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Phonological processing of written characters has been recognized as a crucial element in acquiring literacy in any language, both native and foreign. This study aimed to assess Japanese primary school students' phoneme-grapheme recognition skills using both paper-based and touch-interface tests. Differences between the two test formats and the relationship between phoneme-grapheme recognition skills and interaction with digital tests were investigated. We hypothesized a relationship between paper test performance and digital item performance. Participants were sixth-grade students from two public schools. The results of comparison tests indicated that the touch-interface test had lower success rates compared to the paper-based test for most items, suggesting a difference in performance patterns. A consistent relationship between phoneme-grapheme knowledge tested on paper and successful digital interaction was found. Findings highlight the potential of touch-interface assessments for assessing phoneme-grapheme recognition skills in primary school classrooms and suggest incorporating more digital tasks to enhance student adaptation. [Note: The issue number (1) shown in the citation on the PDF is incorrect. The correct issue number is 2.]

This paper focuses on integrating multimodal communication into the English-as-a-foreign-language classroom to enhance the development of students' multimodal communicative competence, multiliteracies, and 21st-century skills. To do so, I compiled a corpus of authentic materials from Lady Whistledown's Society Papers in Julia Quinn's novel "The Viscount Who Loved Me" (2000), her appearances as narrator in the Netflix series "Bridgerton" (2022), and some tweets posted by @Bridgerton. This corpus was used to plan and design a game-based teaching proposal. Finally, the paper offers a critical analysis and suggests how this proposal can feasibly contribute to fostering students' multimodal communicative competence.

Nucleic acid extraction (NAE) is crucial for molecular diagnostics but presents challenges in point-of-care testing (POCT) and decentralized settings. We developed a streamlined, paper-based NAE method for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA amplification, suitable for integration into POCT and lab-on-a-chip systems. This method uses Fusion 5 paper discs, completing extraction in under 30 min without centrifugation. The nucleic acids on the disc can be directly used or eluted for amplification. We validated this method's compatibility with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), demonstrating versatility across amplification platforms. Clinical evaluation (n = 60) showed 100% sensitivity and specificity with a low detection limit of ~10 1  IU/mL. Results matched those from standard HCV RQ-PCR, confirming accuracy. Additionally, incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) improves extraction efficiency, eliminating the need for ethanol treatment and washing/drying steps. This modification enhances performance and suitability for field applications. Our paper-based HCV amplification is affordable and user-friendly, making it valuable for decentralized HCV detection and supporting global health initiatives., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Chronic respiratory symptoms are a health concern in the paper industry. This study evaluates the association between personal inhalable paper dust exposure and chronic respiratory symptoms among workers in this industry. In total, 270 workers from the paper industry and 267 from a water bottling factory participated. Chronic respiratory symptoms were assessed using a standardized questionnaire, modified from the American Thoracic Society. A job exposure matrix, based on cross-sectional personal measurements of inhalable paper dust, was used to estimate the exposure-response relationship between cumulative dust exposure and chronic respiratory symptoms. There was a higher prevalence of chronic coughs (27.4% vs. 7.5%), breathlessness (25.6% vs. 11%), coughs with sputum (21.1% vs. 1.1%), and wheezing (25.6% vs. 5%) among paper workers compared to those in the water bottling industry. A Poisson regression analysis revealed that the prevalence ratios for chronic coughs (APR = 3.3 and 95% CI: 2.0-5.4), breathlessness (APR = 2.2 and 95% CI: 1.4-3.4), and wheezing (APR = 4.3 and 95% CI: 2.3-7.7) were significantly higher in paper workers than in water bottling workers. Among paper workers, a significant exposure-response relationship was observed between cumulative dust exposure and chronic coughs after adjusting for age, sex, history of respiratory illnesses, work in other dusty industries, and use of biofuels. As there were only four ever-smokers, smoking was not included in the regression analysis. The results show a significant association between dust exposure and coughing, highlighting the need for control measures to prevent the development of respiratory symptoms among workers.

Electrochemical analysis of glucose monitoring without painful blood collection provides a new noninvasive route for monitoring glucose levels. Thus, in this study, biobased cellulosic papers (methylated and phosphorylated one) based glucose monitoring sensor is developed. To achieve high hydrophilicity, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) were functionalized using hexokinase mediated phosphorylation (-OH to -[Formula: see text]). The instinctive increased surface charge density from 36.2 ± 3.4 to 118.4 ± 1.2 µmol/g and decrease contact angle (45°-22°) confirms the increased hydrophilicity of paper. Furthermore, functionalized phos-MFC paper increase the capillary flow of sweat, required low quantity (1 µl) of sweat for accurate analysis of glucose level. Additionally, chemically induced methyl groups (-CH 3 ) make the sensor more barrier to other chemicals. In addition, a multilayer patch design combined with sensor miniaturization was used to lead to an increase in the efficiency of the sweat collection and sensing processes. Besides, this paper sensor integrated with artificial transdermal drug delivery unit (agarose gel as skin) for monitoring glucose levels in sweat. The patch monitoring system increase the accuracy of sensing with fluctuation in sweat vol. (1-4 µl), temperature (20-70 °C), and pH (4.0-7.0). In addition, temperature dependency artificial transdermal delivery (within agarose gel) of drug metformin agrees the measurement accuracy of sensor, called "switch system" without any error. As a result, the reported MFC paper based multi-patch disposable sensing system provides a novel closed-loop solution for the noninvasive sweat-based management of diabetes mellitus., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The ability to detect newly emerging substances is of great importance in reducing harms for people who use drugs. New psychoactive substances including novel benzodiazepines in the illicit drug supply have been linked to high rates of overdose deaths while complicating drug checking as an overdose prevention strategy. Paper-spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) has emerged as a novel strategy to rapidly detect trace components in street drug samples. While targeted, low-resolution PS-MS methods have proven effective, newly emerging substances are often missed. To address this, a method was applied to low-resolution full-scan PS-MS data to aid in the early detection and identification of novel benzodiazepines in the unregulated drug supply. Using the developed method, true positives rates of 0.89 and 0.75 were achieved for bromazolam and etizolam in street samples obtained in a community drug checking service. The applicability of the method was further demonstrated for a novel benzodiazepine, desalkylgidazepam, that has recently emerged in the illicit drug supply., (© 2023 The Authors. Drug Testing and Analysis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A new, sensitive, and cost-effective lab-on-paper-based immunosensor was designed based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for the detection of exosomes. EIS was selected as the determination method since there was a surface blockage in electron transfer by binding the exosomes to the transducer. Briefly, the carbon working electrode (WE) on the paper electrode (PE) was modified with gold particles (AuPs@PE) and then conjugated with anti-CD9 (Anti-CD9/AuPs@PE) for the detection of exosomes. Variables involved in the biosensor design were optimized with the univariate mode. The developed method presents the limit of detection of  8.7 × 10 2 exosomes mL -1 , which is lower than that of many other available methods under the best conditions. The biosensor was also tested with urine samples from cancer patients with high recoveries. Due to this  a unique, low-cost, biodegradable technology is presented that can directly measure exosomes without labeling them for early cancer or metastasis detection., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

This study explored using ultrafiltration (UF) membranes to treat pulp and paper mill wastewater, implementing a novel Taguchi experimental design to optimize operating conditions for pollutant removal and minimal membrane fouling. Researchers examined four factors: pH, temperature, transmembrane pressure, and volume reduction factor (VRF), each at three levels. Optimal conditions (pH 10, 25°C, 6 bar, VRF 3) led to a 35% reduction in flux due to fouling and high pollutant rejections: total hardness (83%), sulfate (97%), spectral absorption coefficient (SAC254) (95%), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (89%). Conductivity had a lower rejection rate of 50%. Advanced imaging techniques like atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed reduced membrane fouling under these conditions. The Taguchi method effectively identified optimal conditions, significantly improving wastewater treatment efficiency and promoting environmental sustainability in the pulp and paper industry. PRACTITIONER POINTS: This study optimized UF membrane conditions for pulp and paper mill wastewater, reducing fouling and enhancing pollutant removal, offering practical strategies for industrial treatment. AFM and SEM provided key insights into membrane fouling and mitigation, promoting real-time diagnosis and optimization for enhanced treatment efficiency. Prioritizing anaerobic fixed-bed systems in wastewater treatment is beneficial for achieving high COD removal efficiency. Optimizing hydraulic retention time (HRT) in these systems can further improve their overall effectiveness and sustainability., (© 2024 Water Environment Federation.)

The Home Literacy model predicts different outcomes depending on formal and informal literacy practices carried out at home. However, this model does not explicitly consider the potential differences that the media (paper vs. tablets) in which these practices are carried out can have on performance. The present study explored this issue. Participants were 136 children aged 6-7 years old and their parents. The different activities performed at home were analysed through reports of the parents, and children were assessed at school for their reading performance (decoding and comprehension). Results showed how formal practices using traditional materials predicted reading comprehension, but informal practices did not predict any performance measure. The digital home literacy environment showed no impact on reading performance, suggesting that two different environments (paper and digital) might exist, each one of them having differential impacts on performance. Implications for research and education are discussed.

Drill-and-practice flashcard interventions are often used when students display delays in sight word recognition and word reading fluency. Sight-phrase interventions connect two to three words together to teach connected text instead of words in isolation. Although studies have shown that students can learn to read sight phrases through a tablet-based intervention, there have been no studies comparing a tablet-based drill-and-practice sight-phrase intervention with a similar paper-based intervention. The current study used a multiple-baseline design across three students and implemented a sight-phrase intervention both using traditional flashcards and using an iPad app. Students were prompted to see the phrase, attempt to read the phrase, hear the phrase read, and then say the phrase again before moving to the next phrase. Results showed that all students quickly acquired all unknown phrases within two to five sessions. There was no difference in acquisition rate between the paper and iPad modalities. Discussion focuses on the applicability of the iPad intervention to increase efficiency in flashcard intervention delivery given that the intervention can increase student sight-phrase acquisition at a similar rate as traditional flashcard interventions.

Background: The microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) have been highly regarded as effective tools that offer a cost-effective and portable solution for point-of-care testing (POCT) and on-site detection. Utilizing paper substrates such as cellulose and nitrocellulose membranes, μPADs have proven beneficial for a range of applications from medical diagnostics to environmental monitoring. Despite their advantages, the fabrication of μPADs often requires sophisticated techniques and equipment, posing challenges for widespread adoption, especially in resource-limited settings. This study addresses the need for a simplified, low-cost method for fabricating μPADs that is accessible without specialized training or equipment., Results: This research introduces a novel, efficient method for producing μPADs using 3D-printed slidable chambers and super glue vapor, bypassing traditional, more complex fabrication processes. The method utilizes super glue (ethyl-cyanoacrylate) vapor to create hydrophobic barriers on paper substrates. By optimizing the exposure sequence to super glue and water vapors and the heating conditions, we achieved rapid hydrophobization within 5 min, creating effective hydrophobic barriers and hydrophilic channels on paper substrates. The technique's simplicity allows for use by individuals without specialized training. The practical application of the fabrication method is demonstrated by the fabrication of μPADs that can detect multiple target analytes. We perform the simultaneous detection of glucose, proteins, and also the simultaneous detection of heavy metal ions nickel (Ni 2+ ) and copper (Cu 2+ ), highlighting its potential for broad applications in point-of-care diagnostics., Significance: This study is the first to report a method for selective exposure of ethyl-cyanoacrylate vapor for the fabrication of μPADs. This method significantly reduces the complexity, time, and fabrication cost, making it feasible for use in various settings. It also eliminates the need for specialized equipment and can be executed by individuals without specialized training. We believe that the proposed fabrication method contributes to the wider adoption and deployment of μPADs across various sectors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Joong Ho Shin reports financial support was provided by National Research Foundation of Korea. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A paper-based colorimetric sensor array mediated by a novel nanozyme (CuCo 2 O 4 ) was developed using a screen-printing technology. The aim was to facilitate the identification of different kinds of alkaloids. Typically, three chromogenic substrates (3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and o-phenylenediamine) were selected as sensing elements, which can be catalyzed by a CuCo 2 O 4 nanozyme with peroxidase-like activity to yield corresponding oxidized products, thereby inducing color changes. Owing to the varying inhibitory ability of different alkaloids on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a decrease in choline (Ch) concentration occurs and subsequently results in the restoration of color within the units of sensor array. Color data can be transformed into hue information with a smartphone. The above color variations generated a unique "fingerprint" pattern on five alkaloids (berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, eserine, and harmane), which can be successfully discriminated through linear discriminant analysis in the range 0.2 to 20 µM. Furthermore, the sensor arrays allowed successful discrimination of the above five alkaloids in Chinese herbal medicine samples and recognition of 22 blind samples. This work presents a novel nanozyme-based paper sensor array, which is a user-friendly and reliable platform for probing different alkaloids. In addition, the developed sensing strategy enables the identification of AChE-related diseases, positively contributing to the screening available of AD-associated drugs., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

A synergistic photocatalytic system based on Fe-based perovskite with persulfate was constructed for alkali lignin (AL) degradation in pulp and paper wastewater. The degradation performance and mechanism on AL were carried out under ambient temperature and pressure, accompanied by visible light irradiation. The results showed that the synergistic photocatalytic system exhibited much better performance on AL degradation than the single catalytic system. The degradation efficiency reached 73.5% under the optimal conditions and was constant at around 65% over the pH range from 2 to 8. A significant escalation of the AL degradation was observed at pH 10, reaching 80.1%. The photogenerated holes, 1 O 2 and SO 4 - ·, generated by the system were involved in the degradation, and the holes played a dominant role. During the degradation process, the efficient promotion of cleavage events in lignin methoxy, β-O-4 bond, and benzene ring was observed. Consequently, the depolymerization process led to the generation of high-value compounds, namely p-hydroxybenzaldehyde and vanillin. Remarkably, the yields of the high-value compounds in the synergistic photocatalytic system were five times larger than those in the control. This study offered a viable method to activate persulfate for alkali lignin degradation and to achieve a mutually beneficial strategy for wastewater treatment and recycling., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

In this work, shellac and its crosslinking were studied to produce paper straws for the application of liquid products. Commercial paper straws are not durable for liquid foods due to their hygroscopic nature, and thus, they find it challenging to replace single-use plastics. Shellac is a naturally occurring resin utilized as an adhesive and water-resistant coating over the paper straw. Shellac was cured at 125 °C, 150 °C, 175 °C, and 200 °C, and it was crosslinked in about 210 min, 150 min, 60 min, and 30 min respectively and studied for kinetics. The crosslinking of shellac produced a thermally stable material. Compared to commercial paper straws, these paper shellac straws exhibited high bending stiffness (1356.11 Nmm), tensile strength (13,74 MPa), flexural strength (21.72 MPa), and compression strength (24.99 MPa). Moreover, the paper shellac straws didn't bend in wet conditions under load for up to one day, while the commercial paper straw bends in 8 min. Therefore, paper straws with shellac can replace plastic-based straws for a sustainable future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Arihant Ahuja reports financial support was provided by the Prime Minister Research Fellowship, Ministry of Education, India. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Adsorbents play a significant role in enhancing the analytical sensitivity of target analytes in complex samples by mitigating matrix effects. In our recent report, ZnO stood out among various adsorbents to determine target therapeutic drugs in complex biological matrices when applied for portable paper-based electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PPESI-MS). However, the influence of the morphology of ZnO on the performance of PPESI-MS is elusive. Herein, different morphologies of ZnO particles were prepared via co-precipitation or ultrasonic methods, and their capability to determine different therapeutic drugs in serum were systemically investigated. The results demonstrated that flower-shaped ZnO gave a superior capacity, and its analysis sensitivity was 2.9-12.8-fold higher than those achieved with other ZnO morphologies. Further characterization revealed that the unique performance of flower-shaped ZnO was closely associated with its favorable desorption behavior to drugs, small spray plume, and few spray emitters at the tip of coated paper substrate. To illustrate the potential of flower-shaped ZnO, its coated paper was used as a substrate for the determination of various drugs in complex matrices such as serum, and a limit of detection as low as 2 pg mL -1 was achieved. The corresponding recoveries ranged from 93.2% to 107.2%. The developed protocol is promising in high-sensitivity analysis of target drugs in complex sample matrices., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In this paper, paper microfluidic channel fabricated by directly screen-printing of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is proposed for paper spray mass spectrometry analysis of therapeutic drugs in the blood samples. Compared with traditional paper spray, PDMS-printed paper spray (PP-PS) allows fluid to flow to the tip of paper with less sample loss which significantly improved the signal intensity of target compounds in blood samples. As paper can reduce the matrix effect, PP-PS also has a greater advantage than electro-spray Ionization (ESI) when directly analyzing complex biological sample in terms of the detection efficiency. Linearity and limits of detection (LOD) were evaluated for five psychotropic drugs: olanzapine, quetiapine, 9-hydroxyrisperidone, clozapine, risperidone. As a result, PP-PS improved the signal intensity of the psychotropic drugs at a concentration of 250 ng/ml in blood samples by a factor of 2-5 times and lowered the relative standard deviation (RSD) by a factor of 2-5.6 times compared with traditional paper spray. And PP-PS also improved signal intensity by a factor of 9-33 times compared with ESI. Quantitative experiments of PP-PS mass spectrometry indicated that the linear range was 5-500 ng/ml and the LOD were improved by a factor of 5-71 times for all these drugs compared with traditional paper spray. In addition, PP-PS was applied to the home-made miniaturized mass spectrometer and the precursor ions of all five psychotropic drugs (250 ng/ml) in the mass spectrometry results were obtained as well. These could prove that PP-PS has the potential to analyze complex biological samples in application on the miniaturized mass spectrometer which can be used outside the laboratory., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Food safety and authenticity analysis play a pivotal role in guaranteeing food quality, safeguarding public health, and upholding consumer trust. In recent years, significant social progress has presented fresh challenges in the realm of food analysis, underscoring the imperative requirement to devise innovative and expedient approaches for conducting on-site assessments. Consequently, cellulose paper-based devices (PADs) have come into the spotlight due to their characteristics of microchannels and inherent capillary action. This review summarizes the recent advances in cellulose PADs in various food products, comprising various fabrication strategies, detection methods such as mass spectrometry and multi-mode detection, sampling and processing considerations, as well as applications in screening food safety factors and assessing food authenticity developed in the past 3 years. According to the above studies, cellulose PADs face challenges such as limited sample processing, inadequate multiplexing capabilities, and the requirement for workflow integration, while emerging innovations, comprising the use of simplified sample pretreatment techniques, the integration of advanced nanomaterials, and advanced instruments such as portable mass spectrometer and the innovation of multimodal detection methods, offer potential solutions and are highlighted as promising directions. This review underscores the significant potential of cellulose PADs in facilitating decentralized, cost-effective, and simplified testing methodologies to maintain food safety standards. With the progression of interdisciplinary research, cellulose PADs are expected to become essential platforms for on-site food safety and authentication analysis, thereby significantly enhancing global food safety for consumers., (© 2024 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Sonography is a highly specialized diagnostic imaging profession facing significant workforce challenges due to increased service delivery demands and a shortage of clinical training opportunities. Developing sustainable solutions is crucial for workforce growth. Using examples from the Australian workforce and education context, this paper explores the current sonography training pathways available and the benefits and challenges of each, highlighting the importance of work-integrated learning (WIL) in facilitating the development of professional identity, clinical competence and the quality of sonographer education. Conclusions are drawn that WIL is integral to the future of the sonography profession to improve patient outcomes and address workforce shortages. However, effective implementation requires careful planning and consideration of many factors, including regulatory requirements, industry partnerships, student and supervisor/tutor support, and issues related to equitable access and participation in WIL. Key recommendations are provided to encourage ethical student learning, university-industry collaboration, effective resource allocation, and WIL-specific research.

The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 caused the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerated vaccine development to prevent the spread of the virus and control the disease. Given the sustained high infectivity and evolution of SARS-CoV-2, there is an ongoing interest in developing COVID-19 serology tests to monitor population-level immunity. To address this critical need, we designed a paper-based multiplexed vertical flow assay (xVFA) using five structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2, detecting IgG and IgM antibodies to monitor changes in COVID-19 immunity levels. Our platform not only tracked longitudinal immunity levels but also categorized COVID-19 immunity into three groups: protected, unprotected, and infected, based on the levels of IgG and IgM antibodies. We operated two xVFAs in parallel to detect IgG and IgM antibodies using a total of 40 μL of human serum sample in