Biochemical responses induced by Biotherapics prepared from intact influenza A (H3N2) and inactivated influenza A (H3N2) virus at 12x and 30x in MDCK cells and RAW-264-7 macrophages

Background: "Roberto Costa’s Biotherapics" are homeopathic remedies prepared from intact microorganisms which have been proposed for treatment of diseases like influenza. Aim: This study aimed to compare the biochemical effects, in MDCK cells and RAW-264-7 macrophages, of biotherapics prepared from intact influenza virus diluted in water as well as from a sample of the same virus inactivated by ethanol 70% (v / v), both in the homeopathic potencies of 12x and 30x. Water 30x, non-dynamized water and cells without treatment (control cells) were used as control. Methodology: Treatments were performed by incubating MDCK cells with DMEM medium added in a 1:10 ratio for 6 times (3 different aliquots per day) or 18 times (up to 4 aliquots per day) in each experimental situation. Each aliquot was added with an interval of at least 2 hours. After that, the mitochondrial activity of MDCK cells was analyzed by MTT assay. The effects of treatments with intact biotherapics on MDCK cells respiratory parameters were studied using high resolution respirometry (Oroboros Oxygraph-O2K). RAW-264-7 macrophages were treated with intact and inactivated biotherapic 30x (4 treatments, 24 hours) to verify the nitric oxide production. These macrophages were also submitted to MTT assay. Results: Both biotherapic preparations 1x (intact and inactivated virus sample) were analyzed by transmission electronic microscopy. The presence of virus particles was detected when water was used as solvent. The use of ethanol as biotherapic solvent induced complete virus lysis. There was no alteration in cell osmolarity revealed by neutral red assay, when 10% of each test solution was used. Cellular viability analyzed by MTT method increased when MDCK cells were treated with 18 stimuli of inactivated biotherapic 30x when compared to intact biotherapic 30x (p0.05) were detected when these cells were compared to control cells. The maximum respiratory capacity of MDCK cells increased after treatment with 18 stimuli of intact biotherapic 30x when compared to control cells. However, no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) induced by biotherapics in macrophage cells were observed by MTT and nitric oxide assays. Moreover, a reduction in nitric oxide was observed in macrophages treated with dynamized water when compared to control cells. Conclusions: These results indicate that the method of biotherapic compounding (intact or inactivated virus as starting point) can modify the cellular parameters with the tendency to increase cellular response with longer treatments and higher potencies.

Influence of the Pandemic on Change of Everyday Practices of Volgograd Residents: Gender Differences (Based on the Results of Applied Sociological Research)

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), which swept the whole, at the very beginning of its spread (early 2020) created an almost experimental situation in which "border practices" were fully revealed, demonstrating the attitude of the population to issues of morality and law. The COVID-19 pandemic that swept the whole word is viewed by us a factor provoking human behavior. The article presents the results of an applied sociological study of changes in the daily practices of Volgograd residents. The results of a sociological study conducted among the residents of Volgograd are presented. Information gathering method – focus group discussion. The main technical parameters of the study are indicated. The formulated conclusions make it possible not only to record the change in the habitual practices of townspeople, but also to present the socioeconomic situation as a whole. Similarities and differences in the behavior of men и women are indicated. So women are more inclined to demonstrate behavior, which can be described as "everything doubtful is prohibited", while men are inclined to a different model – "much controversial is acceptable". Citizens assess the pandemic as a non-standard, undetermined situation, contradictory and inconsistent decisions are made in this case. citizens describe the situation of the pandemic in a negative aspect: distrust of the authorities through the refusal to view the news, violation of personal space, difficulties of interaction and communication in a confined space of the home, fighting their own fears, spending on the purchase of medical devices, antiviral drugs, paying for the Internet. Passive survival models are common, these models are aimed at saving money, more rational spending of the family budget. Active models are not involved due to the lack of jobs in the city. The most unexpected conclusion was that the biggest fear that haunts the city dwellers are the fear of lack of money, which even supplants the fear of contracting the COVID-19.

On Idealizations and Models in Science Education

Idealizations are omnipresent in science. However, to date, science education research has paid surprisingly little attention to the use of idealizations in fostering students’ model competence and understanding of the nature of science (NOS). The starting point for the theoretical reflection in this paper is that insufficient consideration of idealizations in the science classroom can lead to learning difficulties. The following discussions should help to clarify the terms idealization and model and their relationship to each other. An example is drawn from physics. At least two cases can apply when considering model usage in the classroom. In the first case, to understand an observed phenomenon, a model (as a representation) of the situation to be explained is constructed. At this point, it is necessary to perform idealization. Seemingly, this step is still neglected in much of the science education literature but is well addressed in the philosophy of science. In the second case, existing models to work with are introduced, perhaps alongside a real experimental situation. This approach is called working with models in science education. This paper focuses primarily on the first case. Against the background of model building, a positioning and conceptual approximation of idealizations take place. To organize the idealization process, a framework of several categories of idealization adopted from science philosophy is offered. The framework is intended to stimulate explicit reflection about how models are constructed. The construction of a model by idealization is illustrated through an example from geometrical optics. Finally, the considerations presented are discussed in the context of the literature, and suggested research topics are provided.

Research on Coil Impedance of Self-Inductive Displacement Sensor Considering Core Eddy Current

The inductive displacement sensor is widely used in active magnetic bearing (AMB) systems to detect rotor displacement in real time, and the performance of the sensor directly affects the performance of AMB. At present, most theoretical studies on the working principle of inductive displacement sensor are based on a traditional mathematical model, ignoring the influence of the core magnetic resistance and core eddy current, which will lead to a certain error between the theoretical analysis of the sensor output characteristics and the actual situation. In this regard, based on the theory of electromagnetic field and circuit, an improved theoretical model of the inductive sensor was established in this paper by introducing the complex permeability, by which the influence of core eddy current on magnetic field can be taken into account. In order to verify the improved model, an eight-pole radial self-inductive displacement sensor with an air gap of 1 mm was designed. Then the electromagnetic field of the designed sensor was simulated by a finite element software and the GW LCR-6100 measuring instrument was used to measure the changes of the inductance and resistance of the designed sensor core coils with the rotor displacement at 20–100 kHz. The results demonstrated that there is a good linear relationship between the impedance change of the sensor coils and the rotor displacement within the measurement range of −0.4 ~ +0.4 mm. At the same time, compared with the traditional model, the sensitivity of the improved theoretical model is closer to the results from FEM and experiment, and the accuracy of the sensitivity of the improved theoretical model can be approximately doubled, despite there are certain differences with the experimental situation. Therefore, the improved theoretical model considering complex permeability is of great significance for studying the influence of core eddy current on the coil impedance of sensor.

1218Estimating the causal effect of mobility on Dengue during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background The COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in human mobility which occurred randomly (in time) and is not linked to any other Dengue risk factors. This gives rise to a quasi-experimental situation to assess the impact of mobility reduction on Dengue Fever in Brazilian cities using propensity score matching. Methods We match weeks during the peak pandemic period for 37 cities in São Paulo state with comparable prior periods based on instruments for mosquito population size and human susceptibility. By matching within cities, we also control for city-level characteristics, such as landscape or population density. We compute propensity scores using logistic regression and Random Forests and implement both one-to-one and one-to-many matching with calipers. Results We compare the Sample Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (SATT) across models and find variation in the direction of the causal effect. In 12 cities, mobility reductions are linked to more Dengue cases, while fewer cases are reported in 9 cities. The remaining cities are sensitive to the model chosen. Conclusions The SATT of mobility on Dengue varies across the cities in our sample, with more cities experiencing an increase in cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key messages A quasi-experimental analysis suggests that there is a a causal effect of mobility on Dengue that varies across cities in São Paulo state.

Effects of experimental situation on group cooperation and individual performance: comparing laboratory and online experiments

With the spread of online behavioral experiments, estimating the effects of experimental situations and populations is increasing in discussions of the generalizability of data. In this study, we examined how the experimental situations (laboratory/online) affected group cooperation and individual performances. The participants were Japanese university students, randomly assigned to laboratory or online experiments. For the group cooperation task, they were asked to perform the public goods game with or without punishment, but no effect of the experimental situation was found both for cooperative and punitive behaviors. For the individual tasks, participants were asked to perform a creative task and a dull task. We manipulated the presence or absence of an external incentive. As a result, there was no significant difference between the experimental situations with one exception: only in the laboratory situation was the performance of the difficult creative task lower in the presence of an external incentive. Furthermore, we conducted as an additional experiment using the same treatments for a general Japanese sample online. This general sample was less cooperative in the public goods game than the student sample, both with and without punishment. In addition, the presence of external incentives facilitated performance of the general sample only for the dull task. We discuss the similarities and differences with previous studies that examined the effects of experimental situations and populations, and the implications for remote work in the real world.

Facial Self-Touching and the Propagation of COVID-19: The Role of Gloves in the Dental Practice

Background: Despite facial self–touching being a possible source of transmission of SARS–Co–V–2 its role in dental practice has not been studied. Factors such as anxiety symptoms or threat perception of COVID–19 may increase the possibility of contagion. The objective was to compare the impact of control measures, such as gloves or signs in the reduction in facial self–touching. Methods: An intra–subject design was undertaken with 150 adults. The patients’ movements in the waiting room were monitored with Microsoft Kinect software on three occasions: without any control measures, using plastic gloves or using advisory signs against self–touching. Additionally, the participants completed the sub–scale of STAI (State–Anxiety) and the BIP–Q5 (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire); their blood pressure and heart rate were recorded. Results: The lowest incidence of facial self–touching occurred in the experimental situation in which gloves were introduced. The subjects with elevated anxiety symptoms realized more facial self–touching regardless of the control measures. However, the threat perception of COVID–19 is associated negatively with facial self–touching. Conclusions: The use of gloves is a useful control measure in the reduction in facial touching. However, people with anxiety symptoms regardless of whether they have greater threat perception for COVID–19 exhibit more facial touching.

The Impact of Specific Social Factors on Changes in Education in Serbia

The political and economic changes that followed the adoption of the Strategy for the Development of Education in Serbia 2020 essentially betrayed the basic ideas and intentions of the strategy, creating a systematic threat to education and its role in the development of Serbia. This created an almost experimental situation for analysing the impact of political and social factors on changes in education. In the sphere of politics, new trends have emerged (centralisation of power; marginalisation of democratic institutions; encouraging foreign investment in companies with a low technological level, etc.) that strongly influenced changes (‘reforms’) in education (great centralisation in education, the strong influence of politics on education, imposing of some lower-level forms of education, reducing professional autonomy, etc.). The basic mechanism of transferring the general policy to education is changing the role of the most important national institutions in defining and implementing education policy: the National Education Council, the National Council for Vocational and Adult Education, the National Council for Higher Education, and the National Accreditation Body. The adoption of new education laws (2017) radically changed their status and competencies, resulting in a reduction of their independence and professionalism and strengthening the role of the ministry, through which the influence of the ruling political regime is transferred. Also, the role of the Chamber of Commerce in education has been strengthened. Such a system endangers the autonomy of educational institutions and teachers, as well as the quality of education. Consequently, these changes have a clear impact on the country’s development and its international position.

Trait phenomenological control predicts visually evoked auditory response

Up to 40% of people report visually evoked auditory responses (vEARs; for example, ‘hearing’ sounds in response to watching silent videos). We investigate the degree to which vEAR experiences may arise from phenomenological control, i.e. from the way people can control their experience to meet expectancies arising from imaginative suggestion. In the experimental situation, expectancies arise from demand characteristics (cues which communicate beliefs about experimental aims to participants). Trait phenomenological control has been shown to substantially predict experimental measures of changes in ‘embodiment’ experience in which demand characteristics are not controlled (e.g., mirror touch and pain, and experiences of ownership of a fake hand). Here we report substantial relationship between scores on the Phenomenological Control Scale (PCS; a test of direct imaginative suggestion) and vEAR scores (reports of auditory experience for silent videos) which indicate that vEAR experience may be an implicit imaginative suggestion effect. This study demonstrates that relationships of trait phenomenological control with subjective reports about experience are not limited to embodiment and may confound a wide range of measures in psychological science.

Seven Mathematical Models of Hemorrhagic Shock

Although mathematical modelling of pressure-flow dynamics in the cardiocirculatory system has a lengthy history, readily finding the appropriate model for the experimental situation at hand is often a challenge in and of itself. An ideal model would be relatively easy to use and reliable, besides being ethically acceptable. Furthermore, it would address the pathogenic features of the cardiovascular disease that one seeks to investigate. No universally valid model has been identified, even though a host of models have been developed. The object of this review is to describe several of the most relevant mathematical models of the cardiovascular system: the physiological features of circulatory dynamics are explained, and their mathematical formulations are compared. The focus is on the whole-body scale mathematical models that portray the subject’s responses to hypovolemic shock. The models contained in this review differ from one another, both in the mathematical methodology adopted and in the physiological or pathological aspects described. Each model, in fact, mimics different aspects of cardiocirculatory physiology and pathophysiology to varying degrees: some of these models are geared to better understand the mechanisms of vascular hemodynamics, whereas others focus more on disease states so as to develop therapeutic standards of care or to test novel approaches. We will elucidate key issues involved in the modeling of cardiovascular system and its control by reviewing seven of these models developed to address these specific purposes.