Assessing the Influence of mineralogy and texture on the ore breakage characteristics of drill core and crushed ore using the JKRBT

Textural variability is a key component in addressing process challenges resulting from variability in the ore being mined. Textural variability arises from differences in the types of mineral grains present, their relative abundance and the type of interactions they have with one another. Increased textural variability is the largest contributor to mineral processing challenges in terms of mill throughput and flotation concentrate grades. Processing of ores with high textural variability often results in reduced throughput and the recovery of lower grade product, if low-grade material is not eliminated prior to arriving at the concentrator. Geometallurgy provides a powerful tool to manage ore variability better by using geological and metallurgical information during plant design and operation. The geometallurgical approach contributes towards minimising and controlling operational and technical risk of ore variability. Ore breakage characterisation is a pivotal part of geometallurgy which aims to quantify the relationship between the energy supplied for breakage and the size of the resultant progeny. The Julius Kruttschnitt Rotary Breakage Tester® (JKRBT) is an ore breakage characterisation device designed as a geometallurgical tool which can use both crushed ore and drill core samples. Drill core is especially important as it the material used for geometallurgical testing during exploration and resource definition. The JKRBT is more accurate and the test work is less time consuming than its predecessors. However, sample availability is a major concern when performing metallurgical testing as numerous tests need to be performed to get a complete view of the metallurgical response of the given ore type. This means that very little of the sample is available for ore breakage characterisation. The aim of this work is to understand the relationship between mineral texture and the ore breakage characteristics of several samples for both drill core and crushed ore which are the two sample types used at exploration and operational levels. The work is aimed at addressing the problem of sample availability in geometallurgical testing by developing an ore breakage characterisation test protocol that uses minimal sample to extract relative hardness indices. To assess the influence of mineral texture on the ore breakage characteristics, five different ore types were used. The ore was prepared by coring different size drill core and crushing using a jaw crusher. The samples were subjected to controlled single impact breakage tests using the JKRBT. A standard test consisted of 3 energy levels (low, medium and high) tested on 3-4 particle size fractions (small, medium, large and very large). The least particle protocol was developed using an ore which was considered to be fine-grained and homogenous. In developing the protocol, all the steps of the standard procedure were followed except the number of particles per test was progressively reduced from 30 particles to a threshold of 5 particles. From ore breakage characterization tests performed, it was observed that ore S was the most resistant to breakage while ore P was the least resistant to breakage. Ore A was found to be more competent than ore B and ore C but less competent that ore P. The differences in the ore breakage characteristics were attributed to the grain size distribution of the dominant constituent minerals for each sample. The findings were attributed to an increase in the surface area available for contact due to the decrease in grain size which results in less stress per unit area and thus more resistance to breakage. The hardness of an ore can be considered to be a function of the mineral hardness and its relative abundance. Using the relative mineral abundance and Mohs hardness scale, it was concluded that the more abundant the harder minerals in an ore, the more resistant to breakage the ore is. Drill core particles consistently produced a coarser progeny than crushed particles at the same conditions. The observed trend was attributed to differences in the particle shape between the crushed particles (angular) and drill core particles (cylindrical). Angular particles have a larger surface area exposed for energy absorption and therefore break more easily than drill cores. Chapter 5 showed that the proposed abridged ore breakage characterisation test that uses the minimal number of particles to extract ore breakage indices can be applied for both homogenous and heterogenous ore types. The results also show that the proposed least particles protocol can be used for ore breakage characterisation tests using both crushed ore and drill core particles. The number of particles can be reduced to as little as 10 particles per test while still obtaining the same ore breakage indices as those obtained from the standard procedure. The abridged protocol will be especially useful in situations where the amount of ore available for metallurgical testing is limited

Assessing Graduate Student Needs and Structures of Support at Virginia Commonwealth University

The purpose of this multi-case study was to explore how the institutional landscape is designed to support graduate student success at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), a large, public, urban, R1 research university. The study included review of existing literature on the various factors that contribute to or limit graduate student success at institutions across the country. A major aim of this study was to collect qualitative data from participants with a key stake in this issue, including enrolled graduate students, and faculty/staff supporting graduate (master’s and doctoral) programs at VCU. Participants included 39 graduate students and 23 institutional stakeholders. All graduate students were invited to participate by email, with 39 final graduate students participating in seven, 60-90 minute focus groups of 6-8 students via Zoom with two members of the research team. Institutional stakeholders, with roles as full-time faculty or staff members at the university, were identified through institutional mapping and website review and invited via email, participated in 60-minute, one-on-one interviews via Zoom with one member of the research team. The study resulted in data coalescing around larger themes of graduate student support, factors promoting graduate student success, and challenges and barriers to success. A benchmarking comparison of VCU alongside peer institutions related to standards for graduate studies further identified areas of interest in 1) Programs and Services for Student Success, 2) Social Justice and Accessibility, 3) Collaboration, and 4) Assessment and Strategic Planning. Findings from the study indicated that, although VCU students appear to excel academically, there are challenges to graduate students balancing the demands of academic rigor with other obligations including, familial support, mental health and wellbeing needs, financial obligations, and social engagement. VCU students will continue to need increased support for funding, social connections, and referrals to appropriate resources. These findings have significant implications for structuring support for graduate students both at Virginia Commonwealth University and could influence institutions similarly situated across the country

Does microbicide use in consumer products promote antimicrobial resistance? A critical review and recommendations for a cohesive approach to risk assessment

The increasing use of microbicides in consumer products is raising concerns related to enhanced microbicide resistance in bacteria and potential cross resistance to antibiotics. The recently published documents on this topic from the European Commission have spawned much interest to better understand the true extent of the putative links for the benefit of the manufacturers, regulators, and consumers alike. This white paper is based on a 2-day workshop (SEAC-Unilever, Bedford, United Kingdom; June 2012) in the fields of microbicide usage and resistance. It identifies gaps in our knowledge and also makes specific recommendations for harmonization of key terms and refinement/standardization of methods for testing microbicide resistance to better assess the impact and possible links with cross resistance to antibiotics. It also calls for a better cohesion in research in this field. Such information is crucial to developing any risk assessment framework on microbicide use notably in consumer products. The article also identifies key research questions where there are inadequate data, which, if addressed, could promote improved knowledge and understanding to assess any related risks for consumer and environmental safety

“Economic man” in cross-cultural perspective: Behavioral experiments in 15 small-scale societies

Researchers from across the social sciences have found consistent deviations from the predictions of the canonical model of self-interest in hundreds of experiments from around the world. This research, however, cannot determine whether the uniformity results from universal patterns of human behavior or from the limited cultural variation available among the university students used in virtually all prior experimental work. To address this, we undertook a cross-cultural study of behavior in ultimatum, public goods, and dictator games in a range of small-scale societies exhibiting a wide variety of economic and cultural conditions. We found, first, that the canonical model – based on self-interest – fails in all of the societies studied. Second, our data reveal substantially more behavioral variability across social groups than has been found in previous research. Third, group-level differences in economic organization and the structure of social interactions explain a substantial portion of the behavioral variation across societies: the higher the degree of market integration and the higher the payoffs to cooperation in everyday life, the greater the level of prosociality expressed in experimental games. Fourth, the available individual-level economic and demographic variables do not consistently explain game behavior, either within or across groups. Fifth, in many cases experimental play appears to reflect the common interactional patterns of everyday life

Increased Severity of HSV-1 Keratitis and Mortality in Mice Lacking The 2–5A-Dependent RNase L Gene

Purpose: The2′,5′-oligoadenylate-dependent RNase L gene functions in the interferon-inducible RNA decay pathway known as the 2–5A system. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the absence of this gene affects the pathogenesis of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) ocular infection in the mouse. Methods: HSV-1 (strain McKrae) was applied bilaterally to unscarified corneas of RNase L–null mice and congenic controls. To evaluate the severity of herpetic keratitis, slit lamp examinations (SLE) were performed every other day for 14 days. To study corneal histology and apoptosis, HSV-1–inoculated RNase-L-null and congenic control mice, as well as mock-inoculated mice (apoptosis negative control), were killed at 6 and 18 hours postinoculation (PI). Uninoculated mice that underwent corneal scarification (apoptosis positive control) were killed 2 hours after scarification. Eyes were dissected and the corneas processed for light and transmission electron microscopy and the TUNEL assay. Results: In comparison with the congenic control mice, RNase L–null mice showed significantly more severe herpetic keratitis (PI day 8, SLE score, mean ± SEM: 3.27 ± 0.10 vs. 2.34 ± 0.06; P \u3c 0.001) and significantly higher mortality (PI day 14, 70% vs. 20%; P \u3c 0.001). Few apoptotic cells were seen in HSV-1–infected RNase L–null mice, although DNA fragmentation consistent with apoptosis was detected in the corneas of congenic control mice 6 and 18 hours after HSV-1 inoculation and in uninfected mice with scarified corneas. Signs of apoptosis were not present in the mock-infected corneas. Electron microscopic evidence of keratocytic apoptosis was detected only in the uninfected scarified corneas and the HSV-1–infected congenic control corneas. Conclusions: The increased severity of ocular disease and increased mortality in the RNase L–null mice provides evidence, for the first time, that the 2–5A system contributes to protection during ocular herpetic infection. The reduced frequency of apoptosis in these mice suggests that one possible mechanism for this protective effect could be the induction of apoptosis in corneal cells as a means of reducing the spread of infectious virus

Diurnal cycle of the semi–direct effect from a persistent absorbing aerosol layer over marine stratocumulus in large–eddy simulations

The rapid adjustment, or semi–direct effect, of marine stratocumulus clouds to elevated layers of absorbing aerosols may enhance or dampen the radiative effect of aerosol–radiation interactions. Here we use large eddy simulations to investigate the sensitivity of stratocumulus clouds to the properties of an absorbing aerosol layer located above the inversion layer, with a focus on the location, timing, and strength of the radiative heat perturbation. The sign of the daily mean semi–direct effect depends on the properties and duration of the aerosol layer, the properties of the boundary layer, and the model setup. Our results suggest that the daily mean semi-direct effect is more elusive than previously assessed. We find that the daily mean semi-direct effect is dominated by the distance between the cloud and absorbing aerosol layer. Within the first 24 hours the semi–direct effect is positive but remains under 2 Wm-2 unless the aerosol layer is directly above the cloud. For longer durations, the daily mean semi–direct effect is consistently negative but weakens by 30%, 60%, and 95% when the distance between cloud and aerosol layeris 100m, 250m, and 500m, respectively. Both cloud response and semi–direct effect increase for thinner and denser layers of absorbing aerosol. Considerable diurnal variations in the cloud response mean that an instantaneous semi–direct effect is unrepresentative of the daily mean, and that observational studies may under– or over–estimate semi–direct effects depending on the observed time of day. The cloud response is particularly sensitive to the mixing state of the boundary layer: well-mixed boundary layers generally result in a negative daily mean semi–direct effect, and poorly mixed boundary layers result in a positive daily mean semi–direct effect. Properties of the boundary layer and model setup, particularly the sea surface temperature, precipitation, and properties of the air entrained from the free troposphere, also impact the magnitude of the semi–direct effect and the timescale of adjustment. These results suggest that the semi–direct effect simulated by coarse–resolution models may be erroneous because the cloud response is sensitive to small–scale processes, especially the sources and sinks of buoyancy