Opin vísindi

 

Nýlega bætt við

Verk
The experiences and engagement patterns of young adults who regularly view gambling livestreams : a qualitative interview study
(2026) Hughes, Chelsea; Torrance, Jamie; Dymond, Simon; Dighton, Glen; Department of Psychology
Background: Gambling livestreams, where content creators broadcast themselves engaging with various gambling products, represent an emergent form of both digital entertainment and gambling promotion. Research has recently begun to highlight the motivations for viewership and its associations with gambling behavior/severity. However, qualitative inquiry into engagement experiences and ascribed value is needed to extend existing findings and provide deeper insights into the underlying processes that drive viewership. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 young adults from the UK who regularly viewed gambling livestreams. The interviews addressed experiences of gambling livestreams, motivations for viewership, structural feature engagement, and perceived impacts. Qualitative data were audio recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed via an interpretivist epistemology. Results: Three main themes were identified: ‘Social experiences and vicarious excitement’ highlighted how viewers were drawn to gambling streamers’ personalities via parasocial relationships. Thrills were derived from streams that broadcasted high stakes gambling scenarios. ‘Interactivity and building loyalty’ revealed how gamified structural characteristics transformed passive viewing into active community-based participation during livestreams. ‘The urge and harm paradox’ demonstrated participants using livestreams to reduce gambling urges while simultaneously experiencing heightened urges to gamble. Increased gambling participation was reported as a result of gambling livestream viewership and streamers’ deceptive marketing tactics were recognized. Conclusions: Gambling livestreams are highly valued among those who regularly view them. They represent a complex digital phenomenon that simultaneously entertains and potentially harms audiences. These findings emphasize the need for broader regulatory frameworks and protective measures to address the emerging risks posed by digital gambling landscapes.
Verk
The Paradoxical Effect of Cannabis Use on Cognition in Chronic Psychotic Disorders
(2026-01-27) Gorea, Fiorela; Pelle, Martina; Fiori Nastro, Federico; Gelormini, Carmine; Elezi, Fatime; Ribolsi, Michele; Di Lorenzo, Giorgio; Department of Engineering
Background/Objectives: Cannabis use has a particularly high prevalence in individuals with psychotic disorders. Although cannabis use is generally associated with cognitive impairments in the general population, its impact on cognition in psychosis remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association between cannabis use and cognitive performance in a cohort of individuals affected by psychotic disorders. Methods: A total of 105 inpatients with psychotic disorders (mean age: 40.3 years; 34 females) were recruited from the University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” in Tirana. Data collection included socio-demographic and clinical variables. Cognitive functioning was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), while psychopathology was assessed with the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS), and the Scale for the Assessment of Thought, Language, and Communication (TLC). Results: Cannabis users (CU) were more frequently male, younger, and exhibited an earlier onset of psychosis compared to non-users (No-CU). Importantly, CU demonstrated higher MoCA scores, with the most favorable outcomes observed among daily users. Conclusions: Contrary to the prevailing assumption that cannabis use exacerbates cognitive decline, our findings indicate an unexpected association between cannabis use and preserved cognitive functioning in psychosis. These results underscore the need to consider dosage, frequency, and cannabinoid composition (THC/CBD ratio) when interpreting cannabis-related cognitive outcomes in psychotic disorders.
Verk
The Acute Effect of Methylphenidate Ingestion in a Visuomotor Task at Absolute Power Alpha in Healthy Subjects
(2026-02-01) Lourenço, Vinicius; Amoroso, Carlos; Vicente, Renan; Azevedo, André; Nicoliche, Eduardo; Velasques, Bruna; Nobre, Marcelo; Cagy, Mauricio; Ribeiro, Pedro; Budde, Henning; Vasconcelos, Alex; Fonseca, Renato; Zanchetta, Giovanna; Orsini, Marco; MacHado, Marcos; Barreto, Sávio; Teixeira, Silmar; Bastos, Victor Hugo; Marinho, Francisco Victor; Fernandes, Isabelle; Nardi, Egídio
Background Methylphenidate (MPH) is a psychostimulant widely used to enhance attention and executive functions through increased dopaminergic and noradrenergic transmission. Although its effects on cognitive performance are well documented, its acute influence on cortical oscillatory activity, particularly α power, during tasks requiring simultaneous motor and cognitive processing remains poorly understood in healthy adults. Objective To investigate the acute effects of 10 mg MPH on absolute α power (8-12 Hz) in frontal regions during a visuomotor task in healthy subjects. Methods A total of 13 right-handed healthy adults (7 men; age 25.6 ± 4.5 years) participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. A 20-channel electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded before and after execution of the MIRA visuomotor task (joystick response when a moving target crosses a previously memorized position) under placebo and MPH (10 mg) conditions, with sessions 1 week apart. Absolute α power was compared using two-way ANOVA (condition vs. moment: pre- vs. post-joystick press), followed by paired t -tests when appropriate. Results Significant condition versus moment interactions were observed at F3 (p = 0.006), F4 (p = 0.003), and F8 (p = 0.023). The main effects of condition and/or moment occurred at Fp1, Fp2, and Fz (all p < 0.05). The use of MPH attenuated or reversed the typical task-related α desynchronization seen under placebo, especially in right frontal regions. Conclusion A single 10 mg dose of MPH homogeneously modulates frontal α power during a visuomotor task, promoting sustained cortical activation. This paradigm emerges as a sensitive tool for studying motor-cognitive coupling and may contribute to understanding MPH mechanisms in both healthy and clinical populations.
Verk
Terahertz metamaterial-based perfect absorber biosensor with AI integration and multiband double-negative response for early non-melanoma skin cancer detection
(2026-03-01) Hamza, Musa N.; Alibakhshikenari, Mohammad; Virdee, Bal; Jayanthi, Renu Karthick Rajaguru; Lavadiya, Sunil; Din, Iftikhar ud; Sanches, Bruno; Koziel, Slawomir; Panda, Abinash; Farmani, Ali; Mezache, Zinelabiddine; Shamsan, Zaid Ahmed; Zakeri, Hassan; Hung, Tran Huy; Department of Engineering
This paper presents a multiband terahertz metamaterial-based biosensor designed as a perfect absorber for the early detection of non-melanoma skin cancer. The proposed structure integrates a meticulously engineered multilayer architecture that achieves simultaneous negative permittivity, permeability, and refractive index (double-negative response) within the 0–5 THz range. Unlike conventional terahertz sensors that rely on one or two resonances, our design produces approximately twenty high-Q absorption peaks, with eleven exceeding 95%, four exceeding 97%, and two surpassing 99% absorption. These dense resonances enhance field localization and increase sensitivity to dielectric variations in biological tissue. Numerical simulation demonstrates a sensitivity of 629.95 THz/RIU and a figure of merit of 15,179.59 RIU−1, significantly outperforming existing metamaterial biosensors. To further improve diagnostic capability, a broadband spectral-analysis framework is incorporated to analyze the full terahertz spectral response using Euclidean distance, mean squared error, and correlation metrics. The Spectral classification framework reliably distinguishes between healthy and cancerous tissue profiles, enabling an automated and robust detection. The biosensor's performance is further validated by incorporating it into a microwave imaging system, which provides spatial confirmation of cancerous tissue. These results establish the proposed device as a compact, high-resolution, and non-invasive platform for the early diagnosis of non-melanoma skin cancer.
Verk
Success Conditions for Sustainable Geothermal Power Development in East Africa : Lessons Learned
(2026-02) Ingason, Helgi Thor; Fridgeirsson, Thordur Vikingur; Department of Engineering
Geothermal energy is a crucial component of climate adaptation and sustainability transitions, as it provides a dependable, low-carbon source of baseload power that can accelerate sustainable energy transitions and enhance climate resilience. Yet, in East Africa—one of the world’s most promising geothermal regions, with the East African Rift—a unique climate-energy opportunity zone—the harnessing of geothermal power remains slow and uneven. This study examines the contextual conditions that facilitate the successful and sustainable development of geothermal power in the region. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 17 experienced professionals who have worked extensively on geothermal projects across East Africa, the analysis identifies how technical, institutional, managerial, and relational circumstances interact to shape outcomes. The findings indicate an interdependent configuration of success conditions, with structural, institutional, managerial, and meta-conditions jointly influencing project trajectories rather than operating in isolation. The most frequently emphasised enablers were resource confirmation and technical design, leadership and team competence, long-term stakeholder commitment, professional project management and control, and collaboration across institutions and communities. A co-occurrence analysis reinforces these insights by showing strong patterns of overlap between core domains—particularly between structural and managerial factors and between managerial and meta-conditions, highlighting the mediating role of managerial capability in translating contextual conditions into operational performance. Together, these interrelated circumstances form a system in which structural and institutional foundations create the enabling context, managerial capabilities operationalise this context under uncertainty, and meta-conditions sustain cooperation, learning, and adaptation over time. The study contributes to sustainability research by providing a context-sensitive interpretation of how project success conditions manifest in geothermal development under climate transition pressures, and it offers practical guidance for policymakers and partners working to advance SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) in Africa.

Flokkar í Opnum vísindum

Veldu flokk til að skoða.

Niðurstöður 1 - 9 af 9

Öll gögn í Opnum vísindum eru vernduð af ákvæðum höfundalaga og með öllum réttindum áskildum, nema annað sé tekið fram.