Solute Movement Research Articles

Observations of Decadal-Scale Brine Geochemical Change at the Bonneville Salt Flats

Over the past century, the Bonneville Salt Flats, which lies on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake watershed, has experienced changing environmental conditions and a unique history of land use, including resource extraction and recreation. The perennial halite salt crust has decreased in thickness since at least 1960. An experimental restoration project to return mined solutes began in 1997, but it has not resulted in anticipated salt crust growth. Here, primary observations of the Bonneville Salt Flats surface and subsurface brine chemistry and water levels collected from 2013 to 2023 are reported. Spatial and temporal patterns in chemistry, focused on density and water stable isotopes, are evaluated and compared with observations across seven periods of research spanning from 1925 to 2023. Declining salinity in the areas to the east of extraction ditches and south of Interstate 80 were observed. Brine extracted for potash production decreased in salinity as extraction rates increased. Between the years 1964 and 1997, the salinity of the shallow aquifer brine located beneath and to the east of the crust experienced a decrease. However, following this period, the salinity stabilized and subsequently increased. Salinity recovery was concurrent with declines in brine extraction and the salt restoration project, with the largest decrease in brine extraction being concurrent with the largest recovery in salinity. The specific impact of the restoration project on the brine salinity increase remains unclear. To the west, the shallow aquifer in the area between the Silver Island Mountains and the salt crust has increased in salinity. This increase is accompanied by a decline in groundwater levels, which enables the underground movement of solutes from east to west, following a salinity gradient away from the saline pan. Over the past 25 years, the alluvial-fan aquifer along the Silver Island Mountains has markedly declined, leading to increasingly more saline and isotopically heavier basinal waters to be extracted for industrial use. This change is concurrent with the onset of the salt restoration project, which relies on alluvial-fan aquifer waters. This compilation of changes in groundwater chemistry provides an important resource for stakeholders working to understand and manage this dynamic and ephemeral evaporite system. It also offers an example of decadal-scale change in a highly managed Great Salt Lake watershed saline system.

Research of the movement of solutions in waterless dry horizons

The movement of solutions in waterless dry layers and the influence of irrigated rock on the radius the filtration flow and the nature of its saturation were established in the paper. The liquid flow curves were constructed for various distances from the source axis. The developed methodology of non-stationary filtration mode during underground leaching determined the filtration coefficients in laminar and turbulent modes. It is necessary to take into account the physical properties of both the rock mass and the filtered leaching solutions. Research has established that the shape of the spreading of solutions in the system of interaction between the injection and discharge wells (the edge boundaries of the streamline) must be considered as a rhombus, and the spreading angle is formed depending on the degree of clogging of the pore volume.

Development of a self-contained microfluidic chip and an internet-of-things-based point-of-care device for automated identification of respiratory viruses.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted the in vitro diagnostic market, leading to the development of new technologies such as point-of-care testing (POCT), multiplex testing, and digital health platforms. In this study, we present a self-contained microfluidic chip integrated with an internet-of-things (IoT)-based point-of-care (POC) device for rapid and sensitive diagnosis of respiratory viruses. Our platform enables sample-to-answer diagnostics within 70 min by automating RNA extraction, reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), and fluorescence detection. The microfluidic chip is designed to store all the necessary reagents for the entire diagnostic assay, including a lysis buffer, a washing buffer, an elution buffer, and a lyophilized RT-LAMP cocktail. It can perform nucleic acid extraction, aliquoting, and gene amplification in multiple reaction chambers without cross-contamination. The IoT-based POC device consists of a Raspberry Pi 4 for device control and data processing, a CMOS sensor for measuring fluorescence signals, a resistive heater panel for temperature control, and solenoid valves for controlling the movement of on-chip reagent solutions. The proposed device is portable and features a touchscreen for user control and result display. We evaluated the performance of the platform using 11 clinical respiratory virus samples, including 5 SARS-CoV-2 samples, 2 influenza A samples, and 4 influenza B samples. All tested clinical samples were accurately identified with high specificity and fidelity, demonstrating the ability to simultaneously detect multiple respiratory viruses. The combination of the integrated microfluidic chip with the POC device offers a simple, cost-effective, and scalable solution for rapid molecular diagnosis of respiratory viruses in resource-limited settings.

Metal Uptake by Mitochondrial Carrier Family Proteins Using Lactococcus lactis.

Metal ion homeostasis in mitochondria is essential to maintaining proper cellular physiology. However, the ability of metals to bind off target or form complexes with multiple metabolites presents major challenges to understanding the mechanisms that govern this homeostasis. Adding further to the complexity, some of the major mitochondrial transporters have shown substrate promiscuity. In many cases, mitochondrial metals are found in the matrix compartment that is surrounded by the impermeable inner membrane. Four major classes of transporters facilitate the movement of solute across the inner membrane. These are mitochondrial carrier family, ATP-binding cassette transporters, mitochondrial pyruvate carriers, and sideroflexins. For iron, the matrix is the site of iron-sulfur clusters and heme synthesis and therefore transport must occur in a coordinated fashion with the cellular needs for these critical cofactors. Iron could be transported in numerous forms as it has been shown to form complexes with abundant metabolites such as citrate, nucleotides, or glutathione. Here, we describe assays to study iron (or any metal) transport by mitochondrial carrier family proteins expressed in Lactococcus lactis using a nisin-controlled expression system.

Solute Carrier Family 26 Member 4 (SLC26A4), A Potential Therapeutic Target for Asthma.

Asthma is a prevalent respiratory condition with multifaceted pathomechanisms, presenting challenges for therapeutic development. The SLC (Solute Carrier) gene family, encompassing diverse membrane transport proteins, plays pivotal roles in various human diseases by facilitating solute movement across biological membranes. These solutes include ions, sugars, amino acids, neurotransmitters, and drugs. Mutations in these ion channels have been associated with numerous disorders, underscoring the significance of SLC gene families in physiological processes. Among these, the SLC26A4 gene encodes pendrin, an anion exchange protein involved in transmembrane transport of chloride, iodide, and bicarbonate. Mutations in SLC26A4 are associated with Pendred syndrome. Elevated SLC26A4 expression has been linked to airway inflammation, hyperreactivity, and mucus production in asthma. Here, we review novel insights from SLC gene family members into the mechanisms of substrate transport and disease associations, with specific emphasis on SLC26A4. We explore triggers inducing SLC26A4 expression and its contributions to the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases, particularly asthma. We summarize the inhibitors of SLC26A4 that have shown promise in the treatment of different phenotypes of diseases. While SLC26A4 inhibitors present potential treatments for asthma, further research is imperative to delineate their precise role in asthma pathogenesis and develop efficacious therapeutic strategies targeting this protein.

Biosynthesis of ZnO Nano-particle and its quality evaluation on the shelf life extension of fruit

Consumers around the world want fruits with high quality, without chemical preservatives, and with an extended shelf life. Edible films and coating received a considerable amount of attention in recent years because they are useful and beneficial over synthetic packaging. Prolonging of shelf life of food is an important goal to be attained. Many storage techniques have been adapted to extend the marketing distance and holding periods for commodities after harvest. Edible coatings are thin layers of edible material applied to the product surface to provide a barrier to moisture, oxygen, and solute movement for food. The purpose of this study was to produce bio-synthesized ZnO Nano-particles from spinach. The coating solution is prepared by mixing Nano-particles with chitosan-acetic acid solution and evaluates the shelf-life after treatment as a coating. The study showed that coated fruit maintained its quality up to 28 days of the study period. Thus, it can be concluded that ZnO Nano-particles can be used as a coating for increasing shelf-life.

Fenofibrate reduces glucose-induced barrier dysfunction in feline enteroids

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common chronic metabolic disease in humans and household cats that is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. DM is associated with dysfunction of the intestinal barrier. This barrier is comprised of an epithelial monolayer that contains a network of tight junctions that adjoin cells and regulate paracellular movement of water and solutes. The mechanisms driving DM-associated barrier dysfunction are multifaceted, and the direct effects of hyperglycemia on the epithelium are poorly understood. Preliminary data suggest that fenofibrate, An FDA-approved peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) agonist drug attenuates intestinal barrier dysfunction in dogs with experimentally-induced DM. We investigated the effects of hyperglycemia-like conditions and fenofibrate treatment on epithelial barrier function using feline intestinal organoids. We hypothesized that glucose treatment directly increases barrier permeability and alters tight junction morphology, and that fenofibrate administration can ameliorate these deleterious effects. We show that hyperglycemia-like conditions directly increase intestinal epithelial permeability, which is mitigated by fenofibrate. Moreover, increased permeability is caused by disruption of tight junctions, as evident by increased junctional tortuosity. Finally, we found that increased junctional tortuosity and barrier permeability in hyperglycemic conditions were associated with increased protein kinase C-α (PKCα) activity, and that fenofibrate treatment restored PKCα activity to baseline levels. We conclude that hyperglycemia directly induces barrier dysfunction by disrupting tight junction structure, a process that is mitigated by fenofibrate. We further propose that counteracting modulation of PKCα activation by increased intracellular glucose levels and fenofibrate is a key candidate regulatory pathway of tight junction structure and epithelial permeability.

Mathematical Model of Freezing of Rocks Saturated With Salt Solution Taking Into Account the Influence of Osmosis

The paper presents a mathematical model of rocks freezing saturated with salt solution under impact of osmotic force. Osmosis is related to the salt concentration gradient, which is characteristic for solutions, and it is a powerful mechanism for the movement of solutions in poorly permeable porous media. A mathematical criterion for the formation of closed “pockets” with brines (cryopags) in frozen rocks has been obtained. This criterion is shown to be significantly depends on the osmosis coefficient. The model includes three layers of a porous medium saturated, respectively, with ice, ice and solution, and salt solution only. A special case was studied when there is only a second layer with a movable boundary, on which a phase transition from the second layer to the third one occurs. The investigated layer is saturated with a salt solution and ice in thermodynamic equilibrium. Other layers are replaced by boundary conditions. An approximate analytical solution of the problem is found in a self-similar formulation. The nature of the influence of osmotic force on the freezing process of rocks saturated with solution is shown. The characteristic patterns associated with the considered process are revealed. One of the features of the osmosis influence is the fact that it can cause the movement (migration) of the solution in the direction of increasing pressure, i.e. in the direction opposite to the driving force caused by the pressure gradient.

Comparative Evaluation of Apically Extruded Debris During Root Canal Preparation Using Three Different File Systems Applied Under 2.5% Sodium Hypochlorite or 2% CHX Irrigation.

The chemomechanical cleaning of the root canal system is performed using manual and rotary files. This study aimed to compare the effect of ProTaper, Reciproc and HyFlex rotary files considering 2.5% sodium hypochlorite and 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) as irrigating solutions on apical extrusion of intracanal debris. Single-canal mandibular premolars (N=165) were evaluated. The teeth were divided into 6 experimental groups (N=25) for root canal instrumentation using 3 file systems, (Reciproc, HyFlex and ProTaper) and two irrigation solutions, namely 2.5% sodium hypochlorite or 2% CHX. Fifteen teeth were also assigned into three control groups (n=5) with saline as irrigation solution. Eppendorf tubes were weighed and the teeth were placed inside. The canals were instrumented and the tubes weighed to determine the dry weight of extruded debris. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni test (α=0.05). The mean amount of extruded debris using the sodium hypochlorite solution was significantly higher than other irrigating solutions (p⟨0.001). The mean amount of extruded debris using the Reciproc file system was significantly higher compared to ProTaper and HyFlex (p⟨0.001). The use of the sodium hypochlorite solution, single-file systems and reciprocal movement are associated with higher debris extrusion and might be associated with higher risk of postoperative pain.

Impact of Fusarium Crown Rot on Root System Area and Links to Genetic Variation within Commercial Wheat Varieties

Fusarium crown rot (FCR), caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium pseudograminearum (Fp), is a major constraint to cereal production worldwide. The pathogen restricts the movement of solutes within the plant due to mycelial colonisation of vascular tissue. Yield loss and quality downgrades are exacerbated by this disease under water stress conditions. Plant root systems are adaptive and can alter their architecture to optimise production in response to changes in environment and plant health. This plasticity of root systems typically favours resource acquisition of primarily water and nutrients. This study examined the impact of FCR on the root system architecture of multiple commercial bread and durum wheat varieties. Root system growth was recorded in-crop in large transparent rhizoboxes allowing visualization of root architecture over time. Furthermore, electrical resistivity tomography was used to quantify spatial root activity vertically down the soil profile. Results demonstrated a significant reduction in the total root length and network area with the inoculation of FCR. Electrical resistivity measurements indicated that the spatial pattern of water use for each cultivar was influenced differently from infection with FCR over the growing season. Specifically temporal water use can be correlated with FCR tolerance of the varieties marking this investigation the first to link root architecture and water use as tolerance mechanisms to FCR infection. This research has implications for more targeted selection of FCR tolerance characteristics in breeding programs along with improved specific varietal management in-crop.

Lamellipodia dynamics and microrheology in endothelial cell paracellular gap closure

Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) form a semipermeable barrier separating vascular contents from the interstitium, thereby regulating the movement of water and molecular solutes across small intercellular gaps, which are continuously forming and closing. Under inflammatory conditions, however, larger EC gaps form resulting in increased vascular leakiness to circulating fluid, proteins, and cells, which results in organ edema and dysfunction responsible for key pathophysiologic findings in numerous inflammatory disorders. In this study, we extend our earlier work examining the biophysical properties of EC gap formation and now address the role of lamellipodia, thin sheet-like membrane projections from the leading edge, in modulating EC spatial-specific contractile properties and gap closure. Micropillars, fabricated by soft lithography, were utilized to form reproducible paracellular gaps in human lung ECs. Using time-lapse imaging via optical microscopy, rates of EC gap closure and motility were measured with and without EC stimulation with the barrier-enhancing sphingolipid, sphingosine-1-phosphate. Peripheral ruffle formation was ubiquitous during gap closure. Kymographs were generated to quantitatively compare the lamellipodia dynamics of sphingosine-1-phosphate-stimulated and -unstimulated ECs. Utilizing atomic force microscopy, we characterized the viscoelastic behavior of EC lamellipodia. Our results indicate decreased stiffness and increased liquid-like behavior of expanding lamellipodia compared with regions away from the cellular edge (lamella and cell body) during EC gap closure, results in sync with the rapid kinetics of protrusion/retraction motion. We hypothesize this dissipative EC behavior during gap closure is linked to actomyosin cytoskeletal rearrangement and decreased cross-linking during lamellipodia expansion. In summary, these studies of the kinetic and mechanical properties of EC lamellipodia and ruffles at gap boundaries yield insights into the mechanisms of vascular barrier restoration and potentially a model system for examining the druggability of lamellipodial protein targets to enhance vascular barrier integrity.

Analysis of alkali leaching mechanism on as-built cement concrete bridge deck pavement: View from the perspective of mesostructure characteristics

The emergence of a new distress mode, known as alkali leaching, has been increasingly reported in the cement concrete bridge deck pavement (CCBDP). The presence of defects in the pavement structure causes the accumulation and movement of alkaline solution. The examination of the internal pore features of deteriorated pavements is advantageous in order to comprehensively reveal the mechanism of alkali leaching on CCBDP. The present research focuses on analyzing the mesostructure of alkali leaching specimens obtained from distressed pavement. This analysis is conducted using X-Ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) and digital image processing (DIP) technologies. In order to assess the correlation between pore characteristics and alkali leaching, a parameter known as the critical pressure difference (CPD) is defined and calculated to quantify the leaching ability. The results show that alkali leaching cores (ALC) have a higher number of voids compared to Normal Cores (NC), particularly for voids of larger volume. Inadequate compaction effort induces vertical connectivity of voids in the alkali leaching pavements, thereby impeding the movement of alkaline solution. A sensitive porosity interval around 4.5 ∼ 5.5 % is found, the DGAC with larger porosity will easily occur leaching phenomenon in the certain CPD section. The correlation between the porosity and the CPD is also identified, indicating that the porosity is the main inherent factor in alkali leaching.

Structure-function analysis of tight junction-directed permeation enhancer PIP250

The intestinal paracellular route of absorption is modulated via tight junction (TJ) structures located at the apical neck of polarized intestinal epithelial cells to restrict solute movement through the intercellular space between them. Tight junctions open or close in response to changes in the phosphorylation status of light chain (MLC) at position Ser-19. This phosphorylation event is primarily controlled by MLC kinase (MLCK) and MLC phosphatase (MLCP), the latter being a holoenzyme that involves interaction between protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and myosin targeting protein 1 (MYPT1). An entirely D-amino acid Permeant Inhibitor of Phosphatase (PIP) peptide sequence designed to disrupt PP1-MYPT1 interactions at the cytoplasmic surface of TJs, PIP250 (rrfkvktkkrk) localized at intracellular TJ structures, altered expression levels of specific TJ proteins, increased cellular phosphorylated MLC (pMLC) levels, binding to PP1, decreased epithelial barrier function, and significantly increased systemic uptake of the poorly absorbed antibiotic gentamicin in vivo. A series of PIP250 peptide analogues showed that positions phe3 and val5 were critical to its functional properties, with some providing opportunities to tune the dynamic actions of its TJ modulation properties. These data confirm the activity of PIP250 as a rationally designed oral permeation enhancer and validated key amino acids involved in its interaction with PP1 that define its overall actions; the magnitude and duration of these enhancing properties were associated with the MYPT1-mimetic properties of the PIP250 peptide analogues described.

Intracellular Plasmodium aquaporin 2 is important for sporozoite production in the mosquito vector and malaria transmission.

Malaria remains a devastating disease and, with current measures failing to control its transmission, there is a need for novel interventions. A family of proteins that have long been pursued as potential intervention targets are aquaporins, which are channels facilitating the movement of water and other solutes across membranes. We identify an aquaporin in malaria parasites and demonstrate that it is important for completion of Plasmodium development in the mosquito vector. Disruption of AQP2 in the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum and the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei blocks sporozoite production inside oocysts established on mosquito midguts, greatly limiting parasite infection of salivary glands and transmission to a new host. In vivo epitope tagging of AQP2 in P. berghei, combined with immunofluorescence assays, reveals that the protein is localized in vesicle-like organelles found in the cytoplasm of gametocytes, ookinetes, and sporozoites. The number of these organelles varies between individual parasites and lifecycle stages suggesting that they are likely part of a dynamic endomembrane system. Phylogenetic analysis confirms that AQP2 is unique to malaria and closely related parasites and most closely resembles intracellular aquaporins. Structure prediction analyses identify several unusual features, including a large accessory extracellular loop and an arginine-to-phenylalanine substitution in the selectivity filter principally determining pore function, a unique feature among known aquaporins. This in conjunction with the importance of AQP2 for malaria transmission suggests that AQP2 may be a fruitful target of antimalarial interventions.

Understanding the phenomenon of saltwater intrusion sourced from desalination plants at coastal aquifers.

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates rely on desalination to produce water for domestic use. Desalination produces brine that may intrude into the aquifers to pollute the fresh groundwater because of the concentration gradient and groundwater pumping. Modeling the trends of saltwater intrusion needs theoretical understanding and thorough logical experimentation. The objective of this exercise was to understand the phenomenon of saltwater intrusion using an existing set of data analyzed with the convective-diffusion equation and the two-region mobile-immobile solution model. The objective was achieved by optimizing non-measurable solute transport parameters from an existing set of data generated from a series of logical miscible displacements of potassium bromide through sepiolite minerals and curve-fitting simulations. Assumptions included that solute displacements through sepiolite porous media and the related simulations represented the phenomenon of saltwater intrusion under non-equilibrium conditions of porous media mimicking the aquifers. Miscible displacements of potassium bromide were observed from a column of 2.0-2.8mm aggregates of sepiolite over 4 ranges of concentration and at 11 displacement speeds under saturated vertical flow deionized water and vice versa. Breakthrough curves of both bromide and potassium ions were analyzed by a curve-fitting technique to optimize transport parameters assuming solute movement was governed (i) by the convective-diffusion equation and (ii) the two-region mobile-immobile solution model. Column Peclet numbers from the two analyses were identical for potassium ions but those for bromide ions were c. 60% greater from the two-region model than from the convective-diffusion equation. For the two-region model, dispersion coefficients were well defined and remained unchanged from the convective-diffusion equation for potassium ions but decreased for bromide ions. Retardation factors for bromide ions were approximately the same, but those for potassium ions, though > 1, were poorly defined. In order to design mitigation strategies for avoiding groundwater contamination, this study's findings may help model groundwater pollution caused by the activities of desalination of seawater, which produces concentrated liquid that intrudes into the coastal aquifer through miscible displacement. However, robust saltwater intrusion models may be considered in future studies to confirm the results of the approach presented in this exercise. Field data on the groundwater contamination levels may be collected to compare with simulated trends drawn from the saltwater intrusion models and the curve-fitting technique used in this work. A comparison of the output from the two types of models may help determine the right option to understand the phenomena of saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers of various characteristics.

Multiple modes of bursting phenomena in a vector field of triple Hopf bifurcation with two time scales

For the development of the theoretical framework of slow–fast dynamics, it is essential to study the mechanism of bursting oscillations with high co-dimensional bifurcations in the high-dimensional vector field. This paper is aimed to explore the bursting oscillations in the normal form up to the third order of a vector field with triple Hopf bifurcation at the origin. We establish an eight-dimension system with the slow–fast effect, in which two time scales exist. The fast subsystem is represented as a six-dimensional vector field with triple Hopf bifurcation at the origin, while the slow subsystem is adopted to adjust the variation of parameters in the fast subsystem, which may lead to abundant dynamic behaviors. To better understand the qualitatively different behaviors in the fast subsystem, the trivial solution, single-mode, two-mode, and three-mode movements are introduced based on the projections of trajectory on the three sub-planes. As a result, several types of bursting phenomena, such as Hopf/Hopf bursting oscillations with single-mode, Hopf/Hopf/fold bursting oscillations with single-mode, Hopf/Hopf bursting oscillations with two-mode have been revealed, the mechanism of which is obtained upon the superposition of equilibrium branches together with bifurcations in the fast subsystem as well as transformed phase portrait. In addition, for bursting oscillations on the whole phase space, the amplitude of spiking oscillations may change according to two different limit cycles, which leads to an abrupt change of the oscillating amplitude on the sub-plane, corresponding to different projections of Poincaré. It can be observed the state variables on the different sub-planes alternate between synchronized and non-synchronized states in the fast subsystem, which may be accounted for by the bifurcations.

Mathematical model of the formation of barite-lead mineralization of the Ushkatyn III deposit (Central Kazakhstan)

The genesis of stratiform deposits of lead and barite in sedimentary rocks is of great interest from the point of view of replenishing reserves of polymetallic ores. The aim of the work is to establish the regularity of the hydrogenic formation of ores in limestones, taking into account the influence of the nanosurface of pores and cracks based on a mathematical model of the movement and characteristics of ore-bearing solutions in the pores. The thicknesses of the surface layer of limestones and minerals included in the ore-containing strata and sulfide minerals are calculated. The results indicate that they are nanostructures with special physical properties different from the rest of the substance, which is confirmed by the regularity of the formation of a heavy sulfur isotope in ores of various textural types. The influence of hydrotherms with different densities, kinematic viscosity, and velocity on the intensity of mineralization formation in cracks and pores of limestone, as well as the occurrence of new feathering cracks around the fractures of dismemberment, is estimated. The dependence of the hydrothermal flow density on the diffusion of the liquid is established. The equation of kinematic viscosity is derived from the pressure in the solution flow, the velocity of its movement, the mass of particles of ore-forming elements, and sulfur isotopes under thermodynamic conditions of determined Gibbs energies. The relationship of the viscosity of the solution with the surface tension of the nanolayer of limestone particles in cracks and pores is shown, indicating that the greater this energy, the greater the velocity of movement of ore-forming solutions, the fewer branches of newly formed cracks around the dissection crack. The mathematical model is applicable for the numerical analysis of the regularity of mineralization in cracks, taking into account the influence of the nanostructural layer of cracks and pores of limestone in the thermodynamic conditions of the occurrence of an ore-bearing formation.

Optimizing Fertilizer Management Practices in Summer Maize Fields in the Yellow River Basin

This study aims to examine the impact of combined irrigation and fertilizer control on the summer maize yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NE), and nitrogen leaching (NL) in the Yellow River Basin. Based on the measured data from the field summer maize experiment in 2021 and 2022, a water-nitrogen movement model was constructed for ‘Zhengdan 958’ maize under two irrigation methods (wide furrow irrigation (G) and border irrigation (Q)), three fertilizer rates (120 kg/ha (N1), 220 kg/ha (N2), and 320 kg/ha (N3)), and three fertilizer frequencies (1 (T1), 2 (T2), and 3 (T3)), yielding 18 total treatments. Calculation of nitrogen leaching was based on water nitrogen transport modeling. The study then analyzed the factors and their combined effects. A multi-objective optimization genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) was established to evaluate maize yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and nitrogen leaching. The results indicate that the determination coefficients between simulated and measured water, nitrogen values exceeded 0.74. The rate optimized HYDRUS model effectively simulated the soil solute movement. The interaction of the irrigation method, fertilizer rate, and fertilizer application frequency did not significantly affect yield and nitrogen leaching, but did significantly impact nitrogen use efficiency (p < 0.05). Nitrogen leaching increased gradually as nitrogen application increased. The yield under wide furrow irrigation was 6.26% higher than that under border irrigation. The optimal coupling scheme of water and fertilizer was obtained using the genetic algorithm multi-objective optimization method, where the combined GN2T2 treatment was the optimal management model, the summer maize yield reached 14,077 kg/ha, nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen leaching were reduced to 30.21 kg·kg−1 and 17.64 kg/ha, respectively. These findings can guide summer maize cultivation in the Yellow River Basin and assist in reducing nitrogen surface source pollution.

A study of the water quality parameter and its impact using HYDRUS-1D in Deepor Beel, Guwahati, Assam

This study focuses on knowing the status of 12 water quality parameters with their variation and soil-solute interaction due to dumping of wastes at six different locations of Deepor Beel (a Ramsar site), finding their necessary correlations and development of a solute transport model using HYDRUS-1D software. HYDRUS-1D model used in this study will show the movement of iron through the soil profile in the area selected near the Municipal dumping yard at Boragaon. The results indicated that certain parameters are higher than their standard permissible limits with its extreme values obtained at the dumping location at Boragaon. The water near the dumping site is acidic (pH= 5.92), with high iron concentrations (3.68 mg/l), increasing hardness and turbidity as well as lower D.O level (3.67 mg/l). HYDRUS-1D solute transport model gives a distinct and clear picture of the solute movement, water flow, water content, pressure head and concentration profile variation along the soil profile with respect to time and depth. The results of this model showed that continuous influx of harmful solutes on the surface of the Deepor Beel could lead to break through of this solute through the soil column into the groundwater storage. Hence the present study showed that water quality is deteriorating at various locations of the beel and necessary steps are immediately required for sustaining the ecological balance of the wetland.

OPTIMIZATION OF STIFFENED COMPOSITE PLATE USING BALANCING COMPOSITE MOTION OPTIMIZATION

Recently, metaheuristic optimization algorithms have been studied and applied in many fields of engineering, especially in solving structural optimization problems. For structures with complex behaviors, the selection of a suitable optimization algorithm significantly increases the computational efficiency and the accuracy of the solution. In this paper, we investigate the optimization problem of stiffened composite plates using Balancing Composite Motion Optimization. The core idea of the Balancing Composite Motion Optimization algorithm is that the searching movements of candidate solutions are compositely equalized in both global and local ones in the solution space of solving the fiber optimization problem of stiffened composite plates. A candidate solution can move closer to better ones to exploit the local regions and move further to explore the search space also. The method does not require algorithm parameters. The calculation results are compared with many other metaheuristic optimization methods to prove the accuracy and efficiency of the method.