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Abstract Environmental concerns and climate protection are gaining increasing emphasis nowadays. A growing number of industries and scientific fields are involved in this trend. Sustainable electronics is an emerging research strand. Environmentally friendly and biodegradable or biobased raw materials can be used for the development of green flexible electronic devices, which may serve to reduce the pollution generated by plastics and electronics waste. In this work, we present cytocompatible, electrically conductive structures of nanocarbon water-soluble composites based on starch films. To accomplish this goal, potato starch-based films with glycerol as a plasticiser were developed along with a water-soluble vehicle for nanocarbon-based electroconductive pastes specifically dedicated to screen printing technology. Films were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) mechanical properties and surface free energy.

Abstract The market for microbial gums such as xanthan, gellan, dextran, and curdlan is continuously expanding, driven by their increasing application in various industries including petroleum, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food, with the latter accounting for approximately 50% of global usage. To meet the growing demand and improve sustainability, there is a need to enhance production efficiency and reduce costs. This article addresses these issues by examining recent advancements and emerging trends in microbial gum production and application. By highlighting patented technologies and innovative approaches, the article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how the industry can achieve higher yields and economic viability. Despite being produced by different microorganisms, these gums are synthesized under similar conditions, such as pH, temperature, and medium composition. The purification or downstream processes for these gums are also comparable, primarily involving solvent precipitation, centrifugation for separation, and drying. Significant advances in gum production include genetic improvement of microbial strains to improve biopolymer performance. Additionally, alternative media are being explored, either by optimizing nutrient availability or deprivation, or by using agroindustrial by-products to reduce production costs. Engineering improvements are another strategy: bioreactor characteristics, fermentation conditions and modes of operation, and advances in downstream process are highlighted. Furthermore, the text explores emerging trends in the application of microbial gums in the food sector. Microbial gums applications are not limited to their traditional action as emulsifiers and stabilizers, but expands to new uses in biodegradable packaging films and as antioxidant and prebiotic food ingredient.

Abstract Background Although many individuals with alcohol dependence (AD) are recognized in the German healthcare system, only a few utilize addiction-specific treatment services. Those who enter treatment are not well characterized regarding their prospective pathways through the highly fragmented German healthcare system. This paper aims to (1) identify typical care pathways of patients with AD and their adherence to treatment guidelines and (2) explore the characteristics of these patients using routine data from different healthcare sectors. Methods We linked routinely collected register data of individuals with a documented alcohol-related diagnosis in the federal state of Bremen, Germany, in 2016/2017 and their addiction-specific health care: two statutory health insurance funds (outpatient pharmacotherapy for relapse prevention and inpatient episodes due to AD with and without qualified withdrawal treatment (QWT)), the German Pension Insurance (rehabilitation treatment) and a group of communal hospitals (outpatient addiction care). Individual care pathways of five different daily states of utilized addiction-specific treatment following an index inpatient admission due to AD were analyzed using state sequence analysis and cluster analysis. The follow-up time was 307 days (10 months). Individuals of the clustered pathways were compared concerning current treatment recommendations (1: QWT followed by postacute treatment; 2: time between QWT and rehabilitation). Patients’ characteristics not considered during the cluster analysis (sex, age, nationality, comorbidity, and outpatient addiction care) were then compared using a multinomial logistic regression. Results The analysis of 518 individual sequences resulted in the identification of four pathway clusters differing in their utilization of acute and postacute treatment. Most did not utilize subsequent addiction-specific treatment after their index inpatient episode (n = 276) or had several inpatient episodes or QWT without postacute treatment (n = 205). Two small clusters contained pathways either starting rehabilitation (n = 26) or pharmacotherapy after the index episode (n = 11). Overall, only 9.3% utilized postacute treatment as recommended. Conclusions A concern besides the generally low utilization of addiction-specific treatment is the implementation of postacute treatments for individuals after QWT.

IntroductionThe growing population of heart failure (HF) patients places a burden on the healthcare system. Patient-centered outcomes such as health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and self-care behaviors are key elements of modern HF management programs. Thus, optimized strategies to improve these outcomes are sought.PurposeTo assess the effects of a new model of medical telecare on HRQoL and self-care in patients with HF (the AMULET study).MethodsThe study was prospective, randomized, open-label, and controlled with two parallel groups: telecare and standard care. In the telecare group, HF nurses performed patient clinical assessments with telemedical support by a cardiologist and provided education focused on the prevention of HF exacerbation. In the standard care group, patients were followed according to standard practices in the existing healthcare system. At the baseline and at 12 months, HRQoL was assessed using the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLwHF). The level of self-care was assessed with the 12-item standardized European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS-12).ResultsIn the overall study group, 79% of the subjects were male, the mean age was 67 ± 14 years, and 59% of the subjects were older than 65 years of age. The majority of the subjects (70%) had a left ventricular ejection fraction below 40%. After 12 months, statistically significant increases in physical component of the SF-36 (43.3 vs. 47.4 for telecare vs. 43.4 vs. 46.6 for standard care) and mental component of SF-36 (58.4 vs. 62 for telecare vs. 60.4 vs. 64.2 for standard care) were noted, with no intergroup differences. However, patients receiving telecare showed improvement in specific domains, such as physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health. There was a significant decrease in MLwHF (29 vs. 35.0; lower is better) at follow-up for both groups. Telecare patients had a statistically significant decrease in EHFScBS-12 (lower is better) at 12 months.ConclusionAMULET outpatient telecare, which is based on nurse-led non-invasive assessments supported by specialist teleconsultations, improved the HRQoL and self-care of HF patients after an episode of acute HF.

Background: Phthalates are ubiquitous in the environment. Despite short half-lives, chronic exposure can lead to endocrine disruption. The safety of phthalate substitute DINCH is unclear. Objective: To evaluate associations between urinary concentrations of phthalate/DINCH metabolites and body mass index (BMI) z-score among children and adolescents. Method: We used Human Biomonitoring for Europe Aligned Studies data from 2876 children (12 studies, 6–12 years, 2014–2021) and 2499 adolescents (10 studies, 12–18 years, 2014–2021) with up to 14 phthalate/DINCH urinary metabolites. We used multilevel linear regression to assess associations between phthalate/DINCH concentrations and BMI z-scores, testing effect modification by sex. In a subset, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile-based g-computation assessed important predictors and mixture effects. Results: In children, we found few associations in single pollutant models and no interactions by sex (p-interaction > 0.1). BKMR detected no relevant exposures (posterior inclusion probabilities, PIPs

The aim of this paper is to describe the history of logical investigations at the University of Poznań. The organisational structures within the discipline as well as the outstanding logicians and their achievements are presented. Connections with the Lviv–Warsaw School are indicated.

Abstract Since late 2021, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (H5N1) lineage have caused widespread mortality in wild birds and poultry in the United States. Concomitant with the spread of HPAI viruses in birds are increasing numbers of mammalian infections, including wild and captive mesocarnivores and carnivores with central nervous system involvement. Here we report HPAI, A(H5N1) of clade 2.3.4.4b, in a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) from Florida, United States. Pathological findings include neuronal necrosis and inflammation of the brain and meninges, and quantitative real time RT-PCR reveal the brain carried the highest viral load. Virus isolated from the brain contains a S246N neuraminidase substitution which leads to reduced inhibition by neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir. The increased prevalence of A(H5N1) viruses in atypical avian hosts and its cross-species transmission into mammalian species highlights the public health importance of continued disease surveillance and biosecurity protocols.

Abstract Temporal discounting (TD), the tendency to devalue future rewards as a function of delay until receipt, is aberrant in many mental disorders. Identifying symptom patterns and transdiagnostic dimensions associated with TD could elucidate mechanisms responsible for clinically impaired decision-making and facilitate identifying intervention targets. Here, we tested in a general population sample (N = 731) the extent to which TD was related to different symptom patterns and whether effects of time framing (dates/delay units) and monetary magnitude (large/small) had particularly strong effects in people scoring higher on specific symptom patterns. Analyses revealed that TD was related to symptom patterns loading on anxious-depression and inattention-impulsivity-overactivity dimensions. Moreover, TD was lower in the date than the delay version and with higher magnitudes, especially in people scoring higher on the inattention-impulsivity-overactivity dimension. Overall, this study provides evidence for TD as a transdiagnostic process across affective and impulsivity-related dimensions. Future studies should test framing interventions in clinical populations characterized by impulsivity. Preregistration: This research was preregistered at https://osf.io/fg9sc .

Background Errors associated with failures in filing, actioning and communicating blood test results can lead to delayed and missed diagnoses and patient harm. This study aimed to audit how blood tests in primary care are filed, actioned and communicated in primary care, to identify areas for patient safety improvements.Methods UK primary care clinicians were recruited through the Primary Care Academic CollaboraTive (PACT). PACT members audited 50 recent sets of blood tests from their practice and retrospectively extracted data on blood test result coding, actioning and communication. PACT members received a practice report, showing their own results, benchmarked against other participating practices.Results PACT members from 57 general practices across all four UK nations collected data on 2572 patients who had blood tests in April 2021. In 89.9% (n=2311) they agreed with the initial clinician’s actioning of blood tests; 10.1% disagreed, either partially (7.1%) or fully (3.0%).In 44% of patients (n=1132) an action (eg, ‘make an appointment’) was specified by the filing clinician. This action was carried out in 89.7% (n=1015/1132) of cases; in 6.8% (n=77) the action was not carried out, in 3.5% (n=40) it was unclear. In the 117 cases where the test result had not been actioned 38% (n=45) were felt to be at low risk of harm, 1.7% (n=2) were at high risk of harm, 0.85% (n=1) came to harm.Overall, in 47% (n=1210) of patients there was no evidence in the electronic health records that results had been communicated. Out of 1176 patients with one or more abnormal results there was no evidence of test communication in 30.6% (n=360). There were large variations between practices in rates of actioning and communicating tests.Conclusion This research demonstrates variation in the way blood test results are actioned and communicated, with important patient safety implications.

Abstract Patterns of genetic variation reflect interactions among microevolutionary forces that vary in strength with changing demography. Here, patterns of variation within and among samples of the mouthbrooding gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus, Family Ariidae) captured in the U.S. Atlantic and throughout the Gulf of Mexico were analyzed using genomics to generate neutral and non‐neutral SNP data sets. Because genomic resources are lacking for ariids, linkage disequilibrium network analysis was used to examine patterns of putatively adaptive variation. Finally, historical demographic parameters were estimated from site frequency spectra. The results show four differentiated groups, corresponding to the (1) U.S. Atlantic, and the (2) northeastern, (3) northwestern, and (4) southern Gulf of Mexico. The non‐neutral data presented two contrasting signals of structure, one due to increases in diversity moving west to east and north to south, and another to increased heterozygosity in the Atlantic. Demographic analysis suggested that recently reduced long‐term effective population size in the Atlantic is likely an important driver of patterns of genetic variation and is consistent with a known reduction in population size potentially due to an epizootic. Overall, patterns of genetic variation resemble that of other fishes that use the same estuarine habitats as nurseries, regardless of the presence/absence of a larval phase, supporting the idea that adult/juvenile behavior and habitat are important predictors of contemporary patterns of genetic structure.

Abstract Little is known about exposure determinants of acrylamide (AA), a genotoxic food-processing contaminant, in Europe. We assessed determinants of AA exposure, measured by urinary mercapturic acids of AA (AAMA) and glycidamide (GAMA), its main metabolite, in 3157 children/adolescents and 1297 adults in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative. Harmonized individual-level questionnaires data and quality assured measurements of AAMA and GAMA (urine collection: 2014–2021), the short-term validated biomarkers of AA exposure, were obtained from four studies (Italy, France, Germany, and Norway) in children/adolescents (age range: 3–18 years) and six studies (Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Iceland) in adults (age range: 20–45 years). Multivariable-adjusted pooled quantile regressions were employed to assess median differences (β coefficients) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) in AAMA and GAMA (µg/g creatinine) in relation to exposure determinants. Southern European studies had higher AAMA than Northern studies. In children/adolescents, we observed significant lower AA associated with high socioeconomic status (AAMA:β = − 9.1 µg/g creatinine, 95% CI − 15.8, − 2.4; GAMA: β = − 3.4 µg/g creatinine, 95% CI − 4.7, − 2.2), living in rural areas (AAMA:β = − 4.7 µg/g creatinine, 95% CI − 8.6, − 0.8; GAMA:β = − 1.1 µg/g creatinine, 95% CI − 1.9, − 0.4) and increasing age (AAMA:β = − 1.9 µg/g creatinine, 95% CI − 2.4, − 1.4; GAMA:β = − 0.7 µg/g creatinine, 95% CI − 0.8, − 0.6). In adults, higher AAMA was also associated with high consumption of fried potatoes whereas lower AAMA was associated with higher body-mass-index. Based on this large-scale study, several potential determinants of AA exposure were identified in children/adolescents and adults in European countries.

The influence of the etching method on the occurrence of defect levels in InAs/InAsSb type-II superlattice (T2SLs) and MCT photodiode is presented. For both analyzed detectors, the etching process was performed by two methods: wet chemical etching and dry etching using an ion beam (RIE—reactive ion etching). The deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) method was used to determine the defect levels occurring in the analyzed structures. The obtained results indicate that the choice of etching method affects the occurrence of additional defect levels in the MCT material, but it has no significance for InAs/InAsSb T2SLs.

(1): Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis vulgaris are chronic, inflammatory diseases. Clinical presentation usually leads to a proper diagnosis, but sometimes neither clinical examination nor histopathological evaluation can be conclusive. Therefore, we aimed to build up a novel diagnostic tool and check it for accuracy. The main objective of our work was to differentiate between healthy skin (C), atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis vulgaris (PV) biopsies on the base of involucrin (IVL) and human β-defensin-2 (hBD-2) concentrations and their mRNA, as well as mRNA for TPP2 and PSMB8. (2): ELISA for IVL and hBD-2 proteins and Real-time PCR for the relative expression of mRNA for: IVL (IVL mRNA), hBD-2 (hBD-2 mRNA), PSMB8 (PSMB8 mRNA) and TPP2 (TPP2 mRNA), isolated from skin biopsies taken from AD and PV patients and healthy volunteers were performed. (3): hBD-2 mRNA and PSMB8 mRNA correlated with some parameters of clinical assessment of inflammatory disease severity. hBD-2 mRNA expression, exclusively, was sufficient to distinguish inflammatory skin biopsies from the healthy ones. (4): hBD-2 mRNA and PSMB8 mRNA analysis were the most valuable parameters in differentiating AD and PV biopsies.

The long-wave infrared (LWIR) interband cascade detector with type-II superlattices (T2SLs) and a gallium-free (“Ga-free”) InAs/InAsSb (x = 0.39) absorber was characterized by photoluminescence (PL) and spectral response (SR) methods. Heterostructures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on a GaAs substrate (001) orientation. The crystallographic quality was confirmed by high-resolution X-Ray diffraction (HRXRD). Two independent methods, combined with theoretical calculations, were able to determine the transitions between the superlattice minibands. Moreover, transitions from the trap states were determined. Studies of the PL intensity as a function of the excitation laser power allowed the identification of optical transitions. The determined effective energy gap (Eg) of the tested absorber layer was 116 meV at 300 K. The transition from the first light hole miniband to the first electron miniband was red-shifted by 76 meV. The detected defects’ energy states were constant versus temperature. Their values were 85 meV and 112 meV, respectively. Moreover, two additional transitions from acceptor levels in cryogenic temperature were determined by being shifted from blue to Eg by 6 meV and 16 meV, respectively.

Methane fermentation, which is one of the key processes in biogas production, plays an important role in the conversion of biomass to energy. During this process, changes occur in the chemical composition of organic feedstocks, including the chemical composition of grasses. The assessment of these changes is crucial for the efficiency and productivity of biogas production. The material for this study comprised fully mature grass blades with leaves and inflorescences and was collected from extensively used meadows and pastures, as well as cultivated and set-aside areas in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship, the communes of Białośliwie and Trzcianka, Poland. The aim of this study was to compare methane fermentation efficiency in nine grass species and identify the biomass component involved in biogas production. The results indicate that the fermentation process, as expected, changed the cellulose content. The lignin content of the grasses before fermentation varied more than the cellulose content. The content of holocellulose (sum of carbohydrate components) in the grasses ranged from 59.77 to 72.93% before fermentation. Methane fermentation significantly reduced the carbohydrate content in the grasses, with a low degree of polymerization. Grassland biomass-based biogas production is a viable alternative to conventional fossil fuels.

Moving to remote instruction can be daunting, but it is no reason to stop including students with disabilities. Co-teaching should be used as a service delivery model to support students in their least restrictive environment, which is often the general education classroom. School leaders need to continue to promote inclusive education, even during a pandemic.

The scale of the Deepwater Horizon disaster was and is unprecedented: geographic extent, pollutant amount, countermeasure scope, and of most relevance to this Research Topic issue, range of ecotypes affected. These ecotypes include coastal/nearshore, continental shelf, deep benthic, and open-ocean domains, the last of which is the subject of this synthesis. The open-ocean ecotype comprises ~90% of the volume of the Gulf of Mexico. The exact percentage of this ecotype contaminated with toxins is unknown due to its three-dimensional nature and dynamics, but estimates suggest that the footprint encompassed most of its eastern half. Further, interactions between the water column and the deep benthos may be persistent, making this synthesis one of time (a decade) rather than event conclusion. Here we examine key elements of the open-ocean ecosystem, with emphasis on vulnerability and resilience. Of paramount importance relative to the Gulf nearshore and shelf ecotypes, pre-disaster baseline data were lacking for most of the fauna. In such cases, inferences were drawn from post-disaster assessments. Both phytoplankton and mesozooplankton vulnerabilities were quite high, but resilience appeared equally so. The phytoplankton situation was a bit more complex in that toxin-imposed reductions may have been offset by nutrient injection via high freshwater discharge in 2010. Intermediate trophic levels exhibited population-level depressions, ostensibly due to high vulnerability and low resilience. Apex predator impacts were variable. Certain large epipelagic fishes may have avoided the highest concentrations of hydrocarbons/dispersant, and thus larval abundances returned to pre-disaster levels of variability and abundance within a few years after a steep initial decline. Oceanic cetaceans, particularly shallow-diving stenellid dolphins, did not appear to avoid oiled waters and exhibited strong declines in the northern Gulf. Given that population declines of many open-ocean taxa appear to be ongoing a decade later, we conclude that this largest of Gulf ecosystem components, like its deep-benthic counterpart, is as fragile as it is voluminous. This is particularly concerning given the rapid, and likely irreversible, shift to deeper waters by the US and Mexican oil industries in concert with the higher likelihood of accidents with increasing platform depth.