Engineered Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Energy Conversion and Storage.

Designing efficient and cost-effective materials is pivotal to solving the key scientific and technological challenges at the interface of energy, environment, and sustainability for achieving NetZero. Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) represent a unique class of materials that have catered to a myriad of energy conversion and storage (ECS) applications. Their uniqueness arises from their ultra-thin nature, high fractions of atoms residing on surfaces, rich chemical compositions featuring diverse metals and chalcogens, and remarkable tunability across multiple length scales.

Blast Exposure Associations With Hearing Loss and Self-Reported Hearing Difficulty.

Objective: Examine associations between military blast exposures on hearing loss and self-reported hearing difficulties among Active-Duty Service Members (ADSM) and Veterans from the Noise Outcomes in Servicemembers Epidemiology (NOISE) study.

Study Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Multi-institutional tertiary referral centers.

The Effect of Interprofessional Education on Student Readiness for Collaborative Practice.

Background: Health care reform promotes interprofessional patient-centric health care models associated with improved population health outcomes. Interprofessional education (IPE) programs are necessary to cultivate collaborative care, yet little evidence exists to support IPE pedagogy within nursing and other health science academia.

Method: This quasiexperimental study examined differences in pre- and posttest Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) scores following an IPE intervention.

Revisiting the Definition of 'Healthy' Participants in Substantiation of Structure/Function Claims for Dietary Supplements.

Concepts and definitions of 'healthy' have been evolving within clinical treatment algorithms as well as reference standards such as Body Mass Index and Dietary Reference Intakes. Consumers' perception of the word 'healthy' is also changing to reflect longer life span, need to stay active and in a good state of mental well-being while managing multiple diseases. Guidelines from the US Food and Drug Administration indicate that substantiating evidence for support of Structure/Function (S/F) claims for dietary supplements is best derived from clinical research conducted in a 'healthy' population.

Evaluation of the Performance of a Card Game to Introduce Students to Interprofessional Collaboration: A Randomized 2-Group Comparison Study.

Background: Gamification is an approach that can be used to introduce interprofessional collaboration in nursing and health science. Card games are an effective and convenient way to educate students about clinical professions.

Purpose: We compared the perception of an experimental group of students who played an educational card game to a control group that played an uninstructive card game.

Re-utilization of long lived Tc radio isotope via Photon induced nuclear reactions.

Technetium-99 is a radioactive waste produced primarily in nuclear reactors. It is also left as radioactive waste in hospitals, directly from Tc isomeric state. To bring down the quantity of technetium-99 radioactive waste, the nuclear reactions using photon beam is explored.

Spectroscopic analysis of photoneutrons in intense γ-ray background.

CR-39 SSNTD is used to measure the photoneutron spectrum produced by a medical linear accelerator in an intense γ-ray background. The spectroscopic resolution and the neutron detection threshold have been improved by introducing the event selection criteria, based on the track diameter-brightness correlation. The CR-39 detector's efficiency is determined by adapting the H(n,el) cross section from the ENDF/B-VIII.

Self-Reported Hearing Aid Requirements among U.S. Military Personnel and the Association with Probable Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Background:  Auditory problems are ubiquitous among U.S. military personnel.

Pre-Existing Audiometric Hearing Loss is a Predictor of Significant Threshold Shift Following Injury During Combat Deployment.

Objectives: Military personnel are exposed to multiple risk factors for hearing loss, particularly on the battlefield. The objective of this study was to determine whether pre-existing hearing loss predicted hearing threshold shift in male U.S.

Hearing Health Outcomes as a Function of Age, Gender, and Diversity.

The United States does not ensure equitable access to hearing health care for all age groups, largely because these services are costly and even unobtainable in some places. Barriers to care are discussed within a context of the social determinants of health, under-representativeness of hearing-care professionals from historically marginalized communities, older adults and age-related hearing loss, and associated health conditions. The MarkeTrak 2022 study generated a sample of 15,138 respondents with information on 43,597 individuals.

Relationship Between Tinnitus and Hearing Outcomes Among US Military Personnel After Blast Injury.

Objectives: To examine the association between tinnitus and hearing outcomes among US military personnel after blast injury, including any hearing loss, low-frequency hearing loss, high-frequency hearing loss, early warning shift, and significant threshold shift.

Design: In this retrospective study, the Blast-Related Auditory Injury Database was queried for male military service members who had audiometric data 2 years before and after blast injury between 2004 and 2012 with no history of hearing loss or tinnitus before injury (n = 1693). Tinnitus was defined by diagnostic codes in electronic health records.

Breaking new frontiers: Assessment and re-evaluation of clinical trial design for nutraceuticals.

Despite sophisticated study designs and measurement tools, we have yet to create an innovative space for diet and dietary supplements in the health care system. The path is challenging due to current hierarchies of scientific evidence and regulatory affairs. The role of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (RCT) as a research approach functions well to characterize the benefits and risks of drugs but lacks the sensitivity to capture the efficacy and safety of nutraceuticals.

Thermal, structural, antimicrobial, and physicochemical characterisation of thyme essential oil encapsulated in β- and γ-cyclodextrin.

The present work aimed to encapsulate the thyme essential oil (TEO) in β-cyclodextrin (BCD) and γ-cyclodextrin (GCD) complexes in two selected cyclodextrin (CD) to TEO ratios (85/15 and 80/20 w/w) and compare the physicochemical, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of the encapsulated powders. The inclusion complexes between CD and TEO were prepared by blending aqueous CD and TEO in ethanol followed by freeze-drying. The powder properties were assessed by measuring particle size and microstructure using SEM, FTIR, and XRD.

Declining fertility and increasing use of traditional methods of family planning: a paradox in Uttar Pradesh, India?

Uttar Pradesh (UP), with more than 220 million people, is the most populous state in India. Despite a high unmet need for modern family planning methods, the state has experienced a substantial decline in fertility. India has also seen a decline during this period which can be attributed to the increased prevalence of modern methods of family planning, particularly female sterilisation, but in UP, the corresponding increase was marginal.

Occupational Noise Exposure and Longitudinal Hearing Changes in Post-9/11 US Military Personnel During an Initial Period of Military Service.

Objectives: Auditory impairments, particularly those resulting from hazardous occupational noise exposures, are pressing concerns for the US Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA). However, to date, no studies have estimated the rate of hearing threshold change that occurs during service or how changes may vary by military occupation. Hearing threshold changes during military service have historically been reported as the proportion of Service members demonstrating a significant threshold shift.

The Relationship Between Blast-related Hearing Threshold Shift and Insomnia in U.S. Military Personnel.

Introduction: Hearing loss and insomnia emerged as preeminent sources of morbidity among military service members and veterans who served in the recent Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Significant threshold shift (STS), an early indicator of hearing loss, has not been studied in relation to insomnia. This study's objective was to examine the co-occurrence of STS and insomnia among U.

Erratum to "Changing the tone of clinical study design in the cannabis industry".

[This corrects the article on p. 4 in vol. 11, PMID: 32104589.

Co-occurrence of hearing loss and posttraumatic stress disorder among injured military personnel: a retrospective study.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hearing loss are hallmark public health issues related to military service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although both are significant individual contributors to disability among veterans, their co-occurrence has not been specifically explored.

Methods: A total of 1179 male U.

Prevalence of Tinnitus and Association with Self-Rated Health among Military Personnel Injured on Combat Deployment.

Introduction: Tinnitus is an auditory problem frequently reported by military personnel and is currently responsible for 1 billion dollars annually in disability compensation. Recent military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan saw high levels of combat exposure coupled with a surge in blast weaponry, both of which can adversely affect hearing. The present study explored the prevalence of tinnitus and the association with self-rated health among military personnel injured during combat deployment.

Efficacy of HA-196 and R0175 in Alleviating Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Specific probiotic strains can alleviate the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the efficacy of HA-196 () and R0175 () in reducing the GI and psychological symptoms of IBS was evaluated in 251 adults with either constipation (IBS-C), diarrhea (IBS-D), or mixed-pattern (IBS-M). Following a 2-week run-in period, participants were randomized to one of three interventions: ( = 84), ( = 83) or placebo ( = 81).

.

To identify clinical audiometric patterns of hearing loss following blast-related injury (BRI) in US military personnel. Retrospective cohort study. A total of 1186 male Navy and Marine Corps service members with normal hearing thresholds on pre-injury audiograms who had post-injury audiograms in the Blast-Related Auditory Injury Database.

Changing the Tone of Clinical Study Design in the Cannabis Industry.

Cannabis (also known as marijuana) is the most frequently used psychoactive substance globally. Cannabis exerts therapeutic functions for many indications and has vast potential as a health and wellness product. Advances in our understanding of the composition and pharmacological properties of cannabis have revealed interactions between cannabis, an individuals' circadian rhythms and and their endocannabinoid signaling.

Fertility and family planning in Uttar Pradesh, India: major progress and persistent gaps.

Background: Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the most populous state in India with historically high levels of fertility rates than the national average. Though fertility levels in UP declined considerably in recent decades, the current level is well above the government's target of 2.1.

Predicting knee osteoarthritis severity: comparative modeling based on patient's data and plain X-ray images.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a disease that impairs knee function and causes pain. A radiologist reviews knee X-ray images and grades the severity level of the impairments according to the Kellgren and Lawrence grading scheme; a five-point ordinal scale (0-4). In this study, we used Elastic Net (EN) and Random Forests (RF) to build predictive models using patient assessment data (i.

Efficacy of an Anthocyanin and Prebiotic Blend on Intestinal Environment in Obese Male and Female Subjects.

Background: Anthocyanins and prebiotics impact overall health and wellness, likely through modulation of the microbiota and the intestinal ecosystem.

Objectives: An 8-week open-label study in male and female volunteers with uncomplicated obesity was designed to study the efficacy of an anthocyanin and prebiotic blend in modulating intestinal microbiota and intestinal inflammation.

Results: After 8 weeks of daily supplementation, participants had a significant decrease in Firmicutes ( < 0.