Objective: The use of crowdsourcing for addiction research has increased exponentially in recent years, but the extent to which the populations we expect results to generalize to might be engaging in substance use while participating in remote research has not been formally quantified. Understanding rates of day-of-study substance use on crowdsourcing platforms may be especially relevant given immediately recent use can alter cognitive and behavioral decision-making processes (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProduced water (i.e., a mixture of returned injection fluids and geologic formation brines) represents the largest volumetric waste stream associated with petroleum production in the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFShifts in the hydrogen stable isotopic composition (H/H ratio) of lipids relative to water (lipid/water H-fractionation) at natural abundances reflect different sources of the central cellular reductant, NADPH, in bacteria. Here, we demonstrate that lipid/water H-fractionation (ε) can also constrain the relative importance of key NADPH pathways in eukaryotes. We used the metabolically flexible yeast a microbial model for respiratory and fermentative metabolism in industry and medicine, to investigate ε.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPredicting changes to methane cycling in Arctic lakes is of global concern in a warming world but records constraining lake methane dynamics with past warming are rare. Here, we demonstrate that the hydrogen isotopic composition (δH) of mid-chain waxes derived from aquatic moss clearly decouples from precipitation during past Holocene warmth and instead records incorporation of methane in plant biomass. Trends in δH and δC values point to widespread Middle Holocene (11,700 to 4200 years ago) shifts in lake methane cycling across Greenland during millennia of elevated summer temperatures, heightened productivity, and lowered hypolimnetic oxygen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly malignancy that is often detected at an advanced stage. Earlier diagnosis of PDAC is key to reducing mortality. Circulating biomarkers such as microRNAs are gaining interest, but existing technologies require large sample volumes, amplification steps, extensive biofluid processing, lack sensitivity, and are low-throughput.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCephalopod carbonate geochemistry underpins studies ranging from Phanerozoic, global-scale change to outcrop-scale paleoecological reconstructions. Interpreting these data hinges on assumed similarity to model organisms, such as Nautilus, and generalization from other molluscan biomineralization processes. Aquarium rearing and capture of wild Nautilus suggest shell carbonate precipitates quickly (35 μm/day) in oxygen isotope equilibrium with seawater.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur understanding of how osteocytes, the principal mechanosensors within bone, sense and perceive force remains unclear. Previous work identified "tethering elements" (TEs) spanning the pericellular space of osteocytes and transmitting mechanical information into biochemical signals. While we identified the heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan (PLN) as a component of these TEs, PLN must attach to the cell surface to induce biochemical responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConsensually non-monogamous (CNM) romantic and sexual relationships tend to be stigmatized. The present research examined this stigma across two studies. First, we qualitatively explored the specific ways that people in CNM relationships report experiencing stigma using thematic analysis and identified the following four themes: Expressions of discomfort/disapproval of CNM, Loss of resources/threatening behaviors, Character devaluation, and Relationship devaluation (Study 1; = 372).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSports Biomech
August 2022
Research into the effect of footwear on dynamic stability and impact loading is still in its infancy. The aim of this study was to determine whether cushioned footwear influenced dynamic stability (dynamic postural stability index (DPSI) and time to stabilisation (TTS)) or impact loading (peak ground reaction force (pGRF) and loading rate (LR)) through a series of single-leg jump landings when compared to barefoot and minimalist shoes. Fourteen healthy, active participants (9 males, 5 females, Age: 21 ± 1 years; height: 174 ± 9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonitoring the human immune response by assaying (detection and quantification) the antibody level against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is important in conducting epidemiological surveillance and immunization studies at a population level. Herein, we present the design and fabrication of a solid-state nanoplasmonic biosensing platform that is capable of quantifying SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody IgG with a limit of detection as low as 30.0 attomolar (aM) and a wide dynamic range spanning seven orders of magnitude.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMusic interventions support functional outcomes, improve mood, and reduce symptoms of depression in neurorehabilitation. Neurologic music therapy (NMT) has been reported as feasible and helpful in stroke rehabilitation but is not commonly part of multidisciplinary services in acute or subacute settings. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of delivering NMT one-day-per-week in a subacute neurorehabilitation centre over 15 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContact lenses are one of the most successful biomaterials in history with a global market estimated to be worth over $17 billion in 2025. Silicone hydrogel contact lenses dominate the market and are complex biphasic biomaterials with several critical material properties needed for clinical use. Careful consideration of composition and chemistry is needed to identify formulations of lenses meeting all commercial standards with the potential for improved manufacturability, cost, and/or next generation use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs interest continues to grow in TiCT and other related MXenes, advancement in methods of manipulation of their surface functional groups beyond synthesis-based surface terminations (T: -F, -OH, and ═O) can provide mechanisms to enhance solution processability as well as produce improved solid-state device architectures and coatings. Here, we report a chemically important surface modification approach in which "" polymers, polyethylene glycol carboxylic acid (PEG6-COOH), are covalently attached onto MXenes esterification chemistry. Surface modification of TiCT with PEG6-COOH with large ligand loading (up to 14% by mass) greatly enhances dispersibility in a wide range of nonpolar organic solvents (.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFModulating optoelectronic properties of inorganic nanostructures tethered with light-responsive molecular switches by their conformational change in the solid state is fundamentally important for advanced nanoscale-device fabrication, specifically in biosensing applications. Herein, we present an entirely new solid-state design approach employing the light-induced reversible conformational change of spiropyran (SP)-merocyanine (MC) covalently attached to gold triangular nanoprisms (Au TNPs) via alkylthiolate self-assembled monolayers to produce a large localized surface plasmon resonance response (∼24 nm). This shift is consistent with the increase in thickness of the local dielectric shell-surrounded TNPs and perhaps short-range dipole-dipole (permanent and induced) interactions between TNPs and the zwitterionic MC form.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Justice
September 2021
Corrosive substance attacks have become a growing issue within the UK. Although most commonly occurring in gang-related offences, there are high profile instances where this type of attack has been used to attack women to disfigure and destroy livelihoods. Despite the increase in such attacks, there has been very little published research into the recovery of forensic evidence from items used in these crimes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo tackle the COVID-19 outbreak, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is an unmet need for highly accurate diagnostic tests at all stages of infection with rapid results and high specificity. Here, we present a label-free nanoplasmonic biosensor-based, multiplex screening test for COVID-19 that can quantitatively detect 10 different biomarkers (6 viral nucleic acid genes, 2 spike protein subunits, and 2 antibodies) with a limit of detection in the aM range, all within one biosensor platform. Our newly developed nanoplasmonic biosensors demonstrate high specificity, which is of the upmost importance to avoid false responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an ultrasensitive analytical technique, which is capable of providing high specificity; thus, it can be used for toxicological drug assay (detection and quantification). However, SERS-based drug analysis directly in human biofluids requires mitigation of fouling and nonspecificity effects that commonly appeared from unwanted adsorption of endogenous biomolecules present in biofluids (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: School feeding programs have the potential to supply children with healthy school food, alleviate short-term hunger, and improve children's educational outcomes.
Objectives: We linked community kitchens to a subsidized school snack intervention and assessed the impact of this intervention on nutritional (diet diversity, hemoglobin, and anthropometry) and educational (attendance and academic performance) outcomes of Palestinian refugee schoolchildren.
Methods: We collected data from 1362 students (aged 5-15 y) and their parents at baseline, and at an 8-mo follow-up in 2 control and 2 intervention schools.
Herein we report the programmable preparation of ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based nanoplasmonic superlattice substrates to assay fentanyl and cocaine (detection and quantification) from 10 μL aliquots of emergency department patient plasma without the need for purification steps. Highly homogeneous three-dimensional (3D) nanoplasmonic superlattices are generated through the droplet evaporation-based self-assembly process of chemically-synthesized, polyethylene glycol thiolate-coated gold triangular nanoprisms (Au TNPs). Close-packed, solid-state 3D superlattice substrates produce electromagnetic hot spots due to near-field plasmonic coupling of Au TNPs, which display unique localized surface plasmonic resonance properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies have shown that microRNAs, which are small noncoding RNAs, hold tremendous promise as next-generation circulating biomarkers for early cancer detection via liquid biopsies. A novel, solid-state nanoplasmonic sensor capable of assaying circulating microRNAs through a combined surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF) approach has been developed. Here, the unique localized surface plasmon resonance properties of chemically-synthesized gold triangular nanoprisms (Au TNPs) are utilized to create large SERS and PEF enhancements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorldwide, health services are interested in supporting the speedy adoption of research findings into practice. To promote the translation of research into practice, a university in the South of England along with a partner NHS Trust piloted a new role - Translation Fellow (TF). This article describes and analyses the experience of implementing this role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeep subsurface biofilms are estimated to host the majority of prokaryotic life on Earth, yet fundamental aspects of their ecology remain unknown. An inherent difficulty in studying subsurface biofilms is that of sample acquisition. While samples from marine and terrestrial deep subsurface fluids have revealed abundant and diverse microbial life, limited work has described the corresponding biofilms on rock fracture and pore space surfaces.
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