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Abstract This study aims to evaluate the applicability of the high-resolution WaveFront Phase Imaging Sensor (WFPI) in eyes with Fuchs’ Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD) through qualitative and quantitative analysis using a custom-designed Automatic Guttae Detection Method (AGDM). The ocular phase was measured using the t $$\cdot$$ · eyede aberrometer and then was processed to obtain its High-Pass Filter Map (HPFM). The subjects were pathological and healthy patients from the Fundación Jiménez-Díaz Hospital (Madrid, Spain). The AGDM was developed and applied in pupils with 3 and 5 mm of diameter. A set of metrics were extracted and evaluated like the Root-Mean-Square error (RMS), Number of guttae, Guttae Area, and Area of Delaunay Triangulation (DT). Finally, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model was trained to classify between pathological and healthy eyes. Quantitatively, the HPFM reveals a dark spots pattern according to the ophthalmologist’s description of the slit-lamp examination of guttae distribution. There were significant statistical differences in all the metrics when FECD and Healthy groups were compared using the same pupil size; but comparing both pupil sizes for the same group there were significant differences in most of the variables. This sensor is a value tool to objectively diagnose and monitor this pathology through wavefront phase changes.

Abstract Inequalities play a main role in pure and applied mathematics. In this paper, we prove a generalization of Milne inequality for any measure space. The argument in the proof of this inequality allows us to obtain other Milne-type inequalities. Also, we improve the discrete version of Milne inequality, which holds for any positive value of the parameter p. Finally, we present a Milne-type inequality in the fractional context.

Abstract The aim of this work is to quantitatively assess the wavefront phase of keratoconic eyes measured by the ocular aberrometer t·eyede (based on WaveFront Phase Imaging Sensor), characterized by a lateral resolution of 8.6 µm without requiring any optical element to sample the wavefront information. We evaluated the parameters: root mean square error, Peak-to-Valley, and amplitude of the predominant frequency (Fourier Transform analysis) of a section of the High-Pass filter map in keratoconic and healthy cohorts. Furthermore, we have analyzed keratoconic eyes that presented dark–light bands in this map to assess their period and orientation with the Fourier Transform. There are significant statistical differences (p value

We consider two general classes of multiplicative degree-based topological indices (MTIs), denoted by $ X_{\Pi, F_V}(G) = \prod_{u \in V(G)} F_V(d_u) $ and $ X_{\Pi, F_E}(G) = \prod_{uv \in E(G)} F_E(d_u, d_v) $, where $ uv $ indicates the edge of $ G $ connecting the vertices $ u $ and $ v $, $ d_u $ is the degree of the vertex $ u $, and $ F_V(x) $ and $ F_E(x, y) $ are functions of the vertex degrees. This work has three objectives: First, we follow an analytical approach to deal with a classical topic in the study of topological indices: to find inequalities that relate two MTIs between them, but also to their additive versions $ X_\Sigma(G) $. Second, we propose some statistical analysis of MTIs as a generic tool for studying average properties of random networks, extending these techniques for the first time to the context of MTIs. Finally, we perform an innovative scaling analysis of MTIs which allows us to state a scaling law that relates different random graph models.

If $ X $ is a geodesic metric space and $ x_1, x_2, x_3\in X $, a geodesic triangle $ T = \{x_1, x_2, x_3\} $ is the union of the three geodesics $ [x_1 x_2] $, $ [x_2 x_3] $ and $ [x_3 x_1] $ in $ X $. The space $ X $ is hyperbolic if there exists a constant $ \delta \ge 0 $ such that any side of any geodesic triangle in $ X $ is contained in the $ \delta $-neighborhood of the union of the two other sides. In this paper, we study the hyperbolicity of an important kind of Euclidean graphs called Delaunay triangulations. Furthermore, we characterize the Delaunay triangulations contained in the Euclidean plane that are hyperbolic.

Waste eggshells have been investigated as biomineralised CO2 sorbents for the calcium looping cycle due to their high Ca content, low cost, availability, and high CO2 uptake. This work investigates a novel heat-pre-treatment using eggshells as raw material. The eggshells were simultaneously calcined and thermally pre-treated via microwave heating using different powers and times whilst maintaining the same input energy in a single mode cavity reactor. The calcined eggshells were characterised using standard characterisation techniques such as TGA and isotherms of N2 adsorption at 77 K. The dielectric properties were measured using the cavity perturbation technique at 2.45 GHz. Numerical electromagnetic simulations were performed using COMSOL Multiphysics and results were used to optimise the experimental setup. The treated materials were subjected to carbonation/calcination cycles in order to assess their suitability as a calcium-looping sorbent. The sorbent that exhibited a more stable CO2 uptake was the one treated at the highest power (800 W) 4.5 mmol CO2/g sorbent after 20 cycles under mild calcination conditions. Adsorbents prepared at 400, 600 and 800 W displayed similar CO2 uptake after 20 cycles when the calcination conditions were under more realistic conditions.

A sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, and substance abuse are increasingly prevalent among adolescents, necessitating effective interventions within educational environments. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a fifteen-week gamified intervention to promote healthy habits among 314 secondary school students residing in socially deprived areas. The gamified PBL (Points-Badges and Leaderboard) approach offers a promising strategy to engage students, enhance their knowledge, and influence their physical activity, nutrition, and substance consumption behaviors. Employing a pre-post-test design with a control group, data were collected through Kimed and IPAQ questionnaires evaluating participants' habits. Results revealed statistically significant differences between pretest and post-test scores in the experimental group and significant differences favoring the experimental group. Participating students exhibited improved physical activity and nutrition, alongside a reduction in harmful substance consumption behaviors. These findings suggest that the gamified PBL intervention holds promise in promoting healthier habits among secondary school students, specifically in socially deprived areas, emphasizing the importance of integrating such interventions into educational curricula. Keywords: Gamification; Balanced nutrition; Harmful substance consumption; Secondary school students

Abstract Reproductive isolation is conferred by several barriers that occur at different stages of reproduction. Comprehensive reviews on the topic have identified that barriers occurring prior to zygote formation are often stronger than those that occur afterward. However, the overrepresentation of temperate perennial herbs in the current literature precludes any generalization of this pattern to plants that present other life forms and patterns of distribution. Here, we assessed reproductive isolation barriers and their absolute contribution to reproductive isolation and asymmetry in Cnidoscolus aconitifolius and C. souzae, two closely related tropical shrub species that co‐occur on the Yucatan peninsula. The reproductive barriers assessed were phenological mismatch, pollinator differentiation, pollen–pistil incompatibility (three pre‐zygotic barriers), fruit set failure, and seed unviability (post‐zygotic barriers). Reproductive isolation between the study species was found to be complete in the direction C. aconitifolius to C. souzae, but only partial in the opposite direction. One post‐zygotic barrier was the strongest example. Most barriers, particularly the pre‐zygotic examples, were asymmetrical and predicted the direction of heterospecific pollen flow and hybrid formation from C. souzae to C. aconitifolius. Both parental species, as well as the hybrids, were diploid and had a chromosome number 2n = 36. More studies with tropical woody perennials are required to fully determine whether this group of plants consistently shows stronger post‐zygotic barriers.

In this paper, the authors work with a general formulation of the fractional derivative of Caputo type. They study oscillatory solutions of differential equations involving these general fractional derivatives. In particular, they extend the Kamenev-type oscillation criterion given by Baleanu et al. in 2015. In addition, we prove results on the existence and uniqueness of solutions for many of the equations considered. Also, they complete their study with some examples.

In this paper, we perform analytical and statistical studies of Revan indices on graphs $ G $: $ R(G) = \sum_{uv \in E(G)} F(r_u, r_v) $, where $ uv $ denotes the edge of $ G $ connecting the vertices $ u $ and $ v $, $ r_u $ is the Revan degree of the vertex $ u $, and $ F $ is a function of the Revan vertex degrees. Here, $ r_u = \Delta + \delta - d_u $ with $ \Delta $ and $ \delta $ the maximum and minimum degrees among the vertices of $ G $ and $ d_u $ is the degree of the vertex $ u $. We concentrate on Revan indices of the Sombor family, i.e., the Revan Sombor index and the first and second Revan $ (a, b) $-$ KA $ indices. First, we present new relations to provide bounds on Revan Sombor indices which also relate them with other Revan indices (such as the Revan versions of the first and second Zagreb indices) and with standard degree-based indices (such as the Sombor index, the first and second $ (a, b) $-$ KA $ indices, the first Zagreb index and the Harmonic index). Then, we extend some relations to index average values, so they can be effectively used for the statistical study of ensembles of random graphs.

Abstract Inequalities play a major role in pure and applied mathematics. In particular, the inequality plays an important role in the study of Rosseland’s integral for the stellar absorption. In this paper we obtain new Milne-type inequalities, and we apply them to the generalized Riemann–Liouville-type integral operators, which include most of the known Riemann–Liouville integral operators.

The aim of this study was to develop a plant-based fermented beverage from discarded bread flour and to analyze its characteristics as a novel functional product. Eight cereal-based probiotic beverages were produced by inoculating discarded bread flour with a monoculture of Lactobacillus rhamnosus or a co-culture consisting of lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacterium. Two additional factors, namely, the addition of amylolytic enzymes and matrix desalting, were studied alongside the type of culture. The organic acid content and microbial growth were monitored during fermentation and storage (15 and 21 days). Proximal composition, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and volatile compounds were measured in the final product. Sensory analysis was only conducted on the enzymatically treated samples. The estimated shelf life of the bread beverage was 15 days. The variables studied significantly influenced the amountof organic acids and specific volatile compounds responsible for the aroma of fermented beverages. The beverage produced via co-culturing was preferred by consumers in the sensory test.

Abstract The proper sizing of the electronic target to implement complex controllers is barely tackled at engineering schools. An incorrect selection leads, at best, to inefficient use of resources and unnecessarily high costs. In this work, the criteria to implement the electronic Lyapunov‐based controller for non‐linear trajectory tracking of a P3‐DX robot is focused on. After comparing pros and cons of the four alternatives, test results are shown with two of them: NUC8i5INH microcomputer and STM32F767 single chip board.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of a game-based learning (GBL) program on the classroom climate and engagement of high schools in socially deprived communities in Spain.MethodsThe study included 277 students from two secondary schools located in Southern Spain, situated in Zones in Need of Social Transformation. Sampling was non-probabilistic and accidental, based on the accessibility of the school and the willingness of the management and teaching staff to participate in the GBL program. The study employed a control group and two experimental groups (cooperative games group only and cooperative and competitive games group) to compare pre-test and post-test data in both groups. The Brief Class Climate Scale and Engagement Inventory, validated in academic literature, were used as assessment instruments.ResultsThe study used a series of ANOVA tests to compare the experimental groups with the control group. The results indicated statistically significant changes in all study variables. In all cases, the experimental groups demonstrated greater benefits than the control group.Discussion and conclusionThe study findings reveal that games can provide significant benefits to students, regardless of whether they are cooperative or competitive. The study provides evidence of the benefits of GBL in high schools located in socially deprived communities in Spain.

The aim of this work is to obtain new inequalities for the variable symmetric division deg index $ SDD_\alpha(G) = \sum_{uv \in E(G)} (d_u^\alpha/d_v^\alpha+d_v^\alpha/d_u^\alpha) $, and to characterize graphs extremal with respect to them. Here, by $ uv $ we mean the edge of a graph $ G $ joining the vertices $ u $ and $ v $, and $ d_u $ denotes the degree of $ u $, and $ \alpha \in \mathbb{R} $. Some of these inequalities generalize and improve previous results for the symmetric division deg index. In addition, we computationally apply the $ SDD_\alpha(G) $ index on random graphs and we demonstrate that the ratio $ \langle SDD_\alpha(G) \rangle/n $ ($ n $ is the order of the graph) depends only on the average degree $ \langle d \rangle $.

Los estudiantes pertenecientes a zonas de necesidad de transformación social tienden a tener una menor motivación académica y desarrollan bajas expectativas respecto a sus capacidades. Esta investigación expone el uso didáctico de los juegos de mesa a través de un programa que trabaja los procesos léxicos, semánticos y sintácticos. Se realizó un diseño cuantitativo pretest-postest donde se evaluó la eficacia del programa con la batería PROLEC-SE. Participaron 27 estudiantes de un centro español ubicado en zonas de necesidad de transformación social. Los resultados muestran que el grupo se benefició del programa, observándose diferencias estadísticamente significativas en lectura de palabras y pseudopalabras, velocidad de palabras y pseudopalabras y de texto, emparejamiento imagen-oración, signos de puntuación y comprensión lectora. Se concluye que el aprendizaje basado en juego puede ser un refuerzo positivo para el desarrollo de los procesos lectores en el alumnado en zonas de necesidad de transformación social.

In this work we obtain new lower and upper optimal bounds of general Sombor indices. Specifically, we get inequalities for these indices relating them with other indices: the first Zagreb index, the forgotten index and the first variable Zagreb index. Finally, we solve some extremal problems for general Sombor indices.

In this paper, we present a general formulation of the well-known fractional drifts of Riemann-Liouville type. We state the main properties of these integral operators. Besides, we study Ostrowski, Székely-Clark-Entringer and Hermite-Hadamard-Fejér inequalities involving these general fractional operators.

Abstract Ocular optics is normally estimated based on up to 2,600 measurement points within the pupil of the eye, which implies a lateral resolution of approximately 175 µm for a 9 mm pupil diameter. This is because information below this resolution is not thought to be relevant or even possible to obtain with current measurement systems. In this work, we characterize the in vivo ocular optics of the human eye with a lateral resolution of 8.6 µm, which implies roughly 1 million measurement points for a pupil diameter of 9 mm. The results suggest that the normal human eye presents a series of hitherto unknown optical patterns with amplitudes between 200 and 300 nm and is made up of a series of in-phase peaks and valleys. If the results are analysed at only high lateral frequencies, the human eye is also found to contain a whole range of new information. This discovery could have a great impact on the way we understand some fundamental mechanisms of human vision and could be of outstanding utility in certain fields of ophthalmology.

Antecedentes: Los receptores de trasplante de órgano sólido (RTOS) parecen estar en un riesgo particularmente alto de cuadros severos de infección por coronavirus 2 del síndrome respiratorio agudo grave (SARS-CoV-2) debido al uso crónico de medicamentos inmunosupresores y sus comorbilidades. Reportamos la primera descripción del curso clínico y desenlaces a corto plazo de los receptores de trasplante con enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) confirmada en México. El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar el curso clínico de estos pacientes. Material y métodos: Evaluamos de manera retrospectiva los RTOS (riñón e hígado) mayores de 18 años de edad, con diagnóstico confirmado de infección por SARS-CoV-2 provenientes de cinco centros de tercer nivel en México. Resultados: Se incluyeron 45 receptores de trasplante renal con una edad de 43 (intervalo intercuartílico [IQR]: 25-70) años. El ingreso hospitalario se requirió en 37 (75.5%) pacientes, de los cuales ocho (16.3%) fueron hospitalizados en la unidad de terapia intensiva. Se documentó lesión renal aguda en 33 (67%) pacientes. El tiempo de hospitalización fue de 8 (IQR: 6-12) días. Seis pacientes fallecieron (12.2%). Adicionalmente, 10 receptores de trasplante hepático fueron incluidos. Durante su evolución, 5 / 10 requirieron ingreso hospitalario; no se presentaron fallecimientos en este grupo de pacientes. Conclusiones: Los receptores de trasplante mostraron una alta tasa de mortalidad y complicaciones por la infección por SARS-CoV-2. Son necesarios más estudios para identificar los factores pronósticos y modalidades de tratamiento eficaces.

This article examines the implementation of a cooperative training workshop for Spanish undergraduate social educators. The workshop aimed to explore the integration of escape rooms and breakouts in teaching, specifically addressing cyberbullying as a curricular topic. A total of 40 students participated in designing and qualitatively evaluating the training workshop. The findings highlight the workshop’s effectiveness in enhancing social education students’ training, preparing them for future professional careers, and enhancing their learning, teamwork, and proficiency in utilising ICT programs and resources. The study underscores the significance of incorporating these innovative approaches to improve student motivation, interest, and overall skill development.

Muchas son las propuestas para llevar la lectura de un poema a un aula, aunque los resultados, a pesar de las buenas voluntades, no siempre son muy satisfactorios, quizá porque se parte de una idea algo equivocada de lo que es un texto poético y de lo que este requiere. En este trabajo se pretende revisar todo ello, valorando, además, la idoneidad de un poema del poeta Leopoldo de Luis, sobre un partido de fútbol. Frente a esta propuesta se ha llevado a cabo toda una revisión seria de los resultados obtenidos en su aplicación, tanto en un aula de Primaria como en unos grupos de estudiantes universitarios. Los resultados son esclarecedores y también inquietantes en algunos sentidos, pues evidencian demasiadas carencias, tanto en su hábito lector como en la manera de trabajar la poesía en las aulas.

The immune response promoted by SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is relevant to develop novel vaccines and optimized prevention strategies. We analyzed the adaptive immunity in healthy donors (HD) and convalescent individuals (CD), before and after administering BNT162b2 vaccine. Our results revealed specific changes in CD4+ T cell reactivity profile in vaccinated HD and CD, with an increase in S1 and S2 positive individuals, proportionally higher for S2. On the contrary, NCAP reactivity observed in HD and CD patients was no longer detectable after vaccination. Despite the substantial antibody response in CD, MPro-derived peptides did not elicit CD4+ lymphocyte activation in our assay in either condition. HD presented an increment in anti-S and anti-RBD IgG after first dose vaccination, which increased after the second vaccination. Conversely, anti-S and anti-RBD IgG and IgA titers increased in already positive CD after first dose administration, remaining stable after second dose inoculation. Interestingly, we found a strong significant correlation between S1-induced CD4+ response and anti-S IgA pre-vaccination, which was lost after vaccine administration.

It is well known that mathematical inequalities have played a very important role in solving both theoretical and practical problems. In this paper, we show some new results related to Ostrowski type inequalities for generalized integral operators.

Secondary education needs to find learning strategies that favor student engagement, particularly in socially deprived communities. The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of gamification on educational flow and academic performance. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study has been carried out with 207 secondary school students that compares the gamified cooperative learning method with the directive teaching methodology. The results show statistically significant differences in perceived class flow and academic performance in favor of the gamified group. In addition, it has been analyzed whether these improvements vary according to sex, proving that the gamified methodology is just as effective for girls as for boys. It is concluded that the game systems achieved with gamification favor student engagement because they perceive the tasks as enjoyable and immersive.

Results from a collaborative project between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and China Meteorological Administration found that atmospheric rivers (ARs) can occur simultaneously in East Asia and Australia. Furthermore, ARs and the Northwest Cloud Band in the Australia region tend to reach their peaks during austral cool season (May–August). At the same time that the Asian summer monsoon develops and its meridional moisture transport and AR activities intensify. This has prompted us to explore potential connections of ARs in the two regions. In this study, we firstly analysed two ARs and their mechanism that occurred in China and Australia in June 2016, which caused significant rainfall in both countries. We then explored the atmospheric circulation background for such AR connections. From this case study, we show that ARs originating from the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans can become bifurcated through Indo-Pacific inter-basin interactions. The position of the bifurcation appears to depend on the location and intensity of Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH), the subtropical high in the Australian region and the middle-latitude storm track migration in the southern hemisphere. Moreover, by analysing bifurcated AR events from the past two decades, we show that they are more likely to occur during boreal summer months. Most of the bifurcations occurred in the boreal summer following the decaying phase of an El Niño in its preceding winter, due to a delayed El Niño Southern Oscillation influence on the WPSH and a subtropical high in the Australian region. Our research further demonstrates the value of applying AR analysis in improving our understanding of the weather and climate in the Australia–Asian monsoon region.

In the current study, an improved method to obtain measurements of geometry of silicon wafers capable of removing the effect induced by gravity and the contact of supports is presented. The classical method only requires two measurements, while the proposed method requires several images. Nevertheless, the classical method relies on the perfect placement and alignment of the wafer over the supports, while the proposed method is strongly immune against misplacing and misaligning the wafer from one measurement to another. The mathematical basis for the new method is presented together with results of a simulation that compares the performance of the classical and the proposed method. It is also shown that, for placement errors as small as 100 nm, the proposed method has better results than the classical method.

Weighted Sobolev spaces play a main role in the study of Sobolev orthogonal polynomials. In particular, analytic properties of such polynomials have been extensively studied, mainly focused on their asymptotic behavior and the location of their zeros. On the other hand, the behavior of the Fourier–Sobolev projector allows to deal with very interesting approximation problems. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we improve a well-known inequality by Lupaş by using connection formulas for Jacobi polynomials with different parameters. In the next step, we deduce Markov-type inequalities in weighted Sobolev spaces associated with generalized Laguerre and generalized Hermite weights.

Sparfloxacin, a synthetic antibiotic belonging to the third-generation fluoroquinolones, has numerous pharmacokinetic and microbiological advantages which can make it an excellent candidate for the treatment of infections in sheep. The objective of this study was to develop and validate an analytical HPLC method to quantify sparfloxacin in sheep plasma, following the recommendations set out in the Guideline on Bioanalytical Method Validation of the European Union (EMEA/CHMP/EWP/192217/2009). The HPLC mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and monopotassium phosphate buffer (1.36 g/L) 49:51 (v/v). Genabilic acid was used as internal standard. Mean retention times for sparfloxacin and genabilic acid were 2.6 and 5.8 min, respectively. The method met all specifications of the EMA guideline, being selective and linear in the range of 0.2–10 µg/mL (R2 ≥ 0.99). Within-run precision ranged between 0.00 and 0.88%, with an accuracy of 90.3–118.0% for the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ). The LLOQ was 0.2 µg/mL, and no interference from the biological matrix was found. The stability of sparfloxacin in the biological matrix was demonstrated under different storage conditions. Therefore, the method can be used to determine sparfloxacin concentrations in sheep plasma in different types of studies.

Conditions altering the yeast cell wall lead to the activation of an adaptive transcriptional response mainly governed by the cell wall integrity (CWI) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Two high-throughput screenings were developed using the yTHC collection of yeast conditional mutant strains to systematically identify essential genes related to cell wall integrity, and those required for the transcriptional program elicited by cell wall stress. Depleted expression of 52 essential genes resulted in hypersensitivity to the dye Calcofluor white, with chromatin organization, Golgi vesicle transport, rRNA processing, and protein glycosylation processes, as the most highly representative functional groups. Via a flow cytometry-based quantitative assay using a CWI reporter plasmid, 97 strains exhibiting reduced gene-reporter expression levels upon stress were uncovered, highlighting genes associated with RNA metabolism, transcription/translation, protein degradation, and chromatin organization. This screening also led to the discovery of 41 strains displaying a basal increase in CWI-associated gene expression, including mainly putative cell wall-related genes. Interestingly, several members of the RSC chromatin remodelling complex were uncovered in both screenings. Notably, Rsc9 was necessary to regulate the gene expression of CWI-related genes both under stress and non-stress conditions, suggesting distinct requirements of the RSC complex for remodelling particular genes.

Bread and bakery products are among the most discarded food products in the world. This work aims to investigate the potential use of wasted bread to obtain a high-glucose slurry. Simultaneous hydrolysis of wasted bread using α-amylase and glucoamylase was carried out performing liquefaction and saccharification at the same time. This process was compared with a traditional sequential hydrolysis. Temperature and pH conditions were optimized using a response surface design determining viscosity, reducing sugars and glucose concentration during the enzymatic processes. The optimal conditions of pH and temperature in the saccharification stage and the simultaneous hydrolysis were pretty similar. Results show that the slurry produced with simultaneous process had a similar glucose yield at 2 h, and at 4 h a yield higher than that obtained by the sequential method of 4 h and could reduce time and energy.

The study of bullying implies analyzing the emotional competences of students, and it has been demonstrated that this phenomenon is due to the poor management of emotions. This study explores whether high scores in Emotional Intelligence (EI) are positively related to academic performance and negatively to bullying. The sample composition focused on students of Compulsory Secondary Education, formed by 3451 subjects aged between 11 and 18 years (50.88% women and 49.12% men). The selection of the high schools was made for non-random convenience, administering Peer Bullying Questionnaire (CAI), TMM-24 and school grades. To analyze the results, a model of structural equations was used by estimating the maximum likelihood together with the bootstrapping procedure. We concluded that EI stands as a protector against bullying and has a positive impact on academic performance. This infers that having greater clarity, repair and emotional attention correlates with a lower possibility of being bullied, at the same time, a school climate without aggressiveness generates positive links towards the school and towards optimal learning environments.

Menbutone is often used to stimulate the hepato-digestive activity in case of digestive disorders and hepatic insufficiency in different species (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, dogs) because it has choleretic and cholagogue effects and increases gastric and pancreatic juices. The objective was to develop and validate an HPLC method to quantify menbutone in sheep plasma using sparfloxacin as internal standard. The HPLC mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile:monopotassium phosphate solution. The method was validated according to EMA guideline (EMEA/CHMP/EWP/192217/2009). Mean retention times of menbutone and sparfloxacin were 4.5 and 2.2 min, respectively. The method met all specifications of the EMA guideline, being selective and linear in the range of 0.2–100 µg/mL (R2 ≥ 0.99). The within-run precision range was 0.19–8.21%, with an accuracy of 102.99–119.52% for the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ). For the other values (LOW, MED, HIGH) the precision range was 0.01–4.77%, with an accuracy of 85.17–109.67%. The LLOQ was 0.2 µg/mL, and no interference from the biological matrix was found. Stability of menbutone in the biological matrix at different storage conditions was also demonstrated. Thus, the method can be used to determine menbutone concentrations in plasma sheep in different types of studies.

Background: The aim of this paper is to implement a system to facilitate the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in its initial stages. It does so using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify images captured with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). Methods: SS-OCT images from 48 control subjects and 48 recently diagnosed MS patients have been used. These images show the thicknesses (45 × 60 points) of the following structures: complete retina, retinal nerve fiber layer, two ganglion cell layers (GCL+, GCL++) and choroid. The Cohen distance is used to identify the structures and the regions within them with greatest discriminant capacity. The original database of OCT images is augmented by a deep convolutional generative adversarial network to expand the CNN’s training set. Results: The retinal structures with greatest discriminant capacity are the GCL++ (44.99% of image points), complete retina (26.71%) and GCL+ (22.93%). Thresholding these images and using them as inputs to a CNN comprising two convolution modules and one classification module obtains sensitivity = specificity = 1.0. Conclusions: Feature pre-selection and the use of a convolutional neural network may be a promising, nonharmful, low-cost, easy-to-perform and effective means of assisting the early diagnosis of MS based on SS-OCT thickness data.

The multi-scale discrete Radon transform (DRT) calculates, with linearithmic complexity, the summation of pixels, through a set of discrete lines, covering all possible slopes and intercepts in an image, exclusively with integer arithmetic operations. An inversion algorithm exists and is exact and fast, in spite of being iterative. In this work, the DRT forward and backward pair is evolved to propose two faster algorithms: central DRT, which computes only the central portion of intercepts; and periodic DRT, which computes the line integrals on the periodic extension of the input. Both have an output of size N×4N, instead of 3N×4N, as in the original algorithm. Periodic DRT is proven to have a fast inversion, whereas central DRT does not. An interesting application of periodic DRT is its use as building a block of discrete curvelet transform. Central DRT can provide almost a 2× speedup over conventional DRT, probably becoming the faster Radon transform algorithm available, at the cost of ignoring 15% of the summations in the corners.

Abstract Weighted Sobolev spaces play a main role in the study of Sobolev orthogonal polynomials. The aim of this paper is to prove several important properties of weighted Sobolev spaces: separability, reflexivity, uniform convexity, duality and Markov-type inequalities.

Antecedentes: La incidencia del microcarcinoma papilar de tiroides (MCPT) está aumentado. Objetivo: Analizar el pronóstico a largo plazo del MCPT. Método: Población a estudio: pacientes con diagnóstico histopatológico de MCPT (tamaño ≤ 1 cm) tratados según el riesgo de recurrencia de la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Tiroides. Criterios de inclusión: seguimiento mínimo de 2 años, disponibilidad de las muestras histopatológicas y cumplimiento del tratamiento. Criterios de exclusión: cirugía tiroidea previa, otras patologías malignas sincrónicas o localización ectópica del MCPT. Variables a estudio: persistencias, recidivas y mortalidad. Resultados: Según el riesgo de recurrencia, el 65.2% (n = 105) tuvo muy bajo riesgo, el 17.4% (n = 28) bajo riesgo y el 17,4% (n = 28) alto riesgo. En los pacientes de alto riesgo se realizó tiroidectomía total en todos los casos linfadenectomía cervical en el 57,1% (n = 16) y terapia metabólica con I131 en todos los casos. Durante un seguimiento medio de 119,8 ± 65 meses hubo un 0,6% (n = 1) de recurrencias. No se evidenciaron factores de riesgo asociados a recidiva de la enfermedad. Ningún paciente falleció debido al MCPT. Conclusiones: El MCPT tratado en función del riesgo de recurrencia tiene un buen pronóstico a largo plazo, sin persistencias, con una baja cifra de recurrencias y ausencia de mortalidad debida a la enfermedad.

Confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hastened an educational shift from face-to-face to online classrooms. This distanced education seeks to achieve learning goals mediated by technology as they would be achieved in the face-to-face classroom, without ignoring the psychological and social impact that COVID-19 has had on students and teachers. Faced with this situation, the use of online educational escape rooms has been proposed as a motivating strategy for students to review curriculum content in a cooperative and fun way. A qualitative investigation was carried out to explore the perceptions of university students in the Social Education degree program after the implementation of an educational escape room. Our main findings are that most students found that it allowed them to interact with their peers beyond traditional education, that it was useful for their learning and that it was a pleasant activity. However, it was also mentioned that it can be a stressful activity as being an online activity, some students may have connectivity problems. It is concluded that online escape rooms can be active and effective learning strategies for university students.

We perform a detailed computational study of the recently introduced Sombor indices on random networks. Specifically, we apply Sombor indices on three models of random networks: Erdös-Rényi networks, random geometric graphs, and bipartite random networks. Within a statistical random matrix theory approach, we show that the average values of Sombor indices, normalized to the order of the network, scale with the average degree. Moreover, we discuss the application of average Sombor indices as complexity measures of random networks and, as a consequence, we show that selected normalized Sombor indices are highly correlated with the Shannon entropy of the eigenvectors of the adjacency matrix.

In this work, we obtained new results relating the generalized atom-bond connectivity index with the general Randić index. Some of these inequalities for ABCα improved, when α=1/2, known results on the ABC index. Moreover, in order to obtain our results, we proved a kind of converse Hölder inequality, which is interesting on its own.

Intercritically deformed steels present combinations of different types of ferrite, such as deformed ferrite (DF) and non-deformed ferrite (NDF) grains, which are transformed during the final deformation passes and final cooling step. Recently, a grain identification and correlation technique based on EBSD has been employed together with a discretization methodology, enabling a distinction to be drawn between different ferrite populations (NDF and DF grains). This paper presents a combination of interrupted tensile tests with crystallographic characterization performed by means of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), by analyzing the evolution of an intercritically deformed micro-alloyed steel. In addition to this, and using the nanoindentation technique, both ferrite families were characterized micromechanically and the nanohardness was quantified for each population. NDF grains are softer than DF ones, which is related to the presence of a lower fraction of low-angle grain boundaries. The interrupted tensile tests show the different behavior of low- and high-angle grain boundary evolution as well as the strain partitioning in each ferrite family. NDF population accommodates most of the deformation at initial strain intervals, since strain reaches 10%. For higher strains, NDF and DF grains behave similarly to the strain applied.

The Radon transform is a valuable tool in inverse problems such as the ones present in electromagnetic imaging. Up to now the inversion of the multiscale discrete Radon transform has been only possible by iterative numerical methods while the continuous Radon transform is usually tackled with the filtered backprojection approach. In this study, we will show, for the first time, that the multiscale discrete version of Radon transform can as well be inverted with filtered backprojection, and by doing so, we will achieve the fastest implementation until now of bidimensional discrete Radon inversion. Moreover, the proposed method allows the sacrifice of accuracy for further acceleration. It is a well-conditioned inversion that exhibits a resistance against noise similar to that of iterative methods.

Two hundred and twenty-five Diaporthe isolates were collected from 2005 to 2019 in almond orchards showing twig cankers and shoot blight symptoms in five different regions across Spain. Multilocus DNA sequence analysis with five loci (ITS, tub, tef-1α, cal and his), allowed the identification of four known Diaporthe species, namely: D. amygdali, D. eres, D. foeniculina and D. phaseolorum. Moreover, a novel phylogenetic species, D. mediterranea, was described. Diaporthe amygdali was the most prevalent species, due to the largest number of isolates (85.3%) obtained from all sampled regions. The second most frequent species was D. foeniculina (10.2%), followed by D. mediterranea (3.6%), D. eres and D. phaseolorum, each with only one isolate. Pathogenicity tests were performed using one-year-old almond twigs cv. Vayro and representative isolates of the different species. Except for D. foeniculina and D. phaseolorum, all Diaporthe species were able to cause lesions significantly different from those developed on the uninoculated controls. Diaporthe mediterranea caused the most severe symptoms. These results confirm D. amygdali as a key pathogen of almonds in Spain. Moreover, the new species, D. mediterranea, should also be considered as a potential important causal agent of twig cankers and shoot blight on this crop.

A Ni/CeO2/ZrO2 catalyst with improved redox properties has been washcoated onto a honeycomb cordierite monolith in the form of a nonconventional alumina-catalyst layer, just a few nanometers thick. In spite of the very low active phase loading, the monolith depicts outstanding performance in dry reforming of methane, both in terms of activity, with values reaching the thermodynamic limit already at 750 °C, even under extreme Weight Hourly Space Velocities (WHSV 115−346 L·g−1·h−1), as well as in terms of stability during prolonged Time on Stream (TOS 24−48 h).

Evidence indicates an intimate connection between the neuroendocrine and the immune systems. A number of in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated growth hormone (GH) involvement in immune regulation. The GH receptor is expressed by several leukocyte subpopulations, and GH modulates immune cell proliferation and activity. Here, we found that sustained GH expression protected against collagen-induced arthritis (CIA); in GH-transgenic C57BL/6 (GHTg) mice, disease onset was delayed, and its overall severity was decreased. The anti-collagen response was impaired in these mice, as were inflammatory cytokine levels. Compared to control arthritic littermates, immunized GHTg mice showed significantly lower RORγt (retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma 2), IL-17, GM-CSF, IL-22, and IFNγ mRNA expression in draining lymph nodes, whereas there were no differences in IL-21, IL-6, or IL-2 mRNA levels. Data thus suggest that Th17/Th1 cell plasticity toward a pathological phenotype is reduced in these mice. Exogenous GH administration in arthritic DBA/1J mice reduced the severity of established CIA as well as the inflammatory environment, which also shows a GH effect on arthritis progression. These results indicate that GH prevents inflammatory joint destruction in CIA. Our findings demonstrate a modulatory GH role in immune system function that contributes to alleviating CIA symptoms and underlines the importance of endocrine regulation of the immune response.

During budding, lentiviral particles (LVP) incorporate cell membrane proteins in the viral envelope. We explored the possibility of harnessing this process to generate LVP-expressing membrane proteins of therapeutic interest and studied the potential of these tools to treat different pathologies. Fas-mediated apoptosis is central to the maintenance of T cell homeostasis and prevention of autoimmune processes. We prepared LVP that express murine FasL on their surface. Our data indicate that mFasL-bearing LVP induce caspase 3 and 9 processing, cytochrome C release, and significantly more cell death than control LVP in vitro. This cytotoxicity is blocked by the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD. Analysis of the application of these reagents for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis in vivo suggests that FasL-expressing LVP could be useful for therapy in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, where there is an excess of Fas-expressing activated T cells in the joint. LVP could be a vehicle not only for mFasL but also for other membrane-bound proteins that maintain their native conformation and might mediate biological activities.

In this study, the atmospheric moisture transport involved in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) water cycle is examined. Observational estimates are contrasted with the Met Office Unified Model (MetUM) climate simulations to evaluate the model’s ability to capture this transport. We explore the role of large circulation in determining the regional water cycle by analyzing key systematic errors in the model. MetUM exhibits robust errors in its representation of the summer Asian-Pacific monsoon system, including dry biases in the Indian peninsula and wet biases in the tropical Indian Ocean and tropical West Pacific. Such errors are consistent with errors in the atmospheric moisture convergence in the area. Diabatic heating biases in the Maritime Continent domain are shown, via nudging sensitivity experiments, to play a crucial role in remotely forcing the model circulation and moisture transport errors in the East Asian area. We also examine changes in the regional water cycle in response to interannual variability of the West Pacific subtropical high (WPSH). It is shown by water budget analysis that, although the model in general is not able to faithfully reproduce the response on a month to month basis, it gives comparable seasonal trends in regional moisture convergence and precipitation associated with shifts of the WPSH.

MAIN FINDINGS: A 22-year-old woman with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) presenting with primary amenorrhea and normal female external genitalia was referred for laparoscopic gonadectomy. She had been diagnosed several years earlier but was reluctant to undergo surgery. CASE HYPOTHESIS: Diagnosis of this X-linked recessive inherited syndrome characterizes by disturbance of virilization in males with an AR mutation, XY karyotipe, female genitalia and severely undescended testis with risk of malignization. The optimal time to orchidectomy is not settled; neither the real risk of malignancy in these patients. Early surgery impacts development of a complete female phenotype, with enlargement of the breasts. Based on modern diagnostic imaging using DCE-MRI and surgical technology with single port laparoscopic access we hypothesize that the optimum time for gonadectomy is not at the time of diagnosis, but once feminization has completed. PROMISING FUTURE IMPLICATIONS: An umbilical laparoendoscopic single-site access for bilateral gonadectomy appears to be the first choice approach as leaves no visible incision and diminishes the psychological impact of surgery in a patient with CAIS absolutely reassured as female. KeyPort, a single port access with duo-rotate instruments developed by Richard Wolf facilitates this surgery and allows excellent cosmetic results.

Antioxidant activity of a number of small (low molecular weight) natural compounds found in spices, condiments or drugs (gallic acid, sesamol, eugenol, thymol, carvacrol, vanillin, salicylaldehyde, limonene, geraniol, 4-hexylresorcinol, etc.) has been evaluated using electrochemical and DPPH• radical scavenging measurements. Structural analysis of the tested compound suggest a remarkable activity for phenol derivatives and the importance of the –R groups located on the phenolic ring in the molecule’s ability to act as free radical scavenging as well as their influence in the electrochemical behavior. The voltammetric method can be used for the determination of the antioxidant capability in the same manner as the DPPH• radical scavenging because of the correlation found between oxidation potentials and anti-radical power (ARP = 1/EC50). Such electrochemical determination is fast and cheap and allows making measurements under a variety of experimental conditions. The accuracy of the electrochemical measurements is the same for all the compounds, irrespective of their scavenging activity, the opposite of what occurs in the DPPH• test.