Working across religions, cultures, settings, and development: Protocol for wave 2 data collection with children and parents by the developing belief network.

The Developing Belief Network is a global research collaborative studying religious development in diverse social-cultural settings, with a focus on the intersection of cognitive mechanisms and cultural beliefs and practices in early and middle childhood. The current manuscript describes the study protocol for the network's second wave of data collection, which aims to further explore the development and diversity of religious cognition and behavior using a multi-time point approach. This protocol is designed to investigate three key research questions-how children represent and reason about religious and supernatural agents, how children represent and reason about religion as an aspect of social identity, and how religious and supernatural beliefs are transmitted within and between generations-via a set of eight tasks for children between the ages of 5 and 13 years and a survey completed by their parents/caregivers.

Foundational Reading Knowledge of Teachers of Students With IDD: Examining Experience, Degree and Time Use.

Background: Special education teachers require foundational reading content knowledge (e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics) to teach early reading skills.

Clinical bias and gout: How stigma impacts patient care.

The management of gout, a condition historically laden with stigma and misconceptions about its underlying causes, stands at a critical juncture. Despite significant advances in understanding its pathophysiology and treatment, gout management remains inconsistent and at odds with prevailing clinical guidelines and evidenced-based standards. This study investigates how inaccurate physician beliefs about gout can bias clinical judgment and contribute to compromised patient care.

Hydrodynamically Derived Negative Lift Generation of the Cephalic Lobes of Foraging Benthopelagic Myliobatids to Maintain Ground Contact.

The cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) and spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) are benthopelagic myliobatids that forage on the ocean bottom. To sense prey under the bottom substrate, cownose rays deploy two depressible cephalic lobes, which are anterior modifications of the pectoral fins. Spotted eagle rays have a delta-shaped flattened rostrum from two fused cephalic lobes that is angled down in contact with the substrate when foraging.

A PHYSICS-GUIDED SMOOTHING METHOD FOR MATERIAL MODELING WITH DIGITAL IMAGE CORRELATION (DIC) MEASUREMENTS.

In this work, we present a novel approach to process the DIC measurements of multiple biaxial stretching protocols. In particular, we develop a optimization-based approach, which calculates the smoothed nodal displacements using a moving least-squares algorithm subject to positive strain constraints. As such, physically consistent displacement and strain fields are obtained.

Using a Community-Based Participatory Research Approach to Study the Mental Health of Older Adults with a Refugee Life Experience.

Older adults with a refugee life experience have a disproportionate burden of mental health problems compared to non-refugee aging populations. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a promising approach to identify the challenges and strengths of older refugee adults and identify solutions to mental health disparities. We present a case study of one such CBPR program of research with older ethnic Nepali Bhutanese adults resettled in North America, Project Bhalakushari.

Probing Surface/Bulk Structural Chemistry of Key Components of Solid Oxide Electrochemical Cells with / Raman Spectroscopy.

The remarkable attributes of solid oxide electrochemical cell technology (e.g., energy efficiency, low cost, scalability, low emissions, and operational flexibility, etc.

: Addressing Community Needs to Implement Firearm Prohibitions for Domestic Violence Protective Order Respondents.

Prohibiting domestic violence protective order (DVPO) respondents from firearms is an effective strategy to prevent intimate partner homicide. However, DVPO gun laws vary considerably across states, and the implementation of such laws is inconsistent across localities. Local context, such as resource availability, priorities, and politics, differs across types of communities and impacts the implementation of laws.

Not just an afterthought: the essentiality of professional development for STEM teaching assistants.

Graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs) have become increasingly responsible for facilitating coursework in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Yet, they often receive limited, if any, professional development (PD) to support them in this endeavor and to accelerate their growth as educators. This themed issue on STEM TA PD reflects a concerted effort to address this concern, with the articles comprising the issue representing a wide array of topical contributions by authors with a diversity of roles across institutions/organizations.

Using High-Throughput Screening to Identify Crosslinking Peptides That Control Cell-Mediated Matrix Degradation.

Cells modify the extracellular matrix by expressing proteases that degrade matrix proteins, enabling cell migration within tissues. This process is mimicked in hydrogels through protease-degradable peptide crosslinks. However, cleaving hydrogel crosslinks reduces local matrix mechanical properties, and most crosslinking peptides, including the widely used GPQGIWGQ "PanMMP" sequence, often lead to bulk hydrogel degradation.

Association of wrist circumference with metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease in the KADEM cohort.

Introduction: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is linked to metabolic dysfunction and to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The early detection of individuals at high risk of MAFLD is essential for timely interventions. This study explores the association between wrist circumference and MAFLD among participants in the Kuwait Adult Diabetes and Epidemiological Multidisciplinary (KADEM) program, aiming to evaluate wrist circumference as a potential noninvasive diagnostic marker.

Temporal information encoding in isolated cortical networks.

Time-dependent features are present in many sensory stimuli. In the sensory cortices, timing features of stimuli are represented by spatial and temporal code. A potential mechanism by which cortical networks may perform temporal-to-spatial conversion is "reservoir computing.

Proteomic Analysis of BMAC from the Iliac Crest and Humeral Head Using Support Vector Machines.

The aim of this study was to analyze the proteomic differences in bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) between extraction sites, specifically, the iliac crest and humeral head. Using support vector machine (SVM) models, SVM-(linear) and SVM-(rbf), we identified six key proteins (MCSF, CD14, CD40, CD163, Ephrin-A4, and Matrilin-3) as essential for distinguishing between these sites. The results indicate that site-to-site proteomic differences are likely influenced by the surrounding tissues of each extraction site.

Revealing Inaccuracies in Using Chemical Oxygen Demand to Evaluate Azo Dye Mineralization: A Case for Control Experiments.

The degradation of azo dyes using a wide range of techniques including photocatalysts, electrochemical methods, and microbes has been employed toward resolving azo dye pollution. The efficiency of the systems designed for azo dye degradation is often evaluated using chemical oxygen demand (COD). COD values of a series of azo dyes were determined by following the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater Chemical Oxygen Demand Method 5220D (SM5220D) using five water-soluble azo dyes: chrysoidine G, methyl orange, basacryl red, Bismarck brown Y, and acid violet 3.

Rapid characterization of MSW and RDF feedstocks for waste-to-energy process using LIBS and ML techniques.

The heterogeneity in the composition of municipal solid wastes (MSW) poses significant challenges in the production of biofuel and bioproducts. This research aims to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of waste analysis and characterization by introducing a fast characterization approach for MSW-derived refuse-derived fuels (RDF) by combining Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) with advanced machine learning (ML) techniques. The approach combines data pre-processing of LIBS spectra of RDF, and the development of ML models trained on domain and theory-based spectral features for predicting process parameters.

Multiple Model Predictive Control of the Cardiovascular System using Vagal Nerve Stimulation.

Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) is currently under investigation for the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases that include heart failure, arrhythmia, and hypertension. In preclinical and clinical studies, VNS stimulation parameters are heuristically determined in open-loop. But its therapeutic efficacy remains inconclusive, strongly suggesting the need for a closed-loop approach to optimize patient-specific stimulation parameters.

Polyethylene Glycol Surface Modification and Polythiophene Side-Chain Chemistry: A Combined Strategy toward High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes.

In the development of high-capacity lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the combined optimization of active material interfaces and polymer binder chemistry plays a critical role in improving electrode performance and longevity. This work explores a dual design strategy incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface modification and carboxylated polythiophene side-chain tailoring to enhance the electrochemical behavior of magnetite (FeO)-based anodes. PEG is employed to improve interfacial stability, while carboxylated polythiophene binders with varying alkyl side-chain lengthspoly-[3-(potassium-4-butanoate)-thiophene-2,5-diyl] (P3KBT), poly-[3-(potassium-5-pentanoate)-thiophene-2,5-diyl] (P3KPT), and poly-[3-(potassium-6-hexanoate)-thiophene-2,5-diyl] (P3KHT)are used to modulate molecular interactions and ion transport.

Persistent cortical excitatory neuron dysregulation in adult haploinsufficient mice.

mutations cause autism spectrum disorder, cognitive deficits, and macrocephaly. mouse models exhibit macrocephaly and transcriptional pathology, with inconsistent findings regarding neurogenesis, neuron function, and behavior. Via stereology and single nucleus transcriptomics (snRNA-seq), we found increased cortical volume was not explained by increase in neuron number.

Comparison of ActiGraph CentrePoint Insight Watch Placement on Dominant and Nondominant Wrists in Young Adults in Free-Living Conditions: Observational Validation Study.

Background: With the continuous evolution of technology, wearable accelerometers have become one of the most popular means of measuring daily physical activity (PA) levels. Despite the conventional use of the nondominant wrist as a device placement in numerous PA studies, the impact of wrist-worn accelerometer placement on PA data outcomes remains uncertain.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the degree of agreement between accelerometry data collected from CentrePoint Insight Watches (CPIWs; ActiGraph) worn on the dominant and nondominant wrists of young adults in free-living conditions.

MSCardio seismocardiography dataset: Initial insights from remote monitoring of cardiovascular-induced chest vibrations via smartphones.

The Mississippi State Remote Cardiovascular Monitoring (MSCardio) Study leverages smartphones to remotely collect seismocardiography (SCG) and gyrocardiography data from participants. The study employs an app that uses embedded sensors to record multi-dimensional vibrations, along with self-reported lifestyle and health data. Metadata is also captured to provide contextual information for analysis.

Unmasking Conformationally Adaptable Lipids as Drug Receptors.

This perspective presents evidence that conformationally adaptable lipids that readily conform to the shape of neighboring molecules, can act as receptors for lipophilic drugs. Specifically, Nearest-Neighbor Recognition (NNR) measurements indicate that chloroform, halothane, and isoflurane form 1:1 complexes with 1,2-dipalmitoyl--glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) in cholesterol-rich membrane leaflets. Biochemical studies of the effects of 63 amphipathic molecules on human red blood cells have shown strikingly similar results.

Machine Learning Models for Predicting Treatment-Requiring Retinopathy of Prematurity in the e-ROP Study.

Purpose: To evaluate machine learning (ML) models for predicting treatment-requiring retinopathy of prematurity (TR-ROP) using image findings at 32 to 34 weeks of postmenstrual age, along with demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: This secondary analysis included 771 infants with a birth weight of less than 1251 g who had at least one imaging session by 34 weeks postmenstrual age and at least one subsequent ROP examination for determining TR-ROP by ophthalmologists in the Telemedicine Approaches to Evaluating Acute-Phase Retinopathy of Prematurity (e-ROP) Study. Six ML models (K-nearest neighbors, support vector machine, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, deep neural network [DNN], and transformer) were evaluated for predicting TR-ROP.

How civil society in India is marginalized. Civic space as relational process.

Restriction of civic space is widely understood as a condition that constrains the autonomous role of civil society organizations. However, this conceptualization is delimiting. This paper explores civic space as constituted in the dynamics between civil society organizations and state actors, contributing to an emergent shift to a more processual, relational and agential understanding of civic space, involving a redefining of civil society roles by state and civil society actors acting and reacting within their everyday work.

Functional Connectome of Superagers Reveals Early Markers of Resilience and Vulnerability to Alzheimer's Disease.

As populations age, identifying the neurobiological basis of cognitive resilience is critical for delaying or preventing Alzheimer's disease (AD). While most older adults experience memory decline, a subset known as superagers (SA) maintains youthful memory into late life, offering a unique window into protective mechanisms against neurodegeneration. Here, we identified a functional connectivity (FC) signature, termed Alzheimer's-resilient connectome (ARC), that robustly differentiates SA from age-matched patients with AD.

Tuning Catalytic Reactivity via Wetting Control through Oxygen Vacancies: Ru Clusters on Anatase TiO and CeO Supports.

The shape of supported metal particles regulates their catalytic reactivity and is determined by the degree of wetting between the metal particle and the support surface. Flattened particles that wet support surfaces were reported in various catalytic systems, particularly in the subnanometer size regime. Such consequential metal-support wetting phenomena are poorly understood, and methods to study them on powder catalysts under realistic conditions are lacking.