Analysis built on national studies from Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands

It is a common fact that satisfaction in a romantic relationship declines over time. This reduction in satisfaction is particularly marked in the first years of a relationship, and a distinctive low point is often reached after a period of ten years. Instead of considering the processes that occur in the time-since-beginning of a romantic relationship, Janina Bühler and Ulrich Orth decided to look at the time-to-separation of relationships for the purposes of their research.

With this in view, they used data from four representative studies conducted in Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. All these countries are WEIRD, i.e., Western, Educated, Industrialized, Educated, Rich, Democratic, and their individuals are free — by law — to decide about their relationship status. For each of the four data sets covering a total of 11,295 individuals there was a control group roughly the same size consisting of couples that had not separated. The surveys in the four countries were conducted over different periods of time, ranging from 12 to 21 years. In the case of Germany, the researchers employed the data of the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam), a multidisciplinary longitudinal study. In all countries, the subjects were asked to specify how satisfied they were right then with their existing romantic relationship.

Using the available data, Bühler and Orth assessed the extent to which the satisfaction with the relationship developed in the light of their subsequent separation. “In order to better understand dissolving relationships, we examined them from the point of view of time-to-separation. To do this, we applied a concept that is in general use in other fields of psychology,” said Janina Bühler. Based on the data of the four national representative studies, the researchers were able to determine that relationships can be subjected to what is known as terminal decline. This decline in relationship satisfaction occurs in two phases. The initial preterminal phase, which can have a duration of several years, is characterized by a minor decline in satisfaction. However, this is followed by a transition or tipping point from which there is an accelerated decline in satisfaction. The terminal phase of a relationship after this transition point lasts 7 to 28 months, one to two years on average. “Once this terminal phase is reached, the relationship is doomed to come to an end. This is apparent from the fact that only the individuals in the separation group go through this terminal phase, not the control group,” explained Bühler.

Partners assess the terminal phase of a relationship differently

At the same time, the two partners do not experience the transition phase in the same way. The partner who initiates the separation has already become dissatisfied with the relationship at an earlier point in time. For the recipient of the separation, the transition point arrives relatively shortly before the actual separation. They experience a very rapid decline in relationship satisfaction.

“Partners pass through various phases. They do not normally separate from one day to the next, and the way these phases impact on the two partners differs,” added Bühler. In many cases, couples seek help too late, i.e., when the transition point has already been reached. “It is thus important to be aware of these relationship patterns. Initiating measures in the preterminal phase of a relationship, i.e., before it begins to go rapidly downhill, may thus be more effective and even contribute to preserving the relationship,” concluded Bühler, who also works as a couples therapist.

Increased public concern about household products’ impact on the environment has spurred interest in replacing traditional cleaners containing ingredients such as alkylphenol polyethoxylates and phosphates with natural alternatives. Efforts to date have produced mixed results because these cleaners are difficult to make and hard to rinse off, resulting in high manufacturing and retail costs, as well as potential damage to surfaces and fabrics. Therefore, there is a desire for low-cost, easily produced, effective alternatives that are gentle on the environment and the items they are designed to clean. To address this need, Pengtao Liu and colleagues developed an eco-friendly detergent from ingredients found in abundant renewable sources.

The researchers combined cellulose nanofibers from wood with zein protein from corn to create an emulsion. Cellulose can attract and repel water, so it is effective at forming such emulsions and attracting different types of stains. The zein protein, on the other hand, helps stabilize the emulsion and trap oils. Liu and colleagues then tested the cleaning capacity of the cellulose/zein detergent on cotton fabrics and dishes stained with ink, chili oil and tomato paste. They compared the performance of their new detergent to laundry powder and commercial dish soap solutions with deionized water.

The cellulose/zein detergent was slightly less effective at cleaning the cotton cloth compared to a laundry powder solution of equal dilution (1% detergent or powder by weight). At a 5% concentration, however, the researchers’ product was more effective than the 1% laundry powder solution at cleaning each of the stains from the fabric. Microscopic examination showed that the cellulose/zein detergent left no residue on cotton fabric after washing and rinsing, which suggests it would not damage the cloth.

The researchers also tested their detergent’s capacity to remove chili oil stains from plates made of ceramic, stainless steel, glass and plastic. Again, the cellulose/zein detergent cleaned almost as well as the commercial dish soap of equal dilution, and at a 5% concentration, their product was superior. On the stainless-steel plates, for example, a 5% solution of cellulose/zein removed 92% of the stain compared to 87% with a 1% solution of commercial dish soap.

The researchers suggested that these results show that their natural detergent could be an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable alternative to synthetic cleaning agents currently on the market.

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Key Research and Development Program of China.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have discovered the ideal genetic “recipe” to turn yeast into a tiny yet powerful eco-friendly factory that converts methanol into D-lactic acid, a key compound used in biodegradable plastics and pharmaceuticals. This approach could help reduce reliance on petroleum-based processes and contribute to more sustainable chemical production.

Lactic acid is widely used in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and bioplastics. It exists in two forms: L-lactic acid and D-lactic acid. Compared to its counterpart, D-lactic acid is much less available and much more expensive.

“Most lactic acid bacteria can only produce L-lactic acid whilst chemical synthesis methods yield only a mixture of both forms,” said Ryosuke Yamada, an associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Engineering and lead author of this study.

Seeking a more efficient way to produce D-lactic acid, the team turned to Komagataella phaffii, a yeast capable of utilizing methanol. Their goal was to pinpoint the optimal combination of D-lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH) genes and promoters in K. phaffii that would maximize the yeast’s ability to produce D-lactic acid from methanol. D-LDH is a key enzyme responsible for converting precursor molecules into D-lactic acid, while promoters are DNA sequences that regulate gene expression.

After testing five different D-LDH genes and eight promoters, the researchers identified an ideal mix that boosted D-lactic acid production by 1.5 times compared to other methanol-based methods.

“To the best of our knowledge, our engineered yeast achieved the highest-ever reported yield using methanol as the sole carbon source,” Yamada said.

These findings show that engineered yeast strains can be tailored to produce a wide range of useful compounds for commercial use. With growing global concerns over fossil fuel depletion and environmental impact, the ability to synthesize chemicals from renewable carbon sources like methanol is deemed a critical advancement for sustainability.

“This study demonstrates that by carefully optimizing gene and promoter combinations, we can significantly enhance the efficiency of microbial processes, offering a viable alternative to traditional, petroleum-based chemical production,” Yamada said.

The study was published in Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts.

The research, led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, found more than 40 per cent who received care in the home following a complex appendectomy recovered faster and had fewer complications.

More than 300 patients present with appendicitis to The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) every year, with about one in three experiencing a burst appendix or severe infection.

The study involved 83 children, aged five to 18 years, admitted to the RCH for a complicated appendicectomy, with 35 suitable for the Hospital in the Home (HITH) program. All patients needed at least five days of intravenous antibiotics (IV) post-surgery. Under the program, a nurse visited the child’s home daily to administer the antibiotics and record clinical observations.

MCRI Associate Professor Penelope Bryant said under this model, patients at home recovered more quickly and didn’t require readmission to hospital.

“Acute post-operative care at home is rare, but we found it’s possible for children to spend 35 per cent less time in hospital after complicated surgery,” she said. This could be done safely and without prolonging IV courses or broadening antibiotic use.

“These findings will help clinicians to identify which children are suitable for HITH care following surgery for complicated appendicitis.”

MCRI Associate Professor Warwick Teague said the HITH program, used heavily during the COVID-19 pandemic, had the added benefits of reduced hospital and family costs, improved quality of life, less time taken from work and prevention of hospital-acquired infections.

“The pandemic presented us with the need and opportunity to deliver care to children in their home,” he said. This study showed even children who had severe appendicitis can be well cared for at home after surgery, freeing up hospital beds for other sick children and those needing surgery.

“Traditionally after surgery for severe appendicitis, surgeons have insisted on daily reviews in hospital by the surgical team. However, in this study we learnt that optimal postoperative care be delivered at home, by well-trained non-surgical clinicians working as a team with surgeons.”

“For complicated appendicitis, the HITH program also saved over $1,400 per day for the hospital and $300 daily for families, reducing cost-of-living pressures with longer-term benefits for healthcare sustainability.”

Researchers from The Royal Children’s Hospital and University of Melbourne contributed to the study.

Joint senior author Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, Director of the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, says while elephant seals now only inhabit the subantarctic islands and South America, Aotearoa beaches used to be “heaving” with the colossal animals.

“At the time of human arrival in New Zealand, you would be hard pressed to find room on the beaches, with fur seals on the rocky headlands, prehistoric sealions and elephant seals on the sand, and lots of penguins,” he says.

“It’s a picture that is very hard to imagine today, especially as most New Zealanders wouldn’t think that these majestic giants were once part of our biological heritage.”

The study was undertaken by a group of international researchers, led by postgraduate students Andrew Berg, of the University of Sydney, and Otago’s Megan Askew, and recently published in the leading journal Global Change Biology.

They used palaeogenetic techniques on specimens dating back thousands of years from New Zealand, Tasmania and Antarctica to show that southern elephant seals used to be spread across the entire Southern Ocean.

Joint senior author Dr Mark de Bruyn, of Griffith University, says their whereabouts was heavily impacted by climate change and humans over a short evolutionary period.

“The Ice Ages would have rapidly increased the amount of sea ice surrounding Antarctica, forcing elephant seals to retreat to multiple refugia in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America, before they expanded back out as the climate warmed, including temporarily to the Antarctic mainland,” Dr de Bruyn says.

“However, indigenous subsistence hunting and European industrial sealing once again resulted in the contraction of their range, this time to the deep Southern Ocean with their extirpation from Australia and New Zealand.”

Associate Professor Rawlence says knowing how elephant seals responded to these changes will provide insights into how they — and the Southern Ocean ecosystem, which New Zealand and Australia are part of — may be impacted in the future.

“Their dynamic evolutionary history, plus climate change and human impact, strongly suggests that unless measures are taken to mitigate the effects of human-driven climate change and marine ecosystem deterioration, elephant seals and the Southern Ocean ecosystem are in for a rough ride into the future,” he says.