Comparison of Methods to Assess Adherence to Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and Provision of Low-Aflatoxin Porridge Flours in a Community-Based Intervention Trial.

Background: Levels of adherence to recommended protocols in an intervention trial can affect outcomes and confound the results. To broaden the evidence about the selection and utility of adherence measures in varying contexts, we describe the level of adherence to the Mycotoxin Mitigation Trial (MMT) randomized intervention using caregiver-reported survey questions and compare inferences of adherence between multi-module surveys and interactive 24 h dietary recalls based on our program theory.

Methods: The MMT was a two-arm cluster-randomized trial conducted in 52 health facilities (clusters) in central Tanzania.

Expression of Recombinant Clostridial Neurotoxin by .

Tetanus neurotoxins (TeNT) and botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are closely related ~150 kDa protein toxins that together comprise the group of clostridial neurotoxins (CNTs) expressed by various species of . While TeNT is expressed as a single polypeptide, BoNTs are always produced alongside multiple non-toxic proteins that form a stabilizing complex with BoNT and are encoded in a conserved toxin gene cluster. It is unknown how evolved without a similar gene cluster and why complex-free TeNT is secreted as a stable and soluble protein by , whereas complexing proteins appear to be essential for BoNT stability in culture supernatants of .

Year-Long Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of Serogroups Isolated from a Wisconsin Dairy Farm.

infections can significantly impact the health and productivity of dairy cattle. Asymptomatic carriage of can make it difficult to identify and monitor this pathogen across a herd. Therefore, a more focused census on dairy farms is needed to better understand the dynamics of asymptomatic carriage.

Cognitive Health Costs of Poor Housing for Women: Exploring Executive Function and Housing Stress in Urban Slums in India.

An increasing body of literature has investigated the implications of housing quality on health, confirming the negative consequences of poor housing quality on physical and mental health. Despite this increased focus on the salutogenic impacts of housing, the relationship between housing quality and cognitive health remains understudied. This study examined how the housing quality in urban informal settlements, where living conditions are often substandard, affects women's cognitive functioning, with a specific focus on executive function (EF) skills.

House Mice in the Atlantic Region: Genetic Signals of Their Human Transport.

Background/objectives: The colonization history of house mice reflects the maritime history of humans that passively transported them worldwide. We investigated western house mouse colonization in the Atlantic region through studies of mitochondrial D-loop DNA sequences from modern specimens.

Methods: We assembled a dataset of 758 haplotypes derived from 2765 mice from 47 countries/oceanic archipelagos (a combination of new and published data).

Healthier Lipid Profiles of Japanese Adults, Especially in Women with Elevated High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), Are Associated with Low HDL-C Peroxide Content.

Japanese adults typically have healthier lipid profiles than American and European adults and a lower prevalence and later onset of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Many Japanese also have uniquely elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The following analysis examined the relationship between HDL-C level and HDL-C peroxide content, a bioindicator of unhealthy lipid metabolism in Japanese adults.

Implementing Team-Based Learning in a First-Year, Doctor of Physical Therapy Clinical Medicine Course.

Background And Purpose: Team-based learning (TBL) allows students to safely struggle with the complexity of clinical practice, yet there are few reports describing implementation in United States Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) education. The purpose of this paper is to report the implementation of TBL in a first-year clinical decision-making course within a DPT Program and compare the learning outcomes to a lecture-based teaching model.

Model/method Description And Evaluation: Team-based learning is an evidence-based, active learning technique whereby students complete clearly communicated, preclass assignments and come to class prepared to apply acquired knowledge and solve real-world scenarios in permanent, predetermined work teams.

Identification of a new spliceogenic variant causing severe primary coenzyme Q deficiency.

Background And Aims: Primary Coenzyme Q (CoQ) deficiency caused by defects is a clinically heterogeneous mitochondrial condition characterized by reduced levels of CoQ in tissues. Next-generation sequencing has lately boosted the genetic diagnosis of an increasing number of patients. Still, functional validation of new variants of uncertain significance is essential for an adequate diagnosis, proper clinical management, treatment, and genetic counseling.

The economic consequences of local gas leaks with evidence from Massachusetts housing market.

This study provides the first empirical evidence of the impact of leaks in natural gas distribution pipelines on nearby home prices. Using high-resolution property transaction data in Massachusetts and a difference-in-differences approach, we find that gas leaks significantly reduce nearby home prices by 2.61% ($11,700) on average.

Joint tensor modeling of single cell 3D genome and epigenetic data with Muscle.

Emerging single cell technologies that simultaneously capture long-range interactions of genomic loci together with their DNA methylation levels are advancing our understanding of three-dimensional genome structure and its interplay with the epigenome at the single cell level. While methods to analyze data from single cell high throughput chromatin conformation capture (scHi-C) experiments are maturing, methods that can jointly analyze multiple single cell modalities with scHi-C data are lacking. Here, we introduce Muscle, a semi-nonnegative joint decomposition of Multiple single cell tensors, to jointly analyze 3D conformation and DNA methylation data at the single cell level.

Exploring transition states of protein conformational changes via out-of-distribution detection in the hyperspherical latent space.

Identifying transitional states is crucial for understanding protein conformational changes that underlie numerous biological processes. Markov state models (MSMs), built from Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, capture these dynamics through transitions among metastable conformational states, and have demonstrated success in studying protein conformational changes. However, MSMs face challenges in identifying transition states, as they partition MD conformations into discrete metastable states (or free energy minima), lacking description of transition states located at the free energy barriers.

Spin Drag Mechanism of Giant Thermal Magnetoresistance.

We study hydrodynamic thermal transport in high-mobility two-dimensional electron systems placed in an in-plane magnetic field and identify a new mechanism of thermal magnetotransport. This mechanism is caused by drag between the electron populations with opposite spin polarization, which arises in the presence of a hydrodynamic flow of heat. In high mobility systems, spin drag results in strong thermal magnetoresistance, which becomes of the order of 100% at relatively small spin polarization of the electron liquid.

Prostatic Escherichia coli infection drives CCR2-dependent recruitment of fibrocytes and collagen production.

Prostate fibrosis contributes to lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD). To develop targeted treatments for prostate fibrosis, it is necessary to identify the cell types and molecular pathways required for collagen production. We used a genetic approach to label and track potential collagen-producing cell lineages in mouse prostate through a round of Escherichia coli UTI89-mediated prostate inflammation.

Synergistic enhancement of electrochemical alcohol oxidation by combining NiV-layered double hydroxide with an aminoxyl radical.

Electrochemical alcohol oxidation (EAO) represents an effective method for the production of high-value carbonyl products. However, its industrial viability is hindered by suboptimal efficiency stemming from low reaction rates. Here, we present a synergistic electrocatalysis approach that integrates an active electrode and aminoxyl radical to enhance the performance of EAO.

Intracellular metal ion-based chemistry for programmed cell death.

Intracellular metal ions play essential roles in multiple physiological processes, including catalytic action, diverse cellular processes, intracellular signaling, and electron transfer. It is crucial to maintain intracellular metal ion homeostasis which is achieved by the subtle balance of storage and release of metal ions intracellularly along with the influx and efflux of metal ions at the interface of the cell membrane. Dysregulation of intracellular metal ions has been identified as a key mechanism in triggering programmed cell death (PCD).

Pre-excitation alternans in a cat.

A nine-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat presented on referral for evaluation. The cat presented to its primary veterinarian for acute onset vomiting, panting, and weakness. An electrocardiogram performed at the regular veterinarian was concerning for ventricular tachycardia, and the cat was referred for further evaluation.

Elucidating governing factors of PFAS removal by polyamide membranes using machine learning and molecular simulations.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have recently garnered considerable concerns regarding their impacts on human and ecological health. Despite the important roles of polyamide membranes in remediating PFASs-contaminated water, the governing factors influencing PFAS transport across these membranes remain elusive. In this study, we investigate PFAS rejection by polyamide membranes using two machine learning (ML) models, namely XGBoost and multimodal transformer models.

Upgrades to x-ray microcalorimeter fusion diagnostic to improve calibration, spectral bandwidth selection, and count rate adjustment.

This paper presents progress made toward the overarching goal to adapt single-photon-counting microcalorimeters to magnetic fusion energy research and demonstrate the value of such measurements for fusion. Microcalorimeter spectrometers combine the best characteristics of x-ray instrumentation currently available on fusion devices: high spectral resolution similar to an x-ray crystal spectrometer and broad spectral coverage sufficient to measure impurity species from Be to W. As a proof-of-principle experiment, a NASA-built x-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer has been installed on the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) at the Wisconsin Plasma Physics Laboratory.

Assessment of Atmospheric and Surface Energy Budgets Using Observation-Based Data Products.

Accurate diagnosis of regional atmospheric and surface energy budgets is critical for understanding the spatial distribution of heat uptake associated with the Earth's energy imbalance (EEI). This contribution discusses frameworks and methods for consistent evaluation of key quantities of those budgets using observationally constrained data sets. It thereby touches upon assumptions made in data products which have implications for these evaluations.

Testing the generalizability of minimal group attitudes in minority and majority race children.

The minimal group effect, in which people prefer ingroup members to outgroup members even when group membership is trivially constructed, has been studied extensively in psychological science. Despite a large body of literature on this phenomenon, concerns persist regarding previous developmental research populations that are small and lack racial/ethnic diversity. In addition, it remains unclear what role holding membership within and interacting with specific racial/ethnic groups plays in the development of children's group attitudes.

Heparan sulfate regulates the fate decisions of human pluripotent stem cells.

Heparan sulfate (HS) is an anionic polysaccharide generated by all animal cells, but our understanding of its roles in human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) self-renewal and differentiation is limited. We derived HS-deficient hPSCs by disrupting the EXT1 glycosyltransferase. These EXT1 hPSCs maintain self-renewal and pluripotency under standard culture conditions that contain high levels of basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF), a requirement for sufficient bFGF signaling in the engineered cells.

BAE-ViT: An Efficient Multimodal Vision Transformer for Bone Age Estimation.

This research introduces BAE-ViT, a specialized vision transformer model developed for bone age estimation (BAE). This model is designed to efficiently merge image and sex data, a capability not present in traditional convolutional neural networks (CNNs). BAE-ViT employs a novel data fusion method to facilitate detailed interactions between visual and non-visual data by tokenizing non-visual information and concatenating all tokens (visual or non-visual) as the input to the model.

Using T-Cell Subsets to Better Characterize Immunoresiliency and Immunodeficiency in Patients with Recurrent Infections.

Background/objectives: Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disease (CVID) and other immunodeficiencies can present in subtle and variable ways. Whether or not a genetic lesion can be identified, there are not well understood biomarkers that quantitatively describe how severe a deficiency is. Here we discuss two possible ranking systems, CD4/CD8 T cell ratios and Immune Health Grades, and how such data maybe applicable to some immunodeficiencies.