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State-of-the-art eye trackers provide valuable information for diagnosing reading problems by measuring and interpreting people’s gaze paths as they read through text. Abnormal conditions such as visual field defects, however, can seriously confound most of today’s existing methods for interpreting reading gaze patterns. Our objective was to research how visual field defects impact reading gaze path patterns, so the effects of such neurological pathologies can be explicitly incorporated into more comprehensive reading diagnosis methodologies. A cross-sectional, non-randomized, pilot clinical study including 45 patients with various neurologic disorders and 30 normal controls was designed. Participants underwent ophthalmologic/neuropsychologic and eye-tracker examinations using two reading tests of words and numbers. The results showed that the use of the eye tracker showed that patients with brain damage and an altered visual field require more time to complete a reading-text test by fixating a greater number of times (p < 0.001); with longer fixations (p = 0.03); and a greater number of saccades in these patients (p = 0.04). Our study showed objective differences in eye movement characteristics in patients with neurological diseases and an altered visual field who complained of reading difficulties. These findings should be considered as a bias factor and deserve further investigation.

iNaturalist defines itself as an “online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature” and it is likely one of the largest citizen science web portals in the world, as every year millions of observations across thousands of species are gathered and collectively compiled by an engaged community of nearly 3 million users (November 2023). The strengths and potentialities that explain the success of the platform are reviewed and include, among others, its usability and low technical requirements, immediacy, open-access, the possibility of interacting with other users, artificial-intelligence-aided identification, versatility and automatic incorporation of the validated records to GBIF. iNaturalist has, however, features that scientists need to carefully consider when using it for their research, making sure that the quality of observations does not limit or hinder its usefulness in plant research. While these are identified (e.g., the lack of representative photographs for many observations or the relatively frequent identification errors), we provide some suggestions to overcome them and, by doing so, improve the use and add value to iNaturalist for plant research.

Paenibacillus dendritiformis UJA2219 isolated from carrot produces broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of partially-purified cell-culture extracts of strain UJA2219 on the microbial load and bacterial diversity of a homemade vegetable puree. The puree was challenged with an overnight culture of strain UJA2219 or with cultured broth extracts partially purified by cation exchange (CE) chromatography or reversed-phase (RP) chromatography and incubated for 7 days at temperatures of 4 °C or 25 °C. The best results were obtained at 25 °C with the RP extract, decreasing counts of the presumptive Enterobacteriaceae below detectable levels. The bacterial diversity of control and treated puree was studied by Illumina paired-end sequencing, using DNA extracted from the puree samples incubated at 25 °C for 24 h. The controls and the puree inoculated with the UJA2219 strain showed an almost-identical bacterial diversity profile, with Pseudomonadota (mainly Fam. Pseudomonadaceae -gen. Pseudomonas- and Enterobacteriace as the most abundant groups). The greatest differences in bacterial diversity were obtained in the puree treated with RP extract, showing a decrease in the relative abundance of Pseudomonadota (especially gen. Pseudomonas) and an increase of Bacillota (mainly of the genera Bacillus, Enterococcus and Lactococcus). Results from the study suggest that the antimicrobial preparations from strain UJA2219 have a potential for application in food biopreservation.

Abstract Background There is a clinical need to identify diagnostic parameters that objectively quantify and monitor the effective visual ability of patients with homonymous visual field defects (HVFDs). Visual processing speed (VPS) is an objective measure of visual ability. It is the reaction time (RT) needed to correctly search and/or reach for a visual stimulus. VPS depends on six main brain processing systems: auditory-cognitive, attentional, working memory, visuocognitive, visuomotor, and executive. We designed a new assessment methodology capable of activating these six systems and measuring RTs to determine the VPS of patients with HVFDs. Methods New software was designed for assessing subject visual stimulus search and reach times (S-RT and R-RT respectively), measured in seconds. Thirty-two different everyday visual stimuli were divided in four complexity groups that were presented along 8 radial visual field positions at three different eccentricities (10o, 20o, and 30o). Thus, for each HVFD and control subject, 96 S- and R-RT measures related to VPS were registered. Three additional variables were measured to gather objective data on the validity of the test: eye-hand coordination mistakes (ehcM), eye-hand coordination accuracy (ehcA), and degrees of head movement (dHM, measured by a head-tracker system). HVFD patients and healthy controls (30 each) matched by age and gender were included. Each subject was assessed in a single visit. VPS measurements for HFVD patients and control subjects were compared for the complete test, for each stimulus complexity group, and for each eccentricity. Results VPS was significantly slower (p

Candidiasis, caused by the opportunistic yeast Candida albicans, is the most common fungal infection today. Resistance of C. albicans to current antifungal drugs has emerged over the past decade leading to the need for novel antifungal agents. Our aim was to select new antifungal compounds by library-screening methods and to assess their antifungal effects against C. albicans. After screening 90 potential antifungal compounds from JUNIA, a chemical library, two compounds, 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-((4-chlorophenyl)amino)-3,6-dimethylpyridin-2(1H)-one (PYR) and (Z)-N-(2-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)vinyl)-4-methoxyaniline (TRI), were identified as having potential antifungal activity. Treatment with PYR and TRI resulted in a significant reduction of C. albicans bioluminescence as well as the number of fungal colonies, indicating rapid fungicidal activity. These two compounds were also effective against clinically isolated fluconazole- or caspofungin-resistant C. albicans strains. PYR and TRI had an inhibitory effect on Candida biofilm formation and reduced the thickness of the mannan cell wall. In a Caenorhabditis elegans infection model, PYR and TRI decreased the mortality of nematodes infected with C. albicans and enhanced the expression of antimicrobial genes that promote C. albicans elimination. Overall, PYR and TRI showed antifungal properties against C. albicans by exerting fungicidal activities and enhancing the antimicrobial gene expression of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Purpose: To analyze the relationship between the central corneal thickness (CCT) and mid-peripheral corneal thickness (PCT) with the degree of myopia [axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refractive error (SE)]. Methods: 175 right myopic eyes from 175 patients were divided according to the degree of SE: group #1 (n = 76, 12.00 D). The CCT and PCT (3 mm from the apex to the superior, inferior, nasal and temporal locations) were measured with the Orbscan-II. Relative peripheral index (RPI) was calculated by dividing the PCT by the CCT. The AL was measured with the IOL Master, and the SE was obtained with subjective refraction. Results: AL was 25.18 ± 1.16 mm, 26.59 ± 1.26 mm and 29.45 ± 2.58 mm and SE was −3.31 ± 1.40 D, −8.32 ± 1.64 D and −16.44 ± 4.48 D for groups #1, #2 and #3, respectively. Non-statistically significant differences in central and peripheral corneal thickness were found between groups (P > 0.05 ANOVA). Non-significant relationship was found between central and peripheral corneal thickness with the AL and SE in the three study groups and in the total sample (r 0.05). The RPI values were similar between groups without significant difference between groups (P > 0.05 ANOVA). Linear relationship was found between RPI superior location in group #2 (r = −0.23; P = 0.04) and RPI nasal location in group #3 with the EE (r = 0.41; P = 0.03). Conclusion: There are no significant differences among low, moderate and extremely myopic eyes related to the CCT and PCT. Corneal thickness is very similar in myopic eyes with small differences that are not clinically relevant to myopic patient management.

Patients who require mechanical ventilation secondary to severe COVID-19 infection have poor survival. It is unknown if the benefit of tracheostomy extends to COVID-19 patients. If so, what is the optimal timing? Retrospective cohort study within a large hospital system in the United States. The population included patients with COVID-19 from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020. In total, 93,918 cases were identified. They were excluded if no intubation or tracheostomy, underwent tracheostomy before intubation, <18 years old, hospice patients before admission, and bacterial pneumonia. In total, 5,911 patients met the criteria. Outcomes between patients who underwent endotracheal intubation only versus tracheostomy were compared. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality. All patients who underwent tracheostomy versus intubation only were compared. Three cohort analysis compared early (<10 days) versus late (>10 days) tracheostomy versus control. Eight cohort analysis compared days 0–2, days 3–6, days 7–10, days 11–14, days 15–18, days 19–22, and days 23+ to tracheostomy versus control. There was an overall inpatient mortality rate of 37.5% in the tracheostomy cohort compared to 54.4% in the control group (P <.0001). There was an early tracheostomy group inpatient mortality rate of 44.7% (adjusted odds ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.52–1.01) compared to 33.1% (adjusted odds ratio 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.34–0.58) in the late tracheostomy group. COVID-19 patients with tracheostomy had a significantly lower mortality rate compared to intubated only. Optimal timing for tracheostomy placement for COVID-19 patients is 11 days or later. Future studies should focus on early tracheostomy patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In adolescence individuals enlarge their social relationships and peer groups acquire a strong importance for their identity. Moreover, adolescents can experiment negative relationships with peers, i.e., bullying/cyberbullying. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between the feeling of belonging to a specific group, social identification, the distance that adolescents maintain interacting with others, interpersonal distance, and bullying/cyberbullying behaviors. Adolescents (age range 10-15 years) completed online measures of group identification (social identification with classmates, friends and family), interpersonal distance, and bullying and cyberbullying (perpetration and victimization). Results showed that adolescents with low social identification with classmates and friends chose larger interpersonal distance. Additionally, low scores in social identification with classmates were associated with higher victimization in cyberbullying. In contrast, adolescents with low scores in social identification with family were more involved as bullies in bullying and as victims in cyberbullying. Male adolescents were more likely to be victimized in bullying than females. This study underlines how social identification with peers and family works as a buffer in interfacing strangers, adjusting the distance maintained with them, and as a protective factor against aggressive relationships in adolescence. This study provides new opportunities for psychologists in understanding the psychological dynamics that shape social interactions among adolescents.

BackgroundThe presence of harmful environmental exposures, which disproportionately affects low-and-middle income countries (LMICs), contributes to >25% of deaths and diseases worldwide and detrimentally affects child neurodevelopment. Few resources succinctly summarize the existing literature on this topic. Our objective is to systematically review and characterize the evidence regarding the relationship between heavy metals and neurodevelopment of children in LMICs.MethodsWe conducted a medical librarian-curated search on multiple online databases to identify articles that included individuals ResultsOf the 18,043 screened articles, 298 full-text articles were reviewed, and 100 articles met inclusion criteria. The included studies represented data from 19 LMICs, only one of which was classified as a low-income country. Ninety-four percent of postnatal lead and all postnatal manganese studies showed a negative association with metal exposure and neurodevelopment, which were the strongest relationships among the metals studied. Postnatal exposure of mercury was associated with poor neurodevelopment in only half of studies. Limited data on postnatal arsenic and cadmium suggests an association with worse neurodevelopment. Findings were mixed for prenatal arsenic and lead, although some evidence supports that the neurotoxicity of lead was amplified in the presence of manganese.Conclusions and potential impactWe found that lead and manganese appear to consistently have a detrimental effect on the neurodevelopment of children, and more evidence is needed for mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. Better characterization of these effects can motivate and inform prioritization of much needed international policies and programs to reduce heavy metal exposures for young children within LMICs.

Background: Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a telehealth initiative that aims to reduce disparities in delivery of health care by leveraging technology and local expertise to provide guidance on specialized subjects to health care providers across the world. In 2018, a new ECHO hub convened in Indianapolis with a focus on health care for individuals in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ+) populations. This ECHO iteration was one of the first of its kind and would soon be followed by a new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ECHO as well. Case Presentation: In a novel approach, information professionals participated in the early planning stages of the formation of these ECHO teams, which enabled the provision of real-time medical evidence and resources at the point-of-need once the teams were launched. This case study demonstrates proof of concept for including health sciences librarians and/or information professionals in the ECHO as hub team members. In this case study, the authors describe and quantify the value added to the HIV and LGBTQ+ ECHO sessions by the medical librarians, as well as provide a template for how other telehealth initiatives can collaborate with their local health information professionals. Conclusions: Librarian involvement in Project ECHO over the past three years has been enthusiastically received. The librarians have contributed hundreds of resources to ECHO participants, helped build and curate resource repositories, and expanded the embedded librarian program to an additional two ECHO iterations. ECHO hub team members report high rates of satisfaction with the performance of embedded librarians and appreciate the provision of point-of-need evidence to ECHO participants.

Background The management of asymptomatic blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) with respect to stroke prevention and vessel healing is challenging.Objectives The aim of this systematic review was to determine if a specific treatment results in lower stroke rates and/or improved vessel healing in asymptomatic BCVI.Data sources An electronic literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov performed from inception to March 2020.Study eligibility criteria Studies were included if they reported on a comparison of any treatment for BCVI and stroke and/or vessel healing rates.Participants and interventions Adult patients diagnosed with asymptomatic BCVI(s) who were treated with any preventive medication or procedure.Study appraisal and synthesis methods All studies were systematically reviewed and bias was evaluated by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. No meta-analysis was performed secondary to significant heterogeneity across studies in patient population, screening protocols, and treatment selection. The main outcomes were stroke and healing rate.Results Of 8781 studies reviewed, 19 reported on treatment effects for asymptomatic BCVI and were included for review. Any choice of medical management was better than no treatment, but no specific differences between choice of medical management and stroke outcomes were found. Vessel healing was rare and the majority of healed vessels were following low-grade injuries.Limitations Majority of the included studies were retrospective and at high risk of bias.Conclusions or implications of key findings Asymptomatic BCVI should be treated medically using a consistent, local protocol. High-quality studies on the effect of individual antithrombotic agents on stroke rates and vessel healing for asymptomatic BCVI are required.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sudden and radical transition from face-to-face to online teaching across the globe. This shift has required teachers to quickly adapt their educational practices, which has had an impact on their perceived self-efficacy. The limited literature on the impact of COVID-19 on teachers’ self-efficacy (TSE) has focused mostly on online teaching. The purpose of this study was to investigate TSE in both face-to-face and distant learning environments amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aimed to explore the impact of teachers’ relationship with technology and COVID-19 risk perception on their TSE. The sample was composed of 290 pre-service and in-service teachers from Greece who completed an online self-report survey. Results showed that pre-service teachers reported higher levels of TSE than in-service teachers, especially in distance learning environments. COVID-19 risk perception was not a significant predictor of TSE. By contrast, higher scores in self-assessed skills of the pedagogical applications of technology predicted TSE in both instructional settings. The present findings confirm the importance of promoting technological skills to enhance the self-efficacy of schoolteachers in both traditional and virtual instructional settings, regardless of the crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper analyses how the current concept of landscape, which overcomes a scenery-based characterisation and a confinement to classical aesthetics and art, relates to the notions of the common good, commons and commons pool resources (CPRs). I consider landscape as a complex process in which human beings (with their history and culture) and their environment are mutually defined. On the basis of this approach to landscape studies, and by considering contemporary documents on landscape (i.e. the European Landscape Convention, the Latin American Initiative for Landscape and the Unesco Florence Declaration) I analyse the similarity between the notion of landscape and the concepts of common good, the management of commons and the commons pool resources institutions. Through theoretical research supported by practical examples (e.g. community gardens) I argue that landscape can be defined as a common good, can include the commons, and the collective management of lands and common pool resources institutions. The paper relies on an excursus through the theories and legal documents, with a specific regard to the theoretical foundations of these different notions. The analysis carried out in the paper leads, in the end, to the possibility of defining the ‘right to landscape’. Even if the concept is new in the literature, and a right to landscape is not recognized as a right per se, it is already implicated and studied in many international rights laws. Three approaches to landscape as a right have been distinguished: the right to landscape as a perceived landscape (a collective right), as a right to the environment, and a right for addressing human rights. I integrated these approaches by arguing that landscape is a domain in relation to which human rights can be claimed, and that landscape can be considered as a right to which human beings are entitled.

In this paper I provide a philosophical analysis of terms such as local, global and landscape, as wellas their relationship, with the purpose of avoiding both localistic nostalgias and strenuous defences ofglobalization. I deconstruct the concepts of globalization, landscape, space and place and I argue thatglobalization is not just an economic phenomenon, but consists in a specific configuration of space; Imean that every age or every culture makes sense of the known space and produces its ownconcepts of space and place, with a series of distinctive political, architectural and sociologicalconsequences. Furthermore, space and place, after the contribution of postmodernist thought, cannotbe considered as universally and a-temporally valid terms anymore. What is the point, then, ofspeaking about landscape in contemporary age? I argue that we can consider it as a globallandscape that is everywhere, as it is written in the European Landscape Convention (2000);therefore, landscape it is not just the home village, neither the view (or panorama), but it is theeveryday space as well as the degraded one, it belongs to a global net, and it needs to be taken intoaccount from an ethical point of view as well. The paper proposes, in conclusion, to update the Italiangeo-philosophical thought by introducing the concept of alterity of place, and to enlarge its theoreticalvocabulary through terms such as affordance, environment and perception, with the aim of improvingthe interdisciplinary dimension of this philosophical discipline.

A partir de infestaciones artificiales, en establo, de terneros Bos taurus x Bos taurus, para obtener teleoginas suficientes de Rhipicephalus microplus, se llevó a cabo aspersiones, in vitro, de éstas con cepas de los hongos entomopatógenos Metarhizium anisopliae y Beauveria bassiana para determinar su patogenicidad y el eventual uso en programas de control. Se cultivó, en laboratorio, dos cepas de M. anisopliae y una de B. bassiana. Para las aspersiones se utilizó diferentes concentraciones en conidias por mililitro. Como indicadores, se midió el porcentaje de mortalidad y el de inhibición de la oviposición. Se encontró que las cepas, BM-BL04 y BM-MSG06, lograron controlar la población de adultas en más de un 96%. La mezcla, entre las cepas BM-MSG06 y BM-BL04, en ambas dosis redujo la oviposición de las hembras casi en un 100% en ambos casos, seguidas de la cepa BM-MSG06 y la BM-BL04 aplicadas de forma individual. Al realizar el análisis estadístico, (p< 0.05), de los datos, todas las cepas obtuvieron diferencias significativas al compararlas con el control. En cuanto al porcentaje de eclosión, analizado en el ensayo adicional, es la cepa BM-MSG06, la cual logró inhibir más la eclosión de los huevos de las teleóginas, seguida de la mezcla de estas cepas y la cepa BM-BL04.

La Bauhinia guianensis es una trepadora leñosa, más conocida como “escalera de mono”, debido a la particular forma de zig-zag que presenta su tallo. Hasta ahora se está empezando a estudiar su posible uso medicinal con aplicaciones en cáncer, artritis, malaria y otros. Para su comercialización, es extraída directamente del bosque primario, lo cual representa un problema serio de pérdida de recurso genético.