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Elucidating the Proton Source for CO ₂ Electro-Reduction on Cu(100) Using Many-Body Perturbation Theory

ABO blood group and COVID-19 severity: Associations with endothelial and adipocyte activation in critically ill patients

Background ABO blood group has been implicated both in susceptibility to, and severity of, SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study was to explore a potential association between ABO blood group and severity of COVID-19 infection in critically ill patients and the following biological mechanisms: inflammatory cytokines, endothelial injury, and adipokines. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 128 critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to Vancouver General Hospital from March 2020-March 2021. Outcomes including 28-day mortality, need for mechanical ventilation and length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay were compared between patients with A & AB blood type vs. B & O blood type. Likewise, serum inflammatory markers, markers of endothelial activation, and adipokines were compared. Results The association between ABO and severity of disease was confirmed. Patients with A&AB blood group had more frequent ventilation requirements compared to patients with blood group B&O (N(%): 35 (71%) vs 41 (52%), p = 0.041), higher total ICU mortality (14 (29%) vs 9 (11%), p = 0.018), longer median ICU stay (days, median [interquartile range]: 10 [6-19], vs 7 [3-14], p = 0.016) and longer median hospital stay (26 [14-36] vs. 17 [10-30] p = 0.034). No association was found between ABO blood group and serum inflammatory cytokines or their receptors [IL-6, IL-1b, IL-10, TNF, sIL-6R, sgp130] measured within the first 10 days of ICU stay. No association was found between ABO and plasma markers of endothelial injury [Thrombomodulin, ADAMTS13, sP-Selectin, Factor IX, Protein C, Protein S, vWF]. Among the plasma adipokines, there were no differences between lipocalin-2, PAI-1 or resistin. Notably, however, median adipsin was higher in patients with A&AB blood group compared to O&B (16.3 [4.2-38.5] x106 pg/mL vs. 9.61 [3.0-20.8] x 106 pg/mL, p = 0.048). Conclusions This retrospective single-center study confirms an association between A and AB blood type with more severe COVID-19. While an underlying mechanism was not identified, the finding of higher adipsin levels in patients with type A/AB blood warrants further investigation in larger prospective studies.

Research on the maker learning experiences of engineering college students majoring in mechanical engineering in China

Photoinduced Synergism of Ferroptosis/Pyroptosis/Oncosis by an O₂-Independent Photocatalyst for Enhanced Tumor Immunotherapy

Persian adaptation and validation of the user version of The Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS)

Objective Health applications (apps) enable patients to make decisions regarding their health utilizing digitally-enabled processes for care, expand accessibility to healthcare service delivery, and raise public awareness of health. In many languages, there is still a lack of an instrument that assesses how patients perceive apps. This study aims to adapt and validate the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) in Persian and evaluate the overall quality of the Persian meditation apps. Methods This cross-sectional study population comprises 86 healthcare workers in a health center in the west of Iran. The sample size was determined using Cochran’s formula. First, the uMARS was translated into Persian. Then, validity was assessed using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR), Content Validity Index (CVI), and face validity. Cronbach’s alpha and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) were used to assess reliability. Among the 124 meditation apps, Aramia met the criteria included in the study and was selected to evaluate objective quality, subjective quality, and perceived impact. Results The majority of the participants were female (82.55%). More than half of the participants had a bachelor’s degree (58.14%). The CVR, CVI, ICC, and Cronbach’s alpha values were obtained as 0.79. 0.90, 0.93, and 0.86, respectively. These Findings revealed that the Persian version of the questionnaire has sufficient reliability and validity. Among the three subscales, perceived impact received the highest mean score (3.96 ± 0.37), and a total score of 3.74 ± 1.04 was obtained. Conclusions A Persian version of uMARS is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating the quality of mobile health apps from the user’s point of view during the development and testing process and improving the app’s quality.

A nomogram for neurosurgical intervention in children with mild traumatic brain injury and minor subdural hematoma under 3 years

In situ Detection of the Molecule-Crowded Aqueous Electrode–Electrolyte Interface

The impact of environmental enrichment on energy metabolism in ovariectomized mice

After menopause, a decline in ovarian function leads to various physical and psychological changes, potentially resulting in a range of pathological conditions, including abnormalities in energy metabolism. In recent years, environmental enrichment, which is characterized by positive and comfortable eustress, has been shown to improve various physiological and pathological conditions. This study investigated the effects of environmental factors on energy metabolism in a menopause model using an ovariectomized (OVX) mouse model. Wild-type female mice (8-week-old) were subjected to OVX or a sham operation and maintained under standard condition (SC), enriched environment (EE), or isolated (IS) condition for 4 weeks. OVX led to weight gain and disruption of circadian rhythms, along with changes in various metabolic parameters influenced by differences in housing environments; i.e., EE improved metabolic parameters, but IS deteriorated them. Physical activity and social interaction were factors that determined these differences. Menopause is usually a significant transitional period in a woman’s life, and changes in the social environment during this period can contribute to a diverse range of physical and psychological symptoms. Consequently, when implementing interventions to alleviate menopause-related pathological conditions, not only physical symptoms but also the social context should be carefully considered.

Publisher Correction: Interpretable deep learning of single-cell and epigenetic data reveals novel molecular insights in aging

Photocatalyzed Epimerization of Quaternary Stereocenters

Embedding professional development within the curriculum of graduate programs: An impact survey from biomedical departments in a faculty of medicine

Although the career pathways of biomedical PhDs are increasingly diverse, graduate education continues to rely upon an apprenticeship model, whereby supervisors train the next generation of researchers. To broaden the core competency skills for research productivity and career development across the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s departments and institutes, a for-credit curricular Graduate Professional Development (GPD) course has been implemented as an integral part of the graduate curriculum in multiple departments. We used three key principles to advance this integrated professional development curriculum: i) a train-the-trainers method for implementation, ii) direct student engagement via a students-as-partners model, one-on-one consultations and videos, and iii) a faculty development program. While programming of this sort has direct benefits, less is known about how students themselves experience curricular GPD. To address the gap in understanding the impact, research was undertaken to inquire about students’ perceived skills development and attitudes towards career choices after taking the GPD course. According to our findings, students see the curricular GPD course as a valuable complement to their graduate education and feel more prepared for their next steps in their career exploration. With buy-in from students, faculty and academic leaders, embedded curricular GPD has transformed the academic culture of graduate education in our faculty, helping our students with skills that empower them to be prepared for their own career development to meet the competitive career realities of our time.

Leveraging machine learning for prediction and optimization of texture properties of sustainable activated carbon derived from waste materials

Catalytic Enantioselective Nucleophilic Desymmetrization at Phosphorus(V): A Three-Phase Strategy for Modular Preparation of Phosphoramidates

The turbulent soundscape of intertidal oyster reefs

Turbulence and sound are important cues for oyster reef larval recruitment. Numerous studies have found a relationship between turbulence intensity and swimming behaviors of marine larvae, while others have documented the importance of sounds in enhancing larval recruitment to oyster reefs. However, the relationship between turbulence and the reef soundscape is not well understood. In this study we made side-by-side acoustic Doppler velocimeter turbulence measurements and hydrophone soundscape recordings over 2 intertidal oyster reefs (1 natural and 1 restored) and 1 adjacent bare mudflat as a reference. Sound pressure levels (SPL) were similar across all three sites, although SPL >  2000 Hz was highest at the restored reef, likely due to its larger area that contained a greater number of sound-producing organisms. Flow noise (FN), defined as the mean of pressure fluctuations recorded by the hydrophone at f <  100 Hz, was significantly related to mean flow speed, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulence dissipation rate (ε), agreeing with theoretical calculations for turbulence. Our results also show a similar relationship between ε and FN to what has been previously reported for ε vs. downward larval swimming velocity ( w b ), with both FN and w b demonstrating rapid growth at ε >  0.1 cm 2 s −3 . These results suggest that reef turbulence and sounds may attract oyster larvae in complementary and synergistic ways.

Identification of potential shared gene signatures between periodontitis and breast cancer by integrating bulk RNA-seq and scRNA-seq data

Imine-Based Transient Supramolecular Polymers

Detection of microplastics in the feline placenta and fetus

The present study aimed to detect microplastics in feline placentas and fetuses in the early stage of pregnancy. For this study, 8 pregnant queens were evaluated. A standardized protocol for the digestion of biological matter was used, as well as a plastic-free approach for sample collection and manipulation. Microplastics were investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy, with the aim of identifying their composition. Four of eight animals were contaminated, with a total of 19 microplastics detected in both fetal and placental samples. Specifically, fetuses from cats 4 and 7 were contaminated, as were the placentas from cats 5, 6, and 7. This work demonstrates that microplastics can accumulate in feline placentas even at the early stage of pregnancy. Moreover, preliminary results of the presence of microplastics in feline fetuses are shown, suggesting that microplastics can cross the placental barrier.

Study on the effect of CeO2 NP on combustion, emission and performance in Gunt CT110 diesel engine running with castor biodiesel blend

Intramolecular Singlet Fission in Individual Graphene Nanoribbons─Competition with a Charge Transfer

Study on the resistivity characteristics and mechanism of silt clay under different initial conditions

By taking silt clay as the research object, two-phase electrode resistivity tests under different water content and dry density conditions were carried out to clarify the resistivity variation law and influence mechanism of silt clay. The results show that the resistivity of the soil decreases sharply in the low moisture content section then tends to stabilize with the change of moisture content, and decreases continuously with the increase of dry density. There are three phases of a medium, namely soil, water and air, in unsaturated soil, so there are mainly three conductive paths: between soil particles, between pore fluids, and between soil-water coupling. Under different moisture content and dry density conditions, there are obvious differences in the effective contact area, and the types and numbers of conductive paths, which in turn affect the resistivity of the soil. The water status and pore structure of the silt clay samples were analyzed by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) results to clarify the conductive mechanism of unsaturated silt clay. Finally, a volumetric moisture content and resistivity model is established to unify the effects of moisture content and dry density on resistivity, providing a theoretical reference for the construction and operation safety of silt clay engineering.