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OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of immediate vs. deferred antiretroviral therapy (ART) on CD4 recovery among individuals early in HIV infection. DESIGN Using serologic markers of early infection together with self-reported dates of infection and HIV diagnosis, ART-naive participants who were randomized to immediate vs. deferred ART in the Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment trial were classified into subgroups of duration of HIV infection at baseline. CD4 cell count recovery over follow-up according to duration of HIV infection was investigated. METHODS Three subgroups were defined: first, infected 6 months or less (n = 373); second, infected 6-24 months (n = 2634); and third, infected 24 months or longer (n = 1605). Follow-up CD4, CD8, and CD4 : CD8 ratio for the immediate and deferred ART groups were compared by subgroup using linear models. For the deferred ART group, decline to CD4 less than 350 cells/μl or AIDS according to infection duration was compared using time-to-event methods. RESULTS Follow-up CD4 cell count differences (immediate minus deferred) were greater for those recently infected (+231 cells/μl) compared with the two other subgroups (202 and 171 cells/μl; P

Nowadays, humanity is consuming unsustainably the planet’s resources. In the scope of energy resource consumption, e.g., the intense use of fossil fuels has contributed to the acceleration of climate changes on the planet, and the overriding need to increase energy efficiency in all sectors is now widely recognized, aiming to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 69% in 2030. Largely due to climate changes, water has also become a critical resource on the planet and hydric stress risk will rise significantly in the coming decades. Accordingly, several countries will have to apply measures to increase water efficiency in all sectors, including at the building level. These measures, in addition to reducing water consumption, will contribute to the increase of energy efficiency and to the decrease of GHG emissions, especially of CO2. Therefore, the nexus water energy in buildings is relevant because the application of water efficiency measures can result in a significant contribution to improve buildings’ energy efficiency and the urban water cycle (namely in abstraction, treatment, and pumping). For Mediterranean climate, there are few studies to assess the extent and impact of this nexus. This study presents the assessment of water-energy nexus performed in a university building located in a mainland Portugal central region. The main goals are to present the results of the water and energy efficiency measures implemented and to assess the consequent reduction of water, above 37%, and energy (30%) consumption, obtained because of the application of water-efficient devices and highly efficient light systems in the building. The water efficiency increase at the building level represents at the urban level an energy saving in the water supply system of 406 kWh/year, nearly 0.5% of the building energy consumption, with a consequent increase in the energy efficiency and in the reduction of GHG emissions. Complementarily, other energy-efficient measures were implemented to reduce the energy consumption. As the building under study has a small demand of domestic hot water with no hydro pressure pumps and has a small water-energy nexus, it was concluded that the significant reduction of the building energy consumption did not influence the indoor comfort.

Exogenous CO delivery to cellular targets for salutary purposes can be readily achieved with photoactive metal carbonyl complexes (photoCORMs). Mn(I)-based photoCORMs are often favored for their ability to release CO upon triggering with visible light (suitable for phototherapy of cancer). To date, the reported Mn(I)-based photoCORMs are all non-luminescent and hence the entry of these CO donors cannot be tracked within the targeted sites. A new luminescent Mn(I) photoCORM namely [Mn(CO)3(phen)(Pipdansyl)](CF3SO3) (3) has been reported. Synthetic strategy to isolate photoCORM 3 and its previous analogue [Mn(CO)3(phen)(Imdansyl)](CF3SO3) (2) has been highlighted to establish protocols for the future isolation of luminescent Mn(I)-based photoCORMs that could be employed as trackable photoCORMs for CO delivery. The entrance of 3 into human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells has been visualized by confocal microscopic studies. Eradication of the cancer cells by CO delivery from 3 under visible light illumination has also been demonstrated.

Introduction Salmonella Typhimurium is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the U.S., causing over a million cases each year. In recent years, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has become a standard tool for routine epidemiological subtyping. Objectives The objectives of this study are 1) to compare the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of multidrug resistant (MDR) S. Typhimurium isolates, 2) to examine the genetic relatedness of a historic collection of MDR and pan-susceptible isolates from retail chickens. Methods We used data on Salmonella Typhimurium isolates in the publicly available NARMS national clinical and retail meat datasets from 2016 to 2018. Staramr (0.5.1) was used to identify AMR determinants and predictive resistance from genomes submitted to NCBI. Sensitivity and specificity of the WGS method were calculated with phenotypic resistance results as the reference. SNP-based cluster analysis was used to examine the genetic relatedness of MDR resistant and pan-susceptible isolates from retail chickens. Results The overall sensitivity of WGS as a predictor of clinical resistance was 96.47% and the overall specificity was 100.00%. The disagreement between phenotypic and genotypic results were mostly related to streptomycin. The MDR isolates differed by an average of 73.1 SNPs from each other, while the pan-susceptible isolates differed by an average of 473.1 SNPs (p Conclusion WGS can reliably predict AMR in S. Typhimurium isolates and it can reveal genetic determinants to elucidate the evolution of antimicrobial resistance.

We evaluate the impact of optical amplifier failure on the achievable information rate (AIR) of a transmission link. We consider two scenarios to avoid link failure. First, we consider that after amplifier failure the optical signals are switched to a redundant passive optical line card which surpasses the damage amplifier. Second, we assume that the optical signals are switched to a redundant amplifier card. From the evolution of the AIR with the position in the link where the failure occurs we demonstrate which are the critical amplifiers that demand amplifier cards redundancy to avoid a link failure, and in which place a redundant passive optical line card is admissible. We consider polarization multiplexing (PM) quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellations. To evaluate the AIR, we consider the optical amplified spontaneous emission noise and the nonlinear interference optical noise coherent, as well as the receiver thermal and shot noise sources. Results show that for the first scenario the maximum value attainable by the AIR is strongly dependent on the position of the amplifier failure on the transmission link, being the first amplifiers more critical for the performance of the link. Findings also show that a failure of the last amplifier tends to not affect the AIR. We also observe that it is possible to partially compensate the AIR decrease after an amplifier failure in the first scenario, by optimizing the gain of the remain available amplifiers on the transmission link and by optimizing the transmitter power.

Soil acidity is one of the main factors limiting agricultural production due to high aluminum (Al(3+)) saturation in soil. Campomanesia pubescens (Mart. ex DC.) O. Berg, popularly known as “gabiroba”, is a species of Myrtaceae family and typical of Brazilian Cerrado. The aim of this study was to evaluate the root growth and anatomical structure of C. pubescens roots, subjected to different concentrations of Al(3+), grown in a simple and complete solution as culture form. This experiment was performed with seedlings cultivated hydroponically using a simple and complete solution. The simple nutrient solution was carried out using 0.1 mM of Ca (CaCl(2).2H(2)O) and five concentrations of Al in the form of Al(2)(SO(4))3.18H(2)O, while the complete nutrient solution of low ionic strength was conducted using 0.5 mM of N (NH(4)NO(3)), 0.2 mM of Ca (CaCl(2).H(2)O), 0.2 mM of Mg (MgSO(4).7H(2)O), 0.5 mM of K (K(2)SO(4)), 0.1 mM of P (NaH(2)PO(4).2H(2)O), 10 μM of Fe (FeNa) EDTA, 0.4 μM of Mn (MnSO(4).H(2)O), 0.16 μM of Zn (ZnSO(4)), 0.04 μM of Cu (CuSO(4)), 0.5 μM of Mo (MoO(3)), and 0.04 μM of Co (CoSO(4).7H(2)O).The experiment was a factorial design (2×5) with two nutrient solutions (single and complete) and five aluminum concentrations (0, 150, 300, 600 and 1200 μmol L-1). It was observed that both in simple and complete nutrient solution the rate of root elongation and root growth decreased with increasing Al(3+) concentration. At the concentration of 300 μmol L-1, were observed cellular disorganization and rupture of the epidermis. The presence of aluminum inside the vascular cells may indicate some mechanism of transport to other parts of the plant. It was concluded that Campomanesia pubescens showed sensitivity towards high Al(3+) concentrations, indicating that the establishment of these plants can be compromised in acidic soils with toxic concentrations of Al(3+).

Biodiversity is rapidly changing due to changes in the climate and human related activities; thus, the accurate predictions of species composition and diversity are critical to developing conservation actions and management strategies. In this paper, using oak assemblages distributed across the continental United States obtained from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), we assessed the performance of stacked species distribution models (S-SDMs), constructed using satellite remote sensing as covariates and under a Bayesian framework, in order to build the next-generation of biodiversity models. This study represents an attempt to evaluate the integrated predictions of biodiversity models—including assemblage diversity and composition—obtained by stacking next-generation SDMs. We found three main results. First, environmental predictors derived entirely from satellite remote sensing represent adequate covariates for biodiversity modeling. Second, applying constraints to assemblage predictions, such as imposing the probability ranking rule, not necessarily results in more accurate species diversity predictions. Third, independent of the stacking procedure (bS-SDM versus pS-SDM versus cS-SDM), this kind of biodiversity models do not accurately recover the observed species composition at plot level or ecological scales (NEON plots), however, they do return reasonable predictions at macroecological scales, i.e., mid to high correct assignment of species identities at the scale of NEON sites. Our results provide insights for the prediction of assemblage diversity and composition at different spatial scales. An important task for future studies is to evaluate the reliability of combining S-SDMs with direct detection of species using image spectroscopy to build a new generation of biodiversity models to accurately predict and monitor ecological assemblages through time and space.

Research Areas: Pharmacology & Pharmacy ABSTRACT - Staphylococcus aureus biofilm-associated infections are a major public health concern. Current therapies are hampered by reduced penetration of antibiotics through biofilm and low accumulation levels at infected sites, requiring prolonged usage. To overcome these, repurposing antibiotics in combination with nanotechnological platforms is one of the most appealing fast-track and costeffective approaches. In the present work, we assessed the potential therapeutic benefit of three antibiotics, vancomycin, levofloxacin and rifabutin (RFB), through their incorporation in liposomes. Free RFB displayed the utmost antibacterial effect with MIC and MBIC50 below 0.006 µg/mL towards a methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). RFB was selected for further in vitro studies and the influence of different lipid compositions on bacterial biofilm interactions was evaluated. Although positively charged RFB liposomes displayed the highest interaction with MSSA biofilms, RFB incorporated in negatively charged liposomes displayed lower MBIC50 values in comparison to the antibiotic in the free form. Preliminary safety assessment on all RFB formulations towards osteoblast and fibroblast cell lines demonstrated that a reduction on cell viability was only observed for the positively charged liposomes. Overall, negatively charged RFB liposomes are a promising approach against biofilm S. aureus infections and further in vivo studies should be performed. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Cocoa roasting produces and enhances distinct flavor of chocolate and acts as a critical control point for inactivation of foodborne pathogens in chocolate production. In this study, the inactivation kinetics of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Oranienburg strain was assessed on whole cocoa beans using roasting protocols relevant to the fine chocolate industry. Beans were inoculated with 107–108 log10 CFU/bean of Salmonella Oranienburg and roasted at 100–150°C for 2–100 min. A greater than 5 log10 reduction of S. Oranienburg was experimentally achieved after 10-min roasting at 150°C. Data were fitted using log-linear and Weibull models. The log-linear models indicated that the roasting times (D) needed to achieve a decimal reduction of Salmonella at 100, 110, 115, 120, 130, and 140°C were 33.34, 18.57, 12.92, 10.50, 4.20, and 1.90 min, respectively. A Weibull model indicated a decrease in the Salmonella inactivation rate over time (β < 1). Statistical analysis indicated that the Weibull model fitted the data better compared to a log-linear model. These data demonstrate the efficacy of cocoa roasting in inactivation of Salmonella and may be used to guide food safety decision-making.

No studies have previously analyzed the association between dynapenic abdominal obesity (DAO) and pulmonary function in older adults. The aim of this study was to analyze whether there is an association between pulmonary function and abdominal obesity, dynapenia, and DAO in community-dwelling older adults.A cross-sectional study was conducted with community-dwelling older adults (n = 383) of Macapá, Amapá, Brazil. Pulmonary function variables were evaluated with spirometry; and DAO was evaluated with the combination of dynapenia and abdominal obesity. Cutoff points for handgrip strength, 26 kg force for men and 16 kg force for women, were used to detect dynapenia; and cutoff points of abdominal circumference of 102 cm for men and 88 cm for women were used to identify abdominal obesity.Most of the studied pulmonary function variables (obtained values and obtained versus predicted values) were associated with abdominal obesity, dynapenia, and DAO. However, in the adjusted model, there was an association of FVC (β = - 0.163; p 0.001), FEVOlder adults with abdominal obesity, dynapenia, and DAO presented impaired pulmonary function when compared to those without these conditions. Most of the pulmonary function variables were associated with abdominal obesity, dynapenia, and DAO conditions. However, in the adjusted model, there was an association of reduced FVC, FEV

Quantum random number generators (QRNGs) based on homodyne measurements of vacuum fluctuations are in high-demand as fast and secure sources of randomness for vital applications such as cryptographic protocols. Despite the high-volume of research, most implementations rely on a balanced homodyne detection (BHD) scheme with a continuous-wave local oscillator. Typically, these operate under the assumption that electronic noise levels remain constant throughout large spans of time. In this work, we propose and analyse a suitable setup for a QRNG based on BHD using a pulsed local oscillator. Contrarily to previous schemes, this implementation introduces the possibility of real-time electronic noise monitoring, which can help increase robustness against attacks. The experimental setup is characterized to assess the conditions where quantum fluctuations are dominant. Finally, we compare it with the more traditional continuous-wave implementation and highlight the advantages of each implementation.

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is, nowadays, the dominant practical application in the quantum technologies field. Nevertheless, extracting secure keys from a physical implementation of a QKD system remains a complicated procedure. In this paper, post-processing algorithms were implemented to extract secret keys from a Continuous-Variable QKD (CV-QKD) system. The Discrete Modulated Four State CV-QKD protocol was considered due to lower complexity in the reconciliation procedure. The secret keys were extracted considering Maximum-Likelihood Estimators (MLEs) for parameter estimation, Iterative Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes complemented with the Sum-Product Algorithm and error groups iterative reconciliation for information reconciliation, and the Toeplitz matrix as the universal hash function for privacy amplification. The post-processing algorithms were applied to extract secret keys from a simulated implementation of the Discrete Modulated Four State CV-QKD protocol, with double homodyne detection.

In this paper we propose and validate an algorithm for the automatic and deterministic state of polarization (SOP) generation, with direct application in polarization-encoded quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. The proposed SOP generation algorithm uses an electronic polarization controller (EPC), whose active elements entail the concatenation of several fiber-squeezing-based waveplates. Initially, we carry out a characterization of the waveplates. After that, we present in detail the working principle of the proposed algorithm. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is experimentally assessed through the calculation of the quantum bit error rate (QBER), where an Arduino Due is used to control the different waveplates of the EPC. The QBER was measured for periods of 4 hours and 10 hours when generating two or four SOPs, respectively, with an overall average QBER value of 2%. Results show the potential of the proposed method regarding the generation of automatic and deterministic SOPs, thus demonstrating viability for its practical implementation in polarization-encoding QKD systems.

We analyse a Secure Multiparty Computation (SMC) system assisted with quantum communication technologies. This SMC system is designed to compute phylogenetic trees of SARS-CoV-2 genomes. It adapts a distance-based method known as the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic mean (UPGMA) algorithm into a private setting where the sequences owned by each party are not disclosed to the other members present in the protocol. Our main contribution lies on the integration of two quantum communication systems (quantum oblivious transfer and quantum key distribution) with libScapi implementation of the Yao secure computation protocol. This system significantly improves security when compared to its classical implementation since both quantum oblivious transfer and quantum key distribution modules are robust under a quantum computer attack. This system is designed to be compatible with current quantum networks.

This chapter analyzes discursive leadership in first-time leadership and introduces a scale that was developed to measure discursive leadership abilities based on seven distinct dimensions: overall effectiveness, tools used, guidance, modulating, empowerment, non-verbal cues, and climate and bonding. The scale was developed and pilot-tested at a private business school in Puebla, Mexico, based on followers' perceptions. Theory on discursive leadership was analyzed as a form of organizational communication and as a process between leaders and followers. An overview of the state of research in the field of business and management, specifically basic constructs, fundamental notions, and elements are presented, as well as new lines of research in the area.

Klebsiella pneumoniae, one of the most common pathogens found in hospital-acquired infections, is often resistant to multiple antibiotics. In fact, multidrug-resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae producing KPC or OXA-48-like carbapenemases are recognized as a serious global health threat. In this sense, we evaluated the virulence of K. pneumoniae KPC(+) or OXA-48(+) aiming at potential antimicrobial therapeutics. K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) and the expanded-spectrum oxacillinase OXA-48 isolates were obtained from patients treated in medical care units in Lisbon, Portugal. The virulence potential of the K. pneumonia clinical isolates was tested using the Galleria mellonella model. For that, G. mellonella larvae were inoculated using patients KPC(+) and OXA-48(+) isolates. Using this in vivo model, the KPC(+) K. pneumoniae isolates showed to be, on average, more virulent than OXA-48(+). Virulence was found attenuated when a low bacterial inoculum (one magnitude lower) was tested. In addition, we also report the use of a synthetic polycationic oligomer (L-OEI-h) as a potential antimicrobial agent to fight infectious diseases caused by MDR bacteria. L-OEI-h has a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and exerts a significantly bactericidal activity within the first 5-30 min treatment, causing lysis of the cytoplasmic membrane. Importantly, the polycationic oligomer showed low toxicity against in vitro models and no visible cytotoxicity (measured by survival and health index) was noted on the in vivo model (G. mellonella), thus L-OEI-h is foreseen as a promising polymer therapeutic for the treatment of MDR K. pneumoniae infections.

The notion of pseudo transformational leadership first appeared back in 1999. The lack of a clear definition of the term has led to confusion because of certain similarities with transformational leadership. Few publications on the subject and the developing theory have been presented. However, numerous studies have included the concept as a reference for unethical leadership, and as an opposing term to genuine or authentic transformational leadership, which is common in times of change and visible in corporate scandals. Transformational leadership is described to provide a baseline to compare it with what this leadership style is not. The chapter focuses on a managerial problem that needs to be studied because of its implications in organizational performance. The objective of this study is to present the main characteristics of the pseudo transformational leadership style by analyzing leaders' behaviors and their impact on followers and the organizational culture.

This chapter analyzes the situation of the tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The health crisis's main effects are explained, as well as how the sector is learning to function under strict sanitary and hygiene measures, relying more on technology than before. The opportunities and challenges in a low contact economy are described. Post-pandemic fear, crowded conditions, mass tourism, travel guilt and shaming, extensive job losses, fixed costs, and employee morale are the challenges identified. The opportunities include variants of slow tourism, products and services for the remote worker, and the digitalization of the sector.

This chapter analyzes the main contribution to the field of distance learning and pedagogy based on bibliometric analysis. Series of bibliometric tools have been used, including citations and h-index. Additionally, VOSViewer software was used to identify maps that show the most relevant trends, and Excel was used to develop charts and graphs. The analysis includes scientific articles, journals, authors, institutions, and countries. Results show that the United States has been the leader in the number of published works, citations, and institutions involved. Nevertheless, other countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania have dedicated significant efforts to distance learning, including the UK, Brazil, Spain, Australia, and China. Other relevant results show that nearly 60% of all articles have been published in the last decade. The period between 2000 and 2009 are the years with the highest number of citations. This discipline has a high potential of continuing to develop, specifically in uncertain environments that are highly globalized and competitive.

This chapter will describe scenario planning and establish its value in facing crises and chaotic situations. It explains how research in the field has evolved and describes context conditions such as uncertainty, crisis, and chaos, which provide fertile grounds for scenario planning. A bibliometric analysis is presented to illustrate the increase in the study of scenario planning as a tool to deal with uncertainty. Examples from scenario planning around the world are introduced to show its global application and potential. A comparative analysis is presented based on different exercises in scenario planning developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide an insight into the key uncertainties linked to the health crisis and how a broad perspective can help provide clarity in chaotic environments.

This chapter analyzes fuzzy reliability theory using bibliometric analysis. Different aspects of fuzzy have already been analyzed using bibliometric analysis, and a series of bibliometric tools have also been used. VOSviewer software was used to identify maps showing the most relevant trends. The analysis includes scientific articles, citations, journals, authors, universities, keywords, and countries. Results show that countries belonging mainly to Asia are at the avant-garde in terms of research in the field, China and India being the most productive countries in terms of the number of articles published, citations, and universities invested in the topic. Other countries in North America, such as Canada and the United States, and in Europe, the UK, Poland, Italy, and France, also show a great interest in this area of science. Research on the topic is relatively recent. The first articles were published in 1991; therefore, it presents excellent opportunities that will quite possibly attract researchers and universities from different regions of the world.

The only constant in life and organizations is change. Change can come in a variety of forms, affecting the way people perform and feel at work, and can sometimes result in grief. This chapter defines grieving organizations and other pathologies that affect organizational health, identifying particular traits that are visible in the way in which work is performed. Different comparisons are made in order to pinpoint key elements and events that can affect the wellbeing of employees. An example from academia is presented: A private Business School in Puebla has faced numerous changes that affect the emotional wellbeing of its members. Changes in leadership, organizational procedures and policies, layouts, early retirement, and even the death of a colleague have substantially affected staff performance. Establishing the right courses of action is essential to develop leadership and promote an organizational climate that is supportive of its employees.

This chapter presents virtual collaboration in remote project management as a way to develop sustainable business practices. As temporary organizations, virtual projects have grown substantially, mainly because of the confinement conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. A study was conducted to identify the main issues that employees working in virtual projects in the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico have faced. A survey based on the remote work and its effects scale was used. The most relevant tools and techniques that have been applied in virtual collaboration in remote project management are briefly described. The objective is to shed light on the importance of technology, time and task management, team collaboration and integration, communication, and trust to develop successful projects.

This chapter presents the Avocado metaphor for advanced value organizations (AVOs) based on emergent, hybrid, and self-maturing temporary organizational theories. The metaphor was constructed through bricolage, bringing in concepts and ideas from different areas. AVOs develop as a response to ever-changing business environments, which are more and more often transiting towards new ways of working, primarily projects. Avocado organizations reflect the global trend of smaller organizational designs creating organizations within organizations and teams of teams. Research is theoretical. It includes a general view on metaphors and their importance in organizational theory. Special attention is given to the definition of advanced value organizations, emergent theories, hybrid organizational designs, organizational lifecycles, and maturing processes, as well as temporary organizations and new working arrangements based mainly on projects. The avocado metaphor is explained in every section allowing a better understanding of how it can be used to describe modern-day organizations.

This chapter presents an example of culturally responsive teaching, CRT, in a private university in Puebla, Mexico. The university developed a program to integrate indigenous students into higher education programs promoting personal development and community growth. CRT has been used as a methodology that promotes inclusion in the classroom, helping students connect their cultural backgrounds in the new context. In the study, focus groups were conducted and students' narratives were collected based on their personal experiences during their stay at the university. Additionally, the CRT Survey was applied to a sample of professors who taught indigenous students in their courses.

Many DNA replication and DNA repair enzymes have been found to carry [4Fe4S] clusters. The major leading strand polymerase, DNA polymerase ε (Pol ε) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was recently reported to have a [4Fe4S] cluster located within the catalytic domain of the largest subunit, Pol2. Here the redox characteristics of the [4Fe4S] cluster in the context of that domain, Pol2_(CORE), are explored using DNA electrochemistry, and the effects of oxidation and rereduction on polymerase activity are examined. The exonuclease deficient variant D290A/E292A, Pol2_(CORE)exo–, was used to limit DNA degradation. While no redox signal is apparent for Pol2_(CORE)exo– on DNA-modified electrodes, a large cathodic signal centered at −140 mV vs NHE is observed after bulk oxidation. A double cysteine to serine mutant (C665S/C668S) of Pol2_(CORE)exo–, which lacks the [4Fe4S] cluster, shows no similar redox signal upon oxidation. Significantly, protein oxidation yields a sharp decrease in polymerization, while rereduction restores activity almost to the level of untreated enzyme. Moreover, the addition of reduced EndoIII, a bacterial DNA repair enzyme containing [4Fe4S]²⁺, to oxidized Pol2_(CORE)exo– bound to its DNA substrate also significantly restores polymerase activity. In contrast, parallel experiments with EndoIII^(Y82A), a variant of EndoIII, defective in DNA charge transport (CT), does not show restoration of activity of Pol2_(CORE)exo–. We propose a model in which EndoIII bound to the DNA duplex may shuttle electrons through DNA to the DNA-bound oxidized Pol2_(CORE)exo– via DNA CT and that this DNA CT signaling offers a means to modulate the redox state and replication by Pol ε.

The current 5G network deployment is anticipated to support a massive number of connections and offer a very high-data-rate to ensure enhanced mobile broadband with ultra-reliable and low-latency services. However, the full connectivity requirements by the future digital society may be challenging for 5G. Consequently, for effective support of future demands, research attention is towards beyond 5G wireless communications. This chapter presents in-depth studies on the envisage use cases, network architectures, deployment scenarios, and technology-driven paradigm shifts for the sixth generation (6G) networks. Beyond 5G connectivity will be based on digital twin worlds for accurate representation and unification of the physical and biological worlds. To realize this, innovative ideas will emerge to define 6G system requirements and technologies. Besides, the swift advancement in artificial intelligence makes it one of the viable solutions for 6G networks. Moreover, key technical areas and technology advances such as new spectrum bands, cognitive spectrum sharings, photonics-based cognitive radio, innovative architecture models, terahertz communications, holographic radio, advanced duplex, and advanced modulation schemes are envisaged to define the 6G radio access network (RAN). Consequently, the 6G RAN is anticipated to be an exceptionally dynamic, inherently intelligent ultra-dense heterogeneous network with effective support for all things.

This study presents a theoretical model for polarisation manipulation using electronic polarisation controllers (EPCs) based on fibre squeezing. A method to calculate the EPC configuration in order to transform between two arbitrary states of polarisation (SOP) is presented. After, a technique to deterministically generate four SOPs for use in polarisation-encoded quantum communication systems is proposed. Moreover, the effectiveness of the proposed technique is experimentally assessed through the generation of two pairs of orthogonal SOPs. The experimental implementation used an field programmable gate array (FPGA) board to electrically control the four waveplates of the EPC, reaching a rate of 500 qubit/s. Results show that this polarisation generation process is intrinsically stable, demonstrating its potential for practical implementations of polarisation-encoding quantum key distribution systems using the BB84 and B92 protocols. published

Changes over time in HIV-1 subtype diversity within a population reflect changes in factors influencing the development of local epidemics. Here we report on the genetic diversity of 2364 reverse transcriptase sequences from people living with HIV-1 in New South Wales (NSW) notified between 2004 and 2018. These data represent &gt, 70% of all new HIV-1 notifications in the state over this period. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to identify subtype-specific transmission clusters. Subtype B and non-B infections differed across all demographics analysed (p &lt, 0.001). We found a strong positive association for infections among females, individuals not born in Australia or reporting heterosexual transmission being of non-B origin. Further, we found an overall increase in non-B infections among men who have sex with men from 50 to 79% in the last 10 years. However, we also found differences between non-B subtypes, heterosexual transmission was positively associated with subtype C only. In addition, the majority of subtype B infections were associated with clusters, while the majority of non-B infections were singletons. However, we found seven non-B clusters (≥5 sequences) indicative of local ongoing transmission. In conclusion, we present how the HIV-1 epidemic has changed over time in NSW, becoming more heterogeneous with distinct subtype-specific demographic associations.

The secret key rate of a continuous variables quantum key distribution system (CV-QKD) depends highly on the loss and excess noise of the quantum channel. A proper modelling of the quantum channel is essential to detect and prevent an eavesdropping attack. In CV-QKD, homodyne detection is widely used to measure the quadratures of the modulated optical signal. Nevertheless, the homodyne detector (HD) can be a source of noise for the CV-QKD system. In this paper, a HD is modelled considering intrinsic imperfections. Moreover, an improved method is proposed to obtain mean, variance and auto-covariance functions for estimation of the HD performance, considering ideal and unbalanced HD operation modes with ideal and non-ideal local oscillator pulse intensity functions being compared. The imbalance of the HD leads to non-zero mean output and a quadratic relation of voltage variance. Despite that, the rebalance of the system was attained with the cost of lowering the system voltage output intensity.

Klebsiella pneumoniae, one of the most common pathogens found in hospital-acquired infections, is often resistant to multiple antibiotics. In fact, multidrug-resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae producing KPC or OXA-48-like carbapenemases are recognized as a serious global health threat. In this sense, we evaluated the virulence of K. pneumoniae KPC(+) or OXA-48(+) aiming at potential antimicrobial therapeutics. K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) and the expanded-spectrum oxacillinase OXA-48 isolates were obtained from patients treated in medical care units in Lisbon, Portugal. The virulence potential of the K. pneumonia clinical isolates was tested using the Galleria mellonella model. For that, G. mellonella larvae were inoculated using patients KPC(+) and OXA-48(+) isolates. Using this in vivo model, the KPC(+) K. pneumoniae isolates showed to be, on average, more virulent than OXA-48(+). Virulence was found attenuated when a low bacterial inoculum (one magnitude lower) was tested. In addition, we also report the use of a synthetic polycationic oligomer (L-OEI-h) as a potential antimicrobial agent to fight infectious diseases caused by MDR bacteria. L-OEI-h has a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and exerts a significantly bactericidal activity within the first 5-30 min treatment, causing lysis of the cytoplasmic membrane. Importantly, the polycationic oligomer showed low toxicity against in vitro models and no visible cytotoxicity (measured by survival and health index) was noted on the in vivo model (G. mellonella), thus L-OEI-h is foreseen as a promising polymer therapeutic for the treatment of MDR K. pneumoniae infections.

The baryon-antibaryon asymmetry (excess of matter over antimatter in our Universe), indicated by observational data from the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies, predictions of primordial Nucleosynthesis, and the absence of intense radiation from matter-antimatter annihilation, constitutes an unsolved puzzle in cosmology. Two mechanisms for baryon asymmetry have been proposed as extensions of the Standard Model of Particle Physics at high energies. They rely on new couplings involving the baryon number current, one with a scalar field, called Spontaneous Baryogenesis, and the other with space-time curvature, named Gravitational Baryogenesis. These two mechanisms are investigated in the context of many bouncing scenarios, either symmetric or asymmetric around the bounce. It is shown that the constraints on the free parameters of these scenarios, imposed to yield the observed baryon-to-entropy ratio, are mild, already containing the values compatible with other observational constraints coming from the features of the power spectra of cosmological perturbations. Hence, realistic bouncing models can yield the observed baryon-antibaryon asymmetry if one of the two mechanisms proposed takes place in nature., 15 pages, 12 figures

Accurate predictions of species composition and diversity are critical to the development of conservation actions and management strategies. In this paper using oak assemblages distributed across the conterminous United States as study model, we assessed the performance of stacked species distribution models (S-SDMs) and remote sensing products in building the next-generation of biodiversity models. This study represents the first attempt to evaluate the integrated predictions of biodiversity models—including assemblage diversity and composition—obtained by stacking next-generation SDMs. We found three main results. First, environmental predictors derived entirely from remote sensing products represent adequate covariates for biodiversity modeling. Second, applying constraints to assemblage predictions, such as imposing the probability ranking rule, results in more accurate species diversity predictions. Third, independent of the stacking procedure (bS-SDM versus cS-SDM), biodiversity models do not recover the observed species composition with high spatial resolution, i.e., correct species identities at the scale of individual plots. However, they do return reasonable predictions at macroecological scales (1 km). Our results provide insights for the prediction of assemblage diversity and composition at different spatial scales. An important task for future studies is to evaluate the reliability of combining S-SDMs with direct detection of species using image spectroscopy to build a new generation of biodiversity models to accurately predict and monitor ecological assemblages through time and space.

Continuous variable-quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) based on coherent detection has potential to be a cost-effective solution to deploy secure keys over optical networks. This is due to its compatibility with mature optical communication technologies, such as homodyne and heterodyne detection schemes. Nevertheless, realistic implementations of CV-QKD systems suffer from imperfections in the practical devices used to generate and detect the coherent states. Those imperfections deteriorate the performance of the CV-QKD system and can be exploited by an eavesdropper to steal key information without being detected. In this work, we discuss the impact of practical device imperfections on the excess noise of the CV-QKD and on the achievable transmission distance. We also analyze the impact of detection imperfections on the measurement of the shot noise, and its impact on CV-QKD system security.

The current 5G and data-center services as well as the associated applications are imposing stringent requirements on the optical communication systems due to the ever-increasing network traffic. Based on this, there is significant need to enhance per wavelength data rate beyond 100 Gb/s. Meeting the current and future requirements for a highspeed system demands novel coding schemes, advanced modulation formats, and high-performance DSP algorithms. This paper presents our recent investigations on the optimization of the DSP subsystems for simplified coherent receivers, including the conventional Kramers Kronig (KK) scheme, upsampling free KK, and iterative linear filter architectures. published

Objective: To evaluate the training and standardization methods of multiple simulated patients (SPs) performing a single scenario in a multicenter study. Methods: A prospective quasi-experimental study, using a multicenter approach, evaluated the performance of five different individuals with the same biotype during a simulation session in a high-fidelity environment. The SPs training and standardization process consisted of four steps and six web or face-to-face mediated: Step 1: simulation scenario design and pilot test. Step 2: SPs selection, recruitment and beginning training (Session 1: performance instructions and memorization request.) Session 2: check the SPs’ performances and adjustments). Step 3 and session 3: training role-play and performance's evaluation. Step 4: SPs’ standardization and performances’ evaluation (Sessions 4 and 5: first and second rounds of SPs’ standardization assessment. Session 6: Global training and standardization evaluation. SPs performance consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha and ICC. Results: In the evaluation of training results, the Maastricht Simulated Patient Assessment dimensions of SPs performances “It seems authentic”, “Can be a real patient” and “Answered questions naturally”, presented “moderate or complete agreement” of all evaluators. The dimensions “Seems to retain information unnecessarily”, “Remains in his/her role all the time”, “Challenges/tests the student”, and “Simulates physical complaints in an unrealistic way” presented “moderate or complete disagreement” in all evaluations. The SPs “Appearance fits the role” showed “moderate or complete agreement” in most evaluations. In the second round of evaluations, the SPs had better performance than the first ones. This could indicate the training process's had good influence on SPs performances. The Cronbach's alpha in the second assessment was better than the first (varied from 0.699 to 0.978). The same improvement occurred in the second round of intraclass correlation coefficient that was between 0.424 and 0.978. The SPs were satisfied with the training method and standardization process. They could perceive improvement on their role-play authenticity. Conclusions: The SPs training and standardization process revealed good SPs reliability and simulation reproducibility, demonstrating to be a feasible method for SPs standardization in multicenter studies. The Maastricht Simulated Patient Assessment was regarded as missing the assessment of the information consistency between the simulation script and the SPs provision.

Charles Darwin posited two alternative hypotheses to explain the success of nonnative species based on their relatedness to incumbent natives: coexistence between them should be (i) more likely with greater relatedness (due to trait similarity that correlates with better matching to the environment), or (ii) less likely (due to biotic interference, such as competition). The paradox raised by the opposing predictions of these two hypotheses has been termed 9Darwin9s naturalization conundrum9 (DNC). Using plant communities measured repeatedly over a 31-year time span across an experimental fire gradient in an oak savanna (Minnesota, USA) we evaluated the DNC by explicitly incorporating taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic information. Our approach was based on 9focal-species9 such that the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic structure of species co-occurring with a given nonnative species in local communities was quantified. We found three main results: first, nonnatives colonizers tended to co-occur most with closely related incumbent natives in recipient communities, except in the extreme ends of the fire gradient (i.e., communities with no fire and those subjected to high fire frequencies); second, with increasing fire frequency, nonnative species were functionally more similar to native species in recipient communities; third, functional similarity of co-occurring nonnatives and natives in recipient communities showed a consistent pattern over time, but the phylogenetic similarity shifted over time, suggesting that external forces (e.g., climate variability) are also relevant in driving the phylogenetic relatedness of nonnatives to natives in invaded communities. Our results provide insights for understanding the invasion dynamics across environmental gradients and highlight the importance of evaluating different dimensions of biodiversity in order to produce more powerful evaluations of species co-occurrence at different spatial and temporal scales.

The ecological and evolutionary factors underlying life history trait variation is one of the most interesting topics in biology. Although many studies have evaluated either macroevolutionary or macroecological patterns of life history traits across several taxonomic groups, only few studies have attempted to integrate both dimensions in a single analytical framework. Here, we study how parity mode evolved across multiple scales in the radiation of spiny lizards (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae). We adopted macroecological and macroevolutionary approaches to explore how climate across spatial and temporal scales drives the evolution of viviparity in this lizard radiation. We find support for a weak signature of current climates on the geographical distribution of oviparous and viviparous species. By contrast, we detected that evolutionary transitions from oviparity to viviparity reach a peak during the MidMiocene Climatic Optimum — a period with a profound climate change event. We suggest that this abrupt climatic cooling promoted evolutionary transitions to viviparity simultaneously across three clades in the spiny lizard radiation. The decoupling in macroecological and macroevolutionary patterns found here suggests that past climate change has played a larger role than current climates in the spatial and temporal diversification of this reproductive life history trait.

Twenty-seven Salmonella isolates were collected from four locations within an ecological wastewater treatment system located at The Pennsylvania State University and were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. The sequences obtained were used for in silico characterization, including serotyping and phylogenetic relatedness analysis.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules offer nowadays a powerful tool in the development of novel organic light emitting diodes due to their capability of harvesting energy from non-emissive triplet states without using heavy-metal complexes. TADF emitters have very small energy difference between the singlet and triplet excited states, which makes thermally activated reverse intersystem crossing from the triplet states back to the singlet manifold viable. This mechanism generates a long-lived delayed fluorescence component which can be explored in the sensing of oxygen concentration, local temperature, or used in time-gated optical cell-imaging, to suppress interference from autofluorescence and scattering. Despite this strong potential, until recently the application of TADF outside lighting devices has been hindered due to the low biocompatibility, low aqueous solubility and poor performance in polar media shown by the vast majority of TADF emitters. To achieve TADF luminescence in biological media, careful selection or design of emitters is required. Unfortunately, most TADF molecules are not emissive in polar media, thus complexation with biomolecules or the formation of emissive aggregate states is required, in order to retain the delayed fluorescence that is characteristic of these compounds. Herein, we demonstrate a facile method with great generalization potential that maintains the photophysical properties of solvated dyes by combining luminescent molecules with polymeric nanoparticles. Using an established swelling procedure, two known TADF emitters are loaded onto polystyrene nanoparticles to prepare TADF emitting nanomaterials able to be used in live-cell imaging. The obtained particles were characterized by optical spectroscopy and exhibited the desired TADF emission in aqueous media, due to the polymeric matrix shielding the dye from solvent polarity effects. The prepared nanoparticles were incubated with live human cancer cells and showed very low cytotoxicity and good cellular uptake, thus making fluorescence microscopy imaging possible at low dye concentrations.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) has revolutionized the field of organic light emitting diodes owing to the possibility of harvesting non-emissive triplet states and converting them in emissive singlet states. This mechanism generates a long-lived delayed fluorescence component which can also be used in sensing oxygen concentration, measuring local temperature, or on imaging. Despite this strong potential, only recently TADF has emerged as a powerful tool to develop metal-free long-lived luminescent probes for imaging and sensing. The application of TADF molecules in aqueous and/or biological media requires specific structural features that allow complexation with biomolecules or enable emission in the aggregated state, in order to retain the delayed fluorescence that is characteristic of these compounds. Herein we demonstrate a facile method that maintains the optical properties of solvated dyes by dispersing TADF molecules in nanoparticles. TADF dye-doped silica nanoparticles are prepared using a modified fluorescein fluorophore. However, the strategy can be used with many other TADF dyes. The covalent grafting of the TADF emitter into the inorganic matrix effectively preserves and transfers the optical properties of the free dye into the luminescent nanomaterials. Importantly, the silica matrix is efficient in shielding the dye from solvent polarity effects and increases delayed fluorescence lifetime. The prepared nanoparticles are effectively internalized by human cells, even at low incubation concentrations, localizing primarily in the cytosol, enabling fluorescence microscopy imaging at low dye concentrations.

The construction sector high energy consumption and GHG emissions lead to the development of easier methodologies to achieve low carbon buildings. Currently, the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is growing in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) sector, and it assumes relevance in buildings energy simulation. Therefore, this work aims to explore the potential and limitations of applying BIM to energy management and simulation in the operation life cycle phase of a service building, and comparing it with a specific and customized tool for energy efficiency assessment of public buildings. A service building BIM model was developed in Autodesk Revit showing its utility when used as an asset for storing and organize energy-related data. The add-in Energy Analysis for Autodesk Revit allowed automatically generating the Building Energy Model (BEM) from the BIM model and performing a cloud-based simulation in Autodesk Green Building Studio (GBS). The energy consumption results obtained in GBS were compared with the results obtained with the energy simulation tool ECO.AP developed in the Portuguese National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (LNEC). It was possible to infer that the input limitations of GBS, mainly in HVAC systems customization, compromise the representation and energy performance evaluation of the building under actual operating conditions, making GBS more adequate for early buildings life cycle stages where energy simulation results may support decisions that aim to improve the buildings energy performance during the operation phase.

A small library of “half-sandwich” cyclopentadienylruthenium(II) compounds of general formula [(η5-C5R5)Ru(PPh3)(N-N)][PF6], a scaffold hitherto unfeatured in the toolbox of antiplasmodials, was screened for activity against the blood stage of CQ-sensitive 3D7-GFP, CQ-resistant Dd2 and artemisinin-resistant IPC5202 Plasmodium falciparum strains, and the liver stage of P. berghei. The best performing compounds displayed dual-stage activity, with single-digit nM IC50 values against blood stage malaria parasites, nM activity against liver stage parasites, and residual cytotoxicity against mammalian cells (HepG2, Huh7). Parasitic absorption/distribution of 7-nitrobenzoxadiazole-appended fluorescent compounds Ru4 and Ru5 was investigated by confocal fluorescence microscopy, revealing parasite-selective absorption in infected erythrocytes and nuclear accumulation of both compounds. The lead compound Ru2 impaired asexual parasite differentiation, exhibiting fast parasiticidal activity against both ring and trophozoite stages of a synchronized P. falciparum 3D7 strain. These results point to cyclopentadienylruthenium(II) complexes as a highly promising chemotype for the development of dual-stage antiplasmodials.

An old question surrounding bouncing models concerns their stability under vector perturbations. Considering perfect fluids or scalar fields, vector perturbations evolve kinematically as $a^{-2}$, where $a$ is the scale factor. Consequently, a definite answer concerning the bounce stability depends on an arbitrary constant, therefore, there is no definitive answer. In this paper, we consider a more general situation where the primeval material medium is a non-ideal fluid, and its shear viscosity is capable of producing torque oscillations, which can create and dynamically sustain vector perturbations along cosmic evolution. In this framework, one can set that vector perturbations have a quantum mechanical origin, coming from quantum vacuum fluctuations in the far past of the bouncing model, as it is done with scalar and tensor perturbations. Under this prescription, one can calculate their evolution during the whole history of the bouncing model, and precisely infer the conditions under which they remain linear before the expanding phase. It is shown that such linearity conditions impose constraints on the free parameters of bouncing models, which are mild, although not trivial, allowing a large class of possibilities. Such conditions impose that vector perturbations are also not observationally relevant in the expanding phase. The conclusion is that bouncing models are generally stable under vector perturbations. As they are also stable under scalar and tensor perturbations, we conclude that bouncing models are generally stable under perturbations originated from quantum vacuum perturbations in the far past of their contracting phase., 10 pages