The rs4354668 polymorphism in the SLC1A2 gene for the EAAT2 glutamate transporter is associated with an increased risk of harmful drug use - an exploratory study on a university student population.

Objectives: Evidence suggests that decreased dopamine secretion in mesocorticolimbic pathways could predispose to increased susceptibility to substance addiction. It has been proposed to define such a phenomenon as the reward deficit syndrome (RDS). Dopaminergic projections of the reward system receive glutaminergic projections from cortex.

Phage display identifies Affimer proteins that direct calcium carbonate polymorph formation.

A key factor in biomineralization is the use of organic molecules to direct the formation of inorganic materials. However, identification of molecules that can selectively produce the calcium carbonate polymorphs calcite or aragonite has proven extremely challenging. Here, we use a phage display approach to identify proteins - rather than the short peptides typically identified using this method - that can direct calcium carbonate formation.

Electrothermally-Driven Ultrafast Chemical Modulation of Multifunctional Nanocarbon Aerogels.

Ultrahigh-temperature Joule-heating of carbon nanostructures opens up unique opportunities for property enhancements and expanded applications. This study employs rapid electrical Joule-heating at ultrahigh temperatures (up to 3000 K within 60 s) to induce a transformation in nanocarbon aerogels, resulting in highly graphitic structures. These aerogels function as versatile platforms for synthesizing customizable metal oxide nanoparticles while significantly reducing carbon emissions compared to conventional furnace heating methods.

Photothermal switch by gallic acid-calcium grafts synthesized by coordination chemistry for sequential treatment of bone tumor and regeneration.

The residual bone tumor and defects which is caused by surgical therapy of bone tumor is a major and important problem in clinicals. And the sequential treatment for irradiating residual tumor and repairing bone defects has wildly prospects. In this study, we developed a general modification strategy by gallic acid (GA)-assisted coordination chemistry to prepare black calcium-based materials, which combines the sequential photothermal therapy of bone tumor and bone defects.

Activating a high-spin iron(II) complex to thermal spin-crossover with an inert non-isomorphous molecular dopant.

[Fe(bpp)][ClO] (bpp = 2,6-bis{pyrazol-1-yl}pyridine; monoclinic, 2/) is high-spin between 5-300 K, and crystallises with a highly distorted molecular geometry that lies along the octahedral-trigonal prismatic distortion pathway. In contrast, [Ni(bpp)][ClO] (monoclinic, 2) adopts a more regular, near-octahedral coordination geometry. Gas phase DFT minimisations (ω-B97X-D/6-311G**) of [M(bpp)] complexes show the energy penalty associated with that coordination geometry distortion runs as M = Fe (HS) ≈ Mn (HS) < Zn ≈ Co (HS) ≲ Cu ≪ Ni ≪ Ru (LS; HS = high-spin, LS = low-spin).

Investigation of the Dynamic Behaviour of H and D in a Kinetic Quantum Sieving System.

Porous organic cages (POCs) are nanoporous materials composed of discrete molecular units that have uniformly distributed functional pores. The intrinsic porosity of these structures can be tuned accurately at the nanoscale by altering the size of the porous molecules, particularly to an optimal size of 3.6 Å, to harness the kinetic quantum sieving effect.

Electrothermal Transformations within Graphene-Based Aerogels through High-Temperature Flash Joule Heating.

Flash Joule heating of highly porous graphene oxide (GO) aerogel monoliths to ultrahigh temperatures is exploited as a low carbon footprint technology to engineer functional aerogel materials. Aerogel Joule heating to up to 3000 K is demonstrated for the first time, with fast heating kinetics (∼300 K·min), enabling rapid and energy-efficient flash heating treatments. The wide applicability of ultrahigh-temperature flash Joule heating is exploited in a range of material fabrication challenges.

Universality of Hair as a Nucleant: Exploring the Effects of Surface Chemistry and Topography.

The ability to control crystal nucleation through the simple addition of a nucleating agent (nucleant) is desirable for a huge range of applications. However, effective nucleating agents are known for only a small number of systems, and many questions remain about the mechanisms by which they operate. Here, we explore the features that make an effective nucleant and demonstrate that the biological material hair-which naturally possesses a chemically and topographically complex surface structure-has excellent potential as an effective nucleating agent.

The Impact of Sustainable Exercise on Self-Efficacy and Life Satisfaction in Women before and after Menopause.

The study aims at elucidating the association between sustainable exercise and its influence on self-efficacy and life satisfaction in women during their premenopausal and postmenopausal stages. A relational screening model was employed on a sample of 422 women, with 215 premenopausal and 207 postmenopausal participants, utilizing convenience sampling. Participants' regularity of exercise and its duration was taken into consideration.

The Impact of Regular Exercise on Life Satisfaction, Self-Esteem, and Self-Efficacy in Older Adults.

This study employed the correlational survey model to examine how regular exercise influenced life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in men over 65. The study sample included a total of 215 participants, of whom 110 exercised regularly (for at least 45 min, three times a week), while 105 engaged in no physical exercise. Regular exercisers were found to score significantly higher on life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy scales as compared to non-exercisers.

Formation of Hydroxyapatite-Based Hybrid Materials in the Presence of Platelet-Poor Plasma Additive.

Biomaterials based on hydroxyapatite with controllable composition and properties are promising in the field of regenerative bone replacement. One approach to regulate the phase composition of the materials is the introduction of biopolymer-based additives into the synthesis process. The purpose of present study was to investigate the formation of hydroxyapatite-based hybrid materials in the presence of 6-24% platelet-poor plasma (PPP) additive, at a [Ca]/[PO] ratio of 1.

Electron transparent nanotubes reveal crystallization pathways in confinement.

The cylindrical pores of track-etched membranes offer excellent environments for studying the effects of confinement on crystallization as the pore diameter is readily varied and the anisotropic morphologies can direct crystal orientation. However, the inability to image individual crystals within the pores in this system has prevented many of the underlying mechanisms from being characterized. Here, we study the crystallization of calcium sulfate within track-etched membranes and reveal that oriented gypsum forms in 200 nm diameter pores, bassanite in 25-100 nm pores and anhydrite in 10 nm pores.

Spatial distribution of elements, environmental effects, and economic potential of waste from the Aksu ferroalloy plant [Kazakhstan].

The utilization or secondary use of technogenic waste is a relevant problem for the current economy. To assess the environmental influence and economic potential, it is necessary to study the elemental content of technogenic objects and to reveal the tendencies of the spatial distribution of elements, components, and indices such as the pollution coefficient. In this study, we performed elemental analysis, and calculation of indicators: average gross content, hazard quotients, concentration coefficients of metals, and total pollution coefficients of ground samples taken from the ash-slag storage of the Aksu ferroalloy plant [Aksu, Pavlodar region, Kazakhstan].

Serial small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering with laboratory sources.

Recent advances in X-ray instrumentation and sample injection systems have enabled serial crystallography of protein nanocrystals and the rapid structural analysis of dynamic processes. However, this progress has been restricted to large-scale X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) and synchrotron facilities, which are often oversubscribed and have long waiting times. Here, we explore the potential of state-of-the-art laboratory X-ray systems to perform comparable analyses when coupled to micro- and millifluidic sample environments.

Positively Charged Additives Facilitate Incorporation in Inorganic Single Crystals.

Incorporation of guest additives within inorganic single crystals offers a unique strategy for creating nanocomposites with tailored properties. While anionic additives have been widely used to control the properties of crystals, their effective incorporation remains a key challenge. Here, we show that cationic additives are an excellent alternative for the synthesis of nanocomposites, where they are shown to deliver exceptional levels of incorporation of up to 70 wt % of positively charged amino acids, polymer particles, gold nanoparticles, and silver nanoclusters within inorganic single crystals.

Dependence of the Rate and Completeness of Fibrin Clot Destruction on the Acoustic Dose and Ultrasound Intensity.

The kinetics of fibrin clot destruction under catheter-delivered 32- to 45-kHz ultrasound (US) has been studied at 36°C-38°C in isotonic saline solution. A pseudo-first-order rate constant increased linearly from 0.06/min to 0.

Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration and Care Utilization: Implications for Patient Outcome and Healthcare Resource Use.

Background: Behavioral health (BH) integration in primary care (PC) can potentially improve outcomes and reduce cost of care. While different models of integration exist, evidence from real-world examples is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness and value of integration. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of six PC practice sites located in Western New York that implemented a primary care behavioral health (PCBH) integration model.

Milling as a route to porous graphitic carbons from biomass.

This paper reports a simple way to produce porous graphitic carbons from a wide range of lignocellulosic biomass sources, including nut shells, softwood sawdust, seed husks and bamboo. Biomass precursors are milled and sieved to produce fine powders and are then converted to porous graphitic carbons by iron-catalysed graphitization. Graphitizing the raw (unmilled) biomass creates carbons that are diverse in their porosity and adsorption properties.

Incorporation of nanogels within calcite single crystals for the storage, protection and controlled release of active compounds.

Nanocarriers have tremendous potential for the encapsulation, storage and delivery of active compounds. However, current formulations often employ open structures that achieve efficient loading of active agents, but that suffer undesired leakage and instability of the payloads over time. Here, a straightforward strategy that overcomes these issues is presented, in which protein nanogels are encapsulated within single crystals of calcite (CaCO).

Facile Synthesis of Electrically Conductive and Heatable Nanoparticle/Nanocarbon Hybrid Aerogels.

Joule heating studies on nanoparticle/nanocarbon hybrid aerogels have been reported, but systematic investigations on hydrotalcite-derived catalysts supported onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogels are rare. In this study, hydrotalcite-derived Cu-AlO nanoparticles were incorporated into a porous and multifunctional rGO aerogel support for fabricating electrically conducting Cu-AlO/rGO hybrid aerogels, and their properties were investigated in detail. The hybridization of Cu-AlO with a 3D nanocarbon support network imparts additional functionalities to the widely used functional inorganic nanoparticles, such as direct electrical framework heating and easy regeneration and separation of spent nanoparticles, with well-spaced nanoparticle segregation.

Tuning stable noble metal nanoparticles dispersions to moderate their interaction with model membranes.

Hypothesis: The properties of stable gold (Au) nanoparticle dispersions can be tuned to alter their activity towards biomembrane models.

Experiments: Au nanoparticle coating techniques together with rapid electrochemical screens of a phospholipid layer on fabricated mercury (Hg) on platinum (Pt) electrode have been used to moderate the phospholipid layer activity of Au nanoparticle dispersions. Screening results for Au nanoparticle dispersions were intercalibrated with phospholipid large unilamellar vesicle (LUV) interactions using a carboxyfluorescein (CF) leakage assay.

Pyrene Tags for the Detection of Carbohydrates by Label-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation Mass Spectrometry*.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is widely used for the analysis of biomolecules. Label-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry (LALDI-MS) is a matrix-free variant of MALDI-MS, in which only analytes covalently attached to a laser desorption/ionisation (LDI) enhancer are detected. LALDI-MS has shown promise in overcoming the limitations of MALDI-MS in terms of sample preparation and MS analysis.

Ptychographic X-ray tomography reveals additive zoning in nanocomposite single crystals.

Single crystals containing nanoparticles represent a unique class of nanocomposites whose properties are defined by both their compositions and the structural organization of the dispersed phase in the crystalline host. Yet, there is still a poor understanding of the relationship between the synthesis conditions and the structures of these materials. Here ptychographic X-ray computed tomography is used to visualize the three-dimensional structures of two nanocomposite crystals - single crystals of calcite occluding diblock copolymer worms and vesicles.