Is it possible that playing a video game might help you improve your computational thinking abilities?

In this research, we looked at the cognitive and behavioral effects of playing Penguin Go, a video game that was created to help middle school kids improve their computational thinking (CT) abilities. Apart from the general efficacy of the game, we looked at the effects of a single game feature—constraints on the amount of blocks that may be used in a solution. Students' CT abilities increased dramatically after playing Penguin Go for fewer than two hours, according to the findings, but the extra limits had no meaningful effect on learning. Furthermore, although the game as a whole had no effect on students' views toward computer science, the limitations condition of the game had a detrimental effect on students' attitudes toward computer science. The outcomes of this study, as well as suggested possibilities for future research in the area of employing these sorts of games to build computational thinking abilities, are reviewed.

Comparative assessment of quality of life in chronic spontaneous urticaria receiving second generation anti histamines: A real world study

Objectives: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is correlated with a high detrimental effect on the quality of life (QoL). Antihistamines are the first choice drugs in the management of CSU. QoL is important in the evaluation of the efficacy of antihistamines, as these are the most commonly used in CSU. Materials and Methods: In this comparative, three-arm study, patients with CSU were randomized to standard dose of either bilastine, fexofenadine, or levocetirizine for a period of 4 weeks. Patients were assessed for improvement in their QoL based on chronic urticaria QoL questionnaire (CU-Q2oL) questionnaire and urticaria activity score (UAS). Results: Fifty-eight CSU patients were randomized to bilastine (n = 23), fexofenadine (n = 18) and levocetrizine (n = 17) groups. There was significant improvement in CU-Q2oL and UAS score in all the groups during study period. 83%, 72%, and 65% patients reported improvement in CU-Q2oL score in bilastine, fexofenadine, and levocetrizine group, respectively. Bilastine was associated with significant improvement in CU-Q2oL compared to fexofenadine and levocetrizine (P < 0.05). Mean reduction in UAS score was 86%, 77%, and 68% in bilastine, fexofenadine and levocetrizine group respectively. The difference was statistically insignificant between the groups. The CU-Q2oL total score correlated more strongly (r = 0.62; P = 0.001) with the UAS7 in bilastine group than fexofenadine (r = 0.57; P = 0.01) and levocetrizine groups (r = 0.53; P = 0.02). Conclusion: The results of the study proved that, in CSU patients, QoL was improved significantly with bilastine as compared to fexofenadine and levocetirizine.

Inferences about the effect of lockdowns on mental health require causal identification strategies: A reply to Thornley et al.

This letter responds to another letter in the journal (Thorney et al., 2021). Thornley et al. reported a time series analysis of "parasuicide" cases in New Zealand children and concluded that this time series demonstrates a "clear detrimental effect of COVID-19 lockdown policies on child mental health”. In this letter, we point out four reasons why this conclusion is not justified by the data presented by Thornley et al. [Note: Our letter did not have a formal abstract; this summary was added for the preprint.]

Accumulation of APP-CTF induces mitophagy dysfunction in the iNSCs model of Alzheimer’s disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with familial Alzheimer’s disease (fAD), and the accumulation of damaged mitochondria has been reported as an initial symptom that further contributes to disease progression. In the amyloidogenic pathway, the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is cleaved by β-secretase to generate a C-terminal fragment, which is then cleaved by γ-secretase to produce amyloid-beta (Aβ). The accumulation of Aβ and its detrimental effect on mitochondrial function are well known, yet the amyloid precursor protein-derived C-terminal fragments (APP-CTFs) contributing to this pathology have rarely been reported. We demonstrated the effects of APP-CTFs-related pathology using induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) from AD patient-derived fibroblasts. APP-CTFs accumulation was demonstrated to mainly occur within mitochondrial domains and to be both a cause and a consequence of mitochondrial dysfunction. APP-CTFs accumulation also resulted in mitophagy failure, as validated by increased LC3-II and p62 and inconsistent PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1)/E3 ubiquitin ligase (Parkin) recruitment to mitochondria and failed fusion of mitochondria and lysosomes. The accumulation of APP-CTFs and the causality of impaired mitophagy function were also verified in AD patient-iNSCs. Furthermore, we confirmed this pathological loop in presenilin knockout iNSCs (PSEN KO-iNSCs) because APP-CTFs accumulation is due to γ-secretase blockage and similarly occurs in presenilin-deficient cells. In the present work, we report that the contribution of APP-CTFs accumulation is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy failure in AD patient-iNSCs as well as PSEN KO-iNSCs.

COVID-19 impact on routine immunisations for vaccine-preventable diseases: Projecting the effect of different routes to recovery

Introduction: Over the past two decades, vaccination programmes for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) have expanded across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, the rise of COVID-19 resulted in global disruption to routine immunisation (RI) activities. Such disruptions could have a detrimental effect on public health, leading to more deaths from VPDs, particularly without mitigation efforts. Hence, as RIs resume, it is important to estimate the effectiveness of different approaches for recovery. Methods: We apply an impact extrapolation method developed by the Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium to estimate the impact of COVID-19-related disruptions with different recovery scenarios for ten VPDs across 112 LMICs. We focus on deaths averted due to RIs occurring in the years 2020- 2030 and investigate two recovery scenarios relative to a no-COVID-19 scenario. In the recovery scenarios, we assume a 10% COVID-19-related drop in RI coverage in the year 2020. We then linearly interpolate coverage to the year 2030 to investigate two routes to recovery, whereby the immunization agenda (IA2030) targets are reached by 2030 or fall short by 10%. Results: We estimate that falling short of the IA2030 targets by 10% leads to 11.26% fewer fully vaccinated persons (FVPs) and 11.34% more deaths over the years 2020-2030 relative to the noCOVID-19 scenario, whereas, reaching the IA2030 targets reduces these proportions to 5% fewer FVPs and 5.22% more deaths. The impact of the disruption varies across the VPDs with diseases where coverage expands drastically in future years facing a smaller detrimental effect. Conclusion: Overall, our results show that drops in RI coverage could result in more deaths due to VPDs. As the impact of COVID-19-related disruptions is dependent on the vaccination coverage that is achieved over the coming years, the continued efforts of building up coverage and addressing gaps in immunity are vital in the road to recovery.

The Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals' and Couples' Sexuality

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions significantly impacted individuals' health, wellbeing, and security. Isolation, limitation of movement, social distancing, and forced cohabiting have had a strong influence on all areas of people's lives as well as on their sexuality. Investigating how the COVID-19 outbreak and its consequences impacted people's sexuality was the primary aim of this review. Particularly, we focused on: (1) the variables associated with the improvement or the deterioration of individuals' and couples' lives during the pandemic; (2) the use of sex as a coping strategy; (3) the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on LGBT people. Results have shown that the worsening of sexual life seems to be related to couples' conflict, emotions and psychological difficulties, being female, being single or away from the partner, being a health care worker, and having children. Moreover, a detrimental effect on sexuality was associated with stress, forced cohabitation, routine, anxiety and worry about the job and the pandemic, feeling partner distance, being unhappy with their partner, and lack of privacy. On the other hand, improvements in sexuality were associated with living happily with a partner, being happy and satisfied with a partner, feeling less stressed and more bored, having more free time, having fewer recreation opportunities, and having minor workload. During the pandemic, there was an increase in using sex toys, pornography consumption, masturbating, and trying sexual experimentations. Among LGBT people, an increase was found in the number of casual sexual partners potentially due to the perceived lower likelihood of transmission through sex. Moreover, the increase in sexual activity may have represented a coping strategy to quarantine-related distress.

Assessment of farmers knowledge and perception towards the usage of sugarcane trash and environmental safety

Purpose In Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, open field burning of sugarcane trash (ST) is a major concern. This pollutes the environment, loses energy, and has a detrimental effect on biodiversity. As a result, a study was conducted to learn more about the underlying cause of sugarcane trash burning. MethodsThe face-to-face interview of 186 sugarcane growers were carried in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra (India). The impact of age and education on behavior of farmers towards the usage of sugarcane trash were analyzed with help of M.S Excel, and Past-3 software and Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) model. ResultsThe age and education has non-significant effect on burning of sugarcane trash even though at 10% level of significance. The 61.12 % farmers burn the sugarcane trash in the field, whereas 38.70 % used for other purposes. The farmers (95.69 %) are very well know that burning of sugarcane trash has a detrimental effect on the environment. The 80 % farmers reported fear of rats, snakes and scorpion to use sugarcane trash as mulch in field as well as 42 % farmers reported burning of sugarcane trash in field has benefits. Conclusions The study revealed that farmers have knowledge and understanding on how to use sugarcane trash for benefits but due to utilization barriers they burned the sugarcane trash in the field. There is need a robust policy as well as extension activity to address this issue.

The Impact of Corruption On Economic Growth: A Nonlinear Evidence

Several cross-country studies have found that corruption slows growth, but these findings are not universally robust. Therefore, the questions to be addressed are to what extent corruption can be tolerated and at what threshold it has a detrimental effect on an economy.This article investigates the impact of corruption on economic growth by testing the hypothesis that the relationship between these two variables is nonlinear. In this article, a panel data analysis has been used to examine 65 countries over the 1987 to 2018 period. Our findings are that corruption can have a positive effect on growth. The results indicate that beyond an optimal threshold, both high and low corruption levels can decrease economic growth. Under this optimal threshold, a moderate level of corruption, defined by the point of reversal of the curve of the marginal corruption effect on growth, could have advantages for economic growth.JEL: B23, C51, D73, O47.

Antioxidant for Neurological Diseases and Neurotrauma and Bioengineering Approaches

Antioxidants are a class of molecules with an innate affinity to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are known to cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been associated with a wide range of diseases mediated by physiological damage to the cells. ROS play both beneficial and detrimental roles in human physiology depending on their overall concentration. ROS are an inevitable byproduct of the normal functioning of cells, which are produced as a result of the mitochondrial respiration process. Since the establishment of the detrimental effect of oxidative stress in neurological disorders and neurotrauma, there has been growing interest in exploring antioxidants to rescue remaining or surviving cells and reverse the neurological damage. In this review, we present the survey of different antioxidants studied in neurological applications including neurotrauma. We also delve into bioengineering approaches developed to deliver antioxidants to improve their cellular uptake in neurological applications.