Detecting disordered eating among recreational exercisers; exploring the role of personal trainers

This study aimed to understand how personal trainers identify and manage disordered eating among their clients. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with eleven UK based personal trainers to document their experiences of working with clients exhibiting symptoms of disordered eating. The interviews were recorded, fully transcribed and subjected to a thematic analysis. The findings suggest that personal trainers rely on external cues to identify disordered eating among clients such as changes to physical appearance, exercise behaviours and performance. The findings also revealed that personal trainers lack knowledge and hold misconceptions about disordered eating. Such misconceptions influenced their ability to identify and manage potential problems among their clients. Participants described the need for further education and guidelines to increase their knowledge and confidence in identifying and managing disordered eating among their clients. The findings from this study will be useful for professional bodies and practitioners in the development of guidelines and educational material for personal trainers

Understanding the solution behavior of minor actinides in the presence of EDTA(4-), carbonate, and hydroxide ligands

Understanding the solution behavior of minor actinides in the presence of EDTA(4-), carbonate, and hydroxide ligand

Selective Extraction of Heavy and Light Lanthanides from Aqueous Solution by Advanced Magnetic Nanosorbents

Rare earth elements (REEs) make unique and vital contributions to our current world of technology. Separating and recycling REEs is of great importance to diversify the sources of REEs and advance the efficient use of REE resources when the supply is limited. In light of separation nanotechnology, diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) functionalized magnetic nanosorbents have been synthesized and investigated for the highly selective extraction of heavy (Sm–Ho) and light (La–Nd) lanthanides (Ln) from aqueous solutions. The results demonstrated that the separation factor (SF) between heavy-Ln and light-Ln groups reached the maximal value of 11.5 at low pH value of 2.0 in 30 min. For example, the SFs of Gd/La and Dy/La pairs were up to 10 times higher than that reported by other studies. Besides the excellent selectivity, our double-coated magnetic nanoparticles coupled with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (dMNP-DTPA) nanosorbents are more advantageous in that the Ln­(III) sorption was effectively and quickly (in 30 min) achieved in acid solutions with pH values as low as 2.0. Such attributes ensure a stronger adaptability to the harsh environments of REE recycling processes. Displacement phenomena were subsequently observed between the heavy-Ln and light-Ln ions that were coexisting in solution and competing for the same sorption sites, causing the increase in sorption capacity of heavy Ln on the surface of nanosorbents with time. The order of affinity of Ln­(III) to DTPA-functionalized magnetic nanosorbents perfectly followed the corresponding stability constants between Ln­(III) and nonimmobilized DTPA. Displacement phenomena and lanthanide contraction, as well as the surface nanostructures of DTPA-functionalized nanosorbents, significantly improved the separation factors of heavy-Ln/light-Ln pairs. The Ln­(III) interaction with DTPA-functionalized magnetic nanosorbents followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics with a correlation coefficient extremely high and close to unity

Complexation of Uranium(VI) with <i>N</i>‑(2-Hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine‑<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′,<i>N</i>′‑triacetic Acid in Aqueous Solution: Thermodynamic Studies and Coordination Analyses

<i>N</i>-(2-Hydroxyethyl)­ethylenediamine-<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′,<i>N</i>′-triacetic acid (HEDTA, denoted as H₃L in this work, and the three dissociable protons represent those of the three carboxylic groups) is a strong chelating ligand and plays an important role in the treatment and disposal of nuclear wastes as well as separation sciences of f-elements. In this work, the complexation of HEDTA with U­(VI) was studied thermodynamically and structurally in aqueous solutions. Potentiometry and microcalorimetry were used to measure the complexation constants (298–343 K) and enthalpies (298 K), respectively, at <i>I</i> = 1.0 mol·L^–1 NaClO₄. Thermodynamic studies identified three 1:1 U­(VI)/HEDTA complexes with different degrees of deprotonation, namely, UO₂(HL)­(aq), UO₂L^–, and UO₂(H_–1L)^2–, where H_–1 represents the deprotonation of the hydroxyl group. The results indicated that all three complexation reactions are endothermic and driven by entropy only. Coordination modes of the three complexes were investigated by NMR and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies. In the UO₂(HL)­(aq) complex, HEDTA holds a tridentate mode, and the coordination occurs to the end of the ethylenediamine backbone. Two oxygens of the two carboxylic groups and one nitrogen of the amine group participate in the coordination. In both UO₂L^– and UO₂(H_–1L)^2–, HEDTA holds a tetradentate mode and coordinates to U­(VI) along the side of the ethylenediamine backbone. The difference is that in the UO₂(H_–1L)^2– complex, the alkoxide form of the HEDTA hydroxyl group directly binds to the U­(VI) atom, forming a highly strong chelation

A Combined Density Functional Theory and Spectrophotometry Study of the Bonding Interactions of [NpO₂·M]⁴⁺ Cation–Cation Complexes

The equilibrium constants for [NpO₂·M]⁴⁺ (M = Al³⁺, In³⁺, Sc³⁺, Fe³⁺) in μ = 10 M nitric acid and [NpO₂·Ga]⁴⁺ in μ = 10 M hydrochloric acid media have been determined. The trend in the interaction strength follows: Fe³⁺ > Sc³⁺ ≥ In³⁺ > Ga³⁺ ≫ Al³⁺. These equilibrium constants are compared to those of previously reported values for NpO₂⁺ complexes with Cr³⁺ and Rh³⁺ within the literature. Thermodynamic parameters and bonding modes are discussed, with density functional theory and natural bond orbital analysis indicating that the NpO₂⁺ dioxocation acts as a π-donor with transition-metal cations and a σ-donor with group 13 cations. The small changes in electron-donating ability is modulated by the overlap with the coordinating metal ion’s valence atomic orbitals