Multiple environmental tracers combined with a constrained Bayesian isotope mixing model to elucidate nitrate and sulfate contamination in a coastal groundwater system.

Several groundwater quality investigations have been conducted in coastal regions that are commonly exposed to multiple anthropogenic stressors. Nonetheless, such studies remain challenging because they require focused-diagnostic approaches for a comprehensive understanding of groundwater contamination. Therefore, this study integrates a multi-tracer approach to acquire comprehensive information allowing for an improved understanding of the origins of groundwater contamination, the relative contribution of contaminants, and their biogeochemical cycling within a coastal groundwater system.

Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor in virus-host interactions and its implication for immunotherapy.

Viruses have evolved to strategically exploit cellular signaling pathways to evade host immune defenses. GM-CSF signaling plays a pivotal role in regulating inflammation, activating myeloid cells, and enhancing the immune response to infections. Due to its central role in the immune system, viruses may target this pathway to further establish infection.

Luminescence of the CsZrCl under High Pressure.

The photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectra of the CsZrCl crystal over a wide range of pressures were studied in this work for the first time. PL measurements were performed up to 10 GPa, while the Raman spectra were measured up to 20 GPa. The PL data revealed a linear blue shift of the emission maximum from about 2.

An Artificial Intelligence-Based Non-Invasive Approach for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Stratification in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients: A Narrative Review.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a severe condition associated with numerous cardiovascular complications, including heart failure. The complex biological and morphological relationship between OSA and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) poses challenges in predicting adverse cardiovascular outcomes. While artificial intelligence (AI) has shown potential for predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke risks in other conditions, there is a lack of detailed, bias-free, and compressed AI models for ASCVD and stroke risk stratification in OSA patients.

Memory control deficits in the sleep-deprived human brain.

Sleep disturbances are associated with intrusive memories, but the neurocognitive mechanisms underpinning this relationship are poorly understood. Here, we show that sleep deprivation disrupts prefrontal inhibition of memory retrieval, and that the overnight restoration of this inhibitory mechanism is associated with time spent in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The functional impairments arising from sleep deprivation are linked to a behavioral deficit in the ability to downregulate unwanted memories, and coincide with a deterioration of deliberate patterns of self-generated thought.

Convergent evolution of type I antifreeze proteins from four different progenitors in response to global cooling.

Alanine-rich, alpha-helical type I antifreeze proteins (AFPs) in fishes are thought to have arisen independently in the last 30 Ma on at least four occasions. This hypothesis has recently been proven for flounder and sculpin AFPs, which both originated by gene duplication and divergence followed by substantial gene copy number expansion. Here, we examined the origins of the cunner (wrasse) and snailfish (liparid) AFPs.

Year in Review: Novel Insights in the Pathogenesis of Spondyloarthritis - SPARTAN 2024 Annual Meeting Proceedings.

Purpose Of Review: The canonical pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis (SpA) involves inflammation driven by HLA-B27, type 3 immunity, and gut microbial dysregulation. This review based on information presented at the SPARTAN meeting highlights studies on the pathogenesis of SpA from the past year, focusing on emerging mechanisms such as the roles of microbe-derived metabolites, microRNAs (miRNAs) and cytokines in plasma exosomes, specific T cell subsets, and neutrophils.

Recent Findings: The induction of arthritis in a preclinical model through microbiota-driven alterations in tryptophan catabolism provides new insights as to how intestinal dysbiosis may activate disease via the gut-joint axis.

Application of Fluorescence- and Bioluminescence-Based Biosensors in Cancer Drug Discovery.

Recent advances in drug discovery have established biosensors as indispensable tools, particularly valued for their precision, sensitivity, and real-time monitoring capabilities. The review begins with a brief overview of cancer drug discovery, underscoring the pivotal role of biosensors in advancing cancer research. Various types of biosensors employed in cancer drug discovery are then explored, with particular emphasis on fluorescence- and bioluminescence-based technologies such as FRET, TR-FRET, BRET, NanoBRET, and NanoBiT.

Three-Dimensional Bioprinting for Retinal Tissue Engineering.

Three-dimensional bioprinting (3DP) is transforming the field of regenerative medicine by enabling the precise fabrication of complex tissues, including the retina, a highly specialized and anatomically complex tissue. This review provides an overview of 3DP's principles, its multi-step process, and various bioprinting techniques, such as extrusion-, droplet-, and laser-based methods. Within the scope of biomimicry and biomimetics, emphasis is placed on how 3DP potentially enables the recreation of the retina's natural cellular environment, structural complexity, and biomechanical properties.

Electronic Structure Modulation Induced by the Synergy of Cobalt Low-Nuclearity Clusters and Mononuclear Sites for Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

The development of high-performance bifunctional single-atom catalysts for use in applications, such as zinc-air batteries, is greatly impeded by mild oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER). Herein, we report a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst designed to overcome these limitations. The catalyst consists of well-dispersed low-nuclearity Co clusters and adjacent Co single atoms over a nitrogen-doped carbon matrix (Co/NC).

Human calpain-3 and its structural plasticity: dissociation of a homohexamer into dimers on binding titin.

Calpain-3 is an intracellular Ca-dependent cysteine protease abundant in skeletal muscle. Loss-of-function mutations in its single-copy gene cause a dystrophy of the limb-girdle muscles. These mutations, of which there are over 500 in humans, are spread all along this 94-kDa multi-domain protein that includes three 40+-residue sequences (NS, IS1, and IS2).

Development of targeted safety hazard management plans utilizing multidimensional association rule mining.

Investigating hidden hazards and implementing closed-loop management are essential strategies for accident prevention in the mining industry. This study tackles a key challenge in applying association rule mining to the development of hazard management plans for underground mines. The current approach mainly focuses on hazard description data, often underutilizing critical information such as hazard time and location.

Environmental and evolutionary controls in animal-sediment interactions at the onset of the Cambrian explosion.

The Cambrian explosion was a time of groundbreaking ecological shifts related to the establishment of the Phanerozoic biosphere. Trace fossils, which are the products of animals interacting with their substrates, provide a key record of the diversification of the benthos and the evolution of behavioral complexity through this interval. The Chapel Island Formation of Newfoundland in Canada hosts the most extensive trace-fossil record from the latest Ediacaran to Cambrian Age 2, spanning about 20 million years continuously.

Macro- and Nano-Porous Ag Electrodes Enable Selective and Stable Aqueous CO Reduction.

Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO) reduction from aqueous solutions offers a promising strategy to overcome flooding and salt precipitation in gas diffusion electrodes used in gas-phase CO electrolysis. However, liquid-phase CO electrolysis often exhibits low CO reduction rates because of limited CO availability. Here, a macroporous Ag mesh is employed and activated to achieve selective CO conversion to CO with high rates from an aqueous bicarbonate solution.

Stereoselective transition metal-catalyzed [(2+2)+1] and [(2+2)+2] carbocyclization reactions using 1,6-enynes with 1,1-disubstituted olefins: construction of quaternary centers.

Transition metal-catalyzed carbocyclization reactions provide a powerful method for the stereoselective assembly of complex, highly substituted (poly)cyclic scaffolds. Although 1,6-enynes are common substrates for these transformations, using polysubstituted alkene derivatives to construct functionalized cyclic products remains challenging due to their significantly lower reactivity. This highlights key developments in stereoselective semi-intramolecular metal-catalyzed [(2+2)+1] and [(2+2)+2] carbocyclizations of 1,6-enynes containing 1,1-disubstituted alkenes, which produce cycloadducts with quaternary stereogenic centers.

Exploring nurse educators' experiences and perceptions debriefing virtual simulations related to sexual orientation and gender identity: A qualitative study.

Background: Sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) impact health, yet healthcare providers often lack the necessary education to address the unique needs of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The SOGI Nursing Toolkit was developed to enhance cultural humility among healthcare providers using virtual simulation experiences.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore nurse educators' experiences with debriefing virtual simulations related to the SOGI nursing toolkit within nursing education.

Enhancing the Properties of Latex-Based Coatings with Carboxylated Cellulose Nanocrystals.

Latex-based nanocomposites containing carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals (cCNCs) were synthesized via in situ seeded semibatch emulsion polymerization. Inspired by nature's use of CNCs to enhance rigidity and mechanical strength in cellulosic materials, we explored similar principles to improve the properties of acrylate water-based coatings. The cCNCs, loaded at 0.

Quantitative Measurement of Individual and Contextual Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination in General Population Samples: A Scoping Review.

Background: This scoping review aims to map the quantitative literature investigating vaccine-related individual and contextual determinants of COVID-19 vaccination uptake, identify and define constructs assessed, and describe the characteristics of self-report measures.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted to capture peer-reviewed journal articles published between December 31, 2019, and December 25, 2021. Studies conducted in English and collecting data from general population samples using self-report measures of vaccine-related determinants of COVID-19 vaccination behavior were eligible.

Analysis on the Propagation and Assembly of Metallic Nanoparticles through Subwavelength Apertures with Overlapping Electrical Double Layers.

Hybrid nanoplasmonic structures composed of subwavelength apertures in metallic films and nanoparticles have recently been demonstrated as ultrasensitive plasmonic sensors. This work investigates the electrokinetically driven propagation of the assembly mechanism of the metallic nanoparticles through nanoapertures. The Debye-Hückel approximation for a symmetric electrolyte solution with overlapping electrical double layers (EDLs) is used to obtain an analytical solution to the problem.

Eddy Current Measurement of Electrical Resistivity in Heat-Treated Zr-2.5%Nb Pressure Tubes.

Zr-2.5%Nb pressure tubes (PTs) house uranium fuel bundles in the fuel channels of CANDU nuclear reactors. Preventing a failure mode caused by contact of the PT with an outer calandria tube (CT) is performed by inspection using eddy current (EC) testing and ultrasonic testing (UT) to measure the PT-CT gap.

Pelvic floor muscle activation in response to pressure stimuli applied to the vulvar vestibule: an observational study comparing women with and without provoked vestibulodynia.

Background: The nature of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) involvement in provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is poorly understood.

Aim: We aimed to determine if PFM electromyographic (EMG) activity in anticipation of or response to pressure applied to the posterior vaginal fourchette differs between those with and without PVD, and if the magnitude of PFM response is associated with pressure pain sensitivity, psychological or psychosexual function.

Methods: This was an observational case-control study.

Pelvic floor muscle activation amplitude at rest, during voluntary contraction, and during Valsalva maneuver-a comparison between those with and without provoked vestibulodynia.

Background: The neuromuscular contribution to increased tone of the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) observed among those with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is unclear.

Aim: To determine if PFM activity differs between those with provoked PVD and pain free controls, and if the extent of PFM activation at rest or during activities is associated with pain sensitivity at the vulvar vestibule, psychological, and/or psychosexual outcomes.

Methods: This observational case-control study included forty-two volunteers with PVD and 43 controls with no history of vulvar pain.

Cognitive and kinematic markers of ketamine effects in behaving non-human primates.

Ketamine is widely used to probe cognitive functions relying on the properties of methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) synaptic transmission. Numerous works have proved that cognitive performance and adjustments in the decision or perceptual domains are affected after ketamine injection in general circulation of primates. Here, we take advantage of that in the brain stem; horizontal saccade deceleration is controlled by glycine-NMDAR-gated current, while gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) current controls vertical deceleration to demonstrate that despite general circulation level manipulation of NMDAR synaptic transmission, the kinematic of the saccade appeared to be in the motor brainstem generator circuit differentially maintained.

Network-based modelling reveals cell-type enriched patterns of non-coding RNA regulation during human skeletal muscle remodelling.

A majority of human genes produce non-protein-coding RNA (ncRNA), and some have roles in development and disease. Neither ncRNA nor human skeletal muscle is ideally studied using short-read sequencing, so we used a customized RNA pipeline and network modelling to study cell-type specific ncRNA responses during muscle growth at scale. We completed five human resistance-training studies ( = 144 subjects), identifying 61% who successfully accrued muscle-mass.

A Brief Report on Sex-Specific Differences in Persistent Depression, Anxiety, and Loneliness Among Canadian Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction: Older adults are at increased risk of severe illness and mortality from Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) infection. However, public health strategies aimed at reducing spread of COVID-19 may have resulted in increased mental health symptoms, particularly among older adults. Currently, little is known about whether older Veterans were more likely to experience persistent mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic than non-Veterans.