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Here, a comprehensive cytogenetic analysis of three species of tenebrionid beetles: Alphitobius diaperinus, Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio, is presented. This paper also contains a review of the cytogenetic information for each species and adds new data. The male karyotype of both T. molitor and Z. morio is 2n = 18 + Xyp, with large heterochromatic blocks in the pericentromeric regions of all chromosomes. The male A. diaperinus karyotype is 2n = 18 + X0, also with heterochromatic pericentromeric regions in all chromosomes. The location of the nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) differs in each species: in A. diaperinus, it is located on the smallest pair of autosomes, while in T. molitor, it is on two pairs of autosomes and both sex chromosomes. In contrast, it is exclusively located on the X chromosome in Z. morio. Telomere analysis revealed that all species have TCAGG repeats in their telomeres, but lack the canonical TTAGG insect telomeric motif. In addition, a study of the distribution of satellite DNA and composition revealed that each species has a main satellite DNA family forming the pericentromeric heterochromatin. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of each of these satellites did not produce hybridization signal in the other two species, indicating a divergence in repetitive DNA composition among them. This study adds to the understanding of chromosomal organization, heterochromatin distribution and repetitive DNA dynamics in tenebrionid beetles and sheds light on their cytogenetic diversity and evolutionary significance.

Digital innovations provide novel opportunities to individualize a person’s care to best match their lifestyle needs and circumstances and to support them as they live their daily lives with diabetes. These innovations also serve to provide actionable data and insights for the care team giving them a “Webb telescope-like” view into their individual self-management journey, allowing them to see what cannot be seen during infrequent and limited office visits, thereby facilitating collaboration and communication to optimize the care plan on a timely basis. Technology advances are enabling diabetes care to transition from episodic, synchronous, primarily in-person care to include synchronous virtual care options and to continuous, on-demand, data-informed, asynchronous digital care better matching the demands of living with a relentless 24/7 chronic condition. In this paper we will discuss the critical elements and considerations in designing and implementing successful diabetes digital health tools in clinical practice.

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The production planning problem in the Pinus radiata sawmill industry revolves around determining how to cut a set of logs of different diameters to obtain pieces with a rectangular base, typically of the same length as the original log. The primary objective is often to maximize the volumetric yield or the ratio between the total volume of the produced pieces and the available volume of the logs. Given the scarcity of timber forests, small and medium-sized (SME) sawmills must optimize their operations to maximize the volumetric yield of logs, usually procured from third parties and may vary in quality and dimensions. In this context, the absence of decision support tools directly contributes to inefficient raw material utilization, consequently impacting the business’s profit. This study introduces a multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model incorporating log availability and product demand as input parameters. The objective functions aim to minimize the total volumetric loss of utilized logs and the surplus quantity associated with products exceeding demand. The model integrates cutting patterns pre-determined for each log diameter as an additional input. The Cutlog© software was used to identify all the optimal cutting patterns. The $\varepsilon $ -constraint method, implemented in the CPLEX© solver, was employed to solve the model. The model was validated using representative instances designed to emulate the challenges faced by SME sawmills. Real industry data, surveys, and commercial records from SME sawmills in southern Chile were utilized. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed model in addressing the multi-objective challenges encountered by these businesses. The model successfully identifies multiple solutions on the Pareto frontier, offering valuable insights for decision-making.

Abstract I discuss how the factorization of the invariant trace used to define Chern-Simons branes in a space-time with a Chern-Simons action for a space-time group introduces new relationships between the coupling constants of the extended objects of diverse dimensions, and an enhanced gauge invariance for a suitable choice of these coupling constants, owing to an extension of the Inflow mechanism. I also comment on the possible relevance of these models in fundamental physics.

In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome or mitogenome of the blister beetle Hycleus scutellatus, one endemic species from the Iberian Peninsula. The mitogenome was 16,035 base pairs in length, with an A + T content of 71.7%. It has 37 genes including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. To analyze the evolutionary position of H. scutellatus, we constructed a phylogenetic tree using all available mitogenomes from species of the family Meloidae. The results show that Hycleus species are very close to the genus Mylabris. We present here the mitogenome of H. scutellatus as a new resource to elucidate the phylogenetic relations among the Meloidea family, being this source very useful for future evolutionary analyses of blister beetles.

This study focused on analyzing the distribution of microsatellites in holocentric chromosomes of the Triatominae subfamily, insect vectors of Chagas disease. We employed a non-denaturing FISH technique to determine the chromosomal distribution of sixteen microsatellites across twenty-five triatomine species, involving five genera from the two principal tribes: Triatomini and Rhodniini. Three main hybridization patterns were identified: strong signals in specific chromosomal regions, dispersed signals dependent on microsatellite abundance and the absence of signals in certain chromosomal regions or entire chromosomes. Significant variations in hybridization patterns were observed between Rhodniini and Triatomini species. Rhodniini species displayed weak and scattered hybridization signals, indicating a low abundance of microsatellites in their genomes. In contrast, Triatomini species exhibited diverse and abundant hybridization patterns, suggesting that microsatellites are a significant repetitive component in their genomes. One particularly interesting finding was the high abundance of GATA repeats, and to a lesser extent AG repeats, in the Y chromosome of all analyzed Triatomini species. In contrast, the Y chromosome of Rhodniini species did not show enrichment in GATA and AG repeats. This suggests that the richness of GATA repeats on the Y chromosome likely represents an ancestral trait specific to the Triatomini tribe. Furthermore, this information can be used to elucidate the evolutionary relationships between Triatomini and other groups of reduviids, contributing to the understanding of the subfamily’s origin. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the composition and distribution of microsatellites within Triatominae genomes, shedding light on their significance in the evolutionary processes of these species.

La actividad bufalina ha ido en aumento en los últimos años, mostrando cada vez más productores enfocados al sistema de producción de esta especie en América Latina. El objetivo de esta revisión fue recopilar conocimientos existentes en la literatura sobre el manejo y las biotecnologías reproductivas disponibles para los machos y las hembras de la especie Bubalus bubalis. La información fue seleccionada de libros y artículos científicos en bases de datos académicas y Google Scholar, durante un periodo de cinco meses (marzo-julio 2020). Se abarcaron los temas de manejo reproductivo de la hembra, el macho y las biotecnologías aplicadas a la especie. Se determinó que la eficiencia productiva de los búfalos está fuertemente relacionada con el manejo a nivel nutricional, reproductivo y de bienestar animal, asimismo de los factores climáticos en el que se desarrollan. Se evidenciaron avances de las biotecnologías aplicadas a la reproducción bufalina.

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, is the most harmful species among those pests affecting palm trees. Its impact causes important economic losses around the World. Nevertheless, the genetic information of Rh. ferrugineus is very scarce. Last year, the first genome assembly was published including a rough description of its repeatome. However, no information has been added about one of the main components of repeated DNA, the satellite DNA. Herein, we presented the characterization of the satellitome of this important species that includes 112 satellite DNA families, the largest number in an insect genome. These satellite DNA families made up around 25% of the genome while the most abundant family, RferSat01-169, alone represented 20.4%. Chromosomal location of most abundant satellite DNA families performed by fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that all of them are dispersed in the euchromatin on all chromosomes but some of them are also specifically accumulated either on the pericentromeric heterochromatic regions of all chromosomes or on specific chromosomes. Finally, the transcription of satellitome families was analyzed through Rh. ferrugineus development. It was found that 55 out of 112 satellite DNA families showed transcription, some families seemed to be transcribed across all stages while a few appeared to be stage-specific, indicating a possible role of those satellite DNA sequences in the development of this species.

Actions for extended objects based on Transgression and Chern-Simons forms for space-time groups and supergroups provide a gauge theoretic framework in which to embed previously studied String and Brane actions, extending them in interesting ways that may be useful in a future non perturbative formulation of String Theory. In this Letter I investigate aspects of the actions of these theories, including equations of motion and boundary conditions, gauge and space-time symmetries, and Dirac quantization of tensions. This theoretical framework is shown to include in certain limit and for a suitable gauge group the standard Bosonic String Theory.

Objetivos: evaluar la efectividad del cribado de pulso irregular por el farmacéutico comunitario mediante el pilotaje de una metodología y procedimiento para una campaña de detección de pulso irregular en las farmacias comunitarias españolas. Métodos: estudio descriptivo transversal realizado por farmacéuticos comunitarios socios de SEFAC entre los días 24 a 29 de noviembre de 2016 y los días 5 a 11 de junio de 2017. Criterios de inclusión: usuarios ≥40 años, sin FA o con FA sin tratamiento anticoagulante. Variables principales: pulso (latidos/minuto) y CHA2DS2 vascular. Resultados: se realizaron 789 mediciones de pulso en ambas campañas, de las cuales se encontró que 41 (5,2 %) participantes presentaban un pulso irregular. 35 (4,3 %) fueron derivados a sus médicos de familia, confirmándose 12 (1,5%) diagnósticos nuevos de FA e iniciando 7 (0,9 %) de ellos tratamiento anticoagulante. Más del 80 % de los participantes no presentaba ningún síntoma clínico de FA y un 41,9 % padecía HTA. El número de pacientes con CHA2DS2 vascular ≥2 y pulso irregular fue de 17 (3,9 %), de los cuales 10 (58,8 %) estaban sin tratamiento; 5 (29,4 %) tenían tratamiento antiagregante y 2 (11,8 %) tratamiento anticoagulante. Conclusiones: tanto el elevado número de pacientes con FA diagnosticada y sin tratamiento como el número apreciable de pacientes con pulso irregular y sospecha de FA detectados demuestran la capacidad y eficacia de la farmacia comunitaria en la realización del cribado del pulso irregular contribuyendo así a la detección de nuevos casos de FA.

The age and growth rate of the giant electric ray, Narcine entemedor, was estimated using growth bands deposited in the vertebral centra of 245 specimens. Differences in size and age distribution were found between the sexes, a pattern that suggests the annual deposition of band pairs, possibly occurring in April. Multimodel inference and back-calculation were performed to three age data sets of females considering their reproductive cycle and time of capture, among which the von Bertalanffy growth function was found to be the most appropriate (L∞ = 81.87 cm TL, k = 0.17 year−1). Our research supports the idea that age can be determined via biological features such as birth date and growth band periodicity. We concluded that N. entemedor is of a moderate body size, moderate longevity and is a fast-growing elasmobranch species.

Satellite DNAs are the major repetitive DNA components in eukaryotic genomes. Although satellite DNA has long been called "parasite DNA" there is substantial evidence that it could be associated with some functions of chromosome biology. Ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) are one of the largest and most important groups of beetles. Many ladybirds are of economic interest as biological control agents because they eat some agricultural pests such as aphids and scale insects. However, other species are phytophagous and can damage crops. Despite the ecological importance of the latter group there are no studies on their satellite DNA. A satellite DNA family was isolated and characterized in the ladybird Henosepilachna argus. This satellite DNA is organized in tandem repeats of 658 bp and is A + T rich (67.3%). The recorded high sequence conservation of the monomers together with the detection of putative gene conversion processes indicate concerted evolution. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed that this satellite DNA is transcribed and in situ hybridization its location in the subtelomeric regions of all chromosomes except the long arm of the X chromosome. The presence of this satellite DNA in other species of the genus Henosepilachna and Epilachna was also tested using PCR. The results indicate that this satellite DNA sequence is so far specific to H. argus.

Abstract Background The analysis of the chromosomal and genome evolution in organisms with holocentric chromosomes is restricted by the lack of primary constriction or centromere. An interesting group is the hemipteran subfamily Triatominae, vectors of Chagas disease, which affects around 6 to 7 million people worldwide. This group exhibits extensive variability in the number and chromosomal location of repeated sequences such as heterochromatin and ribosomal genes. This paper tries to reveal the significant differences of the repeated sequences among Triatoma species through the use of genomic DNA probes. Methods We analysed the chromosomal distribution and evolution of repeated sequences in Triatoma species by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) using genomic DNA probes from two North American Triatoma species. These genomic probes were hybridized both on their own chromosomes and on other Triatoma species from North and South America, with different amounts and chromosome location of C-heterochromatin. The results were compared with those previously described using South American Triatoma genomic probes. Results We observed two chromosomal hybridization patterns: (i) very intense hybridization signals concentrated on specific chromosomal regions or particular chromosomes; and (ii) lower intensity hybridization signals dispersed along all chromosomes. Self-GISH on T. rubrofasciata and T. dimidiata chromosomes presented strong hybridization signals on all C-heterochromatin regions. However, when we perform genomic cross-hybridizations, only strong signals are detected on the Y chromosome, leaving the C-heterochromatic autosomal regions unmarked. Conclusions We confirm that repeated DNA of the Y chromosome is shared among Triatoma species and probably represents an ancestral character of the Triatomini tribe. On the contrary, autosomal heterochromatic regions are constituted by species-specific DNA repeats, most probably satDNA families, suggesting that Triatoma speciation involved the amplification of diverse types of autosomal repeats. Molecular characterization of principal repetitive DNAs seems to be an appropriate approach to infer evolutionary relationships in triatomines.

Meloidae are commonly known as blister beetles, so called for the secretion of cantharidin, a toxic substance that causes irritation and blistering. There has been a recent increase in the interest of the cantharidin anticancer potential of this insect group. Cytogenetic and molecular data in this group are scarce. In this study, we performed a karyotype analysis of Hycleus scutellatus, an endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula. We determined its chromosome number, 2n = 20, as well as the presence of the X and Y sex chromosomes. In addition to a karyotype analysis, we carried out DAPI staining. By fluorescence in situ hybridization we mapped the rDNA clusters on 12 different chromosomes. Compared to others, this species shows an unusually high number of chromosomes carrying rDNA. This is one of the highest numbers of rDNA sites found in the Polyphaga suborder (Coleoptera). Additionally, we isolated a satellite DNA family (Hyscu-H), which was located within the pericentromeric regions of all chromosomes, including the sex chromosomes. The results suggest that Hyscu-H is likely to be one of the most abundant satellite DNA repeats in H. scutellatus.

Next-generation sequencing data analysis on Triatoma infestans Klug, 1834 (Heteroptera, Cimicomorpha, Reduviidae) revealed the presence of the ancestral insect (TTAGG)n telomeric motif in its genome. Fluorescence in situ hybridization confirms that chromosomes bear this telomeric sequence in their chromosomal ends. Furthermore, motif amount estimation was about 0.03% of the total genome, so that the average telomere length in each chromosomal end is almost 18 kb long. We also detected the presence of (TTAGG)n telomeric repeat in mitotic and meiotic chromosomes in other three species of Triatominae: Triatoma dimidiata Latreille, 1811, Dipetalogaster maxima Uhler, 1894, and Rhodnius prolixus Ståhl, 1859. This is the first report of the (TTAGG)n telomeric repeat in the infraorder Cimicomorpha, contradicting the currently accepted hypothesis that evolutionarily recent heteropterans lack this ancestral insect telomeric sequence.

The ladybird Henosepilachna argus Geoffroy, 1762 has been cytogenetically studied. In addition we have conducted a review of chromosome numbers and the chromosomal system of sex determination available in the literature in species belonging to the genus Henosepilachna and in its closely related genus Epilachna. Chromosome number of H. argus was 2n=18, including the sex chromosome pair, a common diploid chromosome number within the tribe Epilachnini. The study of prophase I meiotic chromosomes showed the typical Xyp “parachute” bivalent as in the majority of species of Coccinellidae. C-banding and fluorescent staining with AT-specific DAPI fluorochrome dye have been carried out for the first time in H. argus. C-banding technique revealed that heterochromatic blocks are pericentromerically located and DAPI staining showed that this heterochromatin is AT rich. Fluorescence in situ hybridizations using rDNA and the telomeric TTAGG sequence as probes have been carried out. FISH using rDNA showed that the nucleolar organizing region is located on the short arm of the X chromosome. FISH with the telomeric sequence revealed that in this species telomeres of chromosomes are composed of the pentanucleotide TTAGG repeats. This is the first study on the telomeric sequences in Coccinellidae.

Triatoma infestans is the most important Chagas disease vector in South America. Two main evolutionary lineages, named Andean and non-Andean, have been recognized by geographical distribution, phenetic and genetic characteristics. One of the main differences is the genomic size, varying over 30% in their haploid DNA content. Here we realize a genome wide analysis to compare the repetitive genome fraction (repeatome) between both lineages in order to identify the main repetitive DNA changes occurred during T. infestans differentiation process. RepeatExplorer analysis using Illumina reads showed that both lineages exhibit the same amount of non-repeat sequences, and that satellite DNA is by far the major component of repetitive DNA and the main responsible for the genome size differentiation between both lineages. We characterize 42 satellite DNA families, which are virtually all present in both lineages but with different amount in each lineage. Furthermore, chromosomal location of satellite DNA by fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that genomic variations in T. infestans are mainly due to satellite DNA families located on the heterochromatic regions. The results also show that many satDNA families are located on the euchromatic regions of the chromosomes.

Ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) are one of the largest groups of beetles. Among them, some species are of economic interest since they can act as a biological control for some agricultural pests whereas other species are phytophagous and can damage crops. Chnootriba argus (Coccinellidae, Epilachnini) has large heterochromatic pericentromeric blocks on all chromosomes, including both sexual chromosomes. Classical digestion of total genomic DNA using restriction endonucleases failed to find the satellite DNA located on these heterochromatic regions. Cloning of C0t-1 DNA resulted in the isolation of a repetitive DNA with a repeat unit of six base pairs, TTAAAA. The amount of TTAAAA repeat in the C. argus genome was about 20%. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis and digestion of chromosomes with the endonuclease Tru9I revealed that this repetitive DNA could be considered as the putative pericentromeric satellite DNA (satDNA) in this species. The presence of this satellite DNA was tested in other species of the tribe Epilachnini and it is also present in Epilachna paenulata. In both species, the TTAAAA repeat seems to be the main satellite DNA and it is located on the pericentromeric region on all chromosomes. The size of this satDNA, which has only six base pairs is unusual in Coleoptera satellite DNAs, where satDNAs usually have repeat units of a much larger size. Southern hybridization and FISH proved that this satDNA is conserved in some Epilachnini species but not in others. This result is in concordance with the controversial phylogenetic relationships among the genera of the tribe Epilachnini, where the limits between genera are unclear.

En el 2010, hemos tenido una sobrecarga de actividades conmemorativas en distintos ámbitos. No se trata solamente, como podría sospecharse, de consabidos rituales a la bandera, desfiles militares y ciclos de conferencias, sino también de calculados y masivos dispositivos de celebración en distintos lugares de la geografía nacional, series radiales y televisivas —incluidos varios dramatizados—, coleccionestemáticas en revistas y periódicos para el gran público, declaratorias, exposiciones, encuentros locales, regionales, nacionales y binacionales, conversatorios disciplinares, gremiales y de género, y un interminable etcétera que proviene por igual de los despachos ministeriales, los grandesmedios de comunicación y los centros académicos del país.Doscientos años después, estos rituales canalizan viejos y nuevos sentidos, lo cual crea otras motivaciones e intenta restaurar simbólicamente un conjunto de significaciones acerca del ethos de la nación.

En el 2010, hemos tenido una sobrecarga de actividades conmemorativas en distintos ámbitos. No se trata solamente, como podría sospecharse, de consabidos rituales a la bandera, desfiles militares y ciclos de conferencias, sino también de calculados y masivos dispositivos de celebración en distintos lugares de la geografía nacional, series radiales y televisivas —incluidos varios dramatizados—, coleccionestemáticas en revistas y periódicos para el gran público, declaratorias, exposiciones, encuentros locales, regionales, nacionales y binacionales, conversatorios disciplinares, gremiales y de género, y un interminable etcétera que proviene por igual de los despachos ministeriales, los grandesmedios de comunicación y los centros académicos del país. Doscientos años después, estos rituales canalizan viejos y nuevos sentidos, lo cual crea otras motivaciones e intenta restaurar simbólicamente un conjunto de significaciones acerca del ethos de la nación.

En este trabajo presentamos algunos adelantos metodológicos en el estudio de la dinámica del pensamiento usando herramientas geométricas. Se estudian algunas características dinámicas del proceder inferente en un grupo de sujetos durante dos periodos. Los descriptores geométricos usados (dimensión fractal y longitud acumulada) confirman los hallazgos de estudios anteriores en relación con la existencia de patrones inferenciales individuales. No obstante lo anterior existen diferencias en los patrones inferenciales en los mismos sujetos estudiados en los dos periodos.

El aumento de unidades instaladas de robots industriales y los requerimientos de sostenibilidad exigen el estudio del consumo energético. Se propone una estrategia de reducción del consumo energético, basada en el diseño de una trayectoria punto a punto (PP). Se utiliza la optimización bayesiana que permite incluir información de un prototipo experimental en conjunto con un modelo matemático. Primero, se presenta el modelo cinético basado en el trabajo virtual y el problema de optimización bayesiana. Segundo, se realiza una comparación entre el consumo energético de trayectorias genéricas, métodos de optimización tradicionales, que utilizan trayectorias multi punto construidas por splines y trayectorias PP, y la optimización bayesiana propuesta, que utiliza una trayectoria PP. Se encuentra que en simulaciones computacionales los métodos tradicionales de optimización consiguen un consumo de energía menor que a través del método de optimización bayesiana. Sin embargo, a través de pruebas experimentales se verifica la ventaja del método de optimización bayesiana que, al incorporar datos reales del prototipo y dinámicas no modeladas, logran obtener un consumo energético menor.

Measuring greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants is of utmost importance in the context of climate change. However, due to their variability and complexity, it is a particularly challenging task in aerated reactors. The current methods involve capturing gas emissions from the water surface, measuring gas flow rates, and determining the concentration of the emitted gas at that location. Our study proposes a new, more efficient method that eliminates the need for gas flow rate measurements and additional equipment. The proposed technique uses a gas analyzer and a specially designed floating chamber to measure the transient trend of gas concentration within the chamber from the moment it is deployed to when it reaches a new steady state. Our research shows that this method accurately determines methane and carbon dioxide emissions from aerated reactors and potentially other gases emitted in wastewater treatment plants. It is cost effective, versatile, and simplifies the measurement process. This method facilitates the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions in wastewater treatment plants. Our findings are backed by comprehensive testing in the aeration tanks of a full-scale activated sludge plant, across diverse conditions, including fine- and coarse-bubble aeration. HIGHLIGHTS A simple chamber method is proposed to measure gas emissions in aerated reactors.; The method is designed for surface gas flow rate and concentration determination.; It utilizes only a chamber and a gas analyzer for simplicity and cost savings.; Together, these features offer a simplified tool for characterizing large-scale reactors.; The method was successfully applied to a full-scale wastewater plant.;

Alfalfa is a forage species widely used in Uruguay in intensive livestock and dairy farming. Supplementary irrigation makes it possible to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, increasing and stabilizing the productivity of pastures. It is necessary to evaluate its joint effect with grazing. Two irrigation thresholds were evaluated, with entry of animals. The treatments were: frequent irrigation (30% depleted), spaced irrigation (65% depleted) and rainfed. The experimental design was complete randomized blocks, and 30 months of evaluation. The average annual yield of irrigated alfalfa was 25,333 and 23,177 kg DM ha-1, first and second year of evaluation, respectively. The accumulated production (30 months) did not show a significant difference between the irrigated treatments, but it did between irrigated and rainfed. In the last summer-autumn, the yield of all treatments fell to 8660 kg DM ha-1 (irrigated) and 1756 kg DM ha-1 (rainfed). Seasonal productivity indicates the convenience of irrigating alfalfa in summer since the yield increased 43% in the second year and 4.3 times more in the last year. Furthermore, after the extreme summer drought, in the following autumn, the irrigated treatments yielded 7 times more than the rainfed. Management with spaced irrigation and irrigation depth that do not return the soil to its field capacity increases the effectiveness of precipitation, saving water and energy allocated to irrigation. The apparent density increased towards the end of the experiment as a result of grazing, however, there was no difference between the evaluated irrigation managements.

A complete protocol of Nolana intonsa I. M. Johnst, micropropagation was developed. The culture media used were WPM, DKW, and MS as control. DKW medium produced the best results over in vitro development of N. intonsa, generating a significant increase in the multiplication rate, lateral shoots formation, height, and general quality of the plantlets. In the case of fresh weight, dry weight, and water content, no differences were observed between MS and DKW, but a significant decrease in these parameters was produced when the WPM medium was used. Subsequently, when DKW was defined as basal medium, the effect of auxin supplementation was also evaluated. The addition of IBA generated a desirable effect over the in vitro plantlets. The addition of 0.05 mg L-1 of IBA improve the multiplication rate, the shoot’s development, plant’s height, and reduced in a significant way the damage to the plantlets. Fresh weight, dry weight, and water contents also showed a significant increase when IBA supplementation was added to the DKW medium. The plants where acclimatization of the plantlets was possible, obtaining finished pot plants capable of growth under greenhouse conditions. The development of a micropropagation protocol of N. intonsa could help the conservation and sustainable utilization of this endemic Chilean species.

Machine learning (ML) methods often require large volumes of labeled data to achieve meaningful performance. The expertise necessary for labeling data in medical applications like pathology presents a significant challenge in developing clinical-grade tools. Crowdsourcing approaches address this challenge by collecting labels from multiple annotators with varying degrees of expertise. In recent years, multiple methods have been adapted to learn from noisy crowdsourced labels. Among them, Gaussian Processes (GPs) have achieved excellent performance due to their ability to model uncertainty. Deep Gaussian Processes (DGPs) address the limitations of GPs using multiple layers to enable the learning of more complex representations. In this work, we develop Deep Gaussian Processes for Crowdsourcing (DGPCR) to model the crowdsourcing problem with DGPs for the first time. DGPCR models the (unknown) underlying true labels, and the behavior of each annotator is modeled with a confusion matrix among classes. We use end-to-end variational inference to estimate both DGPCR parameters and annotator biases. Using annotations from 25 pathologists and medical trainees, we show that DGPCR is competitive or superior to Scalable Gaussian Processes for Crowdsourcing (SVGPCR) and other state-of-the-art deep-learning crowdsourcing methods for breast cancer classification. Also, we observe that DGPCR with noisy labels obtains better results ( $\text{F}1=81.91$ %) than GPs ( $\text{F}1=81.57$ %) and deep learning methods ( $\text{F}1=80.88$ %) with true labels curated by experts. Finally, we show an improved estimation of annotators’ behavior.

Abstract Background Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of short-term medical missions. This study was aimed to evaluate complication rates and determine the effects of protocol changes in a pediatric inguinal hernia campaign in Equatorial Guinea and analyze post-operative follow-up capacity. Methods In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated two patient cohorts (group A, 2017–2018; group B, 2019) treated during campaigns in Equatorial Guinea for congenital inguinal pathology (hernia, hydrocele, and cryptorchidism). Patients aged

Combining computational methods with qualitative analyses, this research explores how the European Union (EU) employed digital diplomacy to manage its reputation during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, it addresses two influential dimensions of digital diplomacy: narratives and social networks. First, to identify how narratives evolved during the different phases of the crisis, dynamic topic modeling is applied to a sample of 12,935 tweets in English published by eight central EU authorities from January 1st, 2020, to March 11th, 2021. The most representative tweets of the six most predominant topics on COVID-19 are analyzed through the strategic narratives’ framework. Second, a social network analysis of the retweets of 215 authorities linked to the European External Action Service is conducted to identify the communication flow and the most influential actors. The results corroborate what the crisis communication literature anticipates. As the pandemic evolved, strategic crisis narratives became more consistent, and the diplomatic network less hierarchical and centralized. After an undetermined start, the COVID-19 crisis was ultimately rationalized as a challenge that reaffirmed the EU’s functionality and values. During the acute phase of the crisis, diplomats were less spontaneous, since their content was more dependent on their superiors, but in later stages they produced proportionally more original content themselves. Therefore, the findings suggest, first, that the EU’s performance on Twitter became more competent over time, and second, a potential correlation between narratives and networks: better defined strategic narratives seem to indicate a more genuine digital diplomacy.

Copyright of Farmacéuticos Comunitarios is the property of Sociedad Espanola de Farmacia Familiar y Comunitaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Cientifica de la Facultade de Veterinaria is the property of Universidad del Zulia, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Hypogammaglobulinemia is the most frequently observed immune defect in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Although CLL patients usually have low serum levels of all isotypes (IgG, IgM and IgA), standard immunoglobulin (Ig) preparations for replacement therapy administrated to these patients contain more than 95% of IgG. Pentaglobin is an Ig preparation of intravenous application (IVIg) enriched with IgM and IgA (IVIgGMA), with the potential benefit to restore the Ig levels of all isotypes. Because IVIg preparations at high doses have well-documented anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, we aimed to evaluate the capacity of Pentaglobin and a standard IVIg preparation to affect leukemic and T cells from CLL patients. In contrast to standard IVIg, we found that IVIgGMA did not modify T cell activation and had a lower inhibitory effect on T cell proliferation. Regarding the activation of leukemic B cells through BCR, it was similarly reduced by both IVIgGMA and IVIgG. None of these IVIg preparations modified spontaneous apoptosis of T or leukemic B cells. However, the addition of IVIgGMA on in vitro cultures decreased the apoptosis of T cells induced by the BCL-2 inhibitor, venetoclax. Importantly, IVIgGMA did not impair venetoclax-induced apoptosis of leukemic B cells. Overall, our results add new data on the effects of different preparations of IVIg in CLL, and show that the IgM/IgA enriched preparation not only affects relevant mechanisms involved in CLL pathogenesis but also has a particular profile of immunomodulatory effects on T cells that deserves further investigation.

Abstract The volume of labeled data is often the primary determinant of success in developing machine learning algorithms. This has increased interest in methods for leveraging crowds to scale data labeling efforts, and methods to learn from noisy crowd-sourced labels. The need to scale labeling is acute but particularly challenging in medical applications like pathology, due to the expertise required to generate quality labels and the limited availability of qualified experts. In this paper we investigate the application of Scalable Variational Gaussian Processes for Crowdsourcing (SVGPCR) in digital pathology. We compare SVGPCR with other crowdsourcing methods using a large multi-rater dataset where pathologists, pathology residents, and medical students annotated tissue regions breast cancer. Our study shows that SVGPCR is competitive with equivalent methods trained using gold-standard pathologist generated labels, and that SVGPCR meets or exceeds the performance of other crowdsourcing methods based on deep learning. We also show how SVGPCR can effectively learn the class-conditional reliabilities of individual annotators and demonstrate that Gaussian-process classifiers have comparable performance to similar deep learning methods. These results suggest that SVGPCR can meaningfully engage non-experts in pathology labeling tasks, and that the class-conditional reliabilities estimated by SVGPCR may assist in matching annotators to tasks where they perform well.

Accelerated cyclic aging tests are very important for research and industry to quickly characterize lithium-ion cells. However, the accentuation of stress factors and the elimination of rest periods lead to an apparent capacity fade, that can be subsequently recovered during a resting phase. This effect is attributed to the inhomogeneous lithium distribution in the anode and is observable with differential voltage analysis (DVA). We tested cylindrical 18,650 cells with Li(NixCoyAlz)O2-graphite/silicon chemistry during two cycling and resting phases. The capacity, the pulse resistance, the DVA, and the capacity difference analysis are evaluated for cells cycled at different average SOC and current rates. An apparent capacity loss of up to 12% was reported after 200 FCE for cells cycled under the presence of pressure gradients, while only 1% were at low-pressure gradients. The subsequent recovery was up to 80% of the apparent capacity loss in some cases. The impact of silicon cannot be estimated as it shows no features in the dV/dQ curves. We observe a recovery of apparent resistance increase, which is not reported for cells with pure graphite anodes. Finally, we demonstrate the strong impact of apparent aging for the lifetime prediction based on standard accelerated cyclic aging tests.

The article presents the results of the implementation of a didactic proposal whose purpose was to promote the development of social thinking skills in high school students through the use of artistic expressions as a historical source and as an expression of the study of their thinking skills, addressing The teaching of the period of Structural Transformations in Chile. The experience was analyzed in its planning and implementation results from the Design-Based Research model, looking for possibilities for improvement from reflection on practice. The results show the didactic potential of artistic creations to promote skills such as contextualization and historical empathy, and the risks of working the past from problems of social relevance in the present, to develop chronological temporal or continuity and change skills, do not guide them with relevant instructional designs.

This paper focuses on portraying experiences and interactions of pedestrians and users of bicycle-sharing schemes (BSS) in the city of Santiago (Chile), where cycling is becoming an increasingly relevant transport mode. The methodology employed an adaptation of content analysis (CA) to assess the testimonies of two focus groups, one composed by regular users of BSS and the other by pedestrians.The findings show that BSS seem to operate in a domain distinct from Santiagós current transport regime, including cycling. Individuals perceive that BSS were mostly used by affluent people and these schemes were of little help in poor areas. However, rather than attributing these problems to long-standing inequalities affecting the city, interviewees attributed them to their personal preferences, characteristics and capabilities (not being lucky enough to live in rich zones or being able to cycle more often). Finally, conflicts between bike-sharing users and pedestrians were rarely mentioned explicitly..

Front wings are a key element in the aerodynamic performance of Formula 1 race cars. Thus, their optimisation makes an important contribution to the performance of cars in races. However, their design is constrained by regulation, which makes it more difficult to find good designs. The present work develops a hybrid shape optimisation approach to obtain an optimal five-element airfoil front wing under the FIA regulations and 17 design parameters. A first baseline design is obtained by parametric optimisation, on which the adjoint method is applied for shape optimisation via Mesh Morphing with Radial Basis Functions. The optimal front wing candidate obtained outperforms the parametric baseline up to a 25% at certain local positions. This shows that the proposed and tested hybrid approach can be a very efficient alternative. Although a direct 3D optimisation approach could be developed, the computational costs would be dramatically increased (possibly unaffordable for such a complex five-element front wing realistic shape with 17 design parameters and regulatory constraints). Thus, the present approach is of strong interest if the computational budget is low and/or a fast new front wing design is desired, which is a frequent scenario in Formula 1 race car design.

The aim of this study was to examine the physiological demands of seven referees during a national basketball competition. During each of the tournament matches, heart rate (HR), relative exercise intensity as a percentage of age - predicted maximum HR (HRmax), proportion of playing time within the exercise intensity categories defined by the ACSM were recorded for each referee in each period and the entire game. There were no significant differences between periods for any variable. Referees, using a format of three referees per match, worked with an average HR of 150 bpm (range 110-181 bpm) for each quarter of the match, which equals a relative intensity> 70% of HRmax for most (∼76%) for each quarter. Other studies will assist in developing appropriate training programs for elite basketball referees to maintain and / or maximize performance.

This work details a protocol for recovering bacteriophages from intertidal sessile mussels and testing their lytic activity against pathogenic bacteria. Although bacteriophages were highly abundant in coastal filter-feeding organisms, they were not detectable in the surrounding water column. This difference reflects the high filtering rate of the mussels, which capture and concentrate high amounts of bacteria, generating an ideal environment for bacteriophages. We validated the protocol providing a mean concentration of 4E + 04 PFU mL-1 lytic bacteriophages for the fish-pathogen bacterium Vibrio ordalii. We suggest that this method has particular utility for the recovery of bacteriophages for use as natural antimicrobial agents in aquaculture. Protocol name: Isolation of bacteriophages from coastal zone, Keywords: Vibrio bacteriophage, Phage prospection, Phage isolation

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a primary immune regulatory disorder clinically defined by chronic and benign lymphoproliferation, autoimmunity and an increased risk of lymphoma due to a genetic defect in the FAS-FASL apoptotic pathway. Genetic defects associated with ALPS are germinal and somatic mutations in FAS gene, in addition to germinal mutations in FASLG, FADD, CASP8 and CASP10 genes. The accumulation of CD3+TCRαβ+CD4-CD8- double negative T-cells (DNT) is a hallmark of the disease and 20-25% of ALPS patients show heterozygous somatic mutations restricted to DNT in the FAS gene (ALPS-sFAS patients). Nowadays, somatic mutations in the FAS gene are detected through Sanger sequencing in isolated DNT. In this study, we report an ALPS-sFAS patient fulfilling clinical and laboratory ALPS criteria, who was diagnosed through NGS with a targeted gene panel using DNA from whole blood. Data analysis was carried out with Torrent Suite Software and variant detection was performed by both germinal and somatic variant caller plugin. The somatic variant caller correctly detected other six ALPS-sFAS patients previously diagnosed in the authors’ laboratories. In summary, this approach allows the detection of both germline and somatic mutations related to ALPS by NGS, avoiding the isolation of DNT as the first step. The reads of the somatic variants could be detected even in patients with DNT in the cut off limit. Thus, custom-designed NGS panel testing may be a faster and more reliable method for the diagnosis of new ALPS patients, including those with somatic FAS mutations (ALPS-sFAS).

Objetivo: Identificar la intervención más costo-efectiva para el tratamiento de obesidad grado I y II en el primer nivel de atención para población sin seguridad social que requiera los servicios del Instituto de Salud y Bienestar-INSABI. Material y Métodos: Se realizó un análisis de costo-efectividad desde la perspectiva del proveedor. Se diseñaron y calcularon los costos de tres tratamientos para la obesidad I y II en usuarios del primer nivel de atención a la salud que carecen de seguridad social en el municipio de Coatetelco, Morelos. Cada tratamiento fue estimado para el periodo de un año. Los indicadores de efectividad fueron obtenidos a través de estudios previos con características similares a las intervenciones diseñadas. Resultados: La intervención que presento un mayor costo fue el tratamiento farmacológico con $88,899.26 USD, seguida del tratamiento nutricional con un costo de $31,647.57 USD y $57,189.49 USD en el tratamiento integral. El coeficiente de efectividad obtenido fue de 0.1906 para el tratamiento nutricional, seguido del tratamiento farmacológico con 0.2168 y 0.2531 en el tratamiento integral. Conclusiones: El tratamiento nutricional es la intervención más costo-efectiva en pacientes con obesidad grado I y II que carecen de seguridad social es el tratamiento nutricional y que reciben atención en el primer nivel de atención a la salud. La inversión en estos tratamientos puede contribuir a disminuir los factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de enfermedades crónicas en México.

A mathematical first-order difference equation was designed to predict the dynamics of the phage-bacterium adsorption process in aquatic environments, under laboratory conditions. Our model requires knowledge of bacteria and bacteriophage concentrations and the measurements of bacterial size and velocity to predict both the number of bacteriophages adsorbed onto their bacterial host and the number of infected bacteria in a given specific time. It does not require data from previously performed adhesion experiments. The predictions generated by our model were validated in laboratory. Our model was initially conceived as an estimator for the effectiveness of the inoculation of phages as antibacterial therapy for aquaculture, is also suitable for a wide range of potential applications.

The study analyzed the physical conditioning and the time of recovery of the maximum heart rate of 12 international referees being used the test of 20 meters with beep to evaluate the cardiorespiratory conditioning, with the frequency to control the recovery time of the maximum cardiac post test. The majority of the referees obtained a recovery of heart rate greater than 50% in 3 minutes, were those that reached the levels of good to excellent in the table of maximum Vo2. Even with some factors influencing their physical performance most of the referees were able to complete the aerobic test and obtained a good recovery of the heart rate, the others that failed to reach the test goal had the HR recovery in 3 minutes much lower than expected, thus highlighting the association of the maximum VO2 level between good and excellent with the recovery of the heart frequency.

Background: A large number of children with disabilities exist, who have special educational needs and a delay in psychomotor development; they are frequently incorporated into student integration programs (SIP), forming part of the regular class and receiving complimentary technical and educational assistance. The health system has historically handled these cases through traditional physical therapy; however, currently, other complementary treatment techniques have arisen that produce benefits in the physical, psychological, cognitive, and social aspects of the child. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an Equine therapy program on the psychomotor development of SIP students. Methods: A quantitative study with a quasi-experimental design and convenience sampling was conducted. Eighteen students (ten men and eight women) from SIP were obtained to establish a control group (N=9) and an experimental group (N=9). The intervention consisted of an 18-weeks program of equine therapy with two sessions each week. Psychomotor development was assessed before and after the intervention with the “Test de Desarrollo y Aprendizaje” (TADI). Results: There was a significant improvement in psychomotor development (p 0,8). Conclusion: Statistically significant changes were found in the experimental group comparing the initial and final values after the intervention through many variables. It is then possible to conclude that equine therapy has a moderate to large impact on psychomotor development of SIP students, which was also statistically significant.

Plant biochemistry studies have increased in recent years due to their potential to improve human health. Argylia radiata is an extremophile plant with an interesting polyphenolic profile. However, its biomass is scarce and occasionally available. Argylia in vitro biomass was obtained from tissue culture and compared with in vivo roots regarding its polyphenolic and flavonoid content. Different solvents were used to prepare extracts from the in vitro tissue of callus and aerial plant organs and in vivo roots. UPLC-MS/MS was used to assess the chemical composition of each extract. ORAC-FL and scavenging of free radicals (DPPH and OH) methods were used to determine the antioxidant capacity of extracts. Furthermore, the biological activity of the extracts was established using the cellular antioxidant activity method. The vitroplants were a good source of polyphenols (25–68 mg GAE/100 g tissue FW), and methanol was the most efficient solvent. Eight polyphenolic compounds were identified, and their antioxidant properties were investigated by different chemical methods with EPR demonstrating its specific scavenging activity against free radicals. All extracts showed cellular dose-dependent antioxidant activity. The methanolic extract of vitroplants showed the highest cellular antioxidant activity (44.6% and 51%) at 1 and 10 µg/mL of extract, respectively. Vitroplants of A. radiata are proposed as a biotechnological product as a source of antioxidant compounds with multiple applications.

The Th1/Th2 balance plays a crucial role in the progression of different pathologies and is a determining factor in the evolution of infectious diseases. This work has aimed to evaluate the early, or on diagnosis, T-cell compartment response, T-helper subsets and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody specificity in COVID-19 patients and to classify them according to evolution based on infection severity. A unicenter, randomized group of 146 COVID-19 patients was divided into four groups in accordance with the most critical events during the course of disease. The immunophenotype and T-helper subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals showed a potent and robust Th1 immunity, with a lower Th17 and less activated T-cells at the time of sample acquisition compared not only with symptomatic patients, but also with healthy controls. Conversely, severe COVID-19 patients presented with Th17-skewed immunity, fewer Th1 responses and more activated T-cells. The multivariate analysis of the immunological and inflammatory parameters, together with the comorbidities, showed that the Th1 response was an independent protective factor for the prevention of hospitalization (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.03–0.81), with an AUC of 0.844. Likewise, the Th1 response was found to be an independent protective factor for severe forms of the disease (OR 0.09, 95% CI: 0.01–0.63, p = 0.015, AUC: 0.873). In conclusion, a predominant Th1 immune response in the acute phase of the SARS-CoV-2 infection could be used as a tool to identify patients who might have a good disease evolution.

O objetivo do presente estudo é verificar o período de maior incidência dos gols na Taça Escolar de Futsal na categoria juvenil no ano de 2015. Este estudo de cunho quantitativo e observacional analisou 82 súmulas (jogos) na categoria juvenil da competição Taça Escolar de Porto Alegre, que reuniu escolas particulares da região metropolitana. Os dados foram obtidos através de súmulas com a permissão do coordenador responsável pela categoria juvenil da competição. Os resultados mostraram que é no 4º período (30min e 1seg a 40min) que ocorre o maior número de gols. Este estudo concluiu que são nos últimos 10 minutos de jogo que há maior incidência de gols. Estes achados corroboram com a maioria dos estudos na área do futsal. Sugere-se que outros estudos sobre competições escolares sejam realizados, incluindo também análises sobre futsal feminino. ABSTRACT The period of highest occurrence of goals in futsal: a study in school games The present study aims to analyze the period in which bigger scores occurre in futsal school games the Taça Escolar de Porto Alegre in 2005. This quantitative study analyzed 82 overviews (games) in the youth category of the competition Taça Escolar de Porto Alegre, which brought together private schools in the metropolitan area. Data were obtained through overviews with the permission of the coordinator responsible for the youth category of the competition. The results showed that it is in the 4th period (30min and 40min 1sec) that occurs the most goals. This study found that are in the last 10 minutes of the game that there is a higher incidence of goals. These findings corroborate with the most studies in futsal area. It is suggested that further studies about school competitions need to be conducted, also including analysis of female futsal.