1D Flat Bands in Phosphorene Nanoribbons with Pentagonal Nature.

Materials with flat bands can serve as a promising platform to investigate strongly interacting phenomena. However, experimental realization of ideal flat bands is mostly limited to artificial lattices or moiré systems. Here, a general way is reported to construct 1D flat bands in phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) with a pentagonal nature: penta-hexa-PNRs and penta-dodeca-PNRs, wherein the corresponding 1D flat bands are directly verified by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

Explanatory circles.

Roughly put, explanatory circles - if any exist - would be propositions such that (i) each explains the next, and (ii) the last explains the first. In this paper, I give two arguments for the view that there are explanatory circles. The first argument appeals to general relativistic worlds in which time is circular.

The Ethical Case for Decentralized Clinical Trials.

The recent pandemic spurred interest in innovative design for clinical trials. In particular, constraints on the public's ability to gather led to an increase in remote or decentralized clinical trials (DCTs). DCTs present an opportunity to extend the benefits of research to underserved populations, decrease burdens, increase access to trials, and fill knowledge gaps surrounding rare conditions, though they are not without their own unique challenges and risks.

Combating Fungal Infections and Resistance with a Dual-Mechanism Luminogen to Disrupt Membrane Integrity and Induce DNA Damage.

Antifungal drug resistance is a critical concern, demanding innovative therapeutic solutions. The dual-targeting mechanism of action (MoA), as an effective strategy to reduce drug resistance, has been validated in the design of antibacterial agents. However, the structural similarities between mammalian and fungal cells complicate the development of such a strategy for antifungal agents as the selectivity can be compromised.

The biomechanics of turgor pressure.

If you ever forget to water your houseplant, you may find its leaves getting soft and droopy - if you water it again in time, the leaves may stiffen, spring back up, and resist gravity. During this recovery, plant cells absorb water and build up an intracellular pressure, called turgor pressure, similar to inflating a balloon. Turgor pressure is an intrinsic component of plant physiology, and its biomechanical role as the 'hydroskeleton' is generally appreciated either statically in structural stability, like leaves resisting gravity, or dynamically in rapid motions, like Venus flytrap snapping, Mimosa closing, or stomatal opening.

Gd Added Mg Alloy for Biodegradable Implant Applications.

Microstructure, mechanical, in vitro and in vivo behavior of extruded Mg alloys with varying Zn/Gd ratios, Mg-2Gd-2Zn-0.5Zr (Zn/Gd = 1), Mg-2Gd-6Zn-0.5Zr (Zn/Gd = 3), and Mg-10Gd-1Zn-0.

The longitudinal dispositions of people diagnosed with adjustment or severe stress disorders.

Background: Adjustment and stress-related disorders are prevalent among psychiatric service users. Despite their prevalence, little is known about their prognosis. To reduce that gap, the present article documents the service use and diagnostic outcomes of people with adjustment or stress-related disorders presenting at Singapore's largest psychiatric emergency department.

Programmable Interfacial Band Configuration in WS/BiOSe Heterojunctions.

van der Waals heterojunctions based on transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer advanced strategies for manipulating light-emitting and light-harvesting behaviors. A crucial factor determining the light-material interaction is in the band alignment at the heterojunction interface, particularly the distinctions between type-I and type-II alignments. However, altering the band alignment from one type to another without changing the constituent materials is exceptionally difficult.

Regulating Metal Centers of MOF-74 Promotes PEO-Based Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based electrolytes have been extensively studied for all-solid-state lithium-metal batteries due to their excellent film-forming capabilities and low cost. However, the limited ionic conductivity and poor mechanical strength of the PEO-based electrolytes cannot prevent the growth of undesirable lithium dendrites, leading to the failure of batteries. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are functional materials with a periodic porous structure that can improve the electrochemical performance of PEO-based electrolytes.

Tools to implement measurement-based care (MBC) in the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD): toward a consensus.

Background: The prevalence and associated overdose death rates from opioid use disorder (OUD) have dramatically increased in the last decade. Despite more available treatments than 20 years ago, treatment access and high discontinuation rates are challenges, as are personalized medication dosing and making timely treatment changes when treatments fail. In other fields such as depression, brief measures to address these tasks combined with an action plan-so-called measurement-based care (MBC)-have been associated with better outcomes.

Analysis of guideline recommendations for treatment of asthma exacerbations in children: a Pediatric Emergency Research Networks (PERN) study.

Rationale: There is significant practice variation in acute paediatric asthma, particularly severe exacerbations. It is unknown whether this is due to differences in clinical guidelines.

Objectives: To describe and compare the content and quality of clinical guidelines for the management of acute exacerbations of asthma in children between geographic regions.

The Synthesis of Three-Dimensional Hexagonal Boron Nitride as the Reinforcing Phase of Polymer-Based Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Li Metal Batteries.

Powdery hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), as an important material for electrochemical energy storage, has been typically synthesized in bulk and one/two-dimensional (1/2D) nanostructured morphologies. However, until now, no method has been developed to synthesize powdery three-dimensional (3D) h-BN. This work introduces a novel NaCl-glucose-assisted strategy to synthesize micron-sized 3D h-BN with a honeycomb-like structure and its proposed formation mechanism.

Confinement of ionomer for electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction via efficient mass transfer pathways.

Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) mediate the transport of reactants, products and electrons for the electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR) in membrane electrode assemblies. The random distribution of ionomer, added by the traditional physical mixing method, in the catalyst layer of GDEs affects the transport of ions and CO. Such a phenomenon results in elevated cell voltage and decaying selectivity at high current densities.

The EORTC QLU-C10D: the Hong Kong valuation study.

Objective: The EORTC QLU-C10D is a new preference-based measure derived from the EORTC QLQ-C30. Country-specific value sets are required to support the cost-utility analysis of cancer-related interventions. This study aimed to generate an EORTC QLU-C10 value set for Hong Kong (HK).

A copper-iodide cluster microcube-based X-ray scintillator.

Newly developed copper-iodide cluster microcubes offer a solution to the issues commonly faced by powder scintillation screens. These problems include inadequate scintillation performance and significant light scattering, resulting in poor image quality. With the advent of monodisperse copper-iodide cluster microparticle scintillators, efficient and long-term stable scintillation is achieved, while ensuring biocompatibility.

Treatment outcomes with benzylpenicillin and non-benzylpenicillin antibiotics, and the performance of the penicillin zone-edge test versus molecular detection of blaZ in penicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (PSSA) bacteraemia.

Objectives: The blaZ gene encodes penicillinase, which inactivates penicillin. As there were reports on suboptimal sensitivity for the penicillin zone-edge test, a phenotypic method for blaZ detection, we investigated treatment outcomes in patients with penicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (PSSA) bacteraemia (phenotypically negative for penicillinase), subjecting isolates to molecular testing for blaZ retrospectively.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 121 patients with a first episode of PSSA bacteraemia from 1 January 2012 to 31 October 2015 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Singapore.

Color-matching techniques for creating esthetic hand and finger prostheses.

Background: Color matching is a critically important part of, and by far, also the most challenging aspect of producing esthetic silicone prosthesis. There is a knowledge gap in the literature and a lack of opportunities for training in the expertise, particularly regarding color-matching techniques.

Objective: This article details a color-matching technique that is able to achieve life-like coloration in esthetic prosthesis.

Heart Failure and Multimorbidity in Asia.

Purpose Of The Review: Multimorbidity, the presence of two or more comorbidities, is common in patients with heart failure (HF) and worsens clinical outcomes. In Asia, multimorbidity has become the norm rather than the exception. Therefore, we evaluated the burden and unique patterns of comorbidities in Asian patients with HF.

Impact of a Bedside Activity Device on the Functional Status of Hospitalized Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Older adults may have difficulty maintaining their functional capabilities during hospitalization. This pilot study aimed to investigate the impact of a bedside activity device on the functional status of hospitalized older adults.

Methods: For this single-site randomized controlled trial, 48 participants were recruited between July 2019 and March 2021.

Noise complaints, the COVID-19 pandemic, and compact developments: evidence from five American cities.

The COVID-19 continues to take its toll on human life. Even though to a less threatening extent, and insignificant to some, noise turns out to be one of its consequences without consensus. While individuals experience multiple restrictions and restrain from exuberant activities by spending most of their time at home, reducing public transportation and personal vehicles, overall, they end up reduce anthropogenic noise pressure.