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Babesiosis is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa from the genus Babesia. First reported in 1957 (1), babesiosis is now described worldwide. Babesia infecting humans come from 4 clades (2): 3 clades [...]

School resources officers (SROs) have increasingly become a staple in United States K-12 schools, and research on their roles and efficacy is prevalent. However, policy recommendations, when left unexamined, may perpetuate majoritarian narratives that harm marginalized students. This project investigates the majoritarian and counternarratives surrounding policy recommendations for SRO programs. Analyzing policy recommendations in 100 peer-reviewed articles, we find that most articles recommend reform or retention of SROs regardless of study findings - recommendations rooted in majoritarian narratives about the necessity and benevolence of SROs. Counternarratives, which view harm done to students as a potential reason to remove SROs entirely or reduce their use in schools, are much less common in the literature.

The aim of this paper is to show the impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by using WhatsApp with activities based on collaborative work, real time communication, and feedback. The relevance of presenting authentic material such as topics of students' interest combined with collaborative work is central for developing motivation and success within the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. The paper describes two activities: The first activity focuses on the creation of sentences using Google Photos, and the second one focuses on listening and speaking skills by using the shared space facilitated through WhatsApp as a mediation resource used by teachers in their classrooms, among other 21st-century digital tools. Also, the objective of achieving optimal learning outcomes promotes the increase of educational quality.

This study determined the influence of the competency of teachers and the laboratory environment in an online setting on the students' science process skills using mixed methods approach-convergent design. Participants of the study were 2nd year students from different Higher Education Institutions in Region XI, Philippines. Further, to gather data relative to the research questions, the researcher used adapted survey tools and an interview guide. Results showed that students always observed the competence of their teachers, with a favorable laboratory environment in an online setting leading to the acquisition of science process skills. Furthermore, regarding the relationship of variables, the study revealed that the competency of teachers did not have a significant relationship with students' science process skills. At the same time, there was a considerable correlation between the laboratory environment in an online setting and students' science process skills. The students' lived experiences in acquiring science process skills formed essential themes. Moreover, there was a merging-converging nature of the competency of teachers and the laboratory environment in an online setting and a merging-diverging character on students' science process skills and significant influence of the variables under study. Results of the study will help the teachers identify the factors that can affect the acquisition of science process skills of students in an online learning environment and develop intervention programs to ensure globally competitive graduates. It is further believed that this study will benefit the institution, teachers, and most especially the students who were the main reason for the teaching and learning process. Hence, future studies may be conducted by academic scholars or researchers based on the information gathered from this research. Areas of interest can be other factors that affect the students' acquisition of science process skills and utilize a comparative study involving different courses with chemistry laboratory subjects.

In a time characterized by the availability of vast amounts of data, the effective utilization of information is critical for timely decision-making in military operations. However, processing large amounts of data requires computational resources and time. Therefore, decision makers have used data-centric technologies to take advantage of public and private data sources to support military operations. This survey explores the integration and application of data-centric technologies, such as data analytics, data science, and machine learning, to optimize decision-making workflows within military contexts supporting the deployment of military assets and resources. To address the information gap, this article presents a literature review, specifically a survey. Our survey examines the use of the mentioned technologies to process and analyze information that contributes to the phases of situational awareness, and planning in military environments. We then introduce a taxonomy of the approaches associated with implementing these technologies in military scenarios. Furthermore, we discuss relevant factors for the seamless integration of data-centric technologies into military decision-making processes, and reveal the importance of specialized personnel, architectures, and cybersecurity issues in the task of developing prototypes and models. The findings of this paper aim to provide valuable insights for military institutions, offering a deeper understanding of the use of data-centric technologies as innovative practices to enhance the effectiveness of military decision-making.

In the realm of nanotechnology, the integration of quantum emitters with plasmonic nanostructures has emerged as an innovative pathway for applications in quantum technologies, sensing, and imaging. This research paper provides a comprehensive exploration of the photoluminescence enhancement induced by the interaction between quantum emitters and tailored nanostructure configurations. Four canonical nanoantennas (spheres, rods, disks, and crescents) are systematically investigated theoretically in three distinct configurations (single, gap, and nanoparticle-on-mirror nanoantennas), as a representative selection of the most fundamental and commonly studied structures and arrangements. A detailed analysis reveals that the rod gap nanoantenna configuration achieves the largest photoluminescence enhancement factor, of up to three orders of magnitude. The study presented here provides insights for the strategic design of plasmonic nanoantennas in the visible and near-IR spectral range, offering a roadmap for these structures to meet specific requirements in plasmon-enhanced fluorescence. Key properties such as the excitation rate, the quantum yield, the enhanced emitted power, or the directionality of the emission are thoroughly reviewed. The results of this overview contribute not only to the fundamental understanding of plasmon-enhanced emission of quantum emitters but also set the basis for the development of advanced nanophotonic devices with enhanced functionalities.

We describe a case of autochthonous human Babesia divergens infection in an immunocompetent woman in England. The patient had fever, hemolysis, multiorgan failure, and 18% parasitemia. We confirmed B. divergens by 18S rDNA PCR and sequencing. Clinicians should consider babesiosis as a differential diagnosis in patients with unexplained hemolysis.

RESUMEN Introducción y objetivos: La Asociación de Cardiología Intervencionista de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología (ACI-SEC) y el Grupo de Trabajo de Hemodinámica de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología Pediátrica y Cardiopatías Congénitas (GTH-SECPCC) presentan su informe anual de actividad hemodinámica en cardiopatías congénitas correspondiente al año 2022. Métodos: Se invitó a participar a los centros españoles con laboratorio de hemodinámica y actividad intervencionista en cardiopatías congénitas. La recogida de datos se realizó mediante un cuestionario telemático. Una empresa externa analizó los resultados, que fueron revisados por miembros de la ACI-SEC y el GTH-SECPCC. Resultados: Participaron en el registro 22 centros (19 públicos y 3 privados). Se incorporaron al análisis los datos de intervencionismo en cardiopatías congénitas del adulto aportados por otros 99 hospitales al Registro de Hemodinámica y Cardiología Intervencionista de la ACI-SEC del año 2022. Se registraron 1.141 estudios diagnósticos (un 4,3% más que en 2021) y 2.508 cateterismos intervencionistas (un 61,5% más que en 2021). Las técnicas con mayor casuística fueron el cierre de defectos interauriculares (1.135 casos), el cierre de ductus arterioso (262 casos) y la angioplastia de ramas pulmonares (234 casos). El incremento más significativo se comunicó en la valvuloplastia aórtica (48,9%), el cierre de defectos interauriculares (45,2%) y el cierre de comunicación interventricular (40,7%). La tasa de éxito en los procedimientos intervencionistas fue del 97,6%, con una tasa de complicaciones mayores del 1,4 % y una mortalidad intrahospitalaria del 0,2%. Conclusiones: El presente trabajo es la tercera publicación del Registro Español de Intervencionismo en Cardiopatías Congénitas. Se ha comunicado un aumento muy significativo de la mayoría de los procedimientos terapéuticos, destacando el incremento de la valvuloplastia aórtica, del cierre de defectos interauriculares y del cierre de comunicación interventricular. Todas las técnicas intervencionistas han comunicado excelentes datos de seguridad y eficacia.

ABSTRACT Introduction and objectives: The Interventional Cardiology Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (ACI-SEC) and the Interventional Working Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Cardiology (GTH-SECPCC) present their annual activity report for 2022. Methods: All Spanish centers with catheterization laboratories and interventional activity in congenital heart diseases were invited to participate. Data were collected online and analyzed by an external company, together with the members of the ACI-SEC and the GTH-SECPCC. Results: A total of 22 centers participated (19 public and 3 private). Interventional data on adult congenital diseases contributed by another 99 hospitals to the Registry of Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Cardiology of the ACI-SEC in 2022 were incorporated into the analysis. A total of 1141 diagnostic studies (4.3% more than in 2021) and 2508 interventional catheterizations (61.5% more than in 2020) were registered. The most frequent procedures were atrial septal defect closure (1135 cases), percutaneous closure of patent ductus arteriosus (262 cases), and pulmonary branch artery angioplasty (234 cases). The most significant increases in volume were related to balloon aortic valvuloplasty (48.9%), atrial septal defect closure (45.2%), and ventricular septal defect closure (40.7%). Interventional procedures were successful in 97.6%, with major procedural complications occurring in 1.4% and in-hospital mortality in 0.2%. Conclusions: This report is the third publication of the Spanish Cardiac Catheterization in Congenital Heart Diseases Registry. Both diagnostic and interventional procedures substantially increased, particularly in balloon aortic valvuloplasty, atrial septal defect closure, and ventricular septal defect closure. Most interventional techniques continue to demonstrate excellent safety and effectiveness outcomes.

Vitreous substitutes and tamponades occupy the vitreous cavity following vitrectomy in the management of various conditions such as retinal detachment, macular hole, and diabetic retinopathy. Such replacements can be for the short term (gases such as sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and perfluoropropane (C3F8) or long term (such as silicone oils). Certain substitutes such as perfluorocarbon liquids are used only transiently during surgery as “a third hand” or rarely till a few days post surgery. Hydrogels and hyaluronan derivatives are among the newer vitreous substitutes that are showing promise for the future, albeit still under investigation. still being investigated for use as vitreous substitutes. These materials have properties similar to the natural vitreous and may offer advantages such as improved biocompatibility and biodegradability. Although vitreous substitutes are valuable tools in treating vitreoretinal conditions, they carry risks and potential complications such as cataract formation, glaucoma, and inflammation. The current communication extensively reviews the available literature on vitreous tamponades. It details the composition and properties of various vitreous substitutes and tamponades available for the clinician, highlighting the techniques of usage, indications, and limitations.

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of medical conditions and risk factors correlating with insulin resistance that increase the risk of developing cardiometabolic health problems. The specific criteria for diagnosing MetS vary among different medical organizations but are typically based on the evaluation of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia. A unique, quantitative and independent estimation of the risk of MetS based only on quantitative biomarkers is highly desirable for the comparison between patients and to study the individual progression of the disease in a quantitative manner. Methods We used NMR-based metabolomics on a large cohort of donors (n = 21,323; 37.5% female) to investigate the diagnostic value of serum or serum combined with urine to estimate the MetS risk. Specifically, we have determined 41 circulating metabolites and 112 lipoprotein classes and subclasses in serum samples and this information has been integrated with metabolic profiles extracted from urine samples. Results We have developed MetSCORE, a metabolic model of MetS that combines serum lipoprotein and metabolite information. MetSCORE discriminate patients with MetS (independently identified using the WHO criterium) from general population, with an AUROC of 0.94 (95% CI 0.920–0.952, p

Abstract Prostate cancer exhibits high prevalence and accounts for a high number of cancer-related deaths. The discovery and characterization of molecular determinants of aggressive prostate cancer represents an active area of research. The Immediate Early Response (IER) family of genes, which regulate Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, has emerged among the factors that influence cancer biology. Here, we show that the less studied member of this family, Immediate Early Response 5 like (IER5L), is upregulated in aggressive prostate cancer. Interestingly, the upregulation of IER5L expression exhibits a robust association with metastatic disease in prostate and is recapitulated in other cancer types. In line with this observation, IER5L silencing reduces foci formation, migration and invasion ability in a variety of human and murine prostate cancer cell lines. In vivo, using zebrafish and immunocompromised mouse models, we demonstrate that IER5L-silencing reduces prostate cancer tumor growth, dissemination, and metastasis. Mechanistically, we characterize the transcriptomic and proteomic landscapes of IER5L-silenced cells. This approach allowed us to identify DNA replication and monomeric G protein regulators as downstream programs of IER5L through a pathway that is consistent with the regulation of PP2A. In sum, we report the alteration of IER5L in prostate cancer and beyond and provide biological and molecular evidence of its contribution to tumor aggressiveness.

The development of mathematical skills for future engineers is essential. Game-based learning (GBL) and gamification have been widely used in elementary education, but less applied in higher education. The objective of this article was to evaluate the effect of didactic strategies mediated by games in the teaching of mathematics in first-year engineering students. A qualitative study was carried out. Five (5) teaching units were designed. Seven (7) focus groups were developed with 81 participants from the differential calculus course. The keyword in context-KWIC technique was used for the focus group analysis. The categories attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (Keller's motivational model) were evaluated. An important contribution of the pedagogical strategy to student motivation, teamwork, commitment, and argumentation was verified. In conclusion, game-based learning makes it possible to strengthen the motivation of students in the educational processes of mathematics in engineering.

Introducción: La cirugía laparoscópica en pediatría ha incrementado su adopción debido a sus beneficios, como menor trauma quirúrgico y recuperación más rápida, pero también presenta desafíos únicos, incluyendo la anatomía específica de los pacientes pediátricos y la necesidad de entrenamiento del equipo quirúrgico. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo desarrollar una guía práctica para estandarizar procedimientos en la fase inicial de intervenciones laparoscópicas en pacientes pediátricos, mejorando así la seguridad del paciente y la eficiencia del equipo quirúrgico. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, multicéntrico y de diseño cualitativo, basado en encuestas a cirujanos pediátricos con experiencia en laparoscopia. Se creó un listado de verificación, el cual fue validado por un panel de expertos. Resultados: Hubo consenso unánime entre los expertos sobre la importancia de revisar la historia clínica y realizar evaluaciones preoperatorias detalladas. Se identificaron ítems para una lista de verificación que incluyó: la identidad del paciente, preparación del entorno quirúrgico y verificación de equipos y materiales. La guía final se elaboró a partir de la retroalimentación recibida y se diseñó para ser fácilmente aplicable en entornos de quirófano tanto electivos como de emergencia. Conclusiones: La implementación de una guía práctica y un listado de verificación para la fase inicial de cirugía laparoscópica en pediatría puede reducir eventos adversos, optimizando el tiempo quirúrgico, la comunicación y el trabajo en equipo en el quirófano.

Freshwater environments and coastal marine areas provide key ecosystem services to society and serve as habitats for biodiversity. However, they face major challenges from human activities and climate factors, leading to global degradation. The effect of these agents depends on geographic location and climate, among other factors. To comprehensively understand the effect of these factors, continuous, standardized and long-term information is crucial. In particular, the aquatic microbiome plays a fundamental role in the cycling of matter and has been shown to act as a robust indicator of ecological status. Long-term monitoring of microbial assemblages can provide valuable insights into the characteristics and the changes water bodies undergo, delivering early warnings of critical impacts. Thus, the Latin American Aquatic Microbial Observatory Network (AMOLat) was set up during the inaugural meeting of the Latin American Collaborative Network on Microbial Aquatic Ecology (μSudAqua) in 2017. Observatory sites were carefully chosen, considering their accessibility and local relevance to each research group, ensuring the ongoing consistency of sampling efforts. This work aims to provide a historical overview of the network’s formation, highlighting key debates and definitions that took place during 2017-2023. Furthermore, it includes an initial characterization of the observatory sites and explores the possibilities that they offer to understand the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems in Latin America. The network presently encompasses 13 observatories, spanning a broad latitudinal range, numerous ecoregions and diverse aquatic ecosystems, displaying different environmental and anthropic impacts. Participating groups enhanced interactions, created a Protocol Book and showcased initial results through various communication efforts. Ultimately, establishing a regional network of aquatic observatories becomes mandatory for providing essential reference points to assess the response of microorganisms to global change in both the short and long term within Latin America.

La ciudad de San Martín de los Andes, cabecera del departamento Lacar en la provincia del Neuquén, ha manifestado en las últimas dos décadas un significativo crecimiento poblacional. Esto ha provocado una dispersa expansión de la planta urbana, estableciéndose barrios y asentamientos en zonas de peligrosidad natural. El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar las características y dinámica del sistema natural a partir del estudio de las diferentes variables (geología, geomorfología, vegetación, hidrografía, suelos, pendientes, usos del suelo) para definir unidades de paisajes. Posteriormente, y con el fin de evaluar la peligrosidad del área, se realizó un relevamiento a través de medios de comunicación web, de los eventos naturales acontecidos en las últimas décadas, que provocaron daños a las personas o infraestructuras. Esto permitió definir las áreas más críticas para la población, las cuales posteriormente fueron corroboradas en el campo. Se detectó que las unidades de paisaje más críticas en cuanto a peligrosidad se corresponden a aquellas donde predominan afloramientos rocosos y laderas de fuertes pendientes con materiales coluviales provenientes de los procesos de meteorización que dominan en el área. Los eventos más frecuentes detectados fueron procesos de remoción en masa del tipo caída de rocas, flujos de detritos y avalanchas de nieve. Los de mayor impacto se localizan en los faldeos de los cerros Curruhuinca, Comandante Díaz y Cordón Chapelco, producto de la alta exposición de infraestructura y población asentada. Con respecto a las avalanchas, estas se asocian principalmente a actividades invernales. Por otro lado, es importante destacar los problemas derivados de las inundaciones y anegamientos que afectan principalmente los barrios localizados en la zona de la Vega Maipú, así como sectores del casco urbano histórico donde desborda el arroyo Pocahullo. El marcado crecimiento poblacional de la ciudad con la consecuente expansión urbana demanda tierras e infraestructura, que no recibe respuestas debido a los altos costos inmobiliarios y las dificultades en la accesibilidad a la tierra. Ello ha devenido en la ocupación de áreas inestables, peligrosas y por lo tanto, de baja aptitud, como las mencionadas. La frecuencia y magnitud de los eventos naturales peligrosos relevados, tales como caídas de rocas, flujos, avalanchas e inundaciones, evidencian la peligrosidad del área, así como la exposición de población e infraestructura a sufrir daños. De este análisis se desprende que la definición de unidades de paisaje y el reconocimiento de la peligrosidad natural de cada una de ellas, proporcionan una base fundamental tendiente a mitigar y prevenir situaciones de riesgo.

Early detection of antibiotic resistance is a crucial task, especially for vulnerable patients under prolonged treatments with a single antibiotic. To solve this, machine learning approaches have been reported in the state of art. Researchers have used MALDI-TOF MS in order to predict antibiotic resistance and/or susceptibility in bacterial samples. Weis, et al. implemented LR, LightGBM and ANN to study the antibiotic resistance on bacterial strains of Escherichia Coli, Staphylococcus Aureus, and Klebsiella Pneumoniae. Despite promising results, the models have not achieved perfect accuracy, specifically when the classes are unbalanced. On the other hand, Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) is a training algorithm for forward propagation of single hidden layer neural networks, which converges much faster than traditional methods and offers promising performance along with less programmer intervention. In this way, this study introduced improved ELMs, including two weighted ELMs proposed by Zong, and the SMOTE technique in order to create new synthetic samples of the minority class. After heuristic optimization of ELM hiper-parameters, results demonstrated 85% in accuracy and 85% in geometric mean for the classification problem in the case of weighted ELM 1 subject to the SMOTE technique of oversampling.

Las economías alternativas se han convertido progresivamente en objeto de interés para la comunidad científica, tanto por ser un tema multidisciplinario que abarca una gran cantidad de áreas de estudio, principalmente las ciencias económicas y geografía, como por la posibilidad de acercarse y estructurar otras formas posibles de conceptualizar el desarrollo económico y social. A través de una búsqueda bibliográfica realizada en la Web Of Science, una de las principales plataformas de investigación, se desarrolló un análisis bibliométrico establecido en un período de tiempo comprendido entre 1928 y 2023, obteniendo como búsqueda final 3.723 resultados sobre documentos científicos pertenecientes al campo de estudio de las economías alternativas. Este análisis permitió establecer los autores, instituciones, países, publicaciones y revistas más influyentes y productivas en este tema de las economías alternativas; asimismo, la utilización del software VOSviewer permitió el desarrollo de un mapeo científico donde se analiza la co-ocurrencia de palabras claves utilizadas por los autores. Éstas fueron agrupadas en clústeres de análisis, estableciendo así los temas con mayor producción e importancia dentro del ámbito de las economías alternativas, entre los cuales se denota la importancia que han cobrado dentro de la producción científica términos vinculados a la economía colaborativa y economía circular, entre otras, tan mediáticos actualmente. En definitiva, con el fin de aportar argumentos al debate científico sobre la relevancia de las economías alternativas se plasman tanto las conclusiones como las limitaciones que se han encontrado en la realización de este análisis bibliométrico y las posibles líneas futuras que pueden desarrollarse sobre la cuestión.

Se presenta esta inédita colección fotográfica sobre arte y arqueología que, en 1943, el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas compró a Joaquín Montaner, antiguo director de la muestra artística de la Exposición Internacional de Barcelona de 1929. A través de un ejemplo bibliográfico, centrado en el análisis de las imágenes más antiguas y completas que se conocen del códice único del Cantar de mio Cid, se destaca su singularidad, unicidad e importancia iconográfica para la investigación sobre, al menos, 3359 objetos patrimoniales (de los 4899) que fueron expuestos y fotografiados durante el certamen.

The turning process remains one of the most widely used manufacturing methods in the industry due to its high flexibility and production rates. Despite being an extensively used technique, the impact of this machining process on the surface integrity of the components has not yet been resolved in the literature, although it is well known that it can have a major influence on their final life. With the aim of providing new insights in the field, an extensive experimental campaign was designed on a 42CrMo4 quenched and tempered steel (in the following 42CrMo4+QT) using the response surface method. As inputs of this experimental design, the principal machining parameters were selected: feed rate (mm/rev), cutting speed (m/min), depth of cut (mm) and insert radius (mm). Meanwhile the main outputs measured where the surface roughness (µm) and the longitudinal residual stresses (MPa). In parallel, the turning operation of each specimen was monitored and the forces (X, Y and Z), current consumption of the main lathe motor, sound pressure and tool holder accelerations were recorded.