (50, 20, and 10 wt%; 50%Cu-AC, 20%Cu-AC, and 10%Cu-AC, respectively). The cathodes were characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) whereas their performance towards the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 was subsequently studied. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) containing the cathode with the largest Cu particle size (50%Cu-AC, 40 nm) showed the highest CO2 electrocatalytic activity per mole of Cu, with methyl formate being the main product. This higher electrocatalytic activity was attributed to the lower Cu–CO bonding strength over large Cu particles. Different product distributions were obtained over 20%Cu-AC and 10%Cu-AC, with acetaldehyde and methanol being the main reaction products, respectively. The CO2 consumption rate increased with the applied current and the reaction temperature.

. Sealants and adhesives are used in the repair and preservation of damaged solid organs. This study examines the matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) activity in the healing of liver injuries treated with two biological adhesives (Tachosil® and GelitaSpon®) as well as that of a new elastic cyanoacrylate (Adhflex®). Methods. We induced in 90 male rats hepatic lesions using a Stiefel biopsy punch in the liver. Wound healing was assessed 2, 6, and 18 days after injury by quantifying MMP1, 2, 8, 9, and 13 tissue levels. The histopathological repair was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin, Masson’s trichrome, and Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) staining and CD31, CD68 immunohistochemical marker. The three sealants used contributed to the complete healing of hepatic lesions. Both histopathology and MMP findings point to the fact that degradation with Adhflex® is slower and causes a strong inflammatory reaction at the onset of healing. Results. All the MMPs measured showed higher values early in the healing process in animals treated with Adhflex® and Tachosil, expression for MMP2 and MMP9 being significantly higher in the Adhflex-treated group. Animals treated with Tachosil had significant greater values of MMP8 and MPP13 than the Adhflex group. Animals treated with Adhflex® showed a sustained overexpression in all MMPs even at the latest wound healing stages. Conclusion. Notably, the overexpression of the MMPs did not negatively influence the histological healing process of liver injuries. Since all hepatic trauma injuries should be treated as emergencies, any easy-to-use and rapid sealant, like Adhflex®, could be considered an adequate treatment option.

Kodamaea ohmeri is an environmental yeast considered a rare emerging pathogen. In clinical settings, the correct identification of this yeast is relevant since some isolates are associated with resistance to antifungals. There is a lack of available data regarding the geographical distribution, virulence, and drug resistance profile of K. ohmeri. To contribute to the knowledge of this yeast, this study aimed to describe in depth three isolates of K. ohmeri associated with fungemia in Honduras. The identification of the isolates was carried out by sequencing the ribosomal ITS region. In addition, the sensitivity profile to antifungals was determined, and some properties associated with virulence were evaluated (exoenzyme production, biofilm formation, cell adhesion, and invasion). The isolates showed strong protease, phospholipase, and hemolysin activity, in addition to being biofilm producers. Adherence and invasion capacity were evident in the HeLa and Raw 264.7 cell lines respectively. This study expands the understanding of the underlying biological traits associated with virulence in K. ohmeri and is the first report of the detection and identification of K. ohmeri in Honduras as a cause of human infection.

(1) Background: Foot strike pattern and cadence are two important variables that are related to sport performance and injury risks; the objective of this study is to analyse the foot strike pattern and cadence of the male elite athlete that participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games marathon. (2) Methods: Two independent researchers analysed the foot strike pattern of the first 51 participants in the 5km, and the cadence of the finalists in three different segments of the race. Descriptive statistics were presented for the main variables of this study. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to study the differences in cadence between different sections of the race (p&lt;0.05). (3) Results: Average of the cadence of the eight finalists was 185.5 steps per minute (SD ± 5.1). No differences between sections of the race were found. The more most common foot strike pattern was midfoot strike pattern, followed by rearfoot strike pattern, and forefoot strike pattern. The results of cadence are in line with previous studies that analysed elite athletes, with the values being higher than other research involving recreational runners. (4) Conclusions: elite marathon runners mostly run with a running non-rearfoot strike pattern and a cadence of over 185 steps per minute.

This study examines the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in the healing of liver injuries treated with biological adhesives Tachosil^® and GelitaSpon^® and the elastic cyanoacrylate Adhflex^®. Hepatic lesions were induced in male rats using a Stiefel biopsy punch. Healing was assessed 2, 6, and 18 days after injury by quantifying tissue levels of MMP1, 2, 8, 9, and 13. Histopathological repair was evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin, Masson’s trichrome, and Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) staining and immunohistochemical markers CD31 and CD68. The sealants contributed to complete healing. Histopathology and MMP findings indicate that Adhflex^® has slower degradation and a strong inflammatory reaction at the onset of healing. Early on, all MMPs showed higher levels in Adhflex^® and Tachosil^®-treated animals, and MMP2 and MMP9 expressions were significantly higher in the Adhflex-treated group at 18 days post-injury (T3). The Adhflex^® group had significantly higher MMP8 and MPP13 levels than other treated groups and showed a sustained overexpression of all MMPs, even in the latest healing stages. Notably, the overexpression did not negatively influence the histological healing process. All hepatic trauma injuries should be treated as emergencies, and any easy-to-use and rapid sealant like Adhflex^® could be considered as an option for treating liver trauma.

Emerging technologies have a potential future impact on the developments in higher education and teaching practices at the universities. The paper is based on the project “My future colleague robot” that aims to improve the competence of university teachers in the implementation of Emerging Technologies (ETs) in the teaching practices at the university. In this paper, we identified the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are related to the adoption of two ETs, robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in higher education. Additionally, we analyzed the perceptions of faculty about these ETs. The empirical data was collected using written essays from 18 university teachers and students. Deductive and inductive approaches with thematic analysis were used for the data analysis. The findings support the idea that previous experience related to ETs can support positive attitudes and the implementations of ET in university teaching. University teachers had optimistic expectations towards ETs accepting them as part of teaching practice development, while discussion about the negative effects of ETs was negligible.

We analyzed the peak spring tidal current speeds, annual mean tidal power densities (TPD) and annual energy production (AEP) obtained from experiment 06.1, referred as the "HYCOM model" throughout, of the three dimensional (3D), global model HYCOM in an area covering the Baja California Pacific and the Gulf of California. The HYCOM model is forced with astronomical tides and surface winds alone, and therefore is particularly suitable to assess the tidal current and wind-driven current contribution to in-stream energy resources. We find two areas within the Gulf of California, one in the Great Island Region and one in the Upper Gulf of California, where peak spring tidal flows reach speeds of 1.1 meters per second. Second to fifth-generation tidal stream devices would be suitable for deployment in these two areas, which are very similar in terms of tidal in-stream energy resources. However, they are also very different in terms of sediment type and range in water depth, posing different challenges for in-stream technologies. The highest mean TPD value when excluding TPDs equal or less than 50 W/m² (corresponding to the minimum velocity threshold for energy production) is of 172.8 W/m², and is found near the town of San Felipe, at (lat lon) = (31.006 -114.64); here energy would be produced during 39.00% of the time. Finally, wind-driven currents contribute very little to the mean TPD and the total AEP. Therefore, the device, the grid, and any energy storage plans need to take into account the periodic tidal current fluctuations, for optimal exploitation of the resources.

Coronaviruses are an extensive family of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans. The current classification of coronaviruses recognizes 39 species in 27 subgenera that belong to the family Coronaviridae. From those, at least seven coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections in humans. Four of these viruses can cause common cold-like symptoms, while others that infect animals can evolve and become infectious to humans. Three recent examples of this viral jumps include SARS CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS CoV-2 virus. They are responsible for causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and the most recently discovered coronavirus disease during 2019 (COVID-19).COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. The rapid spread of the disease has taken the scientific and medical community by surprise. Latest figures from 14 April 2020 show more than 2 million people had been infected with the virus, causing more than 120,000 deaths in over 210 countries worldwide. The large amount of information we receive every day concerning this new disease is so abundant and dynamic that medical staff, health authorities, academics and the media are not able to keep up with this new pandemic. In order to offer a clear insight of the extensive literature available, we have conducted a comprehensive literature review of the SARS CoV-2 Virus and the Coronavirus Diseases 2019 (COVID-19).

The main restriction of the Semantic Web is the difficult of the SPARQL language, that is necessary to extract information from the Knowledge Representation also known as ontology. Making the Semantic Web accessible for people who do not know SPARQL, is essential the use of friendlier interfaces and a good alternative is Natural Language. This paper shows the implementation of a friendly prototype interface to query and retrieve, by voice, information from website building with the Semantic Web tools. In that way, the end users avoid the complicated SPARQL language. To achieve this, the interface recognizes a speech query and converts it into text, it processes the text through a java program and identifies keywords, generates a SPARQL query, extracts the information from the website and read it in voice, for the user. In our work Google Cloud Speech API makes Speech-to-Text conversions and Text-to Speech conversions are made with SVOX Pico. As results, we have measured three variables: The success rate in queries, the response time of query and a usability survey. The values of the variables allows the evaluation of our prototype. Finally the interface proposed provides us a new approach in the problem, using the Cloud like a Service, reducing barriers of access to the Semantic Web for people without technical knowledge of Semantic Web technologies.

Maze navigation using one or more robots has become a recurring challenge in scientific literature and real life practice, with fleets having to find faster and better ways to navigate environments such as a travel hub (e.g. airports) or to evacuate a disaster zone. Many methods have been used to solve this issue, including the implementation of a variety of sensors and other signal receiving systems. Most interestingly, camera-based techniques have increasingly become more popular in this kind of applications, given their robustness and scalability. In this paper, we have implemented an end-to-end strategy to address this scenario, allowing a robot to solve a maze in an autonomous way, by using computer vision and path planning. In addition, this robot shares the generated knowledge to another by means of communication protocols, having to adapt its mechanical characteristics to be able to solve the same challenge. The paper presents experimental validation of the four components of this solution, namely camera calibration, maze mapping, path planning and robot communication. Finally, we present the integration and functionality of these methods applied in a pair of NAO robots.

Malnutrition is a serious problem with negative impact on the quality of life and the evolution of our patients, contributing to an increase in morbidity, hospital stay, mortality and health spending. Early identification is fundamental to implement the necessary therapeutic actions involving adequate nutritional support to prevent or reverse malnutrition. This review presents two complementary methods of fighting malnutrition: nutritional screening and nutritional assessment. Nutritional risk screening is conducted using simple, quick-to-perform tools and is the first line of action in detecting at-risk patients. It should be implemented systematically and periodically on admission to hospital or residential care, as well as on an outpatient basis for patients with chronic conditions. Once patients with a nutritional risk have been detected they should undergo a more detailed nutritional assessment to identify and quantify the type and degree of malnutrition. This should include health history and clinical examination, dietary history, anthropometric measurements, evaluation of the degree of aggression determined by the disease, functional assessment and, whenever possible, some method of measuring body composition.

Background: Understanding the trophic ecology of threatened freshwater fishes is relevant to managing their conservation. The genus Orestias is endemic to the Andes region and shows great biogeographical interest in the Neotropics due to its adaptation to the high-altitude systems of the Andes as well as because several species are considered threatened. (2) Methods: Here, we synthesize the documented trophic interaction of Orestias spp. in freshwater ecosystems of the Andes region available in the literature and use available data to explore the trophic interaction of Orestias species via null models. (3) Results: Our findings showed that Orestias spp. consume a wide range of prey (i.e., mainly aquatic insects, crustaceans, and mollusks) that varied according to their habitats and feeding morphology. The null model revealed that species associations in diet were random because of the presence of many repeated species. Our results would reveal that some Orestias spp. may show an opportunistic feeding strategy that concurs with previous reports. Additionally, we highlight major information gaps associated with the trophic ecology of Orestias spp. and propose some direction for future studies. (4): Our study provides valuable in-formation on Orestias spp. trophic ecology, which may be useful for developing conservation strategies for native fish in the Neotropical region.

Pinus occidentalis, Swartz is the primary timber species in the Dominican Republic (DR). Despite its economic importance, studies conducted on this species are very scarce, making it difficult to estimate current inventory levels. This study aims to enhance the accuracy of estimating total bole volume of P. occidentalis in different ecological zones (EZs) within La Sierra, evaluating and comparing two established volume equations—combined variable and Schumacher-Hall—across nine modeling variants (MVs). An indicator variables analysis determined the necessity of distinct equations for two EZs. Fitting included both linear and nonlinear models. Our comprehensive statistical analysis included goodness-of-fit metrics to evaluate each model variant's performance rigorously. Modeling variant SH02 was most effective in the Dry Ecological Zone, showing superior performance in both fitting and validation phases. Similarly, SH03 emerged as the best fit for the Combined Intermediate and Humid Ecological Zones, achieving the lowest overall ranking sum among tested variants. The SH equation variants SH02 and SH03, provide reliable and precise volume estimations, allowing optimization of forestry management practices for P. occidentalis trees. The SH models outperformed the CV model variants' consistency in parameter estimation. This tailored approach employed ensures more accurate volume predictions, which is crucial for sustainable management and conservation efforts.

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

Agriculture is the main driver of depletion resources worldwide, and its duty is to ensure food security within a rapidly increasing demographic and urbanization, so it is important to transition to sustainable production systems. Vertical crops (VCs) can reduce the pressure on conventional agriculture because they save water and nutrients and increase crop yield. Therefore, this study aimed to validate a proposed predictive model (PM) to simulate water and nutrient uptake in vertical crops under greenhouse conditions. Based on the Penman-Monteith equation, PM estimates transpiration, while nutrient uptake was estimated using the Carmassi-Sonneveld submodel. PM was experimentally evaluated for vertically grown lettuce under Mediterranean greenhouse conditions, during spring 2023. The irrigation technique was a closed-loop fertigation circuit. The experimental consisted of testing two densities (50 and 80 plants·m-2), where each unit of the experiment unit was divided into three heights (low, medium, and upper). It performed ANOVA with a value of p &lt; 0.05 and R2 to assess PM performance. The results suggest a high degree of PM, since R2 ranged from 0.7 to 0.9 for the uptake of water and nutrients. Both densities had a yield between 17-20 times higher than conventional lettuce production and significant savings in water, between 85-88%. In this sense, PM has great potential to intelligently manage VC fertigation, saving water and nutrients, which represents an advance towards reaching SDG 6 and SDG 12, within the 2030 Agenda.

Introduction: At the end of 2019 the Covid-19 pandemic caused a huge amount of restrictions across the world which affected teaching around the world as it was not prepared to move from traditional face-to-face to an online conversion overnight, so the aim of this paper is to determine the changes in undergraduate anatomy teaching strategies post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. Methods: A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA statement. Data were retrieved from the searches conducted in the different databases, and the articles to be retrieved were selected with the help of the Rayyan platform. Using the OPMER and JBI tools, the quality of evidence was assessed for the selection of the articles included in the review. Results: The teaching of medicine, specifically anatomy, presented serious problems due to the fact that throughout history it has been taught in the classroom by means of cadaveric dissection and when this ceased to be available, new methods arose through the use of digital resources to try to make up for the needs of the lack of dissection laboratories which lost a great deal of content in this restructuring, which have been improving with the passing of the courses taught and the development of new material that has been better adapted to the needs of the students. Discussion: The authors agree that in the future the best way to teach anatomy will continue to be face-to-face dissection without neglecting the strategies developed during this pandemic and to be taken if necessary to restructure curricula in the future to improve teaching.

A large diversity of epigenetic factors, such as microRNAs and histones modifications, are known to be capable of regulating gene expression without altering DNA sequence itself. In particular, miR-1 is considered the first essential microRNA in cardiac development. In this study, miR-1 potential role in early cardiac chamber differentiation is analyzed through specific signaling pathways. For this, we performed in chick embryos functional experiments by means of miR-1 microinjections into the posterior cardiac precursors -of both primitive endocardial tubes- committed to sinoatrial region fates. Subsequently, embryos were subjected to whole mount in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR analysis. As a relevant nov-elty, our results revealed that miR-1 increases Tbx5, Gata4 and AMHC1, while this microRNA diminishes Mef2c expression, during early differentiation of cardiac sinoatrial region. Further-more, we observed in this developmental context that miR-1 upregulates CRABPII and RARß, and downregulates CRABPI, which are three crucial factors in retinoic acid signaling pathway. Interestingly, we also noticed that miR-1 directly interacts with HDAC4 and Calmodulin, as well as with Erk2/MAPK1, which are three key factors actively involved in Mef2c regulation. Our study shows, for the first time, a key role of miR-1 as an epigenetic regulator in early differenti-ation of cardiac sinoatrial region through orchestrating opposite actions between retinoic acid and Mef2c, fundamental to properly assign cardiac cells to their respective heart chambers. A better understanding of those molecular mechanisms modulated by miR-1 will definitely help in fields applied to therapy and cardiac regeneration and repair.

Composites of Ag and TiO2 nanoparticles on cotton fabrics were synthetized in-situ by sono-chemical and hydrothermal methods achieving the successive formation of Ag-NPs and Ti-NPs directly on the fabric. The impregnated fabrics were characterized by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, high resolution microscopy (HREM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with Ener-gy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Raman, photoluminescence, UV-vis and DRS spectroscopies and by tension tests. Results showed the successful formation and impregnation of NPs on the cotton fabric, with a negligible leaching of NPs after several washing cycles. The photocatalytic activity of supported NPs was assessed by the degradation of methyl blue dye (MB) under solar and UV irradiation revealing improved photocatalytic activity of the Ag-TiO2/cotton composites due to a synergy of both Ag and TiO2 nanoparticles. This behavior is attributed to a diminished electron-hole recombination effect in the Ag-TiO2 cotton samples. The biocide activity of these composites on the growth inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus (Gram+) and Escherichia coli (Gram-) was confirmed, revealing interesting possibilities for the utilization of the functionalized cotton fabric as protective cloth for medical applications.