Pyrolyzed waste biomass, or biochar, has been suggested as a means to increase plant growth and to mitigate soil salinization, which is a widespread agricultural issue and can reach extreme levels in urban soils impacted by de-icing salts. Soil mixing is enhanced by reduced biochar particle size; however, biochar properties vary with particle size and recent studies suggest that plant growth responses may be maximized at intermediate particle sizes. We examined the responses of two plant species (cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)) to biochar amendments that spanned a wide range of particle sizes obtained by sieving, with and without de-icing salt additions. The smallest size fractions of biochar reduced plant growth relative to unamended controls. Plant biomass production was generally maximized at intermediate biochar particle size treatments, with particles sizes of 0.5-2.0 mm showing the best response. Mitigation of salt effects was also improved at intermediate biochar particle sizes in this particles size range. Our results emphasize the importance of optimizing biochar particle size to best enhance plant responses to biochar, with particular reference to saline soils.

In order to understand the response mechanism between plant stress, physiological indicators and hyperspectral indices, pot experiments were conducted on Suaeda salsa seedlings collected from a coastal wetland area to reveal the effects of salt stress on the physiological indicators and reflectance spectra of Suaeda salsa at the canopy and leaf level. The Suaeda salsa seedlings were exposed to seven salt treatments of different concentrations (0 mmol/L (control), 50 mmol/L, 100 mmol/L, 200 mmol/L, 300 mmol/L, 400 mmol/L, and 600 mmol/L) in natural conditions. The physiological indicators of plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, leaf succulence, chlorophyll content, and carotenoid content were measured, in addition to the reflectance spectra of Suaeda salsa at both the canopy and leaf level. Firstly, the effects of salt stress on the physiological indicators and reflectance spectra were analyzed by the qualitative and quantitative methods. Then, physiological indicators sensitive to salt stress were further retrieved. Afterwards hyperspectral indices such as a/b and ((a-b)/(a+b) ) sensitive to salt stress were also extracted by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student-Newman-Keuls (S-N-K) comparison test. Our results showed that plant height, root length, leaf succulence, biomass, Chl-a, and Chl-b were sensitive to salt stress, while carotenoids (Car) and relative water content on the root were not significantly affected by salt stress. At the salt concentration of 200 mmol/L, plant height, biomass, relative water content, leaf succulence peaked. With enhanced salt stress, physiological indicators decreased. The first-order derivative spectral reflectance has the highest correlation with salt stress, compared to the control. The spectral index most sensitive to the salt stress at the canopy level is (D₉₀₃−D₈₅₁)/(D₉₀₃+D₈₅₁), for which the multiple determination coefficient (r²) is 0.9216. While the most sensitive spectral index to the salt stress is (D₄₄₂−D₆₆₇)/(D₄₄₂+D₆₆₇) at the leaf level, for which the r² is −0.898. In summary, the results indicated that there exists the quantitative relationship between the physiological indicators and spectra reflectance under salt stress and hyperspectral plant indices can effectively estimate the degree of salt stress. The inconsistency between the diagnostic hyperspectral plant indices at the canopy and leaf levels may be caused by the observation conditions, canopy structure.

Ebolavirus has a membrane envelope decorated by trimers of a glycoprotein (GP), which is responsible for host cell attachment and membrane fusion. Therefore, GP is a primary target for antiviral drugs development. Here, this article reports the first, to my knowledge, set of structural analysis of all Ebolavirus GP structures as of March 10, 2020, and also a brief update of the structurally identified electrostatic features of the Ebolavirus GP structures in both apo (unliganded) state and also in bound states with a series of small compounds, including a variety of approved drugs. With this comprehensive set of structural analysis, this article puts forward a hypothesis of two Achilles' heels of Ebolavirus GP structure, where the formation of two interfacial salt bridges, instead of destabilizing the prefusion conformation of Ebolavirus GP, constitutes a positive contribution towards the structural rigidification of the prefusion conformation of the Ebolavirus GP structure, thereby acting against GP-mediated Ebolavirus cell entry and/or preventing fusion between the viral and endosome membranes.

Strigolactones (SLs) are a novel emerging plant hormones, which play important roles in regulating plant organ development and environmental stress tolerance. Even though the SL related genes have been identified and well characterized in some plants. The information of SL related genes in soybean is not fully established yet, especially in response to salt stress. In this study, we identified nine SL biosynthesis genes: two D27, two CCD7, two CCD8, and three MAX1, and seven SL signaling genes: two D14, two MAX2 and three D53 in soybean genome. We found that SL biosynthesis and signaling genes are conserved during evolution in different species. Syntenic analysis of these genes revealed their location on nine chromosomes as well as existence of ten pairs of duplication genes. Moreover, plant hormone and stress-responsive elements were identified in the promoter regions of SL biosynthesis and signaling genes. By using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), we confirmed that SL genes have different tissue expression in roots, stems and leaves. Further, we also explored the expression profiles of SL biosynthesis and signaling genes under salt stress. These results suggested that SL signaling genes may play important regulatory roles in response to salt stress. In conclusion, we identified and provided valuable information on the soybean SL biosynthesis and signaling genes, and established a foundation for further functional analysis of soybean SL related genes in response to salt stress.

Choice of the salts of therapeutic agents or active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) is based on the physicochemical properties of API and the dosage form considerations. The appropriate salt can have positive effect on overall therapeutic and pharmaceutical effects of API. However, the incorrect salt form can negatively affect the overall pharmaceutical outcomes of the API. This review addresses various criteria for choosing appropriate salt form along with the effect of salt forms on API’s pharmaceutical properties. In addition to comprehensive review of the criteria, this review also gives a brief historic perspective of the salt selection process.

This study aimed to simulate dynamic irrigation management zones (MZs) in two maize fields for a variable rate hose-reel fertigation machine (VRFM) with a 4-section boom control. Soil moisture content was measured from nine and four soil moisture sensors in Field 1 (8.2 ha) and Field 2 (2.5 ha), respectively in different dates during the 2022 crop season. Three- and five-MZs scenarios were simulated per irrigation and the theoretical maps were processed for implementation. The application maps fitted to the VRFM showed significant spatiotemporal variations in irrigation requirements. For instance, in Field 1, 3-MZs modelling showed that the areas requiring High (H), Medium (M), and Low (L) level irrigation on July 21 were 1.60, 4.84, and 1.85 ha, respectively, whereas the farmer applied uniform rate over the whole field. H level sub-areas ranged between 1.22 ha (July 25) and 3.25 ha (July 7), showing a coefficient of variation (CV) of 43.32% for the 3-MZs, whereas H level sub-areas for 5-MZs varied from 0.41 ha (July 2) to 1.49 ha (July 7) with a CV value of 48.84%. High levels of within-field variability can be addressed using precise and dynamic irrigation MZs fitted to the irrigation technology used.

Starch is widely applied in various industrial sectors, including the food industry. Starch is used as a thickener, stabilizer, or emulsifier. However, arrowroot starch generally has weaknesses, such as unstable under heating and acidic conditions, which are generally applied to processing in the food industry. Modifications were applied to improve the characteristics of native arrowroot starch. In this study, arrowroot starch was modified by heat-moisture treatment (HMT), octenylsuccinylation (OSA), and dual modification between OSA and HMT in a different sequence, namely HMT followed by OSA, and OSA followed by HMT. This study aims to determine the effect of different modification methods on the physicochemical and functional properties of native arrowroot starch. The result shows that both single HMT and dual modification caused damage to native starch granules, such as the formation of cracks and roughness. Especially for single OSA treatment, there is no significant change in granule morphology after modification. All modification treatments did not change the crystalline type of starch but reduced the RC of native starch. Both single HMT and dual modifications (HMT-OSA, OSA-HMT) increased pasting temperature and setback, conversely decreasing the peak and breakdown viscosity of native starch. Whereas, single OSA has the opposite trend compared with the other modifications. HMT played a greater role in increasing the thermal stability and retrogradation ability of arrowroot starch. Both single modifications (HMT and OSA) increase the hardness and gumminess of native starch, conversely for dual modifications. HMT has a greater effect on color characteristics, where decreased the lightness and whiteness index of native arrowroot starch. Single OSA modification increased swelling volume higher than dual modification. Both single HMT and dual modifications increase water absorption capacity and decrease the oil absorption capacity of native arrowroot starch.

Soil moisture maps are essential for hydrological, agricultural and risk assessment applications. To best meet these requirements, it is essential to develop soil moisture products at high spatial resolution which is now made possible using the free Sentinel-1 (S1) SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data. Some soil moisture retrieval techniques using S1 data relied on the use of a priori weather information in order to increase the precision of soil moisture estimates, which required access to a weather forecasting framework. This paper presents an improved and fully automated solution for high-resolution soil moisture mapping in bare agricultural areas. The proposed solution derives a priori weather information directly from the original Sentinel images, thus bypassing the need for a weather forecasting framework. For soil moisture estimation, the neural network technique was implemented to ensure the optimum integration of radar information. The neural networks were trained using synthetic data generated by the modified Integral Equation Model (IEM) model and validated on real data from two study sites in France and Tunisia. Main findings showed that the use of radar signal averaged over grids of a few km2 in addition to radar signal at plot scale instead of a priori weather information, provides good soil moisture estimations. The accuracy is even slightly better comparatively to the accuracy obtained using a priori weather information.

This study was carried out to determine the effects of apple vinegar and sodium diacetate addition on the aerobic stability of fermented high moisture maize grain (HMM) silage after opening. In the study, the effect of three different levels (0, 0.5, 1.0%) of apple vinegar (AV) and sodium diacetate (SDA) supplementation to fermented HMM at two different storage conditions (27-29°C, 48% Humidity; 35-37°C, 26% Humidity) were investigated. The material of the study was fermented rolled maize grain with 62% moisture content stored for about 120 days. Silage samples were subjected to aerobic stability test with 3 replicates for each treatment group. Wendee and microbiological analyses were made at 0, 2, 4, 7, and 12 days. Meanwhile, samples were displayed in the T200 IR brand thermal camera. According to the thermogram results, 1% SDA addition positively affected HMM silages at the second and fourth days of aerobic stability at both storage conditions (p<0.05). Aerobic stability and infrared thermography analysis indicated that 1% AV, 0.5%, and 1% SDA additions to HMM silages had promising effects. Due to our results, we concluded that thermal camera images might be used as an alternative quality indicator for silages in laboratory conditions.

Convective rainfall can cause dangerous flash floods within less than six hours. Thus, simple approaches are required for issuing quick warnings. The Flash Flood Guidance (FFG) approach pre-calculates rainfall levels (thresholds) potentially causing critical water levels for a specific catchment. Afterwards, only rainfall and soil moisture information is required to issue warn-ings. This study applied the principle of FFG to the Wernersbach Catchment (Germany) with excellent data coverage using the BROOK90 water budget model. The rainfall thresholds were determined for durations of 1 to 24 hours, by running BROOK90 in “inverse” mode, identifying rainfall values for each duration that led to exceedance of critical discharge (fixed value). After calibrating the model based on its runoff, we ran it in hourly mode with four precipitation types and various levels of initial soil moisture for the period 1996 – 2010. The rainfall threshold curves showed a very high probability of detection (POD) of 91% for the 40 extracted flash flood events in the study period, however, the false alarm rate (FAR) of 56% and the critical success index (CSI) of 42% should be improved in further studies. The approach proved potential as an early flood indicator for head-catchments with limited available information.

Interactions of soil moisture with plant root systems are very important for plant growth. For non-invasive determination of volumetric soil moisture in a rhizobox, a microwave system based on transmittance of electromagnetic waves in the microwave frequency range was developed using microstrip patch antennas. Vector Network Analyzers (VNAs) were used to measure the S-parameters at frequency ranges close to 5 GHz. A transmission system with microstrip patch antennas was developed. The result of this attenuation is in the frequency domain. The antennae were designed as resonant microstrip antennae. The antennae were placed on both sides of a rhizobox, which allowed non-invasive measuring soil moisture in the box. The attenuation (S21(dB)) was used to measure the effect of temperature, and different types of soil; as well as sensitivity, reproducibility and repeatability of the system. In this work we present quantitative results of soil moisture in rhizobox. The microwave technique, using microstrip patch antennas, is a reliable and accurate system, and showed very promising potential applications for rhizobox-based investigations of root performance.

If given the correct remotely sensed information, machine learning can accurately describe soil moisture conditions in a heterogeneous region at the large scale based on soil moisture readings at the small scale through rule transference across scale. This paper reviews an approach to increase soil moisture resolution over a sample region over Australia using the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) sensor and Landsat 8 only and a validation experiment using Sentinal-2 and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) over Nevada. This approach uses an inductive localized approach, replacing the need to obtain a deterministic model in favor of a learning model. This model is adaptable to heterogeneous conditions within a single scene unlike traditional polynomial fitting models and has fixed variables unlike most learning models. For the purposes of this analysis, the SMAP 36 km soil moisture product is considered fully valid and accurate. Landsat bands coinciding in collection date with a SMAP capture are down sampled to match the resolution of the SMAP product. A series of indices describing the Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Triangle (SVAT) relationship are then produced, including two novel variables, using the down sampled Landsat bands. These indices are then related to the local coincident SMAP values to identify a series of rules or trees to identify the local rules defining the relationship between soil moisture and the indices. The defined rules are then applied to the Landsat image in the native Landsat resolution to determine local soil moisture. Ground truth comparison is done via a series of grids using point soil moisture samples and air-borne L-band Multibeam Radiometer (PLMR) observations done under the SMAPEx-5 campaign. This paper uses a random forest due to its highly accurate learning against local ground truth data yet easily understandable rules. The predictive power of the inferred learning soil moisture algorithm did well with a mean absolute error of 0.054 over an airborne L-band retrieved surface over the same region.

Hydrological models have been widely used for many purposes in water sector projects, including streamflow prediction and flood risk assessment. Among the input data used in such hydrological models, the spatial-temporal variability of rainfall datasets has a significant role on the final discharge estimation. Therefore, accurate measurements of rainfall are vital. On the other hand, ground-based measurement networks, mainly in developing countries, are either nonexistent or too sparse to capture rainfall accurately. In addition to in-situ rainfall datasets, satellite-derived rainfall products are nowadays available globally with high spatial and temporal resolution. An innovative approach called SM2RAIN that estimates rainfall from soil moisture data has been applied successfully to various regions. In this study, firstly soil moisture content derived from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth observing system (AMSR-E) is used as input into the SM2RAIN algorithm to estimate daily rainfall, SM2R-AMSRE, at different sites in the Karkheh river basin (KRB), southwest Iran. Secondly, the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) hydrological model is applied to simulate runoff using both ground-based observed rainfall and SM2R-AMSRE rainfall as input. The results reveal that the SM2R-AMSRE rainfall data are, in most cases, in good agreement with ground-based rainfall, with correlations R ranging between 0.58 and 0.88, though there is some underestimation of the observed rainfall, due to soil moisture saturation, not accounted for in the SM2RAIN equation. The subsequent SM2R-AMSRE- SWAT- simulated monthly runoff reproduces well the observations at the 6 gauging stations (with coefficient of determination, R² > 0.72), though with slightly worse performances in terms of bias (Bias) and root-mean-square error (RMSE) and, again, some systematic flow underestimation than the SWAT model with ground-based rainfall input. Furthermore, rainfall estimations of two satellite products of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), 3B42 and 3B42RT, are used in the calibrated SWAT- model. The monthly runoff obtained with 3B42- rainfall have 0.39< R2 < 0.70 and are slightly better than those obtained with 3B42RT- rainfall, but not as good as the SM2R-AMSRE- SWAT- simulated runoff above. Therefore, in spite of the afore-mentioned limitations, using SM2R-AMSRE rainfall data in a hydrological model like SWAT, appears to be a viable approach in basins with limited ground-based rainfall data.

The article presents the results of research on a new method of spatial analysis of walls and buildings moisture. Due to the fact that destructive methods are not suitable for historical buildings of great architectural significance, a non-destructive method based on electrical tomography has been adopted. A hybrid tomograph with special sensors was developed for the measurements. This device enables the acquisition of data, which are then reconstructed by appropriately developed methods enabling spatial analysis of wet buildings. Special electrodes that ensure good contact with the surface of porous building materials such as bricks and cement were introduced. During the research, a group of algorithms enabling supervised machine learning was analyzed. They have been used in the process of converting input electrical values into conductance depicted by the output image pixels. The conductance values of individual pixels of the output vector made it possible to obtain images of the interior of building walls, both flat intersections (2D) and spatial (3D) images. The presented group of algorithms has a high application value. The main advantages of the new methods are: high accuracy of imaging, low costs, high processing speed, ease of application to walls of various thickness and irregular surface. By comparing the results of tomographic reconstructions, the most efficient algorithms were identified.

This case study investigates the effects of ventilation intervention on measured and perceived indoor air quality (IAQ) in a repaired school where occupants reported IAQ problems. Occupants´ symptoms were suspected to be related to the impurities leaked indoors through the building envelope. The study’s aim was to determine whether a positive pressure of 5-7 Pa prevents the infiltration of harmful chemical and microbiological agents from structures, thus decreasing symptoms and discomfort. Ventilation intervention was conducted in a building section comprising 12 classrooms and was completed with IAQ measurements and occupants´ questionnaires. After intervention, the concentration of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) decreased, and occupants´ negative perceptions became more moderate compared to those for other parts of the building. The indoor mycobiota differed in species composition from the outdoor mycobiota, and changed remarkably with the intervention, indicating that some species may have emanated from an indoor source before the intervention.

Subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) weather forecasting has improved in recent years, thanks partly to better representation of physical variables in models. For instance, realistic initializations of snow and soil moisture in models yield enhanced predictability on S2S time scales. Snow depth and soil moisture also mediate month-to-month persistence of near-surface air temperature. Here the role of snow depth as predictor of temperature one month ahead in the Northern Hemisphere is probed via two causal pathways. Through the first pathway, snow depth anomalies in month 1 cause snow depth anomalies in month 2, which then cause temperature anomalies in month 2. This pathway represents the snow–albedo feedback, as well as cooling due to insulation, emissivity and heat loss. It is active from fall to summer, and its effect peaks in March/April in the midlatitudes and in May/June at high latitudes. A complementary second pathway, where snow depth anomalies in month 1 cause soil moisture anomalies in month 2, which then cause temperature anomalies in month 2 through soil moisture–temperature feedbacks, is only active in spring and summer. Its effect peaks later in the warm season than the effect of the first pathway. Geographically, snow depth mediates north of, and soil moisture south of, the areas with the highest temperature predictability from snow depth. These results indicate that the two pathways describe complementary physical mechanisms. The first pathway embodies month-to-month persistence of snow depth, and the second pathway represents melting of snow from one month to the next.

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application as its polyporous structure and light texture. In order to enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, this study investigate its water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristic and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain, tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with standards and the structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fracture surface of fiber bundles. Test results shows that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness and ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had an impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the fiber bundles density of LS varies range of 385.46-468.70 kg/m³, much less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m³) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m³) while LS fiber bundles has superior specific modulus.

Non-impregnated small pore graphite (NSPG) with the compact microstructure for using in molten salt reactors (MSR) was prepared by the novel process, and the pore diameter of the obtained graphite was reduced to ~800 nm. The irradiation evaluation of the prepared graphite was carried out by 7 MeV Xe26+ ion irradiation and the microstructural changes of the graphite were investigated with IG-110 as a comparison. The graphitization degree of NSPG was higher than that of IG-110, though it was not subjected to an impregnation process. Under low-dose ion irradiation (

Under the dual erosion conditions of the dry-wet cycle, which is caused by the high chloride salt concentrations in mine water and fluctuations in mine water level, cemented paste backfill (CPB) suffers serious damage and deterioration. To discuss the mechanical properties and permeability characteristics of CPB under erosion, this study designs an immersion experiment for CPB under chloride salt and dry-wet cycle conditions. Through a uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) test, the change law for the mechanical parameters of the CPB was explored, strength constitutive equation of the CPB was constructed, and the process of deterioration of the CPB was analyzed. Through the penetration test, the diffusion characteristics of packing under chloride salt and dry-wet cycle conditions were explored. The results demonstrated that the strength and elastic modulus of the CPB first increased and then decreased rapidly, with maximum decrease rates of 32.2% and 38.2%, respectively. The CPB structure presents an initial non-damage stage, initial damage stage, damage development stage, damage destruction, and residual damage stage. The chloride ion penetration depth gradually increased with an increase in the number of dry-wet cycles, with a maximum diffusion depth of 20.5 mm. The maximum apparent diffusion coefficient of chloride ion was 18.99×10-10m2/s, and the maximum concentration was 0.303 mol/L. Under the double erosion conditions due to chloride salt and dry-wet cycle, the CPB structure is seriously damaged.

Soil salinity is seen as a major restriction for crop production, and with water scarcity this problem becomes more complicated. Mulching is crucial to salinity dynamics management by decreasing evaporation with improving the soil’s characteristics. Using chitosan as an eco-friendly biostimulant can enhance plant defense genes during different abiotic stresses. Recently, agricultural research has recognized nanoparticles as a pioneer material due to their distinctive physicochemical features. Therefore, a lysimeter experiment was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of mulching (UNM: un-mulched, WPM: white plastic, RSM: rice straw and SDM: sawdust) and chitosan foliar application (Ch0: control, Ch1: 250 mg chitosan L-1, Ch2: 125 mg nano chitosan L-1, and Ch3: 62.5 mg nano chitosan L-1) on the biochemical soil characteristics and common beans productivity under salt affected soil conditions. Organic mulching (RSM and SDM) treatments significantly improved the soil's organic carbon, available nutrient content, and total count of bacteria. WPM treatment lowered soil EC to 6.63 dS m-1 and increased soil water content to 34.13%. The application of Ch3 caused considerable increases in the plant height, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, grain yield, and nutrient content in the seed. The total fungi count in the soil and Na% in the seed was significantly decreased due to chitosan foliar applications. Moreover, the interactive effect of different mulch materials plus foliar by chitosan applications gave a statistically similar seed yield in both seasons. Overall, this study revealed the potential of the mulching treatments and foliar application of nano chitosan in improved biochemical soil characteristics and common bean productivity under saline soil conditions.

High concentrations of sodium (Na+), chloride (Cl-), calcium (Ca2+), and sulphate (SO42-) are fre-quently found in saline soils. Crop plants cannot successfully develop and produce because salt stress impairs the uptake of calcium, potassium, and water into plant cells. Different intracellular and extracellular ionic concentration changes by salinity, including those of calcium, potassium, and protons. These cations serve as stress signaling molecules in addition to being essential for ionic homeostasis and nutrition. Maintaining an appropriate K+: Na+ ratio is one crucial plant mechanism for salt tolerance, which is a complicated trait. Another important mechanism is the ability for fast extrusion of Na+ from the cytosol. Calcium is established as a ubiquitous secondary messenger, which transmits various stress signals into metabolic alterations that cause adaptive responses. When plants are under stress, the cytosolic-free Ca2+ concentration can rise to 10 times or more from its resting level of 50-100 nanomolar. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are linked to the calcium alterations, and are produced by stress. Depending on the type, frequency and intensity of the stress, the cytosolic calcium signals oscillate, are transient, or persist for a longer period and exhibit specific "signatures". Both the input and efflux of Ca2+ from the cytosol affect the length and amplitude of the signal. According to several reports, under stress calcium alterations can occur not only in the cytoplasm of the cell but also in the cell walls, nucleus and other cell organelles and the calcium waves propagate through the whole plant. Here, we will focus on how wheat and other important crops absorb Na+, K+ and Cl- when plants are under salt stress, as well as how calcium, potassium, and pH cause intracellular signaling and homeostasis. Similar mechanisms in the model plant Arabidopsis will also be considered.

Cut flowers of Gerbera jamesonii, renowned globally for their vibrant colors and extended shelf life, play a pivotal role in the flourishing floriculture industry. However, repeated fertigation in nethouses/polyhouses poses a significant challenge leading to production losses. In response to this challenge, we hypothesized that the application of Ascorbic acid (AsA), an antioxidant, in optimal concentrations could alleviate the detrimental effects of salt toxicity and enhance Gerbera production. Our objective was to investigate the impact of exogenous AsA (1.0 mM, 2.0 mM, and 4.0 mM) as a foliar spray, followed by NaCl (200 mM) treatment, across two cultivars of Gerbera: white-flowered (salt sensitive) and yellow flowered (salt tolerant) cultivars. The research employed a comprehensive approach, applying AsA and NaCl treatment to evaluate their effects on chlorophyll, proline, and total soluble protein content, MDA, H2O2, and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, APX, GR, and POD). Following exposure to 2.0 mM AsA, treated plants displayed a notable increase in chlorophyll, Proline, and soluble protein content. Concurrently, MDA and H2O2 levels, indicator of intracellular damage, exhibited a decrement, suggesting AsA's protective role against salt stress. Moreover, enhanced antioxidant Enzyme activities were observed. The application of AsA (2.0 mM) not only induced salt tolerance in Gerbera but also showed potential benefits for its overall growth and development. This study underscores the promising role of AsA in mitigating salt-induced challenges in Gerbera cultivation.

It was of great practical significance to repair the toxicity of salt stress environment to soybean seedlings and maintain the balance between agricultural production and ecological environment in the Yellow River valley of China. ‘Xudou 20’ was used as the experimental material, a large-scale planting variety in the old Yellow River basin. Endophytes 131 and 137 isolated from soybean root nodule were taken as the research objects, and the soybean plants were cultivated by pot culture in intelligent artificial incubator. Salt stress group, bacteria suspension group and control group were set up to study the effects of inoculation treatments on the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) of soybean seedlings under different NaCl stress. The results showed that when inoculated with endophyte 131 bacterial suspension and cultured for 14 days, the SOD activity was the highest (14.89 U•g−1•FW) at the salt concentration 50 mmol•L-1. When inoculated with 131 bacterial suspension (2:1) and cultured for 28 days, the SOD activity reached the highest (0.94 ug-1FW) at the salt concentration of 50 mmol•L-1, and the CAT activity amounted to the highest (1910 U•g−1•min−1). The 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the most similar strain of strain 137 was Bacillus cereus, and the most similar strain of strain 131 was Enterobacter ludwigii. Therefore, the activities of SOD and CAT in soybean seedlings inoculated with endophytes 131 and 137 increased at different degrees under salt stress, which could effectively alleviate the damage of salt stress environment to plants, and thus improve the stress resistance of plants.

Abstract: This study observes the characteristics and influencing factors of carbon fluxes of the Momoge salt marsh ecosystem over four years, which behaves as a CO2 sink. The daily, seasonal, and interannual variations of CO2 fluxes in the Momoge salt marshes were observed using the eddy covariance method and compared with various environmental factors. An overall daily “U” shaped distribution was observed, with uptake during the day (negative values) and release at night (positive values). Annually, the carbon fluxes in the study area roughly exhibit a “V” shape. Carbon fluxes during the non-growing season predominantly showed positive values, indicating the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. Photosynthetically active radiation was the primary influencing factor affecting hourly and daytime variations in net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during the growing season, while temperature was the main factor influencing nighttime NEE dynamics. Air temperature, soil temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, precipitation, and water level all had significant impacts on daily net CO2 exchange. At the monthly scale, larger values of soil temperature, air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, and aboveground biomass correspond to a stronger carbon absorption capacity of the ecosystem. Overall, temperature remains the primary factor for carbon fluxes in the Momoge wetlands.

According to WHO, reducing salt intake to less than 5 g/day means less death, disability, and suffering from heart disease and stroke, with around 1.89 million lives saved every year. In this scoping review, we have reviewed the salt consumption pattern of South Asia. For this purpose, we searched online databases and websites and consulted key informants to address relevant unpublished reports. The inclusion criteria are English-language publications between January 2011 and October 2021, as well as research that evaluated salt intake in the South Asian region and reported salt/sodium 24-hr urine or spot urine samples involving at least 100 participants. A total of 2043 studies were screened, out of which 12 studies fulfilled all the criteria. Our review revealed that reported salt intake in the South Asian region ranges from 6.7-13.3 g/day, which was higher than the WHO-recommended maximum level of 5 g/day in all countries. Men consumed more salt than women. This review demonstrates the critical importance of implementing a salt reduction program in South Asian countries.

Carthamin potassium salt isolated from Carthamus tinctorius L. was purified by an improved traditional Japanese method, without using column chromatography. The 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals of the pure product were fully assigned using one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy, while the high purity of the potassium salt and deprotonation at the 3’ position of carthamin were confirmed by atomic adsorption spectroscopy and nano-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

To date, soil salinity becomes a huge obstacle for food production worldwide since salt stress in plants is one of the major factors limiting agricultural productivity. It is estimated that a significant loss of crops (20%–50%) would be due to drought and salinity. To embark upon this harsh situation, numerous strategies such as plant breeding, plant genetic engineering, and a large variety of agricultural practices including the applications of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and seed biopriming technique have been developed to improve plant defense system against salt stress, resulting in higher crop yields to meet human’s increasing food demand in the future. In the present review, we update and discuss the advantageous roles of beneficial PGPR as green bioinoculants in mitigating the burden of high saline conditions on morphological parameters and on physio-biochemical attributes of plant crops via diverse mechanisms. In addition, the applications of PGPR as a useful tool in seed biopriming technique are also updated and discussed since this approach exhibits promising potentials in improving seed vigor, rapid seed germination, and seedling growth uniformity, Furthermore, the controversial findings regarding the fluctuation of antioxidants and osmolytes in PGPR-treated plants are also pointed out and discussed.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the animal kingdom. Industrial collagen is mainly bovine and porcine origin. However, due to religious beliefs, allergic issues, and infectious diseases, alternative sources of collagen as marine are gaining increasing interest. In this work, the acid-soluble collagen (ASC) were extracted from salt-cured Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) skin and characterized. The extraction yield was about 2.0%, equivalent to the extraction yield reported for other fish skins. The electrophoretic pattern showed the typical type I structure (α, β and γ chains). UV-VIS and FTIR absorbance spectra suggested a very pure ASC with an intact triple helical structure. The integrity and the adequate porosity required for different applications were then confirmed by electron micrograph. Our findings allow us to say that, for the first time, we extracted acid-soluble type I collagen from salt-cured Atlantic cod skin, with characteristics suitable for application in various fields, such as biomedical.

Mangroves and salt marshes are among the most productive ecosystems in the global coastal ocean. Mangroves store more carbon (739 Mg CORG ha-1) than salt marshes (334 Mg CORG ha-1), but the latter sequester proportionally more (24%) net primary production (NPP) than mangroves (12%). Mangroves exhibit greater rates of gross primary production (GPP), above-ground net primary production (NPP) and plant respiration (RC) with higher PGPP/RC ratios, but salt marshes exhibit greater rates of below-ground NPP. Mangroves have greater rates of subsurface DIC production and, unlike salt marshes, exhibit significant microbial decomposition to a soil depth of 1 m. Salt marshes release more soil CH4 and export more dissolved CH4 , but mangroves release more CO2 from tidal waters and export greater amounts of POC, DOC and DIC to adjacent waters. Both ecosystems contribute only a small proportion of GPP, RE (ecosystem respiration) and NEP (net ecosystem production) to the global coastal ocean due to their small global area, but contribute 72% of air-sea CO2 exchange from the world’s wetlands and estuaries and contribute 34% of DIC export and 17% of DOC + POC export to the world’s coastal ocean. Thus, both wetland ecosystems contribute disproportionately to carbon flow of the global coastal ocean.

Halophytic plants are, by definition, well adapted to saline soils. However, even halophytes can face nutritional imbalance and accumulation of high levels of compounds such as oxalic acid (OA), and nitrate (NO₃^¯). These compounds compromise the potential nutritional health benefits associated with salt tolerant plants such as Portulaca oleracea. Thus, preventing the accumulation of non-nutritional compounds will allow plants to be grown in saline conditions as crops. To this end, two ecotypes (ET and RN) of Portulaca oleracea plants were grown under growth room conditions with two levels of salinity (0, 50 mM NaCl) and three ratios of nitrate: ammonium (0:100%; 33:66%; 25:75% NO₃^¯:NH₄⁺). The results showed that both ecotypes exposed to elevated NO₃^¯, showed severe leaf chlorosis, high levels of OA, citric acid, and malic acid, while plants of ecotype ET exposed to elevated NH₄⁺ concentrations (33% and 75%) and 50 mM NaCl displayed a marked reduction in OA content, increased total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, crude protein content, total fatty acid (TFA) and α-Linolenic acid (ALA) thus enhancing leaf quality. This opens the potential to grow high biomass, low OA P. oleracae crops. Lastly, our experiments suggest that ecotype ET copes with saline conditions and elevated NH₄⁺ through shifts in leaf metabolites.

The water-rich liquid layer immobilized on the surface of the polar stationary phases is critical to the retention of polar compounds in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). Although the presence of the adsorbed water layer has been investigated and confirmed by multiple techniques, there is a lack of quantitative measure that can be easily determined and linked to chromatographic parameters. This study proposes a simple measure termed volume ratio (the ratio of the adsorbed water layer volume and the mobile phase volume) that provides a relative, but quantitative information on the adsorbed water layer and may be linked to the phase ratio. The volume ratio can be easily determined using toluene elution volume. The volume ratio values are measured in 25 polar stationary phases in various mobile phase conditions. In addition to the acetonitrile content in the mobile phase, ammonium acetate concentration in the mobile phase and column temperature also have significant influences on the volume ratio and the adsorbed water layer.

In this paper the influence of austempering temperature and salt bath agitation on the final microstructure and mechanical properties of the ferritic ductile iron were studied. 17 samples had been subjected to different heat treatment parameters. Different microstructures were recorded upon the completion of the tests. From the obtained micro images, it is obvious that both the austempering temperature and salt bath agitation affect the final microstructure of the austempered ductile iron. Lower austempering temperatures and salt bath agitation produce more ausferrite in the microstructure, hence the harder and tougher phases are present. This was confirmed with hardness and toughness test of the 17 heat-treated samples. Lower austempering temperatures give more ausferrite phase and therefore higher hardness, but hardness decreases with increasing austempering temperatures. Toughness rises with rising austempering temperatures, but drops significantly with temperatures above 395°C because of the final microstructure.

The current generation of nuclear reactors are evolutionary in design, mostly based on the technology originally designed to power submarines, and dominated by Light Water Reactors. The aims of the GenIV consortium are driven by sustainability, safety and reliability, economics, and proliferation resistance. The aims are extended here to encompass the ultimate and universal vision for strategic development of energy production, the ‘perpetuum mobile’ – at least as close as possible. We propose to rethink nuclear reactor design with the mission to develop a system which uses no fresh resources and produces no fresh waste during operation as well as generates power safe and reliably in economic way. The results of the innovative simulations presented here demonstrate that, from a theoretical perspective, it is feasible to fulfil the mission through the reuse of spent nuclear fuel from currently operating reactors as the fuel for a new reactor. The produced waste is less burdensome than current spent nuclear fuel which is used as feed to the system. However, safety, reliability and operational economics will need to be demonstrated to create the basis for the long term success of nuclear reactors as a major carbon free, sustainable, and applied highly reliable energy source.

The demand for improving the nuclear waste management has since long been identified as one of the major hurdles for widespread use of nuclear energy. Nuclear waste management, through partitioning and transmutation (P&T) has been researched since the 1990ies with partitioning being a pre-requisite for the process. Recently, an innovative approach of reactors directly operating on spent nuclear fuel, iMAGINE, has been proposed which could deliver on the aims of P&T as a side effect to more efficient nuclear energy production in the future. The results shown here confirm that it is possible to achieve the aims of P&T without prior partitioning, but it is certainly less efficient since the high concentration of MAs, required for efficient burning, are impossible to obtain in a short operational time. The proposed nuclear waste management approach will be a long-term effort when it is accomplished without partitioning/separation technologies. However, none of the analyses contradicts this effort – the key points are a) when the technology for treating the waste is possible and reliable, the time horizon will not be a major concern b) the waste management is now intrinsically linked with energy production instead of requiring dedicated costly facilities, delivering a promising economic basis c) the waste management is now associated with long-term energy production and massively improved resource utilization. In summary, the objectives of P&T are achievable without prior partitioning – this is a ground-breaking result. However, the approach will require continued nuclear energy production for a very long time. In case of a nuclear phase-out decision, a much more efficient transmutation scenario would have to be envisaged as already discussed several years ago for Germany.

The issue of optimising the initial stand density (ISD) of tree plantations has high practical importance. The objective of this study was to nondestructively evaluate the influence of the initial stand density of Scots pine plantations located in the European part of the Russian Federation on wood basic density (BD), moisture content (MC), ultrasound velocity (UV), latewood content, and drilling resistance (DR). 45-year-old trees with stand densities of 500, 1000, 3000, 5000, and 10000 trees/ha were tested by a 5-cm-long core sample for gravimetric MCGM and BD, by PULSAR-2.2 for UV along the height (UVH) and through the tree trunk diameter (UVD), by the IML-RESI PD-400 tool for DR, and by GANN HT 85T for MC based on the electrical resistance method (MCERM). A significant influence of ISD was found on DBH, UVD, MCGM, and MCERM. ISD had no significant impact on BD, UVH, and DR. The wood BD ranged from 356 to 578 kg/m-3, with a mean value of 434±3.3 kg/m-3, and was restricted by the soil and environmental factors. DBH and 70% MCERM were good indicators of tree vitality. Linear correlations between DBH and MCERM (R2=0.67), DBH and MCGM (R2=0.74), DR and BD (R2=0.71), and the two-factor model MCGM=f(DBH, BD), (R2=0.76) were found.

Soil moisture plays a crucial role in various hydrological processes and energy partitioning of the global surface. The Soil Moisture Active Passive-Sentinel (SMAP-Sentinel) remote sensing technology has demonstrated a great potential in monitoring soil moisture at a scale greater than 1 km. This capability can be applied to improve weather forecast accuracy, enhance water management for agriculture, and climate-related disasters. Despite the techniques increasing used worldwide, its accuracy still requires field validation in specific regions like Thailand. In this paper, we report on extensive in-situ monitoring of soil moisture (from surface up to 1 m depth) at 10 stations across Thailand spanning the years 2021 to 2023. The aim was to validate SMAP surface soil moisture (SSM) Level 2 product over a period of two years. Using one month averaging approach, the study revealed linear relationships between the two measurement types, with the coefficient of determination (R-squared) varying from 0.13 to 0.58. Notably, areas with more uniform land use and topography such as croplands tended to have a better coefficient of determination. We also conducted detailed soil core characterization, including soil-water retention curves, permeability, porosity, and other physics properties. These soil properties were then used for estimating the correlation constants between SMAP and in-situ soil moistures using multiple linear regression. The results demonstrated R-squared values between 0.933 and 0.847. An upscaling approach of SMAP was proposed which showed a promising results when using 3-month average of all measurements in cropland together. The finding also suggest that the SMAP-Sentinel remote sensing technology exhibits significant potential for accurate soil moisture monitoring in diverse applications. Further validation efforts and research, particularly in terms of root zone depths and area-based assessments, especially in the agricultural sector, can greatly improve the technology’s effectiveness and usefulness in the region.

Minirhizotron tubes were installed to monitor root growth dynamics of mature Shiraz grapevines in a rootstock trial established in the hot climate Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The vertical root distribution and seasonal root growth dynamics of Shiraz on own-roots and Shiraz grafted on the rootstocks Ramsey, 140 Ruggeri and Schwarzmann was studied for five seasons across a seven-year period to a depth of 60 cm. New root production was significantly influenced by genotype, soil depth, season, growth stage and year. Soil moisture and soil tem-perature were monitored at 10, 30 and 60 cm in the last two seasons. Soil moisture at 30 cm and soil temperature at all three depths were significant predictors of root growth. New root numbers were significantly higher in 140 Ruggeri than the other rootstocks. To the depth studied, 140 Ruggeri roots were evenly distributed from the topsoil down, whereas the majority of roots of Schwarzmann and Shiraz were located at intermediate depths in the 10-40 cm ad 20-40 cm zones respectively, while Ramsey roots were found at 20 cm or below. Depending on genotype, root growth occurred across several phenological stages but tended to peak at flowering. In some years we observed root growth in early and late winter at rates exceeding that of autumn, and this was associated with warmer temperatures during this period. Overall, seasonal rooting dynamics were responsive to abiotic factors but dominated by genotype.

This study has simulated the typical rainstorm on 20 July 2021 over central east China by using the first-generation Chinese Reanalysis datasets and Global Land Data Assimilation System datasets, and the Noah land surface model coupled with the advanced weather research and forecasting model. Based on this, the gridded planetary boundary layer (PBL) profiles and ensemble states within soil perturbations are collected to investigate the main land-atmosphere coupling characteristics during this modeled rainstorm by using various local coupling metrics and the introduced ensemble statistical metrics. Results have shown that (1) except for the stratospheric thermodynamics and surface thermal over mountain areas, the main characteristics of mid-low layers and surface have been well documented in this modeled rainstorm; (2) the typical coupling intensity is characterized by the dominant morning moistening, early noon weak PBL warming around 2, noontime buoyant mixing temperature deficit around 274 K, daytime PBL and surface latent flux contribution around 100 and 280 W/m2 respectively, and significant afternoon soil-surface latent flux coupling; (3) moist static energy is more significant than PBL height during the relation chains, which is consistent with the significance of surface moistening indicated by local coupling metrics. In general, wet soil contributes greatly to daytime moisture evaporation, which then increases the early noon PBL warming and enhances the noontime buoyant mixing within weak flux contribution. However, this has been suppressed by large-scale forcing such as the upper southwestern inflows of rainstorms, which has further significantly shaped the spatial distribution of statistical metrics in contrast. These quantitatively described local couplings have highlighted both the convection potential diagnoses usage for the local weather application and more applicable coupling threshold diagnoses within the finer spatial investigation.

We enhanced the agro-hydrologic VegET model to include snow accumulation and melt processes and the separation of runoff into surface runoff and deep drainage. Driven by global weather datasets and parameterized by Land Surface Phenology (LSP), the enhanced VegET model was implemented in the cloud to simulate daily soil moisture (SM), actual evapotranspiration (ETa), and runoff (R) for the conterminous United States (CONUS) and the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA). Evaluation of the VegET model with independent data showed satisfactory performance, capturing the temporal variability of SM (Pearson correlation r: 0.22–0.97), snowpack (r: 0.86–0.88), ETa (r: 0.41–0.97), and spatial variability of R (r: 0.81–0.90). Absolute magnitudes showed some biases, indicating the need of calibrating the model for water budget analysis. The seasonal Landscape Water Requirement Satisfaction Index (L-WRSI) for CONUS and GHA showed realistic depictions of drought hazard extent and severity, indicating the usefulness of the L-WRSI for the convergence of evidence toolkit used by the Famine Early Warning System Network to monitor potential food insecurity conditions in different parts of the world. Using projected weather datasets and landcover-based LSP, the VegET model can be used not only for global monitoring of drought conditions, but also for evaluating scenarios on the effect of a changing climate and land cover on agriculture and water resources.

The generation of eucalypt sawdust has increased in Uruguay with the expansion of pulp and paper industrial sites. Currently, most of this readily available feedstock is either not used or applied for producing heat and power by combustion in biomass boilers. In this work, eucalypt sawdust was subjected to steam explosion as the first step for cellulosic ethanol production within the biorefinery concept. The effect of sawdust moisture content, pretreatment temperature and residence time were evaluated, along with the influence of water washing of steam-exploded solids on enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation yields. After steam explosion, 60% xylans and 97% acetyl groups were recovered mainly as oligomers and acetic acid in the pretreatment liquor. Eucalypt sawdust moisture content affected the enzymatic hydrolysis performance and glucan conversion efficiency. Water washing after pretreatment improved hydrolysis efficiencies and ethanol production yields by 10% with respect to the unwashed pretreated solids at the same experimental condition. The best ethanol yields were obtained using PSSF (pre-saccharification and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation) after pretreatment at 205°C for 10 min, using sawdust with an 8% moisture content. In this case, 227 L ethanol and 40 kg total xylose (including xylo-oligomers) were obtained per ton of dry eucalypt sawdust.

So that the levels of water stress are not harmful to the development of the crop and affect its productivity, its detection and monitoring are necessary, and it can occur in different ways. One of them is through the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI). This index quantifies water stress through the normalization of leaf temperature between the maximum and minimum plant temperatures as a function of evaporation conditions. The responses of a low-cost infrared (IR) sensor were crossed with image processing through segmentation by the Excess Green model to develop a water stress detection system using CWSI. A soil/plant temperature map was generated through a point-to-point scan of the IR sensor. And when it overlaid with a segmented image of the experimental area, only points identified as plants had their temperature values maintained. The Non-Water-Stressed Baseline (NWSB) equation was parameterized for the same conditions of the experiment and external environmental. The experimental area was divided into three different treatments, maintained under stable water conditions throughout the experiment and the system was able to identify stably different stress values between treatments. Although the relationship between crop and environment affected the results, this work showed that using an irrigation system based on CWSI is possible.

Long-term dewatering of groundwater is a necessary operation for mining safety in open-pit coal mines, while extensive dewatering might cause ecological problems due to dramatical changes of moisture movement in the soil, especially in ecological-fragile areas. This paper presents a quantitative methodology to evaluate the impact of the coal mining operation on moisture movement in the vadose zone by taking the Baorixile open-pit coal mine as an example. A long-term in-situ experiments（from 2004 to 2018), laboratory analysis and numerical modelling were conducted to analyse the mechanisms and relationship among the dropping groundwater level, the vadose-zone moistures, and the ecological responses in the grassland area. The experiment data and modelling results suggest that groundwater level dropping during open-pit mining operation has limited influence on the vadose zone, exhibiting a variation of capillary water zone within a depth of 3 m while the vadose zone and soil water zone were at least 16 m deep. The critical evaporation depth of ground water is 8 m. The long-term influence radius of groundwater dewatering is about 2.72 km during the Baorixile mining operation, and the groundwater level change mainly influences the lower part of the intermediate vadose zone and the capillary water zone below 16 m, with little influence on the moisture contents in the soil water zone where the roots of shallow vegetation grow. The results from this study provide useful insight for sustainable development of coal mining in ecological-fragile areas.

This study aims to assess the potential of the LDAS-Monde a land data assimilation system developed by Météo-France to monitor the impact of the 2018 summer heatwave over western Europe vegetation state. The LDAS-Monde is forced by the ECMWF’s (i) ERA5 reanalysis, and (ii) the Integrated Forecasting System High Resolution operational analysis (IFS-HRES), used in conjunction with the assimilation of Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) satellite derived products, namely the Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) and the Leaf Area Index (LAI). Analysis of long time series of satellite derived CGLS LAI (2000-2018) and SSM (2008-2018) highlights marked negative anomalies for July 2018 affecting large areas of North Western Europe and reflects the impact of the heatwave. Such large anomalies spreading over a large part of the considered domain have never been observed in the LAI product over this 18-yr period. The LDAS-Monde land surface reanalyses were produced at spatial resolutions of 0.25°x0.25° (January 2008 to October 2018) and 0.10°x0.10° (April 2016 to December 2018). Both configuration of the LDAS-Monde forced by either ERA5 or HRES capture well the vegetation state in general and for this specific event, with HRES configuration exhibiting better monitoring skills than ERA5 configuration. The consistency of ERA5 and IFS HRES driven simulations over the common period (April 2016 to October 2018) allowed to disentangle and appreciate the origin of improvements observed between the ERA5 and HRES. Another experiment, down-scaling ERA5 to HRES spatial resolutions, was performed. Results suggest that land surface spatial resolution is key (e.g. associated to a better representation of the land cover, topography) and using HRES forcing still enhance the skill. While there are advantages in using HRES, there is added value in down-scaling ERA5, which can provide consistent, long term, high resolution land reanalysis. If the improvement from LDAS-Monde analysis on control variables (soil moisture from layers 2 to 8 of the model representing the first meter of soil and LAI) from the assimilation of SSM and LAI was expected, other model variables benefit from the assimilation through biophysical processes and feedbacks in the model. Finally, we also found added value of initializing 8-day land surface HRES driven forecasts from LDAS-Monde analysis when compared with model only initial conditions.

Environmental monitoring plays a central role in diagnosing climate and management impacts on natural and agricultural systems, enhancing the understanding hydrological processes, optimizing the allocation and distribution of water resources, and assessing, forecasting and even preventing natural disasters. Nowadays, most monitoring and data collection systems are based upon a combination of ground-based measurements, manned airborne sensors or satellite observations. These data are utilized in describing both small and large scale processes, but have spatiotemporal constraints inherent to each respective collection system. Bridging the unique spatial and temporal divides that limit current monitoring platforms is key to improving our understanding of environmental systems. In this context, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have considerable potential to radically evolve environmental monitoring. UAS-mounted sensors offer an extraordinary opportunity to bridge the existing gap between field observations and traditional air- and space-borne remote sensing, by providing not just high spatial detail over relatively large areas in a cost-effective way, but as importantly providing an entirely new capacity for enhanced temporal retrieval. As well as showcasing recent advances in the field, there is also a need to identify and understand the potential limitations of UAS technology. For these platforms to reach their monitoring potential, a wide spectrum of unresolved issues and applications specific challenges require focused community attention. Indeed, to leverage the full potential of UAS-based approaches, sensing technologies, measurement protocols, post-processing techniques, retrieval algorithms and evaluations techniques need to be harmonized. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive general overview of the existing research on studies and applications of UAS in environmental monitoring in order to suggest users and researchers on future research directions, applications, developments and challenges.

Salinity is one of the major factors responsible for the deterioration of soils, making them unsuitable for agriculture. The application of halotolerant and halophilic plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR: Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria) with biological control activities as an inoculant of cultivated plants offers a biological alternative to the use of agrochemicals, particularly when subjected to salt stress. In this perspective, 70 bacterial strains were isolated from saline soils (sebkha) in arid and semi-arid areas of eastern Algeria. Three isolates were selected based on their ability to produce bioactive molecules allowing them to promote plant growth, such as hydrolytic enzymes, indole acetic acid, HCN, NH3, etc. Two of these isolates belong to the genus Serratia and the third is a halophilic Halomonas bacteria. These bacteria were identified based on the 16S rDNA sequence. Antagonism tests against phytopathogenic fungi were carried out. The identification of the antifungal molecules produced by these bacteria was done by high performance liquid chromatography. These bacteria are capable of inhibiting mycelial development against phytopathogenic fungi with rates reaching 80.67% against Botrytis cinerea, 76.22% against Aspergillus niger and 66.67% against Fusarium culmorum for Serratia sp. The strain Halomonas sp. inhibited mycelial growth by production of volatile substances of Aspergillus niger at 71.29%, Aspergillus flavus at 75.49% and Penicillium glabrum at a rate of 72.22%. The identification by HPLC of the antifungal molecules produced by these three bacteria reveals that they are polyphenols, which makes these strains the first rhizobacteria capable of producing phenolic compounds. Finally, pot tests to determine the effectiveness of these strains in promoting wheat growth under salinity stress (125 mM, 150 mM and 200 mM) were carried out. The results revealed that a consortium of two isolates (Serratia sp. and Halomonas sp.) performed best at 125 mM. But, at higher concentrations it was the halophilic bacteria Halomonas sp which gave the best result. In all cases, there was a significant improvement in the growth of wheat seedlings inoculated with the bacteria, compared to non-inoculated controls.

Iris laevigata Fisch. is a perennial aquatic plant with strong cold resistance and showy flowers. However, the flowering period of a single flower is only two days, greatly limiting its potential use in landscaping and the cutting-flower industry. In addition, I. laevigata is often challenged with various abiotic stresses including high salinity and drought in its native habitat. Thus, breeding novel cultivars with prolonged flowering time and higher resistance to abiotic stress is of high importance. In this study, we first performed genome-wide identification of WRKYs, key transcription factors in modulating flowering time and abiotic stress responses. We overexpressed IlWRKY22 in Arabidopsis thaliana and found the flowering time was delayed in the transgenic plants. Molecular characterization further revealed that IlWRKY22 promotes the expression of CO and GA20OX genes in the photoperiod and gibberellin pathways, respectively, and inhibits the expression of SPL3 in the aging pathway. We also created transgenic Nicotiana tabacum overexpressing IlWRKY22, which showed significantly improved resistance to both salt and drought compared to control plants. Specifically, the photosynthetic rate, maximum potential quantum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm), and chlorophyll content were higher in the transgenic plants, which was accompanied with higher antioxidant enzyme activity and lower levels of reactive oxygen species. Thus, our study revealed a unique dual function of IlWRKY22, an excellent candidate gene for breeding novel I. laevigata cultivars of desirable traits.

Chenopodium quinoa Willd (quinoa), a member of the Amaranthaceae family, is an allotetraploid annual plant, endemic to South America. The plant of C. quinoa presents significant ecological plasticity with exceptional adaptability to several environmental stresses, including salinity. The resilience of quinoa to several abiotic stresses, as well as its nutritional attributes have led to significant shifts in quinoa cultivation worldwide over the past century. This work first defines germination sensu stricto in quinoa where the breakage of the pericarp and the testa is followed by endosperm rupture (ER). Transcriptomic changes in early seed germination stages lead to unstable expression levels in commonly used reference genes that are typically stable in vegetative tissues. Noteworthy, no suitable reference genes have been previously identified specifically for quinoa seed germination under salt stress conditions. This work aims to identify these genes as a prerequisite step for normalizing qPCR data. To this end, germinating seeds from UDEC2 and UDEC4 accessions, with different tolerance to salt, have been analyzed under conditions of absence (0 mM NaCl) and in the presence (250 mM NaCl) of sodium chloride. Based on relevant literature, six candidate reference genes: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), Monensin sensitivity1 (MON1), Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTBP), Actin-7 (ACT7), Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (UBC), and 18S ribosomal RNA (18S), were selected and assessed for stability using the RefFinder Tool encompassing the statistical algorithms geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and ΔCt in the evaluation. The data presented supports the suitability of CqACT7 and CqUBC as reference genes for normalizing gene expression during seed germination under salinity stress. These recommended reference genes can be valuable tools for consistent qPCR studies in quinoa seeds.

Coastal areas are influenced by natural coastal hazards such as hurricanes, storm surges and tsunamis. For centuries coastal structures such as seawalls, detached breakwaters, groins, and revetments have been constructed to protect coastal properties. However, their effectiveness diminishes with time, and they are not adaptable to changing coastal conditions. Ecosystem-based approaches offer protection against erosion and the creation or restoration of coastal habitats. However, the protection properties and the sustainability provided by these systems are not well understood. Salt marshes have been known as one of the ecosystem-based protection systems. They protect coasts and lands by dissipating energy, stabilizing sediments and producing organic matter through blow ground production. Stems of plants dissipate waves propagating over salt marsh and plant roots stabilize soils and sediments. The dissipation rate varies with wave frequency; the low-frequency swell wave is dissipated less on the edge of the marsh than wind-sea waves. Salt and wetlands can also be used for reducing coastal flooding and storm surges, but a wetland is required to successfully attenuate storm surges. A salt marsh can be resilient to sea-level rise in certain conditions. Large sediment supply and gentle upland slope increase salt marsh resiliency to relative sea-level rise. Connecticut marshes, like other marshes in the world, are vulnerable to anthropogenic and climate change effects. However, an assessment of current sea level rise and average marsh accretion rates in Connecticut demonstrates sea level rise is not the main vulnerable factor for salt marshes loss. The study on the feasibility of developing an ecosystem based on two coastlines in Connecticut, Guilford and Stratford, shows that both coastlines, like other coastlines in Connecticut, have limited wave energy, which is a positive factor for marsh growth. The available data assessment represents that sediment supply is the most important parameter to guarantee the resilience and sustainability of a newly developed salt marsh system in Connecticut. In Stratford, conditions for establishing a new ecosystem seem to be better, as the fetch length is pretty small, and there is some sediment supply for the ecosystem. In Guilford, wave energy is limited, but it is more than in Stratford case. In addition, sediment availability is low and the coastline experienced a large erosion during Hurricane Sandy and has not recovered yet.

Microalgae have gained attention as alternative food sources due to their nutritional value and biological effects. This study investigated the effect of salt stress on the antioxidant activity, phenolic profile, bioa-vailability of bioactive compounds, and microbial counts in the blue-green algae Spirulina platensis and di-atom species Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Culturing these microalgae in different salt concentrations (15 35‰), we observed the highest antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds in the control groups. S. platensis (20‰) exhibited higher antioxidant activity compared to P. tricornutum (30‰), which decreased with in-creasing salt stress. Using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS, we identified and quantified 20 phenolic compounds in P. tricornutum and 24 in S. platensis. The bioavailability of these compounds was assessed through in vitro di-gestion, with the highest amounts observed in the intestinal phase. Salt stress negatively affected the syn-thesis of bioactive substances. Microbial counts ranged from 300 to 2.78x104 cfu/g for total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and from 10 to 1.35x104cfu/g for yeast/mold in P. tricornutum samples, while S. platensis samples ranged from 300 to 1.9x104cfu/g and 10 to 104 cfu/g, respectively. This study suggests that adding salt at different ratios to the nutrient media during the production of P. tricornutum and S. platensis can impact phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, microbial load evaluation, and in vitro bioaccessibility of the studied microalgae.

Higher salt (sodium) intake has been associated with a higher blood pressure (BP). The association degree may be influenced by factors such as age, origin and dietary components. This study aimed to evaluate the 24-hours urinary sodium (Na) and potassium (K) excretion in normotensive and hypertensive Dominicans adults and estimate their salt intake. 163 volunteers (18-45, 46-80 years) participated in a cross-sectional study. 24-hours Na and K urinary excretion were measured using an ion selective electrode technique. Na and K urinary excretion (99.4±46.5 and 35.0±17.5 mmol/24h) did not correlated with BP, except in the normotensive group in which K correlated with SBP (0.249, p=0.019). Na and K excretion were similar for normo- and hypertensive subjects. Na-to-K molar ratio (3.1±1.3) was higher in younger subjects (p=0.040). Na-to-K ratio was associated with DBP in the total group (r=0.153, p=0.052), in the hypertensive group (r=0.395, p<0.001) and in the older group with SBP (0.350, p=0.002) and DBP (0.373, p<0.001). In the older group, Na-to-K ratio and DBP correlated after controlling for subjects with hypertension controlled by treatment (r=0.236, p=0.041). The Na-to-K ratio correlated, when salt intake was over 5g/d (52.2%), with SBP (rho=0.219, p=0.044) and DBP (rho=0.259, p=0.017). Determinants of BP were age-dependent and in younger subjects were: sex (SBP, beta: 14.02±2.87, p<0.001) and body mass index (BMI) (beta:-12.07±3.72, p=0.001, beta:9.44±2.87, p=0.001, for SBP and DBP, respectively) and, in the olders, the Na-to-K ratio, for SBP (beta:6.7±2.4, p=0.005) and DBP (beta:3.8±1.1, p<0.001). The mean Na and salt intakes (2.3 and 5.8 g/d) were slightly higher and K intake lower (1.4 g/d) than WHO recommendations.

The widely conserved RACK1 protein is a WD-40 type scaffold protein that regulates diverse environmental stress signal transduction pathways. Arabidopsis RACK1A has been reported to interact with various proteins in salt stress and Light-Harvesting Complex (LHC) pathways. However, the mechanism of how RACK1 contributes to the photosystem and chlorophyll metabolism in stress conditions remains elusive. Using T-DNA-mediated activation tagging transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) lines, we show that leaves from rice RACK1B gene (OsRACK1B) gain-of-function (RACK1B-OX) plants exhibit the stay-green phenotype under salinity stress. In contrast, leaves from down-regulated OsRACK1B (RACK1B-UX) plants display an accelerated yellowing. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that several genes encoding chlorophyll catabolic enzymes (CCEs) are differentially expressed in both RACK1B-OX and RACK1B-UX rice plants. In addition to CCEs, STAY-GREEN (SGR) is a key component that forms the SGR-CCE complex in senescing chloroplasts, which causes LHCII complex instability. Transcript and protein profiling revealed a significant upregulation of OsSGR in RACK1B-UX plants than that in RACK1B-OX rice plants during salt treatment. The results imply that senescence-associated transcription factors (TFs) are altered in accordance with altered OsRACK1B expression, indicating a transcriptional reprogramming by OsRACK1B and a novel regulatory mechanism involving the OsRACK1B-OsSGR-TFs complex. Our findings suggest that ectopic expression of OsRACK1B negatively regulates chlorophyll degradation, leads to the steady level of LHC-II isoform Lhcb1, an essential prerequisite for the state transition of photosynthesis for adaptation, and delays salinity-induced senescence. Taken together, these results provide important insights into the molecular mechanisms of salinity-induced senescence, which can be useful in circumventing the effect of salt on photosynthesis and in reducing the yield penalty of important cereal crops, like rice, in global climate change conditions.

Low charge density nanometric ions were recently shown to bind strongly to neutral hydrated matter in aqueous solution. This phenomenon, called (super-)chaotropic effect, arises from the partial dehydration of both, the nano-ion and the solute, leading to a high gain in enthalpy. Here, we investigate the chaotropic effect of the polyoxometalate α-PW12O403- on the triblock copolymer P84: (EO)19(PO)43(EO)19 with (EO)19 the polyethoxylated and (PO)43 the polypropoxylated chains. The combination of phase diagrams, spectroscopic (nuclear magnetic resonance) and scattering (small angle neutron/X-ray scattering) techniques reveals that (i) below the micellization temperature of P84, PW12O403- exclusively binds to the propylene oxide moiety of P84 unimers and (ii) above the micellization temperature, PW12O403- mostly adsorbs on the ethylene oxide micellar corona. The preferential binding of the PW12O403- to the PPO chain over the PEO chains suggests that the binding is driven by the chaotropic effect and reinforced by the hydrophobic effect. At higher temperatures, the copolymer micellization leads to the displacement of PW12O403- from the PPO chain to the PEO chains. This study deepens the understanding of the subtle interplay between the chaotropic and hydrophobic effects in complex salt-organic matter solutions.

One notable features of the SARS-CoV-2 genome is that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 has a functional polybasic (furin) cleavage site (RRAR) at the S1–S2 boundary through the insertion of 12 nucleotides encoding PRRA. To date, the furin cleavage site (FCS) remains an experimentally uncharted territory both structurally and functionally. For instance, whether or not FCS is actually cleaved, before or after viral cell entry or exit, still remains to be experimentally investigated. With currently available structural data, this article presents a computational structural characterization of the FCS inserted into SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, and puts forward a set of structural hypothesis against the hypothesis of SARS-CoV-2 from purposeful manipulation: (1), the inserted FCS does not alter, neither stabilize nor de-stabilize, the overall structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein; (2), the net structural consequence of FCS is the insertion of a furin cleavage site into SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, whose S1 and S2 subunits will still be bonded together even if the FCS is actually cleaved by furin protease.

This work updates the characterization of winter fish communities in salt marsh areas of Guadiana estuary (SE-Portugal) and discusses the potential risks of habitat dominance by a non-indigenous species (NIS). To this effect, six field campaigns were carried out during winter season targeting the collection of fish species. Individuals from seven different families (marine and estuarine) were collected although the community was dominated by two estuarine species – the native Pomatoschistus sp. (goby) and the NIS Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog). Goby controlled the majority of salt marsh habitats, except one specific, marsh pool, where extreme environmental conditions were registered, namely high temperature and salinity. Such conditions may have boosted the intrusion of mummichog in this area. This species is well adapted to a wide range of abiotic factors enabling them to colonize habitats where no predators inhabit. Impacts of mummichog intrusion in the Guadiana salt marsh area are still unpredictable since this is the first recorded in such high density. Nevertheless, in scenarios of increased anthropogenic pressure and, consequently, habitat degradation, there is a potential risk of mummichog spread to other habitats and therefore compete for space and food resources with native species.

The main objective of this communication is to describe the ‘Global Salt Cycle’. Giant salt accumulations are commonly found along continental margins of former rifts. The first stage in the accumulation process is saturation of newly formed oceanic crust with seawater. Final mobilisation and accumulation of the salts occurs during rifting, localised in the vicinity of relict subduction zones. Oceanic crust is created along the spreading ridges in the deep oceans of the Earth. It exchanges mass and energy with seawater in hydrothermal circulation cells that penetrate deep into the new and fractured crust. Water-rock interactions include the formation of hydrated and hydroxylated minerals, e.g., serpentinites and clay minerals. By incorporating hydroxyl groups and water in their crystal lattices, the salinity of remaining brines increases. Subduction of oceanic crust and serpentinised lithosphere transports water, hydrated minerals, and marine salts deep into the crust and mantle. Upon pressurisation and heating of the subducting slab, different parts of this water are expelled at different depths/temperatures. The resulting fluids will contain salts brought in with the slab, as well as new salts formed by water-rock interaction. The combination of elevated pressures and temperatures, water, salinity, and CO2, create permeability in the normally impermeable, peridotitic mantle, by altering the fluid-rock dihedral angles of mineral grains. This P/T-determined intergranular permeability allows ascent of saline fluids, under lithostatic pressure, within the mantle wedge, or the slab itself. The fluids produce a mechanically weakened and buoyant zone within the mantle wedge due to high pore pressure between mineral grains and reduced mantle density. During the lifetime of a subduction zone, a substantial accumulation of saline fluids within the mantle wedge and crust, is evident. Deep, fluid reservoirs accumulate between the subduction trench and the volcanic front. They may exist for hundreds of millions of years, even after the extinction of the subduction zone. Saline fluids may escape to the surface along deep faults, due to overfilling of available pores/fractures. Fluids within the mantle wedge may form rock melts or exist as supercritical, mineral rich fluids. The combination of reduced pressure due to rifting, and a saline and buoyant mantle, creates a mantle circulation that brings the accumulated, saline fluids, to crustal levels. Salts will therefore accumulate during initial stages of rifting as a result of massive fluid expulsion, phase change and boiling of mantle fluids. No extra energy is required to produce phase change and boiling. The result is formation of solid salts or dense brines/slurries invading fractured crustal rocks, or escaping to the surface/seabed. This process may take place both before and after the sea has invaded a continental rift.

Prescriptions for fuels management are universally applied across forest types in British Columbia, Canada, to reduce fire behaviour potential in the wildland-urban interface. Fuel thinning treatments are assumed to reduce the potential for sustained ignition and crown fire initiation by reducing surface fuel loading. We hypothesized that these prescriptions are not appropriate for the coastal wet forests in the Whistler region of the province. Our study measured the efficacy of fuel thinning treatments in four stands located in the Whistler community forest. We examined several in-stand microclimate variables during snow melt in the spring and at the height of fire danger in late summer, at thinned and unthinned locations paired using GIS- analysis. We found that thinning increased the wildfire risk based on the differences between unthinned and thinned areas in the same forest stand.

The application of warm-mixing technology brings considerable economical and environment benefits by decreasing the mixing temperature during warm asphalt mixture(WMA) production. However, the possible water residue also generates concerns in moisture susceptibility. For deep investigation on the influencing factors and mechanism of the moisture susceptibility of WMA, surface free energy(SFE) test and laboratory tests are applied in this research. A novel indicator based on SFE namely effective adhesion work is proposed to assess the asphalt-aggregate adhesion with different moisture contents. Then, given the mixing procedure of dry mixing method, an advanced three-phase model as form of asphalt-aggregate-warm mixing additive is introduced improving from the conventional two-phase asphalt-aggregate model for better reflecting the separate addition of warm mixing additive during mixing. Afterwards, the influence of aggregate types, asphalt type, aggregate moisture contents, warm-mixing agent types and warm-mixing process on the moisture susceptibility of WMA is analyzed utilizing the models and indicators proposed. Finally, the validity of the SFE indicator is verified by comparing the calculation of effective adhesion work with freeze-thaw splitting test result. The results show that all of the above factors impact the moisture susceptibility of WMA by influencing the interfacial adhesion, with the effect of moisture content being the most significant. Meanwhile, effective adhesion work and the three-phase model brought out in this research are proven to be feasible to characterize the adhesion properties of WMA, offering theoretical support to the research on warm mixing technology.

The Soil Conservation Service - Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is extensively used to calculate the runoff from rainfall over a large catchment over the world. Slope is an important criterion for runoff but a very few attempts have been made to evaluate the effect of slope on the CN with runoff potential. The objective of this paper is to summarise the historical review on the effects of slope on CN and runoff potential in various regions by the hydrologists. This paper also depicts that how the various researchers proved the importance of consideration of slope for CN and runoff estimation. In addition, paper highlights the key features of research in future like to classify the watersheds on slope based CN, accurate Antecedent Moisture Condition (AMC) and proper initial abstraction in the various regions etc. Considering these parameters an accurate runoff estimation can be predicted and managed properly in the urban watersheds.

In the environments of all kinds open coal storage sites , mining-affected coalbeds, and goafs, parts of coal body at low moisture content (≤8%) are prone to spontaneous combustion under the influence of some external environmental factors. In order to examine the influence effect of low moisture content on the spontaneous combustion tendency of coals with different metamorphic grade, we conducted temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) experiment and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiment to study the spontaneous combustion characteristics of coals with different metamorphic grade at four different low moisture content, and comparatively analyzed the change laws of the characteristic parameters of four different metamorphic grade coals at four different low moisture content. The experimental results indicate that: 1) Compared other low moisture content, anthracite and fat coal at low moisture content of 1.2% show stronger tendency to undergo spontaneous combustion, long flame coal and lignite at low moisture content of 3.4% and 5.6% are more prone to spontaneous combustion. 2) Four different metamorphic grade coals at low moisture content of 7.8% are less prone to spontaneous combustion; 3) Coals with different metamorphic grade have different tendency to undergo spontaneous combustion.

P-band radar remote sensing applied during the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) mission has shown great potential for estimation of root zone soil moisture. When retrieving the soil moisture profile (SMP) from P-band radar, a mathematical function describing the vertical moisture distribution is required. Because only a limited number of observations are available, the number of free parameters of the mathematical model must not exceed the number of observed data. For example, a second order polynomial that contains 3 free parameters was presumed based on in-situ SMP data. The polynomial is currently parameterized based on 3 backscatter observations provided by AirMOSS (i.e. one frequency at three polarizations of HH, VV and HV). In this paper, a more realistic, physically-based SMP model containing 3 free parameters is derived based on a solution to Richards’ equation for unsaturated flow in soils. Evaluation of the new SMP model based on both numerical simulations and measured data revealed that it exhibits greater flexibility for fitting measured and simulated SMPs than the currently applied polynomial. It is also demonstrated that the new SMP model can be reduced to a second order polynomial at the expense of fitting accuracy.

Frost heave, which is the volumetric expansion of frozen soil, has great ecological significance, since it creates water storage spaces in soils at the beginning of the growing season in cold temperate forests. To understand the characteristics of frost heave in seasonally frozen soil and the factors that impact its extent, we investigated the frost heave rates of forest soil from different depths and with different soil moisture contents, using both lab-based simulation and in situ measurement in a broadleaved Korean pine forest in the Changbai Mountains (northeastern China). We found that frost heave was mainly affected by soil moisture content, soil type, and gravitational pressure. Frost heave rate increased linearly with soil moisture content, and for each 100% increase in soil moisture content, the frost heave rate increased by 41.6% (loam, upper layer), 17.2% (albic soil, middle layer), and 4.6% (loess, lower layer). Under the same soil moisture content, the frost heave rate of loam was highest, whereas that of loess was lowest, and the frost heave of the uppermost 15 cm, which is the biologically enriched layer, accounted for ~55% of the frost heave. As a result, we determined the empirical relationship between frost heave and freezing depth, which is important for interpreting the effects of frost heave on increases in the storage space of forest soils and for calculating changes in soil porosity.

(1) Background: The aim of study was to investigate the salt consumption by children and adolescents from the Silesian Province (Poland), taking into account the region’s dietary traditions and number of years of school education. (2) Methods : 300 students aged 10–18 from different types of schools, were enrolled in the study and divided into groups in terms of: school, sex, the state of nutrition. The survey questionnaire about dietary habits, including the frequency and serving size with respect to 12 salty products was used. On the basis of the frequency and the amount of consumed products, as well as the data on salt content, the amount of total daily intake of salt was estimated.; (3) Results: The mean daily intake of salt by children and adolescents was 1.083 g ( 0.433 g of sodium); children aged 10–12 consumed the highest amount of salt (1.296 g/day) compared to pupils aged 13–15 (1.131 g of sodium) and adolescents aged 16–18 (0.863 g/day); (4) Conclusions: With age, as a result of various factors, the consumption of salt declines. The parents impact and the familial socio-environmental factors begin to wane, and other factors start to have influence, e.g. school education of healthy lifestyle, health behavior of peers.

This study aimed to overcome the difficulty of conducting the horizontal-well cavity leaching test in the field and to investigate the long-term stability of the horizontal-well salt-cavity natural gas storage. The simulation test design is combined with the similarity theory to study the cavity expansion characteristics and the influence law of cavity leaching parameters. Through the design of a rubber hose connection, an integrated closed test system for multi-stage horizontal-well cavity leaching and brine drainage was built. The test system also realises the repeatable backward movement of the injection well during the test. A similarity simulation of the test design was carried out, and the test platform was constructed to carry out multi-stage horizontal-well leaching tests with a nitrogen cushion. In the horizontal-well leaching tests with a nitrogen cushion, the influence laws of the well spacing, flow rate and liquid level position on cavity expansion were investigated. Based on the morphological characteristics of the horizontal-well cavity, a numerical model of the horizontal-well salt cavity was developed, which reflects the real cavity morphology leached in the test. The long-term stability of the horizontal-well salt-cavity natural gas storage under different internal pressures was investigated through numerical simulation.

Several lime mortars for the repair of painted plasters of the rock cut church of Ss. Pietro and Paolo in Matera were studied. They were designed taking into account both aesthetic criteria that need to be fulfilled in the field of paintings restoration, and physical-mechanical compatibility with the original materials on site, i.e. the pre-existing plasters and the supporting rock. Mixes with calcareous and silica aggregates, based on different grain size proportions, were prepared for filling missing portions of the original painted plaster. The effects of the mineralogical nature and size of the aggregates on the characteristics and properties of the mixes were investigated in relation to the microstructure, physical-mechanical features and resistance to salt ageing. At the end of the experimental campaign, the overall performances were evaluated.

High salinity in soil affects the normal growth and development of crop. MicroRNA171 (miR171) plays a momentous role in plant resistance to adversity stress. The functions of Sly-miR171d and Sly-miR171e on growth of tomato and fruit nutritional quality under salt stress were studied. The results showed that the seed germination and seedling growth of tomato that silencing of Sly-miR171d/e by short tandem target mimic (STTM) were better than those of wild-type (WT). Silencing of Sly-miR171d/e seeds maintained a high germination rate, while WT tomato seeds barely germinated under 50 mM NaCl stress. Under 100 mM NaCl stress, silencing of Sly-miR171d/e increased the expression of their target gene SlGRAS24 with increasing duration of salt stress, while they enhanced the antioxidant activity, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and enhanced the salt tolerance of tomato plant by regulating gibberellin (GA) level. Moreover, the preharvest and postharvest fruit nutritional quality under salt stress was also studied, and the results showed that silencing of Sly-miR171d/e increased soluble solids, lycopene, total carotenoids, Vitamin C, organic acids and phenolic substances in tomato fruit. The present study demonstrated that silencing of Sly-miR171d/e enhanced plant salt tolerance through the GA pathway, and improved fruit nutritional quality under salt stress.

There is little doubt that final victories over pandemics, such as COVID-19, are attributed to herd immunity, either through post-disease convalescence or active immunization of a high percentage of the world's population with vaccines, demonstrating protection from infection and transmission, being available in large quantities and at reasonable prices. However, it is assumable that humans with immune defects or immune suppression, e.g., as a consequence of allograft transplantation, cannot be immunized actively nor produce sufficient immune responses to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections. These subjects desperately need other strategies, such as sophisticated protection measures and active immunization. Hypertonic salt solutions attack vulnerable core areas of viruses, i.e., salt denatures surface proteins and thus prohibits virus penetration of somatic cells. It has to be ensured that somatic proteins are not affected by denaturation regarding this unspecific virus protection. Impregnating filtering facepieces with hypertonic salt solutions is a straightforward way to inactivate viruses and other potential pathogens. As a result of the contact of salt crystals on the filtering facepiece, these pathogens become denatured and inactivated almost quantitatively. Such a strategy could be easily applied to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and other ones that may occur in the future. Another possible tool to fight the COVID-19 pandemic is passive immunization with antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, preferably from human origin. Such antibodies can be harvested from patients´ human sera, which have successfully survived their SARS-CoV-2 infection. The disadvantage of a rapid decrease of the immunoglobulin titer after infection ends can be overcome by immortalizing antibody-producing B-cells via fusion with, e.g., mouse myeloma cells. The resulting monoclonal antibodies are then of human origin and available in, at least theoretically, unlimited amounts. Finally, dry blood spots are a valuable tool for surveilling the population´s immunity.

Cotton cationization with low molecular-weight/polymeric cationic modifiers allows the effective dyeing of fabrics with reactive dyes under salt-free and more environmentally-friendly conditions. The current work focuses on the spectroscopic study of the intermolecular interactions, which dictate the physicochemical process associated with dyeing. Water-soluble copolymers of vinyl benzyl chloride and vinyl benzyl triethylammonium chloride (VBCTEAM) have been used as cellulose cationic modifiers. Dye uptake was assessed using Remazol Brilliant Blue and Novacron Ruby dyes. The study involves ATR-FTIR, UV-Vis, fluorescence and XPS spectroscopy. The results of binary polymer-rich dye-polymer aqueous solutions or dye-polymer precipitates at stoichiometric charge-ratio revealed that the sulfonate/sulfate anions of the dyes interact with the cationic VBCTEAM units of the polymer via electrostatic interactions. Moreover, the comparative study of unmodified/modified dyed cotton indicates that the dye reactive sites remain unaffected for cationized cotton, suggesting that electrostatic interactions are the main driving force for the high dyeing performance observed.

We consider a class of density-driven flow problems. We are particularly interested in the problem of the salinization of coastal aquifers. We consider the Henry saltwater intrusion problem with uncertain porosity, permeability, and recharge parameters as a test case. The reason for the presence of uncertainties is the lack of knowledge, inaccurate measurements, and inability to measure parameters at each spatial or time location. This problem is nonlinear and time-dependent. The solution is the salt mass fraction, which is uncertain and changes in time. Uncertainties in porosity, permeability, recharge, and mass fraction are modeled using random fields. This work investigates the applicability of the well-known multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) method for such problems. The MLMC method can reduce the total computational and storage costs. Moreover, the MLMC method runs multiple scenarios on different spatial and time meshes and then estimates the mean value of the mass fraction. The parallelization is performed in both the physical space and stochastic space. To solve every deterministic scenario, we run the parallel multigrid solver ug4 in a black-box fashion. We use the solution obtained from the quasi-Monte Carlo method as a reference solution.

There is an urgent demand worldwide for the development of highly selective adsorbents and sensors of heavy metal ions and other organic pollutants. Within these environmental and public health frameworks, we are combining the salient features of clays and chelatant polymers to design selective metal ion adsorbents. Towards this end, the ion imprinting approach has been used to develop a novel nanohybrid material for the selective separation of Cu2+ ions in aqueous solution. The Cu2+-imprinted polymer/ montmorillonite nanocomposite (IIP/Mt) and non-imprinted polymer/montmorillonite nanocomposite (NIP/Mt) were prepared by radical photopolymerization process in the visible light. Ion imprinting was indeed important as the recognition of copper ions by IIP/Mt was significantly superior to that of NIP/Mt that is the nanocomposite synthesized in the same way but in the absence of Cu2+ ions. The adsorption process as batch study was investigated under the experimental condition affecting same parameters such as contact time, concentration of ions metals and pH. The adsorption capacity of Cu2+ ions is maximized at pH 5. Removal of Cu2+ ion achieved equilibrium within 15 minutes; the results obtained were found to be fitted by the pseudo-second order kinetics model. The equilibrium process was well described by the Langmuir isothermal model and the maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 23.6 mg/g.

Natural polluted insulator surfaces are always coated with various kinds of soluble constituents, and those constituents affect flashover performance differentially. Currently this fact is not considered either in laboratory experiments or field pollution degree measurements, causing the existing insulation selection method to be deficient. In this paper a systematical research on insulator flashover voltage gradient correction involving types of soluble pollution constituents was presented. Taking typical type glass insulator as the sample, its flashover tests polluted by typical soluble chemicals NaCl, NaNO₃, KNO₃, NH₄NO₃, MgSO₄, Ca(NO₃)₂ and CaSO₄ were carried out. Then the flashover gradient correction was made combining the flashover performance of each soluble constituent, the ESDD contribution of the seven constituents, as well as the saturation performance of CaSO₄. The correction was well verified with the flashover test results of insulator polluted by three types of soluble mixture. Research results indicate that the flashover gradient correction method proposed by this paper performs well in reducing the calculating error. It is recommended to carry out component measurements and flashover gradient correction to better select outdoor insulation configuration.

Abstract: The objective of these studies was to determine the dependence of the distribution of the microwave field into a grain layer and the efficiency of energy transfer from the magnetron into the grain layer, via a waveguide, on the moisture content. The subject of the research was a semicircular waveguide with slot radiators that supply a microwave field to the grain surrounding the waveguide. The change in the directional diagram of the microwave field in the longitudinal direction of the waveguide was studied using CST Microwave Studio 2019 software. It was found that the change in the moisture content of the processed grain leads to a significant change in both the radiation and total efficiency values of the waveguide. For instance, the radiation efficiency of the waveguide decreases by 15.1% (from 68.729 dB to 58.294 dB) when the moisture content of the processed grain increases from 14% to 26%. The total radiation efficiency also decreases (from 11.27 dB to 21.7 dB). In this case, not only the value of the radiation efficiency but also the shape of its dependence on the magnetron radiation frequency change. Data were obtained on the change in the Q-factor for resonators in which grain layers are processed, depending on the variation in grain moisture content.

The coffee plant is highly susceptible to drought, and different genotypes exhibit varying degrees of tolerance to low soil moisture. The current study aims to investigate the connection between drought tolerance and sensitivity in terms of seed traits, germination, and post-germination events, and their influence on the growth and physiology of young coffee plants. Two consecutive experiments were conducted to examine the impact of these factors. In the first experiment, germination performance was examined for three groups of coffee genotypes: relatively tolerant (Ca74140, Ca74112, and Ca74110), moderately sensitive (Ca74158, Ca74165, and CaJ-21), and sensitive (Ca754, CaJ-19, and CaGeisha). The subsequent experiment focused on the growth and physiological responses of two relatively tolerant (Ca74110 and Ca74112) and two sensitive (CaJ-19 and Ca754) genotypes under drought stress condition. The relatively tolerant genotypes showed quicker and more complete germination compared to other groups. This was associated with higher moisture content, higher seed surface area to volume ratio, and higher coefficient of velocity of germination, coefficient of variation of germination time, and germination index. Additionally, the relatively tolerant genotypes showed higher seedling vigor. The results of the second experiment demonstrated superior growth performance in relative tolerant genotypes compared to the sensitive groups. Young plants of coffee belonging to relatively tolerant genotypes exhibited higher growth performance than the sensitive genotypes, with a net assimilation rate strongly correlated to relative water content, leaf number, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll-a. In addition, a strong correlation was exhibited between the growth of young coffee plants and the surface area to volume ratio of the seeds, as well as the germination percentage. The seedling vigor index showed a strong correlation with net assimilation rate, chlorophyll content, seedling growth, and cell membrane stability. Furthermore, principal component analysis illustrated distinct clustering of genotypes based on their germination and growth-physiological performance. Overall, the findings of this study suggest the importance of seed traits, germination, and post-germination events are integral factors in determining drought tolerance and sensitivity, as well as the growth and physiological responses of adult coffee plants.

Mineral wool made from basalt fibers is frequently used as an insulating material in construction systems. In this study, both unused mineral wool, and wool obtained from the softened roofing area, were comprehensively analyzed in a laboratory using different characterization techniques. Firstly, the amount of initial water content and compressive strength at 10% deformation were determined. Secondly, microstructure and surface chemical composition were analysed by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). To study heterogeneities near the fiber surface and to examine cross-sectional composition, a Scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) was used. Finally, to verify possible reasons for resin degradation, Thermogravimetry analysis and differential scanning colometry (TGA-DSC) were simultaneously carried out. The results show that natural aging under high humidity and thermal fluctuations greatly affects the surface morphology and chemical composition of fibrous composite. Phenol-formaldehyde and other hydrophobic compounds that protect fibers against moisture and give compressive resistance were found to be degraded.

This paper presents tea leaves moisture monitoring system based on RF reflectometry techniques. The system was divided into two parts which are the sensor and reflectometer parts. The large coaxial probe was used as a sensor of the system. The reflectometer part plays a role as signal generator and also data acquisition. The reflectometer-sensor system was operated with a graphical user interface at 1.529 GHz at room temperature. The system was able to measure the moisture content of tea leaves ranging 0% m.c to 50% m.c on a wet basis. In this study, up to five kinds of tea leaves bulk were tested. The mean of absolute errors in the moisture measurement for tea leaves was ±2.

The main goal of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission over land surfaces is the production of global maps of soil moisture (SM) and vegetation optical depth (τ) based on multi-angular brightness temperature (TB) measurements at L-band. The operational SMOS Level 2 and Level 3 soil moisture algorithms account for different surface effects, such as vegetation opacity and soil roughness at 4 km resolution, in order to produce global retrievals of SM and τ. In this study, we present an alternative SMOS product which was developed by INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) and CESBIO (Centre d’Etudes Spatiales de la BIOsphère). This SMOS-INRA-CESBIO (SMOS-IC) product provides daily SM and τ at the global scale and differs from the operational SMOS Level 3 (SMOSL3) product in the treatment of retrievals over heterogeneous pixels. Specifically, SMOS-IC is much simpler and does not account for corrections associated to the antenna pattern and the complex SMOS viewing angle geometry. It considers pixels as homogeneous to avoid uncertainties and errors linked to inconsistent auxiliary data sets which are used to characterize the pixel heterogeneity in the SMOS L3 algorithm. SMOS-IC also differs from the current SMOSL3 product (Version 300, V300) in the values of the effective vegetation scattering albedo (ω) and soil roughness parameters. An inter-comparison is presented in this study based on the use of ECMWF (European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasting) SM outputs and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) from MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). A 6 year (2010-2015) inter-comparison of the SMOS products SMOS-IC and SMOSL3 SM (V300) with ECMWF SM yielded higher correlations and lower ubRMSD (unbiased root mean square difference) for SMOS-IC over most of the pixels. In terms of τ, SMOS-IC τ was found to be better correlated to MODIS NDVI in most regions of the globe, with the exception of the Amazonian basin and of the northern mid-latitudes.

An effective approach to fabricate large-scale of conducting polyaniline (PANI) by an in situ anodic electrochemical polymerization on the nickel foam, which coated by a novel aryl diazonium salt (ADS)-functionalized graphene (ADS-G). In present work, ADS-G was used as a high surface area support material for electrochemical polymerization of PANI. Electrochemical performances of the ADS-G/PANI composites exhibited better suitability as supercapacitor electrode materials than that of the PANI. The ADS-G/PANI composites achieved the specific capacitance of 528 F g-1, which was higher than that of PANI (266 F g-1) due to the excellent electrode-electrolyte interaction and synergistic effect of electrical conductivity between ADS-G and PANI in the composites. These findings suggested that the ADS-G/PANI composites were a suitable composite for the potential supercapacitor applications.

Proposed fundamental laws of biology and a model of health and disease underscore the importance of the lymphatic system. The lymphatics are responsible for two of the laws of biology and the fulcrum of health and disease balancing proliferation with regeneration through the immune system. It is responsible for protection from the environment and repair of senile and damaged tissue. Life is constantly bombarded by forces that increase entropy. Lymphatics provide negative entropy to maintain health. Lymphatics help maintain cellular homeostasis removing products of metabolism. Using these principles, the role of lymphatics is investigated in salt sensitivity hypertension, cardiorenal system, the new pillar of heart failure and kidney disease - Sodium-Glucose Transport Protein 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors, and brain diseases. The realization of organ lymphatics in maintenance of health and disease opens the avenue to new therapeutics. This is the unrealized potential of lymphatic study.

In recent years in Bangladesh, there has been regular cyclonic event, flooding and erratic pre-monsoons precipitation that has hampered production greatly and forced Bangladesh to import salt from abroad to manage market deficiency. There is much uncertainty about the effects of climate change on the frequency and intensity of small-scale, sudden onset weather phenomena such as heavy rainfall and subsequent loss and damage (L&D). But, several studies indicate that an obvious strong relationship exists between irregular rainfall and associated L&D. Nowadays, severe changing rainfall patterns are observed in Bangladesh, which is rapid-onset in nature, but low exposed in terms of response. The current study explored a ‘double-exposed’ burden combined of both climatic (e.g., uneven rainfall) and non-climatic governance factors (e.g., imperfect trade policy, the absence of risk transfer mechanisms) which are hindering salt production and pushing the country from the aspiration of salt exporting to the net buyer. This chapter mainly assesses the impacts of L&D due to climatic events that are causing overwhelming effects on the well-being of marginal salt farmers at Kutubdia Upazila of Bangladesh. Data were mainly collected through Participatory Vulnerability Analysis (PVA), Key informant interviews (KII), and Sample Surveys (SS). This study would provide insights for improved disaster management policy and an appropriate adaptive measure to address such extreme events as well as to initiate a further study for understanding the nexus of ‘nature and market’ in building resilience among the marginal salt farmers.

Generating a range-wide population status of the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin spp.) is challenging due to a combination of species ecology and behavior, and limitations associated with traditional sampling methods. Visual counting of emergent heads offers an efficient, non-invasive and promising method for generating abundance estimates of terrapin populations across broader spatial scales and can be used to explain spatial variation in population size. We conducted repeated visual head count surveys at 38 predetermined sites along the shoreline of Wellfleet Bay in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. We analyzed the count data using a hierarchical modeling framework designed specifically to analyze repeated count data: the so-called N-mixture model. This approach allows for simultaneous modeling of imperfect detection to generate estimates of true terrapin abundance. We found detection probability was lowest when skies were overcast and when wind speed was highest. Site specific abundance varied but we found that abundance estimates were, on average, higher in unexposed sites compared to exposed sites. We demonstrate the utility of pairing visual head counts and N-mixture models as an efficient method for estimating terrapin abundance and show how the approach can be used to identifying environmental factors that influence detectability and distribution.

10% copper substituted (BiCUVOX/Bi₂V_0.9Cu_0.1O_5.5−δ) and 5% copper/titanium double-substituted bismuth vanadate (BiCUTIVOX/Bi₂V_0.9(Cu_0.05Ti_0.05)O_5.5−δ) platelets were formed by molten salt synthesis (MSS) using a eutectic KCl/NaCl salt mixture. The product was phase pure within the limits of X-ray diffraction. The size and form of the platelets could be controlled by changing the heating temperature and time. The crystallite growth rate at a synthesis temperature of 650 °C, and activation energy for grain growth were determined for BICUTIVOX, which experienced inhibited growth compared to BICUVOX. Quasi-equilibrium, multi-foil shapes consisting of lobes around the perimeter of the platelets were observed and explained in the context of relative two-dimensional nucleation and edge growth rates.

(1) Background: The research on the potential of regional food products, known for their rich bio-active compound content, could enhance human health in local populations. This is especially pertinent amid the Covid-19 pandemic and global trade disruptions; (2) Methods: The current study evaluated the physico-chemical composition using standard methods, antioxidant activity via DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and CUPRAC methods, sorption capacity (at 10°C, 25°C, and 40°C with water activity ranging from 0.1 to 0.9) through the static-gravimetric method, and monolayer moisture content (MMC) calculated using the BET model; (3) Results: The approximate physi-co-chemical composition of laboratory-produced quince powder is as follows: proteins - 1.27g, carbohydrates - 75.80g, fats - 0.49g, fibers - 21.50g, ash – 2.31g, and nutritional value – 355.65kcal. Antioxidant activity is confirmed by all methods. The Modified Halsey model is recommended to describe the sorption isotherms with an S-shaped form. The MMC for the adsorption process ranges from 14.41% d.b. to 7.09% d.b., and for the desorption process, it ranges from 13.11% d.b. to 7.80% d.b.; (4) Conclusions: Seasonal and regional foods boast the best nutritional profiles, as they are cultivated and harvested at optimal ripeness in natural sunlight, preserving the essential vitamins and minerals in the food.

The integration of spray drying and agglomeration offers significant advantages, such us continuous production with lower energy consumption. However, it is a knife-edge process with a narrow operating window and limited degrees of freedom that decide between successful agglomeration and fluidized bed blockage due to excessive moisture. In this contribution, factors influencing the spray-through agglomeration process of skim milk powder as a model system were investigated via a design of experiments. Three in-line monitoring methods were applied and tested to observe the most important parameters in the agglomeration process: product moisture and particle size distribution. Regarding the moisture content, a capacitive moisture sensor was calibrated with linear regression and a near-infrared sensor with partial least squares regression. Near-infrared spectroscopy was found to be the suitable method for determining moisture content, while the capacitive moisture sensor mainly provides information on the bulk density, the filling level or fluidization state in the fluidized bed. Additionally, particle size distribution data was extracted from the spectral data using in-line data of a spatial filter velocimetry probe in the fluidized bed. This opens the potential to monitor both parameters in real-time with a single non-invasive sensor.

The South-to-North Water Transfer Jiangsu Water Supply Area (JWSA) is a mega inter-basin water transfer area (water source) that provides water resources from JiangHuai, combines drainage and flooding management, and regulates nearby rivers and lakes. Analyzing the spatiotemporal soil moisture dynamics in the area will inform agricultural drought and flood disaster assessment and early warning studies. Therefore, we evaluated the quality of European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative Soil moisture (ESA CCI_SM) data in the South-North Water Transfer JWSA. Then, we used ensemble empirical modal decomposition, Mann-Kendall tests, and regression analysis to study the spatiotemporal variation in soil moisture for the past 29 years. The CCI _SM data showed a high correlation with local soil measurements at nine sites. We then analyzed the CCI_SM data from three pumping stations (the Gaogang, Hongze, and Liushan stations) in the South-North Water Transfer JWSA. These stations had similar periodic characteristics of soil moisture, with significant periodic fluctuations around 3.1 d. The overall soil moisture at the three typical pumping stations showed an increasing trend. We then investigated whether there were abrupt soil moisture changes at each station. The spatial distribution of soil moisture in the South-North Water Transfer JWSA was characterized by “dry north and wet south”, with higher soil moisture in winter, followed by autumn, and low soil moisture in spring and summer. Although the linear trend of soil moisture in the South-North Water Transfer JWSA varied in significance, the overall soil moisture in the JWSA has increased over the past 29 years. The areas with significantly enhanced soil moisture are mainly distributed in the Yangzhou and Huai'an areas in the southeastern part of the study area. The areas with significantly decreased soil moisture are small in size and mainly located in northern Xuzhou.

Semi-destructive and non-destructive techniques are not commonly used for masonry as they are complex and difficult to perform. This paper describes validation of the following methods: semi-destructive and non-destructive, ultrasonic technique for autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). The research subject was the compressive strength of AAC test elements with declared various density classes of: 400, 500, 600 and 700 (kg/m3) and various moisture levels. Empirical data including the shape and size of specimens, were established from tests on 494 cylindrical and cuboid specimens, and standard cube specimens 100×100×100 mm using the general relationship for standard concrete (Neville’s curve). The effect of moisture on AAC was taken into account while determining the strength fBw for 127 standard specimens tested at different levels of water content (w = 100%, 67%, 33% 23% and 10%). Defined empirical relations can be used to correct the compressive strength of dry specimens. For 91 specimens 100×100×100 mm, the P-wave velocity cp was tested with the transmission method using using the ultrasonic pulse velocity method with exponential transducers. The curve (fBw – cp) for determining the compressive strength of AAC elements with any moisture level (fBw) was established.

World Health Organization recommends adjusting the salt intake as a part of the nine global targets to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable chronic diseases as priority and most cost-effective intervention. In 2006. the main aim of the Croatian Action on Salt and Health was to decrease salt intake for 16% because of its critical intake and consequences on human health. We have organized educative activities for increasing awareness on salt harmfulness, defined food categories of prime interest, collaborate with industries and determine salt intake (24h urine-sodium excretion). It was determined that the proportion of salt in ready-to-eat baked bread should not exceed 1.4%. In the period 2014 –2022, salt in the semi-white bread was reduced 14%, in bakery 22% and in largest meat industry in Croatia 25%. Awareness of the harmfulness of salt on health increased from 65.3% in 2008 to 96.9% in 2023 and salt intake was reduced 15.9%-1.8 grams/day (22.8% men, 11.7% women). In last 18 years a significant decrease in salt intake was achieved in Croatia, awareness of its harmfulness increased, collaboration with food industry established and regulatory documents launched. However, salt intake is still very high underlying the need for continuation of efforts and even stronger activities.

The creation of mitochondria-targeted vector systems is a new tool for the treatment of socially significant diseases. Phosphonium groups provide targeted delivery of drugs through biological barriers to organelles. For this purpose, a new class of alkyl(diethylamino)(phenyl) phosphonium iodides (bromides) 1 containing one, two, or three diethylamino groups were obtained by the reaction of alkyl iodides (bromides) with (diethylamino)(phenyl)phosphines under mild conditions and high yields. The structure of compounds 1 was established by NMR and XRD. In vitro a high cytotoxicity against the lines M-Hela, HuTu 80, PC3, DU-145, PANC-1 and MCF-7 was found. Selectivity index are in the range of 0.06-4.0 M (SI 17-277) for the most active compounds. ROS production, mitochondrial localization and the process of cellular apoptosis were investigated. Decorated by 1 of lipid systems (liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles) improve the cytotoxicity and a decrease in toxicity against normal cell lines. Compounds 1 induce apoptosis proceeding along the mitochondrial pathway. Aminophosphonium salts 1 also exhibit a high selective activity against the Gram-positive bacteria strains S. aureus 209P, B. segeus 8035, including methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (MRSA-1, MRSA-2), comparable to the activity of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic norfloxacin. A moderate in vivo toxicity in CD-1 mice was established for the lead compounds.

This paper presents a new method of preparing a coating on the Ti65 titanium alloy by a two-step procedure comprising hot-dipped aluminum and solid carburization. The effects of the carburization in the presence of NaCl deposit at 810oC have been systematically studied. In this article, the microstructure, morphology, phase composition of the coating, and the corrosion products were investigated by SEM, EDS, and X-ray diffraction. Results indicated that the corrosion resistance of hot dip aluminum/carburizing composite coating was not significantly enhanced by hot dip aluminum coating. This can be attributed to the formation of TiC and Ti3AlC after carburization, which promoted the formation of loose and unprotected TiO2 in the coating during molten salt corrosion. In addition, the oxidation of the carbon atom into CO2 /CO leaded to a high concentration of vacancy in the coating, creating channels for NaCl to penetrate the coating and accelerated the corrosion rate.

Molten salt reactors have gained substantial interest in the last years due to their flexibility and their potential for simplified closed fuel cycle operation for massive net-zero energy production. However, a zero-power reactor experiment will be an essential first step into the process delivering this technology. The choice of the optimal reflector material is one of the key issues for such experiments since on the one hand it offers huge cost saving potential due to reduced fuel demand, on the other hand an improper choice of the reflector material can have negative effects on the quality of the experiments. The choice of the reflector material is for the first time introduced through a literature review and a discussion of potential roles of the reflector. The 2D study of different potential reflector materials has delivered a first down selection with SS 304 as representative for stainless steel, lead, copper, graphite, and beryllium oxide. A deeper look identified in addition iron-based material with high Si content. The following evaluation of the power distribution has shown the strong influence of the moderating reflectors creating a massively disturbed power distribution with a peak at the core boundary. This effect has been confirmed through a deeper analysis of the 2D multi-group flux distribution which lead to the exclusion of the BeO and the graphite reflector. The most promising materials identified have been SS 304, lead, and copper. The final 3D Monte-Carlo study demonstrated that all three materials have the potential to reduce the required amount of fuel by up to 60% compared NaCl which has been used in previous studies and is now taken as reference A first cost analysis has identified the SS 304 reflector as the most attractive solution. The results of the 2D multi group deterministic study and the 3D multi group Monte-Carlo study have been confirmed through a continuous energy Monte-Carlo reference calculation showing only minor differences.

Molten salt reactors have gained substantial interest in the last years due to their flexibility and their potential for simplified closed fuel cycle operation for massive net-zero energy production. The importance of a zero-power reactor for the process of developing a new, innovative rector concept like molten salt fast reactor is described here. It is based on historical developments as well as the current demand for experimental results and key factors that are relevant to the success of the next step in the development process of all innovative reactor types. In the systematic modelling & simulation of a zero-power molten salt reactor, the radius and the feedback effects are studied for a eutectic based system, while a heavy metal rich chloride-based system are studied depending on the uranium enrichment accompanied with the effects on neutron flux spectrum and spatial distribution. These results are used to support the relevant decision for the narrowing down of the configurations supported by considerations on cost and proliferation for the follow up 3D analysis to provide for the first time a systematic modelling & simulation approach for a new reactor physics experiment. The expected core volumes for these configurations have been studied using multi-group and continuous energy Monte-Carlo simulations identifying the 35% enriched systems as the most attractive and finally leading to the choice of the heavy metal rich compositions 35% enrichment as the reference system for future studies of the next steps in the zero power reactor investigation. The inter-comparison of the different applied codes and approaches available in the SCALE package has delivered a very good agreement between the results creating trust into the developed and used models and methods.

Molten salt reactors have gained substantial interest in the last years due to their flexibility and their potential for simplified closed fuel cycle operation for massive net-zero energy production. However, a zero-power reactor experiment will be an essential first step into the process of delivering this technology. The topic of the control and shut down for a zero power reactor is for the first time introduced through a literature review and the reduction of the control approaches to a limited number of basic functions with different variations. In the following, the requirements for the control and shutdown system for a reactor experiment are formulated, and based on these assessments, an approach for the shutdown – splitting the lower part of the core with reflector, and an approach for the control – a vertically movable radial reflector are proposed. Both systems will be usable for a zero-power system with a liquid as well as with as a solid core and even more importantly, both systems somehow work on the integral system level without disturbing the central part of the core which will be the essential area for the experimental measurements. Both approaches have been investigated as a singular system as well as their interactions with one another and the sensitivity of the control system. The study has demonstrated that both proposed systems are able to deliver the required characteristics with sufficient shutdown margin and a sufficiently wide control span. The interaction of the system has been shown to be manageable and the sensitivity is on a very good level. The multi-group Monte-Carlo approach has been cross evaluated by a continuous energy test leading to good results, but they also demonstrate that there is room for improvement.

The loads generated inside agricultural silos under static and dynamic conditions depend on the mechanical properties of the materials stored inside them. The silo calculation methodologies are based on these mechanical properties. Although it is known that moisture content greatly influences the values reached by these mechanical properties, just few studies have been conducted to determine them. The present work determines the angle of internal friction, the apparent cohesion, the dilatancy angle and the apparent specific weight of wheat when subjected to different moisture contents. Direct shear and oedometer assay devices were used. In addition, a climatic chamber was used to moisten the wheat samples used in this work. The moisture content applied to the samples ranged from 7.5% to 15.5%. From the different assays carried out it could be observed that the values of the angle of internal friction and apparent cohesion obtained from direct shear assays, as well as those related to the apparent specific weight obtained from oedometer assays were like those found in the literature. The apparent specific weight increased as moisture content increased, reaching a peak value at a moisture content of 13.4%, followed by a drop at a moisture content of 15.5%. The values here provided can be used in silo load calculations involving numerical methods.

In this article, a method for the moisture mapping of the soil surface of agrophytocenosis was proposed using neural network based on synchronized radar and multispectral optoelectronic data of Sentinel-1,2. To verify the developed method, data from two experimental plots were used. These plots were located two on irrigated soybean crops. The first of them was located on the right bank (1st plot) and the second one on the left bank (2nd plot) of the down part of Volga River. Two experimental soil moisture geo-datasets were done by measurements and geo-referencing points using gravimetric method (1st plot) and with proximal sensing method (2nd plot) using Soil Moisture Sensor ML3-KIT (THETAKIT, Delta). The soil moisture retrieval algorithm was based on the use of a neural network to predict reflection coefficient of an electromagnetic wave from the soil surface, followed by inversion into soil moisture using a dielectric model that takes into account the soil texture. The input parameter of the neural network was the ratio of the microwave radar vegetation index (calculated on the basis of Sentinel-1 data) to the index (calculated on the basis of data of multispectral optoelectronic channels 8 and 11 of Sentinel-2). Such way calculated index reveals showed a significantly greater dependence on soil moisture than on vegetation height that was been used in previous studies. The retrieved values of soil moisture were compared with the soil moisture measured in-situ. The proposed method with a determination coefficient of 0.44-0.65 and a standard deviation of 2.4%-4.2% for the 1st plot as well as with and of the same metrics for the 2nd allows predicting the soil moisture of both a test plots covered by soybean plants, relative to soil moisture measured in-situ. The conducted research created the scientific basis for a new technology for remote sensing the moisture content of the soil surface of agrophytocenosis as an element of the precision farming system and agroecology.

Surface soil moisture (SSM) is a significant factor affecting crop growth. This paper presents a method for retrieving SSM over wheat-covered areas using synergy dual-polarization C-band Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar and Sentinel-2 optical data. Firstly, a modified water cloud model (WCM) was proposed to remove the influence of vegetation from the backscattering coefficient of the radar data. The vegetation fraction was then introduced in this WCM, and the vegetation water content (VWC) was calculated using multiple linear regression model. Subsequently, the support vector regression technique was used to retrieve the SSM. This approach was validated using in-situ measurements of the wheat field in Hebi, in the north of Henan Province. The key findings of this study are as follows: (1) Based on vegetation indices obtained from Sentinel-2; the proposed VWC estimation model can effectively eliminate the influence of vegetation; (2) compared with vertical transmit and horizontal receive polarization, vertical transmit and vertical receive polarization is better for detecting changes in SSM at different growth stages of wheat; and, (3) the validation results indicated that the proposed approach, based on Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data, successfully retrieved SSM in the study area.

Soil secondary salinization has seriously affected the greenhouse vegetable production in China. To improve the secondary salinization greenhouse soil and enhance the soil physical-chemical properties in an eco-environmental way, different organic amendments (straw, straw biochar, Trichoderma bio-organic manure, commercial organic manure) were applied using pot experiment for 60 day to comprehensively screen the optimal remediation method. In this study, soil nutrient condition and salt movement were assessed, and predictive models using multi-linear regression (MLR) and Random Forest (RF) were developed to estimate soil salinization parameters. The findings indicated a significant decrease in soil salt content following the application of organic materials compared to the control treatment. Specifically, the addition of straw at a rate of 250g/kg resulted in a 59.38% reduction in soil salt levels after 60 days (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the main salt ions exhibited dynamic changes over the course of the experiment, with reductions observed in Na+, Ca2+, Cl-, and NO3- content under the 250 g/kg straw treatment by 83.63%, 74.67%, 63.26%, 59.07%, respectively, compared to CK (P < 0.05). In addition, the SO42- content under 125 g/kg commercial organic manure amendment reduced by 48.94%, respectively (P < 0.05). Contrary to expectations, the addition of organic materials significantly increased the levels of total nutrients (N/P/K) and available potassium (AK) and phosphorus (AP) in the soil. Specifically, the addition of straw at a rate of 250 g/kg resulted in increases of 18.02%-87.38% in total potassium (TK), 66.67%-200% in total phosphorus (TP), and 142.87%-367.8% in AK after a period of sixty days (P < 0.05). Ultimately, the treatment involving the addition of 250 g/kg of straw demonstrated the most pronounced impact on the physical and chemical properties of the soil. The random forest method shows promise in accurately predicting soil salt and soil sodium adsorption ratio (SAR)indicators, thereby providing a valuable tool for estimating soil properties.

Upper mesophilic temperature acclimation of halophilic, hydrogen-producing bacteria from salt fields was investigated in this study, along with the changes in microbial abundance during an-aerobic digestion (AD) process. Genomic approaches such as PCR-denaturing gradient gel elec-trophoresis (DGGE) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were performed to profile the mi-crobial communities. During AD, there was a significant abundance of Halanaerobacter lacunarum at 48°C followed by the increase in hydrogen yield, signifying potential contribution from the halophile in the hydrogen production. A decrease in the dominance of H. lacunarum and Halan-aerobium fermentans at 42°C, likely due to an increase in other bacterial species, was noted but their dominance significantly increased at temperatures of 45°C and 48°C. This investigation provides valuable insights in highlighting the potential of Halanaerobium sp. and the other halo-philic bacteria to adapt under upper mesophilic temperature conditions and synthesizing hy-drogen. The findings in the present study also underscore the importance of optimizing temper-ature and pH conditions to maximize hydrogen yield during high-salt anaerobic digestion.

Achieving high-yield potential is always the ultimate objective of any breeding program. However, various abiotic stresses like salinity, drought, cold, flood, and heat hampered rice productivity tremendously. Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses that adversely affect rice grain yield. The present investigation was undertaken to dissect new genetic loci, which are responsible for salt tolerance at the early seedling stage in rice. A bi-parental mapping population (F2:3) was developed from the cross between BRRI dhan28/Akundi, where BRRI dhan28 (BR28) is a salt-sensitive irrigated (boro) rice mega variety and Akundi is a highly salinity tolerant Bangladeshi origin indica rice landrace that is utilized as a donor parent. We report stable QTLs for salt tolerance from a common donor (Akundi) irrespective of two different genetic backgrounds (BRRI dhan49/Akundi and BRRI dhan28/Akundi). A robust 1k-Rice Custom Amplicon (1k-RiCA) SNP marker genotyping platform was used to genotype this bi-parental population. After eliminating markers with high segregation distortion, 886 polymorphic SNPs built a genetic linkage map covering 1526.5 cM of whole rice genome with an average SNP density of 1.72 cM for the 12 genetic linkage groups. A total of 12 QTLs for nine different salt tolerance-related traits were identified using QGene and inclusive composite interval mapping of additive and dominant QTL (ICIM-ADD) under salt stress on seven different chromosomes. All of these 12 new QTLs found unique, as no other map from the previous study has reported these QTLs in the similar chromosomal location and found them different from extensively studied Saltol, SKC1, OsSalT and salT locus. Twenty-eight significant digenic/epistatic interactions identified between chromosomal regions linked to or unlinked to QTLs. Akundi acts like a new alternate donor source of salt tolerance except for other usually known donors like Nona Bokra, Pokkali, Capsule, and Hasawi used in salt tolerance genetic analysis and breeding programs worldwide, including Bangladesh. Integration of the seven novel and stable QTLs (qSES1, qSL1, qRL1, qSUR1, qSL8, qK8, qK1) reported in this investigation will expedite the cultivar development that is highly tolerant to salt stress.

Nuclear technologies have the potential to play a unique role delivering low carbon energy for a future net-zero society. However, for the long-term success, nuclear will need to deliver innovative solutions as proposed in iMAGINE. One of the key challenges for the envisaged highly integrated nuclear energy system is the need for a demand driven salt clean-up system. The work described provides an insight into the interplay between a potential salt clean-up system and the reactor operation in a dynamic approach. The results provided will help to optimize the parameters for the salt clean-up process by delivering a dynamically calculated priority list identifying the elements with high influence on reactor operation. The integrated model is used to investigate the ideal time for the initiation of the clean-up as well as the effect of different throughput through the clean-up system on criticality as well as on the concentration of the elements in the reactor salt. Finally, a staggered approach is proposed with the idea to phase in the chemical clean-up processes step by step to keep the reactor critical. The results provide an essential step for the progress of iMAGINE as well as the basis for the inter disciplinary work required to bring iMAGINE into real operation.

Lettuce is a salt-sensitive crop and has a threshold electrical conductivity of 1.3–2.0 mS cm-1 and above that is considered detrimental. As there has been very little information on the physio-logical response of different critical stages of lettuce under different salt stress (SS), the current study is focused on investigating the effects of SS on the critical physiological traits influencing the carbon assimilation in different growth stages of lettuce. The experiment was conducted in deep-water culture hydroponic system in a greenhouse condition. Four levels of sodium chloride salt treatments (EC: 20, 16, 8, and 1.8 mS cm-1) were applied. During both growth stages (day 11 (GS1) and day 19 (GS2) after salt treatment), the leaf transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and intercellular CO2 were severely decreased. However, the carbon assimilation rate remained unchanged under SS. Similarly, the water use efficiency increased under the SS. It is concluded that the increasing SS increased stomatal and non-stomatal limiting factors during GS1 suggesting the enhanced limitation in photosynthetic activity while no such trend was observed during GS2. The decreased gm with increased SS at GS1 and GS2 suggested that SS induced the irreversible decrease of gm, which in turn can be responsible for the transient reduction in the Vcmax and Jmax during GS2. Taken together, the evidence from this research recommends that varying the SS levels can significantly affect the physiological performance of lettuce at both growth stages.

Immersion in salt-lake solution was adopted to periodically test the concrete chloride-ion diffusion coefficient. The regression analysis was also completed. Also investigated was the time-dependent law of concrete chloride-ion diffusion coefficient with time. The influence of chloride-ion concentration in solution, water-to-cement ratio, and corrosion time on the largeness and accumulation rate of the concrete chloride-ion diffusion coefficient was also analyzed. Test results show that the concrete chloride-ion diffusion coefficient gradually decreased with increasing time and increased with increasing chloride-ion concentration in a salt lake . Taking into account the influence of factors such as water–binder ratio, chloride-ion concentration, and time-varying characteristics, a multi-factor calculation model for the concrete chloride-ion diffusion coefficient was established. Combining the prediction results and the measured data reported in this paper, the effectiveness and applicability of the established concrete chloride-ion diffusion coefficient calculation model were compared and verified, and the durability design and service life of a concrete structure under cool chlorine were compared. The results of analysis provide important boundary conditions.

This work studied the corrosion of welded pipes and how welding destroyed surface film of pipes. Surface reaction of a welded pipe is key to understanding phenomena and important factors during the corrosion. This paper presents experiment and CFD modeling approaches of a welded pipe corrosion under salt vapor condition. The pipes were welded at currents of 60 A,70 A and 80 A to observe the effect of welding current on corrosion. A welded pipe is a stainless-steel ASTM A312 grade 304L and period of experiment about 0-600 hours that they are tested in vertical and horizontal alignments. In CFD software, there is not direct model of corrosion but it can use surface reaction and create add-on species and chemical reaction technique for imitating the corrosion mechanism. The modeling approaches of corrosion have presented in 3-dimensional transient times in CFD simulation. Surface reactions were performed by Species Model which involve site species. Site species in Species Model took place at gas-solid interfaces and in this case are salt vapor and surface pipe. Chemical reaction rate on the surface controls lost weight of a welded pipe and the model can be validated with experiment. In conclusion, in period 0-600 hours error between CFD modeling and experiment have error trend decreased. The error at 600 hours is 6% both of vertical pipe and horizontal pipe test. The modeling approaches closely with the performed experiment and can be accepted. Moreover, the model is able to predict corrosion of a welded pipe of different sizes and their lost weight after 600 hours without experiment. Also the model can predict lifetime of pipe.