Browse Articles

Integrative metabolomics and system pharmacology reveal the antioxidant blueprint of Psoralea corylifolia

Study on statistical analysis and prevention of coal and gas outburst accidents in Guizhou Province

Suppression of COVID-19 death incidence on open west coasts in the USA

Abstract The drivers behind the large-scale patterns of COVID-19 infections are largely unknown. Earlier studies have shown a connection between continentality, a measure for oceanic air influence over land, where lowest continentality implies highest oceanic influence, and COVID-19. In Europe, open west coasts with lowest continentality had the lowest COVID-19 incidence. We test if this applies to the US. We use a combination of geographical information systems and statistics, and data for every US county, to assess the connection between the COVID-19 death incidence and continentality. We normalize for known factors that influence COVID-19 local scale death incidence, namely the socio-economic status, population aged over 65, and the index of urbanization (crowding). We find that open west-coasts in the US, where continentality index values are low, had the lowest COVID-19 death incidence, rising non-linearly with rising continentality values, with highest death incidence in areas with the highest continentality, in north-central USA. The influence of oceanic air was associated with lower COVID-19 death incidence on the west coast of the US. These findings suggest that oceanic influence may be an important environmental determinant of spatial variations in COVID-19 death incidence and provide a contribution to studies on the relationship between oceans and health.

Perfluorobutane CEUS for early-stage cervical lymphoma: diagnostic value of the postvascular phase starfield sign

Abstract Early differentiation of cervical lymphoma from benign lymphadenopathy remains challenging on conventional imaging. This study assesses the diagnostic efficacy of perfluorobutane contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differentiating early-stage cervical lymphoma from benign lymph nodes (LNs). From November 2023 to January 2025 we prospectively enrolled patients suspected of having cervical lymphoma based on ultrasound (US) findings and scheduled for LN biopsy. All patients underwent CEUS to evaluate LN vascular (5–60 s post-injection) and postvascular (10–30 min post-injection) phases before biopsy. Histopathology served as the reference standard. Diagnostic performance metrics, including sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, were calculated. Logistic regression analyzed the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for US, CEUS, and combined features. Forty-seven LNs (23 lymphomas, 24 benign) were analyzed. The sensitivity of the postvascular phase starfield sign was 91.30%, specificity was 83.33%, positive predictive value was 84.00%, negative predictive value was 90.91%, and the AUC was 0.87 (95% CI 0.76–0.98). The AUC for CEUS was 0.89 (95% CI 0.79–1.00), and the AUC for the combination of postvascular phase and US features was 0.92 (95% CI 0.82–1.00), significantly higher than that for US features alone (AUC, 0.68; 95% CI 0.53–0.84; P < 0.05). Perflubutane CEUS can effectively distinguish between cervical lymphoma and benign LNs. The postvascular phase starfield sign demonstrates significant diagnostic efficacy and could improve clinical management strategies.

Technological limitations of solid-source chemical vapor deposition of van der Waals heterostructures

Abstract The large-scale synthesis of van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHSs) is required to adopt these materials in electronic devices. However, the repeatable and controllable growth of vdWHSs has proven challenging. Here, we investigate the technological aspects of solid-source chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of two-dimensional heterostructures, with WS2/graphene and MoS2/graphene as examples. We show that by modification of one variable at least one another is unintentionally altered. For example, change in the growth pressure influences the evaporation rate of sulfur and shifts the position of one of the growth zones. We also perform a statistical screening of the 11 process parameters, indicating which of them impact the evaporation of the precursors. The screening indicates that the evaporation depends on weight of growth promoter (NaCl), growth temperature, precursors temperature, time difference between main and sulfur growth zones reaching the set temperatures, pressure, carrier gas flow, and process time. Finally, the five consecutive, identical growth processes show the seemingly inherent variability in synthesizing vdWHSs. We suggest that the high but limited airtightness of the CVD system or the substrate features can cause repeatability issues. Our study can facilitate future research on van der Waals heterostructures growth.

Revealing inhibitory activity of luteolin from Vietnamese Jatropha Podagrica Hook against Staphylococcus aureus by integrating in vitro and in silico approaches

Short-term rainfall prediction based on radar echo using an efficient spatio-temporal recurrent unit

A novel approach to smart-assisted schizophrenia screening based on Raman spectroscopy and deep learning

Multicentre retrospective observational study for development and validation of MAC prognostic score model

Exploring land cover change after prolonged droughts at the global level

Abstract Anthropogenic climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of droughts, which accelerate land degradation, harm ecosystems, and threaten water security and livelihoods. However, the global impact of prolonged droughts on land cover changes remains poorly studied. This research analyses precipitation data to identify drought conditions and compares them with land cover datasets. The analysis explored three analytical dimensions, over the period 1992–2021: country level, income level, and climatic level. Results show a strong connection between droughts and land cover changes, with low-income countries experiencing the most significant changes. In drought-prone areas, trees, cropland, and sparse vegetation are the most impacted, with correlations stronger than in unaffected regions. This study provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between global drought events and land cover changes, varying across regions and economic contexts, and highlights the mitigating role of proactive strategies such as sustainable land management and adaptation measures.

Father-inclusive chatbot-based prenatal education during COVID-19 pandemic enhances maternal–fetal attachment in Korean primigravida women across levels of partner support

Abstract This study investigated whether a mobile chatbot-delivered intervention for prenatal education could enhance maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) among pregnant women with different levels of spousal support. In a quasi-experimental study conducted in January 2021, sixty volunteers who met all the eligibility criteria were enrolled: legally married, pregnant women aged 19 to 49 years, primigravida women from 21 to 32 weeks of gestation, and those in need of prenatal education. After completing a pre-questionnaire on pregnancy status, perception of prenatal education, and partner support, the women were asked to sequentially perform the given six tasks via a chatbot for two weeks, and then they filled out a post-questionnaire after completing the tasks. Both affective and cognitive-behavioral MFA outcomes were repeatedly measured before and after the intervention. The chatbot intervention enhanced affective MFA by increasing the intensity of prenatal education regardless of spousal support levels (p = .03): (1) low (n = 29; pre vs. post: p < .0042) and (2) high (n = 31; pre vs. post: p < .0042). In terms of cognitive-behavioral MFA, active paternal involvement in the chatbot-assisted baby talk helped women with low spousal support to differentiate themselves from the fetus (p = .02; pre vs. post: p < .0042) and to attribute characteristics and intention to the fetus (p = .011; pre vs. post: p < .0042), eliciting positive affect. This new mobile chatbot successfully served as a guide for pregnant couples starting prenatal education for the first time.

Modulation of alpha and theta waves by social stimuli in virtual educational environments

Superimposed modal voltage based passive islanding detection of grid tied distributed generation using Wigner distribution function

A study on ecological risk identification based on ecosystem service supply and demand in Xinjiang

Effect of nanoparticle density on the kinetics of SPP-assisted plasmonic assembly

Abstract The dynamic assembly of plasmonic metal nanoparticles (PMNPs) in an aqueous medium as a Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate offers advantages for analyzing liquid samples, as it generates 3-dimensional intraparticle hotspots. The surface plasmon polariton (SPP) assisted surfactant-free reversible assembly of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) is one of the latest methods, and it stands as a promising approach for conducting SERS measurements on molecules that demand a physiological environment. However, the assembly process is dynamic and requires a thorough analysis of the behavior of NPs in the combined forces of fluid convection and plasmonics. This study investigates the kinetics of the plasmonic assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and the influence of NP density through microscopy and SERS monitoring over 60 min. The study reveals that the assembly size and density grow gradually at an NP density-dependent rate. The SERS intensity of the analyte molecules increases rapidly and begins to decrease gradually after reaching a maximum value at an assembly time that is NP density-dependent. The assembly time at maximum SERS intensity is found to be inversely proportional to the NP density. Notably, when SERS intensity is maximum, the assembly radius remains constant at 119±1 μm for all the NP densities.

Radio propagation modeling and measurement of uneven terrain model

Construction and validation of a lysine beta hydroxybutyrylation related molecular model for predicting biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer

Triple-layered security system: reliable and secured image communications over 5G and beyond networks

Abstract The vision of 5G and beyond networks is geared towards linking undersea, terrestrial, and space networks together. This vision involves transferring a massive amount of data with very high levels of security. This paper presents the proposed vision of 5G and beyond security to build a research gap of existing and related technique that lack the adaptation, boosting gradient and complexity analysis, through design and evaluate the adapted and graded security system. This paper focuses on designing a security approach to make up the lacks of existing techniques. The paper proposes a Loss-less Triple-level security system that secures the data without loss and high quality of extracted messages. The Triple-level security system consists of three combined/ merged security levels, the classified images are encrypted by two chaos-based tools, the encrypted images are embedded into another fake image or audio file using Singular Value Decomposition-Discrete Wavelet Transform (SVD-DWT) based techniques. Various simulation experiments have been executed to find the best integration between two-Dimensional (2D) Logistic map, SVD, and baker map techniques to ensure the integrity of plaintext and the transparency of the proposed approach. The result analysis of the various computerized experiments reveals that the time of algorithms are 2.13s for ciphering/hiding and 1.57s for deciphering/extracting. Hence, the time complexity of the proposed approach superiors the existing and related research works. The simulation results indicates a 100% perfect match between the original and decrypted. The performance evaluating of the proposed technique proves its robustness, low complexity and high reliability, where the original and extracted message similarity is 100%. The advanced wireless networks require reliable graded complexity security tools with various levels capabilities, therefore, the proposed adapted complexity/levels security system is suitable and applicable for 5G/beyond networks.

Retrovirus-based pseudotyped virus neutralisation assays overestimate neutralising activity in sera from participants receiving integrase inhibitors

Abstract Retroviral pseudotype-based virus neutralisation assays are widely used to estimate functional immunity, but may be unsuitable for testing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals receiving integrase inhibitor treatment. We evaluated these assays for measuring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) neutralisation in people living with HIV. SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation was assessed using HIV-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses in sera from a longitudinal Malawian cohort (n = 1,876), detecting neutralisation across timepoints in 10.5–54.5% of HIV-uninfected vs. 85.5–93.9% of HIV-infected participants (n = 96). HIV-infected sera were re-tested using vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses, estimating seroprevalence at 5.6–65.2%, suggesting HIV-based assays overestimate neutralisation. HIV-based VSV-glycoprotein(G) pseudoviruses confirmed non-specific inhibition in 75.0-87.9% of HIV-infected participants. HCV neutralisation was assessed in UK-based HCV patients (n = 100, n = 90 HIV-infected) using murine leukaemia virus (MLV)-based HCV pseudoviruses. Non-HCV-specific inhibition was detected in integrase inhibitor recipients. Median neutralisation of MLV(HCV) pseudoviruses was higher in integrase inhibitor recipients (71.8% vs. 21.3%). Testing HIV(SARS-CoV-2) and MLV(HCV) pseudoviruses against antiretroviral drugs showed interference by integrase inhibitors (specifically, dolutegravir). Isolating IgG from serum removed the interference by residual drugs. Retrovirus-based assays are therefore unsuitable for testing individuals receiving integrase inhibitors. Protective immunity to viruses has likely been over-reported in HIV prevalent populations.

Evaluation of FASTinov for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a critical priority pathogen due to its high resistance rates and limited treatment options. Rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (rAST) is essential to optimize therapy, particularly because resistance mechanisms in P. aeruginosa often arise from adaptive genetic expression rather than specific resistance genes. FASTinov, a flow cytometry-based rAST system, was developed to address this challenge by providing phenotypic susceptibility results within hours. In this study, we assessed FASTinov’s performance for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (rAST) in 100 P. aeruginosa strains, using broth microdilution as the reference method. For clinical relevance, we also included the MicroScan WalkAway system as a comparator. FASTinov demonstrated a categorical agreement of 99% across the tested antibiotics, with particularly strong agreement for cephalosporins. Notably, FASTinov significantly reduced the time to results, delivering susceptibility data in an average of 3.15 h (CI 95% 3.13–3.17), compared to 28.88 h (CI 95% 20.71–37.04) for standard methods. Additionally, the system exhibited lower rates of major and very major errors compared to MicroScan, further reinforcing its reliability. These findings highlight FASTinov as a promising rAST system capable of providing rapid and accurate susceptibility profiles directly from bacterial colonies. Further research is warranted to evaluate its clinical impact on patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness.