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Vanadium is a critical metal that has been widely used in a broad variety of applications with almost no metal substitutes. However, the limited availability of its (vanadium) primary resources has raised concerns of supply security. In view of the criticality, recycling vanadium from secondary resources has been identified as a vital supply alternative. This article thus presents a comprehensive overview of metallurgical processes used in the recycling of vanadium from a variety of secondary resources, including spent HDS catalyst, spent SCR catalyst, fly ash, red mud, Bayer's sludge, alloy scrap, tailings, etc. First, the physicochemical characteristics of these secondary resources are emphasized. Understanding the characteristics of vanadium-bearing secondary resources is important as it determines the recycling route. The metallurgical recycling processes of vanadium, which include aqueous- and thermal processes are discussed in depth, along with the theoretical backgrounds and fundamentals of each process. Also discussed are the industrial-scale processes and trend in research and development (R&D) for the respective secondary resources. Besides highlighting the status of recycling processes, the article also provides prospective directions for such resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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ABSTRACT In the Pennyseorach Subbasin of south‐west Scotland, the Famennian Kinnesswood Formation of the Inverclyde Group includes several, ca 1 to 3 m thick erosional remnants of host‐replacing phreatic calcrete hardpans developed in mud deposits. The latter are most unusual hosts for such calcretes due to their relative impermeability, which would normally prevent them from sufficiently accommodating the circulation of an aquifer. In previously documented phreatic calcretes, mud deposits clearly acted as aquicludes that sharply constrained calcrete development. In the Kinnesswood Formation at Pennyseorach, tall desiccation fissures allowed groundwater to circulate in thick, semi‐consolidated mud deposits. Because of the inferred development of an adjacent evaporitic basin, the mixing of fresh and evaporitic groundwaters raised the pH enough for the replacement of phyllosilicates by calcite to occur along the fissure walls, forming ‘fissure calcretes’. The latter gradually expanded and eventually coalesced into mature, ‘columnar host‐replacing phreatic calcrete hardpans’ in which 90 to 100% of the muddy host material was replaced by calcrete. At Pennyseorach, host‐replacing phreatic calcrete hardpan formation not only affected the transition zone between the Doughend Sandstone and Foul Port Members of the Kinnesswood Formation (the Dunagoil Calcrete interval), as in other localities of south‐west Scotland, but also affected the uppermost part of the formation, which is marked by several erosion surfaces downcutting into columnar host‐replacing phreatic calcrete hardpan intervals in association with the episodic rise and fall of base‐level. These newly recorded host‐replacing phreatic calcrete hardpan intervals from the upper part of the Kinnesswood Formation have a tightly constrained stable isotopic signature that is distinct from that of both the Dunagoil Calcrete and the successive host‐replacing phreatic calcrete hardpans of the Visean Clyde Sandstone Formation within the same group, underlining their potential as stratigraphic markers and palaeoenvironmental indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pile group under lateral loading is a complex pile‒soil-pile interaction problem. In this study, numerical analysis was used to investigate the lateral behavior of pile groups arranged in a 3 × 3 configuration with varying piles spacings. The hypoplastic constitutive model embedded into ABAQUS software through the UMAT subroutine was used to characterize the stress‒strain relationship of Toyoura sand. The effects of the pile spacing on the load‒displacement relationship of the pile group, the bending moment-depth relationship of each pile in the pile group, the deflection-depth relationship, and the soil resistance distribution were investigated. The results indicate that the lateral bearing capacity of the pile group decreases by more than 50% when the pile spacing is reduced from 7D to 3D. When the pile spacing is greater than 5D, the "edge effect" of the laterally loaded pile group gradually decreases, and when the pile spacing is greater than 7D, the "shadowing effect" can be negligible, and the wedge-shaped failure zone of the pile group occurs within a depth of 5D below the mud surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocean is the largest active carbon reservoir on Earth. Organic carbon (OC), as the primary species of carbon sequestration in the ocean, plays an important role in the global carbon cycle through its deposition and burial. In this study, sedimentary OC data from 5796 stations, together with relevant geochemical and sedimentological parameters in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea (BYES) were used to summarize and elucidate the distribution and burial patterns of sedimentary OC, and assess carbon sink effect of sedimentary OC burial. The results show that the OC content in the sediments of the BYES ranges from 0.00% to 2.12%, with an average content of 0.47%±0.26%. OC content is significantly correlated with finegrained sediments, with an average OC content in mud areas being 39% higher than that in non-mud areas. Modern OC buried in the BYES are mainly deposited in 7 major mud areas, with a total sedimentary OC burial flux of approximately 8.20 Mt C yr−1. Among them, the burial flux of biospheric OC is 6.92 Mt C yr−1, equivalent to the OC consumption amount of silicate weathering of the 9 major river basins in the eastern China. In its natural state, the annually sequestered OC in the sediments of the eastern China seas is equivalent to 25.37 Mt of atmospheric CO2, indicating a significant carbon sink effect. The distribution and burial of terrigenous OC in the BYES are mainly influenced by the large river inputs and complex marine hydrodynamic environment, while human activities such as dam construction have significantly altered the OC burial in these coastal mud areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chemical Engineering (China) / Huaxue Gongcheng is the property of Hualu Engineering Science & Technology Co Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Natural Gas Geoscience is the property of Natural Gas Geoscience and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

After significant progress in stereo matching, the pursuit of robust and efficient ill-posed-region disparity refinement methods remains challenging. To further improve the performance of disparity refinement, in this paper, we propose the matchability and uncertainty-aware iterative disparity refinement neural network. Firstly, a new matchability and uncertainty decoder (MUD) is proposed to decode the matchability mask and disparity uncertainties, which are used to evaluate the reliability of feature matching and estimated disparity, thereby reducing the susceptibility to mismatched pixels. Then, based on the proposed MUD, we present two modules: the uncertainty-preferred disparity field initialization (UFI) and the masked hidden state global aggregation (MGA) modules. In the UFI, a multi-disparity window scan-and-select method is employed to provide a further initialized disparity field and more accurate initial disparity. In the MGA, the adaptive masked disparity field hidden state is globally aggregated to extend the propagation range per iteration, improving the refinement efficiency. Finally, the experimental results on public datasets show that the proposed model achieves a reduction up to 17.9% in disparity average error and 16.9% in occluded outlier proportion, respectively, demonstrating its more practical handling of ill-posed regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to model the loading direction‐dependent behaviours of inherently anisotropic intact clay by means of the hypoplastic framework. The basic hypoplastic model for clays proposed by Mašín (2013) is enhanced by incorporating a predefined anisotropic asymptotic state boundary surface formulation which is based on an anisotropic variable by projecting the microstructure tensor onto the normal of the spatially mobilized plane. The capability of the proposed hypoplastic model is first illustrated by simulations of intact Wenzhou soft clay under drained torsional shear tests using the hollow cylinder apparatus. The model is then used to predict undrained shear results on San Francisco Bay mud. Comparisons between the predicted and measured results demonstrate that the proposed hypoplastic model is capable of modelling the combined effect of the principal stress direction and intermediate principal stress on the stress‐strain behaviour of natural soft clay with inherent anisotropy. This paper proposes an improved hypoplastic model for inherently anisotropic clays by incorporating a novel anisotropic asymptotic state boundary surface formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sulfidization-amine flotation method is commonly used for the beneficiation of zinc oxide ores. Lanping zinc oxide ores contains 8.40% zinc, with the main mineral being smithsonite; additionally, they have a high mud content. Conventional sulfidization–ammonium flotation presents a low flotation index and unsatisfactory flotation froth. A new open-circuit technology is employed to treat Lanping zinc oxide ores, where Na2S, KG-248, and dodecyl amine + sodium isoamyl xanthate + ammonium dibutyl dithiophosphate are used as the regulator, depressant, and ternary collector, respectively. Consequently, the flotation indices for the zinc grade and recovery are 28.71% and 86.24%, respectively, and the flotation froth becomes more stable. Subsequently, the flotation behavior and adsorption mechanism of smithsonite with a ternary collector are investigated. The flotation recovery of smithsonite increases to 94.40% after treatment with the ternary collector. Surface-analysis results indicate that the ternary collector can synergistically adsorb onto the sulfidized smithsonite surface to enhance its hydrophobicity, thus increasing the floatability of smithsonite. Meanwhile, the total consumption of the collector in the ternary-collector system is lower than that in the binary- or unitary-collector system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buckingham [(2024). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 155, 1285–1296] analyzed the dependence of the reflection coefficient on the grazing angle in two-layer marine sediment model. The upper layer in his model consists of a fine-grained material (mud), while seawater and the basement below the mud layer are treated as homogeneous halfspaces. Buckingham's analyses revealed several narrow spikes in this dependence that appeared only in the presence of a sound velocity gradient in the mud layer, a phenomenon he called acoustic glint. His derivation was accomplished for certain specific dependencies of the sound velocity on the depth. Surprisingly, the authors appear to reach the conclusion that for a slightly different vertical sound speed profile in the mud layer the spikes are no longer present in the dependence of the reflection coefficient on the grazing angle. More precisely, the same problem is examined in this letter for the case of an n 2 -linear layer (often called Airy medium). Acoustic glint effect is therefore very sensitive to the exact parametrization of the mud layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the bored pile mud of Shuangliu Yangtze River Bridge on Xingang Expressway as the research object,different mud of the same bored pile were selected to carry out flocculation settlement test and medium pressure filtration test,and the mud sludge specific resistance (SRF) and capillary water absorption time (CST) under different water content werecompared. Particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the composition inthe mud, the dehydration performance and influencing factors of bored pile mud were studied to explore the factors affecting thedehydration performance. The results show that the settlement performance of bored pile mud is poor, and the addition of PAMhas no significant effect on the improvement of settlement performance. Mud water loss based on medium pressure water lossinstrument can reflect the mud settling performance. There is a certain linear correlation between SRF and CST of the test mud,and the correlation size is affected by the mud dehydration performance, the more difficult it is to dehydrate, the better thecorrelation. Among the characteristic particle size of mud, D50 particle size has the greatest influence on the mud dehydrationcharacteristics. Mixing with concrete has the effect of increasing the particle size of mud D50 and above, and increasing thecontent of Ca, Mg, Si, and Fe elements in the mud to improve its dehydration performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mortality from entanglement and hanging in fishing line or baling twine is known for many species of birds. In this note, we add to the list multiple deaths of Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota). We found 4 hanging or entanglement events of this species from 3 counties in western Kansas. In Ellis County we found 2 locations under bridges: 3 birds hung together at the nest opening with fishing line and a single bird hung from a nest from an unknown source. In Gove County a single bird was hung with baling twine that was embedded into the base of a mud nest attached to a natural rock formation. At the last location in Hamilton County, an entanglement death of a bird at a bridge was due to an unknown cause, but multiple nests had baling twine incorporated into their formation. Proper disposal of fishing line and baling twine could reduce mortality from these and other sources in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The list of standard abbreviations for JDS is available at adsa.org/jds-abbreviations-24. Nonstandard abbreviations are available in the Notes. In countries with pasture-based dairy systems and relatively cold winters, such as New Zealand, it is common to manage pregnant, nonlactating cows on forage crop paddocks rather than pasture, due to slow pasture growth rates. Wintering dairy cattle on grazed crops can compromise welfare if wet and muddy underfoot conditions occur, which can reduce lying. This study investigated behavioral and physiological indicators of welfare of cows under 2 wintering practices: cows managed on and grazed kale crop (Brassica oleracea), and cows managed on pasture with baled hay. Following dry-off (d 0), 80 cows were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 wintering practices (40 cows/practice) and monitored between d 4 and 32 (phase 1). During this period, lying and stepping behavior was continuously recorded using leg-based accelerometers. Blood samples were obtained at d 0 and 32 for measurements of thyroxine (T4), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), white blood cells (WBC), and red blood cells. All data for phase 1 were presented descriptively due to the lack of treatment replication. Daily mean air temperature during this period was 5.2°C (range: 0.0–10.7°C), and rainfall was 1.1 mm/d (range: 0–5.6mm/d). Between d 4 and 32, cows in both groups spent similar amounts of time lying (pasture with hay cows: 8.9 h/24 h ± 2.57, kale crop cows: 8.7 h/24 h ± 3.06, mean ± SEM). Both groups reduced their lying on wet and cold days, and there was evidence of rebound lying once unfavorable weather conditions stopped. Cows on kale crop had numerically higher NEFA and lower WBC compared with cows managed on pasture, although most physiological values were within normal ranges. In a second phase of the study (d 34 and 35), cows were managed under controlled, replicated conditions in the 2 wintering practices using typical on-farm stocking rates (2 or 4 cows per group in the pasture with hay and kale crop treatments, respectively; n = 10 groups/treatment). During this period, cow behavior, skin and surface temperatures, hygiene scores, feed intakes, and ground conditions were measured. Weather conditions during the 48-h exposure were mostly cold and dry (mean air temperature: 7.8°C, range: −2.2 to 20.5°C). Cows managed on pasture with hay spent more time lying down on the first day of exposure; however, this was likely due to less space being available to kale cows on this day. Cows managed on pasture with hay ruminated more than cows on kale crop on both days of observations (d 1: 37.9% vs. 30.9% of observations, d 2: 36.8% vs. 28.7% of observations for pasture with hay and kale crop groups, respectively) and were lying more often in postures indicative of greater thermal comfort. Cows managed on pasture with hay had higher skin and surface temperatures compared with cows on kale crop, whereas cows on kale crop had dirtier coats. Results suggest that opportunities for thermal comfort were greater for cows managed on pasture with hay bales, which may be due to increased rumination activities and more insulated lying areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Recent increases in methamphetamine use among people seeking treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) has created significant demand for effective approaches to support this clinical population. This study assessed the extent to which office‐based opioid treatment (OBOT) patients, who were diagnosed with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), engaged with providers. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of adult patients (n = 470) seeking treatment for OUD who attended at least one visit between March 2020 and March 2023 at a rural regional OBOT provider. Approximately one quarter (28.7%) of patients were diagnosed with MUD in addition to receiving an OUD diagnosis. Bivariate methods and multivariate negative binomial regression models were estimated to examine the associations between clinical measures and the numbers of office visits, peer visits, and telehealth visits. Results: Regression results indicated patients who met criteria for MUD in addition to OUD attended a higher rate of peer visits (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 2.63, p =.036) when compared to patients who did not meet criteria for MUD. In contrast, patients with MUD and OUD diagnoses displayed significantly lower (IRR = 0.68, p <.001) engagement rates through fewer office visits relative to those who did not meet MUD criteria. Discussion and Conclusions: Patients seeking treatment for OUD who meet criteria for MUD are more likely to engage through peer support specialists rather than office visits. Scientific Significance: This study demonstrates the ways patients who meet criteria for OUD and MUD engage with providers to receive treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid approach is proposed for optimizing distribution systems (DSs) by integrating clean energy sources, specifically photovoltaic (PV) and wind power (WT). The proposed technique combines the mud ring algorithm (MRA) and quantum neural network (QNN), referred to as the MRA‐QNN technique. The primary objective is to minimize power loss and enhance voltage stability. The MRA method generates the control signal of the converter, while the QNN method predicts the control signal based on the MRA output. The effectiveness of the approach is revealed through simulations on standard IEEE 33 bus and 69 bus systems. Implementation in MATLAB shows superior performance compared to existing methods, with lower power loss values. There has been a sustained rise in the system voltage profile (In the WT and PV situations, 0.950. and 93 p.u), as well as a considerable reduction in the active power (AP) losses (to 132.39 kW with PV and 81.23 kW with WT from 362.86 kW). With PV, the entire yearly economic loss is lowered from $158932.68 to just $57996.939, and with WT, it is decreased to $56805.479. With three PVs, the yearly economic loss and active power losses are decreased to 30419.871 $ and 69.449, and 4.27 kW and 1875.930 $, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Brewing is the property of China Brewing Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of China Brewing is the property of China Brewing Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Railway Construction Technology is the property of Railway Construction Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As a consequence of anthropogenic activities and climate change, accelerated terrestrial sediment runoff is causing the gradual mudification of soft sediment estuarine habitats worldwide. Increased sediment mud content (< 63 µm) has been recognised to alter seagrass morphology and cause declines in primary production in unvegetated habitats. However, the effect of increased mud content on primary production in seagrass meadows remains largely unknown. To address this, primary production in intertidal seagrass meadows (Zostera muelleri) and adjacent unvegetated habitats was measured in situ using benthic incubation chambers across an existing sedimentary gradient (nine sites spanning 5–33% mud content). An additional two unvegetated mudflat sites (39–49% mud content) were also sampled to expand the gradient. Seagrass net (NPP) and gross primary production (GPP) was greater than in the adjacent unvegetated habitat and did not vary with mud content, even after standardising GPP by photosynthesising biomass (i.e. photosynthetic efficiency). In contrast, in the adjacent unvegetated habitat, photosynthetic efficiency declined with increasing mud content. Inclusion of the additional mudflat sites negatively impacted NPP, GPP, and photosynthetic efficiency in the unvegetated habitat. Thus, while primary production in seagrass meadows may have some resilience to future increases in mud content (up to ~33%), further degradation and loss of seagrass habitats could result in the expansion of unvegetated habitats and ultimately lead to production losses, likely to be most acute in areas with high mud content (≥ 39%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: In countries with pasture-based dairy systems and relatively cold winters, such as New Zealand, it is common to manage pregnant, nonlactating cows on forage crop paddocks rather than pasture, due to slow pasture growth rates. Wintering dairy cattle on grazed crops can compromise welfare if wet and muddy underfoot conditions occur, which can reduce lying. This study investigated behavioral and physiological indicators of welfare of cows under 2 wintering practices: cows managed on and grazed kale crop (Brassica oleracea), and cows managed on pasture with baled hay. Following dry-off (d 0), 80 cows were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 wintering practices (40 cows/practice) and monitored between d 4 and 32 (phase 1). During this period, lying and stepping behavior was continuously recorded using leg-based accelerometers. Blood samples were obtained at d 0 and 32 for measurements of thyroxine (T4), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), white blood cells (WBC), and red blood cells. All data for phase 1 were presented descriptively due to the lack of treatment replication. Daily mean air temperature during this period was 5.2°C (range: 0.0–10.7°C), and rainfall was 1.1 mm/d (range: 0–5.6mm/d). Between d 4 and 32, cows in both groups spent similar amounts of time lying (pasture with hay cows: 8.9 h/24 h ± 2.57, kale crop cows: 8.7 h/24 h ± 3.06, mean ± SEM). Both groups reduced their lying on wet and cold days, and there was evidence of rebound lying once unfavorable weather conditions stopped. Cows on kale crop had numerically higher NEFA and lower WBC compared with cows managed on pasture, although most physiological values were within normal ranges. In a second phase of the study (d 34 and 35), cows were managed under controlled, replicated conditions in the 2 wintering practices using typical on-farm stocking rates (2 or 4 cows per group in the pasture with hay and kale crop treatments, respectively; n = 10 groups/treatment). During this period, cow behavior, skin and surface temperatures, hygiene scores, feed intakes, and ground conditions were measured. Weather conditions during the 48-h exposure were mostly cold and dry (mean air temperature: 7.8°C, range: −2.2 to 20.5°C). Cows managed on pasture with hay spent more time lying down on the first day of exposure; however, this was likely due to less space being available to kale cows on this day. Cows managed on pasture with hay ruminated more than cows on kale crop on both days of observations (d 1: 37.9% vs. 30.9% of observations, d 2: 36.8% vs. 28.7% of observations for pasture with hay and kale crop groups, respectively) and were lying more often in postures indicative of greater thermal comfort. Cows managed on pasture with hay had higher skin and surface temperatures compared with cows on kale crop, whereas cows on kale crop had dirtier coats. Results suggest that opportunities for thermal comfort were greater for cows managed on pasture with hay bales, which may be due to increased rumination activities and more insulated lying areas.

ABSTRACT Mud deposition is acknowledged as a significant contributor to delta architecture, yet its role is often oversimplified as a constant parameter in models of delta formation. A better understanding of mud retention on deltas would resolve remaining questions regarding delta growth. This study explores how spatiotemporally varied mud retention facilitates sustained delta growth in defiance of the concept of autoretreat, that is, the idea that shoreline progradation rates decline as a delta grows due to the expansion of subaqueous and subaerial delta surfaces. This research is inspired by prior field observations of the river‐dominated Mississippi Delta, USA, where the shoreline of a ca 6000 to 8000 km2 subdelta prograded at a constant rate for roughly a millennium, despite its expanding delta surface, compaction and sea‐level rise. For this, a laterally averaged one‐dimensional numerical model is leveraged to test hypotheses that enhanced mud retention with time in: (i) the delta bottomset; and (ii) the delta plain (floodplain) supports a constant rate of shoreline progradation in a maturing delta. Results demonstrate that enhanced mud retention in both the bottomset and delta plain facilitates sustained delta growth. Neither component by itself can replicate the case study. Yet, with these two integrated components, the model reproduces the cross‐section and linearly prograding pattern observed in the Mississippi Delta. The findings provide an autogenic mechanism for sustained delta growth and support the importance of mud as a fundamental building block of deltas that should be incorporated in delta‐growth models of engineered river diversions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residue generated during the production process of alumina, known as red mud, is a type of solid waste. The engineering properties of red mud can be significantly enhanced through the modification and solidification using inorganic materials. This study primarily utilized red mud as the raw material, supplemented with fly ash, lime, and clay, to conduct a solidification experiment of red mud. Orthogonal tests with three factors of two ash ratio (ratio of lime to fly ash), two ash content (total lime and fly ash), and red mud types were designed to study the changes of different ratios and maintenance conditions, etc., on the engineering properties of red mud. In addition, the micro-mechanisms of modified red mud were investigated by means of XRF, XRD, SEM and EDX. The results show that for optimum moisture content, red mud types are the most important influencing factor and for maximum dry density, two ash content is the most important influencing factor. For strength characteristics, the optimum two ash ratio was 1.5:1, the optimum two ash content was 50%, and the optimum red mud types were 70% CRM (red mud made of Chalco Shandong Co., Ltd) mixed with 30% clay. The addition of lime, fly ash, and clay improves the temperature shrinkage coefficient of the red mud. Through the analysis of microscopic composition and structure, it can be seen that goethite (α-FeO(OH)) and magnetite (γ-Fe2O3) in the red mud reacted with the modified materials to generate crystalline aluminosilicate and amorphous hydrated silicate gel, and these products together with the original calcium carbonate (CaCO3), tricalcium aluminate (Ca3Al2O6) and garnet (Ca3TiFeSi3O12) in the red mud which have certain strengths enhance the structural strength of the modified red mud. The optimum ratio obtained from the combined test results was lime: fly ash: CRM = 30:20:50. Therefore, using lime, fly ash and clay as modified materials can greatly enhance the engineering properties of red mud and realise the resourceful use of red mud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new integrated method, i.e., vacuum preloading–flocculation–solidification combined method (VP-FSCM), has been developed for treatment and recycling of slurry-like mud (MS). However, due to the insufficient solidification caused by the decay of vacuum pressure among other factors, the superiority of VP-FSCM under various mixing conditions and the distribution of engineering properties of VP-FSCM-treated MS are not well understood especially at the field pilot scale. In this study, a series of laboratory experiments are performed first to identify the influence of equivalent initial water content (wei) and binder content (wc) on the superiority of VP-FSCM over the conventional pure cement solidification method (PCSM), and some field pilot experiments are then conducted to further demonstrate the solidification efficiency of VP-FSCM and characterize the spatial distribution of strength of VP-FSCM-treated MS. The results indicate that VP-FSCM outperforms PCSM in treatment and utilization of MS, with the strength of VP-FSCM-treated MS being approximately 2.24 times larger than that of PCSM treated MS under the equivalent circumstance at the field pilot scale. In addition, the strength of VP-FSCM-treated MS increases substantially with the decrease in distance away from the central axis of a prefabricated horizontal drain and tends to show higher spatial variability than that of PCSM treated MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs) are oceanographic instruments that fall through the ocean's water column and measure ocean temperature with depth. In many instances, however, XBTs continue to record temperature after they impact the seabed. Here we show evidence that XBTs produce unique temperature responses when they impact the seabed that depend directly on seabed physical properties. Specifically, standard‐use XBTs (e.g., T‐4s and T‐5s), when deployed above a mud‐rich seabed, require significant time (tens of minutes) to equilibrate to steady‐state seafloor temperatures after seabed impact. In contrast, XBTs deployed above sand‐rich sediments equilibrate to seabed temperatures rapidly (<5 min) after seafloor impact. One explanation for this difference in temperature response is that XBTs deployed above mud‐rich sediment penetrate into low permeability marine muds that jacket the XBT, where diffusive heat flow dominates. Both observations and numerical modeling results support the hypothesis that XBTs impacting muddy seafloors exhibit slow, diffusion‐dominated heat flow, while XBTs impacting harder, sand‐rich seabed sites exhibit rapid seafloor temperature equilibration, consistent with advection‐driven heat flow and little if any XBT seabed penetration. Given that >644k XBT measurements exist publicly (via the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration website), and >74,000 XBTs record temperatures post seabed impact, we suggest that XBT data represents a large, low‐cost, and currently untapped data set for characterizing seabed physical properties globally. Plain Language Summary: Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs) are hand‐deployable torpedo‐shaped single‐use thermistors that measure ocean temperature with depth by being dropped from a ship and transmitting temperature values along a thin copper wire that unspools from the XBT as it falls. When the XBT impacts the seabed, it often continues recording temperature, however, researchers focused on ocean temperature‐depth measurements typically ignore these data. Here, we take a first‐look at XBT temperature response after seabed impact for two different seabed settings: (a) a soft muddy seabed where XBTs may penetrate the seafloor, and (b) a hard, sandy seabed where the XBT likely fails to penetrate. We find that XBTs that impact a soft, muddy seabed show significantly slower rates of change in temperature after impact compared to XBTs that impact hard sandy sediment, consistent with numerical modeling temperature predictions for XBTs impacting and penetrating mud but failing to penetrate sand. XBT temperature response after seabed impact may therefore provide a crude but efficient tool for rapidly assessing seabed physical properties (such as seabed hardness). With more than 74,000 publicly available XBT seabed temperature measurements available in every ocean, XBTs may provide a useful tool for roughly characterizing seabed properties globally. Key Points: XBT temperature response after seabed impact varies depending on seabed physical propertiesXBT rates of temperature change after seabed impact are nearly an order of magnitude lower in mud versus sand due to XBT burial in mudXBTs may provide a crude but useful, rapid tool for assessing seabed physical properties globally [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, it was found that mud flocculates, or flocs, coexist with methane hydrate within turbidite layers off the Japanese coast. There is a concern that mud flocs may be broken down by the flow of pure water generated from the dissociation of methane hydrate, causing sand troubles in the production wells. To clarify the characteristics of the flocs, in this study, the samples of mud flocs collected from natural cores having contained methane hydrate were observed before and after sonication in a pure-water ultrasonic bath. Then, these flocs were placed in distilled water flow to investigate their mechanical stability. As a result, it was confirmed that the flocs mainly consist of silt together with a little clay and fine sand. In addition, these flocs were found to be stable for flow rates on the order of magnitude of 10−3 m/s, which is expected inside the strata during gas production from methane hydrate. However, it was also found that, after the distilled water flow experiments, the flocs were decomposed into silt and clay particles when pressed with a handheld needle in the air, suggesting that the floc might be a source of the fine particles as underground stress conditions change, although not many flocs are likely to be immersed in pure water alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Regnault gold deposit in Quebec, Canada, was discovered by Kenorland Minerals North America Ltd in 2020 following identification of a gold-in-till dispersal train. In 2022, two non-traditional media – eskers and organic lake-bottom mud (gyttja) – were sampled to determine if they likewise contained gold anomalies that vectored the mineral deposit. Striking, coherent (mappable) anomalies exist in both media. The gold-in-esker dispersal train has a similar pathfinder element association as the gold-in-till dispersal train (e.g. Te, W) but contains approximately twice the gold (average 73 ppb Au) in the <63 µm fraction. It is hypothesized to be a meltwater-sorted version of the gold-in-till train, sourced from the erosional esker corridor some 3 km upflow. By contrast, the gold-in-gyttja dispersal train is substantially different to both the gold-in-esker and gold-in-till dispersal trains. It has lost significant association with pathfinder elements, contains an order of magnitude less gold (average 4.2 ppb Au), and is tentatively hypothesized to have a hydromorphic origin, sourced primarily from the gold-in-till dispersal train. The main takeaway from the study is that the sampling of any of these three media – eskers, gyttja or till – could have conceivably led to the discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Fe-Al double hydroxides adsorbent (DHs-FeAl) was synthesized utilizing red mud (RM), and then the arsenic(As)V adsorption characteristics of DHs-FeAl were evaluated. The iron-containing acid leaching residue (Fe = 63.55%) generated during the production of DHs-FeAl can be used directly as a raw material for iron metallurgy. Optimized conditions for As(V) adsorption were observed to be pH = 4.0–9.0, 1.0 g/L adsorbent dosage, 50 mg/L initial As(V) concentration, 720 min, and ambient temperature. The adsorption capacity of DH-FeAl for As(V) was up to 117.73 mg/g, as determined by fitting adsorption equilibrium data using the Langmuir–Freundlich isothermal model (R2 > 99%). According to the adsorption thermodynamic and kinetic results, the As(V) adsorption process, controlled by coupled external and internal diffusion, was dominated by physisorption and supplemented by inner-sphere complexation and hydroxide ion exchange. When the DHs-FeAl was regenerated with an NaOH-NaCl binary solution after adsorbing As(V), the adsorbent still had a good adsorption capacity for the first three cycles. Based on the results, it was possible and efficient to adsorb As(V) using DHs-FeAl. The research complied with the notions of reusing resources and treating waste with waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of replacing the fly ash in synchronous grouting material by reusing the shield mud produced in the clay stratum during the shield construction of Wuhan Rail Transit Line 11. The test utilizes the shield mud from the clay stratum to replace the fly ash material in synchronous grouting at percentages of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, and research and analyses are conducted on the fluidity, stability, strength, and resistance to water dispersion of the slurry after the replacement; at the same time, improvements in the undesirable phenomenon produced by the synchronous grouting slurry are also examined after the replacement. The results show that, when the fly ash is replaced by shield mud at 80%, the mortar still has good stability and strength performance, but, at the same time, the initial value of consistency and the phenomenon of flow time loss is too large. Through the adjustment of the water–binder ratio and the addition of an appropriate amount of a polycarboxylate superplasticizer agent, the adverse phenomenon of the slurry is effectively improved, and the compressive strength and ease of the slurry are also improved. At the same time, when adding an appropriate amount of hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC), the slurry has good water dispersion resistance, but, with the gradual increase in HEMC, the fluidity of the slurry deteriorates and the compressive strength decreases. The test proves that the shield mud in the clay stratum can be used to replace most of the fly ash in an appropriate proportion, which not only solves the problem of the shield mud being difficult to work with, but also provides more valuable insights for tunneling projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study highlights the potential of red mud/bauxite residue, an industrial waste product generated during alumina extraction as a flux for iron and steelmaking. The thermodynamic feasibility of using red mud as a flux in the presence of different reducing agents is evaluated. Potential approaches to decarbonize iron and steel production while utilizing red mud as a flux, as well as the benefits of red mud remnant after iron extraction, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The co-combustion characteristics and synergy of distillery effluent sludge (DES) and sugar mill waste (SMW) were studied by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. TG data were used to evaluate the combustion indices, synergy, kinetic parameters, and heterogeneous reaction mechanisms. The blend D1S3 (25% DES and 75% SMW) exhibited optimal combustion parameters (Ci = 2.69 × 10−4% min−3, Cb = 1.34 × 10−6% min−4, and CCI = 13.02 × 10−7%2 °C−3 min−2). Mixing DES with SMW resulted in a positive synergy that facilitated effective combustion owing to the presence of Fe, Ca, and Mg in DES, which served as catalysts during combustion. For D1S3, the apparent activation energy (*Ea) calculated using FWO, KAS, and ST iso-conversional methods were 173.3, 172.4, and 172.7 kJ mol−1, respectively. The master plots revealed that the combustion process was governed by the D1, D3, F2, and F3 solid-state kinetic models in different conversion (α) ranges for the wastes and their blends. Finally, the presence of alkaline and alkaline-earth elements (Na, K, Mg, and Ca) was confirmed through ash characterization. Thus, the ash can be considered a possible supplementary cementing material for end-use applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of thousands of wind turbines along the North American Atlantic continental shelf over the next decade will constitute the largest regional change in marine substrates since the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet over 14,000 years ago. Here, two large data sets, SMAST drop camera survey (242,949 samples, 2003 to 2019) and the US Geological Survey databases (27,784 samples, 1966 to 2011), are combined to derive sea floor surficial substrate probability maps for the Northeastern US continental shelf from Virginia Beach to the Gulf of Maine to 300 m depth (218,571 km2). Geostatistical models were used to estimate the probability of five geologic and one biogenic substrate types being present at a 250 m resolution, and the proportional contribution of each substrate type to the seabed composition at a 500 m resolution. By providing the first synoptic maps depicting the probability of a particular substrate or combination of substrates occurring at any location on the Northeastern US continental shelf, including planned wind energy sites, we aim to (1) provide insights regarding how substrates in the areas selected for wind energy development compare with other locations, (2) motivate the development of a priori expectations for ecosystem changes to inform monitoring and research efforts going forward, and (3) to provide a baseline characterization of the Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates to support robust examination of the future changes observed in areas impacted by wind energy installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended-reach drilling represents an advanced way of drilling and accessing reservoirs that were previously economically not feasible to drain, impossible to reach or in an environmentally sensitive area. One of the main issues that appears while drilling such wells is caused by the high values of friction factor which cause high values of torque and drag. One of the suggested solutions is to use a protective sliding ring made from materials such as POM, Teflon and PA6 in combination with lubricants added to a polymer mud system. First, measurements were conducted on a lubricity tester to choose the best material and, after finishing, a mechanical wear test was conducted on a specially designed device to measure mechanical wear. Results showed that Teflon showed lower values of friction factor in comparison to steel and the mechanical wear was minimal. The lowest value of friction force was recorded for blocks made from Teflon in tested mud systems. It is also noticeable that, in polymer mud with weighting additives and lubricant, the value of the friction force is higher than in polymer mud with lubricant only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid waste resulting from bauxite ore (red mud) was converted into useful products consisting in hydrogarnet together with zeolite. Red mud (RM) transformation from disposal material into new source was carried out using potassium hydroxide as an activator and hydrothermal process (HY) or vapor phase crystallization (VPC) approach. HY process was performed at 60, 90, and 130 °C whereas during the VPC method, red mud was contacted only with vapor from the distilled water heated at 60 and 90 °C. The results indicate the formation of katoite and zeolite L (LTL topology) with both approaches. All the synthetic products display magnetic properties. In addition, a preliminary investigation on arsenic removal from drinking water (from 59 to 86%), makes the synthetic materials appealing for environmental applications. Finally, the synthesis of a large amount of very useful newly-formed phases using vapor molecules confirms the efficiency of the innovative and green VPC process in waste material transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】In recent years, bacterial septicemia of mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella) occurred in Guangdong Province, China. The clinical signs of the diseased fish show as hemorrhage on the body, ascites, and enteritis. The study aims to identify the pathogen causing explosive death in mud carp, and reveal the biological characteristics of the isolates. Furthermore, the drugs and probiotics that can effectively inhibit the pathogen were screened, which will provide guidance for the scientific control and prevention of Aeromonas septicemia in mud carp.【Method】The bacterial strains were isolated and purified from the liver and kidney of the diseased mud carp, and the isolates were identified based on 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequencing and physiological and biological characteristics analysis. The pathogenicity of the isolates was evaluated by PCR detection of virulence-related genes and artificial infection test. The antimicrobial sensitivities of the isolates were determined using the disk diffusion method. The antibacterial effects of three Bacillus velezensis strains against the isolates were evaluated by antagonistic inhibition test, and the antibacterial and bactericidal effects of 12 Chinese herbal extracts on the isolated strains were evaluated by micro-double dilution method.【Result】A total of ten isolates were isolated from diseased mud carp of 4 breeding frams, and these isolates were identified as A. hydrophila based on its morphological and biological characteristics, 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequences analysis. Based on PCR detection results, these isolates harbored 10 virulence related genes, including act, aer, alt, ahyB, eprCAI, fl a, gcaT, ast, lip and exu, belonging to the main prevalent virulence genotype (genotype Ⅰ). The results of artificial infection test showed that these isolates had high pathogenicity. The results of drug sensitivity test showed that the isolates were sensitive to aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, quinolones, sulfonamides and chloramphenicols, moreover, they were highly sensitive to the monomer curcumin. Strains B. velezensis WLYS23, CYS06 and LF01 showed strong antibacterial activity against the isolates.【Conclusion】The pathogen causing the bacterial outbreaks of mud carp is A. hydrophila, which contains 10 virulence related genes and has high pathogenicity. It is recommended to use doxycycline, enrofloxacin, or florfenicol for scientific prevention and control of bacterial diseases caused by A. hydrophila. In addition, several B. velezensis strains showed good antibacterial effects against the isolates, which indicate that they had broad application prospects as potential biocontrol probiotics. The Chinese herbal medicine curcumin has a good antibacterial activity against A. hydrophila, and curcumin is recommended as a green candidate drug for the prevention and control of Aeromonas septicemia in mud carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UBCTD (Under Balance Coiled Tubing Drilling) is one of the most prospective unconventional well drilling techniques. It allows reducing the time of connecting and dismantling pipes and increasing the Rate of penetration. It depends on continuous coil of tubes and downhole motor. Also provides better well control using the strippers as the well is already shut-In while drilling operations. The use of ECoil with downhole orienteer directs this technology to achieve upcoming rig-less drilling operations. This study was done on a multilateral well in, XC reservoir to check the feasibility of applying UBCTD. The main parameters in the technical feasibility are designing the Aerated Mud, WOB deliverability and the lock-up problem. The optimum gas-liquid flow Rate window (GLFRW) design is based on Guo-Ghalambor Method. The mechanical design including tubing selection to overcome coil buckling in hole, due to mechanical forces available at the drilling bit. UBCTD is found to be the optimum technique to drill mature reservoirs and heterogeneous reservoirs with many pressure barriers. The use of PDC Bit with its different shapes based on the design will be the best solution as it doesn't require WOB as much as tri-cone bit. Also shallow wells will encounter less buckling and lock-Up problems. With regard to the cost and Achieve the rigless operation. A hybrid design of CT Units will provide light mast to make the deployment of downhole tools. The cost of the injected gas like nitrogen and air is a major cost parameter and shall be designed with optimum GLFRW. The aforementioned cost parameters shall be studied in detail against the benefits of UBCTD with regards contingency factor to achieve optimal cost effective drilling operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the pile driving operation of the jacket platform is carried out, the depth of the steel pile into the mud is not enough or the maximum penetration depth of the steel pile is not the expected bearing layer, which will make the bearing capacity of the platform pile foundation insufficient, cause the platform to be unstable and cause safety accidents. In this paper, the energy conservation relationship in the process of pile sinking is analyzed and discussed from the calculation theory of hammering work and internal force work. Combined with the soil data of field engineering, the penetration of pile sinking of jacket platform is calculated and theoretically demonstrated. Through the above in-depth calculation and analysis, the variation law of penetration with formation depth is obtained. Finally, the control suggestions of pile sinking operation of jacket platform are obtained, in order to provide reference for engineering operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep water areas with soft subsea soils, conventional surface conductor into the mud depth is too deep, long waiting time for resting, prone to surface conductor sinking and submerged wellhead instability. In this paper, based on the basic principles of mechanics and the understanding of the structure of the surface conductor, a mechanical model of the bearing capacity of the surface conductor is established. Three types of expandable surface conductors were designed by changing the distribution of the expansion material, in contrast to conventional surface conductors. The bearing characteristics of different structural surface conductors are also investigated by changing the soil parameters from the strength of the submarine soil. The study has obtained: the load-bearing capacity comparison graph between conventional surface conductor and expandable surface conductor; the load-bearing capacity change of expandable surface conductor under the change of soil parameters and the change of expansion material section; and the load-bearing capacity improvement effect of the three expandable surface conductors designed in the paper compared with conventional surface conductors, using stress as the evaluation criterion. This paper provides technical support for the design of expandable surface conductors and provides a basis for numerical simulation of surface well construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pb-contaminated soil poses serious hazards to humans and ecosystems and is in urgent need of remediation. However, the extensive use of traditional curing materials such as ordinary Portland cement (OPC) has negatively impacted global ecology and the climate, so there is a need to explore low-carbon and efficient green cementitious materials for the immobilization of Pb-contaminated soils. A red mud/steel slag-based (RM/SS) geopolymer was designed and the potential use of solidifying/stabilizing heavy metal Pb pollution was studied. The Box–Behnken design (BBD) model was used to design the response surface, and the optimal preparation conditions of RM/SS geopolymer (RSGP) were predicted by software of Design-Expert 8.0.6.1. The microstructure and phase composition of RSGP were studied by X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the immobilization mechanism of RSGP to Pb was revealed. The results showed that when the liquid–solid ratio is 0.76, the mass fraction of RM is 79.82% and the modulus of alkali activator is 1.21, the maximum unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the solidified soil sample is 3.42 MPa and the immobilization efficiency of Pb is 71.95%. The main hydration products of RSGP are calcium aluminum silicate hydrate, calcium silicate hydrate and nekoite, which can fill the cracks in the soil, form dense structures and enhance the UCS of the solidified soil. Pb is mainly removed by lattice immobilization, that is, Pb participates in geopolymerization by replacing Na and Ca to form Si-O-Pb or Al-O-Pb. The remaining part of Pb is physically wrapped in geopolymer and forms Pb(OH)2 precipitate in a high-alkali environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astronomical discharge of facial cosmetic products into the aquatic environments exposes aquatic organisms to these pollutants. Eight facial cosmetic products such as Milani Powder, Ponds Primer, Zikel Powder, Zaron concealer, Glam gal's foundation, Maybelline foundation, L.A Girl concealer and Milk of Magnesia were evaluated for relative acute toxicity (single and joint action) against Clarias gariepinus in static laboratory bioassays. Single action toxicity data were statistically analysed based on Probit, while the Synergistic Ratio and Concentration - Addition analysed joint action. Results of acute toxicity (single action) based on 96hrLC50 values showed that Milani Powder (184.14 mg/l) was the most toxic, followed by Ponds Primer (230.95 mg/l), Zikel powder (233.58 mg/l), Aaron concealer (384.47 mg/l), Glam Gals' foundation (421.83 mg/l), Maybelline foundation (565.32 mg/l), L, A Girl concealer (587.75 mg/l) and Milk of Magnesia (2218 mg/l) in descending order of toxicity. Joint action toxicity evaluation of the binary, trinary and quaternary mixtures subjected to the Synergistic Ratio and Concentration showed that binary mixtures tended towards synergism and antagonism in varied ratios and combinations. The ratio of toxicity units for all mixtures interaction tended to synergism and could be dangerous to the biota. Therefore, strict regulation standards should be enforced to protect the environment and make eco-friendly alternative ingredients that can be incorporated into these products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally, seaweed Gracilaria lives on various aquatic substrates including sandy, mud, coral and coral fragments, but scientific information that reveals the extent to which substrates influence the growth of this type of seaweed in cultivation has not been widely studied. The aim of this research is to determine the type of substrate that influences the growth of seaweed G. verrucosa, and to determine the best substrate for seaweed G. verrucosa. Collecting samples of seaweed G. verrucosa in the waters of Kalumata Ternate for 5 days. The cultivation process in a controlled container was carried out at the Unkhair Integrated Laboratory UPT, Sasa Village for 45 days. The overall research implementation time is 50 days from May-July 2022. The results of the research showed that the composition of the substrate type had a very significant effect on the absolute weight growth and relative growth of the seaweed G. verrucosa. The type of coral fragment substrate had the best influence on absolute weight growth with an average value of 57.33 grams, followed by sandy substrate at 37 grams, and the lowest was muddy substrate at 30.66 grams. The coral fragment substrate also had the best influence on relative growth at around 8.991%, and the lowest was found on the muddy substrate at around 7.593%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the strength, direction and consequences of the trophic impacts of invasive fish on functionally analogous native fishes is important in invasion impact assessment and for informing management programmes. As functionally analogous native and invasive fishes can share prey resources, there is high potential for competitive interactions, which could affect trophic niche sizes and positions.The highly invasive mrigal carp Cirrhinus mrigala and native mud carp Cirrhinus molitorella now co‐exist in many freshwaters in southern China, raising concern on the consequences for mud carp. The trophic interactions of the two species and their consequences (for growth rates and trophic niche sizes as the isotopic niche, calculated using δ13C and δ15N) were tested in a pond enclosure experiment based on additive and substitutive treatments using fish in allopatric and sympatric contexts, with results compared with invaded wild communities.In the experiment, specific growth rates decreased significantly as fish abundance in treatments increased. These density‐dependent effects were observed in both species and were independent of whether the treatment was allopatric or sympatric. In allopatric treatments, isotopic niches of mud carp increased in size with fish number. Conversely, in sympatric treatments, mud carp isotopic niche size decreased with increased mrigal carp number. For mrigal carp, isotopic niche sizes decreased as fish number increased in both allopatric and sympatric treatments.In sympatric experiment treatments, the isotopic niches of mud carp and mrigal carp were always divergent. This was, however, in contrast to four invaded wild communities, where the isotopic niches of the two fishes always had some overlap.Experimental and field data suggest that although native mud carp could be impacted by mrigal carp, these impacts might only manifest when the species are at very high abundances and inter‐specific competitive interactions could be intense. These results also suggest the two species have mechanisms that reduce their inter‐specific interactions to minimise their competitive interactions, thus any ecological impacts from mrigal carp might manifest more from indirect than direct processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In federal presidential democracies, discretionary transfers are often mentioned as a tool used by the national executive to build and strengthen subnational support, typically governors. Funds to local mayors, however, have been much less studied. With original data, in this study we analyze the distribution of a particular discretionary transfer (ATN) to the Argentine municipalities during two periods: 1997–2000 and 2016–2019. We show that the main driver for transfers is the mayor's political alignment. Indeed, the president is more likely to reward loyal mayors, but especially when both the latter and the President oppose the provincial governor. By this token, we highlight a nested political game, in which the President considers the loyalty of both mayors and governors combined to decide when to reward (or when not to reward) municipalities. Furthermore, we find that the Executive provides aid to smaller municipalities to circumvent the possibility of funding mayors from larger cities who may pose a threat as political rivals in the future. Since this pattern is more evident in localities with aligned mayors, we can infer that the President's strategy is aimed at preventing future challengers from within their own coalition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using red mud from alumina industry waste and edible fungus industry waste fungus rod as raw materials, red mud/waste fungus magnetic biochar (RMMBC) was prepared by co-pyrolysis method, and its morphological characteristics, pore structure and surface functional group changes were analyzed, its adsorption effect on norfloxacin(NOR) in water was explored, and its adsorption mechanism was explored by adsorption kinetics and isothermal adsorption characteristics, and tested in actual wastewater. The results showed that the optimal preparation conditions were raw material ratio (red mud, waste bacterial residue, urea) 1: 2.5: 0.5, calcination time 1 h, calcination temperature 700 °C. The maximum removal rate of NOR was 96.3% when a NOR concentration was 10 mg/L and 0.25 g RMMBC was added. The results showed that RMMBC had a large specific surface area(59.295 m²/g), pore volume (20.157 cm³/g) and saturation magnetic susceptibility(16.735 emu/g). The quasi-secondary kinetics of RMMBC and the Fre- undlich isothermal model can accurately describe the adsorption process of NOR on RMMBC, indicating that chemisorption may be the main mechanism of NOR adsorption on RMMBC, mainly including IT-IT interaction, surface complexation, hydrophobicity, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction. The use of red mud and waste bacterial residue to prepare magnetic biochar adsorption effect is remarkable, which has the advantage of easy separation from the water body to avoid secondary pollution to the environment, which not only provides new ideas for low-cost treatment of antibiotic wastewater, but also helps to realize the stability, harmlessness and resource utilization of red mud and waste bacterial residue, and achieves the environmental protection goal of "waste treatment". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to conduct a thorough scientific investigation into the similarities and differences in the quality of the cellars of different Luzhou‐flavor liquor wineries in Yibin production area and the reasons for them. This study analyzed cellar mud samples from five wineries in Yibin production area. The analysis of volatile flavor compounds was carried out using headspace solid‐phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The bacterial and archaeal community structures and their correlations were analyzed by high‐throughput sequencing. The study indicates that the Distillery A had the highest levels of ammonium nitrogen and effective phosphorus, Distillery F had the highest humus levels, and Distillery I had the highest pH levels. The community structure of the principal bacterial and archaeal communities in the five subterranean clays exhibited similarity, and all samples were dominated by Firmicutes as the primary bacterial group. However, there was variation in bacterial abundance. The cellar mud also has obvious regional differences, and there are three genera of differentially dominant archaea in the archaea. In summary, significant differences were observed in the physicochemical indexes of bacterial and archaeal abundance across all five samples. These differences led to variations in both the content and composition of volatile constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work studies red mud, a residue from the processing of bauxite, as a support catalyst in the thermocatalytic reforming (TCR) process, using wood, digestate, and straw as case studies. Thermocatalytic reforming is a thermochemical process for the conversion of biomass into biofuels, combining intermediate pyrolysis and catalytic reforming and resulting in high‐quality biofuels. The quantity and quality of the catalyst in the postreformer is vital as it influences the reactions taking place in it. Normally, nonreactive components of the char produced in the process act as the catalyst in the postreformer but adding a support catalyst may improve the products. In this work, red mud is introduced in the process by mixing it with the feedstock in a ratio of 1:3. The results, in comparison with normal TCR experiments on the same feedstock materials, show that the introduction of red mud into the process generally reduces the biochar yield and generally increases the biogas and product water yields, and the bio‐oil yield remains constant. Its introduction also increases the hydrogen fraction of the gas and tends to reduce the nitrogen and sulfur content of the products, thus improving their quality. These observations are consistent across feedstock materials and postreformer temperatures. The results therefore suggest that red mud is a good support catalyst for increasing the gas yield, increasing the hydrogen fraction of the gas, and improving the quality of the products from the TCR process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]