Search

The emergence of deliberate ignorance, i.e. what influences children's deliberate decisions not to seek information, is a phenomenon so far notably overlooked. This project addresses this gap by investigating various factors that systematically modulate such decisions in children and adults. Across five studies, we presented participants with short stories illustrating social situations where a misdeed occurs, and measured participants' preference for knowing the identity of the wrongdoer.Studies 1-3 (N = 550) shows that both children and adults systematically manifest a preference for ignorance when the information value is low, and when the potential wrongdoer is suspected to be a friend. Studies 4-5 (N = 333) further investigate the role of information probability in this phenomenon.This first contribution shows that children's preference for deliberate ignorance is modulated by information value and the relationship frame proposed, suggesting a rational approach to ignorance.

Background: There are still discrepancies in the literature as to whether COVID-19 infection could impact biochemical, anthropometric, and cardiovascular markers. The purpose of this study was firstly to observe the effects of COVID-19 infection over 12 months on Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity. Secondarily, we analyzed the individual influence of COVID-19 infection on changes in biochemical, anthropometric, and cardiovascular markers. Methods: This study is part of a secondary analysis of a recently published article. The research involved 84 participants with T2D, divided into two groups: the control group (40 participants) received only medical care, while the intervention group (44 participants) received both medical care and nutritional assessment. Consultations were held quarterly over 12 months, with a follow-up after 3 months. Data Analysis: For influence analysis, non-normal variables were compared using the Mann–Whitney test, and normal variables were compared using unpaired t-tests. For all cases, α = 0.05 and p < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The analysis revealed a high percentage of patients in both groups who had a COVID-19 infection (70% control and 72.7% intervention) over 12 months. Regarding the influence analysis, participants in the intervention group who were infected with COVID-19 showed smaller reductions in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (p = 0.0120) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p = 0.0460). For the other biochemical, anthropometric, and cardiovascular markers, in both groups, no significant differences were found (p > 0.05). Conclusion: COVID-19 possibly influenced SBP and HbA1c levels over 12 months in people with T2D and obesity. However, caution should be exercised in generalizing these results due to the limitations of this study. Additionally, influence analysis does not establish a causal relationship, and more clinical trials in different populations are needed to fully analyze this topic.

Purpose: The impact of dietary counseling on body composition in early breast cancer patients (EBC) treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) is uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a diet counseling program on weight, BMI, total and regional body composition in patients treated with AIs. Methods: This observational study involved 194 EBC patients, of which 97 attended a 6-month personalized counseling program, based on Mediterranean diet principles (cohort A) and 97 did not (cohort B). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan was used to measure the total and regional fat and lean body mass, before (baseline) and after at least 18 months of AI-therapy. Results: Weight and BMI increased significantly, on the average, in cohort B, but not in cohort A. In the cohorts A and B, fat mass increased by 10 % and 7.7 % respectively, while lean mass decreased by 3.3 % and 2.6 % from before to after AI therapy, without statistically significant differences between them using the Mann-Whitney test. The changes in body composition were greater in premenopausal than in postmenopausal women at cancer diagnosis. The proportion of patients with sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity increased from before to after AI therapy, similarly in both cohorts. Conclusions: Patients treated with AIs reported an increase in fat mass and a decrease in lean mass, and consequently an increase in sarcopenia and obesity, regardless of the participation in a dietary counseling program. A combined dietary counseling and physical exercise program may be necessary for preventing these unfavourable changes in these patients.

AimsThoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) that progress to acute aortic dissection is often fatal and there is no pharmacological treatment that can reduce TAA progression. We aim to evaluate statins’ effects on TAA growth rate and outcomes using a meta-analysis approach.Methods and resultsA detailed search related to the effects of statins on TAA was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. The analyses of statins’ effects on TAA growth rate were performed on 4 studies (n = 1850), while the impact on outcomes was evaluated on 3 studies (n = 2,867). Patients under statin treatment showed a reduced TAA growth rate (difference in means = −0.36 cm/year; 95%CI: −0.64, −0.08; p = 0.013) when compared to controls, patients not taking statins. Regarding the outcomes (death, dissection, or rupture of the aorta, and the need for operative repair), statins exhibited a protective effect reducing the number of events (log odds ratio = −0.56; 95%CI: −1.06, −0.05; p = 0.030). In vitro, the anti-fibrotic effect of atorvastatin was tested on vascular smooth muscle cells (VMSC) isolated from patients with TAA. Our results highlighted that, in transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) pro-fibrotic condition, VSMC expressed a significant lower amount of collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) when treated with atorvastatin (untreated = +2.66 ± 0.23 fold-change vs. treated = +1.63 ± 0.09 fold-change; p = 0.014).ConclusionStatins show a protective effect on TAA growth rate and adverse outcomes in patients with TAA, possibly via their anti-fibrotic properties on VSMC. Given the current lack of effective drug treatments for TAA, we believe our findings highlight the need for more in-depth research to explore the potential benefits of statins in this context.

Introduction: This work explores the use of eXplainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to analyze a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained for disruption prediction in tokamak devices and fed with inputs composed of different physical quantities.Methods: This work focuses on a reduced dataset containing disruptions that follow patterns which are distinguishable based on their impact on the electron temperature profile. Our objective is to demonstrate that the CNN, without explicit training for these specific mechanisms, has implicitly learned to differentiate between these two disruption paths. With this purpose, two XAI algorithms have been implemented: occlusion and saliency maps.Results: The main outcome of this paper comes from the temperature profile analysis, which evaluates whether the CNN prioritizes the outer and inner regions.Discussion: The result of this investigation reveals a consistent shift in the CNN’s output sensitivity depending on whether the inner or outer part of the temperature profile is perturbed, reflecting the underlying physical phenomena occurring in the plasma.

Background of the Study. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in western countries. Lifestyle interventions are recommended as the primary therapy for NAFLD. Methodology. In this clinical trial, NAFLD patients were enrolled in a 12-month dietary intervention aimed to improve their eating habits according to the Mediterranean pattern, with scheduled appointments every three months. After the exclusion of steatosis, healthy subjects were recruited and received general advice based on current Italian food-based dietary guidelines. Results. One hundred and fifty five subjects aged 20–59 years underwent (i) liver ultrasound (US), (ii) clinical and anthropometric evaluations, (iii) blood tests, and (iv) assessment of dietary habits. According to US evaluation, 73 of them had severe, moderate, or mild liver steatosis (NAFLD patients) and 82 had no liver steatosis (healthy controls). Fifty-eight NAFLD patients and 73 controls completed the study. Among NAFLD patients, 26 (45%) downgraded steatosis severity, 12 of which achieved complete steatosis regression (21%). Three of the healthy controls developed NAFLD. The NAFLD patients improved their dietary habits and reduced BMI and waist circumference, during the study period, more than healthy controls. Liver steatosis remission/regression was independent of changes in BMI or liver enzymes and was more frequent among patients with mild steatosis at baseline. Conclusions. Mediterranean dietary advices, without a personalised meal planning, were efficient in reducing/remitting NAFLD, especially among patients with mild disease, which argues in favour of early identification and lifestyle intervention. This trial is registered with NCT03300661.

The HS3 solvent is an innovative blend for CO2 capture made up of a primary (3-amino-1-propanol, AP) and a tertiary (1-(2-hydroxyethyl) pyrrolidine, PRLD) amine studied in the H2020-funded Realise project. The thermodynamic framework has already been validated using experimental observations. The proposed thermodynamic model has been built into Aspen Plus V11 using the ENTRL (Electrolyte Non-Random Two Liquid) package and, then, finalized by including a mass transfer model and kinetics. The resulting full flowsheet simulation model has been validated using experimental measurements from Tiller semi-industrial pilot plant (Trondheim, Norway). The experimental campaign succeeded in demonstrating lower energy requirement and liquid recirculation compared to conventional monoethanolamine (MEA) at 30% w/w. The present contribution aims at presenting the validation procedure of the developed model over experimental data from the large-scale facility at Tiller and showing that the HS3 solvent is a promising blend to mitigate energy consumption in the CO2 capture process. All KPIs of the CO2 capture plant (CO2 capture rate, CO2 flow released in the stripper and temperature profiles inside the two columns) are predicted with an Absolute Average Relative Deviation (AARD) lower than 5% and with an Average Relative Deviation (ARD) close to zero. This statistical analysis demonstrates that the developed HS3 Aspen model can be used for simulation, energy analysis, and techno-economic assessment purposes.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is among the main available options to cut CO2 emissions from the industry and energy production sectors, but the high costs of current CCS technology still limit their large-scale applicability. For this reason, there is increasing interest in alternative absorbents with the potential to lower the energy and environmental impact of carbon capture. The estimation of costs, as well as process design and optimization, require accurate, reliable, and stable thermodynamic models. This article presents the development and testing of an ELECNRTL model in Aspen Plus for the characterization of HS3, an innovative blend made up of a primary (3-amino-1-propanol) and a tertiary (1-(2-hydroxyethyl) pyrrolidine) amine studied in the H2020-funded Realise project. The vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) model is fitted to in-house experimental data covering a wide range of loadings and operating temperatures. A plot for the system speciation in the liquid phase is obtained. Moreover, a comparison between the heat of absorption data and model prediction is also included. The proposed VLE model shows good accuracy and numerical stability in the whole temperatures and loading ranges of interest for industrial CO2 capture applications.

Torticollis is defined as an imbalance of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM), with less extension of the neck, resulting in a preference to turn the head more from one side to the other. The characteristics frequently found are: ear contralateral to the torticollis displaced forward, facial asymmetry, and contralateral occipital flattening, as well as a smaller ipsilateral eye, causing misalignment of the eyes. This condition can also cause mandibular inclination (MI), in the frontal plane, with a difference in opening between the maxilla and mandible from one side or the other. The diagnosis and treatment of torticollis are routinely carried out by the physiotherapist and the diagnosis of this mandibular inclination is traditionally through visual examination. This assessment of mandibular inclination, carried out by the dentist, in an objective manner, can contribute to the diagnosis and also to the monitoring of proposed treatments that should reduce mandibular asymmetries. The objective of this study was to create a protocol for objective measurement of the distance between the maxilla and mandible, on the right and left sides, using photogrammetry, to detect whether mandibular inclination can be observed by the shorter inter-arch distance on the side corresponding to the torticollis. Case reports of two babies (1 baby aged 9 months and another aged 1 year and 1 month), diagnosed with congenital torticollis. Photogrammetry was carried out: the babies were positioned on a dental stretcher and photographed in maximum opening, intermediate, and closing positions. Using the photos and the IMAGE J program, measurements between the maxilla and mandible were taken (see photogrammetry description). Results: The measurement protocol used in both babies confirmed the greater mandibular inclination by approaching the hemi-arch corresponding to the side of the torticollis, compared to the opposite side. Objective measurement of mandibular inclination can be part of the timely diagnosis for congenital torticollis. Studies with an adequate sample size and methodology are necessary to confirm this diagnostic tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are still discrepancies in the literature as to whether COVID-19 infection could impact biochemical, anthropometric, and cardiovascular markers. The purpose of this study was firstly to observe the effects of COVID-19 infection over 12 months on Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity. Secondarily, we analyzed the individual influence of COVID-19 infection on changes in biochemical, anthropometric, and cardiovascular markers. Methods: This study is part of a secondary analysis of a recently published article. The research involved 84 participants with T2D, divided into two groups: the control group (40 participants) received only medical care, while the intervention group (44 participants) received both medical care and nutritional assessment. Consultations were held quarterly over 12 months, with a follow-up after 3 months. Data Analysis: For influence analysis, non-normal variables were compared using the Mann–Whitney test, and normal variables were compared using unpaired t-tests. For all cases, α = 0.05 and p < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The analysis revealed a high percentage of patients in both groups who had a COVID-19 infection (70% control and 72.7% intervention) over 12 months. Regarding the influence analysis, participants in the intervention group who were infected with COVID-19 showed smaller reductions in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (p = 0.0120) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p = 0.0460). For the other biochemical, anthropometric, and cardiovascular markers, in both groups, no significant differences were found (p > 0.05). Conclusion: COVID-19 possibly influenced SBP and HbA1c levels over 12 months in people with T2D and obesity. However, caution should be exercised in generalizing these results due to the limitations of this study. Additionally, influence analysis does not establish a causal relationship, and more clinical trials in different populations are needed to fully analyze this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's rapidly advancing world, marked by ever-increasing industrialization and technological progress, the implications of air pollution for human health have reached critical proportions. (1) Although we have become familiar [...]

The application of hydrogen in heavy-duty vehicles or trains has been suggested as a promising solution to decarbonize the transportation sector. In this study, a one-dimensional engine modeling is employed to evaluate the potential of hydrogen as a fuel for railway applications. A turbocharged diesel engine is simulated as the baseline unit, and the results are validated with experimental data. The same engine is converted to become compatible with hydrogen through some modifications in the turbocharger group and the injection and ignition systems to preserve the performance of the baseline configuration. The findings show that the engine traction power is reduced from 600 to 400 kW, indicating an inferior performance for the hydrogen-fueled engine. The energy consumption of the hydrogen-fueled engine on a real train mission profile is almost two times the diesel version. However, our Life Cycle Assessment analysis with a Well-to-Wheel system boundary shows a 56% reduction in equivalent CO2 emissions for the engine fueled with photovoltaic-based green hydrogen. Substituting diesel with low-carbon hydrogen can decrease the train’s carbon footprint from 4.27 to even less than 2 kg CO2 eq./km, suggesting that moderately modified engines are a promising solution for decarbonizing non-feasibly electrified railway sections.

In 2021 JET exploited its unique capabilities to operate with T and D–T fuel with an ITER-like Be/W wall (JET-ILW). This second major JET D–T campaign (DTE2), after DTE1 in 1997, represented the culmination of a series of JET enhancements—new fusion diagnostics, new T injection capabilities, refurbishment of the T plant, increased auxiliary heating, in-vessel calibration of 14 MeV neutron yield monitors—as well as significant advances in plasma theory and modelling in the fusion community. DTE2 was complemented by a sequence of isotope physics campaigns encompassing operation in pure tritium at high T-NBI power. Carefully conducted for safe operation with tritium, the new T and D–T experiments used 1 kg of T (vs 100 g in DTE1), yielding the most fusion reactor relevant D–T plasmas to date and expanding our understanding of isotopes and D–T mixture physics. Furthermore, since the JET T and DTE2 campaigns occurred almost 25 years after the last major D–T tokamak experiment, it was also a strategic goal of the European fusion programme to refresh operational experience of a nuclear tokamak to prepare staff for ITER operation. The key physics results of the JET T and DTE2 experiments, carried out within the EUROfusion JET1 work package, are reported in this paper. Progress in the technological exploitation of JET D–T operations, development and validation of nuclear codes, neutronic tools and techniques for ITER operations carried out by EUROfusion (started within the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme and continuing under the Horizon Europe FP) are reported in (Litaudon et al Nucl. Fusion accepted), while JET experience on T and D–T operations is presented in (King et al Nucl. Fusion submitted).

BackgroundEndometrial cancer is of increasing concern in several countries, including Brazil, in part because of an ageing population, declines in fertility, and the increasing prevalence of obesity. Although endometrial tumors had lagged behind other cancer types in terms of treatment improvements, molecular characterization of these tumors is paving the way for novel therapies and an expansion of the therapeutic arsenal. We aimed to help medical oncologists who manage patients with recurrent or metastatic endometrial cancer in the Brazilian healthcare setting.MethodsThe panel, composed of 20 medical oncologists, convened in November 2021 to address 50 multiple-choice questions on molecular testing and treatment choices. We classified the level of agreement among panelists as (1) consensus (≥75% choosing the same answer), (2) majority vote (50% to

People often deny having meant what the audience understood. Such denials occur in both interpersonal and institutional contexts, such as in political discourse, the interpretation of laws and the perception of lies. In practice, denials have a wide range of possible effects on the audience, such as conversational repair, reinterpretation of the original utterance, moral judgements about the speaker, and rejection of the denial. When are these different reactions triggered? What factors make denials credible? There are surprisingly few experimental studies directly targeting such questions. Here, we present two pre-registered experiments focusing on (i) the speaker’s incentives to mislead their audience, and (ii) the impact of speaker denials on audiences’ moral and epistemic assessments of what has been said. We find that the extent to which speakers are judged responsible for the audience’s interpretations is modulated by their (the speakers’) incentives to mislead, but not by denials themselves. We also find that people are more willing than we expected to revise their interpretation of the speaker’s utterance when they learn that the ascribed meaning is false, regardless of whether the speaker is known to have had incentives to deceive their audience. In general, these findings are consistent with the idea that communicators are held responsible for the cognitive effects they trigger in their audience; rather than being responsible for, more narrowly, only the effects of what was “literally” said. In light of our findings, we present a new, cognitive analysis of how audiences react to denials, drawing in particular on the Relevance Theory approach to communication. We distinguish in particular: (a) the spontaneous and intuitive re-interpretation of the original utterance in light of a denial; (b) the attribution of responsibility to the speaker for the cognitive effects of what is communicated; and (c) the reflective attribution of a particular intention to the speaker, which include argumentative considerations, higher-order deniability, and reputational concerns. Existing experimental work, including our own, aims mostly at (a) and (b), and does not adequately control for (c). Deeper understanding of what can be credibly denied will be hindered unless and until this methodological problem is resolved.

The Go-BACK catheter is a novel device designed to be used for both intraluminal crossing or re-entry, into a vessel lumen from the subintimal space during subintimal angioplasty.It is reserved for cases where reentry has not been possible using conventional wire and catheter techniques. We report our experience in recanalization of the chronic total occlusions of the common iliac artery (CIA) using the Go-BACK catheter, in cases where other techniques were unsuccessful.