Effects of imperfect experimental conditions on stress waves in SHPB experiments

Experimental and numerical simulations were undertaken to estimate the effects of imperfect conditions on stress waves in split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB） experiments. The photonic Doppler velocimetry （PDV） measurement results show that the rise and fall times of an incident wave increases with an increasing inclination angle; also, the fluctuations of the incident wave disappear gradually with the increase of inclination angle. The following characteristics for various defects in the SHPB were obtained by numerical simulation： （1） the influence of a curved bar was negligible; （2） misalignment modestly affects the fluctuation characteristics, and bending waves were generated at this condition; （3） inclination and indentation of the impact end- surface had a great impact on the incident waves, and both of them increase the rise time of the incident wave by increasing the degree of defects. In view of the results, misalignment, inclination, and indentation in SHPB experiments should be minimized.

Experimental Study of the Influence of Hydrous Minerals on the Melting Behaviour of Rocks at High Temperatures and Pressures

The experimental study on the melting of potassic basalt and eclogite with about 2% waterat 800-1300℃ and 1.0-3.5 GPa shows that the solidi of both rocks are significantly lower thanthose obtained from the previous experiments of the same type of rocks under dry conditions,and the former which is enriched in potassium has a lower melting point than the latter. It is con-sistent with the previous study. The melting temperature of eclogite increases with pressure,whereas potassic basalt has similar properties only at 1.5—2.5 GPa and>3.0 GPa, and at 2.5—3.0 GPa the melting temperature decreases with pressure. This can be explained as follows: (1)eclogite only has one hydrous mineral amphibole and the dehydous temperature is lower than thewet solidus of the rock. (2) Amphibole exists in potassic basalt at the pressures lower than 2.5GPa and phlogopite exists at pressures higher than 2.5 GPa, and the special compositions of bothminerals determine that amphibole has a dehydration temperature higher than or close to that ofthe wet solidus of the rocks, while phlogopite has a dehydration temperature lower than that ofthe wet solidus. On the other hand the features of the continuous solidus in the experiment ofhydrous eclogite were produced by the fact that the dehydration temperature of its amphibolelower than or close to the melting temperature of the hydrous conditions. So the melting tempera-ture lowers at higher pressures. Therefore, the composition of the rocks in the lithosphere and thetypes of hydrous minerals and their stable P-T conditions are the important factors controllingthe solidi of rocks. It can quite well explain the partial melting of rocks and the origin of the lowvelocity zone in the deep lithosphere.

EXPERIMENTS ON ASSIMILATION OF INITIAL VALUES IN NUMERICAL PREDICTION OF A WARM-SECTOR PRECIPITATION IN SOUTH CHINA

In order to understand the impact of initial conditions upon prediction accuracy of short-term forecast and nowcast of precipitation in South China, four experiments i.e. a control, an assimilation of conventional sounding and surface data, testing with nudging rainwater data and the assimilation of radar-derived radial wind, are respectively conducted to simulate a case of warm-sector heavy rainfall that occurred over South China, by using the GRAPES_MESO model. The results show that (1) assimilating conventional surface and sounding observations helps improve the 24-h rainfall forecast in both the area and order of magnitude; (2) nudging rainwater contributes to a significant improvement of nowcast, and (3) the assimilation of radar-derived radial winds distinctly improves the 24-h rainfall forecast in both the area and order of magnitude. These results serve as significant technical reference for the study on short-term forecast and nowcast of precipitation over South China in the future.

Stability evaluation of reference genes for real-time quantitative PCR normalization in Spodoptera frugiperda(Lepidoptera:Noctuidae)

Real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR)is a reliable and widely used technique for analyzing the expression profiles of target genes in different species,and reference genes with stable expressions have been introduced for the normalization of the data.Therefore,stability evaluation should be considered as the initial step for qPCR experiments.The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda(J.E.Smith)(Lepidoptera:Noctuidae)is a polyphagous pest that consumes many plant species and seriously threatens corn production around the world.However,no studies thus far have examined the stability of reference genes in this pest.In this study,the expression profiles of the eight candidate reference genes of Actin,elongation factor 1 alpha(EF1α),elongation factor 2(EF2),glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase(GAPDH),ribosomal protein L3(RPL3),ribosomal protein L13(RPL13),alpha-tubulin(α-TUB),and beta-1-tubulin(β-1-TUB)were obtained from S.frugiperda in different samples and the stability was evaluated byΔCt,BestKeeper,geNorm,NormFinder,and RefFinder methods.The results of pairwise variation(V)calculated by GeNorm indicated two reference genes could be selected for normalization.Therefore,the combinations of the most stable reference genes for different experimental conditions of S.frugiperda were shown as follows:EF2 and RPL13 for developmental stages,RPL3 andβ-1-TUB for larval tissue samples,EF2 and EF1αfor the larval samples treated with different temperatures,RPL3 and EF1αfor the larval samples under starvation stress,and RPL13 and EF1αfor all the samples.Our results lay the foundation for the normalization of qPCR analyses in S.frugiperda and could help guarantee the accuracy of subsequent research.

Effects of experimental conditions on the molecular composition of maltenes and asphaltenes derived from oilsands bitumen: Characterized by negative-ion ESI FT-ICR MS

A vacuum topped Canadian oilsands bitumen （VTB） was subjected to solvent precipitation and subsequently characterized by elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatograph （GPC）, IH-NMR spectroscopy and negative-ion electrospray ionization （ESI） Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry （FT-ICR MS）. Effects of experimental conditions such as solvent types （n-Cs, n-C6, and n-C7）, solvent purity, and solvent washing time on asphaltenes yields, bulk composition, and molecular composition of detectable heteroatom compounds in ESI source were determined. Elemental nitrogen and sulfur were enriched in asphaltenes while elemental oxygen had comparable content in maltenes and asphaltenes. Molecular compo- sition of asphaltenes varies with separation conditions. The N1 and O1 species identified by ESI FT-ICR MS were enriched in maltenes. The 02 species exhibited two different double bond equivalents （DBE） distributions and solubility in normal paraffin solvents, indicating two types of molecular structures. Multi oxygen atom containing compounds mainly detected in asphal- tenes. Compound class distributions are similar for maltenes derived from n-Cs, n-C6, and n-C7 , as well as for asphaltenes. The cyclic paraffin impurities in normal paraffin solvents had a significant influence on asphaltenes yields and heteroatom molecu- lar composition. A portion of neutral N1 species and acidic 02 species adsorbed on asphaltenes could be dissolved by increas- ing washing time. Cautions should be exercised when interpreting the properties and composition of asphaltenes obtained with different experimental conditions.

Reactions between olivine and CO2-rich seawater at 300℃:Implications for H2 generation and CO2 sequestration on the early Earth

To understand the influence of fluid CO2 on ultramafic rock-hosted seafloor hydrothermal systems on the early Earth,we monitored the reaction between San Carlos olivine and a CO2-rich NaCl fluid at 300 C and 500 bars.During the experiments,the total carbonic acid concentration（∑XO2） in the fluid decreased from approximately 65 to 9 mmol/kg.Carbonate minerals,magnesite,and subordinate amount of dolomite were formed via the water-rock interaction.The H2 concentration in the fluid reached approximately 39 mmol/kg within 2736 h,which is relatively lower than the concentration generated by the reaction between olivine and a CO2-free NaCl solution at the same temperature.As seen in previous hydrothermal experiments using komatiite,ferrous iron incorporation into Mg-bearing carbonate minerals likely limited iron oxidation in the fluids and the resulting H2 generation during the olivine alteration.Considering carbonate mineralogy over the temperature range of natural hydrothermal fields,H2 generation is likely suppressed at temperatures below approximately 300℃ due to the formation of the Mg-bearing carbonates.Nevertheless,H_2 concentration in fluid at 300℃ could be still high due to the temperature dependency of magnetite stability in ultramafic systems.Moreover,the Mg-bearing carbonates may play a key role in the ocean-atmosphere system on the early Earth.Recent studies suggest that the subduction of carbonated ultramafic rocks may transport surface CO2 species into the deep mantle.This process may have reduced the huge initial amount of CO2 on the surface of the early Earth.Our approximate calculations demonstrate that the subduction of the Mg-bearing carbonates formed in komatiite likely played a crucial role as one of the CO2 carriers from the surface to the deep mantle,even in hot subduction zones.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Structure Analysis of Indium Vanadate (InVO_4)

In this article, hydrothermal process is applied to synthesize nanometer InVO4. Influences of different experimental conditions （including mixing ratio of raw materials, reaction temperature, reaction time and so on） upon the synthetic products＇ purity and crystallite size are discussed to determine the best synthetic condition. The structure of nanometer InVO4 is analyzed, which helps to further understand the structure characteristics of InVO4 synthesized by applying hydrothermal process and lays foundation for further research.

TESTING TECHNOLOGY OF OXYGEN IN MINERALS WITH EPMA

EPMA has used to measure oxygen con- tent directly in recentyears. This paper discusses the fac- tors affecting the quantitativeanalysis of oxygen content and the optimal experimental conditions,and gives some measured results of oxygen content in corundums whichare collected from different geological situations.

Elevated carbon dioxide stimulates nitrous oxide emission in agricultural soils: A global meta-analysis

Elevated carbon dioxide (CO_(2))(e CO_(2)) has been shown to affect the nitrous oxide (N_(2)O) emission from terrestrial ecosystems by altering the interaction of plants,soils,and microorganisms.However,the impact of e CO_(2) on the N_(2)O emission from agricultural soils remains poorly understood.This meta-analysis summarizes the effect of e CO_(2) on N_(2)O emission in agricultural ecosystems and soil physiochemical and biological characteristics using 50 publications selected.The e CO_(2) effect values,which equal to the percentage changes of N_(2)O emission under e CO_(2),were calculated based on the natural logarithm of the response ratio to e CO_(2).We found that e CO_(2) significantly increased N_(2)O emission (by 44%),which varied depending on experimental conditions,agricultural practices,and soil properties.In addition,e CO_(2) significantly increased soil water-filled pore space (by 6%),dissolved organic carbon content (by11%),and nitrate nitrogen content (by 13%),but significantly reduced soil p H (by 1%).Moreover,e CO_(2) significantly increased soil microbial biomass carbon(by 28%) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (by 7%) contents.Additionally,e CO_(2) significantly increased the abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB) amo A (by 21%),nir K (by 15%),and nir S (by 15%),but did not affect the abundances of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) amo A and nos Z.Our findings indicate that e CO_(2) substantially stimulates N_(2)O emission in agroecosystems and highlight that optimization of nitrogen management and agronomic options might suppress this stimulation and aid in reducing greenhouse effect.

Study of high pressure structural stability of CeO_2 nanoparticles

In situ high pressure XRD diffraction and Raman spectroscopy have been performed on 12 nm CeO2 nanoparticles. Surprisingly, under quasihydrostatic conditions, 12 nm CeO2 nanoparticles maintain the fluorite- type structure in the whole pressure range （0-51 GPa） during the experiments, much more stable than the bulk counterpart （PT-31 GPa）. In contrast, they experienced phase transition at pressure as low as 26 GPa under non- hydrostatic conditions （adopting CsC1 as pressure medium）. Additionally, 32-36 nm CeO2 nanoparticles exhibit an onset pressure of phase transition at 35 GPa under quasihydrostatic conditions, and this onset pressure is much lower than our result. Further analysis shows both the experimental condition （i.e., quasihydrostatic or non-hydrostatic） and grain size effect have a significant impact on the high pressure behaviors of CeO2 nanomaterials.