Exploring the Impact of Minor Water Content on Polymer Electrolytes with Molecular Dynamics.

Solid-state polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are increasingly favored over liquid electrolytes for emerging energy storage devices due to their safety features, enhanced stability, and multifunctionality. Minor solvents (such as water) are often introduced unintentionally or intentionally into SPEs. Although it can significantly affect SPEs' electrochemical and mechanical properties, the fundamental role of such solvent content has rarely been studied.

Pacific Northwest native plants and native cultivars, part I: pollinator visitation.

Planting native flora is a popular conservation strategy for pollinators. When searching for native plants, consumers may encounter cultivars of native plants, which can have different phenotypic traits than plants found in wild populations ("wild-type native plants"). Previous research evaluating pollinator visitation to wild-type native plants and native cultivars has yielded mixed results, in terms of whether their visitation rates are similar or distinct.

Impact of age-related changes in buccal epithelial cells on pediatric epigenetic biomarker research.

Cheek swabs, heterogeneous samples consisting primarily of buccal epithelial cells, are widely used in pediatric DNA methylation studies and biomarker creation. However, the decrease in buccal proportion with age in adults remains unexamined in childhood. We analyzed cheek swabs from 4626 typically developing children 2-months to 20-years-old.

Incentives for smoking cessation.

Background: Financial incentives (money, vouchers, or self-deposits) can be used to positively reinforce smoking cessation. They may be used as one-off rewards, or in various schedules to reward steps towards sustained smoking abstinence (known as contingency management). They have been used in workplaces, clinics, hospitals, and community settings, and to target particular populations.

Controlled Inflammation Drives Neutrophil-Mediated Precision Drug Delivery in Heterogeneous Tumors.

Tumor heterogeneity remains a formidable obstacle in targeted cancer therapy, often leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes. This study presents an innovative approach that harnesses controlled inflammation to guide neutrophil-mediated drug delivery, effectively overcoming the limitations imposed by tumor heterogeneity. By inducing localized inflammation within tumors using lipopolysaccharide, it significantly amplify the recruitment of drug-laden neutrophils to tumor sites, irrespective of specific tumor markers.

A Mutant Complement Factor H (W1183R) Enhances Proteolytic Cleavage of von Willebrand Factor by ADAMTS13 Under Shear.

Background: A loss-of-functional mutation (W1183R) in human complement factor H (CFH) is associated with complement-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome; mice carrying a similar mutation (W1206R) in CFH also develop thrombotic microangiopathy but its plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimer sizes were dramatically reduced. The mechanism underlying such a dramatic change in plasma VWF multimer distribution in these mice is not fully understood.

Objective And Methods: To determine the VWF and CFH interaction and how CFH proteins affect VWF multimer distribution, we employed recombinant protein expression, purification, and various biochemical and biophysical tools.

Optimized mammalian expression system for the ubiquitin E3 ligase E6AP/UBE3A.

E6AP/UBE3A is the founding member of the HECT (Homologous to the E6-AP Carboxyl Terminus) ubiquitin E3 ligase family, which add ubiquitin post-translationally to protein substrates. E6AP has been structurally defined in complex with human papillomavirus (HPV) oncoprotein E6 and its gain-of-function substrate tumor suppressor p53; however, there is currently no report of E6AP being expressed and purified from mammalian cells, as studies to date have isolated E6AP from E. coli or insect cells.

Educational Intervention Boosts Dietitians' Knowledge of the Safety and Approval of Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners.

Background/objectives: Low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCSs) provide sweetness in food applications that are suggested to support consumers' reduced consumption of caloric sweeteners and added sugar intake. Consumers seek guidance and advice on using LNCSs from healthcare providers, including dietitians and nutritionists. However, prior research suggests there may be inconsistent guidance on the use of LNCSs.

Stereoselective Conversions of Carbohydrate Anomeric Hydroxyl Group in Basic and Neutral Conditions.

The rapidly growing glycoscience has boosted the research on the synthesis of glycans and their conjugates, which are centered on the stereoselective formation of glycosidic bonds. Compared to the mainstream acid-promoted glycosylation method that undergoes the S1 type mechanism, the basic/neutral conditions give better stereo control via the S2 mechanism. Anomeric hydroxyl group transformation, whether to form glycosidic bonds directly or to install a leaving group for later glycosylation, is key to carbohydrate synthesis, and the strategies in the stereo control of these reactions under basic/neutral conditions are summarized in this review.

Perinatal mental health and risk of severe maternal morbidity in women with physical disabilities, Massachusetts 2003-2015.

Background: Perinatal mental health and substance use disorders contribute to adverse maternal outcomes. Women with disabilities experience increased risk for severe maternal morbidity (SMM). No studies have examined the association between perinatal mental health and SMM risk in women with physical disabilities.

Does extending the body contour into air enhance surface dose calculation accuracy?

Purpose: In radiotherapy treatment planning systems, modelling of superficial dose may be aided by a body contour that is, by default, placed at the outermost air-tissue interface. Here we investigate the accuracy of superficial dose calculated using either the default body contour (DBC) or an extended body contour (EBC) compared to radiochromic film measurements made on a slab phantom and an anthropomorphic phantom.

Methods: Depth dose curves in the superficial region of the slab phantom were measured using stacked radiochromic films and irradiated using static beams delivered from varying incident angles.

An Azide-based Passive Sampler for Monitoring Abiotic Reduction of Chlorinated Solvent Contaminants in Groundwater.

There is significant interest in monitoring abiotic decomposition of chlorinated solvents at contaminated sites due to large uncertainties regarding the rates of abiotic attenuation of trichloroethylene (PCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) under field conditions. In this study, an innovative passive sampling tool was developed to quantify acetylene, a characteristic product of abiotic reduction of TCE or PCE, in groundwater. The sampling mechanism is based on the highly specific and facile click reaction between acetylene and an azide compound to form a biologically and chemically stable triazole product.

Metastable state preceding shear zone instability: Implications for earthquake-accelerated landslides and dynamic triggering.

Understanding the dynamic response of granular shear zones under cyclic loading is fundamental to elucidating the mechanisms triggering earthquake-induced landslides, with implications for broader fields such as seismology and granular physics. Existing prediction methods struggle to accurately predict many experimental and in situ landslide observations due to inadequate consideration of the underlying physical mechanisms. The mechanisms that influence landslide dynamic triggering, a transition from static (or extremely slow creeping) to rapid runout, remain elusive.

Voices of Nanomedicine: Blueprint Guidelines for Collaboration in Addressing Global Unmet Medical Needs.

The "" under this Perspective underline the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships across several disciplines, such as medical science and technology, medicine, bioengineering, and computational approaches, in bridging the gap between research, manufacturing, and clinical applications. Effective communication is key to bridging team gaps, enhancing trust, and resolving conflicts, thereby fostering teamwork and individual growth toward shared goals. Drawing from the success of the COVID-19 vaccine development, we advocate the application of similar collaborative models in other complex health areas such as nanomedicine and biomedical engineering.

Satisfaction, user experiences, and initial efficacy of a technology-supported self-management intervention (iSMART) to improve post-stroke functioning: a remoted randomized controlled trial.

Background: Self-management interventions empower individuals to manage their chronic conditions and daily life after stroke. However, traditional in-person self-management interventions often face transportation and geographical barriers. Digital interventions may offer a solution to address this gap.

"It's more than a ride" veteran perceptions of peer specialist qualities and activities that were most valuable for post-incarceration reentry: a qualitative analysis.

Background: Reentry veterans experience many barriers to achieving physical and psychological well-being. While peer specialists can provide important support to veterans as they readjust to life post-incarceration, their specific activities and qualities most valued by veterans are not well known. The Post-Incarceration Engagement (PIE) intervention, coordinated with VA's Health Care for Reentry Veterans (HCRV) program, links reentry veterans with a peer specialist who provides connection to services and social-emotional support during the reentry process.

Medicaid Policy and Hepatitis C Treatment Among Rural People Who Use Drugs.

Background: Restrictive Medicaid policies regarding hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment may exacerbate rural health care disparities for people who use drugs (PWUD). We assessed associations between Medicaid restrictions and HCV treatment among rural PWUD.

Methods: We compiled state-specific Medicaid treatment policies across 8 US rural sites in 10 states and merged these with participant survey data.

Validation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Scale in a Sample of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults.

The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) is a leading assessment of interoception. We examined the factor structure and psychometric characteristics of the MAIA-2 and its associations with psychopathology in a sample of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adults. Participants ( = 301) were recruited via Prolific Academic.

20 Years of Interteaching Research and Practice: A Tutorial for its Use in the Classroom.

Boyce and Hineline (2002) published their seminal article describing interteaching more than 2 decades ago. Since then, a robust line of research has emerged demonstrating the efficacy of this instructional approach in college classrooms across a variety of subjects, class sizes, levels of instruction, and in the most recent research, across various teaching and learning modalities. The purpose of this article is to provide a guide and resource for those interested in implementing interteaching in their classroom as well as those interested in conducting interteaching research.

Underscoring long-term host-microbiome interactions in a physiologically relevant gingival tissue model.

The human body houses many distinct and interconnecting microbial populations with long-lasting systemic effects, where the oral cavity serves as a pathogens' reservoir. The correlation of different disease states strongly supports the need to understand the interplay between the oral tissue niche and microbiome. Despite efforts, the recapitulation of gingival architecture and physiological characteristics of the periodontal niche has yet to be accomplished by traditional cultural strategies.

Near-infrared fluorogenic RNA for in vivo imaging and sensing.

Fluorogenic RNA aptamers have various applications, including use as fluorescent tags for imaging RNA trafficking and as indicators of RNA-based sensors that exhibit fluorescence upon binding small-molecule fluorophores in living cells. Current fluorogenic RNA:fluorophore complexes typically emit visible fluorescence. However, it is challenging to develop fluorogenic RNA with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence for in vivo imaging and sensing studies.