Health insurance, race, and receipt of a postpartum visit among patients giving birth in a referral hospital in the US South.

Background: The United States faces a maternal mortality crisis with stark and unacceptable disparities. Postpartum care (PPC) is crucial for identifying and managing complications after childbirth. However, access to PPC is inconsistent, especially for marginalized individuals such as Black birthing people and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Experts Speak Forum: Decarbonization for Green Biobanking-The Current Landscape and Challenges for the Future.

This article provides an update on the current state of decarbonization efforts in biobanking, reflecting on the evolving discussions at the annual meetings of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). Following roundtable discussions at the 2021 and 2023 meetings, the 2024 ISBER meeting, which was held in Melbourne, Australia, featured a symposium, workshop, and posters dedicated to decarbonization, highlighting its growing significance on a global scale. The introduction of the term "green biobanking" at this meeting marked a pivotal moment, revealing that current decarbonization efforts in biobanking are largely piecemeal and lack a comprehensive, strategic approach.

Draft genomes of and strains found in the urine of the same female patient.

Here, we report the draft genomes of 5008-1 and 5008-2 strains isolated from a catheterized urine sample obtained from an asymptomatic postmenopausal woman diagnosed with recurrent urinary tract infection and receiving vaginal estrogen cream.

Modeling the dynamics of circulating tumor cell clusters inside a microfluidic channel.

Circulating tumor cells are central to metastasis, a particularly malign spread of cancer beyond its original location. While rare, there is growing evidence that the clusters of circulating tumor cells are significantly more harmful than individual cells. Microfluidic platforms constitute the core of circulating tumor cell cluster research, allowing cluster detection, analysis, and treatment.

A machine learning model for detecting and quantifying tropical cyclone related disturbance and recovery in estuaries.

Tropical cyclones have a significant impact on estuaries, resulting in deteriorating water quality, changes in phytoplankton productivity, as well as scouring and physical harm to mangroves and other vegetation. Furthermore, they have the potential to impede, pause, or even reverse ecosystem restoration and management efforts. As such, it is crucial to devise methods for detecting and measuring the severity of estuarine disturbances caused by tropical cyclones.

Hyperinsulinemic male LEW.1WR1 rats show early signs of impaired liver metabolism.

Weanling LEW.1WR1 (1WR1) rats are susceptible to type 1 diabetes (T1D) and hyperinsulinemic. Similar to human patients with T1D, these animals are susceptible to developing fatty liver infiltrates.

Linking machine learning and biophysical structural features in drug discovery.

Introduction: Machine learning methods were applied to analyze pharmacophore features derived from four protein-binding sites, aiming to identify key features associated with ligand-specific protein conformations.

Methods: Using molecular dynamics simulations, we generated an ensemble of protein conformations to capture the dynamic nature of their binding sites. By leveraging pharmacophore descriptors, the AI/ML framework prioritized features uniquely associated with ligand-selected conformations, enabling a mechanism-driven understanding of binding interactions.

Wide Bandwidth High-Power Triboelectric Energy Harvesting by Scotch Tape.

A triboelectric generator was proposed using commercial tape materials, which are composed of metalized poly(ethylene terephthalate) films to serve as electrodes and Scotch tape layers for power generation. Power extraction is achieved by the interaction between polypropylene and the acrylic adhesive layer when pressing and releasing, in which the atomic size gaps are formed due to van der Waals forces at the interface. The proposed triboelectric generator was sandwiched between two plastic plates to lead to a vibration-based energy harvester design with a mass attached to the top.

nsP2 Protease Inhibitor Blocks the Replication of New World Alphaviruses and Offer Protection in Mice.

New World alphaviruses, including Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), and western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV), are mosquito-transmitted viruses that cause disease in humans. These viruses are endemic to the western hemisphere, and disease in humans may lead to encephalitis and long-term neurological sequelae. There are currently no FDA-approved vaccines or antiviral therapeutics available for the prevention or treatment of diseases caused by these viruses.

Dementia advance care planning perspectives within an Alabama community: A theory guided qualitative study.

Advance Care Planning (ACP) is a process that supports decision-making about end-of-life goals. Dementia ACP is recommended during the early stages of the disease to empower the individual living with dementia to express wishes for quality of life before experiencing significant cognitive decline. ACP during early dementia is rare, and hesitancy to initiate difficult and emotional conversations may be a contributing factor to delaying ACP.

Perspectives on the Dementia Public Health Exposome.

Dementia is a public health concern in the aging population with an estimated 55 million people impacted globally. Public health initiatives that focus on minimizing dementia risk factors may support efforts to reduce the incidence of dementia in at-risk populations. Exposomics considers both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for disease, including genetic changes with age and lifetime exposures to environmental, social, and behavioral risk factors.

Effects of urbanization on cloud-to-ground lightning strike frequency: a global perspective.

Urbanization tends to increase local lightning frequency (i.e. the 'lightning enhancement' effect).

Inhibitor of the non-structural protein 2 protease shows promising efficacy in mouse models of chikungunya.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is responsible for the most endemic alphavirus infections called Chikungunya. The endemicity of Chikungunya has increased over the past two decades, and it is a pathogen with pandemic potential. There is currently no approved direct-acting antiviral to treat the disease.

Synergy of Urban Heat, Pollution, and Social Vulnerability in One of America's Most Rapidly Growing Cities: Houston, We Have a Problem.

During the first two decades of the twenty-first century, we analyze the expansion of urban land cover, urban heat island (UHI), and urban pollution island (UPI) in the Houston Metropolitan Area (HMA) using land cover classifications derived from Landsat and land/aerosol products from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. Our approach involves both direct utilization and fusion with in situ observations for a comprehensive characterization. We also examined how social vulnerability within the HMA changed during the study period and whether the synergy of UHI, UPI, and social vulnerability enhances environmental inequalities.

Judgments of Difficulty (JODs) While Observing an Automated System Support the Media Equation and Unique Agent Hypotheses.

Objective: We investigated how people used cues to make Judgments of Difficulty (JODs) while observing automation perform a task and when performing this task themselves.

Background: Task difficulty is a factor affecting trust in automation; however, no research has explored how individuals make JODs when watching automation or whether these judgments are similar to or different from those made while watching humans. Lastly, it is unclear how cue use when observing automation differs as a function of experience.

Directed assembly of small binary clusters of magnetizable ellipsoids.

We report the effect of shape anisotropy and material properties on the directed assembly of binary suspensions composed of magnetizable ellipsoids. In a Monte Carlo simulation, we implement the ellipsoid-dipole model to calculate the pairwise dipolar interaction energy as a function of position and orientation. The analysis explores dilute suspensions of paramagnetic and diamagnetic ellipsoids with different aspect ratios in a superparamagnetic medium.

Seasonal Maize yield forecasting in South and East African Countries using hybrid Earth observation models.

Climate change still adversely affects agriculture in the sub-Saharan Africa. There is need to strengthen early action to bolster livelihoods and food security. Most governments use pre- and post-harvest field surveys to capture statistics for National Food Balance Sheets (NFBS) key in food policy and economic planning.

Structure-Based Identification of Novel Histone Deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) Inhibitors.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are important cancer drug targets. Existing FDA-approved drugs target the catalytic pocket of HDACs, which is conserved across subfamilies (classes) of HDAC. However, engineering specificity is an important goal.

Sexuality education for school-aged children and adolescents: A concept analysis.

Purpose: Sexuality education is essential for children and adolescents to make better choices regarding their sexual well-being. Parents, teachers, and healthcare providers are not always comfortable talking to school-age children about sex, making sexuality education a concept of interest to be explored. The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of sexuality education in school-aged children and adolescents.

Evaluation of WRF-Chem air quality forecasts during the AEROMMA and STAQS 2023 field campaigns.

A real-time air quality forecasting system was developed using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) to provide support for flight planning activities during the NOAA Atmospheric Emissions and Reactions Observed from Megacities to Marine Areas (AEROMMA) and NASA Synergistic TEMPO Air Quality Science (STAQS) 2023 field campaigns. The forecasting system operated on two separate domains centered on Chicago, IL, and New York City, NY, and provided 72-hour predictions of atmospheric composition, aerosols, and clouds. This study evaluates the Chicago-centered forecasting system's 1-, 2-, and 3-day ozone (O) forecast skill for Chiwaukee Prairie, WI, a rural area downwind of Chicago that often experiences high levels of O pollution.

The Pathway to Developing a Competency-based Tool for Entry-level Nursing Simulation: A Delphi Study.

Background: Simulation-based learning experiences allow undergraduate nursing students to develop competence and confidence through deliberate practice with immediate feedback on the learner's performance through debriefing. With the transition to competency-based nursing education, nursing faculty need more guidance in implementing competency-based evaluations in the simulation setting.

Purpose: This Delphi study aims to inform the future development of a competency-based tool - SimComp - based on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials.

Inhibitors of the Structural and Nonstructural Proteins of Alphaviruses.

The Alphavirus genus includes viruses that cause encephalitis due to neuroinvasion and viruses that cause arthritis due to acute and chronic inflammation. There is no approved therapeutic for alphavirus infections, but significant efforts are ongoing, more so in recent years, to develop vaccines and therapeutics for alphavirus infections. This review article highlights some of the major advances made so far to identify small molecules that can selectively target the structural and the nonstructural proteins in alphaviruses with the expectation that persistent investigation of an increasingly expanding chemical space through a variety of structure-based design and high-throughput screening strategies will yield candidate drugs for clinical studies.

Lanthanum-loaded geopolymer for phosphate removal from agricultural runoff.

The removal of phosphate from agricultural runoff is of great importance to mitigate an overabundance of nutrients discharging into receiving water bodies, which are susceptible to eutrophication. In this study, a La-loaded geopolymer was produced by adding metakaolin within an alkaline medium, consisting of sodium silicate (NaSiO) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The ratio of NaSiO:NaOH within the geopolymer slurry was manipulated to evaluate its effect on phosphate adsorption capacity.

How do physicians respond to new medical research?

What happens when the findings of a prominent medical study are overturned? Using a medical trial on breech births, we estimate the effect of the reversal of such a medical study on physician choices and infant health outcomes. Using the United States Birth Certificate Records from 1995 to 2010, we employ a difference-in-differences estimator for C-sections, low Apgar, and low birth weight measures. We find that the reversal of a multi-site, high profile, randomized control trial on the appropriate delivery of term breech births, the Term Breech Trial, led to a 15%-23% decline in C-sections for such births at a time when the overall trend in C-sections was rising.