University of Alicante

Background Previous studies have shown that microbial communities differ in obese and lean individuals, and dietary fiber can help reduce obesity-related conditions through diet-gut microbiota interactions. However, the mechanisms by which dietary fibers shape the gut microbiota still need to be elucidated. In this in vitro study, we examined how apple fibers affect lean and obese microbial communities on a global scale. We employed a high-throughput micro-matrix bioreactor system and a multi-omics approach to identify the key microorganisms and metabolites involved in this process. Results Initially, metagenomics and metabolomics data indicated that obese and lean microbial communities had distinct starting microbial communities. We found that obese microbial community had different characteristics, including higher levels of Ruminococcus bromii and lower levels of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, along with an increased Firmicutes:Bacteroides ratio. Afterward, we exposed obese and lean microbial communities to an apple as a representative complex food matrix, apple pectin as a soluble fiber, and cellulose as an insoluble fiber. Dietary fibers, particularly apple pectin, reduced Acidaminococcus intestini and boosted Megasphaera and Akkermansia in the obese microbial community. Additionally, these fibers altered the production of metabolites, increasing beneficial indole microbial metabolites. Our results underscored the ability of apple and apple pectin to shape the obese gut microbiota. Conclusion We found that the obese microbial community had higher branched-chain amino acid catabolism and hexanoic acid production, potentially impacting energy balance. Apple dietary fibers, especially pectin, influenced the obese microbial community, altering both species and metabolites. Notably, the apple pectin feeding condition affected species like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bifidobacterium longum. By using genome-scale metabolic modeling, we discovered a mutualistic cross-feeding relationship between Megasphaera sp. MJR8396C and Bifidobacterium adolescentis. This in vitro study suggests that incorporating apple fibers into the diets of obese individuals can help modify the composition of gut bacteria and improve metabolic health. This personalized approach could help mitigate the effects of obesity. 1sSYKieb1FyPG4CFVZT5APVideo Abstract Graphical Abstract

This paper aims to improve the aqueous stability and electrochemical activity of HKUST-1 (or Cu3(BTC)2, BTC = benzene 1,3,5-tricarboxylate; and HKUST from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) by the incorporation of Graphene Oxide (GO). The synthesis was carried out in two steps; first, CuII ions were pre-adsorbed on the surface of GO, and then the BTC organic linker was added to form the HKUST-1 structure dispersed on GO sheets. Two concentrations of copper were used in the synthesis, 3.57 and 14.27 mmol, to obtain the samples: GO@HKUST-1low and GO@HKUST-1high, respectively. N2 adsorption properties of GO@HKUST-1high suggest an increase in surface area compared to HKUST-1 up to 1082.0 m²·g⁻¹. In addition, the CO2 capture of GO@HKUST-1high increased from 5.34 (HKUST-1) to 6.92 mmol·g⁻¹ at 273 K and 100 kPa. This improvement is associated with the dispersion of the HKUST-1 on the GO sheets achieved through the synthesis strategy used, which also increased the surface area, H2O adsorption capacity of the composite material, and electrochemical stability. After the H2O adsorption tests, XRD confirmed that the material was stable under aqueous conditions, showing that the material did not undergo any structural modification.

The impact of cognitive biases on decision-making in the digital world remains under-explored despite its well-documented effects in physical contexts. This paper addresses this gap by investigating the attractiveness halo effect using AI-based beauty filters. We conduct a large-scale online user study involving 2748 participants who rated facial images from a diverse set of 462 distinct individuals in two conditions: original and attractive after applying a beauty filter. Our study reveals that the same individuals receive statistically significantly higher ratings of attractiveness and other traits, such as intelligence and trustworthiness, in the attractive condition. We also study the impact of age, gender and ethnicity and identify a weakening of the halo effect in the beautified condition, resolving conflicting findings from the literature and suggesting that filters could mitigate this cognitive bias. Finally, our findings raise ethical concerns regarding the use of beauty filters.

The Mobile Cloud Computing paradigm has revolutionized the concepts of mobile computing and the Internet of Things (IoT). This paradigm allows outsourcing the workload of mobile devices, or other connected “things,” to be computed in the Cloud. Currently, outsourcing possibilities have been widely developed making available computing platforms at different network layers. In a consequence of that, a virtual increasing of the performance and a homogenization of the computing capabilities of the devices are produced. The research described in this work presents a review of the state of the art about recent works, the main operational concerns, challenges, and open issues of this paradigm in order to update the border of knowledge on this topic. As a result, a critical analysis is conducted, and new research directions are discussed. The findings provide value‐added to the scientific community and, therefore it could be helpful for other researches in these topics, especially given the rising popularity of IoT platforms.

Aim To identify the essential competencies required of nurse managers in healthcare services during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background Nurse managers play a vital role in healthcare services organization, requiring a diverse set of competencies. The increasing occurrence of epidemics in recent decades underscores the importance of understanding these competencies in pivotal junctures. The challenges faced during the COVID‐19 pandemic present valuable opportunities to recognize the competencies of nurse managers and guide their responsiveness in addressing future health crises. Methods A scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for scoping reviews guidelines was conducted. A comprehensive search was conducted across six databases (LILACS, BDENF, EMBASE, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science). Results were categorized according to the nurse manager competencies model by the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and were analyzed using the competing values framework model. Results Out of 2033 potentially relevant sources identified, 17 studies met inclusion criteria. A total of 52 competencies were identified and categorized into four thematic categories: (1) the ability to collaborate in times of crisis; (2) maintaining control during a crisis; (3) adapting to changes caused by the crisis; and (4) preserving competitiveness through the crisis. Conclusions The findings highlight communication, decision‐making, training, adaptability to change, and leadership as essential competencies required of nurse managers to address crises, such as pandemics. Implications for nursing policy This body of knowledge can serve as a reference point to enhance the response of nurse managers in the face of future health crisis scenarios. Additionally, it can serve as a framework for healthcare organizations to develop or improve their crisis management training programs.

Records of two species of hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae), Hammerschmidtia ferruginea (Fallén, 1817) and Megasyrphus erraticus (Linnaeus, 1758), are here provided for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula, both records located at the southern edges of these genera ranges in Europe. The new data is reported following fieldwork in the Pyrenees of Huesca and Lleida provinces (Spain) and consultation of the 'Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona' entomological collection. The importance of these findings is discussed in the frame of the conservation of these species’ habitats.

The aim of the study was to examine associations between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary time with sleep quality and quantity among preschool girls and boys using objective methods. Children (5–6 years old) attending kindergarten were recruited (n = 676). Measures included accelerometer-derived 24-hr activity and sleep for seven consecutive days. Longer time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with higher sleep efficiency both in boys (p < 0.0001) and girls (p = 0447), and with lower Sleep Fragmentation Index in boys (p = 0.0042) and girls (p = 0.0494). Moreover, among boys, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was inversely associated with wakefulness after sleep onset (p = 0.0006), number of awakenings (p = 0.0081) and Fragmentation Index (p = 0.0041), while in girls with sleep duration (p = 0.0405), Movement Index (p = 0.0128) and Sleep Fragmentation Index (p = 0.0494). Longer time spent sedentary was associated with lower sleep efficiency, and higher wakefulness after sleep onset, number of awakenings, Movement Index and Sleep Fragmentation Index—all with p < 0.0001. Furthermore, sedentary time was inversely associated with sleep duration both in boys (p < 0.0001) and girls (p = 0.0006), and directly associated with Fragmentation Index but only in boys (p = 0.0069). Meeting the recommended level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with better sleep efficiency, lower wakefulness after sleep onset and number of awakenings among boys. All sleep-related variables showed significant differences between quartile groups according to sedentary time (p < 0.05) in both the total group and the boys. The sedentary time had the strongest, negative effect on sleep-related parameters in preschool children, therefore sedentary time reduction may contribute more to improving sleep quality than increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Inverted singlet-triplet gap materials (INVEST) have emerged as an intriguing class of materials with potential applications as emitters in Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs). Indeed, this type of material exhibits a negative singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST), i.e., an inversion of the lowest singlet (S1) and triplet (T1) excited states, that goes against Hund’s rule. In this study, the ΔEST of a set of 15 INVEST molecules has been computed within the framework of Restricted Open-Shell Kohn-Sham (ROKS) and Delta Self-Consistent Field (ΔSCF) and have benchmarked these results against wavefunction-based methods, such as EOM-CCSD, NEVTP2 and SCS-CC2. We herein demonstrated that ROKS always predicts a positive ΔEST and has been shown to be almost functional-independent. Besides, the ΔSCF usually gives a negative ΔEST, although it is functional-dependent. Our findings indicate that the ΔSCF method together with the PBE0 functional provides the lowest MSD and MAD with respect to EOM-CCSD reference method. However, a very poor Pearson correlation coefficient was computed for all functionals whatever a ROKS or a ΔSCF scheme was employed. We also demonstrated that orbital relaxation and the difference in orbital set in the singlet and the triplet states are the fundamental reasons to ex-plain why ΔSCF is able to predict a negative energy gap. Indeed, we showed that they naturally involve the inclusion of double and higher-order excitations and a difference in spatial localiza-tion of the and spins wavefunctions resulting in spin polarization, namely one of the two reasons for observing a negative ΔEST together with a minimized exchange energy.

Food addiction contributes to the obesity pandemic, but the connection between how the gut microbiome is linked to food addiction remains largely unclear. Here we show that Microviridae bacteriophages, particularly Gokushovirus WZ-2015a, are associated with food addiction and obesity across multiple human cohorts. Further analyses reveal that food addiction and Gokushovirus are linked to serotonin and dopamine metabolism. Mice receiving faecal microbiota and viral transplantation from human donors with the highest Gokushovirus load exhibit increased food addiction along with changes in tryptophan, serotonin and dopamine metabolism in different regions of the brain, together with alterations in dopamine receptors. Mechanistically, targeted tryptophan analysis shows lower anthranilic acid (AA) concentrations associated with Gokushovirus. AA supplementation in mice decreases food addiction and alters pathways related to the cycle of neurotransmitter synthesis release. In Drosophila, AA regulates feeding behaviour and addiction-like ethanol preference. In summary, this study proposes that bacteriophages in the gut microbiome contribute to regulating food addiction by modulating tryptophan and tyrosine metabolism.

Viruses shape microbial community structure and activity through the control of population diversity and cell abundances. Identifying and monitoring the dynamics of specific virus-host pairs in nature is hampered by the limitations of culture-independent approaches such as metagenomics, which do not always provide strain-level resolution, and culture-based analyses, which eliminate the ecological background and in-situ interactions. Here, we have explored the interaction of a specific “autochthonous” host strain and its viruses within a natural community. Bacterium Salinibacter ruber strain M8 was spiked into its environment of isolation, a crystallizer pond from a coastal saltern, and the viral and cellular communities were monitored for one month using culture, metagenomics, and microscopy. Metagenome sequencing indicated that the M8 abundance decreased sharply after being added to the pond, likely due to forces other than viral predation. However, the presence of M8 selected for two species of a new viral genus, Phoenicisalinivirus, for which 120 strains were isolated. During this experiment, an assemblage of closely related viral genomic variants was replaced by a single population with the ability to infect M8, a scenario which was compatible with the selection of a genomic variant from the rare biosphere. Further analysis implicated a viral genomic region putatively coding for a tail fiber protein to be responsible for M8 specificity. Our results indicate that low abundance viral genotypes provide a viral seed bank that allows for a highly specialized virus-host response within a complex ecological background.

Halophilic archaea or haloarchaea are extremophilic microorganisms that require high salt concentrations to thrive. In their natural hypersaline environment, they are constantly exposed to osmotic and oxidative stress as well as to high levels of radiation. Haloarchaea has developed different adaptative strategies at the molecular level to cope with these harsh conditions, including hyperpigmentation. Related to haloarchaeal pigmentation, most of the species synthesize mainly the C50 pink carotenoid called bacterioruberin and its precursors, monoanhydrobacterioruberin and bisanhydrobacterioruberin. Their vibrant color and extraordinary antioxidant properties have attracted attention across the researchers during the last few years. The main objective of this chapter is to present a review of the main characteristics of haloarchaeal carotenoids and their potential applications in the food industry as colorants, antioxidants and interesting bio-additive for the design of functional foods due to their reported antitumoral, immunomodulatory and antioxidant as biological activities. Highlights and challenges related to their mid- and large-scale production are also discussed.

In this paper, we consider an optimization problem which is embedded into a family of perturbed problems. We associate with it the classical conjugate dual problem and a surrogate dual problem called quasi-dual. For these two pairs of primal–dual problems, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for zero duality gap, strong duality and converse duality, under evenly convex assumptions involving appropriate sets associated to the data perturbation function. To this aim, we firstly establish some new results for evenly convex and evenly quasiconvex functions. We conclude by applying our results to two remarkable instances of optimization problems.

A dibenzo[hi,st]ovalene (DBOV) derivative bay-substituted with two piperazinylphenyl (PZP) groups (DBOV–PZP) was synthesized. Comprehensive investigations of its photophysical properties revealed acid-induced fluorescence enhancement through the protonation of PZP units, leading...

Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is an X-ray-based technique that allows visualisation of the internal anatomy of insects in situ and does not require dissections. Traditionally, the study of insect anatomy has been mainly based on dissection techniques and microtome sections. However, micro-CT is becoming an increasingly widespread study technique. We report the use of micro-CT scans to study, in detail, the external and internal structures and organs of the third instar larva of the dipteran Syrphidae Sphaerophoria rueppellii, a Palaearctic species included in the list of effective agents used in European biocontrol programmes against aphids. Detailed images and videos provided evidence of the external morphological characteristics and an overview of the internal anatomy (musculature, digestive tube, salivary glands, Malpighian tubules, fat body, circulatory system, nervous system, cephalopharyngeal complex, tentorium, and mouth parts). The study evidenced the following: an external lateroventral complex of muscles that form muscular rings that allow the compression of the body segments in a similar functional way as occurs in annelid worms; the existence of mandibles with prosthecae; the nervous system present a conspicuous distinguishable suboesophageal ganglion; the so-called antennomaxillary organs are the antennae; the maxillae are separate structures, with an articulated maxillary palpus; S. rueppellii has only one pair of Malpighian tubules instead of the two pairs that were thought to be the general rule for Syrphid larvae; and the evidence of an imaginal disc of genitalia in the posterior part of the body, below the rectum, which in male larvae has a clear correspondence with the morphology of the external male genitalia, which allows to differentiate the sexes in the larval stage. This study constitutes a true anatomical atlas of the third instar larvae of S. rueppellii. High-quality rendered images and additional supplementary videos together with a 3D model, suitable for use with mobile devices, are useful tools for future research and teaching aids.

In this paper we study how Lagrange duality is connected to optimization problems whose objective function is the difference of two convex functions, briefly called DC problems. We present two Lagrange dual problems, each of them obtained via a different approach. While one of the duals corresponds to the standard formulation of the Lagrange dual problem, the other is written in terms of conjugate functions. When one of the involved functions in the objective is evenly convex, both problems are equivalent, but this relation is no longer true in the general setting. For this reason, we study conditions ensuring not only weak, but also zero duality gap and strong duality between the primal and one of the dual problems written using conjugate functions. For the other dual, and due to the fact that weak duality holds by construction, we just develop conditions for zero duality gap and strong duality between the primal DC problem and its (standard) Lagrange dual problem. Finally, we characterize weak and strong duality together with zero duality gap between the primal problem and its Fenchel-Lagrange dual following techniques used throughout the manuscript.