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Correction: The Temporary Incapacity (TI) register as a complementary system to traditional epidemiological surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
A family of tubular pili from harmful algal bloom forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa
Ergonomic assessment of a multi-joint actuated lower extremity exoskeleton to assist dynamic lifting and carrying tasks
Optimization of flooding parameters and enhanced-efficiency development for surface-modified nano-SiO₂ emulsion in low-permeability sandstone reservoirs
Low-permeability reservoirs, characterized by poor reservoir quality and pronounced heterogeneity, consistently encounter engineering challenges during waterflooding operations, such as suboptimal displacement efficiency and restricted sweep coverage. Nanoemulsions, through wettability alteration and enhancing macroscopic sweep efficiency, are widely applied in the efficient development of low-permeability reservoirs. However, current field applications in Reservoir G exhibit inefficacy, necessitating laboratory experiments to identify factors affecting poor injection performance and enhance oil recovery. This study conducted laboratory core displacement experiments using native cores from the target reservoir, integrated field operational data for injection parameter optimization, and implemented field applications. Results indicate: (1) The modified nano-SiO₂ emulsion, with an average particle size of 26.01 nm, is substantially below the pore-throat dimensions of reservoir cores; (2) Wettability reversal was confirmed through contact angle reduction on oil-wet substrates from 132.9° to 53.6°; (3) Optimal parameters—0.1 mL/min injection rate, 0.3 wt% concentration, and 0.3 PV slug volume—Utilizing dual-slug injection (0.15 PV × 2 + 0.1 PV water spacer) enhanced oil recovery by 18.83%. Segmented injection effectively mitigates particle adsorption-induced plugging and achieves deep reservoir penetration, outperforming single-slug injections. Field experimental results show that segmented injection with water spacers increased daily fluid production from 2.86 m³ to 5.22 m³ and daily oil production from 2.23 t to 4.3 t, retaliating a synergistic mechanism of the modified nano-SiO₂ emulsion in “performance-parameter-mode” optimization.
Topological phonon blockade and its transfer via dark-mode engineering
A comparative transcriptomic analysis provides insights into molecular mechanisms driving salt tolerance in soybean
A novel strategy for resource utilization of oily drilling waste fluids in northern Shaanxi: Stepwise flotation of bentonite and barite using SDS and interfacial reaction mechanisms
Northern Shaanxi’s oil-gas drilling produces large amounts of waste drilling fluids with high-value solids (barite, bentonite). Traditional disposal causes resource waste and pollution. This study proposes a stepwise flotation process for typical local oil-based waste: surface cleaning to break oil film wrapping and combined reagents to regulate mineral surface hydrophobicity differences, enabling efficient separation and recovery of barite and bentonite. The flotation mechanism is also preliminarily explored. The experimental results show that: ultrasonic cleaning with 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution makes the oil desorption rate of solid phase >95%, restoring the natural surface properties of minerals. Through the stepwise flotation design, in the first stage at pH = 4.0, 0.8 kg/t sodium dodecyl sulfate and 0.6 kg/t sodium hexametaphosphate are added, and the recovery rate of bentonite reaches 86.3%; in the second stage at pH = 8.0, 1.2 kg/t sodium dodecyl sulfate and 0.7 kg/t gellan gum are added, and the grade of barite concentrate is 92.1% (BaSO₄ content), with a recovery rate of 88.7%. Through the flotation closed-circuit experiment, using the process of “one roughing, two cleaning and three scavenging”, the first stage can obtain bentonite concentrate with a recovery rate of 91.4% and a grade of 91.5%; the second stage can obtain barite concentrate with a recovery rate of 90.2% and a grade of 92.1%. SEM shows that bentonite is dissociated lamella, and barite presents clean prismatic crystals without oil film impurities, verifying the high efficiency of separation. Mechanism studies show that SDS has dual functions of oil breaking and collecting. Sodium hexametaphosphate inhibits the flotation of barite by chelating Ba²⁺ in barite. Gellan gum realizes separation by shielding the active sites of bentonite through hydrogen bonds. This study provides an efficient and low-consumption solution for the resource utilization of drilling waste liquid in northern Shaanxi.
Designing Hall crystals with variable Chern numbers
Proving vote correctness in the IVXV internet voting system
“Double Bind” with a twist: A corpus-assisted discourse study of gender performances of male and female entrepreneurs on Twitter (now X)
Previous studies have demonstrated that women in male-dominated fields face a challenging “double bind”—they must display traditionally masculine traits while maintaining feminine qualities. This study provides a corpus-assisted discourse analysis of gender performances by male and female entrepreneurs on Twitter (now X) at three levels: (1) issues, (2) personality traits, and (3) linguistic styles. The primary purpose is to examine how the “double bind” manifests in male and female entrepreneurs’ social media performances. The findings suggest that both male and female entrepreneurs strategically navigate the “double bind”, balancing gender role expectations while engaging their followers across diverse topics. Their performances feature a “double bind” with a twist, as both male and female entrepreneurs tend to adopt an interactive and engaging style rather than a combative and confrontational one to connect with their followers and maintain interactive intimacy.
Unveiling causal regulatory mechanisms through cell-state parallax
DCNN models with post-hoc interpretability for the automated detection of glossitis and OSCC on the tongue
Protocol for a study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy after abdominal perineal resection (VACPAC study)
Introduction Abdominal perineal resection (APR) is a surgical procedure for rectal cancer that frequently results in perineal wound surgical site infections (SSI), particularly in high-risk patients undergoing preoperative treatment. SSI after APR is associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased medical costs, and delayed initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy, potentially leading to poor prognosis. Although omentoplasty and myocutaneous flap reconstruction have been used to prevent SSI, they are not always feasible. Prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy (pNPWT) has been shown to reduce SSI in high-risk wounds; however, its efficacy in APR remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pNPWT in preventing perineal wound SSI after APR. Methods and materials This is a multi-institutional, single-arm trial investigating pNPWT after APR. The study includes patients undergoing APR for malignant rectal tumors who meet the high-risk criteria for SSI. The intervention involves applying the 3M™ Prevena™ Plus Customizable system immediately after perineal skin closure, maintaining pNPWT for up to 7 days. The primary endpoint is the incidence of perineal wound SSI within 30 days. Secondary endpoints include postoperative complications (Clavien–Dindo Grade III or higher), hospital stay, and completion proportion of pNPWT. Discussion This study seeks to provide clinical evidence of the efficacy of pNPWT in reducing perineal wound SSI after APR. Given its ease of application and minimal invasiveness, pNPWT may serve as an effective approach for SSI prevention. These findings may contribute to the establishment of a standardized preventive approach for perineal wound management after APR.
Dielectric strength weakening of hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets under mechanical stress
Profiling of lipid mediators and oxylipins in SARS-CoV-2 infection associated thrombosis
One-on-one and group-based physical activity intervention compared to a waitlist control for post-secondary student mental health and social well-being: A 3-arm parallel randomized controlled trial protocol
Introduction Physical activity (PA) service provision in the post-secondary context is recognized as important for promoting student mental health. Nonetheless, most evidence is of poor quality and lacks critical information regarding how the PA programs are designed, delivered, and made accessible to students. This study will examine PA program effectiveness for student mental health and social well-being, as well as implementation processes to offer insight for future research and program scale-up. Methods and analysis Post-secondary students who are physically inactive and experiencing poor mental health will be recruited. A 3-arm parallel Randomized Controlled Trial, using a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, will be conducted using a collaborative implementation approach. The effects of 6-week supervised one-on-one and group PA, compared to a waitlist control will be examined, with outcomes assessed at baseline (T1), 6-weeks (T2), and 1-month follow-up (T3). Primary outcomes will include immediate post-program changes (T1–T2) in mental health indices, including anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and well-being. Secondary outcomes will include changes from baseline to follow-up (T1–T3) and maintenance effects from post-intervention to follow-up (T2–T3) in mental health indices, as well as changes in social well-being indices (i.e., social connectedness, social support), and PA behavior. A process evaluation will be conducted to explore contextual influences (i.e., fidelity, adherence, reach, acceptability) on the conduct of implementation across PA program delivery styles. Effectiveness data will be analyzed using linear mixed effects modeling. Process evaluation outcomes will be analyzed using a mixed methods evaluation. Dissemination A knowledge mobilization plan to enhance dissemination of the findings to the intended audiences (i.e., sport and recreation professionals, mental health professionals, students, researchers) has been developed. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06350877
CSF total tau as a proxy of synaptic degeneration
Abstract Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total tau (t-tau) is considered a biomarker of neuronal degeneration alongside brain atrophy and fluid neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) in biomarker models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, previous studies show that CSF t-tau correlates strongly with synaptic dysfunction/degeneration biomarkers like neurogranin (Ng) and synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP25). Here, we compare the association between CSF t-tau and synaptic degeneration and axonal/neuronal degeneration biomarkers in cognitively unimpaired and impaired groups from two independent cohorts. We observe a stronger correlation between CSF t-tau and synaptic biomarkers than neurodegeneration biomarkers in both groups. Synaptic biomarkers explain a greater proportion of variance in CSF t-tau levels compared to neurodegeneration biomarkers. Notably, CSF t-tau levels are elevated in individuals with abnormalities only in synaptic biomarkers, but not in individuals with abnormalities only in neurodegeneration biomarkers. Our findings suggest that CSF t-tau is a closer proxy for synaptic degeneration than for axonal/neuronal degeneration.
Tracking metal presence in cannabis vaping products from source to inhalation
Abstract Vaping cannabis liquids is a convenient method of cannabis consumption, and is considered to be a less harmful alternative to smoking cannabis. However, vaping cannabis carries its own health risks, with many uncertainties, especially concerning the presence of metal particles in vape liquids. The heterogeneous distribution of these particles within the liquid matrix poses analytical challenges in measurement reproducibility. In this study, total metals analysis was performed on five samples from six different legal Canadian cannabis vape liquid products. The results indicated that metals from the vaping device components, cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) significantly contributed to within-batch variability. In contrast, all analyzed metals showed significant variability among tested products. Single-particle ICP-MS detected metal particles of aluminum (Al), Co, chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), Ni, tin (Sn), and Zn in the vape liquids. To assess potential consumer exposure, cannabis cartridges were vaped using a vaping machine and the resulting aerosol was analyzed. Although the number of detected emitted particles was below the limit of quantitation, all samples produced aerosols containing metal particles of Co, Cr, Ni, lead (Pb), Sn, and Zn. Further analysis using SEM-EDS on the emptied cartridges showed cracking on the connector pin of an unused device, suggesting a potential source of contamination during use and storage. The elemental composition of the metal components in the cartridges matched the detected particles, providing strong evidence that cannabis vape liquids are contaminated by the metal components of vaping devices.