In-MIL-68 derived In2O3/Fe2O3 shuttle-like structures with n-n heterojunctions to improve ethanol sensing performance.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have a variety of structures and unique properties that make them suitable for use in gas sensors. Herein, In2O3/Fe2O3 was successfully synthesized using simple solvothermal and impregnation methods. The response to 100 ppm of ethanol gas reached 67.5 at an optimum working temperature of 200 °C, and the response/recovery time was 9 s/236 s. The composite also exhibited excellent selectivity, repeatability, and long-term stability. SEM, TEM, XRD, and XPS were used for the characterization of materials. The excellent sensing performance of the sensors is attributed to the construction of n-n heterojunctions, an increase in oxygen vacancies, and the unique structural characteristics of MOFs. The above experimental results indicate that In-MIL-68-derived In2O3/Fe2O3 is a promising ethanol sensing material.

A Low-Power CMOS Wireless Acoustic Sensing Platform for Remote Surveillance Applications.

A low-power wireless acoustic sensing platform for remote surveillance applications based on a 180 nm CMOS technology is proposed in this paper. The audio signal, which is acquired by a microphone, is first amplified and filtered. Then, the analog signal is converted to a digital signal by a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). A digital automatic gain control module is integrated to obtain an optimal input of the ADC. The digital signal is modulated and transmitted at the 433 MHz ISM band after being repacked and encoded. To save power for portable applications, the chip switches to standby mode when no audio is detected. The wireless sensing platform occupies a chip area of 1.76 mm 2 . The supply voltage is 2.5 V for the power amplifier and 1.8 V for other circuits. The measured maximum output power is 5.7 dBm and the transmission distance is over 500 m for real application scenarios. The chip consumes 25.1 mW power in normal work mode and 0.058 mW in standby mode. Compared to existing wireless acoustic sensors, the proposed wireless acoustic sensing platform can achieve features such as compactness, power efficiency, and reliability.

Dynamic analysis of soil erosion in the affected area of the lower Yellow River based on RUSLE model.

With the accelerated development of urbanization, the exploration and usage of land resources is becoming more and more frequent, which leads to the decline of soil quality, resulting in a series of soil ecological issues, such as soil nutrient loss, soil quality degradation and destruction. At present, the contradiction between soil erosion and sustainable development of human society has become one of the hot issues studied by scholars. The Yellow River Basin is an important experimental area for high-quality development in China, constructing the Yellow River Ecological Economic Belt play an important role in China's regional coordinated development. Although most of the affected area of the Lower Yellow River (AALYR) is in the plain, they have a large population density and are in the historical farming area. In latest years, because of the development and transformation of modern society, their ecological environment has become more fragile and soil erosion problems has become increasingly serious. Studying and analyzing soil erosion is of vital meaning for ecological protection and can provide scientific support for soil conservation work. Depending on the data of precipitation, soil properties, land use, population, etc., this paper studies and analyzes the soil erosion in AALYR from 2000 to 2020 through the RUSLE. We found that during the 20 years the proportion of very slight and slight grade area increased, and the distribution of moderate and above erosion grade was less, mainly in Zibo, Jinan, Anyang, Zhengzhou, and Tai 'an. Nearly three quarters of the regional soil erosion grade didn't change, apart from the increase of slight grade area, the other erosion grades area showed a downward trend. We take the city, county and town zoning analysis find that as the scale decreases, the area of serious erosion grades increases, and the distribution is gradually detailed. Land use is the main influencing factor of erosion except DEM. Forestland and grassland are larger of the soil erosion in various types of land use. Through these conclusions in this paper, it is promising to provide theoretical references for the ecological environment governance and high-quality and sustainable development of great river basins of the world and similar regions.

Spatial heterogeneity and scenario simulation of carbon budget on provincial scale in China.

BACKGROUND: Conducting an extensive study on the spatial heterogeneity of the overall carbon budget and its influencing factors and the decoupling status of carbon emissions from economic development, by undertaking simulation projections under different carbon emission scenarios is crucial for China to achieve its targets to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. There are large disparities in carbon emissions from energy consumption, the extent of land used for carbon absorption, and the status of decoupling of emissions from economic development, among various regions of China. RESULTS: Based on night light data and land use data, we investigated carbon budget through model estimation, decoupling analysis, and scenario simulation. The results show that the carbon deficit had a continuous upward trend from 2000 to 2018, and there was a significant positive spatial correlation. The overall status of decoupling first improved and then deteriorated. Altogether, energy consumption intensity, population density of built-up land, and built-up land area influenced the decoupling of carbon emissions from economic development. There are significant scenarios of carbon emissions from energy consumption for the study area during the forecast period, only in the low-carbon scenario will the study area reach the expected carbon emissions peak ahead of schedule in 2027; the peak carbon emissions will be 6479.27 million tons. CONCLUSIONS: China's provincial-scale carbon emissions show a positive correlation with economic development within the study period. It is necessary to optimize the economic structure, transforming the economic development mode, and formulating policies to control the expansion of built-up land. Efforts must be made to improve technology and promote industrial restructuring, to effectively reduce energy consumption intensity.

Hydrothermal synthesis of a bimetallic metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived Co3O4/SnO2 composite as an effective material for ethanol detection.

This study utilized a hydrothermal method and air calcination to prepare a bimetallic metal-organic framework (MOF) derived Co3O4/SnO2 nanocomposite material, which was employed as a sensing material for ethanol detection. The structure, elemental composition, and surface morphology of Co3O4/SnO2 nanocomposite materials were defined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Compared to SnO2 nanoparticles derived from metal-organic frameworks, the bimetallic metal-organic framework-derived Co3O4/SnO2 nanocomposite material exhibits significantly superior ethanol sensing performance. At 225 °C, the response value (R = Ra/Rg) to 100 ppm ethanol is 135, demonstrating excellent repeatability, selectivity and stability. Gas sensitivity assessment findings indicate that the 3 at% (Co/Sn) Co3O4/SnO2 nanocomposite is an excellent gas sensing material, providing strong technical support for ethanol detection and environmental monitoring.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of soil erosion in a typical watershed consisting of different landscape: A case study of the Qin River Basin.

Soil erosion has a severe impact on habitat and productivity. It is considered to be a major environmental threat prevalent in ecosystems. However, few researchers have studied the spatial distribution of soil erosion intensity among different geographic environmental factors. The Qin River Basin is a geographical unit consisting of mountains, hills, and plains with significant regional characteristics, and it has a basin area of 14,810.91 km2. This study uses the Geographical Information Systems, Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model to analyze the spatiotemporal changes in the soil-erosion intensity in the Qin River Basin from 1990 to 2018. Different environmental factors of land use, slope and altitude on erosion intensities of 19 secondary land types were analyzed. It can better reflect the soil erosion under different environmental factors and different land use types. Results show that the soil erosion modulus of Qin River Basin were 10.25 t hm-2 a-1, and it belong to slight erosion from 1990 to 2018. Soil erosion intensity is greater in grassland and woodland than in cropland. The strongest soil erosion occurred in the sparse forestland, and the lowest was in beach land. Soil erosion was the highest for a slope of 15~25° and an altitude of 1200~1500 m. Rainfall and slope are important factors lead to soil erosion, indicating weak water and soil conservation implemented in these areas. Therefore, priority should be given to these geomorphic units to formulate and implement soil-erosion control and ecological restoration policies in the Qin River Basin. This study provides a good reference for preventing and controlling soil erosion in river basins.

Understanding Relationships between Cultivated Land Pressure and Economic Development Level across Spatiotemporal Characteristics: Implications for Supporting Land-Use Management Decisions.

Food security is crucial to world peace. Economic development has posed a great threat to the protection of cultivated land. Considering 20 cities in the lower Yellow River (AALYR) as the study area, this study explored the spatial evolution of cultivated land pressure (CLP) and economic development from 1998 to 2018, revealing the spatiotemporal coupling characteristics of the CLP index and economic development. The main results are as follows: we discerned that CLP and economic development have an obvious spatiotemporal consistency during 1998-2018. The CLP showed a spatial pattern of overall stability, as well as local changes. Most prefecture-level cities experienced decreased significantly in CLP and improvements in food security. Overall, there were regional differences in the coupling relationships between CLP and economic development in the study area. The explanatory power of the proportion of secondary and tertiary industries were significantly higher than other driving factors. Therefore, while developing the economy rapidly, we should also protect cultivated land resources and improve the coordination level between them, which is essential to guarantee food security and a steady economic development.

Does Forest Soil Fungal Community Respond to Short-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition in Different Forests in Eastern China?

Nitrogen (N) deposition has changed plants and soil microbes remarkably, which deeply alters the structures and functions of terrestrial ecosystems. However, how forest fungal diversity, community compositions, and their potential functions respond to N deposition is still lacking in exploration at a large scale. In this study, we conducted a short-term (4-5 years) experiment of artificial N addition to simulated N deposition in five typical forest ecosystems across eastern China, which includes tropical montane rainforest, subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest, temperate deciduous broadleaved forest, temperate broadleaved and conifer mixed forest, and boreal forest along a latitudinal gradient from tropical to cold temperature zones. Fungal compositions were identified using high-throughput sequencing at the topsoil layer. The results showed that fungal diversity and fungal community compositions among forests varied apparently for both unfertilized and fertilized soils. Generally, soil fungal diversity, communities, and their potential functions responded sluggishly to short-term N addition, whereas the fungal Shannon index was increased in the tropical forest. In addition, environmental heterogeneity explained most of the variation among fungal communities along the latitudinal gradient. Specifically, soil C: N ratio and soil water content were the most important factors driving fungal diversity, whereas mean annual temperature and microbial nutrient limitation mainly shaped fungal community structure and functional compositions. Topsoil fungal communities in eastern forest ecosystems in China were more sensitive to environmental heterogeneity rather than short-term N addition. Our study further emphasized the importance of simultaneously evaluating soil fungal communities in different forest types in response to atmospheric N deposition.

Prediction of the potential geographical distribution of Betula platyphylla Suk. in China under climate change scenarios.

Climate is a dominant factor affecting the potential geographical distribution of species. Understanding the impact of climate change on the potential geographic distribution of species, which is of great significance to the exploitation, utilization, and protection of resources, as well as ecologically sustainable development. Betula platyphylla Suk. is one of the most widely distributed temperate deciduous tree species in East Asia and has important economic and ecological value. Based on 231 species distribution data points of Betula platyphylla Suk. in China and 37 bioclimatic, soil, and topography variables (with correlation coefficients < 0.75), the potential geographical distribution pattern of Betula platyphylla Suk. under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) climate change scenarios at present and in the 2050s and 2070s was predicted using the MaxEnt model. We analyzed the main environmental variables affecting the distribution and change of suitable areas and compared the scope and change of suitable areas under different climate scenarios. This study found: (1) At present, the main suitable area for Betula platyphylla Suk. extends from northeastern to southwestern China, with the periphery area showing fragmented distribution. (2) Annual precipitation, precipitation of the warmest quarter, mean temperature of the warmest quarter, annual mean temperature, and precipitation of the driest month are the dominant environmental variables that affect the potential geographical distribution of Betula platyphylla Suk. (3) The suitable area for Betula platyphylla Suk. is expected to expand under global warming scenarios. In recent years, due to the impact of diseases and insect infestation, and environmental damage, the natural Betula platyphylla Suk. forest in China has gradually narrowed. This study accurately predicted the potential geographical distribution of Betula platyphylla Suk. under current and future climate change scenarios, which can provide the scientific basis for the cultivation, management, and sustainable utilization of Betula platyphylla Suk. resources.