Search Results (2,146)

Chlorine (Cl) and sulfur (S) are two crucial mineralizing agents in silicate melts, and are closely related to the genesis of metallic mineral deposits. Magmatic ore deposits usually form in mafic–ultramafic silicate melts by the separation (liquation) of a cooling, sulfur-rich magma into two immiscible liquids. It is not easy to identify the complexation between gold (Au), cooper (Cu) and Cl, S using the current experiment methods, and the coordination of Au and Cu with Cl and S is still unclear in mafic–ultramafic silicate melts. In this study, by using first-principles molecular dynamics technique, we investigated the structure of Au, Cu, Cl and S in the (a) anhydrous and (b) hydrous peridotite melt to reveal their coordination geochemistry. Our results show that Si⁴⁺–Cl⁻, Cu⁺–O²⁻, Au⁺–O²⁻, Cu⁺–Cl⁻, Au⁺–Cl⁻, Au⁺–S²⁻, and Cu⁺–S²⁻ cannot form stable ion pairs in silicate melts; therefore, Au⁺ and Cu⁺ cannot form stable complexes with S²⁻, O²⁻ or Cl⁻ in the melts. But the diffusion coefficients of Au⁺, Cu⁺, S²⁻ and Cl⁻, their RDF values and the bonding time ratio of the silicate melt systems show that, although they cannot form stable complexes, within the range of effective chemical bond lengths, they have a high probability of approaching and interacting with each other, which enables them to form crystal embryos or liquid-phase molecules during magma evolution. Full article

The synthesis and phase behavior of two liquid crystalline racemates containing four aromatic rings, differing in the number of methylene groups, were reported. These materials form smectic phases, as was confirmed by dielectric spectroscopy. The mesomorphic properties of the studied racemates were compared with those of the appropriate (S) enantiomers previously synthesized. Since these materials are racemic mixtures, they were subjected to chiral separation by high-performance liquid chromatography. This research was conducted on two chiral columns based on polysaccharides. We identified optimal conditions that enable the baseline separation of these racemates, which can be scaled up for preparative purposes. Then, there is no need for repeated synthesis of chiral equivalents. Full article

Accurate profiling of amino acids and selenoamino acids is crucial for evaluating the nutritional quality of selenium-enriched crops. To provide a reliable and accessible tool for routine food monitoring, this study employed pre-column derivatization high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination and compositional analysis of 17 standard amino acids, selenocystine (SeCys₂), and selenomethionine (SeMet) in various organs of selenium-enriched radish. Chromatographic separation was performed using a C18 column and a mobile phase of sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.25) and acetonitrile under gradient elution, with diode array detection (DAD) at 360 nm. Method validation demonstrated excellent linearity (R²) ≥ 0.995 for all 19 amino acids within their tested ranges. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 0.06 to 0.21 mg/L and 0.19 to 0.68 mg/L, respectively. The spike recoveries ranged from 88.2% to 101.7%, while the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were ≤3.09% and ≤4.25%, respectively. The levels of total, essential, selenoamino and taste-active amino acids in the leaves exceeded those in the taproot, with the highest total content of 2398.41 mg/kg found in leaves at the primary growth stage of the taproot. The total content of selenoamino acids ranged from 2.65 to 6.78 mg/kg. This method enables the simultaneous quantification of various amino acids, including selenoamino acids, in different organs of selenium-enriched radish throughout its entire growth period, providing a theoretical basis for the development of selenium-fortified products. Full article

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Lewy Body Disease (LBD), and related dementias, represent a global health challenge, particularly in aging populations. The simultaneous occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases in an aging population suggests a potential link between causative proteins. Such neurodegenerative proteins, including amyloid-β (Aβ), τ-protein (tau), α-synuclein, TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), and Fused in Sarcoma (FUS), share key characteristics of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which can explain promiscuous physical interactions, cross-seeding, co-occurrence, pathological synergy, and shared upstream and downstream mechanisms. This review synthesizes current evidence on (1) shared biophysical features of neurodegeneration-associated proteins, (2) mechanisms driving mixed neuropathology, (3) therapeutic implications of disorder-driven interactions, and (4) key unresolved questions shaping future research. By framing neurodegeneration as a network of interacting, disorder-driven proteinopathies rather than isolated entities, this perspective highlights the need for integrative, systems-level approaches to better understand disease heterogeneity and to identify novel targets for intervention. Full article

Utah State University has developed a high-performance “green” hybrid propulsion technology based on the unique electrical breakdown properties of 3D-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Using 3D-printed ABS as fuel, typical startup sequences require approximately 5–15 joules and, once started, the system can be sequentially fired with no additional energy inputs required. The number of possible ignitions is limited only by the amount of fuel. The most technologically mature version uses gaseous oxygen (GOX) as oxidizer and 3D-printed ABS as fuel. While GOX is mass-efficient, it lacks volumetric efficiency unless highly pressurized. Nytrox, a blend of GOX and nitrous oxide, improves propellant density and volumetric efficiency, while maintaining acceptable levels of mass efficiency (specific impulse). Nytrox can safely self-pressurize, eliminating the need for a separate oxidizer pressurization system and reducing overall complexity. However, employing Nytrox as a direct substitute for GOX results in reduced ignition reliability and considerably increases cold-start ignition latency. This paper quantifies the latency, explores its sources, and analyzes expected behaviors. Solutions include raising combustion and storage pressures to boost oxygen content in Nitrox’s liquid phase and increasing combustion chamber pressure to reduce ignition delays. Full article

A comprehensive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of 50 pesticide biomarkers across nine current-use chemical classes in human urine. These classes include organophosphorus insecticides (which encompass dialkyl phosphates and specific metabolites), pyrethroid insecticides, fungicides, neonicotinoid insecticides, herbicides, insect repellents, organochlorine pesticide metabolites, and plant growth regulators. The method employs solid-phase extraction (SPE) for sample preparation, requiring only 0.2 mL of urine. Chromatographic separation was optimized using a Hypersil Gold AQ column, achieving a total run time of 18 min. Mass spectrometric detection utilized polarity switching in electrospray ionization mode with multiple reaction monitoring. Method validation demonstrated satisfactory linearity (R² > 0.99), high sensitivity with limits of detection ranging from 0.01 to 0.88 ng/mL, and extraction efficiencies between 85% and 113%. Precision and accuracy were within acceptable ranges, with relative standard deviations generally below 15%. The method’s robustness was confirmed through participation in external quality assessment schemes. Application to real samples revealed significant inter-individual variability in pesticide biomarker concentrations, with total measured biomarker levels ranging from 89 to 1242 ng/mL across the 10 individuals analyzed. This method offers comprehensive coverage of current-use pesticide chemical classes, including 30 biomarkers from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) biomonitoring program, and demonstrates improved sensitivity and broader analyte coverage compared to existing methods. The developed assay provides a valuable tool for large-scale biomonitoring studies and environmental health research. Full article

Molecular engineering has traditionally followed a structure–function paradigm based on well-defined, folded architectures. However, intrinsically disordered proteins and regions (IDPs/IDRs) reveal that nature also exploits disorder as a functional design strategy. Here, we argue that intrinsic disorder can be understood as a biomimetic design principle for molecular and materials engineering. From a soft matter perspective, IDRs function through statistical ensembles, weak multivalent interactions, and collective behavior rather than fixed structure, with sequence features encoding a molecular grammar that governs phase behavior, viscoelasticity, and responsiveness. These principles closely parallel those found in associative polymers and colloidal systems. Recent advances in coarse-grained modeling, machine learning, and inverse design further enable disorder to be treated as a controllable engineering variable. By reframing intrinsic disorder as a programmable and bioinspired design strategy, this Perspective highlights its potential for the development of adaptive and responsive biomimetic materials. Full article

Onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) is promising, but downstream CO₂ conditioning and liquefaction dominate energy and operability constraints. An integrated OCCS onboard for CO₂ conditioning, deep cooling, phase separation and liquid CO₂ (LCO₂) storage for a dual-fuel marine engine was introduced and investigated. In addition, the proposed system has been scrutinized under Aspen HYSYS V12.1 steady state mode and a comprehensive sensitivity sweep on deep-cooler temperature and separation pressure. Sensitivity sweeps reveal a sharp liquefaction threshold governed by the deep-cooler outlet temperature. For the engine load range from 50% to 110% and exhaust gas from 1.288 to 2.863 kg/s with CO₂ from 3.65 to 6.67%, the model is validated at 90.3% capture. Near vent-free operation for T_E105 < −24.58 °C, and a P-T diagram indicates that near vent-free operation requires P_V105 > 190 kPa at −24.7 °C, while −22.45 °C is unattainable within 1600–2200 kPa. Increasing compressor discharge pressure from 1500 to 2500 kPa raises compression power from 34.8 to 80.23 kW at −21 °C without improving vent/yield under throttled control. By identifying threshold-based deep-cooling setpoints, creating a separator pressure-temperature feasibility envelope for near-vent-free operation, and clearly quantifying CO₂-rich vent slip as a system-level loss term, this study offers an operability-driven design layer for onboard CO₂ liquefaction. Full article

Neurodegenerative diseases arise when normally functional aggregation-prone proteins transition into stable cross-β amyloid fibrils. Although these fibrils share a conserved architecture, the pathways that lead to fibrillation vary across proteins and cellular environments. Liquid–liquid phase separation is now recognized as a central organizer of intracellular biochemistry that modulates protein aggregation. Physiological condensation can buffer aggregation by maintaining macromolecular solubility and providing partner interactions that compete against pathological protein–protein interactions. However, condensates can transform and age into gel-like states that can favor the emergence of β-rich oligomers and solid-state fibrils. Across six disease-linked proteins that include Tau, α-synuclein, amyloid-β, TDP-43, FUS, and hnRNPA1, we compare how sequence-encoded interaction motifs, cellular cofactors, and interfacial microenvironments shape the balance between physiological condensates and pathological amyloids. Here, we highlight the unifying drivers of aggregation and intervention points that preserve native function while limiting toxic amyloid formation. Full article

High-iron red mud presents a major obstacle to comprehensive resource utilization, as iron and aluminum minerals form tightly interwoven and encapsulated structures that resist conventional separation, hindering efficient co-recovery of these valuable elements. This study aimed to address this bottleneck by developing an effective strategy for iron–aluminum separation and synergistic recovery. A reduction smelting process was conducted in a sealed electric furnace using internally carbon-containing red mud pellets, enabling phase reconstruction to regulate aluminum-bearing phases while achieving iron–aluminum separation. XRD and SEM analysis verified that iron oxides were reduced to metallic iron with recovery exceeding 98%, and aluminum-bearing phases were selectively converted into active α-Al₂O₃ and mainly dodecacalcium hepta-aluminate (Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃) in the slag. Under optimized Bayer leaching conditions (150 g/L NaOH, 240 °C, 90 min, liquid-to-solid ratio 6:1), aluminum extraction exceeded 60%, comparable to conventional red mud processing. This work overcomes the technical barrier of iron–aluminum co-recovery from high-iron red mud, offering a practical and efficient route for its sustainable valorization. Full article

Background/Objectives: Epirubicin, Olaparib, and Ribociclib are widely used anticancer agents whose serum concentrations exhibit significant inter-individual variability, supporting the need for reliable and robust analytical methods suitable for pharmacokinetic evaluation and therapeutic exposure assessment. Variations in metabolism, drug–drug interactions, organ function, and treatment regimens may substantially influence systemic exposure, highlighting the importance of accurate quantification in clinical practice. This study describes the development and validation of a solid-phase extraction–liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPE–LC–MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of these drugs in human serum. Methods: Sample preparation was performed using Oasis PRiME HLB^® cartridges to ensure efficient clean-up, optimal recovery, and reduced matrix effects. Chromatographic separation was achieved using gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile on a reversed-phase column, followed by single-quadrupole mass spectrometric (QDa) detection in the selected ion recording mode. The total run time was 13 min, enabling high-throughput analysis. Results: The method demonstrated good linearity (r > 0.997) over the tested concentration ranges, along with adequate selectivity, precision, accuracy, recovery, and stability, fulfilling the ICH M10 guideline validation criteria. No significant carry-over or interference from endogenous compounds was observed. Conclusions: Application to patient samples confirmed reliable performance in real clinical matrices and consistent quantification across different concentration levels. The proposed approach provides a potentially more accessible alternative in laboratories already equipped with LC-MS systems compared to LC-MS/MS platforms and can be applied in pharmacokinetic studies, representing a proof-of-concept for exposure assessment in oncology. Full article

Rapid population growth is intensifying global energy demand and waste generation. Slaughterhouse waste is creating important environmental problems. Transforming this into renewable energy through technologies like anaerobic digestion offers a sustainable pathway to reduce environmental impacts and support the energy transition. The main objective of this study was to examine the biodegradability of the slaughterhouse semi-liquid fraction (S), slaughterhouse liquid fractions (L), and their mixtures (25%, 50%, and 75%) through a two-phase anaerobic co-digestion (TPAcD) process. Batch reactors were operated in two separate microbiological and thermal phases. In the first, a thermophilic 55 °C–acidogenic stage, biochemical hydrogen potential (BHP) assays were conducted to evaluate green hydrogen production, while in the second, a mesophilic 35 °C–methanogenic stage, biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays were carried out to assess biomethane generation. The most relevant findings revealed that while liquid fractions maximized hydrogen recovery, overall yields remained limited due to competitive metabolic pathways. Notably, the 25L:75S configuration optimized hydrolysis, with a 1280% increase in soluble COD, establishing the semi-liquid fraction as a critical organic reservoir for thermophilic–acidogenic activity. In the subsequent stage, the acidogenic pre-treatment significantly enhanced methanogenesis, where the same 25L:75S mixture exhibited a synergistic methane yield of 495.46 mL CH₄/g VS. This 13.8% improvement over the theoretical additive potential confirms that strategic substrate balancing overcomes individual feedstock limitations, maximizing energy recovery in sequential anaerobic digestion. These results highlight the potential of phase-separated anaerobic co-digestion as a strategy to improve the valorization of slaughterhouse wastes. Full article

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are valuable liquid-biopsy biomarkers, yet their extreme rarity makes high-purity, high-throughput enrichment challenging. In spiral inertial microfluidics, high cell loading induces long-range hydrodynamic interactions that broaden the focused blood-cell stream; consequently, a subpopulation completes the ~0.5 and ~1.0 Dean-cycle migrations with a phase delay, compressing the CTC–blood cell gap and degrading purity. Here we propose a Dean-cycle phase-regulated double-spiral design informed by this phenomenon. This design aims to mitigate the stream-broadening effect by boosting the Dean number during the first half-cycle to promote synchronized blood-cell migration and shifting the CTC equilibrium position near one full cycle to further widen the CTC–blood cell separation. We implement this strategy in a second-generation double-spiral microfluidic chip (SDMC) and scale it to a four-channel parallel array (ASDMC). Under optimized conditions, ASDMC processes diluted whole blood (hematocrit = 4%) without the need for red blood cell (RBC) lysis or antibody labeling, achieving a sample throughput of 1200 μL·min⁻¹. Specifically, it exhibits a mean recovery rate of 98.8% across three spiked tumor cell lines (MCF-7, PC-9, and Mahlavu) and a mean white blood cell (WBC) depletion efficiency of 93.3%. In a pilot clinical testing of 20 patients (NSCLC and HCC), enriched fractions enabled immunofluorescence identification of CK⁺CD45⁻DAPI⁺ CTCs, with an exploratory trend of increasing CTC counts with advanced disease stage (4–34 cells·mL⁻¹). These results describe a scalable, label-free platform, and the observed purification performance aligns with our proposed mechanism: Dean-cycle phase regulation to mitigate blood-cell migration lag. Our findings support further technical validation and clinical assessment in larger cohorts. Full article

Raman spectroscopy is capable of determining the composition of mixtures quantitatively and qualitatively. However, this technology reaches its limits when used to examine liquid dispersed mixtures of substances. In these emulsions, light scattering occurs at the interfaces of the particles and/or droplets, leading to signal losses that make the results impossible to evaluate. Our previous publications have shown, however, that it is possible to quantify the signal losses using a scattered light probe. In an investigation of the water–toluene–acetone emulsion, the acetone concentration could be determined with a root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of up to 1.5 wt%. Based on this method, further analyses are now being carried out to demonstrate that the correction also makes it possible to determine the acetone concentration in each individual liquid phase. First, a ternary diagram is analytically created by establishing stable conditions and separating the phases for individual measurement. In a second step, the samples are measured as a dispersed mixture with the droplets as interfering factors, demonstrating that the same concentration differences can be measured between both phases. Full article

Recent years have witnessed growing interest in CO₂ and in the possibility of injecting it into the Earth’s crust for multiple purposes. In addition to the fact that pure CO₂ is already present in some geological formations, the most debated is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), which aims to capture and trap CO₂ through water-assisted reactions that promote its precipitation; moreover, proposed technological improvements to geothermal plants foresee the use of pure CO₂ as a working fluid and energy carrier for electricity generation in terms of MWh. These applications require detailed knowledge and a deep understanding of CO₂ behaviour under non-standard conditions. Upon entering the Earth’s crust, CO₂ is subjected to progressively increasing temperature and pressure. The resulting effects are not limited to a reduction in intermolecular distance; they also include changes in molecular geometry, as well as in chemical and thermodynamic behaviour. For instance, a dipole moment may arise even in the gaseous phase as intermolecular distances decrease. Moreover, CO₂ typically reaches supercritical conditions at depths of approximately 700 m. It is therefore necessary to account for both phase transitions and variations in molecular structure, as these can significantly influence the surrounding environment and the stoichiometric relationships with other substances. In this work, a steady-state column was simulated, representing CO₂ injection down to a depth of 5 km, assuming an average geothermal gradient of 30 °C/km and nine different initial pressures, so nine different steady state columns. The results highlight the presence of a wedge-shaped region acting as a barrier for stepwise-equilibrated CO₂: the computed CO₂ column profiles avoid this region. This wedge includes part of the liquid–gas boundary under subcritical conditions, as well as the Widom lines above the critical point. It effectively separates two supercritical regimes, namely gas-like and liquid-like domains. In this context, the present work provides insights into the Widom region—possibly extending into subcritical conditions—and into these two distinct regimes. This may have implications for the solvent capacity of CO₂ for ionic species. Ultimately, the initial pressure appears to determine the behaviour of CO₂ at depth. Full article