Washington State University

Large, ground-mounted photovoltaic solar energy projects (GPVs) are increasingly sited on former agricultural lands, creating opportunities to integrate ecological restoration as a scalable, nature-based solution to mitigate insect habitat loss and promote sustainable development. However, empirical evidence for the benefits of such efforts is nascent, particularly in water-limited regions where GPV development is rapidly expanding. We conducted an in-depth study at the UC Davis Experimental Ecovoltaic Park, a 16.3MW single-axis tracking GPV in the semi-arid Great Central Valley of California over two growing seasons following the sowing of a tailored seed mixture comprising 12 indigenous, pollinator-attractive wildflower species. Our objective was to evaluate how restoring native California prairie to replace poorly-managed, noxious-weed communities can interact with microclimate dynamics imposed by PV modules to influence floral resources and pollinator populations. Native wildflowers on restored plots exhibited 41% and 220% greater floral richness and cover, respectively, resulting in up to six times pollinator diversity than invasive broadleaves on unrestored controls where honey bees dominated visitations. Although perennials Phacelia californica and Grindelia camporum successfully established in the second year, the natural decline of annuals, particularly sunflower Helianthus bolanderi favored by many specialist bees, was associated with a 33% decrease of overall pollinator diversity. While panel-induced shading reduced flower unit densities while enlarging display areas of several native wildflowers, it did not significantly alter pollinator community composition. The findings demonstrate that ecological restoration at GPVs can potentially reconcile renewable energy production with biodiversity conservation in harsh, weed-prone environments.

In this study, the forecast period of AIRPACT5 (Air Indicator Report for Public Awareness and Community Tracking) model was extended from two days to three days, and the accuracy of the third-day forecasts was subsequently evaluated. Two primary pollutants, PM 2.5 and O 3 , were considered for validation. The model's third-day forecasts were compared with observed data from AirNow monitoring stations, as well as with the model’s first and second-day forecasts. The evaluation covered a nine-month period from December 2023 to August 2024, encompassing the winter, spring, and summer seasons. Additionally, the model domain was categorized into urban, suburban and rural areas, and results were analyzed separately for each category. The comparison indicates that the performance trends of the third-day forecasts closely align with those of the first and second days. For PM 2.5 , model predictions were generally consistent with observational data, particularly in rural areas and across all seasons except during the wildfire season. In the case of O 3 , model performance was satisfactory in the summer but showed significant discrepancies in winter, especially in rural regions. • Day3 AIRPACT5 forecasts were generated and evaluated against observed PM 2 . 5 and O 3 data at categorized monitoring stations (urban, rural, and suburban). • AIRPACT5 performed best for PM 2 . 5 in rural areas during winter months. • Urban areas showed the lowest error values for O 3 across most months. • Mean Bias, Mean Error, and RMSE were used to assess model performance. • Seasonal and spatial variations significantly affect forecast accuracy.

Targeted payload release in cancer cells can be modulated by tuning both the linker, spacer, and the payload chemistries. In previous studies, a PSMA-targeted probe incorporating a 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (AMC) payload and a PEG linker resulted in predominant payload release in the lysosome (pH ∼5.0). Here, we introduce a second-generation PSMA-targeted turn-on probe with a shorter, hydrophobic linker and a 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (HMC) payload. Based on pH-dependent kinetic studies, the HMC payload exhibits faster cleavage at a slightly higher pH (pH5.5), suggesting an earlier release-potentially more in early endosomes than lysosomes. Our results demonstrate that subtle changes in linker and payload structures can alter intracellular release kinetics, offering improved control over the cellular release site, which is critical for optimizing targeted therapeutic and imaging strategies in prostate cancer cells.

Chiral hybrid perovskite spin-light emitting diodes (spin-LEDs) adopt spin filtration technology based on chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS), while circularly polarized electroluminescence (CP-EL) arises from a direct conversion of spin angular momentum into light. The current obstacle lies in elevating the dissymmetry factors for circularly polarized luminescence in quasi-2D chiral-achiral synergistic systems. Herein, chiral organic ligands R-/S-methylbenzylamine (R-/S-MBA) were incorporated into lead-iodide octahedral inorganic frameworks, forming dimensional-mixing phases. An effective chirality transfer through the visible light region and chirality-induced spin-orbit coupling (CISOC) strengths of up to 0.8081 eV·Å were achieved for ultrathin red emitters. Without spin injection, prominent dissymmetry factors of CP-EL approaching 20% were obtained for R-/S-MBA-based bright red single-junction spin-LEDs. Our work greatly promotes the development high-performance red chiral perovskite spin-LEDs.

Thiosulfate serves as a critical intermediate in the sulfur biogeochemical cycle and is frequently oxidized by the sulfur oxidation (Sox) system to sulfate in bacteria. Cupriavidus pinatubonensis JMP134 employs a complete Sox system to oxidize S2O32- to SO42-, yet the regulatory mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. A regulator gene located adjacent to the sox genes cluster encodes an ArsR-type transcriptional regulator (SoxR). Here we report the regulation of the sox genes by SoxR in C. pinatubonensis JMP134. The sox genes are transcribed as an operon from a promoter in the front of soxR. SoxR binds to DNA 23-bp downstream of the transcription start site, blocking the sox transcription. We present evidence that SoxR does not directly respond to S2O32- but instead reacts with reactive sulfane sulfur via Cys43 and Cys98, and this interaction is contingent upon a functional Sox system. These findings will deepen our understanding of the regulation of the Sox system in bacteria.