Distinguishing abiotic corrosion from two types of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) using a new electrochemical biofilm/MIC test kit.

Biofilms can cause biofouling, water quality deterioration, and transmission of infectious diseases. They are also responsible for microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) which can cause leaks, resulting in environmental disasters. A new disposable biofilm/MIC test kit was demonstrated to distinguish abiotic corrosion of carbon steel from MIC.

A paradigm shift for evaluating natural attenuation of radioactive iodine in soils and sediments: Species-specific mechanisms and pathways.

The primary approach to assessing monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is currently based on a conceptual model utilizing the total contaminant concentrations, assuming a single aqueous species. However, many contaminants, such as metals and radionuclide - including iodine, can exist in multiple species that behave chemically differently in the environment and can exist simultaneously. For example, radioiodine often occurs concurrently as three major aqueous species: iodide (I), iodate (IO), and organo-I, which undergo distinct attenuation pathways and exhibit markedly different mobility and geochemical behavior.

Stormwater controls for channel stability: Focusing on bed material transport prevents degradation.

The hydrologic benefits of catchment-scale implementation of stormwater control measures (SCMs) in mitigating the adverse effects of urbanization are well established. Nevertheless, recent studies indicate that the Unified Stormwater Sizing Criteria (USSC) regulations, mandating the combined use of distributed and storage stormwater controls, do not protect channel stability, despite their effectiveness in reducing runoff from impervious surfaces. The USSC are the basis of SCM design in 11 U.

Emergency managers' challenges with wildfires and related cascading hazards in California.

This study investigates the complexities faced by emergency managers in wildfire-prone areas to uncover pressing issues and potential solutions. Four themes are discerned through three focus group discussions with emergency managers from nine counties across California. First, there is unequal access to resources for both risk assessment and response, with counties that have fewer resources facing significant challenges in effectively managing wildfire risks.

Impacts of climate change on storm event-based flow regime and channel stability of urban headwater streams.

Due to the recent improved availability of global and regional climate change (CC) models and associated data, the projected impact of CC on urban stormwater management is well documented. However, most studies are based on simplified design storm analysis and unit-area runoff models; evaluations of the long-term, continuous hydrologic response of extensive stormwater control measures (SCM) implementation under future CC scenarios are limited. Moreover, channel stability in response to CC is seldom evaluated due to the input data required to develop a long-term, continuous sediment transport model.

Occult collision tumor of the gastroesophageal junction comprising adenocarcinomas with distinct molecular profiles.

Collision tumors, characterized by the coexistence of two unique neoplasms in close approximation, are rare and pose diagnostic challenges. This is particularly true when the unique neoplasms are of the same histologic type. Here we report such a case where comprehensive tumor profiling by next generation sequencing (NGS) as well as immunohistochemistry revealed two independent adenocarcinomas comprising what was initially diagnosed as a single adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal (GEJ) junction.

Wild bees show local spatial and temporal dynamics in southeastern US blueberry farmscapes.

Wild bee communities are the target of various conservation and ecological restoration programs. Strategic conservation can influence bee communities visiting fields and help mitigate pollinator limitations in fruit production. However, planning compatible conservation strategies and gauging their effectiveness requires understanding how local communities vary across space and time in crops and adjacent semi-natural areas.

Intravitreal Sustained Release Steroid Implants Are Safe and Effective in Patients With Glaucoma Drainage Devices.

Purpose: To describe effects of sustained-release steroid delivery devices on intraocular pressure (IOP) in eyes with glaucoma drainage devices (GDD).

Methods: Retrospective case series of eyes with steroid implants (dexamethasone or fluocinolone acetonide) and prior GDD (Ahmed, Baerveldt) without uveitis. Outcomes included IOP, IOP rise, central foveal thickness (CFT), and IOP medications.

Efficacy of Split-Thickness Thin Amniotic Membrane Graft for Closure of Refractory or Large Macular Holes.

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of split-thickness amniotic membrane (SAM) grafts in achieving closure of refractory or large macular holes (MH).

Methods: This retrospective study reviewed data from patients who underwent surgical repair of MHs using SAM grafts between January 2019 and December 2023. Key parameters, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and MH size, were evaluated both preoperatively and postoperatively.

Psychosocial Stress at Work and Risks for Burnout Among Hotel Workers.

Objective: Hotel workers are at risk for burnout. We tested the association between effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and burnout.

Methods: Participants were recruited through social media and completed an online survey.

Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium businesses in North Carolina: Results from the Carolina PROSPER COVID-19 Worksite Impact Survey.

Objective: As the COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for businesses and worker safety and health, an interdisciplinary team launched the COVID-19 Worksite Impact Survey to assess COVID-19-related impacts and responses at small and medium businesses in 10 North Carolina counties.

Methods: We collected data from October 2 to December 1, 2020, and analyzed survey results to evaluate businesses' operational changes, concerns, needs, pandemic preparedness, workplace health promotion programming, and infection control practices.

Results: Most businesses, including essential ones, were inadequately prepared for the pandemic and did not implement the most effective COVID-19 infection control practices.

Multi-contextual Factors that Influence Work-Life Balance of Family Caregivers of Adults with Parkinson's Disease.

Objective: The purpose of study was to explore family caregiver perspectives on work-life balance while caring for adults with Parkinson's Disease.

Methods: The study was performed using a convergent mixed methods design and a revised adaptation of the Work-Life Conflict model. Caregivers completed surveys followed by semi-structured interviews (N = 40).

Sex Affects Cognitive Outcomes in HIV-1 Tat Transgenic Mice: Role of CCR5.

People living with HIV (PLWH) experience HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), even though combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) suppresses HIV replication. HIV-1 transactivator of transcription (HIV-1 Tat) contributes to the development of HAND through neuroinflammatory and neurotoxic mechanisms. C-C chemokine 5 receptor (CCR5) is important in immune cell targeting and is a co-receptor for HIV viral entry into CD4+ cells.

Stress and Cardiovascular Disease: The Role of Affective Traits and Mental Disorders.

Personality traits involving negative affect, as well as mental disorders including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, are cardiovascular risk factors. However, which of these confer risk independently is uncertain, and the implications of their overlap, combinations, and interactions are poorly understood. Potential explanatory mechanisms are being characterized with increasing detail and sophistication.

Exploring the Frontiers of Nanopore Sequencing in Food Safety and Food Microbiology.

Foodborne illnesses are a significant global public health challenge, with an estimated 600 million cases annually. Conventional food microbiology methods tend to be laborious and time consuming, pose difficulties in real-time utilization, and can display subpar accuracy or typing capabilities. With the recent advancements in third-generation sequencing and microbial omics, nanopore sequencing technology and its long-read sequencing capabilities have emerged as a promising platform.

Neurons as Immunomodulators: From Rapid Neural Activity to Prolonged Regulation of Cytokines and Microglia.

Regulation of the brain's neuroimmune system is central to development, normal function, and disease. Neuronal communication to microglia, the primary immune cells of the brain, is well known to involve purinergic signaling mediated via ATP secretion and the cytokine fractalkine. Recent evidence shows that neurons release multiple cytokines beyond fractalkine, yet these are less studied and poorly understood.

Lacto-Fermented Fruits and Vegetables: Bioactive Components and Effects on Human Health.

Lacto-fermented fruits and vegetables (FVs) such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and fermented olives and nonalcoholic juices have a long history as dietary staples. Herein, the production steps and microbial ecology of lacto-fermented FVs are discussed alongside findings from human and laboratory studies investigating the health benefits of these foods. Lacto-fermented FVs are enriched in bioactive compounds, including lactic and acetic acids, phenolic compounds, amino acid derivatives such as indole-3-lactic acid, phenyl-lactic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, and bacteriocins, and beneficial live microbes.

Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder Stigma: Mapping Pathways Between Structures and Individuals to Accelerate Research and Intervention.

Researchers, interventionists, and clinicians are increasingly recognizing the importance of structural stigma in elevating the risk of mental illnesses (MIs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) and in undermining MI/SUD treatment and recovery. Yet, the pathways through which structural stigma influences MI/SUD-related outcomes remain unclear. In this review, we aim to address this gap by summarizing scholarship on structural MI/SUD stigma and identifying pathways whereby structural stigma affects MI/SUD-related outcomes.

Constitutive loss of kynurenine-3-monooxygenase changes circulating kynurenine metabolites without affecting systemic energy metabolism.

Kynurenic acid (KYNA) and quinolinic acid (QUIN) are metabolites of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation with opposing biological activities in the central nervous system. In the periphery, KYNA is known to positively affect metabolic health, whereas the effects of QUIN remain less explored. Interestingly, metabolic stressors, including exercise and obesity, differentially change the balance between circulating KYNA and QUIN.

Pathways to Racial/Ethnic Inequalities in Dementia.

Individuals from minoritized racial/ethnic groups face a disproportionate burden of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This health inequality reflects structural racism, which creates and sustains racial differences in social determinants of health, including education access and quality, economic stability, social and community context, neighborhood and built environment, and health care access and quality. Thus, understanding pathways that lead to dementia inequalities requires addressing individual- and system-level factors.

State shifts in the deep Critical Zone drive landscape evolution in volcanic terrains.

Volcanic provinces are among the most active but least well understood landscapes on Earth. Here, we show that the central Cascade arc, USA, exhibits systematic spatial covariation of topography and hydrology that are linked to aging volcanic bedrock, suggesting systematic controls on landscape evolution. At the Cascade crest, a locus of Quaternary volcanism, water circulates deeply through the upper [Formula: see text]1 km of crust but transitions to shallow and dominantly horizontal flow as rocks age away from the arc front.

Spiny mice (Acomys) have evolved cellular features to support regenerative healing.

Spiny mice (Acomys spp.) are warm-blooded (homeothermic) vertebrates whose ability to restore missing tissue through regenerative healing has coincided with the evolution of unique cellular and physiological adaptations across different tissue types. This review seeks to explore how these bizarre rodents deploy unique or altered injury response mechanisms to either enhance tissue repair or fully regenerate excised tissue compared to closely related, scar-forming mammals.

Transforming medical anthropology: Community, praxis, and the Black Feminist Health Science Studies Collaboratory.

Despite the transformative contributions of Black feminist thought, medical anthropology often fails to recognize or center the works of Black feminist thinkers. We argue that Black feminist theory is critical for a study and praxis of new approaches to healing, health, medicine, illness, disability, and care. We can't continue to simply recognize that current systems are failing us; Black feminist theory moves us past recognition toward transformative liberation.

In-Plane Anisotropy in van der Waals NiTeSe Ternary Alloy.

The anisotropic properties of materials profoundly influence their electronic, magnetic, optical, and mechanical behaviors and are critical for a wide range of applications. In this study, the anisotropic characteristics of Ni-based van der Waals materials, specifically NiTe and its alloy NiTeSe, utilizing a combination of comprehensive scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, are explored. Unlike 1T-NiTe, which exhibits trigonal in-plane symmetry, the substitution of Te with Se in NiTe (resulting in the NiTeSe alloy) induces a pronounced in-plane anisotropy.