International Conference on Mathematical Analysis and Applications in Science and Engineering – Book of Extended Abstracts

The present volume on Mathematical Analysis and Applications in Science and Engineering - Book of Extended Abstracts of the ICMASC’2022 collects the extended abstracts of the talks presented at the International Conference on Mathematical Analysis and Applications in Science and Engineering – ICMA2SC'22 that took place at the beautiful city of Porto, Portugal, in June 27th-June 29th 2022 (3 days). Its aim was to bring together researchers in every discipline of applied mathematics, science, engineering, industry, and technology, to discuss the development of new mathematical models, theories, and applications that contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge and practice. Authors proposed research in topics including partial and ordinary differential equations, integer and fractional order equations, linear algebra, numerical analysis, operations research, discrete mathematics, optimization, control, probability, computational mathematics, amongst others. The conference was designed to maximize the involvement of all participants and will present the state-of- the-art research and the latest achievements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trends in Infectious Diseases

This book gives a comprehensive overview of recent trends in infectious diseases, as well as general concepts of infections, immunopathology, diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology and etiology to current clinical recommendations in management of infectious diseases, highlighting the ongoing issues, recent advances, with future directions in diagnostic approaches and therapeutic strategies. The book focuses on various aspects and properties of infectious diseases whose deep understanding is very important for safeguarding human race from more loss of resources and economies due to pathogens

Multi-Agent Systems

A multi-agent system (MAS) is a system composed of multiple interacting intelligent agents. Multi-agent systems can be used to solve problems which are difficult or impossible for an individual agent or monolithic system to solve. Agent systems are open and extensible systems that allow for the deployment of autonomous and proactive software components. Multi-agent systems have been brought up and used in several application domains

Mathematical Analysis and Applications

Investigations involving the theory and applications of mathematical analytic tools and techniques are remarkably wide-spread in many diverse areas of the mathematical, physical, chemical, engineering and statistical sciences. In this Special Issue, we invite and welcome review, expository and original research articles dealing with the recent advances in mathematical analysis and its multidisciplinary applications

Ultrasensitive detection of toxocara canis excretory-secretory antigens by a nanobody electrochemical magnetosensor assay.

peer reviewedHuman Toxocariasis (HT) is a zoonotic disease caused by the migration of the larval stage of the roundworm Toxocara canis in the human host. Despite of being the most cosmopolitan helminthiasis worldwide, its diagnosis is elusive. Currently, the detection of specific immunoglobulins IgG against the Toxocara Excretory-Secretory Antigens (TES), combined with clinical and epidemiological criteria is the only strategy to diagnose HT. Cross-reactivity with other parasites and the inability to distinguish between past and active infections are the main limitations of this approach. Here, we present a sensitive and specific novel strategy to detect and quantify TES, aiming to identify active cases of HT. High specificity is achieved by making use of nanobodies (Nbs), recombinant single variable domain antibodies obtained from camelids, that due to their small molecular size (15kDa) can recognize hidden epitopes not accessible to conventional antibodies. High sensitivity is attained by the design of an electrochemical magnetosensor with an amperometric readout with all components of the assay mixed in one single step. Through this strategy, 10-fold higher sensitivity than a conventional sandwich ELISA was achieved. The assay reached a limit of detection of 2 and15 pg/ml in PBST20 0.05% or serum, spiked with TES, respectively. These limits of detection are sufficient to detect clinically relevant toxocaral infections. Furthermore, our nanobodies showed no cross-reactivity with antigens from Ascaris lumbricoides or Ascaris suum. This is to our knowledge, the most sensitive method to detect and quantify TES so far, and has great potential to significantly improve diagnosis of HT. Moreover, the characteristics of our electrochemical assay are promising for the development of point of care diagnostic systems using nanobodies as a versatile and innovative alternative to antibodies. The next step will be the validation of the assay in clinical and epidemiological contexts

Adaptation strategies to climate change in the Tropics: analysis of two multifactorial systems (high-altitude Andean ecosystems and Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections)

In this dissertation I focus my analyses of adaptation strategies to climate change on two areas of primary concern: (i) high-altitude ecosystems of the Tropical Andes, with particular interest in the so-called páramo ecosystems; and (ii) mosquito-borne diseases, focusing on Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections. My research on páramo ecosystems follows a six-tiered approach to understand the linkages between the ongoing changes in climatic conditions and the disruptions affecting the integrity of high-altitude environments. Activities conducted herein include the analyses of changes in atmospheric stability and lifting condensation levels; the diagnosis of changes in hydrological regimes; the assessment of the extent of life zones; the analyses of increases in the occurrence and rapid spread of high-altitude fires; the assessment of the integrity of páramo ecosystems; and the analyses of increases in climatic stress. Activities are conducted for three key, strategic, protected high-altitude Andean environments of the Tropical Andes and for the full length of the Andes Cordillera. My research findings provide elements for an improved understanding of the potential responses of Andean ecosystems to the large-scale rapidly changing climate and to a strongly-influential natural interannual variability. My research on P. falciparum malaria focuses on the analysis of the complexity behind the transmission dynamics of this multi-factorial disease. A deep understanding of such a complexity is possible through a holistic examination of the climatic, biological, socioeconomic, and demographic key-factors that are driving the fluctuations, changes and trends in malaria incidence. I propose a multi-model ensemble of malaria process-based models to offer useful information that could effectively guide decision-makers in risk assessment, malaria control investments and choice of interventions. I work on the integration of short-, medium- and long-term climate predictions into simulations of future changing scenarios, while helping to set up environment-informed systems at municipal level. My research thus provides a framework to: (a) compare the simulation outputs of several malaria process-based models with actual malaria morbidity profiles observed in several endemic- and epidemic-prone pilot sites in Colombia and Kenya; (b) explore the role that both climatic and non-climatic factors play in fluctuations and trends in malaria incidence, and analyze key confounders; (c) assess changing climate and future scenarios, and estimate the timing and possible magnitude of unexpected malaria outbreaks; (d) investigate current decision making processes, simulate the impact of indoor residual spraying campaigns, and provide quantitative goals for effective interventions; (e) conduct stability analysis; (f) pose and answer "what if" questions; and (g) stimulate an interactive learning environment to help decision makers learn