Search

Existing classic methods of analysing the monetary policy of the central bank, such as the aggregate response function, explain the behavior of the ECB in a rather simplified way. This is the result of the fact that classical methods do not consider the regional features of the members of the European Monetary Union and the structure of the system of central banks. The study of monetary policy with the involvement of macroeconomic theories of organization, theories of teams and coalition behavior, which are new for a macroeconomic subject, can make a significant contribution to the research process of European monetary integration. Since European integration is declared as a strategic direction of Ukraine's economic development, the analysis and generalization of the problem of the modern European economy in the context of the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine from 2022 is relevant. Therefore, in order to understand the problems and prospects of modernization of the functioning of the monetary and credit system in the EU, it is important to research and scientifically substantiate the stabilization mechanisms for Ukraine. The article investigates some stabilization mechanisms that are Ukraine Facility and Multi-Agency Donor Coordination Platform. Funding by Ukraine Facility is analysed through its pillars, components and implementation of main conditions for receiving benefits on the way of Ukrainian economy recovery. Multi-Agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine, as innovative instrument for coordinating activities of its members, is researched on the base of its existing funding mechanisms: the G7 Finance Track, the G7+ Coordination Group on energy infrastructure and the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) Coordination Group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide dams, especially stable landslide dams, have been recognised as important contributors to regional geomorphological evolution. The eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau provides good conditions for the formation of stable landslide dams. To identify stable landslide dams on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) was first used to map water surfaces in the study area. Then, stable landslide dams were identified using high-precision remote sensing images provided by Google Earth. A field investigation and a sampling of typical stable landslide dams were also adopted to characterise the landslide dams. The results show that 101 stable landslide dams are present in the study area, covering an area of 27.75 × 104 km2. There are four types of stable landslide dams, as follows: (1) landslides, (2) rock avalanches, (3) moraines, and (4) debris flows. The morphological parameters of a dam, which include dam height, dam width, dam volume, and catchment area, can be fitted with different relationship curves, with respect to the number of landslide dams. The source areas of landslide dams are generally located in the upper-middle and upper sections of adjacent mountains. The stability of a landslide dam is mainly controlled by the structure of the dam and the relationship between the dam volume and catchment area. Structurally, large rocks with large particle sizes are difficult to activate using river water and the large gaps between the rocks provide sufficient channels for the flow of river water. In regard to the relationship between the dam volume and catchment area, a river with a small catchment area in the study area is commonly blocked by a large dam volume. This study provides a unique opportunity to study the spatial distribution and clarify the factors influencing the stability of stable landslide dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a one of the focuses of ecological research, understanding the regulation of plant diversity on community stability is helpful to reveal the adaption of plant to environmental changes. However, the relationship between plant diversity and community stability is still controversial due to the scale effect of its influencing factors. In this study, we compared the changes in community stability and different plant diversity (i.e., species, functional, and phylogenetic diversities) between three communities (i.e., riparian forest, ecotone community, and desert shrubs), and across three spatial scales (i.e., 100, 400, and 2500m2), and then quantified the contribution of soil properties and plant diversity to community stability by using structural equation model (SEM) in the Ebinur Lake Basin Nature Reserve of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the NW China. The results showed that: (1) community stability differed among three communities (ecotone community > desert shrubs > riparian forest). The stability of three communities all decreased with the increase of spatial scale (2) species diversity, phylogenetic richness and the mean pairwise phylogenetic distance were higher in ecotone community than that in desert shrubs and riparian forest, while the mean nearest taxa distance showed as riparian forest > ecotone community > desert shrubs. (3) Soil ammonium nitrogen and total phosphorus had the significant direct negative and positive effects on the community stability, respectively. Soil ammonium nitrogen and total phosphorus also indirectly affected community stability by adjusting plant diversity. The interaction among species, functional and phylogenetic diversities also regulated the variation of community stability across the spatial scales. Our results suggested that the effect of plant diversities on community stability were greater than that of soil factors. The asynchronous effect caused by the changes in species composition and functional traits among communities had a positive impact on the stability. Our study provided a theoretical support for the conservation and management of biodiversity and community functions in desert areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topsoil of a clayey slope is easily washed off by rain due to its loose structure. To protect the slope surface, in recent years, several types of non-traditional soil additives have been used by means of mixing with soil. In this work, a new organic polymer soil stabilizer, named aqua-dispersing-nano-binder (ADNB), was sprayed on the soil surface to stabilize the topsoil of a clayey slope. To understand the interaction between the polymer and soil particles during the infiltration process as well as the stabilization mechanism, infiltration tests, water stability tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed with different polymer contents. The infiltration tests showed that the infiltration rate of the polymer stabilizer in the soil was slower than that of water due to its characteristics of easy adhesion to soil particles, poor fluidity and large molecular volume. The maximum effective infiltration depth was achieved in the specimen treated with 2% ADNB, and the minimum was achieved in the specimen treated with 5% ADNB. The water stability of the soil increased with the content of the soil stabilizer in the soil aggregates with diameters of either 5–10 mm or 10–20 mm. The SEM analysis showed that the quantity of polymer decreased with infiltration depth; a polymer membrane was formed on the surface of the topsoil and chains were formed inside. The amelioration of the soil water stability may have been due to the bonding between soil particles and polymers generated after evaporation of water in the emulsion. The polymer stabilizer could be applied to improve the erosion resistance of the slope topsoil and reduce soil loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Trehalose has been proven to be able to protect the membrane from being damaged by dehydration. Since dehydration is accompanied by large mechanical stress, it is meaningful to study the effect of trehalose on the membrane subject to lateral stress for understanding its protective mechanism. In present work, molecular simulations were performed on the POPC bilayers with different amount of trehalose under lateral pressure and tension. The results indicate that trehalose invariably induces increase in the area per lipid A xy and decrease in bilayer thickness h z and ordering degree | S CD |, which mean improved structure of membrane. However, the main roles trehalose plays are slightly different in stabilizing compressed and expanded membrane. Under tensile stress, the water replacement effect plays a leading role. Trehalose reaches as deep as water into the bilayer. Hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) forming between trehalose and lipid compensate the reduction of water-lipid H-bonds. More trehalose will replace more water to form H-bonds with lipid and help to hold the structure together through abundant H-bond bridges of various patterns. Under lateral pressure, the replacement of water is limited since trehalose only interacts with the bilayer surface zone. The sum of water-lipid (W-L) and trehalose-lipid (T-L) H-bond reduces upon addition of trehalose. Nevertheless, the penetration depth of water increases in the presence of trehalose while W L H-bonds become less. At the same time, W L H-bonds lifetime is significantly extended. These facts suggest that water forming H-bonds with phosphate and carbonyl oxygen and locating in bilayer interior is trapped by trehalose which is closer to surface and has longer H-bonds lifetime. It can be speculated that the residual water maintains the effective hydration level and the low ordering degree of membrane. This effect is similar to Water entrapment which takes place in the stabilization of protein by trehalose. Moreover, the presence of trehalose increases the viscidity of the system and makes it easy to vitrify. The membrane becomes stiffer and has more resistance to deformation from the perspective of K a. The vitrification mechanism is not excluded whether the membrane is compressed or stretched. Our findings could provide some insights in the design of protecting agents and processes. Highlights • POPC bilayers with varied trehalose content under lateral pressure and tension were modeled. • The bilayer structure is improved by trehalose whether compressed or stretched. • Under tensile stress, the main stabilization mechanism is water replacement effect. • Under lateral pressure, the water entrapment starts to take place. • The vitrification effect is not excluded under lateral pressure or tension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trehalose and has been proven to be able to stabilize the native structure of biological system in extreme environments and widely used in cryopreservation. To understand the underlying mechanism of this stabilization effect, it is helpful to study the microscopic changes of membrane in the presence of varying amounts of trehalose upon rapid heating. In present work, molecular simulations were performed on the water/trehalose/POPC systems with different compositions. The results indicate that the stabilization of POPC membrane is greatly influenced by the content of trehalose as well as water. At a certain temperature, POPC membrane can be laterally expanded and transversely compressed upon addition of water or trehalose. The effective hydration level of bilayer is rising with the water or trehalose content increasing. The order degree of bilayer is almost insensitive to water content while it shows negative dependence on trehalose content, especially at lower temperature. On the other hand, as the temperature rises from 303 K to 373 K, the inclusion of trehalose significantly narrow the gap before and after heating for above parameters and this effect is more pronounced at higher trehalose content. With trehalose increasing from 0 to 256, the relative variation upon heating reduces by approximately 46.6% for area per lipid and 50.4% for bilayer thickness. That means other than improving the membrane structure at a certain temperature, trehalose also protects it from the injury due to structure change upon abrupt temperature variation. Further more, the essential mechanism is known as the slow mobility and strong hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) ability of trehalose. Compared with other cryoprotectants such as ethanol, trehalose dramatically slow down the movement of water, POPC and itself through H-bonds with longer lifetime between these molecules. Our findings could provide some insights in the design of protecting agents and processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent surge in research on organic carbon sequestration by seagrass ecosystems has begun to reveal the complexity of the carbon cycle within these ecosystems. In this prospective we discuss two areas of investigation that require further scrutiny: (1) why organic carbon is stabilized in seagrass sediments, and (2) how long organic carbon resides within these sediments. By delving into these topics, pointing out current pitfalls, and highlighting methodological advances, our motive is to focus future efforts and provide a frame work to manage the complexity found within the diverse seagrass bioregions. The high rate of seagrass degradation and loss, coupled with increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations gives precedence to these lines of research, which require rigorous reevaluation if we are to substantially advance our understanding of OC dynamics in seagrass ecosystems.

The topsoil of a clayey slope is easily washed off by rain due to its loose structure. To protect the slope surface, in recent years, several types of non-traditional soil additives have been used by means of mixing with soil. In this work, a new organic polymer soil stabilizer, named aqua-dispersing-nano-binder (ADNB), was sprayed on the soil surface to stabilize the topsoil of a clayey slope. To understand the interaction between the polymer and soil particles during the infiltration process as well as the stabilization mechanism, infiltration tests, water stability tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed with different polymer contents. The infiltration tests showed that the infiltration rate of the polymer stabilizer in the soil was slower than that of water due to its characteristics of easy adhesion to soil particles, poor fluidity and large molecular volume. The maximum effective infiltration depth was achieved in the specimen treated with 2% ADNB, and the minimum was achieved in the specimen treated with 5% ADNB. The water stability of the soil increased with the content of the soil stabilizer in the soil aggregates with diameters of either 5–10 mm or 10–20 mm. The SEM analysis showed that the quantity of polymer decreased with infiltration depth; a polymer membrane was formed on the surface of the topsoil and chains were formed inside. The amelioration of the soil water stability may have been due to the bonding between soil particles and polymers generated after evaporation of water in the emulsion. The polymer stabilizer could be applied to improve the erosion resistance of the slope topsoil and reduce soil loss.

Abstract: In this paper we propose a new general framework for the construction and the analysis of discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods which reveals a basic mechanism, responsible for certain distinctive stability properties of DG methods. We show that this mechanism is common to apparently unrelated stabilizations, including jump penalty, upwinding, and Hughes–Franca type residual-based stabilizations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Model water-in-hydrocarbon emulsions consisting of toluene, heptane, water, asphaltenes, and native solids were used to investigate the role of native solids in the stability of oilfield emulsions. The solids were recovered from an oil-sands bitumen, a wellhead emulsion, and a refinery slop oil. The solids were clay platelets and fell into two size categories: (1) fine solids 50 to 500 nm in diameter and (2) coarse solids 1 to 10 μm in diameter. Emulsions stabilized by fine solids and asphaltenes were most stable at a 2:1 fractional area ratio of asphaltenes to solids. It appears that when the asphaltene surface coverage is high, insufficient solids remain to make an effective barrier. When the solids coverage is high, insufficient asphaltenes remain on the interface to immobilize the solids. Treatments that weaken the interface, such as toluene dilution, are recommended for emulsions stabilized by fine solids. Emulsions stabilized by coarse solids were unstable at low solids concentrations but became very stable at solids concentrations greater than 10 kg/m3. At low concentrations, these solids may act as bridges between water droplets and promote coalescence. At high concentrations, layers of coarse solids may become trapped between water droplets and prevent coalescence. Treatments that flocculate the solids, such as heptane dilution, are recommended for emulsions stabilized by high concentrations of coarse solids. It is possible that emulsions containing both types of solids may require more than one treatment, or even process step, for effective water resolution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Micron-sized poly(vinyl acetate) particles were produced directly by radiation-induced dispersion polymerization in aqueous alcohol media using poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as a steric stabilizer at room temperature. This method takes advantages of the specialities of radiation-induction, and highly uniform polymer microspheres were obtained. The effects of stabilizer content and medium polarity on the particle size and the size distribution were investigated. Based on the experimental results and radiation grafting theory, the stabilization mechanisms were discussed primarily. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nanocelluloses in recent years have garnered a lot of attention for their use as stabilizers of liquid-liquid and gas-liquid interfaces. Both cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have been used extensively in multiple studies to prepare emulsions and foams. However, there is limited literature available that systematically discusses the mechanisms that affect the ability of nanocelluloses (modified and unmodified) to stabilize different types of interfaces. This review briefly discusses key factors that affect the stability of Pickering emulsions and foams and provides a detailed and systematic analysis of the current state knowledge on factors affecting the stabilization of liquid-liquid and gas-liquid interfaces by nanocelluloses. The review also discusses the effect of nanocellulose surface modifications on mechanisms driving the Pickering stabilization of these interfaces. [Display omitted] • Factors affecting the stabilization of interfaces by nanocelluloses • Stabilization mechanisms of Pickering emulsions and foams containing nanocelluloses • Properties of liquid-liquid and gas-liquid interfaces with adsorbed nanocelluloses • Effect of surface modification on the behavior of nanocelluloses at interfaces [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop productivity and soil health are limited by organic carbon (OC), however, the variations in the mechanisms of SOC preservation in a complete soil profile subjected to long-term fertilization remains unclear. The objective of the study was to examined the content and profile distribution of the distinctive SOC protection mechanisms on a complete profile (0–100 cm) of Eumorthic Anthrosols in Northwest China after 23 years of chemical and manure fertilization. The soil was fractionated by combined physical-chemical and density floatation techniques. Throughout the profile, significant variations were observed among fractions. In the topsoil (0–20 and 20–40 cm), mineral coupling with the fertilization of manure (MNPK) enhanced total SOC content and recorded for 29% of SOC in the 0–20 and 20–40 cm layers. Moreover, MNPK increased the SOC content of the unprotected cPOC fraction by 60.9% and 61.5% in the 0–20 and 20–40 cm layer, while SOC content was low in the subsoil layers (40–60, 60–80 and 80–100 cm, respectively) compared with the control (C). The highest OC under MNPK in physically protected micro-aggregates (μagg) (6.36 and 6.06 g C kg−1), and occluded particulate organic carbon (iPOC) (1.41 and 1.29 g C kg−1) was found in the topsoil layers. The unprotected cPOC fraction was the greatest C accumulating fraction in the topsoil layers, followed by μagg and H-μSilt fractions in the soil profile, implying that these fractions were the most sensitive to the fertilization treatments. Overall, the unprotected, physically protected, and physico-chemically protected fractions were the dominant fractions for the sequestration of carbon across fertilization treatments and soil layers. Image 1 • Physical protection mechanisms were the most dominant in soil profile. • CPOC was the most sensitive fractions. • MNPK and SNPK caused accretion of total SOC content in a soil profile. • The correlations suggested that this soil has not yet reached C saturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) is regarded as one of the most effective materials for environmental remediation. However, nZVI particles tend to aggregate rapidly due to their magnetic properties which leads to decrease their effectiveness in water treatment. To overcome the aggregation problem of nZVI particles and increase their reactivity, four different polymers were used during the synthesis of nZVI including polyacrylamide (PAA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Polyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (PSM) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). These polymers were used with different mass ratios varied between 0.04 and 0.40 %, in order to acquire the optimal mass ratio with nZVI and achieve the highest removal of nitrate and phosphorus. The mechanism of polymers adsorption onto the surface of nZVI was explored by conducting SEM-EDX, XRD, and FTIR analysis. TEM was used to examine the suface morphology of nZVI before and after being stabilized with 4 polymers. Results showed that, the sizes were found to be 9.53, 65.4, 106.4, 106.6 and 108.8 nm, using TEM and ImageJ, corresponding to CMC-nZVI, bare-nZVI, PAA-nZVI, PSM-nZVI and PVP-nZVI, respectively. The efficiency of bare and stabilized nZVI on nitrate reduction was found to be in the following the order: PVP-nZVI 99.5% > PAA-nZV 99% > PSM-nZV 97% > CMC-nZVI 70% > bare-nZVI 55.6%. Whereas, for phosphorus adsorption, PAA-nZV 97% was the most effective type, followed by bare-nZVI 76.3%, PSM-nZVI 75%, PVP-nZVI 73% and CMC-nZVI 71%. Therefore, PAA-nZVI exhibited an excellent performance over the rest for both nitrate and phosphorus removal at a wide range of pH. For this reason, four kinetic models were investigated to describe the reaction rate of nitrate and phosphorus removal by PAA-nZVI. Describing the stabilization mechanism of nZVI using four different functional polymers in addition to the role of these polymers to improve the removal percentage of nitrate and phosphorus by nZVI. Unlabelled Image • The used polymers were bonded to nZVI through carbonyl and hydroxyl groups. • The polymers changed the outer form of nZVI which resulted in preventing the particle aggregation. • Polyacrylamide was an efficient polymer enhanced nitrate and phosphorus removal. • Carboxymethyl cellulose was the best polymer for producing low-size particles < 10 nm. • Polyvinylpyrrolidone/nZVI is highly recommended for the reducible contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]