Challenges perceived by pediatric intensive care unit nurses in caring for maltreated children and adolescents: A qualitative phenomenological study.

Objectives: This study explores the challenges and experiences faced by paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurses while caring for maltreated paediatric patients.

Research Methodology/design: A qualitative study was conducted using face-to-face semi-structured interviews from February to May 2022. The data were transcribed verbatim and a simple thematic analysis was used.

Public deliberation on health gain measures.

Researchers and decision-makers use health gain measures to assess the value of health interventions. However, our current understanding of how these measures are understandable and accessible to the community is limited. This study examined a diverse group of stakeholders' attitudes and preferences for 9 commonly used health gain measures.

Regulation of candidalysin underlies Candida albicans persistence in intravascular catheters by modulating NETosis.

Candida albicans is a leading cause of intravascular catheter-related infections. The capacity for biofilm formation has been proposed to contribute to the persistence of this fungal pathogen on catheter surfaces. While efforts have been devoted to identifying microbial factors that modulate C.

Electrical and optoelectronic anisotropy and surface electron accumulation in ReS nanostructures.

Two interesting electronic transport properties including in-plane anisotropy and nonhomogeneous carrier distribution were observed in ReS nanoflakes. The electrical conductivity defined by the current parallel to the -axis (‖) is 32 times higher than that perpendicular to the -axis (⊥). Similar anisotropy was also observed in optoelectronic properties in which the ratio of responsivity ‖ to ⊥ reaches 20.

Convergent and divergent roles of the glucose-responsive kinase SNF4 in .

The sucrose non-fermenting 1 () complex is a heterotrimeric protein kinase complex that is an ortholog of the mammalian AMPK complex and is evolutionally conserved in most eukaryotes. This complex contains a catalytic subunit (Snf1), a regulatory subunit (Snf4) and a scaffolding subunit (Sip1/Sip2/Gal73) in budding yeast. Although the function of AMPK has been well studied in and , the role of AMPK in has never been investigated.

Barriers to Health and Social Services for Unaccounted-For Female Migrant Workers and Their Undocumented Children with Precarious Status in Taiwan: An Exploratory Study of Stakeholder Perspectives.

Unaccounted-for migrant workers (UMWs), who have left their employment placement and whose whereabouts are unknown, make up a vulnerable population in Taiwan. The children of UMWs have a particularly precarious status because they are undocumented/stateless, immigrant, and young. Living with this precarious status limits their children's rights to survival and development.

Tetrafluorophenylene-Containing Vinylbenzyl Ether-Terminated Oligo(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) with Better Thermal, Dielectric, and Flame-Retardant Properties for Application in High-Frequency Communication.

In an integrated circuit, signal propagation loss is proportional to the frequency, dissipation factor ( ), and square root of dielectric constant ( ). The loss becomes obvious as we move to high-frequency communication. Therefore, a polymer having low and is critical for copper-clad laminates at higher frequencies.

Polyimide-Based Covalent Organic Framework as a Photocurrent Enhancer for Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are of great interest in the energy and optoelectronic fields due to their high porosity, superior thermal stability, and highly ordered conjugated architecture, which are beneficial for charge migration, charge separation, and light harvesting. In this study, polyimide COFs (PI-COFs) are synthesized through the condensation reaction of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) with tris(4-aminophenyl) amine (TAPA) and then doped in the TiO photoelectrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) to co-work with N719 dye to explore their functionality. As a benchmark, the pristine DSSC without the doping of PI-COFs exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 9.

Controlled Synthesis of Poly[(3-alkylthio)thiophene]s and Their Application to Organic Field-Effect Transistors.

Regioregular polythiophenes have been widely used in organic electronic applications due to their solution processability with chemical modification through side chain engineering, as well as their microstructural organization and good hole transport properties. Here, we introduce alkylthio side chains, (poly[(3-alkylthio)thiophene]s; s), with strong noncovalent sulfur molecular interactions, to main chain thienyl backbones. These s were compared with alkyl-substituted polythiophene (poly(3-alkylthiophene); ) variants such that the effects of straight (hexyl and decyl) and branched (2-ethylhexyl) side chains (with and without S atoms) on their thin-film morphologies and crystalline states could be investigated.

Antimicrobial Actions and Applications of Chitosan.

Chitosan is a naturally originating product that can be applied in many areas due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxic properties. The broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of chitosan offers great commercial potential for this product. Nevertheless, the antimicrobial activity of chitosan varies, because this activity is associated with its physicochemical characteristics and depends on the type of microorganism.

Hybrid White-Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells Based on a Blue Cationic Iridium(III) Complex and Red Quantum Dots.

Solid-state white light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) show promising advantages of simple solution fabrication processes, low operation voltage, and compatibility with air-stable cathode metals, which are required for lighting applications. To date, white LECs based on ionic transition metal complexes (iTMCs) have shown higher device efficiencies than white LECs employing other types of materials. However, lower emission efficiencies of red iTMCs limit further improvement in device performance.

maintains mitochondrial function and is required for chitosan resistance, invasive growth, biofilm formation and virulence in .

is the most prevalent fungal pathogen in humans, particularly in immunocompromised patients. In this study, by screening a mutant library, we first identified that the gene, an ortholog of required for mitochondrial respiration, mediates chitosan resistance. Upon treatment with 0.

mSphere of Influence: Turning to Soil for Medicines.

Ching-Hsuan Lin works in the field of biology. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how the papers "Use of ichip for high-throughput cultivation of uncultivable microbial species" by D. Nichols, N.

Synergistic Antifungal Activity of Chitosan with Fluconazole against , , and Fluconazole-Resistant Strains.

(1) Background: Few antifungal drugs are currently available, and drug-resistant strains have rapidly emerged. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the antifungal activity from a combinational treatment of chitosan with a clinical antifungal drug on Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. (2) Methods: Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests, checkerboard assays, and disc assays were employed to determine the inhibitory effect of chitosan with or without other antifungal drugs on and .

Candida tropicalis RON1 is required for hyphal formation, biofilm development, and virulence but is dispensable for N-acetylglucosamine catabolism.

Unlabelled: NDT80-like family genes are highly conserved across a large group of fungi, but the functions of each Ndt80 protein are diverse and have evolved differently among yeasts and pathogens. The unique NDT80 gene in budding yeast is required for sexual reproduction, whereas three NDT80-like genes, namely, NDT80, REP1, and RON1, found in Candida albicans exhibit distinct functions. Notably, it was suggested that REP1, rather than RON1, is required for N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) catabolism.

Evaluation of Biofilm Formation in Using a Silicone-Based Platform with Synthetic Urine Medium.

Molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation in and current methods for biofilm analyses in this fungal pathogen are limited. (2) Methods: Biofilm biomass and crystal violet staining of the wild-type and each gene mutant strain of were evaluated on silicone under synthetic urine culture conditions. (3) Results: Seven media were tested to compare the effects on biofilm growth with or without silicone.

Tuning the Wettability and Surface Free Energy of Poly(vinylphenol)Thin Films by Modulating Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions.

The ability to tune the surface properties of a polymer film in a simple and effective manner is important for diverse biological, industrial, and environmental applications. In this work, we investigated whether or not the surface free energy of poly(vinyl phenol; PVPh) can be tuned by adjusting the casting solvent and the thermal treatment time, which alters the proportions of intra-and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. Compared to the untreated sample, in tetrahydrofuran (THF) system, the thermal treatment resulted in a lower proportion of intermolecular hydrogen bonds and a concomitant decrease in the surface free energy (from 39.

Synthesis and Properties of Quinoxaline-Containing Benzoxazines and Polybenzoxazines.

The object of this work is to prepare quinoxaline-based benzoxazines and evaluate thermal properties of their thermosets. For this object, 4,4'-(quinoxaline-2,3-diyl)diphenol (QDP)/furfurylamine-based benzoxazine (QDP-fu) and 4,4',4″,4‴-([6,6'-biquinoxaline]-2,2',3,3'-tetrayl)tetraphenol (BQTP)/furfurylamine-based benzoxazine (BQTP-fu) were prepared. The structures of QDP-fu and BQTP-fu were successfully confirmed by FTIR and H and C NMR spectra.

Facile Fabrication of Durable Superhydrophobic Films from Carbon Nanotube/Main-Chain Type Polybenzoxazine Composites.

Superhydrophobic materials have immense applications in the fields of industry and research. However, their durability is still a cause for concern. A facile method for preparing durable superhydrophobic films from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the main-chain type polybenzoxazine precursors is reported herein.

The antifungal activities and biological consequences of BMVC-12C-P, a carbazole derivative against Candida species.

Fungal infections, particularly Candida species, have increased worldwide and caused high morbidity and mortality rates. The toxicity and development of resistance in present antifungal drugs justify the need of new drugs with different mechanism of action. BMVC-12C-P, a carbazole-type compound, has been found to dysfunction mitochondria.

Efficient and Adhesiveless Metallization of Flexible Polyimide by Functional Grafting of Carboxylic Acid Groups.

Surface metallization of polyimide (PI) is the key process for the preparation of flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs). To meet the miniaturization demand, the ultrathinness of FPCB by the removal of the intermediate adhesive layer is imperative. The common adhesiveless process relies on the surface activation of hydrophobic PI through alkaline hydrolysis to generate the hydrophilic carboxylate anion sites for the metallic deposition.

A Potential Antifungal Effect of Chitosan Against Is Mediated via the Inhibition of SAGA Complex Component Expression and the Subsequent Alteration of Cell Surface Integrity.

Due to the high incidence of nosocomial infection, the first-line drugs for infection have been heavily used, and the emergence of drug-resistant strains has gradually increased. Thus, a new antifungal drug or therapeutic method is needed. Chitosan, a product of chitin deacetylation, is considered to be potentially therapeutic for fungal infections because of its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and low toxicity.

Low-Dissipation Thermosets Derived from Oligo(2,6-Dimethyl Phenylene Oxide)-Containing Benzoxazines.

Poly(2,6-dimethyl phenyl oxide) (PPO) is known for its low dissipation factor. To achieve insulating materials with low dissipation factors for high-frequency communication applications, a telechelic oligomer-type benzoxazine (P-APPO) and a main-chain type benzoxazine polymer (BPA-APPO) were prepared from an amine end-capped oligo (2,6-dimethyl phenylene oxide) (APPO). The APPO was prepared from a nucleophilic substitution of a phenol-end capped oligo (2,6-dimethyl phenylene oxide) (a commercial product, SA 90) with fluoronitrobenzene, and followed by catalytic hydrogenation.

The antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation resistance of Candida albicans is modulated by the Hog1 pathway and the Cap1 transcription factor.

Candida albicans is the most important fungal pathogen afflicting humans, particularly immunocompromised patients. However, currently available antifungal drugs are limited and ineffective against drug-resistant strains. The development of new drugs or alternative therapeutic approaches to control fungal infections is urgent and necessary.