Publications by authors named "Ruiz B"

The following work explores a sustainable approach to repurpose organic waste from poplar pruning into lignocellulosic waste-based activated carbons (LPWACs) through environmentally friendly thermochemical processes and in line with circular economy principles. The developed LPWACs, activated by potassium hydroxide (KOH) at two different temperatures and weight ratios, exhibited promising textural properties with BET surface area (S) and total pore volume (V) reaching up to 1336 m·g and 0.588 cm·g, respectively.

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The composition of the gut microbiota is a known factor in various diseases and has proven to be a strong basis for automatic classification of disease state. A need for a better understanding of microbiota data on the functional scale has since been voiced, as it would enhance these approaches' biological interpretability. In this paper, we have developed a computational pipeline for integrating the functional annotation of the gut microbiota into an automatic classification process and facilitating downstream interpretation of its results.

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Fungal trunk disease (FTD) poses a significant threat to hazelnut ( L.) production worldwide. In Chile, the fungus , from the Botryosphaeriaceae family, has been frequently identified causing this disease in the Maule and Ñuble Regions.

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Background: Exposure to pesticides has been linked to adverse respiratory health outcomes in children.

Methods: We leveraged the Children's Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment cohort located in the rural community of Imperial Valley near the US-Mexico border. We calculated the kilograms of total pesticides applied within 400 m of children's residential addresses for the years 2016-2020.

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Effective interventions to prevent burnout among intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians are urgently needed. Death cafés, group discussions about death, build a sense of community and create a space for reflection on distressing events. To assess whether participation in regular death cafés can prevent burnout in ICU clinicians (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists).

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Microplastic particles have been discovered in virtually all ecosystems worldwide, yet they may only represent the surface of a much larger issue. Nanoplastics, with dimensions well below 1 µm, pose an even greater environmental concern. Due to their size, they can infiltrate and disrupt individual cells within organisms, potentially exacerbating ecological impacts.

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Objective: To investigate intermediate-term clinical results in patients with concomitant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and chondral defect treated with high-density autologous chondrocyte implantation (HD-ACI) compared to patients without ACL tear but with a chondral lesion and HD-ACI treatment.

Design: Forty-eight patients with focal chondral lesions underwent HD-ACI (24 with ACL reconstruction after an ACL injury and 24 with an intact ACL). Follow-up assessments occurred at 6, 12, and 24 months.

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Nowadays, the scarcity of energy resources is promoting the search for alternative energy sources, boosting interest in the use of forest lignocellulosic residue in the energy sector. In this study, the focus is on the energy recovery from two lignocellulosic residues originated during the pruning of ornamental trees (Horse Chestnut, CI, and False Acacia, FA). Both conventional and flash pyrolysis techniques were applied.

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var. is a recurrent pathogen causing root rot in industrial chicory. Currently, there is no chemical or varietal control for this disease, and thus, management strategies need to be developed.

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The bismuth hydride (2,6-MesHC)BiH (, Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl), which has a Bi-H H NMR spectroscopic signal at δ = 19.64 ppm, was reacted with phenylacetylene at 60 °C in toluene to yield [(2,6-MesCH)BiC(Ph)=CH] () after 15 min. Compound was characterized by H, C NMR, and UV-vis spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray crystallography, and calculations employing density functional theory.

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The preparation of graphene materials from biomass resources is still a challenge, even more so if they are going to be employed as supports for electrocatalysts for water splitting. Herein, we describe the preparation and characterization of graphene oxides (GOs) from solid macroalgae waste obtained after processing an agar-agar residue. The structural and morphological characterization of the obtained GO confirm the presence of a lamellar material that is composed of few layers with an increased number of heteroatoms (including nitrogen) if compared with those observed in a GO obtained from graphite (reference).

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Objectives: Childhood caries is associated with poorer self-rated general health in adulthood, but it remains unclear whether that holds for physical health and aging. The aim of this study was to identify whether age-5 caries is associated with (a) biomarkers for poor physical health, and (b) the pace of aging (PoA) by age 45 years.

Methods: Participants are members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study birth cohort.

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Rhizobia are soil bacteria that can establish a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with legume plants. As horizontally transmitted symbionts, the life cycle of rhizobia includes a free-living phase in the soil and a plant-associated symbiotic phase. Throughout this life cycle, rhizobia are exposed to a myriad of other microorganisms that interact with them, modulating their fitness and symbiotic performance.

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Previous studies have shown that inhibition of TNF family member FN14 (gene: ) in colon tumors decreases inflammatory cytokine expression and mitigates cancer-induced cachexia. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of FN14 expression remain unclear. Tumor microenvironments are often devoid of nutrients and oxygen, yet how the cachexic response relates to the tumor microenvironment and, importantly, nutrient stress is unknown.

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Burning of agricultural fields is an understudied source of air pollution in rural communities in the United States. Smoke from agricultural burning contains air toxics that adversely impact respiratory health. Imperial County in southeastern California is a highly productive agricultural valley that heavily employs agricultural burning to clear post-harvest crop remnants.

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Dental caries is a chronic and cumulative disease but little has been reported on the continuity of the disease and its treatment through life. Group-based multi-trajectory modeling was used to identify developmental trajectories of untreated carious tooth surfaces (DS), restored tooth surfaces (FS), and teeth extracted due to caries (MT) from ages 9 to 45 years in a New Zealand longitudinal birth cohort, the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (n = 975). Associations between early-life risk factors and trajectory group membership were examined by specifying the probability of group membership according to a multinomial logit model.

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Half a century after the photolytic disproportionation of Lappert's dialkyl stannylene SnR, R = CH(SiMe) (1) gave the persistent trivalent radical [˙SnR], the characterization of the corresponding Sn(I) product, ˙SnR is now described. It was isolated as the hexastannaprismane SnR (2), from the reduction of 1 by the Mg(I)-reagent, Mg(BDI) (BDI = (DipNCMe)CH, Dip = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl).

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Inhibition of AMPK is tightly associated with metabolic perturbations upon over nutrition, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying are not clear. Here, we demonstrate the serine/threonine-protein phosphatase 6 regulatory subunit 3, SAPS3, is a negative regulator of AMPK. SAPS3 is induced under high fat diet (HFD) and recruits the PP6 catalytic subunit to deactivate phosphorylated-AMPK, thereby inhibiting AMPK-controlled metabolic pathways.

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A cynomolgus macaque presented with an osteolytic lesion of the left femur. Histopathology was consistent with well-differentiated chondrosarcoma. No metastasis was found in chest radiographs out to 12 months.

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The primary aims of this mixed method study were to (a) examine the effectiveness of a brief inference intervention, (b) compare the types of knowledge-based inferencing errors less skilled middle grade readers make, and (c) evaluate if self-reported cognitive load relates to inferencing. Participants ( = 17) were randomly assigned to a graphic organizer-inference intervention (GO-Inference) ( = 9) or business as usual (BAU) condition ( = 8), and differences between groups were explored for each study purpose. Quantitative and qualitative results suggested that while less skilled readers in the GO-Inference condition made modest progress in forming knowledge-based inferences, they continued to struggle to distinguish relevant versus irrelevant information from text and/or retrieve knowledge necessary to form inferences.

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Aims: Breast phyllodes tumours (PTs) are a rare subset of fibroepithelial neoplasms categorised into benign, borderline, and malignant grades according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumours (WCTs). In this report, we developed an evidence gap map (EGM) based on the literature cited in the PT chapter of the 5th edition of the breast WCT in order to identify knowledge and research gaps in PT.

Methods: A framework was first established where the dimensions of the EGM were defined as categories of tumour descriptors, tumour types, and evidence levels.

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Growing interest has recently been shown in Tepary beans () because they contain lectins and protease inhibitors that have been shown to have a specific cytotoxic effect on human cancer cells. Bean lectins offer protection against biotic and abiotic stress factors, so it is possible that mechanical foliar damage may increase lectin production. This study evaluates the effect of mechanical stress (foliar damage) on lectin and protease inhibitor content in Tepary beans.

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Background: The global market for lactic acid is witnessing growth on the back of increasing applications of lactic acid for manufacturing polylactic acid. Indeed, the lactic acid market is expected to reach 9.8 billion US dollars by 2025.

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