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Universal access to safe drinking water is called for under Sustainable Development Target 6.1 (SDG 6.1). Yet quantitative evidence on disease reductions associated with achieving SDG 6.1 and the service dimensions that most effectively reduce diarrhoeal diseases remains limited and inconsistent. Here, using multiple indicator cluster survey data from 24 low- and middle-income countries, we show t

We present a simple method based on a variant of Hölder’s inequality to lower-bound the trace norm of Boolean matrices. As the main result, we obtain an exponential separation between the randomized decision tree depth and the spectral norm (i.e. the Fourier L1-norm) of a Boolean function. This answers an open question of Cheung, Hatami, Hosseini, and Shirley (CCC 2023). As immediate consequences,

Establishing species limits is challenging, particularly for pathogens of wildlife. These pathogens can be difficult to sample and culture, and their genome sequencing must often be conducted in the presence of high levels of host DNA. Plasmodium relictum is a mosquito-vectored avian malaria pathogen that is a globally distributed host generalist, comprised of several genetic lineages. We used seq

We present X-ray emission (XES) and absorption (XAS) spectra of the F– ion in aqueous solution, along with a theoretical analysis using combined ab initio quantum chemistry spectral calculations and quantum molecular dynamics simulations. The spectra are predicted to have a significantly different dependence on the distance between the anion and the oxygen atoms of water molecules in the first sol

Future hydrological droughts in reservoir-regulated regions remain uncertain due to the complex interactions between climate change and reservoir operation. Existing studies usually rely on simplified empirical representations of historical reservoir operations and rarely consider the role of optimal reservoir operation policies. Here, we used the upper Hanjiang River basin (UHRB) in China as a ca

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based method for automated segmentation of total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) in 18F-FDG PET/CT scans of patients with lymphoma, using an independent, publicly available benchmark dataset curated and segmented by expert readers in a previously published study. Methods: The AI model, based on a 3-dimensional U

Pain is often the presenting symptom of acute pancreatitis (AP) and has a prognostic significance, with poorly treated pain affecting patient outcomes. Despite this, there are currently no international recommendations for pain management in patients admitted with AP. This current guideline was developed following the United European Gastroenterology framework for the development of high-quality c

The volume and complexity of scientific literature are expanding rapidly, making it increasingly difficult to extract and synthesize information across studies. This challenge is particularly acute in the biological sciences, where evidence spans multiple levels of organization and heterogeneous experimental designs. Large Language Model (LLM) pipelines offer a scalable route to evidence synthesis

Introduction – On-site sanitation systems (OSS) are the primary sanitation technology used to manage household fecal sludge in the Global South, including Kigali City. Poor quality OSS can lead to the spread of fecal-oral diseases and water resource pollution. Previous studies have demonstrated that OSS in Kigali are ineffective. In 2018, the Rwanda Standards Board adopted ISO 24521 to guide the d

We present a model dielectric function composed of critical point functions in order to parameterize the temperature and wavelength dependencies of the dielectric function of InAs. This model is based on Adachi’s critical point model, with simple wavelength-dependent analytical functions whose parameters change linearly with temperature. The calculated dielectric function at room temperature is in

Purpose: Meniscal calcifications are associated with meniscal degeneration and osteoarthritis (OA). However, differentiating calcification types, such as basic calcium phosphate (BCP) and calcium pyrophosphate (CPP), remains challenging in vivo. Therefore, assessing new imaging possibilities is crucial in understanding calcification pathologies and their relationship with OA. This study investigat

How does Security Force Assistance (SFA) impact Niger's security sector and beyond? I draw on extensive fieldwork in Niger and identify and analyse two developments taking place in Niger's security sector: the development of an expanded Special Forces Command and the elaboration of multiple mobile hybrid units. I build upon, and contribute to, existing studies related to the politicization and sec

We aimed to investigate socioeconomic differences between sexes and the influence on outcome following surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) or ulnar nerve entrapment (UNE) at the elbow. Patients with CTS (n = 9000) or UNE (n = 1266) registered in the Swedish National Register for Hand Surgery (HAKIR) 2010–2016 were included and evaluated using QuickDASH 12 months postoperatively. Statistics Sw

Objective: To identify autoantibodies in presymptomatic individuals that associate with the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to distinguish early RA from osteoarthritis (OA), particularly in individuals lacking classic RA serologic markers. Methods: We analyzed serum and plasma from three cohorts: presymptomatic individuals who later developed RA (n = 518), a subset of these at RA diagnosis

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune blistering disease and has been linked to increased mortality, although previous studies have generally relied on small populations and no data have been available specifically for the Swedish population. This study aimed to evaluate the 1-and 10-year mortality rates and all-cause mortality in Swedish patients with BP compared with the ge

With the development of additive manufacturing, the freedom in developing complex cooling structures has been enlarged greatly. Topology optimization is one of the methods that can give out cooling structures beyond the limits of geometric parameters. In this research, an algorithm of topology optimization with heat transfer is derived. The detailed optimization procedure is presented in this work

Marine microorganisms have the potential to disperse widely with few obvious barriers to gene flow. However, among microalgae, several studies have demonstrated that species can be highly genetically structured with limited gene flow among populations, despite hydrographic connectivity. Ecological differentiation and local adaptation have been suggested as drivers of such population structure. Her

Northwest China's arid climate and fragile ecosystems are becoming wetter and greener. However, the rapid expansion of photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure in this region alters land-atmosphere interactions, with potential consequences for local climate and water resources. Here, we use a combined climate and dynamic vegetation modeling approach to assess the effects of hypothetical PV deployment acro

Contrasting the antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) in the conducting airways, the alveolar DC populations in human lungs have remained poorly investigated. Consequently, little is known about how alveolar DCs are altered in diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study maps multiple tissue DC categories in the distal lung across COPD severities. Specifically, sing