Collisional Excitation of HCN by CO to Refine the Modeling of Cometary Comae.

We present the first dataset of collisional (de)-excitation rate coefficients of HCN induced by CO, one of the main perturbing gases in cometary atmospheres. The dataset spans the temperature range of 5-50 K. It includes both state-to-state rate coefficients involving the lowest ten and nine rotational levels of HCN and CO, respectively, and the so-called "thermalized" rate coefficients over the rotational population of CO at each kinetic temperature.

Effect of Clays on the Spontaneous Imbibition Behavior of Surfactant Solutions in Shale Oil Reservoirs.

Surfactant-enhanced spontaneous imbibition is a proven method of enhancing oil recovery from shale reservoirs. However, a significant knowledge gap concerning the impact of clay minerals on surfactant-enhanced imbibition in shale reservoirs remains. Therefore, this study first analyzed the mineral composition and pore structure of the shale reservoirs.

Improving cosmological reach of a gravitational wave observatory using Deep Loop Shaping.

Improved low-frequency sensitivity of gravitational wave observatories would unlock study of intermediate-mass black hole mergers and binary black hole eccentricity and provide early warnings for multimessenger observations of binary neutron star mergers. Today's mirror stabilization control injects harmful noise, constituting a major obstacle to sensitivity improvements. We eliminated this noise through Deep Loop Shaping, a reinforcement learning method using frequency domain rewards.

Sustainable use of 3D-printed plastic waste as aggregate in self-compacting mortar: A study on rheological, mechanical and thermal performance.

Plastic waste poses environmental and health risks, highlighting the need for sustainable reuse in construction. This study introduces a novel solution to plastic waste utilization by: (1) developing rheological testing equipment from plastic using 3D printing technology, and (2) enhancing the rheological performance of self-compacting mortar (SCM) with 3D-printed plastic fine aggregates (3DPFA). SCM mixtures incorporating 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% 3DPFA as a replacement for natural sand were prepared and tested to evaluate fresh, mechanical, and thermal properties through mini-slump flow, T20 spread time, J-ring flow, V-funnel, compressive strength, UPV, and thermal conductivity tests.

Crafting a Biology Course for Nonmajors: Personas Help Delineate Faculty Decision Making.

Science courses are required for nonmajor students as part of general education with the goal of students connecting scientific knowledge to their own lives using science to make decisions. Often, however, these science courses emphasize basic concepts and terms without making it relevant to students' lives. Thus, these courses may not be successful in promoting decision making related to science and society.

Open-Field Blast Injury Disrupts Corneal Gene Expression Linked to Ion Transport, Sensory Perception, and Neural Signaling.

Purpose: Open-field blast injury (OFBI) is a common cause of vision loss. This study investigated OFBI-induced changes in corneal transcriptome, signaling pathways, and protein-protein interactions using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).

Methods: Sixty-four C57BL/6J mice were used.

Visceral, Neural, and Immunotoxicity of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: A Mini Review.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have gained significant attention due to their widespread distribution in the environment and potential adverse health effects. While ingestion, especially through contaminated drinking water, is considered the primary route of human exposure, recent research suggests that other pathways, such as inhalation and dermal absorption, also play a significant role. This review provides a concise overview of the toxicological impacts of both legacy and emerging PFASs, such as GenX and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), with a particular focus on their effects on the liver, kidneys, and immune and nervous systems, based on findings from recent in vivo, in vitro, and epidemiological studies.

The organization of serotonergic fibers in the Pacific angelshark brain: neuroanatomical and supercomputing analyses.

Serotonergic axons (fibers) are a universal feature of all vertebrate brains. They form meshworks, typically quantified with regional density measurements, and appear to support neuroplasticity. The self-organization of this system remains poorly understood, partly because of the strong stochasticity of individual fiber trajectories.

Efficient Decontamination of Organophosphate-Based Pesticides and Nerve Agent Simulants Mediated by N‑Containing Nucleophiles.

There is a growing interest in developing safer and more effective decontaminating agents for organophosphate-based pesticides and nerve agents. In this study, we present an effective method for the nonaqueous decontamination of these compounds using small-molecule-based decontaminating agents under ambient conditions. Our approach utilizes aryl and heteroaryl carboxaldehyde hydrazones and hydrazides to effectively hydrolyze nerve agent simulants into their nontoxic degradation products.

Nanodiamond mediated delivery of pyridinium oxime antidotes to central nervous system for potential treatment of exposure to nerve agents.

Currently available antidotes against toxic organophosphorus compounds suffer from poor permeability across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and due to this, are limited in their ability to restore the inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the central nervous system (CNS). We designed functionalized detonation nanodiamond nanocarrier platforms to transport quaternary oxime antidotes into CNS. We showed that the nanodiamonds with covalently attached 4-oximinopyridinium moiety, cross the layer of Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells, the surrogate BBB model, and demonstrate a dose-independent reactivation in vitro towards human AChE inhibited by nerve agents GB and VX, and pesticide paraoxon.

Pendant Micro-droplet Evaporation Fabricates Fiber-optic MOF Gas Sensor in Seconds.

The development of photonic-based gas sensors using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and other microporous solids is often a multistep, complex process, typically involving MOF synthesis, purification, and attachment of microcrystals to an optical fiber end face. This study introduces a one-step method that integrates MOF synthesis and sensor head fabrication directly onto the fiber end face, forming an extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) with a thin film of MOF microcrystals. The resulting film, only 3-10-μm-thick, enhances sensor response by enabling rapid gas detection within seconds.

Comparative Nitrene-Transfer Chemistry to Olefins Mediated by First-Row Transition Metal Catalysts Supported by a Pyridinophane Macrocycle with N4 Ligation.

A 12-membered pyridinophane scaffold containing two pyridine and two tertiary amine residues is examined as a prototype ligand (N4) for supporting nitrene transfer to olefins. The known [(N4)M(MeCN)] (M = Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) and [(N4)Cu(MeCN)] cations are synthesized with the hexafluorophosphate counteranion. The aziridination of para-substituted styrenes with PhI=NTs (Ts = tosyl) in various solvents proved to be high yielding for the Cu(I) and Cu(II) reagents, in contrast to the modest efficacy of all other metals.

Influence of Mixing Duration and Absorption Characteristics of Superabsorbent Polymers on the Fresh and Hardened Properties of High-Performance Concrete.

This study investigates the combined influence of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) with distinct absorption kinetics and extended mixing sequences on the rheological, mechanical, and transport properties of high-performance concrete (HPC). Two SAPs-an ionic acrylamide-co-acrylic acid copolymer (SAP-P) and a non-ionic acrylamide polymer (SAP-B)-were incorporated at an internal curing level of 100%. The impact of extended mixing times (3, 5, and 7 min) following SAP addition was systematically evaluated.

Popular music and movies as autobiographical memory cues.

Research on music-evoked autobiographical memories has grown rapidly in recent years, suggesting that music can be an effective stimulus for cueing memories from one's life. One challenging aspect of this type of research is creating a stimulus set that is effective at cueing autobiographical memories in a wide range of individuals. The present work sought to address this issue by creating a normed stimulus set of popular music and popular movie cues.

Evaluating the Toxicity of Electronic Cigarette Aerosols for Firsthand and Secondhand Exposure Under Different Device Operating Conditions.

The rapid proliferation of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has raised significant concerns about their potential health effects on both users and bystanders. This study systematically investigates the impact of EC aerosol exposure on human alveolar epithelial cells (A549), considering variations in device parameters, nicotine concentration, and exposure type. Using a gravity-based air-liquid interface exposure system, we assessed cytotoxicity and epithelial barrier integrity by measuring cell viability and transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER).

Cysteine oxidation of a redox hub within complex I can facilitate electron transport chain supercomplex formation.

The mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is a four complex unit that could be considered the most essential infrastructure within the mitochondria, as it primarily functions to generate the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), which can then be utilized for ATP synthesis or heat production. Another important aspect of ETC function is the generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS), which are essential physiologic signaling mediators that can be toxic to the cell if their levels become too high. Currently, it remains unresolved how a highly utilized and functioning ETC can sense excessive mtROS generation and adapt, to enhance ΔΨm.

Future changes in hydro-climatic extremes of a large transboundary river basin using multi-model bias-corrected CMIP6 projections.

The Upper Meghna Basin (UMB), a critical large transboundary highly responsive catchment shared between Bangladesh and India, is facing escalating hydro-climatic extremes under climate change, impacting millions of livelihoods. This study innovatively assesses the future changes with monthly, seasonal, and annual matrices of near and far future rainfall, temperature, high flows, and low flows including flood frequencies, shifting patterns, and probability of exceedances using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), for the very first time, forced by bias-corrected CMIP6 projections of two unique SSP2-4.5 and SSP3-7.

Epitaxial Electrodeposition of Cu-BTC Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films onto the (100), (110), and (111) Surfaces of Single-Crystal Gold and Cuprous Oxide Buffer Layers.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have well-defined pore structures. Epitaxial MOFs can produce films with uniform pore sizes and open porosity. However, the growth of epitaxial MOF thin films has remained a challenge.

Metagenomic polymorphic toxin effector and immunity profiling predicts microbiome development and disease-related dysbiosis.

Bacteria use antagonistic interbacterial weapons such as polymorphic toxin secretion systems (TSS) to compete for niches in the human gut microbiome. We developed a bioinformatic marker gene approach (PolyProf) to quantify TSS including ~200 effector and immunity genes and applied it to ~15,000 publicly available human metagenomes. PolyProf alpha and beta diversity readily distinguished 12 different human disease states.

Enhanced Biofuel Cells Based on a Hybrid Enzymatic/Bimetallic Composite for Complete Lactate Catalytic Electrooxidation.

We describe complete lactate electrooxidation in an enzymatic biofuel cell that combines the catalytic action of the bimetallic composite Ru@Pt-CNT and the enzyme oxalate oxidase (OxOx). The Ru@Pt-CNT/OxOx hybrid electrode was 2.0-fold more catalytically active than the electrode containing the bimetallic composite only.

Strain-induced crumpling of graphene oxide lamellas to achieve fast and selective transport of H and CO.

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes offer high selectivity and energy-efficient gas separation. However, their dense, layered structure and tortuous diffusion paths limit permeability, posing a barrier to industrial use. Here we present a method to enhance selectivity and permeability, maintaining the structural stability of such membranes.

Geopolymer CLSM with Off-Specification Fly Ash and Bottom Ash: A Sustainable Approach to Hazardous Waste Utilization.

Conventional controlled low-strength material (CLSM) is a self-consolidating cementitious material with high flowability and low strength, traditionally composed of cement, sand, and water. This study explores the sustainable utilization of off-specification fly ash (OSFA) and bottom ash (BA), classified as industrial by-products with potential environmental hazards, to develop eco-friendly geopolymer CLSM as an alternative to conventional CLSM. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was used as an alkali activator to stabilize and solidify both two-part (liquid NaOH) and one-part (solid NaOH pellets) geopolymer CLSM mixtures.

Online lifelong optimal tracking control of uncertain nonlinear continuous-time strict-feedback systems using deep neural networks.

A novel integral reinforcement learning (IRL)-based optimal trajectory tracking scheme for nonlinear continuous-time systems in strict feedback form is introduced by using backstepping and multilayer or deep neural networks (DNNs). The proposed method employs a dynamic surface control-based technique in an optimal framework to relax the need for repeatedly computing the derivatives of virtual controllers at each step of the backstepping process. An online singular value decomposition (SVD)-of the activation function gradient-based actor-critic DNN at each step of the backstepping process is employed to minimize a discounted value function.

Energetic cost of biosynthesis modulates the growth-longevity tradeoff in mice: Quantitative insights into four lifespan-altering manipulations.

Life history theory proposes a tradeoff between growth rate and lifespan, typically explained by the allocation of limited energy resources between somatic growth and maintenance. However, this explanation does not give a complete picture of the energy tradeoff. This study investigates two energy allocation mechanisms that influence growth and longevity simultaneously: the redirection of metabolic energy from growth to maintenance under energy limitation, and increased energy investment in biosynthesis, enhancing bio-tissue quality and stress resistance but also slowing growth.