Quantitatively characterizing sandy soil structure altered by MICP using multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm

The influences of biological,chemical,and flow processes on soil structure through microbially induced carbonate precipitation(MICP)are not yet fully understood.In this study,we use a multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm,genetic algorithm(GA)enhanced Kapur entropy(KE)(GAE-KE),to accomplish quantitative characterization of sandy soil structure altered by MICP cementation.A sandy soil sample was treated using MICP method and scanned by the synchrotron radiation(SR)micro-CT with a resolution of 6.5 mm.After validation,tri-level thresholding segmentation using GAE-KE successfully separated the precipitated calcium carbonate crystals from sand particles and pores.The spatial distributions of porosity,pore structure parameters,and flow characteristics were calculated for quantitative characterization.The results offer pore-scale insights into the MICP treatment effect,and the quantitative understanding confirms the feasibility of the GAE-KE multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm.

Vacancy engineering mediated hollow structured ZnO/ZnS S-scheme heterojunction for highly efficient photocatalytic H_(2) production

Designing a step-scheme(S-scheme)heterojunction photocatalyst with vacancy engineering is a reliable approach to achieve highly efficient photocatalytic H_(2)production activity.Herein,a hollow ZnO/ZnS S-scheme heterojunction with O and Zn vacancies(VO,Zn-ZnO/ZnS)is rationally constructed via ion-exchange and calcination treatments.In such a photocatalytic system,the hollow structure combined with the introduction of dual vacancies endows the adequate light absorption.Moreover,the O and Zn vacancies serve as the trapping sites for photo-induced electrons and holes,respectively,which are beneficial for promoting the photo-induced carrier separation.Meanwhile,the S-scheme charge transfer mechanism can not only improve the separation and transfer efficiencies of photo-induced carrier but also retain the strong redox capacity.As expected,the optimized VO,Zn-ZnO/ZnS heterojunction exhibits a superior photocatalytic H_(2) production rate of 160.91 mmol g^(-1)h^(-1),approximately 643.6 times and 214.5 times with respect to that obtained on pure ZnO and ZnS,respectively.Simultaneously,the experimental results and density functional theory calculations disclose that the photo-induced carrier transfer pathway follows the S-scheme heterojunction mechanism and the introduction of O and Zn vacancies reduces the surface reaction barrier.This work provides an innovative strategy of vacancy engineering in S-scheme heterojunction for solar-to-fuel energy conversion.

The multiple roles of crop structural change in productivity,nutrition and environment in China:A decomposition analysis

China's crop structure has undergone significant changes in the last two decades since 2000,with an increase in the share of cereals,vegetables,and fruit,squeezing out other crops.As a result,land productivity,nutrient supply,and carbon emissions have changed.How to reallocate limited farmland among crops to achieve the multiple goals of agrifood systems becomes an important issue.This study explores the sources of land productivity and nutrition supply growth and carbon emissions reduction,and identifies the multiple roles of crop structural change from 2003 to 2020 based on a decomposition analysis.The results reveal that the growth within crops is still the primary driver in land productivity and nutrition supply and the reduction in carbon emissions.However,structural change also plays various roles at different periods.From 2003 to 2010,crop structural change increased the total calorie supply but lowered land productivity and contributed at least 70%of the total growth of carbon emissions.The crop structure was relatively stable,and their effects were modest from 2010 to 2015.From 2015 to 2020,the crop structural change began to play a greater role and generate synergistic effects in improving land productivity,micronutrient supply,and reducing carbon emissions,contributing to approximately a quarter of the growth of land productivity and 30%of total carbon emissions reduction.These results suggest that strategies for crop structural change should comprehensively consider its multiple impacts,aiming to achieve co-benefits while minimizing trade-offs.

Atomically Dispersed Ruthenium Catalysts with Open Hollow Structure for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

Lithium–oxygen battery with ultrahigh theoretical energy density is considered a highly competitive next-generation energy storage device,but its practical application is severely hindered by issues such as difficult decomposition of discharge products at present.Here,we have developed N-doped carbon anchored atomically dispersed Ru sites cathode catalyst with open hollow structure(h-RuNC)for Lithium–oxygen battery.On one hand,the abundance of atomically dispersed Ru sites can effectively catalyze the formation and decomposition of discharge products,thereby greatly enhancing the redox kinetics.On the other hand,the open hollow structure not only enhances the mass activity of atomically dispersed Ru sites but also improves the diffusion efficiency of catalytic molecules.Therefore,the excellent activity from atomically dispersed Ru sites and the enhanced diffusion from open hollow structure respectively improve the redox kinetics and cycling stability,ultimately achieving a high-performance lithium–oxygen battery.

Three-dimensional thermohaline structure estimation derived from HY-2 satellite data over the Maritime Silk Road and its applications

Estimated ocean subsurface fields derived from satellite observations provide potential data sources for operational marine environmental monitoring and prediction systems.This study employs a statistic regression reconstruction method,in combination with domestic autonomous sea surface height and sea surface temperature observations from the Haiyang-2(HY-2)satellite fusion data,to establish an operational quasi-realtime three-dimensional(3D)temperature and salinity products over the Maritime Silk Road.These products feature a daily temporal resolution and a spatial resolution of 0.25°×0.25°and exhibit stability and continuity.We have demonstrated the accuracy of the reconstructed thermohaline fields in capturing the 3D thermohaline variations through comprehensive statistical evaluations,after comparing them against Argo observations and ocean analysis data from 2022.The results illustrate that the reconstructed fields effectively represent seasonal variations in oceanic subsurface structures,along with structural changes resulting from mesoscale processes,and the upper ocean’s responses to tropical cyclones.Furthermore,the incorporation of HY-2 satellite observations notably enhances the accuracy of temperature and salinity reconstructions in the Northwest Pacific Ocean and marginally improves salinity reconstruction accuracy in the North Indian Ocean when compared to the World Ocean Atlas 2018 monthly climatology thermohaline fields.As a result,the reconstructed product holds promise for providing quasi-real-time 3D temperature and salinity field information to facilitate fast decisionmaking during emergencies,and also offers foundational thermohaline fields for operational ocean reanalysis and forecasting systems.These contributions enhance the safety and stability of ocean subsurface activities and navigation.

On Structure,production,and market of bamboo-based panels in China

Since bamboo has the advantages of straight grain, beautiful color, high strength and toughness, and excellent abrasion resistance, bamboo-based panels have been widely used in the fields of vehicle, construction, ship building, furniture, and decoration to partly take the place of wood, steel, plastic etc in China. This paper briefly described the basic component units, including strip, sliver, and particle, of bamboo-based panel and pointed out that to design the structure of bamboo-based panels should follow the principle of symmetric structure, surface forming method, and structuring principle of equalizing stress. According to the processing methods and formation of component units, the authors classified the bamboo-based panels in China into 13 types and presented the manufacturing technique and uses of the bamboo products, such as plybamboo, bamboo flooring, and bamboo-wood composite products in detail. In the last part of the paper, much information were offered on the output, market, and selling prospect of each type of bamboo-based panels.

The smash products of entwining structure

Let k be a commutative ring, C a projective k-coalgebra. The smash productsof entwining structure (A, C)_ψ are discussed. When the map ψ is a bijective, and C is a finitelygenerated k-module, a version of the Ulbrich theorem for coalgebras C is given.

Biomarker Records of Phytoplankton Productivity and Community Structure Changes During the Last 14000 Years in the Mud Area Southwest off Cheju Island, East China Sea

The ecological environment in the East China Sea(ECS)and the Yellow Sea(YS)has changed significantly due to sea-level rising and the Kuroshio incursion since the last deglaciation.In this study,biomarker records of core F10B from the mud area southwest off Cheju Island(MSWCI)were generated to evaluate phytoplankton productivity and community structure changes in response to environmental evolution during the last 14 kyr.The contents of diatom,dinoflagellate and haptophyte biomarkers(brassicasterol,dinosterol and C37alkenones)display similar trends,with increasing phytoplankton productivity during the last 14kyr due to the increased influences of the Kuroshio,and especially due to the eddy-induced upwelling during the late Holocene.On the other hand,the contents of terrestrial biomarkers(C28+C30+C32n-alkanols)and terrestrial organic matter(TOM)proxies(TMBR′and BIT)all reveal decreasing TOM input into the area around the sampling site for the 14 kyr,mostly due to sea-level ris-ing.Phytoplankton biomarker ratios reveal a shift from a haptophyte-dominated community at 6.2 2.5 kyr BP to a diatom-dominated community at 2.5 1.45 kyr BP,likely caused by a stronger cold eddy circulation system at 2.5 1.45 kyr BP in the MSWCI.

Agricultural Production Structure Adjustment Scheme Evaluation and Selection Based on DEA Model for Punjab(Pakistan)

DEA is a nonparametric method used in operation researches and economics fields for the evaluation of the production frontier. It has distinct intrinsic which is worth coping with assessment problems with multiple inputs in particular with multiple outputs. This paper used D~ C2 R model of DEA to assess the comparative efficiency of the multiple schemes of agricultural industrial structure, at the end we chose the most favorable also known as ＂OPTIMAL＂ scheme. In addition to this, using some functional insights from DEA model non optimal schemes or less optimal schemes had also been improved to some extent. Assessment and selection of optimal schemes of agricultural industrial structure using DEA model gave a greater and better insight of agricultural industrial structure and was the first of such researches in Pakistan.

A Multi-level Approach for Complex Fault Isolation Based on Structured Residuals

In industrial processes,there exist faults that have complex effect on process variables.Complex and simple faults are defined according to their effect dimensions.The conventional approaches based on structured residuals cannot isolate complex faults.This paper presents a multi-level strategy for complex fault isolation.An extraction procedure is employed to reduce the complex faults to simple ones and assign them to several levels.On each level,faults are isolated by their different responses in the structured residuals.Each residual is obtained insensitive to one fault but more sensitive to others.The faults on different levels are verified to have different residual responses and will not be confused.An entire incidence matrix containing residual response characteristics of all faults is obtained,based on which faults can be isolated.The proposed method is applied in the Tennessee Eastman process example,and the effectiveness and advantage are demonstrated.

Agricultural Production Structure Optimization: A Case Study of Major Grain Producing Areas, China

A large number of mathematical models were developed for supporting agricultural production structure optimization decisions; however, few of them can address various uncertainties existing in many factors （e.g., eco-social benefit maximization, food security, employment stability and ecosystem balance）. In this study, an interval-probabilistic agricultural production structure optimization model （IPAPSOM） is formulated for tackling uncertainty presented as discrete intervals and/or probability distribution. The developed model improves upon the existing probabilistic programming and inexact optimization approaches. The IPAPSOM considers not only food security policy constraints, but also involves rural households’income increase and eco-environmental conversation, which can effectively reflect various interrelations among different aspects in an agricultural production structure optimization system. Moreover, it can also help examine the reliability of satisfying （or risk of violating） system constraints under uncertainty. The model is applied to a real case of long-term agricultural production structure optimization in Dancheng County, which is located in Henan Province of Central China as one of the major grain producing areas. Interval solutions associated with different risk levels of constraint violation are obtained. The results are useful for generating a range of decision alternatives under various system benefit conditions, and thus helping decision makers to identify the desired agricultural production structure optimization strategy under uncertainty.

Biomarker Records of Phytoplankton Productivity and Community Structure Changes in the Central Yellow Sea Mud Area During the Mid-Late Holocene

The Yellow Sea （YS） environmental and ecological changes during the Holocene are driven by the interactions between the Yellow Sea Warm Current （YSWC）, the East Asian Winter Monsoon （EAWM） and the Kuroshio Current （KC）. We report marine biomarker records of brassicasterol, dinosterol and C37 alkenones in core ZY1 and core ZY2 from the South Yellow Sea （SYS） to reconstruct the spatial/temporal variations and possible mechanisms of phytoplankton primary productivity and community structure changes during the Mid-late Holocene. The contents of the corresponding biomarkers in the two cores are similar, and they also reveal broadly similar temporal trends. From 6kyr to 3kyr, the biomarker contents in the two cores were relatively low with small oscillations, followed by a distinct increase at about 3 kyr indicating productivity increases caused by a stronger EAWM. The alkenone/brassicasterol ratio （A/B） is used as a community structure proxy, which also showed higher values in both cores since 3 kyr, indicating increased haptophyte contribution to total productivity. It is proposed that the YS community structure has been mainly influenced by the YSWC, with stronger YSWC influences causing an increase in haptophyte contribution since 3 kyr. Some differences of the biomarker records between ZY2 and ZYI suggest spatial variations in response to YSWC and KC forcing. When the KC was intensified during the periods of 6-4.2kyr and 1.7-0kyr, the YSWC extended eastward, exerting more influence on core ZY1. On the other hand, when the KC weakened during 4.2-1.7 kyr, the YSWC extended westward, exerting more influence on the ZY2.

Residual Dipolar Couplings in Structure Determination of Natural Products

The determination of natural products stereochemistry remains a formidable task.Residual dipolar couplings(RDCs)induced by anisotropic media are a powerful tool for determination of the stereochemistry of organic molecule in solution.This review will provide a short introduction on RDCs-based methodology for the structural elucidation of natural products.Special attention is given to the current availability of alignment media in organic solvents.The applications of RDCs for structural analysis of some examples of natural products were discussed and summarized.Graphical Abstract This review provides a short introduction on RDCs-based methodology for the structural elucidation of natural products.Special attention is given to the current availability of alignment media in organic solvents.The applications of RDCs for structural analysis of some examples of natural products were discussed and summarized.

Changes in Land Use and Agricultural Production Structure Before and After the Implementation of Grain for Green Program in Western China–Taking Two Typical Counties as Examples

Soil erosion becomes a serious environmental problem in the world, especially in western China. An effective management practice called the Grain for Green Program(GGP), which was launched in 1999, aims to reduce soil and water loss and alleviate the ecological environment problem in western China. Two typical counties in western China, the Zhongxian(in Chongqing Municipality) and Ansai(in Shaanxi Province) were chosen to evaluate the dynamic changes of land use and agricultural production structure before and after the implementation of the Program in this paper. The results showed that the cultivated land area was reduced by 7.08% from 1989 to 2003. The cultivated land per person was decreased by 8.42% during 1999-2003. Moreover, the stability index of the secondary sector of the economy was increased from 0.91 in the period 1990-1999 to 0.94 in the following ten years. In addition, the stability index of tertiary economic sector increased from 0.88 to 0.92 in Zhongxian county. Meanwhile, the cultivated land area was reduced by 15.48% from 1990 to 1999. The soil erosion modulus was decreased by 33.33% from 1999 to 2006. Also, the stability index of secondary and tertiary economic sectors was 0.86 in the period 1998-2002. However, it decreased by 77% during 2002 to 2007 in Ansai County. These results imply that the Grain for Green Program had different impact on the two regions. Several effective strategies of soil and water conservation have been carried out to ameliorate the sustainable development of ecological environment and economy in these two counties of western China.

Optimal Scheme Selection of Agricultural Production Structure Adjustment——Based on DEA Model; Punjab(Pakistan)

This paper used the modern evaluation method of DEA （Data Envelopment Analysis） to assess the comparative efficiency and then on the basis of this among multiple schemes chose the optimal scheme of agricultural production structure adjustment. Based on the results of DEA model, we dissected scale advantages of each discretionary scheme or plan. We examined scale advantages of each discretionary scheme, tested profoundly a definitive purpose behind not-DEA efficient, which elucidated the system and methodology to enhance these discretionary plans. At the end, another method had been proposed to rank and select the optimal scheme. The research was important to guide the practice if the modification of agricultural production industrial structure was carded on.

Plant Biodiversity and Structure of Robusta Coffee (Coffea canephora var. robusta) Agroforests in Cameroon

Agroforests are man-made ecosystems in which crops are associated with a main perennial species like Robusta Coffee Agroforests (RCAs), which is counted among the main modes of perennial crops production in Cameroon. Despite the rich ecosystem services provided, the diversity of Associated Species (AS) found in these RCAs and the structure of the landscapes they form remain little known in Cameroon. The current study aimed to inventory AS and characterize the structure of RCAs in four sites (Ayos, Malantouen, Melong and Nkongsamba) belonging to three robusta coffee production basins in Cameroon. A systematic inventory with dendrometric measurements of the wood AS and coffee trees was carried out on 120 one-hectare plot unit, i.e. 30 plots per site. The results showed that 102 AS belonging to 83 genera and 41 families were identified in these RCAs. The RCAs of Ayos in the dense rainforest zone with bimodal rainfall pattern were the most diverse with 71 species, followed by those of Melong and Nkongsamba with respectively 39 and 33 species respectively in the dense rainforest zone with monomodal rainfall pattern, and Malantouen with 33 species in the high savannahs of the west. Structurally, average coffee tree and AS densities founded ranged from 1208 - 1456 plants/ha and 71 - 214 stems/ha and those of basal area from 7.29 - 17.40 m2/ha for coffee trees and 7.97 - 16.14 m2/ha for AS in function of site. Basis on the vertical stratification, the proportion of the 3 - 6 m stratum, which is mainly represented by introduced AS, varied from 38% - 62% depending on the site. The results of this study showed that RCAs contribute to the conservation of plant biodiversity, given the specific richness identified in these ecosystems.

Improved Fibroblast Adhesion and Proliferation by Controlling Multi-level Structure of Polycaprolactone Microfiber

Improving wound healing efficiency is a key issue for high performance dressings.The surface topology of fibers in wound dressings plays an important role in regulating cell behaviors during the regeneration.Herein,a polycaprolactone(PCL)scaffold with a shish-kebab structure was prepared by electrospinning and solution-induced crystallization.L929 cells were used to investigate the behavior of fibroblasts on the multi-level microfiber.The results showed that the shish-kebab fiber-based scaffold enhanced the cell proliferation when compared with the normal fiber and the fiber with a porous structure.Protein absorption,cell adhesive force,and cell modulus also increased by the shish-kebab fiber.The shish-kebab fiber-based scaffold with improved fibroblast-regulation ability can be applied in rapid wound healing.

Community Structure, Diversity, Biomass and Net Production in a Rehabilitated Subtropical Forest in North India

Gangetic alluvial plain in north India constitutes significant proportions of barren sodic lands. A representative site, where afforestation was carried out during 1960s to rehabilitate the site under forest ecosystem, was selected to assess the restoration success. Three stands (S1, S2, and S3) were selected in a semi-natural subtropical forest at Banthra, Lucknow (26°45’ N, 80°53’ E) on the basis of different vegetation morphology and basal area gradient. Species composition and their growth forms were studied in overstory, understory and ground layer vegetation, in which dominants were assorted. Among the dominants few species were common in the three stands as also in different strata, which perhaps indicate their natural regeneration. Classification of individuals among the different size classes indicated ‘L’ shape distribution in which most of the individuals remained confined in younger groups. Biomass increased from the stand S1 to S3 stand in overstory, and vise versa for understory. Stand S2 consisted of predominance of ground layer biomass over the other stands. Biomass allocation in different plant components differed significantly between the overstory and understory for aerial woody components (stem and branch). Annual litter fall did not differ significantly among the stands, where as fine root biomass (up to 45 cm soil depth) decreased from S1 to S3 stands. Rainy and summer seasons contributed to two-third proportion of total annual fine root production. The state of this rehabilitated forest when compared with the degraded and reference forest of the region indicated that structural complexity, biomass and production levels have been achieved to 70% of the reference forest site even after having a different species composition.

Composite materials for primary aircraft structures:from development phase to high volume production rate

From 1980’s decade,the introduction of carbon composite materials in structural applications has been consistently increased in the successive generations of civil aircraft from Single Aisle to Middle-long Range to achieve a culminant point with more than 50%in structure weight in recent commercial civil aircraft.This evolution,done through successive iterations,has been possible by combining in the same time the improvement of intrinsic composite material performances and its transformation into prepreg production technologies together with the development of new manufacturing process for material lay-up automation at composite shop-floor manufacturer of aircraft composite parts.New challenges are still coming to continuously develop materials and technologies in order to pursue the production more cost-effective composite parts.Associated to higher aircraft production rate for single aisle,new challenges may force material and aircraft designers and producers to furthermore drive new products and processes introduction and new ways of transformation within in next decade of composite aircraft designs.We propose to illustrate these trends using past and recent developments and our return of experience from Hexcel on Civil Aircraft programs.

Study Competition Channel Structure Based on the Differences of Cost and Products

The purpose of this paper is to expand Trivedi’s study on the influence of channel structure ,which based on product difference, to cost difference; and analyze the evolution course of channel structure under different conditions. We find that like product difference, cost difference have important influence on the choice of channel structure. This paper has improved the present result and provided proof for the choice of channel structure under different environments.