Search

This study addresses the factors that increase the persuasive impact of entertainment – education (EE) narrative messages designed to improve attitudes toward immigrants. Specifically, the effect of the demographic similarity between the protagonist of the narrative message (a transitional character) and the audience is studied. Three online experiments were carried out simultaneously in Greece (N = 286), Italy (N = 295), and Spain (N = 294) to evaluate the indirect effect of demographic similarity on identification with the protagonist through perceived similarity, as well as the specific indirect effects on attitude, perceived threat, intergroup anxiety, and prosocial behavior toward immigrants, while including perceived similarity, identification, meaningful affect, and cognitive elaboration as mediating mechanisms. The results obtained in the three countries were in accordance, indicating that demographic similarity increased perceived similarity and, in turn, identification. Furthermore, identification was associated with greater cognitive elaboration and meaningful affect, and both processes, in turn, were associated with more positive attitudes toward immigrants (in all three countries) and also with less perceived threat and more prosocial behavior (in two countries). The findings are discussed in relation to the reduction of prejudice using EE narratives that inspire audiences through cognitive and emotional processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mandarins are one of the most important citrus fruits in the world in terms of tons produced. The late-season varieties of mandarin have a great economic value due to their high production in a season with few mandarin varieties. The objective is to carry out a preliminary study of characterization and comparison of the morphological and biochemical properties of the late varieties 'Afourer', 'Tango', and 'Orri'. The characterization consisted of physicochemical parameters related to the quality of the fruits, highlighting the total antioxidant activity using ABTS and DPPH, the organic acids and sugars using HPLC and the metabolomics of the juice by 1H-NMR. Afourer' mandarins were heavier and larger (120.75 g, 67.60 mm) than the other two varieties studied. Mandarins of the 'Orri' variety showed a different organic acid profile compared to the other varieties studied, and a higher amount of sugars (13.49 g/100 mL). 'Tango' variety mandarins grown on the Forner-Alcaide rootstock stood out for having a larger weight (113.52 g), a more intense color, and a greater amount of phenolic compounds (966.85 mg AGE/L Forner) than the fruits grown on Citrus macrophylla. The metabolomics analysis showed that these mandarin varieties had mainly non-essential amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a weighted sum model to calculate the risk index, which is equivalent to a priority index for the replacement of pipes in a network. This index is based on two factors related to pipe condition (probability of failure and supply pipe leakage flow), and three factors related to the consequences of pipe failure (non-served demand for supply pipes, maximum evacuation flow for sewer pipes, and pipe relevance). The procedure encompasses both the supply and sewer networks, to avoid the need for ex-ante budget allocations. We tested different configurations for the risk index function terms, and calculated the associated weights by means of a discrete choice experiment. We applied the procedure to a large water company in Spain, where the results were fully accepted as an equilibrium representation of the renovation opinions of its technical staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article collects predominant representation or representations of war in war video games. To this end, a content analysis is carried out on a sample of 62 video games, which was taken following the sampling criteria of volume of sales or number of downloads in Spain between 2005-2015. This analysis is based on three conceptual lines: a) conflict legitimizers; b) enemy dehumanizers; and c) player de-individualizers. Results show the prevalence of a defense-centered legitimizing discourse of the conflict with no territorial or resource motivations, the absence of civilians during the action of the game, a predominance of enemies with homogeneous appearance and behavior who lack distinctive features and are realistically represented, and some main characters with a default design, heroic background and unreal invulnerability. Relying on the cultivation theory, this descriptive work establishes an empirical basis for further studies on how regular users of this kind of leisure activity construct beliefs and attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in ischemic stroke patients with poor prestroke conditions remains controversial. We aimed to analyze the frequency of previously disabled patients treated with MT in clinical practice, the safety and clinical response to MT of patients with preexisting disability, and the disabled patient characteristics associated with a better response to MT., Methods: We studied all consecutive patients with anterior circulation occlusion treated with MT from January 2017 to December 2019 included in the Codi Ictus Catalunya registry-a government-mandated, prospective, hospital-based data set. Prestroke disability was defined as modified Rankin Scale score 2 or 3. Functional outcome at 90 days was centrally assessed by a blinded evaluator of the Catalan Stroke Program. Favorable outcome (to return at least to prestroke modified Rankin Scale at 90 days) and safety and secondary outcomes were compared with patients without previous disability. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between prestroke disability and outcomes and to identify a disabled patient profile with favorable outcome after MT., Results: Of 2487 patients included in the study, 409 (17.1%) had prestroke disability (313 modified Rankin Scale score 2 and 96 modified Rankin Scale score 3). After adjustment for covariates, prestroke disability was not associated with a lower chance of achieving favorable outcome at 90 days (24% versus 30%; odds ratio, 0.79 [0.57-1.08]), whereas it was independently associated with a higher risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (5% versus 3%; odds ratio, 2.04 [1.11-3.72]) and long-term mortality (31% versus 18%; odds ratio, 1.74 [1.27-2.39]) compared with patients without disability. Prestroke disabled patients without diabetes, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score >8 and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score <17 showed similar safety and outcome results after MT as patients without prestroke disability., Conclusions: Despite a higher mortality and risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, prestroke-disabled patients return as often as independent patients to their prestroke level of function, especially those nondiabetic patients with favorable early ischemic signs profile. These data support a potential benefit of MT in patients with previous mild or moderate disability after large anterior vessel occlusion stroke.

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains as an incurable disease and, although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a potentially curative approach, most patients ultimately relapse, and their treatment remains challenging. Because allo-HSCT can modify not only the biology of the disease, but also the immune system and the microenvironment, it can potentially enhance the response to rescue therapies. Information on the efficacy and safety of novel drugs in patients relapsing after allo-HSCT is lacking, however. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of rescue therapies in patients with MM who relapsed after allo-HSCT, as well as to compare their efficacy before and after allo-HSCT. This retrospective multicenter study included 126 consecutive patients with MM who underwent allo-HSCT between 2000 and 2013 at 8 Spanish centers. All patients engrafted. The incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 47%, and nonrelapse mortality within the first 100 days post-transplantation was 13%. After a median follow-up of 92 months, overall survival (OS) was 51% at 2 years and 43% at 5 years. The median progression-free survival after allo-HSCT was 7 months, whereas the median OS after relapse was 33 months. Patients relapsing in the first 6 months after transplantation had a dismal prognosis compared with those who relapsed later (median OS, 11 months versus 120 months; P < .001). The absence of chronic GVHD was associated with reduced OS after relapse (hazard ratio, 3.44; P < .001). Most patients responded to rescue therapies, including proteasome inhibitors (PIs; 62%) and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs; 77%), with a good toxicity profile. An in-depth evaluation, including the type and intensity of PI- and IMiD-based combinations used before and after allo-HSCT, showed that the overall response rate and duration of response after allo-HSCT were similar to those seen in the pretransplantation period. Patients with MM who relapse after allo-HSCT should be considered candidates for therapy with new drugs, which can achieve similar response rates with similar durability as seen in the pretransplantation period. This pattern does not follow the usual course of the disease outside the transplantation setting, where response rates and time to progression decreases with each consecutive line of treatment., (Copyright © 2019 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)