Polar (Finland)

This paper presents a specific area within engineering geodynamics: the processes of snowdrift and their impact on the efficiency of engineering and economic development in the Arc-tic regions of Russia. Snow deposits are analogous to soil of aeolian genesis, representing complex and dynamic systems. Extreme forms of snow cover, commonly referred to as «snowdrifts», are partly induced by human engineering activities. The authors used data from official meteorological stations to estimate the volume of accumulated snow. The calculations build on direct measurements of snow transport volumes. The core methodological principles are grounded in a conceptual analysis of wind-driven snow processes, viewed as the geological functions of wind. As such, snowdrifts extent is treated as an engineering-geological process, and snow deposits are regarded as analogous to aeolian soils. The wind-driven snow processes study employs principles of engineering geodynamics, aerodynamics, information technologies, and mathematical tools, along with operational experience from northern transport systems, to ensure high reliability of the results. The authors conducted a geodynamic zoning of the territory, classifying different types of snow deposits based on various factors. The paper`s authors proposed a digital forecasting model of snowdrifts extent on Norilsk–Talnakh highway. This model will serve to ensure the safe operation of vehicles, transport systems, and essential services for the population and industries in the Norilsk region. It reflects the patterns of snow deposits under urban subarctic conditions of Russian Federation. The model aims to support both civilian and military infrastructure in the harsh climate zones of Russia by providing reliable forecasts of snowdrifts extent. These forecasts facilitate the estimation of snow volume on specific highway sections over any given period.

The growing need for recycling, along with the depletion of high-grade ore concentrates, has led to the inclusion of previously accumulated technogenic materials — such as metallurgical slags, sludge from settling ponds of recirculating water systems, and similar waste – into the charge of primary smelting units. The share of such feedstock in the furnace charge now reaches approximately 25 %, which has resulted in serious technological disruptions to the stable operation of primary autogenous smelting units. In Vanyukov furnaces, this is manifested by the appearance – alongside the typical smelting products (matte and slag) – of a new atypical phase, the so-called intermediate layer. The formation of this layer leads to adverse effects, including the obstruction of flow paths from the furnace hearth to the slag and matte siphons, ultimately causing a complete shutdown of the unit. A sample of this abnormal product, collected from an industrial furnace during a period of process instability, was analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). These methods allowed the determination of temperature ranges corresponding to phase transformations of the components comprising the intermediate layer. The results obtained can be used to define optimal parameters for stable smelting operation and to develop technical solutions that prevent conditions favorable for the formation of refractory accretions.

Abstract It is increasingly recognized that hyperparasitism, whereby a parasite exploits a host which itself is a parasite, is a common phenomenon across ecosystems and domains of life. Here, to explore hyperparasitism in Archaea, we focused on ultra-small archaea of the phylum Nanohaloarchaeota, a distinct lineage within the DPANN superphylum, which establish obligate symbiotic interactions with extreme halophiles of the class Halobacteria. We assembled five metagenomes originating from geothermally influenced salt lakes in the Danakil Depression, Ethiopia, and reconstructed the viromes associated with both haloarchaea and nanohaloarchaea. Both archaeal lineages were associated with viruses from four distinct groups, including head-tailed viruses (classCaudoviricetes), tailless icosahedral viruses, pleomorphic viruses and spindle-shaped viruses, which represent 12 previously undescribed families. The haloarchaeal viruses (HVs) and nanohaloarchaeal viruses (NHVs) are only distantly related, suggesting that viruses from the four groups co-evolved with their respective hosts for an extended period, likely since the divergence of the two archaeal lineages from their last common ancestor. Consistently, our results show that HVs and NHVs are well-adapted to replicate in their respective hosts and to thrive in hypersaline environments. No evidence of host switching between haloarchaea and nanohaloarchaea was obtained, but multiple horizontal transfers of genes implicated in virion structure and morphogenesis between HVs and NHVs were detected. We also identified several NHVs-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes implicated in nucleotide and amino acid metabolisms, which could enhance the metabolic capabilities of the nanohaloarchaeal hosts that have highly reduced genomes. Finally, in addition to HVs and NHVs, we describe plasmid-derived virus satellites that appear to have originated convergently to parasitize spindle-shaped viruses of both haloarchaea and nanohaloarchaea, uncovering an additional layer of parasitism. Collectively, our findings fill the knowledge gap on the diversity of HVs and NHVs, highlight the complexity of virus-host and virus-virus interactions in hypersaline environments, and open doors for further mining of the virosphere of the globally distributed DPANN archaea.

The paper presents a review of the studies carried out in the area of the subglacial Lake Vostok (East Antarctica) to date. They include geophysical, glaciological, geodesic, and geological investigations. The most important geophysical investigations were carried out by the Polar Marine Geosurvey Expedition. They included reflection and refraction seismic, and also radio-echo sounding. The major contribution to the study of this region was made by American researchers, who in the 2000/01 field season performed a complex airborne geophysical survey on a regular network. Their work included magnetometric, gravimetric, and radio-echo sounding measurements. All the research conducted found that the water surface area is 15 790 km², and its altitudinal height changes from –600 to –150 m. The average depth of Lake Vostok is 400 m, and the maximum marks reach 1 200 m. The water body volume is estimated at 6 100 km³. There are 11 islands in the lake, and their total area is 365 km². In addition, 56 isolated subglacial water bodies were found around the lake. A special section is devoted to a review of mathematical models of heat and mass transfer processes in the glacier and water movement in Lake Vostok.

BackgroundArchaea of the order Thermoplasmatales are widely distributed in natural acidic areas and are amongst the most acidophilic prokaryotic organisms known so far. These organisms are difficult to culture, with currently only six genera validly published since the discovery of Thermoplasma acidophilum in 1970. Moreover, known great diversity of uncultured Thermoplasmatales represents microbial dark matter and underlines the necessity of efforts in cultivation and study of these archaea. Organisms from the order Thermoplasmatales affiliated with the so-called “alphabet-plasmas”, and collectively dubbed “E-plasma”, were the focus of this study. These archaea were found predominantly in the hyperacidic site PM4 of Parys Mountain, Wales, UK, making up to 58% of total metagenomic reads. However, these archaea escaped all cultivation attempts.ResultsTheir genome-based metabolism revealed its peptidolytic potential, in line with the physiology of the previously studied Thermoplasmatales isolates. Analyses of the genome and evolutionary history reconstruction have shown both the gain and loss of genes, that may have contributed to the success of the “E-plasma” in hyperacidic environment compared to their community neighbours. Notable genes among them are involved in the following molecular processes: signal transduction, stress response and glyoxylate shunt, as well as multiple copies of genes associated with various cellular functions; from energy production and conversion, replication, recombination, and repair, to cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis and archaella production. History events reconstruction shows that these genes, acquired by putative common ancestors, may determine the evolutionary and functional divergences of “E-plasma”, which is much more developed than other representatives of the order Thermoplasmatales. In addition, the ancestral hereditary reconstruction strongly indicates the placement of Thermogymnomonas acidicola close to the root of the Thermoplasmatales.ConclusionsThis study has analysed the metagenome-assembled genome of “E-plasma”, which denotes the basis of their predominance in Parys Mountain environmental microbiome, their global ubiquity, and points into the right direction of further cultivation attempts. The results suggest distinct evolutionary trajectories of organisms comprising the order Thermoplasmatales, which is important for the understanding of their evolution and lifestyle.

Decarbonising industrial heat is a significant challenge due to various factors such as the slow transition to renewable technologies and insufficient awareness of their availability. The effectiveness of commercially available renewable heating systems is not well defined in terms of techno-economic boundaries. This study presents a techno-economic assessment of a novel system designed for steam production at a food and beverage plant. The proposed system is combines parabolic trough collectors with pressurized water thermal storage and photovoltaic-driven high-temperature sand storage. The technological components within the hybrid system complements each other both economically and practically, resulting in cost and land area savings. To evaluate the proposed system, simulations were performed using a model developed in TRNSYS and Python. The combined system exhibits better economic and land use performance than when these technologies are used individually. Specifically, the system has a high solar fraction of 90% while remaining competitive with the existing boiler fuel cost. The study emphasizes the importance of multi-technology approaches in developing practical solutions for industrial heat decarbonization. The findings can guide industries in a transition to sustainable heat sources and contribute to global efforts in mitigating climate change.

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Propaganda hadde stor betydning i den tyske nasjonalsosialismen, og i denne sammenheng var pressen et viktig\nredskap. Det ble derfor etablert tyske aviser i de okkuperte områdene. Denne artikkelen tar for seg representasjoner av nordmenn over tid i en av disse avisene i Norge: Deutsche Polarzeitung, senere Polar-Kurier, utgitt i Tromsø 9.\nfebruar 1941–6. mai 1945. Jeg viser at fremstillingene av nordmenn bar preg av så vel mer natursvermeriske, generelle\nforestillinger om nordmenn, som av to ulike sider av nasjonalsosialismen: en SS-ideologisk rasebasert tankegang og\nen mer økonomisk storromstenking. I tillegg må avisa forstås som et nyhetsorgan. Artikkelen tydeliggjør at det var\nflere måter å fremstille nordmenn på, samt at det var spillerom for ulike bilder av nordmenn i Deutsche Polarzeitung\n/ Polar-Kurier.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Propaganda was assigned great importance in German national socialism, and the press was a means of spreading\npropaganda. As such, the Germans established German-language newspapers in the occupied territories. This article\nexamines the representations of Norwegians over time in one of these newspapers in Norway: Deutsche Polarzeitung,\nlater known as Polar-Kurier, published in Tromsø from 9 February 1941 to 6 May 1945. I argue that the representations bear the mark of a more general, nature-romantic concept, as well as of two different sides of national socialism:\nAn SS-ideological race-based mindset and a more economical «Großraumwirtschaft» way of thinking. In addition,\nthe content must be regarded in light of Deutsche Polarzeitung’s function as a newspaper. The article demonstrates\nthat there were different ways to portray Norwegians and that it was possible to represent Norwegians differently in\nDeutsche Polarzeitung, and later in Polar-Kurier.