Structure and thermal behavior of zirconium tungstate under heating

The morphology and properties of powders ZrW2O7(OH)[2]•2H[2]O and ZrW[2]O[8], obtained under the conditions of hydrothermal synthesis was studied. Using the high-temperature X-ray analysis, the mechanism of formation of zirconium tungstate was established. The influence of temperature on the structure and properties of materials was studied using shadow-casting method

Effect of Parathion-Methyl on Amazonian fish and freshwater invertebrates: a comparison of sensitivity with temperate data.

Parathion-methyl is an organophosphorous insecticide that is widely used in agricultural production sites in the Amazon. The use of this pesticide might pose a potential risk for the biodiversity and abundance of fish and invertebrate species inhabiting aquatic ecosystems adjacent to the agricultural fields. Due to a lack of toxicity data for Amazonian species, safe environmental concentrations used to predict the ecological risks of parathion-methyl in the Amazon are based on tests performed with temperate species, although it is unknown whether the sensitivity of temperate species is representative for those of Amazonian endemic species

Молдавская идентичность в начале XXI в.: реалии и перспективы

Территория между Прутом и Днестром, названная позже Бессарабией, была присоединена к Российской империи в результате русско-турецкой войны 1806-1812 гг. согласно Бухарестскому мирному договору (16(28) мая 1812 г.)

Communication, Social Norms, and the Intention to Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19

Social norms are a promising factor for pandemic control, as they motivate people to engage in preventive behaviours. However, little is known about the influence of perceived social norms on the intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and the role of communication in shaping such normative perceptions. Moreover, despite the pandemic’s global scale, a cross-cultural perspective is scant in research on Covid-19 preventive behaviour. The present study examined the relationships between communication (i.e., attention to mass media and social media), social norms (i.e., perceived norms in the population and personal environment), and people’s intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 using a cross-national survey in Singapore (N = 998) and Switzerland (N = 1,022). Multigroup structural equation modelling revealed that attention to mass media was positively correlated with perceived norms in both countries, whereas attention to social media was correlated with normative perceptions only in Singapore. Normative perceptions regarding the population and personal environment were positively correlated with vaccination intention in Singapore. However, in Switzerland, only perceived norms in the personal environment were positively related to vaccination intention. The results are discussed against the background of both countries’ media systems and cultural values (i.e., individualism/collectivism) and are instructive for norms-based interventions in times of crises

Needs assessment to strengthen capacity in water and sanitation research in Africa:experiences of the African SNOWS consortium

Despite its contribution to global disease burden, diarrhoeal disease is still a relatively neglected area for research funding, especially in low-income country settings. The SNOWS consortium (Scientists Networked for Outcomes from Water and Sanitation) is funded by the Wellcome Trust under an initiative to build the necessary research skills in Africa. This paper focuses on the research training needs of the consortium as identified during the first three years of the project

Communication, Social Norms, and the Intention to Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19

Social norms are a promising factor for pandemic control, as they motivate people to engage in preventive behaviours. However, little is known about the influence of perceived social norms on the intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and the role of communication in shaping such normative perceptions. Moreover, despite the pandemic’s global scale, a cross-cultural perspective is scant in research on Covid-19 preventive behaviour. The present study examined the relationships between communication (i.e., attention to mass media and social media), social norms (i.e., perceived norms in the population and personal environment), and people’s intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 using a cross-national survey in Singapore (N = 998) and Switzerland (N = 1,022). Multigroup structural equation modelling revealed that attention to mass media was positively correlated with perceived norms in both countries, whereas attention to social media was correlated with normative perceptions only in Singapore. Normative perceptions regarding the population and personal environment were positively correlated with vaccination intention in Singapore. However, in Switzerland, only perceived norms in the personal environment were positively related to vaccination intention. The results are discussed against the background of both countries’ media systems and cultural values (i.e., individualism/collectivism) and are instructive for norms-based interventions in times of crises

Patterns of Sympathetic Responses Induced by Different Stress Tasks

Stress tasks are used to induce sympathetic nervous system (SNS) arousal. However, the efficacy and the patterns of SNS activation have not been systematically compared between different tasks

Facilitating Transitions: Postmortem Processing of the Dead at the Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Complex, Ireland (3500–3000 cal. B.C.)

This study explores the burial practices and secondary funerary rites at the Carrowkeel Neolithic passage tomb complex in County Sligo in northwest Ireland. An osteological and taphonomic reassessment of cremated and unburned human bones recovered from the complex during an archaeological excavation more than a century ago has produced significant new insights into how the people of Carrowkeel perceived death and how they maintained and manifested social links with their ancestors. In addition to the rite of cremation, a complex postmortem burial practice is further attested by the presence of cut marks on several of the unburned bones, which indicate that the bodies of the dead were dismembered before they were placed in the tombs. It is argued that both cremation and dismemberment (and possible defleshing) may have been physical expressions of similar objectives, relating to excarnation and removal of flesh from the bodies of the deceased. Processing the bodies and thereby assisting the dead to transcend to an extra-bodily realm of existence may have been the main focus of the burial rite. The passage tombs at Carrowkeel should perhaps be viewed as places of curation, transformation, and regeneration of enduring ancestors that enabled both a physical and spiritual interaction with the dead and allowed for their omnipresence among the living

Gene editing and small molecule inhibitors of the RNA binding protein IGF2BP2/IMP2 show its potential as an anti-cancer drug target

Background: The RNA-binding protein IGF2BP2/IMP2/VICKZ2/p62 is an oncofetal protein that is overexpressed in several cancer entities. Employing IMP2 knockout colorectal cancer cells, we could show the important role of IMP2 in several hallmarks of cancer. This study aimed to functionally characterize IMP2 in lung (A549, LLC1) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2, Huh7) cell lines to assess its role as a potential target for these cancer entities. Methods: IMP2 knockouts were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 and its variant approach prime editing; the editing efficiency of two single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) was verified via next-generation sequencing. We studied the effect of IMP2 knockout on cell proliferation, colony formation, and migration and employed small-molecule inhibitors of IMP2. Results: Despite multiple attempts, it was not possible to generate IMP2 biallelic knockouts in A549 and Huh7 cells. Both sgRNAs showed good editing efficiency. However, edited cells lost their ability to proliferate. The attempt to generate an IMP2 biallelic knockout in LLC1 cells using CRISPR/Cas9 was successful. Monoallelic knockout cell lines of IMP2 showed a reduction in 2D cell proliferation and reduced migration. In 3D cultures, a change in morphology from compact spheroids to loose aggregates and a distinct reduction in the colony formation ability of the IMP2 knockouts was observed, an effect that was mimicked by previously identified IMP2 inhibitor compounds that also showed an inhibitory effect on colony formation. Conclusions: Our in vitro target validation supports that IMP2 is essential for tumor cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation in several cancer entities