Genesis and age of gold mineralization in the Shipenggou gold deposit, Jilin province, NE China: Evidences from Rb-Sr geochronology, H-O-S isotopes and trace element geochemistry of pyrite

Green synthesis of biomass carbon nanodots and their multifunctional applications.

Hierarchically porous and anisotropic biochar from fast-growing balsa and paulownia woods for effective microplastic removal.

Although from the perspective of modern mainstream Earth science, the Earth is not "growing", in this article, after analyzing some stratum structures, we discovered the fact that the stratum structure has periodic characteristics. Based on the philosophical perspective of analogical reasoning, we compare the periodic stratum structure with tree rings, thereby put forward a new viewpoint. The new viewpoint holds that there is a process of material accumulation on the Earth's surface. The sources of materials are from two aspects. The first is that plants on the Earth absorb sunlight through photosynthesis and convert light energy into substances. These substances gradually deposit, thereby continuously increasing the mass of the Earth. The second is that the Earth receives meteorites and cosmic dust from the universe every day. During its revolution around the Milky Way, the Sun, like the Earth, experiences different "galactic seasons". These "galactic seasons" cause the Earth to deposit materials at different speeds at various times, thus making the stratum structure periodic.

Background: Indigenous African fruits, like the African horned cucumber (Cucumis metuliferus), are abundant in nutrients and serve as a source of food and raw materials for manufacturing value-added products in both rural and urban areas. This review presents a comparative analysis of selected fruits in the Cucurbitaceae family, specifically in terms of the phytochemical, biochemical and mineral constituents, as well as nutritional contribution, and aims to explore how the African horned cucumber measures up to its counterparts by comparing their nutritional content against the recommended daily intake (RDI). Material and Methods: A literature search—using the keywords ‘African horned cucumber’, ‘Cucurbitaceae fruits’, ‘biochemical constituents’, ‘indigenous fruits’ and ‘recommended daily intake’—was used to gather credible data suitable for this review paper. Findings and Conclusions: The published peer-reviewed literature reveals that the African horned cucumber—with its nutrient-rich profile boasting high levels of calcium (19%), potassium (28%), magnesium (78.1%), sodium (10.7%), zinc (12.7%), beta carotene (15.5%), vitamin C (4.1%), vitamin E (15.2%), total flavonoids (0.28%), and total phenols (0.7%)—holds the promise of contributing significantly to the human diet while aligning with the RDI and dietary guidelines, as documented in studies, further underscoring its potential to meet nutritional needs and enhance health, thus supporting its consideration for commercialisation.

The aim of the article is a comprehensive analysis of the medical-biological and regulatory mission of biobanking as a fundamental element necessary for the development of an oncological infrastructure network in Ukraine in accordance with the European standards of Comprehensive Cancer Infrastructures (CCI). Today, biobanking is regarded as one of the key factors in the successful advancement of precision medicine, particularly in the field of oncology. Modern biobanks facilitate progress in molecular tumor profiling, accelerate the discovery and validation of new biomarkers, and serve as a source of material for clinical research and the development of targeted therapy. Special attention in the article is devoted to the need for implementing standardized operating procedures and quality management systems, in accordance with the requirements of international consortia such as BBMRI-ERIC, to ensure sample interoperability, which enables the formation of transnational consortia for high-quality research. The European legal framework governing the activities of biobanks is examined; it is not a single act but a combination of directives and regulations, including the GDPR (protection of sensitive genetic data), the SoHO Regulation, and provisions integrated into the European Health Data Space (EHDS). The main ethical principles include informed consent, ensuring confidentiality through anonymization, as well as voluntariness and non-remunerated donation, which are based on the concept of “the right to control” one’s biomaterial. In Ukraine, despite the recognition of the strategic importance of biobanking for integration into the CCI, this field is in an early stage of development and is characterized by a limited regulatory framework and the predominance of private biobanks focused on international collaboration. For the full-scale development of the national oncological infrastructure and integration into the European research area, it is necessary to harmonize national legislation with European standards, to develop national ethical guidelines, and to encourage the establishment of institutionalized biobanks, which will enable scientific research and improve the quality of oncological care.

The northern part of the Great Xing’an Range in China hosts a prominent Au mineralization belt, where Mesozoic clastic rock-hosted Au deposits represent the mineralization type. A study of the Baoxinggou Au deposit in this region might provide new perspectives on the mineralization mechanisms of these Mesozoic clastic-rock-hosted Au deposits. This study investigated the age of mineralization, origins and evolution of the ore-forming fluids, and sources of the ore-forming materials in this deposit. Rubidium–Sr dating of sulfides yielded a mineralization age of 119 ± 2 Ma. Fluid inclusion analyses revealed that the ore precipitated from fluids with temperatures of 105–415 °C and salinities of 4.3–8.8 wt.% NaCl equivalent. Hydrogen and O isotopic data show that the ore-forming fluids were of magmatic origin and, during mineralization, the proportion of meteoric waters increased gradually and eventually dominated the late mineralization stage. Fluid mixing was the primary ore-forming mechanism. Sulfur isotopic data for pyrite and chalcopyrite (δ34SV–CDT = −4.35‰ to −0.91‰) and Pb isotopic ratios (206Pb/204Pb = 18.429–18.477; 207Pb/204Pb = 15.581–15.591) indicate the ore-forming materials were magmatic in origin, with a similar source as an Early Cretaceous diorite and mixed crust–mantle materials. The results indicate the Baoxinggou Au deposit is a magmatic–hydrothermal deposit.

Modification of the properties of caking coals through the methods of their treatment is of practical interest, especially in the context of deterioration of the raw material source for coke production and high requirements for the quality of coke. Considering the hydrophobicity of coals and their relatively high porosity, vapor treatment can be an effective method of influencing coal properties. Research on the properties of coal treated with water vapor and crude benzene vapor was conducted using different caking ability methods. Coal moistened to 10%wt. was also investigated for comparison. Four coal samples with varying degrees of coalification, ranging from medium to high rank (Ro = 0.76–1.50%) and characterized by volatile matter (Vdaf = 20.24–37.42%), were investigated. The mechanisms of interaction between coals and water in liquid and vapor form were determined. The results demonstrate that the treatment with water vapor and crude benzene significantly affects the properties of coal A. Specifically, under the influence of water vapor, there is a decrease in the period before the formation of plasticity and an increase in the caking properties of coal A. Coal B and C have good caking ability, so the effect of treatment is less noticeable. The treatment of the coal D leads to an increase in the viscosity of the plastic mass and a decrease in the caking properties. The approaches used in the study of the impact on coal properties can be effectively implemented in production conditions.

The development of globalization, characterized by advances in information and communication technology, has had a significant impact on the world of education, especially in the formation of the character of students. Widespread access to information brings great opportunities to increase global knowledge and insight, but also presents challenges in the form of the inclusion of external cultural values that have the potential to shift local cultural values. This research aims to analyze the internalization of the value of local wisdom in social studies learning in elementary schools as an effort to shape the global character of students and their relationship with the achievement of SDGs 4 regarding quality education. The method used is literature review by collecting, reviewing and analyzing various scientific sources such as journals, books and relevant documents. The results of the study show that local wisdom has an important role as a source of material as well as a contextual approach that is able to increase understanding of concepts, life skills, and instill character values such as mutual cooperation, responsibility and tolerance. Internalization strategies are carried out through active learning such as Project Based Learning, Problem Based Learning, and contextual approaches. The role of the teacher is also very important as a facilitator, guide and role model. This integration supports the realization of inclusive, relevant and sustainable education.

ABSTRACT A large amount of discarded isolation medical gowns and wasted coffee filters end up in landfills, creating an environmental problem . In this study, we introduce a novel approach to repurpose such waste by utilizing it to produce insulation materials with excellent acoustic properties. Loose, bound, and hybrid composite boards were prepared from discarded gowns and filters . The bound and hybrid boards were made using wood adhesive resin binders. All necessary tests , including measurements of thermal conductivity, sound absorption, noise reduction coefficients, thermal stability, mechanical properties, surface morphology, and moisture content of the raw materials, were reported. Results showed that the thermal conductivity ranges from 0.038 to 0.070 W/m·K. The sound absorption coefficient exceeds 0.4 for all composite boards at frequencies above 500 Hz, and the noise reduction coefficient is greater than 0.4. The flexural modulus of the bound boards ranges from 0.28 to 1.6 MPa. The composites are thermally stable between 298°C and 354°C. The moisture content is 0.5% for loose gowns and 4% for coffee filters. These results suggest that the developed composites could be used for thermal insulation and sound absorption in buildings, offering a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based materials and contributes to environmental preservation.

The ex vivo Human Organotypic Skin Explant Culture (hOSEC) model utilises skin fragments, mainly obtained from plastic surgery procedures, as the primary source of material. The model is used for testing that requires human tissue, and as the basis for various research models. The objectives of the current study were to review, analyse and summarise the published literature on the use of ex vivo human skin explants in experimental studies in Brazil. The literature search was conducted within three databases, using terms related to explants and study location combined with defined eligibility criteria. Sixteen studies were considered eligible for further detailed analysis in the review. The geographical location of these studies was concentrated in the South-Eastern region of Brazil, and demonstrated a prevalence of explants obtained during plastic surgery procedures. Five main focus areas were identified in the studies, namely: disease pathology, cellular ageing, pharmacological testing of cosmetic ingredients, wound healing, and cell culture optimisation - with pathology-focused models being the most common. Despite the search strategy being capable of identifying the diverse characteristics of the studies, the research protocols used in the studies were heterogeneous. This is an intrinsic limitation of the published literature in general, which prevents direct comparisons and hinders reproducibility. Human skin explants were shown to represent versatile tools, with potential for expansion into other areas. The creation and dissemination of standardised methodologies and guidelines for human skin explant-based research are essential. This information, as well as the promotion of the use of such models, will contribute to a reduction in the use of animals in experiments.

Agroindustrial residues represent an abundant and underutilized source of carbon-rich materials for environmental remediation. In this study, annatto processing waste (Bixa orellana), a largely unexplored lignocellulosic by-product generated during pigment extraction, was converted into hydrochar via hydrothermal carbonization at 200 °C for 3 h. The resulting hydrochar (HC-AW) exhibited a predominantly amorphous carbon structure with retained oxygen-containing surface functionalities, and a solid yield of 44%, indicating efficient biomass conversion under subcritical conditions. Adsorption performance toward tetracycline was evaluated through pH-dependent experiments, kinetic modeling, equilibrium isotherms, and thermodynamic analysis. Maximum adsorption occurred under near-neutral conditions (pH ≈ 7), consistent with the interplay between tetracycline speciation and the hydrochar surface charge (pHPZC ≈ 6.3), highlighting its potential applicability under realistic water treatment conditions without pH adjustment. Kinetic data were well described by the pseudo-second-order model, while equilibrium results were best fitted by the Langmuir model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 14.94 mg g-1 at 30 °C. Thermodynamic analysis indicated a spontaneous and slightly endothermic adsorption process. Overall, the results highlight the potential of annatto-derived hydrochar as a low-cost adsorbent and provide insight into the relationship between surface properties and adsorption behavior governing antibiotic removal from aqueous systems.

The selection and acquisition of suitable raw material constitute the first steps in stone tool technology. Previous ethnographical and archaeological research suggests that hominins in the Pleistocene primarily collected their stone materials while carrying out other activities. Direct provisioning for this purpose alone remains an outlier and is rarely demonstrated. Archaeological excavations coupled with multidisciplinary analyses at Jojosi in South Africa demonstrate that early modern humans undertook specific, repeated visits to a raw material source over tens of thousands of years for the exclusive purpose of obtaining hornfels. This rare, stratified, open-air locality features uniquely preserved lithic assemblages with abundant refits dating from ~220 ka to ~110 ka for the reduction and export of a single tool stone. The scope of these knapping activities is underscored by millions of Middle Stone Age hornfels artefacts paving the modern landscape. The consistent, specialised procurement of a single raw material at Jojosi already during the Middle Pleistocene challenges the standard model of embedded procurement for this period. These findings further show that key capacities of Homo sapiens, including increased long-term planning and behavioural plasticity in the interaction with the material world, emerged early in their evolutionary history.

To elucidate the sedimentary environment and provenance background of the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formation in the Shuiquan area of Hefeng, Hubei Province, geochemical analyses were conducted on samples collected from an observed profile. The results indicate that the sedimentation of the Wufeng Formation occurred under predominantly cold and dry climatic conditions, whereas the Longmaxi Formation was characterized by a warm and humid climate. The ratios of Ba/Al and Ba(bio) suggest that the ancient productivity at the base of the Longmaxi Formation was relatively high. During its deposition, the Wufeng Formation experienced an oxidizing to sub-oxic environment, while the Longmaxi Formation exhibited an overall sub-oxic environment. Variations in rare earth elements indicate that the sedimentation rate of the Wufeng Formation was higher than that of the Longmaxi Formation; however, a layer with a significantly slow sedimentation rate is present at the base of the Longmaxi Formation; According to the U/Mo covariance model, the sedimentary environment of the Longmaxi Formation is characterized by a strong retention of water bodies. The characteristics of trace elements and rare earth element compositions and their ratios indicate that the material sources primarily originate from the upper crust, exhibiting a relatively homogeneous source with the main parent rock being felsic granite. The tectonic background of the source area is predominantly characterized by an active continental margin, while also displaying some features typical of continental island arcs.

ABSTRACTHydrogels based on thiol‐ene step‐growth chemistry have gained increased attention due to their superior properties over the currently standard materials based on chain growth polymerization. In the thiol‐ene reaction, a crosslinker with at least two thiol groups is necessary for network formation. Many currently used crosslinkers exhibit cytotoxic potential, are non‐biodegradable, or involve toxic chemicals and relatively complicated procedures in their synthesis, thus hindering their broader application. As an alternative, the use of a protein (fibrinogen gamma chain, FGG) recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli was investigated. The FGG is part of the multimeric fibrinogen involved in hemostasis. This protein complex is stabilized by disulfide crosslinking. This presence of cysteines in the sequence makes FGG a promising candidate as a thiol donor in thiol‐ene reactions. It was shown for the first time, that a cysteine‐containing protein expressed in E. coli was capable of forming hydrogels with norbornene functionalized gelatin. An increase in FGG concentration led to higher gel stiffness and a decrease in the swelling ratio. Furthermore, the material exhibited cell adhesive properties and biocompatibility. Overall, a proof‐of‐principle could be achieved, opening up the use of recombinant proteins without further modifications as crosslinkers in thiol‐ene based hydrogels, providing a cost‐effective, safe, and scalable material source.

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvents extraction, enrichment, and anti-diabetic of glycosides from Anemarrhena asphodeloides.

Robert Schumann’s music represents a key source of non-original materials for an extended series of works that the Argentine composer Gerardo Gandini developed from the 1980s until the end of his creative career. Rsch: Escenas for piano and orchestra (1983–84), the first work in the series, reinterprets Schumann’s concept of cycle, emphasizing its fragmentary and self-reflexive nature. The work comprises fourteen brief numbers, twelve of which are derived from Schumann’s pieces. Concealed by their shared title (“Florestán,” in reference to one of Schumann’s alter egos), nos. 5 and 13 are based instead on paraphrased fragments drawn from Arnold Schoenberg’s Three Piano Pieces, op. 11. Gandini’s rereading of these pieces, which he regarded as athematic, is characterized by a gestural conception of musical materials. By associating Schumann’s cycles with Schoenberg’s opus 11 in this way, Gandini extends his idea of the aesthetic availability of traditional materials into the twentieth century. Additional procedural allusions to Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire and Boulez’s Le marteau sans maître enable Gandini to reaffirm his commitment to the modernist tradition while simultaneously maintaining an ironic distance from it. Drawing on concepts from Gérard Genette’s literary theory, the article argues that each element of this intertextual framework fulfills a specific function aimed at shaping an allusive tradition that extends, as “music about music,” to Gandini’s work itself. By incorporating his own work into a genealogy encompassing both nineteenth- and twentieth-century music, Gandini at the same time attained a distinctive position within Argentine music of his time.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have emerged as promising spectral modifiers for photovoltaic devices due to their photoluminescent down-conversion properties. In parallel, silica-rich industrial residues represent an environmental liability but also a potential source of functional materials. This study investigated the valorization of SiO2-rich mining residue for the production of a sodium silicate matrix incorporating CQDs as a spectral conversion overlayer for solar panels. The treated residue successfully yielded sodium silicate, and CQDs were synthesized and integrated into the matrix. Photovoltaic testing demonstrated that panels coated with industrial-derived sodium silicate exhibited an initial efficiency increase of 8.91% compared to standard panels. However, coatings containing CQDs with the residue-derived sodium silicate showed reduced performance in early-stage testing, and all samples exhibited progressive opacity after six months, indicating limited long-term stability. These findings highlight both the potential and the challenges of integrating CQD-based spectral management with mining residue valorization. While the approach demonstrates feasibility in short-term performance enhancement, material stability remains a critical barrier for practical implementation.

Hydrothermal activity drives paleoenvironmental change and manganese mineralization in South China during the Neoproterozoic interglacial

The results of the study and paleogeodynamic interpretation of the material composition of sandy rocks of the Middle Permian Barabash Formation of the Laoeling-Grodekovo terrane, located in the southwestern part of Primorye, are presented. The sandstones studied belong to greywacke and, in part, to lithic arenite. Sandstones are petrogenic, «first cycle» rocks that have undergone a single cycle of redeposition. The formation of deposits occurred as a result of the destruction of moderately weathered rocks in areas of denudation. Analysis and paleogeodynamic interpretation of the obtained mineral and geochemical data indicate that deposits accumulated in a basin within an active continental margin margin, most likely complicated by strike-slip movements along transform faults. The main source of the clastic material was the continental landmass — cratons and uplifted basement blocks composed of granite-metamorphic and, in part, sedimentary rocks containing ancient clastic components. Secondary sources were fragments of an ancient, deeply dissected marginal-continental magmatic arc composed of basic and ultramafic rocks.