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Abstract Background Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) have been shown to improve outcomes in various populations of heart failure (HF) patients. However, the impact of concomitant diseases, such as diabetes mellitus (DM), on these outcomes remains unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MRAs in heart failure patients with and without diabetes mellitus. Methods A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases up to April 30, 2024. Data analysis was performed using a random-effects model to account for variability across studies, and statistical analysis was carried out using Review Manager 5.4. Efficacy and safety parameters were evaluated in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Results The meta-analysis included a total of 21,832 subjects from ten studies. The pooled results demonstrated that MRAs, compared to placebo, significantly reduced all-cause mortality in HF patients with and without DM (RR: 0.85; 95%CI 0.75–0.96; p = 0.009). A similar effect was observed in HF patients without DM (RR: 0.83; 95%CI 0.71–0.97; p = 0.02), while no significant effect was detected in the DM subgroup (RR: 0.87; 95%CI 0.69–1.11; p = 0.27). Both treatments had comparable effects on cardiovascular mortality in HF patients with and without DM (RR: 0.88; 95%CI 0.82–0.94; p = 0.0002), in HF patients with DM (RR: 0.90; 95%CI 0.81–1.01; p = 0.08), and in the non-DM subgroup (RR: 0.86; 95%CI 0.79–0.94; p = 0.0009). MRAs significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular mortality in HF patients with and without DM (RR: 0.82; 95%CI 0.72–0.94; p = 0.005) and in HF patients with DM (RR: 0.79; 95%CI 0.63–0.98; p = 0.03), but no significant effect was observed in the non-DM subgroup (RR: 0.85; 95%CI 0.69–1.05; p = 0.13). Furthermore, compared to placebo, MRAs were associated with an increased risk of hyperkalemia (> 5.5 mEq/L) in HF patients with and without DM (RR: 1.63; 95%CI 1.18–2.24; p = 0.003), particularly in HF patients with DM (RR: 1.44; 95%CI 0.97–2.13; p = 0.07) and in the non-DM subgroup (RR: 1.87; 95%CI 1.34–2.61; p = 0.0002). Conclusion MRAs are effective in reducing all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, and cardiovascular mortality in heart failure patients. However, the use of MRAs is associated with an increased risk of hyperkalemia, necessitating careful monitoring, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Estimating the location of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within a global coordinate system can be achieved by correlating known world points with their corresponding image projections captured by the vehicle’s camera. Reducing the number of required world points may lower the computational requirements needed for such estimation. This paper introduces a novel method for determining the absolute position of aerial vehicles using only two known coordinate points that reduce the calculation complexity and, therefore, the computation time. The essential parameters for this calculation include the camera’s focal length, detector dimensions, and the Euler angles for Pitch and Roll. The Yaw angle is not required, which is beneficial because Yaw is more susceptible to inaccuracies due to environmental factors. The vehicle’s position is determined through a sequence of straightforward rigid transformations, eliminating the need for additional points or iterative processes for verification. The proposed method was tested using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) created via LiDAR and 11 aerial images captured by a UAV. The results were compared against Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) data and other common image pose estimation methodologies. While the available data did not permit precise error quantification, the method demonstrated performance comparable to GNSS-based approaches.

Improving the availability of new sources of probiotics is essential to continue implementing alternative solutions to improve coral health; one such source is urban corals. However, little is known about urban coral’s health status and whether they can harbor bacteria exhibiting probiotic traits. Here, we explored the status of the urban coral Madracis auretenra and the presence of probiotic traits in its associated culturable bacteria. After assessing ecological attributes, we observed a similar abundance (cover %) when comparing patches of M. auretenra occurring in both an urban site and a marine protected area. The urban patch also exhibited a high abundance of vibrios in coral tissues and signs of ecosystem deterioration. However, this patch showed a “good” health index condition; so, we hypothesized the presence of beneficial bacteria. We isolated 132 bacterial strains from this healthy urban M. auretenra. These bacteria were affiliated with 11 genera, including Vibrio, Shewanella, Bacillus, Exiguobacterium, Priestia, and Niallia, among others. Screenings revealed the predominant presence of potential probiotic traits such as catalase, antiQS, and the production of siderophores activities among the bacterial isolates. We proposed a list of 24 bacterial isolates as probiotic precandidates that jointly exhibited three or more of these traits, among which the Vibrio and Bacilli strains stand out. We provide insights into the health status of this urban coral and its potential as a source of bacteria exhibiting potential probiotic traits.

Abstract Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is still a global health problem, and the lack of effective and efficient treatment standards is one of the causes of the high morbidity and mortality rates. One approach that is often used in various cases of COVID-19 is convalescent plasma therapy. The administration of convalescent plasma is one of the treatment options that are often used in cases of COVID-19 with mild, moderate, severe, chronic, and critical symptoms. Objectives: The article review’s objective is to analyze of convalescent plasma transfusion in various cases of COVID-19 can prevent death and improve clinical outcomes. Methods: The PRISMA flowchart is applied to filter the literature that meets the inclusion criteria: published articles with experimental or observational research discussing the use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients; published January 2020 - March 2021. We conducted article searches through PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. Assessment of the quality of the articles using the EPHPP form, and we chose ten articles. Result: The results of the qualitative analysis prove that convalescent plasma administration in various COVID-19 cases significantly reduces viral load, clinical improvement and prevents death in mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19s, but for terminal or critical cases, it does not show significant results. Discussion: The success rate of convalescent plasma therapy is determined by the high antibody titer in plasma donors, the distance between its administration and the onset of symptoms, and the patient's baseline condition before plasma administration. Based on these results, further research is needed to determine the standard dose and method of administration of convalescent plasma referring to the varied baseline conditions of patients. Abstrak Pendahuluan : Pandemik COVID-19 masih menjadi masalah kesehatan global, dan belum ditemukannya standar pengobatan yang efektif dan efisien menjadi salah satu penyebab tingginya angka morbiditas serta mortalitasnya. Salah satu pendekatan yang sering digunakan pada berbagai kasus COVID-19 adalah terapi plasma konvalesen. Pemberian plasma konvalesen menjadi salah satu pilihan terapi yang sering digunakan pada kasus COVID-19 dengan gejala ringan, sedang, berat, kronis serta fase kritis. Tujuan : Tujuan penulisan artikel ini untuk menganalisis hasil penelitian lain yang mengulas tentang pemberian plasma konvalesen di berbagai kasus COVID-19. Metode : Metode penyusunan sistematik literatur review ini menggunakan diagram alir PRISMA untuk menyaring literatur yang memenuhi kriteria inklusi: artikel publikasi berupa penelitian eksperimental atau observasional yang membahas penggunaan plasma konvalesen pada pasien COVID-19; terbit bulan Januari 2020 – Maret 2021. Pencarian artikel dilakukan melalui tiga sumber: Pub Med, Google Scholar dan Science Direct. Penilaian kualitas artikel menggunakan formulir EPHPP, sehingga terdapat 10 artikel yang terpilih. Hasil : Hasil analisis kualitatif membuktikan bahwa pemberian plasma konvalesen pada berbagai kasus COVID-19 secara signifikan menurunkan viral load, perbaikan klinis, serta mencegah kematian pada pasien COVID-19 yang ringan, sedang dan berat, namun untuk kasus terminal atau kristis tidak menunjukkan hasil yang signifikan. Diskusi : Tingkat keberhasilan terapi plasma konvalesen ditentukan oleh tingginya titer antibodi dalam donor plasma, jarak pemberiannya dengan awal gejala serta kondisi awal pasien sebelum pemberian plasma. Berdasarkan hasil tersebut diperlukan penelitian lebih lanjut mengenai dosis dan cara pemberian plasma konvalesen mengacu pada kondisi awal pasien yang bervariasi.

La Reserva El Caduceo, ubicada en San Martín, Meta, es un área que ha experimentado notables modificaciones en la complejidad estructural de la vegetación de bosques y sabanas debido al efecto de diferentes actividades de cultivo y ganadería, las cuales pueden afectar la riqueza de las comunidades de aves que allí habitan. Este estudio corto muestra una evaluación de la composición y abundancia a nivel de familias y grupos tróficos de aves en esta reserva durante la época lluviosa de 2020. Se llevaron a cabo censos visuales con límite de tiempo en dos estaciones correspondientes a dos hábitats: bosque de galería y sabana con pequeños núcleos de bosque. Además, se estimaron algunos índices ecológicos para cada estación de muestreo. Se observó un total de 18 familias, de las cuales la familia Tyrannidae fue la más abundante en la sabana y la familia Psittacidae la más recurrente en el bosque de galería. La densidad de aves fue mayor en el bosque de galería (2,19 ind/m2), observando además que en esta estación las densidades de aves se encuentran equitativamente repartidas entre las familias registradas, en contraste con la estación de sabana. Por otro lado, el grupo trófico dominante en ambas estaciones fueron los “insectívoros”. Estos resultados preliminares podrían indicar una relación directa entre la complejidad estructural vegetativa, la recuperación del bosque de galería en esta zona y la composición de aves y grupos tróficos predominantes. No obstante, futuros estudios con mayor duración y monitoreos constantes son necesarios para confirmar esta observación inicial.

Actualmente, en La Reserva Natural El Caduceo, San Martín, Meta, se han registrado cerca de 18 especies de anfibios y 27 de reptiles. Sin embargo, los registros existentes no son suficientes para determinar el estado de sus comunidades, lo que hace cada vez más difícil continuar con la labor de conservación y protección de estos organismos. Este trabajo buscó identificar de manera preliminar algunas de las familias y especies de herpetofauna asociadas a esta reserva natural tomando como referencia las unidades paisajísticas del bosque de galería y la subcuenca del río Camoa, las cuales han estado bajo presión de actividades antrópicas. Allí, se realizaron recorridos longitudinales y capturas directas en dos puntos de muestreo durante jornadas diurnas y nocturnas. Se registraron nueve especies de las familias Ranidae, Hylidae, Bufonidae, Testudinidae, Dipsadidae, Colubridae, Teiidae, Sphaerodactylidae y Gekkonidae. Además, se reporta por primera vez la presencia de geckos invasores del género Hemidactylus, por lo que se debe continuar con monitoreos sobre el estado actual de esta posible población invasora y su impacto sobre las poblaciones nativas, así como generar reportes sobre el estado de la comunidad de herpetofauna en esta zona, especialmente durante diferentes épocas del año.

Epiphytic bacteria from marine macroalgae synthesize enzymes of industrial and biotechnological interest. In this study, we obtained two DNA candidate fragments for lipid-degrading enzymes from the total DNA of Ulva lactuca-associated epiphytic bacteria. First, we evaluated a method for total bacterial DNA isolation from the surface of U. lactuca thalli. Then, we designed sets of primers and used them directly for PCR amplification. The resulting PCR products were sequence-analyzed and used for expression and functional evaluation with the Escherichia coli pBAD-TOPO system. We obtained high molecular weight and good quality total bacterial DNA that served as a template to identify a fragment corresponding to an Acetyl-CoA C-Acetyltransferase (or Thiolase), and a candidate fragment for a versatile “true” lipase. We expressed the possible “true” lipase gene fragment heterologously in Escherichia coli and obtained proof of hydrolytic activity on Tributyrin, Tween-20, and Olive-oil media. This study resulted in new knowledge on U. lactuca-associated epiphytic bacteria as possible brand-new sources of enzymes such as thiolases and “true” lipases. However, future studies are required to describe the characteristics and important applications of these candidate enzymes.

Information about the current biomass state of crops is important to evaluate whether the growth conditions are adequate in terms of water and nutrient supply to determine if there is need to react to diseases and to predict the expected yield. Passive optical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based sensors such as RGB or multispectral cameras are able to sense the canopy surface and record, e.g., chlorophyll-related plant characteristics, which are often indirectly correlated to aboveground biomass. However, direct measurements of the plant structure can be provided by LiDAR systems. In this study, different LiDAR-based parameters are evaluated according to their relationship to aboveground fresh and dry biomass (AGB) for a winter spelt experimental field in Dahmsdorf, Brandenburg, Germany. The parameters crop height, gap fraction, and LiDAR intensity are analyzed according to their individual correlation with AGB, and also a multiparameter analysis using the Ordinary Least Squares Regression (OLS) is performed. Results indicate high absolute correlations of AGB with gap fraction and crop height (−0.82 and 0.77 for wet and −0.70 and 0.66 for dry AGB, respectively), whereas intensity needs further calibration or processing before it can be adequately used to estimate AGB (−0.27 and 0.22 for wet and dry AGB, respectively). An important outcome of this study is that the combined utilization of all LiDAR parameters via an OLS analysis results in less accurate AGB estimation than with gap fraction or crop height alone. Moreover, future AGB states in June and July were able to be estimated from May LiDAR parameters with high accuracy, indicating stable spatial patterns in crop characteristics over time.

What is traditional ecological knowledge? In many disciplines, including science education, anthropology, and resource management, it has been conflated with Indigenous knowledges, which has contributed to misunderstandings. This article explores the history of traditional ecological knowledge and examines its contemporary conceptualizations in science education. We argue that traditional ecological knowledge and Indigenous knowledges are distinct, emphasizing that traditional ecological knowledge is a form of cultural and intellectual appropriation that modifies Indigenous knowledges to better fit a conventional Western modern science framework. Our article explores how contemporary understandings of traditional ecological knowledge have shaped the development of science education curricula.

In this paper, we argue that the non-positivist origins that provided the impetus for the qualitative imagination over the past half century in educational research has undergone subtle, but nevertheless profound change and transformation as neoliberal forms of governmentality have increasingly colonised social and educational research. We examine contemporary responses and challenges to this process from within and outside the academy. It is our contention that unless educational researchers critically engage with these new methodologies, particularly as they are generated by and through social movements, qualitative research is likely to become subject to what CW Mills (Mills) referred to as "blind drift".

Utilizing potential cross-pollinations of theoretical insights taken from approaches to educational and social research that have mostly emerged outside of the university and been generated by critical theorists and most recently indigenous researchers as work that has not only challenged the epistemological and ontological foundations of the Western social science canon but have systematically contested the coloniality of neoliberal globalization in policy and practice, the primary purpose of the paper is to foreground the contributions that these critical perspectives can bring to reconceptualizing participatory action research (PAR) as a vehicle for energizing social networks that are anti-capitalist and anti-colonial. First, the paper outlines some of the key principles that have guided the development of critical or radical approaches to PAR methodology and practice over the past five decades. We then move onto discuss the impact of neoliberal thought on educational and social research in the contemporary era. In particular, we focus on the way in which it has infiltrated and reorganized the knowledge producing practices of academic institutions by closely aligning them with the "value-chain" and commercialization of knowledge. The third section of the paper explores possibilities for reinvigorating PAR as a specifically anti-hegemonic project for challenging neoliberal and colonial ideological modes of thought in educational and social research. Three approaches are considered for their potential to contribute to a theory of PAR as a network-building methodology. The final section offers some concluding remarks and reflections on the arguments that have been advanced in the paper.

Monitoring of canopy density with related metrics such as leaf area index (LAI) makes a significant contribution to understanding and predicting processes in the soil–plant–atmosphere system and to indicating crop health and potential yield for farm management. Remote sensing methods using optical sensors that rely on spectral reflectance to calculate LAI have become more mainstream due to easy entry and availability. Methods with vegetation indices (VI) based on multispectral reflectance data essentially measure the green area index (GAI) or response to chlorophyll content of the canopy surface and not the entire aboveground biomass that may be present from non-green elements that are key to fully assessing the carbon budget. Methods with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) have started to emerge using gap fraction (GF) to estimate the plant area index (PAI) based on canopy density. These LiDAR methods have the main advantage of being sensitive to both green and non-green plant elements. They have primarily been applied to forest cover with manned airborne LiDAR systems (ALS) and have yet to be used extensively with crops such as winter wheat using LiDAR on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This study contributes to a better understanding of the potential of LiDAR as a tool to estimate canopy structure in precision farming. The LiDAR method proved to have a high to moderate correlation in spatial variation to the multispectral method. The LiDAR-derived PAI values closely resemble the SunScan Ceptometer GAI ground measurements taken early in the growing season before major stages of senescence. Later in the growing season, when the canopy density was at its highest, a possible overestimation may have occurred. This was most likely due to the chosen flight parameters not providing the best depictions of canopy density with consideration of the LiDAR’s perspective, as the ground-based destructive measurements provided lower values of PAI. Additionally, a distinction between total LiDAR-derived PAI, multispectral-derived GAI, and brown area index (BAI) is made to show how the active and passive optical sensor methods used in this study can complement each other throughout the growing season.

Monitoring the structure of forest stands is of high importance for forest managers to help them in maintaining ecosystem services. For that purpose, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) open new prospects, especially in combination with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. Indeed, the shorter distance from the Earth’s surface significantly increases the point density beneath the canopy, thus offering new possibilities for the extraction of the underlying semantics. For example, tree stems can now be captured with sufficient detail, which is a gateway to accurately locating trees and directly retrieving metrics—e.g., the Diameter at Breast Height (DBH). Current practices usually require numerous site-specific parameters, which may preclude their use when applied beyond their initial application context. To overcome this shortcoming, the machine learning Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Application of Noise (HDBSCAN) clustering algorithm was further improved and implemented to segment tree stems. Afterwards, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to extract tree stem orientation for subsequent DBH estimation. This workflow was then validated using LiDAR point clouds collected in a temperate deciduous closed-canopy forest stand during the leaf-on and leaf-off seasons, along with multiple scanning angle ranges. The results show that the proposed methodology can correctly detect up to 82% of tree stems (with a precision of 98%) during the leaf-off season and have a Maximum Scanning Angle Range (MSAR) of 75 degrees, without having to set up any site-specific parameters for the segmentation procedure. In the future, our method could then minimize the omission and commission errors when initially detecting trees, along with assisting further tree metrics retrieval. Finally, this research shows that, under the study conditions, the point density within an approximately 1.3-meter height above the ground remains low within closed-canopy forest stands even during the leaf-off season, thus restricting the accurate estimation of the DBH. As a result, autonomous UAVs that can both fly above and under the canopy provide a clear opportunity to achieve this purpose.

The paper will present findings from a Social Science and Humanities Research (SSHRC) funded participatory evaluation conducted over the past four years in the Cree nation of Wemindji in Quebec, Canada. COOL (Challenging Our Own Limits) or "Nigawchiisuun" in Cree, was launched in 2003 as part of a broader program of governance initiatives within Wemindji. As a key component of this new governance program, COOL was to address the need for after-school care within the community for parents, as well as to engage with the recurring problem of low retention rates in school. In consultation with the Band Council of the Cree Nation of Wemindji (James Bay), the Deputy Chief at the time (Rodney Mark)--who was elected Chief in 2006--established a COOL committee to oversee the design, organisation, implementation and running of the program. Unlike the other eight Cree communities of the James Bay, Wemindji decided to fund and run its own program based on values, customs, and traditions that have been established through consultations with elders, parents, and other interested groups within the community. This has made COOL a distinctly homegrown, autonomous, self-determined Cree program. The paper will not only report on principal themes and issues connected with the establishment and administration of COOL, but will also discuss why a participatory evaluation has been used to assess its effectiveness as a social/educational program.

Two recent initiatives to promote science and technology education in schools are compared: specialist "technology colleges" (secondary schools) in England and the Science and Technology Teacher Fellowship scheme in New Zealand. The schemes are examined within their respective policy contexts and are evaluated as responses to challenges posed for science and technology education by globalization and the growing "knowledge economy." (Contains 51 references.) (Author/SV)

A study of the processes of curriculum and instructional development in the first-year public administration program at Melchester Polytechnic (England) drew on interviews with faculty. It is concluded that curricular and instructional change is intensely political and dependent on the organizational climate for change. (Author/MSE)

Quadriceps tendon ruptures compromise the knee extensor mechanism and cause an inability to ambulate and significant functional limitations. Therefore, the vast majority of quadriceps tendon ruptures are indicated for operative intervention to restore patient mobility and function. Although these injuries were traditionally repaired using a transosseous repair technique, recent literature has shown that suture anchor repair may offer biomechanical advantages. Additionally, research in other areas of orthopaedics has found that a double-row suture anchor construct can offer additional biomechanical strength to tendinous repair. This technical note describes a safe and effective quadriceps tendon repair using a double-row suture anchor construct. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the use of participatory action research (PAR), relation of transformative learning and action research (AR), and post-colonial feminist theory.