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Geothermal energy is a type of renewable energy that has rich reserves, is clean, environmentally friendly and has been widely used in the heating industry. The single-well closed-loop geothermal system is a technology with the characteristics of “taking heat without taking water” and is mainly used for geothermal energy heating. Although the heating requirements in the cold region of Northeast China are urgent, the traditional heating mode not only has high economic costs but also causes serious damage to the environment. Therefore, it is of important practical significance to change the heating structure and develop and utilize geothermal energy for heating according to local conditions. In this study, the actual operating single-well geothermal system in the Songyuan area of Jilin Province is used as a case study, and a numerical model is established based on the T2WELL simulation program. The flow production temperature and heat extraction response law of the single-well system in the M1 and M2 wells are contrasted and analyzed under the three key factors of geothermal gradient and injection temperature and flow rate. Based on the simulation results, an optimized development and utilization plan for the M1 and M2 wells is proposed. These results provide a theoretical reference and heating potential evaluation for the promotion of single-well geothermal systems in Northeast China. Taking the geothermal gradient of 4.2 ° C/hm as an example, after 30 years of operation, the heat extraction of the M1 well is 406 kW, and that of the M2 well is 589 kW. Compared with the M1 well, although the M2 well has higher heat extraction, the radial variation in reservoir temperature is more than 50 m under long-term operation, which is not conducive to long-term development and utilization.

Current situation of introduction, cultivation and use of high-level talents in agricultural research institutes is analyzed, and the optimized development strategy of further strengthening the construction, introduction, cultivation and use of high-level talent team is thought. It plays a positive role in provincial agricultural research institutes discovering, cultivating and gathering a number of high-quality talents and high-level innovation teams.

Beneficial effects elicited by the root endophyte Piriformospora indica are widely known, but the mechanism by which these are achieved is still unclear. It is proposed that phytohormones produced by the fungal symbiont play a crucial role in the interaction with the plant roots. Biochemical analyses of the underlying biosynthetic pathways for auxin production have shown that, on tryptophan feeding, P. indica can produce the phytohormones indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and indole-3-lactate (ILA) through the intermediate indole-3-pyruvic acid (IPA). Time course transcriptional analyses after exposure to tryptophan designated the piTam1 gene as a key player. A green fluorescence protein (GFP) reporter study and transcriptional analysis of colonized barley roots showed that piTam1 is induced during the biotrophic phase. Piriformospora indica strains in which the piTam1 gene was silenced via an RNA interference (RNAi) approach were compromised in IAA and ILA production and displayed reduced colonization of barley (Hordeum vulgare) roots in the biotrophic phase, but the elicitation of growth promotion was not affected compared with the wild-type situation. Our results suggest that IAA is involved in the establishment of biotrophy in P. indica–barley symbiosis and might represent a compatibility factor in this system.

Heightened irritability in adolescence is an impairing symptom that can lead to negative outcomes in adulthood, but effective screening tools are lacking. This study aimed to derive clinically-optimized cutoff scores using the Multidimensional Assessment Profile Scales-Temper Loss (MAPS-TL) to pragmatically identify adolescents with impairing irritability. A diverse sample of 79 adolescents and their parents completed the MAPS-TL-Youth version. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were used to determine the items associated with impairment, and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to derive optimal cutoff scores. Three parent-report items (become frustrated easily, angry/irritable/grouchy throughout the day, difficulty calming down when angry) and two youth-report items (hit/shove/kick when lost temper, difficulty calming down when angry) were strongly associated with impairment. Optimal cutoff scores garnered very good sensitivity (91%, 73%) and specificity (77%, 75%) for the parent- and youth-report versions respectively. Scores above these cutoffs were associated with increased internalizing and externalizing problems and lower overall quality of life. The MAPS-TL clinically optimized irritability scores show preliminary validity for implementation in practical settings to efficiently identify adolescents who need additional evaluation and/or intervention. Further research is important to validate these cutoff scores with larger population-based samples and real-world settings.

Background and aims Straw incorporation and optimized fertilization application are considered as effective strategies for agricultural sustainable development. However, the interaction of straw incorporation and N fertilization on labile carbon fraction, soil aggregate stability and microbial community composition are less known, especially in saline-alkali soil. Methods A 4-year experiment was conducted in the Yellow River Delta with two factors: straw incorporation (0, 4 500 and 9 000 kg ha −1 ; C0, C1 and C2, respectively) and N fertilization (255 and 400 kg N ha −1 ; N1 and N2). Results Soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) contents were also increased. Meanwhile, the proportion of macroaggregate was enhanced with straw incorporation through the increase of MBC and POC. Compared with N2 level, DOC:SOC ratio was decreased with straw application under N1 level, reflecting the improvement of SOC adsorption capacity. Additionally, the proportion of straw-C converted to SOC under N1 level was about 21–25%, 15–20% under N2 level, and the highest conversion rate was in N1C1 treatment. We also found DOC and SOC were the most important factors to affect the abundance of bacteria ( Firmicutes ) and fungi ( Ascomycota ) involved in straw-C degrading, which were lower under N1 level. Conclusions It is feasible to achieve higher carbon content while increasing soil aggregate stability by optimizing straw incorporation and N fertilizer in saline-alkali soil. These findings provide important insights for improving saline-alkali soil.

【Objective】 Improving efficiency and water flow rate is a criterion in designing pumping stations. This paper presents a software we developed to optimize the combination of running pumps and blade angles for drainage pumping stations that are equipped with fully adjustable axial (mixed) flow pumps. 【Method】 The software was developed using Java in the integrated environment IntelliJ IDE, with a universal visualization interface. It calculated water flow rate and flow resistance parameters of each pump, based on measured operating parameters, which include head and motor input powers, and performance curve of each pump. The software generated curves illustrating how the device efficiency changes with the blade angle. A dynamic programming model was established to optimize the operation and scheduling of the station, with the optimization objective to maximize the average device efficiency or total flow rate. This enables us to obtain an optimal combination of running pumps and blade angle for each running pump. 【Result】 The software was applied to some drainage pumping stations to graphically analyze the variation in device efficiency with blade angle (or flow rate). It provides optimized operation plans under different required flow rates when Hsy=5.3 m. When the required flow rate was 32 m3/s, the optimal scheme provided by the software improves the efficiency of the device by 0.76%, compared to the simple decision scheme for each running pump with a blade angle of +1.0°. 【Conclusion】 The software we developed is accurate and user - friendly. Practical applications showed that its performance is stable and can improve the operation and management of drainage pumping stations.

Background: In August 2018 Lombok Island in Indonesia was hit by a 7 Richter scale earthquake. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of comprehensive nutrition disaster rehabilitation, based on the holistic integrated early child development concept, on the growth and development of children under five. Methods: A community-based intervention was performed in the East Lombok district; four villages in two sub-districts were randomly allocated into intervention or control groups. Mothers of 6–49-month-old children in the intervention group (n = 240) attended parenting classes (twice weekly) and received shredded fish/liver/anchovy and optimized complementary feeding/food-based recommendations, developed using linear programming. Health staff from the public health center and teachers from early childhood education (ECE) centers delivered parenting sessions on health–nutrition and care–education. The control group (n = 240) received existing health services. Indicators measured at baseline and the end line point were weight, length/height, hemoglobin, feeding practices, psychosocial care (HOME) and maternal stress (SRQ). At the end line point, child development was assessed using BSID-III. Results: At the end line point, maternal stress and child morbidity (cough) were lower and dietary diversity (+1) in 6–23-month-old children, and weight-for-age Z-score (+0.26) and social emotional score (+10 points) in ≥24-month-old children were higher in the intervention group. Conclusions: The nutrition rehabilitation intervention delivered through ECE centers has a positive effect on the growth and development of children under five in post-disaster conditions.

Most animal traps are constructed from self-secreted silk, so antlions are rare among trap builders because they use only materials found in the environment. We show how antlions exploit the properties of the substrate to produce very effective structures in the minimum amount of time. Our modelling demonstrates how antlions: (i) exploit self-stratification in granular media differentially to expose deleterious large grains at the bottom of the construction trench where they can be ejected preferentially, and (ii) minimize completion time by spiral rather than central digging. Both phenomena are confirmed by our experiments. Spiral digging saves time because it enables the antlion to eject material initially from the periphery of the pit where it is less likely to topple back into the centre. As a result, antlions can produce their pits—lined almost exclusively with small slippery grains to maximize powerful avalanches and hence prey capture—much more quickly than if they simply dig at the pit's centre. Our demonstration, for the first time to our knowledge, of an animal using self-stratification in granular media exemplifies the sophistication of extended phenotypes even if they are only formed from material found in the animal's environment.

Flooding is a devastating natural disaster that causes fatalities and property damage worldwide. Effective flood susceptibility mapping (FSM) has become crucial for mitigating flood risks, especially in urban areas. This study evaluates the performance of artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms for FSM using machine learning classification. Traditional flood prediction models face limitations due to data complexity and computational constraints. This research incorporates artificial intelligence, particularly evolutionary algorithms, to create more adaptable and robust flood prediction models. Four specific algorithms—black hole algorithm (BHA), future search algorithm (FSA), heap-based optimization (HBO), and multiverse optimization (MVO)—were tested for predicting flood occurrences in the Fars region of Iran. These evolutionary algorithms simulate natural processes like selection, mutation, and crossover to optimize flood predictions and management strategies, improving adaptability in dynamic environments. The novelty of this study lies in using evolutionary AI algorithms to not only predict floods more accurately but also optimize flood management strategies. The ANN was trained with geographical data on eight flood-impacting factors, including elevation, rainfall, slope, NDVI, aspect, geology, land use, and river data. The models were validated with historical flood damage data from the Fars area using metrics like mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results showed significant improvements in accuracy for BHA–MLP, FSA–MLP, MVO–MLP, and HBO–MLP, with accuracy indices and AUC values increasing. The study concludes that hybridized models offer an effective and economically viable approach for urban flood vulnerability mapping, providing valuable insights for flood preparedness and emergency response strategies.

Optimized fertilization practices are a promising management strategy for sustainable rice production. Green manuring, straw incorporation, postponing nitrogen (N) application, formula fertilization, combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers, reducing fertilization, deep fertilization, slow/controlled-release fertilizers (S/CRFs), and biochar addition are nine frequently used optimized fertilization practices in China. The nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) improvement, yield increase, and N loss-reducing effects of these practices were analyzed based on multisite studies across China. An index system considering the applicability and effects of various practices was developed to identify their potential distributions. The results indicated that 76.5% of all paddies in China are overfertilized regions under the current rice yields. Optimized fertilization practices were mainly adopted in central and eastern China regions with serious water pollution and excessive fertilization. Postponing N application, S/CRFs, and formula fertilization had wide applicability nationwide, suitable for 100% of all paddies, followed by straw incorporation (98.8%), deep fertilization (81.4%), green manuring (67.0%), reducing fertilization (44.0%), biochar addition (33.7%), and combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizer (23.4%). Overall, except for reducing fertilization, which decreased yields by an average −2%, most practices increased yield by more than 5% and reduced total N losses by more than 15%. Reducing fertilization, postponing N application, S/CRFs, straw incorporation, and green manuring are five eco-friendly practices with wide distribution, low inputs, and good effects. By fully implementing the recommended combination scenarios based on the five preferred practices at the country level, the total yield increasing rate and N loss-reducing rate were 3~9% and 15~35%, respectively. Optimized fertilization in China has noticeable potential to alleviate agricultural non-point source pollution while ensuring rice yield.