Currently, the ICT put at our disposal is increasingly more powerful tools that can help increase citizen participation, transparency, and legitimacy in decision-making. We understand that these participation tools ca...Currently, the ICT put at our disposal is increasingly more powerful tools that can help increase citizen participation, transparency, and legitimacy in decision-making. We understand that these participation tools can break down into a set of tasks. In this dissertation, we review some of these tasks and how we can integrate them into a series of processes in public higher education institutions. By establishing the tasks, we can set up an online architecture for electronic participation and support for decision-making within the university community. One of the consolidated database architectures we have used for this study is MyUniversity-URJC. This proposal is achievable by utilizing the Universities’ technological infrastructure and, mainly, the digital culture of its users.展开更多
Two-dimensional(2D)membrane-based ion separation technology has been increasingly explored to address the problem of lithium resource shortage,yet it remains a sound challenge to design 2D membranes of high selectivit...Two-dimensional(2D)membrane-based ion separation technology has been increasingly explored to address the problem of lithium resource shortage,yet it remains a sound challenge to design 2D membranes of high selectivity and permeability for ion separation applications.Zeolitic imidazolate framework functionalized modified layered double hydroxide(ZIF-8@MLDH)composite membranes with high lithium-ion(Li^(+)) permeability and excellent operational stability were obtained in this work by in situ depositing functional ZIF-8 nanoparticles into the nanopores acting as framework defects in MLDH membranes.The defect-rich framework amplified the permeability of Li^(+),and the site-selective growth of ZIF-8 in the framework defects bettered its selectivity.Specifically speaking,the ZIF-8@MLDH membranes featured a high permeation rate of Li^(+) up to 1.73 mol m^(−2) h^(−1) and a desirable selectiv-ity of Li^(+)/Mg^(2+) up to 31.9.Simulations supported that the simultaneously enhanced selectivity and permeability of Li+are attributed to changes in the type of mass transfer channels and the difference in the dehydration capacity of hydrated metal cations when they pass through nanochannels of ZIF-8.This study will inspire the ongoing research of high-performance 2D membranes through the engineering of defects.展开更多
Inappropriate management of municipal solid waste dumpsites is a major cause of groundwater contamination in developing countries,but the extent of the problem is not known.This study investigated groundwater quality ...Inappropriate management of municipal solid waste dumpsites is a major cause of groundwater contamination in developing countries,but the extent of the problem is not known.This study investigated groundwater quality in the vicinity of Olusosun dumpsite in Lagos,Nigeria,the most populous city in sub-Saharan Africa.During 2020,monthly groundwater samples were collected in 17 wells and boreholes used as drinking water sources,and analysed for 20 physico-chemical parameters.Differences between sites and seasons were statistically assessed,together with changes in water quality index(WQI).The results indicated that heavy metals(Pb^(2+),Ni^(+),Mn^(2+),Fe^(2+),Cr^(6+)),cations(Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+),K^(+)),total hardness and pH were the main parameters impairing water quality.Drinking water quality standards from both the World Health Organization and Nigeria government were exceeded more often in the wet season than in the dry season.Some groundwater properties were negatively correlated with distance to dumpsite(e.g.,Fe^(2+),Pb^(2+),NO_(3)^(−)).Significant differences between sites were identified,but with no clear spatial trend.WQI varied from excellent(6%-24%of the sites over the study period)to unsuitable for drinking water purposes(12%-18%),with good quality prevailing at most sites(35%-47%).Although groundwater quality declined at 24%of the sites over 2020,the results indicated improvements compared with previous decades.Remediation strategies must be implemented to safeguard public health and the sustainability of water resources.展开更多
The aim of this study was to correlate plumage variation with the amount of genomic hybrid content in hybrids between Azure Tits Cyanistes cyanus(Pallas,1770)and European Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus(Linnaeus,1758),by...The aim of this study was to correlate plumage variation with the amount of genomic hybrid content in hybrids between Azure Tits Cyanistes cyanus(Pallas,1770)and European Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus(Linnaeus,1758),by re-sequencing the genomes of museum specimens of non-hybrids and presumed hybrids with varying plumages.The project was funded by crowdsourcing and initiated when two presumed Azure Tits,observed by hundreds of Swedish birdwatchers,were rejected as hybrids based on minor plumage deviations assumed to indicate hybrid contents from the European Blue Tit.The results confirm that hybrids with intermediate plumages,so called Pleske’s Tits,are first generation hybrids(F1 hybrids).Individuals,whose plumages are similar to Azure Tits,but assessed as hybrids based on minor plumage deviations,are all backcrosses but vary in their degree of hybrid content.However,some individuals morphologically recognized as pure Azure Tits expressed similar degrees of hybrid content.The results indicate that:(1)hybrid content may be widespread in Azure Tits in the western part of its habitat distribution;(2)plumage deviation in backcrosses is not linearly correlated with the genetic degree of hybrid origin;and(3)all Azure Tits observed in Europe outside its natural distribution may have some degree of hybrid origin.We therefore suggest that it is very difficult to phenotypically single out hybrids beyond first generation backcrosses.We argue that decreased sequencing costs and improved analytical tools open the doors for museomic crowd-sourced projects that may not address outstanding biological questions but have a major interest for lay citizens such as birdwatchers.展开更多
A problem in chemical analysis in connection with measurements of a substance normally occurring in a sample, or identification of a substance which should not exist in a sample, is insufficient selectivity. In this a...A problem in chemical analysis in connection with measurements of a substance normally occurring in a sample, or identification of a substance which should not exist in a sample, is insufficient selectivity. In this article, we analyze this problem and propose remedies. We use a real doping case to illustrate how chemical noise causes a serious selectivity problem, probably causing a false positive outcome.展开更多
采用900 e V能量的电子对直玻璃管进行了穿透实验,测量了玻璃管在倾角为–0.15°,–0.4°和–1.15°时充电过程角分布的时间演化,以及平衡态下出射电子能谱.发现穿透率随时间先下降后上升最后趋于平稳,下降的时间随倾角的...采用900 e V能量的电子对直玻璃管进行了穿透实验,测量了玻璃管在倾角为–0.15°,–0.4°和–1.15°时充电过程角分布的时间演化,以及平衡态下出射电子能谱.发现穿透率随时间先下降后上升最后趋于平稳,下降的时间随倾角的增大而减小.当倾角为–0.4°和–1.15°时,电子穿透率下降到最低点时几乎看不到穿透电子(穿透率小于3‰),这种穿透率最低点状态保持时间随倾角增大而增大.穿透电子的角分布中心随着时间变化.在平稳状态时,发现穿透电子的能量损失随倾角增大而增大.采用蒙特卡罗方法模拟了电子经过管壁不同次数反射后的能谱,与测量能谱进行对比,发现–0.15°,–0.4°和–1.15°倾角下,穿透电子分别经历了管壁的一次、两次和三次与表面的反射过程.基于此,本文对电子穿越玻璃管的充电过程动力学给出了物理解释.实验结果和理论分析表明,在小倾角下玻璃管内能形成宏观负电荷累积,排斥后续电子形成反射,增加电子出射概率,这对应用绝缘体微结构,例如玻璃锥管产生稳定的电子微束具有重要的参考意义.展开更多
Metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)with high microporosity and relatively high thermal stability are potential thermal insulation and flame-retardant materials.However,the difficulties in processing and shaping MOFs have ...Metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)with high microporosity and relatively high thermal stability are potential thermal insulation and flame-retardant materials.However,the difficulties in processing and shaping MOFs have largely hampered their applications in these areas.This study outlines the fabrication of hybrid CNF@MOF aerogels by a stepwise assembly approach involving the coating and cross-linking of cellulose nanofibers(CNFs)with continuous nanolayers of MOFs.The cross-linking gives the aerogels high mechanical strength but superelasticity(80%maximum recoverable strain,high specific compression modulus of^200 MPa cm3 g−1,and specific stress of^100 MPa cm3 g−1).The resultant lightweight aerogels have a cellular network structure and hierarchical porosity,which render the aerogels with relatively low thermal conductivity of^40 mW m−1 K−1.The hydrophobic,thermally stable MOF nanolayers wrapped around the CNFs result in good moisture resistance and fire retardancy.This study demonstrates that MOFs can be used as efficient thermal insulation and flame-retardant materials.It presents a pathway for the design of thermally insulating,superelastic fire-retardant nanocomposites based on MOFs and nanocellulose.展开更多
In this study, a novel approach of the landslide numerical risk factor(LNRF) bivariate model was used in ensemble with linear multivariate regression(LMR) and boosted regression tree(BRT) models, coupled with radar re...In this study, a novel approach of the landslide numerical risk factor(LNRF) bivariate model was used in ensemble with linear multivariate regression(LMR) and boosted regression tree(BRT) models, coupled with radar remote sensing data and geographic information system(GIS), for landslide susceptibility mapping(LSM) in the Gorganroud watershed, Iran. Fifteen topographic, hydrological, geological and environmental conditioning factors and a landslide inventory(70%, or 298 landslides) were used in mapping. Phased array-type L-band synthetic aperture radar data were used to extract topographic parameters. Coefficients of tolerance and variance inflation factor were used to determine the coherence among conditioning factors. Data for the landslide inventory map were obtained from various resources, such as Iranian Landslide Working Party(ILWP), Forestry, Rangeland and Watershed Organisation(FRWO), extensive field surveys, interpretation of aerial photos and satellite images, and radar data. Of the total data, 30% were used to validate LSMs, using area under the curve(AUC), frequency ratio(FR) and seed cell area index(SCAI).Normalised difference vegetation index, land use/land cover and slope degree in BRT model elevation, rainfall and distance from stream were found to be important factors and were given the highest weightage in modelling. Validation results using AUC showed that the ensemble LNRF-BRT and LNRFLMR models(AUC = 0.912(91.2%) and 0.907(90.7%), respectively) had high predictive accuracy than the LNRF model alone(AUC = 0.855(85.5%)). The FR and SCAI analyses showed that all models divided the parameter classes with high precision. Overall, our novel approach of combining multivariate and machine learning methods with bivariate models, radar remote sensing data and GIS proved to be a powerful tool for landslide susceptibility mapping.展开更多
Cellular homeostasis requires a tightly controlled balance between protein synthesis, folding and degradation. Especially long-lived, post-mitotic cells such as neurons depend on an efficient proteostasis system to ma...Cellular homeostasis requires a tightly controlled balance between protein synthesis, folding and degradation. Especially long-lived, post-mitotic cells such as neurons depend on an efficient proteostasis system to maintain cellular health over decades. Thus, a functional decline of processes contributing to protein degradation such as autophagy and general lysosomal proteolytic capacity is connected to several age-associated neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson＇s, Alzheimer＇s and Huntington＇s diseases. These so called proteinopathies are characterized by the accumulation and misfolding of distinct proteins, subsequently driving cellular demise. We recently linked efficient lysosomal protein breakdown via the protease cathep- sin D to the Ca2＋/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin. In a yeast model for Parkinson＇s disease, functional calcineurin was required for proper trafficking of cathepsin D to the lysosome and for recycling of its endosomal sorting receptor to allow further rounds of shuttling. Here, we discuss these findings in relation to present knowledge about the involvement of cathepsin D in proteinopathies in general and a possible connection between this protease, calcineurin signalling and endosomal sorting in particular. As dysregulation of Ca2＋ homeostasis as well as lysosomal impairment is connected to a plethora of neurode- generative disorders, this novel interplay might very well impact pathologies beyond Parkinson＇s disease.展开更多
Medicinal plants and herbal preparations are gaining renowned interest in scientific communities nowadays due to their reliable pharmacological actions and affordability to common people which makes them effective in ...Medicinal plants and herbal preparations are gaining renowned interest in scientific communities nowadays due to their reliable pharmacological actions and affordability to common people which makes them effective in control of various diseases.Polygonum minus(Polygonaceae)locally known as kesuni is an aromatic plant commonly used in Malay delicacies.The plant is having potential applications due to its high volatile oil constituents in perfumes and powerful antioxidant activity.It has been used traditionally to treat various ailments including dandruff.The research has been carried out by various researchers using different in vitro and in vivo models for biological evaluations to support these claims.This review paper may help upcoming research activities on Polygonum minus by giving up to date information on the phytochemical constituents and medicinal properties of kesum to a possible extent with relevant data.展开更多
文摘Currently, the ICT put at our disposal is increasingly more powerful tools that can help increase citizen participation, transparency, and legitimacy in decision-making. We understand that these participation tools can break down into a set of tasks. In this dissertation, we review some of these tasks and how we can integrate them into a series of processes in public higher education institutions. By establishing the tasks, we can set up an online architecture for electronic participation and support for decision-making within the university community. One of the consolidated database architectures we have used for this study is MyUniversity-URJC. This proposal is achievable by utilizing the Universities’ technological infrastructure and, mainly, the digital culture of its users.
基金The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding from the Natural Science Foundation of China(22125801,22178008)the Importation and Development of High-Caliber Talents Project of Beijing Municipal Institutions(CIT&TCD201904014)+1 种基金Jiayin Yuan is grateful for financial support from Swedish Research Council Grant 2018-05351the Wallenberg Academy Fellow program(Grant KAW 2017.0166)from the Knut&Alice Wallenberg Foundation in Sweden.
文摘Two-dimensional(2D)membrane-based ion separation technology has been increasingly explored to address the problem of lithium resource shortage,yet it remains a sound challenge to design 2D membranes of high selectivity and permeability for ion separation applications.Zeolitic imidazolate framework functionalized modified layered double hydroxide(ZIF-8@MLDH)composite membranes with high lithium-ion(Li^(+)) permeability and excellent operational stability were obtained in this work by in situ depositing functional ZIF-8 nanoparticles into the nanopores acting as framework defects in MLDH membranes.The defect-rich framework amplified the permeability of Li^(+),and the site-selective growth of ZIF-8 in the framework defects bettered its selectivity.Specifically speaking,the ZIF-8@MLDH membranes featured a high permeation rate of Li^(+) up to 1.73 mol m^(−2) h^(−1) and a desirable selectiv-ity of Li^(+)/Mg^(2+) up to 31.9.Simulations supported that the simultaneously enhanced selectivity and permeability of Li+are attributed to changes in the type of mass transfer channels and the difference in the dehydration capacity of hydrated metal cations when they pass through nanochannels of ZIF-8.This study will inspire the ongoing research of high-performance 2D membranes through the engineering of defects.
文摘Inappropriate management of municipal solid waste dumpsites is a major cause of groundwater contamination in developing countries,but the extent of the problem is not known.This study investigated groundwater quality in the vicinity of Olusosun dumpsite in Lagos,Nigeria,the most populous city in sub-Saharan Africa.During 2020,monthly groundwater samples were collected in 17 wells and boreholes used as drinking water sources,and analysed for 20 physico-chemical parameters.Differences between sites and seasons were statistically assessed,together with changes in water quality index(WQI).The results indicated that heavy metals(Pb^(2+),Ni^(+),Mn^(2+),Fe^(2+),Cr^(6+)),cations(Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+),K^(+)),total hardness and pH were the main parameters impairing water quality.Drinking water quality standards from both the World Health Organization and Nigeria government were exceeded more often in the wet season than in the dry season.Some groundwater properties were negatively correlated with distance to dumpsite(e.g.,Fe^(2+),Pb^(2+),NO_(3)^(−)).Significant differences between sites were identified,but with no clear spatial trend.WQI varied from excellent(6%-24%of the sites over the study period)to unsuitable for drinking water purposes(12%-18%),with good quality prevailing at most sites(35%-47%).Although groundwater quality declined at 24%of the sites over 2020,the results indicated improvements compared with previous decades.Remediation strategies must be implemented to safeguard public health and the sustainability of water resources.
基金This project was crowd sourced and mainly financed by interested birdwatchers.MI also acknowledge financial support from the Swedish research council(2019-03900)Riksmusei vanner.
文摘The aim of this study was to correlate plumage variation with the amount of genomic hybrid content in hybrids between Azure Tits Cyanistes cyanus(Pallas,1770)and European Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus(Linnaeus,1758),by re-sequencing the genomes of museum specimens of non-hybrids and presumed hybrids with varying plumages.The project was funded by crowdsourcing and initiated when two presumed Azure Tits,observed by hundreds of Swedish birdwatchers,were rejected as hybrids based on minor plumage deviations assumed to indicate hybrid contents from the European Blue Tit.The results confirm that hybrids with intermediate plumages,so called Pleske’s Tits,are first generation hybrids(F1 hybrids).Individuals,whose plumages are similar to Azure Tits,but assessed as hybrids based on minor plumage deviations,are all backcrosses but vary in their degree of hybrid content.However,some individuals morphologically recognized as pure Azure Tits expressed similar degrees of hybrid content.The results indicate that:(1)hybrid content may be widespread in Azure Tits in the western part of its habitat distribution;(2)plumage deviation in backcrosses is not linearly correlated with the genetic degree of hybrid origin;and(3)all Azure Tits observed in Europe outside its natural distribution may have some degree of hybrid origin.We therefore suggest that it is very difficult to phenotypically single out hybrids beyond first generation backcrosses.We argue that decreased sequencing costs and improved analytical tools open the doors for museomic crowd-sourced projects that may not address outstanding biological questions but have a major interest for lay citizens such as birdwatchers.
文摘A problem in chemical analysis in connection with measurements of a substance normally occurring in a sample, or identification of a substance which should not exist in a sample, is insufficient selectivity. In this article, we analyze this problem and propose remedies. We use a real doping case to illustrate how chemical noise causes a serious selectivity problem, probably causing a false positive outcome.
文摘采用900 e V能量的电子对直玻璃管进行了穿透实验,测量了玻璃管在倾角为–0.15°,–0.4°和–1.15°时充电过程角分布的时间演化,以及平衡态下出射电子能谱.发现穿透率随时间先下降后上升最后趋于平稳,下降的时间随倾角的增大而减小.当倾角为–0.4°和–1.15°时,电子穿透率下降到最低点时几乎看不到穿透电子(穿透率小于3‰),这种穿透率最低点状态保持时间随倾角增大而增大.穿透电子的角分布中心随着时间变化.在平稳状态时,发现穿透电子的能量损失随倾角增大而增大.采用蒙特卡罗方法模拟了电子经过管壁不同次数反射后的能谱,与测量能谱进行对比,发现–0.15°,–0.4°和–1.15°倾角下,穿透电子分别经历了管壁的一次、两次和三次与表面的反射过程.基于此,本文对电子穿越玻璃管的充电过程动力学给出了物理解释.实验结果和理论分析表明,在小倾角下玻璃管内能形成宏观负电荷累积,排斥后续电子形成反射,增加电子出射概率,这对应用绝缘体微结构,例如玻璃锥管产生稳定的电子微束具有重要的参考意义.
文摘Metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)with high microporosity and relatively high thermal stability are potential thermal insulation and flame-retardant materials.However,the difficulties in processing and shaping MOFs have largely hampered their applications in these areas.This study outlines the fabrication of hybrid CNF@MOF aerogels by a stepwise assembly approach involving the coating and cross-linking of cellulose nanofibers(CNFs)with continuous nanolayers of MOFs.The cross-linking gives the aerogels high mechanical strength but superelasticity(80%maximum recoverable strain,high specific compression modulus of^200 MPa cm3 g−1,and specific stress of^100 MPa cm3 g−1).The resultant lightweight aerogels have a cellular network structure and hierarchical porosity,which render the aerogels with relatively low thermal conductivity of^40 mW m−1 K−1.The hydrophobic,thermally stable MOF nanolayers wrapped around the CNFs result in good moisture resistance and fire retardancy.This study demonstrates that MOFs can be used as efficient thermal insulation and flame-retardant materials.It presents a pathway for the design of thermally insulating,superelastic fire-retardant nanocomposites based on MOFs and nanocellulose.
基金supported by the Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems(CAMGIS),UTS under grant numbers 321740.2232335,323930,and 321740.2232357
文摘In this study, a novel approach of the landslide numerical risk factor(LNRF) bivariate model was used in ensemble with linear multivariate regression(LMR) and boosted regression tree(BRT) models, coupled with radar remote sensing data and geographic information system(GIS), for landslide susceptibility mapping(LSM) in the Gorganroud watershed, Iran. Fifteen topographic, hydrological, geological and environmental conditioning factors and a landslide inventory(70%, or 298 landslides) were used in mapping. Phased array-type L-band synthetic aperture radar data were used to extract topographic parameters. Coefficients of tolerance and variance inflation factor were used to determine the coherence among conditioning factors. Data for the landslide inventory map were obtained from various resources, such as Iranian Landslide Working Party(ILWP), Forestry, Rangeland and Watershed Organisation(FRWO), extensive field surveys, interpretation of aerial photos and satellite images, and radar data. Of the total data, 30% were used to validate LSMs, using area under the curve(AUC), frequency ratio(FR) and seed cell area index(SCAI).Normalised difference vegetation index, land use/land cover and slope degree in BRT model elevation, rainfall and distance from stream were found to be important factors and were given the highest weightage in modelling. Validation results using AUC showed that the ensemble LNRF-BRT and LNRFLMR models(AUC = 0.912(91.2%) and 0.907(90.7%), respectively) had high predictive accuracy than the LNRF model alone(AUC = 0.855(85.5%)). The FR and SCAI analyses showed that all models divided the parameter classes with high precision. Overall, our novel approach of combining multivariate and machine learning methods with bivariate models, radar remote sensing data and GIS proved to be a powerful tool for landslide susceptibility mapping.
基金supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF(No.P27183-B24)the Swedish Research Council Vetenskapsradet(No.2015-05468)+2 种基金Ake Wiberg Stiftelse(No.M16-0130)Carl Trygger Stiftlese(No.CTS16:85)Goljes Stiftelse(No.LA2016-0123)
文摘Cellular homeostasis requires a tightly controlled balance between protein synthesis, folding and degradation. Especially long-lived, post-mitotic cells such as neurons depend on an efficient proteostasis system to maintain cellular health over decades. Thus, a functional decline of processes contributing to protein degradation such as autophagy and general lysosomal proteolytic capacity is connected to several age-associated neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson＇s, Alzheimer＇s and Huntington＇s diseases. These so called proteinopathies are characterized by the accumulation and misfolding of distinct proteins, subsequently driving cellular demise. We recently linked efficient lysosomal protein breakdown via the protease cathep- sin D to the Ca2＋/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin. In a yeast model for Parkinson＇s disease, functional calcineurin was required for proper trafficking of cathepsin D to the lysosome and for recycling of its endosomal sorting receptor to allow further rounds of shuttling. Here, we discuss these findings in relation to present knowledge about the involvement of cathepsin D in proteinopathies in general and a possible connection between this protease, calcineurin signalling and endosomal sorting in particular. As dysregulation of Ca2＋ homeostasis as well as lysosomal impairment is connected to a plethora of neurode- generative disorders, this novel interplay might very well impact pathologies beyond Parkinson＇s disease.
基金supported by Universiti Malaysia Kelantan(Grant No.R/SGJP/A07.00/00710A/001/2012/000081)
文摘Medicinal plants and herbal preparations are gaining renowned interest in scientific communities nowadays due to their reliable pharmacological actions and affordability to common people which makes them effective in control of various diseases.Polygonum minus(Polygonaceae)locally known as kesuni is an aromatic plant commonly used in Malay delicacies.The plant is having potential applications due to its high volatile oil constituents in perfumes and powerful antioxidant activity.It has been used traditionally to treat various ailments including dandruff.The research has been carried out by various researchers using different in vitro and in vivo models for biological evaluations to support these claims.This review paper may help upcoming research activities on Polygonum minus by giving up to date information on the phytochemical constituents and medicinal properties of kesum to a possible extent with relevant data.
