A multilevel social network approach to studying multiple disease-prevention behaviors.

The effective prevention of many infectious and non-infectious diseases relies on people concurrently adopting multiple prevention behaviors. Individual characteristics, opinion leaders, and social networks have been found to explain why people take up specific prevention behaviors. However, it remains challenging to understand how these factors shape multiple interdependent behaviors.

Community and health worker perspectives on malaria in Meghalaya, India: covering the last mile of elimination by 2030.

Background: Malaria remains a public health problem in regions of Northeastern India because of favourable bio-geographic transmission conditions, poor access to routine healthcare, and inadequate infrastructure for public health and disease prevention. This study was undertaken to better understand community members' and health workers' perceptions of malaria, as well as their knowledge, attitudes, and prevention practices related to the disease in Meghalaya state.

Methods: The study included participants from three malaria endemic districts: West Khasi Hills, West Jaiñtia Hills, and South Garo Hills from 2019 to 2021.

Matrix metalloproteinase responsive hydrogel microplates for programmed killing of invasive tumour cells.

Interactive materials are an emerging class of systems that can offer control over response and adaptivity in polymer structures towards the meso- and macroscale. Here, we use enzyme regulated cleavage of peptide crosslinkers in polymer hydrogels to release a cytotoxic therapeutic nanoparticle with an adaptable mechanism. Hydrogel microplates were formed through polyethylene glycol/peptide photoinitiated thiol-ene chemistry in a soft-lithography process to give square plates of 20 by 20 μm with a height of 10 μm.

Community and health worker perspectives on malaria in Meghalaya, India: Covering the last mile of elimination by 2030.

Background: Malaria remains a public health problem in regions of northeastern India due to favourable bio-geographic transmission conditions, poor access to routine healthcare, and inadequate public health and healthcare infrastructure. This study was undertaken to better understand community members' and health workers' perceptions of malaria, as well as their knowledge, attitudes, and prevention practices related to the disease in Meghalaya state.

Methods: The study included participants from three malaria endemic districts: West Khasi Hills, West Jaiñtia Hills, and South Garo Hills from 2019 to 2021.

Social network and household exposure explain the use of malaria prevention measures in rural communities of Meghalaya, India.

Malaria remains a global concern despite substantial reduction in incidence over the past twenty years. Public health interventions to increase the uptake of preventive measures have contributed to this decline but their impact has not been uniform. To date, we know little about what determines the use of preventive measures in rural, hard-to-reach populations, which are crucial contexts for malaria eradication.

Erratum: First Search for Bosonic Superweakly Interacting Massive Particles with Masses up to 1 MeV/c^{2} with GERDA [Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 011801 (2020)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.

Crosstalk mitigation and small-pitch consequences in SWIR InGaAs FPAs.

A consistent trend in infrared imaging systems is a drive towards smaller pixel pitches in focal plane arrays. In this work, we present an extensive numerical study on how dark current, quantum efficiency, and modulation transfer function are affected when reducing the pixel pitch in SWIR InGaAs pixel arrays. From the results, we propose the introduction of diffusion control junctions into the pixel sub-architecture to lower dark current and improve modulation transfer function, with a minor decrease in specific detectivity.

Pulse shape analysis in Gerda Phase II.

The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) collaboration searched for neutrinoless double- decay in Ge using isotopically enriched high purity germanium detectors at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN. After Phase I (2011-2013), the experiment benefited from several upgrades, including an additional active veto based on LAr instrumentation and a significant increase of mass by point-contact germanium detectors that improved the half-life sensitivity of Phase II (2015-2019) by an order of magnitude. At the core of the background mitigation strategy, the analysis of the time profile of individual pulses provides a powerful topological discrimination of signal-like and background-like events.

Shape-specific microfabricated particles for biomedical applications: a review.

The storied history of controlled the release systems has evolved over time; from degradable drug-loaded sutures to monolithic zero-ordered release devices and nano-sized drug delivery formulations. Scientists have tuned the physico-chemical properties of these drug carriers to optimize their performance in biomedical/pharmaceutical applications. In particular, particle drug delivery systems at the micron size regime have been used since the 1980s.

Long-lasting rescue of schizophrenia-relevant cognitive impairments via risperidone-loaded microPlates.

Schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by cognitive impairment and psychotic symptoms that fluctuate over time and can only be mitigated with the chronic administration of antipsychotics. Here, we propose biodegradable microPlates made of PLGA for the sustained release of risperidone over several weeks. Two microPlate configurations - short: 20 × 20 × 10 μm; tall: 20 × 20 × 20 μm - are engineered and compared to conventional ~ 10 μm PLGA microspheres in terms of risperidone loading and release.

Calibration of the Gerda experiment.

The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) collaboration searched for neutrinoless double- decay in Ge with an array of about 40 high-purity isotopically-enriched germanium detectors. The experimental signature of the decay is a monoenergetic signal at  keV in the measured summed energy spectrum of the two emitted electrons. Both the energy reconstruction and resolution of the germanium detectors are crucial to separate a potential signal from various backgrounds, such as neutrino-accompanied double- decays allowed by the Standard Model.

Insulin Granule-Loaded MicroPlates for Modulating Blood Glucose Levels in Type-1 Diabetes.

Type-1 diabetes (T1DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder resulting from the autoimmune destruction of β cells. The current standard of care requires multiple, daily injections of insulin and accurate monitoring of blood glucose levels (BGLs); in some cases, this results in diminished patient compliance and increased risk of hypoglycemia. Herein, we engineered hierarchically structured particles comprising a poly(lactic--glycolic) acid (PLGA) prismatic matrix, with a 20 × 20 μm base, encapsulating 200 nm insulin granules.

Characterization of inverted coaxial Ge detectors in GERDA for future double- decay experiments.

Neutrinoless double- decay of Ge is searched for with germanium detectors where source and detector of the decay are identical. For the success of future experiments it is important to increase the mass of the detectors. We report here on the characterization and testing of five prototype detectors manufactured in inverted coaxial (IC) geometry from material enriched to 88% in Ge.

Targeting Cancer Cells Overexpressing Folate Receptors with New Terpolymer-Based Nanocapsules: Toward a Novel Targeted DNA Delivery System for Cancer Therapy.

Chemotherapeutics represent the standard treatment for a wide range of cancers. However, these agents also affect healthy cells, thus leading to severe off-target effects. Given the non-selectivity of the commonly used drugs, any increase in the selective tumor tissue uptake would represent a significant improvement in cancer therapy.

Shape-Defined microPlates for the Sustained Intra-articular Release of Dexamethasone in the Management of Overload-Induced Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is treated with the intra-articular injection of steroids such as dexamethasone (DEX) to provide short-term pain management. However, DEX treatment suffers from rapid joint clearance. Here, 20 × 10 μm, shape-defined poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)acid microPlates (μPLs) are created and intra-articularly deposited for the sustained release of DEX.

Curcumin-Loaded Nanoparticles Impair the Pro-Tumor Activity of Acid-Stressed MSC in an In Vitro Model of Osteosarcoma.

In the tumor microenvironment, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are key modulators of cancer cell behavior in response to several stimuli. Intratumoral acidosis is a metabolic trait of fast-growing tumors that can induce a pro-tumorigenic phenotype in MSCs through the activation of the NF-κB-mediated inflammatory pathway, driving tumor clonogenicity, invasion, and chemoresistance. Recent studies have indicated that curcumin, a natural ingredient extracted from , acts as an NF-κB inhibitor with anti-inflammatory properties.

Final Results of GERDA on the Search for Neutrinoless Double-β Decay.

The GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment searched for the lepton-number-violating neutrinoless double-β (0νββ) decay of ^{76}Ge, whose discovery would have far-reaching implications in cosmology and particle physics. By operating bare germanium diodes, enriched in ^{76}Ge, in an active liquid argon shield, GERDA achieved an unprecedently low background index of 5.2×10^{-4} counts/(keV kg yr) in the signal region and met the design goal to collect an exposure of 100 kg yr in a background-free regime.

Mini fluid chAllenge aNd End-expiratory occlusion test to assess flUid responsiVEness in the opeRating room (MANEUVER study): A multicentre cohort study.

Background: The fluid challenge response in surgical patients can be predicted by functional haemodynamic tests. Two tests, the mini-fluid challenge (mini-FC) and end-expiratory occlusion test (EEOT), have been assessed in a few small single-centre studies with conflicting results. In general, functional haemodynamic tests have not performed reliably in predicting fluid responsiveness in patients undergoing laparotomy.

Injectable thermoresponsive hydrogels as drug delivery system for the treatment of central nervous system disorders: A review.

The central nervous system (CNS), consisting of the brain, spinal cord, and retina, superintends to the acquisition, integration and processing of peripheral information to properly coordinate the activities of the whole body. Neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, trauma, stroke, and brain tumors can dramatically affect CNS functions resulting in serious and life-long disabilities. Globally, the societal and economic burden associated with CNS disorders continues to grow with the ageing of the population thus demanding for more effective and definitive treatments.

First Search for Bosonic Superweakly Interacting Massive Particles with Masses up to 1 MeV/c^{2} with GERDA.

We present the first search for bosonic superweakly interacting massive particles (super-WIMPs) as keV-scale dark matter candidates performed with the GERDA experiment. GERDA is a neutrinoless double-β decay experiment which operates high-purity germanium detectors enriched in ^{76}Ge in an ultralow background environment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of INFN in Italy. Searches were performed for pseudoscalar and vector particles in the mass region from 60  keV/c^{2} to 1  MeV/c^{2}.

Band offsets of AlGaN alloys using first-principles calculations.

First-principles calculations are employed for the study of the band offsets of AlGaN alloys, taking into account their composition and atomic configuration. Specifically, the band offsets are obtained using PBE, PBEsol, Heyd, Scuseria, and Ernzerhof (HSE), and modified Becke-Johnson calculations, comparing the results and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each functional. The band alignments are performed using the branch point energies of the materials as their common reference level.

Characterization of 30 Ge enriched Broad Energy Ge detectors for GERDA Phase II.

The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) is a low background experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy, which searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay of Ge into Se+2e . Gerda has been conceived in two phases. Phase II, which started in December 2015, features several novelties including 30 new Ge enriched detectors.

Probing Majorana neutrinos with double-β decay.

A discovery that neutrinos are Majorana fermions would have profound implications for particle physics and cosmology. The Majorana character of neutrinos would make possible the neutrinoless double-β (0νββ) decay, a matter-creating process without the balancing emission of antimatter. The GERDA Collaboration searches for the 0νββ decay of Ge by operating bare germanium detectors in an active liquid argon shield.

Cardioprotection of PLGA/gelatine cardiac patches functionalised with adenosine in a large animal model of ischaemia and reperfusion injury: A feasibility study.

The protection from ischaemia-reperfusion-associated myocardial infarction worsening remains a big challenge. We produced a bioartificial 3D cardiac patch with cardioinductive properties on stem cells. Its multilayer structure was functionalised with clinically relevant doses of adenosine.