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Introduction: The current state of pathology practice and the variability in diagnosing pT4a colon cancer have been underexplored in existing studies. Our objective was to establish a specific cutoff point to distinguish between the pathological stages of pT3 and pT4a in colon cancer. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving pT3 and pT4 (pN0-2, cM0) colon cancers, measuring the distance to the serosa. Patients were categorized and analyzed based on this distance and the peritoneal reaction, with the aim being to ascertain their prognostic implications. Results: A total of 384 patients were analyzed. Patients with a distance between the invading front of cancer and the serosa ≥ 1 mm without a peritoneal reaction exhibited a median survival of 118 months, contrasting the amount of 70 months for those with p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study revealed that patients in whom neoplastic cells were less than 1 mm from the serosal surface, accompanied by a peritoneal reaction (hemorrhage, inflammation, neovascularization, fibrin), had significantly lower survival rates compared to those with more than 1 mm distance and without peritoneal response (70 vs. 118 months, p < 0.001). Hence, such cases should be considered within the pT4a stage.

Ozone plays a key role in both atmospheric chemistry and UV absorption in planetary atmospheres. On Mars, upper-tropospheric ozone has been widely characterized by space-based instruments. However, surface ozone remains poorly characterized, hindered by the limited sensitivity of orbiters to the lowest scale height of the atmosphere and challenges in delivering payloads to the surface of Mars, which have prevented, to date, the measurement of ozone from the surface of Mars. Systematic measurements from the Martian surface could advance our knowledge of the atmospheric chemistry and habitability potential of this planet. NASA’s Mars 2020 mission includes the first ozone detector deployed on the Martian surface, which is based on discrete photometric observations in the ultraviolet band, a simple technology that could obtain the first insights into total ozone abundance in preparation for more sophisticated measurement techniques. This paper describes the Mars 2020 ozone detector and its retrieval algorithm, including its performance under different sources of uncertainty and the potential application of the retrieval algorithm on other missions, such as NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory. Pre-landing simulations using the UVISMART radiative transfer model suggest that the retrieval is robust and that it can deal with common issues affecting surface operations in Martian missions, although the expected low ozone abundance and instrument uncertainties could challenge its characterization in tropical latitudes of the planet. Other space missions will potentially include sensors of similar technology.

This study examined the metabolic rate (MO2, oxygen consumption) of goldfish (Carassius auratus) under normal management conditions in aquaculture. Using an intermittent respirometry system, we assessed daily variations and the effects of feeding, handling, temperature increase, and anesthetics. MO2 exhibited a daily rhythm, with higher values during day. Feeding to satiety produced a 35% increase in MO2 compared to fasted animals, with a maximum peak after 3 h and returning to baseline after 7 h. Handling stress (5 min) produced a 140% MO2 peak (from 180 to 252 mg O2 kg−1 h−1), returning to the routine MO2 after 2.5 h. An increase in water temperature (+0.1 °C min−1) up to 30 °C caused MO2 to peak at 200% after 2.5 h from the start of the temperature increase. The use of common anesthetics in aquaculture (MS-222, 2-phenoxyethanol and clove oil in deep anesthesia concentration) affects MO2 during the first few minutes after anesthetic recovery, but also during the following 4 h. It can be concluded that the metabolic rate is a good indicator of the goldfish’s response to aquaculture practices involving energy expenditure and stress. Thus, intermittent respirometry is a valuable non-invasive tool for understanding and improving fish welfare in aquaculture.

This paper explores the use of state-of-the-art latent diffusion models, specifically stable diffusion, to generate synthetic images for improving the robustness of visual defect segmentation in manufacturing components. Given the scarcity and imbalance of real-world defect data, synthetic data generation offers a promising solution for training deep learning models. We fine-tuned stable diffusion using the LoRA technique on the NEU-seg dataset and evaluated the impact of different ratios of synthetic to real images on the training set of DeepLabV3+ and FPN segmentation models. Our results demonstrated a significant improvement in mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) when the training dataset was augmented with synthetic images. This study highlights the potential of diffusion models for enhancing the quality and diversity of training data in industrial defect detection, leading to more accurate and reliable segmentation results. The proposed approach achieved improvements of 5.95% and 6.85% in mIoU of defect segmentation on each model over the original dataset.

The velocity and acceleration of a soccer player varies depending on the specific demands of the field position as well as individual characteristics, establishing the need to determine relative profiles by position. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 18 semi-professional soccer players to determine (i) the specific demands of external load according to playing position, (ii) distances covered at different intensities and the number of sprints, and (iii) the number of accelerations at moderate and high intensity. GPS tracking systems were used to collect data, and the relative acceleration profiles were analyzed based on initial velocity (0–7 km/h; 7.1–14.3 km/h; >14.3 km/h), intensity (moderate 50–75% and high > 75% of maximal acceleration), number of sprints/accelerations, and distance covered. Additionally, relative speed profiles were evaluated through the distance covered at moderate intensity (40–60% Vmax), high intensity (60–75.5% Vmax), very high intensity (>75.5% Vmax), total distance, and number of sprints. Statistically significant differences were observed in the distance covered at moderate and high intensity (midfielders), distance covered sprinting (center backs), and acceleration at moderate and high intensity in all positions (p < 0.05). These findings will enhance the monitoring of external loading strategies and prescription of specific training exercises for soccer players based on their respective playing position, ultimately contributing to optimized performance.

The Sentinel-2 NDVI time series information content from 2017 to 2023 at a 10 m spatial resolution was evaluated based on the NDVI temporal dependency in five scenarios in central Spain. First, time series were interpolated and then filtered using the Savitzky–Golay, Fast Fourier Transform, Whittaker, and Maximum Value filters. Temporal dependency was assessed using the Q-Ljung-Box and Fisher’s Kappa tests, and similarity between raw and filtered time series was assessed using Correlation Coefficient and Root Mean Square Error. An Interpolating Efficiency Indicator (IEI) was proposed to summarize the number and temporal distribution of low-quality observations. Type of climate, atmospheric disturbances, land cover dynamics, and management were the main sources of variability in five scenarios: (1) rainfed wheat and barley presented high short-term variability due to clouds (lower IEI in winter and spring) during the growing cycle and high interannual variability due to precipitation; (2) maize showed stable summer cycles (high IEI) and low interannual variability due to irrigation; (3) irrigated alfalfa was cut five to six times during summer, resulting in specific intra-annual variability; (4) beech forest showed a strong and stable summer cycle, despite the short-term variability due to clouds (low IEI); and (5) evergreen pine forest had a highly variable growing cycle due to fast responses to temperature and precipitation through the year and medium IEI values. Interpolation after removing non-valid observations resulted in an increase in temporal dependency (Q-test), particularly a short term in areas with low IEI values. The information improvement made it possible to identify hidden periodicities and trends using the Fisher’s Kappa test. The SG filter showed high similarity values and weak influence on dynamics, while the MVF showed an overestimation of the NDVI values.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a prevalent complication of chronic diabetes mellitus and has a significant impact on quality of life. DPN typically manifests itself as a symmetrical, length-dependent sensorimotor polyneuropathy with severe effects on gait. Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a valuable low-cost tool for assessing muscle activation patterns and precise identification of abnormalities. For the present study, we used information theory methods, such as cross-correlation (CC), normalized mutual information (NMI), conditional granger causality (CG-Causality), and transfer entropy (TE), to evaluate muscle network connectivity in three population groups: 33 controls (healthy volunteers, CT), 10 diabetic patients with a low risk of DPN (LW), and 17 moderate/high risk patients (MH). The results obtained indicated significant alterations in the intermuscular coupling mechanisms due to diabetes and DPN, with the TE group showing the best performance in detecting differences. The data revealed a significant increase in information transfer and muscle connectivity in the LW group over the CT group, while the MH group obtained significantly lower values for these metrics than the other two groups. These findings highlight the sEMG coupling metrics’ potential to reveal neuromuscular mechanisms that could aid the development of targeted rehabilitation strategies and help monitor DPN patients.

Specific T cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 provided an overview of acquired immunity during the pandemic. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity determines the severity of acute illness, but also might be related to the possible persistence of symptoms (long COVID). We retrospectively analyzed ex vivo longitudinal CD8+ T cell responses in 26 COVID-19 patients diagnosed with severe disease, initially (1 month) and long-term (10 months), and in a cohort of 32 vaccinated healthcare workers without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. We used peptide-human leukocyte antigen (pHLA) dextramers recognizing 26 SARS-CoV-2-derived epitopes of viral and other non-structural proteins. Most patients responded to at least one of the peptides studied, mainly derived from non-structural ORF1ab proteins. After 10 months follow-up, CD8+ T cell responses were maintained at long term and reaction against certain epitopes (A*01:01-ORF1ab1637) was still detected and functional, showing a memory-like phenotype (CD127+ PD-1+). The total number of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells was significantly associated with protection against long COVID in these patients. Compared with vaccination, infected patients showed a less effective immune response to spike protein-derived peptides restricted by HLA. So, the A*01:01-S865 and A*24:02-S1208 dextramers were only recognized in vaccinated individuals. We conclude that initial SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell response could be used as a marker to understand the evolution of severe disease and post-acute sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The genus Crossiella contains two species, C. equi, causing nocardioform placentitis in horses, and C. cryophila, an environmental bacterium. Apart from C. equi, which is not discussed here, environmental Crossiella is rarely reported in the literature; thus, it has not been included among “rare actinobacteria”, whose isolation frequency is very low. After C. cryophila, only five reports cover the isolation of Crossiella strains. However, the frequency of published papers on environmental Crossiella has increased significantly in recent years due to the extensive use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and a huge cascade of data that has improved our understanding of how bacteria occur in the environment. In the last five years, Crossiella has been found in different environments (caves, soils, plant rhizospheres, building stones, etc.). The high abundance of Crossiella in cave moonmilk indicates that this genus may have an active role in moonmilk formation, as evidenced by the precipitation of calcite, witherite, and struvite in different culture media. This review provides an overview of environmental Crossiella, particularly in caves, and discusses its role in biomineralization processes and bioactive compound production.

This work analyses the treatment of elements such as biases and their relationship with disinformation in international academic production. The first step in this process was to carry out a search for papers published in academic journals indexed in the main indexing platforms. This was followed by a bibliometric analysis involving an analysis of the production and impact of the selected publications, using social media techniques and a semantic content analysis based on abstracts. The data obtained from Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions, relating to health, biases, and fake news as well as post-truth, show how these works have multiplied in the last decade. The question relating to this research is as follows: How have cognitive biases been treated in national and international academic journals? This question is answered with respect to the scientific or research method. The results, which date from 2000 to 2024, show a considerable academic dedication to exploring the relationship between biases and health disinformation. In all these communities we have observed a relationship between production with the field of medicine as a general theme and social media. Furthermore, this connection is always tied to other subjects, such as an aversion to vaccines in Community 10; disinformation about COVID-19 on social media in Community 5; COVID-19 and conspiracy theories in Community 6; and content for the dissemination of health-related subjects on YouTube and the disinformation spread about them. The community analysis carried out shows a common factor in all the analysed communities—that of cognitive bias.

Innovation in the beer market focuses on research into the different ingredients that make up this popular and sought-after beverage. Some of these innovations have focused on the use of autochthonous ingredients, which bring added value to products, reduce production costs and environmental impact, and provide beers with special organoleptic characteristics. This study focuses on the use of autochthonous ingredients from the Community of Madrid and the design of four recipes that are suited to these ingredients and consumer demand. In terms of the ingredients used, the micromalting of barley grown in the CM was carried out, while hops (Cascade variety for bittering hops and wild hops Rayo verde Tajuña and Torreta Tajuña for aroma) and yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae G 520 and G 354) were selected from previous studies, which were also sourced from the CM. For the barley malt, parameters such as protein content were determined, which was at the maximum limit but did not affect the final quality of the beers. The content of α- and β-acids in the hops was also determined, being higher in the Cascade variety. Different physicochemical analyses (GC, aromatic compounds, bitterness, colour, SO2, polyphenols, and antioxidant capacity) were carried out to determine the quality of the beers obtained from the four recipes designed, as well as tastings by a panel of experts and consumers. Finally, two recipes were rated the best by a panel of experts and consumers, where the cereal, hop, and fruit flavours stood out for their aromatic profile.

The objective of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors that influence the outcome of periapical surgery. A systematic search of the literature was carried out using PubMed and Scopus databases between January 2000 and December 2023 with no language limitations. The PICO question of the present systematic review was: What prognostic factors may influence the outcome of periapical surgery? The most relevant randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs), prospective clinical trials, retrospective studies, and meta-analyses (n = 44) were selected from 134 articles. The reviewed literature evidenced that bone-lesion healing could significantly be improved by the absence of deep periodontal pockets (>4 mm), localization in anterior teeth, the absence of pain and/or preoperative symptoms, a size of bone lesion < 5 mm, the use of ultrasound, the correct placement of retrograde filling material, and the use of different biomimetic membranes for guided tissue regeneration (GTR). Some preoperative and intraoperative factors could significantly improve the prognosis of periapical surgery. However, these results were not conclusive, and further high-quality research is required.

The use of omeprazole as a preventive treatment for gastrointestinal ulcers in veterinary medicine has been questioned during previous years. The aim of the present study is to assess the long-term effect of omeprazole on cobalamin and serum gastrin levels in healthy dogs. Eighteen healthy dogs were included: 10 in the control group and 8 in the omeprazole group. Three samples were collected: before starting the treatment (T0), 30 days after the start of treatment (T1), and at 60 days (T2). The mean cobalamin value (ng/L) in the control group was 481.4 (±293.70) at T0, 481.4 (±170.21) at T1, and 513.2 (±174.50) at T2. In the omeprazole group, the values were 424.62 (±161.57) at T0, 454.5 (±160.96) at T1, and 414.87 (±127.90) at T2. No statistically significant changes were detected in cobalamin levels between the three-time period in both study groups. These results agree with previous findings in felines but contrast with human medicine studies. The median gastrin values (pg/mL) in the control group were 62.45 [30.17–218.75] at T0, 76.06 [30.67–199.87] at T1, and 63.02 [35.81–176.06] at T2. The median gastrin value in the omeprazole group was 67.59 [55.96–101.60] at T0, 191.77 [75.31–1901.77] at T1, and 128.16 [43.62–1066.46] at T2. Statistically significant differences were detected (p = 0.008), indicating an increase in gastrin levels after initiating treatment with omeprazole. In conclusion, the increased levels of gastrin observed in this population underscore the importance of conducting a comprehensive clinical assessment to identify potential gastrointestinal disorders, particularly in consideration of the usage of omeprazole as a preventive treatment.

Advances in technology and artificial intelligence (smart healthcare) open up a range of possibilities for precision intervention in the field of health sciences. The objectives of this study were to analyse the functionality of using supervised (prediction and classification) and unsupervised (clustering) machine learning techniques to analyse results related to the development of functional skills in patients at developmental ages of 0–6 years. We worked with a sample of 113 patients, of whom 49 were cared for in a specific centre for people with motor impairments (Group 1) and 64 were cared for in a specific early care programme for patients with different impairments (Group 2). The results indicated that in Group 1, chronological age predicted the development of functional skills at 85% and in Group 2 at 65%. The classification variable detected was functional development in the upper extremities. Two clusters were detected within each group that allowed us to determine the patterns of functional development in each patient with respect to functional skills. The use of smart healthcare resources has a promising future in the field of early care. However, data recording in web applications needs to be planned, and the automation of results through machine learning techniques is required.

In the last decade, various asphalt paving materials have undergone investigation for sound attenuation purposes. This research aims to delve into the innovative design of sustainable road pavements by examining sound absorption in rubber-modified asphalt mixtures. More specifically, the impact of alternative sustainable materials on the sound absorption of asphalt mixtures across different temperatures, precisely crumb rubber (CR) derived from recycling of end-of-life tires, was investigated. The acoustic coefficient and its Gaussian fit parameters (Peak, BandWidth, and Area Under the Curve) were evaluated. Five different types of asphalt mixtures were studied, encompassing dense, discontinuous, and open mixtures with 0%, 0.75%, and 1.50% CR incorporated through the dry process (DP). The results of sound absorption indicated a slight influence of crumb rubber at temperatures ranging from 10 °C to 60 °C, particularly in mixtures with high void content. On the other hand, as expected, the void content proved to be highly correlated with sound absorption. These findings facilitated the establishment of predictive models that correlate acoustic absorption spectra with the characteristics of asphalt mixtures. As a result, these models will be valuable in the design of the next generation of sound-absorbing pavements.

Early care professionals have to use instruments for assessing functional skills in children susceptible to early intervention that apply records and produce developmental profiles and personalized intervention proposals. The aims of the study were (1) to analyze the development of functional skills in users with an age range of 48–252 months attending school in a therapeutic intervention center for people with motor impairments; and (2) to analyze the development of functional skills in users with different impairments and ages ranging from 7 to 162 months participating in an early outpatient care program. Study 1 applied a sample of 50 users aged between 48 and 252 months all with motor disabilities and Study 2 included a sample of 71 users aged between 7 and 162 months with different disabilities. Factorial and descriptive–correlational designs were applied in both studies. The Student’s t-test for dependent samples, supervised machine learning techniques (linear regression analysis and logarithmic regression analysis), unsupervised machine learning techniques (k-means), ANOVA, and cross-tabulations were used as contrast tests. In Study 1, no significant changes were found in the development of users’ functional skills, except for a decrease in maladaptive behaviors. Likewise, the chronological age variable did not seem to be a determining factor in the results. In Study 2, significant differences were found in the development of all functional skills between the three measurement time points (initial–intermediate–final). In this group, the type of impairment explained 29% and chronological age 40% of the variance in functional development at the final measurement. This study found that intervention before four years old in outpatient mode produced better results in the acquisition of functional skills, with better results in users affected by rare diseases or communication and language delay at ages 49–60 months.

Despite the impressive results obtained with immunotherapy in several cancer types, a significant fraction of patients remains unresponsive to these treatments. In colorectal cancer (CRC), B-RafV600 mutations have been identified in 8–15% of the patients. In this work we interrogated a public dataset to explore the surfaceome of these tumors and found that several genes, such as GP2, CLDN18, AQP5, TM4SF4, NTSR1, VNN1, and CD109, were upregulated. By performing gene set enrichment analysis, we also identified a striking upregulation of genes (CD74, LAG3, HLA-DQB1, HLA-DRB5, HLA-DMA, HLA-DMB, HLA-DPB1, HLA-DRA, HLA-DOA, FCGR2B, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DRB1, and HLA-DPA1) associated with antigen processing and presentation via MHC class II. Likewise, we found a strong correlation between PD1 and PD(L)1 expression and the presence of genes encoding for proteins involved in antigen presentation such as CD74, HLA-DPA1, and LAG3. Furthermore, a similar association was observed for the presence of dendritic cells and macrophages. Finally, a low but positive relationship was observed between tumor mutational burden and neoantigen load. Our findings support the idea that a therapeutic strategy based on the targeting of PD(L)1 together with other receptors also involved in immuno-modulation, such as LAG3, could help to improve current treatments against BRAF-mutated CRC tumors.

As an active mode of transportation, walking has proven to be an effective strategy to tackle environmental problems while improving health. The current paper highlights the main factors that either encourage or deter pedestrians in their daily trips by analyzing the arisen discussions in three different Focus Groups (FGs), which were later synthesized into factors ranking according to their positive or negative outcomes. The results help identify these factors and show how a variety of target groups (seniors, young adults, middle-aged adults, divided by male and female perspective) perceive the city in different ways: younger adults prioritize accessibility and quality of the infrastructure, females highlighted the insecurity suffered during nighttime trips, and older adults emphasized the relevance of street maintenance. Finally, the benefits of walking on physical and mental health are viewed positively amongst all target groups, considering walking as a means to help people reduce stress.

Using the SCOPUS database and VOSviewer, this paper aims to analyze the bibliographic information on three keywords (entrepreneurial intention (EI), human flourishing (HF), and unicorns) to identify relevant areas for current and future research on entrepreneurship by applying a bibliometric and content review approach to 2434 documents for the BMA (business, management, and accounting) and EEF (economics, econometrics, and finance) subject areas to construct and visualize bibliometric networks on the basis of co-citation and co-authorship relations in these items. The main findings of this study are as follows: (1) the number of documents published in the European Union on EI (600) almost doubles those published on this topic in the United States (354); the United States leads the number of papers (113) published on HF, and the number of documents published on Unicorns by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries (22) almost equals the number of documents published on this issue in the United States (25); (2) research on EI during the core years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2022) is of growing interest linked to entrepreneurship education and psychological traits; (3) ethics-related entrepreneurial behavior has historically supported current HF-related research; (4) entrepreneurial ecosystems, leadership, and innovation are critical success factors for born globals to be unicorns; (5) there is a geographic disparity (Spain, India, and the US) in the most cited authors for EI, HF, and unicorns, respectively.

The protection of first responders from radioactive contamination with alpha emitters that may result from a radiological accident is of great complexity due to the short range of alpha particles in the air of a few centimeters. To overcome this issue, for the first time, a system mounted on a UAS for the near-real-time remote measurement of alpha particles has been developed, tested, and calibrated. The new system, based on an optical system adapted to be installed on a UAS in order to measure the UV-C fluorescence emitted by alpha particles in the air, has been tested and calibrated, carried out in the laboratory and in field experiments using UV-C LEDs and 241Am sources. In experimental flights, the probability of detecting a point source was determined to be approximately 60%. In the case of a surface extended source, a detection efficiency per unit surface activity of 10 counts per second per MBq cm−2 was calculated. A background count rate of UV-C of around 26 ± 28 s−1 for an integration time of 0.1 s was measured during flights, which led to a decision threshold surface activity of 5 MBq cm−2.

Thoracic radiography and abdominal ultrasonography are part of standard diagnostic investigations in cases of canine immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA). However, the clinical importance of thoracic and abdominal imaging towards the management of canine IMPA currently remains unknown. The primary aim of this study was to describe the findings documented on thoracic radiography and abdominal ultrasonography in dogs diagnosed with IMPA, and to evaluate the diagnostic utility of thoracic radiography and abdominal ultrasonography in the initial approach and management of these cases. Seventy-seven dogs diagnosed with IMPA who underwent thoracic radiography and abdominal ultrasonography at a single referral hospital between 2008 and 2022 were included. The diagnostic imaging studies of these 77 dogs were reviewed by one blinded board-certified diagnostic imaging specialist for quality assurance. The medical records, including the diagnostic imaging reports of these dogs, were then reviewed by three blinded board-certified internal medicine specialists. Using a modified version of a previous question and scoring system, the three internal medicine specialists then generated an answer for the overall diagnostic utility and a diagnostic utility score for thoracic radiography and abdominal ultrasonography for each case. The abnormal findings identified in radiography and ultrasonography were described. In the cases where the findings were considered significant enough to immediately affect the case management, the results of the further investigations that were subsequently performed were also described. No abnormalities were detected in thoracic radiography for 30 cases, and none were detected in abdominal ultrasound for 6. The majority of the internists considered thoracic radiography to be not useful in the overall case management at the time of IMPA diagnosis in 70 cases, and considered abdominal ultrasonography to be not useful in the overall case management in 57 cases. The majority of the internists agreed on the utility of thoracic radiography in 95% of the cases, and in 61% of the cases for abdominal ultrasonography. The most common finding in the thoracic radiography was a mild bronchial pulmonary pattern, and the most common in the abdominal ultrasonography was mild lymphadenomegaly. Therefore, although thoracic radiography and abdominal ultrasonography identified numerous abnormal findings in this population of dogs, in the majority of the cases, the findings were deemed not useful towards the overall case management at the time of the initial diagnosis of IMPA. Thus, the use of thoracic radiography and abdominal ultrasonography should be taken into careful consideration when considering initial diagnostic investigations for canine IMPA.

Developing puff pastry (PP) laminating fats (LFs) with sustainable structured olive pomace oil (OPO) could contribute to its increased valorization. This study evaluated the physicochemical stability of four OPO-based LFs or margarines and the performance of their baked PP counterparts during two months of chilling storage at 4 °C. LF samples, developed at the laboratory scale, contained 41% (LF1 and LF2) OPO and 31% (LF3 and LF4) OPO together with 10% cocoa butter when using two static initial crystallization conditions (room temperature for LF1 and LF3, freezer for LF2 and LF4) before storage. During the storage period, the proximate composition, thermal and dynamic rheological properties, firmness and spreadability, oil-binding capacity, color, and lipid oxidation of the four LF samples were examined, along with the baking performance and textural properties of the PP counterparts. The initial cooling rate had minimal significance. Cocoa butter negatively influenced post-crystallization processes occurring in OPO-based LF3 and LF4, resulting in increased hardness and reduced performance after 18 days of storage, attributed, at least partially, to a high amount of 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol (POP), mainly from cocoa butter. Conversely, OPO-based LF1 and LF2 maintained their quality and were stable for two months without apparent granular crystal formation.

The main objective is to propose a calculation method for assessing the benefits of individual domestic prosumers in self-consumption and economic savings when managing their own energy resources. The paper applies the demand-side management concept in the residential sector from the individual domestic perspective so that customers can understand the value of their own sustainable energy resources, conducting self-generation and demand management. The novelty lies in allowing the prosumer to manage their own energy resources to their benefit at a reasonable cost, instead of participating in automated large residential demand-side-management programmes that respond to the means of the grid system operator or other energy service companies, such as aggregators. A methodology for calculating the self-consumption rate and the economic benefit for the consumer is proposed, including three different cases: consumer demand is higher than self-generation, and consumer demand is equal to self-generation, and consumer demand is lower than self-generation. The methodology is validated with actual data from a household in Valencia (Spain) during a complete year, obtaining an average reduction in the annual electricity bill of 70% and a demand coverage with the self-renewable system reaching values of 80% throughout the year. The significance of this methodology goes beyond the economic revenue of the individual consumer; it also aims to guide consumers towards efficient practices in the use of their available energy resources and raise awareness on their energy behaviour.

In our daily lives, we are often faced with the need to explain various phenomena, but we do not always select the most accurate explanation. For example, let us consider a “toxic” relationship with physical and psychological abuse, where one of the partners is reluctant to end it. Explanations for this situation can range from emotional or economic dependency to irrational hypotheses such as witchcraft. Surprisingly, some people may turn to the latter explanation and consequently seek ineffective solutions, such as visiting a witch doctor instead of a psychologist. This choice of an inappropriate explanation can lead to actions that are not only ineffective but potentially harmful. This example underscores the importance of inference to the best explanation (IBE) in everyday decision making. IBE involves selecting the hypothesis that would best explain the available body of data or evidence, a process that is crucial to making sound decisions but is also vulnerable to bias and errors of judgment. Within this context, the purpose of our article is to explore how the IBE process and the selection of appropriate explanations impact decision making and problem solving in real life. To this end, we systematically analyze the role of IBE in the ARDESOS-DIAPROVE program, evaluating how this approach can enhance the teaching and practice of critical thinking.

It is shown that the complex Bernoulli differential equations admitting the supplementary structure of a Lie–Hamilton system related to the book algebra b2 can always be solved by quadratures, providing an explicit solution of the equations. In addition, considering the quantum deformation of Bernoulli equations, their canonical form is obtained and an exact solution by quadratures is deduced as well. It is further shown that the approximations of kth-order in the deformation parameter from the quantum deformation are also integrable by quadratures, although an explicit solution cannot be obtained in general. Finally, the multidimensional quantum deformation of the book Lie–Hamilton systems is studied, showing that, in contrast to the multidimensional analogue of the undeformed system, the resulting system is coupled in a nontrivial form.

Performance in competitive situations has been linked to various psychobiological factors such as personality traits (e.g., competitiveness), situational appraisal (e.g., motivation), and cardiovascular response (e.g., heart rate). However, it remains unclear whether these factors can predict competitive success. This paper aims to assess, through discriminant analysis, the predictive capacity of these psychobiological variables regarding the likelihood of winning, ultimately delineating a psychophysiological profile associated with success. Across three distinct studies, a total of 154 participants (66 men) engaged in a face-to-face laboratory competition. Prior to the competition, assessments of competitiveness traits, anxiety, self-efficacy, and motivation were conducted, and heart rate reactivity during the competition was measured. These variables collectively formed the basis for constructing the predictive model. The results of the initial study demonstrated that our model accurately classified 68.8% of the cases. Specifically, high levels of competitiveness, self-efficacy, motivation, and heart rate reactivity, coupled with low anxiety, were predictive of winning. These findings were subsequently replicated in two independent validation samples involving both men and women (studies 2 and 3), thereby reinforcing the robustness of the earlier results. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the psychological state preceding competition, along with cardiovascular reactivity, may serve as predictors for the probability of winning.

In this paper, we propose an application of critical thinking (CT) to real-world problems, taking into account personal well-being (PB) and lifelong formation (FO). First, we raise a substantial problem with CT, which is that causal explanation is of little importance in solving everyday problems. If we care about everyday problems, we must treat the identification of causal relationships as a fundamental mechanism and action as a form of solution once the origin of the problem is unequivocally known. Decision-making and problem-solving skills should be the execution of the causal explanations reached. By acting this way, we change reality and achieve our goals, which are none other than those imposed by our PB. However, to achieve changes or results, we must have these fundamental competencies in CT, and these are not innate; we must acquire and develop them, that is, we must train ourselves to have CT competencies according to the demands of today’s world. Finally, in this paper we propose a causal model that seeks to identify and test the causal relationships that exist between the different factors or variables that determine the CT-PB-FO relationship. We present some results on the relevance of causality and how to effectively form and address real-world problems from causality. However, there are still questions to be clarified that need to be investigated in future studies.

Schizophrenia (SCH) and bipolar disorder (BD) are two of the most important psychiatric pathologies due to their high population incidence and disabling power, but they also present, mainly in their debut, high clinical similarities that make their discrimination difficult. In this work, the differential oxidative stress, present in both disorders, is shown as a concatenator of the systemic alterations—both plasma and erythrocyte, and even at the level of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)—in which, for the first time, the different affectations that both disorders cause at the level of the cellular interactome were observed. A marked erythrocyte antioxidant imbalance only present in SCH generalizes to oxidative damage at the plasma level and shows a clear impact on cellular involvement. From the alteration of protein synthesis to the induction of death by apoptosis, including proteasomal damage, mitochondrial imbalance, and autophagic alteration, all the data show a greater cellular affectation in SCH than in BD, which could be linked to increased oxidative stress. Thus, patients with SCH in our study show increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER)stress that induces increased proteasomal activity and a multifactorial response to misfolded proteins (UPR), which, together with altered mitochondrial activity, generating free radicals and leading to insufficient energy production, is associated with defective autophagy and ultimately leads the cell to a high apoptotic predisposition. In BD, however, oxidative damage is much milder and without significant activation of survival mechanisms or inhibition of apoptosis. These clear differences identified at the molecular and cellular level between the two disorders, resulting from progressive afflictions in which oxidative stress can be both a cause and a consequence, significantly improve the understanding of both disorders to date and are essential for the development of targeted and preventive treatments.

Within the expanding wind energy projects context, this study explores the intricate relationship between biodiversity conservation and wind power development in the Cantabrian Mountains. By analyzing data from 1107 UTM grids measuring 10 × 10 km, we have identified 378 endangered vascular plant taxa and 36 bryophytes, including 135 that are regional endemics. Wind power complexes pose a significant risk of irreversible impacts on plant conservation zones and their integrity if proper management informed by the best available scientific knowledge is not implemented. This study introduces the concept of very important plant areas (VIPAs) as a crucial tool for identifying priority conservation areas. A total of 60% of the UTM grids were classified in the “high conservation value” category. Among the endangered species within the region, only 11% are afforded protection at the European level and 17% at the national level, leaving a key role for regional governments with heterogeneous lists. Our findings highlight the urgent need for legislation that accommodates updates to protected species lists, ensuring the inclusion of high-risk taxa and legally binding mechanisms at various administrative tiers. The proposed method relies on quantifiable and repeatable criteria, making it adaptable for application in other territories and for broader land use planning purposes.

The bakery industry generates substantial food waste, leading to global environment pollution and economic losses. However, these by-products contain valuable bioactive compounds, such as melanoidins, which are brown pigmented compounds with significant antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, making them ideal functional ingredient. This study aimed to evaluate the optimal enzymatic extraction of melanoidins from bread crust using different proteolytic enzymes: pronase E, serine-endo-protease (SP), metalloenzyme protease (MP) and endoprotease papain enzyme (EP). While the yield of melanoidins from MP and EP was lower than that of pronase E, SP yield was significantly higher. No cytotoxicity of bioaccessible, gastrointestinal and colonic fractions was observed in the cell lines Caco-2, HUVEC and SHSY5Y. The antioxidant properties and ability to stabilize the hydroxyl radical were characterized in bioaccessible fractions of the four melanoidins extracts. Moreover, melanoidins positively influenced the intestinal microbiota by increasing beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, while reducing non-beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides spp. and Clostridium leptum, with particularly significant results for SP and EP enzyme extracts. In conclusion, SP and EP enzymes appear to be viable alternatives to pronase E for obtaining melanoidin extracts as functional ingredients. These enzymes offer potential cost advantages and contribute to the sustainable utilization of bakery by-product melanoidins in various food applications. Implementing these alternatives could help to reduce food waste, environmental pollution and economic losses in the bakery industry while promoting the use of valuable bioactive compounds.

A functional product obtained from beet molasses vinasse (V) was supplemented to hypertensive rats (SHR) to assess its preventive effects against high blood pressure and endothelial dysfunction. Fifteen potential bioactive compounds (including phenolic acids, flavonoids and terpenoids, and glycosylated compounds) were identified and quantified in V by HPLC-MS. The most notable finding of the study was that the blood pressure values remained similar to those at the beginning of the study in the SHR+V group. At the same time, they increased progressively in the SHR control group, reaching a significant difference of 16% (p < 0.05) after 5 weeks of supplementation. Quantitative PCR and Western blot analyses of the aorta demonstrated that V ingestion by hypertensive rats led to decreased ACE mRNA levels and higher SOD2 and eNOS gene expression via promotion of Nrf2 transcriptional activity and down-regulation of the NF-κB pathway. These results are associated with an increased antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilatory response. In conclusion, the intake of vinasse-derived products could mitigate hypertension and associated endothelial dysfunction.

Hyperglycemia is a significant risk factor in metabolic syndrome, contributing to the development of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemia increases ROS (reactive oxygen species) production via glucose oxidation and protein glycosylation, leading to cell damage. Our previous studies have highlighted the antioxidant properties of wine pomace products (wWPPs), a co-product of winemaking, and their ability to modulate oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of wWPPs against oxidative stress in hyperglycemic Caco-2 cells. They were treated with 1.5 μg GAE/mL of wWPP bioaccessible fractions, obtained from gastrointestinal digestion (WPGI) and colonic fermentation (WPF), under normoglycemic or hyperglycemic (35 mM glucose) conditions. After 24 h of treatment, cell viability, oxidative stress biomarkers and the expression of transcription factors and enzymes involved in cellular oxidation balance were evaluated. Hyperglycemia induced a 30% reduction in cell viability, which was restored to normoglycemic levels by WPF treatment. The bioaccessible fractions were able to counteract hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress in intestinal cells, as evidenced by significant decreases in carbonyl groups and MDA levels (10 and 40%, respectively). Furthermore, hyperglycemia-induced NF-κB overexpression was also significantly reduced by WPGI and WPF pre-treatment (between 15 and 53%), modulating the redox activity. In conclusion, the bioaccessible fractions of wWPP, particularly WPF, demonstrated significant potential in mitigating hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress and enhancing cell viability in Caco-2 cells.

Kidney transplantation is the preferred therapeutic option for end-stage renal disease; however, the alloimmune response is still the leading cause of renal allograft failure. To better identify immunologic disparities in order to evaluate HLA compatibility between the donor and the recipient, the concept of eplet load has arisen. Regular kidney function monitoring is essential for the accurate and timely diagnosis of allograft rejection and the appropriate treatment. Donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) has been proposed as a potential biomarker of acute rejection and graft failure in kidney transplantation. The proportion of plasma dd-cfDNA was determined in forty-two kidney patients at 1 month after transplantation. A total of eleven (26.2%) patients had a dd-cfDNA proportion of ≥1.0%. The only pretransplant variable related to dd-cfDNA > 1.0% was the HLA class II eplet mismatch load, mainly the HLA-DQB1 eplet mismatch load. Furthermore, dd-cfDNA was able to discriminate the patients with antibody-mediated rejection (AbMR) (AUC 87.3%), acute rejection (AUC 78.2%), and troubled graft (AUC 81.4%). Increased dd-cfDNA levels were associated with kidney allograft deterioration, particularly rejection, as well as a greater HLA class II eplet mismatch load. Consequently, combining dd-cfDNA determination and HLA eplet mismatch load calculation should improve the assessment of the risk of short- and long-term allograft damage.

Pork lard gelled emulsions stabilized with two proteins [soy protein concentrate (SPC) or a pork rind protein extract (PRP)], both with and without added silicon (Si) from diatomaceous earth powder, were gelled by microbial transglutaminase and к-carrageenan. These gelled emulsions (GEs), intended as fat replacers, were evaluated in different aspects, including microstructure and technological properties during chilling storage. In addition, in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (GID) with an analysis of lipolysis and lipid digestibility was also evaluated. All GEs showed adequate technological properties after 28 days of chilling storage, although the SPC-stabilized GEs showed better gravitational and thermal stability (~4% and ~6%, respectively) during chilling storage than the PRP-stabilized ones (~8 and ~12%, respectively). PRP developed larger flocculates restricting pancreatic lipase-mediated lipolysis during intestinal digestion. The addition of Si to both GE structures protected them against disruption during in vitro digestion. Accordingly, Si appears to slow down fat digestion, as reflected by higher triacylglycerides content after GID (15 and 22% vs. 10 and 18% in GEs without Si) and could become a potential candidate for use in the development of healthier meat products.

The advent of molecular tools, and particularly next-generation sequencing, has dramatically changed our knowledge of the diversity of microbial life on Earth. In recent decades, many studies on different terrestrial environments have described the intriguing diversity and abundance of Euzebyales/Euzebyaceae/Euzebya, yet its role in the geochemical cycle of elements is unknown. In addition, as far as we know, no Euzebya isolates have been obtained from terrestrial niches. In this review, it is shown that Euzebya and other haloalkaliphilic bacteria can thrive under harsh conditions, such as high concentrations of sodium and/or calcium, high electric conductivity and alkaline pH, highly variable temperatures, and water fluctuations. These conditions are quasi-extreme in the studied terrestrial environments. However, the culture media used so far for isolation have failed to reproduce the original conditions of these terrestrial ecosystems, and this is likely the reason why strains of Euzebya and other bacteria that inhabit the same niche could not be isolated. It is expected that culture media reproducing the environmental conditions outlined in this review could cope with the isolation of terrestrial Euzebya and other haloalkaliphilic genera.

Bread crust constitutes an important by-product of the bakery industry, and its utilization for the isolation of melanoidins to be used as a functional ingredient can enhance its added value and contribute to health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioaccessibility, bioactivity, and genoprotective effect of melanoidins derived from bread crust. Bioaccessibility was assessed in gastric, intestinal digestion, and colonic fermentation fractions. The results revealed a relationship between bioaccessible melanoidins and their type (common or soft bread). No cytotoxicity effects were observed for bioaccessible fractions, as assessed by MTT and RTA methods, and they did not affect the distribution of E-cadherin in Caco-2 cells, confirming their ability to maintain membrane integrity. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that the gastrointestinal and colonic fermentation fractions successfully transported across the intestinal barrier, without affecting cell permeability, and showed antioxidant activity on the basolateral side of the cell monolayer. Remarkably, both fractions displayed a significant genoprotective effect in Caco-2 cells. Our findings provide crucial insights into the relationship between the melanoidins and their bioactivity and genoprotective effect. These results demonstrated the potential of bioaccessible melanoidins as valuable bioactive compounds for the development of functional foods, without showing toxic effects on gastrointestinal cells.

Chronodisruption caused by factors such as light at night and mistimed meals has been linked to numerous physiological alterations in vertebrates and may be an anxiogenic factor affecting welfare. This study aims to investigate whether chronodisruption causes measurable changes in the anxiety responses of goldfish under two conditions: randomly scheduled feeding (RF) and continuous light (LL). Anxiety-like behavior was assessed in the open field with object approach and black/white preference tests, which had been validated using diazepam. An increased thigmotaxis response and decreased object exploration under both chronodisruption protocols indicated anxiety states. Furthermore, locomotor activity was increased in LL fish. The black/white preference test discriminated anxiolysis induced by diazepam but was unable to detect anxiety caused by chronodisruption. Plasma cortisol increased in both RF and LL fish throughout the experiment, confirming that both conditions caused stress. The LL fish also showed an apparently desensitized hypothalamus–pituitary–interrenal HPI axis, with a decrease in pomc and crf expression. Individual analysis found no correlation between anxiety-like behavior and stress axis activation nor between scototaxis and thigmotaxis responses. However, individual differences in sensitivity to each test were detected. Altogether, these results highlight circadian disruption as a stressor for fish and endorse a multiple variable approach for reliably assessing animal discomfort.

Olive oil and lycopene are foods that have potent antioxidant activity. The objective was to determine the effects of consumption of olive oil enriched with lycopene on oxidative stress biomarkers in hypercholesterolemic subjects. We examined the effects of oil enriched with lycopene extract daily intake during 1 month on plasma antioxidant capacity, lipids profile (triacylgycerols, total cholesterol, cHDL; cLDL, ox-LDL), biomarkers of oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers related with atherosclerosis risk (C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6; sDC4L) in subjects hypercholesteremics (cholesterol > 220 mg/dL). In the group consuming olive oil-lycopene, significant increases (p < 0.05) in the levels of plasma lycopene concentration (0.146 ± 0.03 versus 0.202 ± 0.04 (µmol/L)), α-carotene (0.166 ± 0.064 versus 0.238 ± 0.07) and in β-carotene (0.493 ± 0.187 versus 0.713 ± 0.221) were observed. These results are linked with the increases of plasma antioxidants and decreases biomarkers of oxidative stress (carbonyl groups, malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-deoxiguanosine) observed in hypercholesterolemic group. In relation to lipid profile, a significant decrease was observed in the levels of ox-LDL (781 ± 302 versus 494 ± 200), remaining unchanged the levels of TG, cholesterol, HDL and LDL-c. Regarding inflammatory biomarkers, the levels of CRP and IL-6 decreased significantly. The positive results obtained in this study support the use of olive oil enriched with lycopene to reduce the risk of coronary disease.

Spraying systems to protect crops against pests are still necessary to maintain food production at the rates demanded by the current population. However, today, it is crucial to use precision agriculture to reduce the negative effects of pesticides and other agrochemicals such as fungicides. In particular, pressure fluctuations related to transient states when using pulse-width-modulated nozzles (PMW) have been reported to decrease the accuracy of preset flow rates in air-assisted orchard sprayers. The objective of this paper is to analyze the vibrations induced in the spraying system of a vineyard blast sprayer controlled by pulse-width-modulated nozzles, considering the instantaneous duty cycle (DC) as the control variable. An air-assisted vineyard sprayer was modified to host 24 solenoid shutoff valves with hollow disc–cone nozzles. A triaxial accelerometer was mounted to track the effect of duty cycle (20%, 30%, 50%, and 70%). In addition to accelerations, high-speed images were recorded, and the pressure according to time and the flow were estimated. The hydraulic system of the sprayer, when controlled in real time by the PWM solenoids, created pulsating impacts at the nozzle level with the same frequency of 10 Hz of the PMW system. The impact effect was significantly higher for low duty cycles under 40% DC. In addition, to demonstrate the inaccuracy of opening and closing the valves at a precisely specified time, this study also confirmed the divergence between the theoretical duty cycles commanded by the sprayer’s control unit and the actual ones measured in real time. The results of the analysis showed the difficulty of opening and closing the valves with precision to obtain accurate duty cycles in the practical implementation of smart sprayers and the importance of understanding the vibration effects of pulses in arrangements of multiple PWM nozzles working simultaneously.

The clinical relevance of stress biomarkers in newborns is well established. Currently, oxidative stress (OS) parameters are seen to play an important role in neonatal resuscitation guidelines, and a link has been observed between the amount of oxygen delivered and the level of OS and the development of various pathologies. The aim of the current study was to investigate changes in neonatal plasma and urine OS status during the first hours after birth. A lower antioxidant capacity (TAC) and higher levels of malondialdehyde in blood were observed in newborns at the time of birth compared with results 48 h postnatally. The urine revealed a significant and progressive increase in TAC and creatinine during the first 36 h of life, with a progressive decline thereafter. Meanwhile, malondialdehyde in urine samples showed no significant differences over time. Overall, the correlation between blood and urine parameters was poor, except for the relationship between umbilical vein glutathione reduced/oxidized ratio and urine malondialdehyde (r = 0.7; p = 0.004) and between TAC in the umbilical artery and urine (r = −0.547; p = 0.013). The biomarkers evaluated in this study could be established as reference values for neonatal OS.

[13N]Ammonia is one of the most commonly used Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiotracers in humans to assess myocardial perfusion and measure myocardial blood flow. Here, we report a reliable semi-automated process to manufacture large quantities of [13N]ammonia in high purity by proton-irradiation of a 10 mM aqueous ethanol solution using an in-target process under aseptic conditions. Our simplified production system is based on two syringe driver units and an in-line anion-exchange purification for up to three consecutive productions of ~30 GBq (~800 mCi) (radiochemical yield = 69 ± 3% n.d.c) per day. The total manufacturing time, including purification, sterile filtration, reformulation, and quality control (QC) analyses performed before batch release, is approximately 11 min from the End of Bombardment (EOB). The drug product complies with FDA/USP specifications and is supplied in a multidose vial allowing for two doses per patient, two patients per batch (4 doses/batch) on two separate PET scanners simultaneously. After four years of use, this production system has proved to be easy to operate and maintain at low costs. Over the last four years, more than 1000 patients have been imaged using this simplified procedure, demonstrating its reliability for the routine production of large quantities of current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP)-compliant [13N]ammonia for human use.

Structural color emerges from the interaction of light with structured matter when its dimension is comparable to the incident wavelength. The reflected color can be switched by controlling such interaction with materials whose properties can be changed through external stimuli such as electrical, optical, or thermal excitation. In this research, a molybdenum oxide (MoOx) reflective grating to get a switchable on/off subpixel is designed and analyzed. The design is based on subpixel on and off states that could be controlled through the oxidation degree of MoOx. A suitable combination of three of these subpixels, optimized to get a control of primary colors, red, green, and blue, can lead to a pixel which can cover a wide range of colors in the color space for reflective display applications.

This paper presents a novel and compact vector modulator (VM) architecture implemented in 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The design is suitable for use in receive phased arrays for the gateways of major low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations that operate in the 17.8 to 20.2 GHz frequency range. The proposed architecture uses four variable gain amplifiers (VGA) that are active at any given time and are switched to generate the four quadrants. Compared to conventional architectures, this structure is more compact and produces double the output amplitude. The design offers 6-bit phase control for 360°, and the total root mean square (RMS) phase and gain errors are 2.36° and 1.46 dB, respectively. The design occupies an area of 1309.4 μm × 1783.8 μm (including pads).

Designing healthier lipids is a current approach to developing potential functional foods. Olive pomace oil (OPO) has beneficial effects on human health, attributed to its high oleic acid content and unique bioactive compounds. Four puff pastry margarines (PP-M), based on OPO (M1, M2 at 40.8%, and M3, M4 at 30.8%, and cocoa butter at 10%) combined with low molecular weight organogelators, were prepared using two initial cooling rates (M1, M3 at 0.144 °C/min and M2, M4 at 0.380 °C/min) and compared to both commercial puff pastry (PP) butter (CB) and fatty preparation (CFP). Subsequently, six baked PP counterparts were elaborated. Physical-chemical, mechanical properties, and lipid profiles were analyzed in M1–M4 and PP, while thermal properties were determined in M1–M4. Sensory analysis was carried out in PP-M1 and PP-M3 counterparts. Elasticity (G′) of M1–M4 samples was between that of controls CB and CFP, although a higher OPO content reduced viscous modulus (G″). The initial cooling rate did not affect the melting behavior of M1–M4. The firmness of PP-M1 was similar to that of PP-CB and PP-CFP, and the better spreadability and plasticity of M1 positively favored PP puffing. In addition, PP-M1 had 36.8% less SFA content than baked PP-CB, and its overall acceptability was similar. For the first time, a new margarine with high OPO content, showing adequate firmness, spreadability, and plasticity, was formulated, which gave rise to PP with appropriate performance and sensory quality and a healthy lipid profile.

Measuring the non-pathogenic Torque Teno Virus (TTV) load allows assessing the net immunosuppressive state after kidney transplantation (KTx). Currently, it is not known how exposure to maintenance immunosuppression affects TTV load. We hypothesized that TTV load is associated with the exposure to mycophenolic acid (MPA) and tacrolimus. We performed a prospective study including 54 consecutive KTx. Blood TTV load was measured by an in-house PCR at months 1 and 3. Together with doses and trough blood levels of tacrolimus and MPA, we calculated the coefficient of variability (CV), time in therapeutic range (TTR) and concentration/dose ratio (C/D) of tacrolimus, and the MPA-area under the curve (AUC-MPA) at the third month. TTV load at the first and third month discriminated those patients at risk of developing opportunistic infections between months 1 and 3 (AUC-ROC 0.723, 95%CI 0.559–0.905, p = 0.023) and between months 3 and 6 (AUC-ROC 0.778, 95%CI 0.599–0.957, p = 0.028), respectively, but not those at risk of acute rejection. TTV load did not relate to mean tacrolimus blood level, CV, TTR, C/D and AUC-MPA. To conclude, although TTV is a useful marker of net immunosuppressive status after KTx, it is not related to exposure to maintenance immunosuppression.