Stephen Hawking: Black Holes and other Contributions from one of the Greatest Scientists of Our Time

Stephen Hawking entered the hall of the greatest scientists of all time, alongside names like Galileo, Newton and Einstein. He was a warrior fighting a degenerative disease that deprived him of movement. Hawking made important contributions to understanding the functioning of the Universe by exploring issues such as Black Holes, Wormholes, Space and Time, and the Big Bang. The understanding of the Thermodynamics of the Black Holes caused us to approach the Relativity of Quantum Mechanics, leaving the "Theory of Everything" closer to our reality. Stephen William Hawking was born exactly on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death and died at the age of 76 on Albert Einstein´s birthday on Pi Day on March 14, 2018

GNSS Applications to Assess Performance in Olympic Sailors: Laser Class

Laser class is an Olympic sport in which technical and tactical variables are very important in the performance of the sailor. However, the variables that determine performance in a regatta have not been studied, and less so with Olympic sailors. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to analyze the technical and tactical variables that differentiate sailors based on their level of performance and sex and determine the most important courses in a regatta. The sample consists of 159 Olympic sailors (67 females) of the Laser class, who participated in a World Cup. Velocity made good (VMG), distance, and maneuvers were evaluated using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) devices in the upwind, downwind, and broad reach courses. VMG in upwind and downwind is the technical variable that determines performance in the Laser class. The VMG is decisive in the performance of elite female sailors in the upwind, downwind, and broad reach courses, while in elite male sailors, performance is mainly influenced by speed in upwind and downwind and the distance covered in upwind. The maneuvers do not determine sailing performance in any of the courses of a regatta

Enraizamento de estacas do algodoeiro arbóreo em condições ex vitro.

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The impact of Charlson comorbidity index on the functional capacity of COVID-19 survivors: a prospective cohort study with one-year follow-up

Objective: To determine the association between the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score after discharge with 6-min walk test (6MWT) 1 year after discharge in a cohort of COVID-19 survivors. Methods: In this prospective study, data were collected from a consecutive sample of patients hospitalized for COVID-19. The CCI score was calculated from the comorbidity data. The main outcome was the distance walked in the 6MWT at 1 year after discharge. Associations between CCI and meters covered in the 6MWT were assessed through crude and adjusted linear regressions. The model was adjusted for possible confounding factors (sex, days of hospitalization, and basal physical capacity through sit-to-stand test one month after discharge). Results: A total of 41 patients were included (mean age 58.8 +/- 12.7 years, 20/21 men/women). A significant association was observed between CCI and 6MWT (meters): (i) crude model: beta = -18.7, 95% CI = -34.7 to -2.6, p < 0.05; (ii) model adjusted for propensity score including sex, days of hospitalization, and sit-to-stand: beta = -23.0, 95% CI = -39.1 to -6.8, p < 0.05. Conclusions: A higher CCI score after discharge indicates worse performance on the 6MWT at 1-year follow-up in COVID-19 survivors. The CCI score could also be used as a screening tool to make important clinical decisions

REM-associated sleep apnoea: prevalence and clinical significance in the HypnoLaus cohort

This study determined the prevalence of rapid eye movement (REM) related sleep-disordered breathing (REM-SDB) in the general population and investigated the associations of REM-SDB with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and depression.Home polysomnography (PSG) recordings (n=2074) from the population-based HypnoLaus Sleep Cohort (48.3% men, 57±11 years old) were analysed. The apnoea-hypopnoea index was measured during REM and non-REM sleep (as REM-AHI and NREM-AHI, respectively). Regression models were used to explore the associations between REM-SDB and hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and depression in the entire cohort and in subgroups with NREM-AHI &lt;10 events·h &lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; and total AHI &lt;10 events·h &lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; The prevalence of REM-AHI ≥20 events·h &lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; was 40.8% in the entire cohort. An association between increasing REM-AHI and metabolic syndrome was found in the entire cohort and in both the NREM-AHI and AHI subgroups (p-trend=0.014, &lt;0.0001 and 0.015, respectively). An association was also found between REM-AHI ≥20 events·h &lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; and diabetes in both the NREM-AHI &lt;10 events·h &lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; (odds ratio (OR) 3.12 (95% CI 1.35-7.20)) and AHI &lt;10 events·h &lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; (OR 2.92 (95% CI 1.12-7.63)) subgroups. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were positively associated with REM-AHI ≥20 events·h &lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; REM-SDB is highly prevalent in our middle-to-older age sample and is independently associated with metabolic syndrome and diabetes. These findings suggest that an increase in REM-AHI could be clinically relevant

Climate, irrigation, and land cover change explain streamflow trends in countries bordering the northeast Atlantic

Attribution of trends in streamflow is complex, but essential, in identifying optimal management options for water resources. Disagreement remains on the relative role of climate change and human factors, including water abstractions and land cover change, in driving change in annual streamflow. We construct a very dense network of gauging stations (n = 1,874) from Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Portugal for the period of 1961–2012 to detect and then attribute changes in annual streamflow. Using regression‐based techniques, we show that climate (precipitation and atmospheric evaporative demand) explains many of the observed trends in northwest Europe, while for southwest Europe human disturbances better explain both temporal and spatial trends. For the latter, large increases in irrigated areas, agricultural intensification, and natural revegetation of marginal lands are inferred to be the dominant drivers of decreases in streamflow

Racial differences in prostate inflammation: Results from the REDUCE study

Prostate cancer (PC) risk differs between races, and we previously showed prostate inflammation in benign prostate tissue was linked with a lower future PC risk. However, whether prostate tissue inflammation varies by race is unknown. We analyzed baseline acute and chronic prostate inflammation by race in REDUCE, a 4-year, multicenter, placebo-controlled study where all men had a negative prostate biopsy prior to enrollment. We included 7,982 men with standardized central pathology review to determine the presence or absence of chronic or acute inflammation in baseline prostate biopsy tissue. Logistic regression was used to compare prostate inflammation by race, adjusting for confounders. Of 7,982 men, 7,271 were white (91.1%), 180 (2.3%) black, 131 (1.6%) Asian, 319 (4.0%) Hispanic and 81 (1%) unknown. A total of 78% had chronic and 15% had acute inflammation. On multivariable analysis relative to white men, black men were less likely (OR = 0.65, 95%CI: 0.41-1.03

L'effet du climat viticole sur la typicité des vins blancs: caractérisation au niveau des régions viticoles ibéro-américaines.

There are many studies in the world that characterize the effect of the climate on grape composition and wine characteristics and typicity concerning different viticultural regions. However, the same is not true concerning studies in a worldwide scale to characterize this effect considering different climate types. This study is part of a CYTED (Ibero-American Program for Science, Technology and Development) project in vitivinicultural zoning. The objective was to characterize the effect of the viticultural climate on white wine typicity on the macro Ibero-American viticultural region. The methodology used 46 grape-growing regions in 6 Ibero-American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Portugal and Spain. The viticultural climate of each region was characterized by the 3 viticultural climate index of the Geoviticulture MCC System (1): HI (Heliothermal index), CI (Cool night index) and DI (Dryness index). The main sensory characteristics observed frequently in representative white wines produced with grapes of each of these 46 grape-growing regions were described by enologists in the respective countries, using the methodology of Zanus & Tonietto (2). The sensory description concerned the intensity of perception of Color (Cou), Aroma - Intensity (Ar), Aroma - Ripe Fruit (Ar-Fm), Body ? Palate Concentration (Con), Alcohol (Al) and Acidity (Ac). The Persistence in Mouth (Per) was also evaluated. The data were submitted to a correlation analysis of the variables and to a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results showed that the typicity of the white wines was correlated with the viticultural climate indexes HI, CI and DI from MCC System. The main wine sensory variables affected by viticultural climate are identified

Risk scores' performance and their impact on operative decision‑making in left‑sided endocarditis: a cohort study

Theaccuracy of contemporary risk scores in predicting perioperative mortality in infective endocarditis (IE) remains controversial. The aim is to evaluate the performance of existent mortality risk scores for cardiovascular surgery in IE and the impact on operability at high-risk thresholds. A single-center retrospective review of adult patients diagnosed with acute left-sided IE undergoing surgery from May 2014 to August 2019 (n = 142) was done. Individualized risk calculation was obtained according to the available mortality risk scores: EuroScore I and II, PALSUSE, Risk-E, Costa, De Feo-Cotrufo, AEPEI, STS-risk, STS-IE, APORTEI, and ICE-PCS scores. A cross-validation analysis was performed on the score with the best area under the curve (AUC). The 30-day survival was 96.5% (95%CI 91-98%). The score with worse area under the curve (AUC = 0.6) was the STS-IE score, while the higher was for the RISK-E score (AUC = 0.89). The AUC of the majority of risk scores suggested acceptable performance; however, statistically significant differences in expected versus observed mortalities were common. The cross-validation analysis showed that a large number of survivors (> 75%) would not have been operated if arbitrary high-risk threshold estimates had been used to deny surgery. The observed mortality in our cohort is significantly lower than is predicted by contemporary risk scores. Despite the reasonable numeric performance of the analyzed scores, their utility in judging the operability of a given patient remains questionable, as demonstrated in the cross-validation analysis. Future guidelines may advise that denial of surgery should only follow a highly experienced Endocarditis Team evaluation

A survey of zoonotic pathogens carried by house mouse and black rat populations in Yucatan, Mexico

The house mouse (Mus musculus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus) are reservoir hosts for zoonotic pathogens, several of which cause neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Studies of the prevalence of these NTD-causing zoonotic pathogens, in house mice and black rats from tropical residential areas are scarce. Three hundred and two house mice and 161 black rats were trapped in 2013 from two urban neighbourhoods and a rural village in Yucatan, Mexico, and subsequently tested for Trypanosoma cruzi, Hymenolepis diminuta and Leptospira interrogans. Using the polymerase chain reaction we detected T. cruzi DNA in the hearts of 4.9% (8/165) and 6.2% (7/113) of house mice and black rats, respectively. We applied the sedimentation technique to detect eggs of H. diminuta in 0.5% (1/182) and 14.2% (15/106) of house mice and black rats, respectively. Through the immunofluorescent imprint method, L. interrogans was identified in 0.9% (1/106) of rat kidney impressions. Our results suggest that the black rat could be an important reservoir for T. cruzi and H. diminuta in the studied sites. Further studies examining seasonal and geographical patterns could increase our knowledge on the epidemiology of these pathogens in Mexico and the risk to public health posed by rodents.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore