Transformation Process Research Articles

Trade liberalisation and manufacturing employment in developing countries

The manufacturing sector has played an important role in the structural transformation process in the developing world by providing jobs and income opportunities. Using data from 131 developing countries from 1991 to 2020, we estimate the impact of trade liberalisation on manufacturing employment using panel fixed-effects and instrumental variable regression approaches. We find that trade liberalisation – on average – has harmed manufacturing employment in developing countries. There are considerable differences at the regional level; the impact has been most substantial in sub-Saharan African and Latin American countries. At least in these regions, trade liberalisation has contributed to deindustrialisation. Policies that improve labour productivity in manufacturing will increase the competitiveness of manufacturing firms in these countries in the face of growing trade globalisation.

Chemical Flexibility of Atomically Precise Metal Clusters.

Ligand-protected metal clusters possess hybrid properties that seamlessly combine an inorganic core with an organic ligand shell, imparting them exceptional chemical flexibility and unlocking remarkable application potential in diverse fields. Leveraging chemical flexibility to expand the library of available materials and stimulate the development of new functionalities is becoming an increasingly pressing requirement. This Review focuses on the origin of chemical flexibility from the structural analysis, including intra-cluster bonding, inter-cluster interactions, cluster-environments interactions, metal-to-ligand ratios, and thermodynamic effects. In the introduction, we briefly outline the development of metal clusters and explain the differences and commonalities of M(I)/M(I/0) coinage metal clusters. Additionally, we distinguish the bonding characteristics of metal atoms in the inorganic core, which give rise to their distinct chemical flexibility. Section 2 delves into the structural analysis, bonding categories, and thermodynamic theories related to metal clusters. In the following sections 3 to 7, we primarily elucidate the mechanisms that trigger chemical flexibility, the dynamic processes in transformation, the resultant alterations in structure, and the ensuing modifications in physical-chemical properties. Section 8 presents the notable applications that have emerged from utilizing metal clusters and their assemblies. Finally, in section 9, we discuss future challenges and opportunities within this area.

Temperature-driven coupled transport of pollutants and suspended particles established by granular thermodynamics

The temperature-driven effects on pollutant transport are significant, including thermal diffusion of pollutants, thermal osmosis of solutions, thermal motion of suspended particles, and other deformation and transformation processes. The pollutant seepage field equation was derived based on granular thermodynamics, and the motion equation of suspended particles was derived from Newton's second law. A comprehensive coupled transport model for the two-phase flow of pollutants and suspended particles in saturated porous media was established, which can effectively consider the impact of temperature driving. The model accurately described the coupled transport process of pollutants and suspended particles under different temperatures and particle sizes during single-pulse injection. Furthermore, the application of this model in natural clay layers under varying temperature gradients was discussed. The results indicated that, for the same time, an increase in temperature at the high-temperature end led to a 36.5 % decrease in the peak concentration of pollutant transport. When the temperature difference was significant, thermal osmosis and thermal motion were the main mechanisms for the coupled transport of pollutants and suspended particles, with the diffusion mechanism induced by concentration and temperature gradients not dominating. Thermal diffusion positively drove the transport of pollutants, while thermal osmosis and thermal motion under temperature gradients had a reverse inhibitory effect on pollutant transport.

Impact of freshwater rearing history on Atlantic salmon gill response to viral stimulation post seawater transfer

Land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) have risen in prevalence in recent years for Atlantic salmon production, enabling intensive production which allows increased growth and environmental control, but also having the potential for reducing water use and eutrophication. The Atlantic salmon has an anadromous life history with juvenile stages in freshwater (FW) and on-growing in seawater (SW), enabled by a transformational process known as smoltification. The timing of smoltification and transfer of smolts from FW to SW is critical under commercial production with high mortalities during this period. The impact of FW rearing system on immune function following seawater transfer (SWT) is not well understood. In this study parr were raised in either RAS or a traditional open-LOCH system until smolting and then transferred to a common marine environment. Two-weeks post-SWT fish were immune stimulated with a viral mimic (poly I:C) for 24 hours to assess the ability to mount an antiviral immune response, assessed by whole transcriptome analysis of gill tissue, an important immune organ in fish. We show that unstimulated smolts reared in the LOCH had higher immune gene expression than those reared in RAS as determined by functional analysis. However, following stimulation, smolts reared in the RAS mounted a greater magnitude of response with a suite of immune genes displaying higher fold induction of transcription compared to LOCH reared smolts. We suggest RAS smolts have a lower steady state immune-associated transcriptome likely due to an unvarying environment, in terms of environmental factors and lack of exposure to pathogens, which shows a compensatory mechanism following stimulation allowing immune ‘catch-up’ with those reared in the LOCH. Alternatively, the RAS fish are experiencing an excessive response to the immune stimulation.

BMP signaling maintains auricular chondrocyte identity and prevents microtia development by inhibiting protein kinase A.

Elastic cartilage constitutes a major component of the external ear, which functions to guide sound to the middle and inner ears. Defects in auricle development cause congenital microtia, which affects hearing and appearance in patients. Mutations in several genes have been implicated in microtia development, yet, the pathogenesis of this disorder remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that Prrx1 genetically marks auricular chondrocytes in adult mice. Interestingly, BMP-Smad1/5/9 signaling in chondrocytes is increasingly activated from the proximal to distal segments of the ear, which is associated with a decrease in chondrocyte regenerative activity. Ablation of Bmpr1a in auricular chondrocytes led to chondrocyte atrophy and microtia development at the distal part. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Bmpr1a deficiency caused a switch from the chondrogenic program to the osteogenic program, accompanied by enhanced protein kinase A activation, likely through increased expression of Adcy5/8. Inhibition of PKA blocked chondrocyte-to-osteoblast transformation and microtia development. Moreover, analysis of single-cell RNA-seq of human microtia samples uncovered enriched gene expression in the PKA pathway and chondrocyte-to-osteoblast transformation process. These findings suggest that auricle cartilage is actively maintained by BMP signaling, which maintains chondrocyte identity by suppressing osteogenic differentiation.

Altered microbial diversity, interaction pattern, and nitrogen transformation processes response to different iron addition amounts in constructed wetlands

Microbial interactions affect the biogeochemical cycles, pollutant transformation, and stable operation of constructed wetlands (CWs), and these interaction networks are vulnerable to environmental stress. Iron (Fe)-based CWs have been demonstrated as an intensified nitrogen (N) removal system, however, whether and how the addition of Fe, an exogenous environmental stressor, and its amount affect the microbial interactions and functions are poorly understood, which inevitably determine the stability and sustainability of CW system. Herein, we demonstrated that higher Fe addition could effectively improve the stability and sustainability of the CW system by regulating the diversity and interactions of the microbial communities rather than the relative abundance of functional genes. Specifically, low Fe-addition reduced the complexity and robustness of microbial network and the number of keystone taxa, while the high Fe-addition CWs showed the opposite pattern. In CWs with low Fe-addition, N-Fe cycles were accomplished by increasing competition represented by a high proportion of negative links between the same function, whereas increased cooperation was observed in CWs with high Fe-addition. Moreover, Fe addition shaped divergent N transformation processes, with denitrification-dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) dominating in control group, and nitrification-partial denitrification/anammox (PD/A) dominating in Fe-based CWs, and the intensity of nitrification-PD/A increased with the addition amount of Fe. Our study provided insights into the potential ways to improve the stability and sustainability of Fe-CWs for intensified pollutant elimination, which would be valuable to advance the design, sustainable operation, and application of Fe-CWs.

BMP signaling maintains auricular chondrocyte identity and prevents microtia development by inhibiting protein kinase A

Elastic cartilage constitutes a major component of the external ear, which functions to guide sound to the middle and inner ears. Defects in auricle development cause congenital microtia, which affects hearing and appearance in patients. Mutations in several genes have been implicated in microtia development, yet, the pathogenesis of this disorder remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that Prrx1 genetically marks auricular chondrocytes in adult mice. Interestingly, BMP-Smad1/5/9 signaling in chondrocytes is increasingly activated from the proximal to distal segments of the ear, which is associated with a decrease in chondrocyte regenerative activity. Ablation of Bmpr1a in auricular chondrocytes led to chondrocyte atrophy and microtia development at the distal part. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Bmpr1a deficiency caused a switch from the chondrogenic program to the osteogenic program, accompanied by enhanced protein kinase A activation, likely through increased expression of Adcy5/8. Inhibition of PKA blocked chondrocyte-to-osteoblast transformation and microtia development. Moreover, analysis of single-cell RNA-seq of human microtia samples uncovered enriched gene expression in the PKA pathway and chondrocyte-to-osteoblast transformation process. These findings suggest that auricle cartilage is actively maintained by BMP signaling, which maintains chondrocyte identity by suppressing osteogenic differentiation.

Breviarium rerum gestarum populi romani в отечественной и зарубежной историографии: к вопросу об источниках Феста

The transformative processes within the Roman Empire during the late 3rd and early 4th centuries brought about significant changes across various aspects of societal life, including the educational sphere. The proliferation of Christianity played a pivotal role in reshaping existing pedagogical prac-tices, ideologies, and standards, particularly among the elite class. With the emergence of a new political landscape during the dominatum era, there arose a demand for revised didactic norms. These norms aimed to provide administrators and officials with comprehensive insights into the history of Rome, its allies, and adversaries. During the 360s, concise didactic guides or “Breviaries” were developed. Notable among them is Flavius Eutropius' “Breviarium ab Urbe condita” (“Breviary from the Founding of the City”), recognized as a prominent textbook on Late Antiquity history in contempo-rary scholarship. Another significant work is the “Breviarium rerum ges-tarum populi Romani” (“Breviary of the Deeds of the Roman People”), compiled by an individual known as Festus (? – ca. 380). However, this text remained on the fringes of scholarly discourse for some time due to its brev-ity and the author’s heavy reliance on predecessors. Most scholars agree that Festus' "Breviarium" serves as a didactic compendium intended for both the emperor, who may not have been highly educated, and the officials of his empire. While there is little doubt among researchers regarding the peda-gogical nature of this work, several other questions, such as those concern-ing Festus' sources and the degree of the author's independence, remain un-resolved in historiography. Currently, there exist two approaches to address-ing the issue of identifying and studying Festus' sources. The first, positivist approach (endorsed by R. Jacoby, E. Wölfflin, A. Bettendorff, D.V. Kareev), states that Festus' sources can be easily identified by comparing parallels between his texts and those of his predecessors. However, there are differing views within historiography regarding the number and composition of the sources used by Festus in creating the “Breviary.” The second, critical ap-proach (advocated by D. Büer), denies the possibility of compiling an ex-haustive list of the sources of the “Breviary” due to the limited tradition of creating texts of this genre that have reached us. This article examines the evolution of historians' judgments regarding the possibilities and methods of identifying and interpreting Festus' sources in the composition of the “Breviary,” as well as discussing methodological approaches to studying this work.

A data-driven distributionally robust optimization approach for the core acquisition problem

Reusing electric vehicles (EV) batteries that reach the end of their useful first life is an environmental and cost-competitive option; however, the process of recycling EV batteries is not yet mature. Due to complex electrochemical reactions and physical conditions, the quality of used EV batteries (cores) is highly uncertain. The remanufacturer needs to make the acquisition decision under quality distributional ambiguity. Perfect quality distribution of cores cannot be known to the remanufacturer in practice. We develop distributionally robust optimization models based on phi-divergence measures and the imprecise Dirichlet model (DRO-IDM) to derive robust decisions. First, we find that the bounds of quality probability intervals are identified solely based on the collected data by introducing the imprecise Dirichlet model. The derived finite-sample boundary can reduce the scope of the uncertainty set and avoid the no-direction search issue. Second, our models can hedge against distributional uncertainty, reduce the probability of a robust solution that deviates from the optimal solution, and correct bias in decision making. Third, we extend the DRO-IDM to develop data-driven models, that can reassess the value of multisource quality information to improve the estimation accuracy of core quality and maximize the remanufacturer’s profit. Our study provides new insights for remanufacturers: the new remanufacturing process proposed in our work can assist remanufacturers in utilizing the values of cores without disassembly; the information-aware algorithm can offer the remanufacturing sector a valuable tool for efficiently filtering out invalid information in optimizing acquisition decisions; this capability empowers decision-makers to leverage multiple sources of information and expedite the process of digital transformation in remanufacturing; our approach can also provide a manner of integrating information fusion and distribution learning into remanufacturing.

Dynamics of the relative values of youth in education and in the labor market

The subject of the study is the process of transformation of youth values in the context of social adaptation in the labor market.The object of the study is the system of social behavior of young people in the context of educational and work activities. The authors investigate in detail the causes of the social risks of youth deprofessionalization. Attention is drawn to the fact that personal values often acquire their "relative" character and are considered by young people in the context of social adaptation. Based on the analysis of the social behavior of young people in the context of educational and work activities, the focus is on the social risks of their deprofessionalization. It is emphasized that the division of values according to the priority of "survival – self-expression" has become key to differentiating the social status of social groups. Higher education plays a key role as an institution, without which it is impossible to implement a model of leadership and sustainable development.General theoretical methods (synthesis, comparison, analogy) were used in the study of value dynamics, general scientific methodological concepts (structural, functional, interpretative) were used in the analysis of scientific and theoretical approaches, secondary data analysis methods (content analysis) were used to study value transformations. The main conclusions of the study are: - the processes of transformation of values in the system of social relations are largely related to the fact that the trajectories of personality development change under the influence of objective and subjective conditions. In this regard, the key role is assigned to the institute of education; - education as a social institution focuses on the dynamics of value transformations and focuses on the socialization of a new generation of youth. The trajectories of professional development determined by him make it possible to reduce "value inflation" and generate demand for the most demanded professional knowledge and competencies for society. The observed process of "value inflation" suggests that social partners have to "tighten" the professional skills of at least a quarter of employed graduates; - the problem of professional development lies in the loss of the value of professional activity itself and leveling the ability of a fixed group of graduates to self-development. We are talking about "relative" values and their binding, on the one hand, to the strategy of adaptation of young people in the labor market, on the other – to sustainable personal growth. The novelty of the research lies in the concretization of the dynamics of the "relative" values of young people in education in relation to the conditions of their social adaptation in the labor market.

Superior combination of strength and ductility in Fe–10Mn-0.6C steel trigged by austenite reversion transformation

Austenite reversion transformation process was employed on Fe–10Mn-0.6C steel to adjust the content and stability of austenite and the transformation-induced plasticity effect was effectively improved. With increasing annealing temperatures from 550 °C to 590 °C and 620 °C, the content and proportion of lath-like austenite significantly increased. Austenite exhibited different stability after annealing at different temperatures, mainly related to the distribution of Mn and C. The higher the local Mn and C concentration, the more stable austenite, vice versa. After annealing at 620 °C for 6 h, the highest austenite content of 61 % was achieved, and half of that had a lath-like morphology. The steel had a superior combination of ultimate tensile strength of 1500 MPa and elongation of 59 %, resulting from the enhanced transformation-induced plasticity effect. The key reason was the alternating distributions of austenite and ferrite laths, accompanied with the formation of nanotwins in the austenite with high stability.

Metaphorical Architecture of Tanean Lanjhang as a programming concept for Indonesia Islamic Science Park (IISP) – Madura, towards Sustainable Urban Tourism

The current trend in Indonesia involves extensive urban development across various sectors, including tourism. The province of East Java has plans to create an area that not only entertains but also educates and imparts cultural and Islamic values. This concept is known as the Indonesia Islamic Science Park (IISP), which is intended to be built on Madura Island. However, the Madurese community holds strong reservations towards modern infrastructure due to their cultural traditions. Therefore, the design concept for the Indonesia Islamic Science Park serves as an alternative approach to address these concerns. This research employs an intangible metaphorical approach that maps elements of the traditional Tanean Lanjhang house arrangement pattern into zones within the Indonesia Islamic Science Park. Data collection related to Tanean Lanjhang includes literature review and field surveys. The transformation process utilizes source-to-target mapping frameworks. This mapping is carried out to select source objects that can be explored for information to be directed towards the target domain (architecture). This data or information will be reduced into design criteria to be used in formulating the spatial program and zoning for the Indonesia Islamic Science Park area. Ultimately, a spatial program concept like this can become the hallmark of the Indonesia Islamic Science Park, offering a unique tourist destination that is not only reminiscent of the local culture but is also readily embraced by all members of the community.

Transformation mechanisms of antidepressants in biological wastewater treatment: Removal kinetic, transformation products and pathways

The extensive detection of antidepressants in wastewater has raised increasing concerns for human beings. During biological wastewater treatment processes, antidepressants cannot be completely removed and mineralized, which caused the formation of transformation products (TPs). To date, knowledges on TPs that participated in the transformation processes of antidepressants were scarce. To fill this gap, molecular networking nontarget screening based on lab-scale batch assays were employed to explore the removal and transformation of five antidepressants (amitriptyline (AMI), clomipramine (CLO), duloxetine (DUL), nortriptyline (NOR) and paroxetine (PAR)). The removal rate constants per unit of biomass (kbio) of the five antidepressants were found to range from 0.29 to 0.56 L/(gMLSS*d). Comparatively, clomipramine was removed more slowly than other antidepressants, which attributed to its lower electrophilic properties. Subsequently, 22 TPs were tentatively identified, among which 19 ones were newly found in the present study. The proposed transformation pathways indicated that demethylation, N-formylation, N-acetylation, N-succinylation, N-hydroxylation, dealkylation, hydrolysis and nitrosation participated in the transformation of antidepressants in wastewater. Particularly, N-acylation and N-hydroxylation were found as characteristics reactions for antidepressants in wastewater and these reactions consistently occurred at the site of amino functional group, where high electrophilic activity was the dominant causes for the observed characteristics reactions. In silico results revealed that TPs formed during biological wastewater treatment generally had lower toxicity, lower bioaccumulation and higher bioavailability than their parent compounds. Collectively, the present study provides insights into the transformation processes of antidepressants in wastewater, indicating that characteristic transformation reactions occur across different antidepressants, which is theoretically useful to effectively remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater.

Mechanical response and phase transformation characteristics of R-phase NiTi shape memory alloy under high strain rate compression

R-phase NiTi shape memory alloy (R-NiTi SMA) has many excellent properties, but there are application problems such as simple structure and high price. High velocity impact welding can effectively solve these problems, but the research on the mechanical response and phase transformation (PT) characteristics of R-NiTi SMA under dynamic deformation is lacking. Therefore, the quasi-static (0.001s-1) and dynamic (500s-1, 1000s-1, 1500s-1, 2000 s-1) compression experiments were conducted on R-NiTi SMA in this research. The results showed that the true stress-strain curves of R-NiTi SMA during deformation were characterized by three stages, including the superelastic, elastic, and plastic segments. The critical stress of austenite to R (A-R) and R to martensite (R-M) phase transformation increased with the increase of strain rate, and the phase transformation process gradually disappeared when the strain rate exceeded 1000s-1, which was related to the velocities of A-R and R-M phase transformation. With the increase of strain rate, defects such as dislocations increased and hindered the phase transformation process during unloading, resulting in the increase of A-phase content. In addition, the enthalpy of the deformed samples decreased significantly and the temperature ranges of phase transformation increased slightly. This work deepens the understanding of the dynamic response of R-NiTi SMA and helps to expand the application of high strain rate processing technology in R-NiTi SMA.

Strategies and Interventions to Support Quality Outcomes in the Home Care Setting: A Longitudinal Multilevel Study.

The relationship between the practice environment, empowerment, and outcomes such as quality of care, job satisfaction, and intent to stay has been extensively studied in healthcare settings, including hospitals and long-term care facilities. Research consistently demonstrates that a positive practice environment, characterized by supportive leadership, adequate resources, and opportunities for professional growth, are associated with better quality of care, increased job satisfaction, and higher intent to stay among healthcare professionals. Limited knowledge exists regarding the specific relationship between the practice environment, empowerment, and these outcomes within home care organizations. This study assesses the impact of strategies on nurse practice environment, social capital, decision latitude, workload, care quality, job satisfaction, and retention in a Belgian home healthcare organization. A longitudinal survey was conducted in a home healthcare organization, with data collected at 3 time points: baseline (T1) (2015), T2 (2018), and T3 (2021). In T3, respondents reported significantly higher scores for departmental and general management compared with T1. The interventions led to significant improvements in social capital and decision latitude. Self-reported quality of care at the department level showed a significant increase, whereas no significant change was observed for quality of care during the last round. The implementation of strategies and interventions as part of a broader healthcare transformation process had a positive impact. Improvements were observed in nurse-reported quality of care, job satisfaction, and intent to stay in nursing. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of the implemented measures in enhancing nursing practice and creating a positive work environment. Continuous efforts to implement and evaluate such strategies are essential for enhancing the satisfaction and retention of nursing teams within healthcare organizations.

Effects of microalloying and magnetic annealing on microstructures and properties of magnetic immiscible copper matrix alloys

The magnetic immiscible copper matrix alloys are extensively industrial applications due to their comprehensive properties such as high strength, high conductivity, high thermal conductivity and excellent magnetic permeability. Here, we investigated the effects of the addition of Co and Al elements on the microstructural evolution of magnetic Cu–Fe alloys (CFAs) and comprehensive properties after annealing under the static magnetic field (SMF). The results show that the microalloying was effective in enhancing the mechanical and magnetic properties but negative for the electric conductivity. The addition of Co element significantly suppressed the grains recrystallization of CFAs during the annealing process and improved the thermal stability of CFAs. Al elements homogeneously dispersed in the sample. SMF facilitated the nucleation and precipitation processes of the secondary precipitated particles in the Cu-rich matrix through the introducing the extra magnetic Gibbs free energy and also promoted the structural transformation of the secondary precipitated particles from FCC to BCC. This work indicates that SMF can be effectively used to modify the magnetic materials with exceptional comprehensive properties during the solid state phase transformation process. It also provides valuable guidance for the development of novel materials with superior comprehensive performance.

Releasing characteristics of toxic chemicals from polystyrene microplastics in the aqueous environment during photoaging process

Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive in the environment and inevitably undergo photoaging due to UV irradiation. This study delved into the dynamic releasing and transformation process of toxic chemicals from polystyrene microplastics (PS MPs) during photoaging, a subject that remains underexplored. It was revealed that photoaging led to substantial alterations in the physicochemical properties of PS MPs, initiating polymer chain scission and facilitating the release of a large number of toxic chemicals, including numerous organic compounds and several inorganic compounds. The kinetic analysis revealed a dynamic release pattern for PS MPs, where under varying UV intensities (2, 5, and 10 mW/cm2), the release rate (kDOC) initially increased and then decreased, peaking at a total irradiation energy of approximately 7 kWh·h/m2. Furthermore, chemicals in leachate were transformed into compounds with smaller molecular weight, higher oxidized and greater unsaturated state over the prolonged photoaging. This transformation was primarily attributed to two reasons. Firstly, the aged PS MPs released chemicals with higher oxidized state compared to the pristine MPs. Secondly, the chemicals previously released underwent further reactions. Besides, among the complex leachate generated by aged PS MPs, the organic chemicals characterized by small molecular weight and high oxidized state exhibited notable acute toxicity, whereas heavy metal ions showed lesser toxicity, and anions were non-toxic. This study shed more light on the photoaging process of PS MPs, releasing characteristics of organic chemicals, and the potential environmental risks associated with plastic wastes.

Rapid and simultaneous analysis of monoiodoacetic acid and inorganic iodine in drinking water by capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Monoiodoacetic acid (MIAA) is a disinfection by-product formed during water disinfection through the oxidation of iodide, followed by a reaction with natural organic matter. It exhibits high toxicity and strong mutagenicity and is potentially carcinogenic to humans. Therefore, the simultaneous detection of MIAA and inorganic iodine can enable the safety assessment of drinking water and expand the study of the dynamic transformation process between the two forms. Currently, there is a lack of efficient and rapid universal screening methods for MIAA and inorganic iodine. In this work, a simple and efficient method was developed to combine capillary electrophoresis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry using a spray-efficient nebulizer interface for the s.peciation analysis of I − , IO3 − , and MIAA. The method is based on qualitative analysis of retention time and quantitative determination using peak area. The detection limits of the three iodine forms were 0.16 μg L − 1, 0.40 μg L − 1, and 1.22 μg L − 1, respectively. By coupling two instruments, the method combines the advantages of rapidity and accuracy with high injection efficiency. It is also more environmentally friendly as it does not require complex pre-treatment and avoids the use of toxic organic compounds. The accuracy of this method has been validated through the incorporation of authentic samples, paving the way for its deployment in the risk assessment of substantial volumes of drinking water and the expansion of the novel approach for further investigation into the genesis and transformation of MIAA.

Isothermal and non-isothermal decomposition mechanisms of bastnaesite during the hydrogen-based mineral phase transformation

The hydrogen-based mineral phase transformation-flotation process can realize the efficient development of iron-bearing rare earth ores. The isothermal and non-isothermal decomposition mechanisms of bastnasite in the hydrogen atmosphere were studied to optimize the hydrogen-based mineral phase transformation process. The thermal decomposition of bastnasite first produced REOF, which would react with oxygen to produce rare earth oxides and fluorides during the analysis process. The thermal decomposition was an endothermic reaction, and the generated gas were mainly CO2 and trace CO, with a mass loss of about 20%. Increasing the temperature can greatly promote the thermal decomposition. After thermal decomposition, the particles showed a layered structure, and many parallel slits run through the particles. The porosity and specific surface area of the particles were significantly improved. The apparent activation energy of isothermal decomposition was 71.80 ± 5.40 kJ/mol, and the kinetic mechanism was random nucleation and growth model (n = 2). The apparent activation energy of non-isothermal decomposition was 201.96 kJ/mol, and the kinetic mechanism was phase-boundary controlled reaction mechanism (n ≈ 2).

Venturing outside: Local journeying, belonging and new parenthood

The transition to parenthood is a transformative journey marked by numerous adjustments, presenting both physical and mental health challenges. Recognising the crucial role of a sense of belonging for parental health in this transition, this study delves into the experiences of new parents, exploring the act of “journeying” within their local geographies. Through analysis of an online survey among new parents in suburban Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, this study highlights the multifaceted role of journeying, not only as physical movement but as a slow-creeping transformative process that affects connections with local environments, people, and places, highlighting the importance of local geographies in new parents’ journey towards belonging.