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• Long-term effects of ground deformation on plant succession were assessed. • Plant community succession model based on cellular automata were developed. • 30-years of plant succession within subsidence area was simulated. • Changes in landscape indicators caused by ground deformation were analyzed. Mining-induced ground deformation affects various plant communities in different ways. However, little is known about the effects of ground deformation on plant succession; no known quantitative approach currently exists to detecting the long-term effects. To address this issue, a plant community succession model based on cellular automata was developed. Plant succession over 30 years within a subsidence area in the Yungang mining area in China was simulated and compared under mining and non-mining scenarios, including under two sets of initial conditions (vegetated and bare). The normalized mean square error was applied to test the accuracy of the plant community succession model and to reveal the effects of ground deformation at the patch scale, which was 0.06–0.59 for simulated and observed plant patterns. Landscape indicators including contagion, patch cohesion, interspersion and juxtaposition, Shannon's diversity, Shannon's evenness, and aggregation indices were calculated and compared to reveal the effects of mine subsidence at the landscape scale. The results showed that the interspersion and juxtaposition, Shannon's diversity, Shannon's evenness, and aggregation indices were significantly influenced by ground deformation (P < 0.05) under vegetated conditions, indicating that ground deformation resulted in a loose, isolated, and mixed pattern of vegetation. In terms of the shrub and tree communities, the normalized mean square errors fluctuated at a high level under bare conditions, especially at the patch scale of 10 × 10 m, where it remained at greater than 0.5. Overall, mining-induced ground deformation had long-term effects on plant succession by limiting tree communities and promoting shrub communities, as well as by leading to a heterogenous vegetation pattern. Ground deformation altered the topography of the previously mined area, influencing hydrological processes such as rainfall, infiltration, and evaporation, which were closely related to plant succession. Although these long-term effects were not directly a result of ground deformation, changes in the topography of a subsidence area would interfere with the spontaneous succession of plant communities. Therefore, the long-term effects of mining-induced ground deformation should be considered during the ecological restoration of a mining area, which can promote the application of nature-based solutions and the natural regeneration of plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel nitrogenous Fe-TPPE metal-organic-framework (MOF) with excellent visible light catalytic activity was successfully prepared, and a magnetic composite (Fe 3 O 4 @Fe-TPPE) with Z-type heterojunction structure was designed to synergistically treat organic pollutants and Cr(Ⅵ). The materials were carefully characterized by powder X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared analysis, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, etc. The characterizations of photoelectric properties showed that the novel Fe-TPPE MOF exhibited strong response to visible light and Fe 3 O 4 @Fe-TPPE had even stronger response. Furthermore, the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation capabilities of Fe-TPPE and Fe 3 O 4 @Fe-TPPE, and the versatility as photocatalysts for aqueous pollutants were assessed through removal studies of the model pollutants tetracycline, rhodamine, methyl blue and Cr (VI). Additionally, the removal mechanism of the Fe 3 O 4 @Fe-TPPE for the above pollutants was explored. The high removal efficiency, fast magnetic separation, great recycling stability and minimal leak during application all demonstrate the good potential of Fe 3 O 4 @Fe-TPPE for practical and sustainable treatment of aqueous pollutants. [Display omitted] • A novel Fe-TPPE MOF is prepared using polynitrogen conjugated molecules as ligands. • A novel Fe 3 O 4 @Fe-TPPE composite with slice-ball intercalation structure is prepared. • Fe 3 O 4 @Fe-TPPE has excellent visible light catalytic performance and stability. • Fe 3 O 4 @Fe-TPPE has good reusability, applicability and environmental friendliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Understanding and recognizing basketball offensive set plays, which involve intricate interactions between players, have always been regarded as challenging tasks for untrained humans, not to mention machines. In this study, our objective is to propose an artificial intelligence model that can automatically recognize offensive plays using a novel self-supervised learning approach.The dataset was collected by SportVU from 632 games during the 2015–2016 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with a total of 90,524 possessions. A multi-agent motion prediction pretraining model was built on the basis of axial-attention transformer and trained with different masking strategies: motion prediction (MP), motion reconstruction (MR), and MP + MR joint strategy. A downstream play-level classification task and similarity search were used to evaluate the models’ performance.The results showed that the MP + MR joint masking strategy maximized the ability of the model compared with individual masking strategies. For the classification task, the joint strategy achieved a top-1 accuracy of 81.5% and top-3 accuracy of 97.5%. In the similarity search evaluation, the joint strategy attained a top-5 accuracy of 76% and top-10 accuracy of 59%. Additionally, with the same MP + MR joint masking strategy, our HoopTransformer model outperformed the two baseline models in the classification task and similarity search.This study presents a self-supervised learning model and demonstrates the effectiveness and potential of the model in accurately comprehending and capturing player movements and complex interactions during offensive plays.Methods: Understanding and recognizing basketball offensive set plays, which involve intricate interactions between players, have always been regarded as challenging tasks for untrained humans, not to mention machines. In this study, our objective is to propose an artificial intelligence model that can automatically recognize offensive plays using a novel self-supervised learning approach.The dataset was collected by SportVU from 632 games during the 2015–2016 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with a total of 90,524 possessions. A multi-agent motion prediction pretraining model was built on the basis of axial-attention transformer and trained with different masking strategies: motion prediction (MP), motion reconstruction (MR), and MP + MR joint strategy. A downstream play-level classification task and similarity search were used to evaluate the models’ performance.The results showed that the MP + MR joint masking strategy maximized the ability of the model compared with individual masking strategies. For the classification task, the joint strategy achieved a top-1 accuracy of 81.5% and top-3 accuracy of 97.5%. In the similarity search evaluation, the joint strategy attained a top-5 accuracy of 76% and top-10 accuracy of 59%. Additionally, with the same MP + MR joint masking strategy, our HoopTransformer model outperformed the two baseline models in the classification task and similarity search.This study presents a self-supervised learning model and demonstrates the effectiveness and potential of the model in accurately comprehending and capturing player movements and complex interactions during offensive plays.Results: Understanding and recognizing basketball offensive set plays, which involve intricate interactions between players, have always been regarded as challenging tasks for untrained humans, not to mention machines. In this study, our objective is to propose an artificial intelligence model that can automatically recognize offensive plays using a novel self-supervised learning approach.The dataset was collected by SportVU from 632 games during the 2015–2016 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with a total of 90,524 possessions. A multi-agent motion prediction pretraining model was built on the basis of axial-attention transformer and trained with different masking strategies: motion prediction (MP), motion reconstruction (MR), and MP + MR joint strategy. A downstream play-level classification task and similarity search were used to evaluate the models’ performance.The results showed that the MP + MR joint masking strategy maximized the ability of the model compared with individual masking strategies. For the classification task, the joint strategy achieved a top-1 accuracy of 81.5% and top-3 accuracy of 97.5%. In the similarity search evaluation, the joint strategy attained a top-5 accuracy of 76% and top-10 accuracy of 59%. Additionally, with the same MP + MR joint masking strategy, our HoopTransformer model outperformed the two baseline models in the classification task and similarity search.This study presents a self-supervised learning model and demonstrates the effectiveness and potential of the model in accurately comprehending and capturing player movements and complex interactions during offensive plays.Conclusion: Understanding and recognizing basketball offensive set plays, which involve intricate interactions between players, have always been regarded as challenging tasks for untrained humans, not to mention machines. In this study, our objective is to propose an artificial intelligence model that can automatically recognize offensive plays using a novel self-supervised learning approach.The dataset was collected by SportVU from 632 games during the 2015–2016 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with a total of 90,524 possessions. A multi-agent motion prediction pretraining model was built on the basis of axial-attention transformer and trained with different masking strategies: motion prediction (MP), motion reconstruction (MR), and MP + MR joint strategy. A downstream play-level classification task and similarity search were used to evaluate the models’ performance.The results showed that the MP + MR joint masking strategy maximized the ability of the model compared with individual masking strategies. For the classification task, the joint strategy achieved a top-1 accuracy of 81.5% and top-3 accuracy of 97.5%. In the similarity search evaluation, the joint strategy attained a top-5 accuracy of 76% and top-10 accuracy of 59%. Additionally, with the same MP + MR joint masking strategy, our HoopTransformer model outperformed the two baseline models in the classification task and similarity search.This study presents a self-supervised learning model and demonstrates the effectiveness and potential of the model in accurately comprehending and capturing player movements and complex interactions during offensive plays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Explanatory scientific mapping of Perovskite solar cell technology (PSCT) is presented. • Prominent authors and organizations shaping the landscape of PSCT are presented. • By using keywords and thematic analysis, trending topics and the evolution of research are explored. • Perspectives of the primary issues and recommendations for PSCT are proposed. Extensive literature on Perovskite solar cell technology (PSCT) has become widespread as technology enables more innovations in the field. Despite efficient platforms like Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and others, challenges persist for new researchers in search of synchronized key information in the PSCT field. Inefficiencies arise from scattered data, hindering the research cycle for the new researchers. Moreover, policy-making and planning by the stakeholders (Government, Academia, and Industry) in research and innovation rely on data-driven approaches, emphasizing the need for identifying key information to mitigate technological risks in the field of PSCT. This research gap is addressed by the effective extraction of key knowledge from the fragmented literature of PSCT. To achieve this, a comprehensive scientific mapping is conducted via bibliometric analysis, encompassing a collection of 11,092 scientific publications. All relevant data that can bridge the mentioned research gap has been meticulously extracted and analyzed from the mentioned literature which involves the trend from inception, main contributors (countries, researchers, and production sources) to PSCT, detailed keywords, and thematic analysis. The key results reveal that People's republic of China, the USA, and India significantly contribute to PSCT research, leading in publications and citations. "ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces" followed by "Journal of Materials A," "Solar RRL," and "Advanced Energy Materials." Keyword analysis identifies four clusters: "stability," "efficiency," "optical properties," and environmental concerns. The trends show the perspective of the PSCT sub-areas, like stability for commercialization, innovative methods for performance improvement, and considerations for lead-free options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon stocks of the farmland ecosystem are rapidly changing by human mining activity, which not only changes the soil fertility and the crop yield, but also has great influence on the global environment. In fact, it is a primary way to maintain the stability of the carbon pool. This paper takes the Jiuli Mining Area, in the city of Xuzhou, as the research area to study the effect of human mining activity on the regional carbon pool of the farmland ecosystem. Firstly, we studied the evaluation thinking: we studied the difference in storage of the carbon pool of the farmland ecosystem which is in the same agriculture zones (the general affecting factors of the carbon pool are almost the same) under two conditions: the carbon pool of the farmland ecosystem is affected by mining, and it is not affected after several decades of change. Secondly, this research studied the effect of human mining activity through sampling and experiments in the farmland area, model construction and carbon storage estimates of the carbon pool of the farmland ecosystem, the carbon density profile, and carbon storage of the farmland ecosystem in the Jiuli Mining Area. The carbon density profile and carbon storage can then be obtained in a scenario simulation where the regional farmland ecosystem is not disturbed by human mining activity until today. Finally, the effect on the regional carbon pool of the farmland ecosystem by the human mining activity can be obtained by careful contrasting the carbon density profile and carbon storage of the two scenarios mentioned above. We find that the Kriging Interpolation method is the most suitable for spatial interpolation of the vegetation carbon density in the mining subsidence area, and the accuracy evaluation of the spatial interpolation R2 is 0.818. Lastly, the conclusion of this paper is that there are 1.3×104 tons of carbon lost in the subsidence area, 0.2 ×104 tons of carbon lost in the seasonal water-logged area, 0.4×104 tons of carbon lost in the perennial water-logged area, and 0.5×104 tons of carbon lost in the subsidence water-logged area. If not affected by mining, the vegetation carbon pool storage of the farmland ecosystem in the subsidence region of the Jiuli Mining Area is 5.8×104 tons, and this figure becomes 3.4×104 tons after mining. So, there is 2.4×104 tons of carbon loss because of human mining activity. Furthermore, on the rising parts of the mining subsidence area, human mining activity has a significant effect on the carbon pool of the farmland ecosystem, and has little effect in the seasonal hydrops areas. In the whole Jiuli Mining Subsidence Area, the carbon effect on the farmland vegetation carbon pool by mining is a carbon loss (carbon source) effect. This research can provide insight into evaluating the effect on the regional carbon pool of the farmland ecosystem by human mining activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Factors affecting spatial heterogeneity of WSA, MWD and K factor are clarified. • Soil property, terrain and land use contribute to 47%, 41% and 9% of total variation. • Influencing network and paths of factors driving WSA, MWD and K are confirmed. • Terrain signally affects WSA, MWD and K by altering soil nature and land use pattern. Soil aggregate stability and erodibility reflect soil resistance to erosion. Although the factors influencing soil aggregate stability and erodibility have been extensively studied, the driving effects of these factors and their interactions remain limited. 184 sampling sites were selected in topsoil (0–20 cm) of a small watershed (1.42 km2) in a Mollisol watershed to measure soil bulk density (BD), soil porosity (SP), soil moisture content (MC), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), >0.25 mm water stable aggregates content (WSA > 0.25), mean weight diameter (MWD) and K factor. Pearson correlation analysis, semi-variance function, redundancy analysis (RDA), and structural equation model (SEM) were used to quantify the impact of environmental variables (individual and interaction) on the spatial variations of WSA > 0.25 , MWD, and K factor. The findings indicated that higher values of WSA > 0.25 and MWD are observed in the central and western watershed, while the K values tend to be lower in areas with high WSA > 0.25 and MWD values within the watershed. The Exponential model optimally described WSA > 0.25 , MWD, and K factor with C 0 /(C + C 0) indicating moderate spatial dependence for MWD (39.79 %) and K factor (42.86 %), while strong spatial autocorrelation for WSA > 0.25 (7.23 %). Soil properties (moisture content, silt content, and bulk density), topography (elevation, SPI, and slope), and land use contributed 46.6 %, 41.4 %, and 9.1 % of the spatial variation in WSA > 0.25 , MWD, and K factor, respectively. SEM revealed that silt content, SOC, and water condition played a fundamental role in controlling the spatial variability of WSA > 0.25 , MWD, and K factor. Topography exerted both direct or indirect effects by coupling land use or soil properties spatially. Land use had direct or indirect effects on WSA > 0.25 and K factor through regulating MC, but it primarily influences MWD indirectly through impacting MC. These results could clarify the roles and influencing paths of factors controlling the spatial heterogeneity of WSA > 0.25 , MWD, and K factor, contributing to optimizing land management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Eight new organotin (IV) carboxylates, (R3Sn)4(nap)4 (R = Me 1, n-Bu 2), [(R3Sn) (nap)] n (R = Ph 3, PhCH2 4), (R2Sn) (nap)2 (R = n-Bu 5, Ph 6, PhCH2 7) and {[R2Sn(nap)]2O}2 (R = Me 8) (nap = (S)-(+)-6-methoxy-α-methyl-2-naphthaleneaceto anion) have been synthesized. All of the complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, FT–IR, NMR (1H, 13C and 119Sn) spectra. Among these complexes, complexes 1, 3, 5 and 8 were also characterized by X-ray crystallography diffraction analysis, and the data of X-ray crystallography diffraction indicated that complexes 1, 3 and 5 are new chiral organotin (IV) carboxylates complexes. The structural analyses show that complex 1 has a tetranuclear Sn4O8 macrocycle structure, complex 3 has a 1D spring-like chiral helical chain with a columnar channel, complex 5 possesses a dimer structure, and complex 8 has a supramolecular chainlike ladder structure through weak intermolecular non-covalent O…O interactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Forest disturbances such as harvesting, wildfire and insect infestation are critical ecosystem processes affecting the carbon cycle. Because carbon dynamics are related to time since disturbance, forest stand age that can be used as a surrogate for major clear-cut/fire disturbance information has recently been recognized as an important input to forest carbon cycle models for improving prediction accuracy. In this study, forest disturbances in the USA for the period of ∼1990–2000 were mapped using 400+ pairs of re-sampled Landsat TM/ETM scenes in 500m resolution, which were provided by the Landsat Ecosystem Disturbance Adaptive Processing System project. The detected disturbances were then separated into two five-year age groups, facilitated by Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data, which was used to calculate the area of forest regeneration for each county in the USA. In this study, a disturbance index (DI) was defined as the ratio of the short wave-infrared (SWIR, band 5) to near-infrared (NIR, band 4) reflectance. Forest disturbances were identified through the Normalized Difference of Disturbance Index (NDDI) between circa 2000 and 1990, where a positive NDDI means disturbance and a negative NDDI means regrowth. Axis rotation was performed on the plot between DIs of the two matched Landsat scenes in order to reduce any difference of DIs caused by non-disturbance factors. The threshold of NDDI for each TM/ETM pair was determined by analysis of FIA data. Minor disturbances affecting small areas may be omitted due to the coarse resolution of the aggregated Landsat data, but the major stand-clearing disturbances (clear-cut harvest, fire) are captured. The spatial distribution of the detected disturbed areas was validated by Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity fire data in four States of the western USA (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California). Results indicate omission errors of 66.9%. An important application of this remote sensing-based disturbance map is to associate with FIA forest age data for developing a US forest age map. The US forest age map was also combined with the Canadian forest age map to produce a continent-wide forest map, which becomes a remarkable data layer for North America carbon cycle modeling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Estimation of the ecological and environmental damage is viewed as an essential tool for effective decision-making in ecological restoration, especially involving high-intensity coal mining and high ecological vulnerability on the Loess Plateau, China. Using the Datong mining area on the Loess Plateau as a case study, we propose an integrated spatial estimation based on surface subsidence prediction, geographic information system, and field survey. The implications for regional ecological restoration are analyzed. Based on this inspection, the magnitude of ecological and environmental damage depended on a combination of risk factors, other than a single factor or evaluation target. Still, the geological hazard was the primary impact factor, especially surface subsidence as a result of underground mining. The results suggest that areas of severe, moderate, and slight damage accounted for 9.87%, 80.09%, and 10.04%, respectively. The methodology used was effective in determining the ecological and environmental damage that is consistent with the spatial distribution of subsidence. The proposed integrated estimation provides targeted measures for active, progressive, and passive interventions to improve and renovate the post-reclamation mining ecosystem and ensure sustainable planning in underground mining areas. • Introducing a hierarchical structure of ecological and environmental damage assessment in a mining area. • Summarizing the ecological and environmental characteristics triggered by underground mining activities. • Estimating ecological and environmental damages via subsidence prediction, geographic information system, and field survey. • Providing targeted measures for active, progressive, and passive interventions to improve and renovate the mining ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aim of enhancing both reliability and fatigue life of gasket, this study combines finite element analysis, orthogonal experimental design, dynamically-guided multi-objective optimization, and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm with elitist strategy to optimize the geometric parameters of the cylinder gasket. The finite element method was used to analyze the temperature field, thermal-mechanical coupling stress field, and deformation of cylinder gasket. The calculation results were experimentally validated by measured temperature data, and comparison results show that the maximum error between calculated value and experiment value is 7.1%, which is acceptable in engineering problems. Based on above results and orthogonal experiment design method, the effects of five factors, including diameter of combustion chamber circle, diameter of coolant flow hole, length of the insulation zone between third and fourth cylinders, thickness of gasket, and bolt preload, on three indexes: temperature, stress, and deformation of gasket, were examined in depth. Through the variance analysis of the results, three important factors were identified to proceed later calculation. The dynamically guided multi-objective optimization strategy and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm were effectively used and combined to determine the optimal geometric parameters of cylinder gasket. Furthermore, calculation results suggest that temperature, stress, and deformation of the optimized cylinder gasket have been improved by 27.88 K, 16.84 MPa, and 0.0542 mm, respectively when compared with the origin object, which shows the excellent performance of gasket optimization and effectiveness of the proposed optimization strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological evidence shows that diabetic patients are susceptible to high temperature weather, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity is closely related to type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Activation of BAT under cold stress helps improve T2DM. However, the impact of high temperature on the activity of BAT is still unclear. The study aimed to investigate the impact of heat stress on glucose and lipid metabolism in T2DM mice by influencing BAT activity. High-fat feeding and injecting streptozotocin (STZ) induced model of T2DM mice. All mice were randomly divided into three groups: a normal(N) group, a diabetes (DM) group and a heat stress diabetes (DMHS) group. The DMHS group received heat stress intervention for 3 days. Fasting blood glucose, fasting serum insulin and blood lipids were measured in all three groups. The activity of BAT was assessed by using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), electron microscopy, and PET CT. Furthermore, the UHPLC-Q-TOF MS technique was employed to perform metabolomics analysis of BAT on both DM group and DMHS group. The results of this study indicated that heat stress aggravated the dysregulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, exacerbated mitochondrial dysfunction in BAT and reduced the activity of BAT in T2DM mice. This may be related to the abnormal accumulation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in the mitochondria of BAT. • Heat stress aggravates the glucolipid metabolic disorders in T2DM mice. • Heat stress reduces BAT activity and aggravates mitochondrial dysfunction. • Heat stress may lead to abnormal accumulation of BCAAs in BAT mitochondria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Strain JI-2 could effectively remove nitrate nitrogen at pH 11 (11.05 mg N/(L·h)). • JI-2 secreted PS and acidic groups to alleviate the adverse effects of alkalinity. • JI-2 contains complex genes and metabolic mechanisms for alkali tolerance. • JI-2 responds to a strong alkaline environment by complex regulatory mechanisms. The nitrate nitrogen removal characteristics of Pseudomonas JI-2 under strong alkaline conditions and the composition and functional groups of extracellular polymeric substance were analyzed. Furthermore, nontargeted metabonomics and bioinformatics technology were used to investigate the alkaline tolerance mechanism. JI-2 removed 11.05 mg N/(L·h) of nitrate with the initial pH, carbon to nitrogen ratio and temperature were 11.0, 8 and 25 °C respectively. Even when the pH was maintained at 11.0, JI-2 could still effectively remove nitrate. JI-2 contains a large number of Na+/H+ antiporters, such as Mrp , Mnh (mnhACDEFG) and Pha (phaACDEFG) , which can stabilize the intracellular acid–base environment, and SlpA can enable quick adaptation to alkaline conditions. Moreover, JI-2 responds to the strong alkaline environment by secreting more polysaccharides, acidic functional groups and compatible solutes and regulating key metabolic processes such as pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis and carbapenem biosynthesis. Therefore, JI-2 can survive in strong alkaline environments and remove nitrate efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to increase the reliability and service life of piston in a heavy-duty diesel engine, the geometric structure of piston was optimized based on its maximum temperature and maximum coupling stress. To begin with, the boundary conditions of thermal and stress fields are calculated, which include the heat produced by the combustion in cylinder, the friction-induced heat, and the heat transferred to cooling system. Then, the finite element model was established to calculate and analyse the temperature and thermal-mechanical coupling stress fields of the piston. By combining this simulation model with orthogonal experimental design methods, computations and analyses were performed to determine how the five geometric parameters (depth of intake and exhaust valve grooves, radius of valve grooves transition, radius of top of valve grooves, height of first piston ring groove, and depth of piston ring groove) influence the two evaluation indicators (maximum temperature and maximum stress of piston). Subsequently, using the proposed ABC-OED- FE (artificial bee colony, orthogonal experiment design, and fitting equations) method, the fitting equations between the geometric parameters and evaluation indicators were determined. Taking the minimum values of two evaluation indicators of piston as optimization objectives, artificial bee colony method was run to determine the values of parameters. At last, the two evaluation indicators of the optimized piston were computed. The results indicate that, after optimization, the maximum temperature of piston decreases to be 16.05 K and the maximum stress decreases to be 13.54 MPa. Both temperature and stress conditions of the optimized piston had been improved, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the optimization and the validity of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a system combining an anaerobic moving-bed biofilm reactor and a microbial fuel cell (MFC) was designed for simultaneous bioelectricity generation and pulp/paper wastewater (PPW) treatment. After 22 days, when hydraulic retention time (HRT) was set at 72 h, ceramsite-added MFC (C-MFC) showed better bioelectricity performance with power density of 94.5 mW/m2 and internal resistance of 35.7 Ω, as compared to the control without ceramsite (W-MFC) (56.1 mW/m2, 54.3 Ω). Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of C-MFC and W-MFC were 65.6% and 51.3%, respectively. The C-MFC demonstrated its superior electrochemical performance compared to the W-MFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomography is an important technique for ionosphere investigation. For a voxel-based tomography method, the way the voxel model is constructed is crucial and may affect the quality of the reconstructed image. However, previous research has paid less attention to voxel model construction and how this may improve or reduce the quality of the produced tomography image. To mitigate this issue, a new method is proposed named Image Reconstruction based on Hybrid Grids (IRHG). In IRHG, two hybrid grid models, each with a top and a bottom component (separated by a splitting height) that have different voxel resolution configurations, are adopted for tomographic inversions. Thereafter, the advantageous components of the two reconstructed images are combined to produce a new image (i.e., the image for IRHG). Initial testing showed that a slight improvement was achieved when compared to a uniformly spaced voxel model. This was further enhanced by changing the splitting height to 400 km and the use of different vertical and horizontal voxel resolutions. Finally, an improvement in root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) of 28.24% and 23.24% (for quiet ionosphere days), and 5.96% and 9.01% (for disturbed days) respectively, were achieved. The IRHG method is supposed to be independent of the inversion algorithm, e.g., the improved algebraic reconstruction technique (IART) used in this paper, and promises to hold benefits for other algorithms, which may together improve the reconstructed tomographic image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined process of magnetic-enhanced coagulation (MEC)–electrocatalytic oxidation (EO) was developed at lab scale for treating a real hydraulic fracturing flowback water with an initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 4230 mg/L, a viscosity value of 14.6 mPa•s, and a suspended solid (SS) concentration of 2890 mg/L. The results show that, under the optimum conditions, the removal efficiencies of COD and SS were averagely 97.8% and 99.3%, respectively, and the quality of final effluent can meet the national discharge standard of China. K2FeO4 could efficiently reduce the wastewater viscosity, which was beneficial for the subsequent processes. The MEC process removed a considerable proportion of organic matter and SS, while the EO played an important role in post-polish of final effluent. This work demonstrates that the hybrid system has the potential to be applied for the advanced treatment of high-strength oil/gas fracturing wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geometry and topology are fundamental concepts, which underlie a wide range of fascinating physical phenomena such as topological states of matter and topological defects. In quantum mechanics, the geometry of quantum states is fully captured by the quantum geometric tensor. Using a qubit formed by an NV center in diamond, we perform the first experimental measurement of the complete quantum geometric tensor. Our approach builds on a strong connection between coherent Rabi oscillations upon parametric modulations and the quantum geometry of the underlying states. We then apply our method to a system of two interacting qubits, by exploiting the coupling between the NV center spin and a neighboring 13C nuclear spin. Our results establish coherent dynamical responses as a versatile probe for quantum geometry, and they pave the way for the detection of novel topological phenomena in solid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the influence of alkali precipitation on the gasification of coking wastewater with KOH as catalyst at 540 °C, 25 MPa was investigated. Adding the KOH increased H 2 fraction and the gas yield. The alkali is accumulated in the reactor, and the catalytic effect was further improved with reaction time prolonging. The precipitated alkali in the reactor still showed high catalytic effect on the subsequent gasification of coking wastewater without further adding the alkali. The catalytic activity was slightly reduced owning to the transformation of KOH to K 2 CO 3 and KHCO 3. A novel 4-lump kinetic model for coking wastewater in SCWG including feedstock, CH 4 , CO, and CO 2 lumps is proposed. The kinetic parameters are estimated for each involved reaction. • Updated study concerning supercritical water gasification of coking wastewater. • Impact of temperature, pressure and residence time on H 2 yield. • Enhancement of the H 2 yield in presence of catalysts via gasification process. • A novel 4-lump kinetic model for coking wastewater in SCWG is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil pollution severely threatens agro-ecosystem stability. It is important to accurately understand the status of farmland pollution in order to protect national food safety and human health. However, information of the combined pollution level of Chinese farmland soil and associated human health risk at the national scale is relatively lacking. In this study, 5597 samples from 1781 farmland soil sites were obtained from 553 reports and combined into pollution databases of heavy metals, organochlorines, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Based on the data obtained, this paper demonstrated the current pollution status of farmland soil, and assessed the subsequent human health risk. Results showed that the combined pollution ratio of Chinese farmland soil was 22.10%, with 1.23% of severe pollution level. Moreover, the total non-carcinogenic hazard quotients of farmland soil pollution were within the safety threshold for adults, but there was a slight non-carcinogenic risk for children. For adults, the ratio of total farmland area to total carcinogenic risk quotients above the safety threshold of 1 × 10−5 was only 1.02%, but for children, the ratio was as high as 20.75%. On the other side, food crop and vegetable plantations were the priority control farmland soil compared to other types. Meanwhile, Yunnan, Hunan, Anhui, Henan, and Liaoning were selected as the priority control provinces due to their severe pollutions and high human health risks. This study has provided a comprehensive pollution and health risk assessment. Furthermore, the spatial distribution might provide as the scientific support for accelerating the mapping of soil pollution in China, as well as developing the policy for the contaminated farmland soil management. Unlabelled Image • 5597 samples from 1781 farmland soil sites are reviewed. • 22.1% of China farmland soils are polluted at varying degrees. • 20.8% of soil poses carcinogenic risk in children, much higher than in adults. • The potential carcinogenic risk was homologous to farmland soil pollution in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A field investigation of gully erosion was conducted in a 121.50 km2 area. • A optimized gully volume estimation model was built by threshold iteration method. • Topographic threshold model of gully initiation was built by the quantile regression. • 49% of the study area was in a high sensitivity of gully erosion. Gully erosion is an essential source of soil loss in the world, severely causing land degradation and threatening food security. It is essential to explore the gully morphological characteristics and identify the topographic threshold for gully initiation for the control and prevention of gully erosion. However, limited information about the gully morphological characteristics, volume (V) estimation model and topographic threshold model of gully initiation is available in the rolling hilly Mollisols area of northeast China where gully erosion is prevalent. Herein, a detailed field investigation was carried out in a region of 121.5 km2 to obtain morphological parameters of each gully and the slope (S) and contributing area (A) of each gully head. The results showed that 383 permanent gullies were identified, with the mean length, top width and depth of 511.12 m, 7.84 m and 2.34 m, respectively. Most values of length, top width and depth were in the range of 50–250 m, 1.0–5.0 m and 0.5–3.0 m, respectively. The gully density is 1.61 km km−2 with 1.6% of land disappearing. These gullies are longer, narrower and shallower in this study than other regions of the world. Gully volume showed the optimal relationship with gully surface area (A g). An optimized power piece-wise models of V-A g , classified by gully top width (TW) using threshold iteration method provided a better predicted result. Topographic threshold model (S = 0.033A−0.171) of gully initiation was established by the quantile regression. This study highlights the severity of gully erosion in this major grain producing area of northeast China and proposed a new method for gully volume estimation, which could provide scientific reference for the design and plan of gully erosion control measures and the prevention of gully erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• By inhibiting SLC7A11/xCT with the inhibitor sulfasalazine and nanoreactors with tetrasulfide bond (-s-s-s-s-)- as the backbone, tumor cell glutathione synthesis is suppressed and its consumption is promoted. • Decreased glutathione content inhibits GPX4 synthesis, promotes intracellular lipid peroxide accumulation, and induces ferroptosis in tumor cells. • The photosensitizer DVDMS produces ROS under ultrasound, which, together with Fe3+, promotes lipid peroxide generation. • Targeted delivery of USP39 shRNA can efficiently silence USP39 gene expression under ultrasound stimulation, inhibiting cell proliferation and selectively inducing autophagy-dependent ferroptosis. The promotion of cellular ferroptosis through ultrasound (US)-assisted Fenton chemistry has emerged as a promising strategy for tumor therapy. To enhance the therapeutic effect, we designed a GSH-responsive ultrasound-driven nanoreactor for RNA interference (RNAi)-intensified ferroptosis in synergistic sono-chemodynamic therapy. Our nanoreactor comprises Fe3+/tetrasulfide bond (-s-s-s-s-) enriched dendritic organosilica encapsulating USP39 shRNA, along with co-loading of sinophoryrin sodium (DVDMS) and sulfasalazine (SAS). Hyaluronic acid surface functionalization ensures high tumor accumulation for active targeting of tumor cells. Upon internalization into tumor cells, the nanoreactor degrades upon the triggering of intracellular overproduced GSH. Ultrasound-triggered release of DVDMS generates large amounts of ROS, synergizing with Fe-catalyzed Fenton chemistry. The simultaneous depletion of glutathione peroxidase 4 and GSH by SAS and Fe3+ weakens the ROS-scavenging system, leading to tumoral redox dyshomeostasis via oxidative stress amplification. This results in the accumulation of lipid peroxide in tumor cells, efficiently inducing ferroptosis. Additionally, USP39 shRNA effectively silences the expression of the USP39 gene in cells, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, while promoting ATG5 gene expression to intensify ferroptosis. Our work provides a promising nanoreactor for high-efficiency synergistic tumor therapy via RNAi-intensified ferroptosis, highlighting the potential of sono-chemodynamic therapy in cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the changes in a land use/land cover (LULC) is important for environmental assessment and land management. However, tracking the dynamic of LULC has proved difficult, especially in large-scale underground mining areas with extensive LULC heterogeneity and a history of multiple disturbances. Additional research related to the methods in this field is still needed. In this study, we tracked the LULC change in the Nanjiao mining area, Shanxi Province, China between 1987 and 2017 via random forest classifier and continuous Landsat imagery, where years of underground mining and reforestation projects have occurred. We applied a Savitzky–Golay filter and a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)-based approach to detect the temporal and spatial change, respectively. The accuracy assessment shows that the random forest classifier has a good performance in this heterogeneous area, with an accuracy ranging from 81.92% to 86.6%, which is also higher than that via support vector machine (SVM), neural network (NN), and maximum likelihood (ML) algorithm. LULC classification results reveal that cultivated forest in the mining area increased significantly after 2004, while the spatial extent of natural forest, buildings, and farmland decreased significantly after 2007. The areas where vegetation was significantly reduced were mainly because of the transformation from natural forest and shrubs into grasslands and bare lands, respectively, whereas the areas with an obvious increase in NDVI were mainly because of the conversion from grasslands and buildings into cultivated forest, especially when villages were abandoned after mining subsidence. A partial correlation analysis demonstrated that the extent of LULC change was significantly related to coal production and reforestation, which indicated the effects of underground mining and reforestation projects on LULC changes. This study suggests that continuous Landsat classification via random forest classifier could be effective in monitoring the long-term dynamics of LULC changes, and provide crucial information and data for the understanding of the driving forces of LULC change, environmental impact assessment, and ecological protection planning in large-scale mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Agricultural multifunctionality is increasing interest and importance under the environmental change, which influences the sustainability of agricultural systems. However, research on how the agricultural multifunctionality is being temporally adjusted under the process of rapid urbanization remains limited. Here, we use the Yangtze River Delta, one of the newest metropolitan agglomerations globally, as study area to investigate the threats of modern urbanization to traditional agriculture. This study assessed changes to farmland area and the agricultural multifunctionality of 16 cities in the delta during 1995–2015. The results show that: (1) 87.1% (690, 200 hm2) of farmland area was lost because of urban sprawl over the last 20 years; (2) the total value of agricultural multifunctionality in the delta had increased by 23.2%, which was mainly attributed to a significant increase in food provision and cultural leisure values; (3) the key factor affecting the spatial differentiation of agricultural multifunctionality changed from agricultural labour in 1995 to gross domestic product in 2005 and 2015; and (4) Socio-economic conditions and natural resources determined the adaptive change model of agricultural multifunctionality in different groups of cities. These results illustrate that agricultural multifunctionality is being adjusted to rapid urbanization through the intensification and trade-off of the multiple functions in agricultural system. Therefore, to foster the sustainable development of agriculture in metropolitan agglomerations, future land use policy should focus on both urban control and promoting agricultural multifunctionality. Ongoing transformation practices, such as land consolidation, should aim to improve the bio-physical and socio-economic functions of farmland in the delta. Future research should focus on developing locally suitable strategies based on the adaptive mechanisms of agricultural multifunctionality under changing environments in different cities. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Changes to farmland and multifunctionality were assessed in the Yangtze River Delta. • Farmland loss did not cause food provision to decline from 1995 to 2015. • Key factors affecting multifunctionality changed from agricultural labour to GDP • Intensification and trade-offs offset the impact on agricultural multifunctionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A new EK remediation technology was developed. • MCD and citric acid enhanced the formation of MCD- and citrate-metals complexes. • Compared with MCD, citric acid better facilitated the migration of Cu in soil. Abstract This work investigated the influences of citric acid and methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MCD) as enhancing agents during the electrokinetics (EK)-persulfate process on the remediation of soil artificially contaminated with decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) and copper (Cu) with an initial concentration of 50 and 1000 mg/kg, respectively. The results clearly demonstrate the efficiency of the process while at the same time, the distribution of the residual contaminants in soil and the EK parameters were greatly influenced by the presence of persulfate, MCD and citric acid. The results show that there was significant removal of BDE-209 and Cu from the soil. MCD-assisted process gave the highest BDE-209 removal (88.6%) and the third largest Cu removal (54.3%) from the soil. Comparatively, the highest Cu removal (92.5%) and the second largest BDE-209 removal (85.6%) were achieved by the joint application of MCD and citric acid in anolyte during the EK-persulfate treatment. MCD and citric acid could increase soil electrical current and electroosmotic flow during EK. The alkalization of soil near cathode was alleviated by the acidic byproducts of persulfate decomposition which could be transported to the soil by electroosmosis and electromigration. This integration process may provide a green efficient technology for remediating co-contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this study, the effect of aged refuse on biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), microbial counts, soil ecotoxicity, dehydrogenase activity and microbial community compositions were investigated in solid phase reactors during a 30-week period. The results demonstrate that the removal efficiency of TPH was significantly higher in the soil supplemented with aged refuse than in the soil without aged refuse. After 30 weeks, the removal efficiencies of TPH in soils were 29.3%, 82.1%, 63.7% and 90.2% in the cases of natural attenuation, nutrient addition (with NH 4 NO 3 and K 2 HPO 4), supplement with 20% (w/w, dry weight basis) of aged refuse and the combination of nutrient and aged refuse. Nutrient plus aged refuse made the TPH concentration decrease to below the threshold level of commercial use required for Chinese soil quality for TPH (<3000 mg/kg) in 30 weeks. It was also found that dehydrogenase activity, bacterial counts and degrader abundance in the soil were remarkably enhanced by the addition of aged refuse (20%,w/w). Total organic carbon analysis demonstrates that large amounts of hydrocarbon intermediates occurred in the soil after bioremediation. Highlights • Aged refuse can enhance soil remediation. • The contaminated soil can be remediated to meet the Chinese soil quality standard. • Large amounts of intermediates occurred in the soil after bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Soil total phosphorus (TP) is an essential indicator to reflect the soil fertility in agricultural ecosystems. The accurate prediction of the spatial heterogeneity of TP is crucial to evaluate the soil productivity and quality. In this study, the interpolation methods of inverse distance weighted (IDW), radial basis functions (RBF), ordinary kriging (OK), co-kriging (COK), multiple linear regression (MLR), geographically weighted regression (GWR), regression kriging (RK), and geographically weighted regression kriging (GWRK) were used to estimate the spatial patterns of TP in four Mollisol areas with different kinds of landscapes at diverse scales. The calculation method, accuracy (mean error, mean absolute error, root mean square error and relative improvement), cost (money, labour and time), and process by which the models were established were also compared in order to ascertain the best interpolation methods to analyse and predict the spatial heterogeneity of TP in Mollisol areas. The results showed that i) generally, compared with OK, the RK and GWRK methods typically increased the simulative accuracy of the spatial distribution of TP, while IDW, COK and MLR decreased the accuracy, and RBF and GWR were not consistent at improving the accuracy in the Mollisol area; ii) the slope steepness and brightness index could be introduced to regression models as superior auxiliary variables to improve the interpolation precision (0.8%–1.9%) of TP by RK and GWRK when the study area is relatively flat; iii) the GWRK and RK methods with smaller root mean square error and higher relative improvement outperformed other methods in the region with suitable sampling evenness (>45%), while the RBF method is an optional approach when the sampling evenness is low. In summary, the GWRK and RK could be regarded as the optimal interpolation methods, despite the fact that their improvement was limited in this study. Meanwhile, when considering the cost, time and process by which the models were established, OK can also be deemed an optional interpolation method with relatively acceptable accuracy. Furthermore, the evenness and density of sample should be considered when mapping soil TP in Mollisol areas. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Eight interpolation methods were used to predict TP distribution in Mollisol area. • Both of GWRK and RK were the optimal methods to predict soil TP distribution. • Brightness index as auxiliary variable can improve the interpolation precision. • Slope steepness as the best auxiliary variable can improve interpolation precision. • Interpolation precision is influenced by the evenness and density of soil sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a combined process of internal micro-electrolysis (IME)-electrocoagulation was developed at lab scale for treating a real copper smelting wastewater. By IME, 92.4% of Cu, 88.6% of Pb, and 72.2% of Zn were removed after 30 min at an initial solution pH of 3, a Fe/C dosage of 40 g/L, and a Fe/C mass ratio of 1:1. Removal of residual metals by electrocoagulation was affected by wastewater pH and current density. Electrocoagulation with iron/aluminum electrodes at a current density of 5 mA/cm2, electrocoagulation time of 30 min, and pH 8 resulted in 99.3% Cu, 99.5% Pb, and 98.6% Zn removal. The final effluent quality could satisfy the National Discharge Standard of China. This work demonstrates that the hybrid system has the potential to be applied for the advanced treatment of high-strength copper smelting wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of freeze–thaw effect (FT) on the soil erodibility of gully heads was quantified. • FT increased the comprehensive soil erodibility index (CSEI) of the gully heads by 26%. • The contribution of roots to the change in soil erodibility increased by 79% after FT. • Extreme low temperature and temperature change had the greatest impact on the CSEI. The soil erodibility of gully headwalls is a critical factor influencing gully erosion. In some cold regions, the soil of gully headwalls is subjected to a bidirectional freeze–thaw effect (FT), while the quantification of the influence of FT on the soil erodibility of gully heads is unclear. Therefore, five typical and representative gullies developed in farmlands (G F1 and G F2), along unpaved road (G R), in the woodland (G W) and in stabilized gully bed (G S) were selected to quantify the influence of FT on the soil erodibility of gully heads reflected by five soil erodibility parameters including the K factor (K), soil disintegration rate (SDR), mean weight diameter (MWD), soil shear strength (SS) and saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (SHC). A comprehensive soil erodibility index (CSEI) was constructed by combining the above five soil erodibility parameters. This study revealed that FT significantly affected the five soil erodibility parameters and CSEI , of which the K and SDR increased by 22.7 % and 52.3 %, respectively, but the MWD , SHC and SS decreased by 29.3 %, 30.4 % and 26.1 %, respectively. The change in soil erodibility of the gully heads was closely related to the soil and root properties, of which the contribution of roots to the change in soil erodibility of gully heads was increased by 78.5 % after FT on average. Furthermore, FT significantly increased the CSEI at depths of 0–50 cm in G F1 , G F2 and G R , and at depths of 0–80 cm in G w and G S. FT increased the CSEIs of the five gully heads by 20.1 %-37.3 %, with an average of 26.1 %. Evidently, the organic matter content (OMC), soil texture and temperature dominated the change in the CSEI , of which the extremely low temperature and temperature rangeability during freeze–thaw period exhibited the greatest impact on the soil erodibility of the gully heads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the efficiency of a simultaneous chemical extraction and oxidation for removing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and toxic metals from an actual soil polluted by the recycling activity of electronic waste. Various chemicals, including hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD), citric acid (CA) and sodium persulfate (SP) were applied synchronously with Fe 2+ activated oxidation to enhance the co-removal of both types of pollutants. It is found that the addition of HPCD can enhance POPs removal through solubilization of POPs and iron chelation; while the CA-chelated Fe 2+ activation process is effective for extracting metals and degrading residual POPs. Under the optimized reagent conditions, 69.4% Cu, 78.1% Pb, 74.6% Ni, 97.1% polychlorinated biphenyls, 93.8% polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and 96.4% polybrominated diphenylethers were removed after the sequential application of SP-HPCD-Fe 2+ and SP-CA-Fe 2+ processes with a duration of 180 and 240 min, respectively. A high dehalogenation efficiency (84.8% bromine and 86.2% chlorine) is observed, suggesting the low accumulation of halogen-containing organic intermediates. The remediated soil can satisfy the national soil quality standard of China. Collectively, co-contaminated soil can be remediated with reasonable time and capital costs through simultaneous application of persulfate oxidation and chemical extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visibility computation is of great interest to location optimization, environmental planning, ecology, and tourism. Many algorithms have been developed for visibility computation. In this paper, we propose a novel method of visibility computation, called synthetic visual plane (SVP), to achieve better performance with respect to efficiency, accuracy, or both. The method uses a global horizon, which is a synthesis of line-of-sight information of all nearer points, to determine the visibility of a point, which makes it an accurate visibility method. We used discretization of horizon to gain a good performance in efficiency. After discretization, the accuracy and efficiency of SVP depends on the scale of discretization (i.e., zone width). The method is more accurate at smaller zone widths, but this requires a longer operating time. Users must strike a balance between accuracy and efficiency at their discretion. According to our experiments, SVP is less accurate but more efficient than R2 if the zone width is set to one grid. However, SVP becomes more accurate than R2 when the zone width is set to 1/2 4 grid, while it continues to perform as fast or faster than R2. Although SVP performs worse than reference plane and depth map with respect to efficiency, it is superior in accuracy to these other two algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2-year greenhouse study was conducted to remediate an actual wastewater-irrigated soil co-contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (Cd and Zn). The remediation methods included microbial remediation, phytoremediation, and microbe-assisted phytoremediation. The maximum PAH removal (96.4%), PAH mineralization, and metal phytoextraction (36.1% Cd and 12.7% Zn) were obtained by interplanting ryegrass with Seduce alfredii with regular re-inoculation with Microbacterium sp. KL5 and Candida tropicalis C10 in the co-contaminated soil. The plants shoots were harvested at a 4-month interval. After 2 years, the concentrations of 16 individual PAHs were reduced to below the limit of Chinese soil quality standard for agricultural use (grade II, pH 6.5–7.5), and the metal concentrations in ryegrass shoots were below the Chinese national limit for animal feeds (GB13078-2001). The exogenous microbes gradually disappeared with time, and thus a 2-month re-inoculation interval was applied for a purpose to maintain high cell density and activity of the inoculants. KL5 introduction increased soil enzyme activity, plant growth, PAH removal and metal phytoextraction, while C10 promoted soil enzyme activity and removal of high-molecular-weight PAHs. Interplanting with S. alfredii reduced metal concentrations in ryegrass tissues. Ryegrass showed stronger rhizosphere effects than S. alfredii did. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to analyze the changes of soil microbial communities stimulated by climate, soil type and vegetation type using a functional gene array. The dataset GSE51592 was obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus, including 54 soil samples. Genetic diversity variation of samples under different sites, soil and vegetation types was examined by calculating the percentage of specific gene number in each sample. Furthermore, gene functional categories and microorganism species in samples under different environmental factors were respectively divided. Gene number in samples with cropping was higher than in samples without cropping. When site, soil type and vegetation type were as the sole variable, respectively, the percentage of specific genes in samples from Yingtan, in phaeozem samples and in samples with cropping was higher. Furthermore, the percentage of gene number in organic remediation for phaeozem and cambisol samples was significant at p < 0.05, comparing with that for acrisol samples. At superkingdom level of microorganisms, for the same category, there was no significant difference ( p < 0.05) between the samples. At phylum level, for the categories of Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria, the percentage of gene number in cambisol samples was significantly higher ( p < 0.05). Conversely, in the category of Proteobacteria, the percentage of gene number in phaeozem and acrisol samples was markedly higher ( p < 0.05). Microbial diversity of soil was cooperatively driven by climate, soil type and vegetation type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research indicates that graphene oxide (GO) can effectively deliver photosensitives (PSs) by π–π stacking for photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, due to the tight complexes of GO and PSs, the fluorescence of PSs are often drastically quenched via an energy/charge transfer process, which limits GO-PS systems for photodiagnostics especially in fluorescence imaging. To solve this problem, we herein strategically designed and prepared a novel photo-theranostic agent based on sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS) loaded PEGylated GO (GO-PEG-DVDMS) with improved fluorescence property for enhanced optical imaging guided PDT. The fluorescence of loaded DVDMS is drastically enhanced via intramolecular charge transfer. Meanwhile, the GO-PEG vehicles can significantly increase the tumor accumulation efficiency of DVDMS and lead to an improved PDT efficacy as compared to DVDMS alone. The cancer theranostic capability of the as-prepared GO-PEG-DVDMS was carefully investigated both in vitro and in vivo . Most intriguingly, 100% in vivo tumor elimination was achieved by intravenous injection of GO-PEG-DVDMS (2 mg/kg of DVDMS, 50 J) without tumor recurrence, loss of body weight or other noticeable toxicity. This novel GO-PEG-DVDMS theranostics is well suited for enhanced fluorescence imaging guided PDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Nb-doped WO3 micro- and nanostructures have been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. [•] Nb doping in WO3 structure results in phase transformation and morphology evolution. [•] Band gap increases from 2.72 to 2.78eV after 0–5 at% Nb doping in WO3 structure. [•] A balance between defect oxygen and absorbed oxygen results in steady-state photocurrent at 2 at% niobium doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy-saving potential prediction models play a major role in developing retrofit scheme. Reliable estimation and quantification of energy saving of retrofit measures for these models is essential, since it is often used for guiding political decision-makers. The aim of this paper is to provide up-to-date approaches of predicting energy-saving effect for building retrofit in large-scale, including data-driven, physics-based, and hybrid approaches, while throwing light on workflow and key factors in developing models. The review focuses on pointing out pivotal aspects that are not considered in current models of predicting energy-saving effect for building retrofit in large-scale. It is concluded that the validation of proposed models mainly focuses on an aggregated level, which makes it ignore performance gap differences between buildings. The models exist the problem of prebound- and rebound effects due to uncertainty factor. Occupant's willingness to retrofit is ignored in all three categories of models, which can lead to the prediction result deviate from the actual situation in a certain extent. This paper promotes the development of models for predicting energy-saving potential for large-scale buildings, and help to formulate appropriate strategies for the retrofit of existing buildings. • Three approaches can predict energy saving potential for large-scale building. • Some problems have been solved in the existing models. • There are research gaps in the prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remotely sensed images with low resolution can be effectively used for the large-area monitoring of vegetation restoration, but are unsuitable for accurate small-area monitoring. This limits researchers' ability to study the composition of vegetation species and the biodiversity and ecosystem functions after ecological restoration. Therefore, this study uses LiDAR and hyperspectral data, develops a hierarchical classification method for classifying vegetation based on LiDAR technology, decision tree and a random forest classifier, and applies it to the eastern waste dump of the Heidaigou mining area in Inner Mongolia, China, which has been restored for around 15 years, to verify the effectiveness of the method. The results were as follows. (1) The intensity, height, and echo characteristics of LiDAR point cloud data and the spectral, vegetation indices, and texture features of hyperspectral image data effectively reflected the differences in vegetation species composition. (2) Vegetation indices had the highest contribution rate to the classification of vegetation species composition types, followed by height, while spectral data alone had a lower contribution rate. Therefore, it was necessary to screen the features of LiDAR and hyperspectral data before classifying vegetation. (3) The hierarchical classification method effectively distinguished the differences between trees (Populus spp., Pinus tabuliformis, Hippophae sp. (arbor), and Robinia pseudoacacia), shrubs (Amorpha fruticosa, Caragana microphylla + Hippophae sp. (shrub)), and grass species, with classification accuracy of 87.45% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.79, which was nearly 43% higher than an unsupervised classification and 10.7–22.7% higher than other supervised classification methods. In conclusion, the fusion of LiDAR and hyperspectral data can accurately and reliably estimate and classify vegetation structural parameters, and reveal the type, quantity, and diversity of vegetation, thus providing a sufficient basis for the assessment and improvement of vegetation after restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern mine rehabilitation aims at thorough restoration of an ecosystem with emphasis on not only land area covered by vegetation but also the structure and function of that vegetation. However, assessment of current restoration success reveals a lack of attention to the spatial structure and its relationships with vegetation coverage and biomass. A forest's spatial structure is an important attribute of structural diversity. Complex spatial structures mean diverse species composition and spatial dissimilarity, which can provide a base for self-sustaining and regeneration. This study uses WorldView-2 images and field data to train the mind evolutionary algorithm-back propagation neural network (MEA-BP) model for the purpose of mapping three parameters (coverage, biomass, and spatial structure) across mine dumps. The results show that the spectral and textural features could effectively assess the coverage, biomass, and spatial structure, with an R2 of 0.91, 0.86, and 0.62, respectively. The coverage is positively correlated with biomass, while the spatial structure is negatively correlated with coverage and biomass. Pure Hippophae rhamnoides L. had high coverage but very low spatial structure, while the mixed community dominated by Populus L. and Pinus tabulaeformis Carr had high coverage, high biomass, and medium structure at around 10 years. The results suggested that the artificial reforestation improves vegetation coverage and biomass but did not synchronously increase spatial structure. The initially planted species composition, substrates, and succession process have a significant influence on the forest parameter relationships. The future reforestation and optimization of community assemblages should take the relationships and their influence factors and effects on ecosystem services into account. The remote sensing-based data and model has potential and advantages in dynamically guiding the rehabilitation and monitoring of the restored ecosystem. • WorldView-2 image and artificial neural network model were used for mapping forest parameters. • Trade-offs exist among vegetation coverage, biomass, and spatial structure during mined land restoration. • Artificial reforestation improves vegetation coverage and biomass but not synchronously increase spatial structure. • Optimization of community assemblages should consider the forest parameter relationships and effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

100 Gb/s per channel optical communication is the natural next step for undersea DWDM optical communications. In this article we review some of the key advanced technologies that can have high impact on the future 100Gb/s undersea optical communications, and further present 100 Gb/s optical DWDM transmission over 10,000 km optical fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Nano-sized calcium carbonate (nano-CC) was studied in terms of acting as a carrier for a pesticide. Nano-CC was prepared by reaction of calcium chloride and sodium carbonate by the reversed-phase microemulsion method and then loaded with the pesticide validamycin. The resulting material was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The loading efficiency, sustained-release performance, germicidal efficacy, and stability also were investigated. The size of the loaded nano-CC can be adjusted to between 50 to 200 nm by varying the water/surfactant molar ratio from 30/1 to 10/1, and the loading efficiency can be increased to about 20% by increasing the size of the nano-CC. The material displayed better germicidal efficacy against Rhizoctonia solani compared to conventional technical validamycin after about 7 days, and the time of the release of validamycin was extended to 2 weeks. Given the loading efficiency, stability, sustained-release performance and good environmental compatibility of the material, the method for its preparation may be extended to other hydrophilic pesticide. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Farmland soil erosion affects crop productivity. Field experiments were conducted from 2005 to 2006 on a typical Chinese Mollisol at a farm in Hailun, Heilongjiang, China, to differentiate the early impact of topsoil removal on corn and soybean yield, and to determine the effectiveness of soil amendments for restoring the productivity of eroded soils. The simulated erosion levels were established in the autumn of 2004 by removing up to 30cm of topsoil in 5-cm and 10-cm depth increments. The two soil amendments were: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (NPK) chemical fertilizer at the normal farm rate, and NPK chemical fertilizer plus cattle manure. Above-ground dry matter was substantially reduced by topsoil removal at later stages of vegetative growth, while a reduction in root dry mass was observed earlier. Plant height at harvest and photosynthetic rates during reproductive stages were also reduced. Across the 2 years in the normal fertilizer rate, the 5cm and 10cm topsoil removal reduced soybean yield by 5% and 9%, and corn yield by 10% and 13% respectively, while 20cm and 30cm topsoil removal reduced soybean yield by 37% and 53%, and corn yield by 46% and 73% respectively. Corn was more sensitive to topsoil removal and responded more to application of cattle manure than soybean. The addition of manure did not improve above-ground dry matter accumulation in soybean but greatly increased dry matter in corn in 2006 with a lesser increase in 2005. A significant increase in root growth was found with the addition of chemical fertilizers plus cattle manure in 2006, especially for corn. The addition of cattle manure was an excellent amendment to restore productivity through an enhanced effect on the photosynthetic rate, particularly in corn. Addition of cattle manure with chemical fertilizer restored crop yield in the slightly eroded soil (5cm topsoil removal). The use of chemical fertilizers with cattle manure for improving crop yields on eroded soils is important in the regions similar to the Chinese Mollisols. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) change the soil physicochemical properties and biogeochemical cycles and possibly also change the spatial heterogeneity of soil total nitrogen (TN) in the watershed. In this study, 912 soil samples were collected at 0–5 cm, 5–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil depths in the autumn and the spring of next year after FTCs of 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 in a Mollisol watershed (1.86 km2) of northeast China. The field investigations combined with classical statistics and geographically weighted regression kriging (GWRK) were used to explore the spatiotemporal distribution of TN before and after FTCs. Terrain information (e.g., slope aspect) and land management (e.g., tillage method) was main covariates were used for GWRK. The results showed the following. (1) TN decreased by 3.7–5.7% after FTCs at 0–20 cm soil depths at the watershed scale, decreasing more than 60% of the total watershed area. (2) The spatial pattern of TN did not change in the field with slope aspects and tillage methods after FTCs, but it changed with slope steepness and land uses. (3) TN was mainly influenced by snowmelt erosion during FTCs. TN increased in parts of the top slope, at land use intersection, in gully banks and at the watershed outlet. (4) Simulation accuracy of GWRK was higher than ordinary kriging (OK) for predicted TN at 0–20 cm soil depths before and after FTCs. (5) Spatial distribution of soil TN after FTCs can be predicted (R2 = 0.521, p < 0.0001) and validated (R2 = 0.494, p < 0.0001) using the data before FTCs based on GWRK. Generally, to reduce N loss and increase farmland fertility after FTCs, conservational techniques, e.g., tillage and straw amendment, could be used, especially in the middle slope positions. Moreover, fertilization should be appropriately reduced in parts of the watershed after FTCs, especially on the top slope, land use intersection and watershed outlet. Unlabelled Image • Mean TN decreased 3.7–5.7% at watershed scale, and over 60% of area decreased after FTCs. • Snowmelt erosion was the key factor influencing on TN change during the FTCs. • GWRK has a higher accuracy than OK to estimate TN before and after FTCs. • Soil TN after FTCs can be coarsely predicted using the data before FTCs. • Fertilization on top slope, intersection of land use, watershed outlet in spring needs control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An index system to quantify resilience was developed. • The resilience level of each ecological function area in China was assessed. • China's resilience level has obvious spatial clustering characteristics. • National ecological restoration projects should consider resilience as an factor. Population growth and rapid economic development have led to serious and widespread negative ecological impacts, so the world is faced with the task of ecological recovery. China, in particular, is carrying out a nationwide land improvement and ecological restoration campaign. The spatial distribution of ecological resilience needs to be fully considered in the planning of these projects. However, most current ecological assessments lack a focus on resilience. Based on selected resilience principles, this paper constructs an assessment indicator system for national-scale ecological resilience, evaluates the level of ecological resilience of 1,434 ecological function areas in China and discusses the layout of ecological restoration projects throughout the country. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) In China, the level of ecological resilience varies widely based on location. Generally, it shows high levels of ecological resilience occur in the south and low in the north. The resilience index ranged from 0 to 0.585. The natural condition index is the most important indicator affecting resilience. (2) China's existing ecological restoration projects are mostly distributed in areas with low levels of resilience. Restorative ecological engineering is not directly related to the distribution of resilience but is affected by the level of resilience. (3) The levels of China's resilience has a negative relationship with ecological sensitivity and ecological vulnerability level. Constructing a national-scale resilience assessment index system based on resilience criteria can effectively reveal the overall pattern of national-scale resilience. This study can provide reference for the ecological restoration planning, assessment, and adaptive management on a national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the ecological restoration of mine dumps, soil carbon stock (SCS) improvement is an important issue. The type of land use and management approach taken can have a great influence on this issue. On the Loess Plateau, different crops have been cultivated on reclaimed land; however, the effect of long-term crop cultivation on SCS is poorly understood. To address this issue, a field investigation of mine dumps was performed at the Kee Open Pit Mine in Shanxi Province, China. Four sites utilizing different land management methods were analyzed: no reclamation (NR), reclamation with no crop cultivation (NC), and reclamation followed by 11 or 27 years crop cultivation (RC-11 and RC-27, respectively). SCS, associated soil properties (total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), moisture content (MoiC), and pH), plant community (species composition, plant diversity, and traits), and microbial community operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of fungi and bacteria were determined by field investigation and laboratory analysis. Redundancy analysis was used to show the relationship between SCS and other environmental variables. Results varied by soil depth. At the depth range of 0–20 cm, the SCS of RC-11 was significantly greater compared to that in NR and NC, by 14.64- and 2.25-fold, respectively; whereas compared to RC-27, it was higher by 52.78%. At the depth of 20–40 cm, NC has the largest SCS; the SCS of RC-27 was the lowest, which was less compared to that in NC by 43.64%. Redundancy analysis showed a positive relationship between the SCS and TN, TP, MoiC, as well as average plant coverage, while the bacterial OTUs were negatively related with the SCS. This research suggests the potential of mine dumps for crop cultivation, which could improve the SCS of the mining area on the Loess Plateau. Unlabelled Image • Soil carbon stock of mine dumps under different management was investigated. • The soil carbon stock of the dump after 11 years of cultivation was the highest. • Relationships between soil, plant and microbial community were analyzed. • Surface soil was more susceptible than deep soil to the effect of crop cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GWRK was employed to reveal the spatial patterns of TP at the watershed scale. • The spatial autocorrelation of TP decreased by 5.9% after FTCs. • TP decreased in 85% of the watershed area after FTCs. • The mean value of TP decreased by 9.5% in the watershed after FTCs. • An equation was developed and used to roughly predict TP after FTC (R2 = 0.72). Freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) change soil physiochemical properties and biogeochemical processes and inevitably influence the spatial distribution of soil phosphorus (P). In this study, a field investigation was conducted on the Mollisol soil of the Guangrong watershed from 2016 to 2018 to clarify the effect of FTCs on the spatial distribution of total phosphorus (TP) at soil depths of 0–5, 5–10 and 10–20 cm. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to reveal the effect of FTCs on TP in soil profiles (0–30 cm) in Mollisols. The results showed that (1) the spatial autocorrelation (nugget to sill ratio) of TP decreased by 5.92% after the FTCs while the spatial variance (coefficient of variation) increased by 17.19%. The TP in 85% of the watershed area decreased after the FTCs, and the mean content of TP decreased by 9.53%. These changes were mainly influenced by land use types, topographical factors, soil properties and human activities. (2) TP increased in the intersection between farmland and forestland (0.01 g kg−1) after the FTCs, while TP decreased both in the areas near the hydrological channel (0.06 g kg−1) and at the outlet of the watershed (0.13 g kg−1). Compared with down-slope tillage, maize planting, south-facing slopes and low vegetation coverage areas, the cross-slope tillage, soybean planting, north-facing slopes and high vegetation coverage areas reduced TP losses by 56.1%, 19.5%, 115.8% and 141.9%, respectively, in the 0–20 cm soil layer. (3) The effects of FTCs on TP in soil profile were mainly influenced by the soil moisture content, FTC frequency and soil bulk density in the laboratory incubation experiment. TP variability showed a V-shaped trend as the number of FTCs increased, and decreased as the initial moisture content increased at 1.1 g cm−3 of soil bulk density. (4) An equation based on the TP and mean value of normalized difference snow index, normalized difference vegetation index, ferrous minerals index and normalized difference soil moisture index from the freezing period to the thawing period was built to roughly predict the TP after FTCs (R2 = 0.72). Generally, the TP tended to decrease during both the freezing stage and the thawing stage in the field. Areas with down-slope tillage, existing maize fields, south-facing positions, low vegetation coverage and high snow coverage should be focused on to reduce P losses during FTCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve issues concerning performance induction and in-cylinder heat accumulation of a certain heavy-duty diesel engine in a plateau environment, working state parameters and performance indexes of diesel engine are calculated and optimized using the method of artificial neural network and genetic algorithm cycle multi-objective optimization. First, with an established diesel engine simulation model and an orthogonal experimental method, the influence rule of five performance indexes affected by five working state parameters are calculated and analyzed. Results indicate the first four of five working state parameters have a more prominent influence on those five performance indexes. Subsequently, further calculation generates correspondences among four working state parameters and five performance indexes with the method of radial basis function neural network. The predicted value of the trained neural network matches well with the original one. The approach can fulfill serialization of discrete working state parameters and performance indexes to facilitate subsequent analysis and optimization. Next, we came up with a new algorithm named RBFNN & GACMOO, which can calculate the optimal working state parameters and the corresponding performance indexes of the diesel engine working at 3700 m altitude. At last, the bench test of the diesel engine in a plateau environment is employed to verify accuracy of the optimized results and the effectiveness of the algorithm. The research first combined the method of artificial neural network and genetic algorithm to specify the optimal working state parameters of the diesel engine at high altitudes by focusing on engine power, torque and heat dissipation, which is of great significance for improving both performance and working reliability of heavy-duty diesel engine working in plateau environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pot experiments were conducted under abiotic conditions to investigate the interactive influence of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) and lead (Pb) on the seed germination, germ length, root exudation and physiological characteristics of tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae), and the uptake, accumulation of Pb and BDE-209 in the plant tissues. Results show that seed germination and germ length were impacted by Pb but less influenced by BDE-209. BDE-209 spiking (10 and 50 mg/L) could alleviate the toxicity of high Pb concentration on seed germination and growth. The chlorophyll content was significantly increased at 500 mg/kg Pb but declined at 2000 mg/kg Pb. Low-level Pb contamination (500 mg/kg) activated antioxidase activity; however, 2000 mg/kg Pb significantly reduced the antioxidase activity. Plant biomass slightly decreased at 500 mg/kg Pb but significantly declined at 2000 mg/kg Pb. The addition of a moderate dosage of BDE-209 (10–50 mg/kg) lessened Pb phytotoxicity, leading to improved plant growth relative to the case of Pb spiking alone. The exudate secretion was significantly enhanced by Pb addition, but BDE-209 spiking only caused slightly increased secretion. Pb could interfere with BDE-209 adsorption and translocation of tall fescue by affecting physiological behavior of the plant, but BDE-209 exhibited little influence on the Pb fate in the plant. Overall, BDE-209 had slight interference on the impact of Pb towards tall fescue. The results demonstrate the complex interactive effects of organic pollutants and heavy metals in the soil-plant system. • Pot experiments were conducted under abiotic conditions. • The effect of Pb and BDE-209 varied greatly. • Pb could interfere with BDE-209 adsorption and translocation of tall fescue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental sustainability is a mandatory consideration for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project, thereby making environmental monitoring more essential. This paper aims at demonstrating the feasibility and superiority of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technique for environmental monitoring of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project. Surface deformation and topsoil moisture are considered as the monitoring factors due to their importance to the public security and sustainability. Taking Jingbian CO 2 -EOR project as a case study, Interferometric SAR (InSAR) and Advanced Integral Equation Model (AIEM) were used for spatial estimates of surface deformation and topsoil moisture from Sentinel-1A images. The results showed that the distribution of surface deformation and topsoil moisture both manifested as spatial heterogeneity. No significantly regular uplift or subsidence trend was observed within the storage fields. The average deformation velocity of 5.63 mm yr−1 from 537 measuring points was probably determined by the trade-off between soil erosion and eolian dust deposit. Topsoil moisture was observed to associate with natural conditions, and its spatial distribution was mainly ruled by topographic factors. Areas with soil moisture below 20% covered about 3.98 km2, totally accounting for 77.14%. Areas with soil moisture over 20% were mostly distributed in the gully regions. In conclusion, currently, there was no large deformation trend or abnormal topsoil moisture distribution as public concerns, but long-term monitoring program is still needed for ensuring environmental sustainability. This study demonstrates that SAR technique can improve the spatial knowledge of surface deformation and topsoil moisture, which is useful for sustainability assessment of operating CO 2 -EOR project. • Spatial distribution of surface deformation and topsoil moisture were estimated using SAR images. • No significant feature was found out to illustrate CO 2 -EOR project had disturbance to local environment currently. • To date, spatial estimates of surface deformation and topsoil moisture could be mainly caused by natural conditions. • SAR technique is an effective and useful tool for environmental monitoring at a regional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the interactions among different microorganisms is important to understand how ecological function transformation is affected by elevated CO2 levels in CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) sites. Molecular ecological networks were established to reveal the interactions among different microbes of the soil bacterial community with the high-throughput sequencing data of 16S rRNA genes. The results showed that these networks are a powerful tool to identify and explain the interactions and keystone species in the communities under elevated CO2 pressure. The structures of networks under different CO2 leakage concentrations were different as a result of the networks' topology properties, such as node numbers, topological roles of individual nodes, and network hubs. These indicators imply that the interactions among different groups were obviously changed. Moreover, changes in the network structure were significantly correlated with soil pH value, which might suggest that the large CO2 leakage affected the soil ecosystem functions by changing the network interactions. Additionally, the key microbial populations such as Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were distinguished based on network topology to reveal community structure and ecosystem functioning. The work developed in this study could help microbiologists to address some research questions that could not be approached previously, and, hence, might represent a new area of research for microbial ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]