A 3D serious game for dental learning in higher education

Natural User Interfaces and advanced displays can be combined to provide rich learning experiences. In this paper, we present the development and validation of a serious game that combines autostereoscopy and Natural User Interfaces for dental learning in higher education. The game includes two modes: neutral and real-world background. A comparative study to check different aspects was carried out. A total of 33 dentistry students participated in the study. From the results, the students increased significantly their knowledge about teeth morphology. Most of the students preferred the neutral background for dental learning. The real-world background was identified as being more suitable for leisure activities

Age-Related Changes in Cardiac Autonomic Modulation and Heart Rate Variability in Mice

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess age-related changes in cardiac autonomic modulation and heart rate variability (HRV) and their association with spontaneous and pharmacologically induced vulnerability to cardiac arrhythmias, to verify the translational relevance of mouse models for further in-depth evaluation of the link between autonomic changes and increased arrhythmic risk with advancing age. Methods: Heart rate (HR) and time- and frequency-domain indexes of HRV were calculated from Electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings in two groups of conscious mice of different ages (4 and 19 months old) (i) during daily undisturbed conditions, (ii) following peripheral β-adrenergic (atenolol), muscarinic (methylscopolamine), and β-adrenergic + muscarinic blockades, and (iii) following β-adrenergic (isoprenaline) stimulation. Vulnerability to arrhythmias was evaluated during daily undisturbed conditions and following β-adrenergic stimulation. Results: HRV analysis and HR responses to autonomic blockades revealed that 19-month-old mice had a lower vagal modulation of cardiac function compared with 4-month-old mice. This age-related autonomic effect was not reflected in changes in HR, since intrinsic HR was lower in 19-month-old compared with 4-month-old mice. Both time- and frequency-domain HRV indexes were reduced following muscarinic, but not β-adrenergic blockade in younger mice, and to a lesser extent in older mice, suggesting that HRV is largely modulated by vagal tone in mice. Finally, 19-month-old mice showed a larger vulnerability to both spontaneous and isoprenaline-induced arrhythmias. Conclusion: The present study combines HRV analysis and selective pharmacological autonomic blockades to document an age-related impairment in cardiac vagal modulation in mice which is consistent with the human condition. Given their short life span, mice could be further exploited as an aged model for studying the trajectory of vagal decline with advancing age using HRV measures, and the mechanisms underlying its association with proarrhythmic remodeling of the senescent heart

Polypeptides from Hermetia illucens: a bio source for innovative materials in the framework of a circular economy model

Plastic waste reduction is one of the main challenges of the 21st century from an environmental and sustainability perspective. Still nowadays, relatively little plastic waste is collected for recycling (less than 10%) and a large fraction (approximately 20%) of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) goes to landfill. At the global level, the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) is estimated to be 2.5 billion tonnes per year, of which 30-55% is represented by the so-called organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). While the use of alternative, plastic-like materials from natural sources could be one of the most appealing solutions, the massive occupation of agricultural soils for their supply is a big concern. In this scenario, waste valorization is gaining major relevance within the framework of circular economy models, with bio-conversion mediated from insects being one possible and effective answer. The project RICH (Turning Rubbish Into biobased materials: a sustainable CHain for the full valorization of organic waste) aims to develop an innovative and integrated circular economy chain, which, starting from the biotransformation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), allows the targeted production of biobased materials with high technological value, such as bioplastics and other advanced protein-based materials. In the present study, proteins and polypeptides were extracted from larvae of Hermetia illucens, also known as black soldier fly. Extracts were characterized by means of proteomics techniques such as BCA, SDSPAGE, and LC-MS analyses. Procedures were next defined to prepare materials such as films, tuning the mechanical properties, and investigating the correlation with the molecular structure. Elastic films were obtained and the elasticity was correlated with the chemical composition and the protocol for film preparation. The results so far obtained pave the way for the application of these materials in the biomedical and packaging fields, bringing us closer to the completion of a new circular economy model

Innovative bioplastics from polypeptides of Hermetia illucens

The environmentally sustainable waste management, together with waste valorization, is one of the actual challenges pursued by the European Commission. UE policies are thus contributing in the frameworks of circular economy by promoting the extraction of high quality materials from wastes. At the European level, the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) is estimated to be 500 kg per capita, of which 70% (discarded food, yard trimmings, paper and wood) is represented by the so-called organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). In this scenario, organic waste valorization is gaining major relevance within circular economy models, with bioconversion mediated from insects being one possible and effective answer to the problem. The project RICH (Turning Rubbish Into biobased materials: a sustainable CHain for the full valorization of organic waste) aims to develop an innovative and integrated circular economy chain, which, starting from the biotransformation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), allows the targeted production of biobased materials with high technological value, such as bioplastics and other advanced protein-based materials. In the present study, proteins and polypeptides were extracted from larvae and pupae of Hermetia illucens, also known as Black Soldier Fly. The extraction efficiency from both stages was assessed. Crude extracts were characterized by means of proteomics techniques such as BCA, SDS-PAGE, and LC-MS analyses. State of art materials were prepared, investigating the correlation with the molecular structure through physical techniques (FTIR, Contact Angle, TGA). Results clearly points out a correlation between film-forming ability and the chosen larval stage, with extracts from Larvae at the 6th instar leading to the best results. A correlation with polypeptide chain length is proposed

Modeling the radial abundance distribution of the transition galaxy ngc 1313

NGC 1313 is the most massive disk galaxy showing a flat radial abundance distribution in its interstellar gas, a behavior generally observed in magellanic and irregular galaxies. We have attempted to reproduce this flat abundance distribution using a multiphase chemical evolution model, which has been previously used sucessfully to depict other spiral galaxies along the Hubble morphological sequence. We found that it is not possible to reproduce the flat radial abundance distribution in NGC 1313, and at the same time, be consistent with observed radial distributions of other key parameters such the surface gas density and star formation profiles. We conclude that a more complicated galactic evolution model including radial flows, and possibly mass loss due to supernova explosions and winds, is necessary to explain the apparent chemical uniformity of the disk of NGC 1313Comment: 14 paginas, 4 figures, to be published in ApJ, apri

Individual correlates of podoconiosis in areas of varying endemicity: a case-control study

BACKGROUND Podoconiosis is a non-filarial form of elephantiasis resulting in lymphedema of the lower legs. Previous studies have suggested that podoconiosis arises from the interplay of individual and environmental factors. Here, our aim was to understand the individual-level correlates of podoconiosis by comparing 460 podoconiosis-affected individuals and 707 unaffected controls. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS This was a case-control study carried out in six kebeles (the lowest governmental administrative unit) in northern Ethiopia. Each kebele was classified into one of three endemicity levels: 'low' (prevalence 5%). A total of 142 (30.7%) households had two or more cases of podoconiosis. Compared to controls, the majority of the cases, especially women, were less educated (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.3 to 2.2), were unmarried (OR = 3.4, 95% CI = 2.6-4.6) and had lower income (t = -4.4, p<0.0001). On average, cases started wearing shoes ten years later than controls. Among cases, age of first wearing shoes was positively correlated with age of onset of podoconiosis (r = 0.6, t = 12.5, p<0.0001). Among all study participants average duration of shoe wearing was less than 30 years. Between both cases and controls, people in 'high' and 'medium' endemicity kebeles were less likely than people in 'low' endemicity areas to 'ever' have owned shoes (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.4-0.7). CONCLUSIONS Late use of shoes, usually after the onset of podoconiosis, and inequalities in education, income and marriage were found among cases, particularly among females. There were clustering of cases within households, thus interventions against podoconiosis will benefit from household-targeted case tracing. Most importantly, we identified a secular increase in shoe-wearing over recent years, which may give opportunities to promote shoe-wearing without increasing stigma among those at high risk of podoconiosis