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Patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) represent a vulnerable population against an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. It has been observed that up to 80% of patients with ILD can develop post-COVID-19 symptomatology one year after. This secondary analysis aimed to, 1, compare serological biomarkers before and after surpassing a SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and, 2, to compare serological biomarkers between ILD patients who develop and those who do not develop post-COVID-19 symptoms. Seventy-six patients with ILD (40.4% women, age: 69, SD: 10.5 years) who survived a SARS-CoV-2 infection participated. High-resolution computerized tomography (CT) of the lungs, two pulmonary function tests (forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion value of carbon monoxide (DLCO)) and fourteen serological biomarkers were collected before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Participants were asked for the presence of post-COVID-19 symptomatology a mean of twelve (SD: eight) months after infection. Sixty patients (79%) showed post-COVID-19 symptoms (mean: 3.5, SD 1.1), with fatigue (68.4%), dyspnea (31.5%), and concentration loss (27.6%) being the most prevalent. Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was the only biomarker showing differences in our study. In fact, CPK levels were higher after the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection (mean difference: 41.0, 95%CI 10.1 to 71.8, p = 0.03) when compared to before the infection. Thus, CPK levels were also higher in ILD patients with post-COVID-19 fatigue (mean difference: 69.7, 95%CI 12.7 to 126.7, p = 0.015) or with post-COVID-19 dyspnea (mean difference: 34.8, 95%CI 5.2 to 64.4, p = 0.025) than those patients without these post-COVID-19 symptoms. No significant changes in CT or functional pulmonary tests were observed after COVID-19 in patients with ILD. In conclusion, patients with ILD exhibited an increase in CPK levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection, albeit no changes in other serological biomarkers were identified. Similarly, the presence of post-COVID-19 fatigue or dyspnea was also associated with higher CPK levels in ILD patients. Studies investigating long COVID mechanisms in vulnerable populations such as ILD are needed.

Specific antigen recognition is one of the immune system’s features that allows it to mount intense yet controlled responses to an infinity of potential threats. T cells play a relevant role in the host defense and the clearance of pathogens by means of the specific recognition of peptide antigens presented by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and, to do so, they are equipped with a clonally distributed antigen receptor called the T-cell receptor (TCR). Upon the specific engagement of the TCR, multiple intracellular signals are triggered, which lead to the activation, proliferation and differentiation of T lymphocytes into effector cells. In addition, this signaling cascade also operates during T-cell development, allowing for the generation of cells that can be helpful in the defense against threats, as well as preventing the generation of autoreactive cells. Early TCR signals include phosphorylation events in which the tyrosine kinases Lck and ZAP70 are involved. The sequential activation of these kinases leads to the phosphorylation of the transmembrane adaptor LAT, which constitutes a signaling hub for the generation of a signalosome, finally resulting in T-cell activation. These early signals play a relevant role in triggering the development, activation, proliferation and apoptosis of T cells, and the negative regulation of these signals is key to avoid aberrant processes that could generate inappropriate cellular responses and disease. In this review, we will examine and discuss the roles of the tyrosine kinases Lck and ZAP70 and the membrane adaptor LAT in these cellular processes.

In this work, we integrate five case studies harboring vulnerable deep-sea benthic habitats in different geological settings from mid latitude NE Atlantic Ocean (24–42° N). Data and images of specific deep-sea habitats were acquired with Remoted Operated Vehicle (ROV) sensors (temperature, salinity, potential density, O2, CO2, and CH4). Besides documenting some key vulnerable deep-sea habitats, this study shows that the distribution of some deep-sea coral aggregations (including scleractinians, gorgonians, and antipatharians), deep-sea sponge aggregations and other deep-sea habitats are influenced by water masses’ properties. Our data support that the distribution of scleractinian reefs and aggregations of other deep-sea corals, from subtropical to north Atlantic could be dependent of the latitudinal extents of the Antarctic Intermediate Waters (AAIW) and the Mediterranean Outflow Waters (MOW). Otherwise, the distribution of some vulnerable deep-sea habitats is influenced, at the local scale, by active hydrocarbon seeps (Gulf of Cádiz) and hydrothermal vents (El Hierro, Canary Island). The co-occurrence of deep-sea corals and chemosynthesis-based communities has been identified in methane seeps of the Gulf of Cádiz. Extensive beds of living deep-sea mussels (Bathymodiolus mauritanicus) and other chemosymbiotic bivalves occur closely to deep-sea coral aggregations (e.g., gorgonians, black corals) that colonize methane-derived authigenic carbonates.

We present a new method to obtain a combinatorial representation for the behaviour of a submanifold isometrically immersed in a Riemannian manifold based on the second fundamental form. We also present several results applying this new way of representation.

This paper investigates how to optimally orient the photovoltaic solar trackers of an axis parallel to the terrain, applying the sky model of Hay–Davies. This problem has been widely studied. However, the number of studies that consider the orientation (inclination and azimuth of the terrain) is very limited. This paper provides an examination of incident solar irradiance that can be extended to terrain with variable orientation and in consideration of different azimuths of the axis of rotation. Furthermore, a case study of the south of Spain is provided, considering different inclination and orientation terrain values. The results obtained in this study indicate, as a novelty, that for lands that are not south facing, the rotation axis azimuth of solar trackers should be different from zero and adjusted to the same direction as the land azimuth in order to maximize energy production. Annual energy production is sensitive to changes in the rotation axis azimuths of solar trackers (an influence of around 3% of annual energy production).

In this paper, energy management and control of a microgrid is developed through supervisor and adaptive neuro-fuzzy wavelet-based control controllers considering real weather patterns and load variations. The supervisory control is applied to the entire microgrid using lower–top level arrangements. The top-level generates the control signals considering the weather data patterns and load conditions, while the lower level controls the energy sources and power converters. The adaptive neuro-fuzzy wavelet-based controller is applied to the inverter. The new proposed wavelet-based controller improves the operation of the proposed microgrid as a result of the excellent localized characteristics of the wavelets. Simulations and comparison with other existing intelligent controllers, such as neuro-fuzzy controllers and fuzzy logic controllers, and classical PID controllers are used to present the improvements of the microgrid in terms of the power transfer, inverter output efficiency, load voltage frequency, and dynamic response.

We prove that if the f-sectional curvature at any point of a ( 2 n + s ) -dimensional metric f-contact manifold satisfying the ( κ , μ ) nullity condition with n > 1 is independent of the f-section at the point, then it is constant on the manifold. Moreover, we also prove that a non-normal metric f-contact manifold satisfying the ( κ , μ ) nullity condition is of constant f-sectional curvature if and only if μ = κ + 1 and we give an explicit expression for the curvature tensor field in such a case. Finally, we present some examples.

In this research, a new nonlinear and adaptive state feedback controller with a fast-adaptive robust differentiator is presented for grid-tied inverters. All parameters and external disturbances are taken as uncertain in the design of the proposed controller without the disadvantages of singularity and over-parameterization. A robust differentiator based on the second order sliding mode is also developed with a fast-adaptive structure to be able to consider the time derivative of the virtual control input. Unlike the conventional backstepping, the proposed differentiator overcomes the problem of explosion of complexity. In the closed-loop control system, the three phase source currents and direct current (DC) bus voltage are assumed to be available for feedback. Using the Lyapunov stability theory, it is proven that the overall control system has the global asymptotic stability. In addition, a new simple L filter design method based on the total harmonic distortion approach is also proposed. Simulations and experimental results show that the proposed controller assurances drive the tracking errors to zero with better performance, and it is robust against all uncertainties. Moreover, the proposed L filter design method matches the total harmonic distortion (THD) aim in the design with the experimental result.

Tagoro, the youngest submarine volcano of the Canary Islands, erupted in 2011 South of El Hierro Island. Pre-existing sea floor and inhabiting biological communities were buried by the newly erupted material, promoting the appearance of new habitats. The present study pursues to describe the first metazoans colonizing different new habitats formed during the eruption and to create precedent on this field. Through dredge and remote operated vehicle samplings, five main habitat types have been detected based on the substrate type and burial status after the eruption. Inside the Tagoro volcanic complex (TVC), two new habitats are located in and around the summit and main craters—hydrothermal vents with bacterial mats and sulfurous-like fields mainly colonized by small hydrozoan colonies. Two other habitats are located downslope the TVC; new hard substrate and new mixed substrate, holding the highest biodiversity of the TVC, especially at the mixed bottoms with annelids (Chloeia cf. venusta), arthropods (Monodaeus couchii and Alpheus sp.), cnidarians (Sertularella cf. tenella), and molluscs (Neopycnodonte cochlear) as the first colonizers. An impact evaluation was done comparing the communities of those habitats with the complex and well-established community described at the stable hard substrate outside the TVC, which is constituted of highly abundant hydrozoans (Aglaophenia sp.), antipatharians (Stichopates setacea and Antipathes furcata), and colonizing epibionts (e.g., Neopycnodonte cochlear). Three years after the eruption, species numbers at Tagoro were still low compared to those occurring at similar depths outside the TVC. The first dominant species at the TVC included a large proportion of common suspension feeders of the circalittoral and bathyal hard bottoms of the area, which could have exploited the uncolonized hard bottoms and the post eruptive fertilization of water masses.