Comparing Students' Critical Thinking by Using the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy in Online and Face-to-Face Class Formats of Organic Chemistry

The purpose of this study is to compare critical thinking in online and face-to-face formats in an organic chemistry course and report the cognitive dimensions of revised Bloom's taxonomy. The sample used in this research was a 31 students group of grade 12 students at the Demonstration School of Ramkhamhaeng University, Thailand, in the academic year 2021, semester 2. The students took the online (N = 14) and face-to-face (N = 17) formats and were required to fill out an instrument designed to evaluate critical thinking skills in March 2022. The tools used for the test had 50 items, and 4 choices, with a confidence value of 0.83. The result shows that the face-to-face student has higher critical thinking scores than the online students along the highest cognitive dimensions;on the other hand, face-to-face and online formats did not affect remembering, understanding, and applying levels. These formats are effective for analysis, evaluation, and creation, the student's face-to-face has more of an analysis and evaluation level than the student's online. In contrast, online students have a more creative level than face-to-face students. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Aptamer-Capped Nanoporous Anodic Alumina for SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Detection

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2019, has highlighted the importance of testing and tracking infected individuals as a means of mitigating the spread of the virus. In this context, the development of sensitive and rapid methods for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is crucial. Here, a biosensor based on oligonucleotide-gated nanomaterials for the specific detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is presented. The sensing system consists of a nanoporous anodic alumina disk loaded with the fluorescent indicator rhodamine B and capped with a DNA aptamer that selectively binds the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The system is initially evaluated using pseudotype virus systems based on vesicular stomatitis virus carrying different SARS-CoV-2 S-proteins on their surface. When the pseudotype virus is present, the cap of the solid is selectively removed, triggering the release of the dye from the pore voids to the medium. The nanodevice demonstrated its ability to detect pseudotype virus concentrations as low as 7.5·103 PFU mL. In addition, the nanodevice is tested on nasopharyngeal samples from individuals suspected of having COVID-19. © 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials Technologies published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

BARCELONA’S GREENING PARADOX AS AN EMERGING GLOBAL CITY AND TOURISM DESTINATION

Following an ambitious urban renewal program that began in the late 1980s, Barcelona has become a major tourism destination in the Mediterranean. As an emerging global city, planners in Barcelona today are greening the city through park improvements, street re-designs and street traffic-calming initiatives. While striving to provide locals with green amenities, these beautification projects have also produced unexpected consequences, as they bring in more visitors and accelerate gentrification. Currently, few city greening projects can avoid discussions of gentrification, and neighborhood groups have begun to organize in opposition to the touristification that has made their neighborhoods unaffordable and/or exclusive. While the current COVID-19 pandemic has drastically reduced the number of visitors to Barcelona-producing a new experience for local residents-the impacts on local street life, public space, housing and gentrification trends remain uncertain. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Isabelle Anguelovski and James J. T. Connolly.

Interplay Between Risk Perception, Behavior, and COVID-19 Spread

Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been crucial for controlling COVID-19. They are complemented by voluntary health-protective behavior, building a complex interplay between risk perception, behavior, and disease spread. We studied how voluntary health-protective behavior and vaccination willingness impact the long-term dynamics. We analyzed how different levels of mandatory NPIs determine how individuals use their leeway for voluntary actions. If mandatory NPIs are too weak, COVID-19 incidence will surge, implying high morbidity and mortality before individuals react;if they are too strong, one expects a rebound wave once restrictions are lifted, challenging the transition to endemicity. Conversely, moderate mandatory NPIs give individuals time and room to adapt their level of caution, mitigating disease spread effectively. When complemented with high vaccination rates, this also offers a robust way to limit the impacts of the Omicron variant of concern. Altogether, our work highlights the importance of appropriate mandatory NPIs to maximise the impact of individual voluntary actions in pandemic control. Copyright © 2022 Dönges, Wagner, Contreras, Iftekhar, Bauer, Mohr, Dehning, Calero Valdez, Kretzschmar, Mäs, Nagel and Priesemann.