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Introduction/ Background Traditionally Biobanks were mostly used as repositories of cells and tissues. They are addressing scientific questions mainly for retrospective trials where stored tissues and cells can be used. This paradigm has been changing lately. Biobanks can play a different and more prominent role in the scientific process. In fact, the information contained in biobanks can fuel the scientific reasoning itself more than just accompanying it with management of specimens and data. Information management for biobanks should integrate all kinds of information from various sources including clinical records and documents to support flexible retrieval and analytics based on that information. One of the key concepts to support this is to treat the sample like the patient or donor. Selecting a sample for a research trial may be done based on real-time data from the clinical processes. This closes the loop and opens the iron curtain between clinical processes and clinical research. It is a key requirement for supporting research for precision medicine allowing for dynamic decisions and trial designs. Another important aspect is collaboration and sharing of important information preserving data security and patient safety. Informed consent should be dynamically integrated into the scientific process and support patient/donor literacy for the scientific question. Aims More precisely we define requirements for biobank management systems to be: • Collaboration and global sharing of data; • Support for Scientific workflows and knowledge management; • Association of genotype and phenotype data and Integration of patient records; • Integration with registries and standards integration; • Support for informed consent. Methods We present a biobank architecture based on our product ‘Health Intelligence Platform (HIP)’ that supports these requirements. We describe a way to support scientific reasoning directly with HIP and integrate sample management in a way that it contributes to scientific reasoning and outcome. The NLP semantic information extraction together with information extraction from (semi)structured sources provide a necessary integration to support the link between sample and clinical information. The semantic convergence model of HIP supports semantic queries based on an integrated semantic information base. Selecting samples or running analytics based on this information is possible in real time. The flexible knowledge management supports quick adaption of the knowledge base. Researchers are able to adapt the ontologies by visual interaction with the data sources and semantic tagging. The semantic workbench supports roundtrip engineering of ontologies and conflict resolution. We will present an evaluation framework that compares traditional biobank processes with HIP biobank management. We present the integration capabilities and provide an outlook to allow patient participation in research to address upcoming issues in precision medicine. Conclusion: Biobank management with HIP supports biobank management by providing tools and services for horizontal (across stakeholders, workflows and collaborations) and vertical (across institutions and disciplines) semantic integration of data into one common data model. HIP biobank management supports semantic retrieval of sample data and associated scientific and patient centered information. The HIP Core is used already and is used to identify patients for clinical trials based on information from clinical records and documents.

We summarize our theory on existence, uniqueness and regularity of solutions for linear equations in infinitely many derivatives of the formf(∂t)ϕ=J(t),t≥0, where f is an analytic function such as the (analytic continuation of the) Riemann zeta function. We explain how to analyse initial value problems for these equations, and we prove rigorously that the functionϕ(t)=∑n≥1μ(n)nhJ(t−ln⁡(n)), in which μ is the Möbius function and J satisfies some technical conditions to be specified in Section 4, is the solution to the zeta nonlocal equationζ(∂t+h)ϕ=J(t),t≥0, in which ζ is the Riemann zeta function and h>1. We also present explicit examples of solutions to initial value problems for this equation. Our constructions can be interpreted as highlighting the importance of the cosmological daemon functions considered by Aref'eva and Volovich (2011) [1]. Our main technical tool is the Laplace transform as a unitary operator between the Lebesgue space L2 and the Hardy space H2.

The Hipercorig Hallstatt History (H3) project aims to unravel the entire Late Glacial to Holocene sedimentary succession recording past climate, environment, natural hazard impacts, human–environment interactions, and prehistoric mining history. We successfully cored 51 m of the sedimentary succession of Lake Hallstatt, revealing a high-resolution Late Pleistocene to Holocene sediment record, overcoming the previous coring limit of 15.63 m (dated to ∼ 2.3 ka cal BP). The novel drilling platform Hipercorig allows the recovery of undisturbed long cores and the acquisition of borehole logging data of deep lakes. The sedimentary record is spliced to a composite core profile, and for the first time borehole logging data are linked to a core–log seismic correlation of an intra-mountainous lake of the Eastern Alps. The recovered sequence consists of two major lithostratigraphic units: (i) Unit 1 (Holocene, 0–41.7 m below lake floor) with 10 (up to 5.1 m thick) instantaneous deposits and (ii) Unit 2 (Late Pleistocene, > 41.7 m below lake floor). The Late Pleistocene sediments comprise the Younger Dryas and the deepest recovered sediments likely date back to the Allerød interstadial. Within the Holocene, six different periods are observed in the core and borehole logging data, showing distinct physical property fluctuations and an overall increase in sedimentation rate upcore. Lake Hallstatt provides a unique prehistoric archive, being located within the UNESCO World Heritage area Hallstatt–Dachstein/Salzkammergut, a region with a rich history of human salt mining dating back to 3400 cal BP (Middle/Late Bronze Age) and one of the oldest documented cultural landscapes worldwide.

ABSTRACT Leishmania (L.) infantum is one of the main causative agents of animal and human leishmaniasis across many endemic areas in South America, Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Despite its clinical significance, little is known about the genetic diversity of L. infantum circulating in a given endemic area. Here, we investigate this important open question by applying a comparative genomics approach to seven L. infantum isolates from different hosts and Italian regions, including the northern part of the country (Emilia-Romagna, RER), Sicily, and Sardinia, as an initial attempt to explore the breadth of parasite genetic heterogeneity in Italy. Additionally, microsatellite analysis was carried out to compare the isolates from RER with other 70 L. infantum strains from the same region as well as 65 strains belonging to the L. donovani complex from other countries. We revealed important karyotypic instability and identified strain-specific changes in gene dosage, which affected important virulence factors such as amastins and surface antigen-like proteins. Single nucleotide polymorphism-based clustering analysis of these genomes together with over 80 publicly available L. infantum and L. donovani genomes placed the Italian isolates into three geographically distinct clusters within the Mediterranean basin and uncovered three isolates clustering with putative L. infantum/L. donovani hybrids isolated in Cyprus. As judged by microsatellite profiling, these hybrid isolates are representative of a sub-population of parasites circulating in northern Italy that preferentially infect humans but not dogs. Our results place Italy at the crossroads of L. infantum infection in the Mediterranean and call attention to the public health risk represented by the introduction of non-European Leishmania species.IMPORTANCEThis study closes important knowledge gaps with respect to Leishmania (L.) infantum genetic heterogeneity in a given endemic country, as exemplified here for Italy, and reveals genetic hybridization as a main cause for re-emerging human leishmaniasis in northern Italy. The observed high diversity of Leishmania parasites on the Italian peninsula suggests different geographical origins, with genomic adaptation to various ecologies affecting both pathogenicity and transmission potential. This is documented by the discovery of a putative L. infantum/L. donovani hybrid strain, which has been shown to preferentially infect humans but not dogs. Our results provide important information to health authorities, which need to consider the public health risk represented by the introduction of new Leishmania species into EU countries due to population displacement or travel from countries where exotic/allochthonous parasite species are endemic.

Estuarine dynamics are highly complex as a result of the temperature and salinity gradients, as well as the multiple interactions between atmospheric, maritime, and hydrological forcing agents. Given the environmental and socioeconomic importance of estuaries and their current and future threats due to human interventions and climate change, it is of vital importance to characterize these dynamics, monitor their evolution, and quantify the expected impacts derived from climate change. This paper presents a hybrid database combining data obtained in six field surveys (in 2012, 2013, and 2015) and results from a physically based 3D numerical model for the Bay of Cádiz (southern Spain), a highly anthropized mesotidal estuary. The 3D dataset includes water levels, currents, density, and wave climate, allowing for an analysis of bay dynamics at different timescales ranging from intratidal processes to seasonal variabilities. The results offer an example of the potential uses of the dataset and include (1) an assessment of the spatial and seasonal variability of the estuarine dynamics and (2) an analysis of the effects of severe weather events. These examples provide convincing evidence regarding how the dataset can be employed in multiple research fields and applications, including ocean–bay interactions, water exchange between basins, longwave and shortwave propagation along creek systems, and energy extraction of tidal waves. Therefore, this hybrid dataset may be of significant interest for stakeholders and scientists from different sectors (water engineering, ecology, urban development, energy, etc.) working on the environmental management of the Gulf of Cádiz and other tidally dominated shallow bays. It can also serve as a benchmark test for numerical hydrodynamic models, infrastructure intervention assessments (e.g., dikes or breakwaters), or renewable energy conversion system models. The dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7484186 (Zarzuelo et al., 2022b).

ObjectiveSepsis and septic shock are major challenges and economic burdens to healthcare, impacting millions of people globally and representing significant causes of mortality. Recently, a large number of quality improvement programs focused on sepsis resuscitation bundles have been instituted worldwide. These educational initiatives have been shown to be associated with improvements in clinical outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a multi-faceted quality implementing program (QIP) on the compliance of a “simplified 1-h bundle” (Sepsis 6) and hospital mortality of severe sepsis and septic shock patients out of the intensive care unit (ICU).MethodsEmergency departments (EDs) and medical wards (MWs) of 12 academic and non-academic hospitals in the Lombardy region (Northern Italy) were involved in a multi-faceted QIP, which included educational and organizational interventions. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock according to the Sepsis-2 criteria were enrolled in two different periods: from May 2011 to November 2011 (before-QIP cohort) and from August 2012 to June 2013 (after-QIP cohort).Measurements and main resultsThe effect of QIP on bundle compliance and hospital mortality was evaluated in a before–after analysis. We enrolled 467 patients in the before-QIP group and 656 in the after-QIP group. At the time of enrollment, septic shock was diagnosed in 50% of patients, similarly between the two periods. In the after-QIP group, we observed increased compliance to the “simplified rapid (1 h) intervention bundle” (the Sepsis 6 bundle – S6) at three time-points evaluated (1 h, 13.7 to 18.7%, p = 0.018, 3 h, 37.1 to 48.0%, p = 0.013, overall study period, 46.2 to 57.9%, p

Abstract Background Patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) frequently use homeopathic therapy. Although there is some evidence that homeopathy may be effective in treating symptoms of SAR, there is a lack of high-quality clinical trials. Therefore, the aim of the homeopathy for SAR (HOMEOSAR) trial is to determine the efficacy of individualized or standardized homeopathic drug treatment compared to placebo regarding rhinitis-related quality of life in patients with SAR. Methods This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, three-armed intervention study will be conducted at two university hospital outpatient clinics for complementary and integrative medicine in Berlin and in 12 office-based practices specializing in homeopathic treatment in Germany. A total of 270 patients with clinical symptoms of SAR and positive allergy test to birch and grass pollen will receive homeopathic anamnesis and subsequently be randomized into (a) standardized homeopathic drug treatment with Galphimia Glauca (potency D6), (b) individualized homeopathic drug treatment (D6), or (c) placebo. All three groups can receive on-demand rescue medication as needed. Treatment will consist of two consultations and daily intake of the study medication for 4 weeks during the pollen season. The primary outcome is the mean overall score of the Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) in weeks 3 and 4, analyzed using analysis of covariance (adjusted for baseline RQLQ overall score and study center). A closed testing procedure will be used to control the overall type I error comparing the 3 treatment groups. Secondary outcomes include the overall RQLQ and its seven domain scores, responder status (decrease in RQLQ overall score of at least 0.5 points compared to the baseline value), use of rescue medication, intensity of total and individual SAR symptoms based on visual analog scale, generic health-related quality of life, safety, utilization of health care resources and associated costs. In addition, a qualitative data analysis is planned. Conclusion The results of our study will contribute to clarifying the possible therapeutic effects of homeopathic drug treatment for patients with SAR. Trial registration This study has been registered in the German Clinical Trial Registry with trial ID DRKS00018081 on June 09, 2020.

Introduction: Cardioembolism may cause 20%–40% of all ischemic strokes. Up to 22% of cardioembolic strokes are associated with intracardiac thrombi and occur in patients with a high burden of comorbid cardiac disease. Aim and methods: To describe the in-hospital experience of stroke patients with intracardiac thrombi. A retrospective 1 center study was carried out. Demographic, clinical, stroke, echocardiographic, and outcome data of stroke patients with intracardiac thrombi were extracted. Results: From 2018 to 2019, 530 stroke patients were admitted. Nine (1.7%) had intracardiac thrombi, 100% males with mean age 63.3 years. There were a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, with anterior circulation stroke in 8 (88%) and large vessel occlusion in 8 (88%). Most had major echocardiographic findings and 8 (88%) had a discharge outcome Rankin scale score > 3. Conclusion: Intracardiac thrombus is not an uncommon cause of stroke. Cardiac ultrasound is a sensitive diagnostic method and should be sought in older patients with high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and history of cardiac disease. Resumen: Introducción: Los cardioembolismos son la causa de entre el 20% y el 40% de los ictus isquémicos. Hasta un 22% de los ictus cardioembólicos están relacionados con trombos intracardíacos y afectan a pacientes con una elevada carga de comorbilidad cardíaca.Objetivo y métodos: Describir la experiencia intrahospitalaria en pacientes con ictus y trombosis intracardíaca. Para ello, realizamos un estudio unicéntrico retrospectivo en el que recogimos datos demográficos, clínicos y ecocardiográficos y los resultados de pacientes con ictus y trombosis intracardíaca. Resultados: Entre los años 2018 y 2019, ingresaron 530 pacientes con ictus en nuestro centro. Nueve (1,7%) presentaban trombos intracardíacos, siendo todos ellos hombres con una edad media de 63,3 años. Observamos una elevada prevalencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular, en concreto infarto de circulación posterior en 8 (88%) y oclusión de gran vaso en otros 8 (88%). La mayoría presentó hallazgos ecocardiográficos relevantes y 8 de ellos obtuvieron una puntuación superior a 3 en la escala de Rankin al alta. Conclusión: La trombosis intracardíaca no es una causa infrecuente de ictus. La ecografía cardíaca es un método diagnóstico sensible que debe realizarse en pacientes de mayor edad con una elevada prevalencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular y antecedentes de patología cardíaca.

An overview is presented of the progress since 2021 in the construction and scientific programme preparation of the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility. Licensing for building construction has been granted at the end of 2021. Licensing for Cat. A radiologic source has been also granted in 2022. The construction of the toroidal field magnet system is progressing. The prototype of the 170 GHz gyrotron has been produced and it is now under test on the FALCON facility. The design of the vacuum vessel, the poloidal field coils and the civil infrastructures has been completed. The shape of the first DTT divertor has been agreed with EUROfusion to test different plasma and exhaust scenarios: single null, double null, X-divertor and negative triangularity plasmas. A detailed research plan is being elaborated with the involvement of the EUROfusion laboratories.

Opuntia is recognized economically as a significant crop for its nutritional, functional, and therapeutic properties and its potential in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and bioenergy industries. Opuntia is conventionally propagated by seed or vegetative propagation via rooted scions or grafting. However, multiplication procedures are insufficient for extensive spreading. One of the alternative techniques is in vitro. For this reason, the objective was to evaluate the growth of different components combined with light conditions to induce callus, embryogenesis, and the possible synthesis of a component in the genus Opuntia. The existence of genes involved in pigment synthesis in genotypes of different fruit colors was complementarily analyzed. In this study, we used different combinations of fructose (2 g/L) with prickly pear juice (2 mL/L), mannitol (4 g/L), silver nitrate (AgNO3: 1 mg/L), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D: 2 mg/L), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA: 1 g/L), with white, blue, and red LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and laser beams. These explants yielded sufficient contents of simple phenols, gallic acid equivalents (GAE: 2283.30 ± 6.29 mg/100 g), and coumaric (2155.0 ± 35.0 mg/100 g) and ferulic (2176 ± 27.9 mg/100 g) acids for the genotype Tapón aguanoso, and chlorogenic acid (CGA: 380.22 ± 22.05 mg/100 g) for the Copena V1 genotype. Upon analyzing the genotypes of different fruit pigmentations, we also observed the following: enzyme 4,5 estradiol dioxygenases can be present in all genotypes (regardless of pigmentation); enzyme 5,3 glucosyltransferases (GTs) could be induced in pigment synthesis in the genotypes of orange to purple fruits. Sequencing primer-amplified fragments for GT showed high similarity to uridine diphospho (UDP)-glucose from other species. This allows us to infer that it is possible to obtain products of high therapeutic value in the near future under controlled conditions.

Modern Earth Observation optical satellite systems, such as Airbus’s Pleiades Neo (PNeo) push the boundaries of high spatial resolution by providing commercial imagery products with up to 30cm ground sampling distance (GSD). To further enhance the quality of the images, the in-space imaging system is usually complemented by on-ground image restoration processing, such as deconvolution and denoising (Latry et al., 2012). Recent advances leverage Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to improve the image restoration quality (K. Zhang et al., 2021a).Single Image Super-Resolution (SISR), or Zoom, the process of obtaining a higher resolution (HR) image from a lower resolved (LR) source, has recently gained traction for both medium resolution sensors such as Sentinel 2 (Lanaras et al., 2018) and high resolution such as Pléiades and GeoEye-1 (Zhu et al., 2020). This process further enhances the resolution of the image to improve downstream applications such as mapping (L. Zhang et al., 2021) and small objects recognition (Shermeyer and Van Etten, 2019). While SISR for remote sensing has been successfully tackled using CNNs (Rohith and Kumar, 2021) the main challenge for reaching acceptable image quality performance lies in the generation of realistic LR/HR training pairs (K. Zhang et al., 2021b). In this paper, we propose:a dedicated simulation chain leveraging extremely-high-resolution (EHR) aerial imagery to generate realistic 30cm Pléiades Neo images and their corresponding fully restored HR equivalent at 15cm GSDA residual-based CNN architecture which we train to jointly restore and zoom the images All contributions are assessed on real PNEO images.We deployed the trained models in a production context, to enhance the full Pléiades Neo products – with a swath of 47k pixels – in an efficient and scalable manner.

Cancer whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing (cWGTS) has been challenging to implement in clinical settings. Here, the authors develop a workflow to deliver robust cWGTS analyses and reports within clinically-relevant timeframes for paediatric, adolescent and young adult solid tumour patients.

Not available.

Introduction Many studies have investigated whether there exist predictors of good response to antimanic drugs in bipolar disorder (BD). However, these factors predict response or only indicate benign illness course. Objectives To shed some light on the topic, we tested whether the response to antimanic drugs showed any variability beyond that expected by the effects of illness course and placebo. Methods We included all double-blind, placebo-controlled RCTs of oral pharmacotherapies targeting adult patients with acute bipolar mania from 1991 to 2020. The primary outcome was the variance of the improvement in manic symptoms in treated individuals compared to placebo. The effect size was the log variability ratio (logVR). We performed a random-effects meta-analysis, including assessments of heterogeneity, sensitivity/cumulative/subgroup analyses, and meta-regression. Results 42 RCTs (46 comparisons) from a total of 8,438 BD patients with acute mania (53.7% male, mean age=39.3; 5,563 treatment/2,875 control groups) were included in the analysis. Individuals in active treatment groups did not show variability in the response beyond that observed in individuals under placebo (VR=1; 95% C.I.=0.97,1.03; p-value=0.97). No heterogeneity was detected between the studies (I2=0%; tau2=0%; Q=29.21; df=45; p-value=0.97). Results were similar in the leave-one-out/cumulative/subgroup analyses. Meta-regression did not show influences by age, sample size, sex, severity of manic symptoms at baseline, or clinical features (rapid cycling, mixed or psychotic features). Conclusions This meta-analysis shows no evidence of differences in the individual response to treatments. These findings suggest that the average treatment effect is a reasonable assumption for the individual BD patient with acute mania. The presented article adds evidence to the equivalent results in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, clinical high-risk state for psychosis, and major depressive disorder, not supporting classification in responders vs. non-responders. However, these findings should be balanced with results from other fields supporting such classification. Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Soil organic matter (SOM) is an indispensable component of terrestrial ecosystems. Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics are influenced by a number of well-known abiotic factors such as clay content, soil pH, or pedogenic oxides. These parameters interact with each other and vary in their influence on SOC depending on local conditions. To investigate the latter, the dependence of SOC accumulation on parameters and parameter combinations was statistically assessed that vary on a local scale depending on parent material, soil texture class, and land use. To this end, topsoils were sampled from arable and grassland sites in south-western Germany in four regions with different soil parent material. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a distinct clustering of data according to parent material and soil texture that varied largely between the local sampling regions, while land use explained PCA results only to a small extent. The PCA clusters were differentiated into total clusters that contain the entire dataset or major proportions of it and local clusters representing only a smaller part of the dataset. All clusters were analysed for the relationships between SOC concentrations (SOC %) and mineral-phase parameters in order to assess specific parameter combinations explaining SOC and its labile fractions hot water-extractable C (HWEC) and microbial biomass C (MBC). Analyses were focused on soil parameters that are known as possible predictors for the occurrence and stabilization of SOC (e.g. fine silt plus clay and pedogenic oxides). Regarding the total clusters, we found significant relationships, by bivariate models, between SOC, its labile fractions HWEC and MBC, and the applied predictors. However, partly low explained variances indicated the limited suitability of bivariate models. Hence, mixed-effect models were used to identify specific parameter combinations that significantly explain SOC and its labile fractions of the different clusters. Comparing measured and mixed-effect-model-predicted SOC values revealed acceptable to very good regression coefficients (R2=0.41–0.91) and low to acceptable root mean square error (RMSE = 0.20 %–0.42 %). Thereby, the predictors and predictor combinations clearly differed between models obtained for the whole dataset and the different cluster groups. At a local scale, site-specific combinations of parameters explained the variability of organic carbon notably better, while the application of total models to local clusters resulted in less explained variance and a higher RMSE. Independently of that, the explained variance by marginal fixed effects decreased in the order SOC > HWEC > MBC, showing that labile fractions depend less on soil properties but presumably more on processes such as organic carbon input and turnover in soil.

En Argentina la mayor parte de la biomasa residual del cultivo de alcaucil es desechada cuando podría utilizarse en la producción de alimentos. El objetivo del trabajo consistió en caracterizar cuanti y cualitativamente la biomasa residual de tres genotipos de alcaucil para su potencial aplicación en alimentos. Los estudios se realizaron en la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias de la Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Zavalla (33º 01´S; 60º 53´ O) y en el Instituto de Investigaciones para el Descubrimiento de Fármacos de Rosario (IIDEFAR-UNR-CONICET), Argentina. Los genotipos utilizados fueron Gauchito FCA, Opal y Madrigal (Nunhems-BASF), tratados con tres aplicaciones de ácido giberélico, y un testigo sin tratar, evaluando su biomasa en 2016 y 2017. Las variables analizadas fueron: rendimiento en fresco y seco de planta entera, contenido de los antioxidantes ácidos clorogénico (AC) y dicafeoilquínico (DCQ), rendimiento seco de hojas, fibra total, celulosa, hemicelulosa, lignina, nitrógeno y proteína en planta entera. El diseño experimental fue en parcelas divididas, en bloques al azar con tres repeticiones; se aplicó ANAVA y DGC para el análisis estadístico. Se destacó Gauchito por su mayor rendimiento en fresco, contenido de DCQ en hojas y hemicelulosa en planta entera; mientras que Opal se destacó por su elevado contenido de AC en hojas, rendimiento en peso seco de hojas y planta entera, elevado % de fibra total y hemicelulosa en planta entera. El genotipo Madrigal presentó elevado contenido de proteínas y bajo porcentaje de lignina sin tratamiento de giberelinas. Concluyendo, la biomasa residual varía con los genotipos y la aplicación de giberelinas, pudiendo ser materia prima para obtener subproductos aplicables a alimentos, algunos más ricos en antioxidantes y otros con fibra de alto valor para la dieta humana o para la formulación de alimentos balanceados.

Despite extensive work on the superconductor-insulator transition in two-dimensional materials, the nature of the insulator is still debated. The authors report measurements and simulations of NbxSi1–x films, showing that conduction in the insulating state occurs by single charges hopping between superconducting grains.

Resumen: Escenario: La prevalencia de enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) aumenta en población mayor de 65 años y asocia morbilidad, dependencia y fragilidad. La diálisis peritoneal (DP) se ha considerado una técnica de paciente joven y vida activa. Hipótesis: La DP puede ser adecuada en pacientes de edad avanzada. Buscamos resultados desfavorables que contravengan esta hipótesis. Objetivo: Describir el tratamiento con DP en mayores de 65 años, evaluar su evolución clínica comparada con los menores de 65 e identificar áreas de mejora asistencial. Estudio: Prospectivo, observacional y multicéntrico en incidentes en DP, seguimiento hasta evento o fin del estudio (ene-2003 a ene-2018). Resultados: Se incluyen 2.435 pacientes; el 31,9% (777) eran mayores de 65 años. El tiempo medio de seguimiento fue de 2,1 años para ambos grupos. El grupo de edad avanzada era 25 años mayor, con más comorbilidad: diabetes (29,5% vs. 17,2%; p 65: 2,4 [1,9-3,0]; DM: 1,6 [1,3-2,1]; CV: 2,1 [1,7-2,7]. Y para el evento fallo de la técnica y paso a HD: Edad > 65: 1,5 [1,3-1,9]; DM: 1,6 [1,3-1,9]; trasplante renal previo: 1,5 [1,2-2,0]. Conclusión: Los pacientes mayores de 65 años cumplen los objetivos de calidad intermedios y se mantienen en DP el tiempo suficiente como para seguir ofertando esta técnica. Es necesario mejorar la prevención de infecciones y del agotamiento del paciente/cuidador con medidas de soporte para evitar la transferencia a HD por causas ajenas a las complicaciones de la técnica. Abstract: Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing in patients older than 65 years and is related to morbidity, frailty, and dependence. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has classically been associated with young patients with an active life. Hypothesis: PD should be offered to patients over 65 years. We search for any unfavorable results that may advice not to recommend PD therapy for this group. Objective: To describe PD treatment and outcomes in patients > 65 years, to compare their results with patients 65 years. The main reason was caregiver or patient fatigue (20.2%), and not technique failure (7.3%).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed a relation (HR [95%CI]) between mortality and age > 65 years 2.4 [1.9-3.0]; DM 1.6 [1.3-2.1]; CV events 2.1 [1.7-2.7]. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identify a relation between technique failure and age > 65 years 1.5 [1.3-1.9]; DM 1.6 [1.3-1.9] and previous transplant 1.5 [1.2-2.0]. Conclusion: Patients older than 65 years fulfilled PD adequacy criteria during the follow up. We believe PD is a valid option for patients older 65 years. It is necessary to try to prevent infections and patient/caregiver fatigue, to avoid HD transfer for reasons not related to technique failure.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing in patients older than 65 years and is related to morbidity, frailty, and dependence. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has classically been associated with young patients with an active life. Hypothesis: PD should be offered to patients over 65 years. We search for any unfavorable results that may advice not to recommend PD therapy for this group. Objective: To describe PD treatment and outcomes in patients > 65 years, to compare their results with patients < 65 years and to identify areas with room for improvement in a real-life study. Study: Prospective, observational, and multicenter study performed in incident PD patients, from January 2003 until January 2018. Results: We included 2,435 PD patients, 31.9% were older than 65 years; there was a difference of 25 years between both groups. Median follow up was 2.1 years. Older than 65 years group had more comorbidity: Diabetes (29.5% vs 17.2%; p < 0.001), previous CV events 34.5% vs 14.0%; p < 0.001), Charlson index (3.8 vs 3.0; p < 0.001).We did not find differences in efficacy and PD adequacy objectives fulfillment, anaemia management or blood pressure during follow-up. Peritonitis rate was higher in older 65 years group (0.65 vs 0.45 episodes/patient/year; p < 0.001), but there was not differences in germs, admission rate and follow up. Mortality was higher in older 65 years group (28.4% vs 9.4%) as expected. PD permanence probability was similar (2.1 years). The main cause of PD withdrawal was transplant in group < 65 years (48.3%) and transfer to HD in group > 65 years. The main reason was caregiver or patient fatigue (20.2%), and not technique failure (7.3%).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed a relation (HR [95%CI]) between mortality and age > 65 years 2.4 [1.9-3.0]; DM 1.6 [1.3-2.1]; CV events 2.1 [1.7-2.7]. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identify a relation between technique failure and age > 65 years 1.5 [1.3-1.9]; DM 1.6 [1.3-1.9] and previous transplant 1.5 [1.2-2.0]. Conclusion: Patients older than 65 years fulfilled PD adequacy criteria during the follow up. We believe PD is a valid option for patients older 65 years. It is necessary to try to prevent infections and patient/caregiver fatigue, to avoid HD transfer for reasons not related to technique failure. Resumen: Escenario: La prevalencia de enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) aumenta en población mayor de 65 años y asocia morbilidad, dependencia y fragilidad. La diálisis peritoneal (DP) se ha considerado una técnica de paciente joven y vida active. Hipótesis: La DP puede ser adecuada en pacientes de edad avanzada. Buscamos resultados desfavorables que contravengan esta hipótesis. Objetivo: Describir el tratamiento con DP en mayores de 65 años, evaluar su evolución clínica comparada con los menores de 65 e identificar áreas de mejora asistencial. Estudio: Prospectivo, observacional y multicéntrico en incidentes en DP, seguimiento hasta evento o fin del estudio (ene-2003 a ene-2018). Resultados: Se incluyen 2.435 pacientes; el 31,9% (777) eran mayores de 65 años. El tiempo medio de seguimiento fue de 2,1 años para ambos grupos. El grupo de edad avanzada era 25 años mayor, con más comorbilidad: diabetes (29,5% vs. 17,2%; p < 0,001), evento CV previo (34,5% vs. 14,0%; p < 0,001) e índice de Charlson sin edad (3,8 vs. 3,0; p < 0,001). No encontramos diferencias en cumplimiento de objetivos intermedios de eficacia de DP, control de anemia o hipertensión durante el seguimiento. La tasa de peritonitis fue mayor en la cohorte mayor de 65 años (0,65 vs. 0,45 episodios/paciente-año; p < 0,001), aunque la distribución gérmenes, tasa de ingreso y evolución final fue similar en ambos grupos. Lógicamente, registramos mayor mortalidad en el grupo mayor de 65 años (28,4% vs. 9,4%), aunque el tiempo de permanencia en DP fue similar (2,1 años). La principal causa de salida fue el trasplante renal en jóvenes (48,3%), mientras que en los pacientes de mayor edad fue el paso a hemodiálisis, principalmente por cansancio de cuidador/autocuidado (20,2%) y no por fallo de la técnica (7,3%). El análisis multivariante por regresión de Cox identifica los factores de riesgo para mortalidad con los siguientes HR [IC 95%]: Edad > 65: 2,4 [1,9-3,0]; DM: 1,6 [1,3–2,1]; CV: 2,1 [1,7–2,7]. Y para el evento fallo de la técnica y paso a HD: Edad > 65: 1,5 [1,3–1,9]; DM: 1,6 [1,3–1,9]; trasplante renal previo: 1,5 [1,2-2,0]. Conclusión: Los pacientes mayores de 65 años cumplen los objetivos de calidad intermedios y se mantienen en DP el tiempo suficiente como para seguir ofertando esta técnica. Es necesario mejorar la prevención de infecciones y del agotamiento del paciente/cuidador con medidas de soporte para evitar la transferencia a HD por causas ajenas a las complicaciones de la técnica.

Abstract This research study contributes to the knowledge of the diversity and similarity of vegetation more than 5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH); the study was carried out in the montane forest located in Tungurahua, Pillaro, Baquerizo Moreno, Indiviso (01°18'S, 78°30'W), at an altitude of 30,400 m. A transect of 1000 m² was made, divided into 5 plots of 50 × 4 m. The species were identified by the ESPOCH Herbarium, and the values calculated were relative density (DR) and relative dominance (DMR) to obtain the Importance Index (IV). 18 families, 29 genera, and 33 species were found, corresponding to 249 individuals, in which the largest number of individuals were accounted for by Escallonia myrtilloides (8.03%), Macleania rupestris (7.63%), Vaccinium floribundum (6.02%), Gynoxis buxifolia and Miconia bracteolata with 5.62%, Bacharis teindalensis and Blechnum loxensis with 4.82%, and Maytenus vertillata, Hypericum laricifolium, Tibouchina lepidota, Brachyotum ledifolium, Sympoccos with 4.02%; the remaining species had lower values. The reason for finding both species of shrub paramo and high montane forest is not so clear, since physiognomically the area under study was a high montane forest. Furthermore, no studies have been conducted in other transition zones, but for this reason, a high number of species of two types of vegetation is found.

Bladder primitive neuroectodermal tumors are extremely rare but are most frequent in older adult.59-year-old man that complained of hematuria for the previous 24 h, urethral syndrome, and pain in the right renal fossa over the previous two weeks.No definitive management or treatment guidelines have been established. Hematuria is the most frequent symptom. Advanced age, metastasis, and incomplete tumor resection are determinants of a poor prognosis.Ewing-like bladder primary tumor is a rare entity with a poor prognosis, hence an aggressive treatment combining surgery and chemotherapy must be considered from the beginning.

Introduction Since the beginning of the pandemic, 4,745,519 cases, 396,878 hospitalizations and 82,884 deaths with COVID-19 have been reported in Spain. As of August 24, 2021, 76.4% of Andalusians over 12 years of age have the complete vaccination regimen. Objectives Main: to calculate the prevalence of COVID 19 infection, clinical evolution, and vaccination rate in a population of patients diagnosed with dual bipolar disorder. Secondary: compare these data with those obtained inpatients diagnosed with non-dual bipolar disorder. Methods Retrospective descriptive study. The study population is made up of patients diagnosed with dual bipolar disorder and non-dual bipolar disorder (according to DSM 5 criteria). Infection, admission, death, and vaccination data were obtained from the patient’s medical history. Results Of the 7 patients diagnosed with dual bipolar disorder, the prevalence of COVID 19 infection, since the beginning of the pandemic is 0% and of the 21 patients diagnosed with non-dual bipolar disorder the prevalence is 9.51% (2/21). Of the patients with COVID 19 infection, none required hospital admission and no deaths occurred. The vaccination rate in the group of patients with dual bipolar disorder is 85,71% (6/7) and in the group of non-dual bipolar disorder is 61.91% (13/21), no finding statistically significant differences between both groups. Conclusions In our study the prevalence of COVID 19 infection inpatients diagnosed with dual bipolar disorder is 0% and the vaccination rate is 85.71%. While in patients with non-dual bipolar disorder the prevalence is 9.51%, there were no admissions, no deaths and the vaccination rate is 61.91%. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Introduction Approximately one-third of stroke survivors develop poststroke depression. Post-stroke mania is relatively rare, with a prevalence of less than 2%. One review of case reports of late-onset mania in 2015 demonstrated that 51% of the patients had established vascular risk factors. In 28% of cases, the treatment of underlying organic cause contributed to successful remission of the manic episode. Objectives For this review, we aimed to compile published case reports from the past 20 years to review late-onset mania as one of the neuropsychiatric outcomes of stroke and its management. Methods literature search on Pubmed, PsychInfo, and Embase utilizing keywords combinations: Bipolar, Manic, Mania, Secondary, Stroke, Poststroke, Post-stroke, Elderly, Old, Late onset, Late-onset, Lateonset, Hemisphere, Brain, Vascular, Infarction. Results Among the 17 case reports, the age of onset of manic episode ranged from 47 to 86 with a mean of 67 years. Of the 17 cases, the right hemisphere was the most frequently affected (14/17, 82%), with cerebrovascular lesion involving the left hemisphere in 3 cases (17.6%). Conclusions Clinicians should consider mania secondary to an organic cause in patients presenting with focal or soft neurological signs or symptoms, manic episode with atypical symptoms such as visual or olfactory hallucinations, altered mental status, disorientation, impairment in memory or cognition, unusual age of onset for bipolar disorder, or unusual illness course such as single episode of mania or poor response to psychopharmacologic treatment. Some reviews suggest combination of mood stabilizers and second-generation antipsychotics. Benzodiazepines recommended as an adjunctive drug for acute management such as agitation, aggressive behavior or disinhibition. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Introduction Patients with mild cognitive impairment may present deficits in naming, speech production, oral comprehension and written comprehension. In the differential diagnosis, cerebrovascular disease that can lead to cognitive impairment must also be differentiated from endogenous depressive disorder or language impairment. Objectives The aim is to highlight the importance of differential diagnosis in cognitive disorders in relation to a case. Methods A 68-year-old female patient attended a psychiatric consultation derived from neurology when presenting a language disorder. The husband who accompanies her and the patient indicate that she has problems finding words and substitutes other expressions for them or sometimes does not answer or does so with something different from the topic that is being asked. She refers that she presents repetitive language with memory problems, alteration in the evocation of memories. The patient reports mood swings and irritability and crying with a low tolerance for frustration since she cannot express herself. Cranial MRI: cortical and central involutional changes. Periventricular leukoaraiosis and ischemic gliosis-like lesions in the white matter of both hemispheres. Psychopathological exploration: Conscious, oriented. She smiles at the questions but doesn’t answer them. Repetitive language. Alteration in the articulation of language. Depressed mood reactive to current situation. Some irritability Alteration in recent memory and evocation. Results She was diagnosed with organic mental disorder compatible with mild cognitive impairment. Treatment with rehabilitation of the language disorder of vascular etiology is established. Conclusions Imaging and neuropsychological tests should always be performed in a patient with language, memory, and mood disorders to study its etiology. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Abstract Background Acupuncture is used to treat patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy; however, the evidence is unclear. We present the design and methodology of the ACUDPN (ACUpuncture in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy) trial, which investigates the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate whether acupuncture is effective for the treatment of DPN symptoms. Methods This study is a two-armed, randomized, controlled, parallel group, open-label, confirmatory, multicenter trial (8-week intervention period plus 16 weeks of follow-up). Physicians in outpatient units in Germany who specialize in acupuncture treatment will treat 110 diabetes type II patients with clinical symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in the feet and legs with signs of neuropathy according to nerve conduction testing. The patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of the following two groups: (a) semi-standardized acupuncture plus routine care or (b) routine care alone. Acupuncture will consist of 12 treatments per patient over 8 weeks. The primary outcome will be the overall DPN-related complaints in the extremities after 8 weeks as measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Further outcome measures will include DPN-related pain, the Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI), Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain Impact (DPNPI) scores, and nerve conduction parameters of the sural nerve at weeks 8, 16, and 24. Discussion The results of this trial will be available in 2021 and will help clarify whether acupuncture can be considered effective for the treatment of DPN with regard to the subdimensions of the neuropathic clinical picture. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03755960 . Registered on 11 August 2018.

Resumen: Frente a la necesidad de encontrar una alternativa terapéutica que logre disminuir el impacto negativo de la COVID-19 y mejore el pronóstico actual de los pacientes, investigadores de todo el mundo se esfuerzan por aportar información que nos acerque a esta meta. Dentro de los potenciales fármacos, existen algunos de uso frecuente en dermatología: los antipalúdicos (cloroquina e hidroxicloroquina), la ivermectina, los antiandrógenos y la melatonina. Tanto estos como otros tratamientos se encuentran en la mira de la comunidad científica, siendo algunos foco de polémica y controversia. En el presente trabajo realizamos una revisión breve de los fármacos previamente mencionados, presentando los más recientes hallazgos con relación a su uso en la COVID-19. Abstract: Researchers the world over are working to find the treatments needed to reduce the negative effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and improve the current prognosis of patients. Several drugs that are often used in dermatology are among the potentially useful treatments: ivermectin, antiandrogenic agents, melatonin, and the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. These and other agents, some of which have proven controversial, are being scrutinized by the scientific community. We briefly review the aforementioned dermatologic drugs and describe the most recent findings relevant to their use against COVID-19.

Motor imagery (MI) is one of the most common paradigms used in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). This mental process is defined as the imagination of movement without any motion. In some lower-limb exoskeletons controlled by BCIs, users have to perform MI continuously in order to move the exoskeleton. This makes it difficult to design a closed-loop control BCI, as it cannot be assured that the analyzed activity is not related to motion instead of imagery. A possible solution would be the employment of virtual reality (VR). During VR training phase, subjects could focus on MI avoiding any distraction. This could help the subject to create a robust model of the BCI classifier that would be used later to control the exoskeleton. This paper analyzes if gait MI can be improved when VR feedback is provided to subjects instead of visual feedback by a screen. Additionally, both types of visual feedback are analyzed while subjects are seated or standing up. From the analysis, visual feedback by VR was related to higher performances in the majority of cases, not being relevant the differences between standing and being seated. The paper also presents a case of study for the closed-loop control of the BCI in a virtual reality environment. Subjects had to perform gait MI or to be in a relaxation state and based on the output of the BCI, the immersive first person view remained static or started to move. Experiments showed an accuracy of issued commands of 91.0± 6.7, being a very satisfactory result.

Abstract This study aimed to assess the role of multifocal visual-evoked potentials (mfVEPs) as a guiding factor for clinical conversion of radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS). We longitudinally followed a cohort of 15 patients diagnosed with RIS. All subjects underwent thorough ophthalmological, neurological and imaging examinations. The mfVEP signals were analysed to obtain features in the time domain (SNRmin: amplitude, Latmax: monocular latency) and in the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) domain (bmax: instant in which the CWT function maximum appears, Nmax: number of CWT function maximums). The best features were used as inputs to a RUSBoost boosting-based sampling algorithm to improve the mfVEP diagnostic performance. Five of the 15 patients developed an objective clinical symptom consistent with an inflammatory demyelinating central nervous system syndrome during follow-up (mean time: 13.40 months). The (SNR min ) variable decreased significantly in the group that converted (2.74 ± 0.92 vs. 4.07 ± 0.95, p = 0.01). Similarly, the (b max ) feature increased significantly in RIS patients who converted (169.44 ± 24.81 vs. 139.03 ± 11.95 (ms), p = 0.02). The area under the curve analysis produced SNR min and b max values of 0.92 and 0.88, respectively. These results provide a set of new mfVEP features that can be potentially useful for predicting prognosis in RIS patients.

Dialysis patients are a risk group for SARS-CoV2 infection and possibly further complications, but we have little information. The aim of this paper is to describe the experience of the first month of the SARS-Cov2 pandemic in a hospital haemodialysis (HD) unit serving the district of Madrid with the second highest incidence of COVID19 (almost 1000 patients in 100,000 h). In the form of a diary, we present the actions undertaken, the incidence of COVID19 in patients and health staff, some clinical characteristics and the results of screening all the patients in the unit.We started with 90 patients on HD: 37 (41.1%) had COVID19, of whom 17 (45.9%) were diagnosed through symptoms detected in triage or during the session, and 15 (40.5%) through subsequent screening of those who, until that time, had not undergone SARS-CoV2 PCR testing. Fever was the most frequent symptom, 50% had lymphopenia and 18.4%

Deficient angiogenesis and disturbed osteogenesis are key factors for the development of nonunions. Mineral-coated microparticles (MCM) represent a sophisticated carrier system for the delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2. In this study, we investigated whether a combination of VEGF- and BMP-2-loaded MCM (MCM + VB) with a ratio of 1:2 improves bone repair in non-unions. For this purpose, we applied MCM + VB or unloaded MCM in a murine non-union model and studied the process of bone healing by means of radiological, biomechanical, histomorphometric, immunohistochemical and Western blot techniques after 14 and 70 days. MCM-free non-unions served as controls. Bone defects treated with MCM + VB exhibited osseous bridging, an improved biomechanical stiffness, an increased bone volume within the callus including ongoing mineralization, increased vascularization, and a histologically larger total periosteal callus area consisting predominantly of osseous tissue when compared to defects of the other groups. Western blot analyses on day 14 revealed a higher expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and vice versa reduced expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) in bone defects treated with MCM + VB. On day 70, these defects exhibited an increased expression of erythropoietin (EPO), EPO-receptor and BMP-4. These findings indicate that the use of MCM for spatiotemporal controlled delivery of VEGF and BMP-2 shows great potential to improve bone healing in atrophic non-unions by promoting angiogenesis and osteogenesis as well as reducing early osteoclast activity.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of the polymorphonuclear neutrophils after an artificial insemination with different components in cows of the Ecuadorian Amazon. On October 20, 2018, 12 crossed dairy cows were used which belong to the dairy rodeo of the Centre of Research, Postgraduate and Conservation of the Amazon Biodiversity. The cows were all randomly divided in a similar period into three groups: cows, inseminated with distilled water (n = 4); cows, inseminated with diluent by Triladyl © (n = 4) and cows, inseminated with conventional semen, tested and with high fertilization marketed by Showcase Selections (n = 4). Before proceeding with the artificial insemination, cytological samples were taken from every cow using the technology of cytobrush. After the insemination of the three groups, the cytobrush and blood samples were repeated at 4 hours, 8 hours and 12 hours after insemination, having a total of 48 repetitions. The response of the N-PMN is observed for each treatment, showing that there are only significant differences (P≤0.05) in which semen is used in an artificial insemination. Showing a peak of N-PMN at 8 hours after being inseminated, it is exceeding the 5% limit to consider it a subclinical endometritis. It is concluded that there is a response of polymorphonuclear neutrophils after the artificial insemination with semen in cows of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Concerning one of the most important tasks of road structure management is the development of methods to predict their own functional or physical service life, which allows for objectively evaluating the state of road structures that are being considered or are already in operation with minimal labor and monetary incomes. Fuzzy logic systems constitute one successful methodology used for the valuation of pavement degradation. The clustering that focuses on pavement degradation conditions is normally performed by a visual inspection or using data collected by automated distress measurement equipment. Fuzzy sets theory provides different advantages for including a certain degree of uncertainty in the pavement performance index, subjective analysis, and maintenance assessments and can greatly improve consistency and reduce subjectivity in the degradation process. The main objective of this study was to develop a new fuzzy logic-based model to predict the functional service life of concrete pavement conditions and maintenance action evaluations concerning the airport network of Viña del Mar, Central Chile, and using pavement distress data from the Directorate of Airports, Ministry of Public Works of Chile. The proposed fuzzy logic model can be remarkably beneficial for design, construction, and maintenance, to evaluate design decisions for the measurable and objective valuation of deviations in the quality of construction, and for timely forecasting work based on continuous observing of the current infrastructure system.

Cooling drinking water using earthenware pitchers, botijo in Spanish, is an ancient method used satisfactorily in hot climate regions. The evaporation process through the ceramic wall of earthenware pitchers with different shapes and filled up with water is studied in this work when the surrounding ambient conditions remain steady. Thanks to the evaporation process, the water initially cools and later, once the minimum temperature is reached, it hots until either the ambient temperature is reached or the whole water evaporates. By using different analytical functions to model the botijo's shape and modeling mathematically the evaporation process by means of two ordinary differential equations, we have studied the behaviour of the different shapes. We have found that earthenware pitchers with small aspect ratios, large and isolated from ambient support bases, e.g. rested on a surface instead of hanged on something, are recommended to get better cooling. We also show that this can even be enhanced if their classical bulky belly is located as close to the bottom as possible.

One of the applications in Materials Science carried out at the Center for Technological Applications and Nuclear Development (CEADEN) is the technical support through several methods used, based on applied Physics for the restoration and maintenance of structures and objects holding artistic and social relevance in Havana city. The aim of this paper is to present two examples of X -ray Fluorescence and Diffraction materials characterization, intended to support conservation and restoration activities of the Cuban cultural and historic heritage: analyzed objects were pottery roof tiles for the restoration of the mansion known as The Green House at 5th Avenue, Miramar, as well as pigments from a Cuban fine artist’s canvas and palette.

Abstract We review the physics opportunities of the Future Circular Collider, covering its e+e-, pp, ep and heavy ion programmes. We describe the measurement capabilities of each FCC component, addressing the study of electroweak, Higgs and strong interactions, the top quark and flavour, as well as phenomena beyond the Standard Model. We highlight the synergy and complementarity of the different colliders, which will contribute to a uniquely coherent and ambitious research programme, providing an unmatchable combination of precision and sensitivity to new physics.

The use of brain-machine interfaces in people who has suffered a cerebrovascular accident could help the rehabilitation process through the cognitive involvement of the patient. These interfaces translate the brain waves into commands to control the movement of an assistant mechanical device. However, the control of these devices should be more stable and achieve a higher accuracy. This work studies if algorithms, such as Stockwell or Hilbert-Huang transform, can improve the control of these devices, and if a personalization by subject or electrode configuration is desirable. Besides, through the analysis of five volunteers is determined that the motor intention can not be detected only by data acquired previously to the movement using desynchronized/synchronized related events. Therefore, it is needed to extend the time processing to the two seconds after the movement starting.

Introduction In Spain, we are forced to familiarize ourselves with Arab-Muslim culture to properly treat our patients. The diagnosis becomes complicatedbecause western health professionals are not usually familiar with thisform of symptom presentation. Objectives The objective of this work is to study the influence of Arab culture and Muslim religion on the psychopathological symptoms presented duringa psychotic episode. Methods We present two cases of psychosis in two brothers of Maghreb originwho were treated for the first psychotic episode in the acute psychiatricunit in a Spanish regional hospital. Then, we carried out a litle researchfrom the literatura. Results The common psychopathological symptoms presented by two brothersof 26 and 27 years were: symptoms of thought, control and influence of the self. Delusional ideas of self-referential harm and persecution. Auditory and cenesthetic hallucinations. In the literature we find that patients with Islamic backgrounds whosuffer hallucinations can attribute these experiences to different beliefssuch as geniuses (jinn), black magic and the evil eye. One of the siblings was diagnosed with a psychotic episode withoutspecification, while the other brother got the schizophrenia label. Webelieve that this may be related to the fact that mental healthprofessionals generally tend to label fantastic stories as mind-blowingor delusional in nature. Conclusions 1. Religious beliefs and fantastic tales of Muslim culture can be considered psychotic symptoms if healthcare professionals are notfamiliar with this culture. 2. Teamwork between mental health professionals, translators and religious counselors can improve care for Muslim patients.

The use of adhesives constitutes a well-established technology in the aeronautical and automotive industries. A rising interest in the use of these materials has appeared in naval industry, where using adhesives in non-structural areas implies the reduction of welding to fix low weight components, making the joining process cheaper and faster. Among the different families of available adhesives, double-sided Pressure Sensitive Adhesives (PSAs) are considered of great industrial interest. A high performance PSA has been employed to join specimens of carbon steel coated with an epoxy painting scheme approved by the naval sector. The present paper reports for the first time the influence of some experimental application variables of this PSA-coated naval steel system on its mechanical behaviour. Standard shear and tensile tests have shown that the curing conditions, surface preparation and paint roughness have considerable effects on the resistance of these adhesive joints.

Quantum error correction requires the detection of errors via reliable measurements of multiqubit correlation operators. As these operations are inherently faulty, fault-tolerant schemes for realizing quantum error correction are required. Recently, a paradigm requiring only minimal resource overhead in the form of “flag” qubits to detect and correct errors has been proposed. We experimentally demonstrate a fault-tolerant weight-4 parity-check measurement scheme, where one additional flag qubit serves to detect errors, which would otherwise proliferate into uncorrectable weight-2 errors onto the qubit register. We achieve a parity measurement fidelity of 92.3(2)%, which increases to 93.2(2)% upon conditioning to the flag readout result, which shows that the measurement scheme intercepts intrinsic errors occurring throughout the sequence. We show that the protocol is capable of reliably intercepting faults by deliberately injecting bit- and phase-flip errors. For holistic benchmarking of the parity measurement scheme, we use an entanglement witnessing scheme requiring a minimal number of measurements to verify genuine six-qubit multipartite entanglement. The demonstrated fault-tolerant parity measurement scheme constitutes the key building block in a broad class of resource-efficient flag-based quantum error correction protocols including topological color codes. Our hardware platform is based on atomic ions stored in a microchip ion trap. The qubit register is dynamically reconfigured via shuttling operations enabling effective full connectivity without operational cross talk, thereby providing key prerequisites underlying fault-tolerant circuit design. These architectural features in combination with the demonstrated approach to flag-based fault-tolerant quantum error correction open up a route toward scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing.

El trabajo se realizó en la FCA-UNR en otoño, invierno y primavera, con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de los sistemas de producción, forma de sujeción y días de almacenamiento sobre el rendimiento y las pérdidas poscosecha. El ensayo se realizó teniendo en cuenta tres factores: 1) sistemas de producción: invernadero (I), media sombra (MS), manta fl otante (MF) y campo (C), 2) formas de sujeción: manojo (A) y granel (G) y 3) días de almacenamiento. Las variables medidas fueron: rendimiento, materia seca, pérdida de peso por descarte y por agua e índice de color. En las tres épocas, I obtuvo el mayor rendimiento y menor contenido de materia seca. I y MF obtuvieron las menores pérdidas de peso por descarte en otoño; en invierno y otoño aumentan con los días de almacenamiento. I y MF registraron las menores pérdidas de peso por agua en otoño en los días 3 y 6 de almacenamiento. La acelga mostró una tendencia hacia el verde amarillento en MF en otoño, C en invierno e I en primavera, en todos los días de almacenamiento.

Abstract Background We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of two different forms of dry pulsatile cupping in patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP) compared to medication on demand only in a three-armed randomized trial. Methods 110 cLBP patients were randomized to regular pulsatile cupping with 8 treatments plus paracetamol on demand (n = 37), minimal cupping with 8 treatments plus paracetamol on demand (n = 36) or the control group with paracetamol on demand only (n = 37). Primary outcome was the pain intensity on a visual analogue scale (VAS, 0–100 mm) after 4 weeks, secondary outcome parameter included VAS pain intensity after 12 weeks, back function as measured with the ‘Funktionsfragebogen Hannover Rücken’ (FFbH-R) and health related quality of life questionnaire Short form 36 (SF-36) after 4 and 12 weeks. Results The mean baseline-adjusted VAS after 4 weeks was 34.9 mm (95% CI: 28.7; 41.2) for pulsatile cupping, 40.4 (34.2; 46.7) for minimal cupping and 56.1 (49.8; 62.4) for control group, resulting in statistically significant differences between pulsatile cupping vs. control (21.2 (12.2; 30.1); p

Holonic manufacturing systems are formed by holons that are capable of behaving in an autonomous, cooperative, selforganized and reconfigurable way to adopt dierent structures under normal and emergency operating conditions. These holons possess: (1) a representation of the world in which they live, (2) a distributed and decentralized control unit, and (3) a coordination module. The object of interest of the present research is the conception of a unified ontology in manufacturing domain, that guarantees the requirements in the formalism of the knowledge model of a holonic system. Unlike the ontological models found in the literature, the proposed knowledge representation scheme integrates roles and behaviors, which are validated through a case study of a manufacturing cell from a university laboratory. The results show that by using a common vocabulary, it is possible to represent knowledge coherently so that all kinds of holons in a holarchy can exchange, share and retrieve information.