National University of Córdoba

Paints, coatings and varnishes play a crucial role in various industries and daily applications, providing essential material protection and enhancing aesthetic characteristics. However, they sometimes present environmental challenges such as corrosion, wear, and biofouling which lead to economic losses and ecological harm. Paint particles (PPs), including antifouling/anticorrosive paint particles (APPs), originate from marine, industrial, and architectural activities, primarily due to paint leakage, wear, and removal, thus significantly contributing to marine pollution. These particles are often misclassified as microplastics (MPs) because of their polymeric content, so the abundance of these materials is often underestimated. Standardized assessment methodologies are imperative to accurately differentiate and quantify them. Since PPs/APPs incorporate hazardous substances like metals, biocides, and additives that leach into the environment, further investigation into their potential impacts on organisms is of utmost importance to understand their complex composition and toxicity. While essential characterization techniques are needed, a holistic approach, focusing on sustainable paint formulations, is crucial for effective pollution mitigation. This review delves into the intricate structure of paint systems, elucidating the mechanisms governing the aging and formation of PPs/APPs, their prevalence and subsequent environmental and ecotoxicological repercussions. Additionally, it addresses challenges in sampling, processing, and characterizing PPs/APPs, advocating standardized approaches to mitigate their environmental threats, and proposing new perspectives for the future.

INTRODUCTION Septic arthritis caused by N. gonorrhoeae is rare in our setting. Systemic dissemination may present as a characteristic triad of skin rash, tenosynovitis and arthritis. CASE PRESENTATION A 47-year-old man, previously healthy, had oligoarticular pain for seven days. He developed polyarthralgia and skin lesions. Arthrocentesis, blood cultures and laboratory tests with a rheumatological profile were performed. Antibiotic treatment was started and subsequent arthroscopic debridement of the knee was performed after synovial fluid and laboratory analysis. Blood cultures revealed N. gonorrhoeae . The patient complied with antibiotic treatment and evolved favorably until he recovered completely. DISCUSSION N. Gonorrhoeae has a low systemic dissemination. Joint involvement may resolve spontaneously. Tenosynovitis affects more the dorsum of the hands and wrists. The skin lesions are purplish macules that may develop into vesicles or pustules. There may be immunological lesions. Cultures are often negative. Other pathologies with joint and skin involvement should be known, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriatic arthritis and reactive arthritis. Treatment consists of surgical debridement and antibiotics. In contrast to other septic arthritis, complications are rare and the prognosis is good.

The core questions in Chapter 2 are the following: In what manner and how efficiently and effectively do states, companies, multilateral organizations and civil society organizations in Latin America face the problems of disinformation, hate discourses and challenges to political correctness? Are their measures enough to counter the problems in public communication in the region? I argue that most of the focused measures analyzed and developed by states, corporations, inter-governmental organizations and civil society organizations contribute in a non-intended articulated way to democratize communication and, in doing so, to democratize societies and subjectivities. However, their own limitations and the risks they imply as well the serious restrictions they face prevent them from overcoming all three articulated sets of the above-mentioned problems.

Latin American human rights organizations, feminisms, women’s and dissidences’ movements, indigenous peoples’ and Afro-descendants’ organizations, that is, groups that have been attacked historically, developed various strategies to overcome the attacks they receive and to revert the impact of problematic expressions. It is necessary to recover these Latin American social learnings in order to resist and overcome misleading, mendacious, discriminating and violent discourses, but also to find different ways of telling fact-based truths; debating the acceptability of derogatory expressions; and extending respect and recognition for stigmatized, invisibilized and subalternized people. In this chapter I analyze the strategies developed by women’s and sexual dissidences’ social movements in Argentina, Afro-descendants’ movements in Brazil, indigenous people’s movements in Bolivia, movements for peace in Colombia and human rights movements in Argentina as well as by public institutions for memory, truth, justice and peace in Colombia and Argentina in order to face disinformation campaigns, denialism and hate discourses.

Acknowledging that focalized responses to problems in public communication are not efficient enough, and, what is more, some of them increase the risks that they supposedly attempt to overcome does not mean giving in to the supposed inevitability of disinformation, denialist and hate discourses. Instead, I argue that new alternatives have to be sought. In Latin American societies, women’s and dissidences’ movements, indigenous peoples’ and Afro-descendants’ organizations, human rights organizations and participatory public institutions for memory, truth, justice and peace have developed strategies to overcome the attacks they suffer, to revert the impact of problematic expressions on communication, social bonds, subjectivities and politics, and to promote new consensuses on truth, justice and sincerity. That is why their learnings should be revisited in the light of the new conditions and characteristics of problems in public communication. To this end, in this chapter I analyze their collective trajectory, the basis of their prestige and their achievements.

In Chap. 2 I characterize the three identified groups of current problems in public communication: disinformation and denialism, hate speech, and contempt for political correctness. I also analyze the social actors responsible for them and the actors that are usually atacked by these speeches; the historical and current structural, economic, social and cultural conditions that favor their development; and their personal, social, communicative and political consequences. Therefore, I examine the contemporary threats to democratic public communication as well as the communication and social rules that they challenge.

The main purpose is to provide a defense of the history of psychology at a global (worldwide); however, it is important to consider that this defense arises from Latin America. Given that this panorama is mostly unknown to a large part of psychologists, this article presents itself as an explicit action to foster this discipline by addressing three main issues. Firstly, present some milestones in the journey of the history of psychology at the global with an emphasis on Latin America. Secondly, present a series of critical reflections on the current relevance of this area within the field of psychology. Finally, establish a position in 10 sentences that acts as a defense of the importance of the history of psychology for the psychological discipline on various levels. While the majority of the content presented here is commonly recognized among individuals professionally immersed in historical research within the realm of psychology, it possesses a diminished level of accessibility for students and psychologists not specializing in historical matters. The aim here is not to convince those who are already convinced, but to have an impact beyond the community of specialists that, synergistically, can affect the vast field of psychology in general.

In the face of global climate change, the West Antarctic Peninsula has been identified as highly vulnerable due to rising temperatures and increased anthropogenic carbon emissions impacting its biodiversity. Species Distribution Models are useful tools for assessing habitat suitability and forecasting responses in a changing environment. At Potter Cove, the glacier retreat opened new ice-free areas for colonization while altering the environment through meltwater input and sediment run-off. This fjord serves as a case study to identify environmental predictors driving Antarctic zoobenthos distribution in a changing coastal ecosystem and analyze the potential benthic colonization in areas strongly affected by glacier retreat. About 60% of the study area, equivalent to 5.45 km2, was estimated to be suitable for zoobenthic occurrence. Potential spatial co-occurrence was identified in highly glacier-influenced areas. The interpretation of binary transformation thresholds emphasizes taxa-specific environmental requirements responding to glaciological, oceanographic, and sedimentological predictors, inferring particularities depending on their feeding strategies. A lower threshold value estimated a wider habitat extension. This study enhances our understanding of benthic responses to ongoing environmental shifts due to climate change in the Antarctic coastal ecosystem, emphasizing long-term research to increase our current predictive capacities and improve conservation and management strategies.

The atmospheric degradation of methyl dichlor-7 oacetate can be initiated by • OH and Cl • radicals through H atom 8 abstraction from the alkyl groups (Cl 2 HC− or −CH 3) of the 9 chloroester. Product yields for the gas-phase reaction with • OH 10 were determined experimentally in a 480 L Pyrex glass 11 atmospheric-simulation reactor coupled to an in situ Fourier 12 transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. In addition to those 13 results, we present in this paper a complete degradation mechanism 14 based on thermodynamic data obtained by identifying all critical 15 points on the potential-energy surface for these reactions, 16 employing density functional calculations with the M06-2X and 17 MN15 hybrid exchange−correlation functionals and the aug-cc-18 pVTZ basis sets. A conformational search for reactants and transition states was performed. The energies of these conformers were 19 later corrected at the CCSD(T,Full)-F12/complete basis set level by using the SVECV-f12 composite method. The corrected 20 energies were then used to obtain the theoretical rate coefficients in a multiconformer approach. The global rate coefficient 21 calculated for the reaction of methyl dichloroacetate with • Cl atoms is (7.34 × 10 −12 cm 3 molecule −1 ·s −1), and the global rate 22 coefficient calculated for the reaction with • OH radicals is (1.07 × 10 −12 cm 3 molecule −1 ·s −1). The identified products and their 23 respective yield percentages for the reaction of MDCA with • OH were Cl 2 CHCOOH (44 ± 3%), COCl 2 (43 ± 3%), and CO (41 ± 24 6%). The analysis of the mechanism suggests that formation of P1 (Cl 2 CO, phosgene) occurs mainly by abstraction from the 25 Cl 2 HC− group since the formation of P4 (Cl 2 CHC(O)OH, dichloroacetic acid) and P5 (CO, carbon monoxide) is more favorable 26 in the path for abstraction from the −OCH 3 group. The multiconformer calculated rate constant values were compared with the 27 values obtained employing only the low-lying TSs and with our own previous experimental studies. Branching ratios for the reaction 28 with • Cl were compared to the experimental product yields. 29

The development of novel photocatalytic systems is crucial for advancing sustainable chemical processes in organic synthesis. In this study, we report the preparation, characterization, and application of a heterogeneous photocatalyst based on Eosin Y (EY) covalently immobilized on silica nanoparticles (SNPs). The SNPs‐EY photocatalyst was thoroughly characterized using various techniques, including SEM, TEM, X‐ray diffraction, UV‐vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, solid‐state fluorescence spectroscopy, XPS, FT‐IR, TGA, and DLS. These analyses confirmed the successful immobilization of EY on SNPs and demonstrated the uniformity and favourable photophysical properties of the resulting hybrid material. The photocatalytic performance of SNPs‐EY was evaluated in a series of model reactions, including aza‐Henry reaction (cross‐dehydrogenative coupling), reduction of nitrocompounds, and photooxidation of dimethylanthracene. The reaction results demonstrated that SNPs‐EY is an effective and recyclable photocatalyst, offering yields comparable to or higher than those of homogeneous systems, while providing the advantages of easy separation and reuse. This study highlights the potential of SNPs‐EY as a versatile photocatalyst for various organic transformations, promoting the advancement of green and sustainable chemistry.

Nanoscale redox‐active molecular films are promising candidates for next‐generation energy storage applications due to their ability to facilitate long‐range charge transport. However, establishing stable and efficient electrode‐molecule interfaces remains a critical challenge. In this study, the properties of redox‐active copper‐polypyridyl thin films covalently bonded to graphite rods are explored, investigating their potential as supercapacitors. Using an electrochemical grafting method, robust covalent interfaces are created, resulting in copper‐polypyridyl films prepared on graphite rods and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes, exhibiting both Cu(II) and Cu(I) redox states. These redox‐active mettalo‐oligomeric films demonstrate a structural transition between octahedral and tetrahedral geometries around the Cu(II), and Cu(I), respectively contributing to their charge storage capabilities. The combination of an electrical double‐layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance through Faradaic charge transfer is evaluated in different acidic electrolytes, showing significant capacitance enhancement. Notably, proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) at free pyridine‐N sites in Cu(I) polypyridyl complex is identified as a key factor in their distinct behavior in aqueous solutions, a finding supported by computational studies. This study shows the potential of binder‐free thin films for efficient supercapacitor applications, with a maximum areal capacitance of 6.8 mF cm⁻² in aqueous media, representing an 1840% improvement over bare graphite rods.

Purpose To compare the dosimetric characteristics and treatment delivery efficiency of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) patients previously treated with a 6 MV-FFF (flattening filter-free; radiation beam obtained by removing the flattening filter) beam versus those re-planned with a 10 MV-FFF beam using a conical collimator on the TrueBeam Novalis STx linear accelerator. Methods Eleven patients with TN previously treated with a 6 MV-FFF beam following the SRS protocol of 90 Gy in a single fraction were selected. Plans were recalculated using 10 MV-FFF beam, maintaining the same dose prescription and beam angle configuration used with 6 MV-FFF beam. The dose gradient, volumes receiving 20 and 10 Gy, maximum dose and dose to 10% of the brainstem were recorded for both the energies. Efficiency was assessed by the average monitor unit (MU) and time per arc. The 10 MV-FFF machine was configured in the treatment planning system (TPS) to measure the tissue phantom ratio (TPR), dose profiles and scatter factors using RAZOR, PTW-60012 diodes and EBT3 radiochromic films. Results Compared to the 6 MV-FFF, the 10 MV-FFF plans exhibit average increments in dose gradient, volume of 20 Gy and volume of 10 Gy of 3.8, 17.1 and 17.8%, respectively. Average increases of 6.5 and 18.1% were obtained for maximum dose and dose to 10% of the brainstem, respectively. An average increase of 31 MU/arc was observed for the 10 MV-FFF plans, with a 40% reduction in treatment time per arc. The TPR for the 10 MV-FFF beams increased by 10%, and a penumbra width of 0.3 mm was observed. Scatter factor increments of 15, 13.5, 12.7 and 10.3% were observed for the 6 MV-FFF over the 10 MV-FFF for cones of 4, 5, 6 and 7 mm, respectively. Conclusions In TN SRS, the utilisation of 10 MV-FFF beams reduces treatment duration but results in an increased brainstem radiation dose. To mitigate this increase in brainstem dose, it is necessary to adjust the isocentre position.

In this paper, I will argue that chimpanzees deploy some normative sensitivity when they select (i) materials they will use to manufacture tools and (ii) objects to be used as tools. To defend this claim, I will examine some empirical evidence showing chimpanzees’ remarkable abilities to select adequate tools and materials for the task at hand, as well as reports on how they acquired these abilities, both in their infancy and as naive adults. Based on this evidence, I will argue that these selection processes are guided by evaluations that chimpanzees make about which materials or objects have the required properties to make them efficient tools for a specific task. This turns them into reason-based actions, at least in a modest sense. Furthermore, I will suggest that, after putting together these evaluations and their goals, chimpanzees arrive at “instrumental ought-thoughts” describing an ideal non-actual situation (the possession of a specific tool or material) and prescribing an action (that one chooses that tool or material). These ought-thoughts motivate chimpanzees’ selection behavior. Finally, I will give reasons to prefer the attribution of ought-thoughts to explain chimpanzees’ selection of tools and tool-making material over explanations that only invoke non-normative motivational states.

Teratornithidae is an extinct bird family, likely related to Cathartidae, known exclusively from the Americas. They were once thought to be scavengers, but recent theories suggest they were opportunistic or piscivorous birds capable of swallowing prey whole. The most notable species, Argentavis magnificens , had a wingspan of 6 to 8 m and weighed 70 to 80 kg. In order to infer paleobiological aspects of this bird, its endocast (as a proxy for brain morphology), reconstructed from computed tomography scans of the holotype skull, is here described and compared to that of other bird species of zoophagous feeding habits with different flight styles. The brain of Argentavis presents a general appearance similar to that of Cathartidae, being dorsoventrally flattened and anteroposteriorly elongated, with small optic lobes in relation to the total encephalic surface. The estimated volume of the bulbi olfactorii is very similar to that of the Andean Condor Vultur gryphus . The main difference observed with Cathartidae is the marked development of the eminentiae sagittales present in Argentavis (structures closely related to the perception of visual information), which are more similar to those of the Accipitriformes and Falconiformes analyzed. The results obtained here suggest that Argentavis was a scavenger or even maybe a kleptoparasitic bird, relying more on vision than on smell (similar to that observed in the Andean Condor). Furthermore, the inner ear and flocculi exhibit characteristics similar to birds without acrobatic flight, indicating that Argentavis had a soaring flight and inhabited open areas without much vegetation.

Introduction Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent and debilitating musculoskeletal diseases, with a high incidence among the elderly population. Early detection and accurate classification can improve clinical outcomes for affected patients. Objective This study investigates the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision for automated detection and classification of knee osteoarthritis using the IKDC classification system. The aim was to develop an automated system for this purpose and evaluate its accuracy in classifying disease severity. Materials and methods A public dataset containing radiographic knee images with varying degrees of osteoarthritis, previously classified according to the IKDC scale, was utilized. Images were processed using LandingLens software, an advanced computer vision platform facilitating AI model development and implementation. A machine learning model based on the ConvNext architecture—a convolutional neural network—was trained on 1901 images and evaluated using 380 test images. Results The model demonstrated an overall accuracy of 95.16% in classifying knee osteoarthritis according to the IKDC scale, with a sensitivity of 95.11%. Class-specific accuracies were 92.40% for class A, 93.20% for class B, 98.45% for class C, and 95.69% for class D. These results highlight the model’s capability to distinguish between different severity grades of osteoarthritis with high accuracy. Conclusion This study underscores the efficacy of AI and computer vision in automating knee osteoarthritis detection, providing a precise and reliable tool for physicians in disease diagnosis. Integrating these technologies into clinical practice has the potential to enhance efficiency and consistency in patient evaluation, potentially leading to improved clinical outcomes and more personalized medical care. Level of Evidence: Level III.

The design and analysis of on-farm experimentation (OFE) have received growing attention because of the availability of precision machinery that promotes data collection. Even though replicated trials are the most recommended designs, on-farm trials with no replication are used in scenarios where variable rate technology is not available. Despite the abundance of georeferenced data within each plot harvested with yield monitor, treatments are not replicated. This paper presents an approach to statistically analyze unreplicated OFE promoting field-specific inference of treatment effects. Statistical tools for spatial data are coupled with permutation tests to determine the statistical significance between treatment means. The new methodology (OFE-mean test) involves: (1) calculation of effective sample size (ESS) given the underlying spatial structure, (2) ANOVA permutation test on a random sample of ESS, and (3) generation of the empirical distribution of p-values from repetition of step two. The median of this empirical distribution is regarded as the p-value associated with the no treatment effect hypothesis. The OFE-mean test is illustrated using several OFE trials comparing two treatments under different scenarios: with and without treatment differences. Additional assessment is carried out under simulated scenarios with different levels of spatial correlation, variability, and mean differences between treatments. The OFE-mean test had high power to detect mean differences higher than 15% for all spatial structures when total variability was lower than 30%. After treatment effects were removed, no type I error occurred in real data. The test can be easily extended to cover scenarios with more than two treatments. R scripts and sample files to run the OFE-mean test are provided.

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases are the most common neurodegenerative disorders, causing significant disability and mortality worldwide. Though traditionally classified as Tau and α-synuclein-related disorders, respectively, there is growing evidence of clinical overlap between dementia and Parkinsonism, with comorbidity worsening cognitive impairment and prognosis. Emerging research on liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) offers promising insights into novel treatments of these proteinopathies by targeting the phase behavior of the disease-associated proteins. Thus, manipulating condensates has become a focus for developing new therapeutic compounds, termed condensate-modifying drugs (c-mods), by which historically considered undruggable proteins can be targeted. This review offers an overview of bioactive molecules that act as modifiers of Tau and α-synuclein condensates through various mechanisms. The goal is to lay the groundwork for discovering new therapeutic approaches to prevent harmful protein aggregation and treat comorbidity in tau and synucleinopathies.

Free-Space Optical (FSO) links have emerged as a promising solution for enabling high-speed data transfer in networked space systems. These links leverage highly directed optical beams amplified by telescopes that can be oriented using gimbal engines. However, the gimbal's limited swipe range poses a challenge in optimizing the placement of the FSO terminal on the satellite body. This placement directly impacts the feasible contact time, which is constrained by the gimbal motors' degree of freedom and speed as the satellites follow their orbital trajectories. In this paper, we address the problem of optimizing the FSO terminal placement to maximize the aggregate effective contact time with the target. First, we formally describe the problem assumptions and perform baseline case studies to gain valuable insights. Next, we define appropriate metrics that capture the contact time performance to evaluate different placement strategies. Our core contributions are two heuristics, simulated annealing, and an evolutionary genetic algorithm to optimize the FSO terminal placement. We finally demonstrate through extensive simulation and analysis that our proposed optimization approaches can significantly improve the baseline contact time by up to 27.7%. These findings highlight the potential of employing sophisticated optimization techniques to enhance the performance of FSO links.