Light and dark biofilm adaptation impacts larval settlement in diverse coral species.

Background: Recovery of degraded coral reefs is reliant upon the recruitment of coral larvae, yet the mechanisms behind coral larval settlement are not well understood, especially for non-acroporid species. Biofilms associated with reef substrates, such as coral rubble or crustose coralline algae, can induce coral larval settlement; however, the specific biochemical cues and the microorganisms that produce them remain largely unknown. Here, we assessed larval settlement responses in five non-acroporid broadcast-spawning coral species in the families Merulinidae, Lobophyllidae and Poritidae to biofilms developed in aquaria for either one or two months under light and dark treatments.

Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition (AACVD) of Zinc dichalcogenoimidodiphosphinate Complexes for the Deposition of Zinc Selenide Thin Films.

Dichalcogenoimidodiphosphinate complexes of zinc [Zn{(EPPr)N}], [E=Se,Se; S,Se] were synthesized through metathetical reactions from the dichalcogenoimidodiphosphinate ligands [(EE'PPrNH)] (E, E'=Se, Se; S, Se). These complexes were characterized and used as single-source precursors through Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition (AACVD) for the deposition of cubic zinc selenide (ZnSe) films on glass substrates. The deposition temperature occurred at 500 and 525 °C, while the flow rates of the carrier gas was 160 and 240 standard cubic centimetre (sccm).

Comparative genomics identifies key adaptive traits of sponge-associated microbial symbionts.

Sponge microbiomes are often highly diverse making it difficult to determine which lineages are important for maintaining host health and homeostasis. Characterising genomic traits associated with symbiosis can improve our knowledge of which lineages have adapted to their host and what functions they might provide. Here we examined five microbial families associated with sponges that have previously shown evidence of cophylogeny, including Endozoicomonadaceae, Nitrosopumilaceae, Spirochaetaceae, Microtrichaceae and Thermoanaerobaculaceae, to better understand the mechanisms behind their symbiosis.

Portrait of a UK-Africa Capacity Building Initiative Consortium 2015-2022: the Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa and United Kingdom Materials Initiative (CaGSUMI) for developing materials for solar cells.

The CaGSUMI consortium was funded by the Royal Society-Department for International Development (later the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) on the Africa Capacity Building Initiative programme between the years 2015 and 2022 and involved three Sub-Saharan African universities: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, and the University of Zululand, South Africa; and the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. The project was used to cement an emergent UK-Africa network in the areas of materials chemistry related to renewable energy generation with both thin films and nanomaterials. The consortium's outputs led to numerous publications of African science in international journals, a number of graduated PhDs who went on to permanent academic positions and prestigious fellowships, the establishment of a capacity-building plan relevant to the chemistry departments in each of the African countries, and the installation of a number of first-in-kind pieces of kit for African laboratories that will keep them on a competitive footing at an international level for the next decade and more.

Psychometric evaluation of the near activity visual questionnaire presbyopia (NAVQ-P) and additional patient-reported outcome items.

Background: The Near Visual Acuity Questionnaire Presbyopia (NAVQ-P) is a patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure that was developed in a phakic presbyopia population to assess near vision function impacts. The study refined and explored the psychometric properties and score interpretability of the NAVQ-P and additional PRO items assessing near vision correction independence (NVCI), near vision satisfaction (NVS), and near vision correction preference (NVCP).

Methods: This was a psychometric validation study conducted using PRO data collected as part of a Phase IIb clinical trial (CUN8R44 A2202) consisting of 235 randomized adults with presbyopia from the US, Japan, Australia, and Canada.

Patient Experiences and Insights on Chronic Ocular Pain: Social Media Listening Study.

Background: Ocular pain has multifactorial etiologies that affect activities of daily life, psychological well-being, and health-related quality of life (QoL). Chronic ocular surface pain (COSP) is a persistent eye pain symptom lasting for a period longer than 3 months.

Objective: The objective of this social media listening study was to better understand COSP and related symptoms and identify its perceived causes, comorbidities, and impact on QoL from social media posts.

Qualitative Research to Understand the Patient Experience and Evaluate Content Validity of the Chronic Ocular Pain Questionnaire (COP-Q).

Introduction: Chronic ocular surface pain (COSP) is described as a persistent, moderate-to-severe pain at the ocular surface lasting more than 3 months. Symptoms of COSP have a significant impact on patients' vision-dependent activities of daily living (ADL) and distal health-related quality of life (HRQoL). To adequately capture patient perspectives in clinical trials, patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures must demonstrate sufficient evidence of content validity in the target population.

Using sentinel nodes to evaluate changing connectivity in a protected area network.

It has been recognized that well-connected networks of protected areas are needed to halt the continued loss of global biodiversity. The recently signed Kunming-Montreal biodiversity agreement commits countries to protecting 30% of terrestrial lands in well-connected networks of protected areas by 2030. To meet these ambitious targets, land-use planners and conservation practitioners will require tools to identify areas important for connectivity and track future changes.

Heavy-element production in a compact object merger observed by JWST.

The mergers of binary compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes are of central interest to several areas of astrophysics, including as the progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), sources of high-frequency gravitational waves (GWs) and likely production sites for heavy-element nucleosynthesis by means of rapid neutron capture (the r-process). Here we present observations of the exceptionally bright GRB 230307A. We show that GRB 230307A belongs to the class of long-duration GRBs associated with compact object mergers and contains a kilonova similar to AT2017gfo, associated with the GW merger GW170817 (refs.

Linking differences in microbial network structure with changes in coral larval settlement.

Coral cover and recruitment have decreased on reefs worldwide due to climate change-related disturbances. Achieving reliable coral larval settlement under aquaculture conditions is critical for reef restoration programmes; however, this can be challenging due to the lack of reliable and universal larval settlement cues. To investigate the role of microorganisms in coral larval settlement, we undertook a settlement choice experiment with larvae of the coral Acropora tenuis and microbial biofilms grown for different periods on the reef and in aquaria.

Digital Patient Reported Outcome Measures Platform for Post-COVID-19 Condition and Other Long-Term Conditions: User-Centered Development and Technical Description.

Background: Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), colloquially known as long COVID, is a multisystem condition characterized by persistent symptoms beyond 4 weeks after the SARS-CoV-2 infection. More than 60 million people with PCC worldwide need prompt assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring, with many requiring specialist help from a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals (HCPs). Consequently, a scalable digital system is required for both people with PCC and HCPs to capture the breadth of symptoms and their impact on health, using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs).

Development and content validity assessment of the Dry Eye Disease Questionnaire in patients with dry eye disease, meibomian gland dysfunction, and Sjögren's syndrome dry eye disease.

Background: Dry eye disease (DED), Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), and Sjögren's syndrome dry eye disease (SS-DED) are eye dryness conditions that show significant overlap in various symptoms of ocular discomfort. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the patient experience and evaluate content validity of the newly developed Dry Eye Disease Questionnaire (DED-Q).

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 61 US adults who reported experiencing ocular symptoms due to their physician-confirmed primary diagnosis of DED (n = 21), MGD (n = 20), or SS-DED (n = 20).

Qualitative Exploration of the Visual Function Impairments and Health-Related Quality of Life Impacts of Amblyopia in Adult and Pediatric Populations.

Introduction: Amblyopia is a reduction in vision in one or both eyes due to impaired development of the visual pathway. This study explored the experience of amblyopia and treatment from the patient, caregiver, and clinician perspectives.

Methods: A targeted literature review, including a review of social media listening (SML) studies, was conducted.

Psychometric Validation of the ViSIO-PRO and ViSIO-ObsRO in Retinitis Pigmentosa and Leber Congenital Amaurosis.

Introduction: Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) are rare inherited retinal degenerative disorders. The Visual Symptom and Impact Outcomes patient-reported outcome (ViSIO-PRO) and observer-reported outcome (ViSIO-ObsRO) instruments were developed in this population to assess visual function symptoms and impacts on vision-dependent activities of daily living (ADL) and distal health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the ViSIO-PRO and ViSIO-ObsRO in RP/LCA.

The Amblyopia Quality of Life (AmbQoL): Development and Content Validation of a Novel Health-Related Quality of Life Instrument for Use in Adult and Pediatric Amblyopia Populations.

Introduction: Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental vision disorder, characterized by poor vision in one or both eyes. Given the lack of existing clinical outcome assessments (COA) considered fit-for-purpose for amblyopia clinical trials, this study developed new COAs to assess amblyopia symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impacts in adult and pediatric amblyopia populations that conform with best practice standards and regulatory guidelines.

Methods: Findings from a targeted qualitative literature review informed the development of three versions of the new Amblyopia Quality of Life Questionnaire (AmbQoL): a patient-reported outcome measure (PRO) for individuals aged 13 years and older, a PRO for children aged 9-12 years, and an observer-reported outcome measure (ObsRO) for caregivers of children aged 4-8 years.

Predicting areas important for ecological connectivity throughout Canada.

Governments around the world have acknowledged that urgent action is needed to conserve and restore ecological connectivity to help reverse the decline of biodiversity. In this study we tested the hypothesis that functional connectivity for multiple species can be estimated across Canada using a single, upstream connectivity model. We developed a movement cost layer with cost values assigned using expert opinion to anthropogenic land cover features and natural features based on their known and assumed effects on the movement of terrestrial, non-volant fauna.

Synthesis and characterisation of Ga- and In-doped CdS by solventless thermolysis of single source precursors.

We report a facile and low temperature synthesis of Ga- and In-doped CdS nanoparticles from molecular precursors. Diethyldithiocarbamate complexes of Cd(II), Ga(III), and In(III), were synthesised and decomposed in tandem through solventless thermolysis, producing Ga- or In-doped CdS. The resultant MCdS (where M = Ga/In at values of 0, 0.

Long-term impact of weight loss for people with overweight but not obesity, and with type 2 diabetes: 10-year outcomes of a randomized trial of gastric band surgery.

Aim: Randomized trials reporting 5-year outcomes have shown bariatric surgery  to induce diabetes remission and improve cardiovascular risk. However, the longer-term effects of surgery are uncertain, with only one randomized trial reporting 10-year diabetes outcomes in people with obesity. We aimed to compare 10-year diabetes outcomes of people who are overweight but not obese, randomly assigned to receive either multidisciplinary diabetes care, or multidisciplinary diabetes care combined with gastric band (GB) surgery.

Elicitation of Health State Utility Values in Retinitis Pigmentosa by Time Trade-off in the United Kingdom.

Introduction: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal pathology associated with "night blindness" and progressive loss of peripheral vision, in some cases leading to complete blindness. Health state utility values are required for activities such as modelling disease burden or the cost-effectiveness of new interventions. The current study aimed to generate utility values for health states of varying levels of functional vision in RP, with members of the general public in the UK.

Integrating carbon stocks and landscape connectivity for nature-based climate solutions.

Actions to protect against biodiversity loss and climate change will require a framework that addresses synergies between these interrelated issues. In this study, we present methods for identifying areas important for the implementation of nature-based climate solutions and biodiversity conservation by intersecting high-resolution spatial data for carbon storage and landscape connectivity. We explored the spatial congruence of carbon and connectivity in Ontario, Canada and examined effectiveness of current protected areas coverage.

Phase II Trial of CDX-3379 and Cetuximab in Recurrent/Metastatic, HPV-Negative, Cetuximab-Resistant Head and Neck Cancer.

In phase I development, CDX-3379, an anti-ErbB3 monoclonal antibody, showed promising molecular and antitumor activity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), alone or in combination with cetuximab. Preliminary biomarker data raised the hypothesis of enhanced response in tumors harboring mutations. This phase II, multicenter trial used a Simon 2-stage design to investigate the efficacy of CDX-3379 and cetuximab in 30 patients with recurrent/metastatic, HPV-negative, cetuximab-resistant HNSCC.

Tunable structural and optical properties of CuInS colloidal quantum dots as photovoltaic absorbers.

Facile phase selective synthesis of CuInS (CIS) nanostructures has been an important pursuit because of the opportunity for tunable optical properties of the phases, and in this respect is investigated by hot-injection colloidal synthesis in this study. Relatively monodispersed colloidal quantum dots (3.8-5.

Hospital Costs, Revenue, and Abuse Detection Associated With Occult Injury Screening.

Objective: Performance of occult injury screening including skeletal surveys and neuroimaging is recommended to comprehensively evaluate suspected child physical abuse. Screening performance-associated hospital costs and net revenue for care of index abuse victims and siblings/household contacts are largely unknown. We aimed to describe 1) costs and net revenue associated with radiologic occult injury screening at an urban level 1 pediatric trauma center, 2) areas of perceived high resource intensity (time spent in abuse victim-related care), and 3) detection yield among children undergoing occult injury screening and physical assessment.