Presence Of Acceleration Research Articles

Quantum Accelerometry Based on a Geometric Phase

A conceptual model of a promising quantum accelerometer based on a two-mode atomic Bose–Einstein condensate has been proposed. Acceleration generates a specific difference in geometric phases between the condensate modes, which shifts the interference pattern of matter waves. The modes have ring configurations, in the plane of which the measured acceleration vector lies. The homogeneity of the potentials of the ring configurations is interrupted by additional localized potentials generated by defects. Under the variation of the parameters of appropriately located defects with a certain structure, the wavefunctions of the condensate modes acquire geometric phases that differ in the presence of acceleration. Calculations performed for ring configurations of the condensate of 87Rb atoms with a radius of 0.25 mm has showed that the proposed scheme can detect a microgravity of ~10–6–10–7g.

A robust adaptive error state Kalman filter for MEMS IMU attitude estimation under dynamic acceleration

Accurate estimation of attitude (pitch, roll) is a prerequisite for ensuring safe navigation during vehicle control execution. In dynamic environments, the presence of acceleration often degrades the accuracy and robustness of attitude estimation using traditional algorithms with Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). This paper proposes a robust adaptive error state Kalman filter (RAESKF) algorithm for attitude estimation of MEMS IMU under dynamic acceleration conditions. The RAESKF algorithm decomposes the true attitude Direction Cosine Matrix (DCM) into nominal and error components. An error state Kalman filter is utilized to fuse real-time measurements from MEMS gyroscope and accelerometer, estimating the error component, which is then used to correct the nominal attitude DCM. Furthermore, within the error state Kalman filtering framework, a dynamic acceleration robust adaptive adjustment strategy is implemented. This strategy relies on real-time data monitoring, threshold-based decision-making, and switching mechanisms. It adaptively selects between dynamic acceleration model compensation and online adjustment of the measurement noise covariance matrix. The primary objective of this strategy is to mitigate the impact of disturbance induced by dynamic acceleration on attitude estimation, thereby enhancing the accuracy and robustness. Laboratory rotation experiments have demonstrated that the algorithm improved pitch and roll measurement accuracy by at least 8.81% and 11.69%, respectively, under rotational conditions. In dynamic acceleration conditions, pitch and roll measurement accuracy improved by at least 42.76% and 67.21%, respectively.

Monitoring of the intrauterine state of the fetus. Question history. New possibilities of phonocardiography

The problem of decreasing perinatal mortality is one of the pressing problems in modern obstetrics. Unfortunately, current methods of monitoring the intrauterine state of the fetus that are at the disposal of an obstetrician – gynecologist (сardiotocography, Doppler velocimetry) do not guarantee fetal wellbeing in the near-term outlook, and the number of tests is limited due to safety concerns. Consequently, there is ongoing search for alternative methods of obtaining information about the intrauterine state of the fetus (phonocardiography, electrocardiography). Using IT and mathematical data analysis has considerably enlarged the phonocardiography potential, including implementation of remote monitoring of the fetal health state.A Tomsk-based company Diagnostika + LCC developed software and hardware appliance FetalCare aimed at 24-hour monitoring of the intrauterine state of the fetus based on audio data on the fetal cardiovascular system. Cardiointervalograms (CIG) obtained by phonocardiography allow to estimate the state of the fetus based on standard assessment criteria: basal heart rate, heart rate variability, presence of accelerations and decelerations, short-term variation (STV), and long-term variation (LTV). The developed appliance is non-invasive, relatively cheap, portable, and safe both for the mother and the fetus.

Combining silver, polyaniline and polyvinylpyrrolidone for efficient electrocatalysis of borohydride oxidation reaction

The catalytic activity of five silver-polyaniline-polyvinylpyrrolidone (Ag@PANI@PVP1–5) nanocomposites for borohydride oxidation reaction (BOR) was thoroughly examined. The nanocomposites were synthesized by an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer by Ag+ ions in the presence of accelerator – PVP and physicochemical properties were determined prior their use in electrocatalysis. Ag@PANI@PVP3 with 35.4 wt% Ag delivered the highest current density and specific current density during BOR. Evaluation of the order of reaction < 1 suggested indirect BOR mechanism. Furthermore, Ag@PANI@PVP3 also delivered the highest current density and stable performance during chronoamperometric study of BOR. Its apparent activation energy of 15 kJ mol−1 was found to be the lowest among the studied materials accounting for the high current densities.

Influence of technology transfer from universities on manufacturing firms’ innovative performance

Technology transfer (TT) from universities to manufacturing firms is important for enhancing innovation performance (IP) and ultimately improving competitiveness. However, TT is hampered by bureaucracy, inertia, inefficiency, cognitive dissonance, and low research and development activity. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between TT from universities to manufacturing firms and their IP. This study was conducted based on Megnigbeto's (2018) triple helix game theory. A mixed-method approach was used. The independent variable was TT, measured in terms of technology spillover, networking, and the presence of accelerators and incubators within a firm's locality. The dependent variable was IP, measured through innovation output and innovation efficiency. This study used an explanatory sequential research design. The target population was manufacturing firms in Kenya, identified using a multi-stage sampling strategy. Primary data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, interview schedules, and checklists. Linear regressions, hierarchical multiple moderated regressions, structural equation modeling, and partial least squares were used to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that TT from universities significantly influences IP in manufacturing firms. Universities are important intermediaries of TT in manufacturing firms in Kenya because of their improved IP and competitiveness. Universities should create dynamic linkages with industries and adopt an engaged learning approach in their programs to create greater and more unique values for enhanced competitiveness and sustainable development.

The Influence of the Acceleration Admixture Type and Composition of Cement on Hydration Heat and Setting Time of Slag Blended Cement.

This article presents recent research on cements containing GGBFS and their modifications with accelerating admixtures. The initial setting time and hydration heat evolution results are presented for cement CEM II/B-S and CEM III/A manufactured with three Portland clinkers of various phase compositions. The research was carried out at 8 °C and 20 °C. The main objective is to assess the behavior of blended cements in cooperation with modern admixtures that contain nucleation seeds. The authors aimed to compare and evaluate different methods to reduce setting time, namely, the effects of temperature, the specific surface area of cement and GGBFS, the type of Portland clinker, the content of GGBFS, and presence of accelerators. Many of these aspects appear in separate studies, and the authors wanted a more comprehensive coverage of the subject. Those methods of reducing the setting time can be ranked: the most effective is to increase the temperature of the ingredients and the surroundings, the second is to reduce the GGBFS content in cement, and the use of accelerators, and the least effective is the additional milling of Portland clinker. However, of these methods, only the use of accelerators is acceptable in terms of sustainability. Prospective research is a detailed study on the amounts of C-S-H phase and portlandite to determine the hydration rate.

Interobserver Agreement and Reliability of Intrapartum Nonreassuring Cardiotocography and Prediction of Neonatal Acidemia

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the agreement and reliability of intrapartum nonreasurring cardiotocography (CTG) interpretation and prediction of neonatal acidemia by obstetricians working in different centers. Methods: A retrospective cohort study involving two tertiary hospitals (The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Perking University Third Hospital) was conducted between 30th September 2018 and 1st April 2019. Six obstetricians from two hospitals with three levels of experience (junior, medium, and senior) reviewed 100 nonreassuring fetal heart rate (FHR) tracings from 1 hour before the onset of abnormalities until delivery. Each reviewer determined the FHR pattern, the baseline, variability, and presence of acceleration, deceleration, sinusoidal pattern, and predicted whether neonatal acidemia and abnormal umbilical arterial pH &lt; 7.1 would occur. Inter-observer agreement was assessed using the proportions of agreement (Pa) and the proportion of specific agreement (Pa for each category). Reliability was evaluated with the kappa statistic (k-Light's kappa for n raters) and Gwet's AC1 statistic. Results: Good inter-observer agreement was found in evaluation of most variables (Pa &gt; 0.5), with the exception of early deceleration (Pa = 0.39, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36,0.43). Reliability was also good among most variables (AC1 &gt; 0.40), except for acceleration, early deceleration, and prediction of neonatal acidemia (AC1 = 0.17, 0.10, and 0.25, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences among the three groups, except in the identification of accelerations (Pa = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.83,0.95; Pa = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.41,0.60, and Pa = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.25,0.43 in junior, medium and senior groups, respectively) and the prediction of neonatal acidemia (Pa = 0.52, 0.52, and 0.62 in junior, medium and senior groups, respectively), where agreement was highest and lowest in the junior-level group, respectively. The accuracy and sensitivity of the prediction for umbilical artery pH &lt; 7.1 were similar among the three groups, but the specificity was higher in the senior groups (93.68% vs. 92.53% vs. 98.85% in junior, medium and senior groups, P = 0.015). Conclusion: Although we found a good inter-observer agreement in the evaluation of the most basic CTG features and FHR category statistically, it was insufficient to meet the clinical requirements for “no objection” interpretation for FHR tracings. Further specialized training is needed for standardized interpretation of intrapartum FHR tracings.

Effect of kerosene combustion atmosphere on the mild steel oxide layer

In arson cases, accelerants were usually used by criminals to achieve the purpose of rapid arson. Therefore, fire investigators aim to determine whether accelerants was used in the fire scene. Metallic material has to react with corrosive gas around it at high temperature and the oxidation products may store the information of reactants. Accelerants present in fire scenes impart some oxidative characteristics on metallic materials. The aim of this work is to figure out the possibility to identify the presence of accelerant in a fire according to the oxidation patterns of metallic material. This paper researched the oxidation behavior of mild steel at high temperature in a simulated flame environment. The surface morphological and cross-sectional microstructural features of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffractions, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis after oxidation. The carbon in the combustion atmosphere had a carburizing effect on the metal oxide layer. It was mostly C–C, C–O and C=O of organic matter could be used as in fire investigation. Various oxidizing atmosphere composite systems promote the formation of metal oxide layers. And bidirectional oxidation mode in the oxide layer further accelerates the oxidation rate. The (wustite) FeO phase was not found in the oxide layer because of the strong oxidation of the combustion atmosphere. These results offer complementary information in fire characteristics, which combining the characterization of surface scale with traditional chemical analysis of recovering ignitable liquid residues from fire debris are expected to offer crucial information for determining the presence of combustion accelerants at a fire scene.

Unruh effect of detectors with quantized center of mass

The Unruh effect is the prediction that particle detectors accelerated through the vacuum get excited by the apparent presence of radiation quanta -- a fundamental quantum phenomenon in the presence of acceleration. Prior treatments of the Unruh effect, that presume a classically prescribed trajectory, do not account for the quantum dynamics of the detector's center-of-mass. Here, we study more realistic detectors whose center of mass is a quantized degree of freedom being accelerated by an external classical field. We investigate the detector's recoil due to the emission of Unruh quanta. Vice versa, we also study the recoil's impact on the emission of Unruh quanta and the excitation of the detector. We find that the recoil due to the emission of Unruh quanta may be a relevant experimental signature of the Unruh effect.

Fetal Bradycardia in Response to Maternal Hypothermia [15O

INTRODUCTION: Fetal bradycardia, especially if it develops abruptly in the setting of a normal fetal heart (FHR) tracing, is most often associated with fetal compromise. The differential diagnosis may include numerous maternal, placental, and fetal conditions that would prompt emergent delivery. These causes are usually associated with an absence of FHR accelerations and decreased or absent variability. On the other end of the spectrum, fetal tachycardia also has numerous causes, one of which is maternal fever (or hyperthermia). Therefore, it is plausible that the opposite effect of a low maternal temperature or hypothermia might produce fetal bradycardia. The purpose of this case series is to demonstrate this finding. METHODS: 6 cases of fetal bradycardia associated with maternal hypothermia were collected. Data collection included gestational age at presentation, maternal medical condition, maternal temperature, FHR baseline, presence and/or absence of FHR variability and accelerations, and pregnancy outcome. RESULTS: All 6 cases demonstrated FHR baselines in the 80–90s in the setting of maternal hypothermia. Maternal temperatures ranged from 92.1–96.9 0F. All had moderate variability with the presence of accelerations. All FHR baselines returned to normal with correction of maternal temperature. No adverse outcomes were seen in the 6 neonates post-delivery. CONCLUSION: These cases demonstrated fetal bradycardia can be seen in the presence of maternal hypothermia. The appearance of the FHR tracing is reassuring, except for the baseline. Therefore, emergent delivery is not indicated. The FHR baseline returns to normal with correction of maternal temperature. The overall clinical picture should be taken into consideration before proceeding with delivery.

Are \u201cSuperentropic\u201d black holes superentropic?

We study a critical limit in which asymptotically-AdS black holes develop maximal conical deficits and their horizons become non-compact. When applied to stationary rotating black holes this limit coincides with the “ultraspinning limit” and yields the Superentropic black holes whose entropy was derived recently and found to exceed the maximal possible bound imposed by the Reverse Isoperimetric Inequality [1, 2]. To gain more insight into this peculiar result, we study this limit in the context of accelerated AdS black holes that have unequal deficits along the polar axes, hence the maximal deficit need not appear on both poles simultaneously. Surprisingly, we find that in the presence of acceleration, the critical limit becomes smooth, and is obtained simply by taking various upper bounds in the parameter space that we elucidate. The Critical black holes thus obtained have many common features with Superentropic black holes, but are manifestly not superentropic. This raises a concern as to whether Superentropic black holes actually are superentropic.1 We argue that this may not be so and that the original conclusion is likely attributed to the degeneracy of the resulting first law.

249: Deceleration area-time ratio as predictor of acidemia in fetuses with early onset growth restriction

There is little existing literature to guide the interpretation of fetal heart rate tracings in growth restricted fetuses with abnormal Doppler studies remote from term. This study sought to determine fetal heart rate parameters associated with fetal acidemia. Data was collected prospectively on 14 pregnancies diagnosed with early-onset intrauterine growth restriction with abnormal umbilical artery Dopplers. All women included in this analysis delivered at less than 32 weeks gestation and had an umbilical artery pH obtained at time of delivery. An investigator blinded to the umbilical cord pH analyzed the last 60 minutes of fetal heart rate tracing prior to delivery and recorded baseline, variability, presence of accelerations, number of decelerations, maximum depth of deceleration, total time spent in deceleration, and total deceleration area (TDA). TDA was defined as area below the fetal baseline in units of 10 beats per 10 seconds. From these data, the ratio of TDA over total deceleration time (TDA/time) was calculated (see Figure 1). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the ability of each of these parameters to predict umbilical cord pH less than 7.00 and less than 7.10. A p-value < .05 was considered significant. Of the 14 women, 2 had umbilical cord pH values less than 7.00 and 5 with pH less than 7.10. The area under the curve for TDA-time ratio was 1.00 for pH less than 7.00 and .80 for pH less than 7.10. The areas under the curve showed poor predictive value of maximum depth of decelerations, number of decelerations, time spent in deceleration, and TDA (Table 1). A TDA/time cut-off of .15 had a 100% specificity and sensitivity for predicting pH less than 7.0 and a 100% specificity and 40% sensitivity for predicting pH less than 7.10. In this cohort, the TDA/time ratio was the strongest predictor of an abnormal umbilical artery pH, suggesting long, shallow decelerations are of greatest concern in these patients. This represents a novel technique for quantifying these decelerations.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Acceleration as Mitigation: Whether &amp; When Processes Can Address Gender Bias in Entrepreneurship

Increasing attention – both in the scholarly literature and in the world of policy makers and practitioners – is being paid to the challenges facing female entrepreneurs. What was once assumed to be a merit-based system for encouraging and rewarding entrepreneurs is now understood to operate in gendered ways that in many cases disadvantage female founders. These effects occur across the entire pipeline, beginning with the dearth of women seeking to start high growth companies, to the lack of funding opportunities and mentorship. There are substantial differences in the number of startups led by women, their levels of relevant experience and the amount of funding – both debt and equity – they seek and receive. Some have argued that women tend to found lower potential startups. Yet, even controlling for quality, we see many implicit biases in how female founders are treated. One important approach to redressing inequalities might be through the use of accelerators. Entrepreneurship accelerators are proliferating in both developed and developing economies as different cities, regions and sectors seek to increase economic growth and employment. Accelerators are designed to give a boost to startups by providing in a concentrated way the mentorship, networks, training and financing required to be successful. The presence of accelerators could have the potential to solve some of the challenges female entrepreneurs face, however preliminary evidence suggests that they, for the most part, seem to be perpetuating the gendered dynamics that exist in the entrepreneurial system. On the other hand, there is no systematic research on how accelerators do or might address the gendered dynamics of entrepreneurship. Because accelerators are seen as such an important policy tool for increasing entrepreneurial success, it is imperative that we develop and analyze systematic data on accelerators and their effects, particularly on female founders. In this study, we will draw on what is known to date on female entrepreneurs and more broadly on the research on gender in organizations and the economy to understand the dynamics of acceleration in entrepreneurship. Using a longitudinal database of over 3,000 ventures in nearly 50 accelerators, we trace the effects of selection into the accelerator and the acceleration process on outcomes for women-only, women-led, and male-only venture teams. We couple survey data with interviews of accelerators to understand whether and when acceleration can be a tool for mitigating gender bias in female entrepreneurship.

System and Architecture Level Characterization of Big Data Applications on Big and Little Core Server Architectures

The rapid growth in data yields challenges to process data efficiently using current high-performance server architectures such as big Xeon cores. Furthermore, physical design constraints, such as power and density, have become the dominant limiting factor for scaling out servers. Low-power embedded cores in servers such as little Atom have emerged as a promising solution to enhance energy-efficiency to address these challenges. Therefore, the question of whether to process the big data applications on big Xeon- or Little Atom-based servers becomes important. In this work, through methodical investigation of power and performance measurements, and comprehensive application-level, system-level, and micro-architectural level analysis, we characterize dominant big data applications on big Xeon- and little Atom-based server architectures. The characterization results across a wide range of real-world big data applications, and various software stacks demonstrate how the choice of big- versus little-core-based server for energy-efficiency is significantly influenced by the size of data, performance constraints, and presence of accelerator. In addition, we analyze processor resource utilization of this important class of applications, such as memory footprints, CPU utilization, and disk bandwidth, to understand their run-time behavior. Furthermore, we perform micro-architecture-level analysis to highlight where improvement is needed in big- and little-core microarchitectures to address their performance bottlenecks.

Can Fetal Heart Rate Responses to Maternal Exercise Be Used for Antepartum Surveillance?

The contraction stress test (CST) is currently the only modality used to test for placental insufficiency. It is rarely used due to possible complications. We propose a new test to assess placental reserves by measuring fetal heart rate (FHR) fetal responses to maternal exercise (FRME). A cohort of 640 term patients underwent FRME for accepted clinical indications. There was a total of 1680 tests, performed using a motorized treadmill in a moderate exercise regimen. Monitoring was provided by using standard Philips equipment (Avalon CTS and FM40). FRME was interpreted as negative (absence of decelerations, possible presence of accelerations), positive (presence of late decelerations or sustained bradycardia), or inconclusive. The results demonstrated 1506 tests were negative, 58 were positive, and 312 were inconclusive. If the test was negative, only 2% of the fetuses experienced adverse outcomes, versus 14%, when the test was positive. Positive tests were associated with 29% of category III FHR tracing, 11.6% of 5-minute Apgar score of less than 7, 9.8% admissions to the intensive care nursery, 2.2% of growth restrictions, and 1.2% of fetal or early neonatal demises. FRME if positive is associated with adverse perinatal outcome and could be included into the armamentarium of fetal testing.

Big vs little core for energy-efficient Hadoop computing

Emerging big data applications require a significant amount of server computational power. However, the rapid growth in the data yields challenges to process them efficiently using current high-performance server architectures. Furthermore, physical design constraints, such as power and density, have become the dominant limiting factor for scaling out servers. Heterogeneous architectures that combine big Xeon cores with little Atom cores have emerged as a promising solution to enhance energy-efficiency by allowing each application to run on an architecture that matches resource needs more closely than a one-size-fits-all architecture. Therefore, the question of whether to map the application to big Xeon or little Atom in heterogeneous server architecture becomes important. In this paper, through a comprehensive system level analysis, we first characterize Hadoop-based MapReduce applications on big Xeon and little Atom-based server architectures to understand how the choice of big vs little cores is affected by various parameters at application, system and architecture levels and the interplay among these parameters. Second, we study how the choice between big and little core changes across various phases of MapReduce tasks. Furthermore, we show how the choice of most efficient core for a particular MapReduce phase changes in the presence of accelerators. The characterization analysis helps guiding scheduling decisions in future cloud-computing environment equipped with heterogeneous multicore architectures and accelerators. We have also evaluated the operational and the capital cost to understand how performance, power and area constraints for big data analytics affect the choice of big vs little core server as a more cost and energy efficient architecture.

Mechano-Chemical Modification of Waste Rubber Powder with 2-Mercatobenzothiozole and 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane

A mechano-chemical modification process for waste rubber powder (WRP) was investigated in this paper. 2-Mercatobenzothiozole (accelerator M) was introduced as a peptizer to improve plasticity of WRP, and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (silane coupling agent KH550) was used as a surfactant to further modify the surface of plasticized rubber powder (PRP) to improve interfacial bonding with epoxidized natural rubber (ENR). Infrared spectrums showed that the WRP generated more oxygen-containing groups by mechanical forces in the presence of accelerator M and then grafted amino groups with KH550. The mechano-chemical process with accelerator M changed the structure of WRP obviously shown by sol fraction and microstructure of PRP, which increased the mechanical properties and crosslink density of full rubber powder vulcanizates. After further modified by KH550, the modified rubber powder (MRP) had a positive chemical interfacial bonding with ENR, changing the fracture surface and improving the mechanical properties of vulcanizates. The cure characteristics of the vulcanizates also illustrated that accelerator M and KH550 participated in the vulcanization process increasing the curing efficiency. The best mechanical properties of ENR/MRP vulcanizates were better than the neat ENR vulcanizates. It indicated that the mechano-chemical process with accelerator M and KH550 will be a potential method to reclaim WRP.

Effects of linear acceleration in a harmonically excited proof mass MEMS rate gyroscope

MEMS rate gyroscopes are prone to different errors because of environmental conditions and manufacturing errors. These errors can result to mismatch between the fabricated gyros and the designed ones. Different environmental conditions and disturbances can change the parameters and specifications of a gyro, and its sensitivity may deteriorate, since the parameters are different from the optimal ones. External linear acceleration is one of the main environmental disturbances that may change the behavior of an MEMS rate gyro that its effect on the accuracy of an MEMS proof mass gyroscope is found here. This is done by finding the equations of motion of gyroscope in presence of acceleration and solving the equations analytically and numerically and then surveying changes of calibration diagram of a typically designed gyro after addition of acceleration to the equations. Also, the error in angular velocity sensing will be found. It is seen that linear external acceleration can make a constant bias in the drive and sense mode responses in different angular velocities. But, change of sense mode amplitude in different external linear accelerations is very low. Angular velocity can be calibrated according to the sense mode amplitude or the maximum value of the output. The error percent of angular velocity measurement is very different in these two methods.

Recovery of Ruthenium Via Zinc in the Presence of Accelerator

In this study, the recovery of ruthenium from spent bath solutions via cementation reaction with zinc powder was investigated. Studied parameters included the quantity of zinc, reaction temperature, reaction time and sodium chloride additions to understand their effects on the reaction. Tests were performed in a temperature controlled water-bath with temperatures between 20 and 70 °C at atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, in order to determine activation energy of cementation reaction, several mathematical kinetic models were used and the activation energy, which was calculated from best fit, was found to be 12.48 kJ/mol. Addition of sodium chloride to the solution greatly accelerated the cementation reaction, in that, more the addition of sodium chloride, the better was the precipitation efficiency. In the absence of sodium chloride at 25 °C a percentage of ruthenium recovery was below 75% whereas 1000 mg sodium chloride addition at 65 °C ensured a percentage of ruthenium recovery more than 95%. This corresponded to more than about 28% increase.

Use of peanut meal as a model matrix to study the effect of composting on aflatoxin decontamination

In developing countries, aflatoxin-contaminated peanut wastes are often used as mulching materials or soil amendments, which introduce aflatoxins and aflatoxin-producing mould into subsequent farming seasons. This research evaluated the effectiveness of composting as a means of aflatoxin decontamination using highly-contaminated peanut meal as a model matrix at 40 °C for 6 w. The composting methods caused 72.2-154.9 (41.9-75.1%), 7.4-17.6 (37.9-72.0%), 1.2-6.9 (77.1-100.0%), or 0.0-2.1 (0.0-100.0%) μg/kg reduction in the levels of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 in peanut meal, respectively.Aspergillus flavus andAspergillus parasiticus counts and total mould counts decreased from 103-105 to &lt;10 colony forming units/g. Composting time and the type of starters used significantly influenced aflatoxin content, while the presence of accelerator did not affect aflatoxin levels. The highest level of toxin decontamination occurred in the first week when compost temperature and ammonia concentration were high. Micronutrient contents of resulting composts were within the accepted range for fertilisers, except for calcium. Heavy metal content was below the maximum allowable levels except nickel in one of the samples. Aflatoxin reduction was also observed in an up-scale experiment using contaminated agriculture waste as raw materials. Results suggest that composting could be employed to decontaminate aflatoxin-containing agricultural waste in developing countries.