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BackgroundThymosin beta‐4 (TB4) is an X‐linked gene product with cardioprotective properties. Little is known about plasma concentration of TB4 in heart failure (HF), and its relationship with other cardiovascular biomarkers. We sought to evaluate circulating TB4 in HF patients with preserved (HFpEF) or reduced (HFrEF) ejection fraction compared to non‐HF controls. Methods and ResultsTB4 was measured using a liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry assay in age‐ and sex‐matched HFpEF (n=219), HFrEF (n=219) patients, and controls (n=219) from a prospective nationwide study. Additionally, a 92‐marker multiplex proximity extension assay was measured to identify biomarker covariates. Compared with controls, plasma TB4 was elevated in HFpEF (985 [421–1723] ng/mL versus 1401 [720–2379] ng/mL, P

This study reports on a polymer composites which use low density polyethylene (LDPE) as polymer matrix, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and graphene oxide (GO) as fillers. The results between mechanical and thermal properties of binary system and ternary system composites are being compared with the effect of graphene oxide. The preparation of TiO2/GO fillers is done by physical mixing with ratio 1:1 of titanium dioxide and graphene oxide which was prepared using simplified Hummer's method. 5 wt% and 10 wt% of the fillers are then melt mixed with LDPE respectively at 160°C, rotor speed of 60rpm for 10 minutes using Brabender machine. The results confirmed that the incorporation of GO in ternary system showed improvement in tensile and flexural properties compared to binary system composites. For thermal behaviour, ternary system composites showed higher cyrstallinity in differential scanning calorimety (DSC) study than the binary composites, however ternary system composites has slightly decrease for the thermal stability in thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The investigation on the tensile fractured surface using scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed better interfacial adhesion in ternary system compared to the binary system. Thus, results revealed that polymer composite based on ternary system displayed a remarkable enhancement in mechanical properties which make it a good candidate in food packaging application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Team-based learning (TBL) is an instructional pedagogy that has gained recent popularity due to its effectiveness in disciplines such as medicine and business. However, TBL has not been widely adopted in teacher education based on reviews of research and practitioner based literature. The purpose of this case study was to assess the implementation and effectiveness of TBL in a Singapore teaching institute with thirty in-service teachers. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected from teachers about their experience learning through TBL. Research findings revealed that 1) teachers generally perceived TBL to be a positive experience, although several areas for improvement were suggested; 2) quality of scores through TBL was high, with team scores being significantly higher than individual scores. The findings from this study have the potential to guide the design of future TBL courses in education.

This paper aims to provide a thorough analysis on the application of TRIZ in improving the quality of canned food production. TRIZ tools such as engineering systems analysis, function analysis, cause and effect chain analysis, By-separation model and 40 Inventive Principles are applied in order to discover some feasible and elegant solutions to alleviate the problem. Findings revealed that the rejected canned products on the conveyor belt will be isolated or picked up with other good condition canned products which are lined up very closely to the rejected cans; though the visioning system is able detect the fault printing on the canned product. The main root cause is that the rejected canned product is picked up with other canned products in good condition because all cans are lined up on the belt and are very close to each other or having no gaps between the cans. Conversely, all cans on the conveyor belts are required to be very close to each other to avoid collisions that may damage the cans. The root cause is solved by applying function analysis, By-separation tool and Inventive Principles. Therefore, it can be concluded that TRIZ is a powerful tool in inventive problem solving.

Abstract The effects of the polypropylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PP-g-MAH) and polypropylene methyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (PP-POSS) compatibilizers on the mechanical, thermal and physical properties of palm kernel shell (PKS) reinforced polypropylene (PP) were investigated. The production of PP/PKS biocomposites was performed by melt mixing using Brabender Internal Mixer. Mechanical test results showed that the biocomposites with PP-g-MAH have better tensile strength compared to biocomposites with or without PP-POSS. The results also showed an increase in the tensile strength and elongation at break when compatibilizers were added. Polypropylene-grafted maleic anhydride improved the Young’s modulus of the biocomposites, but PP-POSS reduced it. Moreoever, adding compatibilizers in biocomposites reduced the water absorption of the biocomposites. The compatibilizers improved the nucleating ability of filler in the composites. The PP-g-MAH compatibilizer provided better performance in improving nucleating ability to biocomposites compared to PP-POSS.

We entangle two cotrapped atomic barium ion qubits by collecting single visible photons from each ion through in vacuo 0.8 NA objectives, interfering them through an integrated fiber beam splitter and detecting them in coincidence. This projects the qubits into an entangled Bell state with an observed fidelity lower bound of F>94%. We also introduce an ytterbium ion for sympathetic cooling to remove the need for recooling interruptions and achieve a continuous entanglement rate of 250  s^{-1}.

This study addresses the limitations of current tonometry techniques by exploring vibroacoustic properties for estimating intraocular pressure (IOP), a key diagnostic parameter for monitoring glaucoma-a significant risk factor for vision loss. Utilizing vivo porcine eyeballs, we investigated the relationship between IOP and the nonlinear vibration transfer function ratio (NVTFR). Through applying varying vibration levels and analyzing responses with transfer function analysis and univariate regression, we identified a strong negative correlation between NVTFR and IOP, evidenced by a Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.8111 and significant results from generalized linear model (GLM) regression ( p -value < 0.001). These findings indicate the potential of NVTFR as a vital indicator of IOP changes. Our study highlights the feasibility of using vibroacoustic properties, specifically NVTFR, to measure IOP. While further refinement is necessary for in vivo application, this approach opens new possibilities for non-invasive and patient-friendly IOP monitoring, potentially enhancing ophthalmology diagnostic techniques and providing a foundation for future research and development in this critical area.

Photonic interconnects between quantum systems will play a central role in both scalable quantum computing and quantum networking. Entanglement of remote qubits via photons has been demonstrated in many platforms; however, improving the rate of entanglement generation will be instrumental for integrating photonic links into modular quantum computers. We present an ion trap system that has the highest reported free-space photon collection efficiency for quantum networking. We use a pair of in-vacuum aspheric lenses, each with a numerical aperture of 0.8, to couple 10(1)% of the 493 nm photons emitted from a 138Ba+ ion into single-mode fibers. We also demonstrate that proximal effects of the lenses on the ion position and motion can be mitigated., (© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma in high myopic (HM) eyes are becoming very important; however, it is challenging to diagnose this condition. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic ability of wide-field optical coherence tomography angiography (WF-OCTA) maps for the detection of glaucomatous damage in eyes with HM and to compare the diagnostic ability of WF-OCTA maps with that of conventional imaging approaches, including swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) wide-field maps. In this retrospective observational study, a total 62 HM-healthy eyes and 140 HM eyes with open-angle glaucoma were included. Patients underwent a comprehensive ocular examination, including SS-OCT wide-field and 12 × 12 WF-OCTA scans. The WF-OCTA map represents the peripapillary and macular superficial vascular density maps. Glaucoma specialists determined the presence of glaucomatous damage in HM eyes by reading the WF-OCTA map and comparing its sensitivity and specificity with those of conventional SS-OCT images. The sensitivity and specificity of 12 × 12 WF-OCTA scans for HM-glaucoma diagnosis were 87.28% and 86.94%, respectively, while, the sensitivity and specificity of SS-OCT wide-field maps for HM-glaucoma diagnosis were 87.49% and 80.51%, respectively. The specificity of the WF-OCTA map was significantly higher than that of the SS-OCT wide-field map (p < 0.05). The sensitivity of the WF-OCTA map was comparable with that of the SS-OCT wide-field map (p = 0.078). The WF-OCTA map showed good diagnostic ability for discriminating HM-glaucomatous eyes from HM-healthy eyes. As a complementary method to an alternative imaging modality, WF-OCTA mapping can be a useful tool for the detection of HM glaucoma., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Social isolation encompasses subjective and objective concepts. Both are associated with negative health consequences and are more prevalent among people with mental health problems than among the general population. To alleviate social isolation, digital interventions have potential as accessible alternatives or adjuncts to face-to-face interventions. This scoping review aimed to describe the types of digital interventions evaluated for feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness in alleviating social isolation among individuals with mental health problems, and to present an overview of the quantitative evidence yielded to inform future intervention design., Methods: We searched five electronic databases for quantitative and mixed methods studies published between January 2000 and July 2020. Studies were included if they evaluated digital interventions for individuals with mental health conditions, had subjective and/or objective social isolation as their primary outcome, or as one of their outcomes if no primary outcome was specified. Feasibility studies were included if feasibility outcomes were the primary outcomes and social isolation was among their secondary outcomes. A narrative synthesis was conducted to present our findings. The protocol was registered on Open Science Framework (doi: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/CNX8A )., Results: Thirty-two studies were included for our review: 16 feasibility studies, seven single-group studies and nine effectiveness trials. There was great variation in the interventions, study designs and sample populations. Interventions included web-based programmes, phone-based programmes, blended interventions, socially assistive robots and virtual reality interventions. Many were feasibility studies, or otherwise not fully powered to detect an effect if one were present, thus preventing clear conclusions about clinical effectiveness. Satisfactory feasibility outcomes indicated potential for future trials to assess these interventions., Conclusion: Our scoping review identified a range of digital approaches utilized to alleviate social isolation among individuals with mental health disorders. Conclusions regarding clinical effectiveness cannot be reached due to variability of approaches and lack of large-scale randomized controlled trials. To make clear recommendations for digital social isolation interventions, future research needs to be based on rigorous methods and larger samples. Future studies should also focus on utilizing theory-driven approaches and improving existing approaches to advance the field., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Loneliness is prevalent among people with a "personality disorder" diagnosis or who have related personality traits, but the experience of loneliness among people with "personality disorder" diagnoses/traits has not been well described. A qualitative approach has potential to help understand the experience of loneliness among people with "personality disorder" diagnoses/traits, and to develop interventions that promote recovery. We therefore aimed to synthesise the qualitative literature relevant to this topic., Method: We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies exploring the subjective experience of loneliness as reported by people with "personality disorder" diagnoses/traits. We searched four databases using pre-formulated search terms, selected eligible articles, appraised the quality of each, and analyzed data from eligible studies using thematic synthesis., Result: We identified 39 articles that described the experience of loneliness in people with "personality disorder" diagnoses/traits. From extracted data, we identified seven themes: (1) disconnection and emptiness: a "haunting alienation", (2) alienation arising from childhood experiences, (3) thwarted desire for closeness and connection, (4) paradox: for both closeness and distance, (5) experiences of existential loneliness, (6) recovery, embedded in a social world, and (7) group therapy: a setback. Our results suggest that for our sample early alienating and traumatic experiences may pave the way for experiences of loneliness, which further exacerbate "personality disorder" symptoms and distress., Conclusion: Despite describing a need to belong and efforts to cope with unmet social needs, people with "personality disorder" diagnoses/traits (particularly "emotionally unstable personality disorder") report experiencing an intense disconnection from other people. This seems rooted in early adversities, reinforced by later traumatic experiences. Given the apparent salience of loneliness to people with "personality disorder" diagnoses/traits, interventions focused on helping people connect with others, which may include both psychological and social components, have potential to be beneficial in reducing loneliness and promoting recovery., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Using recent high-precision measurements of electric dipole matrix elements of atomic cesium, we make an improved determination of the scalar (α) and vector (β) polarizabilities of the cesium 6s^{2}S&#95;{1/2}→7s^{2}S&#95;{1/2} transition calculated through a sum-over-states method. We report values of α=-268.82(30)a&#95;{0}^{3} and β=27.139(42)a&#95;{0}^{3} with the highest precision to date. We find a discrepancy between our value of β and the past preferred value, resulting in a significant shift in the value of the weak charge Q&#95;{w} of the cesium nucleus. Future work to resolve the differences in the polarizability will be critical for interpretation of parity nonconservation measurements in cesium, which have implications for physics beyond the standard model.

It is well known that comorbidity is the rule, not the exception, for categorically defined psychiatric disorders, and this is also the case for internalizing disorders of depression and anxiety. This theoretical review paper addresses the ubiquity of comorbidity among internalizing disorders. Our central thesis is that progress in understanding this co-occurrence can be made by employing latent dimensional structural models that organize psychopathology as well as vulnerabilities and risk mechanisms and by connecting the multiple levels of risk and psychopathology outcomes together. Different vulnerabilities and risk mechanisms are hypothesized to predict different levels of the structural model of psychopathology. We review the present state of knowledge based on concurrent and developmental sequential comorbidity patterns among common discrete psychiatric disorders in youth, and then we advocate for the use of more recent bifactor dimensional models of psychopathology (e.g., p factor; Caspi et al., 2014) that can help to explain the co-occurrence among internalizing symptoms. In support of this relatively novel conceptual perspective, we review six exemplar vulnerabilities and risk mechanisms, including executive function, information processing biases, cognitive vulnerabilities, positive and negative affectivity aspects of temperament, and autonomic dysregulation, along with the developmental occurrence of stressors in different domains, to show how these vulnerabilities can predict the general latent psychopathology factor, a unique latent internalizing dimension, as well as specific symptom syndrome manifestations., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Background: High-throughput, image-based screens of cellular responses to genetic or chemical perturbations generate huge numbers of cell images. Automated analysis is required to quantify and compare the effects of these perturbations. However, few of the current freely-available bioimage analysis software tools are optimized for efficient handling of these images. Even fewer of them are designed to transform the phenotypic features measured from these images into discriminative profiles that can reveal biologically meaningful associations among the tested perturbations., Results: We present a fast and user-friendly software platform called "cellXpress" to segment cells, measure quantitative features of cellular phenotypes, construct discriminative profiles, and visualize the resulting cell masks and feature values. We have also developed a suite of library functions to load the extracted features for further customizable analysis and visualization under the R computing environment. We systematically compared the processing speed, cell segmentation accuracy, and phenotypic-profile clustering performance of cellXpress to other existing bioimage analysis software packages or algorithms. We found that cellXpress outperforms these existing tools on three different bioimage datasets. We estimate that cellXpress could finish processing a genome-wide gene knockdown image dataset in less than a day on a modern personal desktop computer., Conclusions: The cellXpress platform is designed to make fast and efficient high-throughput phenotypic profiling more accessible to the wider biological research community. The cellXpress installation packages for 64-bit Windows and Linux, user manual, installation guide, and datasets used in this analysis can be downloaded freely from http://www.cellXpress.org.

Introduction: The cost of genetic testing and the limited knowledge about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in different ethnic groups has limited its availability in medium- and low-resource countries, including Malaysia. In addition, the applicability of many risk-assessment tools, such as the Manchester Scoring System and BOADICEA (Breast and Ovarian Analysis of Disease Incidence and Carrier Estimation Algorithm) which were developed based on mutation rates observed primarily in Caucasian populations using data from multiplex families, and in populations where the rate of breast cancer is higher, has not been widely tested in Asia or in Asians living elsewhere. Here, we report the results of genetic testing for mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes in a series of families with breast cancer in the multi-ethnic population (Malay, Chinese and Indian) of Malaysia., Method: A total of 187 breast cancer patients with either early-onset breast cancer (at age

Eukaryotic cells have evolved surveillance mechanisms, known as DNA-damage checkpoints, that sense and respond to genome damage. DNA-damage checkpoint pathways ensure co-ordinated cellular responses to DNA damage, including cell cycle delays and activation of repair mechanisms. RAD9, from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was the first damage checkpoint gene to be identified, although its biochemical function remained unknown until recently. This review examines briefly work that provides significant insight into how Rad9 activates the checkpoint signalling kinase Rad53.