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The large Bunyavirales order includes several families of viruses with a segmented ambisense (−) RNA genome and a cytoplasmic life cycle that starts by synthesizing viral mRNA. The initiation of transcription, which is common to all members, relies on an endonuclease activity that is responsible for cap-snatching. In La Crosse virus, an orthobunyavirus, it has previously been shown that the cap-snatching endonuclease resides in the N-terminal domain of the L protein. Orthobunyaviruses are transmitted by arthropods and cause diseases in cattle. However, California encephalitis virus, La Crosse virus and Jamestown Canyon virus are North American species that can cause encephalitis in humans. No vaccines or antiviral drugs are available. In this study, three known Influenza virus endonuclease inhibitors (DPBA, L-742,001 and baloxavir) were repurposed on the La Crosse virus endonuclease. Their inhibition was evaluated by fluorescence resonance energy transfer and their mode of binding was then assessed by differential scanning fluorimetry and microscale thermophoresis. Finally, two crystallographic structures were obtained in complex with L-742,001 and baloxavir, providing access to the structural determinants of inhibition and offering key information for the further development of Bunyavirales endonuclease inhibitors.

The adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) has been identified as a therapeutic target for treating neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. In recent years, we have highlighted the 2-aminoquinazoline heterocycle as an promising scaffold for designing new A2AR antagonists, exemplified by 6-bromo-4-(furan-2-yl)quinazolin-2-amine 1 (Ki (hA2AR) = 20 nM). Here, we report the synthesis of new 2-aminoquinazoline derivatives with substitutions at the C6- and C7-positions, and the introduction of aminoalkyl chains containing tertiary amines at the C2-position to enhance antagonist activity and solubility properties. Compound 5m showed a high affinity for hA2AR with a Ki value of 5 nM and demonstrated antagonist activity with an IC50 of 6 µM in a cyclic AMP assay. Introducing aminopentylpiperidine and 4-[(piperidin-1-yl)methyl]aniline substituents maintained the binding affinities (9x, Ki = 21 nM; 10d, Ki = 15 nM) and functional antagonist activities (9x, IC50 = 9 µM; 10d, IC50 = 5 µM) of the synthesized compounds while improving solubility. This study provides insights into the future development of A2AR antagonists for therapeutic applications.

To assess the effects of the eFisioTrack monitoring system on clinical variables in patients with prescribed physiotherapy for shoulder injuries, twenty-four adult patients with shoulder orthopaedic injuries who underwent physical therapy treatment in a hospital setting participated in the study (twelve in the experimental group and twelve as controls). Clinical outcome measures were shoulder function and pain (Constant–Murley Score and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand or DASH score). Each variable was measured by a blinded physiotherapist at baseline and at one month follow-up. Patients performed the prescribed exercises either supervised by the physiotherapist (control group) or in a separate room without therapist supervision (experimental group). There were no statistically significant differences between groups before treatment or at follow-up for any outcomes (p ≥ 0.05). There was a statistically significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) of at least 10 points in both groups for the DASH score at follow-up. Differences in the total score and subjective components of the Constant–Murley were also evidenced within groups. The use of the eFisioTrack system showed similar results in clinical measures compared to those performed under the direct supervision of the physiotherapist. This approach might be suitable for providing an effective shoulder exercise program at home.

At present, the development of animation-based works for human–computer interaction applications has increased. To generate animations, actions are pre-recorded and animation flows are configured. In this research, from two images of letters of the sign language alphabet, intermediate frames were generated using a numerical traced algorithm based on homotopy. The parameters of a homotopy curve were optimized with a genetic algorithm to generate intermediate frames. In the experiments performed, sequences where a person executes pairs of letters in sign language were recorded and animations of the same pairs of letters were generated with the proposed method. Subsequently, the similarity of the real sequences to the animations was measured using Dynamic Time Wrapping. The results obtained show that the images obtained are consistent with their execution by a person. Animation files between sign pairs were created from sign images, with each file weighing an average of 18.3 KB. By having sequences between pairs of letters it is possible to animate words and sentences. The animations generated by this homotopy-based animation method optimized with a genetic algorithm can be used in various deaf interaction applications to provide assistance. From several pairs of letters a file base was generated using the animations between pairs of letters; with these files you can create animations of words and sentences.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America and Europe. The clinical manifestations of Lyme disease vary based on the genospecies of the infecting Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete, but the microbial genetic elements underlying these associations are not known. Here, we report the whole genome sequence (WGS) and analysis of 299 B. burgdorferi (Bb) isolates derived from patients in the Eastern and Midwestern US and Central Europe. We develop a WGS-based classification of Bb isolates, confirm and extend the findings of previous single- and multi-locus typing systems, define the plasmid profiles of human-infectious Bb isolates, annotate the core and strain-variable surface lipoproteome, and identify loci associated with disseminated infection. A core genome consisting of ~900 open reading frames and a core set of plasmids consisting of lp17, lp25, lp36, lp28-3, lp28-4, lp54, and cp26 are found in nearly all isolates. Strain-variable (accessory) plasmids and genes correlate strongly with phylogeny. Using genetic association study methods, we identify an accessory genome signature associated with dissemination in humans and define the individual plasmids and genes that make up this signature. Strains within the RST1/WGS A subgroup, particularly a subset marked by the OspC type A genotype, have increased rates of dissemination in humans. OspC type A strains possess a unique set of strongly linked genetic elements including the presence of lp56 and lp28-1 plasmids and a cluster of genes that may contribute to their enhanced virulence compared to other genotypes. These features of OspC type A strains reflect a broader paradigm across Bb isolates, in which near-clonal genotypes are defined by strain-specific clusters of linked genetic elements, particularly those encoding surface-exposed lipoproteins. These clusters of genes are maintained by strain-specific patterns of plasmid occupancy and are associated with the probability of invasive infection.

The dataset presented in this article was used in a pilot randomized and controlled trial that evaluated the effectiveness of manual physical therapy (MPT) compared to conventional pharmacologic treatment (CPT) for treating chronic pediatric functional constipation (CPC). The pilot trial was carried out at the Central University Hospital of Asturias in Oviedo, Spain, with 47 children between 2 and 12 years old being evaluated by a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. Participants received 9 sessions of MPT which were spaced out weekly for the first two months and bi-weekly for the third month. The Pediatric Quality of Life questionnaire (PedsQLTM) scores were assessed at the start of the trial (Time 1), its end (Time 2), and 5 years later (Time 3). The dataset contains the collected raw data, including participant demographics data and PedsQLTM scores categorized by question group, as well as total scores for each participant at each time point. This dataset can be used to further analyze the results and the study can be potentially replicated.

Introduction Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) causes morbidity and affects the quality of life. Before diabetes diagnosis, neuropathic damage may be present. Sudoscan provides accurate measurement of the sudomotor function. This study aimed to assess the abnormalities detected by Sudoscan, offered estimates of DPN prevalence, and investigated the relationship between metabolic and clinical parameters. Additionally, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the Sudoscan compared with monofilament and tuning fork tests for detecting DPN.Research design and methods Cross-sectional descriptive study including patients with type 2 diabetes for

(1) Background: To develop an instrument in Spanish to assess beliefs and feelings about vaginal penetration and assess its psychometric properties. (2) Methods: This study translated and adapted the Vaginal Penetration Cognition Questionnaire into Spanish, and a total of 225 women who suffered from Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder were included in the study. The psychometric properties, including construct, convergent and discriminant validity, test–retest reliability, and internal consistency of the translated version were assessed. (3) Results: The Spanish version of the Vaginal Penetration Cognition Questionnaire is a valid, reliable, and consistent tool to assess beliefs and thoughts about vaginal penetration in women suffering from Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder. The exploratory factor analysis yielded four domains that explained 62.5% of the variance. Convergent and discriminant validity was also confirmed. Test–retest reliability was high, with an intraclass correlation coefficient value of 0.90, a standard error of measurement of 4.21, and a minimal detectable change of 11.66 points. Every domain also showed good internal consistency levels, with Cronbach’s α values ranging from 0.84 to 0.89. (4) Conclusion: The Spanish version of the Vaginal Penetration Cognition Questionnaire is a valid, reliable, and consistent tool to assess vaginal penetration cognition in women suffering from Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder.

Macroautophagy, an evolutionary conserved catabolic process in the eukaryotic cell, regulates cellular homeostasis and plays a decisive role in self-engulfing proteins, protein aggregates, dysfunctional or damaged organelles, and invading pathogens. Growing evidence from in vivo and in vitro models shows that autophagy dysfunction plays decisive role in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD is an incurable and second most common neurodegenerative disease characterised by neurological and motor dysfunction accompanied of non-motor symptoms that can also reduce the life quality of patients. Despite the investment in research, the aetiology of the disease is still unknown and the therapies available are aimed mostly at ameliorating motor symptoms. Hence, therapeutics regulating the autophagy pathway might play an important role controlling the disease progression, reducing neuronal loss and even ameliorating non-motor symptoms. In this review, we highlight potential therapeutic opportunities involved in different targeting options like an initiation of autophagy, Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) inhibition, mitophagy, lysosomes, lipid metabolism, immune system, gene expression, biomarkers, and also non-pharmacological interventions. Thus, strategies to identify therapeutics targeting the pathways modulating autophagy might hold a future for therapy development against PD.

Synapses are critical for neuronal communication and brain function. To maintain neuronal homeostasis, synapses rely on autophagy. Autophagic alterations cause neurodegeneration and synaptic dysfunction is a feature in neurodegenerative diseases. In Parkinson's disease (PD), where the loss of synapses precedes dopaminergic neuron loss, various PD-causative proteins are involved in the regulation of autophagy. So far only a few factors regulating autophagy at the synapse have been identified and the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy at the synapse is only partially understood. Here, we describe Endophilin-B (EndoB) as a novel player in the regulation of synaptic autophagy in health and disease. We demonstrate that EndoB is required for autophagosome biogenesis at the synapse, whereas the loss of EndoB blocks the autophagy induction promoted by the PD mutation LRRK2G2019S. We show that EndoB is required to prevent neuronal loss. Moreover, loss of EndoB in the Drosophila visual system leads to an increase in synaptic contacts between photoreceptor terminals and their post-synaptic synapses. These data confirm the role of autophagy in synaptic contact formation and neuronal survival.

Abstract Background To investigate and contrast the prevalence of dry eye symptoms in construction workers and office workers using the OSDI questionnaire. Methods A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted using the OSDI questionnaire to evaluate dry eye symptoms and associated risk factors. Sampled size calculation with a power of 80% and a 95% degree of confidence suggested the inclusion of 298 participants. Results We studied 304 subjects (149 construction workers and 155 office workers). More than half (55%) of the participants presented dry eye symptoms (OSDI > 12). The average OSDI score was 21.30 ± 22.20 points, being lower in the group of construction workers (12.45 ± 17.50) than in-office workers (28.51 ± 22.99) (p

Neurodegenerative diseases are, at present, major socio-economic burdens without effective treatments and their increasing prevalence means that these diseases will be a challenge for future generations. Neurodegenerative diseases may differ in etiology and pathology but are often caused by the accumulation of dysfunctional and aggregation-prone proteins. Autophagy, a conserved cellular mechanism, deals with cellular stress and waste product build-up and has been shown to reduce the accumulation of dysfunctional proteins in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. Historically, progress in understanding the precise function of lipids has traditionally been far behind other biological molecules (like proteins) but emerging works demonstrate the importance of lipids in the autophagy pathway and how the disturbance of lipid metabolism is connected to neurodegeneration. Here we review how altered autophagy and the disturbance of lipid metabolism, particularly of phosphoinositols and sphingolipids, feature in neurodegenerative diseases and address work from the field that suggests that these potentially offer an opportunity of therapeutic intervention.

Automatic quantification of image parameters is a powerful and necessary tool to explore and analyze crucial cell biological processes. This article describes two ImageJ/Fiji automated macros to approach the analysis of synaptic autophagy and exosome release from 2D confocal images. Emerging studies point out that exosome biogenesis and autophagy share molecular and organelle components. Indeed, the crosstalk between these two processes may be relevant for brain physiology, neuronal development, and the onset/progression of neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, we describe here the macros “Autophagoquant” and “Exoquant” to assess the quantification of autophagosomes and exosomes at the neuronal presynapse of the Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ) in Drosophila melanogaster using confocal microscopy images. The Drosophila NMJ is a valuable model for the study of synapse biology, autophagy, and exosome release. By use of Autophagoquant and Exoquant, researchers can have an unbiased, standardized, and rapid tool to analyze autophagy and exosomal release in Drosophila NMJ.Code available at: https://github.com/IreneSaMi/Exoquant-Autophagoquant

Solar energy currently plays a significant role in supplying clean and renewable electric energy worldwide. Harnessing solar energy through PV plants requires problems such as site selection to be solved, for which long-term solar resource assessment and photovoltaic energy forecasting are fundamental issues. This paper proposes a fast-track methodology to address these two critical requirements when exploring a vast area to locate, in a first approximation, potential sites to build PV plants. This methodology retrieves solar radiation and temperature data from free access databases for the arbitrary division of the region of interest into land cells. Data clustering and probability techniques were then used to obtain the mean daily solar radiation per month per cell, and cells are clustered by radiation level into regions with similar solar resources, mapped monthly. Simultaneously, temperature probabilities are determined per cell and mapped. Then, PV energy is calculated, including heat losses. Finally, PV energy forecasting is accomplished by constructing the P50 and P95 estimations of the mean yearly PV energy. A case study in Mexico fully demonstrates the methodology using hourly data from 2000 to 2020 from NSRDB. The proposed methodology is validated by comparison with actual PV plant generation throughout the country.

Introduction To assess the cost-effectiveness of a multidisciplinary and comprehensive innovative diabetes care program (CAIPaDi) versus usual treatment in public health institutions.Research design and methods Using a cost-effectiveness analysis, we compared the CAIPaDi program versus usual treatment given in Mexican public health institutions. The analysis was based on the IQVIA Core Diabetes Model, a validated simulation model used to estimate long-term clinical outcomes. Data were prospectively obtained from the CAIPaDi program and from public databases and published papers. Health outcomes were expressed in terms of life-years gained and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Health and economic outcomes were estimated from a public perspective and discounted at 5% per year over a 20-year horizon. Costs are reported in US dollars (US$) of 2019. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed using life-years gained and QALYs.Results The CAIPaDi costs on average US$559 (95% CI: −$879 to −$239) less than the usual treatment (95% CI: −$879 to −$239) and produced a difference in mean life-years gained (0.48, 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.52) and mean QALYs (1.43, 95% CI: 1.40 to 1.46). The cost-effectiveness ratio resulted in a saving per life-year gained of −US$1155 (95% CI: −$1962 to −$460). Mean differences in QALYs resulted in a saving per QALY of −US$735 (95% CI: −$1193 to −$305). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis proved the results are robust on both life-years gained and QALYs.Conclusions CAIPaDi has a better cost-effectiveness ratio than the usual therapy in Mexican public health institutions.

Objective To determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular oedema (DME) and their associated risk factors in patients recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.Methods and analysis We carried out a cross-sectional study from April 2014 to August 2017. We included patients aged ≥18 years. Diabetes was defined as fasting plasma glucose of >7.8 mmol/L or 2-hour postload plasma glucose of >11.1 mmol/L. Non-mydriatic fundus examination with a digital-fundus camera was performed. Three images centred in the macula, optic disc and temporal to the macula were obtained and graded according to the Scottish Scale Classification of Diabetic Retinopathy.Results 1232 patients (mean age 51.5 years) with a diabetes duration of 0–5 years were examined. Age-adjusted and sex-adjusted prevalence of DR and DME was 17.4% (95% CI 15.3% to 19.6%) and 6.6% (95% CI 5.4% to 8.2%), respectively. DR was associated with diabetes duration (OR per year=1.20, p

Neural crest cells (NCC) migrate extensively in vertebrate embryos to populate diverse derivatives including ganglia of the peripheral nervous system. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that lead migrating trunk NCC to settle at selected sites in the embryo, ceasing their migration and initiating differentiation programs. To identify candidate genes involved in these processes, we profiled genes up-regulated in purified post-migratory compared with migratory NCC using a staged, macroarrayed cDNA library. A secondary screen of in situ hybridization revealed that many genes are specifically enhanced in neural crest-derived ganglia, including macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a ligand for CXCR4 receptor. Through in vivo and in vitro assays, we found that MIF functions as a potent chemoattractant for NCC. These results provide a molecular profile of genes expressed concomitant with gangliogenesis, thus, offering new markers and potential regulatory candidates involved in cessation of migration and onset of differentiation.

In the design of a controller for grasping objects through a robotic manipulator, there are two key problems: to find the position of the object to be grasped accurately, and to apply the appropriate force to each finger to handle the object properly without causing undesirable movement of it during its manipulation. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is widely used to grasp objects in robotics; however, its main shortcomings are its sensitivity to controller gains, sluggish response, and high starting overshooting. This research presents three coupled (position/force) controllers for object manipulation using an assembled robotic manipulator (i.e., a gripper attached to a robotic arm mounted on a mobile robot). Specifically, an angular gripper was employed in this study, which was composed of two independent fingers with a piezoelectric force sensor attached to each fingertip. The main contributions of this study are the designs and implementations of three controllers: a classic PID controller, a type-I controller, and a type-II fuzzy controller. These three controllers were used to find an object to be grasped properly (position) and apply an equivalent force to each finger (force).

Novel strategies have been developed to reduce or avoid intravitreal injections (IVTs) of the antiangiogenic (ranibizumab (RBZ)) and anti-inflammatory (triamcinolone acetonide (TA)) agents used to treat vitreoretinal diseases. One of the strategies includes liposomes. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of a topical triamcinolone-loaded liposome formulation (TALF) as an adjuvant to intravitreal RBZ therapy in treatment- naïve patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Subjects were randomly assigned to the RBZ-TALF or the RBZ-pro re nata (RBZ-PRN) groups. Patients from the RBZ-TALF group were instructed to apply TALF for 12 months after a single dose of RBZ. Patients from the RBZ-PRN group received three monthly RBZ-IVTs. Retreatment with RBZ was considered in the case of nAMD reactivation. Regarding safety, non-ocular abnormalities were observed during TALF therapy. Concerning efficacy, non-significant differences were identified in terms of visual acuity or central foveal thickness when the RBZ-PRN and RBZ-TALF groups were compared. It is worth noting that the average number of RBZ injections was significantly lower in the RBZ-TALF group (2.5 ± 1.4 vs. 6.1 ± 1.3 IVTs; p = 0.0004). Therefore, TALF used as an adjuvant to RBZ reduces the need for RBZ-IVT retreatment with optimal visual and anatomic results.

Background: The Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment–Patella (VISA-P) scale is the most condition-specific patient-reported outcome measure used to assess symptom severity in athletes with patellar tendinopathy. Previous exploratory factor analyses have been conducted to evaluate the scale's dimensionality, with inconsistent results, and the factor structure of the scale remains unclear. The aims of the present study were to determine the factorial structure of the VISA-P scale using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and test measurement invariance across sexes. Methods: The study included a convenience sample of 249 Spanish athletes with patellar tendinopathy. CFA was performed to assess factorial validity. Hypothesized 1- and 2-factor models were tested. Measurement invariance across sexes was evaluated via multi-group CFA with several fit indices using EQS 6.1 software. Results: The internal consistency coefficient was 0.74. Several CFA models were examined and the 1-factor model in which errors for Items 7 and 8 were correlated showed acceptable fit in terms of comparative fit index (CFI) and goodness-of-fit index (GFI) statistics (CFI = 0.93; GFI = 0.94; standardized root mean square residual = 0.06; root mean square error of approximation = 0.10; 90% confidence interval: 0.08–0.13). This model was invariant across sexes. Conclusion: The 1-factor model of the Spanish version of the VISA-P scale (VISA-P-Sp) in which errors for Items 7 and 8 were correlated demonstrated relative fit in CFA. Scores obtained via VISA-P-Sp can be compared between men and women without sexes bias. Further studies should examine the VISA-P scale and other single-score patient-reported outcome measures concurrently.

Online shopping is becoming more and more common in our daily lives. Understanding users' interests and behavior is essential to adapt e-commerce Web sites to customers' requirements. The information about users' behavior is stored in the Web server logs. The analysis of such information has focused on applying data mining techniques, where a rather static characterization is used to model users' behavior, and the sequence of the actions performed by them is not usually considered. Therefore, incorporating a view of the process followed by users during a session can be of great interest to identify more complex behavioral patterns. To address this issue, this paper proposes a linear-temporal logic model checking approach for the analysis of structured e-commerce Web logs. By defining a common way of mapping log records according to the e-commerce structure, Web logs can be easily converted into event logs where the behavior of users is captured. Then, different predefined queries can be performed to identify different behavioral patterns that consider the different actions performed by a user during a session. Finally, the usefulness of the proposed approach has been studied by applying it to a real case study of a Spanish e-commerce Web site. The results have identified interesting findings that have made possible to propose some improvements in the Web site design with the aim of increasing its efficiency.

Aims: In this research we assessed the prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and its association with social determinants such as indigenous origin and residence area in population from Comitan, Chiapas, Mexico. Methods: The Comitan Study is a population-based study carried out from 2010 to 2012 that included 1844 participants aged ≥ 20 years, 880 indigenous and 964 nonindigenous participants. Ethnicity was ascertained by self-report and speaking an indigenous language was also recorded. Prediabetes was defined as fasting serum glucose 5.6–6.9 mmol/l or 2-hour post load serum glucose 7.8–11.0 mmol/l. Type 2 diabetes was defined as fasting serum glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/l or 2-h post load serum glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/l or previous clinical diagnosis. Results: Age-sex-adjusted prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes was 18.0% (95%CI 15.3–20.6) and 11.0% (95%CI 8.9–131.1) in nonindigenous and 10.6% (95%CI 8.4–12.7) and 4.7% (95%CI 3.3–6.1) in indigenous individuals, respectively. After stratifying by ethnicity, in both indigenous and nonindigenous participants the probability of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes increased with age and BMI. In both indigenous and nonindigenous participants the probability of type 2 diabetes was lower in those living in rural compared with urban areas. Conclusions: The prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes was significantly lower in indigenous than in nonindigenous participants. Also, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was lower in those living in rural areas. Health benefits of a traditional lifestyle may partially account for these differences. Keywords: Prevalence, Prediabetes, Noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Indigenous health, Population survey

Air classification (AC) is a cost-effective technology that separates the energy-dense light ash fraction (LAF) from the inorganic-rich high ash fraction (HAF) of corn stover. HAF could be upgraded into energy-dense solid fuel by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). However, HTC is a high-temperature, high-pressure process, which requires additional energy to operate. In this study, three different scenarios (i.e., AC only, HTC only, and integrated AC–HTC) were investigated for the energy recovery of corn stover. AC was performed on corn stover at an 8 Hz fan speed, which yielded 84.4 wt. % LAF, 12.8 wt. % HAF, and 2.8 wt. % below screen particles. About 27 wt. % ash was reduced from LAF by the AC process. Furthermore, HTC was performed on raw corn stover and the HAF of corn stover at 200, 230, and 260 °C for 30 min. To evaluate energy recovery, solid products were characterized in terms of mass yield, ash yield, ultimate analysis, proximate analyses, and higher heating value (HHV). The results showed that the energy density was increased with the increase in HTC temperature, meanwhile the mass yield and ash yield were decreased with the increase in HTC temperature. Proximate analysis showed that fixed carbon increased 18 wt. % for original char and 27 wt. % for HAF char at 260 °C, compared to their respective feedstocks. Finally, the hydrochar resulting from HAF was mixed with LAF and pelletized at 180 bar and 90 °C to densify the energy content. An energy balance of the integrated AC–HTC process was performed, and the results shows that integrated AC with HTC performed at 230 °C resulted in an additional 800 MJ/ton of energy recovery compared to the AC-only scenario.

The ability to plan a multiple-target path that goes through places considered important is desirable for autonomous mobile robots that perform tasks in industrial environments. This characteristic is necessary for inspection robots that monitor the critical conditions of sectors in thermal, nuclear, and hydropower plants. This ability is also useful for applications such as service at home, victim rescue, museum guidance, land mine detection, and so forth. Multiple-target collision-free path planning is a topic that has not been very studied because of the complexity that it implies. Usually, this issue is left in second place because, commonly, it is solved by segmentation using the point-to-point strategy. Nevertheless, this approach exhibits a poor performance, in terms of path length, due to unnecessary turnings and redundant segments present in the found path. In this paper, a multiple-target method based on homotopy continuation capable to calculate a collision-free path in a single execution for complex environments is presented. This method exhibits a better performance, both in speed and efficiency, and robustness compared to the original Homotopic Path Planning Method (HPPM). Among the new schemes that improve their performance are the Double Spherical Tracking (DST), the dummy obstacle scheme, and a systematic criterion to a selection of repulsion parameter. The case studies show its effectiveness to find a solution path for office-like environments in just a few milliseconds, even if they have narrow corridors and hundreds of obstacles. Additionally, a comparison between the proposed method and sampling-based planning algorithms (SBP) with the best performance is presented. Furthermore, the results of case studies show that the proposed method exhibits a better performance than SBP algorithms for execution time, memory, and in some cases path length metrics. Finally, to validate the feasibility of the paths calculated by the proposed planner; two simulations using the pure-pursuit controlled and differential drive robot model contained in the Robotics System Toolbox of MATLAB are presented.

Preprocessing with air classification, followed by a hybrid biochemical/thermochemical conversion scheme, was utilized to improve the quality of short rotation woody coppice (SRWC) for biofuels production. Air classification improved sugar release during enzymatic hydrolysis by 6–12% for poplar and willow coppice respectively. Total theoretical sugar release for these hardwood coppices was ~70%, which suggests that they could be utilized for biochemical conversion. Improved sugar yields after air classification were tied to compositional changes of reduced ash and extractives which can neutralize dilute acid pretreatment and inhibit fermentation. However, air classification was shown to have little to no effect on pyrolytic thermochemical conversion as it removed material without returning a significant improvement in liquid yield. It was also shown that pyrolysis of biochemical conversion lignin rich residue gives liquid yields comparable to whole tree (without any fractionation) pyrolysis, with a higher quality oil that has ~60% reduced total acid number. Using this combined biochemical/thermochemical conversion strategy can improve yields of fermentable sugars and pyrolysis liquid above 80%, instead of the 60% yield of sugars or bio-oil when using a single conversion strategy. Overall, it has been shown that preprocessing and hybrid conversion pathways are a viable strategy for maximizing biorefinery viability.

The present study was done in order to identify the fungus invading some of the supralittoral ponds used for shrimp aquaculture in the CIBNOR facilities in La Paz, Baja California Sur (BCS), México during the summer season. From the walls and bottoms of the ponds, two strains of Geotrichum spp. were isolated and morphologically identified. Fungal adhesion towards hemocytes and primary cultures of various white shrimp (Litopeneaus vannamei) tissues (gill, tegument, and gut) was analyzed to determine infectivity. Extracellular protease, lipase, and amylase activity were evaluated as virulence factors. Survival of shrimp post-larvae (PL8) exposed to fungal culture supernatant or to their filaments was also investigated. The results showed that shrimp tegument cells and hemocytes were very susceptible to Geotrichum spp. invasion, and that this fungus provokes great mortality of post-larvae. Hence, Geotrichum spp. could be considered an opportunistic pathogen that might represent a serious health risk to shrimp in culture.

One of the most common causes of implant failure is aseptic prosthesis loosening. Another frequent complication after prosthesis implant is the microbial colonization of the prosthesis surface, which often leads to a replacement of the prosthesis. One approach to reduce these complications is the application of bioactive substances to implant surfaces. Both an antibiotic prophylaxis and a faster osteointegration can be obtained by incorporation of bactericidal active metals in degradable calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings. In this study, thin degradable calcium phosphate ceramic coatings doped with silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and bismuth (Bi) on a titanium substrate were prepared with the aid of the high-velocity suspension flame spraying (HVSFS) coating process. To characterize the samples surface roughness, brightfield microscopy of the coatings, X-ray diffraction (XRD)-analysis for definition of the phase composition of the layers, Raman spectroscopy for determination of the phase composition of the contained metals, element-mapping for Cu-content verification, release kinetics for detection of metal ions and ceramic components of the coatings were carried out. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity of the coatings. For biocompatibility testing, growth experiments were performed using the cell culture line MG-63. Cell viability was investigated by Giemsa staining and live/dead assay. The WST-1 kit was used to quantify cell proliferation and vitality in vitro and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) kit to quantify cytotoxicity. The formation of hydroxyapatite crystals in simulated body fluid was investigated to predict bioactivity in vivo. The Safe Airborne Antibacterial Assay with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was used for antimicrobial testing. The results showed good biocompatibility of all the metal doped CaP coatings, furthermore Cu and Ag doped layers showed significant antibacterial effects against S. aureus.

We consider the singular semilinear elliptic equation $$ -Delta u-frac{mu }{| x| ^2}u-lambda u=f(x)| u| ^{2^{ast }-1} $$ in $Omega $, $u=0$ on $partial Omega $, where $Omega $ is a smooth bounded domain, in $mathbb{R}^N$, $Ngeq 4$, $2^{ast }:=frac{2N}{N-2}$ is the critical Sobolev exponent, $f:mathbb{R} ^No mathbb{R}$ is a continuous function, $0

The use of both bioglass (BG) and β tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) for bone replacement applications has been studied extensively due to the materials’ high biocompatibility and ability to resorb when implanted in the body. 3D printing has been explored as a fast and versatile technique for the fabrication of porous bone scaffolds. This project investigates the effects of using different combinations of a composite BG and β-TCP powder for 3D printing of porous bone scaffolds. Porous 3D powder printed bone scaffolds of BG, β-TCP, 50/50 BG/β-TCP and 70/30 BG/β-TCP compositions were subject to a variety of characterization and biocompatibility tests. The porosity characteristics, surface roughness, mechanical strength, viability for cell proliferation, material cytotoxicity and in vitro bioactivity were assessed. The results show that the scaffolds can support osteoblast-like MG-63 cells growth both on the surface of and within the scaffold material and do not show alarming cytotoxicity; the porosity and surface characteristics of the scaffolds are appropriate. Of the two tested composite materials, the 70/30 BG/β-TCP scaffold proved to be superior in terms of biocompatibility and mechanical strength. The mechanical strength of the scaffolds makes them unsuitable for load bearing applications. However, they can be useful for other applications such as bone fillers.

We prove a critical-point result which provides conditions for the existence of infinitely many critical points of a strongly indefinite functional with perturbed symmetries. Then we apply this result to obtain infinitely many solutions of non-symmetric super-quadratic noncooperative elliptic systems, allowing some supercritical growth.