Electrochemically primed functional redox mediator generator from the decomposition of solid state electrolyte.

Recent works into sulfide-type solid electrolyte materials have attracted much attention among the battery community. Specifically, the oxidative decomposition of phosphorus and sulfur based solid state electrolyte has been considered one of the main hurdles towards practical application. Here we demonstrate that this phenomenon can be leveraged when lithium thiophosphate is applied as an electrochemically "switched-on" functional redox mediator-generator for the activation of commercial bulk lithium sulfide at up to 70 wt.% lithium sulfide electrode content. X-ray adsorption near-edge spectroscopy coupled with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Raman indicate a catalytic effect of generated redox mediators on the first charge of lithium sulfide. In contrast to pre-solvated redox mediator species, this design decouples the lithium sulfide activation process from the constraints of low electrolyte content cell operation stemming from pre-solvated redox mediators. Reasonable performance is demonstrated at strict testing conditions

Addressing Plastic Pollution Through Green Consumption: Predicting Intentions To Use Menstrual Cups In The Philippines

Plastic pollution is a global environmental crisis that poses a huge threat to the health of people and marine ecosystems worldwide. A significant source of plastic pollution is menstrual hygiene management, and an approach that can help address this crisis is the usage of washable and reusable menstrual cups. Using an extended theory of planned behavior model that includes self-identity and perceived quality, the study predicted intentions to use menstrual cups in the Philippines. Structural equation modeling results showed that perceived quality predicted attitudes towards menstrual cup usage. Moreover, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and self-identity predicted intentions to use menstrual cups. There were also some differences in the factors and predictors of intentions between non-users and regular users of menstrual cups. Among regular users, perceived behavioral control did not predict intentions. These findings provide empirical support for the extended model, and provides insights for governments, non-government organizations, and corporations in promoting the usage of menstrual cups to address the global plastic pollution crisis

Exploring the Form, Function, and Meaning of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling martial art derived from Judo and primarily uses chokeholds and joint locks to incapacitate an attacker. These techniques require little strength and can apply tremendous amounts of force to anatomically weaker areas of the body. BJJ is a growing martial art due to its popularity in self-defense and its effectiveness in sports like mixed martial arts (MMA). This study uses a phenomenological approach and aims to increase the understanding of the form, function, and meaning of BJJ through the lived experiences of BJJ practitioners from different experience levels. Participants will be recruited and interviewed from one BJJ academy either in person or through Zoom and transcripts will be coded. Themes will be later identified. Implications include understanding of BJJ on a deeper level. Human beings express themselves through their participation in their selected occupations which also correlates with their overall health and quality of life. Occupational science is the study of occupations, and it allows occupational therapists to understand occupations on a deeper level which then helps create meaningful interventions.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2021/1012/thumbnail.jp

Widespread somatic L1 retrotransposition occurs early during gastrointestinal cancer evolution

Somatic L1 retrotransposition events have been shown to occur in epithelial cancers. Here, we attempted to determine how early somatic L1 insertions occurred during the development of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Using L1-targeted resequencing (L1-seq), we studied different stages of four colorectal cancers arising from colonic polyps, seven pancreatic carcinomas, as well as seven gastric cancers. Surprisingly, we found somatic L1 insertions not only in all cancer types and metastases but also in colonic adenomas, well-known cancer precursors. Some insertions were also present in low quantities in normal GI tissues, occasionally caught in the act of being clonally fixed in the adjacent tumors. Insertions in adenomas and cancers numbered in the hundreds, and many were present in multiple tumor sections, implying clonal distribution. Our results demonstrate that extensive somatic insertional mutagenesis occurs very early during the development of GI tumors, probably before dysplastic growth

Age, COVID-19, and Mental Health in the Philippines: A Multidimensional Perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many to become isolated, increased feelings of loneliness, and given rise to mental health issues. Using the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, this study looked at the predictors of mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic across age groups. Results showed that COVID-19 stressors, resilience, nonreactivity, and coping behaviors predicted stress, anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being. Cluster analysis revealed two age clusters—those between 16 and 35 years and those 36 years and above. The younger group reported greater depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms and poorer psychological well-being compared to the older group. The younger group also reported less resilience, nonreactivity, and use of spiritual coping compared to the older group. The results suggest that the young are most vulnerable during the pandemic, and findings suggest what might be done to provide them mental health psychosocial support

Detection of antibiotic residues in leg quarter of chickens slaughtered in accredited poultry dressing plants in Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Antibiotic residues in consumable products pose health risks by contributing to antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARBs), antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs), and teratogenic and carcinogenic effects. Regular screening of livestock products allows monitoring of these residues in humans. This study aimed to determine the presence of six antibiotic class residues (beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, sulfonamides, macrolides, and tetracycline) and multidrug residues in chicken leg quarters (CLQs) from an accredited Poultry Dressing Plant (PDP) in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Thirty CLQs were collected from six PDPs in Nueva Ecija. Six muscle tissue specimens from each sample were screened for antibiotic residues through microbial inhibition tests at the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) Reserve Officers' Training Corps (RTOC) Regional III Laboratory Division, San Fernando, Pampanga. An inhibition zone ≥2 mm indicated a positive result. Screening showed no samples tested positive for any residue, and multi-drug residues were absent. No CLQs contained residues that exceeded the Maximum Residue Limit. CLQs from accredited PDPs in Nueva Ecija contained no antibiotic residues. These results may be due to strict antibiotic regulations, good veterinary supervision on source farms, and proper withdrawal periods.Residu antibiotik dalam produk konsumsi menimbulkan risiko kesehatan dengan berkontribusi terhadap bakteri resistan antibiotik (ARB), gen resistan antibiotik (ARG), dan efek teratogenik dan karsinogenik. Skrining produk ternak secara berkala memungkinkan pemantauan residu ini pada manusia. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan keberadaan enam residu golongan antibiotik (beta-laktam, aminoglikosida, kuinolon, sulfonamid, makrolida, dan tetrasiklin) dan residu multiobat dalam paha ayam (CLQ) dari Pabrik Pengolahan Unggas (PDP) terakreditasi di Nueva Ecija, Filipina. Tiga puluh CLQ dikumpulkan dari enam PDP di Nueva Ecija. Enam spesimen jaringan otot dari setiap sampel disaring untuk residu antibiotik melalui uji penghambatan mikroba di Divisi Laboratorium Regional III Korps Pelatihan Perwira Cadangan (RTOC) National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), San Fernando, Pampanga. Zona penghambatan ≥2 mm menunjukkan hasil positif. Pemeriksaan tidak menunjukkan sampel yang diuji positif mengandung residu apa pun, dan residu multi-obat tidak ada. Tidak ada CLQ yang mengandung residu yang melampaui Batas Residu Maksimum. CLQ dari PDP terakreditasi di Nueva Ecija tidak mengandung residu antibiotik. Hasil ini mungkin disebabkan oleh peraturan antibiotik yang ketat, pengawasan dokter hewan yang baik di peternakan sumber, dan periode penarikan yang tepat

Excessive thoracic computed tomographic scanning in sarcoidosis

Background: The clinical value of computed tomographic (CT) scanning of the chest in the initial assessment of sarcoidosis was investigated. Methods: One hundred consecutive patients referred to the sarcoidosis outpatient services of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York from 1990 to 1992 with a presumptive diagnosis of sarcoidosis were studied. The diagnosis was subsequently confirmed in all by a positive tissue biopsy sample or the Kveim-Siltzbach test. Clinical and laboratory data of each patient were reviewed. Chest radiographs were classified according to the classical stages of sarcoidosis. Thirty five of the 100 patients had a CT scan of the chest performed before presentation. The CT scans were compared with the presenting clinical data and standard chest radiographs in order to determine if they yielded useful additional information regarding diagnosis or treatment. Results: The chest CT scan revealed no additional clinically relevant information compared with conventional chest radiographs in any of the 35 studies performed. In two patients mediastinal adenopathy was detected by CT scan which was not seen on standard radiographs. Two patients thought to exhibit hilar adenopathy and pulmonary infiltrations by standard radiography had no parenchymal disease on the CT scan. Bilateral parenchymal infiltrates were seen in one patient which were interpreted as unilateral infiltrates by standard radiographs. The variance between conventional radiographs and CT scans in these five patients was not clinically valuable. Conclusions: CT scans of the chest do not add clinically useful information to the standard chest radiographs in the initial assessment of sarcoidosis in patients presenting with the typical standard radiological patterns. CT scanning of the thorax is indicated in patients with proven or suspected sarcoidosis when the standard chest radiographs are normal or not typical of sarcoidosis, when signs or symptoms of upper airway obstruction are present, when the patient has haemoptysis, if there is a suspicion of a complicating second intrathoracic disease, or the patient is a candidate for lung transplantation

GTA-m: Greedy Trajectory-Aware (m copies) routing for airborne networks

orne networks have potential applications in both civilian and military domains -- such as passenger in-flight Internet connectivity, air traffic control and in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) activities. However, airborne networks suffer from frequent disruptions due to high node mobility, ad hoc connectivity and line-of-sight blockages. These challenges can be alleviated through the use of disruption-tolerant networking (DTN) techniques. In this paper, we propose GTA-m, a multi-copy greedy trajectory-aware routing protocol for airborne networks. GTA-m employs DTN capabilities and exploits the use of flight information to forwarded bundles \\emph{greedily} to intended destination(s). To alleviate the local minima issues that are inherent in greedy algorithms, GTA-m allows $m \\geq 1$ copies of each bundle to be replicated throughout the entire network. We study the performance of GTA-m by simulating flights with varying numbers of aircraft and ground stations. Through simulations in OPNET, we show that GTA-m improves the average bundle delay by 34\\% and 52\\% as compared to conventional DTN routing protocols such as Spray-and-Wait and Epidemic respectively