Effects of Different Climates and Soil Environments in the Yanshan Production Area on the Growth and Quality of Chestnuts

[Objectives] This study conducted investigations on the climate and soil nutrients of different chestnut orchards in the Yanshan region, selected key ecological factors affecting the growth and fruit quality of chestnuts, and provided a theoretical basis for the cultivation, introduction, and scientific planting of high-quality chestnuts. [Methods] The ‘Yanshanzaofeng’ chestnuts in four orchards located in Qianxi, Qianan, Funing, and Qinglong of Hebei Science and Technology Normal University were selected. The climate and soil nutrient conditions of the four orchards were investigated. Growth indicators such as branch length and diameter, nut weight, and internal quality indicators such as starch, fat, and protein content were analyzed. Principal component analysis was conducted on nine climate factors and twelve soil factors in the four chestnut orchards to identify the most closely related ecological factors influencing chestnut growth and quality. [Results] (i) Different orchards had varying climate conditions, with Qianan orchard having higher rainfall than the others, Funing orchard having the highest number of sunshine hours in the growing season, and Qinglong orchard experiencing the greatest temperature difference during the growing season. (ii) Significant differences were found in soil nutrient content among the orchards, with the coefficient of variation for organic matter and mineral elements ranging from 19.1% (S) to 80.3% (available phosphorus). (iii) The main ecological factor influencing chestnut growth was the photosynthetic factor, while fruit quality was influenced by a combination of climatic factors, photosynthetic factors, and nutrient factors. Key ecological factor indicators included: annual precipitation, annual sunshine hours, growing season precipitation, growing season sunshine hours, soil organic matter, available phosphorus, available potassium, alkali nitrogen, copper, zinc, available boron, and sulfur. Soluble solids were significantly positively correlated with growing season sunshine hours, and fat was significantly positively correlated with available potassium and alkali nitrogen, and significantly positively correlated with available phosphorus. [Conclusions] Orchards with high growing season precipitation, long sunshine hours, and high organic matter and nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium content in the soil are more conducive to promoting the growth of ‘Yanshanzaofeng’ chestnuts and improving fruit quality.

Facies character and geochemical signature in the late Quaternary meteoric diagenetic carbonate succession at the Xisha Islands,South China Sea

The late Quaternary shallow-water carbonates have been altered by a variety of diagenetic processes,and further influenced by high-amplitude global and regional sea level changes.This study utilizes a new borehole drilled on the Yongxing Island,Xisha Islands to investigate meteoric diagenetic alteration in the late Quaternary shallowwater carbonates.Petrographic,mineralogical,stable isotopic and elemental data provide new insights into the meteoric diagenetic processes of the reef limestone.The results show the variation in the distribution of aragonite,high-Mg calcite(HMC)and low-Mg calcite(LMC)divides the shallow-water carbonates in Core SSZK1 into three intervals,which are UnitⅠ(31.20-55.92 m,LMC),UnitⅡ(18.39-31.20 m,aragonite and LMC)and UnitⅢ(upper 18.39 m of core,aragonite,LMC and HMC).Various degrees of meteoric diagenesis exist in the identified three units.The lowermost UnitⅠhas suffered almost complete freshwater diagenesis,whereas the overlying UnitsⅡandⅢhave undergone incompletely meteoric diagenesis.The amount of time that limestone has been in the freshwater diagenetic environment has the largest impact on the degree of meteoric diagenesis.Approximately four intact facies/water depth cycles are recognized.The cumulative depletion of elements such as strontium(Sr),sodium(Na)and sulphur(S)caused by duplicated meteoric diagenesis in the older reef sequences are distinguished from the younger reef sequences.This study provides a new record of meteoric diagenesis,which is well reflected by whole-rock mineralogy and geochemistry.

Strategies for improving resilience of regional integrated energy systems in the prevention-resistance phase of integration

The construction of integrated energy systems can help improve energy efficiency and promote global energy transi-tion.However,in recent years,the occurrence of extreme natural disasters has brought certain threats to the safe and stable operation of the integrated energy system.Thus,it is necessary to improve the ability of the integrated energy system to resist disasters,reduce disaster losses,and restore energy supply as soon as possible,i.e.,improve its resil-ience.Considering the influence of pre-disaster prevention measures and disaster-time operational measures on sys-tem disaster resilience and the correlation between the two,this paper proposes a system hardening strategy based on three-layer robust optimization.The upper layer formulates the optimal hardening strategy of the system before the disaster event occurs,the middle layer identifies the failed elements in the worst disaster situation,while the lower layer realizes the system operational optimization by coordinating the energy storage charging and discharging plan of each subsystem.The strategy can reduce the total supply shortage of the integrated energy system and improve the flexibility of the system in the pre-disaster prevention and disaster resistance integration stages.

The innate interfacial elastic strain field of a transformable B2 precipitate embedded in an amorphous matrix

When a transformable B2 precipitate is embedded in an amorphous matrix,it is often experimentally observed that the crystalline-amorphous interface not only serves as an initiation site for the martensitic transformation due to local stress concentrations,but also as an inhibitor to stabilize the transformation,the latter being attributed to the“confinement effect”exerted by the amorphous matrix,according to the Eshelby solution.These two seemingly incongruous factors are examined in this study using molecular dynamics simulations from an atomic interaction perspective.An innate strain gradient in the vicinity of the crystalline-amorphous interface is identified.The actual interface,the compressive/dilatative transition,and the interfacial maximum strain are investigated to differentiate from the conventional“interface”located within a distance of a few nanometers.Our innate interfacial elastic strain field model is applicable for the design of materials with a higher degree of martensitic transformation and controllable stress concentration,even in cryogenic environments.

Carbamylated erythropoietin regulates immune responses and promotes long-term kidney allograft survival through activation of PI3K/AKT signaling

Modulation of alloimmune responses is critical to improving transplant outcome and promoting long-term graft survival.To determine mechanisms by which a nonhematopoietic erythropoietin(EPO)derivative,carbamylated EPO(CEPO),regulates innate and adaptive immune cells and affects renal allograft survival,we utilized a rat model of fully MHC-mismatched kidney transplantation.CEPO administration markedly extended the survival time of kidney allografts compared with the transplant alone control group.This therapeutic effect was inhibited when the recipients were given LY294002,a selective inhibitor of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(AKT)signaling pathway or anti-EPO receptor(EPOR)antibody,in addition to CEPO.In vitro,CEPO inhibited the differentiation and function of dendritic cells and modulated their production of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines,along with activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and increasing EPOR mRNA and protein expression by these innate immune cells.Moreover,after CD4^(+)T cells were exposed to CEPO the Th1/Th2 ratio decreased and the regulatory T cell(Treg)/Th17 ratio increased.These effects were abolished by LY294002 or anti-EPOR antibody,suggesting that CEPO regulates immune responses and promotes kidney allograft survival by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in an EPOR-dependent manner.The immunomodulatory and specific signaling pathway effects of CEPO identified in this study suggest a potential therapeutic approach to promoting kidney transplant survival.