showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
ZnO nanostructures: synthesis by anodization and applications in photoelectrocatalysis
2021
Abstract Solar energy is a clean and abundant energy source. In a photoelectrochemical cell, energy from sunlight is captured and converted into electric power, chemical fuels such as hydrogen is employed to degrade organic pollutants. ZnO is a promising material for photoelectrocatalysis due to its remarkable properties. The aim of this review is to perform an exhaustive revision of nanostructured ZnO synthesis by electrochemical anodization in order to control surface characteristics of this material through anodization parameters such as electrolyte type and concentration, potential, time, temperature, stirring, and post treatment. Finally, application of ZnO nanostructures is overviewed…
Correction to ‘Secondary structure determination of conserved SARS-CoV-2 RNA elements by NMR spectroscopy’
2021
The current pandemic situation caused by the Betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV2) highlights the need for coordinated research to combat COVID-19. A particularly important aspect is the development of medication. In addition to viral proteins, structured RNA elements represent a potent alternative as drug targets. The search for drugs that target RNA requires their high-resolution structural characterization. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a worldwide consortium of NMR researchers aims to characterize potential RNA drug targets of SCoV2. Here, we report the characterization of 15 conserved RNA elements located at the 5' end, the ribosomal frameshift segment and the 3'-un…
Levels and change in autonomous and controlled work motivation in older workers—The role of proximity to retirement and sense of community at work
2021
Previous studies suggest a preretirement disengagement process from work, which includes reduced work motivation. In this study, we investigated changes in autonomous and controlled work motivation over two years among participants of the Health, Aging and Retirement Transition in Sweden (HEARTS) study. We found stability in both types of motivation; however, those who retired after the study period showed more distinct declines in autonomous motivation. A stronger sense of community at work was related to level, but not change in autonomous motivation. Intra-individual fluctuations in the expected retirement age did not predict work motivation or vice versa. Future studies are needed to be…
How shall we all live together?: Meta‐analytical review of the mutual intercultural relations in plural societies project
2021
Living together in culturally plural societies poses numerous challenges for members of ethnocultural groups and for the larger society. An important goal of these societies is to achieve positive intercultural relations among all their peoples. Successful management of these relations depends on many factors including a research-based understanding of the historical, political, economic, religious and psychological features of the groups that are in contact. The core question is ‘how we shall we all live together?’ In the project reported in this paper (Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies; MIRIPS), we seek to provide such research by reviewing three core psychological hypoth…
Non-tidal loading of the Baltic Sea in Latvian GNSS time series
2021
Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the Baltic Sea non-tidal loading in the territory of Latvia using observations of the GNSS continuously operating reference stations (CORS) of LatPos, EUPOS®-Riga, EPN and EstPos networks. The GNSS station daily coordinate time series obtained in a double-difference (DD) mode were used. For representation of the sea level dynamics, the Latvian tide gauge records were used. Performed correlation analysis is based on yearly data sets of these observations for the period from 2012 up to 2020. The approach discloses how the non-tidal loading can induce variations in the time series of the regional GNSS station network. This pa…
Third molar surgical difficulty scales: systematic review and preoperative assessment form
2021
Background The main objective of this systematic review was to collect the pre-existing scales for assessing the difficulty of third molar extraction. The secondary objective was to design a proposal for a preoperative evaluation protocol for the difficulty of third molar extraction. Material and Methods Two independent researchers conducted an electronic search in Pubmed (MEDLINE), Cochrane, and Scopus databases during March 2021. Included studies evaluated the prediction of the difficulty of surgical removal of impacted upper or lower third molars using new indices/scales or pre-existing scales with or without modifications. Articles referring to coronectomies or assessing pre-surgical di…
Survival of Floquet–Bloch States in the Presence of Scattering
2021
Floquet theory has spawned many exciting possibilities for electronic structure control with light, with enormous potential for future applications. The experimental demonstration in solids, however, remains largely unrealized. In particular, the influence of scattering on the formation of Floquet-Bloch states remains poorly understood. Here we combine time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with time-dependent density functional theory and a two-level model with relaxation to investigate the survival of Floquet-Bloch states in the presence of scattering. We find that Floquet-Bloch states will be destroyed if scattering-activated by electronic excitations-prevents the Bloch elec…
An ABM to support collective reflection on the evolution of mobility
2021
International audience; Transport infrastructures play a large part in defining a smart, sustainable and resilient city. Planning transportation systems traditionally rely on well-known evolutions of roads or public transportation (roundabouts for security, etc.). Yet, infrastructures might also benefit from, or may have to adapt to, recent disruptive innovations concerning modalities, technologies and societal organization (autonomous cars, smart infrastructure, homeworking, etc.). However, innovative urban policies might either facilitate mobility and increase citizen well-being, or create negative side effects. Urban planning therefore requires the city to assess the impact of these disr…
Difusión de innovaciones en la agricultura ecológica y análisis de redes sociales : un ensayo de aplicación
2021
La manera en la que las innovaciones se difunden sobre el territorio tiene una estrecha relación con la configuración de las redes del productor agrario en torno a las organizaciones. En esta investigación se estudia la relación entre los flujos de información y las redes personales en la agricultura ecológica que directa o indirectamente promueven las innovaciones en el sector. A partir de un listado de 28 innovaciones, agrupadas en cuatro categorías (Producto, Proceso, Organización y Marketing) se realizan entrevistas en profundidad a 11 actores relacionados con la agricultura ecológica las provincias de Castellón y Valencia para analizar las redes de difusión de innovaciones. Con los dat…
Influence of monoterpenoids on the growth of freshwater cyanobacteria
2021
Abstract Cyanobacteria are characterized by a very high tolerance to environmental factors. They are found in salt water, fresh water, thermal springs, and Antarctic waters. The wide spectrum of habitats suitable for those microorganisms is related to their particularly effective metabolism; resistance to extreme environmental conditions; and the need for only limited environmental resources such as water, carbon dioxide, simple inorganic salts, and light. These metabolic characteristics have led to cyanobacterial blooms and the production of cyanotoxins, justifying research into effective ways to counteract the excessive proliferation of these microorganisms. A new and interesting idea fo…
Acoustic Su-Schrieffer-Heeger lattice: Direct mapping of acoustic waveguides to the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model
2021
Topological physics strongly relies on prototypical lattice model with particular symmetries. We report here on a theoretical and experimental work on acoustic waveguides that is directly mapped to the one-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chiral model. Starting from the continuous two dimensional wave equation we use a combination of monomadal approximation and the condition of equal length tube segments to arrive at the wanted discrete equations. It is shown that open or closed boundary conditions topological leads automatically to the existence of edge modes. We illustrate by graphical construction how the edge modes appear naturally owing to a quarter-wavelength condition and the conserv…
The impact of visual cues during visual word recognition in deaf readers: An ERP study
2021
Abstract Although evidence is still scarce, recent research suggests key differences in how deaf and hearing readers use visual information during visual word recognition. Here we compared the time course of lexical access in deaf and hearing readers of similar reading ability. We also investigated whether one visual property of words, the outline-shape, modulates visual word recognition differently in both groups. We recorded the EEG signal of twenty deaf and twenty hearing readers while they performed a lexical decision task. In addition to the effect of lexicality, we assessed the impact of outline-shape by contrasting responses to pseudowords with an outline-shape that was consistent (e…
Just a leader? Leadership work challenges and identity contradiction experienced by Finnish physician leaders.
2021
PurposeThis study seeks to improve the understanding of physician leaders' leadership work challenges.Design/methodology/approachThe subjects of the empirical study were physician leaders (n = 23) in the largest central hospital in Finland.FindingsA total of five largely identity-related, partially paradoxical dilemmas appeared regarding why working as “just a leader” is challenging for physician leaders. First, the dilemma of identity ambiguity between being a physician and a leader. Second, the dilemma of balancing the expected commitment to clinical patient work by various stakeholders and that of physician leadership work. Third, the dilemma of being able to compensate for leadership sk…
Correction: Ruiz et al. Social Environmental Antecedents of Athletes’ Emotions. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4997
2021
In the original article [...]
"A vos seringues" : la communication de la vaccination contre le Covid-19 du gouvernement français sur Twitter.
2021
International audience
Postoperative pain after endodontic treatment of necrotic teeth submitted to large apical preparation using oscillatory kinematics.
2021
Regardless of the technique applied for chemomechanical preparation, postoperative pain is a very relevant matter in endodontics. Objective: To evaluate postoperative pain after endodontic treatment of necrotic teeth submitted to large apical preparation (LAP) using oscillatory kinematics.The sample included 60 asymptomatic necrotic teeth with or without apical radiolucency, and with normal periodontal status, referred for endodontic treatment. Following initial procedures, the position and approximate size of the apical constriction were determined by using an apex locator and K Flexofiles, respectively. The chemomechanical preparation was conducted using oscillatory kinematics and 2.5ml o…
Limited potential for bird migration to disperse plants to cooler latitudes
2021
Climate change is forcing the redistribution of life on Earth at an unprecedented velocity1,2. Migratory birds are thought to help plants to track climate change through long-distance seed dispersal3,4. However, seeds may be consistently dispersed towards cooler or warmer latitudes depending on whether the fruiting period of a plant species coincides with northward or southward migrations. Here we assess the potential of plant communities to keep pace with climate change through long-distance seed dispersal by migratory birds. To do so, we combine phenological and migration information with data on 949 seed-dispersal interactions between 46 bird and 81 plant species from 13 woodland communi…
Emendation of Rules 5b, 8, 15 and 22 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes to include the rank of phylum.
2021
Following the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes electronic discussion and vote on proposals to include the rank of phylum in the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, we here announce the results of the ballot. We also present draft versions of the emended Rules 5b, 8, 15 and 22, based on the outcome of the ballot, to be included in the proposal for the preparation of a new revision of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.
Management of Diabetes in Candidates for Liver Transplantation and in Transplant Recipients.
2021
Diabetes is common in patients wait-listed for liver transplantation due to end-stage liver disease or to hepatocellular cancer as well as in post-transplant phase (post-transplantation diabetes mellitus-PTDM). In both conditions the presence of diabetes severely affects disease burden and long-term clinical outcomes; careful monitoring and appropriate treatment are pivotal to reduce cardiovascular events and graft and recipients' death. We thoroughly reviewed the epidemiology of diabetes in the transplant setting and the different therapeutic options, from lifestyle intervention to antidiabetic drug use - including the most recent drug classes available - and to the inclusion of bariatric …
Urethral fixation technique improves urinary continence recovery in men undergoing open radical cystectomy and ileal orthotopic neobladder
2021
Background We assessed urinary continence recovery and perioperative complications in patients operated on with the novel urethral fixation technique during open radical cystectomy (RC) with ileal orthotopic neobladder (IONB). Methods A retrospective cohort of 82 consecutive male patients undergoing open RC with IONB between 07/2013 and 06/2020 was analyzed. A study group of 48 patients operated on with the urethral fixation technique was compared with a control group of 34 patients receiving standard neovesico-urethral anastomosis. In the study group, the urethral stump was fixed to the dorsal median raphe posteriorly and to the medial portion of levator ani muscle postero-laterally in ord…
PNPLA3 and TLL-1 Polymorphisms as Potential Predictors of Disease Severity in Patients With COVID-19
2021
Albeit the pathogenesis of COVID-19 remains unclear, host’s genetic polymorphisms in genes involved in infection and reinfection, inflammation, or immune stimulation could play a role in determining the course and outcome. We studied in the early phase of pandemic consecutive patients (N = 383) with SARS-CoV-2 infection, whose subsequent clinical course was classified as mild or severe, the latter being characterized by admission to intensive therapy unit or death. Five host gene polymorphisms (MERTK rs4374383, PNPLA3 rs738409, TLL-1 rs17047200, IFNL3 rs1297860, and INFL4 rs368234815) were assessed by using whole nucleic acids extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs. Specific protease cleavage …
The Different Immune Profiles of Normal Colonic Mucosa in Cancer-Free Lynch Syndrome Carriers and Lynch Syndrome Colorectal Cancer Patients.
2021
ABSTRACT Background and aims Due to the high load of immunogenic frameshift neoantigens, tumors arising in individuals with Lynch syndrome (LS), the most common inherited colorectal cancer (CRC) syndrome, are characterized by a pronounced immune infiltration. However, the immune status of normal colorectal mucosa in LS is not well characterized. We assessed the immune infiltrate in tumor-distant normal colorectal mucosa from LS CRC patients, sporadic microsatellite-unstable (MSI) and microsatellite-stable (MSS) CRC patients, and cancer-free LS carriers. Methods CD3-positive, FOXP3-positive and CD8-positive T cells were quantified in 219, 233 and 201 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) n…
Proclivity of sexual harassment and blame attribution in journalism: experiential narratives of ghanaian female journalists
2021
Though the proclivity of sexual-related harassments in African journalism is high, the rates of reporting of these incidences and empirical studies are low. Using a gendered approach, the study presents and exploratory inquiry into the lived experiences and impressions of Ghanaian female journalists about incidences of sexual harassments. The study examines how female journalists experience both newsroom harassments and on-assignment sexual harassments including the role they play in quid pro quo exchanges, which are relevant aspects of sexual harassments in the profession. The study also looks at blame attribution strategies female journalists adopt in assigning blame for sexual harassment…
Telomerase and pluripotency factors jointly regulate stemness in pancreatic cancer stem cells
2021
© 2021 by the authors.
Social Influence Maximization in Hypergraphs
2021
This work deals with a generalization of the minimum Target Set Selection (TSS) problem, a key algorithmic question in information diffusion research due to its potential commercial value. Firstly proposed by Kempe et al., the TSS problem is based on a linear threshold diffusion model defined on an input graph with node thresholds, quantifying the hardness to influence each node. The goal is to find the smaller set of items that can influence the whole network according to the diffusion model defined. This study generalizes the TSS problem on networks characterized by many-to-many relationships modeled via hypergraphs. Specifically, we introduce a linear threshold diffusion process on such …
Allosteric Cross-Talk among Spike’s Receptor-Binding Domain Mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 South African Variant Triggers an Effective Hijacking of Huma…
2021
The rapid and relentless emergence of novel highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, possibly decreasing vaccine efficacy, currently represents a formidable medical and societal challenge. These variants frequently hold mutations on the Spike protein's receptor-binding domain (RBD), which, binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, mediates viral entry into host cells. Here, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and dynamical network theory of the wild-type and mutant RBD/ACE2 adducts disclose that while the N501Y mutation (UK variant) enhances the Spike's binding affinity toward ACE2, the concomitant N501Y, E484K, and K417N mutations (South African variant) aptly ad…
Development of a Decision Support System Framework for Cultural Heritage Management
2021
Decision support systems (DSSs) have been traditionally identified as useful information technology tools in a variety of fields, including the context of cultural heritage. However, to the best of our knowledge, no prior study has developed a DSS framework that incorporates all the main decision areas simultaneously in the context of cultural heritage. We fill this gap by focusing on design-science research and specifically by developing a DSS framework whose features support all the main decision areas for the sustainable management of cultural assets in a comprehensive manner. The main decision-making areas considered in our study encompass demand management, segmentation and communicati…
Personal Employability and employment outcomes in a university sample: a study before and after COVID-19
2021
[EN] Labour market uncertainty makes difficult to get (and keep) a high-quality job even for graduate students. Moreover, this situation has been worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to test the influence that personal employability has on maintaining (or being able to find a new) high-quality job in a sample of young university graduates that faced the job market crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on the four personal employability dimensions of Fugate et al.’s (2004) model: career identity, personal adaptability, human capital, and social capital. Our hypotheses state that the four dimensions of employability are positively related with employment …
Structure effects induced by high mechanical compaction of STAM-17-OEt MOF powders
2021
Financial support by PJ-RIC-FFABR_2017 and the EPSRC grant EPSRC industrial CASE award (grant EP/N50936X/1) are acknowledged. The research programme Nanoporous materials (P1-0021) financially supported by Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) is acknowledged as well. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials for many potential applications, spacing from gas storage to catalysis. However, the powder form of which they are generally made is not suitable, mainly because of the low packing density. Powder compaction is therefore necessary, but also challenging because of their typical mechanical fragility. Indeed, generally, they undergo irreversibly damages upon densification processe…
Predictors of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults: the role of socio-demographic variables and COVID-19 anxiety
2021
The objective of this study was to evaluate factors related to the mental health of Peruvian older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study had a cross-sectional and observational design. A total of 274 older adults in Lima, Peru (Mage = 67.86) filled out a sociodemographic survey, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, Mental Health Inventory-5, Patient Health Questionnaire-2 item, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was estimated to test an a priori model that relates the sociodemographic variables, COVID-19 Anxiety, psychological well-being, anxiety and depression. The model fit indices indicated a good fit to the data. The socio-demographic variables …
Robust output feedback control of non-collocated low-damped oscillating load
2021
For systems with order of dynamics higher than two and oscillating loads with low damping, a non-collocation of the sensing and control can deteriorate robustness of the feedback and, in worst case, even bring it to instability. Furthermore, for a contactless sensing of the oscillating mechanical load, like in the system under investigation, the control structure is often restricted to the single proportional feedback only. This paper proposes a novel robust feedback control scheme for a low-damped fourth-order system using solely the measured load displacement. For reference tracking, the loop shaping design relies on a band reject filter, while the plant uncertainties are used as robustne…
Uncommon Signs Associated With Hereditary Angioedema With Normal C1 Inhibitor.
2021
High performance for refractive index sensors via symmetry-protected guided mode resonance.
2021
The symmetry breaking in a typical dielectric GMR-grating structure allows the coupling of the incident wave with the so-called Symmetry-Protected Modes (SPM). In this present work, the excitation conditions of such particular modes are investigated. A parametric study including the grating dimensions is carried out to exploit them for a blood refractive index sensing with higher Sensitivity (S) and Figure Of Merit (FOM). To our knowledge, the performances obtained by FDTD calculations (Q = 2.1 × 104, S = 657 nm/RIU and FOM ≃ ~9 112 RIU−1) and FMM calculations (Q = 3 × 106, S = 656 nm/RIU and FOM ≃ ~1.64 × 106 RIU−1) are the highest level reached.
A Comprehensive Spectroscopic Analysis of the Ibuprofen Binding with Human Serum Albumin, Part II
2021
Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant human plasma protein. HSA plays a crucial role in many binding endos- and exogenous substances, which affects their pharmacological effect. The innovative aspect of the study is not only the interaction of fatted (HSA) and defatted (dHSA) human serum albumin with ibuprofen (IBU), but the analysis of the influence of temperature on the structural modifications of albumin and the interaction between the drug and proteins from the temperature characteristic of near hypothermia (308 K) to the temperature reflecting inflammation in the body (312 K and 314 K). Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. IBU is used to relieve acute pain, inf…
Unveiling the K1(1270) double-pole structure in the B¯→J/ψρK¯ and B¯→J/ψK¯*π decays
2021
By looking at the pseudoscalar-vector meson spectra in the $\overline{B}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}J/\ensuremath{\psi}\ensuremath{\rho}\overline{K}$ and $\overline{B}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}J/\ensuremath{\psi}{\overline{K}}^{*}\ensuremath{\pi}$ weak decays, we theoretically investigate the double-pole structure of the ${K}_{1}(1270)$ resonance by using the chiral unitary approach to account for the final-state interactions between the pseudoscalar ($P$) and vector ($V$) mesons. The ${K}_{1}(1270)$ resonance is dynamically generated through these interactions in coupled channels and influences the shape of the invariant mass distributions under consideration. We show how these shapes are affect…
Reduced Temperature Sensitivity of Maximum Latewood Density Formation in High-Elevation Corsican Pines under Recent Warming
2021
Maximum latewood density (MXD) measurements from long-lived Black pines (Pinus nigra spp. laricio) growing at the upper treeline in Corsica are one of the few archives to reconstruct southern European summer temperatures at annual resolution back into medieval times. Here, we present a compilation of five MXD chronologies from Corsican pines that contain high-to-low frequency variability between 1168 and 2016 CE and correlate significantly (p <