Sunday, March 23, 2025

Transition point in romantic relationships signals the beginning of their end

Dissatisfaction in a relationship will inevitably lead to separation at some point / Recent study is based on the concept of terminal decline

Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz

relationship satisfaction — image:
How satisfaction with a relationship declines prior to separation. The chart presents the results of pairfam, the national representative longitudinal study undertaken in Germany.
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Credit: ill./©: Janina Bühler

The end of a romantic relationship usually does not come out of the blue but is indicated one or two years before the breakup. As the results of a psychological study have demonstrated, the terminal stage of a relationship consists of two phases. First, there is a gradual decline in relationship satisfaction, reaching a transition point one to two years before the dissolution of the relationship. "From this transition point onwards, there is a rapid deterioration in relationship satisfaction. Couples in question then move towards separation," said Professor Janina Bühler from the Institute of Psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). She conducted the corresponding investigation in collaboration with Professor Ulrich Orth of the University of Bern. Their paper was recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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.

Recognition by the APS for innovative contributions to the subject

Janina Bühler has been Junior Professor of Personality Psychology and Diagnostics at Mainz University since January 2022. From January 2024, she has headed an Emmy Noether Research Group that investigates the interactions between relationship events and the personalities of partners in a relationship. In February 2025, she was nominated a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science (APS). This designation is given to early career researchers whose innovative work has already advanced their field and signals great potential for future contributions.

Journal

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

DOI

10.1037/pspp0000551

Article Title

Terminal Decline of Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships: Evidence From Four Longitudinal Studies

Article Publication Date

20-Mar-2025

Researchers create eco-friendly detergent from wood fiber and corn protein

American Chemical Society

From laundry detergent to dishwasher tablets, cleaning products are an indispensable part of life. Yet the chemicals that make these products so effective can be difficult to break down or could even trigger ecosystem-altering algal blooms. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Langmuir have addressed those challenges with an environmentally compatible detergent made of tiny wood fibers and corn protein that removes stains on clothes and dishes just as well as commercial products.

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.

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The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is committed to improving all lives through the transforming power of chemistry. Its mission is to advance scientific knowledge, empower a global community and champion scientific integrity, and its vision is a world built on science. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Registered journalists can subscribe to the ACS journalist news portal on EurekAlert! to access embargoed and public science press releases. For media inquiries, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Journal

Langmuir

DOI

10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c04398

Article Title

“Physical Cross-Linking of Cellulose Nanofibrils with Zein Particles as an Eco-Friendly Detergent”

Carbon-negative manufacturing method creates strong building materials

A new study introduces an electrochemical process that sequesters carbon dioxide to create resilient and fire-resistant materials

University of Southern California

A new method inspired by coral reefs can capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and transform it into durable, fire-resistant building materials, offering a promising solution for carbon-negative construction.

The approach, developed by USC researchers and detailed in a study published in npj Advanced Manufacturing, draws inspiration from the ocean’s coral reefs’ natural ability to create robust structures by sequestering carbon dioxide. The resulting mineral-polymer composites demonstrate extraordinary mechanical strength, fracture toughness and fire- resistance capabilities.

“This is a pivotal step in the evolution of converting carbon dioxide,” said Qiming Wang, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. “Unlike traditional carbon capture technologies that focus on storing carbon dioxide or converting it into liquid substances, we found this new electrochemical manufacturing process converts the chemical compound into calcium carbonate minerals in 3D-printed polymer scaffolds.”

Inspiration of coral reefs

Existing carbon capture technologies generally focus on storing carbon dioxide or converting it into liquid substances. However, this is generally expensive and inefficient. This new method offers a less expensive solution by integrating carbon capture directly into building materials.

Wang attributed the “magic of ocean coral” as fundamental to the study’s breakthrough. “As an organism, coral can use photosynthesis to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into a structure,” Wang said.

The method was directly inspired by how coral creates its aragonite skeletal structures, known as corallites. In nature, coral builds corallites through a process called biomineralization, in which coral sequesters carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the process of photosynthesis. It then combines the chemical compound with calcium ions from seawater to precipitate calcium minerals around organic templates.

The research team replicated this process by creating 3D-printed polymer scaffolds that mimicked coral’s organic templates. They then coated them with a thin conductive layer. These coated structures were then connected to electrochemical circuits as cathodes and immersed in a calcium chloride solution.

When carbon dioxide was added to the solution, it underwent hydrolysis to be broken down into bicarbonate ions. These ions reacted with calcium in the solution to form calcium carbonate, which gradually filled the 3D-printed pores. This resulted in the final product, a dense mineral-polymer composite.

Fire resistance

The most surprising trait of the experimental composite material may be its reaction to fire. While the 3D-printed polymer scaffolds lack inherent fire-resistant properties, the mineralized composites maintained their structural integrity under the research team’s experimental flame tests.

“The manufacturing method revealed a natural fire-suppression mechanism of 30 minutes of direct flame exposure,” Wang said. “When exposed to high temperatures, the calcium carbonate minerals release small amounts of carbon dioxide that appear to have a fire-quenching effect. This built-in safety feature provides significant advantages for construction and engineering applications where fire resistance is critical.”

In addition to fire resistance, cracked fabricated structures can be repaired by connecting them to low-voltage electricity. Electrochemical reactions can rejoin the cracked interfaces and restore the mechanical strength.

Carbon-negative future

After a rigorous life cycle assessment, the researchers found that the manufactured structures featured a negative carbon footprint, revealing that the carbon capture exceeded the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and operations.

The researchers also demonstrated how the manufactured composites could be assembled into larger structures using a modular approach, creating large-scale load-bearing structures; the composite materials could potentially be used in construction and other applications requiring high mechanical resistance.

Wang said the researchers plan to focus on commercializing the patented technology. With building materials and construction responsible for around 11% of global carbon emissions, the study’s new manufacturing method lays the groundwork for the possibility of carbon-negative buildings.

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About the study: In addition to Wang, other study authors include Haoxiang Deng, Haixu Du, Ketian Li, Yanchu Zhang, Kyung Hoon Lee and Botong Zheng of the University of Southern California.

This research was supported by grants from the Office of Naval Research (N00014-22-1- 2019) and the National Science Foundation (CMMI-1943598, CMMI-2229228 and DBI- 2222206).

Journal

npj Advanced Manufacturing

DOI

10.1038/s44334-024-00012-x

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Towards negative carbon footprint: carbon sequestration enabled manufacturing of coral-inspired tough structural composites

Climate warming and heatwaves accelerate global lake deoxygenation, study reveals

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters

Freshwater ecosystems require adequate oxygen levels to sustain aerobic life and maintain healthy biological communities. However, both long-term climate warming and the increasing frequency and intensity of short-term heatwaves are significantly reducing surface dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in lakes worldwide, according to a new study published in Science Advances.

Led by Prof. SHI Kun and Prof. ZHANG Yunlin from the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from the Nanjing University and the UK’s Bangor University, the study quantifies the effects of continuous climate warming and intensified heatwave events on surface DO levels in lakes worldwide. The research team utilized an extensive dataset and applied a data-driven model to analyze surface DO variations across more than 15,000 lakes over the past two decades.

The study reveals a widespread decline in surface DO concentrations, with 83% of the studied lakes exhibiting significant deoxygenation. Notably, the average rate of deoxygenation in lakes exceeds that of both oceans and rivers, highlighting the severity of this issue.

The researchers further explored the roles of climate warming and eutrophication in shaping surface DO concentrations. Their findings indicate that climate warming, by reducing oxygen solubility, contributes to 55% of global surface deoxygenation. Meanwhile, increasing eutrophication accounts for approximately 10% of the total global surface oxygen loss.

Historical trends in heatwaves were also analyzed, with their impacts on surface DO levels quantitatively assessed. The study shows that heatwaves exert rapid and pronounced effects on surface DO decline, resulting in a 7.7% reduction in surface DO compared to conditions under average climatological temperatures.

These findings underscore the profound impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, emphasizing the urgent need for mitigation and adaptation strategies to preserve lake ecosystems worldwide. The study provides crucial insights for policymakers and environmental managers working to combat the escalating threat of freshwater deoxygenation.

Journal

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adt5369

America is on the cusp of irreversible terror — sleepwalking into danger

Sabrina Haake
March 22, 2025

RAW STORY

Elon Musk’s attacks on the federal government are so unpopular that Tesla stock and sales are tanking, and anti-Tesla demonstrations have erupted all over the world.

Trump is clearly triggered. Calling demonstrators ‘domestic terrorists’ and ‘sick terrorist thugs,’ he is threatening “20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla,” while suggesting demonstrators could be sent to “prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!"

It isn’t a joke, but it is sick. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a statement promising to pursue investigations that “impose severe consequences on those involved in these (Tesla) attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes,” and added that the DOJ had already charged several people with crimes involving five-year mandatory sentences.

Most Tesla demonstrators, like most Gaza protestors, are not violent and have no violent intentions. Intimidating peaceful protest organizers who neither engage in nor encourage physical violence violates the 1st Amendment and chills the free speech of every American watching.

Clearly that is Trump’s intention.

In the past ten days, Trump has attacked protestors, declared a false ‘national invasion,’ invoked war powers in time of peace, ignored federal court orders, and sent people to an El Salvador labor prison without due process, a hearing, or review. These are the hallmarks of tyranny.

Trump’s use of wartime powers

By now, anyone outside the Fox News bubble knows that Trump has openly disregarded federal court orders. Trump recently invoked war powers during time of peace to remove Venezuelan immigrants without due process, in direct defiance of a federal court order not to.

Hearings on the removal have not yet reached the merits of the case, but the facts are alarming. Trump used the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely invoked wartime law from 1798, to send Venezuelan immigrants to a forced labor prison in El Salvador. In 230 years, the Act has only been invoked three times: during the War of 1812, during WWI, and after Pearl Harbor was bombed in WWII. The Act can only be used under “a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion.” We are not at war with Venezuela, and there has been no “invasion” as that term is rationally understood

Trump called forth these rare war powers to send people to an El Salvador prison, unilaterally claiming they were members of the dangerous drug trafficking gang Tren de Aragua without evidence, hearings, or independent review. For these reasons, Judge James Boasberg issued an order to block the removal flights until he could review the ancient statute, a review that has still not occurred because Trump flouted the non-removal order, setting up a Constitutional crisis with potentially disastrous consequences.

Trump expands his authoritarian rule

Trump officials knew about the court’s order and charged ahead anyway, commanding the flights to leave the country while the hearing was still underway. After Judge Boasberg demanded answers, Justice Department attorneys tried to game him. They tried to get the hearing he scheduled canceled, then refusedto answer his questions, then tried to get him removed from the case.

At hearing, Justice Department lawyers argued outrageously that because the judge did not put his verbal command to return the planes to the U.S. in his written minute order, the government did not have to follow it.The judge was incredulous: “Your first argument is when I said those things, because I didn't say it in a minute order that the plaintiffs didn't have to turn around, you didn't have to comply? You're saying that you felt you could disregard it because it wasn't in a written order?" Yes, and yes.

When El Salvador’s self-described dictator president mocked the judge’s order on X, with, a sarcastic “Oopsie . . . too late,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio retweeted the slam.Tom Homan, Trump’s chief border official, piled on, telling Fox viewers, “We’re not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think — I don’t care what the left thinks. We’re coming.” AG Pam Bondi also attacked Judge Boasberg, accusing him, outrageously, of “supporting Tren de Aragua terrorists over the safety of Americans.”

Trump and his unqualified hacks are deliberately fomenting public hatred toward federal judges who are now, as a result, experiencing threats of violence. These actions will cause such irreparable harm to the rule of law that in any functioning democracy, where legislators honor their Constitutional oaths, they would result in Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.

Trump’s continuing tyranny

Trump openly manufactured an invasion to imprison people. His ‘invasion’ declaration was as lawless as it is dangerous. After calling Tesla protest organizers ‘domestic terrorists and thugs,’ it’s only a matter of time before anyone who criticizes Trump becomes an ‘enemy of the state’ targeted for imprisonment.

None of this is hyperbole. We are on the cusp of irreversible terror, sleepwalking into danger.

Americans who value freedom must urgently speak up now. Support the judiciary on your social media- while imperfect, there is no better legal system in the world. Take to the streets, go to as many protests as you can. Go to Telsa protests. Paint those signs, call your representatives and senators on the daily- calls are counted. Demand, and attend, town halls.

Speak up peacefully and forcefully, but speak up now. Trump can only turn America into Russia if we let him.

Sabrina Haake is a 25+ year federal trial attorney specializing in 1st and 14th A defense.Her columns are published in Alternet, Chicago Tribune, MSN, Out South Florida, Raw Story, Salon, Smart News and Windy City Times. Her Substack, The Haake Take, is free.

'It sort of doesn't matter': Trump envoy unconcerned with Putin taking over Europe

David Edwards
March 23, 2025

RAW STORY

Fox News/screen grab

Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, argued that it "doesn't matter" whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to take over Europe.

During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Witkoff told host Shannon Bream that Putin "wants peace" in Ukraine despite overnight attacks that killed at least seven people.

"You're convinced that he's not going to go further or have aspirations towards Europe," Bream noted. "Why are you convinced that he won't press further? If he's given some reward or some territory this time around?"

"This is not me taking sides," Witkoff insisted. "Now, I've been asked my my opinion about what President Putin's motives are on a larger scale. And I simply have said that I just don't see that he wants to take all of Europe. This is a much different situation than it was in World War Two."

"To me, it just — it just — I take him at his word in this sense," he continued. "So, and I think the Europeans are beginning to come to that belief, too. But it sort of doesn't matter."

"The real issue here, the agenda set forth by President Trump, he is my boss. And I adhere to that fact that the agenda is stop the killing, stop the carnage. Let's end this thing."

Watch the video below from Fox News.

Putin not a 'bad guy,' Trump envoy says

Agence France-Presse
March 23, 2025

Longtime Donald Trump friend, golf buddy and investor Steven Witkoff speaks at the RNC (Photo: Screen capture via PBS video)

White House envoy Steve Witkoff has praised Vladimir Putin in glowing terms as trustworthy and said the Russian leader told him he had prayed for his "friend" US President Donald Trump when he was shot.

Witkoff met with Putin over multiple hours last week in Moscow and told US media the talks -- which involved discussions about forging a path towards ending Russia's war in Ukraine -- were constructive and "solution-based."

In an interview with right-wing podcast host Tucker Carlson, the envoy said he has come to regard Putin as not a "bad guy," and that the Russian president was a "great" leader seeking to end Moscow's deadly three-year conflict with Kyiv.

"I liked him. I thought he was straight up with me," Witkoff said in the interview aired Friday.

"I don't regard Putin as a bad guy. That is a complicated situation, that war, and all the ingredients that led up to it."

He also described a "personal" element of the discussion in which Putin recalled his reaction to the assassination attempt on Trump in July 2024 as the Republican held a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Putin "told me a story... about how when the president was shot, he went to his local church and met with his priest and prayed for the president," Witkoff said.

"Not because... he could become the president of the United States, but because he had a friendship with him and he was praying for his friend."

Putin had commissioned a "beautiful portrait of President Trump from a leading Russian artist," and asked the envoy to take it home to Trump, Witkoff added.

"It was such a gracious moment."

Witkoff's gushing praise of a president long seen by the United States as an autocratic adversary highlights the dramatic turn in Washington's approach to dealings with the Kremlin since Trump took office for a second presidential term.

Witkoff also said Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky was facing tough choices ahead and that the president should recognize it is time for him to "get a deal done" with Moscow.

Zelensky is "in a very, very difficult situation, but he's up against a nuclear nation," Witkoff said. "So he's got to know that he's going to get ground down. Now is the best time for him to get a deal done."

Witkoff's comments essentially were delivered on friendly ground. Carlson is a controversial former Fox News star who conducted what was widely considered to be a rare but soft interview with Putin last year.

Carlson has also been a leading propagator of pro-Kremlin narratives in the United States.