Density Heterogeneity Research Articles

Effect of Quorum Sensing Molecules on the Quality of Bacterial Nanocellulose Materials.

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) biofilms, produced by various bacterial species, such as Gluconacetobacter xylinus, represent a highly promising multifunctional material characterized by distinctive physiochemical properties. These biofilms have demonstrated remarkable versatility as nano biomaterials, finding extensive applications across medical, defense, electronics, optics, and food industries. In contrast to plant cellulose, BNC biofilms exhibit numerous advantages, including elevated purity and crystallinity, expansive surface area, robustness, and excellent biocompatibility, making them exceptional multifunctional materials. However, their production with consistent morphological properties and their transformation into practical forms present challenges. This difficulty often arises from the heterogeneity in cell density, which is influenced by the presence of N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) serving as quorum sensing signaling molecules during the biosynthesis of BNC biofilms. In this study, we employed surface characterization methodologies including scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy to characterize BNC biofilms derived from growth media supplemented with varying concentrations of distinct N-acyl-homoserine lactone signaling molecules. The data obtained through these analytical techniques elucidated that the morphological properties of the BNC biofilms were influenced by the specific AHLs, signaling molecules, introduced into the growth media. These findings lay the groundwork for future exploration of leveraging synthetic biology and biomimetic methods for tailoring BNC with predetermined morphological properties.

Assessment of wind–damage relations for Norway using 36 years of daily insurance data

Abstract. Extreme winds are by far the largest contributor to Norway’s insurance claims related to natural hazards. The predictive skills of four different damage functions are assessed for Norway at the municipality and national levels on daily and annual temporal scales using municipality-level insurance data and the high-resolution Norwegian hindcast (NORA3) wind speed data for the period 1985–2020. Special attention is given to extreme damaging events and occurrence probabilities of wind-speed-induced damage. Because of the complex topography of Norway and the resulting high heterogeneity of the population density, the wind speed is weighted with the population. The largest per capita losses and severe damage occur most frequently in the western municipalities of Norway, which are more exposed to incoming storms from the North Atlantic, whilst there are seldom any large losses further inland. There is no single damage function that outperforms others. However, a good agreement between the observed and estimated losses at municipality and national levels for a combination of damage functions suggests their usability in estimating severe damage associated with windstorms. Furthermore, the damage functions are able to successfully reconstruct the geographical pattern of losses caused by extreme windstorms with a high degree of correlation. From event occurrence probabilities, the present study devises a damage classifier that exhibits some skill at distinguishing between daily damaging and non-damaging events at the municipality level. While large-loss events are well captured, the skewness and zero inflation of the loss data greatly reduce the quality of both the damage functions and the classifier for moderate- and weak-loss events.

Study on density, shape, color, and composition of microplastics in sediments at the Han River estuary (Da Nang)

Plastic pollution is recorded in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Plastic waste exposed to the environment causes many problems for the environment and all forms of life. This study was conducted to evaluate the microplastic pollution in sediments at the Han River estuary (Da Nang). The analysis results at 8 survey locations showed that microplastics appeared in all samples and there was heterogeneity in density at 8 locations, ranging from 348.2÷3567.8 MPs/kg. Microplastic sizes in the range of 50÷150 μm account for the highest proportion with a value of 2531 MPs/kg, followed by sizes > 500; 20÷50; 50÷150, and 300÷500 μm with ratio values of 2034.2; 1292.1; 842.1, and 595.9 MPs/kg, respectively. The fibers and fragment microplastic forms accounted for most sediment samples up to 98.6%, the white color of microplastic recorded an average value of 49.8%, accounting for nearly half of the microplastics total found. FTIR spectrum shows that PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) polymer has the highest density with 38.7%; followed by Polyester 25.1%; Nylon 12.9%; Polypropylene 5.4%; remaining polymers such as PVC (polyvinylchloride), PS (polystyrene), PE (Polyethylene), HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), etc. account for a fairly low proportion ranging from 0.7÷2.7%. This source of microplastic pollution is closely related to civil and service activities on both sides of the river. Therefore, in addition to changing environmental management measures, it is nessesary to research to understand the mechanisms that affect the transport, deposition, and interactions of microplastics with organisms living in this sediment environment.

Investigating the Congestion Levels on a Mesoscopic Scale During Outdoor Events

In event management, preventing excessive overcrowding is not only essential for providing comfort but also crucial for ensuring safety. However, understanding the crowd dynamics of participants in outdoor events can be challenging. One of the primary reasons is the limited availability of sensing systems suitable for outdoor use. Challenges include the need for power outlets and adapting to dynamic environmental conditions and unclear event boundaries. Consequently, there is still uncertainty about which measurements can be conducted to scientifically manage crowding based on sound principles. Therefore, there is a need for systems that are capable of discerning spatial and temporal heterogeneity in density and accurately estimating the number of people in regions of interest in both sparse and congested areas. In this study, we propose a novel approach for measuring and understanding crowd states at outdoor events. We designed a highly portable measurement system utilizing Bluetooth technology to monitor crowd density in real time, ensuring uninterrupted data collection even in remote event locations. This system stands out for its ability to operate effectively under diverse weather and lighting conditions without power outlets, making it highly adaptable to various outdoor settings. In our experiments, conducted at four distinct outdoor event locations, we used a 360° camera and LiDARs to validate the system. For instance, we deployed the system at 40-m intervals in a shopping district during a high-density parade. This deployment enabled us to capture the movement of the crowd and estimate the total number of people within the district. A key finding was the system’s capability to detect temporal and spatial congestion in both sparse and crowded areas. The system’s potential to estimate crowd sizes and manage diverse outdoor events marks an advancement over traditional methods like cameras and LiDARs.

Monodispersed and Monofunctionalized DNA-Caged Au Nano-Clusters with Enhanced Optical Properties for STED Imaging.

The performance of Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy depends critically on the fluorescent probe. Ultrasmall Au nanoclusters (Au NCs) exhibit large Stokes shift, and good stimulated emission response, which are potentially useful for STED imaging. However, Au NCs are polydispersed in size, sensitive to the surrounding environment, and difficult to control surface functional group stoichiometry, which results in reduced density and high heterogeneity in the labeling of biological structures. Here, this limitation is overcome by developing a method to encapsulate ultrasmall Au NCs with DNA cages, which yielded monodispersed, and monofunctionalized Au NCs that are long-term stable. Moreover, the DNA-caging also greatly improved the fluorescence quantum yield and photostability of Au NCs. In STED imaging, the DNA-caged Au NCs yielded ≈40nm spatial resolution and are able to resolve microtubule line shapes with good labeling density and homogeneity. In contrast, without caging, the Au NCs-DNA conjugatesonly achieved ≈55nm resolution and yielded spotted,poorly resolved microtubule structures, due to the presence of aggregates. Overall, a method is developed to achieve precise surface functionalization and greatly improve the monodispersity, stability, as well as optical properties of Au NCs, providing a promising class of fluorescent probes for STED imaging.

Functional activity and morphology of isolated rat cardiac mitochondria under calcium overload. Effect of naringin.

The function of mitochondria as a regulator of myocyte calcium homeostasis has been extensively discussed. The aim of the present work was further clarification of the details of modulation of the functional activity of rat cardiac mitochondria by exogenous Ca2+ ions either in the absence or in the presence of the plant flavonoid naringin. Low free Ca2+ concentrations (40-250 nM) effectively inhibited the respiratory activity of heart mitochondria, remaining unaffected the efficacy of oxygen consumption. In the presence of high exogenous Ca2+ ion concentrations (Ca2+ free was 550 µM), we observed a dramatic increase in mitochondrial heterogeneity in size and electron density, which was related to calcium-induced opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pores (MPTP) and membrane depolarization (Ca2+free ions were from 150 to 750 µM). Naringin partially prevented Ca2+-induced cardiac mitochondrial morphological transformations (200 µM) and dose-dependently inhibited the respiratory activity of mitochondria (10-75 µM) in the absence or in the presence of calcium ions. Our data suggest that naringin (75 µM) promoted membrane potential dissipation, diminishing the potential-dependent accumulation of calcium ions by mitochondria and inhibiting calcium-induced MPTP formation. The modulating effect of the flavonoid on Ca2+-induced mitochondria alterations may be attributed to the weak-acidic nature of the flavonoid and its protonophoric/ionophoric properties. Our results show that the sensitivity of rat heart mitochondria to Ca2+ ions was much lower in the case of MPTP opening and much higher in the case of respiration inhibition as compared to liver mitochondria.

Utilizing FLIM and fluorescent protein properties to reveal heterogeneity of densities and phases of bio-condensates

Utilizing FLIM and fluorescent protein properties to reveal heterogeneity of densities and phases of bio-condensates

Applications and Limitations of Equilibrium Density Gradient Analytical Ultracentrifugation for the Quantitative Characterization of Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are produced as a mixture of the desired particle (full particle, FP), which is filled with the designed DNA, product-related impurities such as particle without DNA (empty particle, EP), and aggregates. Cesium chloride or iodixanol equilibrium density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGE-UC) has been used for the purification of AAV vectors. DGE-UC can separate FP from impurities based on the difference in their buoyant densities. Here, we report the applications and limitations of equilibrium density gradient analytical ultracentrifugation (DGE-AUC) using a modern AUC instrument that employs DGE-UC principles for the characterization and quantitation of AAV vectors. We evaluated the quantitative ability of DGE-AUC in comparison with sedimentation velocity AUC (SV-AUC) or band sedimentation AUC (BS-AUC) using AAVs with different DNA lengths and different serotypes. DGE-AUC enabled the accurate quantification of the ratio of FP to EP when the AAV vector primarily contains these particles. Furthermore, we developed a new workflow to identify the components of separated peaks in addition to FP and EP. Ultraviolet absorption spectra obtained by multiwavelength detection can also support peak assignment following component identification. DGE-AUC experiments for AAV vectors have limitations with regard to minor components with low absorption at the detected wavelength or those with a density similar to that of major components of AAV vectors. DGE-AUC is the only analytical method that can evaluate particle density heterogeneity; therefore, SV-AUC or BS-AUC and DGE-AUC are complementary methods for reliable assessment of the purity of AAV vectors.

Aboveground carbon sequestration of Cunninghamia lanceolata forests: Magnitude and drivers

Understanding the spatial variation, temporal changes, and their underlying driving forces of carbon sequestration in various forests is of great importance for understanding the carbon cycle and carbon management options. How carbon density and sequestration in various Cunninghamia lanceolata forests, extensively cultivated for timber production in subtropical China, vary with biodiversity, forest structure, environment, and cultural factors remain poorly explored, presenting a critical knowledge gap for realizing carbon sequestration supply potential through management. Based on a large-scale database of 449 permanent forest inventory plots, we quantified the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of aboveground carbon densities and carbon accumulation rates in Cunninghamia lanceolate forests in Hunan Province, China, and attributed the contributions of stand structure, environmental, and management factors to the heterogeneity using quantile age-sequence analysis, partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM), and hot-spot analysis. The results showed lower values of carbon density and sequestration on average, in comparison with other forests in the same climate zone (i.e., subtropics), with pronounced spatial and temporal variability. Specifically, quantile regression analysis using carbon accumulation rates along an age sequence showed large differences in carbon sequestration rates among underperformed and outperformed forests (0.50 and 1.80 ​Mg⋅​ha−1·yr−1). PLS-PM demonstrated that maximum DBH and stand density were the main crucial drivers of aboveground carbon density from young to mature forests. Furthermore, species diversity and geo-topographic factors were the significant factors causing the large discrepancy in aboveground carbon density change between low- and high-carbon-bearing forests. Hotspot analysis revealed the importance of culture attributes in shaping the geospatial patterns of carbon sequestration. Our work highlighted that retaining large-sized DBH trees and increasing shade-tolerant tree species were important to enhance carbon sequestration in C. lanceolate forests.

INSTABILITY OF MECHANICAL EQUILIBRIUM IN NON-IDEAL GAS MIXTURES

To describe phenomena caused by the spatial heterogeneity of density, as well as the processes of natural gas purification, separation and enrichment of gas mixtures with certain components, it is necessary to take into account not only diffusion processes, but also convective currents that arise in the presence of a concentration gradient. Under certain conditions, in multicomponent gas mixtures, a violation of the stability of mechanical equilibrium is possible, i.e. a transition from a stable diffusion process to a convective one is realized in the systems under consideration. The use of linear stability analysis permits to determine on the plane of partial Rayleigh numbers the boundary of the transition of the diffusion process to convective, as well as the values of the thermophysical and geometric characteristics at which this transition is possible. When using this approach to describe experimental data obtained for gas systems containing components with pronounced non-ideal properties, discrepancies are observed. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to develop a method for determining the boundary of loss of stability of mechanical equilibrium in non-ideal gas mixtures. To achieve this goal, the mathematical model describing the change of regimes uses an equation of state in virial form. Based on the developed approach, stability maps were obtained for the C3H8 + CO2 – N2O and C3H8 + N2O – CO2 systems. A comparison of the calculation results with experimental data showed that the proposed technique could be used to determine the conditions for changing mixing modes in three-component gas mixtures containing components with real properties.

ПОБУДОВА ТА ПЕРШІ РЕЗУЛЬТАТИ ІНТЕРПРЕТАЦІЇ ТРИВИМІРНОЇ МОДЕЛІ ЩІЛЬНОСТІ МАНТІЇ ПІД УКРАЇНСЬКИМ ЩИТОМ

Background. Mantle density models are key tools for understanding fundamental geological and physical processes occurring within the Earth. Many parameters used in mantle density models remain poorly understood and undefined. Among others, these include data on the composition and rheology of the mantle, which can vary significantly. Methods. The method of creating density models (density) significantly influences the final result. Modeling with one-dimensional models simplifies the calculation process but generalizes the distribution of mantle density, assuming it is homogeneous in the horizontal direction. This limitation does not allow for the consideration of lateral variations in mantle density, which can be important at the regional level. In this study, we present a quasi-three-dimensional model of mantle density beneath the Ukrainian Shield, obtained on the basis of a set of one-dimensional density curves. Polynomial corrections for heterogeneity were applied during the calculations, compensating for the shortcomings of one-dimensional models. This three-dimensional model was derived by recalculating one-dimensional velocity curves obtained by seismic tomography for 21 mantle domains in the depth range of 50 to 2600 km. The process of transforming P-wave velocity curves into a density model includes the following steps: determining seismic boundaries in the mantle as points of inflection of the first derivative of P-wave velocity curves for each mantle domain; creating a synthetic S-wave mantle model beneath the Ukrainian Shield by recalculating P-wave velocity curves; solving the Adams-Williamson equation using seismic velocities (P, S) for each domain with subsequent polynomial correction to account for heterogeneity; selecting a reference mantle model that would serve as the basis for converting velocity curves into density through the comparison of gravitational potential on the Earth's surface and calculated values from existing reference mantle models (PREM, PREMA, PREMC, IASP91 AK135). The AK135 model was chosen as the reference model based on the comparison of calculated and observed gravitational potential at the central point of the Ukrainian Shield. This study focuses on the final stages of constructing the mantle density model, taking into account mass balancing of the upper and lower mantle for each domain when determining density using the Adams-Williamson equation and introducing polynomial corrections relative to the AK135 reference model; calculating densities for each of the 21 mantle domains and their three-dimensional integration. Results. In this study, we present a quasi-three-dimensional model of mantle density beneath the Ukrainian Shield, obtained on the basis of a set of one-dimensional density curves, with polynomial corrections for inhomogeneity incorporated into the calculations, compensating for the shortcomings of one-dimensional model calculations. This three-dimensional model was obtained by recalculating one-dimensional velocity curves obtained by the seismic tomography method for P-waves, calculated for 21 mantle domains in the depth range from 50 to 2600 km. Conclusions. This study focuses on the final stages of constructing the mantle density model, considering balancing the mass of the upper and lower mantle for each domain in determining density using the Adams-Williamson equation and introducing polynomial corrections relative to the AK135 reference model; calculating densities for each of the 21 mantle domains and their three-dimensional integration. The obtained mantle density model of the Ukrainian Shield is well aligned with the division of the mantle into three main layers: lithosphere, upper mantle, and lower mantle. Each of the structural layers has its own visual pattern of density heterogeneity.

Fast discharging mitigates cathode-electrolyte interface degradation of LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 in rechargeable lithium batteries

The rapid deterioration of lithium-ion batteries in fast-charging and discharging conditions poses a major challenge for future mobility technologies. Accelerated failure is attributed to the non-equilibrium de/lithiation reaction at inter- and intra-particle levels in electrodes induced by high current densities. However, the correlation between the reaction heterogeneity and degradation rate remains elusive. Here, we unambiguously decouple the effects of fast charging and discharging on battery degradation by applying asymmetric charging–discharging protocols. Our findings reveal that fast charging stimulates the electrolyte decomposition and surface reconstruction and, surprisingly, fast discharging mitigates these detrimental effects. The improved cyclability originates from the kinetically lowered depth of discharge (DOD) upon fast discharging, enabling a homogeneous electrochemical reaction by evading the slow-kinetics state-of-charge regime. Proving the beneficial effect of limiting DOD, we demonstrate a protocol that effectively suppresses degradation under fast charging conditions, resulting in negligible capacity decay while delivering an accumulated capacity of 30 Ah g−1. In contrast, conventional protocols show drastic capacity decay (13.8% retention). This study establishes a causal coupling between cathode degradation, reaction heterogeneity, and current density and direction at multiple length scales, providing valuable guidance for designing advanced battery cycling protocols that promote stable long-term battery operation, particularly under fast-charging conditions.

2-[18F]FDG PET-based quantification of lymph node metabolic heterogeneity for predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer.

The pre-surgical estimation of lymph node (LN) metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a significant diagnostic predicament. The associations between LN morphology, density, and metabolic heterogeneity and LN metastasis status in CRCs have been seldomly examined through the lens of radiomics. This research aimed to assess 2-[18F]FDG PET-based quantification of intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity for predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer. The construction of the model utilized data from 264 CRC patients, all of whom underwent preoperative 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT. Radiomic features were extracted from PET and CT images of LNs. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was implemented for selecting pertinent imaging features with a tenfold cross-validation. The predictive accuracy for LN metastasis status was juxtaposed against traditional methodologies (comprising CT-reported LN status and PET/CT-reported LN status) by deploying the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The radiomics signature was evaluated based on discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility parameters. The model was further subjected to validation using an independent cohort of 132 patients from the period of January 2012 to June 2020. The radiomics model was composed of eight significant radiomic features (five from PET and three from CT), encapsulating metabolic and density heterogeneity. The radiomics signature (area under the curve (AUC), 0.908) showcased a significantly superior performance compared to CT-reported LN status (AUC, 0.563, P < 0.001) and PET/CT-reported LN status (AUC, 0.64, P < 0.001) for predicting LN-positive or LN-negative status. The radiomics signature (AUC, 0.885) also showcased a significantly superior performance compared to CT-reported LN status (AUC, 0.587, P < 0.001) and PET/CT-reported LN status (AUC, 0.621, P < 0.001) to identify N1 and N2. This signature maintained its independence from clinical risk factors and exhibited robustness in the validation test set. Decision curve analysis attested to the clinical utility of the radiomics signature. The radiomics signature based on 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT, which derived image features directly from LNs irrespective of clinical risk factors, displayed enhanced diagnostic performance compared to conventional CT or PET/CT-reported LN status. This allows for the identification of pre-surgical LN metastasis status and facilitates a patient-specific prediction of LN metastasis status in CRC patients.

Regional Accuracy Assessment of 30-Meter GLC_FCS30, GlobeLand30, and CLCD Products: A Case Study in Xinjiang Area

With the development of remote sensing technology, a number of fine-resolution (30-m) global/national land cover (LC) products have been developed. However, accuracy assessments for the developed LC products are commonly conducted at global and national scales. Due to the limited availability of representative validation observations and reference data, knowledge relating to the accuracy and applicability of existing LC products on a regional scale is limited. Since Xinjiang, China, exhibits diverse surface cover and fragmented urban landscapes, existing LC products generally have high classification uncertainty in this region. This makes Xinjiang suitable for assessing the accuracy and consistency of exiting fine-resolution land cover products. In order to improve knowledge of the accuracy of existing fine-resolution LC products at the regional scale, Xinjiang province was selected as the case area. First, we employed an equal-area stratified random sampling approach with climate, population density, and landscape heterogeneity information as constraints, along with the hexagonal discrete global grid system (HDGGS) as basic sampling grids to develop a high-density land cover validation dataset for Xinjiang (HDLV-XJ) in 2020. This is the first publicly available regionally high-density validation dataset that can support analysis at a regional scale, comprising a total of 20,932 validation samples. Then, based on the generated HDLV-XJ dataset, the accuracies and consistency among three widely used 30-m LC products, GLC_FCS30, GlobeLand30, and CLCD, were quantitatively evaluated. The results indicated that the CLC_FCS30 exhibited the highest overall accuracy (88.10%) in Xinjiang, followed by GlobeLand30 (with an overall accuracy of 83.58%) and CLCD (81.57%). Moreover, through a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between different environmental conditions and land cover product performance, we found that GlobeLand30 performed best in regions with high landscape fragmentation, while GLC_FCS30 stood out as the most outstanding product in areas with uneven proportions of land cover types. Our study provides a novel insight into the suitability of these three widely-used LC products under various environmental conditions. The findings and dataset can provide valuable insights for the application of existing LC products in different environment conditions, offering insights into their accuracies and limitations.

Analysis on the geographical pattern and driving force of traditional villages based on GIS and Geodetector: a case study of Guizhou, China

Traditional villages have received widespread attention from all walks of life based on important carriers of Chinese rural culture. The mutual superposition of natural and cultural factors may exacerbate the evolution of traditional village geographical patterns. To understand such relationships and effects, factors and degrees influencing traditional villages need to be determined. Here, we analysed the data of 724 traditional villages in Guizhou recognised by relevant national ministries and commissions in China using average nearest neighbour analysis, Tyson polygon analysis, nuclear density analysis and Geodector. The geographic pattern feature revealed that traditional villages, in general, are highly clustered regionally and have significant edge effects on administrative units. Different substrate environments result in significant spatial heterogeneity in village spatial density, clustering, surface undulation, sun exposure, and waterfront. The geographic pattern of traditional villages is mostly affected by the closest distance to river valleys, the types and number of intangible cultural heritage resources in the county, river gorge density, edge effect index, degree of county ethnic language use, and proportion of paddy fields to the regional area; and their combined effects influence and control the community structure. The results highlight the impact of nature and culture on the distribution of traditional villages, which helps traditional village conservation and scientific exploration of human-land relationship issues in the mountainous areas of Southwest China.

Gravity evidence for a heterogeneous crust of Mercury

We modeled gravity data to explore Mercury’s internal structure and show the presence of crustal heterogeneities in density. We first evaluated the lithospheric flexure occurring in the spherical harmonic degree range 5–80, according to the flexural isostatic response curve. We thus estimated a mean elastic lithosphere thickness of about 30 pm 10 km and modeled the crust-mantle interface, which varies from 19 to 42 km depth, according to a flexural compensation model. The isostatic gravity anomalies were then obtained as the residual field with respect to the contributions from topography and lithospheric flexure. Isostatic anomalies are mainly related to density variations in the crust: gravity highs mostly correspond to large-impact basins suggesting intra-crustal magmatic intrusions as the main origin of these anomalies. Isostatic gravity lows prevail, instead, above intercrater plains and may represent the signature of a heavily fractured crust.

The Institutional Ingredients of Polycrisis Management: Unpacking European Council’s Handling of the Energy Crisis

This article analyses how the European Council and the institutional infrastructure that supports it have been managing the early stages of the energy crisis. This was the time when the European Council, as the “control room” of EU crisis management, was unable to come up with any solutions to high energy prices. It makes a methodological and empirical contribution to the debate on how the European Council system manages (poly)crises. Methodologically, we introduce the method of embedded process tracing to study EU crisis management from within. Embedded process tracing combines mainstream causal process tracing techniques with elements from interpretivist approaches, to deal with context dependency, case heterogeneity, and empirical density. Empirically, we offer a process-management analysis of the first nine months of the energy crisis. We delineate the roles of various actors and institutions: the president of the European Council, the Council Secretariat, the Commission president, and the Commission Services. We unpack the crucial ingredients of polycrisis management: how to get and keep an issue on the agenda, how to shape and steer European-Council-level debates and conclusions, and how to ensure a proper follow-up by the Commission and the Council. Finally, we re-assess the image of the malfunctioning control room and show the causal relevance of the European Council’s early performance.

Strike incidence and outcomes: New evidence from the 2019 ECS

This paper investigates the relationship between union organization, workplace representation, the quality of industrial relations and strike incidence, as well as the implications of the matters at stake in localized disputes. Strike incidence is found to be higher in establishments where union density is higher, and where workers are covered by mixed-level collective agreements and in flexible employment. Further, distrust is associated with increased strike incidence, and conversely for employee-focused strategies and heightened employee motivation. These results are robust to controls for possible endogeneity of union density and country (cluster) heterogeneity. In terms of outcomes, higher union density, works councils, profit sharing, and a machine/computer-driven work pace are associated with worker wins, while collective bargaining, firm profitability, and more frequent meetings with management are linked with more balanced agreements.

Improving the quality of processing the soil environment by determining the rational structural and technological parameters for the rolling working bodies

The object of this study is the process of soil compaction with ring-spur and ring-tooth rollers. Based on the zonal optimization of the agrophysical parameters of the arable horizon, the influence of the rolling working bodies on the soil environment in terms of creating a uniform set layer density during pre-sowing tillage was investigated. It was established that soil density should be evaluated in a zonal section together with its aggregate composition, humus content, moisture, etc. Smooth-water-filled, ring-tooth, and ring-spur rollers were studied. The use of a smooth water-filled roller in previous studies contributed to the high unevenness of the compaction of the upper and lower layers of the arable horizon, which indicated the impracticality of further experiments. The research of ring-tooth and ring-spur rollers was carried out by the method of a multifactorial experiment under defined soil and climatic conditions (soil type, sod-podzolic; layer-by-layer soil moisture, 26...28 %; layer-by-layer soil density, 0.96...1.25 g/cm3). Regression models were built of the influence of the specific load, the frequency of passes, and the working speed of the unit on the density of the soil in layers: 0–5; 5–10; 10–15; 15–20; 20–25; 25–30 cm. To assess the heterogeneity of soil density in layers 0–5 and 5–10 cm, a data array was constructed. It was established that the ring-spur roller, even at a speed of up to 6 km/h, is not a tool suitable for regulating the equilibrium density of the seed layer. The best for pre-sowing soil cultivation is a ring-tooth roller (specific soil load, 350 kg/m; unit speed up to 6 km/h). The derived regression equations make it possible to select such a specific load on the ring-tooth roller that could provide a rational value of the layer density of the soil. This is economically and environmentally expedient.

The importance of the microstructure on hydro-mechanical behaviour of compacted granular bentonite

Granular bentonite (GB) with extended grain size distribution, a candidate material to construct engineered barriers, has low water permeability, high swelling potential and self-sealing capacity and is desirable in portability and workability. However, few systematic data combining microstructural descriptions and hydro-mechanical (HM) behavioural features are available. The present work investigates the HM performance of Wyoming (MX80)-type GB samples compacted at different initial water contents and at a fixed dry density of 1550 kg/m3. The samples' microstructure and its evolution along stress paths were studied using X-ray micro-computed tomography and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The results highlighted that the compacted GB presented local density heterogeneity and a multi-porosity network. Compaction at low initial water content increased the proportion of macropores and contributed to the enhancement of the compressibility and collapse on wetting under high stresses. During isochoric saturation, two stages of swelling development were identified. First, the flooding of macropores and matric suction reduction was related to the initial increase in swelling pressure. The secondary swelling was due to the water absorption of clay sheets in micropores and the expansion of micropores within granules and aggregates, during which the density of pore water increased. A decrease in the compaction water content can result in a higher pore water density after isochoric saturation and a lower water permeability. Finally, the water retention behaviour of the compacted sample within drying/wetting cycles was less sensitive to the initial pore size distribution. The current outcomes underline the critical role of the microstructure on the HM behaviour of compacted GB.