Plant cyclophilin (CYP) is related to chloroplast photoprotection, redox and other growth and developmental regulatory processes and responds to stress and improves tolerance to saline–alkali stress. Besides, it exerts peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase activity to participate in protein synthesis and folding. In this study, Northern blot was used to analyse the CsCYP1A gene (a CYP gene isolated from a Chlorella species) (accession number: KY207381) of tolerant Chlorella vulgaris in soda saline–alkali soil. The result showed that the expression of the CsCYP1A gene was induced by NaHCO3, NaCl and sorbitol. Additionally, Agrobacterium tumefaciens was used to infect the callus of rice (Oryza sativa var. Longjing11) for genetic transformation. Molecular detection confirmed that transgenic seedlings overexpressing CsCYP1A were obtained by hygromycin selection. Treatment with NaCl and NaHCO3 at the five-leaf stage was performed in the seedlings, and the results showed that there were significant differences between the CsCYP1A overexpressed rice lines and non-transgenic (NT) Longjing11 in terms of plant height, fresh weight, chlorophyll content, malondialdehyde content and ascorbate peroxidase activity. The CsCYP1A overexpression rice lines had higher tolerance to NaCl and NaHCO3 than NT. The current findings indicate that CsCYP1A can enhance the tolerance of rice to saline–alkali stress possibly through its involvement in reactive oxygen scavenging pathways.

Advanced Ni8W/Ni12W/Ni8W alloy composite substrates used in YBCO-coated conductors with a strong cube texture and high yield strength have been fabricated, and a CeO2 buffer layer film was successfully deposited on the composite substrates. Through in situ tensile testing coupled with electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis, the stability of the cube texture of Ni8W/Ni12W/Ni8W alloy composite substrates has been investigated. The stress–strain curve shows that the yield strength (at 0.2% strain) of the composite substrates exceeds 250 Mpa. The orientation of grains and boundaries on the surface of the substrates was almost unchanged, while the strain exceeds 0.2%, which indicated that the composite substrates are adequate for depositing buffer layers and YBCO layers by the reel-to-reel process.

We report new U–Pb isotopic data for detrital zircons from Cambrian–Ordovician strata on the northern margin of the western Yangtze Block, which together with published U–Pb isotopic data for coeval strata in the South China Block, provide critical constraints on the provenance of these sediments and further shed light on the early Palaeozoic position of the South China Block in the context of Gondwana. Detrital zircons in this study yield four major age peaks in the early Palaeoproterozoic, early Neoproterozoic, middle Neoproterozoic and late Neoproterozoic – early Palaeozoic. The dominant age population of 900–700 Ma matches well with magmatic ages from the nearby Panxi–Hannan Belt, which indicates that Cambrian–Ordovician sedimentary rocks in the western Yangtze Block were mainly of local derivation. However, compilations of detrital zircon ages for the Cambrian–Ordovician strata from the Cathaysia Block and the eastern Yangtze Block show that both blocks are dominated by late Mesoproterozoic- and early Neoproterozoic-aged detrital zircons, which suggests a remarkable exotic input with typical Gondwana signatures. According to the integrated detrital zircon age spectra of the Cambrian–Ordovician sedimentary rocks from the entire South China Block and palaeocurrent data, the South China Block should have been linked with North India and Western Australia within East Gondwana. Specifically, the Cathaysia Block was located adjacent to Western Australia, while the Yangtze Block was connected with North India.

The hot deformation behavior of Nb–V–Ti microalloyed ultra-high strength steel was investigated by isothermal compression at 900–1200 °C with strain rates from 0.01 to 10 s−1. The microstructure evolution and precipitation behavior were studied using an optical microscope and a transmission electron microscope Results indicate that the peak stress of experimental steel increases with increasing the strain rate and decreasing the deformation temperature. The constitutive equation of hot deformation was developed with the activation energy Q being about 407.29 kJ/mol. The processing maps were also obtained to identify the instable regions of the flow behavior and to evaluate the efficiency of hot deformation. The size of dynamically recrystallized grains increases gradually with a decrease in the strain rate. Three types of carbides were identified, namely M3C, rich-Ti MC, and rich-Nb MC. With the increase of the deformation rate, the amounts of carbides increase, and the average sizes of the carbides decrease gradually.

The constitutive equation was established based on the consideration of strain compensation to describe the hot deformation behavior of low carbon reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels at the temperatures of 850–1050 °C and the strain rates of 0.01–10 s−1. The result indicates that the flow stress is increased with the increase of strain rate but decreased with increase of deformation temperature. During the hot deformation process, the increase of temperature is beneficial to attain the complete dynamic recrystallization (DRX). However, excessively high temperature leads to grow up of dynamic recrystallized grain. Higher strain rate leads to finer recrystallized grains. The material constants (α, n, A) and deformation activation energy (Q) are calculated by the regression analysis. The increase of strain caused the decrease of Q, indicating the DRX occurred more easily. In addition, the developed constitutive equation could accurately predict the hot deformation behavior of the low carbon RAFM steel.

To investigate the effects of cold rolling on the microstructure, the precipitation behavior and the morphology of δ-phase, Inconel 718 alloy samples with different cold rolling reductions were aged for different periods at temperatures range from 850 °C to 1000 °C. Detailed microstructural observations and quantitative measurements were conducted to characterize the evolution of the δ-phase during aging. The results show that the microstructure consists of large deformed grains as a result of a slow static recovery at the low aging temperatures (850 and 900 °C); whereas the austenite matrix is fully recrystallized at the high aging temperatures (950 and 1000 °C). It is also found that the amount of δ-phase and the number density of spherical δ-phase particles increase with the increase in the degree of cold rolling both at low and high aging temperatures. With respect to different microstructural changes for the cold-rolled samples at the low or the high aging temperatures, two distinct mechanisms have been, respectively, introduced to interpret the changes in the precipitation behavior and the appearance of δ-phase.

The microstructural evolution of type 347H heat-resistant austenitic steel during long-term aging at 700–900 °C was investigated by using a transmission microscope, a scanning electron microscope, and electron energy spectrum technology. The microstructural examination showed the typical micrographs of MX carbonitrides and M23C6 carbides after aging. The existence of the Z phase (NbCrN) at the grain boundaries during aging was identified. Meanwhile, the possible precipitation sequence of these particles was also confirmed. In the beginning of aging, fine Nb(C,N) precipitates first, then, M23C6 carbides precipitate along the grain boundaries. Finally, the Z phase is also observed at the grain boundaries. Moreover, the influence of isothermal holding temperature on the precipitation of MX carbonitrides and M23C6 carbides was discussed. The various microstructural characterizations showed that the M23C6 carbides and MX carbonitrides precipitate more easily with the increase of aging temperature. Furthermore, the number and the size of MX particles and M23C6 carbides increase when the isothermal holding time is prolonged.

To study the thermal deformation behavior and microstructural evolution of the type 347H austenitic steel, compression experiments were conducted at the temperatures of 800–1100 °C with strain rates of 0.01–10 s−1. The activation energy and constitutive equation of the type 347H steel during thermal deformation process were determined according to the flow stress curves. Both the hot processing maps and microstructure characteristics under different deformation conditions were investigated. Based on the thermal processing maps, two unstable regions under 800 °C/0.01–10 s−1 and 1100 °C/0.01 s−1 were identified. The processing maps were in favor of optimizing thermal processing parameters and improving thermal processing properties of the type 347H austenitic steel. After thermal deformation, the dislocation in the austenite matrix increases significantly. Besides, in the stable regions, the precipitation of carbides is facilitated by thermal deformation.