Escherichia coli is a metabolically adaptable microorganism and secrets some metabolites including electroactive metabolites to maintain intracellular redox balance depending on environmental oxygen levels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first preliminary report for electrochemical monitoring of electroactive metabolites secreted by E. coli supplied with glucose during the aerobic-to-anaerobic transition. The reduction current detected at the aerobically cultured E. coli-modified carbon felt electrode connected to Pt lead wire increased upon sequential addition of fumarate and glucose during the aerobic-to-anaerobic transition. Cyclic voltammetric data, along with inhibitor studies suggested that one of the electroactive compounds that most strongly contributed to the current response was protons probably originated from the metabolically-overflowed organic acids from E. coli. Moreover, it was found that E. coli supplied with glucose during the aerobic-to-anaerobic transition secreted NAD+ and NADH at the nanomolar levels in the electrochemical measurement solution.
This prospective multicenter study of the Turkish Neonatal Society includes data from a large cohort of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants from 78 referral centers in Türkiye. The objective was to evaluate survival and neonatal morbidity rates among VLBW infants. All preterm infants with a birth weight (BW) ≤ 1500 g and a gestational age (GA) between 230/7 and 316/7 weeks were included. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), sepsis and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) were defined as neonatal morbidities. A total of 3042 VLBW infants were enrolled. The mean GA and median BW were 27 ± 2.2 weeks and 1080 g (ranges, 320 and 1500 g), respectively. The incidences of neonatal morbidities were as follows: RDS 76.3%, IVH 28%, PVL 0.9%, hsPDA 31.5%, BPD 39.5%, NEC 14%, and ROP 25%. Early and late sepsis were diagnosed in 19.3% and 44.6% of the study group. The overall mortality rate was 21.7%, and survival without major morbidity was 42.8%. Mortality among infants ≤ 28 weeks of gestation was 34.8%, whereas it was 5.5% for infants > 28 weeks of GA. This study provides a comprehensive overview of outcomes among VLBW infants in Türkiye and offers valuable insights for other developing countries. As neonatal morbidity and mortality rates remain higher than those reported in developed countries, targeted strategies to improve neonatal care practices for extremely preterm infants should be prioritized.Trial registration Clinical trials gov, Survival and Neonatal Outcomes of Very Low Birth Weight Infants in Türkiye: Turkish Neonatal Society SECRETS-TR Study (TNS-SECRETS), NCT 06,543,524, 2024-08-07.
This study presents an enhanced approach for recovering the secret key of the standard classical transposition cryptosystem using a recently introduced metaheuristic, the coati optimization algorithm. To adapt the coati optimization algorithm for cryptanalysis, its core framework is specifically customized for the considered transposition cryptosystem. The performance of the tailored coati optimization algorithm is benchmarked against three established metaheuristics, namely genetic algorithm, cuckoo search and particle swarm optimization based on accuracy, effectiveness, and efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method performs competitively, often surpassing genetic algorithm, cuckoo search, and particle swarm optimization across all evaluation metrics. However, the current experimental evaluation is limited to English-language ciphertexts using English n-gram statistics; therefore, the applicability of the proposed framework to multilingual cryptanalysis remains a direction for future investigation.
PurposeTo provide a representative Australian sample of ADHD assessment information available to consumers prior to booking an appointment, psychologists, psychiatrists, and paediatricians (N = 736) were contacted through a secret shopper design. Assessment information included the types of measures, the number of measures, the use of multiple informants, and the number of sessions required for adult and child assessments.Major Findings56% of providers declined to provide information about assessment content before booking an appointment. Psychologists provided information at a higher rate than psychiatrists and paediatricians. The majority of providers did not indicate the use of multiple informants (76.8% of psychologists and 100% of psychiatrists for adult assessments; 53.2% of psychologists, 85.7% of psychiatrists, and 50% of paediatricians for child assessments).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate a lack of readily available information to consumers prior to booking ADHD assessments, limiting the consumer's ability to anticipate if best-practice methods would be used.
Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) suffers from significant secret key rate (SKR) limitations in long-haul transmission. Existing hardware-oriented capacity boosting approaches are hindered by prohibitive costs and intricate system architectures. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a time-domain unitary precoding scheme to enhance the SKR by making full use of the non-flat noise frequency spectrum inherent to practical CV-QKD systems. This paper derives an analytical expression for the optimal precoder when only excess or electronic noise is colored and employs the Riemann Conjugate Gradient (RCG) algorithm for iterative optimization when both types of noise are colored. Numerical simulations demonstrate that, for a 40 km transmission link with both colored excess noise and electronic noise, the optimized scheme attains a 1.07 to 5.6 fold SKR improvement compared to conventional CV-QKD systems.
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Low-code platforms like OpenAI custom GPTs (cGPTs) promise easy development of specialized AI assistants for complex bioinformatics and clinical tasks, allowing researchers to integrate proprietary data into intuitive chatbot interfaces. However, these commercial frameworks operate as opaque "black boxes," fundamentally clashing with open-science values and principles of reproducibility. To audit their hidden configurations, we performed "jailbreak" (prompt injection) attacks. We found that all tested cGPTs were critically vulnerable, leading to the leakage of private system instructions, full knowledge base files, and proprietary API details. This systemic failure poses severe security and privacy risks, particularly when handling sensitive patient data, clinical notes, or proprietary basic science assets. While low-code tools lower the barrier to AI adoption, their commercial nature and security flaws warrant extreme caution, forcing biomedical researchers to weigh convenience against the non-negotiable standards of data integrity and security.
Data on long-term longitudinal trends in naloxone availability and cost following the introduction of both brand-name and generic over-the-counter (OTC) products are sparse. To examine how naloxone availability and cost changed over time in North Carolina (NC) and explore variation by pharmacy type, rurality, and product type (generic vs. brand-name). We conducted a three-phase secret shopper study: phase 1 (March-April 2023; before OTC sales began), phase 2 (November 2023-January 2024; ∼2 months after OTC sales began), and phase 3 (November 2024-January 2025; ∼1 year after OTC sales began). Trained shoppers called a stratified sample of pharmacies to inquire about naloxone nasal spray cost and same-day availability. Generalized linear mixed-effects models examined changes in cost and availability, adjusting for pharmacy type and rurality. Phase 3 cost and availability differences in product type were examined using nonparametric and Fisher's exact tests. A total of 174 pharmacies provided data for all phases; 54.6% chain and 45.4% independent; 43.6% urban, 14.4% suburban, and 42.0% rural. Same-day availability increased significantly (phase 3 vs. phase 1: OR=2.59, P=0.0005). Adjusted mean out-of-pocket cost decreased across phases ($98 phase 1, $67 phase 2, $56 phase 3; P<0.0001). Independent pharmacies were approximately $14 more expensive (P<0.0001) and had lower odds of same-day availability than chain pharmacies (OR=0.14, P<0.0001). No significant rurality differences were observed. Generic naloxone was more expensive on average than brand-name ($59.83 vs. $49.23), though median costs were similar. Availability for both product types was low for both chains and independents. Chains primarily stocked brand-name naloxone (58.2%), whereas independents were more evenly split between brand-name only (44.8%) and generic only (50.0%). Naloxone availability and cost improved over time. Independent pharmacies continued to have lower availability and higher costs than chain pharmacies. Generic naloxone was more expensive on average than brand-name naloxone, and few pharmacies stocked both products.
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that leads to motor and non-motor challenges, significantly impacting the quality of life. Research highlights body's antioxidant systems role in mitigating PD. This study investigated neuroprotective capabilities of Tinospora sinensis stem extract (TSSE) in a rat model of PD induced by rotenone. PD was induced in rats by subcutaneous rotenone injections (2 mg/kg/day) for 35 days. TSSE was administered orally at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg doses, with levodopa-carbidopa as the standard reference. Motor impairments were assessed through catalepsy, locomotor activity, and rotarod tests. Biochemical evaluations included oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzymes (glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase), and dopamine levels, and monoamino oxidase-B (MAO-B). Histopathological examination of brain assessed neuronal integrity. Rotenone administration led to significant motor impairments, increased oxidative stress, reduced dopamine levels, and neuronal damage. Treatment with TSSE resulted in notable, dose-dependent enhancements in motor abilities and restored antioxidant enzyme activities, while also reducing lipid peroxidation, as indicated by decreased malondialdehyde levels. Additionally, TSSE decreased MAO-B level and increased brain dopamine level and maintained neuronal structure. The TSSE 400 mg/kg exhibited neuroprotective effects comparable to those of standard. TSSE shows significant neuroprotective effects, likely by enhancing endogenous antioxidant defenses and restoring dopaminergic neurotransmission. These findings suggest, TSSE could serve as a complementary therapeutic approach that targets oxidative and neurodegenerative mechanisms in PD.
Raman spectroscopy, since its discovery almost a century ago, has been one of the most widely used techniques, mainly due to continuous advancements in its instrumentation and variants. Apart from its "spectroscopy" aspect, Raman mapping/imaging has emerged as a powerful and noninvasive technique for spatially resolved analysis of structural, electronic, and vibrational properties across a wide range of materials, including nanomaterials and device-relevant systems. This Perspective highlights applications such as mapping anharmonic vibrational dynamics in carbon nanotubes through temperature-dependent Raman line-shape changes, along with magneto-Raman imaging of defect evolution and field-dependent phonon behavior in MoS2, polarization-resolved crystal orientation mapping in anisotropic materials, strain visualization in MXenes via Raman mode shifts, and phonon confinement and Fano resonance in inhomogeneous silicon nanowires. Recent relevance to quantum and modern device architectures is also briefly discussed. At the same time, key limitations such as diffraction-limited spatial resolution, weak signal strength, fluorescence interference, and possible laser-induced heating effects (including potential cell or tissue damage in biological samples) are addressed. Overall, Raman imaging offers combined spatial and spectral insight beyond conventional techniques, making it a promising tool for applications in optoelectronics, photonics, and emerging quantum technologies.
Controlling defect chemistry and crystal morphology in lead-free halide perovskites can provide a new pathways leads to high-performance optoelectronic devices. This work investigates a stable Sn4+-based Cs2SnCl6 system through gradient HCl-mediated approach to address Sn2+ instability. The influence of HCl concentration shows clear effects on crystal growth, defects, and optoelectronic properties. The optimized 0.048 mol/L HCl sample shows a well-defined truncated octahedral morphology, with better structural ordering and a sharper A1g Raman mode. It has strong UV absorption of around 3.83 eV, and better photoluminescence with a PLQY of ~27.3%. The corresponding large Stokes shift (~0.6 eV) owing to controlled defect states that balance radiative and non-radiative recombination pathways. Significantly, this sample displays n-type conductivity with enhanced carrier transport, an unreported electrical behavior in Cs2SnCl6, with a carrier concentration (1.35 × 1014 cm-3) and resistivity (0.55 × 105 Ω cm). This material shows good structural stability over 200 days at ambient conditions and thermally stable up to 600°C. Variation in HCl concentration controls the growth of [SnCl6]2- octahedra, which affects both morphology and defect states, contributing better material performance. These observation suggests that Cs2SnCl6 is a promising candidate for lead-free optoelectronic applications.
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ConspectusThe term "intermetallic" refers to a new metallic structure generated by the formation of intermetallic bonds of two or more different constituting metals. In solid-state synthesis, a very high temperature and a long duration are required to address the challenge of breaking the stable homometallic bonds and generating heterometallic bonds with the periodic diffusion of all metals forming the new compound. In nanoparticle synthesis via solution-phase methods, different atoms experience competition between the rate of reduction and diffusion, which majorly controls the formation of ordered and disordered compounds between two different metals. Intermetallic compounds (IMs) provide a unique combination of thermodynamic stability, long-range atomic ordering, heteroatomic surfaces, and electronically tunable frameworks, making them highly active and versatile for electrocatalysis. In this context, Pd2Ge stands out as a chemically intriguing intermetallic template for generating highly stable and efficient electrocatalysts. In this Account, we summarize the multiyear research of our group establishing Pd2Ge as a model platform for understanding how elemental diffusion, site-specific substitution, active interface generation, and electronic structure tuning can transform a single ordered intermetallic into a multifunctional electrocatalyst family. We showed that the solution-phase synthesis of Pd2Ge nanoparticles is achievable through careful control of the reduction kinetics and diffusion pathways, despite the significant reduction potential mismatch between Pd2+ and Ge4+. Our approach achieves the simultaneous coreduction of Pd2+ and Ge4+ precursors, effectively suppressing GeO2 formation and enabling the clean evolution of the Pd2Ge phase. After overcoming the challenge of binary intermetallic synthesis, a major challenge in intermetallic chemistry is the controlled incorporation of a third metal without disrupting the long-range order; this is governed by the reduction potential, atomic-size matching, orbital-overlap, site-preference energetics, and diffusion barriers. We demonstrate that the Pd sites in Pd2Ge can accommodate Ni, Co, Pt, and Cu through element-specific diffusion and reduction kinetics, enabling substitution up to a variable diffusion limit while preserving the ordered framework. This provides an atomic-level example for experimentally probing multimetal diffusion and lattice accommodation in a stable intermetallic matrix. Site-selective substitution has been proven by powder X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and density functional theory (DFT). The exact charge transfer mechanism after different element substitution has been evidenced via XPS and XAS. Our group has explored the electrochemical properties of different metal-substituted Pd2Ge in the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), formaldehyde oxidation reaction (FAOR), and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The exact reaction mechanism and the active site determination of this intermetallic for these reactions have been exhaustively determined via different operando spectroscopic and analytical techniques and DFT calculations. This Account gives a broad overview and a guideline about the intermetallic generation and full exploration of a stable intermetallic and how fine-tuning of the intermetallic gives rise to different electrochemical superiorities. Collectively, this Account presents the first integrated exploration of Pd2Ge as a robust and electronically programmable intermetallic, showing how kinetic control, thermodynamic driving forces, and site-selective multimetal diffusion can be leveraged to design high-performance electrocatalysts across diverse reaction environments.
Cancer is the leading cause of death for Chinese Americans, and research on optimal psychosocial interventions is scarce. Understanding the specific experiences of Chinese Americans with cancer is essential for developing supportive interventions. This study is a qualitative analysis of patient narratives collected from an Expressive Helping intervention, obtained from Chinese Americans with cancer to explore their experiences and meaning making of their cancer diagnosis and treatment journeys. Thirty-one participants completed four 20-min writing sessions related to their cancer experiences. Informed by the Common-Sense Model of illness self-regulation, we used iterative, blended deductive-inductive coding and conducted a thematic analysis to explore meaning making, illness perception/narrative, and peer-helping recommendations. Significant themes were identified at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational/community levels. Participants felt initial disbelief and distress at the cancer diagnosis, which were attenuated through reframing of their experiences and finding support from various sources. Participants were also worried about burdening their families with their diagnosis but subsequently came to appreciate their support. They described challenges with navigating the healthcare system but appreciated having access to trusted providers and modern medicine. Patients also provided advice to support other patients on their cancer journey. Understanding the factors that influence the mental health of patients with cancer and survivors is key to informing responsive supportive strategies. Our analysis of expressive writing narratives by Chinese Americans with cancer illuminates their unique challenges and myriad ways they find resilience and acceptance.
As sessile organisms, plants must constantly survey their surroundings and make appropriate responses in their metabolism or development. Numerous receptors and kinases, as well as phytocytokines that play key roles in signal transduction for a multitude of cues, have been revealed in the past 2 decades. However, the mechanisms coordinating these responses remain poorly understood. Recently, the conserved plant metacaspase family emerged as a versatile switch that plays multiple roles, from early signal perception to downstream propagation, by proteolysis of propeptides or other signaling proteins to mediate their conversion to activated forms. In addition, evidence for proteolysis-independent functions of plant metacaspases has also emerged. In this feature review, we summarize advances in plant metacaspase functions and consider approaches to unravel their complex impacts.
Visual Cryptography (VC) is a method of encryption that allows images to be encrypted in such a manner that their decryption can be accomplished simply by viewing, which eliminates the need for complex algorithms. This method is crucial for protecting the sensitive visual data during transmission, which ensures its confidentiality. In light of this, the current research proposes a new method called Self-Improved Secretary Bird Optimization algorithm (SI-SBO)-based Visual Cryptography, which aims to enhance the security and efficiency of image encryption. Embedding and Extraction are the two main processes in this proposed method. The initial input for this method consists of three original and two secret images. The encryption employs a sharing image construction method based on Modified Principal Component Analysis (MPCA), followed by Kronecker product-based encryption using keys produced by the SI-SBO algorithm. A one-time password (OTP) is created using the HMAC-based One-time Password (HOTP) technique and integrated into a Modified Elliptic Curve Cryptography (MECC) algorithm, which is then securely sent to the client. For decryption, the process starts with MECC-based decryption, followed by Kronecker product-based decryption using the OTP for authentication. Finally, the MPCA-based encryption is decrypted, and the original secret images are reconstructed. The significance of this SI-SBO method lies in its capacity to improve security by integrating multiple encryption techniques and protective measures. To assess its effectiveness, the method has undergone several evaluations, which confirm its ability to securely transmit and reconstruct secret images in Visual Cryptography applications.