Cumulative Strain and Improvement Mechanisms of Soil Reinforced by Xanthan Gum Biopolymer Under Traffic Loading.

As is widely accepted, cumulative strain and improvement mechanisms of stabilized soil are critical factors for the long-term reliable operation of expressways and high-speed railways. Based on relevant research findings, xanthan gum biopolymer is regarded as a green and environmentally friendly curing agent in comparison to traditional stabilizers, such as cement, lime, and fly ash. However, little attention has been devoted to the cumulative strain and improvement mechanisms of soil reinforced by xanthan gum biopolymer under traffic loading.

Rice OsMRG702 and Its Partner OsMRGBP Control Flowering Time through H4 Acetylation.

MORF-RELATED GENE702 (OsMRG702) regulates flowering time genes in rice, but how it controls transcription is not well known. Here, we found that OsMRGBP can directly interact with OsMRG702. Both and mutants show the delayed flowering phenotype with the reduction in the transcription of multiple key flowering time genes, including and .

Stabilizing the Halide Solid Electrolyte to Lithium by a β-LiN Interfacial Layer.

As a new class of solid electrolytes, halide solid electrolytes have the advantages of high ionic conductivity at room temperature, stability to high-voltage cathodes, and good deformability, but they generally show a problem of being unstable to a lithium anode. Here, we report the use of LiN as an interface modification layer to improve the interfacial stability of LiZrCl to the Li anode. We found that commercial LiN can be easily transformed into an α-phase and a β-phase by ball-milling and annealing, respectively, in which β-phase LiN simultaneously has high room-temperature ionic conductivity and good stability to both Li and LiZrCl, making it a good choice for an artificial interface layer material.