Hasil untuk "Environmental protection"

Depiao Kong, Chong Luo, Huanjun Liu

Soil organic matter (SOM) monitoring using remote sensing is critical for effective land resource management and environmental protection. Mapping SOM in areas where saline and black soils are intertwined, with complex soil types and significant environmental variability, remains a challenging task. This study integrated prior knowledge and classified Jilin Province, China, into saline-alkali and black soil areas. All available Sentinel-2 images from 2019 to 2023 during the bare soil period (April to July) were collected, and the images were categorized into three time windows: day of year (DOY) 90–120, DOY 120–150, and DOY 150–180. The potentials of these time windows, spectral indices (salinity index and vegetation moisture index), environmental variables (topography and climate), and local regression models for SOM mapping in the saline-black soil transition areas were then systematically evaluated. The results revealed four key findings: (1) the optimal time window for SOM mapping in both the saline-alkali area and black soil area was DOY 90–120; (2) including the salinity index improved SOM mapping accuracy in the saline-alkali area but reduced it in the black soil area, whereas the vegetation moisture index enhanced accuracy in both areas; (3) incorporating environmental variables improved the SOM mapping accuracy in all areas, with topographic variables being more influential in the black soil area and climatic variables being more significant in the saline-alkali area; and (4) local regression models based on the saline-alkali area and black soil area outperformed the global regression model in terms of SOM mapping accuracy, although they exhibited higher uncertainty. This study demonstrates that the integration of prior knowledge and multi-temporal remote sensing images significantly enhance SOM mapping accuracy in areas where saline and black soils intersect, thus providing a scientific foundation for the precise management and protection of areas with different soil types.

Peidong SU, Guifeng ZHAO, Xinlei GUO et al.

The issue of exceeded sulfate ion (\begin{document}${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-} $\end{document}) in mine water in certain regions of Yellow River Basin, poses significant environmental challenges. High operational costs and variable effectiveness hinder traditional remediation methods, such as membrane filtration and dilution. This study focuses on the synthesis of ginkgo leaf biochar via pyrolysis combined with high-energy ball milling (designated as Zr-Fe@BC), followed by transition metal modifications using iron (Fe) and zirconium (Zr) to establish a more efficient and economical sulfate removal technology. The systematically examined the effects of various preparation conditions, adsorption parameters, and the presence of interfering ions on sulfate elimination efficiency were systematically examined. Optimal biochar synthesis parameters were identified: pyrolysis conducted in an inert atmosphere for 6 hours at 700 °C, a modifier-to-biochar mass ratio of 0.2, and a subsequent ball milling duration of 2 h. Post-modification, both Zr and Fe were successfully integrated onto the biochar surface using ZrOCl2·8H2O and FeCl3·6H2O. The high-energy ball milling notably improved the accessibility of these metals and significantly enhanced the surface area of the biochar. Quantitative analysis via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the contents of Zr and Fe in the Zr-Fe@BC were 1.94% and 0.11%, respectively. Simulations conducted with MINTEQ software investigated sulfate ion morphology across a pH range of 1 to 12. Experimental results demonstrated that Zr-Fe@BC achieved a sulfate removal efficiency of 74.8% at an initial mass concentration of 500 mg/L and pH 2. Even with a pH increase to 8, where competing hydroxide ions (OH−) increase, the active sulfate binding sites on Zr-Fe@BC corresponded to a mass concentration of only 231 mg/L, complying with Class III Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (GB 3838—2002), which stipulate a limit of \begin{document}${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-} $\end{document} < 250 mg/L. Competitive adsorption studies indicated that carbonate ions (\begin{document}${\mathrm{CO}}_3^{2-} $\end{document}) exert a significant inhibitory effect on sulfate adsorption, followed by phosphate ions (\begin{document}${\mathrm{PO}}_4^{3-} $\end{document}). Conversely, the presence of chloride ions (Cl−) had minimal impact on sulfate uptake. Kinetic and thermodynamic analyses of the adsorption process demonstrated that sulfate absorption onto Zr-Fe@BC aligns closely with the Langmuir isotherm model and follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. The predominant sulfate sorption mechanisms were identified as physical adsorption (van der Waals forces), electrostatic interactions, and ion exchange processes involving \begin{document}${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-} $\end{document} with Zr—OH and Fe—OH groups. Crucially, Zr-Fe@BC could effectively reduce sulfate levels from an initial concentration of 436.4 mg/L in actual mine dewatering effluent to within regulatory limits in under 20 min. In summary, the Zr-Fe@BC synthesized in this study not only demonstrates robust and stable \begin{document}${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-} $\end{document} adsorption performance but also offers significant potential for practical applications, thereby contributing valuable insights and technical foundations for the advanced removal of sulfate in mine waters across Yellow River Basin.

Haibo Wang, Lei Xu, Fan Jiang et al.

Background One in four cases of schizophrenia begins in late life, resulting in high unemployment and reduced life expectancy. However, knowledge of the modifiable risk factors for late-onset schizophrenia and their combined effects is limited.Aims To identify modifiable risk factors for late-onset schizophrenia and estimate their joint disease risk effects.Methods This prospective cohort study using UK Biobank data included 482 708 participants without late-onset schizophrenia at baseline, followed up for a mean of 14.36 years. We conducted an exposure-wide association study of 232 potentially modifiable factors linked to late-onset schizophrenia risk. Late-onset schizophrenia is diagnosed using ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) criteria. Cox proportional hazard models identified significant factors across six domains: lifestyle, environment, medical history, physical measures, mental health and socioeconomic status (SES). Domain-specific weighted scores were calculated from Cox model coefficients and stratified into tertiles (favourable, intermediate, unfavourable) for risk assessment. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) quantified prevention potential.Results During follow-up, 1276 participants developed late-onset schizophrenia. We identified 109 significant potentially modifiable factors, with intellectual disability (HR 35.15, 95% CI 11.23 to 110.09), manic episode (HR 33.14, 95% CI 21.16 to 51.90) and bipolar affective disorder (HR 32.91, 95% CI 27.07 to 40.01) showing the strongest risks, while higher household income (&gt;£100 000: HR 0.14, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.22), regular friends/family visits (HR 0.23, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.28) and higher hand grip strength (HR 0.35, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.44) showed the strongest protection. PAF estimations indicated that shifting individuals from unfavourable to intermediate/favourable risk profiles could prevent 71.3% (95% CI 71.2% to 71.4%) of late-onset schizophrenia cases, mainly from mental health (25.1%, 95% CI 25.0% to 25.2%), medical history (13.6%, 95% CI 13.5% to 13.7%) and SES domain (11.2%, 95% CI 11.1% to 11.3%); shifting individuals from intermediate/unfavourable risk profiles to favourable could prevent 89.2% of cases.Conclusions A substantial proportion of late-onset schizophrenia risk appears modifiable, with mental health and medical history as key contributors. Physical health and natural environment exposure provided protective benefits. Findings supported integrating clinical interventions and structural changes addressing socioeconomic and environmental factors to reduce late-onset schizophrenia burden.

Sarvesh Namdeo, Vimal Chandra Srivastava, Paritosh Mohanty

The urgent need to mitigate climate change has driven extensive research into effective carbon capture technologies. Among these, nitrogen-doped porous carbons (NDPCs) have emerged as a promising material for CO2 capture due to their large surface area, tunable porosity, and nitrogen functionalities. This paper investigates the adsorption behaviour of NDPCs towards CO2 using advanced machine learning (ML) techniques. These ML models are applied to different physicochemical properties of NDPCs to unveil the adsorption phenomenon of CO2 towards NDPCs. Gradient boosting decision trees (GBDT) performed best, with training and test R2 values of 0.99 and 0.88, respectively. Explainable machine learning (XML) has also been applied to find the intrinsic relation between NDPCs' properties and CO2 uptake. Combined factor partial dependence plots revealed the optimal range of the features for the CO2 uptake. Individual conditional expectation-partial dependence plots (ICE-PDPs) show the dependence of CO2 uptake on each instance of input features. To examine the impact of input features on CO2 uptake, Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) have been employed. For nitrogen functionalities, the main impact came from pyridinic-N (N-6) and graphitic-N/quaternary-N (N-Q) compared to pyrolytic-N (N-5) and oxidized-N (N-X).

Andrew J. Ghio, Matthew Stewart, Rahul G. Sangani et al.

The retention of occupational and environmental particles in the lung is a primary determinant of biological effects. In the distal respiratory tract, particle clearance includes phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages (AMs), migration to the terminal bronchiole, and transport of AMs and particles by the mucociliary escalator. With increasing particle exposure, a focal collection of particle-laden macrophages results at the respiratory bronchiole (RB) which is that site in the clearance pathway demanding the greatest traverse by these cells after a commencement from the alveoli. With the greatest particle doses, there is “particle overload” and impaired mobility which is reflected by an excess accumulation of particle-laden macrophages throughout the RBs, alveolar ducts, and alveoli. With deposition of fibrous particles in the distal respiratory tract, the AM is unable to extend itself to enclose fibers with a major diameter of 10–20 microns or longer resulting in “frustrated phagocytosis” and longer retention times. Clearance pathways for particles are shared. There can be a summation of particle exposures with exhaustion in the capacity of the AMs for transport. Cigarette smoking (CS) is the greatest particle challenge humans encounter. Associated with its enormous magnitude, CS profoundly impacts the clearance pathways and subsequently interacts with other particle exposures to increase biological effects. Interstitial lung disease, pulmonary function, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, infections, lung cancer, and mortality can be altered among smokers exposed to occupational and environmental particles (e.g., silica, coal mine dust, air pollution particles, other particles, and asbestos). It is concluded that both decreasing CS and controlling particle exposures are of vital importance in occupational and environmental lung disease.

Ricardo Villalba-Briones, Paola Calle, Marynes Montiel et al.

Hydrogeochemical and microbiological parameters of groundwater samples in the Paipayales agricultural community in western Ecuador were studied to evaluate groundwater origin, contamination, and suitability for domestic use and irrigation. The water wells studied are typically shared by multiple families which account for 37% of the total community population. A total of 31 parameters of water samples from the wells used by the community were analysed by four laboratories at the ESPOL University. The parameters analysed included microbiological and chemical compounds, along with physical characteristics typically influencing water quality. As regards the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Ecuadorian standards, all samples failed to meet the required concentrations for at least one compound. The chemical analysis showed eight elements (cadmium, aluminium, ammonia, iron, manganese, chloride, and bromide) exceeded the maximum limits for drinking water in at least one well. Seventy percent of sampled wells failed to meet the maximum permissible limits for at least one chemical parameter. Water in all wells showed the presence of microbiological contaminants. The high natural groundwater salinity limits the ability to use this groundwater for irrigation purposes. Water in open and closed wells shows different hydrochemical and microbiological patterns. The presence of domestic animals and the lack of protection for wells may influence the quality of water. It is highly recommended that the authorities increase water supply and storage capacity to improve the availability of drinkable water in rural communities in the area.

Gloria Esperanza De Dios-León, María Alva Angel-Lara, Paola Osorio-Hernández et al.

Background: Coffee is the second most consumed drink in the world, only after water. Quality characteristics are the most recurrent demands of consumers, which are of multifactorial origin and among which is agronomic management where soil nutrition or foliar nutrition of the plant is considered. Objective: To evaluate the yield and physical quality of the bean and cup of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) variety Costa Rica 95 by applying foliar fertilizer. Methodology: The evaluation was carried out in the La Laja community, municipality of Tlaltetela, Veracruz between 2018 and 2019. The age of the plantation used was four years and established with chalahuite shade (Inga spuria Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd). The design used was a complete randomized block with two treatments (commercial control and treatment with foliar fertilization), with three repetitions each; the experimental unit consisted of a 300 m2 plot and five coffee harvests were carried out, which were according to the number of flowerings during the 2018-2019 cycle. The physical evaluation was carried out according to the Official Mexican Standard NMX-F-162-SCFI-2008 and the NOM SCAA (2013).  Results: The highest cherry yield and brix degrees were observed in the fertilized treatment with 12,897.8 kg ha-1 and 20.06, respectively; in floats (waste) and snail (malformation), the highest weights were observed in the control treatment with 1,696.11 kg ha-1 and 21.4 grams, respectively. The total sum of the sensory analysis was 81.3 and 85.2 for the treatments: control and fertilized, respectively. Higher numbers of grains were observed in sieves 19, 18 and 17 that are classified for the international scale. Implications: There is a positive effect of foliar fertilizer on the yield of cherry coffee and cup quality of Costa Rica coffee 95 and opens a range of possibilities to carry out a greater number of fertilization tests in the field, being able to compare an additional factor such as, for example, the climate (rain, drought, cold, heat, etc.). These studies should be carried out in the same area in which this experiment was carried out to compare whether the response shown is due solely to foliar fertilizer or there is an influence of climate, as well as management. It must be considered that the quality of coffee is multifactorial; in addition to environmental and genetic factors, there is management (nutrition, phytosanitary protection, pruning), harvest, among others. Conclusion: Foliar fertilization considerably improved the variables of interest evaluated in Costa Rica 95 coffee through the application of foliar fertilization, in addition to the fact that no primary or secondary defects were significantly present.

Rong Hao, Yupeng Wu, Hong Di et al.

Earthworms’ activities not only increase soil nitrogen (N) uptake by crops but also lead to N losses to environment. However, it remains unclear whether earthworms’ impact on the fate of fertilizer N differs based on the type of fertilizer application. Therefore, the present pot experiment examined the transformation and fate of two types of 15N-labeled fertilizer (synthetic fertilizer urea and organic fertilizer compost applied at rate of 400 mg N/pot) with and without earthworms (Amynthas corticis) in a soil-lettuce system over three seasons of cultivation. Results showed that earthworms increased the fresh biomass of lettuce in all three seasons, regardless of the type of fertilizer used. However, the effect of earthworms on fertilizer N uptake varied depending on the type of fertilizer. With earthworms present, lettuce took up an additional 20.97 mg/pot of synthetic fertilizer N in the first season, which sharply decreased to 2.72 mg/pot and 4.63 mg/pot in the second and third seasons, respectively. In contrast, the uptake of organic fertilizer N by lettuce increased by 10.08–11.24 mg/pot throughout the entire experiment when earthworms were present. The presence of earthworms increased the percentage of synthetic fertilizer N lost to the environment by 0.8 %, due to increased N leaching, N2O emission, NH3 volatilization, etc. In contrast, earthworms decreased the percentage of organic fertilizer N lost to the environment by 1.9 %, primarily through reduced NH3 volatilization, etc. This study underscores the pivotal role of earthworms in modulating fertilizer N dynamics, with organic fertilizer offering superior ecosystem services compared to synthetic fertilizer. Given that only one earthworm species was studied and nearly half of the organic fertilizer remained in the soil, future long-term experiments incorporating diverse earthworm species and changes in the soil’s native N pool are essential to fully understand the role of earthworms in agro-ecosystem N cycling.

Melissa Ward Jones, Joachim Otto Habeck, Mathias Ulrich et al.

Permafrost-agroecosystems include all cultivation and pastoral activities in areas underlain by permafrost. These systems support local livelihoods and food production and are rarely considered in global agricultural studies but may become more relevant as climate change is increasing opportunities for food production in high latitude and mountainous areas. The exact locations and amount of agricultural production in areas containing permafrost are currently unknown, therefore we provide an overview of countries where both permafrost and agricultural activities are present. We highlight the socioecological diversity and complexities of permafrost-agroecosystems through seven case studies: (1) crop cultivation in Alaska, USA; (2) Indigenous food systems and crop cultivation in the Northwest Territories, Canada; (3) horse and cattle husbandry and Indigenous hay production in the Sakha Republic, Russia; (4) mobile pastoralism and husbandry in Mongolia; (5) yak pastoralism in the Central Himalaya, Nepal; (6) berry picking and reindeer herding in northern Fennoscandia; and (7) reindeer herding in northwest Russia. We discuss regional knowledge gaps associated with permafrost and make recommendations to policy makers and land users for adapting to changing permafrost environments. A better understanding of permafrost-agroecosystems is needed to help sustainably manage and develop these systems considering rapidly changing climate, environments, economies, and industries.

Lijun Ling, Lijun Feng, Yao Li et al.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of the human diet, but during transportation and storage, microbial pathogens attack and spoil fruits and vegetables, causing huge economic losses to agriculture. Traditionally used chemical fungicides leave chemical residues, leading to environmental pollution and health risks. With the emphasis on food safety, biocontrol agents are attracting more and more attention due to their environmental friendliness. Endophytic fungi are present in plant tissues and do not cause host disease. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) they produce are used to control postharvest diseases due to their significant antifungal activity, as well as their volatility, safety and environmental protection characteristics. This review provides the concept and characterization of endophytic fungal VOCs, concludes the types of endophytic fungi that release antifungal VOCs and their biological control mechanisms, as well as focuses on the practical applications and the challenges of applying VOCs as fumigants. Endophytic fungal VOCs can be used as emerging biocontrol resources to control postharvest diseases that affect fruits and vegetables.

COCÎRLEA Maria Denisa, COMAN Andrei, POPOVICI Lucia-Florina et al.

Cotton is a textile material frequently used in the medical system. The possibility of using natural extracts for coloring biotextiles is a current way of giving sustainability attributes to articles used in medicine. The influence of five different classical mordants and biomordants (citric acid, tannic acid, ferrous sulfate II, copper sulfate and ferrous sulfate with oxalic acid), by meta-mordanting and dyeing by exhaustion and sonication methods with Rhus typhina L. fruit extract, was evaluated. The investigation was carried out by measuring the chromatic coordinates, water and dry rubbing resistance, as well as measuring the FT-IR absorption spectra. The mixture between ferrous sulfate and 4% oxalic acid produced, according to the ATR-FTIR analysis, the greatest changes in the cotton structure, but significantly reduces the color changes resulting from the simple use of sulfate. The promising obtained results such as low color changes when using biomordants, good resistance to water and friction, encourage to continue the research regarding the application of this extract in the friendly technology of cotton dyeing.

H. Kobayashi, H. Kobayashi, A. Oka et al.

<p>Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span>) has increased by approximately 80 ppm from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the early Holocene. The change in this atmospheric greenhouse gas is recognized as a climate system response to gradual change in insolation. Previous modeling studies suggested that the deglacial increase in atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> is primarily attributed to the release of CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> from the ocean. Additionally, it has been suggested that abrupt change in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and associated interhemispheric climate changes are involved in the release of CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span>. However, understanding remains limited regarding oceanic circulation changes and the factors responsible for changes in chemical tracers in the ocean during the last deglaciation and their impact on atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span>. In this study, we investigate the evolution of the ocean carbon cycle during the last deglaciation (21 to 11 ka BP) using three-dimensional ocean fields from the transient simulation of the MIROC 4m climate model, which exhibits abrupt AMOC changes similar to those observed in reconstructions. We investigate the reliability of simulated changes in the ocean carbon cycle by comparing the simulated carbon isotope ratios with sediment core data, and we examine potential biases and overlooked or underestimated processes in the model. Qualitatively, the modeled changes in atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> are consistent with ice core records. For example, during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1), atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> increases by 10.2 ppm, followed by a reduction of 7.0 ppm during the Bølling–Allerød (BA) period and then by an increase of 6.8 ppm during the Younger Dryas (YD) period. However, the model underestimates the changes in atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> during these events compared to values derived from ice core data. Radiocarbon and stable isotope signatures (<span class="inline-formula">Δ¹⁴</span>C and <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i>¹³</span>C) indicate that the model underestimates both the activated deep-ocean ventilation and reduced efficiency of biological carbon export in the Southern Ocean and the active ventilation in the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) during HS1. The relatively small changes in simulated atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> during HS1 might be attributable to these underestimations of ocean circulation variation. The changes in <span class="inline-formula">Δ¹⁴</span>C associated with strengthening and weakening of the AMOC during the BA and YD periods are generally consistent with values derived from sediment core records. However, although the data indicate continuous increase in <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i>¹³</span>C in the deep ocean throughout the YD period, the model shows the opposite trend. It suggests that the model either simulates excessive weakening of the AMOC during the YD period or has limited representation of geochemical processes, including marine ecosystem response and terrestrial carbon storage. Decomposing the factors behind the changes in ocean <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> reveals that variations in temperature and alkalinity have the greatest impact on change in atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span>. Compensation for the effects of temperature and alkalinity suggests that the AMOC changes and the associated bipolar climate changes contribute to the decrease in atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> during the BA and the increase in atmospheric <span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i></span>CO<span class="inline-formula">₂</span> during the YD period.</p>

Ke Zhou, Luozhi Yi, Xinjian Su et al.

Bryony K. Willcox, Simon G. Potts, Mark J. F. Brown et al.

Abstract Managed bee species provide essential pollination services that contribute to food security worldwide. However, managed bees face a diverse array of threats and anticipating these, and potential opportunities to reduce risks, is essential for the sustainable management of pollination services. We conducted a horizon scanning exercise with 20 experts from across Europe to identify emerging threats and opportunities for managed bees in European agricultural systems. An initial 63 issues were identified, and this was shortlisted to 21 issues through the horizon scanning process. These ranged from local landscape-level management to geopolitical issues on a continental and global scale across seven broad themes—Pesticides & pollutants, Technology, Management practices, Predators & parasites, Environmental stressors, Crop modification, and Political & trade influences. While we conducted this horizon scan within a European context, the opportunities and threats identified will likely be relevant to other regions. A renewed research and policy focus, especially on the highest-ranking issues, is required to maximise the value of these opportunities and mitigate threats to maintain sustainable and healthy managed bee pollinators within agricultural systems.

Yin Wang, Yang Wang, Wenzhe Xu et al.

Northern Xinjiang is the center of gravity for Xinjiang's economic development, and "production-living-ecological space" (PLES) is of great significance to the optimization of regional territorial spatial structure. Taking northern Xinjiang as our study area, we analyze the spatial and temporal variations of the ecological and environmental effects of PLES evolution from 2000 to 2020. To do so, we apply the grid cell method, the ecological and environmental quality index, the global autocorrelation model, and the kernel density estimation. Additionally, we use a geographic detector model to reveal the drivers of spatial variation in ecological and environmental quality. Results show that from 2000 to 2020, PLES in the study area is mainly ecological accommodation land. However, there is an obvious trend showing a decrease in ecological accommodation land area and an increase in other land types. Production land and living land increased the most, among which agricultural land and industrial land were mainly converted from grassland ecological land and water ecological land, respectively. The quality of the ecological environment is basically stable during the study period, with an overall slight declining trend, which indicates the quality of ecological environment has decreased slightly. The spatial distribution of the eco-environmental effect shows a significant spatial autocorrelation pattern of "dense in the west and sparse in the east", along with a spatial clustering phenomenon. The main factor of spatial variation in ecological quality is elevation, and the interactions between the factors are mainly non-linearly and double-factor enhanced. The spatial differentiation of ecological environmental quality in the study area is the result of multiple factors. Exploring the ecological and environmental effects of PLES evolution and its driving factors can provide a scientific basis for the implementation of territorial spatial planning and ecological environmental protection in northern Xinjiang.

Dewang Zhao, Wanting Wang, Daxin Ren et al.

Ultrasonic welding can realize the high-strength connection between wire harnesses, and has the technical characteristics of energy conservation and environmental protection, so it has a broad application prospect in the field of new energy vehicles. However, the influence of welding parameters on joint strength is complex, which is not easy to reveal, limiting its application in industry. In this study, ultrasonic welding experiment between aluminum alloy and copper wire is carried out, and the artificial neural network model optimized by genetic algorithm (GA-ANN) analysis is conducted to investigate the influences of welding parameters on joint strength. Designed and conducted a 3-factor, 3-level comprehensive test. According to experimental research, the maximum strength of ultrasonic welding of copper wire and aluminum alloy can reach 719 N. The influence weight of welding parameters and interaction between parameters on joint strength is obtained. Ultrasonic connection between aluminum alloy and copper wire is realized through diffusion layer at the interface. The main component of the diffusion layer is Cu, with a small amount of Al and Al2Cu. According to the GA-ANN model, the detailed influence of welding parameters on joint strength is obtained. The optimal parameter range under different clamping force is optimized. Within this range, the joint strength can exceed 680 N. With the increase of clamping force, the optimal parameter range gradually transfers from the combination of high vibration amplitude and high welding time to the combination of high vibration amplitude and low welding time.

Francisco dos Santos, Lino Costa, Leonilde Varela

With the growth of industrialization, researchers have also become increasingly concerned about environmental protection. Environmental issues have been one of the problems and one of the objectives to consider when it comes to production scaling problems, mainly minimizing energy consumption, and minimizing carbon emissions, as well as various other objectives to optimize. Measures that put pressure on organizations to pay more attention to the environment have been created, along with other measures, not only economic but also social. Good production scheduling allows organizations to be more successful in business, as it contributes to a better environment and society. Therefore, the search for processes that allow for more effective and efficient decision-making is becoming a subject of paramount importance to study. Sustainability is currently an urgent challenge for engineering and organizations. One of the ways to contribute to more sustainable manufacturing systems is the development of intelligent technologies and the sharing of manufacturing systems. This paper studies the literature on production scheduling approaches in distributed companies and their potential benefits for the environment and society, in addition to the economic benefits. In this way, the optimization of environmental, social, and economic measures in the planning and scheduling of production in extended company contexts, using approaches based on multiobjective optimization, is a primary focus of this work.

M. Renoult, N. Sagoo, J. Zhu et al.

<p>The use of paleoclimates to constrain the equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) has seen a growing interest. In particular, the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the mid-Pliocene warm period have been used in emergent-constraint approaches using simulations from the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). Despite lower uncertainties regarding geological proxy data for the LGM in comparison with the Pliocene, the robustness of the emergent constraint between LGM temperature and ECS is weaker at both global and regional scales. Here, we investigate the climate of the LGM in models through different PMIP generations and how various factors in the atmosphere, ocean, land surface and cryosphere contribute to the spread of the model ensemble. Certain factors have a large impact on an emergent constraint, such as state dependency in climate feedbacks or model dependency on ice sheet forcing. Other factors, such as models being out of energetic balance and sea surface temperature not responding below <span class="inline-formula">−1.8</span> <span class="inline-formula">^∘</span>C in polar regions, have a limited influence. We quantify some of the contributions and find that they mostly have extratropical origins. Contrary to what has previously been suggested, from a statistical point of view, the PMIP model generations do not differ substantially. Moreover, we show that the lack of high- or low-ECS models in the ensembles critically limits the strength and reliability of the emergent constraints. Single-model ensembles may be promising tools for the future of LGM emergent constraint, as they permit a large range of ECS and reduce the noise from inter-model structural issues. Finally, we provide recommendations for a paleo-based emergent constraint and notably which paleoclimate is ideal for such an approach.</p>

Sthandiwe Nomthandazo Kanyile, Tobias Engl, Abdelaziz Heddi et al.

Insects frequently associate with intracellular microbial symbionts (endosymbionts) that enhance their ability to cope with challenging environmental conditions. Endosymbioses with cuticle-enhancing microbes have been reported in several beetle families. However, the ecological relevance of these associations has seldom been demonstrated, particularly in the context of dry environments where high cuticle quality can reduce water loss. Thus, we investigated how cuticle-enhancing symbionts of the rice-weevil, Sitophilus oryzae contribute to desiccation resistance. We exposed symbiotic and symbiont-free (aposymbiotic) beetles to long-term stressful (47% RH) or relaxed (60% RH) humidity conditions and measured population growth. We found that symbiont presence benefits host fitness especially under dry conditions, enabling symbiotic beetles to increase their population size by over 33-fold within 3 months, while aposymbiotic beetles fail to increase in numbers beyond the starting population in the same conditions. To understand the mechanisms underlying this drastic effect, we compared beetle size and body water content and found that endosymbionts confer bigger body size and higher body water content. While chemical analyses revealed no significant differences in composition and quantity of cuticular hydrocarbons after long-term exposure to desiccation stress, symbiotic beetles lost water at a proportionally slower rate than did their aposymbiotic counterparts. We posit that the desiccation resistance and higher fitness observed in symbiotic beetles under dry conditions is due to their symbiont-enhanced thicker cuticle, which provides protection against cuticular transpiration. Thus, we demonstrate that the cuticle enhancing symbiosis of Sitophilus oryzae confers a fitness benefit under drought stress, an ecologically relevant condition for grain pest beetles. This benefit likely extends to many other systems where symbiont-mediated cuticle synthesis has been identified, including taxa spanning beetles and ants that occupy different ecological niches.

Longxiang Li, Francesca Dominici, Annelise J. Blomberg et al.