Search

Children exhibit a self-relevance effect whereby they share more candies with close friends and acquaintances than with strangers. The present study aimed to reduce the negative consequences of self-relevance effects by enhancing the behavioural control of sharing behaviour. This study initiated two behavioural control levels to investigate sharing behaviours in children aged 5-6 years. Results revealed that children with high-behavioural control had elevated sharing levels compared with those with neutral behavioural control. Compared with strangers and acquaintances, children shared more with those who have close relationships with them. Switching from neutral behavioural control to high behavioural control can improve the range of children's sharing level to strangers more than acquaintances and close friends. This suggests that the behavioural control did reduce the self-relevance effect, and the behavioural control was more effective in improving the children's sharing behaviour with strangers than acquaintances and close friends.

In order to investigate the influence of freshwater fish ponds on water and salt transport in cultivated wasteland in salinized areas, a typical study area was selected in the middle and lower reaches of the Hetao Irrigation District in China in the Yichang Irrigation Domain, and the temporal and spatial changes in the salinity of soil and salinity of groundwater and fish pond water in the cultivated–wasteland–fish pond system were characterized through the monitoring of the environmental information of soil and groundwater at the boundaries of the cultivated land, wasteland, and fish ponds. Salinity changes and groundwater migration in different periods were determined, and the response of soil salinity to the depth of groundwater burial was analyzed, as well as the effect of fish ponds on soil salinization. The results showed that the amount of groundwater migrating from cropland to wasteland during the simulation period in 2022 was 2700 m3, the amount of groundwater migrating from wasteland to fish ponds was 630 m3, and the amount of groundwater migrating from fish ponds to wasteland during the fall watering period was 440 m3. From an overall perspective, the average soil salinity of wasteland was 1.56 times higher than that of the boundary of fish ponds. Not only do fish ponds play a positive role in the ecosystem, but they also have a desalinization effect that reduces soil salinity significantly. Groundwater depth and soil salinity have an exponential relationship; when the depth of groundwater is greater than 1.75 m, the soil salinity varies little with the depth of groundwater and the soil salinity is less than 0.66 ds/m, which can be determined as the critical depth, and the average depth of groundwater in cultivated land in the study area is 1.5 m. Therefore, it is necessary to reasonably control the water level of fish ponds, so as to make the groundwater depth of cultivated land control between 1.75 m and 2.0 m, and to prevent soil salinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing soil salinity has always been a difficult problem for agriculture. Balancing water and salt while maintaining crop quality and yield is a key issue for agricultural sustainability. The Hetao lrrigation District in China has a complex mix of cultivated and uncultivated land which plays a crucial role in soil salinization processes. To investigate the dynamic properties of soil moisture and salinity, soil ions and groundwater, cultivated and fallow soils in the Hetao lrrigation District were analyzed, side by side, using a combination of field and laboratory tests, with data processed using univariate and multivariate statistical approaches. The results showed that soil moisture increased with increasing soil depth in both cultivated and fallow soils. Salinity showed an increasing trend in 2022 and 2023 from April to September. The soil ions were mainly sulfate in the cultivated soils and chloride in the fallow soils. The characteristic factors affecting salt accumulation in cultivated soils are Na++K+, Cl−, SSC, SO42−, HCO3−, and pH, and the characteristic factors affecting salt accumulation in fallow soils are Na++K+, Cl−, SSC, HCO3−, and pH. Water table depth varied with irrigation and precipitation and was strongly influenced by external environmental factors. Groundwater salinity remained stable throughout the study period. This study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of soil salinization in arid and semiarid areas through the "dry drainage salt" measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hetao Irrigation District is a typical salinized irrigation district in China, and soil salinization restricts agricultural development. To explore the spatial and temporal variability of soil water and salt and the coupling relationship in the Hetao Irrigation District, a field experiment was carried out at the scale of the Yichang Irrigation District branch canal in the downstream of the Hetao Irrigation District. Fifty-three soil sampling points were established to analyze the spatial and temporal variability of soil water content and total salt content and the coupling relationship using geostatistics and the coupling degree model. The results showed that soil water content in the study area belonged to medium variability and weak variability, and soil total salt content belonged to strong variability and medium variability. The theoretical models of soil water content and total salt content semi-variance function in the study area following the Gaussian model, with the block-base ratio less than 25%, with strong spatial autocorrelation, and the spatial correlation gradually increased with the increase of soil depth. The total salt content of the soil in the study area was interpolated with higher accuracy using radial basis functions as compared to ordinary kriging interpolation. In terms of temporal changes in salinity, the average salt accumulation rate of the 0–100 cm soil layer in the study area was 20.17% when salinity increased from May to June; the average desalination rate was 16.37% when salinity decreased from June to August. The main factors affecting soil salinity in cultivated land during the growing period were irrigation, precipitation, and planting crops, and the main factors affecting soil salinity in wasteland were precipitation and topography. The average coupling degree of soil water and salt in wasteland in the study area was lower than that of cultivated land, ranging from 65.15% to 86.59% of that of cultivated land. The level of coordination is marginal coordination for cultivated land and marginal disorder for wasteland. The study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of soil salinization in arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive alien plants not only decrease riparian vegetation diversity but also alter wetland ecosystem carbon processes, especially when they displace the original vegetation. Invasive Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) has colonized large areas of disturbed and undisturbed land in southeastern China, yet little is known regarding how it affects soil carbon cycling. To explore the response patterns of soil respiration following S. canadensis invasion and their driving mechanisms, an observational field study and a greenhouse experiment simulating invasion were performed. In the field study, soil respiration was measured weekly from 21th July 2018 to 15th December 2018. In the greenhouse experiment, soil, autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration were measured every 1st and 15th of the month from 15th July 2019 to 15th December 2019. Soil, autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration were measured using a closed-chamber system with the deep gauze collar root exclusion method. Solidago canadensis invasion appeared to decrease the total soil CO2 emissions in both the field study and the greenhouse experiment. The suppressive effects on soil respiration may be attributed to S. canadensis invasion-induced alterations in the quality and quantity of available soil substrate, suggesting that S. canadensis invasion may impact soil carbon cycling via plant-released substrates and by competing for the soil available substrate with native plant and/or soil microbes. These results have substantial implications for estimations of the effects of invasive plants on belowground carbon dynamics and their contribution to the warming world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented hollow dried noodles, new products emerging in China, are delicious, easy to digest and absorb. However, due to the porous structure produced by yeast, there are still some quality problems such as easy breakage during storage, splitting during cooking and poor textural and sensory quality that need to be addressed. The influence of polysaccharides (guar gum, sodium alginate, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose) on the rheological properties of dough, the microstructure and physicochemical properties, and the quality of fermented hollow dried noodles were studied. The addition of all polysaccharides with proper concentration can improve that quality of dough, dough sheets and noodles. Among which guar gum had the best effect. 0.3% guar gum significantly increased the flexibility (6.64 mm) and expansion index (196.49%) of test sample, significantly decreased the cooking loss (5.74%) and splitting rate (10.00%), and significantly increased the elasticity (0.87) and chewiness (3680.91), respectively. At the same time, the correlation between noodle quality and dough rheological properties was established. Results indicate that polysaccharides can significantly improve the quality of fermented hollow noodles by modified the rheological properties of dough, the microstructure and physicochemical properties of dried noodles. • Polysaccharides can strengthen the network structure of noodle dough. • Guar gum had the best effect in improving the quality of fermented hollow dried noodles among all polysaccharides. • The rheological properties of dough sheets were positively corelated to the quality of fermented hollow dried noodles. • 0.3% GG significantly improve the flexibility, expansion index, splitting rate, cooking and texture quality of noodles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma total homocysteine (tHCY) is a known risk factor of a wide range of complex diseases. No genome scans for tHCY have been conducted in East Asian populations. Here, we conducted an exome-wide association study (ExWAS) for tHCY in 5,175 individuals of Chinese Han origin, followed by a replication study in 668 Chinese individuals. The ExWAS identified two loci, 1p36.22 (lead single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1801133, MTHFR C677T) and 16q24.3 (rs1126464, DPEP1), showing exome-wide significant association with tHCY (p < 5E−7); and both loci have been previously associated with tHCY in non-East Asian populations. Both SNPs were replicated in the replication study (p < 0.05). Conditioning on the genotype of C677T and rs1126464, we identified a novel East Asian-specific missense variant rs138189536 (C136T) of MTHFR (p = 6.53E−10), which was also significant in the replication study (p = 9.8E−3). The C136T and C677T variants affect tHCY in a compound heterozygote manner, where compound heterozygote and homozygote genotype carriers had on average 43.4% increased tHCY than had other genotypes. The frequency of the homozygote C677T genotype showed an inverse-U-shaped geospatial pattern globally with a pronounced frequency in northern China, which coincided with the high prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) in northern China. A logistic regression model of HHCY status considering sex, age, and the genotypes of the three identified variants reached an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) value of 0.74 in an independent validation cohort. These genetic observations provide new insights into the presence of multiple causal mutations at the MTHFR locus, highlight the role of genetics in HHCY epidemiology among different populations, and provide candidate loci for future functional studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study explored treatment experiences and social support among individuals with eating disorders (EDs) in mainland China. Method: Subscribers of a Chinese online social media platform (WeChat) focused on EDs were invited to complete a screening questionnaire that included the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale for the DSM‐5. Of the 116 questionnaire responses, 31 met inclusion criteria for follow‐up interviews. Individuals who never sought treatment were not eligible for follow‐up interviews, but provided brief explanations about why they did not seek treatment. All eligible participants (n = 31) completed a semi‐structured interview about their experiences with ED treatment and social support. Qualitative data from the interviews and survey responses regarding not seeking treatment were subjected to inductive data‐driven thematic analysis with deductive coding to illuminate treatment and social support experiences or reasons for not seeking treatment. Results: Themes emerged from interviews revealed positive inpatient treatment experiences for anorexia nervosa, but negative outpatient treatment experiences, unaffordable care, and ineffective psychopharmacological treatments. Parents, friends, and partners were sources of social support, but participants largely felt misunderstood or blamed by these same entities. Shame, not recognizing ED as an illness, and financial constraints were listed as the primary reasons for not seeking treatment. Discussion: The importance of hearing patients' perspectives, improving ED literacy in China, increasing knowledge of culturally specific manifestations of EDs, and developing culturally responsive services and dissemination of treatment resources are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource scarcity, global climate change and environmental pollution are increasingly constraining the development of the automotive industry. China proposes to reach the carbon peak by 2030; to reach the carbon neutral double carbon target by 2060 and gradually promote a green and low-carbon transition in energy development. The development of new energy vehicles is an important approach for China to realize its energy structure transformation in the automobile industry. HEV, as a transitional product of automobile energy transformation, has the advantages of both internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles, which can improve the fuel efficiency and the emission problem of internal combustion engine vehicles and the range is longer compared to electric vehicles. One of the important aspects of HEV research is the design of whole vehicle energy management strategy based on the model predictions. Particularly, model-based predictive control is one of the mainstream energy management strategies nowadays, and its optimization effect is mainly subject to the model prediction accuracy. In this study, we constructed the ITS environment of a local roadway through simulation, compared the speed prediction effects of different speed prediction methods in different prediction time domains, and fused the historical information of vehicles (speed of the vehicle in front, distance, signal status, distance, and remaining time). It is found that N-BEATS is more effective in predicting vehicle speed in different prediction time domains, and the prediction accuracy of the speed prediction model is effectively improved after its fusion of multivariate information. • Speed prediction based on real driving data. • Comparing the accuracy of different speed prediction methods in different prediction time domains. • Fusion of multivariate information (vehicle history, front vehicle speed, distance, signal light status, remaining time, and other factors) for speed prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Reports of disordered eating are increasing in mainland China; however, little is known regarding Chinese psychotherapists' conceptualizations of disordered eating symptomatology. This study explores Chinese psychotherapists' conceptualizations of binge eating (BE)/vomiting symptoms and treatment considerations. Method: In‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with mainland Chinese psychotherapists (N = 41) in Mandarin. Participants were given a hypothetical case and provided their conceptualization of the patient's BE/vomiting etiology and treatment recommendations. Etiological conceptualizations were coded using directed content analysis, and treatment recommendations were grouped by intervention strategy. Results: Participants described psychosocial risk factors for BE/vomiting including intrapersonal characteristics and the childhood family environment, but rarely discussed genetic and neurobiological factors. Few participants reported that they would prioritize the BE/vomiting symptoms in treatment and their specific treatment recommendations varied widely. Discussion: Most research on BE/vomiting behaviors in the literature is based on Western samples with little attention to mainland Chinese populations. Participants in this study provided conceptualizations of risk factors and treatment recommendations that could generally find evidence in the existing Western literature, even if some theories are no longer supported by updated Western research and the participants focused primarily on psychosocial risks as opposed to genetic/neurobiological factors. It will be important for future research to ascertain mainland Chinese therapists' understanding of these additional types of risk. These findings also suggest a disconnect between clinical findings on neurobiological risks and Chinese therapists' knowledge and/or perceived clinical utility of these risks. Implications for treatment and research dissemination to diverse global communities are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diurnal variation of surface PM 2.5 concentration (diurnal PM 2.5) could dramatically affect aerosol radiative and health impacts and can also well reflect the physical and chemical mechanisms of air pollution formation and evolution. So far, diurnal PM 2.5 and its modeling capability over East China have not been investigated and therefore are examined in this study. Based on the observations, the normalized diurnal amplitude of surface PM 2.5 concentrations averaged over East China is weakest (∼1.2) in winter and reaches ∼1.5 in other seasons. The diurnal PM 2.5 shows the peak concentration during the night in spring and fall and during the daytime in summer. The simulated diurnal PM 2.5 with WRF-Chem and its contributions from multiple physical and chemical processes are examined in the four seasons. The simulated diurnal PM 2.5 with WRF-Chem is primarily controlled by planetary boundary layer (PBL) mixing and emission variations and is significantly overestimated against the observation during the night. This modeling bias is likely primarily due to the inefficient PBL mixing of primary PM 2.5 during the night. The simulated diurnal PM 2.5 is sensitive to the PBL schemes and vertical-layer configurations with WRF-Chem. Besides the PBL height, the PBL mixing coefficient is also found to be the critical factor determining the PBL mixing of pollutants in WRF-Chem. With reasonable PBL height, the increase in the lower limit of the PBL mixing coefficient during the night can significantly reduce the modeling biases in diurnal PM 2.5 and also the mean concentrations, particularly in the major cities of East China. It can also reduce the modeling sensitivity to the PBL vertical-layer configurations. The diurnal variation and injection height of anthropogenic emissions also play roles in simulating diurnal PM 2.5 , but the impact is relatively smaller than that from the PBL mixing. This study underscores that more efforts are needed to improve the boundary mixing process of pollutants in models with observations of PBL structure and mixing fluxes in addition to PBL height, in order to simulate reasonably the diurnal PM 2.5 over East China. The diurnal variation and injection height of anthropogenic emissions must also be included to simulate the diurnal PM 2.5 over East China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative experiment was conducted based on a non-road diesel engine to investigate the effects of two after-treatment devices on the engine's emission characteristics as well as their power and fuel consumption performances. The first after-treatment device is a combination of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and a catalytic diesel particulate filter (CDPF). The second device is a single CDPF-coated improved noble metal catalyst. Results showed that the two after-treatment devices had almost no effect on the power and fuel consumption performance. The gaseous and particulate emissions of the engine depended on the operation conditions including the speed and load. However, the dual DOC+CDPF system and the single CDPF reduced more than 81% of the carbon monoxide (CO) and 73% of the hydrocarbon (HC) emissions. Notably, the reduction efficiency by the single CDPF was higher than that of the DOC+CDPF system. In terms of the particulate emissions, both after-treatment devices achieved more than 96% reduction of the particle number (PN) and up to 88% reduction of the particulate mass (PM). Similarly, the single CDPF outperformed the dual DOC+CDPF system in reducing particle emissions. Although no changes occurred in the bimodal particle size distribution of the engine after the installation of the two after-treatment devices, they performed differently in reducing particles with different sizes. The particles reduction efficiency of the DOC+CDPF system was higher than that of the single CDPF for the particles smaller than 14.3 nm, and this trend converted for particles larger than 14.3 nm. Improving the noble metal catalyst load in the CDPF ensured a performance that rivaled the DOC+CDPF system. Apart from the NOx emissions, the installation of a single CDPF with an improved noble metal catalyst load can make the non-road diesel engine meet the limits of the China IV emission regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-hydrostatic atmospheric Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS-A), a global variable-resolution modeling framework, is applied at a range of resolutions from hydrostatic (60, 30, 16 km) to non-hydrostatic (4 km) scales using regional refinement over East Asia to simulate an extreme precipitation event. The event is triggered by a typical wind shear in the lower layer of the Meiyu front in East China on 25–27 June 2012 during the East Asian summer monsoon season. The simulations are evaluated using ground observations and reanalysis data. The simulated distribution and intensity of precipitation are analyzed to investigate the sensitivity to model configuration, resolution, and physics parameterizations. In general, simulations using global uniform-resolution and variable-resolution meshes share similar characteristics of precipitation and wind in the refined region with comparable horizontal resolution. Further experiments at multiple resolutions reveal the significant impacts of horizontal resolution on simulating the distribution and intensity of precipitation and updrafts. More specifically, simulations at coarser resolutions shift the zonal distribution of the rain belt and produce weaker heavy precipitation centers that are misplaced relative to the observed locations. In comparison, simulations employing 4 km cell spacing produce more realistic features of precipitation and wind. The difference among experiments in modeling rain belt features is mainly due to the difference in simulated wind shear formation and evolution during this event. Sensitivity experiments show that cloud microphysics have significant effects on modeling precipitation at non-hydrostatic scales, but their impacts are relatively small compared to that of convective parameterizations for simulations at hydrostatic scales. This study provides the first evidence supporting the use of convection-permitting global variable-resolution simulations for studying and improving forecasting of extreme precipitation over East China and motivates the need for a more systematic study of heavy precipitation events and the impacts of physics parameterizations and topography in the future. The key points are as follows. Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) simulations at global uniform and variable resolutions share similar characteristics of precipitation and wind in the refined region. Numerical experiments reveal significant impacts of resolution on simulating the distribution and intensity of precipitation and updrafts. This study provides evidence supporting the use of convection-permitting global variable-resolution simulation to study extreme precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the role of different types and frequencies of physical exercise in biomarkers of oxidative stress among middle-aged and elderly community residents with essential hypertension in China. A community-based cross-sectional survey was undertaken in 7 subdistricts. Individuals, 45-79 years old, with essential hypertension (n=402) and without cardiovascular disease (n=1047) were included. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) were determined. Multilevel linear regression was used to estimate the associations between various types of physical exercise and oxidative stress biomarker levels. Participants engaged in high frequency walking/square dancing or taiji/yoga demonstrated decreased systolic blood pressure in both groups; however, diastolic blood pressure decreased only among individuals with hypertension participating in walking/square dancing. In individuals with hypertension, MDA levels decreased in those participating in walking/square dancing, SOD activity increased in those participating in walking/square dancing, and 4-HNE levels decreased in those involved in taiji/yoga. In individuals without cardiovascular disease, MDA levels decreased in those involved in walking/square dancing or taiji/yoga, SOD activity increased in those performing walking/square dancing, and 4-HNE levels decreased in those involved in taiji/yoga. Oxidative stress marker levels also improved in those involved in walking/square dancing or taiji/yoga groups as the exercise frequency increased. Thus, frequent participation in walking/square dancing or taiji/yoga effectively decreases hypertension-related oxidative stress biomarker levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Morphology, nanostructure, functional group composition, and oxidation reaction of soot particles with different fuels are analyzed. • Soot particles from WCO biodiesel combustion exhibit more disordered nanostructure. • The surface functional group content and sp3/sp2 of biodiesel soot particles are higher. • Soot particles from WCO biodiesel is easier to be oxidized than fossil diesel soot particles. • The nanostructure definite correlations with soot particles reactivity. Biodiesel is one of carbon neutral fuels for diesel engine and waste cooking oil (WCO) would be the most viable source for biodiesel production in China. This paper studied the micromorphology, nanostructure, surface functional group composition, and oxidation activity characteristics of particles emitted from a China V bus fueled by pure WCO biodiesel and petroleum diesel, respectively. Compared with petroleum diesel, the results showed that particle mass (PM) and particle number (PN) of WCO biodiesel decreased by 38.66% and 38.12%, respectively, while the proportion of nucleation mode particles increased by about 10%. The soot particles of WCO biodiesel have higher disordered nanostructure, smaller primary particle size and fringe length, larger fringe separation distance and tortuosity, and lower graphitization degree than those of petroleum diesel. Moreover, the oxygen-containing surface functional groups content and carbon atom hybrid ratio of soot particles of WCO biodiesel were higher than those of petroleum diesel under the same oxidation temperature. And then the activation energy of soot particles from WCO biodiesel which contained more lattice defect structures was 38.43 kJ/mol, 37.8% lower than petroleum diesel, which is easier to be oxidized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Life cycle energy, environment and economic assessment for conventional diesel (CD) and soybean-based biodiesel (SB) in China was carried out in this paper. The results of the assessment have shown that compared with CD, SB has similar source-to-tank (StT) total energy consumption, 76% lower StT fossil energy consumption, 79% higher source-to-wheel (StW) nitrogen oxides (NO X ) emissions, 31%, 44%, 36%, 29%, and 67% lower StW hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), sulfur oxides (SO X ), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, respectively. SB is thus considered to be much more renewable and cleaner than CD. However, the retail price of SB at gas stations would be about 86% higher than that of CD without government subsidy according to the cost assessment and China had to import large amount of soybean to meet the demand in recent years. Therefore, although SB is one of the most promising clean and alternative fuels, currently it is not a good choice for China. It is strategically important for China to diversify the feedstock for biodiesel and to consider other kinds of alternative fuels to substitute CD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has plentiful cassava resources, which is an ideal feedstock for fuel ethanol production. The Guangxi government intends to promote cassava fuel ethanol as a substitute for gasoline. The purpose of this study was to quantify the energy efficiency and potentials of a cassava fuel ethanol project in the Guangxi region based on a 100 thousand ton fuel ethanol demonstration plant at Qinzhou of Guangxi. The net energy value (NEV) and net renewable energy value (NREV) are presented to assess the energy and renewable energy efficiency of the cassava fuel ethanol system during its life cycle. The cassava fuel ethanol system was divided into five subsystems including the cassava plantation/treatment, ethanol conversion, denaturing, refueling and transportation. All the energy and energy related materials inputs to each subsystem were estimated at the primary energy level. The total energy inputs were allocated between the fuel ethanol and its coproducts with market value and replacement value methods. Available lands for a cassava plantation were investigated and estimated. The results showed that the cassava fuel ethanol system was energy and renewable energy efficient as indicated by positive NEV and NREV values that were 7.475MJ/L and 7.881MJ/L, respectively. Cassava fuel ethanol production helps to convert the non-liquid fuel into fuel ethanol that can be used for transportation. Through fuel ethanol production, one Joule of petroleum fuel, plus other forms of energy inputs such as coal, can produce 9.8J of fuel ethanol. Cassava fuel ethanol can substitute for gasoline and reduce oil imports. With the cassava output in 2003, it can substitute for 166.107 million liters of gasoline. With the cassava output potential, it can substitute for 618.162 million liters of gasoline. Cassava fuel ethanol is more energy efficient than gasoline, diesel fuel and corn fuel ethanol but less efficient than biodiesel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aerosol pollution is an acute environmental issue in developing countries. Asia has been experiencing rapid changes in anthropogenic aerosols during the past two decades due to fast growth in population and economy. It is still an open question how aerosol loadings, represented by aerosol optical depth (AOD), have evolved in this century, particularly during the past decade when China and India implemented a clean air act aiming to improve air quality. Based on Terra aerosol retrievals and aerosol reanalysis, a change point of AOD trend is detected at 2010 in East China versus a persistent increasing AOD trend in the Indian subcontinent with no detectable change point from 2000 to 2019. In East China, positive AOD trend (+0.11 ± 0.022 decade−1) is confirmed from 2000 to 2010 (hereinafter the former period) yet negative trend (−0.26 ± 0.027 decade−1) is identified from 2011 to 2019 (hereinafter the later period). In the Indian subcontinent, persistent positive trend (+0.04 ± 0.001) is detected from 2000 to 2019 (hereinafter the whole period). All of these trends are attributed mainly to changes in sulfate aerosols. Further analysis of the aerosol pollution extreme events (APEE; defined as daily AOD over the long-term local 90th AOD percentile) manifest a positive trend (+0.16 ± 0.029 decade−1) of the APEEs' magnitude in East China during the former period yet a negative trend (−0.11 ± 0.020 decade−1) during the latter period; the Indian subcontinent demonstrates a positive trend (+0.02 ± 0.004 decade−1) during the whole period due to increasing sulfate aerosols. The APEEs have become more frequent (+3.5 ± 0.53 day month−1 decade−1) in East China during the former period yet less frequent (−3.6 ± 0.39 day month−1 decade−1) during the latter period; in the Indian subcontinent, more frequent APEEs (+1.1 ± 0.25 day month−1 decade−1) have been detected during the whole period. Consistent with the AOD trends, clear-sky radiation in East China shows a negative trend at the surface (−3.2 ± 0.67 W m−2 decade−1), a positive trend in the atmosphere (+1.4 ± 0.68 decade−1), and a negative trend at the top of the atmosphere (−1.8 ± 0.43 decade−1) during the former period, respectively; opposite trends with much larger magnitude are seen during the latter period. In the Indian subcontinent, the clear-sky radiation trends during the whole period are −1.4 ± 0.38, +1.7 ± 0.31, and + 0.5 ± 0.16 W m−2 decade−1 at the surface, in the atmosphere, and at the top of the atmosphere, respectively. Comparison of radiation trends at clear-sky and all-sky conditions suggests that absorbing aerosols dominate the radiation budget in the atmosphere and the aerosol reanalysis of the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research ans Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) might overestimate the radiation response to clouds. This study provides an up-to-date analysis of the long-term trends in aerosols and their extreme events and radiation in two of the world's heavily polluted regions and the results have important implications for assessment of the environmental and climatic impacts of the ongoing clean air acts in Asia. • Fewer aerosol pollution extreme events were observed in China in the past decade. • Surface solar radiation increased in China but maintained in India for 2011–2019. • Clean Air Act has improved air quality in China but not in India in the past decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution in North China (NC) is an important issue affecting the economy and health. In this study, we used a regional climate model, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) to project air pollution in NC and investigate the variations of air pollutions response to future climate changes, which probably has an implication to strategy and control policy for air quality in NC. A comprehensive model evaluation was conducted to verify the simulated aerosol optical depth (AOD) based on MODIS and MISR datasets, and the model also showed reasonable results in aerosol concentrations. Future changes of air pollution in the middle of the 21st century (2031–2050) were projected in the two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and compared with the situation in the historical period (1986–2005). In the two RCPs, the simulated averaged PM2.5 concentration was projected with the highest values of 50–250 μ g · m−3 over the Bohai Rim Economic Circle (BREC) in winter. The maximum AOD is in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region in summer, with an average value of 0.68. In winter, in the RCP4.5 scenario, PM2.5 concentration and AOD obviously declined in BTH and Shandong province. However, in the RCP8.5 scenario, PM2.5 concentration and AOD increased. Results indicated that air pollution would be reduced in winter if society developed in the low emission pathway. Precipitation was projected to increase both in the two RCPs scenarios in spring, summer, and winter, but it was projected to decrease in autumn. The planetary boundary layer height decreased in the two RCPs scenarios in the central region of NC in the summer and winter. The results indicated that changes of meteorological conditions have great impact on air pollution in future scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) vehicles offered higher power output, improved fuel economy and reduced CO 2 emissions compared with port fuel injection (PFI) vehicles. However, the particle number emission of GDI is larger than that of PFI and also higher than diesel vehicles equipped with diesel particle filter (DPF). This research sampled particle matter (PM) emitted from a China VI vehicle over the Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC). The results of particle size distribution showed that ultra-fine particles in diameter below 23 nm take up majority of particle emissions. While with the oxidation temperature rising, the peak diameter of emitted particles migrated to larger section. The effect of oxidation temperature including interlayer spacing, fractal dimension, fringe length and tortuosity have been analyzed by TEM. The value of nano structural parameters increases slightly with the temperature increasing. Besides, the impact of volatile components was considered into the micromorphology and microstructure parameters of primary particles. After eliminating volatile materials, there is no presence of hollow carbon particles and all the three parameters including interlayer spacing, fringe length and fringe tortuosity showed an overall decrease. Better understanding nano structural parameters of PM under different oxidation temperatures can provide information to explain the potential impacts of particle emissions on human health and environment and the regeneration process of gasoline particle filter (GPF). [Display omitted] • Analysis of oxidation reactivity and nanostructure of PM sampled from GDI vehicle. • Activation energy enhances with oxidation temperature increasing. • GDI particles present nanostructure characteristic favoring high reactivity. • Volatile components expressed an impact on nanostructure and oxidation properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dust storms have occurred frequently in northwest China and can dramatically reduce visibility and exacerbate air quality in downwind regions through long-range transport. In order to study the distribution characteristics of dust particles sizes, structures and concentrations in the process of dust storm, especially for the vertical distributions, the multi-observation platform composed of six Lidars and nine aerosol analytical instruments is first used to detect a severe dust storm event, which occurred in Northwest China on 3 May 2020. As a strong weather system process, the dust storm has achieved high intensity and wide range. When the intensity of a dust storm is at its strongest, the ratios of PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameter < 2.5 µm) and PM10 (particulate matter with diameter < 10 µm) (PM2.5/PM10) in cities examined were less than 0.2 and the extinction coefficients became greater than 1 km−1 based on Lidar observations. In addition, the growth rates of PM2.5 were higher than that of PM10. The dust particles mainly concentrated at heights of 2 km, after being transported about 200–300 km, vertical height increased by 1–2 km. Meanwhile, the dust concentration decreased markedly. Furthermore, the depolarization ratio showed that dust in the Tengger Desert was dominated by spherical particles. The linear relationships between 532 nm extinction coefficient and the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 were found firstly and their R2 were 0.706 to 0.987. Our results could give more information for the physical schemes to simulate dust storms in specific models, which could improve the forecast of dust storms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]