Surfactant adsorption/retention in porous sandstone influence the economics of chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and also affects pollutant transport and interfacial phenomena in the oil industry. Here we quantify and compare the dynamic retention of an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, SDBS) and a cationic surfactant (hexadecylpyridinium chloride, HDPCl) on the same reservoir-derived sandstone before and after well-defined partial hydrophobization by adsorbed asphaltenes (20 and 40 mg/g). Packed-column breakthrough experiments were carried out at 25 degrees C using a simple and reproducible protocol. Under sub-CMC (critical micelle concentration) conditions (<0.53 g/L), anionic SDBS exhibited low and largely reversible retention, with adsorbed amounts ranging from 0.49 to 2.7 mg/g depending on asphaltene coverage and surfactant concentration. In contrast, cationic HDPCl showed delayed breakthrough and essentially irreversible desorption, reaching an adsorbed amount of 8.1-8.3 mg/g. In a high-salinity medium, the SDBS experiments demonstrated that salt-induced aggregation/precipitation can dominate the mass balances via mechanical filtration in the packed column bed; therefore, apparent 'adsorption' in the brine solutions should be reported as retention unless precipitation is excluded. The novelty of this work lies in the direct comparison of anionic and cationic dynamic surfactant adsorption/retention on an identical reservoir-derived sandstone with controlled asphaltene coating together with a comparison between the dynamic retention data and previously reported static equilibrium adsorption data. Furthermore, the emulsion-stabilising effect of the asphaltene-modified sandstone particles was further demonstrated in Pickering-type emulsions prepared at a 1:1 oil/water ratio.
Bauxite residues contain katoites and desilication products (sodalite and cancrinite), which are excellent candidates for Earth-abundant heterogeneous base catalysts from industrial waste sources. For the first time, they were tested in synthetizing the renewable and promising fuel or fuel additive glycerol carbonate for the purpose of recycling glycerol by-products from biodiesel production. Incorporation of silicate was found to enhance the previously established excellent catalytic activity of tricalcium aluminate (Si-free katoite). Performance of sodalites containing four different cage anion-designed (OH, CO 3 , SO 4 , Cl) and carbonated cancrinite was determined to a much greater extent by their Br & uml; onsted OH content than by the basicity of the caged anions. Direct catalytic use of bauxite residue resulted in a glycerol carbonate yield of over 80%, but it was quickly deactivated due to the limited reusability of many of its most active components (i.e., Si-free and Si-containing katoites, chloride sodalites). However, hydroxysodalites showed excellent reusability, with a glycerol carbonate yield of around 80% even after 5 reuses. The activity of katoites and sodalities overtook that of many complex systems containing relatively rare metals, such as Ni, Cu, Zr, and Ce. Their excellent activity has made it possible to use diethyl carbonate solvent/reagent, which is more favourable in terms of sustainability, instead of the more widely applied dimethyl carbonate, even with as short reaction times as 30-60 min.
Infectious disease transmission is shaped by tightly coupled biological processes within hosts and social contact patterns between hosts, making cross-scale modeling essential for understanding epidemic dynamics. We develop a data-driven multiscale framework that links within-host viral kinetics to between-host transmission on a dynamic multilayer contact network. Using influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2, and SARS-CoV as representative pathogens, we infer infection-age-dependent infectiousness from longitudinal viral-load data and integrate the resulting profiles into a stochastic individual-based model with contact layers constructed from empirical demographic and contact data. By comparing infectiousness profiles within the same multilayer transmission framework, we show that epidemic trajectories depend not only on overall transmission potential but also on the timing and duration of infectiousness. Early, concentrated infectiousness produces earlier epidemic peaks and shorter outbreaks, whereas later or prolonged infectiousness delays and extends transmission. Layer-resolved analyses show that setting-specific contributions arise from interactions among contact volume, contact intensity, and infectiousness profiles. Intervention simulations highlight the importance of temporal alignment: case isolation and vaccination are most effective when implemented before or during the pathogen-specific period of high infectiousness, whereas physical distancing reduces epidemic burden by lowering contact opportunities. This framework provides a flexible approach for linking viral-load-derived infectiousness with network-mediated transmission and evaluating targeted epidemic control strategies.
Up to date, the development of highly efficient, visible light-active catalysts remains a formidable challenge due to the enhanced rising of atmospheric CO2 concentration. This study discusses a class of ceria-based high-entropy oxides designed to optimize charge carrier dynamics, surface reactivity, and CO2 activation efficiency. Due to the advantages of high configurational entropy and multi-element synergy, these materials achieved improved photocatalytic performance, surpassing conventional ceria-based systems. Structural and spectroscopic analyses reveal that Pr3+/Pr4+ redox pairs and abundant oxygen vacancies create an electronically disordered yet thermodynamically stable environment, which enhances charge separation and suppresses electron-hole recombination. Photocatalytic experiments demonstrated that Ce0.2Zr0.2La0.2Pr0.2Sm0.2O2-delta (CZLPS) achieves the highest CO2 conversion rate, reaching a conversion of 20.3% under visible light irradiation, significantly surpassing pure ceria (1.4%), with a calculated space-time yield (STY) of 10.15 mol(CO)kg(-1)h(-1) under the same conditions. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) simulations were employed to investigate the CO2 reduction mechanism on CZLPS catalysts. The study elucidates the Gibbs free energy changes (Delta G) for each step of the reaction pathways leading to CO and HCOOH formation, highlighting the Zr site of CZLPS as the most active for the CO2RR, which is responsible for the outstanding catalytic activity
This paper examines the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) and self-regulation on students' transition to higher education. A systematic review was conducted using the SCOPUS and Web of Science (WOS) databases, focusing on empirical studies published between 2013 and 2024. From this search, 71 relevant articles were identified. The analysis revealed that both SES and self-regulation significantly influence students' adjustment to higher education. Four key themes related to SES emerged: financial constraints and access limitations, family support, academic and social integration, and coping strategies. Similarly, four themes were identified for self-regulation: academic performance and success, cognitive regulation and learning strategies, emotion regulation and well-being, and motivation. The interplay between SES and self-regulation was also explored, underscoring the need for further research to promote inclusivity in higher education. Insights gained from this review highlight the importance of addressing individual differences, enabling institutions to better support students during their transition to university life. The review also acknowledges its limitations, calling for continued research in this field.
