Sociodemographic characteristics and participation of women in meliponiculture from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

Background: Meliponiculture is the breeding of stingless bees (SB) or bees of the Meliponini tribe. In Mexico, this activity was practiced before the arrival of the Spaniards, with the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) (comprising the states of Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan) being the most important region due to its link with the economic, cultural and medicinal aspects of the Mayan communities. The objective of this study was to compare the sociodemographic characteristics and the participation of women in meliponiculture practiced in the YP.

A review of the melliferous flora of Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, on the basis for the honey production cycle.

Background: The Yucatan Peninsula (YP) is one of the most important regions in global apiculture. Hence, this work reviews and integrates the knowledge of the species diversity, growth habits, ecosystems, floral calendars during the apiculture production cycles and the types of vegetation represented in the melliferous flora (MF) of the YP; as a basis for proposing selection strategies locating suitable apiculture production areas for local beekeepers and help in the economic development of the region.

Methods: A comprehensive review of the MF literature was carried out using the snowball method to determine and update the number of species useful for apiculture.

Coherent spore dispersion via drop-leaf interaction.

The dispersion of plant pathogens, such as rust spores, is responsible for more than 20% of global crop yield loss annually. However, the release mechanism of pathogens from flexible plant surfaces into the canopy is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the interplay between leaf elasticity and rainfall, revealing how a flexible leaf structure can generate a lateral flow stream, with embedded coherent structures that enhance transport.

Morphology of pig nasal structure and modulation of airflow and basic thermal conditioning.

Mammals have presumably evolved to adapt to a diverse range of ambient environmental conditions through the optimized heat and mass exchange. One of the crucial biological structures for survivability is the nose, which efficiently transports and thermally preconditions the external air before reaching the internal body. Nasal mucosa and cavity help warm and humidify the inhaled air quickly.

No magic bullet: Limiting in-school transmission in the face of variable SARS-CoV-2 viral loads.

In the face of a long-running pandemic, understanding the drivers of ongoing SARS-CoV-2 transmission is crucial for the rational management of COVID-19 disease burden. Keeping schools open has emerged as a vital societal imperative during the pandemic, but in-school transmission of SARS-CoV-2 can contribute to further prolonging the pandemic. In this context, the role of schools in driving SARS-CoV-2 transmission acquires critical importance.

On the design of particle filters inspired by animal noses.

Passive filtering is a common strategy to reduce airborne disease transmission and particulate contaminants across scales spanning orders of magnitude. The engineering of high-performance filters with relatively low flow resistance but high virus- or particle-blocking efficiency is a non-trivial problem of paramount relevance, as evidenced in the variety of industrial filtration systems and face masks. Next-generation industrial filters and masks should retain sufficiently small droplets and aerosols while having low resistance.

Computational characterization of inhaled droplet transport to the nasopharynx.

How human respiratory physiology and the transport phenomena associated with inhaled airflow in the upper airway proceed to impact transmission of SARS-CoV-2, leading to the initial infection, stays an open question. An answer can help determine the susceptibility of an individual on exposure to a COVID-2019 carrier and can also provide a preliminary projection of the still-unknown infectious dose for the disease. Computational fluid mechanics enabled tracking of respiratory transport in medical imaging-based anatomic domains shows that the regional deposition of virus-laden inhaled droplets at the initial nasopharyngeal infection site peaks for the droplet size range of approximately 2.

Numerical evaluation of spray position for improved nasal drug delivery.

Topical intra-nasal sprays are amongst the most commonly prescribed therapeutic options for sinonasal diseases in humans. However, inconsistency and ambiguity in instructions show a lack of definitive knowledge on best spray use techniques. In this study, we have identified a new usage strategy for nasal sprays available over-the-counter, that registers an average 8-fold improvement in topical delivery of drugs at diseased sites, when compared to prevalent spray techniques.

Nasal Airflow Changes With Bioabsorbable Implant, Butterfly, and Spreader Grafts.

Objectives/hypothesis: Internal nasal valve compromise is a major cause of nasal obstruction, with a growing number of ways to treat this condition. In this study, we compared the effects of butterfly graft, spreader graft, and the bioabsorbable nasal implant on nasal airflow resistance.

Study Design: Cadaver study.

Intranasal Corticosteroids: Patient Administration Angles and Impact of Education.

Introduction: Intranasal corticosteroids sprays (INCS) are first line treatment for allergic rhinitis and are frequently used for chronic rhinosinusitis. Improperly aiming INCS increases the risk of epistaxis and may decrease the efficacy of the medication. The goal of this study was to determine how patients position INCS for drug delivery and if verbal or written instructions improve their positioning.

Impact of endoscopic craniofacial resection on simulated nasal airflow and heat transport.

Background: Endoscopic craniofacial resections (CFR) are performed for extensive anterior skull base lesions. This surgery involves removal of multiple intranasal structures, potentially leading to empty nose syndrome (ENS). However, many patients remain asymptomatic postoperatively.

Perceptions of the local beekeepers on the diversity and flowering phenology of the melliferous flora in the community of Xmabén, Hopelchén, Campeche, Mexico.

Background: The knowledge of native melliferous flora (MF) may contribute to identify the diversity of species available for beekeeping activities during the dry and rainy seasons of the year in the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) region. The acute shortage of food resources considerably reduce local honey production and needs to be addressed appropriately. The objective of this study has been identifying the local MF, their nectar and pollen contribution, their flowering patterns, and the criteria of the vegetation to be established adjacent to local apiaries for stable production of quality honey.

Comparative study of simulated nebulized and spray particle deposition in chronic rhinosinusitis patients.

Background: Topical intranasal drugs are widely prescribed for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), although delivery can vary with device type and droplet size. The study objective was to compare nebulized and sprayed droplet deposition in the paranasal sinuses and ostiomeatal complex (OMC) across multiple droplet sizes in CRS patients using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Methods: Three-dimensional models of sinonasal cavities were constructed from computed tomography (CT) scans of 3 subjects with CRS refractory to medical therapy using imaging software.

Upper airway reconstruction using long-range optical coherence tomography: Effects of airway curvature on airflow resistance.

Objectives: Adenotonsillectomy (AT) is commonly used to treat upper airway obstruction in children, but selection of patients who will benefit most from AT is challenging. The need for diagnostic evaluation tools without sedation, radiation, or high costs has motivated the development of long-range optical coherence tomography (LR-OCT), providing real-time cross-sectional airway imaging during endoscopy. Since the endoscope channel location is not tracked in conventional LR-OCT, airway curvature must be estimated and may affect predicted airway resistance.

Comparison of Airflow Between Spreader Grafts and Butterfly Grafts Using Computational Flow Dynamics in a Cadaveric Model.

Importance: Nasal valve compromise is a major cause of nasal obstruction, and multiple methods have been developed to address it.

Objective: To compare nasal airflow resistance, airflow partitioning, and mucosal cooling (heat flux) before and after 2 surgical interventions, butterfly and spreader graft placement, used to treat nasal valve compromise.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cadaveric tissue study, 4 fresh cadaveric heads underwent both spreader graft and butterfly graft surgical procedures in alternating sequence in March 2016.

On computational fluid dynamics models for sinonasal drug transport: Relevance of nozzle subtraction and nasal vestibular dilation.

Generating anatomically realistic 3-dimensional (3D) models of the human sinonasal cavity for numerical investigations of sprayed drug transport presents a host of methodological ambiguities. For example, subject-specific radiographic images used for 3D reconstructions typically exclude spray bottles. Subtracting a bottle contour from the 3D airspace and dilating the anterior nasal vestibule for nozzle placement augment the complexity of model building.

Ideal Particle Sizes for Inhaled Steroids Targeting Vocal Granulomas: Preliminary Study Using Computational Fluid Dynamics.

Objectives Vocal fold granulomas are benign lesions of the larynx commonly caused by gastroesophageal reflux, intubation, and phonotrauma. Current medical therapy includes inhaled corticosteroids to target inflammation that leads to granuloma formation. Particle sizes of commonly prescribed inhalers range over 1 to 4 µm.

Deep neural networks for texture classification-A theoretical analysis.

We investigate the use of Deep Neural Networks for the classification of image datasets where texture features are important for generating class-conditional discriminative representations. To this end, we first derive the size of the feature space for some standard textural features extracted from the input dataset and then use the theory of Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension to show that hand-crafted feature extraction creates low-dimensional representations which help in reducing the overall excess error rate. As a corollary to this analysis, we derive for the first time upper bounds on the VC dimension of Convolutional Neural Network as well as Dropout and Dropconnect networks and the relation between excess error rate of Dropout and Dropconnect networks.

Deploying a quantum annealing processor to detect tree cover in aerial imagery of California.

Quantum annealing is an experimental and potentially breakthrough computational technology for handling hard optimization problems, including problems of computer vision. We present a case study in training a production-scale classifier of tree cover in remote sensing imagery, using early-generation quantum annealing hardware built by D-wave Systems, Inc. Beginning within a known boosting framework, we train decision stumps on texture features and vegetation indices extracted from four-band, one-meter-resolution aerial imagery from the state of California.

Compulsive buying: an overlooked entity.

Compulsive buying is an under-recognised entity among Indian psychiatrists. A Medline search, hand searching of journals and direct communications with lead investigators in compulsive buying have generated numerous studies. Overseas data indicate a community prevalence between 1% and 8% .

Is genetically modified crop the answer for the next green revolution?

Post-green revolution advances made in biotechnology paved the way of cultivating the high-yielding, stress and disease resistant genetically modified (GM) varieties of wheat, rice, maize cotton and several other crops. The recent rapid commercialization of the genetically modified crops in Asia, Americas and Australia indicates the potentiality of this new technology. GM crops give higher yields and are rich in nutritional values containing vitamins and minerals and can thus can help to alleviate hunger and malnutrition of the growing population in the under developed and developing countries.

'Impulsive pica': a new diagnostic category?

Pica is an interesting psychiatric entity that merits special clinical attention. This report describes three cases of pica and calls for its separate nosological placement in clinical psychiatry. In the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fourth edition (DSM-IV), pica is described as persistent eating of nonutritive substances for a period of at least 1 month which is inappropriate to the developmental level and not part of a culturally sanctioned practice (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).