Search

In areas with large temperature differences, the uneven distribution of temperatures in the CRTS III ballastless track slab due to daytime sunlight can cause warpage deformation, leading to periodic rail irregularities that increase the wheel-rail impact of high-speed vehicles and accelerate track structure damage. Therefore, it is necessary to study the dynamic contact relationship between the composite slab and the base plate during vehicle running. The results of the study show that: 1) Under the influence of temperature gradients, the composite slab tends to deform elliptically. With a positive temperature gradient, the middle part of the track slab bulges upward, causing the slab to be supported by its four corners. Conversely, with a negative temperature gradient, the four corners of the track slab bulge upward, resulting in the slab being supported by its center. 2) Temperature gradients can lead to separation between the composite slab and the base plate, reducing the contact area between layers. During vehicle running, the contact area between layers gradually increases, but the separation cannot be completely closed. 3) The temperature gradient significantly affects the vertical displacement of the track. The vertical displacement in the middle of the slab increases with a positive temperature gradient. In contrast, the vertical displacement at the ends of the slab increases with a negative temperature gradient. 4) The stress of self-compacting concrete at the side position significantly increases under a positive temperature gradient, with the vertical stress increasing by 2.7 times when the temperature gradient increases from 0 to 90 ℃·m−1.

From April 2020 to June 2022, a Ca+ lidar with dual-wavelength and narrow-band emitting lasers utilizing all-solid-state technology was employed to conduct observations in Beijing (40.41°N, 116.01°E) for a total duration of 1797.79 hours over 280 nights. A total of 286 sporadic Ca+ layers were observed, with heights ranging from 88 to 120 km and densities varying from 5.33 to 2200 cm−3. We simultaneously observed the ionosonde, located 28 km from the lidar, and found a correlation of 61.89% between the sporadic Ca+ layer and the sporadic E layer. When the sporadic Ca+ layer has a downward phase trend, there is a correlation of 76.84%. By excluding the influence of ionosonde sensitivity, we focus only on calcium ions that have a density exceeding 140 cm−3, which exhibit a correlation of 82.25%. Above 100 km, the correlation significantly increases, reaching approximately 90%. Furthermore, the correlation between the sporadic Ca+ layer and the sporadic E layer is particularly noticeable during the summer season, reaching around 90%. This phenomenon can be attributed to the variations in metal ions that occur during different seasons.

Abstract The rail profile milling process allows considerable thickness to be removed in a single pass. However, the residual waviness formation law after milling and its subsequent effect on rail performance remains uncertain. In this paper, the wavelength and wave height of the residual waviness are identified as the key characteristics. The relationship between milling speed and residual waviness is determined, and a numerical model of the residual waviness formed on the surface after milling is established based on the commonly used three milling speeds of 300, 600, and 1000 m/h, and its accuracy is verified using the parameters of the residual waviness detected by the milling experiments. A three-dimensional finite element analysis model of wheel-rail contact was employed to analyze the contact stresses and low fatigue cycles at a wheel load of 11.5 tons with no residual waviness on the rail profile surface and with three types of residual waviness, respectively. The results show that the residual waviness changes the wheel-rail contact position and the morphology of the contact area, reduces the maximum contact stress and increases the strain fatigue cycles. The application of elevated milling speeds reduces the wheel-rail contact stresses after milling, thereby increasing the low fatigue cycles.

The insufficient understanding of the impact of hydrothermal products on the growth characteristics of compost microorganisms presents a significant challenge to the broader implementation of hydrothermal coupled composting for tobacco waste. Traditional biochemical detection methods are labor-intensive and time-consuming, highlighting the need for faster and more accurate alternatives. This study investigated the effects of hydrothermal treatment on tobacco straw products and their influence on compost microorganism growth, using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technology and machine learning algorithms. Sixty-one tobacco straw samples were analyzed with a hyperspectral camera, and image processing was used to extract average spectra from regions of interest (ROI). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to assess four key variables: nicotine content, total humic acid content, Penicillium chrysogenum H/C ratio, and Bacillus subtilis OD600 ratio. The effects of hydrothermal treatment on compost were classified as promoting, inhibiting, or neutral regarding microbial growth. The Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling (CARS) method identified the most influential wavelengths in the 900-1700 nm spectral range. The Random Forest (RF) model outperformed SVM, KNN, and XGBoost models in predicting microbial growth responses, achieving Rc = 0.957, RMSE = 3.584. Key wavelengths were identified at 1096 nm, 1101 nm, 1163 nm, 1335 nm, and 1421 nm. The results indicate that hyperspectral imaging combined with machine learning can accurately predict changes in the chemical composition of tobacco straws and their effects on microbial activity. This method provides an innovative and effective means of improving the resource usage of tobacco straws in composting, enhancing sustainable waste management procedures.

IntroductionThe application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers is an important factors affecting the quality of rice, and different nitrogen-efficient rice varieties show significant differences in their response to nitrogen and phosphorus application.MethodsIn this experiment, a low-nitrogen-high efficiency variety (Deyou 4727) and a high-nitrogen-high efficiency variety (Jingyou 781) were selected, and the changes in rice quality and differences in starch structure under nitrogen–phosphorus interaction treatments were determined.ResultsAppearance, flavor, starch content and thermodynamic properties, endosperm cell arrangement, and starch granule morphology and size were significantly influenced by variety, nitrogen-phosphorus interactions, and their interaction effects. The effect of nitrogen fertilizer on quality was greater than that of phosphorus fertilizer. The whiteness and chalkiness rates of Deyou 4727 first decreased and then increased with increasing nitrogen fertilizer application, wheras the appearance quality of Jingyou 781 increased with increasing nitrogen fertilizer application. Starch crystallinity in Deyou 4727 first increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen fertilizer application, whereas starch crystallinity in Jingyou 781 increased continuously with increasing nitrogen fertilizer application. The application of phosphorus fertilizer led to an increase in starch crystallinity in both nitrogen-efficient rice varieties, consistent with the response of different rice varieties to nitrogen and phosphorus in terms of appearance and chalkiness. With the increasing application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, the differences in the physicochemical properties and structure of starch became more significant.DiscussionHigh-nitrogen-efficient rice varieties can significantly improve appearance quality under high nitrogen conditions, and the interactions of medium-high nitrogen and low-medium phosphorus can lead to a significant decrease in starch thermal parameters and retention rate, thus improving rice cooking quality. Low-nitrogen-efficient rice varieties can also improve the quality of rice under low-medium-nitrogen conditions with appropriate application of phosphorus fertilizer.

Abstract Seawater electrolysis offers a renewable, scalable, and economic means for green hydrogen production. However, anode corrosion by Cl- pose great challenges for its commercialization. Herein, different from conventional catalysts designed to repel Cl- adsorption, we develop an atomic Ir catalyst on cobalt iron layered double hydroxide (Ir/CoFe-LDH) to tailor Cl- adsorption and modulate the electronic structure of the Ir active center, thereby establishing a unique Ir-OH/Cl coordination for alkaline seawater electrolysis. Operando characterizations and theoretical calculations unveil the pivotal role of this coordination state to lower OER activation energy by a factor of 1.93. The Ir/CoFe-LDH exhibits a remarkable oxygen evolution reaction activity (202 mV overpotential and TOF = 7.46 O2 s−1) in 6 M NaOH+2.8 M NaCl, superior over Cl--free 6 M NaOH electrolyte (236 mV overpotential and TOF = 1.05 O2 s−1), with 100% catalytic selectivity and stability at high current densities (400-800 mA cm−2) for more than 1,000 h.

The sudden enhancement in the mesospheric neutral metal layers (Ns) has been studied in different latitudes for decades. Specifically, at 23°S, Sodium Ns layers have been analyzed since their first observation at the end of the seventies. Several studies have reported Sodium Ns during events of energetic particle precipitation (EPP) and the formation of auroral-type sporadic E (Esa) layers at high-latitude stations. The Esa layers are also observed in the Brazilian low-latitude sector during the EPP events due to the South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA). However, despite extensive studies on the SAMA region, no reports exist about the co-occurrence of the Ns layer and the Esa layer. Therefore, in the present work, for the first time, we observed on 26 April 2023 a peculiar Ns layer event synchronously occurring with the development of the Esa layer in the SAMA region.

The Phase II of Chinese Meridian Project atmosphere wind-temperature-metal-constituents LiDAR at Mohe (122°E, 53°N) station uses a resonance fluorescence scattering mechanism to detect the metal layer composition in the upper atmosphere at 80-120 km , and subsequently uses these metal components as tracers to study various complex chemical and kinetic processes in the middle and upper atmosphere. The time resolution of this LiDAR is 1.1 min and the spatial resolution is 30 m. With high spatial and temporal resolution, we obtained a high signal to noise ratio for Ca number density. Further, we analyzed the evolution of Ca number density with time and height in January 2023. We observed that the peak value of background and sporadic Ca number densities reached approximately 33.55 cm−3 and 53.64 cm−3, respectively. In comparison with that in Yanqing (116.0°E, 40.5°N) station, the Ca number density in Mohe station was higher. Moreover, while examining the Ca observation studies conducted at foreign stations, we found that the Ca number density in Mohe was close to that of Kuhlungsborn station (54°N, 12°E; Germany) and was higher than that of Observatoire de Haute Provence station (44°N, 6E; France). Additionally, during January 12–14, 2023, we observed calcium meteor trails, consistently appearing near the peak of the metal layer spectrum.

Panicle-type structure is an important factor affecting rice yield, and an excellent panicle type has become a key indicator in rice breeding. In this study, the indica rice variety R766, which has an open panicle type, was obtained through natural mutation and hybrid selection. Through analyzing differences in panicle structure, panicle yield, and chemical composition between open panicle rice R766 and conventional panicle rice R2928, we found that the angles of the middle and lower branches in R766 were 186.99% and 135.93% greater than those in R2928, respectively. By comparing the grain-filling characteristics of different panicle positions in the two rice varieties, we found that the grain filling at the middle and lower panicle positions of R2928 was significantly lower, accompanied by an increase in the percentage of empty spikelets. However, in R766, the grain-filling rates in the middle and lower panicle positions were consistent with those in the upper panicle position, with significantly higher rates of grain filling and grain plumpness in the middle and lower panicle positions than in R2928. The empty grain rate at the lower panicle position of R766 was 15.25% lower than that of R2928, and the grain filling was 24.75% higher than that of R2928. Additionally, the variation in the 1000-grain weight of grains at different panicle positions in R766 was relatively small, with decreases of 1.55% and 0.38% in the middle and lower panicle positions, respectively, compared with the upper position, whereas R2928 showed decreases of 5.99% and 7.12% in the 1000-grain weight of grains at the middle and lower panicle positions, respectively, compared with the upper position. The cellulose content in the stems of R766 was 7.51% higher than that of R2928, with no significant difference in the cellulose content in the panicle axis and primary branches compared to R2928. The lignin content of the panicle axis in R766 was 8.03% higher than that in R2928, whereas there was no significant difference between the lignin content of the stems and primary branches. This preliminary study revealed the open panicle characteristics of R766 and the reasons for its high basal grain setting rate. This study provides a reference for promoting this open panicle-type indica rice variety to improve yield and disease resistance in environments with high humidity and low sunlight levels.

The unusual daytime F-region Field-Aligned Irregularities (FAIs) were observed by the HCOPAR and the satellites at low latitudes on 13 June 2022. These irregularities survived from night-time to the following afternoon at 15:00 LT. During daytime, they appeared as fossil structures with low Doppler velocities and narrow spectral widths. These characteristics indicated that they drifted along the magnetic field lines without apparent zonal velocity to low latitudes. Combining the observations of the ICON satellite and the Hainan Digisonde, we derived the movement trails of these daytime irregularities. We attributed their generation to the rapid ascent of the F-layer due to the fluctuation of IMF Bz during the quiet geomagnetic conditions. Subsequently, the influence of the substorm on the low-latitude ionosphere was investigated and simulated. The substorm caused the intense Joule heating that enhanced the southward neutral winds, carrying the neutral compositional disturbances to low latitudes and resulting in a negative storm effect in Southeast Asia. The negative storm formed a low-density circumstance and slowed the dissipation of the daytime FAIs. These results may provide new insights into the generation of post-midnight irregularities and their relationship with daytime fossil structures.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphism on cognitive function, neuroimaging and blood biological markers in patients with subcortical ischaemic vascular dementia (SIVD).MethodsA total of 81 patients with SIVD were included. According to their BDNF gene polymorphism, the participants were divided into the Val/Val (n = 26), Val/Met (n = 35), and Met/Met (n = 20) groups. A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation and multimodal brain MRI scan were performed. MRI markers for small vessel disease were visually rated or quantitatively analysed. Moreover, 52 patients were further evaluated with blood marker assays, including amyloid beta (Aβ), phosphorylated tau at threonine-181 (P-tau181), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), total tau (T-tau) and neurofilament light chain (NfL).ResultsThere were no significant differences in demographics, disease duration or MRI markers of small vessel disease between the three groups. Compared with the Val/Val and Val/Met groups, the Met/Met group showed worse performance in the verbal fluency test and higher levels of plasma NfL.ConclusionThe rs6265 polymorphism of the BDNF gene is associated with semantic language fluency in patients with SIVD. The Met genotype may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment and neuronal injury.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) balance fertilization strategy in paddy fields, and to evaluate the effects on N uptake and utilization in rice. In 2017-2018, the experiment was conducted using Deyou4727 hybrid rice with four different P fertilizer levels (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg/ha), marked as P0, P1, P2, P3 in turn, and four different N levels (0, 90, 150, and 270 kg/ha), similarly marked as N0, N1, N2, N3 in turn. The results showed that in the N-insufficient (N0, N1) environments, the P1 treatment increased N uptake and promoted transfer to the grain. However, high-P (P3) application increased the dry matter accumulation than other P levels, but limited the production and translocation of dry matter to some extent. In N-sufficient (N2, N3) environments, P2 level increased crop yield and N use efficiency by 11.35% and 37.01%. Unlike P2, none-P (P0) and high-P levels decreased rice dry matter translocation and transport capacity, which further affected N uptake and utilization in N-sufficient environments. Overall, the combination of the N application rate of 90 kg/ha and P application rate of 30 kg/ha, N application rate of 150, 270 kg/ha, and P application rate of 60 kg/ha had a high yield; strong nutrient accumulation and transfer ability. It was more inclined to balance N and P, which was beneficial to plant N absorption and utilization.

The utilisation of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is commonly recognised as one of the most effective means to achieve cleaner and sustainable development in civil engineering. To promote the application of RAC, prestressing technique can be employed to overcome the inherent disadvantages of RAC beams associated with poor cracking resistance and large deflections. However, the research on the prestressed RAC beam is quite limited, and no research has been performed on their long-term behaviour. This paper presents a finite element (FE) analysis for investigating the long-term behaviour of RAC beams prestressed with carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) tendons considering the effects of concrete creep, concrete shrinkage, tendon relaxation as well as the cracking and tension stiffening of concrete. Based on the principle of superposition, the variations of the stress and strain with time are considered in the numerical analysis using step-by-step method. The FE model is calibrated with the experimental results obtained from the literature. Based on the validated model, a comprehensive parametric study is performed to investigate the effects of the replacement ratio of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), concrete strength, reinforcement ratio, prestress level, and sustained load level on the long-term behaviour of prestressed RAC beams. The obtained results demonstrate that increasing the prestress load is an effective way to reduce the long-term deflection of RAC beams, and the use of RAC with low RCA replacement ratio is suggested. Besides, the main causes of the long-term deflection and axial shorting of the CFRP prestressed RAC beams are also studied. This research provides a pioneering and insightful study of the long-term behaviour of CFRP prestressed RAC beams. The obtained results demonstrate that the time-dependent effects should be well considered in the design before the prestressed RAC beam is used in practice.

In March 2020, an all-solid-state dual-wavelength narrow-band lidar system was deployed. A total of 226 nights spanning from March 2020 to July 2022 were employed in order to investigate the seasonal variations of calcium atoms and ions in the mesosphere over Beijing (40.41°N, 116.01°E). The Ca+ layer shows general annual variation, while a semiannual variation is observed on the Ca layer. The calcium atomic column densities ranged from 2.0 × 106 to 1.1 × 108 cm−2, and the calcium ion column densities ranged from 1.6 × 106 to 4.2 × 108 cm−2. The mean centroid heights of Ca+ and Ca are 98.6 km and 93.0 km, respectively, and the centroid heights of Ca+ and Ca are mostly influenced by annual variations. The seasonal variation in the Ca+ and Ca layers in Beijing exhibits similarities to that of Kühlungsborn (54°N). While the peak density of Ca+ in Beijing are similar to those observed in Kühlungsborn, the peak density of the Ca layer in Beijing is about half of that reported in the Ca layer at 54°N. We provide an explanation for the disparities in the column abundance and centroid altitude of the Ca layer between Yanqing and Kühlungsborn, discussing variations in neutralization among different metal ions.

A prediction system was developed to determine the maximum Rayleigh altitude (MRA) by improving the automated detection of LIDAR power-on conditions and adapting to advancements in middle- and upper-atmosphere LIDAR technology. The proposed system was developed using observational data and nighttime sky imagery collected from multiple LIDAR stations. To assess the accuracy of predictions, three key parameters were employed: mean square error, root mean square error, and mean absolute error. Among the three prediction models created through multivariate regression and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) analyses, the most suitable model was selected for predicting the MRA. One-month predictions demonstrated the accuracy of the MRA with a maximum error of no more than 5 km and an average error of less than 2 km. This technology has been successfully implemented in numerous LIDAR stations, enhancing their automation capabilities and providing key technical support for large-scale, unmanned, and operational deployments in the middle- and upper-atmosphere LIDAR systems.

Based on the resonance fluorescence scattering mechanism, a narrowband sodium (Na) lidar can measure temperature and wind in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. By using a narrowband spectral filter, background light noise during the day can be suppressed, allowing for continuous observations. To obtain full-diurnal-cycle temperature and wind measurement results, a complex and precise retrieval process is required, along with necessary corrections to minimize measurement errors. This paper introduces the design of a data acquisition unit for three frequencies in three directions of the Na lidar system in the Chinese Meridian Project (Phase II) and investigates the calibration and retrieval methods for obtaining diurnal temperature and horizontal wind in the MLT region, using a Na Doppler lidar with Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filter (FADOF). Furthermore, these methods are applied to observations conducted by a Na lidar in Beijing, China. The wind and temperature results over full diurnal cycles obtained from the all-solid-state Na Doppler lidar are reported for the first time and compared with temperature measurements from satellite, as well as wind observations from a meteor radar. The comparison demonstrates a reasonable agreement between the results, indicating the rationality of the lidar-retrieved results and the feasibility and effectiveness of the data correction and retrieval method.

We report an all-solid-state narrowband lidar system for the simultaneous detection of Ca and Ca+ layers over Yanqing (40.41°N, 116.01°E). The uniqueness of this lidar lies in its transmitter, which is based on optical parametric oscillation (OPO) and optical parametric amplification (OPA) techniques. The injection seeded OPO and the OPA are pumped by the second harmonic of an injection-seeded Nd:YAG laser, which can generate coherent light at the wavelength of 786 nm or 846 nm lasers, whose second harmonics in turn generate the 393 nm or 423 nm pulses, respectively, for the detection of thermospheric and ionospheric Ca+ and Ca layers. Compared to the conventional dye-based system, this lidar transmitter is a narrowband system (bandwidth < 200 MHz), which has produced a factor of two more output power with higher stability and reliability. The lidar system in Yingqing demonstrated Ca+ detection sensitivity of 0.1 atoms-cm−3 for long-term observation and reached a height of ~300 km. Potential applications and further improvements in this lidar technique are also discussed in this paper.

To study the difference among cytoplasm at the different nitrogen conditions, a research experiment was conducted using five different cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) hybrid rice with nitrogen levels at N0, N1, N2, and N3; the nitrogen application rates were 0, 90, 180, and 270 kg/ha, from 2018 to 2019. Results showed that among tested cultivars of CMS hybrid rice, JW (J803A × Chenghui727) showed the highest yield in both years for the low nitrogen and high nitrogen treatments. The dry matter accumulation and translation of JW type in nutritive organs were higher than that of others during the low nitrogen level (N1). We concluded that the nutrient translocation within plants organs and dry biomass accumulation were highly dependent on CMS type and nitrogen application. This research indicates that selecting a rice cultivar with greater efficiency of nitrogen is favourable for raising the number of grains per panicle, grain yield, and nitrogen use efficiency. JW cytoplasm displayed great efficiency in low nitrogen, which is a potential cytoplasmic resource.

Agricultural land use changes are essential in addressing global urbanization demands. The improper management of agricultural land may lead to the alteration of the microbial ecosystem, which ultimately affects soil quality. Here, we assessed how soil microbial diversity, communities, and physicochemical properties in three layers of soil; upper (0–15 cm), middle (15–30 cm), and lower (30–45 cm), responded to a long-term land use change from paddy land (PL) to dry land of different chronosequences; PD3 (3 years), PD5 (5 years), and PD10 (10 years). We found PL conversion into dry lands increased soil pH, soil 3 phase R-value, bulk density (BD), organic matter (OM), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and decreased electrical conductivity (EC), water holding capacity (WHC), and moisture content (MC) in all three layers. The land use change from PL to dry lands initially (PD3) decreased (11–25 %) bacterial diversity, while it significantly increased in PD5 (0.1–16 %), and PD10 (1–14 %) in all three layers. Unlike bacterial diversity, fungal diversity was high in PD5 in the upper layer, while the middle and lower layer was the least affected. We also found the conversion of PL to dry land altered relative abundance (RA) of bacteria on the upper layer, while RA of fungi was reshaped in all three layers. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient showed that MC, OM, pH, R-value, TN, TP, and WHC were important physicochemical factors, which significantly (P

Abstract We report a world record of lidar profiling of metallic Ca+ ions up to 300 km in the midlatitude nighttime ionosphere during geomagnetic quiet time. Ca+ measurements (∼80–300 km) were made over Beijing (40.42°N, 116.02°E) with an Optical‐Parametric‐Oscillator‐based lidar from March 2020 through June 2021. Main Ca+ layers (80–100 km) persist through all nights, and high‐density sporadic Ca+ layers (∼100–120 km) frequently occur in summer. Thermosphere‐ionosphere Ca+ (TICa+) layers (∼110–300 km) are likely formed via Ca+ uplifting from these sporadic layers. The lidar observations capture the complete evolution of TICa+ layers from onset to ending, revealing intriguing features. Concurrent ionosonde measurements show strong sporadic E layers developed before TICa+ and spread F onset. Neutral winds can partially account for observed vertical transport but enhanced electric fields are required to explain the results. Such lidar observations promise new insights into E‐ and F‐region coupling and plasma inhomogeneities.

In the modern era, development organizations and governments worldwide are undertaking various policies and projects to eradicate poverty. However, there is a lack of evidence that can trigger the efficiency level of those. Based on the survey data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, which was acquired at rural fixed observation points across 31 provinces of China from 2012 to 2016, the study evaluates the overall efficiency, stage-specific efficiency, and indicator-based efficiency of “Poverty alleviation through agriculture projects of China”. First of all, the entire process of agricultural poverty relief is divided into two stages: (i) agricultural production and (ii) social governance. Accordingly, the study proposes a two-stage theoretical analysis framework for agricultural poverty relief and decomposes the mechanisms; it also discusses the potential for improved efficiency levels in both agricultural production efficiency and social governance efficiency. Therefore, we utilize the two-stage dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to outline the findings. The outcomes showed the efficiency level of the projects can play an important role in addressing rural poverty in China. This study's major findings are summarized as follows: (i) the overall efficiency of the projects tends to be stable undauntedly. While agricultural production efficiency is the major cause and social governance efficiency in the second stage has been a minor cause for maintaining a relatively lower level of overall efficiency. (ii) There is significant room for improving the efficiency of certain input indicators (including total labor force, productive fixed assets, and education attainment of rural labor) and intermediate variables (i.e., income gap of village households). However, limited room has been found for certain output indicators (including the total output of grain, the poverty elimination index, and an aggregate index of social harmony). Thus, in China, poverty alleviation projects should be revitalized and targeted instead of concentrated. It is required to advance a long-term structure for rural poverty and promote the smooth transition of poverty alleviation projects and working criteria. Moreover, the government should strengthen the top-level design for addressing the relative poverty problem and incorporate it into the rural revitalization strategy.

Vinyl acetate is a restricted substance in food products. The quantification of the organic impurities in vinyl acetate is a major problem due to its activity, instability, and volatility. In this paper, while using the mass balance method to determine the purity of vinyl acetate, an improved method was established for the determination of the content of three impurities in vinyl acetate reference material, and the GC-FID peak area normalization for vinyl acetate was calibrated. The three trace organic impurities were identified by gas chromatography tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry to be methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and vinyl propionate. The content and relative correction factors for the three organic impurities were measured. The purity of vinyl acetate determined by the mass balance method was 99.90% with an expanded uncertainty of 0.30%, and the total content of organic impurities was 0.08% with a relative correction factor of 1.23%. The vinyl acetate reference material has been approved as a national certified reference material in China as GBW (E) 062710.

The California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II), is a commonly used tool to assess episodic memory. This study analyzed learning and memory characteristics in a cognitively healthy Chinese population, as well as the effects of age, sex and education on CVLT-II factors. In total, 246 healthy people aged 20–80 years and 29 persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) were included in this study and completed the CVLT-II. Factors including total learning, learning strategy, serial position effects, short-delay free and cued recall, long-delay free and cued recall, repetitions and intrusions during recall, hits and false positives of recognition, and total recognition discriminability were calculated. The effects of age, sex and education on these factors were analyzed using ANCOVA or independent two-sample t-tests and further confirmed by multiple regression analysis. The regression-based normative data were then computed by the equivalent scores method. Moreover, differences in learning and memory were compared between persons with MS and age-, sex- and education-matched healthy individuals. Most CVLT-II factors significantly differed between different age and education groups; in particular, better performance in total learning, recall, semantic clustering and recognition was observed in the younger and more educated groups than in the older and less educated groups. Male participants showed higher recency effect scores, more repetitions and fewer hits than female participants. Compared with healthy individuals, persons with MS showed extensive impairments in memory processes, such as learning, recall, learning strategy and recognition (p

With the support of the second phase of the Chinese Meridian Project, a new mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere observation radar (MST radar), called Qinzhou MST radar, located in Qinzhou City, Guangxi Province, China (22°7'55''N,108°16'20''E) is under construction. The Qinzhou MST radar is a large VHF monostatic pulse Doppler radar with an active phased array antenna system, mainly using Doppler beam swinging technique for observation. The capability of multibeam observation, space antenna observation, and frequency- and spatial-domain interferometry are also employed. The main scientific objective of this radar is to explore the atmosphere dynamical processes at low latitudes of China. The observation of ionospheric field-aligned irregularities (FAIs) is also an important function of the radar. The radar applies a circular array composed of 1261 3-element crossed Yagi antennas with a diameter of 153 m and an aperture of near 2×104 m2. Thereinto, 997 elements connect both transmitting and receiving channels and 264 elements distributed near the edge connect only receiving channels. The peak power of the transmitter in each transmitting/receiving (T/R) module is 2 kW. The central frequency and bandwidth of the output signal are 50 and 4 MHz, respectively. The peak power of the whole system will be close to 2 MW. This article presents the initial design of the Qinzhou MST radar, and the construction will be completed at the end of 2022.

Abstract Vessel train formation as a new trend has been raised in cooperative control for multiple vessels. This paper addresses formation control design for a group of unmanned surface vehicles platoon considering input delay. To account for connectivity-preserving and collision-avoiding, Barrier Lyapunov function is incorporated into the constraints design of line-of-sight range and bearing. To alleviate the computational burden, neural dynamic model is employed to simplify the control design and smooth the input signals. Besides, input control arising from time delay due to mechanisms and communication is considered in the marine vessels. Within the framework of the backstepping technique, distributed coordination is accomplished in finite time and the uniformly ultimately boundness of overall system is guaranteed via rigorous stability analysis. Finally, the simulation is performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control method.

Bolted shear connectors have the advantages of being easily fitted and dismantled during construction, the initial elastic stiffness of which has a great influence on the structural performance of the connected composite structures. In this paper, the initial elastic behaviors of three types of bolted shear connectors used in steel-concrete composite structures (i.e., the bolt with nonembedded nut, the bolt with single-embedded nut, and the bolt with double-embedded nuts) are investigated using finite element analysis (FEA). After the FE models are verified against the experimental results in other literature, an extensive parametric study is carried out to investigate the effects of eight parameters of the composite structures on the initial shear stiffness and tension stiffness as well as coupling stiffness. Empirical formulas are subsequently developed for obtaining the initial elastic stiffness of the bolted shear connectors, based on which further FEA is performed. The FEA results are in good agreement with the experimental results, illustrating the effectiveness of the empirical formulas.

We analyzed the C-structures in the mesospheric metal layers. We used two datasets: one from a narrow band Sodium (Na) Density and Temperature LIDAR and the other from a high-resolution dual band Na and Potassium (K) LIDAR, both operated at São José dos Campos, Brazil (23° S, 46° W). We also investigated the Es layer occurrence and wind shear influences forming these structures. We found three C-type events over 82 analyzed nights in the first data set. They all showed lower temperatures inside C-structures compared to the borders. The squared Brunt-Väissälä frequency analyses showed positive values in the region of C-structures. In two out of three cases, dynamical instability was present (Ri < 0.25). We compared these results with the nine simultaneous C-type events identified in the 185 nights from the second data set. They showed height and time simultaneity correspondence as observed in the Na and K layers. Our results showed a low correlation between Es occurrence and C-structures. Additionally, strong wind shears in the altitude and time where C-structures appeared were always present. The advection of a metal cloud to the LIDAR station and a wind distortion seems to be the plausible mechanism that can explain all the observations.

Based on long-term lidar (light detection and ranging) observations at Yanqing (40.5°N, 116°E) and Pingquan (41°N, 118.7°E), cloud events occurred in the vicinity of the stratopause above Beijing were reported for the first time. These events occurred with tenuous and sparse layers within the altitude range of 33–65 km, and the maximum VBSC value ranged from 1×10−10m−1sr−1 to 5.5×10−9m−1sr−1. Considering temperature and water vapor measurements from SABER/TIMED, the occurrence mechanism of these lidar-observed cloud events was examined. It was found that some cloud layers resulted from the nucleation of water vapor due to the local meteorological changes in the middle atmosphere, while other lidar-observed clouds could comprise floating clusters of cosmic dust, hydrate droplets, volcanic ash, space traffic exhaust, etc. These cloud events are rare cloud-like phenomena in the middle atmosphere observed by lidars at midlatitudes in China; they differ from NLCs and PSCs in terms of altitude distribution and seasonal variation, and the relevant microphysics processes behind their occurrence are likely meaningful to meteorology at midlatitudes.

Based on the established LIDAR chain along the 120°E meridian in China, the gravity wave (GW) activity between 80 and 105 km and the seasonal behavior of temporal and spatial spectra at Beijing, Hefei and Hainan were studied with three years of continued observations. The averaged GW-induced atmospheric density perturbations are near 6%, which in summer are obviously larger than in winter. The semiannual maxima occur near the solstice and the minimum emerges around the equinox at different latitudes. Besides, as a disparity, the density perturbation of GW is still active considerably in winter at low latitude at Hainan. The spectra of vertical wave number Fa(m) and observed frequency Fa(ω) show power law shapes, of which the average is near −3 and −1.7, respectively, and both spectra with special values all exhibit similar seasonal behavior as the atmospheric density perturbations shows. This behavior is explained by multiple effects possibly originating from Tibet plateau (TP) and the main GW source in China was roughly calculated by the LIDAR observation method for the first time located at the TP boundary.

(1) Background: Sheath blight is one of the most economically significant rice diseases worldwide. A study was conducted in order to find the relationship and impact of the amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) application on the hybrid rice population microclimate and the severity of sheath blight. (2) Methods: Four N and four P application levels were used to determine their impact on plant type, temperature, and humidity variation in different positions of population and the severity of sheath blight in the later stage. (3) Results: We found that N and P application levels could affect the plant type and change the population temperature and humidity by increasing the leaf length and leaf angle. (4) Conclusions: N application had a more significant (p < 0.05) impact on the plant type. High N application caused decreased temperature (hybrid rice population), while increased humidity (especially the population base layer at grain filling stage) resulted in severe sheath blight. High P application had similar impacts; however, P application increased material and nitrogen transport in plants and reduced the severity of sheath blight.

Abstract In 2011, Chu et al. reported the observation of neutral Fe layers reaching 155 km. Since then, there are five additional reports of layers extending above 130 km to as high as 170 km, none from central middle latitudes (35°–55°), a large atmospheric region of considerable importance. Here we report the first concurrent observations of thermospheric Na layers from two nearby lidar stations so located, Yanqing (40.5°N, 116.0°E) and Pingquan (41.0°N, 118.7°E). From one‐year data set, we found four such layers, including an unprecedented one reaching 200 km with highest density of 35 cm−3 and fastest descending rate. While the main Na layers were comparable, in three nights, these thermospheric layers were observed only in one station (Yanqing), suggesting that these layers often occur locally with a horizontal scale less than ~250 km. We tabulate, compare, and discuss the principle characteristics of all the reported thermospheric layers.

The records of maintenance activities are required for modeling the track irregularity deterioration process. However, it is hard to guarantee the completeness and accuracy of the maintenance records. To tackle this problem, an adaptive piecewise modeling framework for the rail track deterioration process driven by historical measurement data from the comprehensive inspection train (referred to as CIT) is proposed. The identification of when maintenance activities occurred is reformulated as a model selection optimization problem based on Bayesian Information Criterion. An efficient solution algorithm utilizing adaptive thresholding and dynamic programming is proposed for solving this optimization problem. This framework’s validity and practicability are illustrated by the measurement data from the CIT inspection of the mileage section of K21 + 184 to K220 + 308 on the Nanchang-Fuzhou railway track from 2014 to 2019. The results indicate that this framework can overcome the disturbance of contaminated measurement data and accurately estimate when maintenance activities were undertaken without any historical maintenance records. What is more, the adaptive piecewise fitting model provided by this framework can describe the irregular deterioration process of corresponding rail track sections.

To reveal the failure mechanism of tunnel structure under active fault movement, based on the pseudostatic elastoplastic finite element method, the failure modes of the tunnel lining are studied under different movement ratios of strike-slip faults and thrust faults with 45° dip angle by using numerical simulation. The results show that the range of significant lining failure section can be determined according to any direction of the coupling fault movement decomposition direction, and the damage effect is determined by the overall movement amount of the coupling fault. The significant damage area of the lining under the action of the coupling fault is the same as the area of deformation, which mainly manifests as tensile failure. Compressive failure occurs in the boundary area between the fracture zone and the hanging wall and foot wall. The plastic strain is the largest in the area where the arch waist and the arch bottom intersect. The development of tunnel lining plastic zone under coupling fault is from arch top and arch bottom to both sides of the arch waist. The development of the plastic zone under active fault is mainly determined by the form of fault with a large ratio. The research results can provide a reference for the design and safety evaluation of tunnel crossing active faults.

Push plate test is a powerful tool to evaluate the interfacial bond performance of China railway track structure type-II slab ballastless track structure (CRTS II SBTS). However, there is still a lack of theoretical explanation of the push plate test. In this paper, a linear proportional distribution method is proposed in terms of a series of analytical formulas to describe the interfacial force-displacement variation of CRTS II SBTS in different damage stages of the horizontal push plate test. The force-displacement relationship established by the linear proportional distribution method agrees well with that observed in full-scale test. The horizontal push plate test is then simulated, in which a bilinear cohesive zone model (CZM) was adopted to simulate the interface within track structure. The parameters of the CZM are calculated based on the force-displacement curves obtained from scale push plate test. Particularly, the normal cohesive parameters are determined based on the scale vertical push plate test instead of the traditional splitting tensile test. The simulation proves that both the maximum affected length in the undamage stage and the maximum damaged length in the damage stage depend rather on the interfacial stiffness and the material parameters of SBTS than the horizontal load. These two lengths given by the simulation are close to those defined by the proposed linear proportional distribution method. This indicates the reliability of the proposed method and the capability of scale push plate test in determining cohesive parameters.

During the running of a high-speed train, the wheel may bounce on the rail due to the track irregularity. The wheel bounce could generate a vertical impact, leading to the initiation and expansion of delamination between layers of the track structure. In this paper, the evolution of the interfacial damage and delamination subjected to the vertical impact is simulated using finite element analysis (FEA). In the FEA, a bilinear cohesive zone model (CZM) is adopted to simulate the interface between the track slab and the CA mortar layer. For different levels of impact energy, the contact force, vertical deformation, absorbed energy, area of interfacial damage, and area of delamination are calculated and compared. The effects of the tangential and normal stiffness of the interface on the distribution of interfacial damage and delamination are investigated. The results show that the contact force, vertical deformation, absorbed energy, area of interfacial damage, and area of delamination increase with the increase of the impact energy. The area of interfacial damage in the compression stage is closely related to the tangential stiffness, whereas the area of delamination depends on the normal stiffness. The normal stiffness that gives the largest area of delamination is recommended to be taken as the lower bound of the normal stiffness for both controlling the delamination and preventing an exceedance of the track irregularity limit.

Extreme weather and global warming are drastic agricultural issues causing water scarcity. Under these conditions, it is vital to select drought-tolerant hybrid super rice breeds to enhance the rice yield in dry areas. In the current study, a dry-shed experiment was carried out in 2019–2020 to analyze the root growth, gene expression, and enzyme activity of hybrid rice Deyou4727, its parent (Dexiang074B * Chenghui727), taking IR64 as a universal control. Results showed that Deyou4727 and its maintainer line Dexiang074B produced more roots (30–50 cm soil) and higher enzymatic activity than IR64 during the drought stress period, indicating a good drought-tolerant capacity for Deyou4727. The distribution and morphology of the root system in Deyou4727 were inherited by the maintainer line Dexiang074B, which was confirmed by the high upregulation of DRO1 and OsPIN1b gene expression and the sharing of the same ORF region in both the hybrid rice varieties. However, the DRO1 gene ORF study showed that, in the case of the control IR64, ‘A’ was missing at the 4th exon of the DRO1 gene, which may explain the shallow and weak root architecture system of IR64. The drought-tolerance capacity of Deyou4727 can be used in the future as a drought-resistant germplasm for breeding more drought-tolerant hybrid rice varieties.

Field experiment was carried out from 2014 to 2016 to clarify the micro-climate response of indica rice population to nitrogen fertilizer. R498, R816 and R499 were used as representatives of drooping panicle, semi-erect panicle and erect panicle indica rice, respectively and 3 nitrogen fertilizer levels (N0 - 0 kg N/ha; N1 - 150 kg N/ha; N2 -150 kg/ha) were set for each panicle of indica rice. Results showed that the erect panicle indica rice (R499) improved the environment of temperature, relative humidity and light of rice population under heavy nitrogen fertilizer, and built a healthier micro-climate environment for rice population, especially at the middle position of rice population. Comparing with drooping panicle indica rice (R498), erect panicle indica rice performed better under heavy nitrogen fertilizer, with a higher micro-climate response index to nitrogen fertilizer at middle and lower position in rice population. In comparison of R498, the yield of R499 increased by 0.10-0.11 t/ha under N1 treatment, while it increased by 0.93-0.96 t/ha under N2 treatment; thus, the suggestion for farmers is to plant erect panicle indica rice in heavy fertilizer area or to use more fertilizer in moderate fertilizer area.

Abstract Unexpected daytime F-region irregularities following the appearance of an ionospheric hole have been observed over low latitude. The irregularities developed initially above the F-region peak height (~ 360 km) with a thickness of about 30 km and an east-west extension of more than 200 km around 1057 LT and then expanded upward to 500 km altitude behaving like the equatorial spread-F (ESF) irregularities of the nighttime ionosphere. These daytime F-region irregularities cannot be explained on basis of an earlier suggestion that the F-region irregularities observed during daytime are the continuation of the irregularities initially generated on the previous night. Based on the coincidence, both in space and time, with the appearance of an ionospheric hole, which was generated after the passage of a rocket, we conclude that the daytime F-region irregularities must have been artificially generated locally through a manifestation of plasma instability triggered by the rocket exhaust-induced ionospheric hole over low latitude.

Based on 139 nights of observational data of the Rayleigh lidar site in Beijing, China (40.5° N, 116.2° E), typical lower MIL cases and their temperature inversion evolution process were reported and compared with the SABER data from the same time. Meanwhile, the seasonal distribution of lower MIL cases over North China was also statistically analyzed. The average inversion temperature of the low MIL is 23.4 K, and the average layer thickness is 4.78 km with an average MIL bottom altitude of 68.2 km. Meanwhile, 65% of the MIL propagates vertically, most of which goes downward. These results show the temperature behavior properties of the lower MIL over North China, which may be helpful for us to further understand middle atmosphere chemical and dynamics processes.

Abstract Background Accurate intraoperative localization of esophageal lesions is essential for successful surgical resection. We tested whether preoperative endoscopic placement of titanium clips could facilitate intraoperative localization of early-stage esophageal cancer or severe dysplasia. Methods A prospective randomized clinical trial was performed between May 2012 and July 2014. All enrolled patients received preoperative endoscopy and esophageal endoscopic ultrasound, as well as pathological study on the biopsy specimen, to confirm early stage esophageal cancer or severe dysplasia. One day before the surgical operation, patients in the experimental group received the preoperative endoscopic titanium labeling of esophageal lesions. Then, during the surgical operation, palpitation of titanium clips was used to localize the lesions in these patients. In patients in the control group, palpitation of nodules or esophageal wall mucosal thickening, together with the consideration of the results from preoperative endoscopic and ultrasound studies, was applied to estimate the location of the esophageal lesions. Study outcomes included the proportions of patients having successful intraoperative pre-resection lesion localization, post-esophagectomy lesion visualization, negative upper surgical margin, change of surgical approaches, and positive postoperative pathological diagnosis. Results A total of 27 patients were enrolled into the study, with 14 in the experimental group and 13 in the control group. Compared to the patients in the control group, a higher proportion of patients in the experimental group had statistically significant successful intraoperative esophageal lesion localization (100 versus 15.3% in the experimental versus control group). Conclusions Preoperative endoscopic titanium clip placement could facilitate intraoperative localization of early-stage esophageal cancer or severe dysplasia. Trial registration Current study was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, ChiCTR-INR-17010949 . Registered 22 March 2017, retrospectively registered.

A double-laser beam lidar to measure potassium (K) layer at Beijing (40.5° N, 116.2° E) was successfully developed in 2010. The parameters of sporadic Ks layers and their distributions were given. The seasonal distribution of Ks occurrence frequency was obtained, with two maxima in July and January. The seasonal distributions of sporadic Es layer occurrence frequency over Beijing differ from those of Ks. However, the good correlation between Es and Ks in the case-by-case studies supports the mechanism of neutralization of metal ions in a descending Es layer.

In order to find out the influence of subgrade frost heave on the deformation of track structure and track irregularity of high-speed railways, a nonlinear damage finite element model for China Railway Track System III (CRTSIII) slab track subgrade was established based on the constitutive theory of concrete plastic damage. The analysis of track structure deformation under different subgrade frost heave conditions was focused on, and amplitude the limit of subgrade frost heave was put forward according to the characteristics of interlayer seams. This work is expected to provide guidance for design and construction. Subgrade frost heave was found to cause cosine-type irregularities of rails and the interlayer seams in the track structure, and the displacement in lower foundation mapping to rail surfaces increased. When frost heave occured in the middle part of the track slab, it caused the greatest amount of track irregularity, resulting in a longer and higher seam. Along with the increase in frost heave amplitude, the length of the seam increased linearly whilst its height increased nonlinearly. When the frost heave amplitude reached 35 mm, cracks appeared along the transverse direction of the upper concrete surface on the base plate due to plastic damage; consequently, the base plate started to bend, which reduced interlayer seams. Based on the critical value of track structures’ interlayer seams under different frost heave conditions, four control limits of subgrade frost heave at different levels of frost heave amplitude/wavelength were obtained.

Equipped with a 1-meter Cassegrain telescope with 6.2 meter focal length and an electronically gated Intensified Charge-Coupled Device (ICCD), a multilayer Na imager is designed and developed at Wuhan in China. This novel instrument has successfully achieved the first preliminary 3-D image of the mesospheric Sodium (Na) layer when running alongside a Na lidar. The vertical Na layer profile is measured by the lidar, while the horizontal structure of the layer at different altitudes is measured by the ICCD imaging with a horizontal resolution of ~3.7 urad. In this experiment, controlled by the delay and width of the ICCD gating signal, the images of the layer are taken with three-second temporal resolution for every 5 km. The results show highly variable structures in both the vertical and horizontal directions within the Na layer. Horizontal images of the Na layer at different altitudes near both the permanent layer (80–100 km) and a sporadic Na layer at 117.5 km are obtained simultaneously for the first time. The Na number density profiles measured by the lidar and those derived from this imaging technique show excellent agreement, demonstrating the success of this observational technique and the first 3-D imaging of the mesospheric Na layer.

We sought to explore the role of postanthesis carbon and nitrogen (C-N) metabolism of hybrid rice in increasing yield and nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE). We used the 13C and 15N dual-isotope tracer method and physiological/biochemical analysis and established different irrigation and nitrogen fertilization (W-N) regimes to investigate the relationship of C-N metabolism characteristics, yield, and NUE. The results showed that W-N regimes had significant effects on postanthesis absorption and translocation of N and photosynthate, yield and NUE. Aerobic irrigation combined with the N fertilization regime 30% base, 30% tillering, 40% booting was the best W-N coupling regime for rice yield and NUE increase. The regime enhanced flag leaf photosynthesis rate and the activities of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCase), glutamine synthetase (GS), and other key enzymes of C-N metabolism, and improved the total accumulations of photoassimilates (0.97–21.57 mg 13C plant−1) and N (1.55–23.36 mg 15N plant−1), respectively. Correlation analysis showed that, under the W-N interaction, C-N metabolism enzymes promoted the positive synergistic effect between 13C and 15N accumulation in panicles (r = 0.825). In addition, the change in C/N ratio can be used as an indicator of the simultaneous improvement in yield and NUE in hybrid rice.

The low thermospheric sodium layer (LTSL) is the separate sodium atom layer above 105 km. Based on 11,607 h of lidar observations from Yanqing (40.5° N, 116.0° E) from 2010 to 2016, we found 38 LTSLs wherein the peak densities were more than five percent above those of the main sodium layers. This work presents the peak altitudes, peak local times and peak densities of the LTSLs as well as the long-term characteristics of the seasonal and inter-annual variations of LTSLs. We analyzed the correlation between the LTSL and sporadic E layer (Es). The seasonal variation trends of the occurrences of LTSL and Es are similar, and the results showed that 95% of the LTSLs were accompanied by Es. We also found that 69% of the LTSL cases exhibited apparent downward phase progressions, while the descending rates of the LTSLs are consistent with the phase speeds of the tide.

Based on application of the atomic filter technology in a signal detection system of lidar, the diurnal observation of sodium lidar were obtained using the system at the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at Beijing Yanqing station (40.5° N, 116° E) in April 2014. During the lidar observation period, among the 103 cases of continuous daytime observations, the longest time was 181 h. In the case of a continuous observation period of 5 days (13−18 October 2014), the signal-to-noise ratio reached to 19:1 at 12:00−13:00 Local Time of the daytime, when the spatial and time resolutions were respectively set to 96 m of 167 s. The improvements resulted in the highest detection level of any existing diurnal lidars in China. Some interesting phenomena such as the sporadic sodium layer have also been observed during the daytime. The daytime capability extended the observing time range of the earlier systems that were limited to only nighttime observations. This innovation provides a useful method for the studies of diurnal tides, photochemistry, gravity waves, and correlative modeling studies.

Incorporating oilseed-rape straw in soil is one of the effective methods for enhancing the use efficiency of agricultural resources in the rape-rice rotation system. However, the impacts of oilseed-rape straw incorporation on root growth and dynamic changes in soil are still unclear. In order to provide a deeper understanding of the oilseed rape straw return on rice growth and productivity, the experiment was conducted in the field and in a specially-designed pots system from 2016 to 2017 by means of two straw returning methods and four straw returning amounts. In the early stage of rice growth (0−36 days after rice transplanting) the straw returning treatments decreased 1.0−8.6 mg/plant in bleeding density and 0.10−6.11, 0.06−0.31, and 0.52−0.84 μmol/(g h) in the activity of glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (GOT), and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), respectively. Oilseed rape straw returned by mulching induced negative impacts on new germinating roots in 0−10 cm of soil, while the negative impacts were observed on roots in 10−30 cm of soil for straw returned by plowing. In the later stage of rice growth (56−75 days after rice transplanting), oilseed rape straw returning produced some positive impacts on rice roots, which enhanced the yield of rice. Conclusively, our findings suggested that dynamic root growth and the activity of root enzymes are two major factors behind the slow reviving of rice after transplanting in the straw returning field. Plowing is a more appropriate method of straw returning than mulching in the rape-rice rotation system in the Sichuan basin area, with a straw incorporation rate of 3.0 t/hm2.

Drought is one of the major factors limiting rice yield worldwide. A total of 46 hybrid rice varieties were chosen to investigate their root distribution and their response to drought. A field experiment was carried out in a dry shed building to evaluate the drought tolerance capacity of hybrid rice varieties on the basis of CTIRDE (complex tolerance index of rice under drought environment) values. Next, the experiment was conducted in a specially designed pot system and seed bags to analyze the root distribution and activity of antioxidant enzymes in different rice varieties. Moreover, the DEEPER ROOTING 1 (DRO1) gene was sequenced to elucidate its role in the root distribution of typical rice varieties. On the basis of CTIRDE values, the 46 hybrid rice varieties were classified as tolerant (CTIRDE ≥ 0.75), semi-tolerant (0.75 > CTIRDE > 0.65), or sensitive (CTIRDE ≤ 0.65) to drought stress. The tolerant varieties (Chuanguyou208 and Deyou4727) displayed a significantly larger length, had higher number and weight of roots in the 30⁻50 cm soil layer, and exhibited a significantly higher activity of Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Peroxidase (POD) enzymes in roots during the drought stress period. The DRO1 gene sequencing results revealed that the tolerant and sensitive varieties exhibited a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the 3-exon region, and the tolerant varieties (Chuanguyou208 and Deyou4727) exhibited a larger root growth angle with the horizontal axis, hence developing a deeper root system as compared with the other two group varieties. A significant correlation was found not only between the DRO1 gene and root distribution but also between DRO1 and the activity of SOD and POD enzymes. Conclusively, as a key feature, a deep root system enabled tolerant rice varieties (Chuanguyou208 and Deyou4727) to avoid drought stress by absorbing more water stored in deep soil layers. The root distribution, activity of POD and SOD enzymes in roots, and DRO1 gene can be used to screen tolerant rice varieties that can survive better under drought stress during the seedling stage of rice growth.

A low-frequency inertial atmospheric gravity wave (AGW) event was studied with lidar (40.5° N, 116° E), meteor radar (40.3° N, 116.2° E), and TIMED/SABER at Beijing on 30 May 2012. Lidar measurements showed that the atmospheric temperature structure was persistently perturbed by AGWs propagating upward from the stratosphere into the mesosphere (35⁻86 km). The dominant contribution was from the waves with vertical wavelengths λ z = 8 − 10 km and wave periods T ob = 6.6 ± 0.7 h . Simultaneous observations from a meteor radar illustrated that MLT horizontal winds were perturbed by waves propagating upward with an azimuth angle of θ = 247 ° , and the vertical wavelength ( λ z = 10 km ) and intrinsic period ( T in = 7.4 h ) of the dominant waves were inferred with the hodograph method. TIMED/SABER measurements illustrated that the vertical temperature profiles were also perturbed by waves with dominant vertical wavelength λ z = 6 − 9 km . Observations from three different instruments were compared, and it was found that signatures in the temperature perturbations and horizontal winds were induced by identical AGWs. According to these coordinated observation results, the horizontal wavelength and intrinsic phase speed were inferred to be ~560 km and ~21 m/s, respectively. Analyses of the Brunt-Väisälä frequency and potential energy illustrated that this persistent wave propagation had good static stability.

Understanding the influences of rainfall and temperature on soil water and the grain production of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), is of great importance to ensure the sustainability of food production on the Loess Plateau of China. Based on calibration and evaluation, the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model was employed to determine the response of soil water and winter wheat to rainfall and temperature changing over the last 30 years in different regions. Results showed that (1) the EPIC model simulated soil water content well in 0–2 m soil, with a relative root mean square error (RRMSE) value of 6.0~14.0%, and the mean value of R2 was 0.824, which was similar to the value of ME (0.815); (2) rainfall decreased 13.6–24.9% more from 2001 to 2010 than it did during 1961–2000, while its minimum and maximum temperature increased 1.00–1.55 °C and 0.30–0.84 °C respectively, in comparison with 1961–2000; (3) both the increase of maximum temperature and the decrease of rainfall were harmful to the production of winter wheat. Contrarily, the increase of minimum temperature was beneficial to the production of winter wheat on the Loess Plateau of China. Furthermore, due to rainfall decreasing, the winter wheat yield of Luochuan, Changwu, Yuncheng, and Yan’an decreased by 8.5%, 7.6%, 11.7%, and 12.3%, respectively. Because of the rising of the maximum temperature, winter wheat yield decreased 6.4%, 6.8%, 7.2%, and −3.0%, respectively. On the other hand, the increase of the minimum temperature raised the winter wheat yield of 8.8%, 10.2%, 1.5%, and 12.0%, respectively. Climate change, either precipitation reduction or temperature increase, decreased soil water in the dry land winter wheat field. Therefore, more water-saving technologies are needed to adapt to climate change, to store and use water sources more effectively in semi-arid regions. Though precipitation reduction and maximum temperature increase produced negative impacts on winter wheat yield, the uptrend in minimum temperature is better for increasing the winter wheat yield, which can be used by farmers and governments to adapt to climate change, by adjusting planting time properly.