19 Aug 2025

Cooperative Molecular Interaction-Based Highly Efficient Capturing of Ultrashort- and Short-Chain Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Using Multifunctional Nanoadsorbents

Abstract: The short-chain and ultrashort-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are bioaccumulative, carcinogenic to humans, and harder to remove using current technologies. Herein, we report the development of nonafluorobutane-sulfonyl and polyethylene-imine -conjugated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle-based magnetic nanoadsorbents and demonstrated the novel adsorbent has the capability for highly efficient removal of six different short- and ultrashort-chain PFAS from drinking and environmental water samples. Reported experimental data indicates by capitalizing the cooperative hydrophobic, fluorophilic, and electrostatic interaction processes, NFBS-PEI-conjugated magnetic nanoadsorbents can remove ~100% short-chain perfluorobutanesulfonic acid within 30 min from the water sample with a maximum absorption capacity qm of ~234 mg g−1. Furthermore, to show how cooperative interactions are necessary for effective capturing of ultrashort and short PFAS, a comparative study has been performed using PEI-attached magnetic nanoadsorbents without NFBS and acid-functionalized magnetic nanoadsorbents without PEI and NFBS. Reported data show the ultrashort-chain perfluoropropanesulfonic acid capture efficiency is the highest for the NFBS-PEI-attached nanoadsorbent. Moreover, reported data demonstrate that nanoadsorbents can be used for effective removal of short-chain PFAS and ultrashort-chain PFAS simultaneously from reservoir, lake, tape, and river water samples within 30 min, which shows the potential of nanoadsorbents for real-life PFAS remediation.

18 Aug 2025

Coupled Modeling to Support Evaluation of Mission-Assurance Risk from Disruption of Water Infrastructure

Abstract: Coupled modeling refers to the combined use of hydraulic models, graphical models, and existing datasets to analyze water distribution networks. Most DoD installations already possess rich planning and asset management datasets that can be leveraged to provide deep in-sights into their water infrastructure; however, installations rarely use them for increasing the resilience of their systems. This study develops strategies for assessing, integrating, and analyzing these sources into a coupled model designed to inform installations’ water-infrastructure resilience planning, wargaming, and project generation. The performance of coupled models was evaluated for accuracy, specificity, interoperability with DoD systems, enterprise applicability, responsiveness to DoD policy, and decision support. The study team encountered a few implementation issues, but none affected the study’s timeline or funding. One issue was that the hydraulic modeling software, Innovyze Infowater, was purchased by AutoDesk, which should be considered for installations evaluating software purchases. Another issue was data accuracy; tests for data validation showed that some data were incorrect. Coupled approaches can help to better identify where these errors may be. Regarding the issue of model interoperability, by default, the models were not fully compatible for the model simulation or for geospatial data, but both were addressed in this study.

18 Aug 2025

Bare Ground Classification Using a Spectral Index Ensemble and Machine Learning Models Optimized Across 12 International Study Sites

Abstract: This research investigates a global approach to map bare ground across diverse geographies with an ensemble of spectral indices using optimal thresholds identified in testing to train and evaluate machine learning models to extract bare ground pixels from Sentinel-2 imagery. Twelve locations in four Köppen climate zones with data from two seasons were evaluated. Accuracy assessment showed a mean F1 score of 80% and a mean Overall Accuracy (OA) of 81% for random forest and an F1 score of 78% and OA of 79% for support vector machine. Higher accuracies were observed in climate region-based models with mean F1 = 84% in three of four climate zones. Low accuracies occurred in winter imagery with leaf-off tree cover or building materials similar to bare ground. This framework provides a global approach to map bare ground without need for high-density time-series or deep learning models and moves beyond locally effective methods.

18 Aug 2025

Archaeogenomic Analysis of Chesapeake Atlantic Sturgeon Illustrates Shaping of Its Populations in Recovery from Severe Overexploitation

Abstract: Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus ssp. oxyrinchus) has been a food resource in North America for millennia. However, industrial-scale fishing activities following the establishment of European colonies led to multiple collapses of sturgeon stocks, driving populations such as those in the Chesapeake area close to extinction. While recent conservation efforts have been successful in restoring census numbers, little is known regarding genomic consequences of the population bottleneck. Here, we characterize its effect on present-day population structuring and genomic diversity in James River populations. To establish a pre-collapse baseline, we collected genomic data from archaeological remains from Middle Woodland Maycock’s Point (c. 200–900 CE), as well as Jamestown and Williamsburg colonial sites. Demographic analysis of recovered mitogenomes reveals a historical collapse in effective population size, also reflected in diminished present-day mitogenomic diversity and structure. We infer that James River fall- and spring-spawning populations likely took shape in recent years of population recovery, where genetic drift enhanced the degree of population structure. The mismatch of mitogenomic lineages to geographical–seasonal groupings implies that despite their homing instinct and differential adaptation manifested as season-specific behaviour, colonization of new rivers has been a key ecological strategy for Atlantic sturgeon over evolutionary timescales.

18 Aug 2025

Coastal Environments: LiDAR Mapping of Copper Tailings Impacts, Particle Retention of Copper, Leaching, and Toxicity

Abstract: Tailings generated by mining account for the largest world-wide waste from industrial activities. Copper is relatively uncommon, with low concentrations in sediments and waters, yet is very elevated around mining operations. On the Keweenaw Peninsula, 140 mines extracted native copper from the Portage Lake Volcanic Series, part of an intercontinental rift system. Between 1901 and 1932, two mills at Gay sluiced 22.7 million metric tonnes of copper-rich tailings into Grand Traverse Bay. About 10 MMT formed a beach which migrated 7 km to the Traverse River Seawall. Another 11 MMT are moving underwater along the coastal shelf, threatening Buffalo Reef. Remote sensing techniques documented geospatial environmental impacts and initial phases of remediation. Aerial photos, ALS LiDAR/MSS surveys, and recent UAS overflights aid comprehensive mapping efforts. Because natural beach quartz and basalt stamp sands are silicates of similar size and density, percentage stamp sand determinations utilise microscopic procedures. Copper leaching is elevated by exposure to high DOC and low pH waters, characteristic of riparian environments. Lab and field toxicity experiments, plus benthic sampling, all confirm serious impacts of tailings on aquatic organisms. Mining companies should end coastal discharges and also adopt the UNEP “Global Tailings Management Standard for the Mining Industry”.

18 Aug 2025

Cell-Penetrating Peptide-Mediated Delivery of Gene-Silencing Nucleic Acids to the Invasive Common Reed Phragmites australis via Foliar Application

Abstract: RNA interference-based gene silencing has been increasingly explored for potential applications to control invasive species. At least two major hurdles exist when applying this approach to invasive plants: (1) the design and screening of species- and gene-specific biomacromolecules made of DNA, RNA, or peptides that can suppress the expression of target genes efficiently, and (2) the delivery vehicle needed to penetrate plant cell walls and other physical barriers. In this study, we investigated the cell-penetrating peptide-mediated delivery of multiple types of GSAs to knock down a putative phytoene desaturase gene in the invasive common reed. Both microscopic and quantitative gene expression evidence demonstrated the CPP-mediated internalization of GSA cargos and transient suppression of PDS expression in both treated and systemic leaves up to 7 days post foliar application. Although various GSA combinations and application rates and frequencies were tested, we observed limitations, including low gene-silencing efficiency and a lack of physiological trait alteration, likely owing to low CPP payload capacity and the incomplete characterization of the PDS-coding genes in P. australis. Our work lays a foundation to support further research toward the development of convenient, cost-effective, field-deployable, and environmentally benign gene-silencing technologies for invasive P. australis management.

14 Aug 2025

Buffalo Mole (South Pier): National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

Abstract: The United States Congress codified the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), the nation’s most effective cultural resources legislation to date, mostly through establishing the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The NHPA requires federal agencies to address their cultural resources, which are defined as any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object. This document contains the nomination form and all supporting documentation for listing the Buffalo mole (South Pier), located at the entrance to the Buffalo harbor in New York, on the NRHP. The area on top of and surrounding the mole was modified through the past two hundred years, many of the character-defining features remain including the stone retaining walls, talus, stairs, and lighthouse identified in plans and drawings from the period of construction. Notably lost is the stone tow path, or banquette, and the stone incline on the south side of the mole is no longer visible. The researchers recommend a period of significance of c. 1820 through 1959 since the mole has continued its original use of keeping the entrance to the Buffalo River open for freight and recreational boating traffic through the present day.

14 Aug 2025

Creating an Augmented Soil Texture Master List Using the Gridded Soil Survey Geographic Database (gSSURGO)

Purpose: This US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) technical note (TN) describes the workflow for creating an augmented soil texture master list that describes the surface-most (i.e., uppermost) USDA soil texture class and coarse fragment modifier. In conjunction with a soil similarity search algorithm, the soil texture master list fulfills a need identified by the Intelligent Environmental Battlefield Awareness (IEBA) project to generate detailed global soil boundary polygons. These polygons will serve as the base layer for populating other environmental variables, like soil temperature, soil moisture, depth to permafrost, and vegetation type, in the battlespace. This TN describes the purpose of the augmented soil texture master list, provides an overview of the gridded Soil Survey Geographic Database (gSSURGO), and describes the methodology used to create the soil texture master list.

14 Aug 2025

Ohio Army National Guard, St. Marys Armory: Historic Buildings Survey

Abstract: St. Marys Armory is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion A for being constructed during the Interwar Armory Construction Program (1920–1940 era) and under Criterion C for its design of castellated, Art Deco, and Art Moderne architectural styles. This report documents the building to the standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey and includes a historic context, architectural descriptions, photographs, and architectural drawings. This report satisfies Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 as amended and will be used by the St. Marys Ohio Army National Guard (OHARNG) for mitigation. This documentation fulfills Stipulation II of the Memorandum of Understanding Among the Adjutant General of Ohio and the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office (OHSHPO) Regarding Disposal of St. Marys Armory, Auglaize County, Ohio.

13 Aug 2025

Examination of Activated Carbon Losses During Open Water Placement of Amended Dredged Material for Bioaccumulation Control

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential losses of both powdered and granular activated carbon (AC) resulting from open water placement of AC-amended dredged material to reduce contaminant bioaccumulation. The study examined the results of model predictions, a laboratory dump test, and a field demonstration project performed at the Ashtabula Lake Erie placement site.