Polymer Janus nanoparticles with one hard cross-linked polystyrene lobe and one soft film-forming poly(methyl methacrylate--butyl acrylate) lobe were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-mediated emulsion polymerization. The Janus nanoparticles adsorbed to oil/water and air/water interfaces, where the soft lobes coalesced, forming films of thickness between 25 and 250 nm; droplets of silicone oil could be stably encapsulated in polymer in this way. When prepared by mechanical mixing without additives, capsules of diameter 5-500 μm could be prepared, and with additives and application of heat, capsules of diameter around 5 μm were achieved, even with highly viscous silicone oil (20,000 cSt).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The objective of this study was to describe the effects of an extra hour of a structured motor program on the motor competence (MC) of children 6-10 years old..
Design: The need for movement interventions to enhance MC among school-aged children has gained vital importance in the last years, given the negative secular trends reported.
Introduction: Relative or absolute safety of heated tobacco products (HTP) remains unknown, while independent literature suggests that these products do not favour tobacco control. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate HTP usage patterns and the effect of HTP use on conventional tobacco smoking (use transitions).
Methods: We used Pubmed/MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library to identify all articles published up to February 2022 on HTP use.
Background: species are the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease and, as ubiquitous waterborne bacteria, are prone to antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) acquisition and dissemination due to the antimicrobial contamination of natural environments. Given the potential health risks associated with ARGs, it is crucial to assess their presence in the population.
Methods: The ARGs and were detected in 348 samples, isolates, and DNA extracts using conventional PCR.
Inter-city interactions are critical for the transmission of infectious diseases, yet their effects on the scaling of disease cases remain largely underexplored. Here, we use the commuting network as a proxy for inter-city interactions, integrating it with a general scaling framework to describe the incidence of seven infectious diseases across Brazilian cities as a function of population size and the number of commuters. Our models significantly outperform traditional urban scaling approaches, revealing that the relationship between disease cases and a combination of population and commuters varies across diseases and is influenced by both factors.
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