Properties of Concrete Reinforced with a Basalt Fiber Microwave-Absorbing Shielding Layer

The purpose of this study was to propose a highly efficient, durable, and environmentally friendly method for the rapid removal of ice and snow. A microwave-absorbing functionality layer was placed between a conductive metal mesh and magnetite sand shielding layer, and ordinary cement concrete (OC). Microwave heating, mechanical strength determination, and indoor and outdoor de-icing tests were performed on the cement concrete specimens with the shielding layer. Basalt fibers were added to the absorbing functionality layer, and the formed specimens were tested for strength and durability. The microstructure was observed using SEM experiments. The results show that the temperature rise of microwave-absorbing cement concrete with a magnetite sand shielding layer (MCMS) and microwave-absorbing cement concrete with a conductive metal mesh shielding layer (MCMM) increased by approximately 17.2% and 27.1%, respectively, compared to that of microwave-absorbing concrete (MAC). After freeze–thaw cycles, the compressive strength and flexural strength of microwave-absorbing concrete with basalt fiber (MAB) increased by 4.35% and 7.90% compared to those of MAC, respectively. The compressive strength and flexural strength of microwave-absorbing concrete with a magnetite sand shielding layer and basalt fiber (MAMB) increased by 8.07% and 6.57%, respectively, compared to those of MCMS. Compared to specimens without basalt fiber, the wear rate per unit area of MAMB decreased by 8.8%, and the wear rate of MAB decreased by 9.4%. The water absorption rate of MAMB specimens decreased by 13.1% and 12.0% under the conditions of 20 and 40 microwave freeze–thaw cycles, respectively, compared to that of MCMS. The water absorption rate of MAB specimens decreased by 9.9% and 8.3% under the conditions of 20 and 40 microwave freeze–thaw cycles, respectively, compared to that of MAC. SEM analysis showed that the addition of basalt fibers improved the compactness and stability of the cement concrete structure as a whole. This study provides valuable references for the promotion and application of microwave de-icing technology

Bibliometric Analysis of Functional Crops and Nutritional Quality: Identification of Gene Resources to Improve Crop Nutritional Quality through Gene Editing Technology

Food security and hidden hunger are two worldwide serious and complex challenges nowadays. As one of the newly emerged technologies, gene editing technology and its application to crop improvement offers the possibility to relieve the pressure of food security and nutrient needs. In this paper, we analyzed the research status of quality improvement based on gene editing using four major crops, including rice, soybean, maize, and wheat, through a bibliometric analysis. The research hotspots now focus on the regulatory network of related traits, quite different from the technical improvements to gene editing in the early stage, while the trends in deregulation in gene-edited crops have accelerated related research. Then, we mined quality-related genes that can be edited to develop functional crops, including 16 genes related to starch, 15 to lipids, 14 to proteins, and 15 to other functional components. These findings will provide useful reference information and gene resources for the improvement of functional crops and nutritional quality based on gene editing technology

The Bibliometric Landscape of Gene Editing Innovation and Regulation in the Worldwide

Gene editing (GE) has become one of the mainstream bioengineering technologies over the past two decades, mainly fueled by the rapid development of the CRISPR/Cas system since 2012. To date, plenty of articles related to the progress and applications of GE have been published globally, but the objective, quantitative and comprehensive investigations of them are relatively few. Here, 13,980 research articles and reviews published since 1999 were collected by using GE-related queries in the Web of Science. We used bibliometric analysis to investigate the competitiveness and cooperation of leading countries, influential affiliations, and prolific authors. Text clustering methods were used to assess technical trends and research hotspots dynamically. The global application status and regulatory framework were also summarized. This analysis illustrates the bottleneck of the GE innovation and provides insights into the future trajectory of development and application of the technology in various fields, which will be helpful for the popularization of gene editing technology