Use of Online Communities among People with Type 2 Diabetes: A Scoping Review.

Purpose Of Review: People with diabetes require continuous self-monitoring and face numerous decisions in their day-to-day lives. Therefore, on many occasions, they need more support than that provided by health professionals. In this context, peer support in online diabetes communities could be a useful tool.

A new oxidative pathway of nitric oxide production from oximes in plants.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential reactive oxygen species and a signal molecule in plants. Although several studies have proposed the occurrence of oxidative NO production, only reductive routes for NO production, such as the nitrate (NO-3) -upper-reductase pathway, have been evidenced to date in land plants. However, plants grown axenically with ammonium as the sole source of nitrogen exhibit contents of nitrite and NO, evidencing the existence of a metabolic pathway for oxidative production of NO.

Effector-triggered susceptibility by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

Rice blast, the most destructive disease of cultivated rice world-wide, is caused by the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. To cause disease in plants, M. oryzae secretes a diverse range of effector proteins to suppress plant defense responses, modulate cellular processes, and support pathogen growth.

Downed woody debris carbon emissions in a European temperate virgin forest as driven by species, decay classes, diameter and microclimate.

Downed woody debris (DWD) plays an important role as regulator of nutrient and carbon (C) cycling in forests, accounting for up to the 20 % of the total C stocks in primary forests. DWD persistence is highly influenced by microbial decomposition, which is determined by various environmental factors, including fluctuations in temperature and moisture, as well as in intrinsic DWD properties determined by species, diameter, or decay classes (DCs). The relative importance of these different drivers, as well as their interactions, remains largely unknown.

Experimental Measurement of the Thermal Conductivity of Fused Deposition Modeling Materials with a DTC-25 Conductivity Meter.

The expansion and low cost of additive manufacturing technologies have led to a revolution in the development of materials used by these technologies. There are several varieties of materials that can be used in additive manufacturing by fused deposition modeling (FDM). However, some of the properties of these materials are unknown or confusing.

New Horizons in Near-Zero Refractive Index Photonics and Hyperbolic Metamaterials.

The engineering of the spatial and temporal properties of both the electric permittivity and the refractive index of materials is at the core of photonics. When vanishing to zero, those two variables provide efficient knobs to control light-matter interactions. This Perspective aims at providing an overview of the state of the art and the challenges in emerging research areas where the use of near-zero refractive index and hyperbolic metamaterials is pivotal, in particular, light and thermal emission, nonlinear optics, sensing applications, and time-varying photonics.

Toward Optimal Irrigation Management at the Plot Level: Evaluation of Commercial Water Potential Sensors.

Proper irrigation practice consists of applying the optimum amount of water to the soil at the right time. The porous characteristics of the soil determine the capacity of the soil to absorb, infiltrate, and store water. In irrigation, it is not sufficient to only determine the water content of the soil; it is also necessary to determine the availability of water for plants: water potential.

Experimental determination of dynamic pseudo-equilibrium moisture content: A practical limit for the drying process.

Simulation and rigorous design of industrial dryers combine a large number of models, which feed three fundamental balances: (1) mass; (2) energy; and (3) quantity of movement of the material through the dryer. Many of these models represent physical phenomena affecting the three balances at the same time, which makes these calculations extremely complex, hence, accurate models are essential. The hypothesis that the kinetic stage of drying of any material culminates in the thermodynamic moisture equilibrium between solid and drying gas has been in effect for many years.

Computational fluid dynamics comparison of the upper airway velocity, pressure, and resistance in cats using an endotracheal tube or a supraglottic airway device.

Intoduction: In veterinary medicine, airway management of cats under general anesthesia is performed with an endotracheal tube (ETT) or supraglottic airway device (SGAD). This study aims to describe the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to assess the velocities, pressures, and resistances of cats with ETT or SGAD.

Methods: A geometrical reconstruction model of the device, trachea, and lobar bronchi was carried out from computed tomography (CT) scans that include the head, neck, and thorax.

Antifungal Activity of Chitosan/Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Blend Electrospun Polymeric Fiber Mat Doped with Metallic Silver Nanoparticles.

In this work, the implementation of advanced functional coatings based on the combination of two compatible nanofabrication techniques such as electrospinning and dip-coating technology have been successfully obtained for the design of antifungal surfaces. In a first step, uniform and beadless electrospun nanofibers of both polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyethylene (PEO)/chitosan (CS) blend samples have been obtained. In a second step, the dip-coating process has been gradually performed in order to ensure an adequate distribution of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) within the electrospun polymeric matrix (PEO/CS/AgNPs) by using a chemical reduction synthetic process, denoted as in situ synthesis (ISS).

Efficacy of educational interventions in adolescent population with feeding and eating disorders: a systematic review.

Background: Educational interventions are a key element in the care of young patients with feeding and eating disorders, forming part of the majority of therapeutic approaches. The aim of this review is to evaluate the impact of educational interventions in adolescents with feeding and eating disorders.

Methods: Following the PRISMA recommendations electronic databases were searched up to 29 June 2023.

Long-term cost-effectiveness analysis of sacral neuromodulation in the treatment of severe faecal incontinence.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of sacral neuromodulation in the treatment of severe faecal incontinence as compared with symptomatic management.

Methods: In the public health field, a micro-costing evaluation method was conducted from the perspectives of the health system and the society. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was used as a decision index, and we considered various scenarios to evaluate the impact of the cost of symptomatic management and percutaneous nerve evaluation success rate in its calculation.

Salbutamol transport and deposition in healthy cat airways under different breathing conditions and particle sizes.

Salbutamol is a bronchodilatator commonly used for the treatment of feline inflammatory lower airway disease, including asthma or acute bronchospasm. As in humans, a pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) is used in conjunction with a spacer and a spherical mask to facilitate salbutamol administration. However, efficacy of inhalation therapy is influenced by different factors including the non-cooperative character of cats.

Proposal of nursing diagnosis "adult disuse syndrome": A conceptual derivation and integrative review.

Purpose: To develop a nursing diagnosis proposal derived from the concept of "disuse syndrome" based on an integrative review.

Methods: The conceptual derivation technique, proposed by Walker and Avant, was used in the following phases: an integrative review of the literature was carried out, applying the parameters of Whitermore and Knalf, where 43 articles were selected that covered the existence of the concept in the nursing discipline and other health sciences, the concepts were subsequently analyzed, and the new concept was redefined following the middle-range theory of causality and validation of nursing diagnoses proposed by Oliveira-Lopes et al.

Findings: The proposal of the new nursing diagnosis was developed, including the following elements: diagnostic label adult disuse syndrome, the corresponding definition, 25 defining characteristics, eight related factors, eight risk populations, and 14 associated problems.

Low-Cost Online Monitoring System for the Etching Process in Fiber Optic Sensors by Computer Vision.

The present research exposes a novel methodology to manufacture fiber optic sensors following the etching process by Hydrofluoric Acid deposition through a real-time monitoring diameter measurement by computer vision. This is based on virtual instrumentation developed with the National Instruments technology and a conventional digital microscope. Here, the system has been tested proving its feasibility by the SMS structure diameter reduction from its original diameter of 125 μ until approximately 42.

Tunability of Hybrid Silica Xerogels: Surface Chemistry and Porous Texture Based on the Aromatic Precursor.

The interest in new materials with specific properties has increased because they are essential for the environmental and technological needs of our society. Among them, silica hybrid xerogels have emerged as promising candidates due to their simple preparation and tunability: when they are synthesised, depending on the organic precursor and its concentration, their properties can be modulated, and thus, it is possible to prepare materials with à la carte porosity and surface chemistry. This research aims to design two new series of silica hybrid xerogels by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with triethoxy(-tolyl)silane (MPhTEOS) or 1,4-bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (Ph(TEOS) and to determine their chemical and textural properties based on a variety of characterisation techniques (FT-IR, Si NMR, X-ray diffraction and N, CO and water vapour adsorption, among others).

Cost-Utility Analysis of Prostatic Artery Embolization for Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms.

Purpose: To perform a post hoc cost-utility analysis of a randomized controlled clinical trial comparing prostatic artery embolization (PAE) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a cost-utility analysis over a 5-year period to compare PAE versus TURP from a Spanish National Health System perspective. Data were collected from a randomized clinical trial performed at a single institution.

Development and validation of a smart system for medullation and diameter assessment of alpaca, llama and mohair fibres.

Medullated fibres, due to their higher resistance to bending and pressure, constitute a problem for the textile industry. Thus, having practical instruments to identify them is essential. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop and validate a novel, swift, automatic system (referred to as S-FiberMed) for medullation and diameter assessment of animal fibres based on artificial intelligence.

Assessing the Reliability and Validity of the Spanish Version of the Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Scale.

Nursing workforce shortage is one of the main challenges for healthcare organizations and it is important to determine if nurses are fulfilling their full scope of practice. There is a questionnaire that measures the activities carried out by nurses, but there is no version available for the Spanish context. The purpose of this study was to develop a cross-cultural adaptation of the "Actual Scope of Nursing Practice" questionnaire by D'Amour et al.

Indole-3-acetaldoxime delays root iron-deficiency responses and modify auxin homeostasis in Medicago truncatula.

Iron (Fe) is an essential plant micronutrient, being a major limiting growth factor in calcareous soils. To increase Fe uptake, plants induce lateral roots growth, the expression of a Fe(III)-chelate reductase (FCR), a Fe(II)-transporter and a H-ATPase and the secretion of flavins. Furthermore, auxin hormone family is involved in the Fe-deficiency responses but the action mechanism remains elusive.

Modeling the Growth of Six Strains in Smoked Salmon Pâté.

In this study, the growth of six strains isolated from different fish products was quantified and modeled in smoked salmon pâté at a temperature ranging from 2 to 20 °C. The experimental data obtained for each strain was fitted to the primary growth model of Baranyi and Roberts to estimate the following kinetic parameters: lag phase (), maximum specific growth rate (), and maximum cell density (). Then, the effect of storage temperature on the obtained values was modeled by the Ratkowsky secondary model.

Spectrally stable thermal emitters enabled by material-based high-impedance surfaces.

Radiative thermal engineering with subwavelength metallic bodies is a key element for heat and energy management applications, communication and sensing. Here, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate metallic thermal emitters with narrowband but extremely stable emission spectra, whose resonant frequency does not shift with changes on the nanofilm thickness, the angle of observation and/or polarization. Our devices are based on epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) substrates acting as material-based high-impedance substrates.

Network Analysis of Neurobehavioral Symptom Patterns in an International Sample of Spanish-Speakers with a History of COVID-19 and Controls.

(1) Background: Psychometric network analysis provides a novel statistical approach allowing researchers to model clusters of related symptoms as a dynamic system. This study applied network analysis to investigate the patterns of somatic, cognitive, and affective neurobehavioral symptoms in an international sample of Spanish-speaking individuals with a history of COVID-19 positivity and non-COVID controls; (2) methods: the sample (n = 1093) included 650 adults from 26 countries who reported having previously tested positive for COVID-19 (COVID+) through a viral and/or antigen test (average of 147 days since diagnosis). The control group (COVID-) was comprised of 443 adults from 20 countries who had completed the survey prior to the COVID-19 pandemic; (3) results: relative to the COVID- network, the COVID+ network was very well-connected, such that each neurobehavioral symptom was positively connected to the network.