Seawater-based surfactant formulation for supercritical CO2 injection into coastal saline aquifers: Implications for fresh-water conversion and carbon management

This project aims to outline the contours of trauma dumping as a discursive action and delineate its pragmatic, conversational, and sociocultural implications. Trauma dumping, while commonly known as an inappropriate divulging of sensitive and often upsetting personal information, has not been widely studied in the field of linguistics. By studying the responses to a tweet posted by Sesame Street character Elmo through a corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) methodology, this project aims to establish four conclusions: structurally, what makes up trauma dumping; thematically, what are the pragmatic features that underscore trauma dumping; conversationally, how does trauma dumping embed itself in canonical linguistic exchanges between speakers and listeners; and socioculturally, what motivates speakers to trauma dumping and what could this imply about the broader social and cultural context of the virtual anglophone world. The results of thematic coding establish that trauma dumping is best defined by explicitly traumatic content personal to the speaker as well as a deliberate disregard for the listener stemming from the listener’s lack of consent to the action. Conversationally, the phenomenon violates canonical procedures by once again disregarding the listener in order to create an interaction that is decidedly uncomfortable and socially deviant. Finally, motivators of trauma dumping, such as cultural in-group indexing, point towards an evolution of the phenomenon as a form of expressing solidarity and camaraderie.

Brain atrophy increases diagnostic confidence in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD); however, standardized tools have not been systematically applied. This study evaluated visual rating scales (VRS) to quantify atrophy in a longitudinal bvFTD cohort with differing diagnostic certainties. Ninety-three probable and 15 possible bvFTD patients were recruited. Five validated VRS were applied to magnetic resonance imaging scans by blinded raters. Receiver operating characteristic curves and logistic regression examined baseline differentiation and predictors of probable bvFTD. Longitudinal analyses and qualitative case review assessed VRS as predictors of diagnostic conversion. Bilateral orbitofrontal and frontoinsular atrophy differentiated probable from possible bvFTD (areas under the curve>0.7). Baseline left orbitofrontal VRS strongly predicted baseline probable bvFTD (odds ratio=3.77, p=0.002). Converters to probable bvFTD (5/10 cases) had higher baseline left orbitofrontal VRS than non-converters (Mann-Whitney U=5, p=0.053). Case reviews supported the quantitative findings. VRS enhance diagnostic certainty and may assist in monitoring bvFTD disease progression across clinical settings.

This study examines the legal implications of land conversion as a process that alters land use either partially or entirely and consequently affects environmental sustainability and the productive capacity of land resources. The increasing transformation of agricultural land into non-agricultural uses reduces the availability of productive farmland and generates serious challenges for government authorities in maintaining food security and ensuring sustainable land governance. Economic growth, urban expansion, and development policies frequently encourage the conversion of agricultural land and thereby intensify pressure on the availability of land that supports long term agricultural production. These conditions require a regulatory framework that is capable of balancing development interests with the protection of agricultural land resources. This research analyzes the regulatory framework governing the conversion of sustainable food agricultural land into non-agricultural uses, identifies the factors that create the absence of legal certainty in its implementation, and formulates a reconstruction of regulatory policies that can strengthen legal certainty in land governance. The study applies a normative juridical research method supported by empirical data and uses statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches to examine the issue systematically. The analysis demonstrates that first, the legal system has integrated land conversion regulation within the broader framework of sustainable agricultural land protection and spatial planning governance. Second, implementation has not produced adequate legal certainty because uncontrolled land conversion continues to occur, land use practices frequently diverge from spatial planning policies, regulatory substance remains weak, law enforcement operates ineffectively, and institutional coordination remains limited. Third, strengthening legal certainty requires regulatory reconstruction through harmonization of regulatory instruments, improvement of mapping mechanisms supported by field verification, and stronger coordination between central and regional governments.

Rapid urbanization has emerged as a major driver of land-use and land-cover change in periurban regions of northern India. The present study entitled ―GIS-Based Assessment of Agricultural Land Loss due to Urban Expansion in Jhajjar District‖ examines the extent, pattern, and implications of agricultural land conversion resulting from urban sprawl between 2004 and 2024. Jhajjar district, located in Haryana and influenced by the expanding National Capital Region (NCR), has experienced significant transformation in its rural-urban landscape over the past two decades. The study employs multi-temporal satellite imagery and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to map and quantify land-use changes. Supervised classification and change-detection analysis were performed to identify transitions between agricultural land and built-up areas. The results reveal a decline in agricultural land from 2,908.7 hectares in 2004 to 2,414.04 hectares in 2024, indicating a net loss of 494.66 hectares (-14.2%). In contrast, built-up area increased from 470.12 hectares to 785.25 hectares (+315.13 hectares; +9.1%), highlighting the rapid pace of urban expansion. The spatial analysis indicates that agricultural land loss is concentrated around major growth centers such as Jhajjar town, Bahadurgarh, and Beri, where residential colonies, industrial units, and transportation infrastructure have expanded into fertile croplands. Beyond direct land conversion, urban expansion has contributed to land fragmentation, soil sealing, groundwater stress, and socio-economic transitions in peri-urban farming communities. The findings emphasize the urgent need for sustainable urban planning, protection of prime agricultural land, and continuous GIS-based monitoring to balance urban growth with agricultural sustainability. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers, planners, and environmental managers seeking to ensure long-term food security and rural livelihood protection in rapidly urbanizing districts.

Evaluating operating trade-offs in CO2 hydrogenation to methanol: Conversion, energy efficiency, and techno-economic implications

Polystyrene (PS) is one of the most widely used plastics, and its notably low recycling rate has prompted the consideration of chemical upcycling of waste PS. Oxidative methodologies have been extensively investigated, employing molecular oxygen to upcycle PS into oxygenated products. Sulfur, a group congener of oxygen, has rarely been exploited in PS upcycling. Furthermore, elemental sulfur currently confronts an issue of an annual production surplus. Here, we report the coupcycling of PS and elemental sulfur into 2,4-diphenylthiophene and 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene by leveraging solar energy as the driving force. The practicality of this strategy is demonstrated by the rapid and efficient conversion of various postconsumer waste PS plastics under solvent-free, ambient air conditions. The photothermal effect of elemental sulfur and the generation of sulfur radicals at elevated temperatures are critical to enable this transformation. Experimental and computational studies of dimeric and tetrameric PS model compounds show that sulfur-radical-mediated hydrogen atom abstraction is the key to sustaining the reaction. These findings provide valuable insights into the photothermal behavior and reaction characteristics of elemental sulfur and hold significant implications for polymer conversion.

ABSTRACT Precise control of temperature fields at the micro‐ and nanoscale is essential for emerging applications in nanophotonics, catalysis, and microfluidics, yet remains difficult due to the diffusive nature of heat. While inverse‐design algorithms have advanced thermoplasmonic metasurfaces, their extension to all‐dielectric systems has not been explored. Here, an inverse thermal design framework is introduced for dielectric metasurfaces composed of thermo‐optical amorphous silicon (a‐Si) nanoresonators. By leveraging a precomputed library of absorption spectra as a function of geometry and temperature, target thermal profiles are directly mapped onto metasurfaces, enabling both uniform and complex temperature shaping. Unlike plasmonic platforms that require multi‐resonator unit cells for tunability, dielectric nanoresonators provide intrinsic reconfigurability. At wavelengths where the thermo‐optical coefficient is negligible (e.g., ∼500 nm), absorption remains temperature‐invariant, whereas at other wavelengths it becomes strongly temperature‐dependent, allowing illumination intensity to reshape the thermal landscape. This multifunctionality permits a single metasurface to yield distinct profiles under different excitation conditions without added structural complexity. As a proof of concept, photothermal catalysis on such metasurfaces is modeled, predicting over 30% enhancement in reaction rates. The presented framework establishes a scalable strategy for engineering nanoscale temperature fields with broad implications for catalysis, thermal management, and photothermal energy conversion.

The construction of the Probolinggo–Banyuwangi Toll Road (Probowangi) as part of Indonesia’s National Strategic Projects (Proyek Strategis Nasional/PSN) reflects a complex interaction between spatial planning law, agricultural land protection, land acquisition regimes, and the doctrine of public interest. This study aims to analyze the implementation of spatial planning law in the Probowangi Toll Road project, examine the legal implications of agricultural land conversion, and assess the juridical justification of public interest within the PSN framework. This research employs normative legal research using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches. The findings reveal a normative tension between Law No. 26 of 2007 on Spatial Planning, Law No. 41 of 2009 on Sustainable Agricultural Land Protection (LP2B), and Law No. 2 of 2012 on Land Acquisition for Public Interest, particularly concerning the conversion of productive agricultural land. The administrative reinforcement of PSN acceleration through Ministerial Regulation No. 16 of 2025 strengthens central government intervention but potentially reduces regional authority in spatial control. This study argues that regulatory harmonization is essential to ensure that infrastructure development aligns with principles of spatial justice, food security, and protection of land rights.

Photocatalysis, leveraging the redox capabilities of photocatalysts under light irradiation, emerges as a promising approach for clean energy conversion and pollution control. In this study, we engineered Au nanobipyramids (Au NBPs) with trace amounts of AuPt alloy to enhance their photocatalytic efficiency for selective ammonia synthesis. By modulating the reduction kinetics and precursor ratios, we synthesized three distinct Pt configurations: dense Pt layers (Au NBPs@Ptd), sparse Pt clusters (Au NBPs@Pts), and trace AuPt alloy (Au NBPs@Au/Ptalloy). Among them, Au NBPs@Au/Ptalloy exhibited superior performance in photoelectrocatalytic nitrite-to-ammonia conversion, achieving a 10-fold increase in ammonia production compared to Au NBPs and a 1.26-fold enhancement under illumination vs. dark conditions. Multimodal characterization revealed that the ultra-low AuPt alloy loading preserved the intrinsic localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties of Au NBPs while enhancing hot carrier generation and interfacial electron transfer efficiency. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further confirmed that AuPt alloying optimized reaction free energy profiles by reducing adsorption barriers for key intermediates. This work not only advances the rational design of plasmonic catalysts but also demonstrates the potential of trace metal alloying for achieving high selectivity in visible-light-driven catalytic reactions, holding significant implications for sustainable energy conversion.

Tungsten plays a crucial role in the development of near-field thermophotovoltaic devices. However, available information about tungsten is insufficient to model radiative heat transfer at elevated temperatures. In this study, we develop a statistical theory to evaluate finite-temperature effects on the physical properties of tungsten up to 2000 K, corresponding to extreme conditions in practical emitters. First, the moment expansion technique is applied to calculate the atomic volume, the mechanical modulus, and the Debye temperature. Quasi-harmonic and anharmonic contributions are clarified via simple analytical formulas for free energies. Then, we utilize these thermodynamic quantities to deduce the electrical resistivity from the Bloch–Grüneisen law and the dielectric function from the Drude–Lorentz model. Our calculations are in good agreement with previous experiments. Finally, based on fluctuational electrodynamics, we reconsider energy-conversion processes in a representative system made of tungsten and GaSb. Both radiative and electric power densities will be severely underestimated if the thermal variation of input parameters is ignored. This result suggests that experimental and computational databases need to be expanded from low to high temperatures before actualizing the potential applications of near-field thermophotovoltaics.

Invisible inputs, lasting outputs: Implications of PFAS conversion in California wastewater

Zimbabwe’s volatile currency environment poses significant challenges for accurate financial reporting, particularly within digital finance companies operating in rapidly evolving economies. This study uniquely investigates the implications of currency conversion on financial reporting practices in Zimbabwe, using EcoCash Holdings, a leading digital finance provider, as a case study. Unlike existing literature, which often generalizes macroeconomic effects, this research provides a focused analysis on how exchange rate instability distorts revenue recognition, profitability, fair value measurements, and financial ratios in the context of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The population of the study consisted of 66 respondents, and the sample size was 30. Employing a quantitative approach, the study used questionnaires and applied ratio analysis and regression modelling to quantify the effects of exchange rate volatility. Frequent exchange rate variations were found to significantly distort revenue recognition and impair comparability across reporting periods. Key findings include a 35% average deviation in profitability ratios when restated for exchange rate consistency, and significant misstatements in fair value assessments due to inconsistent conversion benchmarks. These fluctuations undermine comparability, decision usefulness, and financial transparency. The study contributes to literature by emphasizing the need for accounting frameworks tailored to high-volatility environments. It concludes that inflationadjusted reporting, dynamic fair value models, and enhanced currency disclosure practices are essential to improving the reliability of financial information and restoring stakeholder confidence. These insights are critical for accounting professionals, regulators, and digital finance firms navigating similar currencyaffected economies.

Electric dipoles are ubiquitous, and they are unequivocally important for vital processes in nature and in manmade devices. A recent examination of the dipole dynamics of molecular electrets (i.e., macromolecules with ordered electric dipoles) reveals enormous picosecond fluctuations ranging from 50% to 200% of the average magnitudes. Herein, we demonstrate their universality by exploring the dipole dynamics of aromatic molecules by using polarizable molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical calculations. Explicit solvent implementation leads to not only large fluctuations of the dipoles of polar species, such as coumarin 102, but also the emergence of fluctuating dipoles of nonpolar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as pyrene and pentacene. For the nonpolar PAHs in polar solvents, the magnitude of the dipole transients reaches up to 5 D. These results demonstrate key paradigms of fluctuating localized electric fields emerging from solvation dynamics with major implications for charge transfer, catalysis, energy conversion, and enzymatic transformations, among other phenomena.

Water under nanoscale confinement exhibits structural, dynamical behaviors that differ profoundly from its bulk counterpart. Within angstrom-to-nanometer spaces, disrupted hydrogen bond networks, modified dielectric screening, and spatial ordering of water molecules give rise to unique hydration environments for ions. This review examines how the structural organization of confined water governs ion transport in nanochannels. We first discuss the emerging understanding of water structuring under confinement, highlighting the interplay between geometric restriction and interfacial chemistry. We then focus on the hydration structure of ions, including the suppression and deformation of hydration shells, the formation of layered solvation patterns, and their consequences on ionic mobility and selectivity. The discussion further extends to ion–ion interactions and collective transport phenomena that arise from reduced dielectric permittivity and electrostatic screening of confined water. Finally, we analyze how the hydrogen bond network topology and its dynamic fluctuations mediate proton and ion conduction in low-dimensional aqueous systems. Together, these insights reveal confined water as an active medium—rather than a passive solvent—that fundamentally shapes the physics of ion transport at the nanoscale, with implications for nanofluidics, energy conversion, and biomolecular interfaces.

We investigate the interplay between three possible properties of stationary point processes: i) Finite Coulomb energy with short-scale regularization, ii) Finite $2$-Wasserstein transportation distance to the Lebesgue measure and iii) Hyperuniformity. In dimension $2$, we prove that i) implies ii), which is known to imply iii), and we provide simple counter-examples to both converse implications. However, we prove that ii) implies i) for processes with a uniformly bounded density of points, and that i) - finiteness of the regularized Coulomb energy - is equivalent to a certain property of quantitative hyperuniformity that is just slightly stronger than hyperuniformity itself. Our proof relies on the classical link between $H^{-1}$-norm and $2$-Wasserstein distance between measures, on the screening construction for Coulomb gases (of which we present an adaptation to $2$-Wasserstein space which might be of independent interest), and on recent necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of stationary "electric" fields compatible with a given stationary point process.

Abstract Precise control of intralayer anisotropy in two‐dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) remains a significant challenge in materials design. We address this through a mixed‐linker strategy using 8‐connected pyrene and triphenylamine monomers with 4‐connected ETTA to form 1D nanoribbons. These ribbons are longitudinally stitched by diamines of programmable lengths, enabling precise in‐plane anisotropy tuning. Shortening the linkers from biphenyl to phenyl (T‐COF‐2 → T‐COF‐1) induces compressive strain within the π‐conjugated backbone, enhancing π‐electron delocalization and boosting photogenerated charge carrier mobility by over fourfold. Consequently, T‐COF‐1 achieves a 93.81% conversion efficiency in visible‐light‐driven NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) oxidation—a 4.26‐fold enhancement over T‐COF‐2—along with a 1.41% apparent quantum yield at 420 nm. Remarkably, T‐COF‐1 retains substantial activity under 650 nm near‐infrared light (14.67% conversion, 0.11% quantum yield), highlighting its potential for photodynamic therapy. This work establishes interchain covalent proximity as a design principle for rationally engineering high‐performance COF photocatalysts, with broad implications for solar energy conversion and biomedical applications.

Precise control of intralayer anisotropy in two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) remains a significant challenge in materials design. We address this through a mixed-linker strategy using 8-connected pyrene and triphenylamine monomers with 4-connected ETTA to form 1D nanoribbons. These ribbons are longitudinally stitched by diamines of programmable lengths, enabling precise in-plane anisotropy tuning. Shortening the linkers from biphenyl to phenyl (T-COF-2 → T-COF-1) induces compressive strain within the π-conjugated backbone, enhancing π-electron delocalization and boosting photogenerated charge carrier mobility by over fourfold. Consequently, T-COF-1 achieves a 93.81% conversion efficiency in visible-light-driven NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) oxidation-a 4.26-fold enhancement over T-COF-2-along with a 1.41% apparent quantum yield at 420 nm. Remarkably, T-COF-1 retains substantial activity under 650 nm near-infrared light (14.67% conversion, 0.11% quantum yield), highlighting its potential for photodynamic therapy. This work establishes interchain covalent proximity as a design principle for rationally engineering high-performance COF photocatalysts, with broad implications for solar energy conversion and biomedical applications.

The synergistic integration between Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative factor in optimizing end-user productivity within communication applications, particularly in high-performance sales and customer service contexts. This article presents a systematic literature review (SLR) focused on the last five years (two thousand twenty–two thousand twenty-five), aiming to quantify and qualify the impact of intelligent features (based on AI/ML) and workflow integrations on user productivity and satisfaction in communication tools. The analysis concentrates on how AI, when integrated into CRM platforms (such as HubSpot and Salesforce), automates repetitive tasks, offers predictive insights, and enhances Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), resulting in measurable efficiency gains. Findings indicate that the application of AI in functionalities like optimized message scheduling (SmartSend), automatic email categorization, and response suggestion significantly reduces the time spent per communication transaction, freeing the user for activities of higher strategic value. The SLR methodology allowed for the identification and synthesis of empirical evidence supporting the hypothesis that systems integration is a catalyst for productivity, with direct implications for customer conversion and engagement rates.

Humour is not only a source of entertainment but also a way to present sensitive issues in a lighter manner. The present research explores the humour literature in the Indian cultural context. It attempts to analyse the content of select short stories written by Khushwant Singh to find how humour becomes a handy instrument for an author to convey opaque messages in a manner palatable to the taste of even those who cannot handle the spice of grave discussions based on religion, ethnicity, and cultural evaluations. Humour helps highlight unspoken issues and break down unsaid and biased rules so that it does not seem like a violent revolutionary act. Moreover, it discusses how creatively using humour and embedding it in prose can help achieve the desired effects on the reader' s mind. It also outlines how an analysis of a fictional piece of literature can help enhance critical communication. This research is a content analysis highlighting linguistic theories. These theories explain how humorous effects arise from script opposition, conversational implications, and face-saving strategies by combining literary and linguistic approaches. The study shows how humour softens conflict and communicates sensitive issues effectively; a perspective not explored in earlier studies. This evidence-based study on the power of humour has multifaceted aims, such as providing thematic comprehension, identifying humour strategies, and using this analysis to practice communicating critical messages with an agile tone.