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PurposeTo determine associations between thermal responses, medical events, performance, heat acclimation and health status during a World Athletics Championships in hot-humid conditions.MethodsFrom 305 marathon and race-walk starters, 83 completed a preparticipation questionnaire on health and acclimation. Core (Tcore; ingestible pill) and skin (Tskin; thermal camera) temperatures were measured in-competition in 56 and 107 athletes, respectively. 70 in-race medical events were analysed retrospectively. Performance (% personal best) and did not finish (DNF) were extracted from official results.ResultsPeak Tcore during competition reached 39.6°C±0.6°C (maximum 41.1°C). Tskin decreased from 32.2°C±1.3°C to 31.0°C±1.4°C during the races (p<0.001). Tcore was not related to DNF (25% of starters) or medical events (p≥0.150), whereas Tskin, Tskin rate of decrease and Tcore-to-Tskin gradient were (p≤0.029). A third of the athletes reported symptoms in the 10 days preceding the event, mainly insomnia, diarrhoea and stomach pain, with diarrhoea (9% of athletes) increasing the risk of in-race medical events (71% vs 17%, p<0.001). Athletes (63%) who performed 5–30 days heat acclimation before the competition: ranked better (18±13 vs 28±13, p=0.009), displayed a lower peak Tcore (39.4°C±0.4°C vs 39.8°C±0.7°C, p=0.044) and larger in-race decrease in Tskin (−1.4°C±1.0°C vs −0.9°C±1.2°C, p=0.060), than non-acclimated athletes. Although not significant, they also showed lower DNF (19% vs 30%, p=0.273) and medical events (19% vs 32%, p=0.179).ConclusionTskin, Tskin rate of decrease and Tcore-to-Tskin gradient were important indicators of heat tolerance. While heat-acclimated athletes ranked better, recent diarrhoea represented a significant risk factor for DNF and in-race medical events.

Drought stress is a common environmental stress, which adversely affects the yield and quality of crops. Due to its excellent drought tolerance, wild barley from the Middle East region is considered a valuable source for barley improvement. Here, we compared the growth rate, stomatal regulation and capacity to metabolize reactive oxygen species (ROS) of two barley cultivars and one wild barley accession. The results indicated the wild barley EC_S1 showed a more significant decline in stomatal aperture and less ROS production. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that EC_S1 has slower transcriptional regulation (5,050 DEGs) in the early stage of drought stress (14 days) than Baudin (7,022 DEGs) and Tadmor (6,090 DEGs). In addition, 30 hub genes, including nine known drought-related genes were identified by WGCNA analysis. Then, we cloned a novel bZIP transcription factor, HvbZIP21 , from EC_S1. HvbZIP21 was subcellularly targeted to the nucleus. Overexpression of HvbZIP21 in Arabidopsis enhanced drought tolerance due to increasing activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities as well as glutathione content. Silencing of HvbZIP21 in EC_S1 suppressed drought tolerance in BSMV:HvbZIP21-inoculated plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that HvbZIP21 play a critical role in drought tolerance by manipulating ROS scavenging.

ABSTRACT Migration has evolved as a strategy to maximize survival and reproductive success, driven by the search for better resources and/or predator avoidance. For ungulates at high latitudes, the search for higher quality and more abundant forage has been proposed as one of the best explanations of seasonal migrations. However, responses vary among populations, species, and ecosystems. In this study, we examine the forage resources associated with an annual migration of a herd of wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) in northeast Alberta, Canada. Timing of this migration corresponds to the neonatal period in late spring during green up when females have a higher nutritional demand imposed by gestation and maternal care of neonates. The objective of this work was to assess how forage quantity (i.e., biomass) and quality (i.e., crude protein and metabolizable energy, ME) differed between the herd's core and neonatal ranges while evaluating differences in their diet. Bison diets during winter in the core range were dominated by graminoids and shrubs, while shrubs and forbs were predominant in diets within the neonatal range from late spring through summer. Overall, the neonatal range during spring had significantly greater biomass (p < 0.001) of shrubs and forbs compared with the core range during the same season, being 1.7 and 3.8 times higher, respectively. The neonatal range also had comparatively more crude protein and ME (p < 0.001) during this season, with crude protein being 2.7 and 3.2 and ME being 3.0 and 3.7 times greater than in the core range for shrubs and forbs, respectively. Conversely, the core range had higher biomass, crude protein, and ME (p < 0.001) available for graminoids compared with the neonatal range during spring. However, graminoids are not particularly common in their diet during the migration period. Our results suggest that bison migration to the neonatal range, coincident with higher quantity and quality of forage, is important for female wood bison, particularly given their increased post‐parturition demands for energy and protein during this critical neonatal period.

El propósito de este artículo es pensar la gestación de Cien años de soledad (1965-1967) como un desafío de la “ciudad letrada” a la “ciudad audiovisual”. Tal novela fue escrita bajo las condiciones materiales de la Guerra Fría en el contexto sociopolítico de México. Coincide con la emergencia de la televisión, pero también con el fin de la época dorada del cine mexicano. Si “los medios determinan nuestra situación” (Kittler, 1999, p. xxxix), este artículo se pregunta si el impacto de la tecnología audiovisual tuvo como respuesta los manuscritos de Melquiades: la milenaria hegemonía textual de la “memoria histórica”.

The recent Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic displayed weaknesses in the healthcare infrastructures worldwide and exposed a lack of specialized personnel to cover the demands of a massive calamity. We have developed a portable ventilator that uses real-time vitals read from the patient to estimate -- through artificial intelligence -- the optimal operation point. The ventilator has redundant telecommunication capabilities; therefore, the remote assistance model can protect specialists and relatives from highly contagious agents. Additionally, we have designed a system that automatically publishes information in a proprietary cloud centralizer to keep physicians and relatives informed. The system was tested in a residential last-mile connection, and transaction times below the second were registered. The timing scheme allows us to operate up to 200 devices concurrently on these lowest-specification transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) services, promptly transmitting data for online processing and reporting. The ventilator is a proof of concept of automation that has behavioral and cognitive inputs to cheaply, yet reliably, extend the installed capacity of the healthcare systems and multiply the response of the skilled medical personnel to cover high-demanding scenarios and improve service quality.

Background While, at its inception in 1993, the health care system in Colombia was publicized as a paradigm to be copied across the developing world, numerous problems in its implementation have led to, what is now, an inefficient and crisis-ridden health system. Furthermore, as a result of inappropriate tools to measure the quality of the health service providers, several corruption scandals have arisen in the country. This study attempts to tackle this situation by proposing a strategy for the quality assessment of the health service providers ( Entidades Promotoras de Salud , EPS) in the Colombian health system. In particular, as a case study, the quality of the treatment of stomach cancer is analyzed. Methods The study uses two complementary techniques to address the problem. These techniques are applied based on data of the treatment of gastric cancer collected on a nation-wide scale by the Colombian Ministry of Health and Welfare. First, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist Index (MI) are used to establish the most efficient EPS’s within the system, according to indicators such as opportunity indicators. Second, sequential clustering algorithm, related to process mining a field of data mining, is used to determine the medical history of all patients and to construct typical care pathways of the patients belonging to efficient and inefficient EPS’s. Lastly, efforts are made to identify traits and differences between efficient and inefficient EPS’s. Results Efficient and inefficient EPS were identified for the years 2010 and 2011. Additionally, a Malmquist Index was used to calculate the relative changes in the efficiency of the health providers. Using these efficiency rates, the typical treatment path of patients with gastric cancer was found for two EPSs: one efficient and another inefficient. Finally, the typical traits of the care pathways were established. Conclusions Combining DEA and process mining proved to be a powerful approach understanding the problem and gaining valuable insight into the inner workings of the Colombian Health System, especially in terms of the treatment process performed by health care providers in critical illnesses such as cancer. However, no sufficiently compelling results were found to establish the contribution of such a combination to evaluate the quality in the delivery of health services.

Anthocyanin regulation can be fruitfully explored from a diverse perspective by studying distantly related model organisms. Land plants pioneers faced a huge evolutionary leap, involving substantial physiological and genetic changes. Anthocyanins have evolved alongside these changes, becoming versatile compounds capable of mitigating terrestrial challenges such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures and high radiation. With the accessibility of whole-genome sequences from ancient plant lineages, deeper insights into the evolution of key metabolic pathways like phenylpropanoids have emerged. Despite understanding the function of anthocyanins under stress, gaps remain in uncovering the precise metabolic and regulatory mechanisms driving their overproduction under stressful conditions. For example, the regulatory effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on well-known transcription factors like MYBs is not fully elucidated. This manuscript presents an evolutionary analysis of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway to elucidate key genes. CINNAMATE 4-HYDROXYLASE ( C4H ) and CHALCONE ISOMERASE ( CHI2 ) received particular attention. C4H exposes remarkable differences between aquatic and land plants, while CHI2 demonstrates substantial variation in gene copy number and sequence similarity across species. The role of transcription factors, such as MYB, and the involvement of ROS in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis are discussed. Complementary gene expression analyses under abiotic stress in Arabidopsis thaliana , Selaginella moellendorffii , and Marchantia polymorpha reveal intriguing gene-stress relationships. This study highlights evolutionary trends and the regulatory complexity of anthocyanin production under abiotic stress, providing insights and opening avenues for future research. Key message We propose that CHI2 is a distinctive gene in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway, with an unusual evolutionary pattern and a significant role in abiotic stress adaptation via bioinformatics analysis and reviewing current literature.

This paper addresses the challenge of optimizing microgrid sizing to enhance reliability and efficiency in electrical energy supply. A comprehensive framework that integrates multiyear optimization with uncertainty considerations is presented to facilitate optimal microgrid design. The aim is to economically, safely, and reliably supply electrical energy to communities with limited or no access to the main power grid, primarily utilizing renewable sources such as solar and wind technologies. The proposed framework incorporates environmental stochasticity, electrical demand uncertainty, and various electrical generation technologies. Electric power generation models are developed, and a metaheuristic optimization method is employed to minimize total costs while improving power supply reliability. The practical utility of the developed computational tool is emphasized, highlighting its significance in decision-making for microgrid installations. Utilizing real-world data, the approach involves a two-stage process: the first stage focuses on installation decisions, and the second evaluates operational performance using an iterated local search (ILS) optimization algorithm. Additionally, dispatch strategies are implemented to optimize computational time and enable real-time network modeling. The proposed microgrid sizing approach is a valuable asset for optimizing decision-making processes, significantly contributing to extending electricity coverage in non-interconnected zones while minimizing costs and ensuring steadfast reliability.

Background Chitinase (Chi) is a pathogenesis-related protein, also reported to play an important role in plant responses to abiotic stress. However, its role in response to abiotic stress in barley is still unclear. Results In this study, a total of 61 Chi gene family members were identified from the whole genome of wild barley EC_S1. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that these family genes were divided into five groups. Among these genes, four pairs of collinearity genes were discovered. Besides, abundant cis-regulatory elements, including drought response element and abscisic acid response element were identified in the promoter regions of HvChi gene family members. The expression profiles revealed that most HvChi family members were significantly up-regulated under drought stress, which was also validated by RT-qPCR measurements. To further explore the role of Chi under drought stress, HvChi22 was overexpressed in Arabidopsis . Compared to wild-type plants, overexpression of HvChi22 enhanced drought tolerance by increasing the activity of oxidative protective enzymes, which caused less MDA accumulation. Conclusion Our study improved the understanding of the Chi gene family under drought stress in barley, and provided a theoretical basis for crop improvement strategies to address the challenges posed by changing environmental conditions.

Monson and irregular pluviometric distributions occur frequently, causing waterlogging, which reduces wheat yield under hypoxic conditions. Key hypoxia-related genes are of paramount importance for breeding waterlogging-tolerant wheat varieties. In this study, two spring wheat genotypes with different waterlogging tolerance levels were used to evaluate S-adenosylmethionine synthase family genes. Using wheat genome information, physicochemical properties of the SAMS gene family were analyzed using bioinformatics methods, and TaSAMS10 was chosen because of its positive waterlogging response. The TaSAMS10 gene was cloned into a binary vector then transformed into Arabidopsis plants, and the waterlogging response was recorded. The cis-acting elements in the promoter region of TaSAMS10 revealed the regulatory elements essential for anaerobic induction. Aerenchyma formation was detected in the tolerant genotype but not in the sensitive genotype of wheat. Whereas in TaSAMS10- overexpression Arabidopsis lines, old leaves and roots were exposed to ethylene accumulation, early flowering, and increased survival rates after 20 days of waterlogging treatment. Taken together, the two strategies “escape” and “tolerance” were combined by TaSAMS10 to resist waterlogging stress.