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From Hispalis to Ishbiliyya: The ancient port of Seville, from the Roman Empire to the end of the Islamic period (45 BC - AD 1248)' focuses on the history and development of the ancient port of Seville, which is located in the lower Guadalquivir River Basin, Spain. This unique study is important because, despite its commercial importance, little has been known about the port, and so the purpose was to examine the topography, layout, and facilities of the ancient port of Seville, their history and development from approximately the 1st c. BC to about the 13th c. AD. This longue duree study was conducted adopting a holistic and interdisciplinary approach by examining a diverse range of information (historical, archaeological and scientific), a maritime archaeological perspective as well as a diachronic study of three different historical periods (Roman, Late Antique, Islamic). As a result, it has been possible to offer a description of the construction, development, and demise of the port. The study was one of the first comprehensive studies of an ancient port in Spain and one of the first to be conducted in a combined holistic and diachronic manner in Europe. This methodology has produced significant results not obtained with other simpler approaches, thus serving as a model for studies of other archaeological sites, especially those in relation with maritime or riverine culture.

This review deals with the main mechanisms of action exerted by antagonistic bacteria, such as competition for space and nutrients, suppression via siderophores, hydrolytic enzymes, antibiosis, biofilm formation, and induction of plant resistance. These mechanisms inhibit phytopathogen growth that affects postharvest fruit since quality and safety parameters are influenced by the action of these microorganisms, which cause production losses in more than 50% of fruit tree species. The use of synthetic fungicide products has been the dominant control strategy for diseases caused by fungi. However, their excessive and inappropriate use in intensive agriculture has brought about problems that have led to environmental contamination, considerable residues in agricultural products, and phytopathogen resistance. Thus, there is a need to generate alternatives that are safe, ecological, and economically viable to face this problem. Phytopathogen inhibition in fruit utilizing antagonist microorganisms has been recognized as a type of biological control (BC), which could represent a viable and environmentally safe alternative to synthetic fungicides. Despite the ecological benefit that derives from the use of controllers and biological control agents (BCA) at a commercial level, their application and efficient use has been minimal at a global level.

Abstract Rationale The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) document has modified the grading system directing pharmacotherapy, but how this relates to the previous one from 2015 and to comorbidities, hospitalizations, and mortality risk is unknown. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the GOLD groups from 2015 to 2017 and to assess the impact on severity, comorbidities, and mortality within each group. Methods We prospectively enrolled and followed, for a mean of 5 years, 819 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (84% male) in clinics in Spain and the United States. We determined anthropometrics, lung function (FEV1%), dyspnea score (modified Medical Research Council scale), ambulatory and hospital exacerbations, and the body mass index, obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) and Charlson indexes. We classified patients by the 2015 and 2017 GOLD ABCD system, and compared the differential realignment of the same patients. We related the effect of the reclassification in BODE and Charlson distribution as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and all-cause mortality between the two classifications. Measurements and Main Results Compared with 2015, the 2017 grading decreased by half the proportion of patients in groups C and D (20.5% vs. 11.2% and 24.6% vs. 12.9%; P < 0.001). The distribution of Charlson also changed, whereas group D was higher than B in 2015, they become similar in the 2017 system. In 2017, the BODE index and risk of death were higher in B and D than in A and C. The mortality risk was better predicted by the 2015 than the 2017 system. Conclusions Compared with 2015, the GOLD ABCD 2017 classification significantly shifts patients from grades C and D to categories A and B. The new grading system equalizes the Charlson comorbidity score in all groups and minimizes the differences in BODE between groups B and D, making the risk of death similar between them.

Coffee ( Coffea arabica ) is one of the most widely traded and most consumed agro-products worldwide. Its production is concentrated in tropical regions, and its consumption, in northern countries. Climate variability influences coffee yield and quality, and the distribution of wet and dry periods is closely related to its phenological phases. Recently, the vulnerability of coffee producing regions to changes in climate patterns has been demonstrated. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of climatic variables on the water status, vegetative growth, yield, and phenology of coffee plants. The research was carried out in a coffee agroecosystem (Garnica variety) located in the central region of the state of Veracruz, Mexico (19.51998 ∘ N and 96.94339 ∘ W; 1320 masl). For three years, the phenology of coffee plants was monitored; plant growth (height, number of leaves) and cherry yield were measured each month during three productive periods. Microclimatic variables (temperature, precipitation, relative air humidity, solar radiation, and wind direction) and water-balance variables (infiltration, rainfall interception, transpiration, soil water storage, crop evapotranspiration [ETo], and reference evapotranspiration [ETc]) were also monitored. The water status of the plants was evaluated based on their water demand, determined as the ETc/ETo ratio. The relationship of microclimatic variables with water status, plant growth, and plant yield was measured by performing correlation statistical tests (Pearson; α = 0.05 ), principal component analyses (PCA), and simple and multiple linear regressions. The results show that the highest water consumption occurred during the flowering ( E T c / E T o = 1.12 ), and grain ripening ( E T c / E T o = 1.15 ) phenological phases, while the lowest value ( E T c / E T o = 0.62 ), indicative of water deficit, was observed at harvest for the period 2018–2019. Precipitation (P) and rainfall infiltration (I) are the variables with the greatest influence on vegetative growth ( r 2 >0.70). A relationship was observed between yield and water and microclimatic variables. However, simple and multiple linear regressions, including PCA, explain less than 45 % ( p  < 0.05) of the variability of yield data. This variability is mainly described by water conditions related to soil water storage (S) and thermal conditions, particularly the minimum temperature (Tmin). Our findings suggest that the water demand of coffee plants changes significantly with the phenological phases of the crop; therefore, changes in the cyclical patterns of climate variation could cause a water deficit in coffee plants, limiting their development, yield, and quality.

Rationale and objective Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), usually diagnosed after the 6th decade, frequently suffer from comorbidities. Whether COPD patients 50 years or younger (Young COPD) have similar comorbidities with the same frequency and mortality impact as aged-matched controls or older COPD patients is unknown. Methods We compared comorbidity number, prevalence and type in 3 groups of individuals with ≥ 10 pack-years of smoking: A Young ( ≤  50 years) COPD group (n = 160), an age-balanced control group without airflow obstruction (n = 125), and Old (> 50 years) COPD group (n = 1860). We also compared survival between the young COPD and control subjects. Using Cox proportional model, we determined the comorbidities associated with mortality risk and generated Comorbidomes for the “Young” and “Old” COPD groups. Results The severity distribution by GOLD spirometric stages and BODE quartiles were similar between Young and Old COPD groups. After adjusting for age, sex, and pack-years, the prevalence of subjects with at least one comorbidity was 31% for controls, 77% for the Young, and 86% for older COPD patients. Compared to controls, “Young” COPDs’ had a nine-fold increased mortality risk (p < 0.0001). “Comorbidomes” differed between Young and Old COPD groups, with tuberculosis, substance use, and bipolar disorders being distinct comorbidities associated with increased mortality risk in the Young COPD group. Conclusions Young COPD patients carry a higher comorbidity prevalence and mortality risk compared to non-obstructed control subjects. Young COPD differed from older COPD patients by the behavioral-related comorbidities that increase their risk of premature death.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mepolizumab in patients affected by chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in real-life. A single-center retrospective observational study was conducted on severe CRSwNP patients treated with mepolizumab. Nasal endoscopic polyp score (NPS), visual analogue scale (VAS) symptom score, sinonasal outcome test (SNOT-22), asthma control test (ACT) score, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), eosinophils blood cells and prednisone intake were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. A total of 55 patients were included; 49 patients (89%) presented with asthma; aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) in 28 patients (51%). A statistically significant decrease in the SNOT-22 score was observed (median difference −63; 95% CI: −68; −58; p < 0.001) with median t0 76 and IQR (61;90) to t6 10 (5;15). A reduction in NPS, median t0 NPS 4; (IQR:4;6), median t6 NPS 1; (IQR:0;1) p < 0.001, was greater in patients with AERD. The median baseline VAS score was 6 (IQR:6;7) and the differences between t0 and t6 were statistically significant p < 0.001. Significant changes in blood eosinophils cells, median t0 500 cell/mcl (IQR:340;830), median t6 97 cell/mcl (IQR:60;160) p < 0.001, were greater in patients with AERD. Mepolizumab treatment effects have been demonstrated with significantly reduced symptoms, polyp scores, blood eosinophils and systemic corticosteroid use, resulting in an increased health-related quality of life in patients with severe CRSwNP, regardless of the presence or absence of asthma or AERD.

Vineyard growth and grape yield can be significantly reduced by weeds, especially when these are located in the under-vine zone. Traditional weed management consists of recurrent tillage, which is associated with soil erosion and high fuel consumption, or herbicide applications, associated with damage to the environment and human health. In order to find alternative weed management methods, three field trials were carried out in Raimat (Lleida, NE Spain) with the aim of evaluating the suppressive effect of four mulches against weeds. Treatments included (1) straw mulch of Medicago sativa L., (2) straw mulch of Festuca arundinacea (L.) Schreb, (3) straw mulch of Hordeum vulgare L., (4) chopped pine wood mulch of Pinus sylvestris L., (5) mechanical cultivation and (6) herbicide application. The results showed that all mulches were efficient at controlling weeds (<20% of weed coverage) in the first year, compared with the two traditional methods, as long as the percentage of soil covered by mulches was high (>75%). In this way, pine mulch stood out above the straw mulches, as it achieved high soil cover during the three growing seasons of the study (>80%), with weed coverage values under 18%. This, together with the multiple benefits of mulches (improvements in the water balance and increases in soil organic matter, among others), make them a sustainable tool to be considered as an alternative to traditional under-vine weed management in vineyards.

Background: The aim of this study was to validate the accuracy of the spatiotemporal parameters of running provided by the Garmin HRM-Pro band through a concurrent comparison with the OptoGait system (version v.1.14.11), the Stryd power meter, and 2D photogrammetric analysis in recreational runners at different paces (9 and 12 km/h). Methods: Fifty recreational runners (mean age: 22.14 ± 2.71 years) engaged in this study. Participants ran on a treadmill for 2 min at speeds of 9 and 12 km/h. Spatiotemporal parameters (ground contact time, step length, flight time, cadence, and vertical oscillation of center of gravity) were recorded using (1) the Garmin HRM-Pro band; (2) the OptoGait system; (3) the Stryd power meter; and (4) 2D photogrammetric analysis. Results: Only in relation to the VO of the center of gravity does the Garmin device yield higher values (p = 0.006) compared to video analysis. At 12 km/h, significant differences were found between devices in all the analyzed variables. In comparison to video analysis, the Garmin device does not show significant differences in any variable at this speed. The relative reliability parameters of the Garmin device at two different speeds showed excellent values across all analyzed variables. The Bland–Altman plots showed appropriate limits of agreement indicating good agreement between devices. Conclusions: The Garmin HRM-Pro Band can be used for the assessment of spatiotemporal variables of running in sports science, clinical gait assessment, and training optimization.

This research was funded by the Spanish State Research Agency, grant number AGL2017-83325-C4-2-R, and by the MACMHER \"Grups Operatius\" promoted by Departament of Agriculture of the Catalan Government (DARP) in 2018. The first author obtained a PhD grant from the University of Lleida (PhD grants)

This study investigates the impact of the uranium electrodeposition process on a boron-doped diamond electrode (BDD) surface at varying potentials as a means of environmental uranium remediation. The chronoamperometry technique was employed for the electrodeposition process, applying potentials ranging from − 0.60 to − 2.00 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). A 2-mM uranyl acetate dihydrate (UO 2 (C 2 H 3 O 2 ) 2 ·2H 2 O) solution in 0.1-M KClO 4 served as a model uranyl ion (UO 2 2+ ) source. Analysis using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed the presence of uranium and the formation of a thin layer on the electrode surface. Roughness measurements obtained through AFM analysis at different applied potentials vs. RHE were compared before and after uranium electrodeposition at BDD electrodes. Additionally, the identification of various uranium oxides resulting from the electrodeposition procedures was conducted using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. These analyses revealed the presence of UO 2 , UO 3 , and U 3 O 8 on the BDD electrode surface due to the electrochemical deposition process, with a notable proportion of U 3 O 8 observed. Ultimately, the optimal potential for efficient U 6+ remediation from aqueous media and the formation of a homogenous thin layer conducive to nuclear technology development was determined to be − 1.75 V vs. RHE. Graphical abstract