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Different sources of information indicate the possible presence of Teratohyla midas (Lynch & Duellman, 1973) in Bolivia; however, none of them confirm this scenario. Here we confirm the presence of T. midas in the northern Bolivian Amazon (Pando Department) and extend the geographical distribution of the species to include Bolivia. Likewise, we contribute information on some aspects of this species' behavior and natural history.

Primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO) is a common cause of epiphora in adults, yet the biochemical environment within the nasolacrimal duct (NLD) remains poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize the proteomic composition of NLD lavage fluid and identify subtype-specific molecular features distinguishing membranous and mucinous obstruction. Paired tear and NLD lavage fluid (NLD-LF) samples were collected from patients undergoing dacryoendoscopic recanalization, and proteomic profiling was performed using LC–MS/MS. A total of 1345 proteins were identified in NLD-LF and 767 in tear fluid, revealing a distinct NLD-specific proteome. Although the membranous and mucinous subtypes shared broadly similar protein compositions, differentially expressed proteins highlighted divergent biochemical pathways. The membranous subtype showed enrichment of keratinization-related processes involving KRT1, KRT9, and KLK13, suggesting epithelial remodeling and cornification. In contrast, the mucinous subtype exhibited upregulation of proteins involved in lipid metabolism, carboxylic acid biosynthesis, and sulfur compound metabolism, including ALOX15B, LCAT, and GSTM4, indicating metabolic conditions that promote mucin–lipid interactions, glycan sulfation, and redox-dependent mucin cross-linking. These findings provide new insights into the protein composition of NLD lavage fluid and suggest molecular differences between the membranous and mucinous obstruction subtypes.

This paper deals with the optimization of maximum power point tracking when a photovoltaic panel is modelled as two diodes. The adopted control is implemented using a sliding mode control (SMC) and the optimization is implemented using an improved Pattern Search Method. Thus, the problem of maximum power point tracking is reduced to an optimization problem whose solution is implemented by Pattern Search Techniques, inheriting their convergence properties. Simulation examples show the effectiveness of the proposed technique in practice, being able to deal with different radiations. In addition, improved pattern search method (IPSM) is compared with other techniques such as perturb & observe and Particle Swarm optimization, after which IPSM presents lower energy losses in comparison with the other two algorithms, with the advantage of ensuring the location of the optimal power point in all cases.

Aim : The aim of this study was to discuss the epidemiological aspects, clinical picture and the mode of surgical treatment in patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO). Patients and methods : Between 1995 and 2016, the Eye Clinic at the University Hospital in Pleven carried out a retrospective analysis on 28 PANDO patients who underwent external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). The effect of surgical treatment was assessed based on a history of watery eyes and the tear drainage system’s patency. Only eight of those patients responded to a follow-up examination after surgery for the purposes of this study. Results : The demographics of the evaluated patients were as follows: 17.9% were male, 82.1% were female, 78.6% lived in the city, 92.9% had one impaired eye, and 7.1% had bilateral PANDO. The mean age of the patients at operation was 43.3±5.7 years (SD=14.6). All patients experienced epiphora and discharge; 63.3% had redness of the skin around the lacrimal sac, and 33.3% had episodes of acute dacryocystitis prior to surgery. The surgical success of external DCR was evaluated in nine eyes among the eight patients who responded to the postoperative review. The results showed that the operation was successful in 55.6% of these patients, whereas in 11.1% it had a doubtful effect, and in 33.3% it was not successful. Conclusion : PANDO primarily affects women in their middle years. Cases that are unilateral are more common. External DCR is performed in patients with prolonged epiphora and purulent discharge. 55.6% of the cases are successful. In spite of the outcome, patients expressed great satisfaction with the cosmetic outcome and the disruption of their everyday lives caused by the watering of the eyes.

We present a new country record for Dipsas indica (Laurenti, 1768) (Serpentes, Colubridae, Dipsadinae) and discuss the species' distribution in Bolivia and South America. Little information on museum specimens and locality data from Bolivia exists for this species in the scientific literature, which has been largely based on a single museum specimen. This information contributes to the knowledge of its distributional status and summarizes known and available data for Bolivia.

In Allison Hedge Coke’s 2015 poem “Pando/Pando,” Pando is, in one instance, the site of a 2008 massacre in Bolivia, in which thirteen Evo Morales supporters, many Indigenous, were killed by a militia backed by a US-supported right-wing opposition. While this support clearly illustrates the longstanding exertion of US influence over Latin American countries, it also moves across related sites of settler territorialities to reaffirm in Bolivia the structures of racialized hierarchization and Indigenous elimination as the very grounds of sociopolitical legitimacy and normativity through which the US controls its own “domestic” political space. This essay wants to show how Hedge Coke’s poem engages with this transnational production of settler territorialities while redefining the linkage between the two sites as a decolonial crossing. For, secondly, “Pando” refers to a giant clonal colony in present-day Utah: a forest-sized tree and the “largest living organism on earth.” The poem links this form of Indigenous growth at a site of colonial violence via “Pando” to Morales and the Indigenous political movement he signifies. As it connects these different forms of Indigenous (political) life through their rootedness within their specific lands, the poem works to disrupt the normativity of any territorial settler claim. Beyond the limited settler state conceptions of politics as a centralized project of hierarchization, “Pando/Pando” envisions instead a multiscalar structure of relationships as the normative principle of sociopolitical formation, in which transnational settler colonial connections are redrawn as decolonial pluralities of Indigenous territorialities and dimensions of political life.

People in the department of Madre de Dios/Peru, the state of Acre/Brazil, and the department of Pando/Bolivia experience similar conflicts over land, land use, and access to resources. At the same time, each conflict reveals distinct characteristics and dynamics, arising from its history, legal regulation, institutional (in-)capacities, and culturally diverse local populations. The aim of this paper is to better understand the main drivers of social-ecological conflicts over land in and around three protected areas in this transboundary region, known as MAP, and to analyze how (environmental) institutions influence these drivers. The paper is based on a literature review and expert interviews; it focuses on conflicts around (1) gold mining in Madre de Dios, (2) extensive cattle ranching in Acre, and (3) access to communal land in Pando. Using theories of conflict research, expanded by a political ecology perspective and insights from stakeholder and expert interviews, we find that the major conflict drivers are (1) land tenure and access to land and natural resources, (2) identity and lifestyle driven transformations, (3) state and market driven agendas, and (4) networked illegal and criminal activities. Through a comparative conflict analysis, we develop four recommendations to strengthen the creation of reflexive institutions that may be able to foster social-ecological resilience in the region: (1) The clarification of responsibilities between governance institutions and their financing; (2) the awareness raising for existing power structures and opening spaces for enhanced local participation; (3) the breaking of corruptive cycles while developing economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable livelihood opportunities; and (4) taking the continuous reproduction of illegal activities into account while clarifying responsibilities, raising awareness, and breaking corruptive cycles. The results of our research therefore not only contribute to a better understanding of conflicts in the MAP region and the wider scientific literature on social-ecological conflicts and governance, but it is also the first paper that identifies entry points and prerequisites for the transformation from reactive to reflexive institutions in Amazonian societies.

Complex systems exhibit dynamics that typically evolve on low-dimensional attractors and may have sparse representation in some optimal basis. Recently developed compressive sensing techniques exploit this sparsity for state reconstruction and/or categorical identification from limited measurements. We argue that data-driven dimensionality reduction methods integrate naturally with sparse sensing in the context of complex systems. This framework works equally well with a physical model or in an equation-free context, where data is available but the governing equations may be unknown. We demonstrate the advantages of combining these methods on three prototypical examples: classification of dynamical regimes, optimal sensor placement, and equation-free dynamic model reduction. These examples motivate the potentially transformative role that state-of-the-art data methods and machine learning can play in the analysis of complex systems.

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) enables photovoltaic (PV) systems to extract as much solar energy as possible. Depending on which type of controller is used, PV systems can be classified as centralized MPPT (CMPPT) or decentralized MPPT (DMPPT). In substring-level systems, it is known that the energy yield of DMPPT can outweigh the power electronics cost. At the substring level, it is usually assumed that the PV curve exhibits a single peak, even under partial shading. Thus, the control algorithms for DMPPT are usually less complicated than those employed in CMPPT systems. This paper provides a comprehensive review of four simple DMPPT algorithms, which are perturb and observe (P&O), incremental conductance (INC), golden section search (GSS), and Newton’s quadratic interpolation (NQI). The comparison of these algorithms are done from the perspective of numerical analysis. Guidelines on how to set initial conditions and convergence criteria are thoroughly explained. This is of great interest to PV engineers when selecting algorithms for use in MPPT implementations. In addition, various problems that have never previously been identified before are highlighted and discussed. For instance, the problems of NQI trap is identified and methods on how to mitigate it are also discussed. All the algorithms are tested under various conditions including static, dynamic, and rapid changes of irradiance. Both simulation and experimental results indicate that P&O and INC are the best algorithms for DMPPT.

Background This prospective clinical study evaluates the effect of a silicone stent tube (SST) on the success rate of endonasal-endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (EN-DCR) to treat primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Methods Patients were randomly assigned to receive EN-DCR with or without SST intubation over a period of 3 months. The surgery was performed using standardized techniques. Patients were assessed at three different timepoints: one day, 12 weeks and 24 weeks after the surgery. The results were compared in order to evaluate statistical differences. Surgical success was determined by means of positive irrigation procedures, as well as by the improvement of symptoms and a high level of patient satisfaction. Results A total of 56 randomized cases completed 24 weeks of follow up. 1 Patient dropped out due to malignant genesis of the nasolacrimal duct obstruction. After 24 weeks of follow up no statistically significant differences in levels of epiphora ( p  > .10) or patency ( p  > .16) were revealed. Comparisons regarding changes in time did not show levels of significance ( p  > .28). Conclusions This study could not confirm a statistically significant benefit or disadvantage for SST Insertion in EN-DCR.