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Pyrite corona nodules from the ∼2.7 Ga Kapai Slate, a thin, sulfidic carbonaceous shale horizon interbedded with basaltic lava flows in the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, have concentric compositional and isotopic zoning with distinctive textural differences between cores and mantles. The sieved-textured cores are enriched in highly compatible trace elements, incl. Ni, As, Ag, Te, Sb, Bi and Pb, and depleted in incompatible Mo and Tl, whereas the radiating-textured mantles are strongly depleted in compatible elements and enriched in incompatible elements, relative to the cores. A striking feature of the data is that both the compatible and incompatible elements are linearly correlated, with correlation coefficients as high as 0.99. A marked drop in the concentration of compatible elements and an increase in incompatible elements at the core-mantle boundary is attributed to a sudden change in the rate of growth of the nodules produced by eruption of the voluminous overlying Paringa Basalt. The weight of the basalt produced sudden compaction of the unconsolidated clays below resulting in upward advection of pore fluid, which thinned the boundary layer around the growing nodules, leading to a marked increase in the rate of pyrite growth. Rapid pyrite growth led to a dramatic depletion in highly compatible elements, and to a build-up in incompatible elements, in the boundary layers around the growing nodule mantles, which resulted in extreme depletion of compatible elements, and enrichment in incompatible elements in the nodule mantles, relative to the cores. The corona nodules are also isotopically zoned with cores that have higher δ34S, with small positive Δ33S values, and mantles that have lower δ34S and higher Δ33S. The increase in Δ33S towards the rims is attributed to S8 being advected to the growing mantles by upward fluid movement during sudden compaction, and the decrease in δ34S to the lighter S isotope, with its higher reactivity and diffusivity, being preferentially incorporated into the fast growing pyrite mantle. The extreme changes in the growth rates of the Kapai Slate corona pyrite nodules provide a new constraint on the partition coefficients of the trace elements between Archean ocean water and sedimentary pyrite. The compatibility of the analysed trace elements decreases in the order Bi > Te > Sb > Ag > Cu > Pb > Ni ≈ As > (Co, Zn, Se, Cd, Mn, W) > Tl > Mo, which is consistent with the order obtained from modern sedimentary pyrites by Large et al. (2014), except for the redox-sensitive elements Mn, Tl and Mo. These differences are attributed to the lower oxygen content of the Archean atmosphere and oceans.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer throughout the world and identification of malignant tumors at an early stage is needed for diagnosis and treatment of patient thus avoiding the progression to a later stage. In recent times, deep learning architectures such as CNN have shown promising results in effectively identifying malignant tumors in CT scans. In this paper, we combine the CNN features with texture features such as Haralick and Gray level run length matrix features to gather benefits of high level and spatial features extracted from the lung nodules to improve the accuracy of classification. These features are further classified using SVM classifier instead of softmax classifier in order to reduce the overfitting problem. Our model was validated on LUNA dataset and achieved an accuracy of 93.53%, sensitivity of 86.62%, the specificity of 96.55%, and positive predictive value of 94.02%.

The interest in polymetallic nodule mining has considerably increased in the last few decades. This has been largely driven by population growth and the need to move towards a green future, which requires strategic raw materials. Deep-Sea Mining (DSM) is a potential source of such key materials. While harvesting the ore from the deep sea by a Polymetallic Nodule Mining Tool (PNMT), some bed sediment is unavoidably collected. Within the PNMT, the ore is separated from the sediment, and the remaining sediment–water mixture is discharged behind the PNMT, forming an environmental concern. This paper begins with surveying the state-of-the-art knowledge of the evolution of the discharge from a PNMT, in which the discharge characteristics and generation of turbidity currents are discussed. Moreover, the existing water entrainment theories and coefficients are analyzed. It is shown how plumes and jets can be classified using the flux balance approach. Following that, the models of Lee et al. (2013) and Parker et al. (1986) are combined and utilized to study the evolution of both the generated sediment plume and the subsequent turbidity current. The results showed that a smaller sediment flux at the impingement point, where the plume is transformed into a turbidity current, results in a shorter run-out distance of the turbidity current, consequently being more favorable from an environmental point of view.

Trench systems are some of the most important geodynamic settings on Earth and have a substantial influence on the global metal cycle. Trench environments are affected not only by episodic deposition of volcanic ash, but also exhibit a continuous water–rock chemical exchange. Ferromanganese nodules, which are archives for the marine Mn cycle, were first discovered in the southern Mariana Trench during China’s major 10,000-meter hadal trench scientific expedition in 2016. Nevertheless, their geochemical characteristics and formation mechanism in sedimentary environments of the trench zone remain enigmatic. In this study, these ferromanganese nodules and surrounding sediments were examined by geochemical and microbial methods. Bulk geochemistry indicated that trench nodules are characterized by high Mn/Fe ratios and nodule textures indicate a rapid growth rate, with Mn mainly from two sources: volcanic ash alteration and fluids discharge from the trench seabed. High-resolution in situ geochemical analysis categorized microlayers of an individual nodule into three types. Type I is the interior part that has a high Mn/Fe ratio (>20) and high growth rate (52.19–3571.73 mm/Myr), and formed by the influence of fluid discharge activities around this region. Type II is laminae from the exterior part that have a hydrogenetic origin with lower Mn/Fe ratio (0.01–2.50) and lower growth rate (4.54–9.86 mm/Myr). Type III is laminae from the exterior part that have a diagenetic origin with moderately high Mn/Fe ratio (2.5–15.0) and moderately high growth rate (12.40–18.93 mm/Myr). 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the bacterial community structures in the nodule-bearing sediment samples, dominated by Shewanella and Colwellia, were substantially different from those of reference sediment samples. For the first time, we propose a conceptual model for a geochemical Mn cycle and nodule formation in trench sedimentary environments using both geochemical and microbial data.

Due to climate change, different soil stresses are increasing continuously and they threat the world food security as they limit crop productivity. Therefore, this chapter aims at integrate information about the interaction between legumes and endophytes which will help to: deep understanding of the endophytes-legume relationship, draw attention to the possibilities to exploit this relationship in soil stress mitigation and unraveling what is need to be addressed in the future. The study reviewed the most recent previous scientific works in the field. For legumes tissue colonization, endophytes almost use the same routs which results in their presence in the same niches. Co-inoculation of these bacteria enhances plant growth directly and indirectly. Some endophytes characterized by stress tolerance which interact with legumes and mitigate the adverse effect of soil stresses like salinity, acidity/alkalinity, drought and heavy metal contamination. To reduce stress and enhance plant growth, legume-associated bacteria produce ACC deaminase and other compounds. The interaction process involves induction and expression of many legume-associated bacteria chromosomal and plasmid genes which indicates that this process is a genetic based. So isolation of stress tolerant legume-associated microbes and identification of the gene related to stress tolerance will aid in production of genetic engineered endophytes adaptive to different stresses. It is concluded that all soil stresses can be addressed by application of stress tolerant endophytes to the soil affected with environmental stresses which is sustainable and low cost approach. To maximize the benefit, searching for indigenous stress tolerant endophytes is recommended.

To overcome nitrogen deficiency, legume roots establish symbiotic interactions with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia that are fostered in specialized organs (nodules). Similar to other organs, nodule formation is determined by a local maximum of the phytohormone auxin at the primordium site. However, how auxin regulates nodule development remains poorly understood. Here, we found that in soybean, (Glycine max), dynamic auxin transport driven by PIN-FORMED (PIN) transporter GmPIN1 is involved in nodule primordium formation. GmPIN1 was specifically expressed in nodule primordium cells and GmPIN1 was polarly localized in these cells. Two nodulation regulators, (iso)flavonoids trigger expanded distribution of GmPIN1b to root cortical cells, and cytokinin rearranges GmPIN1b polarity. Gmpin1abc triple mutants generated with CRISPR-Cas9 showed the impaired establishment of auxin maxima in nodule meristems and aberrant divisions in the nodule primordium cells. Moreover, overexpression of GmPIN1 suppressed nodule primordium initiation. GmPIN9d, an ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana PIN2, acts together with GmPIN1 later in nodule development to acropetally transport auxin in vascular bundles, fine-tuning the auxin supply for nodule enlargement. Our findings reveal how PIN-dependent auxin transport modulates different aspects of soybean nodule development and suggest that the establishment of auxin gradient is a prerequisite for the proper interaction between legumes and rhizobia., In soybean, nodule primordium formation involves GmPIN1-mediated polar auxin transport within primordium cells, and nodule enlargement involves the collaboration of GmPIN9d and GmPIN1-dependent auxin transport within nodule vasculature.

Objective. To study the amino acid composition in the tops of alfalfa under different water supply (60 % MVC (maximum water capacity) and 30 % MVC) depending on the inoculum strain (Sinorhizobium meliloti 425a, T17, AC08). Methods. Microbiological (bacterial cultivation), physiological (vegetation experiment), biochemical (determination of amino acid content in the tops of plants). Results. It was established that the qualitative amino acid composition in the tops of ALFALFA was identical in all variants. However, quantitative content of the studied samples differed depending on the inoculum strain and water supply. It was found that aspartic and glutamic acids, leucine and lysine are dominant in the tops of alfalfa under different water supply. In the absence of moisture, an increase in the content of individual amino acids was reported at the background of Sinorhizobium meliloti AC08 and T17, while inoculation with Sinorhizobium meliloti 425a resulted in a decrease in the content of all amino acids except tyrosine. In plants exposed to water stress, a tendency towards decrease in the content of glutamic acid at the background of bacterization with Sinorhizobium meliloti 425a and increase — under inoculation with Sinorhizobium meliloti T17 and AC08 was reported, which may support the use of the latter to increase the ability of symbiotic systems to recover during a post-stress period. Conclusion. Pre-sowing inoculation of alfalfa of the variety Laska with new active strains of Sinorhizobium meliloti AC08 and T17 helps to increase the content of amino acids, in particular essential, in the tops of plants, both under optimal conditions of moisture and insufficient water supply. The prospects of using new strains of rhizobia in the cultivation of alfalfa for green mass under the conditions of optimal water supply and drought has been verified.

The Ma51-4 submembers of Jingbian gas field in Ordos basin of China belongs to epeiric sea evaporative carbonate tidal flat facies. Supratidal zone of gypsum nodule dolostone and upper part of intertidal zone of gypsum crystal dolostone are most favorable reservoir. The carbonate rocks of Ma51-4 had undergone complex diagenesis. Penecontem-poraneous dolomitization and gypsification provided the material foundation of the reservoir. Epidiagenesis selective dissolution of gypseous dolostone constructs the origin shape of pore structure. The dissolution and filling of various minerals in the burial period determine whether the early dissolution pores can be preserved, and the final state of the reservoir. Burial dissolution and filling of various minerals determined the preservation of early dissolved pores and the final condition of the reservoir. The concept of “minus cement porosity” directly reflects that sedimentary facies have great influence on the growth of reservoir in Ma51-4. Combined with sedimentary microfacies and diagenetic facies, a concise numerical symbol is used to express semiquantitatively sed-imentary microfacies and diagenesis facies. This descriptive method has great benefit in reservoir evaluation and prediction.

Legume biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is the most important N source in agricultural ecosystems. Nodule organogenesis from the primordia to the development of mature nodules with the ability to fix N2 largely determines BNF capacity. However, nodule growth is often limited by low phosphorus (P) availability, while the mechanisms underlying nodule development responses to P deficiency remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that nodule enlargement is severely inhibited by P deficiency, as reflected by the smaller individual nodule size from a soybean core collection in the field. Wide-ranging natural diversity in nodule size was further identified in soybeans reared in low P soils, with the FC-1 genotype outperforming FC-2 in assessments of nodulation under low P conditions. Among β-expansin members, GmINS1 expression is most abundantly enhanced by P deficiency in FC-1 nodules, and its transcript level is further displayed to be tightly associated with nodule enlargement. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms discovered in the GmINS1 promoter distinguished the FC-1 and FC-2 genotypes and accounted for the differential expression levels of GmINS1 responses to P deficiency. GmINS1 overexpression led to increases in nodule size, infected cell abundance, and N2 fixation capacity and subsequently promoted increases in N and P content, soybean biomass, and yield. Our findings provide a candidate gene for optimizing BNF capacity responses to low P stress in soybean molecular breeding programs.

Organic matter stabilized in the form of biochar has benefits in a nursery for the physico-chemical and biological properties of substrates derived from forest propagation. With biochars from Acacia mangium Willd. (BAM) residue increases for agricultural production in nurseries have been reported. In this research, we evaluated the effect of different levels of this biochar and its mixture with a synthetic fertilizer (SF) on the root nodulation of A. mangium seedlings. Nine treatments were established to assess the effects on volume and nodule count. Two analyses were performed on a volume using the Kruskal-Wallis test and on counting using the Chi-square test of homogeneity distribution. The results of a subsequent comparison between treatments highlighted higher nodule volumes in treatments with BAM and a mixture with SF compared to those of only SF. The distribution of the nodule count was not homogeneous among treatments. The treatment 80 ton·ha−1 of BAM and 50% of SF produced a greater number of nodules compared to the control. All treatments with higher nodule volumes contained BAM to some degree. Biochar seems likely to contribute to increased volume and nodule count, which could suggest greater potential in the population of microorganisms associated with the development of nodules in seedlings.

Salt stress reduces N2 fixation by causing a reduction in nodule number, nodule weight, and nitrogenase activity in legumes. Emerging evidence from He et al. now suggests that glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) phosphorylates nodulation signaling pathway 1 (NSP1) in response to salt stress, reducing its DNA-binding activity, and thereby causing a reduction in nodulation.

The area of natural saline lands in Russia is about 30 million hectares. At present, the growth of technogenically saline areas is associated with the extraction of minerals (agro-ore) and the formation of drill pits when drilling wells for the purpose of exploration and production of hydrocarbons. The number of drilling pits with a high salt content in the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous okrug is about 3 thousand, about the same number of them in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug, in the south of the Tyumen region their number is increasing in the Uvat region. Reclamation of these territories includes technical and biological stages of reclamation. The biological stage is associated with the use of phytomeliorant cultures. The inclusion of a legume component in the composition of phytomeliorants assumes its joint use with the preparation of an active strain of nodule bacteria. The aim of the research is to identify the most salt-tolerant strain of lupine nodule bacteria at different chemistry and degree of salinity of the environment. Research methodology and methods. Laboratory experiments in Petri dishes were used to test lupine nodule bacteria for salt resistance and salinity chemistry. Nodule bacteria of lupine strains 363a, 367a, 375a were taken directly from rhizotorphin preparations, the degree of dilution was brought to a certain titer corresponding to about 80 colonies per Petri dish. Nodule bacteria for melilot were represented by strains 282, 292 (CL) and 291, and for alfalfa, respectively, 451b, 404b, 412b, 423b, 408b and 425a. They were seeded with the same titer. Results. The presented results of experiments showed that colonies of lupine nodule bacteria react extremely negatively to the salt concentration in the nutrient medium of 0.3 % or higher. This is typical for both neutral and soda salinity. Of the three studied strains of nodule bacteria, sample 367a was the most salt-resistant. Of the presented strains of sweet clover and alfalfa, strains 282 and 423b had the highest salt tolerance, respectively. Scientific novelty. For the first time, strains of lupine nodule bacteria have been tested for salt tolerance in relation to different chemistry and degree of salinity identical to technogenic soils and saline soils.

Spatial patterns of genetic variation (based on COI and 16S mtDNA) for morphologically similar species in the isopod genus Nannoniscus G.O. Sars. 1870 were examined that occur broadly across the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ). Samples were obtained from five different licence areas as well as an Area of Particular Environmental Interest (APEI-6) with sites located at various distances (a few to several hundred kilometres) from one another. Applying three different species delimitation (SD) methods (sGMYC, mPTP and ABGD) of the molecular data, we could distinguish between four and 12 different molecular taxonomic operational units (MOTUs). Morphological analyses could confirm five distinct phenotypic clades that represent species new to science and are described here: Nannoniscus brenkei sp. nov., Nannoniscus hilario sp. nov., Nannoniscus magdae sp. nov., Nannoniscus menoti sp. nov. and Nannoniscus pedro sp. nov. Despite the assumed limited dispersal capacity of Nannoniscus species, we found haplotypes of two species to be geographically widespread (up to > 1400 km apart), as opposed to several divergent clades occurring in close vicinity or even sympatry. Geographic distance appeared to explain the phylogeographic structure of Nannoniscus species to some extent, although oceanographic features and level of environmental heterogeneity were probably equally important.

It is very difficult to remove extremely small particles from the surface of the wafer. Here, we proposed a new cleaning strategy using brush scrubbing, namely, nodule deformation induced fluid flow. Liquid absorption and desorption due to brush deformation enhance the mixing of liquids containing small particles. In this study, we developed a setup that reproduced the actual movement of PVA roller brushes on a rotating wafer and observed the contact surface of the brush nodule. We modeled the brush nodule deformation for each rotating condition. As a result, three types of nodule deformation were observed. In most cases, the nodule side face, rather than the bottom face was mainly in contact with the wafer surface. Moreover, we compared two types of roller brushes, normal cylindrical nodules, and edge treated nodules and found that the deformation can be significantly changed by chamfering nodule edge.

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is benefit to sustainable agriculture and global nitrogen cycle. Many small peptides were identified as regulators involving in the interaction between rhizobia and legume. Here we reported Nodule Rich Protein 2 (MtNRP2) encoding a small peptide in Medicago truncatula, belonged to a group of nodule rich protein restricted in legume species. MtNRP2 expressed highly in root nodule and its promoter was active during the initiation and development of root nodule and lateral root. To investigate the function of MtNRP2 in nodulation, we generated MtNRP2-overexpression and MtNRP2-knockdown transgenic Medicago. MtNRP2-overexpression transgenic lines performed normal nodulation phenotype compared with vector control. However, in the MtNRP2-RNAi transgenic plants, the decrease of MtNRP2 expression lead to the increase of infection threads number (7 day post inoculation) and nodules number (3 week post inoculation); meanwhile, the expression of MtRGF3 and MtPUB1 was inhibited. These results suggested that MtNRP2 negatively regulated nodulation in Medicago truncatula.

Type III effectors play a vital role in the establishment of symbiosis. In this study, positive and negative effects of NopT on nodulation were detected in 30 soybean germplasms. The quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to nodule number were identified and their responses to NopT in recombinant inbred lines and chromosome segment substitution lines were evaluated. Ten QTL were identified on chromosomes 02, 05, 06, 10, and 13. One overlapping region on chromosome 02 was responsive to the wild-type rhizobium and the NopT mutant. The expression patterns of the genes in this overlapping region were determined and single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes were analyzed to identify the candidate genes. Four candidate genes were identified as significantly responsive to NopT. Glyma.02G135100 and Glyma.02G100800 expression levels were directly affected by NopT. These results form the basis of future efforts to identify the plant host genes affected by type III effectors.

The Permian is an important period for the deposition of siliceous rocks on a global scale, but the genesis of chert is still controversial. To better understand the mechanism of chert nodules deposition from Qixia Formation (P1q) (Lower Yangtze Plate, China), we analyzed the major, trace and rare earth elements of these chert nodule samples (CN) and surrounding rock samples (SR) using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique. The redox state, siliceous sources and depositional environment analysis show that CN have higher contents of SiO2, Fe2O3 and MnO comparing with SR, and their geochemical properties are different. Trace and rare earth elements characteristics reveal that nodules were deposited under the action of biochemistry in the basin, no terrigenous materials contamination was observed and the contribution of upwelling was emphasized. The Al/(Al+Fe+Mn), Fe/Ti and Al-Fe-Mn discrimination diagram indicated the chert nodules are influenced by hydrothermal action. Evidence from redox-sensitive elements such as Th, U, V and Sc suggests that nodules were deposited in a reducing environment. In the convective mixing of hydrothermal action and normal seawater, excessive dissolved silicon and nutrients are absorbed and precipitated by biological action, and then transported by upwelling to shallow water for deposition. All the evidence comes from the trace elements enrichment characters, Rare earth elements and Y (REY) distribution patterns and La/La*, Ce/Ce*, Eu/Eu*, LREE/HREE, Y/Ho and ΣREE characteristics.

Samples of ductile iron alloyed with 0.88 % Ni with a nodule count of 606, 523, and 290 nod/mm2 were obtained from sand cast plates of different thickness in the range from 8.46 to 25.4 mm. The effect of the nodule count was evaluated during the austempering process held at 285?C and austempering times of 15, 30, 45, 60, 70, and 90 min. The volume fraction of high carbon austenite increased when the nodule count increased, however, the carbon content of the high carbon austenite kept almost constant. The process window was narrow, requiring a lower austempering time when the nodule count increased. The combination of a higher nodule count and low austempering temperature allowed obtaining a fine ausferritic microstructure which led to higher Brinell hardness and tensile strength. The process window was determined by XRD measurements and it was in good agreement with the microstructural and hardness evolution as the austempering time increased.

Background: Accurate detection and classification of lung nodules at an early stage can help physicians to improve the treatment outcomes of lung cancer. Several lung nodule classifications using deep learning have been proposed but they are lag of external validation to Thai patient data. Objective: To propose a deep learning model called NoduleNet for lung nodule classification and perform internal and external validation of the proposed model. Methods: Two datasets were performed; internal validation using LUNA16 (the public lung CT database), and external validation using ChestRama (37 chest CT scans retrospectively identified from the CT database of Ramathibodi Hospital between 2017 and 2019). The NoduleNet was built on top of pretrained architecture, VGG16, and VGG19 with customization. Results: The NoduleNet showed impressive results in nodule classification. The best model achieved accuracy of 0.95 (0.94 - 0.96), sensitivity of 0.84 (0.82 - 0.86), and specificity of 0.97 (0.97 - 0.98) for internal validation, where the external validation results was accuracy of 0.95 (0.87 - 1.00), sensitivity of 0.91 (0.82 - 1.00), and specificity of 1.00 (1.00 - 1.00). There were 3 misclassified samples in external validation which are all false-negative. Conclusions: The NoduleNet is able to generalize from non-Thai patient data to Thai patient data. It could be further improved by taking sequence of images into account, integrating with an automatic nodule detection algorithm, and adding more nodule types.

The experiment was conducted to characterize and evaluate mung bean accessions, to identify diseases, shattering, lodging resistant and suitable for combine harvesting. The accessions sown in a plot area of 2.1 m by 5 m with 1 m, 1.5m between plots and blocks keeping inter and intra row spacing of 40 cm and 10 cm, respectively. 73 entries along with two checks summing up 75 genotypes evaluated at field condition for their yield and yield components characters during 2019 main cropping season using augmented RCBD design without replication. R-software were used to analyze different characters including the descriptive statistics and SPSS20 used to analyze clustering. Mean of different traits days to maturity (76.46±11.21,), shattering(0.93±0.14), lodging (2.71±2.03), root length(21.±5.54), root volume(201.05±43.76), pods/plant (16.81±6.38), nodule number( 16.22±1.96), Seed yield(10.64±4.01), seeds/pod (11.77±2.80) and 100sw(3.26±0.97) was recoded. The accessions recorded different range of parameters; nodule number (0 to71.75), root length (8 cm to 34.5), shattering (0 to 100), lodging (0% to 1-10%), number of seeds/pod (7 to 23), hundred seed weight (1.8 to 3.26 gram), root volume (4.71 to 230.46 CM) respectively this big variation among accessions of different traits helps to promote breeding programme in mung bean. The seed yield of genotypes ranged from ZURD01(3.88) to ILRI6831(19.79) qtha-1. Days to maturity was ranged from 61(ARKEBE) to 103(MEND01) after emergence. Three maturity groups; early (61 to 69days), medium (71 to 79 days) and late maturing (81 to 103days). Mean yield performance; cluster one had the highest mean yield (16.31qtha-1) followed by cluster two (12.43 qtha-1), cluster three (9.8), cluster four (6.65 qtha-1) and cluster five (1.21 qtha-1) respectively. The genotypes grouped in to three clusters based on their maturity and cluster one had the highest mean maturity days (91.74) followed by cluster two (75.97) and cluster three (66.37) respectively. The early, medium and late maturing genotypes recommended for moisture stress (350-500mm), optimum (600-800 mm) and high rain fall (900-2000 mm) areas respectively according to annual rain fall of the agro ecologies. Genotypes with high nodule number, high yielding, diseases resistance, better root length, shattering and lodging resistance will be important for variety development for mechanization, commercial production and further breeding programme.

Rare earth elements (REE) in marine minerals have been widely used as proxies for the redox status of depositional and/or diagenetic environments. Phosphate nodules, which are thought to grow within decimetres below the sediment–water interface and to be able to scavenge REE from the ambient pore water, are potential archives of subtle changes in REE compositions. Whether their REE signals represent specific redox conditions or they can be used to track the overlying water chemistry is worth exploring. Through in situ laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), we investigate the REE compositions of a drill-core-preserved phosphate nodule from the lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation in the Daotuo area, northeastern Guizhou Province, South China. REE distributions of the nodule show concentric layers with systematic decreases in Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce*) from the core to the rim. The lowest Ce/Ce* appears in the outer rim where REE concentrations are relatively high. These results are interpreted to reflect REE exchange with pore water at a very early stage or bathymetric variation during apatite precipitation. The origin of the shale-normalized middle REE (MREE) enrichment in our sample is less constrained. Possible driving factors include preferential MREE substitution for Ca in the apatite lattice, degradation of organic matter and deposition beneath a ferruginous zone. Although speculative, the last possibility is consistent with the chemically stratified model for early Cambrian oceans, in which dynamic fluctuations of the chemocline provided an ideal depositional context for phosphogenesis.

A small sample of selachian teeth is described from a glauconitic nodule from the Ladder Chine Member, Ferruginous Sands Formation, Lower Greensand Group, late Aptian, Early Cretaceous found near Walpen Chine on the Isle of Wight, UK. The selachian fauna contains the root of an unidentified lamniform shark, and some associated teeth of a synechodontiform shark, here identified as Synechodus tenuis. The difficulties associated with the definition of the three common Cretaceous species of Synechodus - S. dubrisiensis, S. nitidus and S. tenuis - are briefly reviewed. The described material represents the first records of fossil sharks from the late Aptian of the Isle of Wight.

Lung cancer detection in the earlier stage is essential to improve the survival rate of the cancer patient. Computed Tomography [CT] is a first and preferred modality of imaging for detecting cancer with an enhanced rate of diagnosis accuracy owing to its function as a single scan process. Visual inspections of the CT images are prone to error, as it is more complex to distinguish lung nodules from the background tissues which are subjective to intra and interobserver variability. Hence, computer-aided diagnosis is essential to support radiologists for accurate lung nodule prediction. To overcome this issue, we propose a deep learning approach for automatic lung cancer detection from a low dose CT images. We also propose image pre-processing using Efficient Adaptive Histogram Equalization based Region of Interest [EAHE-ROI] to enhance the CT scan and to eliminate artefacts which occur due to noise and variations of the image. The ROI is extracted from CT scans using morphological operators, thus reducing the number of false positives. We chose geometric features as they extract more geometric elements like curves, lines and points of cancer nodules. Our Non-Gaussian Convolutional Neural Networks [NG-CNN] architecture contains feature extractor and classifier, which has been applied on training, validation and test dataset. Our proposed methodology offers better-classified outcome and effectual cancer detection by outperforming the other competing methods and gives a test accuracy of 94.97% and AUC 0.896.

The solidification of spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGI) plays an important role in production of sound quality castings. However, owing to the complex solidification behaviour of SGI, prepouring melt quality evaluation technique such as thermal analysis is used to predict quality of liquid metal by analysing the cooling curve pattern. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the role of speed of recalescence (SOR) in nucleation of graphite during solidification of SGI. Cooling curve analysis of liquid samples was carried out at different inoculation degrees. Recalescence and SOR data were obtained from thermal analysis, whereas nodule counts were obtained from microstructural examination of respective sample. It was observed that recalescence and nodule counts (nucleation sites) have a statistically significant inverse linear relationship; with the increase in recalescence, the nodule count was found to get reduced. However, the multiple values of nodule count at same recalescence degree were to be understood, which was clearly justified by SOR studies. After analysing the SOR vs nodule count relation, almost each SOR value corresponds to different nodule counts and the relation was statistically more significant. This infers that for an in-depth nodule count estimation, SOR analysis will be more helpful as compared to ∆Tr; hence, it is envisaged that speed of recalescence is true indicator of graphite nucleation as compared to recalescence in SGI.

Objective. Evaluate the efficiency of soybean inoculation with pesticide-resistant nodule bacteria Bradyrhizobium japonicum under the influence of pre-sowing seed dressing with Maxym XL,Standak Top and Fever and preventive spraying of plants with the fungicide Akanto Plus. Methods. Physiological, microbiological, gas chromatographic, vegetation experiment, statistical.Results. The number and weight of nodules formed on soybean roots during the growing seasonunder the action of the prothioconazole-based fungicide Fever were reported to be lower comparedwith the control and other variants of experiment. Pesticides Maxym XL and Standak Top had a lesspronounced toxic effect on the formation of legume-rhizobial symbiosis with the participation offungicide-resistant B. japonicum B78 Tn5 mutant compared to Fever. A decrease in the level of N2assimilation by 10.9–41.1 % in the three-leaf phase was found with the combined use of seed pesticides and nodule bacteria included in the study, relative to the variant with inoculation only. However, during the growing season, the negative effect of fungicidal preparations on the functioning oflegume-rhizobial symbiosis decreased. Conclusion. Under the conditions of the model vegetationexperiment with the concomitant use of Standak Top and Fever and bacterization, a decrease in individual plant productivity by 7.0 and 14.1 %, respectively, has been reported. The complex actionof the pesticide Maxym XL and inoculation with pesticide-resistant B. japonicum B78 transposonmutant, contributed to the maximum increase in yield by 27.2 %. The obtained data confirm the expediency of selection of fungicides and nitrogen-fixing microorganisms for concomitant use to ensure high economic and protective effects.

EN-GJS-450-10 ductile cast iron was produced with and without vibration to evaluate microstructural features. To investigate the effect of vibration, a reference, and two different castings having amplitudes of 0.9 mm and 1.8 mm were cast with a fixed vibration frequency of 50 Hz. The nodule count (density), form (type), size distribution, nodularity, and the fraction of graphite, percentages of both ferrite and pearlite phases, length of ferrite shell, and pore, were evaluated via optical microscopy using an image analysis software. It is observed that the microstructure of the cast iron is more uniform by vibrational casting than that by non-vibrational casting. Additionally, mechanical vibration enhances nodule count and nodularity, also, more ferritic matrix could be obtained after the application of vibration. Nodule count and nodularity of vibrational casting with 1.8 mm amplitude increased from 226 nodule per mm2 and 80% to 311 nodule per mm2 and 86.5% of non-vibrational casting. Percentages of ferrite and graphite area dramatically improved from 24% and 16.5% for non-vibrational casting to 57% and 22.3% for vibrational casting with 1.8 mm amplitude, whereas the percentages of pearlite and pores decreased significantly from 56.1% and 5% to 20% and 1%, respectively.

Formulation of the problem. Soybeans as leguminous crops in the structure of Ukrainian cultivated area, has started to occupy one of the leading places in recent years due to the high content of protein - up to 38-42%, fat - up to 18-23% and carbohydrates - up to 25- 30% in its seeds. One of the most effective ways to increase the soybean seed productivity is the use of environmentally friendly inoculants created on the basis of nodules bacteria. Analysis of the recent researches and publications. According to the results of scientific researches, conducted in different natural and climatic zones of Ukraine, inoculation of soybean seeds with nodules bacteria significantly increases the symbiotic fixation of molecular nitrogen from air and, consequently the crop yield. It was established that endophytic bacteria along with the nodules bacteria are able to form a powerful symbiotic apparatus on the roots, synthesize biologically active metabolites characterized by antimicrobial action on phytopathogens, or are inducers of systemic plant resistance preventing them from the disease development. Tasks and methods of the research. The aim of the scientific research was to establish the effect of complex seed inoculation with the new endophytic bacteria strains along with the nodules bacteria on the formation of crops and the quality of soybean in different varieties of maturing under irrigation conditions in the south of Ukraine. The two-factor field experiment was carried out using the method of split plots, where the main plots (first-order plots, factor A) were the ultra-maturing (Diona) and mid-early (Aratta) soybean varieties. Second-order plots (subdivisions, factor B) were the options for pre-sowing seed treatment: 1 - Check 1 (without seed treatment); 2 - Check 2 (treatment of seeds with water); 3 - RizobinK (association of 3 strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum UKM B-6018, UKM B-6023, UKM B-6035); 4 - RizobinK + Paenibacillus sp.1; 5 - RisobinK + Bacillus sp.4; 6 - RizobinK + Brevibacillus sp.5; 7 - RhizobinK + Pseudomonas brassicacearum 6; 8 - RizobinK + B. megaterium UKM B-5724. Presentation of the main material. The total evaporation and total water consumption of soybean varieties different in maturing were determined by a water balance method based on the moisture content of the soil at the beginning and at the end of growing season, use of water for crop formation in the interphase periods and during the whole growing season, taking into account rainfall and irrigation. Generally, the total water consumption of the ultra-maturing soybean variety Diona reached 5102 m3/ha from 0-70 cm of soil layer, and respectively, of the Aratta variety – 5832 m3/ha during the growing season. Pre-sowing inoculation of soybean seeds of different maturing varieties with nodules and endophytic bacteria contributed to the formation of more number of beans on plants and seeds in one bean. The maximum yield of the Diona variety that was obtained by pre-sowing inoculation of seeds with RizobinK + Bacillus sp.4 was 3.19 t/ha, and respectively, of the Aratta variety – 2.75 t/ha. The maximum protein content of 39.06-39.28% was in the seeds of Diona soybean in the variants where pre-sowing inoculation was carried out with the compositions RizobinK + Brevibacillus sp.5 and RizobinK + P. brassicacearum 6, which exceeded the parameters of Check 1 and Check 2 in 1.45-1.67 and 1.66-1.88 times, respectively. The high fat content was obtained in the seeds of the Diona variety by complex inoculation with the compositions RizobinK + Brevibacillus sp.5 and RizobinK + P.brassicacearum 6 (17.65 and 17.83%, respectively) and in the seeds of Aratta for the treatment with the complex inoculants RizobinK + Bacill. sp.4 and RizobinK + Brevibacillus sp.5 (18.62 and 18.84%) against 15.67–15.90% and 15.21–15.38% in the check variants of the respective varieties. Conclusions and prospects for further research. Pre-sowing inoculation of soybean seed varieties with nodules and endophytic bacteria, in comparison with the check variants, significantly influenced on the formation of the total number of beans on plants and seeds in one bean, which increased the yield of the Diona variety by 0.57–0.87 t/ha and the Aratta variety by 0.32–0.48 t/ha.