TiCT MXene Thin Films and Intercalated Species Characterized by IR-to-UV Broadband Ellipsometry.

MXenes are two-dimensional (2D) materials with versatile applications in optoelectronics, batteries, and catalysis. To unlock their full potential, it is crucial to characterize MXene interfaces and intercalated species in more detail than is currently possible with conventional optical spectroscopies. Here, we combine ultra-broadband ellipsometry and transmission spectroscopy from the mid-infrared (IR) to the deep-ultraviolet (UV) to probe quantitatively the composition, structure, transport, and optical properties of spray-coated TiCT MXene thin films with varying material properties.

Isotopic evidence of acetate turnover in Precambrian continental fracture fluids.

The deep continental crust represents a vast potential habitat for microbial life where its activity remains poorly constrained. Organic acids like acetate are common in these ecosystems, but their role in the subsurface carbon cycle - including the mechanism and rate of their turnover - is still unclear. Here, we develop an isotope-exchange 'clock' based on the abiotic equilibration of H-isotopes between acetate and water, which can be used to define the maximum in situ acetate residence time.

Effect of refreezing extender on stallion sperm quality and embryo production after intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a valuable assisted reproduction technology in clinical practice, especially when semen availability is limited. Since the number of sperm required per ICSI cycle is much less than the number of sperm available in a standard straw of frozen semen, refreezing semen at lower sperm concentrations could yield multiple straws for ICSI use. However, there is little data on the effect of sperm refreezing on ICSI outcomes, especially on the effect of extender used for refreezing.

Cycling and persistence of iron-bound organic carbon in subseafloor sediments.

Reactive iron (Fe) serves as an important sink of organic carbon (OC) in marine surface sediments, which preserves approximately 20% of total OC (TOC) as reactive iron-bound OC (Fe-OC). However, the fate of Fe-OC in subseafloor sediments and its availability to microorganisms, remain undetermined. Here, we reconstructed continuous Fe-OC records in two sediment cores of the northern South China Sea encompassing the suboxic to methanic biogeochemical zones and reaching a maximum age of ~100 kyr.

Redox-Triggered Debonding of Mussel-Inspired Pressure Sensitive Adhesives: Improving Efficiency Through Functional Design.

Debondable pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) promise access to recyclability in microelectronics in the transition toward a circular economy. Two PSAs were synthesized from a tetravalent thiol star-polyester forming thiol-catechol-connectivities (TCC) with either the biorelated DiDopa-bisquinone (BY*Q) or the fossil-based bisquinone A (BQA). The PSAs enable debonding by oxidation of TCC-catechols to quinones.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Electrochemical Sensor for the Detection of Azoxystrobin in Aqueous Media.

This work presents an electrochemical sensor detecting a fungicide-azoxystrobin (AZO) in aqueous environments. This AZO sensor utilizes a thin-film metal electrode (TFME) combined with an AZO-selective molecularly imprinted polymer (AZO-MIP). The AZO-MIP was directly generated on TFME through electrochemical polymerization from the solution containing two functional monomers: aniline (Ani) and m-phenylenediamine (mPD), and the template: AZO, which was afterwards removed to form AZO-selective cavities in the polymer matrix.

Secondary production and priming reshape the organic matter composition in marine sediments.

Organic matter (OM) transformations in marine sediments play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. However, secondary production and priming have been ignored in marine biogeochemistry. By incubating shelf sediments with various C-labeled algal substrates for 400 days, we show that ~65% of the lipids and ~20% of the proteins were mineralized by numerically minor heterotrophic bacteria as revealed by RNA stable isotope probing.

Transvaginal aspiration, oocyte maturation and production of blastocysts and a pregnancy via ICSI in an endangered breed: Baudet du Poitou donkey.

Two Poitou donkey jennies were presented for clinical oocyte recovery and embryo production via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Both jennies underwent transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration on two occasions. Recovered oocytes were held overnight then placed into maturation culture, using standard methods for mare oocytes.

Comprehensive molecular-isotopic characterization of archaeal lipids in the Black Sea water column and underlying sediments.

The Black Sea is a permanently anoxic, marine basin serving as model system for the deposition of organic-rich sediments in a highly stratified ocean. In such systems, archaeal lipids are widely used as paleoceanographic and biogeochemical proxies; however, the diverse planktonic and benthic sources as well as their potentially distinct diagenetic fate may complicate their application. To track the flux of archaeal lipids and to constrain their sources and turnover, we quantitatively examined the distributions and stable carbon isotopic compositions (δ C) of intact polar lipids (IPLs) and core lipids (CLs) from the upper oxic water column into the underlying sediments, reaching deposits from the last glacial.

Size-fractionated distribution of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether core lipids in surface sediments of a large-river delta-front estuary.

Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether core lipids (GDGTs) are microbial biomarkers ubiquitously distributed in terrestrial and marine environments. Dispersal and fate of GDGTs in an estuary largely depends on sediment grain size, however, their size distribution patterns remain poorly understood. Here, surface sediments collected from the Changjiang Estuary were separated into <20, 20-32, 32-63, 63-125 and >125 μm fractions, and analyzed for GDGTs as well as total organic carbon (TOC), stable isotopic composition (δC) of TOC and lignin phenols, to investigate the size and spatial distributions of GDGTs and the particle size effects on GDGTs proxies in this large river delta-front estuary.

Surface-Mediated Charge Transfer of Photogenerated Carriers in Diamond.

Solvated electrons are highly reductive chemical species whose chemical properties remain largely unknown. Diamond materials are proposed as a promising emitter of solvated electrons and visible light excitation would enable solar-driven CO or N reductions reactions in aqueous medium. But sub-bandgap excitation remains challenging.

The knockout of cytoglobin 1 in zebrafish (Danio rerio) alters lipid metabolism, iron homeostasis and oxidative stress response.

Cytoglobin (Cygb) is an evolutionary ancient heme protein with yet unclear physiological function(s). Mammalian Cygb is ubiquitously expressed in all tissues and is proposed to be involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification, nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and lipid-based signaling processes. Loss-of-function studies in mouse associate Cygb with apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, cardiovascular dysfunction or oncogenesis.

Lactate as the sole energy substrate induces spontaneous acrosome reaction in viable stallion spermatozoa.

Background: Equine spermatozoa appear to differ from spermatozoa of other species in using oxidative phosphorylation preferentially over glycolysis. However, there is little information regarding effects of different energy sources on measured parameters in equine spermatozoa.

Objective: To determine the effect of three individual energy substrates, glucose, pyruvate, and lactate, on motion characteristics, membrane integrity, and acrosomal status of stallion spermatozoa.

Zonation of the active methane-cycling community in deep subsurface sediments of the Peru trench.

The production and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) by microorganisms is widespread in organic-rich deep subseafloor sediments. Yet, the organisms that carry out these processes remain largely unknown. Here we identify members of the methane-cycling microbial community in deep subsurface, hydrate-containing sediments of the Peru Trench by targeting functional genes of the alpha subunit of methyl coenzyme M reductase ().

Anaerobic degradation of organic carbon supports uncultured microbial populations in estuarine sediments.

Background: A large proportion of prokaryotic microbes in marine sediments remains uncultured, hindering our understanding of their ecological functions and metabolic features. Recent environmental metagenomic studies suggested that many of these uncultured microbes contribute to the degradation of organic matter, accompanied by acetogenesis, but the supporting experimental evidence is limited.

Results: Estuarine sediments were incubated with different types of organic matters under anaerobic conditions, and the increase of uncultured bacterial populations was monitored.

Centennial scale sequences of environmental deterioration preceded the end-Permian mass extinction.

The exact drivers for the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME) remain controversial. Here we focus on a ~10,000 yr record from the marine type section at Meishan, China, preceding and covering the onset of the EPME. Analyses of polyaromatic hydrocarbons at sampling intervals representing 1.

Discovering Nature's Fingerprints: Isotope Ratio Analysis on Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometers.

For a generation or more, the mass spectrometry that developed at the frontier of molecular biology was worlds apart from isotope ratio mass spectrometry, a label-free approach done on optimized gas-source magnetic sector instruments. Recent studies show that electrospray-ionization Orbitraps and other mass spectrometers widely used in the life sciences can be fine-tuned for high-precision isotope ratio analysis. Since isotope patterns form everywhere in nature based on well-understood principles, intramolecular isotope measurements allow unique insights into a fascinating range of research topics.

Equine produced blastocysts: relationship of embryo morphology, stage and speed of development to foaling rate.

Context: Information on factors associated with developmental competence of equine in vitro -produced (IVP) blastocysts is lacking.

Aims: To determine the relationships of stage, grade, day of development, and specific morphological parameters of equine IVP blastocysts, to pregnancy and foaling rates.

Methods: Photomicrographs of 316 IVP embryos with known pregnancy outcomes were scrutinised individually by four observers.

My Life, My Story and Identity Disclosure Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Veterans: A Program Evaluation.

Transgender and gender diverse individuals face minority stressors during and after military service, increasing risk for poor health outcomes. Identity disclosure may mitigate these consequences through improving access to healthcare. Yet, stigma may impede Veterans' self-disclosure, and providers may not inquire about identities, hindering necessary screenings and treatments.

Microbial diversity gradients in the geothermal mud volcano underlying the hypersaline Urania Basin.

Mud volcanoes transport deep fluidized sediment and their microbial communities and thus provide a window into the deep biosphere. However, mud volcanoes are commonly sampled at the surface and not probed at greater depths, with the consequence that their internal geochemistry and microbiology remain hidden from view. Urania Basin, a hypersaline seafloor basin in the Mediterranean, harbors a mud volcano that erupts fluidized mud into the brine.

A stable isotope assay with C-labeled polyethylene to investigate plastic mineralization mediated by Rhodococcus ruber.

Methods that unambiguously prove microbial plastic degradation and allow for quantification of degradation rates are necessary to constrain the influence of microbial degradation on the marine plastic budget. We developed an assay based on stable isotope tracer techniques to determine microbial plastic mineralization rates in liquid medium on a lab scale. For the experiments, C-labeled polyethylene (C-PE) particles (irradiated with UV-light to mimic exposure of floating plastic to sunlight) were incubated in liquid medium with Rhodococcus ruber as a model organism for proof of principle.

Neuropsychological assessment with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals: Practice, education, and training survey.

: We sought to describe the LGBTQ + related education, training, and clinical practice of independently licensed neuropsychologists in the United States and to identify factors that predict affirmative neuropsychological practices. We hypothesized that LGBTQ + identity, female gender, more recent training, and extent of LGBTQ + education/training would predict use of LGBTQ + practice guidelines. : A workgroup of clinical psychologists with experience in LGBTQ + psychology and neuropsychology developed a survey to identify personal and professional factors that predict affirmative neuropsychological testing practices.

Deglacial increase of seasonal temperature variability in the tropical ocean.

The relatively stable Holocene climate was preceded by a pronounced event of abrupt warming in the Northern Hemisphere, the termination of the Younger Dryas (YD) cold period. Although this transition has been intensively studied, its imprint on low-latitude ocean temperature is still controversial and its effects on sub-annual to decadal climate variability remain poorly understood. Sea surface temperature (SST) variability at these timescales in the tropical Atlantic is expected to intensify under current and future global warming and has considerable consequences for environmental conditions in Africa and South America, and for tropical Pacific climate.

Successful in vitro fertilization in the horse: production of blastocysts and birth of foals after prolonged sperm incubation for capacitation†.

Methods for standard in vitro fertilization have been difficult to establish in the horse. We evaluated whether prolonged sperm pre-incubation would support subsequent fertilization. Fresh sperm were pre-incubated with penicillamine, hypotaurine, and epinephrine (PHE) for 22 h.

Methane Production by Facultative Anaerobic Wood-Rot Fungi via a New Halomethane-Dependent Pathway.

The greenhouse gas methane (CH) is of pivotal importance for Earth's climate system and as a human energy source. A significant fraction of this CH is produced by anaerobic . Here, we describe the first CH production by facultative anaerobic wood-rot fungi during growth on hydroxylated/carboxylated aromatic compounds, including lignin and lignite.