Abstract: Ti-15V-3Al-3Cr-3Sn alloy (Ti-153) plates were subjected to a hydriding process to obtain Ti-153 powder, which was then further hot-press sintered (HPS) into porous electrodes to see their hydrogen storage and evolution capabilities. The effects of processing parameters on the hydrogenation behavior were characterized qualitatively and quantitatively utilizing X-ray diffractometry (XRD: D2 PHASER, BRUKER, USA, 30 kV-10 mA, Cu-Kα λ=1.541838 Å), scanning electron microscopy (SEM: Hitachi 4800), and elemental analysis (EA: Heraeus vario III-NCSH). XRD and EA analyses demonstrate that the hydrogen absorption and evolution capabilities of the powdered electrodes are superior to those of the original bulk sheet specimens. The hydrogen uptake of the specimens was evaluated by cyclic electrolytic hydrogenation at 50 mA/cm² for various periods in a 1N H₂SO₄ aqueous solution containing 0.1 g/L A_s2O₃, followed by solution treatment in a muffle furnace at 300°C for 1 hour. The subsequent dehydrogenation process was conducted at 300°C and 4.67 Pa for 2 hours. The optimal processing conditions in this study are as follows: (1) First, the Ti-153 sheets are treated in a hydrogen furnace at 300℃ under a hydrogen pressure of 50atm for 15 hours to obtain the raw powder; (2) Subsequently, the raw powder is processed in a hot-pressing sintering furnace at 600℃ under 25 MPa for 2 hours to yield the sintered electrodes.

Abstract: For more than half a century, tacit knowledge has explained why skilled organisational work cannot be reduced to written rules or formal procedures. Competent action relies on situated judgement, perceptual cues, and experience-shaped discrimination. Historically, AI systems could not access this know-how because they required explicit rules, labelled examples, or articulated document corpora. The shift to agentic AI changes this practical reality: agents can now use tools, maintain memory, observe workflow traces, and interact with human workers directly. This capability raises a question: which aspects of tacit practice leave enough behavioural traces and contextual conditions to become useful computational artefacts? This paper presents Tacit as a governed memory layer for agentic AI that complements procedural, semantic, and episodic memory. To operationalise it, we introduce Metis, a reference architecture specifying how systems can responsibly capture, represent, validate, govern, and retrieve "tacit fragments". We delineate an exogenous pathway that captures fragments from situated human practice, the paper's primary focus, alongside an endogenous pathway where agents surface latent competence from their own operational traces. We set out how agentic systems can turn situated human practice into governed memory an agent can use, provided each fragment remains strictly bound to its conditions, provenance, confidence, and human validation.

Abstract: Harnessing endophytic bacteria for disease management offers a promising sustainable strategy owing to their biocontrol activity in agriculture. Our previous research has shown that endophytic Bacillus spp. significantly suppressed wheat blast disease in field. Despite their promising biocontrol potential, the successful commercialization of microbial biopesticides depends on economical mass production, high microbial viability, prolonged shelf-life, and consistent field performance. This study optimized fermentation conditions, endospore production and carrier formulations of three endophytic Bacillus strains (B. subtilis, BTS-3 and B. velezensis BTS-4 and BTLK6A) for sustainable management of wheat blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype Triticum (MoT). Sugarcane molasses was evaluated as a low-cost alternative to commercial nutrient broth, while supplementation with 500 ppm MnCl2.4H2O enhanced growth and endospore production for Bacillus spp. Talc- and molasses-based liquid formulations were subsequently developed and evaluated for storage stability. Talc formulation containing 1% (w/w) carboxymethyl cellulose and 1.5% calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) provided the highest survival up to 180 days, maintaining a population density of approximately ~10⁵-10⁶ CFU g⁻¹, whereas liquid formulations exhibited a faster decline in cell viability. Despite these differences, both formulation types significantly reduced blast disease severity by 48.78-75.98% compared to the only MoT infected control in the field. Seed priming consistently outperformed foliar application and also enhanced tiller production (9.40–16.62%), thousand-grain weight (13.47-32.41%), and highest grain yield (321 g/plot), achieving up to 38.58% higher yield than the MoT-inoculated control. These findings established an effective approach for developing stable talc- and molasses-based formulations capable of maintaining bacterial viability and supporting the field efficacy for sustainable wheat blast management.

Abstract: Background and Objectives: Off-label medical narcotic use may be classified as misuse and abuse, but this classification need not coincide with judgments about how broadly medical narcotic use should be permitted. We examined the association and discordance between these judgments, as well as how each was related to three dose reduction-related responses. Materials and Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional web-based survey data from 300 physicians specializing in neurology, psychiatry, or anesthesiology and pain medicine in South Korea. Strict classification of all off-label use as misuse and abuse and a restrictive view of how broadly medical narcotic use should be permitted were entered simultaneously into logistic regression models for prior recommendation of dose reduction or discontinuation, belief that dose reduction would be helpful, and future intention to attempt dose reduction. Models were adjusted for age, sex, practice type, and specialty, with false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment across six primary associations. Results: Strict classification was selected by 42 physicians (14.0%), and a restrictive view by 107 (35.7%). The two judgments were positively associated (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.38–10.46), but 92 of 297 physicians (31.0%) gave discordant responses. After FDR adjustment, strict classification was associated with prior recommendation (aOR, 3.06; 95% CI, 1.37–6.83) and belief that dose reduction would be helpful (aOR, 4.51; 95% CI, 1.91–10.67). A restrictive view was associated with the same belief (aOR, 3.59; 95% CI, 2.12–6.10) and future intention (aOR, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.55–5.40). Conclusions: These findings indicate that physicians’ broad judgments about off-label medical narcotic use and the permitted scope of medical narcotic use are related but distinct and show different patterns of association with three dose reduction-related responses. They support the view that tapering decisions should be guided by individualized clinical assessment rather than by legal and regulatory frameworks alone.

Abstract: Clinical studies have shown that patients who had sepsis with COVID-19 infection had worse clinical outcomes, however, there is a paucity of data on the nationwide impact of COVID-19 infection in patients with sepsis. Hence, we conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2020 through 2022 to determine the impact of COVID-19 infection on the outcomes of patients with sepsis. Adult sepsis hospitalizations were identified using ICD-10-CM codes and stratified by concurrent COVID-19 infection status. Survey weighted multivariate regression analysis was performed. Patients with sepsis with concurrent COVID-19 infection had worse outcomes with higher mortality rate (15.6% vs 5.4%; aOR 3.71; 95% CI 3.62-3.80), higher need for invasive ventilation (13.1% vs 6.5%) and NIV (non-invasive ventilation) (10.2% vs 4.9%), higher incidence of acute kidney injury (37.6% vs 36.7%), acute respiratory failure (57.5% vs 20.3%), acute liver failure (1.0% vs 1.2%), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (0.4% vs 0.3%), cardiac arrest (3.1% vs 1.5%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (7.9% vs 0.4%), higher need for renal replacement therapy (4.9% vs 4.5%), tracheostomy (1.6% vs 0.6%), extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) (0.2% vs 0.04%), longer length of hospital stay (10.3 days vs 7.6 days), higher total charges ($127,632 vs $93,735 respectively). The results demonstrate that the COVID-19 infection was independently associated with worse clinical outcomes among hospitalized with sepsis. These results underscore the need for early recognition, aggressive treatment, and targeted therapy in this high-risk clinical group.

Abstract: Exosomes are small vesicles released by various cells type; compounds of a lipid bilayer and surface proteins that facilitate their recognition, direction and uptake by the target cell. Inside, exosomes contain proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, the composition of which varies depending on the cell of origin. Exosomes can be internalized by the target cell by endocytosis, fusion, or ligand-receptor interaction. The main functions of these extracellular vesicles (EVs) are intercellular communication, gene regulation, and the activation of cell regeneration and repair processes. Due to these characteristics, exosomes emerge as a promising option for the treatment of various diseases. Therefore, this review addresses the biology of exosomes and provides examples of studies with the molecular mechanisms by which these vesicles are taken up by target cells; examples of factors that influence the secretion and molecular composition of exosomes, which can be modified through exosome engineering, to enhance their effects. Furthermore, it addresses a diverse range of examples of the potential therapeutic applications of exosomes, including those loaded with different types of molecules, to use them as vehicles for drug delivery, with the objective of achieving safer, more precise, and effective treatments. Finally, it includes some clinical studies conducted with exosomes.

Abstract: Background: Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder characterised by recurrent inflammation and progressive structural damage of cartilaginous and proteoglycan-rich tissues, particularly auricular, nasal and laryngotracheobronchial cartilage. Ocular, audiovestibular, cardiovascular, cutaneous, neurological and musculoskeletal manifestations illustrate its systemic nature. Traditionally regarded as an autoimmune chondropathy, RP is increasingly recognised as a heterogeneous clinical syndrome. The discovery of somatic mutations in UBA1 causing VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome has substantially changed this conceptual framework.Objective: To provide an updated translational review of the pathophysiology, clinical phenotypes, diagnostic approach and treatment of RP, with particular emphasis on the distinction between classical immune-mediated RP and UBA1-mutated VEXAS-associated chondritis, and on the transition from empirical immunosuppression towards precision therapeutics.Methods: A narrative review of the literature was undertaken, focusing predominantly on publications between January 2000 and August 2026 while retaining seminal earlier studies defining RP and its diagnostic criteria. PubMed/MEDLINE and the reference lists of major reviews, multicentre cohorts and consensus documents were examined. Because randomised therapeutic evidence remains exceptionally limited in RP, treatment data were interpreted according to study design, number of treated patients, consistency of response and potential sources of bias.Results: Classical RP appears to involve loss of immune tolerance towards cartilage-associated extracellular matrix components, followed by interaction between adaptive and innate immune pathways. By contrast, VEXAS syndrome originates from acquired somatic UBA1 mutations in haematopoietic progenitor cells, resulting in altered ubiquitination, proteotoxic stress, clonal haematopoiesis and profound innate autoinflammation. Macrocytic anaemia, cytopenias, neutrophilic dermatosis, venous thromboembolism, persistent systemic inflammation and myelodysplastic features should prompt UBA1 testing in an appropriate RP phenotype. Airway involvement remains a major determinant of irreversible morbidity and mortality. Treatment of classical RP remains largely evidence-informed rather than evidence-based, whereas VEXAS requires a distinct strategy integrating anti-inflammatory and clone-directed therapy.Conclusions: RP should no longer be regarded exclusively as a uniform autoimmune chondropathy. The VEXAS paradigm demonstrates that a clinically similar phenotype may arise from fundamentally different pathogenic mechanisms. Contemporary management should combine clinical phenotyping, advanced imaging, haematological assessment and selective molecular testing, with therapy chosen according to organ threat, inflammatory activity, accumulated damage and underlying biology.

Abstract: In a finite graph, an independent set is a group of vertices that are not connected by edges. The independence, or independent number, tells how big the largest collection of vertices is where no two nodes are next to each other. When optimizing network architecture, error correcting codes, and resource allocation, the independence number a crucial metric in graph theory plays a significant role. In this article we investigate independence within structured graph families, specifically Toeplitz graphs and circulant graphs. For these graphs, solutions are computationally tractable because of periodic structure which makes them indispensable for combinatorial optimization, modeling cyclic communication protocols, and parallel grid based systems. For k = 2,3,4,5, this problem is solved for C_n < 1,k >, in 2008 (ISITAE) [33], but it remains open for bigger families of circulant graphs that are subject to NP-Hard and for Toeplitz graphs. Moreover, this research solve an open problem for Toeplitz and generalized circulant graphs that highlight an in depth study of the independence numbers that fluctuate across a broad spectrum of generating values and their precise bounds.

Abstract: Background/Objectives: psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory dis-ease associated with a high systemic burden. Inhibition of the IL-23/IL-17 axis is the cornerstone of therapy; however, in the assessment of psoriatic disease-associated comorbidities, an equally crucial topic concerns the study of immune-nutritional sta-tus. The aim of the study was to document the efficacy, safety and systemic impact of Bimekizumab and Tildrakizumab in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis by analyz-ing clinimetric and indices, atherogenic risk, and innovatively the immune-nutritional markers. Methods: this is a real world clinical study, including 52 psoriasis patients, treated with Bimekizumab or Tildrakizumab, followed for 52 weeks. In particular, we analized clinimetric (evaluated by PASI and DLQI) and inflammatory (CRP, ESR, NLR, PLR, and LMR ratios, SII) indices, atherogenic risk (by evaluating lipid profile), and im-munonutritional markers (HALP score, and CONUT score). Assessments were per-formed at baseline and after 52 weeks. Results: both treatments resulted in a significant reduction in PASI at week 52. The systemic inflammatory marker CRP decreased in both groups. A trend of reduction from baseline to week 52 was reported for both the NLR, and the PLR. Conversely, a trend of increase were reported for the LMR. The HALP index was significant increase in Bimekizumab group compared to Tildrakizumab group while the CONUT score was significantly lower, suggesting an improvement in the immune-nutritional status. Conclusion: In conclusion, the integrated assessment of hematological ratios, inflam-matory indices and immune-nutritional markers provides clinically useful information for a more complete and personalized management of the psoriatic patients.

Abstract: National track access charge (TAC) regimes create persistent pricing inconsistency that undermines cross-border rail competitiveness, a challenge acute along Rail Baltica (RB) – the developing corridor spanning Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This study examines under what conditions TAC harmonisation is achievable along this corridor and what framework would best support phased alignment. A comparative case analysis of the three Baltic states is conducted using regulatory filings, EU policy documentation, and infrastructure manager data, with descriptive analysis mapping structural divergences across national TAC regimes. The analysis identifies quantifiable differences in charging structures and delineates metrics where harmonisation is already viable. A forward agenda specifies the regulatory and governance preconditions required for deeper alignment. The findings confirm that full TAC unification remains premature, constrained primarily by divergent interpretations of the common EU legal framework and deeply embedded national accounting methodologies, while structured harmonisation through a shared methodological framework can meaningfully improve pricing transparency and regulatory comparability without undermining national financial autonomy. The decision-support framework developed here offers a transferable instrument for infrastructure managers, regulators, and EU-level bodies pursuing TAC reform across cross-border corridors.

Abstract: Sustainability assessment has become a crucial component of public policy, urban planning, and research on sustainable development. Most assessment methodologies remain predominantly outcome-oriented, evaluating the state of sustainable development while paying relatively little attention to the governance processes through which it is pursued. This paper argues that sustainable development may be understood and evaluated as a continuous governance process rather than solely as a set of societal outcomes. This study proposes the Governance-Centered Sustainable Development Assessment as a theoretical framework for evaluating sustainable development through governance rather than solely through outcomes. The framework posits four governance domains: governance capacity, governance implementation, governance effectiveness, and sustainable development outcomes within a unified governance architecture. A standardized methodology operationalizes this perspective integrating longitudinal archival data, governance activity coding, structured evaluation worksheets, evidence hierarchies, process tracing, and a municipal sustainable development governance maturity scale. The methodology is demonstrated through a longitudinal application to a city. This research advances an ontological reconceptualization of sustainable development as a governance process; and it extends program evaluation theories to sustainability governance by providing a structured, transparent and transferable framework for evaluating municipal governance processes alongside community outcomes. These contributions shift sustainability assessment from measuring how sustainable communities are to understanding how communities govern sustainable development.

Abstract: Counter-arguing against the proposition that homology between the coleoptile and the leaf sheath is impossible because a sheath cannot be located above the lamina of the same leaf (Mavrodiev 2025), while defending the bipartite interpretation of the grass cotyledon (BIGC), Scanlon et al. (2026) advance five principal objections: (1) during embryo ontogeny, the coleoptile initiates proximal to the initiation point of the distal scutellum; (2) the coleoptile must be part of the cotyledon because of embryo distichy; (3) tissue continuity between the scutellum and coleoptile supports the interpretation that these two structures together constitute a single composite organ, the cotyledon; (4) BOP1a marker expression in coleoptile supports coleoptile-sheath homology; and (5) ligule and leaf-sheath homologies of the coleoptile are compatible because the ligule represents an extension of the sheath margin. In this reply, I show that all five objections are incorrect. (1) Along the embryo's morphological axis, rather than the proximodistal axis of the leaf, the coleoptile occupies a position distal relative to the scutellum, thus lying above the latter. Therefore, homology between the coleoptile and the leaf sheath is impossible. (2) The disruption of embryonic distichous phyllotaxy by the placement of the coleoptile does not necessarily constitute a morphological argument, and the interpretation of the epiblast as a reduced leaf preserves embryo distichy. (3) Tissue continuity does not imply organ identity. (4) BOP1a expression in coleoptile provides evidence against, rather than in support of the BIGC. (5) Coleoptile-leaf sheath homology does not constitute evidence for coleoptile-ligule homology (or vice versa). Moreover, the claim that the ligule originates from the sheath margin remains open to question because it is formulated without consideration of the basipetal pattern of maize leaf maturation. The reply to Objection 1 affects the very foundation of the argument of Scanlon et al. (2026). Therefore, further discussion on the topic is optional (sublato fundamento, cadit tota propositio).

Abstract: Protein tyrosyl phosphorylation is a dynamic reversible regulatory process that is es-sential for virtually all aspects of cellular function. Dysregulation of protein tyrosyl phosphorylation is one of the main causes of human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and neurological diseases. Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) have paved the way towards defining the significance of protein tyrosyl phosphorylation in human health and disease. However, homeostatic control of protein tyrosyl phosphor-ylation is also regulated by protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). The actions of PTPs are diverse functioning to both positively and negatively regulate signaling pathways through specific substrate dephosphorylation. The PTKs are now matured targets with numerous drugs that have been developed for the treatment of human diseases such as cancer and immunological disorders. In contrast, PTPs are relatively in their infancy as compared with their PTK counterparts with regards to drug development for the treatment of human diseases. However, mounting evidence supports the view that PTPs are not only valid targets but are indeed targetable. This review will highlight recent developments in the PTP field which provide support for the emergence of PTPs as therapeutic targets for diseases such as cancer, obesity, type II diabetes and rare diseases.

Abstract: The electrotonic response of a nerve to a subthreshold current pulse has been described as a passive electrical spread in the axolemma since the mid-nineteenth century, and the mathematical formalism of the linear cable equation has been treated as its mechanism ever since Kelvin (1855) and Rall (1957 onwards). We revisit the demonstration that William Rutherford gave to his students at Edinburgh in 1876, restate what he could see and what he could not, and perform three modern in silico experiments in the same demonstrative spirit. The three experiments compare, on the same measured trace, a strict Hodgkin--Huxley formulation, a formulation with independent stimulus and action-potential sources, and a Hodgkin--Huxley formulation augmented ad hoc with variable capacitance and ion-dependent resistance. Only the independent-sources formulation reproduces three routine facts of electrophysiology (all-or-none amplitude, waveform invariance, and coherence of algorithmic artefact subtraction) without a single fitted parameter. We conclude that the electrotonic response is not a passive electrical spread in the axolemma but the vertical projection of a horizontal ionic movement in the periaxonal polyelectrolyte gel adjacent to the axolemma, and that the classical cable equation preserves its descriptive validity as the shadow of that movement while losing its ontological reading as the mechanism.

Abstract: Introduction: Entrepreneurial spirit drives innovation and economic growth, but its determinants among university students in Sub-Saharan Africa are still poorly explored. This study investigated the determinants of entrepreneurial spirit as well as the role of social influence and self-efficacy among university students in Luanda, the capital city of Angola. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 168 undergraduate students from the Technical University of Angola (UTANGA), in Luanda, from January to February 2026. Data were obtained through Google Forms, assessing subjective norms, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intention on a five-point Likert scale. Responses were dichotomised into No (strongly disagree to neither agree nor disagree) and Yes (agree to strongly agree). Associations were tested using t-tests, chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, with Cramer's V quantifying the magnitude of the associations and p<0.05 was deemed significant. Results: Entrepreneurial spirit was highly prevalent (96.4%). Age showed a significant association with entrepreneurial spirit, with students under 30 years old being the most represented (72.2%, p=0.033, Cramer's V=0.3). Entrepreneurial self-sufficiency (82.1%, p=0.001, Cramer's V=0.3) and the ability to mobilise people (72.8%, p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.3) were strongly associated with entrepreneurial spirit. Students under 30 years old (73.9%, p=0.027, Cramer's V=0.3) were associated with subjective norms, while female students (52.6%, p<0.012, Cramer's V=0.2), those involved in business creation (92.5%, p=0.042, Cramer's V=0.2), those with future planning (41.4%, p<0.005, Cramer's V=0.2), and those with entrepreneurial self-sufficiency (56.4%, p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.4) were more likely to be associated with entrepreneurial self-sufficiency. Conclusions: Entrepreneurial spirit is highly prevalent among Angolan university students, with self-efficacy, mobilisation capacity, and self-perception as entrepreneurs being the main determinants. Strengthening these attributes through higher education curricula could promote the development of entrepreneurship in young Angolans.

Abstract: Sustainable investing has moved environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria toward the center of cross-border capital decisions, yet the country-level evidence on whether these criteria attract foreign direct investment (FDI) rests almost entirely on static models and rarely accounts for the quality of a country’s accounting and reporting environment. This study estimates a dynamic model of FDI for 265 economies observed from 2006 to 2020, combining the three ESG pillars with four accounting and tax variables: mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the strength of auditing standards, the extent of business disclosure, and the corporate tax burden. A fixed-effects estimator and a two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator address persistence and the reverse causality between FDI and national conditions, and a panel smooth transition regression tests whether the relationship is nonlinear. Accounting transparency attracts FDI: audit quality and disclosure carry large positive and significant coefficients under fixed effects and across income groups, while the aggregate governance index enters negatively. The corporate tax burden deters FDI with no evidence of an optimal-tax turning point. The relationship is nonlinear in governance rather than income: a panel smooth transition regression locates a governance threshold near 0.97 on the standardized scale, above which the negative association between IFRS and FDI disappears and the effects of disclosure and sustainability reporting strengthen. The results reframe the ESG–FDI question around the reporting and assurance environment through which investors read a country’s ESG credentials, and around the governance quality that makes that environment credible.

Abstract: The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a key crop for food security in Mexico, yet its genetic resources remain poorly characterized in rural areas with high agrobiodiversity. Using genotyping-by-sequencing, we assessed genetic diversity, population structure, and gene flow among wild populations (W), traditional landraces (L), and commercial varieties exchanged through local markets (M), contrasting these populations with a sample of improved varieties (I). We analyzed a total of 78 individuals and 18,951 neutral SNPs. Population analyses (sNMF, PCoA, Neighbor-Joining, AMOVA) revealed strong differentiation between wild populations and cultivated forms (landraces and markets) (Fst_L-W = 0.704 and Fst_M-W = 0.601), whereas landraces and market varieties were weakly differentiated (Fst_L-M = 0.059). Wild populations exhibited the highest genetic diversity, with the greatest proportion of polymorphic loci (%P_W = 56.6), expected heterozygosity (He_W = 0.49), and nucleotide diversity (πW = 0.55). Cultivated forms showed lower diversity across all parameters, although levels exceeded those previously reported for Guerrero and other Mexican regions. Gene flow was limited between wild and cultivated forms but high between landraces and market varieties (Nm_L-M = 7.877), highlighting the role of seed exchange networks in maintaining connectivity and diversity. These findings underscore the importance of conserving wild populations, landraces, and traditional seed systems to strengthen crop resilience and food security under climate change.

Abstract: Small-scale gold operations hosted in structurally controlled, narrow quartz-carbonate vein systems commonly report disappointing recoveries and erratic grade outcomes despite reasonable metallurgical practice. This paper argues that the root cause in many such cases is not metallurgical but originates upstream, in the absence of a systematic, theory-based sampling and grade-control framework. Using Unit 5 gold mine in the Kwekwe Greenstone Belt of Zimbabwe as a case study — a four-shaft, structurally controlled vein system with narrow, pinch-and-swell vein width and characteristics typical of high-nugget-effect gold deposits — established sampling theory and the narrow-vein gold sampling literature are applied to design a face-sampling, quality assurance and quality control, and grade-reconciliation methodology fitted to the deposit's actual geometry. A phased turnaround action plan is presented, moving the operation from unsystematic mining decisions toward a defensible, code-aligned resource and grade-control base. The approach is transferable to comparable small-scale, structurally controlled vein gold operations elsewhere in the region.

Abstract: Bakshali square root formula is an amazing achievement of ancient Indian Mathematics. Exploring the logic behind the Bakshali formula, an extended Bakshali algorithm in two variables for square root extraction is presented. The algorithm leads to Bakshali-type formulas of high orders of convergence that goes as 2ⁿ, where n=1,2,3, …. . Further, a transformed Bakshali algorithm is presented which ensures fast convergence with just one division operation per iteration. Just in a few iterations square roots can be computed with millions of digits of accuracy. Algorithms with 8-fold and 16-fold convergences are demonstrated.

Abstract:

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and biochar may improve crop growth in drought-prone sandy soils, but their interactive effects under different water regimes remain unclear. We investigated their effects on potato growth and nutrient uptake under water deficit. A semi-field rainout-shelter experiment was conducted in Denmark using low-phosphorus (P) sandy soil (Olsen P: 18.3 mg kg⁻¹), unamended (BC−) or amended with wheat-straw biochar (BC+). Potato plants were grown without (M−) or with Rhizophagus irregularis inoculation (M+) and irrigated at three soil water thresholds (75, 50, and 25% of field capacity). Biochar increased P and nitrogen (N) uptake and tuber biomass, with biomass gains strongly correlated with nutrient uptake. Under high irrigation, BC+M+ increased tuber biomass, P uptake, and N uptake by 55, 73, and 32%, respectively, compared with BC−M−. Without biochar, AMF did not increase nutrient uptake and reduced tuber biomass. AMF root colonization and its soil lipid biomarker were affected by water deficit, with responses also associated with soil pH and P availability. Overall, adequate water availability was critical for realizing the benefits of combined biochar and AMF application in low-P sandy soil.