Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Wang, Xiaojie

Publications and source records attributed to Wang, Xiaojie.

Realization of thousand-second improved confinement plasma with Super I-mode in Tokamak EAST

Mastering nuclear fusion, which is an abundant, safe, and environmentally competitive energy, is a great challenge for humanity. Tokamak represents one of the most promising paths toward controlled fusion. Obtaining a high-performance, steady-state, and long-pulse plasma regime remains a critical issue. Recently, a big breakthrough in steady-state operation was made on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). A steady-state plasma with a world-record pulse length of 1056 s was obtained, where the density and the divertor peak heat flux were well controlled, with no core impurity accumulation, and a new high-confinement and self-organizing regime (Super I-mode = I-mode + e-ITB) was discovered and demonstrated. These achievements contribute to the integration of fusion plasma technology and physics, which is essential to operate next-step devices.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Haustoria – arsenals during the interaction between wheat and Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici

Summary As an obligate parasite, Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici ( Pst ) forms haustoria to obtain nutrients from plant cells for development, and these structures are essential for pathogen survival. To better understand the contribution of haustoria to the interactions with the host plants, we isolated haustoria from susceptible wheat leaves infected with Pst race CYR31 and sequenced their transcriptome as well as those of urediospores and germ tubes, and compared the three transcriptomes. A total of 3524 up‐regulated genes were obtained from haustoria, of which 73 genes were related to thiamine biosynthesis, glycolysis and lipid metabolic processes. Silencing seven of the genes reduced the growth and development of Pst in wheat. More interestingly, 1197 haustorial secreted proteins (HASPs) were detected in haustoria, accounting for 34% of the total proteins, indicating that these HASPs play important roles in haustorium‐mediated pathogenic progression. Furthermore, 69 HASPs were able to suppress Bax‐triggered programmed cell death in tobacco. Additionally, 46 HASPs significantly reduced callose deposition in wheat using the type III secretion system. This study identified a large number of effectors through transcriptome sequencing, and the results revealed components of metabolic pathways that impact the growth and colonization of the pathogen and indicate essential functions of haustoria in the growth and pathogenicity of Pst .

Xu, Qiang↗

Biochar application as a tool to decrease soil nitrogen losses (NH3 volatilization, N2O emissions, and N leaching) from croplands: Options and mitigation strength in a global perspective

Biochar application to croplands has been proposed as a potential strategy to decrease losses of soil-reactive nitrogen (N) to the air and water. However, the extent and spatial variability of biochar function at the global level are still unclear. Using Random Forest regression modelling of machine learning based on data compiled from the literature, we mapped the impacts of different biochar types (derived from wood, straw, or manure), and their interactions with biochar application rates, soil properties, and environmental factors, on soil N losses (NH3 volatilization, N2O emissions, and N leaching) and crop productivity. The results show that a suitable distribution of biochar across global croplands (i.e., one application of <40 t ha-1 wood biochar for poorly buffered soils, such as those characterized by soil pH<5, organic carbon<1%, or clay>30%; and one application of <80 t ha-1 wood biochar, <40 t ha-1 straw biochar, or <10 t ha-1 manure biochar for other soils) could achieve an increase in global crop yields by 222–766 Tg yr-1 (4%–16% increase), a mitigation of cropland N2O emissions by 0.19–0.88 Tg N yr-1 (6%–30% decrease), a decline of cropland N leaching by 3.9–9.2 Tg N yr-1 (12%–29% decrease), but also a fluctuation of cropland NH3 volatilization by -1.9–4.7 Tg N yr-1 (-12%–31% change). The decreased sum of the three major reactive N losses amount to 1.7–9.4 Tg N yr-1, which corresponds to 3%–14% of the global cropland total N loss. Biochar generally has a larger potential for decreasing soil N losses but with less benefits to crop production in temperate regions than in tropical regions.

biochar, soil amendment, nitrogen cycle, climate c↗

Linear and nonlinear spin-wave dynamics in ultralow-damping microstructured Co 2 FeAl Heusler waveguide

Here, we report on the investigation of linear and nonlinear spin-wave dynamics of a microstructured Co 2 FeAl Heusler waveguide using the microfocus Brillouin light scattering technique. A significantly increased decay length of 19.55 μm owing to decreased Gilbert damping has been observed for waves propagating in the linear regime. Furthermore, the localized edge mode caused by the demagnetizing field leads to the nonlinear generation of high-order harmonics at double and triple excitation frequencies at high powers. The obtained results provide valuable insights into the linear and nonlinear spin wave dynamics of the Heusler waveguide and could potentially be applied in the implementation of spin wave frequency multipliers for magnonic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗