Microencapsulated soil conditioner with a water-soluble core: improving soil nutrition of crop root.

Traditional level of fertilisers was used by most farmers in China with the risks about resources wasting, environmental pollution together with soil structure deterioration. It is practicable to tackle the challenges about over-fertilisation and low efficiency with microencapsulated soil conditioner (MSC), which clads the water soluble core with natural polymer. Fulvic acid (FA) can be used as core material, because it possesses the characteristics of water-soluble, fertiliser maintenance and expedient monitoring. The morphology, structure, and properties of MSC were studied and compared. The particle size of MSC was ranged from 1.58 to 2.14 mm with a similar shape which was obtained by conventional measuring method due to their soft features. This was mainly attributed to the concentration of liquid paraffin and the interaction between shell materials and calcium chloride. FTIR spectra showed that a peak appeared at 1372 cm-1, and this was ascribed to the microcapsules crosslinked and solidified by calcium ions. Sustained release experiment revealed that the microcapsules owned better fertiliser-retaining and water-retaining performances, and FA may be released as long as 750 h. Biodegradation experiments revealed that an obvious pore structure was found on the surface of microspheres after 30 d of degradation, and this was consistent with the sustained release experiment. Pot experiment illustrated that the plants cured with the microcapsules showed significant growth trend and grew up to 9.2 cm with a maximum rate, and this revealed that MSC owned better performance of promoting the growth of crop root.

Three-dimensional morphological analysis and clinical application of ankle joint in Chinese population based on CT reconstruction.

PURPOSE: To study the anatomical features of the ankle joint in Chinese northeast healthy adults and provide accurate data for the design of the total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) prosthesis. METHODS: Computer tomography (CT) images from 156 healthy subjects, 86 males and 70 females, were collected and reconstructed through Mimics software. The 3D morphology of the distal tibia/fibula section and the whole talar was analyzed by measuring 28 parameters including maximal tibial thickness (MTiTh), anterior-posterior inclination angle, trochlea tali width (TaW), distal tibial width (TiW) and trochlea tali arc chode length (TaAL) and calculating MTiTh/TiW, TaAL/TaW. Gender difference and accuracy of CT images were evaluated. The measurements were compared with previously reported data from Caucasian subjects and Asian subjects. Statistical analysis was conducted by independent-samples t test through SPSS software. RESULTS: (1) Twenty two out of the 28 parameters were found significantly different between males and females. Most of the parameters in males were found larger than that in females (p < 0.05). (2) The difference was found larger in comparison with the Caucasian subject groups than that with Asian subject groups. (3) All the selected 11 parameters measured by CT images were found to be smaller than those by X-ray images (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The morphological parameters were found different between the Caucasian and Chinese northeast populations. Precise data of the ankle joint morphology were provided for the design and clinical application of TAA in the Chinese population.

Preparation and application properties of sustainable gelatin/chitosan soil conditioner microspheres.

Traditional soil conditioners can be used as drugs to regulate elements in soil due to overuse or pollution. There are some negative effects such as low efficiency, hard to degrade and harmful to the environment when they are used. Soil conditioners prepared from sustainable macromolecules can reduce or eliminate these negative effects. In this work, gelatin (GL), chitosan (CS), magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) and fulvic acid (FA) were combined and prepared into GL/CS/MAP-FA soil conditioner microspheres with core-shell structure through emulsion crosslinking method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis results clarified the surface composition of the microspheres and revealed the good coating performance of GL/CS shell materials. The thermal stability of the microspheres was measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Water-retention, degradation and crop cultivation showed that these microspheres owned good biocompatibility, which can extend the water-retention time of the soil, settle free heavy metal ions and promote crop growth. The load of fertilizer in the microsphere can effectively prolong the release cycle and improve the utilization rate of fertilizer.