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Protection from interference by a retro-cue in a visual working memory task
No full textWorking memory for one property (e.g., colour) of a recently viewed object is enhanced by repeated presentation of a cue (e.g., an arrow) to remember that property before (pre-cueing) or after (retro-cueing) viewing the object. While an added cue can enhance memory, selective interference of memory can occur when an added stimulus competes for working memory processing of one property (e.g., colour) of an object more than another (e.g., location of the object). The current experiment investigated whether adding a cue, trained as a pre-cue, after the target but before a distractor stimulus will improve or interfere with memory of the target in a visuo-spatial change detection task. Method: Test trials followed the structure: coloured background (CB1), target stimulus, coloured background (CB2), distractor, and probe stimulus. Young adults (n = 22) were instructed that the colour of CB1 would signal whether to respond “same” or “different” based on the match of the identity (e.g., green) or the location (e.g., yellow) of the probe stimulus to the target stimulus. During the test, the property signalled by the colour of CB2 could be either the same as CB1, neutral, or incongruent. Control trials included the same novel colour (e.g., blue) as CB1 and CB2. Results: An analysis of d’ revealed significantly better performance during trials with CBs that signalled the need to remember the same property before the target and distractor. Conclusions: Results support the hypothesis of protection from interference by a retro-cue
Effects of x-ray irradiation on fertilization and early development in quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis)
No full textThe quagga mussel, Dreissena bugensis, is an invasive freshwater bivalve that causes significant economic and ecological damage. Numerous techniques are currently being investigated to help control their spread. X-ray irradiation has been used in different techniques to help control the spread of invasive species, either through decontamination or by the production of sterile male that reduce reproductive populations (Sterile Male Release Technique). Most studies have focused on terrestrial species, fewer looking at the effects of irradiation on aquatic species. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of x-ray irradiation on quagga mussels both in its effectiveness to kill mussels or to produce sterile males. Adult mussels were irradiated with a range of exposures from 0 (control), 6, 30, to 50 Gy to determine the effect on quagga mussel survival and impact on reproduction. The results demonstrated that x-ray treated quagga mussels had lower developmental success than the control. Adult quagga mussels were highly tolerant of x-ray irradiation with high survival rates (> 95%) after treatment. Mussels from all treatments produced motile sperm and these sperm were able to bind and fuse with eggs. There was a decrease in sperm binding between treatments, but fertilization still occurred. Fertilized eggs in all treatments were able to divide and produce swimming trochophores, but irradiation appears to decrease development between zygote and trochophore stage. The current experiment was not able to produce completely sterile males, even at the highest irradiation of 50 Gy in a single 8-minute session. The current experiment did not find an x-ray dose leading to the generation of 100% sterile males. Even at higher doses, x-ray irradiation may not be realistic for implementation
The Pornification of Everything
No full textIn recent years, the word "porn" has been increasingly used as a kind of descriptive suffix in aesthetic categories like "food porn", "nature porn," "trauma porn", and "inspiration porn". Some scholars in Porn Studies have commented on the phenomenon as a notable expansion of the concept of porn, noting the striking fact that almost none of the porn-suffix categories contain representations of sex. Thus, an obvious puzzle emerges: what is it exactly that makes food porn, nature porn, or trauma porn pornographic? While a number of scholarly publications have examined the sociocultural implications of some of these categories, such as the examinations of food porn within food studies (see Krogager and Leer), of inspiration porn within disability studies (see Grue), and torture porn within film studies (see Lockwood), few have examined the proliferation of such porn-suffix categories as a sociocultural phenomenon in itself (see, for example, Hester; Nguyen and Williams). One notable exception, Helen Hester's book Beyond Explicit: Pornography and the Displacement of Sex (2014), examines categories like war porn and misery porn, which are primarily used as negative evaluative judgments that insinuate the moral depravity of the aesthetic objects under consideration (not unlike trauma porn, poverty porn, and disaster porn), usually highlighting the ways that human suffering is sensationalized for entertainment. While this kind of category -- what I call categories of moral critique -- encapsulates a major component of the porn suffix phenomenon, this article will focus on a different side of the phenomenon: categories like food porn, travel porn, architecture porn, and nature porn. Unlike trauma porn and poverty porn, these categories -- what I call categories of aesthetic indulgence -- do not imply a negative moral judgment upon the aesthetic objects under consideration, but instead refer to a viewer' indulgence in enticing or attractive images of objects. Such categories proliferate on social media platforms through hashtags (#foodporn, #architectureporn) and subreddits (/r/natureporn). What has come to be known as Reddit' "SFW Porn Network", in fact, includes 98 such categories, each devoid of depictions of sexuality or sexual activity -- from the fairly self-explanatory "architecture porn" and "space porn" to the more nebulous "human porn" and "things-cut-in-half porn". Such categories take on a valence qualitatively distinct from categories of moral critique, and thus imply a different social attitude toward porn. It is the aim of this article to examine what the proliferation of such categories reveals about our shifting attitude toward porn, entertainment, and gratification. Central to my investigation will be the examination of the role that aesthetic judgment plays in the formation of these categories and, by extension, porn itself. Within the principles of aesthetic theory, labelling an image, film, or novel as "pornography" is not a value-neutral category attribution -- like identifying a four-legged animal as a "cat" -- but an aesthetic judgment involving the aesthetic faculties, similar to judging a painting beautiful. In a similar way, labelling an image as "food porn" or "nature porn" is a judgment of the aesthetic qualities of that particular image. By drawing on the aesthetic theory of Immanuel Kant and Frank Sibley, I show how the casual adoption of "porn" as a metaphor to name these image-sharing communities in fact acknowledges and reflects on the aesthetic foundations of porn itself. Specifically, the rapid emergence of aesthetic categories like food porn and nature porn reflects upon "porn" as a transparently value-laden concept that, like beauty, is devoid of identifiable criteria, a condition best exemplified by Justice Potter Stewart's well-known declaration about obscenity: "I know it when I see it". Ultimately, I will argue, the porn suffix reveals how "porn" has come to signify the role that mere aesthetic feeling, rather than logic or reason, plays in the creation of some of our most politically charged concepts
Sustained intraoperative allergic reaction to chlorhexidine: A case report
No full textPhysicians should be prepared for the presentation and treatment of an anaphylactic reaction in a patient who has been exposed to chlorhexidine perioperatively and consider a sustained source of allergic exposure when faced with a refractory response to treatment
Development and evaluation of innovate to communicate: a health literacy workforce training workshop
No full textBackground Healthcare professionals have been slow to adopt health literacy practices. With the focus on organizational health literacy increasing, there is a need for accompanying workforce training. Aims: The Innovate to Communicate workshop aimed to increase participants’ knowledge and skills to (1) communicate using evidence-based health literacy practices e.g., plain language, chunking information, teach back, medicine review, and (2) integrate health literacy into structures, processes, and quality measures. Methods Health Literacy Collaborative of the Dallas Fort Worth Hospital Council, developed the ITC modules and workshop informed by the 10 Attributes of a Health Literate Organization and adult learning principles. We developed an interactive, engaging workshop that includes a didactic slide deck, exemplar videos, role-play scenarios, a Kahoot® game, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ] Communication Observation Form. Results The ITC workshop was delivered at 7 virtual or in-person conferences with 250 participants. Of the total participants, 104 completed the workshop evaluation. Most reported that they see themselves using health literacy strategies in direct patient care (90%) with many participants feeling mostly or completely confident about using health literacy strategies such as plain language, chunking information, and teach back (81%) and doing one health literacy action in the next week (89%). The majority (92%) reported that the ITC workshop introduced them to at least one new health literacy resource that they had not used before. Most (93%) reported that they see themselves using the ITC workshop to train others and almost all (97%) reported that they were likely to recommend the ITC workshop to their colleagues. While 89% reported that the 1½ h workshop was the right amount of time, 11% reported that it was too short. Discussion The ITC was an interactive, engaging workshop that is available at no cost to others who are training healthcare professionals in health literacy
The Truncated Circumgalactic Medium of the Large Magellanic Cloud*
No full textThe Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the nearest massive galaxy to the Milky Way (MW). Its circumgalactic medium (CGM) is complex and multiphase, containing both stripped H i structures like the Magellanic Stream and Bridge and a diffuse warm corona seen in high-ion absorption. We analyze 28 active galactic nucleus sight lines passing within 35 kpc of the LMC with archival Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectra to characterize the cool (T ≈ 104 K) gas in the LMC CGM, via new measurements of UV absorption in six low ions (O i, Fe ii, Si ii, Al ii, S ii, and Ni ii) and one intermediate ion (Si iii). We show that a declining column-density profile is present in all seven ions, with the low-ion profiles having a steeper slope than the high-ion profiles in C iv and Si iv reported by D. Krishnarao et al. Crucially, absorption at the LMC systemic velocity is only detected (in all ions) out to 17 kpc. Beyond this distance, the gas has a lower velocity and is associated with the Magellanic Stream. These results demonstrate that the LMC’s CGM is composed of two distinct components: a compact inner halo extending to 17 kpc and a more extended stripped region associated with the Stream. The compactness and truncation of the LMC’s inner CGM agree with recent simulations of ram-pressure stripping of the LMC by the MW’s extended corona
Evaluating the Impact of Laundering on the Electrical Performance of Wearable Photovoltaic Cells: A Comparative Study of Current Consistency and Resistance
No full textWearable photovoltaic technology has been prominent in recent years because electronic devices need to be powered continuously without reliance on traditional methods. However, the practical adoption of wearable PV cells is hindered by the need for laundering, potentially degrading performance. This research compared PV cells’ maximum current and electrical resistance before and after laundering testing conditions. This study used eight samples of two types of PV panel cells and laundered them up to five cycles. The current and electrical resistance values were recorded before and after each laundering cycle. This study analyzed the data using a paired sample t-test and MANOVA. It was found that laundering cycles significantly affected the current values in both types of samples, with no differential impact between the types; on the other hand, laundering cycles did not significantly affect the electrical resistance values in both types of samples, with no differential impact between the types. These results are crucial for industries developing textile-based PV panels, where maintaining electrical performance after laundering is essential. These findings could pave the way for more sustainable, self-powered wearable PV technologies, ultimately transforming how users interact with electronic devices daily
10 Years of Communication and Sport: A Review of Theory, Method, and Authorship
No full textInspired by the regular reflections and suggestions for the future that regularly appear within Communication and Sport, this paper reports the result of a systematic review of a sample of articles from the first 10 vol of the journal to document the most common methods, forms of data employed, theoretical frameworks (and how they are applied), and nationality of author affiliation. Results reflect that the analysis of media texts, either qualitative or quantitative in nature, is the most common methodological approach. Moreover, qualitative approaches dominate the journal. With respect to theories or organizing frameworks, a select few theories appear most frequently, and frameworks related to gender are most common (i.e., hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, etc.). Furthermore, most references to theories or framework are just that—mere references. Only a minority of references offered theories as the guiding framework for the articles in which they appeared. To further advance legitimacy of the field, we offer suggestions for expanding the methodological approaches employed within the field, as well as suggestions for the explicit treatment of theory
Deriving Ages for Field Stars: Tools and Complications from Stellar Evolution
No full textIn Galactic archeology, astronomers want to understand how the Milky Way formed and evolved. To be able to “time-stamp” events in chronological order, we need a reliable method to age-date large numbers of stars. Currently, the most reliable method is ages coming from star clusters, but they are limited in location and number. A useful tool to expand age-dating capabilities is chemical clocks: chemical abundances that are linked to stellar ages. In our work, we use open and globular clusters to establish a calibration between [C/N] and age, covering a metallicity range of -1.2 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ +0.3 dex. With this improved calibration, we can determine ages for over 300,000 stars within the SDSS/APOGEE DR17 survey. While these chemical changes help us to estimate ages on the red giant branch, chemical changes can also hinder age estimations in other parts of the HR diagram. On the main sequence and near the turnoff, the surface abundances of a star change from a combination of gravitational settling and radiative acceleration working against it, a process known as atomic diffusion. In this case, the surface abundance is not an accurate prediction of the bulk abundances that determine the stellar age. Recent studies suggest that this effect is not negligible, and in fact the ages derived from isochrones can be overestimated by 10-20% if atomic diffusion is not accounted for. We use SDSS/APOGEE DR17 to investigate atomic diffusion in the open clusters NGC 752 and Ruprecht 147 in order to constrain the variation of atomic diffusion signatures with age, and discuss how these results may affect the estimation of precise ages for subgiant stars
Understanding the synergistic interaction between a 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivative and amphotericin B using spectroscopic and theoretical studies
No full textWe present a comprehensive spectroscopic study supported by theoretical quantum chemical calculations conducted on a molecular system (4-(5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)benzene-1,3-diol (C1) and the antibiotic Amphotericin B (AmB)) that exhibits highly synergistic properties. We previously reported the strong synergism of this molecular system and now wish to present related stationary measurements of UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence, and fluorescence anisotropy in a polar, aprotic solvent (DMSO and a PBS buffer), followed by time-resolved fluorescence intensity and anisotropy decay studies using different ratios of the selected 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivative to Amphotericin B. Absorption spectra measured for the system revealed discrepancies in terms of the shapes of absorption bands, particularly in PBS. Fluorescence emission spectra revealed that the addition of C1 molecules triggered significant changes in the emission spectra of the system. Measurements of the fluorescence lifetimes and fluorescence anisotropy supported by synchronous spectra clearly showed evidence of disaggregation. The AmB molecular aggregates indicated interaction of C1 with the antibiotic at points responsible for the formation of dimer structures. The spectroscopic results were further corroborated, analyzed, and interpreted using the methods of quantum mechanical modelling. Analyses based on the density functional tight-binding and time-dependent density functional theory confirmed that molecular interactions between “small†molecules and AmB lead to a significant increase in the clinical efficacy of the antibiotic. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-83180-2