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The primary source of soil pollution is a complex mixture of numerous inorganic and organic compounds (including chlorinated compounds, nutrients, and heavy metals, etc.). The presence of all of these compounds makes remediation and cleanup difficult. In this study, the phytoremediation ability of Jatropha curcas and Pongamia pinnata was tested to remove nickel (Ni) and Zinc (Zn) from paper mill and municipal landfill contaminated soils, to understand the uptake potential and to estimate the accumulation pattern of Ni and Zn in the vegetative parts of the plant. The experiments were carried out in pots (3 kg capacity) and the different combinations of soil were made by mixing the contaminated soil with a reference soil (forest soil) as T 0 , T 25 , T 50 , T 75 and T 100. The plant biomass, chlorophyll content, proline, nitrate reductase activity and metal removal efficiency (%)were determined after 120 DAS (i.e., the days after sowing). The results of the study showed that with increasing metal stress, there is a reduction in the above-ground biomass content in both the plant species with a slightly less impact on the root biomass. Over a period of 4 months, J. curcas and P. pinnata removed 82–86% and 93-90% Ni, respectively. The removal of Zn was significantly less as compared to Ni as most of the Zn remained in the belowground part (roots) and in the soil. Besides, the phytostabilization capacities of the plants were calculated on the basis of their tolerance index (TI), bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and translocation factor (TF). The low BAF and TF values with increasing heavy metals (HMs) content indicates its higher phytostabilization capacity in the root and rhizospheric region as compared to phytoaccumulation. [Display omitted] • J. curcas and P. pinnata removes 82 - 86 % and 93- 90 % Ni respectively. • High biomass and bioaccumulation factor (BAF) > 1: Suitable for metal phytoextraction. • Low biomass and BAF < 1: Suitable for metal phytostabilization. • Low translocation factor (< 1) indicated the phytostabilization capacity of the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the mystery of baryogenesis for isotropic and anisotropic universe models in the context of Rastall's theory of gravity (RTG). In the first part, we utilize the Rastall field equations (FEs) for the flat Friedmann Robertson Walker (FRW) metric to find the solutions of density ρ and Hubble parameter H. Additionally, Rastall parameter plays a crucial role to discuss baryogenesis and fulfilling its criteria on the observational ground. It is found that very large positive/negative values of Rastall parameter like λ ≥ 1 0 5 4 (for ω = 0) and λ ≤ − 1 0 2 2 (for ω = 1) are required to satisfy the observational bounds on baryon asymmetry factor (BAF), see Fig. 1. In the second part, we develop the FEs for RTG using the Locally Rotationally Symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type-1 line-element. Then we find the solutions of the FEs and use them to find the BAF using Rastall parameter as λ ≤ − 1 0 3 7 and anisotropic parameter n ≥ 2 to meet the consistency with the experimental limit, see Fig. 3. For n = 1 , the anisotropic model reduces to the isotropic FRW model, where we have a zero BAF. Finally, we conclude that RTG with both universe models is a good candidate to study baryogenesis in the early universe and the variable λ has a considerable impact on the BAF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current applications in the energy sector are based largely on fossil fuels which release greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. To face the issue of global warming, the energy sector has to transfer to and develop sustainable energy solutions that do not release carbon emissions. This is one of the primary motivators for the SDEWES conference as well as for this review, and previous ones, examining the most recent works based on sustainable and green energy production in such fields. The 17th Conference on the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water, and Environment Systems (SDEWES) was held on 6–10 November 2022 in Paphos, Cyprus. The SDEWES conference aims at solving complex and ongoing concerns that approach a long-term perspective and supporting innovative solutions and continuous monitoring and evaluation. This review paper aims at collecting the main presented papers focused on the following hot topics: low-carbon technologies based on renewable and clean-energy systems, including mainly biomass, solar, and wind energy applications; energy storage systems; hydrogen-based systems; energy-saving strategies in buildings; and the adoption of smart management strategies using renewable energy systems. These topics are investigated in order to propose solutions to address the issues of climate change, water scarcity, and energy saving. From the analyzed works, we note that some key issues for sustainable development remain to be further addressed: such as novel and advanced energy storage systems, green hydrogen production, novel low-temperature district heating and cooling networks, novel solar technologies for the simultaneous production of power and high temperature heat, solar desalination for hydrogen production systems, and agrivoltaic systems for the production of power and food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Er3+ doped TeO 2 -ZnF 2 -BaF 2 -KF-Ta 2 O 5 tellurite glasses with low hydroxyl content (∼0.03 × 10−19 cm−3) were investigated employing both glass composition and glass melting process optimization. The Raman spectra and physical properties were characterized to analyze the structure of the glasses. Under the pumping of 980 nm LD laser, intense up-conversion fluorescence at 1.5 and 2.7 μm of samples and their lifetimes were detected and analyzed, and the related transition mechanisms with gradient-varying Er3+ doping concentrations were discussed. The maximum absorption and emission cross section at 2.7 μm was calculated to be 6.4 × 10−21 cm2 and 6.8 × 10−21 cm2, correspondingly, which were higher than those of traditional tellurite glasses. Using the calculated and measured spectroscopic parameters of bulk tellurite glass, a dual-wavelength pumping model was established to verify the feasibility of mid-infrared laser output in similar tellurite glass fiber. Experimental results support the assertion that the Er3+ doped tellurite glasses hold promise as a candidate laser gain medium for mid-infrared fiber laser systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the Hellenistic and Early Roman cooking pottery originating from the area of Nea Paphos, Cyprus. Macroscopic examinations conducted on a few thousand local vessels and their fragments provided the detailed characterization of this group of pottery in terms of the appearance of fabric, typology, and chronology. The integration of these data with the results of laboratory analysis of selected samples revealed that the local production of cooking pottery changed through time in terms of clay composition, shapes, surface treatment, and firing techniques. The transformations observed within the local cooking pottery manufacture seem to correlate with political and social changes as well as the development of Nea Paphos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy-atom alkaline earth monofluoride molecules are considered as prospective systems to study spatial parity or spatial parity and time-reversal symmetry violating effects such as the nuclear anapole moment or the electron electric dipole moment. A comprehensive and highly accurate theoretical study of the electronic structure properties and transition energies in such systems can simplify the preparation and interpretation of the experiments. However, almost no attempts to calculate quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects' contribution into characteristics of these neutral heavy-atom molecules have been performed. Recently, we have formulated and implemented such an approach to calculate QED contributions to transition energies of molecules [L. V. Skripnikov, J. Chem. Phys. 154, 201101 (2021)]. In this paper, we perform a benchmark theoretical study of the transition energies in the Ba+ cation and BaF molecule. The deviation of the calculated values from the experimental ones is of the order 10 cm−1 and is more than an order of magnitude better than the "chemical accuracy," 350 cm−1. The achievement of such an agreement has been provided, in particular, by the inclusion of the QED effects. The latter appeared to be not less important than the high-order correlation effects beyond the coupled cluster with single, double, and perturbative triple cluster amplitude level. We compare the role of QED effects for transition energies with heavier molecules—RaF and E120F, where E120 is the superheavy Z = 120 homolog of Ra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the editorial for the virtual special issue (VSI) of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (RSER) dedicated to three Sustainable Development of Energy Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) Conferences held in 2022, namely: (i) the 5th South East European Conference SEESDEWES 2022 held from May 22 to 26, 2022 in Vlore, Albania; (ii) the 3rd Latin American LASDEWES 2022 held from July 24 to 28, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil and (iii) the 17th SDEWES 2022 held from November 6 to 10, 2022 in Paphos, Cyprus. The VSI collected both high quality review papers and original research articles presented at these conferences, aligning with the aims and scope of RSER. Following a rigorous peer review process, seventeen articles were accepted and published. These articles explore techniques and technologies essential for advancing feasible Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems. Spanning multidisciplinary topics, many of them address almost all the Sustainable Development Goals, offering feasible solutions for much-needed decarbonization pathways. • The VSI SDEWES 2022 presents the ready solutions for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems. • Five clusters for presenting the Renewable and Sustainable energy cutting edge solutions. • The positioning in the scientific context of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems. • Feasible solutions for much-needed decarbonization pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since 2002, when the first Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) was held in Dubrovnik, the SDEWES conferences series has been providing a forum for world-wide scientists and those interested in learning about the sustainability of development, to present research progress and to discuss the state of the art, the future directions and priorities in the various areas of sustainable development. One of the main issues of the coming decades is to improve efficiencies by integrating various energy systems, using excess from one, as resource in another in the correct moment. Integrating electricity, heating, cooling, transport, water, buildings, waste, wastewater, industry, forestry and agriculture systems will be pivotal towards sustainable development. SDEWES has maintained high publishing standard as 2408 SDEWES papers were published in special issues of leading scientific journals including "Energy - The International Journal". In 2022, the 17th SDEWES Conference was held during November 6–10 in Paphos, Cyprus, the 5th SEE Conference took place in May 22–26, 2022 in Vlorë, Albania, the 3rd Latin American Conference was held through a virtual platform during July 24–28, 2022. The Energy journal has continued its cooperation with SDEWES launching a special issue dedicated to the 2022 Conferences. The special issue includes papers which traditionally cover a range of energy issues - higher renewables penetration and various technologies and fuels assessments at energy supply side, as well as, energy efficiency in various sectors, buildings, district heating, electric vehicles and demand modelling at energy demand side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the tribological performance of Cr3C2–NiCr–Mo–BaF2 composite sliding against a Si3N4 ball at high temperatures. Design/methodology/approach: A Cr3C2–NiCr composite and a Cr3C2–NiCr–Mo–BaF2 composite were prepared using spark plasma sintering. Tribological properties of the composites were investigated using a ball-on-disk type tribotester. The relationships among the microstructure, wear mechanism and tribological performance were determined by analyzing the wear track morphologies and the glaze layer's phase composition. Findings: The wear rate of the Cr3C2–NiCr–Mo–BaF2 composite was approximately one order of magnitude lower than that of the Cr3C2–NiCr composite from 700°C to 900°C when sliding against a Si3N4 ball. The favorable tribological performance of the Cr3C2–NiCr–Mo–BaF2 composite at high temperatures results from the synergistic lubrication of MoOx, BaF2 and BaMoO4. Originality/value: This paper reports a new Cr3C2–NiCr matrix self-lubricating composite with better tribological properties than Cr3C2–NiCr composite at temperatures up to 900°C through Mo and BaF2 addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of protective layer on the performance of smart radiation devices is comprehensively evaluated. • The emission regulation can be enhanced to 0.65, while the solar absorption can be decreased to 0.18. • The performance of the proposed SRD meets the requirement of the spacecraft thermal control devices. • This work provides a theoretical basis for the design of more reasonable spacecraft thermal control devices. With the arrival of the space economy, the miniaturization of spacecraft and their multi-functional trends have put a greater demand on space thermal control systems. Smart radiation devices (SRDs) are gaining attention as a low-cost, light-weight material for the thermal control of spacecraft. Previous works have focused on how to enhance IR emittance tunability of SRDs. In fact, the SRDs performance and lifetime may be affected by the external space environment. Thus, researchers proposed to cover the SRDs with a protective layer to resist oxidation and other problems. However, the influence of protective layer on the performance of SRDs, including IR emittance tunability Δ ε and solar absorption α s , has not been studied systematically yet. In this paper, the impact of protective layer on the performance of SRDs is comprehensively evaluated in theory. Firstly, a three-layer SRD is composed of a vanadium dioxide (VO 2) film, BaF 2 , and a silver (Ag) substrate, which is optimized using the transfer matrix method. The IR emittance tunability and solar absorption can reach 0.64 and 0.29, respectively. Secondly, the smart thermal control device with three protection materials (BaF 2 , Al 2 O 3 and Si) is investigated. The results show that the performance of SRD can be enhanced or deteriorated, depending on the types of protection materials and the thickness. When the protection material is Si, the IR emittance tunability can be enhanced to 0.65, while the solar absorption can be decreased to 0.18. The performance of the proposed SRD meets the requirement of the spacecraft thermal control devices. We believe that this work provides a theoretical basis for the design of more reasonable spacecraft thermal control devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction of protein secondary structure from FTIR spectra usually relies on the absorbance in the amide I–amide II region of the spectrum. It assumes that the absorbance in this spectral region, i.e., roughly 1700–1500 cm−1 is solely arising from amide contributions. Yet, it is accepted that, on the average, about 20% of the absorbance is due to amino acid side chains. The present paper evaluates the contribution of amino acid side chains in this spectral region and the potential to improve secondary structure prediction after correcting for their contribution. We show that the β-sheet content prediction is improved upon subtraction of amino acid side chain contributions in the amide I–amide II spectral range. Improvement is relatively important, for instance, the error of prediction of β-sheet content decreases from 5.42 to 4.97% when evaluated by ascending stepwise regression. Other methods tested such as partial least square regression and support vector machine have also improved accuracy for β-sheet content evaluation. The other structures such as α-helix do not significantly benefit from side chain contribution subtraction, in some cases prediction is even degraded. We show that co-linearity between secondary structure content and amino acid composition is not a main limitation for improving secondary structure prediction. We also show that, even though based on different criteria, secondary structures defined by DSSP and XTLSSTR both arrive at the same conclusion: only the β-sheet structure clearly benefits from side chain subtraction. It must be concluded that side chain contribution subtraction benefit for the evaluation of other secondary structure contents is limited by the very rough description of side chain absorbance which does not take into account the variations related to their environment. The study was performed on a large protein set. To deal with the large number of proteins present, we worked on protein microarrays deposited on BaF2 slides and FTIR spectra were acquired with an imaging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Announces that the 15th International Symposium on Contact Dermatitis (ISCD) is will be held in conjunction with the 5th International Symposium on Irritant Contact Dermatitis (ISICD) in Paphos, Cyprus on 6-9 November, 2005. Topics of plenary sessions, symposia and poster sessions; Contact information.

Metal selenites and tellurites have demonstrated excellent second-harmonic generation (SHG) properties in inorganic solid compounds, such as strong SHG efficiency, a wide transparent range, appropriate birefringence, etc. During the past ten years, important progress has been achieved in this field. The largest SHG efficiency of selenites and tellurites reached 13.5 × KDP (BiFSeO3) and 2 × KTP (CdTeMoO6), respectively. The shortest UV absorption edge of tellurites has been pushed to 205 nm in BaF2TeF2(OH)2 successfully. In terms of the chemical compositions, research studies are no longer concentrated on d0 transition metal compounds only, and the most electronegative fluorine has been used increasingly to widen the optical bandgaps and enrich the structural types of the materials. This paper reviewed the recent developments of selenite and tellurite based SHG materials. Challenges in creating new high powered SHG materials and perspectives for future work are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel double‐cladding Ho3+/Tm3+ co‐doped Bi2O3–GeO2–Ga2O3–BaF2 glass fiber, which can be applied to a 2.0‐μm infrared laser, was fabricated by a rod‐tube drawing method. The thermal properties of the glass were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It showed good thermal stability and matching thermal expansion coefficient for fiber drawing when Tx−Tg > 193°C and the maximum difference of the thermal expansion coefficient is 3.55 × 10−6/°C or less. The 2.0‐μm luminescence characteristics were studied using the central wavelength of 808 nm pump light excitation. The results show that when the concentration ratio of Ho3+/Tm3+ reaches 0.5 mol%:1.0 mol%, the maximum fluorescence intensity was obtained in the core glass, the emission cross section reached 10.09 × 10−21 cm2, and the maximum phonon energy was 751 cm−1. In this paper, a continuous laser output with a maximum power of 0.986 W and a wavelength of 2030 nm was obtained using an erbium‐doped fiber laser as a pump source in a 0.5 m long Ho3+/Tm3+ co‐doped glass fiber. In short, the results show that Ho3+/Tm3+ co‐doped 36Bi2O3–30GeO2–15Ga2O3–10BaF2–9Na2O glass fiber has excellent laser properties, and it is an ideal mid‐infrared fiber material for a 2.0‐μm fiber laser with excellent characteristics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper contributes new evidence to the ongoing discussion of the location and organisation of production of Hellenistic colour-coated ware (CCW), through interdisciplinary investigation of morphological style, technology and provenance of relevant pottery from a Late Hellenistic deposit found in a well in the Agora of Nea Paphos on Cyprus. Through naked eye examination, four major macroscopic groups were identified based on vessel typology and fabrics. Subsequently, 53 representative samples were selected and analysed through a combination of refiring tests, chemical analysis, thin section petrography and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the sheer majority of this pottery, despite some compositional and technological variability, reflects the use of similar raw materials compatible with the geology of Paphos. Therefore, during the Late Hellenistic period, most of the CCW consumed in Paphos were locally produced. The observed variation in the assemblage can be associated with several factors, such as natural diversity of raw materials, a number of co-existing pottery workshops, technological choices made by the potters and to a lesser extent post-depositional processes. This integrated research has a profound impact on studies of production and consumption of the Late Hellenistic pottery on Cyprus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, BaAl 11 O 16 N (BAON) based oxynitride phosphors have been synthesized via the employment of the flux method and Eu2+/Mn2+ co-doped technique. The effects of different fluxes on phase formation of the phosphor have been investigated. It has been found that BaF 2 is the best flux to prepare BAON as it can decrease the pure phase-forming temperature (∼1550 °C) than the normal solid state synthesis (∼1700 °C). It also gives the best luminescence quantum efficiency. The crystallinity, morphology and grain size of the phosphor can be improved when more BaF 2 flux has been added. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra and decay curves for Eu2+/Mn2+co-doped BAON phosphors reveal that an efficient energy transfer (ET) from Eu2+ to Mn2+ takes place in the BAON host. The corresponding ET efficiencies and mechanisms are evaluated and the critical distance (R c) is calculated in terms of the experimental data and analysis. The emission colors of the co-doped phosphors can be tuned from blue to green by simply varying the doping concentrations of Mn2+. White light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) are fabricated by coating the as-prepared samples on a near ultraviolet (n- UV) LED chip to explore the real application potentials. The excellent performance of this WLEDs verifies that the co-doped phosphor can be used as an efficient green component. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • A simple flux fusion routine for synthesizing BaAl 11 O 16 N:Eu2+,Mn2+ oxynitride phosphors. • Energy transfer between Eu2+ and Mn2+ takes a place in the BaAl 11 O 16 N host. • The WLEDs based on the as-prepared phosphors presents excellent warm white light performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, we studied the gamma photon attenuation properties for different germanate glasses systems with composition Sb 2 O 3 –GeO 2 –SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 , TeO 2 –WO 3 –GeO 2 , GeO 2 –TeO 2 /SiO 2 –PbO–CaO–Tm 2 O 3 and B 2 O 3 –GeO 2 –Gd 2 O 3 –Eu 2 O 3 –GdF 3 –BaF 2. The mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) for the selected germanate glasses were calculated at different energies (between 0.015 MeV and 15 MeV) using the MCNPX code. The calculated MCNPX μ/ρ values then compared with the WinXCom data to check the accuracy in the results. The results showed that the Sb 2 O 3 replacement by SiO 2 causes a decrease in μ/ρ for Sb 2 O 3 –GeO 2 –SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 glass system. Also, it is found that for TeO 2 –WO 3 –GeO 2 glass system, μ/ρ decreases as GeO2 content increases from 1 to 20 mol%. While for GeO 2 –TeO 2 /SiO 2 –PbO–CaO–Tm 2 O 3 glass system, the results revealed that the glass samples contain TeO 2 possess higher μ/ρ values than the samples contain SiO 2. For the B 2 O 3 –GeO 2 –Gd 2 O 3 –Eu 2 O 3 –GdF 3 –BaF 2 glasses, we found that the μ/ρ values decrease as BaF 2 is increased from 0 to 15 mol%. Moreover, it is found that 50Sb-0Ge for series 1, TWG0 for series 2, 2G4T for series 3 and X = 0 for series 4 glass samples among the studied glasses have the highest effective atomic number values. On the basis of the results achieved, 50Sb-0Ge, TWG0, 2G4T and X = 0 samples have the best radiation shielding characteristics among the selected glasses. Highlights • Radiation shielding characteristics of different germanate glasses have been investigated. • The μ/ρ for the selected germanate glasses was evaluated by MCNPX simulation code at different energies. • The HVL results for the present germanate glasses suggested that the gamma photons absorption capacity increases as the density of the sample increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WRKY transcription factors (TFs) play an important role in regulating plant growth and responses to environmental stress. However, the molecular mechanism of WRKY to cadmium (Cd) stress is unclear, which prevents phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil from widely application. To determine the underlying mechanism, PyWRKY48 -overexpressing poplars were obtained (OE-32 and OE-67) to study the Cd tolerance and accumulation in poplars. Results showed that the Cd content in the aboveground part of the two transgenic poplar lines were 1.57 and 1.99 times higher than that of wild type (WT), and lateral roots, GSH, PCs content and GST activity increased significantly. RNA-seq. data about transgenic and WT poplars revealed that 2074 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in roots, 4325 in leaves, and 499 in both tissues. And these DEGs were mainly concentrated in ABC transport protein (PaABC), heavy-metal binding protein (PaHIPP), and transportation and loading of xylem (PaNPF , PaBSP) proteins, and they enhanced Cd accumulation. Meanwhile, PyWRKY48 increased the Cd tolerance of transgenic poplars by up-regulating the expression of PaGRP , PaPER and PaPHOS , which encode cell wall proteins, antioxidant enzyme, and heavy metal-associated proteins, respectively. In addition, overexpression PyWRKY48 promoted poplar growth by increasing the chlorophyll a nd carotenoid content. This study generated PyWRKY48 -overexpressing poplars and functionally verified them in Cd-contaminated soil, to analyze the effects of the gene on poplar growth, Cd tolerance and Cd accumulation. RNA seq. data revealed that several genes are involved in Cd exposure. This may provide a strong molecular basis and new ideas for improving the phytoremediation efficiency of Cd-contaminated soils. Importantly, the transgenic poplars grew better and accumulated more Cd than the wild-type. Therefore, PyWRKY48 -overexpressing poplars could be considered useful for mitigating environmental pollution. • Overexpressed PyWRKY48 poplars grew better than the wild type. • Overexpressed PyWRKY48 poplars enhanced cadmium tolerance and accumulation. • PaABC , PaHIPP , PaNPF , PaBSP , etc. may involve in cadmium stress induced by PyWRKY48. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a representative persistent organic pollutant and its disposal by mechanochemical (MC) technology emerges in recent years. However, degradation mechanism of PFOA especially rupture of C−F bonds during MC process is still unclear. Therefore, we innovatively employed barium titanate as co-milling reagent in MC system to disclose an electron-dominated reduction process. By stimulating piezoelectric effect of BaTiO 3 under MC impact, free electrons were generated. The results implied more than 95.00% degradation and 60.00% defluorination efficiency were obtained after 6 h′ ball milling. DPPH• was used as probe to confirm the existence of piezo-excited electrons, which were further verified to be major reactive species by atmosphere experiments. Thus, PFOA destruction was dominated by reduction process, characterizing by breakage of C−F bonds induced by electrons. Accordingly, the fate of organic fluorides was explored and BaF 2 was identified as final product. The cleavage of carboxyl group initiated PFOA decomposition, following by successive removal of CF 2 groups and elimination of F−. Moreover, the practical experiments and reusable trials implied promising application of this method. Overall, this paper provides a novel perspective for reductive decomposition of PFOA by MC technology and reveals the major role of electrons during reaction process. [Display omitted] • PFOA is reductive degraded in solid phase by MC technology using BaTiO 3. • Free electrons generated by piezoelectric effect is main reactive species. • Organic fluorine detaches from carbon chain and converts into BaF 2. • Effects of soil matrix is systematically evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses current trends and approaches towards the conservation of abandoned monuments, demonstrating different strategies applied to historical buildings in Cyprus with an emphasis on medieval monasteries. Through the examination of two cases - the restoration of Panayia tou Sinti Monastery in Paphos and the revival of Ayios Nicolaos Monastery in Orounda - the positive and negative consequences of the different philosophy and strategy followed in each case is demonstrated. With the involvement of the authors, the monastery of Panayia tou Sinti was partly restored in the form of ruins and became an open-air museum, whereas the monastery of Ayios Nicolaos underwent a comprehensive maintenance and new extensions were designed by the authors using appropriate materials and forms. Through these examples, the different concepts of conserving historic complexes - such as 'museum' conservation, final form of ruins, matters of authenticity, dynamic maintenance, compatibility of materials, structural reinforcement - are discussed. This paper demonstrates that before making final decisions for the strategy to be followed for the conservation of a historic abandoned building, investigation and assessment of all its values within the philosophical framework of international principles for rehabilitation should be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short-wavelength sub-nanosecond luminescence in BaF 2 material, discovered in the early 80s, gave a new direction to research into fast scintillators and phosphors. In contrast to 'typical' luminescence occurring within the forbidden band gap, the new type of emission was due to transitions between the upper core and valence bands. Thus it was named core-valence luminescence (CVL); the terms cross-luminescence and Auger-free luminescence have also been used. Given its unusual nature, this new luminescence process has attracted considerable interest in the field of condensed matter physics. During the sequent decades (till the end of the previous century) CVL has been experimentally observed in several dozen compounds and the conditions for detecting CVL have been established. Interest in this kind of luminescence increased in recent years due to the emergence of new methods of crystal synthesis, the development of high-speed solid-state photodetectors, and the construction of unique modern set-ups using synchrotron radiation. This paper analyzes the numerous studies of CVL, obtained mainly over the past decade. Experimental and theoretical data on this topic are considered in detail. Special attention is given to new results on scintillation characteristics of BaF 2 in the form of single crystals, ceramics, nanoparticles, and composites. The features of CVL in binary and ternary compounds are discussed. Some Cs- and Ba-based ternary halides show relatively high light yields and represent promising fast scintillators. The prospects of using materials with CVL as fast scintillators for time-of-flight positron emission tomography and other applications are deliberated. • Overview of recent theoretical and experimental findings on Core Valence luminescence. • Most attractive CVL crystals for ultrafast scintillator applications analyzed. • Prospects for future studies and underexplored CVL materials listed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• With the introduction of Tm3+, Dy3+ can achieve broadband emission between 2600 and 3400 nm. • The mid-infrared fluorescence intensity enhanced with the increase of Tm3+ due to the energy transfer process between Dy3+ and Tm3+. • Larger absorption and emission cross-sections the glass owned, the gain coefficient was also greatly improved. • The fluorescence lifetime at 2.9 μm were prolonged with the addition of Tm3+. We report the 2600–3400 nm strong mid-infrared (MIR) fluorescence emission with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 355 nm in the zirconium fluoride glass incorporated with Dy3+, Tm3+ ions. In this paper, Dy3+, Tm3+ ions co-doped ZrF 4 -BaF 2 -LaF 3 -AlF 3 -YF 3 zirconium fluoride glasses are synthesized by high temperature melting method. Structure information is obtained by raman spectroscopy, and the maximum phonon energy of the synthesized glass is 575 cm−1. Optical performance is mainly characterized by transmission spectrum, absorption spectrum and emission spectrum, theoretical analysis is described by Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory, cross sections and gain coefficient. Under the 808 nm Laser Diode (LD), the 2.9 μm mid-infrared emission intensity is significantly enhanced with the introduction of Tm3+, and the fluorescence lifetime is prolonged 1.85 ms, the relevant energy transfer mechanism has been further analyzed. All results show that the new glass material may be a potential medium for mid-infrared broadband fiber amplifiers and lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A boron-adjustment-free (BAF) control strategy was proposed for large PWRs. • A blocking logic for three independent control banks was first designed. • The strategy can realize the BAF load-follow operations of PWRs. • The blocking logic provides better AO control than that under MSHIM strategy. This paper proposes an advanced boron-adjustment-free (BAF) control strategy for large pressurized water reactors (PWRs). The strategy combines the advantages of fast power compensation of the boron-adjustment Mode-G control strategy with the closed-loop axial offset (AO) control through control rods in the Mechanical Shim (MSHIM) control strategy. It can achieve fast power compensation, exact coolant average temperature control, and automatic AO control through three independently-moving control banks, respectively. Also, to avoid mutual interference between the core power and AO control, a novel blocking logic for the three control banks was developed. Simulation results of a large PWR implementing the BAF control strategy indicate satisfactory load-follow capabilities of the reactor without the need to adjust boron concentration. Moreover, the proposed blocking logic can provide better AO control without compromising reactor power control than that referring the blocking logic of reactor power and AO control banks in the MSHIM control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation processes as a result of population growth, migration and infrastructure initiatives have a direct impact to cultural heritage sites. This paper aims to monitor growth dynamics of the urbanisation process that took place in the Paphos district, southwest Cyprus during the last decades, and evaluate its impact to monuments and archaeological sites. In this extensive area, several important archaeological sites and monuments are found, while some of them are also listed in the UNESCO catalogue of World Cultural Heritage sites. GIS and remote sensing techniques have been used in order to map the listed monuments in the Paphos District, as well as to record spatial and temporal land use changes since the 1980s. The spatial patterns of urban sprawl are studied and analysed using archive time series medium resolution Landsat ETM+ and TM satellite imagery. In addition, a DMSP-OLS night-ime image was also used. Several supervised and unsupervised classification algorithms have been evaluated and examined for this purpose. Additionally, Markov equation were applied in an attempt to predict future urban expansion The final outcomes revealed that a dramatic increase of the urban areas took place in the last years in Paphos district, and as a result significant pressure is expected on archaeological sites found in the peri-urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Q960 high-strength steel is widely used in pressure vessels, bridges, offshore platforms and other important steel structural components because of its high strength and good plastic toughness, but alloy elements added to this kind of steel have strong hardenability, especially after welding, so the strength and toughness cannot meet the requirements, which limits its application in a wider range. In this paper, from the point of view of the metallurgical treatment of the weld, the goal is to improve the strength and toughness of the Q960 high strength steel weld metal In order to analyze the influence of Zr on the welding process of Q960 steel and the strengthening and toughening effect of weld metal, this paper takes Fe-Mn-Mo-Cr-Ni as the main alloy system, BaF2-CaF2-Al-Mg as the basic slag system, and adopts the method of melting consumable electrode self-shielded for welding, and analyzes the welding process, microstructure, tensile property and impact toughness of the welded joint. The experimental results show that when the weld metal contains 0.0061% Zr, the minimum spatter rate is only 7%, the maximum slag removal rate is 95%, the maximum hardness is 357HV, the maximum elongation is 34%, and the impact toughness is the highest. At this time, the acicular ferrite content in the weld microstructure is the highest, and there is a certain amount of equiaxed fine-grained ferrite, and the content of proeutectoid ferrite is the least, which effectively improves the strength and toughness of the weld metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of image-based localization (IBL) is to localize the real location of query image by matching reference image in database with GNSS-tags. Popular methods related to IBL commonly use street-level images, which have high value in practical application. Using street-level image to tackle IBL task has the primary challenges: existing works have not made targeted optimization for urban IBL tasks. Besides, the matching result is over-reliant on the quality of image features. Methods should address their practicality and robustness in engineering application, under metropolitan-scale. In response to these, this paper made following contributions: firstly, given the critical of buildings in distinguishing urban scenes, we contribute a feature called Building-Aware Feature (BAF). Secondly, in view of negative influence of complex urban scenes in retrieval process, we propose a retrieval method called Patch-Region Retrieval (PRR). To prove the effectiveness of BAF and PRR, we established an image-based localization experimental framework. Experiments prove that BAF can retain the feature points that fall on the building, and selectively lessen the feature points that fall on other things. While this effectively compresses the storage amount of feature index, we can also improve recall of localization results; implemented in the stage of geometric verification, PRR compares matching results of regional features and selects the best ranking as final result. PRR can enhance effectiveness of patch-regional feature. In addition, we fully confirmed the superiority of our proposed methods through a metropolitan-scale street-level image dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the effect of high effective atomic number (Z eff) materials loading in polystyrene based thin-film Plastic Scintillators (PS). Thin plastic scintillator sheets have been loaded with high Z materials such as BaFBr:Eu, Gd 2 O 2 S:Tb, Gd 2 O 3 , BaF 2 , CeO 2 and Bi 2 O 3. Polystyrene based PS sheets of 250 ± 50 μ m thickness have been prepared by dissolving predetermined quantities of polystyrene, 2,5-Diphenyloxazole (PPO) and 1,4-bis(5-phenyl-2-oxazolyl) benzene (POPOP) in the p-xylene solvent. High Z eff material powders of 23 μ m size are mixed in the plastic scintillator solution and coated over the cellulose acetate-based transparency sheets. The dried films are peeled off, and their photoluminescence, radioluminescence, pulse height spectrum and response to alpha, beta, gamma and neutron radiations are studied by adopting suitable methods. The high Z eff materials for loading in PS are selected based on their physical properties like refractive index, bandgap, Z eff , Photoluminescence (PL) properties. While the composite scintillator loaded with 14.3 wt% of BaFBr:Eu2+ showed significant increase compare to other high Z materials. The loading concentration has been optimized as 14.3 wt% from the BaFBr:Eu2+ studies. Most of the composite scintillators showed improvement in radioluminescence and pulse height spectra for different radiations. • Polystyrene based thin plastic scintillator have been prepared by solvent-based fabrication method. • Thin composite plastic scintillator are studied with high Z eff material loading. • High Z eff material loaded composite scintillators showed enhanced response to radiation. • BaFBr:Eu loaded composite PS has shown the best promising result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the preparation and characterization of various concentrations of Nd3+ doped B 2 O 3 –BaF 2 –PbF 2 –Al 2 O 3 (BaPbAlFB) glasses in detailed. The glasses used in the present work are synthesized by using melt quenching process and characterized by measuring the absorption, photoluminescence (PL) and PL decay spectral profiles. The energies of the absorption spectral profiles called oscillator strengths are evaluated from the absorption spectra and subjected to Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory to evaluate the J-O intensity parameters using least squares fit method. Under 808 nm diode laser excitation, the BaPbAlFBNd glasses exhibit three emission bands at near-infrared region around 887, 1063, 1336 nm from 4F 3/2 → 4I 9/2, 4I 11/2 and 4I 13/2 radiative transitions respectively. Among the three emissions, the one observed at 1063 nm is found to be more intense relatively. The lifetime of 4F 3/2 transition has been estimated experimentally through decay measurements recorded under 808 nm excitation wavelength. Among all the BaPbAlFB glasses investigated, the one with 1.0 mol% of Nd3+ ions is showing relatively high fluorescence quantum efficiency. The measured saturation intensity (I S) values shows relatively the low threshold values. The obtained results endorsed the potentiality of BaPbAlFBNd1.0 glass for the fabrication of fiber amplifiers and solid-state lasers that can act in NIR region at 1063 nm wavelength. • The J-O intensity parameters of the glass samples. • Experiment lifetimes are calculated from decay measurements. • The evaluation of absorption cross section, emission cross section and gain cross section. • The figure of merit and saturated intensity are calculated. • NIR laser emission near 1.063 μm was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Easy method to remove the cupping layer covering the topological insulator. • Using glue to remove the cupping layer. • Surface modification of MBE topological insulator. The topological categorization originates from a depiction of the sequencing of bands around the band gap of the material in comparison to the normal vacuum type band ordering. The structure can either be normal or inverted, and thus topologically trivial or non-trivial. An odd number of Dirac fermions on the surface occurs in this type of material. Time-reversal symmetry is responsible to preserve the surface bands. On the other hand, topological crystalline insulator is protected by mirror symmetry; this system has an even number of Dirac surface state per BZ. Capping layer of Te or Se is necessary due to the high sensitivity of films surfaces to atmospheric pressure. The capping layer works as a protection from oxidation. In Bi 2 Te 3 samples, the bonds between Bi and Te are covalent bonds while the bonds between Te-Te at a certain position are van der Waals bonds. Thereby, the bonds between amorphous Te cap and sample surface is weaker than van der Waals bonds within the sample structure. However, the top boost cleaving method was successful. But, for Pb 1-x Sn x Te samples the top boost cleaving method unsuccessfully results. The bonds between the metallic Pb 1-x Sn x Te sample surface and amorphous Te cap are stronger than van der Waals bonds in BaF 2 substrate, i.e. F-F van der Waals bonds. In this paper, we present different techniques to recover fresh surfaces, from classical methods (such as sputtering and annealing) working for all types of films and top boost methods, which could be less used due to the strong bonds in some films. Moreover, we were able to recover the immaculate surfaces for non-capped samples. We present here in a systematic study by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A simultaneous denitrification and biogas desulfurization process (SDBD) was proposed. • 0.9%–1.5% hydrogen sulfide in biogas was completely removed. • More than 85% COD, 98% NH 4 +-N and 81.65% TN was removed from real domestic sewage. • Hydrogen sulfide introduction altered the pathway of nitrate removal. • Economic assessment enables SDBD system to be a promising way in biological N removal. This paper proposed a novel simultaneous denitrification and biogas desulfurization (SDBD) process for domestic sewage treatment and biogas upgrading. The process consisted of an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) for integrated autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrification (IAHD) and a biological aerated filter (BAF) for nitrification. The experiments were firstly conducted to investigate the performance of the lab-scale SDBD system with real domestic sewage at various hydraulic retention times (HRT). The system successfully achieved 83.0 ± 1.8% chemical oxygen demand (COD), 96.2 ± 1.8% ammonia (NH 4 +-N) and 67.3 ± 4.1% total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency without biogas introduction, and the optimal HRT of EGSB and BAF was determined to be 6 h and 4 h, respectively. Then, biogas with three different hydrogen sulfide concentrations (1.5%, 1.2% and 0.9%) was introduced into the system. Almost complete removal of hydrogen sulfide in biogas was achieved in all the tested scenarios and the removal efficiency of COD, NH 4 +-N and TN maintained at around 86.8%, 98.4% and 83.4%, respectively. Microbial community analysis results showed that biogas introduction notably increased the bacterial diversity and particularly enriched the nitrate-reducing, sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, which forms the major contribution to the hydrogen sulfide removal in the system. Finally, we put the SDBD system in the whole treatment system of domestic sewage and discussed its economics. The results indicated that the total operating cost of sewage treatment plant could be saved to 0.59 RMB/m3, which proved SDBD system to be a promising alternative way in biological nitrogen removal and biogas desulfurization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the upconversion (UC) emission of Tm3+/Cr3+/Yb3+ tri-doped in SiO 2 –AlF 3 –BaF 2 –La 2 O 3 transparent fluorosilicate glass-ceramics (SGC) containing Ba 2 LaF 7 nanocrystals were investigated. The enhancement of red UC emission of Tm3+/Cr3+/Yb3+ tri-doped in SiO 2 –AlF 3 –BaF 2 –La 2 O 3 transparent SGC were also investigated. Through the energy transfer processes between Cr3+ and Tm3+, and the combination of Cr3+-Tm3+ led to the red UC emission intensity of Tm3+/Cr3+/Yb3+ tri-doped transparent SGC bands centered at ~806 and ~858 nm has been significantly enhanced. The CIE chromaticity coordinates for UC emission of Tm3+/Cr3+/Yb3+ tri-doped in SGC-0.2Tm1Cr2Yb transparent SGC sample is calculated (x = 0.704; y = 0.296) and the UC emission of Tm3+/Cr3+/Yb3+ tri-doped in SiO 2 –AlF 3 –BaF 2 –La 2 O 3 transparent SGC has been identified in red color region of CIE chromaticity coordinates. In addition, the ET processes between Cr3+ and Tm3+ are also proposed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our recent study was focused on the emission from Laser Induced Plasma (LIP) at the delay times of tenths of microseconds after the laser pulse. At these long delays, the spectrum is dominated by the broadband molecular emission and plasma induced luminescence (PIL) produced by a luminescent matrix; only solitary atomic emission lines can be seen. Barium fluoride BaF 2 activated by thulium (Tm) is a famous scintillator that presents the promising object for LIP in terms of both the potential for BaF molecular emission and Tm3+ PIL. The detection of molecular and PIL bands presents a new opportunity for analysis of halogens and rare-earth elements, which are the difficult objects for LIBS. In this paper, we show that the UV, Green, Extreme Red, and Infrared molecular bands from BaF and blue luminescence from Tm3+ are present in the LIP emission spectra while the detection of atomic emission from F I and Tm I was impossible with the same experimental setup. Thus, the detection of molecular emission and PIL can be more sensitive than the traditional detection of emission from atoms and ions. Unlabelled Image • We studied LIBS of BaF 2 activated by Tm3+. • Emission and temporal behavior of BaF molecules were determined. • Plasma Induced Luminescence of Tm3+ was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ba 2 ZrF 8 and BaTiF 6 fluorides are precipitated from the spent liquors using BaF 2. • The heating of Ba 2 ZrF 8 (BaTiF 6) + Mg + k Cu mixtures yield a self-ignition at 600 °C. • CuTi and CuZr alloy ingots and BaMgF 4 slag are produced after the heating process. • The chemistry of liquor purification and CuTi (CuZr) ingots formation is highlighted. In this paper, we describe a progressive two-step process that allows titanium and zirconium fluorides (TiF 4 , ZrF 4) contained in spent liquors of etched Ti and Zr alloys to be effectively recycled into CuTi and CuZr alloy compositions and a regenerated pickling acid of high purity. In the first step, spent pickling liquor is treated with a BaF 2 suspension to produce water-insoluble BaTiF 6 and Ba 2 ZrF 8 fluoride salts. In the second step, the as-precipitated BaTiF 6 and Ba 2 ZrF 8 fluoride salts are mixed with Mg and Cu metals powder and heat-treated at 1300 °C to produce CuTi and CuZr alloy ingots. The microstructures of the ingots are discussed in regard to Cu concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dy3+: ZBAN glass was synthesized and satisfactory white fluorescence was obtained. • The trend of fluorescence color coordinate is estimated by J–O parameters. • Chroma difference in CIELAB coordinates was used to evaluate fluorescence. • Energy of Dy3+: ZBAN glass fluorescence is close to that of white light. In this paper, we reported the white light emission properties of Dy3+ doped ZrF 4 -BaF 2 -AlF 3 -NaF (ZBAN) glass. Physical properties of the host glass were examined. The intensity parameters were determined from Judd–Ofelt theory based on the absorption spectrum. The chromaticity coordinates calculated using emission spectrum are located in the white area of the CIE chromaticity diagram. Judd–Ofelt theory was used to analyze the relationship between the Dy3+ doping concentration and the yellow/blue ratio of the fluorescence. Furthermore, the change of chromaticity coordinates in the CIE chromaticity diagram was predicted. Anomalous change caused by fluorescence quenching at high concentrations was also discussed. In order to find the fluorescence closest to the equal energy light, the chroma difference between the fluorescence and the equal energy point was calculated. These results demonstrate that Dy3+ doped fluoride glass is a suitable material for use as a standard white light source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-meter-long DNA is compressed into chromatin in the nucleus of every cell, which serves as a significant barrier to transcription. Therefore, for processes such as replication and transcription to occur, the highly compacted chromatin must be relaxed, and the processes required for chromatin reorganization for the aim of replication or transcription are controlled by ATP-dependent nucleosome remodelers. One of the most highly studied remodelers of this kind is the BRG1- or BRM-associated factor complex (BAF complex, also known as SWItch/sucrose non-fermentable (SWI/SNF) complex), which is crucial for the regulation of gene expression and differentiation in eukaryotes. Chromatin remodeling complex BAF is characterized by a highly polymorphic structure, containing from four to 17 subunits encoded by 29 genes. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the role of BAF complex in chromatin remodeling and also to use literature mining and a set of computational and bioinformatics tools to analyze structural properties, intrinsic disorder predisposition, and functionalities of its subunits, along with the description of the relations of different BAF complex subunits to the pathogenesis of various human diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber-based mid-infrared (MIR) supercontinuum (SC) sources benefit from their spectral brightness and spatial coherence that are needed for many applications, such as spectroscopy and metrology. In this paper, an SC spanning from to is demonstrated in cascaded ZrF4–BaF2–LaF3–AlF3–NaF (ZBLAN) and As2Se3 step-index fibers. The pump source is a ZBLAN fiber-based MIR SC laser with abundant high-peak-power soliton pulses between 3000 nm and 4200 nm. By concatenating the ZBLAN fiber and the As2Se3 fiber, efficient cascading red-shifts are obtained in the normal dispersion region of the As2Se3 fiber. The spectral behavior of cascaded SC generation shows that the long-wavelength proportion of MIR SC generated in the ZBLAN fiber plays a critical role for further spectral extension in the As2Se3 fiber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the International Workshop on Security in Information Systems held in Paphos, Cyprus. The workshop is a yearly event organized by Doctor Eduardo Fernandez-Medina. Several presentations were selected for publication in the periodical "Internal Research". The workshop collected papers related to security in information systems with an emphasis on the Internet environment.

The article comments on reports published in the December 2006 issue of the periodical "Internal Research" about the Workshop on Security in Information Systems held in Paphos, Cyprus. The topics of the papers presented at the workshop ranged from online data auditing, real-time grid architectures to cryptographic protocols. The ability to characterize security problems is a precursor to its solution.