Reactions of Hydrogen-Passivated Silicon Vacancies in -Quartz with Electron Holes and Hydrogen.

We used density functional theory with a hybrid functional to investigate the structure and properties of [4H] (hydrogarnet) defects in -quartz as well as the reactions of these defects with electron holes and extra hydrogen atoms and ions. The results demonstrate the depassivation mechanisms of hydrogen-passivated silicon vacancies in -quartz, providing a detailed understanding of their stability, electronic properties, and behaviour in different charge states. While fully hydrogen passivated silicon vacancies are electrically inert, the partial removal of hydrogen atoms activates these defects as hole traps, altering the defect states and influencing the electronic properties of the material.

Factors Associated with Adherence to Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Among Patients Attending a Nurse-Led Community Clinic in Australia: A Qualitative Study.

Despite the availability of screening services, the rate of diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening continues to be suboptimal in Australia, necessitating improvement. However, improving DR screening rates requires a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing adherence to the screening recommendations. This study aimed to explore the factors that influence adherence to DR screening among people with diabetes attending a community screening clinic in Australia.

Protocol of an Efficacy Study on Nursing Consultation in Weight Management and Metabolic Syndrome Based on the Carbohydrate-Insulin Theory in Individuals with First-Episode Psychosis.

: Individuals with severe mental illness live, on average, up to 30 years less than the general population, with cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) plays a significant role in this, making it crucial to manage this issue in individuals with psychosis at the onset of the illness. The approach to managing this issue has evolved from a focus on calorie counting to a deeper understanding of hormone function, particularly the role of insulin resistance in MetS.

: Co-Design of a Novel Approach for Engaging People with Dementia in Physical Activity.

Background: Promoting physical activity among people living with dementia is critical to maximise physical, cognitive and social benefits; yet the lack of knowledge, skills and confidence among health professionals, informal care partners and people with dementia deters participation. As the initial phase of a larger feasibility study, co-design was employed to develop a new model of community care, to facilitate the physical activity participation of older people living with mild dementia.

Methods: Co-design methodology was utilised with nine stakeholders (with experience in referring to or providing physical activity programs and/or contributing to policy and program planning) over three workshops plus individual interviews with four care partners of people with dementia.

Development of Prevascularized Synthetic Block Graft for Maxillofacial Reconstruction.

Cranio-maxillofacial bone reconstruction, especially for large defects, remains challenging. Synthetic biomimetic materials are emerging as alternatives to autogenous grafts. Tissue engineering aims to create natural tissue-mimicking materials, with calcium phosphate-based scaffolds showing promise for bone regeneration applications.

Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Molecular Mechanisms Underpinning Mycovirus-Mediated Hypervirulence in Infecting .

Mycoviral infection can either be asymptomatic or have marked effects on fungal hosts, influencing them either positively or negatively. To fully understand the effects of mycovirus infection on the fungal host, transcriptomic profiling of four isolates, including EABb 92/11-Dm that harbors mycoviruses, was performed 48 h following infection of via topical application or injection. Genes that participate in carbohydrate assimilation and transportation, and those essential for fungal survival and oxidative stress tolerance, calcium uptake, and iron uptake, were found to be overexpressed in the virus-infected isolate during the mid-infection stage.

Physician Perceptions of the Safety and Efficacy of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: Underestimation of Cardiovascular Risk Reduction and Discrepancies with Clinical Evidence.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/GLP-1 receptor agonists (GIP/GLP-1 RAs) are emerging as effective treatments for obesity and cardiometabolic disease. This study evaluated physician perceptions of the safety and efficacy of semaglutide and tirzepatide through a questionnaire administered to 165 attending physicians specializing in internal or family medicine, with 122 responses received. Physicians reported an average patient weight loss of 9.

Inflammatory Monocytes Are Rapidly Recruited to the Post-Ischaemic Liver in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation and Cytokines Associated with Their Activation Correlate with Graft Outcomes.

Liver ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality following liver transplantation and resection. CD4+ T cells have been shown to play a key role in murine models; however, there is currently a lack of data that support their role in human patients. Data on clinical outcomes and complications were documented prospectively in 28 patients undergoing first elective liver transplant surgery.

Developing a Label-Free Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis with Chemometrics and Computational Enhancement for Assessing Lupus Nephritis Activity.

Patterns of disease and therapeutic responses vary widely among patients with autoimmune glomerulonephritis. This study introduces groundbreaking personalized infrared (IR)-based diagnostics for real-time monitoring of disease status and treatment responses in lupus nephritis (LN). We have established a relative absorption difference (RAD) equation to assess characteristic spectral indices based on the temporal peak heights (PHs) of two characteristic serum absorption bands: ν as the target signal and ν as the PH reference for the ν absorption band, measured at each dehydration time (t) during dehydration.

Exploration of Key Factors in the Preparation of Highly Hydrophobic Silica Aerogel from Rice Husk Ash Assisted by Machine Learning.

To expand the applications of hydrophobic silica aerogels derived from rice husk ash (HSA) through simple traditional methods (without adding special materials or processes), this paper employs machine learning to establish mathematical models to identify optimal conditions for extracting water glass and investigates how preparation conditions and heat treatment temperatures affect properties such as the porosity and hydrophobicity of HSA. The results indicate that the decision tree regression model provides the most accurate predictions for the extraction rate and modulus of water glass. Notably, the water contact angle of HSA produced using nitric acid as a catalyst can reach as high as 159.

Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Recent Advances and Insights.

Focal therapy has emerged as a balanced middle ground aiming to reduce overtreatment and the risk of progression, as well as patients' distress and anxiety. Focal therapy and partial gland ablation prioritize the precise elimination of the index lesion and a surrounding safety margin to optimize treatment outcomes and lower the risk of residual disease. The paradigm of whole-gland ablation has shifted towards more targeted approaches.

Postdigital Bystanding: Youth Experiences of Sexual Violence Workshops in Schools in England, Ireland, and Canada.

In this paper, we report on creative- and arts-based sexual violence and bystander intervention workshops we developed and researched in England, Ireland, and Canada, through evaluation surveys, observations, and focus group interviews with nearly 1200 young people (aged 13-18). Whist the young people generally reported benefitting from the intervention, in the context of increasing use of digital technologies amongst youth, we explore the context-specific challenges they faced in learning about and being supported through bystander strategies across a wide range of diverse school spaces. We use the term postdigital bystanding to explicitly explore how teen's digital networks are often connected to the school-based 'real life' peer group, in ways that complicate clear distinctions between online and offline, arguing that these postdigital dynamics have not yet been adequately considered in bystanding interventions.

Exploring the Intersection of ADHD and Music: A Systematic Review.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting both children and adults, which often leads to significant difficulties with attention, impulsivity, and working memory. These challenges can impact various cognitive and perceptual domains, including music perception and performance. Despite these difficulties, individuals with ADHD frequently engage with music, and previous research has shown that music listening can serve as a means of increasing stimulation and self-regulation.

Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological Applications.

The ability to control and manipulate biological fluids within microchannels is a fundamental challenge in biological diagnosis and pharmaceutical analyses, particularly when buffers with very high ionic strength are used. In this study, we investigate the numerical and experimental study of fluidic biochips driven by ac electrothermal flow for controlling and manipulating biological samples inside a microchannel, e.g.

Introducing ActiveInference.jl: A Julia Library for Simulation and Parameter Estimation with Active Inference Models.

We introduce a new software package for the Julia programming language, the library ActiveInference.jl. To make active inference agents with Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) generative models available to the growing research community using Julia, we re-implemented the pymdp library for Python.

Integrating AI into Cancer Immunotherapy-A Narrative Review of Current Applications and Future Directions.

Background: Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation often result in significant side effects and varied patient outcomes. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising alternative, harnessing the immune system to target cancer cells.

Robotic Surgery from a Gynaecological Oncology Perspective: A Global Gynaecological Oncology Surgical Outcomes Collaborative Led Study (GO SOAR3).

Background/objectives: For healthcare institutions developing a robotic programme, delivering value for patients, clinicians, and payers is key. However, the impact on the surgeon, training pathways, and logistics are often overlooked. We conducted a study on the impact of robotic surgery on surgeons, access to robotic surgical training, and factors associated with developing a successful robotic programme.

Diagnostic Errors in the Acutely Dizzy Patient-Lessons Learned.

Acute vertigo or dizziness is a frequent presentation to the emergency department (ED), making up between 2.1% and 4.4% of all consultations.

Syllable as a Synchronization Mechanism That Makes Human Speech Possible.

Speech is a highly skilled motor activity that shares a core problem with other motor skills: how to reduce the massive degrees of freedom (DOF) to the extent that the central nervous control and learning of complex motor movements become possible. It is hypothesized in this paper that a key solution to the DOF problem is to eliminate most of the temporal degrees of freedom by synchronizing concurrent movements, and that this is performed in speech through the syllable-a mechanism that synchronizes consonantal, vocalic, and laryngeal gestures. Under this hypothesis, syllable articulation is enabled by three basic mechanisms: target approximation, edge-synchronization, and tactile anchoring.

Cognitive Planning Improved After Cycling Exercise in Older Adults with Down Syndrome.

Background/objectives: Cognitive functions are a crucial part of daily living, especially for adults with Down syndrome (DS) who have a high likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease in adulthood. In addition, adults with DS move slower and are not meeting the standard aerobic activity guidelines each week. The aim of this study was to examine if Assisted Cycle Therapy (ACT) would improve cognitive planning as measured by the Tower of London (TOL), set switching as measured by the modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and spatial memory as measured by the Corsi Block Test in adults with DS as compared to self-paced cycling.

Spectral Analysis of Light-Adapted Electroretinograms in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Classification with Machine Learning.

Electroretinograms (ERGs) show differences between typically developing populations and those with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In a series of ERGs collected in ASD ( = 77), ADHD ( = 43), ASD + ADHD ( = 21), and control ( = 137) groups, this analysis explores the use of machine learning and feature selection techniques to improve the classification between these clinically defined groups. Standard time domain and signal analysis features were evaluated in different machine learning models.

Delivering Volumetric Hyperthermia to Head and Neck Cancer Patient-Specific Models Using an Ultrasound Spherical Random Phased Array Transducer.

In exploring adjuvant therapies for head and neck cancer, hyperthermia (40-45 °C) has shown efficacy in enhancing chemotherapy and radiation, as well as the delivery of liposomal drugs. Current hyperthermia treatments, however, struggle to reach large deep tumors uniformly and non-invasively. This study investigates the feasibility of delivering targeted uniform hyperthermia deep into the tissue using a non-invasive ultrasound spherical random phased array transducer.

Diffusion weighted imaging to predict longer term response in Crohn's disease patients commencing biological therapy: Results from the MOTILITY Trial.

Objectives: Predicting longer term response to biological therapy for small bowel Crohn's disease (SBCD) is an unmet clinical need. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) may indicate disease activity, but its predictive ability, if any, is unknown. We investigated the prognostic value of DWI for one year response or remission (RoR) in SBCD patients commencing biologic therapy, including incremental value over C-reactive protein (CRP) and faecal calprotectin (FC).

Sex-Specific Clinical and Genetic Factors Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Females with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy present at a more advanced stage of the disease and have a higher risk of heart failure and death. The factors behind these differences are unclear. We aimed to investigate sex-related differences in clinical and genetic factors affecting adverse outcomes in the Sarcomeric Human Cardiomyopathy Registry.