Developing tough, fatigue-resistant and conductive hydrogels growth of metal dendrites.

Developing hydrogels with high conductivity and toughness a facile strategy is important yet challenging. Herein, we proposed a new strategy to develop conductive hydrogels by growing metal dendrites. Water-soluble Sn ions were soaked into the gel and then converted to Sn dendrites an electrochemical reaction; the excessive Sn ions were finally removed by water dialysis, accompanied by dramatic shrinkage of the gel.

Evaluation of Intermittent Restricted Eating Using the Interval Weight Loss Online Platform in an Everyday Setting.

: Obesity remains a global health challenge. Many commercial online weight loss programs are available, and they have advantages in terms of scalability and access. Few of these programs have been evaluated for effectiveness in a real-world context.

Effect of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) Concentration on Cryopreservation of Booroolong Frog Sperm with Evaluation of Post-Thaw Motility in Caffeine.

Reproductive technologies, including sperm cryopreservation, offer conservationists enhanced capacity to genetically manage populations and improve the outcomes of conservation breeding programs (CBPs). Despite this potential, the post-thaw quality of amphibian sperm is highly variable following cryopreservation, and research focused on protocol refinement is needed. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to investigate the effect of the addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to the cryopreservation medium (pre-freeze), and (2) the effect of the addition of caffeine to the activation medium (post-thaw), on post-thaw sperm characteristics in the critically endangered Booroolong frog ().

A dataset of Antarctic ecosystems in ice-free lands: classification, descriptions, and maps.

Antarctica, Earth's least understood and most remote continent, is threatened by human disturbances and climate-related changes, underscoring the imperative for biodiversity inventories to inform conservation. Antarctic ecosystems support unique species and genetic diversity, deliver essential ecosystem services and contribute to planetary stability. We present Antarctica's first comprehensive ecosystem classification and map of ice-free lands, which host most of the continent's biodiversity.

A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions.

A human hand has 23-degree-of-freedom (DOF) dexterity for managing activities of daily living (ADLs). Current prosthetic hands, primarily driven by motors or pneumatic actuators, fall short in replicating human-level functions, primarily due to limited DOF. Here, we develop a lightweight prosthetic hand that possesses biomimetic 19-DOF dexterity by integrating 38 shape-memory alloy (SMA) actuators to precisely control five fingers and the wrist.

Characterization and evaluation methods of fused deposition modeling and stereolithography additive manufacturing for clinical linear accelerator photon and electron radiotherapy applications.

Purpose: To propose comprehensive characterization methods of additive manufacturing (AM) materials for MV photon and MeV electron radiotherapy.

Methodology: This study investigated 15 AM materials using CT machines. Geometrical accuracy, tissue-equivalence, uniformity, and fabrication parameters were considered.

On the Mechanism of Light-Driven O Evolution by the Mn(III) Complex [Mn(salpd)(OH)] and Quinone.

In this study, we apply TD-DFT and DFT calculations to explore the mechanistic details of O evolution in an artificial system that closely resembles Photosystem II (PSII). The reaction involves mononuclear Mn(III) complex [Mn(salpd)(OH)] and -benzoquinone under light-driven conditions. Our calculations reveal that the Schiff-base ligand salpd plays a crucial role in several key steps of the reaction, including the light-mediated oxidation of [Mn(salpd)(OH)] to [Mn(salpd)(OH)] by -benzoquinone, the subsequent oxidation of [Mn(salpd)(OH)] to the key Mn(V) intermediate [Mn(salpd)(O)], and the critical O-O bond formation step.

Electrostatically tuning radical addition and atom abstraction reactions with distonic radical ions.

Although electrostatic catalysis can enhance the kinetics and selectivity of reactions to produce greener synthetic processes, the highly directional nature of electrostatic interactions has limited widespread application. In this study, the influence of oriented electric fields (OEF) on radical addition and atom abstraction reactions are systematically explored with ion-trap mass spectrometry using structurally diverse distonic radical ions that maintain spatially separated charge and radical moieties. When installed on rigid molecular scaffolds, charged functional groups lock the magnitude and orientation of the internal electric field with respect to the radical site, creating an OEF which tunes the reactivity across the set of gas-phase carbon-centred radical reactions.

Testing hypotheses of skull function with comparative finite element analysis: three methods reveal contrasting results.

Comparative finite element analysis involves standardising aspects of models to test equivalent loading scenarios across species. However, regarding feeding biomechanics of the vertebrate skull, what is considered "equivalent" can depend on the hypothesis. Using 13 diversely-shaped skulls of marsupial bettongs and potoroos (Potoroidae), we demonstrate that scaling muscle forces to standardise specific aspects of biting mechanics can produce clearly opposing comparisons of stress or strain that are differentially suited to address specific kinds of hypotheses.

Pick-and-Place Transfer of Arbitrary-Metal Electrodes for van der Waals Device Fabrication.

Van der Waals electrode integration is a promising strategy to create nearly perfect interfaces between metals and 2D materials, with advantages such as eliminating Fermi-level pinning and reducing contact resistance. However, the lack of a simple, generalizable pick-and-place transfer technology has greatly hampered the wide use of this technique. We demonstrate the pick-and-place transfer of prefabricated electrodes from reusable polished hydrogenated diamond substrates without the use of any sacrificial layers due to the inherent low-energy and dangling-bond-free nature of the hydrogenated diamond surface.

An Ontology-Based Approach for Understanding Appendicectomy Processes and Associated Resources.

Background: Traditional methods for analysing surgical processes often fall short in capturing the intricate interconnectedness between clinical procedures, their execution sequences, and associated resources such as hospital infrastructure, staff, and protocols.

Aim: This study addresses this gap by developing an ontology for appendicectomy, a computational model that comprehensively represents appendicectomy processes and their resource dependencies to support informed decision making and optimise appendicectomy healthcare delivery.

Methods: The ontology was developed using the NeON methodology, drawing knowledge from existing ontologies, scholarly literature, and de-identified patient data from local hospitals.

Safety After Dark: A Privacy Compliant and Real-Time Edge Computing Intelligent Video Analytics for Safer Public Transportation.

Public transportation systems play a vital role in modern cities, but they face growing security challenges, particularly related to incidents of violence. Detecting and responding to violence in real time is crucial for ensuring passenger safety and the smooth operation of these transport networks. To address this issue, we propose an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) solution for identifying unsafe behaviours in public transport.

Infrared Aircraft Detection Algorithm Based on High-Resolution Feature-Enhanced Semantic Segmentation Network.

In order to achieve infrared aircraft detection under interference conditions, this paper proposes an infrared aircraft detection algorithm based on high-resolution feature-enhanced semantic segmentation network. Firstly, the designed location attention mechanism is utilized to enhance the current-level feature map by obtaining correlation weights between pixels at different positions. Then, it is fused with the high-level feature map rich in semantic features to construct a location attention feature fusion network, thereby enhancing the representation capability of target features.

Microbeam Radiation Therapy Bio-Dosimetry Enhanced by Novel Radiosensitiser Combinations in the Treatment of Brain Cancer.

: Brain cancer is notoriously resistant to traditional treatments, including radiotherapy. Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT), arrays of ultra-fast synchrotron X-ray beams tens of micrometres wide (called peaks) and spaced hundreds of micrometres apart (valleys), is an effective alternative to conventional treatments. MRT's advantage is that normal tissues can be spared from harm whilst maintaining tumour control.

Comparative Analysis of Cryptic Species of 'Sugar Glider' from Australia and New Guinea Using 3D Geometric Morphometrics.

The description of the sp. has been ongoing since first described and especially within the last fifteen years. Recently from the known species, three subspecies have been recognized at the species level.

Clinical Utility and Performance of the Traditional Chinese Version of the 4-As Test for Delirium Due to Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Delirium is a common symptom following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that is often overlooked by healthcare professionals. Early detection of post-traumatic delirium is crucial to improving patient outcomes and quality of life. The four As Test (4AT: alertness, attention, abbreviated mental test-4, and acute mental changes) is a brief and rapid tool for delirium assessment with acceptable reliability and validity.

Understanding how users of home-based aged care services with cognitive impairment rate their social care related quality of life.

Background: Over the past decades, self-directed models of care have been implemented throughout the world to support older people, including those with dementia, to live at home. However, there is limited information about how self-directed home care is experienced by older people with cognitive impairment and dementia, and how their thinking informs their care choices and quality of life.

Methods: We used the ASCOT-Easy Read, a staggered reveal method, talk aloud techniques, probing questions, and physical assistance to support users of self-directed home care in Australia with cognitive impairment and dementia to discuss their Social Care Related Quality of Life (SCRQoL).

Nickel-Doping Induced Oxygen Vacancies in MnO Hollow Cube with Enlarged Interlayer Spacing for Stable Sodium Ions Storage.

Intrinsic low conductivity, poor structural stability, and narrow interlayer spacing limit the development of MnO in sodium-ion (Na) supercapacitors. This work constructs the hollow cubic Mn-PBA precursor through an ion-exchange process to in situ obtain a hollow cubic H-Ni-MnO composite with Ni doping and oxygen vacancies (O) via a self-oxidation strategy. Experiments and theoretical calculations show that the hollow nanostructure and the expanding interlayer spacing induced by Ni doping are beneficial for exposing more reactive sites, synergistically manipulating the Na transport pathways.

Affinity maturation endows potent activity onto class 6 SARS-CoV-2 broadly neutralizing antibodies.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has greatly diminished the neutralizing activity of previously FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including that of antibody cocktails and of first-generation broadly neutralizing antibodies such as S309 (Sotrovimab). In contrast, antibodies targeting cryptic conformational epitopes of the receptor binding domain (RBD) have demonstrated broad activity against emerging variants, but exert only moderate neutralizing activity, which has so far hindered clinical development. Here, we utilize in vitro display technology to identify and affinity-mature antibodies targeting the cryptic class 6 epitope, accessible only in the "up" conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer.

Cascade Selenization Regulated the Electronic Structure and Interface Effect of Transition Metal Sulfides for Enhanced Sodium Storage.

The utilization of cobalt-based sulfides is constrained by their inherently low conductivity and slow sodium ion diffusion kinetics. Modifying the electronic configuration and constructing heterostructures are promising strategies to enhance intrinsic conductivity and expedite the sodium ion diffusion process. In this study, heterogeneous nanoparticles of Se-substituted CoS/CoSe, embedded within heteroatom-modified carbon nanosheet, were synthesized using metal molten salt-assisted dimensionality reduction alongside concurrent sulfurization and selenization techniques.

Fluoroform (CHF) Production from CFCHO Photolysis and Implications for the Decomposition of Hydrofluoroolefins and Hydrochlorofluoroolefins in the Atmosphere.

Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and hydrochlorofluoroolefins (HCFOs) are the leading synthetic replacements for compounds successively banned by the Montreal Protocol and amendments. HFOs and HCFOs readily decompose in the atmosphere to form fluorinated carbonyls, including CFCHO in yields of up to 100%, which are then photolyzed. A long-standing issue, critical for the transition to safe industrial gases, is whether atmospheric decomposition of CFCHO yields any quantity of CHF (HFC-23), which is one of the most environmentally hazardous greenhouse gases.

Potassium escaping balances the degree of graphitization and pore channel structure in hard carbon to boost plateau sodium storage capacity.

Biomass holds significant potential for large-scale synthesis of hard carbon (HC), and HC is seen as the most promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, designing a HC anode with a rich pore structure, moderate graphitization and synthesis through a simple process using a cost-effective precursor to advance SIBs has long been a formidable challenge. This is primarily because high temperatures necessary for pore regulation invariably lead to excessive graphitization.

Results of a Codesign Process: A Cognition Screening Pathway for Inpatient and Outpatient Settings for Patients Who Are Facing or Have Undergone Lower Limb Amputation.

: Cognition plays a major role in prosthetic rehabilitation success. The ability to identify patients who may have difficulty understanding and adapting to the rehabilitation process is beneficial for clinicians and patients to allow for targeted and appropriate therapy. The research aim was to codesign a process that facilitates routine cognitive screening into the amputee inpatient journey.

Interventions and Programs Using Native Foods to Promote Health: A Scoping Review.

(1) Background: Native foods are essential for promoting health, sustainability, and the resilience of Indigenous communities. They contribute to biodiversity, are adapted to local ecosystems, and support cultural identity. This study aims to identify and describe strategies and health outcomes from programs and interventions using native foods to promote health or address food insecurity.