Big boned: How fat storage and other adaptations influenced large theropod foraging ecology.

Dinosaur foraging ecology has been the subject of scientific interest for decades, yet much of what we understand about it remains hypothetical. We wrote an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate meat energy sources present in dinosaur environments, including carcasses of giant sauropods, along with living, huntable prey. Theropod dinosaurs modeled in this environment (specifically allosauroids, and more particularly, Allosaurus Marsh, 1877) were instantiated with heritable traits favorable to either hunting success or scavenging success.

PPCPs in coastal wastewater treatment plant effluent and uptake by Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas): Findings from a laboratory experiment.

Municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is a primary source of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) to the marine environment, as most of these compounds are not fully removed during the treatment process. Continual discharge from WWTPs into coastal areas may act as a stressor by continually exposing organisms to a suite of PPCPs. To quantify organismal exposure to PPCP mixtures, we conducted a 12-week lab experiment that exposed Pacific oysters to effluent from two Oregon coastal WWTPs of different discharge capacities (permitted as <1 million gallons/day and >1 million gallons/day; or < or >3.

Optimized micro-sampling and computational analysis for SERS identification of red organic dyes on prints.

The goals of this study were to develop a robust methodology and data analysis procedure to identify red dyes in artwork where dye collection is inaccessible by traditional methods. With Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) it is possible to obtain identifying molecular information from dilute and degraded dyes. A minimally invasive, soft-mechanical sampling method to gently contact printed paper is described; using a customized polymeric hydrogel surface with an exposure area of about 1 mm, micrometer-diameter colorant particles were collected.

Refining boron-iodane exchange to access versatile arylation reagents.

Aryl(Mes)iodonium salts, which are multifaceted aryl transfer reagents, are synthesized boron-iodane exchange. Modification to both the nucleophilic (aryl boron) and electrophilic (mesityl-λ-iodane) reaction components results in improved yield and faster reaction time compared to previous conditions. Mechanistic studies reveal a pathway that is more like transmetallation than SAr.

Pharmaceuticals and alkylphenols in transplanted Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas): Spatial variation and growth effects.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater discharge can be stressors to estuarine species. We transplanted juvenile Pacific oysters at varying distances within sites near wastewater treatment plant outfalls or oyster aquaculture control sites to assess small scale spatial variation in contaminant uptake and oyster condition. Oysters were transplanted to sites in Coos and Netarts Bays, Oregon and Grays Harbor, Washington, then collected after 9 and 12 months.

Leftover drug disposal: Customer behavior, pharmacist recommendations, and obstacles to drug take-back box implementation.

Production and use of pharmaceuticals in the United States is high and continues to grow. This, combined with poor wastewater removal rates for drugs in excreted waste, and improper pharmaceutical disposal leads to the presence of pharmaceuticals in fresh- and marine waters and wildlife. In the United States, safe drug take-back boxes, or dropboxes, were established in pharmacies after federal legislation passed in 2014, allowing for year-round safe collection of leftover pharmaceuticals.