Evaporation-Induced Reticular Growth of UiO-66_NH in Chitosan Films: Adsorption of Iodine.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) combined with polymers as hybrid materials offer numerous advantages such as enhanced performances through synergistic effects at their interface. The primary challenge in developing polymer/MOF hybrid matrix films is ensuring optimal dispersion and strong adhesion of crystalline MOFs to the polymer without aggregation, weak interaction, or phase separation. In this study, hierarchically porous UiO-66_NH/chitosan (ZrCSx-) films were designed by crystallizing UiO-66_NH within a chitosan (CS) skeleton.

Relationship between antimicrobial use and the highest number of multidrug-resistant-Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a 10-year study.

Introduction: Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a dangerous pathogen causing nosocomial infection, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Brazil. This retrospective study at a Brazilian university hospital examined the relationship between antimicrobial use and MDR-P. aeruginosa.

Barau's petrel, Pterodroma baraui, as a bioindicator of plastic pollution in the South-West Indian Ocean: A multifaceted approach.

Marine plastic pollution is well described by bioindicator species in temperate and polar regions but remains understudied in tropical oceans. We addressed this gap by evaluating the seabird Barau's petrel as bioindicator of plastic pollution in the South-West Indian Ocean. We conducted a multifaceted approach including necropsies of birds to quantify plastic ingestion; GPS tracking of breeding adults to identify their foraging areas; manta trawling of plastic debris to measure plastic pollution at sea and modelling of plastic dispersal.

Changes in microbial community structure of bio-fouled polyolefins over a year-long seawater incubation in Hawai'i.

Plastic waste, especially positively buoyant polymers known as polyolefins, are a major component of floating debris in the marine environment. While plastic colonisation by marine microbes is well documented from environmental samples, the succession of marine microbial community structure over longer time scales (> > 1 month) and across different types and shapes of plastic debris is less certain. We analysed 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA amplicon gene sequences from biofilms on polyolefin debris floating in a flow-through seawater tank in Hawai'i to assess differences in microbial succession across the plastic types of polypropylene (PP) and both high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) made of different plastic shapes (rod, film and cube) under the same environmental conditions for 1 year.

SBA-15 Supported Ni-Cu Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of m-cresol to Toluene.

Amidst concerns over fossil fuel dependency and environmental sustainability, the utilization of biomass-derived aromatic compounds emerges as a viable solution across diverse industries. In this scheme, the conversion of biomass involves pyrolysis, followed by a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) step to reduce the oxygen content of pyrolysis oils and stabilize the end products including aromatics. In this study, we explored the properties of size controlled NiCu bimetallic catalysts supported on ordered mesoporous silica (SBA-15) for the catalytic gas-phase HDO of m-cresol, a lignin model compound.

Chemical shaping of CPO-27-M (M = Co, Ni) through an crystallization within chitosan hydrogels.

The preparation of MOF composites is considered as an effective method to address the challenges of shaping MOFs and to create porous solids with enhanced properties and broader applications. In this study, CPO-27-Co was crystallized a simple strategy within porous chitosan beads. The resulting CS@CPO-27-Co composites were tested for CO sorption and they demonstrated promising performances by exceeding 3 mmol g.

Ultrathin, large area β-Ni(OH) crystalline nanosheet as bifunctional electrode material for charge storage and oxygen evolution reaction.

Bifunctional electrode materials are highly desirable for meeting increasing global energy demands and mitigating environmental impact. However, improving the atom-efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness of storage systems, as well as optimizing conversion processes to enhance overall energy utilization and sustainability, remains a significant challenge for their application. Herein, we devised an optimized, facile, economic, and scalable synthesis of large area (cm), ultrathin (∼2.

Stochastic characterization of navigation strategies in an automated variant of the Barnes maze.

Animals can use a repertoire of strategies to navigate in an environment, and it remains an intriguing question how these strategies are selected based on the nature and familiarity of environments. To investigate this question, we developed a fully automated variant of the Barnes maze, characterized by 24 vestibules distributed along the periphery of a circular arena, and monitored the trajectories of mice over 15 days as they learned to navigate towards a goal vestibule from a random start vestibule. We show that the patterns of vestibule visits can be reproduced by the combination of three stochastic processes reminiscent of random, serial, and spatial strategies.

Simulating drifting fish aggregating device trajectories to identify potential interactions with endangered sea turtles.

Purse-seine fishers using drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs), mainly built with bamboo, plastic buoys, and plastic netting, to aggregate and catch tropical tuna, deploy 46,000-65,000 dFADs per year in the Pacific Ocean. Some of the major concerns associated with this widespread fishing device are potential entanglement of sea turtles and other marine fauna in dFAD netting; marine debris and pollution; and potential ecological damage via stranding on coral reefs, beaches, and other essential habitats for marine fauna. To assess and quantify the potential connectivity (number of dFADs deployed in an area and arriving in another area) between dFAD deployment areas and important oceanic or coastal habitat of critically endangered leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean, we conducted passive-drift Lagrangian experiments with simulated dFAD drift profiles and compared them with known important sea turtle areas.

Borophene: a piezocatalyst for water remediation.

Borophene is an emerging two-dimensional material exhibiting exceptional piezocatalytic activity under the influence of ultrasonic vibrations, as exemplified herein by the decomposition of highly stable organic dyes in water. After 6 minutes of exposure, borophene sheets converted up to 92 percent of a mixture of dye molecules at room temperature.

Carbon-Supported Ru-Ni and Ru-W Catalysts for the Transformation of Hydroxyacetone and Saccharides into Glycol-Derived Primary Amines.

Nitrogen-containing molecules are used for the synthesis of polymers, surfactants, agrochemicals, and dyes. In the context of green chemistry, it is important to form such compounds from bioresource. Short-chain primary amines are of interest for the polymer industry, like 2-aminopropanol, 1-aminopropan-2-ol, and 1,2-diaminopropane.

Green synthesis of MOF-based textile composites for the degradation of a chemical warfare agent simulant.

A green synthesis of UiO-66-NH embedded in chitosan and deposited on textiles has been investigated for the degradation of chemical warfare agents. This method requires no heating or use of toxic solvents. The composite synthesized presents an interesting efficiency in detoxifying common simulants of chemical warfare agents, such as DMNP.

The Heart Has its Reasons Which Reason Knows Not: A Curious Case of Chest Pain.

Background: Electrocardiographic (ECG) findings of T-wave inversions in V1-V3, with or without accompanying epsilon waves, often raise concerns for the rare, but potentially lethal, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). However, this pattern may be found in pericardial agenesis, an even rarer pathology. Concomitant myocarditis can confuse this presentation further.

Enhanced Gas Adsorption in HKUST-1@Chitosan Aerogels, Cryogels, and Xerogels: An Evaluation Study.

This study investigates the use of chitosan hydrogel microspheres as a template for growing an extended network of MOF-type HKUST-1. Different drying methods (supercritical CO, freeze-drying, and vacuum drying) were used to generate three-dimensional polysaccharide nanofibrils embedding MOF nanoclusters. The resulting HKUST-1@Chitosan beads exhibit uniform and stable loadings of HKUST-1 and were used for the adsorption of CO, CH, Xe, and Kr.

Large floating abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is frequent marine pollution in the Hawaiian Islands and Palmyra Atoll.

Abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a major source of marine debris with significant ecological and economic consequences. We documented the frequency, types, sizes, and impacts of ALDFG recovered from Hawai'i and Palmyra Atoll in the Central North Pacific Ocean (CNPO) from 2009 to 2021. A total of 253 events weighing 15 metric tons were recovered, including 120 drifting fish aggregating device (dFAD) components, 61 conglomerates, fewer distinct nets, lines, buoys, and unique gear.

Polymer identification of floating derelict fishing gear from O'ahu, Hawai'i.

Discarded fishing gear (DFG) comprises most of the plastic in the North Pacific Ocean and causes environmental and economic losses. Building evidence on the material construction of fishing gear types is critical to develop solutions to reduce DFG amounts and impacts. We forensically assessed the construction and chemical composition of eight different gear types removed as DFG around O'ahu, Hawai'i.

Do loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) gut contents reflect the types, colors and sources of plastic pollution in the Southwest Indian Ocean?

We analyzed plastic debris ingested by loggerheads from bycatch between 2007 and 2021 in the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO). We also analyzed plastic debris accumulated on beaches of the east coast of Madagascar as a proxy for ocean plastics to compare the characteristics of beached plastics and plastic ingested by turtles. We conducted a "brand audit" of the plastics to determine their country of origin.

Not so biodegradable: Polylactic acid and cellulose/plastic blend textiles lack fast biodegradation in marine waters.

The resistance of plastic textiles to environmental degradation is of major concern as large portions of these materials reach the ocean. There, they persist for undefined amounts of time, possibly causing harm and toxicity to marine ecosystems. As a solution to this problem, many compostable and so-called biodegradable materials have been developed.

Switching on/off molybdenum nitride catalytic activity in ammonia synthesis through modulating metal-support interaction.

Modulating the interaction between Mo nanoparticles and their support is an elegant approach to finely tune the structural, physico-chemical, redox and electronic properties of the active site. In this work, a series of molybdenum nitride catalysts supported on TiO, and SBA-15 has been prepared and fully characterized. The results of characterization confirmed the high dispersion of Mo and the formation of small molybdenum nanoparticles in both the 10-Mo-N/SBA-15 and 10-Mo-N/TiO catalysts.

Structurally Informed Mutagenesis of a Stereochemically Promiscuous Aldolase Produces Mutants That Catalyze the Diastereoselective Syntheses of All Four Stereoisomers of 3-Deoxy-hexulosonic Acid.

A 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate aldolase from the hyperthermophile catalyzes the nonstereoselective aldol reaction of pyruvate and d-glyceraldehyde to produce 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate (d-KDGlc) and 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-galactonate (d-KDGal). Previous investigations into curing the stereochemical promiscuity of this hyperstable aldolase used high-resolution structures of the aldolase bound to d-KDGlc or d-KDGal to identify critical amino acids involved in substrate binding for mutation. This structure-guided approach enabled mutant variants to be created that could stereoselectively catalyze the aldol reaction of pyruvate and natural d-glyceraldehyde to selectively afford d-KDGlc or d-KDGal.