Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Largest HIV-1 CRF02_AG Outbreak in Spain: Evidence for Onward Transmissions

Background and Aim: The circulating recombinant form 02_AG (CRF02_AG) is the predominant clade among the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) non-Bs with a prevalence of 5.97% (95% Confidence Interval-CI: 5.41–6.57%) across Spain. Our aim was to estimate the levels of regional clustering for CRF02_AG and the spatiotemporal characteristics of the largest CRF02_AG subepidemic in Spain.Methods: We studied 396 CRF02_AG sequences obtained from HIV-1 diagnosed patients during 2000–2014 from 10 autonomous communities of Spain. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on the 391 CRF02_AG sequences along with all globally sampled CRF02_AG sequences (N = 3,302) as references. Phylodynamic and phylogeographic analysis was performed to the largest CRF02_AG monophyletic cluster by a Bayesian method in BEAST v1.8.0 and by reconstructing ancestral states using the criterion of parsimony in Mesquite v3.4, respectively.Results: The HIV-1 CRF02_AG prevalence differed across Spanish autonomous communities we sampled from (p < 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 52.7% of the CRF02_AG sequences formed 56 monophyletic clusters, with a range of 2–79 sequences. The CRF02_AG regional dispersal differed across Spain (p = 0.003), as suggested by monophyletic clustering. For the largest monophyletic cluster (subepidemic) (N = 79), 49.4% of the clustered sequences originated from Madrid, while most sequences (51.9%) had been obtained from men having sex with men (MSM). Molecular clock analysis suggested that the origin (tMRCA) of the CRF02_AG subepidemic was in 2002 (median estimate; 95% Highest Posterior Density-HPD interval: 1999–2004). Additionally, we found significant clustering within the CRF02_AG subepidemic according to the ethnic origin.Conclusion: CRF02_AG has been introduced as a result of multiple introductions in Spain, following regional dispersal in several cases. We showed that CRF02_AG transmissions were mostly due to regional dispersal in Spain. The hot-spot for the largest CRF02_AG regional subepidemic in Spain was in Madrid associated with MSM transmission risk group. The existence of subepidemics suggest that several spillovers occurred from Madrid to other areas. CRF02_AG sequences from Hispanics were clustered in a separate subclade suggesting no linkage between the local and Hispanic subepidemics

ART-RISK 3.0 a fuzzy—based platform that combine GIS and expert assessments for conservation strategies in cultural heritage

eritage preservation poses numerous difficulties, especially in emergency situations or during bud get cuts. In these contexts, having tools that facilitate efficient and rapid management of hazards vulnerabilities is a priority for the preventive conservation and triage of cultural assets. This paper presents the first (to the authors’ knowledge) free and public availability Artificial Intel ligence platform designed for conservation strategies in cultural heritage. Art-Risk 3.0 is a platform de signed as a fuzzy-logic inference system that combines information from geographical information system maps with expert assessments, in order to identify the contextual threat level and the degree of vulner ability that heritage buildings present. Thanks to the possibilities that the geographic information system offers, 12 Spanish churches (11th - 16th centuries) were analyzed. The artificial intelligence platform de veloped makes it possible to analyze the index of hazard, vulnerability and functionality, classify build ings according to the risk in order to do a sustainable use of budgets through the rational management of preventive conservation. The data stored in the system allows identify the danger due to geotechnics, precipitation, torrential downpour, thermal oscillation, frost, earthquake and flooding. Through the use of fuzzy logic, the tool interrelates environmental conditions with 14 other variables related to structural risks and the vulnera bility of buildings, which are evaluated through bibliographic search and review of photographic images. The geographic information system has identified torrential rains and thermal oscillations as the en vironmental threats that mostly impact heritage buildings in Spain. The results obtained highlight the Church of Santiago de Jesús as the most vulnerable building due to a lack of preventive conservation programs. These results, consistent with the inclusion of this mon ument on the list of heritage at risk defined by Hispania Nostra, corroborate the functionality of the model.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BIA2015–64878-RMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades PID2019–107257RB-I00Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PTA2019–01688

Preventive conservation of monuments based on DELPHI method and fuzzy logic

Preventive conservation requires identification, evaluation, and prioritization of the maintenance and restoration of cultural heritage under different hazards. The degradation of monuments is due to the effects caused by different agents (earthquakes, floods, weathering, pollution agents, anthropogenic fac-tors) that produce total or partial losses of architectonic elements or their altera-tions. The conservation degree of each monument depends on the vulnera bility, and its index is an indirect function of the level of deterioration, whereas the hazards depend on the localization and its environment conditions, social de-velopment and anthropogenic agents. RIVUPH and Art-Risk are Spanish pro-jects based on the analysis of environmental risk in historical cities and models to assess vulnerability and lives of buildings in order to improve the preventive conservation of monuments with similar characteristics. For this purpose, two different approaches have been evaluated: DELPHI method and Fuzzy Logic, where both tools are based on the opinion of experts in the field. The vulnerability analysis of three churches of Seville (Spain) have been studied to assess the monuments’ conservation degree. Both models (DELPHI and Fuzzy Logic) are able to forecast the necessities of restoration overlapping different scenario