Temperate Stutzerimonas Phage Encoding Toxin-Antitoxin System Genes Represents a Novel Genus

Stutzerimonas have been extensively studied due to their remarkable metabolic and physiological diversity.However,research on its phages is currently limited.In this study,we isolated a novel double-stranded DNA(dsDNA)phage,vB_SstM-PG1,from the marine environment that infects Stutzerimonas stutzeri G1.Its dsDNA genome is 37204 bp long with a G/C content of 64.14%and encodes 54 open reading frames.The phage possesses a tail packaging structure that is different from known Stutzerimonas stutzeri phages and exhibits structural protein characteristics similar to those of temperate phages.In addition,two genes of toxin-antitoxin system,including YdaS_antitoxin and HEPN_SAV_6107,were found in the vB_SstM-PG1 genome and play important roles in regulating host growth and metabolism.With phylogenetic tree and comparative genomic analysis,it has been determined that vB_SstM-PG1 is not closely related to any phages previously identified in the GenBank database.Instead,it has a connection with enigmatic,uncultured viruses.Specifically,the vB_SstM-PG1 virus exhibits an average nucleotide identity of over 70%with six uncultivated viruses identified in the IMG/VR v4 database.This significant finding has resulted in the identification of a novel viral genus known as Metabovirus.

Variations and determinants of tissue carbon concentration of 32 sympatric temperate tree species

Plant carbon(C)concentration is a fundamental trait for estimating C storage and nutrient utilization.However,the mechanisms of C concentration variations among different tree tissues and across species remains poorly understood.In this study,we explored the variations and determinants of C concentration of nine tissues from 216 individuals of 32 tree species,with particular attention on the effect of wood porosity(i.e.,non-porous wood,diffuse-porous wood,and ring-porous wood).The inter-tissue pattern of C concentration diverged across the three porosity types;metabolically active tissues(foliage and fine roots,except for the foliage of ring-porous species)generally had higher C levels compared with inactive wood.The poor inter-correlations between tissue C concentrations indicated a necessity of measuring tissue-and specific-C concentrations.Carbon concentration for almost all tissues generally decreased from non-porous,to diffuse-porous and to ring-porous.Tissue C was often positively correlated with tissue(foliage and wood)density and tree size,while negatively correlated with growth rate,depending on wood porosity.Our results highlight the mediating effect of type of wood porosity on the variation in tissue C among temperate species.The variations among tissues were more important than that among species.These findings provided insights on tissue C concentration variability of temperate forest species.

Instrumented oscillographic study on impact toughness of an axle steel DZ2 with different tempering temperatures

Compared with the conventional Charpy impact test method,the oscillographic impact test can help in the behavioral analysis of materials during the fracture process.In this study,the trade-off relationship between the strength and toughness of a DZ2 axle steel at various tempering temperatures and the cause of the improvement in impact toughness was evaluated.The tempering process dramatically influenced carbide precipitation behavior,which resulted in different aspect ratios of carbides.Impact toughness improved along with the rise in tempering temperature mainly due to the increase in energy required in impact crack propagation.The characteristics of the impact crack propagation process were studied through a comprehensive analysis of stress distribution,oscilloscopic impact statistics,fracture morphology,and carbide morphology.The poor impact toughness of low-tempering-temperature specimens was attributed to the increased number of stress concentration points caused by carbide morphology in the small plastic zone during the propagation process,which resulted in a mixed distribution of brittle and ductile fractures on the fracture surface.

Grouping tree species to estimate basal area increment in temperate multispecies forests in Durango,Mexico

Multispecies forests have received increased scientific attention,driven by the hypothesis that biodiversity improves ecological resilience.However,a greater species diversity presents challenges for forest management and research.Our study aims to develop basal area growth models for tree species cohorts.The analysis is based on a dataset of 423 permanent plots(2,500 m^(2))located in temperate forests in Durango,Mexico.First,we define tree species cohorts based on individual and neighborhood-based variables using a combination of principal component and cluster analyses.Then,we estimate the basal area increment of each cohort through the generalized additive model to describe the effect of tree size,competition,stand density and site quality.The principal component and cluster analyses assign a total of 37 tree species to eight cohorts that differed primarily with regard to the distribution of tree size and vertical position within the community.The generalized additive models provide satisfactory estimates of tree growth for the species cohorts,explaining between 19 and 53 percent of the total variation of basal area increment,and highlight the following results:i)most cohorts show a"rise-and-fall"effect of tree size on tree growth;ii)surprisingly,the competition index"basal area of larger trees"had showed a positive effect in four of the eight cohorts;iii)stand density had a negative effect on basal area increment,though the effect was minor in medium-and high-density stands,and iv)basal area growth was positively correlated with site quality except for an oak cohort.The developed species cohorts and growth models provide insight into their particular ecological features and growth patterns that may support the development of sustainable management strategies for temperate multispecies forests.

Variation microstructure and properties of X80 pipeline steel in the rapid induction tempering process

A self-developed electromagnetic induction-heating device was used to investigate the variation in the microstructure and properties of X80 pipeline steel in the rapid induction tempering process at different process parameters. The effects of the tempering condition on toughness, microstructure, size and distribution of precipitates of X80 pipeline steel were observed using a metallographic microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Compared with the samples prepared via traditional tempering techniques, results show that the samples prepared via rapid induction tempering had improved performances. When the heating temperature is 590 ℃, at a holding time of 90 s,it was found that acicular ferrite was refined, carbonite precipitation was small, and precipitates were evenly distributed in the matrix. The low-temperature impact energy, also known as the impact absorption energy, at -40 ℃ was found to be 430.5 J for the rapid induction tempering samples and 323.2 J for the traditionally tempered sample. The low-temperature impact energy at -60 ℃ was found to be 351.3 J for the rapid induction tempered sample and 312.1 J for the tradition tempering sample.

Self tempering effect of near eutectic Al-Si casting with different wall thickness solidified and cooled in permanent die

In order to study the self tempering effect on the solidification of Al-Si alloy, a setup was designed to conduct experiments. The characters of β phases in different thicknesses of Al-Si samples were investigated. The results show that the size distributions of β phases obey the logarithmic normal distribution. The Brinell hardness tests were also carried out. The tested hardness results show that the hardness distribution of the casting cooled in water is evener than that cooled in air, and its averaged value is higher than that cooled in air.

CHANGES OF ATMOSPHERIC CO_2, PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF THE GRASS LAYER AND SOIL CO_2 EVOLUTION IN A TYPICAL TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST STAND IN THE MOUNTAINOUS AREAS OF BEIJING

Middle-sized chambers (40cmx40cmx20 cm) and an infrared gas analyzer (IRGA) were used for the measurement of net photosynthesis of the grass layer and soil CO2 evolution, in Quercus liaotungensis Koidz. forest, which is a typical temperate forest ecosystem in the mountainous areas of Beijing. Changes of CO2 concentrations in both the atmosphere (2m above canopy) and the forest canopy (2m below the top of the canopy) together with those of net photosynthesis and soil CO2 evolution were also examined, in order to find the characteristics of CO2 exchange between the different components of the temperate forest ecosystem and the atmosphere. Atmospheric CO2 averaged (323+10) and (330+1) mol mol-1 respectively in summer and autumn. During the 24-hour measurements, large differences as much as -46 and -61 mol mol-1 respectively in the atmosphere and forest were found. Net photosynthesis of the grass layer in summer was (2. 59 9+ 1.05) mol CO2 m-2 S-1, two times of that in autumn, (1.31+0.39) mol CO2 s-1 In summer, there was much more CO2 evolved from soil than in autumn, averaging (5.18+0.75) mol CO2 m-2 s-1 and (1.96 + 0.57) (mol CO2 m-2 s-1, respectively. A significant correlation was found between soil CO2 evolution and ground temperature, with F =-0.864 2+0.310 1X,r=0.7164, P<0.001 (n=117). Both the minimal atmospheric CO2 level and the maximum net photosynthesis occurred around 14:00; and an increase in atmospheric CO2 and of soil CO2 evolution during night times were also found to be remarkable.

Landscape patterns of overstory litterfall and related nutrient fluxes in a cool-temperate forest watershed in northern Hokkaido,Japan

Within a forested watershed at the Uryu Experimental Forest of Hokkaido University in northern Hokkaido, overstory litterfall and related nutrient fluxes were measured at different landscape zones over two years. The wetland zone covered with Picea glehnii pure stand. The riparian zone was deciduous broad-leaved stand dominated by Alnus hirsuta and Salix spp., while the mixture of deciduous broadleaf and evergreen conifer dominated by Betula platyphylla, Quercus crispula and Abies sachalinensis distributed on the upland zone. Annual litterfall averaged 1444, 5122, and 4123 kg.hm^-2·a^-1 in the wetland, riparian and upland zones, respectively. Litterfall production peaked in September-October, and foliage litter contributed the greatest amount （73.4%-87.6 %） of the annual total litterfall. Concentrations of nutrients analyzed in foliage litter of the dominant species showed a similar seasonal variation over the year except for N in P glehnii and A. hirsuta. The nutrient fluxes for all elements analyzed were greatest on riparian zone and lowest in wetland zone. Nutrient fluxes via litterfall followed the decreasing sequence： N （11-129 kg.hm-2.aq） 〉 Ca （9-69） 〉 K （5-20） 〉 Mg （3-15） 〉 P （0.4-4.7） for all stands. Significant differences were found in litterfall production and nutrient fluxes among the different landscape components. There existed significant differences in soil chemistry between the different landscape zones. The consistently low soil C：N ratios at the riparian zone might be due to the higher-quality litter inputs （largely N-fixing alder）.

Tempering microstructure and mechanical properties of pipeline steel X80

The tempering microstructure and mechanical properties of X80 steel used for heating-bent pipe were analyzed. The results show that the microstructure of X80 steel tempered at 550 ℃ and 600 ℃ is bainitic ferrite (BF)+granular bainite (GB), and partial ferrite laths in BF merge and broaden. The interior sub-lath boundary of some GB begins to disappear due to merging, the M/A constituent (a mixture of martensite plus retained austenite) in GB is orbicular. At the two tempering temperatures the tested X80 steel shows a certain degree of tempering stability. After being tempered at 650 ℃, the microstructure of X80 steel is GB+quasi-polygonal ferrite(QF), and the original BF laths have merged to form smaller GB crystal grains. The reason is that the steel shows better match of strength and toughness. After being tempered at 700 ℃ , the microstructure of X80 steel is composed mainly of QF, which can improve the plasticity but decline severely the yield strength of X80, and the M/A constituent assembles and grows up at the grain boundary of QF, resulting in excellent lower low-temperature toughness of X80.

Analysis of microstructure and performance of temper bead welded joints for SA508-3 steel by Quenching and Tempering mode

The HAZ microstructure and performance of Quenching and Tempering mode temper bead welding and general welded joints which were made on SA508-3 steel of 60 mm thickness were compared in this article. The result shows that tempering sorbite which has excellent overall performance was obtained in both modes. The microstructure of Quenching and Tempering mode welded joints got more fine grain. Even though the hardness of tempering bead welded joints is higher than the general one,it still meets the standards which is lower than 350 HV. The impact absorbing energy of each district of tempering bead welded joints HAZ reached 170 J,which is equal to general one.

TEMPERED BAINITE EMBRITTLEMENT IN SOME STRUCTURAL STEELS

The variations of microstructures and mechanical properties of steels 15CrMnMoV, 18Mn2CrMoB,18Cr2Ni4W,30CrMnSi,30CrMnSiNi2 and 40CrMnSiMoV,which were tempered at different temperatures after austempering and continuous cooling at given rates, have been investigated.Based on the experimental results,the behaviour and mechanism of tempered bainite embrittlement(TBE)have been discussed.Finally,the theoretical and prac- tical basis for selecting the optimum tempering temperature of steels with bainite structure af- ter heat treatment are proposed.

Soil Carbon Dioxide Emission: Soil Respiration Measurement in Temperate Grassland, Nepal

Soil carbon dioxide emission: soil respiration is representing a major contributor of accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that aids to accelerate global warming and altering the climate. Soil temperature, soil water content, sun light and vegetation are considered most common regulators of soil respiration variations in ecosystem. The soil respiration was measured in grassland intended to examine how the soil respiration changed with varying climatic factors, for two years (2015 and 2016) in temperate grassland of Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), Nepal. In the study, soil temperature accounted exponential function of soil respiration variation at 42.9%, 19.1% and 23.3%, and temperature sensitivity of the soil respiration (Q10) obtained at 6.2, 1.4 and 1.8 in October 2015 and April 2016 and both the measurements were combined, respectively. Significant negative (R2 = 0.50, p < 0.05, October 2015) and positive (R2 = 0.084, p < 0.05, April 2016) exponential function of soil respiration and soil water content were determined, where high soil respiration values were always measured between 30% and 35% of the soil water content. However, linear significant relationship was determined (R2 = 0.376, p < 0.05) between soil respiration and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). Soil respiration value averaged in October 2015 was 357 mg CO2 m-2 h-1 and in April 2016 it was 444.6 mg CO2 m-2 h-1. Above- and below-ground plant biomasses were obtained at 231.1 g d w m-2 and 1538.8 g d w m-2 in October, and at 449.9 g d w m-2 and 349.0 g d w m-2 in April, respectively. This study showed variation of soil respiration in relation to the factors such as soil temperature, soil water content and photosynthetic photon flux density signifying their importance in governing ecosystem function and carbon balance of the temperate grassland ecosystem.

Fatty acids in microalgae and cyanobacteria in a changing world:Contrasting temperate and cold environments

Under the present changing climate conditions and the observed temperature increase,it is of high importance to understand its effects on aquatic microbial life,and organisms’adaptations at the biochemical level.To adjust to temperature or salinity stress and avoid cell damage,organisms alter their degree of fatty acids(FAs)saturation.Thus,temperature is expected to have strong effects on both the quantity and quality of FAs in aquatic microorganisms.Here we review some recent findings about FAs sensitivity to climate change in contrasting environments.Overall,heat waves may induce changes in the relative abundance of polyunsaturated FAs(PUFA).However,the impact of the exposure to warming waters is different in temperate and polar environments.In cold marine waters,high concentration of omega-3(ω3)FAs such as eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA)is promoted due to the activation of the desaturase enzyme.In this way,cells have enough energy to produce or activate antioxidant protection mechanisms and avoid oxidative stress due to heat waves.Contrastingly,under high irradiance and heat wave conditions in temperate environments,photosystems’protection is achieved by decreasing EPA concentration due to desaturase sensitivity.Essential FAs are transferred in aquatic food webs.Therefore,any alteration in the production of essential FAs by phytoplankton(the main source ofω3)due to climate warming can be transferred to higher trophic levels,with cascading effects for the entire aquatic ecosystem.

A Numerical Algorithm for the Caputo Tempered Fractional Advection-Diffusion Equation

By transforming the Caputo tempered fractional advection-diffusion equation into the Riemann–Liouville tempered fractional advection-diffusion equation,and then using the fractional-compact Grünwald–Letnikov tempered difference operator to approximate the Riemann–Liouville tempered fractional partial derivative,the fractional central difference operator to discritize the space Riesz fractional partial derivative,and the classical central difference formula to discretize the advection term,a numerical algorithm is constructed for solving the Caputo tempered fractional advection-diffusion equation.The stability and the convergence analysis of the numerical method are given.Numerical experiments show that the numerical method is effective.

Thermal Tempering Does Not Impact Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout Survival

Hatchery-reared fish are frequently adjusted (tempered) to the higher water temperatures present in the water bodies where they are to be stocked. This study was undertaken to determine the necessity of such tempering practices. This study used rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) reared at 11.2°C. The first two trials for each species were designed to simultaneously determine the upper incipient lethal temperature and 100% lethal temperature over a 14-day period. The third trial for each species evaluated the effects of an exaggerated 12-hour tempering regime on fish survival after placement in elevated water temperatures. After transfer from a water temperature of 11.2°C, no rainbow trout survived at 26°C, and only 50% survived at 25°C. No brown trout survived at 22°C and only 50% at 20°C. Survival of rainbow trout was not improved by the 12-hour tempering regime where water temperatures were slowly increased from 11.2°C to either 25°C or 26°C. Similarly, tempering did not improve brown trout survival at either 20°C or 22°C. These results suggest that tempering is not needed when hatchery-reared trout are reared and stocked at the water temperatures within the range of those used in this study.

Abiotic and biotic drivers of species diversity in understory layers of cold temperate coniferous forests in North China

Understory plants are important components of forest ecosystems and play a crucial role in regulating community structures,function realization,and community succession.However,little is known about how abiotic and biotic drivers affect the diversity of understory species in cold temperate coniferous forests in the semiarid climate region of North China.We hypothesized that(1)topographic factors are important environmental factors affecting the distribution and variation of understory strata,and(2)different understory strata respond differently to environmental factors;shrubs may be significantly affected by the overstory stratum,and herbs may be more affected by surface soil conditions.To test these hypotheses,we used the boosted regression tree method to analyze abiotic and biotic environmental factors that influence understory species diversity,using data from 280 subplots across 56 sites in cold temperate coniferous forests of North China.Elevation and slope aspect were the dominant and indirect abiotic drivers affecting understory species diversity,and individual tree size inequality(DBH variation)was the dominant biotic driver of understory species diversity;soil water content was the main edaphic factors affecting herb layers.Elevation,slope aspect,and DBH variation accounted for 36.4,14.5,and 12.1%,respectively,of shrub stratum diversity.Shrub diversity decreased with elevation within the range of altitude of this study,but increased with DBH variation;shrub diversity was highest on north-oriented slopes.The strongest factor affecting herb stratum species diversity was slope aspect,accounting for 25.9%of the diversity,followed by elevation(15.7%),slope(12.2%),and soil water content(10.3%).The highest herb diversity was found on southeast-oriented slopes and the lowest on northeast-oriented slopes;herb diversity decreased with elevation and soil water content,but increased with slope.The results of the study provide a reference for scientific management and biodiversity protection in cold temperate coniferous forests of North China.

Litter decomposition and C and N dynamics as affected by N additions in a semi-arid temperate steppe, Inner Mongolia of China

Litter decomposition is the fundamental process in nutrient cycling and soil carbon（C） sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. The global-wide increase in nitrogen（N） inputs is expected to alter litter decomposition and,ultimately, affect ecosystem C storage and nutrient status. Temperate grassland ecosystems in China are usually N-deficient and particularly sensitive to the changes in exogenous N additions. In this paper, we conducted a 1,200-day in situ experiment in a typical semi-arid temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia to investigate the litter decomposition as well as the dynamics of litter C and N concentrations under three N addition levels（low N with 50 kg N/（hm2？a）（LN）, medium N with 100 kg N/（hm2？a）（MN）, and high N with 200 kg N/（hm2？a）（HN）） and three N addition forms（ammonium-N-based with 100 kg N/（hm2？a） as ammonium sulfate（AS）, nitrate-N-based with 100 kg N/（hm2？a） as sodium nitrate（SN）, and mixed-N-based with 100 kg N/（hm2？a） as calcium ammonium nitrate（CAN）） compared to control with no N addition（CK）. The results indicated that the litter mass remaining in all N treatments exhibited a similar decomposition pattern： fast decomposition within the initial 120 days, followed by a relatively slow decomposition in the remaining observation period（120–1,200 days）. The decomposition pattern in each treatment was fitted well in two split-phase models, namely, a single exponential decay model in phase I（〈398 days） and a linear decay function in phase II（≥398 days）. The three N addition levels exerted insignificant effects on litter decomposition in the early stages（〈398 days, phase I; P〉0.05）. However, MN and HN treatments inhibited litter mass loss after 398 and 746 days, respectively（P〈0.05）. AS and SN treatments exerted similar effects on litter mass remaining during the entire decomposition period（P〉0.05）. The effects of these two N addition forms differed greatly from those of CAN after 746 and 1,053 days, respectively（P〈0.05）. During the decomposition period, N concentrations in the decomposing litter increased whereas C concentrations decreased, which also led to an exponential decrease in litter C：N ratios in all treatments. No significant effects were induced by N addition levels and forms on litter C and N concentrations（P〉0.05）. Our results indicated that exogenous N additions could exhibit neutral or inhibitory effects on litter decomposition, and the inhibitory effects of N additions on litter decomposition in the final decay stages are not caused by the changes in the chemical qualities of the litter, such as endogenous N and C concentrations. These results will provide an important data basis for the simulation and prediction of C cycle processes in future N-deposition scenarios.

Impact of nitrogen addition on plant community in a semi-arid temperate steppe in China

Increased nitrogen （N） deposition will often lead to a decline in species richness in grassland ecosystems but the shifts in functional groups and plant traits are still poorly understood in China. A field experiment was conducted at Duolun, Inner Mongolia, China, to investigate the effects of N addition on a temperate steppe ecosystem. Six N levels （0, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 g N/（m2-a）） were added as three applications per year from 2005 to 2010. Enhanced N deposition, even as little as 3 g N/（m2.a） above ambient N deposition （1.2 g N/（m2.a））, led to a decline in species richness of the whole community. Increasing N addition can significantly stimulate aboveground biomass of perennial bunchgrasses （PB） but decrease perennial forbs （PF）, and induce a slight change in the biomass of shrubs and semi-shrubs （SS）. The biomass of annuals （AS） and perennial rhizome grasses （PR） accounts for only a small part of the total biomass. Species richness of PF decreased significantly with increasing N addition rate but there was a little change in the other functional groups. PB, as the dominant functional group, has a relatively higher height than others. Differences in the response of each functional group to N addition have site-specific and species-specific characteristics. We initially infer that N enrichment stimulated the growth of PB, which further suppressed the growth of other functional groups.

Effects of Si on the stability of retained austenite and temper embrittlement of ultrahigh strength steels

Effects of silicon （Si） content on the stability of retained austenite and temper embrittlement of ultrahigh strength steels were investigated using X-ray diffraction （XRD）,transmission electron microscopy （TEM）,and other experimental methods.The results show that Si can suppress temper embrittlement,improve temper resistance,and hinder the decomposition of retained austenite.Reversed austenite appears gradually with the increase of Si content during tempering.Si has a significant effect on enhancing carbon （C） partitioning and improving the stability of retained austenite.Si and C atoms are mutually exclusive in lath bainite,while they attract each other in austenite.ε-carbides are found in 1.8wt% Si steel tempered at 250℃,and they get coarsened obviously when tempered at 400℃,leading to temper embrittlement.Not ε-carbides but acicular or lath carbides lead to temper embrittlement in 0.4wt% Si steel,which can be inferred as cementites and composite compounds.Temper embrittlement is closely related to the decomposition of retained austenite and the formation of reversed austenite.

Precipitation behavior and martensite lath coarsening during tempering of T/P92 ferritic heat-resistant steel

Tempering is an important process for T/P92 ferritic heat-resistant steel from the viewpoint of microstructure control, as it facili- tates the formation of final tempered martensite under serving conditions. In this study, we have gained deeper insights on the mechanism underlying the microstructural evolution during tempering treatment, including the precipitation of carbides and the coarsening of martensite laths, as systematically analyzed by optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron mi- croscopy. The chemical composition of the precipitates was analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Results indicate the for- mation of M3C （cementite） precipitates under normalized conditions. However, they tend to dissolve within a short time of tempering, owing to their low thermal stability. This phenomenon was substantiated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Besides, we could observe the precipitation of fine carbonitrides （MX） along the dislocations. The mechanism of carbon diffusion controlled growth of M23C6 can be expressed by the Zener＇s equation. The movement of Y-junctions was determined to be the fundamental mechanism underlying the martensite lath coarsening process. Vickers hardness was estimated to determine their mechanical properties. Based on the comprehensive analysis of both the micro- structural evolution and hardness variation, the process of tempering can be separated into three steps.