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Tree growth and longevity trade-offs fundamentally shape the terrestrial carbon balance. Yet, we lack a unified understanding of how such trade-offs vary across the world's forests. By mapping life history traits for a wide range of species across the Americas, we reveal considerable variation in life expectancies from 10 centimeters in diameter (ranging from 1.3 to 3195 years) and show that the pace of life for trees can be accurately classified into four demographic functional types. We found emergent patterns in the strength of trade-offs between growth and longevity across a temperature gradient. Furthermore, we show that the diversity of life history traits varies predictably across forest biomes, giving rise to a positive relationship between trait diversity and productivity. Our pan-latitudinal assessment provides new insights into the demographic mechanisms that govern the carbon turnover rate across forest biomes.

Migrant students tend to underperform in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and are less likely to pursue higher education in STEM when compared with their nonmigrant peers. Given the substantial increase in migration, this disparity has been a central concern in science education in many European countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative science outreach program that brings together migrant students and STEM professionals with the same linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The program consists of one-off workshops that follow an inquiry-based approach and include hands-on activities and science communication in the students' heritage language. Using surveys with adapted scales and open-ended questions, we applied a randomized block design with waitlist control groups and repeated measures. Eighty-three Portuguese-speaking migrant students aged 6-17 years participated in the workshops in Germany and the United Kingdom. Results indicate that both the students and STEM professionals evaluated the program positively and that students who participated in the workshops tended to demonstrate an increase in their attainment value for science and an increase in their self-concept of ability for the heritage language 4 weeks after the intervention when compared with students in the control condition. These effects were particularly pronounced for students with low prior motivation to study science or speak the heritage language. Our results thus show that it is possible to foster migrant students' attainment value for science and increase their self-concept of ability regarding the heritage language through a brief science outreach intervention.

We propose a method for imaging in scattering media when large and diverse datasets are available. It has two steps. Using a dictionary learning algorithm the first step estimates the true Green's function vectors as columns in an unordered sensing matrix. The array data comes from many sparse sets of sources whose location and strength are not known to us. In the second step, the columns of the estimated sensing matrix are ordered for imaging using the multidimensional scaling algorithm with connectivity information derived from cross-correlations of its columns, as in time reversal. For these two steps to work together, we need data from large arrays of receivers so the columns of the sensing matrix are incoherent for the first step, as well as from sub-arrays so that they are coherent enough to obtain connectivity needed in the second step. Through simulation experiments, we show that the proposed method is able to provide images in complex media whose resolution is that of a homogeneous medium.

Abstract Current quantum key distribution (QKD) networks focus almost exclusively on transporting secret keys at the highest possible rate. Consequently, they are built as mostly fixed, ad hoc, logically, and physically isolated infrastructures designed to avoid any penalty to the quantum channel. This architecture is neither scalable nor cost-effective and future, real-world deployments will differ considerably. The structure of the MadQCI QKD network presented here is based on disaggregated components and modern paradigms especially designed for flexibility, upgradability, and facilitating the integration of QKD in the security and telecommunications-networks ecosystem. These underlying ideas have been tested by deploying many QKD systems from several manufacturers in a real-world, multi-tenant telecommunications network, installed in production facilities and sharing the infrastructure with commercial traffic. Different technologies have been used in different links to address the variety of situations and needs that arise in real networks, exploring a wide range of possibilities. Finally, a set of realistic use cases has been implemented to demonstrate the validity and performance of the network. The testing took place during a period close to three years, where most of the nodes were continuously active.

Abstract: The tropical forest carbon sink is known to be drought sensitive, but it is unclear which forests are the most vulnerable to extreme events. Forests with hotter and drier baseline conditions may be protected by prior adaptation, or more vulnerable because they operate closer to physiological limits. Here we report that forests in drier South American climates experienced the greatest impacts of the 2015–2016 El Niño, indicating greater vulnerability to extreme temperatures and drought. The long-term, ground-measured tree-by-tree responses of 123 forest plots across tropical South America show that the biomass carbon sink ceased during the event with carbon balance becoming indistinguishable from zero (−0.02 ± 0.37 Mg C ha−1 per year). However, intact tropical South American forests overall were no more sensitive to the extreme 2015–2016 El Niño than to previous less intense events, remaining a key defence against climate change as long as they are protected.

Desde el 2004 la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO) ha resaltado la importancia de la incorporación de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) en los diferentes procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, como consecuencia de su rápido y creciente desarrollo, ya que se consideran relevantes como complementos pedagógicos en los diferentes niveles de formación, especialmente en los de educación superior. Para su implementación, es indispensable disponer de las herramientas suficientes para el fortalecimiento de las competencias digitales, el establecimiento de resultados de aprendizaje, así como el interés y motivación de los diferentes actores, principalmente estudiantes y docentes.

Abstract Background Elevated rates of suicidal behavior were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, information is scarce on patients’ profiles during this period. Studies evoke the potential adverse effects of the mandatory lockdown, but they remain relatively speculative. Methods We monitored fluctuations in suicide attempts (SA) in six European countries. We gathered data, retrospectively for under 18-year-old SA episodes (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021), through records of psychiatric emergency services. We collected clinical profiles individually. We extracted environmental indicators by month, as provided by Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT). We used the Pruned Exact Linear Time (PELT) method to identify breakpoints in SA episodes reported for each country, and logistic regressions to estimate changes in patients’ characteristics after the breakpoints. Finally, we used a univariate and multivariate negative binomial model to assess the link between SA and OxCGRT indicators, accounting for the delay (lag) between the interventions and their impact on SA. Results The study comprised 2,833 children and adolescents (mean age = 15.1 years (SD 1.6); M: F sex-ratio = 1:5.4). A significant increase in SA was found either 6 or 10 months after the beginning of the pandemic, varying by country. Patients were more likely to be girls (aOR = 1.77 [1.34; 2.34]) and used SA methods “other than self-poisoning” (aOR = 1.34 [1.05; 1.7]). In the multivariate model, an association was found between SA and the contact tracing indicator with an 11 months delay, and the number of COVID-19 deaths with a 3-months delay. Conclusions Findings confirmed a delayed increase in SA during the COVID-19 pandemic in children and adolescents as well as changes in patients’ profiles. The duration and severity of the pandemic emerged as the strongest predictor in the rise of SA. If faced with a similar pandemic in the future, the gap between the onset of pandemic and the increase in suicide attempts presents an opportunity for prevention.

La interacción estática suelo-estructura puede considerarse como la mutua transmisión de esfuerzos y deformaciones entre ambos, en este entendido se ha realizado el análisis paramétrico de la interacción suelo-estructura en una cimentación superficial aislada por el método de elementos finitos, con el objetivo de determinar los principales esfuerzos actuantes en estado de servicio, establecer cuáles son las variables con mayor relevancia y proponer valores que garanticen mayor eficiencia en el desempeño de la cimentación. Por medio de los modelos numéricos, elaborados con la versión estudiantil del software ABAQUS CAE, se ha analizado la incidencia del tipo de suelo y forma de la cimentación en los esfuerzos producidos por la interacción suelo-estructura, donde se ha determinado la importancia del área de la cimentación en el cálculo de la capacidad portante del suelo; asimismo, se ha establecido como la estructura de cimentación retiene dentro de sí una parte de los esfuerzos producidos por la estructura per sé, transmitiendo menores esfuerzos al suelo que lo calculado teóricamente.

Rafael Pichardo-Rodriguez,1 Valeria Altuna-Moscoso,1 Karen Aviles-Antezana,1 Alondra Lorena Cahuana-Mendoza,1 Antonio André Challco Alvarado,1 Cristhian Gonzales-Rospigliosi,1 Shirley Oscco-Coila,1 Enzo Rafael-Tarazona,1 Marcos Saavedra-Velasco,1 Liz Cordova-Cueva,1 Jhony A De La Cruz-Vargas,1 Fernando Munayco-Guillen,1,2 Herney Andrés García-Perdomo3 1Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Biomédicas (INICIB), Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Perú; 2Instituto Nacional de Oftalmología (INO), Lima, Peru; 3Division of Urology/Uro oncology, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, ColombiaCorrespondence: Rafael Pichardo-Rodriguez, Email rafael_martin1352@hotmail.comObjective: To determine the quality of systematic reviews submitted as a thesis in the Medical School of Ricardo Palma University.Methods: We conducted a systematic review. We included systematic reviews submitted as theses from Ricardo Palma University, and we excluded narrative reviews, editorials, clinical experiments, and those with incomplete data. We performed a structured search on EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, and Institutional Repository from the Ricardo Palma University and RENATI. The risk of bias assessment was performed through the AMSTAR-2 and the modified AMSTAR-2 tools. The primary outcome was review quality. A qualitative synthesis of the information was performed.Results: One thousand four hundred eighty-seven theses were identified, and exclusion criteria were applied, whereby 11 theses were selected for review and thorough consultation. Of the 11 selected theses, and through the AMSTAR-2 and modified AMSTAR-2 tools, the findings reached were that 90.9% of the included theses presented critically low quality that was not modified even when the quality was reevaluated after its publication as a scientific article.Conclusion: The systematic reviews presented as undergraduate thesis in the Medical School of Ricardo Palma University showed low and critically low quality. Improvement in systematic review training is required for both students and institutional advisors.Keywords: thesis, systematic review, medical school

Introduction and objectives: The association between exercise and coronary atherosclerosis still remains unclarified. We aimed to analyze the prevalence of high coronary atherosclerotic burden in veteran athletes, considering cardiovascular (CV) risk and volume of exercise. Methods: A total of 105 asymptomatic male veteran athletes (48±5.6 years old) were studied. A high coronary atherosclerotic burden was defined as one of the following characteristics in coronary computed tomography angiography: calcium score >100, >75th percentile, obstructive plaques, involving left main, three-vessels or two-vessels including proximal anterior descending artery, segment involvement score >5 or CT-adapted Leaman score ≥5. CV risk was stratified by SCORE2 and volume of exercise by metabolic equivalent task score. Results: Most athletes (n=88) were engaged in endurance sports for 17.1±9.8 years, with a median exercise volume of 66 [IQR 44–103] metabolic equivalent of tasks/hour/week. The mean Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation 2 was 2.8±1.5%; 76.9% of athletes had a low-moderate risk and none a very high risk. High coronary atherosclerotic burden was present in 25.7% athletes. Athletes with high cardiovascular risk and high exercise volume (above the median) showed significantly high coronary atherosclerotic burden compared to those with low-moderate risk and high volume (50.0% vs. 15.6%; p=0.017). Among athletes with low to moderate risk, a high volume of exercise tended to be protective, while in those with low volume, there was similar rate of high coronary atherosclerotic burden, regardless of CV risk. Conclusions: A combination of higher volume of exercise and high cardiovascular risk revealed the worst association with coronary atherosclerosis in veteran athletes. The relationship between these variables is controversial, but integrating exercise characteristics and risk assessment into preparticipation evaluation is essential. Resumo: Introdução e objetivos: A associação entre exercício e aterosclerose coronária permanece pouco esclarecida. O nosso objetivo foi analisar a prevalência de alta carga aterosclerótica coronária (CASC) em atletas veteranos, integrando o risco cardiovascular (RCV) e volume de exercício. Métodos: Avaliámos 105 atletas veteranos, homens assintomáticos (48±5,6 anos). Alta CASC foi definida como uma das: score de cálcio >100, >percentil 75, placas obstrutivas, envolvimento do tronco da artéria coronária esquerda, doença de 3 vasos ou 2 vasos incluindo artéria descendente anterior proximal, Segment Involvement Score >5 ou Score Leaman adaptado por CT ≥5. Estratificámos o RCV pelo SCORE2 e o volume de exercício por equivalentes metabólicos (METs). Resultados: A maioria dos atletas (n=88) praticava desportos de resistência, durante 17,1±9,8 anos, com um volume de exercício mediano de 66 [IQR 44-103] METs/hora/semana. O SCORE2 médio foi 2,8±1,5% e 76,9% dos atletas tinham RCV baixo-moderado e nenhum RCV muito-alto. Alta CASC ocorreu em 25,7%. Atletas com alto RCV e alto volume de exercício (acima da mediana) apresentaram CASC significativamente alta em comparação com os com RCV baixo-moderado e alto volume (50,0% versus 15,6%; p=0,017). Nos atletas com RCV baixo-moderado, o alto volume de exercício mostrou uma tendência protetora, enquanto houve uma taxa semelhante de alta CASC naqueles com baixo volume, independentemente do RCV. Conclusões: Em atletas veteranos, a combinação de maior volume de exercício com alto RCV mostrou a pior associação com aterosclerose coronária. A relação entre estas variáveis é controversa, mas integrar características do exercício e o RCV na avaliação pré-participação é essencial.

Las Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES) están inmersas en un proceso constante de transformación, lo que implica repensar su quehacer cotidiano, es así que, la toma de decisiones adquiere relevancia para adaptarse y responder a las demandas sociales y los avances tecnológicos. Para ello, las universidades se ven obligadas a evolucionar, empleando diversas estrategias, entre las cuales destaca la transformación tecnológica y digital; estas, complementadas con modelos de gestión eficaces, permitirán una administración eficiente, este proceso da lugar al concepto de "Smart University" o universidad inteligente. La metodología tiene un enfoque cualitativo de alcance descriptivo, que recopila información detallada y particularidades relevantes, además se llevó a cabo entrevistas semiestructuradas con expertos que aportaron sus criterios y se recurrió al método hermenéutico para una mejor comprensión de este nuevo concepto. El objetivo es describir las características de las “Smart University”, como una visión a la que deben orientarse las IES, para dinamizarse acorde a las exigencias de la sociedad. Los resultados se centran en la descripción de estas características desde dos perspectivas: tecnológica y de gestión, estos enfoques permitirán orientar los modelos de gobernanza, procesos y recursos tecnológicos hacia la consecución de altos estándares de calidad y una cultura de mejora continua en beneficio de la colectividad.

Introduction and objectives: Catheter ablation (CA) is effective in the treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Although some observational data suggest patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) have less favorable outcomes when compared to those with an ischemic etiology (ICM), direct comparisons are rarely reported. We aimed to compare the outcomes of VT ablation in a propensity-score matched population of ICM or NICM patients. Methods: Single-center retrospective study of consecutive patients undergoing VT ablation from 2012 to 2023. A propensity score (PS) was used to match ICM and NICM patients in a 1:1 fashion according to age, sex, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), NYHA class, electrical storm (ES) at presentation, and previous endocardial ablation. The outcomes of interest were VT-free survival and all-cause mortality. Results: The PS yielded two groups of 71 patients each (mean age 63±10 years, 92% male, mean LVEF 35±10%, 36% with ES at presentation, and 23% with previous ablation), well matched for baseline characteristics. During a median follow-up of 2.3 (interquartile range IQR 1.3–3.8) years, patients with NICM had a significantly lower VT-free survival (53.5% vs. 69.0%, log-rank p=0.037), although there were no differences regarding all-cause mortality (22.5% vs. 16.9%, log-rank p=0.245). Multivariate analysis identified NICM (HR 2.34 [95% CI 1.32–4.14], p=0.004), NYHA class III/IV (HR 2.11 [95% CI 1.11–4.04], p=0.024), and chronic kidney disease (HR 2.23 [95% CI 1.25–3.96], p=0.006), as independent predictors of VT recurrence. Conclusion: Non-ischemic cardiomyopathy patients were at increased risk of VT recurrence after ablation, although long-term mortality did not differ. Resumo: Introdução e objetivos: A ablação por cateter (CA) é eficaz no tratamento da taquicardia ventricular (TV). Embora dados observacionais sugiram que doentes com miocardiopatia não isquémica (NICM) apresentem piores resultados do que aqueles com etiologia isquémica (ICM), comparações diretas são escassamente reportadas. O objetivo foi comparar os resultados da ablação de TV numa população propensity-matched de doentes com NICM ou ICM. Métodos: Estudo retrospetivo unicêntrico de doentes submetidos ablação de TV, de 2012 a 2023. Usado propensity-score (PS) para emparelhar doentes com NICM e ICM numa proporção 1:1 de acordo com idade, sexo, fração de ejeção ventricular esquerda (FEVE), classe de NYHA, tempestade arrítmica à admissão e ablação endocárdica prévia. Os outcomes de interesse foram sobrevida livre de TV e morte por todas as causas. Resultados: O PS resultou em dois grupos de 71 doentes (idade 63 ± 10 anos, 93% do sexo masculino, FEVE 35 ± 10%, 36% com apresentação em tempestade arrítmica e 23% com ablação prévia). Durante um follow-up de 2,3 (1,3–3,8) anos, os doentes com NICM apresentaram menor sobrevida livre de TV (53,5% versus 69,0%, P log-rank = 0,037), apesar de não haver diferenças significativas em relação à mortalidade (22,5% versus 16,9%, P log-rank = 0,245). A análise multivariada identificou NICM (HR 2,34 [IC 95% 1,32–4,14], P = 0,004), NYHA III ou IV (HR 2,11 [IC 95% 1,11–4,04], P = 0,024) e doença renal crónica (HR 2,23 [IC 95% 1,25–3,96], P = 0,006) como preditores independentes de recidiva de TV. Conclusão: Doentes com NICM apresentam maior risco de recidiva de TV, apesar de não haver diferenças significativas na mortalidade a longo prazo.

En las últimas décadas se han producido encuentros entre las prácticas artísticas más avanzadas y los espacios de interés histórico y natural. Algunas instituciones dedicadas a la conservación del patrimonio han invitado a artistas plásticos y visuales actuales a realizar intervenciones en sus sedes. Se han desarrollado proyectos muy condicionados por los emplazamientos que desde su concepción inicial exigen interpretar el significado de esos lugares. Las proyecciones audiovisuales permiten intervenciones artísticas que no afectan físicamente a la conservación de esos bienes culturales. Pero el éxito de estas propuestas no consiste tan solo en una cuestión cuantitativa, que por ejemplo responda a cuántos espectadores asistieron a determinados espectáculos de video mapping. El verdadero interés de estas intervenciones consiste en que los artistas sean capaces de reinterpretar esos lugares, que indaguen en su memoria, para que estas propuestas nos ofrezcan una mirada renovada de esos conjuntos patrimoniales en diálogo con su historia.

The well‐known and excellent colorimetric sensing capacity of porphyrins, along with the exceptional structural properties of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), make porphyrin‐based MOFs, such as PCN‐222, ideal candidates for the construction of a chemical sensor based on absorbance. However, to the best of authors’ knowledge, no high‐quality porphyrin‐based MOF gas sensors have been developed to date, most likely due to the difficulties in: 1) preparing nanosized porphyrin‐MOFs to minimize scattering in absorbance measurements; and 2) incorporating MOFs into transparent membranes for practical use. Herein, a simple and fast microwave‐assisted method for preparing high‐quality nanosized PCN‐222 crystals and their metalated derivatives PCN‐222(M) is reported to finely tune the sensing response. Next, the successful dispersion of these PCN‐222(M) nanoparticles into poly(dimethylsiloxane) to create flexible and transparent membranes is demonstrated. This integration yields a multiresponsive optical gas sensor exhibiting excellent sensitivity and the ability to discriminate between various volatile organic compounds via pattern recognition identification.

Introduction SUV measurements from static brain [18F]FDG PET acquisitions are a commonly used tool in preclinical research, providing a simple alternative for kinetic modelling, which requires complex and time-consuming dynamic acquisitions. However, SUV can be severely affected by the animal handling and preconditioning protocols, primarily by those that may induce changes in blood glucose levels (BGL). Here, we aimed at developing and investigating the feasibility of SUV-based approaches for a wide range of BGL far beyond normal values, and consequently, to develop and validate a new model to generate standardized and reproducible SUV measurements for any BGL.Material and methods We performed dynamic and static brain [18F]FDG PET acquisitions in 52 male Sprague-Dawley rats sorted into control (n = 10), non-fasting (n = 14), insulin-induced hypoglycemia (n = 12) and glucagon-induced hyperglycemia (n = 16) groups. Brain [18F]FDG PET images were cropped, aligned and co-registered to a standard template to calculate whole-brain and regional SUV. Cerebral Metabolic Rate of Glucose (CMRglc) was also estimated from 2-Tissue Compartment Model (2TCM) and Patlak plot for validation purposes.Results Our results showed that BGL=100±6 mg/dL can be considered a reproducible reference value for normoglycemia. Furthermore, we successfully established a 2nd-degree polynomial model (C1=0.66E-4, C2=-0.0408 and C3=7.298) relying exclusively on BGL measures at pre-[18F]FDG injection time, that characterizes more precisely the relationship between SUV and BGL for a wide range of BGL values (from 10 to 338 mg/dL). We confirmed the ability of this model to generate corrected SUV estimations that are highly correlated to CMRglc estimations (R2= 0.54 2TCM CMRgluc and R2= 0.49 Patlak CMRgluc). Besides, slight regional differences in SUV were found in animals from extreme BGL groups, showing that [18F]FDG uptake is mostly directed toward central regions of the brain when BGLs are significantly decreased.Conclusion Our study successfully established a non-linear model that relies exclusively on pre-scan BGL measurements to characterize the relationship between [18F]FDG SUV and BGL. The extensive validation confirmed its ability to generate SUV-based surrogates of CMRglu along a wide range of BGL and it holds the potential to be adopted as a standard protocol by the preclinical neuroimaging community using brain [18F]FDG PET imaging.

El artículo describe los desafíos de implementar inteligencia artificial (IA) en políticas públicas. En un contexto donde la IA está transformando sectores, el estudio tiene como objetivo explorar los problemas técnicos, éticos y administrativos que enfrentan los gobiernos. Utilizando encuestas con escala Likert, se evaluaron las percepciones de profesionales del sector público sobre la integración de IA. Los principales hallazgos destacan la complejidad de integrar IA en infraestructuras existentes, los dilemas éticos en la toma de decisiones automatizadas, y la resistencia al cambio dentro de las instituciones gubernamentales. Se concluye que abordar estos desafíos requiere políticas claras, capacitación en IA y una gestión del cambio efectiva para maximizar los beneficios de la IA en el servicio público.