The optical properties of a nanoparticle dimer bridged by a conductive junction depend strongly on the junction conductivity. As the conductivity increases, the bonding dimer plasmon blueshifts and ...broadens. For large conductance, a low energy charge transfer plasmon also appears in the spectra with a line width that decreases with increasing conductance. A simple physical model for the understanding of the spectral feature is presented. Our finding of a strong influence of junction conductivity on the optical spectrum suggests that plasmonic cavities might serve as probes of molecular conductance at elevated frequencies not accessible through electrical measurements.
Puerto Rico has higher rates of a range of endocrine-related diseases and disorders compared to the United States. However, little is known to date about human exposures to known or potential ...endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in Puerto Rico. We recruited 105 pregnant women in Northern Puerto Rico who provided urine samples and questionnaire data at three times (18 ± 2, 22 ± 2, and 26 ± 2 weeks) during gestation. We measured the urinary concentrations of five phenols and three parabens: 2,4-dichlorophenol (24-DCP), 2,5-dichlorophenol (25-DCP), benzophenone-3 (BP-3), bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan (TCS), butyl paraben (B-PB), methyl paraben (M-PB), and propyl paraben (P-PB). The frequent detection of these chemicals suggests that exposure is highly prevalent among these Puerto Rican pregnant women. Urinary concentrations of TCS, BP-3, and 25-DCP were higher than among women of reproductive age in the US general population, while concentrations of BPA, 24-DCP, and parabens were similar. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) varied widely between biomarkers; BPA had the lowest ICC (0.24) and BP-3 had the highest (0.62), followed by 25-DCP (0.49) and TCS (0.47). We found positive associations between biomarker concentrations with self-reported use of liquid soap (TCS), sunscreen (BP-3), lotion (BP-3 and parabens), and cosmetics (parabens). Our results can inform future epidemiology studies and strategies to reduce exposure to these chemicals or their precursors.
This research analyses the sensitivity of Bitcoin returns to changes in gold price returns and some other international risk factors such as US stock market returns, interest rates, crude oil prices, ...the volatility index of the American stock market (VIX) and the Saint Louis financial stress index (STLFSI). This study applies the quantile regression approach for the 2010–2018 period. For robustness, this paper splits the whole sample period into two different subsamples: a more volatile and a less volatile sub-period. Moreover, to capture both long- and short-run asymmetries between Bitcoin and gold price returns, an asymmetric nonlinear cointegration approach (NARDL) is applied. The results evidence that the most relevant risk factor is the VIX index, followed by changes in the STLFSI stress index, and both show negative and statistically significant effects on Bitcoin returns in most periods and quantiles. The US stock market returns have statistically significant effects (with positive sign) on Bitcoin returns in all periods and specifically in high quantiles. Bitcoin returns show negative statistically significant sensitivity to changes in nominal interest rates in the highest quantile and the full period. Moreover, Bitcoin returns show negative and statistically significant sensitivity to oil returns at low quantiles, by serving as a safe-haven asset during economic turmoil. Therefore, in general, the sensitivity of Bitcoin returns to movements in international risk factors tends to be more pronounced in extreme market conditions (bullish and bearish scenarios), showing the highest explanatory power in the lowest quantile. Finally, we have applied the non-linear ARDL approach to analyse the long- and short-run relations between Bitcoin and gold price returns and have found a positive and statistically significant connectedness between them.
•Sensitivity of Bitcoin returns to changes in gold price returns and other international risk factors.•Changes in VIX and STLFSI stress index may have negative and statistically significant effects on Bitcoin returns.•Sensitivity of Bitcoin returns more pronounced in extreme market conditions (bullish and bearish scenarios).•Non-linear ARDL approach analyses the long- and short-run relations between Bitcoin and gold price returns.•Positive and statistically significant connectedness between Bitcoin and gold price returns.
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are an example of chronic diseases affecting 40% of the population, which involved tissue damage and an inflammatory process not satisfactorily controlled with ...current therapies. Data suggest that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) may be a therapeutic option for these processes, and especially for IBD, due to their multifactorial approaches such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress, anti-apoptotic, anti-fibrotic, regenerative, angiogenic, anti-tumor, or anti-microbial. However, MSC therapy is associated with important limitations as safety issues, handling difficulties for therapeutic purposes, and high economic cost. MSC-derived secretome products (conditioned medium or extracellular vesicles) are therefore a therapeutic option in IBD as they exhibit similar effects to their parent cells and avoid the issues of cell therapy. In this review, we proposed further studies to choose the ideal tissue source of MSC to treat IBD, the implementation of new standardized production strategies, quality controls and the integration of other technologies, such as hydrogels, which may improve the therapeutic effects of derived-MSC secretome products in IBD.
Resumen Objetivo Valorar el patrón dietético de la población escolar del Área de Salud La Mancha Centro (Ciudad Real). Metodología Estudio transversal sobre una muestra representativa de los ...escolares de 6 a 12 años. Se utilizó un cuestionario para explorar los hábitos dietéticos generales y un recordatorio de ingesta de 24 h. Resultados Se evaluó a 1.142 escolares, 612 niños (53,6%) y 530 niñas (46,4%), con una edad de 9,3 ± 1,7 años. La frecuencia de la ingesta de alimentos, de 4,62 ± 0,6 veces al día, decrecía de forma estadísticamente significativa con la edad de los escolares (p = 0,044) y aumentaba con el nivel educativo de los padres (p = 0,004). La preferencia era un factor influyente en la elección de los alimentos consumidos. El grado de apetito se relacionó de forma directa con el peso y el índice de masa corporal (p< 0,001), la edad (p = 0,02) y el número de ingestas diarias (p = 0,038). Los grupos de alimentos más frecuentemente ingeridos fueron los cereales y derivados (92,8%), la leche y derivados (90,45%) y los menos, las verduras y hortalizas (35,46%). Más del 70% de la muestra consumía como aceite habitual el de oliva. Conclusión El patrón dietético de los escolares mantiene algunas de las características del patrón de dieta mediterránea tradicional, como el hábito de desayuno, el elevado consumo de aceite de oliva o de cereales, pero no otras, destacando el escaso consumo de verduras y frutas, y el elevado de carnes.
Introduction
The global health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has put healthcare professionals in an unprecedented challenge, considering them extremely at risk population.
Objectives
To ...estimate the prevalence of clinically significant mental disorders and to assess associated factors among Consorci Sanitari del Maresme workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
We made a descriptive cross-sectional study. All workers were invited to participate in an online survey during May 2021. Individual characteristics and frequency of direct exposure to COVID during professional activity were assessed. We used three Spanish versions of psychometric scales: the Patient Health Questionnaire to evaluate depressive symptomatology, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, which detects anxiety, and the 4-item version of the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 for PTSD screening purposes. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to analyze the data.
Results
A total of 355 workers participated. Overall, 31% met the criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (PHQ-9> 9), 36% for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7> 9) and 22% for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PCL-5> 7). It has been found that young adult, women, those with prior mental disorders or those with greater exposure to COVID-19 are risk factors for any current mental disorder.
Conclusions
There are large mental healthcare needs among healthcare professionals. There is a clear need to closely monitor the extent to which these needs are adequately met. In the design of measures and interventions to reduce this impact, an individualized approach should be considered while taking into account sociodemographic variables, psychiatric history and the frequency of direct exposure to COVID-19.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
We present the first simultaneous spectral energy distribution (SED) of M87 core at a scale of 0.4 arcsec ( ∼ 32 pc) across the electromagnetic spectrum. Two separate, quiescent, and active states ...are sampled that are characterized by a similar featureless SED of power-law form, and that are thus remarkably different from that of a canonical active galactic nuclei or a radiatively inefficient accretion source. We show that the emission from a jet gives an excellent representation of the core of M87 core covering ten orders of magnitude in frequency for both the active and the quiescent phases. The inferred total jet power is, however, one to two orders of magnitude lower than the jet mechanical power reported in the literature. The maximum luminosity of a thin accretion disc allowed by the data yields an accretion rate of < 6 × 10− 5 M⊙ yr− 1, assuming 10 per cent efficiency. This power suffices to explain M87 radiative luminosity at the jet frame, it is however two to three order of magnitude below that required to account for the jet's kinetic power. The simplest explanation is variability, which requires the core power of M87 to have been two to three orders of magnitude higher in the last 200 yr. Alternatively, an extra source of power may derive from black hole spin. Based on the strict upper limit on the accretion rate, such spin power extraction requires an efficiency an order of magnitude higher than predicted from magnetohydrodynamic simulations, currently in the few hundred per cent range.
Phthalate exposure during pregnancy has been linked to adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, and inflammation and oxidative stress may mediate these relationships. In a prospective cohort ...study of pregnant women recruited early in gestation in Northern Puerto Rico, we investigated the associations between urinary phthalate metabolites and biomarkers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α, and oxidative stress, including 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (OHdG) and 8-isoprostane. Inflammation biomarkers were measured in plasma twice during pregnancy (N = 215 measurements, N = 120 subjects), and oxidative stress biomarkers in urine were measured three times (N = 148 measurements, N = 54 subjects) per woman. In adjusted linear mixed models, metabolites of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) were associated with increased IL-6 and IL-10 but relationships were generally not statistically significant. All phthalates were associated with increases in oxidative stress markers. Relationships with OHdG were significant for DEHP metabolites as well as mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP) and monoiso-butyl phthalate (MiBP). For 8-isoprostane, associations with nearly all phthalates were statistically significant and the largest effect estimates were observed for MBP and MiBP (49–50% increase in 8-isoprostane with an interquartile range increase in metabolite concentration). These relationships suggest a possible mechanism for phthalate action that may be relevant to a number of adverse health outcomes.
PDF
