Main Factor Restricting Research Articles

Using bromide data tracer and HYDRUS‐1D to estimate groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration under film‐mulched drip irrigation in an arid Inland Basin, Northwest China

AbstractAccurate estimation of groundwater recharge (GR) and evapotranspiration (ET) are essential for sustainable management of groundwater resources, especially in arid and semi‐arid regions. In the Manas River Basin (MRB), water shortage is the main factor restricting sustainable development of irrigated agriculture, which relies heavily on groundwater. Film‐mulched drip irrigation significantly changes the pattern and dominant processes of water flow in the unsaturated zone, which increases the difficulty of GR and ET estimation. To better estimate GR and ET under film‐mulched drip irrigation in the MRB, bromide tracer tests and soil lithologic investigation were conducted at 12 representative sites. A one‐dimensional variably saturated flow model (HYDRUS‐1D) was calibrated at each site using soil evaporation data inferred from the bromide tracer tests. The results showed that average annual soil evaporation in uncultivated lands calculated from bromide trace tests was 25.55 mm. The annual GR ranged from 5.5 to 37.0 mm under film‐mulched drip irrigation. The annual ET ranged from 507.0 to 747.1 mm, with soil evaporation between 35.7 and 117.0 mm and transpiration between 460.9 and 642.3 mm. Soil evaporation represented 7% to 16% of the total ET and more than 70% of precipitation and irrigation water was used by cotton plants. Spatial variations of soil lithology, water table depth and initial soil water content led to the spatial differences of GR and ET in the MRB. Our study indicated that bromide tracer tests are useful for inferring ET in the arid and semi‐arid oases. The combination of bromide tracer tests and HYDRUS‐1D enhances reliability for estimation of GR and ET under film‐mulched drip irrigation in the MRB and shows promise for other similar arid inland basins around the world.

Experimental investigation of a capillary-assisted high performance evaporator

A particular architecture for a miniaturized evaporator is proposed in which liquid is spread on the heat source using a thin capillary structure connected to two manifolds. The vapor produced by the heat source is extracted from the device using a separate outlet. A prototype has been designed, manufactured and integrated in a mechanically pumped loop in order to evaluate the evaporator efficiency in terms of heat transfer coefficient and induced pressure drop. In this paper, a capillary structure consisting in parallel rectangular micro-grooves is investigated with HFE7000 used as the working fluid. Results show that the evaporator is able to extract heat flux of the order of 10 W.cm-2 with heat transfer coefficients close to 104 W.m-2.K-1 while inducing pressure losses below a few hundred Pascal. Direct visualizations of the flow in the capillary structure allowed a precise characterization of the evaporator functioning mode, in particular the existence of two distinct two-phase flow regimes depending on the flooding of the capillary structure: nucleate boiling and liquid films evaporation. In order to predict the occurrence of these operating modes, a hydraulic model of the evaporator assembly has been developed and validated thanks to dedicated experimental campaigns. In particular, this model is able to predict the separation between the nucleate boiling and evaporation mode and highlights the fact that the capillary limit is not the main restricting factor in terms of the device maximum manageable heat flux.

IOWLAD-based MCDM model for the site assessment of a household waste processing plant under a Pythagorean fuzzy environment

Household waste pollution is the main restrictive factor for urban development that leads to an increase in calorific value and decrease in disposal capacity. To deal with the demand derived from household waste, the development of a new household waste processing plant is necessary, with site assessment being an issue of primary consideration. In this study, to evaluate alternatives, we proposed a multiple-criteria decision-making framework based on the Pythagorean fuzzy induced ordered weighted logarithmic averaging distance (PFIOWLAD) operator. For this purpose, during the decision-making process, we extend the induced ordered weighted logarithmic averaging distance (IOWLAD) operator to the Pythagorean fuzzy set (PFS), which can deal with uncertain information. Then, an illustrative case including five criteria, namely, construction cost, impact on the cost of retrofitting existing household waste processing plants, traffic efficiency, impact on surrounding residents, and refuse processing capacity equilibrium, along with five alternatives in Shanghai is investigated. The robustness and effectiveness of the proposed framework are verified by comparing the results with those determined using the previous approaches.

Impact of Legumes as a Pre-Crop on Nitrogen Nutrition and Yield in Organic Greenhouse Tomato.

An organic greenhouse crop of tomato was established in February following cultivation of cowpea (CP) or common bean (CB) for green pod production, or faba bean (FB) for green manuring. The vegetative residues of CP and CB were incorporated to the soil together with farmyard manure (FYM), prior to establishing the tomato crop. The FB plants were incorporated to the soil at anthesis together with either FYM or composted olive-mill waste (CO). Green manuring with FB resulted in higher soil mineral N levels during the subsequent tomato crop and higher tomato fruit yield when combined with FYM, compared to compost. The level of soil mineral N was the main restrictive factor for yield in organic greenhouse tomato. FB for green manuring as preceding crop to tomato increased significantly the level of soil mineral N and tomato yield compared to CB or CP aiming to produce green pods. The lowest tomato yield was obtained when the preceding crop was CB cultivated for green pod production. The soil mineral N was significantly higher when FYM was applied as base dressing compared with CO, despite the higher total N concentration in CO, pointing to slower mineralization rates of CO during tomato cultivation.

Simulation on soil moisture and water productivity of apple orchard on the Loess Plateau, Northwest China

The WinEPIC model was used to simulate the dynamics of soil moisture and water productivity in the deep layer of the dry farm apple orchard of Changwu in the Loess Plateau from 1980 to 2018, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of apple production in the area. The results showed that the average annual yield of apple orchards in Changwu area was 27.37 t·hm-2, the average annual evapotranspiration was 673.66 mm, and the average annual water productivity was 4.07 kg·m-3. The number of water stress days in adult apple trees was mainly affected by rainfall. The average number of stress days in the late stage of apple tree growth was 46.46 d. The soil water content in deep layer began to approach withering humidity as early as 9-year-old apple trees. Water supply in the whole growing season of Changwu area was the dominant factor impacting the yield of orchards. The reduction of effective soil water content in deep soil was the main factor restricting yield enhancement in the middle and late growth stages of apple trees. When there was no sufficient precipitation, apple trees would use soil water from deeper soil layer. Excessive precipitation could not be used by apple trees but could be converted into shallow soil moisture and evaporation if the deep layer had less available water. For the mature apple trees, less than 500 mm or higher than 700 mm of annual water supply would cause a decline in production. For apple orchard at different growth periods, water management strategy should be adjusted according to rainfall conditions in different years. Supplementary irrigation, rainwater retention, covering, and pruning of branches could be used to reduce the unproductive and luxury water consumption of apple trees, delay the appearance of deep dry layer of soil, and avoid the waste of water resources while ensuring the growth of apple trees.

A mechanistic model to study the effect of the cell wall on starch digestion in intact cotyledon cells

The role of the plant matrix is recognized as the main factor restricting starch digestibility in beans. Several authors have provided insights about the mechanisms behind the reduced starch digestibility in plant matrices. In this study, by means of a mathematical model, we provide a mechanistic explanation of the role played by the cell wall. It was confirmed that starch entrapped within intact cells could only be hydrolysed after α-amylase diffusion through the cell wall. This process is limited by the pores naturally present in the cell wall and the adsorption of α-amylase to the cell wall surface. These factors restrict the concentration of α-amylase available within the cells. The model assumptions are valid under controlled laboratory conditions and were validated with in-vitro digestion data giving very accurate results. The proposed approach provides new information to understand the digestibility of starch, and possibly other macronutrients, in complex food matrices.

Influence of acetic acid dissolution time on evolution of coal phase and surface morphology

That low porosity is the main restrictive factor of coalbed methane exploitation and the permeability of water flowing in coal for dust suppression. The existing physical infiltration technology has a good effect on creating fractures, but there are hidden dangers inducing microseismic and other aspects. The application of acidification technology to increase coal reservoirs' porosity is of great significance for coalbed methane extraction and water injection to suppress dust generation. In this paper, powdered coal samples were treated with 75% acetic acid. Different dissolution times on the composition and structure of coal samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction results show that the reaction of acetic acid with minerals in coal can be divided into three stages, namely the initial contact stage (1–12 h), crystal destruction stage (12–48 h), reaction slowdown stage (>48 h). The dissolution of the coal crystal structure by acetic acid is mainly to destroy the vertical layer stacking. Fourier transform infrared results show that the hydroxyl group changes significantly with the dissolution time, and acetic acid will catalyze the cleavage of aliphatic C–C bonds in coal, making the length of the fatty chain shorter. Scanning electron microscopy results show that acetic acid has an excellent corrosive effect on granular minerals on the surface of coal structures. The surface after dissolution is smooth, and dissolution pores and micro-fractures are generated.

Smallholders' Agricultural Production Efficiency of Conservation Tillage in Jianghan Plain, China-Based on a Three-Stage DEA Model.

Based on interviews with 695 smallholders in Jianghan Plain, this paper introduced the three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to analyze the agricultural production efficiency of conservation tillage adopters and explored the impact of environmental factors on agricultural production efficiency. The empirical results showed the following (1) Planting area, seed consumption, labor input, pesticide usage, chemical fertilizer usage, agricultural film usage were selected as input indicators, agricultural output was chosen as an output indicator, and the traditional DEA model was used to calculate the production efficiency of smallholders, and the agricultural production efficiency of smallholders was found to be at a low level. In addition, environmental and random factors both have significant impacts on efficiency, so they should be stripped. (2) After excluding environmental factors and random factors, the drop in pure technical efficiency of smallholders in the third stage was higher than the drop in scale efficiency when compared with the first stage. Moreover, the true technical efficiency was the main restricting factor for the agricultural production efficiency. (3) Educational level of smallholders, policy support, and information acquisition were the factors that affect the technical efficiency significantly. Improving the efficiency of agricultural production technology for smallholders requires strengthening rural basic education, improving subsidy policies for conservation agricultural technology, and establishing and improving rural information technology services.

Structural, Locational and Environmental Attributes effects the Residential Property Value in Flood Risk Area

sThe arts and science in determining the residential property value make property value has evolved due to the changing in external factors such as economy, environmental and social. This research is aim to determine the residential property value by taking into account the economic attributes that could affect the value of residential property in flood risk areas. The economic attributes consist of structural, locational and environmental attributes involved in residential property valuation in relations with flooding. This paper will discover the significance and effect of each economic attributes in determining residential property value in flood risk area. An extensive review of previous studies in economic valuation of property for different floods disaster studies. It is considered to be the main restrictive factor resulting in lack of empirical studies in this field. Practitioners and researchers will find this study useful in developing an improved understanding of the economic valuation of flooding. The finding reveals that the economic attributes response to floods for a residential property value with positive, negative and none expected effects.

Rice intercropping with alligator flag (Thalia dealbata): A novel model to produce safe cereal grains while remediating cadmium contaminated paddy soil

Phytoremediation has been employed as a cost-effective technique to remove the cadmium (Cd) from soil and water in several ecosystems. However, little is known about whether intercropping the remediating plants with rice (Oryza sativa) crop could reduce Cd accumulation in rice grains. We conducted greenhouse pot and concrete pond trials to explore the effects of intercropping alligator flag (Thalia dealbata, Marantaceae) on soil Cd remediation, paddy soil and microbial properties, and rice production. Our results suggest that intercropping with alligator flag significantly decreased Cd absorption, transportation, and accumulation from the soil to the rice grains (under 0.2 mg kg–1 at a soil Cd content below 2.50 mg kg–1). This decrease was due to the lowered Cd availability and higher soil pH in the rice-alligator flag intercropping system. Although planting alligator flag resulted in the reduction of soil NH4-N and NO3-N, Cd content in the rhizosphere was the main factor restricting microbial biomass, species, and community composition. Alligator flag could tolerate higher Cd contamination, and accumulate and stabilize more Cd in its tissues than rice. Our study suggests that alligator flag intercropped with rice has potential as a phytostabilization plant to produce rice safely for human consumption in moderately Cd-contaminated soils.

GWAS identifies two novel loci for photosynthetic traits related to phosphorus efficiency in soybean

Phosphorus (P) is essential for the growth and development of plants, playing crucial roles in energy acquisition, storage and utilization, regulation of enzyme activities, and yield formation. Therefore, P deficiency in soil is a main factor restricting crop production. The main reason is that crop yields depend on photosynthesis which is vulnerable to low P stress. Thus, it is important to study the relationship between photosynthesis and P efficiency. In this study, we evaluated the P efficiency by using the photosynthesis-related traits in 219 diverse soybean accessions across three different environments and dissected the underlying mechanism using a high-resolution genome-wide association study (GWAS). In total, 30 significant SNPs distributed in 14 genomic regions were identified to be associated with three photosynthesis-related traits under different P levels. Among the 14 associated regions, two regions (qP13 and qP19) were both found in two environments and explained 14.01% and 16.75% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. Furthermore, seven candidate genes underlying qP13 and qP19 were considered promising candidates involved in both soybean photosynthetic and low P tolerance. In all, we uncover two novel environmentally stable major genomic regions of P efficiency by using photosynthesis-related traits, which may provide more information for marker-assisted breeding in soybean and laying the foundation for simultaneously improving P efficiency and photosynthetic capacity.

Опыт построения и использования межотраслевых региональных моделей эколого-экономического развития

The paper analyzes environmental-economics models developed by foreign and Russian scientists. The first attempts to combine both economic and environmental issues in mathematical modeling were made in the 1960s, with most of them been theoretical due to lack of necessary data. With the development of modeling approaches, following on Wassily Leontief’s models, an environmental block has been included into input-output models. However, most of the existing models can hardly be applied to practice due to lack of statistical data and the absence of inter-industry approach. Even today the main restricting factor for these models to be used in practice is still limited availability of information, including not only economic but also environmental data, which is especially critical for regional researches, as the number of statistical indicators for the regions is much lower than at the macro level. The article provides mathematical description of the input-output model with an environmental block. The model is developed at the Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering of the Siberian Branch of the RAS in collaboration with the Novosibirsk State University. The model can be used for regional researches, given the input-output tables for the region is available.

Evaluation of Water Resources Carrying Capacity and Its Obstruction Factor Analysis: A Case Study of Hubei Province, China

The carrying capacity of water resources can provide a reference index for regional economic construction and development. Hubei produces 13.2% of China’s hydroelectric energy and 4% of China’s water resources, highlighting that the reservoir group in Hubei province is relatively developed. In the current research on water resources carrying capacity, only the amount of water resources was considered; the benign mutual feeding effect of regional reservoirs on regional water resources carrying capacity was not reflected upon. In order to guide social and economic activities better, this paper proposes the addition of reservoir water storage to the calculation of water resources carrying capacity as a separate indicator. In this paper, the cloud model method was used to calculate the water resources carrying capacity of Hubei province and the Dematel method was used to determine the degree of importance of reservoir water storage. Finally, the degree of obstacles was also considered to discuss the main factors affecting the water resources carrying capacity of Hubei province. In the system discussed in this paper, the degree of influence and the affected degree of reservoir water storage were found to be 1.2915 and 0.5759, respectively. The calculation results showed that Hubei province’s water resources carrying capacity has been increasing every year and the amount of water resources per unit area was the main restricting factor, with the obstacle degree reaching 19.24% of the average annual level.

Ru doping in Ni(OH)2 to accelerate water reduction kinetics for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Water dissociation reaction (Volmer step) is the main restrictive factor that gives rise to the sluggish reaction kinetics for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solution. In this paper, Ru doped Ni(OH)2 deposited on Ti mesh (abbreviated as TM) was synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal method. SEM, TEM, XRD, Raman, and XPS analysis indicated that both surface morphology and electronic structure had an apparent change, but phase structure maintained unchanged after Ru doping. HER activities of Ru doped Ni(OH)2/TM samples in 1.0 M KOH were investigated in detail. Ru doped Ni(OH)2/TM prepared with 0.2 mM RuCl3 precursor (denoted as Ru doped Ni(OH)2/TM-0.2) presented excellent HER performance with an overpotential of 135 mV at −10 mA/cm2 and the lowest Tafel slope of 63.7 mV/dec. This electrocatalyst also maintained long-term stability even operating for 15 h. Experimental results demonstrated that Ru doping into Ni(OH)2 could enhance charge transfer rate, increase electrocatalytically active surface area (ECSA) and, most importantly, accelerate Volmer step and also provide appropriate Ru active sites for hydrogen adsorption, which endowed Ru doped Ni(OH)2/TM-0.2 with superior HER activity and durability.

Effects of nutrients on the primary production and determination of the restricting factors in primary production in the international wetland of Choghakhor (Iran)

Limitations in nutrients and physicochemical parameters play a key role in aquatic ecosystems. The present study aimed to determine the influential physicochemical factors in the chlorophyll-a content for wetland management by identifying the restricting factors in primary production. Sampling was conducted during March 2017-February 2018. Factors such as water salinity, temperature, pH, nitrate and phosphate concentrations, biochemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, total suspended solids, and dissolved oxygen were measured in triplicate at each station. In addition, the trophic state index (TSI) was used to determine the trophic state of the wetland. No significant difference was observed in chlorophyll-a contents in different seasons (P>0.05), with the highest values reported in spring and autumn, and the lowest values reported in summer. The maximum and minimum chlorophyll-a content were observed in stations A and C, respectively. Station A had a significantly higher value compared to the other stations (P 0.05). The highest (5.9 mg/l) and lowest water nitrate levels (4.1 mg/l) were observed in spring and autumn, respectively (mean nitrate level: 4.84 mg/l). The highest (2.1 mg/l) and lowest water phosphate levels (0.47 mg/l) were observed in spring and autumn, respectively (mean nitrate level: 1.04 mg/l). Moreover, TSI indicated that the wetland is oligotrophic in spring and winter, while it is mesotrophic in summer and autumn. Overall, the nitrate level in water was the main restricting factor in the management of Choghakhor wetland.

Flood Hazard Information Map Using Geographical Information System (GIS) For Residential Community Resilience

The purpose of this research is to develop the residential flood hazard information map using Geographical Information System (GIS) for residential community resilience. The review approach is based on related literature contributing to identifying themes such as “flood hazard information map” and “geographical information system”. Integration of data will be sourced from Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), National Property Information Centre (NAPIC) and Jabatan Ukur dan Pemetaan Malaysia (JUPEM) using Unique Parcel Identifier (UPI) for respective residential land parcels. An extensive review of previous studies of flood hazard information map of residential community resilience for different flood disaster studies is considered to be the main restrictive factor resulting in a lack of empirical studies in this field. The development of residential property needs to be imposed with the elements for building specifications and materials that have flood resistance and resilience to protect the community life and property.Keywords: Community resilience, Floods, Geographical Information System (GIS), Residential propertyeISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i10.1632

Variations in climatic suitability and planting regionalization for potato in northern China under climate change.

Investigating the variations in crop climatic suitability and planting regionalization can provide scientific evidence for ensuring food security under climate change. In this study, variations in climatic suitability and planting regionalization for the potato in northern China were investigated based on daily data from 1965 to 2014 collected at 321 agro-meteorological observation stations located throughout the region. Northern China was divided into three areas, including Northwest China, North China and Northeast China. The agricultural climatic suitability theory and the fuzzy mathematics method were applied. The potato growth seasons were divided into threestages:from sowing to emergence, from emergence to flowering and from flowering to maturity. The comprehensive climatic suitabilityindex (C), which varied from 0 to 1, was established to evaluate the effects of climate change on potato planting. The results showed that, from 1965 to 2014, the C value in the study area increased 0.002 every ten years over the past 50 years with an average of 0.706, benefitting potato growth in the vast area of northern China. Nonetheless, precipitation was found to be the main climatic factor restricting potato growth in northern China. For spatial distribution, the C value showed a gradually declining trend from east to west, decreasing westward and southward over the past 50 years. For the growth season, the C value varied during different potato growth stages over the past 50 years. The C value increased during the sowing-emergence stage and decreased during the emergence-flowering stage and the flowering-maturity stage. The decreased C during the later growth stages would directly affect the quality and yield of the potato, mainly because the flowering-maturity stage was associated with potato tuber enlargement and starch accumulation. Variations in potato planting regionalization in northern China over the past 50 years were evident. Climate change was more beneficial to potato cultivation in northeast China where the highly suitable areas had clearly expanded. However, potato cultivation was most negatively affected in northwest China where the middle suitable areas had receded. Our findings have important implications for improving climate change impact studies and agricultural production to cope with ongoing climate change.

Interfacial Force-Assisted In-Situ Fabrication of Graphene Oxide Membrane for Desalination.

Graphene-based membranes have shown great potential application prospects in many fields, especially for water purification. Except for the current relatively low salt rejection rate, another main factor restricting application of such membranes is the lack of applicable preparation processes. In this work, a facile and cost-effective method was developed that can be used to in situ fabricate a graphene oxide (GO)-based membrane inside a filtration apparatus. Novel partial reduction and cross-linking was employed to adjust the surface properties and interlayer distance of GO membranes at the subnanometer range. A simple compacting process was applied to promote the integrity and compactness of the GO-based membranes by making full use of the interfacial tensions of gas/liquid/solid, which enables the in-situ fabrication. The as-prepared PrGO membranes show good water permeability (17.2-86.5 L m-2 h-1 MPa-1), reasonable desalination rates (27.7-62.6% for NaCl and 68.4-86.1% for Na2SO4), and good rejection rates of 92.3-96.8% for methyl orange. The method is appropriate for large-scale preparation and is theoretically not restricted by the shape or texture of the basement membrane, which represents another step forward in the fabrication of GO-based membranes toward wide-ranging applications.

Improving the Simulation of Tropical Convective Cloud-Top Heights in CAM5 with CloudSat Observations

Using 4 years of CloudSat data, the simulation of tropical convective cloud-top heights (CCTH) above 6 km simulated by the convection scheme in the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 (CAM5), is evaluated. Compared to CloudSat observations, CAM5 underestimates CCTH by more than 2 km on average. Further analysis of model results suggests that the dilute CAPE calculation, which has been incorporated into the convective parameterization since CAM4, is a main factor restricting CCTH to much lower levels. After removing this restriction, more convective clouds develop into higher altitudes, although convective clouds with tops above 12 km are still underestimated significantly. The environmental conditions under which convection develops in CAM5 are compared with CloudSat observations for convection with similar CCTHs. It is shown that the model atmosphere is much more unstable compared to CloudSat observations, and there is too much entrainment in CAM5. Since CCTHs are closely associated with cloud radiative forcing, the impacts of CCTH on model simulation are further investigated. Results show that the change of CCTH has important impacts on cloud radiative forcing and precipitation. With increased CCTHs, there is more cloud radiative forcing in tropical Africa and the eastern Pacific, but less cloud radiative forcing in the western Pacific. The contribution to total convective precipitation from convection with cloud tops above 9 km is also increased substantially.

Reclamation suitability evaluation of damaged mined land based on the integrated index method and the difference-product method

Reclamation suitability evaluation is the basis for determining the reuse direction of damaged land. Most scholars' studies have focused on the improvement and innovation of evaluation models and methods, while the analysis of restrictive factors is rarely involved. This paper evaluates the reclamation suitability of damaged land around Longchi coal mine by the integrated index method and the analysis of restrictive factors is carried out by the difference-product method. The result shows damaged land around the Longchi coal mine is most suitable for being reclaimed as woodland. The main restrictive factors are the degree of contamination of the soil and water and the irrigation conditions. This study provides a basis for the rational reutilization and improvement options of damaged land around Long Chi coal mine. The study also verifies that the combination of the integrated index method and the difference-product method work well for evaluating reclamation suitability and for analyzing restrictive factors in case of no prominent evaluation indexes.