Disentangling Sources of Momentum Fluctuations in Xe+Xe and Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.

Controlling the Spatiotemporal Self-Organization of Stimuli-Responsive Nanocrystals under Out-of-Equilibrium Conditions.

Self-organization under out-of-equilibrium conditions is ubiquitous in natural systems for the generation of hierarchical solid-state patterns of complex structures with intricate properties. Efforts in applying this strategy to synthetic materials that mimic biological function have resulted in remarkable demonstrations of programmable self-healing and adaptive materials. However, the extension of these efforts to multifunctional stimuli-responsive solid-state materials across defined spatial distributions remains an unrealized technological opportunity.

Trends in Screening for Social Risk in US Physician Practices.

Importance: A wealth of research on screening for social risks in health care has emerged, but evidence is lacking on how social risk screening among physician practices has changed over time.

Objectives: To evaluate trends in screening for social risks among US physician practices and examine practice characteristics associated with adoption of social risk screening.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The main analysis used a repeated cross-sectional design to analyze results from US physician practices that completed the National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems, a nationally representative survey of physician practices, in 2017 and 2022.

Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells on cholesterol homeostasis-associated genes in AD-like rats.

Cholesterol is vital for nerve processes. Changes in cholesterol homeostasis lead to neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease (AD). In recent years, extensive research has confirmed the influential role of adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in managing AD.

Distributed Cortical Regions for the Recall of People, Places, and Objects.

The human medial parietal cortex (MPC) is recruited during multiple cognitive processes. Previously, we demonstrated regions specific to recall of people or places and proposed that the functional organization of MPC mirrors the category selectivity defining the medial-lateral axis of the ventral-temporal cortex (VTC). However, prior work considered recall of people and places only, and VTC also shows object selectivity sandwiched between face- and scene-selective regions.

Addressing STIs through managed care: opportunities in Medicaid and beyond.

The US is facing a growing epidemic of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with over 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in 2021 and again in 2022. This public health crisis disproportionately affects youth and racial and ethnic minority communities, exacerbating barriers to accessing sexual health services.

Perspectives of Older Patients on Speaking With an Anesthesia Provider Before the Day of Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Evaluations performed before the day of surgery at perioperative clinics have been shown to reduce patient mortality and hospital lengths of stay. These clinics are becoming increasingly adopted worldwide. As the number of older patients undergoing surgery continues to increase, understanding the perspectives of this patient population regarding the preoperative evaluation process is essential to tailor care to their needs and preferences.

Plant and soil microbial composition legacies following indaziflam herbicide treatment.

Land stewards in dryland ecosystems across the western U.S. face challenges to manage the exotic grass (cheatgrass), which is a poor forage, is difficult to remove, and increases risk of catastrophic fire.

The risk status, signatures of adaptation, and environmental suitability of village-based indigenous chickens from certain regions of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa.

Indigenous chickens are an important Farm Animal Genetic Resource (FAnGR) in South Africa as they alleviate poverty and are a source of protein. Climate change and market demand for high-performing exotic breeds threaten and undermine locally adapted village chickens. The current study explored the risk status and signatures of adaptation of village-based indigenous chickens from two provinces and mapped their environmental suitability across the country.

Factorial Design of Experiment Method to Characterize Bioprinting Process Parameters to Obtain the Targeted Scaffold Porosity.

Due to its inbuilt ability to release biocompatible materials encapsulating living cells in a predefined location, 3D bioprinting is a promising technique for regenerating patient-specific tissues and organs. Among various 3D bioprinting techniques, extrusion-based 3D bioprinting ensures a higher percentage of cell release, ensuring suitable external and internal scaffold architectures. Scaffold architecture is mainly defined by filament geometry and width.

Developing and Comparing Four Families of Bayesian Network Autocorrelation Models for Binary Outcomes: Estimating Peer Effects Involving Adoption of Medical Technologies.

Despite the extensive use of network autocorrelation models in social network analysis, network autocorrelation models for binary dependent variables have received surprisingly scant attention. In this paper, we develop four network autocorrelation models for a binary random variable defined by whether the peer effect (also termed social influence or contagion) acts on latent continuous outcomes leading to an indirect effect under a normal or a logistic distribution or on the probability of the observed outcome itself under a probit or a logit link function defining a direct effect to account for interdependence between outcomes. For all models, we use a Bayesian approach for model estimation under a uniform prior on a transformed peer effect parameter ( ) designed to enhance model computation and compare results to those under the uniform prior for .

Phage-Encoded Virulence Factor, Gp05, Alters Membrane Phospholipids and Reduces Antimicrobial Susceptibility in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading pathogen causing severe endovascular infections. The prophage-encoded protein Gp05 has been identified as a critical virulence factor that contributes to MRSA persistence during vancomycin (VAN) treatment in an experimental endocarditis model. However, the underlining mechanisms driving this persistence phenotype remain poorly understood.

Community Synchrony in Seed Production is Associated With Trait Similarity and Climate Across North America.

Mast seeding, the synchronous and highly variable production of seed crops by perennial plants, is a population-level phenomenon and has cascading effects in ecosystems. Mast seeding studies are typically conducted at the population/species level. Much less is known about synchrony in mast seeding between species because the necessary long-term data are rarely available.

Incidental affect influences choice preference among competing alternatives in a modified Affect Misattribution Procedure.

Affective feelings exert a powerful influence on decision making, even when the source of those feelings is incidental, i.e., unrelated to the decision at hand.

Territory Sizes and Patterns of Habitat Use by Forest Birds Over Five Decades: Ideal Free or Ideal Despotic?

Relations among territoriality, abundance and habitat suitability are fundamental to the ecology of many animal populations. Theory suggests two classes of possible responses to increasing abundance in territorial species: (1) the ideal free distribution (IFD), which predicts smaller territory sizes and decreased fitness as individuals adaptively pack into suitable habitats, and (2) the ideal despotic distribution (IDD), which predicts stable territory sizes and fitness in preferred habitats for dominant individuals and increased use of marginal habitats, reduced fitness and changes in territory sizes for subordinate individuals. We analysed the territory sizes and locations of seven migratory songbird species occupying a 10-ha plot in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA over a 52-year period.

Estimation of Ligand Binding Free Energy Using Multi-eGO.

The computational study of ligand binding to a target protein provides mechanistic insight into the molecular determinants of this process and can improve the success rate of drug design. All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be used to evaluate the binding free energy, typically by thermodynamic integration, and to probe binding mechanisms, including the description of protein conformational dynamics. The advantages of MD come at a high computational cost, which limits its use.

Patient-specific cutting guides allow 1° precision in asymmetric anterior closing-wedge osteotomy.

Purpose: Asymmetric anterior closing-wedge high tibial osteotomy (ACWHTO) allows correction of both excessive posterior tibial slope (PTS) and varus deformity. However, the complexity of this surgery requires a high degree of accuracy, which is less likely to be achieved with standard instrumentations. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of 3D patient-specific cutting guides (PSCGs) to provide the accurate planned correction in the frontal and sagittal planes.

Reported outcomes following cytoreductive surgery for colorectal peritoneal metastases: A systematic review to inform evidence-based practice and international consensus.

Aim: Cytoreductive surgery provides a chance for long-term survival and cure in selected patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases. As clinical and academic interest in this field increases, heterogeneity in outcome reporting hinders the valid and meaningful synthesis of data into high-quality meta-analyses. The aim of this systemic review was to investigate variability in outcome reporting following cytoreductive surgery with or without intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal peritoneal metastases.

Biopreservation and reversal of oxidative injury during blood storage by a novel curcumin-based gel formulation.

Blood storage lesion induces cytosolic and membrane changes driven in part by hemoglobin (Hb) oxidation reactions within red blood cells (RBCs). A novel gel formulation containing the antioxidant curcuminoids in a biocompatible solvent system was used to deliver curcumin into RBCs. Incubation of peroxide treated RBCs stored in PBS with curcumin gel led to a reduction in prooxidant ferrylHb and recovery in ATP.

A descriptive examination of rurality in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort: Implications, illustrations, and future directions.

Purpose: The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort has enrolled over 60,000 children to examine how early environmental factors (broadly defined) are associated with key child health outcomes. The ECHO Cohort may be well-positioned to contribute to our understanding of rural environments and contexts, which has implications for rural health disparities research. The present study examined the outcome of child obesity to not only illustrate the suitability of ECHO Cohort data for these purposes but also determine how various definitions of rural and urban populations impact the presentation of findings and their interpretation.

Deployment to bases with open burn pits and mortality of US Military Veterans.

Introduction: Five million US Veterans had possible exposure to open burn pits used for waste disposal through service in Iraq (2003-2011) and Afghanistan (2001-2014). Burn pits generate toxic exposures that may be associated with adverse health outcomes. We examined all-cause and cause-specific mortality in relation to deployment to bases with open burn pits.

Shared Decision-Making in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Understanding Surgeon and Patient Perspectives Regarding When It Is Time for Surgery.

Background: Although total hip and total knee arthroplasty are highly successful operations, the decision of whether and when to undergo surgery is highly subjective and discretionary, and specific guidelines regarding readiness for surgery remain elusive. The nature of these decisions underscores the importance of shared decision-making, which is founded on the concept that patients substantially contribute to determining their own readiness for surgery. The OPTION survey was developed as a conversation aid to facilitate shared decision-making in the context of total joint arthroplasty.

3D-Printed Self-Assembling Helical Models for Exploring Viral Capsid Structures.

This work presents a novel application of additive manufacturing in the design of self-assembling helical viral capsids using 3D-printed components. Expanding on prior work with 3D-printed self-assembling spherical capsids, we developed helical models that integrate geometric parameters and magnetic interactions to mimic key features of the assembly process of helical viral capsids. Using dual-helix phyllotactic patterns and simplified electrostatic simulations, these models consistently self-assemble into a cylinder, providing unique insights into the structural organization and stability of helical capsids.