When the zoonotic parasite of rodents that can cause human neuroangiostrongyliasis, i.e., Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is found in its natural definitive hosts, it is usually reported in isolation, as if the rat lungworm were the only component of the within-rat parasite community. In this study we report the coinfections found in rats naturally infected by A. cantonensis in urban populations of Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus in Valencia, Spain. In addition to the rat lungworms, which were found in 14 of the 125 rats studied (a prevalence of 11.20%), 18 other parasite infrapopulations (intestinal and tissular protists, microsporidia, and helminths) were found; some of them with high burdens. Fourteen of these 19 species found are potential zoonotic parasites, namely Blastocystis, Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Encephalitozoon hellem, Toxoplasma gondii, Brachylaima spp., Hydatigera taeniaeformis larvae, Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Calodium hepaticum, Gongylonema neoplasticum and Moniliformis moniliformis. Despite the limited number of rats studied, the total predominance of coinfected rats as well as their high parasite loads seem to indicate a clear trend towards parasite tolerance.

Cardiovascular comorbidity is a common companion of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Recently, a significant link has been found between the HLA-Cw6 allele and a better cardiometabolic profile in these patients. We aimed to check this finding in our setting. Cross-sectional observational study (n: 572 psoriasis patients, 30% with PsA). Different study variables were collected in detail, as well as classic cardiometabolic risk factors. The distribution of the HLA-Cw6 allele and the IFIH1/MDA5 gene variants previously linked to disease risk was determined in the study cohort and stratified according to the cardiometabolic comorbidity. Linear and logistic regression models were constructed to analyze these associations. The study cohort included 309 men and 263 women, mean age 46.7 years (SD 14.5), mean disease duration 19.4 years (SD 14.8). We confirmed the known association between HLA-Cw6 and type I psoriasis (familial, severe, early onset). Psoriasis severity (OR: 2.14), female sex (OR: 1.63), and the IFIH1/MDA5 rs1990760 TT genotype (OR: 1.62) were significantly related to PsA, while HLA-Cw6 resulted protective (OR: 0.65). HLA-Cw6 carriers showed lower waist perimeter, lower BMI, and lower risk of both hypertension (OR: 0.52, p<0.001) and diabetes (OR: 0.36, p<0.001), but these findings were no longer apparent upon adjusted regression models. No IFIH1/MDA5 gene variant was associated with any cardiometabolic risk factor. The influence of HLA-Cw6 on the cardiometabolic risk profile of psoriatic patients seems to be explained by other factors (age, sex, duration of the disease or arthritis) and not by this biomarker itself.

Ammonia can be considered a relevant compound in the future energy sector, playing a significant role as an energy carrier, storage, or carbon-free fuel. However, the production of this molecule has a high energy demand, and the use of natural gas, which is not free of controversy due to the accidental leakage into the atmosphere produced during extraction and the fact that it is a non-renewable source, contributes to increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the process’s energy demand and carbon footprint will be essential to making ammonia a clear alternative for a carbon-free economy. Given the vast experience in ammonia production and handling, this gas seems to be the logical step forward in the evolution of the energy sector. However, the current uncertainty in the global market requires cautiousness in decision-making. Several factors may impact economic growth and human welfare, thus needing a careful assessment before taking any transcendental decisions that could affect worldwide energy prices and raw material availability.

Fractional differential equations have become a fundamental modelling approach for understanding and simulating the many aspects of nonlocality and spatial heterogeneity of complex materials and systems. Yet, while real-order fractional operators are nowadays widely adopted, little progress has been made in extending such operators to complex-order counterparts. In this work, we introduce new definitions for the complex-order fractional Laplacian, fully consistent with the theory of averaging of smooth functions over fractal sets, and present tailored spectral methods for their numerical treatment. The proposed complex-order operators exhibit a dual particle-wave behaviour, with solutions manifesting wave-like features depending on the magnitude of the imaginary part of the fractional order. Reaction-diffusion systems driven by the complex-order fractional Laplacian exhibit unique spatio-temporal dynamics, such as equilibrium of diffusion in random materials by interference of scattered waves, conduction block and highly fractionated propagation, or the generation of completely novel Turing patterns. Taken together, our results support that the proposed complex-order operators hold unparalleled capabilities to advance the description of multiscale transport phenomena in physical and biological processes highly influenced by the heterogeneity of complex media.

The global issues of overweight and sedentary lifestyles demand comprehensive responses from health systems, yet health education still needs to be more cohesive and less sporadic. This study focuses on primary school children as a specific target for instilling healthy habits, employing ac-tive learning strategies to address healthy diet and physical activity. Through Problem-Based Learning projects, the study engaged fourth-grade primary students in acquiring healthy habits. The study was carried out over four consecutive years at a school with two lines, allowing the employment of an opportunity sample and evaluating intervention and control groups by com-paring their corresponding scores. Control groups integrated a total of 54 students, while the in-tervention group included a total of 159 students. A pre-test and post-test questionnaire were used for data collection. Evaluation differential scores revealed statistically significant higher scores in the intervention groups: 3.62 points in control groups and 6,94 in intervention groups, particu-larly in attitudinal competences. These strategies not only facilitated the development of crucial skills such as information search, synthesis, representation, analysis, decision-making, teamwork, and intrapersonal awareness but also significantly broadened the knowledge acquired in aspects related to healthy habits. This approach proved effective in helping children comprehend the im-portance of healthy choices and encouraged integrating such habits into their daily lives.

Abstract: Panfacial fractures are complex injuries involving multiple regions of the facial skele-ton simultaneously, which may necessitate multiple surgeries over a relatively short period. They are often associated with polytrauma and other injuries including brain trauma, which re-quire either immediate airway management, prolonged intubation, or repeated intubations for staged surgeries. Given the frequent need for intermaxillary fixation and the potential involve-ment of the central nasal complex or skull base, conventional oro-tracheal or nasotracheal intu-bation often presents challenges. Submental intubation is the most reported method of airway management with the aim to avoid tracheostomy and its related complications. A review of the different techniques of airway management in the elective treatment of panfacial fractures was performed focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Most of the literature consisted of retrospective studies, with only one prospective study comparing submental intu-bation to tracheostomy in panfacial fractures. There is abundant literature that favours the sub-mental intubation for its rapid establishment and low complication rate. Other techniques less reported were retromolar intubation, nasotracheal to orotracheal switch, tracheostomy or crico-thyroidotomy. An algorithm for the management of the airway in panfacial fractures is pre-sented.

In the context of multiple repurposing of rural spaces, tourism represents a path for development, with the potential to revitalize these areas. The conservation and restoration of heritage, and its promotion through tourism, can become an opportunity for local development, in which a range of stakeholders fulfil different roles in the carrying out of the processes involved. The aim of the study was to analyse the process and results of channelling heritagisation through tourism in Mértola (Baixo Alentejo, Portugal). A series of interviews with the chief stakeholders in the process was conducted, from which the contexts and conceptualisations of development were determined. On the basis of secondary data (statistics), an analysis of the impacts of the process of heritagisation and the development of tourism was undertaken. The objectives of this study consisted in determining: a) the importance of the process of heritagisation in Mértola; b) the viability of the project, given the cost and lack of comprehensive conservation, in creating a unified whole; d) the performance of, and power relationships between, the various stakeholders; e) the limited participation of locals due to disaffection with the project; f) the correlation between heritage, rural tourism and local development.

Accurately glacier mapping is crucial for understanding climate change impacts, but existing efforts may be biased due to overlooking spatial autocorrelation during map validation. To address this, we compared several widely used machine learning algorithms as gradient boosting machines (GBM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN) and random forest (RF) with parametric logistic regression (GLM) and an unsupervised remote sensing-based method (NDSI) for mapping Peru's glacier regions in a thoughtful experimental setup. Spatial and non-spatial cross-validation methods were used to evaluate model’s performance and compared with a fully independent test set. Performance differences of up to 18% were found between bias-reduced (spatial) and overoptimistic (non-spatial) cross-validation results when compared to independent test set, emphasizing the need to consider spatial autocorrelation when using machine learning for glacier mapping. K-nearest neighbors (KNN) was the overall best model across regions consistently demonstrating the highest performance followed by logistic regression (LR) and gradient boosting machines (GBM). Our novel validation approach, accounting for spatial characteristics, provides valuable insights for glacier mapping studies and future efforts on glacier retreat monitoring. Incorporating this approach improves the reliability of glacier mapping, guiding future national-level initiatives.

The most important step for the installation of a wind farm is to know the wind regime in the region, since an error in estimating this wind speed causes an error proportional to the cube of power, resulting in financial losses for investors. Therefore, knowing the methods used for predicting wind speed becomes important and the knowledge of how research and studies in this area are going helps map the subject and outline strategies for developing research in strategic areas. For this purpose, the Scopus database was used considering some keywords, such as ("forecast" OR "prevision") AND "wind" AND ("turbine" OR "power" OR "energy" or "velocity" or "speed"), considering the period since 2019, and analyzing the data of the documents found using the Bibliometrix package. With the results found, it was possible to map researchers, institutions that are developing work in this area, in addition to the most cited articles, among other aspects analyzed.

It has been known that the performance of the High-Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR) varies as a function of method used to confine laterally the rolls, their diameter/length (aspect) ratio as well as their condition, if new or worn. However, quantifying these effects through direct experimentation in machines with reasonably large dimensions is not straightforward given the challenge, among others, of guaranteeing that the feed material remains unchanged. The present work couples the discrete element method (DEM) to multibody dynamics (MBD) and a novel particle replacement model (PRM) to simulate the performance of pilot-scale HPGRs grinding pellet feed. It shows that rotating side plates, in particular when fitted with studs, allow reaching more uniform forces along the bed, which also translates in a more constant product size along the rolls as well as higher throughput. It also shows that the edge effect is relatively constant with roll length, leading to substantially larger proportional edge regions for high-aspect ratio rolls. On the other hand, the product from the center region of such rolls was found to be finer when pressed at identical specific forces. Finally, rolls were found to have higher throughput, but generate a coarser product when worn following the commonly observed trapezoidal profile. The approach used in industry to compensate for roller wear by increasing the specific force and roll speed has then been demonstrated to be effective to maintain and potentially even increase product fineness and throughput, as long as the minimum safety gap is not reached.

Comminution is the most power-demanding stage, and the lack of geometallurgical testing, often for financial reasons, may result in an inefficient operation. The Geopyörä Rock Breakage test was developed with the objective of making mineral variability data more accessible by providing both standard comminution parameters and rock mechanical properties at low cost, and with a modest sample size, allowing a larger number of samples to be tested to reduce uncertainties and assure productivity. The objective of this work is to present the results of an extensive validation of this new rock breakage method against two of the main tests currently in use, namely the SMC® and Bond ball mill work index tests. More than 100 samples have been tested and the results compared, showing that the new method can accurately estimate the parameters of the traditional tests. This confirms that the new test is a reliable tool for comminution and geometallurgical tests.

The development of a remote sensing system is proposed in the present study for monitoring of the electrical resistance of concrete in real time. The sensor is embedded in the concrete bulk, and the data are sent via a gateway to a computer for the data analysis. The sensibility of the sensors to the effect of the presence of a crystalline admixture has been also assessed in the study. Different cycles of drying and water penetration have been considered to assess the sensor performance in different water content conditions. Sensors have shown to capable of detecting changes in electrical resistance when humidity changes. The sensitive of the sensors to the action of waterproofing admixtures in the mortar has been also confirmed. The contribution of the temperature plays a critical role on the sensor response, and its simultaneous monitoring is recommended.

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

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between the type of conization, the volume and dimensions of the cone, with the persistence/recurrence of CIN 2-3, presence of affected margins and post-cone HR-HPV positivity. Methods: 227 women treated with LLETZ and histologically confirmed CIN2-3 were evaluated between 1996 and 2006 and followed up until June 2016. Age, type of resection according to IFCPC 2011, volume, cone dimensions, margins were studied. of resection, post-cone high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) status and viral load. Determinants of HR-HPV positivity were estimated using unconditional logistic regression and time to recurrence was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: Persistent/recurrent CIN2-3 was found in 12 cases (5.2%), type 1 conization was performed in 81 patients, with 5 recurrences (6.1%), type 2 in 101 patients, with 6 recurrences (5 .9%) and type 3 resection in 45 women, with 1 recurrence (2.2%). Volume and dimensions were not associated with recurrence. The Log-Rank Test did not show a significant difference between the 3 treatments (p= 0.18). The free margins in type 1 were 37%, in type 2 resection 61% and in type 3 71% (p=0.001). Resection type 1 had 15% HR-HPV post positive cone, type 2 reached 16% and type 3 had 9%, this difference being non-significant (p=0.58). The incidence of recurrence at 36 months in type 1 resection was 0.08%, in type 2 treatment it was 0.04% and in type 3 resection it was 0.0%. Conclusions : Type 3 resection had a higher proportion of free margins and lower post-cone HR-HPV positivity, with a lower incidence of persistence/recurrence.

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.

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

1) Background: There are few studies of burnout syndrome (BS) in occupational therapists (OTs), and protective factors of BS has received little attention in the scientific literature. This research aimed to estimate the prevalence of BS, characterize the associated psychosocial factors, and analyze their relationship with health in a sample of Spanish OTs. (2) Methods A total of 127 therapists completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and other standardized questionnaires measuring: personality traits (reduced five-factor personality inventory, NEO-FFI), coping styles (Coping Strategies Questionnaire, CAE), work-family conflict (Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen, SWING), professional factors (role ambiguity/clarity and modified role conflict questionnaires), and the perception of health (Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire). Several correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed to study the psychosocial predictors of burnout and its relationship with health perception. (3) Results showed that 15.8% of the professionals presented BS, with emotional exhaustion (EE; 38.7%) being the most compromised dimension. Neuroticism, role conflict, negative work-family interaction, and open emotional expression (OE) significantly predicted a higher EE. The main predictors of cynicism (CY) were being male, role conflict, and OE. Finally, role conflict and role ambiguity and social support-seeking were significant predictors of reduced professional efficiency (PE). (4) Conclusion: A high percentage of OTs with BS advocates becoming aware of the importance of this syndrome in the health community, it would be critical to consider the protective factors (i.e., emotional management, social support) that help promote OTs’ well-being and health.

Outbreaks of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria affect some of the poorest parts of Africa, causing devastating catastrophes. Key to understanding and dealing with this problematic adaptation to environmental changes is comparing locusts that are gregarious (associated with outbreak states) and solitarious (associated with non-outbreak states) either in nature or after experimental treatments in laboratories. Categorising locusts and detecting changes in their phase status is key to such comparisons. Such comparisons are hitherto based on applying mathematical models that use behavioural parameters and that each laboratory has to build a new for each experiment. All such models used thus far for research on locusts are different from each other. That implies differences in the tools used for the different experiments and by the different laboratories and, thus, potential noise in the scientific results and interpretations too. Standardizing the way how we categorise locusts between laboratories and experiments is needed if we want to reduce noise and errors. It is even a must if we are to make the results and interpretations transferable and comparable between experiments and laboratories that work in such an important research area. Here, we use samples from independent S. gregaria population in order to further test the two models that were suggested earlier as standardizing tools for S. gregaria categorization. The outcomes of both models were largely replicated and reproducible. We report on how successful the two models were at categorizing solitarious, intermediate (transient) and gregarious nymph and adult samples. We highlight shortcomings and make more specific recommendations on the use of these models based on the differences they show as to their precision when categorizing the solitarious and gregarious S. gregaria nymph and adult samples.

Epithelial cells can undergo apoptosis by manipulating the balance between pro-survival and apoptotic signals. In this work, we show that TRAIL-induced apoptosis can be differentially regulated by the expression of α(1,6)fucosyltransferase (FucT-8), the only enzyme in mammals that transfers the (1,6)fucose residue to the pentasaccharide core of complex N-glycans. Specifically, in the cellular model of colorectal cancer (CRC) progression formed using the human syngeneic lines SW480 and SW620, knockdown of the FucT-8-encoding FUT8 gene significantly enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis in SW480 cells. However, FUT8 repression did not affect SW620 cells, which suggests that core fucosylation differentiates TRAIL-sensitive premetastatic SW480 cells from TRAIL-resistant metastatic SW620 cells. In this regard, we provide evidence that phosphorylation of ERK1/2 kinases can dynamically regulate TRAIL-dependent apoptosis and that core fucosylation can control the ERK/MAPK pro-survival pathway in which SW480 and SW620 cells participate. Moreover, the depletion of core fucosylation sensitises primary tumour SW480 cells to the combination of TRAIL and low doses of 5-FU, oxaliplatin, irinotecan or mitomycin C. In contrast, combination of TRAIL and oxaliplatin, irinotecan or bevacizumab reinforces resistance of FUT8-knockdown metastatic SW620 cells to apoptosis. Consequently, FucT-8 could be a plausible target for increasing apoptosis and drug response in early CRC.

Cemeteries can be compared to landfills since their leachate, also known as necroleachate, can be transported and pollute groundwater, surface waters, and soils. In Brazil, the cemeteries management is the responsibility of states and municipalities, to ensure that they do not generate negative environmental impacts and risks to public health. This article aims to discuss Brazilian sanitary-environmental legislation relating to cemetery waste management. Among the Brazilian states, half have sanitary-environmental legislation for cemeteries, and between the municipalities, only 19 have specific legislation. The legislation is broad and has many gaps, leading to environmental vulnerability and risk of contamination for the people who live in the surrounding area.

The decentralized treatment of wastes is studied for an urban scenario considering a high-density population of 2500 inhab./km2. Food and garden waste were assumed to be treated in a co-digestion configuration using several mid-size digesters. In contrast biogas and digestate valorization were carried out in a centralized manner. Electricity and thermal energy were produced from this configuration, accounting for 1.3% of residential electricity demand and 3.2% of thermal demand when using double-turbocharged engines. However, the location of the treatment plants is a factor that may raise social discomfort. Rejection of locating the plant in specific sites close to residential neighbors, nuisance due to possible odor and gaseous emissions, and house market distortions are just a few of a long list of problematic aspects that may threaten the decentralized alternative. These factors are of great relevance and must be given a practical solution if the circular economic model is to be implemented by considering the insertion of waste streams into the production system and generating local energy sources and raw materials.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) is induced by thiamine deficiency (TD) and mainly related to alcohol consumption. Frontal cortex dysfunction has been associated to impulsivity and disinhibition in WKS patients. The pathophysiology involves oxidative stress, excitotoxicity and inflammatory responses leading to neuronal death, but the relative contributions of each factor (alcohol and TD, isolate or in interaction) to these phenomena are still poorly understood. A rat model was used by forced consumption of 20% (w/v) alcohol for 9 months (CA), TD hit (TD diet + pyrithiamine 0.25 mg/kg, i.p. daily injections the last 12 days of experimentation; TDD), and both combined treatments (CA+TDD). Motor and cognitive performance and cortical damage were examined. CA caused hyperlocomotion as a possible sensitization of ethanol-induced excitatory effects and recognition memory deficits. In addition, CA+TDD animals showed a disinhibited-like behavior, which appears to be dependent on TDD. Also, combined treatment led to more pronounced alterations in nitrosative stress, lipid peroxidation, apoptosis and cell damage markers. Correlations between injury signals and disinhibition suggest that CA+TDD disrupts behaviors dependent on the frontal cortex. Our study sheds light on the potential disease-specific mechanisms, reinforcing the need for neuroprotective therapeutic approaches along with preventive treatments for the nutritional deficiency in WKS.

The use of principal components analysis provided information about the main characteristics of teams, based on a set of indicators, instead of displaying individualized information for each of these indicators. In this work we have considered reducing an extensive data matrix to improve interpretation, using the principal components analysis. Subsequently, with new components and with a multiple linear regression, we have carried out a comparative analysis between the best and bottom teams of LaLiga. The sample consisted of the matches corresponding to the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. The results showed that the best teams were characterized and differentiated from bottom teams in the realization of a greater number of successful passes and in the execution of a greater number of dynamic offensive transitions. The bottom teams were characterized by executing more defensive than offensive actions and showing a fewer number of goals, a greater ball possession time in the final third of the field. Goals, ball possession time in the final third of the field, number of effective shots and crosses are the main performance factors that influence the offensive success of football. This information allows us to increase knowledge about the key performance indicators in football.

The aim of this study was to identify gender differences in technical-tactical behaviour in football. To this end 68 matches of the first division of the Spanish men’s and women´s league, corresponding to 2016/17 season were analyzed. A comparison of medians was carried out using the Mann-Whitney U-test were conducted as post hoc test and a grouping of the variables through the clustering bootstrapping technique in both groups. We have detected statistically significant differences regarding all accurate passes, in favour of men, as well as a greater number of yellow cards. In female football, a greater number of picking up free balls, interceptions, lost balls, recoveries, challenges and attacks, both positional and counterattacks, are produced. The clustering analysis also allowed that in male football, the circumstance of receiving a red card is closely related to the number of goals conceded and most of the shots on goal are achieved by positional attacks. In women's football, ball possession on own half is closely related to the number of losses. These results could be useful for gender-specific training information for optimal preparation. However, more research is warranted to establish the main gender differences and characterize women's football.

The first single crystal structure of the homoleptic copper (II) ML2 complex (M=Cu (II), L=curcumin) was obtained and its structure was elucidated by X-ray diffraction showing a square planar geometry. The supramolecular arrangement is supported by C-H···O interactions and the solvent (MeOH) plays an important role in stabilizing the crystal packing. The cytotoxic activity of the complex against six cancer cell lines substantially surpasses that of curcumin itself, and it is particularly selective against leukemia (K562) and human glioblastoma (U251) cell lines with similar antioxidant activity to BHT. This constitutes the first crystal structure of pristine curcumin complexed with a metal ion.

The proliferation of radio frequency devices in today's society, especially in smart homes, Internet of Things devices, and smartphones, underscores the urgent need for robust identification methods to strengthen cybersecurity. This paper delves into the field of radio frequency fingerprinting to propose a Bluetooth device identification method based on the application of the Jensen-Shannon divergence to the statistical distribution of noise in Bluetooth signals. A detailed case study is performed to investigate the Bluetooth radio frequency noise recorded at 5 Gsps from different devices is investigated to define a statistical radio frequency fingerprint for each Bluetooth device. A noise model is used to extract a unique, universal, persistent, recoverable, and robust statistical radio frequency fingerprint that identifies each Bluetooth device. Then, using the Jensen-Shannon divergence, different noise signals provided by each Bluetooth device are compared with the statistical radio frequency fingerprint of all devices and a membership resolution is declared. The study shows that the proposed method can discriminate between devices of the same brand and model, achieving an identification effectiveness of 99.5 \%. By leveraging the statistical radio frequency fingerprint of Bluetooth devices, this research not only contributes to the advancement of the field of implicit device authentication systems based on wireless communication but also provides valuable insights into the practical implementation of radio frequency identification techniques that could be useful in forensic processes.

COVID-19 generated a scenario for global health with multiple systemic impairments. This retrospective study evaluated the clinical, radiological, and pulmonary functional evolution in 302 post-COVID-19 patients. Regarding post-COVID-19 pulmonary symptoms, dry cough, dyspnea, and chest pain were the most frequent. Of the associated comorbidities, asthma was more frequent (23.5%). Chest Tomography (CT) initially showed a mean pulmonary involvement of 69.7%, and the evaluation in the subsequent months showed an improvement in the evolutionary image, and with less than six months post-pathology, there was a commitment of 37 .7%, from six to twelve months, 20% and after 12 months, 9.9%. And as for most of the sample, 50.3% of the patients presented CT normalization in less than six months after infection, 23% normalized between six and twelve months, and 5.2% normalized the images after twelve months, with one remaining. Percentage of 17.3% who maintained post-COVID-19 pulmonary residual sequelae. Regarding spirometry, in less than six months after the pathology, 59.3% of the patients already showed a regular exam; 12.3% normalized their function within six to twelve months, and 6.3% concluded a normal exam after twelve months of post-pathology evaluation. Only 3.6% of the patients still showed some alteration in this period.

The goal of this study is to better understand the relation between the practice of Mindfulness and the sexual activity, sexual satisfaction and erotic fantasies of Spanish-speaking participants. This research focuses on the comparison between people who practice Mindfulness versus naïve people, and explores the practice of Mindfulness and its relation with the following variables about sexuality: body awareness and bodily dissociation, personal sexual satisfaction, partner and relationship-related satisfaction, desire, subjective sexual arousal, genital arousal, orgasm, pain, attitudes towards sexual fantasies and types of sexual fantasies. The sample consisted of 106 selected adults, 32 men and 72 women, who completed six measures on an online survey platform: a) Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), b) Scale of Body Connection (SBC), c) New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS), d) Scale of Sexual Activity in Women (SSA-W) and Men (SSA-M), e) Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF), f) Wilson's Sex Fantasy Questionnaire. In the MAAS, Body Awareness subscale (SBC), NSSS, SSA-W and SSA-M, HISF and intimate fantasies subscale (Wilson’s questionnaire), people in the Mindfulness condition showed higher scores and these differences were statistically significant. These results may have relevant implications in the sexuality of clinical and non-clinical samples.

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

The accumulation of brown algae from the genus Sargassum has been increasing over the years in coastal regions of the Caribbean, Africa, Brazil, and Mexico. This causes harmful effects to the ecosystem, health, economy, and climate due to gas emissions from its decomposition process. There is the possibility of this biomass being reused in civil construction, and few studies have been carried out on its application to common Portland cement mortar. As such, the objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of sargassum ash as a mineral addition to partial replacement of fine aggregates in Portland cement mortar. Characterizations of the raw materials were carried out through X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, loss on ignition, particle size distribution, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), real density, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and dispersion spectroscopy of electrons. The mortars were prepared by partially replacing the fine aggregate (sand) with sargassum ash, at 0%, 5%, 10% and 20%. Mortar performance was evaluated through water absorption, apparent porosity, apparent specific mass, compressive strength after 7, 28, and 63 days after curing. Lastly, a life cycle assessment in accordance with ISO standards 14040:2006 and 14044:2006. The results showed that replacing sand with sargassum ash increases water absorption, apparent porosity, and decreases the apparent specific mass and compressive strength as replacement increases. Nevertheless, the compressive strength results after 63 days, for 5 and 10% replacement did not differ statistically from reference values. The life cycle assessment indicates that mortars with partial replacement of sand by sargassum ash showed positive environmental impacts when compared to reference values for most categories regardless of the scenario analyzed, especially for mortar with 10% replacement. As such, the use of sargassum ash at 10% does not alter compressive strength values after 63 days while reducing its environmental impact. The application of this biomass in civil construction materials provides a destination for this algae that has been causing several social, environmental, and economic problems.

The purpose of this research has been to analyze the organizational structures of the different federations and entities representing the modalities of trail-running, skyrunning and mountain running and how they have settled in the current sports landscape. The main task of these entities is to act as hosts of the legally established modalities, both internationally and nationally, applying their respective regulations and statutes unilaterally. Through an in-depth review of the different regulations, statutes and current articles of all the organizations that represent the different disciplines, we can observe how a sport modality that seems to be the same is nevertheless distant in its execution (regulations, championships, classifications, systems of points, ...) and that has led to the international level being established in different sport modalities (trail-running and skyrunning) and at the level of the Spanish territory, it has led to an administrative dispute to know who has the powers to approve the sports competitions.

The Nocturnal Bottleneck explains how mammals evolved from their reptilian ancestors after inverting the chronotype, form diurnal to nocturnal. Pre-mammals traded-off the excellent visual system of their ancestors for improvements in audition and in olfactory telencephalon, needed for efficient orientation in the dark. This was how the mammalian nocturnal telencephalic wakefulness was born. However, the modified visual system of those pre-mammals became sensitive to the dangerous diurnal light and the exposure would involve a high risk of blindness and death. Therefore, pre-mammals had to remain immobile with closed eyes hidden in lightproof burrows during light time. This was the birth of the mammalian sleep. Typical reptiles distribute their wake time cycling between Basking Behavior, to attain the preferred body temperature, and poikilothermic Goal Directed Behavior, to perform life sustaining tasks. These cycles persisted during the new mammalian sleep. However, as the behavioral output had to be blocked during light time, the paralyzed reptilian Basking Behavior and Goal Directed Behavior cycles became the NREM and REM cycles, respectively. This was how NREM and REM cycles remained incorporated within the mammalian sleep. After the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, the environmental pressure for nocturnal life was softened, allowing high variability in chronotype and sleeping patterns. This permitted some mammalian groups, e.g., primates, to begin the quest for diurnal wake.Concluding, sleep constituted an additional bottleneck in the mammalian evolution. The reduced population of pre-mammals that was able to develop sleep during light time, including NREM and REM, became full mammals and survived; the remainder perished.

Grape pomace is one of the main by-products in the wine industry and contains some high added-value compounds such as polysaccharides. Considering the wide application possibilities of polysaccharides in wine and in the food industry, the revalorization of grape pomace to extract polysaccharides presents itself as an opportunity for by-product management. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize polysaccharide extracts obtained from pomace by-products of different white grape varieties. The type and content of polysaccharides, proteins and phenols were analyzed. Statistically significant differences were found between the varietal extracts in the types and concentrations of polysaccharides. The extracts obtained from the Verdejo and Puesta en Cruz varieties showed the highest polysaccharide purity and contents, but the type of polysaccharides was different in each case. The Verdejo provided extracts richer in non pectic polysaccharides, while the Puesta en Cruz in pectic polysaccharides. Protein and polyphenol contents were low in all extracts, below 2.5% and 3.7%, respectively. These results open up a new possibility for the revalorization of grape pomace by-products to obtain polysaccharide-rich extracts, although it would be interesting to improve both the yield and the purity of the extracts obtained by studying other extraction techniques or processes.

The melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5; encoded by the IFIH1 gene) mediates the activation of the interferon pathway in response to viral infection. This protein is also upregulated in autoimmune diseases and psoriasis skin lesions. IFIH1 gene variants that increased the MDA5 activity have been associated with increased risk for immune mediated diseases, including psoriasis. Our aim was to determine the association between three IFIH1 variants (rs35337543, intron8 +1G>C; rs35744605, Glu627Stop; and rs1990760, Ala946Thr) and the main clinical findings in a cohort of Spanish patients with psoriatic disease (N=572; 77% early-onset). Early-onset psoriasis (EOPs) had a significant higher frequency of severe disease and Cw6+. Carriers of the 946Thr variant were more common in EOPs (p<0.001), and the effect was more pronounced among Cw6-negatives. This variant was also associated with an increased risk of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) independently of other factors (OR=1.62, 95%CI=1.11-2.37). The rs3533754 and rs35744605 have been reported as risk factors for viral infection and protective for autoimmune diseases, but we did not find significant differences between the two onset age or PsA groups. However, due to the reduced frequency of the two variants (<0.02) the size of our cohort was too low to conclude a significant effect. In conclusion, the common IFIH1 rs1990760 T allele that has been linked to increased gene expression was significantly more frequent in EOPs patients. This variant was also an independent risk factor for PsA in our cohort. This risk allele was in linkage disequilibrium with other variants previously associated with the risk of psoriasis and PsA. Our study reinforces the widely reported role of IFIH1 gene variants on psoriatic disease and other immune mediated diseases.

There are important challenges for modeling large electrical distribution circuits, even more with the presence of distributed renewable generation. Constructing simulations for assessing the effect of the penetration of distributed generation on electrical distribution networks has become of great importance for Distribution Network Operators (DNOs). This paper proposes a simulation strategy based on open-source platforms and the integration of scripting tools for the rapid modeling of large-scale electrical distribution circuits with distributed renewable generation. The implementation is based on the adaptation of a tool called QGIS2OpenDSS, which creates OpenDSS distribution network models directly from an open-source geographic information system, QGIS. The plugin’s capabilities are demonstrated using a real distribution feeder with more than 60% penetration of renewable generation based on photovoltaic systems. These simulations are carried out using real data from a circuit provided by a DNO in the Dominican Republic, which is used to demonstrate how this approach provides a more accessible and flexible way to simulate and assess the effect of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) in Medium Voltage (MV) and Low Voltage (LV) networks, enabling utilities to evaluate system performance and identify potential issues.

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.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing approaches in plant disease management and phy-topathological research. This review analyzes current applications and future directions of AI in addressing evolving agricultural challenges. Plant diseases annually cause 10-16% yield losses in major crops, prompting urgent innovations. Artificial intelligence (AI) shows aptitude for auto-mated disease detection and diagnosis utilizing image recognition techniques, with reported accuracies exceeding 95% and surpassing human visual assessment. Forecasting models inte-grating weather, soil, and crop data enable preemptive interventions by predicting spa-tial-temporal outbreak risks weeks in advance at 81-95% precision, minimizing pesticide usage. Precision agriculture powered by AI optimizes data-driven, tailored crop protection strategies boosting resilience. Real-time monitoring leveraging AI discerns pre-symptomatic anomalies from plant and environmental data for early alerts. These applications highlight AI's proficiency in il-luminating opaque disease patterns within increasingly complex agricultural data. Machine learning techniques overcome human cognitive constraints by discovering multivariate correla-tions unnoticed before. AI is poised to transform in-field decision making around disease pre-vention and precision management. Overall, AI constitutes a strategic innovation pathway to strengthen ecological plant health management amidst climate change, globalization, and agri-cultural intensification pressures. With prudent and ethical implementation, AI-enabled tools promise to enable next-generation phytopathology, enhancing crop resilience worldwide.Artificial Intelligence, Phytopathology, Emerging Disease, Climate Change, Control diseases.

Three types of wakefulness appeared along the vertebrate’s phylogeny and ontogeny: spinal-rhombencephalic in fish, brainstem-diencephalic in reptiles and cortical in mammals, in which the paralyzed spinal-rhombencephalic wake and the brainstem-diencephalic wake remain as REMS and NREMS The spinal-rhombencephalic and cortical types of wake are inherently anti-homeostatic. Animals must forage, reproduce, and survive to predation disregarding the environmental circumstances, hence temporarily forgetting the homeostatic regulation. After fulfilling the vital functions, the brainstem-diencephalic wake recovers the homeostatic control. The phasic signs of REMS are adaptive in immature mammals, serving for demanding heat, milk and defense to their mother. These advantages outweigh the REMS' poikilostasis in infants. The adults’ poikilostasis of REMS is harmless in thermoneutral environments but is mal-adaptive in aquatic environments in which REMS is reduced or even disappears. These exceptions explain the anomalous examples of REMS. An on-off hypothalamic switch homeostatically regulates the entrance and exit from REMS. Furthermore, the vital phasic signs of REMS depend on a second pontine proportional homeostatic control. Altogether, they regulate the expression of REMS.

Previous bio-mapping studies of pork processing facilities have indicated a need for mitigation strategies in trim and ground products due to Salmonella prevalence. Lymph nodes have been identified as a source of Salmonella in pork products. The objective of this study was to determine if the removal of glands and lymph nodes in pork would reduce Salmonella and indicator organisms in comminuted products. Samples from a commercial pork facility were divided into three treatment groups; 1) untreated control, 2) topical glands removed before final processing, and 3) topical, jowl, and internal lymph nodes and glands removed before final processing. Samples were evaluated for indicator organisms and quantity of Salmonella using the BioMérieux TEMPO® system and BAX® System Real-Time Salmonella SalQuant™ methodology, respectively. The results of this study indicate that the removal of the topical, internal, and jowl lymph nodes was effective at significantly (P &gt; 0.05) reducing the prevalence of both Salmonella and indicator organisms. Salmonella was reduced from 2.5-Log CFU/Sample and 3.8-Log CFU/Sample of Salmonella in control group ground and trim samples, to less than 1-Log CFU/sample in both matrices from treatment 3. These data indicate that samples from treatment 3 had an average of a 3-Log reduction, and treatment 2 had a 2.5-Log reduction, of Salmonella when compared to the control samples. This indicates that the physical removal of glands and lymph nodes can influence Salmonella and indicator organism prevalence in the final product.

We aimed to assess the caffeine intake before and during pregnancy, compliance with caffeine recommendations during pregnancy (200 mg/day) and factors associated with higher intakes before and in first trimester of pregnancy. Caffeine consumption was collected in a Spanish cohort of pregnant women through a validated food questionnaire, before and in each trimester of gestation (T1, T2 and T3). 463 pregnant women were recruited and follow-up through pregnancy. Compliance with caffeine intake recommendations during pregnancy and quintiles of mg/day of caffeine before and in T1 of pregnancy were calculated. A multivariate logistic regression, comparing extreme quintiles of consumption (Q1 vs Q5) was used. Mean caffeine intake before pregnancy was 120.05 mg/day (SD 117.85), 42.76 mg/day (SD 63.90) at 12th GW, 42.00 mg/day (SD 59.76) at 24th GW and 39.34 mg/day (SD 50.9) at 32nd GW (p&lt;0.001). 86% of women complied with caffeine recommendations during pregnancy. At pregnancy (T1), being an active smoker was associated with Q5 &gt; 100.1 mg/day, aOR = 22.69; 95% CI 4.67- 110.26. igh diet quality, aOR = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.13- 0.68, and moderate physical activity level, aOR= 0.44; 95% CI, 0.19-1.00, were inversely associated with Q5 &gt; 100.1 mg/day. Pregnant women are mostly adhering to current caffeine intake guidelines. Higher caffeine intake at pregnancy is associated with other unhealthy habits during pregnancy.

Byers Peninsula is considered one of the largest ice-free areas in Maritime Antarctica. Since 2006, the Spanish Polar Program has taken part in a large number of environmental studies involving effects of climate changes in lives cycles, limnology and microbiology. Soils from maritime Antarctica are generally weakly developed and have chemical, physical and morphological characteristics strongly influenced by the parent material. However, biological activity during the short Antarctic summer promotes intense transference of nutrients and organic matter in areas occupied by different species of birds and marine mammals. To mapping and monitoring those areas with high biological occupation, could be very useful to have models of edaphic properties prepared from satellite images. In this approach, Deep Learning and Linear Regression models of soil properties and spectral indexes as explicative variables were performed. We training models of soil properties closely related to biological activity such as Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and the iron fraction associated with organic matter (Fe). We tested the best approach to model the spatial distribution of DOC, Fe and pH by training models of Linear Regression and Deep Learning over Sentinel2 and WorldView2 images. The most robust models were used to track possible areas with ornithogenic soils as well as areas of the Byers Peninsula that could support the highest biological development.

Non-destructive testing of metallic objects that may contain embedded defects of different sizes is an important application in many industrial branches for quality control. Most of these techniques allow defect detection and its approximate localization, but very few give enough information for its 3D reconstruction. Here we present a hybrid laser – transducer system that combines remote laser-generated ultrasound excitation and non-contact ultrasonic transducer detection. This fully non-contact method gives access to separating scan areas on different object’s faces and defect details from different angles/perspectives can be analysed. This hybrid system can analyse the whole object’s volume data and allow a 3D reconstruction image of the embedded defects. As a novelty for the signal processing improvement, we use a 2D apodization window filtering technique, applied along with the synthetic aperture focusing algorithm in order to remove the undesired effects of side lobes and wide-angle reflections of propagating ultrasound waves, thus, enhancing the resulting 3D image of the defect. We provide both qualitative and quantitative volumetric results with high accuracy and resolution compared with conventional techniques.

(1) Background: This study evaluated the spatial position and anatomical characteristics related to impacted third molars by map-reading strategy using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). (2) Methods: To determine the positioning of impacted third molars on CBCT it was used Winter's and Pell &amp; Gregory's classifications, and the presence of external root resorption in mandibular second molars were based on Herman´s classification. The relationship between the mandibular third molar root apex and the mandibular canal was also analyzed. Fisher’s exact test was used to comparative statistical analysis. The significance level considered was 5%. (3) Results: The results showed that according to Winter's classification, 48.06 % of impacted teeth were in the mesioangular position. Using Pell &amp; Gregory's classification, 43.22% of the impacted molars were in the position B and C, and 54.2% of the teeth were class II. 69.7% of teeth showed an absence of contact between the root apex and the mandibular canal and there was no occurrence of external root resorption in the distal of second molar in 88.7%. (4) Conclusions: The map-reading strategy using CBCT scans for anatomical positions and characteristics of impacted third molars increases professional confidence and establishes a parameter of quality and safety in the surgical procedure for the patient.

The objective was to analyze the effects of adding anthocyanin delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside and cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. in animal diets. Scientific articles published before 2021 in clinics, pharmacology, nutrition, and animal production were included. The grains/concentrate, metabolic exigency, and caloric stress contribute to increasing the reactive oxygen species (ROS); the excess of ROS unbalance the oxidants and antioxidants. Cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside have antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and anthelmintic activities. In the rumen, anthocyanin might show interactions and/or synergisms with substrates, microorganisms, and enzymes which could reduce the fiber degradability, but increase the potential methane (CH4) emissions; since anthocyanin interferes in the biohydrogenation of fats, they increase the fat milk and meat quality. Anthocyanins reduce plasma oxidation and deposit in tissues, increasing the milk and meat antioxidant activities. Cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside act as inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACEi) and rennin expression which may improve milk yield (there is not enough evidence in ruminants, though). Polyphenols affect the reproductive potential. Sub products of HS contain as many amounts of polyphenols as calyces, and their inclusion in diets would positively affect the average daily gain and fat meat quality. Including HS in ruminant diets can improve the meat and milk quality.

Coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is the pest that causes the most economic damage to coffee crops. Chemical control of this insect is based on the use of insecticides that can affect the environment and nontarget organisms. Despite the fact that caffeine has shown potential as an insecticide, a caffeine-based product for field use is currently not available on the market. As a new alternative to control CBB and other coffee pests, such as Monalonion velezangeli, a caffeine-oleate was developed. The caffeine oleate formulation showed laboratory efficacy by causing mortality of more than 90% of CBB adults in preventive tests in which the insecticide was sprayed prior to insect attack on the coffee fruits. In the curative tests, in which spraying occurred after CBB infested the fruits, the formulation caused 77% mortality of the insects. Under controlled field conditions, the product kept CBB infestation below 20%, reducing the number of fruits attacked by the insect by up to 70%. In addition, no phytotoxic effects were observed in coffee plants. The insecticide was also effective against M. velezangeli causing 100% mortality. A caffeine oleate formulation that could be part of a strategy for integrated CBB management as well as other pests of coffee was developed. The components of the insecticide are food grade; the product would provide greater security to the coffee ecosystem and coffee growers.

During the last decades West Nile Virus (WNV) outbreaks have continuously occurred in the Mediterranean area. In August 2020 a new WNV outbreak affected 71 people with meningoencephalitis in Andalusia and 6 more cases in Extremadura (south-west of Spain), causing a total of eight deaths. The whole genomes of four viral isolates were obtained and phylogenetically analyzed in the context of recent outbreaks. The Andalusian viral samples belonged to the lineage 1 and were relatively similar to previous outbreaks occurred in the Mediterranean region. Here we present a detailed analysis of the outbreak, including an extensive phylogenetic study.

The aim of this work is to provide a full description of how air temperature and solar radiation induce changes in the land cover over an Antarctic site. We use shortwave broadband albedo (albedo integrated in the range 300-3000 nm) from a spaceborne sensor and from field surveys to calculate the monthly relative abundance of landscape units. Field albedo data were collected using a portable albedometer over seven landscape units: clean fresh snow; clean old snow; rugged landscape composed of dirty snow with disperse pyroclasts and rocky outcrops; dirty snow; stripes of bare soil and snow; shallow snow with small bare soil patches; bare soil. MODIS MCD43A3 daily albedo product was downloaded using the Google Earth Engine API from the 2000-2001 season to the 2020-2021 season. Each landscape unit was characterized by an albedo normal distribution. The monthly relative abundance of the landscape units were calculated by fitting a linear combination of the normal distributions to the histogram of the MODIS monthly mean albedo. The monthly relative abundance of the landscape unit consisting of rugged landscape composed of dirty snow, with dispersed clasts and small rocky outcrops exhibits a high linear positive correlation with the monthly mean albedo (R2=0.87) and a high linear negative correlation with the monthly mean air temperature (R2= 0.69). The increase of the solar radiation energy flux from September to December coincides with the decrease of the relative abundance of the landscape unit composed of dirty snow with dispersed clasts and small rocky outcrops. We propose a mechanism to describe the evolution of the landscape: uncovered pyroclasts act as melting centres favouring the melting of surrounding snow. Ash does not play a decisive role in the melting of the snow. The results also explain the observed decreasing of the thaw depth of the permafrost on the island in the period 2006-2014, resulting from an increase in the snow cover over the whole island.

Immunosenescence refers to age-related alterations of the immune system function affecting both the humoral and cellular arm of immunity. Understanding immunosenescence and its impact on vaccination of older adults is essential since primary vaccine responses in older individuals can fail to generate complete protection, especially vaccines targeting infections with increased incidence among the elderly, such as the respiratory syncytial virus. Here, we review the clinical trials of both candidate and approved vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which include adults aged ≥50 years, with an emphasis on the evaluation of immunogenicity parameters. Currently, there are 10 vaccine candidates and 2 vaccines approved for the prevention of RSV in the older adult population. The number of registered clinical trials for this age group amounts to 32. Our preliminary evaluation of published results and interim analyses of the RSV vaccine clinical trials indicates efficacy in older adult participants, demonstrating immunity levels that closely resemble those of younger adult participants.

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

Background and objectives Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, particularly prevalent among the aging population, constitute a pressing global healthcare challenge. They often are unnoticed until severe pain and disability manifest, making them an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition. Patients who suffer from these fractures not only endure excruciating pain but also face diminished quality of life, impaired mobility, and the risk of respiratory compromise due to altered spinal alignment. The economic repercussions of vertebral compression fractures are substantial. Hospitalization costs, rehabilitation expenses, long-term care, and indirect costs related to lost productivity significantly burden healthcare systems and society at large , offering a promising avenue for enhancing patient outcomes and relieving the healthcare and societal financial strain posed by vertebral compression fractures. Kyphoplasty, a minimally invasive surgical technique, offers rapid pain relief, vertebral height restoration and improved function. Recognizing the importance of early intervention, this manuscript highlights the potential of kyphoplasty in mitigating both clinical and economic consequences. By addressing these fractures more effectively, kyphoplasty may potentially reduce long-term healthcare expenses and indirect costs. Material and Methods 66 randomized patients were divided into 2 treatment groups (kyphoplasty using single balloon and double balloon), analyzing radiographic and clinical parameters during 12 months of follow-up. Results Patients treated with double balloon obtained greater anterior and posterior vertebral height after reduction and a better local vertebral angle. Both groups of patients obtained clinical improvement after treatment (VAS and ODI), with no differences between the groups. Conclusion Patients treated with double balloon kyphoplasty had better radiographic results. This revision manuscript delves into the critical dimensions of these fractures, encompassing demographics, clinical consequences, challenges in diagnosis and management, and their profound economic impact. This manuscript serves to introduce an improved kyphoplasty technique to guide to the multifaceted nature of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures and their management.

In this study, we developed a model that can predict whether patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) will be cured 36 months after intervention by means of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and identified the most important predictors that explain the probability of being cured. A machine learning (ML) approach was applied using decision tree (DT) and logistic regression (LR) techniques on historical data (sociodemographic, clinical, treatment, angioarchitecture, and radiosurgery procedure) of 202 patients with AVM who underwent SRS at the Instituto de Radiocirugía del Perú (IRP) between 2005 and 2018. The LR model obtained the best results for predicting AVM cure with an accuracy of 92.16%, sensitivity of 92.86%, specificity of 88.89%, precision of 97.50%, and AUC of 97.62%, which shows that ML models are suitable for use for predicting the prognosis of medical conditions such as AVM and can be a support tool for medical decision-making. In addition, several factors were identified that could explain whether patients with AMV would be cured at 36 months with the highest likelihood: the location of the AVM, the occupation of the patient, and the presence of hemorrhage.

A novel hybrid CSP-PV power plant is presented. Instead of the integration used in current hybrid power plants, where part of the PV production is charged into the thermal energy storage system through electrical resistors, the proposed system integrates both PV and thermal solar fields using a high-temperature heat pump. Both the heat pump and the heat engine are based on Brayton supercritical CO2 thermodynamic cycles. Such integration allows for charging the molten salts storage as if a central tower receiver field supplied the thermal energy, whereas parabolic trough collectors are employed. Unlike conventional hybrid plants, where the storage of PV production leads to a decrease in power injected into the grid throughout the day, the power injected by the proposed system remains constant. The heat engine efficiency is 44.4%, and the COP is 2.32. The LCOE for a 50 MWe plant with up to 12 hours of storage capacity is 171 $/MWh, which is lower than that of existing CSP power plants with comparable performance. Although the cost is higher compared to a PV plant with batteries, this hybrid system offers two significant advantages: it eliminates the consumption of critical raw materials in batteries, and all the electricity produced comes from a synchronous machine.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a hereditary polyneuropathy caused by mutations in Mitofusin-2 (MFN2), a GTPase in the outer mitochondrial membrane involved in the regulation of mitochondrial fusion and bioenergetics. Autosomal-dominant inheritance of a R94Q mutation in MFN2 causes the axonal subtype 2A2A which is characterized by early onset and progressive atrophy of distal muscles caused by motoneuronal degeneration. Here, we studied mitochondrial shape, respiration, cytosolic and mitochondrial ATP content as well as mitochondrial quality control in MFN2-deficient fibroblasts stably expressing wildtype or R94Q MFN2. Under normal culture conditions, R94Q cells had slightly more fragmented mitochondria but a similar mitochondrial oxygen consumption, membrane potential and ATP production as wildtype cells. However, when inducing mild oxidative stress 24 h before analysis using 100 µM hydrogen peroxide, R94Q cells exhibited significantly increased respiration but decreased mitochondrial ATP production. This was accompanied by increased glucose uptake and an upregulation of hexokinase 1 and pyruvate kinase M2 suggesting increased pyruvate shuttling into mitochondria. As these changes coincided with decreased levels of PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in R94Q cells, we conclude that the disease-causing R94Q mutation in MFN2 causes uncoupling of mitochondrial respiration from ATP production by a less efficient mitochondrial quality control triggered by oxidative stress.

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

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

Lipases have tremendous potential for industrial use, particularly, those mostly active against water-insoluble substrates, such as triglycerides composed of long-chain fatty acids. However, in most cases, mutants often need to be constructed to achieve optimal performance for such substrates. Protein engineering techniques have been reported as strategies for improving lipase characteristics by introducing specific mutations in the cap domain of esterases or in the lid domain of lipases, or through lid domain swapping. Here, we have improved the lipase character of a lipase, retrieved from the Marine Metagenomics MarRef Database and assigned to the Actinoalloteichus genus (WP_075743487.1), through site-directed mutagenesis and by substituting its lid domain (FRGTEITQIKDWLTDA) by the one of Rhizopus delemar (previously Rhizopus oryzae) lipase (FRGTNSFRSAITDIVF). Results demonstrated that the redesigned mutants gain activity against bulkier triglycerides such as glyceryl tridecanoate and tridodecanoate, olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil. The absence of a residue in the new lid, present in the original lid, appears to be a key aspect to the increase in lipase character, although full activity recovery is only obtained with lid swapping.

Soil conditions is a major aspect of interest for farmers due to the knowing of the physicochemical properties of the same can help with any necessary restoration of soil that guarantees the quality and the production of their crop. However, technology and analysis of the soil become of difficult access mainly in developing countries, by which the present paper shows the development of a system thought to estimate physicochemical variables of soils growing sugar cane through studies of spectroscopy. Its characteristic is that it is a portable system, with low cost, easy to use and can estimate physicochemical variables in-situ with the objective of knowing the degree of degradation present in the soil and through this help the farmers define possible strategies to restore it. The device uses the frequency response of the soil determining values of magnitude and phase, which are used by algorithms of artificial intelligence capable of getting an estimation of the physicochemical properties. The obtained results show errors below 8% in the estimation of the variables compared to the analysis results of the soil at laboratories.

The Mexican Central Pacific (MCP) has discontinuous coral ecosystems with different protection and anthropogenic disturbance. Characterizing the bacterial assemblage associated with the sea urchin Toxopneustes roseus and its relationship with environmental variables will contribute to understanding the species’ physiology and ecology. We collected sea urchins from coral ecosystems at six sites in the MCP during the summer and winter for two consecutive years. The spatial scale represented the most important variation in the T. roseus bacteriome, particularly because of Isla Isabel National Park (PNII). Likewise, spatial differences correlated with habitat structure variables, mainly the sponge and live coral cover. The PNII exhibited a highly diverse bacterial assemblages compared to other sites, characterized by families associated with diseases and environmental stress (Saprospiraceae, Flammeovirgaceae, and Xanthobacteraceae). The remaining five sites presented a constant spatio-temporal pattern, where the predominance of Campylobacteraceae and Helicobacteraceae families were key to T. roseus’ holobiont. However, the dominance of certain bacterial families in the second analyzed year, such as Enterobacteriaceae, suggests that Punto B, and Islas e islotes de Bahía Chamela Sanctuary, were exposed to sewage contamination. Overall, our results improve the understanding of host-associated bacterial assemblage in specific time and space and its relationship with the environmental condition.

This study employed e-Vol DX cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) software to assess dentin remnants in the furcation area of mesial canals in mandibular molars during root canal retreatment (RCR). Four groups (Reciproc®, ProTaper Next®, Race Evo®, Protaper Gold®) were subjected to RCR, and CBCT images were captured before (T1) and after (T2) treatment. Measurements of remaining dentin thickness at 1 mm and 3 mm below the furcation were scrutinized. Results revealed no significant differences in mean thicknesses of mesiobuccal (MB) and mesiolingual (ML) canals at 1 mm and 3 mm from the furcation pre-treatment (T1). Post-treatment (T2) showed analogous findings, with no significant differences in mean thicknesses. However, disparities surfaced between MB and ML canals at both distances, both before and after retreatment. In essence, the evaluated instruments exhibited safety in RCR, implying their appropriateness for use in critical areas of mandibular molars without inducing excessive wear. This study underscores the instruments' reliability in navigating danger zones during RCR, contributing valuable insights for dental practitioners handling complex root canal scenarios in mandibular molars.

Surface chemistry evaluation plays a crucial role in assessing the efficacy of chemical decontamination products for titanium implants. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of chemical decontamination solutions in cleaning a contaminated dental implant surface and to evaluate the potential of combining Pluronic gel with hydrogen peroxide (NuBone®Clean) by evaluating pellicle disruption and re-formation on implant surfaces. In addition, ensuring safety with in- vitro and human testing protocols. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was utilized for surface analysis. All the tested gels had some effect on the surface cleanness except for PrefGel®. Among the tested chemical decontamination candidates, NuBone®Clean demonstrated effectiveness in providing a cleaner titanium surface. Furthermore, none of the tested chemical agents exhibited any cytotoxic effects, and the safety assessment showed no adverse events. The results of this study highlight the significance of conducting comprehensive evaluations, encompassing safety and efficacy, before introducing new chemical agents for dental treatments. The findings suggest that NuBone®Clean shows potential as a chemical decontamination solution for implant surfaces. However, further investigation through randomized clinical trials is necessary. By adhering to rigorous testing protocols, the development of safe and efficient chemical decontamination strategies can be advanced, benefiting patients and promoting progress in the field of implant dentistry.

The aim of this work is the preparation of contact active antimicrobial films by blending copolymers with quaternary ammonium salts and polyacrylonitrile as matrix material. A series of copolymers based on acrylonitrile and methacrylic monomers with quaternizable groups were designed with the purpose of investigating the influence of their chemical and structural characteristics on the antimicrobial activity of these surfaces. The biocide activity of these systems was studied against different microorganisms, such as the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomona aeruginosa and the yeast Candida parapsilosis. The results confirmed that parameters such as flexibility and polarity of the antimicrobial polymers immobilized on the surfaces strongly affect the efficiency against microorganisms. In contrast to the behavior of copolymers in water solutions, when they are tethered to the surface, the active cationic groups are less accessible and then the mobility of the side chain is critical for a good contact with the microorganism. Blend films composed of copolymers with high positive charge density and chain mobility present up to a more than 99.999% killing efficiency against the studied microorganisms.

In the present paper, Co-B/SiC composite coatings were obtained via electrodeposition from colloidal suspensions with different concentrations of SiC particles and subsequent heat treatments at 350 °C. The composition, morphology and structure of the Co-B/SiC composite coatings were analyzed using glow discharge spectrometry (GDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Hardness and tribological properties were also studied. The results showed that an increase in the SiC concentration in the colloidal suspensions resulted in both an increase in the SiC content and a decrease in the B content in the obtained Co-B/SiC coatings. The Co-B/SiC coatings were adherent, glossy and soft and exhibited a homogeneous composition in all thicknesses. By contrast, an increase in the SiC particle content of the Co-B/SiC composite coating from 0 to 2.56 at.% SiC reduced the hardness of the film from 680 to 360 HV and decreased the wear volume values from 1180 to 23 mm³ N^-1 m^-1, respectively (that is, the wear resistance increased). Moreover, when the Co-B/SiC coatings with SiC content ranging from 0 to 2.56 at.% SiC were subjected to a heat treatment process, the obtained coating hardness values were in the range of 1200 to 1500 HV and the wear volume values were in the range of 382 to 19 mm³ N^-1 m^-1.

Fingerprints are essential for human identification and are valuable tools in criminal investigations. The pursuit of new materials for digital printing is expanding, with increasing interest in natural compounds such as bixin, sourced from annatto seeds. Despite its traditional use as a natural dye with medicinal properties, the potential of bixin in papilloscopy remains largely untapped. In this study, we meticulously extracted bixin from annatto seeds and meticulously developed composites incorporating zinc carbonate (bixin/ZnCO3) and kaolinite (bixin/kaolinite). UV-visible spectroscopy was used for characterization, and the extracted bixin showed absorption peaks at 429, 453, and 481 nm, which were very similar to standard peaks at 429, 457, and 487 nm. The two samples also had the same retention times (7.07 min) according to further liquid chromatography analysis. Sweat pores were easier to detect thanks to the effectiveness of the bixin/ZnCO3 and bixin/kaolinite composites in creating high contrast sebaceous and natural latent fingerprints. These results highlight the composites’ potential as novel and fascinating instruments for papilloscopy applications, which might also improve forensic investigations.

The synuclein family consists of α-, β-, and γ-Synuclein (α-Syn, β-Syn, and γ-Syn), expressed in the neurons and concentrated in synaptic terminals. While α-Syn is at the center of interest due to its implication in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies, limited information exists on the other members. The current study aimed at investigating the biological role of γ-Syn controlling the midbrain dopamine (DA) function. We generated two different mouse models with i) γ-Syn overexpression induced by an adeno-associated viral vector and ii) γ-Syn knockdown induced by a ligand-conjugated antisense oligonucleotide, to modify the endogenous γ-Syn transcription levels in midbrain DA neurons. The progressive overexpression of γ-Syn decreased DA neurotransmission in the nigrostriatal and mesocortical pathways. In parallel, mice evoked motor deficits in the rotarod and impaired cognitive performance as assessed by novel object recognition, passive avoidance, and Morris water maze tests. Conversely, acute γ-Syn knockdown selectively in DA neurons facilitated forebrain DA neurotransmission. Importantly, modifications in γ-Syn expression did not induce the loss of DA neurons or changes in α-Syn expression. Collectively, our data strongly suggest that DA re-lease/re-uptake processes in the nigrostriatal and mesocortical pathways are partially dependent on SNc/VTA γ-Syn transcription levels, and are linked to modulation of DA transporter function, similar to α-Syn.

The straight leg raise test (SLR) has been proposed to detect increased nerve mechanosensitivity of the lower limbs in individuals with low back pain or leg-related low back pain. However, its validity in the diagnosis of lumbosacral radiculopathy show very variable results. The aim of this study was to analyse the diagnostic validity of the SLR including well defined diagnostic criteria in a sample of participants in phase III with suspicion of lumbar radiculopathy using the nerve conduction studies (NDS) as the reference standard. A phase III diagnostic accuracy study was designed. 142 individuals with suspected lumbosacral radiculopathy referred for NCS participated in the study. Each participant was tested with NCS and SLR. SLR was considered positive using three diagnostic criteria. The sensitivity of the SLR for the criterion 3 was 89.02% (CI 81.65-96.40), the specificity was 25.00% (CI 13.21-36.79), and the +LR and -LR were 1.19 (CI 1.01-1.40) and 0.44 (0.21-0.94), respectively. SLR showed limited validity in the diagnosis of lumbosacral radiculopathy. The incorporation of more objective diagnostic criteria (asymmetry in range of motion or localization of symptoms) improved diagnostic validity but the imprecision of the confidence intervals limited the interpretation of the results.

Cattle spread throughout the American continent during the colonization years, originating creole breeds that adapted to a wide range of climate conditions. Population of creole cattle in Peru is decreasing mainly due to the introduction of more productive breeds in recent years. During the last 15 years, there have been a significant progress on cattle genomics. However, little is known about the genetics of the Peruvian creole cattle (PCC) even though its importance to (i) improve productivity in the Andean region, (ii) agricultural labor, and (iii) cultural traditions. In addition, the origin and phylogenetic relationship of the PCC is still unclear. In order to promote the conservation of the PCC, we sequenced for the first time the mitochondrial genome of a creole bull from the highlands of Arequipa, which also possessed exceptional fighting skills and was employed for agricultural tasks. The total mitochondrial genome sequence is 16,339 bp in length with the base composition of 31.43 % for A, 28.64 % for T, 26.81 % for C, and 13.12 % for G. It contains 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and a control region. Among the 37 genes, 28 were positioned on the H-strand and nine were positioned on the L-strand. The most frequently used codons were CUA (Leucine), AUA (Isoleucine), AUU (Isoleucine), AUC (Isoleucine), y ACA (Threonine). Maximum likelihood reconstruction using complete mitochondrial genome sequences clearly demonstrated that the PCC is strongly related to native African breeds, giving insights into the ancestry of PCC. The annotated mitochondrial genome of PCC would serve as an important genetic data set for further breeding work and conservation strategies.

Objective: To determine blood lead levels (BLL) in a healthy paediatric population and to analyse related sociodemographic, dietary and haematological factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was made of 1,427 healthy subjects aged 1-16 years from the city of Almería (south-eastern Spain). BLL, iron parameters and erythropoietin were determined, and sociodemographic and dietary data obtained. The study data were analysed by multiple logistic regression. Results: The mean BLL was 1.98±1.1 µg/dl (95% CI:1.91–2.04). For 5.7% of the population, mean BLL was 2-5 µg/dl, for 2.1% it was >5 µg/dl and for 0.15% it was >10 µg/dl. Multivariate analysis showed that immigrant origin (OR:11.9; p<0.0001), low level of parental education (OR:4.6; p<0.02) and low dietary iron bioavailability (OR: 3.2; p<0.02) were all risk factors for toxic BLL. Subjects with toxic and non-toxic BLL presented similar iron and erythropoiesis-related parameters, except erythrocyte protoporphyrin, which was significantly higher in the BLL >5 µg/dl group. Conclusions: BLL and the prevalence of toxic BLL in healthy subjects aged 1-16 years living in south-eastern Spain are low and similar to those found in other developed countries. The factors associated with toxic BLL are immigrant origin, low level of parental education and dietary iron deficiency. The toxicity of BLL was not related to changes in the analytical parameters studied.

In the current study, an ethyl acetate extract from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus ochraceus SPH2 isolated from the stem parts of the endemic plant Bethencourtia palmensis was screened for its biocontrol properties against plant pathogens (Fusarium moniliforme, Alternaria alternata and Botrytis cinerea), insect pests (Spodoptera littoralis, Myzus persicae, Rhopalosiphum padi), plant parasites (Meloidogyne javanica) and ticks (Hyalomma lusitanicum). SPH2 gave extracts with strong fungicidal and ixodicidal effects at different fermentation times. The bioguided isolation of these extracts gave compounds 1-3. Mellein (1) showed strong ixodicidal effects and was also fungicidal. This is the first report on the ixodicidal effects of 1. Neoaspergillic acid (2) showed potent antifungal effects. Compound 2 appeared during the exponential phase of the fungal growth while neohydroxyaspergillic acid (3) appeared during the stationary phase, suggesting that 2 is the biosynthetic precursor of 3. Additional molecular ions compatible with pyrazynes that were detected during the exponential phase included flavacol, and aspergilliamide while ochramide A was mostly detected during the stationary phase of the fermentation. Moreover, polyketids were also detected during the sationaty phase of the fermentation curve (dihydroaspyrone, aspyrone, asperlactone) and the alkaloid circumdatin H. Ochratoxin A was not detected. Therefore, SPH2 could be a potential biotechnological tool for the production of ixodicidal mellein.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of different types of olive cake (five treatments) in the diet of Bísaro pigs on the volatile compounds and sensory characteristics in the dry-cured loin and dry-cured “cachaço” (2 processed meat products). The treatments applied are based on the type of extraction and this may imply differences in their water and fat content. Eighty com-pounds were identified, and grouped into eight chemical classes: hydrocarbons, aldehydes, es-ters, alcohols, ketones, acids, furans, and other compounds. Aldehydes and alcohols were the ma-jor groups of compounds, representing 57.06-66.07 % and 68.67-75.61 % for the loin and “cacha-ço”, respectively. There were no significant differences between treatments for any of the volatile compounds identified. The major aldehydes were hexanal, heptanal, pentanal, and propanal. These compounds were significantly higher (p<0.001) in “cachaço”. This significant difference be-tween the two types of dry-cured products is directly related to the amount of total fat content. The major alcohols were 2.3-butanediol, 1-octen-3-ol, 1-butanol, 3-methyl, 1-hexanol, benzyl-alcohol and glycidol. Except for compounds 2,3-butanediol and benzyl-alcohol, the majority in this group are significantly different in terms of the type of dry-cured product. As for the sensory evaluation, for both dry-cured products, the trained tasters did not detect significant differences between the different treatments, which is in line with the results obtained for volatile compounds.

(1) Background: The diagnosis of lumbosacral radiculopathy involves anamnesis, assessment of sensitivity and strength, diagnostic imaging—usually magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—and electrodiagnostic testing (EDX), typically electromyography (EMG) and electroneurography (ENG). MRI evaluates the structures supporting the spinal cord, while EDX evaluates root functionality. The present study aimed to analyze the concordance of MRI and EDX findings in patients with clinically suspected radiculopathy. Additionally, we investigated the comparison between these two reference tests and various clinical variables and questionnaires. (2) Methods: We designed a prospective epidemiological study of consecutive cases with an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and double-blind nature following the STROBE guidelines, encompassing 142 patients with clinical suspicion of lumbosacral radiculopathy. (3) Results: Of the sample, 58.5% tested positive for radiculopathy using EDX as the reference test, while 45.8% tested positive using MRI. The comparison between MRI and EDX in the diagnosis of radiculopathy in patients with clinical suspicion was not significant; the overall agreement was 40.8%. Only the years with symptoms were comparatively significant between the positive and negative radiculopathy groups as determined by EDX. (4) Conclusion: The comparison between lumbar radiculopathy diagnoses in patients with clinically suspected pathology using MRI and EDX as diagnostic modalities did not yield statistically significant findings. MRI and EDX are complementary tests assessing different aspects in patients with suspected radiculopathy; degeneration of the structures supporting the spinal cord does not necessarily imply root dysfunction.

Brucellosis infection induces fever, chills, sweats, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, anorexia, fa-tigue, and mood disorders. In mice, it causes a rise in IL-6, TNF-, and IFN-; and reduces sero-tonin and dopamine levels in hippocampus. There is loss in muscle strength and equilibrium and increased anxiety and hopelessness. Imipramine (ImiP) is a tricyclic antidepressant that increases the capacity of macrophages to destroy intracellular microorganisms in vivo. The effect of ImiP was evaluated in Balb/c mice infected with Brucella abortus 2308. Serum levels were determined in IFN-, IL-6, TNF-, IL-12, MCP-1, and IL-10 by FACS; the bacterial count in the spleen, by CFU; the serotonin concentration in the hippocampus, by HPLC; and strength, equilibrium, and mood by behavioral tests. Our results showed that infected vs. control mice had a significant rise in lev-els of IFN-, IL-6, TNF-, and IL-12 with a low IFN-/IL-6 ratio, elevated bacterial-counts, alter-ations in serotonin concentration at hippocampus, and decreased muscular strength, equilibrium, and mood. Infected mice treated with ImiP vs. infected mice showed: 1) improved mood; 2) in-creased hippocampal serotonin availability, splenic dendritic cells, and macrophage phagocytic activity; and 3) upturn inflammation and reduced CFU ability. Our results support that ImiP fa-vors positive outcomes in subjects handling Brucella infections likely by improving psychoim-mune resilience.

The skin acts as a protective barrier, guarding the body against microorganisms, chemicals, and several environmental factors. Accordingly, this all-important organ must be kept healthy to maintain its optimal functionality. One approach to maintain skin health is the application of multifunction bioactive sunscreens containing antioxidant molecule(s). Rosmarinic acid (RA), a phenolic compound, is known for its antioxidant activity. Herein, the safety and efficacy of a multifunction prototype sunscreen were investigated, aiming to probe putative synergies of this polyphenol with two known and widely used UV filters (bemotrizinol and octyl p-methoxycinnamate). Samples protected the DNA fragmentation compared to UV control, by the comet assay, and showed good skin compatibility in subjects. Formulations F1 and F3 were able to increase skin hydration, and, possibly, the RA interfered with this attribute. An increase in transepidermal water loss was observed for formulations F1, F2 and F4, which may be related to vehicle containing or not the RA. No decreases were observed in the inflammatory reaction caused by the ethyl nicotinate with any of the evaluated formulations. As a perspective, we suggest trials with a greater number of subjects or protocol modifications. Altering the vehicle qualitative and quantitative composition is also a pertinent perspective.

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), comprising deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a common condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. Although patients with heart failure (HF) are known to have an increased risk of PE, there is limited evidence regarding its specific impact on patients with acute PE, both in presentation and outcomes, and its relationship with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Material and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at two tertiary hospitals, including patients with symptomatic acute PE between January 2012 and December 2022. The primary objective of the study was the development of a composite outcome (mortality, major bleeding, and recurrence) within the first 30 days. The secondary objective was the development of early complications in patients with HF and reduced LVEF. Results: Out of 1991 patients included with symptomatic acute PE, 7.13% had a history of HF. Patients with HF were older and had more comorbidities. The HF group showed higher mortality (11.27% vs. 4.33%, p<0.001) and major bleeding (9.86% vs. 4.54%, p=0.005). In multivariate analysis, HF was an independent risk factor for the development of the composite outcome (HR 1.93; 95% CI: 1.35-2.76). Reduced LVEF was independently associated with a higher risk of bleeding (HR 3.44; 95% CI: 1.34-8.81). Conclusion: In patients with symptomatic acute pulmonary embolism, heart failure is independently associated with a higher risk of early complications. Additionally, heart failure with reduced LVEF is an independent risk factor for major bleeding.

The prevalence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections, particularly carbapenem-resistant strains, has become a significant global health concern. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) has emerged as a promising treatment option. However, data on its efficacy and safety in children are scarce, necessitating further investigation. We conducted a retrospective study at a tertiary hospital in Spain from February 2019 to January 2022. Pediatric patients (<16 years) treated with CZA for confirmed or suspected multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections were included. Clinical and microbiological characteristics, treatment approaches, and outcomes were examined. Eighteen children received CZA treatment. All had complex chronic conditions, with the most frequent underlying main diseases being liver transplantation (n=8) and biliary atresia (n=4). The predominant type of infection for which they received CZA was intra-abdominal infections caused or suspected to be caused by OXA-48-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. CZA was generally well tolerated. Within the first month of starting CZA therapy, 2 patients died, with one case directly linked to the infection’s fatal outcome. Some patients needed repeated courses of therapy due to recurrent infections, yet no resistance development was noted. In summary, the use of CZA showed effectiveness and safety, while the lack of resistance development highlights CZA’s potential as a primary treatment option against OXA-48-producing infections.

There have been beaching events of the marine alga pelagic sargassum in coastal regions of the Caribbean Sea, West African countries, and the north-northeast region of Brazil since 2011. Its presence has caused environmental and socioeconomic impacts while several studies were conducted in order to understand the causes of this phenomenon, as well as alternatives to mitigate its impacts. The objective of this research was to evaluate pelagic sargassum biomass as a raw material for the manufacture of medium-density multilayer particleboards. These are composed of 30% sargassum particles in their inner layer and 70% sugarcane bagasse particles on their outer layers which are bonded with castor oil-based polyurethane resin. A physical and chemical characterization was carried out in order to evaluate sargassum particles while physical and mechanical tests were carried out in order to evaluate the panels. Results were subsequently compared with indications from NBR 14810-2:2018 and ISO 16893:2016 standards. A life cycle assessment based on ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006 was carried out as to complement the feasibility study of these panels and to compare their different manufacturing processes. The multilayer panels met the minimum requirements for physical and mechanical properties established by regulations, indicating that the Sargassum spp. biomass can be used as filling. The life cycle assessment study indicates that sargassum panels produced in the Belém-PA-Brazil region present lower environmental impacts in four of seven evaluated categories when compared to conventional panels. As such, they constitute an alternative way to mitigate environmental impacts generated by beaching events.

In mammals, Tripartite motif-containing (TRIM) proteins modulate the immune response by coordinating pro-inflammatory related processes such as antiviral restriction, cellular autophagy and inflammasome activation. In fish, TRIM proteins have been reported mainly in cyprinids (e.g., carp, zebrafish) and salmonids (rainbow trout). However, their molecular mechanisms and functions are still being described these animals. Our study focused on characterizing novel TRIM proteins involved in the innate immune response of gill cells from rainbow trout stimulated with LPS or poly(I:C). Also, a fish trial was performed to detect TRIM proteins of rainbow trout after a challenge with Flavobacterium psychrophilum, a salmonid bacterial pathogen. At in vitro level, the results showed that, among several TRIM proteins, OmTRIM25 triggered an LPS-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α2 and IL-1β), suggesting a potential local modulatory function. Moreover, in the fish trial, while OmTRIM25 and finTRIM2 were up-regulated in the gills two days post infection (dpi), IL-1β and TNF-α2 reached their peaks of expression at four- and six-dpi. Finally, after delving into the function of OmTRIM25 by RNA interference (RNAi) gene-silencing, we propose that TRIM proteins such as OmTRIM25 are needed to induce the pro-inflammatory response in the gills of rainbow trout, which confirms their immunomodulatory function.

The paper focuses on the application of a multilevel, integrative and territorial approach to the protection of cultural heritage through planning instruments in Serbia. It points out the problems of the sectoral approach and discusses international recommendations that can be integrated into the planning methodology. The case study is the area of Djerdap National Park, which has an already established international and national importance. The research suggests that the cultural heritage in the area, with the exception of the Roman limes, is still recognized at the level of individual localities. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning all levels of governance to safeguard the whole spatial entity rather than focusing solely on its particular areas. The interna-tional and national importance of the planning area contributes to the strengthening of awareness of heritage and its institutional protection. However, the vitality of the area, which is key to its sustainable development, comes from the local level. Planning documents contribute to the inte-gration of local values and local communities into development programs and projects.

Treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction (TESD) is one of the most frequent and persistent adverse effects of antidepressant medication. Sexual dysfunction (SD) secondary to SSRIs occurs in >60% of sexually active patients and >80% of healthy volunteers, with this causing treatment discontinuation in >35% of patients. However, this factor is rarely addressed in routine examinations, and only 15%-30% of these events are spontaneously reported. A strategy of switching to a different non-serotonergic antidepressant could involve a risk of relapse or clinical worsening due to a lack of serotonergic activity. Vortioxetine appears to have less impact on sexual function due to its multimodal mechanism of action. No studies have been published on the effectiveness of switching to vortioxetine in patients with poorly tolerated long-term antidepressant-related SD at naturalistic settings. Study objectives: To determine the effectiveness of switching to vortioxetine due to SD in a routine clinical practice setting. Methodology: observational pragmatic and naturalistic study to determinate the effectiveness of the switch to vortioxetine (mean dosage 13.11±4.03) in 74 patients aged 43.1 ± 12.65 ( 54% males) at risk of discontinuing treatment due to sexual dysfunction. The SALSEX Scale was applied at two moments: baseline visit and after 3 months of follow-up. Results. The global Sexual Dysfunction (SD) measured with the SALSEX Scale, decreased significantly from baseline visit (10.32; SD 2.73) to follow-up visit (3.78; SD 3.68) p<0.001. There was a significant improvement ( p<0.001) at the endpoint including decreased libido, delay of orgasm, anorgasmia and arousal difficulties in both sexes. After switching to Vortioxetine, 83.81% of patients experienced sexual function improvement (43.2% felt greatly improved). Most patients (83.3%) who switched to vortioxetine continued treatment after the follow-up visit. 58.1% of patients showed an improvement in depressive symptoms from baseline visit. Conclusion. Switching to vortioxetine is an effective and reliable strategy to treat patients with poor tolerated previous antidepressant -related sexual dysfunction in the real-life clinical settings.

Anthracnose is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) being the main disease that affects the soursop fruits. The objective was to evaluate the effect of chitosan-based coatings with essential oils on the physiological, antifungal, and shelf-life properties of soursop. Chitosan-based coatings were made with essential oils of cinnamon and thyme and applied to soursop. The parameters evaluated were respiration and ethylene by gas chromatography, shelf life, weight loss, total soluble solids, color, maturity index, and titratable acidity. Chitosan obtained had a molecular weight of 169 kDa and 83% degree of deacetylation, respiration, and ethylene values showed a significant reduction of 47 and 50%, with coatings. Weight loss was reduced by up to 50%, even on inoculated fruits, and shelf life increased by two days. The chitosan-based coatings with essential oils are a good alternative to improve the quality of soursop and decrease the effect of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.

Glycosidic linkage analysis was conducted on the unfractionated polysaccharides in the alcohol-insoluble residues (AIRs) prepared from six red seaweeds (Gracilariopsis sp., Prionitis sp., Mastocarpus papillatus, Callophyllis sp., Mazzaella splendens, and Palmaria palmata) using GC-MS/FID analysis of partially methylated alditol acetates (PMAAs). The cell walls of P. palmata primarily contained mixed-linkage xylans and small amounts of sulfated galactans and cellulose. In contrast, the unfractionated polysaccharides of the other five species were rich in galactans displaying diverse 3,6-anhydro-galactose and galactose linkages with varied sulfation patterns. Different levels of cellulose were also observed. This glycosidic linkage method offers advantages for cellulose analysis over traditional monosaccharide analysis that is known for underrepresenting glucose in crystalline cellulose. Relative linkage compositions calculated from GC-MS and GC-FID measurements showed that anhydro sugar linkages generated more response in the latter detection method. This improved linkage workflow presents a useful tool for studying polysaccharide structural variations across red seaweed species. Furthermore, for the first time, relative linkage compositions from GC-MS and GC-FID measurements, along with normalized FID and total ion current (TIC) chromatograms without peak assignments, were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) as a proof-of-concept demonstration of the technique's potential to differentiate various red seaweed species.

Background: Educating college students about the importance of good sleep habits could lead to the adoption of healthier sleep routines, including sufficient sleep duration and sleep quality. The current pre-post study examines the impact of completing a sleep education program called “Sleep 101” on (1) sleep hygiene practices, (2) sleep quality, and (3) weekday and weekend sleep behaviors among college students. “Sleep 101” is an interactive online course developed to educate college students about the importance of sleep by addressing basic sleep physiology, the impact of sleep on mood, academic and physical performance, the interactions between sleep and various substances, and common sleep disorders. Methods: 338 college students were recruited from a midsized public university in the US and invited to participate in “Sleep 101”, of which 25 participants completed the baseline and post-intervention questionnaire. The Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) was utilized to evaluate sleep hygiene practices, while standard questions were employed to assess weekday and weekend sleep behaviors and overall sleep quality. Results: Those who completed the study demonstrated a significant increase in weekday sleep duration and were less likely to engage in negative prior bedtime activities. In addition, 40% of those who completed baseline and post-intervention assessments noticed improvements in their sleep quality. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a brief online program is beneficial in improving sleep behaviors among college and could be a scalable approach to addressing current sleep issues and preventing future sleep problems in college students.

This paper presents a methodology to detect the erosion and progradation effects in the Atrato river delta, located in the Gulf of Urabá in Colombia using SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data. Other authors have studied this area by using optical images, encountering difficulties given the persistent presence of clouds in this region. SAR imagery is rescaled, despeckled, composed, classified, registered and processed to obtain a heatmap that shows the overall changes during eight years (2016–2023) in one single image. Since this technology uses microwave active signals, the presence of clouds and other environmental phenomena was not a problem, and all the images from the selected dates could be processed and analyzed. Also, detection of the dynamic processes was obtained for every period considered in this study with respect to the previous one in time, calculating areas and detecting the regions subject to the erosion and progradation processes. The multitemporal analysis performed found that the newly created mouth is the most active area for these processes, coinciding with other studies. A comparison of these findings with the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) showed a relative delayed coupling to the erosion process and a coupling of progradation with dry and wet seasons.

The profile of secondary metabolites occurring in apple cuticular layer is not only characteristic for particular apple cultivar, but also dynamically reflects various external factors in growing environment. In this study, the possibility to authenticate apple samples based on analysis of their cuticular layer extracts was investigated. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) was employed for obtaining metabolomic fingerprints. In total, 274 authentic apple samples, four cultivars harvested within the seasons 2020 to 2022 in the Czech Republic and Poland were analysed. The generated complex data processed by univariate and multivariate statistical methods enabled to build classification models for discrimination of apple cultivars as well as their geographical origin. The models showed very good performance in differentiation of Czech and Polish samples for three of four cultivars: ‘Gala’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Idared’, moreover, the validity of the models was verified over harvest seasons. The diagnostic markers, besides metabolites of triterpene biosynthetic pathway, mainly represented wax esters. ‘Jonagold’, which is known to be susceptible to mutations, was the only cultivar for which the unambiguous classification of geographical origin was not possible.

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

Apis mellifera, especially weak ones, are highly vulnerable to Carpoglyphus lactis mites, which can rapidly infest and consume stored pollen, leading to weakened colonies and potentially colony collapse. This study aimed to ascertain and investigate the prevalence of this mite in honeybee colonies across 9 provinces in the Republic of Korea (ROK). A total of 615 honeybee colonies were collected, from 66 apiaries during the spring and 58 apiaries during the summer of 2023. A 1,242 bp segment of the the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The detection levels of C. lactis in the honeybees were compared between winter and summer. Based on the COI sequence analysis, the nucleotide sequence similarity of C. lactis mites isolated in the ROK with those from China (NC048990.1) was found to be 99.5%, and with those from the United Kingdom (KY922482.1) was 99.3%. This study is the first report of C. lactis in Korean apiaries. The findings in this study demonstrate a significantly higher detection rate in winter, which is 4.1 times greater than that in summer (p &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, the results underscore the usefulness of molecular diagnostic techniques for detecting C. lactis mites.

COX II containing a dual core CuA active site is one of the three core subunits of mitochondrial Cco, which plays a significant role in the physiological process. In this report, the full-length cDNA of COXⅡ gene was cloned from Sitophilus zeamais, which had an ORF of 684 bp encoding 227 amino acids residues. The predicted COXⅡ protein had a molecular mass of 26.2 kDa with pI value of 6.37, and multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that Sitophilus zeamais COXⅡ had high sequence identity 78.51% with the COXⅡ of other insect species, especially similarity to sitophilus oryzae. This gene was subcloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a, and induced by IPTG in E.coli Transetta (DE3) expression system. Finally the COXⅡ with 6-His tag was purified using affinity chromatography with Ni²⁺-NTA agarose. WB showed the recombinant COXⅡ was about 44 kD, and the concentration of fusion protein was 50μg/mL. UV-spectrophotometer and infrared spectrometer analysis showed that recombinant COXⅡ could catalyze the oxidation of substrate Cytc, and influenced by AITC. It was found that AITC could form a hydrophobic region with COXⅡ protein via molecular docking, besides, a sulfur atom of AITC structure could form a length of 2.9 Å hydrogen bond with Leu-31. These results will provide valuable information for elucidating the role of COXⅡ in Sitophilus zeamais responses to AITC, meanwhile, it will helpful to carry out a point mutation in AITC binding sites for the future research.

The properties of the annual, semiannual and triennial oscillations (AO, SAO and TO) in the middle atmosphere have been investigated using the TIMED/SABER temperature data. The Lomb-Scargle and wavelet spectra were used to determine the dominant oscillations in the background temperature field. The AO is prominent at the mid-latitudes. The AO amplitudes present an asymmetry between the two Hemispheres, being larger in the mesosphere than in the stratosphere. The SAO dominates the tropical regions, with three amplitude maxima at altitudes of 45, 75, and 85 km. The SAOs in the upper mesosphere (75 km) are out of phase with those in the mesopause (85 km) in the tropical regions, which can generate an enhancement of 11 K at each equinox, contributing to the lower mesospheric inversion layer. The TO is significant in the tropical region, with amplitude being maximum at 35, 45 and 85 km. Result shows that there may be potential interaction by the TO with SAO at 85km at the equator. The relation between ENSO and TO has also been discussed. The ENSO signal may modulate the amplitude of the TO, mainly in the lower stratosphere. The real origin of the TO may lie in the wave-mean-flow interaction.

This paper is focused on typical rural settlements in the Stara Planina Mountain area in Serbia. They are distinguished by their authenticity, identity and character, and they have still not been destroyed by inappropriate development as is the case in some other mountain areas in Serbia, where the effects of urbanization, globalization and homogenization are obvious. Consequently, there is a need to prevent these effects in mountain areas where there is a threat of disbalance between development and the inherited natural and cultural values. The paper starts from several important concepts that relate contemporary approaches to cultural heritage preservation, place morphology and planning future development. The concept definitions from recent documents from related fields are used. These concepts are then applied to the area of Stara Planina Mountain and its rural settlements. The necessity for an integrative approach to planning this area with significant natural and anthropogenic potential is pointed out, including its integration into international programs of sustainable development.

The research reported on this paper was aimed at improving the overall efficiency of a PDO certified artisanal cheese production process. Being a PDO certified foodstuff by the EU, it is considered to have properties and qualities determined by the geographical environment in which is made, with its production taking place in a specific and determined geographical location, in this case the Serra da Estrela region. In that sense, the authors conducted a mapping according to a systemic perspective of the processes involved in the context of manufacturing and distribution of certified Serra da Estrela cheese. Numerous methods were used throughout the process, such as a systemic design analysis, and techniques derived from ethnographic methods, which led to the collection of data in the field and consequently provided the immersion of the researcher in genuine work situations. Critical points were identified and emphasized in the systemic map with the purpose of encouraging initiatives to address and overcome the gaps and inefficiencies detected. The systemic design analysis triggered the development of design work. Observations following an ethnographic approach identified ergonomic risks in cheese making during the process of cutting excess chips, fostering the emergence of musculoskeletal disorders at the wrist. A tool that fits best to the task at hand was developed. A prototype of the new tool enabled collecting feedback from use in the work context, in order to inform product development. The domains of agricultural production and microbiology, considering the specific microorganisms developed trough the ripening process of the cheese, turned out to be aspects of high importance for the issue under focus, contributing to a broader understanding of the ripening process and its risks, simultaneously improving the efficiency and success of cheese production. If it were not for the systemic analysis, which served as a link between the boundaries of distinct domains such as the risk of microorganism contamination, ergonomics, energy efficiency, legislation and regulation policies, transportation challenges and economic viability, approached throughout the research. Simultaneously creating bridges between them, the various problems might not have been detected in the first place, as they are usually addressed in specialized disciplines, predetermined by the restrictions of each specific area of knowledge. As a consequence of the development of this research, which was based on an analysis that sought to establish possible connections between various disciplines and tried to constantly maintain a holistic perspective, making new connections and observing the issues from a new angle, apart from the already established methodologies. All this allowed to lay out the seeds for the development of a plan to tackle the critical points identified by the systemic analysis reported in this paper.

Promoting green development has become an important way to optimize the ecological and economic structure and promote sustainable development. The Yangtze River Economic Belt is an important economic corridor in China, and it remains to be examined whether the implementation of environmental regulations has enhanced the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of cities. This paper calculates the green total factor productivity of 107 cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt by using the super-efficient SBM model and the GML index with Chinese city panel data from 2007-2019 and measures the intensity of environmental regulations through textual analysis. The bidirectional fixed-effects model constructed in this paper suggests an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and GTFP, which is confirmed by a series of robustness tests. Green technology innovation and advanced industrial structure play a mechanism role in this. In regions with lower levels of green technology and industrial structure, the inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and green total factor productivity is more significant. In addition, the phenomenon of GTFP rising and then falling because of environmental regulation is more obvious in cities in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and outside the urban agglomerations. Therefore, when formulating environmental regulation policies, it is necessary to balance the relationship between economic development and environmental protection and harmonize the environment and economic development of the entire Yangtze River Basin.

The wetlands in northeastern Bangladesh are home to some of the most prolific and valuable ecosystems on the planet, offering a wide range of benefits to both the local and wider communities. A limited number of research on this topic have been carried out in various wetlands in coastal hilsa, but none have been located in the northeastern region of Bangladesh. Thus, the goal of this study was to better understand the most commercially relevant species (anadromous hilsa) in northeastern Bangladesh as well as to assess the wetland ecosystem services more thoroughly with the contribution of their fish genetic resources. In addition to laboratory studies, fieldwork was done in the fishing settlements along the Surma River, Hakaluki Haor, and Tanguar Haor. The study classified 77 fish species into 21 subcategories of ecosystem services, of which 56% were not threatened, 17% were vulnerable, and 10% were highly endangered. The species Hilsa was found to be the most economically significant, accounting for 1% of the GDP overall. The study determined if the hilsa stock of the examined wetlands maintains a single or several subpopulations in comparison to other parts of the country when they migrate from saline water to northeastern Bangladesh (freshwater). But when compared to other groups, the FST score was between 0.000 to 0.017, indicating that the populations are identical and that there is genetic material sharing between them. Additionally, these statistics imply that the Sylhet haor and adjacent river systems contain a single stock of Hilsa fish. Nevertheless, a number of stresses and risks, including overexploitation, illicit and destructive fishing, siltation, and natural disasters like flash floods, have been linked to changes in the supply of hilsa and other ecosystem services. This study also emphasizes the necessity of policy attention and research to address the concerns.

In this paper, we introduce a specialized, fully automated experimental arrangement designed for assessing the effectiveness of augmented and virtual reality technologies in healthcare setting and explore its design principles focusing on depth sensor characterization. The main goal of this project is to establish a robust benchtop platform for the quantitative evaluation of extended reality technologies in a controlled environment, emphasizing the practical assessment of augmented reality head-mounted devices. We outline a design concept and considerations for an experimental configuration aimed at creating a realistic testing environment. This apparatus comprises an observation platform mounted on a three-degree-of-freedom motorized system and a test phantom stage. Focusing on real-case scenarios, we utilized a range of sensors, including readily available range-sensing cameras and commercial augmented reality headsets, such as the Intel RealSense L515 LiDAR camera, mounted on the motion control system. The setup enabled automated data collection and facilitates controlled assessments and validation of various facets of augmented reality technologies, including object, hand, and head tracking, as well as static and dynamic image registration. This paper describes the system architecture, the process of automated data collection, and presents several evaluation studies conducted with this setup, providing insights into the quality and temporal noise associated with static or moving objects or observers in augmented reality applications.

To conduct high-precision and high-resolution numerical simulation of complex flow structures in turbomachinery, a high-order finite volume weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme for the large eddy simulation (LES) is improved and embedded into the three-dimensional viscous unsteady CFD solver NUAA-Turbo. Firstly, the spectral characteristics and unsteady convergence of the improved WENO scheme are studied. Compared with the classical WENO scheme, the improved WENO scheme has better dissipation and dispersion characteristics and faster convergence speed. Then, the coefficient CW of the Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity (WALE) model is calibrated by decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence (DHIT) test case. Finally, the scheme is applied to conduct high-precision LES calculations of turbulent boundary layer flow, supersonic compression corner flow, and low-pressure turbine cascade separation flow. The numerical simulation results show that this WENO scheme has excellent shock wave capture ability and turbulence resolution and can capture more flow field details with less mesh size, greatly reducing the computational cost and laying a foundation for large-scale engineering application of LES.

To secure logic circuits against the illegal copying the insertion of the so-called key bit inputs using XOR/XNOR gates has been proposed in . The inserted gates modify (lock) the behavior of the original circuit and only the correct choice of the secret key bits guarantees the equivalent behaviour of the locked circuit to the original circuit. To break this kind of security, i.e. to find the secret key bits, there was a SAT solver based attack proposed in . The aim of this work is to experimentally verify this attack on several locked circuits with various number of primary inputs and outputs and with various number of gates. Except for the random placement of the key gates we evaluate also the positioning with chaining elimination. The obtained and presented results show that we were able to unlock 10 of 11 circuits within few minutes on a common PC.

Intermetallic compounds are increasingly being expected to utilize in tribological environments, but to date the works are hindered by insufficient ductility at low and medium temperature. This paper presents a novel multiphase intermetallic alloy with the chemical composition of Mo-40Ni-13Si (at.%). Microstructure characterization reveals that a certain amount of ductile Mo phases formed during the solidification process of ternary Mo-Ni-Si alloy melt, which is undoubtedly beneficial to the ductility improvement of intermetallic alloy. Tribological properties of the designed alloy, including wear resistance, friction coefficient and metallic tribological compatibility, were evaluated under dry sliding wear test conditions at room temperature. Results suggested that the multiphase alloy possesses an excellent property for room-temperature wear applications, which is attributed to the unique microstructural features and thereby good combination in hardness and ductility. The corresponding wear mechanism is also reported by observing the worn surface, subsurface and wear debris of alloy, which to be found is soft abrasive wear.

With the integrated development of the Internet, wireless sensor technology, cloud computing, and mobile Internet, there has been a lot of attention given to research about and applications of the Internet of Things. A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is one of the important information technologies in the Internet of Things; it integrates multi-technology to detect and gather information in a network environment by mutual cooperation, using a variety of methods to process and analyze data, implement awareness, and perform tests. This paper mainly researches the localization algorithm of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network. Firstly, a multi-granularity region partition is proposed to divide the location region. In the range-based method, the RSSI (Received Signal Strength indicator, RSSI) is used to estimate distance. The optimal RSSI value is computed by the Gaussian fitting method. Furthermore, a Voronoi diagram is characterized by the use of dividing region. Rach anchor node is regarded as the center of each region; the whole position region is divided into several regions and the sub-region of neighboring nodes is combined into triangles while the unknown node is locked in the ultimate area. Secondly, the multi-granularity regional division and Lagrange multiplier method are used to calculate the final coordinates. Because nodes are influenced by many factors in the practical application, two kinds of positioning methods are designed: the unknown node is in the positioning unit or not. When the unknown node is on the side of the positioning unit, we use the method of vector similarity. Moreover, we use the centroid algorithm to calculate the ultimate coordinates of unknown node. When the unknown node is not on the side of the positioning unit, we establish a Lagrange equation containing the constraint condition to calculate the first coordinates. Furthermore, we use the Taylor expansion formula to correct the coordinates of the unknown node. In addition, this localization method has been validated by establishing the real environment.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of brain activity. Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology formed by the EEG signal has become one of the hotspots at present. How to extract the feature signal of EEG is the most basic research of BCI technology. In this paper, A new method of recognizing fatigue, conscious, concentrated state of human brain is proposed by the combination of discrete wavelet transform and the neural network based on EEG signal. First of all, the law signal is preprocessed by the wavelet denoising method because the law EEG signal contains a large number of high frequency noise, which is decomposed into multi-layer high frequency signal and low frequency signal. thus, δ wave, θ wave, α wave, β wave are obtained by the wavelet transform. And then, frequency band energy of the different wave is regards as the feature signal of EEG. In the experiment, the feature signal is classified by radial basic function (RBF) and annealed chaotic competitive learning network (ACCLN). RBF and ACCLN networks are trained with 500 sets of sample data and are tested by 100 sets of samples in different mental states. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of RBF network under three conditions are 88.75%, 88.25%, 88.5%, respectively, and the correct rate of ACCLN network is 97%, 98%, 98%, respectively.

Early discharge after childbirth has led to a rise in neonatal readmission, becoming a major concern in recent decades. Our research aimed to identify the risk factors and incidence of neonatal readmission, as well as explore preventive measures. Our study at the Clinical Hospital of Pediatrics in Ploiești, Romania included 108 neonates admitted during the neonatal period. This accounted for 2.06% of all admissions (5226). The most prevalent cases were malnutrition (25%), fever (20.3%) and bronchiolitis (17.5%). Diarrhea and infectious gastroenteritis were also observed (14.8%), along with acute rhinoconjunctivitis (9.2%) and late onset sepsis (3.7%). No deaths were recorded. The most significant characteristics identified were number of children (p&lt;0.001) and age at maternity discharge (p&lt;0.001). By following the prevention rules, malnutrition, feeding errors, and infections can be avoided. This includes practicing proper hand hygiene for both mothers and medical staff, as well as educating and demonstrating to mothers the benefits of breastfeeding. In addition, all newborns discharged from the maternity ward should benefit from follow-up at 7-10 days of life. Our results confirm the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team and endorse promoting breastfeeding. Implementing quality control measures and regularly evaluating the surveillance program will help improve its effectiveness.

Wearable technology has been proposed as a potential tool to change the way of human life, such as the smart bracelet and the Google Glass. In the wearable technology, the inertial sensor has great significance in tracking the object movements. The paper focused on detecting the movements of user’s finger based on the inertial sensor to give the control signals. Firstly, the attitude matrix, which represented the transformation relation of carrier coordinate system and the navigation coordinate system, was obtained. Secondly, the attitude matrix was expressed based on the quaternions. Thirdly, the finger gesture was processed by the attitude matrix to get the attitude angle. Finally, the robot was controlled by attitude angle to make the moving action. The experimental results showed the detection of the finger movement is effective.

Two interesting compounds such as quaternary ammonium lignin(QAL) and 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) were synthesized as ionic liquids(QP-ILs) for the extraction of metal ions. The extraction behavior of Co(II) and Ni(II) from chloride solution was compared between QP-ILs and P507. The results showed that the extraction rates of Co(II) and Ni(II) in the two solutions varied with the extraction conditions, but QP-ILs has stronger extractability for cobalt than P507, while Ni is on the contrary. Under the same conditions, the Co/Ni separation performance(βCo/Ni) in QP-ILs is superior to that in p507. At pH4.0, 55℃, concentration of 20%, extraction time of 10 minutes, the βCo/Ni of QP-ILs reached to 2703, while that of P507 was only 164. In conclusion, QP-ILs was more efficient than P507 for separating Co from mixed solutions.