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The potential for static liquefaction of tailings is a major focus in the design and operation of tailings storage facilities. This research models the behaviour of unsaturated tailings, with a variety of degrees of saturation, addressing the propensity for static liquefaction during monotonic loading. Unsaturated triaxial tests, including constant suction conditions and constant water–air mass conditions, were performed. A bounding surface plasticity model was used to simulate the results. The constant mass condition is relevant to undrained closed-system loading, which may prevail during fast deformation after the tailings becomes unstable, when the air and water in the pore space remain locked inside the tailings. Boyle's law and hydraulic hysteresis were accounted for to model the changes of pore air and water pressures, and suction, with the change in tailings volume. Good agreement was achieved between test results and model simulations. Additional simulations to mimic rising water tables under constant total stress states in the field, situations that may trigger instabilities, are also shown. Results are added to charts which relate peak and post-liquefaction strengths, as well as collapse lines, to measures of initial state, for unsaturated conditions, which may be of use in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the logistics industry and the continuous growth of e-commerce, effectively monitoring logistics warehouses has become increasingly important to ensure the security of goods and oversee activities within storage facilities. Although current surveillance systems provide a certain level of security for logistics warehouses, they still face issues such as data tampering, storage, and access management. These challenges can compromise the integrity of surveillance video data, making the system vulnerable to unauthorized access. To address these challenges, this paper proposes the implementation of blockchain-based security management and access control of video data in logistics warehouses. Specifically, the solution employs the Hyperledger Fabric consortium blockchain to execute smart contracts and store the hash values of video data, thereby detecting any tampering and enhancing the security and integrity of the data. Additionally, hybrid encryption technology is utilized to ensure the confidentiality of video data during transmission and storage. Furthermore, the solution leverages the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for distributed video storage. This not only increases the redundancy and accessibility of data storage but also reduces the risk of single-point failures. A Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) mechanism is also introduced to strictly manage access permissions to video data, ensuring that only authorized users can access the data, thereby effectively preventing unauthorized access and data breaches. Through a comprehensive analysis of computational and communication costs and the evaluation of blockchain performance at 100 transactions per second for different transaction volumes using Hyperledger Caliper, the results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. Compared to current research, this solution exhibits higher security, providing a new approach for the secure management and access control of video data in logistics warehouses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depleted low-permeability gas reservoirs are the primary storage media for underground hydrogen storage (UHS). An accurate assessment of the geomechanics and complex flow mechanisms in a depleted low-permeability gas reservoir is crucial for predicting the injection and production capabilities of UHS facilities. This paper proposes a novel hydromechanical multicomponent model that couples non-Darcy flow, relative permeability hysteresis (RPH), and geomechanics to evaluate the hydrogen storage capacity of UHS facilities in a depleted low-permeability gas reservoir. The coupled model was solved using a fully coupled strategy, employing the finite volume method to solve non-Darcy flow equations and the virtual element method to solve geomechanical problems. The results indicate that the high-velocity non-Darcy (hvnD) and geomechanical effects reduce the working gas volume by 12.82% and 10.56%, respectively. Additionally, the low-velocity non-Darcy (lvnD) effect causes the third stress/strain distribution to exhibit a "focusing" phenomenon, resulting in a 13.19% reduction in the working gas volume. This paper also describes a case where residual gas is captured by mechanisms such as "water lock" and "capillary capture" through the RPH effect. Considering the RPH effect, the gas-water transition zone expanded by 30%, and the peak volume of gas-containing pores in the water zone increased by 1.48 times. Ignoring the RPH effect led to a 19.73% overestimation of the utilization rate of the gas-containing pore space. Hence, this study achieves safe and successful seasonal hydrogen storage and provides theoretical support for designing multicycle operational plans. • A novel coupled hydro-mechanical multicomponent model was proposed. • Non-Darcy flow, hysteresis and geomechanical effects were evaluated thoroughly. • The underground hydrogen storage capacity could be evaluated accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study explores the prevalence of phosphine resistance in stored-grain insects. The research, conducted in Greece, examined 53 key insect species and used two assessment protocols, namely, dose–response and CORESTA, to estimate phosphine resistance. The results showed that 13.3% of field populations were resistant, and mortality rates increased with higher phosphine concentrations. According to the dose–response protocol, 37.7% of field populations were found to be resistant, while all populations were susceptible according to the CORESTA protocol. The observed resistance patterns differ from those reported in other regions. The study emphasizes the importance of tailored fumigation strategies considering insect species' susceptibility to phosphine and recommends best management practices and rotational strategies to develop effective resistance management plans. The results offer valuable insights into the dynamic landscape of phosphine resistance in stored-product insects and suggest potential avenues for further research and control measures. Post-harvest losses due to insect infestation and spoilage by bacteria and molds pose significant challenges to global cereal production. This study investigates the prevalence of resistance to phosphine, a commonly used grain protection agent, in stored-grain insects. The research, conducted in various storage facilities across Greece, examined 53 populations of key stored-product insect species. Two assessment protocols, namely, dose–response (at 50–1000 ppm for 3 days exposure) and CORESTA (at 300 ppm for 6 days), were used herein to estimate phosphine resistance. The results showed that 13.3% of field populations were resistant, and mortality rates increased with higher phosphine concentrations. Specifically, according to the dose–response protocol, among the 53 field populations, 37.7% were found to be resistant to phosphine, namely, two populations of O. surinamensis, one of S. oryzae, seven of T. confusum, one of C. ferrugineus, one of T. castaneum, and all populations of R. dominica, whereas, according to the CORESTA protocol, all populations were found to be susceptible to phosphine. The observed resistance patterns differ from those reported in other regions of the world. The study highlights the importance of tailored fumigation strategies, considering insect species varying susceptibility to phosphine. It recommends the use of best management practices and rotational strategies, such as combining phosphine with other methods, to develop effective resistance management plans. The results provide valuable insights into the dynamic landscape of phosphine resistance in stored-product insects and suggest potential avenues for further research and control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dates maintain prime importance as sources of income and as symbols of cultural heritage in Saudi Arabia. Ephestia cautella (Walker) is one of the most important insects that attack stored dates. In an effort to safeguard small-scale producers, temperatures of 5 °C (representing typical house refrigerator temperatures), − 14 °C (representing in-house freezer temperatures), and − 25 °C (representing temperatures in small factory freezers) were applied to samples of dates previously infested with E. cautella larvae. Exposure periods of 1, 12, 48, 120, and 240 h were considered to assess the effectiveness of freezing temperatures against stored product insect pests. The temperature of − 25 °C proved to be the most effective, resulting in 100% mortality across all stages after just 1 h of exposure. At 5 °C, the pupal stage exhibited the highest tolerance, with only a mean mortality of 11% after 240 h of exposure. Conversely, at the same temperature, mean mortalities of 89% and 97% were recorded for eggs and larvae, respectively. However, when larvae were placed inside the dates, the mean mortality was only 65% after 240 h at 5 °C, complete larval mortality was achieved in 12 h at − 14 °C and 1 h at − 25 °C. This information can guide strategies for managing E. cautella in storage facilities with limited available resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several tailings dam failures have highlighted the potential for instability under prevailing drained conditions, which can be represented in the laboratory using constant shear drained (CSD) loading. In this study, the mechanical response of three mine tailings gradations (coarse, intermediate, and fine) from a tin ore tailings storage facility subjected to CSD loading were evaluated. The experimental results were interpreted using the critical state soil mechanics framework and different instability criteria. Salient findings include the following: (1) the onset of instability in initially loose specimens was dictated by a tradeoff of volumetric strain components (i.e., elastic and plastic), which in turn governed the evolution of the dilatancy and plastic modulus, key properties for modern constitutive models that were also investigated in this study; (2) dense-type instabilities may occur for initial states above the critical state line; this response was observed in the fine tailings due to their compressibility and initial state before CSD stress relief; (3) variable rate tests suggested that drained creep in the intermediate tailings made the second-order work instability criterion unattainable; variable rate effects were manifested in the postinstability responses of the intermediate and fine tailings but not in those of the coarse tailings; and (4) existing instability criteria perform similarly when applicable, but they also have limitations. In this context, a new criterion is proposed by modifying an existing criterion. This study advances the understanding of the mechanical response of mine tailings, under nonstandard stress paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storage facilities often comprise the most energy-intensive burden within archives. One green solution is a passive building with high thermal inertia and airtightness, to create stable environmental conditions without mechanical intervention, and provide appropriate temperature and RH ranges and good air quality for preservation. However, where airtightness is concerned, there is potential for accumulation of pollutants within densely occupied repositories such as library and archive stores. This risk is not addressed by current requirements for greener operation, because operational conflicts arise when balancing these three environmental parameters. This article discusses air quality and its effects on archive materials. It contributes to better understanding of green operation for archives. It presents a preliminary study carried out at Norfolk Record Office in the UK on options to increase archives storage capacity whilst improving both public access and preservation. This concluded that an initial programme to replace low-quality packaging which is a generator of VOCs, and the building of on-site passive storage, were the most sustainable solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geological reservoir characteristics and mechanical parameters of oil and gas fields exert significant influence on the stability and preliminary feasibility assessment of underground gas storage facilities, posing an urgent challenge for petroleum engineers to address. This study, grounded in the geological conditions and fundamental characteristics of the Wanshunchang gas field, explores the effects of various factors on stability parameters of gas storage facilities and analyzes the reasons underlying differences in stability. The findings reveal that the geological and mechanical parameters of the Wanshunchang gas field meet the basic requirements for gas storage facilities and can withstand injection and extraction pressures of up to 80 MPa. Furthermore, an increase in reservoir elastic modulus and cohesive strength mitigates reservoir leakage and contributes to maintaining wellbore stability in underground gas storage. Additionally, the pressure and curvature of the overlying strata are important factors affecting the permeability characteristics and stability of gas storage facilities. However, at a reservoir depth of 3000 meters, low leakage rates (23 ml/h) and reservoir damage (8%) can be achieved, highlighting the potential for establishing gas storage facilities with minimal adverse effects. Through comprehensive analysis of the geological reservoir characteristics of the Wanshunchang gas field, optimal parameter configurations suitable for gas storage facilities can be identified, elucidating the stability mechanisms thereof. This study provides essential data support for the Wanshunchang gas field as a potential site for underground gas storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies in evolution, ecology and conservation are increasingly based on genetic and genomic data. With increased focus on molecular approaches, ethical concerns about destructive or more invasive techniques need to be considered, with a push for minimally invasive sampling to be optimised. Buccal swabs have been increasingly used to collect DNA in a number of taxa, including amphibians. However, DNA yield and purity from swabs are often low, limiting its use. In this study, we compare different types of swabs, preservation method and storage, and DNA extraction techniques in three case studies to assess the optimal approach for recovering DNA in anurans. Out of the five different types of swabs that we tested, Isohelix MS‐02 and Rapidry swabs generated higher DNA yields than other swabs. When comparing storage buffers, ethanol is a better preservative than a non‐alcoholic alternative. Dried samples resulted in similar or better final DNA yields compared to ethanol‐fixed samples if kept cool. DNA extraction via a Qiagen™ DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit and McHale's salting‐out extraction method resulted in similar DNA yields but the Qiagen™ kit extracts contained less contamination. We also found that samples have better DNA recovery if they are frozen as soon as possible after collection. We provide recommendations for sample collection and extraction under different conditions, including budgetary considerations, size of individual animal sampled, access to cold storage facilities and DNA extraction methodology. Maximising efficacy of all of these factors for better DNA recovery will allow buccal swabs to be used for genetic and genomic studies in a range of vertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a continuous-review stochastic replenishment model for a multi-component system with regular and emergency orders. The system consists of N parallel and independent components, each of which has a finite life span. In addition, there is a warehouse with a limited stock of new components. Each broken component is replaced by a new component from the stock. When no component is available, an emergency supply is ordered. The stock is managed according to an ((s , S) , (0 , Q e)) policy, which is a combination of an (s , S) policy for the regular order and a (0 , Q e) policy for the emergency order. The regular order is delivered after an exponentially distributed lead time, whereas the emergency order is delivered immediately. We study three sub-policies for emergency orders, which differ from each other in size and in relation to the regular order. Applying the results from queueing theory and phase-type properties, we derive the optimal thresholds for each sub-policy and then compare the economic benefit of each one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bulk cold stores are key in the perishable produce cold handling chain. • The 16 cities had cold storage capacity of 4.5 m3 per 1000 inhabitants. • Temperature varied significantly from set points in all the cold stores. • Majority (90.3% by volume) of the cold stores were privately owned. Investment in the food cold chain has been reportedly identified as a solution to extensive postharvest losses worldwide. However, cold chain investment in the Ugandan food value chain is largely unknown. This study located, characterised, and determined the efficacy of bulk cold storage facilities used in handling perishable agricultural food produce in the 16 city districts of Uganda. Only 9/16 city districts had bulk cold storage facilities, translating to a cold storage capacity of 4.5 m3 per 1,000 inhabitants. The private sector owned the highest proportion by volume (90.3%) of these facilities with the highest volume used for handling multiple perishable products (11,590 m3). Generally, temperature varied significantly from the respective set points in the facilities. Variations were observed for between 1/3 to 3/4 of the logged period above maximum allowable storage temperatures for the different products, showing efficacy lapses. These results indicate investment and management gaps and opportunities in this indelible sector in food value chain by both government and private sector players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is crucial to the development of human civilization. Energy infrastructure, such as oil and gas pipelines, power generation systems, and storage facilities, provide core support for the exploitation and utilization of various types of energy. Thus, energy infrastructure is vital to the economic sustainable development of a country. This paper provides the motivations and a brief introduction to the Special Issue entitled "Frontiers in Construction Technology of Advanced Energy Infrastructure", which aims to present advanced technologies and theories for energy infrastructure. The primary challenges in the current construction technology of energy infrastructure are described. Furthermore, the focus of current research in this field addressed in this Special Issue is presented. A comparison of the articles included or considered for inclusion in this Special Issue with other available literature on this topic is performed, which proves the prospects and relevance of this Special Issue. Finally, perspectives on future directions of energy utilization and energy infrastructure construction are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the strong dependence of the food industry on the cold chain, utilizing an optimal refrigeration facility plays a crucial role. This study focuses on the pattern of energy consumption, energy performance and exergy efficiency, and environmental effects (3E) of compression refrigeration systems used in multi-purpose cold storage. Depending on the climate and storage conditions, cooling load distribution between above and below zero evaporators significantly affects energy consumption and exergy efficiency. The limitations of each system in different cooling load demands using eco-friendly refrigerants determine that R717/R290, R290, and R134a are the optimal refrigerants for cascade, two-stage, and one-stage systems, respectively. The results show that cascade system is the least constrained operationally and technically. Its exergy efficiency is up to 4% higher than two-stage system, depending on how the refrigeration load is distributed. Two-stage system has the highest seasonal energy performance ratio (SEPR) (13% more than cascade in hot and humid climate). Its energy consumption is 18–25% less than cascade system depending on climate. Furthermore, it was found that the one-stage system is only suitable for hot and humid climates while two other systems operate well in all climates throughout the year. The amount of SEPR under cold climates for cascade system is 14% more than hot and humid climates and 3% more than moderate climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of haymaking is to dry forage adequately to inhibit the growth of undesirable microbes and halt residual plant enzymatic activity that causes nutrient losses. During the field and storage phases of haymaking, the environment, management practices, and other factors influence the extent of dry matter losses. This review discusses these factors and the strategies that have been developed to mitigate nutrient losses. A major emphasis was placed on hay microbiome dynamics, as it has been scarcely studied despite its importance on nutrient losses during storage and harvest, especially under humid conditions. The effects of cutting height, mower type, and swath manipulation on soil contamination were discussed. Also, the impact of environmental conditions and swath manipulation on wilting time was analysed for humid and arid conditions. Special attention was given to design improvements in harvesting equipment to reduce wilting time and field losses. Furthermore, we assessed the nutrient losses during storage caused by microbial and residual plant enzymatic activity resulting from excessive moisture at baling or re‐introduced moisture during storage. The spoilage extent during storage depends on bale moisture, size, density, shape, wrapping, forage type, and storage facilities. A Venn diagram analysis showed that each phase of haymaking process has a unique microbiome and that certain fungal and bacterial genera could be shared across more than one hay production phase. To take corrective actions, hay producers need to be aware of the increased susceptibility to nutrient losses associated with particular field and storage practices, environmental conditions, and forage types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the issue of possible construction of the first large oil storage facility in the history of Kazakhstan. Construction of large oil storage facilities in Kazakhstan is an important step to ensure efficient storage and management of oil products in the country, solving the problem of redistribution and storage of oil products, given the dynamics of production and consumption growth in the country. Construction of a large oil storage facility in Atyrau region, as well as oil depots in the west of Kazakhstan, will optimize the processes of transportation and storage of oil products, reduce the cost of renting other people's storage facilities and ensure the sustainability and reliability of oil products supplies to both domestic and foreign markets. The article considers such important aspects as the need for storage of oil products, technical and environmental aspects of construction, as well as economic and social feasibility. In addition, the article presents a system analysis and study of the potential for construction of a large oil storage facility in Kazakhstan, which makes it significant and relevant in the context of the development of the country's oil and gas industry. Given the current global challenges, such as oil production limitations and volatility of oil and oil products markets, the strategic reserve becomes even more relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the transition of historic gardens and preservation efforts in Canada, particularly highlighting Lougheed House in Calgary and the Nanton grain elevators. Topics include the contemporary focus on sustainability and community engagement in historic gardens, the decline and recent preservation initiatives for grain elevators, and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's plans for a new facility to support Indigenous culture and history.

Simple Summary: Infestations of pests in grain storage can have a significant impact on both the quantity and quality of stored grains. Drawing inspiration from the detection abilities of humans and birds in identifying pests, we present an innovative deep learning solution designed for the detection and management of pests in stored grains. Specifically focusing on the detection of small grain pests within cluttered backgrounds, we propose a cascaded feature aggregation convolution network. Our approach outperforms existing models in terms of both trainable parameters and detection accuracy, as evidenced by experiments conducted on our newly introduced GrainPest dataset as well as publicly available datasets. By sharing our dataset and refining our model's architecture, we aim to advance the field of research in grain pest detection and the classification of stored grains based on pest density. This study is expected to contribute to the reduction of economic losses caused by storage pests and to enhance food security measures. Pest infestation poses significant threats to grain storage due to pests' behaviors of feeding, respiration, excretion, and reproduction. Efficient pest detection and control are essential to mitigate these risks. However, accurate detection of small grain pests remains challenging due to their small size, high variability, low contrast, and cluttered background. Salient pest detection focuses on the visual features that stand out, improving the accuracy of pest identification in complex environments. Drawing inspiration from the rapid pest recognition abilities of humans and birds, we propose a novel Cascaded Aggregation Convolution Network (CACNet) for pest detection and control in stored grain. Our approach aims to improve detection accuracy by employing a reverse cascade feature aggregation network that imitates the visual attention mechanism in humans when observing and focusing on objects of interest. The CACNet uses VGG16 as the backbone network and incorporates two key operations, namely feature enhancement and feature aggregation. These operations merge the high-level semantic information and low-level positional information of salient objects, enabling accurate segmentation of small-scale grain pests. We have curated the GrainPest dataset, comprising 500 images showcasing zero to five or more pests in grains. Leveraging this dataset and the MSRA-B dataset, we validated our method's efficacy, achieving a structure S-measure of 91.9%, and 90.9%, and a weighted F-measure of 76.4%, and 91.0%, respectively. Our approach significantly surpasses the traditional saliency detection methods and other state-of-the-art salient object detection models based on deep learning. This technology shows great potential for pest detection and assessing the severity of pest infestation based on pest density in grain storage facilities. It also holds promise for the prevention and control of pests in agriculture and forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceratocystis fimbriata, the causal agent of sweetpotato black rot, is a pathogen capable of developing and spreading within postharvest settings. A survey of North Carolina sweetpotato storage facilities was conducted to determine the arthropods present and identify potential vectors of C. fimbriata. Sixteen taxonomic categories were recovered, and the genus Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) accounted for 79% of individuals sampled, with Drosophila hydei being the most abundant species. Behavioral assays were conducted to determine if D. hydei is attracted to C. fimbriata-inoculated roots and if the pathogen could be recovered from external or intornal surfaces of the insect. Flles were released in insect-trapping pitchers containing either C. fimbriata-inoculated or noninoculated roots or Petri dishes. No significant differences in fly number were detected in sweetpotato-baited pitchers; however, significant differences were found in the pitcher baited with a mature C. fimbriata culture. Flies were subjected to washes to determine if viable C. fimbriata was present (internally or externally); washes were plated onto carrot agar plates and observed for the presence of C. fimbriata colonies. Both external and internal washes had viable C. fimbriata inocula with no significant differences, and inoculated sweetpotatoes had a significantly higher number of flies carrying C. fimbriata. This study suggests that D. hydei can carry C. fimbriata from infected sweetpotatoes and move viable C. fimbriata inocula both externally and internally, making this the first report of any Drosophila sp. serving as a potential vector for the Ceratocystis genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green energy transition calls for various solutions to enhance environmental sustainability. One of these is represented by renewable energy communities, which may help transition from centralized energy production to distributed renewable generation. European countries are actively promoting incentive schemes for energy communities to foster local electricity self-consumption in order to balance demand and renewable generation. In this context, energy storage facilities can be employed to gather the energy production surplus and use it in periods of low generation. In this paper, we focus on the optimal operation of an incentive-based energy community in the presence of energy storage systems. A centralized optimization problem was formulated to optimally operate storage systems at the community level. Starting from this solution, distributed charging/discharging commands were found to optimally operate the single storage units. Moreover, conditions guaranteeing the convenience of using energy storage systems inside the community were derived. Numerical simulations were performed to validate the reported results and to evaluate the potential benefits of energy storage facilities inside renewable energy communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates grid export constraints applicable to photovoltaic (PV) and wind farm (WF) installations, both with and without behind-the-meter storage, aimed at enhancing grid hosting capacity. The study focuses on static output power limitations, i.e., simple export constraints that are preventively imposed on renewable energy source (RES) plants regardless of the prevailing network congestion conditions. These constraints are easy to apply, implemented ex ante and out of market, and do not require additional investments in energy storage or advanced devices. They also yield a measurable increase in hosting capacity and grid utilization, with their impact on RES plant operation and return of investment straightforwardly calculable. Analysis defines the level and shape of these constraints assuming an indicative acceptable curtailment level of 5% for each RES technology attributed to the preventing action of the imposed limitations, while the respective implications for RES energy yield and investment viability are explored. The findings indicate that an export power limitation of ca. 68% is effective for stand-alone PVs, while a stepwise static limitation is necessary for stand-alone WFs and WFs with integrated storage to manage midday solar generation peaks. PV plants tightly coupled with storage facilities can handle static limitations as low as 35% with minimal impact on the economic feasibility of the investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifiable, spatially-resolved, large-scale evidence about traditional food storage facilities is extremely rare, and yet highly insightful for researchers across subjects such as human ecology, anthropology, agronomy, archaeology and economic history. This paper takes advantage of some unusually detailed French colonial era records of cereal storage and agro-pastoral practice in 19th century central Algeria that inventory the underground food stores of different sedentary and nomadic tribes at a moment of colonial confrontation in which these stores were central to ecological and political resilience. We consider how different aspects of these food stores relate to environmental, social and economic variables across the study area. The overall results suggest important north-south trends in agro-pastoral lifestyle and storage practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The awareness of tailings dam safety monitoring has widened due to the recent disasters caused by failures of such structures. The failure rate of tailings dams worldwide (i.e., the percentage of failed dams out of total) is estimated at 1.2%, compared to the 0.01% rate for traditional water dams. Most of the tailings dam monitoring guidelines suggest that the owner develops a robust surveillance program to detect possible indicators of potential failures. This paper presents a thorough review of major guidelines on tailings storage facility (TSF) monitoring and surveillance, the visual parameters to be monitored, as well as good practice in the development of monitoring systems. This paper reviews the recent literature with an emphasis on the development of monitoring systems utilizing sensors, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and satellite images that may be considered as supplementary guarantees against failure events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development and evaluation of semi-automatic controlled atmosphere storage facility for calamansi (Citrofortunella microcarpa) was developed with the application of vapor compression refrigeration engineering principles and arduino system to lengthen the fruit shelf-life for commercialization and processing purposes. The prototype's overall dimension is 210 cm in length, 120 cm in width, and 120 cm in height, and has a storage volume of 0.512 m³. It has a storage capacity of about 90-120 kilograms. Maintaining a temperature range of 8°C-10°C, CO2 of 1%-6%, O2 of 7%-12%, and N of 80%-90% atmospheric concentration inside the semi-controlled atmosphere storage facility resulted in a significant decrease in percentage (13.01%) of rotten calamansi fruit as compared to normal storage room (36.39%) from its initial weight. This demonstrates that the facility can reduce the fruits respiration rate and decrease deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a continuous-review stock management of a retailer for a single item in a limited storage (buffer) in a random environment. The stock level fluctuates according to two independent compound Poisson processes with discrete amounts of items (batches) that enter and leave the storage facility. The storage facility is controlled by a three-parameter base-stock replenishment policy. All items exceeding the storage capacity are transferred to an unlimited foreign facility. In addition, a restricted backlogging possibility is permitted; additional demands for items are lost sales. We further assume a random shelf life, the possibility of total inventory collapse, and a random lead time. Applying Markov theory, we derive the optimal control parameters minimizing the long-run expected total cost. A sensitivity analysis is conducted focusing on the comparison between the pure lost-sales policy and a partial backordering policy. Accordingly, we identify cases where one policy is cost effective compared to the other, particularly with respect to the batch patterns (sign, rate, average, and variability), and the associated costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent tailings storage facility (TSF) dam failures recorded around the world have concerned society in general, forcing the mining industry to improve its operating standards, invest greater economic resources, and implement the best available technologies (BATs) to control TSFs for safety purposes and avoid spills, accidents, and collapses. In this context, and as the era of digitalization and Industry 4.0 continues, monitoring technologies based on sensors have become increasingly common in the mining industry. This article studies the state of the art of implementing sensor technologies to monitor structural health and safety management issues in TSFs, highlighting advances and experiences through a review of the scientific literature on the topic. The methodology applied in this article adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and utilizes scientific maps for data visualization. To do so, three steps were implemented: (i) a quantitative bibliometric analysis, (ii) a qualitative systematic review of the literature, and (iii) a mixed review to integrate the findings from (i) and (ii). As a result, this article presents the main advances, gaps, and future trends regarding the main characteristics of the sensor technologies applied to monitor TSF structural health and safety management in the era of digitalization. According to the results, the existing research predominantly investigates certain TSF sensor technologies, such as wireless real-time monitoring, remote sensors (RS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned survey vessels (USVs), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing (CC), and Internet of Things (IoT) approaches, among others. These technologies stand out for their potential to improve the safety management monitoring of mine tailings, which is particularly significant in the context of climate change-related hazards, and to reduce the risk of TSF failures. They are recognized as emerging smart mining solutions with reliable, simple, scalable, secure, and competitive characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunization programs globally have played a pivotal role in reducing mortality rates. However, the effectiveness of these programs often falls short of the intended coverage targets, primarily due to challenges within the supply chain, storage facilities, and distribution processes. Notably, a substantial percentage of vaccine wastage has been observed in numerous countries, thereby imposing a significant financial burden on immunization initiatives, and presenting a formidable challenge to policymakers. This paper undertakes a comprehensive study of the financial dynamics inherent in an immunization program within the context of India. Employing a systems perspective, we scrutinize the intricate interactions among various cost factors. Through a five-year system dynamics simulation, we derive insights into the amplified financial constraints resulting from vaccine wastage and the inefficiencies associated with shared personnel. Furthermore, our analysis extends to evaluate the impact of an additional investment aimed at enhancing the quality of the cold chain infrastructure and health worker proficiency on the overall funds of the immunization program. This research contributes to a nuanced understanding of the financial intricacies of immunization programs, offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to optimize program efficiency and resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the energy crisis, ammonia stands out as an efficient hydrogen energy carrier. However, liquid ammonia's nature of toxicity, corrosiveness, volatility, flammability, etc., make its storage highly risky. It is essential to analyze the risk of the ammonia storage facility for its safety improvement. Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) has been a popular risk analysis method due to its ease of implementation. However, traditional FMEA is insufficient to model the uncertainty of risk assessment information, enhance the consensus among experts, aggregate experts' risk evaluation information, and derive reliable risk analysis results. To address these limitations, we introduce a hybrid probabilistic linguistic FMEA framework to analyze failure risk in the ammonia storage facility. First, the probabilistic linguistic terms (PLTs) are introduced to express uncertain risk evaluation information of failure modes. Second, a risk acceptability-based consensus-reaching process is introduced to measure experts' consensus on each failure mode's risk and improve their consensus. Then, a consensus degree-based ordered weighted averaging operator is introduced to fuse experts' risk evaluation information, where experts' weight is determined by their consensus degree. Furthermore, the gained and lost dominance score method is improved on the basis of the expected value of the PLTs to prioritize failure modes' risk. Finally, a case study of the risk analysis for the ammonia storage facility is performed to show the efficiency of the extended FMEA. The case study indicated that condenser cooling water pump failure and failure of level transfer are the top two failure modes and have risk scores of 0.126 and 0.091, respectively. • A linguistic FMEA framework is constructed for the safety improvement of the ammonia storage process. • A consensus-reaching process considering risk acceptability is introduced for consensus improvement. • An OWA operator is extended based on the consensus degree among experts. • The linguistic GLDS method is introduced to prioritize the risk of failure modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this manuscript is to build a model for the distribution of LNG as a marine fuel in the southern Baltic Sea based on a genetic algorithm in terms of cost. In order to achieve this, it was necessary to develop, in detail, research sub-objectives like analysis of the intensity of ship traffic in the indicated area and analysis of LNG demand in maritime transport. In the first part of this study, the authors use data from the IALA IWRAP Mk2 and the Statistical Office in Szczecin to analyse the marine traffic density (by type of vessel) in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. LNG used as marine fuel reduces toxic emissions into the atmosphere. The authors specify the LNG fleet size and locations of LNG storage facilities in a way to ensure that the defined LNG bunker vessels can supply fuel to LNG-powered vessels within the shortest possible time period. The database contains a set of traits necessary to determine the optimal demand for LNG. The traits were developed based on an existing LNG fleet and appropriately selected infrastructure, and they represent existing LNG-powered vessels as well as LNG bunker vessels and their specifications. Based on the created LNG distribution model, were performed in Matlab R2019a software. An LNG distribution model was developed, which uses a genetic algorithm to solve the task. The demand for LNG for the sea area under analysis was determined based on data on the capacity of LNG-powered vessels (by type of vessel) and their distance from the specified port. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of many past failures of tailings storage facilities, practising engineers have been analysing current design guidelines for different elements of these facilities, including for tailings dams. In this paper, an attempt is made to investigate how varying tailings slurry solids concentration (${c_s}$ c s ) affects the stability of tailings dam embankment slope. To achieve this, elaborate two-dimensional limit equilibrium and finite element simulations were conducted and a steady-state seepage analysis was performed so as to obtain accurate free surface water flux through the slope. Initially, numerical analyses were performed for the downstream embankment slope when no material is retained upstream. Subsequently, with all parameters kept constant, the same slope was then checked when water is retained upstream, and finally for varying slurry solids concentration. Special attention was paid to the boundary between sedimentation and consolidation, defined as the solids concentration limit beyond which effective stresses start to develop. From the stability analyses performed, it is found that the factor of safety of embankment slope varies nonlinearly with total unit weight of the slurry. For coal tailings slurry, factor of safety reduced from 1.24 when water is retained to 1.15 when tailings slurry with ${c_w}$ c w = 60% is retained, representing a drop by 7.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sedimentation, consolidation and desiccation behaviour of sub-aerially deposited tailings in tailings storage facilities, despite occurring simultaneously and being essential to maximise tailings dry density and dewatering efficiency, are usually analysed in laboratories using distinctive testing equipment, which is unable to reveal their interactions. A large instrumented column was constructed to test the three processes of tailings in a single apparatus, capable of monitoring the changes in the hydrological parameters of coal tailings with depth and surface settlement under natural weather conditions. The column was initially filled with coal tailings slurry and exposed to natural weather for two years, during which five wetting–drying periods were identified. The monitored results indicate that exposing the slurry tailings for one month would lead to the formation of an unsaturated tailings layer with a thickness of 150 mm, likely representing the optimised tailings deposition cycle and thickness, respectively, under the given tailings characteristics and semi-arid climates. Settlement mainly occurred after major rainfall events due to the collapse of cracks and cavities formed during the preceding desiccation. The maximum thickness of the unsaturated tailings increased over the first four periods as the predominant desiccation and settlement strengthened the evaporative capillary forces, despite it decreasing greatly in the last period due to insufficient desiccation. An empirical model was proposed to consecutively estimate the surface moisture content of deformable tailings and validated by achieving a good agreement in the water mass estimated by two methods during wetting–drying cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground hydrogen storage in geological structures is considered appropriate for storing large amounts of hydrogen. Using the geological Konary structure in the deep saline aquifers, an analysis of the influence of depth on hydrogen storage was carried out. Hydrogen injection and withdrawal modeling was performed using TOUGH2 software, assuming different structure depths. Changes in the relevant parameters for the operation of an underground hydrogen storage facility, including the amount of H2 injected in the initial filling period, cushion gas, working gas, and average amount of extracted water, are presented. The results showed that increasing the depth to approximately 1500 m positively affects hydrogen storage (flow rate of injected hydrogen, total capacity, and working gas). Below this depth, the trend was reversed. The cushion gas-to-working gas ratio did not significantly change with increasing depth. Its magnitude depends on the length of the initial hydrogen filling period. An increase in the depth of hydrogen storage is associated with a greater amount of extracted water. Increasing the duration of the initial hydrogen filling period will reduce the water production but increase the cushion gas volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate the long-term planning of the Italian power sector from 2021 to 2050. The key role of photovoltaic and wind technologies in combination with power-to-power systems based on hydrogen and batteries is investigated. An updated version of the OSeMOSYS tool is used, which employs a clustering method for the representation of time-varying input data. First, the potential of variable renewable energy sources (VRES) is assessed. A sensitivity analysis is also performed on the temporal resolution of the model to determine an adequate trade-off between the computation time and the accuracy of the results. Then, a techno-economic optimization scenario is carried out, resulting in a total net present cost of about 233.7 B€. A high penetration of VRES technologies is foreseen by 2050 with a total VRES installed capacity of 272.9 GW (mainly photovoltaic and onshore wind). Batteries are found to be the preferable energy storage solution in the first part of the energy transition, while the hydrogen storage starts to be convenient from about the year 2040. Indeed, the role of hydrogen storage becomes fundamental as the VRES penetration increases thanks to its cost-effective long-term storage capability. By 2050, 74.6 % of electricity generation will be based on VRES, which will also enable a significant reduction in CO 2 emissions of about 87 %. • Long-term evolution of the Italian power system from 2021 to 2050. • Updated OSeMOSYS modeling framework with inclusion of time series clustering. • Role of VRES and storage facilities in decarbonizing the Italian power sector. • High VRES penetration determines 87 % of CO 2 emission reduction. • Long-term hydrogen storage plays a key role to achieve high VRES penetration up to 74.5 % in the electricity production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive Energy Districts can be defined as connected urban areas, or energy-efficient and flexible buildings, which emit zero greenhouse gases and manage surpluses of renewable energy production. Energy storage is crucial for providing flexibility and supporting renewable energy integration into the energy system. It can balance centralized and distributed energy generation, while contributing to energy security. Energy storage can respond to supplement demand, provide flexible generation, and complement grid development. Photovoltaics and wind turbines together with solar thermal systems and biomass are widely used to generate electricity and heating, respectively, coupled with energy system storage facilities for electricity (i.e., batteries) or heat storage using latent or sensible heat. Energy storage technologies are crucial in modern grids and able to avoid peak charges by ensuring the reliability and efficiency of energy supply, while supporting a growing transition to nondepletable power sources. This work aims to broaden the scientific and practical understanding of energy storage in urban areas in order to explore the flexibility potential in adopting feasible solutions at district scale where exploiting the space and resource-saving systems. The main objective is to present and critically discuss the available options for energy storage that can be used in urban areas to collect and distribute stored energy. The concerns regarding the installation and use of Energy Storage Systems are analyzed by referring to regulations, and technical and environmental requirements, as part of broader distribution systems, or as separate parts. Electricity, heat energy, and hydrogen are the most favorable types of storage. However, most of them need new regulations, technological improvement, and dissemination of knowledge to all people with the aim of better understanding the benefits provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a University of Northern British Columbia-led study of the aquatic effects of the failure of the tailings storage facility of the Mount Polley Mine in 2014. It describes the initial impacts of the disaster on the environment based on ten years of study, as well as problems encountered and lessons learned by the researchers. It explains the need to consider environmental disasters associated with human activities, such as mining, to be different from natural ones.

"Atmospheric" painting stands as a new frontier in contemporary art, presenting challenges and new considerations in museum practices. This article aims to analyze the possible evolution of four atmospheric paintings created by artist Luca Vitone during their transition from exhibition halls to the storage facilities of the MAXXI museum. The presence of active microbiological consortium raises question regarding the potential interaction these artworks may have with the surrounding environment. The year-long monitoring involved macroscopic and microscopic observation, spectrophotometric analyses, and cell vitality assessments using a bioluminometer. Additionally, the collected data were correlated with the prevailing microclimate within the storage. Indeed, the canvases underwent an evolution during their transfer to the storage; it was mainly the photosynthetic part of the consortium that underwent the greatest changes, resulting in changes in the color tones of the canvases. The viability of the cells in the consortium also underwent changes as indicated by measurements obtained with the bioluminometer. The monitoring has provided invaluable insights into the dynamic evolution of Vitone's artworks and allowed the authors to hypothesize some strategies for the conservation of these types of artworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of micromycete communities in the library aerial environment was investigated in 57 Russian cities located in seven federal districts (Northwestern, Central, Southern, Volga, Ural, Siberian, and Far Eastern). A total of 107 micromycete species belonging to 41 genera were isolated and identified. Due to mostly similar conditions, the aerial ecosystem of internal spaces of the library storage facilities was relatively stable, with moderate diversity and high evenness, as was confirmed by the relevant indices: the Shannon index varied from 2.7 to 3.4, the McIntosh diversity index, from 22.7 to 140.8, and the Menhinick index, from 2.1 to 3.0. The Simpson's dominance index and the Berger–Parker index did not exceed 0.11 and 0.24, respectively. The McIntosh and Pielou's evenness indices were 0.71–0.78 and 0.79–0.85, respectively. High similarity of the taxonomic structures, independent of climatic conditions of the studied regions, was revealed, as was confirmed by the values of the Stugren–Radulescu and Morisita–Horn coefficients: 0.08‒0.77 and 0.04‒0.47, respectively. The typical members of the studied mycobiota were Aspergillus versicolor (7.5‒14.3), Cladosporium cladosporioides (17.5‒40.5), C. herbarum (0.8‒53.6), and Penicillium aurantiogriseum (6.5‒32.4). Most other species were scarce, with frequencies of occurrence not exceeding 7.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive economic development is associated with an increasing demand for raw materials, including minerals. An illustrative example of this issue is the development of the copper industry. A significant problem arising from the scale of copper production is the management of an ever-growing amount of post-flotation tailings. This necessitates the need to ensure the continuity of safe storage. This study presents the results of studies on the behavior of deposits in the Żelazny Most Tailings Storage Facility (Poland). The primary objective of this study was to estimate the settlements of tailings under variable deposition conditions. The results were assessed using two methods: indirect and direct; this was based on cone penetration test (CPTU) results. The results were verified using Modified Cam Clay (MCC) modeling. Depending on the type of test, settlements ranged from several dozen centimeters to over three meters. Despite the observed differences, the results of both CPTU methods indicate a convergent trend in tailings behavior. Conversely, the results estimated using the direct method and numerical modeling demonstrate a high level of agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state of Indiana maintains approximately 120 salt storage facilities strategically distributed across the state for winter operations. In April 2023, those facilities contained approximately 217,000 tons of salt with an estimated value of USD 21 million. Accurate inventories at each facility during the winter season are important for scheduling re-supply so the facilities do not run out of salt. Inventories are also important at the end of the season for restocking to provide balanced inventories. This paper describes the implementation of a portable pole-mounted LiDAR system to measure salt stockpile inventory at 120 salt storage facilities in Indiana. Using two INDOT staff members, the end-of-season inventory took 9 working days, with volumetric inventories provided within 24 h of data collection. To provide an independent evaluation of the methodologies, the Hovermap ST backpack was used at selected facilities to provide control volumes. This system has a range of 100 m and an accuracy of ±3 cm, which reduces the occlusion to less than 8%. The pre-season facility capacity ranged from 0% to 100%, with an average of 66% full across all facilities. The post-season facility percentage ranged from 3% to 100%, with an average of 70% full. In addition, permanent roof-mounted LiDAR systems were deployed at two facilities to evaluate the effectiveness of monitoring salt stockpile inventories during winter operation activities. Plans are now underway to install fixed LiDAR systems at 15 additional facilities for the 2023–2024 winter season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbaria remain the primary means of documenting plant life on earth, and the number of herbaria worldwide and the number of specimens they hold continues to grow. Digitization of herbarium specimens, though far from complete, has increased the discoverability of herbarium holdings and has increased the range of studies from which data from herbarium specimens can be used. The rather large number of herbaria about which no current information is available is a source of concern, as is herbarium consolidation and removal of herbaria to offsite storage facilities. Partnerships are key to the future health of herbaria. Benefits could accrue from the reimagining of the world's herbaria as a global resource rather than a collection of independent, often competing institutions. Herbaria can extend the reach of their specimens by joining the nascent effort to link the species occurrence data they manage to other biological and environmental data sources to deepen our ability to understand the interrelationships of earth's biota. To assure that data held by herbaria contribute to the range of conservation-related projects for which they are relevant, herbaria should embrace the tenets of Team Science and play a more proactive role in promoting their holdings for relevant research and conservation projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the colonial discourse on populations living in the Mandara Mountains in Cameroon, and the way in which they practiced mimicry to appropriate symbols of the dominant culture, diverting them from their original significance and reinterpreting them to promote their own cultural experiences. It shows how the clichés of rebels and savages through which the colonial power strove to define them were reinvested to defend the image of the mountain dwellers as strong, hard-working people. This process of reappropriation continued during the big tourist boom that began in the 1950s and continued until the mid-2010s, which saw the first forays of Boko Haram in the region. During this period, people staged the supposed cultural authenticity of the Mandara Mountains to fuel the tourism industry. The article is based on archival data collected in various archives in Cameroon, notably in the National Archives in Yaoundé, as well as on data from oral interviews conducted with thirty-nine participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genomic sequencing reads compressors are essential for balancing high-throughput sequencing short reads generation speed, large-scale genomic data sharing, and infrastructure storage expenditure. However, most existing short reads compressors rarely utilize big-memory systems and duplicative information between diverse sequencing files to achieve a higher compression ratio for conserving reads data storage space. Results: We employ compression ratio as the optimization objective and propose a large-scale genomic sequencing short reads data compression optimizer, named PMFFRC, through novelty memory modeling and redundant reads clustering technologies. By cascading PMFFRC, in 982 GB fastq format sequencing data, with 274 GB and 3.3 billion short reads, the state-of-the-art and reference-free compressors HARC, SPRING, Mstcom, and FastqCLS achieve 77.89%, 77.56%, 73.51%, and 29.36% average maximum compression ratio gains, respectively. PMFFRC saves 39.41%, 41.62%, 40.99%, and 20.19% of storage space sizes compared with the four unoptimized compressors. Conclusions: PMFFRC rational usage big-memory of compression server, effectively saving the sequencing reads data storage space sizes, which relieves the basic storage facilities costs and community sharing transmitting overhead. Our work furnishes a novel solution for improving sequencing reads compression and saving storage space. The proposed PMFFRC algorithm is packaged in a same-name Linux toolkit, available un-limited at https://github.com/fahaihi/PMFFRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communities and authorities have been dismayed by globally recorded tailings storage facility (TSF) failures in recent years, which have negatively affected the safety of people and the integrity of the environment. In this context, obtaining the social and environmental license to operate TSFs has become a challenging process for mining companies. This has promoted the trend of using mine tailings dewatering technologies in the mining industry, with dry stacking of filtered mine tailings being recognized worldwide as one of the most acceptable, safe, and environmentally friendly solutions. This article presents a new paradigm in managing mine tailings, with disruptive and futuristic characteristics, considering the dry stacking of filtered mine tailings for large-scale industrial production rates over 100,000 metric tons per day (mtpd). Aspects of filtered tailings management are discussed, such as (i) dewatering process plant with thickening/filtering equipment, (ii) conveyance using fixed and movable conveyor belts, (iii) construction of dry stacking of filtered mine tailings facility, and (iv) implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies for automation of the mining processes. Finally, the article discusses how the large-scale filtered mine tailings solution is applied, considering the advances in the equipment's performance and implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies as well as the experience gained worldwide in several mining operations. The future global trend is that mining operations with high daily production of mine tailings will apply dry stacking technology without dams to guarantee sustainability, promote continuity of the mining business, ensure the safety of communities, and conserve the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]