Slow Rate Research Articles

Impact of Personality Trait Interactions on Foraging and Growth in Native and Invasive Turtles.

Animal personalities play a crucial role in invasion dynamics. During the invasion process, the behavioral strategies of native species vary among personalities, just as the invasive species exhibit variations in behavior strategies across personalities. However, the impact of personality interactions between native species and invasive species on behavior and growth are rarely illustrated. The red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) is one of the worst invasive species in the world, threatening the ecology and fitness of many freshwater turtles globally. The Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii) is one of the freshwater turtles most threatened by T. scripta elegans in China. In this study, we used T. scripta elegans and M. reevesii to investigate how the personality combinations of native and invasive turtles would impact the foraging strategy and growth of both species during the invasion process. We found that M. reevesii exhibited bolder and more exploratory personalities than T. scripta elegans. The foraging strategy of M. reevesii was mainly affected by the personality of T. scripta elegans, while the foraging strategy of T. scripta elegans was influenced by both their own personality and personalities of M. reevesii. Additionally, we did not find that the personality combination would affect the growth of either T. scripta elegans or M. reevesii. Differences in foraging strategy may be due to the dominance of invasive species and variations in the superficial exploration and thorough exploitation foraging strategies related to personalities. The lack of difference in growth may be due to the energy allocation trade-offs between personalities or be masked by the slow growth rate of turtles. Overall, our results reveal the mechanisms of personality interaction effects on the short-term foraging strategies of both native and invasive species during the invasion process. They provide empirical evidence to understand the effects of personality on invasion dynamics, which is beneficial for enhancing comprehension understanding of the personality effects on ecological interactions and invasion biology.

Study on hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity of 30CrMnSiNi2A steel in electrochemical hydrogen charging

Abstract Electrochemical hydrogen charging was performed on a 30CrMnSiNi2A steel tensile sample, and the difference in hydrogen-charging effect with different hydrogen-charging times, current densities, and toxic agents was compared. The effect of hydrogen on the tensile strength, elongation and failure mode of the material was studied by the tensile test of slow strain rate. Results of the test show that hydrogen can greatly reduce the tensile strength, plastic deformation capacity, and elongation of 30CrMnSiNi2A steel, and the higher the hydrogen concentration in the material is, the more obvious the reduction will be. Hydrogen can make the failure mode of 30CrMnSiNi2A steel change from ductile failure to quasi-joint fracture and intergranular fracture.

Asteroseismic measurement of core and envelope rotation rates for 2006 red giant branch stars

Context. Tens of thousands of red giant stars in the Kepler data exhibit solar-like oscillations. The mixed-mode characteristics of their oscillations enable us to study the internal physics from the core to the surface, such as differential rotation. However, envelope rotation rates have only been measured for about a dozen red giant branch (RGB) stars so far. This limited the theoretical interpretation of angular momentum transport in post-main sequence phases. Aims. We report the measurements of g-mode properties and differential rotation in the largest sample of Kepler RGB stars. Methods. We applied a new approach to calculate the asymptotic frequencies of mixed modes, which accounts for so-called near-degeneracy effects (NDEs) and leads to improved measurements of envelope rotation rates. By fitting these asymptotic expressions to the observations, we obtained measurements of the properties of g modes (period spacing, ΔΠ1, coupling factor, q, g-mode offset term, εg, small separation, δν01) and the internal rotation (mean core, Ωcore, and envelope, Ωenv, rotation rates). Results. Among 2495 stars with clear mixed-mode patterns, we found that 800 show doublets and 1206 show triplets, while the remaining stars do not show any rotational splittings. We measured core rotation rates for 2006 red giants, doubling the size of pre-existing catalogues. This led us to discover an over-density of stars that are narrowly distributed around a well-defined ridge in the plane, showing core rotation rate versus evolution along the RGB. These stars could experience a different angular momentum transport compared to other red giants. With this work, we also increased the sample of stars with measured envelope rotation rates by two orders of magnitude. We found a decreasing trend between envelope rotation rates and evolution, implying that the envelopes slow down with expansion, as expected. We found 243 stars whose envelope rotation rates are significantly larger than zero. For these stars, the core-to-envelope rotation ratios are around Ωcore/Ωenv ∼ 20 and show a large spread with evolution. Several stars show extremely mild differential rotations, with core-to-surface ratios between 1 and 2. These stars also have very slow core rotation rates, suggesting that they go through a peculiar rotational evolution. We also discovered more stars located below the ΔΠ1–Δν degeneracy sequence, which presents an opportunity to study the history of plausible stellar mergers.

Effect of interrupted aging on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of 7A75 aluminum alloy

The effects of interrupted aging on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of 7A75 aluminum alloy extruded bar were investigated through various analyses, including electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, local corrosion properties, and slow strain rate tensile stress corrosion tests. Microstructure characterization techniques such as metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were also employed. The results indicate that the tensile strength of the alloy produced by T6I6 aging is similar to that produced by T6I4 aging, and it even exceeds 700 MPa. Furthermore, the yield strength increases by 52.7 MPa, reaching 654.8 MPa after T6I6 aging treatment. The maximum depths of intergranular corrosion (IGC) and exfoliation corrosion (EXCO) decrease from 116.3 and 468.5 µm to 89.5 and 324.3 µm, respectively. The stress corrosion factor also decreases from 2.1% to 1.6%. These findings suggest that the alloy treated with T6I6 aging exhibits both high strength and excellent stress corrosion cracking resistance. Similarly, when the alloy is treated with T6I4, T6I6 and T6I7 aging, the sizes of grain boundary precipitates (GBPs) are found to be 5.2, 18.4, and 32.8 nm, respectively. The sizes of matrix precipitates are 4.8, 5.7 and 15.7 nm, respectively. The atomic fractions of Zn in GBPs are 9.92 at.%, 8.23 at.% and 6.87 at.%, respectively, while the atomic fractions of Mg are 12.66 at.%, 8.43 at.% and 7.00 at.%, respectively. Additionally, the atomic fractions of Cu are 1.83 at.%, 2.47 at.% and 3.41 at.%, respectively.

Evolution and origins of rubisco

Rubisco (D-ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is the most abundant enzyme in the world, constituting up to half of the soluble protein content in plant leaves. Such is its ubiquity that its chemical fingerprint can be detected in the geological record spanning billions of years. Rubisco catalyses the conversion of inorganic CO2 into organic sugars, which underpin almost all of the biosphere, including our entire food chain. Due to its central role in the global carbon cycle, rubisco has been the subject of intense research for over 50 years. Rubisco is often considered inefficient due to its slow rate of carboxylation compared with other central metabolism enzymes, and its promiscuous oxygenase activity, which competes with the productive carboxylation reaction. It is hoped that engineering improved CO2 fixation will have significant advantages in agriculture and climate change mitigation. However, rubisco has proven difficult to engineer, with decades of efforts yielding limited results. Recent research has focused on reconstructing the evolutionary trajectory of rubisco to help elucidate its cryptic origins. Such evolutionary studies have led to a better understanding of both the origins of more complex rubisco forms and the broader relationship between rubisco's structure and function.

Improvement of Laboratory Hepatic Parameters After Treatment With 177 Lu-DOTATATE : Cohort in an Oncology Reference Center.

Well-differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms (NETs) overexpress the somatostatin receptor, which is the target for the peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). NETs have a slow growth rate and can metastasize to liver, bone, and lungs. In NETs patients, liver metastasis is an important prognostic marker because liver failure is one of the most common causes of death in this population. In this regard, we aimed to describe the changes in laboratorial parameters in patients submitted to PRRT with 177 Lu-DOTATATE, focusing on hepatic parameters. One hundred ten patients treated with 1 to 4 cycles of 7.4 GBq (200 mCi) of 177 Lu-DOTATATE from January 2011 to December 2021 were analyzed in this retrospective observational single-center study. Patients were submitted to blood tests before and after each cycle of PRRT. Laboratory measurements were collected to assess liver function, cholestasis, kidney, and bone marrow function. In the general population (n = 110), ALP ( P = 0.013) and GGT ( P < 0.001) showed a statistically significant reduction. Patients with high liver disease volume showed a statistically significant reduction in ALT ( P = 0.016), whereas patients with low liver disease volume showed a statistically significant reduction in GGT ( P = 0.013). All parameters for bone marrow function showed a statistically significant decrease in all population subsets. Patients treated with 177 Lu-DOTATATE showed a significant improvement in liver function and cholestasis parameters, and a consistent decrease in bone marrow function, even in the presence of advanced liver disease.

Chemiexcitation Acceleration of 1,2-Dioxetanes by Spiro-Fused Six-Member Rings with Electron-Withdrawing Motifs.

The chemiluminescent light-emission pathway of phenoxy-1,2-dioxetane luminophores attracts growing interest within the scientific community. Dioxetane probes undergoing rapid flash-type chemiexcitation exhibit higher detection sensitivity than those with a slow glow-type chemiexcitation rate. We discovered that dioxetanes fused to non-strained six-member rings, with hetero atoms or inductive electron-withdrawing groups, present both accelerated chemiexcitation rates and elevated chemical stability compared to dioxetanes fused to four-member strained rings. DFT computational simulations supported the chemiexcitation acceleration observed by spiro-fused six-member rings with inductive electron-withdrawing groups of dioxetanes. Specifically, a spiro-dioxetane with a six-member sulfone ring exhibited a chemiexcitation rate 293-fold faster than that of spiro-adamantyl-dioxetane. A turn-ON dioxetane probe for the detection of the enzyme β-galactosidase, containing the six-member sulfone unit, exhibited a S/N value of 108 in LB cell growth media. This probe demonstrated a substantial increase in detection sensitivity towards E. coli bacterial cells expressing β-galactosidase, with an LOD value that is 44-fold more sensitive than that obtained by the adamantyl counterpart. The accelerated chemiexcitation and the elevated chemical stability presented by dioxetane containing a spiro-fused six-member ring with a sulfone inductive electron-withdrawing group, make it an ideal candidate for designing efficient turn-on chemiluminescent probes with exceptionally high detection sensitivity.

Patterns of Infliximab Biosimilar Uptake for Medicare, Medicaid, and Private Insurance from 2016 to 2022.

Biosimilars have the potential to reduce spending on biologic drugs, yet uptake has been slower than anticipated. We investigated how successive introductions of infliximab biosimilars influenced their adoption by major US insurance providers. Data came from the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness, a national registry with electronic health records from more than 1,100 US rheumatologists. All infliximab administrations (bio-originator or biosimilar) to patients aged ≥18 years from April 2016 to September 2022 were included. We used an interrupted time series to model the effect of each infliximab biosimilar release (infliximab-dyyb, November 2016; infliximab-adba, July 2017; and infliximab-axxq, July 2020) on uptake across Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers. With the first and second biosimilar releases, biosimilar uptake rose slowly, with average annual increases of ≤5% from 2016 to June 2020 (Medicare 3.2%, Medicaid 5.2%, and private insurance 1.8%). With the third biosimilar release in July 2020, the average annual increase reached 13% for Medicaid and 16.4% for private insurance but remained low for Medicare (5.6%). By September 2022, uptake was higher for Medicaid (43.8%) and private insurance (38.5%) than for Medicare (24%). Our results have two key findings for policy makers. First, our results suggest that one or two biosimilars may not generate enough competition to speed adoption rates for biosimilars. Second, Medicare, which covers most patients receiving biologics nationally, had slow adoption rates even after the third biosimilar was introduced. Policy levers to speed adoption among Medicare beneficiaries are needed.

Opening and Post-Rift Evolution of Alpine Tethys Passive Margins: Insights from 1D Numerical Modeling of the Jurassic Mikulov Formation in the Vienna Basin Region, Austria

This study employed 1D numerical pseudo models to examine the Upper Jurassic carbonate succession, focusing on the Mikulov Formation in the Vienna Basin region. It addresses the protracted and complex history of the Jurassic source rock play, revealing a transition from rapid syn-rift (&gt;200 m/Ma) to slower post-rift sedimentation/subsidence of the overlying layers during extensional deformation (up to 120 m/Ma with a thickness of 1300 m). This provides valuable insights into the rift-to-drift stage of the central Alpine Tethys margin. The Mikulov marls exhibit characteristics of a post-rift passive margin with slow sedimentation rates. However, a crustal stretching analysis using syn-rift heat flow sensitivity suggested that thermal extension of the basement alone cannot fully explain the mid-Jurassic syn-rift stage in this segment of the Alpine Tethys. The sensitivity analysis showed that the mid-late Jurassic differential syn-rift sequences were exposed to slightly cooler temperatures than the crustal stretching model predicted. Heat flow values below 120 mW/m2 aligned with measurements from deeply settled Mesozoic successions, suggesting cold but short gravity-driven subsidence. This may account for the relatively low thermal maturation of the primary source rock interval identified by the time-chart analysis, despite the complex tectonic history and considerable sedimentary burial. The post-Mesozoic changes in the compaction trend are possibly linked to the compressional thrusting of the Alpine foreland and postdating listric faulting across the Vienna Basin.

Evaluation Market Penetration of Infrastructure as A Service (IaaS) to Formulate Marketing Strategy: Study Case Lumos Tech Indonesia

The forecasted revenue growth of cloud computing has become a huge opportunity for IT infrastructure providers, especially for Infrastructure as a Services (IaaS) which have the biggest portion of the cloud computing business. International Data Corporation claims that the estimate revenue for IaaS in 2026 will reach USD 65.5 billion with CAGR 22.8%. Lumos Tech is an alias name that is used to protect the true identity of the firm that is being studied. As a global technology company who provides IT Infrastructure including IaaS offer, ideally Lumos Tech Indonesia should be able to capture this opportunity. However, the company is having a slow penetration rate which approximate to 0.2% for the IaaS offer. It is essential for the company to find factors that hinder the market penetration rate and design a marketing strategy to improve the business performance. The study adopts a mixed methodology where quantitative method is adopted to perform market assessment and the qualitative method focus on assessing the current condition to define the internal factors that hamper market penetration for IaaS offer. The data collection is categorized into two; the external data collection covers the data gathering from outside Lumos Tech through questionnaire, reports and journals and the internal data collection is done by doing an in-depth semi structure interview with the owner of the problem. Furthermore, the analysis is performed by utilizing PESTEL, Porter’s 5 Forces, quantitative descriptive and coding process. The objective of this study is to formulate marketing strategy for Lumos Tech’s IaaS offer by leveraging a modified Business to Business (B2B) marketing mix.

Slow convergence: Career impediments to interdisciplinary biomedical research

Despite the long-standing calls for increased levels of interdisciplinary research as a way to address society's grand challenges, most science is still disciplinary. To understand the slow rate of convergence to more interdisciplinary research, we examine 154,021 researchers who received a PhD in a biomedical field between 1970 and 2013, measuring the interdisciplinarity of their articles using the disciplinary composition of references. We provide a range of evidence that interdisciplinary research is impactful, but that those who conduct it face early career impediments. The researchers who are initially the most interdisciplinary tend to stop publishing earlier in their careers-it takes about 8 y for half of the researchers in the top percentile in terms of initial interdisciplinarity to stop publishing, compared to more than 20 y for moderately interdisciplinary researchers (10th to 75th percentiles). Moreover, perhaps in response to career challenges, initially interdisciplinary researchers on average decrease their interdisciplinarity over time. These forces reduce the stock of interdisciplinary researchers who can train future cohorts. Indeed, new graduates tend to be less interdisciplinary than the stock of active researchers. We show that interdisciplinarity does increase over time despite these dampening forces because initially disciplinary researchers become more interdisciplinary as their careers progress.

The Mitogenomic Landscape of Hexacorallia Corals: Insight into Their Slow Evolution.

The utility of the mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) in analyzing the evolutionary history of animals has been proven. Five deep-sea corals (Bathypathes sp.1, Bathypathes sp.2, Schizopathidae 1, Trissopathes sp., and Leiopathes sp.) were collected in the South China Sea (SCS). Initially, the structures and collinearity of the five deep-sea coral mitogenomes were analyzed. The gene arrangements in the five deep-sea coral mitogenomes were similar to those in the order Antipatharia, which evidenced their conservation throughout evolutionary history. Additionally, to elucidate the slow evolutionary rates in Hexacorallia mitogenomes, we conducted comprehensive analyses, including examining phylogenetic relationships, performing average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis, and assessing GC-skew dissimilarity combining five deep-sea coral mitogenomes and 522 reference Hexacorallia mitogenomes. Phylogenetic analysis using 13 conserved proteins revealed that species clustered together at the order level, and they exhibited interspersed distributions at the family level. The ANI results revealed that species had significant similarities (identity > 85%) within the same order, while species from different orders showed notable differences (identity < 80%). The investigation of the Hexacorallia mitogenomes also highlighted that the GC-skew dissimilarity was highly significant at the order level, but not as pronounced at the family level. These results might be attributed to the slow evolution rate of Hexacorallia mitogenomes and provide evidence of mitogenomic diversity. Furthermore, divergence time analysis revealed older divergence times assessed via mitogenomes compared with nuclear data, shedding light on significant evolutionary events shaping distinct orders within Hexacorallia corals. Those findings provide new insights into understanding the slow evolutionary rates of deep-sea corals in all lineages of Hexacorallia using their mitogenomes.

Genuine anodic and cathodic current components in cyclic voltammetry

Implicit anodic and cathodic current components associated with the real net current at a given potential of a simple quasireversible electrode reaction can be accurately estimated using basic mathematical modeling within the framework of Butler-Volmer electrode kinetics. This methodology requires only prior knowledge of the formal potential of the dissolved redox couple, offering direct insight into the electrode kinetics. The proposed approach facilitates a unique transformation of a conventional cyclic voltammogram, allowing the replacement of the common, net current with authentic anodic and cathodic current components. This simple methodology introduces a novel perspective in analyzing voltammetric data, particularly enabling the kinetic characterization of fast, seemingly electrochemically reversible electrode processes on macroscopic electrodes at slow scan rates. Theoretical predictions are experimentally demonstrated using the electrode reaction for the reduction of the hexaammineruthenium(III) complex, serving as an example of one of the fastest electrode processes involving a dissolved redox species.

Uranium Body Clearance Kinetics-A Long-term Follow-up Study of Retired Nuclear Fuel Workers.

Nuclear industry workers exposed to uranium aerosols may risk kidney damage and radiation-induced cancer. This warrants the need for well-established dose and risk assessments, which can be greatly improved by using material-specific absorption parameters in the ICRP Human Respiratory Tract Model. The present study focuses on the evaluation of the slow dissolution rate (ss, d-1), a parameter that is difficult to quantify with in vitro dissolution studies, especially for more insoluble uranium compounds. A long-term follow-up of urinary excretion after the cessation of chronic inhalation exposure can provide a better estimate of the slow-rate dissolution. In this study, two workers, previously working for >20 y at a nuclear fuel fabrication plant, provided urine samples regularly for up to 6 y. One individual had worked at the pelletizing workshop with the known presence of uranium dioxide (UO2) and triuranium octoxide (U3O8). The second individual worked at the conversion workshop where multiple compounds, including uranium hexafluoride (UF6), uranium dioxide (UO2), ammonium uranyl carbonate, and AUC [UO2CO3·2(NH4)2CO3], are present. Data on uranium concentration in urine during working years were also available for both workers. The daily excretion of uranium by urine was characterized by applying non-linear least square regression fitting to the urinary data. Material-specific parameters, such as the activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD), the respiratory tract absorption parameters, rapid fraction (fr,), rapid dissolution rate (sr, d-1), and slow dissolution rate (ss, d-1) and alimentary tract transfer factor (fA) acquired from previous work along with default absorption types, were applied to urine data, and the goodness of fit was evaluated. Thereafter intake estimates and dose calculations were performed. For the ex-pelletizing worker, a one-compartment model with a clearance half-time of 662 ± 100 d (ss = 0.0010 d-1) best represented the urinary data. For the ex-conversion worker, a two-compartment model with a major [93% of the initial urinary excretion (A0)] fast compartment with a clearance half-time of 1.3 ± 0.4 d (sr = 0.5 d-1) and a minor (7% of A0) slow compartment with a half-time of 394 ± 241 d (ss = 0.002 d-1) provided the best fit. The results from the data-fitting of urinary data to biokinetic models for the ex-conversion worker demonstrated that in vitro derived experimental parameters (AMAD = 20 μm, fr = 0.32, sr = 27 d-1, ss = 0.0008 d-1, f A = 0.005) from our previous work best represented the urinary data. This resulted in an estimated intake rate of 0.66 Bq d-1. The results from the data-fitting of urinary data to biokinetic models for the ex-pelletizing worker indicated that the experimental parameters (AMAD = 10 μm and 20 μm, fr = 0.008, sr = 12 d-1, fA = 0.00019) from our previous dissolution studies with the slow rate parameter step-wise optimized to urine-data (ss = 0.0008 d-1) gave the best fit. This resulted in an estimated intake rate of 5 Bq d-1. Experimental parameters derived from in vitro dissolution studies provided the best fit for the subject retired from work at the conversion workshop, where inhalation exposure to a mix of soluble (e.g., AUC, UF6) and relatively insoluble aerosol (e.g., UO2) can be assumed. For the subject retired from work at the pelletizing workshop, which involved exposure to relatively insoluble aerosols (UO2 and U3O8), a considerably higher ss than obtained in dissolution studies provided a better representation of the urinary data and was comparable to reported ss values for UO2 and U3O8 in other studies. This implies that in vitro dissolution studies of insoluble material can be uncertain. When evaluating the results from the retrospective fitting of urine data, it is evident that the urine samples acquired after cessation of exposure provide less fluctuation. Long-term follow-up of uranium excretion after cessation of exposure is a good alternative for determining absorption parameters and can be considered the most viable way for determining the slow rate for more insoluble material.

The improvement in high-temperature oxidation resistance of Ni0.25Co0.25Cr0.22Mo0.14Re0.14 high entropy alloy via industrial chemical vapor aluminizing process

The effects of the protective coating (NiAl coating) on the high temperature isothermal oxidation resistance of Ni0.25Co0.25Cr0.22Mo0.14Re0.14 high entropy alloy (HEA) was discussed in this work. A nickel aluminide (NiAl) coating was obtained on the Ni0.25Co0.25Cr0.22Mo0.14Re0.14 HEA via the industrial chemical vapor aluminizing (CVA) process. Isothermal oxidation tests were applied to NiAl-coated and uncoated samples in ambient laboratory air for durations of up to 200 h at 1050 °C to investigate the effects of the NiAl coating on high-temperature isothermal oxidation resistance of Ni0.25Co0.25Cr0.22Mo0.14Re0.14 HEA. The results revealed that a protective and slowly growing α-Al2O3 oxide layer formed on the surface of the NiAl-coated HEA samples and remained stable even after 200 h of isothermal oxidation. For uncoated HEA samples, not only Cr2O3 but also non-protective spinel oxides (CoCr2O4 and NiCr2O4) were detected on the surface. Weight gain was observed in the NiAl-coated HEA samples due to the formation of a protective and slowly growing α-Al2O3 oxide layer on the NiAl coating. In contrast, the uncoated HEA samples experienced weight loss even after 6 h of isothermal oxidation, as Cr2O3 lost its stability at 1050 °C and non-protective spinel oxides formed. Therefore, it has been determined that the NiAl coating significantly enhance the isothermal oxidation resistance of the Ni0.25Co0.25Cr0.22Mo0.14Re0.14 HEA. The α-Al2O3 oxide layer has prevented severe oxidation of NiAl-coated samples due to its stability at 1050 °C over 200 h and its slow growth rate.

Metabolic engineering of fast growing cyanobacteria for phototrophic production of 2,3-butanediol

Metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria holds great potential for sustainable photosynthetic production of platform chemicals from CO2. However, product titers have been significantly low due to the slow growth rates of available model strains and lack of adequate synthetic biology tools. Here, we engineered three newly isolated fast growing Synechococcus elongatus strains PCC 11801, PCC 11802, and IITB6 for production of the platform chemical 2,3-butanediol. Importantly, we used native cyanobacterial promoters to enable inducer-free gene expression and 2,3-butanediol production. Different combinations of these native promoters were employed to optimize expression of the three-gene 2,3-butanediol synthesis pathway. Among the strains tested in this study, the highest 2,3-butanediol titer of 1.62 g L−1 (130 mg L−1 Day−1) was obtained in IITB6 (PcpcB300:alsS::PpsbAIII:alsD::PrbcL:adh), with the highest reported photosynthetic productivity in cyanobacteria cultivated on minimal media. The findings from our study highlight the potential of using fast growing S. elongatus isolates with native cyanobacterial promoters for metabolic engineering applications.

Hydrogen embrittlement of a V+Nb-microalloyed medium-carbon bolt steel subjected to different tempering temperatures

The effect of different tempering temperatures on the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) resistance of a V + Nb-microalloyed medium-carbon bolt steel was studied by slow strain rate tensile testing and hydrogen thermal analysis. The HE resistance represented by notch tensile strength σbN of hydrogen-charged specimens increases with increasing tempering temperature Ttem, and the σbN of the in situ hydrogen-charged sample is considerably lower than that of the pre-hydrogen-charged sample. Both the diffusible hydrogen content Cdiff and hydrogen-trapping capability of the precipitates show a significant increase-decrease change trend with Ttemp. The ratio of Cdiff primarily trapped by nanoscale V-rich MC precipitates increases linearly with increasing Ttemp. The control of V-rich MC through suitable increasing Ttemp is vital for obtaining the best HE resistance although at the cost of decreased strength. It is thus suggested that a compromise between strength and HE resistance should be considered for the practical application of this type of steel.

Blue petrel electrocardiograms measured through a dummy egg reveal a slow heart rate during egg incubation

BackgroundSeabirds like penguins and petrels, living in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, often feed hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from the islands where they breed. They therefore adapted to endure prolonged fasting during egg incubation, enabling their partner to undertake foraging trips that can last up to two weeks. Aside from accumulating and consuming fat reserves, it is unclear whether seabirds have developed further adaptations to extended fasting periods. This lack of knowledge is in part due to their remote nesting location and their extreme sensitivity to manipulation. To overcome this lack of knowledge, we developed a non-invasive device to record the heart rate (HR) of burrow-nesting blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea) during egg incubation. For that, we encapsulated a small-size logger in a dummy egg to record electrocardiograms (ECGs) through the featherless incubation patch of the birds.ResultsThe blue petrels’ HR (208 ± 15 beats per min [bpm]; n = 6) that we recorded during egg incubation was slower than the HR predicted by two different allometric functions regressing HR against body mass (242 and 250 bpm). Blue petrels’ HR also presented cyclical variation correlated to respiration, resembling the physiological Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) described in humans and other species, and that is mainly modulated by the vagal nerve. Moreover, the basal HR of incubating blue petrels increased about every minute during egg movements that presumably reflect egg turning, important for embryo survival and development. During these events, blue petrels’ HR increased up to a maximum of 296 ± 27 bpm for 18 ± 2 s (n = 6). We estimated that those egg movements increased energy expenditure (EE) by 8.4 ± 1.3%, which is approximately 10 times less than the energy increase induced by the disturbance linked with the removal of the dummy egg at the end of the experiment. Interestingly, we noticed that the beginning of HR increase preceded egg movements by 4.3 ± 0.9 s (n = 6), as if birds needed to gradually increase their metabolism to achieve the following action. As well, blue petrels needed 9.1 ± 1.3 s (n = 6) to recover basal levels of HR after the end of egg movements.ConclusionWe recorded for the first time ECGs, HR and RSA in blue petrels in a completely non-invasive way. This allowed us to observe (1) slow basal HR during egg incubation, which could save energy for prolonged fasting and (2) temporal HR increase, possibly necessary to reposition the egg for proper embryonic development.

Nano-photosensitizers with gallic acid-involved Fe–O–Cu “electronic storage station” bridging ligand-to-metal charge transfer for efficient catalytic theranostics

NH2-MIL-88B (Fe) (MOF) is a promising photocatalytic material for antitumor therapy because of its distinctive electronic structure. However, inadequate separation of photo-generated electrons and slow reaction rate in low/high-valence iron (Fe) cycles limit their clinical application. In the present study, “electronic storage station” as a ligand-to-metal charge transfer bridge bond was constructed to inhibit recombination of electron/hole under 650 nm laser irradiation. Cupric (Cu) ions and gallic acid (GA) were self-assembled into a MOF (denoted as CGMOF) to create an FeO(GA)Cu bridge bond. GA, characterized by robust electron delocalization and abundant electron-donating groups, significantly enhances electron transfer efficiency for photodynamic therapy (PDT). CGMOF can respond to endogenous glutathione and release cuprous ions, accelerating the iron ion/ferrous ion cycles for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). The released Fe species can serve as T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging contrast. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra confirmed the presence of GA-containing FeOCu bonds in CGMOF. Furthermore, a series of photo-electrochemical tests confirmed that the formation of FeO(GA)Cu bond prominently elevated the redox capacity and increased the carrier density of CGMOF by 2.74-fold compared to that of MOF. In addition, cinnamaldehyde was grafted onto CGMOF for tumor-responsive hydrogen peroxide self-supply. Concurrently, hyaluronic acid was surface-modified to achieve the targeted delivery of nano-photosensitizers. In summary, this study presents an innovative approach for engineering Fe-based metal–organic frameworks for synergetic PDT/CDT applications.

Carbon dioxide capture by aqueous glucosamine solutions: Pilot plant measurements and a theoretical study

AbstractA comprehensive investigation of the potential of aqueous glucosamine solutions as an eco‐friendly solvent for CO2 capture was performed. It includes an experimental study in a pilot plant setup and a theoretical analysis with a rate‐based model. The model was validated against the measured column profiles of temperature and CO2 concentration in both liquid and gas phases. Model‐based parameter sensitivity studies revealed inherent challenges for an effective absorption process. A slow reaction rate and suboptimal chemical equilibrium conditions were identified as key limitations, restricting the absorption efficiency and CO2 loading capacity of the glucosamine solution. Furthermore, an analysis of the dissociation constant of this novel absorbent was performed and its significance with respect to the (limited) performance, capability, and efficiency evaluation was highlighted.