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Dismantling racism in American psychology has recently emerged as a critical goal of the field accompanied by actionable steps being developed in training, research, and practice. To contribute to this significant undertaking, we offer an exploration of the impact of racism on psychological research methods and practices using the ABC model. First, antecedents to the present manifestation of the problem are identified as an advancement of research topics that supported a hereditary hierarchy based on race, the normalization of White participants as standard in comparative studies, and the use of biased measures to investigate various constructs, particularly as it relates to psychological testing. Second, sampling bias is discussed as a systemic behavior that produces racism in psychological research methods; specifically, issues of omission and commission are described along with the use of WEIRD samples and the role of implicit bias in the limited production of knowledge on people of color. Third, the antecedents and behaviors give way to consequences that include threats to cultural validity, unequal treatment and health disparities, and epistemic oppression in the field. We end with recommendations for avoiding a continuation of the field’s racist legacy in present-day psychology.

Systemic racism is a public health crisis that needs to be urgently and effectively addressed. Historical racism, contemporary biases, and prejudicial attitudes have persistently affected and damaged the mental health of people of color (POC) throughout the world. Although the 2021 apology from American Psychological Association (APA) acknowledged the profession’s contribution to racism, much more work needs to be done to rectify and address past and current harm. A comprehensive, actionable, and concrete plan is needed to catalyze change. Adopting a socioecological approach can help tackle the multiple levels in which discrimination and unequal treatment take place. This necessitates more than just addressing the social determinants of illness, but also transforming the cultural competence of providers, organizations, and the mental health delivery system. Key to improving outcomes for POC domestically and abroad is increasing the affordability and access to care, diversifying and improving the cultural competence of the mental health workforce, and developing culturally adapted and effective care tailored to meet the culture-specific needs of diverse communities. Progress can only happen through proactive action and utilization of an anti-racist stance that commits significant financial and scientific resources to promote institutional, structural, systemic, and policy changes.

Keeping steps ahead of the bacteria in the race for more efficacious antibacterial strategies is increasingly difficult with the advent of bacterial resistance genes. Herein, we engineered copper sulfide nanoclusters (CuSxNCs) with variable sulfur defects for enhanced dual-treatment of bacterial infections by manipulating photothermal effects and Fenton-like activity. Next, by encasing CuSxNCs with a complex mixture of amino acids and short peptides derived from Luria-Bertani bacterial culture media as a protein corona, we managed to coax E. Coli to take up these CuSxNCs. As a whole, Amino-Pep-CuSxNCs was perceived as a food source and actively consumed by bacteria, enhancing their effective uptake by at least 1.5-fold greater than full length BSA protein BSA-corona CuSxNCs. Through strategically using defect-engineering, we successfully fine-tune photothermal effect and Fenton-like capacity of CuSxNCs. Increased sulfur defects lead to reduced but sufficient heat generation under solar-light irradiation and increased production of toxic hydroxyl radicals. By fine-tuning sulfur defects during synthesis, we achieve CuSxNCs with an optimal synergistic effect, significantly enhancing their bactericidal properties. These ultra-small and biodegradable CuSxNCs can rapidly break down after treatment for clearance. Thus, Amino-Pep-CuSxNCs demonstrate effective eradication of bacteria both in vitroand in vivobecause of their relatively high uptake, optimal balanced photothermal and chemodynamic outcomes. Our study offers a straightforward and efficient method to enhance bacterial uptake of next generation of antibacterial agents.

In the United States, there is an acute shortage of health service psychologists of color. In this paper, we examined this shortage in the context of the American Psychological Association’s apology to people of color for psychology’s role in perpetuating racism and human hierarchy. Drawing from literature on the sociohistorical context of race in America, we argue that the treatment meted out to Native Americans (e.g., exploitation and eviction from their homelands), Blacks (e.g., slavery), and other ethnic-racial groups resulted in the development of racist attitudes about human hierarchy and White superiority, and these initial behaviors and attitudes began a vicious cycle of discriminatory behaviors, racist attitudes, and societal inequities that are still affecting society in the present day. We also contend that the shortage of professional psychologists—both health service and applied—cannot be solved at the graduate school level where these individuals are trained. The solution has to start with increasing the numbers of students of color who succeed in elementary and secondary schooling, ultimately matriculating into college and graduate school. Thus, the solution requires interventions aimed at the entire educational trajectory. We conclude with recommendations for actions and advocacy from psychological associations such as the American Psychological Association as well as individual psychologists.

In 2020, the American Psychological Association undertook the task of examining the deleterious effects of systemic racism on people of color in the United States. This extensive examination led to the passing of three historic resolutions in October 2021, by the APA Council of Representatives, including the resolution, Role of Psychology, and APA in Dismantling Systemic Racism Against People of Color in the United States. In the resolution, there was a focus on education, science, healthcare, work and economic opportunities, criminal and juvenile justice, early childhood development, and government and public policy. These resolutions set a foundation for the field in moving forward. To effectively address systemic racism, there must be dedication and deliberate action to address the policies, structures, and practices that contribute to inequities. The primary focus of this paper is advocacy; specifically, political advocacy for psychologists to address these policies and structures, in achieving the goals of dismantling systemic racism and creating a more equitable society.

After challenging models of human nature and psychological science, a series of interrogations are proposed that aid in improving the practice of theorizing in psychology, specifically in regard to the topic of race. The program of autoepistemologyis defined as the study of how “my” knowledge is connected with histories, cultures and societies as well as with the academic communities in which “I” participate, and with “my” personal cognitive, affective and motivational preferences and experiences. Autoepistemology includes reflections about the relationship between psychological knowledge on race, on the one hand, and intellectual and cultural traditions, horizons, and practices, on the other hand. It is argued that theorizing on race is strengthened when addressing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as epistemic categories in all contexts of the research process. Epistemic EDI, which includes an interrogation of power, together with institutional and educational EDI, has the potential to dismantle racism in psychology. An approach to theorizing about human groups that avoids the pitfalls of White epistemologies is proposed.

The discipline of psychology, with its roots in scientific racism, has been complicit with the enactment of racist policies that have significantly harmed the psychological well-being of many minoritized people in colonial societies. The American Psychological Association (APA) has acknowledged and apologized for this racist history and has committed to an antiracist path for the future to right the wrongs. As a part of Dangerous Opportunity special issue, we examine the antecedents to racism in psychology, the racist behaviors of psychology and the APA during its existence, and the harmful consequences contributed by racist policies supported or endorsed by psychologists. Additionally, we provide a listing of required changes we view as necessary for the discipline of psychology and the APA (as its primary professional organization) to enact to prepare the discipline and the Association for antiracist activities and to capably and responsibly support and advance antiracist policies outside of psychology in the public interests. Transformation of the discipline and its associations, institutions, and programs is necessary for psychology to remain locally and globally relevant in a culturally diverse and interdependent. Antiracist activities are essential for this transformation to occur.

There are potential ethical pitfalls when performing clinical and translational research. The growing emphasis on evidence-based medicine and an understanding of basic ethical principles demands attention from the clinician scientist. Underlying principles such as respect for autonomy and considering the risk-benefit profile for each participant should remain the foundation when considering ethical issues in clinical research. Developing technology, the growth of large databases, and unanticipated health crises require ethical guidelines to be dynamic and continuously reviewed to adequately address potential ethical quandaries. Although there are various international guidelines in this area, there remains heterogeneity in their interpretation and application.

The coffee-ring effect is an eye-catching circle originating from a material-suspended liquid droplet at a solid substrate after liquid evaporation, but the low speediness has restricted practical applications. When nanomaterial aqueous solutions are dropped onto porous nitrocellulose (NC), the liquid is immediately absorbed through the porous tunnels of paper fibers, and nanomaterials are rapidly enriched on the contact lines between droplets and membranes. We called this ultrafast variant of the coffee ring effect the “tunneling coffee ring” (TCR). When nanomaterial sizes are smaller than that of pores, a larger-diameter ring of nanomaterials quickly materializes. The real-time particle size-dependent TCRs and liquid diffusion rings exhibit a dual-ring pattern on the NC membrane. The tunneling speed of the capillary effect is so fast that the pattern appears within seconds. We apply the TCR effect as a size-surface affinity-particle/fluid separation sensor for bacteria. Dextran-modified Au and MoS2nanostructures are proposed to be antibody-free microbe kits. Our TCR effect is used to distinguish between particles of different sizes and affinities, which are highly relevant in complicated systems without electricity and equipment in resource-poor settings.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) genome-wide association studies (GWASs) often overlook rare variants as a result of previous imputation panels’ limitations and scarce whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data. We used TOPMed imputation and WGS to conduct the largest T2D GWAS meta-analysis involving 51,256 cases of T2D and 370,487 controls, targeting variants with a minor allele frequency as low as 5 × 10−5. We identified 12 new variants, including a rare African/African American-enriched enhancer variant near the LEPgene (rs147287548), associated with fourfold increased T2D risk. We also identified a rare missense variant in HNF4A(p.Arg114Trp), associated with eightfold increased T2D risk, previously reported in maturity-onset diabetes of the young with reduced penetrance, but observed here in a T2D GWAS. We further leveraged these data to analyze 1,634 ClinVar variants in 22 genes related to monogenic diabetes, identifying two additional rare variants in HNF1Aand GCKassociated with fivefold and eightfold increased T2D risk, respectively, the effects of which were modified by the individual’s polygenic risk score. For 21% of the variants with conflicting interpretations or uncertain significance in ClinVar, we provided support of being benign based on their lack of association with T2D. Our work provides a framework for using rare variant GWASs to identify large-effect variants and assess variant pathogenicity in monogenic diabetes genes.

Air quality index (AQI) forecasting is complex due to its variability, instability, and inconsistent trends resulting from dynamic atmospheric conditions, various contaminants, and interactions between environmental factors. Advanced modeling techniques are needed to accurately forecast AQI values to capture subtle patterns and variations in air quality data. Thus, a new forecasting model is suggested in this study to improve the accuracy of AQI forecasting. The model integrates three-phase decomposition technique, a feature selection approach, and ensemble Deep Random Vector Functional Link (EDRVFL), optimized using adaptive teaching-learning-based optimization and differential evolution (ATLDE). The AQI series was first broken down into a group of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) with different frequencies using multivariate variational mode decomposition (MVMD). Subsequently, a feature selection method based on the Boruta technique was applied to identify the most significant input variables. Finally, for daily AQI levels forecasting, ATLDE optimized the EDRVFL model (EDRVFL-ATLDE). Three daily AQI series gathered from Chengdu, Wuhan, and Taiyuan in China from January 1, 2018, to December 30, 2022, were used to test and confirm the proposed model via empirical research. Based on the results, the proposed model can yield the superior results for three cities (Chengdu: correlation coefficient (R = 0.987), root mean square error (RMSE = 5.583), Wuhan: (R = 0.987), (RMSE = 3.299), and Taiyuan: (R = 0.996), (RMSE = 4.521)) in China. The experimental findings demonstrated the feasibility of the three-phase hybrid methodology, outperforming all other models regarding forecast accuracy.

The optimal dosing strategy for infliximab in steroid-refractory acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) is unknown. We compared intensified and standard dose infliximab rescue strategies and explored maintenance therapies following infliximab induction in ASUC.

The extant literature on hospitality and human resource management has not yet uncovered the hidden intangible chain of employee turnover intention, particularly in the hotel context. A theoretical framework was developed by applying the tenets of the theory of planned behaviour, social cognitive theory and the multi-dimensional commitment model. More specifically, this study investigated the impact of staff core personality (core confidence traits and core self-evaluation) on employees’ positive attitudes towards the organization, ultimately decreasing employee turnover intention. Further, the study scrutinized the moderating impact of organizational commitment dimensions in the extended model and the links that were missing in prior literature. It employed a self-administered survey and obtained 300 usable responses. The data were analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) software. The results revealed that all the core personality factors (CSE and core confidence traits, including resilience, hope and optimism) and self-efficacy significantly affect the staff’s positive attitude. Moreover, the study established the moderating impact of affective commitment and continuous commitment on the connection between attitude and employees’ intention to leave the organization. This article recommends several practices that hotel human resource managers can utilize to reduce employee turnover intention and upsurge the sustainability of the hotel industry.

Solid waste recycling is an economically sound strategy for preserving the environment, safeguarding natural resources, and diminishing the reliance on raw material consumption. Geopolymer technology offers a significant advantage by enabling the reuse and recycling of diverse materials. This research assesses how including silica fume and glass powder enhances the impact resistance of ultra-high-performance geopolymer concrete (UHPGC). In total, 18 distinct mixtures were formulated by substituting ground granulated blast furnace slag with varying proportions of silica fume and glass powder, ranging from 10% to 40%. Similarly, for each of the mixtures above, steel fibre was added at a dosage of 1.5% to address the inherent brittleness of UHPGC. The mixtures were activated by combining sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solution to generate geopolymer binders. The specimens were subjected to drop-weight impact testing, wherein an examination was carried out to evaluate various parameters, including flowability, density at fresh and hardened state, compressive strength, impact numbers indicative of cracking and failure occurrences, ductility index, and analysis of failure modes. Additionally, the variations in the impact test outcomes were analyzed using the Weibull distribution, and the findings corresponding to survival probability were offered. Furthermore, the microstructure of UHPGC was scrutinized through scanning electron microscopy. Findings reveal that the specimens incorporating glass powder exhibited lower cracking impact number values than those utilizing silica fume, with reductions ranging from 18.63% to 34.31%. Similarly, failure impact number values decreased from 8.26% to 28.46% across glass powder contents. The maximum compressive and impact strength was recorded in UHPGC, comprising 10% silica fume with fibres.

The coexistence of valley polarization and topology has considerably facilitated the applications of 2D materials toward valleytronics device technology. However, isolated and distinct valleys are required to observe the valley-related quantum phenomenon. Herein, we report a new mechanism to generate in-plane magnetization direction-dependent isolated valley carriers by preserving or breaking the mirror symmetry in a 2D system. First-principle calculations are carried out on a prototype material, W2MnC2O2MXene, to demonstrate the mechanism. A valley-coupled topological phase transition among Weyl semimetal, valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall insulator, and topological semimetal is observed by manipulating the in-plane magnetization directions in W2MnC2O2. Monte Carlo simulations of W2MnC2O2show that the estimated Curie temperature is around 170 K, indicating the possibility of observing valley-polarized topological states at higher temperatures. Our finding provides a generalized platform for investigating the valley and topological physics, which is extremely important for future quantum information processing applications.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOF) are a class of crystalline, porous materials possessing well-defined channels that have widespread applications across the sustainable landscape. Analogous to zeolites, these materials are well-suited for adsorption processes targeting environmental contaminants. Herein, a zirconium MOF, UiO-66, was functionalized with ferrocene for the selective removal of oxyanion contaminants, specifically NO3–, SO42–, and PO43–. Electrochemical oxidation of the embedded ferrocene pendants induces preferential adsorption of these oxyanions, even in the presence of Cl–in a 10-fold excess. Anion selectivity strongly favoring PO43–(Soxy/comp= 3.80) was observed following an adsorption trend of PO43–> SO42–> NO3–> (10-fold)Cl–in multi-ion solution mixtures. The underlying mechanisms responsible for ion selectivity were elucidated by performing ex situX-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on the heterogeneous electrode surface postadsorption and by calculating the electronic structure of various adsorption configurations. It was eventually shown that oxyanion selectivity stemmed from strong ion association with a positively charged pore interior due to the spatial distribution of charge by oxygen constituents. While ferrocenium provided the impetus for ion migration–diffusion, it was the formation of stable complexes with zirconium nodes that ultimately contributed to selective adsorption of oxyanions.

The overarching aim of the present study is to sort out the taxonomy of a group of gingers that include the useful and worldwide economically important green cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum, and its wild relatives, to highlight potentially overlooked genetic resources. These species occur naturally in India and Sri Lanka, and our study facilitates more appropriate management priorities for the remaining forest fragments in which they occur. We used NGS Hyb‐Seq methods and sampled four species of the Alpinia I (Fax) clade, six representatives of Aframomumand Renealmiaas well as two other basally flowering Sri Lankan species. This is the only pantropically distributed lineage within the entire family, and our result shows that the Alpinia I clade in fact is simply the genus Elettaria(confined to India and Sri Lanka), which is sister to the genera Aframomum(Africa) and Renealmia(Africa and Neotropics). The taxonomic implications are: (1) a recircumscription of Elettariacomprising seven species (E. cardamomum, E. ensal, E. floribunda, E. involucrata, E. rufescensas well as two new species, E. faciferaand E. tulipiferadescribed here); (2) the Sri Lankan endemic genus Cyphostigmashould be retained; (3) the new monotypic genus, Srilankanthusendemic in Sri Lanka, is described with S. nemoralis, formerly Amomum nemorale, as type. A key is provided to the seven species of Elettariaand lectotypifications are made for five species (Cyphostigma pulchellum, Elettaria floribunda, E. involucrata, E. nemoralis, E. rufescens).

Rhabdomyomas are rare benign mesenchymal tumors of the skeletal muscles and uncommon in the head and neck region. Laryngeal rhabdomyomas are much rarer. We present the case of a 32-year-old woman who was admitted to our hospital for shortness of breath due to pneumothorax. As otolaryngologists, we were consulted for a soft tissue tumor over the left side of the larynx that was accidentally found on the chest computed tomography (CT). The patient underwent laryngomicrosurgery for tumor biopsy, and histological examination revealed a laryngeal rhabdomyoma. After the operation, magnetic resonance imaging of the neck was performed and the tumor was suspected as rhabdomyosarcoma. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) showed an 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-avid soft tissue mass on the left side of the larynx. After complete tumor removal viatransoral laser microsurgery, no recurrence was reported for 5 years.

This article presents the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for gauge-invariant field-impulses, which constitute the fundamental physical quantities of electromagnetics (EM) in lieu of fields and potentials. The field-impulses not only provide satisfactory resolution to various shortcomings of fields/potentials, but also facilitate simple and versatile numerical computations. They overcome the inadequacy of fields and the issues of gauge-dependent potentials in classical and quantum EM. The significance and advantages of field-impulses are discussed and compared against those of fields and potentials, in physical, mathematical, and computational aspects. The single electric field-impulse is sufficient to aptly describe all EM, including electrostatics, magnetostatics, and electrodynamics. For the excitation of field-impulses, we resort to a universal current-impulse source in lieu of traditional charges and currents. Such current-impulse can encapsulate simultaneously all static charges, direct current and time-varying dynamic sources. Moreover, it is inherently complying with charge conservation and current continuity condition. There is no need to explicitly impose such condition as required for traditional charges and currents. The FDTD update equations for field-impulses with current-impulse source are much simpler with significantly fewer terms and arithmetic operations compared to those for potentials. Numerical experiments demonstrate the full versatility of the field-impulse FDTD method for computing all electrostatics, magnetostatics, and electrodynamics, which would be useful for classical and quantum EM.

This letter proposes an associated hermite finite-difference time-domain (AH FDTD) method suitable for nonuniform grids, which is implemented based on coordinate transformation. A coordinate transformation that can transform nonuniform grids into uniform grids is introduced. Subsequently, by combining the 2-D AH FDTD method with the aforementioned coordinate transformation, a five-point coefficient matrix equation for the electromagnetic field component is obtained. The proposed method is verified by calculating the magnetic field inside a waveguide filled with a lossy medium. The effects of varying different coordinate transformation parameters on the computational accuracy of electromagnetic scattering from metal thin plates with gaps have been investigated. Compared to traditional methods, this method can save computation time while ensuring high computational accuracy when dealing with electromagnetic problems of fine structures. It can also guarantee computational stability even when the ratio of coarse grid size to fine grid size is large.

Objective Palliative care is unavailable and/or inaccessible for the majority of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). This study aims to determine the availability and accessibility of palliative care services in Malaysia, a middle-income country that has made good progress toward universal health coverage (UHC).Method Publicly available data, and databases of registered palliative care services were obtained from governmental and nongovernmental sources. Google Maps and Rome2Rio web-based applications were used to assess geographical disparities by estimating the median distance, travel time, and travel costs from every Malaysian district to the closest palliative care service.Results Substantial variations in availability, components, and accessibility (distance, time, and cost to access care) of palliative care services were observed. In the highly developed Central Region of Peninsular Malaysia, specialty care was available within 4 km whereas in the less-developed East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, patients had to travel approximately 46 km. In the predominantly rural East Malaysia, basic palliative care services were 82 km away and, in some instances, where land connectivity was scarce, it took 2.5 h to access care via boat. The corresponding median travel costs were USD2 (RM9) and USD23 (RM114) in Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia.Conclusion The stark urban–rural divide in the availability and accessibility of palliative care services even in a setting that has made good progress toward UHC highlights the urgent need for decentralization of palliative care in the LMICs. This may be achieved by capacity building and task shifting in primary care and community settings.

The current focus has been shifted from artificial to natural fibers due to increasing environmental awareness and consciousness. In this regard, various types of natural fiber have been explored as potential reinforcement in composite materials. Pineapple leaf and kenaf fibers have been shown to have several outstanding characteristics over other natural fibers. This study examines the physical and mechanical properties of pineapple leaf and kenaf fabrics in plain weave architectures to determine their potential as reinforcement in composite laminates. A comprehensive characterization was performed on the two types of woven fabrics. Moreover, the tensile properties of both dry and wet woven fabrics were identified in two different orientations. The findings showed that the fabric density and weight of PALF were slightly higher than kenaf fabrics. However, the yarn size, crimp level, and fabric thickness of PALF were smaller than kenaf. In terms of tensile properties, the tensile strength and modulus of fabrics in the warp direction were higher than in the weft direction, regardless of fiber type. Fabrics at an off-axis angle demonstrated the lowest tensile strength and modulus but exhibited the highest tensile strain. In addition, it was found that the moisture absorption of the fabrics deteriorated their tensile strength and modulus but increased the tensile strain. Overall, PALF fabrics with lower crimp levels and higher mechanical properties outperformed kenaf fabrics, and thus, PALF fabrics have a higher potential to be the reinforcement for biocomposites.

Ovarian sex cord-stromal tumours (SCSTs) present diagnostic difficulties during frozen section (FS) consultations due to their diverse morphology. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of FS evaluation of SCSTs in our institution, as well as to examine the reasons leading to incorrect FS diagnosis. Cases mimicking SCSTs and diagnosed as such during FS were also highlighted.