Publications by authors named "Pattison A"

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  • Ferroelectric HfO-based thin films are being researched for their potential in advanced electronic devices, but understanding their ferroelectric properties at the nanoscale remains a challenge due to their complex structures.
  • Recent studies using electron microscopy techniques have detailed the in-plane domain structures of Y:HfO films, revealing how their unique grain boundaries and phases contribute to their ferroelectricity.
  • Key findings show that specific orientations and patterns within the grain structures enhance polarization, and the behavior of domain walls affects the overall ferroelectric performance depending on their alignment and thickness of the films.
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  • Hereditary mutant pheochromocytomas (PC) and paragangliomas (PG) are rare tumors that tend to metastasize unpredictably, prompting a study to better understand their genomic characteristics.
  • A multi-omic analysis of 94 tumors from 79 patients revealed distinct molecular profiles based on whether the tumors originated from sympathetic or parasympathetic cells, with specific alterations linked to metastatic behavior.
  • The study also identified high mutation loads, unusual genomic features, and mechanisms of resistance to DNA alkylating chemotherapies, enhancing the comprehension of these complex neuroendocrine tumors and their treatment responses.
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Triticale (×) is a hybrid between wheat ( spp.) and rye (), producing higher grain yields than wheat in challenging environments. Triticale grain is also highly nutritious.

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While digital innovation in health was already rapidly evolving, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the generation of digital technology tools, such as chatbots, to help increase access to crucial health information and services to those who were cut off or had limited contact with health services. This theme issue titled "Chatbots and COVID-19" presents articles from researchers and practitioners across the globe, describing the development, implementation, and evaluation of chatbots designed to address a wide range of health concerns and services. In this editorial, we present some of the key challenges and lessons learned arising from the content of this theme issue.

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Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is often the only source of tumor tissue from patients with advanced, inoperable lung cancer. EBUS-TBNA aspirates are used for the diagnosis, staging, and genomic testing to inform therapy options. Here we extracted DNA and RNA from 220 EBUS-TBNA aspirates to evaluate their suitability for whole genome (WGS), whole exome (WES), and comprehensive panel sequencing.

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Hollow vaterite microspheres are important materials for biomedical applications such as drug delivery and regenerative medicine owing to their biocompatibility, high specific surface area, and ability to encapsulate a large number of bioactive molecules and compounds. We demonstrated that hollow vaterite microspheres are produced by an Escherichia coli strain engineered with a urease gene cluster from the ureolytic bacteria Sporosarcina pasteurii in the presence of bovine serum albumin. We characterized the 3D nanoscale morphology of five biogenic hollow vaterite microspheres using 3D high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) tomography.

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Utilization of grains of local grasses by Australia's First Nations people for food and connection to Country has largely been lost due to colonization. Native Australian grain production has the potential to deliver environmental, economic, nutritional and cultural benefits to First Nations people and the wider community. Revitalization of the native grain food system can only be achieved if relevant properties of the grains are elucidated.

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Scanning transmission electron microscopy is a common tool used to study the atomic structure of materials. It is an inherently multimodal tool allowing for the simultaneous acquisition of multiple information channels. Despite its versatility, however, experimental workflows currently rely heavily on experienced human operators and can only acquire data from small regions of a sample at a time.

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Native Millet () is a native grass species that was used as a staple food by many Australian Aboriginal communities. In this study, the potential for using Native Millet (NM) as a novel flour in the modern food market was investigated. Intact grain and white and wholemeal flours from two populations of NM were compared to bread wheat cv.

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Here, we report a metabarcoding (ITS2) study to define the common core fungal microbiome (mycobiome) of healthy spp. (bananas and plantains). To identify a list of 21 core fungal taxa, we first characterised the effects of edaphic conditions and host genotype - two factors that are likely to differ between farms - on the diversity of fungal communities in bulk soil and seven plant compartments.

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Background: The role of the cervix in sexual response has been poorly studied, despite previous research indicating that some women experience pleasurable sexual sensations from cervical stimulation; given previous reports of sexual issues after cervix electrocautery, it is possible that cervical injury may compromise the role of the cervix in sexual functioning.

Aim: The aims of this study were to examine locations of pleasurable sexual sensations, to identify sexual communication barriers, and to investigate if cervical procedures are associated with negative impacts on sexual function.

Methods: Women with (n = 72) and without (n = 235) a history of a gynecological procedure completed an online survey assessing demographics, medical history, sexual function (including locations of sexual pleasure and pain on diagrams), and barriers.

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Background: Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is a heterogeneous group of metastatic cancers where a primary tissue of origin (TOO) is uncertain. Most patients with CUP have limited treatment options and poor survival outcomes. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can be efficacious in some patients with CUP, but the optimal predictive biomarkers are unknown.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) occurs when there's no identified source for cancer after standard testing, with gene expression profiling (GEP) and DNA sequencing being used to identify potential primary sites and treat accordingly.
  • In a study of 215 CUP patients, 77% couldn't be confidently diagnosed, while 10% had a latent primary diagnosis, and 13% had enough evidence to support a likely diagnosis.
  • The research found that GEP was more accurate (91.5%) in identifying solid tumors compared to DNA features, but GEP's effectiveness dropped to 13% for unresolved cases; however, DNA analysis provided supportive hints for 31% of those uncertain cases, focusing on lung and biliary cancers.
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  • Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors linked to autonomic nerves, and this study uses advanced gene sequencing to analyze their cellular composition compared to normal adrenal tissues.* -
  • The research identifies seven distinct gene-expression subtypes of PCPG, correlating them with specific genetic mutations and clinical characteristics, particularly highlighting the role of hypoxia and neoangiogenesis in tumors with certain mutations.* -
  • The findings reveal that while the tumor cells show characteristics of mature chromaffin cells, some PCPG subtypes also exhibit early-stage chromaffin and neuroblast markers, and they suggest potential therapeutic targets like GPR139 for treatment.*
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Nanomaterials with core-shell architectures are prominent examples of strain-engineered materials. The lattice mismatch between the core and shell materials can cause strong interface strain, which affects the surface structures. Therefore, surface functional properties such as catalytic activities can be designed by fine-tuning the misfit strain at the interface.

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Background: Bananas (Musa spp.) are a globally significant crop and are severely afflicted by diseases for which there are no effective chemical controls. Banana microbiomes may provide novel solutions to these constraints but are difficult to manage due to their high diversity and variability between locations.

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  • Nitrogen fertilizers, especially ammonium, are commonly used to boost banana production but can worsen Fusarium wilt, a major disease affecting banana plants.
  • In a greenhouse study, increasing nitrogen rates correlated positively with the growth of non-inoculated banana plants, while plants inoculated with the disease showed increased severity and growth at intermediate nitrogen levels.
  • The research revealed that nitrogen application influenced metabolic pathways in bananas and altered microbial diversity in the soil, with greater disease severity linked to reduced plant defense responses, especially when using ammonium fertilizers.
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Strategies to augment immunity to self/neoantigens expressed by cancers are urgently needed to expand the proportion of patients benefiting from immunotherapy, particularly for GI cancers where only a fraction of patients respond to immunotherapies. However, current vaccine strategies are limited by poor immunogenicity, pre-existing vector-specific immunity, and vaccine-induced vector-specific immunity. Here, we examined a prime-boost strategy using a chimeric adenoviral vector (Ad5.

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  • The study aimed to create an AI clinical decision support system that predicts radiation doses to specific parts of the mandible using CT scans before planning radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.
  • Using data from 106 patients, the AI model demonstrated impressive predictive capabilities, with a positive predictive value of 0.95 and a negative predictive value of 0.88, and showed strong correlation with estimates from an experienced oncologist.
  • The findings indicate that the AI system improves the accuracy of predicting radiation dose to dental structures in patients undergoing radiation therapy, highlighting its potential role in enhancing treatment planning.
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Background: As the United States' population ages and health concerns rise, the family caregiver occupation will continue to be an integral part of the health care system.

Aims: It is important to examine the burden that family caregivers experience so they can seek out additional training and services to maintain their own well-being. The researchers examined caregiver burden from a perspective of developmentally disabled and long-term care.

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The public's need for timely and trusted COVID-19 information remains high. Governments and global health agencies such as the WHO have sought to disseminate accurate and timely information to counteract misinformation and disinformation that has arisen as part of an 'infodemic'-the overabundance of information on COVID-19-some accurate and some not. In early 2020, WHO began a collaboration with Google to run online public service announcements on COVID-19, in the form of search ads displayed above results of Google Search queries.

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QTL controlling vigour and related traits were identified in a chickpea RIL population and validated in diverse sets of germplasm. Robust KASP markers were developed for marker-assisted selection. To understand the genetic constitution of vigour in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.

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