Assessing neonatal nurses: transitioning preterm infants to oral feeding - a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: In Egypt, approximately 10% of preterm deliveries occur between 32 and fewer than 37 weeks, leading to high neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions. Preterm infants often face oral feeding difficulties due to immature development, which can lead to extended hospital stays and increased health risks.

Aim: To assess neonatal nurses' performance in terms of the transition to oral feeding in preterm infants, focusing on knowledge, practices, and attitudes.

HDAC6: Tumor Progression and Beyond.

Histone Deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is an intriguing therapeutic target in cancer re-search, distinguished as the only HDAC family member predominantly located in the cyto-plasm. HDAC6 features two catalytic domains and a unique ubiquitin-binding domain, which sets it apart from other HDACs. Beyond its role in histone deacetylation, HDAC6 targets vari-ous nonhistone substrates, such as α-tubulin, cortactin, Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90), and Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1).

Syntheses, structures and anti-cancer activities of Cu and Zn complexes containing 1,1'-[(3-fluoro-phen-yl)methyl-ene]bis-[3-(3-fluoro-phen-yl)imidazo[1,5-]pyridine].

Two novel complexes, [Cu()Cl] and [Zn()Cl], were synthesized from 1,1'-[(3-fluoro-phen-yl)methyl-ene]bis-[3-(3-fluoro-phen-yl)imidazo[1,5-]pyridine] (), and copper(II) and zinc(II) chloride, respectively. The structures of these complexes were confirmed using ESI-MS, IR and H NMR spectra. The results reveal mononuclear structures in which the central metal atoms are coordinated by two N atoms from the imidazole rings and two Cl ligands.

Soil Application of Selenium in Wheat ( L.) Under Water Stress Improves Grain Quality and Reduces Production Losses.

Selenium (Se) is an essential element for humans. However, much of the world's human population is deficient in this element, which has become a public health problem. This study aimed to evaluate whether applying severe water stress to wheat plants ( L.

Spin-Density Wave, Unconventional Magnetic and Thermal Transport Properties in Sr(PbCl)Cu(BO).

SrCu(BO) (Sr-122) has attracted considerable interest as a quasi-two-dimensional S = 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic spin system with a Shastry-Sutherland lattice (SSL) structure. It features a Cu spin dimer ground state and exhibits intra-dimer Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions, making Sr-122 a fascinating platform for studying quantum magnetic phenomena. In this study, we investigate the β-phase of SrCu(BO) (β-Sr-212), which retains the same spin structure as Sr-122, to explore how the carrier concentration affects the spin gap.

Generation of Charges During the Synthesis of Nanopowders of Doped Cerium Dioxide in Combustion Reactions.

The development and characterization of synthesis techniques for oxide materials based on ceria is a subject of extensive study with the objective of their wide-ranging applications in pursuit of sustainable development. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of controlled synthesis of CeMO (M = Fe, Ni, Co, Mn, Cu, Ag, Sm, Cs, x = 0.0-0.

Ecotoxicological bioassays with terrestrial plants: a holistic view of standards, guidelines, and protocols.

Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems face various chemicals that might induce acute and/or long-term harm. To assess these impacts, ecotoxicological bioassays are essential. However, bioassays using animals, particularly mammals, are costly, time-consuming, and raise ethical concerns.

Protocol for semisynthesis of histone H4 with site-specific modifications using irreversible sortase-mediated ligation.

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histone H4 play significant roles in the regulation of chromatin status. Here, we present a protocol for semisynthesis of histone H4 by sortase-mediated ligation (SML). We describe steps for solid-phase peptide synthesis of H4R40C(1-42), recombinant expression and purification of H4(41-102), expression and purification of eSrt(2A-9), and preparation of acrylamidine.

Measuring Attractive Interaction between a Self-Electrophoretic Micromotor and a Wall.

Chemically driven micromotors exhibit a pronounced affinity for nearby surfaces, yet the quantification of this motor-wall interaction strength remains unexplored in experiments. Here, we apply an external force to a self-electrophoretic micromotor which slides along a wall and measures the force necessary to disengage the motor from the wall. Our experiments unveil that the required disengaging force increases with the strength of chemical driving, often surpassing both the motor's effective gravity and its propulsive thrust.

Using DNA metabarcoding and direct behavioural observations to identify the diet of proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) in the Kinabatangan Floodplain, Sabah.

Characterizing the feeding ecology of threatened species is essential to establish appropriate conservation strategies. We focused our study on the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), an endangered primate species which is endemic to the island of Borneo. Our survey was conducted in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS), a riverine protected area that is surrounded by oil palm plantations.

Influence of phonon anharmonicity on Raman spectra of CuZnSn(S,Se) polycrystalline thin films through computational study.

CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZT(S,Se)) thin films exhibit the characteristics necessary to be effective absorbers in solar cells. In this report, the room temperature experimental Raman scattering spectra, recorded at different excitation wavelengths, are systematically analyzed theoretically using the results of DFT harmonic frequencies calculations at the Γ-point for various modifications of kesterite (KS), stannite (ST), and pre-mixed Cu-Au (PMCA) crystal structures. The specific anharmonism-induced features in the spectra of CZT(S,Se) crystals are identified, and the spectral lineshapes at varied strengths of anharmonic interaction are simulated.

Protein engineering in the deep learning era.

Advances in deep learning have significantly aided protein engineering in addressing challenges in industrial production, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. This review frames frequently researched problems in protein understanding and engineering from the perspective of deep learning. It provides a thorough discussion of representation methods for protein sequences and structures, along with general encoding pipelines that support both pre-training and supervised learning tasks.

Electronic ferroelectricity in monolayer graphene moiré superlattices.

Extending ferroelectric materials to two-dimensional limit provides versatile applications for the development of next-generation nonvolatile devices. Conventional ferroelectricity requires materials consisting of at least two constituent elements associated with polar crystalline structures. Monolayer graphene as an elementary two-dimensional material unlikely exhibits ferroelectric order due to its highly centrosymmetric hexagonal lattices.

Steering acidic oxygen reduction selectivity of single-atom catalysts through the second sphere effect.

Natural enzymes feature distinctive second spheres near their active sites, leading to exquisite catalytic reactivity. However, incumbent synthetic strategies offer limited versatility in functionalizing the second spheres of heterogeneous catalysts. Here, we prepare an enzyme-mimetic single Co-N atom catalyst with an elaborately configured pendant amine group in the second sphere via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, which switches the oxygen reduction reaction selectivity from the 4e to the 2e pathway under acidic conditions.

Phononic modulation of spin-lattice relaxation in molecular qubit frameworks.

The solid-state integration of molecular electron spin qubits could promote the advancement of molecular quantum information science. With highly ordered structures and rational designability, microporous framework materials offer ideal matrices to host qubits. They exhibit tunable phonon dispersion relations and spin distributions, enabling optimization of essential qubit properties including the spin-lattice relaxation time (T) and decoherence time.

Redox-active Co(II) and Zn(II) Pincer Complexes as High-Capacity Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

To address the ongoing demand for high-performance energy storage devices, it is crucial to identify new electrode materials. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) store energy via the electrochemical redox process, so their electrode materials should have reversible redox properties for rechargeability. On that note, redox-active metal complexes are explored as innovative electrode materials for LIBs.

Substrate-Mediated Growth of Au Nanowires Under Weak CTAB Control and Rapid Au Deposition.

The selective Au deposition at the Au-substrate interface is known to give ultrathin Au nanowires and the synthesis usually employs strong thiol-based ligands. It is shown that, by increasing the rate of Au deposition, weak cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) can be made to behave like a strong ligand, so that it induces Active Surface Growth and gives Au nanowires. The ligand strength also depends on the packing interactions in the ligand layer, in the order of CTAB, CTAB, and CTAB.

Amalgamation of Metal Tolerant PGPR sp. EA20 with Birch Wood Biochar Enhanced Growth and Biofortification of Rapeseed under Copper Action.

Background: Amalgamation of metal-tolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with biochar is a promising direction for the development of chemical-free biofertilizers that can mitigate environmental risks, enhance crop productivity and their biological value. The main objective of the work includes the evaluation of the influence of prepared bacterial biofertilizer (BF) on biometric growth parameters as well as physiological and biochemical characteristics of rapeseed ( L.) at copper action.

Rat Models in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Research: Strengths, Limitations, and Implications for Translational Studies.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a multifaceted psychiatric disorder triggered by traumatic events, leading to prolonged psychological distress and varied symptoms. Rat models have been extensively used to explore the biological, behavioral, and neurochemical underpinnings of PTSD. This review critically examines the strengths and limitations of commonly used rat models, such as single prolonged stress (SPS), stress-re-stress (S-R), and predator-based paradigms, in replicating human PTSD pathology.

Toward Collective Chemistry under Strong Light-Matter Coupling.

Collective strong light-matter coupling provides a versatile means to manipulate physicochemical properties of molecules and materials. Understanding collective polaritonic dynamics is hindered by the macroscopic number of molecules interacting collectively with photonic modes. We develop a many-body theory to investigate the spectroscopy and dynamics of a molecular ensemble embedded in an optical cavity in the collective strong coupling regime.

Engineering Modular Peptide Nanoparticles for Ferroptosis-Enhanced Tumor Immunotherapy.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibitors are promising for treating tumors but have limited efficacy due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In this study, we develop an orchestrated nanoparticle system using modular peptide assemblies, where the co-assembled sequences are designed for the specific binding to the hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains, guiding the assembly process and enabling the customization of nanoparticle properties. We exploit the modularity of this platform to integrate a hydrophobic ferroptosis precursor, an IDO1 inhibitor, and a hydrophilic peptidic PD-L1 antagonist for optimizing therapeutic outcomes through ferroptosis-enhanced tumor immunotherapy.