Ceramic Substrates for High-temperature Electronic Integration

One of the most attractive ways to increase power handling capacity in power modules is to increase the operating temperature using wide-band-gap semiconductors. Ceramics are ideal candidates for use as substrates in high-power high-temperature electronic devices. The present article aims to determine the most suitable ceramic material for this application

The Concept and Context of Distance Learning in the New Normal Learning Scheme

Distance Learning has been around since its advent in 1960 and evolved in the creation of World Wide Web (WWW) in 1991 with the introduction of first education programs through internet of University of Phoenix and other universities and colleges. Vast ideas of concepts, theories and context have aroused in the popularization and implementation of distance learning in educational system and its first and most adversary are those in favor of lecture style of teaching. In the onset of the COVID-19, all fields of society have been affected and one of it is the educational system. This pandemic propagated the rise of distance learning in the Philippines and it becomes the most reliable modality of continuing the academic years. Distance learning becomes more adaptive and effective with the help of flexible teaching and learning modalities. Several studies exposed the concepts and theories for the distance learning to be more acceptable. These concepts and theories are supported by the literature with claims of context of distance learning in order to create an open and good system. Frameworks and being literate with the aid of continuous studies in this rising field is one of the key concepts in creating more possibilities to attain the quality of sufficient distance learning modality

Toxoplasma gondii IgG Serointensity Is Positively Associated With Frailty

Background: Persistent inflammation related to aging (inflammaging) is exacerbated by chronic infections and contributes to frailty in older adults. We hypothesized associations between Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a common parasite causing an oligosymptomatic unremitting infection, and frailty, and secondarily between T. gondii and previously reported markers of immune activation in frailty.Methods: We analyzed available demographic, social, and clinical data in Spanish and Portuguese older adults [N = 601; age: mean (SD) 77.3 (8.0); 61% women]. Plasma T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) serointensity was measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Fried criteria were used to define frailty status. Validated translations of Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index were used to evaluate confounders. Previously analyzed biomarkers that were significantly associated with frailty in both prior reports and the current study, and also related to T. gondii serointensity, were further accounted for in multivariable logistic models with frailty as outcome.Results: In T. gondii-seropositives, there was a significant positive association between T. gondii IgG serointensity and frailty, accounting for age (p = .0002), and resisting adjustment for multiple successive confounders. Among biomarkers linked with frailty, kynurenine/tryptophan and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor II were positively associated with T. gondii serointensity in seropositives (p < .05). Associations with other biomarkers were not significant.Conclusions: This first reported association between T. gondii and frailty is limited by a cross-sectional design and warrants replication. While certain biomarkers of inflammaging were associated with both T. gondii IgG serointensity and frailty, they did not fully mediate the T. gondii-frailty association.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation: MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033(grant PID2020-113788RB-I00); Xunta de Galicia (grant ED431B 2022/16); Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (grant BEAGAL18/00142 to V.V.); and Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, cofinanced by the European Social Fund (grant RYC-2015-18394 to L.L.-L.). Additionally supported, in part, by the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Research on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland; a Clinical Science Research & Development Service Merit Award, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, District of Columbia (grant 1 I01 CX001310-01 to T.T.P.); a R01 grant from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland (grant NIA R01 AG018859 to E.J.K.); and by the Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education in Aurora, Colorado (L.A.B., A.J.H., C.A.L., T.T.P.). The opinions expressed in the article belong to the authors and cannot be construed as official positions or opinions of the funders, including the U.S. Veterans Affairs Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Data collected and used for the analyses reported in this article are not available because the initial consent did not include this sharing and because other primary analyses have not been completed. Funding for open access charge: Universidade da Coruna/CISUG

Still watching?: A study on the post-adoption switching intention of Netflix subscribers in Metro Manila, Philippines using the perspective of the push-pull-mooring Framework - The moderating roles of age, household size, and income

The adoption and competition of Over The Top (OTT) Services have constantly been increasing. However, Netflix has been facing decreasing membership subscriptions. Through this study, the researchers focused on several factors that may influence the switching intention of Netflix subscribers, and the Push-Pull-Mooring model was utilized to understand this behavior. The researchers employed a quantitative research method and conducted quantitative data analysis through descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and moderation analysis. An online survey questionnaire was conducted wherein a total of 402 valid responses were collected through purposive sampling. Thus, the study’s findings reveal that the push, pull, and mooring factors significantly impact the switching intention of Netflix subscribers in Metro Manila, Philippines. As for the moderating variables, age did not affect the relationship of push, pull, and mooring factors with switching intention. Likewise, household size did not moderate the relationship of pull and mooring with switching intention. However, household size positively affected the push factor and switching intention. For income, the results revealed that it had influenced the push, pull, mooring factors, and switching intention. With these results, Netflix, OTT platforms, and the like may use this paper to understand the industry better. Furthermore, future researchers may conduct a similar study on OTT platforms or specific generations to increase the data on this topic