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Sulphur poisoning for state-of-the-art La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3-δ (LSM) anodes of solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) was studied under anodic current of 200 mA/cm 2 in 1 ppm SO 2 air. After polarization in 1 ppm SO 2 -containing air at 800 °C for 40 h, electrode polarization resistance as well as ohmic resistance of LSM electrodes were measured 24.83 Ω cm 2 and 6.09 Ω cm 2 , which were around 4 as well as 3 times than initial values of LSM electrodes. Sulphur deposition prefers to take place at the LSM/YSZ interface and inner layer for LSM electrodes, leading to the formation of SrSO 4 compounds, which is confirmed by XRD and then leads to the microstructural change of the LSM electrodes. The anodic polarization promotes the SrO segregation, which is supported by the observation of the deposition of SrSO 4 compounds, accelerating LSM electrodes delamination. The results indicate the obvious poisoning effect for sulphur species of electrochemical activity as well as stability of SOEC electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the intensity, area and duration of future droughts in China are analyzed using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). The SPI and SPEI are used to evaluate the simulation ability of drought characteristics with the regional climate model COSMO-CLM (CCLM). The projected intensity and duration of future drought events are analyzed for the period 2016-2050 under three different respective concentration pathways (RCPs). The simulated and projected drought events are analyzed by applying the intensity-area-duration method. The results show that CCLM has a robust capability to simulate the average drought characteristics, while some regional disparities are not well captured, mainly the simulation of more drought events of shorter duration in Northwest China. For the future period 2016-2050, more intense dryness conditions are projected for China. An increase in evapotranspiration is found all over China, while a reduction in precipitation is apparent in the southern river basins. The increase in evapotranspiration plays an important role in the changes of future droughts over the northern river basins and southern river basins. Under RCP2.6, drought events of longer duration and with higher frequency are projected for the southwest and southeast of China. Under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, a continuing tendency to more dry conditions is projected along a dryness band stretching from the southwest to the northeast of China. More frequent drought events of longer duration are projected in the southwestern river basins. For all future droughts, larger extents are projected, especially for events with long-term duration. The projected long-term drought events will occur more often and more severe than during the baseline period, and their central locations will likely shift towards Southeast China. The results of this study can be used to initiate and strengthen drought adaptation measures at regional and local scale, especially in the south of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-clearances of breaking type steering trapezoidal mechanism joints influences vehicle steering stability. Hence, to ascertain the influence of clearance value on steering stability, this paper takes the steering mechanism of a certain vehicle type as a prototype that can be simplified into a planar six-bar linkage, then establishes the system dynamic differential equations after considering the two clearances of tie rods and the steering knuckle arms. The influence of the clearance parameters on the movement stability of the steering mechanism is studied using a numerical computation method. Results show that when the two clearances are equal, the planar movement of the tie rods changes from period-doubling to chaos as the clearances increase. When the two clearances are 0.25 mm and 1.5 mm respectively, the planar movements of the two side tie rods come into chaos, causing the steering stability to deteriorate. Moreover, with the increase of clearances, turning moment fluctuates more intensively and the peak value increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solution of a linear quaternionic least squares (QLS) problem can be transformed into that of a linear least squares (LS) problem with JRS -symmetric real coefficient matrix, which is suitable to be solved by developing structured iterative methods when the coefficient matrix is large and sparse. The main aim of this work is to construct a structured preconditioner to accelerate the LSQR convergence. The preconditioner is based on structure-preserving tridiagonalization to the real counterpart of the coefficient matrix of the normal equation, and the incomplete inverse upper–lower factorization related to only one symmetric positive definite tridiagonal matrix rather than four, so it is reliable and has low storage requirements. The performances of the LSQR algorithm with structured preconditioner are demonstrated by numerical experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For newly developed, highly reliable, and long-lifespan products, it is quite difficult to implement effective remaining useful life (RUL) prediction in the early usage under limited time cost. However, accelerated degradation testing (ADT) is generally used for lifetime evaluation for such products with harsher test conditions and shorter test time in the late research and development phase. Thus, in this paper, we propose a life prediction framework to integrate the information from ADT to conduct field RUL prediction for highly reliable products. Because ADT belongs to reliability testing used for inferring the population information from the selected test samples, we at first present the modified Wiener process (MWP) model. Different from traditional methods that embody both the random variability and unit-to-unit variability into the diffusion coefficient, the proposed method describes them separately in ADT analysis. Then, the MWP model from ADT is used as a prior for field RUL prediction of the target product during which the strong tracking filtering algorithm is introduced for updating the hidden state and computing the RUL prediction results when the new monitoring data are available. Because of the complexity of the MWP model, the Markov chain Monte Carlo method is provided to estimate the unknown parameters. Finally, the simulation study and the light-emitting diode application verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework that can achieve reasonable life prediction results for highly reliable products for both linear and nonlinear scenarios. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A perovskite single crystal of the quaternary system PIN–PZ–PMN–PT, with rhombohedral (R) symmetry (3m) and a size of 10 × 10 × 6 mm3, was successfully grown by a slow cooling method, which had a high rhombohedral-to-tetragonal (T) ferroelectric (FE) phase transition temperature (TR–T = 129 °C). The introduction of In3+ and Zr4+ enhanced the repulsion intensity between Pb2+ and B-site cations in the ABO3 lattice and increased the energy difference ΔET–R, resulting in an improved FE phase transition temperature compared to the PMN–PT binary system single crystals. The evolution of domain configuration induced by both electric field and temperature was studied for the [001]C PIN–PZ–PMN–PT single crystal by using a polarized light microscope. Star porphyritic domains with short-range order before poling and stripe domains with long-range order after poling were observed, respectively, confirming the typical relaxor domain configurations of the R phase. Fine domain walls induced by temperature for the poled [001]C sample were responsible for the high piezoelectric property. Furthermore, minor ferroelectric property variations (ΔPmax ＜ 6%, ΔPr ＜ 10%) were observed at the temperature range from 20 °C to 140 °C, indicating the good thermal stability of the quaternary system PIN–PZ–PMN–PT single crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH 3) is a promising alternative clean fuel due to its carbon-free and high hydrogen content, along with the well-established infrastructure for storage and distribution. To overcome the issue of the low reactivity of NH 3 , a feasible strategy is co-burning ammonia with highly reactive fuels. Diethyl ether (DEE) is considered a promising alternative and biomass-oxygenated clean diesel substitute. Therefore, the NH 3 /DEE blend is also a promising carbon neutral alternative fuel. In this work, we measured the ignition delay times (IDTs) of NH 3 /DEE mixtures with DEE fractions (X DEE) of 0.05, 0.10, 0.30, and 1.00 at equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0, pressures of 1.75 and 10 bar, and temperature ranges from 1102 K to 1673 K in a shock tube. The DEE-NH 3 model was proposed in this work, which included the DEE sub-model, NH 3 sub-model, and some new cross-reactions between N-containing species and C-containing species. The DEE sub-model from Shrestha et al. (Fuel Communications, 2022) was modified in this work, NH 3 sub-model was from our previous work (Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, 2023). The DEE-NH 3 model was extensively validated by the IDTs, laminar flame speeds (LFSs), and species profiles (SPs) of NH 3 /DEE mixtures as well as pure DEE and NH 3. The comparison of the prediction performance between the DEE-NH 3 model and the Shrestha model was conducted for the ignition, flame propagation, and NH 3 consumption. The effects of the cross-reactions on the NH 3 /DEE ignition and combustion were studied in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the fabrication of large-scale eight-level phase-type Fresnel zone plate arrays (FZPAs) by femtosecond-laser direct writing technology. A high-speed galvanometer scanning system was used to fabricate each Fresnel zone plate to realize high fabrication efficiency. To overcome the limited fabrication scale in the case of galvanometer scanning, inter-plate movements were controlled by multi-axis air-bearing precise positioning stages. With the system, FZPAs whose fill-factor was designed to be 100% realized a diffraction efficiency of 89%. The focusing and imaging properties of the FZPAs were also evaluated, and the FZPAs showed high fidelity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First of all, by characterizing solutions of the quaternion equation a x = x ˜ b , this paper studies consimilarity of quaternions and some related consequences. For the important role of coneigenvalues in consimilarity tranformations of quaternion matrices, this paper further derives the relations between principle right coneigenvalues of a quaternion matrix and eigenvalues of the corresponding real representation matrix. Then, based on the real representation matrix, an effective algorithm is presented to calculate all coneigenvalues and the associated coneigenvectors of a quaternion matrix. Finally, two numerical examples are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to find the causes of statistical line loss abnormalities and propose better loss reduction strategies, it is necessary to improve the accuracy of theoretical line loss calculations. Since Distributed Generation (DG) access to the distribution network causes variability of power flow in the distribution network within a short period, the error of the traditional line loss calculation method increases. For the line loss calculation of medium-voltage distribution networks containing DGs with high-density collection data, a continuous line loss calculation method for the distribution network was proposed, aiming at improving the accuracy compared with the traditional line loss calculation method. The proposed method makes full use of the high-density collection data on the dispatch side and DG side, distributing the supply power to each load node by power to calculate real-time power flow, thus obtaining a more credible line loss value. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method were verified in the IEEE 17-node distribution system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data collection is more difficult in distribution network than transmission networks since the structure of distribution networks is more complex. As a result, data could be partly abnormal or missing, which cannot completely describe the operation status of distribution network. In addition, access of distributed generation (DG) to distribution network further aggravates the variability of power flow in distribution network. The traditional deterministic line loss calculation method has some limitations in accurately estimating the line loss of distribution network with DG. A line loss interval calculation method based on power flow calculation and linear optimization is proposed, considering abnormal data collection and distribution network power flow variability. The linear optimization model is established according to sensitivity of line loss to the injected power and sensitivity of transmission power of first branch to the injected power. Introducing the scheduling information into the optimization model, a reliable line loss fluctuation interval can be obtained which actual line loss locates. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified in IEEE 33-bus distribution network system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground water inflow from an overlying aquifer happens frequently in underground engineering; for properly controlling ground water during construction, the most important tasks are to assess the possibility and the probable water inflow, which depends on the ground water recharge characteristics. However, less work has been carried out on this topic. In order to study the water inflow variation characteristics including dynamic replenishment and static reserve release from a submersible aquifer, sand-tank seepage experiments on a dewatering well seepage from an aquifer bottom under the conditions of different water pressure heads insides the dewatering well (P) were designed and performed. The results show that (1) when the dewatering beginning, the water inflow increases to a peak value rapidly and then decreases following a first-order exponential decay function. In the initial phase, the water inflow is mainly composed of static reserve release, which decreases quickly with time also following a first-order exponential decay function. Meanwhile, the recharge of dynamic replenishment quickly increases with time following a first-order exponential growth function, which mainly forms the water inflow in the quasi-steady state. (2) The equal time of dynamic and static reserve release and the quasi-steady state time both present a first-order exponential decay function with the decrease of P. (3) The peak water inflow should perform at the beginning of dewatering which presents a little late after the beginning of dewatering and increases with the decreasing of P following a linear function. The results will play important references for water inflow prediction and calculation from overlying aquifers for underground projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Promoters are important factors affecting gene expression in cells. The driven activities of viral promoters were generally assessed to screen available promoters for transgenic and research and biotech industries. In this study, we cloned a full-length promoter from a Chinese isolate of strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV) and produced several deletion mutants for evaluation of applications in production of reporter proteins in stable transgenic plants. Methods: The full-length promoter of SVBV (SP1) and its three deletion mutants (SP2, SP3, and SP4) were amplified using polymerase chain reaction. The effects of SVBV SP1, SP2, SP3, and SP4 on gene expression were evaluated using β-glucuronidase (GUS) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes. Results: Transient expression assays showed that the SVBV SP1 promoter and its three deletion mutants all expressed the reporter genes, albeit at very different levels. Interestingly, transcriptional activity driven by the SP1 promoter was much higher than that of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. After stable transformation of the GUS gene into Nicotiana tabacum plants, SVBV SP1-driven transgene expression was approximately 2.6-fold higher than CaMV 35S promoter-driven transgene expression. In addition, GUS gene expression levels were enhanced by co-inoculation of the plants with the SP1 promoter-driven vector carrying the GUS gene and the vector expressing SVBV open reading frame (ORF) V or ORF VI. Conclusions: The SVBV SP1 promoter from the Chinese isolate evaluated in this study could successfully drive transient and stable expression in plants, it was a stronger promoter than the CaMV 35S and FLt-US promoters and may be more useful for the production of stable transgenic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential evapotranspiration (PET) plays a pivotal role in resource management and drought assessment. However, future PET estimates remain underexplored in the African region. This study employs twenty General Circulation Models (GCMs) to estimate past (1979–2014) and future PET changes across near-term (2021–2040), mid-term (2061–2080), and long-term (2081–2100) periods, considering four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) including SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5, SSP3–7.0, and SSP5–8.5. The research assesses the impact of various climatic factors on PET across Africa and its sub-regions using the Penman-Monteith model. The analysis reveals that Penman-Monteith estimates for PET during 1979–2014 exhibit an increase of 0.68 mm per year (mm/a) across Africa. Notably, the Northern region (NAF), Sahara (SAH), Southern region (SAF), and Eastern region (EAF) experience higher PET changes of 1.78 mm/a, 1.75 mm/a, 1.09 mm/a, and 0.12 mm/a, respectively. Conversely, the Western region (WAF) and Central region (CAF) exhibit negative trends of −0.03 mm/a, and − 0.28 mm/a. Future PET in whole Africa is projected to increase by 0.05 mm/a in SSP1–2.6 and SSP2–4.5, and 0.07 mm/a in higher emissions for 2021–2040, by 0.02 mm/an under SSP1–2.6, 0.07 in SSP2–4.5, 0.09 mm/a, and 0.16 mm/a, in SSP3–7.0 and SSP5–8.5 for 2061–2080, and by −0.01 mm/a in SSP1–2.6, 0.05 mm/a SSP2–4.5, 0.10 mm/a SSP3–7.0, and 0.18 mm/a SSP5–8.5 for 2081–2100. Furthermore, higher emissions are anticipated to drive PET increases in various regions during 2081–2100, with NAF, SAH, and SAF projected to rise by 0.17 mm/a, 0.16 mm/a, and 0.23 mm/a, respectively. WAF, CAF, and EAF are expected to experience increases of 0.20 mm/a, 0.19 mm/a, and 0.15 mm/a, respectively. Contribution analysis indicates that solar radiation played a major factor in PET over Africa as well as in WAF, CAF, and EAF. Maximum temperatures were pivotal in NAF, SAH, and SAF. In future periods (2021-2040, 2061-2080, and 2081-2100), maximum temperatures take precedence to Africa's PET, and at varying percentages to different sub-regions. The findings underscore the significance of PET estimation, particularly in the context of drought evaluation locally and regionally. • PET estimates an increase of 0.68 mm/annum across Africa from 1979 to 2014. • PET is projected to increase under all scenarios, shows stronger in high forcing scenario. • Solar radiation contributed to PET in the past andmaximum temperatures in future but varies across periods and regions. • The study underscores the implications of PET estimations for drought evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven undescribed tannins, namely gejaponin A-G, and one dehydrodigallic acid derivative 3,4-dihydroxy-5-(3,4,5-trihydroxy-1-ethoxycarbonyl phenoxy)benzoic acid, together with eighteen known polyphenols were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of the aerial part of Geum japonicum Thunb. var. chinense F. Bolle. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of comprehensive analysis of UV, IR, NMR, HRMS, and CD spectroscopy experiments. To evaluate their bioactivities, sixteen major compounds were selected to intervene in hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2)-induced oxidative damage on H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts. Some compounds demonstrated high activity in this assay, of which, the known compounds 16 and 21 exhibited strong protective effects against H 2 O 2 -induced injury in H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts, with a comparable cardioprotective activity as that of the positive control trimetazidine, thereby revealing cardioprotective activities from G. japonicum var. chinense. [Display omitted] • Eight undescribed polyphenols and eighteen known ones were purified from G. japonicum var. chinense. • The cardioprotective activities of major polyphenols were evaluated in vitro. • Coriariin B and gemin A showed high cardioprotective activity comparable to positive control TMZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigated uncertainties in the modeling of hydrological impacts of climate change on projected flood frequencies of the Zhujiang River, South China. The hydrological model HBV-D was applied to simulate and project future stream flow based on a multi-model ensemble. As this implies high uncertainties, the magnitude of three uncertainty sources, i.e. emission scenarios, GCM structure, and downscaling techniques, were determined in relation to the observed and projected natural variability. The relative change in each uncertainty source and the overall dominance among the three sources were further analyzed. The changes in flood frequency are projected for five return periods (2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 years) and three future time periods (2020s, 2050s, and 2080s). The results suggest that in comparison to the natural variability of the multi-model ensemble, the uncertainty sources show much stronger variations. The range of their relative change and their dominance vary with the lead-time and return period. In most of the return periods, the dominant uncertainty can primarily be attributed to downscaling techniques and emission scenarios, while GCMs structure is minor in the 2020s. However, downscaling technique is the second dominant source behind GCM structure, while emission scenarios represent the lowest uncertainty ranges of the three sources for the projected flood frequency in the 2050s and 2080s. The uncertainty and projected impact of climate change differs also between the four applied GCMs, as compared to the natural variability MK3_5 shows higher ranges than CCSM3, MK3_5 and ECHAM5. The upper bounds (95% percentile) in uncertainty mostly show an increasing tendency with increasing return period, and partially with increasing lead-time. Hence, the more extreme the return period (higher flood frequency) the higher is the uncertainty of the model projections. It is therefore essential that climate change impact assessments consider a wide range of climate scenarios derived from different GCMs under multiple emission scenarios and including several downscaling techniques. The uncertainty due to natural variability should also be considered more intensely. The projection of flood frequency and the identification and quantification of the uncertainties in the modeling is important for the implementation of adaptation policies into water resource planning in the Zhujiang River basin, South China. This study will enrich the scientific research on the uncertainty from different sources of modeling results in river basin parameters, and help to obtain conclusive results on the importance of different sources of uncertainty. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A harmonized global land evaporation dataset from model-based products covering 1980-2017 Table 3 The verification results including HT ht and RMSD between monthly ground-measured ET and monthly ET from different products in different ecosystems. In this work, assuming the importance of the two criteria is equal, HT ht and HT ht were both assigned the value of 1. The parameters HT ht and HT ht in Eq. (4) are used to measure the relative importance of the two criteria. In addition, when HT ht and HT ht are less than HT ht , HT ht and HT ht are set to 1. [Extracted from the article]

• Commutation failure prediction method based on energy accumulation characteristic. • The method can effectively predict commutation failure without phasor calculation. • Strongly immune to fault resistance and unaffected by the type of AC system fault. • The method can accurately locate the converter valve that failed to turn on. • Provide the control and protection system with reliable operation information. Concerning the difficulty in predicting commutation failure in HVDC transmission system, a commutation failure prediction method based on the energy accumulation characteristic of 12-pulse inverter is proposed. First, the operation characteristic of valve-side current in the commutation process is analyzed. And then, according to the characteristic of cross commutation between Y bridge and D bridge of 12-pulse inverter, the model of accumulated energy difference between commutation inductances is built. On this basis, considering the instantaneous values of real-time firing angle and valve-side current in the DC system, the commutation failure prediction criterion is constructed, which combined with the variation rate of valve-side current can predict commutation failure. Simulation tests in RTDS verify that, the proposed method can effectively predict commutation failure in HVDC system without phasor calculation. Besides, it is strongly immune to disturbance and fault resistance and unaffected by the type of AC system fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous dams and reservoirs in the Yangtze River basin have been constructed. Thus understanding the variability of hydroclimatological time series is important for the development of an optimal reservoir management strategy. This is crucial for life in the densely populated basin known to be highly susceptible to floods and droughts. Time series of annual precipitation totals and precipitation totals from May to September (the rainy season) for the period from 1961 to 2002 were averaged within the subbasins of the Yangtze River. The resulting time series were analyzed for similarities and differences and continuous wavelet transforms were produced to identify inherent quasi-periodicity. The western subbasins have shown a diverse pattern of periods with high and low precipitation variance. We have detected prominent periods of high precipitation variance for the central and eastern subbasins in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fresnel zone plate arrays (FZPAs), as a kind of an important integrated micro-optical device, have attracted great attention. However, the fill factor of present FZPAs by femtosecond technology is a little low, which leads to serious light loss and low signal-to-noise. Here we reported high fill-factor square and hexagonal FZPAs by femtosecond laser two-photon polymerization of the resin SU-8. Their optical focusing and imaging properties showed the high uniformity and high fidelity of these FZPAs. Moreover, 100% fill-factor FZPAs were demonstrated by optimal theoretical design and experimental parameters. With this high quality FZPAs, clear imaging “F” was obtained. At last, high-level phase type FZPAs were prepared to further enhance the diffractive efficiency to as much as 75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Significant quasi-cycles in precipitation time series of 132 climate stations spread over China from 1951 to 2002 have been detected by applying Autocorrelation Spectral Analysis (ASA). By the same method, significant quasi-cycles have also been identified in time series of the potential influencing factors: Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Sea Level Pressure (SLP). Similarities between some precipitation time series spectra and the spectrum of a potential driving force have been detected; e.g. several series from the Yangtze River''s middle reaches show 3–4-year cycles which are similar to the SOI and several SST signals. These time series have been further investigated by low-pass filtering with the Savitzky–Golay filter and by means of correlation analysis. It is proved that the SOI and the SSTs of the Bay of Bengal are in relatively stable anti-phase. However, no stable link between these signals and the precipitation series in the Yangtze River basin can be detected. Subsequent analyses of 850hPa winds lead to the outcome that certain wind patterns could either suppress or force the SST and SOI teleconnection signals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on the daily observational precipitation data at 147 stations in the Yangtze River Basin during 1960–2005 and projected daily data of 79 grid cells from the ECHAM5/ MPI-OM model in the 20th and 21st century, time series of precipitation extremes which contain AM (Annual Maximum) and MI (Munger Index) are constructed. The distribution feature of precipitation extremes is analyzed based on the two index series. Three principal results were obtained, as stated in the sequel. (i) In the past half century, the intensity of extreme heavy precipitation and drought events was higher in the mid-lower Yangtze than in the upper Yangtze reaches. Although the ECHAM5 model still can’t capture the precipitation extremes over the Yangtze River Basin satisfactorily, spatial pattern of the observed and the simulated precipitation extremes are much similar to each other. (ii) For quantifying the characteristics of extremely high and extremely low precipitation over the Yangtze River Basin, four probability distributions are used, namely: General Extreme Value (GEV), General Pareto (GPA), General Logistic (GLO), and Wakeby (WAK). It was found that WAK can adequately describe the probability distribution of precipitation extremes calculated from both observational and projected data. (iii) Return period of precipitation extremes show spatially different changes under three greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The 50-year heavy precipitation and drought events from simulated data during 1951–2000 will become more frequent, with return period below 25 years, for the most mid-lower Yangtze region in 2001–2050. The changing character of return periods of precipitation extremes should be taken into account for the hydrological design and future water resources management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mol Med Rep 12: 2919-2925, 2015; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2015.3757 Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that the western blotting data featured in Figs. 4B and 6B (wherein there was also a duplicated set of data bands) were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles at different research institutes. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: The present study examines the spatial and temporal variation of extreme precipitation over the Yangtze River Basin based on meteorological data for 1960–2004. From 147 stations, regional characteristics of extreme precipitation are analyzed using a rotated empirical orthogonal function (REOF). Non-parametric trend analysis and wavelet transformation analysis are applied to analyze the temporal variation of extreme precipitation. The results show that (1) 6 leading modes of extreme precipitation exist in the following area: east/north-eastern Yangtze, north/central Yangtze, south-eastern Yangtze, north-western Yangtze, western Yangtze and south/south-western Yangtze; (2) significant positive changes can be found for extreme precipitation averaged for the east/north-eastern Yangtze and the western Yangtze basin, and statistically significant abruption is detected in year 1986 for both regions; (3) significant negative trends can be detected over the north-western Yangtze basin with abruption in the years 1968 and 1990; and (4) long-term trends and inter-decadal oscillations of extreme precipitation can be found for 6 mode domains, but not constant periodicity. The increase in heavy precipitation in the middle-lower reaches can partly explain the frequent occurrence of floods in the 1990s. It is difficult to predict the trends of heavy precipitation for future years, but possible alternating of high-frequency extreme precipitation in the middle and lower reaches indicates flood disaster might be aggravated in the incoming decade of the 21st century in the Yangtze River Basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Repeated severe floods and damages in the Poyang Lake basin in China during the 1990s have raised the concern of how the floods have been affected by regional climate variations and by human induced changes in landscape (e.g., draining wetlands around the lake) and land-use in the basin. To address this concern and related issues it is important to know how the climate, land-use and land-cover changes in the region affect the annual and seasonal variations of basin hydrology and streamflow. This knowledge is essential for long-term planning for land-use to protect water resources and to effectively manage floods in the Poyang Lake basin as well as the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It also has important ecological and socioeconomic implications for the region. This study used the SWAT model to examine the climate and land-use and land-cover effects on hydrology and streamflow in the Xinjiang River basin of the Poyang Lake. A major finding of this study is that the climate effect is dominant in annual streamflow. While land-cover change may have a moderate impact on annual streamflow it strongly influences seasonal streamflow and alters the annual hydrograph of the basin. Because of the vegetation and associated seasonal variations of its impact on evapotranspiration, increase of forest cover after returning agricultural lands to forest reduces wet season streamflow and raises it in dry season, thus reducing flood potentials in the wet season and drought severity in the dry season. On the other hand, losing forests increases flood potential and also enhances drought impacts. Results of this study improve our understanding of hydrological consequences of land-use and climate changes, and provide needed knowledge for effectively developing and managing land-use for sustainability and productivity in the Poyang Lake basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The 18-mer oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) that can inhibit survivin gene expression were selected as a model gene drug to study hepatic-targeting drug delivery system. Novel galactosylated polymers (cholesteryloxycarbonylamino) ethylamine-α,β-polyasparthydrazied (CHE-PAHy-Lacs), which target asialoglycoprotein receptor on hepatic parenchymal cells (PC), were designed and synthesized as non-toxic, non-antigenic and non-teratogenic ligands for liposomes. The liposomes incorporating different CHE-PAHy-Lacs were prepared and characterized by zeta potential and particle size analyzer. The drug encapsulation efficiency was measured by gel filtration method. 1,1'-Dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate was used as a marker for all the liposome preparations in the in vivo experiments. The CHE-PAHy-Lac liposomes produced a significant improvement in the encapsulation efficiency of ODNs (28.73-51.37%) compared with conventional liposomes (9.88%). The in vivo results showed that the liposomes incorporating CHE-PAHy-Lac, which contained about 30% (w/w) galactosyl residues, exhibited marked accumulation in the liver and hepatic PC. These results suggest that the novel galactosylated polymers used for liposomes have a great potential as a gene delivery system for hepatic targeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Variability and possible teleconnections between annual maximum streamflow from the lower, the middle and the upper Yangtze River basin and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are detected by continuous wavelet transform (CWT), cross-wavelet and wavelet coherence methods. The results show that: (1) different phase relations are found between annual maximum streamflow of the Yangtze River and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the lower, the middle and the upper Yangtze River basin. In-phase relations are detected between annual maximum streamflow of the lower Yangtze River and anti-phase relations are found in the upper Yangtze River. But ambiguous phase relations occur in the middle Yangtze River, showing that the middle Yangtze River basin is a transition zone. Different climatic systems control the upper and the lower Yangtze River. The upper Yangtze River is mainly influenced by the Indian summer monsoon and the lower Yangtze is mainly influenced by the East Asian summer monsoon; (2) as for the individual stations, different phase relations are found in the longer and the shorter periods, respectively. In the longer periods, the annual maximum streamflow is more influenced by climatic variabilities, while in the shorter periods, it is influenced by other factors, e.g. human activities. The results of the study provide valuable information for improving the long-term forecasting of the streamflow using its relationship with ENSO and the Indian Monsoon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Precipitation trends in the Yangtze River catchment (PR China) have been analyzed for the past 50 years by applying the Mann-Kendall trend test and geospatial analyses. Monthly precipitation trends of 36 stations have been calculated. Significant positive trends at many stations can be observed for the summer months, which naturally show precipitation maxima. They were preceded and/or followed by negative trends. This observation points towards a concentration of summer precipitation within a shorter period of time. The analysis of a second data set on a gridded basis with 0.5° resolution reveals trends with distinct spatial patterns. The combination of classic trend tests and spatially interpolated precipitation data sets allows the spatiotemporal visualization of detected trends. Months with positive trends emphasize the aggravation of severe situation in a region, which is particularly prone to flood disasters during summer. Reasons for the observed trends were found in variations in the meridional wind pattern at the 850 hPa level, which account for an increased transport of warm moist air to the Yangtze River catchment during the summer months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this study the Penman–Monteith reference evapotranspiration, pan evaporation measured by a 20cm pan, and pan coefficient, i.e., the ratio of Penman–Monteith evapotranspiration to pan evaporation, at 150 meteorological stations during 1960–2000 in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) catchment in China are calculated, compared and regionally mapped. Their spatial distributions and temporal variations are examined and the causes for the variations are discussed. The spatial distributions of temporal trends in the reference evapotranspiration as well as in the meteorological variables that determine evapotranspiration are analyzed. The contributions of various meteorological variables to the temporal trend detected in the reference evapotranspiration and pan evaporation are then determined. The results show that: (1) the spatial distributions of reference evapotranspiration and pan evaporation are roughly similar. Spatial correlation coefficients between the reference evapotranspiration and the pan evaporation are high for both the seasonal and annual values. The temporal correlation between the two estimates is higher in the lower (humid) region than in the upper (semi-arid) region. The spatial distribution pattern of the pan coefficient is significantly influenced by wind speed and relative humidity in the region. Higher values of the pan coefficient were found in the central area of the catchment with a relatively high humidity (as compared with the upper area) and a very low wind speed (as compared with other areas); (2) for the whole catchment, there is a significant decreasing trend in both the reference evapotranspiration and the pan evaporation, which is mainly caused by a significant decrease in the net total radiation and to a lesser extent by a significant decrease in the wind speed over the catchment. No temporal trend is detected for the pan coefficient; (3) sensitivity analysis shows that the reference evapotranspiration is most sensitive to the net total radiation, followed by relative humidity, air temperature and wind speed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A 5.67-m-thick section in loess-like sediments at Xiashu was exposed during archaeological excavation of the Fangniushan Paleolithic site. ESR dating and grain-size analysis suggested that the sediments are wind-blown in origin and were deposited within a period of about 400kyr. Environmental proxy indicators, including magnetic susceptibility, frequency-dependent magnetism, Kd, median grain size and clay grade percentage show that five warm and humid climatic periods occurred in the study region in the mid-Pleistocene, namely at 130–90, 192, 195–198, 203–230 and 345–357ka. These five periods roughly correspond to the S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5 paleosols in the Chinese Loess Plateau stratigraphy and also to the deep-sea oxygen isotope stages 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13–15. The upper four climatic periods are comparable to the four warm climatic periods recorded in the Laohushan Xiashu loess section. Discovery of stone implements from the sixth and the seventh layers during the archaeological excavation indicates human activities at that time, and the environmental proxies suggest that the environment was suitable for human activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Drug repositioning, meanings finding new uses for existing drugs, which can accelerate the processing of new drugs research and development. Various computational methods have been presented to predict novel drug–disease associations for drug repositioning based on similarity measures among drugs and diseases. However, there are some known associations between drugs and diseases that previous studies not utilized. Methods: In this work, we develop a deep gated recurrent units model to predict potential drug–disease interactions using comprehensive similarity measures and Gaussian interaction profile kernel. More specifically, the similarity measure is used to exploit discriminative feature for drugs based on their chemical fingerprints. Meanwhile, the Gaussian interactions profile kernel is employed to obtain efficient feature of diseases based on known disease-disease associations. Then, a deep gated recurrent units model is developed to predict potential drug–disease interactions. Results: The performance of the proposed model is evaluated on two benchmark datasets under tenfold cross-validation. And to further verify the predictive ability, case studies for predicting new potential indications of drugs were carried out. Conclusion: The experimental results proved the proposed model is a useful tool for predicting new indications for drugs or new treatments for diseases, and can accelerate drug repositioning and related drug research and discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Abnormal leakage failure of TP321 stainless steel pipe in hydrogen production system was systematically studied. • The processing stripes on the inner surface of the pipe were the root cause of the failure. • Incomplete passivation film on the pipe surface was another root cause. • The additional stress caused by pipeline installation process was also an important cause. Due to the flammable and explosive characteristics of hydrogen gas, the safe operation of the equipment is particularly important. Any minor negligence may lead to serious accidents in the process of hydrogen production so great attention should be paid to the safety of each equipment in the production line. In this paper, the abnormal leakage failure of the TP321 stainless steel pipe that conveyed medium temperature shifting gas in a petrochemical factory was systematically studied. In order to find out the causes of the failure, the operating conditions, the material qualities of the failed pipe, the macroscopic and microscopic morphologies of the fracture, and the gas flow velocities were comprehensively analyzed. The results showed that the root causes of the failure were processing stripes and incomplete passivation film on the inner surface of the pipe due to inappropriate surface processing, which then initiated pitting corrosion and intergranular corrosion. Besides, the additional assembly stress between the pipe and fitting also produced larger longitudinal tensile stress, facilitating the initiation of stress corrosion cracking. Under the interaction of pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking, the pipe leakage finally happened during its service. Based on these failure causes, some feasible countermeasures were then put forward for leakage prevention of similar structures or equipment in hydrogen production industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation fluctuations are continuously threatening the environment and may cause huge economic losses. In present study, the precipitation over China has been evaluated under five principal shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) scenarios during 2015–2099 based on eight CMIP6 models bias-corrected by the method of Equidistant Cumulative Distribution Functions. The results showed that (1) the simulated precipitation in China was in good agreement with observed precipitation for the eight CMIP6 models during 1961–2014, especially for the UKESM1-0-LL and MIROC6. However, the simulated annual mean precipitation has been significantly overvalued in the Southwest River basin (> 50%), while it was undervalued in the higher elevations of the Northwest River basin (< − 60%); (2) the annual mean precipitation will show a fluctuating upward trend during 2015–2099 over China under all the SSPs scenarios for the eight CMIP6 models. The rate of precipitation increase over north China will be higher than that in south China, especially in the Northwest River basin (reach 57.44% in the 2090s under the SSP5-8.5 for the ensemble mean). This increase of the precipitation in north China might alleviate the shortage of water there, but will not change the pattern of more rain in the south and less in the north; (3) in the southeastern basins, the precipitation of the multi-model ensemble (MME) and MIROC6 during 2011–2020 will be lower than that of 1961–2010 (− 6.53 to − 0.06%) under all SSPs scenarios. While the precipitation will increase obviously under all the SSPs scenarios, especially for the SSP5-8.5 scenario after the year of 2060; (4) the bias of the MME was much lower than that of individual CMIP6 models, and the bias of lower SSPs scenarios will be relatively lower. Generally, uncertainty ranges of precipitation fluctuations in north China (15.31–79.26%) will be higher than those in south China (16.06–7.55%). These findings revealed the projections and uncertainties of CMIP6 precipitation over China, which will be helpful for a better understanding of the future evolution of precipitation in China at large scale and in other regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing confined heterogeneous catalytic systems with diverse and evenly dispersed active sites is a hot research topic for various applications. However, the issues related to the agglomeration of active nanoparticles, spatial distribution uniformity of active nanoparticles, and coverage of active sites with the participation of surfactant or organic ligand restrict the activity or selectivity. In this work, a confined catalyst Pd(PPh 3) 4 @MOF-808-150 was successfully prepared through a host-guest assembling strategy followed by thermal activation to enhance the rigidity of the catalyst. The synthesized catalyst is employed to generate β-ketoenamines in the cascade reaction involving nitro-reduction and sequential condensation. This catalyst effectively resolves the electronic preference conflict of the two catalytic steps by isolating the different active sites, demonstrating excellent activity and high chemoselectivity. It is generally applicable to the synthesis of many β-ketoenamines, with up to 16 kinds of products that have been successfully prepared with conversion and selectivity up to 99%. The extended synthesis method holds significant potential for developing the nanoconfined catalyst without surfactant encapsulation. Constructing a synergistic catalyst by confining Pd within a MOF using an extended "bottle-around-ship" protocol for catalytic cascade reaction with conflicting electronic requirements. [Display omitted] • Pd(PPh 3) 4 @MOF-808 prepared by the extended "bottle-around-ship" protocol. • Highly dispersed palladium is successfully confined in the channel of MOF-808. • Thermal activation effectively improves activity and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although polymorphic microbiomes have emerged as hallmarks of cancer, far less is known about the role of the intratumor mycobiome as living microorganisms in cancer progression. Here, using fungi-enriched DNA extraction and deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing, we have identified enriched tumor-resident Aspergillus sydowii in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). By three different syngeneic lung cancer mice models, we find that A. sydowii promotes lung tumor progression via IL-1β-mediated expansion and activation of MDSCs, resulting in suppressed activity of cytotoxic T lymphocyte cells and accumulation of PD-1+ CD8+ T cells. This is mediated by IL-1β secretion via β-glucan/Dectin-1/CARD9 pathway. Analysis of human samples confirms that enriched A. sydowii is associated with immunosuppression and poor patient outcome. Our findings suggest that intratumor mycobiome, albeit at low biomass, promotes lung cancer progression and could be targeted at the strain level to improve patients with LUAD outcome. [Display omitted] • Enriched intratumor A. sydowii is identified in patients with LUAD • A. sydowii promotes LUAD in three syngeneic murine lung cancer models • A. sydowii induces MDSCs by IL-1β secretion via β-glucan/Dectin-1/CARD9 pathway • Enriched A. sydowii is associated with immunosuppression and poor patient outcome Liu et al. find that Aspergillus sydowii , the enriched tumor-resident fungus, promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression by inducing MDSCs expansion and activation through IL-1β secretion via β-glucan-mediated Dectin-1/CARD9 pathway. These findings identify the intratumor mycobiome, despite their low abundance, promotes tumor progression by inducing an immunosuppressive TME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Water retention characteristics of biopolymer-treated sandy soil in wide suction range. • The microscopic mechanism was explained. • The water retention capacity of treated sandy soil increases as the biopolymer ratio increases. • The water retention capacity of the Gellan gum-treated sandy soil is better than that of Xanthan gum-treated sandy soil. • Based on Fredlund-Xing model, a semi-empirical model was proposed for predicting the soil–water retention curve of biopolymer- treated sandy soil. Soil erosion in the Yellow River basin in China has seriously affected the stability of the foundations of civil engineering structures. Traditional treated materials used for preventing the soil erosion are often harmful to the environment. Biopolymers have been widely used for soil improvement because of their low cost, environmental friendliness, and feasible application. However, most studies on the water-retention behaviour of treated soils conducted to date have focused on the low or high suction range, while few have examined the behaviour over a wide suction range. Converting the saturated state of treated soils into unsaturated state until it is completely dry will lead to changes in the water retention behaviour of biopolymer-treated soils. Therefore, this study investigated variations in the water-retention behaviour and micromechanism of biopolymer-treated sandy soils over a wide range of suction. Specifically, the water-retention behaviour of treated soil was tested using a pressure plate apparatus in the low suction range and a WP4C apparatus in the high suction range. Scanning electron microscopy was also used to evaluate water-retention mechanism of soils treated with different ratios of biopolymer. Biopolymers were found to absorb water to form hydrogels and biofilms, which reduced the pore spaces between soil particles and improved the water storage ability of sandy soils. The water-retention capacity of both Xanthan gum and Gellan gum-treated sandy soils was higher than that of untreated sandy soils, and increased as the biopolymer ratio increased. The water-retention behaviour of the Gellan gum-treated sandy soil were better than that of the Xanthan gum-treated sandy soil. Finally, a prediction model of the soil–water retention curve that considered the biopolymer ratio was proposed based on the Fredlund-Xing model. This study provides a scientific basis for the application of biopolymers to control soil erosion in the Yellow River basin in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has substantial impacts on regional hydrology in the major river basins. To figure out such latent hydrological impacts of changing climate, more reliable hydrological simulations are imperative. In this study, we evaluated the impacts of climate change on hydrological regime in the Upper Yangtze River Basin based on four downscaled and bias-corrected Global Climate Model outputs from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 under four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5) driving three hydrological models. Two model evaluation approaches were applied: simple and comprehensive. The comprehensive approach was used to evaluate models in the historical period, optimizing objective function at four gauges, and hydrological models were weighted for impact assessment based on their performance. In such a way, projected streamflow time series are obtained under different emission scenarios. Results show that the annual average discharge is projected to increase by 4.1–10.5% under the RCP scenarios at the end of twenty-first century relative to the reference period (1970–1999). Moreover, the high flow is projected to increase and the low flow to decrease indicating a higher probability of flood and drought occurrence in the basin. The severity of floods and droughts may increase. In comparison with the simple one-site model evaluation approach, the comprehensive method reveals that the anticipated extreme flow events would be less severe, and annual mean discharge slightly lower. The projected results imply that application of the comprehensive model evaluation approach could narrow the simulated spreads of projections significantly, and might provide more credible results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Alteromonas is ubiquitous in the marine environment, very little is known about Alteromonas phages, with only ten, thus far, being isolated and reported on. In this study, a novel double-stranded DNA phage, Alteromonas phage P24, which infects Alteromonas macleodii, was isolated from the coastal waters off Qingdao. Alteromonas phage P24 has a siphoviral morphology, with an icosahedral head, 61 ± 1 nm in diameter, and a tail length of 105 ± 1 nm. Alteromonas phage P24 contains lipids. It has an optimal temperature and pH for growth of 20℃ and 5–7, respectively. A one-step growth curve shows a latent period of 55 min, a rise period of 65 min, and an average burst size of approximately 147 virions per cell. Alteromonas phage P24 has the genome of 46,945 bp with 43.80% GC content and 74 open reading frames (ORFs) without tRNA. The results of the phylogenetic tree, based on the mcp and terL genes, show that Alteromonas phage P24 is closely related to Aeromonas phage phiARM81ld. Meanwhile, phylogenetic analysis based on the whole genome of P24 indicates that it forms a unique viral sub-cluster within Siphoviridae. This study contributes to the understanding of the genomic characteristics and the virus-host interactions of Alteromonas phages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AMGs carried by cyanophages isolated in different environments are not the same. • Carrying of AMG in cyanophage is related to host and environment. • The AMGs carried by the cyanophages help them and their host adapt to the environment. Synechococcus dominate picocyanobacterial communities in coastal environments. However, only a few Synechococcus phages have been described from the coastal seas of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Here a new Synechococcus phage, S-B43 was isolated from the Bohai Sea, a semi-closed coastal sea of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. S-B43 is a member of Myoviridae , containing 275 predicted open reading frames. Fourteen auxiliary metabolic genes (AMG) were identified from the genome of S-B43, including five photosynthetic associated genes and several AMGs related to its adaption to the high turbidity and eutrophic coastal environment with a low ratio of phosphorus to nitrogen (HNLP). The occurrences of 31 AMGs among 34 cyanophage genomes indicates that AMGs zwf , gnd , speD , petF and those coding for FECH and thioredoxin were more common in coastal areas than in the open ocean and AMGs pebS and ho1 were more prevalent in the open ocean. The occurrence of cyanophage AMGs in different environments might be a reflection of the environmental adaption of their hosts. This study contributes to our understanding of the interactions between cyanobacteria and cyanophages and their environmental adaption to the coastal environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale multispectral remote sensing data are often unavailable for some practical applications. Spectral resolution enhancement for large-scale multispectral remote sensing images by incorporating small-scale hyperspectral remote sensing images is an alternative way to generate remote sensing images with both large spatial range and high spectral resolution. This paper proposes an improved spectral resolution enhancement method (ISREM) using spectral matrix and weighting the spectral angle of the transformation matrix. ISREM is tested in a typical area of the Three-River Headwaters region (TRHR) to produce a synthetic hyperspectral image (HSI). Two existing spectral resolution enhancement methods, the color resolution improvement software package (CRISP) and spectral resolution enhancement method (SREM), are adopted to compare with ISREM. To further test the practicality of the synthetic HSIs generated by the ISREM, CRISP and SREM, they are used to estimate the coverage of native plant species (NPS) using support vector machines (SVM) and random forest (RF) regressions. The experimental results are as follows. (1) For the Pearson correlation coefficient between the synthetic HSI and original image, ISREM yielded the largest value of 0.9582, followed by CRISP and SREM with values of 0.9480 and 0.9514. For spectral similarity, the HSI generated by the ISREM was the closest to the original reference HSI in the spectral curve. It also showed the best cumulative performance with the use of the three quality evaluation indexes. (2) The identification accuracies of native plant species were 93.51%, 90.91%, 89.61% and 89.61% using generated HSIs and original multispectral image (MSI) within a threshold of 20%, respectively. Compared with original MSI, the synthetic HSI showed better ability to identify NPS in the study area, which further illustrated the effectiveness of the ISREM. (3) The ISREM can reduce the strict requirement of pure pixels and maintain the quality of synthetic HSI by spectral angle weighting. Hence, the proposed ISREM outperforms the existing CRISP and SREM methods in image spectral resolution enhancement of multispectral remote sensing images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study was the first to report EPS synthesis by K. cowanii LT-1 through SSF. • Comparative transcriptome reveals the mechanism of NaNO 3 promoting EPS production. • A maximum EPS production of 41.62 mg/gds was achieved in single batch SSF. • Fermented SSF substrate increased seed germination and growth vigor of maize. Exopolysaccharide has the activity of promoting plants growth. Herein, several agro-industrial residues were used for EPS biosynthesis through solid-state fermentation (SSF) using an EPS producing stain Kosakonia cowanii LT-1. Then the influences of cane molasses powder (CMP), NaNO 3 and temperature on EPS biosynthesis through SSF were studied using response surface methodology. Maximum EPS yield (41.62 mg/gds) was obtained in a mixed substrate composed of cane bagasse and broadbean seed capsule (2:1, w/w) supplemented with CMP (5.09%, w/w) and NaNO 3 (4.16‰, w/w), which achieved about 30.43% cost savings for substrates. Transcriptomic analysis explained the mechanism of NaNO 3 promoting EPS production. Repeated batch SSF was performed eight times with 10% substrate as the seeds of the next SSF cycle successfully. Therefore, the fermented SSF substrate containing K. cowanii LT-1 and its EPS was applied in maize growth, which could promote seed germination rate and growth vigor of maize. Hence, fermented SSF substrates would be an ideal candidate for application as a plant growth promoter in agriculture field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outputs of four global climate models (GFDL-ESM2M, HadGEM2-ES, IPSL-CM5A-LR and MIROC5), which were statistically downscaled and bias corrected, were used to drive four hydrological models (Hydrologiska Byråns, HBV; Soil and Water Assessment Tool, SWAT; Soil and Water Integrated Model, SWIM; and Variable Infiltration Capacity, VIC) to simulate the daily discharge at the Cuntan hydrological station in the upper Yangtze River from 1861 to 2299. As the performances of hydrological models in various climate conditions could be different, the models were first calibrated in the period from 1979 to 1990. Then, the models were validated in the comparatively wet period, 1967–1978, and in the comparatively dry period, 1991–2002. A multi-objective automatic calibration programme using a univariate search technique was applied to find the optimal parameter set for each of the four hydrological models. The Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of daily discharge and the weighted least-squares function (WLS) of extreme discharge events, represented by high flow (Q10) and low flow (Q90), were included in the objective functions of the parameterization process. In addition, the simulated evapotranspiration results were compared with the GLEAM evapotranspiration data for the upper Yangtze River basin. For evaluating the performances of the hydrological models, the NSE, modified Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE), ratio of the root-mean-square error to the standard deviation of the measured data (RSR) and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) were used. The four hydrological models reach satisfactory simulation results in both the calibration and validation periods. In this study, the daily discharge is simulated for the upper Yangtze River under the preindustrial control (piControl) scenario without anthropogenic climate change from 1861 to 2299 and for the historical period 1861–2005 and for 2006 to 2299 under the RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The long-term daily discharge dataset can be used in the international context and water management, e.g. in the framework of Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP) by providing clues to what extent human-induced climate change could impact streamflow and streamflow trend in the future. The datasets are available at: 10.4121/uuid:8658b22a-8f98-4043-9f8f-d77684d58cbc (Gao et al., 2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important process of water and energy exchanges between land and atmosphere. In this study, a processed-based GLEAM (global land-surface evaporation: the Amsterdam methodology) satellite assimilation product has been validated in the Yangtze River valley on the observations of flux and the water balance method. The changes of total ET and its components, well as the associated dynamics, have been analyzed for the period of 1980–2014. The total ET shows significant increasing trends especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley, which is mostly due to the increase of transpiration. The spatial and temporal dynamics of total ET are analyzed with respect to temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation. The spatial pattern of total ET in the Yangtze River valley is found to be jointly determined by temperature and precipitation. As for the temporal dynamics, precipitation plays the dominant role in total ET in the source regions of the valley. While in the most regions, solar radiation is suggested to be a main controller, in the positive manner, of total ET. This may provide an in-depth understanding of ET changes in the warming climate, and form a basis for water resource management in the Yangtze River valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Floods in China often cause annual loss in excess of 10 billion US$. • Flood risk has grown in many places in China and is likely to grow further in the future. • Floods of a given return period in the reference interval are projected to become more frequent in much of China. • There is a strong link between climate variability and abundant humidity in China. Despite massive flood protection efforts in China, undertaken since the ancient times, disastrous floods continue to plague the country. In this paper, we discuss changes in flood hazard and flood risk in China. First, we review published results (including our own works) on change detection in observed records of intense precipitation, high river flow and flood damage in China. We provide information on essential features of extreme floods in last decades – floods on large rivers, urban floods, and flash floods. Next, we review available projections for the future (including our own results), related to intense precipitation, high river flow and flood damage in China. We try to interpret the difference in flood hazard projections obtained in various publications. Since the spread of river flood hazard projections is large, projections have to be interpreted with caution, because of the impact on decisions related to climate change adaptation, flood risk reduction, and water resources management. We review flood risk reduction strategies in China, focusing on the present situation and division of responsibilities. China has embarked upon an ambitious and vigorous task to improve flood preparedness, by both structural ("hard") defences, such as: dikes, dams and flood control reservoirs, and diversions, as well as non-structural ("soft") measures: spatial planning and zoning; watershed management (source control), flood forecasting and warning systems; and awareness raising. The strategy of flood mitigation includes flood retention and urban water management to alleviate the burden of flash and urban flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharbitidis Semen (the seeds of Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth or Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth), a popular traditional Chinese medicine, is also known as "Heichou" or "Baichou" (Chinese: 黑丑, 白丑). It can purge the bowels, promote diuresis, remove stagnated accumulation, and kill worms. It can be used for treating anasarca with constipation and oliguria; dyspnea and cough caused by retained fluid; abdominal pain because of intestinal parasitosis; ascariasis; and taeniasis. This review discusses the botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, toxicology, and quality control of Pharbitidis Semen, to obtain a complete understanding of its effects and provide a basis for further research and the development of new drugs. The literature on Pharbitidis Semen is mainly obtained from pharmacopoeias of different countries, masterpieces of traditional Chinese medicine, Master's and Ph.D. theses, and published articles obtained from literature retrieval websites, such as CNKI, PubMed, SciFinder, WanFang data, Web of Science, Springer, ScienceDirect, Wiley, ACS Publications, Taylor & Francis, J-STAGE, and Google Scholar. Its botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, toxicology, and quality control are discussed to understand its effects and provide a basis for further research. Pharbitidis semen has been used ethnomedically in many tropical and subtropical countries as deobstruents, diuretics, and anthelmintics. About 170 chemical compounds, including terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, resin glycosides, fatty acids and other compounds, have been isolated. It has been reported to have different effects, including laxative, renal-protective, neuroprotective, insecticidal, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. Moreover, a brief introduction to processing, toxicity, and quality control is provided. The traditional efficacy of Pharbitidis Semen in diarrhea has been confirmed, but its bioactive and toxic ingredients are not entirely clear. It is necessary to strengthen the research and identification of effective parts or natural active components of Pharbitidis Semen, clarify the molecular mechanism of its toxicity and change rule of endogenous substances to make Pharbitidis Semen better used in clinical practice. Additionally, the imperfect quality standard is also a challenge that must be solved urgently. The study of modern pharmacology has broadened the application of Pharbitidis Semen and provided ideas for better utilization of this resource. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Increasing precipitation is the main reason of land wetting. • Land drying is initially associated with precipitation deficit, and then increasing VPD amplifies the drying. • The estimated VPD contribution in the drying region is nearly 6 times of that of precipitation under high forcing pathways. • Elevated CO 2 concentration partly mitigates land drying by altering vegetation physiology. Increase Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) imposes higher atmospheric demand on land evaporation in the warming climate. However, it remains uncertain that how the increasing evaporative stress may enhance the global pattern of land drying. Here, we have used self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) based on outputs from 20 CMIP6 models to study the contribution of VPD, precipitation and other climatic factors to scPDSI changes globally. Global land drying and wetting are found to be regionally dependent, with statistically significant enhancement of drying and wetting under SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5 pathways (2015–2100) compared to the historical period (1961–2014). Increasing precipitation is the main reason of land wetting, while the land drying is initially associated with precipitation deficit, it is partly dominated by the increasing VPD over 20 ∼ 27% of the global land, where the estimated VPD contribution is nearly 6 times of that of precipitation under high forcing pathways. Elevated CO 2 concentration is suggested to partly mitigate land drying by altering vegetation physiology; however, this mitigation is quantified to be limited. Our findings highlight the key role of VPD in accelerating global pattern of land drying and its increasing dominance in the warming climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under climate change, land use has an essential effect on the carbon cycle in the climate change sensitive area of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). This study about ambitions to check out the spatial and temporal patterns of carbon storage (CS) on the QTP under future land-use changes and their influencing factors. Based on historical and projected climate and land-use information and the compiled carbon-intensity dataset derived from 839 sampling points, we projected future changes in CS in the region. We projected changes of CS in the QTP in the near-term (2021–2040), mid-term (2041–2060), and long-term (2081–2100) periods, using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. We found that the total carbon storage (TCS) from 1980 to 2020 was approximately equal to 247–259 × 108 t, where C soil had the greatest contribution (about 88% of the TCS), while C above , C below and C dead accounted for approximately 5%, 5% and 2% of the TCS, respectively. Furthermore, the TCS decreased from southeast to northwest, corresponding to decreasing forest coverage and increasing unused land area in the QTP. Compared to the baseline period (1995–2014, 259 × 108 t), the CS in the QTP under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) is expected to increase by 7.3–13.5%, 6.2–14.7% and 5.4–14.3% in the three future periods, respectively. Spatially, the carbon increase will be concentrated in the southeastern and northern parts of the QTP, where the land-use types are mainly forest land and grassland. Increases in precipitation and temperature are predicted to take place for the duration of the QTP in the future, driving land-use changes that are projected to result in increased area of forest land, which would increase CS. The CS in QTP is high, being influenced by land use and climatic factors, and future climate change may enhance the carbon sink capacity of the QTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-lean combustion (usually Φ < 0.3) has attracted much attention for its low emission and high efficiency. Propane is a key fuel to characterize the chemical kinetics from small to large hydrocarbons as well as the main content of liquefied petroleum gas. In this study, the ignition delay times of propane with nearly 90%Ar dilution were measured for the equivalence ratios of 0.3, 0.1, and 0.05 at the pressures of 1 atm and 10 atm in a shock tube. The OXYMECH 2.0 model, which was developed for the oxy-fuel combustion and conventional combustion of C 1 ‒C 3 alkanes, was modified and evaluated by the ignition delay times of propane in ultra-lean conditions. The modified model was used to analyze the effects of the equivalence ratio on the ignition of propane with different diluents (CO 2 and Ar) at different pressures. The ignition can be increasingly improved by decreasing the equivalence ratio to 0.05 under atmospheric pressure and the inhibiting effects of CO 2 are very weak at the equivalence ratio below 0.05. The ignition improvement by reducing the equivalence ratio at high pressure is weaker than that at atmospheric pressure and the inhibiting effects of CO 2 on the ignition are evident in either super-lean or ultra-lean mixtures at high pressure. The effects of superabundant air in ultra-lean combustion on the ignition of propane consist of the dilution and oxidation effects and are analyzed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diarrhea caused by enteropathogenic bacteria is a major public health issue worldwide, especially in developing countries. In this study, a microfluidic chip-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot blot hybridization technology for the rapid and simultaneous detection of 11 enteropathogenic bacteria was developed and the entire process was completed within 3–4 h. The specificity of this method was analyzed using 11 types of pure target bacterial colonies and another 7 types of pure bacterial colonies, and its sensitivity was evaluated with the serial 10-fold dilution of 11 types of pure target bacterial colonies. The detection limit of this method was as low as 103–102 CFU/mL, and it exhibited high specificity for enteropathogenic bacteria. A total of 60 clinical diarrheal fecal samples were detected using this method, the results of which were compared with those of the conventional reference method, which resulted in a positive coincident rate of 100% and a negative coincident rate of 93.75%. Based on the findings, it could be concluded that multiplex PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization based on the microfluidic chip is a rapid, economical, sensitive, specific, and high-throughput method for detecting enteropathogenic bacteria. • A method was developed for the detection of 11 enteropathogenic bacteria in feces. • The method is highly specific and sensitive. • This method can replace the traditional fecal culture method in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel cyanophage, S-B64, which can infect marine Synechococcus WH8102, was isolated from the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea using the liquid serial dilution method. Morphological study by transmission electron microscopy revealed that the cyanophage belongs to Podovirus. It's genome, which was completely sequenced, contains a 151,867 bp DNA molecule with a G+C content of 41.78% and 186 potential open reading frames. The functions of the genes include cyanophage structure, cyanophage packaging, DNA replication and regulation. After primary characterization, it was found that the latent period is about 3 h, and it lysed after 8 h, the burst size is about 23 virions per cell. This information will provide an important benchmark for further research on the interaction between cyanophages and their hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]