DIGITAL NUDGING TO PROMOTE ENERGY CONSERVATION BEHAVIOR – FRAMING AND DEFAULT RULES IN A SMART HOME APP

Increasingly, new energy-efficient technologies connected to smart home arise and bear great potential of influencing user\u27s decisions. Thereby, behavioral interventions like digital nudging are promising to influence behavior. While nudging has been investigated in several contexts to promote sustainable behavior, little is known about its effectiveness in digital choice environments promoting daily energy conservation behavior, especially through mobile applications. As private households account for a large share of total energy consumption, which needs to be reduced to counteract climate change, we conducted an online survey to test the nudging elements framing and default rules, as well as their combination. We surveyed 231 participants and found a large effect of framing and an even larger effect for the combination. This paper contributes by exploring these digital nudges, which received little attention in prior research, and by providing insights on the design of smart home applications to reduce energy consumption

The Effects of Salinity and Acetaminophen on the Aquatic Snail Physa acuta

Pharmaceuticals are increasingly detected in water bodies, and their presence can negatively impact aquatic organisms. This effect can be amplified when combined with increasing salinity in freshwater ecosystems. Acetaminophen is a widely used analgesic that is commonly found in river, streams, and waters where it is discharged directly. Therefore, organisms present in these locations (e.g., insects, snails, amphibians, and fish) are likely to be affected by acetaminophen. In this study, we determined the effects of elevated salinity (0.68 g/L), acetaminophen (500 µg/L) and combined elevated salinity (0.68 g/L) and acetaminophen (500 µg/L), on the growth, reproduction, and movement of the freshwater snail Physa acuta. There were no effects on growth or reproduction. No changes were observed on movement in individual treatments groups; however, there was a significant effect in the combined treatment of salinity and acetaminophen. It is likely that an energetic trade-off between physiological mechanisms resulted in a synergistic negative effect on snails

Assessing a 600-mg Loading Dose of Clopidogrel 24 Hours Prior to Pipeline Embolization Device Treatment

Background: Clopidogrel/aspirin antiplatelet therapy routinely is administered 7-10 days before pipeline aneurysm treatment. Our study assessed the safety and efficacy of a 600-mg loading dose of clopidogrel 24 hours before Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) treatment. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included patients treated with PED from October 2010 to May 2016. A total of 39.7% (n = 158) of patients were dispensed a loading dose of 650 mg of aspirin plus at least 600 mg of clopidogrel 24 hours preceding PED deployment, compared to 60.3% (n = 240) of patients who received 81-325 mg of aspirin daily for 10 days with 75 mg of clopidogrel daily preprocedurally. The mean follow-up was 15.8 months (standard deviation [SD] 12.4 months). modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was registered before the discharge and at each follow-up visit. To control confounding, we used multivariable logistic regression and propensity score conditioning. Results: Of 398 patients, the proportion of female patients was ~16.5% (41/240) in both groups and shared the same mean of age ~56.46 years. ~12.2% (mean = 0.09; SD = 0.30) had a subarachnoid hemorrhage. 92% (mean = 0.29; SD = 0.70) from the pretreatment group and 85.7% (mean = 0.44; SD = 0.91) of the bolus group had a mRS ≤2. In multivariate analysis, bolus did not affect the mRS score, P = 0.24. Seven patients had a long-term recurrence, 2 (0.83%; mean = 0.01; SD = 0.10) of which from the pretreatment group. In a multivariable logistic regression, bolus was not associated with a long-term recurrence rate (odds ratio [OR] 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27-13.50; P = 0.52) or with thromboembolic accidents (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.96-1.03; P = 0.83) nor with hemorrhagic events (OR 1.00; 95% CI 0.97-1.03; P = 0.99). Three patients died: one who received a bolus had an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage. The mean mortality rate was parallel in both groups ~0.25 (SD = 0.16). Bolus was not associated with mortality (OR 1.11; 95% CI 0.26-4.65; P = 0.89). The same associations were present in propensity score-adjusted models. Conclusions: In a cohort receiving PED, a 600-mg loading dose of clopidogrel should be safe and efficacious in those off the standard protocol or showing \u3c30% platelet inhibition before treatment

Synthesis of glycosyl-isoindigo derivatives

The synthesis of 1-(β--glucopyranosyl)-isoindigo from commercially available indoline is described. The synthetic pathway used allowed the substitution of the aromatic moiety by either electron donor or acceptor substituent

Spatial and Temporal Description of Laboratory Diagnosis of Bovine Rabies in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Background: Rabies remains one of the most important zoonosis worldwide and in Brazil. In the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) the disease is one of the main causes of death in bovine herds. The confirmation of suspected rabies cases upon clinical examination depends on specific laboratory diagnosis. The Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF) is the reference laboratory in RS to diagnose rabies. The objective of the present study was to present a spatial-temporal description of diagnostic procedures of rabies in cattle in the years 2011 to 2015 in RS.Materials, Methods & Results: The results of diagnosis procedures of rabies in cattle carried out in the Laboratory of Virology, IPVDF, between January 2011 and December 2015 were listed. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and biological assays for confirming rabies cases were used. Cattle population density per area of a municipality, as well as date, species involved, location of suspected case, and diagnosis were obtained from exams and from official rabies record, and input to a spreadsheet file. Spatial distribution maps of cattle rabies confirmed in laboratory and cattle population density per municipality were constructed using the software TerraView 4.2.2 (INPE). In the study period, 998 samples of brains of cattle presenting neurological symptoms compatible with rabies, of which 582 (58%) were confirmed in the laboratory. The frequency of positive cases on a yearly basis varied between 41 and 65%, with statistically lower number of positives in 2011 (P > 0.05). The annual incidence of rabies for a population of 10,000,000 bovines was 33, 88, 112, 108, and 79, respectively, for the years 2011 to 2015, in that order. A positive correlation was observed between the number of samples analyzed and the incidence of positive cases in the study period, and statistically significant difference in incidence between years (P > 0.05). Samples were from 175 municipalities, of which 114 (65%) had at least one confirmed rabies case and 61 did not have any. The five municipalities that sent most samples for analysis were Viamão (n = 66), Montenegro (n = 40), Camaquã (n = 39), Gravataí (n = 38), and São Lourenço do Sul (n = 37). The spatial distribution of rabies in cattle in a year did not follow a defined pattern, though most cases confirmed in the laboratory occurred in the greater Porto Alegre region and in southeast RS.Discussion: High incidence of rabies was observed in 2012 and 2013, and in the two following years the number of cases confirmed in laboratory remained high, compared with 2011. The high incidence of rabies cases confirmed in laboratory correlated with the number of samples analyzed. The fall in vaccine coverage during the study period may also have prompted the increase in suspected cases and in the number of samples examined in the laboratory. A large number of the municipalities presenting rabies cases in cattle was in the greater Porto Alegre region and in southeast RS, which are areas of high and intermediate risk for the disease, according to a previous epidemiological modeling study. The spatial distribution of positive cases was not associated with the cattle population density. The large number of rabies in cattle in RS underscores the importance of the disease and the high risk of exposure, both to humans and animals. The results presented herein may help define control and prevention actions against rabies in RS

Chemogenomic profiling predicts antifungal synergies

Chemotherapies, HIV infections, and treatments to block organ transplant rejection are creating a population of immunocompromised individuals at serious risk of systemic fungal infections. Since single-agent therapies are susceptible to failure due to either inherent or acquired resistance, alternative therapeutic approaches such as multi-agent therapies are needed. We have developed a bioinformatics-driven approach that efficiently predicts compound synergy for such combinatorial therapies. The approach uses chemogenomic profiles in order to identify compound profiles that have a statistically significant degree of similarity to a fluconazole profile. The compounds identified were then experimentally verified to be synergistic with fluconazole and with each other, in both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Our method is therefore capable of accurately predicting compound synergy to aid the development of combinatorial antifungal therapies

Impact of clinical characteristics on human chorionic gonadotropin regression after molar pregnancy

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the effects of age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, and contraception on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) regression following the evacuation of a molar pregnancy. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 277 patients with molar pregnancies between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2015. The rate of hCG regression was estimated using mixed-effects linear regression models on daily log-transformed serum hCG levels after evacuation. RESULTS: There were no differences in hCG half-lives among age (p=0.13) or race/ethnicity (p=0.16) groups. Women with obesity and hormonal contraceptive use demonstrated faster hCG regression than their counterparts (3.2 versus. 3.7 days, p=0.02 and 3.4 versus. 4.0 days, p=0.002, respectively). CONCLUSION: Age and race/ethnicity were not associated with hCG regression rates. Hormonal contraceptive use and obesity were associated with shorter hCG half-lives, but with unlikely clinical significance. It is important to understand whether the clinical characteristics of patients may influence the hCG regression curve, as it has been proposed as a way to predict the risk of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia

ZnMgO-based UV photodiodes: a comparison of films grown by spray pyrolysis and MBE

Detecting the UV part of the spectrum is fundamental for a wide range of applications where ZnMgO has the potential to play a central role. The shortest achievable wavelength is a function of the Mg content in the films, which in turn is dependent on the growth technique. Moreover, increasing Mg contents lead to an electrical compensation of the films, which directly affects the responsivity of the photodetectors. In addition, the metal-semiconductor interface and the presence of grain boundaries have a direct impact on the responsivity through different gain mechanisms. In this work, we review the development of ZnMgO UV Schottky photodiodes using molecular beam epitaxy and spray pyrolysis, and we analyze and compare the physical mechanisms underlying the photodetector behavior. © (2016) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only

Risk factors for chronic kidney disease of non-traditional causes: a systematic review

Objectives. To evaluate the potential associations between chronic kidney disease of uncertain or nontraditional etiology (CKDnT) and agrochemicals, heat stress, heavy metals, and other factors identified in the literature in any region of the world and at any time. Methods. This was a systematic review of the most frequent exposures suspected to be possible causes of CKDnT. A search was conducted of PubMed, LILACS, World Wide Science electronic databases, among other sources. Only medium- and high-quality studies were included. The synthesis of evidence included a narrative synthesis, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Results. Four systematic reviews and 61 primary studies were included. Results of the meta-analysis suggest that exposure to agrochemicals and working in agriculture increase the risk of CKDnT, but this only reached significance for working in agriculture. When cross-sectional studies were excluded, agrochemical exposure became significant. However, there is substantial heterogeneity in the effect sizes. Conclusions. Based on the existing evidence and the precautionary principle, it is important to implement preventive measures to mitigate the damage caused by CKDnT to both agricultural workers and their communities (i.e., improvement of working conditions, cautious management of agrochemicals, etc.). More high-quality research is needed to measure impact and to build the evidence base.Facultad de Ciencias Médica