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1. Particulate Organic Carbon Deconstructed: Molecular and Chemical Composition of Particulate Organic Carbon in the Ocean

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00518  

   Kharbush, Jenan J.; Close, Hilary G.; Van Mooy, Benjamin A.; Arnosti, Carol; Smittenberg, Rienk H.; Le Moigne, Frédéric A.; Mollenhauer, Gesine; Scholz-Böttcher, Barbara; Obreht, Igor; Koch, Boris P.; et al (June 2020, Frontiers in Marine Science)
2. The hidden hierarchical nature of soft particulate gels

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-023-01988-7  

   Bantawa, Minaspi; Keshavarz, Bavand; Geri, Michela; Bouzid, Mehdi; Divoux, Thibaut; McKinley, Gareth H.; Del Gado, Emanuela (August 2023, Nature Physics)
3. Acoustofluidic Synthesis of Particulate Nanomaterials

   https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201900913  

   Huang, Po‐Hsun; Zhao, Shuaiguo; Bachman, Hunter; Nama, Nitesh; Li, Zhishang; Chen, Chuyi; Yang, Shujie; Wu, Mengxi; Zhang, Steven_Peiran; Huang, Tony_Jun (August 2019, Advanced Science)

   Abstract Synthesis of nanoparticles and particulate nanomaterials with tailored properties is a central step toward many applications ranging from energy conversion and imaging/display to biosensing and nanomedicine. While existing microfluidics‐based synthesis methods offer precise control over the synthesis process, most of them rely on passive, partial mixing of reagents, which limits their applicability and potentially, adversely alter the properties of synthesized products. Here, an acoustofluidic (i.e., the fusion of acoustic and microfluidics) synthesis platform is reported to synthesize nanoparticles and nanomaterials in a controllable, reproducible manner through acoustic‐streaming‐based active mixing of reagents. The acoustofluidic strategy allows for the dynamic control of the reaction conditions simply by adjusting the strength of the acoustic streaming. With this platform, the synthesis of versatile nanoparticles/nanomaterials is demonstrated including the synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles, chitosan nanoparticles, organic–inorganic hybrid nanomaterials, metal–organic framework biocomposites, and lipid‐DNA complexes. The acoustofluidic synthesis platform, when incorporated with varying flow rates, compositions, or concentrations of reagents, will lend itself unprecedented flexibility in establishing various reaction conditions and thus enable the synthesis of versatile nanoparticles and nanomaterials with prescribed properties. 

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4. Differentiating siliceous particulate matter in the diets of mammalian herbivores

   https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13934  

   Fannin, Luke D.; Laugier, Elise J.; van Casteren, Adam; Greenwood, Sabrina L.; Dominy, Nathaniel J. (July 2022, Methods in Ecology and Evolution)

   Fisher, Diana (Ed.)

   1. Silica is crucial to terrestrial plant life and geochemical cycling on Earth. It is also implicated in the evolution of mammalian teeth, but there is debate over which type of siliceous particle has exerted the strongest selective pressure on tooth morphology. 2. Debate revolves around the amorphous silica bodies (phytoliths) present in plants and the various forms of siliceous grit—that is, crystalline quartz (sand, soil, dust)—on plant surfaces. The problem is that conventional measures of silica often quantify both particle types simultaneously. 3. Here we describe a protocol that relies on heavy-liquid flotation to separate and quantify siliceous particulate matter in the diets of herbivores. The method is reproducible and well suited to detecting species- or population-level differences in silica ingestion. In addition, we detected meaningful variation within the digestive tracts of cows, an outcome that supports the premise of ruminal fluid ‘washing’ of siliceous grit. 4. We used bootstrap resampling to estimate the sample sizes needed to compare species, populations or individuals in space and time. We found that a minimum sample of 12 individuals is necessary if the species is a browser or as many as 55 if the species is a grazer, which are more variable. But a sample size of 20 is adequate for detecting statistical differences. We conclude by suggesting that our protocol for differentiating and quantifying silica holds promise for testing competing hypotheses on the evolution of dental traits. 

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5. Elemental stoichiometry of particulate organic matter across the Atlantic Ocean

   https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4239-2024  

   Fagan, Adam J; Tanioka, Tatsuro; Larkin, Alyse A; Lee, Jenna A; Garcia, Nathan S; Martiny, Adam C (January 2024, Biogeosciences)

   Abstract. Recent studies show that stoichiometric elemental ratios of marine ecosystems are not static at Redfield proportions but vary systematically between biomes. However, the wider Atlantic Ocean is undersampled for particulate organic matter (POM) elemental composition, especially when it comes to phosphorus (i.e., POP). Thus, it is uncertain how environmental variation in this region translates into shifts in the C:N:P ratio. To address this, we analyzed hydrography, genomics, and POM concentrations from 877 stations on the meridional transects AMT28 and C13.5, spanning the Atlantic Ocean. We observed nutrient-replete, high-latitude ecosystem C:N:P to be significantly lower than that in the oligotrophic gyres. Latitudinal and zonal differences in elemental stoichiometry were linked to overall nutrient supply as well as N vs. P stress. C:P and N:P were generally higher in the P-stressed northern region compared to Southern Hemisphere regions. We also detected a zonal difference linked to a westward deepening nutricline and a shift from N to P stress. We also evaluated possible seasonal changes in C:N:P across the basin and predicted these to be limited. Overall, this study confirms latitudinal shifts in surface ocean POM ratios but reveals previously unrecognized hemisphere and zonal gradients. This work demonstrates the importance of understanding how regional shifts in hydrography and type of nutrient stress shape the coupling between Atlantic Ocean nutrient and carbon cycles. 

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