An unintended consequence of COVID-19 immunity passports—quasi-experimental evidence of moral hazard observed after implementing the domestic Green Pass policy during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

ObjectivesAmidst the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Italian policymakers mandated to exhibit evidence of vaccination or immunity (the Green Pass) as a condition to access retail premises and public offices. This study aims to offer evidence, in a quasi-experimental setting, suggesting that an unintended consequence of this policy was the emergence of moral hazard.MethodsGoogle visit duration data measured the time customers typically spend on retail premises or public offices. A pairwise comparison of median visit time per premise was performed at a six-week interval before and after the introduction of the Green Pass.ResultsThis study is the first to provide evidence of “ex-post” moral hazard associated with introducing a domestic Green Pass policy. The median visiting time on premises that required digital immunity control significantly increased after introducing the domestic Green Pass policy, contrary to other public premises where access remained free of limitations. The increase in median visit time in premises with faster customer turnaround, such as coffee shops (+49%) and fast-food restaurants (+45%), was lower than the increase observed for fine-dining restaurants (+74%) and pizzerias (+163%). No significant increase in median visit time was observed in premises where the Green Pass was not required, such as food supermarkets, retail non-food shops, post offices, banks, pharmacies, and gas stations.ConclusionThe evidence of moral hazard highlights the critical issue of unintended consequences stemming from public health policies. This discovery is pivotal for policymakers, indicating that unforeseen behavioral adjustments could offset the intended benefits despite the intent to reduce risk through measures like the Green Pass

Theoretical study of structural and electronic properties of 2H-phase transition metal dichalcogenides

Computational physics and chemistry are called to play a very important role in the development of new technologies based on two-dimensional (2D) materials, reducing drastically the number of trial and error experiments needed to obtain meaningful advances in the field. Here, we present a thorough theoretical study of the structural and electronic properties of the single-layer, double-layer, and bulk transition metal dichalcogenides MoS2, MoSe2, MoTe2, WS2, WSe2, and WTe2 in the 2H phase, for which only partial experimental information is available. We show that the properties of these systems depend strongly on the density functional theory approach used in the calculations and that inclusion of weak dispersion forces is mandatory for a correct reproduction of the existing experimental data. By using the most accurate functionals, we predict interlayer separations, direct and indirect band gaps, and spin-orbit splittings in those systems for which there is no experimental information available. We also discuss the variation of these properties with the specific chalcogen and transition metal ato

Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica)

This article focuses on the spatial distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point, an ice-free area of 1.16km2 located in Livingston Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Fieldwork carried out in January 2014 consisted of floristic surveys and designation of a vegetation map. We have examined these data in a GIS environment together with topographical and geomorphological features existing in the peninsula in order to infer the factors controlling vegetation distribution. This has allowed quantifying the total area covered by the four different vegetation formations distributed across the peninsula, proliferating mainly on bedrock plateaus and Holocene raised beaches. Grass formation is essentially composed of Deschampsia antarctica, distributed almost exclusively on raised beaches, and covering 4.1% of the ice-free surface. The remaining three formations are fundamentally composed of cryptogam species. The first of which is fruticose lichen and moss formation, present on high bedrock plateaus and principally formed by lichens such as Usnea aurantiaco-atra. The next is the crustose lichen formation, spreading on bedrock plateaus near the coast populated by bird colonies. In this case, ornitocoprophilous lichens such as Caloplaca regalis, Xanthoria elegans and Haematomma erythromma are predominant. Together, both formations have colonised 5.1% of the peninsula. The last variety, moss carpet and moss cushion formation, occupies 1.4% of the deglaciated surface, spreading primarily in flooded areas, stabilised talus slopes, and bedrock plateaus as well. Therefore, the total surface colonised by vegetation is 12.2ha, which comprises 10.5% of the peninsula. Due to the retreat of the Rotch Dome glacier, 20.1ha remain ice-free since 1956 (17.3% of the deglaciated area). Ever since, even though the Antarctic Peninsula has registered one of the most significant temperature rises on Earth, vegetation has only colonised 0.04ha of this new space, which merely represents 0.3% of the vegetated area in Elephant Point.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

¿Hay algo más que contar sobre las habilidades numéricas de los bebés y los niños?

En este artículo se revisan distintos aspectos relacionados con las competencias numéricas tempranas. En primer lugar, se aborda en profundidad la polémica entre los defensores y detractores de las habilidades numéricas de los bebés, prestando especial atención a los estudios sobre la discriminación de las cantidades y las habilidades aritméticas no simbólicas. En segundo lugar, se ocupa del subitizing centrándose en el cambio que se produce de los patrones perceptivos a los conceptuales. Finalmente, en tercer lugar, se recogen los estudios sobre la habilidad de contar, haciendo hincapié en una línea de investigación especialmente prometedora relacionada con la diferenciación entre los aspectos esenciales (reglas lógicas) y no esenciales (reglas convencionales) del conteo

Caracterización funcional y estructural de la Endonucleasa G de Leishmania Infantum. Exploración de su potencial como diana para el desarrollo de agentes terapéuticos con actividad leishmanicida

La familia EndoG está compuesta por un grupo de nucleasas no específicas con dominio ββα de unión a metal presentes en todos los organismos cuyo genoma ha sido secuenciado. Uno de los papeles mejor descritos para este grupo de enzimas es el de migrar de la mitocondria al núcleo para degradar el ADN genómico durante la apoptosis, función que ha sido confirmada para la EndoG de Leishmania infantum (LiEndoG) por nuestro grupo de investigación. No obstante, también se ha demostrado que algunos miembros de esta familia son necesarios para el correcto desarrollo de varios organismos, apuntando hacia un posible papel dual provida/promuerte para este grupo de enzimas. En este sentido, el trabajo llevado a cabo en esta tesis nos ha permitido comprobar que LiEndoG es esencial para el desarrollo y supervivencia de los parásitos, ya que la reducción de su expresión produce un retraso significativo de su crecimiento y hace que su infectividad sobre los macrófagos sea mucho menor. Adicionalmente, hemos podido identificar varios derivados de la 5’-tritiltimidina con una potente actividad leishmanicida frente a promastigotes y amastigotes axénicos de L. infantum. Dado que los nuevos compuestos generados que tienen actividad leishmanicida son además capaces de inhibir la actividad nucleasa de LiEndoG in vitro, y que el efecto citotóxico producido sobre los parásitos por estos compuestos puede ser contrarrestado cuando se sobreexpresa esta enzima, nuestros resultados apuntan a que LiEndoG es la diana sobre la que actúan estos derivados de la 5’-tritiltimidina. Por tanto, los resultados de nuestro trabajo sugieren que la inhibición de LiEndoG podría estar produciendo un efecto citotóxico sobre los parásitos, apoyando aún más el papel provida de esta enzima y demostrando el potencial que podría tener como diana terapéutica para el desarrollo de nuevos fármacos con actividad leishmanicida. Finalmente, nuestro grupo de investigación ha desarrollado un nuevo modelo molecular para LiEndoG e identificado varios dominios que confieren a esta nucleasa propiedades prácticamente únicas. El primero de ellos está constituido por una inserción rica en residuos ácidos que conforma un dominio de autoinhibición capaz de regular la actividad de la enzima en función del pH. Adicionalmente, hemos sido capaces de demostrar que la extensión del extremo carboxilo terminal de LiEndoG conforma un dominio que dicta la preferencia que tiene esta enzima por digerir ADN de cadena sencilla. Finalmente, hemos descubierto que: i) LiEndoG existe como un homodímero; ii) el reemplazo de la Ser211 del motivo SRGH del centro catalítico por el aspartato canónico de la mayoría de las nucleasas de esta familia da lugar a una enzima catalíticamente deficiente; y iii) la actividad de la variante S211D puede ser rescatada cuando se reemplaza de forma simultánea la Ala247 por una arginina. En conjunto, nuestros resultados apoyan la idea de que LiEndoG es una proteína multidominio cuya actividad nucleasa puede ser modulada o incluso abolida mediante la introducción de cambios en su arquitectura como consecuencia de las condiciones en el ambiente intracelular y la interacción con otras proteínas

Scattering of H(D) from LiF(1 0 0) under fast grazing incidence conditions: To what extent is classical dynamics a useful tool?

Diffraction experiments of atoms and molecules under fast grazing incidence conditions have opened a new field in surface science. This experimental effort calls for complementary theoretical studies, which would allow a detailed analysis of experimental data. Here, we have analyzed the ability of classical dynamics simulations to reproduce experimental results. To perform this study, a DFT (density functional theory) based potential energy surface, describing the interaction between a H atom and a LiF(1 0 0) surface, has been computed. Diffraction probabilities have been simulated by means of a classical binning method. Our results have been found to be in qualitative good agreement with recent experimental measurementsWe are very grateful to H. F. Busnengo for useful discussions about the CRP method. We thank CCC-UAM for allocation of computer time. Work supported by MICINN project FIS2010-1512

Different coordination modes of an aryl-substituted hydrotris(pyrazolyl) borate ligand in rhodium and iridium complexes

Complexes TptolRh(C2H4)2 (1a) and TptolRh(CH2C(Me)C(Me)CH2) (1b) have been prepared by reaction of KTptol with the appropriate [RhCl(olefin)2]2 dimer (Tptol means hydrotris(3-p-tolylpyrazol-1-yl)borate). The two complexes show a dynamic behaviour that involves exchange between κ2 and κ3 coordination modes of the Tptol ligand. The iridium analogue, TptolIr(CH2C(Me)CHCH2) (2) has also been synthesized, and has been converted into the Ir(III) dinitrogen complex [(κ4-N,N',N'',C-Tptol)Ir(Ph)(N2) (3) by irradiation with UV light under a dinitrogen atmosphere. Compound 3 constitutes a rare example of Ir(III)-N2 complex structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Its N2 ligand can be easily substituted by acetonitrile or ethylene upon heating and denticity changes in the Tptol ligand, from κ4-N,N',N'',C (monometallated Tptol, from now on represented as Tptol′) to κ5-N,N′,N″,C,C″ (dimetallated Tp tol ligand, represented as Tptol″) have been observed. When complex 3 is heated in the presence of acetylene, dimerization of the alkyne takes place to yield the enyne complex [(κ5-N,N′,N′′,C,C′-Tp tol)Ir(CH2CHCCH), 7̧ in which the unsaturated organic moiety is bonded to iridium through the carbon-carbon double bond.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia CTQ2007-62814Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2007-00006Junta de Andalucía FQM-3151, FQM-672CONACYT 22934

In vitro comparative study of fibroblastic behaviour on polymethacrylate (PMMA) and lithium disilicate polymer surfaces

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and lithium disilicate are widely used materials in the dental field. PMMA is mainly used for the manufacture of removable prostheses; however, with the incorporation of CAD-CAM technology, new applications have been introduced for this material, including as a provisional implant attachment. Lithium disilicate is considered the gold standard for definitive attachment material. On the other hand, PMMA has begun to be used in clinics as a provisional attachment until the placement of a definitive one occurs. Although there are clinical studies regarding its use, there are few studies on cell reorganization around this type of material. This is why we carried out an in vitro comparative study using discs of both materials in which human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) were cultured. After processing them, we analyzed various cellular parameters (cell count, cytoskeleton length, core size and coverage area). We analyzed the surface of the discs together with their composition. The results obtained were mostly not statistically significant, which shows that the qualities of PMMA make it a suitable material as an implant attachment