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Sensors based on metamaterial absorbers are very promising when it comes to high sensitivity and quality factor, cost, and ease of fabrication. The absorbers could be used to sense physical parameters such as temperature, pressure, density as well as they could be used for determining electromagnetic properties of materials and their characterization. In this work, an attempt has been made to explore the various possible applications of these sensors. Metamaterial-based sensors are very popular for its diverse applications in areas such as biomedical, chemical industry, food quality testing, agriculture. Split-ring resonators with various shapes and topologies are the most frequently used structures where the sensing principle is based on electromagnetic interaction of the material under test with the resonator. Overcoming the design challenges using metamaterial sensors involving several constraints such as cost, compactness, reusability, ease in fabrication, and robustness is also addressed.

To examine the relationship between food security status, diet quality measured using Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) scores, demographics and the following factors: perceptions of healthy food availability, healthy eating identity and perceived control of healthy eating. A cross-sectional study in 2016-2017 using three 24-h dietary recalls and one psychosocial survey. Two urban communities in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, USA, with low access to healthy food retailers. Primary food shoppers living in the targeted geographic areas (N 450). Our results indicated that high school graduates had lower HEI-2010 scores compared with participants who had some college education or more (β = -2·77, P = 0·02). Participants receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits had lower HEI-2010 scores (β = -2·69, P = 0·03). Healthy eating identity was associated with higher HEI-2010 scores (β = 1·85, P = 0·004). Food security status moderated the relationship between perception of healthy food availability and HEI-2010 scores. Among participants with very low food security (VLFS), greater perceptions of healthy food availability were associated with higher HEI-2010 scores (β = 3·25, P = 0·03), compared with food secure participants. Only 14 % of VLFS participants used a personal vehicle as transportation to their primary food shopping store. Findings offer targets for future intervention development and evaluation to promote community nutrition. These targets include strategies to improve the value of SNAP benefits, promote access to quality education, increase transportation options to healthy food retailers and develop nutrition programming to promote healthy eating identity.

Breast tumors contain tumorigenic cancer cells, termed “tumorinitiating cells” (TICs), which are capable of both replenishing themselves and giving rise to populations of nontumorigenic breast cancer cells (non-TICs). However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for breast tumor initiation remain poorly understood. Here we describe a chemical screening strategy to identify small molecules that enhance the effect of chemotherapeutic agents on TIC-enriched breast cancer cells. We identified proteins that interact with the lead compound C108, including the stress granule-associated protein, GTPase-activating protein (SH3 domain)-binding protein 2, G3BP2. G3BP2 regulates breast tumor initiation through the stabilization of Squamous cell carcinoma antigen recognized by T cells 3 (SART3) mRNA, which leads to increased expression of the pluripotency transcription factors Octamer-binding protein 4 (Oct-4) and Nanog Homeobox (Nanog). Our findings suggest that G3BP2 is important for the process of breast cancer initiation. Furthermore, these data suggest a possible connection between stress granule formation and tumor initiation in breast cancer cells.

High-calorie processed foods and steep declines in physical activity have contributed to a large increase in type 2 diabetes worldwide. In response, the Framework for Diabetes in Canada was released in 2022. It emphasizes the need for diabetes prevention programs targeting high-risk populations, awareness campaigns to educate the public about diabetes risk factors and prevention strategies, education and support programs for people living with diabetes, advocacy efforts to influence policy changes, and research initiatives to advance understanding and treatment of diabetes. It underscores the need \"for developing or scaling up evidence- and community-based prevention and health promotion interventions that are tailored to populations at higher risk of chronic diseases and address systemic inequities on a policy and program level.\" Here, Jacobson et al discuss how Canada could accelerate the development and implementation of equitable diabetes prevention and remission programs.

Emerging contaminants (ECs), which comprise pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, personal care products, and persistent industrial chemicals, are increasingly detected in various environmental compartments. They enter the environment through domestic waste, industrial discharge, sewage systems, agricultural runoff, and atmospheric deposition, threatening human, wildlife, and environmental health. Due to their persistent and bioaccumulative nature, they remain in the environment for a very long time and enter food chains, thereby causing hormonal, immunological, endocrinological, neurological, and carcinogenic effects. Various remediation techniques, namely membrane filtration, activated carbon adsorption, and nanotechnology-based remediation, have been developed that offer high removal efficiency but are limited by high cost, energy demand, and secondary waste generation. In contrast, phytoremediation offers a cost-effective and environment-friendly alternative. Among them, vetiver-based phytoremediation has gained attention due to its deep fibrous roots, tolerance to extreme environmental stresses, and association with diverse rhizosphere microbial communities. These traits collectively enhance processes such as phytoextraction, rhizodegradation, and phytostabilization. Vetiver has shown promising potential for the removal of a range of ECs, namely antibiotics (tetracycline, ciprofloxacin), NSAIDs (ibuprofen, diclofenac), pesticides and herbicides (endosulfan, atrazine), explosives (TNT, RDX, DNAN), and even radioactive isotopes (¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr) under controlled experimental conditions. Despite such promising studies, a comprehensive assessment of vetiver for ECs remediation remains limited. This review addresses this gap by providing a detailed discussion on the application and potential of vetiver for the removal of ECs from soil and water. The possible role of various factors, such as morphological features of vetiver, root-associated microbes, root zone enzymes, etc., in facilitating the remediation of different emerging contaminants has been critically evaluated. Furthermore, key limitations of phytoremediation are discussed along with future research pathways to integrate vetiver systems with complementary technologies for enhanced efficiency and establishing vetiver as a sustainable and versatile solution for the remediation of emerging environmental contaminants.

Purpose: Vision plays an important role in child's development for learning and communication. Uncorrected refractive error (URE) has become a major challenge to health care policy makers especially in school going children. We aim to report the prevalence of refractive error among the school students of the east district of Sikkim, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 15,954 school children under school health program of national program for control of blindness. The screening was conducted in 40 schools of east district which included primary, higher secondary, monastic and private schools. Results: The prevalence of refractive error was 6.7% among which myopia was the most common error present in 335 (31.1%) children, followed by astigmatism in 317 (29.4%) and the remaining 29 (2.6%) with hyperopia. The age group between 14-17 years had high prevalence of refractive error (9.2%). Females had slightly higher refractive error (6.93%) than males (5.9 %). Most backward classes were found to be highest suffering from refractive error (26.65%) and the least seen was found in schedule tribe (11.6%). Conclusion: The study provides a useful and baseline data about the refractive error amongst the school children of east Sikkim. A larger study needs to be conducted in all the schools of the state to get a clearer picture of RE and other eye related diseases to detect vision problem as early as possible.

Radiotherapy (RT) is a standard treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer (PCa). Previous preclinical studies showed that SDF1α/CXCR4 axis could mediate PCa metastasis (most often to the bones) and cancer resistance to RT. We found high levels of expression for both SDF1α and its receptor CXCR4 in primary and metastatic PCa tissue samples. In vitro analyses using PCa cells revealed an important role of CXCR4 in cell invasion but not radiotolerance. Pharmacologic inhibition of CXCR4 using AMD3100 showed no efficacy in orthotopic primary and bone metastatic PCa models. However, when combined with RT, AMD3100 potentiated the effect of local single-dose RT (12 Gy) in both models. Moreover, CXCR4 inhibition also reduced lymph node metastasis from primary PCa. Notably, CXCR4 inhibition promoted the normalization of bone metastatic PCa vasculature and reduced tissue hypoxia. In conclusion, the SDF1α/CXCR4 axis is a potential therapeutic target in metastatic PCa patients treated with RT.

Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is characterized by severe pain in the anterior aspect of the neck and tenderness is present during the thyroid gland's palpation. It is commonly caused by viruses including mumps, measles, rubella, coxsackievirus, influenza, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Painless subacute thyroiditis is rare and can present as a fever of unknown origin (FUO). Our case reports an unusual case of SAT as our patient did not have any neck pain. Laboratory investigations show low thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), poor or no uptake of radioactive iodine by the thyroid, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Clinicians should be aware that painless SAT can present as a fever of unknown origin.

The research paper presents the novel solution for dynamic resource management in contemporary multibeam satellite communication systems, addressing the imperative need for efficient resource allocation using machine learning (ML) tool. Initially, employing unsupervised ML via weighted K-means clustering, geographical areas are evenly partitioned into 71 clusters. Subsequently, to address the variability in user demand on an hourly basis, supervised ML techniques, particularly Linear Regression (LR), are utilized to forecast demand trends. Based on these predictions, bandwidth allocation to each cluster is dynamically adjusted hourly to accommodate demand fluctuations. This innovative approach offers a simple yet effective model for optimizing bandwidth assignment, thereby facilitating significant power savings and enhancing overall system efficiency. The proposed solution represents a crucial advancement in addressing the complex challenges associated with dynamic resource management in modern satellite communication networks.

The Publisher has been made aware of ethical breaches affecting this proceeding published in E3S Web of Conferences, Volume 430 (2023) . These instances involve a specific author, K.K. Saxena who used citation manipulation and inappropriate references in 47 articles, for a total of 310 citations. We are extremely concerned by such malpractice which considerably impacts the image of our title and our Publisher’s reputation. See our publishing ethics policies . The Guest Editor of the proceedings volume endorsed the Publisher's decision to retract these articles. Web of Conferences is extremely grateful to the whistleblower for bringing this case to our attention. See the retraction notice E3S Web of Conferences 430 , 00002 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202443000002