Browse Articles
Discover research articles across all indexed journals
Examining access to and trust in sources of COVID-19 information among CALD Asian communities in New Zealand
During the COVID-19 pandemic, effective crisis communication has been crucial yet challenging, especially for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. This study explored how CALD Asian communities in New Zealand accessed and trusted various sources of COVID-19 information. A cross-sectional online survey with 1,267 Asian respondents was conducted in 2021. Findings revealed that participants engaged with diverse sources for COVID-19 information, despite delays in government efforts to provide linguistically appropriate information. Those without English as a first language tended to have access to fewer information sources. Ethnic group preferences varied: Indian and South East Asian groups favoured official channels (mainstream media and government websites), the Chinese group preferred messaging applications and workplaces, and the Korean group showed a preference for ethnic community media. Trust was higher in formal information sources than online platforms and personal networks. Increased trust was noted in social media among non-English speakers and messaging applications among Koreans, while decreased trust was seen in messaging applications among Chinese and workplace information among Koreans. This research underscores the necessity of multifaceted, linguistically, and culturally appropriate crisis communication strategies. It advocates for proactive measures to establish networks for distributing vital information to CALD communities during future crisis communication.
Multiphase-field approach to grain boundary- and triple junction-induced barrierless premelting of polycrystals and size-effect
Grain boundaries (GBs) and their triple junctions (TJs) induced barrierless premelting of the polycrystalline solids and length scales effect are studied using a thermodynamically and physically consistent Ginzburg–Landau type multiphase-field approach at the nanoscale. Distinct dry GB and TJ energies and GB widths are considered in contrast to the earlier phase-field studies, which assumed identical properties for the dry GBs and TJs and are far from reality. The strong effects of the intrinsic length scales, including the dry GB widths and grain size, on the temperatures of barrierless transformations between the solid, premelt (an intermediate stationary state between solid and melt with a degree of disorder) and melt, their nucleation induced by the GB network, kinetics, and complex microstructures evolution are explored, which was still missing in the literature. The thermodynamic processes involved in the melting of polycrystalline solids, which include the jump-like (discontinuous) appearance of premelt or melt pockets in the TJ regions, followed by premelting and melting of the connected GBs, curvature-driven shrinking of the grains surrounded by the melt pools and their jump-like melting at critical temperatures, all occurring at temperatures below the bulk melting point, are revealed. The reverse transformation (solidification) of the molten GB network and the bistability regime, where the temperatures for solid → premelt and premelt → solid transformations differ and yield thermal hysteresis, are studied. The role of the disjoining potential on the jump-like GB premelting and stability of the thermodynamic states is explored.
Deep-sea mining and its risks for social-ecological systems: Insights from simulation-based analyses
The pros and cons of deep-sea mining (DSM) is currently hotly debated. Here, we assess the environmental, economic, and social risks of DSM by comparing scenarios with and without DSM involvement. The “Without” scenario relies solely on land-based mining and circular economy solutions, while the “With” scenario incorporates DSM alongside circular strategies, highlighting the dangers of heavy DSM dependence. Through literature review and expert interviews, our study identifies key risk indicators across environmental, economic, and social dimensions, forming a comprehensive assessment framework. Through the application of qualitative data and fuzzy cognitive mapping, the analysis reveals that environmental factors are the most influential (centrality: 1.46), followed by social (1.32) and economic (1.0) factors. In the “With DSM” scenario, all indicators show increased risks, with environmental factors, particularly “coastal state vulnerability,” experiencing a 13% rise. Social risks, including “violation of law,” “participatory rights,” “lack of effective control,” and “degraded reputation,” increase by 8–11%, while economic risks, such as “contractual violations,” “lack of special provision,” “knowledge gap on economic assistance fund” and disputes among “multiple stakeholders,” see an 11% uptick. Our results suggest that the risks DSM poses to deep-sea marine ecosystems are likely too significant to justify its pursuit and advocates for circular economy solutions as viable alternatives to mitigate environmental, social, and economic risks. We recommend that policies should promote circular practices through resource recovery incentives.
Least popular vibrational entropy model provides the best accuracy and robustness
Vibrational contributions into free energies usually amount to several kcal/mol and can significantly affect computational predictions. However, they are generally estimated incorrectly for chemical systems in solutions because the usual (employed in ∼99% of cases) models of vibrational entropies are extremely sensitive to errors in low-lying frequencies (below 300 cm−1), and these low-lying frequencies involve solvent molecules that are usually neglected (computed implicitly) in quantum chemical calculations. We find that only one vibrational entropy approximation—the one proposed by Truhlar in 2011—which is used in only ∼2% of cases, is stable in the low-lying frequency region and does not exhibit this problem. Accordingly, this approximation shows the best accuracy and robustness on a diverse set of experimental complexation energies and can be somewhat improved even further.
Morphological and environmental varieties of the Cambrian stromatolites in Western Henan, North China Craton
Morphological varieties of Cambrian stromatolites in western Henan, North China Craton were essentially related to palaeoenvironmental parameter changes of the marine-floor. Small plexiform, hemispherical-smooth wavy, small columnar, irregular small columnar stromatolites, and stromatolites that surrounding flat-pebble conglomerate limestones are identified, in which the last type of stromatolite is unique, and they possess different macromorphology and micromorphology characteristics. A large number of Girvanella fossils, which were distributed in prostrate or horizontal and winding or overlapping patterns, were preserved in the laminae of stromatolites, and the dark laminae were formed by combined effect of Girvanella and precipitation of calcium carbonate. The research elucidates that small plexiform and small columnar stromatolite developed in the supratidal zone, hemispherical-smooth wavy, small columnar stromatolites, and stromatolites that surrounding flat-pebble conglomerate limestones grew in the intertidal zone with weaker hydrodynamic conditions, as well as irregular small columnar stromatolites occurred in subtidal zone. The features of microscopic laminae of stromatolites are influenced by microorganisms and metazoan, the macroscopic morphologies and growth of stromatolites are affected and controlled by terrigenous materials, hydrodynamic conditions and sedimentary substrates.
Spectro-temporal symmetry in action-detected optical spectroscopy: Highlighting excited-state dynamics in large systems
Multidimensional optical spectroscopy observes transient excitation dynamics through time evolution of spectral correlations. Its action-detected variants offer several advantages over the coherent detection and are thus becoming increasingly widespread. Nevertheless, a drawback of action-detected spectra is the presence of a stationary background of the so-called incoherent mixing of excitations from independent states that resembles a product of ground-state absorption spectra and obscures the excited-state signal. This issue is especially problematic in fluorescence-detected two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (F-2DES) and fluorescence-detected pump–probe spectroscopy (F-PP) of extended systems, where large incoherent mixing arises from efficient exciton–exciton annihilation. In this work, we demonstrate on the example of F-2DES and F-PP an inherent spectro-temporal symmetry of action-detected spectra, which allows general, system-independent subtraction of any stationary signals including incoherent mixing. We derive the expressions for spectra with normal and reversed time ordering of the pulses, relating these to the symmetry of the system response. As we show both analytically and numerically, the difference signal constructed from spectra with normal and reversed pulse ordering is free of incoherent mixing and highlights the excited-state dynamics. We further verify the approach on the experimental F-PP spectra of a molecular squaraine heterodimer and the F-2DES spectra of the photosynthetic antenna light-harvesting complex 2 of purple bacteria. The approach is generally applicable to action-detected 2DES and pump–probe spectroscopy without experimental modifications and is independent of the studied system, enabling their application to large systems such as molecular complexes.
Information usefulness of public disclosure in Taiwan: Does it vary across specific diseases/conditions and contexts?
Objectives This study discusses issues regarding tailored information for report cards, including what kinds of information patients with different diseases need and how the necessary information changes for these patients given alterations to a specific context. This study aimed to determine whether there is consistent, essential quality information across different diseases and in diverse contexts. The priority of needs related to interpersonal and technical quality information for different diseases is also discussed. Methods Fifty-five patients from 5 hospitals in Taiwan were interviewed or invited to participate in a focus group. Patients were diagnosed with five different diseases or conditions: stroke, dialysis, AMI, diabetes, and knee problems. We conducted in-depth interviews to identify the most requested types of information for every disease or condition in general and in different contexts (e.g., relocation). We applied the Kano model to verify the relative priority of the information that emerged from the interviews for each disease. Results The 3 most requested types of information among patients with various diseases or conditions in the general context were medical professionalism, physician communication skills, and accessibility. Only a few types of information were valued by patients with specific diseases. In addition, patients focused on specific and mutually relevant information in certain contexts (e.g., in the context of conflict with physicians, patients considered communication skills most important). This information was similar to the 3 most common types of information in the general context regardless of the disease, with the exception of stroke. Finally, technical quality information was treated as basic or necessary information. However, most important information was treated as expected information regardless of the disease. Conclusions There is somewhat consistent essential quality information across different diseases and diverse contexts. According to the results of the Kano model, the report card should disclose interpersonal and technical quality simultaneously.
Layer-by-layer NH3 plasma treatment for area-selective atomic layer deposition of high-quality SiO2 thin films
Area-selective atomic layer deposition (area-selective ALD) has been extensively studied because of its versatility in nanotechnological applications. The priority focus in area-selective ALD is to achieve the desired selectivity; thus, most studies to date have been concentrated on the reaction mechanism of ALD on growth/nongrowth substrates or the development of novel methodologies to resolve the challenges associated with its implementation in high-volume manufacturing. In this study, we performed area-selective ALD of SiO2 on SiO2, where SiO2 was not grown on SiNx, and suggested area-selective ALD approaches that could simultaneously enhance selectivity and film quality. An NH3 plasma treatment was applied to functionalize the SiNx surface with more Si–NH bonds, which exhibited low reactivity toward Si precursors. Although the SiO2 surface was also functionalized with Si–NH bonds, it was not fully converted into Si–NH because of its thermodynamic nature at low temperatures. Consequently, the results showed that NH3 plasma pretreatment was effective in increasing selectivity. Therefore, we performed a layer-by-layer NH3 plasma treatment during the ALD of SiO2 to deposit high-quality films without losing selectivity. The SiO2 film was densified, as confirmed by x-ray reflection spectra without nitrogen impurity incorporation. Electrical property measurements of metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitors confirmed that this approach enabled simultaneous selectivity and SiO2 film-quality enhancement.
A comparison of the knowledge of hormonal contraception between women living in urban and rural areas of Poland
The Contraception Policy Atlas and its latest 2024 study shows that the availability of contraception in Poland is a meagre 33.5%, the lowest of all European countries. The aim of the research, therefore, was to assess and compare the knowledge of women, living in rural and urban areas of Poland, about the modern methods of the hormonal contraception (HC) they use, includes all hormonal methods (pill, implant, patch, etc.). The study involved 239 women. The research was conducted using an online survey distributed to the public via community forums. The most commonly used method of HC was the combined pill, with 62.27% of the women surveyed using this type of contraception. None of the women surveyed used the emergency contraceptive pill. This finding is concerning given the broader context of contraceptive use in Poland. There were differences in the reasons for contraceptive use according to the place of residence. Women living in rural areas were less likely to use HC to relieve menstrual pain (28.81%) than those living in small and medium-sized towns (47.87%), and also less likely to use HC to regulate their menstrual cycle (27.12%) than those living in small and medium-sized towns (42.55%). Despite the fact that all the women who participated in this study were using HC, 13.39% stated that they did not know how this type of medication affects the female body. There was a tendency for women living in rural areas (20.34%) to be more likely to say ‘don’t know’ than the women from large towns (9.20%). The most commonly indicated side effect of contraceptives on the female body was an increased risk of thromboembolic events (70.71%).
Lessons from Portugal on effects of cutting research funding
Vulnerability of amphibians to global warming
Abstract Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates, yet their resilience to rising temperatures remains poorly understood1,2. This is primarily because knowledge of thermal tolerance is taxonomically and geographically biased3, compromising global climate vulnerability assessments. Here we used a phylogenetically informed data-imputation approach to predict the heat tolerance of 60% of amphibian species and assessed their vulnerability to daily temperature variations in thermal refugia. We found that 104 out of 5,203 species (2%) are currently exposed to overheating events in shaded terrestrial conditions. Despite accounting for heat-tolerance plasticity, a 4 °C global temperature increase would create a step change in impact severity, pushing 7.5% of species beyond their physiological limits. In the Southern Hemisphere, tropical species encounter disproportionally more overheating events, while non-tropical species are more susceptible in the Northern Hemisphere. These findings challenge evidence for a general latitudinal gradient in overheating risk4–6 and underscore the importance of considering climatic variability in vulnerability assessments. We provide conservative estimates assuming access to cool shaded microenvironments. Thus, the impacts of global warming will probably exceed our projections. Our microclimate-explicit analyses demonstrate that vegetation and water bodies are critical in buffering amphibians during heat waves. Immediate action is needed to preserve and manage these microhabitat features.
Prevalence and risk factors of undiagnosed age-related macular degeneration: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017–2020
Experimental study on dynamic evolutions of airflow in the ventilation network under the effect of mine gas outburst disasters
Microbes can capture carbon and degrade plastic — why aren’t we using them more?
Bio-inspired coral reef-like NiCo-LDH nanostructure fabricated on carbon felt for high performance flexible supercapacitor
Study on the mechanism of hsa_circ_0074763 regulating the miR-3667-3P/ACSL4 axis in liver fibrosis
Abstract This study aimed to investigate the involvement of hsa_circ_0074763 in the activation of HSCs (hepatic stellate cells ) and liver fibrosis. Additionally, it aimed to conduct a preliminary analysis of the molecular mechanism targeting miR-3667-3p/ACSL4 (Long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4), thereby providing novel molecular targets for liver fibrosis. The GEO database was utilized to identify differentially expressed hsa_circ_0074763 and determined its subcellular localization in LX-2 cells using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Bioinformatics analysis was employed for result prediction, and the interaction between hsa_circ_0074763 and miR-3667-3P was confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. ACSL4 mediated ferroptosis was detected with kit. Hsa_circ_0074763 exhibits high expression levels in the fibrosis model. Validation through dual-luciferase reporter gene assays confirms the interaction between hsa_circ_0074763 and miR-3667-3P. Functional cell experiments demonstrate that overexpression of hsa_circ_0074763 promotes proliferation of LX-2 cells, elevates inflammation levels, and inhibits apoptosis. Additionally, ACSL4 has been identified as a direct target of miR-3667-3P, with overexpression of hsa_circ_0074763 counteracting the inhibitory effect on ACSL4 by suppressing miR-3667-3P. Overexpression of ACSL4 increased the expression levels of ROS (Lipid Oxidation), Iron (Ferro Orange) and MDA (Malondialdehyde), and decreased the expression levels of GPX4 (Glutathione peroxidase 4) and GSH (Glutathione). Our finding suggests that overexpression of hsa_circ_0074763 likely enhances the HSC activation through modulation of the miR-3667-3P/ACSL4 axis. Therefore, hsa_circ_0074763 holds potential as a therapeutic target for liver fibrosis.