Facile Fabrication of Monodispersed Carbon Sphere: A Pathway Toward Energy-Efficient Direct Air Capture (DAC) Using Amino Acids

Direct removal of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere, known as direct air capture (DAC) is attracting worldwide attention as a negative emission technology to control atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. However, the energy-intensive nature of CO₂ absorption-desorption processes has restricted deployment of DAC operations. Catalytic solvent regeneration is an effective solution to tackle this issue by accelerating CO₂ desorption at lower regeneration temperatures. This work reports a one-step synthesis methodology to prepare monodispersed carbon nanospheres (MCSs) using trisodium citrate as a structure-directing agent with acidic sites. The assembly of citrate groups on the surface of MCSs enables consistent spherical growth morphology, reduces agglomeration and enhances water dispersibility. The functionalization-assisted synthesis produces uniform, hydrophilic nanospheres of 100–600 nm range. This work also demonstrates that the prepared MCSs can be further functionalized with strong Brønsted acid sites, providing high proton donation ability. Furthermore, the materials can be effectively used in a wide range of amino acid solutions to substantially accelerate CO₂ desorption (25.6% for potassium glycinate and 41.1% for potassium lysinate) in the DAC process. Considering the facile synthesis of acidic MCSs and their superior catalytic efficiency, these findings are expected to pave a new path for energy-efficient DAC.     

Investigation of multi-metal catalysts for stable hydrogen production via urea electrolysis

It has been shown that urea electrolysis is a viable method for wastewater remediation and simultaneous production of valuable hydrogen. Inexpensive nickel catalyst is optimal for the oxidation of urea in alkaline media but improvements are needed to minimize surface blockage and increase current density. Multi-metal catalysts were investigated by depositing platinum group metals on a nickel substrate. Rhodium and nickel proved synergistic to reduce surface blockage and increase catalyst stability. Rh-Ni electrodes reduced the overpotential for the electro-oxidation of urea and improved the current density by a factor of 200 compared to a Ni catalyst.     

The Diverse Antimicrobial Activities of Human Milk Oligosaccharides against Group B Streptococcus

Streptococcus agalactiae or Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a Gram-positive bacterial pathobiont that is the etiological cause of severe perinatal infections. GBS can colonize the vagina of pregnant patients and invade tissues causing ascending infections of the gravid reproductive tract that lead to adverse outcomes including preterm birth, neonatal sepsis, and maternal or fetal demise. Additionally, transmission of GBS during labor or breastfeeding can also cause invasive infections of neonates and infants. However, human milk has also been shown to have protective effects against infection; a characteristic that is likely derived from antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties of molecules that comprise human milk. Recent evidence suggests that human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), short-chain sugars that comprise 8–20 % of breast milk, have antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity against GBS and other bacterial pathogens. Additionally, HMOs have been shown to potentiate the activity of antibiotics against GBS. This review presents the most recent published work that studies the interaction between HMOs and GBS.     

Implementation of GIS-Based Applications in Water Governance

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are computer programs that are able to bring large amounts of data of both the physical and the social system together in one comprehensive overview shown digitally. GIS occurred very rapidly on the Dutch policy agenda. In this paper we analyze how the fast introduction process of GIS-based instruments in water management and more specifically in river flood management can be explained. By applying a range of classical models on agenda-setting, we show the important contribution of GIS to the water and flood issue in current spatial planning and policy development in the Netherlands.     

Predictors of African American and European American adolescents' endorsement of race-conscious social policies.

To examine the predictors of adolescents' evaluations of affirmative action and school desegregation policies, African American and European American students (ns = 94 and 116, respectively; aged 14 to 17 years) attending a racially diverse high school in the Midwestern United States completed measures of (a) implicit racial attitudes, (b) knowledge about historical racism, and (c) perceptions of and attributions for racial disparities. The following day, adolescents learned about either a proposed affirmative action policy (n = 101) or a school desegregation policy (n = 109) and completed measures of their attitudes toward the policy. Results indicated racial differences in policy support and in the factors predicting policy support. Theoretical implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Relationship Quality Interview: Evidence of reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and incremental utility.

Relationship satisfaction and adjustment have been the target outcome variables for almost all couple research and therapies. In contrast, far less attention has been paid to the assessment of relationship quality. The present study introduces the Relationship Quality Interview (RQI), a semistructured, behaviorally anchored individual interview. The RQI was designed to provide a more objective assessment of relationship quality as a dynamic, dyadic construct across 5 dimensions: (a) quality of emotional intimacy in the relationship, (b) quality of the couple's sexual relationship, (c) quality of support transactions in the relationship, (d) quality of the couple's ability to share power in the relationship, and (e) quality of conflict/problem-solving interactions in the relationship. Psychometric properties of RQI ratings were examined through scores obtained from self-report questionnaires and behavioral observation data collected cross-sectionally from a sample of 91 dating participants and longitudinally from a sample of 101 married couples. RQI ratings demonstrated strong reliability (internal consistency, interrater agreement, interpartner agreement, and correlations among scales), convergent validity (correlations between RQI scale ratings and questionnaire scores assessing similar domains of relationship quality), and divergent validity (correlations between RQI scale ratings and (a) behavioral observation codes assessing related constructs, (b) global relationship satisfaction scores, and (c) scores on individual difference measures of related constructs). Clinical implications of the RQI for improving couple assessment and interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)