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In this review, we toxicologically assessed the naturally occurring toxin domoic acid. We used the One Health approach because the impact of domoic acid is potentiated by climate change and water pollution on one side, and reflected in animal health, food security, human diet, and human health on the other. In a changing environment, algal blooms are more frequent. For domoic acid production, the growth of Pseudo-nitzschia diatoms is of particular interest. They produce this toxin, whose capability of accumulation and biomagnification through the food web impacts other organisms in the ecosystem. Domoic acid targets nervous system receptors inducing amnestic shellfish poisoning, among other less severe health-related problems. However, the impact of domoic acid on non-target cells is rather unknown, so we reviewed the currently available literature on cytogenetic effects on human and animal cells. The results of different studies indicate that domoic acid has the potential to induce early molecular events, such as oxidative imbalance and DNA damage, thus posing an additional threat which needs to be thoroughly addressed and monitored in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) techniques have emerged as powerful tools for analyzing compounds of natural and synthetic origins. However, conventional methods like matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) often suffer from background signals and limited detection capabilities, particularly for low molecular weight compounds. Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SALDI) methodologies, utilizing nanomaterials, have shown promise in overcoming these limitations. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are among the most widely utilized nanomaterials in SALDI-MS applications. AuNPs offer several advantages over traditional MALDI matrices, such as reduced interference, internal calibration potential, and enhanced stability. They have been successfully employed for analyzing a diverse range of analytes, from low molecular weight (LMW) compounds to peptides, proteins, and biological entities. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of various synthesis methods, morphological properties, and comparisons with conventional MALDI matrices. Furthermore, it explores the application of AuNPs for analyzing LMW compounds and imaging various surfaces using LDI-MS techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green consumerism research suffers from a paucity of comprehensive, cross-cultural investigations and lacks insight into the interplay of sustainability dimensions and human values. This study examined sustainable consumption-specific tweets (N = 72,000) in the United States, Switzerland, and India. Findings indicate that consumers in India (i.e., the non-Western culture) emphasized the environmental and social dimensions of sustainability as well as the biospheric and altruistic values in their tweets. The two Western cultures focused more on egoistic values and the economic aspects of sustainability. Indian and Swiss consumer sentiments were largely positive, whereas the American consumers expressed more negative sentiments. Results can offer important culturally informed and contextually sensitive recommendations to marketers and policymakers for sustainability communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hawke's Bay in New Zealand was impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, experiencing intense weather conditions and rainfall. Rivers and streams surged beyond their banks, displacing large amounts of sediment. The sewage treatment plant and industries in the Waitangi catchment, south of the city of Napier, were heavily impacted, making them potential sources of contaminants. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of displaced sediments deposited south of Napier City, using bioassays and chemical analysis methods. Sediment samples were collected across a gradient between the coastline and the Waitangi Stream. The toxicity of chemically extracted or elutriate samples was assessed by Microtox®, mussel embryo–larval development, and aryl hydrocarbon and constitutive androstane receptor yeast two-hybrid assays. Targeted chemical analysis and automated identification and quantification system (AIQS-GC) methods were used to identify contaminants. The elutriates showed low toxicity and the yeast assays showed levels of activity like those previously reported. Chemical methods confirmed historical contamination by DDT and its metabolites DDE and DDD, as well as by plant sterols. Overall, the toxicity and chemicals detected are what would be expected from a typical agricultural soil. The risk posed by the displaced sediment in the Waitangi catchment can be considered low. Combining chemical and bioanalytical methods was an effective approach to investigate the potential risks of post-disaster contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer self-assembly has become a reliable and versatile workhorse to produce polymeric nanomaterials. With appropriate polymer design and monomer selection, polymers can assemble into shapes and morphologies beyond well-studied spherical and cylindrical micellar structures. Steadfast access to anisotropic polymer nanoparticles has meant that the fabrication and application of 2D soft matter has received increasing attention in recent years. In this review, we focus on nanoscale polymer discs, toroids, and platelets: three morphologies that are often interrelated and made from similar starting materials or common intermediates. For each morphology, we illustrate design rules, and group and discuss commonly used self-assembly strategies. We further highlight polymer compositions, fundamental principles and self-assembly conditions that enable precision in bottom-up fabrication strategies. Finally, we summarise potential applications of such nanomaterials, especially in the context of biomedical research and template chemistry and elaborate on future endeavours in this space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old age is an optimal period to have free time and enjoy leisure activities, thus understanding how older adults spend their leisure time and their relationship with life satisfaction is critical. This study aims to examine the longitudinal associations of leisure participation with subsequent life satisfaction in older adults. A nationally representative sample of 5,151 older adults (mean age 71.98 years, 59% female) were selected from the Korea Retirement and Income Study as the participants. Participants were divided into two groups by their employment status – not working and working. Leisure participation was categorized into three domains – passive (e.g. watching TV), active (e.g. exercise), and social (e.g. meeting friends). Life satisfaction was a four-item measure. The multi-group structural equation model showed that all three leisure domains were positively associated with life satisfaction in the non-working group, whereas active leisure participation was not associated with life satisfaction in the working group. These results suggest that the diversity of leisure participation helped enhance later life satisfaction, but its effects were distinct regardless of older adults' employment status and the types of leisure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrospray ionization is widely used to generate vapor phase ions for analysis by mass spectrometry in proteomics research. However, only a small fraction of the analyte enters the mass spectrometer due to losses that are fundamentally linked to the use of a background gas to stimulate the generation of ions from electrosprayed droplets. Here we report a nanopore ion source that delivers ions directly into high vacuum from aqueous solutions. The ion source comprises a pulled quartz pipette with a sub-100 nm opening. Ions escape an electrified meniscus by ion evaporation and travel along collisionless trajectories to the ion detector. We measure mass spectra of 16 different amino acid ions, post-translationally modified variants of glutathione, and the peptide angiotensin II, showing that these analytes can be emitted as desolvated ions. The emitted current is composed of ions rather than charged droplets, and more than 90% of the current can be recovered in a distant collector., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The use of traditional Ag-based antibacterial agents is usually accompanied by uncontrollable silver release, which makes it difficult to find a balance between antibacterial performance and biosafety. Herein, we prepared a core-shell system of ZIF-8-derived amorphous carbon-coated Ag nanoparticles (Ag@C) as an ideal research model to reveal the synergistic effect and structure-activity relationship of the structural transformation of carbon shell and Ag core on the regulation of silver release behavior. It is found that Ag@C prepared at 600 °C (AC6) exhibits the best ion release kinetics due to the combination of relatively simple shell structure and lower crystallinity of the Ag core, thereby exerting stronger antibacterial properties (>99.999 %) at trace doses (20 μg mL -1 ) compared with most other Ag-based materials. Meanwhile, the carbon shell prevents the metal Ag from being directly exposed to the organism and thus endows AC6 with excellent biocompatibility. In animal experiments, AC6 can effectively promote wound healing by inactivating drug-resistant bacteria while regulating the expression of TNF-α and CD31. This work provides theoretical support for the scientific design and clinical application of controllable ion-releasing antibacterial agents., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The poor-reactivity anthracite urgently needs more ways for large-scale and high-quality utilization. Due to the advantage of good fuel adaptability, the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) gasification technology has the potential of high-quality utilization of anthracite. In this paper, one kind of anthracite from Shanxi province, China, was employed to be gasified in a pilot-scale CFB gasifier. It is found that at the operating temperature of 1049°C and oxygen concentration of 60.75%, the gas with a concentration of combustibles of 66% and a low heating value of 7.93 MJ/m3 (at about 25°C and 101.325 kPa) was produced in the CFB gasification process. However, the overall gasification efficiency was not desired because a large amount of gasification fly ash (GFA) escaped and its yield was up to 22%. In this case, the cold gas efficiency was below 48% and the carbon conversion ratio was only 62%. Further analysis reveals that the GFA was featured with a developed pore structure and the specific surface area (SBET) reached 277 m2/g. This indicates such GFA has a potential to use as activated carbon (AC) or AC precursor. Basis on this, steam activation experiments of the GFA produced were conducted to investigate the activation characteristics of GFA and thereby to determine its activation potential. Experimental results indicate that increasing temperature sharply accelerated the activation process, while did not impair the maximum activation effect. After activation, the SBET of GFA maximumly increased by 63%, reaching 452 m2/g. With the progress of activation, the pore structure of GFA presents a three-stage evolution process: development, dynamic balance, and collapse. Such a process can be divided and quantified according to the carbon loss. In order to achieve an optimal activation of GFA, the carbon loss shall be controlled at ~15%. This work provides a new scheme for high-quality utilization of anthracite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation history analysis of the transformation of paddy rice system on Sado Island from 1999 to 2019, which progressed with the reintroduction of crested ibis (Nipponia nippon), identified three key levers, i.e. multi-stakeholder collaboration, integrated local policies, and incentives, which, interacting one another and with seven leverage points and six exogenous factors, drove the development and deployment of the Crested Ibis Rice Certification scheme, resulting in a quarter of all staple rice paddy area on the island being certified by 2016. The results suggest two potential levers to further expand the certified area beyond this equilibrium for a wider transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The propolis used in this study is propolis from Brunei Darussalam, including G. thoracica, H. itama, and T. binghami. This study focuses on evaluating phytochemicals, including the total content of polyphenols and flavonoids, marker compounds, and the anti-fungal activity of propolis Brunei. Until now, research on the compounds contained in propolis is still being carried out. However, the literature on the chemical compound of Brunei propolis is still limited. The results of the research on the content of Brunei propolis using LC-MS/MS found as many as 21 chemical compounds and three marker compounds, namely maslinic acid, D-(-) Mannitol, and 18-βGlycyrrhetinic acid. The total content of flavonoid and polyphenolic propolis in Brunei was obtained using quercetin as a flavonoid standard and gallic acid as a polyphenol standard. In Brunei propolis, the total flavonoid content was higher than the total polyphenol content. Where the total polyphenol content of propolis G. thoracica, H. itama, and T. binghami were 78.79±17.06; 70.51±12.93 and 16.37±0.53 (mgGAE/g). while the total flavonoid content was 19.30±1.99; 101.10±6.26 and 61.63±4.53 (mg QE/g). The antifungal activity was carried out by agar diffusion and microdilution methods. Brunei propolis extract showed antifungal activity against Cryptococcus and C. Albicans, whereas propolis Brunei extract showed anti-fungal activity with intermediate resistance to both fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The encapsulation of therapeutics into nanocarriers with specialized surface chemistries for targeting applications in the body is a major goal in the field of drug delivery. Here the encapsulation of an antitubercular peptide, ecumicin, into monodisperse nanocarriers 60 nm in diameter using a combination of Flash NanoPrecipitation and hydrophobic ion pairing is demonstrated. The lead formulation achieves 70% ecumicin encapsulation efficiency and 24% loading by mass. In vivo single‐dose oral (PO), subcutaneous (SC), and intraperitoneal (IP) pharmacokinetics (PK) are measured in mice, and the dose‐normalized area under the curve (AUC) of ecumicin nanocarriers dosed IP exceeded the dose‐normalized AUC of unencapsulated ecumicin dosed IP by a factor of 2.5. Next, variations of the lead formulation stabilized with a custom‐synthesized poly(caprolactone)‐block‐poly(ethylene glycol)‐hexamannose polymer at three levels of mannose surface coverage (0%, 4%, and 74% of polymer chains terminating in hexamannose) for targeting to macrophages are prepared. These formulations are evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a macrophage culture at multiple concentrations and found to reduce colony‐forming units (CFU) counts by up to 3.8‐log10 units, with greater antitubercular ecumicin activity measured from formulations prepared with higher amounts of surface mannose coverage. Taken together, these results suggest that Flash NanoPrecipitation with hydrophobic ion pairing is an effective method for encapsulating ionizable peptide therapeutics into macrophage‐targeted formulations for improved PK and targeted macrophage uptake in the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge on the seaweeds of eastern Sorsogon in the Philippines is uneven. Not only is eastern Sorsogon among the areas of high seaweed diversity but locals there have interacted with seaweeds for ages. Despite seaweeds' assumed importance to Sorsoganon, ethnobotanical records are missing. In this study, we documented the traditional knowledge on seaweed use and determined the rate of knowledge transmission among the locals of eastern Sorsogon. Vernacular names and modes of preparation were given of the 12 identified species bearing culinary and medicinal importance. Ten species were eaten while three were used therapeutically. Based on ethnobotanical indices, Caulerpa chemnitzia ecad turbinata and Gelidiella acerosa were the most important seaweeds. The least cited was Caulerpa racemosa. Our study demonstrated that most of the seaweed resources in eastern Sorsogon remain largely untapped, as the identified ethnotaxa were only about 5% of the total seaweed species diversity reported for the area. The seaweed knowledge in eastern Sorsogon appeared to be homogenous across age groups with primary sources of knowledge biased towards female relatives (mothers and grandmothers) and to children as inheritors. Cessation of seaweed knowledge may come at a potential cost, as a significant fraction of the population did not transmit their knowledge to others. Our study furthered the interest in providing sophisticated resource management recommendations that consider the relationships of traditional and scientific knowledge of seaweed selection and use in eastern Sorsogon and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐assembly has been a powerful method to fabricate the polymer materials with well‐defined structures and morphologies. Such assembled materials have shown wide potential applications in many fields such as nanomaterial, nanomedicine, lithography, and microelectronic. Crystallization has been a general behavior of stereoregular polymers. Besides the various noncovalent interactions, crystallization of polymer blocks or end groups can be an efficient way to manipulate the self‐assembly pathway and assembled structures of polymers in both solid and solution. Crystallization‐driven self‐assembly has been widely implemented for the semicrystalline block copolymers (BCPs) and end‐functionalized polymers. This minireview briefly presents the recent progresses in the crystallization‐driven self‐assembly of BCPs and end‐functionalized polymers in both solid and solution states. Formation process, mechanism, and hierarchical structure of the crystallization‐induced assemblies for BCPs and end‐functionalized polymers are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the stock market reaction to appointments of newly created chief digital or data officer (CDO) positions. The analysis is based on a sample of 112 CDO appointment announcements by publicly traded companies listed in the US stock market from 2004 to 2017. We ground our arguments in signaling theory along with the institutional entrepreneurship and synergy and redundancy perspective to understand the factors that could influence the market reaction to CDO appointments. Although the results show that the stock market reacts neutrally to announcements of newly created CDO positions, the market does react positively under certain conditions. The market reacts positively when appointing firms exhibit high growth prospects. The article supports the redundancy perspective, and the results show that the market reacts positively when a potentially conflicting and overlapping role such as chief information officer (CIO) is absent in appointing firms. Our analysis also shows that when CIO is absent, the market reacts more positively to outsider CDO relative to insider CDO, thereby indicating the interaction between redundancy and institutional entrepreneurship perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self‐assembly of copolymers containing crystallizable blocks in solution has received increasing attention in the past few years. Various strategies including crystallization‐driven self‐assembly (CDSA) and polymerization‐induced CDSA (PI‐CDSA) have been widely developed. Abundant self‐assembly morphologies are captured and advanced applications have been attempted. In this review, the synthetic strategies including the mechanisms and characteristics are highlighted and a survey on the advanced applications of crystalline nano‐assemblies is collected. This review is hoped to depict a comprehensive outline for self‐assembly of copolymers containing crystallizable blocks in recent years and to prompt the development of the self‐assembly technology in interdisciplinary fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential response of shoreface depositional environments to sea level rise over the present century and beyond remains poorly understood. The shoreface is shaped by wave action across a sedimentary seabed and may aggrade or deflate depending on the balance between time-averaged wave energy and the availability and character of sediment, within the context of the inherited geological control. For embayed and accommodation-dominated coastal settings, where shoreline change is particularly sensitive to cross-shore sediment transport, whether the shoreface is a source or sink for coastal sediment during rising sea level may be a crucial determinant of future shoreline change. While simple equilibrium-based models (e.g. the Bruun Rule) are widely used in coastal risk planning practice to predict shoreline change due to sea level rise, the relevance of fundamental model assumptions to the shoreface depositional setting is often overlooked due to limited knowledge about the geomorphology of the nearshore seabed. We present high-resolution mapping of the shoreface-inner shelf in southeastern Australia from airborne lidar and vessel-based multibeam echosounder surveys, which reveals a more complex seabed than was previously known. The mapping data are used to interpret the extent, depositional character and morphodynamic state of the shoreface, by comparing the observed geomorphology to theoretical predictions from wave-driven sediment transport theory. The benefits of high-resolution seabed mapping for improving shoreline change predictions in practice are explored by comparing idealised shoreline change modelling based on our understanding of shoreface geomorphology and morphodynamics before and after the mapping exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-dimensional (1D) nanoscale objects abundant in nature commonly possess hierarchical structures and are generally constructed via bottom-up self-assembly strategies. The unique high aspect ratio morphology of the assembled nanofibrillar materials, such as collagen, cellulose, and silk, together with highly ordered architectures, endows a range of remarkable functionalities in nature. Inspired by this hierarchical building principle, block copolymers (BCPs) have been developed and employed to engineer man-made functional 1D nanostructures and as models to study the self-assembly process. The rapid development of advanced polymerization techniques allows for the precise design of BCPs and the resulting assemblies with intensive studies on distinct structure–property–function relationships. In this Review, we summarize and discuss the formation of fiber-like micelles from the perspectives of fundamental driving forces and molecular interactions involved in the solution self-assembly process. Three main formation mechanisms are highlighted, including covalent bonding, volume exclusion, and crystallization, which are involved in the corresponding domains of coronal, interfacial, and core segments of BCPs. Two spatiotemporal levels of fiber-like assemblies are discussed. In addition, the emerging applications and a general guidance for the rational design of advanced BCPs are proposed in light of the unique traits of fiber-like micelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Pressurized sample infusion (PSI) is a simple and effective means of continuously introducing a solution to an electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) source. It allows for acquisition of real‐time data in an air‐ and moisture‐free environment and requires minimal additional infrastructure. It is applicable for use for any reaction in which one or more components are detectable by ESI‐MS and for which time‐course information is desired over a time scale of seconds to minutes. The strengths and weaknesses of the method are critically examined, and technique tips and tricks are provided to enable maximal effectiveness when employing this approach to continuous monitoring of complex reaction mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]