Triatoma pallidipennis, the main vector of Chagas disease in central Mexico, hosts a diverse and complex gut bacterial community shaped by environmental and physiological factors. To gain insight into these microbes’ dynamics, we characterised the gut bacterial communities of wild and insectary insects under different feeding and Trypanosoma cruzi infection conditions, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We identified 91 bacterial genera across 8 phyla, with Proteobacteria dominating most samples. Wild insects showed greater bacterial diversity, led by Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas, while insectary insects exhibited lower diversity and were dominated by Arsenophonus. The origin of the insects, whether they were reared in the insectary (laboratory) or collected from wild populations, was the principal factor structuring the gut microbiota, followed by feeding and T. cruzi infection. A stable core microbiota of 12 bacterial genera was present across all conditions, suggesting key functional roles in host physiology. Co-occurrence and functional enrichment analyses revealed that feeding and infection induced condition-specific microbial interactions and metabolic pathways. Our findings highlight the ecological plasticity of the triatomine gut microbiota and its potential role in modulating vector competence, providing a foundation for future microbiota-based control strategies.

The Flaviviruses Dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and Yellow Fever virus (YFV), are mosquito-borne viruses that represent a persistent challenge to global health due to the emergence and re-emergence of outbreaks of significant magnitudes. Their positive-sense RNA genome, about 11,000 nucleotides long, encodes structural and nonstructural proteins. These viruses evolve rapidly through mutations and genetic recombination, which can lead to more virulent and transmissible strains. Although whole-genome sequencing is ideal for studying their evolution and geographic spread, its cost is a limitation. We investigated the genetic variability of DENV, ZIKV, WNV, and YFV to identify genomic regions that accurately reflect the phylogeny of the complete coding sequence and evaluated the utility of these regions in reconstructing the geographic dispersal patterns of viral genotypes and lineages. Publicly available sequences from GenBank were examined to assess variability, reconstruct phylogenies, and identify the most informative genomic regions. Once representative regions were identified, they were used to infer the global phylogeographic structure of each virus. The virus depicted distinct variation patterns, but conserved regions of high and low variability were common to all. Highly variable regions of ~2700 nt offered greater resolution in phylogenetic trees, improving the definition of internal branches and statistical support for nodes. In some cases, combined multiple highly variable regions enhanced phylogenetic accuracy. Phylogeographic reconstruction consistently grouped sequences by genotype and geographic origin, with temporal structuring revealing evolutionarily distinct clusters that diverged over decades. These findings highlight the value of targeting genomic regions for phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis, providing an efficient alternative for genomic surveillance.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is transmitted by mosquito bites and causes chikungunya fever (CHIKF). CHIKV has a single-stranded RNA genome and belongs to a single serotype with three genotypes. The Asian lineage has recently emerged in the Western Hemisphere, likely due to travel-associated introduction. Genetic variation accumulates in the CHIKV genome as the virus replicates, creating new lineages. Whole genome sequencing is ideal for studying virus evolution and spread but is expensive and complex. This study investigated whether specific, highly variable regions of the CHIKV genome could recapitulate the phylogeny obtained with a complete coding sequence (CDS). Our results revealed that concatenated highly variable regions accurately reconstructed CHIKV phylogeny, exhibiting statistically indistinguishable branch lengths and tree confidence compared to CDS. In addition, these regions adequately inferred the evolutionary relationships among CHIKV isolates from the American outbreak with similar results to the CDS. This finding suggests that highly variable regions can effectively capture the evolutionary relationships among CHIKV isolates, offering a simpler approach for future studies. This approach could be particularly valuable for large-scale surveillance efforts.

Dengue is a significant disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. The disease is caused by four virus (DENV) serotypes and is transmitted to humans by female Aedes aegypti mosquito bites infected with the virus and vertically to their progeny. Current strategies to control dengue transmission focus on the vector. In this study, we describe an indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), using a monoclonal antibody against the non-structural dengue virus protein 1 (NS1), to detect DENV2 in Ae. aegypti eggs. The assay detects NS1 in eggs homogenates with 87.5% sensitivity and 75.0% specificity and it is proposed as a tool for the routine entomovirological surveillance of DENV 2 in field mosquito populations.

Insects lack an adaptive immune defense against invading microorganisms, but they possess humoral and cellular response similar to that of vertebrates. The Immune Deficiency (IMD) and Toll are the major signaling pathways to produce humoral antimicrobial peptides AMPs. Pathogen molecular patterns (PAMs) of Gram-negative bacteria activate Pattern recognition receptors (PRR) of the IMD pathway, while PAMS of Gram-positive activate PRR of the Toll pathway. Although the IMD pathways is incomplete in Hemipterans, in Triatoma pallidipennis, there is a preferential participation of the IMD pgrp-lc and toll receptors in the responses to Gramnegative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. Still, as in other insects, cross induction was observed. An enhanced protection after a previous exposure to a pathogen, termed priming, functionally homologous to the adaptive immune memory of vertebrates, has been documented in several insect Orders but not in Hemiptera, and the participation of the components of the immune signaling cascades remains poorly explored. We present evidence for immune priming to Micrococcus luteus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gramnegative) bacteria in T. pallidipennis. The preferential participation of receptors of the IMD and Toll pathways in the responses to each bacterial challenge was recorded

Numerous Li extraction methods from minerals and e-waste have been reported in the literature. Among them, direct fluorination processes appear to be a viable alternative due to their high lithium extraction efficiencies (>90%) as LiF. However, a drawback is the low water solubility of LiF, which requires acids for its separation and to obtain other commercial lithium salts. An interesting alternative for dissolving salts with low solubility is through the formation of coordination complexes. In this case, aluminum forms highly stable soluble complexes with the F- anion, such as AlF2+, AlF2+, AlF3, AlF4-, AlF52-, AlF63-. This study proposes an acid-free LiF dissolution methodology using aluminum sulfate as a leaching agent. The LiF dissolution was modeled and optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The investigated operating parameters for LiF dissolution were the solid/liquid ratio (A), reaction temperature (B), and leaching time (C). Thus, a predictive mathematical model was successfully optimized (R-2 = 0.9445). The results indicated that the S/L ratio negatively influences the dissolution of LiF, while temperature and time have a positive effect. The LiF dissolutions of 90 +/- 3% were achieved with a leaching time of 31 min, a S/L ratio of 20 g/mL, and a temperature of 45 degrees C.

Objective. Estimate the Zika prevalence in a dengueendemic municipality in Mexico, after the outbreak of 2015 to 2017. Materials and methods. Three serosurveys were conducted in Tapachula, Chiapas, in September 2018, March 2019 and November 2019. A commercial ZIKV and DENV anti-NS1 IgG ELISA were used to estimate each prevalence, their performance and adjustment of the cut-off value were compared with an in-house DENVs and ZIKV anti-EDIII IgG ELISA and the microneutralization test. Results. The anti-NS1 ZIKV titers decreased over time, causing that Zika prevalence decreased from 78.02 to 45.22%, while anti-NS1 DENV titers increased, and the prevalence remained above 95% over a two-year period. Conclusion. Optimal Zikaprevalence estimates can be obtained in a two-years period after outbreaks in dengue-endemic areas. The extension of the Zika outbreak is significantly higher than previously reported in Tapachula, highlighting the underreport of cases based on the routine flavivirus surveillance system in Mexico.

Mathematical deconvolution (MD) can offer a simple way to solve independent multistep kinetics. However, there are always doubts about the cases in which it loses efficiency.This work analyzes the adjustability of the Fraser-Suzuki function (FSF) for processes with F0, D1, and Pn models. Curves d alpha/dt vs t for were simulated and fitted using the FSF for each case. Their kinetic parameters were determined and compared with the real ones. Furthermore, an example of deconvolution was analyzed. The results show that the FSF fit does not lead to satisfactory results when applied to d alpha/dt vs t curves that show sharp peaks and sudden decays.This work is not intended to discourage MD use since it has led to correct parameters in many investigations. However, the aim is to show examples of limitations so that the analyst can choose other appropriate approaches. Therefore, MD should always be used with caution and judgment.

Editor’s notes: With the mounting interest in the public domain RISC-V instruction set architecture the complexity of verification on RISC-V CPUs is at the forefront. Every RISC-V implementation must ensure it fully complies with the programmer’s manual, independent of the purpose of the program or the application. This article describes a reusable and extendable UVM environment to check the correctness of the executed instructions with a high degree of precision. —Vivek Chickermane, Cadence

In this research, the thermal behavior of NH 4 HF 2 was studied by non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis between 298 and 600 K in a nitrogen atmosphere. The thermal analysis indicated that the gasification of this material begins in the solid state from 343 K, approximately, and continues after the melting point (398 K) in the liquid state. The Friedman's isoconversional method and combined kinetic analysis were used to evaluate the thermokinetic characteristics of the gasification of this compound in solid and liquid states. The results show that both processes follow an F0 model with Ea_Sol = 71.3 kJ mol −1 and ln( A_Sol /s^ - 1) = 12.8, and Ea_Liq = 66.6 kJ mol −1 and ln( A_Liq /s^ - 1) = 11.5. The kinetic triplets were corroborated by reconstructing the original experimental curves and predicting curves obtained under experimental conditions different from those used in the study. The F0 model indicates that the processes are dominated by sublimation/vaporization. The released gases were condensed and characterized, suggesting the formation of a new species, the “NH 4 HF 2 gas.”

Dengue and Zika are arthropod-borne viral diseases present in more than 100 countries around the world. In the past decade, Zika emerged causing widespread outbreaks in new regions, where dengue has been endemic-epidemic for a long period. The wide and extensive dissemination of the mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti, and Ae. albopictus, favor the co-existence of both infections in the same regions. Together with an important proportion of asymptomatic infections, similar clinical manifestations, and a short time window for acute infection confirmatory tests, it is difficult to differentially estimate both dengue and Zika incidence and prevalence. DENV and ZIKV flavivirus share high structural similarity, inducing a cross-reactive immune response that leads to false positives in serological tests particularly in secondary infections. This results in overestimation of recent Zika outbreaks seroprevalence in dengue endemic regions. In this review, we address the biological basis underlying DENV and ZIKV structural homology; the structural and cellular basis of immunological cross reactivity; and the resulting difficulties in measuring dengue and Zika seroprevalence. Finally, we offer a perspective about the need for more research to improve serological tests performance.

Dengue is a significant disease transmitted worldwide by Aedes mosquitoes in the tropics and subtropics. The disease is caused by four virus (DENV) serotypes and is transmitted to humans by female Aedes aegypti mosquito bites infected with the virus and vertically to their progeny. Current strategies to control dengue transmission focus on the vector. In this study, we develop an indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (ELISA), using a monoclonal antibody against the non-structural dengue virus protein 1 (NS1), to detect DENV in Ae. aegypti eggs. The assay detects NS1 in egg homogenates with 100% sensitivity and 83.33% specificity and it is proposed as a tool for the routine entomovirological surveillance of DENV in field mosquito populations.

New developments in energy storage technologies have positioned lithium as a critical energy element worldwide. For this reason, it is relevant to investigate new processes that exploit Li resources comprehensively and efficiently. This work describes a simple methodology for Li extraction by solid-solid reaction between alpha-spodumene and KF and subsequent leaching. The operational parameters investigated were: temperature, calci-nation time, and amount of fluorinating agent. The process efficiency was analyzed through Design of Experiments (DOE) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to obtain a predictive model of the system. Optimal Li extraction of 94% was achieved at 779 degrees C, 43 min, with a KF/spodumene ratio of 0.56 w/w.(c) 2023 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fluorination processes have been presented as an alternative to Li extraction and recovery processes from minerals and electronic waste. One of the possible products is LiF, a salt insoluble in water. Depending on market demands, it may be necessary to transform it into another lithium compound for technological applications. In this work, LiF was synthesized from LiCl and HF and characterized by the XRD and Rietveld method. The dissolution of LiF in sulfuric acid solution was modeled and optimized by Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The operating parameters investigated for leaching LiF were the solid/liquid ratio (A), sulfuric acid concentra-tion (B), and leaching time (C). A mathematical model was obtained using RSM to predict the response at any point in the experimental domain (R2 = 0.9970). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the reduced quadratic model indicated that A, B, and AB, A2, and B2 interactions were significant. The optimal conditions selected were A = 13.0 LiF g/L, B = 5% v/v and C = 15 min to obtain a LiF dissolution of 100 +/- 1% in sulfuric acid. Furthermore, optimal acid leaching conditions were tested on the fluorination products of alpha-spodumene with NaF. The results indicated that 98 +/- 3% of the LiF in the fluorination products dissolves in the acid medium, in agreement with RSM. These results indicate the potential to double the solid/liquid ratio and halve the acid concentration and time to leach lithium from fluorinated alpha-spodumene, compared to other reported processes.

Lithium is an essential element in the current energy paradigm shift. Therefore, Li extraction from mineral sources has become a scientific and technological priority. Industrially, the mineral alpha-spodumene is heated to 1100 degrees C to obtain phase beta and then digested with concentrated sulfuric acid at 250 degrees C. As an alternative, the extraction of Li from alpha-spodumene with molten NH4HF2 has been proposed as an efficient alternative method at low temperature (similar to 160 degrees C). However, the LiF obtained requires an acid leaching step to be solubilized and to separate the Li from other products. This research presents the modeling and optimization of the acid leaching operating parameters of the LiF/(NH4)(3)AlF6 mixture. This mixture was obtained by processing alpha-spodumene with NH4HF2 at low temperatures. The solids were characterized by XRD, SEM/EDS, and the Rietveld method. The leaching operating parameters investigated were solid/liquid ratio, sulfuric acid concentration, and leaching time. (NH4)(3)AlF6 dissolution and Li extraction were analyzed and modeled separately using artificial neural networks and least squares, respectively. The optimization stage of the process leads to (NH4)(3)AlF6 dissolution of 99% and Li extractions of 93%, working with 6% (v/v) sulfuric acid solution and an S/L ratio of 30 g/L for 24 min

This paper presents the development of a novel process for the extraction of Ni contained in spent cathodes of NiMH batteries, by using an organic leaching agent, acetic acid (CH3COOH), in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a facilitator of cathodic dissolution. The operating parameters studied were temperature, time, and concentration of CH3COOH and H2O2, applying experimental design with subsequent optimisation using the response surface methodology (RSM). The maximum empirical extraction of Ni, of 99.9%, was achieved under the following conditions: temperature, 75 degrees C; CH3COOH and H2O2 concentrations, 6% (v/v) and 1.5% (v/v), respectively; reaction time, 30 min; stirring speed, 330 rpm and solid-liquid ratio, 25 g/L. To minimise the values of parameters such as the temperature and concentration of leaching agent and H2O2, a numerical optimisation was carried out, leading to an optimal extraction value of 95.6%.

This paper describes the Sargantana System on chip (SoC), a 64-bit RISC-V single core processor designed by a number of academic institutions and manufactured in 22 nm FDSOI technology: BSC, UPC, UB, UAB, CIC-IPN and IMB-CNM (CSIC). The SoC includes the processor as well as, among other components, a Phase Locked Loop (PLL) operating up to 2 GHz, interfaces to HyperRAM and a Serdes up to 8 Gbps. The processor has demonstrated experimental correct operation at 800 MHz.

Public health training cannot be practiced in isolation, but rather within the framework of substantive conceptual visions, the organizational structure and teaching culture in a broad sense, The School of Public Health of Mexico (ESPM), in the mist of its 100th anniversary, is implementing an educational restructure with the guidance of conceptual and ethical principles.The restructure of the academic programs will follow a constructivist pedagogical model, based on renewed institutional practices that integrates research, teaching and community outreach, making for truly transformative learning.The new design of the whole structure of its academic programs has the objetive of making them flexible, less technical-based but more practical, and a within an unified curricular system that articulates and allows continuity between master's degrees and doctorates programs. In the new structure, the curriculum will have a common core for all the academic programs, emerging from the study of the essential bases of public health, human rights, including gender and social perspectives, principles of global health, ethics of public health practice, environmental and animal health inferences and community outreach in the form of social retribution.The Institute's research groups will be the functional units for investigation and teaching, thus students will be integrated into these at an early stage, under the guidance of a tutor. In this context, the requirements for a comprehensive, unifying and at the same time flexible curriculum will support training of Public Health with a holistic approach.The current programs were analyzed including the review of their courses, regarding the pertinence of their contents and proposed competencies.We present herein a description of these observations, and propose a new common core (conceptual-operative) with compulsory courses as the base for all programs.The participation of all academic bodies in reviewing the proposed new common core, as well as the syllabus and courses, identified those that are essential in each program's study concentration area, is indicated.

This paper studied the optimization of the Li extraction process by mechanical activation of low-grade alpha-spodumene ore with NaF followed by leaching with NaF/H2SO4 solution at low temperatures (<= 90 degrees C). The effects of mechanical activation on the structural and microstructural parameters (crystallite size and lattice strain) of the mineral/NaF mixture were analyzed. In addition, the investigated operating parameters were mechanical activation time, reaction temperature, and leaching time. The response surface methodology based on a D-optimal design was used to comprehend the effect of the process parameters on the leaching efficiency of Li. The results indicated that the milling time, the temperature, and the leaching time had a positive effect on the lithium extraction. The temperature, the leaching time, and their interaction had the greatest effect on the lithium extraction. The optimum Li extraction value achieved was 81% working with a sample activated 600 min, and a temperature and leaching time of 90 degrees C and 240 min, respectively. The characterization of the products showed that Al and Si were recovered as Na3AlF6 and Na2SiF6 during the leaching process. The presence of albite and quartz indicated that the leaching reaction was highly selective on alpha-spodumene, allowing to work with mineral samples with low Li content.

Background Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) participate in the humoral immune response of insects eliminating invasive microorganisms. The immune deficiency pathway (IMD) and Toll are the main pathways by which the synthesis of these molecules is regulated in response to Gram-negative (IMD pathway) or Gram-positive (Toll pathway) bacteria. Various pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) participate in the recognition of microorganisms, such as pgrp-lc and toll , which trigger signaling cascades and activate NF-κB family transcription factors, such as relish , that translocate to the cell nucleus, mainly in the fat body, inducing AMP gene transcription. Methods T. pallidipennis inhibited in Tp pgrp-lc , Tp toll , and Tp relish were challenged with E. coli and M. luteus to analyze the expression of AMPs transcripts in the fat body and to execute survival assays. Results In this work we investigated the participation of the pgrp-lc and toll receptor genes and the relish transcription factor (designated as Tp pgrp-lc , Tp toll , and Tp relish ), in the transcriptional regulation of defensin B , prolixicin , and lysozyme B in Triatoma pallidipennis , one of the main vectors of Chagas disease. AMP transcript abundance was higher in the fat body of blood-fed than non-fed bugs. Challenge with Escherichia coli or Micrococcus luteus induced differential increases in AMP transcripts. Additionally, silencing of Tp pgrp-lc , Tp toll , and Tp relish resulted in reduced AMP transcription and survival of bugs after a bacterial challenge. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that the IMD and Toll pathways in T. pallidipennis preferentially respond to Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively, by increasing the expression of AMP transcripts, but cross-induction also occurs. Graphical Abstract