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Exposure to air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risks for human health. Air pollution level is significantly driven by anthropogenic emissions and meteorological conditions. To protect people from air pollutants, China has implemented clean air actions to reduce anthropogenic emissions, which has led to rapid improvement in air quality over China. Here, we evaluated the impact of anthropogenic emissions and meteorological conditions on trends in air pollutants in a coastal city (Lianyungang) in eastern China from 2015 to 2022 based on a random forest model. The annual mean concentration of observed air pollutants, including fine particles, inhalable particles, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide, presented significant decreasing trends during 2015–2022, with dominant contributions (55–75%) by anthropogenic emission reduction. An increasing trend in ozone was observed with an important contribution (28%) by anthropogenic emissions. The impact of meteorological conditions on air pollution showed significant seasonality. For instance, the negative impact on aerosol pollution occurred during cold months, while the positive impact was in warm months. Health-risk-based air quality decreased by approximately 40% in 8 years, for which anthropogenic emission made a major contribution (93%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the test–retest data of the relative gravity field and earthquake monitoring catalog of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) from October 2001 to October 2009, this paper systematically analyzes the changes in the gravity field in the head area of the reservoir and the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of seismic activity during the impoundment process. It also employs the surrogate reshuffling tests to calculate the cross-correlation between the reservoir water level and the seismic activity sequence and discusses the influence of the rising reservoir water level on the gravity field and seismic activity in the reservoir region. Then, by constructing a three-dimensional finite-difference model based on the theory of fluid–solid coupling, the mechanism of reservoir-induced earthquakes is discussed from the aspects of direct reservoir water load and reservoir water infiltration. The results show that: (1) The rising reservoir water level has had a critical impact on the gravity field and seismic activity in the reservoir's head area. The cumulative changes in the gravity field from October 2001 to November 2008 show that water impounding has led to a huge banded positive anomaly of gravity along the river near Xiangxi, which reached 450 × 10−8 ms−2. The seismicity activity dominated by micro-earthquakes after a 135 m water level rose rapidly, and the monthly average earthquake frequency increased from 2.00 before the impoundment to 92.60 after the 175 m stage. (2) From the beginning of the impoundment to the experimental impoundment stage of 175 m, the time series correlation test result between the monthly frequency of earthquakes and the water level of the reservoir also changed from uncorrelated before the water storage to correlated when the time lag was 0 months at a 95% confidence threshold. This indicates that the seismic activity obviously has a direct relationship with the load pressure produced by the rapid rise of the reservoir water level, which causes the instability of the mines, karst caves, shallow rock strata, and faults within 10 km along the river and near the reservoir bank, and consequently induces earthquakes. (3) As the TGR enters the 175 m high-level operation stage, the cross-correlation test confirmed that the seismic activity and the reservoir water level show negative correlation characteristics under the time lag of 4 to 5 months, indicating that the seismic activity has a lagging response to the reservoir water level change. The continued infiltration of the reservoir water, followed by the softening of the faults and other actions, triggered the Xiangxi M4.1 earthquake at the center of the four quadrants of gravity anomalies near Xiangxi on 22 November 2008. The Xiangxi segment of the reservoir and its periphery, a triangular geological region where the Xiannvshan faults, the Jiuwanxi fault, and the Yangtze River meet, might be at risk of having reservoir-induced tectonic earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both phase and morphology of perovskite films are very important for high‐performance optoelectronic devices. Although a two‐step method based on CsBr ethylene glycol monomethylether (EGME) solution can prepare pure‐phase CsPbBr3 films, they have a poor morphology due to excessive Ostwald ripening. Herein, a bi‐solvent engineering strategy is demonstrated to simultaneously optimize phase and morphology of CsPbBr3 films in a two‐step solution method, which uses the bi‐solvents of EGME and isopropanol (IPA) instead of EGME for CsBr solution at the second step. Optimizing the volume ratio of bi‐solvents and immersion time can control the Ostwald ripening effectively and result in pure‐phase, compact, and smooth CsPbBr3 films. Finally, the prepared films are applied to perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with a structure of fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO)/compact TiO2 (c‐TiO2)/CsPbBr3/carbon. In comparison with EGME, the champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of devices from EGME/IPA bi‐solvents increases from 3.57% to 7.29% owing mainly to higher coverage, smoother surface, and lower trap density of CsPbBr3 films from EGME/IPA bi‐solvents. This work provides a simple and efficient method for the preparation of high‐quality CsPbBr3 films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus velezensis (formerly referred to as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ) strain BAC03 is a plant growth promoting rhizobacterium. It has shown to be antagonistic against Streptomyces scabies in our previous studies, but its efficacy on plant growth promotion needs to be determined. In this study, BAC03 was tested for potential growth promotion on nine selected types of plants, including beet, carrot, cucumber, pepper, potato, radish, squash, tomato, and turnip, at the concentration of 10 5 colony forming unit cm −3 potting mix under greenhouse conditions. Results showed that BAC03 increased the growth of some tested plants at various levels in different plant parts. Application of BAC03 at 10 days after planting was associated in radish with the highest biomass gain compared to applications at other stages. Multiple applications of BAC03 giving the same total amount of inoculum resulted in higher weights of radish roots and leaves. That BAC03 produced indole-3-acetic acid and ammonia, as well as showed a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity may be related to plant growth promotion. Acetoin and 2,3-butanediol were detected as major components of the volatile released from BAC03 by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Chestnut tissues, essential oils, horseradish, and Bacillus strain BAC03 reduced scab in condition-controlled trials. [•] The efficacy by chestnut tissues, oregano essential oils, and horseradish varied depending on locations and seasons. [•] BAC03 significantly reduced the scab diseases and may increase the plant growth confirmed by field trials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Enestroburin and SYP1620 are newly developed strobilurin chemicals carrying fungicidal activity and need to be fully characterized in activities of anti-oomycete or anti-fungi, disease prevention and systemic translocation in planta. Their inhibitory activities were examined by amending the chemical in agar media, on which selected plant pathogens were grown and mycelial growth were measured. Effective concentrations for 50% inhibition (EC50) of mycelial growth were calculated to determine the level of fungicide sensitivity of the pathogen. Azoxystrobin was used as control. To examine the prevention and systemic translocation in plants, the fungicides were either sprayed on wheat leaves or dipped on wheat roots, which then were detected using high performance liquid chromatography. All the three fungicides inhibited mycelial growth of Sphacelotheca reiliana, Phytophthora infestans, Peronophythora litchi, and Magnaporthe oryzae, with EC50 values ranging from 0.02 to 2.84 µg/ml; EC50 of SYP1620 was significantly lower than that of azoxystrobin and enestroburin on Valsa mali, Gaeumannomyces graminis, Alternaria solani, and Colletotrichun orbiculare. The three QoI fungicides showed strong inhibitory activities on spore germination against the 13 pathogens tested and were highly effective on biotrophic pathogens tested. Enestroburin and SYP1620 penetrated and spread in wheat leaves, but the penetration and translocation levels were lower compared to azoxystrobin. The three fungicides were all rapidly taken up by wheat roots and transported upwards, with greater fungicide concentrations in roots than in stems and leaves. The results indicate that enestroburin and SYP1620 are systemic fungicides that inhibit a broad spectrum of fungi and oomycetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]