#Potential for Scalability

[joyandella-123]

How Automation Affects Your Floor Space

One of the areas often overlooked when planning for automation is the way automation changes the floor space inside a metal fabrication company. It’s not exactly an issue of more space vs. less space, it’s a different way to use the same space. For example, you might have to think in a “cell” fashion rather than in a linear fashion, where next steps succeed each other literally down the line.

Here are some of the areas to consider when planning for automation, and the ways it can potentially change and make use of your space:

Efficient Space Utilization: Automated equipment can have a more compact and efficient design compared to traditional machinery. This can lead to better utilization of space, allowing more operations to be conducted in the same area. For example, automated storage and retrieval systems can utilize vertical space more effectively than manual storage. This three-dimensional thinking is still somewhat new in our business.

Reconfiguration of Layout: Automation may require a reconfiguration of the shop floor layout. Machines might need to be arranged differently to optimize workflow and accommodate automated systems. This might involve centralizing certain operations or creating specific areas for automated processes.

Reduction in Storage Space: Automation can lead to a reduction in the amount of space needed for storage. Automated systems often include just-in-time manufacturing processes, which minimize the need for storing large amounts of inventory on the shop floor.

Increased Safety Zones: Automated machinery might require additional safety measures, such as barriers or designated safety zones, which could take up additional floor space. This is necessary to ensure the safety of workers operating near automated equipment.

Decreased People Zones. Because of the additional cages and safety areas, “people” zones will shrink, and that must be considered when planning traffic through a shop. This is particularly true when considering the lanes for bringing 10 x 5 sheets of steel through the plant.

Room for Expansion: With automation, some processes become more efficient, potentially freeing up space that was previously used for less efficient processes. This space can be repurposed for new machines, expansion of existing operations, or for processes that are still manual.

Integration Space: If automation involves the integration of different machines and systems (such as conveyors linking different production stages), additional space might be needed to accommodate these integrations.

Space for Control and Monitoring: Automated systems often require spaces for control units, computers, and monitoring equipment. This might mean setting aside areas for control rooms or stations.

Potential for Scalability: Automated systems are often more scalable than manual operations. As the business grows, it might be easier to add new automated units or scale existing ones within the same space, rather than having to expand the physical footprint of the shop.

In summary, automation in metal fabricating can lead to more efficient use of space, require reconfiguration of the shop floor, increase safety zones, and potentially change storage and control needs. The overall impact on floor space can vary depending on the specific type of automation implemented and the existing layout and processes of the shop.

[todayiot]

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[ultragamerz]

Orca: Can Solana's DEX Become the Uniswap of the Next Crypto Cycle?

New Post has been published on https://www.ultragamerz.com/orca-can-solanas-dex-become-the-uniswap-of-the-next-crypto-cycle/

Orca: Can Solana's DEX Become the Uniswap of the Next Crypto Cycle?

Orca: Can Solana’s DEX Become the Uniswap of the Next Crypto Cycle?

The decentralized exchange (DEX) landscape continues to evolve, with established players like Uniswap on Ethereum facing competition from innovative challengers on emerging blockchains. Orca, a leading DEX built on Solana, presents a compelling case for becoming the “Uniswap” of the next crypto cycle, capitalizing on several key factors.

Uniswap’s Reign and Potential Challenges:

Uniswap revolutionized DeFi by pioneering the automated market maker (AMM) model, fostering a user-friendly platform for token swaps. However, Ethereum’s scalability issues have led to high gas fees, hindering user experience and potentially limiting its future growth.

Solana’s Rise as a Contender:

Solana, known for its blazing-fast transaction speeds and low fees, has emerged as a viable alternative to Ethereum. This has attracted developers and users seeking a smoother and more affordable DeFi experience.

Orca: Inheriting the DEX Crown?

Orca, built on Solana, positions itself to capitalize on these trends. Here’s why Orca could be the next Uniswap:

Low Fees & High Throughput: Leveraging Solana’s infrastructure, Orca offers near-instantaneous transactions with minimal fees, attracting users frustrated with Ethereum’s limitations.

Uniswap-inspired Interface: Orca’s user interface is familiar and user-friendly for those already accustomed to Uniswap, facilitating a smooth transition.

Concentrated Liquidity: Similar to Uniswap V3, Orca’s “Whirlpool” feature allows liquidity providers to deposit tokens within specific price ranges, potentially earning higher returns.

Growing Solana Ecosystem: As the Solana ecosystem thrives, Orca stands to benefit from increased adoption of DeFi applications built on Solana.

Low Market Cap: Compared to Uniswap’s massive market cap, Orca’s remains significantly lower. This presents a potential for substantial growth if the project gains wider adoption.

Potential Price Explosion:

Uniswap’s phenomenal rise, reaching a peak price over 300 times its initial value, serves as a potential benchmark for Orca’s future. If Orca captures a dominant share of the Solana DeFi market, its token price could conceivably reach similar heights. With Orca’s current market cap significantly lower than Uniswap’s at its peak, a 300x increase could propel Orca’s price to well over $120 per token during the next crypto bull run.

Is Orca a Guaranteed Success?

While Orca holds immense potential, the crypto space is inherently unpredictable. Competition from other DEXes on Solana and potential roadblocks for the Solana blockchain itself could pose challenges.

Looking Ahead:

The next crypto cycle remains shrouded in uncertainty. However, Orca’s strategic positioning on Solana, combined with its user-friendly interface and low-fee environment, presents a compelling chance to become the leading DEX on a burgeoning blockchain. As the DeFi landscape evolves, Orca’s performance bears close watching to see if it can indeed become the “Uniswap” of the next era.

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Please consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

Keywords:

Orca, DEX, Uniswap, Solana, Ethereum, DeFi, decentralized exchange, automated market maker (AMM), transaction fees, user-friendly interface, concentrated liquidity, scalability, blockchain, DeFi application, market cap, price prediction, Uniswap price history, crypto bull run, investment opportunity, Solana ecosystem, future of DeFi, competition, crypto market, potential, uncertainty, financial advice, disclaimer

[hostajournal]

We understand the challenges you face and are committed to providing you with a comprehensive hosting solution for all your technical needs. Our team of experts is well-versed in the intricacies of Open Journal Systems (OJS), ensuring your journal remains stable, secure, and up-to-date paraphrase it 10 times

[ourjobagency]

Microsoft, a pioneering tech giant, has been at the forefront of this transformation, consistently pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. One such innovation is Microsoft Fabric, a cutting-edge platform that harnesses the power of AI-enabled next-generation data analytics.

https://qrsolutions.in/microsoft-fabric-unleashing-the-potential-of-ai-enhanced-next-gen-data-analytics/

[reasonsforhope]

A reef that has been degraded—whether by coral bleaching or disease—can’t support the same diversity of species and has a much quieter, less rich soundscape.

But new research from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution shows that sound could potentially be a vital tool in the effort to restore coral reefs.

A healthy coral reef is noisy, full of the croaks, purrs, and grunts of various fishes and the crackling of snapping shrimp. Scientists believe that coral larvae use this symphony of sounds to help them determine where they should live and grow.

So, replaying healthy reef sounds can encourage new life in damaged or degraded reefs.

In a paper published last week in Royal Society Open Science, the Woods Hole researchers showed that broadcasting the soundscape of a healthy reef caused coral larvae to settle at significantly higher rates—up to seven times more often.

“What we’re showing is that you can actively induce coral settlement by playing sounds,” said Nadège Aoki, a doctoral candidate at WHOI and first author on the paper.

“You can go to a reef that is degraded in some way and add in the sounds of biological activity from a healthy reef, potentially helping this really important step in the coral life cycle.”

Corals are immobile as adults, so the larval stage is their only opportunity to select a good habitat. They swim or drift with the currents, seeking the right conditions to settle out of the water column and affix themselves to the seabed. Previous research has shown that chemical and light cues can influence that decision, but Aoki and her colleagues demonstrate that the soundscape also plays a major role in where corals settle.

The researchers ran the same experiment twice in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2022. They collected larvae from Porites astreoides, a hardy species commonly known as mustard hill coral thanks to its lumpy shape and yellow color and distributed them in cups at three reefs along the southern coast of St. John. One of those reefs, Tektite, is relatively healthy. The other two, Cocoloba and Salt Pond, are more degraded with sparse coral cover and fewer fish.

At Salt Pond, Aoki and her colleagues installed an underwater speaker system and placed cups of larvae at distances of one, five, 10, and 30 meters from the speakers. They broadcast healthy reef sounds – recorded at Tektite in 2013 – for three nights. They set up similar installations at the other two reefs but didn’t play any sounds.

When they collected the cups, the researchers found that significantly more coral larvae had settled in the cups at Salt Pond than the other two reefs. On average, coral larvae settled at rates 1.7 times (and up to 7x) higher with the enriched sound environment.

The highest settlement rates were at five meters from the speakers, but even the cups placed 30 meters away had more larvae settling to the bottom than at Cocoloba and Tektite.

“The fact that settlement is consistently decreasing with distance from the speaker, when all else is kept constant, is particularly important because it shows that these changes are due to the added sound and not other factors,” said Aran Mooney, a marine biologist at WHOI and lead author on the paper.

“This gives us a new tool in the toolbox for potentially rebuilding a reef.”

Adding the audio is a process that would be relatively simple to implement, too.

“Replicating an acoustic environment is actually quite easy compared to replicating the reef chemical and microbial cues which also play a role in where corals choose to settle,” said Amy Apprill, a microbial ecologist at WHOI and a co-author on the paper.

“It appears to be one of the most scalable tools that can be applied to rebuild reefs, so we’re really excited about that potential.”"

-via Good News Network, March 17, 2024

[diamonddaze01]

business 101

pairing: csc x f!reader | wc: 1.3k genre/au: rival ceos, fluff, humor | warnings: none | rating: pg a/n: prequel to the contractual obligations universe // based on an ask for my 101 drabble prompt game!

The lecture hall buzzed with the usual pre-class chatter. The faint hum of laptops, the rustle of notebooks, and the occasional murmur of stress about looming midterms filled the air. You sank into your chair, flipping open your laptop to the blank document titled Business 101 Project.

“Group assignments will be randomized,” the professor announced from the podium, his voice loud enough to silence most of the murmuring. “Your task: create a comprehensive business plan for a hypothetical company. It’s due at the end of the semester. Creativity is welcome, but analysis and execution will determine your grade. Teams will be four people each, and I expect professionalism.”

When the names appeared on the screen, your heart sank.

Group 8: Choi Seungcheol, Jeonghan Yoon, Joshua Hong, Y/N L/N

You glanced around, spotting Jeonghan waving lazily at you with an amused smirk, while Joshua offered a polite nod. Then your eyes landed on Seungcheol. His lips quirked into a lopsided grin, the kind that spoke volumes—mostly about how annoying he planned to be.

“Great,” you muttered under your breath, earning a chuckle from Jeonghan, who had slid into the seat next to you. Jeonghan and Joshua—reliable, at least. But Choi Seungcheol? He caught your gaze and offered a cocky smirk.

Fantastic.

By the end of the first meeting, it was clear how things were going to go.

“We need a solid foundation,” Joshua said, tapping his pen thoughtfully against the table. “Let’s start with a service idea and build from there.”

“Something scalable,” you agreed. “Like a subscription model—low entry cost, high potential for growth.”

“That’s boring,” Seungcheol cut in, his voice casual but gratingly dismissive. “Why not focus on a bold product launch? Something with impact.”

“Impact doesn’t pay the bills,” you shot back, narrowing your eyes. “We need a strategy that’s actually sustainable.”

“Sustainable,” he repeated, leaning back and folding his arms. “Sure. Let’s just settle for mediocre so we don’t have to take any risks.”

“And crash and burn if it flops?” you shot back, unable to hide your irritation. “That’s reckless.”

Seungcheol leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a smirk. “No risk, no reward.”

“No risk, no grade either,” you retorted, your voice sharper than intended.

Jeonghan cleared his throat, breaking the tension. “I see this is going to be... fun.” He exchanged a glance with Joshua, who already looked like he regretted his life choices.

By the third meeting, the rivalry had reached critical mass. 

“Who made you the CEO of this group?” Seungcheol snapped after you vetoed one of his flashier ideas.

“I’m not the CEO,” you retorted, jabbing a finger at the project outline. “I’m just the one who doesn’t want us to fail.”

“Fail?” he repeated with a mock laugh. “Right, because your ideas are so revolutionary. Let’s hear it for our subscription box for socks or whatever you’re pitching.”

You glared. “Socks sell.”

“Not as much as actual creativity,” he shot back.

Jeonghan sighed dramatically. “I’m this close to quitting college,” he muttered to Joshua, who nodded solemnly.

 This was now less a project, and more a battlefield. You and Seungcheol clashed over every detail—budget projections, marketing angles, even the font choices for the presentation slides. Jeonghan coined the term “Wednesday Night War” after one particularly heated Zoom meeting, where the two of you had yelled over each other for a full ten minutes before Joshua muted you both.

Despite the arguments—or maybe because of them—the project came together. By some miracle, your calculated planning and Seungcheol’s riskier ideas balanced each other out. When the group received an A, Joshua and Jeonghan looked ready to celebrate.

You and Seungcheol, however, couldn’t even agree on that.

“I carried this project,” he said, smirking at you as the grades were handed back.

“Excuse me?” you said, turning to him. “If you carried it, then I was the one steering so you didn’t walk us off a cliff.”

“You’re welcome for my bold ideas,” he replied.

“And you’re welcome for my common sense,” you shot back, storming out of the classroom before you could strangle him.

A celebration was inevitable. After weeks of late nights and endless bickering, Jeonghan declared a house party to blow off steam. You weren’t in the mood for it, but Joshua’s pleading eyes and the promise of free drinks eventually won you over. The house was packed, the bass from the speakers thrumming through your chest. You spotted Jeonghan and Joshua near the makeshift bar, both nursing drinks and chatting with friends. 

Jeonghan greeted you with a sly grin. “And here I thought you were too good for us,” he teased, handing you a drink.

“I’m here for Joshua,” you replied, taking a sip. “Not you or him.”

“You mean Seungcheol?” Jeonghan asked innocently, his grin widening when you glared at him.

Across the room, Seungcheol leaned against the counter, laughing at something someone had said. His dark shirt clung to his shoulders in a way that annoyed you—it was unfair how effortlessly attractive he looked, especially when you could practically feel him waiting to pick another fight.

When his eyes met yours, he smirked.

You should’ve walked away, but instead, you marched straight up to him.

“Are you stalking me now?” you asked, crossing your arms.

“Stalking?” he echoed, raising an eyebrow. “You’re in my space.”

“Your space?” you scoffed. “Pretty sure this is Jeonghan’s house.”

“Semantics.”

The two of you fell into your usual rhythm of bickering, the tension between you thick enough to draw the attention of Jeonghan and Joshua.

“They’re at it again,” Joshua remarked, taking a sip of his drink.

Jeonghan sighed dramatically. “Why don’t they just kiss already?”

Joshua smirked, nodding toward where you and Seungcheol stood toe-to-toe. “Wait for it.”

Back near the bar, the argument had reached new heights.

“You think you’re so much better because you play it safe?” Seungcheol taunted, his voice low but heated.

“And you think being reckless makes you a visionary?” you fired back, stepping closer. 

“You wouldn’t know a bold move if it slapped you in the face,” he shot back, his tone biting.

“Do you ever shut up?” you snapped, stepping closer.

“Do you?” he fired back, his smirk daring you to do something about it.

The crowd around you began to thin as people sensed the escalating tension. Seungcheol’s jaw tightened, his eyes locked on yours. For a moment, neither of you spoke, the air between you crackling.

Then he grabbed your wrist.

“We’re settling this,” he growled, his voice quiet enough that only you could hear.

“Excuse me?” you sputtered, but he was already pulling you through the crowd, his grip firm but not rough.

From across the room, Jeonghan raised his glass to Joshua with a knowing smile. “Told you.”

“Bet you a round they don’t come back for hours,” Joshua added, and Jeonghan laughed, clinking his glass.

Seungcheol dragged you into an empty room, the noise of the party muffled by the closed door. He let go of your wrist, turning to face you with a look you couldn’t quite decipher.

“You can’t just—” you began, but the words died in your throat as he stepped closer.

“Can’t just what?” he challenged, his voice quieter now but no less intense.

Your breath hitched as the tension that had simmered for weeks finally reached its boiling point. “What do you want from me, Seungcheol?”

He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he cupped your face in his hands and kissed you. It wasn’t gentle or tentative—it was hungry, desperate, like he’d been holding himself back for far too long.

You froze for half a second before kissing him back just as fiercely, your hands tangling in his hair as the weeks of frustration and tension melted away into something electric.

The rest of the world disappeared. All that existed was the way his hands gripped your waist, the press of his body against yours, the taste of beer on his lips.

When you finally pulled apart, both of you were breathing hard, your foreheads resting against each other.

“This doesn’t mean I like you,” you whispered, your voice shaky but defiant.

Seungcheol smirked, his thumb brushing over your cheek. “Yeah? Keep telling yourself that.”

[sexymemecoin]

The Expansive World of Altcoins: Exploring the Diversity Beyond Bitcoin

Bitcoin, the original cryptocurrency, has long dominated headlines and market discussions. However, the world of digital currencies is vast and diverse, with thousands of alternative coins, or altcoins, each offering unique features and value propositions. Altcoins encompass a broad range of projects, from utility tokens and stablecoins to meme coins and more. This article delves into the rich ecosystem of altcoins, highlighting their significance, various types, and the innovative projects that make up this vibrant space, including a mention of Sexy Meme Coin.

Understanding Altcoins

The term "altcoin" refers to any cryptocurrency that is not Bitcoin. These coins were developed to address various limitations of Bitcoin or to introduce new features and use cases. Altcoins have proliferated since the creation of Bitcoin in 2009, each aiming to offer something different, whether it be improved transaction speeds, enhanced privacy features, or specific utility within certain ecosystems.

Categories of Altcoins

Utility Tokens: Utility tokens provide users with access to a specific product or service within a blockchain ecosystem. Examples include Ethereum's Ether (ETH), which is used to power applications on the Ethereum network, and Chainlink's LINK, which is used to pay for services on the Chainlink decentralized oracle network.

Stablecoins: Stablecoins are designed to maintain a stable value by being pegged to a reserve of assets, such as fiat currency or commodities. Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) are popular stablecoins pegged to the US dollar, offering the benefits of cryptocurrency without the volatility.

Security Tokens: Security tokens represent ownership in a real-world asset, such as shares in a company or real estate. They are subject to regulatory oversight and are often seen as a bridge between traditional finance and the blockchain world.

Meme Coins: Meme coins are a playful and often humorous take on cryptocurrency, inspired by internet memes and cultural trends. While they may start as jokes, some have gained significant value and community support. Dogecoin is the most famous example, but many others, like Shiba Inu and Sexy Meme Coin, have also captured the public's imagination.

Privacy Coins: Privacy coins focus on providing enhanced privacy features for transactions. Monero (XMR) and Zcash (ZEC) are notable examples, offering users the ability to transact anonymously and protect their financial privacy.

The Appeal of Altcoins

Altcoins offer several advantages over Bitcoin, including:

Innovation: Many altcoins introduce new technologies and features, driving innovation within the cryptocurrency space. For example, Ethereum introduced smart contracts, enabling decentralized applications (DApps) and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms.

Specialization: Altcoins often serve specific niches or industries, providing targeted solutions that Bitcoin cannot. For instance, Ripple (XRP) focuses on facilitating cross-border payments, while Filecoin (FIL) aims to create a decentralized storage network.

Investment Opportunities: The diverse range of altcoins presents numerous investment opportunities. Investors can diversify their portfolios by investing in projects with different use cases and growth potentials.

Notable Altcoins in the Market

Ethereum (ETH): Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization and has become the backbone of the DeFi and NFT (Non-Fungible Token) ecosystems. Its smart contract functionality allows developers to create decentralized applications, leading to a thriving ecosystem of financial services, games, and more.

Cardano (ADA): Cardano is a blockchain platform focused on sustainability, scalability, and transparency. It uses a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which is more energy-efficient than Bitcoin's proof-of-work. Cardano aims to provide a more secure and scalable infrastructure for the development of decentralized applications.

Polkadot (DOT): Polkadot is designed to enable different blockchains to interoperate and share information. Its unique architecture allows for the creation of "parachains," which can operate independently while still benefiting from the security and connectivity of the Polkadot network.

Chainlink (LINK): Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that provides real-world data to smart contracts on the blockchain. This functionality is crucial for the operation of many DeFi applications, making Chainlink a vital component of the blockchain ecosystem.

Sexy Meme Coin: Among the meme coins, Sexy Meme Coin stands out for its combination of humor and innovative tokenomics. It offers a decentralized marketplace where users can buy, sell, and trade memes as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), rewarding creators for their originality. Learn more about Sexy Meme Coin at Sexy Meme Coin.

The Future of Altcoins

The future of altcoins looks promising, with continuous innovation and increasing adoption across various industries. As blockchain technology evolves, we can expect altcoins to introduce new solutions and disrupt traditional systems. However, the market is also highly competitive, and not all projects will succeed. Investors should conduct thorough research and due diligence before investing in any altcoin.

Conclusion

Altcoins represent a dynamic and diverse segment of the cryptocurrency market. From utility tokens and stablecoins to meme coins and privacy coins, each category offers unique features and potential benefits. Projects like Ethereum, Cardano, Polkadot, and Chainlink are leading the way in innovation, while niche coins like Sexy Meme Coin add a layer of cultural relevance and community engagement. As the cryptocurrency ecosystem continues to grow, altcoins will play a crucial role in shaping the future of digital finance and blockchain technology.

For those interested in the playful and innovative side of the altcoin market, Sexy Meme Coin offers a unique and entertaining platform. Visit Sexy Meme Coin to explore this exciting project and join the community.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Novel perovskite growth method leads to ultrahigh-resolution micro-LED displays

Microscale light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) are emerging as a next-generation display technology for optical communications, augmented and virtual reality, and wearable devices. Metal-halide perovskites show great potential for efficient light emission, long-range carrier transport, and scalable manufacturing, making them potentially ideal candidates for bright LED displays. However, manufacturing thin-film perovskites suitable for micro-LED displays faces serious challenges. For example, thin-film perovskites may exhibit inhomogeneous light emission, and their surfaces may be unstable when subjected to lithography. For these reasons, solutions are needed to make thin-film perovskites compatible with micro-LED devices. Recently, a team of Chinese researchers led by Professor Wu Yuchen at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made significant strides in overcoming these challenges. The team has developed a novel method for the remote epitaxial growth of continuous crystalline perovskite thin films. This advance allows for seamless integration into ultrahigh-resolution micro-LEDs with pixels less than 5 μm.

Read more.

[thoughtportal]

A group of bacteria has proved adept at destroying the ultratough carbon-fluorine bonds that give “forever chemicals” their name. This finding boosts hopes that microbes might someday help remove these notoriously pervasive pollutants from the environment.

Nearly 15,000 chemicals commonly found in everyday consumer products such as pizza boxes, rain jackets and sunscreens are recognized as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs. These chemicals can enter the body via drinking water or sludge-fertilized crops, and they have already infiltrated the blood of almost every person in the U.S. Scientists have linked even low levels of chronic PFAS exposure to myriad health effects such as kidney cancer, thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis.

Current methods to destroy PFASs require extreme heat or pressure, and they work safely only on filtered-out waste. Researchers have long wondered whether bacteria could break down the chemicals in natural environments, providing a cheaper and more scalable approach. But carbon-­fluorine bonds occur mainly in humanmade materials, and PFASs have not existed long enough for bacteria to have specifically evolved the ability to digest them. The new study—though not the first to identify a microbe that destroys carbon-fluorine bonds—provides a step forward, says William Dichtel, a chemist at Northwestern University who studies energy-efficient ways to chemically degrade PFASs.

To identify a promising set of bacteria, the study’s authors screened several microbe communities living in wastewater. Four strains from the Acetobacterium genus stood out, the team reported in Science Advances. Each strain produced an enzyme that can digest caffeate—a naturally occurring plant compound that roughly resembles some PFASs. This enzyme replaced certain fluorine atoms in the PFASs with hydrogen atoms; then a “transporter protein” ferried the fluoride ion by-products out of the single-celled microbes, protecting them from damage. Over three weeks most of the strains split the targeted PFAS molecules into smaller fragments that could be degraded more easily via traditional chemical means.

By directly targeting carbon-fluorine bonds, the Acetobacterium bacteria partially digested perfluoroalkyls, a type of PFAS that very few microbes can break down. Even so, these Acetobacterium strains could work only on perfluoroalkyl molecules that contain carbon-carbon double bonds adjacent to the car­bon-fluorine ones. These “unsaturated” perfluoroalkyl compounds serve as building blocks for most larger PFASs; they are produced by chemical manufacturers and also emerge when PFASs are destroyed via incineration.

Scientists had previously demonstrated that a microbe called Acidimicrobium sp. strain A6 could break down carbon-fluorine bonds and completely degrade two of the most ubiquitous perfluoroalkyls. This microbe grows slowly, however, and requires finicky environmental conditions to function. And researchers do not yet fully understand how this bacterial strain does the job.

The Acetobacterium lines target a separate group of PFASs, and the team hopes to engineer the microbes to either improve their efficiency or expand their reach—potentially to more perfluoroalkyls. Lead study author Yujie Men of the University of California, Riverside, imagines the microbes would perform best in combination with other approaches to degrade PFASs. The range of chemical structures in these compounds means “a single lab cannot solve this problem.”

Any future commercial use of the microbes would face numerous hurdles, including breakdown speed and replicability outside of the lab, but Men looks forward to seeing how far her team can push the technique. “We’re paving the road as we go,” she says with a laugh.

[askagamedev]

Say you've got a dungeon that can be played with 1-8 players; how do you scale that for each number of players? What variables tend to wind up being the most fun to have tweaked (enemy hp, numbers, etc)?

Scaling an encounter to support different numbers of players is generally a question of resource allocation. If we have a small number of these encounters in the project, we can do most of this by hand and spend more effort on each one. World of Warcraft's old raid system where raids supported only 10 or 25 players are examples of such where tuning and mechanics were modified to specific player numbers. However, doing this for one to eight players (or, as it stands now in WoW anywhere from 10 to 30) means eight balancing passes for every encounter. That's far too much work to do in any reasonable amount of time. This means we need to think about building a system of rules to do this for us quickly and easily.

Usually when we're talking about scaling an encounter, we have a number of dials we can adjust, as you said. Here are a few of those numbers

Enemy health

Enemy damage per basic hit

Enemy base attack rate

Enemy special attack cooldown

Number of targets an enemy's normal or special attack can hit

Whether/when an enemy can use a particular move/mechanic

Amount of navigable space for an encounter

Enemy enrage timer

Debuffs on the players

Some of these are more easily scaled, like health, damage, debuffs, etc. while others like specific attacks and cooldowns often require more careful balancing. For enemy health, we consider the amount of damage per second we expect per player and multiply by how long we want each enemy to live, then give a little extra buffer (e.g. additional time for players dodging enemy attacks). For damage per hit, we consider how much health and damage mitigation players should have and how many hits we want them to be able to take before death. For debuffs and cooldowns, we consider what percentage of the encounter time we want the players to have to deal with debuffs or cooldown abilities. It really helps to think of the players as a scalable percentage for the enemies to affect, rather than specific numbers.

If player healing is a role that needs to be handled, it makes tweaking the encounters more difficult since we cannot always expect there a healer to be present. In such situations, we can potentially provide an NPC healer or other environmental elements like interactables or consumables with cooldowns that provide enough healing for the fights. Our goal is usually to make healing and health management an additional task to be considered by the players during encounters, even while solo.

There's a lot more depth we can go into on this - tailoring action set piece raid boss fights in World of Warcraft is very different from doing a broad tuning pass for a squad with variable size in a game like Call of Duty Outbreak - but this should explain the broad strokes of how a system designer approaches this kind of thing. We have a set of different numbers we can adjust (and set up formulas for), and we have a holistic view of the players as a collective of effectiveness that we can modify on a percentage basis instead of an individual player basis. Then, if we have the time, we establish the kind of experience we want the players to have and tune toward that experience.

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[mariacallous]

As Election Day unfolded, speculation swirled about what a new administration in Washington might mean for cities, metropolitan areas, and communities across the nation. Over the past four years, President Biden’s administration ushered in unprecedented federal investments in industries, infrastructure, clean energy, and more. Now, the election results offer a clearer sense of the future for the place-based, locally led solutions that state and local leaders have championed in recent years.

Ample evidence suggests that the incoming Trump administration, backed by a compliant legislature, will prioritize tax cuts and deregulation. The president-elect has also signaled opposition to social safety net programs, diversity initiatives, climate policies, and immigration reforms. Yet the potential impacts on critical areas such as artificial intelligence, workforce development, and infrastructure remain uncertain.

To explore these issues, this compendium brings together insights from Brookings Metro scholars, examining how the next four years might shape cities, regions, and communities across the United States and the related impacts on people, economy, and environment. It leads off with a look at the nation’s evolving demographic trends, which will profoundly influence places regardless of who occupies the White House.

One thing is certain: state and local leaders, across both public and private sectors, will face a dramatically different federal landscape starting in January. At Brookings Metro, our mission is to partner with these leaders to ensure that our research and expertise inform practical, scalable policy solutions. In this time of uncertainty and heightened federal challenges, it is more important than ever that we do so.

[hostajournal]

Publish with confidence, impact with certainty: Our OJS hosting is the unwavering foundation for your journal's journey to scholarly stardom

[ourjobagency]

Microsoft, a pioneering tech giant, has been at the forefront of this transformation, consistently pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. One such innovation is Microsoft Fabric, a cutting-edge platform that harnesses the power of AI-enabled next-generation data analytics.

[rjzimmerman]

A couple of days ago, I was collecting seeds from the milkweed pods in our yard. Having not done this before, but being fully aware of the fuzzy stuff that flies out of the pods, I was battling fuzz (technically, "floss") as I was pulling off and storing the seeds. Then I got smart, and decided to cut a slit in the pods and then gently pull out the mass of floss and seeds, and then just pulling the seeds off and dropping then into the container. As I was doing that, I noticed how super soft the floss was as I pulled it fresh out of the pods, and wondered........do any clothing manufacturers use this stuff? Did a Google search, and learned....yep!

Excerpt from this story from Happy Eco News:

As consumers demand more eco-conscious apparel, brands are getting creative with natural materials that keep warmth in and environmental harm out. One unlikely hero emerging from prickly planted fields is the common milkweed—yes, literally plucked straight from the wild. While best known as the sole food source for iconic, struggling Monarch butterflies, milkweed’s hidden potential is nestled right inside its fluffy, silken floss. This fleecy fiber is an amazing natural insulator and is finding a new application in jackets, parkas, boots, and ski gloves for humans.

As outdoor apparel companies race to reduce environmental impacts, milkweed clothing insulation is proving a promising substitute for conventional insulation fillers—one aligned with cleaner agricultural systems. Its hollow-cored fluff offers an animal-friendly, biodegradable alternative to goose down. Unlike petroleum-based synthetics like polyester fibers, milkweed fills garments with a regeneratively sourced material that decomposes rather than lingering for centuries in landfills.

With conscious consumerism accelerating across industries, apparel buyers now consider impacts far beyond cost and quality when evaluating purchases. An unlikely hero from both suffering North American grasslands and climate crosshairs is rapidly gaining traction as a sustainable insulation material – common milkweed floss. Beyond keeping heat in and winter out with insulating performance rivaling goose down, milkweed rates exceptionally on multiple sustainability indicators resonant with eco-conscious consumers.

As a native perennial thriving on marginal lands, milkweed flourishing requires no irrigation, fertilizers or pesticides – regrowing reliably year after year. From a toxicity and allergen standpoint, milkweed avoids issues associated with many synthetic insulations or down. And supporting milkweed crop expansion helps reverse monarch butterfly declines blamed on agricultural habitat loss. For shoppers concerned over microplastics shedding into waterways from standard fleece, milkweed offers a soft, homegrown, biodegradable alternative. In short, milkweed checks all the boxes for socially mindful consumers seeking future-focused apparel that balances functionality with ethical, regenerative supply supporting threatened pollinators.

Signaling the momentum of milkweed clothing insulation, major brands like Patagonia are incorporating the fluff through novel partnerships with companies like Vegeto Textiles. Dedicated milkweed plantings bandwidth habitat zones while fibers make their way into garments. Other types of textile manufacturers are also jumping on board, some with announced plans to insulate blankets and quilts with milkweed.

Still, despite its promise, milkweed clothing insulation remains in its infancy. Technological barriers to processing millions of floss strands into a stable textile filling have just recently been worked out. Machinery and techniques to update this long-known application concept into a scalable commercial reality. Companies have worked for years honing best practices for taking raw milkweed fluff through cleaning, drying, and fiber alignment steps to transform fuzzy floss into outdoor-ready filling. Advancements in the coming decade will further improve integration potential across diverse textile products, opening doors for milkweed clothing insulation in everything from t-shirts to winter boots.

[reasonsforhope]

"Scientists have developed a way to dramatically reduce the cost of recycling certain electronic waste by using whey protein.

Their method allows for the easy recovery of gold from circuit boards at a cost of energy and materials amounting to 50 times less than the price of the gold they recover—these are the numbers that big business likes to see.

Indeed, the potential for scalability depends on this sort of cost savings, something traditional e-waste recycling methods just can’t achieve.

Professor Raffaele Mezzenga from ETH Zurich has found that whey protein, a byproduct of dairy manufacturing, can be used to make sponges that attract trace amounts of ionized gold.

Electronic waste contains a variety of valuable metals, including copper, cobalt, and gold. Despite gold’s public persona as being either money or jewelry, thousands of ounces of gold are used in electronics every year for its exceptional conductive properties.

Mezzenga’s colleague Mohammad Peydayesh first “denatured whey proteins under acidic conditions and high temperatures, so that they aggregated into protein nanofibrils in a gel,” writes the ETH Zurich press. “The scientists then dried the gel, creating a sponge out of these protein fibrils.”

The next step was extracting the gold: done by tossing 20 salvaged motherboards into an acid bath until the metals had dissolved into ionized compounds that the sponge began attracting.

Removing the sponge, a heat treatment caused the gold ions to aggregate into 22-carat gold flakes which could be easily removed.

“The fact I love the most is that we’re using a food industry byproduct to obtain gold from electronic waste,” Mezzenga says. In a very real sense, he observes, the method transforms two waste products into gold. “You can’t get much more sustainable than that!” ...

However the real dollar value comes from the bottom line—which was 50 times more than the cost of energy and source materials. Because of this, the scientists have every intention of bringing the technology to the market as quickly as possible while also desiring to see if the protein fibril sponge can be made of other food waste byproducts.

E-waste is a quickly growing burden in global landfills, and recycling it requires extremely energy-intensive machinery that many recycling facilities do not possess.

The environmental value of the minerals contained within most e-waste comes not only from preventing the hundreds of years it takes for them to break down in the soil, but also from the reduction in demand from new mining operations which can, though not always, significantly degrade the environments they are located in.

[Note: Absolutely massive understatement, mining is incredibly destructive to ecosystems. Mining is also incredibly toxic to human health and a major cause of conflict, displacement, and slavery globally.]

Other countries are trying to incentivize the recycling of e-waste, and are using gold to do so. In 2022, GNN reported that the British Royal Mint launched an electronically traded fund (ETF) with each share representing the value of gold recovered from e-waste as a way for investors to diversify into gold in a way that doesn’t support environmentally damaging mining.

The breakthrough is reminiscent of that old fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin who can spin straw into gold. All that these modern-day, real-life alchemists are doing differently is using dairy and circuit boards rather than straw."

-via Good News Network, July 19, 2024