Search Results (59)

Efficient synthesis routes for zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) that are rapid and non-toxic and operate at room temperature (RT) are essential to expand accessibility, minimize environmental impact, and enable integration with temperature-sensitive substrates. In this work, ZnO NPs were synthesized by probe ultrasonication at RT for durations from 30 s to 10 min and benchmarked against our previously reported water bath sonication method. A 10-min probe treatment yielded highly uniform ZnO NPs with particle sizes of 60–550 nm and a specific surface area of up to 75 m² g⁻¹, compared to ~38 m² g⁻¹ for bath sonication. These features were largely preserved after calcination at 500 °C. When integrated into chemiresistive devices, the resulting ZnO (P(10))-based sensors exhibited pronounced selectivity toward styrene, showing reversible responses at low concentrations (10–50 ppm) and stronger signals at higher levels (up to 200 ppm, with resistance changes reaching 2930%). The sensors demonstrated stable operation across 10–90% relative humidity, and consistent performance from −20 °C to 180 °C. Flexibility tests confirmed reliable sensing after 100 bending cycles at 30°. Overall, RT-probe ultrasonication offers a rapid, scalable, and eco-friendly route to ZnO NPs with tunable properties, opening new opportunities for flexible gas sensing. Full article

The AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) replaced the NCHRP Report 350 in 2009, becoming the new standard for evaluating safety hardware devices, including concrete bridge parapets; all new permanent installations of bridge rails on the National Highway System must be compliant with the 2016 MASH requirements after 31 December 2019, as agreed by the FHWA and AASHTO. However, due to the complexity of vehicular impact events, there are several different methods for estimating vehicular impact force on the parapets. They can be grouped into three main categories: theoretical, numerical and measurement methods. This paper presents a practical method based on analytical concepts for providing impact force estimates that can help bridge owners to evaluate the structural capacity of bridge parapets at a fraction of the cost of full-scale crash tests and finite element numerical simulations. This approach was developed based on fundamental dynamic principles and refined dynamic analysis of vehicle rigid-body motions during multi-phased impact events. Principles of impulse and momentum were first applied to determine both linear and angular velocities of a vehicle immediately after the initial impact; then coupled differential equations of motion were derived and solved to describe the vehicle’s plane-motion during the subsequent stage, which includes both translational and rotational movements. The proposed method was shown to be capable of providing reasonably accurate force estimates with significantly less demand for time and effort compared to other complex methods. These estimates can help infrastructure owners to make informed and sustainable decisions for bridge projects, which include selecting the most efficient bridge design alternatives, in a cost-effective and timely manner. Recommendations for future studies were also discussed. Full article

The yellow pitcher plant, Sarracenia flava, is an insectivorous perennial distributed extensively in southeastern North America. In Virginia, it is restricted to a few wetland ecosystems, with only one natural site known to remain. To uncover whether there were microbial differences in the rhizospheres across natural and reintroduced sites of pitcher plant restoration, shotgun metagenome sequencing was undertaken to characterize the microbiomes of the healthy rhizosphere in the last remaining natural stand in Virginia compared to rhizospheres sampled in two restored habitats where pitcher plants were reintroduced and a nearby control habitat without pitcher plants. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in rhizobiome communities among the natural, reintroduced, and control sites. Comparison of test rhizobiomes with those of other soil types revealed no significant difference in S. flava habitats versus wildland soil types but significant difference from agricultural soils. Indicator species analysis found Pseudomonas was a significantly more abundant genus in the S. flava habitats. The control site was enriched with iron-reducing bacteria compared to the rest of the sites. Further studies based on gene expression could better facilitate an understanding of the role of Pseudomonas in S. flava rhizosphere specific to habitats, which will provide better knowledge for local conservation of this plant. Full article

Introduction: Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness around the world. Black individuals are two times more likely to be diagnosed with glaucoma compared to White individuals. In 2019, the prevalence of glaucoma in Monroe County was highest amongst older individuals aged 85 and non-Hispanic Blacks. This study seeks to explore differences in glaucoma treatment rates that may be exacerbating disease severity and prognosis for individuals most acutely affected by glaucoma in Monroe County, NY. Methods: We used data from the Center for Disease Control’s National Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS) to assess the rates of glaucoma treatment for different racial, gender, and age demographic groups in Monroe County, NY. The source data were from individuals enrolled in Medicare who filed a claim. We stratified the data based on the glaucoma treatment type: laser glaucoma surgery, glaucoma drainage devices, other glaucoma surgery, or glaucoma prescription drugs. The main outcome variable was the prevalence rate of various types of glaucoma treatment in Monroe County, NY. The data were analyzed by potential risk covariates such as race/ethnicity, age, and gender. A descriptive data analysis was performed to assess for demographic trends. Results: The most common form of glaucoma treatment in Monroe County, NY was prescription drug therapy (36.82%), which was predominant across all racial, gender, and age groups. This was followed by laser surgery (3.26%), glaucoma drain (1.47%), and other forms of glaucoma surgery (0.58%). Women displayed a higher incidence of laser surgery, glaucoma drainage, and other glaucoma surgeries (3.58%, 1.77%, and 0.69%, respectively) with a lower incidence of prescription drug usage (36.14%) compared to men. Black non-Hispanic patients had a higher incidence of laser surgery and prescription drug usage (3.39% and 47.20%, respectively), but a lower incidence of glaucoma drainage and other glaucoma surgeries (1% and 0%, respectively) compared to other racial groups. Conclusions: This study elucidates the differences in glaucoma treatment types across different racial, gender, and age groups in Monroe County, NY. The results underscore the disparities in treatment rates for Medicare patients diagnosed with glaucoma in Monroe County. The results justify the need for increased interventions to increase access to a variety of glaucoma treatment options to mitigate disparities in glaucoma outcomes. Full article

The finite-time turnpike property describes the situation in an optimal control problem where an optimal trajectory reaches the desired state before the end of the time interval and remains there. We consider a machine learning problem with a neural ordinary differential equation that can be seen as a homogenization of a deep ResNet. We show that with the appropriate scaling of the quadratic control cost and the non-smooth tracking term, the optimal control problem has the finite-time turnpike property; that is, the desired state is reached within the time interval and the optimal state remains there until the terminal time T. The time $t_0$ where the optimal trajectories reach the desired state can serve as an additional design parameter. Since ResNets can be viewed as discretizations of neural odes, the choice of $t_0$ corresponds to the choice of the number of layers; that is, the depth of the neural network. The choice of $t_0$ allows us to achieve a compromise between the depth of the network and the size of the optimal system parameters, which we hope will be useful to determine the optimal depths for neural network architectures in the future. Full article

Background/Objectives: School meals are an important source of nutrition for children and have been found to help mitigate food insecurity. This study evaluated the association between food insecurity and school meal participation and whether parental perceptions about school meals differ by food security status. Methods: In May 2022, 1110 Californian parents of K-12 students shared their perceptions about school meals, including meal quality, healthiness, stigma, and benefits, as well as their child’s participation in school meals, in an online survey. Household food security was determined using the USDA 6-item module. Logistic and Poisson regression models were used for analysis. Results: The prevalence of household food insecurity was 56.2% (69.6% in households of students eligible for free meals, 55.9% in reduced-price, and 38.3% in non-eligible). Many of the reported benefits of school meals (saving families money and time) were equally highly endorsed by parents with and without food insecurity (p > 0.05). Parents reporting food insecurity had less favorable perceptions of school meals and perceived more stigma (p < 0.05). Food insecurity was positively associated with breakfast participation, especially among elementary school students and students not eligible for free or reduced-price meals (FRPMs) (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Food insecurity is prevalent among California families with school-age children, even in families not eligible for federal FRPMs. Food-insecure households have more negative perceptions of school meals and experience more stigma, though they also report higher breakfast participation. Improving school meal quality and appeal, ensuring parents are familiar with meal quality and healthfulness, and reducing stigma may ease food insecurity while improving children’s health. Full article

The initial favorable efficacy and safety profile for Alpha DaRT have been demonstrated (NCT04377360); however, the longer-term safety and durability of the treatment are unknown. This pooled analysis of four prospective trials evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of Alpha DaRT for the treatment of head and neck or skin tumors. A total of 81 lesions in 71 patients were treated across six international institutions, with a median follow-up of 14.1 months (range: 2–51 months). Alpha DaRT sources were delivered via a percutaneous interstitial technique and placed to irradiate the tumor volume with the margin. The sources were removed two to three weeks following implantation. A complete response was observed in 89% of treated lesions (n = 72) and a partial response in 10% (n = 8). The two-year actuarial local recurrence-free survival was 77% [95% CI 63–87]. Variables, including recurrent versus non-recurrent lesions, baseline tumor size, or histology, did not impact long-term outcomes. Twenty-seven percent of patients developed related acute grade 2 or higher toxicities, which resolved with conservative measures. No grade 2 or higher late toxicities were observed. These data support the favorable safety profile of Alpha DaRT, which is currently being explored in a pivotal US trial. Full article

States in the U.S. are newly implementing universal school meal (USM) policies, yet little is known about the facilitators of their success and the challenges they confront. This study evaluated the challenges and facilitators faced by school food authorities (SFAs) implementing California’s universal school meal (USM) policy during its inaugural year (2022–2023) using an online survey. In March 2023, 430 SFAs reported many benefits, including increased meal participation (64.2% of SFAs) and revenues (65.7%), reduced meal debt (41.8%) and stigma (30.9%), and improved meal quality (44.3%) and staff salaries (36.9%). Reported challenges include product/ingredient availability (80.9%), staffing shortages (77.0%), vendor/distributor logistics issues (75.9%), and administrative burden (74.9%). Top facilitators included state funding (78.2%) and increased federal reimbursement (77.2%). SFAs with fewer students eligible for free or reduced-price meals (as opposed to SFAs with more) reported greater increases in meal participation and reductions in stigma but also more administrative burdens. Larger SFAs reported greater increases in revenues, staff salaries, and improvements in meal quality than smaller SFAs but also more challenges. Overall, California’s USM policy has enhanced student access to healthy meals while mitigating social and financial barriers. Understanding California’s experience can inform other jurisdictions considering or implementing similar policies. Full article

The mechanism of brain information processing unfolds within spatial and temporal domains inherently linked to the concept of space–time symmetry. Biological evolution, beginning with the prevalent molecular chirality, results in the handedness of human cognitive and psychological functions (the phenomena known as biochirality). The key element in the chain of chirality transfer from the downstream to upstream processes is the pyramidal neuron (PyrN) morphology–function paradigm (archetype). The most apparent landmark of PyrNs is the geometry of the cell soma. However, “why/how PyrN’s soma gains the shape of quasi-tetrahedral symmetry” has never been explicitly articulated. Resolving the above inquiry is only possible based on the broad-view assumption that encoding 3D space requires specific 3D geometry of the neuronal detector and corresponding network. Accordingly, our hypothesis states that if the primary function of PyrNs, at the organism level, is sensory space symmetry perception, then the pyramidal shape of soma is the best evolutionary-selected geometry to support sensory-motor coupling. The biological system’s non-equilibrium (NE) state is fundamentally linked to an asymmetric, non-racemic, steady state of molecular constituents. The chiral theory of pyramidal soma shape conceptually agrees that living systems have evolved as non-equilibrium systems that exchange energy with the environment. The molecular mechanism involved in developing PyrN’s soma is studied in detail. However, the crucial missing element—the reference to the fundamental link between molecular chirality and the function of spatial navigation—is the main obstacle to resolving the question in demand: why did PyrNs’ soma gain the shape of quasi-tetrahedral symmetry? Full article

Global dietary habits are one of the main drivers of climate change. At the same time, they contribute to 11 million premature deaths every year. This raises the question of how the urgently needed transformation of food systems can be realized. Regardless of their degree paths, all university students, in their role as potential future experts and leaders in their fields, can serve as important change agents in society. In this paper, we (a) introduce a university curriculum in a teaching kitchen setting that is based on the planetary health diet (PHD) of the EAT-Lancet Commission, (b) investigate its feasibility, and (c) analyze its effects on the planetary health diet literacy of a pilot cohort of university students enrolled in various degree programs. We developed seven flipped classroom teaching kitchen sessions based on social cognitive theory (SCT), each consisting of a one-hour seminar with student presentations on various nutrition- and sustainability-related key topics, followed by corresponding two-hour hands-on cooking classes. To assess feasibility, specific questions from the official teaching evaluation of the University of Göttingen were analyzed. Changes in self-assessed planetary health diet literacy were measured using a pre- and post-survey. During the pilot phase, 26 students successfully completed the course. A total of 25 participants responded to the teaching evaluation and expressed high satisfaction with the course, the learning outcomes, and the level of demand. A total of 26 participants completed the pre- and post-survey. At the post-intervention, the students rated their planetary health diet literacy as 21 to 98% higher than before their course participation. The findings of this pilot study indicate that the curriculum was well-received and feasible with the target group, and they demonstrate that the course participation increased the university students’ self-assessed ability to disseminate strategies for more sustainable and healthy diets. Through replication at other universities worldwide, the teaching kitchen-based planetary health diet curriculum might foster a social shift towards healthier and more climate-friendly food systems. Full article

The toolbox of modern antibody engineering allows the design of versatile novel functionalities exceeding nature’s repertoire. Many bispecific antibodies comprise heterodimeric Fc portions recently validated through the approval of several bispecific biotherapeutics. While heterodimerization methodologies have been established for low-throughput large-scale production, few approaches exist to overcome the bottleneck of large combinatorial screening efforts that are essential for the identification of the best possible bispecific antibody. This report presents a novel, robust and miniaturized heterodimerization process based on controlled Fab-arm exchange (cFAE), which is applicable to a variety of heterodimeric formats and compatible with automated high-throughput screens. Proof of applicability was shown for two therapeutic molecule classes and two relevant functional screening read-outs. First, the miniaturized production of biparatopic anti-c-MET antibody–drug conjugates served as a proof of concept for their applicability in cytotoxic screenings on tumor cells with different target expression levels. Second, the automated workflow enabled a large unbiased combinatorial screening of biparatopic antibodies and the identification of hits mediating potent c-MET degradation. The presented workflow utilizes standard equipment and may serve as a facile, efficient and robust method for the discovery of innovative therapeutic agents in many laboratories worldwide. Full article

Snacks and beverages are often sold in addition to meals in U.S. schools (“competitive foods”), but their current nutritional quality and compliance with national Smart Snacks standards are unknown. This study assessed competitive foods in a national sample of 90 middle and high schools. Differences in compliance by school characteristics were measured using mixed methods analysis of variance. Overall, 80% of the schools in the sample sold competitive foods; but they were less commonly available in schools with universal free school meal (UFSM) policies. A total of 840 unique products were documented and, on average, 75% were compliant with Smart Snacks standards. A total of 56% aligned with recommended added sugar limits (<10% of calories); and 340 unique products (40%) aligned with both sugar and Smart Snacks standards. Approximately one-fifth of competitive foods contained synthetic dyes, and 31% of beverages contained artificial sweeteners. Smart Snacks standards compliance was greater when competitive foods were overseen by food service departments, in comparison with others (e.g., principals, student organizations, or outside vendors [77% vs. 59% compliance; p = 0.003]). Therefore, district wellness policies should consider requiring food service departments to oversee competitive foods. Federal and state policies should limit added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and synthetic dyes. This appears to be highly feasible, given the substantial number of products that meet these criteria. UFSM policies should also be considered to support healthier school meal environments more broadly. Full article

In the American Museum of Natural History, New York, there is an old specimen labelled as “Holodromia harrisonwilliamsi Boone, MS name” that was collected from Cocos Island in 1925. This name has never been published. An examination of the specimen shows that it is a juvenile specimen of Homolodromia robertsi Garth, 1973, a species described from Peru, which has since been reported from Chile and off the coast of Ecuador. This paper reports on the specimen Homolodromia robertsi Garth found in Costa Rica for the first time, a discovery that extends the known range of this species northwards. Full article

Teaching kitchens are physical and virtual forums that foster practical life skills through participation in experiential education. Given the well-supported connection between healthy eating patterns and the prevention and management of chronic diseases, both private and public organizations are building teaching kitchens (TKs) to enhance the health and wellness of patients, staff, youth, and the general community. Although implementation of TKs is becoming more common, best practices for starting and operating programs are limited. The present study aims to describe key components and professionals required for TK operations. Surveys were administered to Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC) members and questions reflected seven primary areas of inquiry: (1) TK setting(s), (2) audiences served, (3) TK model(s), (4) key lines of operations, (5) team member who manages or directs the TK, (6) team member(s) who performs key operations and other professionals or partnerships that may be needed, and (7) the primary funding source(s) to build and operate the TK (among various other topics). Findings were used to articulate recommendations for organizations seeking to establish a successful TK as well as for TKs to expand their collective reach, research capacity, and impact. Full article