Open-source cold and hot scientific sheet press for investigating polymer-based material properties.

To produce samples for both material testing and molded sheets/parts, this article details an open-source scientific cold and hot press design. It consists of two independent and modular upper and lower plate (929 cm) assemblies each containing four 125 W insulated steel strip heaters. The steel housing for these heaters is entirely modular and designed for ease of manufacture, assembly, and customization.

Low-Cost Open-Source Melt Flow Index System for Distributed Recycling and Additive Manufacturing.

The increasing adoption of distributed recycling via additive manufacturing (DRAM) has facilitated the revalorization of materials derived from waste streams for additive manufacturing. Recycled materials frequently contain impurities and mixed polymers, which can degrade their properties over multiple cycles. This degradation, particularly in rheological properties, limits their applicability in 3D printing.

Life-course exposure to air pollution and the risk of dementia in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.

Background: Air pollution in later life has been associated with dementia; however, limited research has investigated the association between air pollution across the life course, either at specific life periods or cumulatively. The project investigates the association of air pollution with dementia via a life-course epidemiological approach.

Methods: Participants of the Lothian Birth Cohort, born in 1936, provided lifetime residential history in 2014.

Metal mobilisation and fines migration in pure CO and impure CO-SO-NO reactions of carbon storage site core.

Carbon dioxide geological storage is proposed as part of the solution to reach net zero emissions. The potential to mobilise heavy metals to low salinity groundwater through CO water rock geochemical reactions is a potential environmental risk factor, if CO migrates. Previous studies have focused on pure CO reactivity, however CO streams from hard to abate industries can contain gas impurities.

Trends in Gestational Weight Gain and Prepregnancy Obesity in South Carolina, 2015-2021.

Introduction: We examined trends in prepregnancy obesity and gestational weight gain, with a focus on racial and ethnic differences, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina.

Methods: Hospital and emergency department discharge codes were linked to birth certificates. Prepregnancy obesity was defined as a body mass index (kg/m) of 30 or higher.

An Examination of Underlying Domains in Childhood Adversity: A Scoping Review of Studies Conducting Factor Analyses on Adverse Childhood Experiences.

There is an abundance of research linking experiences of childhood adversity to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Areas that remain to be explored and expanded upon include the ideal set of events for inclusion in measures of childhood adversity and testing the models of risk (e.g.

Upper tract dilation is an independent risk factor for febrile UTI in children with primary vesicoureteral reflux.

Background: Children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), particularly high-grade VUR, are known to be at increased risk for urinary tract infection (UTI). Current guidelines highlight certain clinical factors in the management of children with VUR; however, the clinical utility of upper tract dilation in the setting of VUR remains unclear.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate risk factors for febrile UTI (fUTI) in children with primary VUR in a modern cohort with emphasis on upper tract dilation parameters, including hydronephrosis and hydroureter.

Public and professional stakeholders' perceptions of alcohol advertising and availability policies: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Reducing alcohol availability and restricting alcohol advertising are effective ways to reduce harm from alcohol. Implementation of public health policies involves collaboration between different stakeholders, and is influenced by public opinion. This paper explores public and professional stakeholders' perceptions of alcohol advertising and availability policies.

The impact of place on multimorbidity: A systematic scoping review.

Multimorbidity, commonly defined as the co-existence of two or more long-term conditions, is a major global public health challenge with significant impacts for health and social care systems. There is a substantial body of work identifying different individual- and household-level determinants of multimorbidity, yet the role of place-based characteristics in affecting multimorbidity remains limited. This systematic scoping review identifies place-based risk factors for multimorbidity and further synthesises the potential pathways explaining these relationships using longitudinal evidence.

Frailty and outcomes after unilateral MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for tremor.

Objective: Frailty is recognized as an important predictor of neurointerventional outcomes. MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy is a treatment option for patients with refractory essential tremor (ET) and tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease (TdPD). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether frailer MRgFUS thalamotomy patients had worse tremor outcomes or more complications.

Reforming Medical Physics and Radiopharmaceutical Science Training Through a Programmatic Approach to Assessment.

Objectives: Programmatic assessment approaches can be extended to the design of allied health professions training, to enhance the learning of trainees. The Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine worked with assessment specialists at the Australian Council for Educational Research and Amplexa Consulting, to revise their medical physics and radiopharmaceutical science training programs. One of the central aims of the revisions was to produce a training program that provides standardized training support to their registrars throughout the 3 years, better supporting their registrars to successfully complete the program in the time frame through providing timely and constructive feedback on the registrar's progression.

Impact of Skin Care Products on Phthalates and Phthalate Replacements in Children: the ECHO-FGS.

Background: Phthalates and their replacements have been implicated as developmental toxicants. Young children may be exposed to phthalates/replacements when using skin care products (SCPs).

Objectives: Our objective is to assess the associations between use of SCPs and children's urinary phthalate/replacement metabolite concentrations.

Increasing Prevalence of Diagnosed Gestational Diabetes in South Carolina: 2015-2021.

To examine trends with a focus on racial and ethnic disparities in reported gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and related outcomes (macrosomia, large for gestational age infants) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina (SC). A retrospective cohort study of pregnancies resulting in livebirths from 2015 through 2021 was conducted in SC. Statewide maternal hospital and emergency department discharge codes were linked to birth certificate data.

Informing the management of the post-COVID condition: insights from the Western Australian experience comparing those who tested positive and negative to early COVID-19 strains.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare the relative physical recovery and symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection between groups confirmed positive or negative to early strains of COVID-19.MethodsA prospective, longitudinal cohort study compared outcomes of metropolitan adults polymerase chain reaction-tested for COVID-19 between March and November 2020 in Western Australia. Control matching was attempted: inpatients (gender, age) and ambulatory clinic (gender, age, asthma, chronic pulmonary disease).

Resonance-Assisted Self-Doping in Robust Open-Shell Ladder-Type Oligoaniline Analogues.

A novel resonance-assisted self-doping mechanism has been demonstrated in ladder-type oligoaniline-derived organic conductors. The new class of compounds has a unique structure incorporating acidic phenolic hydroxyl groups into the ladder-type cyclohexadiene-1,4-diimine core, enabling efficient resonance-assisted proton transfer and electronic doping without the need for external dopants. Mechanistic and computational studies confirm the open-shell, zwitterionic nature of the self-doped state and the significant role played by the dielectric environment.

Developing Catchment Area Data Dashboards for Cancer Centers: A Stakeholder- engaged Approach.

Background: Data dashboards that can communicate complex and diverse catchment area data effectively can transform cancer prevention and care delivery and strengthen community engagement efforts. Engaging stakeholders in data dashboard development, by seeking their inputs and collecting feedback, has the potential to maximize user-centeredness.

Objective: To describe a systematic, stakeholder-driven, and theory-based approach for developing catchment area data visualization tools for cancer centers.

A Marginalized Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Model for Spatial Data: Modeling COVID-19 Deaths in Georgia.

Spatial count data with an abundance of zeros arise commonly in disease mapping studies. Typically, these data are analyzed using zero-inflated models, which comprise a mixture of a point mass at zero and an ordinary count distribution, such as the Poisson or negative binomial. However, due to their mixture representation, conventional zero-inflated models are challenging to explain in practice because the parameter estimates have conditional latent-class interpretations.

Greenhouse gas emissions of school lunches provided for children attending school nurseries: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Schools and early years settings provide an opportunity to promote healthy and sustainable food, but standards and guidance in England focus predominantly on nutritional quality. The present study estimated greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) of school lunches provided for children attending school nurseries, including comparison between meal options.

Methods: Menus, recipes and portion weights for lunches provided for 3-4-year-old children attending nine school nurseries were collected daily for one week.

Optimizing Strawberry Disease and Quality Detection with Vision Transformers and Attention-Based Convolutional Neural Networks.

Machine learning and computer vision have proven to be valuable tools for farmers to streamline their resource utilization to lead to more sustainable and efficient agricultural production. These techniques have been applied to strawberry cultivation in the past with limited success. To build on this past work, in this study, two separate sets of strawberry images, along with their associated diseases, were collected and subjected to resizing and augmentation.

Phthalate and phthalate replacement concentrations in relationship to adiposity in a multi-racial cohort of children.

Background/objective: Phthalates and phthalate replacements are used in multiple everyday products, making many of them bioavailable to children. Experimental studies suggest that phthalates and their replacements may be obesogenic, however, epidemiologic studies remain inconsistent. Therefore, our objective was to examine the association between phthalates, phthalate replacements and childhood adiposity/obesity markers in children.