Browse Articles

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of oxygen therapy among emergency nurses

Food reward entrainment increases mealtime anxiety in goldfish via a ghrelin-dependent mechanism

Abstract Food anticipatory activity (FAA), the increase in locomotor activity prior to a scheduled feeding time, is linked not only to energy demands but also to food reward expectations. However, the mechanisms behind FAA remain unclear. We hypothesize that FAA induces anxiety due to reward anticipation. To test this, anxiety-like behavior was assessed in goldfish using open field and black-and-white preference tests under different feeding conditions and daytimes. Increased thigmotactic and scototactic behavior during FAA, compared to the post-FAA period, was observed, even in animals under constant light. Additionally, an unexpected meal did not reduce anxiety, while more hours of fasting did not increase it, suggesting that FAA is an anxiogenic state driven by a food-entrained oscillator rather than energy status. Ghrelin signaling was further explored using two antagonists, both of which reduced anxiety-like behavior when administered during FAA. Moreover, ghrelin administration induced anxiety-like behavior that was reversed by co-injection with an antagonist, supporting its anxiogenic role. These findings suggest a shared neural mechanism between FAA and anxiety, mediated by ghrelin. The possible involvement of ghrelin in activating dopamine-reward circuits in teleosts should be explored in future studies to gain further insight into the neurobiological basis of food anticipatory activity.

Broadband impedance matching for lossy magnetic metamaterials in conductive media

Abstract We present a broadband impedance matching model for traveling waves on lossy magnetic metamaterials known as magnetoinductive waveguides (MIWs) in conductive media. Thus far, broadband impedance matching has only been demonstrated in the case of a lossless MIW in free-space due to complexities introduced by losses and eddy current effects. As such, current studies in conductive environments have been limited to utilizing narrow-band matching techniques or relying on attenuation to mitigate reflections, thus limiting the system performance in terms of bandwidth and transmission loss. The proposed model overcomes these limitations by utilizing the nearest neighbor coupling and binomial approximations to generate transducer design criteria in terms of equivalent circuit parameters for broadband impedance matching. To validate the model, a transducer is designed for a 40-MHz lossy MIW submerged in an ocean water phantom. Reflection coefficient results demonstrate a 15.5% fractional bandwidth and a maximum value of − 9.0 dB in the propagation band of the MIW, indicating excellent performance. This model expands the potential design space of MIWs to include complex environments such as underwater, underground, or on the human body.

Triple-doped Dy3+/Tb3+/Eu3+ activated Na2Ca4(PO4)3F halo-phosphors for next-generation WLEDs and solar cell efficiency enhancement

GC vitamin D-binding protein gene functional genetic variants and gestational diabetes mellitus risk and prediction

Design of highly sensitive refractive index biosensor with cobalt-glass materials for detection of glucose concentration in blood

Abstract Diabetes represents a conceivably fatal condition that occurs because of elevated blood glucose levels. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor has emerged as currently the most sophisticated method for determining glucose levels. The blood glucose biosensor performance is determined by the refraction coefficient of the substance containing glucose in the form of molecules. In this study, we have offered Hollow-Ring Cubic-Structured Refractive Index Biosensor (HRCSRIB) for monitoring glucose levels in blood from normal concentrations of 165 to 180 (mg/dL) in compared to diabetic glucose concentrations of 182, 205, 220, 240, 255, 289, 255 (mg/dL). This biosensor detects variations in the refractive index of urine, which correlate with changes in blood glucose concentration. The presented biosensing technology uses cobalt compounds and their unique structure to analyze blood glucose levels by measuring the urine refractive value. The study of various parameters associated with geometrical shape dimensions has been also represented. This offered biosensor has an exceptional sensitivity with 1750 nm/RIU, and a detection limit of 0.000410. The exceptional value of the quality factor, as well as the figure of merit value, is 1670.07 nm/RIU for 182 mg/dL and 1241.13 for 205–289 mg/dL respectively. The best transmittance response of 6%, 9%, 4%, and 32% has been obtained. The aforementioned sensor’s distinctive characteristics facilitate its biomedical applications as an optical on-chip sensor that monitors level of glucose.

Assessing the socioeconomic and environmental determinants of flood vulnerability in India: a panel data approach

Abstract This study investigates the socioeconomic and environmental determinants of flood vulnerability in Indian states using a panel data approach. Drawing on state-level flood damage data from 1953 to 2020, sourced from the Ministry of Jal Shakti and affiliated agencies, this study employs a robust econometric framework to identify the key drivers of flood-related damage. The dataset included 16 variables, and rigorous preprocessing steps, such as data cleaning, interpolation, stationarity testing, and multicollinearity checks, to ensure model reliability. Endogeneity was tested using IV regression, and the absence of such issues allowed for the application of Fixed Effects (FE) and Random Effects (RE) models. The Hausman test favored the RE model, which was further validated through diagnostic and robustness tests. The findings reveal that capital expenditure, government spending on natural calamities, and mangrove coverage significantly reduce flood damage, highlighting the importance of both fiscal and ecological interventions. Conversely, population affected, damage to houses, and damage to public utilities were positively associated with flood damage, indicating the need for targeted infrastructure and community resilience strategies. This study offers actionable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the integration of environmental conservation with strategic public investment to enhance flood resilience in India.

Frustration-Induced Many-Body Degeneracy in Spin −1/2 Molecular Quantum Rings

Variation of vegetation cover and the relationship with land surface temperature across Thailand (2007 to 2022)

Understanding the impact of urban exposure on obesity among middle and old-age migrants in India

Rural-to-urban migration is associated with elevated obesity in Western settings. However, whether migration to urban areas ages has any impact on obesity in India is inconclusive and scarce. We, therefore, assessed the impact of migration on obesity among rural-to-urban migrants and compared it with their rural counterparts. This study utilized the first wave of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India. BMI (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) and waist circumference (>102 cm and >88 cm for men and women, respectively) were employed to assess overall obesity and abdominal obesity. To fulfil the study objective, this study employed logistic and quantile regression techniques. The study found that individuals migrating from rural to urban areas are significantly more likely to develop obesity than rural stayers. Moreover, within the group of rural-urban migrants, prolonged urban residence was a strong and cumulative predictor for obesity. The risk of obesity was 1.91 times higher (those who lived 5 or fewer years in urban areas), 2.05 times higher (for 6–10 years), and 2.40 times higher (for more than 10 years) compared to their rural counterparts. This study identified migration and prolonged urban exposure as crucial risk factors for the development of obesity among middle-aged and older adults in India.

Optimistic effects of dual nano-encapsulated probiotics on breeders laying performance, intestinal barrier functions, immunity and resistance against Salmonella Typhimurium challenge

Divide-and-conquer routing for learning heterogeneous individualized capsules

Capsule Networks (CapsNets) have demonstrated an enhanced ability to capture spatial relationships and preserve hierarchical feature representations compared to Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). However, the dynamic routing mechanism in CapsNets introduces substantial computational costs and limits scalability. In this paper, we propose a divide-and-conquer routing algorithm that groups primary capsules, enabling the model to leverage independent feature subspaces for more precise and efficient feature learning. By partitioning the primary capsules, the initialization of coupling coefficients is aligned with the hierarchical structure of the capsules, addressing the limitations of existing initialization strategies that either disrupt feature aggregation or lead to excessively small activation values. Additionally, the grouped routing mechanism simplifies the iterative process, reducing computational overhead and improving scalability. Extensive experiments on benchmark image classification datasets demonstrate that our approach consistently outperforms the original dynamic routing algorithm as well as other state-of-the-art routing strategies, resulting in improved feature learning and classification accuracy. Our code is available at: https://github.com/rqfzpy/DC-CapsNet.

Regioisomeric Engineering of Sterically Hindered Bright Near-Infrared Paraptosis Agents for Chemo-Photodynamic Therapy

Efficacy of gabapentin as pain management of T2–T4 feline facial squamous cell carcinoma treated with electrochemotherapy

Computational prediction of the pathogenic variants of arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase activating protein using Molecular Dynamics simulation

The arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase activating protein (ALOX5AP) regulates leukotrienes (LTs) synthesis. LTs are involved in inflammation which is implicated in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and stroke. Variations in ALOX5AP gene are associated with CVDs, stroke and others because of their possible effects on ALOX5AP stability and function. In this study we investigated with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation the structural impacts of L12F, A56V, G75R, and G87R variants on ALOX5AP. We employed an array of bioinformatics techniques, including SIFT, PolyPhen-2, PANTHER, SNPs&GO, PhD-SNP, i-Mutant, MuPro, MutPred, ConSurf, and GROMACS. Results showed that the L12F variant increased structural compactness, as indicated by diminished solvent accessibility, a reduced radius of gyration, and a decrease in hydrogen bonding capacity. The A56V variant destabilized the ALOX5AP, demonstrating elevated root mean square deviation (RMSD), augmented solvent-accessible surface area, and diminished ALOX5AP compactness. The G75R and G87R variants exhibited mild effects on ALOX5AP wildtype. However, simulation trajectory snapshots results indicated G75R and G87R variants induce instability leading to structural perturbations of ALOX5AP probably due to the charge of arginine introduced by the G75R and G87R mutation. The G75R and G87R variants potentially influence ALOX5AP dynamics, stability, and function. These results require further verification in future case-control and protein functional studies.

Retrospective analysis of primary pulmonary lymphoma cases from Polish Lymphoma Research Group centers reveals associations between initial symptoms and outcomes

Human exposure to PM10 microplastics in indoor air

The ubiquitous presence of airborne microplastics (MPs) in different indoor environments prompts serious concerns about the degree to which we inhale these particles and their potential impact on human health. Previous studies have mostly targeted MP in the 20–200 µm size range, which are less likely to efficiently penetrate into the lungs. In this study, we specifically investigate airborne, indoor suspended MPs in the inhalable 1–10 µm (MP1–10 µm) range in residential and car cabin environments, by using Raman spectroscopy. The median concentration of total suspended indoor MPs for the residential environment was 528 MPs/m3 and 2,238 MPs/m3 in the car cabin environment. The predominant polymer type in the residential environment was polyethylene (PE), and polyamide (PA) in the car cabin environment. Fragments were the dominant shape for 97% of the analyzed MPs, and 94% of MPs were smaller than 10 µm (MP1–10 µm), following a power size distribution law (the number of MP fragments increases exponentially as particle size decreases). We combine the new MP1–10 µm observations with published indoor MP data to derive a consensus indoor MP concentration distribution, which we use to estimate human adult indoor MP inhalation of 3,200 MPs/day for the 10–300 µm (MP10–300 µm) range, and 68,000 MPs/day for MP1–10 µm. The MP1–10 µm exposure estimates are 100-fold higher than previous estimates that were extrapolated from larger MP sizes, and suggest that the health impacts of MP inhalation may be more substantial than we realize.

Genome-wide analysis in human populations reveals mitonuclear disequilibrium in genes related to neurological function

Effects of long-term metformin intake on postoperative clinicopathological characteristics in patients with invasive lung adenocarcinoma and type 2 diabetes mellitus: A retrospective analysis

Objective This retrospective study aimed to evaluate whether long-term metformin use is associated with less aggressive clinicopathological characteristics in patients with invasive lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods We reviewed patients with both invasive LUAD and T2DM who underwent curative lung cancer resection and lymph node dissection between January 2012 and August 2022. Patients were divided into a metformin group and a non-metformin group based on their antidiabetic treatment. Clinicopathological outcomes included tumor size, TNM stage, histologic differentiation, Ki-67 expression, and pathological subtypes. Comparisons were made using Student’s t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, χ² test, or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate. Results A total of 130 patients were included (45 metformin users and 85 non-users), with no significant differences in baseline characteristics. The metformin group showed smaller tumors (1.78 ± 0.87 cm vs. 2.21 ± 1.28 cm; p = 0.049), fewer cases of high Ki-67 expression (>15%) (35.6% vs. 62.3%; p = 0.004), and no lymph node metastasis (0% vs. 15.3%; p = 0.022). Additionally, patients on metformin had better differentiation (p = 0.039) and earlier TNM stages (p = 0.03). Conclusion Long-term metformin use in diabetic patients with invasive LUAD was associated with more favorable clinicopathological features, including smaller tumor size, lower proliferative index, and absence of nodal metastasis. These findings support a potential anti-tumor role of metformin in lung adenocarcinoma.

Effect of finger–ball friction on upper limb movement during fastball pitching in baseball

Abstract This study investigated the effect of the friction between the ball and fingertips (finger–ball friction) on upper limb movement during four-seam fastball pitching in terms of the centrifugal force acting on the ball. Eight skilled pitchers threw four-seam fastballs at approximately 130 km/h toward a target behind the home base. Water was applied as a low-friction condition and rosin powder was applied as a high-friction condition between the fingertips and the ball. Hand velocity and pitching radius (i.e., radius of the motion trajectory of the hand) were calculated from motion capture data. Centrifugal force evaluation index was calculated as the square of hand velocity divided by the pitching radius. Statistical parametric mapping was performed to compare the time-series of each variable between foot contact and ball release. Although no significant differences were observed, a tendency for hand velocity to decrease under low-friction conditions during the acceleration phase was observed. Additionally, the pitching radius was significantly greater under low-friction conditions around the maximum shoulder rotation timing, and consequently, the centrifugal force index significantly decreased during the first half of the acceleration phase. These findings deepen our understanding of how pitchers adjust their throwing motion under different finger–ball friction conditions.