Anthelmintic activity and chemical profile of native plant extracts from the Yucatan Peninsula against Toxocara canis.

Toxocara canis can produce the "larva migrans" syndrome in humans, and in puppies, it can cause severe digestive disorders. The most used treatments are based on anthelmintics, although there are reports of anthelmintic (AH) resistance. The Yucatan Peninsula has a great variety of plant species whose AH properties are still unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro AH activity of ethanolic (EE), methanolic (ME) and aqueous (AE) extracts from the leaves of five native plant species of the Yucatan Peninsula on T. canis eggs of dogs from Merida, Yucatan. As part of a screening, the EE of the plants Alseis yucatanensis, Calea jamaicensis, Cameraria latifolia, Macrocepis diademata, and Parathesis cubana were evaluated at doses of 2400 and 3600 µg/ml. The EE and AE of A. yucatanensis and M. diademata presented high percentages (≥ 91.3%) of inhibition of the larval development of T. canis after six days of exposure. The lowest LC50 and LC99 was presented by the ME from A. yucatanensis (255.5 and 629.06 µg/ml, respectively) and the ME from M. diademata (222.4 and 636.5 µg/ml, respectively), and the AE from A. yucatanenesis (LC50 of 535.9 µg/ml). Chemical profiling of the most potent AH extract (Alseis yucatanensis) was carried out by LC-UV-HRMS. Data from the ME and AE from this plant indicated the presence of the known glucosylngoumiensine, kaempferol 3,7-diglucosyde, uvaol, linoleic acid and linolenic acid together with unknown alkaloids. The EE, ME and AE from leaves of M. diademata and A. yucatanensis could be developed as natural alternatives to control T. canis.

[Radiation exposure of the spine surgeon]. / Exposición a radiación del cirujano de columna.

INTRODUCTION: in general, spine surgeons seek to minimize soft tissue damage by using less invasive approaches, which causes them to use intraoperative images much more frequently than other surgical specialties; therefore, they are at increased risk of radiation exposure. OBJECTIVE: the aim of this work was to analyse the amount of radiation to which the spine surgeon is exposed in different scenarios. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a prospective study with a descriptive, longitudinal non-randomized data source. We carried out this study in the period from 2015 to 2019, the radiologic protection consisted in lead apron, thyroid shield and leaded glasses, there were 10 badge dosimeters. RESULTS: only 4 dosimeters were included in the study, the other six were excluded. During the study period one surgeon suffered thyroid cancer and other suffered of liposarcoma. In the protected group were two surgeons, in the group of aleatory exposition was one surgeon and in the unprotected group was one surgeon. In the study the dosimeter in the unprotected group received more amount of radiation in all the years, we did an inferential analysis per year related with the number of surgeries without significant correlation, we attribute this result because we didn't classified the type of surgery realized by each surgeon. CONCLUSION: we conclude that the spine surgeon must apply the primary methods of radiological protection and that the unprotected spine surgeon receives more amount of radiation in comparison of the protected ones.

INTRODUCCIÓN: en general, los cirujanos de columna buscan minimizar el daño a tejidos blandos empleando abordajes menos invasivos, lo que ocasiona que utilicen imágenes intraoperatorias de una manera mucho más habitual que el resto de las especialidades quirúrgicas; por lo tanto, están en mayor riesgo de exposición de radiación. OBJETIVO: el propósito del trabajo es analizar la cantidad de radiación a la cual está expuesto el cirujano de columna en diferentes escenarios. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: estudio prospectivo con una fuente de datos descriptiva, longitudinal, no aleatorizada. Se llevó a cabo el estudio en el período del año 2015 al 2019; la protección radiológica consistió en chaleco plomado, protector de tiroides y lentes plomados; se usaron 10 dosímetros. RESULTADOS: cuatro dosímetros fueron incluidos en el estudio, los otros seis fueron excluidos. Durante el estudio, un cirujano sufrió de cáncer de tiroides y otro de liposarcoma. En el grupo de protegidos se incluyeron dos cirujanos, en el grupo de protección aleatorizada se incluyó un cirujano y en el grupo sin protección se incluyó un cirujano. El dosímetro del grupo sin protección recibió mayor cantidad de radiación en todos los años, se realizó un análisis inferencial por año relacionado con el número de cirugías no encontrando correlación significativa, atribuimos este resultado a que no clasificamos el tipo de cirugía realizada por cada cirujano. CONCLUSIÓN: el cirujano de columna debe de aplicar los métodos primarios de protección radiológica, ya que los cirujanos de columna sin equipo de protección reciben mayor cantidad de radiación en comparación con los protegidos.

[Ophthalmic manifestations in patients recovered from COVID-19 in Mexico]. / Manifestaciones oftálmicas en pacientes recuperados de COVID-19 en México.

Introduction and objectives: Although the ophthalmic manifestations appear to be associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is not enough evidence. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the various types and frequency of ophthalmic manifestations in patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection in Mexico. Material and methods: This retrospective, observational and descriptive study included all patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection attending the tertiary level hospital of Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) from June 2020 to June 2022. During the hospital admission of patients, the demographic data such age, name, gender was recorded. Ophthalmologic examination was performed under torchlight by an ophthalmologist in the Department of Ophthalmology from IMSS. Data was compiled and statistically analyzed using Fisher's exact test and Spearman correlation. Results: A total of 3,081 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients were recorded, of which 318 (10.32%) met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 21 (6.60%) had ophthalmic manifestations and the female-to-male ratio was 1.6:1. The mean age (±SD) was 47.95 ± 15.27 years and the median (interquartile range) time from the diagnosis of COVID-19, as defined by positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing, to detection of the ophthalmic manifestation was 31 (142) days. The most common ocular manifestation was orbital mucormycosis (23.80%). Interestingly, the presence of ophthalmic manifestations was not associated with severe COVID-19 (p = 0.665). Conclusions: The ophthalmic manifestations are infrequent in patients recovered from severe COVID-19. Nevertheless, further large sample studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Manifestaciones oftálmicas en pacientes recuperados de COVID-19 en México / Ophthalmic manifestations in patients recovered from COVID-19 in Mexico

Introducción y objetivos Aunque las manifestaciones oftálmicas parecen estar asociadas a la enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), no hay suficiente evidencia. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los distintos tipos y la frecuencia de las manifestaciones oftálmicas en pacientes recuperados de la infección con SARS-CoV-2 en México. Material y métodos Este estudio retrospectivo, observacional y descriptivo incluyó a los pacientes infectados con SARS-CoV-2 de junio de 2020 a junio de 2022. El examen oftalmológico fue realizado bajo luz de linterna por un oftalmólogo del Departamento de Oftalmología. Los datos fueron analizados estadísticamente mediante la prueba exacta de Fisher y la correlación de Spearman. Resultados Se registraron un total de 3.081 pacientes positivos de SARS-CoV-2, de los cuales 318 (10,32%) cumplían los criterios de inclusión. De ellos, 21 (6,60%) tenían manifestaciones oftálmicas y la proporción entre mujeres y hombres era de 1,6:1. La edad media (±DE) fue 47,95±15,27 años y la mediana (rango intercuartil) del tiempo transcurrido desde el diagnóstico de COVID-19, definido por la prueba RT-PCR del SARS-CoV-2 positiva, hasta la detección de la manifestación oftálmica fue de 31 (142) días. La manifestación ocular más común fue la mucormicosis orbital (23,80%). Interesantemente, la presencia de manifestaciones oftálmicas no fue asociada con COVID-19 grave (p=0,665). Conclusiones Las manifestaciones oftálmicas son infrecuentes en los pacientes recuperados de COVID-19 grave. No obstante, se necesitan más estudios con una muestra de mayor tamaño para confirmar estos hallazgos (AU)

Introduction and objectives Although the ophthalmic manifestations appear to be associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is not enough evidence. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the various types and frequency of ophthalmic manifestations in patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection in Mexico. Material and methods This retrospective, observational and descriptive study included all patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection attending the tertiary level hospital of Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) from June 2020 to June 2022. During the hospital admission of patients, the demographic data such age, name, gender was recorded. Ophthalmologic examination was performed under torchlight by an ophthalmologist in the Department of Ophthalmology from IMSS. Data was compiled and statistically analyzed using Fisher's exact test and Spearman correlation. Results A total of 3,081 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients were recorded, of which 318 (10.32%) met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 21 (6.60%) had ophthalmic manifestations and the female-to-male ratio was 1.6:1. The mean age (±SD) was 47.95±15.27 years and the median (interquartile range) time from the diagnosis of COVID-19, as defined by positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing, to detection of the ophthalmic manifestation was 31 (142) days. The most common ocular manifestation was orbital mucormycosis (23.80%). Interestingly, the presence of ophthalmic manifestations was not associated with severe COVID-19 (p=0.665). Conclusions The ophthalmic manifestations are infrequent in patients recovered from severe COVID-19. Nevertheless, further large sample studies are needed to confirm these findings (AU)

Ophthalmic manifestations in patients recovered from COVID-19 in Mexico.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Although the ophthalmic manifestations appear to be associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is not enough evidence. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the various types and frequency of ophthalmic manifestations in patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection in Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective, observational and descriptive study included all patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection attending the tertiary level hospital of Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) from June 2020 to June 2022. During the hospital admission of patients, the demographic data such age, name, gender was recorded. Ophthalmologic examination was performed under torchlight by an ophthalmologist in the Department of Ophthalmology from IMSS. Data was compiled and statistically analyzed using Fisher's exact test and Spearman correlation. RESULTS: A total of 3081 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients were recorded, of which 318 (10.32%) met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 21 (6.60%) had ophthalmic manifestations and the female-to-male ratio was 1.6:1. The mean age (±SD) was 47.95±15.27 years and the median (interquartile range) time from the diagnosis of COVID-19, as defined by positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing, to detection of the ophthalmic manifestation was 31 (142) days. The most common ocular manifestation was orbital mucormycosis (23.80%). Interestingly, the presence of ophthalmic manifestations was not associated with severe COVID-19 (p=0.665). CONCLUSIONS: The ophthalmic manifestations are infrequent in patients recovered from severe COVID-19. Nevertheless, further large sample studies are needed to confirm these findings.

A hierarchical dataset of vegetative and reproductive growth in apple tree organs under conventional and non-limited carbon resources.

A monitoring of apple fruit, shoot and trunk growth was performed on 15 trees, equally split according to three treatments, which determined heavily contrasting carbon assimilate availability: unmanipulated trees (FRU), thinned trees (THI) and defruited trees (DEF). Several variables describe the vegetative growth on FRU and DEF trees (shoot length, base diameter, number of fruits on shoot, and height, diameter, pruning intensity and number of fruits of the branch carrying the shoot; trunk circumference), as well as the fruit growth on FRU and THI trees (3 fruit diameters). Additional measurements from ancillary shoots (apical diameter, number of leaves, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, fresh mass, volume) and fruits (3 diameters, dry weight) from trees undergoing the same treatments, provide a more complete (destructive) characterization of organs growth, thanks to several measurements performed across the growing season. Organs are provided with categorical variables indicating the treatment, tree, canopy height, orientation (for both shoots and fruit), as well as branch and shoot identifiers, so that hierarchical modeling of the dataset can be performed. The dataset is completed with dates and day of the year of the measurements and the accumulated growing degree days from full bloom. Data can be used to calculate apple tree absolute and relative growth rates, maximum potential growth rates, as well as shoot growth responses to thinning and pruning. The dataset can also be used to calibrate allometric relationships, estimate structural apple tree growth parameters and their variability.

Assessing optimal frequency for image acquisition in computer vision systems developed to monitor feeding behavior of group-housed Holstein heifers.

Computer vision systems have emerged as a potential tool to monitor the behavior of livestock animals. Such high-throughput systems can generate massive redundant data sets for training and inference, which can lead to higher computational and economic costs. The objectives of this study were (1) to develop a computer vision system to individually monitor detailed feeding behaviors of group-housed dairy heifers, and (2) to determine the optimal frequency of image acquisition to perform inference with minimal effect on feeding behavior prediction quality. Eight Holstein heifers (96 ± 6 d old) were housed in a group and a total of 25,214 images (1 image every second) were acquired using 1 RGB camera. A total of 2,209 images were selected and each animal in the image was labeled with its respective identification (1-8). The label was annotated only on animals that were at the feed bunk (head through the feed rail). From the labeled images, 1,392 were randomly selected to train a deep learning algorithm for object detection with YOLOv3 ("You Only Look Once" version 3) and 154 images were used for validation. An independent data set (testing set = 663 out of the 2,209 images) was used to test the algorithm. The average accuracy for identifying individual animals in the testing set was 96.0%, and for each individual heifer from 1 to 8 the accuracy was 99.2, 99.6, 99.2, 99.6, 99.6, 99.2, 99.4, and 99.6%, respectively. After identifying the animals at the feed bunk, we computed the following feeding behavior parameters: number of visits (NV), mean visit duration (MVD), mean interval between visits (MIBV), and feeding time (FT) for each heifer using a data set composed by 8,883 sequential images (1 image every second) from 4 time points. The coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.39, 0.78, 0.48, and 0.99, and the root mean square error (RMSE) were 12.3 (count), 0.78, 0.63, and 0.31 min for NV, MVD, MIBV, and FT, respectively, considering 1 image every second. When we moved from 1 image per second to 1 image every 5 (MIBV) or 10 (NV, MDV, and FT) s, the R2 observed were 0.55 (NV), 0.74 (MVD), 0.70 (MIBV), and 0.99 (FT); and the RMSE were 2.27 (NV, count), 0.38 min (MVD), 0.22 min (MIBV), and 0.44 min (FT). Our results indicate that computer vision systems can be used to individually identify group-housed Holstein heifers (overall accuracy = 99.4%). Based on individual identification, feeding behavior such as MVD, MIBV, and FT can be monitored with reasonable accuracy and precision. Regardless of the frequency for optimal image acquisition, our results suggested that longer time intervals of image acquisition would reduce data collecting and model inference while maintaining adequate predictive performance. However, we did not find an optimal time interval for all feeding behavior; instead, the optimal frequency of image acquisition is phenotype-specific. Overall, the best R2 and RMSE for NV, MDV, and FT were achieved using 1 image every 10 s, and for MIBV it was achieved using 1 image every 5 s, and in both cases model inference and data storage could be drastically reduced.

First-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab with two cycles of chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone (four cycles) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: CheckMate 9LA 2-year update.

BACKGROUND: To further characterize survival benefit with first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab with two cycles of chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone, we report updated data from the phase III CheckMate 9LA trial with a 2-year minimum follow-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adult patients were treatment naïve, with stage IV/recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer, no known sensitizing EGFR/ALK alterations, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤1. Patients were randomized 1 : 1 to nivolumab 360 mg every 3 weeks plus ipilimumab 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks with two cycles of chemotherapy, or four cycles of chemotherapy. Updated efficacy and safety outcomes are reported, along with progression-free survival (PFS) after next line of treatment (PFS2), treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) by treatment cycle, and efficacy outcomes in patients who discontinued all treatment components in the experimental arm due to TRAEs. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 30.7 months, nivolumab plus ipilimumab with chemotherapy continued to prolong overall survival (OS) versus chemotherapy. Median OS was 15.8 versus 11.0 months [hazard ratio 0.72 (95% confidence interval 0.61-0.86)]; 2-year OS rate was 38% versus 26%. Two-year PFS rate was 20% versus 8%. ORR was 38% versus 25%, respectively; 34% versus 12% of all responses were ongoing at 2 years. Median PFS2 was 13.9 versus 8.7 months. Improved efficacy outcomes in the experimental versus control arm were observed across most subgroups, including by programmed death-ligand 1 and histology. No new safety signals were observed; onset of grade 3/4 TRAEs was mostly observed during the first two treatment cycles in the experimental arm. In patients who discontinued all components of nivolumab plus ipilimumab with chemotherapy treatment due to TRAEs (n = 61) median OS was 27.5 months; 56% of responders had an ongoing response ≥1 year after discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: With a 2-year minimum follow-up, nivolumab plus ipilimumab with two cycles of chemotherapy provided durable efficacy benefits over chemotherapy with a manageable safety profile and remains an efficacious first-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Carcinoma adenoide quístico de cuello uterino: una rara entidad / Adenoid cystic carcinoma of uterine cervix: A rare entity

El carcinoma adenoide quístico es una enfermedad muy rara, representando menos del 1% de todos los carcinomas, con alto riesgo de recurrencia local y a distancia. Aunque no disponemos de una conducta terapéutica estándar hasta la fecha, sin embargo, se cuenta con reportes de ser radiosensible. Se presenta el caso de una mujer peruana de 76 años portadora de carcinoma adenoide quístico de cérvix estadio clínico i, manejada inicialmente con histerectomía radical con resultado patológico de carcinoma adenoide quístico asociado a carcinoma adenoide basal, que presentó recurrencia a distancia tempranamente.(AU)

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a very rare pathology, representing less than 1% of all carcinomas, and has a high risk of local and distant recurrence. Although there is currently no standard management, there are reports of them being radiosensitive. The case is presented of a 76-year-old Peruvian woman with a clinical stage i cervical adenoid cystic carcinoma, specifically managed with radical hysterectomy with a histological result of an adenoid cystic carcinoma associated with basal adenoid carcinoma, presenting with an early distant recurrence.(AU)

Pseudo-two-dimensional dynamics in a system of macroscopic rolling spheres.

We study in this work the dynamics of a collection of identical hollow spheres (ping-pong balls) that rest on a horizontal metallic grid. Fluidization is achieved by means of a turbulent air current coming from below. The upflow is adjusted so that the particles do not levitate over the grid, resulting in quasi-two-dimensional dynamics. We show that the behavior of diffusion and correlations in this system is particularly rich. Noticeably as well (and related to the complex dynamical behavior), a variety of phases appear, with important peculiarities with respect to analogous setups. We observe gas, liquid, glass, and hexagonal crystal phases. Most notably, we show that the melting of the hexagonal crystal occurs in coexistence with a liquid phase. This strikingly differs from the corresponding transition in a purely two-dimensional systems of air-fluidized disks, for which no phase coexistence has been reported in the literature.

The impact of socioeconomic position on non-communicable diseases: what do we know about it?

AIMS: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a primary health concern for most countries around the world. The aim of this research is to analyze the relevant evidence that determines the effect of socioeconomic position (SEP) on the incidence and prevalence of NCDs. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to identify evidence regarding the relationship between income inequalities and NCDs, between 2005 and 2015. The final selection of papers was based on applied studies focusing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and articles referring to three main groups of chronic diseases: cardiovascular and heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes. RESULTS: A final set of 47 selected studies were fully taken into account in this review. Despite significant heterogeneity in exposure and outcomes measures, overall the evidence suggests that having low SEP increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), lung and breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes. SEP is also associated with multiple NCD risk factors such as smoking and physical inactivity. CONCLUSION: Low socioeconomic status appears to have a significant consistent impact on mortality and morbidity caused by NCDs in OECD countries. Social and economic disadvantages are associated with health inequalities in terms of access to care, increased incident risk of NCDs, and early death. These findings point to the need for public health strategies and research to address socioeconomic status disparity among individuals.

Incontinencia urinaria de urgencia en mujeres adultas: ¿Qué tratamientos ofrecer en APS? / Emergency Urinary Incontinence in Adult Women: what treatments do we offer at PHC?

La incontinencia urinaria de urgencia corresponde a la pérdida involuntaria de orina, cuya causa es presumida multifactorial: hiperactividad del detrusor, hipersensibilidad vesical y distensibilidad reducida del detrusor. Esta patología es bastante frecuente tanto en Chile como en el mundo, con una prevalencia local entre 10% y 15%, a su vez genera un gran impacto en el bienestar físico, mental y socioeconómico del paciente. El diagnóstico es clínico, con apoyo en el uroanálisis y su tratamiento de primera línea puede ser realizado en APS. En cuanto al tratamiento existen tanto terapias no farmacológicas como farmacológicas; correspondiendo las técnicas de reentrenamiento vesical, los cambios de estilo de vida y los fármacos anticolinérgicos a tratamientos efectivos de primera línea. Existen, además, otros fármacos que pueden ser utilizados para el tratamiento de la IUU, cuya evidencia será igualmente revisada en este artículo.

Urge incontinence is defined as an involuntary leakage of urine, presumably with a multifactorial cause: detrusor overactivity, bladder hypersensibility and a reduced bladder compliance. It's a common disease worldwide, with local studies reporting a prevalence around 10-15%, causing a great impact in the physical, mental and socioeconomic well-being of the affected patients. Diagnosis is mainly based on the clinical history, supporting it with laboratory tests to rule out other conditions, and uncomplicated cases can be treated and followed in a primary care setting. There are pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies, being healthy lifestyles changes, bladder retraining programs and anticholinergic drugs the first line of treatment. Additional pharmacologic treatments will be revised in this article.

Testing a Paul trap through determining the evaporation rate of levitated single semi-volatile organic droplets.

Rigorous knowledge of the optical fingerprint of droplets is imperative for the understanding of complex aerosol processes. Here, a Paul trap is operated to store single semi-volatile organic droplets in air. The droplets are illuminated with a green laser and the elastic scattering is collected on a CMOS camera. The setup provides excellent performance in terms of confinement and stability, allowing us to detect size changes of the order of few nanometres. The stability also allows us to measure vapour pressures with remarkable reproducibility. This approach supplies a robust method for the optical interrogation in the sub-micron range.

Zero-gravity thermal convection in granular gases.

Previous experimental and theoretical evidence has shown that convective flow may appear in granular fluids if subjected to a thermal gradient and gravity (Rayleigh-Bénard-type convection). In contrast to this, we present here evidence of gravity-free thermal convection in a granular gas, with no presence of external thermal gradients either. Convection is here maintained steady by internal gradients due to dissipation and thermal sources at the same temperature. The granular gas is composed by identical disks and is enclosed in a rectangular region. Our results are obtained by means of an event-driven algorithm for inelastic hard disks.

North Atlantic climate far more predictable than models imply.

Quantifying signals and uncertainties in climate models is essential for the detection, attribution, prediction and projection of climate change1-3. Although inter-model agreement is high for large-scale temperature signals, dynamical changes in atmospheric circulation are very uncertain4. This leads to low confidence in regional projections, especially for precipitation, over the coming decades5,6. The chaotic nature of the climate system7-9 may also mean that signal uncertainties are largely irreducible. However, climate projections are difficult to verify until further observations become available. Here we assess retrospective climate model predictions of the past six decades and show that decadal variations in North Atlantic winter climate are highly predictable, despite a lack of agreement between individual model simulations and the poor predictive ability of raw model outputs. Crucially, current models underestimate the predictable signal (the predictable fraction of the total variability) of the North Atlantic Oscillation (the leading mode of variability in North Atlantic atmospheric circulation) by an order of magnitude. Consequently, compared to perfect models, 100 times as many ensemble members are needed in current models to extract this signal, and its effects on the climate are underestimated relative to other factors. To address these limitations, we implement a two-stage post-processing technique. We first adjust the variance of the ensemble-mean North Atlantic Oscillation forecast to match the observed variance of the predictable signal. We then select and use only the ensemble members with a North Atlantic Oscillation sufficiently close to the variance-adjusted ensemble-mean forecast North Atlantic Oscillation. This approach greatly improves decadal predictions of winter climate for Europe and eastern North America. Predictions of Atlantic multidecadal variability are also improved, suggesting that the North Atlantic Oscillation is not driven solely by Atlantic multidecadal variability. Our results highlight the need to understand why the signal-to-noise ratio is too small in current climate models10, and the extent to which correcting this model error would reduce uncertainties in regional climate change projections on timescales beyond a decade.

Development of an immunochromatographic lateral flow dipstick for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis 16 kDa antigen (Mtb-strip).

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a pathogenic bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). This contagious disease remains a severe health problem in the world. The disease is transmitted via inhalation of airborne droplets carrying Mtb from TB patients. Early detection of the disease is vital to prevent transmission of the infection to people in close contact with the patients. To date, there is a need of a simple, rapid, sensitive and specific diagnostic test for TB. Previous studies showed the potential of Mtb 16 kDa antigen (Ag16) in TB diagnosis. In this study, lateral flow immunoassay, also called simple strip immunoassay or immunochromatographic test (ICT) for detection of Ag16 was developed (Mtb-strip) and assessed as a potential rapid TB diagnosis method. A monoclonal antibody against Ag16 was optimized as the capturing and detection antibody on the Mtb-strip. Parameters affecting the performance of the Mtb-strip were also optimized before a complete prototype was developed. Analytical sensitivity showed that Mtb-strip was capable to detect as low as 125 ng of purified Ag16. The analytical sensitivity of Mtb-strip suggests its potential usefulness in different clinical applications.

A multi-inverse approach for a holistic understanding of applied animal science systems.

Technological and mathematical advances have provided opportunities to investigate new approaches for the holistic quantification of complex biological systems. One objective of these approaches, including the multi-inverse deterministic approach proposed in this paper, is to deepen the understanding of biological systems through the structural development of a useful, best-fitted inverse mechanistic model. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the capacity of a deterministic approach, that is, the multi-inverse approach (MIA), to yield meaningful quantitative nutritional information. To this end, a case study addressing the effect of diet composition on sheep weight was performed using data from a previous experiment on saccharina (a sugarcane byproduct), and an inverse deterministic model (named Paracoa) was developed. The MIA successfully revealed an increase in the final weight of sheep with an increase in the percentage of corn in the diet. Although the soluble fraction also increased with increasing corn percentage, the effective nonsoluble degradation increased fourfold, indicating that the increased weight gain resulted from the nonsoluble substrate. A profile likelihood analysis showed that the potential best-fitted model had identifiable parameters, and that the parameter relationships were affected by the type of data, number of parameters and model structure. It is necessary to apply the MIA to larger and/or more complex datasets to obtain a clearer understanding of its potential.

Assessment of alternative herbicides for residential sewer root treatment and their effects on downstream treatment plant nitrification.

The conveyance of wastewater in sewer pipes can be severely limited by the growth of plant roots, which can be controlled with herbicides. However, adding herbicides in sewer lines may affect downstream biological wastewater treatment processes. The effects of three herbicides (Dithiopyr, Penoxsulam, and Triclopyr) on the mortality of cottonwood tree roots and on downstream biological nitrification were determined. The results showed that Triclopyr achieved the highest root mortality (96%) followed by Penoxsulam (77%) and Dithiopyr (75%). At concentrations used at the point of application in sewer pipes, all herbicides caused nitrification inhibition and reduction in organic carbon removal in activated sludge. However, no inhibition was observed at the more diluted concentrations approximately equal to levels that may reach the wastewater treatment facility. Overall, Triclopyr appears to be the best performing herbicide with the highest root kill.

MuSCA: a multi-scale source-sink carbon allocation model to explore carbon allocation in plants. An application to static apple tree structures.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Carbon allocation in plants is usually represented at a topological scale, specific to each model. This makes the results obtained with different models, and the impact of their scales of representation, difficult to compare. In this study, we developed a multi-scale carbon allocation model (MuSCA) that allows the use of different, user-defined, topological scales of a plant, and assessment of the impact of each spatial scale on simulated results and computation time. METHODS: Model multi-scale consistency and behaviour were tested on three realistic apple tree structures. Carbon allocation was computed at five scales, spanning from the metamer (the finest scale, used as a reference) up to first-order branches, and for different values of a sap friction coefficient. Fruit dry mass increments were compared across spatial scales and with field data. KEY RESULTS: The model was able to represent effects of competition for carbon assimilates on fruit growth. Intermediate friction parameter values provided results that best fitted field data. Fruit growth simulated at the metamer scale differed of ~1 % in respect to results obtained at growth unit scale and up to 60 % in respect to first order branch and fruiting unit scales. Generally, the coarser the spatial scale the more predicted fruit growth diverged from the reference. Coherence in fruit growth across scales was also differentially impacted, depending on the tree structure considered. Decreasing the topological resolution reduced computation time by up to four orders of magnitude. CONCLUSIONS: MuSCA revealed that the topological scale has a major influence on the simulation of carbon allocation. This suggests that the scale should be a factor that is carefully evaluated when using a carbon allocation model, or when comparing results produced by different models. Finally, with MuSCA, trade-off between computation time and prediction accuracy can be evaluated by changing topological scales.