Search

The Janus–Helmholtz (JH) transducer is a low-frequency, high-power, broadband underwater transducer type. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of the finite element method (FEM) in designing JH transducers and predicting their electroacoustic performance. However, a precise theoretical model for JH transducers has not yet been proposed, and the modal identification problem of JH transducers remains unsolved. In this paper, a distributed parameter model (DPM) of the JH transducer is proposed, which consists of the DPM of a Janus transducer and the DPM of a cylindrical liquid cavity under elastic wall conditions. By comparing the DPM with FEM, it is confirmed that the DPM can accurately calculate the resonant frequencies, admittance, amplitude, and phase of vibration velocity of the JH transducer. Additionally, a physical analogy is introduced to reveal the relationships between the transducer's resonances. Two JH transducers with different liquid cavities are fabricated and tested, and the results from the DPM, FEM, and experiments exhibit good agreement. The DPM can not only provide valuable theoretical support but also significantly reduce much time in designing JH transducers. Furthermore, it may inspire further advancements in adjusting the resonant frequencies or expanding the working bandwidth of JH transducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the radiation capacity of the Janus-Helmholtz transducer (JHT) and achieve a broadband transmitting response, an asymmetric dual-cavity JHT is proposed and a broadband symmetric multi-cavity JHT design is introduced. Firstly, the vibration characteristics of the cylindrical liquid cavity are analyzed and two liquid cavities with different dimensions are utilized to construct the asymmetric dual-cavity JHT. The operating principles of both the typical JHT and the asymmetric dual-cavity JHT are revealed. Furthermore, an equivalent circuit model (ECM) for the asymmetric dual-cavity JHT is proposed by combining the ECMs of the Janus transducer and the liquid cavities. To validate the accuracy and generality of the ECM for the asymmetric dual-cavity JHT, four JHTs are fabricated and tested, and the finite element method (FEM) is also employed to predict their electroacoustic performance. The admittance obtained from ECM, FEM and experiment (EXPT) exhibit good agreement. Additionally, the radial transmitting voltage response (rTVR) calculated by FEM aligns well with the experimental results. Experimental results demonstrate that the asymmetric dual-cavity JHT, compared to its typical counterpart of the same dimensions, exhibits a significantly increased rTVR within the low-frequency band. Moreover, the directivity of the typical JHT and the asymmetric dual-cavity JHT are compared by FEM and the causes of radial response fluctuations in the asymmetric dual-cavity JHT are analyzed. Finally, a symmetric multi-cavity JHT with a lower resonant frequency and a wider operating bandwidth is designed through FEM, verifying the effectiveness of the multi-mode coupling design principle. The ECM for the dual-cavity JHT offers valuable theoretical support for optimizing JHT designs and the symmetric multi-cavity JHT design serves as inspirations for modifying resonant frequency, enhancing emission capability and advancing operating bandwidth of the JHTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is a global public health problem that is easy to ignore and difficult to detect early. Here we introduce a photonic crystal hydrogels microneedle (PCHMN) patch with a core-shell structure for painless, in-situ and visual monitoring of glucose concentration. The microneedles (MN) have a high specific surface area (tip height: 1600 μm, base width: 500 μm), high mechanical toughness (tensile strength:10.49 MPa, breaking elongation: 11%), and high load (0.09 N per needle) to achieve painless penetration of the skin stratum corneum. Based on the deprotonation of the carboxyl group of the polymer after hydrolysis, the microneedle patch is responsive to pH and achieves a response to glucose due to the specific binding of the phenylboronic acid group to the glucose molecule in the polymer chain segment, and performs well in the detection application in mice. Because these response processes can lead to changes in the swelling degree and volume of microneedles, and then produce changes in structural color and reflection spectrum, so as to realize the monitoring of the above detection substances. These characteristics indicate that the microneedle patch prepared by us can be customized to design various wearable sensing devices for painless and in situ monitoring of various biomarkers in tissue fluid by simply changing the types of response groups. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal stress of the power semiconductor is one of the most important indicators for the reliability assessment of power electronics-based power systems. The mapping of the Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) junction temperature is usually required to analyze the thermal stress and loss dissipation. However, it is difficult to identify inherent mechanisms of the bond-wire and solder layer failure modes in IGBT power modules. In order to solve the problem, an online method to identify inherent mechanisms of the bond-wire and solder layer failure modes in IGBT power modules is proposed. This method can separate the root causes of the bond-wire lift-off and solder layer fatigue by measuring the on-state voltage drop through a sinusoidal loading current based on an H-bridge circuit, together with its corresponding control and measurement. By comparing the on-state voltage drop at the intersection current and the peak current of the converter, the wear-out conditions of the IGBT power modules can be monitored in real-time with the determination of different failure modes. Finally, experimental results are presented in order to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel multifunctional hard core/soft shell colloidal nanoparticles have been developed by introducing the elastic compounds into the shell and the rigid compounds into the core via Semi-continuous seed emulsion polymer method. these core/shell nanoparticles can facile self-assemble into large-scale dense ordered structure film via dried at room temperature due to the relatively low glass transition temperature (Tg) of the shell layers. The as-formed papers not only possess the capacity to solvent (water/ethanol) rewritable and multicolor painting, but also can rapidly reversible mechanochromic. With these outstanding features, it can be concluded that this kind of novel multifunctional PCs papers can be served as a promising candidate for next-generation rewriteable and environment-friendly papers, anti-counterfeiting tags and smart tunable bio-sensors, etc. [Display omitted] Photonic crystals film that possesses periodic dielectric structure have shown great prospect in developing environmentally friendly paper alternatives due to the unique properties of dye free and non-photobleaching, but their practical application is limited by the weak interaction between colloidal particles. Although some progress has been obtained, it is still a challenge to develop photonic paper with the desired mechanical and optical properties. Herein, multifunctional hard core/soft shell nanoparticles with controlled size are fabricated by semi-continuous seed emulsion polymerization method. Compared with convention colloidal particles, these core/shell nanoparticles can facile self-assemble into large-scale dense ordered structure film via dried at room temperature due to the relatively low glass transition temperature (Tg) of the shell layers. The facile fabrication route enables the continuous high-through put production of the photonic papers. The as-formed papers not only possess the capacity to solvent (water/ethanol) rewritable and multicolor painting, but also can rapidly reversible mechanochromic. Moreover, due to the good compatibility of core/shell interface, these photonic films possess excellent mechanical properties, demonstrating that this multifunctional film makes the fabrication of novel robust rewritable papers possible and enables visual monitoring of deformation degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking advantage of thermo-sensitive, fast responsive rates and self-assemble into ordered structure ability of the soft P(NIPAM- co -AA) nanoparticles, and inspired by the excellent mechanical properties of polyurethane, a novel composite materials is presented, which combines the highly ordered structure of soft particles and polyacrylamide- co -polyurethane acrylate for the first time. As proof-of-concept, BSA was selected as model of protein-based drugs, the smart materials exhibit different optical properties during the release of BSA. Stimuli-responsive microgel have shown great promise in drug delivery material applications. However, it still remains an unresolved problem to establish method that can monitor the degree of drug release in situ and real-time. Here, taking advantage of thermo-sensitive and fast responsive ability of the soft nanoparticles, and inspired by the excellent mechanical properties of polyurethane, a novel materials is presented, which combines the soft particles and polyacrylamide- co -polyurethane acrylate for the first time, the generation of multifunctional material based on soft photonic crystals with tunable structure color and drug delivery capability is reported. As proof-of-concept, BSA was selected as model of protein-based drug, the smart materials exhibit different optical properties during the release of BSA. Consequently, the cumulative release amount of the BSA can be sensitively evaluated by measuring the reflection peak position, and shows a property of self-monitoring. Our strategy is a straightforward way to propose simple smart drug delivery materials whose cumulative release of drug and reflection peak can be tuned through the judicious choice of the temperature, and it has been proved that this is a promising way to construct visualized self-monitoring drug delivery systems using soft colloidal crystal films as stimuli-responsive and drug carrier substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Grain for Green Project in China's Loess Plateau has significantly increased the vegetation coverage (M) since it was implemented in 1999. Accurately modelling evapotranspiration (ET) and attributing its changes are important for assessing the hydrological effects of revegetation in this area. Budyko-based models have been widely used to estimate ET whereby the controlling parameter (ω) captures the effects of land surface conditions and climate seasonality. Although the effects of climate seasonality on ET variation have been theoretically discussed, its important role in ω remains further investigation. An improved climate seasonality and asynchrony index (SAI) was thus used to reflect the seasonality and asynchrony of water and energy distribution in this study. Then ω was extended to M and SAI at grid scale to model annual ET by linking Fu equation in China's Loess Plateau for the period 1981–2012. Further, the whole study period was split into two sub-periods at the year of 1999, and then the complementary method was used to quantify the contributions of precipitation (P), potential evapotranspiration (E0), M and SAI changes to ET variation between the two sub-periods. The results showed that ET increased by 5.1 mm/yr after 1999. ET is most sensitive to changes in P, followed by M, E0, and SAI. However, increasing M dominated the overall increase in ET, outweighing the effects of decreasing P and increasing SAI. Because SAI accounted for almost a third of total ET change, the impacts of climate seasonality cannot be ignored in ET simulation and attribution analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power quality (PQ) is becoming more and more critical issue in shipboard microgrid systems (SMGs). Especially, the impact of voltage unbalance combined with harmonic distortions on the SMG behavior has not been fully investigated. In this paper, simple PQ assessment models and a series of controlled experiments are proposed and carried out in a real ship under sea-going conditions. The ship experimental results are presented and discussed considering nonlinear bow thruster load and high power ballast pump loads under unbalanced and harmonic voltage conditions. In addition, the analysis of bow thruster current harmonic surges during the ballast pump start-up is presented. Furthermore, the voltage/current distortions of a working generator, bow thruster and pump loads are analyzed. The paper provides a valuable analysis for coping with PQ issues in the SMG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data analysts often explore a large database to identify the data of interest, but may not be able to specify the exact query to send to the database. A manual data exploration process is labor intensive and time-consuming. In the new paradigmof system-aided interactive data exploration, the Database Management System presents the samples to the user and engages the user in an interactive exploration process to identify the user interest. In this article, we examine a number of initial sampling techniques to identify at least one positive (i.e., interesting) sample and compare them both theoretically and empirically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Budyko model parameter (w) is a lumped variable reflecting the integrative effects of climate and underlying surface system. • DI is an important factor affecting w and is strongly correlated with SAI. • w can be modeled by both SAI and NDVI in interannual process while by SAI, NDVI, CR, or ks / i r in spatial process for the CLP. Parametric Budyko models express the ratio of annual actual evapotranspiration (ET) to annual precipitation (P) as a function of dryness index, i.e., annual potential evapotranspiration (ET 0) / P (denoted as DI) and model parameter at a catchment. Generally the model parameter is assumed to reflect factors besides DI, especially the underlying surface features. However, recent studies have revealed its relations with DI, which forces us to further examine its connotation. We revisited the derivation of three parametric Budyko equations and found that model parameter was essentially a lumped variable representing the integrative effects of climate and underlying surface system. Then taking 15 typical catchments in the Chinese Loess Plateau as the study area, we explored the controls of Budyko-Fu model parameter (w) and their differences in temporal (between-years) and spatial (between-catchments) processes. As expected, w was affected by both climate and underlying surface factors. Specifically, DI, climate seasonality and asynchrony index (SAI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) influenced w in both temporal and spatial processes; besides, catchment relief ratio (CR) and relative infiltration capacity (ks / i r) also affected w in spatial process. SAI was strongly correlated with DI and its close relationship with w essentially conveyed DI's influence. Considering the inherent connection between DI and the inverse w , DI was not included in the empirical formula for w. SAI and NDVI remained independent in temporal process and the empirical formula for w with these two factors modeled annual ET well (MAE = 15.03 mm). In spatial process, SAI, NDVI, CR, and ks / i r were interconnected and by using any one the spatial variation of ET was captured adequately (MAE = 11.16, 11.74, 11.27, and 10.43 mm, respectively). Our results demonstrate theoretically and empirically the importance of viewing Budyko model parameter from earth system science perspective and focusing on the differences of its controls in spatiotemporal processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we synthesized a cytidine-based surfactant and anchored it onto the surface of liquid crystal (LC) droplets to enable the specific detection of silver ions. The synthesized surfactant could induce LC droplets into a radial configuration, and the introduction of silver ions changed the configuration of LC droplets in an intermediate (including escaped-radial and axial) configuration within 2 min. The LC droplet-based sensor developed here can specifically respond to the silver ions as low as 0.6 μM, making it suitable for the detection of Ag+ in environmental and food samples. [Display omitted] Liquid crystal (LC) droplets exhibit unique and sensitive response behaviors to surface absorptions, making them promising candidates for sensing aplications. Here, we have developed a label-free, portable, and cost-effective sensor for the specific and rapid detection of silver ions (Ag+) in drinking-water samples. To achieve this, we have modified cytidine into a surfactant (denoted as C10–M–C) and anchored it onto the surface of LC droplets. The specific binding ability between cytidine and Ag+ enables LC droplets anchored with C10–M–C to respond rapidly and specifically to Ag+ ions. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the response meets requirements for the harmless concentration of Ag+ in drinking-water. The sensor we developed is label-free, portable, and cost-effectively. We believe that the sensor reported here can be applied to the detection of Ag+ in drinking-water and environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grid-connected inverters may experience excessive current stress in case of unbalanced grid voltage fault ride through (FRT), which significantly affects the reliability of the power supply system. In order to solve the problem, the inherent mechanisms of the excessive current phenomenon with the conventional FRT solutions are discussed. The quantitative analysis of three-phase current peak values is conducted and a novel current-limited control strategy is proposed to achieve the flexible active and reactive power regulation and successful FRT in a safe current operation area with the aim of improving the system reliability under grid faults. Finally, the simulation and experiments of traditional and proposed FRT solutions are carried out. The results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The yield to evapotranspiration (Y/ET) boundary function is a simple method for estimating water-limited yield potential and provides a guide for making proper crop management decisions in dryland areas. However, the original approach is arbitrary, and the boundary function is established without following any specific principles. In the present study, based on French & Schultz’s boundary function concept and the quantile regression theory, and also linear interpolation to eliminate outliers, we developed an improved method in establishing the Y/ET boundary function. Taking spring maize in the Loess Plateau of China as a case study we selected fundamental data points obtained from 887 records found in 65 papers that were published between 1987 and 2014, and also linear interpolation to eliminate outliers. The results showed that the Y/ET boundary function was y = 60.5 × (x − 50) with a plateau yield of 15,954 kg ha −1 when ET exceeded 314 mm. Without film mulching, the Y/ET boundary function was y = 47.5 × (x − 62.3) with a plateau yield of 12,840 kg ha −1 when ET exceeded 325 mm. We further compared three different crop production methods (plastic film mulching, straw mulching, and no mulching) on maize production in the Loess Plateau. Among these methods, plastic film mulching was the most effective, since it increased the yield potential of spring maize, regardless ET, and hence, improved water use efficiency. Overall, this study provides novel insights into the establishment of the Y/ET boundary functions using specific principles that increase accuracy and help to identify the most profitable crop management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed temporal and spatial changes of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) on the northern Loess Plateau and their correlation with climatic factors from 1998 to 2012. The possible impacts of human activities on the NDVI changes were also explored. The results showed that (1) the annual maximum NDVI showed an upward trend. The significantly increased NDVI and decreasing severe desertification areas demonstrate that the vegetation condition improved in this area. (2) Over the past decades, climate tended to be warmer and drier. However, the mean temperature significantly decreased and precipitation slightly increased from 1998 to 2012, especially in spring and summer, which was one of the major reasons for the increase in the annual maximum NDVI. Compared to temperature, vegetation was more sensitive to precipitation changes in this area. The NDVI and annual precipitation changes were highly synchronous over the first half of the year, while a 1-month time lag existed between the two variables during the second half of the year. (3) Positive human activities, including the “Grain for Green” program and successful environmental treatments at coal mining bases, were some of the other factors that improved the vegetation condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Changwu tableland is located in the semi-humid to semi-arid transition area of the Loess Plateau, China. In the present study, the daily potential evapotranspiration (ET0) of the Changwu tableland was calculated using the FAO Penman-Monteith (FPM) equation for the years 1957-2012, and the temporal variation and frequency distribution characteristics were analysed. The results indicate that the annual average ET0 of the Changwu tableland was 949.3 mm, varying from 789.2 to 1093.3 mm; a slight downward trend with a rate of -0.48mm year-1 was found. An abrupt increase occurred in 1994. The ET0 values that correspond to frequencies of 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90 and 95% were 1076.8, 1047.6, 999.7, 947.8, 897.3, 853.0 and 827.0 mm, respectively. The recurrence intervals of maximum and minimum ET0 were both more than 50 years. The contributions of Tmax, Tmin, vapour pressure, wind speed and sunshine hours to changes in ET0 were 0.74, 0.07, -0.51, -0.57 and -0.23, respectively. The change in ET0 and the meteorological factors in the Changwu tableland are worthy of attention; measures to reduce the negative impacts of climate change are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels that can change their properties as a result of external stimuli have shown great promise in various applications, but it is still a great challenge to simultaneously provide hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties and significant response. Herein, we propose a facile synthesis of smart PAAm based hydrogels with highly elastic and swellable by introducing the activated nanoparticles into the hydrogel networks. Due to the heterogeneous microporous structure of the hydrogels, this material demonstrates the highly elastic property to withstand slicing and high level of compression and deformations, as well as significant swelling ratio (~5500%). Moreover, photonic hydrogel elastomers are fabricated by incorporating monodispersed SiO 2 @PS microspheres within this hydrogel elastomer matrix. The as formed materials possess structural color and the highly elasticity enables their good mechanochromic capability. Our strategy is a straightforward way to design smart hydrogels whose response and mechanical properties can be tuned through the judicious choice of the polymerization time and content of activated nanogel, extending the potential application of hydrogels. [Display omitted] Novel nano heterogeneous structure hydrogels which are highly elastic and swellable by introducing the activated nanoparticles into the PAAm hydrogel networks. Due to the heterogeneous microporous structure of the hydrogels, this material demonstrates the highly elastic (the elongation at break can reach 4000%) to withstand slicing and high level of compression and deformations, as well as significant swelling ratio (~5500%). Moreover, novel photonic hydrogel elastomers are fabricated by incorporating monodispersed SiO2@PS microspheres within this above mention hydrogel elastomer matrix. The novel photonic hydrogels exhibit vivid structural color, and the highly elasticity of photonic hydrogels enables their good mechanochromic capability. Our strategy is a straightforward way to design smart hydrogels whose response and mechanical properties can be tuned through the judicious choice of the polymerization time and content of activated nanogel, extending the potential application of hydrogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential pro-inflammatory role of the cytokine interleukin (IL-18) in oral lichen planus (OLP) so as to provide a reliable and early indicator for the diagnosis of OLP. One hundred three ethnic Chinese patients with OLP were enrolled in this study, as were 48 age- and sex-matched controls. IL-18 concentrations in serum and saliva were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein content was expressed as picograms per milliliter. OLP patients showed a high-level of IL-18 expression profile in serum compared with the control group (OLP = 21.32 ± 8.26 pg/mL, control = 12.29 ± 5.11 pg/mL, P < 0.05), and the saliva partner had significantly higher concentrations of IL-18 compared to the control (OLP = 20.12 ± 5.78 pg/mL, control = 15.60 ± 4.17 pg/mL, P < 0.05). In patients with OLP, serum and salivary IL-18 are elevated, correlating with the severity of illness. These findings may be considered to improve the predictive or prognostic values of inflammatory cytokines for OLP and also to design possible novel therapeutic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased fertilizer use over many years may have detrimental effects on crop production due to its high soil water consumption in rainfed regions. In this study, based on a long-term fertilization experiment initiated in 1984, we report the effect of increased fertilization on soil water balance, precipitation storage efficiency (PSE), yield and water use efficiency of winter wheat from 2005 to 2009. The experimental design consisted of a control treatment (CK) and three fertilizer treatments: nitrogen, phosphorus and manure (NPM), nitrogen and phosphorus (NP), and nitrogen (N). Soil water storage in NP and NPM was significantly lower than that in CK and N at both harvest and planting time. Compared with the CK, on average, treatments N, NP and NPM increased soil water recharge during the fallow period by 11%, 22% and 17%, and they also increased soil water depletion during growing season by 17%, 23% and 23% ( P < 0.05), respectively. The average value of annual soil water balance was positive for all treatments, and was not significantly different among treatments. Increased fertilizer application significantly ( P < 0.05) increased PSE during the summer fallow periods, and the average PSE was 28%, 32%, 34% and 33% for CK, N, NP and NPM, respectively. Wheat yield and water use efficiency increased significantly after long term fertilization, especially for treatments NP and NPM. The results indicated that more of rainfall was used for evapotranspiration and less was lost during the fallow season for the high fertility treatments after long term fertilizer application. In the long run, such changes in water use pattern could help to improve the sustainability of winter wheat production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was conducted in a controlled environment to evaluate the combined effects of water-deficit (imposed at the stem elongation stage) and high temperature (imposed at the booting stage) on the water use efficiency (WUE) and arabinoxylan concentration of two spring wheat varieties (‘Superb’ and ‘AC Crystal’) commonly grown in Canada. The temperature treatments were 22/12 (day/night, T1) and 32/22°C (T2). Overall, time to maturity under high temperature was 10 days shorter for ‘Superb’ than for ‘AC Crystal’, indicating that ‘Superb’ was more sensitive to high temperature stress. Leaf relative water content (RWC) and specific leaf area (SLA) were more sensitive to drought than to high temperature for both varieties. Drought and high temperature decreased (P <0.05) biomass, water use and grain yield but increased WUE of ’Superb’ and ‘AC Crystal’. Without temperature stress, significant drought and variety effects were found on CID (carbon isotope discrimination) which was negatively correlated with WUE. All gas exchange parameters declined under drought and high temperature. High temperature increased the grain arabinoxylan concentration (especially the water-extractable arabinoxylans). The different arabinoxylan fractions were positively correlated with WUE suggesting that arabinoxylans can be increased by selecting for increased WUE. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Terrestrial water cycles are influenced by hydrologic and textural properties of the deep loess layer in the Loess Plateau. Analyses of soil water profile distributions are needed to understand the regional water cycle processes and to guide agricultural production and sustainability. The objective of this study was to quantify the extent of deep soil water recharge and soil water profile dynamics during 1987–2003, especially in a record wet year of 2003, in common cropping systems in a semiarid-subhumid region of the southern Loess Plateau. The Chinese Ecological Research Network (CERN) site and a long-term rotation experiment site in a flat tableland were selected for this study. Soil moisture profiles were measured by a neutron probe to a depth of 6m in 2003. The precipitation of 954mm at the Changwu County Meteorological Station in 2003 was 63.4% higher than the long-term average (584mm), and was a record high since 1957. Although cropping systems affected deep soil water recharge, the persistent dry soil layer formed between 2- and 3-m depths in croplands, resulting from many years of intensive cropping, was fully replenished in all cropping systems in 2003. Further frequency analysis indicated that the desiccated layer between 2- and 3-m depths would be fully recharged at least once in about 10 years for all existing cropping systems excluding continuous alfalfa. This finding should alleviate concerns about the formation of a permanent deep-soil desiccation layer as well as its potential impact on the long-term sustainability of the existing intensive cropping systems in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) represent T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines involved in oral lichen planus (OLP), respectively. This study was to investigate the expression profile of IFN-γ and IL-4 in saliva of OLP patients. Seventy-nine ethnic Chinese patients with OLP were recruited for this study, together with 41 age–sex-matched healthy volunteers served as control group. IFN-γ and IL-4 levels in whole unstimulated saliva were screened by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. OLP patient showed a low-level IFN-γ but high-level IL-4 expression profile in saliva, with a lower ratio of salivary IFN-γ/IL-4 compared to healthy controls. With regards to subtypes, salivary IL-4 level in erythematous/ulcerative group was significantly higher than that in reticular group. Imbalance of Th1/Th2 cytokines with Th2-predominant profile in saliva may be involved in OLP. Salivary IL-4 level may be a fine biomarker reflecting the severity of OLP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing need to develop simple yet effective sensors with high sensitivity, high selectivity, rapid response, and low cost for on-site detection of UO22+ in the environment in planned or emergency situations. Herein, we develop a UO22+ responsive interpenetrating porous photonic crystal ball (IPPCB) sensor by template replication and a two-step activation method. The amidoxime group and carboxyl group in the hydrogel drive the shrinkage of the hydrogel network through the coordination with UO22+, which reduces the lattice spacing, thereby changing the structure color and shifting the reflection peak position. Therefore, we can perform a semi-quantitative analysis of UO22+ with the naked eye or a fiber spectrometer. Benefiting from the sensor's spherical symmetry and periodic interpenetrating porous structure, the sensor can provide angle-independent, fast (12 min), and sensitive (minimum detection concentration of 1 nM) detection of UO22+. Moreover, IPPCBs have high selectivity and excellent regeneration performance, which can be applied to real sample detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities have led to the release of various environmental pollutants, triggering ecological challenges. In situ, microbial communities in these contaminated environments are usually assumed to possess the potential capacity of pollutant degradation. However, the majority of genes and microorganisms in these environments remain uncharacterized and uncultured. The advent of meta‐omics provided culture‐independent solutions for exploring the functional genes and microorganisms within complex microbial communities. In this review, we highlight the applications and methodologies of meta‐omics in uncovering of genes and microbes from contaminated environments. These findings may assist in future bioremediation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Loess Plateau has undergone extensive revegetation to restore degraded land and enhance carbon sequestration. However, soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestrated in the soil profiles of deep-rooted plants has not been fully studied. Here, we investigated the SOC within a 0–23 m profile in farmlands and apple orchards converted from farmlands with different ages (A5, <5 years; A10, ~10 years; A15, ~15 years; A20, >20 years) and the controlling factors on three loess tablelands (Changwu, Qingyang, and Luochuan). The results show that SOC stocks among farmlands and orchards showed no significant difference (p = 0.88); however, SOC stocks showed a trend with tree ages, i.e., a decrease for A5 and A10 but an increase for A15 and A20. For the vertical variability, the SOC stock was the highest within 0–1 m, regardless of the standing age; however, the SOC stock in this layer only accounted for 8.8% of the total SOC stock (97.93 ± 9.18 kg m−2). Climate accounted for 82% of the variations and controlled the changes in SOC in the 0–1 m range, while soil texture dominated the SOC in the soil below 1 m, accounting for 57% of the SOC variations. The variations in SOC in the thick, unsaturated zones provide implications for future land use management and the sustainability of apple orchards in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Water use efficiency of total water input (WUE TUI) can be factored into four multiplicative factors. • The efficiency chain provides an effective way for improving WUE in agriculture. • PM increased T/ET C and WUE T greatly and further increased WUE TWI. Water is the main limiting factor for crop growth in dryland farming areas. Plastic film mulch (PM) is widely used to improve water use efficiency (WUE) and increase crop yield over conventional methods (no mulch, NM) in China. To get a better understanding about PM influence on water use process in the field, we defined WUE TWI as the ratio of yield (Y) to the total water input (TWI), and divided WUE TWI into 4 steps by means of a systematic and quantitative approach. The 4 steps included ratio of available soil water (SW) to TWI (SW 0 +P, where SW 0 is available soil water at the sowing, P is seasonal precipitation), ratio of crop evapotranspiration (ET C) to SW, ratio of crop transpiration (T) to ET C and transpiration efficiency (WUE T, Y/T). Three field experiments were conducted to analyze the influence of PM on soil moisture content, water consumption, and the grain yield of dryland spring maize (Zea mays L.). Results showed that, compared with NM, spring maize yield of PM was increased by 28.6%, and the WUE TWI of PM was increased by 26.4% on average in the experiment 1. Since ETc with PM was slightly higher than that with NM, the ET C /SW was increased by 3.9%. In the experiment 2, the T/ET C with PM was 77.7% on average, 30.6% higher than that with NM; the Y/T increased by 13.6% from NM to PM. Precipitation storage efficiency increased linearly with the percentage of PM. Improved crop growth under PM led to higher crop biomass and higher leaf area index, which might result in higher transpiration rate. The T/ET C under PM was also increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unraveling the influence of community assembly processes on soil ecosystem functioning presents a major challenge in the field of theoretical ecology, as it has received limited attention. Here, we used a series of long‐term experiments spanning over 25 years to explore the assembly processes of bacterial, fungal, protist, and nematode communities using high‐throughput sequencing. We characterized the soil microbial functional potential by the abundance of microbial genes associated with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycling using GeoChip‐based functional gene profiling, and determined how the assembly processes of organism groups regulate soil microbial functional potential through community diversity and network stability. Our results indicated that balanced fertilization (NPK) treatment improved the stochastic assembly of bacterial, fungal, and protist communities compared to phosphorus‐deficient fertilization (NK) treatment. However, there was a nonsignificant increase in the normalized stochasticity ratio of the nematode community in response to fertilization across sites. Our findings emphasized that soil environmental factors influenced the assembly processes of the biotic community, which regulated soil microbial functional potential through dual mechanisms. One mechanism indicated that the high phosphorus levels and low soil nutrient stoichiometry may increase the stochasticity of bacterial, fungal, and protist communities and the determinism of the nematode community under NPK treatment, ultimately enhancing soil microbial functional potential by reinforcing the network stability of the biotic community. The other mechanism indicated that the low phosphorus levels and high soil nutrient stoichiometry may increase the stochastic process of the bacterial community and the determinism of the fungal, protist, and nematode communities under NK treatment, thereby enhancing soil microbial functional potential by improving the β‐diversity of the biotic community. Taken together, these results provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the assembly processes of the biotic community that regulate ecosystem functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-communicable Disease (NCD) related behavioral risk factors (BRF) plays a crucial role in NCD prevention, as does oral hygiene behavior in oral health promotion. We examined the association between NCD BRF and toothbrushing using data from a population-based survey, which recruited 4485 adults aged 18+ years, in Chongqing city, China. Prevalence of five NDC BRF and their clustering within individual were determined by toothbrushing frequency. Ordinal logistic regression examined the association between toothbrushing and BRF clustering. Prevalence of current smoking, insufficient intake of vegetable and fruit, and harmful use of alcohol increased significantly with toothbrushing frequency. Respondents who brushed teeth ≥2 times daily consumed more red meat than those with less frequent toothbrushing. Relative to those with no BRF, the adjusted cumulative odds ratio of brushing teeth less frequently was 2.1 (95% CI: 1.4–3.1) for respondents with 3+ BRF. The adjusted cumulative odds ratio was 1.5 (1.1–2.1) and 1.4 (1.0–1.8) for those who had two BRF and those who had one, respectively. Significant correlation between toothbrushing and NCD BRF implied that integrated intervention strategy involving the both may be beneficial in public health programs targeting at either oral health or NCDs, or both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common structural disorder of the spine in adolescents, often associated with structural deformities in both coronal and axial positions. Apical vertex rotation (AVR) is one of the main indicators of axial deformity in patients with scoliosis. Currently, there are few studies on the impact of AVR in the treatment of AIS. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the influence of different AVR on AIS after brace treatment. METHODS: Data were collected from 106 AIS participants aged 11–16 years from the orthopedic outpatient clinic of the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University. Two orthopaedic professionals measured the Cobb angle, AVR and spinal mid-line offset before and after brace treatment, and descriptive and linear correlation analyses were used to determine the correlation between AVR and AIS measured parameters. RESULTS: (1) In AIS volunteers with the same AVR, the treatment effect of AIS with lumbar predominant curvature was higher than that of AIS with thoracic predominant curvature. The treatment effect tended to decrease with increasing AVR. (2) Spinal mid-line deviation was associated with AVR. For patients with AIS with I and II degrees of AVR, the treatment effect of spinal mid-line offset after bracing is better. For AIS patients with AVR III degrees and above, the degree of correction of spinal mid-line offset decreases with the continuous correction of Cobb angle. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of AIS was found to be related to the severity of AVR. The efficacy of AIS with predominantly lumbar curvature was significantly higher than that of AIS with predominantly thoracic curvature. The efficacy of treatment of mid-line spinal deviation also decreased with increasing AVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-spatial-resolution and long-term climate data are highly desirable for understanding climate-related natural processes. China covers a large area with a low density of weather stations in some (e.g., mountainous) regions. This study describes a 0.5 ′ (∼ 1 km) dataset of monthly air temperatures at 2 m (minimum, maximum, and mean proxy monthly temperatures, TMPs) and precipitation (PRE) for China in the period of 1901–2017. The dataset was spatially downscaled from the 30 ′ Climatic Research Unit (CRU) time series dataset with the climatology dataset of WorldClim using delta spatial downscaling and evaluated using observations collected in 1951–2016 by 496 weather stations across China. Prior to downscaling, we evaluated the performances of the WorldClim data with different spatial resolutions and the 30 ′ original CRU dataset using the observations, revealing that their qualities were overall satisfactory. Specifically, WorldClim data exhibited better performance at higher spatial resolution, while the 30 ′ original CRU dataset had low biases and high performances. Bicubic, bilinear, and nearest-neighbor interpolation methods employed in downscaling processes were compared, and bilinear interpolation was found to exhibit the best performance to generate the downscaled dataset. Compared with the evaluations of the 30 ′ original CRU dataset, the mean absolute error of the new dataset (i.e., of the 0.5 ′ dataset downscaled by bilinear interpolation) decreased by 35.4 %–48.7 % for TMPs and by 25.7 % for PRE. The root-mean-square error decreased by 32.4 %–44.9 % for TMPs and by 25.8 % for PRE. The Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients increased by 9.6 %–13.8 % for TMPs and by 31.6 % for PRE, and correlation coefficients increased by 0.2 %–0.4 % for TMPs and by 5.0 % for PRE. The new dataset could provide detailed climatology data and annual trends of all climatic variables across China, and the results could be evaluated well using observations at the station. Although the new dataset was not evaluated before 1950 owing to data unavailability, the quality of the new dataset in the period of 1901–2017 depended on the quality of the original CRU and WorldClim datasets. Therefore, the new dataset was reliable, as the downscaling procedure further improved the quality and spatial resolution of the CRU dataset and was concluded to be useful for investigations related to climate change across China. The dataset presented in this article has been published in the Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) at 10.5281/zenodo.3114194 for precipitation (Peng, 2019a) and 10.5281/zenodo.3185722 for air temperatures at 2 m (Peng, 2019b) and includes 156 NetCDF files compressed in zip format and one user guidance text file. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Trees shift water sources from shallow to deep soils over the growing season. • Water uptake proportions from soils are not correlated to soil water contents. • Root water uptake is influenced by precipitation and soil water residence time. Understanding how trees absorb water is important for the sustainable management of water resources and vegetation restoration. However, the water uptake strategy of apple trees and its link with precipitation and soil water dynamics (i.e., contents, recharge proportion and residence time) remains poorly understood. In this study, we determined the source water of apple trees, the recharge proportion and mean residence time (MRT) of soil water through collecting precipitation, soil water and xylem water samples with a high frequency. Results indicated that apple trees mainly absorbed water from shallow soil layers of 0–2 m (>64%) in the early growing season (May to July), but deep soil water below 2 m (∼60%) in the late growing season (August to October). As such, apple trees had seasonal variations in water uptake strategies by shifting water sources from shallow to deep soils. In addition, the proportions of water uptake from the same soil layer varied with tree ages. The proportions of water uptake from different soil layers were not significantly correlated to the corresponding soil water contents (p > 0.05), which may be attributed to the long residence time of soil water (14–99 days). Therefore, the water uptake strategies of apple trees were likely to be influenced by precipitation and MRT of soil water, as well as stand ages. The indicated relationship between water uptake strategies and precipitation and soil water dynamics can improve insights into the interaction between soil and vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare the soil water balance, yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of spring maize under different mulching types in the Loess Plateau, a 7-year field experiment was conducted in the Changwu region of the Loess Plateau. Three treatments were used in this experiment: straw mulch (SM), plastic film mulch (PM) and conventional covering without mulch (CK). Results show that the soil water change of dryland spring maize was as deep as 300 cm depth and hence 300 cm is recommended as the minimum depth when measure the soil water in this region. Water use (ET) did not differ significantly among the treatments. However, grain yield was significantly higher in PM compared with CK. WUE was significantly higher in PM than in CK for most years of the experiment. Although ET tended to be higher in PM than in the other treatments (without significance), the evaporation of water in the fallow period also decreased. Thus, PM is sustainable with respect to soil water balance. The 7-year experiment and the supplemental experiment thus confirmed that straw mulching at the seedling stage may lead to yield reduction and this effect can be mitigated by delaying the straw application to three-leaf stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the groundwater recharge mechanism in regions with thick unsaturated zone can greatly improve our understanding of hydrological processes since these regions have complex groundwater processes. This study attempted to discuss the groundwater recharge in a region covered by loess over 130 m deep in China's Loess Plateau. The water stable isotope, tritium and chloride in precipitation, groundwater and soil water were determined and used as inputs of mass balance methods. The tracer technique is found to be applicable and effective this region with thick unsaturated zone. The groundwater originates from rapid precipitation infiltration through some fast flow paths. The total recharge is likely to be 107 ± 55 mm yr − 1 accounting for 19 ± 10% of average annual precipitation, while the recharge from preferential flow accounts for 87 ± 4% of the total recharge. The identified recharge mechanism has important implication to groundwater management and recharge modeling for regions covered by thick loess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Loess Plateau of China is subject to severe water shortages, and the runoff reduction observed in most watersheds exacerbates the problem. Quantifying the contributions of environmental changes to runoff reduction is thus very important for water resources management. Taking the Jing River catchment as the study area, the changes in runoff for the period of 1961–2010 at three gauge stations—the catchment outlet (Zhang Jia Shan, ZJS) and the two others from the upper reach (Yang Jia Ping, YJP, and Yu Luo Ping, YLP) were analyzed in this study. Using the Budyko framework, the spatiotemporal variations of the contributions of precipitation ( P ), potential evapotranspiration ( ET 0 ), and land surface conditions (represented by the parameter n in the Choudhury–Yang equation) to runoff changes were evaluated. A significant downward trend in runoff was detected for the ZJS and YJP stations. The sensitivity of the runoff changes to the different environmental factors considered was different. The sensitivity coefficient was the greatest for P , intermediate for ET 0 , and smallest for the land surface condition ( n ). However, the sensitivity coefficients are becoming greater over time. The decrease in P was the dominant factor in the runoff reduction at the three stations, but its effect was largely offset by the increase in n at YLP. The contribution of land surface alteration to runoff reduction has been increasing in recent years, which indicates that the improvement of vegetation coverage and the construction of terraces and check dams have strengthened their impacts on runoff. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to the hydrological effects of soil conservation measures on runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Potential evapotranspiration represents the maximum evaporative capacity for a region, which underscores the importance of analysing its changes and attribution to provide information for water resource management. This study focused on the northern Loess Plateau of China, investigated the changes in potential evapotranspiration ( ET0) using data from 34 stations during 1960-2013 and conducted its temporal and spatial attribution through the differentiation equation method. The results show that the annual mean ET0 is 1004.9 mm with a decreasing trend at the rate of 0.33 mm year−1. The lowest values were found in the northeast and southwest regions, while the greatest ET0 was in the northwest region. An 'evaporation paradox' existed as a whole, but not obviously. The ET0 was most sensitive to actual vapour pressure ( ea), followed by solar radiation ( Rs), mean temperature ( Tmean) and wind speed ( U2). The inter-annual variation in the sensitivity of ET0 in relation to climatic factors showed that ET0 became more sensitive to U2 and Tmean but less sensitive to Rs and ea from 1960 to 2013. Temporally, the increasing Tmean resulted in the increase of ET0; while its effect was weakened by the other three factors, especially by decreasing U2. The contributions of climatic factors to the ET0 spatial variation trends were also analysed along two transects, but the dominant factors were different for each transect. Furthermore, the possible impacts of human activities on ET0 changes were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural color of photonic crystals is usually whitish and has low saturation due to multiple incoherent scattering effects, limiting its application in practical visual observation. Herein, by controlling the calcination time of PS@SiO 2 nanoparticles, we obtain hollow SiO 2 with different in situ generated carbon black contents and assemble them into photonic crystal inks (PCIs). PCIs have excellent saturation and high crystallinity due to the in-situ generated carbon black capable of absorbing incoherently scattered light without affecting particle assembly. PCIs are further converted into non-close-packed photonic crystal films with highly saturated structural colors by photopolymerization of resins. This photonic crystal film can be swollen by an ethanol-water mixture, resulting in structural color changes and shifts in reflection peaks. Moreover, the photonic crystal film can dynamically change from a dry opaque state to an ethanol-wetted translucent state. Such solvent-responsive photonic crystal films with highly saturated structural colors are expected to be used in alcohol sensors and color anti-counterfeiting labels. We introduce carbon black in situ in h-SiO 2 cores to suppress incoherent scattering and enable them to assemble into photonic crystal inks (PCIs) with high saturation structural colors, and the amount of generated in situ carbon black can easily adjust the saturation of the structural color of PCIs. PCIs are further converted into non-close-packed photonic crystal film with highly saturated structural colors by photopolymerization of resins, and this film can be applied to visually detect ethanol-water mixtures and color security labels. [Display omitted] • A series of high-quality h-SiO 2 with different in situ generated carbon black contents are synthesized. • C@h-SiO 2 can be assembled into PCIs through electrostatic repulsion and solvation forces. • PCIs have excellent saturation and high crystallinity. • PCIs can transform into non-close-packed photonic crystal films for solvent detection and anti-counterfeiting labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Water-nitrate coupling is explored under farmland and apple orchards • Large water deficit and nitrate accumulation are observed under apple orchards • Water deficit and nitrate accumulation are spatiotemporally asynchronous • Soil properties significantly affect water-nitrate coupling in deep soils Understanding the relationship between water and nitrate in soils is critical to agricultural production and aquifer vulnerability assessments, especially in regions with intensive agricultural activities and thick unsaturated zones. Deep soils usually record long-term variations in coupling water and nitrate processes, influenced by multiple environmental factors. As such, this study aims to investigate water and nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 –−N) contents and their relationships in soil profiles of 13–23 m deep under farmland and neighboring apple orchards with different ages. Soil properties were considered to explore the individual effect of a single factor or combined effects of multiple factors by wavelet analysis and partial least squares path models. Compared with farmland, apple orchards had large water deficit and NO 3 –−N accumulation due to root water uptake and synthetic fertilizer inputs, with high spatiotemporal asynchrony in deep unsaturated zones. Specifically, water deficit and NO 3 –−N accumulation were respectively observed in relatively stable (5–15 m) and active layers (0–5 m, spatial asynchrony), with higher water deficit rates under young apple trees (e.g., 12 and 22 years old) but larger NO 3 –−N accumulation rates under old apple trees (e.g., 23–32 years old, temporal asynchrony), respectively. Under farmland and orchard, soil texture-organic carbon regulated soil water movement, while soil water-organic carbon affected nitrate transport and transformation processes, which further altered soil pH and electric conductivity conditions in deep vadose zones. The growth of apple trees leads to asynchronous water depletion and fertilizer accumulation in soils, and the > 20 years apple trees are limited by insufficient water despite the excessive fertilizer. The dried soil layers not only reduce potential groundwater recharge, but also prolong the residence time of nitrate bombs in thick unsaturated zones. This study provides essential information for sustainable management of vegetation and water resources, and benefits the complicated hydrological and biogeochemical cycles in thick vadose zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study investigates the power-transmission-induced currents along OPGW and the corresponding induced power losses on the 750kV double-circuit transmission lines. • The impact of various line parameters (tower span, tower grounding resistance and the DC resistance of the OPGW) and operational conditions (Conductor transposition, phase sequences in the double-circuit system, and transmission load current) are discussed via the numerical simulation. • The manuscript provides a valuable reference for economic considerations in the design of OPGW insulation retrofit for the aim of energy save, which is also a matter of great concern to the power company in China. The optical fiber composite ground wire (OPGW), serving as a ground wire and providing communication capabilities, has been widely utilized in high-voltage transmission lines in China. Considering the fault current diversion during short circuits and lightning events, OPGW is generally grounded at each tower, while in case of which the induced electromotive force on OPGW generated by the alternating current forms an induced current loop and causes energy losses in the grounding loop. The issue becomes more prominent in higher voltage levels and larger load currents. The assessment of losses before insulating OPGW is crucial data to support the economic consideration and power saving expectation for OPGW insulation retrofit of the overhead power line. To provide a valuable reference and reveal the need for insulation retrofits of the OPGW, this study investigates the induced currents along each tower-grounded OPGW and the corresponding induced power losses on the 750kV double-circuit transmission lines. The impact of various line parameters and operational conditions are discussed via the numerical simulation. The results indicate that the total losses can reach 106 kWh/a.km when both circuits are transmitting power at a full load of 2300 MVA. The tower span, tower grounding resistance, and the DC resistance of the OPGW are found to have minimal impact on the total power losses, although the current distribution is affected by these factors. Conductor transposition, phase sequences, and transmission load current have a significant influence on both the amplitude of the induced current and the power losses. Reverse phase sequence ABC-CBA and the symmetrical load on both sides of the circuits could obtain the lowest induced power loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive friction between hydrogels and biological tissue is a major risk factor that can lead to tissue damage and inflammation, limiting their application as biomaterials. Herein, we designed a photonic hydrogel film with an extremely low friction coefficient (COF∼1.71 × 10−3) by embedding free linear polyacrylamide (PAAm) polymer chains within a thermosensitive hydrogel matrix. This photonic hydrogel with brush structure possesses elastic deformation and reversible color change due to its excellent mechanical property. As proof-of-concept, gentamicin sulfate (GS) was selected as model of antibiotic drug, the structural color of material changes during the release of GS. Consequently, the cumulative release amount of the GS can be evaluated by measuring the reflection wavelength. These features make our strategy potentially useful in preparation of materials with low COF and extending the application of photonic hydrogels, including ocular drug delivery and monitoring systems, as well as articular tissue-mechanical sensors. Drawing inspiration from natural systems, we propose a novel method to create biomimetic photonic hydrogels with an exceptionally low surface friction coefficient. These hydrogels can be utilized in the development of ocular drug delivery systems and for real-time monitoring of drug release efficiency. Compared to traditional eye drops or ointments, this dressing with local sustained-release characteristics can better maintain the concentration and efficacy of the drug. These extremely low surface friction photonic hydrogels have the potential to be a promising candidate for novel drug carriers for eye diseases and other situations that require materials with extremely low friction coefficient. [Display omitted] • The photonic crystal prepared exhibits an extremely low friction coefficient (1.71 × 10−3). • The hydrogel possesses excellent mechanochromic and thermochromism properties. • The GS was released from the hydrogel followed a Korsmeyer-peppas model. • The material has the potential to serve as an ocular drug carrier and enable visualization of drug release efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depthwise separable convolutions (DSC) have been widely deployed in lightweight convolutional neural networks due to high efficiency. But the acceleration performance of the Graphics Processing Unit for DSC was not as well as in theory. In this paper, some approaches were proposed for accelerating DSC based on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). For the preceding layers, S2C (spatial to channel) was proposed to accelerate computing and improve the utilization rate of computational resources and bandwidth. An efficient SharePE was proposed to accelerate the DSC, which can improve the efficiency of the computing resource. The regulable parallelism approach was proposed to compute efficiently the different pointwise convolutional layers. P2D&D2P approach is proposed to reduce the external memory access. For the entire accelerating system, the pre-load workflow was proposed to reduce the waiting time of the accelerator between two images. We demonstrated our approaches on the SkyNet using the Ultra96V2 development board. Results indicated that our proposed accelerator obtained 80.030 frames per second and 0.072 Joule per image for UAV object detection, which achieved the state-of-the-art results for SkyNet. Besides, the MobileNetV2 model was implemented on a larger XC7Z100 FPGA, and the results showed our accelerator classified each picture from ImageNet in 2.69 ms. Code is available at https://github.com/AILearnerLi/DAC-SDC-2020-SEUer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Deep soil and adjacent farmland were both important water sources for apple trees. • SWD increased at a rate of 5.94 mm m−1 yr−1 in apple orchard before 30 years of age. • The migration and accumulation of NO 3 –-N confirmed the soil water exchange. • The orchard-farmland pattern can promote efficient water and nutrient use in the CLP. With the vigorous promotion of apple tree planting on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), a mosaic pattern of apple orchards and traditional farmland has emerged in the region. However, the interaction between adjacent farmland and apple orchards in terms of soil water and nutrient migration remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution of the soil water content (SWC) and soil nutrients, as well as their interactions, in 0–10 m soil layers of apple orchards of different stand ages and adjacent farmland under the orchard-farmland land use pattern. The results revealed a significant decrease in average-depth SWC in the orchards in the 0–10 m soil profile (R2 = 0.90) with increasing orchard age, accompanied by a significant increase in soil water deficit (SWD, R2 = 0.94). The annual growth rate of SWD was found to be as high as 5.94 mm·m−1·y−1. Deep soil and surrounding farmland were identified as important sources of soil water for apple tree growth, particularly in older orchards; a 25-year-old orchard absorbed approximately 10.8 % of soil water towards farmland with a horizontal distance of 7 m. The distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in the 0–10 m soil profile exhibited a similar pattern, decreasing and then stabilizing with increasing depth. However, the peak depth and accumulation of soil nitrate (NO 3 –-N) significantly increased with orchard age. The migration and accumulation of NO 3 –-N in the soil provided a scientific basis for the transport of soil water, with NO 3 –-N accumulation (405.32 mg kg−1) observed in the deep soil (3–6 m) of farmland located 5 m away from a 30-year-old orchard, confirming the exchange of soil water and nutrients between the orchard and the farmland. The stand age of the orchards was identified as the main environmental factor influencing soil water transport under the orchard-farmland land use pattern. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into the interaction between apple orchards and farmland under the mosaic pattern, which can contribute to a more rational layout of apple orchards and farmland in the future, promoting the efficient utilization of soil water and nutrients on the CLP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water and organic carbon stored within unsaturated zones are crucial in terrestrial ecosystems; however, the coupling effects of deep soil water and organic carbon are still poorly documented. To explore the water-carbon coupling effects within soils under tree plantations, we investigated the water and organic carbon content to 20 m deep under cultivated farmland and orchards with apple trees of varying ages (5, 10, 15, 20, and 24 years) in the loess-covered region of China. A conditional process model was used to explore the impacts of vegetation and edaphic factors on the water-carbon coupling processes. Compared with farmland, young apple orchards (0–10 years) showed lower water deficit, but the soil water storage reduced by 21%− 32% under old apple orchards (15–24 years). The organic carbon content exhibited negligible variation among apple trees of different ages. However, the water-carbon coupling effects varied with apple tree ages. A positive correlation existed between water storage and organic carbon density under young apple orchards (p < 0.05), but a negative correlation was found between water deficit and organic carbon sequestration under old apple orchards (p < 0.01). The conditional process model suggested that the water-carbon coupling relationship under young apple orchards was primarily controlled by clay content due to lower root biomass, while that under old apple orchards was concurrently shaped by silt content and coarse roots because of the developed root system of apple trees. This study offers novel insights into the sustainable management of agriculture and tree plantations in regions with deep-rooted vegetation and thick unsaturated zones. [Display omitted] • We analyzed water and carbon coupling effects within 0–20 m under apple orchards. • Apple trees triggered large water deficit but little organic carbon variation. • Soil texture led to positive water and carbon effects under young apple orchards. • Plant root caused negative water and carbon effects under old apple orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• α e-0 and α e-c are integrated parameters involving α in the P-T equation and other factors. • Basic GNAA with α e-0 function could accurately estimate E at a catchment scale. • α e-c in the extended GNAA is closer to the original α value in P-T equation. The generalized nonlinear advection aridity model (GNAA) for evaporation (E) estimation can be expressed in a basic form with a single parameter α e-0 , or an extended form using two parameters, α e-c and c. The implications of these model parameters in the model and the accurate estimation of E are receiving increasing attention. Our study shows that α e-0 and α e-c are affected by precipitation (P), the aridity index (E pa /P) and the climate seasonality and asynchrony index (SAI), etc, with which α e-0 has stronger correlations. This demonstrated that annual α e-0 and α e-c could cover the α parameter in the Priestley–Taylor formula, as well as other factors, particularly the aridity index. For the basic GNAA form, annual α e-0 is smaller than 1.00 in most catchments, but the GNAA model with the developed empirical formula between α e-0 and E pa /P can accurately estimate E at an annual scale. For the extended GNAA form, most annual α e-c were larger than 1.00, with a mean value of 1.08 for the Loess Plateau; α e-c tended to restore the original α values in the Priestley-Taylor equation. Functional differences exist between the basic and extended GNAA forms in estimating E and explaining the complementary relationship. Our results bridge some gaps in understanding the GNAA model from previous studies, and provide useful information to extend the application of the GNAA model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitudes of N fertilization (the data consist of 180 and 360 kg N ha−1 year−1 with two varieties) effects on ecosystem carbon components compare with N0 treatment. • A 3-year (2015–2017) field experiment to investigate the effects of N fertilization on ecosystem C components and evapotranspiration under N fertilizer application to two wheat varieties in three continuous growing seasons was conducted. • N fertilization increased all ecosystem C components as well as increasing evapotranspiration, and the effects of N fertilization on net ecosystem exchange were larger than the effects on evapotranspiration, which led to an increase in water use efficiency (WUE). • Ecosystem C components showed different sensitivities to N fertilization, and Rab was the component that was the most sensitive C component to N fertilization in the farmland ecosystem. • N fertilization increased soil respiration (Rs) by promoting both heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and root respiration (Ra), but a threshold effect of the N application rate on Rs and its components was observed. • N-induced changes in ecosystem C components were affected by the growing seasons and were mainly driven by alterations in biomass rather than by soil temperature or evapotranspiration. • Excessive N application rates (360 kg ha−1) did not increase the C sink capacity over that in the 180 kg ha−1 treatment, mainly due to the larger increase in aboveground plant respiration (Rab). • C and water fluxes of farmland ecosystem were investigated under N fertilization. • Effects of N threshold on C and water fluxes were observed. • Ecosystem respiration was dominated by aboveground plant under N fertilization. • Ecosystem C components were mainly driven by biomass under N fertilization. Farmlands receive large amounts of nitrogen (N) through fertilization, which can affect ecosystem carbon (C) and water fluxes. However, the responses of ecosystem C components to N fertilization and their relationships with soil water consumption under N fertilization remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the ecosystem C components and evapotranspiration under three N fertilizer rates application (0, 180 and 360 kg N ha−1 year−1, referred to as N0, N180 and N360, respectively) of two wheat varieties in three continuous growing seasons. We found that N fertilization increased all ecosystem C components as well as evapotranspiration. Excessive N application rates (N360) did not increase the net ecosystem C exchange (NEE) compared with that in the N180 treatment, which was mainly due to the larger increase in aboveground plant respiration (Rab) in the N360 treatment than the N180 treatment. The effects of N fertilization on NEE were larger than the effects on evapotranspiration, which led to an increase in water use efficiency (WUE). In addition, N fertilization increased soil respiration (Rs) by promoting both heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and root respiration (Ra), but a threshold effect of the N application rate on the Rs components was observed. Furthermore, the ecosystem C components showed different sensitivities to N fertilization, with Rab showing the highest sensitivity. Moreover, the changes in the C components were affected by the growing season and varieties, and mainly driven by biomass rather than by soil temperature or evapotranspiration. Our results demonstrate that N fertilization promoted ecosystem C fluxes, but that excessive N did not enhance the C fixation rate of the agroecosystem. These findings can inform global C-cycling models aimed at predicting C balances under N fertilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GNAA becomes a rescaled complementary model when α e-B takes a functional form. • GNAA-based evaporation increased at a rate of 0.99 mm/yr during 1982–2017 across China. • Water yield in the loess plateau may not decrease because P increase faster than e after revegetation. The generalized nonlinear advection aridity (GNAA) model has been widely applied for evaporation estimations and drought assessments at regional and global scales. Here, the GNAA model was combined with a semi-empirical function for the parameter α e-B to estimate actual evaporation (E) in nine Level-I water resources regions and one typical revegetation area (i.e., the Loess Plateau) in China. The results showed that the semi-empirical function for α e-B with aridity index rescaled the original independent variable (x B) in GNAA; thus, the model satisfied the boundary condition of " y = 0, at x B-αf =0". Moreover, the data points of E/E pa (E pa : apparent potential evaporation) and E po /E pa (E po : potential evaporation) were captured well by the GNAA curve with the semi-empirical function of α e-B. Further, the GNAA model showed high accuracy in simulating evaporation (E CR-B) when compared with the water balance equation, with the mean absolute error, root mean square error, and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency values being 52 mm, 66 mm, and 0.84 respectively, over 49 basins. The multi-year mean E CR-B was 443.1 ± 14.7 mm/yr and 431.6 ± 21.2 mm/yr across China and Loess Plateau, respectively. Moreover, the annual E CR-B showed a significant upward trend during 1982–2017, and E CR-B increased rapidly before 1998, but decreased slightly after 1998 when considering 1998 as the turning point across China. Since the implementation of the large scale "Grain for Green" project on the Loess Plateau, nomalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and precipitation increased significantly, while E CR-B showed no significant increases in both China and Loess Plateau. For the Loess Plateau, annual precipitation increased faster than annual evaporation, implying that water yield may increase. Overall, the findings would assist in clarifying the characteristics of evaporation across China and contribute to better management and sustainable utilization of regional water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Root water uptake depth increased in "S" shape with tree age and stabilized at 20 m after 20 years in an apple orchard. • Soil water deficit increased in depth of 3–21 m at a rate of 5.8 mm m−1 yr−1 from 10 to 24 years of tree age. • Apple trees could draw water horizontally up to 7 m from deeper soil layers of adjacent cropland. • Orchard-cropland mosaic structure is able to optimize the use of soil water resources in the Loess Plateau. It is of great significance to explore soil water distribution and consumptions of the agroforestry systems in water-deficient areas. In recent decades, continuous development of apple orchards in the southern Chinese Loess Plateau has formed the orchard-cropland mosaic vegetation pattern. In this study, soil water content (SWC) in two series were measured, (1) 0–21 m soil profiles of five apple orchards with different stand ages (5, 10, 15, 20 and 24 years) and one cropland; (2) 0–6 m soil profiles at different sites within the orchard-cropland border zone (with apple orchard aged 10 and 24 years old, denoted as AC10 and AC24, respectively). Results showed that (1) the water consumption depth of apple orchards increased in an "S"-shaped pattern with stand age and reached 20 m after 20 years, while the average SWC within 3–21 m layer decreased and the soil water deficits increased at a rate of 5.8 mm m−1 yr−1; and (2) the average SWC in 3–10 m layer of 15, 20 and 24-year-old orchards accounted for 69.3%, 64.2% and 57.9% of the field capacity, respectively, these proportions came to 71.2%, 67.4% and 61.1% in the 3–21 m layer, respectively; and (3) AC24 had greater influence on SWC of adjacent cropland than AC10. The soil water storage of 2–6 m layer in AC24 ranged from 713 mm to 879 mm within 7 m away from the orchard, which were significantly lower than those of 7–15 m away from the orchard (933–1042 mm). Overall, the apple tree root system can absorb soil water from a depth of 20 m in the vertical direction and up to 7 m from the adjacent cropland in the horizontal direction. Therefore, a reasonable orchard-cropland mosaic pattern should be arranged in regional agricultural planning, so as to promote the optimized utilization of regional soil water resources, and to coordinate the development of fruit industry and food security, in which the width of a cropland can't be < 14 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remediation of polluted sites containing multiple contaminants like nicotine and heavy metals poses significant challenges, due to detrimental effects like cell death. In this study, we isolated a new strain Pseudomonas sp. NBB capable of efficiently degrading nicotine even in high level of heavy metals. It degraded nicotine through pyrrolidine pathway and displayed minimum inhibitory concentrations of 2 mM for barium, copper, and lead, and 5 mM for manganese. In the presence of 2 mM Ba2+ or Pb2+, 3 g L-1 nicotine could be completely degraded within 24 h. Moreover, under 0.5 mM Cu2+ or 5 mM Mn2+ stress, 24.13% and 72.56% of nicotine degradation were achieved in 60 h, respectively. Strain NBB tolerances metal stress by various strategies, including morphological changes, up-regulation of macromolecule transporters, cellular response to DNA damage, and down-regulation of ABC transporters. Notably, among the 153 up-regulated genes, cds_821 was identified as manganese exporter (MneA) after gene disruption and recovery experiments. This study presents a novel strain capable of efficiently degrading nicotine and displaying remarkable resistance to heavy metals. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into the potential application of nicotine bioremediation in heavy metal-contaminated areas. [Display omitted] • A strain resists 2 mM Ba2+, 2 mM Cu2+, 5 mM Mn2+, and 2 mM Pb2+. • Degrade 3 g L-1 nicotine in 24 h under 2 mM Ba2+ or Pb2+. • MneA works in Mn2+ resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Parameter c of GNAA model was calibrated to 6.94 at annual scale on the Loess Plateau. • The upper and lower limits of SGCF were constrained within (0, 1) at annual scale. • GNAA and SGCF could estimate annual actual evaporation well in study area. Generalized complementary functions, which describe the relationship between the ratio of actual evaporation over the Penman potential evaporation (E/E Pen) and the proportion of the radiation term in E Pen (E rad /E Pen) have not been widely used at annual time scales. In this study, the generalized nonlinear advection-aridity function (GNAA) and sigmoid generalized complementary function (SGCF) were evaluated for annual evaporation estimation with calibrated parameters in the Loess Plateau of China. For all 15 catchments, the lowest values of annual E rad /E Pen were found to be much larger than zero, and the annual E/E Pen increased approximately linearly with annual E rad /E Pen. This complementary evaporation relationship at an annual timescale differs from those at daily timescales, and requires different parameterizations of the GNAA and SGCF. For the GNAA, parameter c , which is often set to zero for daily time scales, need to be well calibrated with available data. For the SGCF, the upper and lower limits of E rad /E Pen must be constrained. After calibration, both the SGCF and GNAA performed well at estimating annual evaporation. In addition, the calibrated Priestley-Taylor coefficient from the SGCF was found to be closer to the widely accepted value (1.26) than that determined from the GNAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Interactions between factors impacting ET varies at different time scales. • Interannual change of vegetation coverage is independent from climate seasonality. • Climate seasonality and topography impact vegetation condition on the long-term scale. • Vegetation and fraction of precipitation falling as snow are selected to fit mean annual ω. Vegetation, climate and topography have been empirically formulated into the controlling parameter of the Budyko model (ω) to estimate evapotranspiration (ET). However, these variables, if simultaneously employed, may induce multicollinearity problems because of their potential interactions. Further, these interactions may vary with different time scales and subsequently result in the inaccurate estimation of ω. As such, we investigated the interactions of vegetation, climate and topography and their corresponding effects on ET modelling at different time scales by employing vegetation coverage (M), an improved climate seasonality and asynchrony index (SAI), the fraction of precipitation falling as snow (f s) and relative basin relief (BR/ B R ¯), in 30 catchments in China's Loess Plateau. We found that, on annual scale, M and SAI were significantly related to ω, while being independent from each other; in consequence, both of them should be parameterized into the Budyko model on the annual scale for better ET modelling. However, the links between M and SAI became stronger with increased time scales, the parameterization of ω should thus be reformatted for longer periods. When extended to a 30-year period, ω was closely related to the above variables, but M was highly intercorrelated with SAI and BR/ B R ¯ , and f s was significantly related to BR/ B R ¯. The independent M and f s were finally selected to fit ω, which allowed mean annual ET to be accurately modelled on long-term scale. Identification of the dominant factors applicable at different time scales can simplify the empirical parameterization of the Budyko formula and thereby facilitate more accurate estimation of ET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]