Eric W.

Urban streams often suffer from poor water quality, in part due to nutrient pollution, especially in highly developed areas. Poor water quality, driven by high concentrations of nitrate and phosphate entering waterways from runoff, wastewater, and stormwater systems, contributes to urban stream syndrome. This study evaluates the long-term performance of a floating wetland (FW) system installed in a canal of the North Branch of the Chicago River near Goose Island, an area heavily impacted by urban runoff. From 2018 to 2023, surface and subsurface water samples were collected upstream and downstream of a 90 m2 FW system and analyzed for nitrate as nitrogen (NO3-N) and phosphate (PO43−) using ion chromatography. A paired t-test and two-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant reductions (p < 0.001) in NO3-N (mean: 1.31 mg/L surface, 1.02 mg/L at 0.3 m) and PO43− (mean: 0.64 mg/L surface, 0.57 mg/L at 0.3 m) between waters entering and exiting the FW, with no significant seasonal differences in removal efficiency. These results highlight the FW’s consistent, year-round nutrient mitigation performance driven by plant uptake and microbial processes. Over the five-year period of the study, the FW served as a means of improving the water quality, delivering a sustainable, low-maintenance solution for urban stream management with broader implications for ecological resilience and water quality enhancement.

Background Optimal antibiotic duration for diverticulitis managed without procedural source control is unknown. While antibiotic-sparing approaches in select patients are supported by high quality data, up to 24% experience treatment failure. Here we assess outcomes stratified by antibiotic duration in diverticulitis patients treated on an outpatient basis after an emergency department (ED) visit. Methods Employing the MarketScan® database (2016–2022), adult patients with a diverticulitis-associated ED visit treated on an outpatient basis were identified. Claims for diverticulitis-directed antibiotics filled within three days of ED visit were captured. Antibiotic receipt/duration were compared for 90-day outcomes, including repeat diverticulitis-related ED visit, additional antibiotic prescriptions, and surgery. Outcomes were assessed using chi square, unadjusted and multivariable logistic regression. Results Seventy-three thousand eight hundred ten patients were included; 54.6% were female, median age was 52 years. 11,311 (15.3%) patients did not fill an antibiotic prescription. Of those who filled one, median duration of prescription was 10.0 days. In unadjusted analysis, those who did not fill a prescription had comparable rates of surgery, but lower rates of subsequent antibiotic use (24.2% vs. 29.9%, p < 0.001) and repeat diverticulitis-related ED visits (4.9% vs. 6.0%, p < 0.001) than those with prescriptions. In an adjusted model these findings were recapitulated. Unadjusted comparisons of antibiotic duration revealed significant differences between groups. In adjusted models, durations longer than 10 days had higher odds of surgery than did shorter durations (OR = 2.20 for 11 + days vs. 7 days of duration [95% CI 1.72–2.66]). Conclusions We report comparable or improved outcomes in an antibiotic-sparing approach to diverticulitis. Further, longer treatment durations were not associated with reduction in recurrent disease, and were associated with higher odds of eventual surgery. These data support institutional consideration for antibiotic-sparing protocols for appropriately selected patients with diverticulitis.

The domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, plays a vital role as companion or service animal, and the well-being and healthy aging of dogs is gaining importance. Proteins are key actors in cells, tissues and body fluids, and the ability to measure their composition and abundance is crucial to understand biological processes. We report a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach analyzing canine tissues, plasma and urine obtained from Labrador retrievers to develop two comprehensive resources to advance the study of the dog proteome. Firstly, we developed a Labrador PeptideAtlas covering 49% of the predicted UniProtKB proteome and secondly, a Labrador spectral assay library for targeted applications by data-independent acquisition that enables the identification and quantification of 11,792 proteins (11,564 protein groups) of the dog proteome (56%). We demonstrate the performance of the library with gradients of different length and quantify 10,140 proteins in tissues and 385 proteins in plasma.

Increasing sulfate (SO42−) concentrations in groundwater systems are a growing environmental concern due to their implications for drinking-water quality and biogeochemical cycling. While sulfate is commonly of geogenic origin, its behavior in agriculturally influenced glacial aquifers remains poorly constrained. This study investigates the distribution, depth dependence, and seasonal variability of sulfate concentrations in groundwater within a riparian system comprised of sediments deposited by glaciers in central Illinois, USA. The study specifically evaluates whether sulfate concentrations 1) vary with groundwater depth, 2) exhibit seasonal trends, and 3) reflect contributions from agricultural tile drainage waters. Groundwater samples collected from 35 monitoring wells over a nine-year period yielded approximately 2,000 sulfate observations. Cumulative probability analysis identified two statistically distinct sulfate populations separated by a threshold concentration of approximately 20 mg/L. The two populations represented deep groundwater derived from unweathered diamicton and shallow groundwater from within weathered diamicton. With no consistent seasonal variability in sulfate concentrations across the sources, the elevated sulfate concentrations in deeper groundwater are interpreted to reflect depth-related geogenic controls, including prolonged residence time and enhanced water–rock interactions, whereas shallow groundwater and tile drainage waters exhibited comparatively low sulfate concentrations consistent with recently infiltrated waters. Overall, sulfate concentrations are depth-controlled and geogenic, with minimal agricultural influence.

Clean agents are used to create an environment within an enclosure that cannot support combustion. Upon detection of fire or the onset of the development of hazardous conditions, the clean agent is discharged into the enclosure, where it mixes with the air in the...