A 2-month incubation study was carried out using two soil types to determine nitrogen mineralization of different inorganic-organic amendments. The following seven treatments (T) were established; T1 = control, T2 = 5 g of dry algae per kg of soil (100%DA), T3 = 136g of agri-mat per kg of soil (100%GA), T4 = 61 g of ground grass per kg of soil (100%GG), T5 = 2.5 g of dry algae + 2.5 g of nitrogen fertilizer (NF) per kg of soil (50%DA50NF), T6 = 50%GA50NF, T7 = 50%GG50NF. Three samples per treatment were drawn at 0, 3, 7, 15, 30, 45, and 60 days for mineral-N determination. A 2-month glasshouse experiment was established afterwards with the following five treatments: T1 = Control, T2 = 50%DA, T3 = 50%GA, T4 = 50%GG, and T5 = 100NF. The results indicated that nitrogen mineralization was significantly higher in organic-inorganic amendments compared to sole organic amendments. The percentage differences ranged from 157% to 195%. The 50%DA treatment increased spinach yield by 20.6% in sandy loam and 36.5% in loam soil. It is difficult to fully recommend the 50%DA treatment without field-scale evaluation, but it is a promising option to be considered.

The mechanism underlying microbiologically induced carbonate precipitation have not been thoroughly characterized, although numerous scholars and experts have specifically investigated questions regarding minerals induced by bacteria. The study of the precipitation of carbonate minerals induced by halophilic bacteria has aroused wide concern. The present study aimed to investigate the characterization and process of biomineralization in high salt systems by a halophilic bacterium, Chromohalobacter israelensis strain LD532 (GenBank: KX766026), which was isolated from the Yinjiashan Saltern in China. Carbonate minerals induced by LD532 were investigated in several sets of comparative experiments that employed magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride as Mg resources. Magnesium calcite and aragonite were induced by LD532 bacteria, whereas these minerals did not appear in the control group. The mineral phases, micromorphologies, and crystal structures were analysed using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray detection. The carbonic anhydrase and urease secreted by strain LD532 through metabolism increased the pH value of the liquid medium and promoted the process of carbonate precipitation. Further study using high resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray detection and analysis of ultrathin slices showed that the nucleation sites of carbonate minerals were located on extracellular polymeric substances and the membranes of intracellular vesicles of LD532 bacteria, which provided favourable conditions for the growth of carbonate mineral crystals. The morphologies and compositions of minerals formed in solutions of MgSO₄ and MgCl₂ display significant differences, indicating that different sources of Mg²⁺ may also affect the physiological and biochemical activities of microorganisms and thus mineral deposition. This study will be of some interest for the interpretation of carbonate biomineralization in natural salt environments and has some value as a reference in understanding sedimentary carbonates in ancient marine environments, such as tidal flats.

Visible-light photocatalysis, particularly in its application to organic synthesis, has experienced a big renaissance in the past decade. The rational design of new photocatalysts with designed and improved photocatalytic properties, that at the same time circumvents the necessity of using scarce and toxic transition metals, will predictably play a key role in photocatalysis in the next few years. Although free-base porphyrins were identified some years ago as a promising, easily accessible and easily tunable class of organic photoredox catalysts, a systematic study on the effect of the electronic nature and of the position of the substituents on both the ground-state and the excited-state redox potentials of these compounds is still lacking. We have prepared a set of known functionalized derivatives of meso-tetraphenyl porphyrin containing different substituents either in one of the meso-positions or at a beta-pyrrole carbon and we have determined their ground- and (singlet) excited-state redox potentials. This survey has led us to conclude that the introduction of a carbonyl group at the beta-pyrrolic position strongly increases the facility of the monoelectronic reduction of the porphyrin both in the ground state and in the singlet excited state. We have also prepared a second set of four previously unknown benzoyl derivatives of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin, and we have confirmed the validity of our conclusions.

To evaluate the nutrient load due to the grazing of laying hens in outdoor runs, soil characteristics were monitored in three Italian organic farms. For each farm, soil samples were taken from three increasing distances from the hen house and two depths and different chemical parameters were evaluated. The comparison among the results from the different distances shows that N-NO3 and Olsen P are the most affected parameters by hen faeces: both present high values with a statistically significant difference in the area close to the poultry house and for the most superficial layer. Even TKN and TOC show significant differences between the concentrations of the first layer (more concentrated) and those of the second layer (less concentrated). In general, the surface soil layer closest to the chicken house is the portion of the outdoor run most affected by chicken droppings and represents the most critical point in terms of potential environmental impact. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify the management of the outdoor run with tools that can facilitate the grazing of animals and with vegetation that can absorb nutrients by limiting leaching and run-off.

This article utilizes the Canny edge extraction algorithm based on contour curvature and the cross-correlation template matching algorithm to extensively study the impact of high-repetition-rate CO2 pulsed Laser on the target extraction and tracking performance of the infrared imaging detector. It establishes a quantified dazzling pattern for lasers on infrared imaging systems. By conducting laser dazzling and damage experiments, a detailed analysis of the normalized correlation between target and dazzling images is performed to quantitatively describe laser dazzling effects. Simultaneously, an evaluation system, including target distance and laser power evaluation factors, is established to determine the dazzling level and whether the target is recognizable. The research results reveal that laser power and target position are crucial factors affecting the detection performance of infrared imaging-guided weapon systems under laser dazzling. Different laser powers are required to successfully interfere with the recognition algorithm of infrared imaging-guided weapons at different distances. And laser dazzling will produce a lot of false edge information, which seriously affects the performance of pattern recognition algorithm. In laser damage experiments, the detector experienced functional damage, with a quarter of the image displaying as completely black. The energy density threshold required for functional damage to the detector is approximately 3 J/cm2. The dazzling assessment conclusions also apply to evaluating damage results. Finally, the proposed evaluation formula aligns with experimental results, objectively reflecting the actual impact of laser dazzling on the target extraction and tracking performance of infrared imaging systems. This study provides an in-depth and accurate analysis for understanding the influence of lasers on the performance of infrared imaging-guided weapons.

The effect of land use on sandy soils of southern Botswana was carried out by comparing the composition and properties of soil organic matter. Virgin and disturbed soils were sampled from savanna ecosystems (Central District and Kweneng District). The biodegradability of organic matter was evaluated by incubation in the laboratory. Humic fractions were quantified and humic acids were analyzed by visible and infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that continued disturbance, whether due to grazing or subsistence farming, has resulted in small significant changes in the concentration of available nutrients and organic matter in the soil. Nevertheless, substantial changes could be established in soil C/N ratio, humic acid/fulvic acid ratio and in the biodegradability of soil organic matter and the structural characteristics of humic acids. The increased aromaticity of humic acid (visible and IR spectroscopies) following disturbance, suggests increased biogeochemical activity and/or the impact of abiotic processes (such as periodic fires) selectively removing aliphatic constituents. The overall results indicate a low potential soil fertility, the sustainable preservation of which depending more on features related to quality than to the total amount of the soil organic matter, which shows considerable aromatization parallel to its degree of association with the mineral fraction.

The combination of organic matter, iron oxide, and clay minerals is of great significance for the adsorption of copper ions (Cu). The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics of Cu adsorption and laws governing Cu complexation to organic–inorganic, organic–clay mineral, and iron-oxide–clay mineral complexes in the sediments in the estuary of plateau fault and sinking lake——Dianchi Lake. In this study, Cu adsorption tests were performed on the three complexes, in order to study the kinetic behavior of adsorption, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used. The samples before and after adsorption were characterized via scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Our results show that, the Freundlich isotherm models model was able to describe adsorbent behavior in comparison to the Langmuir models. During the Cu adsorption process, the iron-oxide–clay mineral complex is able to adsorb Cu, via coordination exchange, through the –OH contained therein. Organic-matter–clay mineral complexes bonded to the surfaces of clay minerals by replacing the hydroxyl groups with functional groups (carboxyl groups or phenolic hydroxyl groups) contained in the organic matter. Organic–inorganic composites then adsorbed Cu through the coordination exchange of –OH in the polar functional groups of alcohols, phenols, and carboxylic acids. The adsorption capacity of Cu in these three sediment complexes was observed to have the following order: organic–inorganic complex > organic-matter–clay mineral complex > iron-oxide–clay mineral complex. The semi-quantitative analysis results of Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy show that the organic matter (changes in the peak area of functional groups such as carboxyl groups) in the organic-inorganic composite material has an important effect on the amount of copper ions adsorbed by clay minerals.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is essential for nutrient cycling and soil carbon (C) accumu-lation, both of which are heavily influenced by the quality and quantity of plant litter. Since SOM dynamics in relation to plant diversity are poorly understood we investigated the effects of willow variety and mixture, and site on the soil C stocks, SOM chemical composition and ther-mal stability. Using pyrolysis-field ionization mass spectrometry we analysed the top 10 cm of soil from two 7-year-old experimental sites in Germany and Sweden, with monocultures and mixtures of two willow varieties (Salix spp.) belonging to different species. Overall, site had the strongest effect on SOM quality. Results showed significant variability across sites for willow identity and mixture effects on C accumulation and SOM chemistry. In the German site (Ros-tock), yearly soil C accumulation was higher (p < 0.05) for variety ‘Loden’ (1.0 Mg C ha-1 year-1) compared to ‘Tora’ (0.5 Mg C ha-1 year-1), whilst in the Swedish site (Uppsala), both varieties ex-hibited similar soil C accumulation rates of around 0.6 Mg C ha-1 year-1. Willow variety identity significantly affected SOM quality at both sites, while mixing had minor effects. Our findings emphasize the significance of site-specific context and variety or species identity in shaping soil C accumulation in willow plantations.

Spectral characteristics of CDOM in water column are a key parameter for bio-optical modeling. Knowledge of CDOM optical properties and spatial discrepancy based on the relationship between water quality and spectral parameters in Yinma River watershed with in situ data collected highly-polluted waters are exhibited in this study. Seasonal field data sets collected over a period of 2 months in 2015 in Yinma River Watershed. Based on the comprehensive index method, the riverine waters showed serious contamination, especially the COD, Fe, Mn, Hg and DO were out of range contamination warning. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total suspended matter (TSM) with prominent non-homogenizing were significantly high in the riverine waters, but chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) was opposite. Ternary phase diagram showed that non-algal paritcles absorption played an important role in total non-water light absorption (>50%) in most sampling locations, and mean contribution of CDOM were 13% and 22% in summer and autumn respectively. Analysis of ratio of absorption at 250-365 nm (E_250:365) and spectral slope (S_275-295) indicated that CDOM had higher aromaticity and molecular weight in autumn than in summer, is consistent with the results of water quality and relative contribution. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the environmental variables OSM had a strong correlation with CDOM absorption, followed by heavy metal, e.g., Mn, Hg and Cr⁶⁺. However, for the specific UV absorbance (SUVA₂₅₄), the seasonal values showed opposite results compared with the reported literature. The potential reasons were the more UDOM (uncolored Dissolved Organic Matter) from human source (wastewater effluent) existed in waters. Terrigenous inputs simultaneously are in relation to the a_CDOM(440)-DOC relationship with the correlation coefficient was 0.90 in summer (2-tailed, p<0.01), and 0.58 in autumn (2-tailed, p<0.05). Spatial distribution of CDOM parameters exhibited that the downstream regions focused on dry land have high CDOM molecular weight and aromatic hydrocarbon. Partial sampling locations around the cities or countries generally showed abnormal values due to terrigenous inputs. As a bio-optical model parameter, spectral characteristic of CDOM is helpful in adjusting the derived algorithms in highly-polluted environments. The study on organic carbon and pollutants in highly-polluted waters had an important contribution to global carbon balance estimation and water environment protection.

Rising organic charge in northern freshwaters is attributed to increasing levels of Dissolved Natural Organic Matter (DNOM) and shifts in water chemistry. Organic charge concentration may be determined by charge balance calculations (Org.-) or modelled (OAN-) using the conceptual Oliver and Hruška models based on the density of weak acid functional sites (SD) present in DNOM. The charge density (CD) is governed by the SD and protonation and complexation reactions on the functional groups. The models use this SD as a key parameter in empirically fitting the model to Org.-. Utilizing extensive datasets of water chemistry, this study shows that spatial and temporal differences in SD and CD are influenced by variations in the humic-to-fulvic ratio of DNOM and the organic aluminum (Al) complexation, as well as the mole fraction of CD to SD governed by the acidity. Site median SD obtained for 44 long-term monitored acid-sensitive lakes was 11.1 and 13.9 µEq/mg C for the Oliver and the Hruška model, respectively. During the 34 years of monitoring the CD increased by 70%, likely due to rising pH and declining Al complexation with DNOM. Present-day median SD values for the Oliver and Hruška models in 16 low-order streams are 13.8 and 15.8 µEq/mg C, respectively, and 10.8 and 12.5 µEq/mg C, respectively, in 10 high order rivers.

ω-Transaminases have been immobilized on macrocellular silica monoliths and used as heterogeneous biocatalysts in a continuous flow mode enantioselective transamination reaction. The support was prepared by a sol-gel method based on emulsion templating. The enzyme was immobilized on the structured silica monoliths both by adsorption, and by covalent grafting using amino-functionalized silica monoliths and glutaraldehyde as a coupling agent. A simple reactor set-up based on the use of a heat-shrinkable Teflon tube is presented and successfully used for the continuous flow kinetic resolution of a chiral amine, 4-bromo-α-methylbenzylamine. The porous structure of the supports ensures effective mass transfer and the reactor works in the plug flow regime without preferential flow paths. When immobilized in the monolith and used in the flow reactor, transaminases retain their activity and their enantioselectivity. The solid biocatalyst is also shown to be stable both on stream and during storage. These essential features pave the way to the successful development of an environmentally friendly process for chiral amines production.

Biochars are often proposed as a strategy for long-term carbon sequestration. Nevertheless, application of pyrolysed feedstock, particularly along with exogenous organic matter, may affect carbon dynamics in soil through introduction of labile carbon pools and stimulation of extracellular enzymes activity. The main aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of biochars and unprocessed organic amendments addition in two agricultural soils on the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content and activity of three enzymes involved in carbon turnover. In the incubation experiment, activity of dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, cellulase and DOC content were measured on day 30, 60, 90, 180 and 360. Addition of biochars stimulated the activity of dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase, while cellulase was suppressed. Fresh biomass amendment enhanced activity of the enzymes through priming effect. DOC content tended to be the highest in treatments with high enzyme activity, suggesting that DOC introduced with amendments acted as a source of energy for microbes. Our findings support the hypothesis that biochar properties and presence of exogenous organic matter affect microbial response in soil, what might be crucial for carbon sequestration potential of biochar. However, long-term studies are recommended to fully understand the mechanisms that determine response of soil biota to biochar addition.

Reducing the hardness of hard water is of great concern nowadays due to some adverse effects on water pipes, boilers and soap consumption. Using the method of biomineralization to precipitate calcium and magnesium ions to become carbonate minerals was one of the most important innovations for reducing the hardness of hard water. The present study sought to explore the physical and chemical conditions of carbonates bio-precipitation and the potential use of Bacillus licheniformis SRB2 strain (GenBank: KM884945.1) isolated from sludge sample of Moshui River (Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China) in reducing the hardness of hard waters by the induction of carbonate minerals. In this study, B. licheniformis SRB2 strain was identified based on the morphological, biochemical and 16S rDNA gene sequence homology analysis. The carbonate minerals induced by B. licheniformis bacteria in the liquid culture medium with 3% NaCl and Mg/Ca molar ratio of 0, 6, 8, 10 and 12 were investigated. The culture medium was inoculated with the bacterial liquid seed was set as the experimental group and the other culture medium was inoculated with the same volume of distilled water was set as the control group. The mineral phases, micromorphologies, and crystal structures were analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray detector, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. The bacterial concentrations and pH values of the solution were measured by a spectrophotometer and a pH meter, respectively. The urease secreted by B. licheniformis SRB2 was found to greatly increase the pH values of the liquid medium, which favored the formation of calcium carbonate.As a result, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ ion concentrations decreased greatly due to the biomineralization of calcium carbonate and nesquehonite minerals in the presence of B. licheniformis SRB2 bacterium. There were only few calcium carbonates and no nesquehonite minerals in the control groups. It was also found that the minerals of nesquehonite induced by B. licheniformis SRB2 had a phenomenon of preferred orientation. What was more, even though Mg²⁺ ions inhibited the precipitation of Ca²⁺ ions, but under the action of B. licheniformis SRB2 bacteria, the inhibition effect was significantly declined. The bio-precipitation of calcium carbonate and nesquehonite minerals may represent a new method of pretreatment for the hardness reduction of hard water. The accomplished study is of certain interest for interpretation of the carbonates biomineralization in natural environment, and maybe also has a certain application value in the former processing of hard water

The study of biologically active substances from natural sources shows the prospect of obtaining a new type of antimicrobial agents, highly effective against pathogenic microorganisms and non-toxic to humans. Our study reveals for the first time that Cornu aspersum mucus has the potential to act as a source of antibacterial agents against bacterial pathogens such as Bacillus cereus 1085, Propionibacterium acnes 1897, Salmonella enterica 8691, Enterococcus faecalis 3915, and Enterococcus faecium 8754. Both mucus fractions with MW<20 kDa and MW>20 kDa showed antimicrobial activity and antioxidant properties that’s why they can be turned into an alternative agent to expensive synthetic antibacterial compounds. Using de novo sequencing 16 novel peptides with potential antibacterial activity were identified by in a fraction with MW<20 kDa. The results of electrophoretic and proteomic analysis of mucus fraction with MW >20 kDa presented proteins with potential antibacterial activity highly homologous to hemocyanins, mucus protein Aspernin, lectins, L-amino acid oxidase-like protein, and mucins (mucin-5AC, mucin-5B, mucin-2 and mucin-17). Thanks to the synergistic action of the bioactive components, the mucus fraction with MW > 20 kDa in low concentrations per 8–2 µg/mL showed promising antimicrobial activity against the tested bacteria, comparable to Vancomycin and without unwanted cytotoxic effects against non-target cells. Additionally, C. aspersum mucus fractions were found to have a positive effect on eukaryotic organisms by reducing the levels of intracellular oxidative damage and increasing the antioxidant capacity of the cell. These findings could serve as a basis for the development of a potent non-cytotoxic antibacterial agent to replace conventional antibiotics and avoid the development of antibiotic resistance.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is important for the global carbon cycle, and hyperspectral remote sensing has proven a promising method for fast SOM content estimation. However, soil physical properties significantly affect the sensitivity of satellite hyperspectral imaging to SOM, leading to poor generalization ability of the estimation model. This study aims to improve the spatiotemporal transferability of the SOM prediction model by alleviating the coupling effect of soil physical properties on the spectra. Based on satellite hyperspectral images and soil physical variables, including soil moisture (SM), soil surface roughness (root mean squared height, RMSH), and soil bulk weight (SBW), a soil spectral correction strategy was established based on the information unmixing method. Two important grain-producing areas in Northeast China were selected as study areas to verify the performance and transferability of the spectral correction model and SOM content prediction model. The results showed that soil spectral corrections based on fourth-order polynomials and the XG-Boost algorithm had excellent accuracy and generalization ability, with residual predictive deviations (RPD) exceeding 1.4 in almost all bands. In addition, when the soil spectral correction strategy was adopted, the accuracy of the SOM prediction model and the generalization ability after model migration were significantly improved. The SOM prediction accuracy based on the XG-Boost corrected spectrum was the highest, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.76, root mean square error (RMSE) of 5.74 g/kg, and RPD of 1.68. The prediction accuracy, R2, RMSE, and RPD of the model after migration were 0.72, 6.71 g/kg, and 1.53, respectively. Compared with the direct migration prediction of the model, adopting the soil spectral correction strategy based on fourth-order polynomials and XG-Boost reduced the RMSE of the SOM prediction results by 57.90% and 60.27%, respectively. The performance comparison highlighted the advantages of considering soil physical properties in regional-scale SOM prediction.

Using multi-color flow cytometry analysis, we studied the immunophenotypical differences between leukemic blasts/LSCs from patients with AML/MDS and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from patients in complete remission (CR) following their successful treatment. The panel of markers included CD34, CD38, CD45RA, CD123 as representatives for a hierarchical hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) classification as well as programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Rather than restricting the evaluation on a 2- or 3-dimensional analysis, we applied a t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) approach to get a deeper insight and segregation between leukemic and normal HPSCs. For that purpose, we created a t-SNE map, which resulted in the visualization of 27 cell clusters based on their similarity concerning the composition and intensity of antigen expression. Two of these clusters were “leukemia-related” containing a great proportion of CD34⁺/CD38^- hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) or CD34⁺ cells with a strong coexpression of CD45RA/CD123, respectively. CD34⁺ cells within the latter cluster were also highly positive for PD-L1 reflecting their immunosuppressive capacity. Beyond this proof of principle study, the inclusion of additional markers will be helpful to refine the differentiation between normal HSPCs and leukemic cells, particularly in the context of minimal disease detection and antigen-targeted therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, we suggest a protocol for the assignment of new cell ensembles in quantitative terms, via a numerical value, the Pearson coefficient, based on a similarity comparison of the t-SNE pattern with a reference.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization is closely related to carbon source or sink of terrestrial ecosystem. Understanding soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization under plum plantation is essential for improving our understanding of SOC responses to land-use change in karst rocky desertification ecosystem. In this study, 2-y, 5-y and 20-y plum plantations and adjacent woodland were sampled and a 90-day incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of plum plantation with different years on SOC mineralization in subtropical China. Results showed that: (1) there was no significant difference in SOC content between different planting years, but there were significant differences in accumulative SOC mineralization (C_t) and potential SOC mineralization (C₀); (2) the dynamics of the SOC mineralization was a good fit to a first-order kinetic model. Both C₀ and C_t in calcareous soil of this study was several to ten folds lower than that in other soils, indicating that SOC in karst region has higher stability. (3) Correlation analysis revealed that both C_t and C₀ was significantly correlated with soil calcium (Ca) and C/N, indicating the important role of Ca and C/N in SOC mineralization in karst rocky desertification area.

The cycling of soil phosphorus (P) is inherently linked with soil organic carbon-iron (C-Fe) cycling, yet empirical integration of these processes within paddy soils remains scarce. In this study, we conducted a microcosm experiment using paddy soils subjected to six distinct fertilization regimes involving varying P inputs for five years. In addition to evaluating P activation under reflooding conditions, we assessed the Fe reduction process and characterized the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the molecular level using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), alongside profiling the composition of soil microbial communities with high-throughput sequencing. Our findings revealed that after 25 days of reflooding, soil Olsen-P content increased by an average of 73% compared to its initial state, showing a strong correlation with the Fe reduction process. Specifically, treatments involving pig manure application exhibited higher Fe reduction rates and enhanced P activation, highlighting the role of organic matter in facilitating Fe reduction. Investigations on the relative abundance of typical iron-reducing microbes further supported their importance in P activation, but the rate of iron reduction is limited by soil organic matter content. Delving deeper into DOM properties, soil DOM composition profiling and network analysis suggested that high-molecular-weight DOM, particularly lignins, served as the primary resources driving Fe reduction by iron-reducing microbes, consequently promoting Fe reduction and P release. Taken together, our study assembled the C-Fe-P cycling dynamics in paddy soils, emphasizing the pivotal role of microbial-driven Fe reduction facilitated by soil DOM in P availability and subsequently sustainable agricultural practices.

The present article describes the synthesis of an isonicotinate-derived meso-arylporphyrin, that has been fully characterized by spectroscopic methods (including fluorescence spectroscopy), as well as by elemental analysis and by HR-MS. The structure of a n-hexane monosolvate has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The radical scavenging activity of this new porphyrin against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DDPH) radical has been measured. Its antifungal activity against three yeast strains (C. albicans ATCC 90028, C. glabrata ATCC 64677 and C. tropicalis ATCC 64677) has been tested, using the disk diffusion and the microdilution methods. Whereas the measured antioxidant activity was low, the porphyrin showed moderate but encouraging antifungal activity. Finally, a study of its effect on the germination of lentil seeds revealed interesting allelopathic properties.

Magnetic quantum oscillations (MQO) are traditionally applied to investigate the electronic structure of metals. In layered quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) materials the MQO have several qualitative features giving additional useful information, provided their theoretical description is developed. Within the framework of the Kubo formula and the self-consistent Born approximation, we reconsider the phase of beats in the amplitude of Shubnikov oscillations of interlayer conductivity in Q2D metals. We show that the phase shift of beats of the Shubnikov (conductivity) oscillations relative to the de Haas - van Alphen (magnetization) oscillations is larger than expected previously and, under certain conditions, can reach the value of π/2, as observed experimentally. We explain the phase inversion of MQO during the 3D - 2D crossover and predict the decrease of relative MQO amplitude of interlayer magnetoresistance in a strong magnetic field, larger than the beat frequency.

The soil has lost organic matter in the past centuries. Adding organic matter to soils is one of the management practices applied to recover the levels of soil carbon of the past. Is it a good practice to reduce global warming? In fact, one of the practices promoted to combat climate change is increasing soil organic matter. However, the addition of organic residues to the soil could facilitate the liberation of CO2 and wastes could also have no positive effects on soil properties. In this sense, what it is important is: a) to know which is the expected effect of the organic matter added to the soil; b) how this application alters the soil processes; c) which are the management practices that should be applied; d) how much is the real amount of carbon sequester by the soil and; e) the balance at short and long period after the application of the organic matter. The adequate strategy should be to favour the increment of biologically stabilized soil organic matter considering medium and long time. However, it is necessary to adapt the strategies to the local environmental conditions.

The chemical investigation of the anti-yeast methanol extract from the stem bark of Terminalia mantaly led to the isolation of seven compounds: 3-O-methyl-4-O-α-rhamnopyranoside ellagic acid (1), 3-O-mehylellagic acid (2), arjungenin or 2,3,19,23-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oïc acid (3), arjunglucoside or 2,3,19,23-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oïc acid glucopyranoside (4), 2α,3α,24-trihydroxyolean-11,13(18)-dien-28-oïc acid (5), stigmasterol (6), stigmasterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7). Their structures were established by means of spectroscopic analysis and comparison with published data. Compounds 1-5 were tested in vitro for activity against three pathogenic yeast isolates, Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Candida krusei. The activity of compounds 1, 2 and 4 were comparable to that of the reference compound fluconazole (MIC values below 32 µg/ml) against the three tested yeast isolates. They were also tested for inhibitory properties against four enzymes of metabolic significance: Glucose-6-Phosphate Deshydrogenase (G6PD), human erythrocyte Carbonic anhydrase I and II (hCA I and hCA II), Glutathione S-transferase (GST). Compound 4 showed highly potent inhibitory property against the four tested enzymes with overall IC₅₀ values below 4 µM and inhibitory constant (Ki) <3 µM.

Alkaloid-based urea derivatives were produced with high yield through the reaction of anabasine and cytisine with isoxazolylphenylcarbamates in boiling benzene. Their antitumor ac-tivity in combination with the commonly used six anticancer drugs namely cyclophosphane, fluorouracil, etoposide, cysplatine, ribomustine with different mechanisms of action was investi-gated. Based on the quantum chemical calculations data and molecular docking, hypotheses have been put forward to explain their mutual influence when affecting on the С6 rat glioma model cells.

During the last years there has been a high interest in the development of new purely-organic single-component conductors. Very recently, we have reported a new neutral radical conductor based on the perchlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM) radical moiety linked to a monopyrrolo-tetrathiafulvalene (MPTTF) unit by a -conjugated bridge (1). Interestingly, this system behaves as a semiconductor with high conductivity and small energy gap under high pressure. With the aim of developing a new material with improved conducting properties, we have designed and synthesized the radical dyad 2 which was functionalized with an ethylenedithio (EDT) group in order to improve the intermolecular interactions of the TTF subunits. The physical properties of the new radical dyad 2 were studied in detail in solution to further analyze its electronic structure as well as its potential use as radical conductor in the solid state.

Existing research indicates that mineralization of Carlin-type gold deposit is related to geological structures, but current studies mostly focus on the qualitative association, and lack quantitative analysis of the relationship between mineralization and structural features, which limits the potential for predictive mineral exploration. In this study, the Nibao Carlin-type gold deposit was selected as the research area to conduct three-dimensional geological modeling, spatial analysis, and three-dimensional prospectivity modeling. Spatial analysis revealed that the majority of gold ore bodies are situated near the main fault, with gold mineralization primarily occurring within a spatial range of approximately -80 meters to 20 meters from the main fault plane. This spatial distribution predominantly aligns in a SW-NE direction. Spatial characteristic extraction of fault slope indicators suggests that the slope angles are conducive to the migration and accumulation of ore-forming hydrothermal fluids, with ore body metal content rapidly increasing within an angle range of approximately 20° to 60°. The shape analysis of the mainfault indicates that the principal spaces of mineralization enrichment are within -10m to 20m of the fault plane undulations, where gold resources are concentrated in a relatively flat area. However, the degree of mineralization is more pronounced in the protruding sections than in the depressed areas. The areas with significant dip changes in faults display higher variations in orebody attitudes, with mineralization noticeably weaker in areas where the fault steepness changes markedly. Ore-bearing units exhibit significantly higher grades within the -17° to 3° interval of fault steepness transition. This interval also sees a rapid accumulation of gold resources. The Nibao gold mine's mineralization is derived from deep, ore-bearing hydrothermal fluids ascending along major fractures, precipitating, and accumulating in favorable ore-hosting spaces (faults, anticline cores) and lithological combinations (sedimentary tuffs, tuffs). Three deep potential gold targets were identified, highlighting the deep western edge of the F1 fault and the deep southeast-trending lower plate as prospective areas for future exploration. This study underscores the effectiveness of 3D prospective modeling as an indispensable tool for elucidating the spatial distribution of fault-controlled Carlin-type gold deposits and their tectonic determinants.

Recently, coastal swamps have been acknowledged for their capability to alleviate shorelines and defend coastal communities. Mangroves play a prominent role in obstructing water currents in riverbanks, shorelines, and coastal areas. Mangrove roots have the significant contribution to the resiliency of the vegetation structure. Yet, mangrove model has lately been called into question by lab experimental evidence. In this paper, the flow characteristics past root models are reviewed. coastal swamps are among the most fruitful and carbon‐rich ecosystems on the planet. Long‐term carbon putting away in coastal wetlands happens mostly below ground as soil organic matter. Mangrove servs as a carbon sink, impacts wetland ecosystem configuration, purpose, and firmness. To expect and ease the properties of climate change, there is a necessity to advance considerate of environmental controls on wetland. The impact of four soil formation factors are reviewed. Across the shorelines, soil organic matter was highest in mangrove forests and it was lower areas.

The soil organic matter (SOM) content and stability in natural gypsum soils and soils from mining/industrial areas were compared, in terms of their physical, chemical and micromorphological properties, to determine whether the old brownfield soils were acting as carbon (C) sinks, counteracting increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The mining/industrial soils were 50–400 years old, so had been left sufficiently long for full self-restoration. Despite having very different origins, both natural and brownfield soils stored similar amounts of SOM, and had similar pH values, calcium carbonate contents and textures. They were also fully covered with similar grass plant communities. The mining/industrial soils exhibited similar microstructures to the gypsum soils and were often quite porous. The most striking difference between them and the natural gypsum soils was that the mining/industrial soils were strongly polluted with zinc, lead and cadmium. The 50-year-old brownfield soils differed from the others in terms of having a lower state of SOM transformation, with a much higher C/N ratio, lower aggregate water resistance index, lower dehydrogenase activity and greater areas of undecomposed or slightly decomposed plant residues. These parameters in the older (150–400 years) brownfield soils were similar to those of the natural soils.

Japanese plum tree (Prunus salicina Lindl.) is mainly cultivated in temperate areas of China and some European countries. Certain amounts of wood (from pruning works) are generated every year from this crop of worldwide commercial significance. The main objective of this work was to value this agricultural woody residue, for which the chemical composition of pruning wood extracts from six Japanese plum cultivars was investigated, and the antiproliferative activity of extracts and pure phenolics present in those extracts was measured. For the chemical characterization, total phenolic content and DPPH radical-scavenging assays and HPLC‒DAD/ESI‒MS analyses were performed, the procyanidin (‒)-ent-epicatechin-(2α→O→7,4α→8)-epicatechin (5) and the propelargonidin (+)-epiafzelechin-(2β→O→7,4β→8)-epicatechin (7) being the major components of the wood extracts. Some quantitative differences were found among plum cultivars, and the content of proanthocyanidins ranged from 1.50 (cv. ‘Fortune’) to 4.44 (cv. ‘Showtime’) mg/g of dry wood. Regarding the antitumoral activiy, eight wood extracts and four phenolic compounds were evaluated in MCF-7 cells after 48 h of induction, showing the wood extract from cv. ‘Songold’ and (‒)-annphenone (3) the best antiproliferative activity (IC50: 424 ppm and 405 ppm, respectively).

Leishmaniasis are neglected diseases that affect regions such as South Asia, South Africa and Latin America, less developed regions. Current treatment, for cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniosis, which are the main forms of the disease, is based on the administration of pentavalent antimonial and amphotericin B. However, these drugs have low efficacy and high toxicity. For this reason, the search for new treatments for this disease is necessary, based on studies of new molecules and their conformations. The research proposed the conformational study of brominated guanidine compounds with potential antileishmanial activity using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The present study involves the bro-minated molecules, LQOF-G2, LQOF-G30, LQOF-G35 and LQOF-G35-Br. The later was synthesized by the reaction of LQOF-G35 with NBS under IR irradiation at 120 Watts of potency and dichloro-methane as solvent by 12-h of exposition. The obtained results demonstrated the efficiency of the bromination method, since two bromines atoms entered the molecule. Furthermore, NMR analysis showed the occurrence of a conformational change from Z to E when compound LQOF-G35 was brominated to LQOF-G35-Br. This feature was well confirmed by comparative DRX study of the LQOF-G35 and LQOF-G35-Br compounds. The antileishmanial activity of LQOF-G2 e LQOF-G35 motivated the synthesis of new brominated compounds LQOF-G30 e LQOF-G35-Br.

Increasing levels of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in watercourses in the Northern hemisphere is mainly due to reduced acid rain, climate change, and changes in agricultural practices. However, their impacts vary in time and space. To predict how DOM respond to changes in environmental pressures we need to differentiate between allochthonous and autochthonous sources, as well as identify anthropogenic DOM. In this study we distinguish between allochthonous, autochthonous, and anthropogenic sources of DOM in a diverse watercourse network using DOM characterization tools and by assessing effects of land cover on water quality. Main sources of DOM are forests discharging allochthonous humic DOM, autochthonous fulvic DOM, and runoff from urban sites and fish farms with high levels of anthropogenic DOM rich in protein like material. Specific UV absorbency (sUVa) distinguish allochthonous DOM from autochthonous and anthropogenic DOM. Anthropogenic DOM differ from autochthonous fulvic DOM by containing elevated levels of protein like material. DOM from fishponds is distinguished from autochthonous and sewage DOM by having high sUVa. DOM characteristics thus provide valuable tools for deconvoluting the various sources of DOM allowing water resource managers to predict future trends in DOM and detect anthropogenic sources of DOM.

Reducing the amount of precipitation in summer in the Chernozems area alters soil organic matter (SOM). To compensate for the lack of moisture, farmers are introducing new agricultural technologies such as no-till cultivation. In turn, no-till practices influence the composition of SOM. We examined the impacts of the rise of aridity and no-till technology on the chemical composition of bioavailable and recalcitrant pools of OM. The properties of SOM were assessed using double-shot pyrolysis with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The thermolabile substances that are volatilised in the first stage of pyrolysis (300°C) are considered the bioavailable pool. Accordingly, substances are obtained in the second pyrolysis stage (500°C) were attributed to the recalcitrant pool. Identified in both steps of pyrolysis, products were assigned to different chemical groups (lignin-derivative, polysaccharide-fragments, indoles, etc.) and relative abundances were calculated. In work for the separation of substances, a polar column was used for chromatography of the thermolabile fraction. With an increase in aridity in Сhernozems, the content in the bioavailable pool of polysaccharide fragments decreased and the proportion of indoles increased. In the recalcitrant pool, the abundance of six-membered rings with nitrogen and aromatic compounds decreases at the same time the contents of unsubstituted and O-substituted acyclic compounds as well as pyridine increases. The influence of the NT was more noticeable in the recalcitrant OM. The NT practice promotes biological activity and to rich in nitrogen compounds the bioavailable OM; this process contributes to the accumulation of carbon in the recalcitrant OM.

In the frame of our diversity-oriented research on multitarget small molecule anticancer agents, utilizing convergent synthetic sequences terminated by Sonogashira coupling reactions, a preliminary selection of representative alkyne-tethered vindoline hybrids was synthesized. The novel hybrids with additional pharmacophoric fragments of well-documented anticancer agents, including FDA-approved tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (imatinib and erlotinib) or ferrocene or chalcone units, were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity on malignant cell lines MDA-MB-231 (triple negative breast cancer), A2780 (ovarian cancer), HeLa (human cervical cancer) and SH-SY5Y (neuroblastoma) as well as human embryonal lung fibroblast MRC-5 served as reference non-malignant cell line for the assessment of the therapeutic window of the tested hybrids. The biological assays identified a trimethoxyphenyl-containing chalcone-vindoline hybrid (36) as a promising lead compound exhibiting submicromolar activity on A2780 cells with a marked therapeutic window. These results suggest that ovarian cancer might be considered as a prioritized target of treatment with 36.

For centuries, humans have relied on natural products to prevent and treat numerous health issues. However, biologically active compounds from natural sources, such as polyphenols, face significant challenges, including low solubility, rapid metabolism, and instability, which hinder their effectiveness. Advances in science and nanotechnology have provided solutions to overcoming these problems through the use of porous silica materials. These materials possess unique properties, such as a high specific surface area, adjustable particle and pore sizes, and a surface that can be easily and selectively modified. In this review, we summarize and discuss findings on how the pore and particle size, structure, and surface modification of silica materials influence the preparation of efficient delivery systems for biologically active polyphenols from natural sources. The available data demonstrate how parameters such as adsorption capacity, release and antioxidant properties, bioavailability, solubility, stability, etc. of the studied delivery systems could be affected by the structural and chemical characteristics of the porous silica carriers.

Machine learning has become more prevalent as a tool used for biogeochemical analysis in agricultural management. However, a common drawback of machine learning models is the lack of interpretability, as they are black boxes that provide little insight into agricultural management. To overcome this limitation, we compared three tree-based models (decision tree, random forest, and gradient boosting) to explain soil organic matter content through Shapley additive explanations (SHAP). Here, we used nationwide data on field crops, soil, terrain, and climate across South Korea (n = 9,584). Using the SHAP method, we identified common primary controls of the models, for example, regions with precipitation levels above 1400 mm and exchangeable potassium levels exceeding 1 cmol+ kg-1, which favor enhanced organic matter in the soil. Different models identified different impacts of nutrients on the organic matter level in the soil. The SHAP method is practical for assessing whether different machine learning models yield consistent findings in addressing these inquiries. Increasing the explainability of these models means determining essential variables related to soil organic matter management and understanding their associations for specific instances.

NiV2O6 thin films were grown on glass slides with varying thicknesses using the nebulizer spray pyrolysis. The impact of thickness on the thin films' optical, structural, morphological, and electrical characteristics was systematically investigated. The X-ray diffraction and micro-Raman analysis confirmed the formation of the triclinic NiV2O6 system. Surface morphology and roughness variations in the as-deposited NiV2O6 films were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a profilometer. Optical properties, including optical band gap (Eg), extinction coefficient (k), absorption coefficient (α), and refractive index (n), were determined through optical reflectance and transmittance measurements. The optical energy gap of the as-deposited NiV2O6 films decreased from 2.3 eV to 1.9 eV with increased layer thickness. Furthermore, the photo-detectivity of the films demonstrated an enhancement corresponding to the prolonged spray time. The sensitivity values obtained for visible irradiation are 328, 511, and 433 for samples S1, S2, and S3, respectively. The obtained results are imputed to the specific porous microstructure.

Methods to handle uncertainty in economic evaluation have gained much attention in the literature and the cost-effectiveness acceptability curve (CEAC) is the most widely used method to summarize and present uncertainty associated with program costs and effects in cost-effectiveness analysis. Some researchers have emphasized the limitations of the CEAC for informing decision and policy makers as the CEAC is insensitive to radial shifts of the joint distribution of incremental costs and effects in the North-East and South-West quadrants of the cost-effective plane (CEP). Furthermore, it has been pointed out that the CEAC does not incorporate risk-aversion in valuing uncertain costs and effects. In the present article we show that the cost-effectiveness affordability curve (CEAFC) captures both dimensions of the joint distribution of incremental costs and effects on the CEP and is therefore sensitive to radial shifts of the joint distribution on the CEP. Furthermore, the CEAFC also informs about the budget impact of a new intervention as it estimates the joint probability an intervention is both affordable and cost-effective. Moreover, we show that the cost-effectiveness risk-aversion curve (CERAC) allows to incorporate risk-aversion into the analysis and can therefore be used to inform decision-makers who are risk-averse. We use data from a published cost-effectiveness model of palbociclib in addition to letrozole versus letrozole alone for the treatment of oestrogen-receptor positive, HER-2 negative, advanced breast cancer to demonstrate the differences between CEAC, CEAFC and CERAC and show how these can jointly be used to inform decision and policy makers.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from organic fertilizers may increase soil phosphorus (P) availability. However, the frequently observed correlation between soil P availability and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content has led to an excessive focus on DOC content at the expense of DOM properties. The present study investigated the influence of DOM characteristics on soil P availability by using a 6-year field experiment and microcosms of P sorption in paddy soil. Our results showed that partial replacement of chemical P fertilizer with manure or crop straw increased P fertilizer-use efficiency, even when decreasing chemical P input by 34 %, compared to normal chemical fertilization. The microcosm experiment demonstrated that DOM properties, rather than total DOC content, determine soil P sorption capacity, despite the significant correlation between DOC content and P availability observed in the field experiment. Manure-DOM exerted stronger inhibitory effects on P sorption than straw-DOM, and high molecular weight (HMW)-fractionated DOM exerted stronger inhibitory effects on P sorption than low-molecular-weight-fractionated DOM by 16-20%. The mechanism was rooted in the HMW DOM with unique characteristics (e.g., strong aromaticity, hydrophobicity, abundant humic-like components, carboxyl groups, and benzene ring structures) competing for soil P sorption sites (e.g., reduction in specific surface area and micropore volume), decreasing the soil surface charge (e.g., zeta potential), and thereby suppressing P sorption in paddy soil. Our study points out a promising avenue for regulating organic matter properties with organic fertilization to improve P use efficiency in agricultural soils.

For the soil in different regions, the nutrient fertility contained in it is different, and the detection and zoning management of soil nutrients before tillage every year can improve grain yield. In this paper, an integrated learning strategy model based on black soil hyperspectral data is designed for rapid classification of organic matter content classification of black soil. Soil hyperspectral image dataset of Xiangyang Experimental Base was collected; by changing the internal structure of the stacking model, an LSVM-stacking model with (MLP, SVC, DTree, XGBl, kNN) five classifiers as the L1 layer was built, and the simulated annealing algorithm was used for hyperparameter optimization. Compared to other stacking models, the LSVM-stacking metrics are significantly improved. The accuracy rate of hyperparameter optimization is improved by 38.6515%, the accuracy rate of the independent test data set is 0.9488, and the comparison of individual learners can improve the recognition classification accuracy of label"1" to 1.0.

Indole is a versatile pharmacophore widely distributed in bioactive natural products. This privileged scaffold has been found in a variety of molecules isolated from marine organisms such as algae and sponges. Among these, indole alkaloids represent one of the biggest, most promising family of compounds, having shown a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer activities. The aim of this review is to show the current scenario of marine indole alkaloid derivatives, covering not only the most common chemical structures, but also new synthetic routes developed during the last years as well as promising therapeutic applications.

Xanthone derivatives, a class of natural compounds abundantly found in plants such as mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) and certain herbs, have garnered substantial interest due to their diverse pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activities. Recent investigations have unveiled their potential as modulators of enzymatic activity, prompting exploration into their effects on hyaluronidase-mediated HA degradation, and their effects in topical treatment of telangiectasia and rosacea. Telangiectasia and rosacea are common dermatological conditions characterized by chronic skin inflammation, vascular abnormalities, and visible blood vessels, resulting in significant cosmetic concerns and impaired quality of life for affected individuals. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding regarding the interplay between mechanisms of action by which xanthone derivatives exert their therapeutic effects, including the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines, modulation of oxidative stress pathways, and regulation of vascular endothelial growth factors. Furthermore, we will discuss the implications of harnessing xanthone derivatives as therapeutic agents for mitigating vascular dysfunction and its associated pathologies, thereby offering insights into future research directions and therapeutic strategies in the field of vascular biology.

Hydrogen gas (H2) has attracted attention as a next-generation clean energy source. Its efficient and safe preparation and utilization are crucial in both industry and organic chemistry. In this study, a Pt/CB-catalyzed MW-mediated continuous-flow hydrogenation reaction was developed using methylcyclohexane (MCH) as the reducing agent (hydrogen carrier). Alkynes, alkenes, nitro groups, benzyl esters, and aromatic chlorides were chemoselectively hydrogenated using Pt/CB under MW-assisted continuous-flow conditions. This methodology represents a safe and energy-efficient hydrogenation process, as it eliminates the need for an external hydrogen gas supply or heating jackets as a heat medium. Further application of MW-mediated continuous-flow hydrogenation reactions is a viable method for the efficient generation and utilization of sustainable energy.

The implementation of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is changing the scenario in the surgical treatment of early-stage cervical cancer and the oncologic safety of replacing bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy with SLN biopsy is currently under investigation. One of the undisputed values of SLN biopsy is its diagnostic accuracy in detecting low-volume metastases (LVM) via pathologic ultrastaging. In early-stage cervical cancer, the reported incidence of LVM ranges from 4 to 20%. The prognostic impact and the role of adjuvant treatment in patients with LVM is still unclear. Some non-prespecified analyses in prospective studies showed no impact on the oncologic outcomes compared to node-negative disease. However, the heterogeneity of the studies, the differences in the disease stage and the use of adjuvant treatment, and the concomitant pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND) make any conclusion on this topic hard. Current guidelines suggest considering micrometastasis (MIC) as a node-positive disease, while isolated tumor cells (ITC) as a node-negative disease, with a low level of evidence. This review aims to highlight the unanswered questions about the definition, identification, prognostic and therapeutic role of LVM and underline the present and future challenges we are facing. We hope this review will guide further research, giving robust evidence on LVM and their impact on clinical practice.

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the problems faced in environmental science. It has health effects on man and animals in both developed and developing countries. Research and efforts have been on it several years back. Policy statements and efforts have been published. This review paper is an added information on air pollution. In it, efforts were made in discussing these: classification, effects, methodology, case studies and source apportionment. It is hoped that this paper would contribute to existing knowledge on PM.

Nowadays the relationship between planning land use and actual land use is not so clear in general. A lot of efforts have been put in the failures of regulation for the expansion of construction land. However, it still lacks an integrated approach to study the effectiveness of land use regulation in terms of different land use types. Furthermore, the existing evaluation of land use plan mainly focuses on a general level, a detailed research on the regulation effectiveness of each construction land use type is absent. Therefore, this research tries to evaluate regulation effectiveness of land use plan, which takes Cangwu country, Guangxi Province as an example. The finding by analysis is that the total area of construction land expansion was about 3494.73 ha, nearly 1.1 times of the plan quota. Moreover, the effectiveness differs greatly in various construction land use types. Town, industrial/mining sites can be well regulated through the quota of land use plan. While, the quota regulation system is not as effective for other type of construction land. Thus, we suggest to improve the regulation effectiveness of construction land through different plan instruments.

A portable laser photoacoustic sensor based on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is reported for methane detection. A tunable DFB diode laser in the 1654 nm wavelength range is used as an excitation source. The photoacoustic signal processing was implemented by a FPGA device. A small resonant photoacoustic cell is designed. The minimum detection limit (1σ) of 10 ppm for methane (CH₄) is demonstrated.

The effect of organic matter (OM) on soil P-sorption is controversial and needs to be more investigated. The dissolved organic matter (DOM) may be regarded as an influential component on P sorption in natural soils. However, despite the great need for renewable sources of available P and OM in agricultural soils, little is known about interaction between P and DOM in natural soil systems. To uncover if and how soil saturation with DOM derived from different types of abundant agricultural wastes (cattle manure, horse manure, biogas digestate, compost) affects the phosphate sorption, we examined P sorption process in control and DOM-saturated sandy soils. The results indicated that organic matter introduced with agricultural wastes did not always reduce P sorption, but certainly had an effect on impairing P fixation and thus may result in potentially greater P mobility in the soil, including P availability. Up to now, we cannot recommend any of the tested organic amendments to directly overcome the P fixation in arable soils.

The relationship between pangolin-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 has been a subject of debate. Further evidence of a special relationship between the two viruses can be found by the fact that all known COVID-19 viruses have abnormally hard outer shell (low M disorder; i.e., low content of intrinsically disordered residues in the membrane (M) protein) that so far was found in CoVs associated with burrowing animals, such as rabbits and pangolins, in which transmission involves virus remaining in buried feces for a long time. While a hard outer shell is necessary for viral survival, a harder inner shell could also help. For this reason, the N disorder range of pangolin-CoVs, not bat-CoVs, more closely matches that of SARS-CoV-2 especially when Omicron is included. The low N disorder (i.e., low content of intrinsically disordered residues in the nucleocapsid (N) protein), first observed in pangolin-CoV-2017 amd later in Omicron, is associated with attenuation according to the Shell-Disorder-Model. Our experimental study revealed that pangolin-CoV-2017 and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (XBB.1.16 subvariant) show similar attenuations with respect to viral growth and plaque formation. Subtle differences have been observed that are consistent with disorder-centric computational analysis.

This study examines the impact of weeds on sweet corn, where weeds compete with the main agricultural crops for essential elements such as nutrients, water, sunlight, and space for growth. In general. the use of herbicides is meant to suppress weed growth. Organic matter is important for plant growth and affects herbicide persistence. The study was aimed to explore the interdependence between ametryn herbicide and organic matter content and its impacts on weed growth, herbicide persistence, and sweet corn yield. The experiment was initiated in 2022 at the Experimental Station of the Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University, Indonesia, using a Split Plot Design in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. The experiments consisted of three levels of organic matter, i.e. low, medium, and high and 6 levels of ametryn herbicide at 0.0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 kg a.i./ha. The results indicated that the apparent interdependence between ametryn herbicide doses of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 kg a.i./ha and the three levels of the organic matter content totally suppressed the weed growth. However, the effects of interdependence between ametryn herbicide and organic matter content on the herbicide persistence and on the sweet corn yield were not obvious. The ametryn herbicide gave excellent effects on sweet corn yield. Bioassay analysis showed that the lowest persistence of ametryn herbicide was in line with the highest content of the organic matter.

Soil organic matter is an important component that reflects soil fertility and promotes plant growth. The soil of typical Chinese tea plantations was used as the research object in this work, and by combining soil hyperspectral data and image texture characteristics, a quantitative prediction model of soil organic matter based on machine vision and hyperspectral imaging technology was built. Three methods, standard normalized variate (SNV), multisource scattering correction (MSC) and smoothing, were first used to preprocess the spectra. After that, random frog (RF), variable combination population analysis (VCPA) and variable combination population analysis and iterative retained information variable algorithm (VCPA-IRIV) algorithms were used to extract the characteristic bands. Finally, the quantitative prediction model of nonlinear support vector regression (SVR) and linear partial least squares regression (PLSR) for soil organic matter was established by combining nine color features and five texture features of hyperspectral images. The outcomes demonstrate that, in comparison to single spectral data, fusion data may greatly increase the performance of the prediction model, with MSC+VCPA-IRIV+SVR (R2C=0.995, R2P=0.986, RPD=8.155) being the optimal approach combination. This work offers excellent justification for more investigation into nondestructive methods for determining the amount of organic matter in soil.

In the northern Fennoscandian Shield, a vanadium mineralization occurs in the Paleoproterozoic Pechenga–Imandra-Varzuga (PIV) riftogenic structure. It is localized in sulfide ores hosted by sheared basic and ultrabasic metavolcanics in the Pyrrhotite Ravine and Bragino areas and was formed at the latest stages of the Lapland-Kola orogeny 1.90–1.86 Ga ago. An additional formation of vanadium minerals derived from contact metamorphism and metasomatism produced by the Devonian Khibiny alkaline massif in the Pyrrhotite Ravine area. Vanadium forms its own rare minerals (karelianite, coulsonite, kyzylkumite, goldmanite, mukhinite, etc.), as well as it can be an isomorphic admixture in rutile, ilmenite, crichtonite group, micas, chlorites, etc. Vanadium originated from two sources: (1) basic and ultrabasic volcanics initially enriched in vanadium and (2) metasomatizing fluids that circulated along shear zones. The crystallization of vanadium and vanadium-bearing minerals was accompanied by chromium and scandium mineralization. Vanadium mineralization in Paleoproterozoic formations throughout the world is briefly considered. The simultaneous development of vanadium, chromium and scandium mineralizations is a unique feature of the Kola sulfide ores. In other regions sulfide ores contain only two of these three mineralizations produced by one ore-forming process.

The critical role of global electron density transfer (GEDT) in increasing the reaction rate of polar organic reactions has been studied within the framework of Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT). To this end, the series of the polar Diels-Alder (P-DA) reactions of cyclopentadiene with cyanoethylene derivatives, for which experimental kinetic data are available, have been chosen. A complete linear correlation between the computed activation Gibbs free energies and the GEDT taking place at the polar transition state structures (TSs) is found; the higher the GEDT at the TS, the lower the activation Gibbs free energy. An interacting quantum atoms (IQA) energy partitioning analysis allows establishing a complete linear correlation between the electronic stabilization of the electrophilic ethylene frameworks and the GEDT taking place at the polar TSs. This finding supports Parr’s proposal for the definition of the electrophilicity  index (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1999, 121, 1922). The present MEDT study allows establishing the critical role of the GEDT in the acceleration of polar reactions, since the electronic stabilization of the electrophilic framework with the electron density gain is greater than the destabilization of the nucleophilic one, making a net favorable electronic contribution to the decrease of the activation energy.

The growing interest in benchtop NMR systems is visible in a vast number of applications in science and industry. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) became an instant in technologies that productions are dependent on the reliable structure identification, grade and purity control, chemical process inspection or reaction monitoring. Beyond the benefits of being cost-, space-, maintenance- and user friendly, insufficient sensitivity and low signal resolution are the main drawbacks, due to which the low-field NMR (LF-NMR) in the fields of organic chemistry and synthesis remains limited to solely academic teaching purposes. Herein, we discuss the possibilities of LF-NMR for the needs of organic chemistry and synthesis on a set of compounds 1-4 achieved as the products of student’s laboratory course and organic derivatives 5-8 that are from our research interests. Chemical structure determination of all compounds 1-8 presented herein was performed using the benchtop-type NMR instrument operating at 60 MHz (Pulsar Oxford Ltd.). Structure of novel compounds 5-7 prepared under the aims of our research was characterized by combined 1H/19LF-NMR and compared with an appropriate high-field NMR data from Bruker Ascend Instrument (400 MHz). Finally, possibilities of the low-field NMR as an analytical tool for the research purposes in the fields of organic chemistry and synthesis are documented on a set of 1H and 2D 1H-1H COSY for azomethine 8.

New furan, thiophene and triazole oximes were synthesized through several-step reaction paths to investigate their potential for development of central nervous systems (CNS)-active and cholinesterase-targeted therapeutics in organophosphorus compound (OP) poisonings. Acute OP poisoning is still a challenge in treating patients despite the development of a large number of oxime compounds that should have the capacity to reactivate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The activity of these two enzymes, crucial for neurotransmission, are blocked by the OP, which has the consequence of disturbing normal cholinergic nerve signal transduction in the peripheral and CNS, leading to cholinergic crisis. Oximes in use have one or two pyridinium rings and cross the brain–blood barrier poorly due to the quaternary nitrogen. Following our recent study on 2-thienostilbene oximes, in this paper we described the synthesis of 63 heterostilbene derivatives out of which 26 oximes were tested as inhibitors and reactivators of AChE and BChE inhibited by OP nerve agents – sarin and cyclosarin. While the majority of oximes were potent inhibitors of both enzymes in micromolar range, we identified several oximes as BChE or AChE selective inhibitors with a potential for drug development. Moreover, even oximes were poor reactivators of AChE, four heterocyclic derivatives reactivated the cyclosarin-inhibited BChE up to 70%, and cis,trans-5 [2-((Z)-2-(5-((E)-(hydroxyimino)methyl)thiophen-2-yl)vinyl)benzonitrile] had comparable reactivation efficacy to the standard oxime HI-6. In silico analysis and molecular docking studies connected the kinetic data to the structural features of these oximes, and confirmed their productive interactions with the active site of the cyclosarin-inhibited BChE. Based on inhibition and reactivation and their ADMET properties regarding lipophilicity, CNS activity, and hepatotoxicity, these compounds could be considered for further development of CNS-active reactivators in OP poisoning as well as cholinesterase-targeted therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

In this study, we applied a central composite design to estimate independent variables and establish optimal conditions of filtration rate and feces production that enhance filtration of suspended organic matter by the freshwater mussels Sinanodonta woodiana. The results indicated that statistical design methodology offers an efficient and feasible approach for high filtration and low feces production condition optimization. The proposed model equation takes into account the quantitative effect of variables and also the influence of interactions among variables on mussel filtration rate. Under the optimal experimental conditions (mussel size, 13.0 ± 0.2 cm; water current, 17.5 L/h), the experimental filtration rate of 4.47 ± 1.82 L/mussel/h showed a degree of correspondence with the predicted value of 8.4 L/mussel/h, which verified the practicability of this optimum strategy.

Revealing the binding properties of calcium ion (Ca2+) and magnesium ion (Mg2+) to chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) facilities understanding the effect of natural water composition on the photophysics of dissolved organic matter. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectrometry, and dynamic light scattering were applied to investigate the fluorescence quenching process of CODM by Ca2+ and Mg2+. The binding of Ca2+ and Mg2+ preferred terrestrial CDOM to aquatic CDOM. The fluorescence quenching of CDOM by cations mainly occurred in a static process, which was based on the fact that the decrease of steady-state fluorescence intensity was greater than fluorescence lifetime. The fluorescence quenching was profound under longer excitation and emission wavelength. The binding constant (K, L/mol) for Ca2+ to CDOM from terrestrial source ranged from 4.29 to 5.09 (lgK), which was approximately one order of magnitude higher than that of Mg2+ to CDOM (3.86 to 4.56). Fluorescence decay became faster in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+. Lifetime distribution of CDOM excited states shifted to small value side in the presence of metal ions, particularly for Ca2+, indicating fluorescence quenching of CDOM mainly through the interaction of Ca2+/Mg2+ with relatively long-lived fluorophores.

Diarrhea remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, especially among children. Recent epidemiological studies conducted in developing countries identified Shigella species as the most predominant pathogenic bacteria responsible for diarrhea. Antimicrobial therapy is necessary for Shigella infections; however, the rapid emergence of resistance against existing antimicrobials in Shigella spp. poses a serious global health problem. To identify alternative antimicrobial compounds with activity against Shigella species, the pathogens responsible for bacterial diarrhea. In this study, we have applied antibacterial phenotypic screening to identify potent anti-Shigella compounds across a broad chemical diversity, including selected acetaminophen derivatives containing benzothiazoles backbone, and their combination with certain antibiotics. In continuation to our effort in searching potent antimicrobial compounds, we have found this time around that two acetaminophen derivatives containing benzothiazoles backbone (4a and 4b) could inhibit the growth of Shigella flexneri with common MIC value of 12.5 µg/ml. These compounds were established through a time-kill kinetics’ study to be bactericidal. Meanwhile, the 2-aminobenzothiazoles (1a and 1b) used for the synthesis of compounds 4 (a & b) were found to be poorly active (MIC: 100 µg/ml) against this pathogen. Combination studies of 4a and 4b with the least susceptible antibiotics (ceftriaxone and cotrimoxazole) demonstrated synergistic anti-Shigella activity. The present study demonstrates that the azobenzothiazole dyes 4 (a & b) can be repurposed as potential anti-Shigella compounds, which can serve as scaffolds for the development of new agents against infectious diarrhea caused by Shigella and other enteric pathogens, especially in developing countries.

New dimers of selected dipyridothiazines with an m-xylene linker have been designed, synthesized and characterized. Their structure was identified using 1H and 13C NMR as well as 2D NMR techniques (COSY, ROESY, HSQC and HMBC experiments) and HR MS spectrometry. The compounds were subjected to preliminary in silico biological profile tests using the Way2Drug server and analysis of the probable cytotoxic effect on various cancer cell lines. Preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity tests were performed against normal cell lines (HaCaT) and five cancer cell lines (SW480, SW620, MDA-MB-231, A-549, LN-229) showing moderate activity. An analysis of the structure-activity relationship was performed.

The reaction of berberine derivatives containing at O-9 position N,N-disubstituted acetamide fragments with sodium borohydride in methanol at 0 °C leads to a mild reduction of the "C" cycle with the formation of corresponding tetrahydroberberine derivatives with moderate to good yields.

In this research the efficiency of degradation of different organic contaminant classes, including pesticides (tembotrione, clomazone), pharmaceuticals (ciprofloxacin, 17α-ethinyl estradiol) and mycotoxins (zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B1), by subcritical water treatment, was studied in model systems. All experiments were conducted in a house-made batch type pilot reactor. The research was focused on the optimization of the treatment parameters by using moderate treatment conditions. Optimization of the remediation processes of water contaminated with 17α-ethinyl estradiol, tembotrione, clomazone, ciprofloxacin, was conducted by testing different homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, as well as different gas atmospheres (nitrogen and carbon-dioxide) for pressurization of the process system. Mycotoxins in water were degraded without catalysts and all experiments were conducted in nitrogen atmosphere. Optimization was conducted by defining the optimal combination of the treatment temperature and time, oriented towards energy saving and minimization of the technical requirements. The degradation efficiency in all tested samples was determined by HPLC analysis.

Organic electrophoretic coatings have gained significant attention due to their ability to provide a uniform and controlled coating thickness, high coating adhesion, and excellent corrosion protection properties. In this work, to investigate the aging behaviors of an organic electrophoretic coating for magnesium alloys, water absorption kinetics curves of the coatings after immersion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl at 20℃ and 40℃ were measured, and parameters such as the saturated water absorption and saturation time of the free film coatings were fitted to determine the densification evolution of the organic coatings. A tensile test was used to test the tensile strength of the organic coating during service to determine the evolution of the strength and toughness of the organic coating. The evolution of wet adhesion of organic coatings with service time was tested by ASTM D4541-02. The impedance spectra of the organic coatings under the above conditions were detected by EIS, and finally, the failure behavior of the organic coatings under immersion was analyzed.

The targeted compounds in this research, resveratrol analogs 1–14 were synthesized as mixtures of isomers by the Wittig reaction using heterocyclic triphenylphosphonium salts and various benzaldehydes. The planned compounds were those possessing the trans-configuration as the biologically active trans-resveratrol. The pure isomers were obtained by repeated column chromatography in various isolated yields depending on the heteroaromatic ring. It was found that butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) was more sensitive to the heteroaromatic resveratrol analogs than acetylcholinesterase (AChE), except for 6, the methylated thiophene derivative with chlorine, which showed equal inhibition toward both enzymes. Compounds 5 and 8 achieved the highest BChE inhibition with IC50 values of 22.9 and 24.8 μM, respectively. The same as with AChE and BChE, methylated thiophene subunits of resveratrol analogs showed better enzyme inhibition than unmethylated ones. Two antioxidant spectrophotometric methods, DPPH and CUPRAC, were applied to determine the antioxidant potential of new heteroaromatic resveratrol analogs. Molecular docking of these compounds was conducted to visualize the ligand-active site complexes' structure and identify the non-covalent interactions responsible for the complex's stability, which influence the inhibitory potential. As ADME properties are crucial in developing drug product formulations, they have also been addressed in this work. The potential genotoxicity is evaluated by in silico studies for all compounds synthesized.

The active debate about the processes governing the organic-rich sediment deposition generally involves the relative roles of elevated primary productivity and enhanced preservation related to anoxia. However, other less spotlighted factors could have a strong impact on such deposits: e.g. residence time into the water column (bathymetry), sedimentation rate, transport behavior of organo-mineral floccules on the sea floor. They are all strongly interrelated and may be obscured in the current conceptual models inspired from most representative modern analogues (i.e. upwelling zones and stratified basins). To improve our comprehension of organic matter distribution and heterogeneities, we conducted a sensitivity analysis on the processes involved in organic matter production and preservation which have been simulated within a 3D stratigraphic forward model. The Lower-Middle Toarcian of the Paris Basin was chosen as a case study as it represents one of the best documented example of marine organic matter accumulation. The relative influence of the critical parameters (bathymetry, diffusive transport, oxygen mixing rate and primary production) on the output parameters (Total Organic Carbon, and oxygen level), determined performing a Global Sensitivity Analysis, shows that, in the context of a shallow epicontinental basin, a moderate primary productivity (> 175 gC.m^-².yr^-1) can led to local anoxia and organic matter accumulation. We argue that, regarding all the processes involved, the presence and distribution of organic-rich intervals is linked as a first-order parameter to the morphology of the basin (e.g. ramp slope, bottom topography). These interpretations are supported by very specific ranges of critical parameters which allowed to obtain output parameter values in accordance with the data. This quantitative approach and its conclusions open new perspectives about the understanding of global distribution and preservation of organic-rich sediments.

SOC stock (SOCS) changes caused by land use changes are still unclear, and understanding this response is essential for many environmental policies and land management practices. In this study, we investigated the temporal-spatial and vertical distribution characteristics of SOCS on the Western Sichuan Plateau (WSP) using the sparrow search algorithm-random forest regression (SSA-RFR) models with excellent model applicability and accuracy. The temporal-spatial varia-tions in the SOCS were modeled using 1080 soil samples and a set of nine environmental covariates. We analyzed the effect of land use changes on the SOCS on the WSP. The total SOCS increased by 18.03 Tg C from 1990 to 2020. The results of this study confirmed that the SOCS in the study area has increased significantly since 2010, with an increase of 27.88 Tg C compared to the total SOCS in 2010. We found that the spatial distribution of the SOCS increased from southeast to northwest, and the vertical distribution of the SOCS in the study area decreased with increasing soil depth. Forest and grassland are the main sources of SOCS, the total SOCS in the forest and grassland accounted for 37.53 and 59.39% of the total SOC pool in 2020, respectively. Expansion of the wetlands, forest, and grassland areas could increase SOCS in the study area.

Tellurium exhibits exceptional intrinsic electronic properties. However, investigations into the modulation of tellurium's electronic properties through physical modification are notably scarce. Here, we present a comprehensive study focused on the evolution of the electronic properties of tellurium crystal flakes under plasma irradiation treatment by employing conductive atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The plasma-treated tellurium experienced a process of defect generation through lattice broken. Prior to the degradation of electronic transport performance due to plasma irradiation treatment, a remarkable observation emerged: in the low-energy region of hydrogen plasma-treated tellurium, a notable enhancement in conductivity was unexpectedly detected. The mechanism underlying this enhancement in electronic transport performance was thoroughly elucidated by comparing it with the electronic structure induced by argon plasma irradiation. This study not only fundamentally uncovers the effects of plasma irradiation on tellurium crystal flakes, but also unearths an unprecedented trend of enhanced electronic transport performance at low irradiation energies when utilizing hydrogen plasma. This abnormal trend bears significant implications for guiding the prospective application of tellurium-based 2D materials in the realm of electronic devices.

The main objective of this work is to investigate the temporal variation of PM10 concentrations within the urban area of Athens during the years 2001-2015. For this purpose, the time series of the particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10μm (PM10) is recorded for a 15-year period (2001-2015) in two different monitoring stations located in the urban area of Athens. The results show a totally different behavior of PM10 concentrations between the Athens city center and the suburban areas. It seems that in the city center the main sources of PM10 are traffic and heating systems especially during the cold period of the year. Furthermore, in the city center a significant seasonal variation was found with high concentrations during the cold period of the year and lower concentrations during the warm period of the year. Moreover, it was found that during the weekends, there is a decrease in PM10 concentrations probably due to the fact that majority of people do not use their vehicles. Finally, for both locations a significant temporal decreasing trend of the mean annual PM10 concentrations was found which indicates that during the last years, there have been improvements towards a better air quality.

(1) Background: In this work, a series of benzimidazole derivatives containing colchicine-like and cathechol-like moieties with methyl group substitution in the benzimidazole ring were evaluated for their in vitro antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic and antioxidative activity against highly invasive breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and related impairment of tubulin dynamics; (2) Methods: MTT assay was used to evaluate the antiproliferative activity. In vitro tubulin polymerization assay as well as docking analysis was applied to prove the alterations in tubulin polymerization. Immunofluorescent and DAPI staining reveal the pro-apoptotic potential of benzimidazole derivatives and the effect on tubulin’s dynamics in living cells. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by scavenging of H2O2 and hypochlorite ion and ortho-phenanthroline tests; (3) Results: The compounds containing colchicine-like moiety displayed significant growth inhibitory effect against cancer cell line as was highlighted the role of methyl functional group on the tubulin aggregation and blockage of mitosis. All compounds showed an ability to scavenge H2O2, while the compounds with cathecol-like moiety were more effective against hypochlorite ion and chelation of iron; (4) Conclusions: The benzimidazole derivative containing colchicine-like moiety and methyl group substitution in benzimidazole ring is a potential antiproliferative and microtubule destabilizing agent.

Honey is a sweet substance extensively consumed in the world for its nutritional and healthy properties. However, residues of pesticides and environmental contaminants can compromise its quality. For this reason, the physicochemical parameters, and the organic contamination of monofloral and multifloral honeys from three regions of Algeria (Tiaret, Laghouat and Tindouf) were monitored to evaluate the quality of honey and the safety for consumers. In general, the results obtained from the physicochemical analyses were in line with the EU standards. In terms of contamination, pesticides authorised and used in Algerian agriculture (matalaxyl-M and cyromazine), as well as banned pesticide (carbaryl), were found in almost all the samples. However, only the concentration of cyromazine was higher than the relative EU maximum residue levels. PCB 180, PCB 189, anthracene, fluorene and phenanthrene were mainly detected. All the honeys show traces of DiBP, DBP, DEHP and DEHT, but no traces of bisphenols were found. Moreover, the dietary exposure assessment shows that a small amount of Algerian honey can be safely consumed. Overall, data from this study should motivate the Algerian government to enhance their monitoring activities in beekeeping and to find solutions for implementing more sustainable agricultural practices harmonizing with the international legislation.

In the current era of emerging technologies and cutting-edge inventions, it is equally important to consider the ethical aspects of research and innovations to have an ethical space for the sustainable progress and safety of humanity. The field of nanotechnology research and innovation often faces criticism due to its potential adverse impacts on health, the environment, limited accessibility, high costs, and concerns about data privacy. Therefore, it is crucial to address and resolve these ethical issues systematically. In this regard, we present our findings and methods for exploring the application of the ethics technology assessment method by considering its relevance at different stages of innovation development. Specifically, the present work provides a conceptual framework for ethics technology assessment focused on evaluating a significant innovation in nanotechnology within the domain of food safety with specific reference to mycotoxin remediation. By leveraging the value-sensitive design approach, we described various strategies for analyzing the ethical implications of nanotechnology-based innovations in mycotoxin remediation. Through comprehensive ethics technology assessment, nanotechnology-based innovations can be guided toward becoming more value-oriented, thereby making substantial contributions to social progress.

This work compares the multi-element analysis of human hair and nails using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) with an easy, fast, cheap, non-destructive method using energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDX-RF). The ICP-MS-based method was more sensitive (over 30 elements could be quantified) and costly (requiring more time, sample, and chemicals). The EDX-based method required laboratory and certified reference materials made of hair for instrument calibration. It was less sensitive (16 elements could be quantified: S, Si, Ca, Br, Fe, Cu, Cr, Mg, Si, K, Mn, Ni, Zn, Se, Sr, Pb), but it allowed to replace troublesome grinding with the dissolution of keratin-based material with alkalic agent (tetramethylammonium hydroxide, TMAH) and formation of stable for days pellets. The method is simple, enables automation, and, due to the modification of wells in the autosampler of the EDX system by immersion of home-designed inserts, it requires smaller amounts of biological material and binder (down to 70 mg instead of 500 mg required by commercially available instrument) to perform analysis. It was concluded that the EDX-based method offers complementary selectivity and sensitivity to ICP-MS with the possibility of the reuse of the sample for further analysis.

A notable REE mineralization in Europe is associated with the Ditrău Alkaline Massif (DAM) in the Eastern Carpathians (Romania). It is an expression of the latest hydrothermal phase in the DAM and is found in the form of mineralized carbonate veins cross-cutting the complex in the NW (Jolotca region) and the SE (Belcina region) parts of the DAM. In the Belcina veins monazite-(Ce), xenotime-(Y), apatite, together with Fe-Mg-rich carbonate, thorite, thorogummite, gedrite and plagioclase are rock-forming. Three different textural and chemical types of the monazite-(Ce) and the xenotime-(Y) document a three-stage evolution. The relative phosphate age succession (from older to younger) thereby is xnt1 > xnt2 (>)+ mnz1 + Fe2O3 + Fe-gedrite > mnz2 + Fe-dolomite (+ plagioclase) > mnz3 + xnt3 + apatite. Phosphate chemistry shows that these crystallized from hydrothermal fluids, whereby each phosphate type follows a separate evolutionary path recommending growth from (at least) 3 independent and successive hydrothermal fluids. Chemistry and pathways within the DAM suggest that these hydrothermal fluids could be derived from a subsurface carbonatitic intrusion. Mnz1,2 and xnt1,2 ages are tightly cluster at 215.8 ± 0.7 Ma (Norian, Upper Triassic). The third-generation phosphate ages are younger, but associated with large analytical uncertainties and did not deliver geologically useful ages. The mean age of ca. 216 Ma is interpreted as timing the Belcina REE mineralization, what together with the fluid chemistry, supports a model of the presence of a late-stage, independent carbonatitic intrusion about 10 Ma after the main igneous activity (ca. 235 - 225 Ma) forming the DAM, synchronous with extension-related magmatism in the region.

The recovery of precious metals is a project with both economic and environmental significance. In this paper, it presents how to use bacterial mineralization to selectively recover gold from multi-ionic aqueous systems. The Bacillus licheniformis FZUL-63, separated from a landscape lake in FuZhou University, was shown to selectively mineralize and precipitate gold from coexisting ions in aqueous solution. The removal of Au(III) was almost happened in first hour, and FTIR data show that the amino, carboxyl and phosphate groups on the surface of the bacteria are related to the adsorption of gold ions. XPS results implied that Au(III) ions are reduced to monovalent, and then the Au(I) was adsorbed on the bacterial surface at the beginning stage(first hour). XRD results showed the gold biomineralization began about 10 hours after the interaction between Au(III) ions and bacteria. The Au(III) mineralization has been rarely influenced by other co-existing metal ions. TEM analysis shows the gold nanoparticles are polyhedral structure with a particle size of ~20 nm. The Bacillus licheniformis FZUL-63 could selectively mineralize and recover 478 mg/g(dry biomass) gold from aqua regia-based metal wastewater through four cycles. It could be of great potential in the practical application.

Currently, drug screening is primarily based on human cell culture for initial high-throughput screening, and subsequently, rodent model to confirm the biological effects. However, the mammalian system is known for time-consuming and highly-cost to be difficult to perform high-throughput drug screening, which exists a critical gap between in vitro cell-based models and the in vivo mammalian models. Therefore, the zebrafish could bridge this gap in preclinical toxicity screening along the drug development pipeline because of its efficiency. We aimed to develop an in vivo zebrafish platform for rapid drug screening. Zebrafish, due to its high genomic conservation with mammals and rapid development and differentiation, it has many advantages, such as short life span, large number of offspring and low cost, easy manipulation for generating transgenic species, to serve as animal model for disease-based research. In 96-well microplates, zebrafish embryos were incubated with small molecular compounds that affected bone mineralization. The level of osteogenic mineralization was evaluated by fluorescent dye staining and quantified by image analysis software. Quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to evaluate the biological pathways involved in bone metabolism at the molecular level. The system was validated by demonstrating that response to alendronate and Dorsomorphin in zebrafish. In our study, we screened for 24 compounds within the CYCU-1120~1152 chemical library and identified 3 compounds, pentamidine (CYCU-1140), BML-267 (CYCU-1147), and alendronate (CYCU-1152), increased embryonic mineralization; while 6 compounds, RWJ-60475 (CYCU-1126), levamisole HCL (CYCU-1128), tetramisole HCL (CYCU-1129), fenvalerate (CYCU-1132), NSC-663284 (CYCU-1138), and BML-267ester (CYCU-1148), were inhibitory to bone mineralization. We also found that alendronate enhanced the level of bone mineralization by inhibiting osteoclast-related genes. To sum up, our research showed that zebrafish may have potential to be a drug-screening and mechanism-analysis platform for bone mineralization.

The quiet-time solar wind electrons feature non-thermal characteristics when viewed from the perspective of their velocity distribution functions. They typically have an appearance of being composed of a denser thermal “core” population plus a tenuous energetic “halo” population. At first, such a feature was empirically fitted with the Kappa velocity space distribution function, but ever since the ground-breaking work by Tsallis, the space physics community has embraced the potential implication of the Kappa distribution as reflecting the non-extensive nature of the space plasma. From the viewpoint of microscopic plasma theory, the formation of non-thermal electron velocity distribution function can be interpreted in terms of the plasma being in a state of turbulent quasi equilibrium. Such a finding brings forth the possible existence of a profound inter-relationship between the non-extensive statistical state and the turbulent quasi-equilibrium state. The present paper further develops the idea of solar wind electrons being in the turbulent equilibrium, but unlike the previous model, which involves the electrostatic turbulence near the plasma oscillation frequency (i.e., Langmuir turbulence), the present paper considers the impact of transverse electromagnetic turbulence, particularly, the turbulence in the whistler-mode frequency range. It is found that the coupling of spontaneously-emitted thermal fluctuations and the background turbulence leads to the formation of non-thermal electron velocity distribution function of the type observed in the solar wind during quiet times. This demonstrates that the whistler-range turbulence represents an alternative mechanism for producing the Kappa-like non-thermal distribution, especially close to the Sun and in the near-Earth space environment.

Dark energy and dark matter are described as different manifestations of vacuum energy in a new cyclic universe framework of Extra Dimensional Symmetry (EDS) that doubles large spatial dimensions with microscopic partners. In this testable framework, vacuum energy, constrained by a Planck density constraint, exists in a gravitationally dark state where actual gravitational constant G_o = 0G. While a small repulsive component is constrained by an asymptotically evolving asymmetry to the active state where G_o = 2G, some components in the inert state are enabled to gravitationally attract by neutrino induced gravitational constant with light and shear activated heavy components. Observational and experimental tests are briefly discussed.

Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a rare cancer that nonetheless represents the most common ocular malignancy in children. Rb exists as familiar and sporadic cancer and the increasing incidence of the sporadic one and its pathogenesis is mostly unknown. To date the management of retinoblastoma requires intensive chemotherapy and sometimes invasive surgery in order to preserve vision and quality of life in Rb patients. The discovery of the epigenetic nature of non-hereditable/sporadic Rb led to the development of high-throughput precision investigation strategies for the study of its epigenetic landscape. Here we investigated the effect of the demethylating 5-Aza-2’- deoxycytidine (Decitabine; DAC) agent on preclinical models to assess its possible use as anti-cancer drug in the treatment of Rb patients. We found that DAC treatment induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in Weri-Rb-1 cells. We investigated the variation of differential gene expression profile in Rb cells in relation to time of exposure to DAC with respect to controls. Network map analysis evidences 15 hub/driver genes, which share pathways of regulation of TNF-, FAS-, p53-dependent apoptotic signaling and NF-kB pro-survival pathways. Furthermore, a computing expression profile analysis of publicly available datasets of patients’ primary tumors and normal retina cell-derived organoids vs WeriWeri-Rb-1 DEGs depicted the relevancy of these 15 hub genes on retinoblastoma genesis. The antiproliferative effect of DAC treatment on Rb was confirmed in vivo, both in subcutaneous xenograft and orthotopic models also showing the changes the gene methylation status in treated Weri-Rb-1, shedding a new light on the reprogramming antiproliferative dynamics induced by the epigenetic therapy and on the role of this therapeutic approach to spare children sight and life.

Climate-induced changes contribute to the thawing of ice-rich permafrost in the Arctic, which leads to the release of large volumes of organic carbon into the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide and methane. Ground ice constitutes a considerable volume of the cryogenically sequestered labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) subjected to fast mineralization upon thawing. In this work we collected an unique geochemical database of the ground and glacier ice comprising the samples from various geographic locations characterized by a variety of key parameters, including ion composition, carbon-bearing gases (methane and carbon dioxide) bulk biogeochemical indicators and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions. Our results show that interaction with solid material—such as sediments, detritus, and vegetation—is likely the overriding process in enrichment of the ground ice in all the dissolved compounds. Terrigenous humic-like dissolved organic matter was predominant in all the analyzed ice samples except for glacier ice and pure tabular ground ice from Mare Sale (Western Yamal). The labile protein-like DOM, indicating an autochthonous source, showed no correlation to humic components and probably associated with microbial abundance in the ground ice. The sum of the fluorescent DOM components satisfactory correlates to DOC, indicating the adequacy of the estimation. The pure tabular ground ice samples exhibit the highest biogeochemical quality which may be responsible for the amplification of permafrost organic matter decomposition upon thawing. Yamal impure tabular ground ice and ice wedges are extremely enriched in methane compared to the samples from other locations which should cause a portion of direct methane emission upon the putative thawing.

The main objective of this work is the assessment of the annual number of hospital admissions for respiratory disease (HARD) due to the exposure to in-healable particulate matter (PM10), within the greater Athens area (GAA), Greece. Towards this aim, the time series of the particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10μm (PM10) recorded in six monitoring stations located in the GAA, for a 13-year period 2001-2013, is used. Initially, a descriptive statistical treatment of PM10 concentrations took place. Furthermore, the AirQ2.2.3 software developed by the WHO was used to evaluate adverse health effects by PM10 in the GAA during the examined period. The results show that, during the examined period PM10 concentrations present a significant decreasing trend. Also, the mean annual HARD cases per 100,000 inhabitants ranged between 20 (suburban location) and 40 (city centre location). Approximately 70% of the annual HARD cases are due to city centre residents. In all examined locations, a declining trend in the annual number of HARD cases is appeared. Moreover, a strong relation between the annual number of HARD cases and the annual number of days exceeding the European Union daily PM10 threshold value was found.

To investigate the effects of organic fertilizer combined with reduced chemical fertilizer on radish yield, quality, and soil environment in high mountainous areas (elevation: 1800 m), and to mitigate the environmental pollution caused by excessive use of chemical fertilizers. The field trial was conducted to study the effects of different fertilizer treatments. (Control:local fertilizer application rate: 375 kg·hm² reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer; T1:12% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer; T2:20% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² of organic fertilizer; T3:28% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer). Four different fertilizer ratios were studied to assess their impacts on radish quality, yield, and soil environment. The findings showed that T2 significantly increased radish yield by 12.92%. Moreover, it led to significant improvements in the content of vitamin C, soluble sugars, soluble solids, soluble proteins, titratable acidity, and glucosinolates, which increased by 10.62%, 2.15%, 50.00%, 26.90%, 43.90%, and 44.57%, respectively. Treatment T2 also significantly increased soil nutrient content, with a 7.69% and 14.29% increase in total nitrogen and total phosphorus content compared to the control (Control) treatment, and a significant reduction of 21.64% in soil bulk density . T2 treatment significantly enhanced soil urease activity, sucrase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and catalase activity, showing an improvement of 28.97%, 55.92%, 52.08%, and 17.47% compared to the control, respectively (p&lt;0.05). Moreover, treatment T2 resulted in a relative abundance increase of 12.25% and 10.43% in Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria respectively. Thus, the combined application of T2:20% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² of organic fertilizer improved the quality and yield of radish while optimizing the soil environment. T2 effectively promoted radish growth, enhanced radish yield and quality, and improved the soil environment.

The article presents the results of studies aimed to identify the effect of foliar treatments of winter wheat, sugar beets and soybeans with mineral and bioorganic fertilizers. Their positive effect on increasing the concentration of mineral forms of nitrogen in soil was revealed. The crop types have a greater influence on the size of nitrous oxide emissions: in winter wheat crops - 679 µg/m3, soybeans - 637.2 µg/m3, sugar beets - 576.8 µg/m3. The amounts of nitrous oxide emissions were lower in the variants without the use of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. The Ruter AA fertilizer showed the greatest efficiency on winter wheat crops - 42.7 c/ha. Soybean grain yield of 44.2 c/ha was also achieved by using Ruter AA, as well as Geo-humate together with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. On the background of the actual supply of phosphorus and potassium, maximum yield was obtained when using N30 on the leaf - 39.3 c/ha. Foliar feeding ensured a yield of sugar beet root crops of up to 67.1-77.4 c/ha on the backdrop of the application of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers with the advantage of using Amino turbo. The largest yield of sugar beet roots without use of mineral phosphorus and potassium was ensured by N30 treatment of the leaf in the phases of 4-6 and 8 leaves - 63.2 t/ha. Of the organo-mineral fertilizers and biostimulants, the best result was shown by the use of Ruter A - 62.6 t/ha. We believe that foliar feeding of crops can be a sustainable farming method that can increase crop yields and reduce N2O emissions.

Particulate organic carbon (POC) is a pivotal component within the marine carbon cycle, actively involved in diverse biogeochemical processes. This study focuses on Mediterranean as the research region, selecting the most influential factors from 47 potential ones influencing surface POC. Using geographic detector for factor identification, ten primary influencers were identified. Preliminarily optimized random forest (BRF), backpropagation neural network, adaptive boosting, and extreme gradient boosting were utilized to construct POC assessment models. Notably BRF exhibited superior performance in estimating the sea surface POC. Further optimization of RF using the tuneRanger R package resulted in R² of 0.868, mean squared error of 1.119 (mg/m³) ², and mean absolute error of 1.041 (mg/m³). Surface POC concentrations in the Mediterranean for May and June 2017 were estimated. Spatial distribution analysis unveiled higher concentrations in the west, lower in the east, higher in the north, lower in the south, with higher levels near the coast and lower far from the coast. Additionally, the study deliberated on the impact of human activities on surface POC in the Mediterranean. This research contributes a high-precision method for satellite retrieval of surface POC concentrations in the Mediterranean, thereby enriching the understanding of POC dynamics in the area.

Promoting organic foods production and consumption contributes to accomplishing United Nations sustainable development goals. Social commerce provides a promising opportunity to develop the organic food industry. However, there is limited knowledge regarding customer behaviors in relation to purchasing organic foods via social commerce platforms. Therefore, this study expanded upon the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT-2) to develop a comprehensive model that explains how customers' social commerce trust and behavioral intentions to purchase organic foods using Instagram social commerce affect their purchasing behaviors. The research model was analyzed by employing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for the data collected from a quantitative survey of 410 customers who used Instagram to purchase organic foods in Iran. The results revealed that facilitated purchasing conditions, hedonic motivations, social influence, rating and reviews, and influencers’ endorsements increase customers' purchase intentions. Moreover, Instagram’s recommendations and referrals, influencers’ endorsements, as well as social influence boost customers' trust in the social commerce platform. Eventually, it was determined that influencers’ endorsements, social commerce trust, and purchase intention determine a customer’s organic foods purchasing behaviors. This research provides valuable insights for organic food marketers to optimize their social commerce strategies.

It has been suggested that primordial planets could have formed in the early Universe and the missing baryons in the Universe could be explained by primordial free-floating planets of solid hydrogen. Many such planets were recently discovered around the old and metal poor stars and such planets could have formed at early epochs. Another possibility for missing baryons in the Universe could be that these baryons are admixed with DM particles inside the primordial planets. Here we discuss the possibility of admixture of baryons to the DM primordial planets discussed earlier. We consider gravitationally bound DM objects with the DM particles constituting them varying in mass from 20 to100GeV. Different fractions of DM particles mixed with baryonic matter in forming the primordial planets are discussed. For the different mass range of DM particles forming DM planets, we have estimated the radius and density of these planets with different fractions of DM and baryonic particles. It is found that for heavier mass DM particles with the admixture of certain fractions of baryonic particles, the mass of the planet increases and can reach or even substantially exceed Jupiter-mass. The energy released during the process of merger of such primordial planets is discussed. Also the energy required for the tidal breakup of such an object in the vicinity of a black hole is also discussed.

A field experiment was conducted for 2 years in Green Tea Laboratory of Saitama Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry Research Center, Iruma, Saitama, Japan from March 2014 to December 2015. Controlled release fertilizers (CRF) or organic fertilizers (ORG) which is the mixture of chicken manure and oil cakewere applied with the amount of 450 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 in 2014 and 397 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 in 2015. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissionsfrom soil in green tea fields were measured by closed chamber method. The results showed that CRF has significantly lower N₂O compared to ORG. The cumulative N₂O emissions from CRF accounted for 51% of N₂O emissions from ORG fields and 138% of control with no fertilizer treatment. The N₂O flux from the row was higher than that of under the canopy, since fertilizer were applied on the row. However the total emission from the area between the rows was lower than that under the canopy because of the area ratio of row and canopy was 1:5.

In this study, the objective is to analyze the economic viability of municipal household solid waste (organic matter + paper) for the production of gas, coke and biofuel through the pyrolysis and distillation process. The waste was collected in the city of Belém do Pará-Brazil and pre-treated at UFPA. The analyzed fraction (organic matter + paper) was subjected to pre-treatment of drying, crushing, sieving and was subsequently subjected to proximate characterization and finally pyrolysis of the organic fraction (organic matter + paper) in a fixed bed reactor. Initially, it was necessary to review the literature and with the yields obtained by pyrolysis of the frac-tion, economic feasibility analyzes were carried out. The economic indicators for evaluating the most viable pyrolysis process were: simple payback, discounted payback, net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and profitability index (IL). The analysis of the indicators showed the economic viability considering an analysis horizon of 10 years, of materials based on organic material and paper. The break-even point obtained was 0.96 US$/L and the minimum biofuel sales price (MFSP – “Minimum Fuel Sale Price”) obtained in this work was 1.30 US$/L. The sensitivity analysis demonstrated that material costs (organic matter + paper), bio-oil yield, total project investment and electricity, respectively, are the variables that most affect the mini-mum biofuel sales price (MFSP).

The inclusion of exogenous phytase in broiler P and Ca deficient diets in response to heightened concerns over excessive P excretion into the environment over the years has remarkably been documented. However, responses among these studies have been inconsistent because of the several factors affecting P utilization. For this reason, a systematic review with meta-analysis of results from forty-one studies published from 2000 to February 2024 was evaluated to: 1) quantitatively summarize the size of phytase effect on growth performance, bone strength, and mineralization in broilers fed P and Ca deficient basal diets and 2) estimate and explore the heterogeneity of the effect sizes of outcomes using sub-group and meta-regression analyses. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s SYRCLE Risk of Bias checklists for animal studies. Additionally, applying the random-effects models, Hedges’ g effect size of supplementation with phytase was calculated using the R software to determine the standardized mean difference (SMD) at a 95% confidence interval. Sub-group analysis and meta-regression further explored heterogeneity (P_SMD ≤ 0.05, I² > 50%, n ≥ 10). The meta-analysis showed that supplemental phytase increases ADFI and BWG and reduces FCR at each time point of growth (< 0.0001). Additionally, phytase supplementation consistently increased tibia ash, P and Ca, and bone strength (< 0.0001) of broilers fed P and Ca deficient diets. Results of the subgroup and meta-regression analyses showed that age and strain of broiler, dietary P source, and duration of phytase exposure significantly influence the effect size of phytase on growth and bone parameters. In conclusion, phytase can attenuate the effect of reducing dietary available phosphorus and calcium and improve ADFI, BWG, and reduced FCR, especially when added to starter diets. It further enhances bone ash, bone mineralization, and bone-breaking strength of broilers, even though the effects of bone ash and strength can be maximized in the starter phase of growth. However, the effect sizes of phytase were related to the age and strain of the broiler, dietary P source, and duration of phytase exposure rather than the dosage.

Structural health monitoring has been studied by a number of researchers as well as various industries to keep up with the increasing demand for preventive maintenance routines. This work presents a novel method for reconstruct prompt, informed strain/stress responses at the hot spots of the structures based on strain measurements at remote locations. The structural responses measured from usage monitoring system at available locations are decomposed into modal responses using empirical mode decomposition. Transformation equations based on finite element modeling are derived to extrapolate the modal responses from the measured locations to critical locations where direct sensor measurements are not available. Then, two numerical examples (a two-span beam and a 19956-degree of freedom simplified airfoil) are used to demonstrate the overall reconstruction method. Finally, the present work investigates the effectiveness and accuracy of the method through a set of experiments conducted on an aluminium alloy cantilever beam commonly used in air vehicle and spacecraft. The experiments collect the vibration strain signals of the beam via optical fiber sensors. Reconstruction results are compared with theoretical solutions and a detailed error analysis is also provided.

At present there is a renewed interest in theories of ”modified” gravity. Here, under a more drastic modification enforced by Galilei group, we obtain a completely new gravitational structure, and which exists in addition to the already available general relativity of today. Correlated with this, we show that in addition, there is a new ”modified” quantum mechanics, in as much as it exists as an independent and new ”pure” non-relativistic quantum me- chanics, and which has no relativistic counterpart. This is in addition to the present quantum mechanics, where the relativistic and non-relativistic structures are counterparts of each other. The above holds, firstly due to the correlation between Galilei group and quantum mechanics. These math- ematical conclusions are consolidated by the fact that there exists a physical Majorana interaction between each neutron- proton pairs in nuclei. Galilei invariance of Majorana exchange in Majorana interaction, shows that the mass here is of pure gravitational nature, and which is immune to the other three forces. This makes an amazing connection between the gravitational force and the quantum mechanics. This pure gravitational mass would man- ifest itself as dark matter of the universe. It is our new modified gravity that generates the dark matter.

A close inspection of Zwicky's seminal papers on the dynamics of galaxy clusters reveals that the discrepancy discovered between the dynamical mass and the luminous mass of clusters has been widely overestimated in 1933 as a consequence of several factors, among which the excessive value of the Hubble constant $H_0$, then believed to be about seven times higher than today's average estimate. Taking account, in addition, of our present knowledge of classical dark matter inside galaxies, the contradiction can be reduced by a large factor. To explain the rather small remaining discrepancy of the order of 5, instead of appealing to a hypothetic exotic dark matter, the possibility of a inhomogeneous gravity is suggested. This is consistent with the ``cosmic tapestry" found in the eighties by De Lapparent and her co-authors, showing that the cosmos is highly inhomogeneous at large scale. A possible foundation for inhomogeneous gravitation is the universally discredited ancient theory of Fatio de Duillier and Lesage on pushing gravity, possibly revised to avoid the main criticisms which led to its oblivion. This model incidentally opens the window towards a completely non-standard representation of cosmos, and more basically calls to develop fundamental investigation to find the origin of the large scale inhomogeneity in the distribution of luminous matter

Machine Learning has completely transformed health care system, which transmits medical data through IOT sensors. So it is very important to encrypt them to protect patient data. encrypting medical images from a performance perspective consumes time; hence the use of an auto encoder is essential. An auto encoder is used in this work to compress the image as a vector prior to the encryption process. The digital image passes across description function and a decoder to get back the image in the proposed work; various experiments are carried out on hyper parameters to achieve the highest outcome of the classification. The findings demonstrate that the combination of Mean Square Logarithmic Error as the loss function, ADA grad as an optimizer, two layers for the encoder, and another reverse for the decoder, RELU as the activation function generates the best auto encoder results. The combination of Mean square error (lose function), RMS prop (optimizer), three layers for the encoder and another reverse for the decoder, and RELU (activation function) has the best classification result. All the experiments with different hyper parameter has run almost very close to each other even when changing the number of layers. The running time is between 9 and 16 second for each epoch.

The Neoproterozoic (900-600 Ma) Arabian Nubian Shield is an example of Precambrian plate tectonics and arc accretion. The Western Ethiopian Shield (the southern extension of ANS) is geo-tectonically a characteristic of lower grades of Metavolcano-sedimentary sequences of ANS intruded by associated felsic granitoid and mafic bodies and at the same time it is contained of gneisses rocks of the MB. The Gold mineralization and alterations initiating throughout the Tulu Kapi syenite are in the form of in enechelon vein arrays and related structures, which are controlled by conjugate shear zones in the syenite and steep N-S striking structures. The earliest recorded deformation and alterations revealed the syenite albitization which is the one hosting for gold mineralization and it has been widely overprinted by multistage hydrothermal system that appears to have been controlled mainly by veins, crackle zones, fractures and minor breccia zones. Primary gold mineralization displays spatial and temporal relationship with Tulu Kapi syenite and the Kapi gabbro, both of which host gold mineralization, are 738.3±2.6 Ma and 699.5±2.7 Ma period, respectively, in a volcanic arc subduction syn-collisional tectonic setting by the fractionation of underplated, LREE-enriched basaltic magma with substantial crustal input to possible crustal melting. The underplated basaltic magma had been sourced from LREE-enriched mantle by subduction of sediment laden crustal slabs at a subduction zone. Fractional crystallization involved formation of Ca-rich plagioclase, which continually reacted with hydrothermal fluids to more fractionated Na-rich plagioclase, forming the gold mineralization hosting altered (albitized) syenites. The Pan-African orogeny, and associated regional metamorphism and magmatism, generated large-scale movements of gold and base metal-bearing fluids in the crust, channelized along complex fractures into regional NE-SW foliation in Ethiopia (e.g., western Ethiopia). However, these gold-rich alkalic magmas are so modified by crustal processes that evidence of their genetic relationship with gold become obscured. The primary ore mineral assemblage of quartz veins and veinlets, and associated mineralised syenite within Tulu Kapi area consists of pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, hematite, and gold. The major and trace element composition of ore- forming fluids from the mineralised vein, barren and granitic intrusion is still largely unknown, yet could provide important and more direct evidence for the fluid source(s). This is vital in establishing a direct genetic link between syenite and other granitoid intrusion, and gold mineralization.

Mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM), aiming to outline and prioritize mineral exploration targets, has been spurred by data-driven machine learning algorithms. Supervised data-driven MPM is a typical few-shot task, suffering from the scarcity of labeled data, over-fitting of models and uncertainty of predictions. The main objective of this contribution is to propose a robust framework of few-shot learning (FSL) combining data augmentation and transfer learning, which enables generation of prospectivity models with excellent predictive efficiency and low uncertainty. The mineral systems approach was used to transfer a conceptual mineral system into mappable exploration criteria. Synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) was employed to augment and balance the labeled dataset, allowing for model pre-training with a large synthetic training dataset of source domain. The knowledge derived from pre-trained models was then transferred to the target domain by fine-tuning, and the prospectivity model was generated in light of over-fitting and uncertainty assessment. The proposed FSL framework was applied to tungsten prospectivity mapping in southern Jiangxi Province. The results indicate that the SMOTE-ed balanced dataset boosts the classification accuracy in the training process. The FSL models yield an arch-shaped prediction point pattern favorable for focusing potential targets with high probability and low uncertainty. The FSL models achieve a high predictive performance (test AUC=0.9172) and the lowest quantitative over-fitting value, compared to the models derived from the benchmark algorithms of random forest and support vector machine. Four levels of potential targeting zones, considering both predictive efficiency and uncertainty, are extracted from the resulting FSL prospectivity map. The final high-potential and low-risk exploration targets only cover 4.27% of the area, but capture 41.53% known tungsten deposits, achieving superior predictive performance. This study highlights the capability of FSL framework for controlling over-fitting and generating high-confidence exploration targets with low uncertainty.

AbstractCadaver bone is possibly the most common transplant material used today. Common types of cadaver bone transplants are freeze-dried bone allografts and xenografts. Studies have shown that mineralized freeze-dried bone allografts have the same percentage of retained bone graft particles at different time points, indicating that these materials are never resorbed. However, it is commonly accepted by clinicians that these materials are resorbed and convert the graft site into normal bone. This histologic study was undertaken to determine the fate of mineralized freeze-dried bone allograft particles grafted into human extraction sockets. Materials and Methods:This study is a photographic, radiologic, and histological analysis of mineralized freeze-dried bone allograft healing in human sockets after mineralization at different time points. The mineralized freeze-dried bone allografts used for evaluation in this study were particulate bone graft materials in maxillary or mandibular extraction sockets. Patient selection was random, based on the following time periods: 6 months, 2 years, 5 years, 7 years, 10 years and 15 years. No block bone grafts were evaluated. Results:No resorption of cadaver bone graft particles was found at any time point. No osteoclasts were found in any of the histology at any time point. At different time points from 6 months through 15 years, mineralized freeze-dried bone allograft particles were found to be exfoliated out of the alveolar crest as a result of the formation of a hypervascular zone surrounding the grafted site. The embedded graft particles remain embedded in sclerotic bone until the particles reach the alveolar crest at which time the sclerotic bone and graft particles break up and are released into the gingiva. All histologic samples from 6 months to 15 years contained residual graft particles. The sclerotic bone formed around graft particles did not integrate to the graft particles or the implant surface. Conclusions:Mineralized freeze-dried bone allograft particles are not resorbed after mineralization. A hypervascular zone forms around the grafted site and exfoliates the bone graft particles into the gingiva. The mineralization process produces sclerotic bone which never remodels into normal bone. Sclerotic bone covers but does not integrate to the retained bone graft particles or implant surface resulting in a weakened structure with an increased likelihood of bone failure and implant loss.

Bulk composition, mineralogy and microchemistry of various fractions of the filling of the Crater No. 4 at Emmerting were investigated. Here we present mainly the fine fractions, which, in contrast to pebbles larger than ca. 4 cm, are relatively poor in material affected by melting. A 0.1 mm long meteorite fragment without ablation features was found, and remelted fragments of the same body have been identified. The projectile was dominated by enstatite, also containing forsterite, basic plagioclase, Ni-rich pyrrhotite and troilite, kamacite, silica, and probably merrillite. The molten fragments contain porous Mg-rich glass (indicating temperature &gt; 1500 °C), minor Fe oxides, and occasionally uncommon Ni-rich minerals. The bulk composition and electron microprobe show that the amount of meteoritic material is low (&lt;&lt; 1 %), and it is not unequivocally manifested even in platinum-group elements abundances and osmium isotope ratios (the latter, however, were only measured in two samples). This can be explained by dilution of the filling by particles brought after the crater formation, and by probably achondritic composition of the projectile. Relatively large hollow spheroid Fe oxide particles were observed in thin sections from the magnetic fraction. A Mn oxide hollow spherule has also been found. In magnetically separated filling from the nearby Crater No. 5, bulk chemical composition points to contamination with several metals and metalloids probably due to influence of recent alluvial sediments. Therefore, the extent of meteoritic contamination in this crater may be even smaller.

.Maize cultivation in Thailand faces challenges owing to climate change and soil organic carbon (SOC) loss. This highlights the importance of comparing maize soil with paddy soil in terms of the role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrient availability, as they influence SOC content. Soil samples from Chiang Mai province, primarily Fluvisol, were collected for the cultivation of paddy rice and maize, analysed for carbon fractions and chemical properties, and categorised into layers. Comparative analysis revealed that maize soils had lower levels of labile carbon components and organic carbon than paddy soils (P

Byers Peninsula is considered one of the largest ice-free areas in Maritime Antarctica. Since 2006, the Spanish Polar Program has taken part in a large number of environmental studies involving effects of climate changes in lives cycles, limnology and microbiology. Soils from maritime Antarctica are generally weakly developed and have chemical, physical and morphological characteristics strongly influenced by the parent material. However, biological activity during the short Antarctic summer promotes intense transference of nutrients and organic matter in areas occupied by different species of birds and marine mammals. To mapping and monitoring those areas with high biological occupation, could be very useful to have models of edaphic properties prepared from satellite images. In this approach, Deep Learning and Linear Regression models of soil properties and spectral indexes as explicative variables were performed. We training models of soil properties closely related to biological activity such as Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and the iron fraction associated with organic matter (Fe). We tested the best approach to model the spatial distribution of DOC, Fe and pH by training models of Linear Regression and Deep Learning over Sentinel2 and WorldView2 images. The most robust models were used to track possible areas with ornithogenic soils as well as areas of the Byers Peninsula that could support the highest biological development.

The new hybrid composite materials for PEM fuel cell were synthesized by UV-polymerization of acrylic monomers (acrylonitrile (AN), acrylic acid (AA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA)) and sulfo aromatic monomer – sodium styrene sulfonate (SSS), and tetraethoxysilane/3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (TEOS/MAPTMS)-based sol-gel system. By means of X-ray spectroscopy fractal structure of the obtained materials was characterized. Proton conductivity and viscoelastic properties of the materials were investigated depending on the content of inorganic component in nanocomposites. On the basis of impedance studies, an equivalent scheme is proposed that successfully describes the proton conductivity in the synthesized composite electrolyte membranes.

The beneficial effects of Lanthanide incorporation into 0.94Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3 (BNT-BT) matrix on its functional properties were investigated. The conventional solid-state method was used for synthesizing samples. The structural refinement revealed that all samples crystallized in R3c rhombohedral symmetry. Raman spectroscopy study was carried out using green laser excitation and revealed that no clear perceptible variation in frequency is observed. Dielectric measurements unveiled that the introduction of rare earth obstructed the depolarization temperature promoted in BNT-BT with decreasing the diffusive phase transition with increasing the lanthanide size. Only Dysprosium addition showed comparable diffusion constant and dielectric behavior as the unmodified composition. Further, the comparison of the obtained ferroelectric hysteresis and strain-electric field loops revealed that only Dy-phase exhibited interesting properties comparing parent composition. In addition, the incorporation of lanthanides Ln3+ into the BNT-BT matrix led to the development of luminescence characteristics in the visible and near infrared regions, depending on the excitation wavelengths. The simultaneous occurrence of photoluminescence and ferroelectric/piezoelectric properties opens up possibilities for BNT-BT-Ln to exhibit multifunctionality in a wide range of applications.Keywords: Sodium Bismuth Titanate; structural refinement; dielectric properties; ferroelectric properties; piezoelectric properties; Photoluminescence.

Gold occurrence Maljavr, located in amphibolite metamorphosed rocks in the Uragubsky greenstone belt, is the first gold prospect connected with conglomerates of Archean age, found in the Fennoscandian Shield. Gold mineralization is controlled by a series of lenses of altered rocks in biotite gneiss-metaconglomerate. The age of zircon from biotite gneiss in the zone of alteration is 2665±22 Ma, this is considered as the time of alteration processes. Biotite gneiss and altered rocks were later intruded by tourmaline granite pegmatite at 2508±7Ga, the pegmatite caused recrystallization of sulfide minerals in the altered rocks. Visible gold in association with bismuth minerals native bismuth, ehrigite (the second finding in the world), maldonite, bismuthinite, joseite-B, hedleyite was found exceptionally in polymineral inclusions in recrystallized arsenopyrite and löllingite. The age of pegmatite 2508±7Ma we regard as the time of formation of gold-bismuth mineralization. Geological position of the Maljavr occurrence, the linkage of gold mineralization with pegmatite, geochemical association Au-As-Se-Te-Bi in the mineralized rocks – all these characteristics correspond to intrusion-related gold deposits. Biotite gneiss-metaconglomerate, hosting the mineralized altered rocks, was the probable primary source of arsenic and gold for mineralization.

Selenium-rich Au-Ag mineralization has been discovered in the Kremnica ore district, central Slovakia. The mineralization is hosted by a single quartz-dolomite vein hosted by Neogene propyllitized andesites of the Kremnica stratovolcano. Ore mineralogy and crystal chemistry of individual ore minerals have been studied here. The early base-metal ore mineralization composed of pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite lacks selenium, whereas the superimposed Au-Ag paragenesis is Se-enriched. The Au-Ag alloys, uytenbogaardtite, minerals of the galena-clausthalite series, acanthite-naumannite series, diaphorite, miargyrite, pyrargyrite-proustite, polybasite group, minerals of the tetrahedrite group and andorite branch (andorite IV, andorite VI, Ag-excess fizélyite), freislebenite, and rare Pb-Sb sulphosalts (scaiinite, robinsonite, plagionite) have been identified here. Besides selenides, the most Se-enriched phases are miargyrite, proustite-pyrargyrite, and polybasite-pearceite, whose Se contents are among the highest reported worldwide. In addition, one new phase has been found, corresponding to a Se-analogue of pearceite containing 2.08 - 3.54 apfu Se. The style of mineralization, paragenetic situation, and chemical trends observed in individual minerals are comparable to those of Au-Ag low-sulphidation epithermal Au-Ag mineralizations of the Kremnica and neighboring Štiavnica and Hodruša-Hámre Ore Districts, however, the pronounced enrichment in selenium is a specific feature of the studied vein only.

Physics theory has yet to settle on specific descriptions for new elementary particles, for dark matter, and for dark energy forces. Our work extrapolates from the known elementary particles. The work suggests well-specified candidate descriptions for new elementary particles, dark matter, and dark energy forces. This part of the work does not depend on theories of motion. This work embraces symmetries that correlate with motion-centric conservation laws. The candidate descriptions seem to explain data that prior physics theory seems not to explain. Some of that data pertains to elementary particles. Our theory suggests relationships between masses of elementary particles. Our theory suggests a relationship between the strengths of electromagnetism and gravity. Some of that data pertains to astrophysics. Our theory seems to explain ratios of dark matter effects to ordinary matter effects. Our theory seems to explain aspects of galaxy formation. Some of that data pertains to cosmology. Our theory suggests bases for inflation and for changes in the rate of expansion of the universe. Generally, our work proposes extensions to theory in three fields. The fields are elementary particles, astrophysics, and cosmology. Our work suggests new elementary particles and seems to explain otherwise unexplained data.