Biochar Amendment for Enhanced Nitrogen Use, Soil Health, and Plant Growth

Biochar is considered as a soil amendment to improve the resilience and productivity of agricultural systems. In particular, co-application of biochar and nitrogen (N) fertilizer has the potential to reduce N losses compared to applying synthetic N alone. However, the positive effects of biochar amendment are tightly linked to several factors. Our overall objective was to determine the effect of biochar types, application methods, and biochar rate on soil health, especially on soil N dynamics, and forage production through bench - and field-scale experiments. A 60-day bench-scale experiment was conducted to study the effect of amending soil with the two types of biochar using two application methods on soil N transformation. This experiment consisted of four treatments (control, 150 mg N kg-1 biochar, 150 mg N kg-1 urea, 75 mg N kg-1 urea + 75 mg N kg-1 biochar) with two application methods (surface application and incorporation). When biochar and urea were co-applied, biochar with higher cation exchange capacity inhibited nitrification and biochar with higher ash content reduced nitrous oxide (N2O) emission compared to urea alone. Biochar applied on soil surface increased 47% mineral N concentration and reduced 20% N2O emission compared to biochar mixed with soil. A two-year field experiment was conducted in a pasture system in Middle Tennessee to determine the effect of biochar rates (0 to 22.5 Mg ha-1) on forage production and soil properties. Biochar was surface applied in April 2017. Soil samples were collected from 0-15 cm depth biannually beginning June 2017 and plant harvest was done in May 2017 and 2018. Results showed that \u3e18 Mg ha-1 biochar rate significantly affected soil properties and 9 Mg ha-1 was the most profitable rate based on the cost-benefit analysis. Also, biochar addition reduced 38-53% soil mineral N within six months while increased 16-22% soil organic carbon and 12-21% extractable phosphorus within two years compared to no biochar addition. Biochar did not increase forage yield but increased plant potassium uptake by 16-26% in 2017. In conclusion, biochar exhibited positive impacts on soil quality, but these effects were influenced by biochar characteristics, application method, and biochar rates

Approximate controllability for second order nonlinear evolution hemivariational inequalities

The goal of this paper is to study approximate controllability for control systems driven by abstract second order nonlinear evolution hemivariational inequalities in Hilbert spaces. First, the concept of a mild solution of our problem is defined by using the cosine operator theory and the generalized Clarke subdifferential. Next, the existence and the approximate controllability of mild solutions are formulated and proved by means of the fixed points strategy. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate our main results

Overexpression of Class III β-tubulin, Sox2, and nuclear Survivin is predictive of taxane resistance in patients with stage III ovarian epithelial cancer

Failed root canal treatment is best addressed primarily with the provision of repeat endodontic treatment with thorough irrigation under isolation. If a post is present in the root of the tooth it needs to be removed first. This paper is the second in a series of two which provide an overview of techniques for post removal. Specifically designed post removal devices and the removal of fibre posts are described. Post removal device techniques are illustrated with a series of clinical case figures

Solvability and Optimal Controls of Semilinear Riemann-Liouville Fractional Differential Equations

We consider the control systems governed by semilinear differential equations with Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives in Banach spaces. Firstly, by applying fixed point strategy, some suitable conditions are established to guarantee the existence and uniqueness of mild solutions for a broad class of fractional infinite dimensional control systems. Then, by using generally mild conditions of cost functional, we extend the existence result of optimal controls to the Riemann-Liouville fractional control systems. Finally, a concrete application is given to illustrate the effectiveness of our main results

HpSlyD inducing CDX2 and VIL1 expression mediated through TCTP protein may contribute to intestinal metaplasia in the stomach

Helicobacter pylori infection is the most important risk factor for gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM). Our previous study demonstrated that infection with H. pylori HpslyD-positive strains associated with IM. To further investigate the signalling pathway involved in HpSlyD-induced IM, CDX2 and VIL1 expressions were determined before and after HpSlyD application. TCTP was knocked down by siRNA or overexpressed by plasmid transfection. An HpSlyD binding protein was used to block HpSlyD’s enzymatic activity. The expression of CDX2 and TCTP in gastric diseases was measured by immunohistochemistry. Our results showed HpSlyD induced CDX2 and VIL1 expressions. TCTP protein expression was markedly increased after application of HpSlyD and in an HpSlyD-expressing stable cell line. Downregulation of TCTP protein led to decreased HpSlyD-induced CDX2 and VIL1. Overexpression of TCTP protein improved the expression of CDX2 and VIL1. Co-application of HpSlyD and FK506 led to significant reductions in CDX2, VIL1, and TCTP expression. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that CDX2 and TCTP expression was higher in HpslyD-positive specimens compared with HpslyD-negative ones. Expression of CDX2 was positively correlated with TCTP in HpslyD-positive cells. Our study is the first to show that HpSlyD induction of CDX2 and VIL1 expression mediated through TCTP may contribute to IM in the stomach

The Study and Predict on the Surface Structure and the Characteristics of Pincers of Crawfish (Procambarus Clarkii)

Based on the introduction of biological non-smooth surface and the characteristics of drag reduction and wear resistance, a series of macroscopic and microcosmic observation and analysis on the surface structure of pincers of crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) were finished with the OLYMPUS stereo microscope and LSCM (Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope). The results indicate that the surface of pincers of crawfish is mainly constituted by small pits, small semicircle bumps and small stripe-type groove, and there are clusters of bristles which have a lot of spinules in their surface within the pit and around the small bump. It shows the surface of pincers of crawfish is non-smooth and has typical non-smooth surface characteristics. In addition，by analyzing the variation rules of small haplonts(pits and bumps) in the non-smooth surface of pincers of crawfish, authors get the conclusion that the keystone and direction of the non-smooth surface study should be focused on the quantitative analysis to the changes( size, form, and the distribution) of the small haplonts influence on the characteristics of the drag reduction and wear resistance, and its engineering application. Key words: Non-Smooth Surface; Pincers of Crawfish; Drag Reduction; Wear Resistanc