Hasil untuk "Special types of environment"

Xuan Yin, Linyuan Mu, Zihang Jia et al.

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film has gained widespread popularity as a versatile and important solid lubricant material in the field of tribology. Among various types of DLC films, hydrogen-rich DLC (a-C:H) film as a high-performance material has greatly enhanced anti-friction and anti-wear. However, despite its remarkable capabilities, the surface chemical properties and tribological performance of a-C:H film are significantly influenced by the surrounding environment, in special atmospheric conditions. Its super-slip mechanism involves the participation of hydrogen atoms, which can weaken the normal electron number of the outermost layer of a-C:H film. What is more, it is essential to investigate tribofilms in a vacuum or inert gas environment to ascertain the appropriate tribological properties of a-C:H film, which helps in mitigating oxidation effects. When non-doped DLC films are subjected to friction in a dry nitrogen or argon environment, they create sp³-C-rich transfer films on the contact surface, resulting in macroscopic super-slip effects. This paper aims to introduce and discuss the diverse nanostructures of in situ tribofilms in a-C:H film, focusing on the working environment, and explore the prospective application directions of a-C:H film.

LIN Dequan

The robot teacher is a specific type of robot that endows teachers with brand-new connotation. On the one hand, such robots are different from traditional human teachers in that they mainly participate in educational and teaching activities in the form of applications. They are presented in different forms such as physical robots or virtual digital humans. Objectively, they are all robots with teacher characteristics that serve teaching activities and help students develop. On the other hand, as robots with very prominent "teacher-like" characteristics, they are not only an extension of teachers' groups in types, but also a highly intelligent special "subject" similar to teachers. With the progress of science and technology, robot teachers are constantly iterating and upgrading. In the context of a new round of rapid development of artificial intelligence, robot teachers have entered an intelligent era. More and more intelligent robot teachers have entered the field of educational practice. Robot teachers are not only conducive to building a high-quality education system, but also help improve the educational ecological environment, promote the innovation and development of educational theory and practice, and enhance the level of teaching and education. To promote the all-round popularization, application and coordinated development of robot teachers, China should improve legislative construction to create a good application environment for robot teachers; strengthen technical specifications, formulate basic requirements and technical specifications that robot teachers should meet; strengthen theoretical and practical research, and construct teaching methodology for robot teachers adapting to the development of the new era.

Yue Wang, Yongchun Yang

Scientifically identifying the impact of urban development levels on the ecological environment in China’s grassland regions from a classification perspective is crucial for stabilizing grassland ecosystems and optimizing urban development in grassland cities. Using the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as a case study, this research constructs a conceptual analysis framework for the coordinated state between the urban development level and the ecological environment in China’s grassland regions based on the theory of dual economic structures. Employing the Granger causality test, nonlinear fitting, and coupling coordination degree model methods, the heterogeneity and coordination between urban development levels and ecological environment in China’s grassland areas from 2000 to 2020 are comprehensively analyzed. The findings reveal the following: (1) Capital-type central cities and growing resource-based cities, with high levels of development, positively nurture the grassland ecology, exhibit high labor mobility, and experience low endogenous and exogenous pressures, resulting in high coordination. (2) Pure agro-pastoral cities, with low development levels, negatively impact the grassland ecology, have low labor mobility, and face high endogenous and exogenous pressures, resulting in low coordination. (3) Regional central cities, with moderate development levels, exert a neutral counterbalance effect on the grassland ecology, with opposing endogenous and exogenous pressures, leading to moderate coordination. (4) When the impact relationship ranges from “positive-neutral-negative,” the endogenous and exogenous pressures on the grassland ecology by declining resource-based cities and developing agro-pastoral cities are determined by their specific development levels, showing variations from “large → balance → small” to “small → balance → large,” with coordination fluctuating between “high-moderate-low”. (5) Special ecological cities are less affected by urban development levels, with coordination levels determined by the ecological foundation. Analyzing the heterogeneous coordination between urban development levels and the ecological environment for different types of cities in grassland regions is significant for improving the overall quality of the grassland ecological environment and exploring distinctive urban development models.

hamid reza gohar rostami, Mojtaba Nakheinezhad, Yasamansadat Asl ahmadi

Recreational-sports tourism as a branch of tourism can stimulate sustainable economic, social, and cultural development in the region. Gilan Province has an excellent potential to attract tourists with many tourist attractions and suitable weather conditions. Therefore, based on the fishbone diagram, this research investigated the quality barriers of leisure-sports tourism in Gilan Province. The research employed a descriptive-survey and practical approach conducted through field methods. The statistical population comprised recreational and sports tourists in Gilan Province, with a sample of 223 individuals selected through convenient sampling. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. Ten physical education professors and experts confirmed face and content validity. The tool's reliability was established through Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α=0.93) and construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory). Data modeling and analysis were conducted using (PLS4) and (SPSS22) software. The findings revealed that, from the perspective of recreational and sports tourists in Gilan Province, the most significant obstacles among the seven dimensions (transportation and route, accommodation, return home, qualification and license, destination, activities, and reception and information) were identified as return home (5.50), destination (4.92), and residence (4.26). On the other hand, reception and information (2.86), qualification and licenses (3.25), and activities (3.54) were perceived as the least significant obstacles. Consequently, organizers and officials of recreational and sports tourism tours in Gilan Province should prioritize addressing these obstacles in each sector to enhance the overall quality of tourism experiences.IntroductionIn the contemporary era, tourism is pivotal in capturing widespread societal attention and representing a cornerstone of any country's economy. The tourism industry encompasses diverse dimensions, including recreational, medical, cultural, social, sports, religious, commercial, and political tourism, progressing rapidly. Sports tourism, formed by the integration of 'sports' and 'tourism,' is a particularly noteworthy type. In essence, sports become a crucial and almost constant activity for travelers, woven into the fabric of tourism experiences. Sports tourism entails journeys undertaken for non-commercial reasons, officially or unofficially, focusing on recreation or sports spectatorship. It encourages athlete participation, involves sporting or recreational events, occurs in the short term, and may unfold within or outside the country. In service industries such as tourism, the role of quality is paramount. The fishbone diagram serves as a valuable tool for quality management, systematically linking undesirable quality features of products or services to materials, processes, and methods for improvement. A cause-and-effect diagram is a precise tool to identify the root causes of organizational problems and obstacles by illustrating cause-and-effect relationships. With the increasing prominence of the tourism industry in sports, substantial academic research has been conducted. However, a more fruitful avenue may involve examining this field comparatively among countries with more advanced sports tourism practices. To comprehend the economic and revenue-generating aspects of the tourism industry, particularly in Gilan Province, renowned for its climatic diversity, historical attractions, and natural beauty, it attracts over five million visitors annually. Hence, this study focuses on the quality of the sports tourism industry, posing the main research question: What dimensions influence the quality of sports tourism in Gilan Province, and what are the obstacles within each dimension?MethodologyThis study aimed to investigate the quality barriers of recreational sports tourism in Gilan Province using the fishbone diagram. The research employed a descriptive and practical survey conducted through field methods. The statistical population comprised recreational and sports tourists in Gilan Province, with a sample of 223 individuals selected through convenient sampling. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire utilizing a five-point Likert scale. Ten physical education professors and experts confirmed face and content validity. The tool's reliability was established through Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α=0/93) and construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory). Data modeling and analysis were conducted using (PLS4) and (SPSS22) software.ResultsTo validate the factor structure of the questionnaire investigating obstacles to the quality of recreational-sports tourism in Gilan Province, two methods—exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis—were employed, guided by the cause-and-effect diagram. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test revealed that the significance level of all components in both leagues is less than 0/05 (α), signaling a non-normal data distribution. Consequently, non-parametric tests and structural equation modeling using Smart PLS version four were employed for testing statistical hypotheses related to them. Three types of validity (content validity, convergent validity (AVE), and discriminant validity) were utilized to confirm the validity of the measurement tool. Content validity was established through expert surveys, and questionnaire reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability coefficients. The measurement tool demonstrates adequate validity (content, convergent, and discriminant) and reliability, and the fit of the structural model of the research was confirmed. Results of the Friedman test indicated a significant difference between the effective dimensions of the obstacles to the quality of recreational and sports tourism. The priority of the obstacles, in order, includes returning home (5/50), destination (4/92), accommodation (4/26), transportation and route (3/67), activities (3/54), qualifications and permits (3/25), and information and reception (2/86).        DiscussionIn light of Figure 5, which highlights the significance of all seven dimensions—transportation and route, accommodation, return home, qualifications and permits, destination, activities, and reception and information—strategic planning by relevant managers is crucial. Utilizing insights from factor analysis and the fishbone diagram, managers can prioritize these dimensions and allocate resources, emphasizing investments in human resources and infrastructure and enhancing the physical environment. Giving special attention to visual aspects, coupled with effective executive management, holds the potential to effectively address and eliminate the identified obstacles, thereby elevating the quality of recreational sports tourism.

Bogaychuk Liudmyla , Borisyuk Zinaida, Kovalchuk Tetiana

The study highlights the methodological approach to organizing the creative process of future specialists in decorative and applied arts of a higher pedagogical educational institution under conditions of the modern education system of Ukraine. The purpose of the study was to present the content of special methodological work on how to organize the creative process aimed at forming students' understanding of the decorative image features. The problem is how to achieve a high result of creative tasks, students' works, along with the development of technologies for painting fabrics (batik), which together will help a future specialist to become a professional in the future. The methods of the study were: theoretical – the analysis of scientific sources on the problem related to the formation and determination of its formation signs in students; practical – the analysis of pedagogical experience – in order to highlight effective forms of work with students within the educational environment of a higher education institution, which contributes to the formation of students' understanding of the organization of the creative process. The professional literacy of the future specialist majoring in 023 "Fine Arts and Decorative Arts, Restoration" is based on his/her ability to build activities according to aesthetic laws (to understand contemporary fine and decorative arts, folk art); it consists of a system of special knowledge and skills. It is substantiated that folk art is our self-identification, we need to know the traditions of our people, modern fine arts; it is important to revive them in original modern forms, to promote the development of experimental trends, to work creatively with folk paintings in the process of teaching the disciplines of the course "Decorative and Applied Arts", to show how promising it is today. The article describes the methodological approach to the organization of the creative process in solving the thematic tasks within the academic course "Fundamentals of Fabric Painting". One of the ways to renew assignments of the academic disciplines "Fundamentals of Fabric Painting" and “Decorative and Applied Arts" has been presented. It is shown that on the basis of the conducted pedagogical experiment and its results, the creative activity of understanding and creating a decorative image as a holistic process that improves professional skill and competence is confirmed. We see the prospects of scientific research in the extension of the study of the necessary modern methodology which develops students' interest in various types of activities, including scientific, research-centred, artistic and creative, as well as in the increasingly extensive implementation of methodological findings in the process of studying Decorative and Applied Arts.

Emil Doychev, Atanas Terziyski, Stoyan Tenev et al.

The main task of the National Research Program “Smart crop production”, supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria and approved by the Council of Ministers, is the development of a regional data center to facilitate the work of farmers. The regional data center is part of the implementation of a smart crop production environment called ZEMEL which provides personal assistants supporting the work of farmers. The environment provides intelligent services for crop analysis and prevention and assists farmers in performing basic tasks related to crop production. The objective of the proposed article is to present the implementation of the architecture, infrastructure, and data architecture of a regional data center in the Plovdiv region. In order to clearly present the results of this work, which are the architectural and physical implementations of a regional data center and the storage of dynamic data and background knowledge, a methodology consisting of several steps is followed: the system infrastructure of the data center and the data architecture are discussed; one of the local pieces of infrastructure, implemented in the Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (IPGR) in the town of Sadovo in the Plovdiv region, is presented in detail, including the different types of sensors and their connection to the data center in wheat cultivation; the data repositories are discussed where dynamic data and background knowledge are stored. The paper pays special attention to background knowledge developed as ontologies for winter wheat cultivation. The results are summarized by drawing some conclusions and recommendations for the design of the local infrastructure of the center and the stored data to improve its performance.

Alexey N. Beskopylny, Sergey A. Stel’makh, Evgenii M. Shcherban’ et al.

One of the most dangerous types of cyclic effects, especially inherent in several regions in the world, is the alternating impact of wetting and drying on concrete and reinforced concrete structures. In the current scientific literature and practice, there is not enough fundamental and applied information about the resistance to wetting and drying of variotropic concretes obtained by centrifugal compaction methods. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of various technological, compositional, and other factors on the final resistance of variotropic concrete to alternating cycles of moistening and drying. For this, special methods for testing concrete samples were used in the work. It has been established that after strength gain as a result of hydration, there is a tendency for strength loss due to concrete wear. An acidic medium has the most negative effect on the strength characteristics of concretes made using various technologies, compared with neutral and alkaline media. The loss of strength of concrete when moistened in an acidic medium was greater than in alkaline and especially neutral media. The vibrocentrifuged concrete turned out to be the most resistant to the impact of an aggressive environment and the cycles of moistening and drying, compared to the centrifuged and vibrated concrete. The drop in strength was up to 7% less compared to centrifuged concrete and up to 17% less than vibrated concrete.

Faeze Khademi, Ali Bayat

Ilaria Corsi, Elisa Bergami, Gabriella Caruso

Grigoriy V. Nikitin / Григорий В. Никитин, Tatyana L. Sergeeva / Татьяна Л. Сергеева

The article discusses the issue of the effectiveness of the use of one of the territorial development tools. Territories of Advanced Social and Economic Development (TASED) are a way to support local and attract new companies to certain Russian regions, to increase the activity of their business environment. The study is relevant due to the presence of eighty-nine operating TASED on the territory of the Russian Federation. At the same time, many officials and well-known economists have a question about the advisability of creating such territories. The issue of ineffectiveness of the TASED functioning is constantly raised by the executive authorities, however, at present, the criteria for inefficiency or low efficiency of these territories are not established by legislation. The article identifies a number of problems of the TASED institute, in particular, the low occupancy rate of the TASED is associated with the lack of communal infrastructure in the territories with this status, as well as with low entrepreneurial activity in the corresponding region. In addition, restrictions on the permitted types of activities of the TASED residents also do not help to attract investors. Despite the difficulties, many companies, choosing between the possibility of locating production in large urban agglomerations or single-industry towns, often choose the latter due to the lower amount of taxes and insurance premiums for employees. At the same time, in general, the situation with the functioning of the TASED institute remains unfinished. The article presents proposals for improving the work of various government levels overseeing the TASED activities. To accelerate the TASED development, the state should focus not on the number of successful TASED, but on the quality of new and the work of lagging territories. Increased attention to areas requiring development and adjustment of management mechanisms for TASED will allow this institution to reach a higher level of development and compete with special economic zones (SEZ). / В статье рассмотрен вопрос эффективности применения одного из инструментов территориального развития. Территории опережающего социально-экономического развития (ТОСЭР) – способ поддержания местных и привлечения новых компаний в отдельные российские регионы, повышения активности их бизнес-среды. Исследование имеет актуальность в связи с наличием восьмидесяти девяти действующих ТОСЭР на территории Российской Федерации. При этом у многих должностных лиц и известных экономистов возникает вопрос о целесообразности создания таких территорий. Вопрос неэффективности функционирования ТОСЭР на постоянной основе поднимается органами исполнительной власти, однако при этом в настоящее время критерии неэффективности или низкой результативности этих территорий законодательством не установлены. В статье обозначен ряд проблем института ТОСЭР, в частности, низкая заполняемость ТОСЭР связана с отсутствием коммунальной инфраструктуры на территориях, имеющих данный статус, а также с низкой предпринимательской активностью в соответствующем регионе. Кроме того, ограничения по разрешенным видам деятельности резидентов ТОСЭР также не способствуют привлечению инвесторов. Несмотря на сложности, многие компании, выбирая между возможностью размещения производства в крупных городских агломерациях или моногородах, зачастую выбирают последние благодаря меньшей сумме налогов и страховых взносов на работников. При этом в целом ситуация с функционированием института ТОСЭР остается недоработанной. В статье представлены предложения по улучшению работы различных уровней государственной власти, курирующих деятельность ТОСЭР. Для ускорения развития ТОСЭР государству следует сконцентрировать внимание не на количестве успешных ТОСЭР, а на качестве новых и работе отстающих территорий. Усиленное внимание к зонам, требующим развития, и корректировка механизмов управления ТОСЭР позволит выйти данному институту на более высокий уровень развития и составить конкуренцию особым экономическим зонам (ОЭЗ).

Shujian Yang, Yang Zhang, Jing Shang et al.

The severity of high atmospheric pollution has been a major social problem in northern China. To improve the air quality in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region and guarantee a suitable environment during the military parade and other celebrating activities for the 70th anniversary of the victory for anti-Fascist Warcraft in the year 2015, a series of strict air quality control policies were carried out. To analyze the reduction extents of PM_2.5 and organic matter components during the control period and to examine the meteorological conditions in this region and their decisive influence on the air quality, PM_2.5 samples were collected and the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART was performed to calculate potential source locations within the BTH region. PM_2.5, organic carbon (OC), elementary carbon (EC), and three species types were specifically analyzed. Although the results showed that PM_2.5, OC, and EC reduced by 64.55%, 48.74%, and 60.75% during the control period, the air mass transport patterns showed great difference at certain periods, which altered the dominant transport direction of air mass and the potential source region of pollutants and organic matters. This alteration completely changed major atmospheric pollutants sources contribution and caused huge concentration changes. Parallel cases also showed that meteorological conditions could avoid massive atmospheric transported from a major emission source region to a receptor site. The meteorological conditions changed the main contribution source region in control and non-control periods and proved the air quality control measures were less necessary in some southern Hebei cities during special events periods.

K.S. Schmidt, A.K. Skidmore

Maysyuk Elena P.

The most important document regulating the use of natural resources in the territories adjacent to the lake Baikal in Russia became the federal law No. 94 “On the protection of the lake. Baikal” from 1 May 1999. A list of prohibited activities has been approved for the central ecological area which now again discuss. Taking into account the categorization of objects that have a negative impact on the environment, the energy objects of the central ecological area are assigned to categories II and III. And in case of changes concerning of categorization in the list of prohibited activities, it means that operation of energy objects will prohibited. The main environmental problem of the energy sector is the use of coal and the presence of a hazard class 1 substance in the emissions. To achievement environmental requirements, it is necessary to replace coal with alternative environmentally friendly types of energy carriers (natural gas and electricity). In order to implement the increased requirements for energy objects, it is necessary to develop a special package of normative legal acts and government support measures, including significant financial costs, focused on this territory.

Simon Estok

COVID-19 has taught us that it is possible to make sudden social changes that result in radical reductions of greenhouse emissions, changes that decades of climate change activism have failed to achieve. At the core of this failure are three main problems: firstly, climate change discourse is simply more abstract than the easily digestible realities of COVID-19, with its daily infection, death, and recovery counts; secondly, there are some deeply engrained, counter-productive ideologies lurking in the very discourses we use calling for action on climate change; and thirdly, because there are no immediate tangible rewards for committing to broad changes, motivating people through climate change discourse presents challenges that COVID-19 simply does not face. Moving forward will mean facing these three problems, but it will also mean facing the reality that slow-downs or shut-downs disproportionately affect poor people and nations. The people barely surviving from the pittances they receive in the sweatshops—the places that sustain the electronics and garment industries, that are the supply chains and processing centers, and that form the blood and guts of industrial capitalism—are the people who suffer most. There are many lessons in COVID-19 for climate change activism, and we do well to take heed of them.

M. Vignola, D. Bosia, R. Pennacchio et al.

The work presented is the achievement of a master degree project, developed at Politecnico di Torino. The paper aims to provide standards for the formulation and mixing of earth-based mortars, for the rehabilitation of historic buildings of the Roero area, in Piemonte region. Roero presents a large architectural heritage, consisting mainly of fired or earth bricks rural and residential buildings, which was anciently protected using lime or earth-based plasters perfectly integrated with local landscape and environment colours appearance. In recent decades (and still to present days), vernacular plasters are frequently replaced by cement-based products, resulting hardly compatible with local bearing walls materials and landscape aesthetic features. While Roero traditional buildings plasters were produced using local earth and sands coming from streams, today, aggregates extraction in watercourses proximity is not allowed, or strictly regulated by rules and regional regulations. The paper presents a classification of the characteristics of different soils from Roero area, through different types of particle distribution size analysis and diffractometric tests, and propose a method for the production of local earth-based plasters stabilized with lime, making use of earth and rocks from local excavation sites, considered in Italy as secondary raw materials or special waste. Produced plasters compressive and bending strength have been tested, while their suitability for building maintenance and restoration, as their compatibility with Roero architecture and landscape, have been verified through spectrophotometric measures.

Sophia Perdikaris

For its second issue Ecocene welcomed cross-disciplinary contributions on what it means to be environmentally conscious in the world today, what it might have meant in diverse social-environmental pasts, or indeed what it may mean in our shared futures.

Liuba CORETCHI, Ion BAHNAREL, Mariana GÎNCU et al.

Introduction. A safe way to reduce the onset of oncological diseases is to protect the population from exposure to radon. In order to know the risk of radon influence on the health of the population, it is necessary to quantify the radon concentrations in the homes air and environment components. Material and methods. The aim of the study was to monitor radon concentrations in the air from different types of housing (n=2500), in rural and urban areas, on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, by using RADTRAK2-type detectors, with the assessment of the risk of population exposure to radon. The exhibition period was 90 days. Results. The results indicate on the radon problem existence on the country territory and the need for a strict solution of the problem. Thus, in 615 homes from the studied ones (25%) the radon concentration was higher than the national norms; in 662 homes (26%) radon concentration was higher than European norms. In 1277 homes (51%) radon concentration was higher than National/European norms. In connection with the above, the Government Decision draft was elaborated. A special role is given to the need to elaborate and make changes to the Building Code, with the need to monitor radon when commissioning residential buildings. Conclusions. The results denote increased variability of the radon concentrations according to the geographical area, the type of housing and other factors. Radon mapping identified the localities with high risk of exposure of the population to radon.

O. M. Mamenko, S. V. Portiannik

Around the industrial cities, the difficult environmental situation is due to the release of pollutants in the atmosphere that contain heavy metals, especially those that are dangerous to the environment, such as cadmium and lead. The increase in the accumulation of pollutant in soils of agricultural land also leads to the use of agrochemicals – pesticides and mineral fertilizers. Under such environmental conditions, it is necessary not only to grow crop production, but also to produce livestock products – milk. The production of environmentally safe, high-quality and competitive on the milk market requires the use of proven technological feeding and animal feeding methods. The selection of the optimal type of feeding of cows reduces the transition of heavy metals into dairy raw materials. In the experiment, it was found that the siln-root-type type of feeding had the smallest transition of Cd and Pb from feed rations into dairy raw materials, the transition factor of cadmium – 0.24, lead – 0.25. The most intense was the migration of Pb from the ration to milk from cows of the first control group with the silo-hinga-co-central type of feeding: the transition factor was 0.39 and Cd was 0.34. A similar situation was observed in cows of the first control groups with males and females feeding type, where the transition factor was 0.36 Cd and 0.34 Pb. The total supply of heavy metals with the diet for different types of feeding practically did not differ. The balancing of dietary rations with the specially developed mineral-vitamin premix “MP-A” contributed to the reduction of the transition of heavy metals Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn into milk, while the highest quality milk was obtained from cows with a haylage type of feeding. As a result of the experiment, it was possible to achieve a positive effect and reduce the content of heavy metals in milk of cows in all farms with different types of feeding animals for optimum quality and safety of milk, which met the requirements of the state standard, which convinces the transition factor, which was in the cows of the second experimental group on Cd 0,09 in animals with a sows-root-type type of feeding; 0.10 – silo-haylage; 0.12 – silage-hay type and 0.15 with silo-haylage-concentrate type, respectively; Pb – 0.01 in cows with a hill-and-hay type of feeding; 0.07 – silo-haylage-concentrate; 0.08 – silo-root crop and 0.09 with silo-hay type respectively; Cu – 0.01 in cows with silo-haylage and silo-root-crop type of feeding; 0.02 with silo-haylage-concentrate and silo-hay type respectively; Zn – 0.05 in animals with males and haylings type of feeding; 0.06 – silo-haylage-concentrate; 0.08 – silo-root crop and 0.010 with silo-hay type, respectively. In the third experimental group of cows, the average transition factor of heavy metals from milk to Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn was 0.04. The use of premix and bio-preparation has reduced the transition of heavy metals from milk to an average of 1.5–4.3 times. Productivity of animals was on average in cows of the second and third experimental groups of 17–22 kg per day compared with the control group – 14 kg. The content of Cd in the milk of dairy cows with a hay-concentrate-feeding type was 0.053 mg/kg in the first control group, in the second experimental group, where the mineral-vitamin premix “MP-A” was additionally fed to 0.024, and in the third, where Subcutaneous injection of biologically active drug “BP-9” was used up to 0.014 mg/kg; Pb from 1.794 mg/kg – to 0.331 and 0.032 mg/kg respectively; Cu from 2.63 mg/kg to 0.34 and 0.35 mg/kg respectively; Zn from 8.74 mg/kg to 4.97 and 3.87 mg/kg, respectively. Feeding cows to antioxidant premix allows approximately 2–2.5 times to reduce the transition from diet to dairy raw materials that are hazardous to animal health and the quality of milk toxicants for any type of feeding. Future studies are aimed at studying the effects of different types of feeding, taking into account the balancing of diets with a special premix for the production of high-quality, environmentally safe milk.

Gholamreza Mirzababaei, Mehrdad Behzadi, Mohammad Reza Rezvanianzadeh et al.

Introduction The Bafq region hosts the most important magnetite-apatite deposits of Iran. The geology of this region has been studied by many researchers (e.g., Haghipour, 1977). The ore deposits are mainly hosted by a volcano-sedimentary unit. The presence of a brecciated unit at the margin of the magnetite -apatite ore deposits is discussed by several authors. This unit contains remarkable concentration of Th and REE minerals paragenetically associated with magnetite, actinolite, calcite and albite. Mineralogical properties of the brecciated unit as one of the most important geological events in the magnetite-apatite ore deposits of the Bafq region, and Th-REE mineralization hosted by this zone at the Se-Chahun ore deposit is discussed. Materials and methods The present study has been carried out in four stages including: field work, microscopic studies, ICP-MS and ICP-OEA analysis as well as EPMA analysis. The field work included observations, investigations, radiometry, spectrometry and sampling from different lithologies in both open pits and drilled cores. The microscopic studies were carried out in order to identify the minerals and examine the textural properties of these minerals found in the brecciated unit. The ICP-MS and ICP-OEA analysis were carried out on the samples taken from the ore bodies and the radioactive parts of the mine. The EPMA analysis was also carried out to achieve a more precise hint at the occurrences of the Th and REE minrals and also to investigate the paragenetic relationships between the minerals probed. Results The brecciated unit is generally formed at the margin of or within the ore deposits mentioned. The matrix of the brecciated unit at the Se-Chahun ore deposit is composed of different minerals including magnetite, titanomagnetite, actinolite, albite, apatite, titanite, calcite, epidote, chlorite and Th silicates. The coarse rock fragments are mainly of the rhyolitic rocks and metasomatic fragments. Based on the mineralogical studies, the brecciated unit is the host of Th-REE minerals. The Th-silicates are formed in two crystallized forms including monoclinic (huttonite) and tetragonal (thorite). Thorium occurrence is found in three types: granular, massive and veinlet. The geological investigations indicate the role of solutions derived from magmatic arc originated in calc-alkaline magmas as a source for Th(-REE) in the brecciated unit. Based on the field, mineralogical and geochemical evidence, a remarkable part of Th has been transported by carbonate complexes in basic and reduced solutions. Apatite and monazite show a notable concentration within the brecciated unit. Monazites are found mostly as single crystals not always hosted by apatite crystals. Two types of actinolite are recognized, 1. Older than Th mineralization within the magnetite ore and 2. A younger generation paragenetically associated with Th silicate. Two types of albites are recognized: an early (white) albite found within the magnetite ore; a late (red) albite also found within the brecciated zone in association with Th occurrences. Metals such as Th and REE, at the Se-Chahun magnetite-apatite ore deposit are thought to be predominantly derived from the associated magmas, via magmatic–hydrothermal fluids exsolved upon emplacement into the crust. Two main sources exist for the origin of the metals (Th and REE): 1: sediments on the downgoing slab subducted into the mantle wedge (located between the downgoing slab and the overriding plate); 2: assimilation of crustal rocks within the magma chamber and also during ascending of the magmas. Th-REE have been transported mainly by carbonate complexes in alkaline and reduced environments. The presence of a reduced environment during Th-REE mineralization is evidenced by paragenetic association of magnetite and pyrite (and minor chalcopyrite) supported by negative Eu anomaly. Presence of an alkaline environment is also supported by the presence of calcite crystals, veins and veinlets paragenetically associated with Th-REE minerals. Discussion A limited number of models have been suggested to explain the provenance of the brecciated unit. Mohseni and Aftabi (2012), among others, suggested that this zone is a proximal zone of magnetite-bearing keratophyres formed in submarine environments. By contrast, no clear source for thorium silicate is suggested. Recently, Khoshnoodi (2016) discussed the subject in one of the largest iron-apatite ore deposits in the region, the Choghart. According to his suggestions, the solutions derived from the calc-alkaline magmas are the source of thorium. According to our suggestions, the lower continental crust and also the continental derived sediments on the sea floor adjacent to the subduction zones can be proposed as one of the most important sources for limited amounts of thorium found within the magmatic arc magmas. It is proposed that these magmas and associated mineralization are not limited to the margin of the magnetite-apatite ore deposits. Until now, the importance of the Bafq mining district has been due to its discovered magnetite-apatite resources. Further exploration programs supported by mineralogical and geochemical studies may lead to opening new ways in exploration of uncovered ore deposits in the Bafq district containing more economical resources. Acknowledgements This research was supported by the Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. The authors are truly grateful to the anonymous reviewers of the journal of economic geology for their constructive comments. References Haghipour, A., 1977. Geological map of the Biabanak-Bafq area, scale 1:500,000. Geological Survey of Iran. Khoshnoodi, K., 2016. Mineralogy, geochemistry and mineralization of radioactive elements with special emphasis on thorium in the Choghart ore deposit in the Bafq region, central Iran. Ph.D. Thesis, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, 216 pp. Mohseni, S. and Aftabi, A., 2012. Comment on Significance of apatite REE depletion and monazite inclusions in the brecciated Se-chahun iron oxideapatite deposit, Bafq district. In: Z. Bonyadi, G.J. Davidson, B. Mehrabi, S. Meffre and F. Ghazban (Editors), Insights from paragenesis and geochemistry. Chemical Geology, Amsterdam, pp. 378–381.

Ali Youssef, Anne Verachtert, Guido De Bruyne et al.

Biological systems, in general, represent a special type of control system. The physiological processes of homeostasis, which serve to maintain the organism’s internal equilibrium against external influences, are clear forms of biological control system. An example of the homeostasis is the control of the organism thermal state or the thermoregulation. The thermoregulatory control of human skin blood flow, via vasoconstriction and vasodilation, is vital to maintaining normal body temperatures during challenges to thermal homeostasis such as localised cooling. The main objective of this paper is to reverse engineer the localised thermoregulatory cold-induced vasoconstriction/vasodilation (CIVC/CIVD) reactions using a data-based mechanistic approach. Two types of localised cooling were applied to the fingers of 33 healthy participants, namely, continuous and intermittent cooling. Modelling of the thermoregulatory cold-induced vasoconstriction/vasodilation reactions suggested two underlying processes, with one process being 10 times faster. A new term is suggested in this paper, namely, the latent heat of CIVD, which represents the amount of dissipated heat required to trigger the CIVD. Moreover, a new model for the thermoregulatory localised CIVC/CIVD reactions is proposed. The suggested new model states that, with an initial vasodilation state, the initial localised CIVC is triggered based on a certain threshold in the rate of heat dissipation from the skin to the surrounding environment.