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Abstract T-cell activation is central for the initiation of T cell mediated adaptive immune response and is the result of the close communication between the Antigen Presenting Cell (APC) and the T lymphocyte. Although T-cell activation is currently well understood, and many intracellular pathways are well characterized, nevertheless new players are constantly identified, and this complements the known protein interactome. In this work we aimed to identify new proteins involved in T cell activation. We reviewed and analyzed results of microarray gene expression datasets reported in the public database GEO-NCBI. Using data from GSE136625, GSE50971, GSE13887, GSE11989 and GSE902 we performed different comparisons using R and other bioinformatic tools including GEO2R and we report here upregulated genes that have no previous reports in immune related functions and with potential participation upon T-cell activation. Our results indicate that RND3, SYT10, IgSF6 and PIN1 are potential new T-cell activation molecules.

Abstract This study examines factors associated with symptoms of loneliness among a sample (n = 213) of mostly Mexican-origin adults at risk of chronic diseases in Southern Arizona’s Pima, Yuma, and Santa Cruz counties. It uses baseline data from a community-based participatory research partnership and multinominal logistic regression models. Controlling for chronic diseases and sociodemographic characteristics, perceived social support and hope exhibit negative main effects on loneliness when comparing individuals who experienced loneliness for 5–7 days in the preceding week with those who did not encounter such feelings during the same period (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 0.49 and 0.47; 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.34–0.73 and 0.29–0.75, respectively). However, when considered together, perceived social support and hope display a positive and statistically significant combined effect on loneliness (AOR = 1.03; 95% CI = 1.01–1.06). Holding all covariates constant, individuals reporting loneliness for 5–7 days exhibit a relative risk ratio of 1.24 (95% CI = 1.06–1.46) for a one-unit increase in physical problem severity compared to those who do not experience loneliness. Moreover, being 65 years old or older (AOR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.03–0.84), and having been born in Mexico and lived in the US for less than 30 years (AOR = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.02–0.74) are associated with negative main effects on loneliness when comparing individuals who experienced loneliness 1–2, and 5–7 days in the preceding week with those who did not feel loneliness during the same timeframe, respectively. Recognizing the crucial role of loneliness in shaping health outcomes for Mexican-origin adults, our findings underscore the significance of fostering supportive environments that not only enhance well-being but also cultivate robust community bonds within the US-Mexico border region.

The development of small-scale solar thermal technologies is useful to address specific energy needs; however, there is a gap between the technology that is developed and the one that is accepted and achieves its use in a sustained long-term manner. In this sense, the development of a double-inclination solar dryer for the dehydration of medicinal plants used in traditional P'urhépecha medicine is presented. From a participatory and consensual perspective of technological co-creation with the user that allows promoting its long-term use, the solar dryer was generated from the Design Thinking methodology and the conventional technological development process. The stages of the proposed process considered the identification of the energy need, the design, sizing and simulation, the prototyping, and the characterization and implementation of the technology in a group of traditional doctors for the drying of local medicinal plants. The result is a solar dryer with thermal efficiency of 23% and exergy efficiency of 3%, which achieves the dehydration of medicinal plants in 1 day with 4.7 kWh of average solar irradiance, and removes more than 80% of the humidity from a maximum load of 5 kilograms. The temperature of the drying chamber exceeds 50°C, and the energy distribution is homogeneous, being a natural convection device, easy to build and with affordable materials. This technology has been implemented in the home of a traditional doctor and it is expected that it can be replicated to satisfy the demand for drying products in indigenous community families in Mexico.

Se presentan los resultados de una investigación cuyo objetivo fue analizar la relación que poseen ciertos rasgos de la personalidad (como la responsabilidad y la apertura a la experiencia), la autoeficacia y la motivación de logro, como factores psicológicos asociados a la continuidad de 279 estudiantes universitarios que participan en el Programa de Acceso y Acompañamiento Efectivo a la Educación Superior (PACE). Utilizando una metodología cuantitativa se propuso un modelo de regresión logística que permitió concluir que la responsabilidad, la apertura a la experiencia, la autoeficacia y la motivación de logro actúan como predictores de la continuidad de estudios de los estudiantes. Los resultados profundizan en el ámbito personal de este tipo de estudiantes, aportando antecedentes para la orientación psicológica que reciben como parte del programa en su etapa de acompañamiento y preparación en la enseñanza secundaria.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women, with incidence rates increasing globally in recent years. Therefore, it is important to find new molecules with prognostic and therapeutic value to improve therapeutic response and quality of life. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) metabolic pathway participates in various physiological processes, as well as in the development of malignancies. Although aberrancies in the PUFAs metabolic pathway have been implicated in carcinogenesis, the functional and clinical relevance of this pathway has not been well explored in BC. To evaluate the clinical significance of soluble epoxide hydrolase (EPHX2) expression in Mexican patients with BC using tissue microarrays (TMAs) and digital pathology (DP). Immunohistochemical analyses were performed on 11 TMAs with 267 BC samples to quantify this enzyme. Using DP, EPHX2 protein expression was evaluated solely in tumor areas. The association of EPHX2 with overall survival (OS) was detected through bioinformatic analysis in public databases and confirmed in our cohort via Cox regression analysis. Clear nuclear expression of EPHX2 was identified. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves revealed the optimal cutoff point at 2.847062 × 10−3 pixels, with sensitivity of 69.2% and specificity of 67%. Stratification based on this cutoff value showed elevated EPHX2 expression in multiple clinicopathological features, including older age and nuclear grade, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes, and recurrence. Kaplan–Meier curves demonstrated how higher nuclear expression of EPHX2 predicts shorter OS. Consistently, multivariate analysis confirmed EPHX2 as an independent predictor of OS, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.483 and a 95% confidence interval of 1.804–6.724 (p < 0.001). Our study demonstrates for the first time that nuclear overexpression of EPHX2 is a predictor of poor prognosis in BC patients. The DP approach was instrumental in identifying this significant association. Our study provides valuable insights into the potential clinical utility of EPHX2 as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in BC.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Current chemotherapy treatment regimens have improved survival rates to approximately 80%; however, resistance development remains the primary cause of treatment failure, affecting around 20% of cases. Some studies indicate that loss of the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) leads to deregulation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, increasing the expression of proteins involved in chemoresistance. PTEN loss results in deregulation of the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and induces hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) expression in various cancers. Additionally, it triggers upregulation of the Yin Yang 1 (YY1) transcription factor, leading to chemoresistance mediated by glycoprotein p-170 (Gp-170). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the PTEN/NF-κB axis in YY1 regulation via HIF-1α and its involvement in ALL. A PTEN inhibitor was administered in RS4;11 cells, followed by the evaluation of PTEN, NF-κB, HIF-1α, YY1, and Gp-170 expression, along with chemoresistance assessment. PTEN, HIF-1α, and YY1 expression levels were assessed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from pediatric ALL patients. The results reveal that the inhibition of PTEN activity significantly increases the expression of pAkt and NF-κB, which is consistent with the increase in the expression of HIF-1α and YY1 in RS4;11 cells. In turn, this inhibition increases the expression of the glycoprotein Gp-170, affecting doxorubicin accumulation in the cells treated with the inhibitor. Samples from pediatric ALL patients exhibit PTEN expression and higher HIF-1α and YY1 expression compared to controls. PTEN/Akt/NF-κB axis plays a critical role in the regulation of YY1 through HIF-1α, and this mechanism contributes to Gp-170-mediated chemoresistance in pediatric ALL.

Ultrasound is widely used for tendon assessment due to its safety, affordability, and portability, but its subjective nature poses challenges. This study aimed to develop a new quantitative analysis tool based on artificial intelligence to identify statistical patterns of healthy and pathological tendons. Furthermore, we aimed to validate this new tool by comparing it to experts’ subjective assessments. A pilot database including healthy controls and patients with patellar tendinopathy was constructed, involving 14 participants with asymptomatic (n = 7) and symptomatic (n = 7) patellar tendons. Ultrasonographic images were assessed twice, utilizing both the new quantitative tool and the subjective scoring method applied by an expert across five regions of interest. The database contained 61 variables per image. The robustness of the clinical and quantitative assessments was tested via reliability analyses. Lastly, the prediction accuracy of the quantitative features was tested via cross-validated generalized linear mixed-effects logistic regressions. These analyses showed high reliability for quantitative variables related to “Bone” and “Quality”, with ICCs above 0.75. The ICCs for “Edges” and “Thickness” varied but mostly exceeded 0.75. The results of this study show that certain quantitative variables are capable of predicting an expert’s subjective assessment with generally high cross-validated AUC scores. A new quantitative tool for the ultrasonographic assessment of the tendon was designed. This system is shown to be a reliable and valid method for evaluating the patellar tendon structure.

Se presenta una investigación cualitativa cuyo objetivo fue conocer los significados acerca del profesorado y la escuela secundaria en una muestra intencionada de veinte estudiantes universitarios pertenecientes al Programa de Acceso y Acompañamiento a la Educación Superior (PACE), quienes participaron a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas y un grupo de discusión. Como resultado se apreció una diferenciación entre la escuela –como institución y comunidad– y el profesorado, valorando a sus profesores/profesoras según su función y sus prácticas. Se consideran positivas cuando articulan las exigencias académicas con el reconocimiento de la confianza, el incentivo y la motivación estudiantil. Por el contrario, se consideran negativas cuando se asocian a la institución/escuela producto de su deslegitimación y excesiva consideración académica por sobre aspectos personales estudiantiles.

Abstract Aphanomyces root rot (ARR) is a devastating disease in field pea (Pisum sativum L.) that can cause up to 100% crop failure. Assessment of ARR resistance can be a rigorous, costly, time‐demanding activity that is relatively low‐throughput and prone to human errors. These limits the ability to effectively and efficiently phenotype the disease symptoms arising from ARR infection which remains a perennial bottleneck to the successful evaluation and incorporation of disease resistance into new cultivars. In this study, we developed a greenhouse‐based high‐throughput phenotyping (HTP) platform that moves along the rails above the greenhouse benches and captures the visual symptoms caused by Aphanomyces euteiches in field pea. We pilot tested this platform alongside with conventional visual scoring in five experimental trials under greenhouse conditions, assaying over 12,600 single plants of advanced breeding lines developed by the North Dakota State University Pulse Breeding Program. Precision estimated through broad‐sense heritability (H2) was consistently higher for RGB‐derived indices (H2, Exg = 0.86) than the conventional visual scores (H2, disease severity index = 0.59). Prediction of disease severity using a random forest modeling of RGB‐derived indices achieved 0.69 accuracy on the test sets, with inaccurate classification partly attributed to the presence of tolerant lines (displaying root rot but no foliar symptoms) and within‐line genetic heterogeneity. We genetically dissected variation for ARR resistance from the population using RGB‐derived indices and visual scores through genome‐wide association mapping and identified a total of 260 associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The number of associated SNP for RGB‐derived indices was consistently higher than the number of associated SNP identified using visual scores, with the most significant SNP explaining about 5%–9% of variance per index. We identified previously mapped genes known to be involved in the biological pathways that trigger immunity against ARR and a few novel QTLs with small‐effect sizes that may be worthy of validation in the future. The newly identified QTLs and underlying genes, along with genotypes with promising resistance identified in this study, can be useful for improving a long‐term and durable resistance to ARR.

La inesperada irrupción del covid-19 tuvo profundas consecuencias para los/las estudiantes universitarios, quienes se vieron forzados/as a desarrollar sus carreras remotamente. Particularmente en Chile, las cohortes de ingreso 2019, 2020 y 2021 conformaron un caso único debido a las diferentes condiciones bajo las cuales se produjo su incorporación. Esta investigación tuvo por fin determinar las diferencias y la relación entre las variables personales y las vivencias académicas en una muestra de 331 estudiantes ad-hoc. Los resultados obtenidos estadísticamente mediante una estrategia asociativa e inferencial permiten concluir que no existen diferencias entre cohortes respecto a su salud mental, salvo en la vivencia con la carrera entre 2020 y 2021. Se presentan sugerencias para su abordaje personal y académico, así como para el desarrollo de estrategias focalizadas en la salud mental universitaria.

La necesidad de conocer el consumo de agua que un cultivo tiene en el transcurso de su periodo vegetativo sea este anual o perenne, es fundamental debido al cambio climático en desarrollo el cual manifiesta tanto una baja en la cantidad de agua precipitada en diferentes zonas de nuestro país como una concentración de estas precipitaciones. Además, es necesario ser eficiente y eficaz en el uso del recurso hídrico para riego en la agricultura tanto en ambientes abiertos como protegidos y por medio de ello, procurar el desarrollo sostenible. Para lograr esto, es menester conocer los valores de evapotranspiración de referencia, evapotranspiración real y el coeficiente del cultivo con el fin de estimar y proyectar aplicaciones de agua por medio de sistemas de riego lo más ajustadas a la realidad posible. Por generaciones se ha utilizado valores del coeficiente del cultivo independientemente del método matemático de estimación de la evapotranspiración de referencia sin conocer si existen diferencias o no en los resultados obtenidos en los consumos de agua estimados. No obstante, por medio de métodos matemáticos de estimación de la evapotranspiración de referencia utilizando datos de la humedad relativa, temperatura y radiación solar dentro de un invernadero, se encontró diferencia significativa en los valores del coeficiente del cultivo. En las metodologías de Ivanov y Camargo no se encontró diferencia significativa entre ellos pero si se encontró diferencias significativas (0,05) con respecto a las metodologías de Benavidez, Linacre, Hargreaves y Turc; las metodologías de Benavidez y Linacre presentaron diferencias significativa (0,05) tanto entre ellos y como con respecto a las metodologías de Ivanov, Camargo, Hargreaves y Turc; y Hargreaves y Turc no presentaron diferencia significativa entre ellos pero si se encontró diferencias significativas (0,05) con respecto a las metodologías de Ivanov, Camargo, Benavidez y Linacre.

IntroductionAs of October 26, 2022, only 9% of children in the United States aged 6 months to 4 years have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine despite FDA approval since June 17, 2022. Rates are better yet still low for children aged 5 to 11 years as nearly 30% were fully vaccinated as of August 23, 2022. Vaccine hesitancy among adults is one of the major factors affecting low vaccine uptake rates in children against COVID-19, yet most studies examining vaccine hesitancy have targeted school-age and adolescent children.MethodsWith the aim of assessing the willingness to recommend the COVID-19 vaccination to children under 5 years compared to children 5 to 12 years of age, a county-wide survey was conducted between January 11 and March 7, 2022, among adults on the United States-Mexico border.ResultsAmong the 765 responses, 72.5% were female and 42.3% were Latinx. The most significant factor associated with likelihood to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine to children less than 5 years and 5–12 years of age was adult vaccination status. Ordinal logistic regression also indicated that ethnicity, primary language, being a parent, previous COVID-19 infection, and concern about getting COVID-19 in the future were significantly associated with likelihood of COVID-19 vaccine recommendation to children < 5 years and 5–12 years old.DiscussionThis study found high consistency among respondents in their willingness to vaccinate children aged < 5 years compared with children aged 5–12 years. Our findings support public health strategies that target adult vaccinations as an avenue to improve childhood vaccinations for young children

The generation of biomass residues in different productive activities of rural communities in Mexico represents an area of opportunity for the generation of bioenergy for various purposes. Solid biofuels (SBF), for example, are an alternative for the exploitation of these residues. The present study shows a comprehensive proposal for the analysis of residues of Pinus spp. generated by the artisanal sector of a rural community in Mexico. The proposal is based on four stages: a) characterization of the physico-chemical and functional properties of the residues, by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Infrared (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetry (TGA-DTG), determining the calorific coefficient and polymeric compounds present by fiber analysis; (b) spatial, temporal and dimensional analysis of the waste generated in the town studied; (c) assessment of the energy potential available in space and time; (d) definition of guidelines for the management of solid biofuels for the community through collection, processing and final disposal centers. The results of the assessment of timber residue from 50 artisan workshops that represent 25% of the total in the community show that the identified heating value of the dry residue ranges from 17.6 MJ/kg to 18.1 MJ/kg, attributed to the presence of polymeric compounds such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, the latter in the order of 28%, which contributes to a high energy potential, and whose compounds were identified by TGA-DTG analysis, FTIR, SEM and fiber analysis. The energy potential was estimated at approximately 7 TJ/year for the analyzed workshops. In which case, the economic savings obtained from unburned firewood would amount to about $20,000 USD/year. As regards the reduction in firewood consumption due to the use of residues for energy purposes, about 350 Tn/year would be mitigated, which would reduce the community’s emissions by more than 76 TnCO2/year. A strategic management proposal was also established, aimed at providing spaces for the collection, processing and final disposal of solid biofuels from wood residues, which in sum represent an energy alternative that is sustainable in environmental, economic and social terms, for the same community.

Julio Antonio Gutiérrez Samanez (Kutiry) es ingeniero químico por la Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, artista plástico por la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Cusco, ceramista, escultor, investigador, político y científico reconocido por instituciones nacionales e internacionales. Maestro de la artesanía cusqueña y Amauta de la artesanía peruana. Miembro de la Academia Internacional de la Cerámica, cusqueñista dedicado a la investigación histórica de los ilustres personajes del Cusco del siglo XX. Actualmente dirige la escuela taller inca, en el distrito de Santiago, provincia de Cusco.

Abstract Multi‐trait genomic selection (MT‐GS) has the potential to improve predictive ability by maximizing the use of information across related genotypes and genetically correlated traits. In this study, we extended the use of sparse phenotyping method into the MT‐GS framework by split testing of entries to maximize borrowing of information across genotypes and predict missing phenotypes for targeted traits without additional phenotyping expenditure. Using 300 advanced breeding lines from North Dakota State University (NDSU) pulse breeding program and ∼200 USDA accessions that were evaluated for 10 nutritional traits, our results show that the proposed sparse phenotyping aided MT‐GS can further improve predictive ability by >12% across traits compared with univariate (UNI) genomic selection. The proposed strategy departed from the previous reports that weak genetic correlation is a limitation to the advantage of MT‐GS over UNI genomic selection, which was evident in the partially balanced phenotyping‐enabled MT‐GS. Our results point to heritability and genetic correlation between traits as possible metrics to optimize and further improve the estimation of model parameters, and ultimately, prediction performance. Overall, our study offers a new approach to optimize the prediction performance using the MT‐GS and further highlight strategy to maximize the efficiency of GS in a plant breeding program. The sparse‐testing‐aided MT‐GS proposed in this study can be further extended to multi‐environment, multi‐trait GS to improve prediction performance and further reduce the cost of phenotyping and time‐consuming data collection process.

El presente estudio muestra un análisis multiparamétrico de tres sistemas constructivos elaborados de tabiques y block de cemento. El análisis se realizó considerando como unidad funcional un metro cuadrado de muro de construcción para cada tabique y block, e incluyendo indicadores de sustentabilidad: (a) ambientales, a través del Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV), evaluando categorías de impacto como calentamiento global, acidificación y eutrofización (b) económicos, estimando el costo de materias primas y costo de construcción para la unidad funcional y (c) energético-funcionales, mediante la resistencia mecánica, la resistividad térmica y resistencia acústica de los materiales de construcción analizados. También se realizó una simulación térmica con los ladrillos estudiados. El análisis resultante es herramienta comparativa que muestra las diferencias entre los materiales estudiados y representa una metodología para la toma de decisiones con base en la importancia de cada uno de los indicadores propuestos.

Maturity is an important trait in dry pea breeding programs, but the conventional process predominately used to measure this trait can be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to errors. Therefore, a more efficient and accurate approach would be desirable to support dry pea breeding programs. This study presents a novel approach for measuring dry pea maturity using machine learning algorithms and unmanned aerial systems (UASs)-collected data. We evaluated the abilities of five machine learning algorithms (random forest, artificial neural network, support vector machine, K-nearest neighbor, and naïve Bayes) to accurately predict dry pea maturity on field plots. The machine learning algorithms considered a range of variables, including crop height metrics, narrow spectral bands, and 18 distinct color and spectral vegetation indices. Backward feature elimination was used to select the most important features by iteratively removing insignificant ones until the model’s predictive performance was optimized. The study’s findings reveal that the most effective approach for assessing dry pea maturity involved a combination of narrow spectral bands, red-edge, near-infrared (NIR), and RGB-based vegetation indices, along with image textural metrics and crop height metrics. The implementation of a random forest model further enhanced the accuracy of the results, exhibiting the highest level of accuracy with a 0.99 value for all three metrics precision, recall, and f1 scores. The sensitivity analysis revealed that spectral features outperformed structural features when predicting pea maturity. While multispectral cameras achieved the highest accuracy, the use of RGB cameras may still result in relatively high accuracy, making them a practical option for use in scenarios where cost is a limiting factor. In summary, this study demonstrated the effectiveness of coupling machine learning algorithms, UASs-borne LIDAR, and multispectral data to accurately assess maturity in peas.

Abstract Background Police constitute a structural determinant of health and HIV risk of people who inject drugs (PWID), and negative encounters with law enforcement present significant barriers to PWID access to harm reduction services. Conversely, police may facilitate access via officer-led referrals, potentiating prevention of HIV, overdose, and drug-related harms. We aimed to identify police characteristics associated with support for officer-led referrals to addiction treatment services and syringe service programs (SSP). We hypothesized that officers who believe harm reduction services are contradictory to policing priorities in terms of safety and crime reduction will be less likely to support police referrals. Methods Between January and June 2018, police officers (n = 305) in Tijuana, Mexico, completed self-administered surveys about referrals to harm reduction services during the 24-month follow-up visit as part of the SHIELD police training and longitudinal cohort study. Log-binomial regression was used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios and model policing characteristics and attitudes related to officers’ support for including addiction treatment and SSP in referrals. Results Respondents were primarily male (89%), patrol officers (86%) with a median age of 38 years (IQR 33–43). Overall, 89% endorsed referral to addiction services, whereas 53% endorsed SSP as acceptable targets of referrals. Officers endorsing addiction services were less likely to be assigned to high drug use districts (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] = 0.50, 95% CI 0.24, 1.08) and more likely to agree that methadone programs reduce crime (APR = 4.66, 95% CI 2.05, 9.18) than officers who did not support addiction services. Officers endorsing SSPs were younger (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] = 0.96 95% CI 0.93, 0.98), less likely to be assigned to high drug use districts (APR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.29, 0.87), more likely to believe that methadone programs reduce crime (APR = 2.43, 95% CI 1.30, 4.55), and less likely to believe that SSPs increase risk of needlestick injury for police (APR = 0.44, 0.27, 0.71). Conclusions Beliefs related to the occupational impact of harm reduction services in terms of officer safety and crime reduction are associated with support for referral to related harm reduction services. Efforts to deflect PWID from carceral systems toward harm reduction by frontline police should include measures to improve officer knowledge and attitudes about harm reduction services as they relate to occupational safety and law enforcement priorities. Trial Registration: NCT02444403.

BackgroundVaccine hesitancy in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic is a complex issue that undermines our national ability to reduce the burden of the disease and control the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed widening health disparities and disproportionate adverse health outcomes in terms of transmission, hospitalizations, morbidity and mortality among Arizona's Latinx rural, underserved, farmworker, disabled and elderly populations. In March 2021, ~8.1% of those vaccinated were Latinx, though Latinxs make up 32% of Arizona's population. The Arizona Vaccine Confidence Network (AzVCN) proposed to leverage the expertise of the Arizona Prevention Research Center (AzPRC) and the resources of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) Mobile Health Unit (MHU) to identify, implement and evaluate a MHU intervention to increase uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.MethodsThe AzVCN focused efforts on Latinx, rural, un/underinsured and farmworker communities in the four Arizona border counties that are at greater risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and may have limited access to vaccination and other essential health services. The AzVCN used listening sessions to create a feedback loop with key stakeholders and critical health care workers to validate barriers/enablers and identify solutions to increase vaccination uptake emerging from the network. The AzVCN also implemented a community-based intervention using community health workers (CHWs) based in a MHU to increase knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccines, reduce vaccination hesitancy and increase vaccination uptake among Latinx rural, un/underinsured and farmworker populations in Southern Arizona.ResultsAzVCN outcomes include: identification of enablers and barriers of COVID-19 vaccination in the priority populations; identification of strategies and solutions to address vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccine uptake among priority population; and evidence that the proposed solutions being tested through the AzVCN contribute to increased vaccine uptake among the priority populations.ConclusionThrough these efforts the AzPRC contributed to the CDC's Vaccinate with Confidence Strategy by collaborating with CHWs and other key stakeholders to engage directly with communities in identifying and addressing structural and misinformation barriers to vaccine uptake.

Abstract Background Law enforcement officers (LEOs) come into frequent contact with people who inject drugs (PWID). Through service referrals, LEOs may facilitate PWID engagement in harm reduction, substance use treatment, and other health and supportive services. Little is known about PWID and LEO attitudes and concerns about service referrals, however. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to examine the alignment of service referral preferences and acceptability among PWID and LEOs in Tijuana, Mexico. Methods We assessed service referral preferences and perceived likelihood of participation in health and social services, integrating data from structured questionnaires with 280 PWID and 306 LEOs, contextualized by semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 15 PWID and 17 LEOs enrolled in two parallel longitudinal cohorts in Tijuana, Mexico. Results Among potential service referral options, both PWID (78%) and LEOs (88%) most frequently cited assistance with drug- and alcohol-use disorders. Over half of PWID and LEOs supported including harm reduction services such as syringe service programs, overdose prevention, and HIV testing. The majority of PWID supported LEO referrals to programs that addressed basic structural needs (e.g. personal care [62%], food assistance [61%], housing assistance [58%]). However, the proportion of LEOs (30–45%) who endorsed these service referrals was significantly lower (p

Abstract Background Homeless people who use drugs (PWUD) are often displaced, detained, and/or forced into drug treatment during police crackdowns. Such operations follow a zero-tolerance approach to law enforcement and have a deleterious impact on the health of PWUD. In Mexico, municipal police officers (MPOs) conducted the largest crackdown documented at the Tijuana River Canal (Tijuana Mejora) to dismantle an open drug market. We analyzed active-duty MPOs’ attitudes on the rationale, implementation, and outcomes of the crackdown. We also included the involvement of non-governmental allies in the disguised imprisonment as drug treatment referral and potential legal consequences of having illegally detained PWUD. Methods Between February–June 2016, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with MPOs in Tijuana. Interviews were transcribed, translated and coded using a consensus-based approach. Emergent themes, trends and frameworks were analyzed through a hermeneutic grounded theory protocol. Results Participants recognized the limitations of Tijuana Mejora in effectively controlling crime and addressing drug treatment solutions. MPOs perceived that the intent of the operation was to displace and detain homeless PWUD, not to assist or rehabilitate them. The police operation was largely justified as a public safety measure to reduce the risk of injury due to flooding, decrease drug consumption among PWUD and protect local tourism from PWUD. Some participants perceived the crackdown as a successful public health and safety measure while others highlighted occupational risks to MPOs and potential human rights violations of PWUD. Conclusions Tijuana Mejora illustrated why public and private actors align in enforcing zero-tolerance drug policy. Perceptions of care are often based on captivity of the diseased, not in health and well-being of PWUD. Officer perceptions shed light on the many limitations of this punitive policing tool in this context. A shift towards evidence-based municipal strategies to address drug use, wherein police are perceived as partners in harm reduction rather than antagonists, is warranted.

La investigación presenta la metodología M3S como alternativa en el desarrollo de proyectos basados en la analítica de datos, por cuanto permite usar modelos matemáticos y explotar datos para generar conocimiento sin dejar de lado aspectos importantes para cualquier actividad como el nivel de madurez de la información y métodos que tienen que ver con Inteligencia Artificial como son los árboles de decisión y el aprendizaje automático, el principal objetivo de la metodología en juntar todos estos aspectos que servirán de mucha ayuda dentro de los procesos de extracción, transformación y carga ,asegurándonos que las decisiones que sean tomadas dentro de la organización sean las mejores. Mediante la implementación de una metodología de decisión se puede mejorar la explotación de información y obtener resultados más confiables, llegando a tomar decisiones más oportunas y eficaces en el tiempo.

Abstract Using the 2017 Hurricane Harvey flood event as a test case, this study set up a series of sensitivity analyses to highlight three challenges associated with large‐scale flood inundation modeling, including (a) model parameterization, (b) errors in digital elevation models, and (c) effects of reservoir retention. Driven by radar‐based hourly rainfall data, a series of hydrologic‐hydraulic models including the VIC hydrologic model, RAPID routing model, and Flood2D‐GPU hydrodynamic model are set up over Harris County, Texas, to simulate flood inundation and hazards. The results demonstrate the importance of hydrologic parameters in improving flood modeling. For a large flood event such as Hurricane Harvey, the effect of the initial water depths is insignificant. The Manning's n values may increase the peak water depth by ~1%, the flood extents by 65km2, and the high danger zone by ~6%. On the contrary, the bathymetry correction factors may reduce the flood extent by ~1.4% and the high‐danger zone by ~4%. Reducing the reservoir storage capacity to 1% may increase the flood extent by ~4% and the high‐danger zone by ~17%. This study may provide supporting information to guide and prioritize the development of future high‐performance computing hydrodynamic large‐scale flood simulations.

This proposal evaluates the energy potential of agricultural residues of Zea mays from an indigenous community in Mexico. The study consists of four stages: (a) evaluation of residue production in all community farming areas (b) morphological and physicochemical characterization, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman (c) the proximal and functional evaluation of the residues, through fiber analysis, determination of fixed carbon, humidity, estimation of calorific value, ash microanalysis and elemental analysis, and (d) evaluation of energy potential and multicriteria analysis. The results show that Z. mays residues have initial moisture values of less than 10%, ash content below 20%, fixed carbon around 14% and a calorific value of 17.6 MJ/kg associated with polymeric compounds and carbohydrates, as well as a percentage of extractable compounds of the order of 40%. The production of these residues on the 249 hectares (ha) of cultivation used would generate 23 TJ/year, whereas if the total number of hectares available were cultivated, the total energy generation would be 330 TJ/year, which is enough to satisfy the wood fuel demand of approximately seven communities with the characteristics of the study community. Due to this potential, as well as the results of the characterization, the agricultural mentioned residues are an energy alternative to meet the energy demand in communities in Michoacán, Mexico.

miRNAs are non-coding RNA sequences of approximately 22 nucleotides that interact with genes by inhibiting their translation through binding to their 3′ or 5′ UTR regions. Following their discovery, the role they play in the development of various pathologies, particularly cancer, has been studied. In this context, miR-7 is described as an important factor in the development of cancer because of its role as a tumor suppressor, regulating a large number of genes involved in the development and progression of cancer. Recent data support the function of miR-7 as a prognostic biomarker in cancer, and miR-7 has been proposed as a strategy in cancer therapy. In this work, the role of miR-7 in various types of cancer is reviewed, illustrating its regulation, direct targets, and effects, as well as its possible relationship to the clinical outcome of cancer patients.

Globally, punitive drug law enforcement drives human rights violations. Drug control tactics, such as syringe confiscation and drug-related arrests, also cascade into health harms among people who use drugs. The role of police officer characteristics in shaping such enforcement and measures to reform police practices remains underexamined. We evaluated gender differences in syringe confiscation and syringe-related arrest behaviors among municipal police officers in Tijuana, Mexico, where syringe possession is legal. In the context of the SHIELD Study focusing on aligning policing with harm reduction measures, our baseline sample covered municipal police officers who reported having occupational contact with syringes. We used multivariable logistic regression with robust variance estimation via a generalized estimating equation to identify correlates of syringe-related policing behaviors. Among respondent officers (n=1,555), 12% were female. After considering possible confounding variables, such as district of service and work experience, female officers were significantly less likely to report confiscating syringes or arresting individuals for syringe possession. Consideration of officer gender is important in the design of interventions to improve the health and human rights of people who inject drugs and other highly policed groups, as well as measures to safeguard officer occupational safety. The feminization of law enforcement deserves special consideration as an imperative in reducing the public health harms of policing.

El uso actual que dan los estudiantes universitarios a las redes sociales, y la postura de los centros educativos al momento de incorporar estos medios a sus planes académicos, es el objetivo y fundamento que justifica este trabajo para que se analice el uso de la data que proviene de publicaciones extraídas de FanPages de tres universidades de Quito, además de los comentarios y reacciones de los usuarios a dichas publicaciones. La comparación entre el uso para lo académico y para el ocio es el principal eje que se examinó, mostrando sus resultados a través de gráficos y estadísticas. En base en este análisis se plantea un posible recurso basado en la tecnología de los chatbots para generar un mayor compromiso y fidelidad por parte de los universitarios hacia su centro de educación. De la investigación realizada se pudo comprobar que los estudiantes buscan en las redes sociales generar experiencias y sentimientos, por lo cual interactúan más con las páginas de ocio que con las académicas. Ahí encuentran una cantidad de palabras y publicaciones que les permite identificarse y convertirse en un seguidor fiel, que tiene como característica principal, el compartir, comentar y reaccionar con la mayoría de los posteos.

Lung cancer is currently the leading cause of cancer death worldwide; it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and bears poor prognosis. It has been shown that diet is an important environmental factor that contributes to the risk and mortality of several types of cancers. Intake of ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs plays an important role in cancer risk and progression. Current Western populations have high consumption of ω-6 PUFAs with a ratio of ω-6/ω-3 PUFAs at 15:1 to 16.7:1 This high consumption of ω-6 PUFAs is related to increased cancer risk and progression. However, whether a diet rich in ω-6 PUFAs can contribute to tumor aggressiveness has not been well investigated. We used a murine model of pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma to study the aggressiveness of tumors in mice fed with a diet rich in ω-6 PUFAs and its relationship with oxylipins. Our results shown that the mice fed a diet rich in ω-6 showed a marked increase in proliferation, angiogenesis and pro-inflammatory markers and decreased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins in their tumors. Oxylipin profiling revealed an upregulation of various pro-tumoral oxylipins including PGs, HETEs, DiHETrEs and HODEs. These results demonstrate for the first time that high intake of ω-6 PUFAs in the diet enhances the malignancy of tumor cells by histological changes on tumor dedifferentiation and increases cell proliferation, angiogenesis, pro-inflammatory oxylipins and molecular aggressiveness targets such as NF-κB p65, YY1, COX-2 and TGF-β.

This study analyzes the household energy needs of the indigenous community of San Francisco Pichátaro, Michoacán, Mexico, and the use of Pinus spp. wood residues for the production of briquettes. The energy and emission performances of wood briquettes were evaluated on the field and in the laboratory. On-field surveys and measurements show that most users combine the use of fuelwood and LPG for cooking and heating water, and 65% of people use fuelwood daily (40% of houses consumed more than 39 kg per week). The use of biomass waste is an energy option in rural communities and contributes to reducing firewood consumption and mitigating GHGs. Briquettes gasification to heat water reduces 74% of GHG emissions, increases the thermal efficiency by 30%, and reduces pollutant emissions of CO, CH4, and PM2.5, NMHC, EC, and OC by 50% to 75% compared to a three-stone fire. The use of briquettes on the Patsari stove showed energy savings of 12% and a 36% reduction in CO2e compared to the “U” type open fire. The briquettes could reduce the fuelwood consumption by 318 t/year. It is possible to produce briquettes at a cost similar to or cheaper than fuelwood and generate a local market (circular economy) with local benefits.

Objective At a time of unprecedented attention to the public health impact of policing, it is imperative to understand the role of occupational safety in shaping officer behaviours. We assessed the longitudinal impact of police training in a quasi-experimental hybrid type-1 trial to reduce syringe-related occupational risk, while realigning police practices with public health prevention among people who inject drugs (PWID).Setting Tijuana, Mexico.Participants Of 1806 Tijuana municipal police trainees, 771 reporting previous exposure to syringes were randomly selected for follow-up. All participants completed at least one follow-up visit; attrition at 24 months was 8%.Intervention Between 2015 and 2016, officers received a training intervention (Safety and Health Integration in the Enforcement of Laws on Drugs, SHIELD) bundling occupational needle stick injury (NSI) prevention with health promotion among PWID.Outcome measures Longitudinal analysis with generalised linear mixed models to evaluate training impact on occupational NSI risk via NSI incidence and prevalidated Syringe Threat and Injury Correlates (STIC) score. This composite indicator integrates five self-reported risky syringe-handling practices (eg, syringe confiscation, breaking) and was used as a proxy for NSI risk due to reporting bias and concerns about reliability of NSI incidence reports.Results No change in self-reported NSI incidence was observed, but significant reductions in risk (16.2% decrease in STIC score) occurred at 3 months, with a sustained decrease of 17.8% through 24 months, compared with pretraining (p

Yin-Yang transcription factor 1 (YY1) is involved in tumor progression, metastasis and has been shown to be elevated in different cancers, including leukemia. The regulatory mechanism underlying YY1 expression in leukemia is still not understood. Bioinformatics analysis reveal three Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) putative binding sites in the YY1 promoter region. The regulation of YY1 by HIF-1α in leukemia was analyzed. Mutation of the putative YY1 binding sites in a reporter system containing the HIF-1α promoter region and CHIP analysis confirmed that these sites are important for YY1 regulation. Leukemia cell lines showed that both proteins HIF-1α and YY1 are co-expressed under hypoxia. In addition, the expression of mRNA of YY1 was increased after 3 h of hypoxia conditions and affect several target genes expression. In contrast, chemical inhibition of HIF-1α induces downregulation of YY1 and sensitizes cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. The clinical implications of HIF-1α in the regulation of YY1 were investigated by evaluation of expression of HIF-1α and YY1 in 108 peripheral blood samples and by RT-PCR in 46 bone marrow samples of patients with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We found that the expression of HIF-1α positively correlates with YY1 expression in those patients. This is consistent with bioinformatic analyses of several databases. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that YY1 can be transcriptionally regulated by HIF-1α, and a correlation between HIF-1α expression and YY1 was found in ALL clinical samples. Hence, HIF-1α and YY1 may be possible therapeutic target and/or biomarkers of ALL.

Members of the Bcl-2 family are proteins that play an essential role in the regulation of apoptosis, a crucial process in development and normal physiology in multicellular organisms. The essential mechanism of this family of proteins is given by the role of pro-survival proteins, which inhibit apoptosis by their direct binding with their counterpart, the effector proteins of apoptosis. This family of proteins was named after the typical member Bcl-2, which was named for its discovery and abnormal expression in B-cell lymphomas. Subsequently, the structure of one of its members BCL-xL was described, which allowed one to understand much of the molecular mechanism of this family. Due to its role of BCL-xL in the regulation of cell survival and proliferation, it has been of great interest in its study. Due to this, it is important to research its role regarding the development and progression of human malignancies, especially in hematologic malignancies. Due to its variation in expression in cancer, it has been suggested that BCL-xL can or cannot play a role in cancer depending on the cellular or tissue context. This review discusses recent advances in its transcriptional regulation of BCL-xL, as well as the advances regarding the activities of BCL-xL in hematological malignancies, its possible role as a biomarker, and its possible clinical relevance in these malignancies.

The discovery and description of the role of microRNAs has become very important, specifically due to their participation in the regulation of proteins and transcription factors involved in the development of cancer. microRNA-7 (miR-7) has been described as a negative regulator of several proteins involved in cancer, such as YY1 and KLF4. We have recently reported that YY1 and KLF4 play a role in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and that the expression of KLF4 is regulated by YY1. Therefore, in this study we analyzed the role of miR-7 in NHL through the negative regulation of YY1 and KLF4. qRT-PCR showed that there is an inverse expression of miR-7 in relation to the expression of YY1 and KLF4 in B-NHL cell lines. The possible regulation of YY1 and KLF4 by miR-7 was analyzed using the constitutive expression or inhibition of miR-7, as well as using reporter plasmids containing the 3 ‘UTR region of YY1 or KLF4. The role of miR-7 in NHL, through the negative regulation of YY1 and KLF4 was determined by chemoresistance and migration assays. We corroborated our results in cell lines, in a TMA from NHL patients including DLBCL and follicular lymphoma subtypes, in where we analyzed miR-7 by ISH and YY1 and KLF4 using IHC. All tumors expressing miR-7 showed a negative correlation with YY1 and KLF4 expression. In addition, expression of miR-7 was analyzed using the GEO Database; miR-7 downregulated expression was associated with pour overall-survival. Our results show for the first time that miR-7 is implicate in the cell migration and chemoresistance in NHL, through the negative regulation of YY1 and KLF4. That also support the evidence that YY1 and KLF4 can be a potential therapeutic target in NHL.

Abstract Background Mexican law permits syringe purchase and possession without prescription. Nonetheless, people who inject drugs (PWID) frequently report arrest for syringe possession. Extrajudicial arrests not only violate human rights, but also significantly increase the risk of blood-borne infection transmission and other health harms among PWID and police personnel. To better understand how police practices contribute to the PWID risk environment, prior research has primarily examined drug user perspectives and experiences. This study focuses on municipal police officers (MPOs) in Tijuana, Mexico to identify factors associated with self-reported arrests for syringe possession. Methods Participants were active police officers aged ≥18 years, who completed a self-administered questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to occupational safety, drug laws, and harm reduction strategies. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify correlates of recent syringe possession arrest. Results Among 1044 MPOs, nearly half (47.9%) reported always/sometimes making arrests for syringe possession (previous 6mo). Factors independently associated with more frequent arrest included being male (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 1.62; 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI] =1.04–2.52; working in a district along Tijuana River Canal (where PWID congregate) (AOR = 2.85; 95%CI = 2.16–3.77); having recently experienced a physical altercation with PWID (AOR = 2.83; 95% CI = 2.15–3.74); and having recently referred PWID to social and health services (AOR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.48–2.61). Conversely, odds were significantly lower among officers reporting knowing that syringe possession is legal (AOR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.46–0.82). Conclusions Police and related criminal justice stakeholders (e.g., municipal judges, prosecutors) play a key role in shaping PWID risk environment. Findings highlight the urgent need for structural interventions to reduce extra-judicial syringe possession arrests. Police training, increasing gender and other forms of diversity, and policy reforms at various governmental and institutional levels are necessary to reduce police occupational risks, improve knowledge of drug laws, and facilitate harm reduction strategies that promote human rights and community health.

La finalidad del presente artículo consiste en describir los componentes de educación y sensibilidad intercultural que se evidencian en la práctica docente con el estudiante sordo en la escuela especial. Se destaca el principio sobre estudiantes sordos estipulado en el documento de la UNESCO (2006) en pro de los aprendizajes en educación, que debe asumir los deberes y derechos inherentes al sujeto sordo en su particularidad lingüística: “La educación intercultural respeta la identidad cultural del educando impartiendo a todos una educación de calidad que se adecúe y adapte a su cultura”. De acuerdo con ello, los principios de educación intercultural deben construirse considerando que: I) Se respete la identidad cultural del educando impartiendo a todos [as] una educación de calidad que se adecúe y se adapte a su cultura; II) Se enseñe a cada educando los conocimientos, las actitudes y las competencias culturales necesarias para que pueda participar plena y activamente en la sociedad; III) La elaboración de programas propios de estudio. Esto exige que la institución promueva el acercamiento a la asociación y a la comunidad sorda, para que los estudiantes la conozcan e interactúen en etapas tempranas y así propendan hacia la negociación simétrica de las culturas para reconocer a un Otro diverso en las prácticas docentes del aula.

Water quality control and the control of contaminant spill in water in particular are becoming a primary need today. Gradient descent sensitivity methods based on the adjoint formulation have proved to be encouraging techniques in this context for river and channel flows. Taking into account that most channels and rivers include junctions with other branches, the objective of this study is to explore the adjoint technique on a channel network to reconstruct the upstream boundary condition of the convection-reaction equation. For this purpose, the one-dimensional shallow water equations and the transport equation for a reactive solute are considered. The control is formulated through the gradient-descent technique supplied with a first-order iterative process. Both the physical and the adjoint equations are supplied with suitable internal boundary conditions at the junction and are numerically solved using a finite volume upwind scheme. The results reveal that the adjoint technique is capable of reconstructing the inlet solute concentration boundary condition in an acceptable number of iterations for both steady state and transient configurations using a downstream measurement location. It was also observed that the reconstruction of the boundary condition tends to be less effective the further away the measurement station is from the target.

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated multiple impacts. In particular, in the educational sector, the virtual class modality generated changes in the patterns of energy consumption at the institutional level; the identification of this consumption will allow us to reflect on new energy saving and efficient use strategies. In this research, we present a case study of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity consumption in 13 state universities in Michoacán, Mexico. Electric energy consumption has been evaluated before and during the presence of the COVID-19 between 2019 and 2020. The comparative analysis estimated the reduction in energy consumption and its economic and environmental impact. The results show a considerable decrease in electricity consumption, generating an average saving of 76.24 MWh/month, which translates into an annual emission reduction from 2019 to 2020 of approximately 497 TnCO2e, and in economic terms of $8,882.25 USD each month. In general, it was identified that consumption patterns in the use of machinery and computer equipment for administrative activities were drastically reduced. If education continues in virtual or hybrid modes, energy consumption schemes will continue to decline and institutions could move towards resilient, affordable, and sustainable models of energy production and consumption.

This study shows the energy potential of pine wood waste for the production of solid biofuels, and was carried out in an indigenous community in the state of Michoacán. One of the main economic activities of this community is the production of handcrafted furniture, which generates a large amount of wood waste. The most relevant results obtained in this research show that the community generates approximately 2268 kg of sawdust and 5418 kg of shavings per week, and the estimated energy potential per year for both sawdust is 1.94 PJ and for shaving is 4.65 PJ. Based on the particle size observed, the wood residue can be used to generate pellets or briquettes. Other average results in sawdust and (shavings) are the following: initial moisture content 15.3% (16.8%), apparent density 169.23 kg/m3 (49.25 kg/m3), ash 0.43% (0.42%), volatile material 84.9% (83.60%), fixed carbon 14.65% (15.96%), hemicelluloses 12.89% (10.68%), cellulose 52.68% (52.82%), lignin 26.73% (25.98%), extractives 7.69% (10.51%), calorific value 17.6 MJ/kg (17.9 MJ/kg). The major chemical elements in the ash were Al, K. Fe, Ca, P, Na, and Mg. Finally, the results obtained indicate that this biomass can be used to generate pellets or briquettes in this indigenous community.

Se presentan los resultados de un estudio cuyo objetivo fue conocer la forma en que un grupo de estudiantes de cuarto medio, con alto rendimiento escolar, proveniente de liceos con un índice de vulnerabilidad elevado, (sobre 80%), ha vivido diversos sucesos vitales normativos y no normativos en comparación con estudiantes de bajo rendimiento escolar. La población fue de 502 estudiantes pertenecientes a diversos liceos de la Región Metropolitana. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron: Bienestar Psicológico (BIEP-J), Escala de Resiliencia (SVRES) y Escala de Vivencia Vitales Significativas para adolescentes (VVS). Se encontraron diferencias significativas en la satisfacción con el liceo y solicitud de apoyo para la resolución de problemas. En bienestar psicológico, las diferencias fueron en las dimensiones proyectos y control y en resiliencia en los factores de metas, proyectos, autoeficacia y aprendizaje.

This study presents a prospective study for the potential exploitation of pelagic Sargassum spp. as a solid biofuel energy source. It was carried out in three stages. First we conducted a morphological, physical-chemical, and structural characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (DRX), respectively. Second we evaluated the material’s functional properties as a solid biofuel based on its calorific value and the quantification of polymeric components like hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin, as well as thermogravimetric and differential analysis to study the kinetics of its pyrolysis and determine parameters like activation energy (Ea), reaction order (n), and the pre-exponential factor (Z). Third we analyzed the energetic potential considering the estimated volume of pelagic Sargassum spp. that was removed from beaches along the Mexican Caribbean coast in recent years. Results of the kinetic study indicate that Sargassum spp. has an enormous potential for use as a complement to other bioenergy sources. Other results show the high potential for exploiting these algae as an energy source due to the huge volumes that have inundated Caribbean, West African, and northern Brazil shorelines in recent years. As a solid biofuel, Sargassum spp. has a potential energy the order of 0.203 gigajoules (GJ)/m3. In the energy matrix of the residential sector in Mexico, its potential use as an energy source is comparable to the national consumption of firewood. The volume of beachcast Sargassum spp. that was removed from ~8 km of coastline around Puerto Morelos, Mexico in 2018–2019, could have generated over 40 terajoules/year of solid biofuel.

Goat production in Chile is carried by small-scale farmers obtaining milk and cheese as the main products. The welfare of goats under these types of production systems is currently unknown and no appropriate validated operational welfare indicators are currently available. We took the tasks of identifying operational welfare indicators and validating them with all stakeholders. A total of 37 operational welfare indicators were obtained. The use of these validated indicators and the welfare score is appropriate to Chilean goat production systems and may successfully increase the sustainability of production and farmers in Chile.

Brain cancer is one of the most malignant types of cancer in both children and adults. Brain cancer patients tend to have a poor prognosis and a high rate of mortality. Additionally, 20–40% of all other types of cancer can develop brain metastasis. Numerous pieces of evidence suggest that omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-PUFAs) could potentially be used in the prevention and therapy of several types of cancer. PUFAs and oxylipins are fundamental in preserving physiological events in the nervous system; it is, therefore, necessary to maintain a certain ratio of ω-3 to ω-6 for normal nervous system function. Alterations in PUFAs signaling are involved in the development of various pathologies of the nervous system, including cancer. It is well established that an omega-6-polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-6 PUFA)-rich diet has a pro-tumoral effect, whereas the consumption of an ω-3 rich diet has an anti-tumoral effect. This review aims to offer a better understanding of brain cancer and PUFAs and to discuss the role and impact of PUFAs on the development of different types of brain cancer. Considering the difficulty of antitumor drugs in crossing the blood–brain barrier, the therapeutic role of ω-3/ω-6 PUFAs against brain cancer would be a good alternative to consider. We highlight our current understanding of the role of PUFAs and its metabolites (oxylipins) in different brain tumors, proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression by focusing on recent research in vitro and in vivo.

Summary: Background: As countries embark on public health-oriented drug law reform, health impact evaluations are needed. In 2012, Mexico mandated the narcomenudeo reform, which depenalised the possession of small amounts of drugs and instituted drug treatment instead of incarceration. We investigated the past and future effect of this drug law reform on HIV incidence in people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico. Methods: In this epidemic modelling study, we used data from the El Cuete IV cohort study to develop a deterministic model of injecting and sexual HIV transmission in people who inject drugs in Tijuana between 2012 and 2030. The population was stratified by sex, incarceration status, syringe confiscation by the police, HIV stage, and exposure to drug treatment or rehabilitation (either opioid agonist treatment or compulsory drug abstinence programmes). We modelled the effect of these exposures on HIV risk in people who inject drugs, estimating the effect of observed and potential future reform enforcement levels. Findings: In 2011, prior to the narcomenudeo reform, 547 (75%) of 733 people who inject drugs in the El Cuete cohort reported having ever been incarcerated, on average five times since starting injecting. Modelling estimated the limited reform implementation averted 2% (95% CI 0·2–3·0) of new HIV infections in people who inject drugs between 2012 and 2017. If implementation reduced incarceration in people who inject drugs by 80% from 2018 onward, 9% (95% CI 4–16) of new HIV infections between 2018 and 2030 could be averted, with 21% (10–33) averted if people who inject drugs were referred to opioid agonist treatment instead of being incarcerated. Referral to compulsory drug abstinence programmes instead of prison could have a lower or potentially negative impact with −2% (95% CI −23 to 9) infections averted. Interpretation: Mexican drug law reform has had a negligible effect on the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Tijuana. However, appropriate implementation could markedly reduce HIV incidence if linked to opioid agonist treatment. Unfortunately, compulsory drug abstinence programmes are the main type of drug rehabilitation available and their expansion could potentially increase HIV transmission. Funding: National Institute on Drug Abuse, UC San Diego Center for AIDS Research.