Journals
2025 EN
Weaver Jason F. · Xiang Shuting · Jamir Jovenal
+19 more
Abstract Self‐stabilized, heterometallic pair‐sites can enable fine‐tuning of catalytic functionality while also mitigating dynamic structural changes that degrade catalytic performance. This study demonstrates the development and characterization of trimetallic Pt x Cr x Ag 1‐2x ( x ≤ 0.1) alloys with active Pt–Cr pair‐ensembles for non‐oxidative ethanol dehydrogenation, leveraging predictions that favorable bonding stabilizes Pt–Cr pairs diluted in Ag. Operando X‐ray absorption spectroscopy confirms the preferential formation and stability of Pt–Cr pairings dispersed throughout the Ag matrix, and ambient‐pressure X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that Pt–Cr sites have significant activity for ethanol dehydrogenation, while suppressing reaction processes that deactivate binary Pt–Ag and Cr–Ag alloys. This work demonstrates that stabilizing heterometallic pair sites within trimetallic alloys provides a new avenue for designing catalysts with discrete active sites that are durable and highly selective.
Journals
2025 EN
Compton David L. · Pero Bryant A. · Radloff Garris H. C.
+9 more
Abstract The transesterification of ethyl ferulate (EF) and unrefined, virgin, cold pressed hemp seed oil (HO V ) and refined, bleached, deodorized cold pressed hemp seed oil (HO R ) using a commercial lipase, Novozym 435 ( Candida antarctica B lipase immobilized on an acrylic resin), was examined in 150‐mL, shaken, batch reactions at 60°C for 2 weeks. The reactions produced feruloylated hemp seed oils, FHO V and FHO R , respectively, and the reactions were monitored to determine the difference between virgin and refined hemp seed oil on the transesterifications. The FHO V and FHO R reactions both reached EF conversion equilibrium of 58% after ca. 168 h. Ultraviolet (UV) absorbing and antioxidant capacity of the FHO V and FHO R were determined. Both FHO V and FHO R (50 μM in ethanol) were excellent UVA II absorbers, λ max 322 nm, and exhibited absorption into the UVB. The DDPH* radical (200 μM) scavenging of the FHO V and FHO R (0.25–2.5 mM) were both shown to be rapid antioxidants (50% DDPH* radical scavenged in <5 min) at 1.0 and 2.5 mM suggesting that inherent components contained in the HO V did not adversely affect enzyme activity relative to transesterification using HO R . Overall, using less expensive, unrefined, virgin hemp seed oil versus more expensive, refined hemp seed oil did not appreciably affect the enzyme kinetics of the transesterification reactions nor the UV absorbing and antioxidant efficacy of the resultant feruloylated hemp seed oils, making FHO V a less expensively produced feruloylated hemp seed oil for cosmetic and personal care applications.
Journals
2025 EN
Martin Louisa D. · Bratton Angela · Weiss Steven
+2 more
ABSTRACT Workplace incivility (WPI) is a form of rude behavior involving a disregard for another individual that occurs in perioperative environments. Workplace incivility can cause burnout and negatively affect patient safety, job performance, professional productivity, and mental and physical health. The purpose of our study was to describe the essential structure of the lived experience of WPI among RN circulators in the southeastern United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Fifteen nurses were interviewed, and descriptive phenomenological methods were used to code the interview transcripts and determine themes and subthemes. The three themes were enduring incivility as an individualized test ; COVID‐19 as an accelerant for WPI ; and addressing WPI through accountability, communication, and education . There is an urgent need to address WPI in the OR. Perioperative health care professionals can use these findings to enhance the overall health of their work environment and begin to foster a culture of civility.
Journals
2025 EN
Batara Budiman · Steven Soen · Mulyana Mulyana
+6 more
ABSTRACT Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) can absorb and retain water thousands fold their weight, so it is believed can overcome water depletion issues. However, the applications are dominantly found in daily consumer goods, while still limited especially in agricultural and environmental sectors. This review aims to provide insights into the preparation, synthesis, key properties, recent applications, and challenges of SAPs targeted to support water sustainability. The resources for SAPs synthesis are cellulose, chitin, chitosan (as natural‐based), and polyacrylate (as synthetic‐based). Likewise, semi‐synthetic SAPs have also been explored by graft copolymerization and crosslinking between natural and synthetic resources. Several key properties in SAPs are absorption capacity, biodegradability, antibacterial capabilities, swelling properties, and grain size. It is found that cellulose‐based SAPs have high water absorption capacity and biodegradability, chitosan‐based SAPs are superior in biodegradability and antibacterial capabilities, and polyacrylate‐based SAPs are eminent in water absorption capacity. As a further recommendation, cellulose‐based SAPs from plants or seaweeds can be a solution to replace synthetic polymer materials that are not environmentally friendly while supporting sustainable agricultural needs. The properties of SAPs, including salt resistance, should also be rectified by physicochemical modifications to overcome dynamic agricultural conditions by means of soil moisture, soil salinity, and microclimate alterations.
Journals
2025 EN
David Ebuka · McDougall Steven R. · Mackay Eric J.
+1 more
ABSTRACT This study addresses the limited understanding of how shear‐thinning polymer rheology influences enhanced oil recovery (EOR) at the pore scale. Using a pore network model and the Carreau rheological model, the impact of shear thinning under varying wettability, dilution, flow rates, and mobility ratios is examined. Results show that shear thinning strongly affects displacement patterns, with significant viscous fingering and reduced recovery efficiency at high shear rates, as viscosity declines within pore spaces. In contrast, minimal shear‐thinning effects lead to stable displacement fronts, resembling a shear‐independent flood with improved recovery. Higher oil viscosities exacerbate the impact of shear thinning, with reduced oil recovery in the presence of more severe shear‐thinning polymers. In oil‐wet systems, capillary forces counteract shear‐thinning effects, promoting uniform displacement. The results also show that higher injection rates do not guarantee better recovery when shear thinning is present, as excessive shear may reduce polymer viscosity. Optimal recovery occurs at lower flow rates, where the polymer maintains higher viscosity and displacement fronts remain stable. This work highlights the importance of incorporating realistic shear‐thinning behavior in polymer flooding models to enhance the predictive accuracy of EOR simulations and improve understanding of how polymer rheology influences pore‐scale mechanisms in oil recovery.
Journals
2025 EN
Hein Steven R. · Trujillo Daniel A. · Burns McKenna P. A.
+1 more
ABSTRACT Species distributions are structured by dispersal potential and responses to vicariance events. Populations of less‐vagile species can become spatially isolated in insularised habitats leading to allopatric speciation. In heavily fragmented aquatic systems, such species often contribute to high rates of endemism. Sphaeriid clams are a globally distributed, yet vastly understudied, group of bivalves. They occupy nearly every type of freshwater system, including many isolated water bodies. Studies on sphaeriid diversity in North America suggest many of the species are cosmopolitan. An exception is the Sangre de Cristo peaclam, Pisidium sanguinichristi , considered endemic to a single lake in New Mexico, USA. However, the taxonomic validity of the species is debated, incurring significant conservation implications as the species of conservation concern at the state and federal levels. We examined sphaeriid genetic diversity in New Mexico and Texas to characterise endemicity and test the identity of P. sanguinichristi . Sequences of the mitochondrial 16S gene and the nuclear 28S gene were compared amongst localities and with sequences deposited in GenBank. Our results support previous inferences that much of the sphaeriid diversity across this region comprises a few cosmopolitan species, with some exception. Furthermore, we did not find evidence to support P. sanguinichristi as a unique species and therefore not a valid taxon. This study implies that sphaeriid clams do not follow the common paradigm of high endemism in isolated water bodies shown by many small aquatic species, rather they present a mixed case. The widespread species of sphaeriids in this region are not of high‐conservation priority in contrast to many aquatic invertebrates found throughout arid western North America.
Journals
2025 EN
FrempongManso Acacia · Adeli Kevin A. · Woods Samuel J.
+3 more
ABSTRACT Human actions, such as the construction of concrete retaining walls as a form of shoreline armouring, pose an increasing threat to freshwater ecosystems. Conventional concrete armouring methods frequently result in habitat homogenization, which has a detrimental effect on aquatic biodiversity. This laboratory study examined the habitat preferences of four fish species (Yellow Perch [ Perca flavescens ], Bluegill [ Lepomis macrochirus ], Banded Killifish [ Fundulus diaphanus ] and Rock Bass[ Ambloplites rupestris ]) experimentally introduced to three types of concrete armouring treatment panels with different surface relief depths (5.08 cm, 7.62 cm and 10.16 cm) intended to create structural complexity paired with a flat wall control panel in 20 min dichotomous choice behavioural assays. We found that both species and treatment had a significant impact on space use, with the proportion of time spent near the different treatment panels varying among species. Compared to the treatment panels, fish spent less time near the flat control panels on average, indicating that the treatments' increased structural complexity provided more desirable habitat. Bluegill spent more time near the treatment panels than Banded Killifish and Yellow Perch, while Rock Bass spent more time near the treatment panels than Banded Killifish. As such, future efforts to implement such armouring in the field should consider using panels with a diversity of reliefs to ensure that these structures provide benefit to a wide range of fishes. Our findings highlight the possibility of using novel concrete armouring designs as alternatives to flat retaining walls to improve habitat complexity and benefit freshwater biodiversity where armouring is required.
Journals
2025 EN
DupuisSmith Reyd · Johnson Kelsey F. · Burke Lauren
+7 more
ABSTRACT Rapid warming in the Arctic is causing cumulative impacts on ecosystems, including widespread reduction in sea ice extent, resulting in shifts in primary production, which can have cascading bottom‐up trophic influences on marine food web structure and function. Understanding trophic interactions and the structure of local food webs across the Canadian Arctic remains fragmented, yet it is essential to inform conservation efforts and provide a comparative reference to assess future food web shifts driven by climate change. We used stable isotope analysis (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) to determine the isotopic niche dynamics (e.g., size and overlap) and trophic positions among invertebrates, fishes and marine mammals sampled from 2015 to 2019 to quantify the trophic interactions and trophic structure of the Eclipse Sound food web. Mean trophic positions ranged from 2.0 for copepods to 4.4 for sea tadpoles, with some individuals, such as narwhal and ringed seals, occupying a trophic position of 5.3, indicating a marine food web that spans at least four trophic levels. Across taxonomic groups, isotopic niche size was largest in the invertebrate taxonomic group (7.87‰ 2 ), followed by fishes (3.26‰ 2 ) and then marine mammals (2.03‰ 2 ). The core isotopic niche overlap between taxonomic groups ranged from no overlap between invertebrates and fishes, or between marine mammals and invertebrates and 44% overlap between fishes and marine mammals. Overall, we present the marine food web structure of over 50 species of invertebrates, fish and mammals during the open‐water period in Eclipse Sound, Nunavut, and provide a reference point for future assessments of food web dynamics and conservation goals.
Journals
2025 EN
Lauer Chloé · Holowka Nicholas B. · Worthington Steven
+2 more
Abstract The feet of people in non‐industrial societies often have higher, stiffer longitudinal arches (LAs) and larger intrinsic muscles than those of many people in post‐industrial societies. The prevailing explanation for this phenomenon is that people in post‐industrial societies commonly wear shoes that restrict foot mobility, while people in non‐industrial societies are often habitually barefoot or minimally shod. However, people in post‐industrial societies also tend to be less physically active than in non‐industrial societies, and it is possible that this, too, is a major determinant of their foot form and function. Here, we test the hypothesis that among people in post‐industrial societies, lower physical activity levels are associated with lower, less stiff LAs and smaller intrinsic muscles. In a cross‐sectional analysis of 40 adults in the United States, none of whom were habitually barefoot or minimally shod, we measured daily physical activity using accelerometry, LA height and static stiffness using photography, LA dynamic stiffness using kinematic and kinetic data, and intrinsic muscle size using ultrasound. Using Bayesian models, we found very low probabilities of positive associations between physical activity (step count, time spent in moderate‐to‐vigorous activity) and LA height, LA static stiffness, and muscle size. For LA dynamic stiffness, we found small to moderate probabilities of positive associations with physical activity variables. These findings suggest that physical activity is unlikely a major determinant of variation in LA and intrinsic muscle form and function among post‐industrial societies. It remains possible that physical activity affects LA and intrinsic muscle traits, but perhaps primarily among people who are habitually barefoot or minimally shod.
Journals
2025 EN
Renzi Gioele · Angeli Andrea · Selleri Silvia
+8 more
ABSTRACT A novel series of compounds was designed and synthesized by combining the distal piperazine nitrogen of the antifungal ketoconazole (KTZ) with primary arylsulfonamides. The aim of this study is to present the basis for a new generation of Malassezia antifungal agents able to inhibit the enzyme lanosterol‐14α‐demethylase (CYP51; EC 1.14.13.70) as well as a newly emergent therapeutic target: carbonic anhydrases (CAs; EC 4.2.1.1). The final compounds showed effective interactions with the intended targets in vitro, as well as KTZ comparable minimum inhibitory concentrations on yeast strains of the Malassezia genus: Malassezia furfur ATCC 14521; Malassezia globosa ATCC MYA 4612; and Malassezia pachydermatis DSM 6172. Overall, the data obtained account for the reported compounds as promising antifungal candidates with high safety profiles for the management of fungal infections.