ALBERT

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume 283〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): 〈/p〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuai Zhao, Wanfen Pu, Mikhail A. Varfolomeev, Chengdong Yuan, Shan Qin, Liangliang Wang, Dmitrii A. Emelianov, Artashes A. Khachatrian〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Because the thermal release correlates directly with the success of in-situ combustion (ISC) technology, this research performs a series of investigations concerning thermal behavior and kinetics of heavy crude oil during combustion using high pressure differential scanning calorimetry (HP-DSC) and accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC). The results obtained from HP-DSC profiles indicated that for oil alone and its mixtures with quartz sand/crushed core, the peak temperature was lowered, and the heat flow increased with increasing oxygen partial pressure. The heat enthalpy of low temperature oxidation (LTO) was higher than that of high temperature oxidation (HTO) under oxygen partial pressures of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 MPa, and the increase in heat enthalpy of LTO with oxygen partial pressure was more pronounced than that of HTO. Unlike the crushed core, the addition of quartz sand delayed exothermic oxidation reactions. Compared with oil only and oil + quartz sand, the LTO and HTO peak temperatures of oil + crushed core were considerably lowered, and the effect of crushed core on increasing heat release for LTO at oxygen partial pressure of 1.5 MPa was more prominent. It was observed that the heat enthalpy of LTO and HTO increased quasi-linearly with the oxygen partial pressure in both the presence and absence of quartz sand/crushed core. ISC might be considered as an appropriate candidate for Jiqi block, based on exothermic continuity of the ARC curves, with the near-wellbore zone of target block heated to 180 °C where the exothermic oxidation activity is notably intensified. The kinetic results showed that the LTO and HTO intervals were divided into 6 and 2 subintervals, respectively, which facilitated more precise modelling of the ISC process.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zan Chen, Menglu Lin, Shuhua Wang, Shengnan Chen, Linsong Cheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Studies have shown that the gas huff and puff injection potentially perform better than the continuous gas flooding in enhancing the hydrocarbon recovery in the liquid rich tight reservoirs. During the fracturing stimulation, only part of the induced hydraulic fractures is propped because proppants cannot be carried to the fracture tips. Moreover, some secondary and tertiary fractures may be too narrow to accommodate any proppants. The conductivity of the unpropped fractures is highly dependent on the variation of the in-situ pressure and may be open and close periodically during the huff-n-puff cycles. In this study, the stress-dependent fracture conductivity and its impact on the produced gas huff-n-puff performance are investigated in a liquid rich tight reservoir, considering the existence of the large amount of the unpropped fractures. The experimental data of stress-dependent fracture conductivity is employed first to simulate the dynamic conductivity during the depletion and the gas huff and puff cycles. A reservoir model is then constructed and history-matched based on the reservoir fluid samples and the field production data collected from the Montney liquid rich tight reservoir in Western Canada. Performance of the produced gas huff-n-puff is examined in the targeted reservoir and results show that contributions of the unpropped fractures cannot be ignored, which leads to 7.8% more condensate (i.e., oil) production and 2.8% higher in barrel of oil equivalent (BOE), compared to the case with propped fractures only. The effects of complex fracture geometry and the cluster completion are also investigated and results show that the unpropped fracture contributions towards the condensate production and BOE are even more pronounced in the complicated scenarios. The condensate oil and BOE are 42.0% and 22.9% higher in complex fracture geometry case and 12.4% and 5.6% higher in the fractures with multiple clusters than those scenarios with propped fractures only. This paper provides a better understanding on the potential performance of enhanced hydrocarbons recovery in liquid rich tight gas reservoirs via gas huff-n-puff operations.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Abdelrahman Elkhateeb, Reza Rezaee, Ali Kadkhodaie〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Traditionally, prediction of facies and permeability for a reservoir rock was one of many challenges in the industry that necessitates advanced and sophisticated evaluation for effective reservoir description. Three wells have been studied in the Perth Basin in Western Australia across the shaly sand of the Irwin River Coal Measures Formation, which contain a comprehensive suite of advanced and conventional logs. Due to the reservoir heterogeneity and the clay distribution, it is very challenging to resolve the effective pore volume, the reservoir facies and how the high permeability zones are distributed within the formation.〈/p〉 〈p〉In this paper, a new technique has been successfully tested on the Shaly Sand by integrating the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and the conventional density log. The method allows the establishment of high-resolution facies classification for the reservoir using an Equivalent Flow Zone Indicator Index (EFZI). The studied core facies have been integrated with the EFZI into a new workflow to distribute facies on a larger scale in the uncored wells.〈/p〉 〈p〉Four hydraulic flow units (HFU) have been defined from one cored well using Flow Zone Indicator approach, with each has a unique FZI value and different permeability model based on core measurements. The EFZI-based high-resolution facies have been validated at several formation depths using the core thin sections to ensure the best calibration will be obtained for facies log, hence the permeability log-to-core match.〈/p〉 〈p〉The methodology will help running an advanced petrophysical analysis for the zone of interest and will reduce the parameters uncertainty. Application of this methodology in the uncored wells has shown very encouraging results, which is believed it can be used in the absence of any core data to resolve the rock typing from the well logs.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Atousa Heydari, Kiana Peyvandi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, the stainless steel mesh was used to study the effect of metallic porous media on the formation of methane hydrate and some parameters such as induction time, the kinetics growth and the mole of gas consumed have been investigated at a temperature of 3 °C (276.15 K) and a pressure of 760 psi (5.24Mpa). The metallic porous media was able to show better results on the methane hydrate formation relative to the silica gel. Hence the induction time and, eventually, the total time of the hydrate formation process decreased by about 60%. The kinetics growth and the amount of gas consumed increased significantly. Also, the effect of two types of anionic and nonionic surfactants as kinetics promoters studied in this porous media. The result of adding SDS and SDBS at a concentration near the CMC designated that the induction time lasted nearly zero and the total time of the process by SDBS was minimal. It should be noted that the non-ionic surfactant SPAN 80 could not have a positive effect on this porous media. In general, therefore, the results of this research attempts to show that the stainless steel mesh with SDBS possessed high potential in obtaining the industrial purpose of gas hydrate growth and also was significant in the field of energy storage and transport.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0920410519306473-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuaishuai Jiang, Xuehua Chen, Yingkai Qi, Wei Jiang, Jie Zhang, Zhenhua He〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The frequency-dependent attenuation and velocity dispersion of seismic responses are closely related to hydrocarbon reservoirs. To further investigate the characteristics of seismic responses caused by pore fluid-bearing reservoirs, the role of gas saturation is analyzed in seismic responses of sand reservoirs characterized by the patchy saturation model. To this end, a novel wave extrapolation method is developed based on the diffusive-viscous wave equation (DVWE) as well as a scheme for an extended local Rytov Fourier (ELRF) approximation within the extrapolation depth interval. Our proposed method considers the presence of fluid mixtures in the porous media, resulting in seismic attenuation and dispersion by the mechanism generally known as wave-induced fluid flow (WIFF). This method enables an accommodation for the lateral variations in slowness, diffusion coefficient and viscosity. Subsequently, the extrapolation is adopted to model the synthetic seismic data of a distributary channel model. During this modeling, a gas-water saturated sand reservoir embedded into one of the channels was used to comparatively analyze the distinct features on its seismic synthetic data. We exhibited the numerical simulation results using the proposed wave extrapolation method here and the traditional acoustic wave equation (AWE) method. A comparison of the simulation results, demonstrates that our proposed numerical method can depict the seismic dispersion and frequency-dependent attenuation as well as the phase delay effects associated with gas-water-saturated sand reservoirs. Furthermore, we compare the seismic responses by changing the gas saturations of the sand reservoir. The gas saturation of the reservoir has significant effects on the seismic characteristics of the numerical modeling data. The numerical modeling method improves our understanding of the mechanisms of seismic frequency-dependent characteristics associated with gas saturations and potentially contributes to better insights into gas reservoir indicators derived from seismic field data.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 449〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yili Guo, Han Y.H. Chen, Azim U. Mallik, Bin Wang, Dongxing Li, Wusheng Xiang, Xiankun Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Litterfall production is a major contributor to ecosystem net primary productivity and biogeochemical cycles. However, how various abiotic and biotic drivers influence litterfall production in heterogeneous natural forests is still debated. We used structural equation models (SEM) to test the direct and indirect effects of tree species diversity, tree diameter variation, stand basal area, and abiotic drivers (canopy exposure, elevation, slope, convexity, aspect, topographic wetness index and altitude above channel) on annual litterfall production in a heterogeneous tropical karst seasonal rainforest in Southern China. The SEM with tree species diversity, tree diameter variation, stand basal area, and abiotic drivers accounted for 43.4% of the variation in annual litterfall production. Tree species diversity and stand basal area had positive direct effects, while tree diameter variation had a negative direct effect on annual litterfall production. Tree species diversity had no significant effect on tree diameter variation nor stand basal area. Both annual litterfall production and tree species diversity decreased directly with water availability, while canopy exposure positively affected annual litterfall production but not tree species diversity. Our results indicate that the positive relationship between tree species diversity and litterfall production did not result from the effects of species diversity on canopy packing; instead, it appears that increasing soil water availability simultaneously reduce tree species diversity and annual litterfall production in the tropical karst seasonal rainforest.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 353〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jingzhe Wang, Jianli Ding, Danlin Yu, Xuankai Ma, Zipeng Zhang, Xiangyu Ge, Dexiong Teng, Xiaohang Li, Jing Liang, Ivan Lizaga, Xiangyue Chen, Lin Yuan, Yahui Guo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Soil salinization is one of the most important causes for land degradation and desertification and is an important threat to land management, farming activities, water quality, and sustainable development in arid and semi-arid areas. Soil salinization is often characterized with significant spatiotemporal dynamics. The salt-affected soil is predominant in the Ebinur Lake region in the Northwestern China. However, detailed local soil salinity information is ambiguous at the best due to limited monitoring techniques. Nowadays, the availability of Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) onboard Sentinel-2, offers unprecedented perspectives for the monitoring and mapping of soil salinity. The use of MSI data is an innovative attempt for salinity detection in arid land. We hypothesize that field observations and MSI data and MSI data-derived spectral indices using the partial least square regression (PLSR) approach will yield fairly accurate regional salinity map. Based on electrical conductivity of 1:5 soil:water extract (EC) of 72 ground-truth measurements (out of 116 sample sites) and various spectral parameters, such as satellite band reflectance, published satellite salinity indices, red-edge indices, newly constructed two-band indices, and three-band indices from MSI data, we built a few inversion models in an attempt to produce the regional salinity maps. Different algorithms including Pearson correlation coefficient method (PCC), variable importance in projection (VIP), Gray relational analysis (GRA), and random forest (RF) were applied for variable selection. The results suggest that both the newly proposed normalized difference index (NDI) [(B12 − B7) / (B12 + B7)] and three-band index (TBI4) [(B12 − B3) / (B3 − B11)] show a better correlation with validation data and could be applied to estimate the soil salinity in the Ebinur Lake region. The established models were validated using the remaining 44 independent ground-based measurements. The RF-PLSR model performed the best across the five models with R〈sup〉2〈/sup〉〈sub〉V〈/sub〉, RMSE〈sub〉V〈/sub〉, and RPD of 0.92, 7.58 dS m〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, and 2.36, respectively. The result from this model was then used to map the soil salinity over the study area. Our analyses suggest that soil salinization changes quite significantly in different seasons. Specifically, soil salinity in the dry season was higher than in the wet season, mostly in the lake area and nearby shores. We contend that the results from the study will be useful for soil salinization monitoring and land reclamation in arid or semi-arid regions outside the current study area.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Ultramicroscopy, Volume 206〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): P. Kükelhan, T. Hepp, S. Firoozabadi, A. Beyer, K. Volz〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is a powerful tool for the characterization of nano-materials. Absolute composition determination for ternary III–V semiconductors by direct comparison of experiment and simulation is well established. Here, we show a method to determine the composition of quaternary III–V semiconductors with two elements on each sub lattice from the intensities of one STEM image. As an example, this is applied to (GaIn)(AsBi). The feasibility of the method is shown in a simulation study that also explores the influence of detector angles and specimen thickness. Additionally, the method is applied to an experimental STEM image of a (GaIn)(AsBi) quantum well grown by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy. The obtained concentrations are in good agreement with X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence results.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 127〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuping Zhang, Shuguang Zhu, Houlei Zhang, Xinzhi Liu, Huiyan Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Effect of combined pretreatment on the mechanism of pyrolysis behavior and pyrolysis products (bio-oil, non-condensable gas and char) of rice husk was investigated using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor. A coupling method combining iso-conversional method and model-fitting method was used to obtain the pyrolysis kinetic parameter. Pyrolysis kinetics results indicated that activation energy (〈em〉E〈/em〉) gradually increased with the increase of conversion rate (〈em〉α〈/em〉), which was due to the differences in thermal stability of biomass components. Acid washing pretreatment slightly increased the average activation energy (〈em〉E〈/em〉〈sub〉a〈/sub〉), and then subsequent torrefaction process further increased it. The entire pyrolysis reaction process of all the rice husk samples can be described by the reaction-order model. In addition, a laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor was used to investigate the yields and detailed characteristics of pyrolysis products. The results suggested that phenols and sugars contents in bio-oil increased, while that of small-molecule components with high thermal instability decreased, which was favor for the storage and subsequent utilization of bio-oil. Rice husk char obtained from pyrolysis also has the potential for preparation of silica products. We concluded that combined pretreatment of washing and torrefaction significantly improved the thermochemical utilization potential of rice husk for fuels and chemicals by pyrolysis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0961953419302429-fx1.jpg" width="307" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Soil Ecology, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kobayashi Makoto, Semyon V. Bryanin, Kentaro Takagi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Due to spring climate warming, snowpack has been decreasing and the snowmelt timing has simultaneously been advancing in the cool-temperate forests of northern Japan. To investigate the effect of advancing snowmelt at the end of the snow season on soil nitrogen dynamics via overwintering earthworms, we conducted a snow removal field experiment at the end of the snow season using mesocosms with and without earthworms. In this study, the differences in the effect of snow removal on soil nitrogen according to the presence/absence and body size of 〈em〉Eisenia japonica〈/em〉 were also tested in both early spring (April) and late spring (May). The snow removal did not influence the survival rate, body weight, or cast production of 〈em〉E. japonica〈/em〉. In early spring, while the snow removal increased nitrification significantly by 61%, the effect of snow removal was similar irrespective of the earthworm treatments. This indicates that neither the presence of earthworms nor earthworm body size influences the effect of snow reductions at the end of the snow season on the soil nitrogen dynamics in early spring. On the other hand, in late spring, snow removal no longer had a significant effect on soil nitrogen dynamics, while ammonification and nitrification significantly increased by 195% and by 50%, respectively, in the mesocosms with adult earthworms compared to the mesocosms without 〈em〉E. japonica〈/em〉 earthworms. These findings indicate that the effects of snow decrease and the simultaneous advancement of snowmelt timing at the end of the snow season on soil nitrogen appear only just after snowmelt; alternatively, the effect of earthworm body size on soil nitrogen dynamics is predominant in late spring in snowy cool-temperate forests.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume 284〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sébastien Boinot, Guillaume Fried, Jonathan Storkey, Helen Metcalfe, Karim Barkaoui, Pierre-Éric Lauri, Delphine Mézière〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Alley cropping agroforestry is a land use practice in which arable crops are grown between tree rows. In such agroforestry systems, non-crop herbaceous vegetation develops on the tree rows, resulting in understory vegetation strips (UVS). UVS are perceived both as reservoirs for weeds and opportunities for biodiversity conservation. The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of UVS to (i) plant spillover and (ii) plant diversity conservation, depending on their functional structure and the farming system. Vegetation surveys were carried out in May 2017 in South-Western France over 16 winter cereal fields (8 alley cropping agroforestry systems and 8 pure crop controls), half under conventional farming and half under organic farming. Using data on plant functional traits related to dispersal strategies and response to agricultural disturbances, we explained the mechanisms involved in plant spillover between habitats. The study revealed that very few species were able to disperse far into crop alleys, except perennial species producing rhizomes and stolons whose spread has been favored by tillage. The presence of UVS in agroforestry fields did not increase weed-crop ratio (i.e. weed coverage / weed and crop coverage) in adjacent crop alleys. On the other hand, UVS harbored richer and more abundant floras (with high proportions of species rarely found in arable habitats) compared to crop alleys and pure crop controls, especially under conventional farming. The functional approach provided insights for weed management in alley cropping agroforestry systems in order to optimize plant diversity conservation without increasing weed-crop ratio. This study showed the relevance of using the functional approach to understand the mechanisms behind plant spillover in cropping systems that integrate semi-natural habitats.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jingyi Zhu, Zhaozhong Yang, Xiaogang Li, Zhichao Song, Ziwei Liu, Shiyi Xie〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Liquid foam is an alternative to water-based fracturing fluid due to its great proppant suspension ability. In this work, theoretical and experimental investigations on the settling behavior of the proppants in viscoelastic foams were analyzed on bubble scale. Settling trajectory was captured over time by optical microscope to calculate proppant settling velocity. At room temperature, proppants kept suspended well, but noticeable changes in proppant position could be observed at 70 °C. We concluded that the sedimentation of the proppants at high temperature was divided into three stages, that were drainage-dominated, structure-dominated and fluid-dominated regimes. For the large proppants, quick settling velocity was seen at first due to fast drainage rate. Then bubble pressure force and network force served as drag force exerting on the proppants when the proppants stretched or squeezed the liquid films. During this regime, bubble distribution, the existence of nodes, the length and the orientation of Plateau border leaded to the fluctuation in settling velocity. Lastly, the proppants would also flow freely along Plateau border over time, and the properties of the foam fluid such as viscosity and elasticity provided the drag force to prevent the proppants from settling. It's more likely for small proppants to change to this stage called fluid-dominated regime, but elasticity also guaranteed their low settling velocity. Moreover, in the existence of proppants, the analysis into drainage rate and bubble structure demonstrated the high stability of viscoelastic foams. These results helped understand the sedimentation of proppants in wet foams and broadened the application of viscoelastic foams in hydraulic fracturing.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhong-Zhen Chen, Hong-Ze Gang, Jin-Feng Liu, Bo-Zhong Mu, Shi-Zhong Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A thermal-stable and salt-tolerant biobased zwitterionic surfactant 〈em〉N, N〈/em〉-Dimethyl-〈em〉N〈/em〉-[2-hydroxy-3-sulfo-propyl]-〈em〉N〈/em〉′-phenyloctadecanoyl-1, 3-diaminopropane (SPODP) was successfully obtained from modification of oleic acids which can be regenerated from waste cooking oils, and its structure was characterized using GC-MS, ESI-MS and 〈sup〉1〈/sup〉H NMR approaches. The biobased zwitterionic surfactant demonstrated a strong interfacial activity at high salinity and high temperature conditions at a very low surfactant dosage in formation brine. The ultralow interfacial tension (≤10〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 mN/m) between crude oil and brine was reached at 0.5 g/L in brine with a wide range compatibility of NaCl up to saturation, Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 up to 500 mg/L, and temperature up to 95 °C. Meanwhile, it also exhibited strong wetting ability and resistance against adsorption on sands. All the results from this study suggest that the biobased zwitterionic surfactant is promising over varieties of traditional surfactants in applications in alkali free systems in enhanced oil recovery (EOR).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume 284〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Daria Dadam, Gavin M. Siriwardena〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Agri-environment schemes (AESs) have shown mixed success across Europe in terms of meeting environmental targets. Tir Gofal, the first widespread AES in Wales, ran from 1999 to 2013. Here we test the effects of its options on bird population growth rates, using the annual BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Using over 400 1-km BBS squares, we applied a log-linear analytical approach that models the average change in expected abundance of individual species between consecutive years, testing the effects of spatio-temporal covariates (here, local quantities of Tir Gofal management and appropriate controls). Management options within the scheme were grouped according to their intended mode of impact on birds and commonalities in the habitat changes that they describe. Overall, 28/97 tests conducted produced positive results, and only four negative ones, a pattern that was also found among priority species alone (14 and two of 58 tests, respectively), involving eight of 17 priority species in Wales. Out of the ten groups of options considered, those concerning woodland, scrub and hedgerows were the most successful, each showing a predominance of positive effects across the bird species tested. Arable and grassland open-field options produced some positive effects, but failed to deliver detectable benefits for priority species, with wet grassland and waders being a particular gap. The non-significant effects found may reflect low analytical power, confounded option and landscape variation or failures of those options to address the key factors limiting species’ populations. Overall, however, this study provides good evidence that Tir Gofal had positive effects on many target bird populations in Wales, showing that the scheme contributed positively to key conservation policy targets, even if significant effects were not detectable on all such species.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 449〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Paulo Cañete-Salinas, Francisco Zamudio, Marco Yáñez, Javier Gyenge, Héctor Valdés, Cristian Espinosa, Francisco Jara-Rojas, Jaime Venegas, Luis Retamal, César Acevedo-Opazo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Water is the main limiting factor for poplar plantations in the Mediterranean zone of central Chile. Overall, water requirements in these plantations may be estimated using climatic and soil moisture data. However, irrigation strategies can be improved if growth and plant water status are considered. The aim of this study was to assess the growth (diameter increments) and leaf-level physiology (xylem water potential (Ψ〈sub〉x〈/sub〉) and stomatal conductance (g〈sub〉s〈/sub〉)) responses of two 〈em〉Populus × canadensis〈/em〉 clones (‘I-214’ and ‘I-488’) to different irrigation frequencies. The study was carried out during three growing seasons in commercial plantations located in the Maule Region, central Chile. Three irrigation frequencies were evaluated: an over-irrigation frequency (21 days) (T1); a standard irrigation frequency used operationally in the area (28 days) (T2) and a deficit irrigation frequency (35 days) (T3), while the watering time was held constant for all treatments. Although both clones belong to the same interspecific cross, they differed in their growth and physiological responses to water deficit. Compared with ‘I-214’, ‘I-488’ was more sensitive to lower irrigation frequencies (higher water restriction), which decreased the diameter increments, the water potential and stomatal conductance. The results suggest that the use of physiological and climatic information may improve water management on commercial poplar plantations.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 353〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Roozbeh Moazenzadeh, Babak Mohammadi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Root zone temperature is one of the most important soil characteristics, controlling many of the physical, chemical and biological processes in the soil. Temperature varies by soil depth, and exerts a profound impact on plant germination and growth. In this study, the accuracy of two artificial intelligence models including support vector regression (SVR) and elman neural network (ENN) and their hybrids with firefly algorithm (SVR-FA and ENN-FA) and krill herd algorithm (SVR-KHA and ENN-KHA) was assessed in estimating soil temperature (Ts) at 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 cm depths at Maragheh meteorological station in north-western Iran. The results of the models were evaluated under 5 scenarios with various inputs including the main meteorological parameters measured at the station (air temperature, sunshine hours, relative humidity, wind speed and saturation vapour pressure deficit). Daily Ts data recorded from January 1, 2006 to December 30, 2012 and from January 1, 2013 to December 30, 2015 were used for model training and testing, respectively. The results showed that error rates have decreased from 5 to 10 cm soil depth (root mean square error (RMSE) reduced by 2.97, 4.68 and 3.19% for the best scenarios of SVR, SVR-FA and SVR-KHA models, respectively), whereas error rates have been increasing from 10 to 100 cm soil depths (RMSE increased by 62.4, 80.9 and 73.6% for the best scenarios of SVR, SVR-FA and SVR-KHA models, respectively). For the best scenarios of ENN, ENN-FA and ENN-KHA models, RMSE values decreased by 2.1, 1.6 and 3.1% from 5 to 10 cm depth and increased by 61.1, 84.1 and 81.1% from 10 to 100 cm depth, so that all six models reached their best performance at 10 cm soil depth. Examination of the results in terms of under-estimation or over-estimation of Ts indicated that the lowest and highest differences in performance between under- and over-estimation sets were 0.01 °C (SVR-FA at 5 cm depth) and 1.64 °C (SVR at 100 cm depth) for SVR-based models and 0 °C (ENN at 10 cm depth) and 0.56 °C (ENN at 100 cm depth) for ELM-based models, respectively. According to the results from the best scenarios of SVR, SVR-FA and SVR-KHA models in the under-estimation set at 100 cm depth, all the three models have exhibited a poorer performance over the temperature range 15–25 °C (RMSE increased by 56.7, 47 and 61.3% for SVR, SVR-FA and SVR-KHA, respectively) compared to temperature values outside that range. Exactly the same trend was also observed for ELM-based models, where the mentioned increases in RMSE were about 37.7, 59.4 and 55.5% for ELM, ELM-FA and ELM-KHA, respectively. According to the results, bio-inspired metaheuristic optimisation algorithms based on SVR and ENN which use appropriate meteorological parameters as inputs can have a relatively satisfactory performance in estimating Ts under climatic conditions similar to our study area, especially in lower depths, and can be used as an alternative to direct measurement of this important parameter.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Volume 92〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yang Hu, Wei-Chao Chen, Yu-Feng Shen, Bin Zhu, Gao-Xue Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Viral diseases in aquaculture were challenging because there are few preventative measures and/or treatments. Our previous study indicated that imidazole arctigenin derivatives possessed antiviral activities against infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Based on the structure-activity relationship in that study, a new imidazole arctigenin derivative, 4-(8-(2-ethylimidazole)octyloxy)-arctigenin (EOA), was designed, synthesized and its anti-IHNV activity was evaluated. By comparing inhibitory concentration at half-maximal activity (IC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉), we found that EOA (IC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 = 0.56 mg/L) possessed a higher antiviral activity than those imidazole arctigenin derivatives in our previous study. Besides, EOA could significantly decrease cytopathic effect (CPE) and viral titer induced by IHNV in epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells. In addition, EOA significantly inhibited apoptosis induced by IHNV in EPC cells. Further data verified that EOA inhibited IHNV replication in rainbow trout, with reducing 32.0% mortality of IHNV-infected fish. The results suggested that EOA was more stable with a prolonged inhibitory half-life in the early stage of virus infection (1–4 days). Consistent with above results, EOA repressed IHNV glycoprotein gene expression in virus sensitive tissues (kidney and spleen) in the early stage of virus infection. Moreover, histopathological evaluation showed that tissues from the spleen and kidney of fish infected with IHNV exhibited pathological changes. But there were no lesions in any of the tissues from the control group and EOA-treaten group. In accordance with the histopathological assay, EOA could elicited anti-inflammation response in non-viral infected rainbow trout by down-regulating the expression of cytokine genes (〈em〉IL-8〈/em〉, 〈em〉IL-12p40〈/em〉, and 〈em〉TNF-α〈/em〉). Altogether, EOA was expected to be a therapeutic agent against IHNV infection in the field of aquaculture.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Volume 92〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Junjun He, Haiying Liang, Jiaping Zhu, Xiaochen Fang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Antibacterial peptides (AMPs) constitute an important part of the body's innate immune system and are responsible for a wide range of inhibitory effects against pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In this study, multi-step high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), combined with Mass Spectrometry (MS), was used to isolate and identify proteins with antibacterial activity from the serum of 〈em〉Pinctada fucata martensii〈/em〉 (〈em〉P.f. Martensii〈/em〉) and obtain a component named 〈em〉P.f. Martensii〈/em〉 antimicrobial peptide-1 (PmAMP-1). 〈em〉PmAMP-1〈/em〉 cDNA was cloned and sequenced by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and mRNA expression of was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). From the results of this study, full-length 〈em〉PmAMP-1 c〈/em〉DNA was shown to be 700 base pairs (bp) long with an open reading frame (ORF) of 294 bp, encoding 97 amino acids with a predicted structure that is mostly α-helices. 〈em〉PmAMP-〈/em〉1 mRNA was constitutively expressed in all tested tissues including the adductor muscle, mantle, hepatopancreas, gill, gonads and hemocytes. The highest level of 〈em〉PmAMP-〈/em〉1 transcription was observed at 8 h and 2 h after bacterial challenge in hemocytes and adductor muscle (p 〈 0.01), respectively. Furthermore, PmAMP-1 caused significant morphological alterations in 〈em〉E. coli,〈/em〉 as shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results from this study provide a valuable base for further exploration of molluscan innate immunity and immune response.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhihua Wang, Ye Bai, Hongqi Zhang, Yang Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Waxy crude oil emulsions exhibit gelation behavior, with nucleation observed within a certain temperature range. A kinetic model was developed and validated based on the thermal parameters obtained from differential scanning calorimetry cooling thermograms, and the nucleation rates of various water-in-waxy crude oil emulsions were determined in the temperature range in which gelation occurs. Although temperature had a dominant effect on the gelation and nucleation behavior of waxy crude oil emulsions, the nucleation rate also increased as the water volume fraction in the emulsion increased. Emulsified water droplets with smaller radii can be completely covered by wax particles, inducing a greater nucleation rate. Subjecting the emulsions to a greater shearing strength also increased the nucleation rate. This study provided new insights into the nucleation processes that occur during the formation of waxy crude oil emulsion gels and, in particular, the role of the emulsification properties.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0920410519306424-fx1.jpg" width="496" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 5 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Radiation Measurements〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hui-Yu Tsai, Hsin-Yu Chen, Ming-Wei Lee, Ze Wang, Sheng-Pin Tseng, Ji-Hong Hong, Meei-Ling Jan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Prompt-gamma Compton imaging (PGCI) has been presented as a promising 〈em〉in-vivo〈/em〉 method for proton range verification. An accurate estimation of the Bragg-peak position can potentially be achieved by imaging high-energy prompt-gamma rays (in the range of several MeV). Therefore, scintillation detectors with thick and high Z crystals are mostly used as Compton absorbers for high-energy gamma-ray detection. However, an absorber using thick crystals degrades the angular resolution unless the absorber can provide continuous depth-of-interaction (DOI) measurement. The study investigated various detector configurations using thick crystals for developing a Compton absorber with DOI resolving capability without compromising energy performance. Two groups of lutetium yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) with dimensions of 1.8 × 1.8 × 50 mm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉 and 1.8 × 1.8 × 20 mm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉 LYSO arrays, and each with four different surface treatments (combining crystal surface finishing and type of reflector coverage), were constructed for the study. The DOI detector utilized the dual-ended readout of pixelated scintillator arrays for depth encoding. The results revealed that the influences of type of the reflector coverage and crystal surface roughness on the performance of the DOI detectors for the 50- and 20-mm-thick LYSO differed greatly. Moreover, the combined use of the proposed partial inter-crystal reflector coverage and the unpolished surface finishing on the 50-mm-thick crystals were shown to improve the DOI resolution without compromising the energy performance but degraded the flood map quality. These results provide useful guidance for selecting an applicable Compton DOI absorber design for developing a high-performance PGCI system.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ulf Jakob F. Aarsnes, Nathan van de Wouw〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The present paper studies the effect of an axial elastic tool (known as a shock sub), mounted downhole in the drill-string, on the occurrence of axial and torsional self-excited vibrations. In particular, we evaluate the feasibility of stabilizing the axial dynamics, dominated by a bilateral (feedback) coupling between the bit-rock interaction and the drill-string wave-equations, through the insertion of a passive down-hole tool. We consider the problem of unwanted drill-string vibrations and explain how these vibrations relate to the so-called axial instability using a distributed parameter (infinite dimensional) model. The equations describing the feedback system causing this instability are derived and then extended to accommodate for the inclusion of the effect of the shock sub. Conditions for the design parameters of the shock sub needed to avoid axial instability are then derived and their practical feasibility are considered.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): S. Mohammadi, M. Papa, E. Pereyra, C. Sarica〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Mechanistic modeling is one of the most popular approaches for the prediction of flow pattern, pressure gradient and liquid holdup in multiphase flow problems. Mechanistic models utilize the mass and momentum conservative equations in combination with a set of closure relationships. These closures, which are developed based on specific experimental setups, considerably affect the performance of the mechanistic models. Moreover, new closure relationships continue to be developed to improve the current mechanistic models. Thus, there is a need for a tool that allows the selection of a set of closure relationships for a given set of conditions. In this direction, this paper presents a methodology that relies on a genetic algorithm to search and select a set of closure relationships for a given experimental (field data) that minimize the error between measured and predicted pressure gradient. The results show the applying the genetic algorithm can improve the performance of the mechanistic model by about 277% when compared to selections of closure relationships made by a subject matter expert for the given data set.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 353〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lingfei Yu, Yue Chen, Wenjuan Sun, Yao Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Globally, excessive grazing is identified as one of the key disturbances leading to grassland degradation and soil carbon (C) loss. Grazing exclusion has been proposed as an effective practice to restore degraded grasslands and to promote C sequestration. However, there is still little knowledge about how soil C changes with grazing exclusion in high-altitude alpine ecosystems with very cold climates. We synthesized data from 63 sites in the literature and 15 sites in a field sampling and investigated the dynamics of soil C stocks following grazing exclusion in alpine grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that the soil C stock increased with grazing exclusion at most sites, with average C sequestration rates of 0.84, 0.58, and 0.49 Mg ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 yr〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 in the soil layers of 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm, respectively. Based on these results, if 60 million ha of the grasslands on Tibetan Plateau were excluded from grazing livestock by 2020 according to the national plan, then approximately 0.11 Pg C yr〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 would be sequestered in the soil which equates to about 4.4% of fossil fuel and cement CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 emissions in China in 2013. Generally, the rates of soil C increase exhibited a declining pattern with increasing years of grazing exclusion, with a significant decrease occurring after ten years of grazing exclusion. Of the factors examined, the rates of absolute and relative soil C change were both positively related to mean annual precipitation but negatively related to the year of grazing exclusion and initial soil C stock, respectively. The rates of soil C changes increased linearly with those of N change, and no matter how soil C changed (whether it increased or decreased), soil C:N ratios remained stable over the years of grazing exclusion. Our results implied that grazing exclusion is beneficial for soil C sequestration in degraded alpine grassland, especially in humid areas. Moreover, the intrinsic increase in N could keep up with the pace of soil C changes and would sustain soil C sequestration during the recovery process.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 353〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Thomas P. D'Avello, William J. Waltman, Sharon W. Waltman, James A. Thompson, Joseph Brennan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We examine the climatic record of the conterminous United States from 1895 to 2014 as expressed through the PRISM dataset and the jNewhall model. Specifically, the zero line of the Annual Water Balance (AWB) and the respective oscillation zone through its longitudinal extent is examined. The zero line corresponds to the Pedocal/Pedalfer line defined by C.F. Marbut, considered outdated in current pedological circles, but conceptually powerful in denoting regional negative vs. positive AWB. Soil Moisture Regimes are reviewed and a means of expressing Soil Moisture Regime variability is introduced. Results indicate a difference in the width of the AWB oscillation zone from South to North with a demarcation approximating 40 degrees North Latitude. PRISM data is verified from a select set of National Weather Service station data to assess the utility of using readily accessible PRISM data for performing similar work by others. The effect of climate variables on organic carbon (OC) stock and depth of maximum Calcium Carbonate concentration is examined for a suite of soils along a climo-sequence from North Dakota to Central Iowa and found to account for a mild amount of the variability of both variables.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 127〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yunna Wu, Yudong Yan, Shiman Wang, Fangtong Liu, Chuanbo Xu, Ting Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Location decision of agroforestry biomass cogeneration (AFBC) project belongs to macro site selection, which is an important task in the pre-project planning stage and directly affects the subsequent economic benefits of the project. However, there are few studies on the site selection of biomass cogeneration projects. And the existing research equates the site selection of biomass cogeneration projects with that of biomass power generation projects, without distinguishing between the two, which is unreasonable. Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a location decision framework for the AFBC project based on multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) method. Firstly, a special evaluation criteria system is constructed for the location decision of the AFBC project, which includes three main criteria consisting of social needs, resource supply and economic factors, as well as 11 sub-criteria. Then, considering the strong independence of the criteria in the AFBC project location decision, the subjective and objective weights are determined by best-worst method (BWM) and entropy method respectively. And then multiplicative integration method is applied to calculate the comprehensive weights of the criteria to ensure the rationality. Afterwards, Multi-Attributive Border Approximation area Comparison (MABAC) method is used to rank alternative locations and select the optimal. Finally, a case from Hebei Province of China is illustrated to verify the feasibility and validity of this location decision framework in practical applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume 284〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Na Guo, A. Allan Degen, Bin Deng, Fuyu Shi, Yanfu Bai, Tao Zhang, Ruijun Long, Zhanhuan Shang〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Understanding the changes in vegetation parameters and soil nutrients in the different stages of grasslands degradation and recovery is crucial for assessing and restoring degraded grasslands. Consequently, we determined above-ground vegetation and soil C, N and P concentrations and their stoichiometry in different degradation and recovery stages on the Tibetan Plateau. Four degradation succession stages, GKC: Grass-〈em〉Kobresia〈/em〉 community, KHC: 〈em〉Kobresia humilis〈/em〉 community, KPC: 〈em〉Kobr〈/em〉esia 〈em〉pygmaea〈/em〉 community, and FBC: forbs - black soil beach community, and three recovery succession stages, FG: freely grazed, RG: restricted grazed, and NG: non-grazed, were identified. Above-ground biomass and vegetation coverage decreased with degradation succession and there was a concomitant shift of plant functional groups to more above-ground biomass of forbs and less biomass of grasses and sedges. The highest species diversity emerged in the 〈em〉K. pygmaea〈/em〉 succession stage, mainly due to an influx of Compositae. Significant differences in soil total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations occurred in the 0–10 and 10–20 cm layers among degradation successions. Vegetation cover, above-ground biomass, soil TN and SOC, as well as C:N and C:P ratios increased in non-grazed grasslands when compared to grazed grasslands. Soil TN, TP and SOC concentrations decreased with increasing soil depths across all degradation and recovery successions. In addition, soil nutrients and their stoichiometry were affected by above-ground biomass. We concluded that grazing exclusion could improve the above-ground vegetation and soil nutrients of degraded alpine grasslands, but that the rate of recovery was related to the degree of degradation.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume 284〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Caroline K. Bosire, Elizaphan James Oburu Rao, Voster Muchenje, Mark Van Wijk, Joseph O. Ogutu, Mesfin M. Mekonnen, Joseph Onam Auma, Ben Lukuyu, James Hammond〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Dairy intensification is a widely used means of achieving food security, improving farmer incomes and enhancing overall economic growth. However, intensification is dependent upon the availability and suitability of natural resources to sustain growth in production. Here, land and water footprints of milk production in three contrasting agro-ecological zones ranging from humid to semi-arid across nine counties of Kenya are quantified. Water and land use footprints across three potential intensification pathways are also outlined and evaluated against the baseline scenario, the currently prevailing practices or the S1 Futures scenario, treated as the benchmark. Intensification pathways focusing on improving livestock breeds, feed provisioning and milk output per cow and distinguished by contrasting management practices perform differentially across the three agro-ecological zones. Total water and land footprints increase for all scenarios relative to the baseline scenario. In particular, all the breed improvement scenarios, have much larger total water footprints than the baseline scenario. Improvement in breed to pure bred cattle across all production systems has the largest total water footprint across all the production systems. Across all the scenarios, the largest reduction in water footprint of milk production (75%) occurs with improvement in breed and feeding practices from two scenarios in the lowlands. Milk production by the cross-bred cattle is most efficient in the lowlands system whereas milk production by the pure breed Ayrshire is most land use efficient in the midlands system. Across the three agroecological zones, improving breeds, feed provisioning and milk production per cow may achieve production intensification but concurrently exacerbates resource limitation. Consequently, the heterogeneity inherent in resource availability across dairy production zones should be considered when developing strategies for increasing dairy production.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Volume 92〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bin Zhong, Zeyin Jiang, Zhenhuang Chen, Kazue Ishihara, Huilin Mao, Shanghong Wang, Gang Lin, Chengyu Hu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Recently, studies have shown that IκB kinase β (IKKβ), a critical kinase in the nucleus factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway, participates in inflammatory responses associated with unfolded protein response (UPR) and plays an important role in ER stress-induced cell death. The unfolded protein response (UPR), which is a regulatory system to restore cellular homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), such as oxidative stress, bacterial infection, and virus invasion. The UPR pathways have been reported to be involved in immune responses in mammals, including the classical NF-κB pathway. However, the molecular mechanism of their crosstalk remains to be elucidated. Previously, we demonstrated that IKKβ also has some conserved functions between fish and human, as grass carp (〈em〉Ctenopharyngodon idella〈/em〉) IKKβ (CiIKKβ) can activate NF-κB pathway. In this study, we found that CiIKKβ level in nucleus was elevated under ER stress and CiIKKβ can interact with grass carp X-box-binding protein 1 (CiXBP1S), a key transcription factor in UPR. Consistently, fluorescent histochemical analysis of grass carp kidney (CIK) cells indicated that CiIKKβ and CiXBP1S colocalized under ER stress. Furthermore, overexpression of CiIKKβ in CIK cells enhanced ER stress tolerance by regulating UPR signaling and resulted in the significant increase of cell viability.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Volume 92〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lu-Yun Ni, Qing Han, Hong-Ping Chen, Xiao-Chun Luo, An-Xing Li, Xue-Ming Dan, Yan-Wei Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Macrophage expressed gene 1 (Mpeg1) is a molecule that can form pores and destroy the cell membrane of invading pathogens. In this study, we identified two Mpeg1 isoforms from the orange-spotted grouper (〈em〉Epinephelus coioides〈/em〉) and named them EcMpeg1a and EcMpeg1b. Predicted proteins of the two EcMpeg1s contained a signal peptide, a conserved membrane attack complex/perforin (MACPF) domain, a transmembrane segment, and an intracellular region. Sequence alignment demonstrated that two EcMpeg1 proteins share a high sequence identity with that of other teleosts. Tissue distribution analysis showed that EcMpeg1s were expressed in all tissues tested in healthy grouper, with the highest expression in the head kidney and spleen. After infection with the ciliate parasite 〈em〉Cryptocaryon irritans〈/em〉, expression of the two EcMpeg1s was significantly upregulated in the spleen and gills. Furthermore, the recombinant EcMpeg1a showed antiparasitic and antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and -positive bacteria, whereas EcMpeg1b had an inhibitory effect only against Gram-positive bacteria. These results indicated that EcMpeg1s play an important role in the host response against invading pathogens.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Soil and Tillage Research, Volume 194〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kathryn L Page, Yash P. Dang, Ram C. Dalal, Steven Reeves, Greg Thomas, Weijin Wang, John P. Thompson〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉No-tillage (NT) has been widely adopted to assist in reducing soil erosion, lowering fuel costs, conserving soil water and promoting soil health. However, NT may also have a negative effect on yield depending on season and conditions due to inadequate weed/disease control, nutrient stratification and/or decreased soil temperatures. Therefore, to fully assess its impact, long-term studies are required to monitor changes over time. This study reports on the long-term effect of NT on crop yield and profitability (primarily for wheat, 〈em〉Triticum aestivum〈/em〉 L.) using results from an experiment that has been running for 50 years in a semiarid subtropical region of Australia. In this experiment, the effect of tillage (conventional till (CT) 〈em〉v〈/em〉 no-till (NT)), residue management (stubble burning (SB) 〈em〉v〈/em〉 stubble retention (SR)), and three rates of nitrogen (N) fertiliser (0, 30 and 90 kg N/ha) were measured in a balanced factorial experiment on a Vertisol (Ustic Pellusert). Over the period of the trial (1969–2018), NT with SR resulted in greater average soil water storage in the top 1.5 m of the profile than CT with SB (390 〈em〉v〈/em〉 346 mm). However, nitrate (NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-N) accumulation during the fallow period was generally lower with SR and this prevented wheat from fully capitalising of on the increased soil water storage. Consequently, while crop yield was greater under NT 〈em〉v〈/em〉 CT and more so under NT + SR 〈em〉v〈/em〉 CT + SR (particularly in years where in-crop rainfall was 〈˜300 mm), N fertiliser was required to maximise yields. Within the NT treatments, SR also resulted in greater yield in the presence of applied N. Prior to 1992, nematodes prevented wheat crops from capitalising on the increased soil water and reduced yields, however, the introduction of nematode-tolerant cultivars helped maximise crop production. In line with yield effects, gross margins were greater under NT than CT and for SR when N was applied. However, despite greater yield advantages for the 90 N treatments, gross margins were lower at 90 N compared to 30 N. Nitrogen use efficiency with 90 N was approximately half that with 30 N, likely due to greater losses of N at the higher rates of application. To maximise profitability techniques to reduce losses of N are thus desirable. Good disease control, or the use of tolerant/resistant cultivars, is also essential to allow the crop to capitalise on gains in soil water in NT systems.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Soil and Tillage Research, Volume 194〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Qi Chen, Pei-Qin Peng, Jian Long, Xin-Yang Li, Xianqing Ding, Hong-Bo Hou, Bo-Han Liao〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉While the evaluation of cadmium (Cd) phytoavailability in rice (〈em〉Oryza sativa〈/em〉 L.)–soil systems has attracted considerable attention in recent years, the results vary based on the evaluation method used. The objective of this work was to use field capacity-derived soil solution extraction (SSE) to evaluate the Cd phytoavailability in two typical paddy soils (purple paddy soil and red paddy soil) during an entire rice growth season. Compared to three conventional extraction methods diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) extraction, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), and HCl extraction], field capacity-derived SSE resulted in the strongest correlation between extracted Cd and the Cd contents in different rice tissues (root, gem, leaf, ear, husk, and brown rice). When the data for the two soil types were combined, SSE was the best predictor of total accumulated Cd in rice, with linear correlation coefficients of 0.836, 0.831, 0.919, and 0.909 for the tillering stage, heading stage, filling stage, and mature stage, respectively. In contrast, TCLP was only suitable for predicting total Cd accumulation in the heading and mature stages (linear correlation coefficients of 0.813 and 0.931, respectively), while DTPA was only effective in the heading stage (linear correlation coefficient of 0.8306). These results demonstrate the potential of field capacity-based SSE to predict Cd phytoavailability in soil–rice systems with different soil types.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0167198719300418-ga1.jpg" width="345" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Enzyme and Microbial Technology, Volume 130〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fernanda Valadares, Thiago A Gonçalves, André Damasio, Adriane MF Milagres, Fabio M Squina, Fernando Segato, André Ferraz〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Secretome evaluations of lignocellulose-decay basidiomycetes can reveal new enzymes in selected fungal species that degrade specific substrates. Proteins discovered in such studies can support biorefinery development. Brown-rot (〈em〉Gloeophyllum trabeum〈/em〉) and white-rot (〈em〉Pleurotus ostreatus〈/em〉) fungi growing in sugarcane bagasse solid-state cultures produced 119 and 63 different extracellular proteins, respectively. Several of the identified enzymes are suitable for 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 biomass conversion, including a range of cellulases (endoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases and β-glucosidases), hemicellulases (endoxylanases, α-arabinofuranosidases, α-glucuronidases and acetylxylan esterases) and carbohydrate-active auxiliary proteins, such as AA9 lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase, AA1 laccase and AA2 versatile peroxidase. Extracellular oxalate decarboxylase was also detected in both fungal species, exclusively in media containing sugarcane bagasse. Interestingly, intracellular AA6 quinone oxidoreductases were also exclusively produced under sugarcane bagasse induction in both fungi. These enzymes promote quinone redox cycling, which is used to produce Fenton’s reagents by lignocellulose-decay fungi. Hitherto undiscovered hypothetical proteins that are predicted in lignocellulose-decay fungi genomes appeared in high relative abundance in the cultures containing sugarcane bagasse, which suggests undisclosed, new biochemical mechanisms that are used by lignocellulose-decay fungi to degrade sugarcane biomass. In general, lignocellulose-decay fungi produce a number of canonical hydrolases, as well as some newly observed enzymes, that are suitable for 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 biomass digestion in a biorefinery context.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 AEU - International Journal of Electronics and Communications, Volume 108〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hongbo Cao, Faqiang Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, a new current-controlled memristor is proposed and its characteristics are analyzed. Based on this new memristor, a new four-dimensional chaotic circuit is proposed. The complex dynamics of the proposed chaotic circuit are investigated. From the results of the theoretical analysis and the numerical simulations, it is found that the memristor-based chaotic circuit can generate different types of attractors including single-scroll, double-scroll, and periodic attractors for varying circuit parameters. By taking symmetrical initial conditions, symmetric steady coexisting attractors are obtained under the same set of circuit parameters. For certain initial conditions, striking transient coexisting attractors with different timescales can be obtained. In particular, there are two transient changes occurring successively at different time scales respect to the same initial conditions for the proposed chaotic circuit, which is a novel dynamic property. Finally, a practical circuit platform that describes the proposed chaotic circuit on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) is designed, and some experimental results are presented for confirmation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 AEU - International Journal of Electronics and Communications, Volume 109〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Negar Daryanavardan, Mostafa Derakhtian, Mohammad Neinavaie, Saeed Gazor〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper presents a new low complexity sphere decoding (SD) for the generalized spatial modulation (GSM). We introduce a pre-processing stage using the lattice reduction (LR) aided minimum mean squared error (MMSE) equalization in the GSM systems. This stage speeds up the search in the decoding tree and provides a lattice dependent (LD) initial choice of the radius. Moreover, we derive a lattice independent (LI) initial radius that guarantees the optimal performance at a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We also propose an iterative method to increase the radius in order to achieve the maximum likelihood (ML) performance at all SNRs. We show that the proposed algorithm achieves the ML performance while requiring prominently less computational complexity (CC) than an exhaustive search. In addition, we analyze the CC of the resulting algorithm at high SNRs and we derive an analytical expression for the complexity. The simulation results demonstrate a noticeable decrease in the CC of the proposed sphere decoding algorithm in comparison with its counterparts, particularly at low SNRs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 AEU - International Journal of Electronics and Communications, Volume 109〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nazir Hatami, Javad Nourinia, Changiz Ghobadi, Maryam Majidzadeh, Burhan Azarm〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) wireless local area network (WLAN) band-notched antenna with high inter-element isolation is proposed. The proposed MIMO system is composed of two monopole antennas, each composed of a slotted radiating patch and a stepped ground plane. The embedded slots and the ground plane steps are wisely located to achieve the desired wide band functionality as well as WLAN band-notched realization. The overall size of the MIMO antenna is 20 × 34 mm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 printed on 1.6 mm FR4 substrate. Moreover, to reduce the coupling between the constituent monopole antennas and enhance the isolation, a parasitic element is embedded between the antennas on the substrate backside. By wise tuning of the position and dimensions of the parasitic element, high isolation is achieved which is necessary for MIMO communication systems. Both simulation and measured results confirm a 10-dB impedance bandwidth of 2.6–11.2 GHz excluding the rejected band for |S〈sub〉11〈/sub〉| ≤ −10 dB, and |S〈sub〉21〈/sub〉| ≤ −20 dB. Wide bandwidth, small size, and band-notched feature are some of the merits of the proposed MIMO antenna. Detailed analysis on the antenna performance are released in detail throughout the paper.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Marine Policy, Volume 107〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alicia Said, Ratana Chuenpagdee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, several countries, funding organizations, environmental groups and research communities have pledged support and made commitment to help achieve these goals. SDG14: Life Below Water, for instance, has been embraced as the global goal for conservation and sustainable uses of the oceans, seas and marine resources. Among its many targets, SDG14b speaks directly to small-scale fisheries, calling for secured access to resources and markets for this sector. We argue that achieving SDG 14b requires a holistic approach encompassing several SDGs, including livelihoods, economic growth, community sustainability, strong institutions and partnerships. It is also important to align the SDG targets with the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines), as the mutuality that exists between the scope and nature of the two instruments can help guide the formulation of appropriate governance tools. Yet, the alignment of these two instruments alone does not guarantee sustainability of small-scale fisheries, especially without an official mandate from the governments. The case in point is the European Union where small-scale fisheries are not sufficiently recognized within the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), despite being the largest sector (75% of the fleet). Through an examination of the CFP in the context of the SSF Guidelines and the SDGs, we discuss options and possibilities for inclusive consideration of small-scale fisheries in the upcoming policy reform, which might then lead to both achieving fisheries sustainability and the SDGs in the EU.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 297〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nohora Caicedo, Renaud Leturcq, Jean-Pierre Raskin, Denis Flandre, Damien Lenoble〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Metal-oxide nanowires are showing a great interest in the domain of gas sensing due to their large response even at a low temperature, enabling low-power gas sensors. However their response is still not fully understood, and mainly restricted to the linear response regime, which limits the design of appropriate sensors for specific applications. Here we analyse the non-linear response of a sensor based on ZnO nanowires network, both as a function of the device geometry and as a response to oxygen exposure. Using an appropriate model, we disentangle the contribution of the nanowire resistance and of the junctions between nanowires in the network. The applied model shows a very good consistency with the experimental data, allowing us to demonstrate that the response to oxygen at room temperature is dominated by the barrier potential at low bias voltage, and that the nanowire resistance starts to play a role at higher bias voltage. This analysis allows us to find the appropriate device geometry and working point in order to optimize the sensitivity. Such analysis is important for providing design rules, not only for sensing devices, but also for applications in electronics and opto-electronics using nanostructures networks with different materials and geometries.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 297〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Gang Xu, Chen Cheng, Wei Yuan, Zhaoyang Liu, Lihang Zhu, Xintong Li, Yanli Lu, Zetao Chen, Jinglong Liu, Zheng Cui, Jingjing Liu, Hong Men, Qingjun Liu〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Last decade has seen a growing trend toward smartphone-based biochemical sensing systems. Meanwhile, flexible electrochemical sensing devices like wristbands, patches, and tattoos have been widely developed for 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 detections of analytes in accessible biofluids. For these devices, the connectivity with smartphone and the flexibility of the whole device are hard to achieve at the same time, due to the need for rigid batteries or wired connections. Here, a smartphone-based battery-free and flexible electrochemical patch is developed for real-time calcium and chloride ions detections in various biofluids. The patch is integrated with near field communication (NFC) module, on-site signal processing circuitry, and an all-printed stretchable electrode array which can maintain stable conductivity during stretching, without the need for serpentine designs. The device enables wireless power harvesting, on-site signal processing, and wireless data transmission capabilities. NFC-enabled smartphones can wirelessly power the patch and get the detection results through inductive coupling between antennas. The calcium and chloride sensors showed good sensitivity, repeatability, selectivity, and stability in quantitative detections of target ions. 〈em〉Ex situ〈/em〉 measurements in serum, urine, tear, and sweat demonstrated good consistency with specialized instrument. Real-time on-body sweat analysis with the patch was also performed, which further indicated the usability and stability of the device in wearable applications. This platform provides a battery-free, wireless, and flexible solution for smartphone-based electrochemical sensing systems, which can be applied to rapid analysis of various biofluids.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S092540051930944X-ga1.jpg" width="354" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 297〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuangming Wang, Jing Cao, Wen Cui, Longlong Fan, Xifei Li, Dejun Li, Tong Zhang〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉One dimensional porous Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 rectangular microrods (MR) are designed and successfully prepared by a distinctive electrospun precursor-hydrothermal regulation-annealing treatment strategy while Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanofibers (NF) are also synthesized for comparison by directly calcining precursors without hydrothermal treatment. The hydrothermal treatment before annealing process results in morphology and structure transition of Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 products from compact solid nanofibers to porous rods. When applied as a gas sensing material, Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 porous rods based sensors exhibit enhanced gas sensing properties in terms of rapid response time (3 s), recovery time (5 s), good selectivity and stability towards 100 ppm acetone gas at a relatively low working temperature of 200 °C. Meanwhile, the response of Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 porous rods toward 100 ppm acetone reaches approximately 5 times higher than that of solid Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanofibers. The enhanced acetone gas sensing properties of Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 rectangular porous rods are believed to originate from its porous structure and large surface area, facilitating gas adsorption and surface reaction and causing significant change in the thickness of holes accumulation layer (HAL). Feasible morphology-adjusting strategy and enhanced acetone gas sensing performances further highlight the advantage of as-prepared Co〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 porous rods in future acetone real-time monitoring.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chinedu I. Ossai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To advance the prognosis of progressing cavity Pumps (PCPs) used for artificial lifting, the pump-off need to be identified to forestall failure. This study developed a new technique for determining the Pump-off events Activation Times (PATs) of the PCPs using the transient Water Discharge Rates (WDRs) from coal seam gas producing wells. The Gaussian distribution function parameters of the rolling standard deviations of the water discharge rate (RSWR) and the transition probability of the rolling standard deviations of the water discharge rate (TP_RSWR) were used to build the model. By determining the anomalies in the RSWR signals with the bottom-up segmentation technique and computing the statistical characteristics at the changepoint locations, the steady-state of the WDR signals was established. This steady-state signal, which represents the Operation Transition Level (OTL) between the Normal Operation (NOP) and the Pump-off Event (POE) was used for monitoring the transition of the PCPs' operating status. An algorithm was developed in Python and tested it on field data from 36 coal seam gas wells. The performance of my technique was determined with precision, recall and F1 score, which gave an average value of 94.94%, 92.63%, and 93.56% respectively. It is expected that the implementation of this technique in the real-time estimation of PATs will be vital for reducing PCPs faults seeing that poor PATs detection results in PCPs running dry and consequently failures due to the extreme temperatures and abrasions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 297〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiuyu Wang, Heng Li, Xuantong Zhu, Mengzhen Xia, Tao Tao, Binxin Leng, Wen Xu〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A kind of ZnSn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 crystalline precursor composed of micro- and nano-sized particles with two different morphologies was synthesized by co-precipitation method with the presence of triethanolamine (TEOA) as functional reagent. Zn〈sub〉1-〈/sub〉〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Mg〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Sn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 samples (0≤〈em〉x〈/em〉≤0.5) were prepared by doping Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 ions in the synthesis process of ZnSn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 precursor. Experimental results reveal that both the morphology and size of ZnSn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 particles can be changed by TEOA and Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 ions, but not changed by dehydration at high temperature with the formation of Zn〈sub〉1-〈/sub〉〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Mg〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉SnO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 samples. When 〈em〉x〈/em〉 is 0.1, the effect of Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 ions on the morphology and size of ZnSn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 particles is not remarkable, but the ethanol sensitivity of the resulting ZnSnO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 sample at a low temperature of 80 °C is significantly improved by Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 ions at the conditions of nano-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 decoration and UV radiation. The ethanol response of the composite sample (ZM〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉SO–T〈sub〉10〈/sub〉) is as high as ca. 149 at 500 ppm concentration, and its corresponding response and recovery time is about 4 s and 80 s, respectively. Furthermore, the sensor with ZM〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉SO–T〈sub〉10〈/sub〉 also shows a good selectivity and long-term stability. Possible reasons for the superior ethanol sensitivity at low temperature were discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉*Here ZnSnO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 without Mg doping and Zn〈sub〉0.9〈/sub〉Mg〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉SnO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 with10% TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 decoration samples prepared by this study are denoted as ZM〈sub〉0〈/sub〉SO and ZM0.1SO, respectively.〈/p〉 〈p〉In this study ZnSn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 crystalline precursor composed of micro- and nano-sized particles with two different morphologies in (a) was synthesized by the control of the amount of triethanolamine (TEOA) as functional additive based on co-precipitation method. The −OH groups in TEOA can make ZnSn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 cubic crystal nuclei adsorbed and connected together, resulting in the formation of a micro-sized cluster with cubic corners exposed (a). Usually, the cubic corners are corroded in the etching process [46], but those cubic corners of the micro-sized clusters in (a) are not corroded when nano-sized particles exist with them. However, Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 ions used for substitute for Zn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 ions by doping can counteract the role of TEOA in the synthesis of ZnSn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 precursor. The cubic corners of the micro-sized clusters in (a) begin to be corroded when ZnSn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 precursor is synthesized with the presence of a small number of Mg2+ ions (b), and no micro-sized clusters are formed if there are more Mg2+ ions in the synthesizing process. After dehydration of Zn〈sub〉1-〈/sub〉〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Mg〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Sn(OH)〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 precursor at high temperature, Zn〈sub〉1-〈/sub〉〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉Mg〈em〉〈sub〉x〈/sub〉〈/em〉SnO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 was formed.〈/p〉 〈p〉Gas-sensing test reveals the following results: (1) The ZnSnO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (ZM〈sub〉0〈/sub〉SO) and Zn〈sub〉0.9〈/sub〉Mg〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉SnO3 (ZM〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉SO) samples, originating from the dehydration of samples in (a) and (b), respectively, have a high response to ethanol at a high temperature of 220 °C. The gas-sensing activity of ZnSnO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 is greatly enhanced by Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 doping, as can be inferred from the gas response value of the two samples. (2) When nano-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 was used to decorate ZM〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉SO, the resulting sensor under UV irradiation has a low operating temperature at a maximum gas response of 149, which is far more than that of our previous study [46].〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0925400519309463-ga1.jpg" width="126" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 297〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peng Lei, Ying Zhou, Ruiqi Zhu, Yang Liu, Chuan Dong, Shaomin Shuang〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Iron phthalocyanine (FePc) functionalized nitrogen, boron–doped reduced graphene oxide (N,B–rGO) nanocomposite (FePc/N,B–rGO) was facilely fabricated for the first time as a electrochemical platform for sensitive detection of glutathione (GSH). FePc was immobilized on N,B–rGO substrate through π–π interaction, and N,B–rGO provided FePc with a large specific surface area to improve electron transfer and maintain its electrocatalytic activity. Cyclic voltammetric measurements showed that FePc and N,B–rGO triggered the synergistic effect and exhibited a satisfactory electrocatalytic activity. By integration of FePc and N,B–rGO, the FePc/N,B–rGO/GCE sensor displayed a wide linear dynamic range from 5.0 × 10〈sup〉–8〈/sup〉 M to 1.6 × 10〈sup〉–3〈/sup〉 M with a low detection limit of 7.1 × 10〈sup〉–9〈/sup〉 M. Besides, the electrochemical sensor presented satisfiable reproducibility, excellent anti–interference performance and long–term stability. The method was further expanded to determinate GSH in human serum sample with the recoveries between 95.0–109.0%.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0925400519309578-ga1.jpg" width="378" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Volumes 276–277〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bin Chen, Jing M. Chen, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Yang Liu, Shaoqiang Wang, Ting Zheng, T.A. Black, Holly Croft〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The impacts of soil water stress on photosynthesis and stomatal conductance have not been uniformly parameterized in terrestrial ecosystem models. This study firstly quantifies diurnal variations in canopy conductance (〈em〉g〈sub〉c,w〈/sub〉〈/em〉) during full-leaf periods from eddy covariance flux data at four flux sites by inverting the Penman-Monteith equation. Then, the Ball-Woodrow-Berry (BWB) slopes were derived and compared under contrasting water stress conditions by linear regression of 〈em〉g〈sub〉c,w〈/sub〉〈/em〉 and gross primary productivity (GPP) derived from EC measurements. Finally, the response of the leaf maximum carboxylation rate to accumulated soil water deficit (ASWD) was explored to develop a better scheme of soil water stress. Our results show: (1) The thresholds of relatively available soil moisture under which soil water stress occurs were 0.575, 0.885, 0.495 and 0.653 for the tropical savanna site (AU-How), the Mediterranean forest site (IT-Col), the Mediterranean grassland site (US-Var) and the boreal forest site (CA-Oas), respectively, derived from the logistic functions of fitting 〈em〉g〈sub〉c,w〈/sub〉〈/em〉 to relatively available soil moisture; (2) similar to previous work, we found that ensemble average 〈em〉g〈sub〉c,w〈/sub〉〈/em〉 of dry periods were lower than those of wet periods at the studied sites, and that BWB slopes did not change significantly during droughts, indicating that BWB slopes may be conserved under prolonged drought; and (3) EC-derived GPP gradually decreased with the increase of ASWD, which can be well captured by a V〈sub〉mr〈/sub〉-ASWD scheme developed in this study. In sum, the V〈sub〉mr〈/sub〉-ASWD scheme would increase the accuracy of GPP simulations of ecosystem models. This study suggests that the change of BWB slopes under prolonged drought is not justified according to the experimental data examined while adjusting V〈sub〉cmax〈/sub〉 with ASWD accounts for the change in leaf physiology due to prolonged drought and is computationally feasible and efficient.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Soner Çakar〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, a novel 1–10 phenanthroline and 1–10 phenanthroline 5,6 diol based metal complex sensitizers for dyes sensitized solar cells applications is investigated. The 1–10 phenanthroline 5,6 diol structure is formed by the addition of two –OH groups to 1–10 phenanthroline, which has higher cell yields due to binding sites of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The 1–10 phenanthroline 5,6 diol metal complexes are prepared with Cu and Fe at different pH values. Additionally, these metal complexes are mixed at different ratio to prepare cocktail dyes. The maximum cell efficiency value of dyes sensitized solar cells based on 1–10 phenanthroline 5,6 diol prepared with Cu:Fe 2:1 ratio cocktail dyes is 3.70%. The phen-ol based DSSC containing Cu-complex dye exhibits 2.80% conversion efficiency value, which shows an 25% lower than cocktail phen-ol based dyes sensitized solar cells. The solar cell efficiency values are demonstrated decrement by increasing of Fe-complex ratio. However, the Fe-complexes exhibit more stable complex structures than Cu-complexes. This phenomenon also gives a new way to the use of the environmentally friendly metal complex-based dyes sensitized solar cells. Additionally, these transition metal-based sensitizers will be an alternative to synthetic organic dyes and noble metal-based solar cells.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Desalination, Volume 467〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hyunkyung Lee, Jihun Lim, Min Zhan, Seungkwan Hong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Preoxidation is gaining spotlight in the mitigation of ultrafiltration (UF) membrane fouling caused by algal organic matter (AOM). Although it is known to be beneficial in freshwater, its applicability in seawater treatment has barely been explored. This study first evaluated the effect of UV/permonosulfate (PMS) oxidation for UF process against marine harmful algal blooms (HAB). The transition of AOM released from 〈em〉Pseudo Nitzchia〈/em〉 was investigated which produces a neurotoxin, domoic acid (DA). Specifically, UV light emitting diodes (LED) were employed as UV source. The results indicated UV-LED/PMS treatment effectively reduces the fouling potential of AOM. However, the participation of abundant chloride ions generated free chlorine and disinfection byproducts, thus, PMS addition below 0.5 mM was suggested for seawater applications. With respect to PMS 0.5 mM, TOC and cake layer resistance were reduced by 10% and 85%, respectively, and this was followed by significant improvements in water permeability, flux reversibility and permeate quality of UF process. Furthermore, PMS exhibited significant reactivity for decomposing DA achieving rapid disappearance of 1 ppm of DA within a minute. The aforementioned results encourage the use of PMS as a bulk oxidant in seawater treatment to simultaneously mitigate membrane fouling and improve permeate quality.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0011916418325608-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 353〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zengming Chen, Yehong Xu, Daniela F. Cusack, Michael J. Castellano, Weixin Ding〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Nitrogen (N) input rapidly increases available N in natural and managed ecosystems, potentially altering key ecosystem processes like decomposition. The effect of N enrichment on decomposition rates may be affected by the chemical quality of organic matter (OM), and the extent of N increment. Manure decomposition is an important process in agricultural systems, releasing nutrients and contributing to carbon (C) cycling. However, its response to N fertilization is poorly understood. To help address this knowledge gap, we decomposed pig manure (PM) and chicken manure (CM) under two rates of N fertilization (N1, 75 kg N ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉; N2, 112.5 kg N ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) in a cropland in northeast China. We used litterbags to determine the dynamics of manure decomposition, while monitoring changes in the molecular composition with solid-state 〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. After one-year, the decomposition rate of PM was significantly greater than CM (0.516 vs. 0.483 year〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). Spectra of 〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C NMR indicated that PM initially contained more 〈em〉O〈/em〉-alkyl C and di-〈em〉O〈/em〉-alkyl C (representing cellulose). In contrast, the contents of alkyl C (representing lipids) and aromatic C (representing lignin) were less in PM than CM, such that PM was overall more easily degradable. There was no N rate effect on CM decomposition. However, the decomposition rate of PM was significantly lower under high N than low N (0.410 vs. 0.622 year〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), apparently related to suppressed degradation of 〈em〉O〈/em〉-alkyl C and di-〈em〉O〈/em〉-alkyl C. This result was surprising, since N enrichment is generally expected to promote degradation of more labile compounds like cellulose. At the same time, the loss of syringyl monomer of lignin in PM was reduced by high N fertilization. Together, these results suggest that decreased losses of 〈em〉O〈/em〉-alkyl C and di-〈em〉O〈/em〉-alkyl C may have resulted from physical association of cellulose with more resistant lignin compounds. Net N mineralization was observed from manure decomposition and was greater for CM than PM, and high N fertilization suppressed N release from PM. Overall, our findings suggest that high rate of N fertilization may slow the decomposition of otherwise labile manure, potentially promoting greater C retention in soils.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Volumes 276–277〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Apurupa Gorthi, Jeffrey J. Volenec, Lisa R. Welp〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Diminishing water resources and an expected increase in frequency of extreme water stress events necessitate tools to diagnose and improve the drivers of variability in agronomic water use efficiency. The objective of this study was to determine if leaf-scale water use efficiency (measured as intrinsic water use efficiency and transpiration efficiency) is expressed at the field scale as yield or agronomic water use efficiency variability. We measured grain yield, total aboveground biomass, and carbon isotope discrimination and estimated evapotranspiration using a mass balance approach for field-grown 〈em〉Glycine max〈/em〉 (soybean) over five years. We found that the high agronomic water use efficiency in years characterized by high vapor pressure deficit was caused by a large reduction in evapotranspiration and a relatively smaller reduction in yield. This has implications for developing drought tolerance in soybeans without compromising yield. We observed a positive relationship between transpiration efficiency and agronomic water use efficiency, with the leaf scale explaining 68% of the variability at the field scale. Through this analysis, we infer that increasing transpiration efficiency at the leaf scale will likely improve agronomic water use efficiency at the field scale in rain-fed soybean systems.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Volume 136〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tong Li, Zhaojun Bu, Wenyan Liu, Mingying Zhang, Changhui Peng, Qiuan Zhu, Shengwei Shi, Meng Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Despite the global importance of understanding the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition on carbon (C) cycling in northern peatlands, the control of N and P interactions through the ‘enzymatic latch’ mechanism has been largely overlooked. A long-term fertilization experiment in a moderate-rich fen in northeast China was conducted to evaluate the underlying mechanisms of how continuous N and P addition regulate key extracellular enzymes and their interactions, and the subsequent influences on organic C storage in peatlands. The results demonstrated that the growth of 〈em〉Sphagnum〈/em〉 moss and vascular plants were both reduced by N addition but enhanced by P addition. Phenolic concentrations were higher in P addition treatments, as were phenol oxidase activities. In general, N addition played a critical role in regulating the stoichiometry of β-D-glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase and phosphatase, while P addition was more important in regulating their activities. The direct and indirect effects due to fertilization and shifts in vegetational composition, respectively, weakened the ‘enzymatic latch’ mechanism that controls the decomposition of organic matter after long-term fertilization. Our results indicate that P likely plays a more important role than N in controlling microbial extracellular enzymatic activities and organic matter decomposition in northern minerotrophic peatlands. Consequently, the interactions between N and P is likely of primary significance in regulating the biogeochemical cycling of peatlands.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S003807171930183X-egi10WNNXH55H4.jpg" width="295" alt="Image 10554" title="Image 10554"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Volumes 276–277〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jianxi Huang, Jose L. Gómez-Dans, Hai Huang, Hongyuan Ma, Qingling Wu, Philip E. Lewis, Shunlin Liang, Zhongxin Chen, Jing-Hao Xue, Yantong Wu, Feng Zhao, Jing Wang, Xianhong Xie〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Timely monitoring of crop lands is important in order to make agricultural activities more sustainable, as well as ensuring food security. The use of Earth Observation (EO) data allows crop monitoring at a range of spatial scales, but can be hampered by limitations in the data. Crop growth modelling, on the other hand, can be used to simulate the physiological processes that result in crop development. Data assimilation (DA) provides a way of blending the monitoring properties of EO data with the predictive and explanatory abilities of crop growth models. In this paper, we first provide a critique of both the advantages and disadvantages of both EO data and crop growth models. We use this to introduce a solid and robust framework for DA, where different DA methods are shown to be derived from taking different assumptions in solving for the 〈em〉a posteriori〈/em〉 probability density function (pdf) using Bayes’ rule. This treatment allows us to provide some recommendation on the choice of DA method for particular applications. We comment on current computational challenges in scaling DA applications to large spatial scales. Future areas of research are sketched, with an emphasis on DA as an enabler for blending different observations, as well as facilitating different approaches to crop growth models. We have illustrated this review with a large number of examples from the literature.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Volumes 276–277〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wenjuan Shen, Mingshi Li, Chengquan Huang, Tao He, Xin Tao, Anshi Wei〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Estimating the effects of large scale afforestation is essential for the accurate understanding of its potential for the mitigation of climate warming. We used satellite observations to quantify the effects of the conversion of open lands (i.e., grassland and cropland) and natural forests to plantation forests and their associated biophysical processes (i.e., albedo and evapotranspiration (ET)) on land surface temperature (LST) in Guangdong Province, China. The hypothetical change (mean 2002–2018 values of LST difference between plantation forests and nearby lands in 2010) using the moving window searching-based method and actual change (changes of afforested area affecting the LST difference from 2000 to 2010) using the spatial pattern change trend method were detected in order to characterize the spatiotemporal variations in surface temperature, related albedo, and ET. The relationships between albedo, ET, and surface temperature change were also determined in combination with interpolated air temperature and precipitation. Results showed that the two methods-based afforestation changes had a similar net cooling effect, but a discrepancy in diurnal, seasonal, and spatial variations occurred. Overall, the actual change of afforested area led to a cooling effect by an average of −0.18 ± 0.02 °C, especially from croplands, which was greater than the air temperature. Individually, afforestation in the mid-subtropical forest zone (north of 24 °N, northern Guangdong) had a warming effect, especially during the transition from natural forests to plantation forests. We also observed an increase in cooling for the tropical forest zone across latitudes. Warming during the dry season was triggered by the albedo from plantation forests, but the albedo-induced forest cover change impacts on LST were quite complex. Meanwhile, ET dominated the cooling during the wet season and warm season. Additionally, enhanced precipitation played a more prominent role in the ET-induced cooling. Evaluation of the effect of temperature change induced by afforestation illustrates the importance of protecting natural forests and avoiding extensive artificial afforestation, especially in northern Guangdong Province, and reverting agricultural land to forest, especially in western Guangdong Province. This analysis also provides a basis for feedback from forest management activities to climate change in southern China.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 352〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sibylle Faust, Heinz-Josef Koch, Rainer Georg Joergensen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Undisturbed soils columns were transplanted from three tillage treatments at four sites in Central Germany to one site to investigate the relations between the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 efflux, soil temperature (T〈sub〉S〈/sub〉) and volumetric water content (VWC) over one year in an unplanted period and maize (〈em〉Zea mays〈/em〉 L.) planted period. No tillage and grubber, i.e. rigid‑tine cultivator, (10-15 cm) systems contain higher stocks of microbial biomass C (MBC) in comparison with mouldboard ploughing (25-30 cm). This must be due to a reduction in microbial turnover, because higher VWC reduces T〈sub〉S〈/sub〉. At 5 cm depth, VWC was lowest with plough tillage throughout the year. At 15 cm depth, VWC was highest with grubber tillage during the planted period. During the unplanted period, mean T〈sub〉S〈/sub〉 was generally highest with grubber tillage. During the planted period, mean difference in T〈sub〉S〈/sub〉 increased in the order no tillage 〈 plough 〈 grubber at 5 cm depth and in the order plough 〈 grubber 〈 no-tillage at 15 cm depth. Mean CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 efflux was 1.12 t C ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 in the unplanted and 2.85 t C ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 in the planted period. Multiple linear relationships showed that T〈sub〉S〈/sub〉 and VWC explained 70.4% of the variance in CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 evolution rates in the unplanted and 37.2% in the planted period. T〈sub〉S〈/sub〉 effects generally dominated and showed similar regression coefficients in both periods. VWC had smaller effects, which were positive in the unplanted period and negative in the planted period. Significant tillage × T〈sub〉S〈/sub〉 interactions were observed in the unplanted period and tillage × VWC interactions in the planted period. Interactions were caused by strong positive T〈sub〉S〈/sub〉 effects with grubber tillage in the unplanted period and by strong negative VWC effects with plough tillage in the planted period. From a soil ecological viewpoint, grubber and no tillage can be recommended, as it improves microbial life conditions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 353〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shangqi Xu, Xia Liu, Xiujun Li, Chunjie Tian〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Wetland restoration has been conducted worldwide due to the important ecological functions provided by wetlands. However, the global patterns of soil organic carbon (SOC) change following wetland restoration are not clear, which has limited the efficacy of the management of restored wetlands. In this study, we synthesized the results from 41 studies and carried out a meta-analysis to examine the SOC dynamics following wetland restoration and the underlying mechanisms. The SOC of restored wetlands was 13.8% (〈em〉p〈/em〉 = 0.017) higher than that of cultivated wetlands and 29.2% (〈em〉p〈/em〉 〈 0.001) lower than that of natural wetlands. Wetland restoration facilitated SOC sequestration under certain conditions, including when the wetlands were restored via water supplementation, had seasonal hydrology in their natural status (before cultivation), were peatlands, occurred under a temperate climate, were restored for 6 to 10 years, or had been cultivated no longer than 15 years before restoration. Meanwhile, some conditions had negative effects on SOC sequestration, including wetlands under a tropical climate, those restored using a plantation approach, and those with a tidal hydrology after restoration. Model selection analysis suggested that the hydrological conditions of cultivated wetlands, soil depth, vegetation type, peat condition and restored age were important influential factors affecting SOC after wetland restoration, with the first 2 being the most important influential factors. Our results indicate that wetland restoration is inefficient in terms of SOC recovery and that wetland restoration to recover SOC is urgently needed and should be conducted more appropriately. The results of this study provide theoretical support for wetland management with the aim of SOC sequestration.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 353〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaoting Xie, Yili Lu, Tusheng Ren, Robert Horton〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Information on soil thermal properties is needed for estimating soil temperature (〈em〉T〈/em〉) and heat flux. However, few datasets are available for assessing the effects of soil thermal diffusivity (κ) parameterization on diurnal 〈em〉T〈/em〉 estimations. In this study, three κ parameterization methods, all based on soil physical properties, are compared for determining the responses of 〈em〉Τ〈/em〉 estimation to κ on two field soils. Among the three methods, two are the combination of the de Vries heat capacity model with either the McCumber and Pielke thermal conductivity model (MP-D) or the Johansen thermal conductivity model (J75-D), and the other one is the Xie et al. κ model (X18). The harmonic approach was used to estimate 〈em〉T〈/em〉 in the 0- to 5-cm layer on a sandy loam soil, and in the 5- to 10-cm layer on a silty clay loam soil from the measured 〈em〉T〈/em〉 data at a single depth. The J75-D and X18 methods produced close κ values, while the κ values from the MP-D method deviated significantly from that of other models. The 〈em〉T〈/em〉 results from the J75-D and X18 based harmonic methods agreed well with 〈em〉T〈/em〉 measurements. On the sandy loam soil, 〈em〉T〈/em〉 estimates from the MP-D method had a RMSE (root mean square error) of 3.04 °C and an RSR (ratio of RMSE to the standard deviation of the observations) of 0.53, while smaller RMSE and RSR values were obtained from the X18 method (1 °C and 0.17) and J75-D method (0.8 °C and 0.14). For the silty clay loam soil, the RMSE and RSR of 〈em〉T〈/em〉 estimates from the MP-D-based harmonic method were 0.82 °C and 0.27, respectively, which were larger than those (0.57 °C and 0.19) of the X18 and J75-D-based harmonic method. We concluded that the X18 and J75-D based harmonic methods could provide more accurate soil profile 〈em〉Τ〈/em〉 estimates than the MP-D method.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoderma, Volume 353〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Thiago Leite de Alencar, Arilene Franklin Chaves, Alcione Guimarães Freire, Ícaro Vasconcelos do Nascimento, Alexandre dos Santos Queiroz, Jaedson Cláudio Anunciato Mota〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Field capacity (FC) is one of the most cited soil physical parameters and is relevant for the management of agricultural systems. In the search for alternatives to the estimation of FC, several researchers have proposed methods based on dynamic and static criteria. Evaluating these methods within a range of soil textural classes is important for prospects of their uses with higher water use efficiency. Based on the hypothesis that FC for a certain soil textural class is exclusively associated with an equivalent pore diameter, 〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉, which separates structural and textural porosity, and that textural pores define the FC conditions, this study aimed to: 1) estimate the equivalent pore diameter (〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉) which defines FC in each soil textural class in situ and, with the change of density, from the alterations in its water characteristic curve - WCC; 2) estimate the water content at FC in each soil textural class in situ and, with the change of density, from the alterations in its WCC. To obtain the water content corresponding to FC in situ, instantaneous profile-type experiments were conducted in five soil textural classes. To estimate FC and 〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉 based on the change in pore volume (CPV), soil water characteristic curves were used considering two situations: before and after compaction. Correlation and regression analyses were carried out between 〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉 and sand percentage, between water content at FC and the fitting parameters α and 〈em〉n〈/em〉 of the model of van Genuchten (1980), and between the value of the tangent at the inflection point of the soil WCC and the parameter α. By comparing 〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉 values obtained by the field and CPV methods, it was possible to observe that for the range of textural classes analyzed, in general, 〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉 values obtained by CPV were different from those obtained in situ. Therefore, the methodological procedure CPV does not represent the actual 〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉 of the FC found under field conditions. The values of water content corresponding to FC obtained by the CPV protocol are not due to the physical aspect conceived in the method's proposal. Thus, since these values were not due to the 〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉, this protocol cannot be indicated because it became evident that there was no clear cause-effect relationship. It was concluded that: 1) the principle of the method of estimating FC must be consistent with processes occurring in the soil. Since FC is dependent on soil processes, and associated with a drainage rate, there is no good reason why the CPV method correctly estimates the attribute; 2) the water content at FC in a certain soil textural class is not exclusively associated with only one equivalent pore diameter, 〈em〉D〈/em〉-〈em〉threshold〈/em〉, so the hypothesis assumed in the study has not been confirmed; and 3) protocols based on soil water dynamics should preferentially be used to estimate FC, to the detriment of methods based on static criteria.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Volume 92〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pengfei Chu, Libo He, Cheng Yang, Wencheng Zeng, Rong Huang, Lanjie Liao, Yongming Li, Zuoyan Zhu, Yaping Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Autophagy is an essential and conserved process that plays an important role in physiological homeostasis, adaptive response to stress and the immune response. Autophagy-related proteins (ATGs) are key components of the autophagic machinery. In the study, grass carp (〈em〉Ctenopharyngodon idella〈/em〉) autophagy-related gene 5 (〈em〉ATG5〈/em〉) and 12 (〈em〉ATG12〈/em〉) were identified. In the gill and intestine, 〈em〉ATG5〈/em〉 and 〈em〉ATG12〈/em〉 were highly expressed, but after grass carp reovirus (GCRV) infection, they were decreased significantly. In 〈em〉Ctenopharyngodon idella〈/em〉 kidney (CIK) cells, the sharp variation of 〈em〉ATG5〈/em〉 and 〈em〉ATG12〈/em〉 expression was observed after poly(I:C) infection. Subcellular localisation showed that ATG5 and ATG12 were evenly distributed in the cytoplasm and nucleus. However, the interaction between ATG5 and ATG12 was only found in cytoplasm in both 293T cells and CIK cells. In addition, the overexpression of ATG5 or ATG12 in 293T cells showed enhanced autophagy, and autophagic process was facilitated when ATG5 and ATG12 were simultaneously overexpressed. Dual-luciferase activity assay indicated that both ATG5 and ATG12 remarkably suppressed the promoter activity of 〈em〉IRF3〈/em〉, 〈em〉IRF7〈/em〉, and 〈em〉IFN-I〈/em〉. Further, ATG5 and ATG12 conjugate showed far stronger inhibitory affection on the expression of 〈em〉IFN-I〈/em〉 than either ATG5 or ATG12 in response to poly(I:C) or GCRV infection. Taken together, the results demonstrate that grass carp ATG5 and ATG12 play an important role in innate immunity and autophagy.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Volume 92〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chao Xu, Wen-Bin Liu, Sofie Charlotte Remø, Bing-Ke Wang, Hua-Juan Shi, Li Zhang, Jia-Dai Liu, Xiang-Fei Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study investigated the effects of restricted feeding on the growth performance, oxidative stress and inflammation of 〈em〉Megalobrama amblycephala〈/em〉 fed high-carbohydrate (HC) diets. Fish (46.94 ± 0.04 g) were randomly assigned to four groups containing the satiation of a control diet (30% carbohydrate) and three satiate levels (100% (HC1), 80% (HC2) and 60% (HC3)) of the HC diets (43% carbohydrate) for 8 weeks. Results showed that HC1 diet remarkably decreased final weight (FW), weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), hepatic activities of total anti-oxidation capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), the AMP/ATP ratio, the p-AMPKα/t-AMPKα ratio, sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) protein expression and hepatic transcriptions of AMPKα2, SIRT1, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), catalase (CAT), manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) and interleukin10 (IL 10) compared to the control group, whereas the opposite was true for protein efficiency ratio (PER), nitrogen retention efficiency (NRE), energy retention efficiency (ERE), plasma glucose levels, alanine transaminase (AST) and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT) activities, hepatic contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumour necrosis factor α (TNF α) and interleukin 1β (IL 1β), ATP and AMP contents and hepatic transcriptions of kelch-like ECH associating protein 1 (Keap1), IkB kinase α (IKK α), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), TNF α, IL 1β, interleukin 6 (IL 6) and transforming growth factor β (TGF β). As for the HC groups, fish fed the HC2 diet obtained relatively high values of SGR, PER, NRE, ERE, hepatic activities of T-AOC, SOD and CAT, the AMP/ATP ratio, the p-AMPKα/t-AMPKα ratio, SIRT1 protein expression and hepatic transcriptions of AMPKα2, Nrf2, CAT, copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), Mn-SOD, GPx1, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and interleukin10 (IL 10), while the opposite was true for hepatic content of IL 6 and transcription of IKK α. Overall, an 80% satiation improved the growth performance and alleviated the oxidative stress and inflammation of blunt snout bream fed HC diets via the activation of the AMPK-SIRT1 pathway and the up-regulation of the activities and transcriptions of Nrf2-modulated antioxidant enzymes coupled with the depression of the levels and transcriptions of the NF-κB-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokines.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Volume 92〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jiangfan Zhang, Chuanju Dong, Junchang Feng, Junpeng Li, Shengjie Li, Jianxin Feng, Xiaodi Duan, Gaigai Sun, Peng Xu, Xuejun Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉 (Hypoxia inducible factors) are the main regulators of the expression change of oxygen-dependent genes, in addition, they also play important roles in immune regulation. 〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉 participate in infectious diseases and inflammatory responses, providing us a new therapeutic target for the treatment of diseases. In this study, 16 〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉 were identified in common carp genome database. Comparative genomics analysis showed large expansion of 〈em〉HIF〈/em〉 gene family and approved the four round whole genome duplication (WGD) event in common carp. To further understand the function of 〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉, the domain architectures were predicted. All HIF proteins had the conserved HLH-PAS domain, which were essential for them to form dimer and bind to the downstream targets. The differences in domain of HIFα and HIFβ might result in their different functions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all 〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉 were divided into two subfamilies and the 〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉 in common carp were clustered with their teleost counterparts indicating they are highly conservative during evolution. In addition, the tissue distribution was examined by RT-PCR showed that most of 〈em〉HIF〈/em〉 genes had a wide range of tissue distribution but exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns. The expression divergences were observed between the copy genes, for example, 〈em〉HIF1A-1〈/em〉, 〈em〉HIF2A-1〈/em〉, 〈em〉ARNT-〈/em〉2 had wide tissue distribution while their copies had limited tissue distribution, proving the function divergence of copies post the WGD event. In order to find an effective activation of 〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉 and apply to treatment of aquatic diseases, we investigate the dietary supplementation effects of different strains of 〈em〉Lactococcus lactis〈/em〉 on the expression of 〈em〉HIFα〈/em〉 subfamily members in kidney of common carp infected with 〈em〉A. hydrophila〈/em〉. In addition, all of the 〈em〉HIF〈/em〉 genes have a high expression in the early stages of infection, and decreased in the treatment time point of 48 h in common carp. This phenomenon confirms that as a switch, the main function of 〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉 is to regulate the production of immune response factors in early infection. So activation of the switch may be an effective method for infectious disease treatment. As expected, the treatment groups improved the expression of 〈em〉HIFs〈/em〉 compared with the control group, and the effects of the three strains are different. The strain1 of 〈em〉L. lactis〈/em〉 had a stronger induction on 〈em〉HIF〈/em〉 genes than strain2 and strain3, and it might be applied as a potential activation of 〈em〉HIF〈/em〉 genes for disease treatment. So, adding befitting 〈em〉L. lactis〈/em〉 maybe a well method to activate the 〈em〉HIF〈/em〉 genes to protect them from mycobacterial infection.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Volume 92〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): K.A.S.N. Shanaka, M.D. Neranjan Tharuka, Thanthrige Thiunuwan Priyathilaka, Jehee Lee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Viperin, also known as RSAD2 (Radical S-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2), is an interferon-induced endoplasmic reticulum-associated antiviral protein. Previous studies have shown that viperin levels are elevated in the presence of viral RNA, but it has rarely been characterized in marine organisms. This study was designed to functionally characterize rockfish viperin (〈em〉SsVip〈/em〉), to examine the effects of different immune stimulants on its expression, and to determine its subcellular localization. SsVip is a 349 amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 40.24 kDa. It contains an S-adenosyl 〈span〉l〈/span〉-methionine binding conserved domain with a CNYKCGFC sequence. Unchallenged tissue expression analysis using quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) revealed 〈em〉SsVip〈/em〉 expression to be the highest in the blood, followed by the spleen. When challenged with poly I:C, 〈em〉SsVip〈/em〉 was upregulated by approximately 60-fold in the blood after 24 h, and approximately 50-fold in the spleen after 12 h. Notable upregulation was detected throughout the poly I:C challenge experiment in both tissues. Significant expression of 〈em〉SsVip〈/em〉 was detected in the blood following 〈em〉Streptococcus iniae〈/em〉 and lipopolysaccharide challenge, and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) gene transcription was significantly downregulated during SsVip overexpression. Furthermore, cell viability assay and virus titer quantification with the presence of SsVip revealed a significant reduction in virus replication. As with previously identified viperin counterparts, SsVip was localized in the endoplasmic reticulum. Our findings show that SsVip is an antiviral protein crucial to innate immune defense.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Marine Policy, Volume 107〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Carmen Pedroza-Gutiérrez〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Lake Chapala's fisheries have been an important economic activity for hundreds of years. However, the introduction of carpe and tilapia forced a change in the market structure, including the processing-value-adding-activities. Currently, filleting-fish is a successfully growing industry, which employs mostly women from the coastal communities. This paper aims to identify the factors influencing the division of labor in fish-processing and the determinants of bargaining-power for women. Fieldwork was carried out between 2015 and 2017 in three communities bordering Lake Chapala, Mexico (Jamay, Petatán, LaPalma), using a survey strategy based on questionnaires and formal and informal interviews to obtain qualitative and quantitative data. Findings show that fish-processing as a labor market opportunity for women is a source of bargaining power, working hours are flexible, and it is a constant and reliable source of income, unlike fishing. In each community the gender division of labor is constructed according to the local culture and the gendered-social-norms. In Petatán, fish-processing is a woman dominated activity, highly valued, with the largest average income, complementary to household income. Jamay has male (20%) and female (80%) fish-processors, fish-processing is their only source of income, and is considered an activity for single mothers (35%) or those who do not have access to better jobs. In both communities, married women's contribution to household income depends on their husband's daily earnings ranging between 25 and 75%. In LaPalma, fish-processing is a male-dominated activity, where women do not dare to work among the young filleting workers, who are breadwinners.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Soil and Tillage Research, Volume 194〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Eunice Essel, Junhong Xie, Chaochao Deng, Zhengkai Peng, Jinbin Wang, Jicheng Shen, Jianhui Xie, Jeffrey A. Coulter, Lingling Li〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Soil microbial diversity is important in maintaining soil quality, sustainable agriculture, and ecosystem function. Soil management practices can influence the diversity and activity of soil microbes in agricultural fields. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of tillage and stubble management on the diversity of bacteria and fungi, chemical property and total carbon emission in the rhizosphere and bulk soils in wheat (〈em〉Triticum aestivum〈/em〉 L.) -pea (〈em〉Pisum arvense〈/em〉 L.) rotation at pre-harvest. Treatments included conventional tillage with stubble removed (T), no-tillage with stubble removed (NT), conventional tillage with stubble incorporated (TS), and no-tillage with stubble retained (NTS). Bacteria 16S rRNA (V3V4) and fungi ITS (ITS2) region genes were sequenced from bulk soil and rhizosphere soils. Abundance of the dominant bacterial (Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, and Planctomycetes) and fungal (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota) phyla identified did not differ significantly (〈em〉P〈/em〉 〈 0.05) among treatments. 〈em〉Rhizobium〈/em〉 and rare fungi 〈em〉Kurtzmanomyces〈/em〉 occurred in the rhizosphere but were virtually absent in bulk soil. However, bacterial and fungal OTUs diversity indices were less in the rhizosphere compared to bulk soil. Soil from the NTS and NT had the greatest bacteria 16S rRNA and fungi ITS region number of OTUs; however, the microbial community did not differ among treatments. The abundance of class level bacteria and fungi were associated with soil pH, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 -N, and NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉¯〈/sup〉 -N contents. The results indicate that bulk soil had higher microbial library, which will be beneficial for establishment of the next season’s microbial community.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 297〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bradley Ledden, Joe Bruton〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We developed a ring electrode sensor for down-stream electrochemical sensing of microfluidic ELISA assay. The sensor is designed to easily integrate into the flow environment. Noble metal inks on Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic provide straight forward fabrication at the mesoscale yielding robust sensors with very low sensing volumes. Two different sensor geometries were modeled. The best design was fabricated and tested in both static and flowing solutions. The sensor exhibits both macroelectrode and microelectrode behavior depending on fluid flow rate. Sensors of this type may be ideal for applications where electrochemical detection is desired in a flowing solution since the ring electrode has low propensity for bubble trapping.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 297〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nada F. Atta, Ahmed Galal, Yousef M. Ahmed, Ekram H. El-Ads〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Cardiovascular disease is a class of diseases that involves the heart or blood vessels. It includes coronary artery diseases such as angina and myocardial infarction. In addition, hypertension is quantitatively the most important risk factor for premature cardiovascular disease. Dobutamine (DB) and amlodipine (AM) are medications commonly used for treating these diseases. Therefore, simultaneous determination of these drugs in presence of interfering compounds in biological fluids; paracetamol (PA), and ascorbic acid (AA) is essential for patients under medical treatment by these drugs. An innovative strategy is introduced for fabrication of a novel layered composite based on layer-by-layer modification of a glassy carbon electrode surface (GC) with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT), ionic liquid crystal (ILC), graphene (RGO) and 18-Crown-6 (CW); (GC/CNT/ILC/RGO/CW). The layered sensor exhibited excellent electro-catalytic activity for determination of AA in the drugs mixture and simultaneous determination of DB, PA, and AM in human serum in linear dynamic ranges; 0.4 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si2.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mo〉→〈/mo〉〈/math〉 40 μM, 0.02 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si2.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mo〉→〈/mo〉〈/math〉 40 μM, 0.001 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si2.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mo〉→〈/mo〉〈/math〉 20 μM and 0.008 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mtext〉 〈/mtext〉〈mo〉→〈/mo〉〈/math〉 30 μM with low detection limit values; 9.24 nM, 0.497 nM, 0.0906 nM and 0.139 nM, respectively and low quantification limit values; 30.8 nM, 1.66 nM, 0.302 nM and 0.463 nM, respectively. Further practical application was performed for quantitative analysis of AA, DB, PA and AM in their pharmaceutical formulations.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0925400519308482-ga1.jpg" width="392" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fuwei Yu, Hanqiao Jiang, Fei Xu, Zhen Fan, Hang Su, Junjian Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper, a new fabrication method was reported for establishment of a 2.5D reservoir micromodel, which incorporated 3D geometry of porous media and visualization of 2D microfluidic chips. Flow physics such as imbibition, rison and rheon were visualized in the new 2.5D reservoir micromodel through water flooding experiments in water-wet and oil-wet 2.5D reservoir micromodels. Corresponding results demonstrated the strong capacity of the presented 2.5D reservoir micromodel to mimic the real 3D porous media. Besides, four theoretical patterns concerning residual oil distributions were obtained based on water flooding, surfactant flooding and polymer flooding experiments. Furthermore, imbibition of a Winsor I type surfactant system was investigated, accompanied by explanation and visualization of two major enhanced oil recovery (EOR) mechanisms, namely microemulsion imbibition and residual oil solubilization, which confirmed the assumptions made based on core imbibition experiments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mohamed R. Shalaby, Liyana Nadiah Osli, Stavros Kalaitzidis, Md Aminul Islam〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Thermal maturity and palaeodepositional environment of the Taratu Formation has been studied by evaluating its geochemical properties and organic petrographical features. Geochemical properties of the Cretaceous-Palaeocene Taratu source rock that are identified through pyrolysis indicate that this formation has excellent organic matter quality, quantity and hydrocarbon generation potential. Only the Cretaceous-aged sequence from this formation is thermally mature, with Tmax values ranging from 429 °C to 459 °C, while Palaeocene samples are found to be thermally immature. Organic matter of the Taratu Formation comprises primarily of oil and gas prone kerogen type II-III and gas prone kerogen type III, which is reflected by high HI (165.0–327.5 mg HC/g TOC) and low OI (5.00–25.7 mg CO2/g TOC) values. Tissue Preservation Index (TPI) and Gelification Index (GI) indicates that the Taratu Formation was previously deposited in a limnic environment. Further assessment of the source rock's palaeodepositional environment through correlating cross-plots of various biomarker data and evaluation of organic petrography suggests that the formation was subjected to brackish water influx.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume 284〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Libo Sun, Xiaomin Chang, Xinxiao Yu, Guodong Jia, Lihua Chen, Ziqiang Liu, Xuhui Zhu〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Shelter forests in the agricultural field are critical ecological barriers against harsh environmental conditions and agricultural soil erosion in northern China; however, shelter forests have been extensively degraded in the past decades. It is unknown how patterns of mortality of shelter forests relate to highly variable spatial precipitation and soil water content (SWC). Here, we explore the relationships of precipitation and SWC with the mortality of 〈em〉Populus simonii〈/em〉 Carr (poplar) shelter forests in the semi-arid Bashang Plateau, northern China. Mortality of poplar shelter forests and its relationship with precipitation and SWC are spatially quantified in an area with an uneven distribution of precipitation by combining standard field plot measurements, precipitation, and SWC spatial distribution grid data. The mortality patterns of poplar shelter forests revealed threshold responses to precipitation and SWC, with lower mortality (〈32%) above 230 mm (precipitation) and an SWC 〉 16.56%. Results indicate that a threshold response is evident when precipitation is 60% of the average precipitation. In addition, our results show that wind speed, low temperature, and stand density also had significant effects on the mortality of poplar shelter forests. Our results show how precipitation and SWC patterns within a region influence the mortality of poplar shelter forests. Moreover, this study reveals other factors influencing stand structure and landscape heterogeneity, which have been largely overlooked in previous studies.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 180〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zulong Zhao, Yu Shi, Daoyong Yang, Na Jia〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A novel and pragmatic technique has been developed and validated to quantify gas exsolution of alkane solvent(s)–CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉–heavy oil systems with consideration of interface mass transfer for each gas component under nonequilibrium conditions. Experimentally, constant composition expansion (CCE) tests of three alkane solvent(s)–CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉–heavy oil systems are conducted with a visualized PVT cell under equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions. The liquid height and pressure of the system are continuously monitored and recorded during experiments to measure, respectively, the bubblepoint pressure, pseudo-bubblepoint pressure, and the entrained gas volume. With the assumption of instantaneous nucleation, a mathematical model which integrates Peng-Robinson equation of state (PR EOS), Fick's second law, and nonequilibrium boundary condition has been developed to quantify not only the amount of the evolved gas and entrained gas, but also the dynamic composition of gas phase as a function of time. Once the deviations between the measured gas volumes and the calculated ones have been minimized, the mass transfer Biot number, individual diffusion coefficient, and interface mass transfer coefficient of each gas component as well as the gas bubble number are determined. Increases in experimental temperature and pressure are found to impose opposite effects on diffusion coefficient during gas exsolution processes. The diffusion of each gas component is found to be faster when the temperature becomes higher or the initial pressure becomes lower. Either CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 or C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉H〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 diffuses faster than CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 in the liquid phase under the same condition. In addition, the interface mass transfer coefficients, with an order of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 〉 CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 〉 C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉H〈sub〉8〈/sub〉, obtained in this study are much higher than those collected in the literature since the nonequilibrium conditions greatly facilitate gas exsolution. The determined mass transfer Biot numbers in this study are large, indicating that the bulk resistance due to molecular diffusion inside the heavy oil dominates the gas exsolution process compared to the interfacial resistance.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jingdong Liu, Tao Liu, Youlu Jiang, Tao Wan, Ruining Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The distribution, origin, and evolution of overpressure in the petroliferous basin are important problems that need to be addressed for oil and gas exploration. The distribution and origin of overpressure in the Shahejie Formation in the northern Dongpu Depression are analyzed based on geological studies, logs, and pressure data. The contribution ratios of different overpressure origins are quantified, and the evolutionary stages of overpressures of different origins are further divided. The results show that the formation pressure coefficients of Shahejie Formation in the Dongpu Depression are mainly within the range of 0.9–1.5. The overpressures are mainly distributed in the Sha-3 and Sha-4 Members of the Haitongji sag, the Central uplift belt and the Qianliyuan sag. From the sag to its surrounding area, the formation pressure coefficient gradually decreases. The high deposition rate and strong hydrocarbon generation are the main causes of overpressure formation in the Shahejie Formation in the Dongpu Depression. Based on the stress–strain characteristics of different origin overpressures and the log response parameters, two models, acoustic travel time-effective vertical stress and electrical resistivity-effective vertical stress, are established to identify and quantify the different origin overpressures. The calculation results for the area from the Haitongji sag and Qianliyuan sag to the Central uplift belt show that the main cause of overpressure gradually changes from both disequilibrium compaction and hydrocarbon generation to disequilibrium compaction as the main factor, with the contribution of disequilibrium compaction to overpressure in the Central uplift belt at about 87%. The Sha-3 Members of the Shahejie Formation in the Haitongji sag and the Qianliyuan sag are more strongly affected by hydrocarbon generation, which accounts for 42% and 47.5% of overpressure origin, respectively. There are five stages in the evolution of overpressure in the Shahejie Formation in the northern Dongpu Depression: normal compaction (before 35 Ma), mixed pressurization (35-27 Ma), uplift and pressure release (27-17 Ma), disequilibrium compaction (17-11 Ma), and secondary mixed pressurization (12 Ma-present).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhiwei Zeng, Hongtao Zhu, Lianfu Mei, Jiayuan Du, Hongliu Zeng, Xinming Xu, Xiaoyun Dong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Few studies have focused their attentions on the source-to-sink (S2S) system from a multiple-level perspective. We have proposed an effective multilevel S2S subdivision approach based on the integrated study of seismic geomorphology, well-based facies, seismic facies and multi-attribute. The inspiration of multilevel S2S subdivision method is drawn mainly from the modern Diancang Mountain- Lake Erhai S2S system with different-orders of drainage divides. The Paleogene Central Uplift system during the syn-rift stage in Xijiang Sag, Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea, provides a suitable example to test the approach and analyze the multilevel S2S characteristics of an ancient uplift system. The result shows that the Central Uplift system can be divided into three second-level sub-S2S systems (R-A, R-B and R-C), and can be further sub-divided into twelve third-level sub-S2S systems (A1∼A5, B1∼B5 and C1∼C2). Generally, the A1∼A5 and B1∼B4 systems are developed at the gentle slopes and deposited a series of narrow-shaped braided deltas with higher exploration potential, whereas the B5 and C1∼C2 systems are developed at the relatively steep slopes and deposited a series of lobate shaped turbidite and fan deltas with lower reservoir quality. Based on the multilevel S2S analysis, the ancient uplift can be scientifically sub-divided and compared with each sub-S2S system, including the sediment-transport type and distance, sedimentary facies characteristics and stacking relationship with the hydrocarbon source rocks. These in-depth and detailed studies have practical significance for the exploration of favorable reservoir sandbodies and stratigraphic-lithologic traps.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Weiping Diao, Saurabh Saxena, Michael Pecht〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Accelerated cycle life testing of lithium-ion batteries is conducted as a means to assess whether a battery will meet its life cycle requirements. This paper presents a study to identify optimal accelerated cycle testing conditions for LiCoO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-graphite cells. A full factorial design of experiment with three stress factors—ambient temperature (10 °C, 25 °C, 45 °C, 60 °C), discharge current rate (C-rate, 0.7C, 1C, 2C), and charge cut-off C-rate (C/5, C/40)—is used to study the effects of these stress factors on battery capacity fade and to obtain the data necessary for decision making. An empirical accelerated degradation model is then developed to capture the characteristics of the two-stage capacity degradation process, along with an accelerated test planning approach.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Linna Dai, Qing Sun, Jianguang Guo, Jun Cheng, Xiaoyan Xu, Huanhuan Guo, Deping Li, Long Chen, Pengchao Si, Jun Lou, Lijie Ci〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Li-O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 batteries are considered as one of the future candidates for electrochemical power sources due to their high theoretical energy density. As the dominating component affects the performance of Li-O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 batteries, O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-cathode catalyst with high efficiency, low price, facile preparation is important. Herein, polyhedral and porous Mn〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 rods are fabricated for cathode catalysts in Li-O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 batteries via electrospinning method followed by calcination. The Mn〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 catalyst possesses a three-dimensional porous structure, which can offer good catalytic activity, expose plenty of active sites and improve the diffusion of electrolyte and O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. When employed as the cathode catalyst, the Li-O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 batteries show enhanced initial discharge capacity of 9701 mA h g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at a current density of 200 mA g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, superior rate capacity and good cycling stability within 160 cycles at the capacity of 500 mA h g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. These enhanced performances demonstrate a facile method to fabricate Mn〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 with unique structure as a promising catalytic material for Li-O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 batteries.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yong Zhang, Guangwu Wen, Shan Fan, Yuanyuan Chu, Shuhua Li, Baoyun Xu, Jing Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper, three-dimensional phenolic hydroxyl functionalized partially reduced graphene oxides with high hydroxyl content and significantly enhanced electrochemical performance have been successfully prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal method from graphene oxide dispersions. A very small amount of 4-aminophenol is employed as reducing and N-doping agent, structure modifier and the phenolic hydroxyl source, at the same time. The electrochemical test results show that as binder-free electrode, the as-synthesized sample with high hydroxyl content (6.15 at%) exhibits an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 284.1 F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at current density of 0.3 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 in 6 M KOH electrolyte, and retains for 80.4% even at a current density of 10 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Above all, the as-assembled symmetric supercapacitor shows superior energy density of 9.9 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at a power density of 75.0 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The significantly enhanced electrochemical performance can be ascribed to the high hydroxyl content and other oxygen functional groups, N-doping, modified porous framework and the high specific surface area of the graphene. Those special characteristics suggest that the as-synthesized graphene materials may have potential applications in high performance supercapacitors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0378775319307840-fx1.jpg" width="330" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 448〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Miaomiao Zhao, Jilin Yang, Na Zhao, Yu Liu, Yifu Wang, John P. Wilson, Tianxiang Yue〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Forests are a major contributor of terrestrial ecosystem carbon pools. Accurate estimates of forest biomass carbon sinks can improve our understanding of carbon cycles and help in developing sustainable forest management policies in the face of climate change. In this study, we update estimates of the biomass carbon stocks of China’s forests based on seven forest inventory datasets from 1977 to 2013 and carbon fraction coefficients of 46 tree species in the continuous biomass expansion factor (CBEF) model. Our findings suggest that: (1) China’s forest stands acted as an average biomass carbon sink of 99.07 Tg C year〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉; and (2) biomass carbon stocks increased by 72.62% from 1977 to 2013 and recently reached 7.27 Pg C, driven by forest area expansion and forest growth. The biomass carbon density of forest stands (canopy coverage 〉20%) increased from 38.18 to 44.52 Mg C ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 during the study period, with higher carbon densities in natural compared to planted forests, and the gap increasing with forest age. The largest increases in the biomass of carbon stocks of forest stands occurred in the eastern and northern regions. Our results suggest that biomass carbon stocks of natural forests account for about 85% in the most recent inventory and that the total biomass carbon stocks of forest stands in China will keep increasing in the future because of the large area of planted forests with young and middle-aged forest growth. The results from this study can help with comprehensive investigations of forest carbon budgets and the calibration and validation of simulation model results.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 448〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Steffen Herrmann, Markus O. Huber, Zoe Bont, Andreas Rigling, Jan Wunder〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Wood decay limits the function of Norway spruce (〈em〉Picea abies〈/em〉 (L.) H.Karst.) for wood production and in protection forests (i.e. forests protecting against natural hazards). Therefore, more detailed knowledge about the presence and extent of decay in living trees is highly relevant for both the timber industry and risk management strategies. However, decay detection in living Norway spruce trees is not sufficiently possible by visual methods. One possibility to overcome this problem are indirect, non- or least-destructive measurement devices such as the decay detector Rotfinder. Yet, the influence of climatic variables on the reliability of decay detection determined with the Rotfinder is not sufficiently known. Therefore, we assessed the influences of several climatic variables on the Rotfinder values continuously over one year at the same measuring position. Additionally, we determined a threshold value for decay detection in single Norway spruce trees in Central Europe. Regardless of the temperature, Rotfinder values measured over one year were mainly influenced by internal decay status, i.e. damage degree, which explained about 85% of the variation based on a generalized linear mixed effects model in this temperature range (about 6–27 °C). Together with fluctuations in air temperature, about 87% of the variation in Rotfinder values could be accounted for. For decay detection in single Norway spruce trees, a maximum threshold value of about 11,000 Rotfinder units (RU) was identified, equivalent to about 36% of the Rotfinder values measured for intact trees. Our results indicate that the Rotfinder can be used successfully for decay detection in single Norway spruce trees under Central European conditions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 448〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Raul Rosenvald, Piret Lõhmus, Riinu Rannap, Liina Remm, Katrin Rosenvald, Kadri Runnel, Asko Lõhmus〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Retention forestry is a silvicultural approach that can achieve both ecological and economic objectives in various forest ecosystems. It builds largely on the assumption that the live trees left unharvested (the main timber cost) effectively support ecological functioning of post-harvest forest. Such effectiveness can be understood as a combination of the initial ecological value of the tree (that may persist after tree death) and its survival, i.e., the prospect to develop into a high-quality veteran tree in the next forest generation. We assessed those aspects among 〉3000 live trees actually retained in 103 Estonian harvested sites and monitored over 16 years. We analysed how their survival and habitat value (estimated from tree morphology, confirmed by epiphyte surveys) translate to the veteran-tree perspectives. Only 48% of the trees were still alive after 16 years, and this final survival at the stand-scale was poorly predictable from a few years of monitoring. Only 12% retention trees had both high habitat value and high survival. Most trees (75%) were of low initial habitat value and, combined with low survival, almost 40% of all trees never provided quality habitat for tree-dwelling species. Nevertheless, we found considerable potential for post-harvest development of habitat value; notably in European nemoral hardwood species (such as 〈em〉Fraxinus, Quercus, Ulmus, Acer〈/em〉), which survived well but were usually in subcanopies at the time of the harvest. These findings indicate that retention forestry can improve also highly impoverished (e.g. short-rotation) forests, if analytical tools have been developed and applied to predict tree survival and future habitat quality.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 448〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Quanzhi Zhang, Chuankuan Wang, Zhenghu Zhou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Quantifying net primary production (NPP) and its allocation is essential for understanding and modeling the carbon (C) cycling in forest ecosystems. We used biometry-based measurements to examine the NPP allocation for six temperate forest types with similar stand age and climate but diverse stand characteristics and site conditions in northeastern China. The forest types included four naturally-regenerated stands and two planted stands. Our objectives were to (1) compare the NPP and its allocation among the six forest types, and (2) explore the factors driving the inter-stand variability of the NPP allocation patterns. We found that the total NPP (TNPP) and NPP of short-lived biomass tissues (NPP〈sub〉SL〈/sub〉) differed significantly among the forest types, varying from 709 to 927 gC m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 yr〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and from 364 to 594 gC m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 yr〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively. However, the NPP of long-lived tissues (NPP〈sub〉LL〈/sub〉) did not differ significantly among the forest types, varying from 305 to 364 gC m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 yr〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. These results suggested that the production of structural tissues be relatively stable under the same climate, and the inter-stand difference in TNPP be mainly attributed to the difference in NPP〈sub〉SL〈/sub〉. Within the four natural stands, the foliage production was significantly and positively correlated with soil nitrogen (N) (〈em〉R〈/em〉〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 = 0.50) and phosphorus (P) stock (〈em〉R〈/em〉〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 = 0.37), whereas the fine root production was significantly and negatively correlated with soil C:P (〈em〉R〈/em〉〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 = 0.54) and N:P ratio (〈em〉R〈/em〉〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 = 0.47), implying that foliage and root production may be driven by different mechanisms. The convergence of NPP〈sub〉LL〈/sub〉 across forest types with different stand characteristics, site conditions and management practices but under the same climate has important implication in managing forest ecosystems for C sequestration, while the divergence of NPP〈sub〉SL〈/sub〉 implies that vegetation can adapt to the site conditions by changing resource-absorbing tissues production and its allocation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nabil M. Al-Areeq, Abubakr F. Maky, Ahmed S. Abu-Elata, Mahmud A. Essa, Salem S. Bamumen, Gamal A. Al-Ramisy〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The Masilah oilfields are rich-oil provinces in the Sayun-Masilah Basin. The petroleum system including essential elements and processes is a very important for understanding and development of oilfield to further explore hydrocarbons in the whole basin. Integrated geochemical, geological, petrological and petrophysical analyses were performed on the source and reservoir rocks in the Masilah oilfields to gives information about the complete petroleum system. The Masilah oilfields filled with syn- and post-rift sediments, including a self-contained source-reservoir system. The geochemical results indicate that the organic-rich shales of the Madbi Formation are considered as oil-source rocks, with high total organic carbon content of more than 5.0 wt% TOC and oil-prone kerogen Types II and I. The Madbi shales are currently characterized by thermally mature level, within the oil generation window. Geochemical biomarker correlations of oil-source rock indicate that there is a genetic link between the oils and the Late Jurassic Madbi shale source rock in the Masilah oilfields. Therefore, the geochemical characteristics of the Madbi source rock have been collaborated into basin models and illustrate that the Madbi source rock had passed the peak-oil generation window during the Late Cretaceous to present-day and that large amounts of oil were generated. The generated oil was expelled and migrated to the overlain Early Cretaceous Qishn clastic reservoir rocks through faults during the Oligocene-Middle Miocene. The oil was then accumulated and trapped into horst and tilted fault blocks that initial formed during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rifting.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jeffrey O. Oseh, M.N.A. Mohd Norddin, Issham Ismail, Abdul R. Ismail, Afeez O. Gbadamosi, Augustine Agi, Shadrach O. Ogiriki〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉With increasing strict environmental laws, there is a need for operators to design a benign oil-based muds (OBMs). In this study, oil extracted from non-edible sweet almond seed (SASO) was used as the continuous phase to formulate biodiesel-based drilling mud (BBDM). Different properties of the BBDM including the economic viability were evaluated and compared with those of the diesel OBM to determine the applicability of these properties for drilling fluids and their level of toxicity to the environment. The results indicate that the rheology, filtration properties, electrical stability, thermal stability and shale swelling inhibition performance of the BBDM are comparable with those of the diesel OBM. The biodiesel has a significantly higher flash point of 169 °C than the diesel with 78 °C; demonstrating that it can supply better fire safety than the diesel. The data of the toxicity test indicate SASO to be safer and less harmful compared to diesel #2 type used. After the 28-day period of biodegradation tests, the BBDM and the diesel OBM showed 83% and 25.2% aerobic biodegradation with 〈em〉Penicillium〈/em〉 sp., respectively. The low branching degree and absence of aromatic compounds in the BBDM contributes for its higher biodegradation. The economic evaluation of the BBDM indicates low cost of formulation and waste management. The general outcome of the tests illustrates that SASO has the potentials of being one of the technically and environmentally feasible substitutes for the diesel OBM.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bao Jia, Jyun-Syung Tsau, Reza Barati〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Molecular diffusion is an important EOR mechanism in naturally fractured reservoirs. However, the laboratory-measured diffusion coefficient in the fractured porous media is still limited; and grid sensitivity analysis is missing in the literature when the single-porosity system is applied to history match the pressure decline curve. We aimed to fill the gaps using Radial Constant Volume Diffusion (RCVD) method experimentally to investigate diffusion coefficients at different pressures in hydrocarbon saturated porous media. A special in-house cell is designed to hold the core sample in the center with the annulus around simulating the fracture. The core is initially saturated with oil while the annulus is filled with CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 at the same pressure. During the measurements, the system pressure declines as gas diffuses into the oil phase until it reaches chemical equilibrium. The pressure decline curve is history matched to determine the diffusion coefficient. The initial pressure is 597 psi, and the diffusion coefficient is determined in numerical models accordingly. Molecular diffusion coefficients are estimated at different experiment periods to reveal the pressure-dependency. A workflow is proposed to obtain effective diffusion coefficients in dual-porosity models that could be extended to multi-component systems. Besides, flow characteristics in the RCVD system are characterized and capillary pressure effect is investigated in this study.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): R. Farajzadeh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To mitigate the negative impacts of hydrocarbon fuels on climate change complementary decision tools should be considered when selecting or evaluating the performance of a certain production scheme. The exergy analysis can give valuable information on the management of the oil and gas reservoirs. It can also be used to calculate the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 footprint of the different oil recovery mechanisms. We contend that the concept of exergy recovery factor can be used as a powerful sustainability indicator in the production of the hydrocarbon fields. The exergy-zero recovery factor is determined by considering exergy balance of full cycle of hydrocarbon-production systems and defines boundaries beyond which production of hydrocarbons is no longer sustainable. An example of the exergy analysis is presented in the paper.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Volume 181〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ahmad Ghasemi, Hossein Jalalifar, Saeid Norouzi Apourvari, Mohammad Reza Sakebi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Wellbore instability is a big challenge in shale formations. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a natural additive as a shale inhibitor. The capability of this additive for reducing ion movement into shale and plugging its pore throats has been tested and compared with salts and nano particles. The ions and water movement into shale and resultant swelling was measured by modified gravimetric, swelling and modified immersion tests. The results showed that using Henna extract could reduce the ion and water movement into shale. In addition, the results of pore pressure tests showed that 3 wt % of Henna extract are more effective than nano particles and could completely plug the pore throats of shale while the mud rheological properties are still maintained. The findings of this study show that the Henna extract could be considered as a cost-effective and an environmentally-friendly shale inhibitor.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0920410519306345-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Anna Slesarenko, Igor K. Yakuschenko, Vahid Ramezankhani, Visweshwar Sivasankaran, Olga Romanyuk, Alexander V. Mumyatov, Ivan Zhidkov, Sergey Tsarev, Ernst Z. Kurmaev, Alexander F. Shestakov, Olga V. Yarmolenko, Keith J. Stevenson, Pavel A. Troshin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We report a facile synthesis of octahydroxytetraazapentacene (OHTAP) and the application of this redox-active material as a cathode for lithium- and potassium-ion batteries. While testing in lithium half-cells, OHTAP was used in the form of lithium salt and delivered the specific discharge capacity of 〉400 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and the energy density of ~700 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, which are impressive values achieved for organic electrode materials and can also be favorably compared with the characteristics of the current commercial benchmark cathodes based on LiFePO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 (~155 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 543 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). The potassium half-cells fabricated using pristine OHTAP depending on the electrode deposition technique showed specific capacities of 120–220 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, which are among the record values reported so far for this type of batteries. Quantum chemical DFT modelling provided insights in the mechanistic aspects of metallation of OHTAP and revealed that lithium- and potassium-ion storage might involve both the hydroquinone-quione chemistry as well as the redox transformations of pyrazine rings.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0378775319306950-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Meetu Bharti, Ajay Singh, Gajender Saini, Sudeshna Saha, Anil Bohra, Yuki Kaneko, A.K. Debnath, K.P. Muthe, Kazuhiro Marumoto, D.K. Aswal, S.C. Gadkari〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We demonstrate that introduction of p-type Bi〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉Sb〈sub〉1.5〈/sub〉Te〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanostructures into the polymer matrix not only causes highly adherent drop-casted films of PEDOT:PSS (on Kapton sheets) to attain a free-standing nature but also brings a significant improvement in their thermoelectric properties. Hall and ESR measurements of these hybrid films clearly show that both the carrier concentration and mobility can be varied with Bi〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉Sb〈sub〉1.5〈/sub〉Te〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 content. Whereas, results of X-ray diffraction, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the enhancement in chain alignment and better connectivity among PEDOT:PSS and Bi〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉Sb〈sub〉1.5〈/sub〉Te〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanosheets; leading to remarkable enhancement of electrical conductivity. These hybrid films, due to energy filtering of charge carriers at the organic/inorganic interface, exhibit improvement in the Seebeck coefficient also. In fact, such a synergetic combination of improved electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient expertly tailors the power factor (from order of ~10〈sup〉−4〈/sup〉 to 8.3 μW/mK〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) over a vast range. The optimized films are tested for their power conversion ability and a single thermoelement based device exhibits an open circuit voltage ~536 μV and current ~134 μA for a temperature difference of 53 °C. Such an evolution of organic-inorganic hybrid films in a flexible, free-standing motif with enhanced thermoelectric properties exhibit good potential for recovering heat from the curved hot surfaces.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0378775319307293-fx1.jpg" width="252" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mohammed Srout, Karima Lasri, Mouad Dahbi, Abdelkader Kara, Laurene Tetard, Ismael Saadoune〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Being considered as a high Li-ion mobility material, Nasicon structured Li〈sub〉1.5〈/sub〉Fe〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉Ti〈sub〉1.5〈/sub〉(PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉)〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 phosphate material was synthesized via sol-gel route and electrochemically tested as electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. The material was tested in half-lithium electrochemical cells, within two voltage windows, 1.5–3.0 V and 0.5–3.0 V, and delivered first discharge capacities of 129 mAh/g and 567 mAh/g, respectively. Raman spectroscopy was used to confirm the material's structure before and during cycling. In addition, a comparative study of the electrochemical performance by the use of two different binders (PVDF and CMC), was conducted and showed a significant change in the electrochemical performance due to the change of the binder. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to evidence the electrodes' interface changes during cycling.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kingo Ariyoshi, Satoshi Mizutani, Yusuke Yamada〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Electrochemical impedance analysis was performed for Li[Li〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉Al〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉Mn〈sub〉1.8〈/sub〉]O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 (LAMO) used as a lithium-insertion electrode by the diluted electrode method to identify the origin of resistance. Utilization of diluted electrodes, in which some portion of active material, LAMO, was systematically replaced with the same amounts of spectator Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 material to maintain the original structure of the LAMO electrode, is a promising method to discriminate between the resistance attributed to the lithium-insertion reaction in LAMO (charge-transfer resistance) and that accompanied by conduction of electron and/or ion in the porous electrodes. Electrochemical impedance spectra of the diluted electrodes consisted of two semicircles. The radius of a semicircle in the lower frequency region depends on the LAMO content in a diluted electrode, indicating that the semicircle is associated with charge-transfer resistance. On the other hand, the radius of the other semicircle in the higher frequency region is independent of the LAMO contents, suggesting that the semicircle is mainly related to the resistance accompanied by the porous structure of electrodes. Thus, the structure of lithium-insertion electrode should be carefully considered in designing high-energy and high-power lithium-ion batteries that employ thick electrodes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rajesh Thomas, Shashikant P. Patole, Pedro M.F.J. Costa〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The electrochemical storage of aluminum in graphitic electrodes is a topic of much interest in the search for alternative battery systems. Here, we show that an Al-based battery can be realized using a cathode assembled with graphene flakes obtained from processed expandable graphite. When compared to pristine graphite (in this work, with 45 mAh/g at a current density of 214 mA/g), the capacity and cycle life performance are notably increased by the use of the graphene flakes (172 mAh/g, at 214 mA/g, after 100 cycles). The location and persistence of the charged choloraluminate species in the carbon materials was experimentally analyzed and complemented with computational modelling. Accordingly, and besides intercalation, grafting of the Al-species onto the graphene layers was identified as a possible mechanism that enhanced the performance of the processed expandable graphite cathodes. Such a phenomena would make the electrode more conductive and introduce a path for charge storage on its surface (akin to faradaic supercapacitors).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0378775319307517-fx1.jpg" width="443" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Elizabeth Whiddon, Haihui Zhu, Xiuping Zhu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Salinity gradient (SG) energy is a renewable and clean energy resource that exists worldwide from the change in Gibbs free energy when two solutions with different salinities are mixed. More recently, concentration flow cells (CFCs) have been introduced as a new technology for SG energy recovery with the highest reported power density output to date as a result of the utilization of both the electrode potential and Donnan potential. In this study, multiple CFCs are connected to form a consecutive number of stacks, and systematic analysis is conducted to investigate the influence of both parallel and series electrical wire connections on the overall performance. For both wire connections, an effective increase in the overall power output with an increase in stack size is observed. The power densities normalized to the membrane area are however lower (3.7 W m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 in series and 5.8 W m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 in parallel, for 5-stacks) than that of the individual cell unit (8.9 W m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) because the back of the stack experiences cumulative mixing. Additionally, as a result of an ionic cross-conduction causing a parasitic current in the series cell, the parallel wire configuration is demonstrated to be more successful in the CFC stack than the series.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Martin Miller, Norman T.M. Baltes, Peter M. Rabenecker, Markus W. Hagen, Jens Tübke〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Supercapacitors are usually used as energy storage devices that work at a high current rate. This operating mode is often accompanied by the production of large amounts of heat inside the cell. Therefore, health monitoring of supercapacitors is still needed to avoid overheating and subsequent destruction. This paper presents a new method to determine the heat generation and the resulting temperature development of an aqueous hybrid capacitor based on extensive measurement data. We concentrate not only on the Ohmic power loss but also on heat phenomenon originating from side and overcharge reactions as well as entropy effects. The bearing of the final state of charge and the charging current on the temperature development is demonstrated. Finally, the temperature parameters of air and water cooled capacitors are simulated. The temperature distribution within the cell as a function of time is presented and discussed. The great advantage of the developed evaluation method is that it is an inexpensive method which can be realised in most test laboratories and that the measurements and simulations consider all crucial origins of power loss. The results obtained can be used to evaluate appropriate cooling systems. The method can be applied to capacitors and batteries.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dipali S. Patil, Sachin A. Pawar, Jae Cheol Shin, Hyo Jin Kim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Herein, we report a simple one pot all hydrothermal synthesis route to grow nano structure of zinc-cobalt (Zn-Co) @ nickel-cobalt (Ni-Co) layered double hydroxides through oriented attachment growth with ultrathin nanosheets on 3D graphene foam using no additives or oxidants. The pseudocapacitor electrode based on Zn-Co@Ni-Co layered double hydroxides display an enhanced areal capacitance (7485 mFcm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉, at 5 mVs〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and energy density (1202 mWhcm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉, at 15 mAcm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) compared to pristine Zn-Co layered double hydroxides, with a greater cycling stability of 108% after 5000 charging-discharging cycles. We fabricate an all solid state symmetrical supercapacitor device with G-Zn-Co@Ni-Co//G-Zn-Co@Ni-Co layered double hydroxides that exhibits an areal capacitance of 1278 mFcm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉, at 10 mVs〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and energy density of 171 mWhcm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉, at 2.5 mAcm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉. The credit of superior performance of these pseudocapacitor electrodes is to the easy access of electrolyte to the nanosheets, the conductivity enhancement by 3D graphene foam scaffold and the synergistic effect due to the composite structure of the Zn-Co@Ni-Co layered double hydroxides.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A facile and low cost, hydrothermal technique was used to form a ZnCo@NiCo layered double hydroxide nanostructure composite electrode on graphene coated nickel foam for electrochemical supercapacitor.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0378775319307979-fx1.jpg" width="424" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yachao Jin, Fuyi Chen, Jiali Wang, Longfei Guo, Tao Jin, Huazhen Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions (HOR and HER) in alkaline media are very kinetically sluggish, which becomes one of major barriers for the breakthrough of anion exchange membrane fuel cells. Thus, developing highly active and economically competitive HOR/HER electrocatalysts for alkaline electrolytes is of critical importance to realize future hydrogen economy. Herein, we for the first time report a new class of platinum-rhodium nanoalloy aerogel (PtRh NAA) via a facile and controllable strategy as exceptional HOR/HER electrocatalysts in alkaline environment. The as-synthesized PtRh NAA features unique lamellar architecture, hierarchical pores system and abundant low-coordinated sites. Benefiting from the combined structural and electronic effects as well as bifunctional synergetic effects, the lamellar PtRh NAA delivers an excellent HOR specific activity of 1.25 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉〈sub〉Pt+Rh〈/sub〉, which is 5.5 times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C (0.225 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉〈sub〉Pt〈/sub〉). Meanwhile, its HER overpotential at −10 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 can be lowered to −55 mV, representing one of the highest HER activity so far. Moreover, no obvious deactivations are observed even after 5000 potential cycles for both HOR and HER, exhibiting excellent operation stability. These findings open a new field to design more advanced aerogels with high electrocatalytic performance.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0378775319307839-fx1.jpg" width="449" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 30 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Power Sources, Volume 435〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Akos Kriston, Ibtissam Adanouj, Vanesa Ruiz, Andreas Pfrang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermal Gravimetry (TGA) combined with gas analysis are used to identify the main decomposition processes and to develop reaction kinetic models for thermal runaway modelling of Graphite – Lithium Nickel–Manganese–Cobalt-Oxide (NMC 111) cells. Heating rates of 5, 10 and 15 °C min〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 with multiple replications are performed to determine the frequency factor, activation energy and the heat of reaction of the different sub-processes. It is found that both the anode and cathode decompose in multiple parallel and consecutive reactions between 5 °C and 600 °C. A double breakdown mechanism of the protecting Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI) is suggested to describe the anode decomposition reactions. For the cathode, decomposition and evaporation of ethylene carbonate (EC), decomposition of NMC with the liberation of oxygen, combustion of EC with the liberated oxygen, decomposition of binder, decomposition of EC and combustion of carbon additive reactions are identified and modelled. The proposed model can be used to simulate thermal runaway initiation methods in a realistic way.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0378775319307451-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Marine Policy, Volume 108〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Maurice Beseng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This article removes the lid on fisheries crime in Cameroon by providing empirical evidence of criminal practices along the maritime fisheries value chain. To achieve this, the study relied on both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected from direct observation, informal group discussions and semi-structured interviews involving state officials, coastal community groups and other civil society organisations in the west maritime district of Southwest Cameroon. The article reveals a plethora of fisheries-related crimes encompassing corruption (i.e. bribery and abuse of office), document and identity fraud, illegal exploitation of fish maws and endangered marine mammals. Other crimes associated to the fisheries sector included: smuggling of contraband goods, arms smuggling, illegal migration, illegal recruitment and abuse of workers' rights. Through these examples, this research empirically demonstrates the interrelationship of the different criminal practices and their organised and transnational dimension. The study also paints a complex picture of criminality perpetuated by a sophisticated network of both local and foreign industrial fisheries stakeholders. Consequently, addressing illicit activities in the maritime fisheries sector requires cooperation from a wide range of both state and non-state actors in investigating and analysing the nature of fisheries crime practices, the agents involved and their modes of operation. This approach is necessary to gain a better understanding of the problem and enable actors design appropriate and targeted management responses.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Marine Policy, Volume 108〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): André S. Afonso, Leonardo L. Fidelis, Pedro L. Roque, Renato Galindo, Wanderson Dionisio, Leonardo B. Veras, Fábio H.V. Hazin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are potentially effective conservation and management instruments yet they often produce socioeconomic conflicts which may challenge their success. Knowledge and perceptions about environmental subjects among MPA residents were examined to identify possible effects of conservation policies upon local communities. Sharks were used as a proxy for wildlife given their local relevance and socioenvironmental context. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from 134 randomly-selected residents of Fernando de Noronha (FEN), Brazil. Affinity towards nature tended to decrease among people 〉44 years old, whereas 〉10 years residents were more associated with negative feelings about sharks. Homogeneity in knowledge was noticed but perceptions decreased conspicuously across residence time-classes. Only 33% of respondents reported unarguable MPA benefits to local welfare, while several problems pertaining to infrastructure, management and resources were mentioned. These results are worrisome because they might translate into growing frustration along with residence time, which could potentially jeopardize the success of conservation policies. Wildlife conservation and at least partial improvements to welfare being positively signalized by a relevant proportion of respondents suggest an encouraging potential for relationship improvement between MPAs and stakeholders. Nonetheless, the long-term sustainability of inhabited MPAs could depend on properly integrating human users and ensuring their support and compliance, which must be considered while designing management strategies. Given the prestige of FEN in the South Atlantic and worldwide, it is important that this MPA delivers successful, sustainable outcomes that can be representative of efficient conservation trajectories to be replicated elsewhere.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Marine Policy, Volume 108〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sara Hornborg, Ingrid van Putten, Camilla Novaglio, Elizabeth A. Fulton, Julia L. Blanchard, Éva Plagányi, Cathy Bulman, Keith Sainsbury〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is a globally mandated approach with the intention to jointly address ecological and human (social-cultural, economic and institutional) dimensions. Indicators to measure performance against objectives have been suggested, tested, and refined but with a strong bias towards ecological indicators. In this paper, current use and application of indicators related to the human dimension in EBFM research and ecosystem models are analysed. It is found that compared to ecological counterparts, few indicators related to the human dimension are commonly associated with EBFM, and they mainly report on economic objectives related to fisheries. Similarly, in the most common ecosystem models, economic indicators are the most frequently used related to the human dimension, both in terms of model outputs and inputs. The prospect is small that indicators mainly related to profitable fishing economy are able to report on meeting the broad range of EBFM objectives and to successfully evaluate progress in achieving EBFM goals. To fully conform with EBFM principles, it is necessary to recognise that ecological and human indicators are inter-dependent. Moreover, the end-to-end ecosystem models used in EBFM will need to be further developed to allow a fuller spectrum of social-cultural, institutional, and economic objectives to be reported against.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 29 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiangmei Li, Xinze Wu, Jin Wang, Qicheng Hua, Jinxiao Wu, Xing Shen, Yuanming Sun, Hongtao Lei〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, colloidal gold (CG), latex microspheres (LM), and time-resolved fluorescent microsphere (TrFM), were utilized as the antibody labeled tracers in three kinds of lateral flow immunochromatographic assays (LFIAs), which were established to detect tylosin (TYL) and tilmicosin (TIM) residues in milk and pork. The cut-off values of the CG-LFIA, LM-LFIA, and TrFM-LFIA for TYL in milk were 8, 4, and 2 ng/mL, respectively, and that for pork were 15, 8, and 4 μg/kg, respectively. The sample preparation of the three LFIAs is simple and fast, and the results can be acquired within 5-8 min. The three LFIAs have a strong cross-reaction to TIM and can be applied to simultaneously detect TIM. Forty milk samples were analyzed by both the three LFIAs and LC-MS/MS, the results showed a good correlation between the four methods, and no false positive or false negative results were found, indicating that the developed three assays could provide rapid, reliable, and multi-selective technical support for the on-site determination of macrolide antibiotics or other pollutants residues in a considerable amount of samples.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0925400519312584-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 29 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mohammad Khavani, Mohammad Izadyar, Mohammad Reza Housaindokht〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Different sensors composed of aptasensor have been largely designed for detection of many analytes recently due to the ease of detection, high sensitivity, and potential for high-throughput analysis. In this article, a joint theoretical and experimental study was performed to design new gold nanoparticle based colorimetric aptasensor. At the first step, by employing molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, twenty new RNA aptamers for detection of neomycin B (NB) were theoretically designed. The sensing ability and their binding affinity of these aptamers toward NB were investigated from the theoretical viewpoint and the predicted behaviors were compared with that of the wild type aptamer (AP-W). Theoretical results indicated that two aptamers of AP-M18 and AP-M20 have a greater affinity toward NB in comparison with AP-W. At the next step, AP-M18, AP-M20 and AP-W were synthesized and their affinity and selectivity toward NB were investigated by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) based colorimetric method. On the basis of experimental results, the calculated limit of detection (LOD) values of AP-M18 and AP-M20 are 27 and 360 nM, respectively, which are lower than that of AP-W (470 nM). Moreover, quantum chemistry calculations indicated that van der Waals and electrostatic interactions may be the driving force of the NB complexation. A greater affinity of AP-M18 against NB can be explained by the possible stronger donor-acceptor interactions. A good agreement between different predicted properties with the experimental results suggests the ability of the theoretical methods to design new aptamers for detection of various targets.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0925400519311463-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈p〉Experimental investigation indicates that the theoretical methods have an interesting ability for designing new aptasensors for detection of different targets.〈/p〉 〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 29 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaohui Lu, Jin Wang, Guodong Lu, Bo Lin, Meizhuo Chang, Wei He〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉China grows and consumes numerous types of tea, which have diverse processing techniques. West Lake Longjing Tea is one of the most famous and popular varieties of tea in China. It is difficult for consumers to assess the quality of Longjing green tea, as it usually requires well-trained experts to make the judgement based on colour, aroma, and taste. To this end, we propose a quality identification system consisting of a self-developed electronic nose and a data analysis algorithm to assess the quality of West Lake Longjing Tea based on its aroma. The equipment was tested extensively in experiments conducted on real-world data. The results show that the proposed system is capable of distinguishing the tea grades accurately. Furthermore, we studied the quality specifications of Longjing tea sold by different brands and found that standard certified brands have more accurate quality identification criteria than non-standard certified brands. Our findings will assist customers and tea factories in evaluating the quality of Longjing Tea and guide the optimisation of quality standards.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 300〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hao Guo, Kun Qian, Anjiang Cai, Jun Tang, Jun Liu〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We demonstrate a method for fabricating nanoparticles in a line at the top of silver wrinkled structures by tilting the substrate. The center of gravity of the colloidal droplets was moved backward, resulting in a small volume of droplets at the front of the colloidal droplet. The droplet rapidly evaporated, and the nanoparticles that remained formed lines of highly ordered nanoparticles. The distance between the nanoparticles changed after stretching the PDMS substrate due to the Poisson effect. An optimal plasma effect was achieved by controlling the distance between the nanoparticles. Finally, the Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) effects of CV and R6G molecules in water were determined, and the detection limit was 10〈sup〉−20〈/sup〉 M. This method provides an extremely high sensitivity SERS substrate for the detection of biomolecules.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 297〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jin Her, Hunho Jo, Changill Ban〈/p〉

Beschreibung: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 452〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alicia Calle, Karen D. Holl〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To meet their large-scale forest and landscape restoration targets, countries must find ways to accommodate areas for conservation alongside agricultural production. In some pasture-dominated regions of Latin America, intensive silvopastoral systems (SPS) are being promoted to increase cattle productivity on certain lands while facilitating the removal of cattle from marginal areas for forest restoration. However, the recovery of these forests and their contribution to the overall conservation value of the landscape has not been assessed rigorously. We evaluated forest structure and composition in 20 sites in a region of the Colombian Andes where a decade ago farmers transitioned to SPS and fenced off riparian areas to enable forest recovery. We compared these restored forests to a reference model based on the remaining riparian forest across the region, all of which has been subjected to human management. We found that woody species richness was higher in restored than in reference forests, and the proportion of large-seeded, later successional, animal-dispersed species were similar in both forest types. Whereas we found a similar suite of dominant tree species in restored and reference forest, 〈em〉Guadua angustifolia〈/em〉, a native giant bamboo was more abundant in the reference forests due to human management. Total tree basal area was higher in restored forests due to a small number of very large trees likely present in the pastures at the time of site protection. These findings highlight (1) the potential for recovery of diverse forests in riparian sites despite previous grazing use and (2) the role of remnant trees in facilitating natural succession. Overall, rapid forest recovery with minimal intervention in previously farmed lands is good news for conservation in a region that still harbors significant biodiversity despite high levels of fragmentation and the influence of human management.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉