scholarly journals By-product metals are technologically essential but have problematic supply

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. e1400180 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. T. Nassar ◽  
T. E. Graedel ◽  
E. M. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Metal Availability ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
By Products

The growth in technological innovation that has occurred over the past decades has, in part, been possible because an increasing number of metals of the periodic table are used to perform specialized functions. However, there have been increasing concerns regarding the reliability of supply of some of these metals. A main contributor to these concerns is the fact that many of these metals are recovered only as by-products from a limited number of geopolitically concentrated ore deposits, rendering their supplies unable to respond to rapid changes in demand. Companionality is the degree to which a metal is obtained largely or entirely as a by-product of one or more host metals from geologic ores. The dependence of companion metal availability on the production of the host metals introduces a new facet of supply risk to modern technology. We evaluated companionality for 62 different metals and metalloids, and show that 61% (38 of 62) have companionality greater than 50%. Eighteen of the 38—including such technologically essential elements as germanium, terbium, and dysprosium—are further characterized as having geopolitically concentrated production and extremely low rates of end-of-life recycling. It is this subset of companion metals—vital in current technologies such as electronics, solar energy, medical imaging, energy-efficient lighting, and other state-of-the-art products—that may be at the greatest risk of supply constraints in the coming decades.

Exoskeletons

2019 ◽  
pp. 234-259
Author(s):  
Priyanshu Agarwal ◽  
Ashish D. Deshpande
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Laboratory Testing ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Human Use ◽  
Exoskeleton Design

The past few decades have witnessed a rapid explosion in research surrounding robotic exoskeletons due to their promising applications in medicine and human performance augmentation. Several advances in technology have led to the development of more energy efficient and viable prototypes of these devices. However, despite this rapid advancement in exoskeleton technology, most of the developed devices are limited to laboratory testing and a very few of them are commercially available for human use. This chapter discusses the advances in various constituting technologies including actuation, sensing, materials, and controls that made exoskeleton research feasible. Also presented are case studies on two state-of-the-art robotic exoskeletons, Harmony and Maestro, developed for rehabilitation of the upper body. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the ongoing challenges in exoskeleton design and ethical, social, and legal considerations related to the use of these devices and the future of exoskeletons.

scholarly journals Status of the Reactive Extraction as a Method of Separation

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipaloy Datta ◽  
Sushil Kumar ◽  
Hasan Uslu
Keyword(s):  
Carboxylic Acids ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Reactive Extraction ◽  
The Past ◽  
Efficient Fermentation ◽  
Fermentation Broths ◽  
Fermentation Technology ◽  
Recovery Methods

The prospective function of a novel energy efficient fermentation technology has been getting great attention in the past fifty years due to the quick raise in petroleum costs. Fermentation chemicals are still limited in the modern market in huge part because of trouble in recovery of carboxylic acids. Therefore, it is needed considerable development in the current recovery technology. Carboxylic acids have been used as the majority of fermentation chemicals. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review on the reactive extraction of carboxylic acids from fermentation broths. This paper principally focuses on reactive extraction that is found to be a capable option to the proper recovery methods.

A Macintosh Interface for the Cameca Camebax-Micro Electron Microprobe

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 438-439
Author(s):  
Carl E. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microprobe ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Word Processing ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Computer Control ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Disk Storage ◽  
The Past ◽  
User Facility ◽  
Instrument Control

Over the past few years it has become apparent in our multi-user facility that the computer system and software supplied in 1985 with our CAMECA CAMEBAX-MICRO electron microprobe analyzer has the greatest potential for improvement and updating of any component of the instrument. While the standard CAMECA software running on a DEC PDP-11/23+ computer under the RSX-11M operating system can perform almost any task required of the instrument, the commands are not always intuitive and can be difficult to remember for the casual user (of which our laboratory has many). Given the widespread and growing use of other microcomputers (such as PC’s and Macintoshes) by users of the microprobe, the PDP has become the “oddball” and has also fallen behind the state-of-the-art in terms of processing speed and disk storage capabilities. Upgrade paths within products available from DEC are considered to be too expensive for the benefits received. After using a Macintosh for other tasks in the laboratory, such as instrument use and billing records, word processing, and graphics display, its unique and “friendly” user interface suggested an easier-to-use system for computer control of the electron microprobe automation. Specifically a Macintosh IIx was chosen for its capacity for third-party add-on cards used in instrument control.

scholarly journals Teaching Science in Today’s Society: The Case of Particle Physics for Primary Schools

Universe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Cristina Lazzeroni ◽  
Sandra Malvezzi ◽  
Andrea Quadri
Keyword(s):  
Particle Physics ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Ongoing Project

The rapid changes in science and technology witnessed in recent decades have significantly contributed to the arousal of the awareness by decision-makers and the public as a whole of the need to strengthen the connection between outreach activities of universities and research institutes and the activities of educational institutions, with a central role played by schools. While the relevance of the problem is nowadays unquestioned, no unique and fully satisfactory solution has been identified. In the present paper we would like to contribute to the discussion on the subject by reporting on an ongoing project aimed to teach Particle Physics in primary schools. We will start from the past and currently planned activities in this project in order to establish a broader framework to describe the conditions for the fruitful interplay between researchers and teachers. We will also emphasize some aspects related to the dissemination of outreach materials by research institutions, in order to promote the access and distribution of scientific information in a way suited to the different age of the target students.

scholarly journals Wooden Buildings in Market Squares of Polish Small Towns: Bielsk Podlaski and Kleszczele—The Issue of Preserving and Restoring Historical Values of Market Spaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6779
Author(s):  
Aleksander Owerczuk
Keyword(s):  
Small Towns ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Individual Market ◽  
The Moment

In the past centuries, small towns in Podlaskie Voivodeship were dominated by wooden buildings. Nowadays, there are not many of them left. However, they can still be found in the centers of towns, including some market squares. These are often inconspicuous objects, mainly wooden houses. This paper discusses the issue of the significance of wooden buildings, especially houses, in maintaining and restoring historic values of market spaces in small towns of Podlaskie Voivodeship in the examples of Bielsk Podlaski and Kleszczele. The research determined the moment of rapid changes, during which most marketplace buildings lost their historic form. The existing condition was analyzed in terms of its historical values. Conclusions were formulated on the scope and type of restoration works for individual market squares. Finally, general conclusions from the research on the market squares of Bielsk Podlaski and Kleszczele were presented.

scholarly journals Inflammation, epigenetics, and metabolism converge to cell senescence and ageing: the regulation and intervention

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xudong Zhu ◽  
Zhiyang Chen ◽  
Weiyan Shen ◽  
Gang Huang ◽  
John M. Sedivy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Cellular Response ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Cell Senescence ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Cell Fate Decision ◽  
The Past ◽  
Fate Decision ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Remarkable Progress

AbstractRemarkable progress in ageing research has been achieved over the past decades. General perceptions and experimental evidence pinpoint that the decline of physical function often initiates by cell senescence and organ ageing. Epigenetic dynamics and immunometabolic reprogramming link to the alterations of cellular response to intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli, representing current hotspots as they not only (re-)shape the individual cell identity, but also involve in cell fate decision. This review focuses on the present findings and emerging concepts in epigenetic, inflammatory, and metabolic regulations and the consequences of the ageing process. Potential therapeutic interventions targeting cell senescence and regulatory mechanisms, using state-of-the-art techniques are also discussed.

scholarly journals Security assurance cases—state of the art of an emerging approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazen Mohamad ◽  
Jan-Philipp Steghöfer ◽  
Riccardo Scandariato
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Tool Support ◽  
Security Assurance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Structured Argumentation ◽  
Security Properties ◽  
Standards And Regulations ◽  
Assurance Cases ◽  
Security Standards

AbstractSecurity Assurance Cases (SAC) are a form of structured argumentation used to reason about the security properties of a system. After the successful adoption of assurance cases for safety, SAC are getting significant traction in recent years, especially in safety-critical industries (e.g., automotive), where there is an increasing pressure to be compliant with several security standards and regulations. Accordingly, research in the field of SAC has flourished in the past decade, with different approaches being investigated. In an effort to systematize this active field of research, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of the existing academic studies on SAC. Our review resulted in an in-depth analysis and comparison of 51 papers. Our results indicate that, while there are numerous papers discussing the importance of SAC and their usage scenarios, the literature is still immature with respect to concrete support for practitioners on how to build and maintain a SAC. More importantly, even though some methodologies are available, their validation and tool support is still lacking.

scholarly journals The state of the art in soybean transcriptomics resources and gene coexpression networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabricio Almeida-Silva ◽  
Kanhu C Moharana ◽  
Thiago M Venancio
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
The State ◽  
Gene Coexpression Network ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Transcriptomic Data ◽  
The Past ◽  
Gene Coexpression ◽  
Genomics Research ◽  
Public Repositories ◽  
Coexpression Networks

Abstract In the past decade, over 3000 samples of soybean transcriptomic data have accumulated in public repositories. Here, we review the state of the art in soybean transcriptomics, highlighting the major microarray and RNA-seq studies that investigated soybean transcriptional programs in different tissues and conditions. Further, we propose approaches for integrating such big data using gene coexpression network and outline important web resources that may facilitate soybean data acquisition and analysis, contributing to the acceleration of soybean breeding and functional genomics research.

scholarly journals The complex relationship between viruses and inflammatory bowel disease – review and practical advices for the daily clinical decision-making during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 175628482098819
Author(s):  
Klaudia Farkas ◽  
Daniella Pigniczki ◽  
Mariann Rutka ◽  
Kata Judit Szántó ◽  
Tamás Resál ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽  
Bowel Disease ◽  
Patient Management ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
Practical Recommendations

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak emerged in December 2019 in China and rapidly spread worldwide. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are likely to be more susceptible to viral infections, and this is significantly influenced by the type of therapy they receive. Thus, issues specifically concerning the medical treatment of IBD patients were shortly addressed at the beginning of the pandemic. However, recently available data on the occurrence and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in IBD patients does not address the concerns raised at the beginning of the pandemic. Growing evidence and the rapid changes happening over the past few weeks have helped elucidate the current situation, contribute to our understanding of the disease, and many previously raised questions could now be answered. We hereby summarise available evidence regarding viral infections and IBD, focusing on SARS-CoV infections, and we provide practical recommendations related to patient management during the COVID-19 pandemic era.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document