Transparent, plasticized cellulose-glycerol bioplastics for food packaging applications.

Free-standing films have been obtained by drop-casting cellulose-glycerol mixtures (up to 50 wt% glycerol) dissolved in trifluoroacetic acid and trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFA:TFAA, 2:1, v:v). A comprehensive examination of the optical, structural, mechanical, thermal, hydrodynamic, barrier, migration, greaseproof, and biodegradation characteristics of the films was conducted. The resulting cellulose-glycerol blends exhibited an amorphous molecular structure and a reinforced H-bond network, as evidenced by X-ray diffraction analysis and infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The inclusion of glycerol exerted a plasticizing influence on the mechanical properties of the films, while keeping their transparency. Hydrodynamic and barrier properties were assessed through water uptake and water vapor/oxygen transmission rates, respectively, and obtained values were consistent with those of other cellulose-based materials. Furthermore, overall migration levels were below European regulation limits, as stated by using Tenax® as a dry food simulant. In addition, these bioplastics demonstrated good greaseproof performance, particularly at high glycerol content, and potential as packaging materials for bakery products. Biodegradability assessments were carried out by measuring the biological oxygen demand in seawater and high biodegradation rates induced by glycerol were observed.

Decrease in platelet count in patients with AKI and its association with major adverse kidney events.

INTRODUCTION: A reduction in platelet count in critically ill patients is a marker of severity of the clinical condition. However, whether this association holds true in acute kidney injury (AKI) is unknown. We analyzed the association between platelet reduction in patients with AKI and major adverse kidney events (MAKE). METHODS: In this retrospective cohort, we included AKI patients at the Hospital Civil of Guadalajara, in Jalisco, Mexico. Patients were divided according to whether their platelet count fell >21% during the first 10 days. Our objectives were to analyze the associations between a platelet reduction >21% and MAKE at 10 days (MAKE10) or at 30-90 days (MAKE30-90) and death. RESULTS: From 2017 to 2023, 400 AKI patients were included, 134 of whom had a > 21% reduction in platelet count. The mean age was 54 years, 60% were male, and 44% had sepsis. The mean baseline platelet count was 194 x 103 cells/µL, and 65% of the KDIGO3 patients met these criteria. Those who underwent hemodialysis (HD) had lower platelet counts. After multiple adjustments, a platelet reduction >21% was associated with MAKE10 (OR 4.2, CI 2.1-8.5) but not with MAKE30-90. The mortality risk increased 3-fold (OR 2.9, CI 1.1-7.7, p = 0.02) with a greater decrease in the platelets (<90 x 103 cells/µL). As the platelets decreased, the incidence of MAKE was more likely to increase. These associations lost significance when accounting for starting HD. CONCLUSION: In our retrospective cohort of patients with AKI, a > 21% reduction in platelet count was associated with MAKE. Our results are useful for generating hypotheses and motivating us to continue studying this association with a more robust design.

A reduction in platelet count in critically ill patients has been associated with a worse prognosis, but it is not yet known whether this relationship also exists in patients with acute kidney injury, who are more susceptible to platelet decrease due to the syndrome or due to the onset of hemodialysis. In our study of acute kidney injury patients, we found that those whose platelet count decreased >21% during the first days were more likely to experience a major kidney event. In addition, the greater the decrease in platelet count was, the more likely these events were to occur. The significance of this association was lost in patients who start hemodialysis. Our conclusions could serve to generate hypotheses about this interesting relationship.

Risk of prostate cancer in the proximity of industrial installations: A multicase-control study in Spain (MCC-Spain).

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most frequent tumor in men worldwide; however, its etiology remains largely unknown, with the exception of age and family history. The wide variability in incidence/mortality across countries suggests a certain role for environmental exposures that has not yet been clarified. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between risk of PC (by clinical profile) and residential proximity to pollutant industrial installations (by industrial groups, groups of carcinogens, and specific pollutants released), within the context of a Spanish population-based multicase-control study of incident cancer (MCC-Spain). METHODS: This study included 1186 controls and 234 PC cases, frequency matched by age and province of residence. Distances from participants' residences to the 58 industries located in the study area were calculated and categorized into "near" (considering different limits between ≤1 km and ≤ 3 km) or "far" (>3 km). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95%CIs) were estimated using mixed and multinomial logistic regression models, adjusted for potential confounders and matching variables. RESULTS: No excess risk was detected near the overall industries, with ORs ranging from 0.66 (≤2 km) to 1.11 (≤1 km). However, positive associations (OR; 95%CI) were found, by industrial group, near (≤3 km) industries of ceramic (2.54; 1.28-5.07), food/beverage (2.18; 1.32-3.62), and disposal/recycling of animal waste (2.67; 1.12-6.37); and, by specific pollutant, near plants releasing fluorine (4.65; 1.45-14.91 at ≤1.5 km) and chlorine (5.21; 1.56-17.35 at ≤1 km). In contrast, inverse associations were detected near industries releasing ammonia, methane, dioxins+furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, trichloroethylene, and vanadium to air. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest no association between risk of PC and proximity to the overall industrial installations. However, some both positive and inverse associations were detected near certain industrial groups and industries emitting specific pollutants.

Matrix metalloproteinase 9: An emerging biomarker for classification of adherent vestibular schwannoma.

Background: The progression of vestibular schwannoma (VS) is intricately linked with interactions between schwannoma cells and the extracellular matrix. Surgical resection of VS is associated with substantial risks as tumors are adherent to the brainstem and cranial nerves. We evaluate the role of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in VS and explore its potential as a biomarker to classify adherent VS. Methods: Transcriptomic analysis of a murine schwannoma allograft model and immunohistochemical analysis of 17 human VS were performed. MMP9 abundance was assessed in mouse and human schwannoma cell lines. Transwell studies were performed to evaluate the effect of MMP9 on schwannoma invasion in vitro. Plasma biomarkers were identified from a multiplexed proteomic analysis in 45 prospective VS patients and validated in primary culture. The therapeutic efficacy of MMP9 inhibition was evaluated in a mouse schwannoma model. Results: MMP9 was the most highly upregulated protease in mouse schwannomas and was significantly enriched in adherent VS, particularly around tumor vasculature. High levels of MMP9 were found in plasma of patients with adherent VS. MMP9 outperformed clinical and radiographic variables to classify adherent VS with outstanding discriminatory ability. Human schwannoma cells secreted MMP9 in response to TNF-α which promoted cellular invasion and adhesion protein expression in vitro. Lastly, MMP9 inhibition decreased mouse schwannoma growth in vivo. Conclusions: We identify MMP9 as a preoperative biomarker to classify adherent VS. MMP9 may represent a new therapeutic target in adherent VS associated with poor surgical outcomes that lack other viable treatment options.

Molecular and circuit determinants in the globus pallidus mediating control of cocaine-induced behavioral plasticity.

The globus pallidus externus (GPe) is a central component of the basal ganglia circuit, receiving strong input from the indirect pathway and regulating a variety of functions, including locomotor output and habit formation. We recently showed that it also acts as a gatekeeper of cocaine-induced behavioral plasticity, as inhibition of parvalbumin-positive cells in the GPe (GPe PV ) prevents the development of cocaine-induced reward and sensitization. However, the molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying this function are unknown. Here we show that GPe PV cells control cocaine reward and sensitization by inhibiting GABAergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr GABA ), and ultimately, selectively modulating the activity of ventral tegmental area dopamine (VTA DA ) cells projecting to the lateral shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAcLat). A major input to GPe PV cells is the indirect pathway of the dorsomedial striatum (DMS D 2 ), which receives DAergic innervation from collaterals of VTA DA →NAcLat cells, making this a closed-loop circuit. Cocaine likely facilitates reward and sensitization not directly through actions in the GPe, but rather in the upstream DMS, where the cocaine-induced elevation of DA triggers a depression in DMS D 2 cell activity. This cocaine-induced elevation in DA levels can be blocked by inhibition of GPe PV cells, closing the loop. Interestingly, the level of GPe PV cell activity prior to cocaine administration is correlated with the extent of reward and sensitization that animals experience in response to future administration of cocaine, indicating that GPe PV cell activity is a key predictor of future behavioral responses to cocaine. Single nucleus RNA-sequencing of GPe cells indicated that genes encoding voltage-gated potassium channels KCNQ3 and KCNQ5 that control intrinsic cellular excitability are downregulated in GPe PV cells following a single cocaine exposure, contributing to the elevation in GPe PV cell excitability. Acutely activating channels containing KCNQ3 and/or KCNQ5 using the small molecule carnosic acid, a key psychoactive component of Salvia rosmarinus (rosemary) extract, reduced GPe PV cell excitability and also impaired cocaine reward, sensitization, and volitional cocaine intake, indicating its potential as a therapeutic to counteract psychostimulant use disorder. Our findings illuminate the molecular and circuit mechanisms by which the GPe orchestrates brain-wide changes in response to cocaine that are required for reward, sensitization, and self-administration behaviors.

Coinfections and comorbidities observed in COVID-19 during the influenza season in the pediatric patient.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if the comorbidity and coinfections presented by SARS-CoV-2 infection vs. COVID-19 impact our Mexican children. METHOD: Prospective and observational study that included the 2020-2021 peak influenza season. All patients with a diagnosis of infection by SARS-CoV-2 vs. COVID-19 who were admitted to the Hospital Infantil de Mexico were analyzed. Real-time RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 was performed in all patients, determining E, RdRp and RP genes and protein N, as well as RT-PCR for detection of respiratory viruses. RESULTS: The inclusion criteria were met by 163 patients. The group with the highest risk of becoming ill was adolescents (40.4%), followed by schoolchildren and preschoolers (21.4% and 19.6% of the cases, respectively). There were three cases with viral coinfection: two (1.2%) with parvovirus B-19 and one (0.6%) with herpes type I; another two (1.2%) showed bacterial coinfection. The main comorbidity were obesity, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and arterial hypertension. Regarding mortality, we only had four cases (2.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity, cancer, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes are comorbidity present in our patients, as referred to in literature, but not coinfections. In our study, we did not have any associated mortality related to comorbidity.

OBJETIVO: Evaluar el impacto de la comorbilidad y de las coinfecciones presentadas por la infección por SARS-CoV-2 vs. COVID-19 en niños mexicanos. MÉTODO: Estudio prospectivo y observacional que comprendió la temporada alta de influenza 2020-2021, analizando todos los pacientes con diagnóstico de infección vs. enfermedad por SARS-CoV-2 vs. COVID-19 que ingresaron al Hospital Infantil de México. Se realizó en todos RT-PCR en tiempo real para SARS-CoV-2, determinando gen E, gen RdRp, gen RP y proteína N, y RT-PCR multiplex para detección de virus respiratorios. RESULTADOS: Los criterios de inclusión los cumplieron 163 pacientes. El grupo con mayor riesgo de enfermar fueron los adolescentes (40.4%), seguidos de los escolares y preescolares (21.4% y 19.6% de los casos, respectivamente). Hubo tres casos con coinfección viral: dos (1.2%) con parvovirus B-19 y uno (0.6%) con herpes tipo I; hubo otros dos (1.2%) con coinfección bacteriana. La principal comorbilidad correspondió a obesidad, leucemia linfoblástica aguda e hipertensión arterial. En cuanto a mortalidad, solo hubo cuatro casos (2.4%). CONCLUSIONES: Obesidad, cáncer, hipertensión, cardiopatías y diabetes constituyen la comorbilidad en nuestros pacientes, como se refiere en la literatura, no así las coinfecciones. En nuestro estudio no hubo casos de mortalidad relacionada con la comorbilidad.

Theoretical Investigation of the Lattice Thermal Conductivities of II-IV-V2 Pnictide Semiconductors.

Ternary pnictide semiconductors with II-IV-V2 stoichiometry hold potential as cost-effective thermoelectric materials with suitable electronic transport properties, but their lattice thermal conductivities (κ) are typically too high. Insights into their vibrational properties are therefore crucial to finding strategies to reduce κ and achieve improved thermoelectric performance. We present a theoretical exploration of the lattice thermal conductivities for a set of pnictide semiconductors with ABX2 composition (A = Zn, Cd; B = Si, Ge, Sn; and X = P, As) using machine-learning-based regression algorithms to extract force constants from a reduced number of density functional theory simulations and then solving the Boltzmann transport equation for phonons. Our results align well with available experimental data, decreasing the mean absolute error by ∼3 W m-1 K-1 with respect to the best previous set of theoretical predictions. Zn-based ternary pnictides have, on average, more than double the thermal conductivity of the Cd-based compounds. Anisotropic behavior increases with the mass difference between A and B cations, but while the nature of the anion does not affect the structural anisotropy, the thermal conductivity anisotropy is typically higher for arsenides than for phosphides. We identify compounds such as CdGeAs2, for which nanostructuring to an affordable range of particle sizes could lead to κ values low enough for thermoelectric applications.

Polarimetric measurement of temporal coherence in electromagnetic light beams.

We present a method to determine the degree of temporal coherence of a quasimonochromatic vectorial light beam by polarimetric measurements. More specifically, we employ Michelson's interferometer in which the polarization Stokes parameters of the output (interference) beam are measured as a function of the time delay. Such a measurement enables us to deduce the magnitudes of the coherence (two-time) Stokes parameters, and hence the degree of coherence, of the input beam. Compared to existing methods the current technique has the benefits that neither optical elements in the arms of the interferometer nor visibility measurements are needed. The method is demonstrated with a laser diode and a filtered halogen source of various degrees of polarization.

Adherence to Screening Tests for Gynaecological and Colorectal Cancer in Patients with Diabetes in Spain: A Population-Based Study (2014-2020).

Objectives: Both diabetes mellitus (DM) and gynaecological and colorectal cancers are highly prevalent diseases. Furthermore, the presence of DM constitutes a risk factor and poor prognostic indicator for these types of cancer. This study is based on the European Health Interview Surveys in Spain (EHISS) of 2014 and 2020. It aimed to determine the trends in adherence to screening tests for gynaecological cancers (breast and cervical) and colorectal cancer, compare adherence levels between populations with and without diabetes, and identify predictors of adherence in the population with diabetes. Methods: An epidemiological case-control study based on the EHISS data of 2014 and 2020 was conducted. The characteristics of participants who underwent screening tests were analysed based on the presence or absence of DM, and predictors of adherence to these preventive activities were identified. Results: A total of 1852 participants with reported DM and 1852 controls without DM, adjusted for age and sex, were included. A higher adherence to mammography was observed in women without diabetes compared to those with diabetes, although statistical significance was not reached (72.9% vs. 68.6%, p = 0.068). Similarly, higher Pap smear adherence was observed in the population without diabetes in the age group between 60 and 69 years compared to the population with diabetes (54.0% vs. 45.8%, p = 0.016). Pap smear adherence among women with diabetes was significantly higher in the EHISS of 2020 (52.0% in 2014 vs. 61.0% in 2020, p = 0.010), as was the case for faecal occult blood testing (13.8% in 2014 vs. 33.8% in 2020, p < 0.001), but it was not significant for mammography (70.4% in 2014 vs. 66.8% in 2020, p = 0.301). Overall, the predictors of adherence to screening tests were older age, history of cancer and higher education level. Conclusions: Adherence levels to cancer screening tests were lower in the population with diabetes compared to those without diabetes, although an improvement in Pap smear and faecal occult blood test adherence was observed in 2020 compared to 2014. Understanding predictors is important to improve adherence rates in the population with diabetes.

A Macroscopic Interpretation of the Correlation between Electrical Percolation and Mechanical Properties of Poly-(Ethylene Vinyl Acetate)/Zn Composites.

Elastic composites were prepared using a procedure involving hot plates and zinc powder that was directly dispersed into an EVA matrix. The correlation between the zinc content and the conductive properties of the material was studied via impedance spectroscopy, the thermal properties of the material were studied via differential calorimetry and the mechanical properties of the composites were studied via tensile strength curves, representing an important advancement in the characterization of this type of composite material. The composites' tensile strength and elongation at break decrease with the addition of filler since zinc particles act as stress-concentrating centres, while the composites' hardness and Young's modulus increase because of an increase in the stiffness of the material. The AC perturbation across the EVA/Zn composites was characterized using an RC parallel equivalent circuit that allowed us to easily measure their resistivity (ρp) and permittivity (εp). The dependence of these electrical magnitudes on the zinc content is correlated with their mechanical properties across the characteristic time constant τp = ρp·Îµp of this equivalent circuit. The dependence of the mechanical and electrical magnitudes on the zinc content is consistent with the formation of percolation clusters. The addition of graphite particles increases their potential performance. Three possible mechanisms for the electrical transport of the ac-perturbation across the EVA/Zn composites have been identified. Chemical corrosion in acid media causes the loss of zinc surface particles, but their bulk physical properties practically remain constant.

Correction: Chaparro et al. Whey as an Alternative Nutrient Medium for Growth of Sporosarcina pasteurii and Its Effect on CaCO3 Polymorphism and Fly Ash Bioconsolidation. Materials 2021, 14, 2470.

The Editorial Office was made aware of an error in Figure S1 within the original publication [...].

Soft Contact Lens Engraving Characterization by Wavefront Holoscopy.

Permanent engravings on contact lenses provide information about the manufacturing process and lens positioning when they are placed on the eye. The inspection of their morphological characteristics is important, since they can affect the user's comfort and deposit adhesion. Therefore, an inverted wavefront holoscope (a lensless microscope based on Gabor's principle of in-line digital holography) is explored for the characterization of the permanent marks of soft contact lenses. The device, based on an in-line transmission configuration, uses a partially coherent laser source to illuminate the soft contact lens placed in a cuvette filled with a saline solution for lens preservation. Holograms were recorded on a digital sensor and reconstructed by back propagation to the image plane based on the angular spectrum method. In addition, a phase-retrieval algorithm was used to enhance the quality of the recovered images. The instrument was experimentally validated through a calibration process in terms of spatial resolution and thickness estimation, showing values that perfectly agree with those that were theoretically expected. Finally, phase maps of different engravings for three commercial soft contact lenses were successfully reconstructed, validating the inverted wavefront holoscope as a potential instrument for the characterization of the permanent marks of soft contact lenses. To improve the final image quality of reconstructions, the geometry of lenses should be considered to avoid induced aberration effects.

Combining Sound and Deep Neural Networks for the Measurement of Jump Height in Sports Science.

Jump height tests are employed to measure lower-limb muscle power of athletic and non-athletic populations. The most popular instruments for this purpose are jump mats and, in recent years, smartphone apps, which compute jump height through the manual annotation of video recordings and recently automatically using the sound produced during the jump to extract the flight time. In a previous work, the afore-mentioned sound systems were presented by the authors in which the take-off and landing events from the audio recordings of jump executions were obtained using classical signal processing. In this work, a more precise, noise-immune, and robust system, capable of working in the most unfavorable environments, is presented. The system uses a deep neural network trained specifically for this purpose. More than 300 jumps were recorded to train and validate the network performance. The ground truth was a jump mat, providing a slightly better accuracy in quiet and medium quiet environments but excellent accuracy in noisy and complicated ones. The developed audio-based system is a trustworthy instrument for measuring jump height accurately in any kind of environment, providing a perfect measurement tool that can be accessed through a mobile phone in the form of an app.

Triple challenges - Small sample size in both exposure and control groups to scan rare maternal outcomes in a signal identification approach: A simulation study.

There is a dearth of safety data on maternal outcomes after perinatal medication exposure. Data-mining for unexpected adverse event occurrence in existing datasets is a potentially useful approach. One method, the Poisson tree-based scan statistic (TBSS), assumes that the expected outcome counts, based on incidence of outcomes in the control group, are estimated without error. This assumption may be difficult to satisfy with a small control group. Our simulation study evaluated the effect of imprecise incidence proportions from the control group on TBSS' ability to identify maternal outcomes in pregnancy research. We simulated base case analyses with "true" expected incidence proportions and compared these to imprecise incidence proportions derived from sparse control samples. We varied parameters impacting Type I error and statistical power (exposure group size, outcome's incidence proportion, and effect size). We found that imprecise incidence proportions generated by a small control group resulted in inaccurate alerting, inflation of Type I error, and removal of very rare outcomes for TBSS analysis due to "zero" background counts. Ideally, the control size should be at least several times larger than the exposure size to limit the number of false positive alerts and retain statistical power for true alerts.

Atypical B cells promote cancer progression and poor response to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Poor response to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy remains a major barrier in the management of patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Multiple factors are associated with poor outcomes, including biological aging and female sex. More recently, it has emerged that a B-cell infiltrated pre-treatment immune microenvironment of NMIBC tumors can influence the response to intra-vesically administered BCG. The mechanisms underlying the roles of B cells in NMIBC are poorly understood. Here, we show that B-cell dominant tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), a hallmark feature of the chronic mucosal immune response, are abundant and located close to the epithelial compartment in pre-treatment tumors from BCG non-responders. Digital spatial proteomic profiling of whole tumor sections from male and female patients with NMIBC who underwent treatment with intravesical BCG, revealed higher expression of immune exhaustion-associated proteins within the tumor-adjacent TLSs in both responders and non-responders. Chronic local inflammation, induced by the N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) carcinogen, led to TLS formation with recruitment and differentiation of the immunosuppressive atypical B-cell (ABC) subset within the bladder microenvironment, predominantly in aging female mice compared to their male counterparts. Depletion of ABCs simultaneous to BCG treatment delayed cancer progression in female mice. Our findings provide evidence indicating a role for ABCs in BCG response and will inform future development of therapies targeting the B cell-exhaustion axis.

On the Origin of the Above-Room-Temperature Magnetism in the 2D van der Waals Ferromagnet Fe3GaTe2.

2D magnetic materials have attracted growing interest driven by their unique properties and potential applications. However, the scarcity of systems exhibiting magnetism at room temperature has limited their practical implementation into functional devices. Here we focus on the van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3GaTe2, which exhibits above-room-temperature magnetism (Tc = 350-380 K) and strong perpendicular anisotropy. Through first-principles calculations, we examine the magnetic properties of Fe3GaTe2 and compare them with those of Fe3GeTe2. Our calculations unveil the microscopic mechanisms governing their magnetic behavior, emphasizing the pivotal role of ferromagnetic in-plane couplings in the stabilization of the elevated Tc in Fe3GaTe2. Additionally, we predict the stability, substantial perpendicular anisotropy, and high Tc of the single-layer Fe3GaTe2. We also demonstrate the potential of strain engineering and electrostatic doping to modulate its magnetic properties. Our results incentivize the isolation of the monolayer and pave the way for the future optimization of Fe3GaTe2 in magnetic and spintronic nanodevices.

Knee-Loading Predictions with Neural Networks Improve Finite Element Modeling Classifications of Knee Osteoarthritis: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Physics-based modeling methods have the potential to investigate the mechanical factors associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and predict the future radiographic condition of the joint. However, it remains unclear what level of detail is optimal in these methods to achieve accurate prediction results in cohort studies. In this work, we extended a template-based finite element (FE) method to include the lateral and medial compartments of the tibiofemoral joint and simulated the mechanical responses of 97 knees under three conditions of gait loading. Furthermore, the effects of variations in cartilage thickness and failure equation on predicted cartilage degeneration were investigated. Our results showed that using neural network-based estimations of peak knee loading provided classification performances of 0.70 (AUC, p < 0.05) in distinguishing between knees that developed severe OA or mild OA and knees that did not develop OA eight years after a healthy radiographic baseline. However, FE models incorporating subject-specific femoral and tibial cartilage thickness did not improve this classification performance, suggesting there exists an optimal point between personalized loading and geometry for discrimination purposes. In summary, we proposed a modeling framework that streamlines the rapid generation of individualized knee models achieving promising classification performance while avoiding motion capture and cartilage image segmentation.

Boundary of ecosystem services: Differentiating between ecosystem services and geosystem services is needed.

Geosystem services (GSs) and ecosystem services (ESs) are interconnected, both representing nature's contributions to people. Whether GSs are a subset of ESs depends on the definition of ESs. The answer would be "not necessarily" (i.e., some GSs are, while other GSs are not), if ESs are the benefits humans derive from ecological functions, processes, or characteristics. The boundary proposed by Chen et al. (2023) to differentiate ESs from other ecosystem-related benefits adopted this definition, and suggested that ESs are renewable and affected by biotic elements to occur. Gray et al. (2024) criticized this boundary for separating out bits of nature and ignoring the contributions of GSs and abiotic elements to ESs and human wellbeing. In fact, highlighting that ESs are affected by biotic elements to occur does not deny that ESs' occurrence is also affected by abiotic elements. However, ESs' dependence on abiotic elements cannot be a criterion to differentiate ESs from other benefits because abiotic elements are integral to geosystems, ecosystems, and many other natural and artificial systems, as well as to these systems' services. Conversely, while geosystems might persist without biotic elements, ecosystems cannot. Chen et al. (2023) only excluded those (not the whole) abiotic benefits, such as wind energy, that may occur independently of biotic elements, while allowing for integrating certain GSs into ESs. For example, geological structures can offer flood protection and water storage as GSs, which can also be classified as ESs when their qualities or quantities are affected by biotic elements. Differentiation between GSs and ESs should not be misinterpreted as splitting their interconnections or undervaluing or dividing nature. Instead, such differentiation and classification of nature's benefits serve to facilitate communication, management, education, research, and policy-making associated with nature's benefits, while also highlighting the richness and diversity of nature's benefits.

Magnon Sensing of NO, NO2 and NH3 Gas Capture on CrSBr Monolayer.

Air pollution and greenhouse emissions are significant problems across various sectors, urging the need for advanced technologies to detect and capture harmful gases. In recent years, two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted increasing attention due to their large surface-to-volume ratio and reactivity. Herein, we investigate the potential of single-layer CrSBr for gas sensing and capturing by means of first-principles calculations. We explore the adsorption behaviour of different pollutant gases (H2S, NH3, NO, NO2, CO and CO2) on this 2D ferromagnet and the impact of intrinsic defects on its magnetic properties. Interestingly, we find that Br vacancies enhance the adsorption of NH3, NO and NO2 and induce a selective frequency shift on the magnon dispersion. This work motivates the creation of novel magnonic gas sensing devices based on 2D van der Waals magnetic materials.

Salivary biomarkers as pioneering indicators for diagnosis and severity stratification of pediatric long COVID.

Introduction: Long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), manifests as persistent and often debilitating symptoms enduring well beyond the initial COVID-19 infection. This disease is especially worrying in children since it can seriously alter their development. Presently, a specific diagnostic test or definitive biomarker set for confirming long COVID is lacking, relying instead on the protracted presence of symptoms post-acute infection. Methods: We measured the levels of 13 biomarkers in 105 saliva samples (49 from children with long COVID and 56 controls), and the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyse the correlations between the levels of the different salivary biomarkers. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine which of the 13 analysed salivary biomarkers were useful to discriminate between children with long COVID and controls, as well as between children with mild and severe long COVID symptoms. Results: Pediatric long COVID exhibited increased oxidant biomarkers and decreased antioxidant, immune response, and stress-related biomarkers. Correlation analyses unveiled distinct patterns between biomarkers in long COVID and controls. Notably, a multivariate logistic regression pinpointed TOS, ADA2, total proteins, and AOPP as pivotal variables, culminating in a remarkably accurate predictive model distinguishing long COVID from controls. Furthermore, total proteins and ADA1 were instrumental in discerning between mild and severe long COVID symptoms. Discussion: This research sheds light on the potential clinical utility of salivary biomarkers in diagnosing and categorizing the severity of pediatric long COVID. It also lays the groundwork for future investigations aimed at unravelling the prognostic value of these biomarkers in predicting the trajectory of long COVID in affected individuals.