Complex Source Research Articles

Linked and fully coupled 3D earthquake dynamic rupture and tsunami modeling for the Húsavík–Flatey Fault Zone in North Iceland

Abstract. Tsunamigenic earthquakes pose considerable risks, both economically and socially, yet earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments are typically conducted separately. Earthquakes associated with unexpected tsunamis, such as the 2018 Mw 7.5 strike-slip Sulawesi earthquake, emphasize the need to study the tsunami potential of active submarine faults in different tectonic settings. Here, we investigate physics-based scenarios combining simulations of 3D earthquake dynamic rupture and seismic wave propagation with tsunami generation and propagation. We present time-dependent modeling of one-way linked and 3D fully coupled earthquakes and tsunamis for the ∼ 100 km long Húsavík–Flatey Fault Zone (HFFZ) in North Iceland. Our analysis shows that the HFFZ has the potential to generate sizable tsunamis. The six dynamic rupture models sourcing our tsunami scenarios vary regarding hypocenter location, spatiotemporal evolution, fault slip, and fault structure complexity but coincide with historical earthquake magnitudes. Earthquake dynamic rupture scenarios on a less segmented fault system, particularly with a hypocenter location in the eastern part of the fault system, have a larger potential for local tsunami generation. Here, dynamically evolving large shallow fault slip (∼ 8 m), near-surface rake rotation (± 20∘), and significant coseismic vertical displacements of the local bathymetry (± 1 m) facilitate strike-slip faulting tsunami generation. We model tsunami crest to trough differences (total wave heights) of up to ∼ 0.9 m near the town Ólafsfjörður. In contrast, none of our scenarios endanger the town of Akureyri, which is shielded by multiple reflections within the narrow Eyjafjörður bay and by Hrísey island. We compare the modeled one-way linked tsunami waveforms with simulation results using a 3D fully coupled approach. We find good agreement in the tsunami arrival times and location of maximum tsunami heights. While seismic waves result in transient motions of the sea surface and affect the ocean response, they do not appear to contribute to tsunami generation. However, complex source effects arise in the fully coupled simulations, such as tsunami dispersion effects and the complex superposition of seismic and acoustic waves within the shallow continental shelf of North Iceland. We find that the vertical velocity amplitudes of near-source acoustic waves are unexpectedly high – larger than those corresponding to the actual tsunami – which may serve as a rapid indicator of surface dynamic rupture. Our results have important implications for understanding the tsunamigenic potential of strike-slip fault systems worldwide and the coseismic acoustic wave excitation during tsunami generation and may help to inform future tsunami early warning systems.

Primary recovery strategies of low‐molecular‐weight toxins from Crotalus molossus nigrescens and Crotalus atrox using aqueous two‐phase and three‐phase partition systems

AbstractBACKGROUNDRattlesnake venoms are a complex source of different toxin families with biotechnological and biomedical applications. However, the complexity of the sample and the low abundance of some toxins can restrict their study and applications. Toxin isolation usually requires multiple chromatographic steps, implying elevated operative costs and processing times. This raises the need for recovery and enrichment of those proteins and peptides. For that reason, we tested two liquid–liquid separation methods – aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS) and three‐phase partition (TPP) – since these two alternatives have shown great potential for the primary recovery of different toxin families from rattlesnake venoms.RESULTSPolyethylene glycol (PEG)–citrate and ionic liquid (IL)–potassium phosphate ATPS and TPP based on t‐butanol and ammonium sulfate were used to partition different toxin families from Crotalus molossus nigrescens and C. atrox venoms. PEG–citrate allowed a selective partition of proteins between both phases. The best enrichment case was observed with a myotoxin band (6.6 kDa) in the PEG‐rich phase from 2% to 41.3% of abundance. In IL–potassium phosphate systems, proteins showed a preference towards the IL‐rich phase with no selective partition. In TPP, proteins were partitioned mainly to the bottom phase and interphase, but serine proteases (29.1 kDa) were enriched from 3.7% to 56.6% in the top phase.CONCLUSIONThe present study demonstrated that PEG–citrate ATPS and TPP separation methods can generate a selective partition of some toxin families from rattlesnake venoms. These enrichment methods will facilitate the isolation of toxins, from animal venoms, that are relevant for biotechnological and biomedical applications. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Elucidating Dissolved Organic Sulfur in the Coastal Environment by Improved Online Liquid Chromatography Coupled to FT‐ICR Mass Spectrometry

AbstractDissolved organic sulfur (DOS) is an important component of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and widely exists at the land‐atmosphere interface. However, the characterization of DOS at the molecular level among different environmental samples in coastal regions has not been sufficiently focused. Here, we investigated DOS in aerosol, rainwater, and river water samples in Shanghai using an improved method–online liquid chromatography coupled to Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LC‐FT‐ICR MS). This system is utilized to separate DOS from complicated environmental matrices. The results showed that the average relative abundance of DOS in three different environmental media (aerosol, rainwater, and river water samples) accounted for 16.8%, 21.9% and 13.1%, respectively. The common molecules of the three mediums in coastal Shanghai contain an abundance of aromatic and aliphatic DOS of anthropogenic origin in addition to the natural sources of sea spray. Notably, results from a new structural classification scheme for DOS demonstrate that anthropogenic sulfonates and their derivatives are widely spread, although their molecular diversity in different medium was recorded due to complex environmental conditions and diverse sources.

Integrating Algorithmic Decision Making into Small Business Credit Initiatives: a path to Enhanced Efficiency and Inclusive Economic Growth

Purpose: This paper addresses the challenges faced by small businesses in accessing credit through Small Business Credit Initiatives (SBCI) in the United States. Despite the success of SBCI in creating jobs and fostering economic growth, there are limitations in the evaluation process.
 Methodology: The research design integrates advanced algorithmic decision-making, machine learning, and LLMs into existing credit evaluation process. Primary data is collected from various sources, including financial and business history, market sentiments, external factors, and utilization of sampling techniques if required. Document review, surveys and digital platforms are used for collecting data for LLMs to extract insightful information from complex sources. This comprehensive approach, combining with traditional and innovative methods, aims to establish a robust foundation for developing and evaluating a fair, efficient, and adaptive credit evaluation system for small business credit initiatives.
 Findings: The proposed framework integrates external market factors and use of LLMs for document review on top of primary data sources currently in adaption. Data processing could be amended by extracting features by using advanced natural language processing to enhance feature space by collecting valuable information which is expected to enhance predictive power, adjustment of thresholds and decision making along with a feedback loop.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy, and Practice: Unique framework to accelerate small business credit initiatives by developing a new process of selecting and evaluating machine learning model centered on addressing associated risks, adapting to changes in government policy, improving current procedures, and incorporating feedback from stakeholders and applicants. This is done in an organized manner, with a focus on monitoring and maintaining algorithmic decision models.

Compact dual‐frequency impedance transformer for frequency‐dependent complex source and load

SummaryThis study presents a compact hybrid dual‐frequency impedance transformer that is suitable for sources and loads having frequency‐dependent complex impedances. The basic transformer comprises two transmission lines and two shunt stubs, and this configuration is adequate for the design of a dual‐frequency impedance transformer for a few sources and loads. Compared with other studies, this work presents a distinct derivation concept to obtain the circuit parameters, thus enabling the achievement of a compact circuit. For some particular sources and loads that the basic structure is difficult to match because of line width limitations, lumped elements are added to overcome the limitation and further reduce the circuit size. The derived design formulas avoid errors caused by frequency‐dependent deviations in the component values due to parasitic effects, which constitute a critical problem in Radio Frequency (RF) circuits that employ lumped elements. The simulated results are in good agreement with the measured results, and the frequency responses obtained herein validate the proposed structure and design procedure.

TREVR2: illuminating fast N log2N radiative transfer

ABSTRACT We present trevr2 (Tree-based REVerse Ray Tracing 2), a fast, general algorithm for computing the radiation field, suitable for both particle and mesh codes. It is designed to self-consistently evolve chemistry for zoomed-in astrophysical simulations, such as cosmological galaxies with both internal sources and prescribed background radiation, rather than large periodic volumes. Light is propagated until absorbed, with no imposed speed limit other than those due to opacity changes (e.g. ionization fronts). trevr2 searches outward from receiving gas in discrete directions set by the healpix algorithm (unlike its slower predecessor trevr), accumulating optical depth and adding the flux due to sources combined into progressively larger tree cells with distance. We demonstrate Nactivelog2N execution time with absorption and many sources. This allows multiband radiative transfer costs comparable to tree-based gravity and hydrodynamics, and the usual speed-up when active particles evolve on individual time-steps. Sources embedded in non-homogeneous absorbing material introduce systematic errors. We introduce transmission averaging instead of absorption averaging which dramatically reduces these systematic effects. We outline other ways to address systematics including an explicit complex source model. We demonstrate the overall performance of the method via a set of astrophysical test problems.

Atmospheric leaching of Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn from sulfide tailings using various oxidants

The growing demand for nickel and cobalt increases the interest in extracting metals from secondary sources, such as flotation tailings. A preferential strategy for the processing of the complex and/or low-grade secondary sources may be material integration into existing primary processes. In this research, a robust sulfuric acid leaching treatment was studied for metal extraction from sulfidic flotation tailings (Ni 0.45 %, Co 0.80 %, Cu 0.20 %, Zn 0.58 %). The impact of leaching parameters on metals extraction was studied; oxygen gas (1–2 L/min), ferric ions (0.05–0.3 M), and hydrogen peroxide (0.5–0.8 M), temperature (30–90 °C), sulfuric acid concentration (0.2–2 M), and solid–liquid ratio (50–100 g/L). It was found that after 30-minutes 20.0 % of nickel, 5.6 % of cobalt, and 33.0 % of the main impurity iron were extracted using oxygen as oxidant. Increasing temperature and sulfuric acid concentration were shown to have a positive effect on extraction. Also, with the further addition of ferric ions, cobalt extraction could be slightly increased (from 6.2 % to 8.3 %) whereas both nickel and cobalt could be increased with hydrogen peroxide (nickel 22.9 %, cobalt 14.2 %). However, the use of H2O2 can be challenging due to its high environmental footprint as well as partial decomposition by ferric ions, increasing H2O2 consumption further. The results suggest that the mineralogy of the investigated tailings limited feasible metals extraction using atmospheric conditions up to ≈ 20 % for nickel and ≈ 10 % for cobalt, with nickel distributing stronger into non-refractory minerals while cobalt reported more to pyrite. For other base metals, zinc extraction from sphalerite was shown to be efficient (up to ≈ 90 %) whereas copper extraction was limited (up to ≈ 30 %). In future, such atmospheric sulfuric acid leaching may provide a robust recovery route for non-refractory minerals present in the tailings, while full valorization of sulfide tailings matrix will require higher intensity processing with technologies such as pressure oxidation (POX), concentrated chloride leaching, bioleaching, roasting-leaching or very fine milling of the raw material prior to atmospheric leaching.

Research progress on the characteristics, sources, and environmental and potential health effects of water-soluble organic compounds in atmospheric particulate matter.

Water-soluble organic compounds (WSOCs) have received extensive attention due to their indistinct chemical components, complex sources, negative environmental impact, and potential health effects. To the best of our knowledge, until now, there has been no comprehensive review focused on the research progress of WSOCs. This paper reviewed the studies on chemical constituent and characterization, distribution condition, sources, environmental impact, as well as the potential health effects of WSOCs in the past 13 years. Moreover, the main existing challenges and directions for the future research on WSOCs were discussed from several aspects. Because of the complex composition of WSOCs and many unknown individual components that have not been detected, there is still a need for the identification and quantification of WSOCs. As modern people spend more time in indoor environments, it is meaningful to fill the gaps in the component characteristics and sources of indoor WSOCs. In addition, although in vitro cell experiments have shown that WSOCs could induce cellular oxidative stress and trigger the inflammatory response, the corresponding mechanisms of action need to be further explored. The current population epidemiology research of WSOCs is missing. Prospectively, we propose to conduct a comprehensive and simultaneous analysis strategy for concentration screening, source apportionment, potential health effects, and action mechanisms of WSOCs based on high throughput omics coupled with machine learning simulation and prediction.

Офицеры петровской армии по сказкам военной коллегии и герольдмейстерской конторы сената: сравнительный анализ свидетельств начала и второй половины 1720-х гг

Introduction. The study of the Russian nobility of the Peter the Great era is often complicated by the lack of sources created directly by the nobles. Therefore, researchers have to study noble identities and aspirations through interpretations of their actions. Nevertheless, there is a set of documents created from the words of the nobles – skazki. Skazki‘s reflect various aspects of the life of serving nobles and can be used for a comprehensive study. At the same time, it is important to find out how much we can trust these testimonies. Materials and methods. The basis of the research is the skazki‘s of the Military College, collected in 1720-1721, as well as the skazki‘s of the Senate Heraldmaster's Office collected in 1726-1728. The skazki‘s of the same people are studied, which makes it possible to trace the changes that took place in the lives of officers, as well as to see the transformations in the description of reality that also occurred during the 1720s. An important task is also to verify information, to assess the correspondence of information from earlier skazki‘s to the data that are present in later skazki‘s. Results. Most of skazki‘s, in particular those related to the beginning of service, service regiments, literacy and social origin, coincide in both tales. Despite this, there are also less reliable indicators. These include information about the years of promotion and the nobles who approved the promotion. Indicators of the property status and counties where nobles were own estates reflect the dynamics. In our case, the main trend is to improve the property status of officers. It has been established that officers in different skazki‘s could call different nobles involved in the same promotion, and in some cases do not mention any of them. Changes in the self-identification of officers are shown, at least in the public sphere. The high literacy of the officers is shown. Conclusion. The author concludes that the skazki‘s of officers are a complex source, different indicators of which have different reliability. Nevertheless, for some in-dicators, skazki‘s can be considered to reflect reality, and actively used in research. If the information given by the officer in the skazki for different years differs, it is necessary to look for the reason for such a difference. Moreover, the reason may be not only forgetfulness. Based on the discrepancy between the data on the involvement of nobles in different skazki‘s to the same appointment of an officer, it is assumed that such differences purposefully appear. In addition, based on the research data and additional materials, the dynamism of the concept of "gentry" for the 1720s is shown. All this indicates that the officers were active actors in the process of creating skazki‘s.

Creation and importance of language corps in Uzbekistan

The article discusses the transformation of language into the language of the Internet, computer technology, mathematical linguistics, its continuation and the formation and development of computer linguistics, in particular the question of modeling natural languages for artificial intelligence. The Uzbek National Corps plays an important role in enhancing the international status of the Uzbek language. The work carried out in the field of computer linguistics plays an important role in resolving existing problems in the Uzbek language. The question of the linguistic and extralinguistic separation of special tags for marking texts and their components is studied in particular.The coding requirements for important text information are defined. The state analyzes the linguistic module and the algorithm and its types from independent components of the linguistic program code. The need for algorithms for phonological, morphological and spelling rules for the formation of the lexical and grammatical code is scientifically substantiated. The importance of such linguistic modules as phonology, morphology and spelling in the formation of the linguistic base of the national corpus of the Uzbek language is emphasized. The article examines the corpus’s primary purpose as a complex linguistic source, as well as the fact that it primarily contains two sorts of information and its types. The key effective capabilities of the corpus, according to the paper, are reducing time spent on the text analysis process and being able to explain the properties of language units in speech with thousands of instances. The national corpus, the educational corpus, and the parallel corpus are all discussed in the subject of computer linguistics. It was stressed that linguistic and extralinguistic tagging of them, the development of corpus formation algorithms, and the establishment of corpus linguistic support are all societal need. It recognizes the urgency of developing the basis for the creation of the Uzbek language corpus, conducting research in the field of computer linguistics as a scientific and theoretical source.

Angle monitor of micromirror array for freeform illumination in lithography systems

Source and mask optimization is a critical technique for further resolution enhancement in immersion lithography systems, wherein the optimal illumination source shape is widely generated by the micromirror array. Accordingly, the accurate achievement of the allocated angles of micromirrors is a key prerequisite for the implementation of arbitrary illumination patterns. In this paper, we propose an angle monitor to ensure the high-precision tilting of thousands of biaxial micromirrors. As one of the critical modules for closed-loop control of the two-dimensional micromirror array, the online monitor feeds the monitored high-precision tilt angle back to the processing system. The angle monitor mainly consists of the spot scanning module and the angle detection module. Among them, an f-θ lens and a Fourier transform lens with satisfied performances are designed and evaluated by CODE V. Furthermore, a galvanometer and the designed f-θ lens are adopted for the generation of the spot array irradiated on the electrostatic actuated mirrors. Meanwhile, the designed Fourier transform lenses are employed to detect the corresponding tilt angles. In addition, the performance of the proposed system is identified by simulations and experiments individually. It is demonstrated that the monitorable biaxial tilt range of the system is (−2.5°, +2.5°) with a repeatability of better than 0.005°. The large-format micromirror array can be monitored completely without optical cross-talk. Through the device, a 16 × 16 micromirror array is monitored, where the initial angle with no bias voltage applied is captured and the voltage–angle relation for individual micromirrors is obtained. In general, the proposed system can be utilized in the illumination system, providing an efficient and reliable method for complex source shape generation.

Predicting the scaling relations between the dark matter halo mass and observables from generalised profiles I: Kinematic tracers

Abstract We investigate the relationship between a dark matter halo’s mass profile and measures of the velocity dispersion of kinematic tracers within its gravitational potential. By predicting the scaling relation of the halo mass with the aperture velocity dispersion, $M_\mathrm{vir} - \unicode{x03C3}_\mathrm{ap}$ , we present the expected form and dependence of this halo mass tracer on physical parameters within our analytic halo model: parameterised by the halo’s negative inner logarithmic density slope, $\unicode{x03B1}$ , its concentration parameter, c, and its velocity anisotropy parameter, $\unicode{x03B2}$ . For these idealised halos, we obtain a general solution to the Jeans equation, which is projected over the line of sight and averaged within an aperture to form the corresponding aperture velocity dispersion profile. Through dimensional analysis, the $M_\mathrm{vir} - \unicode{x03C3}_\mathrm{ap}$ scaling relation is devised explicitly in terms of analytical bounds for these aperture velocity dispersion profiles: allowing constraints to be placed on this relation for motivated parameter choices. We predict the $M_{200} - \unicode{x03C3}_\mathrm{ap}$ and $M_{500} - \unicode{x03C3}_\mathrm{ap}$ scaling relations, each with an uncertainty of $60.5\%$ and $56.2\%$ , respectively. These halo mass estimates are found to be weakly sensitive to the halo’s concentration and mass scale, and most sensitive to the size of the aperture radius in which the aperture velocity dispersion is measured, the maximum value for the halo’s inner slope, and the minimum and maximum values of the velocity anisotropy. Our results show that a halo’s structural and kinematic profiles impose only a minor uncertainty in estimating its mass. Consequently, spectroscopic surveys aimed at constraining the halo mass using kinematic tracers can focus on characterising other, more complex sources of uncertainty and observational systematics.

Optimization of Some Culture Conditions and Medium Composition for the Production of Bacitracin from Lactobacillus helveticus DF

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of some culture conditions and components of the culture medium on the production of bacteriocin from Lactobacillus helveticus DF to get maximum bacteriocin yield. The results showed that the best culture conditions for maximum bacteriocin production were; pH 6, incubation temperature 37°C, incubation period 48 hours and the best culture medium MRS at anaerobic condition. Optimization of the medium ingredients was also investigated.The production of active antimicrobial peptide bacteriocin, active against Gram positive and Gram negative microorganisms including P.aeruginosa (B) and E. Feacalis (A), by L. helveticus DF isolated from feces of infants is influenced by complex nitrogen sources and carbon sources in the production medium. Medium components, especially pepton, beef extract and yeast extract, and their concentration contributed to increase in the production during the stationary phase. The Optimal nitrogen sources for their production were 1.5% , 2%, 2% (w/v) of pepton, beef extract and yeast extract respectively, accordingly, the present result evidenced that the increment in bacteriocin production was attributed with nitrogen source. Bacteriocin production by L. helveticus DF emphasized that, the higher bacteriocin yield was attained in the medium supplied with Tween 80 compared to medium without addition of tween 80, optimal concentration for their production 0.75%. Carbon source supplementation in culture media favored the maximum bacteriocin yield by L. helveticus DF, maximum bacteriocin yield when cultured in MRS supplemented with glucose and mannose (2%w/v). Bacteriocin production was affected differently by the presence of different concentrations of K2HPO4 or KH2PO4. Optimal bacteriocin production was recorded in the presence of 0.25% K2HPO4. The results of this study showed that the best production medium was named modified MRS medium which composed of 2% glucose, 2% mannose, 1.5% peptone, 2% yeast extract, 2% beef extract, 0.25% K2HPO4 and 0.75% tween 80, adjusted at pH 6 and incubated at 37°C for 48 hours (under anaerobic conditions) and with inoculum size of 4 % of cells number 1×109 cell/ml. After optimization, Bacteriocin activity was increase to 80 and 160 AU\ML against E. Feacalis (A) and P.aeruginosa (B) respectively.

ИНТРОДУЦИРОВАННЫЕ СОРТА МАЛИНЫ КАК ИСТОЧНИКИ В СЕЛЕКЦИИ

The study was carried out to identify the breeding potential of introduced raspberry varieties of different geographical origins. The work was carried out in 2018-2022 in Bryansk region. The material for the study is 17 raspberry varieties of foreign selection, the control is the late-ripening variety Lavina. The following indicators were taken into account: field winter hardiness, degree of disease damage, duration of fruiting, productivity, productivity, mechanical properties of berries and taste. It has been established that it is inappropriate to grow some of the varieties in the conditions of central Russia without shelter for the winter. The varieties Uslada, Cascade Delight, Phenomenon, and Lavina were characterized by high winter hardiness with a degree of damage of no more than 1.0 points. For resistance to Didymella applanata Sass. (defeat up to 1.5 points) varieties were selected - Glen Ample, Sokolica, Radziejowa, Cowichan and the control variety Lavina, to Botrytis cinerea Pers. (loss up to 1.5 points) – Laszka, Tadmor, Chemainus, Sokolica, Radziejowa, Glen Ample, Cascade Delight, Octavia. The varieties Sokolica and Radziejowa were characterized by high field resistance to a complex of pathogens. Most genotypes are distinguished by medium-late fruit ripening (starting from the middle of the second decade of July). According to the components of productivity, complex sources of their high manifestation have not been identified, however, the varieties Laszka, Tadmor, Chemainus, Sokolica, Radziejowa, Glen Ample, Fenomen, Cowichan, Benefis, Glen Magna, which form fruits with an average weight of 3.8...4.4 g, can be used in breeding to increase the level of large fruit. According to the results of studying the mechanical properties of raspberry fruits, the varieties Laszka, Tadmor, Sokolica, Chemainus, Cascade Delight were characterized by increased strength (6.2...6.8 N) and optimal force of separation of berries (0.5...0.6 N) from the fruit. In terms of taste, the yellow-fruited varieties Valentina and Anne stood out, as well as the Uslada variety with a tasting score of 4.5 points. The varieties Tadmor, Chemainus, Glen Ample, Cascade Delight, Cowichan, Benefis, Glen Magna had a dessert taste (4.0...4.3 points), but without a “raspberry” aroma.

Biological Activities of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A.Murray bis) Parl. and Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don Essential Oils: Toxicity, Genotoxicity, Antigenotoxicity, and Antimicrobial Activity

Essential oils (EOs) derived from evergreen conifer trees are recognized as complex sources of agents with various biological activities. In this study, the biological activities of the EOs derived from Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A.Murray bis) Parl. (CLEO) and Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don (TPEO) were investigated. The third instar larvae of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster were used as a model organism to determine the in vivo toxicity, genotoxicity, and antigenotoxicity of five different concentrations of CLEO and TPEO, ranging from 0.19% to 3%. Artemia salina was used for acute toxicity assessment and determination of LC50 after 24 h and 48 h. The antimicrobial activity of the CLEO and TPEO was tested against fourteen bacterial and two fungal strains using the microdilution method. The larvicidal activity and developmental time of D. melanogaster increased as the concentrations of the EOs rose. CLEO and TPEO produced a dose-dependent increase in DNA damage compared with the negative control. Both oils, at concentrations up to 1.5%, demonstrated the ability to reduce the genotoxic effect induced by ethyl methanesulfonate, with a reduction rate exceeding 60%. CLEO and TPEO were highly toxic against Artemia salina nauplii. The results indicate that the tested EOs act as antimicrobial agents against some pathogenic bacteria and fungi. CLEO and TPEO show promising potential as a source of antimicrobial and antigenotoxic agents and as potential biocides against pest insects and arthropods.

A comprehensive exploration of characteristics and source attribution of carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 in an East China megacity

A total of 84 PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) aerosol samples were collected between October 2020 and August 2021 within an urban site in Hangzhou, an East China megacity. Chemical species, such as organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), as well as char, soot, and n-alkanes, were analyzed to determine their pollution characteristics and source contributions. The mean yearly concentrations of OC, EC, char, soot, and total n-alkanes (∑n-alkane) were 8.76 ± 3.61 μg/m3, 1.44 ± 0.76 μg/m3, 1.21 ± 0.69 μg/m3, 0.3 ± 0.1 μg/m3, and 24.2 ± 10.6 ng/m3. The OC, EC, and ∑n-alkanes were found in the highest levels during winter and lowest during summer. There were strong correlations between OC and EC in both winter and spring, suggesting similar potential sources for these carbonaceous components in both seasons. There were poor correlations among the target pollutants due to summertime secondary organic carbon formation. Potential source contribution functions analysis showed that local pollution levels in winter and autumn were likely influenced by long-range transportation from the Plain of North China. Source index and positive matrix factorization models provided insights into the complex sources of n-alkanes in Hangzhou. Their major contributors were identified as terrestrial plant releases (32.7%), traffic emissions (28.8%), coal combustion (27.3%), and microbial activity (11.2%). Thus, controlling vehicular emissions and coal burning could be key measures to alleviate n-alkane concentrations in the atmosphere of Hangzhou, as well as other Chinese urban centers.

Engineering carrier nanoparticles with biomimetic moieties for improved intracellular targeted delivery of mRNA therapeutics and vaccines.

Biological membrane-engineered lipid nanoparticles (LNP) have shown enormous potential as vehicles for drug delivery due to their outstanding biomimetic properties. To make these nanoparticles more adaptable to complex biological systems, several methods and cellular sources have been adopted to introduce biomembrane-derived moieties onto LNP and provide the latter with more functions while preserving their intrinsic nature. In this review, we focus on LNP decoration with specific regard to mRNA therapeutics and vaccines. The bio-engineering approach exploits a variety of biomembranes for functionalization, such as those derived from red blood cells, white blood cells, cancer cells, platelets, exosomes, and others. Biomembrane engineering could greatly enhance efficiency in targeted drug delivery, treatment, and diagnosis of cancer, inflammation, immunological diseases, and a variety of pathologic conditions. These membrane-modification techniques are expected to advance biomembrane-derived LNP into wider applications in the future.

Ontsluiting van het Amsterdamse notariële archief

The archives of the Amsterdam notaries (1578-1915) are an extremely rich but complex source for historical research. Although well known amongst researchers for decades, it was never possible to search the archive completely due to its enormous size (over 3.5 kilometers of shelve length). From 2016 onwards the Amsterdam City Archives have started a renewed attempt to disclosure this archive with new techniques such as crowd sourcing and Handwritten Text Recognition in the project Alle Amsterdamse Akten. This article provides insight in the way the Amsterdam City Archives unlocks the deeds of the seventeenth and eighteenth century notaries and how researchers can benefit from the results of this mass digitization project.

Efficient selective uptake of mercury ions using inverse vulcanization-synthesized sulfur-rich adsorbents

Mercury abatement from complex environmental sources remains a significant challenge for environmental protection due to the lack of cost-effective sorbents. Sulfur-based adsorbents have been traditionally used for selective uptake of Hg(II) ions, necessitating the creation of effective sulfur adsorption sites. Herein, we propose a sulfur-rich material synthesized method via inverse vulcanization for mercury removal from solutions. Mercury exhibits an affinity for sulfur, and highly active sulfur sites enhance its adsorption efficiency. Inert elemental sulfur can be activated by aliphatic diamine through a ring-opening process, converting sulfur and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into functional sulfur-rich materials at a mild temperature of 50 °C. The cross-linked structure of PVC enhances the dispersion of active sulfur sites. This sulfur and nitrogen-containing material demonstrates excellent mercury removal capabilities, exhibiting high selectivity even in complex ionic environments, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 309.2 mg/g. Our results highlight the efficiency of this sulfur-rich material as a mercury sorbent. The inverse vulcanization method enables the efficient utilization of two abundant resources, sulfur and waste PVC. This research has been submitted for publication in a scientific journal, and we have provided a concise and polished version for your consideration.

A database application framework toward data-driven vertical connectivity analysis of rivers

The description of complex river environments requires interdisciplinary approaches to collect and manage manifold data types and sources. Deriving comprehensive knowledge from complex data sources is challenging and necessitates not only knowledge of environmental science but also statistics and Software engineering. This study introduces a relational database framed in an application called River Analyst for creating and managing river data with open-source standards (Python3 and Django). We conceptualize data models of river environments, which describe sediment characteristics and hydraulics related to hyporheic exchange. River Analyst enabled us to derive novel insights for restoring rivers affected by so-called riverbed clogging, notably, fine sediment infiltration in the hyporheic zone. The database analysis reveals that clogging is not a dominant control process when the fraction of fine sediment exceeds 50%–55%. In conclusion, the new Software holds promise for data-informed advancements in augmenting knowledge to restore ecologically functional hydro-environments.