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At present, the energy consumption and carbon emissions of maritime transportation have raised concerns about environmental issues. A potential way to reduce carbon emissions from vessels is the use of chemical-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. However, this technology faces challenges such as high energy consumption, large space occupation, and high processing costs. Therefore, the development of a technology with low energy consumption and compact CO2 storage is crucial to promote the advancement of CCS technology. This paper introduces a magnesium CO2 battery system that converts CO2 into new energy, in the form of hydrogen, while storing CO2. By preparing highly efficient catalytic electrodes and testing the electrolyte and CO2 flow rate on the battery performance, the optimal process parameters were determined to be Pd/CeO2-oct for the electrodes, a 0.5 mol/L NaOH solution for the electrolyte, and a CO2 flow rate of 1 L/h. The battery system demonstrated high cycling stability and conversion efficiency at a current density of 8 mA·cm−2, with a stable cycling time of 600 min (20 cycles), a cathode hydrogen production of 10.135 mL, and a Faraday efficiency of 97.03%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The East China Sea (ECS) is among the most important and highly dynamic shelf seas, where the coupling of physical and biogeochemical processes is distinctive and may play a crucial role in regulating nutrient conditions and the pattern of primary production. Based on field observations during the late summer of 2019, the physical controls of nutrient supply and the subsequent influences on phytoplankton chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a) regime were investigated in the ECS. The coastal upwelling originating from the Kuroshio Subsurface Water (KSSW) intrusion serves as a nutrient source on the inner East China Sea (ECS) shelf, and this inshore upwelling combined with the coastal water largely governs the surface Chl‐a patterns. The halocline, thermocline and nutricline exhibit a vertically synchronous fluctuating phenomenon, and the coexistence of several subsurface cold rings/patches was significantly observed on the middle‐outer ECS shelf, indicating intense vertical advection and the occurrence of upwelling. The subsurface cold rings greatly regulate the vertical hydrodynamics, constituting unique upward pathways of the onshore intruded KSSW on the middle‐outer shelf. Nutrients can be upwelled within these cold rings to support primary production, thus partially leading to the spatial variability of subsurface Chl‐a maximum in terms of intensity and depth. Our findings would considerably contribute to our understanding of the physical‐biogeochemical‐ecological processes on the ECS shelf. Plain Language Summary: The East China Sea (ECS) is one of the most important continental shelves in the world. Exploring the physical‐biogeochemical processes is of great significance for the in‐depth understanding of ecosystem in this shelf sea. Here, specific attention was paid to the physical controls on the nutrient supply and the associated influences on phytoplankton chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a) regime in the ECS. We show that the coastal/inshore upwelling originating from the nearshore branch of the Kuroshio Subsurface Water (KSSW) intrusion serves as a nutrient source on the inner ECS shelf. The co‐occurrence of several subsurface cold rings clearly indicates the upward transport of the onshore intruded KSSW on the middle‐outer ECS shelf. The subsurface cold rings may play a role in modulating the vertical hydrodynamics and related biogeochemical‐ecological processes, leading to the upward delivery of nutrients and enhanced Chl‐a levels. Our results would provide a sound scientific basis for the studies of biogeochemical and ecological dynamics in the ECS. Key Points: The coexistence of several subsurface cold rings indicating upwelling on the middle‐outer East China Sea shelf was observedSubsurface cold rings and coastal upwelling constituted unique upward pathways of the onshore intruded Kuroshio Subsurface WaterNutrients could be upwelled within the cold rings and potentially modulated the associated biogeochemical‐ecological processes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a wear-resistant ultra-thin wear layer was fabricated with polyurethane as an adhesive to investigate its durability for pavement applications. Its road performance was investigated based on indoor tests. First, the abrasion test was performed using a tire–pavement dynamic friction analyzer (TDFA), and the surface elevation information of the wear layer was obtained by laser profile scanning. The relationship between the anti-skid properties of the wear layer and the macro-texture was analyzed. Second, a Fourier infrared spectrometer and scanning electron microscope were employed to analyze the evolution of polyurethane aging properties in the pull-out test and accelerated ultraviolet (UV) aging test. The results showed that the mean profile depth (MPD), arithmetic mean wavelength of contour (λa), surface wear index (SBI), stage mass loss rate (σ), and total stage mass loss rate (ω) of the abrasive layer aggregate had significant multivariate quadratic polynomial relationships with the skidding performance of the abrasive layer. The tensile strength of the polyurethane ultra-thin abrasive layer decreased by only 2.59% after 16 days of UV aging, indicating a minimal effect of UV action on the aggregate and structural spalling of the polyurethane abrasive layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the world's largest importer of logs, possessing the scale to exert significant influence in the international market. This paper uses a fixed-effect variable coefficient Pricing-to-Market panel model to measure China's market power in log import trade. It also utilizes the Almost Ideal Demand System model from an elasticity perspective to explore the market behavior characteristics of various source countries in China's log import trade, thereby validating the mechanism of market power. The results indicate that: ① China's main trading partners can be categorized into four groups according to their market power in the log import trade. Specifically, China holds superlative market power in log imports from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar; holds strong market power in log imports from Russia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique; holds weak market power in log imports from Papua New Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand; and holds no market power in Japan, Cameroon, and the United States. ② As China's expenditure on log imports increases, there is a tendency to purchase high-quality precious wood and a greater concern for the legality of market transactions. Consequently, China is anticipated to augment its imports from source countries with no or weak market power. ③ The simple price elasticity of log imports from each source country is negative. Source countries with stronger market power tend to increase prices to achieve higher total revenue, while those with weaker market power are more inclined to lower prices to achieve the same. ④ Log products from various source countries are complementary in the Chinese market, indicating that China's substantial demand for logs relies on the simultaneous supply from multiple countries and diverse wood types. Based on the existence or absence of market power in China's log import trade, this paper provides targeted insights into enhancing international market power and reducing trade losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium is the property of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium is the property of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium is the property of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Simple Summary: Dumeng sheep is a novel, specialized meat sheep breed created through crossbreeding innovation, cross-fixation, and herd expansion, using Dorper sheep as the father and Mongolian sheep as the mother. Given the critical role of early growth and development stages in determining the meat production potential of livestock animals, estimating the genetic parameters of early growth traits is crucial for the genetic advancement of meat sheep populations. This study aimed to investigate the genetic and non-genetic factors that affect the nine early growth traits of Dumeng sheep, as well as to estimate the variance components and genetic parameters associated with these traits. It was found that the growth traits of Dumeng sheep could be improved indirectly by selecting for weaning weight. This study aimed to estimate the genetic and non-genetic factors that affect the nine early growth traits of Dumeng sheep, as well as to estimate the variance components and genetic parameters associated with these traits. A dataset containing detailed information on 17,896 preweaning trait records of 4474 lambs was collected. In addition, 5015 postweaning trait records of 1003 lambs were documented. The effects of recipient dam age, sex, year, season, and herd on the early growth traits were assessed using the general linear model procedure of the statistical analysis system, revealing different levels of significance across different traits. To determine the most suitable model for estimating the genetic parameters, the likelihood ratio (LR) test was employed, fitting six animal models that either excluded or included maternal genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects within the average information restricted maximum likelihood (AIREML) framework using WOMBAT software (Version: 23/11/23). The model incorporating direct additive genetic effects, maternal genetic effects, and maternal permanent environment effects as random effects (model 6) provided the best fit for birth weight (BW) estimation. In contrast, the model combining direct additive genetic effects and maternal permanent environment effects as random effects (model 2) demonstrated a superior fit for estimating the genetic parameters of weaning weight (WW), average daily gain weight from birth to weaning (ADG1), and Kleiber ratio from birth to weaning (KR1). With regard to the genetic parameters of body weight at 6 months of age (6MW), average daily gain weight from weaning to 6 months (ADG2), average daily gain weight from birth to 6 months (ADG3), Kleiber ratio from weaning to 6 months (KR2), and Kleiber ratio from birth to 6 months (KR3), model 1, which incorporates only direct additive genetic effects, was identified as the optimal choice. With the optimal model, the heritability estimates ranged from 0.010 ± 0.033 for 6MW to 0.1837 ± 0.096 for KR3. The bivariate analysis method was employed to estimate the correlation between various traits using the most suitable model. The absolute values of genetic correlation coefficients among the traits spanned a range from 0.1460 to 0.9998, highlighting both weak and strong relationships among the studied traits. Specifically, the estimated genetic correlations between WW and ADG1, ADG3, KR1, and KR3 were 0.9859, 0.9953, 0.9911, and 0.9951, respectively, while the corresponding phenotypic correlations were 0.9752, 0.7836, 0.8262, and 0.5767. These findings identified that WW could serve as an effective selection criterion for enhancing early growth traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive bodies of low-oxygen bottom waters are found in coastal areas worldwide, which are detrimental to coastal ecosystems. In summer 2020, the response of coastal hypoxia to extreme weather events, including a catastrophic flooding, an extreme marine heatwave, and Typhoon Bavi, is investigated based on multiple satellite, four cruises, and mooring observations. The extensive fan-shaped hypoxia zone presents significant northward extension during July–September 2020, and is estimated as large as 13 000 km2 with rather low oxygen minimum (0.42 mg/L) during its peak in 28–30 August. This severe hypoxia is attributed to the persistent strong stratification, which is indicated by flood-induced larger amount of riverine freshwater input and subsequent marine heatwave off the Changjiang River Estuary. Moreover, the Typhoon Bavi has limited effect on the marine heatwave and coastal hypoxia in summer 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sinking of diatoms is critical to the formation of oceanic biological pumps and coastal hypoxic zones. However, little is known about the effects of different nutrient restrictions on diatom sinking. In this study, we measured the sinking velocity (SV) of Thalassiosira weissflogii using a new phytoplankton video observation instrument and analyzed major biochemical components under varying nutrient conditions. Our results showed that the SV of T. weissflogii under different nutrient limitation conditions varied substantially. The highest SV of (1.77 ± 0.02) m/d was obtained under nitrate limitation, significantly surpassing that under phosphate limitation at (0.98 ± 0.13) m/d. As the nutrient limitation was released, the SV steadily decreased to (0.32 ± 0.03) m/d and (0.15 ± 0.05) m/d, respectively. Notably, under conditions with limited nitrate and phosphate concentrations, the SV values of T. weissflogii significantly positively correlated with the lipid content (P < 0.001), with R2 values of 0.86 and 0.69, respectively. The change of the phytoplankton SV was primarily related to the intracellular composition, which is controlled by nutrient conditions but did not significantly correlate with transparent extracellular polymer and biosilica contents. The results of this study help to understand the regulation of the vertical sinking process of diatoms by nutrient restriction and provide new insights into phytoplankton dynamics and their relationship with the marine nutrient structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia off the Changjiang River Estuary has been the subject of much attention, yet systematic observations have been lacking, resulting in a lack of knowledge regarding its long-term change and drivers. By revisiting the repeated surveys of dissolved oxygen (DO) and other relevant hydrographic parameters along the section from the Changjiang River Estuary to the Jeju-do in the summer from 1997 to 2014, rather different trends were revealed for the dual low-DO cores. The nearshore low-DO core, located close to the river mouth and relatively stable, shows that hypoxia has become more severe with the lowest DO descending at a rate of −0.07 mg/(L·a) and the thickness of low-DO zone rising at a rate of 0.43 m/a. The offshore core, centered around 40-m isobath but moving back and forth between 123.5°–125°E, shows large fluctuations in the minimum DO concentration, with the thickness of low-DO zone falling at a rate of −1.55 m/a. The probable factors affecting the minimum DO concentration in the two regions also vary. In the nearshore region, the decreasing minimum DO is driven by the increase in both stratification and primary productivity, with the enhanced extension of the Changjiang River Diluted Water (CDW) strengthening stratification. In the offshore region, the fluctuating trend of the minimum DO concentration indicates that both DO loss and DO supplement are distinct. The DO loss is primarily attributed to bottom apparent oxygen utilization caused by the organic matter decay and is also relevant to the advection of low-DO water from the nearshore region. The DO supplement is primarily due to weakened stratification. Our analysis also shows that the minimum DO concentration in the nearshore region was extremely low in 1998, 2003, 2007 and 2010, related to El Niño signal in these summers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the available experimental data, fiber models for four prefabricated fiber-reinforced concrete beam–column joint specimens with grouted sleeve connections are first developed in OpenSees software. Then, the simulated seismic performance of the specimens is compared with the experimental results. Finally, the effects of axial load ratio and shear-to-span ratio on the seismic performance of the specimens are further investigated numerically. The results indicate that Concrete02 material model and Reinforcing Steel material model can accurately simulate the constitutive relationship of concrete and reinforcing steel, respectively; the beam–column joint elements can accurately simulate different damage behaviors of the joint zone. Fiber-reinforced concrete can significantly improve the seismic performance of the specimens. The relative errors of the simulated seismic performance indexes are about 15%. It is recommended that the optimum value of shear-to-span ratio for prefabricated FRC BCJs is 2.0–2.5. The effect of axial load ratio on the seismic behavior of PBCJs-CM is very small, and can be negligible in the case that the prefabricated FRC BCJs has a moderate value of shear-to-span ratio. The fiber model developed in this article can provide a numerical simulation basis for subsequent studies of prefabricated fiber-reinforced concrete beam–column joint specimens with grouted sleeve connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immediate oral implant placement is a widely accepted technique, known for its efficacy in reducing treatment duration, surgical visits, and overall healing time. One of the primary challenges associated with immediate implant placement is the attainment of initial stability. The inevitable loss of bone and soft tissue after extraction poses a risk to implant osseointegration in both vertical and horizontal dimensions. Guided tissue regeneration/guided bone regeneration (GTR/GBR) is a well‐established method for periodontal regeneration. However, current GTR/GBR membranes lack tissue inherent regeneration properties and necessitate combination with grafts to enhance tissue recovery. In this context, biomaterials have emerged as a promising option due to their good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioactive properties. They present a potential alternative to standard autologous/allograft procedures. The field of biomaterials for bone regeneration has rapidly evolved, developing new guiding materials and engineering techniques. These advances have become integral in addressing tissue defects at the immediate implant site. Various materials such as bioceramics, natural polymers, and synthetic polymers have been used for tissue repair. This article undertakes an etiological examination of tissue deficiency associated with immediate implant placement. Additionally, it reviews the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of biomaterials, aiming to provide references for clinical treatment and areas for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium is the property of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)