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The investigation of the interfacial phase transitions in fluid systems with short-range intermetallic interactions are of great interest. The phenomena were studied in two systems exhibiting a liquid-liquid miscibility gap: at the fluid/wall interface in fluid KxKCl1-x and at the fluid/vacuum interface of the Ga1 xBix alloys. To characterize the interfacial changes of the ultra thin films (composition, thickness and their evolution with time) the spectroscopic ellipsometry was performed over a wide spectral range. Whereas in the experiments on KxKCl1-x an existing ellipsometer could be used, a completely new UHV-apparatus including the in-situ phase modulation ellipsometer had to be developed for Ga1 xBix alloys. For the KxKCl1-x system new results on complete wetting at solid-liquid coexistence as well as in the homogenous liquid phase (prewetting) are presented. The spectra show the typical F center absorption which indicates that the film is a salt-rich phase. The thickness strongly increases approaching the monotectic from 30 to 440 nm, which is in agreement with the tetra point wetting scenario. For this interpretation a quantitative description of the excess Gibbs energy has been developed. For the Ga1 xBix system the results on complete wetting, surface freezing and oscillatory interfacial instabilities are presented. The high-precision spectra have been recorded approaching the liquid-liquid miscibility. These spectra have been modeled using a Ga-Bi effective medium approximation for the substrate covered by a film of liquid Bi. The measurements give evidence of tetra point wetting in the Ga-Bi system. First ellipsometric study of the surface freezing in Ga-Bi has been performed. Within the miscibility gap a very interesting effect of surface and bulk oscillatory instability was observed. The details of this process at present are not well understood, but a qualitative description is given.

molten salt --- surface phase transition --- spectroscopic ellipsometry --- Ga-Bi alloys

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From its inception in the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), the salt monopoly was a key component in the Chinese government's financial toolkit. Salt, with its highly localized and large-scale production, was an ideal target for bureaucratic management. In the Song dynasty (960-1279), fiscal pressures on the government had intensified with increased centralization and bureaucratization. A bloated administration and an enormous standing army maintained against incursions by aggressive steppe neighbors placed tremendous strain on Song finances. Developing the salt monopoly seemed a logical and indeed urgent strategy, but each actor in this plan -- the emperor, local officials, monopoly administrators, producers, merchants, and consumers -- had his own interests to protect and advance. Thus attempts to maximize the effectiveness of the monopoly meant frequent policy swings and led to levels of corruption that would ultimately undo the Song. Unlike other contemporary sources, the 'Songshi' treatise organizes its subject into an intelligible and detailed narrative, elucidating special terminology, the bureaucracy and its processes, and debates relating to Chinese finance and politics, as well as the salt industry itself. Professor Chien's extensive annotation relies on parallel histories that corroborate and supplement the 'Songshi' account, together providing a comprehensive study of this important institution in China's premodern political economy. Cecilia Chien is Assistant Professor in the Division of Humanities at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Government monopolies --- Salt industry and trade --- History. --- Song shi. --- China --- History --- Nonmetallic minerals industry --- Monopolies, Government --- State monopolies --- Government business enterprises --- Government ownership --- Monopolies --- Monograph on salt in the Shihuozhi of the Songshi --- Songshi salt monopoly treatise --- S10/0401 --- China: Economics, industry and commerce--Salt monopoly (incl. Yantielun)

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Life presumably arose in the primeval oceans with similar or even greater salinity than the present ocean, so the ancient cells were designed to withstand salinity. However, the immediate ancestors of land plants most likely lived in fresh, or slightly brackish, water. The fresh/brackish water origins might explain why many land plants, including some cereals, can withstand moderate salinity, but only 1 – 2 % of all the higher plant species were able to re-discover their saline origins again and survive at increased salinities close to that of seawater. From a practical side, salinity is among the major threats to agriculture, having been one of the reasons for the demise of the ancient Mesopotamian Sumer civilisation and in the present time causing huge annual economic losses of over 10 billion USD. The effects of salinity on plants include osmotic stress, disruption of membrane ion transport, direct toxicity of high cytoplasmic concentrations of sodium and chloride on cellular processes and induced oxidative stress. Ion transport is the crucial starting point that determines salinity tolerance in plants. Transport via membranes is mediated mostly by the ion channels and transporters, which ensure selective passage of specific ions. The molecular and structural diversity of these ion channels and transporters is amazing. Obtaining the detailed descriptions of distinct ion channels and transporters present in halophytes, marine algae and salt-tolerant fungi and then progressing to the cellular and the whole organism mechanisms, is one of the logical ways to understand high salinity tolerance. Transfer of the genes from halophytes to agricultural crops is a means to increase salt tolerance of the crops. The theoretical scientific approaches involve protein chemistry, structure-function relations of membrane proteins, synthetic biology, systems biology and physiology of stress and ion homeostasis. At the time of compiling this e-book many aspects of ion transport under salinity stress are not yet well understood. The e-book has attracted researchers in ion transport and salinity tolerance. We have combined our efforts to achieve a wider, more detailed understanding of salt tolerance in plants mediated by ion transport, to understand present and future ways to modify and manipulate ion transport and salinity tolerance and also to find natural limits for the modifications.

systems biology --- synthetic biology --- halotropism --- salinity tolerance --- halophytes --- salt glands --- ion transporters --- ion channels

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In this Research Topic we report advances in fundamental and applied aspects of the perennial C4 bioenergy crop Miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.) and its role in mitigating climate change as part of the bioeconomy. Miscanthus is extremely well suited for bioenergy, biofuel and bioproduct production over a wide geographic area including Europe and North America as well as its native Asia.

Miscanthus offers a unique perspective within plant science: the challenge is to domesticate this novel crop for diverse environments and uses while simultaneously developing sustainable value chains to displace fossil fuels and contribute to climate change mitigation. Contributions to this Research Topic were offered from leading Miscanthus researchers from different parts of the world. We accepted 16 articles from 95 authors, which have generated 21,161 views at March 26 2018. Nine of the articles are the output of the European FP7 OPTIMISC project and describe multiple experiments investigating a common set of Miscanthus genotypes in Europe and Asia. These papers are complemented by seven additional articles from global authors, providing a comprehensive analysis of the state of the art of Miscanthus research and application.

salt-tolerance --- bioeconomy --- phyto-remediation --- nitrogen --- perennial C4 grass --- biomass quality --- miscanthus --- LCA

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Polemology --- 873 Wapenbeheersing --- #gsdbS --- 341.67 --- 355 <100> --- Ontwapening. Beperking ,vermindering van bewapening. Salt akkoorden. ABC akkoorden. Non-proliferatieverdragen. Oorlogspreventie --- 341.67 Ontwapening. Beperking ,vermindering van bewapening. Salt akkoorden. ABC akkoorden. Non-proliferatieverdragen. Oorlogspreventie