A Community-Engaged, Mixed-Methods Approach to Prioritizing Needs in a Statewide Assessment of Community Cancer Needs.

Introduction: Kentucky has the highest all-site cancer incidence and death rate in the US. In 2021, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center convened a steering committee to conduct a statewide community cancer needs assessment (CNA). The goal of the final CNA phase was to gather community input on prioritizing Kentucky's cancer-related needs and ways to address them.

Role of 3Y-TZP grain boundaries in glazing and layering.

Objectives: Monolithic 3 mol% Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal or 3Y-TZP exhibits transformation toughening phenomena which is suitable for dental restorations with minimizing the risk of fracture and to decrease reduction of natural tooth. However, the staining/glazing or layering is required to achieve of a match with the optical properties of natural dentition. The hypothesis under examination is that the physical, chemical, and structural aspects of the 3Y-TZP grain boundaries after the staining/glazing or layering.

Advancing Superconductivity with Interface Engineering.

The development of superconducting materials has attracted significant attention not only for their improved performance, such as high transition temperature (T), but also for the exploration of their underlying physical mechanisms. Recently, considerable efforts have been focused on interfaces of materials, a distinct category capable of inducing superconductivity at non-superconducting material interfaces or augmenting the T at the interface between a superconducting material and a non-superconducting material. Here, two distinct types of interfaces along with their unique characteristics are reviewed: interfacial superconductivity and interface-enhanced superconductivity, with a focus on the crucial factors and potential mechanisms responsible for enhancing superconducting performance.

Unlocking Efficiency: Minimizing Energy Loss in Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting.

Catalysts play a crucial role in water electrolysis by reducing the energy barriers for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER). Research aims to enhance the intrinsic activities of potential catalysts through material selection, microstructure design, and various engineering techniques. However, the energy consumption of catalysts has often been overlooked due to the intricate interplay among catalyst microstructure, dimensionality, catalyst-electrolyte-gas dynamics, surface chemistry, electron transport within electrodes, and electron transfer among electrode components.

Stacking Fault-Enriched MoNi/MoO Enables High-Performance Hydrogen Evolution.

Producing green hydrogen in a cost-competitive manner via water electrolysis will make the long-held dream of hydrogen economy a reality. Although platinum (Pt)-based catalysts show good performance toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the high cost and scarce abundance challenge their economic viability and sustainability. Here, a non-Pt, high-performance electrocatalyst for HER achieved by engineering high fractions of stacking fault (SF) defects for MoNi/MoO nanosheets (d-MoNi) through a combined chemical and thermal reduction strategy is shown.

A framework and process for community-engaged, mixed-methods cancer needs assessments.

Purpose: Community health needs assessments are required for most state and local public health agencies and non-profit hospitals. Typically based on community health improvement planning models, these assessments encompass overall community health and multiple diseases to inform program planning. National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Centers and community-based cancer-focused programs share the goal of reducing cancer burden in the catchment areas they serve.

Comparative Bioactivities of Chemically Modified Fucoidan and λ-Carrageenan toward Cells Encapsulated in Covalently Cross-Linked Hydrogels.

The sulfated marine polysaccharides, fucoidan and λ-carrageenan, are known to possess anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and cellular protective properties. Although they hold considerable promise for tissue engineering constructs, their covalent cross-linking in hydrogels and comparative bioactivities to cells are absent from the literature. Thus, fucoidan and λ-carrageenan were modified with methacrylate groups and were covalently cross-linked with the synthetic polymer poly(vinyl alcohol)-methacrylate (PVA-MA) to form 20 wt % biosynthetic hydrogels.

ROS-mediated anticancer effects of EGFR-targeted nanoceria.

The therapeutic effectiveness of anticancer drugs, including nanomedicines, can be enhanced with active receptor-targeting strategies. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an important cancer biomarker, constitutively expressed in sarcoma patients of different histological types. The present work reports materials and in vitro biomedical analyses of silanized (passive delivery) and/or EGF-functionalized (active delivery) ceria nanorods exhibiting highly defective catalytically active surfaces.

Orientation by environmental geometry and feature cues in the green and black poison frog (Dendrobates auratus).

The ability to use environmental geometry when orienting in space reflects an animal's ability to use a global, allocentric framework. Therefore, understanding when and how animal's use geometry relative to other types of cues in the environment has interested comparative cognition researchers for decades. Yet, only two amphibians have been tested to date.

Chimeric antibody targeting unique epitope on onco-mucin16 reduces tumor burden in pancreatic and lung malignancies.

Aberrantly expressed onco-mucin 16 (MUC16) and its post-cleavage generated surface tethered carboxy-terminal (MUC16-Cter) domain are strongly associated with poor prognosis and lethality of pancreatic (PC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To date, most anti-MUC16 antibodies are directed towards the extracellular domain of MUC16 (CA125), which is usually cleaved and shed in the circulation hence obscuring antibody accessibility to the cancer cells. Herein, we establish the utility of targeting a post-cleavage generated, surface-tethered oncogenic MUC16 carboxy-terminal (MUC16-Cter) domain by using a novel chimeric antibody in human IgG1 format, ch5E6, whose epitope expression directly correlates with disease severity in both cancers.

Unveiling the mechanisms behind surface degradation of dental resin composites in simulated oral environments.

Dental resin composites are widely used as restorative materials due to their natural aesthetic and versatile properties. However, there has been limited research on the degradation mechanisms of these composites in gastric acid environments, which would be common in patients with gastroesophageal reflux. This study aims to investigate the degradation behavior of dental composites immersed in simulated oral environments, including acid, saliva, and water.

Composition-driven morphological evolution of BaTiO nanowires for efficient piezocatalytic hydrogen production.

Hydrogen production from water by piezocatalysis is very attractive owing to its high energy efficiency and novelty. BaTiO, a highly piezoelectric material, is particularly suitable for this application due to its high piezoelectric potential, non-toxic nature, and physicochemical stability. Owing to the critical role of morphology on properties, one-dimensional (1D) materials are expected to exhibit superior water-splitting performance and thus there is a need to optimise the processing conditions to develop outstanding piezocatalysts.

The use of theories, models, and frameworks to inform the uptake of evidence-based practices in veterinary medicine - a scoping review.

Evidence-based practices (EBPs) provide strategies to improve the health, welfare and productivity of animal species. However, ensuring implementation and uptake into routine practice of these EBPs is often challenging. In human health research, one approach used to improve uptake of EBPs is the use of theories, models and/or frameworks (TMFs), however the extent of the use of this approach in veterinary medicine is unknown.

Principles of Design and Synthesis of Metal Derivatives from MOFs.

Materials derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have demonstrated exceptional structural variety and complexity and can be synthesized using low-cost scalable methods. Although the inherent instability and low electrical conductivity of MOFs are largely responsible for their low uptake for catalysis and energy storage, a superior alternative is MOF-derived metal-based derivatives (MDs) as these can retain the complex nanostructures of MOFs while exhibiting stability and electrical conductivities of several orders of magnitude higher. The present work comprehensively reviews MDs in terms of synthesis and their nanostructural design, including oxides, sulfides, phosphides, nitrides, carbides, transition metals, and other minor species.

Inorganic nanoparticle-based advanced cancer therapies: Promising combination strategies.

Inorganic nanoparticles for drug delivery in cancer treatment offer many potential advantages because they can maximize therapeutic effect through targeting ligands while minimizing off-target side-effects through drug adsorption and infiltration. Although inorganic nanoparticles were introduced as drug carriers, they have emerged as having the capacity for combined therapeutic capabilities, including anticancer effects through cytotoxicity, suppression of oncogenes and cancer cell signaling pathway inhibition. The most promising advanced strategies for cancer therapy are as synergistic platforms for RNA interference (siRNA, miRNA, shRNA) and as synergistic drug delivery agents for the inhibition of cancer cell signaling pathways.

Anticancer therapeutic effect of cerium-based nanoparticles: known and unknown molecular mechanisms.

Cerium-based nanoparticles (CeNPs), particularly cerium oxide (CeO), have been studied extensively for their antioxidant and prooxidant properties. However, their complete redox and enzyme-mimetic mechanisms of therapeutic action at the molecular level remain elusive, constraining their potential for clinical translation. Although the therapeutic effects of both antioxidant and prooxidant mechanisms generally are attributed to Ce ↔ Ce redox switching mediation, some studies have hinted at the involvement of unknown pathways in therapeutic effects.

ROS Modulating Inorganic Nanoparticles: A Novel Cancer Therapeutic Tool.

The term "reactive oxygen species" (ROS) refers to a family of extremely reactive molecules. They are crucial as secondary messengers in both physiological functioning and the development of cancer. Tumors have developed the ability to survive at elevated ROS levels with significantly higher H2O2 levels than normal tissues.

Density Functional Theory Investigation of the Biocatalytic Mechanisms of pH-Driven Biomimetic Behavior in CeO.

There is considerable interest in the pH-dependent, switchable, biocatalytic properties of cerium oxide (CeO) nanoparticles in biomedicine, where these materials exhibit beneficial antioxidant activity against reactive oxygen species (ROS) at a basic physiological pH but cytotoxic prooxidant activity in an acidic cancer cell pH microenvironment. While the general characteristics of the role of oxygen vacancies are known, the mechanism of their action at the atomic scale under different pH conditions has yet to be elucidated. The present work applies density functional theory (DFT) calculations to interpret, at the atomic scale, the pH-induced behavior of the stable {111} surface of CeO containing oxygen vacancies.

Role of Oxygen Vacancy Ordering and Channel Formation in Tuning Intercalation Pseudocapacitance in Mo Single-Ion-Implanted CeO Nanoflakes.

Metal oxide pseudocapacitors are limited by low electrical and ionic conductivities. The present work integrates defect engineering and architectural design to exhibit, for the first time, intercalation pseudocapacitance in CeO. An engineered chronoamperometric electrochemical deposition is used to synthesize 2D CeO nanoflakes as thin as ∼12 nm.

Design strategies for ceria nanomaterials: untangling key mechanistic concepts.

The morphologies of ceria nanocrystals play an essential role in determining their redox and catalytic performances in many applications, yet the effects of synthesis variables on the formation of ceria nanoparticles of different morphologies and their related growth mechanisms have not been systematised. The design of these morphologies is underpinned by a range of fundamental parameters, including crystallography, optical mineralogy, the stabilities of exposed crystallographic planes, CeO stoichiometry, phase equilibria, thermodynamics, defect equilibria, and the crystal growth mechanisms. These features are formalised and the key analytical methods used for analysing defects, particularly the critical oxygen vacancies, are surveyed, with the aim of providing a source of design parameters for the synthesis of nanocrystals, specifically CeO.

Defect engineering of oxide perovskites for catalysis and energy storage: synthesis of chemistry and materials science.

Oxide perovskites have emerged as an important class of materials with important applications in many technological areas, particularly thermocatalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and energy storage. However, their implementation faces numerous challenges that are familiar to the chemist and materials scientist. The present work surveys the state-of-the-art by integrating these two viewpoints, focusing on the critical role that defect engineering plays in the design, fabrication, modification, and application of these materials.

Quiescent Mineralisation for Free-standing Mineral Microfilms with a Hybrid Structure.

Hypothesis: The air-solution interface of supersaturated calcium hydrogen carbonate (Ca(HCO)) represents the highest saturation state due to evaporation/CO-degassing, where calcite crystals are expected to nucleate and grow along the interface. Hence, it should be possible to form a free-standing mineral-only calcium carbonate (CaCO) microfilm at the air-solution interface of Ca(HCO). The air-solution interface of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) could represent a phase boundary to introduce a hybrid microstructure of CaCO and carbonate-rich dicalcium hydroxide phosphate (carbonate-rich hydroxylapatite).

Highly catalytically active CeO-based heterojunction nanostructures with mixed micro/meso-porous architectures.

The architectural design of nanocatalysts plays a critical role in the achievement of high densities of active sites but current technologies are hindered by process complexity and limited scaleability. The present work introduces a rapid, flexible, and template-free method to synthesize three-dimensional (3D), mesoporous, CeO nanostructures comprised of extremely thin holey two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets of centimetre-scale. The process leverages the controlled conversion of stacked nanosheets of a newly developed Ce-based coordination polymer into a range of stable oxide morphologies controllably differentiated by the oxidation kinetics.

Fucoidan- and carrageenan-based biosynthetic poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels for controlled permeation.

Since the permeation of the inflammatory cytokines into hydrogel scaffolds has been shown to cause dysfunction of encapsulated cells, appropriate design strategies to circumvent this are essential. In the present work, it was hypothesized that highly crosslinked PVA-fucoidan and PVA-carrageenan hydrogels can control permeation of the trefoil-shaped inflammatory cytokine IL-1β while allowing the permeation of the globular protein albumin. PVA, fucoidan, and carrageenans were functionalized with methacrylate groups and the functionalized polymers were co-crosslinked by UV photopolymerization.