Middleware Technologies: Towards User-Determined News Curation in Social Media

News distribution and consumption now largely occur within, and are subject to dynamics dictated by, social media platforms. Platforms create audiences, facilitate matching, provide basic services, and set interaction standards. But these networks are structured to maximize engagement and benefit the platforms’ main businesses, leaving individuals with little to no ability to tailor news consumption according to their preferences. To re-orient platform-dictated dynamics towards user-determined exchanges, middleware technologies—software services appended to social media platforms to curate information flows—are touted as a promising solution. Still, not enough literature articulates middleware’s virtues and hurdles, especially in the context of online news. This work fills such gaps. Surveying literature and existing middleware solutions, four choice-enhancing virtues are observed, in that such technologies: equip users with more information about online news choices, enable careful deliberation in consumption, improve user agency, and can effect lasting behavioral changes among users. Overall, such merits allow for more meaningful use of and participation in social media platforms. This work also discusses the European Union’s novel Digital Services Act, particularly how this legislation will enable the development of a robust middleware industry. Finally, this work identifies challenges and further research areas. Scholars have expressed concerns about middleware’s technological feasibility, profitability, curation costs, and privacy concerns. Yet, a fundamental hurdle remains: in the first place, why should users adopt middleware? As is, platforms deliver tremendous benefits; also, not all users might be interested in a deliberative online exchange. Ideally, a critical mass of users must adopt middleware to reshape online discourse

THE FOOT-GROUND REACTION IN THE SOCCER PLAYER

Soccer is a sport of movement and contact with the basic aim to gain on and to hold the ball. The development's possibility of an action, at any frequency, is strictly correlated to the balance between internal and external forces. The purpose of this study is to confront the foot-ground reaction in male (40) and female (15) elite soccer players by means of a dinarnometric plateform, both during a normal gait and a running at 10 kmh. Results: The parameters of foot-ground reaction in both the groups show a significant identity concerning the Fz, Fy and Fx components, The morphology of the vectograms in male and in female players is the same. The only difference between male and female player concerns the first value of Fz parameter: in the male group, this is bigger of 15% of the b.w

Tiedettä ja viestintää lääkäri-potilassuhteessa

Tiivistelmä. Hyvinvointi ja terveys koskettavat jokaista ihmistä, toisaalta myös sairastuminen ja hoitoon hakeutuminen ovat vääjäämättömiä jossain elämän vaiheessa. Lääkärin ja potilaan kohtaaminen on viestinnällinen tilanne, josta käytännössä jokaisella on omakohtaista kokemusta. Kiinnostusta tämän klassisen viestintätilanteen tutkimiseen on lisännyt tietoisuus onnistuneen lääkäri-potilassuhteen vaikutuksista potilaan hoitotyytyväisyyteen sekä hoitoon sitoutumiseen. Taustalla vaikuttavat myös yhteiskunnan yleinen kehittyminen ja terveydenhuollon rakenteiden uudistuminen, väestön koulutustason kasvu sekä tiedejournalismin medikalisoituminen. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan lääkäri-potilassuhdetta tiedeviestinnällisestä näkökulmasta. Tarkoitus oli selvittää viestinnän merkitystä vastaanottotilanteessa: mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat lääkäri-potilasvuorovaikutussuhteeseen ja sitä kautta potilastyytyväisyyteen sekä miten potilaat kokivat lääkärin onnistuvan lääketieteellisen tiedon yleistajuistamisessa. Tutkimus toteutettiin yhteistyössä Oulun yliopistollisen sairaalan Fysiatrian poliklinikan kanssa. 37 poliklinikan potilasta vastasi kyselytutkimukseen, lisäksi haastateltavana oli yksi poliklinikan lääkäri ja yksi tutkijan oma potilas. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että lääkäri-potilasvuorovaikutussuhteen keskiössä ovat tieteestä viestiminen, henkilökemioiden kohtaaminen ja käytettävissä oleva aika. Potilaat yhdistivät onnistuneen vuorovaikutuksen ja kuulluksi tulemisen kokemuksen lääkärin ystävälliseen ja ihmisläheiseen sekä ymmärtäväiseen asenteeseen, kykyyn kuunnella ja kuulla sekä luoda kiireettömyyden tuntu. Lääkärin tieteestä viestimisen odotetiin puolestaan olevan tarkkaa, selkeää ja ymmärrettävää, lisäksi potilaat toivoivat lääketieteellisen tiedon yleistajuistamista. Edellä mainitut tutkimustulokset ovat linjassa aiempien kotimaisten ja kansainvälisten tutkimustulosten kanssa. Aihetta olisi syytä tutkia lisää, koska tietoisuuden lisääntyminen vuorovaikutuksen merkityksestä hoitosuhteessa on ensiarvoisen tärkeää kehitettäessä entistä parempia ja tehokkaampia hoitomalleja sekä koulutettaessa uusia terveydenhuollon ammattilaisia.Science and communication in physician-patient relationship. Abstract. Health and wellbeing concern all of us. Everyone has had some experience of communication with a physician. Interest towards research in physician-patient relationship and communication has increased during the last decades with the growing evidence of the benefits of successful physician-patient relationship to the patients’ satisfaction and adherence as well as their improved health status. The general development of the society, the regeneration of the health care system, and the medicalization of the science journalism have raised the question of the patient empowerment and the patient’s role in the health care to the spotlight. The aim of this study was to investigate the physician-patient relationship through science communication perspective. The purpose was to find out which factors influence the physician-patient communication and contribute towards a successful relationship and, also, what made patients feel that the physician had succeeded when communicating about the medical science. The research was carried out in collaboration with the Physiatry Polyclinic of the University Hospital of Oulu. A group of 37 patients agreed to take part in the study by answering the questionnaire. Additionally, one patient and one physician were interviewed. Based on the present study, science communication, interpersonal relationship, and reception time are in the center of the physician-patient relationship. Patients associate successful physician-patient relationship to the friendly, humane, and compassionate attitude of the physician. Also, the feeling of a long enough reception time was important for the patients. As for the physicians’ successful communication about medical science, patients expected, exact and explicit but at the same time comprehensible communication. These findings are in line with previous literature and research results. Further studies are still needed to increase our understanding of the physician-patient relationship as it is a crucial part of developing better health care system

Experiences of people with disabilities during and after Tropical Cyclone Pam and recommendations for humanitarian leaders

The situation and needs of people with disabilities following Tropical Cyclone Pam (TC Pam) were generally not captured in formal mainstream assessments led by the National Disaster Management Office. Where the needs of people with disabilities were identified, these were not prioritised during the response (Government of Vanuatu 2015); and some people with disabilities missed out on distributions altogether. Reflections on the response hypothesized that mainstream assessment methodologies and tools generally missed people with disabilities, and that agencies tended not to automatically include them in their efforts (Ministry of Justice and Community Services & CARE 2015).More detailed information regarding the situation and needs of people with disabilities was required to support effective inclusion of people with disabilities in recovery activities. Vanuatu does not currently have reliable quantitative data on the prevalence, location and experiences of people with disabilities. In response, Oxfam in Vanuatu, Vanuatu Society for People with Disabilities (VSPD), Disability Promotion and Advocacy Association (DPA), the Ministry of Justice and Community Services (MoJCS), Nossal Institute for Global Health and CBM Australia worked with key government organisations to undertake a disability situation and needs assessment in one affected island (Tanna), in order to meet this data gap

Peribiliary glands as a niche of extra-pancreatic precursors yielding insulin-producing cells in experimental and human diabetes

Peribiliary glands (PBGs) are niches in the biliary tree and containing heterogeneous endodermal stem/progenitors cells that can differentiate, in vitro and in vivo, towards pancreatic islets. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in experimental and human diabetes, proliferation of cells in PBGs and differentiation of the biliary tree stem/progenitor cells (BTSCs) towards insulin-producing cells. Diabetes was generated in mice by intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of 200 mg/kg (N=12) or 120 mg/kg (N=12) of streptozotocin. Liver, pancreas and extrahepatic biliary trees were en bloc dissected and examined. Cells in PBGs proliferated in experimental diabetes, and their proliferation was greatest in the PBGs of the hepato-pancreatic ampulla, and inversely correlated with the pancreatic islet area. In rodents, the cell proliferation in PBGs was characterized by the expansion of Sox9-positive stem/progenitor cells that gave rise to insulin-producing cells. Insulin-producing cells were located mostly in PBGs in the portion of the biliary tree closest to the duodenum, and their appearance was associated with up-regulation of MafA and Gli1 gene expression. In patients with type 2 diabetes, PBGs at the level of the hepato-pancreatic ampulla contained cells showing signs of proliferation and pancreatic fate commitment. In vitro, high glucose concentrations induced the differentiation of human BTSCs cultures towards pancreatic beta cell fates. The cells in PBGs respond to diabetes with proliferation and differentiation towards insulin-producing cells indicating that PBG niches may rescue pancreatic islet impairment in diabetes. These findings offer important implications for the patho-physiology and complications of this disease. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Ciona intestinalis NADH dehydrogenase NDX confers stress-resistance and extended lifespan on Drosophila

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ACE/VDR gene polymorphisms and bioelectrical impedance analysis in predicting athletic performances of Italian Young soccer players.

We evaluated the association between 2 genetic polymorphisms known to be involved in fitness and performance, and anthropometric features, body composition, and athletic performances in young male soccer players with the goal of identifying genetic profiles that can be used to achieve maximal results from training. One hundred twenty-five medium-high-level male soccer players were genotyped for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D, and vitamin D receptor (VDR) FokI gene polymorphisms and scored for anthropometric measurements, body composition, and athletic performance. Body mass index, fat mass, fat-free mass, resistance, reactance, impedance, phase angle (PA), and body cell mass were measured. Athletic performance was evaluated by squat jump, countermovement jump (CMJ), 2-kg medicine ball throw, 10- and 20-m sprint time. We observed that the homozygous ff genotype of the VDR gene was significantly more represented in young soccer players than in a matched sedentary population. Values of reactance and PA were differently distributed in ACE and VDR genotypes with high mean values in subjects with DD (ACE) and FF (VDR) genotypes. No correlation was observed between ACE or VDR genotypes and 2-kg medicine ball throw, 10- and 20-m sprint times. The ID genotype of ACE was associated with the best performances in squat jump and CMJ. Our results suggest that determination of ACE and VDR genotypes might help select those young athletes harboring the most favorable genetic potential to succeed in soccer

Synthesis of quinoline attached-furan-2(3H)-ones having anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties with reduced gastro-intestinal toxicity and lipid peroxidation

A series of 3-[2-chloroquinolin-3-yl)methylene]-5-aryl-furan-2(3H)-ones {3(a-p)} were synthesized. The required 3-(substitutedbenzoyl) propionic acids {2(a-d)} were prepared under Friedal Craft acylation reaction conditions. The substituted 2-chloroquinoline-3-carbaldehydes {1(a-d)} were synthesized by reaction of substitutedphenylethanone-oxime with phosphorus oxychloride in presence of dimethyl formamide using the Vilsmeir Haack reaction method. These compounds were screened for their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities along with their ulcerogenic and lipid peroxidation potentials. The compounds that showed significant anti-inflammatory activity were further screened for their analgesic activity. The compounds were less toxic in terms of ulcerogenicity as compared to a standard, which was also supported by lipid peroxidation studies. The antibacterial activities were performed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Compounds 3f, 3n and 3o showed significant activity against both S. aureus and E. coli having an MIC value of 6.25μg mL-1