PLoS ONE
Articles in this Issue
Costs and return to scale analysis of extending the offer of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to key populations aged 15–17 years old in two Brazilian cities
In Brazil, HIV infection incidence is increasing, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective prevention strategy, o...
Exploring team dynamics and performance in extended space missions using agent-based modeling
As humanity prepares for crewed missions to Mars, these will be among the most extended and isolated journeys, presenting challenges in team performance and dynamics. The extreme isolation, prolonged...
Non-linear associations of total and leisure-time physical activity with chronic kidney disease: Findings from NHANES
Physical activity (PA) is a protective factor for many chronic diseases, but its association with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (...
Long-term outcomes of combination therapy with stereotactic body radiation therapy plus cryoablation using liquid nitrogen for stage I non-small cell lung cancer with tumors ≥2 cm
Objectives Radiation and ablation therapy are used to treat stage I non-small cell lung cancer. However, the local control and survival rates remain unsatisfactory for tumors ≥2 cm. Therefore, this st...
Elevated blood lead levels and associated risk factors among school children in a non-industrialized city in Indonesia
Environmental lead exposure in children is a big public health problem in industrial cities in Indonesia. However, exposure to lead can take place in other settings. Our survey in Banda Aceh was the f...
Emergence agitation in pediatrics after dexmedetomidine vs. sevoflurane anesthesia: A randomized controlled trial
Introduction Emergence agitation remains a problem that occurs in pediatric anesthesia. As cleft surgeries constitute one of the most common craniofacial surgeries encountered, majority of the childre...
From meat to raw material: the Middle Pleistocene elephant butchery site of Casal Lumbroso (Rome, central Italy)
The site of Casal Lumbroso is located in the north-west sector of Rome (central Italy). Stratigraphic and geochemical data presented here evidence that the archaeological and paleontological horizon l...
Pathogenic rickettsiae encode a secreted lipase that facilitates intracytosolic colonization in host cells
Key cellular processes for the rickettsial obligate intracellular lifestyle, including internalization by phagocytosis, regulation of intracellular trafficking, and evasion of lysosomal destruction to...
Novel terpolymers based on methyl methacrylate with superior thermal stability and optical transparency for high-value applications
Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a widely utilized polymer in high-value applications; however, it faces limitations due to its inherent thermal instability and moderate optical transparency. This study a...
Attitudes and beliefs regarding umbilical cord clamping among midwives, obstetricians, and neonatologists in Sweden: A national cross-sectional survey
Objective The study aimed to explore attitudes and beliefs among midwives, obstetricians, and neonatologists regarding umbilical cord clamping practices, including scenarios involving neonatal comprom...
How survey results are reported in the media: A framework on selection mechanisms and a pilot study on reporting practice
Survey results are frequently reported in the media without sufficient background information to assess their methodological quality. This gap may arise from various factors, including a lack of stati...
Where did the river go? Testing the hypothesis of rivers discharging into the Gulf of Sirt (East Mediterranean) during the late Pleistocene
Large quantities of freshwater supplied by rivers are, amongst other factors, required to slow down deep-water ventilation and allow sapropels to form. Spatial distribution of sapropels in the East Me...
No news is good news? The declining information value of broadcast news in America
Despite the rise of digital media, Americans are five times more likely to consume news via television than through online platforms. However, due in large part to technical hurdles, it remains unclea...
Nutritional status and bacteremia patterns in children with diarrheal diseases: A comparative analysis of bacteremia from Salmonella Typhi versus other pathogens
Background Bacteremia remains a significant concern among under-five children with diarrheal diseases, particularly in resource-limited settings. Distribution of bacteremia patterns across the patient...
Motor performance as a predictor of blood levels of ammonia and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with liver cirrhosis
Liver cirrhosis can present with complications such as hyperammonemia and inflammation, and the consequent appearance of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), which has been associated with poorer mot...
Solving characteristic parameters of heavy-duty gas turbines using parameter estimation method
In gas turbine simulation, precise parameterization of components is essential for reliable performance prediction, yet manufacturers usually provide only limited operational data. To address this iss...
Feasibility of self-administered dried blood spot collection for cardiometabolic profile analysis in a population-based sample of young adults
Young adults may have poor cardiometabolic health that is undetected due to infrequent health checks. Feasibility of self-administration of blood samples using dried blood spot (DBS) cards for remote...
Impact of distilled water dealkalization on the geotechnical behavior of red mud
Red mud (RM), a highly alkaline residue from alumina production, poses environmental risks and limits its use in geotechnical applications due to its high soluble alkali content. This study investigat...
New microsatellite markers distinguish two species of ramps (Allium tricoccum Aiton Complex, Amaryllidaceae) and show variation in clonality and genetic diversity between species and among populations
A ramp (Allium tricoccum Aiton), or wild leek, is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the forests of eastern North America. Like other members of the Allium genus, ramps produce sulfur-containing c...
From hospital to home: A heightened window of vulnerability post-critical illness
Background Healthcare innovations have not kept pace with the burden of critical illness survivorship. The majority of patients treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) will survive but suffer new or w...
Pilot-scale depuration demonstrates the suitability of non-pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus as a surrogate for commercial-scale validation studies
Shellfish producers have proposed using depuration systems to reduce Vibrio parahaemolyticus levels by supporting the oysters’ natural purging ability. For commercial viability, depuration efficacy mu...
Does multifamily therapy help parents of adolescents with anxiety-based school refusal? A qualitative approach
Introduction Anxiety-based school refusal is a major public health problem among adolescents, with serious professional, social, and psychiatric consequences in adulthood. Family and especially parent...
On the effectiveness of limited-data large language model fine-tuning for Arabic
This paper presents an investigation into fine-tuning large language models (LLMs) for Arabic natural language processing (NLP) tasks. Although recent multilingual LLMs have made remarkable progress i...
Position-specific workload and performance analysis in professional rugby union: Insights from global positioning system data and principal component analysis
Quantifying workload and performance is a systematic approach employed by practitioners to enhance their understanding of the training process as a whole. This study aims to utilize data collected fro...
Motivations, perceived risk, and tampering of XTAMPZA ER and abuse-deterrent opioid drugs
Abuse deterrent formulation (ADF) products are designed to prevent people from tampering with medication, especially with the intention to misuse or abuse the product. While clinical results support t...