African experiments in infrastructure financialisation: an urbanisation of debt in Malawi.

Diverging from accounts that portray financialisation in the Global South as 'subordinate' to that experienced in the north, in this paper we examine the recent financing and delivery of urban infrastructure projects in Malawi using bonds sold on the domestic market. We do so to make two contributions to the geographical literature on financialisation. Firstly, to reveal how (contrary to accounts in the recent international development literature) non-revenue generating urban infrastructure debt able to be assetised on domestic markets in poorer countries, despite seemingly restrained and indebted fiscal backdrops.

Interprofessional activity using a situation, background, assessment, and recommendation structured method of communication to teach safe prescribing practices.

Interprofessional education (IPE) can prepare health sciences students to communicate effectively within interdisciplinary teams to deliver safe and effective health care with fewer medical errors. The IPE Collaborative Core Competencies were used to develop and evaluate a course-based, faculty-planned, IPE activity for health professions students. Nurse practitioner and physician associate students were paired with Doctor of Pharmacy students to simulate a professional interaction between prescriber and pharmacist; student pairs used current evidence and the verbal situation, background, assessment, and recommendation method of communication to resolve a case-based prescription safety issue.

A human milk oligosaccharide alters the microbiome, circulating hormones, and metabolites in a randomized controlled trial of older adults.

Aging-related immune dysfunction is linked to cancer, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases. This 6-week randomized controlled trial evaluated whether 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), a human breast milk oligosaccharide with established benefits in infants and animal models, could improve gut microbiota and immune function in 89 healthy older adults (mean age 67.3 years).

Exploring the Protective Properties of Perceived Military and Non-Military Social Support in Relation to Perceived Substance Abuse Among Veterans With Chronic Pain.

Introduction: Perceived social support serves as a protective factor in the course of chronic pain and substance use disorders in civilian populations, but the role of support from civilians versus other military personnel for combat veterans experiencing chronic pain has not yet been explored. The current study examined differences in the protective properties of perceived social support from (1) military personnel and (2) civilians, regarding substance use and perceived substance abuse for combat veterans experiencing chronic pain. We hypothesized that higher endorsement of both types of perceived social support would be associated with lower odds of self-reported, perceived substance abuse, and support from military personnel would be associated with lower odds of perceived substance abuse after controlling for the role of non-military social support.

Design and manufacture of a radioactive 3D printed phantom for PET quality control.

Aim/introduction: It is proposed to incorporate radioisotopes into the resin material of 3D-printers to facilitate the production of complex phantoms for PET quality control. This project aimed to demonstrate this possibility by producing a lesion detection phantom with associated software for PET image evaluation and optimisation.

Methods: 80 MBq of Zr were added to the support resin of an Objet30-Pro 3D-printer and printed alongside the build resin to create a bespoke phantom with a heterogeneous activity distribution.

Barriers to public engagement with biodiversity conservation.

Addressing biodiversity loss requires public engagement and action, including changes to individual consumption habits, support for on-the-ground conservation actions, and advocacy for government action and policy change. Conservation organizations are increasingly focused on encouraging probiodiversity attitudes and behaviors through interventions, such as education programs and marketing campaigns. Yet, motivating public audiences to change their behavior or become more active participants in conservation remains a challenge.

Self-Regulated Moderate Intensity Habitual Exercise and Next-Day Resting Metabolic Rate in Male Endurance Athletes: Implications for Athlete Testing.

Best practice guidelines for resting metabolic rate (RMR) testing are to avoid moderate to vigorous physical activity for 12-48 h beforehand, the upper limits of which can be difficult for athletes to adhere to. We investigated the effect of self-regulated moderate intensity exercise in a free-living setting on next-day RMR in endurance athletes. Thirteen male endurance athletes participated, alternating between rest and exercise conditions in randomised order.

Effects of behavioral intervention components to increase COVID-19 testing for African American/Black and Latine frontline essential workers not up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination: Results of an optimization randomized controlled trial.

Racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19, including incidence, hospitalization, and death rates, are serious and persistent. Among those at highest risk for COVID-19 and its adverse effects are African American/Black and Latine (AABL) frontline essential workers in public-facing occupations (e.g.

Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccination Among Unvaccinated and Under-Vaccinated African American/Black and Latine Frontline Essential Workers: A Qualitative Exploration.

Racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are serious in the United States, particularly among African American/Black and Latine (AABL) populations. Staying up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination is essential for mitigating risk, but AABL vaccination rates are low. The present qualitative study explores perspectives on COVID-19 among AABL persons at high-risk for exposure to the SARS-CoV- 2 virus: frontline essential workers engaged in public-facing professions (e.

Generating New Meniscus Therapies via Recent Breakthroughs in Development, Model Systems, and Clinical Diagnostics.

Over 850,000 surgeries are performed to treat meniscal injuries each year in the United States. Even with repair, patients are likely to develop osteoarthritis (OA) within the next two decades. There is a pressing clinical need to improve meniscal repair procedures to restore tissue function and prevent joint degeneration later in life.

Navigation: Scanning your future path.

A new model of how we plan pathways through the world shows that populations of neurons that code our current position, including entorhinal grid cells and head direction cells, could interact to aid planning by scanning alternating forward trajectories through the environment.

How does the response of egocentric boundary cells depend upon the coordinate system of environmental features?

Neurons in the retrosplenial (RSC) (Alexander et al., 2020a; LaChance and Hasselmo, 2024) and postrhinal cortex (POR) respond to environmental boundaries and configurations in egocentric coordinates relative to an animals current position. Neurons in these structures and adjacent structures also respond to spatial dimensions of self- motion such as running velocity (Carstensen et al.

Effects of fermented and fiber-rich foods on maternal & offspring microbiome study (FeFiFo-MOMS) - Study design and methods.

Background: Recent research underscores the crucial role of the gut microbiota in human health, particularly during states of altered homeostasis, including pregnancy. Additionally, it is not well understood how dietary changes during pregnancy affect the development of microbiomes of both mother and child.

Methods: Here, we describe the study design and methods for our randomized controlled trial, the fermented and fiber-rich foods on maternal and offspring microbiome study (FeFiFo-MOMS).

A gut pathobiont regulates circulating glycine and host metabolism in a twin study comparing vegan and omnivorous diets.

Metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes and obesity pose a significant global health burden. Plant-based diets, including vegan diets, are linked to favorable metabolic outcomes, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In a randomized trial involving 21 pairs of identical twins, we investigated the effects of vegan and omnivorous diets on the host metabolome, immune system, and gut microbiome.

Embedding Technology-Assisted Parenting Interventions in Real-World Settings to Empower Parents of Children With Adverse Childhood Experiences: Co-Design Study.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences are strongly associated with mental disorders in young people. Parenting interventions are available through community health settings and can intervene with adverse childhood experiences that are within a parent's capacity to modify. Technology can minimize common barriers associated with engaging in face-to-face parenting interventions.

A Multisite, Longitudinal Study Assessing Prevalence of Anxiety in Student Pharmacists.

Objective: Conduct a multisite, survey-based study assessing rates of self-reported anxiety symptoms among student pharmacists enrolled in the first 3 professional years (PY1 to PY3) of a 4-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curricula.

Methods: This study followed a cross-sectional observational design conducted at Washington State University, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (WSU) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Pharmacy (UAMS). Student pharmacists in PY1 to PY3 of the PharmD curricula were invited to voluntarily complete the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale in order to self-report measures of anxiety.

"Give me the reigns of taking care of myself with a home": Healing environments in an Indigenous-led alcohol harm reduction program.

Background: Distinct from western Managed Alcohol Programs (MAPs), Indigenous-led alcohol harm reduction programs can be defined by both 'culture as healing' and decolonized harm reduction philosophies. We sought to explore experiences of Indigenous 'family members' (participants) in an Indigenous-led alcohol harm reduction program and culturally supportive housing to identify appropriate supports according to family member perspectives, and to inform delivery of the program.

Methods: Situated within an Indigenous-western research partnership, we completed semi-structured interviews with seven family members of an Indigenous-led alcohol harm reduction and culturally supportive housing program.

Electrospun Fiber Surface Roughness Modulates Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophage Phenotype.

Injuries to fibrous connective tissues have very little capacity for self-renewal and exhibit poor healing after injury. Phenotypic shifts in macrophages play a vital role in mediating the healing response, creating an opportunity to design immunomodulatory biomaterials which control macrophage polarization and promote regeneration. In this study, electrospun poly(-caprolactone) fibers with increasing surface roughness (SR) were produced by increasing relative humidity and inducing vapor-induced phase separation during the electrospinning process.

Stepwise Stiffening/Softening of and Cell Recovery from Reversibly Formulated Hydrogel Interpenetrating Networks.

Biomechanical contributions of the extracellular matrix underpin cell growth and proliferation, differentiation, signal transduction, and other fate decisions. As such, biomaterials whose mechanics can be spatiotemporally altered- particularly in a reversible manner- are extremely valuable for studying these mechanobiological phenomena. Herein, a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogel model consisting of two interpenetrating step-growth networks is introduced that are independently formed via largely orthogonal bioorthogonal chemistries and sequentially degraded with distinct recombinant sortases, affording reversibly tunable stiffness ranges that span healthy and diseased soft tissues (e.

Optogenetic silencing of medial septal GABAergic neurons disrupts grid cell spatial and temporal coding in the medial entorhinal cortex.

The hippocampus and medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) form a cognitive map that facilitates spatial navigation. As part of this map, MEC grid cells fire in a repeating hexagonal pattern across an environment. This grid pattern relies on inputs from the medial septum (MS).

A method for temporal-spatial multivariate genomic analysis of acute wound healing via tissue stratification: a porcine negative pressure therapy pilot study.

Wound therapies are capable of modulating the complex molecular signaling profile of tissue regeneration. However traditional, bulk tissue analysis results in nonspecific expressional profiles and diluted signaling that lacks temporal-spatial information. An acute incisional porcine wound model was developed in the context of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT).

Whole Coffee Cherry Extract Improves Working Memory and Response Inhibition: Acute and Longitudinal Results from a Remote, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Earlier laboratory-based evidence has suggested that polyphenol-rich, decaffeinated whole coffee cherry extract (CCE) supports improvements in acute and long-term cognitive performance. To better understand CCE's potential to promote cognitive processing, we conducted a first-of-its-kind remote clinical trial. Participants were randomized into one of two intervention arms: placebo or 200 mg CCE.