showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Terahertz four-wire waveguides for broadband signal processing and multiplexing
2022
In this work, we introduce a versatile metal-wire waveguide geometry, namely a four-wire waveguide, which is capable of sustaining two independent and orthogonally polarized fundamental modes, thus acting as a broadband polarization-division multiplexer. By integrating multiscale-structured grooves into the wires of such a waveguide, we demonstrate the independent manipulation of polarization-division terahertz signals.
O8-1 24-Hour Movement Behavior and Fundamental Movement Skills in Pre-School Children: A Compositional Analysis
2022
Abstract Background Studies that have analyzed the association between the different movement behaviors and fundamental movement skills (FMS), have considered it in an independent manner, disregarding the compositional nature of 24-hour movement behaviors (24h MB). The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between the 24h MB and FMS in low-income preschoolers. Methods Two hundred and four preschoolers of both sexes (4.5±0.8 years old; 101boys) provided objectively assessed physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) data (Actigraph wGT3X), and FMS assessments (TGMD-2). Sleep duration (SD) was reported by parents through interview. Association of daily time composition of mov…
Loneliness, subjective health complaints, and medicine use among Finnish adolescents 2006-2018.
2022
Aims: Loneliness is an important public health challenge for all ages. This study reports time trends of loneliness among adolescents over a 12-year period and analyses the strength of the associations between loneliness, health complaints, and medicine use. Methods: Data were derived from the cross-sectional Finnish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study conducted in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. The study population is based on a random sample of schools with 20,444 participants aged 11–15 years. The trends were analysed with a Mantel–Haenszel test, and the strength of the associations was evaluated by mixed-effects logistic and linear regressions. Results: An increasing prevalence …
Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant, Antiproliferative, and Antimicrobial Properties of Rubus idaeus Seed Powder
2022
In the context of the contemporary research on sustainable development and circular economy, the quest for effective strategies aimed at revaluation of waste and by-products generated in industrial and agricultural production becomes important. In this work, an ethanolic extract from red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) seed waste (WRSP) was evaluated for its phytochemical composition and functional properties in term of antioxidative, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities. Chemical composition of the extract was determined by both HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and spectrophotometric methods. Phytochemical analysis revealed that flavan-3-ols and flavonols were the major phenolic compounds contained in W…
Grit y motivación como predictores de las etapas de cambio hacia el control de peso en una población adulta
2022
Given the increasing percentage of overweight and obesity worldwide, weight control is a primary health-promoting behaviour. Integrating Grit personality, self-determination theory, and the transtheoretical model of change, this study evaluates Grit personality and motivation as psychological antecedents of the stages of change towards weight control. A total of 1351 Mexican adults between 18 and 65 years of age completed a packet of questionnaires on the variables of interest. The results showed that Grit personality was positively and significantly related to the maintenance, action, preparation, and contemplation stages, and negatively and significantly related to the precontemplation st…
Motor Coordination and Global Development in Subjects with Down Syndrome: The Influence of Physical Activity
2022
Background: Many research studies have investigated motor impairments and delayed development in children with Down Syndrome (DS). However, very few studies detected these features in adults with DS. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between motor coordination and global development in subjects with DS, including adults. Furthermore, the second aim was to detect any differences in motor coordination and global development as a function of the practice of physical activity (PA) in this population. Methods: Twenty-five participants with DS (10 f, 15 m), with a chronological mean age of 27.24 years and development mean age of cognitive area of 4.93 years, were enrolled an…
The existence of solutions for the modified (p(x), q(x))-Kirchhoff equation
2022
We consider the Dirichlet problem-Delta(Kp)(p(x))u(x) - Delta(Kq)(q(x))u(x) = f(x, u(x), del u(x)) in Omega, u vertical bar(partial derivative Omega) = 0,driven by the sum of a p(x)-Laplacian operator and of a q(x)-Laplacian operator, both of them weighted by indefinite (sign-changing) Kirchhoff type terms. We establish the existence of weak solution and strong generalized solution, using topological tools (properties of Galerkin basis and of Nemitsky map). In the particular case of a positive Kirchhoff term, we obtain the existence of weak solution (= strong generalized solution), using the properties of pseudomonotone operators.
Back-Health-Related Physical Activity and Exercise Knowledge in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study.
2022
Knowledge is a determining factor for the development of postural habits; it could be considered as the first step in the establishment of changes. The aim of this study was to analyze the level of specific back-health-related physical activity and exercise knowledge in adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 1500 high school students between the ages of 13 and 18 (mean age = 15.18 ± 1.44). Students from the Valencian Community (Spain) were recruited with a confidence level of 95% and an accepted standard error of ± 2.53%. Self-report questionnaires were used to record back-health-related physical activity knowledge. The level of specific knowledge of…
The Relationship between Parental Monitoring, Peer Pressure, and Motivations for Responsible Drinking among Italian Adolescents: The Mediating Role o…
2022
This study investigated the associations between parental monitoring, peer pressure, and motivations for responsible drinking, while also taking the mediating role of positive alcohol expectancies into account. The participants were 579 Italian adolescents, aged 14-20 years (M = 16.39 years, SD = 1.27; 55.3% females), involved in a cross-sectional survey. They were administered online self-report questionnaires. Structural equation modeling revealed both direct and indirect positive associations between study variables. Parental monitoring was positively associated, both directly and indirectly, with adolescents' motivations for responsible drinking through the mediation of positive alcohol…
Effects of precipitation seasonality, irrigation, vegetation cycle and soil type on enhanced weathering – modeling of cropland case studies across fo…
2022
Enhanced weathering (EW) is a promising strategy for carbon sequestration, but several open questions remain regarding the actual rates of dissolution in conditions of natural hydroclimatic variability in comparison to laboratory experiments. In this context, models play a pivotal role, as they allow exploring and predicting EW dynamics under different environmental conditions. Here a comprehensive hydro-biogeochemical model has been applied to four cropland case studies (i.e., Sicily and the Padan plain in Italy and California and Iowa in the USA) characterized by different rainfall seasonality, vegetation (i.e., wheat for Sicily and California and corn for the Padan plain and Iowa), and s…
STEAMTEACH Austria: Towards a STEAM Professional Development Program
2022
The STEAMTEACH (STEAM Education for Teaching Professionalism) project works with teacher trainers to develop a program of Transcultural STEAM Professional Development for in- and pre-service teachers. Following a literature review, a semi-structured questionnaire then interviews approach was used to elicit current practice, challenges for teachers and recommendations from Austrian teacher trainers. These recommendations were then compared with and supported by STEAM academic literature. It was found that none of the institutions offered a STEAM approach and it does not appear in the curriculum. Indeed, this fact is the primary challenge to overcome. Recommendations were that teachers should…
Oviposition deterrence and repellent activities of selected essential oils against Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): laboratory and g…
2022
AbstractTuta absoluta, an invasive pinworm characterized by high reproductive potential and adaptation to different agroecological conditions, cause serious damage to tomato crops. Chemical control with synthetic insecticides is widely used to control this pest, although pesticides exhibit side effects on non-target organisms and negatively impact the environment, with the occurrence of resistance to some active substances in the target pest. The use of essential oils (EOs) from aromatic or officinal plants could represent an environmentally safe control method, alternative to synthetic insecticide application. In this work we investigated the effect of EOs from Spanish oregano, laurel, bas…
How adherence to the updated physical activity guidelines should be assessed with accelerometer?
2022
Abstract Background The aerobic part of the recently updated physical activity (PA) guidelines for adults recommends at least 150 min of moderate or at least 75 of vigorous-intensity PA or an equivalent combination of both. PA can be accumulated of any bout duration. On an absolute scale, moderate-intensity threshold is 3 metabolic equivalents (METs) and vigorous 6 METs. On a scale relative to individual’s personal capacity, moderate-intensity threshold is 40% and vigorous 60% of the oxygen uptake reserve. In this study, the adherence to the new guidelines was evaluated using both absolute and relative thresholds. Methods Totally, 1645 adults aged 20–64 years, participated in this populatio…
Evaluation of the “Bottleneck” Effect in an Isolated Population of Microtus hartingi (Rodentia, Arvicolinae) from the Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria) by …
2022
An integrative analysis of an isolated population of Harting’s vole (Microtus hartingi) from the Eastern Rhodope Mountains (Bulgaria) was carried out by morphological and morphometric methods, computed tomography, Cytb variation data, and experimental hybridization. Substantial changes in the development of the skull and teeth were found. Nevertheless, those voles can live to the senex stage. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on Cytb sequences showed that M. hartingi from the Eastern Rhodopes forms a separate clade, which is a sister clade to the voles from Northeastern Greece (also from the foothills of the Rhodopes). M. hartingi from the Rhodopes is mostly isolated reproductively …
History Matters: Colonial‑Based Connectivity and Foreign Headquarter Location Choice
2022
AbstractIn this study, we argue that European countries’ extensive relationships with former colonies represent a location factor that attracts foreign headquarter investments. The strategic role of foreign headquarters as coordinators, opportunity detectors, and global bridgeheads makes the location choice of headquarter activities sensitive to historical-based institutional connections. Drawing on a sample of 2230 foreign headquarter investments in Europe, we find that the stronger the combined effect of historical connections and current economic relationships with former colonies, the higher the probability of attracting headquarter investment projects. We refer to this combined charact…
Narrowband Monolithic Perovskite-Perovskite Tandem Photodetectors
2022
Narrowband photodetectors (PDs) are sought after for many applications requiring selective spectral response. The most common systems combine optical bandpass filters with broadband photodiodes. This work reports a method to obtain a narrowband response in a perovskite PD by the monolithic integration of a perovskite photoconductor and a perovskite photodiode. The spectral response of the tandem PD is determined by the bandgap energy difference of the two perovskites, and exhibits a full width at half maximum below 85 nm, an external quantum efficiency up to 68% and a high specific detectivity of ≈1012 Jones in reverse bias, enabling the device to detect weak light signals. The absorption p…
Can a Healthy Lifestyle Prevent Disability Pension among Female Healthcare Workers with Good and Poor Self-Rated Health? Prospective Cohort Study wit…
2022
BACKGROUND: Our purpose was to investigate whether healthy lifestyle habits prevent disability pension among female healthcare workers.METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study with an 11-year register follow-up in which 8159 female healthcare workers from Denmark completed a questionnaire concerning self-rated health, work environment, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), smoking, and body mass index (BMI). Data on disability benefit payments were obtained from the Danish Register for Evaluation of Marginalization during an 11-year follow-up. Potential confounders included age, occupational education, psychosocial work factors, and physical exertion during work.RESULTS: Among work…
How Geography and Climate Shaped the Genomic Diversity of Italian Local Cattle and Sheep Breeds
2022
International audience; Understanding the relationships among geography, climate, and genetics is increasingly important for animal farming and breeding. In this study, we examine these inter-relationships in the context of local cattle and sheep breeds distributed along the Italian territory. To this aim, we used redundancy analysis on genomic data from previous projects combined with geographical coordinates and corresponding climatic data. The effect of geographic factors (latitude and longitude) was more important in sheep (26.4%) than that in cattle (13.8%). Once geography had been partialled out of analysis, 10.1% of cattle genomic diversity and 13.3% of that of sheep could be ascribe…
Student Teachers' Perceptions of the Connection between Literacy, Equality and Digitalization
2022
Digitalization has many implications for the development of equality in societies and is also reflected in education. In a digitalized world, literacy is an essential skill for both individual and societal development. This study explores Finnish student teachers' perceptions of the connection between literacy, equality, and digitalization. The research material consists of professional opinion pieces written by student teachers (N=37). The qualitative study examined student teachers' perceptions of literacy, equality, and digitalization. Student teachers' perceptions concerned pupils' polarizing backgrounds for learning, literacy instruction and the challenge of differentiating classes, de…
Development of a Novel Object Detection System Based on Synthetic Data Generated from Unreal Game Engine
2022
This paper presents a novel approach to training a real-world object detection system based on synthetic data utilizing state-of-the-art technologies. Training an object detection system can be challenging and time-consuming as machine learning requires substantial volumes of training data with associated metadata. Synthetic data can solve this by providing unlimited desired training data with automatic generation. However, the main challenge is creating a balanced dataset that closes the reality gap and generalizes well when deployed in the real world. A state-of-the-art game engine, Unreal Engine 4, was used to approach the challenge of generating a photorealistic dataset for deep learnin…
Extracellular vesicle DNA from human melanoma tissues contains cancer-specific mutations
2022
Liquid biopsies are promising tools for early diagnosis and residual disease monitoring in patients with cancer, and circulating tumor DNA isolated from plasma has been extensively studied as it has been shown to contain tumor-specific mutations. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) present in tumor tissues carry tumor-derived molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids, and thus EVs can potentially represent a source of cancer-specific DNA. Here we identified the presence of tumor-specific DNA mutations in EVs isolated from six human melanoma metastatic tissues and compared the results with tumor tissue DNA and plasma DNA. Tumor tissue EVs were isolated using enzymatic treatment followed by ultra…
Developing and Comparing Indices to Evaluate Community Knowledge Building in an Educational Research Course
2022
This paper implements a novel approach to analyzing the degree of Collective Cognitive Responsibility (CCR) in a Knowledge Building community, based on socioeconomic and scientometric measures. After engaging in Knowledge Forum (KF) discussions for one semester, 36 students identified impactful ideas in their portfolios, which were then used to develop their impact scores. These scores were then transformed and plotted along the Lorenz Curve and the Gini coefficient to visualize the degree of equidistribution of recognition in the community and, by extension, the degree of collective responsibility shared by members of the community. Additionally, students were classified into member roles …
Determinants affecting consumers' attention to fish eco-labels in purchase decisions: a cross-country study
2022
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the role of consumer altruism and other socio-cultural factors in predicting how much attention consumers pay to seafood eco-labels.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical investigation was carried out by administering an online questionnaire to a sample of Italian and Spanish people from December 2019 to April 2020. After carrying out the principal component analysis procedure, the work made use of an ordinal logistic regression.FindingsBoth Italian and Spanish consumers with an altruistic attitude, who feel that food produced in a sustainable way can protect the environment and workers, appear more likely to take an eco-label into accou…
Management of the image of the city in urban planning: experimental methodologies in the colour plan of the Egadi Islands
2022
AbstractThe debate over the value of the image of a city, which since the 1960s has been gaining wider room for reflection, has arisen as a criticism against the reductionism of the Modern Movement and highlighted the value of the qualitative aspects of an urban landscape. The question asked is if urban planning can in some way govern the image of a city. An investigation into which tools and strategies are necessary to defend the narrative of a city, its identity and its genius loci against the homologating forces that are transforming contemporary cities. The article explores the theoretical principles and methods being experimentally used to qualitatively manage the urban environment. Re…
Explaining knowledge intensive firms’ performance through internal factors: evidence from an IT consulting firm
2022
Our research contributes to knowledge-intensive firms research streams. We propose an explanation of their performance based on organizational design theory and the resource-based view. Through a case study on an IT consulting firm in France, we examined the impact of a coherent organizational architecture and a cognitive asset on the performance of the firm. The results show a complementarity between a coherent organizational design and a meticulously formed and maintained human resources asset to explain the performance of an IT consulting firm.
Clustering ball possession duration according to players’ role in football small-sided games
2022
This study aimed to explore which offensive variables best discriminate the ball possession duration according to players specific role (defenders, midfielders, attackers) during a Gk+3vs3+Gk football small-sided games. Fifteen under-15 players (age 13.2±1.0 years, playing experience 4.2±1.0 years) were grouped according to their positions (team of defenders, n = 5; team of midfielders, n = 7; team of attackers, n = 3). On each testing day (n = 3), each team performed one bout of 5-min against each team in a random order, accounting for a total of nine bouts in the following scenarios: i) defenders vs midfielders; ii) defenders vs attackers; iii) midfielders vs attackers. Based on video, a …
Orthographic precision for word naming in skilled readers
2022
Perfetti (2007) proposed that the quality of lexical representations affects reading. We investigated the role of lexical quality in decoding. Eighty-four adults read aloud words and pseudowords with dense and sparse neighbourhoods in a masked form-priming experiment. Individual-difference measures of language and cognitive processes were collected and entered into a principal component analysis (PCA). Compared to a non-overlapping control prime, we observed greater facilitatory form-priming for word targets with sparse neighbourhoods than those with dense neighbourhoods. A PCA component related to orthographic precision affected form-priming: people with low orthographic precision showed g…
Urban drinking and driving:comparison of electric scooter and bicycle related accidents in facial fracture patients
2022
In recent years, electric scooters (e-scooter) have emerged as an alternative mode of urban transport due to their availability and effortless use. However, e-scooter-related trauma and injuries, especially to the head, have received wide media coverage and raised public concern about their safety. We aim to determine and compare clinically relevant variables, incidence, and severity between bicycle and e-scooter-related facial fractures and potential protective measures for injury prevention. This retrospective study comprised all patients admitted to a tertiary trauma center with bicycle or e-scooter-related facial fractures between January 2019 and October 2020. Patient- and injury-relat…
Effects of an experimental short-time high-intensity warm-up on explosive muscle strength performance in soccer players: A pilot study.
2022
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an experimental short-time warm-up consisting of a small number of intermittent high-intensity sprints on explosive muscle strength performance in soccer players and to identify recovery times after performing the sprints. Furthermore, we evaluated the reliability of a smartphone app in jumping performance.Methods: Twenty male soccer players were given the following tests: 1) the counter-movement jump (CMJ) test with the Microgate system, 2) the counter-movement jump (CMJ) test with the MyJump smartphone app, and 3) the handgrip strength test. The experimental short-time high-intensity warm-up was carried out 1 week after test administr…
Repercusión en la autoeficacia docente de los términos 'dislexia' y 'dificultad específica del aprendizaje en lectura'
2022
Las etiquetas diagnósticas de dislexia y dificultades específicas de aprendizaje en lectura pueden considerarse, desde un punto de vista teórico, como prácticamente sinónimas. Sin embargo, la elección de un término u otro por parte del profesorado conlleva ciertas connotaciones que pueden ejercer una notable influencia en las percepciones de los docentes sobre estos estudiantes. El propósito del presente estudio fue determinar si las etiquetas de dislexia y dificultades específicas de aprendizaje en lectura influyen en el sentimiento de autoeficacia de un grupo de futuros docentes. Para ello se administró un cuestionario de 14 preguntas tipo Likert con 9 opciones a 242 estudiantes de los gr…
Ti-based robust MOFs in the combined photocatalytic degradation of emerging organic contaminants.
2022
Photocatalysis process is a promising technology for environmental remediation. In the continuous search of new heterogeneous photocatalysts, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently emerged as a new type of photoactive materials for water remediation. Particularly, titaniumbased MOFs (Ti-MOFs) are considered one of the most appealing subclass of MOFs due to their promising optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties, high chemical stability, and unique structural features. However, considering the limited information of the reported studies, it is a hard task to determine if real-world water treatment is attainable using Ti-MOF photocatalysts. In this paper, via a screening with seve…
Quality culture at Nordic universities
2022
This study aimed to investigate common features and ways of understanding quality culture (QC) within higher education institutions (HEIs) in Nordic countries. While the concept of QC is commonly accepted and often used, its meaning is not always clear. This paper focuses on how Nordic universities frame QC in their internal documentation. The Nordic context was chosen due to the close cooperation on quality issues that characterise HEIs within the Nordic region. The discussion section of this paper outlines QC in relation to quality assurance (QA) among HEIs within the European and Nordic regions. Sixteen universities participated in the study by sharing documents describing their QCs. The…
Palliative Care Needs and Clinical Features Related to Short-Term Mortality in Patients Enrolled in a Heart Failure Unit
2022
(1) Background: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic and complex pathology requiring continuous patient management due to clinical instability, associated comorbidity, and extensive pharmacological treatment. Its unpredictable course makes the advanced stages challenging to recognize and raises the need for palliative care. This study aims to identify palliative care needs in HF patients and describe clinical features related to short-term mortality. (2) Methods: A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional, and retrospective study was carried out in an HF unit of a Spanish tertiary hospital. Patients’ socio-demographic and clinical data were collected from clinical records, and different…
Effects of combinational use of controlled atmosphere, cold storage and edible coating applications on shelf life and quality attributes of fresh-cut…
2022
Abstract Background Persimmon fruits are cherished for their unique flavor and high nutrient content. In the present study, the effects of Aloe vera-based edible coatings (EC) added with 1% ascorbic acid, 1% citric acid and 5% calcium chloride in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and their impact on shelf-life quality of fresh-cut persimmon fruit, were investigated. The experimental design consisted of four treatments 1) Aloe vera edible coating + modified atmosphere packaging (EC + MAP), 2) untreated fruit packaged with MAP (CTR + MAP); 3) Aloe vera-based edible coating in passive atmosphere (EC PASSIVE); 4) untreated fruit in passive atmosphere (CTR PASSIVE). Persimmon fruit were stored…
Outcome Analysis From a Multicenter Registry on Unibody Stent-Graft System for the Treatment of Spontaneous Infrarenal Acute Aortic Syndrome (MURUSSI…
2022
Purpose: This study reports the outcomes from a Multicenter Registry on unibody stent-graft system for the treatment of spontaneous infrarenal acute aortic syndrome (MURUSSIAS registry). Materials and methods: The retrospective MURUSSIAS registry included spontaneous infrarenal acute aortic dissection (IAAS) managed with the unibody stent-graft system (AFX endovascular AAA system; Endologix Inc., Irvine, California) outside the current instruction for use. IAAS considered aortic dissection (AD), intramural hematoma (IMH), and penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU). Indications to IAAS treatment were symptoms, associated dilated abdominal aorta (>3 cm), rapidly-growing (>0.5 cm/6 months) aorta…
Complete calculation of exclusive heavy vector meson production at next-to-leading order in the dipole picture
2022
Exclusive production of transversely polarized heavy vector mesons in deep inelastic scattering at high energy is calculated at next-to-leading order accuracy in the Color Glass Condensate framework. In addition to the first QCD correction proportional to the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s$, we systematically also include the first relativistic correction proportional to the heavy quark velocity squared $v^2$. When combined with our previously published results for longitudinal vector meson production at next-to-leading order accuracy, these results make phenomenological calculations of heavy vector meson production possible at the order $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s v^0, \alpha_s^0 v^2)$. When…