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To apply AquaCrop to the study of agricultural soil moisture in the North China Plain, a water-treatment experiment on summer maize was carried out at the Fengqiu experimental station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences from 2017 to 2018. A water treatment was used to achieve field water capacities of 20 (W1), 40 (W2), and 60 (W3) cm soil layers under irrigation, and a rain-fed treatment (W0) was added. The model parameters were calibrated using the measured data in 2017. Then, they were applied to 2018 to verify the ability of the model to simulate water stress. The results showed that the variation trends for crop yield, canopy coverage, total soil water content, and the curve in the growth cycle simulated via AquaCrop were consistent with the actual observations; the results of a discrete analysis showed that the values of b (regression coefficient), R2 (determination coefficient), and EF (efficiency) were close to 1, and the values of the RMSE (root mean square error) were close to 0, which proved that the model could simulate dynamic changes in summer maize yield, canopy coverage, and total soil water content well. AquaCrop had good applicability in the North China Plain and could be applied to the study of agricultural water consumption and water-use efficiency in this area. The simulated values obtained can serve as an easily obtainable source of long-term experimental data in areas with frequent non-extreme weather events.

(1) Background: DNA damage in cumulus cells hinders oocyte maturation and affects steroid hormone secretion. It is crucial to identify the key factors that regulate cellular DNA damage and steroid hormone secretion. (2) Methods: Treatment of bovine cumulus cells with bleomycin to induce DNA damage. The effects of DNA damage on cell biology were determined by detecting changes in DNA damage degree, cell cycle, viability, apoptosis, and steroid hormones. It was verified that mir-302d targeted regulation of CDKN1A expression, and then affected DNA damage and steroid hormone secretion in cumulus cells. (3) Results: Bleomycin induced increased DNA damage, decreased G1-phase cells, increased S-phase cells, inhibited proliferation, promoted apoptosis, affected E2 and P4 secretion, increased CDKN1A expression, and decreased miR-302d expression. Knockdown of CDKN1A reduced DNA damage, increased G1-phase cells, decreased G2-phase cells, promoted proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, increased E2 and P4 secretion, and increased the expression of BRCA1, MRE11, ATM, CDK1, CDK2, CCNE2, STAR, CYP11A1, and HSD3B1. The expression of RAD51, CCND1, p53, and FAS was decreased. Overexpression of CDKN1A resulted in the opposite results. miR-302d targets CDKN1A expression to regulate DNA damage and then affects the cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis, steroid hormone secretion, and the expression of related genes. (4) Conclusions: miR-302d and CDKN1A were candidate molecular markers for the diagnosis of DNA damage in bovine cumulus cells.

In situ TEM mechanical stages based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have developed rapidly over recent decades. However, image-based quantification of MEMS mechanical stages suffers from the trade-off between spatial and temporal resolutions. Here, by taking in situ TEM nanoindentation as an example, we developed a novel method for image-based quantified in situ TEM mechanical tests with both high spatial and temporal resolutions. A reference beam was introduced to the close vicinity of the indenter–sample region. By arranging the indenter, the sample, and the reference beam in a micron-sized area, the indentation depth and load can be directly and dynamically acquired from the relative motion of markers on the three components, while observing the indentation process at a relatively high magnification. No alteration of viewing area is involved throughout the process. Therefore, no deformation events will be missed, and the collection rate of quantification data can be raised significantly.

The use of UAV-based remote sensing for soil moisture has developed rapidly in recent decades, with advantages such as high spatial resolution, flexible work arrangement, and ease of operation. In bare and low-vegetation-covered soils, the apparent thermal inertia (ATI) method, which adopts thermal infrared data from UAV-based remote sensing, has been widely used for soil moisture estimation at the field scale. However, the ATI method may not perform well under inconsistent weather conditions due to inconsistency of the intensity of the soil surface energy input. In this study, an improvement of the ATI method (ATI-R), considering the variation in soil surface energy input, was developed by the incorporation of solar radiation measurements. The performances of the two methods were compared using field experiment data during multiple heating processes under various weather conditions. It showed that on consistently sunny days, both ATI-R and ATI methods obtained good correlations with the volumetric water contents (VWC) (R2ATI-R = 0.775, RMSEATI-R = 0.023 cm3·cm−3 and R2ATI = 0.778, RMSEATI = 0.018 cm3·cm−3) on cloudy or a combination of sunny and cloudy days as long as there were significant soil-heating processes despite the different energy input intensities; the ATI-R method could perform better than the ATI method (cloudy: R2ATI-R = 0.565, RMSEATI-R = 0.024 cm3·cm−3 and R2ATI = 0.156, RMSEATI = 0.033 cm3·cm−3; combined: R2ATI-R = 0.673, RMSEATI-R = 0.028 cm3·cm−3 and R2ATI = 0.310, RMSEATI = 0.032 cm3·cm−3); and on overcast days, both the ATI-R and ATI methods could not perform satisfactorily (R2ATI-R = 0.027, RMSEATI-R = 0.024 cm3·cm−3 and R2ATI = 0.027, RMSEATI = 0.031 cm3·cm−3). The results indicate that supplemental solar radiation data could effectively expand applications of the ATI method, especially for inconsistent weather conditions.

The ecological dynamics of tidal flats are subject to continuous transformations attributed to the interplay of the tidal erosion and sedimentation processes. Accordingly, the realization of a dynamic monitoring system for tidal flats holds significant importance in facilitating the judicious utilization and safeguarding of tidal flats resources. In this study, an integrated methodology was implemented to monitor and assess the tidal flats in Jiangsu province. Specifically, a collection of five multispectral images from the Sentinel-2 satellite was acquired, coupled with data derived from the ICESat-2 satellite. Through the application of advanced techniques, including convolutional neural networks and machine learning algorithms, a comprehensive combined model for inverting tidal flats topography was developed. The accuracy disparity between various model combinations was meticulously evaluated, thereby enabling the acquisition of detailed topography information encompassing the entirety of Jiangsu’s tidal flats for the year 2021. Comparative analysis against measured topographic data demonstrated that the overall accuracy of the combined model inversion surpassed 80%. Additionally, this study conducted an extensive investigation into the temporal evolution of tidal flats in Jiangsu by integrating data from 2008 to 2021, focusing particularly on the measured topography from 2008. Consequently, the study successfully delineated the various types of tidal flats present in Jiangsu and elucidated their corresponding evolutionary trends.

Changes in the composition and ratio of the flora during colitis have been found to potentially affect ovarian function through nutrient absorption. However, the mechanisms have not been fully explored. To investigate whether colitis-induced dysbacteriosis of the intestinal flora affects ovarian function, mice were given dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) through drinking water. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to clarify the composition and proportion of bacterial flora as well as gene expression changes in the colon. Changes in follicle type, number, and hormone secretion in the ovary were detected. The results showed that 2.5% DSS could induce severe colitis symptoms, including increased inflammatory cell infiltration, severe damage to the crypt, and high expression of inflammatory factors. Moreover, vitamin A synthesis metabolism-related genes Rdh10, Aldh1a1, Cyp26a1, Cyp26b1, and Rarβ were significantly decreased, as well as the levels of the steroid hormone synthase-related proteins STAR and CYP11A1. The levels of estradiol, progesterone, and Anti-Mullerian hormone as well as the quality of oocytes decreased significantly. The significantly changed abundances of Alistipes, Helicobacter, Bacteroides, and some other flora had potentially important roles. DSS-induced colitis and impaired vitamin A absorption reduced ovarian function.

Chinese Red Steppe Cattle (CRS), a composite cattle breed, is well known for its milk production, high slaughter rate, carcass traits, and meat quality. Nowadays, it is widely bred in Jilin and Hebei Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region. However, the population structure and the genetic basis of prominent characteristics of CRS are still unknown. In this study, we systematically describe their population structure, genetic diversity, and selection signature based on genotyping data from 61 CRS individuals with GGP Bovine 100 K chip. The results showed that CRS cattle had low inbreeding levels and had formed a unique genetic structure feature. Using two complementary methods (including comprehensive haplotype score and complex likelihood ratio), we identified 1291 and 1285 potentially selected genes, respectively. There were 141 genes annotated in common 106 overlapping genomic regions covered 5.62 Mb, including PLAG1, PRKG2, DGAT1, PARP10, TONSL, ADCK5, and BMP3, most of which were enriched in pathways related to muscle growth and differentiation, milk production, and lipid metabolism. This study will contribute to understanding the genetic mechanism behind artificial selection and give an extensive reference for subsequent breeding.

During the perinatal period, the bovine mammary epithelial cells of dairy cows exhibit vigorous metabolism and produce large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The resulting redox balance disruption leads to oxidative stress, one of the main causes of mastitis. Puerarin (PUE) is a natural flavonoid in the root of PUE that has attracted extensive attention as a potential antioxidant. This study first investigated whether PUE could reduce oxidative damage and mastitis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in bovine mammary epithelial cells in vitro and elucidated the molecular mechanism. In vitro, BMECs (Bovine mammary epithelial cells) were divided into four treatment groups: Control group (no treatment), H2O2 group (H2O2 stimulation), PUE + H2O2 group (H2O2 stimulation before PUE rescue) and PUE group (positive control). The growth of BMECs in each group was observed, and oxidative stress-related indices were detected. Fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT–PCR) was used to detect the expression of tightly linked genes, antioxidant genes, and inflammatory factors. The expression of p65 protein was detected by Western blot. In vivo, twenty cows with an average age of 5 years having given birth three times were divided into the normal dairy cow group, normal dairy cow group fed PUE, mastitis dairy cow group fed PUE, and mastitis dairy cow group fed PUE (n = 5). The contents of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in milk and serum were detected. In BMECs, the results showed that the PUE treatment increased the activities of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC); ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were reduced. Thus, PUE alleviated H2O2-induced oxidative stress in vitro. In addition, the PUE treatment eliminated the inhibition of H2O2 on the expression of oxidation genes and tight junction genes, and the enrichment degree of NRF-2, HO-1, xCT, and tight junctions (claudin4, occludin, ZO-1 and symplekin) increased. The PUE treatment also inhibited the expression of NF-κB-associated inflammatory factors (IL-6 and IL-8) and the chemokine CCL5 in H2O2-induced BMECs. In vivo experiments also confirmed that feeding PUE can reduce the expression of inflammatory factors in the milk and serum of lactating dairy cows. In conclusion, PUE can effectively reduce the oxidative stress of bovine mammary epithelial cells, enhance the tight junctions between cells, and play an anti-inflammatory role. This study provides a theoretical basis for PUE prevention and treatment of mastitis and oxidative stress. The use of PUE should be considered as a feed additive in future dairy farming.

6-Gingerol, the main active ingredient in ginger, exhibits a variety of biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities, and can affect cell development. However, the effects of 6-gingerol on mammalian reproductive processes, especially early embryonic development, are unclear. This study explored whether 6-gingerol can be used to improve the quality of in vitro-cultured porcine embryos. The results showed that 5 μM 6-gingerol significantly increased the blastocyst formation rates of porcine early embryos. 6-Gingerol attenuated intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation and autophagy, increased intracellular glutathione levels, and increased mitochondrial activity. In addition, 6-gingerol upregulated NANOG, SRY-box transcription factor 2, cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase, and RPTOR independent companion of MTOR complex 2 while downregulating Caspase 3, baculoviral IAP repeat containing 5, autophagy related 12, and Beclin 1. Most importantly, 6-gingerol significantly increased the levels of p-extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 while reducing the levels of p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2/3 and p-p38. These results indicate that 6-gingerol can promote the development of porcine early embryos in vitro.

The input of exogenous organic materials is an effective way to improve soil organic matter (SOM) content in cropland. The exploration of the impact of new organic materials such as woody peat on black soil fertility can provide an important reference for preventing the degradation of black soil in Northeast China. In this study, the effects of adding woody peat to SOM and the soil-integrated fertility of black cropland were studied by seven treatments (no organic matter addition, CK; crop straw returning, SR; decomposed straw addition, DS; organic manure addition, OM; 6 t/ha woody peat addition, LWP; 10.5 t/ha natural humus material addition, MWP; and 15 t/ha natural humus material addition, HWP). The results show that natural humus material additions (LWP, MWP, and HWP treatments) could significantly increase SOM (increased by 4.79~9.41 g/kg), labile SOM (increased by 2.49~4.52 g/kg), and recalcitrant SOM (increased by 2.13~6.39 g/kg) components, respectively. For comparison, traditional organic material inputs (SR, DS, and OM treatments) had no significant effect on SOM but induced an increase in the labile SOM component in the following year. This study also found that natural humus material additions could improve soil-integrated fertility in a year term, especially in promoting SOM accumulation. However, organic manure amendment showed both the advantage of increasing soil fertility slightly and the disadvantage of increasing soil salt sharply. In conclusion, compared with traditional exogenous organic materials, the natural humus material amendment technique can rapidly increase the total SOM quantity and its different stability components and has a great effect in improving the integrated fertility of black soil. Thus, it is of significance to further study the potential of natural humus material amendment in the fertility of black soil in future.

Organic amendments are a proven method of reducing soil erosion. However, the effect of organic additives on the pore properties of soils waterlogged by extreme rainfall has been minimally investigated. In this study, we collected rainfall data, established a field experiment consisting of randomized groups, and imaged the pore structure of waterlogged soil treated with different organic amendments (9 t ha−1 of maize straw [MS], 2.37 t ha−1 of cattle manure [OF], a mixture of 9 t ha−1 of MS and 1.89 t ha−1 of cattle manure [SOF], 7.4 t ha−1 of biochar [BC], 8.1 t ha−1 of woody peat [WP], and 3 L ha−1 of polyacrylamide [PAM]) in three-dimensions by X-ray microtomography and digital image analysis, which further quantified the effects. The results showed that, compared with the control, BC increased the total porosity by 54.28% and the connected porosity by 119.75%, but did not affect the pore shape and size distribution. BC and SOF improved the soil connectivity indexes; e.g., their C/I ratios increased by 177.44% and 149.62%, and the coordination numbers increased by 6.75% and 15.76%, respectively. MS had fewer, but longer and larger, channels and throats. Extreme precipitation events were significantly negatively correlated with all connectivity indicators. This study shows that organic materials can optimize the pore structure of waterlogged soil, with BC being the most resistant to erosion. However, extreme precipitation events can counteract the benefits organic additives have on soil pore structure.

As aging progresses, β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and the resulting oxidative damage are key causes of aging diseases such as senior osteoporosis (SOP). Humulus lupulus L. (hops) is an important medicinal plant widely used in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries due to its strong antioxidant ability. In this study, APP/PS1 mutated transgenic mice and Aβ-injured osteoblasts were used to evaluate the protective effects of hops extracts (HLE) on SOP. Mice learning and memory levels were assessed by the Morris water maze. Mice femurs were prepared for bone micro-structures and immunohistochemistry experiments. The deposition of Aβ in the hippocampus, cortex and femurs were determined by Congo red staining. Moreover, protein expressions related to antioxidant pathways were evaluated by Western blotting. It was found that HLE markedly improved learning abilities and ameliorated memory impairment of APP/PS1 mice, as well as regulated antioxidant enzymes and bone metabolism proteins in mice serum. Micro-CT tests indicated that HLE enhanced BMD and improved micro-architectural parameters of mice femur. More importantly, it was discovered that HLE significantly reduced Aβ deposition both in the brain and femur. Further in vitro results showed HLE increased the bone mineralization nodule and reduced the ROS level of Aβ-injured osteoblasts. Additionally, HLE increased the expression of antioxidant related proteins Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, FoxO1 and SOD-2. These results indicated that Humulus lupulus L. extract could protect against senior osteoporosis through inhibiting Aβ deposition and oxidative stress, which provides a reference for the clinical application of hops in the prevention and treatment of SOP.

This paper presents a single-inductor boost converter for thermoelectric energy harvesting. A two-stages startup circuit with a three-phase operation is adopted to obtain self-startup with a single inductor. To extract the maximum energy, a coarse- and fine-tuning MPPT is proposed to adaptively and effectively track the internal source resistance. By designing a zero-current detector, the synchronization loss is reduced, which significantly improves the peak efficiency. The boost converter is implemented in a 0.18-μm standard CMOS process. Simulation results show that the converter self-starts the operation from a TEG voltage of 128 mV and achieves 88% peak efficiency, providing a maximum output power of 3.78 mW. The improved MPPT enables the converter to sustain the operation at an input voltage as low as 7.5 mV after self-startup.

The overapplication of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer has become a scientific problem to be solved in the North China Plain; meanwhile, most organic manure cannot be recycled into the soil. To make full use of organic manure and decrease the applied rate of mineral N fertilizer, a four-year fertilization experiment was carried out to assess the effects of substituting mineral fertilizer with organic manure on soil organic carbon (SOC), labile organic carbon (LOC), stable organic carbon (UOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and soil enzymatic activity. There were six treatments including unfertilized control (CK); mineral fertilizer without organic manure (FR); and mineral nitrogen substituted by organic manure at 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% (FM1, FM2, FM3, and FM4), respectively. The results showed that SOC, UOC, and LOC were significantly increased by 13.30~40.56%, 41.10~121.92%, and 4.91~15.57% with increasing amounts of organic manure, respectively. Adding organic manure also enhanced urease, catalase, sucrase, and cellulase activities as well as MBC in surface soil (0–20 cm). The present study revealed the activities of urease, catalase, sucrase, and cellulase were closely related to SOC and its components. Following organic manure application, MBC and enzymatic activities had active effects in enhancing LOC and UOC sequestration based on path analyses. Additionally, organic manure increased SOC by direct and indirect enhancement of UOC and LOC, respectively, and improved SOC sequestration as compared to FR treatment. Finally, the study revealed that SOC quantity and quality were both significantly improved by combined application of mineral fertilizer and organic manure, and this effect was enhanced with the increase of organic manure application. Considering the improvements in soil properties and grain yields, substituting mineral fertilizer with organic manure might be a promising alternative in the North China Plain.

Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS), or guanosine triphosphatase KRAS, is a proto-oncogene that encodes the small guanosine triphosphatase transductor protein. Previous studies have found that KRAS can promote cytokine secretion, cell chemotaxis, and survival. However, its effects on milk fat synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells are unclear. In this study, the effects of KRAS inhibition on cell metabolism, autophagy, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial function, and lipid composition as well as the potential mechanisms were detected in an immortalized dairy cow mammary epithelial cell line (MAC-T). The results showed that inhibition of KRAS changed the lipid composition (especially the triglyceride level), mitochondrial functions, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in cells. Moreover, KRAS inhibition regulated the levels of the mammalian target of rapamycin and mitogen-activated protein kinase (extracellular regulated protein kinases, c-Jun N-terminal kinases, p38) activation. These results indicated that regulation of KRAS would affect the synthesis and composition of milk fat. These results are also helpful for exploring the synthesis and secretion of milk fat at the molecular level and provide a theoretical basis for improving the percentage of fat in milk and the yield of milk from cows.

Cyanophages play an important role in regulating the dynamics of cyanobacteria communities in the hydrosphere, representing a promising biological control strategy for cyanobacterial blooms. Nevertheless, most cyanophages are host-specific, making it difficult to control blooming cyanobacteria via single or multiple cyanophages. In order to address the issue, we explore the interaction between cyanophages and their heterologous hosts, with the aim of revealing the principles of designing and constructing an artificial cyanophage genome towards multiple cyanobacterial hosts. In the present study, we use synthetic biological approaches to assess the impact of introducing a fragment of cyanophage genome into a heterologous cyanobacterium under a variety of environmental conditions. Based on a natural cyanophage A-4L genome (41,750 bp), a truncated cyanophage genome Syn-A-4-8 is synthesized and assembled in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that a 351–15,930 bp area of the A-4L genome has a fragment that is lethal to Escherichia coli during the process of attempting to assemble the full-length A-4L genome. Syn-A-4-8 was successfully introduced into E. coli and then transferred into the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (Syn7942) via conjugation. Although no significant phenotypes of Syn7942 carrying Syn-A-4-8 (LS-02) could be observed under normal conditions, its growth exhibited a prolonged lag phase compared to that of the control strain under 290-millimolar NaCl stress. Finally, the mechanisms of altered salt tolerance in LS-02 were revealed through comparative transcriptomics, and ORF25 and ORF26 on Syn-A-4-8 turned out to be the key genes causing the phenotype. Our research represents an important attempt in designing artificial cyanophages towards multiple hosts, and offers new future insights into the control of cyanobacterial blooms.

The accurate estimation of the soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration rate is very important for studying farmland soil fertility and environmental effects. In this research, a typical fluvor-aquic soil area, Fengqiu county, located in the Yellow River basin of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China, was chosen as a study area. The physicochemical properties of 70 soil samples collected from the surface layer (at a depth of 0–20 cm) in 2011 were analyzed, and related data about the sampling sites were also collected from the Second State Soil Survey of China (SSSSC), conducted in 1981. The results revealed that the SOC density (SOCD) in Fengqiu county increased greatly on a spatio-temporal scale. The average SOCD increased from 15.66 to 26.09 Mg ha−1, and the SOCD sequestration rate was more than 0.20 Mg C ha−1 year−1 in most regions. Few areas showed lost carbon in the past 30 years (1981–2011). In addition, the study suggested that all the areas present strong carbon sequestration potential in the coming decades from 2011, and the carbon sequestration potential was mainly between 32–40 Mg ha−1. Finally, the SOCD sequestration rate was not only affected by natural factors, such as soil type and pH, but also positively correlated with artificial soil management measures, such as fertilization and straw returning. Therefore, we concluded that the farmland in Fengqiu county showed significant carbon sequestration characteristics in the past 30 years (1981–2011). Considering that soil has a great potential for carbon sequestration in the future, the trend of carbon sequestration in farmland soil might continue for a period of time. Furthermore, the results of this study emphasized that strengthening soil scientific management may play a positive role in improving soil carbon sequestration.

m6A is one of the most common and abundant modifications of RNA molecules present in eukaryotes. The methyltransferase complex, consisting of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), METTL14, and WTAP, is responsible for the m6A modification of RNA. WTAP was identified as an mRNA splicing regulator. Its role as a regulatory subunit of the m6A methyltransferase complex in embryonic development remains largely unknown. To investigate the role of WTAP in porcine early embryonic development, si-WTAP was microinjected into porcine parthenogenetic zygotes. WTAP knockdown significantly reduced the blastocyst rate and global m6A levels, but did not affect the cleavage rate. Betaine was supplemented into the in vitro culture (IVC) to increase the m6A levels. Betaine significantly increased the global m6A levels but did not affect the blastocyst rate. Furthermore, the pluripotency genes, including OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG, were downregulated following WTAP knockdown. The apoptotic genes BAX and CASPASE 3 were upregulated, while the anti-apoptotic gene BCL2 was downregulated in WTAP knockdown blastocysts. TUNEL staining revealed that the number of apoptotic cells was significantly increased following WTAP knockdown. Our study indicated that WTAP has an indispensable role in porcine early embryonic development.

Vehicles are developing in the direction of energy-saving and electrification. suspension has been widely developed in the field of vehicles as a key component. Traditional hydraulic energy-supply suspensions dissipate vibration energy as waste heat to suppress vibration. This part of the energy is mainly generated by the vehicle engine. In order to effectively utilize the energy of this part, the energy-regenerative suspension with energy recovery converts the vibrational energy into electrical energy as the vehicle’s energy supply equipment. This article reviews the hydraulically powered suspension of vehicles with energy recovery. The importance of such suspension in vehicle energy recovery is analyzed. The main categories of energy-regenerative suspension are illustrated from different energy recovery methods, and the research status of hydraulic energy-regenerative suspension is comprehensively analyzed. Important factors that affect the shock-absorbing and regenerative characteristics of the suspension system are studied. In addition, some unresolved challenges are also proposed, which provides a reference value for the development of energy-regenerative suspension systems for hybrid new energy vehicles

Recent experimental results showed that the Tg of cured resin scarcely decreased and the impact strength of resins increased by over 50% when a tetrafunctional epoxy named N,N,N',N'-tetraglycidyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenyl ether (TGDDE) was introduced to an appropriate flexible chain from a dimer fatty acid (DFA). In order to understand the reason for this phenomenon, the modification and the chemical structure of the prepolymer together with the curing reaction and the viscoelasticity of the cured resins were studied in detail in the present work. The results indicated that the modification would help the prepolymer improve its molecular mobility. As a result, the resins could be further cured, resulting in the cross-linking density increasing. This is because the curing efficiency was increased, but the tetrafunctional epoxy was not cured completely due to its large steric hindrance. Moreover, the flexibility of some parts of the networks was improved, which was beneficial for the toughness of the cured resins. Therefore, the toughness of the tetrafunctional resin was improved with little influence on the thermal properties when the epoxies were modified with an appropriate content of DFA.

Pot experiments are a low-cost and easy-to-use technique for studies of soil evaporation and plant transpiration in controlled environments. However, little attention has been paid to the applicability of evapotranspiration (ET) measured in pot experiments to the field. The objective of this study was to determine whether a pot experiment can be used for measuring field ET. Evapotranspiration experiments with winter wheat and summer maize were conducted in pots and lysimeters under various water-deficit conditions. The measured ET values in the pot experiments under different water conditions were considerably different from those of the lysimeters. Causes of such differences in ET were analyzed, and a series of corrections were proposed to eliminate the effects of different crop densities, representative areas per plant, and soil moisture conditions on pot experiment results. After these corrections, the discrepancy in the total ET of wheat-maize seasons between pots and lysimeters was greatly reduced from a maximum of 117% to only approximately 10%. The relative mean square errors (RMSEs) for daily ET values also decreased from a maximum value of 4.56 mm to less than 1.5 mm for the wheat season and from a maximum value of 6.02 mm to approximately 2 mm for the maize season. Possible measures were proposed to further improve the accuracy of the corrected ET obtained from pot experiments. In sum, pot experiments can serve as a feasible tool for estimating ET in the field just with a few routine measurements at regions where large-scale weighing lysimeters, an eddy covariance device, and even meteorological data are not available. The proposed corrections can also be used for upscaling small-scale ET measurements to a large scale.