Polyhedral YVO4: Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Sm, Yb/Er, Yb/Tm) microcrystals were fabricated via a facile sol–gel auto-combustion method using NH4VO3 as vanadium source in the presence of glycine. The X-ray diffraction patterns were well matched with pure YVO4, and the doped lanthanide ions did not change the host structure. The YVO4 microcrystals annealed from 500 to 1000 °C for 3 h were polyhedral and ranged in particle size from 0.1 to 2 μm. The luminescence properties of YVO4: Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Sm, Yb/Er, Yb/Tm) samples indicated that all of the YVO4: Ln3+ samples exhibited typical emission spectra of Ln3+ cations, suggesting that the Ln3+ cations were well doped in YVO4 and could be excited efficiently through matrix absorption. In addition, the corresponding mechanisms of emission and energy transfer in the YVO4: Ln3+ are proposed.

The temporal dynamics of ciliate community structure in a southern Chinese shrimp aquaculture facility were investigated during the period June–September 2012. A total of 53 species belonging to 37 genera and 17 orders were recorded based on analyses of eight samples. Ciliate abundance peaked between 16 August and 14 September 2012, while the maximum number of species occurred on 26 June 2012. Clear temporal patterns were observed in the ciliate community structure. The patterns of succession of the 10 most abundant species were consistent with the results of a Canonical Analysis of Principal coordinates (CAP) analysis. Correlation analyses showed that these patterns of succession were related to temporal changes in environmental variables. In summary, the results demonstrate that the ciliate community responds predictably to environmental variations and recovers from shrimp cultivation.

Multiple lines of stratigraphic, geochemical, and fossil data suggest that fresh-mesohaline paleolakes were widespread in the Tengger Desert of northwestern China and underwent major fluctuations during the late Pleistocene. The paleolakes started to develop at ca. 42,000 14C yr B.P. The lake levels were the highest between 35,000 and 22,000 14C yr B.P., during which Megalake Tengger dominated the landscape. The climatic conditions at this time were unique for this area and have no modern analogue. After an episode of decline between 22,000 and 20,000 14C yr B.P. and an episode of rebound between 20,000 and 18,600 14C yr B.P., the paleolakes started to desiccate and completely disappeared around 18,000 14C yr B.P. The environmental proxy data indicate that the Megalake Tengger formed under warm–humid climates. The reconstructed climatic variations appear to be correlative with the abrupt climatic events reconstructed for the North Atlantic.

In this study, the precipitation behavior of the pretwinned extruded Mg–6Al–1Zn alloy was investigated. It was observed that the precipitates preferentially nucleated at the twin boundaries or within the preexistent twins. This distribution of the precipitates led to the distinguishing influences on subsequent compression and tension process, which were dominated by twinning and detwinning of the preexistent twins, respectively. The compressive yield strength after aging was a little lower than the stress when the precompression was interrupted, which meant that the impeding effect of precipitation on twin expansion was relatively smaller than that of dislocations induced by precompression. However, the tensile yield strength of aged samples was extremely higher than that of non-aged samples as the migration of the twin boundaries during detwinning was considerably hindered because of the preferential precipitation within the preexistent {10-12} twins.

The beneficial effect of B on the hot ductility of 20CrMnTi steel with 0.05% Sn was investigated. The results show that there is a trough in the hot ductility-temperature curve. With the increase in the B content, the trough shifts to a lower temperature and becomes shallow, and the hot brittle range becomes narrow. In addition, B greatly enhancing the hot ductility was due mainly to its suppressing the Sn segregation, retarding the austenite/ferrite deformation, accelerating the onset of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and promoting the intragranular nucleation of ferrite. Moreover, in the present case, adding 92 ppm B can nucleation of ferrite. Moreover, in the present case, adding 92 ppm B can obtain the best effect in improving the hot ductility of 20CrMnTi steel with 0.05% Sn.