Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Wang, Chunming

Publications and source records attributed to Wang, Chunming.

At least 19 records

The elite haplotype OsGATA8 -H coordinates nitrogen uptake and productive tiller formation in rice

Excessive nitrogen promotes the formation of nonproductive tillers in rice, which decreases nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Developing high-NUE rice cultivars through balancing nitrogen uptake and the formation of productive tillers remains a long-standing challenge, yet how these two processes are coordinated in rice remains elusive. Here we identify the transcription factor OsGATA8 as a key coordinator of nitrogen uptake and tiller formation in rice. OsGATA8 negatively regulates nitrogen uptake by repressing transcription of the ammonium transporter gene OsAMT3.2. Meanwhile, it promotes tiller formation by repressing the transcription of OsTCP19, a negative modulator of tillering. We identify OsGATA8-H as a high-NUE haplotype with enhanced nitrogen uptake and a higher proportion of productive tillers. The geographical distribution of OsGATA8-H and its frequency change in historical accessions suggest its adaption to the fertile soil. Overall, this study provides molecular and evolutionary insights into the regulation of NUE and facilitates the breeding of rice cultivars with higher NUE.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Anomalous magnetothermoelectric behavior in massive Dirac materials

Extensive studies of electron transport in Dirac materials have shown positive magnetoresistance (MR) and positive magnetothermopower (MTP) in a magnetic field perpendicular to the excitation current or thermal gradient. In contrast, measurements of electron transport often show a negative longitudinal MR and negative MTP for a magnetic field oriented along the excitation current or thermal gradient; this is attributed to the chiral anomaly in Dirac materials. In this paper, we report a very different magnetothermoelectric transport behavior in the massive Dirac material ZrTe5. Although thin flakes show a commonly observed positive MR in a perpendicular magnetic field, distinct from other Dirac materials, we observe a sharp negative MTP. In a parallel magnetic field, we still observe a negative longitudinal MR, however, a remarkable positive MTP is observed for the fields parallel to the thermal gradients. Our theoretical calculations suggest that this anomalous magnetothermoelectric behavior can be attributed to the screened Coulomb scattering. This work demonstrates the significance of impurity scattering in the electron transport of topological materials and provides deep insight into the magnetotransport phenomena in Dirac materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Alternative splicing of OsGS1;1 affects nitrogen‐use efficiency, grain development, and amylose content in rice

SUMMARY Excessive nitrogen fertilizer application is harmful to the environment and reduces the quality of cereal crops. Maintaining crop yields under low nitrogen (LN) conditions and improving quality are important goals for cereal crop breeding. Although the effects of nitrogen assimilation on crop nitrogen‐use efficiency (NUE) have been intensively studied, natural variations of the key assimilation genes underlying grain development and quality are largely unclear. Here, we identified an NUE‐associated gene, OsGS1;1 , encoding glutamine synthase, through genome‐wide association analysis, followed by validation experiments and functional analysis. Fifteen single‐nucleotide polymorphisms in the OsGS1;1 region led to alternative splicing that generated two functional transcripts: OsGS1;1a and OsGS1;1b . The elite haplotype of OsGS1;1 showed high OsGS1;1b activity, which improved NUE, affected grain development, and reduced amylose content. The results show that OsGS1;1 , which is induced under LN conditions, affects grain formation by regulating sugar metabolism and may provide a new avenue for the breeding of high‐yield and high‐quality rice ( Oryza sativa ).

Liu, Xiaolan↗

Effect of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} Addition on the Microstructure, Wear Resistance, and Corrosion Behavior of W-4.9Ni-2.1Fe Heavy Alloy

Binding and particle phases are the two important parameters influencing materials properties. In this study, a series of novel W-4.9Ni-2.1Fe-xY{sub 2}O{sub 3} (in weight%) alloys with different Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} contents are prepared by secondary ball milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques to obtain uniformly distributed γ-(Ni, Fe) binding phases and finer grains. The microstructure, mechanical, wear resistance, and corrosion behavior of the sintered bodies with different Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} were obtained by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Rockwell hardness tester, friction wear tester, and three-dimensional profile instruments. The results showed that a certain addition of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} led to refined grains and uniformed microstructures; but, if excessive, a weak grain refinement would be appeared. Moreover, the grain size tends to be stable with enhancing of the Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} content. Considering properties such as density, hardness, compression yield strength, grain size, and uniform distribution of tungsten hard phase and γ-(Ni, Fe) binding phase, the comprehensive optimal amount of 0.7 wt.% of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} was attained for the alloy. Meanwhile, the SPS sintered body also exhibited the best friction, wear behavior, and corrosion resistance in 3.5% of NaCl solution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Numerical Simulation of Residual Stress for Laser Welding of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Considering Solid-State Phase Transformation

In the present work, a thermal-metallurgical-mechanical model which considered the influence of phase transformation was used to predict the residual stress field of Ti-6Al-4V after laser welding. In this model, the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation was used to predict diffusional solid-state phase transformations: α phase to β phase during heating and β phase to α phase during cooling. The Koistinen–Marburger equation was used to predict diffusionless solid-state phase transformation of β phase to martensite during cooling. The properties of material were obtained using a mixing rule based on the phase fraction and the property of each pure phase. By applying this model, the effect of solid-state phase transformations of Ti-6Al-4V alloy on temperature field and stress field during laser welding was considered in the simulation. In addition, experiments were carried out for comparison, which significantly verified the accuracy of the applied model.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Compactibility of Unsaturated Titanium Hydride Powders

In this study, the effects of phase composition and hydrogen content on the compactibility of the titanium hydride powders are investigated. The crushing strength and the XRD patterns were performed. From the results of the green density, it is clear that the compressibility of the unsaturated hydride titanium powder is higher than that of TiH{sub 2}. The results of the compression tests indicate that the crushing strength of unsaturated hydride titanium powder is markedly higher than that of the TiH{sub 2} and pure Ti. The relative mass fraction of each phase of the unsaturated hydride titanium powder was analyzed by Rietveld refinement of the XRD patterns. The phase composition with high compactibility of the unsaturated hydride titanium powder contains a lot of TiH{sub 1.5} and a small amount of α-Ti and TiH. There is a suitable range for each phase: TiH{sub 1.5} (70-73 wt.%), α-Ti (13-18 wt.%) and TiH (11-15 wt.%).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhanced piezoelectricity in plastically deformed nearly amorphous Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20}-BaTiO{sub 3} nanocomposites

Bulk Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20}-BaTiO{sub 3} (BTO-BT) nanocomposites are fabricated through the high-temperature interfacial reaction between nanometer-sized BaTiO{sub 3} particles and melting Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20}. Although the obtained BTO-BT nanocomposites are nearly amorphous and display very weak ferroelectricity, they exhibit relatively strong piezoelectricity without undergoing the electrical poling process. The volume fraction of crystalline Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20} is reduced to less than 10%, and the piezoelectric constant d{sub 33} is enhanced to 13 pC/N. Only the presence of the macroscopic polar amorphous phases can explain this unusual thermal stable piezoelectricity. Combining the results from X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and thermal annealing, it can be confirmed that the formation of macroscopic polar amorphous phases is closely related to the inhomogeneous plastic deformation of the amorphous Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20} during the sintering process. These results highlight the key role of plastically deformed amorphous Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20} in the Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20}-based polar composites, and the temperature gradient driven coupling between the plastic strain gradient and polarization in amorphous phases is the main poling mechanism for this special type of bulk polar material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A study of the mechanism of laser welding defects in low thermal expansion superalloy GH909

In this paper, we describe experimental laser welding of low-thermal-expansion superalloy GH909. The main welding defects of GH909 by laser in the weld are liquation cracks and porosities, including hydrogen and carbon monoxide porosity. The forming mechanism of laser welding defects was investigated. This investigation was conducted using an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, energy diffraction spectrum, X-ray diffractometer and other methodologies. The results demonstrated that porosities appearing in the central weld were related to incomplete removal of oxide film on the surface of the welding samples. The porosities produced by these bubbles were formed as a result of residual hydrogen or oxygenium in the weld. These elements failed to escape from the weld since laser welding has both a rapid welding speed and cooling rate. The emerging crack in the heat affected zone is a liquation crack and extends along the grain boundary as a result of composition segregation. Laves–Ni{sub 2}Ti phase with low melting point is a harmful phase, and the stress causes grain boundaries to liquefy, migrate and even crack. Removing the oxides on the surface of the samples before welding and carefully controlling technological parameters can reduce welding defects and improve formation of the GH909 alloy weld. - Highlights: ► It is a new process for the forming of GH909 alloy via laser welding. ► The forming mechanism of laser welding defects in GH909 has been studied. ► It may be a means to improve the efficiency of aircraft engine production.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗