Peroxi-Electrocoagulation for PFAS Mitigation: The Impact of Water Quality and Dissolved Organic Matter on Removal Pathways

The recent addition of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation per- has increased the need for research on PFAS treatment technologies for water and wastewater. Electrochemical treatment processes have been widely investigated for PFAS removal. Peroxi-electrocoagulation (electrocoagulation paired with hydrogen peroxide (EC:H2O2)) was evaluated as a novel water treatment process for PFAS mitigation due to the multimechanistic removal pathways that can proceed during treatment, including chemical degradation via oxidation, and physical separation pathways such as sorption to flocs, flotation layer accumulation, and foam fractionation. This work investigated the impacts of varying water quality conditions and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition on PFAS mitigation efficacy and the corresponding removal pathways. Sources of DOM were an additional point of focus to provide insight into the role of DOM characteristics (i.e., aromaticity, molecular weight) on the fate of PFAS in EC:H2O2. This aim was studied by conducting EC:H2O2 with five different types of DOM (including humic acid, fulvic acid, oxalic acid, salicylic acid, and one natural river DOM). EC:H2O2 was effective as a PFAS mitigation technology using a bicarbonate electrolyte matrix and different types of DOM (including reference DOM and natural DOM). Generally, PFAS removal was higher at pH 3 compared to pH 6.3, ostensibly due to enhanced oxidant yield, interactions between iron and PFAS, and foam formation. At pH 3, oxidation was a key route of removal for the carboxylic acids including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and 5:3 fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (5:3 FTCA). A combination of chemical degradation and physical separation processes contributed to the removal of sulfonic acids including 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). However, in the presence of DOM, especially the \u3c 1 kDa low molecular weight and low aromatic autochthonous components, PFAS were more readily removed via physical sorption to the flotation layer, potentially due to the formation of DOM-iron-PFAS complexes. Regarding engineering applications, EC:H2O2 may have limited feasibility for PFAS mitigation in drinking water due to the highly acidic pH conditions needed and the release of metals during treatment. Accordingly, EC:H2O2 may better serve as a pretreatment and foam fractionation technology for higher strength wastewaters (such as membrane concentrates and industrial wastewaters) prior to more dedicated liquid-stream destructive technologies such as electrooxidation or supercritical water oxidation

Joe Rogan Experience #2255 - Mark Zuckerberg

https://epublications.marquette.edu/zuckerberg_files_videos/1455/thumbnail.jp

Role for Astrocytes in Complex Cognition: An Evolutionary, Behavioral and Computational Perspective

The human brain has more computational power than modern supercomputers by utilizing only a few signaling systems, rendering it the most efficient computational device ever created. Evolution, though not prospective, has iteratively constructed neural networks of increasing complexity that have ultimately endowed humans with extraordinary cognitive abilities. Through an evolutionary lens, there is a clear correlation between organismal sophistication and network signaling complexity Astrocytes, a non-neuronal cell that makes up approximately half the cells in the human brain, show dramatic increases in morphological and signaling complexity in higher-order species. This co-evolution is likely not coincidental but rather represents the development of sophisticated communication hubs that enhance network computation. Notably, system xc- (Sxc), a cystine-glutamate antiporter expressed predominantly on astrocytes, appears almost exclusively in vertebrate species. Additionally, the neuropeptide pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) signaling system experienced rapid functional enhancement in early mammals. These parallel evolutionary trends in signaling complexity warrant investigation into potential mechanistic connections between these network-enhancing developments. In this dissertation, I employ an interdisciplinary approach integrating molecular evolution, neuroscience, and computational engineering to uncover astrocytic involvement in higher-order cognition. I demonstrate that the neuropeptide PACAP attenuates drug-seeking behavior through pathway- and cell-specific mechanisms, revealing Sxc as a critical regulatory mediator for PACAP-induced recruitment of astrocytes within glutamate signaling networks. To understand the specific role that Sxc plays in controlling drug-seeking, I dissect this complex behavior into its constitutive parts, categorizing them as evolutionarily conserved and phylogenetic recent cognitive functions. These findings suggest that Sxc plays a discrete role in behaviors requisite of complex cognitive signaling and displays a temporal-specific reliance in learning acquisition but not maintenance. Based on these findings, I propose a novel hypothesis for cognitive evolution: coordinated co-evolution of molecular proteins within glutamate signaling networks drove the expansion of cognitive complexity. Collectively, this work introduces a paradigm-shifting approach for understanding network communication with transformative implications for both molecular medicine and artificial intelligence

A Simple, Low-Cost Implant for Reliable Diaphragm EMG Recordings in Awake, Behaving Rats

Breathing is a complex neuromuscular process vital to sustain life. In preclinical animal models, the study of respiratory motor control is primarily accomplished through neurophysiologic recordings and functional measurements of respiratory output. Neurophysiologic recordings that target neural or muscular output via direct nerve recordings or respiratory muscle electromyography (EMG) are commonly collected during anesthetized conditions. While offering tight control of experimental preparations, the use of anesthesia results in respiratory depression, may impact cardiovascular control, eliminates the potential to record volitional nonventilatory behaviors, and can limit translation. Since the diaphragm is a unique muscle which is rhythmically active and difficult to access, placing diaphragm EMGs to collect chronic recordings in awake animals is technically challenging. Here, we describe methods for fabricating and implanting indwelling diaphragm EMG electrodes to enable recordings from awake rodents for longitudinal studies. These electrodes are relatively easy and quick to produce (∼1 h), are affordable, and provide high-quality and reproducible diaphragm signals using a tethered system that allows animals to ad libitum behave. This system is also designed to work in conjunction with whole-body plethysmography to facilitate simultaneous recordings of diaphragm EMG and ventilation. We include detailed instructions and considerations for electrode fabrication and surgical implantation. We also provide a brief discussion on data acquisition, material considerations for implant fabrication, and the physiological implications of the diaphragm EMG signal

(WP 2025-05) Expanding Black Reparations with Human and Social Capital Investments

Disadvantaged social groups in the US suffered disproportionately in the covid pandemic and Great Recession, worsening high levels of inequality associated with their post-1980 declining intergenerational income mobility. For black Americans this reflects the long history of racial discrimination beginning with slavery. Reparations paid to descendants of enslaved individuals to eliminate the black-white wealth gap is a step toward addressing this history. A further needed step is to build predominantly black communities human and social capital through public investments in community health care centers (CHCs) and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). There is considerable evidence that investments in early childhood education positively affect later school performance, income and earnings, higher education, crime, and other well-being outcomes. CHCs and HBCUs promote early childhood education. This paper argues compensation is due to both individuals and their communities, and reparations payments should be accompanied by public investments in those communities

Introduction to the Historical Gazatteer of the Crimea (HGC) Repository

Introduction Henryk Jankowski’s historical-etymological dictionary of pre-Russian habitation names in Crimea1 contains toponyms of approximately 1,300 unique habitations that existed in this region prior to Russian annexation in 1783. The Historical Gazetteer of Crimea (HGC) is an open-access georeferenced gazetteer of historical places derived from Jankowski’s work. The HGC includes 135 habitations, 43 districts, 6 provinces, and 17 rivers shown on Jankowski’s map accompanying his book HGC materials are available through a Marquette University repository. Here we provide an overview of the HGC and the associated repository, starting with a review of the information sources used to create the gazetteer, followed by descriptions of the general HGC dataset format and the habitation, district, and province datasets. Description of HGC support datasets contained in this repository are then provided, followed by directions on how to access the dataset. Finally, advantages of associating gazetteer places with the GeoNames database are discussed. The authors encourage students, researchers, and the public to use HGC materials in their investigations of this historically and currently critical region of the world. To this end, all HGC materials are being made available through a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication license. For geographers and historians in general, the HGC also provides an example of an approach to creating an open-access georeferenced gazetteer of historical places

The Stigma Attached to Disability is an Anathema to Religion

The “Gendered Disabilities” project is aimed at highlighting the need to support people with disabilities and the Muslim families caring for such persons. The project is rooted in the belief that every individual is equal regardless of the specific set of abilities they are able to utilize in life. Our abilities do not define us who we are as human beings, and our disabilities should not diminish our sense of self. Each person regardless of what he/she is able to do, has the right to live fully and free from stigma