Stable Tl 205 ions have the lowest known energy threshold for capturing electron neutrinos ( ν e ) of E ν e ≥ 50.6 keV . The Lorandite Experiment (LOREX), proposed in the 1980s, aims at obtaining the longtime averaged solar neutrino flux by utilizing natural deposits of Tl-bearing lorandite ores. To determine the ν e capture cross section, it is required to know the strength of the weak transition connecting the ground state of Tl 205 and the 2.3 keV first excited state in Pb 205 . The only way to experimentally address this transition is to measure the bound-state beta decay ( β b ) of fully ionized Tl 81 + 205 ions. After three decades of meticulous preparation, the half-life of the β b decay of Tl 81 + 205 has been measured to be 291 − 27 + 33 days using the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI, Darmstadt. The longer measured half-life compared to theoretical estimates reduces the expected signal-to-noise ratio in the LOREX, thus challenging its feasibility. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

To improve the ability of the rice husk to purify colored wastewater, effluent from the alkaline scouring of cotton yarn was used immediately after the scouring (without cooling and additionally added chemicals) in order to remove the non-cellulosic silicon-lignin shield from the rice husk’s surface. This rice husk, with 93.8 mg/g adsorption capacity, behaves similarly as the rice husk treated with an optimized alkaline scouring recipe consisting of 20 g/L NaOH, 2 mL/L Cotoblanc HTD-N and 1 mL/L Kemonecer NI at 70 °C for 30 min with an adsorption capacity of 88.9 mg/g of direct Congo red dye. Treating one form of waste (rice husk) with another (effluent from the alkaline scouring of cellulosic plant fibers), in an effort to produce a material able to purify colored effluent, is an elegant environment-friendly concept based on the circular economy strategy. This will result in a closed-loop energy-efficient process of the pre-treatment of cotton (alkaline scouring), modification of rice husk using effluent from the alkaline scouring, dyeing cotton fabrics and cleaning its colored effluents with modified rice husk without adding chemicals and energy for heating.

Both epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated the crucial connection between air pollution exposure and skin disorders. The exact mechanisms by which air pollutants mediate skin damage remain largely unknown. Therefore, it is very necessary to investigate the mechanism of air pollution‐induced skin damage and explore some potential protective and therapeutic methods. In this review, we focus on the qualitative and quantitative skin exposure assessment methodologies ‐ a relatively new field of interdisciplinary research.