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Harnessing the Electron-Withdrawing Inductive Effect of One-Component Ionizable Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers Unveils Cation−π Interactions and Their Important Roles to Targeted mRNA Delivery

Correction: Magnitude and determinants of improved household latrine utilization in Ethiopia: Multilevel analysis of the mini Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) 2019

Limitations in Determining Oxidation States in Condensed Matter at the Subnanometric Scale

Securing digital images: A chaos-driven scrambling algorithm using the Rössler system

A wide range of mathematical constructs, theories, and algorithms have been leveraged by cryptographers to secure valuable and sensitive digital images. Among these, image encryption based on scrambling algorithms has been extensively utilized. These scrambling techniques operate on 1D, 2D, and 3D constructs, relying on pixel-level swapping to enhance security. This research introduces a novel scrambling algorithm that employs a row- and column-based scrambling approach. The encryption process begins with an input image, from which a 2D scrambled image is generated. The columns of pixels from the input image are randomly placed into the columns of the scrambled image. Once all columns are inserted, the process is repeated to intensify the scrambling effect. A similar procedure is then applied to the rows of the image. To further enhance security, a diffusion process is applied using an XOR operation between the scrambled image and a random number stream. These random numbers are generated using the 3D Rössler chaotic system, where two chaotic streams contribute to the scrambling effect, and a third stream is used for diffusion. Both machine simulations and exhaustive security analyses demonstrate that the proposed image cipher is highly resistant to various cryptanalytic attacks, including brute-force attacks, differential attacks, and noise and data cropping attacks. Given these promising results, we recommend the proposed method for real-world applications to fully utilize its security potential.

Motion-Controlled Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Using Microrobots Designed with a Single Atomic-Level Precision

Predictive validity of early and mid-year literacy assessments for end-of-year word reading fluency

This study explores the predictive validity of early and mid-year literacy assessments—Letter Naming Fluency (LNF), Letter Sound Fluency (LSF), and Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF)—for end-of-year Word Reading Fluency (WRF) in kindergarten and grade 1 Arabic-speaking students. Using a longitudinal design, 412 students were assessed at three intervals (fall, mid-year, and year-end) to examine how these foundational literacy skills contribute to predicting WRF and identifying at-risk readers. Results from multiple regression analyses indicate that both LNF and LSF are significant predictors of end-of-year WRF across both fall and mid-year assessments, with mid-year measures demonstrating enhanced predictive accuracy. In contrast, PSF showed limited predictive value in comparison to LNF and LSF. Accuracy analyses revealed that mid-year assessments, particularly LNF and LSF, were more reliable in identifying at-risk students compared to fall assessments. Mid-year assessments correctly identified 64–73% of at-risk readers, emphasizing their value in early detection and intervention. These findings underline the importance of dynamic, multi-point assessments in improving educational practices and outcomes, particularly for students at risk of reading difficulties. The study highlights the critical role of foundational literacy skills in early reading development and provides actionable insights to enhance intervention strategies during key stages of literacy acquisition.

Accelerated Recombination Reaction through Interfacial <i>Fe^IV=O</i> Accumulation on Photoanode Surfaces

Characterization of Congregicoccus parvus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel slow-growing ultramicrobacterium of the phylum Verrucomicrobiota

The bacterial phylum Verrucomicrobiota is a typical representative of challenging-to-culture lineages. Here, we isolated a novel slow-growing Verrucomicrobiota bacterium, designated ASA1T, from garden soil. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that strain ASA1T was affiliated with a novel candidate in the family Alterococcaceae of the class Opitutia (previously Opitutae), exhibiting low 16S rRNA gene sequence identities (&lt;93%) and average nucleotide identity values (&lt;77%) to the closest type strain. Furthermore, average amino acid identity analysis (AAI) showed that ASA1T shares &lt;54% AAI identity with Opitutia representatives, well below the 60–65% genus threshold, supporting its classification as a novel genus. In addition to its genomic characteristics, ASA1T exhibits distinctive morphological features, including an ultramicrobacterial cell size (0.05–0.07 μm3) and cluster-like aggregation (&gt;10 µm). Strain was Gram-negative, aerobic, and motile, with menaquinone-7 as its primary respiratory quinone and a fatty acid profile dominated by anteiso-C15:0 (53%) and C16:0 (15%). Based on these results, we propose that strain ASA1T represents a novel genus and species named Congregicoccus parvus gen. nov., sp. nov. (JCM 36569T = NCIMB 15508T) of the Alterococcaceae family. Habitability analysis suggested that ASA1T relatives were distributed in the soil and other environments, such as freshwater and activated sludge. Additional genome analysis of strain ASA1T revealed six unique biosynthetic gene clusters with no related clusters identified via antiSMASH, suggesting a potential source of novel bioactive compounds for future research.

Controlled/″Living″ Click Polymerization with Possible Bidirectional Chain-Growth Propagation during Polyaddition

Factors affecting early mobilization among critically Ill patients in Southern West Bank Hospitals

Introduction Early mobilization (EM) among critically ill patients is important to reduce complications such as ICU-acquired weakness and improve recovery outcomes. This study assessed factors influencing EM in Southern West Bank hospitals. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using the PERME ICU Mobility Score. Data were analyzed using SPSS to evaluate associations between mobility outcomes, demographics, BMI, and reasons for hospitalization. Inclusion criteria focused on critically ill patients admitted to ICUs for 2–5 days. Results Among 150 participants, the highest PERME ICU Mobility Score was observed in abdominal pain patients (mean = 28.0, SD = 0.0), reflecting minimal barriers, while respiratory patients scored lowest (mean = 6.9, SD = 6.9). No significant differences were found by age, gender, or BMI (p &gt; 0.05). Seventy patients (46.7%) were awake/alert upon admission, while 39 (26%) were unresponsive. Pain or inability to determine pain levels was reported by 99 patients (66%). Conclusion Respiratory conditions and pain were critical barriers to EM. Demographic factors did not influence outcomes, but targeted pain management and condition-specific protocols are needed. The SD of 0.0 for abdominal pain patients suggests homogeneity in this subgroup, warranting further investigation.

Tuning Covalent Organic Frameworks for Nucleic Acid Loading: Toward Creating a Hierarchical Artificial Cell

Factors associated with early sexual debut among adolescents and youth in Mozambique: A geo-additive survival analysis of the Mozambique 2021 AIDS indicator survey

Engaging in sexual activity before the age of 15, known as early sexual debut, is a significant public health concern due to its association with increased risks of sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, and reduced educational achievements. This research investigates the factors influencing early sexual initiation among adolescents and youth aged 15 to 24 years in Mozambique, utilizing data of 5,283 individuals from the 2021 Mozambique AIDS indicator survey. Geoadditive models for censored time-to-event outcomes were employed to explore regional disparities and key determinants of the time to sexual debut, aiming to inform region-specific public health interventions and policies. The model was fitted using Poisson approximation within the framework of mixed model formulation for generalized additive models. The results revealed that approximately 80% of individuals have engaged in sexual activity, with 18.9% reporting having had sex before the age of 15. Among women, the percentage was 16.3%, while among men, it was 26.7%. Regional disparities were also observed, with the northern region exhibiting a higher prevalence of sexual debut before the age of 15 (26.7%). The median age at which individuals initiate sexual activity was estimated to be 16 years. After adjusting for significant covariates, the findings indicated a higher incidence of early sexual debut in the northern and southern regions of Mozambique, with notable gender differences. Age, occupation, alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, and living with parents were statistically significant factors associated with the age of sexual debut. These results highlight the need of addressing both individual behaviors and broader structural determinants—such as education and socio-economic conditions—to delay sexual initiation and reduce adverse health outcomes among Mozambican adolescents and youth. This study adds to the limited geospatial literature on sexual behavior in Mozambique.

Designing Reversible Photoswitching Azobenzene-Modified Nucleotide for Controlling Biological Function

Pitch characteristics of real-world infant-directed speech vary with pragmatic context, perceived adult gender, and infant gender

Children’s everyday language environments can be full of rich and diverse input, especially adult speech. Prosodic modifications when adults speak to infants are observed cross-culturally and are believed to enhance infant learning and emotion. However, factors such as what and why adults are speaking as well as speaker gender can affect the prosody of adults’ speech. This study asks whether prosodic modifications to infant-directed speech depend on perceived adult speaker gender, assigned infant gender, and the perceived pragmatic function of an utterance. We examined 3,607 adult speech clips from daylong home audio recordings of 60 North American, English-speaking, 3- to 20-month-old infants (28 female). Adult speakers used significantly more imperatives and questions and sang more frequently to infants than other adults. While infant-directed speech tended to have greater mean pitch and pitch modulation than adult-directed speech overall, these patterns were modulated, sometimes in complex ways, by pragmatic function, perceived adult gender, and infant gender. For example, we found that female-sounding adult speakers exhibited greater IDS-ADS mean pitch differences than male-sounding adult speakers when providing information or engaging in conversational niceties. An additional example is that male-sounding adults used higher pitch when singing to male infants compared to female infants. These findings invite further research on how individual, demographic, and situational factors affect speech to infants and possibly infant learning. The study’s pragmatic context tags are added to an existing open dataset of infant- and adult-directed speech.

Conditional knockout of C/EBPβ in epidermis results in dysregulated lipid biosynthesis and a defect in skin barrier function

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-β (C/EBPβ) is a basic leucine zipper transcription factor that is abundantly expressed in epidermal keratinocytes of skin. In the present study, C/EBPβ epidermal specific conditional knockout (CKOβ) SKH1 mice were utilized to interrogate C/EBPβ’s role in lipid biosynthesis and skin barrier integrity. RNAseq data analysis and gene set enrichment analysis of RNA isolated from the epidermis of CKOβ and K5Cre control mice revealed that deletion of C/EBPβ in epidermis resulted in an enrichment of downregulated genes in gene sets associated with lipid metabolism. Further analysis showed the majority of differentially regulated genes were downregulated in gene sets related to the metabolism/biosynthesis of ceramides, fatty acids, phospholipids, sphingolipids, and cholesterol species in CKOβ epidermis. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis predicted inhibition of multiple pathways involving lipid biosynthesis. Lipidomic analysis of epidermis using advanced chemical separations and tandem mass spectrometry identified 470 individual lipids in epidermis with 165 significantly decreased and 82 significantly increased in CKOβ epidermis. The lysophospholipids were the most decreased class of lipids, and free fatty acids and ceramides important in barrier formation were also decreased. The sphingomyelin class of lipids was the most increased. High resolution mass spectrometry for cholesterol lipids revealed several cholesterol esters were also dysregulated in CKOβ epidermis. Finally, we assessed the functional consequences of the loss C/EBPβ on epidermal barrier function and found that basal permeability barrier function as measured by transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was impaired, with an approximate doubling of TEWL in CKOβ mice. These results indicate that C/EBPβ is a is a major regulator of the epidermal lipidome and the deletion of C/EBPβ in epidermis leads to a defect in skin barrier function.

Chemical Mapping of Nanoparticle–Ligand Interfaces in Optical Nanocavities

Novel insights from comprehensive analysis: The role of cuproptosis and peripheral immune infiltration in Alzheimer’s disease

Background Cuproptosis is increasingly recognized as an essential factor in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the specific role of cuproptosis-related genes in AD remains poorly understood. Methods Our first step was to obtain gene expression data from the GEO database and identify differentially expressed cuproptosis-associated genes (DECAGs) in AD. GO, KEGG, and GSEA analyses were then conducted on these genes. Subsequently, we attempted to classify AD patients by unsupervised clustering. Then, four machine-learning models were used to screen hub-genes from the DECAGs. We also explored the immune features of these genes and predicted target drugs. Molecular docking analysis was then performed on the predicted drugs and their corresponding hub-gene related proteins. Candidate markers were then validated by single-cell analysis and intracellular communication was investigated in a GEO scRNA-seq dataset. Lastly, we examined the expression levels of the hub-genes in peripheral blood cells using real-time quantitative PCR. Results 19 DECAGs were found in AD and the key biological processes and molecular functions associated with AD were further determined. Two subtypes of peripheral blood cells showed significant alternations in AD: Cluster1 and Cluster2. Five hub-genes including FDX1, GLS, PDK1, MAP2K1, and SOD1 were then screened out from the machine-learning study. All of the five hub-genes were significantly correlated with various immunocytes. We discovered compounds targeting hub-gene related proteins and forecasted multiple strong hydrogen bonding interactions between the picked predicted drugs and the target proteins by molecular docking analysis. Subsequently, in the single-cell analysis of AD peripheral blood, all hub-genes except SOD1 were found to be up-regulated in B cells, NK cells, and CD4+ T cells, possibly acting on the MIF pathway. Finally, we discovered that the levels of PDK1 expression in AD patients were remarkably upregulated, while FDX1 and GLS were significantly decreased using qPCR. Conclusion This study examined changes in intercellular communication between immune cells in the peripheral blood and identified five novel feature genes associated with cuproptosis in AD patients. These results facilitated a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of AD and suggested novel therapeutic targets.

Covalent Recruitment of NEDD4 for Targeted Protein Degradation: Rational Design of Small Molecular Degraders

Societal attitudes and structural barriers in coaching para-athletes: A mixed-methods systematic review

Coaching athletes with disabilities is essential for promoting inclusivity and equity in sports. However, societal attitudes (e.g., stigmatization and ableism) and structural barriers (e.g., insufficient funding and limited access to adaptive equipment) persist as significant obstacles to their full participation and optimal performance. This systematic review addresses a critical gap in the existing literature by examining the complex interaction between societal and structural factors and their impact on coaching practice for athletes with disabilities. A mixed-methods approach was employed to synthesize data from 26 studies sourced from PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar. By integrating both qualitative and quantitative evidence, this review explores how societal biases and resource limitations converge to create systemic challenges that hinder coaching effectiveness. This review indicates that societal perceptions, including ableism and underestimation of athletic potential, in conjunction with structural barriers, such as inadequate facilities and funding, significantly undermine the effectiveness of coaching practices. Moreover, the findings emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in coach education and policy implementation with a particular focus on improving accessibility and ensuring the equitable distribution of resources. Ultimately, the evidence suggests that addressing these interconnected barriers is essential for fostering a more inclusive and equitable coaching environment for athletes with disabilities.

Site- and Energy-Selective Low-Energy Electron Emission by X-rays in the Aqueous Phase