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Cross-Partisan Interactions on Twitter
No full textMany social media studies argue that social media creates echo chambers where some users only interact with peers of the same political orientation. However, recent studies suggest that a substantial amount of Cross-Partisan Interactions (CPIs) do exist --- even within echo chambers, but they may be toxic. There is no consensus about how such interactions occur and when they lead to healthy or toxic dialogue. In this paper, we study a comprehensive Twitter dataset that consists of 3 million tweets from 2020 related to the U.S. context to understand the dynamics behind CPIs. We investigate factors that are more associated with such interactions, including how users engage in CPIs, which topics are more contentious, and what are the stances associated with healthy interactions. We find that CPIs are significantly influenced by the nature of the topics being discussed, with politically charged events acting as strong catalysts. The political discourse and pre-established political views sway how users participate in CPIs, but the direction in which users go is nuanced. While Democrats engage in cross-partisan interactions slightly more frequently, these interactions often involve more negative and nonconstructive stances compared to their intra-party interactions. In contrast, Republicans tend to maintain a more consistent tone across interactions. Although users are more likely to engage in CPIs with popular accounts in general, this is less common among Republicans who often engage in CPIs with accounts with a low number of followers for personal matters. Our study has implications beyond Twitter as identifying topics with low toxicity and high CPI can help highlight potential opportunities for reducing polarization while topics with high toxicity and low CPI may action targeted interventions when moderating harm.</jats:p
Investigation of the Role of Silicon in Donor Moiety in D-π-A Type Conjugated Polymers With Selenophene Bridges for Solar Cell Applications
No full textIn this study, the influence of silicon incorporation into donor moieties of donor-acceptor (D-A) type conjugated polymers with selenophene pi-bridges for organic solar cell (OSC) applications was investigated. Two novel polymers, P1 and P2, were synthesized, with 4,4-dioctyl-4H-silolo[3,2-b:4,5-b'] dithiophene (P1) and 2,2 '-bithiophene (P2) used as donor units, while 2,1,3-benzooxadiazole (BOz) was employed as the electron-accepting unit. Optical and electrochemical analyses were conducted, revealing that the silole donor unit in P1 resulted in enhanced pi-conjugation, a lower HOMO-LUMO bandgap (1.56 eV vs. 1.64 eV for P2), and improved intermolecular charge transport properties. Superior performance was demonstrated by P1-based devices, with a PCE of 3.64%, a JSC of 8.60 mA/cm2, a VOC of 0.66 V, and a FF of 64.04%. Improved molecular planarity and pi-pi stacking in P1, attributed to the silicon-containing donor, were found to contribute to enhanced charge carrier mobility and reduced structural disorder in the active layer. The inclusion of selenophene as a pi-bridge was also observed to improve intermolecular interactions and optical absorption. It is concluded that silicon incorporation plays a crucial role in tuning the optoelectronic and photovoltaic properties of conjugated polymers, underscoring its potential for advancing the design of next-generation OSC materials and devices for renewable energy applications
Spontaneous Differentiation and Autophagy Modulation in Caco-2 and T84 Colorectal Cancer Cells
No full textMiddle School Students' Environmental Moral Reasoning on Socioscientific Issues: Terrestrial vs. Extraterrestrial Environments
No full textThe present study aimed to investigate middle school students’ patternsof environmental moral reasoning on two different SSIs: space exploration (SPE)and nuclear power plants (NPP), referring to extraterrestrial and terrestrialenvironments, respectively. For this purpose, a survey design was utilized. Atotal of 465 students from eight public middle schools in five different districtsof the capital city of Türkiye participated in the study. Middle school students’environmental moral reasoning was obtained through open-ended questions,adapted by Chang Rundgren and Rundgren (2010) and Chang and Chiu (2008),addressing their claims and supporting reasons. To analyze, qualitative dataobtained by open-ended questions were coded utilizing the framework of Kortenkampand Moore (2001), including ecocentric,anthropocentric, and non-environmental patterns, with theaddition of mixed and no-reasoning patterns as emerging codes.Descriptive findings indicated that middle school students dominantly utilizedthe anthropocentric pattern over other patterns of environmental moralreasoning regarding both SSIs, which means that they mostly considered theinstrumental value of nature regarding both SPE and NPP rather than itsintrinsic value. This study might have the potential for science andenvironmental education programs in consideration of integrating more balancedviewpoints to promote students’ environmental moral reasoning regardingdifferent SSIs.</p
Tuning the optical and photocatalytic properties of hexagonal boron nitride through Fe and co doping: A DFT study
No full textHexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), a promising two-dimensional material, is known for its wide band gap (∼6 eV) and exceptional thermal and chemical stability. However, its wide band gap limits its photocatalytic applications to the ultraviolet (UV) region. In this study, we explore the effects of Iron (Fe) and Cobalt (Co) on the electronic structure, optical properties, and photocatalytic efficiency of h-BN using Density Functional Theory (DFT). The introduction of Fe and Co into the h-BN lattice is anticipated to reduce the band gap, enhance visible-light absorption, and mitigate electron-hole recombination. Our DFT calculations reveal that the doping process creates impurity states within the band gap, significantly altering the electronic structure and improving the photocatalytic performance of h-BN. The magnetic properties of Fe and Co not only modulate the electronic characteristics but also facilitate the recovery and reuse of the photocatalyst, contributing to the system's sustainability. This work provides valuable insights into the potential of Fe and Co doped h-BN for advanced photocatalytic applications, paving the way for its use in environmental remediation and renewable energy technologies
How do additions of submerged macrophytes, large-bodied cladocerans and nutrients impact tropical plankton communities? A mesocosm experiment
No full textWe investigated the individual and combined impacts of manipulation of submerged macrophytes, large-bodied cladocerans, and nutrients on plankton communities in a tropical hypereutrophic shallow reservoir. We tested how the addition of the macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum, the cladoceran Sarsilatona serricauda, and nutrients affected phytoplankton and zooplankton diversity, composition, and structure using mesocosms and a factorial design (3 × 3) with eight treatments. During the experiment, the reservoir experienced an intense bloom of algae (207 mg l−1 of biomass), mainly composed of cyanobacteria (> 98%). The submerged macrophytes were found to significantly reduce the biomass of cyanobacteria (by 85%), diatoms (80%), and green algae (78%), while the addition of zooplankton and nutrients led to a 96% reduction for diatoms. While both submerged macrophytes and the added cladocerans impacted the native zooplankton community, the macrophytes exerted stronger effects on phytoplankton and zooplankton diversity, composition, and structure. Intriguingly, nutrient addition did not alter the main effects of macrophytes and large cladocerans. Our findings reveal the positive potential of introducing submerged macrophytes in tropical shallow lakes, even at a low to moderate percentage of the volume inhabited, to control toxic cyanobacterial blooms. Under our experimental conditions, the method was effective even without extra zooplankton grazing and at increased nutrient input
Fixed point-based stability analysis of climate and Langevin models
No full textIn this manuscript, the existence and uniqueness of solutions to equations associated with climate change are discussed. For this purpose, we utilize some results from the existing literature to investigate the behavior of these equations. Additionally, the role of fixed point theory in emphasizing the importance of proving the stability and consistency of the models is explored. Several definitions and results, such as the F-contraction, α-F-contraction, rational type (ψ,ϕ)-contraction, and Geraghty type contraction, are recalled from the existing literature to illustrate their theoretical foundations and practical applications
The mediating role of relationship motivation in the relationship between basic psychological need satisfaction and marital adjustment: A dyadic analysis
No full textA phase I/II study of CpG/alum-adjuvanted mammalian-derived quadruple antigen carrying virus-like particle COVID-19 vaccine
No full textBackground: Waning Spike-elicited immunity and emerging COVID-19 variants underscore the need for vaccines leveraging multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens, rapidly adaptable to evolving strains. Herein, we evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of a CpG ODN-adjuvanted, alum-adsorbed, virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine displaying the hexaproline stabilized Spike (S) protein and the Nucleocapsid, Membrane, and Envelope proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: In phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial, participants (N = 38, aged 18–59) received two subcutaneous injections of either 10 μg or 40 μg of VLP or placebo, 21 days apart. The primary and secondary objectives of the study was to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity, respectively. In the double blind, multi-center phase-2 study, participants (N = 349, aged 18–55) were randomized into three cohorts receiving two doses of 40 μg VLPs displaying Wuhan-Spike, Alpha-Spike, or a combination. The primary and secondary objectives were humoral, and cell mediated immunogenicity (CMI) and safety, respectively. Antibody responses were analyzed using ELISA while ELIspot and CBA assays were used to assess the CMI. Results: The VLP vaccine demonstrated a good safety profile, with 255 non-serious adverse events in phase 1 and 308 in phase 2. Five serious AEs were reported in phase 2, all of which were resolved completely. The VLP vaccine, in phase 2, was well-tolerated, elicited moderate but sustained anti-S and anti-N antibody titers for 180 days and induced T-helper-1 biased cellular responses in participants. Conclusions: The VLP platform is rapidly adaptable to accommodate stabilized Spike proteins from emerging variants and inclusion of other structural SARS-CoV-2 proteins could broaden the breadth of T cell-mediated immunity. ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT04818281 and NCT04962893