Domestic violence shapes Colombian women’s partner choices

This work was funded by Colciencias (Call 646), St Leonard’s College, University of St Andrews and The Russell Trust Foundation (Call 2016-2).Potential protection from violence has been suggested as an explanation for women’s preferences for more masculine partners. Previous studies, however, have not considered that violence may be multi-modal, and hence come from different sources. Therefore, we tested the effect of different fears of violence (i.e., vulnerability to public crime, likelihood of within-partnership violence) on masculinity preferences of women from Colombia, a country known for its high rates of violence. Eighty-three adult heterosexual women (mean age ± SD = 26.7 ± 6.01) answered a survey that included questions about health (e.g. frequency of illnesses during the last year and during childhood), access to media (e.g. time spent watching television, frequency of internet use), education (i.e., highest level achieved) and violence perceptions. Participants’ masculinity preferences for Salvadoran, European and Colombian male faces were recorded. Factor analysis revealed two different factors for the answers to questions related to violence. One factor loaded mostly on questions related to public violence and the second factor related to domestic violence. We found that women with higher scores on the domestic violence factor preferred significantly less masculine Colombian male faces. Even after controlling for participant age, education, access to media (TV and internet) and health-related factors, the domestic violence factor contributed significantly to explaining masculinity preferences. The results presented here suggest that women’s preferences for masculinity may be a strategy to avoid aggressive partners and that the source of violence matters in mate choice.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Microwave-assisted synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of VO2 (B) nanostructures

Understanding how intercalation materials change during electrochemical operation is paramount to optimizing their behaviour and function and in situ characterization methods allow us to observe these changes without sample destruction. Here we first report the improved intercalation properties of bronze phase vanadium dioxide VO2 (B) prepared by a microwave-assisted route which exhibits a larger electrochemical capacity (232 mAh g-1) compared with VO2 (B) prepared by a solvothermal route (197 mAh g-1). These electrochemical differences have also been followed using in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy allowing us to follow oxidation state changes as they occur during battery operation

Aggressor or protector? Experiences and perceptions of violence predict preferences for masculinity

This work was funded by Colciencias (Call 646) and St Leonard's College, University of St Andrews, Scotland.Women’s preferences for masculine male partners have been explained in terms of heritable health. The evidence between masculinity and health, however, is controversial and therefore, alternative explanations for masculinity preferences reflecting income inequality and protection from violence have been proposed. This study thus aimed to test the effect of exposure to violence (i.e., experiences of robberies and perceptions of danger) on the individual masculinity preferences of women and men from the capital city of Colombia, Bogota, and surrounding small towns. One hundred and fifty three adult participants (mean age ± S.D.= 31.3 ± 9.4), all heterosexual, were surveyed in reference to indicators related to health (e.g., drinking water access, frequency of illnesses), access to media (e.g., television and internet access), education (e.g., graduating from high school, attending university) and exposure to violence (e.g., frequency of robberies/attacks, feelings of danger from violence). Participants made two alternative, preference forced-choice for masculinized and feminized versions of both rural Salvadoran and European male faces. We found that men and women exposed to higher levels of violence preferred less masculine male faces, although this effect was only significant for women. Additionally, the effect of violence exposure was more relevant for the Salvadoran stimuli. Violence contributed significantly to explaining masculinity preferences after controlling for participant age, education, access to media, and health-related factors. These preferences may reflect women’s strategy to avoid male violence demonstrating that exposure to violence matters in interpersonal attraction.PostprintPeer reviewe

Suppression of sweet taste-related responses by plant-derived bioactive compounds and eating. Part II: A systematic review in animals

This article, the second in a two-part series, continues the discussion on the nature of the relationship between the level of sweet taste suppression and eating behaviour, but in animal rather human subjects. In particular, the aim was to review the scientific literature on the impact that bioactive compounds that decrease oral sweet sensations have on intake, preference and physiological status in preclinical studies. This review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews and conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and covered original papers included in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Food Science Source and Food Science and technology abstracts. We identified 28 peer-reviewed English-language studies that fit the topic and met the inclusion criteria. We identified three plant species, Gymnema sylvestre, Hovenia dulcis, and Ziziphus jujuba, that possess acute sweetness-inhibitory properties. When administered orally, these plants reduced neural responses to sweet stimuli and decreased consumption. However, studies on the longer-term effects of antisweet activity remain to be conducted. Translating the valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the relationship between sweet taste impairment and eating behaviour into practical clinical applications are discussed.Grant PID2021-129042OA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”FPU Fellowship under Grant FPU20/02400 (Ministry of Universities, Spain)Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBU

Suppression of sweet taste-related responses by plant-derived bioactive compounds and eating. Part I: A systematic review in humans

This study was supported in part by Grant PID2021-129042OA-I00, which was funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and "ERDF A way of making Europe" and by FPU Fellowship under Grant FPU20/02400 (Ministry of Universities, Spain) . Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA.The taste of food plays a crucial role in determining what and how much we eat. Thus, interventions that temporarily block sweet taste receptors offer a promising approach to addressing unhealthy behaviours associated with sugary foods. However, the relationship between reduced sweet taste response and food consumption remains unclear, with contradictory findings. Certain studies suggest that a diminished perception of sweetness leads to a sense of fullness and results in reduced food intake, while others suggest the opposite effect. To shed some light, our systematic review looked into the relationship between diminished sweet taste response and food consumption by examining the effects of bioactive compounds that experimentally inhibit sweetness in healthy individuals. This review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews and conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, and covered original papers included in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Food Science Source and Food Science and technology abstracts. We identified 33 peer-reviewed English-language studies that fit the topic and met the inclusion criteria. The current literature predominantly focuses on the immediate impact of oral gymnemic acids, failing to provide preliminary evidence in support of the specific threshold hypothesis, above which food consumption decreases and below which the opposite effect occurs. Additionally, there was inconsistency in the findings regarding the short-term desire to eat following sweetness inhibition. Considering the downstream effects on energy intake and their clinical applications, further research is needed to clarify both the acute within-session effects (i.e., not wanting any more now) and the longer-term effects (i.e., deciding not to start eating) linked to oral sweet-taste-suppressing compounds.MCIN/AEI PID2021-129042OA-I00ERDF A way of making EuropeMinistry of Universities, Spain FPU20/02400Universidad de Granada/CBU

Polymer Chains in Random Layered Flows: A Scaling Approach

We consider the diffusion of a polymer chain in random layered flows. We use scaling ideas and take the randomness of the flow into account through an Imry-Ma-type argument. For the chain\u27s dynamics both the Zimm approach for screened hydrodynamic interactions and also the Rouse approach are considered. We cornpute both the internal dynamics of the chain (motion of a segment) and also the center of mass motion; for the Rouse model we recover the exact results obtained by Oshanin and Blumen. The polymer\u27s dynamics at long times turns out to be diffusive or enhanced, depending on the flow\u27s disorder (thread-like or layer-like), and on the hydrodynamic interactions. Furthermore we also evaluate the chain\u27s conformations under these conditions

Fear of violence amongst Colombian women is associated with reduced preferences for high-BMI men

Funding: This work was supported in part by Colciencias (Call 646), St Leonard's College, University of St Andrews, Scotland and The Russell Trust Postgraduate Award (Call: May 2016).Recent studies reveal that violence significantly contributes to explaining individual’s facial preferences. Women who feel at higher risk of violence prefer less-masculine male faces. Given the importance of violence, we explore its influence on people’s preferences for a different physical trait. Masculinity correlates positively with male strength and weight or body mass index (BMI). In fact, masculinity and BMI tend to load on the same component of trait perception. Therefore we predicted that individuals’ perceptions of danger from violence will relate to preferences for facial cues to low-BMI. In two studies in Colombia, men and women from Bogota, Medellin, and surrounding communities were shown pairs of faces transformed to epitomize the shape correlates of men with high or low-BMI. The images were of European, Salvadoran, or Colombian men. Participants were asked to choose the face they considered most attractive. Subsequently, participants answered a survey about their health (e.g., frequency of illnesses the past year), media access (e.g., frequency of Internet use), education level (e.g., graduating from high school), and experiences/perceptions of violence in study 1 and about specific types of violence (public and domestic) in study 2. Results from both studies showed that women who experienced/perceived higher levels of violence preferred faces of low-BMI Salvadoran men. Preferences for low-BMI facial cues were significantly explained by violence (public or domestic), even after controlling for all other variables (including age, education, health, and media access). These results may reflect women’s strategy to avoid male partners capable of inflicting harm.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Efficient Design of Waveguide Manifold Multiplexers Based on Low-Order EM Distributed Models

In this paper, a new systematic technique to design manifold-coupled multiplexers in waveguide technology is proposed. The new technique uses generalized low-order electromagnetic (EM) distributed models, which constitute a half-way point between the fast, but imprecise, analytical models, and the more accurate, but costly, full-wave EM models. The method can be applied to contiguous and noncontiguous channel multiplexers, in both E-plane or H-plane configurations. This paper covers the complete design procedure for manifold multiplexers, starting from the required specifications and finishing with the physical dimensions. After explaining the general design technique for multiplexers with channel filters based on transmission-line resonators, the method is specialized for the design of classic multiplexers with circular-waveguide dual-mode filters. As a further application example, the same methodology is also used for the design of a nonconventional tuningless wideband multiplexer with a new type of rectangular waveguide filters. This paper is concluded with a comparison between simulation and measurements for the wideband multiplexer. Excellent agreement between measurements and simulations are demonstrated, thereby validating the complete design procedure.The authors would like to thank the European Space Agency (ESA) and Val Space Consortium (VSC) High Power RF Space Laboratory (A laboratory funded by the European Regional Development Fund, A way of making Europe) for financing the manufacture and experimental validation of the wideband six-channel PIM test bed.Cogollos Borras, S.; Soto Pacheco, P.; Boria Esbert, VE.; Guglielmi, M.; Brumos Vicente, M.; Gimeno Martinez, B.; Raboso García-Baquero, D. (2015). Efficient Design of Waveguide Manifold Multiplexers Based on Low-Order EM Distributed Models. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. 63(8):2540-2549. doi:10.1109/TMTT.2015.2442990S2540254963

Hydrogen production via microwave-induced water splitting at low temperature

[EN] Hydrogen is a promising vector in the decarbonization of energy systems, but more efficient and scalable synthesis is required to enable its widespread deployment. Towards that aim, Serra et al. present a microwave-based approach that allows contactless water electrolysis that can be integrated with hydrocarbon production. Supplying global energy demand with CO2-free technologies is becoming feasible thanks to the rising affordability of renewable resources. Hydrogen is a promising vector in the decarbonization of energy systems, but more efficient and scalable synthesis is required to enable its widespread deployment. Here we report contactless H-2 production via water electrolysis mediated by the microwave-triggered redox activation of solid-state ionic materials at low temperatures (<250 degrees C). Water was reduced via reaction with non-equilibrium gadolinium-doped CeO2 that was previously in situ electrochemically deoxygenated by the sole application of microwaves. The microwave-driven reduction was identified by an instantaneous electrical conductivity rise and O-2 release. This process was cyclable, whereas H-2 yield and energy efficiency were material- and power-dependent. Deoxygenation of low-energy molecules (H2O or CO2) led to the formation of energy carriers and enabled CH4 production when integrated with a Sabatier reactor. This method could be extended to other reactions such as intensified hydrocarbons synthesis or oxidation.This work was supported by the Spanish Government (RTI2018-102161, SEV-2016-0683 and Juan de la Cierva grant IJCI-2017-34110). We thank the support of the Electronic Microscopy Service of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Serra Alfaro, JM.; Borras-Morell, JF.; García-Baños, B.; Balaguer Ramirez, M.; Plaza González, PJ.; Santos-Blasco, J.; Catalán-Martínez, D.... (2020). Hydrogen production via microwave-induced water splitting at low temperature. Nature Energy. 5(11):910-919. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-00720-6910919511Serra, J. M. Electrifying chemistry with protonic cells. Nat. Energy 4, 178–179 (2019).Wei, M., McMillan, C. A. & de la Rue du Can, S. Electrification of industry: potential, challenges and outlook. Curr. Sustain. Energy Rep. 6, 140–148 (2019).Malerød-Fjeld, H. et al. Thermo-electrochemical production of compressed hydrogen from methane with near-zero energy loss. Nat. Energy 2, 923–931 (2017).Schiffer, Z. J. & Manthiram, K. Electrification and decarbonization of the chemical industry. Joule 1, 10–14 (2017).Ran, J., Zhang, J., Yu, J., Jaroniec, M. & Qiao, S. Z. Earth-abundant cocatalysts for semiconductor-based photocatalytic water splitting. Chem. Soc. Rev. 43, 7787–7812 (2014).Kudo, A. & Miseki, Y. Heterogeneous photocatalyst materials for water splitting. Chem. Soc. Rev. 38, 253–278 (2009).Vøllestad, E. et al. Mixed proton and electron conducting double perovskite anodes for stable and efficient tubular proton ceramic electrolysers. Nat. Mater. 18, 752–759 (2019).Duan, C. et al. Highly efficient reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells for power generation and fuel production. Nat. Energy 4, 230–240 (2019).Service, R. F. New electrolyzer splits water on the cheap. Science 367, 1181 (2020).Hamzehlouia, S., Jaffer, S. A. & Chaouki, J. Microwave heating-assisted catalytic dry reforming of methane to syngas. Sci. Rep. 8, 8940 (2018).Tsukahara, Y. et al. In situ observation of nonequilibrium local heating as an origin of special effect of microwave on chemistry. J. Phys. Chem. C 114, 8965–8970 (2010).Sholl, D. S. & Lively, R. P. Seven chemical separations to change the world. Nature 532, 435–437 (2016).Eigen, J. & Schroeder, M. Redox cycling stability of Fe2NiO4/YSZ composite storage materials for rechargeable oxide batteries. Energy Storage Mater. 28, 112–121 (2020).Catalá-Civera, J. M. et al. Dynamic measurement of dielectric properties of materials at high temperature during microwave heating in a dual mode cylindrical cavity. IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech. 63, 2905–2914 (2012).García-Baños, B., Reinosa, J. J., Peñaranda-Foix, F. L., Fernández, J. F. & Catalá-Civera, J. M. Temperature assessment of microwave-enhanced heating processes. Sci. Rep. 9, 10809 (2019).Campbell, C. T. & Peden, C. H. F. Oxygen vacancies and catalysis on ceria surfaces. Science 309, 713–714 (2005).Naghavi, S. S. et al. Giant onsite electronic entropy enhances the performance of ceria for water splitting. Nat. Commun. 8, 1–6 (2017).Chueh, W. C. et al. High-flux solar-driven thermochemical dissociation of CO2 and H2O using nonstoichiometric ceria. Sci. 330, 1797–1801 (2010).Bulfin, B. et al. Analytical model of CeO2 oxidation and reduction. J. Phys. Chem. C 117, 24129–24137 (2013).Geller, A. et al. Operando tracking of electrochemical activity in solid oxide electrochemical cells by using near-infrared imaging. ChemElectroChem 2, 1527–1534 (2015).Balaguer, M., Solís, C. & Serra, J. M. Structural-transport properties relationships on Ce1–xLnxO2–δ system (Ln = Gd, La, Tb, Pr, Eu, Er, Yb, Nd) and effect of cobalt addition. J. Phys. Chem. C 116, 7975–7982 (2012).Holstein, T. Studies of polaron motion. Part II. The ‘small’ polaron. Ann. Phys. (N. Y). 8, 343–389 (1959).Seki, K. & Tachiya, M. Electric field dependence of charge mobility in energetically disordered materials: polaron aspects. Phys. Rev. B 65, 1–13 (2002).Emin, D. Generalized adiabatic polaron hopping: Meyer–Neldel compensation and Poole–Frenkel behavior. Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 166602 (2008).Bishop, S. R., Duncan, K. L. & Wachsman, E. D. Surface and bulk oxygen non-stoichiometry and bulk chemical expansion in gadolinium-doped cerium oxide. Acta Mater. 57, 3596–3605 (2009).Suzuki, T., Kosacki, I. & Anderson, H. U. Defect and mixed conductivity in nanocrystalline doped cerium oxide. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 85, 1492–1498 (2002).Zeng, L., Cheng, Z., Fan, J. A., Fan, L. S. & Gong, J. Metal oxide redox chemistry for chemical looping processes. Nat. Rev. Chem. 2, 349–364 (2018).Liu, W., Song, M.-S., Kong, B. & Cui, Y. Flexible and stretchable energy storage: recent advances and future perspectives. Adv. Mater. 29, 1603436 (2017).Berger, C. M. et al. Development of storage materials for high-temperature rechargeable oxide batteries. J. Energy Storage 1, 54–64 (2015).Posdziech, O., Schwarze, K. & Brabandt, J. Efficient hydrogen production for industry and electricity storage via high-temperature electrolysis. Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 44, 19089–19101 (2019).Maric, R. & Yu, H. In Nanostructures in Energy Generation, Transmission and Storage (IntechOpen, 2018).Dincer, I. & Acar, C. Review and evaluation of hydrogen production methods for better sustainability. Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 40, 11094–11111 (2015).Gielen, D. Hydrogen from Renewable Power Technology Outlook for the Energy Transition (2018).Kuckshinrichs, W., Ketelaer, T. & Koj, J. C. Economic analysis of improved alkaline water electrolysis. Front. Energy Res. 5, 1 (2017).Holladay, J. D., Hu, J., King, D. L. & Wang, Y. An overview of hydrogen production technologies. Catal. Today 139, 244–260 (2009).Glenk, G. & Reichelstein, S. Economics of converting renewable power to hydrogen. Nat. Energy 4, 216–222 (2019).Marxer, D., Furler, P., Takacs, M. & Steinfeld, A. Solar thermochemical splitting of CO2 into separate streams of CO and O2 with high selectivity, stability, conversion, and efficiency. Energy Environ. Sci. 10, 1142–1149 (2017).Vogt, C., Monai, M., Kramer, G. J. & Weckhuysen, B. M. The renaissance of the Sabatier reaction and its applications on Earth and in space. Nat. Catal. 2, 188–197 (2019).Eckle, S., Anfang, H. G. & Behm, R. J. Reaction intermediates and side products in the methanation of CO and CO2 over supported Ru catalysts in H2-rich reformate gases. J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 1361–1367 (2011).Wei, Y. et al. Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous Ce0.8Zr0.2O2-supported gold nanoparticles: synthesis with controllable size and super-catalytic performance for soot oxidation. Energy Environ. Sci. 4, 2959–2970 (2011).Santos, V. P., Pereira, M. F. R., Órfão, J. J. M. & Figueiredo, J. L. The role of lattice oxygen on the activity of manganese oxides towards the oxidation of volatile organic compounds. Appl. Catal. B 99, 353–363 (2010).Hickman, D. A. & Schmidt, L. D. Production of syngas by direct catalytic oxidation of methane. Science 259, 343–346 (1993).Feng, Z. A. et al. Fast vacancy-mediated oxygen ion incorporation across the ceria-gas electrochemical interface. Nat. Commun. 5, 1–9 (2014).Flytzani-Stephanopoulos, M., Sakbodin, M. & Wang, Z. Regenerative adsorption and removal of H2S from hot fuel gas streams by rare earth oxides. Science 312, 1508–1510 (2006).Paunović, V. et al. Europium oxybromide catalysts for efficient bromine looping in natural gas valorization. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 56, 9791–9795 (2017).Krupka, J. Contactless methods of conductivity and sheet resistance measurement for semiconductors, conductors and superconductors. Meas. Sci. Technol. 24, 62001 (2013).Altschuler, H. M. Handbook of Microwave Measurements Vol. 2 (Polytechnic Institute Brooklyn Press, 1963).Arai, M., Binner, J. G. P. & Cross, T. E. Comparison of techniques for measuring high-temperature microwave complex permittivity: measurements on an alumina/zircona system. J. Microw. Power Electromagn. Energy 31, 12–18 (1996).López, R. & Gómez, R. Band-gap energy estimation from diffuse reflectance measurements on sol–gel and commercial TiO2: a comparative study. J. Sol.-Gel Sci. Technol. 61, 1–7 (2012).Murphy, A. B. Band-gap determination from diffuse reflectance measurements of semiconductor films, and application to photoelectrochemical water-splitting. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 91, 1326–1337 (2007).Skorodumova, N. V. et al. Electronic, bonding, and optical properties of CeO2 and Ce2O3 from first principles. Phys. Rev. B 64, 1151081–1151089 (2001)