Travelling wave charges lying on the insulating walls of an electrolyte-filled capillary give rise to oscillatory modes which vanish when averaged over the period of oscillation. They also give rise to a zero mode (a unidirectional, time-independent velocity component) which does not vanish. The latter is a nonlinear effect caused by continuous symmetry breaking due to the quadratic nonlinearity associated with the electric body force in the time-dependent Stokes equations. In this paper, we provide a unified view of the effects arising in boundary-driven electrokinetic flows (travelling wave electroosmosis) and establish the universal behaviour exhibited by the observables. We show that the incipient velocity profiles are self-similar implying that those obtained with a single experimental configuration can be employed again to attain further insights without the need of repeating the experiment. Certain results from the literature are recovered as special cases of our formulation and we resolve certain paradoxes having appeared in the past. We present simple theoretical expressions, depending on a single-fit parameter, that reproduce these profiles, which could thus provide a rapid test of consistency between our theory and future experiment. The effect becomes more pronounced when reducing the transverse dimension of the system, relative to the velocity direction, and increasing the excitation wavelength, and can therefore be employed for unidirectional transport of electrolytes in thin and long capillaries. General relations, expressing the zero mode velocity in terms of the electric potential and the geometry of the system only, can thus be easily adapted to alternative experimental settings.

Although octopuses are the third most fished marine invertebrate species in Puerto Rico, there is a lack of information about this fishery. Here, we present the first small-scale study assessing the genetic diversity and connectivity of Octopus vulgaris in Puerto Rico. To achieve this, we applied double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing, using the restriction enzymes EcoRI and SphI in 43 specimens captured from ten locations representing three geographic regions. We used F-statistics and Bayesian analysis to evaluate over 2000 polymorphic loci. We found high genetic connectivity (FST = 0.0008, FST = 0.005), high nucleotide diversity (π ≈ 0.1), and moderate genetic diversity (HO ≈ 0.255–0.361, HE ≈ 0.258–0.373) between the studied regions. In contrast to our expectations, given oceanographic characteristics and distance between the geographic regions, our results suggest a single admixed population of O. vulgaris in Puerto Rico, with no differentiation between the sampled regions. Even though genomics techniques are powerful for inferring population connectivity, researchers should be cognizant of protocol limitations to retain the most reliable information possible.

The energy efficiency of emerging aircraft designs plays a key role, not only in reducing environmental impact, but also in reducing operating costs in the anticipated rise in fuel prices. The European Clean Sky 2 project HLFC-Win is investigating the feasibility of hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC) technology integrated into the outer wing leading edge for a long-haul aircraft. HLFC technology reduces aerodynamic friction drag by means of suction of the boundary layer through a micro-perforated skin to achieve laminarity and thereby improving aircraft performance. However, integrating such a system is not without its drawbacks, as the integration has an impact on the geometry, mass, aerodynamics and engine offtakes that need to be considered. Therefore, the aim of this current work is to assess the HLFC system based on a fair, objective and transparent comparison between the HLFC aircraft and an aircraft of the same technology level without HLFC. The assessment of the HLFC system is twofold, firstly estimating the mission-based performance at the overall aircraft level and secondly performing a lifecycle simulation with three scenarios to determine realistic fuel and cost savings. The mission-based performance assessment indicates a block fuel reduction of over 3 % for the design mission which averages 1.6 to 2.5 % considering a realistic route scenario and expected degradation. The economic assessment suggests a dependency on the scenario chosen, ranging from a 0.7 % increase in total cost (in an unfavourable scenario) to almost a 1 % reduction in total cost (in a favourable scenario), equivalent to $15 million saved per HLFC aircraft over its lifetime. These results support the commercial viability of HLFC technology, which offers significant aerodynamic and fuel efficiency improvements and operating cost savings to the aviation industry. Importantly, no critical barriers were identified for the integration of HLFC technology, further underscoring its potential to improve aircraft performance.

The objective was to evaluate the influence of supplementation of L-arginine at 10 g/kg on the performance of lactating sows and their litters by evaluating the milk amino acid composition, serum hormone levels, mammary tissue redox status indicators, mammary tissue histomorphology, and the expression of genes related to mammary gland metabolism. The study was conducted in the municipality of Oliveira, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 2019. A total of 24 sows were selected. A completely randomized design was used in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement, with two diets (control and 10 g L-arginine/kg) and three mammary gland positions (thoracic, abdominal and inguinal), totaling six treatment groups. Each dietary treatment consisted of 12 replicates, with each replicate equivalent to one experimental unit, which was considered a sow and its litter. Females that were fed a diet supplemented with L-arginine had lower feed intake and greater weight loss. Piglets from sows that received L-arginine supplementation presented reduced weaning weight variation. L-arginine supplementation did not affect the amino acid composition of the milk, the plasma hormone levels of the sows, the oxidative stress parameters of redox, or breast tissue morphology. However, it may modulate the expression of genes important for mammary gland metabolism, such as the COX1 and SLC27A4. Piglets that suckled teats in the thoracic and abdominal positions had higher mean weights at 14 and 23 days, as well as greater daily weight gains. L-arginine supplementation to sows improves litter quality by increasing weaning weight uniformity; piglets that occupy the thoracic and abdominal positions perform better.

While invasive plants can modify community and ecosystem attributes, there is little information on their impact across different trophic levels. Here, we examined the effects of Chilean rhubarb [Gunnera tinctoria Molina (Mirb.), Gunneraceae] on the soil detrital food chain, the major pathway for energy flow in terrestrial ecosystems and the recycling of nutrients. Measurements of soil physiochemical properties and the natural abundances of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopes, along with assessments of microbial and earthworm populations were used to verify whether G. tinctoria drives the soil food web and how C is transferred from decomposing litter to worm populations. Based on the C isotope compositions of plant material and detritivorous worms (i.e., earthworms and enchytraeid worms), all worms contribute to G. tinctoria litter decomposition, irrespective of their feeding preference. The increased role of larger earthworm populations in litter decomposition was also associated with changes in the soil microbial community, with some bacterial genera being absent from invaded areas. Of particular interest was a 3-fold increase in Nitrospira spp. in invaded areas, likely due to an increase in earthworm-related ammonia production, with this being rapidly converted to nitrate. Given the poor representation of other ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing soil bacteria, many of the Nitrospira spp. present in invaded soils may perform complete ammonia oxidation (i.e., COMAMMOX). Our results indicate a greater role for native earthworms in decomposition processes in areas invaded by G. tinctoria, resulting in modifications in the other soil biota and an increase in soil nitrate.

This qualitative interview-based study examines metaphysical views of natural scientists (n = 35), focusing on the relationship of self to the universe. We use as a framework the idea of oneness, the view that the universe is fundamentally one thing. We examine how scientists situate their positions on religion and ultimate reality engaging with this concept. Our main research questions are: (1) How do natural scientists conceive of ultimate reality? What is their ontological picture of the world/universe? (2) How do natural scientists relate their spiritual, religious, and ethical outlook to their scientific topic(s) of study? Participants hold a sophisticated range of views that are influenced both by religious self-identification and disciplinary field. They regularly turn to philosophy and theology to guide their forays into ultimate reality, including philosophical and theological traditions such as Daoism, Buddhism, Calvinism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and ancient philosophy. We found that natural sciences and humanities do not compete, but are complementary when it comes to meaning-making.

The number of published systematic reviews has increased over the last years, with a non-negligible proportion displaying methodological concerns. We aimed to develop and evaluate a tool to assess the reported methodological quality of medical systematic reviews. The developed tool (ReMarQ) consists of 26 dichotomous items. We applied an item response theory model to assess the difficulty and discrimination of the items and decision tree models to identify those items more capable of identifying systematic reviews with higher reported methodological quality. ReMarQ was applied to a representative sample of medical systematic reviews (excluding those published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) to describe their methodological quality and identify associated factors. We assessed 400 systematic reviews published between 2010 and 2020, of which 196 (49.0%) included meta-analysis. The most discriminative items were (i) conducting a risk of bias assessment, (ii) having a published protocol and (iii) reporting methods for solving disagreements. More recent systematic reviews (adjusted yearly RR=1.03; 95%CI=1.02 −1.04, p<0.001) and those with meta-analysis (adjusted RR=1.34; 95%CI=1.25 −1.43, p<0.001) were associated with higher reported methodological quality. Such an association was not observed with the journal impact factor. The items most frequently fulfilled were (i) reporting search dates, (ii) reporting bibliographic sources and (iii) searching multiple electronic bibliographic databases. ReMarQ, consisting of dichotomous items and whose application does not require subject content expertise, may be important (i) in supporting an efficient quality assessment of systematic reviews and (ii) as the basis of automated processes to support that assessment.

Parenting programs are effective ways to reduce child maltreatment and promote nurturing parent–child relationships. Yet, the potential of faith-based, positive parent programs, particularly those conducted globally at scale, remains underexplored. We conducted a pre-post and 6-month follow-up, single-group study of a faith- and community-based parenting program, Celebrating Families (CF), in 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and South East Asia. Using a train-the-trainers model, faith leaders delivered group-based parenting workshops over 3–5 days to a nonrandomized sample of 2201 caregivers across 12 countries. Data was collected at three time points. Shifts in caregiver attitudes and beliefs were assessed pre- and post, and harsh parenting behaviors were measured at pre- and 6-months after CF parent program implementation. Acceptability was demonstrated by high attendance and high satisfaction ratings from facilitators and caregivers. Trained faith and community leaders feasibly delivered the CF parent groups and were rated by caregivers to have strong teaching skills. Qualitative analysis of their feedback at 6-month follow-up highlighted barriers to implementation and areas for improvement. Results with those caregivers who completed the program suggest large to medium effect size improvements in caregiver attitudes around harsh discipline and nurturing parenting by country and change in reported use of harsh parenting behaviors at 6 months. Findings suggest that CF is a feasible and acceptable program with promising short-term effects for caregivers of children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries.

Our study aimed to describe the transmission dynamics and genotypic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in people deprived of liberty (PDL) in four Colombian prisons. Our cohort study included 64 PDL with bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed in four Colombian prisons. The 132 isolates were genotyped using 24-mycobacterial interspersed repeated units-variable number tandem repeats (MIRUs-VNTR). A cluster was defined when ≥2 isolates from different PDL had the same genotype. Tuberculosis acquired in prison was considered when ≥2 persons were within the same cluster and had an epidemiological link. We mapped the place of residence before incarceration and within prisons. We assessed overcrowding and ventilation conditions in the prison that had clusters. We found that the most frequent genotypes were LAM (56.8%) and Haarlem (36.4%), and 45.3% of the PDL diagnosed with tuberculosis were clustered. Most PDL diagnosed in prison came from neighborhoods in Medellin with a high TB incidence. M. tuberculosis infection acquired in prison was detected in 19% of PDL, 9.4% had mixed infection, 3.1% reinfection, and 1.6% relapse. Clusters only appeared in one prison, in cell blocks with overcrowding >100%, and inadequate ventilation conditions. Prisons require the implementation of effective respiratory infection control measures to prevent M. tuberculosis transmission.

This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which the association between maternal hyperglycemia and postnatal high-fat diet (HFD) exposure compromises metabolic parameters and hepatic autophagy in adult female pups. For this, Sprague Dawley rats, female pups from nondiabetic (control = FC) or diabetic (FD) mothers, were fed a standard diet (SD) or HFD from weaning until adulthood (n minimum = 5 rats/group): FC/SD, FC/HFD, FD/SD, and FD/HFD. In adulthood, these rats were tested with the oral glucose tolerance test, euthanized, and serum biochemistry parameters were analyzed. Liver samples were collected to evaluate cytokines, redox status, and protein expression autophagy and apoptosis markers. Histomorphometric analyses and an assessment of lipofuscin accumulation were also performed to reflect incomplete autolysosomal digestion. The FC/HFD, FD/SD, and FD/HFD groups showed glucose intolerance and an increased number of hepatocytes. Furthermore, FD/SD and FD/HFD rats showed hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance. Adaptations in hepatic redox pathways were observed in the FD/SD group with increased antioxidant defense marker activity. The FD/SD group also exhibited increased autophagy protein expression, such as p-AMPK, LC3-II/LC3-I, and p62/SQSTM1, lipofuscin accumulation, and caspase-3 activation. After exposure to HFD, the adult female pups of diabetic rats had a reduced p-AMPK and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, the presence of steatosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation. The reduction of autophagy, stimulated by HFD, may be of vital importance for the susceptibility to metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease induced by maternal diabetes.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been recently applied to different mental health illnesses and healthcare domains. This systematic review presents the application of AI in mental health in the domains of diagnosis, monitoring, and intervention. A database search (CCTR, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus) was conducted from inception to February 2024, and a total of 85 relevant studies were included according to preestablished inclusion criteria. The AI methods most frequently used were support vector machine and random forest for diagnosis, machine learning for monitoring, and AI chatbot for intervention. AI tools appeared to be accurate in detecting, classifying, and predicting the risk of mental health conditions as well as predicting treatment response and monitoring the ongoing prognosis of mental health disorders. Future directions should focus on developing more diverse and robust datasets and on enhancing the transparency and interpretability of AI models to improve clinical practice.

This scoping review synthesizes existing literature on the application of the capability approach (CA) to address the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples across the globe. Academic and grey literature searches led to the identification of 20 papers for inclusion in the review. Findings reveal a growing interest in applying the CA to Indigenous health and well-being research, highlighting its potential to guide interventions and policies. The included studies indicate that the CA has been applied to individual capabilities such as facilitating access to services and collective capabilities linked to identity and traditional knowledge preservation. A key finding across the reviewed literature is the importance of incorporating Indigenous values into defining programmes and policies aimed at improving Indigenous Peoples’ well-being. The review underscores the varied application of the CA by researchers aligning with the position of either Sen or Nussbaum, leading to contrasting methodological approaches. Results underscore the CA’s potential as a culturally sensitive framework for participatory and locally embedded development of well-being interventions and policies.

The objective of this study was to assess the fermentation profile, chemical composition, aerobic stability and taxonomic diversity of corn grain silages rehydrated with water or cactus pear. Two rehydration methods were tested: corn grain silage rehydrated with water (CW) and corn grain silage rehydrated with cactus pear (CCP), each subjected to four opening times (30, 60, 90 and 120 days). The experiment employed a 2 × 4 factorial completely randomized design (two rehydration methods and four opening times) with four repetitions, units 32 experimental units. pH values were higher in water-rehydrated corn grain silage compared to cactus pear-rehydrated silage at 60 (average of 4.78 and 4.33) and 90 days (average of 4.33 and 3.83). For NH3-N, CW surpassed CCP at 30 days (average of 0.73% and 0.63%) and 60 days (average of 1.09% and 0.74%), respectively. Regarding rehydration, CCP had a higher dry matter (DM) content at 30 and 60 days, while CW showed the highest DM content at 90 and 120 days. Initially, the microbiota of CW and CCP treatments differed, primarily in the abundance of the Weissella genus, more abundant in CCP. However, from 30 to 120 days, microbiotas in all treatments became taxonomically similar, with no significant differences. Both silage experienced an increase in bacteria of the Lactobacillus genus. The use of cactus pear for rehydration in ensiling rehydrated corn grain is viable, showing superior results for fermentation profile and aerobic stability compared to water rehydration. It is recommended to open the silo after 60 days of fermentation.