bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INTERFERÊNCIA DA RENDA NA APRENDIZAGEM DO EDUCANDO EM DUAS ESCOLAS PÚBLICAS DO MUNICÍPIO DE LINHARES/ES.
Authors: Bernabé Leonardeli Poliana , Ferreira Jaqueline Gomes , Ferreira Josimar Gomes
Published: January 2023

A presente pesquisa traz como tema a relação do desenvolvimento do aluno com a renda per capta familiar. A problemática se concentra em até que ponto esse fato pode interferir no processo cognitivo do educando? O objetivo geral é apresentar se a situação econômica do aluno interfere no desempenho escolar comparando duas instituições pública na cidade de Linhares- ES. A pesquisa foi realizada por meio de entrevista e pela revisão bibliográfica a partir dos pensamentos de variados autores. O método utilizado para coleta de dados foi a aplicação de uma entrevista realizada com os diretores dessas instituições com o intuito de comparar o impacto da renda no desenvolvimento de aprendizagem do aluno. Ao final da pesquisa foi constatado que de fato a condição socioeconômica do aluno interfere no seu rendimento escolar.
VALE EXISTIR E RESISTIR NO JEQUITINHONHA
Authors: Matos Tanure do Amaral Magda , Jardim Neiva Ricardo
Published: January 2023

Esta pesquisa documental objetivou trazer à tona a história de emancipação social e política contida na trajetória do Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de Araçuaí- M.G. Ao mesmo tempo, evidencia a força dos movimentos sociais, tão importante para a luta por questões evocadas no Vale do Jequitinhonha. Como resultados, apresentou-se a história cronológica do STR de Araçuaí, enviesado por estudos outros que possibilitam dimensionar o cenário em que os fatos ocorreram. Conclui-se que essa organização possui relevância para as causas dos trabalhadores do campo.
Caracterización clínica de pacientes con fibrosis pulmonar idiopática en un hospital de tercer nivel en la ciudad de Quito-Ecuador
Authors: Calle Catalina Alexandra , Rosales María Fernanda , Macías Eddyn Rubén
Published: January 2023

Introducción: La fibrosis pulmonar idiopática es una enfermedad progresiva y fa­tal caracterizada por el hallazgo de neumonía intersticial usual en tomografía de alta resolución o biopsia pulmonar, o en discusión multidisciplinar y el descarte de otras etiologías como enfermedades del tejido conectivo o exposicionales.

En cuanto a los objetivos de este trabajo, consisten en conocer las características clí­nicas, la función pulmonar y la supervivencia del grupo de pacientes con diagnóstico de fibrosis pulmonar idiopática evaluados en la clínica de intersticiales del Hospital Carlos Andrade Marín.

Material y métodos: Se trata de un estudio transversal, retrospectivo, observacional. La población de estudio la constituyeron los pacientes con diagnóstico de fibrosis pul­monar idiopática atendidos en la clínica de intersticiales del Hospital Carlos Andrade Marín entre enero del 2018 y febrero del 2020.

Resultados: De 35 pacientes con fibrosis pulmonar idiopática incluidos para el análi­sis, el 85,7% fueron del sexo masculino. Al momento del diagnóstico, la edad pro­medio fue de 69,7 años (DE: 9,26, Rango: 38-87 años). El 20% y 37,1% presentaron disnea de grado 3 y grado 4, respectivamente. El 60% presentaron antecedentes de tabaquismo.

El 45,7% de los diagnósticos se hicieron tanto con evaluación clínica multidisciplinaria y tomografía axial computarizada de alta resolución.

Conclusiones: Hemos informado la mayor cohorte de fibrosis pulmonar idiopática en el Ecuador, nuestros resultados han identificado poblaciones similares con otros gru­pos de estudio en los que la tomografía computarizada de alta resolución y el análisis multidisciplinar son los métodos más utilizados en el diagnóstico.
Satisfacción Sexual y Calidad del Sueño en Estudiantes Universitarios
Authors: Tamayo Quito Ariel A. , Vargas Espin Alba Del Pilar
Published: January 2023

Estudios revelan que tanto la satisfacción sexual como la calidad del sueño tienen implicaciones en la salud física, mental y en el bienestar general, así como asociaciones con distintas condiciones médico/fisiológicas, psicológicas, factores personales, interpersonales, socioeconómicos y demográficos; y están presentes en todo el ciclo vital humano. El objetivo es determinar la relación entre la satisfacción sexual y la calidad del sueño; y comparar el nivel de satisfacción sexual entre hombres y mujeres estudiantes universitarios. Se incluyó en el estudio (n=171) estudiantes del último semestre de la Facultad de Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación de la Universidad Técnica de Ambato, perteneciente al cantón Ambato de la Provincia de Tungurahua en Ecuador, de los cuales 59 eran varones y 112 fueron mujeres, mismos que fueron evaluados mediante la Nueva Escala de Satisfacción Sexual (NSSS) y el Índice de Calidad del Sueño de Pittsburg (PSQI). Se mostró que la población presenta niveles de medio a alto de satisfacción sexual y de calidad del sueño; según la prueba Rho de Spearman existe una correlación negativa leve entre la Satisfacción sexual y las dificultades en torno a la calidad del sueño (Rho = -0,262. p < 0,01); y según la prueba T de Welch no existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas en cuanto a la variable Satisfacción Sexual entre hombres y mujeres (p > 0,05). En base a los resultados obtenidos, se puede comprobar que, a mayor satisfacción sexual, mayor calidad del sueño, sin embargo, el ser hombre o mujer en el contexto del estudio, no predijo el nivel de satisfacción sexual.
Communities that film, watch, and walk
Authors: Mulhall Henry
Published: January 2023

Since 2009 Alistair Gall and Dan Paolantonio have been running an open-access DIY film collective called Imperfect Cinema (IC). The interplay between community-led creative practice and critical film-making provides a generative intersection from which to situate their (imperfect cinema) praxis. Their ongoing project Home of Movies brings to light Plymouth’s largely forgotten cinema history by engaging a local community through screenings, history walks, and film-making workshops. Rather than producing objects for aesthetic and critical reflection, IC’s main aim is to produce welcoming and creative environments that anyone could enter.
In this piece, which relates to my broader PhD research into the area, I will explore how the aesthetic, practical, and activist streaks that run through the work of IC intersect. The piece will combine verbatim conversations with IC and descriptions of their events. My intention is to emphasise the importance of the DIY and imperfect in IC’s practice, which allows them to engage hard-to-reach communities.
A Novel Method for Ranking Knowledge Organization Systems (KOSs) Based on Cognition States .
Authors: Amirhosseini Maziar
Published: January 2023

The purpose of this article is to delineate the process of evolution of know­ledge organization systems (KOSs) through identification of principles of unity such as internal and external unity in organizing the structure of KOSs to achieve content storage and retrieval purposes and to explain a novel method used in ranking of KOSs by proposing the principle of rank unity. Different types of KOSs which are addressed in this article include dictionaries, Roget’s thesaurus, thesauri, micro, macro, and meta-thesaurus, ontologies, and lower, middle, and upper-level ontologies. This article relied on dialectic models to clarify the ideas in Kant’s know­ledge theory. This is done by identifying logical relationships between categories (i.e., Thesis, antithesis, and synthesis) in the creation of data, information, and know­ledge in the human mind. The Analysis has adapted a historical methodology, more specifically a documentary method, as its reasoning process to propose a conceptual model for ranking KOSs. The study endeavors to explain the main elements of data, information, and know­ledge along with engineering mechanisms such as data, information, and know­ledge engineering in developing the structure of KOSs and also aims to clarify their influence on content storage and retrieval performance. KOSs have followed related principles of order to achieve an internal order, which could be examined by analyzing the principle of internal unity in know­ledge organizations. The principle of external unity leads us to the necessity of compatibility and interoperability between different types of KOSs to achieve semantic harmonization in increasing the performance of content storage and retrieval. Upon introduction of the principle of rank unity, a ranking method of KOSs utilizing cognition states as criteria could be considered to determine the position of each know­ledge organization with respect to others. The related criteria of the principle of rank unity- cognition states- are derived from Immanuel Kant’s epistemology. The research results showed that KOSs, while having defined positions in cognition states, specific principles of order, related operational mechanisms, and related principles of unity in achieving their specific purposes, have benefited from the developmental experiences of previous KOSs, and further, their developmental processes owe to the experiences and methods of their previous generations.
An Analysis on the Use of Knowledge Organization Systems in the Process of Requirements Engineering
Authors: Fagundes Priscila Basto , de Macedo Douglas Dyllon Jeronimo
Published: January 2023

Some of the fundamental activities of the software development process are related to the discipline of Requirements Engineering. Their objectives are to discover, analyze, document, and verify the system’s requirements. The requirements are the conditions or capabilities that software needs to have or fulfill to meet its users’ needs, and problems in its identification can mean the failure of a software project. This study is part of the research that is being developed to propose a model based on Know­ledge Organization Systems to be used in the Requirements engineering process. This article aims to present the results of an analysis on a set of Know­ledge Organization Systems to identify whether they are likely to be applied in the Requirements engineering process and identify at which stage of this process each one of them can be implemented. The Know­ledge Organization Systems analyzed were the authority files, gazetteers, glossaries, subject headings, classification systems, thesauri, semantic networks, and ontologies. Based on the results obtained, it was possible to conclude that the Know­ledge Organization Systems analyzed can be used in the Requirements engineering process and, consequently, contribute to increasing the software requirements’ quality.
An Evaluation of Emergency Medicine Core Content Covered by Podcasts
Authors: Riddell Jeffrey , Kobner Scott
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Podcasts are used broadly for learning in emergency medicine (EM); however, there is concern about the potential for knowledge gaps for learners who rely on podcasts for their learning. The extent to which EM podcasts cover the core curriculum of EM is not known; thus, we sought to quantify the extent to which podcasts represent the core content of our specialty.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all EM podcast episodes published in 2019. All podcasts were given credit for the content they covered as it related to the 2016 American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Model of Clinical Practice in Emergency Medicine (EM Model). The primary outcome was a description of how podcasts represented the ABEM EM Model content topics compared to the topic representation of the ABEM Qualifying Exam.

Results: We included 54 unique EM podcast programs and 1,193 podcast episodes. They covered 2,965 total EM Model core content topics. The topics most covered were “other” (which includes interpersonal skills and professionalism), procedures, and signs and symptoms. Musculoskeletal, hematology, and environmental each accounted for less than 1% of all topics covered. Almost three-quarters of podcast episodes covered other core competencies of the practice of EM.

Conclusion: Podcasts had a broad yet imbalanced coverage of the ABEM EM Model core content subtopics in 2019, with a notable coverage of other core competencies of the practice of EM. Learners, educators, and scholars should be mindful of these gaps and focus future work on exploring how podcasts should best be used in EM education.
A Novel Point-of-care Ultrasound Curriculum for Air Critical Care Personnel
Authors: O’Connor Laurel , Beth-Urhoy Matthew , Allegra Stephen , Dowd Andrew , Nordberg Alexandra , Boardman Timothy , Gleeson Timothy , Lindsay Robert
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Point-of care-ultrasound (POCUS) has become ubiquitous in emergency medicine practice for the management of emergent pathophysiology. There is growing interest in its potential as a diagnostic tool in the prehospital setting. Few studies have examined the feasibility or efficacy of curricula targeted at teaching POCUS to prehospital personnel. Our objective in this study was to investigate a curriculum for the extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma (eFAST) exam in helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) crews. Methods: This was a pre/post intervention study of HEMS personnel at a tertiary care center. Subjects were administered a pre-intervention written test and an observed structured clinical evaluation (OSCE). Subsequently, they participated in an educational intervention intended to impart proficiency in performing the eFAST. Subjects underwent post-intervention written exams and OSCEs. We analyzed pre- and post-intervention test performance along with the number and quality of practice ultrasound examinations achieved. Results: Sixteen subjects were enrolled (62.5% male, mean age 44.1). After undergoing the intervention, the mean written test score increased 22.1% (t=3.41; P <0.001) and the mean OSCE score increased by 64.5% (t=6.87, P <0.001). All subjects met “passing” criteria for the written test and OSCE on their post-intervention attempt. Subjects accomplished a mean of 21.1 clinically interpretable eFAST sonographs. Most subjects reported the curriculum was useful (90.1%) and that they would incorporate this skill into clinical practice (90.1%). Conclusion: A targeted POCUS curriculum was feasible and effective in establishing clinical proficiency in HEMS crews for performing and interpreting the eFAST exam.
Debriefing Gold: Harnessing the Power of Debriefing Data to Inform Education
Authors: Meshel Alexander , Dilos Barbara , Wong Lillian , Lugassy Daniel , Bentley Suzanne
Published: January 2023

Debriefing is a critical element in healthcare, both in the clinical environment and in the simulation lab. Often, what is said at a debriefing is not recorded, leading to loss of critical data that could be used to inform future simulations, education, and systems improvement. In this perspective piece, we explain the powerful role that capturing debriefing data can have for identifying themes to improve learners’ knowledge and skills, as well as inform data-driven systems change and initiatives.
Broadband Internet and Social Capital
Authors: Andrea Geraci , Mattia Nardotto , Tommaso Reggiani , Fabio Sabatini
Published: January 2023

We study how the diffusion of broadband Internet affects social capital using two data sets from the UK. Our empirical strategy exploits the fact that broadband access has long depended on customers’ position in the voice telecommunication infrastructure that was designed in the 1930s. The actual speed of an Internet connection, in fact, rapidly decays with the distance of the dwelling from the specific node of the network serving its area. Merging unique information about the topology of the voice network with geocoded longitudinal data about individual social capital, we show that access to broadband Internet caused a significant decline in forms of offline interaction and civic engagement. Overall, our results suggest that broadband penetration substantially crowded out several aspects of social capital.
Income Inequality and the Size of Government: A Causal Analysis
Authors: Martin Guzi , Martin Kahanec
Published: January 2023

Expansion of the public sector and redistributive policies may reduce income inequality, but formal tests suffer from the problem of endogeneity of government size with respect to the distribution of income. Studying 30 European countries over the period 2004-2015, we apply instrumental variable estimation techniques to identify a causal relationship between income inequality and government size, measured as the government expenditure share in GDP. Using a novel instrument – the number of political parties in the ruling coalition – we find that accounting for the possible endogeneity of government size increases the magnitude of the estimated negative effects. Our findings thus suggest that much of the literature underestimates the true role of the government in attenuating income inequality. The estimated relationship between income inequality and government size persists in a series of robustness checks.
Real consequences matters: why hypothetical biases in the valuation of time persist even in controlled lab experiments
Authors: Ondřej Krčál , Rostislav Staněk , Bára Karlínová , Stefanie Peer
Published: January 2023

In a controlled lab experiment, we investigate hypothetical biases in the value of time by comparing stated preference (SP) and revealed preference (RP) values attached to unexpected waiting times. The SP and RP choice sets are identical in terms of design with the only difference being that the RP choices have real consequences in terms of unexpected waiting times and monetary incentives. We find a substantial hypothetical bias with the average SP value of time being only 71% of the corresponding RP value. The bias is mainly driven by participants who have scheduling constraints during the time of the unexpected wait. Scheduling constraints are taken into account to a much lesser extent in the SP setting than in the RP setting, presumably because only in the latter, the consequences of ignoring them are costly. We find evidence that this effect is stronger for persons with relatively low cognitive ability.
Social media charity campaigns and pro-social behavior. Evidence from the Ice Bucket Challenge
Authors: Andrea Fazio , Francesco Scervini , Tommaso Reggiani
Published: January 2023

Social media play a relevant role in shaping social attitudes and economic behaviors of individuals. One of the first very well-known examples of social media campaign is the Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC), a charity campaign that went viral on social networks in August 2014 aiming at collecting money for the research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We rely on UK longitudinal data to investigate the causal impact of the Ice Bucket Challenge on pro-social behaviors. In detail, this study shows that having been exposed to the IBC increases the probability of donating money, and it increases the amount of donating money among those who donate at most £100. We also find that exposure to the IBC has increased the probability of volunteering and the level of interpersonal trust. However, all these results, but the one on the intensive margins of donations, have a short duration, limited to less than one year, supporting the prevalent consensus that social media campaigns may have only short-term effects.
Mind the framing when studying social preferences in the domain of losses
Authors: Armenak Antinyan , Luca Corazzini , Miloš Fišar , Tommaso Reggiani
Published: January 2023

There has been an increasing interest in altruistic behaviour in the domain of losses recently. Nevertheless, there is no consensus in whether the monetary losses make individuals more generous or more selfish. Although almost all relevant studies rely on a dictator game to study altruistic behaviour, the experimental designs of these studies differ in how the losses are framed, which may explain the diverging findings. Utilizing a dictator game, this paper studies the impact of loss framing on altruism. The main methodological result is that the dictators’ prosocial behaviour is sensitive to the loss frame they are embedded in. More specifically, in a dictator game in which the dictators have to share a loss between themselves and a recipient, the monetary allocations of the dictators are more benevolent than in a standard setting without a loss and in a dictator game in which the dictators have to share what remains of their endowments after a loss. These differences are explained by the different social norms that the respective loss frames invoke.
Attitudes towards migrants and preferences for asylum and refugee policies before and during Russian invasion of Ukraine: The case of Slovakia
Authors: Magdalena Adamus , Matúš Grežo
Published: January 2023

Extant literature shows that well-being is one of the key drivers of attitudes towards migrants as well as preferences for asylum and refugee policies. To investigate the underpinnings of these relationships, two studies on representative samples of 600 Slovaks each were conducted before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and during its initial phase. The results show that well-being had a stable positive relationship with attitudes towards migrants across the studies, albeit not with preferences for asylum and refugee policies. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the negative feelings elicited by the war predicted preferences for asylum and refugee policies beyond well-being. The divergence between the attitudes towards migrants and the preferences urges that there is a need to extend the traditional focus on general attitudes towards migrants. Finally, the results indicate that incorporating psychological factors, such as well-being and emotional responses to the looming threat of war, may considerably inform the debate surrounding the support for inclusive asylum and refugee policies.
Exploring the practical use of a collaborative robot for academic purposes
Authors: Ponsa Asensio Pere , Tornil Sin Sebastián
Published: January 2023

This article presents a set of experiences related to the setup and exploration of potential educational uses of a collaborative robot (cobot). The basic principles that have guided the work carried out have been three. First and foremost, study of all the functionalities offered by the robot and exploration of its potential academic uses both in subjects focused on industrial robotics and in subjects of related disciplines (automation, communications, computer vision). Second, achieve the total integration of the cobot at the laboratory, seeking not only independent uses of it but also seeking for applications (laboratory practices) in which the cobot interacts with some of the other devices already existing at the laboratory (other industrial robots and a flexible manufacturing system). Third, reuse of some available components and minimization of the number and associated cost of required new components. The experiences, carried out following a project-based learning methodology under the framework of bachelor and master subjects and thesis, have focused on the integration of mechanical, electronic and programming aspects in new design solutions (end effector, cooperative workspace, artificial vision system integration) and case studies (advanced task programming, cybersecure communication, remote access). These experiences have consolidated the students' acquisition of skills in the transition to professional life by having the close collaboration of the university faculty with the experts of the robotics company.
THE PROPOSED WTO AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT FACILITATION FOR DEVELOPMENT (AIFD): AN APPRAISAL
Authors: Sultana Shirin
Published: January 2023

Being an indispensable part of an open and effective global economic system, foreign direct investment (FDI) has a significant impact on development for any country. This is particularly important for the developing countries and the Least Developed countries (LDCs) due to their dependence on FDI for development financing. Accordingly, they try to attract FDI by taking different investor-friendly measures. On the other hand, foreign investors often complain about their challenges, mostly regulatory and institutional impediments in making investments and operating business activities in the host countries. In such a context, the idea of developing a multilateral framework for facilitating investment namely the Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development (AIFD) was conceived by some members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), particularly from the developing countries. The framework is aimed at improving the investment and business climate in the host countries by providing foreign investors with a transparent, predictable and efficient regulatory and administrative set-up in the host states. Though the proposed AIFD pledges to contribute to the development of the contracting State parties by facilitating worldwide inflow of FDI through creating conducive environment for foreign investors, the true implication of adopting this multilateral instrument remains doubtful. As such, the paper aims at examining the potential contribution of the proposed WTO multilateral framework to the development of the state parties, when adopted finally. The paper comes to the conclusion that the proposed framework, AIFD, is hardly capable of contributing to the development of the state parties.
Identifying Drone Web Sites in Multiple Countries and Languages with a Single Model
Authors: Daas Piet , de Miguel Blanca , de Miguel Maria
Published: January 2023

A text-based, bag-of-words, model was developed to identify drone company websites for multiple European countries in different languages. A collection of Spanish drone and non-drone websites was used for initial model development. Various classification methods were compared. Supervised logistic regression (L2-norm) performed best with an accuracy of 87% on the unseen test set. The accuracy of the later model improved to 88% when it was trained on texts in which all Spanish words were translated into English. Retraining the model on texts in which all typical Spanish words, such as names of cities and regions, and words indicative for specific periods in time, such as the months of the year and days of the week, were removed did not affect the overall performance of the model and made it more generally applicable. Applying the cleaned, completely English word-based, model to a collection of Irish and Italian drone and non-drone websites revealed, after manual inspection, that it was able to detect drone websites in those countries with an accuracy of 82 and 86%, respectively. The classification of Italian texts required the creation of a translation list in which all 1560 English word-based features in the model were translated to their Italian analogs. Because the model had a very high recall, 93, 100, and 97% on Spanish, Irish and Italian drone websites respectively, it was particularly well suited to select potential drone websites in large collections of websites.
Percepción de la diversidad y procesos de escolarización de las familias inmigrantes en Vitoria-Gasteiz
Authors: Shershneva Julia , Alkorta Eider
Published: January 2023

En los últimos años ha aumentado la preocupación y el interés por la concentración escolar del alumnado inmigrante. Sin embargo, son pocos los estudios que analizan este fenómeno desde la perspectiva de los propios protagonistas. El artículo tiene como objetivo analizar el discurso de la población de origen extranjero acerca de la segregación escolar, así como las estrategias de elección del centro escolar. Para ello, se han realizado entrevistas en profundidad a las personas inmigrantes que residen en Vitoria-Gasteiz para poder conocer los procesos que se dan en el ámbito escolar entre los grupos culturales minoritarios y analizar, así, las actitudes intragrupales existentes. Los resultados señalan que las familias de origen extranjero no son ajenas a las pautas y mecanismos de escolarización de las familias autóctonas. Además, y como han señalado otros análisis, el estudio pone de relieve la influencia que la desigual disposición de capital social, cultural y económico tiene en la definición de sus capacidades, disposiciones y prácticas de elección escolar.
Efficacy and safety of metabolic interventions for the treatment of severe COVID-19: in vitro, observational, and non-randomized open-label interventional study
Authors: Ehrlich Avner , Ioannidis Konstantinos , Nasar Makram , Abu Alkian Ismaeel , Daskal Yuval , Atari Nofar , Kliker Limor , Rainy Nir , Hofree Matan , Shafran Tikva Sigal , Houri Inbal , Cicero Arrigo , Pavanello Chiara , Sirtori Cesare R , Cohen Jordana B , Chirinos Julio A , Deutsch Lisa , Cohen Merav , Gottlieb Amichai , Bar-Chaim Adina , Shibolet Oren , Mandelboim Michal , Maayan Shlomo L , Nahmias Yaakov
Published: January 2023

Background:

Viral infection is associated with a significant rewire of the host metabolic pathways, presenting attractive metabolic targets for intervention.

Methods:

We chart the metabolic response of lung epithelial cells to SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary cultures and COVID-19 patient samples and perform in vitro metabolism-focused drug screen on primary lung epithelial cells infected with different strains of the virus. We perform observational analysis of Israeli patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 and comparative epidemiological analysis from cohorts in Italy and the Veteran’s Health Administration in the United States. In addition, we perform a prospective non-randomized interventional open-label study in which 15 patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 were given 145 mg/day of nanocrystallized fenofibrate added to the standard of care.

Results:

SARS-CoV-2 infection produced transcriptional changes associated with increased glycolysis and lipid accumulation. Metabolism-focused drug screen showed that fenofibrate reversed lipid accumulation and blocked SARS-CoV-2 replication through a PPARα-dependent mechanism in both alpha and delta variants. Analysis of 3233 Israeli patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 supported in vitro findings. Patients taking fibrates showed significantly lower markers of immunoinflammation and faster recovery. Additional corroboration was received by comparative epidemiological analysis from cohorts in Europe and the United States. A subsequent prospective non-randomized interventional open-label study was carried out on 15 patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19. The patients were treated with 145 mg/day of nanocrystallized fenofibrate in addition to standard-of-care. Patients receiving fenofibrate demonstrated a rapid reduction in inflammation and a significantly faster recovery compared to patients admitted during the same period.

Conclusions:

Taken together, our data suggest that pharmacological modulation of PPARα should be strongly considered as a potential therapeutic approach for SARS-CoV-2 infection and emphasizes the need to complete the study of fenofibrate in large randomized controlled clinical trials.

Funding:

Funding was provided by European Research Council Consolidator Grants OCLD (project no. 681870) and generous gifts from the Nikoh Foundation and the Sam and Rina Frankel Foundation (YN). The interventional study was supported by Abbott (project FENOC0003).

Clinical trial number:

NCT04661930.
Scale-free behavioral dynamics directly linked with scale-free cortical dynamics
Authors: Jones Sabrina A , Barfield Jacob H , Norman V Kindler , Shew Woodrow L
Published: January 2023

Naturally occurring body movements and collective neural activity both exhibit complex dynamics, often with scale-free, fractal spatiotemporal structure. Scale-free dynamics of both brain and behavior are important because each is associated with functional benefits to the organism. Despite their similarities, scale-free brain activity and scale-free behavior have been studied separately, without a unified explanation. Here, we show that scale-free dynamics of mouse behavior and neurons in the visual cortex are strongly related. Surprisingly, the scale-free neural activity is limited to specific subsets of neurons, and these scale-free subsets exhibit stochastic winner-take-all competition with other neural subsets. This observation is inconsistent with prevailing theories of scale-free dynamics in neural systems, which stem from the criticality hypothesis. We develop a computational model which incorporates known cell-type-specific circuit structure, explaining our findings with a new type of critical dynamics. Our results establish neural underpinnings of scale-free behavior and clear behavioral relevance of scale-free neural activity.
Experimental Induction of Friendship Jealousy: Comparing the Effects of Time versus Mental Coordination with an Interloper
Authors:   Laboratorio de Evolución y Relaciones Interpersonales, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Fernández Ana María , Castro Belén ,   Laboratorio de Evolución y Relaciones Interpersonales, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Molina Pablo ,   Laboratorio de Evolución y Relaciones Interpersonales, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Cosmides Leda ,   University of Califronia, Santa Barbara, Burkett Brandy ,   Psychological Sciences Department, College of William and Mary
Published: January 2023

Jealousy is an emotional response to the threat of losing a valued relationship. In this research, we revisit the proposal that jealousy in friendship is an evolved response to the threat of someone else replacing what is unique in this kind of relationship. Burkett (2009) found that most people identify mental coordination—responding to the world as you do—as the feature that makes their best friend uniquely valuable to them. We presented 305 Chilean participants with one of three hypothetical conditions, in which their best friend: i) spent most of their time with a new friend, ii) shared mental coordination with a new friend, or iii) spent most of their time and shared mental coordination with a new friend. We replicated the expected effect in this novel context: Friendship jealousy was evoked more strongly by the threat of losing mental coordination with a friend than by just losing time spent with them, and friendship jealousy was higher for women than to men. We discuss the implications of these findings in order to understand friendships evolutionary basis and psychology, as well as other close relationships, and other types of non-pathological jealousy.
Diversity of Trichomes in Calliandra haematocephala Hassk. (Caesalpinioideae DC., Fabaceae Lindl.)
Authors: Joshi Sangeeta , Dhami Deepa , Rawat D. S.
Published: January 2023

Objective: High structural diversity of trichomes in the members of family Fabaceae Lindl. has been a subject of study from decades. The present study was aimed to study structural diversity of trichomes in Power Puff Tree (Calliandra haematocephala,Caesalpinioideae, Fabaceae) a pan-tropical ornamental tree.

Methods: Plant specimens were collected from the campus of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology Pantnagar (India) during the year 2020. Plant species was identified with the help of relevant Floras. Fresh plant material was used for vestiture and trichome study under light microscope using standard anatomical procedures.  Illustrations of trichomes were drawn by using prism type camera lucida and photographs were taken at different magnifications. Standard terminology of trichome types given by payne 1978 was adopted to describe different structural types of trichomes.

Results: Nine different types of glandular and non-glandular trichomes were recorded in Calliandra haematocephala Hassk. Four different vestiture types were recorded on the surfaces of studied parts. Trichomes were found present in all vegetative parts and some reproductive parts viz; peduncle, bracts, bracteole, petals while other reproductive parts like sepals, filaments, anther, ovary, style and stigma were found completely glabrous.  Present study suggests that trichome morphology and distribution on different plant parts can be used to identify plant species.  Calliandra haematocephala Hassk. can be identified in its vegetative phase of life when floral parts are lacking or fragmentary.
Effects of Viscosity and Magnetic Field on a Non-Isothermal Cylindrical Channel Flow
Authors: Ndu Roseline Ize. , Nwaigwe Chinedu , Emeka Amos
Published: January 2023

This study examines the effect of viscosity and magnetic field on a non-isothermal cylindrical channel flow.  This work considered a model of convective-thermal-diffusion with constant viscosity and magnetic field. The governing model equations are nondimensionalized using the dimensionless quantities and then  solved analytically using power series method of Frobenius type so as to tackle the singularity in the model equations. Furthermore, the analytical solutions are displayed via graphs to show the effects of the flow parameters on the flow velocity, temperature and concentration profiles. The graphical results show that increase in viscosity, magnetic field and solutal Grashof number parameters retard the fluid flow. While increase in thermal Grashof number enhances the flow velocity. Thermal conductivity and solute injection parameters increase the fluid temperature and concentration respectively while the cooling and diffusive parameters decrease the fluid temperature and concentration respectively. Further studies can be carried out for a multi-directional flow as against the unidirectional flow and in a vertical channel in place of horizontal channel  as studied in this paper.
Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Supplemented by Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in Evaluation of Renal Masses
Authors: Ibrahem Darweesh Ahmed , Siagy Ali Salama Al , Ahmed Hassanien Omar , Abbas Nassar Ibrahim
Published: January 2023

Background: Recent studies have shown that diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) may enable characterization of kidney lesions and in differentiating benign from malignant ones. However, there are only a few reports investigating the utilization of DWI and ADC measure in the differentiation of small solid kidney masses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of Diffusion Weighted MR Imaging (DW-MRI) supplemented with ADC measures in characterization of different kidney masses.

Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study included thirty (30) cases presented to the Diagnostic Radiology Department in Tanta University Hospitals with signs and symptoms of kidney masses either by clinical or previous radiological examination. The duration of the study was 3-4 years.

Results: There were 13 participants had clear kidney cell carcinoma with mean ADC 1.32 ± 0.15. There were 7 participants had papillary kidney carcinoma with mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) 1.33 ± 0.13. There were 6 participants had oncocytoma with ADC 1.3 ± 0. There were 4 participants had angiomyolipoma with mean ADC 0.76 ± 0.13. As regard Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequence parameters; the TR/TE was 3150/55.

Conclusion: DWI is a quick process that can be readily included into a standard MRI protocol. When gadolinium contrast agent cannot be provided, DWI is very useful for lesion identification and assessment. Due to the overlap of ADC measures between benign and cancerous lesions, it cannot be utilized as a standalone diagnostic tool and must be evaluated concurrently with conventional MRI for effective characterization of kidney lesions.
p—π Conjugated Polyelectrolytes Toward Universal Electrode Interlayer Materials for Diverse Optoelectronic Devices
Authors: Wang He , Yang Yi , Zhang Yuzhuo , Wang Shumeng , Tan Zhan'ao , Yan Shouke , Wang Lixiang , Hou Jianhui , Xu Bowei
Published: January 2023

The development of universal interlayer materials for diverse optoelectronic devices not only decreases the costs in both laboratory research and industrialized production, but also improves the uniformity of different devices so as to facilitate device integration. However, using one material to fabricate diverse devices remains a great challenge. Herein, p‐π conjugation is utilize to replace the commonly used π–π conjugation to develop an unprecedented anode interlayer (AIL) material PCP‐S that can be universally used in diverse optoelectronic devices, including organic light‐emitting diode (OLED), organic solar cell (OSC), and perovskite solar cell (PSC). The unique solubility and the easy adjustment of optoelectronic properties are keys to realize the multiple uses of PCP‐S. First, OSC based on the polyoxometalate (POM)‐doped PCP‐S exhibits a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.1%, representing the highest efficiency for OSCs using a solution‐processed pH‐neutral AIL. Second, PSC with PCP‐S shows a PCE of 20.1%, which is superior to the device with poly(triaryl amine) (PTAA). Third, OLED possesses a significantly reduced turn‐on voltage from 3.8 to 2.8 V by incorporating the PCP‐S AIL. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first example of a universal AIL material to realize multiple applications.
Main‐Chain Nematic Side‐Chain Smectic Composite Liquid Crystalline Elastomers
Authors: Guo Hongye , Saed Mohand O. , Terentjev Eugene M.
Published: January 2023

A composite liquid crystalline elastomer is designed, combining main‐chain and side‐chain mesogenic polymers in the network, and resulting in micro‐phase separated regions of nematic and smectic ordering in the macroscopically homogeneous elastomer. A range of different fractions of the components is explored, from fully nematic main‐chain system, across to fully smectic side‐chain elastomer. Thermal phase transitions of both phases coexisting in the material are detected by calorimetry, and the nematic/smectic structure investigated by X‐ray scattering. The tensile stress–strain data reveal the key effect of such a multi‐phase composite, where the nematic fraction adds ductility while the smectic fraction increases the modulus and mechanical stiffness. Varying the composition, the authors are able to optimize the mechanical properties of this material type.
Ceria Nanoparticles as Copper Chaperones that Activate SOD1 for Synergistic Antioxidant Therapy to Treat Ischemic Vascular Diseases
Authors: Im Gwang‐Bum , Kim Young Geon , Yoo Tae Yong , Kim Yeong Hwan , Kim Kang , Hyun Jiyu , Soh Min , Hyeon Taeghwan , Bhang Suk Ho
Published: January 2023

All exogenous nanomaterials undergo rapid biotransformation once injected into the body and fall short of executing the intended purpose. Here, it is reported that copper‐deposited ceria nanoparticles (CuCe NPs) exhibit enhanced antioxidant effects over pristine ceria nanoparticles, as the released copper buffers the depletion of glutathione while providing the bioavailable copper as a cofactor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase 1. The upregulated intracellular antioxidants along with the ceria nanoparticles synergistically scavenge reactive oxygen species and promote anti‐inflammation and M2 polarization of macrophages by modulating signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 and 6 (STAT1 and STAT6). The therapeutic effect of CuCe NPs is demonstrated in ischemic vascular diseases (i.e., murine models of hindlimb ischemia and myocardial infarction) in which the copper‐deposition affords increased perfusion and alleviation in tissue damage. The results provide rationale that metal oxide nanomaterials can be designed in a way to induce the upregulation of specific biological factors for optimal therapeutic performance.
Tape‐Free, Digital Wearable Band for Exercise Sweat Rate Monitoring
Authors: Dautta Manik , Ayala‐Cardona Luis Fernando , Davis Noelle , Aggarwal Ashwin , Park Jonghwa , Wang Shu , Gillan Liam , Jansson Elina , Hietala Mikko , Ko Hyunhyub , Hiltunen Jussi , Javey Ali
Published: January 2023

Monitoring sweat secretion rate is essential for uncovering underlying physical conditions like hyperhidrosis, mental stress, and neural disorders. Often, flexible microfluidic sweat rate monitoring devices use tape as a means of attachment to the skin to tightly seal the collection area. While these single‐use, adhesive‐backed devices have lightweight and thin interfaces for mounting on the skin, their form factor complicates their potential integration with available commercial wearables, such as smartwatches. Here, a tape‐free device, consisting of a 3D‐printed sweat collector with a concave surface that is strapped onto the skin to form an effective seal, is presented. The materials, structure, and dimensions of the sweat collector are optimized for conformal device‐to‐skin contact and efficient capture of sweat. The collector is interfaced with a fluidic microchannel with embedded electrodes for continuous digital monitoring of sweat rate. Long‐term exercise‐induced local sweat rate from multiple body locations in both multi‐subject and longitudinal studies is measured, depicting the correlation between the measured sweat profile and total body fluid loss. The simple installation procedure and reusability of this tape‐free device make it a good candidate for integration with the band of a watch.
Direct Current Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Based on Plasmon‐Enhanced Solar Radiation Pressure
Authors: Lee Ha Young , Kwak Min Sub , Hwang Geon‐Tae , Ahn Hyung Soo , Taylor Robert A. , Ha Dong Han , Yi Sam Nyung
Published: January 2023

A piezoelectric energy generating device that produces electricity using plasmon‐enhanced solar radiation pressure (SRP) is developed. The SRP is greatly enhanced on the operational region of the device with a unique crater‐like structure, and direct current is generated successfully on the device. By optimizing the material and thickness of top electrode, a maximum power density of 396 µW cm−2 is obtained. In addition, by using Raman measurements, finite‐difference time‐domain simulation, and COMSOL Multiphysics analysis, it is confirmed that the SRP is greatly amplified on the operational region with the nanoscale surface roughness due to resonance between the incident light and surface plasmons. By increasing the rotational speed of an optical chopper used to measure the change in the output characteristics of the device, and comparing this with the simulated result, it is found that the constant charge produced by the piezoelectric effect arose due to the superposition of charge phases in the device.
Transferrin Receptor‐Mediated Iron Uptake Promotes Colon Tumorigenesis
Authors: Kim Hyeoncheol , Villareal Luke B , Liu Zhaoli , Haneef Mohammad , Falcon Daniel M , Martin David R , Lee Ho‐Joon , Dame Michael K , Attili Durga , Chen Ying , Varani James , Spence Jason R. , Kovbasnjuk Olga , Colacino Justin A , Lyssiotis Costas A. , Lin Henry C , Shah Yatrik M , Xue Xiang
Published: January 2023

Transferrin receptor (TFRC) is the major mediator for iron entry into a cell. Under excessive iron conditions, TFRC is expected to be reduced to lower iron uptake and toxicity. However, the mechanism whereby TFRC expression is maintained at high levels in iron‐enriched cancer cells and the contribution of TFRC to cancer development are enigmatic. Here the work shows TFRC is induced by adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene loss‐driven β‐catenin activation in colorectal cancer, whereas TFRC‐mediated intratumoral iron accumulation potentiates β‐catenin signaling by directly enhancing the activity of tankyrase. Disruption of TFRC leads to a reduction of colonic iron levels and iron‐dependent tankyrase activity, which caused stabilization of axis inhibition protein 2 (AXIN2) and subsequent repression of the β‐catenin/c‐Myc/E2F Transcription Factor 1/DNA polymerase delta1 (POLD1) axis. POLD1 knockdown, iron chelation, and TFRC disruption increase DNA replication stress, DNA damage response, apoptosis, and reduce colon tumor growth. Importantly, a combination of iron chelators and DNA damaging agents increases DNA damage response and reduces colon tumor cell growth. TFRC‐mediated iron import is at the center of a novel feed‐forward loop that facilitates colonic epithelial cell survival. This discovery may provide novel strategies for colorectal cancer therapy.