Bioindicator "fingerprints" of methane-emitting thermokarst features in Alaskan soils.

Permafrost thaw increases the bioavailability of ancient organic matter, facilitating microbial metabolism of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide, and methane (CH). The formation of thermokarst (thaw) lakes in icy, organic-rich Yedoma permafrost leads to high CH emissions, and subsurface microbes that have the potential to be biogeochemical drivers of organic carbon turnover in these systems. However, to better characterize and quantify rates of permafrost changes, methods that further clarify the relationship between subsurface biogeochemical processes and microbial dynamics are needed.

Infection Diagnostics Enabled by Selective Adsorption of Breath-Based Biomarkers in Zr-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Exhaled breath contains trace levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can reveal information about metabolic processes or pathogens in the body. These molecules can be used for medical diagnosis, but capturing and accurately measuring them is a significant challenge in chemical separations. A highly selective nanoporous sorbent can be used to capture target molecules from a breath sample and preconcentrate them for use in a detector.

Energetics of high temperature degradation of fentanyl into primary and secondary products.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used for managing chronic pain. Due to its higher potency (50-100×) than morphine, fentanyl is also an abused drug. A sensor that could detect illicit fentanyl by identifying its thermally degraded fragments would be helpful to law enforcement.