RESUMEN

All-inorganic cesium lead halide perovskites possess excellent thermal stability, a feature that renders them highly favorable for optoelectronic applications with an elevated thermal budget. Employing a coevaporation approach for their deposition holds promise for manufacturing at an industrial level, owing to improvements in device scalability and reproducibility. For unlocking the full potential of vacuum-evaporated perovskite thin films, it is crucial to delve deeper into their crystallization process, which, as a solid-state reaction, has been less investigated compared to the crystallization process of, most commonly used, solution-based methods. In this work, we employ spectroscopic ellipsometry, a nondestructive, high speed, and high accuracy characterization method, to study the real time annealing effect on thermally coevaporated CsPbI2Br thin films in a temperature range between 25 and 300 °C. We achieve this by developing a singular dynamic model that can be fitted in real time as a function of temperature, providing insights into how thermal annealing influences the perovskite film's morphology and optical constants. Based on the latter, we derive the temperature dependence of the thermo-optic coefficient and Urbach energy as well as analyze the interband transition energies via critical point analysis. We demonstrate that the γ- to ß-phase transition can be identified through a pronounced shift in the bandgap energy, whereas the ß- to α-phase transition can be discerned by a sharp increase in the film's roughness. We corroborate the obtained fit results with additional in- and ex situ measurements, such as in situ grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, reflectance/transmittance, and profilometry.

RESUMEN

(1) Background: Evidence regarding Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) diagnosis is limited in the context of patients with gallstone disease (GD). This study aimed to assess the predictive potential of conventional clinical and biochemical variables as combined models for diagnosing NAFLD in patients with GD. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study including 239 patients with GD and NAFLD diagnosed by ultrasonography who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and liver biopsy was conducted. Previous clinical indices were also determined. Predictive models for the presence of NAFLD stratified by biological sex were obtained through binary logistic regression and sensitivity analyses were performed. (3) Results: For women, the model included total cholesterol (TC), age and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and showed an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.727 (p < 0.001), sensitivity of 0.831 and a specificity of 0.517. For men, the model included TC, body mass index (BMI) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), had an AUC of 0.898 (p < 0.001), sensitivity of 0.917 and specificity of 0.818. In both sexes, the diagnostic performance of the designed equations was superior to the previous indices. (4) Conclusions: These models have the potential to offer valuable guidance to healthcare providers in clinical decision-making, enabling them to achieve optimal outcomes for each patient.

RESUMEN

Cross-cultural studies of the meaning of facial expressions have largely focused on judgments of small sets of stereotypical images by small numbers of people. Here, we used large-scale data collection and machine learning to map what facial expressions convey in six countries. Using a mimicry paradigm, 5,833 participants formed facial expressions found in 4,659 naturalistic images, resulting in 423,193 participant-generated facial expressions. In their own language, participants also rated each expression in terms of 48 emotions and mental states. A deep neural network tasked with predicting the culture-specific meanings people attributed to facial movements while ignoring physical appearance and context discovered 28 distinct dimensions of facial expression, with 21 dimensions showing strong evidence of universality and the remainder showing varying degrees of cultural specificity. These results capture the underlying dimensions of the meanings of facial expressions within and across cultures in unprecedented detail.

RESUMEN

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a highly contagious transboundary viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. Despite mass vaccination and continuous eradication programs, CSF remains endemic in Asia, some countries in Europe, the Caribbean and South America. Since June 2013, Northern Colombia has reported 137 CSF outbreaks, mostly in backyard production systems with low vaccination coverage. The purpose of this study was to characterize the virus responsible for the outbreak. Phylogenetic analysis based on the full-length E2 sequence shows that the virus is closely related to CSF virus (CSFV) genotype 2.6 strains circulating in Southeast Asia. The pathotyping experiment suggests that the virus responsible is a moderately virulent strain. The 190 nucleotide stretch of the E2 hypervariable region of these isolates also shows high similarity to the CSFV isolates from Colombia in 2005 and 2006, suggesting a common origin for the CSF outbreaks caused by genotype 2.6 strains. The emergence of genotype 2.6 in Colombia suggests a potential transboundary spread of CSFV from Asia to the Americas, complicating the ongoing CSF eradication efforts in the Americas, and emphasizes the need for continuous surveillance in the region.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Swine influenza is a respiratory disease that affects the pork industry and is a public health threat. It is caused by type A influenza virus (FLUAV), which continuously undergoes genetic and antigenic variations. A large amount of information regarding FLUAV in pigs is available worldwide, but it is limited in Latin America. The HA sequences of H1 subtype FLUAV-positive samples obtained from pigs in Colombia between 2008-2021 were analyzed using sequence-based antigenic cartography and N-Glycosylation analyses. Of the 12 predicted global antigenic groups, Colombia contained five: four corresponding to pandemic strains and one to the classical swine H1N1 clade. Circulation of these clusters was observed in some regions during specific years. Ca2 was the immunodominant epitope among Colombian viruses. The counts of N-Glycosylation motifs were associated with the antigenic cluster ranging from three to five. The results show for the first time the existence of antigenic diversity of FLUAV in Colombia and highlight the impact of spatial and temporal factors on this diversity. This study provides information about FLUAV variability in pigs under natural conditions in the absence of vaccination and emphasizes the need for surveillance of its phylogenetic and antigenic characteristics.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: and purpose: Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1). Ghrelin, and GHS-R1, may have a role in placental growth and function, and its unacylated form desacylghrelin (DAG) could be involved in fetal growth. Nevertheless, the effects of DAG on placental function, and the receptor involved in its actions, remain to be determined. We aimed to investigate the effect of DAG in placental BeWo cells viability, proliferation, differentiation, and GSH-R1 expression. METHODS: BeWo cells, a human trophoblast cell line, was cultured with 3 nM DAG during 12, 24, 48, and 72 h. Cell viability, proliferation, differentiation (assessed by human Chorionic Gonadotropin quantification), and GSH-R1 expression were analyzed. To evaluate the mechanism of DAG effect on GSH-R1, 30 nM receptor antagonist ([D-Lys3]-GHRP-6) was added alone or in combination with 3 nM DAG during 12 h and 24 h. RESULTS: DAG has no effect on cell proliferation or viability, but it has an inhibitory effect on cell differentiation. DAG had a stimulatory effect on GSH-R1 expression at 12 and 24 h (p = 0.029 and p = 0.025, respectively). On the contrary, culture with 48 h DAG inhibits GSH-R1 expression compared to the control (p = 0.005), while GSH-R1 antagonist inhibited the effect of DAG on GSH-R1 expression. DAG also reduces intracellular (p = 0.020) and secreted (p = 0.011) hCG concentration in BeWo cells. CONCLUSION: DAG increases GHS-R1 expression, potentially mediated through GHS-R1 itself. DAG may also inhibit placental BeWo cell differentiation, suggesting a possible role of DAG in placental and fetal physiology.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

In the present work, we used daily diary methodology to investigate the influence of awe on stress, somatic health (e.g., pain symptoms), and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We recruited a sample of community adults (N = 269) and a sample of healthcare professionals (N = 145) in the United States. Across both samples, we found that awe and well-being increased, and stress and somatic health symptoms decreased over the 22-day diary period. In daily level analyses, we found that the more daily awe people experienced, the less stress, less somatic health symptoms, and greater well-being they felt. Daily experiences of awe can benefit individuals during times of acute and chronic stress-such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

INTRODUCTION: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by ectopic fat deposition in the liver. However, a recent classification of this condition, which also integrates the presence of coexisting metabolic disorders, termed Metabolic dysfunction Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD), has been proposed. NAFLD is increasingly common in early childhood, partly due to the increase in metabolic disease in this age. Thus, studying hepatic steatosis in the metabolic context has become important in this population as well. However, NAFLD, and thus MAFLD, diagnosis in children is challenging by the lack of non-invasive diagnostic tools comparable to the gold standard of hepatic biopsy. Recent studies have reported that the Pediatric Metabolic Index (PMI) could be a marker of insulin resistance and abnormal liver enzymes, but its association with NAFLD, MAFLD, or altered adipokines in these conditions has not been reported. The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between PMI with the diagnosis of NAFLD or MAFLD, together with serum levels of leptin and adiponectin, in school-age children. METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out in two hundred and twenty-three children without medical history of hypothyroidism, genetic, or chronic diseases. Anthropometry, liver ultrasound, and serum levels of lipids, leptin, and adiponectin were evaluated. The children were classified as having NAFLD or non-NAFLD, and a subgroup of MAFLD in the NAFLD group was analyzed. The PMI was calculated by the established formulas for age and gender. RESULTS: PMI correlated positively with the presence and severity of NAFLD (r = 0.62, p<0.001 and r = 0.79, p<0.001 respectively) and with the presence of MAFLD (r = 0.62; p<0.001). Also, this index correlated positively with serum leptin levels (r = 0.66; p<0.001) and negatively with serum adiponectin levels (r= -0.65; p<0.001). PMI showed to be a good predictor for diagnosing NAFLD in school-age children when performing a ROC curve analysis (AUROC=0.986, p< 0.0001). CONCLUSION: PMI could be a useful tool for the early diagnosis of NAFLD or MAFLD in children. However, future studies are necessary to establish validated cut-off points for each population.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

RAGE is a multi-ligand transmembrane glycoprotein that promotes biological signals associated with inflammatory responses and degenerative diseases. sRAGE is a soluble variant, proposed as an inhibitor of RAGE activity. -374 T/A and -429 T/C polymorphisms of the advanced glycation end products receptor AGER gene are associated with the development of some diseases, such as type of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and micro and macrovascular disease in diabetes among others but their role in metabolic syndrome (MS) is still unknown. We studied 80 healthy men without MS, and 80 men with MS according to the harmonized criteria. -374 T/A and -429 T/C polymorphisms were genotyped by RT-PCR, and sRAGE was measured by ELISA. Allelic and genotypic frequencies did not differ between Non-MS and MS groups (-374 T/A p = 0.48, p = 0.57 and -429 T/C p = 0.36, p = 0.59). Significant differences were found in fasting glucose levels and diastolic blood pressure among the genotypes of the -374 T/A polymorphism in the Non-MS group (p < 0.01 and p = 0.008). Glucose levels were different between -429 T/C genotypes in the MS group (p = 0.02). sRAGE levels were similar in both groups, but in the Non-MS group showed a significant difference between individuals with only 1 or 2 components of the metabolic syndrome (p = 0.047). However, no associations of any SNP with MS were found (recessive model p = 0.48, dominant model p = 0.82 for -374 T/A; recessive model p = 0.48, dominant model p = 0.42 for -429 T/C). -374 T/A and -429 T/C polymorphisms are not associated with MS in Mexican population and have no influence on serum sRAGE levels.

RESUMEN

How do experiences in nature or in spiritual contemplation or in being moved by music or with psychedelics promote mental and physical health? Our proposal in this article is awe. To make this argument, we first review recent advances in the scientific study of awe, an emotion often considered ineffable and beyond measurement. Awe engages five processes-shifts in neurophysiology, a diminished focus on the self, increased prosocial relationality, greater social integration, and a heightened sense of meaning-that benefit well-being. We then apply this model to illuminate how experiences of awe that arise in nature, spirituality, music, collective movement, and psychedelics strengthen the mind and body.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Human social life is rich with sighs, chuckles, shrieks and other emotional vocalizations, called 'vocal bursts'. Nevertheless, the meaning of vocal bursts across cultures is only beginning to be understood. Here, we combined large-scale experimental data collection with deep learning to reveal the shared and culture-specific meanings of vocal bursts. A total of n = 4,031 participants in China, India, South Africa, the USA and Venezuela mimicked vocal bursts drawn from 2,756 seed recordings. Participants also judged the emotional meaning of each vocal burst. A deep neural network tasked with predicting the culture-specific meanings people attributed to vocal bursts while disregarding context and speaker identity discovered 24 acoustic dimensions, or kinds, of vocal expression with distinct emotion-related meanings. The meanings attributed to these complex vocal modulations were 79% preserved across the five countries and three languages. These results reveal the underlying dimensions of human emotional vocalization in remarkable detail.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the main liver disease worldwide, and its prevalence in children and adolescents has been increasing in the past years. It has been demonstrated that parental exposure to different conditions, both preconceptionally and during pregnancy, can lead to fetal programming of several metabolic diseases, including NAFLD. In this article, we review some of the maternal and paternal conditions that may be involved in early-life programing of adult NAFLD. First, we describe the maternal nutritional factors that have been suggested to increase the risk of NAFLD in the offspring, such as an obesogenic diet, overweight/obesity, and altered lipogenesis. Second, we review the association of certain vitamin supplementation and the use of some drugs during pregnancy, for instance, glucocorticoids, with a higher risk of NAFLD. Furthermore, we discuss the evidence showing that maternal-fetal pathologies, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), insulin resistance (IR), and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), as well as the exposure to environmental contaminants, and the impact of microbiome changes, are important factors in early-life programming of NAFLD. Finally, we review how paternal preconceptional conditions, such as exercise and diet (particularly obesogenic diets), may impact fetal growth and liver function. Altogether, the presented evidence supports the hypothesis that both in utero exposure and parental conditions may influence fetal outcomes, including the development of NAFLD in early life and adulthood. The study of these conditions is crucial to better understand the diverse mechanisms involved in NAFLD, as well as for defining new preventive strategies for this disease.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

INTRODUCTION: Despite broad consensus about multicultural experience's benefits, there is a lack of research on the antecedents to multicultural experiences. Research has indicated that awe shifts attention away from the self toward larger entities, which could include elements of other cultures. METHODS: Four studies (N = 2915) tested whether trait, daily, and induced awe promoted multicultural experience. RESULTS: Studies 1-2 (adolescents, young, middle, and older adults) showed that trait awe predicted greater multicultural identity and experience independent of other positive emotions and openness. Study 3 (students & adults in U.S. & Malaysia) demonstrated that daily awe predicted more daily multicultural experience independent of yesterday's multicultural experience. These results were explained by trait and daily curiosity. Study 4 (adults) found that induction of awe increased state multicultural identity and experience via state curious emotions and then state curious personality. CONCLUSION: We found that experiencing more awe can be a tool for enhancing the multicultural experience. The discussion focuses on the implications for future research on awe and multicultural experiences.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

The black perovskite phase of CsPbI3 is promising for optoelectronic applications; however, it is unstable under ambient conditions, transforming within minutes into an optically inactive yellow phase, a fact that has so far prevented its widespread adoption. Here we use coarse photolithography to embed a PbI2-based interfacial microstructure into otherwise-unstable CsPbI3 perovskite thin films and devices. Films fitted with a tessellating microgrid are rendered resistant to moisture-triggered decay and exhibit enhanced long-term stability of the black phase (beyond 2.5 years in a dry environment), due to increasing the phase transition energy barrier and limiting the spread of potential yellow phase formation to structurally isolated domains of the grid. This stabilizing effect is readily achieved at the device level, where unencapsulated CsPbI3 perovskite photodetectors display ambient-stable operation. These findings provide insights into the nature of phase destabilization in emerging CsPbI3 perovskite devices and demonstrate an effective stabilization procedure which is entirely orthogonal to existing approaches.

RESUMEN

Triatoma dimidiata is the main vector of Chagas disease in southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America. As a native vector, it moves readily among domestic, peri­domestic and sylvatic environments, making it difficult to control only using insecticide as this requires regular application, and re-infestation frequently occurs. Other social innovation alternatives such as those based on Ecohealth principles can be used to tackle the dynamics of the disease in an integral way. We asked whether an Ecohealth intervention, implemented beginning in 2001 in a highly infested village, 41.8%, in southeastern Guatemala, was sustainable in the long term. This intervention included initial insecticide treatments, followed by making low-cost house improvements to eliminate transmission risk factors such as repairing cracked walls, covering dirt floors with a cement-like substance and moving domestic animals outside. We assessed the long-term sustainability through entomological and house condition surveys, as well as an analysis of community satisfaction. We found over a 19-year period, infestation with T. dimidiata was reduced to 2.2% and maintained at a level below the level (8%) where vector transmission is unlikely. This long-term maintenance of low infestation coincided with a large proportion of villagers (88.6%) improving their houses and completing other aspects of the Ecohealth approach to maintain the village at low risk for Chagas transmission. There was unanimous satisfaction among the villagers with their houses, following improvements using the Ecohealth method, which likely played a role in the long-term persistence of the modifications. Although the infestation has remained low, 11 years following the last intervention and as the population grew there has been an increase in the proportion of "at-risk" houses, to 33%, pointing out the necessity of maintaining vigilance. The Ecohealth approach is a low-cost, sustainable approach for the long-term control of vector-borne Chagas disease. We recommend this approach including ongoing community monitoring and institutional response for the long-term, integrated control of Chagas disease.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

There is very little knowledge regarding autistic adult services, practices, and delivery. The study objective was to improve understanding of current services and practices for autistic adults and opportunities for improvement as part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in the European Union (ASDEU) project. Separate survey versions were created for autistic adults, carers of autistic adults, and professionals in adult services. 2,009 persons responded to the survey and 1,085 (54%) of them completed at least one of the services sections: 469 autistic adults (65% female; 55% <35 years old), 441 carers of autistic adults (27% female; 6% <35 years old), 175 professionals in adult services (76% female; 67% in non-medical services). Top choices by autistic adults, carers or professionals for services best suiting their current needs were: residential services: "help in own home" (adults, carers of high independent adults, professionals), "fulltime residential facility" (carers of low independent adults); employment services: "job mentors" (adults, carers of high independent adults, professionals), "Sheltered employment" (carers of low independent adults); education services: "support in regular education setting" (all groups); financial services: financial support in lieu of employment ("Supplementary income for persons unable to have full employment" for adults, "full pension" for carers of low independent adults) or to supplement employment earnings for carers of high independent adults and professionals; social services: "behavior training" (adults) and "life skills training" (carers and professionals). Waiting times for specific services were generally < 1 month or 1-3 months, except for residential services which could be up to 6 months; most professionals were uninformed of waiting times (>50% responded "don't know"). Five of seven residential services features recommended for autistic adults were experienced by <50% of adults. The knowledge of good local services models that work well for autistic adults was generally low across all services areas. The variation in services experiences and perceptions reported by autistic adults, carers, or professionals underscore the need to query all groups for a complete picture of community services availability and needs. The results showed areas for potential improvement in autistic adult services delivery in the EU to achieve recommended standards.

RESUMEN

Adverse environmental factors in early life result in fetal metabolic programming and increased risk of adult diseases. Birth weight is an indirect marker of the intrauterine environment, modulated by nutrient availability and placental transport capacity. However, studies of placental transporters in idiopathic birth weight alterations and in maternal obesity in relation to neonatal metabolic outcomes are scarce. We aimed to analyze the placental nutrient transporter protein expression in small (SGA, n = 14), adequate (AGA, n = 18), and large (LGA n = 10) gestational age term for newborns from healthy or obese mothers (LGA-OB, n = 9) and their association with maternal fatty acids, metabolic status, placental triglycerides, and neonatal outcomes. The transporter expression was determined by Western blot. The fatty acid profile was evaluated by gas chromatography, and placental triglycerides were quantified by an enzymatic colorimetric method. GLUT1 was higher in LGA and lower in SGA and positively correlated with maternal HbA1c and placental weight (PW). SNAT2 was lower in SGA, while SNAT4 was lower in LGA-OB. FATP1 was lower in SGA and higher in LGA. SNAT4 correlated negatively and FATP1 correlated positively with the PW and birth anthropometry (BA). Placental triglycerides were higher in LGA and LGA-OB and correlated with pregestational BMI, maternal insulin, and BA. Maternal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was higher in SGA, specifically in male placentas, correlating negatively with maternal triglycerides, PW, cord glucose, and abdominal perimeter. Palmitic acid (PA) correlated positively with FATP4 and cord insulin, linoleic acid correlated negatively with PA and maternal cholesterol, and arachidonic acid correlated inversely with maternal TG and directly with FATP4. Our study highlights the importance of placental programming in birth weight both in healthy and obese pregnancies.

RESUMEN

Emotional expressions are a language of social interaction. Guided by recent advances in the study of expression and intersectionality, the present investigation examined how gender, ethnicity, and social class influence the signaling and recognition of 34 states in dynamic full-body expressive behavior. One hundred fifty-five Asian, Latinx, and European Americans expressed 34 emotional states with their full bodies. We then gathered 22,174 individual ratings of these expressions. In keeping with recent studies, people can recognize up to 29 full-body multimodal expressions of emotion. Neither gender nor ethnicity influenced the signaling or recognition of emotion, contrary to hypothesis. Social class, however, did have an influence: in keeping with past studies, lower class individuals proved to be more reliable signalers of emotion, and more reliable judges of full body expressions of emotion. Discussion focused on intersectionality and emotion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has defined Chagas Disease hotspots in Central America associated with the vector Triatoma spp. Triatoma dimidiata is a native vector adapted to multiple environments, including intra-domestic and peri-domestic habitats. A multi-institutional project named "Alliances for the elimination of Chagas in Central America" was created to help reduce the incidence of the disease in the region. Activities performed in the field as part of the project included aspects of vector surveillance and control, improvement of houses, diagnosis and treatment of individuals, health promotion, training of human resources and identification of access barriers to diagnosis and treatment. As a base line study, eleven villages, comprised of 1,572 households, were entomologically evaluated (83.4% overall participation); five were found to have very high infestation rates (>20%), three had high infestation rates (8-20%) and three had low-infestation rates (<8%), coinciding with the category of infestation-risk of the houses within each village. Serological tests were carried out in 812 people (>80% participation) in two of the 11 villages and none of the 128 children tested, less than 5 years of age, were positive for Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Community participation in all the activities was high (>70%). The collaboration between several subnational, national, and international institutions, each with specific roles, promoted community participation in the activities of vector control and patient care, thus, establishing a baseline to continue implementing and monitoring project progress.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

The Autism Spectrum Disorders in the European Union (ASDEU) survey investigated local services' use experiences of autistic adults, carers and professionals with interventions for autistic adults. The majority of the 697 participants experienced recommended considerations prior to deciding on intervention and during the intervention plan and implementation. Psychosocial interventions were the most commonly experienced interventions, while pharmacological interventions NOT recommended for core autistic symptoms were reported by fairly large proportions of participants. Family interventions were experienced slightly more commonly by carers than adults or professionals. Less than the 26% of autistic adult responders who had experienced challenging behaviors reported receiving an intervention to change them. These results provide insights for improving gaps in service provision of interventions among autistic adults.

Asunto(s)