Poor Capacity Research Articles

Goethite adaptation prompts alterations in antibiotic susceptibility and suppresses development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Understanding the impact of environmental factors on antibiotic sensitivity and the emergence of antibiotic resistance in microorganism is crucial for antibiotics management and environmental risk assessment. Natural materials, like mineral particles, are prevalent in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how microorganism adapt to the physical stress of mineral particles and whether this adaptation influences antibiotic sensitivity and the evolution of antibiotic resistance. In this study, the model bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) was exposed to the mineral particle goethite for 30 generations. Adaptive morphogenesis, including an increase in the fraction of spherical bacteria, variations in bacterial mobility, a slightly increased cell membrane thickness, and genome-wide changes in the transcriptomic profile, were observed in adapted E. coli samples to counteract the stress. Moreover, the goethite adapted E. coli showed increased susceptibility to antibiotics including amoxicillin and tetracycline, and decreased susceptibility to kanamycin compared to its ancestral counterparts. These alterations in antibiotic susceptibility in the adapted E. coli were not heritable, as evidenced by the gradual recovery of antibiotic tolerance in cells with the cessation of goethite exposure. Transcriptomic data and a series of experiments suggested that these changes may be associated with variations in cell membrane property and iron metabolism. In addition, the evolution of antibiotic resistance in adapted cells occurred at a slower rate compared to their ancestral counterparts. For instance, E. coli adapted to goethite at a concentration of 1 mg/mL did not acquire antibiotic resistance even after 13 generations, probably due to its poor biofilm-formation capacity. Our findings underscore the occurrence of microbial adaptation to goethite, which influenced antibiotic sensitivity and decelerated the development of resistance in microorganisms. This insight contributes to our comprehension of the natural dynamics surrounding the evolution of antibiotic resistance and opens new perspectives for addressing this issue through nanotechnology-based approaches.

Evaluating the structures and arrangements of water institutions to include in‐stream modeling for water quality management and control pollution: Insights from the Awash Basin, Ethiopia

AbstractHealthy rivers and stream waters support sustainable use and protect the ecological health of water flows. Developing countries rarely include in‐stream water quality modeling in their strategic policy documents. In the sub‐Saharan regions, stream water quality is declining due to many human activities. Ethiopian is no different, and its environmental policy does not directly target the importance of impact and planning analyses. Also, it does not include decision making processes for the protection of water ecology and multiple water uses. In this study, stream water quality issues in the Awash Basin have been assessed. The key sources of land‐based pollutants have been identified, and the availability and appropriateness related data have been examined and evaluated as well as the capacity of model users of institutions. Applicable models with the capability of simulating the Awash streams are presented and the changes needed for the existing settings suggested. The model selection was undertaken using a set of criteria based on environmental assumptions to enable environmental improvement into the future. The available hydrological and monitoring information provides an opportunity to apply model analyses, while the poor capacity of the governmental model users is of concern. With limited supporting conditions in governmental water institutions, the level of in‐stream water quality modeling integration in the Awash Basin development plans is too low to make recommendations based on key areas of support. It is time to apply and capitalize on the potential opportunity of using the models in local, regional, and national institutions for planning and impact analyses and strategic policy documents. The methods described in this study can be a guidance for model practitioners of the Awash basin targeting improvement in their institutions.

Hydraulic characteristics and vegetation performance of the Yellow River sediment modified by biochar

The Yellow River sediment (YRS) is an important potential soil resource for the mine land reclamation and ecological restoration in the arid regions of northern China. However, it has the shortcomings of poor water-holding capacity and needs to be modified urgently. Therefore, two types of biochar, namely rice husk biochar (RHB) and coconut shell biochar (CSB), were utilized in this study to modify the YRS and compared with rice husk ash (RHA). Some engineering properties of the modified YRS (MYRS), including pore structure, water retention, permeability, and vegetation performance, were investigated by considering the effects of biochar types and dosages. Results showed that the addition of the three materials decreased the bulk density of the YRS and increased the volume of extremely micro pore (d<0.3 µm), as well as the effective porosity and capillary porosity, thus contributed to an increase in the water-holding capacity of the sediment. Among the three conditioners, RHB is optimal choice for improving the water-holding capacity of YRS. Furthermore, the effect becomes more pronounced with increasing application rates. With the addition of the three materials, the permeability coefficients of MYRS gradually decreased, while the water retention rate during evaporation significantly increased. The pot experiment showed that the three conditioners all had significant promoting effect on the growth of oats. In particular, compared to plain soil, the total biomass of oats grown for 21 days increased by 17.46%, 32.14%, and 49.60% after adding 2%, 4%, and 8% RHB, respectively. This study introduces a new approach for using YRS as planting soil in arid and semi-arid areas of China to facilitate mine ecological restoration.

Defective MoSSe with local-expanded structure for high-rate potassium ion battery

Potassium ion batteries with microparticulate electrodes promise a high volumetric capacity, yet they suffer from poor rate capacity and cyclic stability due to the long K+diffusion path and structural collapse upon K+ insertion/de-insertion. In this work, a local-expanded MoSSe material with wave structure is successfully constructed in a microparticulate state (labeled as LE-MoSSe). The high curvature design in this wave structure breaks the defect concentration limitation in MoSSe crystal, resulting in an abundance of surface active site with up to 29 % vacancy defects for S and 31 % for Se. Moreover, such a structure can adaptively and efficiently release internal stress during long-term repeated K+ insertion/de-insertion. Consequently, the LE-MoSSe material delivers a superior volumetric capacity (854 mAh cm−3), a record-high rate capability (19.3 C, ∼3 min), and a long cycle stability (only 0.039 % fading per cycle). This work demonstrates a practical approach to accelerate reaction kinetics and enhance structural stability of TMDs toward practical battery systems.

Design of interfacial Li-ion transfer channels for practical improvement of a multicomponent high-voltage olivine cathode

The development of a high-voltage olivine cathode is of great interest to increase the energy density of Li-ion batteries. Focusing on the multicomponent LiFe0·4Mn0·3Co0·3PO4 (LFMCP) olivine material, in which the involvement of Co is necessary to extend the operating voltage range of the olivine materials up to 5.0 V despite having many critical issues, our research shows that the construction of Li-ion transfer channels on the particle surface is a key factor for the practical realization of the high-voltage cathode. A systematic electrochemical investigation reveals that the weakening and disappearance of the Mn activity due to the redox shift and overlap during cycling are responsible for the poor capacity delivery and capacity retention of the multicomponent LFMCP material. Surface coating of the LFMCP material with either carbon (LFMCP@C) or with a combination of carbon and LATP (LFMCP@C_LATP) helps to identify and stabilize the redox regions of the Fe, Mn, and Co components. The presence of LATP as a Li-ion conductor and an electrochemically active component on the LFMCP particle surface can induce the formation of the Li-ion concentration gradient between the core and the shell to facilitate the Li-ion diffusion during cycling. As a result, the LFMCP@C_LATP has faster Li-ion diffusion in all redox regions, more stable operating plateaus, and can therefore provide better capacity and retention than the conventional LFMCP@C. The LFMCP@C_LATP can provide a discharge capacity of 139.2 mA h g−1 with 80.5 % retention after 50 cycles, while the LFMCP@C provides a discharge capacity of 135.1 mA h g−1 with 68.4 % retention under the same cycling conditions, using a common electrolyte without the addition of any high-voltage additive.

Information synthesis to identify water quality issues and select applicable in-stream water quality model for the Awash River basin in Ethiopia: A perspective from developing countries

In the sub-Saharan countries, stream water quality is declining due to many human activities. In-stream water quality models help to prepare effective planning strategy to tackle the problem and understand pollutant dynamics in the stream system. In this study, water quality issues of the Awash basin were reviewed to select an applicable in-stream model. The key sources of pollutants were considered and the availability, appropriateness and quality of related data were assessed and the capacity of model users was also evaluated. The identified opportunities and limitations were analyzed to present options of applicable models simulating the status quo in the basin's streams, and also, the changes needed for the existing settings. The model selection was done using a set of criteria based on assumptions useful for enabling environment and improvement in the future. Land covers, surficial geologies, and urban and industries along streams are found major issues to be addressed. Though the poor capacity of the governmental model users is a concern, the available hydrological, monitoring, and meteorological information are opportunities to capitalize the usage of in-stream modeling. QUAL2KW and INCA models are found more applicable for the present conditions, while in the future the WASP model may well be useful to conduct detailed analysis. The identification process applied in this study is based on the context of the Awash basin and it can be a replicated and support local model practitioners in creating improvement in water quality managements.

Identifying disaster risk factors and hotspots in Africa from spatiotemporal decadal analyses using INFORM data for risk reduction and sustainable development

AbstractThe incidence and magnitude of hazards in Africa are escalating. Extant knowledge base of disaster risk (DR) trends, factors, and hotspots is lacking for the continent. Here we applied random forest machine learning regressions, spatial stratified heterogeneity, and hotspot analyses on INFORM data to identify DR patterns, factors and interactions, and notable risk hotspots. We show that although DR is generally decreasing in Africa, the Eastern, Southern, and Western regions record increasing DR. Physical exposure to floods, epidemics, and violent conflicts are hazard drivers of DR in Africa. Other significant DR drivers are mostly clustered under vulnerable groups and poor infrastructural coping capacities. Human hazards interact with other factors, exhibiting the highest influences on DR. Precisely, 19 out of 53 African countries in this study are DR hotspots. Eritrea is identified as a new hotspot. Targeted policies, resilience building, vulnerability reduction measures and comprehensive sustainability‐infused solutions are required for DR reduction and sustainable development in Africa.

Selective laser melting processing of heterostructured Ti6Al4V/FeCoNiCrMo alloy with superior strength and ductility

In the selective laser melting (SLM) process, the transient nature of the molten pool and rapid cooling rate facilitates partial homogenization of components, resulting in attaining a finer scale concentration modulation and spatial heterostructure. However, the SLM-processed Ti6Al4V alloys have long suffered from the problem of both large detrimental columnar grains and poor work-hardening capacity. In this study, a high entropy alloy of FeCoNiCrMo particles was incorporated into the Ti6Al4V alloy and fabricated by the SLM technique. The resulting alloys exhibited a fine-scale modulated β + α' spatial heterostructure, delivering a notable tensile strength of 1366.4 MPa and a uniform elongation of approximately 8.7% with an excellent work-hardening capacity exceeding 300 MPa. This outstanding performance can be attributed to the progressive transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect and hetero-deformation induced (HDI) strengthening within the ultra-refined α' martensite and metastable β phase regions. This work provided a compelling model of additive manufacture of heterogeneous structures while offering new insights and directions for the development of metallic materials with high strength-ductility characteristics.

Deterrence Perceptions, Self-Control Ability and the Moral Filter: Conceptualizing and Testing a Model of a Subsidiary Relevance of Deterrence

ABSTRACT The idea of differential deterrence suggests that deterrent effects vary across individuals and settings. However, the pertinent research is poorly integrated and lacks a coherent theoretical conceptualization. This is why the present article seeks to (a) reconcile the empirical findings obtained for the most frequently investigated moderators of the magnitude of the deterrent effect, (b) introduce a novel model of a subsidiary relevance of deterrence, and (c) provide a first test of the new model. A narrative review of the previous research on differential deterrence forms the basis of theoretical efforts to build a model of subsidiary deterrent effects that is consistent with the available evidence. The proposed model synthesizes the conditioning roles of the strength of the moral filter and the level of trait self-control. In detail, it is assumed that the total strength of the moral filter governs whether controls affect behavior (because it determines whether crime is actually being pondered) and that, given a permeable moral filter, deterrence matters particularly for individuals with lower self-control ability. Following the presentation of the new model, we report the results of its first empirical examination. Analyzing a self-report survey on adolescent shoplifting activity yields supportive findings. There is evidence of a moderated moderation relationship according to which a poor capacity for self-control increases the association between the perceived risk of getting caught and the level of shoplifting delinquency mainly under conditions of a weak moral filter.

Are trajectories of self-rated health and physical working capacity during the retirement transition predicted by work-related factors and social class?

Abstract We aimed to identify short and long-term trajectories of self-rated health (SRH) and physical working capacity during the retirement transition, and investigate whether work-related factors and social class predict belonging to these trajectories. We used the representative, biennial Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) 2006–2018. We applied group-based trajectory modeling with B-spline smoothers to model trajectories of SRH (n = 2,183) and physical working capacity (n = 2,152) during the retirement transition. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate trajectory belonging by work-related factors and social class. There was a small “honeymoon effect” in SRH for the total sample. We found four trajectories of SRH and five of physical working capacity. The large majority sustained excellent or good SRH and physical working capacity throughout the study period. Almost 6% had Fairly poor SRH and physical working capacity starting from years before retirement, which remained throughout the study period. High job demands, low job control, adverse physical working conditions, and being in manual occupation increased the likelihood of belonging to the trajectory groups Deteriorating or Fairly poor when compared with the Excellent trajectory group for both SRH and physical working capacity. Our findings suggest that for most people health status is already established some years’ preretirement and maintained for years after retirement, except a short improvement in SRH in accordance with a honeymoon effect. In order to improve health and employability, interventions focusing on working environment should be aimed at younger and midlife employees as well as older workers.

Sucrose Stearates Stabilized Oil-in-Water Emulsions: Gastrointestinal Fate, Cell Cytotoxicity and Proinflammatory Effects after Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion.

Different structural composition ratios of sucrose stearates with hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance (HLB) values ranging from 1 to 16 on lipolysis in emulsion were investigated using a simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Results showed a direct correlation between the HLB values of sucrose stearates and the lipolysis rate of emulsions, and a lower HLB value led to diminished lipolysis in the GIT simulation model. Mechanism study indicated that poor emulsifying capacity of sucrose stearates and lipolysis of sucrose stearates with lower HLB value inhibited the digestive behavior of oil. In addition, monoester was mainly hydrolyzed in the gastric phase, whereas sucrose polyesters caused lipolysis in the intestinal phase using an in vitro digestive model and HPLC analysis, further suppressing lipid digestion. Furthermore, a decrease in cell cytotoxicity and proinflammatory effects on Caco-2 and Raw264.7 were observed post-digestion, respectively. This work offers important insights into the effects of the degree of esterification of sucrose stearate on lipid digestion behavior in oil-in-water emulsions.

ESTABLISHING NOVEL MARKERS OF TENDON CELL POPULATIONS

Energy storing tendons such as the human Achilles and equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) are prone to age-related injury. Tendons have poor healing capacity and a lack of effective treatments can lead to ongoing pain, reduced function and re-injury. It is therefore important to identify the mechanisms underpinning age-related tendinous changes in order to develop more effective treatments. Our recent single cell sequencing data has shown that tendon cell populations have extensive heterogeneity and cells housed in the tendon interfascicular matrix (IFM) are preferentially affected by ageing. There is, however, a lack of established surface markers for cell populations in tendon, limiting the capacity to isolate distinct cell populations and study their contribution to age-related tendon degeneration. Here, we investigate the presence of the cell surface proteins MET proto-oncogene (MET), integrin subunit alpha 10 (ITGA10), fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) and platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) in the equine SDFT cell populations and their co-localisation with known markers.Using Western blot we validated the specificity of selected antibodies in equine tissue before performing immunohistochemistry to establish the location of the respective proteins in the SDFT. We subsequently used double labelling immunofluorescence with the established mural cell marker desmin (DES) to distinguish between tenocyte and mural cell populations.In situ, MET, ITGA10, and FAP presence was found in cells throughout the tendon whereas PDGFRA was present in cells within the IFM. Double labelling immunofluorescence with the mural cell marker DES showed lack of co-localisation between PDGFRA and DES suggesting PDGFRA is labelling an IFM cell population distinct from those associated with blood vessels.PDGFRA is a promising target for the specific cell sorting of IFM-localised tenocytes, enabling their isolation and subsequent characterisation.Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/W007282/1) for funding this work.

STABILITY OF BIOFUNCTIONALIZED HIGH-PERFORMANCE OXIDE CERAMICS AGAINST RADIATION STERILIZATION

While high-performance ceramics like alumina and zirconia exhibit excellent wear resistance, they provide poor osseointegration capacity. As osseointegration is crucial for non-cemented joint prostheses, new techniques have been successfully developed for biofunctionalizing high-performance ceramic surfaces. Stable cell adhesion can be achieved by covalently bound specific peptides. In this study we investigate the effect of sterilization processes on organo-chemically functionalized surfaces.To enhance the performance of alumina-toughened zirconia ceramics (ATZ), a 3-aminopropyldiisopropylethoxysilane (APDS) monolayer was applied and coupled with cyclo-RGD peptides (cRGD) by using bifunctional crosslinker bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberat (BS³). The samples were sterilized using e-beam or gamma-sterilization at 25 kGy, either before or after biofunctionalization with cRGD. Functionalization stability was investigated by contact angle measurements. The functionality of cRGD after sterilization was demonstrated using proliferation tests and cytotoxicity assays. Immunofluorescence staining (pFAK, Actin, DAPI) was conducted to evaluate the adhesion potential between the samples and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs).Functionalized samples before and after sterilization showed no significant difference regarding their contact angles. A proliferation test demonstrated that the cells on functionalized samples proliferate significantly more than on untreated samples before and after sterilization. hMSCs showed a significant higher proliferation on gamma sterilized samples compared to all other groups after 14 days. It was confirmed that the samples did not exhibit cytotoxic behavior before or after sterilization. Fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that both, cells on sterilized and on non-sterilized samples, expressed high levels of pFAK-Y397.The investigated functionalization enables improved adhesion and proliferation of hMSCs and is stable against the investigated sterilization processes. This is of importance as the option of having a sterile product enables the start of the translation of this biofunctional coating towards preclinical and subsequently first-in-man applications.Acknowledgments: We acknowledge the financial support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF (13GW0452A-C).

Registry-derived stage (RD-Stage) for capturing stage at diagnosis for pancreatic carcinoma in Australia.

Stage of pancreatic carcinoma at diagnosis is a strong prognostic indicator of morbidity and mortality, yet is poorly notified to population-based cancer registries ("cancer registries"). Registry-derived stage (RD-Stage) provides a method for cancer registries to use available data sources to compile and record stage in a consistent way. This project describes the development and validation of rules to capture RD-Stage (pancreatic carcinoma) and applies the rules to data currently captured in each Australian cancer registry. Rules for deriving RD-stage (pancreatic carcinoma) were developed using the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual 8th edition and endorsed by an Expert Working Group comprising specialists responsible for delivering care to patients diagnosed with pancreatic carcinoma, cancer registry epidemiologists and medical coders. Completeness of data fields required to calculate RD-Stage (pancreatic carcinoma) and an overall proportion of cases for whom RD stage could be assigned was assessed using data collected by each Australian cancer registry, for period 2018-2019. A validation study compared RD-Stage (pancreatic carcinoma) calculated by the Victorian Cancer Registry with clinical stage captured by the Upper Gastro-intestinal Cancer Registry (UGICR). RD-Stage (pancreatic carcinoma) could not be calculated in 4/8 (50%) of cancer registries; one did not collect the required data elements while three used a staging system not compatible with RD-Stage requirements. Of the four cancer registries able to calculate RD-Stage, baseline completeness ranged from 9% to 76%. Validation of RD-Stage (pancreatic carcinoma) with UGICR data indicated that there was insufficient data available in VCR to stage 174/457 (38%) cases and that stage was unknown in 189/457 (41%) cases in the UGICR. Yet, where it could be derived, there was very good concordance at stage level (I, II, III, IV) between the two datasets. (95.2% concordance], Kendall's coefficient = 0.92). There is a lack of standardisation of data elements and data sources available to cancer registries at a national level, resulting in poor capacity to currently capture RD-Stage (pancreatic carcinoma). RD-Stage provides an excellent tool to cancer registries to capture stage when data elements required to calculate it are available to cancer registries.

Biomass-derived N–P double-doped porous carbon spheres and their lithium storage mechanism

Biomass-derived carbon materials are widely studied and used in energy storage applications. Unfortunately, the disadvantages such as poor capacity and rate performance limit their development. Heteroatom doping can effectively improve the electrochemical properties of biomass-derived carbon materials. In this work, we designed and prepared environmentally friendly and cost-effective biomass (lotus root)-derived nitrogen-phosphorus (N–P) double-doped porous carbon spheres. When used as an anode material for a lithium-ion battery, the porous carbon spheres exhibited excellent stability performance (a reversible capacity of 739.6 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1 and 599.16 mAh g−1 after 215 cycles at 0.5 A g−1, respectively) and superior rate performance (a capacity of 187.22 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1) due to the synergy of the heteroatomic doping and the layered porous spherical structure. The novel biomass-derived material based on N–P double-doped porous carbon spheres can serve as a cost-effective option for anode materials of lithium-ion batteries. Besides, an “adsorption-pore filling/intercalation” hybrid mechanism is proposed to understand the possible principle for superior lithium storage performance based on CV, ex-situ Raman and XRD results.

Study of the effect of cytokinin mediator on increasing salt resistance and germination energy of wheat varieties

Currently, about a third of Kazakhstan has been subjected to salinization. Improper Organization of the irrigation regime causes secondary salinization and deepens the problem. Under the influence of secondary salinization, salts rise above the layers of the soil and primarily affect the seeds of the plant, interfering with it during the most important period of plant growth. Therefore, the study of the influence of the salinity factor on the growth of plant seeds is an urgent problem. It is important to use cytokinin mediators to increase plant resistance to environmental factors such as salinization. Many plant seeds are weak and have poor germination capacity, it is very important to use a cytokinin mediator to increase the germination of these plants.In this research, we treat soft wheat grains with a cytokinin mediator to boost their resilience to salt stress and to prevent salinization. Plants respond to relatively small amounts of the bioregulatory cytokinin mediator, which controls plant growth, development, and environmental adaptability. Economically, the cytokinin mediator works well as a stress-resistance-boosting medicine for wheat growth acceleration. It was discovered that 100 ng/ml is the most ideal cytokinin mediator concentration for the spring soft wheat type.

An intelligent NIR-IIb-responsive lanthanide@metal-organic framework core-shell nanocatalyst for combined deep-tumor therapy.

The ground-breaking combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) has attracted much attention in medical fields as an effective method for fighting cancer. However, evidence suggests that the therapy efficiency is still limited by shallow light penetration depth and poor photosensitizer loading capacity. Herein, we constructed an upconversion nanoparticle@Zr-based metal-organic framework@indocyanine green molecule (UCNPs@ZrMOF@ICG) nanocomposite to integrate 1532 nm light-triggered PDT and 808 nm light-mediated PTT. NaLnF4 nanoparticles are designed to emit upconversion luminescence (UCL) under 1532 nm laser excitation, which is consistent with the absorption spectra of the ZrMOF. Benefiting from the excellent energy transfer efficiency, the ZrMOF can absorb visible light from the UCNPs and then catalyze O2 into 1O2 for deep tissue PDT. To achieve combination therapy, the clinically approved ICG nanocomposite was introduced as a photothermal agent for PTT under 808 nm laser irradiation, and the photothermal conversion efficiency was calculated to be ∼28%. The designed nanosystems facilitate efficient deep-tissue tumor treatment by integrating PDT with PTT. Ultimately, this study creates a multifunctional nanocomposite by combining 1532 nm light-triggered deep tissue PDT and near-infrared (NIR) light-driven PTT for personalized cancer therapy.

Design and Validation of an Instrument for the Evaluation of the Quality of Mother‐Child Bond and Attachment: “Cuestionario Vínculo y Apego Materno‐Filial” (VAMF Questionnaire)

The relationship between a mother and her newborn can be determined through two concepts: “bond” and “attachment.” Currently, there are no instruments that assess these phenomena jointly. Objective. This study aims to develop a valid and reliable instrument to determine the quality of the postnatal bond and attachment in the mother‐child relationship. Methods. In Spain, a multidisciplinary panel of experts was involved in creating the “Maternal‐Child Bond and Attachment (VAMF, for its initials in Spanish)” tool. The tool was piloted on a group of women and applied to the target population of women with children aged between 6 weeks and 18 months to determine the psychometric characteristics: internal consistency Cronbach’s α was used. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, a study of convergent validity with the scale and predictive validity with the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS) using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and a study of reliability was carried out using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Results. 1155 women participated, with a mean age of 34.5 years. The VAMF showed good internal consistency for the scale with 29 items (α = 0.836). In the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), an explained variance of 49.71% was observed with 6 components. Convergent validity showed an adequate correlation, with a Pearson correlation coefficient with the MPAS scale of 0.679. The VAMF questionnaire presented an excellent predictive capacity in the bond subscale, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87–0.93), and a poor predictive capacity in the attachment subscale, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.63–0.76) to predict MPAS scale scores. In the test‐retest, the VAMF presented a very good adequate degree of absolute agreement (ICC: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.72–0.93). Conclusions. The VAMF is a new valid and reliable instrument for determining the quality of the mother‐child bond and attachment.

Bimetallic nitride NiMoN loaded on graphitic carbon nitride for plasmon-enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water splitting

Plasmonic CN-NiMoN heterojunctions were prepared to enhance H2 evolution from water splitting under visible-light (λ ≥ 420 nm). Under visible-light irradiation, the optimal heterojunction shows 5.4 times higher activity than that of g-C3N4.

Geographical variation in hotspots of stunting among under-five children in Ethiopia: A geographically weighted regression and multilevel robust Poisson regression analysis.

Childhood stunting is a global public health concern, associated with both short and long-term consequences, including high child morbidity and mortality, poor development and learning capacity, increased vulnerability for infectious and non-infectious disease. The prevalence of stunting varies significantly throughout Ethiopian regions. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the geographical variation in predictors of stunting among children under the age of five in Ethiopia using 2019 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. The current analysis was based on data from the 2019 mini Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). A total of 5,490 children under the age of five were included in the weighted sample. Descriptive and inferential analysis was done using STATA 17. For the spatial analysis, ArcGIS 10.7 were used. Spatial regression was used to identify the variables associated with stunting hotspots, and adjusted R2 and Corrected Akaike Information Criteria (AICc) were used to compare the models. As the prevalence of stunting was over 10%, a multilevel robust Poisson regression was conducted. In the bivariable analysis, variables having a p-value < 0.2 were considered for the multivariable analysis. In the multivariable multilevel robust Poisson regression analysis, the adjusted prevalence ratio with the 95% confidence interval is presented to show the statistical significance and strength of the association. The prevalence of stunting was 33.58% (95%CI: 32.34%, 34.84%) with a clustered geographic pattern (Moran's I = 0.40, p<0.001). significant hotspot areas of stunting were identified in the west and south Afar, Tigray, Amhara and east SNNPR regions. In the local model, no maternal education, poverty, child age 6-23 months and male headed household were predictors associated with spatial variation of stunting among under five children in Ethiopia. In the multivariable multilevel robust Poisson regression the prevalence of stunting among children whose mother's age is >40 (APR = 0.74, 95%CI: 0.55, 0.99). Children whose mother had secondary (APR = 0.74, 95%CI: 0.60, 0.91) and higher (APR = 0.61, 95%CI: 0.44, 0.84) educational status, household wealth status (APR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.76, 0.99), child aged 6-23 months (APR = 1.87, 95%CI: 1.53, 2.28) were all significantly associated with stunting. In Ethiopia, under-five children suffering from stunting have been found to exhibit a spatially clustered pattern. Maternal education, wealth index, birth interval and child age were determining factors of spatial variation of stunting. As a result, a detailed map of stunting hotspots and determinants among children under the age of five aid program planners and decision-makers in designing targeted public health measures.