Cucurbituril-based supramolecular engineered nanostructured materials

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Cucurbituril (CB) is a unique macrocycle with a rigid symmetrical structure, which is composed of two identical hydrophilic portals decorated with partially negatively charged carbonyl groups and a hydrophobic cavity. A number of different nanostructured materials, including nanoparticles, nanocomposites, vesicles and rods, have been prepared by taking advantage of the varying cavity size of the CB homologues, their ability to accommodate more than one guest in their cavities, their rigid symmetrical structures, as well as the water solubility of CB7. These nanostructures could find a wide range of potential applications in the areas of self-healing materials, nanomedicine, plasmonics, and nanocatalysis. Here, we review the recent progresses in the synthesis, properties and application of CB-based supramolecular engineered nanostructures, which are either constructed through CB-assisted self-assembly or from post-functionalized-CB homologues

Supplier diversification under binomial yield

Cataloged from PDF version of article.We consider supplier diversification in an EOQ type inventory setting with multiple suppliers and binomial yields. We characterize the optimal policy for the model and show that, in this case, it does not pay to diversify, in contrast to previous results in the random yield literature. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Associations between autistic traits, depression, social anxiety and social rejection in autistic and non-autistic adults

Autistic people frequently experience negative judgements from non-autistic people, often fuelled by misconceptions that autistic people lack empathy. Understanding responses to negative social judgement among autistic people is crucial because of the potential negative impact on wellbeing and future interactions. We investigated the role of autistic traits, social anxiety, and depression on behavioural indices of social rejection in 20 autistic (AUT; 11 males) and 40 non-autistic (N-AUT; 21 males) university students. Participants completed the Social Judgement Task (SJT) where they predicted whether they were liked by another person, then received feedback on whether those evaluations were correct. Participants also completed an Age Judgement Task (AJT) where they estimated the age of the pictured person. The AUT group had lower positive expectation scores, meaning less tendency to predict being liked. Across the whole sample, higher social anxiety predicted greater tendency to anticipate rejection from others, not autistic traits. These findings suggest early experiences of rejection might lead to a negative self-bias in autistic people and emphasise the importance of using a transdiagnostic approach by showing that social anxiety rather than autistic traits is associated with expectation of social rejection

The effectiveness of Sufi music for mental health outcomes. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 randomised trials.

BACKGROUND: There is some evidence that Sufi music therapy might improve physical and mental well-being; however, no systematic review or meta-analysis has pooled and critiqued the evidence. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of Sufi music therapy on mental health outcomes. METHODS: We searched Medline, PsycINFO, the Web of Science, Science Direct, PsycARTICLES, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, CINAHL Plus, AMED, and ULAKBIM databases, and the reference lists of the studies found. Papers published in academic peer-reviewed journals were included, as well as from other sources such as chapters in edited books, the grey literature, or conference presentations. Articles published up to March 2020 in Turkish and English were included. Our primary outcome of interest was anxiety and secondary outcomes of interest were other mental health outcomes such as depression. To assess the methodological quality of the articles, the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool was used. The quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADEpro GDT system. RESULTS: This search yielded 21 clinical trials that were eligible for inclusion. A meta-analysis, using a random effects model, of 18 randomised controlled trials involving 1454 participants showed that Sufi music therapy with makams, compared with treatment as usual (TAU) or a no-music control group, reduced symptoms of anxiety in the short term in patients undergoing an operation or treatments such as chemotherapy or haemodialysis (standardised mean difference SMD= -1.15, 95% CI, -1.64 to -0.65; very low-quality evidence). The evidence of Sufi music with makam's effect on anxiety is rated as very low. Qualitative synthesis of secondary outcomes revealed significant effects for depression, positive symptoms in schizophrenia, stress, which however were based on fewer studies. Trials were of moderate methodological quality, and there was significant heterogeneity across the studies. CONCLUSION: Sufi music may reduce anxiety of patients undergoing medical procedures like haemodialysis, coronary artery surgery, angiography, colonoscopy, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy procedures. Evidence from single studies suggests effects on depression and stress as well. However, due to methodological limitations of the studies, further, higher quality studies are required in other cultures

The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) supplementation on in vitro gas production kinetics of leaves from tannin containing trees

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of inclusion of polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) during in vitro incubation on gas production kinetics, organic matter digestibility (OMD) and the metabolisable energy (ME) content of foliage from the tannin containing tree species, Pistica lentiscus, Arbutus andrachne and Juniperus communis. The amount of gas produced when the foliage was incubated with buffered rumen fluid, was determined after 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation in the presence of PEG at inclusions rates of 15, 30, 60 and 90 mg and in the absence of PEG. Their kinetics were described using the equation p = a + b (1-e-ct). Addition of PEG resulted in an increased gas production at almost all incubation times in all tree species. However species showed variable responses. After 3 h of incubation the PEG addition showed no significant effect on gas production when the foliage from A. andrachne was incubated, but had a significant effect on gas production as duration of incubation extended. The increase in gas production in response to increased levels of PEG inclusion was linear for P. lentiscus and J. communis. However, when the PEG inclusion rates exceeded 60 mg there was no significant increase in gas production when A. andrachne was incubated. The estimated parameters such as gas production rate(c) and gas production (a) from the immediately soluble fraction were not affected by the level PEG treatment, except that PEG addition at 90 mg had a significant effect on the gas production (a) from immediately soluble fraction of leaves of J. communis. Gas production (b) from the insoluble fraction (mL) and potential gas production (a+b), OMD and ME of tree leaves increased significantly with increasing levels of PEG addition. However, when PEG inclusion exceeded 60 mg these parameters showed no significant increase when leaves from A. andrachne were incubated. Although the mean increase in OMD per mg PEG supplementation was 0.131 digestibility units, the increase in ME per mg PEG supplementation was 0.0201 ME units. The elevated levels of gas produced, and increased OMD and ME estimates with the inclusion of PEG demonstrated the negative effect of tannins in foliage on digestibility. South African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 35(4) 2005: 229-23