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This book is an invaluable resource for all those seeking to enhance their proficiency in physical examination. Emphasizing its importance for thorough assessments and accurate diagnoses, it equips practitioners with comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge. With seven sections devoted to different orthopedic structures, the book meticulously examines their underlying anatomy, pathological conditions, and diagnostic methodologies. Each author presents joint-specific tests, and detailed anatomical insights, enabling accurate assessments and identification of underlying conditions. Written and edited by members of ISAKOS, this collaboration draws upon the expertise of leading international experts. Appealing to a broad readership, it is an invaluable tool for orthopedists, sports medicine physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers and students.

Evolution of the Pd active centers in size and spatial distribution leads to an irreversible deactivation in many high-temperature catalytic processes. This research demonstrates the use of a defective alumina (Al 2 O 3-x ) as catalyst support to anchor Pd atoms and suppress the growth of Pd clusters in catalytic methane oxidation. A combination of operando spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations provide insights into the evolution of Pd species and reveals distinct catalytic methane oxidation mechanisms on Pd single atoms, clusters, and nanoparticles (NPs). Among these Pd species, the cluster active centers are found to be the most favorable participants in methane oxidation due to their high dispersion, high content of Pd 2+ oxidation state, and resistance to deactivation by carbonates, bicarbonates, and water. The Pd/Al 2 O 3-x catalyst shows increased stability with respect to a Pd/Al 2 O 3 counterpart during simulated aging in alternating reducing and oxidizing conditions due to stronger interactions with the support. This study demonstrates that defect engineering of non-reducible supports can constrain the evolution of active centers, which holds promising potential for widespread utilization across diverse industrial catalytic processes, including various hydrogenation and oxidation reactions. The evolution of Pd active centers in size and spatial distribution often leads to irreversible deactivation in many high-temperature catalytic processes. Here the authors demonstrate the use of defective alumina (Al 2 O 3-x ) as a catalyst support to anchor Pd atoms and suppress the growth of Pd clusters in catalytic methane oxidation.

Perspective-taking in virtual reality has been exploited in different areas, including using avatars for self-dialogue. We explore the effect of performing self-dialogue in VR, alternating between a non-lookalike ‘self’ and an age-congruent or age-incongruent ‘other’. We used an independent-sample design, with 28 females aged 18–35, starting a conversation in their ‘self’ avatar while describing a stressful daily-life problem, swapping immediately after with the ‘other’ (either young or mature-looking) avatar to listen and respond. Results showed that the importance of the change regarding their problem immediately after the experiment was significantly higher for the mature avatar condition ( p  = 0.01), an effect not found at follow-up. Further, there is a trend towards specific factors of embodiment (e.g., self-recognition and body recognition) being related to understanding their problem better or how helpful the exercise was perceived. To conclude, while the mature avatar showed a short-term advantage, long-term effects were not observed. Future studies with tighter controls are warranted.

In 2020, only 0.9% of buses running in European Union countries were electric, with 93.5% still being diesel-powered. The Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy set out by the European Commission targets a reduction of at least 55% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2023 and the achievement of climate neutrality by 2050. These targets will only be met by a shift to sustainable mobility, which comprises the introduction of electric vehicles in cities and the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEV) for urban public transport. Thus, a literature review on “electrification of bus fleets” was conducted, focusing on the practices adopted for the replacement of polluting buses with electric-powered ones. A total of 62 documents were included in the final investigation, and their results were used to conduct a SWOT analysis. It is possible to conclude that BEBs are an important asset for cities to decarbonize the transport sector and that they are more cost-effective than diesel buses. On the other hand, some attention needs to be given to the generation of energy that will feed the charging of batteries because the use of fossil fuel energy sources can jeopardize the environmental benefits of BEBs.

In recent years, multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged globally as a major threat to the healthcare system. It is now listed by the World Health Organization as a priority one for the need of new therapeutic agents. A . baumannii has the capacity to develop robust biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces. Biofilm development allows these bacteria to resist various environmental stressors, including antibiotics and lack of nutrients or water, which in turn allows the persistence of A . baumannii in the hospital environment and further outbreaks. Investigation into therapeutic alternatives that will act on both biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is sorely needed. The aim of the present review is to critically discuss the various mechanisms by which AMR and biofilm formation may be co-regulated in A . baumannii in an attempt to shed light on paths towards novel therapeutic opportunities. After discussing the clinical importance of A . baumannii , this critical review highlights biofilm-formation genes that may be associated with the co-regulation of AMR. Particularly worthy of consideration are genes regulating the quorum sensing system AbaI/AbaR, AbOmpA (OmpA protein), Bap (biofilm-associated protein), the two-component regulatory system BfmRS, the PER-1 β-lactamase, EpsA, and PTK. Finally, this review discusses ongoing experimental therapeutic strategies to fight A . baumannii infections, namely vaccine development, quorum sensing interference, nanoparticles, metal ions, natural products, antimicrobial peptides, and phage therapy. A better understanding of the mechanisms that co-regulate biofilm formation and AMR will help identify new therapeutic targets, as combined approaches may confer synergistic benefits for effective and safer treatments.

Twinned growth behaviour in the rapidly emerging area of two-dimensional nanomaterials still remains unexplored although it could be exploited to fabricate heterostructure and superlattice materials. Here we demonstrate how one can utilize the twinned growth relationship between two two-dimensional materials to construct vertically stacked heterostructures. As a demonstration, we achieve 100% overlap of the two transition metal dichalcogenide layers constituting a ReS 2 /WS 2 vertical heterostructure. Moreover, the crystal size of the stacked structure is an order of magnitude larger than previous reports. Such twinned transition metal dichalcogenides vertical heterostructures exhibit great potential for use in optical, electronic and catalytic applications. The simplicity of the twinned growth can be utilized to expand the fabrication of other heterostructures or two-dimensional material superlattice and this strategy can be considered as an enabling technology for research in the emerging field of two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures. Precise control of the growth of transition metal dichalcogenides layers in atomically thin van der Waals heterostructures has gained significant attention. Here, the authors report 100% overlapped vertical ReS 2 /WS 2 heterostructures by utilizing the twinned growth behaviour of two-dimensional materials.

The transport sector accounts for around one-quarter of the GHG emissions in Europe, and, in Portugal, it represents almost one-third of the total emissions to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, these emissions have increased in recent years. Hence, cities and countries need plans to decarbonize their public transport fleets, and, more specifically, to replace fossil-fueled buses with electric buses that produce zero CO2 emissions. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to present a method to decarbonize the bus fleet in Portugal by a scheduled replacement of the current fleet, which is fueled by fossil fuels, with a completely electric fleet, in fourteen years. The study shows that it is possible to replace all Portuguese urban bus fleets with electric vehicles considering that all vehicles will be replaced when reaching the age of 14 years. Replacing the urban bus fleet with zero-emission buses would aid policymakers and bus companies to reduce the GHGs, and therefore contribute to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, namely, Goal 13—take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 89% of deaths in Luxembourg in 2019, aligning with Europe’s figures but exceeding the global average of 74%. Behaviours play a critical role in NCD management, with unhealthy lifestyles—like poor diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption—posing significant risks, especially when combined. The present study aims to explore sociodemographic characteristics of adolescents presenting behavioural risks for NCDs in Luxembourg. Methods A representative sample of 8117 adolescents (11-to-18-years-old) took part in the 2022 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Luxembourg survey. We measured physical inactivity, daily sugar consumption, cigarette use and alcohol consumption, and their combination (1, 2 or 3 ≥ risks). The sociodemographic characteristics investigated were sex, age, migration background, family structure and perceived wealth. Binomial logistic regression crude and adjusted were performed with sociodemographic characteristics for each risk behaviour. In addition, multinomial logistic regression crude and adjusted were used to analyse the association between the combination of risk behaviours and the sociodemographic information of the adolescents in Luxembourg. Results Girls had higher odds of physical inactivity (OR = 2.06) than boys, and older age groups exhibited elevated odds of physical inactivity (OR = 2.99), cigarette smoking (OR = 25.00), and alcohol consumption (OR = 35.56). Migration background emerged as a protective factor against alcohol consumption (parents’ migration OR = 0.60; self-immigrated OR = 0.45) but a risk factor for physical inactivity (parents’ migration OR = 1.50; self-immigrated OR = 1.72). Adolescents who did not live with both parents were more likely to be physically inactive (OR = 1.37), consume sugar daily (OR = 1.33), smoke cigarettes (OR = 1.26) and consume alcohol (OR = 1.80). Adolescents that reported their families were not well off had higher odds to be physically inactive (OR = 2.12) and to consume sugar daily (OR = 1.39). The simultaneity of risk behaviours reveals a worrying trend of increasing risk with age, highlighting the need for preventive interventions throughout adolescence. Furthermore, the results in relation to family structure and perceived wealth highlights the complexity and interrelationship of these factors in adolescent behavioural health.  Conclusions The study provides guidance to create more effective interventions aiming to promote healthy behaviours in adolescents.

Complement receptor of immunoglobulin superfamily (CRIg) is expressed on liver macrophages and directly binds complement component C3b or Gram-positive bacteria to mediate phagocytosis. CRIg plays important roles in several immune-mediated diseases, but it is not clear how its pathogen recognition and phagocytic functions maintain homeostasis and prevent disease. We previously associated cytolysin-positive Enterococcus faecalis with severity of alcohol-related liver disease. Here, we demonstrate that CRIg is reduced in liver tissues from patients with alcohol-related liver disease. CRIg-deficient mice developed more severe ethanol-induced liver disease than wild-type mice; disease severity was reduced with loss of toll-like receptor 2. CRIg-deficient mice were less efficient than wild-type mice at clearing Gram-positive bacteria such as Enterococcus faecalis that had translocated from gut to liver. Administration of the soluble extracellular domain CRIg–Ig protein protected mice from ethanol-induced steatohepatitis. Our findings indicate that ethanol impairs hepatic clearance of translocated pathobionts, via decreased hepatic CRIg, which facilitates progression of liver disease. CRIg is expressed on liver macrophages and binds Gram-positive bacteria to mediate phagocytosis, but it is not clear how its phagocytic functions contribute to liver homeostasis or disease. Here the authors report that ethanol impairs hepatic clearance of translocated pathobionts, via decreased hepatic CRIg, which facilitates progression of alcoholic liver disease.

PurposeTo test whether a single or composite set of parameters evaluated with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), representing retinal capillary closure, can predict non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) staging according to the gold standard ETDRS grading scheme.Methods105 patients with diabetes, either without retinopathy or with different degrees of retinopathy (NPDR up to ETDRS grade 53), were prospectively evaluated using swept-source OCTA (SS-OCTA, PlexElite, Carl Zeiss Meditec) with 15×9 mm and 3×3 mm angiography protocols. Seven-field photographs of the fundus were obtained for ETDRS staging. Eyes from age-matched healthy subjects were also imaged as control.ResultsIn eyes of patients with type 2 diabetes without retinopathy or ETDRS levels 20 and 35, retinal capillary closure was in the macular area, with predominant alterations in the parafoveal retinal circulation (inner ring). Retinal capillary closure in ETDRS stages 43–53 becomes predominant in the retinal midperiphery with vessel density average values of 25.2±7.9 (p=0.001) in ETDRS 43 and 23.5±3.4 (p=0.001) in ETDRS 47–53, when evaluating extended areas of 15×9 protocol. Combination of acquisition protocols 3×3 mm and 15×9 mm, using SS-OCTA, allows discrimination between eyes with mild NPDR (ETDRS 10, 20, 35) and eyes with moderate-to-severe NPDR (ETDRS grades 43–53).ConclusionsRetinal capillary closure, quantified by SS-OCTA, can identify NPDR severity progression. It is located mainly in the perifoveal retinal capillary circulation in the initial stages of NPDR, whereas the retinal midperiphery is predominantly affected in moderate-to-severe NPDR.