The Effectiveness of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Extraction Methods in Gram-Negative U.

Bioplastics are emerging as a promising solution to reduce pollution caused by petroleum-based plastics. Among them, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) stand out as viable biotechnological alternatives, though their commercialization is limited by expensive downstream processes. Traditional PHA extraction methods often involve toxic solvents and high energy consumption, underscoring the need for more sustainable approaches.

The Effect of the Concurrent Use of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors or Receptor Blockers on Toxicity and Outcomes in Patients Treated with Radiotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

: ACEIs protect against radiation pneumonitis by reducing angiotensin II production, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This study highlights the significance of concurrent angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use in radiotherapy by evaluating its impact on radiotherapy-related side effects and survival outcomes, addressing the gap in existing research and providing insights to guide clinical practice in oncology. : The literature was retrieved from the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from January 2000 to October 2024.

Towards the Measurement of Sea-Ice Thickness Using a Time-Domain Inductive Measurement System.

Frequency-domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) is routinely used to detect the presence of seawater due to the inherent electrical conductivity of the seawater. This approach is used to infer sea-ice thickness (SIT). A time-domain EMI sensor is presented, which demonstrates the potential for correlating the spectroscopic properties of the received signal with the distance to the sea surface.

EEG-to-EEG: Scalp-to-Intracranial EEG Translation Using a Combination of Variational Autoencoder and Generative Adversarial Networks.

A generative adversarial network (GAN) makes it possible to map a data sample from one domain to another one. It has extensively been employed in image-to-image and text-to image translation. We propose an EEG-to-EEG translation model to map the scalp-mounted EEG (scEEG) sensor signals to intracranial EEG (iEEG) sensor signals recorded by foramen ovale sensors inserted into the brain.

A Reading Range- and Frequency-Reconfigurable Antenna for Near-Field and Far-Field UHF RFID Applications.

In radio frequency identification (RFID), differences in spectrum policies and tag misreading in different countries are the two main issues that limit its application. To solve these problems, this article proposes a composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL)-based reconfigurable antenna for ultra-high frequency near-field and far-field RFID reader applications. The CRLH-TL is achieved using a periodically capacitive gap-loaded parallel plate line.

Enhancing Low-Light Images with Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks in Transformer Attention.

Low-light image enhancement (LLIE) techniques improve the performance of image sensors by enhancing visibility and details in poorly lit environments and have significantly benefited from recent research into Transformer models. This work presents a novel Transformer attention mechanism inspired by the Kolmogorov-Arnold representation theorem, incorporating learnable non-linearity and multivariate function decomposition. This innovative mechanism is the foundation of KAN-T, our proposed Transformer network.

Exercise Training in Heart Failure: Current Evidence and Future Directions.

Heart Failure (HF) is a prevalent condition which places a substantial burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Medical management implemented with exercise training (ET) plays a role in prognostic and functional capacity improvement. The aim of this review is to determine the effect of exercise training (ET) on HFpEF and HFrEF patients as well as exercise modality recommendations in frail and sarcopenic subpopulations.

Microbiome of (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Ticks: Variation in Community Structure with Regard to Sex and Host Habitat.

ticks are the main hematophagous ectoparasites of camels, harboring a variety of microbes that can affect tick vector competence and pathogen transmission. To better understand the tick microbiome influenced by sex and host habitat, we analyzed the bacterial community of male and female ticks collected from camel farms, livestock markets, and slaughterhouses, representing the range of major habitats in the UAE, by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Tick samples were collected during 2022 and 2023.

Enhanced Tolerance to Antifungals as a General Feature of Rho Mutants in Yeast Species: Implications to Positive Selection of Respiratory Deficiency.

Although the mitochondrial genome is an attribute of all eukaryotes, some yeast species (called petite-positive) can replicate without mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Strains without mtDNA (known as rho mutants or petite mutants) are respiration-deficient and require fermentable carbon sources (such as glucose) for their metabolism. However, they are compromised in many aspects of fitness and competitiveness.

Knowledge, Attitudes, Motivations, Expectations, and Systemic Factors Regarding Antimicrobial Use Amongst Community Members Seeking Care at the Primary Healthcare Level: A Scoping Review.

Background/objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, motivations, and expectations of community members regarding antimicrobial use is essential for effective stewardship interventions. This scoping review aimed to identify key themes relating to the critical areas regarding antimicrobial use among community members in primary healthcare (PHC), with a particular focus on LMICs.

Treatment Patterns and Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Biliary Tract Cancers Treated with Gemcitabine-Based Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Study.

Historically, the standard of care for advanced biliary tract cancers (aBTCs) was gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GemCis). Immunotherapy plus GemCis is now recommended as a first-line treatment for aBTCs. Whether patients can tolerate eight cycles of GemCis in clinical practice, as per the Advanced Biliary Cancer (ABC)-02 study, remains to be assessed.

Mobilising Cross-Sectoral Collaboration in Creating Age-Friendly Cities: Case Studies from Akita and Manchester.

Developing Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCCs) is an increasingly popular policy response to supporting ageing populations. AFCC programmes rely on cross-sectoral collaboration, involving partnerships among diverse stakeholders working across sectors to address shared goals. However, there remains a limited understanding of what mechanisms and strategies drive collaboration among diverse actors within age-friendly cities.

Uncoded chronic kidney disease prevalence in secondary care: a retrospective audit with population health implications.

Background: One million patients are estimated to have undiagnosed chronic kidney disease (CKD) in England. Clinical coding in CKD is associated with improved management and lower acute kidney injury (AKI), unscheduled care and mortality risk. Primary care's role in coding CKD is well documented.

Genome-wide association analysis of composite sleep health scores in 413,904 individuals.

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of several individual sleep traits have identified hundreds of genetic loci, suggesting diverse mechanisms. Moreover, sleep traits are moderately correlated, so together may provide a more complete picture of sleep health, while illuminating distinct domains. Here we construct novel sleep health scores (SHSs) incorporating five core self-report measures: sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, chronotype, snoring, and daytime sleepiness, using additive (SHS-ADD) and five principal components-based (SHS-PCs) approaches.

Critical raw material-free multi-principal alloy design for a net-zero future.

Refractory High-Entropy Alloys (RHEAs), such as NbMoTaW, MoNbTaVW, HfNbTaZr, ReHfNbTaW, NbTiAlVTaHfW, TiNbMoTaW (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.

Subsistence hunting impacts wildlife assemblages and functional ecology in tropical forests.

Unsustainable wild meat hunting poses a significant threat to wildlife and tropical forest ecosystems. While high levels of extraction linked to commercial trade have received significant attention, the sustainability of subsistence hunting by Indigenous Peoples in Africa has been less studied. Understanding how changing lifestyles, particularly the sedentarisation of former hunter-gatherers, have affected the use of forest resources is crucial for wildlife conservation and livelihoods.

Exploiting novel placental homing peptides for targeted drug delivery in breast Cancer.

More effective drug formulations are needed to increase the selectivity and efficacy of available chemotherapeutics. We have previously shown that nanoparticles decorated with the tumour homing peptide CGKRK can selectively deliver payloads to the placenta. In this study, we investigated whether two novel placental homing peptides NKGLRNK (NKG) and RSGVAKS (RSG) can be utilized to selectively deliver doxorubicin (DOX) to breast cancer cells.

The structure of executive functions in athletes: A latent variable approach.

The role of executive function (EF) in expert sport performance has become a popular topic in sport and exercise psychology research. Research in this area often adopts the unity/diversity framework of EF (i.e.

Quantification of solvation forces with amplitude modulation AFM.

Hypothesis: Interfacial solvation forces arise from the organisation of liquid molecules near solid surfaces. They are crucial to fundamental phenomena, spanning materials science, molecular biology, and technological applications, yet their molecular details remain poorly understood. Achieving a complete understanding requires imaging techniques, such as three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (3D AFM), to provide atomically resolved images of solid-liquid interfaces (SLIs).

What about the Workers? An Update.

Epidemiological studies of nuclear industry workers are of substantial importance to understanding the risk of cancer consequent to low-level exposure to radiation, and these studies should provide vital evidence for the construction of the international system of radiological protection. Recent studies involve large numbers of workers and include health outcomes for workers who accumulated moderate (and even high) doses over prolonged periods while employed during the earlier years of the nuclear industry. The interpretation of the findings of these recent studies has proved to be disappointingly difficult.

mHealth-Based Diabetes Prevention Program for Chinese Mothers With Abdominal Obesity: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Among people with abdominal obesity, women are more likely to develop diabetes than men. Mobile health (mHealth)-based technologies provide the flexibility and resource-saving opportunities to improve lifestyles in an individualized way. However, mHealth-based diabetes prevention programs tailored for busy mothers with abdominal obesity have not been reported yet.