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Low-lethality ultrasound technology has received more and more attention in regulating microorganisms of fermentation industry. Herein, two representative Ames tester strains TA97a and TA98 as model organisms were used to explore the effects of ultrasound on insertion-deletion (InDel) polymorphisms of microbial DNA and its underlying mechanisms. Results revealed that a promotion was observed in the reversion mutation of TA98 upon sonication. Sequencing results from 1752 TA98 revertants showed that there was a total of 127 InDels, of which the InDels unique to ultrasound were 36 more than that of the control. Compared with the control, ultrasound-mediated InDels of DNA displayed additional -29 bp deletion and +7 ∼ +43 bp insertions of direct repeat sequences. Combined with the analysis of transcriptomics and prediction of secondary structure of single-stranded DNA from InDels core region (No. 832 ∼ 915 bp) in hisD3052 gene of TA98 strain, ultrasound-mediated "thermal breathing" mechanism was proposed based on the formation of DNA hairpin structure with micro-homologous sequence. This finding implied that low-intensity ultrasound is expected to be developed a new low-lethal mutagenic technology for continuous mutagenesis.

Barocaloric effect (BCE) has emerged as one of intense topics aiming at solid-state refrigeration featuring efficiency and cleanness. Materials with solid-liquid phase transition (SL-PT) usually show huge melting entropy but cannot work in full solid-state refrigeration. Here we report colossal barocaloric effect realized by exploiting high entropy inherited from huge disorder of liquid phase in amorphous polyethylene glycol (PEG), which is solidified through introducing 5wt.% polyethylene terephthalate (PET). TEM combined XRD demonstrate the amorphous nature of high-temperature phase after fixed by PET. Although the PEG loses the -OH end mobility in amorphous solid, high entropy still retains owing to retained high freedom of molecule chains. The remained entropy in amorphous PEG is up to 83% of liquid PEG in PEG10000/PET15000, and the barocaloric entropy change reaches ΔSp ∼ 416 J·kg− 1·K− 1 under a low pressure 0.1 GPa, which exceeds the performance of most other BCE materials. Infrared spectra combined with density function theory (DFT) calculations disclose conformational change from liquid to amorphous state, which explains the origin of huge entropy retained and hence colossal BCE in the solidified PEG. This research opens a new avenue for exploring full solid-state barocaloric materials by utilizing genetic high entropy from huge disordering of liquid phase in various materials with SL-PT.

The baseflow of the Yellow River is vital and important for water resource management and for understanding the hydrological cycle and ecohydrology setting in this arid and semi-arid basin. This study uses a Lyne and Hollick digital filtering technique to investigate the behaviors of the baseflow and the baseflow index in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin (China). The observed streamflow discharges along the river were used to analyze the baseflow trend, persistence, and periodic characteristics during the period of 1950–2000. The results show that the average baseflow and BFI in the upper reaches of the Yellow River exhibit a decreasing trend and will continue to decline in the future. Generally, the annual average baseflow and BFI for the most upstream areas of the Yellow River show little difference, while the baseflow and BFI exhibit significant differences for the downstream areas. The filtered annual baseflow varied between 128 × 108 m3/year and 193 × 108 m3/year for the Yellow River. The BFI ranged from 0.54 to 0.65, with an average of 0.60. This indicates that on average, 60% of the long-term streamflow is likely controlled by groundwater discharge and shallow subsurface flow. Statistics show that two periodic variations were observed in the baseflow evolution process. The results indicate that on average, the first and second main cycles of baseflow behaviors occur at 28 years and 12–17 years, respectively. Correspondingly, the estimation indicates that the abrupt change points tend to appear in the 1960s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. An improved understanding of baseflow behaviors can help guide future strategies to manage the river regime, its water resources, and water quality.

Groundwater and surface water are hydrologically interconnected systems that exhibit dynamic water, heat and mass exchanges. In this study, a conceptual framework was used to investigate groundwater behaviors and associated hydrological exchanges by combining field measurements, digital filtering and analytical approaches, exemplified by a linked catchment-floodplain-lake system (Poyang Lake, China). The results show that the hydrological regime for both groundwater and surface water exhibit a seasonal variability in the lake catchment. Topographically, the lake catchment can be divided into the mountainous baseflow, ungauged lateral groundwater and floodplain groundwater that contribute to the lake storage changes. Although groundwater flow is generally from the mountainous catchment to the lake floodplain areas due to topographic effects, precipitation provides an additional input for the shallow groundwater and is expected to enhance the groundwater dynamics in terms of spatially heterogeneous responses. The estimation indicates that about 40 % of the catchment river discharge may be coming from the mountainous baseflow (~290 × 10

Groundwater behaviors in lake-floodplain systems are dynamic and complex; in particular, the role of groundwater flux in regulating lake water storage subject to strong seasonal variation is not well understood. This study addresses the contribution of groundwater flux in a large floodplain system (Poyang Lake, China), with focus on quantifying the groundwater-lake interactions at multiple time scales in high rainfall (2010) and low rainfall (2011) years using a groundwater flow model (MODFLOW). Simulated results revealed that the unconfined aquifer received approximately 8 % of the annual rainfall as groundwater recharge. Fluctuations in shallow groundwater and lake water level reflected hydraulic synchronization and hysteresis. Additionally, the diurnal variability in the groundwater-lake exchange fluxes was subject to dynamic and bidirectional patterns, and a time lag between the water exchange and rainfall was also found. For 2010 and 2011, the monthly net flux of lake infiltration into groundwater was 1.5-10.0 mm and 0.1-6.0 mm and groundwater exfiltration into lake was 1.3-9.5 mm and 0.4-2.2 mm, respectively, demonstrating a significant variation of the exchange magnitude and direction. In particular, we found that groundwater exfiltration contributed up to 55 % of lake storage change in February of 2011. The outcomes from this study indicate that groundwater can be a major component of the Poyang Lake's water balance, which suggests an important role of groundwater in regulating the lake water storage and perhaps other flood pulse systems.

When many-body effects dominate over the kinetic energy of electrons, they will lead to exotic quantum phenomena, such as the fractional quantum Hall effect, unconventional superconductivity, Mott insulator, quantum spin liquid, ferromagnetism, heavy fermion behavior and so on. Flat-band systems, in which the kinetic energy is strongly quenched, are promising for realizing many-body quantum phases, such as the Mott-like insulator states and superconductivity associated with the flat bands emerging in twisted bilayer graphene. In this work, we have discovered a room-temperature Mott insulator state, which is derived from a half-filled flat band in a van der Waals compound Nb3Cl8. Since the half-filled flat band is well separated from the other bands, the Mott insulator state in Nb3Cl8 is a straightforward realization of the celebrated single-band Hubbard model. Our discovery provides an intriguing platform for studying the fundamental physics of Mott insulator, and paves the way for more correlated electronic states and Mott insulator-based devices by taking advantage of the high tunability of the electronic states of two-dimensional materials., 19 pages, 4 figures

Solid-state refrigeration based on the caloric effect is viewed as a promising efficient and clean refrigeration technology. Barocaloric materials were developed rapidly but have since encountered a general obstacle: the prominent caloric effect cannot be utilized reversibly under moderate pressure. Here, we report a mechanism of an emergent large, reversible barocaloric effect (BCE) under low pressure in the hybrid organic–inorganic layered perovskite (CH3–(CH2)n−1–NH3)2MnCl4 (n = 9,10), which show the reversible barocaloric entropy change as high as ΔSr ∼ 218, 230 J kg−1 K−1 at 0.08 GPa around the transition temperature (Ts ∼ 294, 311.5 K). To reveal the mechanism, single-crystal (CH3–(CH2)n−1–NH3)2MnCl4 (n = 10) was successfully synthesized, and high-resolution single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) was carried out. Then, the underlying mechanism was determined by combining infrared (IR) spectroscopy and density function theory (DFT) calculations. The colossal reversible BCE and the very small hysteresis of 2.6 K (0.1 K/min) and 4.0 K (1 K/min) are closely related to the specific hybrid organic–inorganic structure and single-crystal nature. The drastic transformation of organic chains confined to the metallic frame from ordered rigidity to disordered flexibility is responsible for the large phase-transition entropy comparable to the melting entropy of organic chains. This study provides new insights into the design of novel barocaloric materials by utilizing the advantages of specific organic–inorganic hybrid characteristics.

Magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) precipitation generally requires an external phosphorus source to increase the recovery of NH4+-N from biogas slurry. However, P-rich piggery biogas residue has been ignored as a phosphorus source. In this study, biogas residue was carbonized into biogas residue biochar (BRC), followed by acid leaching to synthesize functionalized BRC and release PO43−-P from its ash as the phosphorus source. The effects of different acids on the leaching efficiency and morphological changes of P in BRC were investigated, and NH4+-N and PO43−-P in the biogas slurry were recovered with functionalized BRC and MAP precipitation. The results showed that oxalic acid-hydrochloric acid mixed acid could leach more than 96% of P in BRC, while weakening the inhibitory effect of Ca2+ on MAP precipitation. The BRC was mainly composed of inorganic P, and most nonapatite IP and apatite P (Ca3(PO4)2) were leached during acid leaching, with the latter more easily leached. Under optimal recovery conditions, the method had a significant recovery effect on NH4+-N (96.4%) and PO43−-P (99.3%) in biogas slurry. The recovery of NH4+-N and PO43−-P by functionalized BRC was mainly through chemical precipitation (forming NH4MgPO4·H2O precipitate) while bonding with -OH, C = O and C-H functional groups. The final recovery product was also a BRC-based slow-release N-P fertilizer rich in struvite. This study solved the disposal problems of P-rich biogas residue and N-rich biogas slurry while providing an innovative technology for the resource utilization of faecal sewage at pig farms. Graphical Abstract

Correlated cell migration in fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) is important in many biological processes. During migration, cells can remodel the ECM, leading to the formation of mesoscale structures such as fiber bundles. However, how such mesoscale structures regulate correlated single-cells migration remains to be elucidated. Here, using a quasi-3D in vitro model, we investigate how collagen fiber bundles are dynamically re-organized and guide cell migration. By combining laser ablation technique with 3D tracking and active-particle simulations, we definitively show that only the re-organized fiber bundles that carry significant tensile forces can guide strongly correlated cell migration, providing for the first time a direct experimental evidence supporting that matrix-transmitted long-range forces can regulate cell migration and self-organization. This force regulation mechanism can provide new insights for studies on cellular dynamics, fabrication or selection of biomedical materials in tissue repairing, and many other biomedical applications.

This study outlines a framework for examining potential impacts of future climate change in Poyang Lake water levels using linked models. The catchment hydrological model (WATLAC) was used to simulate river runoffs from a baseline period (1986–2005) and near-future (2020–2035) climate scenarios based on eight global climate models (GCMs). Outputs from the hydrological model combined with the Yangtze River's effects were fed into a lake water-level model, developing in the back-propagation neural network. Model projections indicate that spring–summer water levels of Poyang Lake are expected to increase by 5–25%, and autumn–winter water levels are likely to be lower and decrease by 5–30%, relative to the baseline period. This amounts to higher lake water levels by as much as 2 m in flood seasons and lower water levels in dry seasons in the range of 0.1–1.3 m, indicating that the lake may be wet-get-wetter and dry-get-drier. The probability of occurrence for both the extreme high and low water levels may exhibit obviously increasing trends by up to 5% more than at present, indicating an increased risk in the severity of lake floods and droughts. Projected changes also include possible shifts in the timing and magnitude of the lake water levels.

Lithium–selenium (Li–Se) batteries are considered a promising energy storage material due to their high electronic conductivity and volume capacity. However, the performance of Li–Se batteries is far away from commercial application, and few previous research studies achieved excellent performance of Li–Se batteries when the current density is higher than 5C (1C = 675 mA h g−1) to date. Recently non-noble metal single-atom catalysts have attracted extensive interest because of their low cost and maximum utilization, while introducing binuclear single atoms into Li–Se batteries is still a challenge. Herein, for the first time, a hierarchical porous carbon host with binuclear single-atom-sites FeN4 and Co2N3 with a PDA shell (APPC/Se@PDA) is prepared as the cathode for Li–Se batteries. The uniformly dispersed single-atom sites exhibit a synergistic effect by not only strengthening the binding force between C and Se species but also enhancing the transfer rate of electrons and Li+, which is demonstrated by electrochemical performance, ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Moreover, the hierarchical pores and PDA shells provide physical confinement. As a result, APPC/Se@PDA exhibits a high specific capacity of 536 mA h g−1 at 0.2C after 220 cycles at a Se loading of 4 mg cm−2, and maintains a high reversible capacity of 645 mA h g−1 after 700 cycles at 2C with a low capacity attenuation of 0.0079% per cycle. Even at 10C and 23C, 420 mA h g−1 and 274 mA h g−1 are achieved after 1500 cycles and 2500 cycles, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, such an excellent performance at high current densities of Li–Se batteries has not been reported. Combining experiments and theoretical calculations, such a novel strategy broadens the future research of Li–Se batteries and further applications of non-noble metal single atoms.

In this study, large-eddy simulation was employed to investigate the influence of the forest canopy on wind turbine wakes. Nine forest case studies were carried out with different vertical distributions of leaf area density (LAD) and values of leaf area index (LAI). It was found that the wake in forest canopies recovers at a faster rate when compared with the flat terrain. An interesting observation was the significant reduction in turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) in the lower part of the wake above the forest in comparison with the inflow TKE, which occurred for a wide range of turbine downstream positions. The increase of TKE, on the other hand, was mainly located in the region around the top tip. Analyses of the power spectral density showed that the increase in TKE happened at a certain range of frequencies for the forest canopy cases and at all the examined frequencies for the flat case. Wake meandering was also examined and was found to be of a higher amplitude and a lower dominant frequency for the forest cases compared with the flat case. In terms of the influence of forest canopy parameters, the LAI was found to have an impact greater than the vertical distribution of LAD. Specifically, the wake-added TKE and wake-added Reynolds shear stress were found to be approximately the same for cases with the same LAI, regardless of the vertical distribution of LAD.

Lithium-sulfur batteries, owing to the multi-electron participation in the redox reaction, possess enormous energy density, which has aroused much attention. Nevertheless, the detrimental shuttle effect, volume expansion, and electrical insulation of sulfur, have hindered their application. To improve the cyclability, a functional host, consisting of Co nanoparticles and N-doped hollow graphitized carbon (Co-NHGC) material, is elaborated, which has the advantages of: 1) the graphitized carbon material working as an electronic matrix to improve the utilization rate of sulfur; 2) the hollow structure relieving the stress change caused by volume expansion; 3) the rich active sites catalyze the electrochemical reaction of sulfur and entrap polysulfides. These advantages significantly improve the performance of the lithium-sulfur batteries. Accordingly, the S@Co-NHGC cathode exhibits excellent initial specific capacity, high coulombic efficiency, and excellent rate performance. This work utilizes a novel method of dopamine in situ etching of a metal-organic framework to synthetize the Co-NHGC host of sulfur, which will hopefully provide inspiration for other energy materials.

The effects of dual-frequency ultrasound pretreatments with different energy irradiation modes, including energy-gathered ultrasound (EGU), energy-divergent ultrasound (EDU) and slit ultrasound (SU) on the solubility and emulsifying properties of soy protein isolate (SPI) were investigated. The surface hydrophobicity, intrinsic fluorescence spectra, and circular dichroism spectra of SPI were determined. Results revealed that all ultrasonic pretreatments increased the solubility of SPI significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Ultrasonic pretreatments with EDU and SU could not improve the emulsifying activity (P > 0.05). The emulsion stability index of SPI treated by EGU was higher than those of EDU and SU with the same ultrasonic time and power density. Changes in surface hydrophobicity and intrinsic fluorescence showed the unfolding of protein and exposure of hydrophobic groups as a result of action of ultrasound. The CD spectra of SPI pretreated by optimal EGU, EDU and SU showed that dual-frequency ultrasound induced the decrease of β-sheet contents and increase of α-helix and random coil contents significantly (P ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, the influence of EGU on the structural and emulsifying properties of SPI was more significant than those of EDU and SU.

Hot shear spinning experiments with Mg–3.0Al–1.0Zn–0.5Mn (AZ31B, wt%) magnesium alloy sheets were conducted at various temperatures, spindle speeds and feed ratios to investigate the effects of these processing parameters on the microstructure, crystallographic texture and mechanical properties. The AZ31B sheet displayed good shear formability at temperatures from 473 to 673 K, spindle speeds from 300 to 600 rev/min and feed ratios from 0.1 to 0.5 mm/rev. During the dynamic recrystallization process, the grain size and texture were affected by the deformation temperature of the hot shear spinning process. Each of the spun sheets presented a strong basal texture, and the c-axis of most of the grains was parallel to the normal direction. The optimal hot shear spinning parameters were determined to be a temperature of 473 K, a spindle speed of 300 rev/min and a feed ratio of 0.1 mm/rev. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation in the rolled direction reached 221 MPa, 288 MPa and 14.1%, and those in the transverse direction reached 205 MPa, 280 MPa and 12.4%, respectively. The improved strength and decreased mechanical anisotropy resulted from the fine grain size and strong basal texture.

Cement emulsified bitumen mastic (simplified as CEBM) is a type of composite binder composed of cement, emulsified bitumen, water and various additives. Freeze–thaw cycles have an important influen...

Floodplains play a significant role in affecting the transport of water, dissolved matter and sediments during wide-ranging drying and wetting. This study uses a hydrodynamic model and geostatistical method to explore the variations of water storage and its relationship with the surface hydrological connectivity, exemplified by the large Poyang Lake-floodplain system (in China). The simulations show that the floodplain storage exhibits largely similar behavior to that of the total lake water storage, but the water storage in the main lake is distinctly higher than the floodplains. The lake storage is estimated to be from 20 × 108 to 163 × 108 m3 and differs considerably between seasons, and the contribution of the floodplain to the total lake storage varies from 18 to 34%. Geostatistical analysis reveals that the degree of surface hydrological connectivity can be classified as high connectivity in summer, low connectivity in winter, and intermediate connectivity during other seasons. Higher variability of water storage and lower frequency of hydrological connectivity are found in the seasonal floodplains, whereas the lower variability and higher frequency are observed in the main lake, indicating that water storage is inextricably linked to the dynamic behaviors of surface hydrological connectivity. Additionally, the estimated water storage significantly increases from the low and intermediate conditions to the high connectivity condition, mainly due to the key process of the west–east connectivity in controlling lake-floodplain interactions. This study improves understanding of Poyang Lake floodplain behavior and other similar floodplain systems by providing knowledge of water balance, water allocation and water management.

The promising angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides derived from corn protein usually have strong bitterness and thus limit their use among consumers. To prepare ACE inhibitory peptides with low bitterness, two energy-efficient types of ultrasound pretreatment were introduced into the multi-enzymatic system of corn gluten meal. The results showed that Flavourzyme–Protamex sequential enzymolysis produced the peptides with high ACE inhibitory activity and the lowest bitterness compared with other enzymolysis conditions. During the optimized sequential enzymolysis, the divergent ultrasound pretreatment with a frequency of 40 kHz for 60 min exhibited higher ACE inhibitory activity (65.36%, accounting for 73.84% of the highest ACE inhibitory activity) and lower bitterness intensity of peptides, compared with an energy-gathered ultrasound. The results of the study showed that, on the one hand, divergent ultrasound pretreatment induced the highest intrinsic fluorescence of protein, with more hydrophobic amino acid residues exposed for cleavage by exopeptidases, which leads to a reduction in bitterness. On the other hand, the amino acid composition analysis proved that more Tyr, Ile, and Val moieties, instead of Leu (bitterest substance), and more peptide fractions with a molecular weight >1000 Da should be the structural features of high ACE inhibitory peptides.

With the concept of multi-domain joint combat, the future joint combat simulation system will develop in the direction of trans-military species and trans-regional. In response to the problem that the existing combat simulation system can hardly guarantee the security and reliability of data interaction in multi-domain joint combat simulation, a blockchain-based multi-domain joint combat simulation system framework is constructed. The corresponding technical solutions are given for the data layer, network layer, consensus layer, contract layer and application layer of the system. The block storage format of the data layer, the content of the simulation data to be packaged and the verification method during transmission are mainly studied. Proposed a hybrid consensus mechanism based on traditional deterministic consensus algorithm with high availability and high fault tolerance. A smart contract for the joint combat simulation process and a smart contract for the secondary processing of simulation data are designed. Finally, the workflow of the whole system is illustrated by a case study.

Knowledge of dam construction in floodplain systems and its hydrodynamic effects plays a critical role in managing various kinds of floodplains. This study uses 3D floodplain hydrodynamic modeling to explore the possible effects of a proposed hydraulic project in Poyang Lake (PLHP) on the hydrodynamics, exemplified by a large floodplain system. Simulations showed that the water levels across most lake regions presented more significant changes than in the floodplain areas during the study period. The increased water levels upstream from the PLHP (~1.0 m) were distinctly higher than that downstream (~0.1 m). The PLHP may decrease the magnitude of the water velocities in the main channels of the lake, whereas velocities may experience mostly minor changes in the floodplains, depending upon the altered flow dynamics and transport. On average, the water temperature may exhibit mostly minor changes (~&lt, 1.0 °C) for both the horizontal and vertical scales within the flood-pulse-influenced lake system. Additionally, the model results indicated that the outflow process caused by the PLHP may be altered from the natural discharge into the Yangtze River to frequent backflow events during the storage period, demonstrating the non-negligible effect of the PLHP on the water supply for the downstream Yangtze River in the future.

Low concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) can play vital roles in pharmacological and physiological functions in the human body. The transition-metal carbonyl complexes of the tricarbonyldichlororuthenium(II) dimer [Ru2(CO)6Cl4 (CORM-2)] were proposed as CO-releasing molecules (CORMs) to improve the delivery efficiency of CO for therapeutic effects. The accurate identification of final products for CORMs in solution and the detailed mechanisms of the release of CO were the essential prerequisite for its effective physiological application, which have been deficient. In this study, utilizing the cutting-edge two-dimensional (2D) IR spectroscopy, with the intrinsic vibrational modes and the coupling information on dynamics of intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR), the final products of A, B, C, and E are accurately identified when CORM-2 is dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Furthermore, with the clues on intermolecular interaction and chemical exchange dynamics between different products, the transformations between different products are also directly characterized for the first time. These findings challenge the results from the classic 1D spectroscopic pattern, and they evidently demonstrated that the release of CO from CORM-2 in DMSO was slow and complicated with multiple reaction pathways. Combining with DFT simulations, the detailed mechanisms of release of CO for CORM-2 dissolved in DMSO are schematically proposed, which can significantly contribute to its drug optimization and pharmacological as well as physiological applications.

Thermodynamics and structural transitions on protein surfaces remain relatively understudied and poorly understood. Wrapping of DNA on proteins provides a paradigm for studying protein surfaces. We used magnetic tweezers to investigate a prototypical DNA-interacting protein, i.e., the single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB). SSB binds DNA with distinct binding modes the mechanism of which is still elusive. The measured thermodynamic parameters relevant to the SSB-DNA complex are salt-dependent and discontinuous at the bind-mode transitions. Our data indicate that free SSB undergoes salt-induced first-order structural transitions. The conclusion was supported by the infrared spectroscopy of SSB in salt solutions. Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy further suggests that the transitions are correlated with surface salt bridges. Our work not only unravels a long-standing mystery of the different binding site sizes of SSB, but also would inspire interests in thermodynamics of protein surfaces.

We identify P management strategies combining arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inoculation with rock phosphate or composted manure for intensive organic grain-production systems. We measured the response of plants traits and soil properties to the factorial combination of three rates of organic-approved P sources applied in rotation phase-1 of legume–flax cropping systems, and of granular AMF inoculant applied in the first, second, or both rotation phases, or not applied. Treatment combinations effects on the rhizosphere communities of AMF, fungi, and bacteria were tested by amplicon sequencing, in two pedoclimates. Inoculation had limited effects in both environments. Composted manure decreased lentil yield, but increased lentil N and P concentrations and soil P fertility on the Chernozem, while increasing pea productivity on the Luvisol. Composted manure applied in rotation phase-1 had a residual effect on flax productivity, N and P concentrations, and soil P fertility in both environments. Rock phosphate reduced soil P fertility and flax productivity on the Gray Luvisol. The β diversity of the rhizosphere communities was unaffected by treatments, while the α diversity of bacteria and AMF was altered by AMF inoculation and fertilization only in the Gray Luvisol. Correlations between microbial species and plant traits or soil properties were inconsistent, reflecting the complex relationships among microbial community, plant identity, and environmental conditions. Here, composted manure was more influential than AMF inoculation and rock phosphate. Given the influence of environmental conditions, small field trials are recommended before wide-scale adoption of their use.

Cement emulsified asphalt composite binder (simplified as CEACB) is a type of composite binder existed in cement and asphalt mortar (simplified as CA mortar). The effects of freeze-thaw cycles on the dynamic mechanical properties of CEACB were analyzed based on viscoelastic mechanical model and dynamic frequency scanning test. The effects of freeze-thaw cycles, temperatures and mix proportions on the viscoelastic behavior of CEACB were analyzed. This study demonstrates that, as freeze-thaw cycles increasing, constitutive equation parameters E1 and η1 decrease, and r tends to increase. The ability of CEACB to resist elastic deformation and viscous flow is reduced, and CEACB shows a tendency of softening. With asphalt to cement ratio (A/C) increasing and temperature rising, both E1 and η1 decrease, while r increases, and CEACB tends to be like viscous material. As freeze-thaw cycles increasing, the pore content of CEACB increases. Freeze-thaw causes obvious structural damage and viscoelastic mechanical properties of CEACB were changed.

A facile solution-processing method featuring the applications of a stable molecular precursor solution and the repetition of spin-coating and annealing for film growth is reported for the in situ growth of CuInS2 nanoparticle films on TiO2/CdS film to provide TiO2/CdS/CuInS2 ternary superstrate heterojunction films for efficient solar cells. The novel and stable planar solar cells are fabricated using Spiro-OMeTAD as hole transporting material (HTM) and achieved a peak power conversion efficiency of 6.31% under AM 1.5 illumination at the optimized CuInS2 thickness of 200 nm and annealing temperature of 270 °C for CuInS2 formation. The efficiency is the highest among the CuInS2-based planar solar cells derived from molecular precursor methods; in particular, adopting HTM results in the open-circuit voltage up to 0.78 V, much higher than that of the similar devices without HTM. Our results demonstrate a dual nature of excitonic and nonexcitonic charge generation mechanisms in such solar cells. A depletion-...

The effects of ultrasound and acid on the aggregation, structures and emulsifying properties of soybean protein isolate (SPI) were investigated. Results of solubility showed that ultrasonic treatments at 0.001 M HCl increased the content of soluble SPI. The particle size of soluble aggregates subjected to ultrasonication and acid was initially decreased and then increased with increasing ultrasonic time. Secondary structure analysis, by circular dichroism, indicated lower a-helix and higher random coil amounts in SPI treated with short ultrasonic time, in contrast to the higher a-helix and lower random coil in SPI treated with longer time (more than 20 min). Emulsions prepared with SPI by 10 min of ultrasonication demonstrated significantly (P

Determining the spatiotemporal dynamics of surface water in a heterogeneous floodplain is difficult, especially for its surrounding isolated lakes. Seasonal inundation patterns of these isolated lakes can be misestimated in a hydrodynamic model due to their short and erratic appearances. A surface water time series of Poyang Lake having an 8-day revisit frequency with a 30 m spatial resolution from 2000 to 2016 was conducted for the first time. This study was produced with a modified hierarchical spatiotemporal adaptive fusion model (HSTAFM) by integrating both Landsat and MODIS data. Discrepancies between model-based surface water and remotely-sensed surface water were evaluated, and possible causes were discussed. Results show that the modified HSTAFM can better detect the water features of a floodplain, thereby providing more detailed information in an seasonal isolated lake system than the MODIS MOD13Q1 product. With the fusion product, we found that Poyang Lake evidently shrank after experiencing a longer low-water period after the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam. A large proportion of these discrepancies (averaging 36%) between model-based and remotely-sensed surface water distributed in seasonal isolated lakes, mainly occurred during high-water level periods. Uncertainties in the hydrodynamic model might attribute to smaller defined lake boundaries, bathymetric variations, human disturbance, and unconsidered groundwater recharge/discharge. These results provide a new insight into the temporally continuous and spatially dynamic assessment of simulated surface water, which is essential for the future improvement in the hydrodynamic model.

The wind forcing effects on mixing dynamics and circulation can drive important bio-hydrodynamic interactions in certain regions of a hydraulically dominated river-lake floodplain system. Poyang Lake, connected with the Yangtze River, is an example of such a system. The wind forcing effects on Poyang Lake have not been assessed in detail. In this study, a hydrodynamic model and a current energy method were used to investigate the hydrodynamic pattern forced by the combination of hydraulic and wind drivers and to distinguish both forcings. Two prevailing wind directions (NNE and SSW) with 3 wind-speed (3 m/s, 5 m/s and 10 m/s) scenarios, including tracer transport and residence time, were further simulated to determine the wind effects. The results showed that there are distinct hydraulic-dominated and wind-dominated regions. In the three wind-dominated zones, various circulation patterns were determined by the wind direction and complex geometry, and current speeds were positively correlated with the wind speed magnitude, regardless of wind direction. However, residence times responded differently to wind forcings. The low-speed NNE wind forcing was found to be the most disadvantageous for mixing and dispersion and was prone to allowing material enrichment in the eastern sub-lakes. An improved understanding of ecological behaviour in local zones of Poyang Lake is provided to guide future water management.

Small, seasonal lakes that exist in floodplains are rarely investigated, and yet they play an important role in the protection of biodiversity and are highly susceptible to modification due to human activities. This study presents a first attempt to combine hydrodynamic modeling and statistical methods to investigate hydrological connectivity and its relationship with the water quality of nine seasonal lakes within the floodplains of Poyang Lake (China). The hydrodynamic model reproduced reasonably well the hydrological regime of the lake and surrounding floodplains, based on field measurements and remote sensing data. Floodplain lakes exhibit similar water-level dynamics to the main lake during connected periods of flooding, while they decouple from the main lake during recession periods. Geostatistical results reveal that although the north-south hydrological connectivity extends over a longer pathway than the west-east connectivity, the rapid reduction in the west-east connectivity indicates a more sensitive response. The west-east connectivity tends to play a dominant role in affecting the interactions between the main lake and floodplains, as expected. Statistical methods indicate that surface hydrological connectivity across the floodplain results in an enhanced spatial similarity in the water quality of the floodplain lakes, in terms of a multitude of water quality parameters (TN, TP, NH4+-N, NO3--N, NO2--N, PO43-, CODMn, and Chl a), while surface hydrological isolation was observed to increase the water quality differences between the seasonal lakes. Additionally, enhanced hydrological connectivity may lead to improved water quality of the seasonal lakes from low connectivity to high connectivity condition. Hydrological connectivity may be a key factor controlling the dynamics in water quality between seasonal lakes. The findings of this study support the management of both Poyang Lake and the floodplain wetlands by providing important information on both water resource and water quality, and proposals to better manage the impacts of intensive human activities.

Thermal regime and its response to meteorological and hydrological forcings play an important role in controlling water quality and ecosystem of lakes. Many large floodplain lakes are subjected to significant river-lake interactions and could benefit greatly from hydrodynamic modeling. The current work presents a first attempt to use a 3D hydrodynamic model and statistical methods to explore spatiotemporal variations and primary causal factors of thermal stability within a large river-lake-floodplain system (Poyang Lake, China). The hydrodynamic model successfully reproduced the lake hydrodynamics and thermal dynamics through a comparative analysis of field measurements. Simulation results revealed that the thermal stability of Poyang Lake exhibits similar spatial patterns between seasons; however, the lake is generally stratified during summer and early autumn. It is classified as partial mixed and full mixed during winter and spring. The thermal stratification may develop in the center area and eastern bay area of the lake, while the full mixing is likely to occur in the floodplains and the main flow channels. Statistics and simulations indicate that the air temperature, solar radiation and evaporation trigger a positive effect on the thermal stability of Poyang Lake, whereas a negative relationship is recognized due to the catchment river temperature. The responses of thermal stability to the meteorological and hydrological changes are much stronger in summer than other seasons, producing a significant seasonal thermal regime in the floodplain lake. Additionally, the dynamics in the lake water depth and associated hydrological regime are a major factor in maintaining the seasonal thermal stability of Poyang Lake. The findings of this study can support management of Poyang Lake as well as other similar floodplain lakes, by providing information on both water quality and ecosystem succession.

The dynamic behaviour of clay with different initial density was researched by a single-stage light gas gun. Soil samples with four initial density (1.7, 1.8, 1.9 and 2.0 g/cm3) were investigated in this study, the water content, graininess and raw material of which were the same. Four electromagnetic particle velocity gauges were embedded directly into each sample, which was compressed by clay powder. And the motions of shock wave were detected by these gauges. Typical waveforms of the particle velocity and the Hugoniot data of the experiments were presented. The dynamic stress-strain relation could be determined by the Lagrangian analysis method which was utilized to the four particle velocity waveforms. The results show that, the initial density was possibly the most important factor to affect the dynamic behaviour of soft clay soil under intense dynamic load compared with the water content.

The flood storage of lakes and reservoirs plays an important role in flood regulation and control in floodplains. However, the flood storage capacity of lakes and reservoirs is ineffectively quantified at the basin scale due to the limited access to in-situ data and poor quality of optical satellite images in flooding seasons. To address this, taking a typical floodplain basin (the Poyang Lake basin) in the Yangtze as a study case, radar satellite data combined with measured bathymetry and digital elevation model data were utilized to reconstruct the time series of the water inundation area and water storage change of all lakes and reservoirs larger than 1 km2 during the once-in-a-generation flood event that occurred in 2020 (termed as the 2020 flood event hereafter). Results show that the flood storage capacity of Poyang Lake can reach the maximum at 12.18 Gt, and that for other lakes and reservoirs within the basin is approximately 2.95 Gt. It indicates a total flood-storage capacity of 15.13 Gt for the basin-scale lakes and reservoirs, approximately accounting for 45.02% of the terrestrial water storage change of the basin. The storage capacity of Poyang Lake was approximately four times larger than the entirety of other lakes and reservoirs in the basin despite that its maximum water inundation area is in the proportion of 2.58 times other water bodies. This finding indicates that the Poyang Lake provided the dominant contribution to flood storage among all the lakes and reservoirs in the basin. This study introduced a remote sensing approach to quantify the flood storage capacity of basin-scale lakes and reservoirs at high spatial and temporal resolutions during the flood event, which could fill the insufficiently-quantified knowledge about dynamics of lakes and reservoirs in areas lacking full-covered in-situ data records. This study also helps to offer a quantitative basis to improve flood forecasting and control for the public authority, stakeholders, and decision-makers.

Exciton lifetime (τ) is crucial for the migration of excitons to donor/acceptor interfaces for subsequent charge separation in organic solar cells (OSCs); however, obvious prolongation of τ has rarely been achieved. Here, by introducing a solid additive 9-fluorenone-1-carboxylic acid (FCA) into the active layer, which comprises a nonfullerene acceptor, 3,9-bis(2-methylene-((3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-6/7-methyl)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2',3'-d']-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene (IT-M), τ is substantially prolonged from 491 to 928 ps, together with obvious increases in fluorescence intensity and quantum yield. Time-resolved transient infrared spectra indicate the presence of an intermolecular vibrational coupling between the electronic excited state of IT-M and the electronic ground state of FCA, which is first observed here and which can suppress the internal conversion process. IT-M-based OSCs display an improved short-circuit current and fill factor after the addition of FCA. Thus, the power conversion efficiency is increased, particularly for devices with a large donor/acceptor ratio of 1:4, whose efficiency is increased by 56%. This study describes a novel method, which is also applicable to other nonfullerene acceptors, for further improving the performance of OSCs without affecting their morphology and light absorption properties.