Microstructured Reflective Coatings on Commodity Textiles for Passive Personal Cooling.

As the effects of climate change become more severe and widespread, maintaining personal thermal homeostasis becomes necessary for survival. In principle, advanced textiles and garments have the ability to leverage light absorption, transmission and/or reflection, in addition to straightforward convection, to heat or cool bodies in extreme temperature conditions. For cooling, in particular, surfaces adept at selectively reflecting or refracting high-energy incident light (200 nm-2.

Plasma C-peptide mammographic features and risk of breast cancer.

Our study in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHS2, a nested case-control study with 1260 cases and 2221 controls, investigated the association between C-peptide levels, mammographic density (MD) parameters, V (a measure of gray scale variation), and breast cancer (BC) risk. We also examined how C-peptide and BC risk vary across quartiles of mammographic features. Linear and logistic regressions were used to study the associations between C-peptide and MD parameters, and breast cancer.

Managing grid impacts from increased electric vehicle adoption in African cities.

Electric vehicles are pivotal for global climate solutions, particularly in emerging markets like Africa. Despite the continent's clean energy potential, electric vehicle adoption faces unique challenges due to inefficiencies and reliability issues of distribution power grids. Here, we analyze the impacts of expanding electric vehicle fleets-private, commercial, and paratransit-on Nairobi's power grid.

Aptamer-based biotherapeutic conjugate for shear responsive release of Von Willebrand factor A1 domain.

Smart polymers that mimic and even surpass the functionality of natural responsive materials have been actively researched. This study explores the design and characterization of a Single-MOlecule-based material REsponsive to Shear (SMORES) for the targeted release of A1, the platelet binding domain of the blood clotting protein von Willebrand factor (VWF). Each SMORES construct employs an aptamer molecule as the flow transducer and a microparticle to sense and amplify the hydrodynamic force.

All-Natural Gelatin-Based Nanoemulsion Loaded with TLR 7/8 Agonist for Efficient Modulation of Macrophage Polarization for Immunotherapy.

Macrophages are multifunctional immune cells essential for both innate and adaptive immune responses. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) often adopt a tumor-promoting M2-like phenotype, aiding tumor progression and immune evasion. Reprogramming TAMs to a tumoricidal M1-like phenotype is an emerging target for cancer immunotherapy.

Migratory strategies across an ecological barrier: is the answer blowing in the wind?

Background: Ecological barriers can shape the movement strategies of migratory animals that navigate around or across them, creating migratory divides. Wind plays a large role in facilitating aerial migrations and can temporally or spatially change the challenge posed by an ecological barrier, with beneficial winds potentially converting a barrier into a corridor. Here, we explore the role wind plays in shaping initial southbound migration strategy among individuals breeding at two sites along an ecological barrier.

3D alignment of distant patterns with deep-subwavelength precision using metasurfaces.

Measurement of the relative positions of two objects in three dimensions with sub-nanometer precision is essential to fundamental physics experiments and applications such as aligning multi-layer patterns of semiconductor chips. Existing methods, which rely on microscopic imaging and registration of distant patterns, lack the required accuracy and precision for the next generation of three-dimensional (3D) chips. Here we show that 3D misalignment between two distant objects can be measured using metasurface alignment marks, a laser, and a camera with sub-nanometer precision.

Cell type specification and diversity in subpallial organoids.

Neural organoids have emerged as valuable tools for studying the developing brain, sparking enthusiasm and driving their adoption in disease modeling, drug screening, and investigating fetal neural development. The increasing popularity of neural organoids as models has led to a wide range of methodologies aimed at continuous improvement and refinement. Consequently, research groups often improve and reconfigure protocols to create region-specific organoids, resulting in diverse phenotypes, including variations in morphology, gene expression, and cell populations.

Morphological and molecular control of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) polymerized polythiophene thin films.

Oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) has emerged as one of the most promising techniques for conjugated polymer deposition, especially for unsubstituted polythiophene thin films. oCVD overcomes the insolubility challenge that unsubstituted polythiophene (PT) presents and adds the ability to control morphological and molecular structure. This control is important for enhancing the performance of devices which incorporate organic conductors.

The effects of HIV self-testing on HIV incidence and awareness of status among men who have sex with men in the United States: Insights from a novel compartmental model.

Background: The OraQuick In-Home HIV self-test represents a fast, inexpensive, and convenient method for users to assess their HIV status. If integrated thoughtfully into existing testing practices, accompanied by efficient pathways to formal diagnosis, self-testing could enhance both HIV awareness and reduce HIV incidence. However, currently available self-tests are less sensitive, particularly for recent infection, when compared to gold-standard laboratory tests.

Associations between birthweight and preterm birth and the ages at menarche and menopause.

Background: Women who reach menarche and menopause at earlier ages have been shown to be at increased risk for numerous conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, and obesity; however, risk factors for earlier ages of menarche and menopause are not fully understood. Therefore, we aimed to perform a retrospective investigation of the associations between a personal birthweight and/or being born preterm and the age of and menarche and menopause and related events in the Women's Health Initiative, a large, racially and ethnically diverse cohort of postmenopausal women.

Methods: At study entry, women reported their birthweight by category (< 6 lbs.