Bismuth Vanadium Oxide Can Promote Growth and Activity in Arabidopsis thaliana

The excellent properties of nanomaterials have been confirmed in many fields, but their effects on plants are still unclear. In this study, different concentrations of bismuth vanadate (BV) were added to the growth medium to analyze the growth of seedlings, including taproots, lateral roots, leaf stomata, root activity, and superoxide anion O2.- generation. Gene expression levels related to root growth were determined by quantitative PCR in Arabidopsis thaliana. The results showed that BV promoted the growth of taproots and the development of lateral roots, enhanced the length of the extension zone in roots, increased the number and size of leaf stomata and root activity, reduced the accumulation of ROS in seedlings, and changed the expression levels of genes related to polyamines or hormones. At the same time, we investigated the antibacterial activity of BV against a variety of common pathogens causing crop diseases. The results showed that BV could effectively inhibit the growth of Fusarium wilt of cotton and rice sheath blight. These results provide a new prospect for the development of nanomaterial-assisted plants, which is expected to become one of the ways to solve the problem of controlling and promoting the development of plants. At the same time, it also provides a reference for the study of the effect of BV on plants.

Vacuum-induced lateral deformation around a vertical drain in dredged slurry

The horizontal strain in the vacuum preloading/dewatering of dredged slurry is significant to the apparent clogging effect and estimation of surface settlement around a drain; however, it has seldom been investigated in previous studies. In this study, a vacuum consolidation model test assisted with the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technology was conducted. The displacement vector field was obtained through PIV analysis and image processing; it was used to visually observe the deformation features around a drain. Based on the displacement field, the vertical/horizontal strains at varied radial distances were calculated to explain the “soil pile” and apparent clogging effect. From the strain distribution with radial distances, a significant lateral compression zone near the drain and an extension zone at farther areas were confirmed. Furthermore, a simple explicit model was established to evaluate the horizontal strain within a prefabricated vertical drain unit cell considering a horizontal attenuated vacuum and compression/extension zone. Finally, this method was applied to predict the horizontal displacement in the model test. The results showed that the proposed method can estimate the lateral displacement of soft clay slurry fairly well.

What Quantitative Anatomy Can Provide for Kinetics of Xylogenesis: Analysis of Cell Radial Diameters

A theoretical and experimental verification of a simple hypothesis was carried out in this study to determine if features of the anatomical structure of coniferous annual rings (in a case study of pine trees from moisture-deficient growth conditions in the steppe zone) quantified in tracheidograms of annual rings can be used to reconstruct the kinetics of seasonal growth. During two sharply different growth seasons, sampling was performed periodically, and seasonal growth of tree rings was measured where the forming annual ring was separated into zones (cambium, extension zone, zone of cell wall thickening, zone of mature tracheids). Based on these data and total tracheidograms, a simple scheme for converting the variability of the radial cell sizes into cumulative and differential cell production curves was proposed. Statistical analysis revealed both correspondence and discrepancies between theoretical and experimental data, showed the prospects of the proposed approach, and suggested the need for longer seasonal observations

An investigation into the factors facilitating extension services available to fish farmers in Ijebu-Ode agricultural extension zone, Ogun State, Nigeria

Extension services bridge the gap between research and farmers for increased productivity and improved livelihood. The study investigated the factors facilitating extension services available to fish farmers in Ijebu Ode Agricultural Extension Zone, Ogun State, aimed to determine fish farmers' preferences, the costs and returns of fishes and the constraints hindering extension services available to the respondents. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select respondents from all the six extension blocks in Ijebu Ode Zone of Ogun State ADP. One hundred and seventeen fish farmers were randomly sampled using structured interview schedules. The study revealed the mean and standard errors of age, household size and fish farming experience as 46.6±0.9 years, 6±0.3 persons and 6±0.4 years, respectively; 67.5% were male, married (76.1%) and all were literate. Formal sources of extension services available to fish farmers were extension agents from ADPs (99.1%), JDPC extension workers (54.7%) and NGOs (44.4%).Informal sources include; friends and relations (70.9%), extension guide/bulletins (70.9%), and the mobile phone (41.9%). Farmers showed preferences for extension services like field demonstrations (91.5%), fishing inputs marketing information (88.0%), farm record keeping (81.2%) and environmental management (79%). There was significant association between fish farmers' 2 2 marital status (χ2 = 29.67, p < 0.05), educational status (χ2 = 22.63, p < 0.05) and nature of extension services available to them. However, no significant relationship was found between the nature of extension services available and age (r = 0.012; p >0.05), years of experience (r=-0.074; p<0.05) and house hold size (r = 0.033; p >0.05). There was association between 2 nature of extension services available to fish farmers and their profitability ((χ2 = 173.088, p < 0.05). For more effective extension service delivery, this study recommends better linkage of fish farmers to credit sources, favourable government policy on agriculture, proper funding of extension service and remuneration of extension personnel.

Seismic stratigraphy and tectonic structure from a long multi-channel seismic profile across the southern of South China Sea

&lt;p&gt;In order to grasp the Cenozoic extension and tectonic deformation characteristics of the crust in the southern of the South China Sea, a newly acquired multi-channel seismic profile (DZ02) acrossing the conjugate&amp;#160;continental margin of the Southwest Subbasin, Nansha block, and Nansha Trough is explained.&amp;#160;Four&amp;#160;stratigraphic units&amp;#160;(syn-rift unit, drift unit1, drift unit2 and post-rift unit) were determined&amp;#160;with&amp;#160;six&amp;#160;sequence boundaries (T&lt;sub&gt;g&lt;/sub&gt;,&amp;#160;T&lt;sub&gt;70&lt;/sub&gt;,&amp;#160;T&lt;sub&gt;60&lt;/sub&gt;,&amp;#160;T&lt;sub&gt;40&lt;/sub&gt;,&amp;#160;T&lt;sub&gt;20&lt;/sub&gt;,&amp;#160;T&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;). Based on the differences in tectonic units and the&amp;#160;features of stratigraphic and structural in the southern of the South China Sea, it is divided into five structural belts from northwest to southeast, which are the northern continental margin extension zone, the Southwest&amp;#160;Subbasin, the Nansha&amp;#160;intracontinental extension zone, the Nansha forebulge zone, and the Nansha trough. The fault derived and whole crustal extension factors of the Nansha block are also calculated.&amp;#160;The results show that in time, the Nansha block has undergone two phases of extension, namely the syn-rift period and the seafloor spreading period. The syn-rifting stage accounted for about 69% of the total extension, and the seafloor&amp;#160;spreading&amp;#160;stage of the South China Sea accounted for about 26%. In space, the whole&amp;#160;crust extension factor is greater than the fault derived extension factor in most areas.&amp;#160;By comparing with the multi-channel seismic profile of the eastern part of the Nansha block imply that the crustal extension process is synchronous, but the extent of the extension in the western&amp;#160;of Nansha is always greater.&lt;/p&gt;

A flow separation model for hydrofoil, propeller and duct sections with blunt trailing edges

The panel method does not apply to hydrofoils, propellers and ducts with blunt trailing edges due to the flow separation downstream. In this paper, a model is proposed to represent the flow separation with an extension, and a low-order panel method coupled with a boundary layer solver is used. The criteria of zero lift and zero moment are adopted to determine the end of the extension zone, and flow separation criteria are used to determine the starting points on either side of the section. The model is applied to hydrofoil, bare duct and ducted propeller sections with blunt trailing edges. The pressure distributions and skin frictions along the hydrofoils and ducts correlate well with those from the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes method. The thrust and torque of the propeller agree much better with experimental measurements when the extension is determined from this model rather than choosing random locations. This model requires much less computational effort while preserving high accuracy, and thus can be used reliably in designing and analysing hydrofoils and propeller ducts with blunt trailing edges.

Deep contact of the Bohemian Massif and Western Carpathians as seen from density modeling

Density modelling was carried out along five profiles oriented across the expected deep contact between the Bohemian Massif and the Internal Western Carpathians in western Slovakia. The density models reveal the continuation of the Bohemian Massif beneath the External and Internal Western Carpathians tectonic units. The eastern margin of the Bohemian Massif is situated at depth south-east of the surface outcrops of the Pieniny Klippen Belt and changes its position in the surveyed area. The contact of the Internal Western Carpathians with the Bohemian Massif and External Western Carpathians is subvertical. This sharp contact is manifested as the transtension to extension zone towards the surface.

Anomalous Kink Effect in Low-Dimensional Gate-Recessed Fully Depleted SOI MOSFET at Low Temperature

Nanoscale MOSFETs Gate-Recessed Channel (GRC) device with a silicon channel thickness (t SI ) as low as 2.2 nm was first tested at room temperature for functionality check, and then tested at low temperature (77 K) for I–V characterizations. In spite of its FD-SOI nanoscale thickness, the GRC device has surprisingly exhibited a Kink Effect in the output characteristics at 77 K. The anomalous Kink Effect can be explained by the increase of the lateral electric field in the drain junction with the channel extension zone when lowering the temperature.

The impact of periodization methods on the kinetic energy spectra for limited-area numerical weather prediction models

The paper deals with the comparison of the most common periodization methods used to obtain spectral fields of limited-area models for numerical weather prediction. The focus is on the impact that the methods have on the spectra of the fields, which are used for verification and tuning of the models. A simplified model is applied with random fields that obey a known kinetic energy spectrum. The periodization methods under consideration are detrending, the discrete cosine transform and the application of an extension zone. For the extension zone, three versions are applied: the Boyd method, the ALADIN method and the HIRLAM method. The results show that detrending and the discrete cosine transform have little impact on the spectra, as does the Boyd method for extension zone. For the ALADIN and HIRLAM methods, the impact depends on the width of the extension zone – the wider the zone, the more artificial energy and the larger impact on the spectra. The width of the extension zone correlates to the modifications in the shape of the spectra as well as to the amplitudes of the additional energy in the spectra.

The impact of periodization methods on the kinetic energy spectra for limited-area numerical weather prediction models

The paper deals with the comparison of the most common periodization methods used to obtain spectral fields of limited-area models for numerical weather prediction. The focus is on the impact the methods have on the spectra of the fields, which are used for verification and tuning of the models. A simplified model is applied with random fields that obey a known kinetic energy spectrum. The periodization methods under consideration are detrending, the discrete cosine transform and the application of an extension zone. For extension zone, three versions are applied: the Boyd method, the ALADIN method and the HIRLAM method. The results show that detrending and the discrete cosine transform have little impact on the spectra, as does the Boyd method for extension zone. For the ALADIN and HIRLAM methods, the impact depends on the width of the extension zone – the wider the zone, the more artificial energy and the larger impact on the spectra. The width of the extension zone correlates to the modifications in the shape of the spectra as well as to the amplitudes of the additional energy in the spectra.