Composition optimization and performance prediction for ultra-stable water-based aerosol based on thermodynamic entropy theory

Water-based aerosol is widely used as an effective strategy in electro-optical countermeasure on the battlefield used to the preponderance of high efficiency,low cost and eco-friendly.Unfortunately,the stability of the water-based aerosol is always unsatisfactory due to the rapid evaporation and sedimentation of the aerosol droplets.Great efforts have been devoted to improve the stability of water-based aerosol by using additives with different composition and proportion.However,the lack of the criterion and principle for screening the effective additives results in excessive experimental time consumption and cost.And the stabilization time of the aerosol is still only 30 min,which could not meet the requirements of the perdurable interference.Herein,to improve the stability of water-based aerosol and optimize the complex formulation efficiently,a theoretical calculation method based on thermodynamic entropy theory is proposed.All the factors that influence the shielding effect,including polyol,stabilizer,propellant,water and cosolvent,are considered within calculation.An ultra-stable water-based aerosol with long duration over 120 min is obtained with the optimal fogging agent composition,providing enough time for fighting the electro-optic weapon.Theoretical design guideline for choosing the additives with high phase transition temperature and low phase transition enthalpy is also proposed,which greatly improves the total entropy change and reduce the absolute entropy change of the aerosol cooling process,and gives rise to an enhanced stability of the water-based aerosol.The theoretical calculation methodology contributes to an abstemious time and space for sieving the water-based aerosol with desirable performance and stability,and provides the powerful guarantee to the homeland security.

Natural rubber latex as a potential additive for water-based drilling fluids

The environmental hazards and"carbon footprint"of oil and gas drilling can be significantly reduced by replacing traditional petroleum-based chemical additives with natural materials derived from plants and animals.This paper explored for the first time the interaction mechanism between natural rubber latex(NRL)and bentonite suspensions(BTs)through a series of characterization experiments,as well as the potential applications in water-based drilling fluids(WBDF).The gel viscoelasticity experiments showed that NRL could decrease the consistency coefficient(k)and flow index(n)of BTs,and enhance the shear thinning performance of BTs as pseudo-plastic fluids.In addition,0.5 w/v%NRL not only increased the critical yield stress and strengthened the structural strength between the bentonite particles,but also facilitated the compatibility of pressure loss and flow efficiency.The evaluation of colloidal stability and WBDF performance indicated that NRL particles could promote the hydration and charge stability on the surface of BTs particles,and optimize the particle size distribution and flow resistance of WBDF under the"intercalation-exfoliation-encapsulation"synergistic interaction.Moreover,NRL can improve the rheological properties of WBDF at high temperatures(<150.C),and form a dense blocking layer by bridging and sealing the pores and cracks of the filter cake,which ultimately reduces the permeability of the cake and the filtration loss of WBDF.

Review and Analysis: Evaluation of the Impacts and Consequences of Using Agricultural Herbicides as Military Chemical Weapons in Second Indochina War

The legacy of the human misery caused by the application of the herbicides including Agent Purple and Agent Orange contaminated with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD and Agent Blue, the arsenic-based herbicide, sprayed over the jungles, rice fields, and hamlets of Vietnam is still haunting us today. Why did this happen? Could it have been prevented? Was it necessary United States military strategy? Was it an intentional decision to inflict this blight on the enemy soldiers and the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian civilians, to poison their land and cause generations of harm? Alternatively, was it an unpreventable accident in the march of military history? What patterns in the U.S. government’s thought process could be identified as the cause, which led to the decision to use these herbicides as tactical chemical weapons? If the introduction of herbicide (chemical) weapons had not been made, would the outcome of the Vietnam War and the Secret Wars in Laos and Cambodia have been any different? The objective of this treatise is to outline the role of world events and backgrounds and the role of the leaders, U.S. military, CIA, USDA, U.S. State Department, the U.S. President appointed Ambassadors to Vietnam and Laos, chemical companies, and President Diệm’s Republic of Vietnam (RVN) government and military. Their collective advice led to the decision to use herbicides as military and environmental chemical weapons in the Second Indochina War. Were the National interests achieved by U.S. military strategy in the RVN using herbicide weapons worth the long-term environmental and human health consequences in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos? Did it impact the outcome of the Second Indochina War?

Improving the anti-collapse performance of water-based drilling fluids of Xinjiang Oilfield using hydrophobically modified silica nanoparticles with cationic surfactants

Wellbore instability,especially drilling with water-based drilling fluids(WBDFs)in complex shale for-mations,is a critical challenge for oil and gas development.The purpose of this paper is to study the feasibility of using hydrophobically modified silica nanoparticle(HMN)to enhance the comprehensive performance of WBDFs in the Xinjiang Oilfield,especially the anti-collapse performance.The effect of HMN on the overall performance of WBDFs in the Xinjiang Oilfield,including inhibition,plugging,lu-bricity,rheology,and filtration loss,was studied with a series of experiments.The mechanism of HMN action was studied by analyzing the changes of shale surface structure and chemical groups,wettability,and capillary force.The experimental results showed that HMN could improve the performance of WBDFs in the Xinjiang Oilfeld to inhibit the hydration swelling and dispersion of shale.The plugging and lubrication performance of the WBDFs in the Xinjiang Oilfield were also enhanced with HMN based on the experimental results.HMN had less impact on the rheological and filtration performance of the WBDFs in the Xinjiang Oilfield.In addition,HMN significantly prevented the decrease of shale strength.The potential mechanism of HMN was as follows.The chemical composition and structure of the shale surface were altered due to the adsorption of HMN driven by electrostatic attraction.Changes of the shale surface resulted in significant wettability transition.The capillary force of the shale was converted from a driving force of water into the interior to a resistance.In summary,hydrophobic nanoparticles presented afavorable application potential for WBDFs.

Pyramiding of multiple genes generates rapeseed introgression lines with clubroot and herbicide resistance, high oleic acid content, and early maturity

Clubroot and herbicide resistance,high oleic acid(OA)content,and early maturity are targets of rapeseed(Brassica napus L.)breeding.The objective of this study was to develop new male-fertility restorer lines by pyramiding favorable genes to improve these traits simultaneously.Seven elite alleles for the four traits were introduced into the restorer line 621R by speed breeding with marker-assisted and phenotypic selection.Six introgression lines(ILs)were developed with four-to seven-gene combinations and crossed with two elite parents to develop hybrids.All ILs and their corresponding hybrids displayed high resistance to both clubroot pathotype 4 and sulfonylurea herbicides.Three ILs and their hybrids showed large increases in OA contents and four showed earlier maturity.These new ILs may be useful in rapeseed hybrid breeding for the target traits.

Effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide on the oestrous cycle of rats

Objective:To determine the effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide on the oestrous cycle of rats.Methods:Fifteen adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups.Group A served as the control group,while groups B and C received 250 and 500 mg/kg of glyphosate-based herbicide orally for five oestrous cycles,respectively.Stages of oestrous cycle,oestrous cycle index,length of cycle,oestrous cycle ratio,serum estradiol and progesterone levels were determined.Results:The proestrus and oestrus stages of the glyphosate-based herbicide groups increased significantly(P<0.05),although proestrus in group C was not significantly different from the control group.There was a significant decrease in the metestrus and diestrus of the glyphosate-based herbicide groups(P<0.05).The oestrous cycle index of the glyphosate-based herbicide treated groups was altered;this was characterized by an increase in the oestrous index and a decrease in the metestrus and diestrus indexes.The proestrus index of group B increased,while that of group C decreased.The length of the cycle of the glyphosate-based herbicide groups significantly decreased from the 1st and 3rd week till the end of the study in groups B and C,respectively(P<0.05).There was a significant increase in the oestrous cycle ratio of the glyphosate-based herbicide groups compared to the control group(P<0.05).Though the estradiol and progesterone levels of the glyphosate-based herbicide groups increased and decreased,respectively,they were not significantly different from the control group.Conclusions:Glyphosate-based herbicide at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg can alter the pattern of the oestrous cycle in rats.

Evaluation of Pre-Emergence and Post-Emergence Herbicides for Weed Management in Miscanthus sacchariflorus and Miscanthus sinensis

Miscanthus,is a promising bioenergy crop,considered superior to other bioenergy crops because of its higher water and nutrient use efficiency,cold tolerance,and higher production of biomass.Broadleaf weeds and grass weeds,cause major problems in the Miscanthus field.A field experiment was conducted in 2018 and 2019,to assess the effects of pre-emergence(alachlor and napropamide)and post-emergence herbicides(nicosulfuron,dicamba,bentazon,and glufosinate ammonium)on broadleaf and grass weeds in M.sinensis and M.sacchariflorus fields.The weed control efficiency and phytotoxicity of pre-and post-emergence herbicides were evaluated at 30 days after treatment(DAT)and compared to those of the control plots.The results showed wide variations in the susceptibility of the weed species to the treated herbicides.Treatment with nicosulfuron 40 g.a.i.ha^(-1) provided the most effective overall weed control(with 10%visual injury),without affecting the height and biomass of neither Miscanthus species in the field.Post-emergence herbicides such as glufosinate ammonium 400 g.a.i.ha^(-1) and dicamba 482 g.a.i.ha^(-1) were effective and inhibited the growth and density of the majority of weeds to a 100%;however,they showed significant phytotoxicity(toxicity scale of 1-10)to both species of Miscanthus.The application of glufosinate ammonium caused severe injuries to the foliar region(90%visual injury)of both Miscanthus sps.Comparatively,M.sinensis showed a slightly higher tolerance to the herbicides nicosulfuron,bentazon and napropamide with 10%visual injury at the recommended dose than M.sacchariflorus.The present study clearly showed that infestation of broadleaf and grass weeds in Miscanthus fields can cause significant damage to the growth and biomass of Miscanthus and applying pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides effectively controls the high infestation of these weeds.

Hydrophobic Small-Molecule Polymers as High-Temperature-Resistant Inhibitors in Water-Based Drilling Fluids

Water-based drilling fluids can cause hydration of the wellbore rocks,thereby leading to instability.This study aimed to synthesize a hydrophobic small-molecule polymer(HLMP)as an inhibitor to suppress mud shale hydration.An infrared spectral method and a thermogravimetric technique were used to characterize the chemical composition of the HLMP and evaluate its heat stability.Experiments were conducted to measure the linear swelling,rolling recovery rate,and bentonite inhibition rate and evaluate accordingly the inhibition performance of the HLMP.Moreover,the HLMP was characterized through measurements of the zeta potential,particle size distribution,contact angles,and interlayer space testing.As confirmed by the results,the HLMP could successfully be synthesized with a favorable heat stability.Furthermore,favorable results were found for the inhibitory processes of the HLMP on swelling and dispersed hydration during mud shale hydration.The positively charged HLMP could be electrically neutralized with clay particles,thereby inhibiting diffusion in the double electron clay layers.The hydrophobic group in the HLMP molecular structure resulted in the formation of a hydrophobic membrane on the rock surface,enhancing the hydrophobicity of the rock.In addition,the small molecules of the HLMP could plug the spaces between the layers of bentonite crystals,thereby reducing the entry of water molecules and inhibiting shale hydration.

Water-based synthesis of nanoscale hierarchical metal-organic frameworks:Boosting adsorption and catalytic performance

The combination of nano sizes,large pore sizes and green synthesis is recognized as one of the most crucial and challenging problems in constructing metal-organic frameworks(MOFs).Herein,a water-based strategy is proposed for the synthesis of nanoscale hierarchical MOFs(NH-MOFs)with high crystallinity and excellent stability.This approach allows the morphology and porosity of MOFs to be fine tuned,thereby enabling the nanoscale crystal generation and a well-defined hierarchical system.The aqueous solution facilitates rapid nucleation kinetics,and the introduced modulator acts as a deprotonation agent to accelerate the deprotonation of the organic ligand as well as a structure-directing agent(SDA)to guide the formation of hierarchical networks.The assynthesized NH-MOFs(NH-ZIF-67)were assessed as efficient adsorbents and heterogeneous catalysts to facilitate the diffusion of guest molecules,outperforming the parent microZIF-67.This study focuses on understanding the NH-MOF growth rules,which could allow tailor-designing NH-MOFs for various functions.

Effects of Different Herbicides on Weed Control in Alfalfa Field

[Objectives]The paper was to systematically study the technology of weed control in alfalfa field.[Methods]Reviving alfalfa field and newly sown alfalfa field after emergence were selected,and the effects of different herbicides on weed control and alfalfa yield were discussed.[Results]The optimal herbicides after alfalfa reviving were 5%imazethapyr and 10%imazethapyr,and the optimal dosages were 1.5 and 1.05 L/hm 2,respectively.The optimal herbicides after emergence of newly born alfalfa were 5%imazethapyr and 10%imazethapyr,and the optimal dosages were 1.5 and 0.75 L/hm 2,respectively.[Conclusions]This study will provide a technical support for high quality production of alfalfa.

A nonsynonymous mutation in an acetolactate synthase gene (Gh_D10G1253) is required for tolerance to imidazolinone herbicides in cotton

Background Herbicide tolerance in crops enables them to survive when lethal doses of herbicides are applied to surrounding weeds.Herbicide-tolerant crops can be developed through transgenic approaches or traditional mutagenesis approaches.At present,no transgenic herbicide tolerant cotton have been commercialized in China due to the genetically-modified organism(GMO)regulation law.We aim to develop a non-transgenic herbicide-tolerant cotton through ethyl methanesulfonate(EMS)mutagenesis,offering an alternative choice for weed management.Results Seeds of an elite cotton cultivar Lumianyan 37(Lu37)were treated with EMS,and a mutant Lu37-1 showed strong tolerance to imidazolinone(IMI)herbicides was identified.A novel nonsynonymous substitution mutation Ser642Asn at acetolactate synthase(ALS)(Gh_D10G1253)in Lu37-1 mutant line was found to be the potential cause to the IMI herbicides tolerance in cotton.The Ser642Asn mutation in ALS did not present among the genomes of natural Gossypium species.Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence(CAPS)markers were developed to identify the ALS mutant allele.The Arabidopsis overexpressing the mutanted ALS also showed high tolerance to IMI herbicides.Conclusion The nonsynonymous substitution mutation Ser642Asn of the ALS gene Gh_D10G1253 is a novel identi-fied mutation in cotton.This substitution mutation has also been identified in the orthologous ALS genes in other crops.This mutant ALS allele can be used to develop IMI herbicide-tolerant crops via a non-transgenic or transgenic approach.

Water-Based Environmentally Friendly Pesticide Formulations Based on Cyclodextrin/Pesticide Loading System

Difenoconazole(DIF)is a representative variety of broad-spectrum triazole fungicides and liposoluble pesticides.However,the water solubility of DIF is so poor that its application is limited in plant protection.In addition,the conventional formulations of DIF always contain abundant organic solvents,which may cause pollution of the environment.In this study,two DIF/cyclodextrins(CDs)inclusion complexes(ICs)were successfully prepared,which were DIF/β-CD IC and DIF/hydroxypropyl-β-CD IC(DIF/HP-β-CD IC).The effect of cyclodextrins on the water solubility and the antifungal effect of liposoluble DIF pesticide were investigated.According to the phase solubility test,the molar ratio and apparent stability constant of ICs were obtained.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,thermal gravity analysis,X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used systematically to characterize the formation and characteristics of ICs.The results noted that DIF successfully entered the cavities of two CDs.In addition,the antifungal effect test proved the better performance of DIF/HP-β-CD IC,which exceeded that of DIF emulsifiable concentrate.Therefore,our study provides informative direction for the intelligent use of liposoluble pesticides with cyclodextrins to develop water-based environmentally friendly formulations.

Limiting Factors and Countermeasures for the Development of Biological Herbicides

This paper mainly analyzes the main limiting factors in the development of biological herbicides,such as narrow herbicidal spectrum,vulnerable to environmental impacts,difficulties in preparing dosage forms,difficult separation and low yield of active substances,biological safety,etc.Moreover,countermeasures and suggestions are put forward,including strengthening the study of biological screening of herbicidal activity,microbial metabolites and their use as lead compounds,dosage forms,fungi complex formulation,fungi and herbicide complex formulation,and fermentation technology.

Review and Analysis: Did the United States Transport, Off-Load and Use Commercial 2,4,5-T Herbicides with Unknown Amounts of Dioxin TCDD on Military Base Grounds in Panama Canal Zone between 1948 and 1999?

The 84 km Panama Canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans has historically been a strategic waterway for shipping and the location of United States (US) military bases. Since the construction of Lake Gatun reservoir, canal locks and navigation channel through the Isthmus of Panama tropical forests in the 1910s, chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides have been essential for controlling upland and wetland vegetation as well as managing mosquito-borne diseases. Chemicals and pesticides flowed into Lake Gatun via land surface runoff and subsurface drainage either attached to the sediment or in solution during the rainy season. Lake Gatun and the Panama Canal was the drinking water source for most of the civilian and military population living in the Panama Canal Zone. Between 1948 and 1999, US military base commanders had the ability to order, from the Federal Supply Catalog, commercially available herbicide 2,4,5-T with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD for use on the military base grounds in the Panama Canal Zone. The herbicide 2,4,5-T was transported to Panama Canal Zone ports, including the ports Cristobal on the Caribbean and Balboa on the Pacific, and distributed to the US military bases in Panama by rail or truck. The US National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for the Research on Cancer listed dioxin and TCDD as known human carcinogens. Dioxins are endocrine disrupters and can cause certain chloracne, cancers, developmental and reproductive effects. In 1985, the United States government banned the manufacture of the herbicide 2,4,5-T, with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD, after it was shown to cause cancer in animals. The objectives of this study are to determine: 1) the fate of dioxin TCDD, a contaminant in the herbicide 2,4,5-T, sprayed on the US military base vegetation in the Panama Canal Zone from 1948 to 1999, 2) the transport of dioxin TCDD rich sediment via soil erosion and overland flow into Lake Gatun and Panama Canal waterways and 3) the human health impacts of dioxin TCDD, a known carcinogen, on US military and Panamanian civilians exposed to dioxin TCDD in the Panama Canal Zone.

Research Progress on Plant Source Herbicide Adjuvants

As the important components of pesticide adjuvants, vegetable oil and its derivative adjuvants will be the focus of future development of herbicide adjuvants due to their superiority in good affinity with plants, strong biological degradability, few risk of damage, environrnental safety and ability to improve the weed control efficient. The research progress and application status of the plant source herbicide adjuvants were summarized, as well as the weeding enhancement mechanism and the effects on the environment and non-target organisms, and the existing problems and development trends were reviewed.

An Overview of Research on Microbial Herbicide

The development of microbial herbicide for weed control has been serious- ly regarded all over the world and has made rapid progress in recent years. This paper presents a comprehensive review on domestic and abroad research progress of microbial herbicide and mainly introduces the microbial herbicide products and mi- crobial sources with commercialization potential, and then proposes an outlook for their development tendency and application prospect.

Chemical Control of Herbicide Monosulfuron Plus Propazine 44% WP against Weeds in Millet Fields and Study on Factors Influencing Yield of Millet

[Objective] The paper was to resolve the poor efficacy or phytotoxicity problems in promotion of herbicide monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP. [Method] Using orthogonal test and Duncan＇s new multiple range statistical analysis with four factors four levels and three factors two levels, the effects of factors such as herbi- cide dose, irrigation water volume, quality of soil preparation and soil moisture content on chemical control of monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP against weeds and millet yield were compared in the test. [Result] Seven factors all had great impact on control effect of monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP against weeds, of which her- bicide dose, irrigation water volume, quality of soil preparation and soil moisture content were the most important factors affecting millet yield. According to millet yield and economic benefit, the optimal scheme to ensure safe, efficient and economic control of monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP against weeds was as follows： the dose of monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP was 1 800 g/hm2, the soil was treat- ed after sowing and before seedling emergence; the soil should be smooth and sol- id; the soil moisture should reach 15%; the fields should not be irrigated after herbi- cide application, and the damage of weeds in millet fields could be effectively con- trolled within 45 d during high efficacy duration, especially the damage of dicotyledonous weeds. [Conclusion] The study provided useful information for comprehensive technology of weeds control and ensuring high yield and good harvest of millet.

Control Effects of 3 Kinds of Herbicides against Weeds in Dogbane (Apocynum venetum) Field

[ Objective] The paper was to explore the control effects of 3 kinds of herbicides against weeds in dogbane （Apocynum venetum） field. [ Method ] Using haloxyfop-R-mithyl and quizalofop-ethyl EC specifically killing monagenns gramineous weeds and chipton specifically killing dicotyledonous broad-leaf weeds, the control test against weeds in 2-year-old dogbane field was carried out. [ Result ] Haloxyfop-R-mithyl had good control effect against gramincous weeds, and its control effect against both barnyard weed （ Echinochloa crusgalli） and green bristleweed （ Setaria viridis ） was greater than 35.0% ; the control effects of quizalofop- ethyl EC against barnyard weed and green bristleweed were 14.8% and 28.6%, respectively; chipt0n had good control effect against Chenopodium album, and the control effect reached 30.8%. Moreover, 3 herbicides did not cause damage to dogbane. [ Conclusion] The study provide theoretical basis for completing cultivation technique of dogbane.

Control Effect Evaluation of Herbicides for Malignant Weed Nut Grass in Sugarcane Field

In order to screen herbicides with ideal safety characteristics to control malignant weed nut grass in sugarcane field, 20% thifensulfuron methyl WP and 65% MCPA·ametryne·diuron WP were selected for the field efficacy trial. The results showed that 20% thifensulfuron methyl WP and 65% MCPA·ametryne·diuron WP had good control effect on nut grass. The optimum dosage of 20% thifensulfuron methyl WP and 65% MCPA.ametryne-diuron WP was 1 125 g/hm^2 （effective ingredients 225 g） and 3 150 g/hm^2 （effective ingredients 2 047.5 g）, respectively. These two herbicides should be dissolved in 675 kg water per hectare and applied in the vigorous growth period of nut grass （height 10-15 cm） with oriented stem leaf spraying. The control effect after 15 days could be above 87.9%.

Research Status of Amide Herbicides and Their Safeners

The widespread use of chemical herbicides especially amide herbicides has promoted the innovation of chemical weeding in farmland, but amide herbicides have brought invisible chemical injuries to crops in addition to weeding. Herbi-cidesafeners should be applied at the same time with herbicides to ensure herbi- cides will not injure crops while controlling weeds. The research and application of safeners is of great significance to resolving or alleviating the negative effects of herbicides on crop growth. The overview, mechanism, applied research progress and existing problems of amide herbicides and their safenars are summarized.