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Classification and cross-site prediction of PM2.5 chemical composition patterns using a machine learning framework

Choices and options in the care procurement process of bundled payment contracts: A literature-based overview from a payer’s perspective

Context While the potential of bundled payment models to facilitate value-based care is hard to overestimate, the complexity of designing an effective and feasible care procurement contract forms a formidable barrier to their use. The objective of this study is to identify, structure, and interpret the key design choices and options during the care procurement process of bundled payment contracts using a payer’s perspective. Methods Two reviewers independently conducted an iterative qualitative content analysis of a selectively sampled set of articles from a prior scoping review. First, they extracted and clustered all text excerpts about design choices or options relevant to a bundled payment procurement process. Where available, they assessed the potential impact of choosing that option. Second, the choices and options were analytically organized into six phases of a care procurement process. Third, the resulting framework was evaluated in an external expert panel session. Findings 33 design choices with 110 unique options were identified and structured within a framework. An example of a design choice is to ‘determine the method to select care and cost to include in the bundle,’ in which case 4 options were identified: 1. based on historic claims data, 2. based on best-practices and/or local care pathways, 3. based on evidence-based clinical guidelines, and 4. based on the provider type or specialism that is willing to collaborate. Conclusions This study helps understand how design choices for payers to purchase value-based care with bundled payment contracts are context-dependent (e.g., in a single-payer system options are different than in a multi-payer system), interchangeable (i.e., different choices can achieve similar effects) and/or interrelated (i.e., choosing one option can have a positive or negative impact on the options in other procurement phases). The framework assists payers (and providers) in developing an effective and feasible bundled payment contract.

Ultrafast multi-wavelength photosensitive memristive synapses based on (111)-oriented FAPbI3 for fusion neuromorphic visual perception

Neuromorphic visual perception requires photosensitive memristive synapses that combine ultrafast response, wavelength selectivity, and long-term operational stability. Here, we report photosensitive memristive synapses based on preferentially (111)-oriented FAPbI3 films, which exhibit robust structural stability, suppressed defect density, and extended carrier lifetime. Photosensitive memristive devices fabricated with these films demonstrate reliable resistive switching under electrical modulation and an ultrafast optical response down to ∼20 ns while emulating essential synaptic functions, including excitatory postsynaptic current, paired-pulse facilitation, and reversible long-term potentiation and depression. Benefiting from intrinsic wavelength-dependent synaptic responses, the devices enable wavelength-encoded optical OR logic operations and encrypted dual-channel optical communication, realizing direct neuromorphic processing of spectrally multiplexed optical signals. At the system level, multi-band fusion perception based on intrinsic multi-wavelength synaptic integration outperforms wavelength-selective perception in both classification accuracy and convergence speed. These results establish (111)-oriented FAPbI3 photosensitive memristive synapses as a robust and scalable hardware platform for ultrafast, stable, and spectrally integrated neuromorphic visual perception.

Chemical composition of essential oil from Lavandula dentata L. to control citrus aphids selectively

Organized community sport participation for children and youth with physical disability: A scoping review protocol

Children and youth living with physical disability have less opportunities to participate in organized meaningful physical activities in their communities than their typically developing peers. Equitable access to community sport programs that aim to support the health, social participation, and well-being of these children and youth is required. Frameworks for program implementation and evaluation offer practical tools for supporting quality participation. Limited research exists demonstrating the practical application of these conceptual model frameworks. The objective of this scoping review is to identify evidence of evaluation of organized community sport participation opportunities for children and youth with physical disabilities through the lens of the RE-AIM and Quality Parasport Participation Frameworks. This review will consider studies that explore organized community-based sport participation for children and youth up to 25 years with physical disability without limitation to specific geographic area. Children and youth with only a cognitive or intellectual disability, or the absence of a physical disability, will be excluded. The databases to be searched include MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), SportDiscus (EBSCO), CINAHL (EBSCO), PEDro, Global Index Medicus and Google Scholar. Sources of grey literature will also be searched. Anticipated limitations are the exclusion of clinical intervention trials and the exclusion of unorganized sport. The latter may limit cultural relevance and global scope, as informal sports could dominate in this context and be underrepresented in the literature. Languages will also be restricted to English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. No publication date restrictions will be placed on the search. Two independent reviewers will perform title and abstract screening, and retrieval and assessment of full-text citations. Any disagreements that arise between the reviewers at each stage of the selection process will be resolved through discussion or with a third reviewer. A narrative synthesis of the results will be presented in conjunction with a tabular and/or graphic format.

Network modeling of yield-stress fluid flow in randomly disordered porous media

Yield-stress fluid flow through porous media is governed by a strong coupling between rheology and pore-scale geometry, leading to nonlinear, non-Darcy transport and pronounced channelization near yielding. We develop a pore-network model for Herschel–Bulkley flow in two-dimensional disordered porous media, including optional wall slip. The network is closed by a physics-based pressure–flow relation for a converging–diverging throat, so that yielding and post-yield transport emerge directly from the pore-scale fluid mechanics without fitted resistance parameters. Benchmarking against direct numerical simulations shows that the model captures both the bulk pressure drop and the evolution of the flow topology from spatially distributed transport to strongly channelized flow. The framework also captures the leading effect of wall slip, which lowers the pressure gradient required for transport and reactivates pathways that remain blocked in the no-slip case. Using the model across different porous geometries, we show that near-yield pressure losses are governed by constriction statistics rather than by an obstacle-scale length. In particular, rescaling with the domain-averaged minimum throat width collapses the plastic-dominated response across porosities, identifying the dissipation-relevant geometric scale for viscoplastic transport in this regime.

Biochar and zeolite as carriers of PGPB strains: impact on the physiology, productivity and quality characteristics of industrial tomato

The ARGO dataset: Annotated and delineated intracardiac electrograms of post-ischemic ventricular tachycardia

The identification of abnormal ventricular potentials (AVPs) in intracardiac electrograms of post-ischemic ventricular tachycardia patients is challenging, and the development of automated tools is hampered by the lack of annotated benchmarking datasets. This work presents the ARGO dataset, the first open-access collection of manually annotated left-ventricle post-ischemic ventricular tachycardia electrograms. The dataset includes 1962 signals from nine patients, including unipolar and bipolar electrograms, 12-lead surface ECGs, and the local activation time and voltage maps, with annotations of the bipolar EGMs in terms of their nature (i.e., Physiological, AVP, or Unknown) and the delineation of the onset/end of the AVPs. The annotation is the result of three independent annotations by as many expert electrophysiologists, including a final consensus, for enhanced reliability and accuracy of the dataset. Leveraging good inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, the proposed validation analysis also provides quantitative estimates of the tolerance associated with AVP delineation error. Even considering the limitations of the proposed dataset affecting generalizability, ARGO provides a unique resource to support the development and validation of computational tools for AVP identification and characterization.

Galectin-3 Regulates Smooth Muscle Contraction and Blood Pressure by Modulating Ca _V 1.2 Channel Function

BACKGROUND: Fine-tuning of Ca V 1.2 calcium channel activity by binding proteins represents a novel mechanism for regulating smooth muscle contraction and blood pressure (BP). This study aimed to elucidate the role of Gal-3 (galectin-3), a newly identified Ca V 1.2-binding protein, in the pathogenesis of hypertension. METHODS: In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments involving molecular and biochemical assays, in silico prediction, patch-clamp electrophysiologic recordings, immunohistochemistry, pressure myography, and tail-cuff BP measurements were used to evaluate the molecular mechanisms by which Gal-3 binds to and elevates membrane insertion of Ca V 1.2 channels. The experiments were performed in transfected HEK 293 cells, isolated smooth muscle cells, and arteries from smooth muscle–specific Gal-3 knockout mice and their wild-type littermates; spontaneously hypertensive rats; or human patients. In vivo experiments involving delivery of the blocking iGal3BP (inhibitory galectin-3–binding peptide) into spontaneously hypertensive rats were performed to investigate its effect on BP. RESULTS: We identified Gal-3 as a novel binding partner and unexpected positive modulator of the Ca V 1.2 channel through binding to the intracellular II-III loop. Gal-3 increased total and surface expression, current density, and open probability of Ca V 1.2 channels. Both Ca V 1.2 and Gal-3 were upregulated in hypertensive rat aortas and human pulmonary arteries. Conditional deletion of Gal-3 in smooth muscle significantly lowered Ca V 1.2 protein and BP in mice. With specific binding sites identified within both Gal-3 and the Ca V 1.2 II-III loop, the peptide iGal3BP, designed to block Ca V 1.2–Gal-3 interaction, significantly reduced BP in spontaneously hypertensive rats by decreasing Ca V 1.2 protein expression. Repeated iGal3BP administration resulted in cumulative peptide accumulation in mesenteric arteries and produced a sustained reduction in BP, which demonstrated greater long-lasting antihypertensive efficacy compared with amlodipine and losartan. Administration of iGal3BP in combination with a negative modulatory Gal-1 mimetic peptide that mimics Gal-1–Ca V 1.2 interaction returned systolic BP to normotensive levels within 4 hours and lowered BP in hypertensive rats in a sustained manner for 35 days. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide strong evidence that Gal-based Ca V 1.2 channel modulators are novel therapeutic pathways for normalizing BP.

Multi-modal three-dimensional observation of unknown morphology of Ni4Ti3 and NiTi2 precipitates in NiTi shape memory alloy

Characterizing the 3D morphology of nano- and micro-scale precipitates in metallic materials remains challenging. By combining 3D focused ion beam imaging with nondestructive synchrotron x-ray ptychographic tomography, this study pioneers a multi-modal imaging approach that unveils the 3D morphology of NiTi2 precipitates and a previously unknown cross-linked network of Ni4Ti3 precipitates in the nickel–titanium alloys, achieving a spatial resolution of 52 nm. Key discoveries challenge long-standing assumptions: Ni4Ti3 precipitates can form a network rather than isolated ellipsoids through three distinct cross-linking modes. Their shapes are not perfectly lenticular due to overlapping stress fields and loss of coherency. The 3D morphology of NiTi2 precipitates shows that they are primarily spherical and governed by interfacial energy minimization. The competitive growth mechanisms are captured via phase field simulation. These insights deepen the understanding of precipitate growth in NiTi alloys and establish a new paradigm for 3D microstructural imaging.

Bioactivity and textile dyeing potential of pigments produced by Arcopilus cupreus T8

Assessing body position through experimental cremation: A pilot study using colorimetry and FTIR-ATR analyses

This pilot study evaluates the feasibility and limitations of a multi-proxy approach for identifying potential indicators of horizontal positioning in cremated heads from archaeological, and to a lesser extent, forensic contexts. Two outdoor experimental cremations using fleshed and dry pig crania were conducted to evaluate the influence of pre-burning condition, vertical placement within the pyre and pyre dynamics on the expression of lateralised burning patterns. Combining macroscopic observations, fragmentation, colorimetric and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) mode, our preliminary observations suggest that lateralised differences in thermal exposure may be detectable under certain conditions. Significant differences (p-value < 0.005) were found between direct contact areas and indirect contact areas, with direct contact regions exhibiting lighter colouration and greater calcination. Higher crystallinity (IRSF) was also noted in direct contact areas, especially for the head placed on top of the pyre (Head 1). Inner surfaces consistently retained darker hues, indicating tissue shielding effects. Fleshed and dry elements also behaved differently: the dry cranium was less fragmented and with a more homogeneous colouration. As a small-scale experiment involving heterogeneous specimens and variable pyre dynamics, this study does not attempt to reconstruct body position but instead identifies methodological variables with potential for future replicated research. These preliminary results support the value of combining multi-proxy analyses such as colorimetry and FTIR-ATR for detecting specific burning patterns and inferring body position in cremation studies and provide a starting point for the refinement of methodology in future experimental works.

Vertical r-GeO2 Schottky barrier diodes on single-crystal r-GeO2 substrates

In this work, we report on the electrical characterization of vertical r-GeO2 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) fabricated on low-doped single-crystal r-GeO2 substrates using Ni-based Schottky contacts. Capacitance–voltage analysis reveals a donor concentration of 2.1 × 1017 cm−3 as well as a built-in potential of 1.7 V. The devices exhibit excellent rectification with an on/off current ratio exceeding 1010 at ±3 V, a turn-on voltage of ∼1 V, and a high forward current density of 376 A/cm2 at 3 V. A low differential specific on-resistance of 4.4 mΩ cm2 demonstrates efficient carrier transport and effective backside Ohmic contact formation. Furthermore, an apparent Schottky barrier height of 1.17 eV and an ideality factor of 1.21 are extracted. Temperature-dependent J–V measurements from 25 to 200 °C reveal thermally activated forward conduction transitioning toward thermionic-field emission at elevated temperatures, consistent with barrier inhomogeneity. Moreover, reverse leakage currents remain nearly temperature-independent, emphasizing the high thermal stability of the SBDs. Finally, a median breakdown voltage of 132 V is achieved, corresponding to an estimated electric field of 2.8 MV/cm. These results highlight the potential of r-GeO2 as a promising ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor for next-generation power electronic devices and applications.

Explainable AI for diabetic retinopathy detection using vision transformers

The effectiveness of a foot-care education program based on multi-theory model in diabetic patients with risk of foot ulceration: A randomized controlled trial protocol

Background Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the most common and serious complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). The high disability and fatality rates of DFU raise the importance of early medical treatment. However, delays in seeking medical treatment among DFU patients are common, emphasizing the need for targeted health education. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Multi-Theory Model (MTM)-based foot care education program on improving healthcare decision-making and foot care behaviors in diabetic patients with risk of foot ulceration. Method A multicenter randomized controlled trial will be employed. Diabetic patients at risk of foot ulceration will be recruited from two different tertiary hospitals in different cities. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to receive either routine education and a foot-care handbook (control group) or comprehensive foot-care education based on MTM (intervention group). The intervention period will last for 4 weeks, followed by a 3-month post-intervention follow-up. Questionnaire data and clinical data will be collected at baseline, immediately after the 4-week intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome will be pre-hospital delay intentions. Foot care knowledge, foot care self-efficacy, and foot care behaviors will be investigated using questionnaires. Clinical data, including blood glucose, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI), will also be assessed. Discussion Based on the MTM, this study developed a comprehensive foot-care education program for diabetic patients at risk of foot ulceration. By integrating systematic, theory-driven educational components, the program may equips both hospitals and community health services with a structured approach to deliver targeted foot-care education. Trial registration The RCT registry number: ChiCTR2400082853, 09/04/2024.

Enabling Access to sp ³ ‐Enriched Targeted Protein Degraders via Redox‐Neutral Radical Cross‐Coupling

ABSTRACT Cullin‐RING Ligase 4 Cereblon (CRL4 CRBN )‐mediated targeted protein degradation (TPD) via cereblon (CRBN) E3 ligase modulatory drugs (CELMoDs) or ligand‐directed degraders (LDDs) represents a new modality in modern drug discovery. However, the CRBN‐binding portion of these degraders has been limited to flat, rigid architectures of conventional glutarimide scaffolds. This study presents a modular route to C3(sp 3 )–C(sp 3 ) linked glutarimides via a redox‐neutral cross‐coupling/palladium‐catalyzed hydrogenation sequence. This two‐step protocol is operationally simple, chemoselective, and broadly tolerant of diverse functional groups. It delivers sp 3 ‐rich, three‐dimensional scaffolds that access previously untapped chemical space. The resulting building blocks are ready for immediate use in the CELMoD and LDD arena and provide a versatile platform for next‐generation TPD design. Preliminary studies of BRD4‐targeting LDDs derived from C3(sp 3 )–C(sp 3 ) linked glutarimides demonstrate CRBN‐dependent degradation of BRD4, underscoring their translational potential.

Polarization-modulated electrical transport and photodetection in graphene/ <i>β</i> -InSe/graphene heterostructures

Sliding ferroelectricity in 2D β-InSe has been confirmed, but its intrinsic electrical and photo-response under ferroelectric polarization remain unclear. Here, graphene/β-InSe/graphene heterostructures were fabricated using graphene electrodes, avoiding the destruction of InSe intrinsic ferroelectric polarization from interface defects in conventional metal contacts. Electrical measurements show robust in-plane and out-of-plane ferroelectric polarizations with synergistic regulation, ultralow switching voltage (&amp;lt;6 V), and a four-order resistance window. The device exhibits high specific detectivity (∼1011 Jones) across the visible range, with photo-response effectively modulated by polarizations, unaffected by photocarriers. This system holds great promise for low-power nonvolatile electronics and intelligent optoelectronics.

First-principles multiscale modeling of cerebral hemodynamics enables personalized predictions of human brain temperature

The chain-mediating role of caregiver burden and illness uncertainty between social support and preparedness among family caregivers of spinal cord injury patients

Objective This study aimed to examine the effects of social support, caregiver burden, and illness uncertainty on preparedness among family caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), and to analyze the mediating roles of caregiver burden and illness uncertainty in the relationship between social support and preparedness. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted between June 2024 and April 2025 among conveniently selected SCI patients and their family caregivers from the orthopedics departments of two tertiary hospitals in Hohhot, China. Data were collected using the General Information Questionnaire, the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale, the Social Support Rating Scale, the Chinese version of the Caregiver Burden Inventory, and the Chinese version of the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale. Results Correlation analyses indicated that caregivers’ preparedness was positively correlated with social support and negatively correlated with caregiver burden and illness uncertainty. Mediation analyses revealed that social support not only directly enhanced preparedness but also indirectly improved it by alleviating caregiver burden and reducing illness uncertainty. Furthermore, caregiver burden and illness uncertainty were found to form a sequential mediation pathway between social support and preparedness. Conclusion Social support enhances preparedness both directly and indirectly through reducing caregiver burden and illness uncertainty. To translate these findings into practice, healthcare providers should routinely assess caregivers’ support needs, integrate burden screening into follow-up visits, and offer uncertainty-management counseling. Hospital- and community-based support programs focusing on skill-building and peer support are also recommended to strengthen caregiver preparedness.

Anomalous Nernst and Hall effects in Cr-doped MnSb thin films

The anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) has attracted extensive attention from both academia and industry owing to its unique thermoelectric physics and outstanding application potential. This study investigated the ANE and anomalous Hall effect in Cr-doped MnSb thin films deposited on MgO (100) substrates by varying the Cr content. All samples were deposited at 250 °C by employing the radio frequency sputtering process. The experimental results reveal that increasing the Cr content substantially enhanced both the ANE magnitude and the Nernst angle (θANE) by up to 3.5 times and more than five times, respectively. Furthermore, the transverse thermoelectric conductivity (αyx) and Hall conductivity (σyx) improved, while the longitudinal electrical resistivity (ρxx) decreased. Additionally, the sign of the normal Hall effect signal in MnSb thin films was found to be governed by the presence or absence of Cr doping. This study emphasizes the effectiveness of doping engineering as a viable pathway for tuning transverse thermoelectric responses in ferromagnetic systems.