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Magnetic refrigeration (MR) technology possesses the potential to substitute conventional gas compression technology. It is necessary to find MR materials suitable for a variety of applications. In this study, La 0.65 Sr 0.35- x Eu x Mn 0.95 Ni 0.05 O 3 (x = 0.05, 0.075, 0.10) (LSE x MNO) ceramics were prepared using a sol-gel synthesis process. The LSE x MNO ceramics were confirmed to be the R ‾ 3c space group (rhombohedral structure) by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The particles of LSE x MNO ceramic particles were irregular polyhedral particles by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chemical composition of LSE x MNO was determined by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Magnetic Property Measurement System (MPMS) demonstrated that the LSE x MNO ceramics display second-order magnetic phase transitions (SOMPT) around Curie temperature (T C). When the Eu3+ doping level increased, the Mn–O–Mn bond angle and length increased, weakening the exchange coupling of the Mn4+-O2--Mn3+ channel and decreasing the T C. As the amount of Eu3+ doping varied, the maximum magnetic entropy (– Δ S M Max) of the LSE x MNO ceramics peaked at 4.03 J kg−1K−1 and cooling efficiency parameter (RCP) = 291.2 J kg−1 at x = 0.075. The Modified Arrott plots (MAP) and Kouvel-Fisher (K–F) approaches were applied for the purpose of certifying the critical exponents of LSE 0.075 MNO ceramics conform to the Mean Filed model. Compared with other magnetic materials, it displays an excellent magnetocaloric effect (MCE) with a T C of 299 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of perfusion strategies supporting ultra-high cell growth and productivity for the intensified perfusion cultures (IPC) is very challenging. In this study, a novel approach was developed to address this issue by utilizing the shake tube semi-continuous bioreactors (ST) combining with a concentrated feed from the traditional fed-batch (TFB) platform. First, the impact of operating conditions in the ST were evaluated to identify those that best reflected the cell performance for the benchtop perfusion bioreactors (STR). Subsequently, the optimization of several key process parameters was performed in the ST along with the metabolic data obtained for the design of the IPC. Further, an empirical model to predict culture osmolarity was developed, verified, and subsequently utilized to determine the best combinations of the basal and feed perfusion rates ensuring the optimal osmolarity at the targeted viable cell density for the IPC process. Finally, the designed perfusion strategies were successfully validated in two IPC processes operated at 80 and 100×106 cells/m in the 3-L STR with an approximate 9-fold increase in cumulative titers compared to the TFB process. Overall, this study offers a novel and prospective method for the effective development of the IPC process to achieve significant process intensification. • A novel method was presented for the effective development of the IPC. • An empirical model was developed for the design of suitable perfusion strategies. • Significant reduction in medium consumption and increase in productivity were realized in the IPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption materials are a cost-effective and simple method for oil spill remediation, but their efficiency is limited by high crude oil viscosity. Additionally, non-degradable materials pose another risk of secondary pollution, such as microplastic debris. Here, an environmentally-friendly stereo-complex polylactide composite (SCC) aerogel were developed via water-assisted thermally induced phase separation. The SCC with 3 wt% carbon nanotubes had a hierarchical structure of micro/nanoscale pores and high content of stereo-complex crystallites (35.7 %). Along with the excellent water repellency (water contact angle: 157°), SCC aerogel was 2.7 times as resistant to hydrolysis than poly(l -lactide) aerogel (Ph = 13, 37 °C). Additionally, a maximum absorption capacity of 41.2 g g−1 and over 97 % oil/water separation efficiency after 10 cycles were obtained in low viscosity conditions; while in high viscosity conditions, it displayed excellent photothermal performance, reaching a surface temperature of 85 °C under 1 sunlight, reducing crude oil absorption time from 42 min to 60 s (97.6 %-time savings). Moreover, it facilitated continuous crude oil spill recovery under sunlight with an adsorption rate of 3.3 × 104 kg m−3 h−1. The SCC aerogel presents a potential route for utilizing solar energy in crude oil adsorption applications without additional environmental burden. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unknown power history of fuel elements in a pebble-bed High-Temperature Reactor, the traditional method of calculating transuranic isotopes through forward burnup calculations using initial loading data is not applicable. This paper presents a novel method for estimating transuranic isotopes within fuel elements in pebble bed HTR. It involves the power history inversion model using activity vector detectable by the online Burnup Measurement System of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Pebble bed Module to predict the power history of the fuel elements. Subsequently, transuranic isotopes are calculated through a forward burnup process. To check the performance of the burnup equation inverse model. Nuclear Inventory Tool were used to generate database that provides known activity vector as target and corresponding power history of a fuel element. Results show that the inverse model leads to a more stable convergence, effectively reconstructing the complex power history. The integrated power estimation error remains below 0.2%, with prediction errors for ten transuranic isotopes of interest below 1.5%. • A novel method for precise transuranic isotope calculation in pebble-bed High Temperature Reactors. • A robust power history inversion model enabling the reconstruction of fuel element power histories is introduced. • The model employs equal weights of activity vector and virtual power curve to adapt to real rector conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cisplatin induced elevated ROS levels damages Nrf2 activation. • TBHQ rescues the HCs and the HEI-OC1 cells from apoptosis after cisplatin injury by suppressing ROS accumulation. • Nrf2 activation doesn't change the mitochondrial ROS production after cisplatin exposure. • Nrf2 activation attenuates cisplatin-induced hearing impairment and outer hair cells (OHC) loss in C57 BL/6 mice. Cisplatin is a well-known and commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. However, cisplatin-induced ototoxicity limits its clinical use. Previous studies have shown an important role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in the pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. In many cell types, the transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and antioxidant response element (ARE) protect against oxidative stress by suppressing ROS. Here our results showed that cisplatin injury reduced Nrf2 expression and inhibited Nrf2 translocation in HEI−OC1 cells and Nrf2 activator tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) rescued hair cells from cisplatin induced apoptosis by suppressing the total cellular ROS accumulation. Moreover, we found that decreased ROS accumulation induced by TBHQ didn't depend on mitochondrial derived ROS production, indicating that Nrf2 activation alleviated cisplatin induced oxidative stress and apoptosis through mitochondrial-independent ROS production. Therefore, we provide a potential strategy of prevention and treatment for cisplatin-induced ototoxicity by Nrf2 activation. In conclusion, Nrf2 activation protects auditory hair cells from cisplatin-induced ototoxicity through suppressing the total cellular ROS levels which arise from sources other than mitochondria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 7075 aluminium alloy was treated by combining pre-aging and thermomechanical treatment to obtain excellent comprehensive properties. The properties of the alloy were investigated by hardness, exfoliation corrosion, intergranular corrosion, and electrochemical corrosion test. The microstructure of the alloy was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, the relationship between microstructure evolution and performance change was investigated. The results showed that the hardness and corrosion resistance of the alloy were improved after the combination of pre-aging and thermomechanical treatment. With the change in the pre-aging temperature, the microstructure of the alloy changed significantly. The matrix precipitates were numerous, fine, and uniformly distributed, which significantly improved the hardness of the alloy, resulting in a peak hardness of 195.2 HV. The grain boundary precipitates were rounded and independent, the distance between the precipitates became large, and the discontinuous distribution was very obvious, which destroyed the formation of corrosion channels, hindered the development of corrosion, and effectively improved the corrosion resistance of the alloy. The exfoliation corrosion rating was P. The minimum depth of intergranular corrosion was 29.3 µm. The self-corrosion current density and corrosion rate were the lowest, 0.0013 mA/cm2 and 0.0427 mm/a, respectively. • Combined with pre-aging and T8 treatment make alloy achieve excellent comprehensive properties. • Pre-aging treatment promotes the formation of precipitated phases. • The synergistic effect of the GP zones and dislocations leading to a more uniform deformation. • Discontinuous distribution of grain boundary precipitates after pre-aging treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hypoxia stress damaged intestinal morphology and barrier in Eriocheir sinensis. • Hypoxia stress induced antioxidant and immune response, and apoptosis in intestine of Chinese mitten crab. • The diversity and composition of gut microbiota were perturbed by hypoxia stress and reoxygenation. • Hypoxia stress and reoxygenation induced changes in gut microbiota were closely related with hepatopancreas and gut health. Hypoxia causes irreversible damage to aquatic animals. However, few reports have explored the effect of hypoxia stress and reoxygenation on intestinal homeostatic imbalance and consequent hepatopancreas-intestine axis health in crustacean. Herein, 180 Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) were equally divided into control (DO 7.0 ± 0.2 mg/L) and treatment groups. The treatment group was exposed with continuous hypoxic stress (DO 3.0 ± 0.1 mg/L) for 96 h and then reoxygenated (DO 6.9 ± 0.1 mg/L) for 96 h. The effects on intestines and hepatopancreas of Chinese mitten crab were investigated, and the role of gut microbiota in hypoxia induced damages was explored. Hypoxia impaired intestinal tissue structure, and decreased swelling and the number of goblet cells, which are features that did not significantly improve after reoxygenation. With prolonged hypoxic stress, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (LDH, SOD and CAT) and MDA content in intestine were significantly elevated. Moreover, the level of oxidative stress increased, which led to upregulated apoptosis rate and expression of apoptosis-related genes (Caspase 3, Caspase 8 and BAX). In addition, the expression of immune related genes (MyD88, ALF1, Relish and Crustin) in hepatopancreas and intestine was both significantly induced under hypoxia, which activated the immune defense mechanism of Chinese mitten crab to adapt to the hypoxic environment. Furthermore, diversity and relative abundance of gut microbiota decreased noticeably during hypoxic stress; the number of beneficial bacteria downregulated. Finally, KEGG pathway analysis revealed that nine pathways were significantly enriched in intestinal microorganisms, including autoimmune disease and environmental adaptation. Collectively, these results suggested that hypoxia negatively affected E. sinensis health by triggering oxidative stress, altering the composition of the gut microbiota and inhibiting the immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Alkaline salts promote the formation of elastic egg white gel with low lightness. • Ionic strength and pH act differently in modulating the protein aggregation state. • The extent of protein aggregates cross-linking affected digestibility of the gel. In this study, the thermal gelation and digestion properties of hen egg white (hen EW) proteins with different salts were investigated. Results show that the addition of neutral salt - sodium chloride (NaCl) decreased the gel hardness/resilience, increased gel lightness, aggregated particle size and digestibility of hen EW proteins significantly. In contrast, alkaline salts – phosphate and carbonate addition increased the gel resilience and strain tolerance as well as reduced the aggregated particle size and gel lightness of hen EW proteins due to the increase of solution pH and negative charge. Correlation analysis shows that the digestibility of hen EW gels was affected by gel viscoelasticity, molecule forces and texture. In conclusion, thermal gelation properties of hen EW proteins could be modulated by salts with different pH/ionic strength, and thus affected the protein digestion and peptide released. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zr 55·7 Cu 22·4 Al 14.7 Ni 7.2 alloy rods with a diameter of 3 mm were prepared by copper mold suction casting. The microstructure, thermomechanical properties and high temperature plastic deformation behavior of the alloy specimens before and after uniaxial compression in supercooled liquid region (SLR) were investigated by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimeter and microcomputer-controlled electronic universal testing machine. And the effects of different deformation conditions on the thermomechanical properties and microhardness of the specimens after high temperature deformation were analyzed. The results show that during plastic deformation in SLR, this alloy exhibits stress overshoot in the low temperature region - high strain rate conditions, exhibiting non-Newtonian fluid properties, while alloy softening occurs in the high temperature region - medium to high strain rate, showing the deformation behavior of a Newtonian fluid. The alloy crystallizes after deformation at high temperature and low strain rate (750 K, 2 × 10−4 s−1 and 760 K, 2 × 10−4 s−1∼5 × 10−4 s−1), generating dendritic τ 3 phase (Zr 51 Cu 28 Al 21), while still maintaining an amorphous structure in the low and medium temperature region, but this structure has part of the amorphous matrix that has been transformed into ordered clusters of atoms, and the degree of transformation increases sharply with decreasing strain rate, which in turn causes a sharp reduction in the crystallization incubation period and the exothermic enthalpy of crystallization. And the effect of high temperature deformation on the Vickers microhardness of metallic glass was analyzed. • Zr-based metallic glass shows superplastic deformability in the supercooled liquid region. • The alloy deformed at high temperatures and low strain rates will crystallize and produce τ 3 phase. • Deformed at the lower temperature, the structure of alloy is changed into ordered atomic clusters. • Ordered atomic clusters in the alloy lead to a shortening of the crystallization incubation period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• As the K concentration increases from 0.05 to 0.15, the Tc of the sample gradually increases. In A site doping, the Curie temperature (Tc) of La 0.75 K 0.05 Sr 0.2 Mn 0.95 Ni 0.05 O 3 is nearer to room temperature. The Tc of La 0.75 K 0.05 Sr 0.2 Mn 0.95 Ni 0.05 O 3 sample is 305 K. • We use Banerjee's criterion and phenomenological universal curves to prove that the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic (PM-FM) transformation of the samples is a second order magnetic phase transition. • The K+ doped La 0.7 K 0.1 Sr 0.2 Mn 0.95 Ni 0.05 O 3 sample has a maximum magnetic entropy change of 4.11 J/kg K at a temperature of 315 K, and its RCP is 288.15 J/kg under external magnetic field variation. This material can potentially be one of the candidates that can be used to develop the magnetic refrigeration technology. • By comparing with other magnetic materials, we know that La 0.8-x K x Sr 0.2 Mn 0.95 Ni 0.05 O 3 (x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) samples have large magnetic entropy change and RCP compared to other magnetic materials. Indicating that the samples have good potential for magnetic refrigeration applications. This paper investigated the effect of A-site doping K+ on the structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Mn 0.95 Ni 0.05 O 3. La 0.8-x K x Sr 0.2 Mn 0.95 Ni 0.05 O 3 (LKSMNO) were synthesized by the sol–gel (S–G) method. The XRD analysis and refinement have revealed that LKSMNO were the rhombohedral structure of the R-3c space group (No. 167) and the cell volume increased with increasing K+ doping. The ratio of Mn4+/Mn3+ becomes larger with the increase of K+ content. The magnetic studies indicate that the Curie temperature (TC) of LKSMNO increases from 305 K to 320 K with the increase of K+, and the second order magnetic phase transition occurs around the TC. When the external magnetic field (H) is 5 T, the maximum magnetic entropy changes (- Δ S M m a x ) were 4.00 J/(kg K), 4.11 J/(kg K), and 3.39 J/(kg K), respectively, near TC. The relative cooling power (RCP) of LKSMNO were 272.28 J/kg, 288.15 J/kg, and 304.90 J/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zr 55.7 Cu 22.4 Ni 7.2 Al 14.7 alloy rods with a diameter of 3 mm were prepared by copper mold suction casting. The structure, thermodynamic properties and plastic deformation behavior of the specimens before and after compression in supercooled liquid region were studied by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and uniaxial compression machine (equipped with a high-temperature oven). The range of thermal forming process parameters was also discussed. The results show that the alloys have obvious glass transition and crystallization kinetics, and the crystallization activation energies obtained by the Kissinger and Ozawa equations are 297.1 kJ/mol and 294.9 kJ/mol, respectively. The amorphous alloys exhibit stress overshoot in low temperature region at high strain rates and deformation behavior of alloy softening in high temperature region at medium to high strain rates. Meanwhile, the viscosity of the alloy remains approximately constant at 740 K and 750 K, showing Newtonian fluid characteristic. It can be concluded that the optimal thermoplastic forming process ranges from 740 K to 750 K, 5 × 10−4 s−1 to 5 × 10−3 s−1. The crystallization activation energies of the specimens after deformation are slightly higher than before, and they increase with the increase of strain rate. • Zr-based bulk amorphous alloy has a good thermodynamic stability, which facilitates thermoplastic forming. • The amorphous alloy shows superplastic deformability at high temperatures and strain rates. • The crystallization activation energies of the deformed specimens are higher than that of the undeformed. • The crystallization activation energies of the alloys after deformation increase with increasing strain rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large quantities of antigens are required since protective antigens, such as classical swine fever virus (CSFV) E2 protein, are widely used in diagnostic reagents and subunit vaccines. Compared to clonal cell lines and transient gene expression, stable cell pools provide a potential alternative platform to rapidly produce large amounts of antigens. In this work, firstly, Human embryonic kidney 293 T (HEK293T) cell pools expressing E2 protein were developed by transduction of lentiviral vectors. On the one hand, the SP7 was selected from 7 well-performing signal peptides to remarkably increase the production of E2 protein. On the other hand, it was found that high MOI could improve the expression of E2 protein by increasing gene copy numbers. Moreover, the HEK293T cell pools were evaluated for stability by passages and batch cultures, demonstrating that the cell pools were stable for at least 90 days. And then, the performance of the cell pools in batch, fed-batch, and semi-perfusion was studied. Among them, the titer of E2 protein was up to 2 g/L in semi-perfusion, which is currently the highest to the authors' knowledge. Finally, the aggregations and immunogenicity of the E2 protein were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and immunization of mice, respectively. There was no significant difference in aggregations and antibody titers of E2 protein in three culture methods. These results suggest that stable HEK293T cell pools are a promising and robust platform for rapid and efficient production of recombinant proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Firstly, a robust discrete-time non-smooth consensus protocol solves that consensus problem for the first-order leaderless multi-agent systems with external disturbance and discrete-time feedback. • Then, a discrete-time super-twisting observer is proposed to estimate the multi-agent systems disturbance. Combining the robust discrete-time non-smooth consensus protocol and discrete-time super-twisting observer, we get a new consensus protocol. The superiorities of this method contains two aspects, i.e., the disturbance rejection ability and a smaller consensus error. To the best authors' knowledge, the presented results in this paper are novel in the literature. In this paper, we firstly consider the consensus problems of first-order leaderless multi-agent systems with external disturbance. Then, we propose a robust discrete-time non-smooth (RDTNS) consensus protocol, which makes agents reach consensus within a region. Besides, we design a disturbance observer based on the discrete-time super-twisting algorithm (DTSTA), which can improve the disturbance rejection ability and decrease the consensus error for the multi-agent systems. At last, we get a robust discrete-time disturbance rejection control consensus protocol by combining the RDTNS consensus protocol with the discrete-time super-twisting observer (DTSTO). The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Design constant modulus waveform for MIMO radar based on the Riemannian manifold and get higher SINR. • Based on the proposed method, the total optimization time is reduced while the convergence performance is satisfactory. • The proposed method can view the constrained problem as unconstrained problem on the Riemannian manifold. • The proposed method with Riemannian manifold optimization provides some new ideas for constant modulus waveform design. This paper concentrates on MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) radar waveform design to improve SINR (signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio). Due to the constant modulus constraint, the problem is essentially an NP-hard and high dimensional problem. Many conventional methods generally transform the original problem to a convex optimization problem through relaxation. To address it more efficiently, we propose a new approach based on a Riemannian manifold, which is the product of complex circles and a Euclidean space. The original constraint problem in our proposed method is considered as unconstrained over a restricted search space. Then, the reformulated problem is solved by Riemannian conjugate gradient (RCG) algorithm efficiently. Numerical results reveal that the proposed algorithm can achieve higher SINR via different input SNR while consumes a lower computation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Appropriate fertilization practices play a critical role in enhancing crop yields, as well as in achieving sustainable increases in crop production through improving soil quality. In the present study, we examined the effects of long-term fertilization (started in 1986) on crop yield and its sustainability under a double corn (Zea mays L.) cropping system in an Ultisol of southern China. Results showed that although corn yields were higher in the fertilized treatments compared to the unfertilized control, inorganic fertilizer application alone (N and NPK) resulted in declining trends in both corn yields and fertilization effects (defined as the yield difference between the fertilized treatment and the control), especially in the N treatment. In contrast, significant increasing trends in both corn yields and fertilization effects were observed in the manure-applied treatments. Manure amendments significantly increased the contents of soil organic carbon and total N and the availability of soil P and K, while long-term inorganic fertilization alone accelerated soil acidification, especially in the N treatment. In addition, there was no significant correlation between the yield trend and climatic factors (weather trends) over the period of study. Thus, it is likely that the long-term sustainability of corn production under manure application is attributed mainly to the improved soil quality. Our results also suggest that manure amendments, particularly in combination with inorganic NPK, should be the recommended fertilization practice to enhance corn yields and improve soil quality in the Ultisol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Increasing evidence has shown that recommended management practices (RMPs) benefit carbon sequestration in cropland soils, but the differences in the effect size and duration between RMPs are not well documented, especially in paddy fields where multiple cropping systems are in use. In order to select feasible techniques and develop effective strategies for soil organic carbon (SOC) management for long-term sustainable rice production that promote environmental health, we conducted a meta-analysis to compare the carbon sequestration effects based on size and duration of several common RMPs using in the Yangtze Delta Plain of eastern China. The meta-analysis data base included 26 long-term field experiments with 86 paired trials. The mean depth of soil sampling in all trials was 16.5cm. Results showed that there were significant effects from applications of crop residue and animal manure applications on levels of carbon sequestration. Crop residue additions and animal manure applications increased SOC by 0.41Mgha−1 yr−1 and 0.34Mgha−1 yr−1 on average during the experiment period, respectively. In contrast, reduced/no tillage practices had no effect on levels of carbon sequestration in the study area. Crop residue additions and animal manure applications will enhance SOC, but only over periods of about 20 and 40 years, respectively. Significantly greater effect of RMPs on carbon sequestration occurred in a triple cropping system incorporating with double rice than that in double cropping system with only a single rice season. The above results suggest that increases in organic matter, such as additions of crop residues and animal manure to soils may have great effects on carbon sequestration in paddy fields in the research area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The harmless disposal of lead paste in the spent lead-acid batteries (LABs) remains an enormous challenge in traditional pyrometallurgical recycling. Here, we introduced a hydrometallurgical method for the recycling of the spent LABs' waste to obtain the β -PbO as a novel zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) active material. The obtained β -PbO exhibits ultra-flat charge/discharge voltage platforms (0.21 mV/(mAh g−1)) and stable specific capacity. During the charge/discharge, the β -PbO spontaneously triggers the formation of (ZnSO 4)[Zn(OH) 2 ] 3 ·5H 2 O (ZHS) micro-sheets as a surface passivation layer. Moreover, the ex-situ X-ray spectra reveal that the reversible phase transformation occurs between PbSO 4 and Pb with the assistance of ZHS by adjusting the PH value on the electrode-electrolyte interface. The synergistic two-phase-reaction mechanism generates ultra-flat voltage platforms upon the charge/discharge. This "energy-saving and environment-friendly" recycling route eliminates the major source of emission of pollution particulates/gases compared to the traditional pyrometallurgical recycling, while at the same time replacing energy-consuming and environmentally detrimental processes of synthesis of current ZIBs cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most common sensory disorder associated with human aging. Chronic inflammation is supposed to be an important contributor to ARHL. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of developing cochlear inflammation are still not well understood. In this study, we found that the inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and necroptosis signalings are activated in the cochlea of aged C57BL/6 mice. ER stress activator tunicamycin (TM) induced necroptosis in cochlear HEI-OC1 cells and cochlear explants, while necroptosis inhibitors protected cochlear cells from ER stress-induced cell death. The antioxidants inhibited necroptosis and protected HEI-OC1 cells from TM insults. Necroptotic HEI-OC1 cells promoted the activation of the co-cultured macrophages via Myd88 signaling. Moreover, necroptosis inhibitor protected from TM-induced hearing loss, and inhibited inflammation in C57BL/6 mice. These findings suggest that ER stress-induced necroptosis promotes cochlear inflammation and hearing loss. Targeting necroptosis serves as a potential approach for the treatment of cochlear inflammation and ARHL. • ER stress, necroptosis and inflammation signalings are activated during cochlear aging. • ER stress induces cochlear cell necroptosis partially by ROS production. • Necroptotic cochlear cells activate macrophages via Myd88 signaling. • In mouse, ER stress-induced necroptosis promotes cochlear inflammation and hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Take residual network to design waveform for MIMO radar transmit beampattern and get a better performance. • The proposed methods can solve the problem directly and don't need to synthesis waveform covariance matrix. • The proposed methods can also suppress cross-correlation sidelobes while keep a good performance on beampattern matching. • The proposed methods with residual network provide some new ideas for the constant modulus waveform design in MIMO radar. This paper considers the design of MIMO radar waveform to approximate a desired beampattern while minimizing the cross-correlation sidelobes under the constant modulus constraint. Since the resulting problem is high-dimensional and non-convex (also known as NP-hard), it is extremely difficult to find the global optimization solution through polynomial-time algorithms. A possible methodology is to invoke heuristic iterative optimization algorithms to find an approximation solution by providing as small an beampattern matching error as possible. Recently, we notice that the residual neural network is naturally a nonlinear system, which is very suitable for solving the above problem. In this respect, for the first time, we introduce the residual neural networks to the MIMO radar waveform design for transmit beampattern. More precisely, we formulate two transmit beampattern optimization problems, then convert them into the univariate optimization problems. Finally, we solve them with the designed residual neural network, respectively. Numerical results show that the proposed method can obtain the better beampattern performance over the state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logic gate-based fluorescent probes are powerful tools for the discriminative sensing of multiple signaling molecules that are expressed in concert during the progression of many diseases such as inflammation, cancer, aging, and other disorders. To achieve logical sensing, multiple functional groups are introduced to the different substitution sites of a single fluorescent dye, which increases the complexity of chemical synthesis. Herein, we report a simple strategy that incorporates just one responsive unit into a hemicyanine dye achieving the logic gate-based sensing of two independent analytes. We introduce boronic acid to hemicyanine to quench the fluorescence, and in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), the fluorescence is recovered due to removal of the boronate. Interestingly, the subsequent decrease in pH turned the red fluorescence of hemicyanine to green emissive because of protonation of the phenolic alcohol. This unique feature of the probe enables us to construct "INHIBIT" and "AND" logical gates for the accurate measuring of intracellular H 2 O 2 and acidic pH in tandem. This study offers insight into the simple construction of logic-gate based fluorescent probes for the tandem sensing of multiple analytes that are correlatively produced during disease progression. Logical probes HCyBA for tandem sensing of H 2 O 2 and pH by using of just one reactive unit and the construction of logic gates for diagnosis of H 2 O 2 and acid related pathological cells are reported. [Display omitted] • A general strategy to develop logic gate-based fluorescent probes for tandem sensing of H 2 O 2 and acidic pH. • Red fluorescence of the probe is activated in the presence of H 2 O 2 , and then turned green when pH decreases. • Construction of "INHIBIT" and "AND" logic gates for precise sensing of H 2 O 2 and acidic pH in cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of K+ doping on structure, magnetic characteristics, magnetocaloric properties, and critical behavior of La 0.7-x Nd 0.1 Sr 0.2 K x Mn 0.95 Ni 0.05 O 3 (LNSKMNO) ceramics (x = 0.00, 0.05, and 0.10) were investigated. The X-ray diffraction and refinement findings revealed that LNSKMNO exhibited a distinctive rhombohedral structure of the R-3c space group (No. 167). To validate the chemical composition of LNSKMNO ceramics, EDS spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were utilized. The magnetization of LNSKMNO exhibited a temperature-dependent behavior, revealing a phase transition from the ferromagnetic (FM) phase to the paramagnetic (PM) phase at approximately the Curie temperature (Tc). By utilizing normalization and Banerjee's criterion, the magnetic phase transition of LNSKMNO was determined to be a second order magnetic phase transition. The maximal magnetic entropy (− Δ S M max) of LNSKMNO around Tc was 4.24, 4.53, and 4.07 J/(kg K) at the 5 T external magnetic field (H). The Kouvel-Fisher approach and modified Arrott plot were used for determining the values of the critical exponents of β , γ , and δ. The critical exponents for LNSKMNO ceramics generally conformed to those obtained based on the Mean-field model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) is a serious side effect of radiation therapy, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. B10 cells, as negative B regulatory cells, play important roles in regulating inflammation and autoimmunity. However, the role of B10 cells in RIPF progression is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the role of B10 cells in aggravating RIPF and the underlying mechanism. The role of B10 cells in RIPF was studied by constructing mouse models of RIPF and depleting B10 cells with an anti-CD22 antibody. The mechanism of B10 cells in RIPF was further explored through cocultivation of B10 cells and MLE-12 or NIH3T3 cells and administration of an interleukin (IL)-10 antibody to block IL-10. B10 cell numbers increased significantly during the early stage in the RIPF mouse models compared with the controls. In addition, depleting B10 cells with the anti-CD22 antibody attenuated the development of lung fibrosis in mice. Subsequently, we confirmed that B10 cells induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the transformation of myofibroblasts via activation of STAT3 signaling in vitro. After blockade of IL-10, it was verified that IL-10 secreted by B10 cells mediates the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of myofibroblasts, thereby promoting RIPF. Our study uncovers a novel role for IL-10-secreting B10 cells that could be a new target of research for relieving RIPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-based single crystal superalloy has experienced high temperature and extreme strain rate during grinding process, resulting in white layer and plastic deformation layer on the subsurface. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) techniques were used to characterize the microstructure changes such as dislocation distribution, crystal structure and orientation information at the nanoscale of the ground subsurface. The mechanism of dynamic recrystallization and grain refinement of the single crystal superalloy were obtained. The results show that the high-density dislocation structure is easy to form in the stress concentration areas, which are the nucleation sites of dynamic recrystallization. With the accumulation of misorientation, the subgrain boundaries (SGBs) are transformed into low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) and high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). Moreover, equiaxed nanograins are formed near the top surface due to the cooperation mechanism of dislocation movement and twins. Under the condition of high strain rate, the deformation mechanism of Ni-based single crystal superalloy is continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) dominated by subgrain rotation. This work illustrated the grinding-induced microstructure evolution and mechanism of dynamic recrystallization, which provides theoretical guidance for machining of single crystal blade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) is now a main stream technique for large-scale metabolic phenotyping to obtain a better understanding of genomic functions. However, repeatability is still an essential issue for the LC–MS based methods, and convincing strategies for long time analysis are urgently required. Our former reported pseudotargeted method which combines nontargeted and targeted analyses, is proved to be a practical approach with high-quality and information-rich data. In this study, we developed a comprehensive strategy based on the pseudotargeted analysis by integrating blank-wash, pooled quality control (QC) sample, and post-calibration for the large-scale metabolomics study. The performance of strategy was optimized from both pre- and post-acquisition sections including the selection of QC samples, insertion frequency of QC samples, and post-calibration methods. These results imply that the pseudotargeted method is rather stable and suitable for large-scale study of metabolic profiling. As a proof of concept, the proposed strategy was applied to the combination of 3 independent batches within a time span of 5 weeks, and generated about 54% of the features with coefficient of variations (CV) below 15%. Moreover, the stability and maximal capability of a single analytical batch could be extended to at least 282 injections (about 110 h) while still providing excellent stability, the CV of 63% metabolic features was less than 15%. Taken together, the improved repeatability of our strategy provides a reliable protocol for large-scale metabolomics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice paddies supply the staple food for 50% global population, but contribute 48% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from croplands. Temperature is the key factor of rice yield and GHG emissions, but warming effects (i.e. elevated temperature ≤ 2°C) are still unclear, especially in hotspots. Therefore, we collected the global in-situ observations of warming experiments and corresponding environmental factors to identify the key drivers of warming effects, and developed the statistic models to assess the effects of warming on GHG emissions from China's rice paddies. Our results indicate that the variation in warming effects on rice yield, methane (CH 4) emissions, and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions are primarily explained by ambient temperature of post-anthesis, ambient temperature of flooding stage, and soil pH, respectively. Considering these key factors, we estimate that warming does not significantly affect China's total rice yield, while can increase CH 4 emissions by 13.6% °C−1, N 2 O emissions by 30.5% °C−1, and area-/yield-scaled GHG emissions by 14.9% °C−1 from China's rice paddies. Warming reduces rice yield but increases GHG emissions more strongly in East, South and Central China, compared to North, Northwest, Northeast, and Southwest China. Our findings quantify the warming effects on rice yield and GHG emissions, and provide new perspectives for the hotpots of warming effects on China's rice production. In the warmer future, we still need more efforts on smart adaptation strategies to maintain rice yield and curb GHG emissions from rice agriculture. • Temperature and soil pH can explain variation in warming effect on GHG emissions. • Warming effect on N 2 O emissions shows a negative relationship with soil pH. • Warming does not affect China's total rice yield while increases GHG emissions. • Warming increases yield-scaled GHG emissions by 14.9% °C−1 in China's paddies. • East, South and Central China's rice paddies are the hotspots of warming effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) The proposed MFC-PINN model takes the time-difference information and the time–frequency domain information as the multimodal inputs and by fusing the features extracted from the MLP and the CNN and under the constraints of the physics equations, it can achieve high-precision and robust planar localization of the AE source. (2) AE source planar localization experimental bench was constructed, and the datasets were produced by collecting the PLB signals from different locations of aluminum alloy plates, extracting the time-difference parameters and time–frequency domain maps. The complete, incomplete, and noise-containing datasets were produced to simulate the data situation under the actual working conditions, considering the difficulty of data acquisition, plate masking, and environmental noise. (3) The proposed model was evaluated using RMSExy, MEDPExy and probability density analysis. With the complete dataset, the model error is smaller than both TDOA and WER-CNN; with the incomplete dataset as well as SNR=5 dB, the model error is larger than TDOA; however, when the time-difference parameters are greatly affected (SNR=-5 dB), the model is more robust to noise than TDOA. (4) The TotalLoss weighting of 0.5:0.5 is the better choice and outperforms the other four proposed weightings. The results of error mean and ANOVA for different datasets in the sub-sampling cross-validation show that the proposed model performs consistently on the complete dataset and outperforms the PINN-MLP and CNN models on all datasets except the complete small dataset. The ablation study shows that removing any module leads to performance degradation of the MFC-PINN model, except for the small dataset. The MLP module has a greater impact on temporal information processing, and the CNN module has a smaller enhancement in localization results. [Display omitted] • MFC-PINN is proposed to enhance AE source localization accuracy for scarce data. • MFC-PINN employs formulas for constraints, merges MLP and CNN for localization. • MFC-PINN reduces data dependency, enhancing noise robustness vs. data-driven models. • MFC-PINN exhibits resilience to masking and noise, achieving an RMSExy of 24.1 mm. • Localized results are validated by weight analysis, cross-validation, ablation study. Aluminum alloys used in aerospace can be monitored for cracks using acoustic emission (AE) technology, ensuring structural safety. However, data-driven deep learning models for AE source planar localization of defects in aerospace aluminum alloy plates suffer from poor prediction ability for unknown data and require a large amount of data. Additionally, physical models are heavily influenced by noise. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a multimodal fusion convolutional physical information neural network (MFC-PINN) model that considers numerical-type and image features, improving the model's comprehensive performance and generalization ability. The model also uses physical equations as constraints, reducing the dependence on large amounts of data and improving the prediction ability for unknown data. MFC-PINN performs well on datasets in complete, incomplete, and noisy conditions, especially in predicting unknown data in high-noise conditions. The study ensures the reproducibility of experiments and the validity of modules through sub-sampling cross-validation and ablation study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation tillage (e.g. no tillage, minimum tillage) is regarded as an effective way to maintain sustainable crop productivity and improve soil quality globally. However, the claim that conservation tillage could improve crop yield are still controversial. It is hypothesized that whether conservation tillage increase crop yield in comparison with conventional tillage (CT) depends on the different conservation tillage practices, for example, no tillage (NT) and strip tillage (ST), and different variables including in agronomic managements, climate conditions, and soil properties. Herein, a meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate how tillage practices affect crop yield and which factors dominate yield performance mostly. Based on the 53 published articles with 290 paired-comparisons across the world, the effects of ST vs. CT and ST vs. NT on crop yield were conducted. It was showed that crop yield under ST had an increasing trend compared to that under CT and NT. Especially, ST significantly increased crop yield by 4.81% in contrast with NT, which indicated that ST might be a promising practice of conservation tillage in terms of crop yield. Under the agronomic managements of continuous cropping, multiple cropping, graminaceous crops, and straw removing, ST significantly increased crop yields by 5.40%, 10.29%, 7.66%, and 7.60% compared to NT, respectively. ST achieved significantly higher crop yield by 5.68% on average and 11.63% as compared to NT under all soil texture and neutral soil. Concerning the climate conditions, crop yield significantly increased by 3.64% under ST as compared to NT in cooler area where mean annual temperature (MAT) was lower than 10°C. Importance analysis indicated that cropping system and MAT were the key factors affecting the performance of tillage practice on crop yield. Overall, present study revealed that ST might be a favorable conservation tillage practice in continuous and multiple cropping systems with graminaceous crop (e.g. maize) in cooler (MAT <10℃) region in terms of yield promotion. This meta-analysis study demonstrated the importance of conservation tillage optimization for food safety and sustainable development of agriculture. • 53 articles with 290 paired-comparisons are used to conduct a meta-analysis. • Strip tillage has similar crop yield in contrast with conventional tillage. • Strip tillage significantly increases crop yield by 4.81% compared with no tillage. • Cropping system and mean annual temperature affect tillage performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The SUPRAS prepared by 1-octanol and THF was used for the extraction of coumarins. • The composition, viscosity, structure and micromorphology of SUPRAS were studied. • The extraction mechanism of SUPRAS was explored by inverted fluorescence microscope. • The extraction conditions were optimized using OFAT, RSM and ANN-GA. • In present method, less extraction time and extraction solvent were consumed. A simple, fast, and efficient ultrasonic-assisted supramolecular solvent microextraction combined with high performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of coumarins in Cortex fraxini , including esculin, esculetin and fraxetin. In this study, a novel supramolecular solvent was prepared with 1-octanol, tetrahydrofuran and water for the first time, and its composition, viscosity, density, structure, and micromorphology were characterized. The prepared supramolecular solvent exhibited vesicular structures and had the characteristics of low viscosity. Through single-factor experiments, response surface methodology and artificial neural network-genetic algorithm, the optimal extraction conditions were obtained as follows: NaCl concentration of 1 mol mL−1, pH value of 10, solid-liquid ratio of 10:1, vortex time of 30 s, ultrasonic power of 100 W, ultrasonic temperature of 60 °C, ultrasonic time of 15 min, centrifugation speed of 5000 rpm, and centrifugation time of 1 min. The results demonstrated that the artificial neural network model exhibited maximum R -values of 0.98703, 0.97440, 0.99836, and 0.95447 for training, testing, validation, and all dataset, respectively. The minimum mean square errors were 0.75, 10.15, 1.99, and 2.63, respectively. This indicated that the predicted values were almost consistent with the actual values. Under the optimal conditions, the total extraction yields of target analytes reached 2.80 %. The calibration curves for each analyte exhibited excellent linearity within the linear range (r > 0.9993). The limits of detection and quantification ranged from 4.87 to 6.55 ng mL−1 and 16.24 to 21.84 ng mL−1, respectively. The recoveries ranged from 98.71 % to 111.01 % with relative standard deviations of less than 3.6 %. The present method had the advantages of short extraction time (15 min) and less solvent consumption (0.5 mL). The prepared supramolecular solvent was proved to have great potential in extracting coumarins from medicinal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ferroptosis is one of the auditory cell death forms under cisplatin injury. • The activation of the specific autophagy pathway, ferritinophagy, is required for ferroptosis execution in HEI−OC1 cells. • Ferroptosis inhibitor ameliorates the hearing impairment in C57BL/6 mice and outer hair cells loss after cisplatin exposure. Cisplatin-induced hearing loss is a common side effect of cisplatin chemotherapy, for which clinical therapy remains unavailable. Apoptosis of hair cells is considered the primary cause of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity; however, inhibiting apoptosis can only partially restore cisplatin-induced hearing loss. Therefore, auditory cell death caused by cisplatin damage requires further study. Ferroptosis, a novel form of regulated cell death, has been shown to play a role in the mechanism of cisplatin toxicity. In this study, we observed proferroptotic alterations (lipid peroxidation and impaired antioxidant capacity) in the cochleae of C57BL/6 mice after cisplatin damage, verifying the induction of ferroptosis. Using the HEI−OC1 cell line, we observed that cisplatin induced proferroptotic alterations and activated ferritinophagy (specific autophagy pathway). Employing chloroquine, we confirmed that the blockage of autophagy remarkably alleviated cisplatin-induced ferroptosis in HEI−OC1 cells; therefore, the induction of ferroptosis in cisplatin-treated auditory cells was dependent on the activation of autophagy. In addition, the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 and iron chelator deferoxamine significantly attenuated cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in HEI−OC1 cells and cochlear explants. Moreover, pharmacologically inhibiting ferroptosis using ferrostatin-1 significantly decreased the auditory cell loss and, notably, attenuated hearing loss in C57BL/6 mice after cisplatin damage. Collectively, these findings indicate that autophagy-dependent ferroptosis plays an integrated role in the mechanism of cisplatin-induced hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • NAD+ level was decreased in cisplatin treated cochlear organ of mice. • NAD+ modulators activated SIRT1, reduced hair cells loss and protected mice hearing. • TES-1025 with cisplatin increased mitochondrial contents in hair cells. • The protection of TES-1025 was blocked by SIRT1 inhibitor. Cisplatin, the most widely used platinum-based anticancer drug, often causes progressive and irreversible sensorineural hearing loss in cancer patients. However, the precise mechanism underlying cisplatin-associated ototoxicity is still unclear. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a co-substrate for the sirtuin family and PARPs, has emerged as a potent therapeutic molecular target in various diseases. In our investigates, we observed that NAD+ level was changed in the cochlear explants of mice treated with cisplatin. Supplementation of a specific inhibitor (TES-1025) of α-amino-β-carboxymuconate-ε-semialdehyde decarboxylase (ACMSD), a rate-limiting enzyme of NAD+ de novo synthesis pathway, promoted SIRT1 activity, increased mtDNA contents and enhanced AMPK expression, thus significantly reducing hair cells loss and deformation. The protection was blocked by EX527, a specific SIRT1 inhibitor. Meanwhile, the use of NMN, a precursor of NAD+ salvage synthesis pathway, had shown beneficial effect on hair cell under cisplatin administration, effectively suppressing PARP1. In vivo experiments confirmed the hair cell protection of NAD+ modulators in cisplatin treated mice and zebrafish. In conclusion, we demonstrated that modulation of NAD+ biosynthesis via the de novo synthesis pathway and the salvage synthesis pathway could both prevent ototoxicity of cisplatin. These results suggested that direct modulation of cellular NAD+ levels could be a promising therapeutic approach for protection of hearing from cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of glass powder (GP) substitution levels on fiber-matrix interfacial behavior. The pullout load-slip response curves were obtained by conducting fiber pullout tests. The interfacial bond behavior of all specimens was quantitatively analyzed in details. From the XRD patterns and SEM images of matrix, the microstructure of all tested series was discussed. The results indicate that GP as partial substitution of cement/silica fume in ultra-high performance cementitious composite can help to improve the interfacial bond behavior. Among all tested series, the specimens with 20 % substitution level exhibited the largest energy absorption capacity. According to micro-properties of the matrix, it is found that the GP substitution level of 15 %–30 %, reduces the number of scattered pores significantly and more flocculent or fluffy C-S-H gels are produced. In addition, by involving meso-mechanics static equilibrium, the evolution of fiber pullout behavior with various GP substitution levels in different stages could be well simulated and predicted. • GP to substitute cement/SF in UHPCC, as a sustainability study. • To investigate the influence of GP substitution levels on fiber-matrix interfacial behavior. • Microstructure of all tested series at various GP substitution levels were analyzed. • Based on the meso-mechanics static equilibrium, the evolution of fiber pullout behavior in different stages were predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is recognized that new environmentally friendly and economical cooling methods are needed. In this paper, we focus on the effect of different doping amounts of Pr on the performance of magnetic refrigeration materials in the presence of trace doping of Co ions at the B-site. The samples La 0.67 Sr 0.33−x Pr x Mn 0.975 Co 0.025 O 3 (LSPMCO x = 0.10,0.125 and 0.15) in this paper were prepared by sol-gel method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) diffraction data determined that the samples were pure phases without impurities belonging to the R-3c space group (No. 167). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed that the samples were not regular particles of submicron size, and the size of the grains decreased gradually with increasing Pr doping. The experimental data have shown that the samples underwent second order phase transitions near the Curie temperature (Tc). Tc is closest to room temperature at 300 K at a doping level of 0.10. The maximum magnetic entropy change (− ∆ S M max ) at 5 T is 3.79 (J/kg∙K) (x = 0.15) and the relative cooling power (RCP) is 352.78 (J/kg) (x = 0.15). The results demonstrated that the doping of Pr has an enhanced effect on the performance of the magnetic refrigeration La 0.67 Sr 0.33 Mn 0.975 Co 0.0 2 5 O 3 material. This may provide a reference for improving the performance of magnetic refrigeration materials in future research. • The maximum magnetic entropy change (− ∆ S M max ) with an applied magnetic field (H) of 5 T reached 3.73 J/(kg·K) at x = 0.125. • The values of LSPMCO (x = 0.10, 0.125 and 0.15) RCP were 107.41 (J/kg), 113.49 (J/kg) and 123.89 (J/kg) at 2 T. At H of 5 T X = 0.15 it reaches 306.28 (J/kg) which is 86 % of gadolinium. • LSPMCO has a large half-peak width of 92.84 at x = 0.15. LSPMCO has the potential to be further investigated as a magnetic refrigeration material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior during grinding and static recrystallization (SRX) behavior during thermal exposure of Ni-based single crystal alloy were compared in this work. The microstructure changes after DRX and SRX were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The grain orientation and dislocation density distribution were analyzed by transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results show that SRX is affected by DRX process on the ground subsurface of single crystal alloy. The nucleation sites of SRX at high temperature are derived from significant number of high-density dislocation structures generated by DRX that induced by grinding process. Compared with the equiaxed nanograins produced by DRX, micron-scale cellular and equiaxed grains are formed on the surface, and dislocation density decreases sharply after SRX. The original cube texture of single crystal superalloy changes into shear texture due to plastic deformation during grinding, and then into strong recrystallization texture at high temperature. The microstructure changes under deformation and high temperature directly affect the final properties of single crystal blades. It is of great practical significance to understand the microstructure evolution and grain orientation changes during DRX and SRX processes, so as to reveal the mechanism of single crystal transforming into polycrystal from machining process to service stage of single crystal blades. • The relationship between dynamic recrystallization and static recrystallization of single crystal alloy is established. • The microstructure evolution of machined surface from single crystal to polycrystalline is revealed. • The orientation and texture changes of the recrystallized grains were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green manure crops play an important role in reducing chemical fertilizer applications while enhancing soil fertility. However, the effects of winter-planted green manure crops on rice paddy greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are poorly understood. Based on a 35 years experiment, we analyzed the impacts of a rice-rice-green manure cropping system on rice yield and GHG emissions during both rice and winter-green manure seasons. Our experiment consisted of four treatments: ryegrass-rice-rice (Ry-R-R), milkvetch rice-rice (Mv-R-R), rapeseed-rice-rice (Rp-R-R) and fallow-rice-rice (Fa-R-R), arranged in a completely randomized design. Incorporation of winter-planted green manure had more impacts on yield and CH 4 emission in the early rice season than in the late rice season. Compared to the Fa-R-R, the Mv-R-R, Rp-R-R, and Ry-R-R systems increased annual yield by 15.4%, 11.8%, and 6.1%, respectively. However, Ry-R-R and Rp-R-R significantly increased annual CH 4 emissions by 116.73% and 52.45%, respectively, while Mv-R-R reduced CH 4 emissions by 16.3%, compared to Fa-R-R. The CH 4 emissions showed significant positive correlations with dissolved organic carbon, as well as the biomass and C/N ratio of the incorporated green manure plant materials. Although green manuring reduced N 2 O emissions in both winter and rice seasons, there was no significant difference in annual cumulative N 2 O emissions among the treatments. Ry-R-R and Rp-R-R increased annual yield-scaled GWP by 102.6% and 34.8%, respectively, while Mv-R-R was 27.8% lower, compared to the Fa-R-R. Our results suggest that Mv-R-R is the best choice of cropping system for yield sustainability and eco-friendly rice production over the long-term. • The impact of green manure crops on greenhouse gas emissions was studied. • Ry-R-R and Rp-R-R significantly increased CH 4 emissions by 116.73% and 52.45%, respectively. • Mv-R-R significantly increased rice yield by 15.4% and reduced CH 4 emission. • Mv-R-R is the most suitable cropping system for higher rice yield and lower CH 4 emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize production is facing multiple challenges toward increasing crop productivity, enhancing resource utilization, and mitigating climate change nowadays. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an emerging concept, which pursues the synthesis of higher crop productivity, lower carbon emissions, and improved soil resilience to the climate change. However, few studies have been done to evaluate the productivity and environmental consequences following the CSA of maize production. Herein, the effects of CSA practice on maize yield, nitrogen use efficiency (partial factor productivity, PFP N), soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, and carbon footprint (CF) were evaluated based on a nine-year in-situ field experiment in northeastern China. The experiment followed a randomized block design with three treatments including in traditional farmers' practices (FM), optimized agronomic practices (OPT, aiming to high grain yield and PFP N), and climate-smart agriculture practices (CSA, aiming to higher grain yield, PFP N , SOC stock, while lower CF). Compared with FM, OPT and CSA practices significantly increased grain yield and PFP N by 25.0%− 30.1% and 92.2%− 100.2% on average of experimental duration, respectively. CSA practice had significant higher global warming potential (GWP) but equivalent global warming potential intensity (GWPI) than these of FM and OPT practices during 2016 and 2017. Meanwhile, CSA practice also achieved the highest SOC sequestration in 0–40 cm soil depth compared to other treatments. Consequently, CF per hectare (CF a) of CSA significantly decreased by 41.4% on average than that of FM mainly due to higher SOC sequestration. Concerning the profit of cropping system, CSA had the highest net ecosystem economic budget (NEEB) of 2090.62 $ ha−1 among the treatments. Overall, CSA practice showed advantages in promoting maize yield while reducing carbon footprint by integrated agronomic management (e.g. dense planting, subsoiling tillage, manure amendments, nitrogen fertilizer optimization, and so on), which could be regarded as a promising practice towards food security and carbon emission mitigation. [Display omitted] • An integrated agronomic practice was setup aiming to climate-smart agriculture (CSA). • CSA practice increased maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency compared to business as usual management. • CSA practice reduced carbon footprint by enhancing soil organic carbon stock and reducing indirect greenhouse gas emission. • It was demonstrated that CSA practice achieves the synergy of sustainable maize productivity and lower environmental costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of adding N on the thermodynamics and corrosion resistance of as-cast Zr 55 Cu 30 Ni 5 Al 10 bulk metallic glass (BMG) is clarified using electrochemical measurements, microstructure characterization and surface analyses. Compared with Zr 55 Cu 30 Ni 5 Al 10 BMG, Nitrogen-doped (Zr 55 Cu 30 Ni 5 Al 10) 98.5 N 1.5 BMG is easier to nucleate during heating, but the nucleation growth process becomes more difficult. The corrosion potential (E corr) of (Zr 55 Cu 30 Ni 5 Al 10) 98.5 N 1.5 BMG and Zr 55 Cu 30 Ni 5 Al 10 BMG is −0.32 V and −0.39 V respectively, and the corrosion current density (I corr) of (Zr 55 Cu 30 Ni 5 Al 10) 98.5 N 1.5 BMG and Zr 55 Cu 30 Ni 5 Al 10 BMG is 7.90 × 10−8 A/cm2 and 9.13 × 10−5 A/cm2, respectively. I.e., after nitrogen doping the corrosion potential increased slightly, but the corrosion current density decreased by about three orders of magnitude. Meanwhile the oxide film resistance increased significantly, and the surface corrosion diffusion effect weakened. Nitrogen reduces the H+ concentration in the pitting pits, slows down the pitting rate, and improves the corrosion resistance. Proper nitrogen can improve the thermal-stability and surface corrosion resistance of Zr-based BMGs. • Influence of nitrogen on thermodynamics and corrosion properties of Zr based bulk metallic glass was investigated. • Nitrogen doping will make the nucleation of bulk metallic glass easier, but more difficult to grow. • Nitrogen can reduce the concentration of hydrogen ions to reduce the pH value of electrolyte in pitting pits. • The corrosion resistance of Zr based metallic glasses can be significantly improved by adding nitrogen appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Proposed a cell-scale regional curvature differentiation based quasi-topology optimization approach to enhance the mechanical properties of TPMS lattices. • Implicit functions-based implementations ensure the simplicity and applicability of the method, and guarantee the smoothness of designed lattices. • The regional curvature differentiation design relieves the stress concentration and improves the load-carrying capacity of gyroid lattices. • Increasing the curvature ratio enhances the plateau stress and energy absorption capacity of gyroid lattices significantly. • Derived a curvature ratio- and relative density-dependent constitutive equation based on modified G-A model to predict the plateau stress. Few easy-to-use methods for improving the compression properties of triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) lattices with a constant solid volume fraction have been developed in earlier research. In this study, a design strategy for a TPMS lattice with cell-scale regional curvature differentiation was presented. The design strategy attempts to optimize the lattice mass distribution to increase the compressive load-carrying capability. The implicit functions-based implementation ensures the simplicity and applicability of the proposed method, and guarantees the smoothness of designed lattices. The finite element (FE) approach is adopted as the primary research instrument, and validated using powder bed fusion (PBF) fabricated samples. According to these findings, the curvature ratio—a key design parameter effectively regulates the plateau stress and energy absorption of the gyroid lattice. In the compressed direction, one of the as-designed lattices has an 25% increase in plateau stress. To enhance the compressive properties, the design strategy does not depend on altering the lattice deformation mode but rather on minimizing the stress concentration. A curvature ratio- and relative density-dependent constitutive equation derived by a modified Gibson-Ashby model is obtained and predict the plateau stress with < 5% average error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Global warming frequently induces extreme temperatures in rice cropping. • Extreme HT impacts severely on rice yield and quality than the LT. • The most responding stage to quality at the 2nd week of post-heading period. Abstract Extreme temperatures will likely occur with greater frequency and intensity under the conditions of climatic warming, presenting a serious challenge for future crop development. The responses of rice yield and quality to extreme high (HT) and low temperature (LT) during precise reproductive periods are still unclear. Therefore, we conducted a walk-in climate chamber experiment with two indica cultivars and three temperature treatments –CK: 20–28 °C, LT: 12–20 °C and HT: 28–36 °C as the mean values of night-day temperatures– for seven days in four key periods –the last week of pre-heading, and the first, second and third week of post-heading–, respectively. Extreme temperatures reduced rice leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic rate and dry matter translocation, consequently decreasing the grain yield by 5–13 percent under LT and 12–15 percent under HT. The most sensitive periods of rice yield to extreme temperatures were found during the last week of pre-heading and the first week of post-heading. Extreme temperatures significantly declined the grain appearance, milling and cooking quality traits with inversely enhanced chalkiness, broken rice and gelatinization temperature. The most responsive period of rice quality to extreme temperatures occurred during the second week of post-heading. HT exhibited a more severe impact on rice quality than by LT. Our results indicate that the responses of rice yield and quality to extreme temperatures are different among reproductive periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A meta-analysis on GHG emissions and rice yield as affected by water management. • Non-continuous flooding reduced CH 4 emissions by 53%, but it increased N 2 O emissions by 105%. • Severe soil drying reduced rice yield, but mild soil drying did not. • Non-continuous flooding reduced GWP by 44% and yield-scaled GWP by 42%. • IPCC underestimates the impact of multiple (i.e. ≥ 2) drying events on CH 4 emissions. Abstract Rice is a main staple food for roughly half of the world's population, but rice agriculture is also a main source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Many studies have reported that water management (e.g. alternate wetting and drying, intermittent irrigation, mid-season drain, aerobic rice) affects rice yields and methane (CH 4) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from rice paddies. However, these studies span a variety of practices and vary in experimental design and results, making it difficult to determine their global response from individual experiments. Here we conducted a meta-analysis using 201 paired observations from 52 studies to assess the effects of water management practices on GHG emissions and rice yield. Overall, compared to continuous flooding, non-continuous flooding practices reduced CH 4 emissions by 53%, increased N 2 O emissions by 105%, and decreased yield by 3.6%. Importantly, N 2 O emissions were low, contributing, on average, 12% to the combined global warming potential (GWP; CH 4 + N 2 O). As a result, non-continuous flooding reduced GWP (-44%) and yield-scaled GWP (-42%). However, non-continuous flooding practices stimulated N 2 O emissions to a greater degree in soils with high organic carbon or with manure additions. The reduction in CH 4 emissions increased with the number of drying events, soil drying severity, and the number of unflooded days. Currently, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scaling factors for single and multiple (≥ 2) drying events are 0.6 and 0.52. Based on this analysis using actual side-by- side field studies, we suggest changing these to 0.67 for a single event and 0.36 for multiple events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract How to reduce the gaseous nitrogen (N) pollution (N 2 O and NH 3) of intensive aquaculture ponds to atmosphere has gained increasing attention for the sustainable development of aquaculture. In this study, we constructed a new rice-fish/shrimp co-culture system in aquaculture ponds by using a specially developed high-stalk rice variety, and performed a 2-year field experiment to investigate the effect of this system on the N 2 O and NH 3 emissions from yellow catfish and freshwater shrimp ponds. The results showed that the mean emission factors of N 2 O and NH 3 to the total N input in feed was 0.18% and 0.89% for catfish monoculture pond, and 2.46% and 13.45% for shrimp monoculture pond, respectively. Rice-fish/shrimp co-culture not only reduced the N 2 O and NH 3 emission from rice platform of catfish and shrimp ponds, but also mitigated the N 2 O and NH 3 emission from the ditch without rice planted. The total amount of N 2 O and NH 3 were respectively mitigated by 85.6% and 26.0% for catfish pond, and by 108.3% and 22.6% for shrimp pond, as compared with that of monoculture ponds. Co-culture system was more effective on the mitigation of gaseous N loss in the catfish than shrimp ponds. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • We investigated the effect of a new rice-fish/shrimp system on gaseous N loss from pond. • Gaseous N flux rate significantly correlated with available N and water parameters. • Rice-fish/shrimp system respectively reduced the N 2 O and NH 3 by 96.9% and 24.3%. • Co-culture system was more effective in catfish than shrimp ponds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Sub-soiling with rotary tillage in wheat season reduced soil penetration resistance. • SR in wheat season promoted soil water usage of 60–140 cm layers. • N-SR promoted the contribution of post-anthesis biomass to grain. Abstract Significant efforts have been made on the assessment of tillage impacts on crop growth during the current season; however, few studies have quantified the impacts on the succeeding crop growth under multiple cropping systems. Based on a multiple-year field experiment under corn-wheat cropping system in North China Plain, therefore, we examined the integrative impacts of annual rotational tillage on wheat growth and soil properties. The annual rotational tillage treatments consisted of two tillage regimes (i.e. N: no-tillage; and SR: sub-soiling with rotary tillage) in the corn season followed by three tillage practices (i.e. sTR: strip rotary tillage; R: rotary tillage; and SR: sub-soiling with rotary tillage) in the wheat season, respectively. The results showed that the N-SR rotational tillage of N in the corn season and SR in the wheat season significantly reduced soil penetration resistance and promoted soil water usage of 60–100 cm soil layers during wheat season. Meanwhile, soil NO 3 −-N concentration in the depth of 40–140 cm was significantly lower under the N-SR than other tillage practices except for the N–R ( P < 0.01 ). Average results of two-year dry matter accumulation and translocation showed that N-SR stimulated wheat biomass production and promoted the contribution of post-anthesis dry matter to the grain ( P < 0.01 ). Consequently, wheat yield was the highest under the N-SR ( P < 0.01 ). Our findings indicate that the annual rotational tillage of no-tillage in the corn season and sub-soiling with rotary tillage in the wheat season can promote wheat growth through enhancing deep soil water and N uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liming is a common practice to alleviate soil acidification in agricultural systems worldwide. Because liming affects soil microbial activity and soil carbon (C) input rates, it can affect soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well. However, little is known about the effect of liming on GHG emissions from rice agriculture, one of the main sources of anthropogenic methane (CH 4 ). Here, we report on the first experiment to measure the effect of liming on GHG emissions from rice paddy fields. We studied a double rice cropping system in an acid paddy for two years and measured the impacts of liming on GHG emissions and rice growth with or without straw incorporation. We found that liming reduced CH 4 emissions in the early rice season, but it did not affect nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. Over the two-year study, lime application reduced total CH 4 emissions by 12.5% and 15.4% in plots without and with straw incorporation, respectively. Lime application significantly enhanced rice aboveground biomass, while reducing the area- and yield-scaled global warming potential of CH 4 and N 2 O emissions. Lime application stimulated soil respiration during the fallow season and reduced the abundance of methanogens during the early rice growing season. Together, these results suggest that liming reduces CH 4 emissions by promoting the decomposition of organic matter during the fallow season, thereby reducing C availability for methanogens. We conclude that in the short term, liming is an effective practice to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from acidic paddy soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertilizer application often significantly affects soil quality and crop productivity, thus, can affect soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) as well. However, the impacts have not been well documented under double maize cropping system in subtropical China. Based on a thirty-year field experiment with five fertilization treatments (i.e. no fertilizer (CK), organic manure (OM), N, NPK and NPK plus OM (NPKM)), maize cultivar (Yedan 13) was planted both at the early maize season and late maize season, we assessed the impacts of different fertilizer application on nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and methane (CH 4 ) emissions, grain yield and NUE. Compared to the NPK, manure application (i.e. OM and NPKM) significantly increased N 2 O emissions, and maize yield. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in yield–scaled global warming potential (GWP) among NPK, OM, and NPKM. Manure application increased soil pH, soil organic carbon, and soil total N, suggesting it can improve soil quality. The NPKM treatment had the highest N uptake, but in terms of NUE, it was lower than OM, due to double N application. Our results suggest that manure application can compensate its negative impacts on N 2 O emission through improving soil quality, maize yield and N use efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving soil aeration in paddy fields using mechanical device reduces methane (CH 4) emissions, whereas it also increases the contribution of other sources (device production, agricultural inputs, etc.). Here, this study applied the life cycle assessment (LCA) method to evaluate the carbon footprint of a soil air injection device (SAID) in rice field. We further analyzed the prospects of this device in promoting carbon emission reduction in China's main rice-producing areas, which was combined with economic benefit calculation and revised knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) model. Results showed that the reduction of net carbon emissions from paddy fields under SAID treatment was 4.51–241.95% higher than the total carbon emissions from the production, transportation, operation, and recycling of SAID. The economic output of using SAID in rice fields could just offset the cost of it. With reasonable government subsidies (142.80–349.95 yuan SAID−1 yr−1), SAID can reduce carbon emissions from Chinese rice fields by ∼ 41.60 Tg CO 2 -eq yr−1. This study suggests that using SAID in some rice planting areas in China may be an effective way to reduce carbon emissions. [Display omitted] • SAID could reduce carbon footprint of rice production system. • The limiting factor for the development of SAID is mainly low economic efficiency. • The cost of emission reduction in each region is 0.16–6.07 yuan per kg CO 2 -eq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Strain rate response and rheological characteristics of ZrCuNiAl bulk metallic glass in supercooled liquid region was studied. • The high temperature plastic deformation behavior of the BMG in the supercooled liquid region is highly sensitive to the strain rate. • With the decrease in strain rate, the steady-state flow stress and peak stress decreases, and the viscosity increases. • When the strain rate reaches a critical value, the deformation of the BMG changes from non-Newtonian flow to near-Newtonian flow. • The high temperature plastic deformation is caused by the generation and annihilation of free volume. In this study, the plastic deformation behavior of Zr 55.7 Cu 22.4 Ni 7.2 Al 14.7 bulk metallic glass (BMG) in the supercooled liquid region (SLR) was studied by high temperature compression experiments at various strain rates. The results show that the high temperature plastic deformation behavior of the BMG in SLR is highly sensitive to the strain rate. With the decrease in strain rate, the steady-state flow stress and peak stress decreases, and the viscosity increases. Meanwhile the stress overshoot gradually disappears, the deformation of the BMG specimen changes from non-Newtonian flow to near-Newtonian flow, and there is a critical strain rate of 5 × 10−4 s−1. The surface deformation profile changes from an "S" shaped truncated cone to a true truncated cone. The plastic deformation of BMGs at room temperature is completed by the initiation and expansion of the shear bands, while the high temperature plastic deformation is caused by the generation and annihilation of free volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation-induced inflammation plays an important role in radiation-induced tissue injury. 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA) has shown an anti-inflammatory activity. This study aimed to assess the activity of 18β-GA against radiation-induced skin damage, and explore the underlying mechanisms. In vitro assay revealed 18β-GA treatment decreased the production of IL-1β, IL-6, PGE2 and decreased p38MAPK phosphorylation, DNA-binding activity of AP-1, and NF-κB activation in irradiated RAW264.7 macrophages. Additionally, 18β-GA suppressed NF-κB activation by inhibiting NF-κB/p65 and IκB-α phosphorylation and alleviated ROS overproduction in irradiated RAW264.7 macrophages. In vivo assay showed 18β-GA alleviated severity of radiation-induced skin damage, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels in cutaneous tissues. Our findings demonstrate that 18β-GA exhibits anti-inflammatory actions against radiation-induced skin damage probably by inhibiting NADPH oxidase activity, ROS production, activation of p38MAPK and NF-κB signaling, and the DNA binding activities of NF-κB and AP-1, consequently suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokine production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orchard management practices such as weed control and irrigation are primarily aimed at maximizing fruit yields and economic profits. However, the impact of these practices on soil fertility and soil microbiology is often overlooked. We conducted a two-factor experimental manipulation of weed control by herbicide and trickle irrigation in a nutrient-poor peach ( Prunus persica L. cv. Contender) orchard near Jackson Springs, North Carolina. After three and eight years of treatments, an array of soil fertility parameters were examined, including soil pH, soil N, P and cation nutrients, microbial biomass and respiration, N mineralization, and presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Three general trends emerged: 1) irrigation significantly increased soil microbial biomass and activity, 2) infection rate of mycorrhizal fungi within roots were significantly higher under irrigation than non-irrigation treatments, but no significant difference in the AMF community composition was detected among treatments, 3) weed control through herbicides reduced soil organic matter, microbial biomass and activity, and mineral nutrients, but had no significant impacts on root mycorrhizal infection and AMF communities. Weed-control treatments directly decreased availability of soil nutrients in year 8, especially soil extractable inorganic N. Weed control also appears to have altered the soil nutrients via changes in soil microbes and altered net N mineralization via changes in soil microbial biomass and activity. These results indicate that long-term weed control using herbicides reduces soil fertility through reducing organic C inputs, nutrient retention and soil microbes. Together, these findings highlight the need for alternative practices such as winter legume cover cropping that maintain and/or enhance organic inputs to sustain the soil fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]