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A Systematic Review of Graft-Related Complications and recurrence following Minimally...
Marije A. Boom
Margot van Genderen

Marije A. Boom

and 5 more

March 21, 2025
Background Biological grafts are proposed as an alternative to synthetic grafts in sacrocolpopexy (SC) to reduce complications such as graft exposure and immunologic reactions. However, concerns remain long-term durability. This systematic review and meta-analysis assess recurrence rates and graft-related complications (GRC) in minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy (MISC) using biological grafts. Objectives To evaluate the recurrence and GRC following MISC with biological grafts and to compare outcomes across different materials. Search Strategy PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched up to August 2024. Selection Criteria Studies with ≥10 patients undergoing MISC with biological grafts, reporting recurrence or GRC with ≥6 months follow-up, were included. Data Collection and Analysis Two independent reviewers assessed study quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). A random-effects meta-analysis estimated pooled recurrence and GRC with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Main Results Five studies (353 patients) met inclusion criteria. Recurrence rates ranged from 2.4% to 52.6% (pooled: 25.6% [95% CI: 8.1–48.2%]). Graft exposure occurred in 0.8% (95% CI: 0.0–4.2%). ADM had the lowest recurrence (2.4%) with no reported exposures, whereas Tutoplast® cadaveric fascia lata showed the highest recurrence (52.6%) and exposure (5.3%). The pooled reoperation rate for recurrence was 16.8% (95% CI: 0.0–51.7%). Conclusion This systematic review identified a higher recurrence rate with biological grafts in MISC than typically reported for synthetic grafts in other literature, while exposure rates appeared to be comparable. Given study heterogeneity, further research is required to determine the optimal graft choice balancing durability and complication risk.
Peripheral budding following range expansion explains diversity and distribution of o...
Rachel Berg
Gastón Aguilera

Rachel Berg

and 5 more

March 21, 2025
Peripheral budding occurs when populations diverge from a widespread parental population and speciate along its periphery, facilitated by the interaction of ecological and geographic barriers. This phenomenon results in species that contrast in range size and ecological tolerance and can lead to confounding phylogenies. Here we examine patterns of peripheral budding in the Jenynsia lineata species complex using a genomic approach. The J. lineata species complex is a group of live bearing fish in South America that shows signals peripheral budding through asymmetric range sizes, J. lineata being widespread, and with a confounding and unresolved phylogeny. Our goal was to adequately classify the J. lineata species complex, delimit species within the complex, and identify signals of introgression to better understand the underlying evolutionary patterns. We collected 85 samples from the species complex for DNA extraction and performed RAD sequencing to generate genome wide molecular markers for phylogenetic analyses. We found evidence of six distinct genetic groups within the complex and delimited at least five species, with a new species of Jenynsia in Northern Argentina along the periphery of J. lineata. Jenynsia lineata was recovered as the most recently diverged species in our phylogeny. This placement along with observed patterns of introgression between species suggest peripheral budding to have facilitated speciation in the J. lineata species complex, following a range expansion of a parental J. lineata. Our results show genomic patterns associated with peripheral budding and support the utility of using peripheral budding to better understand confounding phylogenetic patterns.
Neurological Manifestations in Oropouche Virus Infection: A Systematic Review and Met...
Ranjit Sah
Prakasini Satapathy

Ranjit Sah

and 20 more

March 21, 2025
Background: Oropouche virus (OROV), an emerging arbovirus, poses a significant public health concern in the tropical and subtropical regions of Latin America, as well as in other regions, with imported cases reported in North America and Europe. While OROV is primarily associated with acute febrile illness, especially emerging evidence suggests it may cause neurological complications, though these remain understudied. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to estimate the prevalence of neurological manifestations in OROV infections. Methods: Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase up to January 25, 2025, and registered in PROSPERO (Registration ID: CRD42025634617). Nested Knowledge software was employed for the screening and data extraction processes. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed using a modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A meta-analysis was conducted using R software to estimate the pooled prevalence rates of potential neurological symptoms, with heterogeneity assessed using the I 2 statistic. Sensitivity analyses and publication bias assessments were also performed. Results: Ten studies from Brazil, Peru, and Colombia were included, encompassing a total of 2,872 patients. The pooled prevalence of neurological symptoms was high, with headache (89.16%), myalgia (70.71%), and eye pain (52.87%) being the most common. Other symptoms included arthralgia (56.5%), back pain (46.1%), and nausea (43.3%). Significant heterogeneity was observed across studies, likely due to variations in geography and diagnostic methods. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings. Conclusion: Neurological manifestations are prevalent in OROV infections, with headache, myalgia, and eye pain being the most frequent. The clinical overlap with other arboviruses complicates diagnosis, highlighting the need for improved diagnostic tools and surveillance of neurological syndromes associated with arboviruses in endemic regions and new areas with recent circulation of the virus. To improve generalizability, future research should broaden geographic analyses and concentrate on longitudinal and standardised studies to better understand the temporal dynamics of symptoms.
Pseudoaneurysm of the inferior epigastric artery as a rare complication of abdominal...
Ramin Bozorgmehr
 Mohammad Hadi  Bahri

Ramin Bozorgmehr

and 7 more

March 21, 2025
Pseudoaneurysm of the inferior epigastric artery as a rare complication of abdominal tension sutureRamin Bozorgmehr 1; Mohammad Hadi Bahri1; Negin Pouroushaninia 2; Maryam Rashidian 2; Nazanin Alibeik 3; Neda Rahimian3; Mojtaba Ahmadinezhad 1; Javad Zebarjadi Bagherpour 1*Department of General Surgery, Madani Hospital, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, IranDepartment of Internal Medicine, Firoozgar Hospital, School of Medicine, , Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Efficacy of the thymus extract Biomodulina T in children with thymus hypoplasia and r...
Odalis de la Guardia Peña
Alexis Labrada

Odalis de la Guardia Peña

and 6 more

March 21, 2025
Background: Thymic Hypoplasia (HT) in children is a cause of recurrent infections indicative of immunodeficiency. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Biomodulina T, a thymic polypeptide preparation, in pediatric patients with HT associated or not with cellular immunodeficiency. Methods: A non-controlled, Phase III clinical trial was conducted in children aged 1 to 5 years, including 60 patients, divided into two groups. Group I included 44 patients with HT not associated with cellular immunodeficiency and group II, 16 with cellular immunodeficiency. Patients were treated with Biomodulina T IM during two 4-week cycles with an intermediate 4-week rest period. Patients not reaching a normal thymus size at 16 weeks received a third cycle for 8 weeks. Results: Both groups of patients increased thymus size referred to baseline with no significant differences between them (P>0.05). The mean increase was 67% and 86.5% of patients concluded the treatment with a normal range thymus. Bacterial infections were reduced by 91.5% and viral infections by 80.7%. Consequently, antibiotic consumption was reduced. In patients with cellular immunodeficiency Biomodulina T induced a significant increase in CD4 +T lymphocytes (p<0.05). No significant differences were seen in CD8 +T cells, CD19 +B cells, and CD56 +NK cells. Serum IgA values were also significantly increased. Overall, 82.7% of patients were classified as better, coinciding with normalization of the thymus size and decreasing infections by at least 50%. Conclusions: Treatment of HT in children with Biomodulina T was clinically effective, regardless of the presence or not of cellular immunodeficiency.
Comment on Francisca de Castro Mendes et al.
Jiatao Li
Fusen Chen

Jiatao Li

and 2 more

March 21, 2025
Comment on Francisca de Castro Mendes et al.Jiatao Li 1*, Fusen Chen1*, Tiejuan Shao1,21 College of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, China.2Center for Innovative Basic Research in Autoimmune Diseases in Medicine, Hangzhou, 310053, ChinaJiatao Li,Fusen Chen contributed equally.Jiatao Li,1210812074@qq.comFusen Chen,2641214515@qq.comCorresponding author: Prof. Tiejuan Shao, tiejuanshao@zcmu.edu.cnFunding: Financial support for this research was provided by grants from the research was funded by National Key R&D Program of China (No.2022YFC3501204).Conflict of interest statement: We declared no competing interests.Dear EditorWe read with great interest the article, ” Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and the risk of childhood asthma by 10 years of age—Evidence from The Generation XXI birth cohort study,” published in the Pediatr Allergy Immunol [1]. This study provided valuable insights into the significant correlation between caffeine intake during pregnancy and the 10-year development of asthma. Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy is estimated to be about 93 mg/day, which can decrease the risk of asthma in children by 10 years of age. Nonetheless, we believe several aspects warrant further exploration and discussion.First, we would like to emphasize the importance of P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) genotype information in the relationship between caffeine metabolism and asthma. polymorphic cytochrome CYP1A2 is the main enzyme directly responsible for caffeine metabolism. CYP1A2 can induce excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, leading to chronic inflammatory diseases including asthma [2].CYP1A2*1A allele homozygote carriers are caffeine “fast”metabolizers, while CYP1A2*1F variant allele carriers are caffeine“slow”metabolizers. The duration of caffeine exposure caused by genetic metabolic differences may be an important factor between caffeine intake during pregnancy and asthma development by 10 years[3].Second, the confounding effect of birth mode on the conclusion should be considered. In Portugal, the average cesarean section rate from 2013 to 2020 was 29.42% [4]. The study found that the risk of asthma in children born by cesarean section increased by 20%[5]. There is a link between cesarean section and the risk of childhood asthma [6]. Reducing cesarean section can prevent childhood asthma.Third, information on caffeine intake in this study were based on face-to-face interviews with structured questionnaires. While these are validated instruments, outcome measures are particularly vulnerable to performance and detection biases, especially in non-blinded trials. The lack of reliable blinding in the study can lead to a high level of performance bias, this is an important factor leading to a decrease in the quality of evidence. Therefore, in addition to being evaluated by structured questionnaires, caffeine can also be evaluated by both plasma concentrations of caffeine and paraxanthine. These studies will help to provide a more robust and reliable assessment of the efficacy of caffeine.In conclusion, the study of Francisca de Castro Mendes et al. represents a significant progress in the relationship of maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and asthma development in children. Our comments aim to further improve and strengthen this excellent research.
Cutaneous Leiomyoma
Sunil Jaiswal
Shraddha Uprety

Sunil Jaiswal

and 3 more

March 21, 2025
Case Image: Cutaneous LeiomyomaA 66 years old female presented with multiple asymptomatic brown papules on right flank region of the back arranged in clustered pattern since last 5 years as shown in the image 1. The lesions were gradually increasing in number. Punch biopsy of one of the papule was done and the histopathological image under magnification 10x and 40x is depicted in image 2 and 3 respectively. What is the diagnosis?NeurofibromaDermatofibromaCutaneous LeiomyomaLichen PlanusCutaneous MastocytosisImage 1Image 2                                                             Image 3
Additive effects of multiple photoprotective mechanisms drive efficient photosynthesi...
Claudia Beraldo
Chiara Toffanin

Claudia Beraldo

and 3 more

March 21, 2025
To cope with changing external conditions, plants undergo dynamic acclimation processes that remodel their photosynthetic machinery, optimizing energy use while minimizing damage to photosystems (PS). Key photoprotective mechanisms include non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), which dissipates excess excitation energy, and alternative electron transport (AET) pathways, which prevent over-reduction of the photosynthetic electron transport chain. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of how various photoprotective mechanisms contribute to long-term acclimation to high and fluctuating light in Physcomitrium patens, a moss that exhibits well-conserved photoprotective responses bridging algae and vascular plants. Our results demonstrate that modulation of photoprotection around PSII and PSI is critical for maintaining photosynthetic efficiency and enable acclimation to variable light conditions. P. patens mutants deficient in NPQ or AET exposed to high or fluctuating light displayed growth defects, reduced photosynthetic efficiency and unbalanced PSI and PSII activity compared to WT plants. These findings indicate that photosynthetic response under varying light conditions depends on the complementary action of multiple protective strategies, rather than a single dominant photoprotective mechanism.
Seed Priming Approaches: A Pre-emptive Strategy for Enhancing Plant Immunity and Dise...
Niranjan Prasad
Sushma M K

Niranjan Prasad

and 8 more

March 21, 2025
Plant encounters biotic stress from diverse organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and nematodes. Common diseases such as mildew, wilt, root rot, blast, decay, rust can significantly damage the important crop species of different families mainly Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae and Solanaceae. Application of number of bactericides, fungicides etc., of various types has been considered as the only method to manage pathogens and enhance crop production and productivity. As a result, overuse of chemicals raised concerns about residual effects, disease resistance to active ingredients, including health and the environment. In this regard, the potential application of seed priming methods provides an alternate technique for effectively managing diverse diseases from sowing till harvesting. Seed priming methods namely hydro-priming, osmo-priming, chemical priming, bio-priming and nano-priming induces the disease resistance through signalling molecules, enzyme activation, molecular mechanism and epigenetic reprogramming. Incidence of Fusarium culmorum and Aspergillus niger in wheat, Sclerotium rolfsii in chickpea, Sclerospora graminicola in pearl millet and yellow mosaic virus of mung bean are found to decreased with the adoption of hydropriming. Chemical priming reported to reduce the incidence of downy mildew in sunflower and pear millet, Whereas seed priming with beneficial microbes and nano materials induced resistance against various diseases in rice tomato and cucumber. As a result, the review establishes impact of various seed priming methods and its mechanism against diverse biotic stresses. Through this, seed priming technology provides number of benefits and contributes for sustainable way of diseases management.
Refining zooplankton diet composition studies over short- and long-time scales by com...
Nora-Charlotte Pauli
Katja Metfies

Nora-Charlotte Pauli

and 6 more

March 06, 2025
Understanding diet composition is essential for unravelling trophic interactions in aquatic ecosystems. DNA metabarcoding, utilizing various variable regions of the 18S rRNA gene, is increasingly employed to investigate zooplankton diet composition. However, accurate results depend on rapid inactivation of digestive enzymes and DNA nucleases through proper sample processing and preservation. In this study, we compare the prey communities of Antarctic krill retrieved from the 18S variable regions V4 and V7, and assess how different processing treatments affect the detected prey composition of both krill and salps. Our findings highlight the critical importance of prompt sample processing for species with highly efficient digestive enzymes, such as krill, to preserve rapidly digested prey, including gelatinous plankton. Comparative analyses of the V4 and V7 regions revealed significantly different prey communities within the same krill samples, indicating that these regions may not be suitable for direct comparisons within or across studies. To complement molecular approaches, we also analyse fatty acids (FA) as trophic markers which provide insights into dietary habits over both short- and long-time scales. By comparing FA signals from stomach and tissue samples of the same krill and salp individuals, we identified significant differences in trophic markers representing different plankton groups. These findings emphasize the necessity of separating digestive tract from tissue to distinguish between short- and long-term diet signals. Furthermore, integrating FA analysis with metabarcoding offers valuable insights into zooplankton digestion efficiency across taxonomic levels. This combined approach enhances our understanding of zooplankton feeding ecology and trophic interactions in marine ecosystems.
Summarization and Filtering of Sentiment-Oriented News
Divya T L
* Aniketh

Divya T L

and 2 more

March 21, 2025
This paper presents an automated system for summarizing and filtering news articles based on sentiment analysis. The system leverages Python-based tools to fetch news headlines using the Google News API, scrape article content using Beautiful Soup and Newspaper3k, and select optimal content through similarity scoring with the sentence-transformers/all-MiniLM-L6-v2 model. Summarization is performed using the Llama 3.2 3B model, while sentiment classification is achieved using the cardiffnlp/twitter-roberta-base-sentiment-latest model. The processed data is stored in Firebase and accessed via an Android app, enabling users to filter negative news and select preferred categories. The system processes 35–40 news articles in 10–11 minutes, significantly outperforming manual efforts. This approach enhances efficiency in news consumption while ensuring scalability across six categories: world, nation, business, technology, entertainment, and sports.
Suppression of Schwann cell ferroptosis mitigates demyelination and trigeminal neurop...
Haolin Wang
Lei Xia

Haolin Wang

and 10 more

March 21, 2025
Background and Aims: Demyelination is widely acknowledged as the underlying pathological mechanism of trigeminal neuralgia (TN), while ferroptosis has been implicated in neurodegenerative disorders associated with demyelination. However, the precise contribution of ferroptosis to TN-related demyelination has yet to be elucidated. Methods: To investigate the putative pathway implicated in the neuropathic pain, we conducted RNA-seq analysis in the IoN-CCI rat model that is deemed to simulate the pathology of TN. Subsequently, we explored the iron metabolism and ferroptosis-related pathway in this TN model. Finally, we utilized Ferrostatin-1 and Liproxstatin-1 to suppress ferroptosis and assessed alterations in iron metabolism and myelin sheath integrity through immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Our experiments showed that IoN-CCI induced ferroptosis, characterized by increased iron accumulation and decreased expression of GPX4, FPN, and SLC7A11. This resulted in mitochondrial shrinkage in Schwann cells and loosened wrapping of the myelin sheath, as well as activation of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Inhibition of ferroptosis reversed these effects and alleviated demyelination and neuropathic pain. Interpretation: In conclusion, our study has clarified the impact of ferroptosis-induced demyelination in TN, providing a potential strategy for treating TN and offering new insights into the study of peripheral nerve demyelination diseases.
Precision Nutrition as the Concept of Diet and Nutrition Intervention for Patients wi...
Ken Yamaguchi
Koji Yamanoi

Ken Yamaguchi

and 13 more

March 21, 2025
Background: Diet and nutrition interventions have become popular strategies for patients undergoing cancer treatment. This is due to the high cost of medical treatment and increased health awareness among cancer patients. Diet and nutrition as well as psychological stress and adverse events during treatment greatly impact the quality of life of cancer patients. This article aimed to reviewed narratively articles published within recent decades years and guidelines for diet and exercise for cancer survivors. Recent findings: Physicians do not typically consider the impact of diet and nutrition on cancer treatment, despite several academic associations publishing guidelines on this topic. Conclusion: This review article describes recent findings on the effects of diet and nutrition, particularly fasting-mimicking diet, on prognosis and adverse events of chemotherapy. Finally, this review proposes future perspectives based on “Precision Nutrition” and “Molecular Precision Medicine” in cancer treatment.
Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques for Renal Cell Carcinoma with Intravenous Tumo...
Yiting Wu
Shuyang Feng

Yiting Wu

and 2 more

March 21, 2025
Introduction: Locally advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with intravenous tumor thrombus (IVTT) represents 4-10% of renal tumors. This review assesses the safety and outcomes of minimally invasive techniques, specifically laparoscopic (LAP) and robotic-assisted (RA) methods, for treating RCC with IVTT. Methods: A literature search across several databases identified 54 studies (42 case series, 12 cohort studies) for analysis. Perioperative outcomes, including operative time, blood loss, transfusion rates, length of stay, and complications, were compared based on IVTT levels. Results: LAP and RA techniques were feasible for low-level IVTT, showing similar perioperative results. RA outperformed LAP in high-level IVTT with shorter operative times and lower blood loss and transfusion rates, despite managing more complex cases. RA maintained stable cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and metastasis rates, whereas LAP exhibited higher rates in high-level cases. Both techniques had low local recurrence rates. Conclusion: RA may be a superior option for RCC with IVTT, especially in high-level cases, but data comes mainly from specialized centers, signaling a need for multicenter validation and standardized criteria. Long-term outcomes require further study to assess RA’s non-inferiority to LAP.
Health System of Nepal -- Challenges and Opportunities
Deepak Paudel

Deepak Paudel

March 21, 2025
Health systems represent the organized interplay of resources, financing, management, and service delivery to achieve desired health outcomes. They encompass interconnected layers of health promotion, service provision, governance, and management, and engaging multi-disciplinary stakeholders. Health is a shared responsibility between individuals and the state. Community health workers, public health facilities, and private providers are pivotal components of health systems. Nepal's community-based health system stands out, particularly in maternal and child health achievements. Despite challenges like geographic difficulties and inequities, its resilience relies on robust community-based health systems and an extensive network of health workforce. However, Nepal continues to face high maternal and newborn mortality, driven by socio-economic factors, cultural barriers, and suboptimal quality of healthcare. Health service delivery faces interconnected supply- and demand-side barriers, such as limited resources, economic hardships, socio-cultural discrimination, and geographic inaccessibility. Aligning the expectations of health workers and clients can foster a more equitable, client-centered system, achieving sustainable outcomes. The health system grapples with compounded challenges in access, availability, readiness, equity, and service quality. Workforce shortages, inadequate resources, and poor implementation of policies hinder desired progress. A streamlined approach is essential to enhance resilience and ensure equitable healthcare.
Examining the Global Burden, Trends, and Risk Factors of Mosquito-borne Diseases: An...
Xiaoang Qin
Meisong Jin

Xiaoang Qin

and 3 more

March 21, 2025
Background The burden of mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) has significantly increased over the past three decades. Methods Disease burden of five MBDs , namely dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, yellow fever, and Zika virus were estimated via the 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). We further assessed the driving factors and the potentiality for improvement of the diseases through frontier analyses, respectively. The gender analysis based on the age-period cohort (APC) of the MBDs was conducted to predict the cases of new MBDs from 2020 to 2030. Results From 1990 to 2019, the burden of MBDs in all regions of the world showed an overall upward trend. The greatest disease burden was attributed to malaria and dengue. Both social development and natural factors had clear driving effects on the MBDs, while both the young and the old were most likely to suffer from MBDs. We predicted that the MBDs have a high probability to grow in the next decade. Conclusion Our study clarified that MBDs remain a leading cause of disease burden worldwide, with a continuous increase in the absolute numbers since 1990. Therefore, alleviating MBD remains a challenge.
Attending to Therapist Effects in Religion- and Spirituality-Integrated Psychotherapy
Matthew S. McMurray
Martin Kivlighan

Matthew S. McMurray

and 1 more

March 21, 2025
Objective: In this study, we examine efforts in religion/spirituality (R/S) psychotherapy outcome research to account for therapist effects. Methods: After reviewing R/S-integrated psychotherapy outcome research and therapist effects research, we examine studies included in the 2018 Captari et al. meta-analysis of R/S-integrated psychotherapies with attention to analyses or acknowledgment of possible therapist effects. Results: Of the 95 studies reviewed, only authors from eight studies reported analyzing therapist effects. Some therapist factors (e.g. type of counselor) were significantly related to client outcomes, however no differences between individual therapist effects were detected (perhaps due to insufficient power). Authors of 19 additional studies acknowledged or hinted at the possible influence of therapist characteristics on their results in their discussions of limitations and future directions. Conclusion: R/S-integrated psychotherapy outcome research is substantial and promising. Including therapists in analyses is an essential next step for R/S-integrated psychotherapy outcome research. We offer recommendations regarding research and practice: we encourage researchers to account for therapist effects or acknowledge relevant limitations, and we encourage researchers and practitioners to consider the variety of ways R/S can be incorporated into psychotherapy (e.g., engaging in a client-led conversation of R/S), based on the individual needs and interests of each client.
Equitable Research Funding: Strategies, Challenges, and the Role of Funding Agencies
Sarah Ruediger
Laurence Ris

Sarah Ruediger

and 2 more

March 21, 2025
Ensuring equitable access to research funding is crucial for fostering diversity, innovation, and excellence in science. Despite progress, significant disparities remain, with underrepresented researchers—including women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with disabilities—continuing to receive disproportionately less funding. These disparities not only hinder individual careers but also limit the breadth of perspectives that drive scientific discovery. Through discussions with major funding agencies, including the Dana Foundation, European Research Council (ERC), and ERA-NET NEURON, we examine how equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are integrated into research funding allocation. We focus on three key areas: how EDI is defined and prioritized, metrics for assessing and tracking progress, and strategies for mitigating bias in selection procedures. While agencies have implemented initiatives such as demographic data transparency, targeted funding mechanisms, and bias-awareness training, systemic challenges remain. Variability in data collection practices, barriers in peer review processes, and limitations of interventions like double-blind reviews highlight the need for ongoing reform. As EDI policies face growing political scrutiny and active efforts to dismantle existing frameworks, reinforcing and expanding strategies to ensure equitable funding distribution has never been more critical. The scientific community must continue advocating for evidence-based approaches that improve transparency, accountability, and fairness in research funding. Without sustained commitment, the progress made over the past decades is at risk of being reversed, undermining the diversity of thought and innovation essential to scientific advancement.
On-Demand Hydrogen Production through Aluminum-Water Reaction Enabled by Aluminum Nan...
Yifan Niu
Houhao Cai

Yifan Niu

and 5 more

March 21, 2025
The aluminum-water reaction for hydrogen production exhibits significant potential in the energy sector due to its low cost and high hydrogen density. However, the great challenge in controlling the kinetics of the aluminum-water reaction hinder the advancement in applications. This study proposes a polymer-encapsulated aluminum nanoparticles (Al NPs) and NaOH nanocomposite coating for on-demand hydrogen production via aluminum-water reaction. By monitoring the coating reaction process using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, the results indicate that fibrous AlO(OH) gradually forms on the Al NP surface during the reaction, eventually transforming entirely into bulk Al(OH) 3. Furthermore, by adjusting the size of Al NPs (50-1000 nm) and the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the polymer matrix, the hydrogen production rate can be regulated within the range of 0.23-9.65 mL·s -1·g -1. Finally, multiple interval reactions were adopted to verify the effectiveness of water-controlled on-demand hydrogen production. This strategy overcomes the dependence of aluminum-water reaction on extensive alkali solution, providing new insights for the development of hydrogen production.
Optical Bench Validation of Meta-Reinforcement Learning for Image-Based Spacecraft Gu...
Lorenzo Federici
Andrea Scorsoglio

Lorenzo Federici

and 2 more

March 21, 2025
This paper focuses on testing and validating meta-reinforcement learning algorithms for image-based spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) using an optical bench designed to mimic small spacecraft’s computing hardware and camera systems. The optical bench setup is described in detail, including the workflow for GNC network deployment and the image processing techniques used to correct and enhance raw camera images. The analysis assesses, across one toy problem and two real-world space mission scenarios, the effectiveness and robustness of the GNC network when processing actual camera images in place of the simulated images used for the network training. Also, it aims to evaluate the network computational performance on typical onboard computing hardware.
Residual stress in R260 grade rail steels induced by high power diode laser and their...
Ozan YAZICI

Ozan YAZICI

March 21, 2025
High power diode laser surface treatment was applied to the R260 grade steels with different processing temperatures which are 1.100 oC, 1.200 oC and 1.300 oC at the laser power of 1.750 watt with scanning speed of 6mm/s. to search the influence of these processing temperatures on both residual stress and fatigue behaviour. It was found that while untreated sample had – 501 MPa residual stress, about twofold increase occurred in the laser treated samples. The fatigue test results showed that increase in processing temperature plays an important role on fatigue behaviour and residual stress is one of the factors affecting fatigue mechanism.
Robust Cloud Architecture Enabling Machine Learning-Powered Research
Samantha Young

Samantha Young

and 3 more

March 27, 2025
This paper introduces a distributed cloud-based infrastructure specifically engineered to boost the performance of machine learning (ML) workloads in high-performance computing (HPC) environments. As ML models grow in scale and complexity, they demand increasingly adaptive and powerful computational systems [2]. Our proposed solution integrates OpenStack, Kubernetes, and containerized services to overcome critical challenges such as efficient GPU allocation, dynamic workload scaling, and responsive resource provisioning. Through automated orchestration and containerization, the framework enhances GPU efficiency and reduces latency during inference. Benchmarking results demonstrate substantial gains in resource utilization and processing speed across various ML applications. A key feature of the system is the incorporation of JupyterHub, enabling interactive development and simplifying model training and deployment workflows. This infrastructure aims to equip researchers with a flexible, high-performance platform that accelerates scientific exploration and fosters innovation across multiple disciplines [1,3].
Laparoscopic assisted Abdominal Perineal Resection (APR) in low resource setting: A c...
Rajabu Athumani Bakari
Karushaija Mujwahuzi

Rajabu Bakari

and 5 more

March 21, 2025
A document by Rajabu Athumani Bakari. Click on the document to view its contents.
Primary ovarian malignant mesothelioma in a 26-year-old woman: case report and review...
Shokouh  Taghipour Zahir
fatemeh derakhshani

Shokouh Taghipour Zahir

and 3 more

March 21, 2025
Primary ovarian malignant mesothelioma in a 26-year-old woman: case report and review of literatureShokouh Taghipour Zahir 1, Fatemeh Derakhshani2, Seyyed Mohammad Reza Mortazavizadeh3, AmirPasha Amelshahbaz41 Full professor of surgical and clinical Pathology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran2 Assistant professor of surgical and clinical Pathology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical sciences and Health Services,Yazd, Iran3 Associate professor of Hematology Oncology, Azad University of Medical sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran4 Assistant professor of Radiology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical sciences and Health Services,Yazd, Iran
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