Integrated

Traditional heat health warning systems focus on severe and extreme heat events at the district or regional level, often overlooking localized risk and protective factors such as healthcare access and urban green spaces. This approach considers less the varying impacts of heat within cities, including the phenomenon of Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) and the diverse needs of different populations. To address these shortcomings, a need for the development of an Urban Heat Health Warning and Information System (UHHWIS) that operates within the framework of Heat Health Action Plans is needed...

Air pollution is known to be one of the major risk factors for premature morbidity and mortality globally, which are preventable. Therefore, the public is informed about air pollution through the Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI represents integrated data of selected pollutants and produces a combined overall index for specific locations and time. The AQI algorithm generates a range of numbers and categories of colors that indicate likely health risks from air pollutants and the public's actions to minimize the risks...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the value of extracellular volume (ECV) derived from portal-venous phase (PVP) in predicting prognosis in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) patients receiving intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) with initial stable disease (SD) and to construct a risk-scoring system based on ECV and clinical-radiological features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and three patients with LAPC who received IORT demonstrating SD were enrolled and underwent multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) before and after IORT...

This study examines the extent to which general and substantive accountability is integrated into the language used by key actors involved in nursing home services. Particularly, we investigate the messages used by the supply side, which includes public and private organizations involved in residential care for older adults, and the demand side, which comprises organizations representing service beneficiaries. Moreover, we explore the alignment between the messages used by both sides of the accountability relationship...

Here, a novel porous microneedle (PMN) device with bilaterally aligned electroosmotic flow (EOF) enabling controllable dual-mode delivery of molecules is developed. The PMNs placed at anode and cathode compartments are modified with anionic PAMPS (poly-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) and cationic PAPTAC (poly-(3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium), respectively. The direction of EOF generated by PMN at the cathode compartment is, therefore, reversed from cathode to anode, countering the unwanted cathodal suctioning of interstitial fluid caused by reverse iontophoresis...

There is a large body of evidence linking increased noise to negative health effects for animals. Anthropogenic noise induces behavioral and physiological reactions across a range of taxa and increased traffic noise affects glucocorticoid (GC) hormones associated with the stress response in amphibians. GCs help to maintain homeostasis while balancing energetic tradeoffs between reproduction, growth, and activity. Stressors during early development can impact fitness at later life stages. We measured growth, activity, and GCs in response to high levels of traffic noise in two tadpole species that differ in life-history: Acris crepitans and Rana berlandieri...

The ventral subiculum (vSUB), the major output structure of the hippocampal formation, regulates motivation, stress integration, and anxiety-like behaviors that rely on heightened arousal. However, the roles and underlying neural circuits of the vSUB in wakefulness are poorly known. Using in vivo fiber photometry and multichannel electrophysiological recordings in mice, we found that the vSUB glutamatergic neurons exhibited high activities during wakefulness. Moreover, activation of vSUB glutamatergic neurons caused an increase in wakefulness and anxiety-like behaviors and induced a rapid transition from sleep to wakefulness...

Considerable research has linked relative reduction in the amplitude of the P3 event-related potential (ERP) during cognitive task performance (i.e., Target-P3) with increased risk of alcohol-related problems. A separate literature indicates that a relative increase in the amplitude of the P3 elicited by cues signaling alcohol availability (i.e., ACR-P3) also is associated with alcohol use and problems. To date, no research has integrated these seemingly discrepant findings. Here, we aimed to demonstrate that P3 amplitudes elicited in different task contexts reflect distinct domains of functioning relevant to problematic alcohol involvement (PAI), and therefore can inform heterogeneity in the etiology of PAI...

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in ophthalmology has promoted the development of the discipline, offering opportunities for enhancing diagnostic accuracy, patient care, and treatment outcomes. This paper aims to provide a foundational understanding of AI applications in ophthalmology, with a focus on interpreting studies related to AI-driven diagnostics. The core of our discussion is to explore various AI methods, including deep learning (DL) frameworks for detecting and quantifying ophthalmic features in imaging data, as well as using transfer learning for effective model training in limited datasets...

OBJECTIVE: Test sustainability of Web-based Implementation for the Science of Enhancing Resilience (WISER) intervention efficacy in reducing healthcare worker (HCW) emotional exhaustion (EE), a key component of burnout. DESIGN: One-year follow-up of WISER RCT using two cohorts (one waitlist control with shortened intervention period) of HCWs of four NICUs each, to improve HCW well-being (primary outcome: EE). RESULTS: In Cohorts 1 and 2, 194 and 312 WISER initiators were identified by 1-year, and 99 and 80 completed 1-year follow-up, respectively...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the mRNA expression of placental iron transporters (TfR-1 and FPN), markers of placental vascularization (VEGF and sFLT1) and marker of structural integrity (LMN-A) in term women with and without iron deficiency anemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 pregnant women were enrolled; 15 cases of iron deficiency anemia (Hb 7-10.9 gm/dL) and 15 gestational age matched healthy controls (Hb ≥ 11 gm/dL). Peripheral venous blood was collected for assessment of hemoglobin levels and serum iron profile...

The age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) score has been accepted as a predictor of poor outcome in elective operations. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of ACEF score in acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD) patients after total arch replacement. A total of 227 AAAD patients from July 2021 and June 2022 were enrolled and divided into Tertiles 1 (ACEF ≤ 0.73), Tertiles 2 (0.73 < ACEF ≤ 0.95), and Tertiles 3 (ACEF > 0...

The article presents an active fault-tolerant control scheme with an integral terminal sliding mode controller for the UAV systems. This scheme effectively addresses saturation issues, disturbances, and sensor and actuator faults. Initially, the quadcopter UAV's model is represented in state space form. Subsequently, an augmented system incorporating auxiliary states from sensor faults is developed. An adaptive sliding mode observer is proposed for estimating the actuator and sensor faults. The integral terminal sliding mode fault-tolerant control, designed for altitude and attitude regulation, relies on fault estimation data...

The integration of renewable energy resources into the smart grids improves the system resilience, provide sustainable demand-generation balance, and produces clean electricity with minimal leakage currents. However, the renewable sources are intermittent in nature. Therefore, it is necessary to develop scheduling strategy to optimise hybrid PV-wind-controllable distributed generator based Microgrids in grid-connected and stand-alone modes of operation. In this manuscript, a priority-based cost optimization function is developed to show the relative significance of one cost component over another for the optimal operation of the Microgrid...

Citrus reticulata cv. Chachiensis (CRC) is an important medicinal plant, its dried mature peels named "Guangchenpi", has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat cough, indigestion, and lung diseases for several hundred years. However, the biosynthesis of the crucial natural products polymethoxylated flavonoids (PMFs) in CRC remains unclear. Here, we report a chromosome-scale genome assembly of CRC with the size of 314.96 Mb and a contig N50 of 16.22 Mb. Using multi-omics resources, we discover a putative caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (CcOMT1) that can transfer a methyl group to the 3-hydroxyl of natsudaidain to form 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone (HPMF)...

Cervical cancer, the second most prevalent cancer affecting women, arises from abnormal cell growth in the cervix, a crucial anatomical structure within the uterus. The significance of early detection cannot be overstated, prompting the use of various screening methods such as Pap smears, colposcopy, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing to identify potential risks and initiate timely intervention. These screening procedures encompass visual inspections, Pap smears, colposcopies, biopsies, and HPV-DNA testing, each demanding the specialized knowledge and skills of experienced physicians and pathologists due to the inherently subjective nature of cancer diagnosis...

Large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, Google's Bard, and Anthropic's Claude, showcase remarkable natural language processing capabilities. Evaluating their proficiency in specialized domains such as neurophysiology is crucial in understanding their utility in research, education, and clinical applications. This study aims to assess and compare the effectiveness of Large Language Models (LLMs) in answering neurophysiology questions in both English and Persian (Farsi) covering a range of topics and cognitive levels...

Optical detection of magnetic field is appealing for integrated photonics; however, the light-matter interaction is usually weak at low field. Here we observe that the photoluminescence (PL) decreases by > 40% at 10 mT in rubrene microcrystals (RMCs) prepared by a capillary-bridge assembly method. The giant magneto-PL (MPL) relies on the singlet-triplet conversion involving triplet-triplet pairs, through the processes of singlet fission (SF) and triplet fusion (TF) during radiative decay...

Quantum-confined CsPbBr3 perovskites are promising blue emitters for ultra-high-definition displays, but their soft lattice caused by highly ionic nature has a limited stability. Here, we endow CsPbBr3 nanoplatelets (NPLs) with atomic crystal-like structural rigidity through proper surface engineering, by using strongly bound N-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA). A stable, rigid crystal structure, as well as uniform, orderly-arranged surface of these NPLs is achieved by optimizing intermediate reaction stage, by switching from molecular clusters to mono-octahedra, while interaction with DBSA resulted in formation of a Csx O monolayer shell capping the NPL surface...

Radiation therapy (RT) is a crucial treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); however, it can have adverse effects on patients' long-term function and quality of life. Biomarkers that can predict tumor response to RT are being explored to personalize treatment and improve outcomes. While tissue and blood biomarkers have limitations, imaging biomarkers derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offer detailed information. The integration of MRI and a linear accelerator in the MR-Linac system allows for MR-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT), offering precise visualization and treatment delivery...