bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behavioural Finance in Banking and Management: A Study on the Trends and Challenges in the Banking Industry
Authors: Ranjan Ritesh
Published: January 2025

By incorporating psychological insights into financial decision-making and questioning conventional economic theories, behavioral finance has become a revolutionary field. Behavioral finance offers a sophisticated understanding of how social influences, emotions, and cognitive biases impact financial behaviors, organizational choices, and market outcomes in banking and management. The function of behavioral finance in improving these industries' decision-making procedures is examined in this paper. Behavioral finance in banking emphasizes how biases like herd mentality, loss aversion, and overconfidence affect risk assessment, loan decisions, and investing choices. It highlights how crucial it is to comprehend consumer behavior in order to create goods and services that satisfy a range of risk tolerances and financial requirements. Banks may increase consumer financial literacy, improve user experience, and promote long-term financial habits by implementing behavioral insights. Behavioral finance plays a role in management by supporting resource allocation, performance assessment, and strategy planning. Biases like anchoring and confirmation bias are common among managers and can skew assessments and result in less-than-ideal choices.  To reduce these risks, behavioral frameworks promote the application of debiasing strategies including scenario analysis and organized decision-making. Additionally, they encourage the implementation of incentive schemes that match personal aspirations with corporate aims. There are many advantages to integrating behavioral finance into banking and management, such as better stakeholder interest alignment, increased customer happiness, and better risk management. To reach its full potential, nevertheless, issues including cultural differences, ethical concerns, and the difficulty of behavioral therapies must be resolved. In order to close the gap between theoretical understanding and practical applications, this article highlights the importance of behavioral finance as a tool to promote resilience, innovation, and efficiency in the ever-changing banking and management landscapes.
Decision-making Practices and Individual Commitment of Teachers in Public Elementary Schools
Authors: Jayuma Rowena A. , Baguio Josephine B.
Published: January 2025

This study aimed to discern the decision-making practices and individual commitment of teachers in public elementary schools of Boston District, Division Davao Oriental. This study used the non-experimental quantitative research design utilizing correlational method. The respondents of this study were composed of 131 teachers in public elementary school using the universal sampling. The data analysis utilized the mean, Pearson r and regression analysis. The findings disclosed that the levels of decision-making practices were high and oftentimes manifested by the teachers. Meanwhile, the level individual commitments of teachers were very high and always manifested by the teachers. It was found out that there was a significant relationship between decision-making practices and individual commitment of teachers. Moreover, it proved further, that the domains of decision-making practices of teachers were significantly influenced the individual commitment of public elementary schools. It is recommended that school administrators implement training programs to enhance teachers' decision-making practices, fostering their professional growth. Teachers are also encouraged to actively engage in such initiatives to further strengthen their commitment to their roles.
Cost Benefits and Growth Promoting Ability of Dietary Bambara Nut (Vigna subterranean) Powder on the Rearing of Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
Authors: O. K Ukwe, I. , C. Micah, , O. M. Edum,
Published: January 2025

The efficacy of dietary Bambara nut (Vigna subterranean) in the growth performance and cost benefit of Clarias gariepinus culture was evaluated. To this end 35% CP diet was formulated using locally available ingredients. Five different diets were prepared from the 35% CP diet, replacing Soybean with Bambara nuts at different percentage as follows: T1 (0% BN: 100 SB), T2 (25% BN: 75% SB) T3 (50% BN: 50% SB), T4 (75% BN: 25% SB) and T5 (100% BN: 0% SB), and organoleptic assessment was conducted on the diets to determine texture, aroma and color, while chemical assessment was conducted to determine the nutritional qualities of the diets. One hundred and fifty (150) sub-adult Clarias gariepinus were distributed into five (5) groups in triplicates of ten (10) using fifteen aquaria, and were fed T1 – T5, for eight (8) weeks. Length and weight of fish were evaluated fortnightly to determine: weight gain, percentage weight gain, specific growth rate, performance index and condition factor. And the cost of feed and fish were determined to evaluate the cost benefits of the various diets. At the end of the feeding trials, data were collected and analysed using ANOVA followed by a Turkey multi-companism test with SPSS 170 package software and the following results were obtained: (1) the experimental diets T1-T5 had no effects on the physico-chemical properties of the experimental waters (2) the aroma of the experimental diets were less fishy, their texture ranges from fibrous to less fibrous and the colour from dark brown to light brown as the quantity of the Bambara nut in the diets increases (T1-T5). (3) The % lipid, % proteins and % fibre decreased as the quantity of Bambara nut increased in the experimental diets (T1-T5). (4) All the growth parameters and performance index increased significantly (P<0.05) as the quantity of Bambara nuts increased in the various diets (T1-T5):- Weight gain (WG): T1 (54.61+2.11), T2 (70.96+8.47), T3 (67.82+0.63), T4 (70.90+5.90) and T5 (77.35+3.81), Percentage weight gain (PWG): T1 (30.76+0.77), T2 (40.66+1.46), T3 (35.64+1.64), T4 (37.46+1.13) and T5 (44.84+10.30); Condition factor (CF): T1 (0.55+0.13), T2 (0.62+1.02), T3 (0.70+0.41), T4 (0.64+11.4) and T5 (0.64+4.30); Specific growth rate (SGR): T1 (0.34+0.02), T2 (0.43+0.05), T3 (0.42+0.01), T4 (0.43+0.02) and T5 (0.49+0.02); Performance index (PI): T1 (158.99+2.76), T2 (208.99+25.84), T3 (210.98+2.28), T4 (203.85+11.87) and T5 (213.13+4.30). The fish fed the Bambara nut diets (T2-T5) had enhanced net profit, profit index and benefit cost ratio, but lower economic weight gain. Bambara nut is unarguably a better feed ingredient than Soybean in the culture of Clarias gariepinus.
Treatment Efficacy of Groundwater by Electromagnetic Polarization
Authors: Aldoury Muzher Mahdi Ibrahem , Ismaeal Nizar N. , Mahdi Mohammed Jameel
Published: January 2025

Due to the increased demand for water, it is essential to search for water sources to satisfy the water demand for drinking purposes. There is a continuous decrease in Tigris River water supply in Iraq for many reasons. Thus it is necessary to search for other sources. On the other hand, there are rural areas where fresh water is unavailable, so it has become necessary to treat groundwater in such areas. Groundwater can be considered for this purpose. However, most groundwater sources are not suitable before reducing hardness. In the present work, a trial to minimize hardness from the groundwater by electromagnetic polarization is made. Actual samples are taken from Samarra, Salah al-Din Governorate. Laboratory apparatus has been designed and constructed to perform the present work. The investigated parameters are; contact time (5 - 60 sec), initial hardness concentration (800 - 1800 mg/L), and magnetic flux intensity (0.5 - 1.25 Tesla). The results indicated that hardness can be reduced by electromagnetic treatment. The obtained hardness removal efficiency range is 3.25 to 35.2%. Moreover, the addition of γ-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 gives no improvement in hardness removal.
Determinants of Healthcare Workers' Uptake of Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV/AIDS at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya
Authors: Muriungi Wilfred Muriki , Kariuki John G. , Odongo Alfred Owino , Ondego Selvin
Published: January 2025

Aim: To establish determinants to the uptake of VCT services among the healthcare workers at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya.
Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 participants selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results were presented using frequency distribution tables, with statistical significance set at p<0.05.
Results: There was a high level of uptake of VCT services among the healthcare workers, at 97.9%. Age of the participants had a significant influence (P = .042). Gender (P = .062), profession (P = .15), education (P = .12), and marital status (P = .11) had little or no influence. 100% of the participants recorded to be knowledgeable on modes and methods of HIV prevention and transmission. Knowledge of sexual contact in the transmission and spread of HIV virus proved to be statistically significant (P = .000). The factors highlighted as barriers in this study were found to have less impact in hindering the participation in VCT services.
The moderation effect between variables was assessed using the Andrew F. Hayes and confirmed that, availability of guidelines for exposed participants and post-exposure prevention did not moderate the demographic factors, (P = .07). However, the administration's role encouraging the healthcare workers to HIV testing increased the significance of demographic factors. (P=.03).
Conclusion: There was a high level of uptake of VCT services, knowledge on the modes of transmission and prevention of HIV virus among the healthcare providers. Government policies and institutional guidelines on HIV VCT protocols, medical ethics and consistent efforts are needed to promote the uptake of VCT services among the healthcare workers.
Grapevine Rootstock Affects Grape Phenology, Yield and Quality of Thompson Seedless Grapes Grown Under Pune Condition
Authors: T Sivamari , Kakade P B , Somkuwar R G , Gobade Nilima , Patil Prakash , Gaikwad S P
Published: January 2025

The performance of Thomson Seedless on Dogridge, 110R, 140RU and 1103P rootstocks along with own rooted vine for growth and yield parameters during 2023-24 was studied. The growth and yield parameters varied significantly among rootstocks. Thomson Seedless on Dogridge rootstock recorded highest pruning weight (1.25 kg/vine) and 34 canes per vine, while, it also exhibited maximum percentage of fruitful canes (96.50%), along with shoot length (129.30 cm) and leaf area (173.60 cm²). In terms of yield, Dogridge outperformed other rootstocks, with highest number of bunches per vine (35.00), average bunch weight (321.10 g), 50-berry weight (143.80 g) and total yield per vine (11.25 kg). However, for chlorophyll content, 110R rootstock excelled, with highest values of 32.20 mg/ml and 15.50 mg/ml at 45 and 90 days after fruit pruning respectively.
Influence of Different Phosphatic Fertilizer on Nutrient Uptake and Nutrient Use Efficiency of Soybean in Highly Calcareous Soil
Authors: Bagade Praful Sukhdeorao , Meshram Pranali Ghansham , Kotangale Lochana Gandhi , Bachhav Sujal Sanjay , Shaniware Yogesh
Published: January 2025

A field experiment was conducted to study “Phosphorus use efficiency through PROM (phosphorus rich organic manure) for soybean in highly calcareous soil” at Research Farm, College of Agriculture, Pune during kharif 2023. This experiment consisted of two organic sources (PROM and vermicompost) and two inorganic sources of phosphorus (SSP and DAP) along with their levels @ 50, 75 and 100 % imposed for soybean in calcareous soil. The treatments comprised T1 - Absolute control, T2 - RDF (50:75:45 kg ha-1 N: P2O5: K2O), T3 - 50% P2O5 through PROM, T4 - 75% P2O5 through PROM, T5 - 100% P2O5 through PROM, T6 - 100% P2O5 through DAP + FYM @12.5 t ha-1, T7 - 100% P2O5 through SSP + FYM @12.5 t ha-1 and T8 - 100% P2O5 through vermicompost replicated thrice in randomized block design imposed to soybean in calcareous soil.
Significantly superior results were observed for higher nitrogen (82.22 and 24.49 kg ha-1), phosphorus (23.43 and 42.55 kg ha-1) and potassium (49.44 and 81.93 kg ha-1) uptake by grain and straw of soybean with the incorporation of 100 % P2O5 through PROM in calcareous soil. Similar treatment reported 145.41 % increase in Fe, 86.22 % in Mn, 71.92 % Zn and 52.08 % in Cu uptake by soybean. Based on this experiment it could be concluded that incorporation of 100 % P2O5 through phosphorus rich organic manure reported higher nutrient use efficiency (NUE) for nitrogen (129.34 %), phosphorus (38.00 %) and potassium (139.02 %) in calcareous soil under soybean cultivation. It is inferred that incorporation of PROM or vermicompost for the substitution of either 75 or 100 % P2O5 reported significantly higher nutrient uptake and nutrient use efficiency in calcareous soil than that of inorganic fertilizers (SSP and DAP) application or recommended dose of fertilizer or absolute control.
A Comparative Study to Assess Medication Adherence of Patients with Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases Attending Primary Health Centres in a Rural Hospital of India
Authors: Anushree Shirodkar , Madhavi Mankar , Ratnaprabha Pedhambkar , Pradeep Sawardekar
Published: January 2025

Introduction: Medication adherence is an important factor in aiding the efficacy of a treatment plan for communicable and non-communicable diseases alike. Non-adherence to medication leads to several detrimental effects on the health of a person and also leads to strain on the health system due to the overload of managing patients with complications.
Objective: This study aims to assess medication adherence of communicable and non-communicable disease treatment under different parameters like age, sex of the patients, type of disease and socioeconomic status.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted by face to face interview with 330 patients,165 in each group attending   Primary Health Centres in selected area of study. Interviews were conducted using the MARS scale by following proper protocols to maintain privacy and the data was recorded in real time for analysis.
Results: Overall 30% of patients were in the age group of 31-40 years in the communicable disease group and 31% of patients were in the age group 61-80 years in the NCDs group. 51.5% of the total participants were males in both the groups. The study reveals insightful information as 41.7% and 58.3% of study subjects were non-adherent to medication in the Communicable disease and NCD’s group respectively. 36% non-adherence to medication was seen among 61-80 years of age group of patients. 55.7% of Males showed non- adherence to medication as compared to females (44.3%) (p<0.05). Important reasons of non-adherence to medication were forget to take medicine (78% & 54%), lack of attention on medication schedule (68% &41%) and feeling better after taking medication so stopped (75% & 60%) in the NCD’s & Communicable Diseases group respectively.
Conclusion: Adherence to medication was poor among patients with non-communicable diseases, elderly patients, males in the age group of 21 to 40 years and unemployed patients.
A Relational Analysis of Level of Knowledge and Adoption of Mango Growers in Odisha, India
Authors: Padhan Subarnna Keshari Haripriya , Mukhopadhyay Siddhartha D.
Published: January 2025

Odisha is the 8th largest producer of Mango state in India and occupies 61.00 % of total fruit cultivated areas of the state. The present research has been conducted to ascertain the level of knowledge and adoption of improved farm practices by the Mango farmers as well as to ascertain the association between selected socio-personal, agro-economic, and communication variables with level of knowledge and adoption. The study was conducted in two purposively selected One District One Product (ODOP) districts for Mango, i.e. Subarnapur & Angul district of Odisha.  Ten aspects of knowledge and nine broad aspects of adoption were considered for the present study. Data were collected from 180 respondents, 90 from each study district and analysed through statistical tools like Knowledge and Adoption Index, frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, correlation, multiple and step wise regression and ANOVA. It was found that Majority of the respondents were having medium and semi-medium level of overall knowledge and adoption respectively with no significant difference between study districts in this regard. Selected variables i.e. age, self-education, family-education, Mango farming experience, social participation, land holding, cultivable land, area under Mango, annual family income, overall information seeking behaviour, overall marketing behaviour, and overall adoption were found influencing the overall knowledge. Whereas, in case of level of adoption, all 11 variables out of the above mentioned 12 variables except overall level of adoption along with Mango yield index and overall knowledge were found having significant and strong correlation with overall adoption. The adjusted R2 were found 0.788 and 0.766 respectively for regression of overall knowledge and overall adoption with selected socio-personal, agro-economic and communication variables. The step wise regression of overall knowledge with selected variables showed that, 5 variables viz, overall information seeking behaviour, overall marketing behaviour, self-education, Mango yield index and family education appeared as most important variables that explained the variation in overall knowledge level. Similarly, while doing regression of overall adoption with selected variables, 3 variables viz., overall knowledge, cultivable land, Mango yield index appeared as most important variables that explained the variation in overall adoption.
Evaluation of the Anti-Diabetic and Biochemical Effects of Ocimum sanctum Extract in Alloxan Induced Rat Model
Authors: Jannat Bushratul , Khastagir Sristy , Shakil Md , Haider Zulqarnain , Tasnim Sadia , Rashid Sadiya Binte , Rasna Israt Jahan
Published: January 2025

Herbal medicine has been employed by individuals to treat medical ailments since the dawn of civilization. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Ocimum sanctum as an antidiabetic agent and its impact on lipid profiles. We employed the alloxan-induced diabetes model to assess the efficacy of the antidiabetic drug. Only the 900 mg/kg dosage exhibited statistically significant (p < 0.05) antidiabetic effect as compared to the 300 and 600 mg/kg dosages. Although there was a little reduction in HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol, the results for all groups were not statistically significant. Statistically substantial reductions (p < 0.05) were seen for SGPT in groups 5 and 6 at dosages of 600 and 900 mg/kg for triglycerides, SGPT, and SGOT. The renal function test revealed a statistically significant urea level of 92.08±6.52* in group 6 at a dose of 900 mg/kg. Concerning creatinine levels, groups 5 and 6 had statistically substantial outcomes at the 600 and 900 mg/kg dosages, with values of 2.23±0.70* and 1.83±0.58*, respectively. The ethanolic extract of this plant exhibits notable antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic properties, and additional investigation may contribute to the development of alternative medicinal applications.
Mediating Effect of Pain Sensitization on the Paradoxical Relation of Taking Opioids to Pain Severity in Knee Osteoarthritis: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study
Authors: Aoyagi Kosaku , Jafarzadeh S. Reza , Carlesso Lisa , Frey Law Laura , Lewis Cora E. , Nevitt Michael , Neogi Tuhina
Published: September 2023

Objective

One of the less understood adverse effects while taking opioids is the paradoxical increase in pain, known as opioid‐induced hyperalgesia (OIH). We sought to determine whether pain sensitization mediates the relation of taking an opioid to pain severity in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

We included participants in a National Institutes of Health–funded cohort study of people with or at risk of knee OA. Participants were categorized into opioid and nonopioid analgesic groups at baseline. Western Ontario McMaster Universities OA Index (WOMAC) pain two years later was assessed as the outcome. We used causal mediation analysis to assess the mediating role of pain sensitization, quantified by changes in pressure pain threshold (PPT) at the wrist and patella over two years, on the effect of taking an opioid on WOMAC pain two years later.

Results

We included 296 participants who took opioids and 1,070 participants who took nonopioid analgesics. Compared with taking nonopioid analgesics, taking opioids was associated with greater pain two years later. This relation was mediated by 0.05‐ and 0.08‐unit changes in wrist PPT (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01–0.10) and patellar PPT (95% CI 0.02–0.14), respectively. When we assessed any worsening in WOMAC pain score over two years, taking opioids, compared with taking nonopioid analgesics, had 2% and 5% higher odds of experiencing any worsening pain mediated by changes in wrist PPT (95% CI 0.99–1.04) and patellar PPT (95% CI 1.01–1.09), respectively.

Conclusion

Pain sensitization had small mediating effects on the paradoxical phenomenon of OIH, suggesting that pain sensitization may not play a major role and/or that PPT is an inadequate tool to assess OIH.
Increased Microporosity in Ceramic and Metal Foams: A Novel Processing Combination
Authors: Dammler Kathleen , Sutygina Alina , Scheffler Franziska , Scheffler Michael , Betke Ulf
Published: September 2023

Copper, aluminum, and alumina foams are prepared by a combination of reticulated foaming and freezing processing. This results in all of these foams in an additional strut porosity consisting of lamellar pores and material lamellae; the lamellar pores enable designed access to the inner volume of the struts. To increase the functionality in terms of enlarging the total surface area and increasing the adsorption activity, the foams are loaded with microporous materials by direct crystallization: the copper foams are combined with the metal organic framework HKUST‐1, the aluminum foams are combined with the zeolite SAPO‐34, and the alumina foams are combined with the zeolite silicalite‐1. All microporous materials are shown to access the inner strut pore surface area. Because of different crystal sizes of the different microporous materials, the load of the inner strut surface area varies significantly.
Electronic Metal‐Support Interactions in Atomically Dispersed Fe(III)‐VO2 Nanoribbons for High‐Performance Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Pang Yashuai , Xie Minsen , Lu Xinghao , Wan Zhao , Zhong Zhuohang , Muhammad Waqas , Huan Xiang Long , Niu Yinghua , Zhang Zhen , Lv Weiqiang
Published: September 2023

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have attracted wide attention as high‐energy‐density energy storage devices, but their practical applications are hindered by the severe shuttle effect and sluggish kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). To address these challenges, polar mediators are employed to chemisorb and catalyze LiPSs, but most of them suffer from low electronic conductivity and poor catalytic activity. Here, a novel strategy is reported to enhance both properties by dispersing Fe(III) atoms in VO2 nanoribbons(Fe‐VO2), creating electronic metal‐support interactions (EMSI) that modulate the electronic structure and charge transfer of VO2. Theoretical calculations reveal that EMSI lowers the energy barrier for the decomposition of Li2S from 1.60 to 1.32 eV and increases the electronic conductivity of VO2. Fe doping reduces the Li‐ions diffusion barrier from 1.42 eV in VO2 to 0.99 eV in Fe‐VO2. The Fe‐VO2 catalyst shows strong adsorption and fast converstion of LiPSs, resulting in high energy density and long cycling life of Li‐S batteries. The cathode with Fe‐VO2 maintains a higher capacity retention of 67% after 500 cycles at 1 C, compared with 52.4% and 53.6% for the carbon black based cathode and VO2  based cathode, respectively. This work demonstrates the potential of EMSI for designing efficient catalysts for Li–S batteries and provides new insights into the electronic structure engineering of polar mediators.
Modeling Single‐Atom Catalysis
Authors: Di Liberto Giovanni , Pacchioni Gianfranco
Published: September 2023

Electronic structure calculations represent an essential complement of experiments to characterize single‐atom catalysts (SACs), consisting of isolated metal atoms stabilized on a support, but also to predict new catalysts. However, simulating SACs with quantum chemistry approaches is not as simple as often assumed. In this work, the essential factors that characterize a reliable simulation of SACs activity are examined. The Perspective focuses on the importance of precise atomistic characterization of the active site, since even small changes in the metal atom's surroundings can result in large changes in reactivity. The dynamical behavior and stability of SACs under working conditions, as well as the importance of adopting appropriate methods to solve the Schrödinger equation for a quantitative evaluation of reaction energies are addressed. The Perspective also focuses on the relevance of the model adopted. For electrocatalysis this must include the effects of the solvent, the presence of electrolytes, the pH, and the external potential. Finally, it is discussed how the similarities between SACs and coordination compounds may result in reaction intermediates that usually are not observed on metal electrodes. When these aspects are not adequately considered, the predictive power of electronic structure calculations is quite limited.
Nanomedicines Based on Responsive Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Liu Zhi‐Shan , Wen Jing , Huang Chu‐Yu , Zhang Pei‐Wen , Miao Ying‐Ling , Cheng Hong , Li Shi‐Ying
Published: September 2023

Nanotechnology has been widely used in drug design in recent years, showing great potential and advantages in tumor therapy. However, the application of most traditional nanomedicines is still limited by low drug loading rate, poor targeting ability, and systemic toxicity. Based on the characteristics of tumor microenvironments, numerous studies indicate that the construction of stimuli‐responsive nanocarriers can effectively solve the above problems by improving delivery efficiency, reducing side effects, and enhancing targeting. A significant feature of responsive nanocarriers is that they can release and activate drugs at specific sites under stimulus, including internal stimuli (e.g., pH, reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), enzyme, hypoxia, adenosine‐triphosphate (ATP), etc.) and external stimuli (e.g., light, thermo, ultrasound, etc.). Of note, learning about various pathways of responses can enable researchers to effectively design responsive nanocarriers for tumor therapy. Herein, this review focuses on the stimuli‐responsive strategies of nanocarriers for tumor therapy. In addition, the role of responsive nanocarriers in synergistic tumor therapy is also discussed. The expectation of this review is to provide ideas for the design of practical and effective responsive nanocarriers.
Customized Nanostructured Ceramics via Microphase Separation 3D Printing
Authors: Bobrin Valentin A. , Hackbarth Haira G. , Yao Yin , Bedford Nicholas M. , Zhang Jin , Corrigan Nathaniel , Boyer Cyrille
Published: September 2023

To date, the restricted capability to fabricate ceramics with independently tailored nano‐ and macroscopic features has hindered their implementation in a wide range of crucial technological areas, including aeronautics, defense, and microelectronics. In this study, a novel approach that combines self‐ and digital assembly to create polymer‐derived ceramics with highly controlled structures spanning from the nano‐ to macroscale is introduced. Polymerization‐induced microphase separation of a resin during digital light processing generates materials with nanoscale morphologies, with the distinct phases consisting of either a preceramic precursor or a sacrificial polymer. By precisely controlling the molecular weight of the sacrificial polymer, the domain size of the resulting material phases can be finely tuned. Pyrolysis of the printed objects yields ceramics with complex macroscale geometries and nanoscale porosity, which display excellent thermal and oxidation resistance, and morphology‐dependent thermal conduction properties. This method offers a valuable technological platform for the simplified fabrication of nanostructured ceramics with complex shapes.
Water‐Induced Phase Separation for Anti‐Swelling Hydrogel Adhesives in Underwater Soft Electronics
Authors: Li Min , Lu Honglang , Pi Menghan , Zhou Hui , Wang Yufei , Yan Bin , Cui Wei , Ran Rong
Published: September 2023

The development of hydrogel‐based underwater electronics has gained significant attention due to their flexibility and portability compared to conventional rigid devices. However, common hydrogels face challenges such as swelling and poor underwater adhesion, limiting their practicality in water environments. Here, a water‐induced phase separation strategy to fabricate hydrogels with enhanced anti‐swelling properties and underwater adhesion is presented. By leveraging the contrasting affinity of different polymer chains to water, a phase‐separated structure with rich hydrophobic and dilute hydrophilic polymer phases is achieved. This dual‐phase structure, meticulously characterized from the macroscopic to the nanoscale, confers the hydrogel network with augmented retractive elastic forces and facilitates efficient water drainage at the gel‐substrate interface. As a result, the hydrogel exhibits remarkable swelling resistance and long‐lasting adhesion to diverse substrates. Additionally, the integration of carboxylic multiwalled carbon nanotubes into the hydrogel system preserves its anti‐swelling and adhesion properties while imparting superior conductivity. The conductive phase‐separated hydrogel exhibited great potential in diverse underwater applications, including sensing, communication, and energy harvesting. This study elucidates a facile strategy for designing anti‐swelling underwater adhesives by leveraging the ambient solvent effect, which is expected to offer some insights for the development of next‐generation adhesive soft materials tailored for aqueous environments.
Loosening Zinc Ions from Separator Boosts Stable Zn Plating/Striping Behavior for Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries
Authors: Zhang Yu , Liu Zeping , Li Xin , Fan Lishuang , Shuai Yong , Zhang Naiqing
Published: September 2023

Aqueous zinc ion batteries are attracting broad interest in stationary energy storage where low cost, robust security, and satisfactory capacity matter most. However, metal zinc anodes suffer from destructive dendrite issues during repeated charging/discharging process, decreasing the cycle life of batteries. Herein, smoother zinc plating/striping behaviors are achieved by group modification in the structural unit of the polymer separator. Experimental results and theoretical simulations reveal that the polymer skeleton can release zinc ion more easily when modified with carbonylation side groups and contribute to much faster zinc ion transfer capability. Typically, symmetric Zn cells with a thin thickness separator of 21 µm exhibit ultralong cycle life over 2800 h at 1 mA cm−2 within 1 mAh cm−2 and 300 h under a high current density of 5 mA cm−2 within high areal capacity of 3 mAh cm−2. Full cells using a sodium vanadium oxide cathode also show stable reversible charging/discharging performance after 2000 cycles at 3 A g−1. This work is expected to inspire promising strategies in molecular design in polymeric separator toward stabilizing metal anodes beyond this anode itself.
Refining the Substrate Surface Morphology for Achieving Efficient Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Guo Renjun , Wang Xi , Jia Xiangkun , Guo Xiao , Li Jia , Li Zerui , Sun Kun , Jiang Xiongzhuo , Alvianto Ezra , Shi Zhuojie , Schwartzkopf Matthias , Müller‐Buschbaum Peter , Hou Yi
Published: September 2023

Significant advancements in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been driven by the engineering of the interface between perovskite absorbers and charge transport layers. Inverted PSCs offer substantial potential with their high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and enhanced compatibility for tandem solar cell applications. Conventional hole transport materials like poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and poly(triaryl amine) (PTAA) not only constrain the PSC efficiency but also elevate their fabrication costs. In the case of improving inverted structured PSCs according to the aforementioned concerns, utilizing self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) as hole‐transporting layers has played a crucial role. However, the growth of self‐assembled monolayers on the substrates still limits the performance and reproducibility of inverted structured PSCs. In this study, the authors delve into the growth model of SAMs on different surface morphologies. Moreover, it is found that the plasma treatment can effectively regulate the surface morphologies of substrates and achieve conformal growth of SAMs. This treatment improves the uniformity and suppresses non‐radiative recombination at the interface, which leads to a PCE of 24.5% (stabilized at 23.5%) for inverted structured PSCs.
Variation in abundance and habitat use of the critically endangeredMicrocebus gerpiacross its fragmented range
Authors: Rakotondravony Romule , Schüßler Dominik , Rovanirina Valisoa S. T. , Ratsimbazafy Jonah , Radespiel Ute
Published: September 2023

A link between the abundance of species and their degree of ecological specialization has previously been suggested within the primate order. Many species of lemurs were only recently described and even basic ecological data are not yet available for them. We investigated the habitat use, abundance, and habitat characteristics of the critically endangeredMicrocebus gerpiand evaluated potential impacts of vegetation structure and human disturbances on variations in its abundance. We determined abundance by systematic nocturnal surveys along 13 transects that were also used for characterizing the vegetation structure in seven study sites that were widely distributed within its range. AlthoughM. gerpioccurred in all studied lowland rainforest and littoral forest fragments in central eastern Madagascar and therefore has a higher ecological plasticity and wider distribution than previously thought, its actual Area of Occupancy is very small (339.78 km2) due to an extreme degree of habitat fragmentation throughout its range.M. gerpioccurred with a mean encounter rate of 3.04 individuals/km but abundance varied substantially between sites (0.75–4.5 individuals/km). Statistical modeling revealed that the cover of small‐ to medium‐sized trees had a positive impact on the abundance ofM. gerpi, whereas a composite disturbance score (CDS), formed on the basis of information on the prominence of fires, cattle, charcoal production and wood extraction inside and around the forest, had a negative impact on abundance. These results suggest thatM. gerpiis slightly less threatened than expected because of its larger geographic range, but also that it responds negatively to human disturbances. These findings raise strong conservation concerns and question the long‐term viability of the remaining small and isolated populations of this arboreal solitary forager.
Using the Manufacturer's Instructions for Use and Spaulding Classification System to Assess Disinfection Practices for Ultrasound Transducers in the Perioperative Setting
Authors: Phillips Bethany L. , Casanova Erica L.
Published: September 2023

Proper use and disinfection of medical devices and instruments is essential to preventing infection and providing safe patient care. Because of an increase in the complexity of medical devices and patient interventions, it has become more difficult for perioperative staff members to ensure that equipment is properly used and disinfected according to the manufacturer's instructions for use and the Spaulding classification system. One type of medical device that may have multiple clinical uses is the ultrasound transducer. In the perioperative setting, ultrasound transducers can be used for surface, percutaneous, and endocavitary procedures. They also may be used at multiple times before, during, and after a procedure, which may make it challenging for perioperative staff members to know the correct disinfection practice. They should use the device's instructions for use and the Spaulding classification system to guide their clinical practice.
Selective filtration of dye by tannic acid‐molybdenum disulfide composite nanofiltration membrane
Authors: Li Yang , Jia Guozhi , Wu Lu
Published: September 2023

Dye‐selective nanofiltration membranes have great potential for chemical dye separation and purification as well as dye wastewater treatment. Two‐dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with excellent physical and chemical properties are ideal nanofiltration membrane materials. MoS2 with few layers is used in combination with polyphenols to prepare highly selective filtration nanofiltration membranes for cationic dyes. The tannic acid (TA)‐MoS2 composite material is constructed on the surface of a micro‐porous Mixed Cellulose Ester membrane by a vacuum filtration method, and the nanofiltration membrane exhibits good flexibility and excellent film‐forming properties. The maximum filtration efficiency of TAMoS2 nanocomposite film for R6G can reach 80%, while for EY and MO, it is only 9.6% and 6.1% respectively. Filtration studies on mixtures of two different types of dyes show that the composite nanofiltration membrane has excellent separation performance. The separation characteristics and mechanism of the composite nanofilm on dyes are carefully studied, showing good selectivity for cationic dyes, which can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of non‐covalent interactions and steric hindrance. This work paves the way for the use of eco‐friendly membranes for water and wastewater treatment and provides an environmentally friendly solution for various applications.
Immobilized‐laccase bioreactors for wastewater treatment
Authors: Rodríguez‐Couto Susana
Published: September 2023

Laccases have shown to be efficient biocatalysts for the removal of recalcitrant pollutants from wastewater. Thus, they catalyze the oxidation of a wide variety of organic compounds by reducing molecular oxygen to water. However, the use of free laccases holds several drawbacks such as poor reusability, high cost, low stability and sensitivity to different denaturing agents that may occur in wastewater. Such drawbacks can be circumvented by immobilizing laccase enzymes in/on solid carriers. Hence, during the last decades different approaches considering various techniques and solid carriers to immobilize laccase enzymes have been developed and tested for the removal of pollutants from wastewater. To scale up wastewater treatment bioprocesses, immobilized laccases are placed in different reactor configurations.
An extracellular glucose sensor for substrate‐dependent secretion and display of cellulose‐degrading enzymes
Authors: Besada‐Lombana Pamela B. , Chen Wilfred , Da Silva Nancy A.
Published: September 2023

The efficient hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars is key for viable economic production of biofuels and biorenewable chemicals from second‐generation feedstocks. Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) combines lignocellulose saccharification and chemical production in a single step. To avoid wasting valuable resources during CBP, the selective secretion of enzymes (independent or attached to the surface) based on the carbon source available is advantageous. To enable enzyme expression and secretion based on extracellular glucose levels, we implemented a G‐protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR)‐based extracellular glucose sensor; this allows the secretion and display of cellulases in the presence of the cellulosic fraction of lignocellulose by leveraging cellobiose‐dependent signal amplification. We focused on the glucose‐responsiveness of the HXT1 promoter and engineered PHXT1 by changing its core to that of the strong promoter PTHD3, increasing extracellular enzyme activity by 81%. We then demonstrated glucose‐mediated expression and cell‐surface display of the β‐glucosidase BglI on the surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The display system was further optimized by re‐directing fatty acid pools from lipid droplet synthesis toward formation of membrane precursors via knock‐out of PAH1. This resulted in an up to 4.2‐fold improvement with respect to the baseline strain. Finally, we observed cellobiose‐dependent signal amplification of the system with an increase in enzymatic activity of up to 3.1‐fold when cellobiose was added.
Enhancing the production of recombinant adeno‐associated virus in synthetic cell lines through systematic characterization
Authors: Lu Min , Lee Zion , Lin Yu‐Chieh , Irfanullah Ibrahim , Cai Wen , Hu Wei‐Shou
Published: September 2023

Recombinant adeno‐associated virus (rAAV) is among the most commonly used in vivo gene delivery vehicles and has seen a number of successes in clinical application. Current manufacturing processes of rAAV employ multiple plasmid transfection or rely on virus infection and face challenges in scale‐up. A synthetic biology approach was taken to generate stable cell lines with integrated genetic modules, which produced rAAV upon induction albeit at a low productivity. To identify potential factors that restrained the productivity, we systematically characterized virus production kinetics through targeted quantitative proteomics and various physical assays of viral components. We demonstrated that reducing the excessive expression of gene of interest by its conditional expression greatly increased the productivity of these synthetic cell lines. Further enhancement was gained by optimizing induction profiles and alleviating proteasomal degradation of viral capsid protein by the addition of proteasome inhibitors. Altogether, these enhancements brought the productivity close to traditional multiple plasmid transfection. The rAAV produced had comparable full particle contents as those produced by conventional transient plasmid transfection. The present work exemplified the versatility of our synthetic biology‐based viral vector production platform and its potential for plasmid‐ and virus‐free rAAV manufacturing.
Standardizing cassette‐based deep mutagenesis by Golden Gate assembly
Authors: Daffern Nicolas , Francino‐Urdaniz Irene M. , Baumer Zachary T. , Whitehead Timothy A.
Published: September 2023

Protocols for the construction of large, deeply mutagenized protein encoding libraries via Golden Gate assembly of synthetic DNA cassettes employ disparate, system‐specific methodology. Here we present a standardized Golden Gate method for building user‐defined libraries. We demonstrate that a 25 μL reaction, using 40 fmol of input DNA, can generate a library on the order of 1 × 106 members and that reaction volume or input DNA concentration can be scaled up with no losses in transformation efficiency. Such libraries can be constructed from dsDNA cassettes generated either by degenerate oligonucleotides or oligo pools. We demonstrate its real‐world effectiveness by building custom, user‐defined libraries on the order of 104–107 unique protein encoding variants for two orthogonal protein engineering systems. We include a detailed protocol and provide several general‐use destination vectors.
Mono o‐nitrobenzyl dihydrofluorescein as a photoactivatable ROS sensor for oxidative stress in live cells
Authors: Jo Hye‐Ryeong , Kim Seo Jin , Zheng Yingyu , Cho Seok‐Hyun , Nam Sang un , Moon Seungwon , Kang Chulhun , Kim Tae Woo
Published: September 2023

The confocal interpretation of organelle‐selective fluorogenic chemosensors can be ambiguous because of inconsistency between the sensor localization and reaction site. To overcome this limitation, we implemented the photoactivation strategy which refers to light‐controlled probe activation within cells at the desired time. In this study, we synthesized a photoactivatable dihydrofluorescein probe (1) and its cell‐permeable derivative (3, acetoxymethyl ester of 1). We confirmed their reactivity to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and photoactivation in both solution and cells. The photoactivation of probe 3 facilitated temporal control between probe treatment and the occurrence of fluorogenic events. We conducted organelle colocalization studies and cellular ROS imaging, clearly showing that the probe primarily localized to early/late endosomes and reacted with intracellular ROS at these endosomes. These findings highlight the effectiveness of the photoactivation strategy for fluorogenic ROS probes in mitigating ambiguities associated with conventional fluorogenic ROS sensing approaches.
Preliminary development and piloting of a user‐generated routine outcome measure in a children and young people's counselling service
Authors: Perry Sarah , Carpenter Simon ,   CLEAR IDEAS
Published: September 2023

Background

Routine outcome monitoring has become a major focus of children and young people's mental health and counselling services in the United Kingdom, in the spirit of increasing user participation and delivering evidence‐based practice. In this pilot project, a group of young people were supported as co‐researchers to explore the ways in which counselling and therapy services measure their effectiveness.

Aims

To explore young people's views of appropriate outcome measures of the effectiveness of therapy and to develop a novel user‐generated questionnaire.

Methodology

The project was informed by co‐operative enquiry and participation research, whereby the co‐researchers were also co‐participants. Eight young people designed and created a novel questionnaire to assess the effectiveness of therapy and service satisfaction. The questionnaire focused explicitly on the actual benefits of therapy to young people, as perceived by themselves and expressed in their own words. This questionnaire was subsequently piloted with 66 participants attending a specialist counselling service for children and young people who have experienced abuse.

Results

A reasonable spread of ratings to the individual items and few ‘Don't know’ responses suggested that the items were easy to understand and the rating scale functional. Total scores were positively skewed.

Implications

Although there are challenges for co‐operative enquiry and meaningful participation research with young people, the limitations of current outcome evaluation require the development of more relevant and sensitive measures of children and young people's experiences of therapy.
Repurposing Salicylamides to Combat Phytopathogenic Bacteria and Induce Plant Defense Responses
Authors: Ma Yue , He Ying‐Hui , Deng Peng , Zhang Shao‐Yong , Ding Yan‐Yan , Zhang Zhi‐Jun , Zhang Bao‐Qi , An Jun‐Xia , Wang Yi‐Rong , Liu Ying‐Qian
Published: September 2023

Based on the research strategy of “drug repurposing”, a series of derivatives and marketed drugs that containing salicylic acid skeleton were tested for their antibacterial activities against phytopathogens. Salicylic acid can not only regulate some important growth metabolism of plants, but also induce plant disease resistance. The bioassay results showed that the salicylamides exhibited excellent antibacterial activity. Especially, oxyclozanide showed the best antibacterial effect against Xanthomonas oryzae, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri and Pectobacterium atroseptica with MICs of 0.78, 3.12 and 12.5 μg.mL‐1, respectively. In vivo experiments with rice bacterial leaf blight had further demonstrated that oxyclozanide exhibited stronger antibacterial activity than the commercial bactericide, thiodiazole copper. Oxyclozanide could induce plant defense responses through the determination of salicylic acid content and the activities of defense‐related enzymes including CAT, POD, and SOD in rice. The preliminarily antibacterial mechanism study indicated that oxyclozanide exhibited the antibacterial activity by disrupting cell integrity and reducing bacterial pathogenicity. Additionally, oxyclozanide could induce plant defense responses through the determination of salicylic acid content.