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Science teachers’ mentoring support experiences when integrating technology in design-based learning STEM activities

In this study, the experiences of science teachers who applied the design-based learning (DBL) method in science lessons and received mentoring support towards technology integration were analyzed. Using a nested mixed design, the study included 43 science teachers who participated in a professional development program carried out with a mentoring model in a national project. In the study, face-to-face and online training were given to teachers, and mentoring was provided. Lesson plans and technology integration were evaluated with an online form. It was observed that teachers mainly tried to integrate technology into DBL activities but not as a component of the design process. The teachers integrated technology when teaching DBL STEM activities by using new teaching methods that incorporated instructional technologies. They carried out the integration, especially in the stages of solution development, prototyping/testing, and communication. Teachers who believed that technology supported their professional development recommended improving professional development programs to help overcome the challenges of technology integration.

Electronically tailored metal-ion-chelation strategy promotes ionic liquid catalysis at near-ambient condition

Solubility prediction and cytotoxicity of lipidic microemulsion: HSPiP modeling and synergism with ciclopirox olamine

Maternal experience affects the behavioral response and the daily weight gain to weaning stress in lambs

Correction: Negotiating familial mental illness stigma: The role of family members of persons living with mental illnesses

Modular RNA interactions shape FXR1 condensates involved in mRNA localization and translation

Impact of environmental performance on intelligent transformation in Chinese manufacturing enterprises

Temporal and spatial variations in CSF pressure are influenced by electrical stimulation of the OCI muscles in beagles

Rationale and protocol for an observational study of in vivo stress experiences and real-time cardiovascular responses among young, black women: The DYNAMIC study

Background Chronic stress is thought to contribute to racial disparities in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among women. Intervention development has been stalled by complex issues regarding stress measurement as well as the correlation of varying stress experiences with proximal cardiac responses in naturalistic environments. Methods The Designing Young Adult Interventions to Address and Mitigate Inequities in Cardiovascular Health (DYNAMIC) Study is an observational study of the stress experiences of young Black women reported in vivo and within naturalistic context. The study will enroll up to 50 participants aged 18 to 39 years old. Participants will undergo a 14-day protocol, including completion of random surveys regarding stressor administered via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) while wearing a 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring patch and actigraph watch to capture a continuous feed of physiological responses. Participants will also measure and log wakening and bedtime blood pressure readings using a validated cuff. Discussion The study addresses ongoing challenges to validity in correlating stress to cardiovascular outcomes. The combination of EMA surveys and continuous physiological monitoring provides rich data regarding stress response, including frequency, duration, and attribution to specific stress stimuli. The primary outcomes of the study are heart rate variability and blood pressure. The secondary outcome of this study is ideal cardiovascular health—an index of measures predicting healthy cardiovascular aging. Conclusion Findings from this study may be used to inform responsive, tailored interventions for young Black women towards the aims of primordial prevention and early intervention to promote cardiovascular health and reduce disparities.

Enhanced energy-storage in lead-free multilayer capacitors via entropy-assisted polymorphic domain engineering

Leishmania amazonensis impairs phagosome acidification in B-1 phagocytes as an unrecognized parasite infection and proliferation mechanism

Metacognition mediates the relationship between anxiety and smartphone addiction in university students

Examining the acceptance of drone delivery services among Chinese consumers: A perspective from urban and rural areas

Drones hold considerable promise in the realms of logistics and distribution, as they are expected to enhance the speed and efficiency of courier deliveries while simultaneously reducing associated costs. This study investigates Chinese consumers’ willingness to accept drone delivery services in the context of urban–rural disparities, conducting a comparative analysis to identify similarities and differences in the influencing factors across residential settings. The Technology Acceptance Model and the Environmental Literacy Model were extended incrementally using an approach to more comprehensively capture the factors influencing consumers’ willingness to adopt drone delivery services. Based on these extended frameworks, nine research hypotheses were proposed and empirically tested through a questionnaire survey. Data collected from 498 respondents was analyzed using a ridge regression model. Furthermore, using an additional independent test set of 102 questionnaires, we confirmed that ridge regression outperformed multiple linear regression in reducing error metrics, thereby demonstrating superior predictive accuracy and robustness. The results reveal significant regional differences in factors influencing consumers’ willingness to accept drone delivery services. In urban areas, environmental cognition, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and social norm significantly contribute positively to acceptance levels while perceived risk has a significant negative impact. Furthermore, policy support, UAV-environmental cognition, health safety, and service performance exert a relatively minor yet notable positive influence on acceptance levels within urban settings. In contrast, for rural consumers, environmental cognition, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use were key positive factors. UAV-environmental cognition and service performance also emerged as major contributors, exerting particularly strong positive effects on acceptance. Perceived risk negatively affected acceptance but to a lesser extent than in urban areas, whereas health safety, policy support, and social norm show no significant impact. Given these pronounced urban–rural disparities, logistics providers and policymakers are advised to implement context-specific, differentiated strategies: urban areas should focus on risk mitigation, regulatory enhancement, and policy incentives, whereas rural areas would benefit from increased awareness campaigns, pilot demonstrations, and infrastructure investment. Such targeted approaches are essential for optimizing the adoption and societal benefits of drone delivery services across diverse consumer groups.

Uncertainty-aware ensemble of foundation models differentiates glioblastoma from its mimics

Adaptive temporal attention mechanism and hybrid deep CNN model for wearable sensor-based human activity recognition

Synthesis, antiproliferative activity targeting lung cancer and in silico studies of hydroxypiperidine substituted thiosemicarbazones

Exploring local adjuvant antibiotics as viable alternative to systemic antibiotics in non-surgical periodontal therapy: Clinical, immunological and microbiological insights

Objectives The primary aim of the present study was to compare the reduction in periodontal probing depth after the use of either local or systemic adjuvant antibiotics during non-surgical periodontal therapy at baseline and the six-month follow-up. Secondary aims were to compare other clinical outcomes, total bacterial count, and relative expression levels of certain pro-inflammatory mediators following the use of locally and systemically delivered adjuvant antibiotics during the initial non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). Material and methods A total of 38 periodontitis stage III grade B or C patients were randomly and equally assigned to receive either local (LA) (tazobactam + piperacillin preparation) or systemic antibiotics (SA) (amoxicillin and metronidazole combination) during NSPT. Clinical periodontal parameters (periodontal probing depth, clinical attachment level, bleeding on probing, and plaque index), and microbiological and immunological parameters: total bacterial count, and relative expression levels of IL-17 and TNF-α were evaluated at baseline and six months after NSPT. Results Both LA and SA significantly improved all clinical parameters after six months (p<0.001 for all comparisons). While a significant decrease of total bacterial count was observed after LA (p=0.001) and SA treatment (p=0.013), the insignificant differences between the two groups were observed after the sixth-month follow-up (p>0.05). Conversely, relative gene expression levels of IL-17 and TNF-α did not differ significantly between LA and SA six months after the NSPT. The insignificant differences between these cytokines’ relative levels were observed in both SA and LA between baseline and follow-up measurements. Conclusions The adjuvant use of piperacillin + tazobactam led to the comparable improvement of clinical, microbiological and immunological parameters to the conventional use of amoxicillin and metronidazol combination six months following the initial therapy of periodontitis. Therefore, these locally delivered antibiotics might be a promising alternative to the standard use of systemic amoxicillin and metronidazol combination during initial therapy of stage III periodontitis.

Equitable cleanup of Superfund sites leaving no U.S. community behind

Differential impacts of regenerative agriculture practices on soil organic carbon: a meta-analysis of studies from India

Abstract Regenerative agriculture (RA) is heralded as a transformative solution to combat climate change, enhance biodiversity, and improve soil health. However, its effectiveness across diverse agro-climatic contexts remains underexplored. This meta-analysis synthesizes results from 147 peer-reviewed studies across India’s major agro-ecological and agro-climatic regions. Using a random-effects model, we estimate the soil organic carbon (SOC) change attributable to a suite of RA practices, including organic amendments (farmyard manure, green manure, compost, and biochar), conservation tillage, crop residue retention, and fertilizer management. Biochar application resulted in the highest SOC gain, followed by farmyard manure, green manure, compost, and fertilizer management. Conservation tillage and crop residue retention demonstrated moderate, yet consistent, carbon benefits across time scales. The SOC gains were most significant over durations exceeding five years and varied across agro-ecological regions, with semi-arid and sub-humid regions showing particularly strong responses. The findings affirm that RA practices effectively sequester carbon, particularly when applied over longer durations and in regionally adapted combinations.

Assessment the properties of various surgical sutures

Abstract The multiple disciplines such as materials science, engineering and biomedicine have facilitated the development of different types of surgical suture materials with multifunctionalities. In this work, thirty-six suture thread material samples were collected from four different companies representing three different materials (most commonly used): silk, VICRYL and polypropylene with three different yarn counts (4, 3.5 And 3 metric). Practical statistical science serves to support the practical analysis of experimental work products and the various relationships between variables to achieve the best sampling performance with the functional purpose generated for it. Analysis of the imported sutures shows that VICRYL sutures had the highest tensile strength, toughness, knot tensile strength and knot toughness, followed by polypropylene and silk. As yarn counts, weight and diameter increase, its tensile strength and toughness increase while its elongation and knot tension decrease. The multifilament yarn construction (silk and VICRYL) scores higher compared to the monofilament construction (polypropylene), resulting in increases in tenacity, toughness, knot tensile strength and knot toughness.