Structure and Crystallization of High-Calcium, CMAS Glass Ceramics Synthesized with a High Content of Slag

In this work, more than 70 wt % of ferromanganese slag (containing 40 wt % CaO) was used to synthesize high-calcium, CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (CMAS) glass ceramics. The effect of SiO2/CaO on the structure, crystallization behavior and microstructure of high-calcium, CMAS, slag glass ceramics was studied by IR, NMR, DSC, XRD and SEM. The results showed that in the high-calcium, CMAS glass ceramics, the main existing forms of silicon–oxygen tetrahedra (Qn) were Q0 and Q1. With the increase in the SiO2/CaO, Qn changed from Q0 and Q1 (main units) to Q1 (main units) and Q2, and then to Q1 and Q2 (main units). The polymerization degree of Qn changed from low to high, making the glass more stable, which led to the increase in crystallization temperature and the decrease in crystallization kinetic constant (k) and frequency factor (υ). At the same time, the change in the Qn structure resulted in a gradual change to the main crystal, from akermanite to diopside–wollastonite.

Long-Distance Pipe Jacking in Complex Urban Geological Environment

A steel underground pipeline with a diameter of 2.4 m and a total length of 3,617 m (plate thickness of 26 mm) has been constructed in a city in central Hubei, and the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) project has been lifted from the upstream channel to supplement water to the downstream lake inside the city. Through preliminary geological survey data, site topographic and geomorphic survey, urban construction, as well as the requirements of the construction party, the preliminary arrangement of working wells and receiving wells as well as the selection and customization of pipe jacking machines have been proposed. Frequency conversion motor and remote monitoring technology are adopted for geotechnical change and long-distance pipe jacking. Through detailed survey, the rock and soil change section as well as gradual change conditions have been determined, the accuracy of construction mechanics calculation and construction operation control have improved, the basis and analysis basis are provided, and some experiences in construction operation are summarized.

Calcium/Calmodulin-Mediated Defense Signaling: What Is Looming on the Horizon for AtSR1/CAMTA3-Mediated Signaling in Plant Immunity

Calcium (Ca2+) signaling in plant cells is an essential and early event during plant-microbe interactions. The recognition of microbe-derived molecules activates Ca2+ channels or Ca2+ pumps that trigger a transient increase in Ca2+ in the cytoplasm. The Ca2+ binding proteins (such as CBL, CPK, CaM, and CML), known as Ca2+ sensors, relay the Ca2+ signal into down-stream signaling events, e.g., activating transcription factors in the nucleus. For example, CaM and CML decode the Ca2+ signals to the CaM/CML-binding protein, especially CaM-binding transcription factors (AtSRs/CAMTAs), to induce the expressions of immune-related genes. In this review, we discuss the recent breakthroughs in down-stream Ca2+ signaling as a dynamic process, subjected to continuous variation and gradual change. AtSR1/CAMTA3 is a CaM-mediated transcription factor that represses plant immunity in non-stressful environments. Stress-triggered Ca2+ spikes impact the Ca2+-CaM-AtSR1 complex to control plant immune response. We also discuss other regulatory mechanisms in which Ca2+ signaling activates CPKs and MAPKs cascades followed by regulating the function of AtSR1 by changing its stability, phosphorylation status, and subcellular localization during plant defense.

Exploring Yak (Bos grunniens) Rumen Bacterial and Fungal Communities from 5 Days after Birth to Adulthood

The gut microbial community of mammals, especially ruminants, plays an important role at different ages of the host. Ruminants have a unique compartment in their digestive tract; the rumen, comprising microorganisms that can effectively decompose plant fibers for the host to transform into milk and for growth and development, which is important for meat production. Colonization of rumen microorganisms is closely related to host developmental stage and affects host performance production. There is little information regarding initial colonization and subsequent changes of the rumen microbial population in wild grazing animals, from birth to adulthood. This study investigated the rumen bacterial and fungal populations of grazing yaks in five experimental groups, ranging from a few days after birth to adulthood using amplicon sequencing. Results indicated that rumen microbial communities of these yaks undergo a gradual change from 5 to 180 days after birth, with the bacterial and fungal diversity stabilizing at the age of 2 years. Additionally, Ruminococcus was detected in 5-day-old yak rumens, with a high percentage of Penicillium and other microbial species are important for normal rumen function detected in the adult rumen. The changes to the yak rumen microbial community after birth were reflected in the increased anaerobic fiber degradation group, and decreased aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria. Microbial diversity and abundance in the yak rumen increased with age. Rumen microbial composition of 6-month and 2-year-old yaks had obvious homogeneity. There were some differences in dominant rumen microorganisms among the different age groups. Further studies are required to confirm the functions of these differential and dominant microorganisms in each age group.

Green Synthesis, Characterization and Antibacterial Activity of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Using Annona muricata Stem Extract

Nanotechnology is a rising field of science and technology that deals with the particles having size in the range of 1 to 100 nm. Copper oxide nanoparticles has many properties like antifungal activity, antibacterial activity, optical properties, conductive properties, etc. Due to its demand of diversified use, copper oxide nanoparticles were fabricated using ecofriendly and non-toxic Annona muricata stem extract. The extract with copper sulphate pentahydrate showed gradual change in the colour of the extract from brown to green which indicates the CuO nanoparticles synthesis. The fabrication is followed by characterization of CuO nanoparticles using UV-vis spectroscope, FTIR, XRD and SEM. The characterization showed roughly spherical shaped nanoparticles in the range of 100nm with high crystalline monoclinic phase. FTIR absorption spectra conclude that the compounds attached with copper oxide nanoparticles could be polyphenols with aromatic ring. The CuO nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity; it showed the maximum activity against E.coli (18 mm). Keywords: Annona muricata, copper sulphate pentahydrate, FTIR, nanomaterials, SEM, XRD.

Composite microbialites: Thrombolite, dendrolite, and stromatolite associations in a modern environment, Pozo Bravo lake, Salar de Antofalla, Catamarca Puna, Argentina

ABSTRACT Pozo Bravo is a high-altitude Andean lake that harbors modern microbialites thriving in hypersaline conditions in the Salar de Antofalla, one of the driest sites on Earth and located in the Puna region of Catamarca, northwest Argentine. Due to the lake physiography, microbialites are restricted to a narrow belt following Pozo Bravo lake variations. Microbialites exhibit a wide range of external morphologies including domal, discoidal, tabular, and horseshoe-like bioherms which vary considerably in size, as well as large biostromal terraces. As documented by other studies on modern microbialites, external morphology appears to be mainly the product of the environmental setting. In Pozo Bravo lake, high evaporation rates and hypersalinity (driven by high temperature and strong winds), water-level fluctuations, and lake-bottom topography are major controlling factors. The distinctive feature of Pozo Bravo microbialites is their internal structure, showing a gradual transition from a thrombolitic core to dendrolitic structures and to a sharply overlying stromatolitic layer within a single microbialite. We suggest that these various microbialite textures represent a gradual change within an environmental gradient based on lake-level variations, and the influence of these environmental factors on biological activity, mainly by cyanobacteria and diatoms. The study of this site is particularly relevant given that it represents an active system where progressive changes in microbialite type (from thrombolites to dendrolites and stromatolites) are recorded, providing an excellent natural laboratory to study these textural changes from a mechanistic perspective, and it may provide insights for better understanding of the microbialite geological record. In addition, given that these systems are threatened by human activities (mining of lithium-rich brines), its study and preservation are necessary.

How Did Seal Lice Turn into the Only Truly Marine Insects?

Insects are the most evolutionarily and ecologically successful group of living animals, being present in almost all possible mainland habitats; however, they are virtually absent in the ocean, which constitutes more than 99% of the Earth’s biosphere. Only a few insect species can be found in the sea but they remain at the surface, in salt marshes, estuaries, or shallow waters. Remarkably, a group of 13 species manages to endure long immersion periods in the open sea, as well as deep dives, i.e., seal lice. Sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura) are ectoparasites of mammals, living while attached to the hosts’ skin, into their fur, or among their hairs. Among them, the family Echinophthiriidae is peculiar because it infests amphibious hosts, such as pinnipeds and otters, who make deep dives and spend from weeks to months in the open sea. During the evolutionary transition of pinnipeds from land to the ocean, echinophthiriid lice had to manage the gradual change to an amphibian lifestyle along with their hosts, some of which may spend more than 80% of the time submerged and performing extreme dives, some beyond 2000 m under the surface. These obligate and permanent ectoparasites have adapted to cope with hypoxia, high salinity, low temperature, and, in particular, conditions of huge hydrostatic pressures. We will discuss some of these adaptations allowing seal lice to cope with their hosts’ amphibious habits and how they can help us understand why insects are so rare in the ocean.

ON THE ESSENCE OF EVIDENCE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE USE OF NEW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN CIVIL PROCEDURAL ACTIVITIES

In this article, taking into account the historical aspect, an analysis of the immanent content of such a key category as “evidence” in civil procedure is given. A gradual change in theoretical and practical points of view on the essence of judicial evidence is revealed: from a simple indication that it should be understood as a fact that convinces the justice body of the rightness of the side of a legal incident (I. Vladislavlev and others); before argumentation – proof is a dialectical trinity of content, form and procedural method of obtaining and researching legally significant information (M.K. Treushnikov and others). In the aspect of the ongoing dynamic digital transformation of public relations, the question of what essentially constitutes electronic evidence, whether it should be allocated as an independent category, or whether it is covered by means of evidence already existing in the law, is being studied. Taking into account international and Russian experience, additional arguments are presented in favor of the fact that electronic evidence can be successfully used in the consideration and resolution of civil and administrative cases by courts, regardless of their autonomous consolidation in the current procedural legislation, along with written, material and other traditional means of proof. This is explained by the fact that by themselves electronic evidence fully meets the basic criteria that characterize any evidence in modern civil procedure.

The Concept of the Patient’s Autonomy: From the Vaults of Civil Law

The concept of patient’s rights itself was fairly known before the last four or five decades, and medical malpractice of all kinds made the aggrieved party to seek redress at a court; but no special legislation, apart from rare exceptions, has ever existed to anchor the patient’s rights before the late 20th century. In the civil law tradition of the 20th century, especially its earlier decades, doctors could be held criminally or civilly liable for a wide variety of malpractice, including unauthorised medical intervention or divulgation of patient’s information, though such provisions did not develop actual rights, were quite general in their nature, and were individually assessed by the courts in each case. Within in the gradual change in the doctrines of medical law, the term “autonomy”, shaping the patient’s right to decide what medical interventions could or could not be performed upon his body, intervened into the existing legal scholarship, which was later augmented with various issues, such as access to medical records of the patient, refusal of blood transfusion, participation in medical experiments, deciding upon end-of-life situations or relating to various reproductive law considerations, not always permitted by national law. Many of these rights are much older than the concept of patient’s autonomy themselves, and have developed in the case law which itself has originated from lawsuits against doctors and hospitals for acts, being nearly obscure in the existing legal doctrine, such as unauthorised medical experiments. The given paper is aimed to discuss the academic development and overall gist of the patient’s right to autonomy, as well as some of its early interpretations in civil law doctrine. Keywords: patient’s rights, medical malpractice, theory of law, medical law, patient autonomy, civil law.

Development of Co-Rich Microwires with Graded Magnetic Anisotropy

In this paper, a gradual change in the hysteresis loop of Co-rich glass-coated microwire stress-annealed at variable temperature is observed. Such microwires annealed with a temperature gradient also present a variable squareness ratio and magnetic anisotropy field along the microwire’s length. The obtained graded anisotropy has been attributed to a gradual modification of the domain structure along the microwire originated by a counterbalance between shape, magnetoelastic, and induced magnetic anisotropies. Accordingly, we propose a rather simple route to design graded magnetic anisotropy in a magnetic microwire.