bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Bacteria on Uranium Sequestration Stability by Different Forms of Phosphorus
Authors: Tan Wenfa , Deng Zhiwen , Cun Jinzhi , Lv Junwen , Tang Dongshan , Li Jiaxiang , Pang Chao
Published: January 2024

Immobilization of uranium (VI) via uranium-phosphate (U-P) precipitation exhibits a great potential in remediation of uranium in contaminated environments. However, phosphorus as a vital element of bacteria, the decomposition, absorption and transformation of phosphorus may affect the stability of uranium with aging time. The main purpose of this work is to study the effect of bacteria on uranium sequestration mechanism and stability by different forms of phosphorus in a water sedimentary system. The results showed that addition of phosphate effectively enhanced uranium removal rate, with the highest removal rate of 99.84%. According to the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS) analyses, the fugitive positions of phosphorus and uranium elements remained essentially the same on the sediment surface, meanwhile the appearance of more pronounced phosphorus and uranium signal peaks confirmed the existence of U-P precipitates. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analyses imply that hexavalent uranium and tetravalent uranium co-exist in the precipitate. Combined with BCR results, bacteria and phosphorushave a synergistic effect on uranium immobilization, although there will be a small part of uranium release due to the action of bacteria with the extension of time. Collectively, the results demonstrated that bacteria and phosphorus could effectively mediate U-P precipitates, realizing the transformation and immobilization of uranium from a transferable phase to a stable phase. The experimental findings could provide theoretical evidence for uranium immobilization in uranium-contaminated groundwater sediment.
Classification of n × (n − 1) Incidence Matrices of Gracefully Labeled Simple Graphs
Authors: Dagal Keneth Adrian , Hugo Kristoffer Karan
Published: January 2024

This paper presents the distribution of simple graphs with $n$ vertices and $n-1$ edges that admit graceful labeling. This is achieved through a classification table, which considers the graph's diameter (or longest cycle) and the number of isolated vertices. We determine the degree sequences by utilizing the incidence matrices of the labeled graphs mentioned above and subsequently arrange the collection on this classification table. Using the table, we investigate the impact of degree sequences on the diameter (or the longest cycle) value and the existence of isolated vertices.
Disposal of grass clippings from sports turfs - effect of fertilization on gaseous emissions and pollution in leachate
Authors: Sobol Łukasz , Koziel Jacek A. , Stegenta-Dąbrowska Sylwia
Published: January 2024

Abstract:
Mowing sports turfs and grass surfaces generates waste biomass in the form of grass clippings. Biomass composting is commonly practiced generating nutrient-rich soil amendments. However, decomposing biomass can have adverse environmental effects such as gaseous emissions and nutrient leaching. This research investigated: (1) the kinetics of CO, CO2, and O2 emissions during the decomposition of grass clippings, (2) the leaching potential of organic and nitrogen compounds in the initially decomposed grass clippings. Grass clippings from the mowing of four football fields with different levels of nitrogen fertilization and agrotechnical treatments were studied over three periods characteristic of the league season. The results showed that grass clippings from sports turfs can generate up to 5 times more CO emissions compared to previous research. CO2 production and O2 consumption were relatively similar for all seasons, except for clippings from the unfertilized pitch. No significant differences in gaseous emissions were observed between variants with different levels of nitrogen fertilization and season, which can probably be explained by using turf pesticides, widely known as substances that strongly affect microbes growing in the soil. Clippings from low-fertilized or non-fertilized grass were more likely to have a higher leachability potential. Results confirm that the proper timing of fertilization and irrigation during the growing season can limit and control leaching from grass clippings.
Horto-Taxonomical studies on Bougainvillea: Pollen grain characters
Authors: Datta Subodh Kumar , Datta Kalyani
Published: January 2024

Horto-taxonomical characterization of Bougainvillea is most important for the correct identification of cultivars and Plant Variety Rights (PVR). Different parameters have already been standardized for characterization. In Bougainvillea, there is always the development of new and novel varieties through classical breeding, sports, selection, and induced mutagenesis. The new varieties differ from the original variety mostly in one promising character for commercial utilization. All these factors have led to a lot of confusion in the identification of these cultivars. Many times the same cultivar has been differently named at different places and in some cases even the same name has been given to cultivars of different origins. This study aims to verify the taxonomic usefulness of the pollen grain morphological characters at a variety level. 83 cultivars were selected and pollen morphological characters were investigated and found a wide range of variations in pollen grain ornamentations at the variety level. The structural diversity in pollen structure within the varieties is recommended as an important tool in addition to other techniques for the identification and classification of the varieties.
GLAE: Global-local Feature Autoencoder for Image Logical Anomaly Detection
Authors: Peng jianjie , Ye Junyong , Zhuang Jiafeng , Li Yuan , Zhang Hubin
Published: January 2024

Self-supervised anomaly detection in industrial images holds significant practical value. While existing anomaly detection models excel in numerous public benchmarks, their substantial computational complexity and inability to detect logical anomalies hinder their widespread practical application. To address this issue, we proposes a global-local feature autoencoder (GLAE) for anomaly detection, which can be seamlessly integrated into the lightweight student-teacher (S-T) framework in parallel. GLAE uses a novel global feature extractor as the encoder (GFencoder), comprising solely of simple convolutions. This significantly reduces the computational cost while effectively capturing the global semantic information of the image, enabling the completion of global-local information reconstruction for the image. During the training stage, the student and GLAE were exclusively trained on normal samples, and they were unable to accurately capture the local or global features of abnormal samples during testing. By computing the feature distance between the teacher, student, and autoencoder, the local and global anomalies of the image were determined. We evaluated our method using three industrial anomaly detection dataset collections, and GLAE demonstrated state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance in image-level logical anomaly detection, efficiently handling anomalies with less than 7 ms latency on an NVIDIA RTX 3090 GPU. This establishes it as a cost-effective solution applicable in industrial scenarios, and it introduces a new approach for utilizing convolution to extract global features from images.
A New Dataset for Video-based Cow Behavior Recognition
Authors: Li Kuo , Fan Daoerji , Wu Huijuan , Zhao Aruna
Published: January 2024

A new video based multi behavior dataset for cows, CBVD-5, is introduced in this paper.The dataset consists of ranch monitoring footage collected by 7 cameras, including 687 video segment samples and 206100 image samples, covering five daily behaviors of cows. These behaviors were selected because of the need for ranch farming. The video collection is completed by a fixed camera installed by oneself, ensuring that the monitoring coverage of the ranch is not affected by blind spots.The annotation coordinates and category labels of each individual cow in the image, as well as the generated configuration file, are also saved in the dataset. With this dataset,we propose a slowfast cow multi behavior recognition model based on video sequences as the baseline evaluation model.The experimental results show that the model can effectively learn corresponding category labels from the behavior type data of the dataset, with an error rate of 21.28\% on the test set. The dataset will be made freely available to researchers world-wide. In addition to cow behavior recognition, the dataset can also be used for cow target detection, and so on.
Unveiling the Adaptive Reading Strategy Framework: A Grounded Theory Exploration
Authors: Wudneh Asalefew , Woemego Elias
Published: January 2024

This study utilized a Grounded Theory approach to explore reading strategies employed by EFL participants in various reading tasks. The research design involved the use of reading tasks, think-aloud protocols, and note-taking as data sources. The collected data underwent rigorous coding procedures, leading to the iterative data analysis process. Through this analysis, the study generated the "Adaptive Reading Strategy Framework," which encompasses strategies aimed at enhancing reading efficiency, metacognitive awareness, comprehension, and strategic reading. The framework emphasizes the deliberate selection and adaptation of specific techniques based on individual strengths and weaknesses. The research findings shed light on the intentional utilization of reading strategies and their impact on cognitive flexibility. By actively engaging in metacognitive processes and employing diverse reading strategies, learners can optimize their reading outcomes across different contexts. The Adaptive Reading Strategy Framework contributes to the understanding of effective reading practices and provides guidance for educators and learners seeking to improve reading proficiency.
METTL3 Deficiency Aggravates Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Mice by Activating the MAPK Signaling Pathway
Authors: Gao yang , Wang Min , Qin Renyi , Zhao Chunle , Gong Jun
Published: January 2024

Inflammatory responses, apoptosis, and oxidative stress, are key factors that contribute to hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, which may lead to the failure of liver surgeries, such as hepatectomy and liver transplantation. The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has been implicated in multiple biological processes, and its specific role and mechanism in hepatic I/R injury require further investigation. This study focused on the role of RNA methylase METTL3 in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury. Dot blotting analysis was used to profile m6A levels in liver tissues at different reperfusion time points in hepatic I/R mouse models. Hepatocyte-specific METTL3 knockdown (HKD) mice were used to determine the function of METTL3 during hepatic I/R. RNA sequencing and western blotting were performed to assess the potential signaling pathways involved with the deficiency of METTL3. Finally, AAV8-TBG-METTL3 was injected through the tail vein to further elucidate the role of METTL3 in hepatic I/R injury. We found that the m6A modification levels and the expression of METTL3 were upregulated in mouse livers during hepatic I/R injury. METTL3 deficiency led to an exacerbated inflammatory response and increased cell death during hepatic I/R, whereas overexpression of METTL3 reduced the extent of liver injury. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the MAPK pathway was significantly enriched in the livers of METTL3-deficient mice. METTL3 protected the liver from I/R injury, possibly by inhibiting the phosphorylation of JNK and ERK, but not P38.
The Credit Card Debt Puzzle: New Facts and Theory
Authors: Aubyn Carolyn St
Published: January 2024

Simultaneously holding liquid assets and credit card debt is known as the credit card debt, or co-holding, puzzle. Around 45% of households in the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics (2010-2014) fall into this category. I revisit the puzzle from the perspective of the degree of co-holding and show around 40% of co-holders hold between 2 and 200 times more liquid assets than credit card debt. This new fact has implications for co-holding explanations based on liquidity. I propose an alternative explanation in which consumers value money and thus dislike making payments. This explanation has applications to a range of consumer choices, such as Buy Now Pay Later and the credit card premium.
JEL Classifications: D11, D12, D14, G51
Decision Procedure for Temporal Logic Using Cyclic Sequent Calculi
Authors: Alonderis R. , e A. Pliuškevičien˙ , Giedra H.
Published: January 2024

In this paper we continue our earlier investigation into backward proof-search of se-quents of propositional linear discrete tense logic with the unary temporal operators using loop-type sequent calculi. The present paper deals with loop checking in backward proof-search. Backward proof-search is inefficient if loop checks are performed every time a next sequent is obtained. We show that loop checks can be restricted to certain paths of backward proof-search trees, or sometimes omitted altogether. Moreover, some more efficient techniques can be used instead of a comparison of sequents in loop checking. For example, we show that an occurrence of a sequent of a certain form or a rule application in a path in a backward proof-search tree indicates that there are no derivation loops in this path. Also an occurrence of a formula of certain type in the terminal sequent of a derivation loop allows us to determine the type of this derivation loop, no further examination of the loop is needed. In general, we consider techniques that allow us to reduce global condition checks during backward proof-search. Using results obtained in the present paper and in our earlier works, we give a rather detailed description of a decision procedure for sequents of the logic under consideration.
Application of Convolutional Neural Networks for Windthrow and Windbreak Timber Volume Estimation in the Stare Jabłonki Forest District
Authors: Mielczarek Dominik , Najman Krzysztof
Published: January 2024

Over the past decade, the number of recorded tornadoes in Poland has been increasing. Catastrophic phenomena are becoming cyclical in nature. The rising incidence of extreme weather events is believed to be attributable to climate change. Hurricane damage poses challenges for forest managers, as uprooted trees block forest access roads, while unlocalized ones lose their industrial usefulness. Prompt acquisition of information on the scale of damage facilitates precise planning of hurricane recovery work. The aim of the study entails an attempt to estimate the volume of timber, based on selected artificial intelligence methods. The topic of harvested timber volume estimation has been inspired by the growing number of hurricane disasters in Poland. The study propounds a method based on a UAV campaign of aerial imaging, involving the use of post-wind damage data. Owing to its low complexity, the proposed method allows for prompt delivery of a complete set of information.
Augmenting Heat Transfer of Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger – A Cfd Analysis Approach
Authors: Duraisamy Jagadeesh , Mahendaran Vivekanandan , Nallasivam Kawin
Published: January 2024

A shell and tube heat exchanger journal that has undergone experimental analysis is used as a guide. There are four different segmental baffle layouts employed in the referred journal. The four types of baffle layouts are flower segmental baffle (FSB), hybrid segmental baffle (HSB), staggered single segmental baffle (SSSB), and conventional single segmental baffle (CSSB). STHX using CSSB by itself was examined in this paper. Since heat transmission is the foundation for the shell and tube heat exchanger's (STHX) performance. We added twisted tape inside the tube and used helical baffles in place of the traditional baffles to improve it. In this research, four varieties of STHX have been constructed and simulated. The STHX with helical baffle, STHX with helical baffle and twisted tape, and STHX with CSSB and twisted tape are the four variants. For the chosen shell and tube heat exchanger, theoretical calculations are performed, and the outcomes are compared with the experimental journal. The STHX was created and simulated in the HTRI Xchanger suite using the theoretically derived value. The STHXs are created and put together in SolidWorks, and then the file is exported to FLO EFD for CFD analysis.Four STHX configurations' simulation results were compared, and it was found that the new configurations—STHX with helical baffle, STHX with twisted tape, and STHX with CSSB and twisted tape—had a noticeably better heat transfer enhancement. For every test situation, STHX with a helical baffle and twisted tape arrangement had a greater impact on improving heat exchanger performance than the other configurations.
Genome wide identification of bromelain-like cysteine proteases in Puya raimondii
Authors: Castro-Cabrera Inelvis , Torre Martha Hernádez de la , Chandía Daniela Romero , Leone Jorge Dagnino , Reyes Marta Fernández
Published: January 2024

Bromelains are cysteine proteases of the papain family (C1A subfamily). These enzymes are of great commercial value due to their applications in the food, pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. In plants, they play an important role in multiple physiological processes from germination to senescence, mainly in the defense of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, we used available data from the P. raimondii genome (Bioproject PRJNA639677) to identify genes encoding bromelain-type proteases. Six bromelain-like nucleotide sequences are postulated in P. raimondii draft genome. Hormone, stress and light responsive elements in the PrBLCPs sequences were detected. The theoretical molecular weights of the proteins putatives PrBLCPs in P. raimondii range from 36643.21-45761.20 Da and theoretical isoelectric point 5.05 to 8.63. Multiple primary sequence alignments and structural model prediction demonstrate that P. raimondii putative proteases are very similar to A. comosus fruit bromelain (O23791) recognized in the SwissProt/Uniprot database. Phylogenetic relationships between the bromelain-like putative cysteine proteases of P. raimondii and the bromelain proteases of A. comosus placed the PrBLCPs in two subclades, although with very short phylogenetic distances between them. The results of this study provide valuable information for future genomic studies of bromelain family genes in the genus Puya. In addition, it aids in the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of these proteases and their roles in plant stress tolerance.
Medical Record Level-Evaluation of Impact of Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Outcomes at Children's Hospital Colorado
Authors: Pool Alexandra , Kuna Elizabeth Molina , Anderson-Mellies Amy , Kreis Alexandra , Marable Marcus , Fraley Claire , Pacheco Daniel , Green Adam L.
Published: January 2024

Purpose
A medical record-level cohort study to investigate demographic and socioeconomic factors influencing treatment, timing of care, and survival outcomes in pediatric patients diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumors.
Methods
Using electronic health records of patients at Children's Hospital Colorado from 1986–2020, we identified 898 patients treated for CNS tumors. The primary outcomes of interest were 5-year survival, timing of diagnosis, and treatment. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox regression were used to identify covariates associated with our outcomes of interest.
Results
We found that age, race, tumor type, diagnosis year, and social concerns influenced receipt and timing of treatment. Age, race, patient rural vs. urban residence, and tumor impacted survival outcomes. Time to presentation and treatment were significantly different between White and minority patients. American Indian/Alaska Native and Black patients were less likely to receive chemo compared to White patients (OR 0.28, 0.93 p = 0.037, < 0.001). Patients with 3 + social concerns were more likely to survive after 5 years than children with no or unknown social concerns (OR 1.84, p = 0.011). However, with an adjusted hazards ratio, children with 2 social concerns were less likely to survive to 5 years than children with no or unknown concerns (OR 0.58, p = 0.066).
Conclusions
Demographic and socioeconomic factors influence timing of care and survival outcomes in pediatric patients with CNS tumors. Minority status, age, social factors, rural, and urban patients experience differences in care. This emphasizes the importance of considering these factors and addressing disparities to achieve equitable care.
Secure Quantum Circuit Compilation Methodology for Untrusted Compilers
Authors: Das Subrata , Ghosh Swaroop
Published: January 2024

The success of quantum circuits in providing reliable outcomes for a given problem depends on the gate count and depth in near-term noisy quantum computers. A circuit (that implements a given function) with a low gate count and short depth is more likely to give a correct solution than the circuit variant with a higher gate count and depth. As such, quantum circuit compilers that decompose high-level gates to native gates of the hardware and optimize the circuit play a key role in quantum computing. However, the quality and time complexity of the optimization process can vary significantly especially for practically relevant large-scale quantum circuits. As a result, third-party (often less-trusted/untrusted/unreliable) compilers have emerged, claiming to provide better and faster optimization of complex quantum circuits than so-called trusted compilers. However, untrusted compilers, with their varying adversarial motives ranging from semi-honest to malicious can pose severe security risks such as the theft of sensitive intellectual property (IP) embedded within the quantum circuit. We propose an obfuscation technique for quantum circuits using randomized reversible gates to protect them from such attacks during compilation. The idea is to insert a small random circuit into the original circuit and send it to the untrusted compiler. Since the circuit function is corrupted, the adversary (i.e., an untrusted compiler) may get incorrect IP. However, the user may also get incorrect output post-compilation (even though highly optimized). To circumvent this issue, we concatenate the inverse of the random circuit in the compiled circuit to recover the original functionality. We demonstrate the practicality of our method by conducting exhaustive experiments on a set of benchmark circuits and measuring the quality of obfuscation by calculating the Total Variation Distance (TVD) and Degree of Functional Corruption (DFC) metrics. Our method achieves TVD of up to 1.92, indicating substantial functional corruption, and performs at least 2x better than a previously reported obfuscation method. We also attained a DFC as low as -0.75, approaching the -1 score that represents maximal functional corruption, further ensuring the robustness of our proposed method against IP theft. We also propose a novel adversarial reverse engineering (RE) approach to extract the IP and show that the proposed obfuscation is resilient against RE attacks. The proposed technique introduces minimal degradation in fidelity ( ~ 1% to ~ 3% on average).
Application of Light Image Enhancement Based on Multimode Image Fusion in Sculpture Virtual Design Visualization System
Authors: Zhang Rongxue , Wang Hongjiang
Published: January 2024

In the field of virtual sculpture design, although there are some 3D production software with free form functions, their operation methods differ greatly from the habits of professional sculptors. Therefore, this article proposes a sculpture virtual design visualization system based on multimodal image fusion to address the limitations of traditional sculpture design methods, improve design efficiency and quality. This article collects multimodal image data of real sculptures, analyzes and processes these data using computer vision and image processing techniques, and extracts key features. Using image fusion technology to fuse multiple image features into a comprehensive design image. Finally, the design images are presented to designers and users through virtual reality technology, achieving visualization of sculpture design. Through experimental verification, this system can effectively fuse multimodal images and generate realistic and detailed sculpture design images. The system also provides an interactive operation interface, allowing designers and users to freely manipulate and observe sculpture design through the controller, providing designers and users with a more intuitive and comprehensive visual experience.
Loss of septal cholinergic input to lateral entorhinal cortex is an early indicator of cognitive impairment
Authors: Ananth Mala R. , Gardus John D. , Huang Chuan , Palekar Nikhil , Slifstein Mark , Zaborszky Laszlo , Parsey Ramin V. , Talmage David A. , DeLorenzo Christine , Role Lorna W.
Published: January 2024

Although alterations to central cholinergic signaling are characteristic of late-stage cognitive deficits, the early temporal profile of these alterations and their relationship to more subtle changes in cognition are less clear. In a series of translational experiments in humans and mice, we evaluated whether changes to the cholinergic system were an early feature of pathological aging. Additional studies in mice assessed the effects of selective perturbations of cholinergic signaling on cognitive performance. We focus on the cholinergic innervation of the entorhinal cortex (EC), a region that is recognized to be susceptible early in aging and neurodegenerative disease. In human studies we recruited older adult volunteers that were physically healthy and without clinical diagnosis of cognitive impairment. Participants were divided based on their cognitive status during the intake session. Using positron emission tomography (PET) with a tracer specific for the vesicular acetylcholine transporter ([18F]VAT) we demonstrate that loss of cholinergic input to the EC is an early occurrence in cognitive impairment. These deficits are specific to the cholinergic circuit between the medial septum and vertical limb of the diagonal band (MS/vDB; CH1/2) to the EC. We further demonstrate impaired structural connectivity in the tracts between the MS/vDB and EC in cognitively impaired, older adults. Mouse experiments, designed to parallel the human studies, used high resolution terminal field imaging to compare normal aged mice with a genetically modified line with accumulation of amyloid beta plaques and spontaneous hyperphosphorylation of mouse tau. Across species we find that the integrity of cholinergic projections to the EC directly correlates with performance in EC-related object recognition memory tasks. We further establish the role of the MS/vDB regions of the cholinergic basal forebrain in object location memory by demonstrating that silencing EC-projecting cholinergic neurons in normal animals is sufficient to impair object recognition performance. Taken together we identify a role for acetylcholine in normal EC function and establish loss of cholinergic input to the EC as an early, conserved feature in age-related cognitive decline.
Operation of a solar power plant with dual-axis solar tracker
Authors: Mitrofanov S. V. , Baykasenov D. K.
Published: January 2024

The paper evaluates the generation of electrical energy by a solar power plant equipped with a solar tracking system using the ASHRAE clear-sky method for calculating solar insolation. The mathematical algorithm uses the MathCad system with data export and analysis in Microsoft Excel. Collected over a month and the operation period in 2022–2023, data on electricity generation by solar stations characterised by an optimal constant angle of inclination of the solar panel and equipped with a solar tracking system were used. By taking into account the varying ambient temperature, dust content, and solar transmission by the solar panel coating, the given algorithm allowed electricity generation by a solar panel to be forecasted with an average absolute error ranging from 0.22 to 9.8. To determine solar insolation for a specific day and the geographical coordinates of the intended construction site of a solar power plant, a mathematical model was developed using MathCad software. The experimental and computational studies carried out on selected clear days, accounting for varying weather conditions, demonstrated the adequacy of this method and its applicability for forecasting electricity generation with different inclination angles of a solar panel. It was established that a solar power plant with a solar tracking system generated 37% more electricity per year than that with fixed solar panels. The ASHRAE Clear-Sky method for calculating solar insolation allows the amount of electricity generated for a specific region to be estimated with minimal input data. Further research will focus on defining and improving methods for forecasting electricity generation by a solar power plant on overcast days.
Geometallurgy: Present and Future
Authors: Frenzel Max , Baumgartner Regina , Tolosana-Delgado Raimon , Gutzmer Jens
Published: January 2024

Geometallurgy is an interdisciplinary research field concerned with the planning, monitoring, and optimisation of mineral resource extraction and beneficiation. Geometallurgy relies on a quantitative understanding of primary resource characteristics such as mineralogical composition and texture, the spatial distribution and variability of these characteristics, and how they interact with mining and beneficiation processes. Thus, geometallurgy requires accurate analytical data for resource characterisation and detailed models of orebody geology, mining and processing technologies, mineral economics, and the often-complex interactions between them. Here, we introduce the fundamental concepts relevant to the field, with particular emphasis on the current state-of-the-art and some notes on potential future developments.
Action Versus Reaction: How Geometallurgy Can Improve Mine Waste Management Across the Life-Of-Mine
Authors: Parbhakar-Fox Anita , Baumgartner Regina
Published: January 2024

The raw materials industry produces billions of tonnes of mine waste per year. Given increasing metal demand and the global appetite for waste reduction, strategic opportunities to minimise its production must be embedded across the life-of-mine. Adopting a geometallurgical approach to total deposit characterisation—where mineralogical and geochemical data are routinely collected and used to model geoenvironmental domains—offers profound benefits for improving the understanding of the composition and environmental impact of different residues. Using established and emerging technologies, from handheld instruments and core scanners to synchrotrons, throughout a mine’s life—starting already during exploration—may assist the raw materials industry to reduce their waste footprint and adopt circular economy principles.
Uncertainty and Value: Optimising Geometallurgical Performance Along the Mining Value Chain
Authors: Ortiz Julian M. , Avalos Sebastian , Riquelme Alvaro I. , Leuangthong Oy , Madani Nasser , Frenzel Max
Published: January 2024

To maximise the value of a mining operation and minimise its environmental and social impacts, all processes—from the ore deposit to the final product and waste streams—should be optimised together. However, mining and metallurgical processes are inherently variable and uncertain due to the natural heterogeneity of ore deposits and the limited information and incomplete models available on ore behaviour throughout the process chain. Propagating these effects to geometallurgical models is important because they are used to make decisions with potentially large environmental and economic impacts. In this paper, we describe the need for geometallurgical optimisation routines to account for the effects of uncertainties, and the tools needed to manage them, by summarising the routines that already exist and those that are still missing.
DC/DC converter in the electric vehicle traction system
Authors: Ivanov M. D. , Khazieva R. T.
Published: January 2024

DC-DC converters are used in various electrical devices including the traction system of electric vehicles. Electric vehicles use synchronous motors with permanent magnets as drives. Their distinctive feature is the nonlinear dependence of the electromagnetic torque of the motor on its input voltage. One of the ways to improve the energy characteristics of an electric vehicle is to include a DC-DC converter in the engine power supply circuit. The study has examined the main types of DC-DC converters, studied their advantages and disadvantages; a method has been determined to increase the energy efficiency of an electric vehicle by using a multi-channel DC-DC converter as part of its power circuit. This structure makes it possible to reduce the requirements for individual power switches and converter elements, and is also optimal from the point of view of weight and size indicators, since converters of this type do not have a transformer. Based on the review, a multichannel DC-DC converter circuit has been selected for integration into the traction electric drive system. The Tesla Model S has been chosen as the base vehicle. Based on the calculated dynamic characteristics of the electric vehicle, main parameters of the DC-DC converter have been determined, computer simulation of the power plant of an electric vehicle with a DC-DC converter has been carried out in the Matlab Simulink software environment. The use of the converter improves the energy efficiency of vehicles, and is also a better solution compared to installing a battery with a higher voltage.
A Study on the View of Tea Peole’s Personality Inherent
Authors:   Association for International Tea Culture, Choi Hye-gyeong
Published: January 2024

In history, tea life of tea people who enjoyed tea had the personality view that pursued their own mental value and life orientation. Through tea life, they reflected on their personality, cultivated their personality, communicated with others and considered philosophical meaning to enhance their own inner value. Therefore, this study speculated on the personality view of tea people who represented themselves through tea life, focusing on the personality view cultivated through the following sages’ theories: Hanjae who considered tea as a medium of personality building, Dasan who showed the field of communication to form personal relationships and Choeuisunsa who practiced fairness in the state of Zen equated with tea.
A Consideration on Emotional Value Contributing to Increased Consumption of Leaf Tea in Japan
Authors:   Association for International Tea Culture, Tsukui Inao , Tamura Yoshihiro , Funahashi Toyoko
Published: January 2024

Various trends can be observed in the production, distribution, and consumption of green tea in Japan, but the biggest feature is the decrease in consumption of leaf tea. According to Iwasaki (2008), it is important to emphasize consumers' “Emotional Value” in order to increase leaf tea consumption.
In this research, as an example of “Enhancement of Emotional Value” by university education we introduce the course “Practical Business Management in the Local Community” of the Faculty of Business Administration, Nagasaki Prefectural University. Next, we consider the impact of this activity on tea-producing regions and consumers, including students.
By taking the course, the students became interested in tea and its production areas, which they had never been interested in before. Therefore, students who wanted to share that feeling with many people planned an event and were able to involve local people.
This case study demonstrates the potential for engagement through education
Unraveling behavioral biases in decision making: A study of Nepalese investors
Authors: Gurung Rajesh , Kumar Dahal Rewan , Ghimire Binod , Koirala Nischal
Published: January 2024

The Nepalese stock market has experienced substantial transformations in recent years. Research on investors’ herding behavior is of paramount importance since it explores the influence of collective choices made by investors, which could result in intensified market price fluctuations. This study examined the influence of behavioral biases on investment decisions among Nepalese investors – general individuals who actively participate in the country’s stock market, considering overconfidence, representative, anchoring, regret aversion, and herding biases as explanatory variables, with investment decisions as the response variable. The study employed a linear regression model, establishing relationships using a structured questionnaire with 379 observations. The study revealed the significant influence of overconfidence, anchoring, and regret aversion biases on investment decisions among Nepalese investors. Conversely, the influence of representative bias had a little impact on investment choices, and herding behavior showed no significant relationship with investment decisions. Hence, it suggests that behavioral biases have a greater impact on individual investment choices in the Nepalese financial market. It is essential for investors, advisers, and policymakers to be aware of and address these biases to make well-informed decisions, maintain financial stability, and foster market development.
In silico and in vitro Studies Evaluating the Promising Antiureolytic Activity of Schiff’s Base 4-(3-Hydroxybenzylideneamino)phenol and Its Amine Derivative
Authors: Dohanik Caroline , Pereira Camila , de Oliveira Breno , Nascimento Igor , Nascimento Amanda Luise , Santos Josué , de Aquino Thiago , Castilho Rachel , Modolo Luzia , de Fátima Ângelo , Goulart Gisele
Published: January 2024

Urea is the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer worldwide. However, ammonia volatilization, resulting from applying urea to the soil surface, causes economic and environmental losses; thus, urease inhibitors have been developed to mitigate these losses. In this work, the anti-ureolytic activity of Schiff’s base 4-(3-hydroxybenzylideneamino) phenol (3B4) and its amine-derived (3B4a) was evaluated. The most promising urease inhibitor in soil was 3B4 (55.0 ± 3.9% inhibition), with comparable results to N-(butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (p = 0.659). In the in vitro analysis (Canavalia ensiformis), the results of anti-ureolytic activity were similar, 22.6 ± 6.9% for 3B4 and 24.2 ± 9.6% for 3B4a. Biophysical interaction studies were also carried out through molecular docking studies and molecular fluorescence spectroscopy. These studies showed that both substances are preferentially competitive inhibitors, with the interaction between 3B4a and urease forming a more stable complex. In the analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, no interaction was observed when 3B4 or 3B4a was mixed with urea (1:1) for 48 h, providing evidence of compatibility. Thus, the Schiff base 3B4 and its corresponding amine 3B4a may represent potential additives for urea fertilization aiming to assist in the urease inhibition process.
Development in desalination and wastewater treatment: state of the art challenges, role of solar energy, and recommendations
Authors: Khan Mohd Shariq , Ansari Khursheed B. , Fatima Atiya , Mesfer Mohammad K. Al , Danish Mohd , Tawfik Ahmed , Maheshwari Utkarsh
Published: January 2024

Water purification is crucial to ensure the availability of safe and clean water for protecting human health and helping in a sustainable environment. This review explicitly provides an overview of the major developments related to seawater desalination and wastewater treatments as a unit. Anticipating these traditional independent facilities will operate together in the future mainly for economic benefits. The advances in seawater desalination are primarily focused on the production of membranes using different types of nanoparticles (CeO2, UiO-66, CS-NPs) and carboxylated multi-walled CNTs into a polyamide that provides high salt rejection (as high as 90%) with excellent selectivity and permeability. Further, the use of nanoporous reduced graphene oxide (rGO) membranes provided 27.7–62.6% desalination rates and up to 96.8% salt rejection, along with protection against membrane fouling. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) showed excellent rejection of divalent ions during desalination. It is anticipated that the use of solar energy for membrane and thermal desalination may be promising since it reduces the reliance on fossil energy and significantly minimizes greenhouse gas emissions (up to 94%). Solar energy can integrate with the reverse osmosis (RO) process bearing the cost of energy-intensive compressors, making the RO economically attractive.
Environmental Risk Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A
Narrative Review
Authors: Yenkoyan Konstantin , Mkhitaryan Meri , Bjørklund Geir
Published: January 2024

Existing evidence indicates that environmental factors might contribute up to
50% of the variance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk. This structured narrative review
offers a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge on environmental risk factors
in ASD, including evaluation of conflicting evidence, exploration of underlying
mechanisms, and suggestions for future research directions. Analysis of diverse epidemiological
investigations indicates that certain environmental factors, including advanced
parental age, preterm birth, delivery complications, and exposure to toxic metals, drugs,
air pollutants, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, are linked to an increased ASD risk
through various mechanisms such as oxidative stress, inflammation, hypoxia, and its
consequences, changes in neurotransmitters, disruption of signaling pathways and some
others. On the other hand, pregnancy-related factors such as maternal diabetes, maternal
obesity, and caesarian section show a weaker association with ASD risk. At the same
time, other environmental factors, such as vaccination, maternal smoking, or alcohol consumption,
are not linked to the risk of ASD. Regarding nutritional elements data are inconclusive.
These findings highlight the significance of environmental factors in ASD
etiology and emphasize that more focused research is needed to target the risk factors of
ASD. Environmental interventions targeting modifiable risk factors might offer promising
avenues for ASD prevention and treatment.
The Role of Sgt1 in Methamphetamine/Hyperthermia-induced Necroptosis
Authors: Lu Shuang , Wang Lewen , Liao Lvshuang , Niu Shuliang , Xiong Kun , Yan Jie , Yan Weitao
Published: January 2024

Introduction:

Methamphetamine (METH) is a synthetic drug widely abused
globally and can result in hyperthermia (HT) and psychiatric symptoms. Our previous
studies showed that heat shock protein 90 alpha (HSP90α) plays a vital role in
METH/HT-elicited neuronal necroptosis; however, the detailed mechanism of HSP90α
regulation remained obscure.

Methods:

Herein, we demonstrated a function of the suppressor of G-two allele of SKP1
(Sgt1) in METH/HT-induced necroptosis. Sgt1 was mainly expressed in neurons, co-located
with HSP90α, and increased in rat striatum after METH treatment. METH/HT injury
triggered necroptosis and increased Sgt1 expression in PC-12 cells.

Results:

Data from computer simulations indicated that Sgt1 might interact with
HSP90α. Geldanamycin (GA), the specific inhibitor of HSP90α, attenuated the interaction
between Sgt1 and HSP90α. Knockdown of Sgt1 expression did not affect the expression
level of HSP90α. Still, it inhibited the expression of receptor-interacting protein 3
(RIP3), mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), p-RIP3, and p-MLKL, as
well as necroptosis induced by METH/HT injury.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Sgt1 may regulate the expression of RIP3, p-RIP3, MLKL,
and p-MLKL by assisting HSP90α in affecting the METH/HT-induced necroptotic cell
death.
Immunohistochemical Expression of the SERPINA3 Protein in Uterine
Fibroids
Authors: de Mezer Mateusz , Markowska Anna , Markowska Janina , Krzyżaniak Monika , Grabarek Beniamin Oskar , Pokusa Filip , Żurawski Jakub
Published: January 2024

Background:

SERPINA3 (α-1-antichymotrypsin, AACT, ACT) is produced by the
liver and released into plasma in an anti-inflammatory response and plays a role as a modulator
of extracellular matrix (ECM) by inhibiting serine proteases. Numerous studies proved an increased
level of SERPINA3 in many types of cancer, which could be linked to SERPINA3’s
anti-apoptotic function.

Aim:

In the context of progressive ECM fibrosis during the development of uterine fibroids,
which are one of the most common hypertrophic changes within the uterus, it is interesting to
describe the level of SERPINA3 protein in this type of lesion and the surrounding tissues.

Methods:

We used immunohistochemical staining of the SERPINA3 protein and compared the
intensity of the signal between the myoma tissue and the surrounding normal tissue.

Results:

We showed a surprising reduction in the amount of the SERPINA3 protein within uterine
fibroids compared to surrounding tissues.

Conclusion:

This observation sheds new light on the role of this protein in the formation of proliferative
changes and suggests that understanding the mechanism of its action may become the
basis for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
Amiodarone Advances the Apoptosis of Cardiomyocytes by Repressing Sigmar1 Expression and Blocking KCNH2-related Potassium Channels
Authors: Liang Huiqing , Li Huixian , Li Fangjiang , Xiong Xiaobo , Gao Yang
Published: January 2024

Background:

Heart failure (HF) is the ultimate transformation result of
various cardiovascular diseases. Mitochondria-mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis has
been uncovered to be associated with this disorder.

Objective:

This study mainly delves into the mechanism of the anti-arrhythmic drug
amiodarone on mitochondrial toxicity of cardiomyocytes.

Methods:

The viability of H9c2 cells treated with amiodarone at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 μM
was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)
assay, and Sigmar1 expression was examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRTPCR).
After transfection, the viability, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level,
mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and potassium voltage-gated channel
subfamily H member 2 (KCNH2) expression in H9c2 cells were assessed by MTT, flow
cytometry, ROS assay kit, mitochondria staining kit, and Western blot.

Results:

Amiodarone at 1-4 μM notably weakened H9c2 cell viability with IC50 value of
2.62 ± 0.43 μM. Amiodarone at 0.5-4 μM also evidently suppressed the Sigmar1 level
in H9c2 cells. Amiodarone repressed H9c2 cell viability and KCNH2 level and triggered
apoptosis, ROS production and mitochondrial depolarization, while Sigmar1 upregulation
reversed its effects. Moreover, KCNH2 silencing neutralized the effect of
Sigmar1 up-regulation on H9c2 cell viability, apoptosis, and ROS production.

Conclusion:

Amiodarone facilitates the apoptosis of H9c2 cells by restraining Sigmar1
expression and blocking KCNH2-related potassium channels.