•Sets of specific usability/UX heuristics can be used to evaluate domain-specific applications.•In a previous work we proposed a formal methodology for establishing usability/UX heuristics.•In this ...paper we explain through several case studies how to apply each methodology stage to create a new set of heuristics.•We also explain how to iterate methodology’s stages.
A heuristic evaluation method allows the evaluation of the usability of application domains. To evaluate applications that have specific domain features, researchers can use sets of specific usability heuristics in addition to the well-known (usually Nielsen's) heuristics. Heuristics can also focus on the User eXperience (UX) aspects other than the usability. In a previous work, we proposed a formal methodology for establishing usability/UX heuristics. The methodology has 8 stages including activities to formulate, specify, validate and refine a new set of heuristics for a specific application domain. The methodology was validated through expert opinion and several case studies. Although when specifying the methodology, we explained each of its stages in detail, some activities can be difficult to perform without a guide that helps the researcher determine how the stages should be carried out. This article presents a detailed explanation regarding how to apply each stage of the methodology to create a new set of heuristics for a specific domain. Additionally, this paper explains how to iterate the methodology's stages and when to stop the process of developing new heuristics.
Sea louse infestations are threatening the sustainability of the salmon farm industry worldwide; the southern marine ecosystem of Chile is one of the most affected areas. A highly infested management ...area located in the Los Lagos Region (42.5°S) has been regularly affected by Caligus rogercresseyi outbreaks during the spring-summer period since 2012. In this study, the effect of salmon stocking density and sea surface temperature on the temporal dynamics of juveniles and ovigerous females was analyzed at a regional scale using wavelets. Main periodic oscillations were detected for ovigerous female time series centered at periods equal to 52 weeks (1-year cycle) and 107 weeks (2-year cycle), which are associated with, respectively, the annual sea louse outbreaks occurring during the warmest season (spring-summer), and the periodic increase of lice driven by an increase in salmon stocking density as the farming cycle progresses. The 1-year and 2-year cycles explained between 10%–20% and between 25%–52% of the variance of ovigerous females, respectively. Wavelet coherence and phase analysis showed a significant association between sea surface temperature and ovigerous female abundance associated with the 1-year cycle with a time lag (in weeks) very close to the louse generation cycle. Coherence between stocking density and ovigerous female abundance was significant, associated with the 2-year cycle. These results suggest the existence of a continuous year-round effect of temperature on louse development rate which becomes more relevant during spring-summer outbreaks, specially at high stocking density levels. Two main stocking density (SD)-sea surface temperature (SST) scenarios were identified, and the location and size of major outbreaks at the high SD-high SST scenario were well predicted using ovigerous female integrated 1-year and 2-year cycles. Future studies should be focused on the development of a stocking density regulation model, mainly depending on SD and SST periodic variability, in order to prevent maximum levels of the two factors from coinciding, because this condition is inevitably followed by major ovigerous female outbreaks in this area.
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•Main periodic oscillations in ovigerous females of C. rogercresseyi were detected and quantified using wavelets.•1-year and 2-year cycles explained between 10%–20% and between 25%–52% of the variance of ovigerous females.•Annual and biennial oscillations are associated with annual sea louse outbreaks and periodicity of stocking.•The effect of sea surface temperature and salmon stocking densities on ovigerous female outbreaks was analyzed.
Strong evidence shows that physical inactivity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions, including major non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic ...syndrome, and breast and colon cancers, and shortens life expectancy. We aimed to determine the effects of moderate (MCT)- versus high-intensity interval training (HIT) on vascular function parameters in physically inactive adults. We hypothesized that individualized HIT prescription would improve the vascular function parameters more than the MCT in a greater proportion of individuals.
Twenty-one inactive adults were randomly allocated to receive either MCT group (60-75% of their heart rate reserve, HRR or HIT group (4 min at 85-95% of peak HRR), 3 days a week for 12 weeks. Vascular function (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, FMD %, normalized brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, FMDn %, aortic pulse wave velocity, PWV m·s
, AIx, augmentation index: aortic and brachial %), were measured at baseline and over 12 weeks of training. In order for a participant to be considered a responder to improvements in vascular function parameters (FMDn and PWV), the typical error was calculated in a favorable direction.
FMD changed by - 1.0% (SE 2.1, d = 0.388) in the MCT group, and + 1.8% (SE 1.8, d = 0.699) in the HIT group (no significant difference between groups: 2.9% 95% CI, - 3.0 to 8.8. PWV changed by + 0.1 m·s
(SE 0.2, d = 0.087) in the MCT group but decreased by - 0.4 m·s
in the HIT group (SE 0.2, d = 0.497), with significant difference between groups: - 0.4 95% CI, - 0.2 to - 0.7. There was not a significant difference in the prevalence of no-responder for FMD (%) between the MCT and HIT groups (66% versus 36%, P = 0.157). Regarding PWV (m·s
), an analysis showed that the prevalence of no-responder was 77% (7 cases) in the MCT group and 45% (5 cases) in the HIT group (P = 0.114).
Under the conditions of the present study, both groups experienced changed in vascular function parameters. Compared to MCT group, HIT is more efficacious for improving FMD and decreasing PWV, in physically inactive adults.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02738385 registered on 23 March 2016.
Endophytic microbial communities colonize plants growing under various abiotic stress conditions. Candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica Zucc.) is a shrub that develops functionally in arid and ...semi‐arid zones of Mexico; these conditions generate an association between the plant and the microorganisms, contributing to the production of enzymes as a defense mechanism for resistance to abiotic stress. The objective of this research was to isolate and identify endophyte fungi of candelilla and bioprospection of these endophytic fungi for enzyme production using candelilla by‐products. Fungi were isolated and identified using ITS1/ITS4 sequencing. Their potency index (PI) was evaluated in producing endoglucanase, xylanase, amylase, and laccase. Fermentation was carried out at 30°C for 8 days at 200 rpm, with measurements every 2 days, using candelilla by‐products as substrate. All fungi exhibited higher cellulase, amylase, and laccase activities on the 2nd, 6th, and 8th day of fermentation, respectively, of fermentation. The fungus Aspergillus niger ITD‐IN4.1 showed the highest amylase activity (246.84 U/mg), the genus Neurospora showed the highest cellulase activity, reaching up to 13.45 FPU/mg, and the strain Neurospora sp. ITD‐IN5.2 showed the highest laccase activity (3.46 U/mg). This work provides the first report on the endophytic diversity of E. antisyphilitica and its potential role in enzyme production.
Programmers use various software development artifacts in their work, such as programming environments, design documents, and programming codes. These software artifacts can be studied and improved ...based on usability and User eXperience (UX) factors. In this paper, we consider programmers to be a specific case of users and analyze different elements that influence their experience in this specific context. We conducted a systematic literature review of papers published over the last ten years related to 1) the definition of the Programmer eXperience (PX); 2) the PX, UX, and usability factors regarding the programming environments, design documents, and programming codes; and 3) sets of heuristics to evaluate the software development artifacts mentioned before. We analyzed 73 articles, and the results obtained show that: 1) the important elements that influence the PX are the motivation of programmers and the choice of tools they use in their work, such as programming environments; 2) most of the identified studies (59%) aimed to evaluate the influence of the PX, UX, and usability on programming environments; 3) the majority of the studies (70%) used methods such as usability tests and/or heuristic evaluation methods; and 4) four sets of heuristics are used to evaluate software development artifacts in relation to programming environments, programming languages, and application programming interfaces. The results suggest that further research in this area is necessary to better understand and evaluate the concept of the PX.
Thermoregulation in ectothermic animals is influenced by the ability to effectively respond to thermal variations. While it is known that ectotherms are affected by thermal changes, it remains ...unknown whether physiological and/or metabolic traits are impacted by modifications to the thermal environment. Our research provides key evidence that fish ectotherms are highly influenced by thermal variability during development, which leads to important modifications at several metabolic levels (e.g., growth trajectories, microstructural alterations, muscle injuries, and molecular mechanisms). In Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), a wide thermal range (ΔT 6.4°C) during development (posthatch larvae to juveniles) was associated with increases in key thermal performance measures for survival and growth trajectory. Other metabolic traits were also significantly influenced, such as size, muscle cellularity, and molecular growth regulators possibly affected by adaptive processes. In contrast, a restricted thermal range (ΔT 1.4°C) was detrimental to growth, survival, and cellular microstructure as muscle growth could not keep pace with increased metabolic demands. These findings provide a possible basic explanation for the effects of thermal environment during growth. In conclusion, our results highlight the key role of thermal range amplitude on survival and on interactions with major metabolism‐regulating processes that have positive adaptive effects for organisms.
First quantitative evaluation of survival, muscle development, and growth trajectories during S. salar development by unlike thermoregulatory behaviors. Thermoregulatory behavior is an integrative signal that orchestrates several biological outputs during development, successfully promoting diverse responses on a limited temporal scale. A wide thermoregulatory range increases metabolic machinery efficacy and provides positive adaptive value to individuals.
Current strategies for preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are limited to nonpharmacologic interventions. Hydroxychloroquine has been proposed as a ...postexposure therapy to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), but definitive evidence is lacking.
We conducted an open-label, cluster-randomized trial involving asymptomatic contacts of patients with polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR)-confirmed Covid-19 in Catalonia, Spain. We randomly assigned clusters of contacts to the hydroxychloroquine group (which received the drug at a dose of 800 mg once, followed by 400 mg daily for 6 days) or to the usual-care group (which received no specific therapy). The primary outcome was PCR-confirmed, symptomatic Covid-19 within 14 days. The secondary outcome was SARS-CoV-2 infection, defined by symptoms compatible with Covid-19 or a positive PCR test regardless of symptoms. Adverse events were assessed for up to 28 days.
The analysis included 2314 healthy contacts of 672 index case patients with Covid-19 who were identified between March 17 and April 28, 2020. A total of 1116 contacts were randomly assigned to receive hydroxychloroquine and 1198 to receive usual care. Results were similar in the hydroxychloroquine and usual-care groups with respect to the incidence of PCR-confirmed, symptomatic Covid-19 (5.7% and 6.2%, respectively; risk ratio, 0.86 95% confidence interval, 0.52 to 1.42). In addition, hydroxychloroquine was not associated with a lower incidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission than usual care (18.7% and 17.8%, respectively). The incidence of adverse events was higher in the hydroxychloroquine group than in the usual-care group (56.1% vs. 5.9%), but no treatment-related serious adverse events were reported.
Postexposure therapy with hydroxychloroquine did not prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection or symptomatic Covid-19 in healthy persons exposed to a PCR-positive case patient. (Funded by the crowdfunding campaign YoMeCorono and others; BCN-PEP-CoV2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04304053.).
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The flexor digitorum brevis belongs to the superficial layer of muscles of the foot and serves to flex the digits II–V at the proximal interphalangeal joint. Its tendons typically ...insert on the sides of the middle phalanx of each of the lateral four digits. During routine dissection for a human gross anatomy course, we discovered a bilateral variation in the structure of the flexor digitorum brevis in the feet of an older female cadaver. The variation consists of a bilaterally missing tendon to the digiti minimi (fifth digit). Further dissections were carried out on an additional 10 cadavers in the gross anatomy lab to ascertain the presence or absence of this variation, which is frequent in some populations. Preliminary results indicate that the variation is present in 40% of the Puerto Rican population.
The flexor digitorum brevis develops embryologically from anterior condensations of abaxial muscle cell precursors starting at 6 weeks. This variation in particular is not expected to have serious functional or evolutionary consequences in humans, as flexion of the toes is not as important in human locomotor function as it would be in chimpanzees or other hominoids. A lack of functional consequences may result in greater variation than would otherwise be expected. Clinically, the tendon of the flexor digitorum brevis to digit V is often used for flexion of the proximal and intermediate phalanges. Our results suggest that because of the variation’s lack of functional adversities, the absence of this tendon might become increasingly prevalent in the population and that deeper muscles might become hypertrophied to supplement the action of the missing tendon.
In continuation of our efforts to identify promising antileishmanial agents based on the chroman scaffold, we synthesized several substituted
-thiochroman derivatives, including thiochromenes, ...thichromanones and hydrazones substituted in C-2 or C-3 with carbonyl or carboxyl groups. Thirty-two compounds were thus obtained, characterized, and evaluated against intracellular amastigotes of
. Twelve compounds were active, with EC
values lower than 40 µM, but only four compounds displayed the highest antileishmanial activity, with EC
values below 10 µM; these all compounds possess a good Selectivity Index > 2.6. Although two active compounds were thiochromenes, a clear structure-activity relationship was not detected since each active compound has a different substitution pattern.
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