Publications by authors named "D R Franco"

This article seeks to highlight an aspect of the illegal pharmaceutical trade in the Caribbean. With the advent of COVID-19 there has been a shortage of a number of drugs in the formal sector. This is largely due to restrictions on foreign exchange, importation delays and sensationalized reporting of unrecommended drugs having a curative effect on COVID-19 patients.

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Knowledge about seafloor depth, or bathymetry, is crucial for various marine activities, including scientific research, offshore industry, safety of navigation, and ocean exploration. Mapping the central Arctic Ocean is challenging due to the presence of perennial sea ice, which limits data collection to icebreakers, submarines, and drifting ice stations. The International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) was initiated in 1997 with the goal of updating the Arctic Ocean bathymetric portrayal.

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Cardiac development is a complex developmental process. The early cardiac straight tube is composed of an external myocardial layer and an internal endocardial lining. Soon after rightward looping, the embryonic heart becomes externally covered by a new epithelial lining, the embryonic epicardium.

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This review focuses on the application of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) polymer nanocomposites (NCs) in the heavy metals (HMs) removal from contaminated water sources. This manuscript's originality consists of an in-depth analysis of recent advances in using β-cyclodextrin nanocomposites (β-CD-NCs) to remove HMs from wastewater, highlighting literature gaps, innovations, and challenges in this field, suggesting perspectives on existing theories, and outlining implications for future research directions. Combining nanoparticles with the β-CD polymer yields stable, reusable β-CD-NCs that are effective and efficient in HM adsorption.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on analyzing tarballs that contaminated the Brazilian coast in late 2022 using forensic environmental geochemistry techniques.
  • Gas chromatography and FT-ICR mass spectrometry were employed to identify distinct biomarkers in tarball samples from five Brazilian states, revealing they shared a common source but differed from previous oil spills in 2019 and 2022.
  • The analysis indicated that the tarballs were made from mature marine crude oil, showed low weathering, and likely came from ship tank washings, suggesting their potential for long-term environmental impact.
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