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Polymer microspheres (PMs), such as polyacrylamide, have been widely applied for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), yet with environmental concerns. Here, we report a microfluid displacement technology containing a bio-based eco-friendly material, i.e., calcium alginate (CaAlg) microspheres for EOR. Two dominant mechanisms responsible for EOR over CaAlg fluid have been verified, including the microscopic oil displacement efficacy augmented by regulating capillary force (determined by the joint action of interfacial tension and wettability between different phases) and macroscopic sweep volume increment through profile control and mobility ratio reduction. This comprehensive effectiveness can be further impacted when the CaAlg microsphere is embellished ulteriorly by using appropriate amount of sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS). The core flooding and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests demonstrate that CaAlg-SDS microsphere can balance the interphase property regulation (wettability alteration and IFT reduction) and rheology properties, enabling simultaneous profile control and oil displacement. Excessive introduction of SDS will have a negative impact on rheological properties, which is not favored for EOR. Our results show that the involvement of 4-mM SDS will provide the best behavior, with an EOR rate of 34.38%. This cost-effective and environmentally-friendly bio-microspherebased microfluidic displacement technology is expected to achieve "green" oil recovery in future oilfield exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the biological activity of essential oils (EOs) and their main components (caryophyllene and cuminol) against Tribolium castaneum larvae and Lasioderma serricorne adults. EOs were extracted from both flowers and leaves of Elsholtzia stauntoni. The results indicated that the EOs derived from both flowers and leaves, as well as their main components (caryophyllene and cuminol), exhibited contact activities with LD50 values of 35.11, 43.66, 15.44, and 26.05 µg/larva, respectively, against T. castaneum larvae. Moreover, they demonstrated obvious contact toxicities with LD50 values of 14.15, 11.18, 17.81, and 13.91 µg/adult, respectively, against L. serricorne adults. Additionally, EOs from both flowers and leaves exhibited fumigant activities against T. castaneum larvae (LC50 = 24.42 and 62.54 mg/L) and L. serricorne adults (LC50 = 15.26 and 24.29 mg/L). Furthermore, the EOs of flowers and leaves and their main components (caryophyllene and cuminol) remained significantly repellency to T. castaneum larvae and L. serricorne adults within the testing concentration range of 78.63-15.83 nL/cm2 after 12 h of exposure. These findings suggested that the EO from E. stauntoni and its two major components could potentially be developed as a natural insecticide for controlling T. castaneum larvae and L. serricorne adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has suffered frequent source water contamination accidents in the past decade, which has resulted in severe consequences to the water supply of millions of residents. The origins of typical cases of contamination are discussed in this paper as well as the emergency response to these accidents. In general, excessive pursuit of rapid industrialization and the unreasonable location of factories are responsible for the increasing frequency of accidental pollution events. Moreover, insufficient attention to environmental protection and rudimentary emergency response capability has exacerbated the consequences of such accidents. These environmental accidents triggered or accelerated the promulgation of stricter environmental protection policy and the shift from economic development mode to a more sustainable direction, which should be regarded as the turning point of environmental protection in China. To guarantee water security, China is trying to establish a rapid and effective emergency response framework, build up the capability of early accident detection, and develop efficient technologies to remove contaminants from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indium-composition fluctuations in InGaN epitaxial layers are suppressed by using periodically-pulsed mixture (PPM) of N2 and H2 carrier gas. Photoluminescence, optical transmission, reciprocal space map and space-resolved cathodoluminescence are employed to characterize the InGaN epilayers. It is shown that the lateral In-fluctuations mainly occur as hillock-like In-rich regions. Both the number and size of In-rich regions are reduced by introducing the PPM carrier gas. Moreover, the measurements first experimentally demonstrate that the H2 carrier gas has a stronger decomposition effect on the In-rich region. As the duration time of the PPM carrier gas increases, the reduction of In-content in the In-rich region reaches up to 12%, however, only 2% for the In-homogeneous region. These factors lead to the suppression of In-fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powdery mildew (PM), caused by Erysiphe cruciferarum, is an epidemic of oil rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) growing worldwide, but PM resistant germplasm is rare in this species. We screened 102 accessions of B. napus and other cruciferous species and found an Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata) cultivar 'White flower' immune to PM in both the field and greenhouse. Outcrossing in the female parent 'White flower' was promoted by using a chemical gametocide tribenuron-methyl, to obtain hybrid seeds of distant hybridization with an elite B. napus cultivar 'Zhongshuang11'. Three true F1 hybrids with B. carinata cytoplasm were obtained without using embryo rescue, which showed complete male sterility and light yellow petals. The hybrid plants and the progenies derived from backcrossing were validated using morphological traits, seed quality, and molecular markers. Five lines in the BC1F3 generation, named 'W7-1', 'W7-4', 'W7-6', 'W8-1', and 'W8-3', and one BC2F2 line 'W3PS-1', whose young leaf was yellow green, were identified to be resistant or moderately resistant to PM. The seed quality and some morphological traits of these lines resembled the parent 'Zhongshuang11', indicating that the resistance gene(s) has been preliminarily introduced into B. napus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of stochastic resonance and synchronization on some complex neuronal networks have been investigated extensively. These studies are of great significance for us to understand the weak signal detection and information transmission in neural systems. Moreover, the complex electrical activities of a cell can induce time-varying electromagnetic fields, of which the internal fluctuation can change collective electrical activities of neuronal networks. However, in the past there have been a few corresponding research papers on the influence of the electromagnetic induction among neurons on the collective dynamics of the complex system. Therefore, modeling each node by imposing electromagnetic radiation on the networks and investigating stochastic resonance in a hybrid network can extend the interest of the work to the understanding of these network dynamics. In this paper, we construct a small-world network consisting of excitatory neurons and inhibitory neurons, in which the effect of electromagnetic induction that is considered by using magnetic flow and the modulation of magnetic flow on membrane potential is described by using memristor coupling. According to our proposed network model, we investigate the effect of induced electric field generated by magnetic stimulation on the transition of bursting phase synchronization of neuronal system under electromagnetic radiation. It is shown that the intensity and frequency of the electric field can induce the transition of the network bursting phase synchronization. Moreover, we also analyze the effect of magnetic flow on the detection of weak signals and stochastic resonance by introducing a subthreshold pacemaker into a single cell of the network and we find that there is an optimal electromagnetic radiation intensity, where the phenomenon of stochastic resonance occurs and the degree of response to the weak signal is maximized. Simulation results show that the extension of the subthreshold pacemaker in the network also depends greatly on coupling strength. The presented results may have important implications for the theoretical study of magnetic stimulation technology, thus promoting further development of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as an effective means of treating certain neurological diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the fundamental interaction of nanoparticles at plant interfaces is critical for reaching field- scale applications of nanotechnology- enabled plant agriculture, as the processes between nanoparticles and root interfaces such as root compartments and root exudates remain largely unclear. Here, using iron deficiency--induced plant chlorosis as an indicator phenotype, we evaluated the iron transport capacity of Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with citrate (CA) or polyacrylic acid (PAA) in the plant rhizosphere. Both nanoparticles can be used as a regulator of plant hormones to promote root elongation, but they regulate iron deficiency in plant in distinctive ways. In acidic root exudates secreted by iron- deficient Arabidopsis thaliana, CA- coated particles released fivefold more soluble iron by binding to acidic exudates mainly through hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces and thus, prevented iron chlorosis more effectively than PAA- coated particles. We demonstrate through roots of mutants and visualization of pH changes that acidification of root exudates primarily originates from root tips and the synergistic mode of nanoparticle uptake and transformation in different root compartments. The nanoparticles entered the roots mainly through the epidermis but were not affected by lateral roots or root hairs. Our results show that magnetic nanoparticles can be a sustainable source of iron for preventing leaf chlorosis and that nanoparticle surface coating regulates this process in distinctive ways. This information also serves as an urgently needed theoretical basis for guiding the application of nanomaterials in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]