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Method for classification of UAV flight control RF signals based on multi-scale divergence entropy and optimized neural networks
Numerical investigation of soil-tunnel interaction under surface blast loads with regression-based energy correlations
Physcion-8-O-β-D-monoglucoside protects hepatocytes from TNF-α-mediated apoptosis by suppressing the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway
Association between uterine fibroids and hypertension among women of reproductive age in Eastern Sudan: a matched case–control study
Harnessing multi-modal deep learning for multi-drone navigation-based trajectory prediction system
Non-invasive determination of disease activity in Crohn’s disease by serum luminex profiling
Abstract Crohn’s disease (CD) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and treatment depends on disease activity assessment requiring invasive procedures. We aimed to identify serum cytokines/chemokines that differ between CD and controls, and by clinical, endoscopic, and histologic disease activity. Serum samples were obtained from 103 CD to 40 non-IBD controls undergoing colonoscopy. Clinical information was obtained by questionnaire and chart review. Disease activity was determined: clinically (Crohn’s Disease Activity Index), endoscopically (Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s Disease), and histologically from colonoscopic biopsies. Cytokines/chemokines were measured by Luminex assay and compared by disease activity assessments (control vs. inactive vs. active), with adjustment for multiple comparisons. Correlation between activity indices and versus analytes were performed. Multiple analytes were significantly altered between clinically, endoscopically, and histologically inactive and active CD vs. control. One analyte, CXCL9, was significantly increased in active vs. inactive CD in endoscopic and histologic activity assessments. CXCL9 was the only analyte with a significant correlation to both SES ( r = 0.57, q < 0.001) and histologic severity ( r = 0.42, q < 0.001). CXCL9 had the highest discriminatory capacity for active vs. inactive disease both endoscopically (AUC = 0.76, 95% CI 0.65–0.87) and histologically (AUC = 0.79, 95% CI 0.70–0.88). Cytokine/chemokine profiling differentiated CD vs. controls and by disease activity, with CXCL9 as a potential marker distinguishing activity in endoscopic and histologic assessments. Serum cytokine/chemokine profiling may be a non-invasive strategy to assess disease activity in CD.
An ultraconserved pseudo 5’ splice site fine-tunes development by regulating alternative splicing within TOR-related pathways
Correction: Anticipating volcanic eruptions using rescaled range analysis of volcano-tectonic seismicity
Regenerating end-of-life membranes for enhanced sustainability and unexpected performance
Abstract Membrane technologies are widely adopted in water purification, gas separation, resource recovery and chemical production. However, membranes eventually reach their end-of-life (EOL) due to structural degradation and irrecoverable fouling, leading to incineration or landfilling which contradicts the sustainability and circular economy principles. Here we present a strategy to regenerate EOL membranes through dissolution in organic solvent followed by re-casting. The regenerated membrane exhibits more than fivefold higher water permeance with improved pollutant rejection compared to the EOL membrane, and even outperforms membrane fabricated from pristine polymer powders. This enhancement is attributed to the integration of residual foulants as pore-forming agents and hydrophilic additives. Moreover, the reduced entanglement density of EOL membrane improves its compatibility with solvent and foulants, enabling the formation of a dense separation layer in the regenerated membrane. This strategy achieves 38.4% lower CO 2 -eq emissions and 75.7% cost reduction, advancing sustainability and circularity of the membrane industry.
Multimodal imaging biomarkers associated with recurrence of diabetic macular edema during aflibercept treat-and-extend therapy
Nonequilibrium ordering dynamics of confined soft alginate hydrogel colloids driven by time-evolving electrostatic interactions
Abstract Elucidating how repulsive interactions evolve to generate ordered structures in nonequilibrium colloidal systems remains a central challenge, partly because few experimental platforms provide particle-resolved access to their structural evolution. Here we show that alginate hydrogel colloids confined within cyclohexyl bromide (CHB) emulsion droplets form a controllable model system in which electrostatic interactions evolve in time and drive ordering. Ba 2+ ions diffusing from the surrounding aqueous phase progressively crosslink the alginate droplets, increasing their surface charge, while buoyancy compacts them into locally quasi-two-dimensional layers within the CHB phase. As electrostatic repulsion strengthens, the assembly evolves from a disordered state to a hexagonally ordered structure. By calibrating Brownian dynamics simulations to the experimentally measured lattice spring constant, we constrain the effective Debye screening length to ≈2.5–3 μm. Quantitative imaging further shows that ordering emerges once a dimensionless interaction parameter—defined as the ratio of electrostatic interaction energy to thermal energy—reaches values of ≈117–149. The ordered state exhibits reversible disordered–order behavior under mechanical and magnetic perturbations, demonstrating a robust nonequilibrium platform for probing charge-regulated colloidal ordering under confinement.
Gender disparities in comprehensive knowledge of HIV among adolescents and young adults in Ethiopia: A decomposition analysis
Abstract Female adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15–24 bear up to a threefold higher burden of HIV and face nearly twice the susceptibility to infection compared with males of the same age group. A comprehensive knowledge of HIV is critical for effective prevention of the virus. However, substantial gender disparities persist in HIV knowledge. This study assessed male and female differences in comprehensive HIV knowledge among AYAs in Ethiopia and identify key drivers of these disparities. This study used a cross-sectional design with secondary data analysis of the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Male and female AYAs aged 15 to 24 were included in the study. Comprehensive HIV knowledge was the outcome variable. Explanatory variables included age, educational attainment, marital status, occupation, household wealth, media exposure, and region of residence. Sample weighting was applied. Descriptive statistics and multivariate decomposition analysis were conducted to assess gender disparities. The decomposition model separated differences into explained (endowments) and unexplained (coefficient effects) components. A total of 10,597 AYAs (6,143 females and 4,455 males) were included in the analysis. Only 30.5% (95% CI: 29.6, 31.4) of AYAs demonstrated comprehensive HIV knowledge, with markedly higher levels among male AYAs (39.1%) compared with female AYAs (24.33%). Urban residents had higher HIV knowledge than their rural counterparts, males (52.3%) and females (58.3%). Education and occupation were significant contributors to the knowledge difference between males and females, with individuals who had higher education or were employed showing better HIV knowledge. Internet use and media exposure also played a crucial role, with those exposed demonstrating significantly higher HIV knowledge. Gender disparities in HIV knowledge were primarily driven by education, occupation, and region. There are significant gender disparities in HIV knowledge among AYAs in Ethiopia, with males generally exhibiting higher levels of knowledge than females. The findings highlight the need for targeted HIV education programs that address these gender gaps, particularly for young women, who are more vulnerable to HIV infection. Socioeconomic factors, including education, residence, and media exposure, play a crucial role in shaping HIV knowledge. Efforts to enhance HIV knowledge through gender-sensitive interventions are crucial for improving prevention efforts and ultimately reducing HIV incidence in Ethiopia and similar contexts.
Superior resilience to poisoning and amenability to unlearning in quantum machine learning
Acinetobacter bacteria could be potent degraders of fragmented polyethylene and polypropylene among the digestive tract bacteria of Galleria waxworms
Abstract Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) dominate plastic production and are seriously contaminating environments. Bacteria in PE- and PP-ingesting worms, including Galleria , have thus attracted considerable attention owing to their PE and PP biodegradation potential and were investigated in this study. As PE and PP may be biodegraded after fragmented, the bacteria were enriched on n -hexadecane (a PE fragment) and on pristane (a branched alkane structurally similar to PP fragments) from the digestive tracts of Galleria waxworms. In these enriched cultures, Acinetobacter bacteria, particularly Acinetobacter courvalinii , Acinetobacter calcoaceticus , and Acinetobacter pittii , were detected most abundantly ( A. calcoaceticus is closely related to A. pittii ). Two alkane degraders probably of A. courvalinii and A. pittii were isolated from the cultures. They also degraded liquid PP (PP fragments), but not as a sole carbon source, and preferred different alkane chain lengths. On solid PE and PP, only initial signs of degradation (oxidation) were detected with each isolate. Surprisingly, the Acinetobacter bacteria were naturally abundant in the intestine of a ghostshark that contains much diacyl glyceryl ethers in its liver. These results indicate that Acinetobacter could be potent degraders of alkyl chains, including PE and PP fragments, among digestive tract bacteria of some terrestrial and marine organisms, including PE- and PP-ingesting worms.
Phytochrome B integrates jasmonic acid and warm temperature signaling pathways to regulate cotyledon chloroplast development
An explainable dual-attention transformer for predicting the sociocultural impact of global sports events
Orbital-selective band engineering realizes high zT in p-type Ru2Ti1−xHfxSi full-Heusler thermoelectrics
Abstract Heusler compounds have emerged as important thermoelectric materials due to their combination of promising electronic transport properties, mechanical robustness and chemical stability – key aspects for practical device integration. While a wide range of XYZ-type half-Heusler compounds have been studied for high-temperature applications, X 2 YZ-type full-Heuslers, often characterized by narrower band gaps, may offer potential advantages at different temperature regimes but remain less explored. In this work, the discovery of p -type Ru 2 Ti 1−x Hf x Si full-Heusler thermoelectrics, exhibiting a high figure of merit zT = 0.7 over a broad range of temperatures 700–1000 K, is reported. These results not only represent the largest values known to date among full-Heusler materials but confirm earlier theoretical predictions that p -type Ru 2 TiSi systems would be superior to their n -type counterparts. Moreover, using a two-band model, electronic structure changes induced by the Hf substitution at the Ti site are unveiled and strategies to further improve zT up to zT > 1 are outlined. These findings highlight the untapped potential of new semiconducting full-Heusler phases and the crucial need for continued exploration of this rich materials class for thermoelectric applications.