Web3 and tokenization in the Creator Economy : understanding user acceptance of Social Tokens

Web3 is tokenizing industries and shifting data ownership away from the gatekeepers of the internet to its users. One particular Web3 technology that is gaining popularity in the Creator Economy is Social Tokens, a versatile type of cryptocurrency backed by the creator’s personal brand and reputation within their community. While Social Tokens provide Creators with innovative ways to directly monetize and connect with their fanbase, their value and success are heavily dependent on the community engaging with the Social Tokens. This study assesses the current state of users’ acceptance of Social Tokens, determines the influencing factors and develops a guide for creators on how to prepare their communities for Social Tokens. We conducted a user survey and applied established models in the fields of technology adoption to determine current acceptance and its predictors. Moreover, interviews were used to gain a deeper understanding of barriers and facilitators to users’ acceptance of Social Tokens. The analysis revealed low levels of current acceptance, while perceived trust, knowledge, and perceived value, were found to be the most influential factors impacting acceptance. We conclude that Social Tokens are still in an early stage of adoption, however creators can take specific measures to prepare their communities for the use of Social Tokens.A Web3 está a tokenizar as indústrias e a transferir a propriedade dos dados dos guardiões da Internet para os seus utilizadores. Uma tecnologia Web3 particular que está a ganhar popularidade na Economia dos Criadores são os Social Tokens, um tipo versátil de moeda criptográfica apoiada pela marca pessoal e reputação do criador dentro da sua comunidade. Enquanto os Social Tokens fornecem aos Criadores formas inovadoras de rentabilizar e ligar directamente com a sua base de fãs, o seu valor e sucesso dependem fortemente do envolvimento da comunidade com os Social Tokens. Este estudo avalia o estado actual de aceitação dos Social Tokens pelos utilizadores, determina os factores de influência e desenvolve um guia para os criadores sobre como preparar as suas comunidades para os Social Tokens. Realizámos um inquérito aos utilizadores e aplicámos modelos estabelecidos nos campos da adopção de tecnologia para determinar a aceitação actual e os seus preditores. Além disso, foram utilizadas entrevistas para obter uma compreensão mais profunda das barreiras e facilitadores da aceitação dos Social Tokens por parte dos utilizadores. A análise revelou baixos níveis de aceitação actual, embora a percepção de confiança, conhecimento e valor percebido tenham sido considerados como os factores mais influentes com impacto na aceitação. Concluímos que os Social Tokens ainda se encontram numa fase inicial de adopção, contudo os criadores podem tomar medidas específicas para preparar as suas comunidades para a utilização dos Social Tokens

D’une conception épistémologique d’une discipline scolaire à sa mise en œuvre dans la classe : quelles difficultés pour un professeur débutant ?

L’objectif de cet article est de mettre en évidence la difficulté de passage d’une certaine conception épistémologique des sciences économiques et sociales (fondée sur la rupture avec le sens commun) à des scénarios pédagogiques permettant la mise en œuvre, par des professeurs débutants, de démarches didactiques s’appuyant sur cette épistémologie de la discipline. Après avoir présenté une conception de la discipline s’opposant à l’inductivisme et aux « fondamentaux », le texte explore certaines difficultés des professeurs débutants sur la base d’une étude de cas. Il s’inscrit ainsi dans le cadre d’une « recherche de faisabilité ». L’expérimentation présentée concerne la définition du concept de population active, prélude à une étude du phénomène du chômage, en classe de Seconde.The objective of this article is to highlight the difficulty of moving from a certain epistemological conception of the economic and social sciences (based on the break with common sense) to pedagogical scenarios allowing the implementation, by beginning teachers, of didactic approaches based on this epistemology of the discipline. After presenting a conception of the discipline opposing inductivism and “fundamentals”, the text explores some difficulties of beginning teachers based on a case study. It is thus part of a “feasibility research.” The experimentation presented concerns the definition of the concept of the active population, a prelude to a study of the phenomenon of unemployment in the French class of Second

How recombinant swollenin from Kluyveromyces lactis affects cellulosic substrates and accelerates their hydrolysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to generate biofuels, insoluble cellulosic substrates are pretreated and subsequently hydrolyzed with cellulases. One way to pretreat cellulose in a safe and environmentally friendly manner is to apply, under mild conditions, non-hydrolyzing proteins such as swollenin - naturally produced in low yields by the fungus <it>Trichoderma reesei</it>. To yield sufficient swollenin for industrial applications, the first aim of this study is to present a new way of producing recombinant swollenin. The main objective is to show how swollenin quantitatively affects relevant physical properties of cellulosic substrates and how it affects subsequent hydrolysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After expression in the yeast <it>Kluyveromyces lactis</it>, the resulting swollenin was purified. The adsorption parameters of the recombinant swollenin onto cellulose were quantified for the first time and were comparable to those of individual cellulases from <it>T. reesei</it>. Four different insoluble cellulosic substrates were then pretreated with swollenin. At first, it could be qualitatively shown by macroscopic evaluation and microscopy that swollenin caused deagglomeration of bigger cellulose agglomerates as well as dispersion of cellulose microfibrils (amorphogenesis). Afterwards, the effects of swollenin on cellulose particle size, maximum cellulase adsorption and cellulose crystallinity were quantified. The pretreatment with swollenin resulted in a significant decrease in particle size of the cellulosic substrates as well as in their crystallinity, thereby substantially increasing maximum cellulase adsorption onto these substrates. Subsequently, the pretreated cellulosic substrates were hydrolyzed with cellulases. Here, pretreatment of cellulosic substrates with swollenin, even in non-saturating concentrations, significantly accelerated the hydrolysis. By correlating particle size and crystallinity of the cellulosic substrates with initial hydrolysis rates, it could be shown that the swollenin-induced reduction in particle size and crystallinity resulted in high cellulose hydrolysis rates.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Recombinant swollenin can be easily produced with the robust yeast <it>K. lactis</it>. Moreover, swollenin induces deagglomeration of cellulose agglomerates as well as amorphogenesis (decrystallization). For the first time, this study quantifies and elucidates in detail how swollenin affects different cellulosic substrates and their hydrolysis.</p

Visualizing Sustainability of Selective Mountain Farming Systems from Far-eastern Himalayas to Support Decision Making

Mountain farming systems rely on both empirical and academic knowledge. Their sustainability depends on how effectively diverse knowledge is used for solution-oriented decision making. For mountains, decisions must be conducive to rural farmers whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and related activities. Adopting transdisciplinary research approach, we define a composite Sustainability Space indicator that will help decision makers better understand the ingredients for sustainability, and formulate policy and management decisions to reinforce on-the-ground sustainability. Sustainability Space was derived through analysis of the positive and negative impact factors co-defined by community and disciplinary experts, and visualized through a radar diagram. We used Principal Component Analysis to understand relationships between factors. The results on Sustainability Spaces for eight cases of farming systems from the far-Eastern Himalayas indicated that the sustainability of farming systems is strengthened if decisions holistically cater to (i) geophysical pre-requisites, (ii) ecological foundations, (iii) integrated processes and practices, (iv) resources, knowledge, and value systems, (v) stakeholders’ development and economic aspirations, (vi) well-being of farming communities, and (vii) government support mechanisms. More equitable the attention to these seven components, the higher the sustainability of farming systems in this region could be

Lungfish neural characters and their bearing on sarcopterygian phylogeny

The phylogenetic affinity of lungfishes has been disputed since their discovery, and they have variously been considered the sister group of actinistians, the sister group of amphibians, or equally related to actinopterygians and crossopterygians. Previous discussions of these hypotheses have considered neural characters, but there has been no general survey of the nervous systems of sarcopterygians that examines the bearing of neural characters on these hypotheses in the context of a cladistic analysis. Such a survey of representatives of all living sarcopterygian groups reveals at least twenty-three characters that are possible apomorphies at some hierarchical level among sarcopterygians. Neural synapomorphies corroborate the phylogenetic hypotheses that actinistians, amphibians, and dipnoans are each monophyletic taxa. The hypothesis that Latimeria is the sister group of amphibians is the least corroborated, as only a single possible synapomorphy, presence of cervical and lumbar enlargements of the spinal cord, supports this hypothesis. The hypothesis that lungfishes are the sister group of amphibians is supported by two possible synapomorphies: loss of a saccus vasculosus and the presence of neurocranial endolymphatic sacs. The hypothesis that actinistians are the sister group of lungfishes is the most corroborated, based on five possible synapomorphies: presence of a superficial isthmal nucleus, a laminated dorsal thalamus with marked protrusion into the third ventricle, olfactory peduncles, evaginated cerebral hemispheres with pronounced septum ependymale, and electroreceptive rostral organs. However, all five characters may be plesiomorphic for bony fishes. The nervous systems of Latimeria and Neoceratodus are very similar to each other, as are the nervous systems of lepidosirenid lungfishes, caecilians, and salamanders. If Neoceratodus is the most plesiomorphic species of living lungfishes, then lepidosirenid apomorphies may have arisen by paedomorphosis. Our inability to examine the neural characters of a relevant outgroup (rhipidistians) may result in many sarcopterygian plesiomorphic characters being interpreted as apomorphic characters, due to the wide distribution of paedomorphic characters among living sarcopterygians and their possible resemblance to plesiomorphic characters present in living outgroups that can be examined.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50281/1/1051900418_ftp.pd

Allaeochelys libyca, a new carettochelyine turtle from the middle miocene (Langhian) of Libya

Fossil carettochelyine turtles are well known from the Paleogene of Europe (Allaeochelys), North America and Asia (Anosteira); however, the previously known Neogene fossil record is highly fragmentary and was therefore unsuitable for taxonomic analysis. In this work, we present a new carettochelyine taxon, Allaeochelys libyca, from the Middle Miocene (Langhian) of Gebel Zelten (Libya) based on an incomplete skull and disarticulated postcranial elements. The new taxon is diagnosed relative to the extant Carettochelys insculpta based on the placement of the foramen posterius canalis carotici interni close to the fenestra postotica, the horizontal orientation of the tubercula basioccipitalis, the substantial contribution of the opisthotic to the base of the tubercula basioccipitalis, the presence of a triangular pterygoid fossa, the arrangement of the mandibular condyles along a plane and the presence of an extremely well-developed fossa at the base of the processus mandibularis. A phylogenetic analysis of pancarettochelyids confirms the monophyly of Carettochelyidae and Carettochelyinae but resulted in a paraphyletic taxon, Allaeochelys. For the sake of nomenclatural stability, we provisionally retain the genus Allaeochelys as paraphyletic relative to the extant Carettochelys insculpta

Fabrication, Modeling and Characterization of Multi-Crosslinked Methacrylate Copolymeric Nanoparticles for Oral Drug Delivery

Nanotechnology remains the field to explore in the quest to enhance therapeutic efficacies of existing drugs. Fabrication of a methacrylate copolymer-lipid nanoparticulate (MCN) system was explored in this study for oral drug delivery of levodopa. The nanoparticles were fabricated employing multicrosslinking technology and characterized for particle size, zeta potential, morphology, structural modification, drug entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release. Chemometric Computational (CC) modeling was conducted to deduce the mechanism of nanoparticle synthesis as well as to corroborate the experimental findings. The CC modeling deduced that the nanoparticles synthesis may have followed the mixed triangular formations or the mixed patterns. They were found to be hollow nanocapsules with a size ranging from 152 nm (methacrylate copolymer) to 321 nm (methacrylate copolymer blend) and a zeta potential range of 15.8–43.3 mV. The nanoparticles were directly compressible and it was found that the desired rate of drug release could be achieved by formulating the nanoparticles as a nanosuspension, and then directly compressing them into tablet matrices or incorporating the nanoparticles directly into polymer tablet matrices. However, sustained release of MCNs was achieved only when it was incorporated into a polymer matrix. The experimental results were well corroborated by the CC modeling. The developed technology may be potentially useful for the fabrication of multi-crosslinked polymer blend nanoparticles for oral drug delivery

A Review of the fossil record of turtles of the clade Baenidae

The fossil record of the turtle clade Baenidae ranges from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian—Albian) to the Eocene. The group is present throughout North America during the Early Cretaceous, but is restricted to the western portions of the continents in the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene. No credible remains of the clade have been reported outside of North America to date. Baenids were warmadapted freshwater aquatic turtles that supported high levels of diversity at times through niche partitioning, particularly by adapting to a broad range of dietary preferences ranging from omnivorous to molluscivorous. Current phylogenies place Baenidae near the split of crown-group Testudines. Within Baenidae three more inclusive, named clades are recognized: Baenodda, Palatobaeninae and Eubaeninae. A taxonomic review of the group concludes that of 49 named taxa, 30 are nomina valida, 12 are nomina invalida and 7 are nomina dubia