Rough Texture Research Articles

Valorization and Evaluation of Terminalia Ivorensis Fibrous Waste for Its Environmental Sequestration Potential for Industrial Anionic Dyes in Aqua System

ABSTRACT This research depicts the pragmatic sequestration capacity of ubiquitous Terminalia ivorensis tree bark (TITB) on toxic anionic dyes (congo red (CR), methyl orange (MO), chlorophenol red (CPR), and Eosin Y (EY)) from aqua system. Surface characterization of TITB by bulk density, Boehm titration, pH of point of zero charge (pHPZC), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that TITB comprise rough intertwined texture with some functional moieties which adsorbed the industrial dyes. The adsorption capacities () of MO, CR, and EY were maximum at pH 2.0 (= 84.59, 92.67 and 92 mg.g−1 respectively) while that of CPR was maximum at pH 6.0 (= 99.05 mg.g−1). Langmuir monolayer coverage capacity () of TITB was obtained for the adsorption of EY, which was 142.45 mg.g−1. Adsorption kinetics conformed to pseudo-second order kinetic model with a rate constant, ≤ 0.9702 min−1. The change in Gibbs free energy (ΔG°) for the adsorption process was found to be negative showing that the maximum adsorption was spontaneous at operational temperatures for all dyes. Enthalpy and entropy change (∆H° and ∆S°) were positive for CR, MB, and EY describing endothermic form and increased disorderliness between the adsorbent-dye interface.

The Impact of Avant-Garde Art on Brutalist Architecture

Brutalism was an architectural trend that emerged after World War II, and in the 1960s and 1970s, it spread throughout the world. The development of brutalist architecture was greatly influenced by post-war avant-garde art. The greatest impact on brutalism was exerted by such avant-garde trends as art autre, art brut, and musique concrète. Architects were most inspired by the works of such artists as Jackson Pollock, Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Schaeffer, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Nigel Henderson. The main aim of the research was to identify and characterize the most important ideas and principles common to avant-garde art and brutalist architecture. Due to the nature of the research problem and its complexity, the method of historical interpretative studies was used. The following research techniques were employed: analysis of the literature, comparative analysis, multiple case studies, descriptive analysis, and studies of buildings in situ. The research found the most important common ideas guiding brutalist architects and avant-garde artists: rejection of previous principles and doctrines; searching for the rudiments; mirroring the realities of everyday life; glorification of ordinariness; sincerity of the material, structure, and function; use of raw materials and rough textures.

Anti-Aging Effectiveness of Avocado Peel Extract Ointment (Persea americana Mill.) against Hydration, Collagen, and Elasticity Levels in Wistar Rat

The skin is a complex organ that protects the body from the external environment. The skin has a variety of functions such as providing a physical permeability barrier, protection from infectious agents, thermoregulation, sensation, protection against ultraviolet (UV) rays, regeneration, and wound healing. Clinically, aging skin is characterized by loss of hydration, rough texture, irregular pigmentation, yellowish discoloration, telangiectasia, deep wrinkles or wrinkles, thinning of the skin, and fine lines. One of the plants that can be used as natural ingredients that are rich in antioxidants and interesting to study is avocado (Persea americana Mill.) from the Lauraceae family, which is a plant that has medicinal properties and contains a variety of nutrients. Besides being consumed as food, avocados are also used as a mixture of cosmetic products. This study aims to assess the anti-aging effectiveness of avocado peel extract on increasing collagen levels, elasticity, and hydration in male rats. A total of 25 rats were divided into 5 groups, each group consisting of 5 white rats; control group (ointment base), avocado peel extract ointment group 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%. The entire group of rats will be measured the condition before treatment with the Skin Analyzer EH 900 U including levels of collagen, elasticity, and hydration. After measuring the initial skin condition, the treatment was started by applying ointment until it was evenly distributed over the marked area, the ointment was applied according to the groups that have been set above, the application was carried out 2 times a day for 4 weeks. Changes in skin condition were measured weekly for 4 weeks using the EH 900 U skin analyzer. The results of this study indicate that the methanol extract of avocado peel contains phytochemicals in the form of alkaloids, tannins, phenols, flavonoids, and glycosides. Then the phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin content of the avocado peel methanol extract was 59.55 GAE mg/gram extract, 2.96 QE mg/gram extract, and 22.63 TAE mg/gram extract. After 4 weeks of treatment, there was a significant change in the level of hydration, collagen, and skin elasticity (p<0.05) in all treatment groups, this can be seen from the P-value <0.05, with the group of rats receiving the highest concentration of ointment (10%) showed the highest average, namely hydration 49.60%, collagen 40.20%, and elasticity 68.20%. Changes in hydration levels, collagen, and skin elasticity before and after treatment also showed significant changes (P-value < 0.05) with the highest changes found at a concentration of 10%, namely hydration 88.40%, collagen 60.0%, and elasticity 68.20%. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that administration of avocado peel extract ointment could increase hydration, collagen, and skin elasticity levels compared to controls groups, positively correlated with the increase of the duration and the quantity of avocado peel extract ointment were given. The best formulation that gives the most significant effect is 10% avocado peel extract ointment by increasing levels of hydration, collagen, and elasticity the most significantly.

Particle composition and morphology over urban environment (New Delhi): Plausible effects on wheat leaves

Particulate matter (PM) deposition on leaves adversely affects physical, chemical and biological nature of agricultural crops resulting in their loss of productivity and yield. Wheat being a staple food in major parts of Northern India and around the World, has been selected for research purpose by designing a study to explore the probable effects of PM deposition on wheat leaves and wheat crops to ensure the food security. PM5 (Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <5 μm) and Dry Deposited Particulate Matter (DDPM) on wheat leaves (Leaf_DDPM) were collected from the wheat crop field in Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi for growing and harvesting season of wheat crops (i.e. December 2014 to April 2015). The EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) analysis was used for this study and the individual particle analysis revealed the presence of both acidic and alkaline components like C, Al, Si, Fe, Ca, K, S and Mg. The offline characterization tool i.e. SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) was utilized for obtaining the micrographs which clearly showed the presence of some angular, sharp-edged and spherical particles consisting of both smooth and rough texture. Apart from that, prevalence of slightly non-spherical particles with aspect ratio of range (>1.20–1.40) and CIR (>0.70–0.80) for both PM5 and leaf_DDPM were observed. The size distribution of individual particles for both PM5(#194 particles) and Leaf_DDPM(#657 particles) revealed that Surface Equivalent Radius (SER) and Volume Equivalent Radius (VER) of particles observed to be 0.40–0.80 μm while surface area to be 0–1 μm2. These particles may easily block stomatal openings (with typical diameter range: 42–51 μm) of wheat leaves and damage internal leaf tissues while particle VER determines the interaction of incoming solar radiation with leaf surfaces. Average PM5 concentrations ± Standard deviations (μg/m3) were reported to be 231.05 ± 113.03. The XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) spectrometer analysis of bulk PM5 revealed the concentrations of non-carbonaceous elements (μg/m3) as N (67.34 ± 16.09), Si (27.44 ± 11.01), Al (7.79 ± 3.37), S (3.88 ± 2.24), Na (2.29 ± 0.94), Mg (1.65 ± 0.62), K (0.51 ± 0.26), Ca (0.60 ± 0.26), Fe (0.54 ± 0.26), Cr (1.10 ± 0.70), Zn (0.05 ± 0.03), P (0.10 ± 0.03), Cu (0.07 ± 0.06). The dominant elemental oxides were calculated as SiO2, Al2O3, SO42−, Na2O, MgO, K2O, CaO, Fe2O3, Cr2O3, ZnO, P2O5, Cu2O with variable concentrations. In high humid conditions, with relative humidity (~85%) during the vegetative and flowering growth stages of wheat crops, presence of C and S rich acidic and hygroscopic particles may cause the corrosion of wheat leaves that ultimately affect the wheat crops.

Hydrophobic modification of fir wood surface via low ppm ATRP strategy

Wood-polymer hybrid material was prepared using an easily scalable supplemental activator and reducing agent atom transfer radical polymerization (SARA ATRP) concept with low ppm catalyst concentration. Polymers with hydrophobic characteristics – poly (n-butyl acrylate) (PnBA), poly (tert-butyl acrylate) (PtBA) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were grafted from the fir wood surface in a controlled manner, proved by linear first-order kinetics of polymerization in solution and low dispersity (Mw/Mn = 1.12) of the polymers formed in the reaction mixture. Moreover, the thickness of the polymer brushes grafted from the wood surface was estimated based on the measurements performed for brush decorated silicon wafers that were placed in the reaction mixture. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) proved successful coverage of the wood by a covalently attached polymer layer, going from sharp-edged untreated wood surface with clearly visible wood cell wall structural elements, to full coverage rough texture with no visible structural components. Water contact angle (Θ) measurements indicated excellent hydrophobic properties of the prepared biohybrid material (Θ ~138°) without notable changes after 120 s of water droplet exposure. Water and acid solution uptake tests confirmed a significant improvement in resistance for absorption of wood samples after modification with polymers.

Influence of Morphological Attributes of Cowpea Genotypes on Oviposition of Pulse Beetle (Callasobruchus maculatus F.)

Background: Cowpea is an excellent host for Callasobruchus maculatus (F.). These beetles cause havoc in stored cowpea. They have the habit of cementing their eggs to the surface of the host seeds. Hence, the present study was aimed to the find the influence of morphological characters of cowpea varieties/genotypes on oviposition of the pulse beetle. Methods: The ovipositional preference of C. maculatus on 14 cowpea varieties/genotypes was studied under the free choice condition and the data thus obtained were correlated with the morphological characters like seed shape, colour and texture. Result: Each variety/genotype had a significant effect on egg laying by C. maculatus. Significantly least oviposition was noticed in GC 3 (35.33 eggs), having a rough testa texture and greater number of eggs were found on GC 1612 (117.33 eggs) having smooth texture. The pulse beetle preferred smooth textured seeds for egg laying irrespective of its shape and colour. This was again confirmed by one of the genotypes GC 1702, which belongs to the Holstein group based on the eye pattern of the cowpea, in this genotype the pulse beetle preferred to lay eggs on the smooth brown portion surrounding the hilum than the wrinkled white portion.

Correlations between structures and magnetic properties, longitudinal and transverse transport behaviors of non-epitaxial Fe3Si/MgO(001) films

The purpose of this work is to investigate the correlations between structures and magnetic properties, transport behaviors of non-epitaxial Fe3Si films fabricated on MgO(001) substrates. Firstly, the single phase polycrystalline Fe3Si films are obtained. These Fe3Si films appear rough texture, which is related to inter-diffusion between Fe and Si layers under high temperature annealing. Moreover, the disparities of Ms and Hc values for these Fe3Si films are linked to structural and chemical order. A particular case in Fe3Si film formed at Fe/Si thickness ratio of 3:1 for 800 °C is observed. The Fe3Si film which fulfills fundamental reflections has high Ms and low Hc value. The electron-electron and anomalous one magnon scattering contributions to the resistivity are operative in low temperature range and the electron-phonon interaction governs it at high temperature region. Finally, the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect contribution is dominating over extrinsic contributions by suitable scaling behavior. The intrinsic factor dominance rises with the improvement of atomic ordering. This law is not followed for the Fe3Si film which fulfills fundamental reflections. The highest intrinsic band structure effect b value in this Fe3Si film is attributed to the influence of the film thickness and Fe and Si atomic composition ratio.

Application of 3D printing technology combined with PBL teaching model in teaching clinical nursing in congenital heart surgery: A case-control study.

We aimed to explore the application of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology with problem-based learning (PBL) teaching model in clinical nursing education of congenital heart surgery, and to further improve the teaching quality of clinical nursing in congenital heart surgery. In this study, a total of 132 trainees of clinical nursing in congenital heart surgery from a grade-A tertiary hospital in 2019 were selected and randomly divided into 3D printing group or traditional group. The 3D printing group was taught with 3D printed heart models combined with PBL teaching technique, while the traditional group used conventional teaching aids combined with PBL technique for teaching. After the teaching process, the 2 groups of nursing students were assessed and surveyed separately to evaluate the results. Compared to the traditional group, the theoretical scores, clinical nursing thinking ability, self-evaluation for comprehensive ability, and teaching satisfaction from the questionnaires filled by the 3D printing group were all higher than the traditional group. The difference was found to be statistically significant (P < .05). Our study has shown the 3D printing technology combined with the PBL teaching technique in the clinical nursing teaching of congenital heart surgery achieved good results.

Tensile stress strain model of polyvinyl chloride/calcium carbonate (PVC/CaCO3) nanocomposite plank

This paper presents the tensile stress strain model of a recyclable polyvinyl chloride/calcium carbonate (PVC/CaCO3) thermo-formable, fire/water proof resistant, and durable composite mineral plank. The paper presents experimentally obtained material stress-strain properties in direct tension as a function of its parameters including thickness, surface texture and grain alignment. With an increase in thickness from 1 mm (0.039 in.) to 12 mm (0.47 in.) for rough surface texture and parallel grain alignment, tensile and rupture strengths decreased from 27.4 MPa (4.11 ksi) to 14 MPa (2.1 ksi) and from 14 MPa (2.1 ksi) to 6 MPa (0.9 ksi) respectively. Strains at rupture increased from 0.01 to 0.02 while the modulus of elasticity decreased from 23078 MPa (3462 ksi) to 2139 MPa (320.85 ksi). Smoothness of surface texture increased the ultimate and rupture stresses by 16% while rupture strains increased by 45% leading to a more ductile material. Grain orientation perpendicular to the load direction resulted in an 18% reduction in ultimate strength. The paper proposes models for predicting the stress strain relationship including modulus of elasticity, toughness, stress and strain in the proportional, ultimate and rupture states in terms of the material parameters. The developed models are essential for establishing code requirements and design criteria for structural members retrofitted with this type of composite.

Investigating the 2017 Erratic Fishkill Episode in the Jhelum River, Kashmir Himalaya

Globally, the frequency of fishkill episodes is increasing, owing to natural and human-induced modification of aquatic ecosystems. A massive fishkill took place on 22 October 2017 along an approximately 1.5 km stretch of the Jhelum River in Srinagar City, India. Thousands of fish died during this specific event, not lasting more than three hours, creating chaos and panic among the local population and government circles. In this context, affected fish were assessed for three morphological parameters, which include skin color, eye appearance, and skin texture. To back our findings, three critical water-quality parameters, including pH, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen essential for the survival of fishes were assessed in the affected river stretch. This study assumes importance given that water-quality observation stations for monitoring the health of the Jhelum River are lacking in the highly urbanized Srinagar City. The morphological examination of fish samples revealed discoloration, bulging eyes, and rough skin texture, indicating chemical contamination of waters in the affected river stretch. The water quality analysis revealed neutral pH (7.2), normal temperature (15.6 °C), and mildly depleted dissolved oxygen (6 mg L−1) levels. While the morphological examination of the affected fish indicated chemical contamination, the physicochemical parameters exhibited a typical scenario of river water. For avoiding any such further incident and to precisely ascertain the cause of such fishkill episodes in future, it is suggested that a few continuous water-quality monitoring sites along Jhelum River should be set up, supplemented with robust ecological modeling simulations.

Light management in highly-textured perovskite solar cells: From full-device ellipsometry characterization to optical modelling for quantum efficiency optimization

While perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are now reaching high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs), further performance improvement requires a fine management and an optimization of the light pathway and harvesting in the cells. These go through an accurate understanding, characterization and modelling of the optical processes occurring in these complex, often textured, multi-layered systems. In the present work, we have considered a typical methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) solar cell built on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode of high roughness (43 nm RMS). By variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) of the full PSC device, we have been able to determine the optical constants of all the device layers. We have designed a one-dimensional (1D) optical model of the stacked layers where the rough texture is described as layers of effective-medium index. We have supported the model using data extracted from scanning electron microscopy, diffuse spectroscopy and photovoltaic efficiency measurements. We show that the 1D model, while insufficient to describe scattering by the FTO plate alone, gives an accurate description of the full device optical properties. By comparison with the experimental external quantum efficiency (EQE), we estimate the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and the effect of the losses related to electron transfer. Based on this work, we finally discuss the optical losses mechanisms and the possible strategies that can be implemented to improve light management within PSC devices and further increase their performances.

(Not to be taken) with a grain of salt: Enhancing perceived saltiness by 3D-printed surface textures

Seeking to promote healthy food options through design, this study investigates whether food saltiness perception can be enhanced through the design of the surface texture of the container from which the product is sampled, using 3D-printing. An experimental study was conducted at a supermarket in which shoppers (N = 270) participated in a taste test. A full-factorial 3 (surface texture: smooth, rough, rough and irregular) × 3 (salt content: low, medium and high salt content) between-subject design was employed. Participants in each condition were asked to try the product and assess saltiness perception, taste intensity, taste liking and willingness to try. Results testify to the feasibility of enhancing saltiness impressions through both rough and irregular 3D-printed surface textures, but only for the medium-salt and high-salt variants. Findings on taste liking and willingness to try likewise testify to the importance of considering the interaction between surface texture and saltiness. These findings qualify previous research on cross-modal correspondences by showing that applications of surface textures may backfire when the gap between expectations triggered by tactile sensations and actual food contents becomes too large. Implications for initiatives aimed at promoting healthy food choices are discussed.

4족 보행 로봇을 활용한 달의 직선절벽(Rupes Recta)의 단층면 탐사를 통한 구름의 바다(Mare Nubium) 지역의 지질학적 형성 연구

On the moon as well as the earth, one of the easiest ways to understand geological formation history of any region is to observe the stratigraphy if it is available, the order in which the strata build up. By analyzing stratigraphy, it is possible to infer what geological events have occurred in the past. Mare Nubium also has an unique normal fault called Rupes Recta that shows stratigraphy. However, a rover moving with wheels is incompetent to explore the cliff since the Rupes Recta has an inclination of 10° – 30°. Therefore, a quadruped walking robot must be employed for stable expedition. To exploration a fault with a four-legged walking robot, it is necessary to design an expedition route by taking account of whether the stratigraphy is well displayed, whether the slope of the terrain is moderate, and whether there are obstacles and rough texture in the terrain based on the remote sensing data from the previous lunar missions. For the payloads required for fault surface exploration we propose an optical camera to grasp the actual appearance, a spectrometer to analyze the composition, and a drill to obtain samples that are not exposed outward.

A novel composite membrane pectin from Cyclea Barbata Miers blend with chitosan for accelerated wound healing

In this work, pectin derived from Cyclea Barbata Miers (CBM) was successfully blended with chitosan as a novel membrane and the physico-chemical analysis was investigated. Based on SEM analysis revealed that the chitosan/pectin blended membrane showed a rough surface texture compared to pristine chitosan with smooth and uniform membran. In addition, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicates that chitosan and pectin were successfully crosslinked, meanwhile x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis found that pectin extracted from CBM exhibited crystalline structure. Thermal analysis based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) suggesting that chitosan/pectin blend membrane exhibited significant improvement in the thermal stability with residual mass of 54% at 360 °C. Furthermore, swelling degree, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) and porosity of the chitosan/pectin blend membrane were 266%, 9.68 g/m2h, and 64%, respectively. Most importantly, in-vivo results indicated that the prepared membrane of chitosan/pectin immobilized with Musa Paradisiaca Linn (MPL) group had better wound closure with better wound reduction percentage than the gauze-treated wound (the control group). This finding revealed that the chitosan/pectin blend membrane could paves the way for future biomedical wound dressing application.

Flame Detection Based on Deep Learning Using HSV Color Model and Corner Detection Algorithm

Recently, many image classification or object detection models that use deep learning techniques have been studied; however, in an actual performance evaluation, flame detection using these models may achieve low accuracy. Therefore, the flame detection method proposed in this study is image pre-processing with HSV color model conversion and the Harris corner detection algorithm. The application of the Harris corner detection method, which filters the output from the HSV color model, allows the corners to be detected around the flame owing to the rough texture characteristics of the flame image. These characteristics allow for the detection of a region of interest where multiple corners occur, and finally classify the flame status using deep learning-based convolutional neural network models. The flame detection of the proposed model in this study showed an accuracy of 97.5% and a precision of 97%.

Jellyfish ( Aurelia aurita ) collagen scaffolds potential in alveolar bone regeneration

Background: Collagen scaffold is one of the most important parts of bone engineering especially for the alveolar bone regeneration. Jellyfish Aurelia aurita is one of the marine animals with the most potential for the development of collagen scaffold due to its high content of collagen and amino acid. This research aimed to evaluate the potential of jellyfish A. aurita collagen scaffold as a supporter for alveolar bone regeneration. Methods: Collagen was extracted from jellyfish by sonication method while scaffold was prepared by freeze-drying method, and chemical cross-linking with N-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl)-N’-ethyl-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Scaffold was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) spectroscopy, Fourier Transformed Infra-Red (FTIR), Cytotoxicity test with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), and biodegradability test. Results: The scaffold has a porous surface with a slightly rough texture and it has pores with size 159.9mm – 325.6mm. Carbon and oxygen are the highest elements in the scaffold. Based on FTIR results, the collagen scaffold with EDC has a lower infrared absorption rate compared to collagen scaffold without EDC. The result in cytotoxicity test showed that collagen scaffold that had been combined with EDC was not toxic to human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and even able to increase the cells growth. The scaffold with EDC has been degraded slower compared to the scaffold without EDC. Conclusion: The collagen scaffold is appropriate with the requirements as the biomaterial in supporting the alveolar bone regeneration, by fulfilling the following criteria, such as biocompatible, biodegradable, ideal porous interconnection, non-toxic, and cell viability support.

Microstructure and properties of parts manufactured by directed energy deposition of water-atomized low-alloy steel powders

Abstract The feasibility of using water-atomized low-alloy steel powders [Fe-0.11C-0.59Mn-0.43Si-0.45Cu-0.3Cr-0.45Ni-0.15Mo-0.05 V (wt.%)] for additive manufacturing using a laser-based directed energy deposition (DED) process was evaluated. Different processing parameter combinations were assessed to arrive at optimum parameters to fabricate different sample geometries, which were characterized in terms of microstructures and mechanical properties. Selected samples were also evaluated after homogenization at 1075 °C for 10 min. The results show that DED of water-atomized low-alloy steel powders is possible, yielding unique non-directional and refined microstructures with fine spherical oxide particles dispersed throughout the matrix. The maximum tensile strength and total elongation achieved in the as-built condition were 315 MPa and 3.4%, respectively, which improved to 350 MPa and 10.3% after heat treatment. The presence of a sizeable fraction of oxide nanoparticles, which presumably originated from the oxide layer of the water-atomized powder, enabled retention of microhardness/strength after heat treatment despite grain coarsening. However, the porosity and loss of C and Mn were found to be the major concerns with water-atomized powder. We believe that inconsistent powder flow due to the irregular morphology of the powders is the primary cause of the porosity. On the other hand, the high laser absorptivity of the powders due to their rough surface texture and surface oxides could be responsible for the loss of alloying elements due to excessive powder and/or melt pool temperatures. Although the results of our study are quite encouraging, powder characteristics like size and/or morphology need to be further optimized to exploit the full potential of this additive manufacturing methodology.

Characterization of ferromanganese crusts from the Central and South West Indian ridges: Evidence for hydrothermal activity

Ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts with oxides ranging from a thin coating to a maximum of 5 cm thickness were recovered from the South West Indian Ridge (SWIR) and Central Indian Ridge (CIR) segments. The substrate for the oxides are altered mafic, ultramafic, and serpentinite rocks. Twenty FeMn crusts were studied to determine their mineralogical compositions, microstructures, and chemical compositions. The crusts display rough botryoidal or smooth surface textures. Todorokite, hematite, goethite, and nontronite are the major minerals followed by vernadite, magnetite, and maghemite. Electron micrographs show framboids of FeMn oxides, fossil worms, foraminifera nuclei, and euhedral mineral crystals. The oxides have higher FeO wt% (27–47; average ∼43) than MnO (13–45, average ∼30), and the average wt% of SiO2 is ∼40, Al2O3 ∼3, MgO ∼2, CaO ∼4, Na2O ∼0.4, K2O, NiO ∼0.5, CuO ∼0.3, CoO ∼0.8, and P2O5 ∼1.5. Our studies indicate a hydrothermal origin for the crusts and this fact is corroborated by low MnO/FeO ratio (≤ 1) and occurrence of framboids and hydrothermal minerals. Negative Ce anomaly and the plot of Mn–Fe–10×(Ni + Co + Cu) indicate characteristic signatures of hydrogenous-hydrothermal origin for most of the studied FeMn crusts.

Spatial analysis of flood-prone areas and flood discharge

The Wanggu watershed is a natural ecosystem that is very sensitive to changes in land use. Increased changes in land use and geomorphological conditions in the Wanggu watershed such as slope levels, altitude, soil texture, natural drainage density, rainfall factors and the influence of infrastructure development (road construction, housing) will affect the hydrological response of the watershed and become the cause of increased flood vulnerability in the region. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors causing flood vulnerability and its impact on the city of Kendari and the Wanggu watershed and to determine the level and distribution of flood vulnerability in the Wanggu watershed area by utilizing geographic information system technology (GIS). This study uses Scoring, weighting, and Overlay methods on several parameters causing floodings such as rainfall, land use, slope, soil texture and height, drainage density, and infrastructure. The results showed that the causes of flooding in Wanggu watershed are rainfall, land-use change does not match the ability class because it is dominated by 40.1% flat slope, medium to rough soil texture 82.3%, altitude 29.0%, moderate drainage density 89.3% and run-off discharge 82.53 m3s-1. The Wanggu watershed has four flood vulnerability classes, namely safe 27.7%, rather vulnerable 16.0%, vulnerable class 32.6%, and very vulnerable class 23.6%. The flood hazard class that dominates the Wanggu River Basin area is the Prone Class.

The First 40 Million Years of Planktonic Foraminifera

We provide a biochronology of Jurassic planktonic foramininfera, using first order linkage to ammonite and nannofossil stratigraphy and geochronology. This enigmatic and understudied group of microfossils occurred from middle Toarcian through Tithonian time, from ~180 to ~143 Ma; its origin is unknown. There are three genera: Globuligerina, Conoglobigerina and Petaloglobigerina. The genus Globuligerina, with a smooth to pustulose test surface texture appeared in Toarcian (late Early Jurassic) and Conoglobigerina, with a rough reticulate test surface texture in Oxfordian (early Late Jurassic) time. The genus Petaloglobigerina, having a petaloid last whorl with one or more claviform and twisted chambers evolved in early Kimmeridgian time from Globuligerina balakhmatovae. Biochronologic events for Jurassic planktonic foraminifera are most like First Common Appearance or Last Common Appearance events. The very first or very last appearance levels of taxa are not easily sampled and detected. We recognize stratigraphic events from eleven species across four postulated evolutionary lineages, calibrated to Geologic Time Scale 2020. A faunal change, which is not well documented led to the survival of only one taxon, most likely Gobuligerina oxfordiana in the Tithonian.