Investigating the impact of sous vide cooking on the eating quality of spent buffalo (BUBALUS BUBALIS) meat.

This study describes the impact of sous vide cooking at different temperatures and time intervals on the eating quality, specifically tenderness of two muscles, bicep femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (ST) from spent buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Spent buffalo refers to water buffalo that are no longer considered productive following a sixth lactation cycle. Steaks from each muscle were obtained and cooked at three combinations of time and temperature, namely 55 °C-8H, 65 °C-5H, and 95 °C-45 M, respectively. Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF), cooking loss, cooking yield, color, water activity (aw), total water content (TWC), total collagen content (TCC), heat soluble collagen (HSC), myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI), and sensory evaluation were measured. The collagen solubilization results showed that temperature and time interacted (P ≤ 0.05), reducing the toughness of the muscles. The tenderization achieved through sous vide cooking was mainly attributed to the thermal denaturation of proteins at the typically lower temperatures and extended time used, weakening of connective tissue through collagen solubilization, and water retention. More cooking loss (P ≤ 0.05) was observed at high temperature treatment of 95 °C-45 M. Meat color, TWC, MFI, and overall acceptability exhibited differences among treatments (P ≤ 0.05). An extended heat interval at lower temperatures caused initial denaturation of myofibrillar proteins, then solubilization of connective tissue proteins. Cooking treatment 55 °C-8H (P ≤ 0.05) reduced the WBSF in both muscles; however, the ST appeared more tender than BF.

Dietary Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) Waste Inhibits Experimentally Induced Eimeria tenella Challenge in Japanese Quails Model.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of dietary 3% oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) waste in enhancing the anticoccidial effects in broilers challenged with Eimeria tenella infection. The experiment involved a total of 600 Japanese quails, raised from one to thirty-five days of age, which were divided into four treatment groups. These included a negative control group that received a basal diet (BD) without any anticoccidial or antibiotic supplementation in the non-challenged birds (negative control, NC); a positive control (PC) group consisting of NC birds challenged with E. tenella; a group that received the BD with an anticoccidial drug (standard); and a group that received the BD supplemented with 3% waste from oyster mushrooms (3% Pleurotus ostreatus). The results showed that the feed intake, body weight gain, and feed efficiency were significantly lower in the PC (p < 0.05). However, the growth traits were similar in the standard and 3% Pleurotus ostreatus-treated groups. Similarly, there was no difference (p < 0.05) in the mortality rate, oocyst count in the feces, and lesion score between the standard and 3% Pleurotus ostreatus groups. Based on intestinal histology evaluation, the villi height and width were significantly higher in the standard and 3% Pleurotus ostreatus-treated groups compared to those of the PC (p < 0.01). In conclusion, it was found that 3% Pleurotus ostreatus effectively mitigated the low growth rate of Japanese quails induced by coccidial infection.

Genetic analysis and multimodal imaging identify novel mtDNA 12148T>C leading to multisystem dysfunction with tissue-specific heteroplasmy.

Patients with mitochondrial disorders present with clinically diverse symptoms, largely driven by heterogeneous mutations in mitochondrial-encoded and nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes. These mutations ultimately lead to complex biochemical disorders with a myriad of clinical manifestations, often accumulating during childhood on into adulthood, contributing to life-altering and sometimes fatal events. It is therefore important to diagnose and characterize the associated disorders for each mitochondrial mutation as early as possible since medical management might be able to improve the quality and longevity of life in mitochondrial disease patients. Here we identify a novel mitochondrial variant in a mitochondrial transfer RNA for histidine (mt-tRNA-his) [m.12148T>C], that is associated with the development of ocular, aural, neurological, renal, and muscular dysfunctions. We provide a detailed account of a family harboring this mutation, as well as the molecular underpinnings contributing to cellular and mitochondrial dysfunction. In conclusion, this investigation provides clinical, biochemical, and morphological evidence of the pathogenicity of m.12148T>C. We highlight the importance of multiple tissue testing and in vitro disease modeling in diagnosing mitochondrial disease.

Quadratus lumborum block and transversus abdominis plane block in laparoscopic nephrectomy: a meta-analysis.

Aim: To study the efficacy of quadratus lumborum block (QLB) and transversus abdominis plane (TAP) in laparoscopic nephrectomy patients. Materials & methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials for QLB and/or TAP technique compared with each other or a control. Results: Direct analysis of 24 h post-op pain score at rest for each compared with control showed significant reduction, QLB (mean differences [MD] [95% CI]: -1.12 [-1.87,-0.36]; p = 0.004) and TAP (MD [95% CI]: -0.36 [-0.59, -0.12]; p = 0.003). With movement both were respectively lower than control QLB (MD [95% CI]: -1.12 [-1.51, -0.72]; p = <0.0001) and TAP (MD [95% CI]: -0.50 [-0.95, -0.05]; p = 0.03). Moreover, QLB demonstrated less risk 24 h of post-op nausea vomiting (PONV) versus control (PONV; risk ratios [RR] [95% CI]: 0.64 [0.45,0.90]; p = 0.01). Conclusion: TAP and QLB reduce pain scores compared with control, whereas only QLB reduces PONV compared with control.

Determinants of HIV/Aids Knowledge Among Females in Somalia: Findings from 2018 to 2019 SDHS Data.

Background: Immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has become a serious global public health concern, particularly in underdeveloped countries. Even though the fact that just a few case studies have addressed on the HIV/AIDS in the context of Somalia, to the best of our knowledge, no national-scale study on the topic has been attempted. Limited knowledge of HIV/AIDS is highlighted as one of the major factors linked to the high prevalence of HIV among female population. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap in the literature by investigating the effects of several sociodemographic factors on females' knowledge about HIV/AIDS in Somalia. Methods: Secondary data from the Somalia Demographic Health Survey 2018-19 were used in this study. A total of 16,335 women between the ages of 15 and 49 who fit our inclusion criteria have been chosen. The application of multiple logistic regressions was then performed to see if the predictors had a significant association with knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Findings: Women aged 35-39 (AOR = 1.608; 95% CI: 1.372-1.886), women lived in urban (AOR: 2.833, 95% CI: 2.246-3.572), Women's education (AOR: 2.246, 95% CI: 1.988-2.537), frequency of listening to a radio (AOR = 2.312; 95% CI: 1.995-2.679), and frequency of watching television (AOR = 3.936; 95% CI: 3.445-4.497) were significantly related with current knowledge about HIV/AIDS among eligible women in Somalia. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of mass media (TV and radio) interventions, education, and place of habitation as the main significant predictors of women's knowledge of HIV/AIDS in Somalia. Based on the study, women are more likely to be aware of HIV/AIDS as their education level, frequency of listening a radio and watching a television watching rises. The research additionally indicates that women who reside in urban centers are nearly three times more likely than women who live in nomadic areas to know more about HIV/AIDS.

Computational infrared and Raman spectra by hybrid QM/MM techniques: a study on molecular and catalytic material systems.

Vibrational spectroscopy is one of the most well-established and important techniques for characterizing chemical systems. To aid the interpretation of experimental infrared and Raman spectra, we report on recent theoretical developments in the ChemShell computational chemistry environment for modelling vibrational signatures. The hybrid quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical approach is employed, using density functional theory for the electronic structure calculations and classical forcefields for the environment. Computational vibrational intensities at chemical active sites are reported using electrostatic and fully polarizable embedding environments to achieve more realistic vibrational signatures for materials and molecular systems, including solvated molecules, proteins, zeolites and metal oxide surfaces, providing useful insight into the effect of the chemical environment on the signatures obtained from experiment. This work has been enabled by the efficient task-farming parallelism implemented in ChemShell for high-performance computing platforms.  This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Supercomputing simulations of advanced materials'.

Gastroparesis-Related Symptoms in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Early Detection, Risk Factors, and Prevalence.

Background The symptoms of gastroparesis, such as bloating, postprandial fullness, early satiety, nausea, and abdominal discomfort, progressively worsen the quality of life of the affected individuals. The diagnosis is established on the assessment of gastric function that confirms delayed gastric emptying in the absence of structural etiologies. This study aimed to detect gastroparesis-related clinical symptoms early in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), investigate the concomitant risk factors, and evaluate the prevalence. Methodology This study was conducted at the Department of Medicine and Diabetes Outdoor Clinic of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan from February 13, 2022, to February 11, 2023. The study involved 175 patients with T2DM who reported gastroparesis-related symptoms. The demographic and clinical characteristics, symptom severity, complications, related risk factors, duration of disease, medications, body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels were assessed. The severity of diabetic gastroparesis was established using the disease-specific Patient Assessment of Gastrointestinal Disorders-Symptom Severity Index (PAGI-SYM) and the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI). The five-point scale of the PAGI-SYM and the four-degree severity scores of GCSI were assessed. Neuropathy disability scores and motor evacuation functions were analyzed. Data were analyzed from these questionnaires, special proforma, and patient interviews. Results The clinical features of diabetic gastroparesis were observed in 44% of T2DM patients with mild-grade gastroparesis in 38 (21.7%), moderate in 30 (17.1%), and severe-grade gastroparesis-related symptoms in nine (5.2%) patients. The main manifestations were early satiety (45.1%), stomach fullness (44.5%), bloating (38.3%), and nausea (33.1%). Diabetic gastroparesis symptoms were considerably linked to disease duration of more than 10 years (p = 0.02), high HbA1c (p = 0.001), increased fasting blood glucose (p = 0.003), polyneuropathy, cigarette smoking, and history of comorbid conditions (p = 0.009). Obesity and the female gender were the forecasters of the manifestation of at least one cardinal gastroparesis symptom. Conclusions Gastric emptying is significant in the pathogenesis of gastroparesis-related symptoms. Disease duration of more than 10 years, poor glycemic control with hyperglycemia, high HbA1C, polyneuropathy, and cigarette smoking must be considered as predictors for early detection and risk factors for the advancement of gastroparesis in T2DM. Gastroparesis-related common symptoms of early satiety, bloating, and stomach fullness were considerably linked to the additional risk factors of hypercholesteremia, chronic microvascular complications, concomitant cardiovascular diseases, and a positive family history of diabetes mellitus. There was no relationship between BMI, age, types of treatment, and the degree of gastroparesis severity. The prevalence and severity of gastroparesis symptoms were particularly high among obese females with poor glycemic control and longer disease duration.

Multiscale QM/MM modelling of catalytic systems with ChemShell.

Hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods are a powerful computational tool for the investigation of all forms of catalysis, as they allow for an accurate description of reactions occurring at catalytic sites in the context of a complicated electrostatic environment. The scriptable computational chemistry environment ChemShell is a leading software package for QM/MM calculations, providing a flexible, high performance framework for modelling both biomolecular and materials catalysis. We present an overview of recent applications of ChemShell to problems in catalysis and review new functionality introduced into the redeveloped Python-based version of ChemShell to support catalytic modelling. These include a fully guided workflow for biomolecular QM/MM modelling, starting from an experimental structure, a periodic QM/MM embedding scheme to support modelling of metallic materials, and a comprehensive set of tutorials for biomolecular and materials modelling.

Factor Associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge among males: Findings from 2017-18 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (UNAIDS) has risen as the serious public health problem across the world. Knowledge about HIV/AIDS is the cornerstone for prevention and treatment. Research is needed to explore the attitude and the effect of different demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic and media exposure factors on males knowledge about HIV in Pakistan. In this study, latest secondary data are used from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18. Sample results show that the majority of the respondents (70%) have knowledge about AIDS. Regression Modeling reveals that man's knowledge about HIV/AIDS is associated with age, place of residence, educational level, wealth index, ethnicity and media exposure factors. Males of age group 35-39, with higher education, belonging to Pukthon ethnicity, having exposure to mass media on a daily basis and belonging to richest wealth quintile has high Knowledge of HIV/AIDS. For example, the regression model predicts that men between the ages of 35 and 39 from Islamabad who live in urban areas, have higher education, are of Pukhtoon ethnicity, are the head of the household, belong to the richest quintile, work in professional occupations, and use media exposure factors on a daily basis would have probability of 97% of having knowledge of HIV/AIDS. But there is still need to focus to increase the men's knowledge of HIV/AIDS.

Influence of Solvent on Selective Catalytic Reduction of Nitrogen Oxides with Ammonia over Cu-CHA Zeolite.

The copper-exchanged zeolite Cu-CHA has received considerable attention in recent years, owing to its application in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx species. Here, we study the NH3-SCR reaction mechanism on Cu-CHA using the hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) technique and investigate the effects of solvent on the reactivity of active Cu species. To this end, a comparison is made between water- and ammonia-solvated and bare Cu species. The results show the promoting effect of solvent on the oxidation component of the NH3-SCR cycle since the formation of important nitrate species is found to be energetically more favorable on the solvated Cu sites than in the absence of solvent molecules. Conversely, both solvent molecules are predicted to inhibit the reduction component of the NH3-SCR cycle. Diffuse reflectance infrared fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) experiments exploiting (concentration) modulation excitation spectroscopy (MES) and phase-sensitive detection (PSD) identified spectroscopic signatures of Cu-nitrate and Cu-nitrosamine (H2NNO), important species which had not been previously observed experimentally. This is further supported by the QM/MM-calculated harmonic vibrational analysis. Additional insights are provided into the reactivity of solvated active sites and the formation of key intermediates including their formation energies and vibrational spectroscopic signatures, allowing the development of a detailed understanding of the reaction mechanism. We demonstrate the role of solvated active sites and their influence on the energetics of important species that must be explicitly considered for an accurate understanding of NH3-SCR kinetics.

De novo and inherited variants in coding and regulatory regions in genetic cardiomyopathies.

BACKGROUND: Cardiomyopathies are a leading cause of progressive heart failure and sudden cardiac death; however, their genetic aetiology remains poorly understood. We hypothesised that variants in noncoding regulatory regions and oligogenic inheritance mechanisms may help close the diagnostic gap. METHODS: We first analysed whole-genome sequencing data of 143 parent-offspring trios from Genomics England 100,000 Genomes Project. We used gene panel testing and a phenotype-based, variant prioritisation framework called Exomiser to identify candidate genes in trios. To assess the contribution of noncoding DNVs to cardiomyopathies, we intersected DNVs with open chromatin sequences from single-cell ATAC-seq data of cardiomyocytes. We also performed a case-control analysis in an exome-negative cohort, including 843 probands and 19,467 controls, to assess the association between noncoding variants in known cardiomyopathy genes and disease. RESULTS: In the trio analysis, a definite or probable genetic diagnosis was identified in 21 probands according to the American College of Medical Genetics guidelines. We identified novel DNVs in diagnostic-grade genes (RYR2, TNNT2, PTPN11, MYH7, LZR1, NKX2-5), and five cases harbouring a combination of prioritised variants, suggesting that oligogenic inheritance and genetic modifiers contribute to cardiomyopathies. Phenotype-based ranking of candidate genes identified in noncoding DNV analysis revealed JPH2 as the top candidate. Moreover, a case-control analysis revealed an enrichment of rare noncoding variants in regulatory elements of cardiomyopathy genes (p = .035, OR = 1.43, 95% Cl = 1.095-1.767) versus controls. Of the 25 variants associated with disease  (p< 0.5), 23 are novel and nine are predicted to disrupt transcription factor binding motifs. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight complex genetic mechanisms in cardiomyopathies and reveal novel genes for future investigations.

Digitization of imaging plates from Guinier powder X-ray diffraction cameras.

A Guinier camera equipped with an imaging plate is used to investigate and eliminate the sources of instrumental errors affecting the quality of the obtained scanned Guinier data. A program with a graphical user interface is presented which converts the data of the scanned images into different standard file formats for powder X-ray patterns containing intensities, their standard deviations and the diffraction angles. The program also allows for manual and automatic correction of the 2θ scale against a known reference material. It is shown using LaB6 that the exported X-ray diffraction patterns provide a 2θ scale reproducible enough to allow for averaging diffractograms obtained from different exposures of the imaging plate for the same sample. As shown on a mixture of NaCl and sodalite, the quality of the produced data is sufficient for Rietveld refinement. The software including source code is made available under a free software license.

Effects of Mutual Coupling on Gain and Beam Width of a Linear Array of a Dielectric Resonator Antenna for Main Beam Scanning Applications.

The effects of mutual coupling on the scanning characteristics of a four-element linear rectangular dielectric resonator antenna array (RDRA) are investigated for different inter-element spacing in this work. In particular, the gain and half-power beam width (HPBW) of an RDRA are studied for various scan angles in the E- and H-plane configurations. It is shown that for both the E and H planes, mutual coupling has an adverse effect on the performance of both phased array configurations. The H-plane array, however, is more stable than the E-plane array in terms of a gain and beam width performance comparison. The HPBW increases and gain decreases more in the E plane than the H plane when the scan angle is increased.

Clustering-based iterative heuristic framework for a non-emergency patients transportation problem.

Introduction: Non-emergency patient transportation (NEPT) services are particularly important nowadays due to the aging population and contagious disease outbreaks (e.g., Covid-19 and SARS). In this work, we study a NEPT problem with a case study of patient transportation services in Hong Kong. The purpose of this work is to study the discomfort and inconvenience measures (e.g., waiting time and extra ride time) associated with the transportation of non-emergency patients while optimizing the operational costs and utilization of NEPT ambulances. Methods: A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) formulation is developed to model the NEPT problem. This MILP model contributes to the existing literature by not only including the patient inconvenience measures in the objective function but also illustrating a better trade-off among different performance measures through its specially customized formulation and real-life characteristics. CPLEX is used to find the optimal solutions for the test instances. To overcome the computational complexity of the problem, a clustering-based iterative heuristic framework is designed to solve problems of practical sizes. The proposed framework distinctively exploits the problem-specific structure of the considered NEPT problem in a novel way to enhance and improve the clustering mechanism by repeatedly updating cluster centers. Results: The computational experiments on 19 realistic problem instances show the effective execution of the solution method and demonstrate the applicability of our approach. Our heuristic framework observes an optimality gap of less than 5% for all those instances where CPLEX delivered the result. The weighted objective function of the proposed model supports the analysis of different performance measures by setting different preferences for these measures. An extensive sensitivity analysis performed to observe the behavior of the MILP model shows that when operating costs are given a weightage of 0.05 in the objective function, the penalty value for user inconvenience measures is the lowest; when the weightage value for operating costs varies between 0.8 and 1.0, the penalty value for the same measures is the highest. Conclusions: This research can assist decision-makers in improving service quality by balancing operational costs and patient discomfort during transportation.

A CPW fed quad-port MIMO DRA for sub-6 GHz 5G applications.

The present work investigates a novel four-port, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), single element dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) for sub-6 GHz band. The DRA is designed and fabricated into a symmetric cross shape and fed using a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed. A single radiator with four ports is rarely found in the literature. The -10 dB impedance bandwidth covered by the antenna is from 5.52 GHz to 6.2 GHz (11.6%) which covers fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) bands N47 and wireless local area network (WLAN) IEEE 802.11a band. The isolation between orthogonal ports is about 15 dB while the isolation between opposite ports is 12 dB. The radiation pattern of the proposed antenna is bidirectional due to the absence of a ground plane below the DRA. The orthogonal modes excited in the DRA are [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] through the four symmetrical CPW feeds. The simulated and measured results of the proposed design show that MIMO characteristics are achieved by pattern diversity between the ports. Due to the perfect symmetry of the design, the proposed work could be extended to MIMO array applications as well.

Mutations in MINAR2 encoding membrane integral NOTCH2-associated receptor 2 cause deafness in humans and mice.

Discovery of deafness genes and elucidating their functions have substantially contributed to our understanding of hearing physiology and its pathologies. Here we report on DNA variants in MINAR2, encoding membrane integral NOTCH2-associated receptor 2, in four families underlying autosomal recessive nonsyndromic deafness. Neurologic evaluation of affected individuals at ages ranging from 4 to 80 y old does not show additional abnormalities. MINAR2 is a recently annotated gene with limited functional understanding. We detected three MINAR2 variants, c.144G > A (p.Trp48*), c.412_419delCGGTTTTG (p.Arg138Valfs*10), and c.393G > T, in 13 individuals with congenital- or prelingual-onset severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss (HL). The c.393G > T variant is shown to disrupt a splice donor site. We show that Minar2 is expressed in the mouse inner ear, with the protein localizing mainly in the hair cells, spiral ganglia, the spiral limbus, and the stria vascularis. Mice with loss of function of the Minar2 protein (Minar2tm1b/tm1b) present with rapidly progressive sensorineural HL associated with a reduction in outer hair cell stereocilia in the shortest row and degeneration of hair cells at a later age. We conclude that MINAR2 is essential for hearing in humans and mice and its disruption leads to sensorineural HL. Progressive HL observed in mice and in some affected individuals and as well as relative preservation of hair cells provides an opportunity to interfere with HL using genetic therapies.

SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility and ACE2 Gene Variations Within Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds.

There is considerable variability in the susceptibility and progression for COVID-19 and it appears to be strongly correlated with age, gender, ethnicity and pre-existing health conditions. However, to our knowledge, cohort studies of COVID-19 in clinically vulnerable groups are lacking. Host genetics has also emerged as a major risk factor for COVID-19, and variation in the ACE2 receptor, which facilitates entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into the cell, has become a major focus of attention. Thus, we interrogated an ethnically diverse cohort of National Health Service (NHS) patients in the United Kingdom (United Kingdom) to assess the association between variants in the ACE2 locus and COVID-19 risk. We analysed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of 1,837 cases who were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and 37,207 controls who were not tested, from the UK's 100,000 Genomes Project (100KGP) for the presence of ACE2 coding variants and extract expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). We identified a splice site variant (rs2285666) associated with increased ACE2 expression with an overrepresentation in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients relative to 100KGP controls (p = 0.015), and in hospitalised European patients relative to outpatients in intra-ethnic comparisons (p = 0.029). We also compared the prevalence of 288 eQTLs, of which 23 were enriched in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. The eQTL rs12006793 had the largest effect size (d = 0.91), which decreases ACE2 expression and is more prevalent in controls, thus potentially reducing the risk of COVID-19. We identified three novel nonsynonymous variants predicted to alter ACE2 function, and showed that three variants (p.K26R, p. H378R, p. Y515N) alter receptor affinity for the viral Spike (S) protein. Variant p. N720D, more prevalent in the European population (p < 0.001), potentially increases viral entry by affecting the ACE2-TMPRSS2 complex. The spectrum of genetic variants in ACE2 may inform risk stratification of COVID-19 patients and could partially explain the differences in disease susceptibility and severity among different ethnic groups.

Copper sulfide nanostructures: synthesis and biological applications.

Over the past few years, considerable attention has been paid to biomedical applications of copper sulfide nanostructures owing to their enhanced physiochemical and pharmacokinetics characteristics in comparison to gold, silver, and carbon nanomaterials. The small-sized Cu x S y nanoparticles have the advantage to absorb efficiently in the near-infrared region (NIR) above 700 nm and the absorption can be tuned by altering their stoichiometries. Moreover, their easy removal through the kidneys overpowers the issue of toxicity caused by many inorganic substances. The low cost and selectivity further add to the advantages of Cu x S y nanostructures as electrode materials in comparison to relatively expensive materials such as silver and gold nanoparticles. This review is mainly focused on the synthesis and biomedical applications of Cu x S y nanostructures. The first part summarizes the various synthetic routes used to produce Cu x S y nanostructures with varying morphologies, while the second part targets the recent progress made in the application of small-sized Cu x S y nanostructures as biosensors, and their analysis and uses in the cure of cancer. Photoacoustic imaging and other cancer treatment applications are discussed. Research on Cu x S y nanostructures will continue to increase over the next few decades, and great opportunities lie ahead for potential biomedical applications of Cu x S y nanostructures.

Defect-controlled halogenating properties of lanthanide-doped ceria nanozymes.

Marine organisms combat bacterial colonization by biohalogenation of signaling compounds that interfere with bacterial communication. These reactions are catalyzed by haloperoxidase enzymes, whose activity can be emulated by nanoceria using milli- and micromolar concentrations of Br- and H2O2. We show that the haloperoxidase-like activity of nanoceria can greatly be enhanced by Ln substitution in Ce1-xLnxO2-x/2. Non-agglomerated nanosized Ce1-xLnxO2-x/2 (Ln = Pr, Tb, particle size < 10 nm) was prepared mechanochemically from CeCl3 and Na2CO3 followed by short calcination. Lanthanide metals could be incorporated into the CeO2 host without solubility limit, as shown for Tb. The distribution of the Ln3+ defect sites in the CeO2 host structure was analyzed by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Ce3+ and superoxide O2- species are present at surface sites. Their formation is promoted by increasing dopant concentration. Ce1-xLnxO2-x/2 was prepared in copious amounts by ball-milling. This energy-saving and residue-free method can be upscaled to industrial scale. The surface defect chemistry of Ce1-xLnxO2-x/2 was unravelled by vibrational spectroscopy. It is associated with the mechanochemical preparation and leads to enhanced catalytic activity. Although Ce0.9Pr0.1O1.95 had a lower BET surface area than pure CeO2, its catalytic activity, calibrated by oxidative bromination of phenol red, was much higher because the ζ-potential increased from 15 mV (for CeO2) to 30 mV (for Ce0.9Pr0.1O1.95). This facilitates adsorption of Br- in aqueous conditions and explains the high catalytic activity of the Ln-substituted CeO2. Ce1-xLnxO2-x/2 is an effective and "green" nanoparticle haloperoxidase mimic for antifouling applications, as no chemicals other than the ubiquitous Br- and H2O2 (generated in daylight) are required, and only natural metabolites are released into the environment.

Factors associated with female age at first marriage: An analysis using all waves of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey.

In conventional Muslim societies, fertility occurs within the marital union. Therefore, fertility outcomes depend on females' age at first marriage (AFM). The present study explores the pattern of AFM in Pakistan, analyses of which are scarce in the literature. We aim to identify the factors associated with the AFM among currently married women in Pakistan. Demographic factors like birth cohort, and socioeconomic and cultural factors such as province and place of residence, education level, whether or not a woman had ever worked before marriage, ethnicity, and husband's education were studied to explore the pattern of female AFM. Data were taken from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys (PDHSs) of 2012-13 and 2017-18, and a comparison was made with the findings from the earlier PDHSs of 1990-91 and 2006-07. The analysis concentrates on women born between 1941 and 1992, aged between 25 and 49 years during the data collection periods. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the difference between the mean AFM for different sub-groups of the population. To identify the covariates that are associated with AFM multiple linear regression models were estimated. We observed a gradually increasing trend in female AFM over time among women born after 1950. The ANOVA results revealed that birth cohort, province, and place of residence, female education level, whether or not a woman had ever worked before marriage, ethnicity, and husband's education were significantly associated with AFM (p-values < 0.05). In a multiple regression model, we found that the birth cohort significantly affects the AFM (p-value < 0.05). Having worked before marriage is associated with a statistically significant one-year rise in the AFM. Interestingly, all other ethnic groups have lower AFM compared with women whose mother language was Punjabi. Education has a highly significant effect on the AFM: the regression results revealed that uneducated females have a mean AFM 4 to 5 years lower than highly educated women. The results also revealed that educated men marry older women as compared to uneducated men. We conclude that the education of females and even males in Pakistan could lead to a rise in the female AFM.