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SUMMARY An unusual seismic activity has recently occurred in the Gripp valley, located in the central part of the French Pyrenees. Since spring 2020, two new swarms appeared, clearly outside the usual location of the seismicity in this area. On 20 September 2020, almost concomitantly with the activation of the second seismic swarm, a hole suddenly opened in the bed of a local river, the Adour de Payolle. This hole drained the water from the river, which dried up over 500 m. We follow and study the spatial and temporal evolution of these clusters, using four temporary stations deployed a few days or months after the beginning of the crisis to complete the regional network. These additional data lead to the construction of a comprehensive catalogue of more than 4900 earthquakes, using both a template matching approach and a deep-learning based phase picking method to complete and improve the initial catalogue available from the French seismological agency. This allows highlighting a slow and clear migration of the seismicity during 1 yr. Precise absolute and relative event locations reveal a dipping faulting structure, confirmed by the focal mechanism estimated for the highest magnitude event of the sequence (ML 3). We propose to explain the observed migration of the seismicity by deep fluids going up through a newly discovered faulting structure.

Characterization of Peyronie’s disease (PD) involves manual goniometry and penile length measurement. These techniques neglect volume loss or hourglass deformities. Inter-provider variability complicates accuracy. Using 3D-printed models, we aimed to evaluate measurement accuracy and variability and establish computational assessment workflows. Five digital phantoms were created: 13.0 cm cylinder, 13.0 cm hourglass cylinder, 15.0 cm cylinder with 40° angulation, 12.0 cm straight penis, and 12.9 cm PD penis with 68° angulation and hourglass. Lengths, volumes, and angles were determined computationally. Each phantom was 3D-printed. Ten urology providers determined lengths, angles, and volumes with measuring tape, goniometer, and volume calculator. Provider versus computational measurements were compared to determine accuracy using t-tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. No significant differences were observed between manual assessment of length of penile models and designed length in penile models. Average curvature angles from providers for bent cylinder and PD phantoms were 38.3° ± 3.9° (p = 0.25) and 57.5° ± 7.2° (p = 0.006), respectively. When assessing for volume, hourglass cylinder and bent cylinder showed significant differences between designed volume and provider averages. All assessments of length, angle, and volume showed significant provider variability. Our results suggest manual measurements suffer from inaccuracy and variability. Computational workflows are useful for improved accuracy and volume assessment.

BACKGROUND: Efficacy of clomiphene citrate (CC) in the treatment of male subfertility remains unclear, with inconsistent results in the literature and limited guidance from professional organizations. We sought to stratify the response to clomiphene in men based on their initial gonadotropins and semen parameters. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 234 patients from an academic center who took CC for subfertility. Patients with pre-treatment and 3 months follow-up total testosterone (TT) and semen analyses were included. Patients with previous hormone therapy, genitourinary surgery, prior success in conceiving pregnancy, or only one semen analysis were excluded. Primary outcomes were magnitudes of improvement in TT and semen parameters at 3 months. Student’s t-test (alpha =0.05) was used for univariate analyses; multivariable linear regression was used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-seven patients met inclusion criteria. Thirty-four percent of patients experienced improvement in sperm concentration after 3 months of CC treatment, 13% decreased, and 53% showed no change. Using a pre-treatment TT cutoff of 300 ng/dL and gonadotropin thresholds of 7 miU/mL, initial TT did not affect magnitude of improvement in semen parameters, while lower initial gonadotropins showed statistical improvement across all outcomes. Multivariate analysis showed pre-treatment follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) was inversely correlated with improvement in TT [odds ratio (OR): 2.64e-05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32e-09 to 5.28e-01, P=0.04] and sperm concentration (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 5.70e-02 to 8.48e-01, P=0.03). We also provide initial gonadotropin cutoffs that suggest statistical benefit from CC use. CONCLUSIONS: Men with lower gonadotropin levels may expect greater degree of improvement in both hormone and semen parameters with use of CC. Men with azoospermia do not benefit based on semen analyses alone. Degree of non-azoospermia does not affect magnitude of improvement. CC had decreasing efficacy at higher initial gonadotropin levels. These data may provide guidance in stratifying and counseling men for CC treatment.

This study explores the near-term results of an effort to improve the access of a large, underserved urban population to appropriate urologic specialty care through clinical integration.

The orientations in topics of competitiveness suggest at present, that a company obtains greater income when implanting or developing strategies of businesses that incorporate focuses like competitiveness and sustainability. Thus, organizational efforts are being directed in this line of work. Therefore, it is proposed as an objective for this research to know how SMEs is promoting the issue of competitiveness in their organizations and which aspects are the most outstanding of this process. The methodology used was qualitative and based on the documentary review of specialized scientific publications; at the end reflections are made from the holistic approach to highlight the components that contribute most to the subject of cited. The results point to a scenario of greater dynamics in issues of globalization and competitiveness, as the progress made from the research suggests that growth in these topics will undoubtedly be a motor of great importance to achieve important results for any type of organization.