Assessing the role of Alnus nepalensis D. Don in stabilizing landslide and its potential distribution: a case study from Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya.

The rising frequency and severity of landslides in the vulnerable Himalayan region of India threaten human settlements and critical infrastructure. This growing issue demands urgent action and innovative strategies to mitigate risks and bolster the resilience of affected communities and infrastructure in this fragile area. The research explores the use of Alnus nepalensis for slope stabilization, illustrated by a case study near Ukhimath, Uttarakhand, India, and elucidates the potential ecological niche of Alnus in the temperate region of Uttarakhand using well-dispersed species occurrence records along with environment.

Health risk assessment and Sobol' sensitivity analysis of power plant air pollution (SO2 and NOX): the effect of power plant fuel change.

This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) around the Qom (a province in Iran) combined cycle power plant in relation to seasonal variations and fuel type from December 2014 to May 2015. Passive sampling was used in three monitoring sites around the power plant to assess noncarcinogenic health risks associated with exposure to SO2 and NOX. Results showed the higher concentrations of NOX and SO2 in winter than in spring.

Freshwater ecotoxicity characterization factors for PFASs.

This research aims to address the data gaps in freshwater ecotoxicological characterization factors (CFs) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). These CFs are essential for incorporating the ecotoxicity impacts of PFAS emissions into life cycle assessments (LCAs). This study has three primary objectives: first, to calculate a comprehensive set of experimental aquatic ecotoxicity CFs for PFASs utilizing the USEtox model (version 2.

Integrating ex situ biomimetic extraction analyses into contaminated sediment assessment and management decisions.

This study evaluated a novel ex situ passive sampling biomimetic extraction (BE) method to estimate toxic potency in sediments. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) analysis of polydimethylsiloxane fibers equilibrated with field sediments was used to quantify bioavailable polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other unresolved, site-specific contaminant mixtures. This method is biomimetic because contaminants partition to the fiber based on hydrophobicity and abundance, and GC-FID quantification accounts for all constituents absorbed to the fiber that may contribute to toxicity.

RGB sensor integrated into unmanned aerial vehicle for monitoring cyanobacterial density in reservoirs.

The proliferation of cyanobacteria has become a significant water management challenge due to the increasing eutrophication of water supply reservoirs. Cyanobacterial blooms thrive on elevated nutrient concentrations and form extensive green mats, disrupting the local ecosystem. Furthermore, many cyanobacterial species can produce toxins that are lethal to vertebrates called cyanotoxins.

Characterization of language abilities and semantic networks in very preterm children at school-age.

It has been widely assessed that very preterm children (<32 weeks gestational age) present language and memory impairments compared with full-term children. However, differences in their underlying semantic memory structure have not been studied yet. Nevertheless, the way concepts are learned and organized across development relates to children's capacities in retrieving and using information later.

HIV-1 resistance mutations and genetic diversity among children failing antiretroviral treatment in five healthcare facilities in Benin, West Africa.

Background: Antiretroviral treatment increases the risk of accumulation of resistance mutations that negatively impact the possibilities of future treatment. This study aimed to present the frequency of HIV-1 antiretroviral resistance mutations and the genetic diversity among children with virological failure in five pediatric care facilities in Benin.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from November 20, 2020, to November 30, 2022, in children under 15 years of age who failed ongoing antiretroviral treatment at five facilities care in Benin (VL > 3log10 on two consecutive realizations three months apart).

Adaptive weighted progressive iterative approximation based on coordinate decomposition.

During the iterative process of the progressive iterative approximation, it is necessary to calculate the difference between the current interpolation curve and the corresponding data points, known as the adjustment vector. To achieve more precise adjustments of control points, this paper decomposes the adjustment vector into its coordinate components and introduces a weight for each component. By dynamically adjusting these weights, we can accelerate the convergence of iterations and enhance approximation accuracy.

Unraveling the metabolic landscape of Exophiala spinifera strain FM: Model reconstruction, insights into biodesulfurization and beyond.

Exophiala spinifera strain FM, a black yeast and melanized ascomycete, shows potential for oil biodesulfurization by utilizing dibenzothiophene (DBT) as its sole sulfur source. However, the specific pathway and enzymes involved in this process remain unclear due to limited genome sequencing and metabolic understanding of E. spinifera.

Decreased SynMuv B gene activity in response to viral infection leads to activation of the antiviral RNAi pathway in C. elegans.

RNA interference (RNAi) mediates antiviral defense in many eukaryotes. Caenorhabditis elegans mutants that disable RNAi are more sensitive to viral infection. Many mutants that enhance RNAi have also been identified; these mutations may reveal genes that are normally down-regulated in antiviral defense.

Personal, environmental and behavioral predictors associated with online fraud victimization among adults.

Background: Online malicious attempts such as scamming continue to proliferate across the globe, aided by the ubiquitous nature of technology that makes it increasingly easy to dupe individuals. This study aimed to identify the predictors for online fraud victimization focusing on Personal, Environment and Behavior (PEB).

Methods: Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) was used as a guide in developing the PEB framework.

Modes of embodiment for an immersed experience in museums: The Royal Tank Museum.

This study examines how exhibits at the Royal Tank Museum (RTM) engage visitors through bodily experiences. The goal is to understand RTM's visitor interaction and engagement. This research fills a gap in the literature on Jordanian museums by documenting some experiential characteristics of museum exhibits and establishing a framework for evaluating embodied museum encounters.

Hypercapnic warm-up and re-warm-up-A novel experimental approach in swimming sprint.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effective warm-up protocol using an added respiratory dead space (ARDS) 1200 ml volume mask to determine hypercapnic conditions, on the swimming velocity of the 50 m time trial front crawl. Eight male members of the university swimming team, aged 19-25, performed three different warm-up protocols: 1) standardized warm-up in water (WUCON); 2) hypercapnic warm-up in water (WUARDS); 3) hypercapnic a 20-minute transition phase on land, between warm-up in water and swimming test (RE-WUARDS). The three warm-up protocols were implemented in random order every 7th day.

"They never appear on TV and if they have, I might have missed that moment." How publics in South Africa and Germany view visible scientists.

Academic interest in scientists who regularly appear in the media dates back to Rae Goodell's seminal book "The visible scientists", in which she lists distinct characteristics of visible scientists, including being controversial, articulate, colorful, and reputable as a scientist. Visible scientists thus share relevant media-related characteristics that stand out in their portrayal as a group and are reminiscent of other celebrities' characteristics. However, questions arise: what is special about the celebrity being a scientist? How many and what types of scientists fall into this category? What are the peers' and the public's expectations towards the social role of the visible scientist? To date, work on visible scientists has focused on theorizing them in the context of the relationship between science and its publics and empirical studies have mainly sought to characterize visible scientists and focused on single countries.

Efficient Double-Layer Evaporators with Adjustable Pores for Sustainable Solar Evaporation.

Solar-driven desalination technology is currently an important way to obtain freshwater resources. Significantly, porous materials are used as substrate materials of interface solar evaporator, and their specific impact of water transport property and thermal management during evaporation is worth exploring. In this paper, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) sponges were prepared by a chemical foaming method, adjusted the PVA polymerization degree, and formaldehyde-hydroxyl ratio to regulate the pore size, and polypyrrole (PPy) was grown in situ on the surface skeleton of PVA sponge to construct a new interfacial solar evaporator (PPy/PVA) with different pore structures.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Allene-alkyne Cascade Cyclization: Access to the Sulfone-cyclopenta[]naphthalene Core.

A ruthenium-catalyzed intramolecular cascade cyclization of allene-alkyne has been achieved. This method offers a streamlined and atom-economical approach for the construction of sulfone bearing 1-cyclopenta[]naphthalenes, an important structural scaffold that exists in biologically active compounds. Our approach, backed by mechanistic insights from deuterium labeling, DFT calculations, and potential for reaction scale-up, presents synthetic chemists with an invaluable tool for efficiently producing a distinct carbon framework in a one-pot manner.

Beyond the spotlight: Unveiling the gender bias curtain in movie reviews.

Historically, the film industry has been male-dominated both in front of and behind the camera, resulting in a longstanding gender imbalance in storytelling and representation. This legacy of male-centric narratives may unconsciously influence critics' expectations and judgments. Existing literature suggests that negative critiques in movie reviews can significantly impact actors' earnings by diminishing a film's commercial prospects.

Encapsulation of Oil Droplets Using Film-Forming Janus Nanoparticles.

Polymer Janus nanoparticles with one hard cross-linked polystyrene lobe and one soft film-forming poly(methyl methacrylate--butyl acrylate) lobe were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-mediated emulsion polymerization. The Janus nanoparticles adsorbed to oil/water and air/water interfaces, where the soft lobes coalesced, forming films of thickness between 25 and 250 nm; droplets of silicone oil could be stably encapsulated in polymer in this way. When prepared by mechanical mixing without additives, capsules of diameter 5-500 μm could be prepared, and with additives and application of heat, capsules of diameter around 5 μm were achieved, even with highly viscous silicone oil (20,000 cSt).

Inactivation of , and multidrug-resistant with dielectric barrier discharged cold atmospheric plasma: a comparative study with antimicrobial drugs.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has emerged as a promising technology for neutralizing microbes, including multidrug-resistant strains. This study investigates CAP's potential as an alternative to traditional antimicrobial drugs for microbial inactivation. In the era of increasing antimicrobial resistance, there is a persistent need for alternative antimicrobial strategies.

Predicting On-Road Air Pollution Coupling Street View Images and Machine Learning: A Quantitative Analysis of the Optimal Strategy.

Integrating mobile monitoring data with street view images (SVIs) holds promise for predicting local air pollution. However, algorithms, sampling strategies, and image quality introduce extra errors due to a lack of reliable references that quantify their effects. To bridge this gap, we employed 314 taxis to monitor NO, NO, PM, and PM, and extracted features from ∼382,000 SVIs at multiple angles (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°) and buffer radii (100-500 m).

Phase-Engineered ZrO for Tuning Catalytic Oxidation of Dichloromethane Over W/ZrO:Zr-Doped WO Clusters and the Hydrolysis-Oxidation Mechanism.

Catalytic elimination through an oxidative decomposition pathway is the most promising candidate for the purification of chlorinated volatile organic compound (CVOC) pollutants, but the complicated mechanisms and the formation pathways of hydrogenated byproducts still need to be clearly revealed. Herein, W/ZrO, as a structure-tunable catalyst, is used to catalytically oxidize dichloromethane (DCM) and clarify the formation pathway of monochloromethane (MCM). Crystal engineering of ZrO tailors surface WO species; practically, the predominant Zr-WO clusters and crystalline WO can be obtained on monoclinic (m-ZrO) and tetragonal (t-ZrO) phases.

Measuring STEM Instructors' Learning of and Growth in Inclusive Teaching: Development and Evaluation of the STEM Faculty Inclusive Teaching Survey (FITS).

There is a growing emphasis for professional development programs that teach instructors about inclusive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) practices and the impact of instructor and student identities on these practices. As instructors implement these practices, there is a need for instructors, departments, and faculty developers to measure instructor progress and to help identify next steps in improving inclusive STEM teaching. This study describes the development of the Faculty Inclusive Teaching Survey (FITS) using scale-development theory, frameworks using Clarke and Hollingsworth's interconnected model of professional growth and Dewsbury's Deep Teaching model, and higher-education STEM, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and professional development literature.

Persisting Toward a Career in Biomedical Research: A Black, Male Scientists' Becoming-Scientist-With Multiple Spatial Configurations.

This study explores the process of becoming-scientist-with, a dynamic and relational concept that redefines science identity development as a nonlinear, evolving journey. Focused on a Black male student, Travis, the study examines how his science identity was shaped through entanglements with various material and discursive forces across multiple science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) learning spaces. Becoming-scientist-with is conceptualized as a continual negotiation of identity within these environments, emphasizing the roles of power, systemic racism, and institutional practices in shaping students' experiences.

Selective Undercut of Undoped Optical Membranes for Spin-Active Color Centers in 4H- Silicon Carbide.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a semiconductor used in quantum information processing, microelectromechanical systems, photonics, power electronics, and harsh environment sensors. However, its high-temperature stability, high breakdown voltage, wide bandgap, and high mechanical strength are accompanied by a chemical inertness, which makes complex micromachining difficult. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching is a simple, rapid means of wet processing SiC, including the use of dopant-selective etch stops that take advantage of the mature SiC homoepitaxy.

Breaking the Rhythm: Harnessing the Menstrual Cycle for Better Chemotherapy.

A recent publication by Bornes and colleagues explored the impact of the estrous cycle on mammary tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Using genetically engineered mouse models, Bornes and colleagues revealed that chemotherapy is less effective when initiated during the diestrus stage compared to during the estrus stage. A number of changes during diestrous were identified that may reduce chemosensitivity of mammary tumors: an increased mesenchymal state of breast cancer cells during diestrous, decreased blood vessel diameters, and higher numbers of macrophages in the tumor microenvironment.