Beyond consciousness: Ethical, legal, and social issues in human brain organoid research and application.

This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the ethical, legal and social issues in human brain organoid research, with a view to different types of research and applications: in vitro research, transplantation into non-human animals, and biocomputing. Despite the academic and societal attention on the possibility that human brain organoids may be conscious, we have identified diverse issues in human brain organoid research and applications. To guide the complex terrain of human brain organoid research and applications, a multidisciplinary approach that integrates ethical, legal, and social perspectives is essential.

Stabilizing Polyoxometalate for Enhanced OER Performance Using a Porous Manganese Oxide Support.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical challenge in electrocatalytic water splitting, hindered by high energy demands and slow kinetics. Polyoxometalates (POMs), recognized for their unique redox capabilities, structural archetypes, and molecular precision, are promising candidates for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Yet, their application is hindered by high water solubility, causing rapid degradation and efficiency loss under harsh OER conditions.

Correction: Venous congestion affects neuromuscular changes in pigs in terms of muscle electrical activity and muscle stiffness.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Change in sediment transport regime of the Keelung River in Taiwan induced by the operation of Yuanshantze flood diversion tunnel.

The impact of flood diversion channels on river sediment transport has been rarely reported. This study uses the Yuanshantze flood diversion tunnel (YFDT), which was commissioned in July 2005 in Taiwan, as an example. This study calculates the sediment transport in the Keelung River from 1997 to 2018 by using seasonal rating curves, in the form of aQb.

Visual-Numeric Endometriosis Scoring System (VNESS) for mapping surgical findings: A validation study.

Background: Several endometriosis classification systems have been proposed and published but the search for a universal language that communicates the complexity, laterality and severity of this disease continues. The authors introduce the Visual-Numeric Endometriosis Scoring System. VNESS is a novel system for describing surgical findings in each compartment of the pelvis in a way that is simple to use, visually intuitive and mirrors a laparoscopic image of the pelvis.