Calcium ion contamination in water-based drilling fluids (WBDs) dramatically increases filtration volume loss and worsens rheological properties, especially in high-temperature bore holes. This study demonstrated two types of acrylamide polymers as anti-calcium contamination fluid-loss additives in WBDs, including an amphoteric polymer (ADD) synthesized by 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS), acrylamide (AM), and diallyl dimethylammonium chloride (DMDAAC) and an anionic polymer (AD) synthesized by AMPS and AM. In transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of sodium bentonite (Na-BT)-based mud under 11.1% CaCl2 contamination and 150 °C hot rolling, a typical “star-net” structure was observed between the ADD and Na-BT layers; however, polymer AD could not form such a net structure. Energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) analysis of the Na-BT layer indicated that ADD could greatly decrease the amount of Ca2+ on Na-BT layers in comparison to AD. Accordingly, in an American Petroleum Institute (API) filtration test and a rheological test of Na-BT-based mud with 11.1% CaCl2 contamination after 150 °C hot rolling, Na-BT-based mud with 1.5% ADD could maintain an API filtration volume (FLAPI) as low as 9.6 mL, whereas Na-BT-based mud with 1.5% AD maintained a FLAPI of 36 mL. The rheological properties of Na-BT-based mud also showed that ADD could maintain higher viscosity and shear stress than AD, suggesting that amphoteric polymer ADD was suitable for making WBDs more resistant to calcium contamination and high temperature.

Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl. (Laurales: Lauraceae) is widely cultivated as an important landscape tree species in many urban areas in South China, especially in Shanghai City. Pagiophloeus tsushimanus Morimoto has become a destructive insect pest of C. camphora plantations in Shanghai, but the biological and ecological traits of this pest remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the damage and life history and determined the larval instar of P. tsushimanus. The results indicated that P. tsushimanus is a monophagous weevil pest, and C. camphora is the unique host tree species. C. camphora plantations in all administrative districts of Shanghai have been seriously damaged by P. tsushimanus. Adults often aggregate for feeding on the tender bark of twigs and occasionally on newly emerged buds. After experiencing damage, the twigs shrink and crack and the buds will shrink. Adults tend to repeatedly mate and oviposit, and all females lay single eggs at a time. Eggs will be covered with a mixture of secretions and wood chips by female adults. Larvae (1st–2nd instar) feed on the phloem, while 3rd–5th instar can bore into the phloem and the cambium. Massive tunnels, including three shapes (inverted “L”, inverted “T”, and inverted “Z”), were observed in the trunk of each tree, and resulted in swelling of the outer bark. P. tsushimanus has one life cycle per year in Shanghai. Both adults and larvae (3rd–5th instar) overwinter from early November to early April. Adults overwinter in grooves on the underside of branches or at branch nodes, and larvae overwinter in tunnels. Five larval instars of P. tsushimanus were determined according to Dyar's and Crosby's rules. The biological traits and life history of P. tsushimanus have been identified and can provide guidance in terms of pest control and plantation management.

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Due to the effects of global warming, extreme temperature events are posing a great threat to crop yields, especially to temperature-sensitive crops such as rice. In the context of disaster risk theory, exposure is central to disaster prevention and reduction. Thus, a comprehensive analysis of crop exposure is essential to better reduce disaster effects. By combining the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) and a multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), this paper analyzed the global distribution and change in rice exposure to high temperature. The results showed the future states of rice after exposure to high temperatures. Our results are: (1) the areas of potential rice distribution zones decreased within the representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios RCP2.6 to RCP8.5 in MaxEnt, where the long-term (2061–2080) decreases are greater than those seen in the medium term (2041–2060). (2) In the future, the number of high temperature hazards in potential rice distribution areas increased. In the RCP8.5 scenario, the intensities of global high temperature hazards on rice were reduced because the total area of potential rice distribution zones decreased. (3) Through the view of barycenter shift, the barycenter of the global potential rice and high temperature hazard distributions showed a trend of backward motion, which meant the global rice exposure to high temperature was in a downward trend. With the background of global change, this paper has great significance for the mitigation of high temperature risk in rice and its effect on the potential security of future global rice production. Future research is warranted to concentrate on discussing more socioeconomic factors and increasing rice exposure change from the temporal vision.

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Design of experiments was adopted to evaluate the effect of selected test parameters on the viscoelastic behaviors of polyester tire cords through dynamic mechanical analysis systematically. Design of experiments results showed that temperature, static load, and dynamic amplitude had significant effects on the responses of complex modulus (E*) and Tan δ. Furthermore, temperature had significant interactions with static load and dynamic amplitude factors on the responses. None of the test parameters had any significant effect on the response of glass transition temperature (Tg). Below Tg, thermoplastic tire cords exhibited a high and constant dynamic modulus, whereas, beyond this point, the modulus decreased dramatically. The thermosetting tire cords exhibited a constant performance due to an ordered and tight molecular chain arrangement. The magnitude of Tan δ reached its peak value at Tg due to the increase in internal friction as a result of increasing temperature. The dynamic modulus increased and Tan δ decreased with the increasing static load as a result of restricting the mobility of chain segments. The reverse was true when the dynamic amplitude increased, most probably because of higher chain segment mobility and early stage of polymer chain slippage. Activation energy (Ea), derived from Arrhenius equation, can be used to predict its long-term performance. Tg shifted to a higher temperature as the frequency increased. In addition, by increasing the twist level of the polyester tire cord, the dynamic modulus decreased and Tan δ increased. Tg was evaluated as the upper limit working temperature, Tan δ was related to energy dissipation, and E* determined the overall performance of the tire cord. By displacing Tg to a higher temperature, reducing the magnitude of Tan δ and increasing the dynamic modulus are of great importance to a tire cord’s performance.

Suitable land is an important prerequisite for crop cultivation and, given the prospect of climate change, it is essential to assess such suitability to minimize crop production risks and to ensure food security. Although a variety of methods to assess the suitability are available, a comprehensive, objective, and large-scale screening of environmental variables that influence the results—and therefore their accuracy—of these methods has rarely been explored. An approach to the selection of such variables is proposed and the criteria established for large-scale assessment of land, based on big data, for its suitability to maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation as a case study. The predicted suitability matched the past distribution of maize with an overall accuracy of 79% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.72. The land suitability for maize is likely to decrease markedly at low latitudes and even at mid latitudes. The total area suitable for maize globally and in most major maize-producing countries will decrease, the decrease being particularly steep in those regions optimally suited for maize at present. Compared with earlier research, the method proposed in the present paper is simple yet objective, comprehensive, and reliable for large-scale assessment. The findings of the study highlight the necessity of adopting relevant strategies to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change.