showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Flume experiments for assessing the dye-tracing technique in rill flows
2021
Abstract Flow velocity controls hillslope soil erosion and is a key hydrodynamic variable involved in sediment transport and deposition processes. The dye-tracer technique is one of the most applied methods for measuring velocity of shallow interrill and rill flow. The technique is based on the injection of a tracer in a specific point and the measurement of its speed to travel the known distance from the injection point to a given channel section. The dye-tracer technique requires that the measured surface flow velocity has to be corrected to obtain the mean flow velocity using a correction factor which is generally empirically deduced. The technique has two sources of uncertainties: i) th…
Adaptive physiological water conservation explains hypertension and muscle catabolism in experimental chronic renal failure
2021
Abstract Aim We have reported earlier that a high salt intake triggered an aestivation‐like natriuretic‐ureotelic body water conservation response that lowered muscle mass and increased blood pressure. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a similar adaptive water conservation response occurs in experimental chronic renal failure. Methods In four subsequent experiments in Sprague Dawley rats, we used surgical 5/6 renal mass reduction (5/6 Nx) to induce chronic renal failure. We studied solute and water excretion in 24‐hour metabolic cage experiments, chronic blood pressure by radiotelemetry, chronic metabolic adjustment in liver and skeletal muscle by metabolomics and selected enzyme activity…
The Inverse Seesaw Family: Dirac And Majorana
2021
After developing a general criterion for deciding which neutrino mass models belong to the category of inverse seesaw models, we apply it to obtain the Dirac analogue of the canonical Majorana inverse seesaw model. We then generalize the inverse seesaw model and obtain a class of inverse seesaw mechanisms both for Majorana and Dirac neutrinos. We further show that many of the models have double or multiple suppressions coming from tiny symmetry breaking "$\mu$-terms". These models can be tested both in colliders and with the observation of lepton flavour violating processes.
A guided Internet-delivered intervention for adjustment disorders
2021
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Evidence of self-help interventions for adjustment disorder (AjD) is limited. This study aims at testing in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) the effectiveness of a disorder-specific, Internet-delivered cognitive–behavioural therapy (ICBT) intervention for AjD. Participants were randomly allocated to either an ICBT with brief weekly telephone support (n = 34) or a waiting list group (n = 34). Beck's inventories for depression and anxiety were used as primary outcomes. The secondary outcomes were AjD symptoms, post-traumatic growth, positive and negative affect, and quality of life. In all, 76.5% of the participants completed the intervention. Compared with th…
Jóvenes y uso problemático de las tecnologías durante la pandemia: una preocupación familiar
2021
espanolLa situacion de confinamiento, derivada de la pandemia mundial por la COVID-19, ha supuesto un cambio drastico en nuestras conductas en las diferentes esferas de nuestra vida. Asi, el desempeno de las actividades laborales, el afrontamiento de las responsabilidades academicas y la ocupacion del tiempo de ocio se han visto condicionadas por una limitacion de la movilidad y una mayor permanencia en el hogar. El confinamiento se ha vinculado a un mayor consumo de tecnologia en sus diferentes formatos, generando una preocupacion en el entorno familiar por un uso excesivo de ellas, asi como de las posibles consecuencias que podrian derivarse. Bajo esta perspectiva, el presente estudio pre…
Neighborhood environment, social participation, and physical activity in older adults with lower limb osteoarthritis: A mediation analysis
2021
Older adults with lower limb osteoarthritis (LLOA) are highly dependent on their physical and social environment for being physically active. Longitudinal data from 2286 older adults (M age = 73.8 years; 50.3% female) in six European countries were analyzed using cross-lagged Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM. In cross-sectional analyses, neighborhood resources were associated with physical activity (r = 0.26;p <.001) and social participation (r = 0.13;p =.003). Physical activity at follow-up was associated with neighborhood resources, with this relationship mediated by social participation in people with LLOA (β = 0.018;p =.013). To promote future physical activity,…
Interactive effects of increased temperature and gadolinium pollution in Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos: a climate change perspective
2021
Gradual ocean warming and marine heatwaves represent major threats for marine organisms already facing other anthropogenic-derived hazards, such as chemical contamination in coastal areas. In this study, the combined effects of thermal stress and exposure to gadolinium (Gd), a metal used as a contrasting agent in medical imaging which enters the aquatic environment, were investigated in the embryos and larvae of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Embryos were exposed to six treatments of three temperatures (18 °C, 21 °C, 24 °C) and two Gd concentrations (control: 0 μM; treated: 20 μM). With respect to developmental progression, increased temperature accelerated development and achievemen…
High-pressure structural, lattice dynamics, and electronic properties of beryllium aluminate studied from first-principles theory
2021
Abstract The present work reports the complete study of structural, vibrational, mechanical, and electronic properties of BeAl2O4 (known as Chrysoberyl) using first-principles computing methods. The calculated ground-state properties agree quite well with previous experiments. The computed phonon dispersion curves do not show imaginary frequencies confirming the dynamical stability. In addition, the calculated elastic constants also ensure the mechanical stability through fulfillment of mechanical stability criteria. Apart from that, the theoretically determined phonon frequencies agree quite well with previous Raman and infrared experiments at ambient conditions. Various thermodynamic prop…
Cooperation between Different CRISPR-Cas Types Enables Adaptation in an RNA-Targeting System
2021
CRISPR-Cas systems are immune systems that protect bacteria and archaea against their viruses, bacteriophages. Immunity is achieved through the acquisition of short DNA fragments from the viral invader’s genome.
Imaging the COVID-19: a practical guide
2021
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents the first medical catastrophe of the new millennium. Although imaging is not a screening test for COVID-19, it plays a crucial role in evaluation and follow-up of COVID-19 patients. In this paper, we will review typical and atypical imaging findings of COVID-19.
Adversarial reverse mapping of condensed-phase molecular structures: Chemical transferability
2021
Switching between different levels of resolution is essential for multiscale modeling, but restoring details at higher resolution remains challenging. In our previous study we have introduced deepBackmap: a deep neural-network-based approach to reverse-map equilibrated molecular structures for condensed-phase systems. Our method combines data-driven and physics-based aspects, leading to high-quality reconstructed structures. In this work, we expand the scope of our model and examine its chemical transferability. To this end, we train deepBackmap solely on homogeneous molecular liquids of small molecules, and apply it to a more challenging polymer melt. We augment the generator's objective w…
Effects of Dolphin-assisted Therapy on the Social and Communication Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
2021
Although several studies have shown that dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) may be beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), most of these studies have methodological weaknesses. This study tested the effectiveness of DAT in improving the social and communicative skills of children with ASD. We used a pretest- posttest design with a control group. The 48 participants were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: age between 4 and 5 years, diagnosis of ASD, and clear impairment in communication. Participants were randomly assigned to the groups: DAT and Therapy Without Dolphins (TWD). The research lasted 10 weeks. The intervention phase lasted 6 weeks and consis…
Children’s conceptions of mental well-being and ideas for its promotion through digital environments
2021
The aim of this study is to further understanding of children’s conceptions of mental well-being and their ideas for its digital promotion. The study is based on the need to provide children an opportunity to actively participate and share their understanding of mental well-being promotion with others in light of their understanding of what online environments and their design can afford for this promotion. The study was implemented as three subsequent workshops in primary school classrooms comprising four teachers and 79 children aged 9-11 years old. In the first two workshops, children reflected on mental well-being, digital environments they utilise and their possible connections to ment…
Human-Robot Teaming Interaction: a Cognitive Architecture Solution
2021
Maternal-fetal Complications in Pregnancy: A Retrospective Comparison Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
2021
Abstract Background The aim of the study was a retrospective comparison of the differences in maternal-foetal outcomes between women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM). Methods A cohort of 135 patients with pregestational diabetes, 73 with T1DM (mean age 29 ± 5 years) and 62 with T2DM (mean age 33 ± 6 years), in intensive insulin treatment throughout pregnancy were evaluated. Clinical and metabolic parameters and the prevalence of maternal and foetal complications were assessed. Results Women with T1DM showed lower pregestational BMI (p < 0.001), pregestational weight (p < 0.001), weight at delivery (p < 0.001), ∆_total_insulin requirement (IR) at the first, s…
Statistical Advances in Epidemiology and Public Health
2021
The key role of statistical modeling in epidemiology and public health is unquestionable [...]
Vital dyes in macular hole surgery
2021
Currently, surgical techniques, such as internal limiting membrane peeling, are used widely for macular holes, macular puckers, epiretinal membranes, diabetic macular edema, retinal detachment, retinal vein occlusions, vitreomacular traction, optic pit maculopathy, and Terson syndrome. This study aimed to highlight any differences regarding visual acuity and ocular tomography coherence changes after staining the internal limiting membrane with dilutions of Brilliant Blue G vs. lutein/zeaxanthin-based dyes. This study involved 30 eyes of 30 patients who had undergone posterior pole vitrectomy for idiopathic stage 4 macular hole. The study lot was divided in two subgroups, 15 eyes colored wit…
Perfil de sensibilidad antibiótica de Raoultella spp. en la Comunidad Valenciana: resultados de la Red de Vigilancia Microbiológica durante un períod…
2021
The Promise and Perils of Urban Land Restitution in Latvia
2021
ABSTRACT∞ In this article we address the transitional justice policy of restitution in kind with a case study of urban land reform in Latvia. Contributing to scholarship on the challenge of property reforms after generations of dispossession, we examine the economic, social and political meanings of property restitution in this post-Soviet context. Using process-tracing techniques to examine the creation and implementation of Latvia’s policy in the aftermath of independence from the Soviet Union, we illustrate specific challenges of restitution in kind where property changed through the construction of new buildings occupied by tenants. Financial disputes between landowners and tenants map …
Positive emotion induction improves cardiovascular coping with a cognitive task
2021
Feeling positive emotions seems to favour an adaptive cardiovascular response (greater heart rate variability, HRV), associated with improved cognitive performance. This study aims to test whether the induction of a positive emotional state produce such cardiovascular response and therefore, enhance coping and performance in Tower of Hanoi (ToH). Forty-two Participants were randomly distributed into two groups (Experimental and Control). Experimental group was subjected to the evocation of a memory of success, while control group was subjected to an attentional task before performing ToH. Heart Rate Variability (HRV), activity of the zygomatic major muscle (ZEMG) and emotions were measured.…
false
2021
Abstract The spaceborne detection of volcanic ash clouds at infrared wavelengths helps to avoid regions with enhanced volcanic ash concentrations that pose a threat to aviation. Current volcanic ash data retrievals require detailed information on microphysical properties and the refractive index of volcanic ash, which are highly variable. Uncertainties in the latter currently limit the quality of volcanic ash nowcasts. Here, we introduce a novel method to calculate the complex refractive indices of volcanic ashes at wavelengths from 5 to 15 μm from measurements of their individual components based on generic petrological ash compositions. Thereby the refractive indices for volcanic glasses …
Fine tuning of the magnetic properties in Mn3-Co Ga Heusler films near the critical regime
2021
Abstract Tunability of structural and magnetic properties of Mn3-xCoxGa films is presented by Co substitution, where critical behavior emerges 0.37 ≤ x ≤ 0.56 exhibiting a transition from tetragonal hard ferrimagnetic with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) to a cubic soft ferrimagnetic phase with in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA). In the critical regime, coexisting state of tetragonal and cubic phases possesses significantly low coercive field (HC = 1.9 kOe) with relatively low saturation magnetization (MS = 100~150 emu/cc) while maintaining the PMA. From first-principles calculations, moments of two Mn sites do not change upon Co substitution. However, moments of substituted Co almo…
Circular approach for the valorisation of industrial waste heat and industrial effluents
2021
In situ recordings of large gelatinous spheres from NE Atlantic, and the first genetic confirmation of egg mass of Illex coindetii (Vérany, 1839) (Ce…
2021
AbstractIn total, 90 gelatinous spheres, averaging one meter in diameter, have been recorded from ~ 1985 to 2019 from the NE Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea, using citizen science. More than 50% had a dark streak through center. They were recorded from the surface to ~ 60–70 m depth, mainly neutrally buoyant, in temperatures between 8 and 24°C. Lack of tissue samples has until now, prohibited confirmation of species. However, in 2019 scuba divers secured four tissue samples from the Norwegian coast. In the present study, DNA analysis using COI confirms species identity as the ommastrephid broadtail shortfin squid Illex coindetii (Vérany, 1839); these are the first confirmed …
Group as a Social Microcosm: The Reciprocal Relationship Between Intersession Intimate Behaviors and In-Session Intimate Behaviors
2021
The social microcosm is defined as group members replicating their everyday (intersession) interpersonal behaviors in group sessions and new behaviors, learned in the group (in-session), replicating in the members' everyday life. We examined intersession and in-session intimate behaviors, at the within-member (differences in intimate behaviors between weeks/sessions), between-member (average differences in intimate behaviors between group members) and between-groups (group-level differences in intimate behaviors). Participants were 178 graduate students (86% identifying as women and 14% as men) participating in 10 5-session growth groups led by experienced group therapists. Before group ses…
How much is enough? : The convergence of finite sample scattering properties to those of infinite media
2021
We study the scattering properties of a cloud of particles. The particles are spherical, close to the incident wavelength in size, have a high albedo, and are randomly packed to 20% volume density. We show, using both numerically exact methods for solving the Maxwell equations and radiative-transfer-approximation methods, that the scattering properties of the cloud converge after about ten million particles in the system. After that, the backward-scattered properties of the system should estimate the properties of a macroscopic, practically infinite system. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.o…
Trajectory robust control of autonomous quadcopters based on model decoupling and disturbance estimation
2021
In this article, a systematic procedure is given for determining a robust motion control law for autonomous quadcopters, starting from an input–output linearizable model. In particular, the suggested technique can be considered as a robust feedback linearization (FL), where the nonlinear state-feedback terms, which contain the aerodynamic forces and moments and other unknown disturbances, are estimated online by means of extended state observers. Therefore, the control system is made robust against unmodelled dynamics and endogenous as well as exogenous disturbances. The desired closed-loop dynamics is obtained by means of pole assignment. To have a feasible control action, that is, the fo…
P07.02 Detection of Molecular Residual Disease (MRD) using ctDNA in NSCLC: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
2021
DEVELOPMENT AND MODELING OF MEMBRANE PROCESSES FOR THE REGENERATION OF ACID PICKLING SOLUTIONS
2021
The doctoral thesis focuses on a novel integrated process for the recovery and valorisation of acid and metal salts present in the waste solutions of the pickling process. The proposed process is based on the integration of two innovative membrane technologies, the Diffusion Dialysis and the Membrane Distillation, coupled with a reactive precipitation section. This hybrid process allows the recovery and the enhancement of waste solutions, as well as optimal operating conditions for the continuous pickling process, thus improving its efficiency. Hydrochloric acid recovery was assessed through a detailed study on the Diffusion Dialysis process by implementing a wide experimental campaign usin…
Invited commentary to: ADAMTS13 deficiency is associated with abnormal distribution of von Willebrand factor multimers in patients with COVID-19 by T…
2021
false
2021
Abstract Research-based discussions about 21st-century skills are currently needed; 21st-century skills refer to skills that today's students are expected to possess for successful future careers. The ways students perceive these skills or what kind of dispositions they have in this regard are significant. This paper provides an overview of the development of pre-service teachers' perceived 21st-century skills and dispositions. The quantitative data was collected in three phases during 2014, 2015, and 2016 at three Finnish universities. The number of respondents at each measurement point varied from 209 to 267. Data were analysed using latent growth curve modeling. The study focuses on stud…
On the solution of a parabolic PDE involving a gas flow through a semi-infinite porous medium
2021
Abstract Taking as start point the parabolic partial differential equation with the respective initial and boundary conditions, the present research focuses onto the flow of a sample of waste-water derived from a standard/conventional dyeing process. In terms of a highly prioritized concern, meaning environment decontamination and protection, in order to remove the dyes from the waste waters, photocatalyses like ZnO or TiO2 nanoparticles were formulated, due to their high surface energy which makes them extremely reactive and attractive. According to the basics of ideal fluid, the key point is the gas flow through an ideal porous pipe consisting of nanoparticles bound one to each other, for…
Invasions of the non-indigenous red alga Lophocladia lallemandii (Montagne) F. Schmitz off the Island of Ischia (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)
2021
This paper describes the distribution and spread of the non-indigenous red alga Lophocladia lallemandii (Montagne) F. Schmitz along the coast of the Island of Ischia (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Lophocladia lallemandii was monitored through surveys from July 2019 to January 2020 at the Capo Sant’Angelo (Ischia), where L. lallemandii was observed, but not reported, in the years preceding the invasion of the upper rocky infralittoral shore reported here. It is noteworthy that a large portion of the study area is included within one of the two “B no-take” zones of the Marine Protected Area of the “Regno di Nettuno” (“Neptune’s Realm”). During the surveys, the alga was first observed in the middle …
COVID-19 confinement and Sexual activity in spain : a cross-sectional study
2021
Restrictions of free movement have been proven effective in tackling the spread of COVID-19 disease. However, sensitive populations submitted to longer periods of restrictions may experience detrimental effects in significant areas of their lifestyle, such as sexual activity. This study examines sexual activity during the COVID-19 confinement in Spain. A survey distributed through an institutional social media profile served to collect data, whereas chi-squared tests, t-tests, analyses of variance, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to assess differences among sample subgroups. A total of 71.3% adults (N = 536) (72.8% female) reported engaging in sexual activity with a week…
Update on Brugada Syndrome 2019
2021
Brugada syndrome (BrS) was first described in 1992 as an aberrant pattern of ST segment elevation in right precordial leads with a high incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with structurally normal heart. It represents 4% ∼ 12% of all SCD and 20% of SCD in patients with structurally normal heart. The extremely wide genetic heterogeneity of BrS and other inherited cardiac disorders makes this new area of genetic arrhytmology a fascinating one. This review shows the state of art in diagnosis, management, and treatment of BrS focusing all the aspects regarding genetics and Preimplant Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) of embryos, overlapping syndromes, risk stratification, familial screeni…
Cyclodextrin/surfactant inclusion complexes: An integrated view of their thermodynamic and structural properties
2021
Cyclodextrins (CDs) play an important role in self-assembly systems of amphiphiles. The structure of CDs provides distinguished physicochemical properties, including the ability to form host-guest complexes. The complexation affects the properties of guest molecules and can produce supramolecular aggregates with desirable characteristics for fundamental and practical applications. Surfactants are particularly attractive host molecules due to their wide variety, availability, responsiveness to different stimuli, and high relevance in different fields, e.g. medical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries. The tendency of organization in higher-order supramolecular aggregates arises the…