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Branch phenotypic traits determine tree crown architecture, which in turn governs leaf display, light interception, and biomass production. Sylleptic and proleptic branches are the obviously different branch phenotypes in the poplar crown. Many studies have focused on the influence of sylleptic branch numbers (SBN) on biomass production, but the research on the influence of proleptic branch phenotypes was only a few. To explore the relationship between proleptic branch traits and biomass generation production in a high-density poplar plantation, we investigated the branch phenotypic traits of three poplar genotypes, all of which have high survival rates in forests (> 95%) and significantly different crown architecture and biomass performance in the high-density plantations (1667 stems ha−1). The plantation site was established in 2007. A terrestrial laser scanner was used to measure branch characteristics such as length, angle of origin and termination, and azimuth angle. A hierarchical cluster analysis performed on branch characteristics showed that SBN, crown depth, and proleptic branch curvature (PBC) were clustered with biomass production and leaf area index (LAI). Among all of the monitored traits, PBC played the second most important role in biomass production after SBN and was significantly correlated with SBN, LAI, and biomass production. The positive correlation between PBC and SBN indicated that a larger PBC was associated with more sylleptic branches within the monitored genotypes planted in the high-density plantation, providing greater leaf area and biomass production. The results of this study will improve the identification of high-production poplar varieties for cultivation in high-density plantations for biofuel production.

In recent years, with continuous focus on clean energy and environmental protection, the scale of photovoltaic generation industry in China has been gradually expanded, making great achievements. However, it also faces huge challenges and problems such as fierce market competition, serious photovoltaic curtailment, high cost, etc. In order to promote the sustainable development of photovoltaic industry, this paper constructs an energy storage-involved photovoltaic value chain (ES-PVC) consisting of three nodes for upstream, midstream and downstream, in which photovoltaic power suppliers, battery energy storage business and electric vehicle manufacturers locate respectively. The coupling problem for node enterprises in the value chain is studied by multi-objective optimization and G1 method, which is measured eventually via a single value transformed by ideal point method. Considering the particularity of issue, the paper proposes an improved genetic algorithm (IGA) to fit and solve the model. A best value chain is acquired via proposed approach whose feasibility and applicability are verified through comparative analysis with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and linear assignment method (LAM) and sensitivity analysis. The implications and limitations are presented in the conclusion, aiming to provide theoretical reference for value management of photovoltaic enterprise and to get further research.

Little research was carried out to study the effect of water vapor with different contents on the CO2 adsorption performance during extending cycles in both carbonation and decarbonation stages. This study described the CO2 adsorption performance of Ca-Al mixed oxides under different water vapor concentrations. The results revealed that the reactivity and durability of both fresh and spent sorbents were remarkably enhanced by adding water vapor. The initial CO2 carbonation capacity increased from 56 wt% without water to 70.7 wt% with 1.6% water vapor at the adsorption temperature of 600 °C. The stability of Ca-Al mixed oxides was also investigated during 220 cycles with 1% steam vapor. The CO2 adsorption capacity retained 55.6 wt% after 220 cycles, indicating an excellent long-term durability. The excellent CO2 adsorption capacity and stability of the mixed oxides in the existence of water vapor may be attributed to the following reasons: water vapor facilitated CO2 diffusion in the CaCO3 product layer during the carbonation stage as well as the decomposition rate of CaCO3 during the calcination stage; water vapor facilated the formation of the loose porous structure, which was favorable for the subsequent carbonation of CaO.

The paper gives a 24 GHz two-element end-fire dipole antenna array in rogers 4350 technology. The antenna has gain of 8.8 dBi, a bandwidth of 1.3 GHz for S11, half power width of 56° in X-Y plane and 65° in X-Z plane. This antenna array is characterized by high gain and simplicity in design. It is also very compact in size with an area of only $1.9\times 1.7\ \text{cm}^{2}$ . This end-fire antenna array topology can as well be adopted in antenna design for other frequency bands in planar PCB technology, and also for on-chip mm-wave and THz antenna design.

Plants reduce their growth rate when confronted by insect attack, and in turn resources are redirected from growth to enhance resistance against herbivory. In this study, one possible signaling cascade was investigated for establishing the underlying mechanism for the slow growth rate that has been observed following insect herbivory. Our results showed that free jasmonate (JA) and auxin levels were elevated in both leaves and roots after Plutella xylostella L. attack which was accompanied by the transcriptional increase of the auxin biosynthetic YUCCA3 and YUCCA8 genes. Further examination of endogenous auxin flux using physiological micro-sensor profiling showed that near the surface of the root transition zone, the net auxin flux decreased after insect attack. Conversely, insect herbivory caused an increase in the net H+ flux along the root surface with the most pronounced response occurring in the transition zone. Transcript levels of auxin transporter genes PIN1, PIN2, PIN3, PIN7, and AUX1 were also reduced after insect attack. Together, the auxin and H+ flux results indicate that the reduced growth after insect attack was likely associated with a decrease of auxin flux and proton secretion along the root tip.

After the rapid development of China's wind power industry, the lack of core technology and the mismatch between the expansion and development speed have become increasingly prominent. In order to correctly understand the current situation and problems, the whole research process is divided into the following four steps. The first step takes the profit rate of main business from 2017 to 2019 as sample variable to study the smile pattern of the wind power industry value chain. The second step takes the Principal Component Analysis as the research method, and the evaluation index system is constructed, so as to further analyze the value-added driving factors. The third step uses the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Malmquist model as evaluation methods, and the static and dynamic efficiencies of each value chain link are evaluated, respectively. In step four, the selected companies are effectively clustered with the Cluster Analysis. The results show that the value chain shows a gradual deepening smile, the overall value-added efficiency is not ideal, and there are specific problems in each link. This paper aims to provide reference for enterprises to make targeted improvement on the basis of analyzing the current situation. It also provides reference for the comparison and promotion of other countries.

The safe and stable operation of important power users plays an important role in the harmonious development of society and economy. Different from previous studies which mostly based on reliability model, a group decision-making model based on cloud model and connection number is proposed in this paper. First, an assessment index system is established including operation safety risk, cooperation credit risk, power regulation risk and operating capacity risk. Then, with the advantage in dealing with qualitative language, cloud model is employed to convert the qualitative concepts into quantitative values, which reduce the fuzziness and randomness. Next, in order to integrate the information among different index, the geometric operator of binary connection number is defined. Finally, the comparison method of connection numbers is put forward to rank the results. The example and sensibility analysis verify the effectiveness and applicability of the model in this paper.

In the last decade, the scale and speed of development for wind power in China presented an explosive growth and has been maintaining a leading position worldwide. However, rapid development, with addition of the nature of clean energy itself, is followed by the problem of energy consumption such as wind curtailment. To improve the energy efficiency, a new pattern of wind power generation, namely the non-grid-connected wind power, is gradually accessible to the public. At the same time, proposes a novel concept of ubiquitous power Internet of things (UPIoTs) to improve the energy-using environment and quality. In the context of above proposal, to research how UPIoTs promotes the consumption of wind power especially has become a crucial task. The purpose of this paper is to identify influence factors through literature review and expert interview on the basis of relationship between the referenced two. During the process of exploring effects among factors, the improved interpretative structural modeling (ISM) coupled with fuzzy order relation analysis method (fuzzy G1 method) is constructed and adopted to make up for the shortcomings of traditional method. According to the results, three factors are considered as the most influential and some suggestions are given from these three aspects, aiming at making a contribution to the solutions in theory and in practice.

Summary Plant height is among the most important agronomic traits that influence crop yield. However, in addition to the Rht‐1 alleles, the molecular basis of plant height in bread wheat remains largely unclear. Based on wheat gene expression profiling analysis, we identify a light‐regulated gene from bread wheat, designated as TaCOLD1, whose encoding protein is homologous to cold sensor COLD1 in rice. We show that TaCOLD1 protein is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane. Phenotypic analyses show that overexpression of a mutated form of TaCOLD1 (M187K) in bread wheat cultivar Kenong199 (Rht‐B1b) background resulted in an obvious reduction in plant height. Further, we demonstrate that the hydrophilic loop of TaCOLD1 (residues 178–296) can interact with TaGα‐7A (the α subunit of heterotrimeric G protein) protein but not TaGα‐1B, and the mutation (M187K) in TaCOLD1 remarkably enhances its interaction with TaGα‐7A. Physical interaction analyses show that the C‐terminal region of TaGα‐7A, which is lacking in the TaGα‐1B protein, is necessary for its interaction with TaCOLD1. Intriguingly, the C‐terminal region of TaGα‐7A is also physically associated with the TaDEP1 protein (an atypical Gγ subunit). Significantly, we discover that TaCOLD1 and mTaCOLD1 (M187K) can interfere with the physical association between TaGα‐7A and TaDEP1. Together, this study reveals that TaCOLD1 acts as a novel regulator of plant height through interfering with the formation of heterotrimeric G protein complex in bread wheat and is a valuable target for the engineering of wheat plant architecture.

KOH-based electrolytes with different salt additives were investigated to reduce their corrosive nature toward Mg/Ni metal hydride alloys used as negative electrodes in nickel metal hydride (Ni/MH) batteries. Alkaline metal halide salts and oxyacid salts were studied as additives to the traditional KOH electrolyte with concentrations varying from 0.005 M to 1.77 M. Effects of the cations and anions of the additives on charge/discharge performance are discussed. The reduction potential of alkaline cations and radii of halogen anions were correlated with initial capacity and degradation of the metal hydride alloy. A synergistic effect between KOH and some oxyacid salt additives was observed and greatly influenced by the nature of the salt additives. It was suggested that both the formation of a solid film over the metal hydride surface and the promotion of proton transfer in the additives containing electrolytes led to a decreased degradation of the electrodes and an increased discharge capacity. 12 salt additives, NaC2H3O2, KC2H3O2, K2CO3, Rb2CO3, Cs2CO3, K3PO4, Na2WO4, Rb2SO4, Cs2SO4, NaF, KF, and KBr, were found to increase the corrosion resistance of the MgNi-based metal hydride alloy.

Biosynthesis and accumulation of jasmonate (JA) can regulate plant defense responses and organ development under insect herbivore stress conditions. One of these responses, the inhibition of root growth, is a common phenomenon. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms of how JA affects root growth are not completely understood. In this study, the influence of MeJA treatment on auxin and proton flux rates in the root apex region of Col-0, coi1-1, pin2, and aux1-7 mutant lines was examined using a non-invasive micro-test technique. The auxin and H+ flux profiles taken from coi1-1 mutants suggest that the modulation of auxin and H+ flux by JA requires the function of COI1. The auxin and H+ flux in pin2 and aux1 mutants with and without JA treatment suggest that JA can affect polar auxin transport by regulating PIN-mediated auxin efflux and the AUX-mediated influx pathways. Furthermore, the expression levels of PIN1, PIN2, PIN3, PIN7, AUX1, and TIR1 genes were reduced under MeJA treatment, and expression levels of CYP79B2 and CYP79B3 were elevated. Together, these results suggest that JA signaling may modulate the auxin signaling pathways by regulating the expression of key genes.

Poplar (Populus sp.) canopy provides considerable shading in high-density plantations, imposing adverse impacts on crown characteristics relating to biomass production, such as leaf area index (LAI) and photosynthesis. However, it is yet unclear how the LAI, photosynthesis, and biomass production of poplars would respond to shading. In this study, the shading responses were investigated in three poplar genotypes with contrasting biomass performance in a high-density plantation (1667 ha−1) established six years prior to the study. A three dimensional laser scanner and a portable photosynthesis system were used to measure the canopy structure and photosynthetic parameters. Principal component analysis (PCA) and the partial least squares method (PLS) were used to determine the importance of measured variables to LAI and biomass. Among all the factors studied, LAI was one of the most related factors to biomass. The genotype with greater shade tolerance ability had higher LAI. Moreover, the high biomass genotype showed a low light compensation point (LCP) and respiration rate (Rd) accompanied with a high ratio of photosynthesis to respiration (Amax/Rd) and a high maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax). This characteristic was more distinct in the middle (M) and lower (L) crown layers than in the upper (U) crown layer. Therefore, high LAI, Amax and Amax/Rd accompanied by low LSP and Rd are the key traits in obtain a high biomass genotype. Thus, improving shade tolerance in leaves of the middle and lower canopy layer to obtain a high LAI and biomass production can be an effective breeding method.

With the reduction of global oil reserves, developing renewable energy has become an important issue for each country. Biomass power is an important kind of clean energy, as it has abundant resource and is environmental friendly. In the past few years, China biomass power industry has developed rapidly accompanied with some problems. This paper analyzes the current situation of China biomass power generation from several aspects such as power structure, resource distribution, investment strength, and policy environment, etc. We focus on the problems existed in practical operation and analyze the outstanding problems. At last, this paper offers several suggestions for future development on the relevant fields, such as cost, strategic planning and policy.

With the continuous attention on clean energy and energy abandonment, clean energy power generation – energy storage-energy using virtual enterprise (PGSU VE) centered on energy storage has been highly valued. The alliance can not only effectively integrate enterprise resources, but also efficiently adapt to the change of market environment. However, the various uncertainties in the alliance become a major obstacle to PGSU development. To ensure the healthy development of the alliance, risk evaluation has become a crucial step. This paper aims to identify risk factors through questionnaire survey and literature review and calculate the overall risk levels of PGSU VEs with an integrated approach with fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP). Results of factors identification consisted of market, social politics and environmental, capacity, cooperation and coordination, alliance formation and risk commitment and profit distribution risk categories. Overall risk levels of three VEs were calculated and ranked with proposed approach whose feasibility and consistency were verified through a comparative analysis with Best Worst Method (BWM) and Stochastic multi-criteria acceptability analysis (SMAA). Moreover, considering existing risks, some suggestions were put forward for future development of clean PGSU VE. The implications and limitations were presented in the conclusions.

In this paper, we studied the CO2 adsorption performances of well-mixed oxides with Ca/Al ratios of 2:1, 2.5:1, 3:1, 3.5:1, and 4:1, which were prepared through the thermal decomposition of co-precipitated hydrotalcite-like Ca–Al–ClO4 precursors. The mixed oxides with a Ca/Al ratio of 3 exhibited the best performance at the adsorption temperature of 600 °C, and approximately 87% of the initial CO2 capture capacity was retained after 50 cycles of multiple carbonation/calcination tests. The favorable cyclical performance of the adsorbent is attributed to the homogeneous distribution of Al2O3 among CaO particles, which effectively prevented the aggregation and sintering of CaO crystallite. Furthermore, a smaller particle size (about 30 nm) of CaO allowed for as much carbonation as possible to take place at the rapid reaction-controlled regime rather than at the diffusion-controlled regime, resulting in the favorable long-term adsorption performance.

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) elicits stomatal closure in many plant species. Stomatal closure is accompanied by large ion fluxes across the plasma membrane (PM). Here, we recorded the transmembrane ion fluxes of H(+) , Ca(2+) and K(+) in guard cells of wild-type (Col-0) Arabidopsis, the CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (COI1) mutant coi1-1 and the PM H(+) -ATPase mutants aha1-6 and aha1-7, using a non-invasive micro-test technique. We showed that MeJA induced transmembrane H(+) efflux, Ca(2+) influx and K(+) efflux across the PM of Col-0 guard cells. However, this ion transport was abolished in coi1-1 guard cells, suggesting that MeJA-induced transmembrane ion flux requires COI1. Furthermore, the H(+) efflux and Ca(2+) influx in Col-0 guard cells was impaired by vanadate pre-treatment or PM H(+) -ATPase mutation, suggesting that the rapid H(+) efflux mediated by PM H(+) -ATPases could function upstream of the Ca(2+) flux. After the rapid H(+) efflux, the Col-0 guard cells had a longer oscillation period than before MeJA treatment, indicating that the activity of the PM H(+) -ATPase was reduced. Finally, the elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration and the depolarized PM drive the efflux of K(+) from the cell, resulting in loss of turgor and closure of the stomata.

Heterotrimeric G-proteins play an important role in plant signalling pathways. The plant hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) can induce stomatal closure in many plant species. The signal cascade in MeJA-induced stomatal closure has been studied previously. However, the function of G proteins in this process has not yet been evaluated. In this study, the stomatal movement induced by MeJA in the wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana (L. Heynh.) (WS), Gα subunit loss-of-function mutant gpa1–1 and gpa1–2 guard cells were measured. Further, the transmembrane ion flux (H+, Ca2+ and K+) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) experiments were performed in guard cells from WS, GDP-β-S pre-treated WS, gpa1–1 and gpa1–2 using non-invasive micro-test technique (NMT) and confocal technique. It was observed that the MeJA-induced stomatal closure was abolished in guard cells of gpa1 mutants. GDP-β-S pre-treatment and gpa1 mutants impaired the MeJA-activated H+ efflux, Ca2+ influx and K+ efflux. The accumulation of ROS in gpa1–1 and gpa1–2 guard cells was also lower than that in WS guard cells under MeJA treatment. These results suggested that Gα subunits are involved in regulating the signal events in JA signal pathway and stomatal closure.

This paper describes the sorption of carbon dioxide for enhanced steam reforming of ethanol to produce hydrogen via Ni–CaO–Al2O3 multifunctional catalysts derived from hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTlcs). The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tested in sorption enhanced steam reforming of ethanol (SESRE), in which products were monitored by an online mass spectrometer (MS). The Ni–CaO–Al2O3 catalysts possess uniform distribution of Ni, Ca and Al, contributing significantly to the excellent CO2 adsorbent capacity and reforming activity in SESRE. We have also examined the effect of Ca/Al ratios on Ni dispersion, CaO particle size, and catalytic reactivity; a Ca/Al of 3.0 was optimized. The Ni–CaO–Al2O3 catalysts outperform the conventional mixture of CaO adsorbents and Ni/Al2O3 catalysts for SESRE.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas and makes a significant contribution to global warming and climate change. Thus CO2 capture and storage (CCS) have attracted worldwide interest from both fundamental and practical research communities. Alkali-metal-based oxides such as alkali-metal oxides, binary oxides, and hydrotalcite-like compounds are promising adsorbents for CO2 capture because of their relatively high adsorption capacity, low cost, and wide availability. They can also be applied to the adsorption-enhanced reactions involving CO2. The microstructures (e.g., surface area, porosity, particle size, and dispersion) of these oxides determine the CO2 adsorption capacity and multicycle stability. This perspective critically assesses and gives an overview of recent developments in the synthesized method, adsorption mechanism, operational conditions, stability, and regenerability of a variety of oxides. Both pros and cons of these oxides are also discussed. Insights are provided into several effective procedures regarding microstructural control of alkali-metal-based oxides, including preparation optimization, modification, stream hydration, etc.