Favorable Conditions Research Articles

Thermodynamic Analysis and Performance Improvement in Biomass Power Plant: A Comprehensive Review

Biomass power plants play a crucial role in the sustainable energy sector by converting organic materials such as agricultural residues, forest biomass, and dedicated energy crops into electricity and heat. Biomass power plants represent a viable and renewable energy solution that can contribute to transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Their ability to convert organic materials into electricity and heat, coupled with proper management of feedstocks and emissions, can provide a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based power generation. Biomass has appeared as one of the most encouraging renewable energy sources for the replacement of fossil fuels. An extensive study about the prospective of biomass to produce renewable energy in the world has been exhibited in this article. The biomass-driven combined heat and power plant demonstrates 67% and 12% efficiency improvement compared to the stand-alone biomass power plant. BFP-CCS performs best at the H<sub>2</sub>O/Mn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> mass ratio of 1.6, the H<sub>2</sub>O/O<sub>2</sub> molar ratio of 2.8, the O<sub>2</sub>/biomass mass ratio of 0.22, and the fuel utilization factor of 0.65. The exergo-economic and exergo-environmental factors obtained are 51.5% and 0.0288% respectively at the favorable operating conditions. The round-trip efficiency of the process using R1233zd was 8.77%, which was slightly lower than that of the process using R245fa (8.84%). The net power output of the final CLC integrated configuration and conventional power plants are 492.19 kW and 273.12 kW respectively. A lot of energy can be recovered without low-temperature corrosion problems, and 7% of the total input energy can be saved. The maximum obtainable exergy efficiency was 42.03%, which was related to MSW (Municipal Solid Waste). The primary aim of this review is to furnish a thorough understanding of the thermodynamic complexities and potential improvements within biomass power plants. Through a critical analysis of current research and emerging technologies, this review aims to establish the groundwork for more effective and sustainable energy production from biomass, playing a crucial role in shaping a cleaner and more environmentally friendly future.

Cause-Related Marketing as Sales Promotion

This study presents the first field investigation of the sales impact of cause-related marketing promotions (CMPs) in retail settings. Whereas prior work primarily studies CMPs in simplified experimental settings, actual fast-moving consumer goods markets are considerably more complex; ergo, consumers are unlikely to consider and evaluate all brands and CMPs in detail. In this analysis based on 63 CMPs across 20 categories, the authors therefore investigate the short-term sales impact of CMPs as a function of the brand and category context in which they are executed. On average, CMPs run 11 weeks and donate 3.2% of product price, resulting in an average sales lift of 4.9% per week. The findings suggest that a necessary precondition for CMP success is that consumers notice it at the point of sale and hence have considered the CMP brand for reasons other than the CMP itself. Accordingly, the sales impact of CMP can more than double when the category assortment is smaller, the category has less price dispersion, the brand is a category leader, or the brand is priced below the category average. Brands operating in less favorable market conditions can still achieve above-average CMP impact by combining CMPs with price promotions to ensure consumer consideration.

Sustaining collaborative learning in a rurally located university classroom in South Africa: Conducive conditions and possible threats

This study investigated how collaborative learning, as a teaching and learning approach, can be enhanced to promote pre-service teachers' participation in university classrooms in rural areas of South Africa. The study aimed to identify the conducive conditions that support collaborative learning, as well as the threats that may hinder the implementation of collaborative learning in rural classrooms. Asset-based community development served as the theoretical framework for this study. A transformative paradigm was adopted, employing a participatory research design to bring together individuals with relevant experiences and opinions. The study involved fifteen participants, including five lecturers with more than five years of experience, five third-year students, and five fourth-year students from a selected university. Data was collected through focused group discussions and interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that connecting activities to assessment, proper planning, linking content to students' lives, and establishing a positive classroom culture were conducive conditions for collaborative learning. On the other hand, language barriers, unconducive classroom infrastructure, and lack of infrastructure were identified as factors that could hinder the implementation of collaborative learning in this study. The study recommends the creation of favourable conditions, such as aligning activities with assessments and effective planning, to promote collaborative learning among pre-service teachers in rural university classrooms in South Africa.

Multiscale Analysis for Identifying the Impact of Human and Natural Factors on Water-Related Ecosystem Services

Accurately identifying and obtaining changes in ecosystem drivers and the spatial heterogeneity of their impacts on ecosystem services can provide comprehensive support information for ecological governance. In this study, we investigate the changes in the relationship between human and natural factors and water-related ecosystem services (WESs) in different sub-watersheds across various time periods, focusing on four aspects: single-factor effect, nonlinear effect, interactive effects, and spatial characteristics. Taking the southern basins, which have complex topographic, climatic, and economic characteristics, as a study area, the study area was divided into four sub-basins with different characteristics. WESs of water yield, soil conservation, and water purification were quantified using the InVEST model for five periods from 2000 to 2020, and the OPGD and MGWR models were integrated to assess the impacts of 15 factors on WESs and their spatial characteristics. The results show the following: (1) After comparing the data over multiple time periods, climate factors such as precipitation (0.4033) are the primary factors affecting WESs in the southern basins, and human factors such as construction area (0.0688) have a weaker influence. The direct impact of human factors on WESs is not significant in the short term but increases over time. (2) Different sub-watersheds have different impacts on WESs. For instance, human activity intensity (0.3518) is a key factor affecting WESs in the Inward Flowing Area, while precipitation is the primary factor influencing WESs in other sub-watersheds. (3) Influencing factors and WES changes are often nonlinearly correlated; however, once a certain threshold is exceeded, they may have adverse impacts on WESs. (4) When a single factor interacts with other factors, its explanatory power tends to increase. (5) Compared to traditional methods, the estimation accuracy of MGWR is higher. Intense human activities can adversely affect WESs, while abundant precipitation creates favorable conditions for the formation of WESs. Therefore, integrating long-time-series multi-remote sensing data with OPGD and MGWR models is suitable for identifying and analyzing the driving mechanisms of human and natural factors that influence changes in WESs. Against the backdrop of global change, elucidating the driving factors of ecosystem services can provide crucial insights for developing practical policies and land management applications.

Efficient Production of Microalgal Biomass—Step by Step to Industrial Scale

The production of microalgal biomass on a commercial scale remains a significant challenge. Despite the positive results obtained in the laboratory, there are difficulties in obtaining similar results in industrial photobioreactors. Changing the cultivation conditions can affect not only the growth of microalgae but also their metabolism. This is of particular importance for the use of biomass for bioenergy production, including biofuel production. The aim of this study was to determine the biomass production efficiency of selected microalgal strains, depending on the capacity of the photobioreactor. The lipid and ash content of the biomass were also taken into account. It was found that as the scale of production increased, the amount of biomass decreased, irrespective of the type of strain. The change in scale also affected the lipid content of the biomass. The highest values were found in 2.5 L photobioreactors (ranging from 26.3 ± 2.2% for Monoraphidium to 13.9 ± 0.3% for Chlorella vulgaris). The least favourable conditions were found with industrial photobioreactors, where the lipid content of the microalgal biomass ranged from 7.1 ± 0.6% for Oocycstis submarina to 10.2 ± 1.2% for Chlorella fusca. The increase in photobioreactor capacity had a negative effect on the ash content.

Testosterone is closely related to Leydig cell activity, environmental factors, and androgen receptor distribution in adult male lizards of Liolaemus cuyanus (Reptilia: Liolaemidae) during the reproductive cycle.

Testosterone, the primary sex hormone in male lizards, is closely linked to Leydig cell activity (the cells where steroidogenesis occurs) throughout the reproductive cycle, but testosterone action is related to androgen receptors (ARs) distribution in the seminiferous epithelium. In temperate zones, environmental factors detected through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, downregulate plasma testosterone, resulting in a seasonal reproductive cycle. The aim of this work is to study plasma testosterone in adult male lizards of Liolaemus cuyanus, an oviparous species, throughout its reproductive cycle and its relationship with Leydig cell histology, TotalLeydigCell/ActiveLeydigCell (TLC/ALC) ratio, environmental factors (temperature, relative humidity and solar irradiation) and ARs distribution in seminiferous epithelium. Specimens (N = 27) were captured (October to March) in a semi-arid zone (Valle de Matagusanos, San Juan, Argentina) and grouped into three relevant reproductive periods: pre-reproductive (PrR), reproductive (R), and post-reproductive (PsR). Significant differences in plasma testosterone were found among these periods, highest during R than in PsR. A significant positive correlation between plasma testosterone and TLC/ALC ratio was also observed. Plasma testosterone has a significant positive correlation only with solar irradiation, but not with the other variables. In PrR and R, ARs distribution was cytoplasmic and nuclear, shifting to only cytoplasmic in PsR. These results highlight the close correspondence between plasma testosterone, Leydig cell histology and activity, environmental factors, and ARs distribution, resulting in a synchronization that allows males of L. cuyanus to coordinate their reproductive cycle with the most favorable environmental conditions, probably for mating and birth of offspring.

Coagulative removal of polystyrene microplastics from aqueous matrices using FeCl3-chitosan system: Experimental and artificial neural network modeling

Effluent from sewage treatment plants (STPs) is a significant source of microplastics (MPs) re-entry into the environment. Coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation (CFS) process as an initial tertiary treatment step requires investigation for coagulative MPs removal from secondary-treated sewage effluents. In this study, experiments were conducted on synthetic water containing 25 mg/L polystyrene (PS) MPs using varying dosages of FeCl3 (1–10 mg/L) and chitosan (0.25–9 mg/L) to assess the effect of process parameters, such as pH (4−8), stirring speed (0–200 rpm), and settling time (10–40 min). Results revealed that ∼89.3% and 21.4% of PS removal were achieved by FeCl3 and chitosan, respectively. Further, their combination resulted in a maximum of 99.8% removal at favorable conditions: FeCl3: 2 mg/L, chitosan: 7 mg/L, pH: 6.3, stirring speed: 100 rpm, and settling time: 30 min, with a statistically significant (p < 0.05) effect. Artificial neural network (ANN) validated the experimental results with RMSE = 1.0643 and R2 = 0.9997. Charge neutralization, confirmed by zeta potential, and adsorption, ascertained by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were primary mechanisms for efficient PS removal. For practical considerations, the application of the FeCl3-chitosan system on the effluents from moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) and sequencing batch reactor (SBR)-based STPs, spiked with PS microbeads, showed > 98% removal at favorable conditions.

In situ coal permeability and favorable development methods for coalbed methane (CBM) extraction in China: From real data

Permeability plays a significant role in the economic viability of coalbed methane (CBM) development. In China, in situ permeability obtained from injection fall-off tests range from 0.0001 to 41 mD at depths of 130–1728 m, with the majority (78%) falling between 0.01 and 1 mD. Coal reservoirs with high rank, common cleat mineralization, and depth-dependent high stress may result in extremely low permeability. Low-rank coal and cataclastic coal exhibit more favorable permeability conditions at shallow depths. Heterogeneity in coal rank, coal texture, and stress magnitude results in a discrete distribution of permeability both regionally and vertically. Most deep seams are highly compressed with extremely low permeability (<0.1 mD) as high stress levels. Multilateral horizontal wells work best with high permeability seams, while vertical wells with conventional hydraulic fracturing demonstrate limited adaptability to deep and low-permeability seams due to insufficient proppant-supported fractures. With increasing depth, both vertical and horizontal wells should employ larger fracturing scales to create effectively supported zones with higher fracture conductivity and reduced stress sensitivity to enhance CBM productivity. Horizontal wells with large-scale volume fracturing demonstrate superior performance compared to vertical wells in extracting CBM from deep, low-permeability, and high gas saturation reservoirs.

Evaluation of the extracts of purple basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) as natural pH‐indicator dyes anticipated to be utilised in intelligent food packaging—an optimisation study

AbstractPurple basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) extract has significant potential as a natural colorimetric pH‐indicator material owing to its abundance in anthocyanins. This contribution is the first to optimise the ultrasound‐assisted extraction of purple basil by response surface methodology in terms of maximum total monomeric anthocyanin (TMA) content and pH‐dependent increase in green intensity (IGI) using a three‐level, three‐factor Box–Behnken design. The latter was considered as a measure of the pH‐indicator ability of the extracts. The independent variables were ethanol concentration, solvent/solid ratio, and extraction time for two types of solvents [aqueous ethanol with 0.1% (v/v) acetic acid (Ac) or hydrochloric acid]. Optimum conditions were determined for single and combined responses. The extracts were further characterised according to total phenolic content (TPC), percentage polymeric colour (PPC), 2,2'‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid (ABTS) antioxidant, and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities. All models explained more than 93% of the variability. The combined response model for the Ac‐acidified system gave more favourable optimal conditions [55.25% (v/v) ethanol, 30 mL/g solvent/solid ratio and 39.24 min] regarding lower ethanol consumption and shorter times. Validation experiments verified the model successfully predicted the responses. The corresponding TMA, IGI, PPC, TPC, ABTS, and DPPH values were determined as 4.83 ± 0.18 mg cyanidin‐3‐glucoside equivalent, 2.29 ± 0.05, 68.07 ± 3.17, 28.79 ± 1.54 mg gallic acid equivalent, 55.85 ± 1.71 mg Trolox equivalent, and 16.80 ± 1.08 mg ascorbic acid equivalent per gram dry weight, respectively.

A new ‘Southern Giant Crab’ from a miocene continental slope palaeoenvironment at Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand

ABSTRACT Large-sized extinct crab specimens recovered from Waitoetoe beach, North Island, New Zealand form the basis for a new species of ‘Southern Giant Crab’, Pseudocarcinus karlraubenheimeri n. sp. The specimens originate from the upper Miocene Urenui Formation (approximately 8.8 myr) of the Taranaki Basin, in which a series of volcanoes of the Mohakatino Volcanic Centre erupted offshore, leading to the formation of a specific palaeoenvironment. The well-preserved, articulated specimens were found buried in sediments which include reworked volcanogenic material. The crabs inhabited a deep-marine setting. This is the first evidence that Pseudocarcinus inhabited the region that is now New Zealand. New Zealand Miocene environments apparently offered favourable conditions in terms of food sources, metabolic requirements, and calcium-carbonate supply for Pseudocarcinus karlraubenheimeri n. sp. Pseudocarcinus thrived on both sides of the Tasman Sea until it disappeared in New Zealand waters. Pseudocarcinus crabs are characterised by gigantism, which provided them with significant advantages in competition and defence. Their carnivorous nature is reflected in their exceptionally large major cheliped. The broader use of benthic dwelling gastropods and bivalves as prey seems to have led to subsequent advances in brachyuran claw engineering, and an increase of molluscivorous crabs in the Late Cretaceous and Palaeogene. Zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B53DB047-B18C-4CA4-946F-5E9209A581F2

Assessment of Proteinase and Phospholipases Enzymes Isolated from Pathogenic Candida species from Women Attending Antenatal Clinic at Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital, Southern Highland Regions of Tanzania

Fungi are a global cause of vaginal infections, with vaginal candidiasis largely afflicting tropical regions including most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, baseline studies have established the prevalence of Candida species among symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women in Dar es Salaam (Namkinga et al., 2005; Namkinga 2012) and in Mwanza (Mushi et al., 2019). However, no study that has been done to determine the above-mentioned enzymes form Candida species in Southern Highland Regions of Tanzania. Several factors have been reported to contribute to the virulence and pathogenicity of Candida, among others the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, particularly phospholipase and proteinase. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the in vitro production of phospholipases and proteinases enzymes from isolated pathogenic Candida spp from pregnant women.Of the 280 samples collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital were tested for several microbiological methods such as the wet mount microscopic preparations (hanging drop) and the Gram stained smears for microscopy, cultures on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar and on Conidia enhancing medium (Corn meal agar), germ tube test, biochemical tests, sugar fermentation-assimilation tests and molecular test to characterize Candida species.Phospholipase production was performed in egg yolk medium while the production of proteinase was done in a medium containing bovine serum albumin. All analyses were performed in triplicates. The results showed that; out of the 280 tested, 155 (74.3%) isolates were phospholipase positive while 201 (96.6%) were positive for proteinase activity. C. albicans was the species with the highest number of positive isolates for proteinase and phospholipase 110 (95.6%), and most strains of C. albicans produce both enzymes (phospholipases and proteinases). The non-albicans Candida isolates were also producers of hydrolytic enzymes that, consequently, might be able to cause infections as favorable conditions arises.

Postrift buried volcanoes and igneous plumbing systems along a continental ribbon: Insights from the Xisha massif, northwestern margin of the South China Sea

Despite the prevalence of postrift volcanoes and underlying igneous plumbing systems in rifted basins at proximal and hyperextended crustal configurations, well-preserved volcanoes and related intrusions are rare within minimally stretched continental blocks (i.e., continental ribbon). It is now possible to investigate the size, age, and geographical distribution of the buried volcanoes from multibeam, single-, and multichannel seismic data recently collected beneath the South China Sea Xisha massif, which we argue is a continental ribbon. These data made it evident that the Middle Miocene volcanoes frequently generated massive volcanic fields that erupted along the rift fault zones in contrast to the Early Miocene volcanoes, which typically built clusters of small-volume volcanic cones in the rift half-graben. Details include the presence of numerous volcanoes above and to the side of the dome-shaped main edifice that constitutes the middle Miocene volcanic field. Intrusive sills beneath volcanoes are isolated and have a dispersed distribution pattern at different levels, whereas dikes beneath volcanoes are numerous and have vertical zones of disruption that connect to underlying faults or extend through the sediments to the crust. The relationship between the volcanoes and intrusions suggests that shallow igneous plumbing systems within the Xisha massif are most likely dike domains. The Xisha massif has favorable conditions, including a relatively thin sedimentary sequence over a slightly extended continental crust (20–28 km) that might provide sufficient magma pressure for an igneous plumbing system that is primarily fed by dikes. In addition, rifted faults in the upper crust and possibly subvertical foliations in the basement rock mass are thought to be viable routes for magma transport vertically. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of crustal structure on the continental ribbon in controlling igneous plumbing styles and the distribution of postrift volcanic systems along magma-poor continental margins, including crustal thickness, preexisting faults, heterogeneous basement, and sediments.

Integrating hydrogen utilization in CO2 electrolysis with reduced energy loss

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction using sustainable energy is a promising approach of synthesizing chemicals and fuels, yet is highly energy intensive. The oxygen evolution reaction is particularly problematic, which is kinetically sluggish and causes anodic carbon loss. In this context, we couple CO2 electrolysis with hydrogen oxidation reaction in a single electrochemical cell. A Ni(OH)2/NiOOH mediator is used to fully suppress the anodic carbon loss and hydrogen oxidation catalyst poisoning by migrated reaction products. This cell is highly flexible in producing either gaseous (CO) or soluble (formate) products with high selectivity (up to 95.3%) and stability (>100 h) at voltages below 0.9 V (50 mA cm−2). Importantly, thanks to the “transferred” oxygen evolution reaction to a water electrolyzer with thermodynamically and kinetically favored reaction conditions, the total polarization loss and energy consumption of our H2-integrated CO2 reduction reaction, including those for hydrogen generation, are reduced up to 22% and 42%, respectively. This work demonstrates the opportunity of combining CO2 electrolysis with the hydrogen economy, paving the way to the possible integration of various emerging energy conversion and storage approaches for improved energy/cost effectiveness.

Comparison between the impact of the brazilian real estate crisis and the critical period of Covid 19 on the financial economic indicators of companies

Until 2013, the real estate sector experienced an excellent moment due to favorable economic conditions and the high housing deficit in the country, and it can be said that the real estate market went through a period of “euphoria”. But as of 2014, this growth in the sector was interrupted by a strong crisis due to the oversupply of real estate units, and the lack of bank credit from customers for the acquisition of real estate. This period of decline lasted, on average, until 2018, when companies in the sector resumed growth, but shortly thereafter, in early 2020, the Covid19 pandemic brought new challenges for companies, providing negative as well as positive impacts. This work aimed to study the economic and financial indicators of some important developers (Cyrela, Even, EZTEC, MRV and Direcional) in the national market, listed in the IMOB sectorial index of the Stock Exchange, to measure the evolution of these indicators during the period of 2013 to 2021, a period in which the construction sector experienced two crises of global proportions. As shown in the results, the main financial economic indicators (liquidity, indebtedness, profitability, and turnover or activity) had a behavior with only negative impacts in the 2014 real estate crisis. but in the Covid crisis these impacts were predominantly positive

Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of laser cladding iron-based coatings with two types of NbC reinforcement

In this work, iron-based alloy coating without NbC (No-NbC), directly added NbC (A-NbC) and in-situ synthesized NbC (I-NbC) reinforced composite coatings were fabricated on the SS304 substrate surface to compare the strengthening effects of two types of NbC introduction mechanisms on the iron-based alloy. All as-clad coatings presented a complete and dense structure, and compared to A-NbC composite coating, I-NbC composite coating achieved a fine dispersion distribution of the reinforcement. Unlike A-NbC coating with α-Fe and NbC, it was revealed that α-Fe, γ-Fe, NbC and Cr23C6 existed in I-NbC composite coating, and the possibility of in-situ synthesized NbC has been confirmed through thermodynamic theory. Additionally, the introduction of NbC notably refined the grain size of iron-based alloy systems and restrained the generation of high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). Compared to substrate and No-NbC coating, A-NbC and I-NbC composite coating achieved the higher average microhardness value of 524.6 ± 12 HV and 534.9 ± 4 HV, respectively, mainly relying on the precipitation of NbC in the coating. Meanwhile, the results in the dry sliding friction test found that due to the dispersion and uniformity of in situ synthesized reinforcements, I-NbC composite coating presented a satisfactory wear resistance with the lowest specific wear rate of 6.55 × 10−6 mm3/N m and the minimum friction coefficient of 0.627. NbC particles were considered to be detrimental to the corrosion resistance of coatings in electrochemical corrosion tests due to galvanic corrosion between them and the matrix. However, I-NbC composite coating provided a favorable condition for the formation of passivation film by introducing Cr and Nb atoms, with the minimum Icorr of only 7.55 × 10−8 A cm−2, which was much less than that of other as-clad coatings.

Personalized decision-making for aneurysm treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: development and validation of a clinical prediction tool

BackgroundIn patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage suitable for endovascular coiling and neurosurgical clip-reconstruction, the aneurysm treatment decision-making process could be improved by considering heterogeneity of treatment effect and durability of treatment. We aimed to develop and validate a tool to predict individualized treatment benefit of endovascular coiling compared to neurosurgical clip-reconstruction.MethodsWe used randomized data (International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial, n = 2143) to develop models to predict 2-month functional outcome and to predict time-to-rebleed-or-retreatment. We modeled for heterogeneity of treatment effect by adding interaction terms of treatment with prespecified predictors and with baseline risk of the outcome. We predicted outcome with both treatments and calculated absolute treatment benefit. We described the patient characteristics of patients with ≥ 5% point difference in the predicted probability of favorable functional outcome (modified Rankin Score 0–2) and of no rebleed or retreatment within 10 years. Model performance was expressed with the c-statistic and calibration plots. We performed bootstrapping and leave-one-cluster-out cross-validation and pooled cluster-specific c-statistics with random effects meta-analysis.ResultsThe pooled c-statistics were 0.72 (95% CI: 0.69–0.75) for the prediction of 2-month favorable functional outcome and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.63–0.71) for prediction of no rebleed or retreatment within 10 years. We found no significant interaction between predictors and treatment. The average predicted benefit in favorable functional outcome was 6% (95% CI: 3–10%) in favor of coiling, but 11% (95% CI: 9–13%) for no rebleed or retreatment in favor of clip-reconstruction. 134 patients (6%), young and in favorable clinical condition, had negligible functional outcome benefit of coiling but had a ≥ 5% point benefit of clip-reconstruction in terms of durability of treatment.ConclusionsWe show that young patients in favorable clinical condition and without extensive vasospasm have a negligible benefit in functional outcome of endovascular coiling – compared to neurosurgical clip-reconstruction – while at the same time having a substantially lower probability of retreatment or rebleeding from neurosurgical clip-reconstruction – compared to endovascular coiling. The SHARP prediction tool (https://sharpmodels.shinyapps.io/sharpmodels/) could support and incentivize a multidisciplinary discussion about aneurysm treatment decision-making by providing individualized treatment benefit estimates.

Causes of Summer Ozone Pollution Events in Jinan, East China: Local Photochemical Formation or Regional Transport?

Simultaneous measurements of atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs), conventional gases and meteorological parameters were performed at an urban site in Jinan, East China, in June 2021 to explore the formation and evolution mechanisms of summertime ozone (O3) pollution events. O3 Episode Ⅰ, O3 Episode II, and non-O3 episodes were identified based on the China Ambient Air Quality Standards and the differences in precursor concentrations. The O3 concentrations in Episode I and Episode II were 145.4 μg/m3 and 166.4 μg/m3, respectively, which were significantly higher than that in non-O3 episode (90 μg/m3). For O3 precursors, VOCs and NOx concentrations increased by 48% and 34% in Episode I, and decreased by 21% and 27% in Episode II compared to non-O3 episode days. The analysis of the m,p-xylene to ethylbenzene ratio (X/E) and OH exposure demonstrated that the aging of the air masses in Episode II was significantly higher than the other two episodes, and the differences could not be explained by localized photochemical consumption. Therefore, we speculate that the high O3 concentrations in Episode II were driven by the regional transport of O3 and its precursors. Backward trajectory simulations indicated that the air masses during Episode II were concentrated from the south. In contrast, the combination of high precursor concentrations and favorable meteorological conditions (high temperatures and low humidity) led to an excess of O3 in Episode I. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model results indicated that increased emissions from combustion and gasoline vehicle exhausts contributed to the elevated concentrations of VOCs in Episode I, and solvent usage may be an important contributor to O3 formation. The results of this study emphasize the importance of strengthening regional joint control of O3 and its precursors with neighboring cities, especially in the south, which is crucial for Jinan to mitigate O3 pollution.

Tropical Cyclogenesis Bias over the Central North Pacific in CMIP6 Simulations

Abstract Current coupled climate models contain large biases in simulating tropical cyclogenesis, reducing the confidence in tropical cyclone (TC) projection. In this study, we investigated the influence of sea surface temperature (SST) biases on TC genesis in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 simulations from 1979 to 2014. Positive TC genesis biases were found over the tropical central North Pacific (CNP) in most of climate models, including the high-resolution models. Compared to coupled models, TC genesis density (TCGD) simulations over CNP in uncoupled models forced by observational SST improved obviously. A warm SST bias over the tropical CNP in the coupled models is the main cause of TC genesis biases. The SST bias–induced diabatic heating leads to an anomalous Gill-type atmospheric circulation response, which contributes to a series of favorable environmental conditions for TC formation over the CNP. Numerical experiments were also performed with HiRAM to demonstrate the influence of SST biases on the TCGD simulation, further confirming our conclusion. The current results highlight the importance of improving TC simulation in state-of-the-art climate models by reducing SST simulation bias.

PRODUCTION ARRANGEMENTS FOR TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT CROPS IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF SANTARÉM AND MOJUÍ DOS CAMPOS - PARÁ

In the northern region of Brazil, the municipalities of Santarém and Mojuí dos Campos have been experimenting with the transformation of a productive system formerly based on traditional family agriculture to large scale mechanized agriculture. A new agricultural frontier has established itself in the region, driven by favorable conditions of climate, topography, and low land cost, and since then has attracted an increasing number of grain farmers from various regions of the country. Thus, the objective of this article is to analyze the dynamics of the permanent and temporary crop production chains in the municipalities of Santarém and Mojuí dos Campos, in the western region of the state of Pará, as well as identify the main factors that interfere in this productive chain. For this purpose, quantitative data were collected from the IBGE System of Automatic Recovery (Sidra) and the information was collected in the database of Municipal Agricultural Production (PAM). We concluded with the present research that grain productivity in Santarém and Mojuí dos Campos shows itself to be growing in recent years due to the high prices of soybeans and corn in the international market.

Studying the Condition of Irrigated Land in the Mil-Mughan Economic Region

The article examines the current reclamation state of irrigated lands in the Mil-Mughan economic region. There are favorable conditions for irrigation and growing heat-loving crops. However, the development of irrigated agriculture here is limited by soil salinity, which is widespread in the study area over quite large areas. Thick layers of soil and groundwater are susceptible to salinization. Conventionally, the territory is suitable for irrigation in hydrogeological and reclamation terms.