Leaching of a low-grade, copper-nickel sulfide ore: 2. Impact of aeration and pH on Cu recovery during abiotic leaching

The conditions under which copper was retained and re-distributed in a test heap of pyrrhotite-rich, copper-nickel sulfide ore were investigated in abiotic column leaching tests. It was determined that acidity plays a key role in maximising copper recovery. During passage through the ore bed, when the leachate pH rose to >2.3, copper ions previously released to solution through the oxidation of chalcopyrite were retained by adsorption on, or reaction with, ore minerals. Lack of aeration (limited oxygen) had only a small impact on copper recovery, in association with a favourable pH environment. Possible reaction mechanisms are discussed. The results indicated the need for careful acid management in the operation of heaps of pyrrhotite-rich ores such as complex copper-nickel sulfide ores

Leaching of a low-grade, copper-nickel sulfide ore. 3. Interactions of Cu with selected sulfide minerals

Interactions between copper ions and selected sulfide mineral concentrates were investigated in flask and column tests under conditions relevant to heap leaching in order to understand why copper recovery from a copper-nickel complex sulfide ore was significantly less than nickel recovery. Both pyrrhotite and pyrite were found to play roles in copper deposition from sulfate solutions in the range pH 1-5. The non-oxidative dissolution of pyrrhotite, previously reported to occur under acidic conditions of low oxygen availability, was also found to occur in a well-aerated system. Soluble copper reacted with the generated hydrogen sulfide to form copper sulfide, mainly covellite at pH >2.3 and its re-dissolution required acid, oxygen and a strong oxidant such as ferric ion. While significant copper also precipitated from copper sulfate solutions pH N3 in the presence of pyrite, the brochantite which was formed was readily re-dissolved at pH <3. The poor recovery of copper experienced in a test heap of copper-nickel sulfide ore was attributed to the presence of pyrrhotite and the rise in pH as the leachate percolated through the heap bed. The copper would only be recovered if acidic, oxidising conditions were restored in the heap

Fuzzy-description logic for supporting the rehabilitation of the elderly

[EN] According to the latest statistics, the proportion of the elderly (+65) is increasing and is expected to double within the European Union in a period of 50 years. This ageing is due to the improvement of quality of life and advances in medicine in the last decades. Gerontechnology is receiving a great deal of attention as a way of providing the elderly with sustainable products, environments, and services combining gerontology and technology. One of the most important aspects to consider by gerontechnology is the mobility/rehabilitation technologies, because there is an important relationship between mobility and the elderly's quality of life. Telerehabilitation systems have emerged to allow the elderly to perform their rehabilitation exercises remotely. However, in many cases, the proposed systems assist neither the patients nor the experts about the progress of the rehabilitation. To address this problem, we propose in this paper, a fuzzy-semantic system for evaluating patient's physical state during the rehabilitation process based on well-known standard for patients' evaluation. Moreover, a tool called FINE has been developed that facilitates the evaluation be accomplished in a semi-automatic way first asking patients to carry out a set of standard tests and then inferencing their state by means of a fuzzy-semantic approach using the data captured during the rehabilitation tasks.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and by EU FEDER funds under project grants TIN2016-79100-R and TIN2015-72931-EXP. It has also been funded by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla¿La Mancha scholarship 2018-UCLM1-9131Moya, A.; Navarro, E.; Jaén Martínez, FJ.; González, P. (2020). Fuzzy-description logic for supporting the rehabilitation of the elderly. 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Knowledge-Based Systems, 95, 12-34. doi:10.1016/j.knosys.2015.11.017Boucenna, S., Narzisi, A., Tilmont, E., Muratori, F., Pioggia, G., Cohen, D., & Chetouani, M. (2014). Interactive Technologies for Autistic Children: A Review. Cognitive Computation, 6(4), 722-740. doi:10.1007/s12559-014-9276-xCarter J. E. L.(2002).The Heath‐Carter anthropometric somatotype—Instruction manual. San Diego:State University.Chiu, Y.-H., Chen, T.-W., Chen, Y. J., Su, C.-I., Hwang, K.-S., & Ho, W.-H. (2018). Fuzzy logic-based mobile computing system for hand rehabilitation after neurological injury. Technology and Health Care, 26(1), 17-27. doi:10.3233/thc-171403Fernández-Caballero, A., González, P., & Navarro, E. (2017). Gerontechnologies - Current achievements and future trends. Expert Systems, 34(2), e12203. doi:10.1111/exsy.12203Giles, R. (1976). Łukasiewicz logic and fuzzy set theory. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 8(3), 313-327. doi:10.1016/s0020-7373(76)80003-xHsieh, Y.-W., Hsueh, I.-P., Chou, Y.-T., Sheu, C.-F., Hsieh, C.-L., & Kwakkel, G. (2007). Development and Validation of a Short Form of the Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale in Patients With Stroke. Stroke, 38(11), 3052-3054. doi:10.1161/strokeaha.107.490730Karime, A., Eid, M., Alja’am, J. M., Saddik, A. E., & Gueaieb, W. (2014). A Fuzzy-Based Adaptive Rehabilitation Framework for Home-Based Wrist Training. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 63(1), 135-144. doi:10.1109/tim.2013.2277536Krynicki, K., Jaen, J., & Navarro, E. (2016). An ACO-based personalized learning technique in support of people with acquired brain injury. Applied Soft Computing, 47, 316-331. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2016.04.039Leap Motion INC. (2018).Leap Motion. Retrieved July 10 2018 fromhttps://www.leapmotion.com/Lukasiewicz, T., & Straccia, U. (2008). Managing uncertainty and vagueness in description logics for the Semantic Web. Journal of Web Semantics, 6(4), 291-308. doi:10.1016/j.websem.2008.04.001Metz, D. . (2000). Mobility of older people and their quality of life. Transport Policy, 7(2), 149-152. doi:10.1016/s0967-070x(00)00004-4Nassabi M. H. Den Akker H. &Vollenbroek‐Hutten M. (2014).An ontology‐based recommender system to promote physical activity for pre‐frail elderly 181–184.Navarro, E., González, P., López-Jaquero, V., Montero, F., Molina, J. P., & Romero-Ayuso, D. (2018). Adaptive, Multisensorial, Physiological and Social: The Next Generation of Telerehabilitation Systems. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 12. doi:10.3389/fninf.2018.00043OpenNI Pioneering Members. (2018).OpenNI. Retrieved July 10 2018 fromhttp://openni.ru/about/index.htmlOrbbec 3D. (2018).Orbbec Astra Pro. Retrieved July 10 2018 fromhttps://orbbec3d.com/product‐astra‐pro/Rodríguez, A. C., Roda, C., Montero, F., González, P., & Navarro, E. (2015). An Interactive Fuzzy Inference System for Teletherapy of Older People. Cognitive Computation, 8(2), 318-335. doi:10.1007/s12559-015-9356-6Shaughnessy, M., Resnick, B. M., & Macko, R. F. (2006). Testing a Model of Post-Stroke Exercise Behavior. Rehabilitation Nursing, 31(1), 15-21. doi:10.1002/j.2048-7940.2006.tb00005.xSu, C.-J., Chiang, C.-Y., & Huang, J.-Y. (2014). Kinect-enabled home-based rehabilitation system using Dynamic Time Warping and fuzzy logic. Applied Soft Computing, 22, 652-666. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2014.04.020Velozo, C. A., & Woodbury, M. L. (2011). Translating measurement findings into rehabilitation practice: An example using Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity with patients following stroke. The Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 48(10), 1211. doi:10.1682/jrrd.2010.10.0203W3C. (2012).OWL 2 web ontology language. Retrieved July 10 2018 from https://www.w3.org/TR/owl2‐overview/Zadeh, L. A. (1965). Fuzzy sets. 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SMASS - a simulation model of physical and chemical processes in acid sulphate soils; Version 2.1

The Simulation Model for Acid Sulphate Soils (SMASS) has been developed to predict the effects of water management strategies on acidification and de-acidification in areas with acid sulphate soils. It has submodels for solute transport, chemistry, oxygen transport and pyrite oxidation. The model must be used together with the water transport model SWACROP. It combines physical and chemical processes. The output includes the acidity and chemical quality of soil and groundwater, and the occurrence of toxic compounds. This user's manual presents an outline of input and output files, guidelines for installation on a VAX-VMS computer, and the description of an application

Technology for quality of life: an enriched taxonomy

Urban, man-made environments are the most common living environments in the emerging knowledge-based society of the industrial world. A number of technology domains frame the urban setting that in turn frames the daily qualityof- life of man, including older persons. It is argued that the five domains of core ambitions in individuals most related to quality of life include: health and self-esteem, mobility and transport, housing and living, communication and governance, and work and leisure. A reanalysis of the theoretical basis for gerontechnology indicates that the impact of technology most related to these areas of application falls into four groups: enhancement and satisfaction, prevention and engagement, compensation and assistance, and care support and organisation. A matrix of domains and impacts provides a template that embodies an enriched taxonomy of the gerontechnological field. Using citations in this journal, the matrix is used to show the areas of greatest progress in the development over the past decade as well as the most promising areas of future development. Current changes in technology require an increase in the need for user-orientation in the choices related to technology development as well as dispersal as advocated by gerontechnology since its early days. Analysis of the advances and current gaps in the matrix elements may serve as a guiding principle for a sustainable development of technology for older persons and probably for society as a whole

Gerontechnology unfolding

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