Asymmetric Drying and Wetting Trends in Eastern and Western China

As an important factor that directly affects agricultural production, the social economy, and policy implementation,observed changes in dry/wet conditions have become a matter of widespread concern. However, previous research has mainly focused on the long-term linear changes of dry/wet conditions, while the detection and evolution of the non-linear trends related to dry/wet changes have received less attention. The non-linear trends of the annual aridity index, obtained by the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition(EEMD) method, reveal that changes in dry/wet conditions in China are asymmetric and can be characterized by contrasting features in both time and space in China. Spatially, most areas in western China have experienced transitions from drying to wetting, while opposite changes have occurred in most areas of eastern China. Temporally, the transitions occurred earlier in western China compared to eastern China. Research into the asymmetric spatial characteristics of dry/wet conditions compensates for the inadequacies of previous studies, which focused solely on temporal evolution;at the same time, it remedies the inadequacies of traditional research on linear trends over centennial timescales. Analyzing the non-linear trend also provides for a more comprehensive understanding of the drying/wetting changes in China.

Reservoir quality evaluation of the Narimba Formation in Bass Basin,Australia:Implications from petrophysical analysis,sedimentological features,capillary pressure and wetting fluid saturation

The evaluation of reservoir quality was accomplished on the Late Paleocene to Early Eocene Narimba Formation in Bass Basin,Australia.This study involved combination methods such as petrophysical analysis,petrography and sedimentological studies,reservoir quality and fluid flow units from derivative parameters,and capillary pressure and wetting fluid saturation relationship.Textural and diagenetic features are affecting the reservoir quality.Cementation,compaction,and presence of clay minerals such as kaolinite are found to reduce the quality while dissolution and secondary porosity are noticed to improve it.It is believed that the Narimba Formation is a potential reservoir with a wide range of porosity and permeability.Porosity ranges from 3.1%to 25.4%with a mean of 15.84%,while permeability ranges between 0.01 mD and 510 mD,with a mean of 31.05 mD.Based on the heterogenous lithology,the formation has been categorized into five groups based on permeability variations.Group I showed an excellent to good quality reservoir with coarse grains.The impacts of both textural and diagenetic features improve the reservoir and producing higher reservoir quality index(RQI)and flow zone indicators(FZI)as well as mostly mega pores.The non-wetting fluid migration has the higher possibility to flow in the formation while displacement pressure recorded as zero.Group II showed a fair quality reservoir with lower petrophysical properties in macro pores.The irreducible water saturation is increasing while the textural and digenetic properties are still enhancing the reservoir quality.Group III reflects lower quality reservoir with mostly macro pores and higher displacement pressure.It may indicate smaller grain size and increasing amount of cement and clay minerals.Group IV,and V are interpreted as a poor-quality reservoir that has lower RQI and FZI.The textural and digenetic features are negatively affecting the reservoir and are leading to smaller pore size and pore throat radii(r35)values to be within the range of macro,meso-,micro-,and nano pores.The capillary displacement pressure curves of the three groups show increases reaching the maximum value of 400 psia in group V.Agreement with the classification of permeability,r35 values,and pore type can be used in identifying the quality of reservoir.

Bioinspired directional structures for inhibiting wetting on super-melt-philic surfaces above 1200°C

Over the past two decades,superhydrophobic surfaces that are easily created have aroused considerable attention for their superior performances in various applications at room temperature.Nowadays,there is a growing demand in special fields for the development of surfaces that can resist wetting by high-temperature molten droplets(>1200°C)using facile design and fabrication strategies.Herein,bioinspired directional structures(BDSs)were prepared on Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2(YSZ)surfaces using femtosecond laser ablation.Benefiting from the anisotropic energy barriers,the BDSs featured with no additional modifiers showed a remarkable increase from 9.2°to 60°in the contact angle of CaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2(CMAS)melt and a 70.1%reduction in the spreading area of CMAS at 1250°C,compared with polished super-CMAS-melt-philic YSZ surfaces.Moreover,the BDSs demonstrated exceptional wetting inhibition even at 1400°C,with an increase from 3.3°to 31.3°in contact angle and a 67.9%decrease in spreading area.This work provides valuable insight and a facile preparation strategy for effectively inhibiting the wetting of molten droplets on super-melt-philic surfaces at extremely high temperatures.

Influence of the boundary effect on the mechanical response test of pavement cushion under the wetting effect of silt

Through a self-developed model test system,the mechanical properties of silt and the deformation characteristics of airport runways were investigated during the period of subgrade wetting.Based on the test results,the reliability of the numerical simulation results was verified.Numerical models with different sizes were established.Under the same cushion parameter and loading width ranges,the effects of the cushion parameters and loading conditions on the mechanical responses of the cushion before and after subgrade wetting were analyzed.The results show that the internal friction angles of silt with different wetting degrees are approximately 34°.The cohesion is from 8 to 44 kPa,and the elastic modulus is from 15 to 34 MPa.Before and after subgrade wetting,the variation rates of the cushion horizontal tensile stresses with the same cushion parameters and loading width ranges are different under the influence of boundary effects.After subgrade wetting,the difference in the variation rates of the cushion horizontal tensile stresses under the same cushion parameter range decreases compared with that before subgrade wetting;however,this difference increases under the same loading width range.Before and after subgrade wetting,the influence of the boundary effect on the mechanical response evaluation of the cushion is not beneficial for optimizing the pavement design parameters.When the cushion thickness is more than 0.25 m,the influence of the boundary effect can be disregarded.

Wetting alternating with partial drying during grain filling increases lysine biosynthesis in inferior rice grain

Lysine content is a criterion of the nutritional quality of rice.Understanding the process of lysine biosynthesis in early-flowering superior grain(SG)and late-flowering inferior grain(IG)of rice would advance breeding and cultivation to improve nutritional quality.However,little information is available on differences in lysine anabolism between SG and IG and the underlying mechanism,and whether and how irrigation regimes affect lysine anabolism in these grains.A japonica rice cultivar was grown in the field and two irrigation regimes,continuous flooding(CF)and wetting alternating with partial drying(WAPD),were imposed from heading to the mature stage.Lysine content and activities of key enzymes of lysine biosynthesis,and levels of brassinosteroids(BRs)were lower in the IG than in the SG at the early grainfilling stage but higher at middle and late grain-filling stages.WAPD increased activities of these key enzymes,BR levels,and contents of lysine and total amino acids in IG,but not SG relative to CF.Application of 2,4-epibrassinolide to rice panicles in CF during early grain filling reproduced the effects of WAPD,but neither treatment altered the activities of enzymes responsible for lysine catabolism in either SG or IG.WAPD and elevated BR levels during grain filling increased lysine biosynthesis in IG.Improvement in lysine biosynthesis in rice should focus on IG.

Change in Grain-Size Composition of Lignite under Cyclic Freezing-Thawing and Wetting-Drying

The paper presents the change in grain-size composition of lignite under cyclic freezing-thawing (FTC) and wetting-drying (WDC). The article shows that in the spring and autumn periods the lignites can be subjected to repeated freezing-thawing and wetting-drying, which determines the possibility of changing their grain-size composition and structure. Experimental studies in laboratory conditions on the influence of cyclic freezing-thawing (FTC) and wetting-drying (WDC) on the quality indicators of lignites have been carried out, their granulometric (fractional) composition has been studied. Freezing-thawing cycle conditions are as follows (FTC): minimum exposure temperature: -20°C;maximum: +5°C;relative humidity: 30%;number of processing cycles: 3. Wetting-drying cycles are as follows (WDC): drying temperatures are +20, +40, +60, +80°C, drying time 90 minutes, the coals are further subjected to rain (soaking) for a period of water saturation to humidity of 30% - 40% and dry again. The number of wetting-drying cycles is 3 times. The tests have revealed the destructive effects of FTC and WDC on the samples of lower metamorphic grade coal, and the cycles of wet-dry lead to the much higher yield of fine sizes (-6+0;-13+0 mm) than the cycles of freeze-thaw. Furthermore, it is found that the increase in the yield of fines depends on the heating temperature: coal disintegration proceeds more intensively at a higher temperature of drying.

Criterion of gas and solid dual-phase flow atomization crash in molten metal

A self-invented atomization process, in which molten metal is atomized into powder by a high-velocity gas stream carrying solid particles as the atomization medium, was introduced. The characteristics of powders prepared by common gas atomization and dual-phase flow atomization under similar conditions were compared. The experimental results show that the dual-phase flow-atomized powders have average particle sizes that are one-half that of the common gas-atomized particles;additionally, they possess a finer microstructure and higher cooling rate under the same atomization gas pressure and the same gas flow. The Weber number in the crash criteria of liquid atomization is adopted to measure the crash ability of the atomization media. The Weber number of the dual-phase flow atomization medium is the sum of that of the gas and the solid particles. Furthermore, the critical equation of the crash model in dual-phase flow atomization is established, and the main regularities associated with this process were analyzed.

Kinetics of reactive wetting of graphite by liquid Al and Cu-Si alloys

In order to reveal the physical essence of the spreading process of reactive wetting,a sort of model of energy to explain the driving force and wetting mechanism was presented.The reactive wetting of molten A1 and Cu Si on graphite was studied by a modified sessile drop method under a vacuum,in which the contact angles were measured by ADSA software.The thermodynamic and kinetic processes of the typical reactive wetting were focused on,the thermodynamic equations of energy relations were derived,the interfacial energy of graphite and solid-liquid interfacial energy versus time at the triple line were calculated,and the dynamics model of interface energy is established.The presented dynamics model is verified by means of experimental results,and it is shown that solid liquid interfacial energy decreases with time in exponential relationship.It provides a new method for reference to explain the process from the angle of energy.

Wetting Behaviours of a Single Droplet on Biomimetic Micro Structured Surfaces

Natural surfaces with super hydrophobic properties often have micro or hierarchical structures.In this paper, the wettingbehaviours of a single droplet on biomimetic micro structured surfaces with different roughness parameters are investigated.Atheoretical model is proposed to study wetting transitions.The results of theoretical analysis are compared with those of experimentindicating that the proposed model can effectively predict the wetting transition.Furthermore, a numerical simulationbased on the meso scale Lattice Boltzmann Method （LBM） is performed to study dynamic contact angles, contact lines, andlocal velocity fields for the case that a droplet displays on the micro structured surface.A spherical water droplet with r= 15 μmfalls down to a biomimetic square-post patterned surface under the force of gravity with an initial velocity of 0.01 m·sand aninitial vertical distance of 20 μm from droplet centre to the top of pots.In spite of a higher initial velocity, the droplet can stillstay in a Cassie state; moreover, it reaches an equilibrium state at t≈17.5 ms, when contact angle is 153.16° which is slightlylower than the prediction of Cassie-Baxter’s equation which gives θ=154.40°.

Spreading and Wetting Behaviour of Trisiloxanes

Wetting and spreading processes which involve surfactant solutions are widely used in numerous industrial and practical applications nowadays.The performance of different non-ionic surfactants may vary significantly and so far superspreader solutions show the most promising spreading ability.The addition of trisiloxane surfactants to water was proven to enhance wetting,even on hydrophobic surfaces,on which conventional surfactants seem to have little or no effect.Although these extraordinary surfactants have been extensively studied over recent years,complete understanding of their underlying mechanisms and a suitable mathematical model are still lacking.Here we present a possible explanation for the impressive performance of trisiloxane,which is compared to wetting enhancement of a conventional surfactant.Additionally,we will explain why the hydrophobicity of the surface is a crucial factor for the spreading phenomenon.Light will be also shed on the effect of the pH of the solution to which surfactants are added.Finally,we will investigate long-term effects of the water environment on trisiloxane wetting ability and discuss if ageing may significantly affect their performance.

Surface characteristics and wetting mechanism of respirable coal dust

In this study,FTIR and XPS spectroscopy,specific surface area and pore size analyses,wetting and other experimental means have been applied to investigate respirable coal dust surface properties and wetting mechanism.The research shows that coal dust surface structures,chemical and element compositions are changed in the refining process of coal dust.Compared with large particle coal dust,respirable coal dust is a weak hydrophilic and strong hydrophobic substance.The reason:the smaller the particle size of coal dust,the more unsaturated its surface.The absorption of air is strong and it is easy to form an air film on coal dust surfaces. Coal dust contact with water is actually a compound contact of liquid in contact with a solid and gas in contact with a solid. The smaller the particle size,the larger the pore volume and the higher the degree of surface roughness,the larger the area of gas in contact with a solid and the worse the coal dust wettability.Another reason is that the changes in the composition of atoms on the dust surface and structures affect coal dust wettability.The results of this study establish a theoretical basis for the invention of effective reduced-dust technology.

Research on mine dustfall agents based on the mechanism of wetting and coagulation

Mine dust is classified as one of five natural coal mining disasters because it can harm the health of miners and poses a serious threat to the safety of the coal mine. Therefore, preparation of an effective dust suppression agent is highly desired. To improve the capture efficiency of fine dust, this study examines the dust suppression effects of various combinations of wetting agents, additives, and coagulation agents by using the optimum seeking method to reduce mine dust, particularly respirable particles. The optimal formula is shown to contain 10wt% fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether（JFC）, 4.96wt% cationic polyacrylamide, and 4wt% calcium chloride. The dust suppression effect can be achieved at 96.1% in 5 min by using the optimal formula.

Modeling Superhydrophobic Contact Angles and Wetting Transition

It is well known that surface roughness has a very important effect on superhydrophobicity.The Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models,which correspond to the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting respectively,are currently primary instructions for designing superhydrophobic surfaces.However,the particular drop shape that a drop exhibits might depend on how it is formed. A water drop can occupy multiple equilibrium states,which relate to different local minimal energy.In some cases,both equilibrium states can even co-exist on a same substrate.Thus the apparent contact angles may vary and have different values.We discuss how the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations determine the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting theoretically. Contact angle analysis on hierarchical surface structure and contact angle hysteresis has been put specific attention.In particular, we study the energy barrier of transition from Cassie-Baxter state to Wenzel state,based on existing achievement by previous researchers,to determine the possibility of the transition and how it can be interpreted.It has been demonstrated that surface roughness and geometry will influence the energy required for a drop to get into equilibrium,no matter it is homogeneous or heterogeneous wetting.

Grain yield and water use efficiency of super rice under soil water deficit and alternate wetting and drying irrigation

This study investigated if super rice could better cope with soil water deficit and if it could have better yield performance and water use efficiency （WUE） under alternate wetting and drying （AWD） irrigation than check rice. Two super rice cultivars and two elite check rice cultivars were grown in pots with three soil moisture levels, well watered （WW）, moderate water deficit （MWD） and severe water deficit （SWD）. Two cultivars, each for super rice and check rice, were grown in field with three irrigation regimes, alternate wetting and moderate drying （AWMD）, alternate wetting and severe drying （AWSD） and conventional irrigation （CI）. Compared with that under WW, grain yield was significantly decreased under MWD and SWD treatments, with less reduction for super rice than for check rice. Super rice had higher percentage of productive tillers, deeper root distribution, higher root oxidation activity, and greater aboveground biomass production at mid and late growth stages than check rice, especially under WMD and WSD. Compared with CI,AWMD increased, whereasAWSD decreased grain yield, with more increase or less decrease for super rice than for check rice. Both MWD and SWD treatments and eitherAWMD orAWSD regime significantly increased WUE compared with WW treatment or CI regime, with more increase for super rice than for check rice. The results suggest that super rice has a stronger ability to cope with soil water deficit and holds greater promising to increase both grain yield and WUE by adoption of moderate AWD irrigation.

Reactive wetting phenomena of MgO-C refractories in contact with CaO-SiO_2 slag

Wetting phenomena between MgO C and CaO SiO2 slags were investigated by varying carbon content.A sessile drop technique was adopted to study the wetting phenomena in conjunction with a high speed camera for the observation of intrinsic wetting phenomena.The results show that the high content of SiO2 and the presence of Al2O3 in slags enhance the diffusion of Mg2+,leading to the promotion of reactive wetting.The carbon in MgO C refractory impedes the penetration of slags by repelling the slag and slowing the diffusion of Mg2+.This accounts for the non-wetting behavior of the slag on MgO C refractory with 17% (mass fraction) carbon similar to that of graphite.

Moderate wetting and drying increases rice yield and reduces water use, grain arsenic level, and methane emission

To meet the major challenge of increasing rice production to feed a growing population under increasing water scarcity,many water-saving regimes have been introduced in irrigated rice,such as an aerobic rice system,non-flooded mulching cultivation,and alternate wetting and drying(AWD).These regimes could substantially enhance water use efficiency(WUE) by reducing irrigation water.However,such enhancements greatly compromise grain yield.Recent work has shown that moderate AWD,in which photosynthesis is not severely inhibited and plants can rehydrate overnight during the soil drying period,or plants are rewatered at a soil water potential of-10 to-15 k Pa,or midday leaf potential is approximately-0.60 to-0.80 MPa,or the water table is maintained at 10 to 15 cm below the soil surface,could increase not only WUE but also grain yield.Increases in grain yield WUE under moderate AWD are due mainly to reduced redundant vegetative growth;improved canopy structure and root growth;elevated hormonal levels,in particular increases in abscisic acid levels during soil drying and cytokinin levels during rewatering;and enhanced carbon remobilization from vegetative tissues to grain.Moderate AWD could also improve rice quality,including reductions in grain arsenic accumulation,and reduce methane emissions from paddies.Adoption of moderate AWD with an appropriate nitrogen application rate may exert a synergistic effect on grain yield and result in higher WUE and nitrogen use efficiency.Further research is needed to understand root–soil interaction and evaluate the long-term effects of moderate AWD on sustainable agriculture.

Preparation,crystallization,and wetting of ZnO-Al_2O_3-B_2O_3-SiO_2 glass-ceramics for sealing to Kovar

A novel type of ZnO-Al2O3-B2O3-SiO2 glass-ceramics sealing to Kovar in electronic packaging was developed, whose thermal expansion coefficient and electrical resistance are 5.2× 10^-6/℃ and over 1×10^13 Ω·cm, respectively. The major crystalline phases in the glass-ceramic seals were ZnAl2O4, ZnB2O4, and NaSiAl2O4. The dielectric resistance of the glass-ceramic could be remarkably enhanced through the control of alkali metal ions into crystal lattices. It was found that crystallization happened first on the surface of the sample, leaving the amorphous phase in the inner, which made the glass suitable for sealing. The glass-ceramic showed better wetting on the Kovar surface, and sealing atmosphere and temperature had great effect on the wetting angle. Strong interracial bonding was obtained, which was mainly attributed to the interracial reaction between SiO2 and FeO or Fe3O4.

Effect of SAP on Properties of High Performance Concrete under Marine Wetting and Drying Cycles

The internal curing effect of superabsorbent polymer(SAP) on the properties of high performance concrete(HPC) under marine wetting and drying cycles(WD cycles) was investigated. Compressive strength, hydration and chloride migration were experimentally investigated and the results were evaluated by compasison with those under fresh water curing(FW). Water absorption and porosity were also evaluated only under WD cycles. The results showed the important influence of wetting and drying cycles on the properties of SAP modified HPC properties. Carefully designed, SAP minimized the long-term compressive strength of HPC under marine WD cycles. The hydration rate was faster in the initial curing, but became lower as compared with that cured in FW. In addition, SAP improved the long-term water absorption resistance and chloride migration resistance of HPC under marine WD cycles. The examination of the porosity showed a lower increase of the volume of capillary pores in SAP modified HPC under long term WD cycles compared with that without SAP. Therefore, internal curing by SAP could improve the durability properties of HPC under marine WD cycles.

Effects of Ga,Al,Ag,and Ce multi-additions on the wetting characteristics of Sn-9Zn lead-free solder

An orthogonal method was used to evaluate the effects of Ga, Al, Ag, and Ce multi-additions on the wetting characteristics of Sn-9Zn lead-free solders by wetting balance method. The results show that the optimal loading of Ga, Al, Ag, and Ce was 0.2 wt.%, 0.002 wt.%, 0.25 wt.%, and 0.15 wt.%, respectively. Intermetallic compounds （IMCs） formed at the interface between Sn-9Zn-0.2Ga-0.002Al-0.25Ag- 0.15Ce solder and Cu substrate were investigated by scanning electron microscope （SEM） and energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS） analysis. The SEM images illustrate that the IMCs can be divided into two portions from the substrate side to the solder side： a planar CusZns layer and an additional continuous scallop-like AgZn3 layer. The EDS analysis also shows that Ga segregates in the solder abutting upon the interface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and Auger electron spectroscopy （AES） of the surface components of Sn-9Zn-0.2Ga-0.002Al- 0.25Ag-0.15Ce solder indicate that Al aggregates at the surface in the form of Al203 protective fdm, which prevents the further oxidation of the solder surface. On the other hand, Ce aggregates at the subsurface, which may reduce the surface tension of the solder and improve the wettability in consequence.

Study on the Genetics and Development of Fiber Pigments and Color Deviation After Wetting Process of Naturally Colored Cotton

The genetic control of fiber pigment color in naturally colored cotton was studied. The expression of brown and green fiber color was controlled by incompletely dominant single genes and incompletely dominant major genes, respectively. Production and accumulation of the fiber pigment were related to special expression of enzymatic genes for pigment synthesis in fiber cells. At the stage of fiber lengthening, naturally colored cotton, like white cotton, appeared purely white. But when fiber cell walls entered the thickening stage, pigment appeared by degrees. When the fiber was completely matured (on boll dehiscence), the color reached its darkest level. After wetting process treatment, the hues of the fiber pigment changed in regular patterns. The hue circle for brown and green cotton changed in the opposite direction with wetting process treatment. In general, the treated cotton color and luster became dark and vivid, and this trend provided the possibility for enhancing the fiber quality by suitable environmental friendly finishing. The analysis showed that the color and luster of the cotton may be controlled by a series of pigments which show different chemical performance.