Area Of Interest Research Articles

A numerical simulation of natural convection in a porous enclosure with nanofluid

In day-to-day life, heat transfer has several applications and hence we have many research areas of interest to learn new things. Nanoparticles improve the characteristics of heat transfer due to the random motion of particles. In this study, a computational approach is used to study natural convection in a porous enclosure with nanofluid. The convective term is solved by the QUICK scheme, and the finite difference method is used to solve the stream function with a 60 × 60 mesh size. CuO-water nanofluid is used in this work since nanoparticles are widely used in almost all engineering fields. In this study, we considered a two-dimensional complex cavity which is solved mathematically by using the Boussinesq approximation method. For validation of the software code, the obtained results are compared with the existing results in the literature and are found to be in good agreement. We see distortion of isotherms increases with an increase in the Rayleigh number and the nanoparticle content. That is, heat transfer takes place by natural convection very fast. Nusselt number increases with increasing nanofluid particles and the Rayleigh number. Also, it can be concluded that the heat transfer is a strong function of the Darcy number and The Rayleigh number.

GEO4PALM v1.1: an open-source geospatial data processing toolkit for the PALM model system

Abstract. A geospatial data processing tool, GEO4PALM, has been developed to generate geospatial static input for the Parallelized Large-Eddy Simulation (PALM) model system. PALM is a community-driven large-eddy simulation model for atmospheric and environmental research. Throughout PALM's 20-year development, research interests have been increasing in its application to realistic conditions, especially for urban areas. For such applications, geospatial static input is essential. Although abundant geospatial data are accessible worldwide, geospatial data availability and quality are highly variable and inconsistent. Currently, the geospatial static input generation tools in the PALM community heavily rely on users for data acquisition and pre-processing. New PALM users face large obstacles, including significant time commitments, to gain the knowledge needed to be able to pre-process geospatial data for PALM. Expertise beyond atmospheric and environmental research is frequently needed to understand the data sets required by PALM. Here, we present GEO4PALM, which is a free and open-source tool. GEO4PALM helps users generate PALM static input files with a simple, homogenised, and standardised process. GEO4PALM is compatible with geospatial data obtained from any source, provided that the data sets comply with standard geo-information formats. Users can either provide existing geospatial data sets or use the embedded data interfaces to download geo-information data from free online sources for any global geographic area of interest. All online data sets incorporated in GEO4PALM are globally available, with several data sets having the finest resolution of 1 m. In addition, GEO4PALM provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for PALM domain configuration and visualisation. Two application examples demonstrate successful PALM simulations driven by geospatial input generated by GEO4PALM using different geospatial data sources for Berlin, Germany, and Ōtautahi / Christchurch, New Zealand. GEO4PALM provides an easy and efficient way for PALM users to configure and conduct PALM simulations for applications and investigations such as urban heat island effects, air pollution dispersion, renewable energy resourcing, and weather-related hazard forecasting. The wide applicability of GEO4PALM makes PALM more accessible to a wider user base in the scientific community.

Identification of Causes of Air Pollution in a Specific Industrial Part of the Czech City of Ostrava in Central Europe

This contribution deals with the assessment of air pollution caused by atmospheric aerosol particulate matter fraction PM10 and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the urban agglomeration of Ostrava, located in the Czech Republic in Central Europe. The motivation for this research was the need to identify the sources of air pollution in the area, particularly in locations where the contribution of different sources to concentrations of pollutants of concern has not been elucidated yet. In this study, source apportionment in the vicinity of the industrial hot spot was performed by statistically evaluating measured pollutant concentrations as a function of meteorological variables and using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor model. A significant methodological innovation and improvement over previous assessments was the higher monitoring resolution of benzo[a]pyrene, with samples collected at three-hour intervals instead of the standard 24 h collection period. The key findings indicate that in the cold part of the year, secondary particles—specifically sulfates and ammonium nitrates—were responsible for the most significant portion of PM10 air pollution throughout the area of interest. The contribution of these particles ranged from one-third to two-fifths of the total concentration, except at the industrial site of Ostrava–Radvanice (TORE), where they accounted for approximately one-fifth of the measured pollution concentration level. Emissions from individual household heating were identified as the main source of this type of pollution. With regards to benzo[a]pyrene air pollution, this study found that in the whole area of interest, except for the Ostrava–Radvanice site, it mainly originated from individual heating with coal (90%). In contrast, at the Ostrava–Radvanice site, two-thirds of the benzo[a]pyrene pollution came from the premises of Liberty Ostrava a.s., primarily from coke production, and less than one-third came from local domestic heating. This study also determined the spatial extent of the occurrence of extremely high benzo[a]pyrene concentrations (above 5 ng/m3), which are estimated to affect nearly 10,000 inhabitants. The results confirm that the data from the TORE station are only representative of its immediate surroundings and are not applicable to the assessment of air quality and causes of air pollution in the whole city of Ostrava or the urban area of Ostrava–Radvanice as a whole. After years of research, these findings provide the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic and the government with an accurate basis for implementing measures to address the identified pollution sources in the area of interest. The success of this study was made possible by the adoption of a more detailed sampling approach, which involved a resolution of 3 h instead of 24 h. This methodological improvement is a significant finding and will be useful for future source apportionment studies.

Niosomes: A targeted drug delivery system

Niosomes are the multilamellar vesicles structure of non-ionic surfactant. Niosomes act as a drug carrier in drug delivery system. Niosomes improved the therapeutic performance of encapsulated drug molecules by protecting the drug from host biological environments resulting in their delayed clearance. In this present review article, we concentrate on the drug Niosomes which is a normal approach for drug delivery system. The niosomes have become the area of interest in the drug delivery system their advantage one liposomes in the field of drug delivery system for being non-toxic makes them more suitable for drug delivery system. Their ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic, lipophilic drugs simultaneously has increased its demand in the present scenario. Niosomes are vesicles made up of non-ionic surfactant, which are biodegradable, nontoxic, more stable and inexpensive and have ability to substitute liposomes but they also flexibility in the route of administration Thus, in the present articles more focus is made on the development method of niosomes which is used as a novel approach in present scenario So, Niosomes as a drug carrier is of greater Importance in the pharmaceutical field

From Textual Data to Theoretical Insights: Introducing and Applying the Word-Text-Topic Extraction Approach

Text analysis, particularly custom dictionaries and topic modeling, has helped advance management and organization theory. Custom dictionaries involve creating word lists to quantify patterns and infer constructs, while topic modeling extracts themes from textual documents to help understand a theoretical domain. Building on these two approaches, we propose another text analysis approach called word-text-topic extraction (WTT), which enhances the efficiency and relevance of text analysis for the sake of theoretical advancement. Specifically, we first identify relevant words for a researcher's theoretical area of interest using word-embedding algorithms. That step is followed by extracting text segments from the textual corpus using a collocation process. Finally, topic modeling is applied to capture themes relevant to the specific theoretical area of interest. To illustrate the WTT approach, we explored one research area needing further theory development—innovation. Using 841 CEOs’ letters to shareholders, we found that our WTT approach provides nuanced features of innovation that differ across industry contexts. We guide researchers on decisions and considerations related to the WTT approach in order to facilitate its use in future studies.

Analysis of blockchain in its standard, development and solicitation

The purpose of the article is to expand knowledge about the applications block chains described in the scientific literature. Blockchain is a decentralized management technology transactions and data, introduced in 2008, whose first use was the famous crypto currency Bitcoin. Diversity possible applications of blockchain technology i In , the initial state of research in this field was stimulated interests and publications on this topic. The built-in features of this technology ensure security and anonymity and data integrity create interesting areas of research, particularly from the perspective of technical challenges and limitations. Security features of many important systems in many industries rely on what is known as “Safety Through”. Ambiguity (Berentsen,2020) in security technology. Research in this direction aims to keep security mechanisms and system implementation in a complete state anonymity. However, the main disadvantage of this method is the problem with is that if we find out, the entire system could collapse Security mechanism. A fact that will become known later several studies show that this practice is becoming virtually impossible with the use of revolutionary blockchain technology.

Cognitive-matrix analysis of research on primary health care development in the Russian Federation for the period from 2012 to 2022

The distribution of publications posted in the Elibrary for the period from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2022, in the structure of a cognitive matrix of taxonomic characteristics for the analysis and assessment of primary health care in the Russian Federation made it possible to establish areas of scientific interest and identify gaps in specific areas and indicators characterizing its current and future development.Aim. To distribute scientific publications according to the relevant segments of the cognitive matrix of taxonomic characteristics for the analysis and assessment of primary health care in the Russian Federation.Material and methods. A database of 41824 publications was used, for which a triple review was carried out with the involvement of 9 experts selected according to appropriate criteria for level of education, work experience in the healthcare system, and academic credentials. At the first two stages, publications not related to primary health care, as well as duplicate publications, were excluded. At the final stage of reviewing, a selective analysis of publications was carried out, assessing the correctness of their distribution into the corresponding taxa of the cognitive matrix, followed by adjustment (if necessary).Results. A cognitive matrix of taxonomic characteristics has been generated for the analysis and assessment of primary health care in the Russian Federation, containing 30339 publications distributed across relevant domains, subdomains and primary health care indicators. The matrix is also presented in a heat map format, allowing an assessment of the most studied taxa of primary health care, as well as highlighting those areas in primary health care in which more research should be carried out to provide a basis and methodology for making informed decisions on its development.Conclusion. Systematized and ordered publications can serve as a basis for a wide range of users in the preparation of systematic reviews and other publications on specific domains, subdomains, primary health care indicators and universal health coverage principles. This study has shown the high efficiency of the cognitive matrix of taxonomic characteristics as a unified tool for aggregation or decomposition of features characterizing the development of primary health care in the Russian Federation.

Areas of interest and sentiment analysis towards second generation antipsychotics, lithium and mood stabilizing anticonvulsants: Unsupervised analysis using Twitter

BackgroundSevere mental disorders like Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders (SRD) or Bipolar Disorder (BD) require pharmacological treatment for relapse prevention and quality of life improvement. Yet, treatment adherence is a challenge, partly due to patients' attitudes and beliefs towards their medication. Social media listening offers insights into patient experiences and preferences, particularly in severe mental disorders. MethodsAll tweets posted between 2008 and 2022 mentioning the names of the main drugs used in SRD and BD were analyzed using advanced artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning, and deep learning, along with natural language processing. ResultsIn this 15-year study analyzing 893,289 tweets, second generation antipsychotics received more mentions in English tweets, whereas mood stabilizers received more tweets in Spanish. English tweets about economic and legal aspects displayed negative emotions, while Spanish tweets seeking advice showed surprise. Moreover, a recurring theme in Spanish tweets was the shortage of medications, evoking feelings of anger among users. LimitationsThis study's analysis of Twitter data, while insightful, may not fully capture the nuances of discussions due to the platform's brevity. Additionally, the wide therapeutic use of the studied drugs, complicates the isolation of disorder-specific discourse. Only English and Spanish tweets were examined, limiting the cultural breadth of the findings. ConclusionThis study emphasizes the importance of social media research in understanding user perceptions of SRD and BD treatments. The results provide valuable insights for clinicians when considering how patients and the general public view and communicate about these treatments in the digital environment.

Development of a prototype of a theranostic system based on silica nanoparticles with immobilized fluorescent dyes and VEGF targeting ligand.

Background. Administration of certain drugs causes undesirable effects associated with the systemic effect of the active substance on the entire body. Selective targeting of the drug to the affected tissue promotes a selective increase in the concentration of the substance in the area of interest, thereby reducing the systemic effect and enhancing the local therapeutic effect.Objective. Development of a targeted delivery system for theranostic agents using recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor type A (rhVEGF-A121) as a targeting ligand.Design and method. To create the theranostic complex, commercially available reagents were used: the recombinant protein rhVEGF-A121 (cat.#: PSG140-10, LLC CyStorLab, Skolkovo, Russia) and fumed silica Aerosil (A-200, Degussa AG, Germany). The tosyl spacer that interconnects both components was synthesized in the laboratory. Protein conjugation with fluorophores was also carried out in-house. Indocyanine green (ICG; Sigma-Aldrich, USA) and rhodamine B (JSC Lenreaktiv, St. Petersburg, Russia) were taken for immobilization.Results. In the course of the work, functionalization of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) with a tosyl spacer was carried out, conjugates of SiNPs with rhVEGF-A121 were synthesized, and theranostic constructs based on SiNPs were obtained, including rhVEGF-A121 as a targeting ligand, and ICG/Rhodamine B as a visualizing label.Conclusion. In the presented study, a prototype of a complex for targeted delivery of a theranostic agent to tissues with an active angiogenesis process, for example, to tumor and ischemic tissues, was developed. To solve the problem, we immobilized on the surface of SiNP a recombinant protein of human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF) to use as a guide ligand. Such a synthetic construct will help to deliver diagnostic and/ or medicinal substances packed in SiNP directly to cells that overexpress extracellular specific receptors of the VEGFR family. In subsequent in vivo experiments, delivery efficiency will be assessed by tissue accumulation of the fluorophores ICG and rhodamine B, which have been conjugated to the targeting ligand protein. The physicochemical characteristics of the obtained samples were studied by the methods of spectrophotometry and dynamic light scattering.

The application of distributed autonomous organization governance mechanisms to civic medical data management

AbstractDecentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) have emerged as a novel governance mechanism that operates through distributed ledgers and smart contracts, enabling members to direct an organization's actions. The widespread adoption of DAOs has occurred in response to their utility in managing emergent semi‐structured projects and has led to the development of various innovative governance mechanisms. The mechanisms employed by DAOs has the potential to be generalized beyond their core financial domain to a wide range of use cases. In the medical field the use of blockchain and DAOs can provide secure and transparent access to medical data, while ensuring patient privacy. Civic access to medical data is a growing area of interest, where individuals have control over their own medical data and can share it with healthcare providers, researchers, and other stakeholders. DAOs can facilitate this civic access, enabling individuals to share their data securely and selectively with authorized parties for research and other purposes. This paper explores the use of DAOs to medical data sharing, with a focus on ownership, governance, and transaction models. An application framework and API that enables the deployment of DAO‐like organizations is derived and this approach is applied to the patient‐centric management of medical data.

Handbike for Daily Use, Sport, and Rehabilitation Purposes: A Literature Review of Actuation and Technical Characteristics

With respect to alternative devices like traditional wheelchairs, handbikes can offer advantages from biomechanical and physiological perspectives, to several kinds of users. Assuring high mechanical efficiency and homogeneous force distributions along cycles, and being suitable for indoor and outdoor activities, these systems are used for rehabilitation, sports, and daily applications. From a technical perspective, their main characteristics can vary with the device final purpose and operational context. This review aims to provide an overall outline of handbikes in the literature from a general and comprehensive point of view, up until 2022. The analysis is performed (i) with a systematic approach, without a priori limitations on document type and content focus, and (ii) to identify the areas of interest for the scientific development of these systems. A systematic evaluation method for the identification and analysis of the documents was designed and implemented and the selection criteria, as well as the rationale for the procedure, are described. A specific taxonomy was defined and applied for the subsequent analysis, and each category is specifically evaluated and described, detailing the main outcomes of the literature analysis and relative discussion. Particular attention is paid to actuation strategies and propulsion efficiency. Finally, the main results of the work and future developments for handbikes are briefly synthesized.

Revealing The Academic Terrain: A Bibliometric Analysis of AI Virtual Reality Research Patterns

"Revealing the Academic Terrain: A Bibliometric Analysis of AI Virtual Reality Research Patterns," the author explores the complex field of academic works that investigate the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). Using bibliometric techniques, we carefully investigate the development, patterns, and influential figures in this ever-changing subject. Our investigation reveals the intricate network of academic publications, clarifying trends in publishing trends, cooperation networks, and topical areas of interest. Our study offers useful insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers who want a thorough grasp of the present and potential future orientations of AI virtual reality research by negotiating this scholarly landscape.

Emergency Department Demand and the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We present a retrospective analysis of Emergency Department daily patient flow across 84 hospitals in Queensland, Australia over a four-year period from 2017 - 2020, leading up to and including the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily ED demand significantly increased year-on-year over the study period, though significant increases in 2020 were likely attributed to ED fever screening clinics. Compliance against a four-hour ED Length of Stay target had been slightly decreasing since 2017, and the first year of the pandemic showed significant improvements in target compliance compared to previous years for all patients including the cohort admitted from ED. The length of stay for ED patients was also significantly less in 2020 (mean = 3.1 hours) compared to previous years. As an area of topical interest, a special focus on influenza-like illness presentations to ED helps quantify changes in volume of this cohort. This knowledge assists hospitals in planning and responding to variations in hospital demand.

Microbiome and Biliary Tract Cancer

Biliary tract cancers encompass a group of malignancies that affect the bile ducts and gallbladder and are associated with a poor prognosis, often due to late diagnosis and limited treatment options. The incidence of biliary tract cancer has been increasing gradually, underscoring the need for a better understanding of its pathogenesis and potential risk factors. Research suggests that biliary tract cancer may develop through a combination of genetic and epigenetic alterations, as well as environmental factors. The role of microbial exposure and the human microbiome in the pathogenesis of biliary tract cancer is an emerging area of interest. Traditionally, the biliary tree was considered sterile under normal conditions, but recent studies have identified associations between specific microbiological patterns and inflammatory biliary diseases and cancer. The human microbiome plays a crucial role in maintaining host homeostasis and interacting with the host's immune system. Dysbiosis, or an imbalance in the microbiome composition, has been implicated in the development of various diseases, including cancer. Hence, dysbiosis in the biliary tract might trigger the pathogenesis of biliary tract cancer. Advances in next-generation sequencing technology have provided researchers with a more comprehensive view of the microbiota and their potential roles in health and disease, providing more evidence of the relationship between the microbiota and biliary tract cancer. This review summarizes the latest evidence of the microbiome that would be associated with biliary tract cancer.

Global Research on Care-Related Burden and Quality of Life of Informal Caregivers for Older Adults: A Bibliometric Analysis

As global populations continue to undergo demographic aging, the role of caregivers in providing essential support and assistance to older adults has become increasingly prominent. This demographic shift has led to a growing reliance on informal caregivers, often family members, who take on the responsibilities of caring for older adults. This not only affects immediate family dynamics but also holds broader implications for societal sustainability. The primary objective of this bibliometric analysis is to comprehensively examine the worldwide research output related to the quality of life and caregiver burden among individuals providing care to older adults. By understanding the worldwide research output related to caregivers and their quality of life and burden, we can assess the long-term sustainability of caregiving practices. We retrieved studies with titles containing the terms “caregivers”, “burden”, “quality of life”, and “aged” from the Web of Science (WOS) database. The collected publications were then subjected to analysis using the “bibliometric” package in the R programming environment. A total of 44 publications from 2006–2023 were included in the analysis. Spain emerged as the leading contributor in terms of the number of publications, accounting for 21.9%, followed by the USA at 16.5% and China at 13.6%. The most prolific institution was Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, responsible for 25% of the publications. Among the authors, Cura-Gonzalez I.D. had the highest number of articles, contributing four publications, or 9.1% of the total output. An analysis of co-occurring keywords revealed that the predominant focus of the research revolved around caregiver burden, quality of life, health, care, stress, and impact, reflecting enduring areas of interest within this field. This bibliometric analysis may serve as a tool to provide insights into the current state of research on caregiver burden and quality of life among those caring for older adults. The results of this study can contribute to the assessment of research strategies and the encouragement of global cooperation in the field of care for older adults. By considering the multidimensional nature of caregiving challenges and promoting international cooperation, strides can be made towards sustainable caregiving practices that ensure the wellbeing of both caregivers and the aging population, thus safeguarding the sustainability of healthcare systems worldwide.

Trends and Future Research in Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering in the Past Decade (2012-2022).

To learn about advances in skeletal muscle tissue engineering (SMTE) in recent years, we used VOSviewer and Citespace software to quantitatively analyze and visualize relevant literature in the Web of Science database during the period 2012-2022. By mapping high-frequency keyword relationship networks, keyword time zones, and journal article cocitations, we clarified the areas of great interest, evolutionary paths, and developmental trends in research on SMTE. We conducted an in-depth analysis of highly cited and representative articles at various stages to summarize the mainstream research areas of great interest in SMTE and discussed the future development and challenges in this field, intending to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of skeletal muscle injury repair. We found that a collaborative network of authors has formed in this field; the journals publishing SMTE articles belong to the fields of biomaterials and tissue engineering, and open-access journals have played a key role in the promotion of the development of SMTE; and in the past decade, there has been rapid progress in SMTE research in terms of both depth and breadth. Impact statement Compared with the literature review method, bibliometrics can provide a comprehensive knowledge of a knowledge area based on a huge amount of literature. In this article, based on the Web of Science database, CiteSpace, and Vosviewer visualization tools were used to measure and analyze the literature reports in the field of skeletal muscle tissue engineering (SMTE). The research hotspots and cutting-edge information on SMTE were mined in terms of the number of publications, the number of citations, the keywords, the authors, and the publishing institutions to understand the current status of the research on SMTE in the world, to provide a reference for related researchers, engineering research in the field of SMTE, to comprehensively understand the current status of global research in the field of SMTE, and to provide a reference for related researchers.

A vibration signal processing method based on SE-PSO-VMD for ultrasonic machining

Ultrasonic Machining (USM) has broad applicability in numerous industrial fields. Accurate capture of ultrasonic vibration signals is pivotal to the functioning of USM, making them areas of significant research interest. However, the nonlinear and non-stationary nature of the USM vibration signal makes it unsuitable for analysis with conventional methods such as Fast Fourier Transform. Despite current methodologies like Discrete Wavelet Transformation (DWT) yielding valuable insights, they involve manual parameter selection and could lead to sub-optimal results. This paper presents a novel method, using Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) to automatically decompose USM vibration signals into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). This method is complemented by Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to optimize the number of IMFs and penalty factor, with Sample Entropy (SE) serving as a fitness function. The innovative SE-PSO-VMD method is validated in ultrasonic metal welding and demonstrates a notable ability in predicting the pull force of welding materials with a high coefficient of determination R2 value of 0.78.

Three of North America's geoheritage sites and the lost 1863 exploration of Giovanni Capellini

Abstract Geoparks and the valorization of sites with a strong geoheritage component is a new frontier for sustainable tourism. A UNESCO special recognition was established in 2015, and much work has been undertaken in establishing sites in Europe and Asia, yet only five localities have been recognized by UNESCO in North America. This paper discusses three sites relevant to geoheritage – Pulpit Rock in Massachusetts, Montmorency Falls in Quebec and Niagara Falls in New York and Ontario – which were visited in 1863 by the newly appointed professor of geology at Bologna University, Giovanni Capellini. During his four-month journey across northeastern North America, he made sketches, took notes and collected more than 2000 specimens that together provide a depth of perspective on the importance of the geoheritage of the sites he visited. We chose these sites, among the many visited by Capellini, because Niagara Falls is now seeking UNESCO recognition, and the other two, though no longer fully accessible, remain important tourist sites and areas of geological interest.

Handheld lidar as a tool for characterizing wood‐rich river corridors

AbstractWood accumulations influence geomorphic, hydraulic, and ecologic functions within a river corridor, but characterizing these accumulations presents challenges across a range of field and remote sensing methodologies. We evaluate the ability of handheld lidar scanners, specifically lidar‐scanning capabilities of a fourth‐generation iPad Pro, to collect three‐dimensional wood accumulation data, which can be used to inform measurements of wood volume, porosity, complexity, and roughness. We discuss the potential and limitations of this novel methodology for river research and management. We found that handheld lidar presents a cost‐effective input for data‐processing workflows that field measurements of wood accumulation dimensions cannot as easily replicate including (1) a user‐friendly means of data collection and visualization; (2) accurate comparisons of wood volume over time; (3) integration into workflows to measure porosity parameters; and (4) potential use in informing hydraulic and morphodynamic models. Consideration of study area constraints and intended use of scans are prerequisites to using handheld lidar as an effective tool. We identified some specific limitations of using handheld lidar scanners in wood‐rich river corridors, including (1) scanners perform poorly when wood is under water or surrounded by dense vegetation; (2) scanners require physical access to areas of interest at distances less than 5 m; (3) scans need to be manually georeferenced; and (4) scans require manual measurements for any dimensional data, which still have associated user time and error. Handheld lidar as a scientific tool is rapidly developing and there is substantial room for expansion of applications, utilization, and advances in the use of this tool in river research and management.

Multi-element geochemical analyses on ultrafine soils in Western Australia – towards establishing abundance ranges in mineral exploration settings

In this study, we present summary statistics for multi-element soil geochemistry across Western Australia based on over 74 000 soil samples using the UltraFine+ ® method that extracts and analyses the clay (<2 μ m) fraction of a soil sample. This method is a critical advancement for the detection of mobile element signatures for soil geochemical mineral exploration surveys in cover. However, existing estimates of background metal abundances acquired with other methods and on different sample media do not readily provide context for these analyses, as recovery from the fine fraction differs to that of whole-sample analysis. We therefore present herein the geochemical results for 52 elements, including precious, base and critical metals, as well as commonly associated pathfinder elements for Western Australian samples analysed during several research projects by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). This dataset is separated by tectonic unit into the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane and the Youanmi Terrane in the Yilgarn Craton, the Pilbara Craton and Sylvania Inlier, the Gascoyne, Lamboo and Aileron Provinces, and the Bryah and Earaheedy Basins to provide exploration-relevant context in these areas. We discuss some of the general trends observed for 12 of these elements, as well as some considerations for the use of these data in comparison to other geochemical soil surveys and with regards to mineral exploration settings. The samples presented in this study are not evenly distributed across Western Australia and limited information is available to correlate whether lithology at depth is mineralized or barren. However, in the absence of other systematic datasets using the <2 μ m-size fraction, these data present a suitable first-pass resource of element abundance ranges in areas of mineral exploration interest using the UltraFine+ ® method in some of the mineral-endowed areas of Western Australia. Supplementary material: Supplementary data A, UltraFine+ ® Soil Sampling Guide; B, UltraFine+ ® analyses results for available samples in Western Australia; C, Summary statistics of UltraFine+ ® analyses by simplified tectonic units; Supplementary Figure 1, Comparison of elemental mean values and uncertainties for ultrafine reference materials QC 320 and QC 422; Supplementary Figure 2, Violin plots of Ni, Cd, Mg and Au by simplified tectonic unit; Supplementary Figure 3, Location of soil samples in the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane analysed via UltraFine+ ® , and those collected as part of the NGSA and GSWA regolith programme; Supplementary Figure 4, Comparison of W, Al, Mg and Ca results from UltraFine+ ® , NGSA and GSWA analyses in the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6919933