Quantifying the potentiality for polarization in opinion networks

Polarization in debates and social networks is a phenomenon clearly present in modern societies that strongly modifies the way we relate as communities. Regardless of the importance of this phenomenon, there is not a clear explanation yet for its emergence or a suitable parameter to quantify it. Here, we present a methodology based on the Turing instability, a frequent mechanism in Nature which explains differentiation processes, that maps the conditions needed for a given network to undergo polarization of opinions. From this mapping, we measure the likelihood of the system's nodes to differentiate each other or, in other terms, the degree of polarization of the networkWe gratefully acknowledge financial support by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and European Regional Development Fund under contract RTI2018-097063-B-I00 AEI/FEDER, UE, and by Xunta de Galicia under Research Grant No. 2021-PG036. All these programs are co-funded by FEDER (UE). A. Carballosa acknowledges financial support from Xunta de Galicia. The simulations were run in the Supercomputer Center of Galicia (CESGA) and we acknowledge their supportS

Publicity In The Age Of Postproduction: The Virtual Product

El producto publicitario y su acabado final han sido muy poco estudiados en la investigación sobre publicidad. Este estudio pretende aportar algo de luz a este vacío. Todo producto publicitario en la actual Era Digital debe crearse tanto para los medios convencionales (sobre todo en el ámbito de internet) como para los medios no convencionales, a partir de la transversalidad del producto. La única manera de conseguir esto, es que ese producto sea moldeable, manipulable e intercambiable de un medio a otro. Para alcanzar este objetivo es necesario conocer las posibilidades que nos da la postproducción. El objetivo principal de este estudio es desvelar como la postproducción, el mundo del CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), de la infografía en definitiva de la imagen computacional, reina en la publicidad audiovisual actual. Otro objetivo planteado es hacer un llamamiento a los profesionales de la publicidad del futuro para que conozcan esas herramientas y para ofrecer a los investigadores del presente una breve guía de las diversas formas de uso de los elementos de la postproducción.The advertising material and its finished product has been very little studied in advertising research. This study aims to fill that gap. All advertising products in the current Digital Era must be created for both the mainstream media (especially in the field of internet) to unconventional ways, from the transversality of the product. The only way to achieve this, is that this product is malleable, manipulable and interchangeable from one medium to another. To achieve this goal it is necessary to know the possibilities that we postproduction. The main objective of this study is to reveal as post-production, the world of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), computer graphics ultimately computational image reigns in the current broadcast advertising. Another goal we set ourselves is to appeal to the advertising professionals of the future to know these tools and provide researchers present a brief guide to the various ways to uncover the elements of the post

Anomalías en el funcionamiento neurocognitivo asociadas al consumo intensivo de alcohol en jóvenes universitarios

El consumo intensivo de alcohol, o binge drinking (BD), se caracteriza por la ingesta de grandes cantidades de alcohol en cortos intervalos de tiempo, que suele llevar a la embriaguez, con períodos de abstinencia entre dichos episodios. Este tipo de consumo presenta una importante prevalencia entre jóvenes y adolescentes, especialmente en estudiantes universitarios (con patrones cada vez más próximos entre ambos sexos) que beben principalmente en fin de semana, y ejerce un considerable impacto en la salud pública. Los estudios con modelos animales apuntan a una mayor vulnerabilidad a los efectos neurotóxicos del alcohol del cerebro adolescente, debido a la importante reestructuración estructural y funcional que sufre el cerebro durante esta etapa, que en humanos abarca la segunda década de la vida. Además, parece que el patrón de consumo BD puede resultar significativamente más dañino para el cerebro que el consumo regular de alcohol. Sin embargo, a pesar de estos preocupantes datos y de la alta prevalencia del patrón BD entre jóvenes y adolescentes, el estudio de las posibles consecuencias neurocognitivas asociadas es todavía escaso

Binge drinking: a neurocognitive profile

Binge Drinking (BD) is a highlighted topic on current research, possibly due to its intrinsic integration of biological and social health concerning vulnerabilities. Especially prevalent during adolescence, a neurodevelopmental period marked by accentuated social relevance on decisions, BD has an underestimated financial, social and health cost. Described as the consumption of high quantity of alcohol in a short period of time, BD has shown to be related to differential brain activity and neuropsychological performance. Thus, there is growing scientific evidence reporting a wide range of neurocognitive impairments in adolescents and young people with a BD pattern, involving especially cognitive processes such as attention, executive functions, and learning and memory. However, the potential mid and long-term effects of BD remain unclear, so further studies should be conducted to elucidate the evolution of this neurocognitive profile, as well as to provide a more precise estimation of its reflection on the social functionality of binge drinkers. Therefore, the aim of the proposed chapter is to provide an updated scientific comprehension of BD neurocognitive profile, complemented by a discussion of some aspects related to it. Firstly, a definition and description of the binge drinking phenomena will be conducted. Secondly, it will be presented a review about neurodevelopment on adolescence and youth, period in which BD episodes are more common, followed by the principal outcomes about BD observed in animal studies. Then, a comprehension of neurostructural impact of BD, as well as a description of neurocognitive profile associated to BD will be offered, mentioning neurofunctional and neuropsychological consequences of this alcohol consumption pattern. Finally, future perspectives will be proposed, considering the evolution of BD neurocognitive profile and its related aspects.- (undefined

Grid current control for active-front-end electric propulsion systems in AC ship microgrids

This article proposes a finite control set (FCS) current controller for grid-tied converters, specifically tailored to meet the characteristics of ac ship microgrids in all-electric ships (AESs). Contrary to a pulsewidth modulator (PWM)- based design, which often employs an LCL filter, the proposal is able to meet applicable harmonic regulations using an L filter with the same total inductance as the LCL filter and the same switching frequency required by PWM-based solutions. Moreover, the proposed design provides a low sensitivity in a wide frequency range from dc to the switching frequency of the power converter. This low sensitivity permits to quickly attenuate low-order disturbances and it is particularly convenient in marine applications with a weak grid, where the frequent connection and disconnection of high power nonlinear loads can significantly affect the voltage waveform qualityXunta de Galicia | Ref. GPC-ED431B 2020/03Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2019-105612RB-I0

Portuguese validation of the Alcohol Craving Questionnaire-Short Form-Revised

Alcohol craving has been described as a strong subjective desire to drink, being considered highly valuable in the clinical practice, as it is recognized as a strong predictor of alcohol relapse in alcohol-dependent individuals. However, to date, there is not a multifactorial questionnaire available for assessing short-term acute craving experience in Portugal. The aim of the present study was to validate a swift and efficient tool for the assessment of acute alcohol craving in a sample of Portuguese citizens. For that purpose, the Alcohol Craving Questionnaire-Short Form-Revised (ACQ-SF-R) was translated into European Portuguese and administered to a sample of 591 college participants with ages between 18 and 30 years. Results suggested that a three-factor model (i.e., Emotionality, Purposefulness, and Compulsivity) proved to be most suitable for the Portuguese sample. Overall, the ACQ-SF-R exhibited good psychometric properties, having a good internal consistency both for the general craving index (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85) and each subscale (Cronbach's alpha = 0.66-0.83), as well as an appropriate convergent validity with the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (r = 0.65, p<0.001), suggesting a good construct validity. In addition, the ACQ-SF-R also showed a good concurrent validity with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (r = 0.57, p<0.001), indicating that risky alcohol use patterns are associated with increased craving scores in the ACQ-SF-R. Collectively, these findings suggest that the Portuguese version of the ACQ-SF-R can accurately measure alcohol craving at a multifactorial level, being a valid and reliable tool to use in Portuguese samples in research settings.This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (CIPsi/UM) School of Psychology, University of Minho, supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget (UIDB/01662/2020). The study was also supported by the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028672, funded by FCT and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Eduardo Lopez-Caneda and Alberto Crego were supported by the FCT and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, within the scope of the Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECIND/02979/2018), and within the scope of the Transitory Disposition of the Decrete No. 57/2016, of 29th of August, amended by Law No. 57/2017 of 19 July, respectively. Natalia Almeida-Antunes was supported by a fellowship from the FCT (SFRH/BD/146194/2019). https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/pt/funding/erdf/https://www.fct.pt/ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Effects of the COVID-19 mitigation measures on alcohol consumption and binge drinking in college students: a longitudinal survey

The data presented in this study are openly available in FigShare at: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14755278 (accessed on 22 August 2021).To “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 contagion, several countries ordered lockdowns amid the pandemic along with indications on social distancing. These social isolation measures could potentially bring alterations to healthy behavior, including to alcohol consumption. However, there is hardly any scientific evidence of the impact of such measures on alcohol consumption and binge drinking (BD) among young adults, and how they relate to alcohol craving, stress, anxiety, and depression levels. We addressed these questions by conducting a longitudinal study with 146 Portuguese college students—regular binge drinkers (regular BDs), infrequent binge drinkers (infrequent BDs) and non-binge drinkers (non-BDs)—in three moments: before the pandemic (Pre-Lockdown), during lockdown (Lockdown) and 6 months after (Post-Lockdown). Results revealed that regular BDs decreased alcohol use during Lockdown, a change in behavior that was even greater during Post-Lockdown, when regular BDs displayed similar levels of consumption to infrequent/non-BDs. Additionally, alcohol craving and living with friends were predictive of alcohol use during Lockdown, whereas stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms did not contribute to explain changes in drinking behavior. Collectively, the results suggest that BD in young Portuguese college students can be stopped when the contexts in which alcohol intake usually takes place are suppressed, which may have important implications for future prevention and intervention strategies.This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho, and funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget [Ref.: UIDB/PSI/01662/2020]. This study was also supported by the project PTDC/PSI-ESP/28672/2017, funded by FCT and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Eduardo López-Caneda and Alberto Crego were supported by the FCT and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, within the scope of the Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECIND/02979/2018), and the Transitory Disposition of the Decree No. 57/2016, of 29 August, amended by Law No. 57/2017 of 19 July, respectively. Natália Antunes was supported by a fellowship from the FCT (SFRH/BD/146194/2019) and Rui Rodrigues by a fellowship from the Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho (UMINHO/BID/2021/19)

Increased nucleus accumbens volume in college binge drinkers-preliminary evidence from manually segmented MRI analysis

IntroductionBinge drinking (BD) is characterized by high alcohol intake in a short time followed by periods of withdrawal. This pattern is very common during adolescence and early adulthood, a developmental stage marked by the maturation of the fronto-striatal networks. The basal ganglia, specifically the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and the caudate nucleus (CN), are part of the fronto-striatal limbic circuit involved in reward processes underlying addictive behaviors. Abnormal NAcc and CN morphometry has been noted in alcoholics and other drug abusers, however the effects of BD on these subcortical regions have been poorly explored. Accordingly, the main goal of the present study was to address potential morphological alterations in the NAcc and CN in a sample of college binge drinkers (BDs).MethodManual segmentation of the NAcc and the CN was performed in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of 20 college BDs and 16 age-matched alcohol abstainers (18-23 years-old).ResultsA two-way mixed ANOVA revealed no group differences in the volumetry of the CN, whereas increased NAcc volume was observed in the BD group when compared to their abstinent control peers.DiscussionThese findings are in line with previous automatically segmented MRI reports highlighting abnormalities in a key region involved in drug rewarding processes in BDs.This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (UID/PSI/01662/2019), through the national funds (PIDDAC). This study was also supported by the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028672, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). SS was supported by the SFRH/BD/88628/2012, Doctoral Fellowship of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, co-financed by POPH/FSE through QREN. EL-C and AC were supported by the FCT and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, through the national funds, within the scope of the Transitory Disposition of the Decrete No. 57/2016, of 29th of August, amended by Law No. 57/2017 of 19 July

Enantioseparation of the constituents involved in the phenylalanine-tyrosine metabolic pathway by capillary electrophoresis tandem mass spectrometry

Catecholamines dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine are well-known neurotransmitters playing different roles in the nervous and endocrine system. These compounds are biologically synthesized in the phenylalanine-tyrosine pathway which consists on the successive conversion of L-phenylalanine into L-tyrosine, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. This work describes the development of an enantioselective CE-ESI-MS2 methodology enabling, for the first time, the simultaneous enantioseparation of all the constituents involved in the Phe-Tyr metabolic pathway, since all these compounds except dopamine are chiral. The developed method was based on the use of a dual CDs system formed by 180 mM of methyl-beta-CD and 40 mM of 2-hydroxypropy1-beta-CD dissolved in 2 M formic acid (pH 1.2) and presented the advantage of avoiding the use of any time-consuming labelling procedure. LODs ranged from 40 to 150 nM and the unequivocal identification of the compounds investigated was achieved through their MS2 spectra. The applicability of this methodology to the analysis of biological samples (rat plasma) was also demonstrated. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Forgetting alcohol: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial investigating memory inhibition training in young binge drinkers

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.914213/full#supplementary-materialBackground: Binge Drinking (BD) has been associated with altered inhibitory control and augmented alcohol-cue reactivity. Memory inhibition (MI), the ability to voluntarily suppress unwanted thoughts/memories, may lead to forgetting of memories in several psychiatric conditions. However, despite its potential clinical implications, no study to date has explored the MI abilities in populations with substance misuse, such as binge drinkers (BDs). Method: This study—registered in the NIH Clinical Trials Database (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05237414)—aims firstly to examine the behavioral and electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of MI among college BDs. For this purpose, 45 BDs and 45 age-matched non/low-drinkers (50% female) will be assessed by EEG while performing the Think/No-Think Alcohol task, a paradigm that evaluates alcohol-related MI. Additionally, this work aims to evaluate an alcohol-specific MI intervention protocol using cognitive training (CT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) while its effects on behavioral and EEG outcomes are assessed. BDs will be randomly assigned to one MI training group: combined [CT and verum tDCS applied over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)], cognitive (CT and sham tDCS), or control (sham CT and sham tDCS). Training will occur in three consecutive days, in three sessions. MI will be re-assessed in BDs through a post-training EEG assessment. Alcohol use and craving will be measured at the first EEG assessment, and both 10-days and 3-months post-training. In addition, behavioral and EEG data will be collected during the performance of an alcohol cue reactivity (ACR) task, which evaluates attentional bias toward alcoholic stimuli, before, and after the MI training sessions. Discussion: This study protocol will provide the first behavioral and neurofunctional MI assessment in BDs. Along with poor MI abilities, BDs are expected to show alterations in event-related potentials and functional connectivity patterns associated with MI. Results should also demonstrate the effectiveness of the protocol, with BDs exhibiting an improved capacity to suppress alcohol-related memories after both combined and cognitive training, along with a reduction in alcohol use and craving in the short/medium-term. Collectively, these findings might have major implications for the understanding and treatment of alcohol misuse. Clinical Trial Registration: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT05237414].This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Center (PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho, supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget (Ref.: UIDB/PSI/01662/2020). This study was also supported by the project PTDC/PSI-ESP/28672/2017, funded by FCT and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). EL-C and AC were supported by the FCT and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, within the scope of the Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECIND/02979/2018), and the Transitory Disposition of the Decree No. 57/2016, of 29 August, amended by Law No. 57/2017 of 19 July, respectively. NA-A was supported by the FCT, MCTES, and European Union through the European Social Fund (FSE) (SFRH/BD/146194/2019) and RR by a fellowship from the Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho (UMINHO/BID/2021/19)