Formation of thiocarbonic acid (HCS) - the sulfur counterpart of carbonic acid (HCO) - in interstellar analog ices.

The first experimental formation of thiocarbonic acid (HCS) is presented in this work from low-temperature interstellar ice analogs composed of hydrogen sulfide (HS) and carbon disulfide (CS) exposed to electron irradiation simulating the impact of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) on interstellar ices. The recent attention brought to sulfur-bearing molecules, as well as the recent detection of carbonic acid (HCO) in the interstellar medium (ISM), invites the study of the interstellar detection of the sulfur counterpart, thiocarbonic acid. However, the interstellar formation pathways of thiocarbonic acid have remained elusive.

Potentially toxic metals, anthropogenic microfibres and other microplastics in sediments from a small, urban estuary (Plym, southwest England).

Anthropogenic microfibres (AMFs) and microplastics (MPs) are pervasive and ubiquitous environmental contaminants of growing concern. However, their study in geosolids, like sediments, is often conducted in the absence of other important geochemical and anthropogenic markers. In the present study, surface and subsurface sediments from the Plym Estuary, southwest England, have been analysed for AMFs and MPs along with organic matter (as loss on ignition; LOI), calcium, iron, manganese and potentially toxic metals (PTMs).

Epigenetic and genotoxic effects of tritium in marine mussels: Comparing waterborne and metal-associated forms.

Tritium (H), an isotope of hydrogen, is a by-product of the nuclear industry. Decommissioning and normal operations of nuclear facilities can generate tritiated stainless-steel particles (T-SSPs) that could be unintentionally released into the environment. Considering tritium's physicochemical properties and the proximity of nuclear facilities to water bodies, assessing the behaviour and potential effects of these particles in the aquatic environment is imperative.

BioSoundSCape: A bioacoustic dataset for the Fynbos Biome.

Most biodiversity data are collected at fine spatial scales, but threats to species and ecosystems occur at broad spatial scales. Remote sensing allows broad-scale assessment of biodiversity but these data need to be ground-truthed with contemporaneous in situ datasets. Various faunal groups produce sounds or vocalizations which can then be related to remotely-sensed data.

Migration kinetics of cadmium and lead from ceramic mugs.

Cadmium and Pb are heavy metals of high concern owing to their impacts on human health. In this study, the migration of Cd and Pb from both the interior and exterior (lip area) surfaces of new and second-hand ceramic mugs has been measured as a function of time over a 24-h period using 4 % acetic acid. Via regression analysis, data were fitted with a diffusion equation, yielding reaction rate constants and 24-h migratable concentrations.

Missing interstellar sulfur in inventories of polysulfanes and molecular octasulfur crowns.

The disparity between predicted sulfur abundances and identified reservoirs of sulfur in cold molecular clouds, also known as the sulfur depletion problem, has remained an ongoing debate over decades. Here, we show in laboratory simulation experiments that hydrogen sulfide (HS) can be converted on ice-coated interstellar grains in cold molecular clouds through galactic cosmic rays processing at 5 K to sulfanes (HS; n = 2-11) and octasulfur (S). This locks the processed hydrogen sulfide as high-molecular weight sulfur-containing molecules thus providing a plausible rationale for the fate of the missing interstellar sulfur.

Genetics of expression and splicing relative to Alzheimer's disease risk.

Background: PLCG2 is associated with the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through a rare missense polymorphism, rs72824905 (P522R) as well as a common variant, rs12445675, within a long non-coding RNA adjacent to . Elucidating the impact of genetics on PLCG2 expression and splicing will provide insights into the role of PLCG2 in AD risk and, potentially, treatments that might reduce AD risk.

Objective: To evaluate expression and splicing as a function of AD genetics.

Project CLEAR (ChemicaL Exposure and Awareness Research): A protocol for assessing the availability and chemical composition of skin-lightening products in Northern Manhattan.

Introduction: Skin lightening products (SLPs) are widely used in communities of color and often contain toxic chemicals such as mercury and hydroquinone, posing serious health risks. Despite regulations, these products remain accessible through illegal sales and deceptive labeling. Targeted marketing in marginalized areas raises environmental justice and public health equity concerns.

High-resolution climate models improve simulation of monsoon rainfall changes in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin.

Unlabelled: This study investigates the impact of model resolution on simulating South Asian monsoon rainfall, focusing on the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin. By comparing high- and low-resolution versions of four CMIP6 HighResMIP model families against reference datasets (MSWEP and ERA5), we emphasize the advantages of high-resolution models in accurately simulating key monsoon characteristics, including annual rainfall, timing, intensity, and duration. Our results show that the high-resolution models align more closely with observed data, outperforming their low-resolution counterparts.

Gas-phase synthesis of anthracene and phenanthrene via radical-radical reaction induced ring expansions.

Unraveling reaction mechanisms of aromatic and resonance-stabilized radicals is critical to understanding molecular mass growth processes to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carbonaceous nanoparticles in distinct astrophysical environments (molecular clouds, circumstellar envelopes) and combustion systems. Using photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy (PEPICO), we explored the gas-phase reaction of the methyl radical (CH) with the aromatic and resonance-stabilized fluorenyl radical (CH) under high-temperature conditions in a chemical microreactor. Anthracene and phenanthrene were detected isomer-selectively using photoionization efficiency (PIE) curves and mass-selected threshold photoelectron (ms-TPE) spectra.

Impact of a comprehensive review template on personalised care in general practice for patients with multiple long-term conditions: a mixed-methods evaluation.

Background: Primary care is in urgent need of more effective and efficient ways of managing the care of people living with multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity). Personalised care organised around an individual's needs and conditions, taking account of individual context and priorities and supporting self-management, may offer an improved approach.

Aim: Explore the impact of a computerised template to support personalised care for patients with multiple long-term conditions within the context of routinely applied general practice.

Understanding the risk of enhanced particle penetration into slow sand filter beds when using underwater skimming techniques.

This study evaluated abiotic slow sand filters (SSFs) to understand the risk of particle penetration during underwater skimming (UWS), focusing on clogging, headloss development, and particle breakthrough. Pilot-scale filters containing clean sand were challenged with dispersed kaolin particles to simulate surface accumulation, and the sand surface was agitated to mimic UWS procedures. The study was undertaken with no maturation period to consider the worst-case scenario corresponding to the period just after filter skimming.

Metal contamination in sediments of an estuary impacted by discharges of antifouling waste (Yealm, southwest England).

The Yealm is a small, protected estuary in southwest England. A paint-testing laboratory on the estuary operated from the 1920s until 2011 but sometime in 2015 or 2016, an unauthorised discharge of antifouling waste occurred. In this study, concentrations of metals and forms thereof associated with contemporary and historical antifouling formulations (As, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sn, Zn, organic Hg, organic Sn), along with other elements of geochemical or anthropogenic interest, were measured in fractionated (<180 μm) surface sediments at different distances from the discharge.

Characteristics, behaviour and fluxes of microplastics in the coastal boundary zones of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.

Relatively little is known about microplastics (MPs) in the atmosphere of the coastal zone, including their interaction with the sea surface. In this study, MPs have been determined and characterised in the lower atmosphere, advecting air, depositing dusts, coastal sediments and seawater of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea using a variety of sampling techniques (including filtration of water and pumped air and deployment of a vertical array of sediment traps). MPs were detected in all samples and were dominated by fibres that were, in most cases, small (<100 μm) and black.

The density of virgin, consumer and environmental plastics: An investigation using gas displacement pycnometry.

Density is a fundamental property of plastics and is particularly significant in determining the transport and fate of waste plastics that enter aquatic systems. However, densities are rarely determined in the environmental literature and values employed for modelling or impacts are often unsourced or derived from secondary databases. In this study, we employ helium displacement pycnometry to determine the skeletal densities of non-porous plastics whose polymer composition had been established from manufacturer's data, resin codes or Fourier transform infrared spectrometry.

Abiotic origin of the citric acid cycle intermediates.

The molecular framework for protometabolism-chemical reactions in a prebiotic environment preceding modern metabolism-has remained unknown in evolutionary biology. Mono-, di-, and tricarboxylic acids that comprise contemporary metabolism, such as the Krebs cycle, are of particular prebiotic relevance and are theorized to predate life on Earth. Researchers have struggled to unravel the molecular origins of respiration, with theories pointing toward abiotic origins later co-opted by the earliest living organisms; however, the molecular network of these molecules has remained elusive.

Single-Nucleus Transcriptomics Identifies Neuroblast Migration Programs Sensitive to Reelin and Cannabis in the Adolescent Nucleus Accumbens.

The interplay between cannabis exposure during adolescence and genetic predisposition has been linked to increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. To investigate the molecular underpinnings of this interaction, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in a mouse model of haploinsufficiency, a genetic risk factor for psychiatric disorders, following adolescent exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. We identified a gene co-expression network influenced by both genotype and THC, enriched in genes associated with human psychiatric disorders and predominantly expressed in a GABAergic neuroblast subpopulation.

Investigation into Paralytic Shellfish Toxins and Microcystins in Seabirds from Portugal.

Microalgae form the basis of marine food webs, essential in sustaining top predators including seabirds. However, certain species of microalgae synthesize biotoxins, which can accumulate in shellfish and fish and may cause harm to marine animals feeding on them. Toxins produced by dinoflagellates have been previously observed to be poisonous to seabirds.

Microplastics in urine, sputum and lung lavage fluid from patients with respiratory illnesses.

Because of the ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) in the environment there are concerns regarding human exposure. In this study, MPs have been determined in three physiological fluids: urine, sputum and bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF); from 30 adult patients in Iran with respiratory conditions. A total of nine small (20-100 μm) and mainly green and red fibres of polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene construction were detected in urine samples of eight participants.

Identifying Causative Agents of a Paretic Syndrome in Waterbirds in Southern Portugal.

Paretic and paralyzing syndromes affecting wild birds are widely described in the literature, with outbreaks showing an increase in frequency and intensity worldwide during recent years. In the Iberian Peninsula, a paretic clinical picture without known etiology affecting mostly gulls has been reported during the last few decades. This paretic syndrome (PS) affects waterbirds and is characterized by a set of signs of ascendent flaccid paralysis, dyspnea, and diarrhea at different levels of severity.

First Confirmed Occurrence of Ciguatera Poisoning in the UK from Imported Pinjalo Snapper ().

Three people in England consumed fish steaks labeled as Red Snapper () originating from the Indian Ocean. Within 12 h, all three experienced sickness including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, as well as myalgia and paresthesia. Three steaks from a single package of fish obtained from a grocery store were consumed, leaving one uneaten, which was submitted for analysis.

Relationships between sediment size distribution and microplastic abundance and characteristics along the strandline of a sandy embayment (Whitsand, Southwest England).

Beach sediments taken from 1 m areas of strandline across an embayment in southwest England (Whitsand) have been analysed for grain size distribution and elemental content. Large (1-5 mm) and small (< 1 mm) microplastics were isolated by sieving and flotation in NaBr solution, respectively, and characterised by size, shape, colour and polymeric makeup. Sediments displayed varying median diameters and degrees of sorting but distributions were always positively skewed.

Evaluating the impact of underwater skimming on slow sand filter performance and operation.

Conventional cleaning of slow sand filters (SSFs) requires the beds to be drained before a layer of media and the Schmutzdecke are removed, called 'dry skimming' (DS), which can result in significant downtime. An alternative is proposed whereby the filter is skimmed whilst still submerged, called 'underwater skimming' (UWS). Previous attempts to avoid draining the bed have led to concerns about the risks of UWS in terms of headloss development, particle penetration, and microbial water quality.

Users' Perspectives of Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine Services: Survey Study.

Background: Commercially run direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine services are on the rise in countries such as Australia and the United States. These include DTC services that are web-based, largely asynchronous, and offer targeted treatment pathways for specific health issues (eg, weight loss or sexual function). It has been argued that DTC telemedicine improves access to health care and promotes patient empowerment.

Interactions of anthropogenic microfibres with the marine macroalga, Ulvalactuca.

Little information exists on the interactions between microfibres (MFs) and marine macroalgae. In this study, the translucent green seaweed, Ulva lactuca, has been exposed to ∼2 mg L suspensions of MFs prepared from dryer lint under controlled conditions, with MFs on the alga surface and remaining in seawater subsequently counted and characterised. MFs were mainly <2 mm and cellulosic, and contained various additives and chemicals used in textile treatment.