4,052 research outputs found
Entertainment Education and Citizens’ Participation in COVID-19 Pandemic Response: A Case Study of Chinese Citizens on Social Media
Background: Chinese citizens using entertainment education (EE) strategies on social media have played a pivotal role in responding to the COVID-19 crisis, especially when facing insufficient government support. Thus, this research aims to study the adoption of EE strategies on social media by Chinese citizens and its affordance for crisis responses. (2) Methods: We implemented a qualitative case study by analyzing the vlog series Wuhan Diary 2020 on Sina Weibo to examine the characteristics of the EE strategies used by Chinese citizens, with special attention to citizen participation. (3) Results: The initial phases of the lockdown saw substantial public attention garnered by this approach. The incorporation of solidarity and empathy proved essential for effective communication during the period of crisis response, evident from positive audience feedback and its widespread diffusion. However, a decrease in attention concurrent with the end of the lockdown has also been noticed. (4) Conclusions: The social value and affordance of EE strategies employed by citizens in the short term was confirmed. However, the decline of attention in the post-crisis period indicates the uncertainty of the long-term impact of this approach. This phenomenon also underscores the ambivalence of social media due to the limitations imposed by digital capitalism.Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)17 página
External ultrasound-assisted lipectomy: effects on abdominal adipose tissue
The use of ultrasound “on the surface” was hypothesized
by Scuderi et al. in 19871 and resumed by
Zocchi in 1996.2 Ultrasound-assisted liposuction is
as a technique that can be associated with suctionassisted
lipectomy.3 This new technique is called external
ultrasound-assisted lipectomy. Whereas ultrasound-
assisted liposuction emulsifies adipose tissue
due to adipocyte membrane lysis, external ultrasound-
assisted lipectomy, being less “invasive,” induces
cell-to-cell contact loss and alters collagenic
fibers. This leads to an easier detachment of adipose
cells, which remain unaltered and can be mechanically
removed. The external ultrasound-assisted lipectomy
technique is the transcutaneous application
of ultrasound by means of high-frequency ultrasound
upon massive infiltrated tissue, followed by traditional
liposuction.
Results showed that several different effects were
detected on both adipocytes and collagen fibers
ENDOPHYTIC FUNGAL POPULATIONS ACTING ON SOIL SUPPRESSIVENESS IN FRUIT TREE ORCHARDS
The aim of the present study was i) to identify the soil inhabiting endophytic fungal populations having beneficial impact on crop health; ii) to identify the biological processes responsible of this functional effect. Activity was performed on fungal populations extracted from the microbial population of soil samples coming from three apple growing areas of Europe.
Functionalities of Fusarium oxysporum and binucleate Rhizoctonia observed in this study are two small examples of soil biological resources that could be exploited in organic agriculture for developing innovative cropping practices
Infrared study of the charge-ordered multiferroic LuFe(2)O(4)
The reflectivity of a large LuFe(2)O(4) single crystal has been measured with
the radiation field either perpendicular or parallel to the c axis of its
rhombohedral structure, from 10 to 500K, and from 7 to 16000 cm-1. The
transition between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional charge order
at T_(CO) = 320 K is found to change dramatically the phonon spectrum in both
polarizations. The number of the observed modes above and below T_(CO),
according to a factor-group analysis, is in good agreement with a transition
from the rhombohedral space group R{bar 3}m to the monoclinic C2/m. In the
sub-THz region a peak becomes evident at low temperature, whose origin is
discussed in relation with previous experiments.Comment: Physical Review B in pres
Optical properties of V2O3 in its whole phase diagram
Vanadium sesquioxide V2O3 is considered a textbook example of Mott-Hubbard
physics. In this paper we present an extended optical study of its whole
temperature/doping phase diagram as obtained by doping the pure material with
M=Cr or Ti atoms (V1-xMx)2O3. We reveal that its thermodynamically stable
metallic and insulating phases, although macroscopically equivalent, show very
different low-energy electrodynamics. The Cr and Ti doping drastically change
both the antiferromagnetic gap and the paramagnetic metallic properties. A
slight chromium content induces a mesoscopic electronic phase separation, while
the pure compound is characterized by short-lived quasiparticles at high
temperature. This study thus provides a new comprehensive scenario of the
Mott-Hubbard physics in the prototype compound V2O3
Synergistic effects of cryolipolysis and shock waves for noninvasive body contouring
Excess body fat, localized adiposity, and cellulite represent important social problems. To date, techniques using radiofrequencies, cavitation and noncavitation ultrasound, and carbon dioxide have been studied as treatments for noninvasive body contouring. Ice-Shock Lipolysis is a new noninvasive procedure for reducing subcutaneous fat volume and fibrous cellulite in areas that normally would be treated by liposuction. It uses a combination of acoustic waves and cryolipolysis. Shock waves, used normally in the treatment of renal calculi and musculoskeletal disorders, are focused on the collagen structure of cellulite-afflicted skin. When used on the skin and underlying fat, they cause a remodeling of the collagen fibers, improving the orange-peel appearance typical of the condition. Cryolipolysis, on the other hand, is a noninvasive method used for the localized destruction of subcutaneous adipocytes, with no effects on lipid or liver marker levels in the bloodstream. The combination of the two procedures causes the programmed death and slow resorption of destroyed adipocytes. METHODS: In this study, 50 patients with localized fat and cellulite were treated with a selective protocol for the simultaneous use of two transducers: a Freezing Probe for localized fatty tissue and a Shock Probe for fibrous cellulite. RESULTS: The procedure significantly reduced the circumference in the treated areas, significantly diminishing fat thickness. The mean reduction in fat thickness after treatments was 3.02 cm. Circumference was reduced by a mean of 4.45 cm. Weight was unchanged during the treatment, and no adverse effects were observed. Histologic and immunohistochemical analysis confirmed a gradual reduction of fat tissue by programmed cell death. Moreover, the reduction in fat thickness was accompanied by a significant improvement in microcirculation, and thus, the cellulite. The safety of the method also has been highlighted because it is accompanied by no significant increase in serum liver enzymes or serum lipids. CONCLUSION: The study aimed to observe the effects of the new technique in the treatment of localized fat associated with cellulite in order to assess adipose tissue alterations, cellular apoptosis, and levels of serum lipid or liver markers. The findings show that the action of Ice-Shock Lipolysis is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated noninvasive procedure for body contouring. In particular, the authors believe that this could be an ideal alternative to liposuction for patients who require only small or moderate amounts of adipose tissue and cellulite removal or are not suitable candidates for surgical approaches to body contouring
Ligaclip for Preauricular Skin Tags in the Newborn
Introduction Skin tags are benign lesions, that often represent only an aesthetic problem; if subjected to trauma, they can occasionally bleed with possible infection and pain. When they occur in the preauricular region, attention should be paid to the diagnosis and approach; in fact, controversy exists in the differential diagnosis between hair follicle nevi, accessory tragus, and skin tag. Misdiagnosis and failure of treatment can lead to serious consequences, such as chondritis. Materials and Methods In our retrospective study, we evaluated 19 newborns affected by single, unilateral skin tag in the preauricular region. Each patient underwent a careful clinical examination; lesions without a pilosebaceous unit and with a thin, soft pedicle were treated in the nursery with Ligaclip (Johnson & Johnson). Results Skin tag falls between day 7 and 10. We had no cases of edema, cellulitis, clip loss, or bleeding. Scarring results were extremely satisfactory at 3-month follow-up. Conclusion We believe that after a careful clinical examination, cases of skin tags in the preauricular area can be selected and treated with Ligaclip. This procedure can be considered rapid, safe, economical, and simple in the newborn patients
Blepharoplasty and otoplasty: comparative sedation with remifentanil, propofol, and midazolam
Three different methods of sedation or sedoanalgesia using remifentanil, Propofol, or midazolam to increase intra- and postoperative comfort and to reduce neuroendocrine stress in patients who had undergone typical ambulatory cosmetic surgery under local anesthesia were studied. A sample of 90 patients who underwent upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty to correct baggy eyelids or otoplasty to correct protruding ears was selected according to standard criteria for the study. Remifentanil provided the best tolerability profile and the most effective perioperative pain control among the substances studied, demonstrating it to be a valid drug for modern sedoanalgesia aimed at increasing the well-being of patients undergoing ambulatory cosmetic surgery
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