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Geomechanical and Geochemical Considerations for Hydrogen Storage in Shale and Tight Reservoirs
No full textUnderground hydrogen storage (UHS) in shale and tight reservoirs offers a promising solution for large-scale energy storage, playing a critical role in the transition to a hydrogen-based economy. However, the successful deployment of UHS in these low-permeability formations depends on a thorough understanding of the geomechanical and geochemical factors that affect storage integrity, injectivity, and long-term stability. This review critically examines the geomechanical aspects, including stress distribution, rock deformation, fracture propagation, and caprock integrity, which govern hydrogen containment under subsurface conditions. Additionally, it explores key geochemical challenges such as hydrogen-induced mineral alterations, adsorption effects, microbial activity, and potential reactivity with formation fluids, to evaluate their impact on storage feasibility. A comprehensive analysis of experimental studies, numerical modeling approaches, and field applications is presented to identify knowledge gaps and future research direction
Investigating the relativistic jets of neutron star X-ray binaries and studying Galactic radio populations
No full textRadio emission is produced by nearly all astronomical objects, but is usually extremely weak. Objects that produce strong radio emission are some of the most exotic types, often relating to compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes. There are many open questions in astrophysics relating to these, such as the conditions and environments produced by their extreme gravity. Perhaps the most striking representation of these are black holes and neutron stars which are accreting material from a binary companion, known as X-ray binaries. These systems are extreme environments of high gravity, temperature, and velocity, all immersed in complex magnetic fields. Many systems launch relativistic, collimated outflows known as jets, which remain one of the less understood components of X-ray binaries.
Old and new radio data are analyzed with the goal of better sampling and understanding neutron star X-ray binary jet properties, and how they compare to those of black holes and what these similarities or differences can reveal about neutron stars. It is determined that neutron star jets display very comparable levels of variability to black hole jets, further indicating a high level of similarity between the two jet structures despite an overall jet luminosity and velocity difference. The radio spectral indices of very high accretion rate neutron star jets are found to be atypically steep, with a few potential causes that have yet to be determined with certainty. Radio polarization is detected for the first time for four neutron star systems, which appear to be generally lower in fractional polarization than black hole jets. The intrinsic jet axis position angle is estimated from the polarization as well, and compared to X-ray polarization properties. Altogether, these investigations provide new insights into the jets produced by accreting neutron stars, and motivate future work to expand to other systems and perform more complex studies.
Other types of strong radio sources include radio pulsars, which are one of the key evolutionary pathways of stars and can provide unique information about the Galaxy and even Universe due to their extremely precise timing properties, young stellar objects which reside in complex gas and dust clouds that are the birthplaces of stars, and planetary nebulae which are formed by stars like the Sun near the end of their lives, though the exact mechanism is debated. Strong radio sources can be observed throughout the Galaxy, even when the gas and dust of the interstellar medium can obscure many optical sources. Thus, observations of radio sources can be a highly useful method to detect and identify certain populations of Galactic sources. A radio survey in the Galactic Bulge did just this, and was successful in finding many Galactic objects in radio to follow up on, and has motivated a larger, more complex radio survey of the Galactic Bulge in the future as well
Transforming High School Counseling: Integrating the National American School Counseling Association Model for Enhanced Student Support
No full textSchool counselors play a vital role in students’ academic success and well-being. This study explores the correlation between school counseling programs aligned with the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) model and various outcomes such as job satisfaction, academic achievement, and post-secondary success. At the same time, alignment with ASCA enables the development of data-driven interventions that enhance academic outcomes and bridge achievement gaps.
Administrative support is a crucial factor in the effectiveness of school counseling programs, with aligned programs fostering a more comprehensive approach. Conversely, programs not aligned with ASCA may lead to counselor role discrepancies, resulting in burnout and diminished student achievement. This study investigates the impact of aligning school counseling programs with the ASCA model on student outcomes, focusing on creating a shared vision between counselors and administrators. Utilizing action research methodologies, including needs assessments, surveys, and meetings, the study examines the effectiveness of professional learning interventions in realigning counseling programs.
Thematic analysis using the Constant Comparative Method will be employed to analyze qualitative data to identify emerging themes and relationships. Procedures involve designing, developing, and piloting a professional learning program for instructional leaders to facilitate alignment with the ASCA model. This research promotes a more robust and effective school counseling system, ultimately improving student academic achievement, post-secondary outcomes, and overall well-being
Maximizing Receptiveness to Sustainability Appeals with Construal Level and Framing
No full textThe optimal sustainability appeal is effective across the political spectrum. Research shows that liberals prioritize care and fairness (i.e., individualizing values) for their moral assessments, whereas conservatives also consider purity, authority, and loyalty (i.e., binding values; Graham et al., 2006). Though ideologically matched appeals are typically more effective, some findings show that even conservatives prefer individualizing over binding values when abstract construal is induced. The present study tests the hypothesized three-way interaction between construal level, message framing, and participant political ideology, predicting receptiveness to an appeal for a sustainable housing innovation (i.e., Earthship Biotecture). Construal level (abstract vs. concrete) was manipulated through a category vs. exemplar task developed by Fujita et al. (2006), before participants read information about Earthships paired with an appeal using 1 of 3 message framings (individualizing, binding, or pragmatic). Within the abstract condition, the individualizing appeal was expected to be more effective than the binding appeal among both liberals and conservatives. Effectiveness of the pragmatic appeal was expected to be less affected by political ideology. The hypothesized three-way interaction was not found. A significant interaction between message framing and political beliefs showed that conservatives and moderates were more receptive to the pragmatic appeal than to either moral framing. In a follow-up task, participants wrote their own arguments for engaging in specified sustainable practices; their engagement of individualizing and binding values was quantified using the extended Moral Foundations Dictionary (Hopp et al., 2021). Use of individualizing and binding values did not differ significantly between framing or construal conditions. Overall, results demonstrate the positive potential of pragmatism as an apolitical means of getting moderates and conservatives on board with sustainable innovation without loss of support from liberals
What Predicts Algebra Success? Domain-Level Math Trajectories and Implications for Instruction
Get PDFThis policy brief examines how specific mathematical skill domains in grades 3 through 7 predict student success in Algebra I, a critical gateway course for advanced mathematics and postsecondary outcomes. Using statewide STAAR assessment data and item response theory (IRT), the analysis identifies Computations and Algebraic Relationships as the strongest predictor of Algebra I performance, while early number sense and later geometry skills also play key roles. Findings suggest that domain-level data can enhance early identification, instructional planning, and targeted support, particularly within the context of Texas’s Algebra I auto-enrollment policy. The brief offers actionable recommendations to help districts strengthen math pathways and improve student readiness for algebra
Aromaticity Study of Linear and Belt-like Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Get PDFPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) play a central role in materials science due to their extended π-conjugated systems, with their stability and reactivity depending critically on their aromatic character. In this work, we systematically investigated the aromaticity and stability of a broad range of linear (acenes, phenacenes, biphenylenes, and cyclobuta-acenes) and belt-like (cyclacenes, cyclophenacenes, and cyclobiphenylenes) PAHs containing five to twelve benzene rings. A diverse set of aromaticity descriptors was employed, including geometric (HOMA), electronic (MCI, FLU) and magnetic (NICS) descriptors, plus the recently developed 2
indices, based on the components of the distributed multipole analysis (DMA) electric quadrupole tensor. These data were complemented by stability analyses using singlet–triplet energy splitting (ΔES–T) and fractional occupation number-weighted densities (NFOD) values. Our results indicate that acenes and phenacenes follow a comparable aromatic trend, with inner rings possessing lower aromaticity and the edge rings showing a more pronounced aromatic character. A subtle difference is observed in the position of the most aromatic ring, which lies slightly closer to the interior in acenes. Phenacenes, however, exhibit greater overall stability, attributed to their armchair edges. For biphenylenes and cyclobuta-acenes, the antiaromatic cyclobutadiene moiety perturbs the aromaticity only in its direct neighborhood and preserves the aromaticity in the remaining chains. In belt-like systems, cyclacenes exhibit strong radical character and low stability, consistent with longstanding synthetic challenges, whereas cyclophenacenes display enhanced aromaticity and stability with extending size. Cyclobiphenylenes combine localized antiaromatic centers with preserved benzene-like aromaticity in rings distant from the cyclobutadiene unit.This research was funded by the Brazilian agencies Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) under project Nos. 304148/2018-0, 409447/2018-8, 164766/2021-9, 307168/2022-0, 407124/2022-5, 316874/2023-0, and 184838/2025-8, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estdo de São Paulo (FAPESP) under project No. 2022/16385-8, Fundação Carlos Chagas de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) under project Nos. E-26/205.922/2022 and E-26/204.294/2024 and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) under Project Nos. 88882.632776/2021-01, 88881.799245/2022-01 and 88887.877979/2023-00 and by the U.S. National Science Foundation (HL: Grant No. CHE-2505193)
Suing a DAO: Articulations of Legal Personhood and Service of Process in Recent Litigation
Get PDFThis article analyzes emerging U.S. litigation that attempts to bring decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) into traditional court systems by grappling with questions of legal personhood and procedural norms. The author examines how courts and litigants have confronted the fundamental issue of whether a DAO can be recognized as a sui generis legal entity capable of being sued or must instead be treated as an unincorporated association or other traditional form. The piece highlights the procedural complexities of serving process on DAOs that lack centralized leadership, identifiable agents, and conventional corporate infrastructure. The author situates these procedural and doctrinal challenges within broader debates about how existing legal frameworks adapt (or fail to adapt) to decentralized digital organizations. Ultimately, the article assesses how recent cases reveal both the flexibility and limits of current law in accommodating novel organizational forms, with implications for future DAO litigation and governance
Constitutive metabolomic profile of a transgressive segregant of rice with superior salinity tolerance potentials due to unique morphological features and well-modulated growth
Get PDFUnderstanding the nature of non-parental phenotypes created by transgressive segregation is important in creating novel genetic recombinants that can withstand different environmental conditions for crop production. FL510, a transgressive salinity-tolerant rice genotype from a cross between IR29 (salt-sensitive) and Pokkali (salt-tolerant), has tolerance mechanisms active under control conditions and improves survival upon the onset of salinity. This study compares normal-state metabolomes and lipidomes of FL510 with its parents. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the identified analytes showed clear and expected similarity between FL510 and Pokkali, while partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) emphasized overlaps between the metabolic profiles of IR29 and FL510. The analysis identified metabolites with inherited patterns of abundance from either parent in FL510 and those with unique, non-parental abundances, and these were supported by differential expression of key pathway-related genes identified through transcriptome analysis. Strigolactone precursor production was identified as a key feature in FL510, which may help explain its unique architecture that is beneficial for osmotic stress. We also identified a divergence between productivity under ideal environments leading to free radical production versus tempered production that offers better survival under marginal growing conditions. FL510 showed an inheritance of hormone and amino acid abundances from Pokkali, which further explains some of its architectural and previously studied stress-response features. Meanwhile, the similarity of FL510 with IR29 in terms of flavonoid indicates an inheritance of productivity and is consistent with previous reports of induction for these molecules under stress, rather than being active under control conditions.
Main Conclusion: Through repeated genetic recombination of genetically distant alleles, the transgressive segregant FL510 gained unique, non-parental signaling pathways and complementary metabolome features from both parents leading to positive net genetic gains.The study is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Program (USDA-NIFA AFRI, Award no. 2023-67013-39541) and the Bayer CropScience Endowment to BGDR
Citrulline Supplementation Improves Microvascular Function and Muscle Strength in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes
Get PDFBackground: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) develop vascular complications due to arginine deficiency-induced microvascular endothelial dysfunction, which is related to the loss of muscle strength (MS) associated with aging. Thus, increased nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vasodilation may improve MS. We investigated the impact of the NO precursor citrulline on microvascular function (endothelial and muscle reactivity) and MS in T2D patients. Methods: Sixteen participants with T2D (53–72 years, nine females) were randomized to citrulline supplementation (CITS, 6 g/day) or placebo for 4 weeks prior to an 8-week washout period, followed by the opposite supplement for 4 weeks in a crossover trial. Endothelial function (log-transformed reactive hyperemia index, LnRHI), forearm muscle reactivity (near-infrared spectroscopy-derived tissue oxygen index (TOI) reperfusion indices), plasma arginine levels (ARG), and handgrip strength (HGSrel) and calf MS (CMSrel) adjusted for body weight were measured at baseline and 4 weeks for each condition. Results: CITS increased the LnRHI (∆0.11 ± 0.16 vs. ∆−0.08 ± 0.24, p < 0.05), TOI range (∆2.6 ± 3.3 vs. ∆−1.5 ± 4.8%, p < 0.01), TOI hyperemic response (∆1.2 ± 1.4 vs. ∆−0.6 ± 2.8%, p < 0.05), TOI 2 min area under the curve (∆154 ± 187 vs. ∆−41 ± 194%/s, p < 0.01), ARG (∆43 ± 28 vs. ∆1 ± 16μM/L, p < 0.001), CMS (∆1.5 ± 2.8 vs. ∆−0.3 ± 1.2 kg, p < 0.05), and CMSrel (∆0.02 ± 0.03 vs. ∆−0.01 ± 0.02 kg/kg, p < 0.01) compared to placebo. The improvements in LnRHI and CMSrel were correlated (r = 0.37, p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that CITS improves microvascular endothelial function, muscle microvascular reactivity, and calf muscle strength in middle-aged and older patients with T2D
Examining the care priorities, service needs and lived experiences of rural people with cognitive impairment and dementia in Canada: a scoping review protocol
Get PDFIntroduction: Older age is one of the greatest risk factors of dementia, and the rural demographic is ageing in Canada. Compared with their urban counterparts, rural older adults often face unique challenges in accessing cognitive healthcare, which is exacerbated by a shortage of healthcare specialists, public transportation, finances, education, services and dispersed geography. This scoping review protocol outlines the methodology that will be used to examine the literature about the care priorities, service needs and lived experiences from the perspectives of rural older adults living with cognitive impairment and dementia in Canada.
Methods and analysis: Our scoping review protocol will follow the guidance of Arksey and O’Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extensions for Scoping Reviews checklist. Our search strategy will identify relevant peer-reviewed literature in databases including Cumulated Index in Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. The database search dates for this scoping review will be from 1 January 2015 to 1 January 2025. The data will be charted by two reviewers using a standardised data extraction table. Inductive content analysis will be performed using a three-step process.
Ethics and dissemination: Given this scoping review will be an examination of the published literature, human subjects will not be included in this research. Therefore, ethics approval is not required. Knowledge mobilisation and dissemination strategies will include peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations, community workshops, newsletter articles and webinars. This study may provide valuable information for healthcare practitioners, community leaders and policymakers working to support people living with cognitive impairment and dementia in rural communities