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Excessive N fertilization in intensive agricultural areas of China has resulted in serious environmental problems because of atmospheric, soil, and water enrichment with reactive N of agricultural origin. This study examines grain yields and N loss pathways using a synthetic approach in 2 of the most intensive double-cropping systems in China: waterlogged rice/upland wheat in the Taihu region of east China versus irrigated wheat/rainfed maize on the North China Plain. When compared with knowledge-based optimum N fertilization with 30-60% N savings, we found that current agricultural N practices with 550-600 kg of N per hectare fertilizer annually do not significantly increase crop yields but do lead to about 2 times larger N losses to the environment. The higher N loss rates and lower N retention rates indicate little utilization of residual N by the succeeding crop in rice/wheat systems in comparison with wheat/maize systems. Periodic waterlogging of upland systems caused large N losses by denitrification in the Taihu region. Calcareous soils and concentrated summer rainfall resulted in ammonia volatilization (19% for wheat and 24% for maize) and nitrate leaching being the main N loss pathways in wheat/maize systems. More than 2-fold increases in atmospheric deposition and irrigation water N reflect heavy air and water pollution and these have become important N sources to agricultural ecosystems. A better N balance can be achieved without sacrificing crop yields but significantly reducing environmental risk by adopting optimum N fertilization techniques, controlling the primary N loss pathways, and improving the performance of the agricultural Extension Service.

Conventional welding methods encounter significant challenges, including poor weldability, low joint strength, and the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds, primarily due to the substantial disparities in the physical and chemical properties of aluminum and iron. To mitigate these issues, the vaporizing foil actuator welding (VFAW) process has emerged as a highly promising solid-phase welding technology, particularly suitable for joining dissimilar metals with pronounced differences in properties, such as aluminum alloys and stainless steels. The present study provides an innovative quantitative analysis of the interfacial impact energy conversion mechanisms within the VFAW process. The analysis reveals that the energy responsible for accelerating the flyer workpiece comprises burst vaporization energy ( E d ) and continuous vaporization energy ( E p ), with E d identified as the primary energy source, contributing approximately 65–80% of the total energy required for acceleration. Further examination elucidates the mechanisms underlying heat generation and transfer during the interface collision. The investigation identifies the formation of an overheating zone at the interface, attributed to the combined effects of plastic deformation energy and adiabatic shear energy within the flyer workpiece. Consequently, the interface temperature can rise significantly, reaching up to 1394 K, with impact velocities as high as 925 m/s. The analyses contribute to establishing a theoretical foundation for understanding the interface bonding mechanisms characteristic of the vaporizing foil actuator welding method.

Aims Ammonia (NH3) can be volatilised from the soil surface following the surface application of nitrogenous fertilisers or ruminant urine deposition. The volatilisation of NH3 is of agronomic and environmental concern, since NH3-N is a form of reactive nitrogen. Ammonia adsorption onto biochar has the potential to mitigate NH3 losses, but to date no studies have examined the potential for reducing NH3 losses when biochar is present in the soil matrix. Methods We used 15N-enriched urine to examine the effect of incorporating a wood based low-temperature biochar into soil on NH3 volatilisation. Then, we extracted the urine-treated biochar and compared its potential to act as a plant N source with fresh biochar, while growing ryegrass (Lolium perenne). Results The NH3 volatilisation from 15N-labelled ruminant urine, applied to soil, was reduced by 45% after incorporating either 15 or 30 t ha−1 of biochar. When the urine-treated biochar particles were transferred into fresh soil, subsequent plant growth was not affected but the uptake of 15N in plant tissues increased, indicating that the adsorbed-N was plant available. Conclusions Our results show that incorporating biochar into the soil can significantly decrease NH3 volatilisation from ruminant urine and that the NH3-N adsorbed onto the biochar is bioavailable. Further studies are now required to assess the temporal dynamics of the N pools involved.

This study explores the feasibility of using planar shock waves generated by vaporizing foil actuators (VFA) in microfabrication technologies. We conducted experiments to investigate the generation and propagation of these shock waves by detonating actuators at relatively low current densities. The measurements of discharge voltage and current, coupled with high-speed imaging, indicated that planar shock waves result from the convergence of multiple shock waves due to the non-uniform heating and vaporization of the actuator. These experiments also demonstrated that the pressure within the shock waves can be precisely characterized. In microscale embossing experiments, metal workpieces exhibited uniform forming, whereas polymeric workpieces demonstrated non-uniform forming. This distinction underscores the utility of polymer workpieces in elucidating the heterogeneity of explosions in VFA applications. The successful deformation of metal workpieces at the nanoscale further confirmed the potential of VFA for precise microfabrication. This research highlights the critical influence of material type on the outcomes of VFA-induced forming and offers significant insights into the dynamics of shock waves necessary for optimizing microfabrication processes.

Arguably, the most striking geochemical distinction between Earth and the Moon has been the virtual lack of water (hydrogen) in the latter. This conclusion was recently challenged on the basis of geochemical data from lunar materials that suggest that the Moon's water content might be far higher than previously believed. We measured the chlorine isotope composition of Apollo basalts and glasses and found that the range of isotopic values [from -1 to +24 per mil ([per thousand]) versus standard mean ocean chloride] is 25 times the range for Earth. The huge isotopic spread is explained by volatilization of metal halides during basalt eruption--a process that could only occur if the Moon had hydrogen concentrations lower than those of Earth by a factor of approximately 10⁴ to 10⁵, implying that the lunar interior is essentially anhydrous.

A large fraction of atmospheric aerosols are derived from organic compounds with various volatilities. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) WP-3D research aircraft made airborne measurements of the gaseous and aerosol composition of air over the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that occurred from April to August 2010. A narrow plume of hydrocarbons was observed downwind of DWH that is attributed to the evaporation of fresh oil on the sea surface. A much wider plume with high concentrations of organic aerosol (>25 micrograms per cubic meter) was attributed to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from unmeasured, less volatile hydrocarbons that were emitted from a wider area around DWH. These observations provide direct and compelling evidence for the importance of formation of SOA from less volatile hydrocarbons.

Chondrules, which are roughly millimeter-sized silicate-rich spherules, dominate the most primitive meteorites, the chondrites. They formed as molten droplets and, judging from their abundances in chondrites, are the products of one of the most energetic processes that operated in the early inner solar system. The conditions and mechanism of chondrule formation remain poorly understood. Here we show that the abundance of the volatile element sodium remained relatively constant during chondrule formation. Prevention of the evaporation of sodium requires that chondrules formed in regions with much higher solid densities than predicted by known nebular concentration mechanisms. These regions would probably have been self-gravitating. Our model explains many other chemical characteristics of chondrules and also implies that chondrule and planetesimal formation were linked.

Field undisturbed tension-free monolith lysimeters and 15N-labeled urea were used to investigate the fate of fertilizer nitrogen in paddy soil in the Taihu Lake region under a summer rice-winter wheat rotation system. We determined nitrogen recovered by rice and wheat, N remained in soil, and the losses of reactive N (i.e., NH3, N2O, NO3-, organic N and NH4+) to the environment. Quantitative allocation of nitrogen fate varied for the rice and wheat growing seasons. At the conventional application rate of 550 kg N ha-1 y-1 (250 kg N ha-1 for wheat and 300 kg N ha-1 for rice), nitrogen recovery of wheat and rice were 49% and 41%, respectively. The retention of fertilizer N in soil at harvest accounted for 29% in the wheat season and for 22% in the rice season. N losses through NH3 volatilization from flooded rice paddy was 12%, far greater than that in the wheat season (less than 1%), while N leaching and runoff comprised only 0.3% in the rice season and 5% in the wheat season. Direct N2O emission was 0.12% for the rice season and 0.14% for the wheat season. The results also showed that some dissolved organic N (DON) were leached in both crop seasons. For the wheat season, DON contributed 40–72% to the N-leaching, in the rice season leached DON was 64–77% of the total N leaching. With increasing fertilizer application rate, NH3 volatilization in the rice season increased proportionally more than the fertilizer increase, N leaching in the wheat season was proportional to the increase of fertilizer rate, while N2O emission increased less in proportion than fertilizer increase both in the rice season and wheat season.

LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) vaporizing stations are usually built in the cities and towns, and the BOG (Boiled Off Gas) pressurizing system is a very important element. In the pressurizing system, the severe vibration of the low-temperature reciprocating compressor may lead to a failure of the pipeline system and the equipment. Therefore, this paper analyzes the stress and pressure pulsation of the BOG compressor piping system in the LNG vaporizing station. The beam model was used to establish the pipe model. The static, harmonic and modal analysis were carried out based on the plane-wave theory and the pressure-fluctuation theory, and the influence factors of support spacing, the settlement of the fulcrum foundation, pipe pressure and elbow angle were analyzed. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the unbalanced excited force caused by pressure pulsation greatly affects the stress of the exhaust pipe and compressor outlet pipe, and has less influence on the stress of the suction pipe and compressor inlet pipe; (2) although unbalanced excited force is generated in the elbow, it also has an impact on the straight pipe stress; (3) adding an expansion joint to the pipe of the BOG compressor can effectively reduce the stress of the pipe its the displacement, and can increase the flexibility of the pipe.

Vaporizing metal foils is a relatively new high-speed material processing technique which can improve the material’s forming limit and reduce the springback. This study aims to investigate the forming behaviors of sheet metals by vaporizing metal foils. A simple analytical model to calculate the energy efficiency of this forming method is firstly introduced. The forming behaviors of magnesium alloy AZ31 is analyzed by free bulging tests at room temperature. Besides, the mechanical behaviors of magnesium ally AZ31 is compared with that of aluminum alloy EN AW-6082. The experiments indicate that the magnesium alloy AZ31 exhibits good formability by vaporizing metal foils without heating treatment. Therefore, it is feasible to conduct plastic forming process of magnesium alloy ZA31 at room temperature, which is different from the traditional warm forming method for magnesium alloy.