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Simple Summary: Historically, one of the strategies the Myanmar Government employed to resolve human–elephant conflict was the capture of whole herds of elephants using the Kheddah system. This involved trapping the herd in a stockade, immediately followed by on-site post-capture taming. After taming, the captured elephants were trained to be utilized as logging elephants. The capture of wild elephants was formally banned in Myanmar in 1985, but occasional, small-scale, captures by the Kheddah system were allowed until 2013. These captures were under the strict control of the Myanmar Government and focused primarily on elephants involved in human–elephant conflict, rather than capturing to supplement the working elephant population. The method itself has largely fallen out of use because capturing an ecologically important, iconic animal is unacceptable and against current welfare requirements. This paper attempts to record the Kheddah system of elephant capture that was employed when the individually selected capture method was impractical for the emergency removal of a herd of marauding elephants. The author presents a description and assessment of the Kheddah method not to endorse it, but to document and discuss a method that was part of Myanmar's elephant-keeping history before it is forgotten. When standard methods of human–elephant conflict mitigation are not successful, free-ranging wild elephants may continue to come into close contact with people. This results in more frequent and severe conflict, with consequences ranging from crop raiding to loss of human and elephant lives. Understandably, in such situations, local communities may want to be rid of entire herds of elephants. Historically, one of the strategies the Myanmar Government practiced to resolve human–elephant conflict was the capture of whole herds using the Kheddah system. This involved trapping the herd in a stockade, immediately followed by on-site post-capture taming. After taming, the captured elephants were utilized as logging elephants. Elephants worked in timber extraction, retired at age 55 years and were then cared for by the Government until they died. The capture of wild elephants by the Kheddah system was formally banned in Myanmar in 1985 but occasional, small-scale, captures were allowed until 2013 under the strict control of the Myanmar Government. These operations were aimed primarily at capturing elephants involved in human–elephant conflict, rather than to supplement the working elephant population. One of the last Kheddah operations, organized and managed by the author, was conducted in 1996 at the Taikkyi township of the Yangon Region, as a last resort to end human–elephant conflict in an emergency. While chemical immobilization was being used at this time, it was not logistically possible with the high numbers of elephants engaged in the conflict. This review aims to record the history of an activity that was an important element of Myanmar's timber industry more than three decades ago. In this paper, the author presents a description of Kheddah not to endorse it, but to document (1) the Myanmar elephant population management strategy in the past, before it is forgotten, and (2) the practicality of the Kheddha operation when the singly selected commonly- used immobilization or noosing method of elephant capture is unfeasible. The author attempts to shed light on the modern veterinary procedures that may significantly reduce the notorious historical outcome of Kheddha, especially the resulting mortality of captured elephants, should the Kheddha system of capture ever be used as an emergency solution for ongoing problems of human–elephant conflict in the range states of Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe human living environment serves as a habitat for microorganisms and the presence of ubiquitous airborne microbes significantly impacts the natural material cycle. Through ongoing experimentation with beneficial microorganisms, humans have greatly benefited from airborne microbes. However, airborne pathogens endanger human health and have the potential to induce fatal diseases. Tracking airborne microbes is a critical prerequisite for a better understanding of bioaerosols, harnessing their potential advantages, and mitigating associated risks. Although technological breakthroughs have enabled significant advancements in accurately monitoring airborne pathogens, many puzzles about these microbes remain unanswered due to their high variability and environmental diffusibility. Consequently, advanced techniques and strategies for special identification, early warning, and efficient eradication of microbial contamination are continuously being sought. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the research status of airborne microbes, concentrating on the recent advances and challenges in sampling, detection, and inactivation. Particularly, the fundamental design principles for the collection and timely detection of airborne pathogens are described in detail, as well as critical factors for eliminating microbial contamination and enhancing indoor air quality. In addition, future research directions and perspectives for controlling airborne microbes are also suggested to promote the translation of basic research into real products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have been focusing on developing intelligent sensing devices capable of capturing human movements or signals, particularly in sports and healthcare. These signals, encompassing biophysical and biochemical data, are increasingly utilized across various fields for purposes such as sports training, medical diagnostics, preventive healthcare, and rehabilitation. The urgency for real-time health monitoring has been underscored by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, hastening the demand for portable, flexible sensors enabling remote health signal measurement. Our investigation delves into recent advancements in flexible smart sensor technologies tailored for monitoring crucial signals in healthcare and sports. Within this comprehensive study, we provide an overview of the latest progress in smart sensors and systems engineered to track fitness and health indicators. These encompass a range of signals including electrocardiograms (ECGs), inertial data, motion, heart rate, and biological fluids (such as blood and sweat). Furthermore, we introduce a novel approach involving multimodal and integrated multidimensional sensing systems distinguished by their high sensitivity. Additionally, we elucidate current challenges in the field and offer insights into the future trajectory of smart sensors in capturing vital signals effectively. It is evident that the integration of modern fabrication techniques, stretchable electronic devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms has significantly augmented the capacity to monitor and utilize these signals for human health monitoring, including disease prediction. Smart sensors and systems that are multidimensional and multimodal might provide a more adaptable and comprehensive solution to meet the escalating healthcare demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor (SVGS) is an emerging technology developed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center that uses a vision-based approach to accurately estimate the six-state position and orientation vectors of an illuminated target of known dimensions with respect to a coordinate frame fixed to the camera. SVGS is a software-based sensor that can be deployed using a host platform's resources (CPU and camera) for proximity operations and formation flight of drones or spacecraft. The SVGS output is calculated based on photogrammetric analysis of the light blobs in each image; its accuracy in linear and angular motion at different velocities has previously been successfully demonstrated [9]. SVGS has several potential applications in guidance, navigation, motion control, and proximity operations as a reduced-cost, compact, reliable option to competing technologies such as LiDAR or infrared sensing. One of the applications envisioned by NASA for SVGS is planetary/lunar autonomous landing. This paper aims to compare the SVGS performance in autonomous landing with existing technologies: a combination of infrared beacon technology (IRLock) and LiDAR. The comparison is based on a hardware-in-the-loop emulation of a precision landing experiment using a computer-controlled linear motion to emulate the approach motion and the ROS/Gazebo environment to emulate the response of the flight controller to the environment during landing. Results suggest that SVGS performs better than the existing IRLock with LiDAR sensor combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal‐organic framework‐808 (MOF‐808), functionalized with amino acids, is a promising class of materials for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. In this study, we employed density functional theory calculations to investigate the mechanism of CO2 capture by glycine‐functionalized MOF‐808 (MOF‐808‐Gly). MOF‐808 was treated with one, two, three, or four glycine molecules to investigate the effect of glycine functionalization. It is proposed that the capture reaction proceeds in a single step involving proton transfer and C−N bond formation. With increasing glycine loading, the reaction barriers decreased, whereas the observed rate increased. When considering the substitution of different tetravalent metal centers (Zr and Hf) on the MOF‐808 node, it is found that substituting these tetravalent metal centers does not affect the capture activity. The capture reaction under humid conditions was also studied by introducing explicit and implicit amounts of water. The presence of a water molecule led to reduced barriers and more stable capture product formation, indicating the enhanced performance of MOF‐808‐Gly in CO2 capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Li‐containing porous carbon materials were prepared from terephthalic acid and lithium hydroxide, and then loaded with different contents of copper oxide. After these materials were fully characterized with X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, Raman spectrum, nitrogen adsorption and desorption, and CO2‐TPD, their CO2 capture performance was measured. Results showed that the CO2 capture capacity of CuO(0.75)/LiC at 0 °C under 1 bar was as high as 142.8 mg‐CO2 g−1. However, excess CuO significantly reduced CO2 capture performance of the material. For example, the maximum adsorption capacity of CuO(2)/LiC was only 119.7 mg‐CO2 g−1. Meanwhile, with CO2/N2 mixed gas, these materials had significantly and selectively higher CO2 adsorption capacity over N2. Additionally, all of these lithium‐containing carbon‐based porous materials with supported copper oxide, including CuO(0.75)/LiC, could effectively capture CO2 with high selectivity and reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a type of cancer cell that spreads from the main tumor to the bloodstream, and they are often the most important among the various entities that can be isolated from the blood. For the diagnosis of cancer, conventional biopsies are often invasive and unreliable, whereas a liquid biopsy, which isolates the affected item from blood or lymph fluid, is a less invasive and effective diagnostic technique. Microfluidic technologies offer a suitable channel for conducting liquid biopsies, and this technology is utilized to extract CTCs in a microfluidic chip by physical and bio-affinity-based techniques. This effort uses functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in a unique microfluidic chip to collect CTCs using a hybrid (physical and bio-affinity-based/guided magnetic) capturing approach with a high capture rate. Accordingly, folic acid-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles have been used to capture MCF-7 (breast cancer) CTCs with capture efficiencies reaching up to 95% at a 10 µL/min flow rate. Moreover, studies have been conducted to support this claim, including simulation and biomimetic investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Animal-borne devices can affect animal survival, reproduction, and behaviour through both the addition of weight and bulk and the direct effects of initial and subsequent capture. Researchers commonly employ a general rule of thumb that weight of the device must be less than 5% of bodyweight for terrestrial animals; however, this threshold has little empirical basis. Aims: We evaluated the effects of environmental variables, repeated capture, and weight of animal-borne devices on bodyweight in free-ranging feral cats. Methods: We recaptured feral cats at varying frequencies, wearing GPS and/or VHF collars that ranged from 0.29% to 4.88% of bodyweight, and recorded change in cat weight over time. Key results: Collar weight as a percentage of bodyweight was not a significant predictor of feral cat weight change. Rather, change in bodyweight was best described by a negative relationship with an increasing temperature and number of captures, and a positive relationship with time since collar attachment. Conclusions: Capture had a significant influence on feral cat weight but collar weights up to 5% of bodyweight did not significantly contribute to weight loss. However, the absence of control cats without collars hindered definitive conclusions on the effect of collar weight on cat weight change. Implications: Researchers should space capture and handling events more than 30 days apart to reduce effects of weight loss from capture and handling. Researchers should also consider increasing collar weight and reducing frequency of capture (where collars are less than 5% of bodyweight), particularly if cat bodyweight is a parameter of interest. Feral cats are one of the most harmful invasive species in Australia, and are often caught and collared as part of scientific study to investigate their impacts and inform management. We evaluated the impacts of this process on feral cats. Even though collar weight had no impact, repeated recaptures reduced cat weight. Researchers should consider prioritising fewer capture and handling events over collar-weight reductions, or offset the effect of repeated capture by allowing recovery time greater than 30 days before subsequent recapture attempts. Photograph by Darcy Whittaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of an excessive amount of iodine, especially radioactive iodine, is dangerous to the environment. Amine solutions are the most common and technically mature class of chemical sorption used for the capture of the pollutants. The iodine vapor diffusion and release capabilities of the aromatic amine solutions have been investigated. The iodine diffusion and release experiments were examined by UV-visible spectroscopy. Many electronic spectrophotometric studies have been reported in the coordination chemistry field on complexes. Generally, these complexes were obtained by using different electron donors with various organic or metallic electron acceptors in polar and non-polar solvents. The absorption spectra of the donor, acceptors, and the resulted complexes were carried out in methanol in the region of 200–600 nm. The correlation between the spectral characteristics of molecular complexes of iodine with various aromatic amines and the ionization potentials of the donor molecules is discussed. The concentrations of the diffused iodine and the formed complex were calculated using mathematical models and calibration curves. The values of the formation constant (k AD), molar extinction coefficient (ε AD), and absorption band energy of complexes were estimated. The ionization potential of the donor I D was calculated from the complex band energies. The kinetic of the above association and reverse reactions was studied, and some kinetic parameters have been estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two major hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos: the in situ formation theory, supported by the fact that they have circular orbits nearly parallel to the Martian equator, and the asteroid capture theory, supported by the similarity of their reflectance spectra to those of carbonaceous asteroids. Regarding the in situ formation theory, recent theoretical studies have focused on the huge impact scenario, which proposes that debris ejected into orbits during the formation of a giant impact basin on Mars accumulated to form the Martian moons. On the other hand, gas drag from a Martian gas envelope composed of gravitationally attracted solar nebula gas has been proposed as a mechanism for trapping the approaching asteroidal objects in areocentric orbits. In particular, an object entering a temporarily captured orbit in the Martian gravitational sphere would easily evolve into a fully captured moon with a near-equatorial orbit under realistic gas densities. The upcoming Phobos sample return mission is expected to elucidate the origin of both moons, with implications for material transport in the early Solar System and the early evolution of Mars. The origin of Mars' small moons, Phobos and Deimos, has long been an open question. The leading hypotheses are asteroid capture, inferred from their appearance like primitive asteroids, and giant impact, implied by the regularity of their orbits. The origin of Phobos will be precisely determined by a sample return mission to be conducted in the late 2020s to early 2030s. Determining the origin of the Martian moons will provide clues to clarifying how the parent planet Mars formed and came to have a habitable surface environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on an analytical and biological validation of a commercial cortisol enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to measure glucocorticoids (GC) in feces of Geoffroy's spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Validation of endocrinological methods for each sample matrix and study species is crucial to establish that the methods produce reliable results. For the analytical validation of the EIA, we assessed parallelism, accuracy, and precision. We carried out a biological validation based on three well‐studied GC patterns with the following predictions: (1) increased fecal GC metabolite (fGCM) concentrations after veterinary intervention; (2) increased fGCM concentrations during early morning hours; and (3) higher fGCM concentrations during gestation than in other female reproductive states. For the first prediction, we sampled feces of two zoo‐housed females 2 days before, the day of, and 2 days after a veterinary intervention. For the second prediction, we analyzed 284 fecal samples collected from 12 wild males using a linear mixed model (LMM). For the third prediction, we analyzed 269 fecal samples of eight wild females using an LMM. Analytical validation revealed that the EIA showed parallelism, was accurate, and precise within each assay. However, there was elevated variation in between‐assay precision. The biological validation supported all predictions: (1) the two zoo‐housed females showed a substantial increase in fGCM concentrations 2.5 and 11 h after veterinary intervention; (2) there was a negative effect of sample collection time on fGCM concentrations (i.e., higher concentrations during early morning); (3) gestating females had significantly higher fGCM concentrations than lactating females. Thus, we analytically validated the commercial EIA and, despite between‐assay variation, we were able to find three biologically relevant GC signals in captive and wild settings, and in males and females. We are therefore confident that the method can be used to noninvasively address behavioral endocrinology questions in Geoffroy's spider monkeys. Research Highlights: Analytical validation of a commercial cortisol enzyme immunoassay for human serum to measure glucocorticoid metabolites in fecal sample extracts of Geoffroy's spider monkeys.Biological validation showing elevated fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in response to capture and anesthesia in captivity, during early morning hours in wild males, and in gestation compared with lactation and cycling in wild females.Noninvasive method available in home‐range country for future use in basic research of behavioral endocrinology and conservation studies in Geoffroy's spider monkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 1 January 2013, research using cephalopod molluscs, from hatchlings to adults, became regulated within Directive 2010/63/EU. There are significant difficulties in captive breeding in the great majority of currently utilised species. Thus, scientific research relies upon the use of wild-caught animals. Furthermore, live cephalopods are shared and transported between different stakeholders and laboratories across Europe and other continents. Despite existing European and national legislation, codes, guidelines and reports from independent organisations, a set of recommendations specifically addressing the requirements for the capture and transport of animals belonging to this taxon are missing. In addition, although training and development of competence for all people involved in the supply chain are essential and aim to ensure that animals do not suffer from pain, distress or lasting harm, the requirements for those capturing and transporting wild cephalopods have not been considered. This Working Group reviewed the current literature to recognise scientific evidence and the best practice, and compiled a set of recommendations to provide guidance on the 'techniques' to be used for the capture and transport of live cephalopods for their use in scientific procedures. In addition, we propose to (a) develop standardised approaches able to assess recommended methods and objectively quantify the impact of these processes on animals' health, welfare and stress response, and (b) design a training programme for people attaining the necessary competence for capture and transportation of live cephalopods, as required by Directive 2010/63/EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat loss, fragmentation, and land conversion for human use are currently the main drivers of biodiversity loss in the Neotropics. Agropastoral and silvicultural activities are especially important, as they have expanded in the last decades due to the increasing demand for global food and wood production. This presents a challenge in developing management strategies that balance biodiversity conservation with productivity, which can only be achieved through a better understanding of biodiversity responses to landscape changes. In this study, we investigated how landscape changes affect the species richness, relative abundance, and species composition of a bat community in a fragmented landscape in southeastern Brazil, using an approach that integrates data from mist-nets and bioacoustics. Forest cover at intermediate and large scales was the best predictor of bat richness and relative abundance, as well as the relative abundance of frugivorous bats. For open and edge space aerial insectivorous bats, landscape variables did not have a strong explanatory power, suggesting that other variables may better predict their relative abundance. Our study highlights the importance of using multiple sampling methods to study Neotropical bats, as well as the importance of the multiscale approach to evaluate landscape effects on biological communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of floral budbreak in apple has a significant effect on fruit production and quality. Budbreak occurs as a result of a complex molecularmechanism that relies on accurate integration of external environmental cues, principally temperature. In the pursuit of understanding this mechanism, especially with respect to aiding adaptation to climatechange, aQTL at the topof linkagegroup(LG)9hasbeenidentifiedbymany studies on budbreak, but the genes underlying it remain elusive. Here, togetherwith a dessert apple core collection of 239 cultivars, we used a targeted capture sequencing approach to increase SNP resolution in apple orthologues of known or suspected A. thaliana flowering time-related genes, as well as approximately 200 geneswithin the LG9QTL interval. This increased the275 223 SNPAxiom®Apple480Karray datasetby an additional 40 857 markers. Robust GWAS analyses identified MdPRX10, a peroxidase superfamily gene, as a strong candidate that demonstrated a dormancyrelated expression pattern and down-regulation in response to chilling. In-silico analyses also predicted the residue change resulting from the SNP allele associated with late budbreak could alterprotein conformation and likely function. Late budbreak cultivars homozygous for this SNP allele also showed significantly up-regulated expression of C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (CBF) genes, which are involved in cold tolerance and perception, compared to reference cultivars, such as Gala. Taken together, these results indicate a role for MdPRX10 in budbreak, potentially via redoxmediated signaling andCBFgene regulation. Moving forward, this provides a focus for developing our understanding of the effects of temperature on flowering time and how redox processes may influence integration of external cues in dormancy pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the nationally and internationally defined climate policy goals regarding the reduction of anthropogenically emitted greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere is an enormous challenge. To this end, it can be assumed that underground storage of >100 billion tons of CO2 by the end of the century is necessary, as the capacity of natural storage (e.g. forestation, wetland restoration, oceanic CO2-sinks, biochar and soil carbon sequestration) is restricted, the permanent removal of CO2 from the atmosphere through carbon capture and use (CCU) is limited by the product lifetime. At the same time emissions cannot be curbed quickly enough. The principles of carbon capture and storage (CCS) have been researched internationally, the potential storage volumes have been determined and the feasibility of geological storage has been demonstrated by successful projects (e.g. the first European onshore pilot plant Ketzin in Brandenburg, commercial plant Sleipner in Norway, etc.). Neighbouring countries such as Norway, Denmark, UK and the Netherlands are going further and implement projects. Germany has the technical and scientific potential to realise the commercial implementation of CCS in Germany and could thus make a significant national contribution to climate policy goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the tactics of becoming visible and their relationship to alleviating or exacerbating precarious forms of life for minorities in South Asia. These tactics emerge from and respond to three interdependent moments: The frames that define how minorities can become visible, the interplay between limits and thresholds of visibility, and how capture fragments articulations and makes them easy to appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Salient but irrelevant information often captures our attention. To quantify attentional capture in the lab, participants typically complete dozens or hundreds of trials that contain salient distractors. However, presenting distractors frequently may also incidentally introduce a secondary task-set to resist distraction. In everyday life, we typically encounter distractions once, not dozens of times, creating a disconnect between capture in the lab and in the world. Here, we had a simple but important question: how large is capture when participants encounter a salient distractor for the very first time? We used a larger-than-typical sample size combined with a single capture trial (Exp 1 N = 970, Exp 2 N = 1,025), and found that initial capture was ∼9x–15x larger than the average size of capture in typical laboratory tasks (∼370–580 ms). We also found evidence that initial capture was modulated by long- and short-term stimulus history, consistent with emerging theories about how history shapes attention. Our results suggest that participants are surprisingly successful at ignoring distractors in the lab, and that “one-shot” estimates may better reflect the full cost of capture by salient distractors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we synthesized a Ce-modified Mn/HZSM-5 adsorbent via the ultrasound-assisted impregnation for Hg0 capture. Given the addition of 15% CeO2, ~ 100% Hg0 efficiency was reached at 200 °C, suggesting its promotional effect on Hg0 removal. The doped Ce introduced additional chemisorbed oxygen species onto the adsorbent surfaces, which facilitated the oxidation of Hg0 to HgO. Even though adding CeO2 led to a weakened adsorbent acidity, yet it appeared that this negative affect could be completely overcome by the enhanced oxidative ability, which finally endowed Ce-modified Mn/HZSM-5 with a satisfactory Hg0 removal performance within the whole investigated temperature range. During the Hg0 capture process, chemisorption was predominant with Mn4+operating as the main active site for oxidizing Hg0 to Hg2+. Finally, the 15Ce-Mn/HZSM-5 adsorbent exhibited good recyclability and stability. However, its tolerance to H2O and SO2 appeared relatively weak, suggesting that some modification should be conducted to improve its practicality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of global warming, the frequent occurrence of drought has become one of the main reasons affecting the loss of gross primary productivity (GPP) of terrestrial ecosystems. Under the influence of human activities, the vegetation greening trend of the Loess Plateau increased significantly. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the response of GPP to drought in the Loess Plateau under the greening trend. Here, we comprehensively assessed the ability of vegetation indices (VIs) and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) to capture GPP changes at different seasonal scales and during drought. Specifically, we utilized three vegetation indices: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRV), and kernel NDVI index (kNDVI), and determined the drought period of the Loess Plateau in 2001 based on the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and the standardized soil moisture index (SSMI). Moreover, the anomalies of VIs and SIF during the drought period and the relationship with GPP anomalies were compared. The results showed that both SIF and VIs were able to capture changes during the drought period as well as in normal years. Overall, SIF captured drought changes better due to water and heat stress as well as GPP changes compared to VIs. Across different time scales, SIF showed the strongest relationship with GPP (meanR2 = 0.85), followed by NIRV (meanR2 = 0.84), NDVI (meanR2 = 0.76), and kNDVI (meanR2 = 0.74), suggesting that SIF is more sensitive to physiological changes in vegetation. Notably, kNDVI performed best in sparse vegetation (meanR2 = 0.85). In capture during drought, NIRV and kNDVI performed better in less productive land classes; SIF showed superior capture as land use class productivity increased. In addition, GPP anomalies correlated better with kNDVI anomalies (meanR2 = 0.50) than with other index anomalies. In the future, efforts to integrate the respective strengths of SIF, NIRV, and kNDVI will improve our understanding of GPP changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of metal − organic frameworks (MOFs) and magnetic nanoparticles has been demonstrated their prospective for sequestration of heavy metal or radionuclides. In this work, five kinds of magnetic metal − organic framework including ZIF-67@Fe3O4, ZIF-8@Fe3O4, CuBTC@Fe3O4, MIL101(Fe)@Fe3O4, and MOF74@Fe3O4, was prepared and used as novel highly-efficient scavengers for the capture of U(VI) from aqueous environment. These magnetic nanocomposites before and/or after U(VI) capture were characterized by FTIR, SEM–EDS, XRD, TEM, BET, and XPS analyses. A batch technique was applied for the capture of U(VI) using these magnetic nanocomposites at different operating parameters. The isotherm and kinetic data were more accurately fitted by the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, respectively. The ZIF-8@Fe3O4 and ZIF-67@Fe3O4 exhibit the potential to capture U(VI) from aqueous solutions with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 441 and 1058 mg/g–1, respectively, by fitting the equilibrium data to the Langmuir model. The excellent adsorption capacity and the response to the magnetic field made these novel nanocomposites auspicious candidates in nuclear waste management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article performs a close reading of HAVEN, a 2023 digital video installation by James Newitt. It analyses the way in which the work discusses issues around privacy, surveillance, and the management of digital data. Newitt's work tells the story of how an abandoned anti-aircraft defence tower off the Suffolk coast in the North Sea was turned first into a pirate radio station and then into a data haven; a collection of servers meant to avoid early Internet regulation. Investigating the many ways in which HAVEN can be understood as noisy, a concept borrowed from Michel Serres, this article proposes that Newitt's work is at its most generative in its suggestion of a theory of (auto-)immunity that complicates contemporary discussions of privacy centred on visibility (Derrida, Foucault). Moving away from a model of surveillance, and drawing on the work of Philip E. Agre, this text seeks to understand the dynamics of power made visible in HAVEN with reference to the notion of capture. The article proposes that HAVEN's poetics are of interest both aesthetically and in terms of content as they examine a contemporary territorial logic of the Internet and its connections to empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a transient event-capturing circuit and adaptive PI control to monitor and improve the transient response of a superbuck converter. The transient event-capturing circuit is composed of coupling and capturing circuits. The coupling circuit converts the output voltage to the sensed voltage, whereas the DC and ripple components are eliminated. By counting the up-crossing and down-crossing numbers of the sensed voltage, the capturing circuit classifies the output voltage response into different transient events according to oscillation cycles. The transient events carry the stability information that can be used to adjust the bandwidth and phase margin. Finally, an adaptive PI controller is implemented with the proposed transient event-capturing circuit to improve the stability and transient response. Experimental results of the 100 W superbuck converter verify the effectiveness of the adaptive PI controller for improving the transient response and stability. The adaptive PI controller eliminates the oscillations due to deviated parameters and operating conditions. The maximum oscillation amplitude is reduced from 2 V to 400 mV at the reference voltage change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are nanoscale membrane-enclosed extracellular vesicles secreted by various cells, which have enormous potential as disease biomarkers for clinical application. However, the isolation and detection of exosomes remain enormous challenges, which limits their further application. Herein, inspired by immunomagnetic beads, a magnetic nanoparticle conjugated aptamer was repurposed for the effective capture and detection of exosomes. The magnetic nanoparticles, composed of Fe3O4 synthesized by the hydrothermal method as the core and coupled with gold nanoparticles (Fe3O4@Au), provide a large specific surface area, making the resulting composite material an effective platform for exosome capture. Furthermore, the elution of captured exosomes with 1.0 M NaCl made downstream analysis of exosomes possible. The preliminary clinical application value of the composite in exosome analyses of serum from healthy individuals and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has also been verified, which could provide a promising platform for biomedical and clinical diagnosis.

Trapping bears (Ursidae) with Aldrich leg snares has established itself as one of the most successful methods of trapping live animals with minimal injury. Most documented injuries are related to damage caused by the trap and prolonged exposure to it. Various physiological and behavioural responses have been observed, however self-eating of the toes of the captured foot has not been described so far. In November 2017 an adult male brown bear was caught with a standard Aldrich type leg snare. When the research team arrived, the bear teared off and swallowed phalanges of the first toe of its rear left foot before it could be sedated. The bear was measured and marked with GPS-GSM collar. Following the instalment of the collar, the animal was monitored for the duration of 23 months when the drop-off mechanism of the collar was activated. This rule out the possibility that a serious life threatening complications arised from the trauma.

The concept of building an orbital complex for operational interception of a target is proposed, including in its composition the method of ballistic construction of operational interception, recommendations to the design appearance of the Cartesian propulsion system of the autonomous docking module, functioning at the stage of close-in guidance during tether delivery from the upper stage to the target, at the stage of capture and transfer of the target to the disposal orbit as part of the rotating tether space system. As a criterion for selecting the Cartesian propulsion system design (fuel reserves, thrust of each chamber and their number, minimum change in the coordinates of the autonomous docking module center of mass over the entire interval of Cartesian propulsion system operation), the minimum mass of the autonomous docking module is taken. For comparison, two methods of constructing the ballistic scheme of target intercept are considered: the classical method, with the orbital complex entering the target orbit with zero relative velocities, and the method based on the use of rotating tether space system, with the orbital complex entering the target intercept orbit with velocities at the rendezvous point of up to 200 m/s.

When standard methods of human–elephant conflict mitigation are not successful, free-ranging wild elephants may continue to come into close contact with people. This results in more frequent and severe conflict, with consequences ranging from crop raiding to loss of human and elephant lives. Understandably, in such situations, local communities may want to be rid of entire herds of elephants. Historically, one of the strategies the Myanmar Government practiced to resolve human–elephant conflict was the capture of whole herds using the Kheddah system. This involved trapping the herd in a stockade, immediately followed by on-site post-capture taming. After taming, the captured elephants were utilized as logging elephants. Elephants worked in timber extraction, retired at age 55 years and were then cared for by the Government until they died. The capture of wild elephants by the Kheddah system was formally banned in Myanmar in 1985 but occasional, small-scale, captures were allowed until 2013 under the strict control of the Myanmar Government. These operations were aimed primarily at capturing elephants involved in human–elephant conflict, rather than to supplement the working elephant population. One of the last Kheddah operations, organized and managed by the author, was conducted in 1996 at the Taikkyi township of the Yangon Region, as a last resort to end human–elephant conflict in an emergency. While chemical immobilization was being used at this time, it was not logistically possible with the high numbers of elephants engaged in the conflict. This review aims to record the history of an activity that was an important element of Myanmar’s timber industry more than three decades ago. In this paper, the author presents a description of Kheddah not to endorse it, but to document (1) the Myanmar elephant population management strategy in the past, before it is forgotten, and (2) the practicality of the Kheddha operation when the singly selected commonly- used immobilization or noosing method of elephant capture is unfeasible. The author attempts to shed light on the modern veterinary procedures that may significantly reduce the notorious historical outcome of Kheddha, especially the resulting mortality of captured elephants, should the Kheddha system of capture ever be used as an emergency solution for ongoing problems of human–elephant conflict in the range states of Asia.

In this work, the roasting of an enargite mix was carried out in oxidative conditions. The temperature range of the study was 773–973 K. The mixture had a 4:6:6 molar ratio of enargite, magnetite and coal, respectively. The roasting was made in an open atmosphere. The time was 1 h for each isothermal test. The effect of temperature and weight loss were studied. The results indicate that the temperature affects the products. At 773–873 K, the copper phases were sulfates. When the temperature was increased to 973 K, all the present phases were oxidized, and no arsenic phase was encountered in the XRDs. Therefore, this process is an excellent alternative for roasting copper concentrates with enargite, removing arsenic in the gas phase and generating a calcine that could then go to lixiviation to finally recover the copper through electrowinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principle of transparency is widely accepted as a political response to concerns about the lack of pluralism and trust in journalism. With a multidimensional character, transparency in ownership is one of the most common legal requirements. The focus on media "owners" is not new, given the impact that ownership can have on the content produced. Ownership is therefore considered essential when assessing quality in journalism. In Portugal, media ownership is subject to transparency rules, requiring disclosing information about the corporate structure and financial data overseen by the Portuguese Regulatory Authority for the Media. There is no investigation into how Portuguese media companies comply with these regulations. However, analysing it could help us understand the challenges facing independent and pluralistic journalism. Thus, this study examines how the principle of media transparency is perceived in the Portuguese market, analysing non-compliance and objections to disclosing the required information. Based on the regulatory decisions, this analysis highlights the central role of scale in adapting to the new legal framework: non-compliance with declarations or requests for secrecy emanates mainly from smaller companies, especially those owning local media or specialised magazines. Financial information is also the most critical. This data points to economic weaknesses, which may raise concerns about the media's independence from external agents. On the other hand, the principle of visibility and transparency has not significantly impacted discussions on ownership concentration or media pluralism, indicating its insufficiency as the primary policy on media ownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel magnesium-tricalcium aluminate (Mg-C3A) was successfully prepared using Mg2+ as a doped ion via the solid reaction method for the co-removal of ammonium and phosphorus. Batch experiments showed that the removal ability of Mg-C3A for ammonium increased with increasing initial ammonium concentration, while the amount of phosphate was negligibly affected with amount of 20.2 mg.g-1. Kinetic results showed that the equilibrium contact time of both ions was 8 and 2 h, respectively, following a second-order kinetic model (R²>0.99). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the hydration of Mg-C3A to release Mg2+, Ca2+, Al3+ and OH played an important role in the removal of ammonium and phosphorus. At low ammonium concentration (200 mg L-1), ammonium was mainly combined with OH to produce NH3; phosphorus was removed via the interaction with Mg2+ or Al3+ to form ammonium-phosphate or magnesium-phosphate salts. At high ammonium concentrations (500 and 1 000 mg L-1)), the solid products transformed to the ammonium magnesium phosphate and calcium-ammonia-phosphorus bound precipitation. The preferred binding order of metal ions to ammonium and phosphate was as follows: Mg2+ Ca2+ and Al3+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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State-selective single-electron-capture in collisions of dressed and bare projectiles with helium atoms are investigated by means of the prior-version of the four-body formalism of the target continuum distorted-wave approximation with a long-range Coulomb effects arising from the relative motion of the scattering aggregates. Here, we choose H e 2 + and C 4 + ions as bare and dressed projectiles due to the availability of experimental data in the literature and impact energy varies from 10 to 600 keV/amu. For a dressed projectile, the passive electron plays the role of screening to the projectile nucleus. In the initial channel, the perturbation potential due to the interaction between the dressed projectile and the active electron(s), is approximated by a model potential that contains both the short-range and long-range parts. Coulomb continuum states of the active electron in the field of residual target ion as well as long-range Coulomb effects for the relative motion are incorporated in the final state wavefunction. State-selective total and projectile angular-differential cross sections for single-electron-capture have been calculated. Numerical results for state-selective total cross sections show good agreement with the available theoretical and experimental findings. Moreover, a prominent maxima and minima are observed in the projectile angular differential cross sections as impact energy decreases and its position moves to lower projectile scattering angle. Finally, the validity of the present model is critically assessed in comparison with the existing experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CO2 adsorption performance of nanoporous graphene depends on the pore size and type of nitrogen-containing functional groups (N-groups) introduced into the graphene structure. In this study, N-groups, such as amine, cyanide, and pyridine, were introduced into graphene with three different pore sizes to assess their CO2 adsorption performance. In particular, N-containing graphene with a pore size of 8.26 Å exhibited a high adsorption performance, which was attributed to the formation of additional hydrogen bonds between CO2 molecules and hydrogen atoms on the inner edges of the pore. Additionally, Lewis acid–base interactions between the nitrogen atom of the N-groups and carbon atoms of CO2 also contributed to the enhanced adsorption. The CO2 adsorption performance decreased in the order cyanide > amine > pyridine in this structure. The adsorption performances of the N-groups were different because the cyanide group lacked steric hindrance, while the amine and pyridine groups were affected by steric hindrance owing to the hydrogen atoms on the inner edge. CO2 adsorption performance decreased with increasing pore size. Additionally, adsorption approached that of the N-groups introduced on the outer edge because of the decreased effect of pores on CO2 adsorption and the morphological similarities of hydrogen atoms between the inner and outer edges. The findings of this study underscore the importance of introducing N-groups into the inner edges of nanoporous graphene with appropriately sized pores for effective CO2 adsorption and offer valuable insights into the development of efficient systems for capturing and storing CO2 using nanoporous graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive alien species (IAS), including aquatic invasive alien rodents (AIAR), cause extensive damage to ecosystems with significant economic, human health, and environmental concerns. In France, AIAR populations are well established, and a permanent control programme has been set up in several areas to reduce their impact. While some studies have reported the results of AIAR control activities, detailed information on current management strategies and how control activities are implemented in the field is lacking. This study evaluates the implementation of the management plan and control activities of AIAR in France regarding (i) problem definition, feasibility and objectives, (ii) planning from action plan, organization, funding and methods, (iii) field implementation from spatial prioritisation and personnel and (iv) monitoring and evaluation. Our study reveals that in France, (i) local and regional institutions mainly manage control activities primarily through volunteers and (ii) national and regional management plans on AIAR controls are missing. We elaborate on several actions that can help local and regional entities in improving their control programme, including zonation for priority actions, development of performance indicators of control activities, engagement of volunteers, and scientific monitoring of AIAR populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MRI has a rapidly growing role in radiation therapy (RT) for treatment planning, real‐time image guidance, and beam gating (e.g., MRI‐Linac). Free‐breathing 4D‐MRI is desirable in respiratory motion management for therapy. Moreover, high‐quality 3D‐MRIs without motion artifacts are needed to delineate lesions. Existing MRI methods require multiple scans with lengthy acquisition times or are limited by low spatial resolution, contrast, and signal‐to‐noise ratio. Purpose: We developed a novel method to obtain motion‐resolved 4D‐MRIs and motion‐integrated 3D‐MRI reconstruction using a single rapid (35‐45 s scan on a 0.35 T MRI‐Linac. Methods: Golden‐angle radial stack‐of‐stars MRI scans were acquired from a respiratory motion phantom and 12 healthy volunteers (n = 12) on a 0.35 T MRI‐Linac. A self‐navigated method was employed to detect respiratory motion using 2000 (acquisition time = 5–7 min) and the first 200 spokes (acquisition time = 35–45 s). Multi‐coil non‐uniform fast Fourier transform (MCNUFFT), compressed sensing (CS), and deep‐learning Phase2Phase (P2P) methods were employed to reconstruct motion‐resolved 4D‐MRI using 2000 spokes (MCNUFFT2000) and 200 spokes (CS200 and P2P200). Deformable motion vector fields (MVFs) were computed from the 4D‐MRIs and used to reconstruct motion‐corrected 3D‐MRIs with the MOtion Transformation Integrated forward‐Fourier (MOTIF) method. Image quality was evaluated quantitatively using the structural similarity index measure (SSIM) and the root mean square error (RMSE), and qualitatively in a blinded radiological review. Results: Evaluation using the respiratory motion phantom experiment showed that the proposed method reversed the effects of motion blurring and restored edge sharpness. In the human study, P2P200 had smaller inaccuracy in MVFs estimation than CS200. P2P200 had significantly greater SSIMs (p < 0.0001) and smaller RMSEs (p < 0.001) than CS200 in motion‐resolved 4D‐MRI and motion‐corrected 3D‐MRI. The radiological review found that MOTIF 3D‐MRIs using MCNUFFT2000 exhibited the highest image quality (scoring > 8 out of 10), followed by P2P200 (scoring > 5 out of 10), and then motion‐uncorrected (scoring < 3 out of 10) in sharpness, contrast, and artifact‐freeness. Conclusions: We have successfully demonstrated a method for respiratory motion management for MRI‐guided RT. The method integrated self‐navigated respiratory motion detection, deep‐learning P2P 4D‐MRI reconstruction, and a motion integrated reconstruction (MOTIF) for 3D‐MRI using a single rapid MRI scan (35‐45 s) on a 0.35 T MRI‐Linac system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leukocyte profile parameters are often used as indicators of individual condition, long-term stress and immune system state in birds and other animals. Therefore, it is important to obtain baseline values of leukocyte profile parameters unaffected by stressful stimuli, including capture and handling. However, information about the timing of stress-induced changes in the leukocyte profile has been obtained only for a limited number of species, and there is little data on how various factors (e.g. environmental stimuli, life-history stage or age) affect these changes. In our study, we examined the dynamics of changes in leukocyte profiles following capture in male Great Tits (Parus major), and tested the effect of age on these dynamics. The numbers of lymphocytes, heterophils and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (HL ratio) began to change between 30 and 60 min after capture, while significant changes in the total white blood cell (WBC) counts appeared later, 60–90 min after capture. Eosinophil numbers were stable within 90 min of capture. We did not observe an effect of age on the timing of stress-induced changes in the leukocyte profile. Overall, our results corroborate previous data obtained from Great Tits but disagree with data for some other avian species. We assume that the dynamics of leukocyte profile changes are likely to be species-specific. We conclude that to obtain baseline values of leukocyte profile parameters, blood samples should be preferably taken within 30 min after capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim is to develop a suitable organic amine solution for the removal of CO2. Methods The CO2 absorption/desorption performance of piperazine-based organic amine solutions were investigated using PZ, 1MPZ, HEP and AEP as absorbers. Results The CO2 absorption performance of the PZ solution and AEP solution was superior than that of the 1MPZ solution and HEP solution obviously, but the desorption effeciency of the two solutions was relatively low, which was not beneficial to the circulation of organic amine solutions. Although the desorption effeciency of 1MPZ solution was more than 85.00%, its volatility led to a considerable reduction in the CO2 circular absorption capacity, which limited industrial application. While the desorption effeciency of the HEP solution was about 90.00%, and the variation range of both CO2 absorption capacity and desorption effeciency was lower than 1% after 4 cycles of the absorption/desorption experiments. Conclusions The HEP solution has excellent stability, so it is more suitable for the industrial CO2 capture process, and has a great application prospect.  [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of floral budbreak in apple has a significant effect on fruit production and quality. Budbreak occurs as a result of a complex molecular mechanism that relies on accurate integration of external environmental cues, principally temperature. In the pursuit of understanding this mechanism, especially with respect to aiding adaptation to climate change, a QTL at the top of linkage group (LG) 9 has been identified by many studies on budbreak, but the genes underlying it remain elusive. Here, together with a dessert apple core collection of 239 cultivars, we used a targeted capture sequencing approach to increase SNP resolution in apple orthologues of known or suspected A. thaliana flowering time-related genes, as well as approximately 200 genes within the LG9 QTL interval. This increased the 275 223 SNP Axiom® Apple 480 K array dataset by an additional 40 857 markers. Robust GWAS analyses identified MdPRX10, a peroxidase superfamily gene, as a strong candidate that demonstrated a dormancy-related expression pattern and down-regulation in response to chilling. In-silico analyses also predicted the residue change resulting from the SNP allele associated with late budbreak could alter protein conformation and likely function. Late budbreak cultivars homozygous for this SNP allele also showed significantly up-regulated expression of C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (CBF) genes, which are involved in cold tolerance and perception, compared to reference cultivars, such as Gala. Taken together, these results indicate a role for MdPRX10 in budbreak, potentially via redox-mediated signaling and CBF gene regulation. Moving forward, this provides a focus for developing our understanding of the effects of temperature on flowering time and how redox processes may influence integration of external cues in dormancy pathways.

This editorial discusses the topic of prey-predator interactions and highlights three specific articles that delve into different aspects of this research area. The first article focuses on the predatory behavior of the semiterrestrial crab Neohelice granulata and suggests that having both eyes available is important for initiating predatory behavior in crabs. The second article examines the extension of squid tentacles during prey capture and finds that the timing of muscular contraction has a relatively small effect on tentacle extension, indicating a robust control mechanism. These articles contribute to our understanding of the evolution and adaptation of traits in organisms due to prey-predator interactions. [Extracted from the article]

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a type of cancer cell that spreads from the main tumor to the bloodstream, and they are often the most important among the various entities that can be isolated from the blood. For the diagnosis of cancer, conventional biopsies are often invasive and unreliable, whereas a liquid biopsy, which isolates the affected item from blood or lymph fluid, is a less invasive and effective diagnostic technique. Microfluidic technologies offer a suitable channel for conducting liquid biopsies, and this technology is utilized to extract CTCs in a microfluidic chip by physical and bio-affinity-based techniques. This effort uses functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in a unique microfluidic chip to collect CTCs using a hybrid (physical and bio-affinity-based/guided magnetic) capturing approach with a high capture rate. Accordingly, folic acid-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles have been used to capture MCF-7 (breast cancer) CTCs with capture efficiencies reaching up to 95% at a 10 µL/min flow rate. Moreover, studies have been conducted to support this claim, including simulation and biomimetic investigations.

In the context of the current trend, today we are focused on low-carbon energy, so the question of carbon dioxide utilization is very important. Underground storage of carbon dioxide is an important part of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects and a key technology to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. There are currently many carbon dioxide capture projects around the world, but each project has its own specifics. The article discusses the features of carbon dioxide capture in natural geological reservoirs and the principles of carbon dioxide retention in them. An example of some Carbon Capture in a natural geological reservoirs projects are given. The choice of a natural reservoir, the development of a technology for its identification and justification criteria are of key importance for the environmentally sustainable capture of carbon dioxide.