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Wildfires are disturbances that occur in ecosystems, both naturally and derived from anthropogenic factors, often caused by extreme meteorological conditions, and have recurrently destructive impacts on forests throughout the world. The complex nature of the interactions between wildfires, their dynamics, and human interference from a climate change perspective has motivated a growing number of researchers to address this topic. The fire weather index (FWI) has been extensively used to analyze the link between meteorological fire danger and its local to regional characteristics contributing to the severity of these events, as well as real-time operational monitoring at national and international levels. Recently, a new improved fire danger index that includes the effect of atmospheric instability has been developed, the so-called FWIe. The presence of instability in the atmosphere may be a boost to more energetic wildfires, such as the June 2017 extreme event in central Portugal, making it an important asset in risk monitoring and management. Here, a comprehensive examination of future fire risk on the Iberian Peninsula was performed. Additionally, a comparative analysis between FWI and FWIe was pursued in the context of climate change. We computed both FWI and FWIe using a multi-model ensemble composed of 13 Euro-CORDEX Regional Climate Model (RCM) simulations forced by different global climate models. The historical period (1971–2000) and three projected periods of 30 years (2011–2040, 2041–2070, and 2071–2 100), under three emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5) were considered. When assessing modelled FWI and FWIe, results show that summer values tend to substantially increase in the future when assuming the historical period as the benchmark, with an expected extension of the danger period to June and, in a lower magnitude, to September. The north-western region of Iberia, including the north of Portugal and the north-western-to-central Spain are the regions with larger increases in danger in the future, which may be critical since these are the regions with more fire-prone vegetation. This work also points to large differences in fire danger projections among scenarios, calling for a distinct set of adaptation needs that should be timely prepared by stakeholders and authorities.

Abstract In this paper, thermally stable lead-bismuth-borate glasses were doped with 0.5 mol% of Pr3+ ions at several concentration levels of Yb3+ ions. Structural characterizations were performed via Raman, differential scanning calorimetry, optical absorption and fluorescence spectra. The Judd–Ofelt intensity parameter, $${\Omega }_2$$ Ω 2 , of Pr3+ doped glass was comparatively higher than those from reported ones, which reflects the increase of co-valency and asymmetry of chemical bonds in the local environment of Pr3+. Near-infrared emission in 900–2200 nm wavelength range was recorded through 443 nm blue laser pumping. Visible to near-IR quantum cutting and concentration quenching mechanisms were discussed to understand the luminescent behaviour. Intense IR emission ( $$\sim 1.0\,\upmu {\text {m}})$$ ∼ 1.0 μ m ) features generated by absorbing one visible photon leads to quantum efficiencies close to 128% in Pr3+/Yb3+ co-doped samples which may improve the solar spectrum absorption and accordingly, increase the efficiency of c-Si solar cells. Emission cross-section, lifetime, figure of merit and gain bandwidth corresponding to Pr3+: $$^3F_2 \rightarrow ^3H_4$$ 3 F 2 → 3 H 4 ( $$\sim 2.0\,\upmu$$ ∼ 2.0 μ m) were comparatively reported suggesting that the glass with molar composition 0.5Pr3+/0.1Yb3+ might be a potential candidate for $$\sim 2.0\,\upmu$$ ∼ 2.0 μ m laser operation with low pump threshold.

Abstract Background Malignant epithelioid neoplasm with ACTB-GLI1 fusion are considered different from the more common pericytic lesions, such myopericytoma, because they have a spectrum of different genetic abnormalities. They appear to pursue a benign clinical course in young adults, although in sporadic cases lymph node metastasis were described. The categorization of this new type of tumor may also lead to new therapeutic strategies, because they might be sensitive to SHH pathway inhibitors. Case presentation The case involves a 72-years-old multiparous woman who accessed our department after an incidental finding of a right adnexal mass of 43 mm with contrast-enhancement on a control computed tomography scan made for suspected diverticulitis. Our intervention was a detailed ultrasound description of the suspected neoplasm; a diagnostic laparoscopy and the contextual laparotomic removal of abdominal mass; its histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Our main outcome measure is the definition and future recognition of new pathologic entity called malignant epithelioid neoplasm with ACTB-GLI1 fusion. Conclusions We described for the first time the ultrasound characteristic of this type of lesion using standardized terminology and we believe that it may be the first step to improve the acknowledgement of this novel pathologic entity defined as malignant epithelioid neoplasm with GLI-1 fusions.

Endpoint: The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) in hospitalized older adults. Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional, and retrospective study. Older adults hospitalized in the Cardiology department between June 2019 and January 2020 were included in the study. PIPs were determined using the Beers and Screening Tool of Older Person’s Prescriptions (STOPP)/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right appropriate, indicated Treatment (START) criteria. A review of clinical records was carried out to identify principal ADRs to analyze their relationship using Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U test, and odds ratio on statistical software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences v22. Results: Five hundred and eighty-four patients were included in the study; 56% male, with a median age of 76 years. The prevalence of PIPs and ADRs was 46% and 64%, respectively. The PIPs demonstrated an odds ratio: 2.45 confidence interval (1.71-3.45), p = 0.0001 for ADRs. The prescription tools showed an adequate diagnostic value for ADRs with the following characteristics: Beers Criteria (sensibility: 37%, specificity: 81%) and STOPP Criteria (sensibility: 29%, specificity: 84%). Conclusions: PIPs were related to ADRs during the hospitalization, showing that the Beers Criteria and STOPP Criteria are adequate diagnostic value tools. Originality: First study in a Mexican population was to evaluate the relationship between PIPs and ADRs in hospitalized older patients.

Como estudiante asistente en forma virtual del diplomado en “Etnoeducación, Interculturalidad y Diversidad” expreso que fue la primera experiencia que tuve con el modelo educativo virtual, valioso e interesante por su contenido, plasmo los principales aportes que obtuve.

Rapid growth in the integration of new consumers into the electricity sector, particularly in the industrial sector, has necessitated better control of the electricity supply and of the users’ op-erating conditions to guarantee an adequate quality of service as well as the unregulated dis-turbances that have been generated in the electrical network that can cause significant failures, breakdowns and interruptions, causing considerable expenses and economic losses. This research examines the characteristics of electrical variations in equipment within a company in the industrial sector, analyzes the impact generated within the electrical system according to the need for operation in manufacturing systems, and proposes a new solution through automation of the regulation elements to maintain an optimal system quality and prevent damage and equipment failures while offering a cost-effective model. The proposed solution is evaluated through a reliable simulation in ETAP (Energy Systems Modeling, Analysis and Optimization) software, which emulates the interaction of control elements and simulates the design of electric flow equipment operation. The results demonstrate an improvement in system performance in the presence of disturbances when two automation schemes are applied as well as the exclusive operation of the capacitor bank, which improves the total system current fluctuations and improves the power factor from 85.83% to 93.42%. Such a scheme also improves the waveform in the main power system; another improvement result is when simultaneously operating the voltage and current filter together with the PV system, further improving the current fluctuations, improving the power factor from 85.83% to 94.81%, achieving better stability and improving the quality of the waveform in the main power grid.

This article proposes a method for identifying potential self-adequate sub-networks in the existing power distribution grid. These sub-networks can be equipped with control and protection schemes to form microgrids capable of sustaining local loads during power systems contingencies, thereby mitigating disasters. Towards identifying the best microgrid candidates, this work formulates a chance-constrained optimal distribution network partitioning (ODNP) problem addressing uncertainties in load and distributed energy resources; and presents a solution methodology using the sample average approximation (SAA) technique. Practical constraints like ensuring network radiality and availability of grid-forming generators are considered. Quality of the obtained solution is evaluated by comparison with- a) an upper bound on the probability that the identified microgrids are supply-deficient, and b) a lower bound on the objective value for the true optimization problem. Performance of the ODNP formulation is illustrated through case-studies on a modified IEEE 37-bus feeder. It is shown that the network flexibility is well utilized; the partitioning changes with risk budget; and that the SAA method is able to yield good quality solutions with modest computation cost.

Amidst the growing concerns of Islamophobia, this study seeks to shed light on the Andalusian legacy within initial teacher training. It aims to foster historical thinking by exploring the narratives embedded in cultural artefacts, while also creating alternative narratives to address the gaps in historical recognition. One significant aspect is establishing connections with the al-Andalus legacy, which often remains overlooked. In this context, we introduce an action-research study involving 49 students enrolled in Malaga University's Primary Education program, situated in Spain. The study's emphasis on the relationship between formal and informal education underscores essential fusion required to foster a citizen education that is characterized by critical thinking, creativity, empathy, and social responsibility. From the analysis of the narratives crafted by prospective teachers, a significant conclusion emerges: the imperative of regarding history as a foundational cornerstone for nurturing citizens with critical acumen. This approach serves to catalyse democratic engagement and facilitate societal evolution, underscoring its pivotal role in fostering participatory transformation.

The teaching hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Lisbon hosts a Biological Isolation and Containment Unit (BICU) for the hospitalization of both confirmed and suspected animals of an infectious disease. This study targets the BICU dog population to identify and characterize the most frequent infectious diseases recorded in a 7-year period. Several epidemiologic factors were analyzed for their significance to triage infected cases. During the study period, 534 dogs were admitted, of which 263 (49.3%) had a confirmed infectious disease diagnosis: parvovirosis (49.4%; n = 130); leptospirosis (21.7%; n = 57); multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infection; (10.6%; n = 28), and canine distemper (9.9%; n = 26). Several potential risk factors for these diseases were identified: age under 2 years old (p < 0.001), incomplete vaccination for parvovirosis (p < 0.001), age ≥ 10 years old (p < 0.001), and the presence of concomitant disorders for MDR-infected cases (p = 0.03). Logistic regression models were constructed to classify cases and controls. The sensitivity and specificity estimates were very high (>0.83) for parvovirosis, MDR, and distemper infections. A lower sensitivity (0.77) was obtained for identifying cases with leptospirosis. In conclusion, infectious diseases are frequent, hence, it is essential to decrease their occurrence through effective preventive measures such as vaccination. The constructed logistic models can also help in triaging admitted dogs with a potential infectious disease.

PURPOSE: Upper airway (UA) surgery is commonly employed in the treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The intricate pathophysiology of OSA, variability in sites and patterns of UA collapse, and the interaction between anatomical and non-anatomical factors in individual patients may contribute to possible surgical failures. This clinical consensus statement aims to identify areas of agreement among a development group comprising international experts in OSA surgery, regarding the appropriate definition, predictive factors in patients, and management of surgical failure in OSA treatment. METHODS: A clinical consensus statement (CCS) was developed using the Delphi method by a panel of 35 contributors from various countries. A systematic literature review adhering to PRISMA guidelines was conducted. A survey consisting of 60 statements was then formulated and presented to the experts. RESULTS: Following two rounds of the Delphi process, consensus or strong consensus was achieved on 36 items, while 24 items remained without consensus. Specifically, 5 out of 10 statements reached consensus regarding on the Definition of Surgical Success/Failure after OSA Surgery. Regarding the Predictive Factors of Surgical Failure in OSA Surgery, consensus was reached on 10 out of 13 statements. In the context of the Diagnostic Workup in OSA Surgery, consensus was achieved on 9 out of 13 statements. Lastly, in Treatment in Surgical Failure Cases, consensus was reached on 12 out of 24 statements. CONCLUSION: The management of OSA after surgical failure presents a significant clinical challenge for sleep specialists. This CCS provides valuable guidance for defining, preventing, and addressing surgical failures in the treatment of OSA syndrome.

Objetivo: Identificar factores de riesgo asociados a complicaciones mayores en pacientes con pielonefritis xantogranulomatosa sometidos a nefrectomía. Método: Análisis retrospectivo de expedientes clínicos de pacientes con pielonefritis xantogranulomatosa sometidos a nefrectomía. Se analizaron el sexo, el índice de masa corporal, el índice de comorbilidad de Charlson, la clasificación del estado físico de la American Society of Anesthesiologists, la etapa de Malek, el conteo leucocitario y los valores de creatinina. Las complicaciones se estratificaron en menores y mayores según la clasificación de Clavien- Dindo. Se realizó análisis univariado y bivariado usando las pruebas exacta de Fisher y ji al cuadrado de Pearson, y se establecieron medidas de riesgo utilizando la odds ratio (OR). Resultados: Se analizaron 72 pacientes con una edad media de 50 años, el 83% mujeres, el 58.3% con urocultivo positivo y el 66% con litiasis renal. El 32% tuvieron alguna complicación mayor y el 15% requirieron admisión a la unidad de cuidados intensivos. Los valores elevados de creatinina (OR: 3.8; intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC95%]: 1.1-13; p = 0.02) y la etapa Malek II-III (OR: 4.5; IC95%: 1.2-17.5; p = 0.02) se asociaron con complicaciones mayores. Conclusión: El estadio de Malek y los valores elevados de creatinina incrementan el riesgo de desarrollar complicaciones mayores en los pacientes con pielonefritis xantogranulomatosa sometidos a nefrectomía.

Caso clínico: se describe un caso clínico poco frecuente en un paciente inmunocomprometido con hallazgo histopatológico de infestación parasitaria. Es un paciente masculino de edad media que habita en zona subtropical con diagnóstico de enfermedad de Crohn tratado con corticoide e inmunomoduladores, presentaba dolor abdominal y anemia crónica de 1 año de evolución, analítica negativa para parásitos, reactantes de fase aguda normales, gastroscopia y colonoscopia previas (6 meses) sin hallazgos relevantes. Por la persistencia del cuadro clínico se repitieron los estudios endoscópicos en los que se visualizaron hemorragias subepiteliales con resultados histopatológicos de Strongyloides stercoralis. Conclusión: en el contexto de un paciente inmunocomprometido, en zona endémica y con evolución tórpida, debe obligar a realizar un diagnóstico diferencial en el que se debe sospechar siempre de infestación parasitaria. Aunque la endoscopia no se necesita para el diagnóstico de estrongiloidiasis, su intervención puede ser oportuna.

Shrimps are an important resource in coastal lagoons because they use these ecosystems for their development. Although some authors classified the Penaeidae as detritivores, it was shown that their diet comprises a greater variety of food items. Many authors had reported that shrimps have a diversified diet that includes several elements of the benthic community. This review describes the feeding ecology of the shrimps in coastal lagoon-estuarine systems, with emphasis on the following: the effect of the environment on the shrimps’ natural food; techniques for identification of items in shrimps gut contents and stable isotope compositions; consideration of the importance of plants and small animals in the diet; and the effect of mangroves and lagoon-estuarine system on feed ecology. The abundance of penaeid appears to be primarily affected by stochastic variations in environmental factors. However, it has been found that the relationships between macroinfauna, macrofauna and environmental conditions in a tropical estuary may result in more interactions with their predators than a direct response to physical-chemical factors. The combination of the study of shrimps guts contents and stable isotopes shows a composition and seasonal variation in the diets, as well as the source of carbon and nitrogen contained in the shrimp’s tissues. In general, the studies suggest that herbaceous detrital inputs to the food web are dominant in supporting shrimps in salt marshes, but phytoplankton or benthic algae may be equally or more important food sources.

El propósito principal de este trabajo es el desarrollo de una aplicación web para la Gestión de la Información de los Ciclones Tropicales; se desarrolla en la Universidad de Cienfuegos para el Centro Meteorológico Provincial (CMP) de Cienfuegos. El sistema permite la administración, el manejo y análisis de toda la información referente a los ciclones tropicales originados desde el año 1851 hasta la actualidad de una forma rápida y eficiente. El sistema facilita el trabajo operativo de los meteorólogos del Grupo de Pronósticos en temporada ciclónica al integrar los datos -antiguamente en diferentes medios-, y proporcionando de forma rápida información relevante. Se utilizan como herramientas en el diseño la metodología de desarrollo de software Proceso Unificado de Desarrollo de Software (RUP), UML como lenguaje de modelado, PHP como leguaje de programación y el framework Yii2 para el desarrollo de la aplicación web.

Phasor Measurement Unit measurement data have been widely used in nowadays power system applications both in steady state and dynamic analysis. The performance of these applications running in utilities' energy management system depends heavily on an accurate positive sequence power system model. However, it is impractical to find this accurate model with transmission line parameters calculated directly with the PMU measurements due to ratio errors brought by instrument transformers and communication errors brought by PMUs. Therefore, a methodology is proposed in this paper to estimate the actual transmission lines parameters throughout the whole system and, at the same time, calibrate the corresponding instrument transformers. A PMU positive sequence measurement error model is proposed targeting at the aforementioned errors, which is applicable to both transposed and un-transposed transmission lines. A single line parameters estimation method is designed based on Least Squares Estimation and this error model. This method requires only one set of reference measurements and the accuracy can be propagated throughout the whole network along with the topology acquired by the introduced Edge-based Breadth-first Search algorithm. The IEEE 118-bus system and the Texas 2000-bus system are used to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. The potential for deployment in reality is also discussed.

Begomoviruses (Geminiviridae family) represent a severe constraint to agriculture worldwide. As ssDNA viruses that replicate in the nuclei of infected cells, the nascent viral DNA has to move to the cytoplasm and then to the adjacent cell to cause disease. The begomovirus nuclear shuttle protein (NSP) assists the intracellular transport of viral DNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and cooperates with the movement protein (MP) for the cell-to-cell translocation of viral DNA to uninfected cells. As a facilitator of intra- and intercellular transport of viral DNA, NSP is predicted to associate with host proteins from the nuclear export machinery, the intracytoplasmic active transport system, and the cell-to-cell transport complex. Furthermore, NSP functions as a virulence factor that suppresses antiviral immunity against begomoviruses. In this review, we focus on the protein-protein network that converges on NSP with a high degree of centrality and forms an immune hub against begomoviruses. We also describe the compatible host functions hijacked by NSP to promote the nucleocytoplasmic and intracytoplasmic movement of viral DNA. Finally, we discuss the NSP virulence function as a suppressor of the recently described NSP-interacting kinase 1 (NIK1)-mediated antiviral immunity. Understanding the NSP-host protein-protein interaction (PPI) network will probably pave the way for strategies to generate more durable resistance against begomoviruses.

This study aimed to determine whether choroid plexus volume (CPV) could differentiate multiple sclerosis (MS) from its mimics. A secondary analysis of two previously enrolled studies, 50 participants with MS and 64 with alternative diagnoses were included. CPV was automatically segmented from 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), followed by manual review to remove misclassified tissue. Mean normalized choroid plexus volume (nCPV) to intracranial volume demonstrated relatively high specificity for MS participants in each cohort (0.80 and 0.76) with an area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve of 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.55-0.87) and 0.65 (95% CI = 0.52-0.77). In this preliminary study, nCPV differentiated MS from its mimics.

Objective: Despite its geographical spread, the epidemiology of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Sub-Saharan Africa is incompletely understood and its occurrence in Mozambique is unknown. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the occurrence of CCHF virus (CCHFV) among febrile patients attending an outpatient appointment clinic at three separate primary health care centres in Mozambique. Methods: Serum samples were collected from a total of 300 febrile patients aged >5 years who were recruited between March 2015 and March 2016 at three health centres in Mozambique. Each patient was screened for IgG antibodies against CCHFV using an ELISA. Results: Of the 300 patients enrolled, eight had samples that were positive for anti-CCHFV IgG antibodies, yielding a prevalence rate of 2.7%. Conclusions: This study shows for the first time that humans are exposed to CCHFV in Mozambique. It highlights the need for further work to investigate the broader extent of circulating CCHFV in the country and its clinical implications.

O presente artigo analisa o novo papel do Estado nas Relações Internacionais em comparação com o tradicional Estado Westfaliano.

The Harlequin Shrimp Hymenocera picta is abundant in the Indo-Pacific and Central Pacific regions, but there are few reports of it from the eastern Pacific. Two pairs of the Harlequin Shrimp were observed feeding on the Sea Star Phataria unifascialis (Gray, 1840) in the reefs of Huatulco National Park, Mexican Pacific. This paper reports the occurrence of H. picta in Mexican Pacific waters and extends its previous distribution by 1,270km north of El Ocotal, Costa Rica in the eastern Pacific equatorial zone. In addition, we evaluate the potential distribution of H. picta along the tropical eastern Pacific using the Maximum-Entropy modelling algorithm.

El presente trabajo permite resolver un grave problema económico-ambiental que afecta a la comunidad al tener unidades de tratamiento con bajo niveles de eficiencia y altos costos de operación por la adición en exceso de reactivos. Mediante la investigación aplicada y experimental, se realizó un diagnóstico para determinar los requerimientos de mantenimiento, la identificación de las concentraciones y el lugar exacto en donde se adicionan las soluciones que demanda el agua residual. Los resultados alcanzados en las pruebas establecen que la dosificación ideal de sulfato de aluminio fue de 250 ppm para la maximización de la eficiencia de remoción de la contaminación en la unidad de tratamiento en un valor mayor al 90%.

Se presentan por primera vez la creación de una red de observadores voluntarios, para estimar el estado de la superficie marina bajo la ocurrencia de fenómenos meteorológicos extremos en la provincia Cienfuegos. Se confecciona la cronología de las inundaciones ocurridas en la provincia, así como la clasificación de las mismas. Para ello se utiliza la metodología destinada al estudio climático de las inundaciones costeras en Cuba; desarrollada en el marco del proyecto Nacional “Procedimiento para la ejecución y uso de las observaciones del estado de la superficie marina desde estaciones costeras, en la predicción del oleaje e inundaciones costeras en territorio cubano”. Como fuentes de información se consultaron reportes de prensa provincial y nacional, documentos del Archivo Histórico Provincial, datos históricos del Centro Meteorológico Provincial, testimonios de pobladores de diferentes zonas costeras, así como la cronología de ciclones tropicales del Instituto de Meteorología y National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Se concluye de forma confiable que las inundaciones costeras en Cienfuegos, han ocurrido en siete ocasiones y son producidas por el impacto directo de los ciclones tropicales que provienen del mar Caribe en su estadío superior, el huracán. Esta información se pone a disposición de la investigación científica para mejorar el conocimiento anticipado de las condiciones propicias que podrían provocar inundaciones en las zonas bajas del litoral cienfueguero. Se recomienda el uso de los resultados alcanzados, en el trabajo operativo del Centro de Meteorología Marina del Instituto de Meteorología y del Centro Meteorológico Provincial, en el pronóstico a nivel local de estos eventos meteorológicos y con el propósito de mitigar al máximo, los peligros que pudieran originarse en la zona costera.