The ab-initio investigations have been performed to comprehensively study the structural, electronic, phonon, thermodynamic and the hydrogen storage properties of Beryllium based cubic hydrides, BeXH3(X=In,Sn,Sb). The structural optimization was performed first to get the properties of the ground state such as lattice constant, bulk modulus, and its pressure derivative for three materials. The lattice constants are found to be 7.499 (a.u.), 7.599 (a.u.) and 7.622 (a.u.) for BeInH3, BeSnH3 and BeSbH3 respectively. The structure is also proved stable from formation energy and phonon calculations. The metallic nature of all hydrides is confirmed from the band structure and density of states. The fermi surfaces are plotted in 3D from the band which cuts the Fermi level. The thermodynamic parameters like specific heat capacities at constant pressure and volume, CP, CV, entropy (S), thermal expansion (α) coefficient, Debye temperature (ΘD), and Grüneisen (γ) parameter have also been investigated for against a range of pressure and temperature. The gravimetric (Cwt%) hydrogen storage capacity, volumetric (ρvol) hydrogen storage density and desorption (Tdes) temperature are also investigated. The Cwt% is, 2.33%, 2.26% and 2.21% for BeInH3, BeSnH3 and BeSbH3 respectively. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

This study presents a comprehensive 3D numerical analysis of thermal stratification, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer efficiency across six hot water storage tank configurations, identified as Tank-1 through Tank-6. The objective is to determine the most effective design for achieving uniform temperature distribution, stable stratification, and efficient heat retention in sensible heat storage systems, with potential for integration with phase change materials (PCMs). Using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6, simulations were conducted to evaluate key performance indicators, including the Richardson number, capacity ratio, and exergy efficiency. Among the tanks, Tank-1 demonstrated the highest efficiency, with a capacity ratio of 84.6% and an exergy efficiency of 72.5%, while Tank-3, which achieved a capacity ratio of 70.2% and exergy efficiency of 50.5%, was identified as the most practical for real-world applications due to its balanced heat distribution and feasibility for PCM integration. Calculated dimensionless numbers (Reynolds number: 635, Prandtl number: 4.5, and Peclet number: 2858) indicated laminar flow and dominant convective heat transfer across all the configurations. These findings provide valuable insights into the design of efficient thermal storage systems, with Tank-3’s configuration offering a practical balance of thermal performance and operational feasibility. Future work will explore the inclusion of PCM containers within Tank-3, as well as applications for heat pump and solar water heaters, and high-temperature heat storage with various working fluids. © 2024 by the authors.

The article investigates the problems of mine hazard prevention, identification and control. Acoustic emission signals are one of the important signs of the appearance of deformations in rocks that can cause accidents in mines. Acoustic emission signals are quite broadband in nature. The article considers the task of the possibility of using broadband nature of acoustic emission signals to localize areas in which acoustic signals are generated for early warning of an emerging danger. The results of modeling of the process of localization of hazardous areas are presented. The proposed method is based on the frequency dependence of acoustic signal attenuation in rocks. Moving away from the signal source, not only changes its intensity, but also its spectrum. By measuring the intensity of acoustic signals in several spectral bands and knowing the frequency dependence of signal attenuation, it is possible to calculate at what distance from the receiving points the signal source should be located so that its spectral components would be changed as they are observed at the receiving points. This allows to localize the signal source. It is shown that four signal reception points and intensity measurements in two spectral frequency bands are sufficient to apply the method. It is shown that the proposed method allows not only to determine the coordinates of the local area of fracture formation, but also to restore the spectral characteristics of acoustic emission signals in the area of their occurrence, which can provide information about the mechanism of formation and development of processes of rock destruction. © The Author(s) 2025.

This study primarily focuses on environmental concerns and protection by providing a beneficial use of waste biomass from crops and a low-cost polymer sponge to produce a low-cost and eco-friendly sorbent effective for oil-water separation. Research has indicated that waste wheat-derived biochar (BC), with a yield of 24.14 %, is predominantly composed of a graphite-like phase, featuring an advanced surface morphology and porous structure. This biochar can be combined with the hydrophobic agent polymethylsiloxane (PMS) to coat the melamine sponge, creating an effective sorbent for oil-water separation. The contact angle measurements indicate that once the sorbent surface is coated with BC and PMS, it becomes more hydrophobic, achieving a contact angle of approximately 135.23°. As the experimental study demonstrates, oil-contaminated water can be purified through a two-stage adsorption process with a chemisorption mechanism behind it, achieving total oil removal efficiencies of 99.13 % and 97.47 % from neutral and saline waters, respectively. The GC-MS analysis shows that while the first stage removes most non-polar and hydrophobic compounds, the second stage captures a higher proportion of moderately polar compounds. The impressive effectiveness of the relatively chemically, mechanically, and thermally stable PMS-BC-coated-MF-based sorbent in pre-purifying water from substantial oil contamination highlights its potential for addressing heavily polluted water sources. This finding reinforces the viability of sustainable approaches to oil spill remediation. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

Introduction. The article presents the results of the research strategy for the development of mountainous territories of Kazakhstan. The study of the ossibilities of developing the energy system of mountainous territories is shown on the example of the city of Almaty (Kazakhstan). Materials and Methods. To study the energy efficiency indicators of enterprises in the manufacturing industry, Almaty Heavy Machinery Plant (AHMP) was selected as one of the largest machine-building enterprises in Almaty. Results. It is shown that in the conditions of supplying the water supply system with industrial water from mountain rivers, hydro turbines can be used. It was found that such hydro turbines can be placed in water supply pipelines of production shops. Discussion. An assessment was made that showed that the electricity generated by them can be used to power their own equipment, as well as to supply electricity to the general network. Conclusion. The obtained average efficiency of the hydro turbine of 39 % allows us to calculate the possible generation of electricity in real conditions up to 11 kW, while the declared capacity was 16 kW. Resume. If we consider the tasks of energy saving in production, we can confidently predict that the generation of electricity from the developed hydro turbine will reduce the total electricity consumed from the grid. Suggestions for practical applications and directions for future research. The mini-hydroelectric power station developed and presented in this work can be used in water supply systems of industrial enterprises located in mountainous regions. This system can contribute to increasing the energy efficiency of enterprises. In the future, it is planned to scale these mini-hydroelectric power stations and make smaller and larger units for use in larger and smaller enterprises. © 2024 North Caucasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, State Technological University. All rights reserved.

Drought stress limits plant survival and yield in arid regions. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance is key to developing resilient crops. This study used Arabidopsis thaliana as a model to perform an in silico analysis of miRNA–mRNA interactions linked to post-transcriptional drought response. Using the MirTarget program, 274 miRNAs and 48,143 gene transcripts were analyzed to predict high-confidence miRNA–mRNA interactions based on binding free energies (−79 to −129 kJ/mole). Predicted binding sites were located in the CDS, 5′UTR, and 3′UTR regions of target mRNAs. Key regulatory interactions included ath-miR398a-c and ath-miR829-5p targeting ROS detoxification genes (CSD1, FSD1); ath-miR393a/b-5p and ath-miR167a-c-5p targeting hormonal signaling genes (TIR1, ARF6); and the miR169 family, ath-miR414, and ath-miR838 targeting drought-related transcription factors (NF-YA5, DREB1A, WRKY40). Notably, ath-miR414, ath-miR838, and the miR854 family showed broad regulatory potential, targeting thousands of genes. These findings suggest the presence of conserved regulatory modules with potential roles in abiotic stress tolerance. While no direct experimental validation was performed, the results from Arabidopsis thaliana provide a useful genomic framework for hypothesis generation and future functional studies in non-model plant species. This work provides a molecular foundation for improving drought and salt stress tolerance through bioinformatics-assisted breeding and genetic research. © 2025 by the authors.

Purpose. The research aims to study wastewater treatment technology using electrical discharge at the Aktogay field in Kazakhstan to assess its effectiveness in reducing heavy metal concentrations and improving water quality. Methods. Laboratory tests were conducted on a specially designed experimental setup operating in the voltage range from 15 to 100 kV and frequencies from 50 Hz to 10 kHz. Physical-chemical parameters of water (pH, electrical conductivity, temperature), concentrations of heavy metals (copper, zinc, cadmium) before and after treatment were measured. Mathematical models were used to describe the precipitation processes and to assess the purification efficiency. Findings. Electrical discharge technology has been found to achieve a purification rate of up to 97.5% for copper, 97.3% for zinc and 96% for cadmium. At optimal parameters (15 kV, 10 kHz), heavy metal concentrations are reduced to levels that comply with World Health Organization standards. Improvement of physical characteristics of water (colour, odour, electrical conductivity) confirms the high efficiency of the method. Originality. For the first time, an innovative wastewater treatment methodology based on electrical discharge technology, implemented using a specially designed device, has been developed and tested. Mathematical models of heavy metal removal processes that describe the kinetics and dynamics of pollutant precipitation have been proposed and experimentally confirmed. Practical implications. The obtained results demonstrate a high potential for the industrial application of electrical discharge technology for treatment of wastewater generated during the processing of mineral raw materials at the Aktogay mine. Implementation of this technology will improve the environmental safety of production, while reducing operating costs and ensuring the possibility of water reuse. © 2025. A. Abdykadyrov et al.

The article presents a method of complex kinematic analysis of a mechanical wind turbine system. Input data, such as the speed of rotation of the input shaft of the gearbox, for the multi-criteria analysis of the planetary multiplier of the wind turbine were obtained from the results of computer simulation of the air flow. The fundamentals of the torque method were used to study planetary compound gears (PСG), called a multiplier. The variants of kinematic schemes of composite planetary transmission are analyzed in order to determine the most optimal distribution of the energy flow. The torque method allows not only kinematic analysis (determining the ratio of speeds), but also power analysis (determining the direction and magnitude of internal power flows), as well as determining efficiency. Relatively simple formulas for calculating the ratio of speeds and efficiency made it possible to carry out multi-purpose optimization of the parameters of the considered PСG. As a result of the analysis, the most optimal scheme of a composite planetary gearbox was determined, taking into account the kinematics of the airflow on the wind turbine wheel. © 2024, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All rights reserved.

Nanoparticles are widely used in Pickering emulsions, but their hydrophilic nature often limits interfacial effectiveness. This study explores a novel chemical etching method using the strong reductant sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) to enhance the interfacial properties of silica nanoparticles, improving oil recovery through more efficient Pickering emulsification. Characterization confirms surface etching through TEM and XPS, showing a rougher surface and a hydrodynamic size of 164.43 nm for etched silica, compared to 197.74 nm for bare silica. The etched silica nanoparticles exhibit increased hydrophobicity, as evidenced by FT-IR and contact angle measurements (θ = 75 ± 1° for etched silica vs. θ = 20 ± 1° for bare silica). At 500 ppm, modified silica nanoparticles facilitate Winsor emulsions I and II, with etched silica producing smaller, more stable droplets. Increasing the concentration to 2500 ppm reduces droplet size and tightens distributions, especially with etched silica, enhancing emulsion stability due to stronger interfacial layers, non-spherical shape, and lower bending resistance, as shown by desorption energy values of ⁓ 3.91 × 10−18 J for bare silica and ⁓ 3.49 × 10−16 J for etched silica. Pore-scale experiments demonstrate that surface-etched silica nanoparticles improve oil displacement and reduce residual trapping by promoting oil-in-water emulsions, outperforming bare silica due to stronger mechanical interactions, higher negative charge, and increased disjoining pressure (−4.81 × 10−4 Pa vs −8.38 × 10−4 Pa). This innovative modification approach, previously unexplored in oil recovery, offers a new pathway for enhanced oil mobilization and emulsion stability, with potential for broader applications in wastewater treatment, catalysis, and pharmaceuticals. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

A wide range of applications such as healthcare, human comfort, agriculture, food processing and storage, and electronics manufacturing also require fast and accurate measurement of humidity and temperature. Optical fiber-based sensors have several advantages over electronic sensors, and much research has been conducted in this area in recent years. This paper describes the current trends in fiber optic temperature and humidity sensors. The evolution of optical structures aimed at humidity detection is presented, as well as a new design of an optical sensor used for this purpose. The main methods of humidity determination using fiber-optic laser reflection based on Optical fiber humidity sensor (FPI) were analyzed and experimental results were obtained. Based on temperature-sensitive strain variation, a method for temperature determination based on the specific spectral back-reflection effect of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) is considered. Experimental analyses were conducted on the light reflection of humidity-sensitive agarose using optical fibers based on the Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI). It exhibits a good linear response to relative humidity, ranging from 25 % to 95 %. During temperature measurement, the deformation changes of the Fiber Bragg Grating fibers showed excellent performance, ranging from –5 °C to 70 °C. New structures, such as resonators, are being explored to improve the resolution of fiber optic temperature and humidity sensors. In addition, recent studies on polymer optical fibers show that the sensitivity of this type of sensor has not yet been achieved. Thus, materials sensitive to humidity and temperature still need to be investigated to improve sensitivity and resolution Copyright © 2024, Authors. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons CC BY license