Specificity of the Thermal Stability and Reactivity of Two-Dimensional Layered Cu-Fe Sulfide-Mg-Based Hydroxide Compounds (Valleriites).

We recently synthesized prospective new materials composed of alternating quasi-atomic sheets of brucite-type hydroxide (Mg, Fe)(OH) and CuFeS sulfide (valleriites). Herein, their thermal behavior important for many potential applications has been studied in inert (Ar) and oxidative (20% O) atmospheres using thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses and characterization with X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). In the Ar media, the processes are determined by the dehydroxylation of the hydroxide layers forming MgO, with the temperature of the major endothermic maximum of the mass loss at 413 °C.

Fractionation of Aspen Wood to Produce Microcrystalline, Microfibrillated and Nanofibrillated Celluloses, Xylan and Ethanollignin.

A new method for extractive-catalytic fractionation of aspen wood to produce microcrystalline (MCC), microfibrillated (MFC), nanofibrilllated (NFC) celluloses, xylan, and ethanollignin is suggested in order to utilize all of the main components of wood biomass. Xylan is obtained with a yield of 10.2 wt.

Microfibrillated Cellulose with a Lower Degree of Polymerization; Synthesis via Sulfuric Acid Hydrolysis under Ultrasonic Treatment.

A new approach is being considered for obtaining microfibrillated cellulose with a low degree of polymerization by sulfuric acid hydrolysis with simultaneous ultrasonic treatment under mild conditions (temperature 25 °C, 80% power control). Samples of initial cellulose, MCC, and MFC were characterized by FTIR, XRF, SEM, DLS, and TGA. It was found that a high yield of MFC (86.

Paradoxical Tensions Related to AI-Powered Evaluation Systems in Competitive Sports.

Judging in competitive sports is prone to errors arising from the inherent limitations to humans' cognitive and sensorial capabilities and from various potential sources of bias that influence judges. Artistic gymnastics offers a case in point: given the complexity of scoring and the ever-increasing speed of athletes' performance, systems powered by artificial intelligence (AI) seem to promise benefits for the judging process and its outcomes. To characterize today's human judging process for artistic gymnastics and examine contrasts against an AI-powered system currently being introduced in this context, an in-depth case study analyzed interview data from various stakeholder groups (judges, gymnasts, coaches, federations, technology providers, and fans).

Hydrothermal Co-Processing of Coal Fly Ash Cenospheres and Soluble Sr(II) as Environmentally Sustainable Approach to Sr-90 Immobilization in a Mineral-like Form.

Co-processing of radioactive effluents with coal fly ash-derived materials is recognized as a resource-saving approach for efficient stabilization/solidification of radioactive components of wastewater. In this context, the paper is focused on the hydrothermal synthesis of Sr-bearing aluminosilicate/silicate phases as analogs of a mineral-like Sr waste form using hollow glass-crystalline aluminosilicate microspheres from coal fly ash (cenospheres) as a glassy source of Si and Al (SiO-AlO)) and Sr(NO) solutions as Sr simulant wastewater. The direct conversion of cenosphere glass in the Sr(NO)-NaOH-HO-(SiO-AlO) system as well as Sr sorption on cenosphere-derived analcime (ANA) in the Sr(NO)-HO-ANA system were studied at 150-200 °C and autogenous pressure.