Temperature Tolerance Research Articles

Moderately reducing N input to mitigate heat stress in maize

In a warming climate, high temperature stress greatly threatens crop yields. Maize is critical to food security, but frequent extreme heat events coincide temporally and spatially with the period of kernel number determination (e.g., flowering stage), greatly limiting maize yields. In this context, how to increase or at least maintain maize yield has become more important. Nitrogen fertilizer (N) is widely used to improve maize yields, but its effect in heat stress is unclear. For this, we collected 1536 pairs of comparisons from 113 studies concerning N conducted in the past 20 years over China. We classified the data into two groups – without high temperature stress (NHT) and with high temperature stress during the critical period for maize kernel number determination (HT) – based on the national meteorological data. We comprehensively evaluated N effects on grain yield under HT and NHT using meta-analysis. The effect of N on maize yield became significantly smaller in HT than that in NHT. In NHT, soil characteristics, crop management practices, and climatic conditions all significantly affected N effects on maize yield, but in HT, only a few factors such as soil organic matter and mean annual precipitation significantly affected N effects. Hence, it is difficult to improve N effect by improving soil characteristics and crop management when meeting with high temperature stress during flowering. On average, N effect increased with increased N input, but there were respective N input thresholds in NHT and HT, beyond which N effects on maize yield remained stable. According to the thresholds, it is speculated that moderately reducing N input (~20 %) likely increased high temperature tolerance of maize during flowering. These findings have important implications for the optimization of N management under a warming climate.

Genome-wide identification, molecular evolution and gene expression of P450 gene family in Cyrtotrachelus buqueti

BackgroundInsect Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYPs or P450s) plays an important role in detoxifying insecticides, causing insect populations to develop resistance. However, the molecular functions of P450 gene family in Cyrtotrachelus buqueti genome are still lacking.ResultsIn this study, 71 CbuP450 genes have been identified. The amino acids length of CbuP450 proteins was between 183 aa ~ 1041 aa. They are proteins with transmembrane domains. The main component of their secondary structure is α-helix and random coils. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. buqueti and Rhynchophorus ferrugineus were the most closely related. This gene family has 29 high-frequency codons, which tend to use A/T bases and A/T ending codons. Gene expression analysis showed that CbuP450_23 in the female adult may play an important role on high temperature resistance, and CbuP450_17 in the larval may play an important role on low temperature tolerance. CbuP450_10, CbuP450_17, CbuP450_23, CbuP450_10, CbuP450_16, CbuP450_20, CbuP450_23 and CbuP450_ 29 may be related to the regulation of bamboo fiber degradation genes in C. buqueti. Protein interaction analysis indicates that most CbuP450 proteins are mainly divided into three aspects: encoding the biosynthesis of ecdysteroids, participating in the decomposition of synthetic insecticides, metabolizing insect hormones, and participating in the detoxification of compounds.ConclusionsWe systematically analyzed the gene and protein characteristics, gene expression, and protein interactions of CbuP450 gene family, revealing the key genes involved in the stress response of CbuP450 gene family in the resistance of C. buqueti to high or low temperature stress, and identified the key CbuP450 proteins involved in important life activity metabolism. These results provided a reference for further research on the function of P450 gene family in C. buqueti.

A Strong and Highly Transparent Ionogel Electrolyte Enabled by In Situ Polymerization-Induced Microphase Separation for High-Performance Electrochromic Devices.

Electrochromic devices built with ionogel electrolytes are seen as a pivotal step toward the future of quasi-solid electrochromic devices, due to their striking properties like exceptional safety and high ionic conductivity. Yet, the poor mechanical strength of electrolyte of these devices remains a constraint that hampers their advancement. As a resolution, this research explores the use of a robust, transparent ionogel electrolyte, which is designed using an in situ microphase separation strategy. The ionogels are highly transparent and robust and exhibit excellent physicochemical stability, including a wide electrochemical window and high temperature tolerance. Benefitting from these properties, a high-performance electrochromic device is fabricated through in situ polymerization with the ionogels, PPRODOT as the electrochromic layer, and PEDOT: PSS as the ion storage layer, achieving high transmittance contrast (43.1%), fast response (1/1.7 s), high coloring efficiency (1296.4 cm2 C-1), and excellent cycling endurance (>99.9% retention after 2000 cycles). In addition, using ITO-poly(ethylene terephthalate) as flexible substrates, a deformable electrochromic device displaying high stability is realized, highlighting the potential use in functional wearables.

Microbial community and extracellular polymeric substance dynamics in arid–zone temporary pan ecosystems

Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are an important component in sediment ecology. However, most research is highly skewed towards the northern hemisphere and in more permanent systems. This paper investigates EPS (i.e., carbohydrates and proteins) dynamics in arid Austral zone temporary pans sediments. Colorimetric methods and sequence–based metagenomics techniques were employed in a series of small temporary pan ecosystems characterised by alternating wet and dry hydroperiods. Microbial community patterns of distribution were evaluated between seasons (hot–wet and cool–dry) and across depths (and inferred inundation period) based on estimated elevation. Carbohydrates generally occurred in relatively higher proportions than proteins; the carbohydrate:protein ratio was 2.8:1 and 1.6:1 for the dry and wet season respectively, suggesting that EPS found in these systems was largely diatom produced. The wet– hydroperiods (Carbohydrate mean 102 μg g−1; Protein mean 65 μg g−1) supported more EPS production as compared to the dry– hydroperiods (Carbohydrate mean 73 μg g−1; Protein mean 26 μg g−1). A total of 15,042 Unique Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were allocated to 51 bacterial phyla and 1127 genera. The most abundant genera had commonality in high temperature tolerance, with Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria in high abundances. Microbial communities were more distinct between seasons compared to within seasons which further suggested that the observed metagenome functions could be seasonally driven. This study's findings implied that there were high levels of denitrification by mostly nitric oxide reductase and nitrite reductase enzymes. EPS production was high in the hot–wet season as compared to relatively lower rates of nitrification in the cool–dry season by ammonia monooxygenases. Both EPS quantities and metagenome functions were highly associated with availability of water, with high rates being mainly associated with wet– hydroperiods compared to dry– hydroperiods. These data suggest that extended dry periods threaten microbially mediated processes in temporary wetlands, with implications to loss of biodiversity by desiccation.

Biochar-Supported FeCo-MOF derivative catalyzes PDS-Mediated degradation of tetracycline

Bimetallic metal–organic framework (MOF) has gained wide attention in the field of advanced oxidative processes (AOPs), however, the agglomeration problem severely limits its active sites and its activation mechanism still needs to be further explored. This study developed the BC@CoFe composite material, utilizing biochar (BC) to support FeCo-MOF derivatives, effectively alleviating their agglomeration and structural collapse. The results of the BC@CoFe activated peroxydisulfate (PDS) system for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) revealed an excellent degradation efficiency up to 97.7 % in 2 h for TC solution (20 mg/L, degradation rate constants k = 7.066 mM-1min−1). Furthermore, the BC@CoFe/PDS system exhibits exceptionally high cyclic stability (73.23 % degradation efficiency after 12 h continuous degradation), a wide range of pH (3–11) and temperature tolerance (20-60℃), resistance to background ion interference (SO42-, H2PO4-, NO3– and HA), and reduced toxicity of the degradation products. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) analyses show that the exceptional catalytic performance of BC@CoFe primarily stems from the synergistic effect between Fe(II)/Co(III) and Fe(III)/Co(II). Regarding the reactive active species involved in TC degradation, the contribution rates of 1O2, SO4•- and ·OH were measured and calculated to be 73.6 %, 14.9 %, and 11.5 %, respectively. Thus, the BC@CoFe/PDS system exhibits outstanding catalytic activity and has broad practical applications in water treatment.

Challenges and Breakthroughs in Enhancing Temperature Tolerance of Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Lithium-based batteries (LBBs) have been highly researched and recognized as a mature electrochemical energy storage (EES) system in recent years. However, their stability and effectiveness are primarily confined to room temperature conditions. At temperatures significantly below 0°C or above 60°C, LBBs experience substantial performance degradation. Under such challenging extreme contexts, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) emerge as a promising complementary technology, distinguished by their fast dynamics at low-temperature regions and superior safety under elevated temperatures. Notably, developing SIBs suitable for wide-temperature usage still presents significant challenges, particularly for specific applications such as electric vehicles, renewable energy storage, and deep-space/polar explorations, which requires a thorough understanding of how SIBs perform under different temperature conditions. By reviewing the development of wide-temperature SIBs, the influence of temperature on the parameters related to battery performance, such as reaction constant, charge transfer resistance, etc., is systematically and comprehensively analyzed. The review emphasizes challenges encountered by SIBs in both low and high temperatures while exploring recent advancements in SIB materials, specifically focusing on strategies to enhance battery performance across diverse temperature ranges. Overall, insights gained from these studies will drive the development of SIBs that can handle the challenges posed by diverse and harsh climates.

Exploration of a novel protease from Phytolacca dodecandra (Endod) berries for potential application in detergent formulation

AbstractConventional detergent formulations contain either petroleum‐derived or synthetic chemicals. Hence, the replacement of these chemicals with natural products such as enzymes is considered a green technology. Among these enzymes, protease is renowned in detergent formulations. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore and characterize a new protease from Phytolacca dodecandra, because the plant is traditionally known for detergency purposes. Enzyme extraction was performed with Glycine/NaOH buffer, pH = 10.0. Gelatin hydrolysis and agar well diffusion tests were implemented as qualitative assays, whereas the enzyme assay technique was applied for the quantitative investigation of the new protease from plant extracts. The crude enzyme was partially characterized concerning temperature and pH tolerance, washing performance, detergent compatibility, and stability. The finding of this study revealed that Phytolacca dodecandra contains protease and is characterized by 1418.84 U/mL of enzyme activity, where 1 unit (U) of enzyme activity refers to the amount of enzyme required to liberate 1 μg of tyrosine/mL/min under the defined assay conditions. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 10.5 and 45°C. The enzyme was stable and maintained 99.52% activity at 40°C and 91.73% at pH 10.0 after 2 h pre‐incubation. The enzyme showed excellent wash performance and could potentially remove blood stains completely within 3 min. After 2 h of pre‐incubation the enzyme maintained 69.06% and 54.88% of its activity in the presence of Azzy and Sunlight, respectively. The enzyme maintained 71.99% of its residual activity after 60 days of storage. If further studies are conducted, all these properties of the newly investigated protease can make the enzyme applicable in detergent formulations.

Beneficial ‘inefficiencies’ of western ranching: Flood-irrigated hay production sustains wetland systems by mimicking historic hydrologic processes

Ranching in the American West has long relied on riparian ecosystems to grow grass-hay to feed livestock in winter and during drought. Producers seasonally flood grasslands for hay production using stream diversions and low-tech flood-irrigation on riparian floodplains. Inundation mimics natural processes that sustain riparian vegetation and recharge groundwater. The recent doubling in use of more efficient irrigation approaches, such as center-pivot sprinklers, threatens to accelerate climate change impacts by unintentionally decoupling more inefficient, traditional practices that sustain riparian systems. To assess ecosystem services provided by flood-irrigation hay production, we developed an exhaustive spatial inventory of grass-hay production and combined it with monthly surface water distributions modeled from satellite data. Surface water data were classified by wetland hydroperiod and used to estimate the proportion of wetlands supported by grass-hay production in the Intermountain West, USA. Elevation and proportion of grass-hay relative to other irrigated lands were enumerated to examine differences in their positions and abundance within landscapes. Lastly, we overlaid the delineated grass-hay wetlands with LANDFIRE pre-Euro-American Settings layer to quantify the efficacy of flood irrigation in mimicking the conservation of historical riparian processes. Findings suggest that inefficient grass-hay irrigation mirrored the timing of natural hydrology, concentrating ∼93% of flooded grasslands in historical riparian ecosystems, affirming that at large scales, this ranching practice, in part, mimics floodplain processes sustaining wetlands and groundwater recharge. Despite representing only 2.5% of irrigated lands, grass-hay operations supported a majority (58%) of temporary wetlands, a rare and declining habitat for wildlife in the Intermountain West. Tolerance for colder temperatures confined grass-hay production to upper watershed reaches where higher value crops are constrained by growing degree days. This novel understanding of grass-hay agroecology highlights the vital role of working ranches in the resilience and stewardship of riparian systems.

Genome wide association analysis reveals the genetic sites of heat resistance in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is an important commercially cultured freshwater fish. High temperature is a common challenge encountered in the summer cultivation of largemouth bass. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study using general linear models and linear mixed models to identify significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes associated with loss of equilibrium (LOE) and weight gain (WG) during high temperature challenge. We collected fin tissue from 353 individuals of largemouth bass exposed to high water temperature (37.5 °C) and performed whole-genome resequencing. Through association analysis, we successfully identified 10 SNPs and 38 candidate genes that were significantly associated with LOE, and four SNPs and 19 candidate genes that were significantly associated with WG. Using quantitative PCR and Western blot, we tested the expression of eight genes related to LOE in heat-sensitive and heat-tolerant individuals, and identified significant differences in the expression of the following five genes: Tmub2, Ngfr, Hgf, Hdac6, and Sypl. For WG, we assessed the expression of three candidate genes, among which Mrc2l displayed significant differences in expression between the high WG group and low WG group. We discuss the functions and potential biological processes of candidate genes for LOE and WG. Our results provide basic genetic information for breeding largemouth bass with high temperature tolerance.

HIGHLY EFFICIENT INVERTER BLOCKS IN QCA TECHNOLOGY

QCA technology presented as a new paradigm to replace CMOS technology in the nanoscale. QCA technology represents binary information by cell polarization, not as a voltage level. The basic blocks in QCA technology are the majority gate and inverter. Efficient building blocks are important to get whole efficient circuits. This article aims to present novel configurations for the inverter block that offer advantages in terms of temperature tolerance, cell count, and area efficiency. Moreover, a Repeater gate with high efficiency is proposed to demonstrate their versatility. The proposed inverter has efficient improvements by 2%, 4.4%, 11%, and 17.5% over the best-reported inverter block at 10 K, 100 K, 150 K, and 200 K, respectively. The circuits presented in this study were designed and validated using QCADesigner software v 2.0.3, and the energy consumption of the proposed designs was assessed using QCAPro tools.

Activated carbon synthesized from Jack wood biochar for high performing biomass derived composite double layer supercapacitors

In this study, the electrochemical properties of bioderived activated carbon-based electrodes for supercapacitors formed using a sintered ceramic binder were investigated. Activated carbon derived from Jack wood tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus) with variable amounts of TiO2 nanoparticles as a binder, were used as electrodes in order to get good, activated carbon films on FTO substrates. No other binders were used in this study since most conventional binders devastate the electrical conductivity in the films. Furthermore, TiO2 has higher temperature tolerance compared to polymeric binders thus the electrode prepared can be used in wider applications. A series of electrochemical double-layer capacitors were fabricated and characterized by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements. The supercapacitors prepared showed double-layer capacitive behavior. The electrodes that contain 90 % activated carbon and 10 % TiO2 show optimum performance along with an impressive specific capacitance of 147 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1 scan rate. This supercapacitor exhibits a power density of 68.5 W kg−1 while the energy density is 8.02 Wh kg−1. When the power density is as high as 1186.51 W kg−1 the energy density drops to 5.71 Wh kg−1. According to cyclic voltammetry measurements taken for 1000 cycles, the supercapacitor shows excellent cycle stability without any traces of capacitance drop.

Au-Based Nanoparticles Enhance Low Temperature Tolerance in Wheat by Regulating Some Physiological Parameters and Gene Expression.

One of the key problems of biology is how plants adapt to unfavorable conditions, such as low temperatures. A special focus is placed on finding ways to increase tolerance in important agricultural crops like wheat. Au-based nanoparticles (Au-NPs) have been employed extensively in this area in recent years. Au-NPs can be produced fast and easily using low-cost chemical reagents. When employed in microdoses, Au-NPs are often non-toxic to plants, animals, and people. In addition, Au-NPs mainly have favorable impacts on plants. In this study, we investigated the effect of Au-NP seed nanopriming (diameter 15.3 nm, Au concentration 5-50 µg mL-1) on cold tolerance, as well as some physiological, biochemical and molecular parameters, of cold-sustainable wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotype Zlata. The treatment with Au-NPs improved tolerance to low temperatures in control conditions and after cold hardening. Au-NPs treatment boosted the intensity of growth processes, the quantity of photosynthetic pigments, sucrose in leaves, and the expressions of encoded RuBisCo and Wcor15 genes. The potential mechanisms of Au-NPs' influence on the cold tolerance of wheat varieties were considered.

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF YEAST FROM FERMENTED SEMERU ARABICA WINE COFFEE CHERRIES

Wine coffee is fermented coffee cherries with a wine-like flavor and aroma. The purpose of this study was to isolate, characterize tolerantand thermotolerant yeast from Semeru Arabica wine coffee cherries and to determine the molecular identification of the selected yeast. In this study, the Semeru Arabica coffee cherries were fermented for 30 days.Yeast isolation was performed on samples collected each week during fermentation. The selected isolates were characterized for macroscopic and microscopic morphology, followed by ethanol and temperature tolerance analysis. The isolate with the most desirable characteristics, designated CW30, grew well at 30ºC but was sensitive to temperatures above 35ºC. The isolate grew well in media containing 5% ethanol but was sensitive to a 10% ethanol concentration. Based on nucleotide sequence analysis, CW30 exhibited 100% similarity with Candida ethanolica isolate 3-1-19.

Association Analysis in Rice Germplasm Lines for High Temperature Tolerance

Background: Relative to other abiotic factors like salinity and drought, breeding rice cultivars that are resistant of high temperatures has received a little attention. The purpose of this study is to find parents and genotypes that are suitable for utilizing in high temperature stress breeding program. Methods: The genetic material for this study comprised of a set of germplasm collections (293 accessions) from different sources such as International Rice Research Institute germplasm. These populations were raised at the Department of Rice, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The Heat tolarance Indices (TOL) viz., Heat tolerance index (HTI) and Heat susceptibility index (HSI) and association analysis were estimated among germplasm lines for yield attributes under normal and high temperature stress condition. Result: Out of 293 genotypes, sixty nine genotypes significantly exceeded for both HTI and HSI. Association studies revealed that, single plant yield had highly significant and positive association with panicle exertion, number of total tillers per plant, number of productive tillers per plant, panicle length, number of filled grains per panicle and total dry matter production. Spikelet sterility and high temperature susceptibility index had highly significant and negative association with single plant yield. Number of productive tillers had significant and positive correlation with total dry matter production, panicle length, number of filled grains per panicle, days to maturity, hundred grain weight, grain breadth and high temperature susceptible index. Hence these traits may be considered as selection indices for yield and high temperature tolerance improvement programme. Hence it may be possible to combine single plant yield and heat susceptibility index by specific breeding programme for high temperature tolerance in rice.

Mussel-inspired ionic hydrogel for tactile perception: Toward versatility, robustness and sustainability

The ever-growing wearable and implantable medical devices have spawned an urgent demand for integrating tactile sensors and portable power sources into a single device. However, identifying a suitable material that balances electronic and mechanical performance to simultaneously meet the requirements of high biocompatibility, elasticity, conductivity, and versatility for such soft electronic applications remains a challenge. Here, highly conductive and robust ionic hydrogel is synthesized via a mussel-inspired strategy, where cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and ZIF-8 particles are introduced into poly(acrylic acid-co-2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl trimethylammonium chloride) (PADH) matrix for achieving mechanical reinforcement. Besides adhesive strengths of 30.26 kPa, strong hydrogen-bonding central to the embedded CNFs/ZIF-8 joint induces densely cross-linked tough panel points and soft-hard layered network structure that provide tensile strength of 110 kPa, elongation at break up to 697 % (increased by ∼2.2 times and ∼1.9 times, respectively) and compressive strength of 984 kPa. Excellent self-healing (89 % within 12 h) and self-adhesion capabilities (adhesion strength of about 30.26 kPa) are also witnessed, which can be attributed to the reversibility of the abundant hydrogen bonds. Meanwhile, the ion-rich tunnels promoted by the migration of IL/Gly/H2O ternary solvent system (EgHTS) not only significantly enhance the ionic conductivity, but also improve temperature tolerance and provide prolonged resistance to dehydration. The dynamical balance of the electric double layers at the CNF-ZIF-PADH interface leads to highly stable and durable hybrid triboelectric-piezoresistive sensors that are capable identifying both the physical characteristic of dynamic objects and static forces while harvesting mechanical energy, thus enabling versatile, robust, temperature-tolerant conductive hydrogels for self-powered soft electronics.

Improving the structural stability and reaction kinetic of Na3V2(PO4)3 through tungsten doping towards the ultralong cycle performance and excellent temperature tolerance of sodium ion batteries

A series of carbon-coated tungsten doping NVP (Na(3-x)V(2-x)Wx(PO4)3@C, x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) was synthesized by sol–gel method. Characterization reveals that partial substitution of V by the larger W has beneficial influences on the structure and diffusion kinetics of NVP. Consequently, the optimized NVP-W0.1@C electrode releases a reversible initial capacity of 116 mA h g−1 at 1C, that is quite near to the theoretical value of pure NVP (117 mA h g−1). Furthermore, it delivers a high reversible capacity of 83.6 mA h g−1 at 50C with marvelous 94.3 % retention over 18,000 cycles. Desirable performances are demonstrated at −20 °C and 45 °C respectively, suggesting its viability in harsh environment. This work shed a light on scalable and feasible routine to regulate SIBs-based cathodes with promising performances.

Oasis agriculture revitalization and carbon sequestration for climate-resilient communities

Revitalizing oasis agriculture, an age-old human endeavor, has historically played a crucial role in sustaining biodiversity and ecosystems in arid regions. Nevertheless, this enduring practice now faces contemporary challenges, including global warming, water scarcity, soil erosion, and negative human activities associated with urbanization. This comprehensive review delves into diverse literature across disciplines, covering topics such as water conservation, biodiversity restoration, agroforestry, and Oasis Holistic Management, with the aim of addressing these challenges. The analysis strongly advocates for the urgent adoption of sustainable practices, including precision irrigation, polyculture, organic farming, agroforestry, and community-based initiatives, to ensure the survival of oasis agriculture and foster long-term environmental and social responsibility. The study underscores the imperative need for the development of “comprehensive, flexible, and forward-looking management strategies” to guide the sustainable revival of oasis farming. By consolidating information from various studies, it lays the groundwork for informed decision-making and policy formulation. As part of revitalizing the oasis agricultural ecosystem and addressing the global climate crisis, we propose a noninvasive tool for assessing carbon sequestration effectiveness based on tree specifications. Recognizing the pivotal role of vegetation in mitigating the ecological impact and facing global crises, we explored parameters influencing plant carbon sequestration, including biomass production, growth rate, longevity, root structure, leaf structure, and average temperature tolerance.

Preparation and Characterization of Soft-Hard Block Copolymer of 3,4-IP-b-s-1,2-PBD Using a Robust Iron-Based Catalyst System.

A series of well-defined diblock copolymers, namely, 3,4-polyisoprene-block-syndiotactic-1,2-polybutadiene (3,4-PI-b-s-1,2-PBD), with a soft-hard block sequence were synthesized via an in situ sequential polymerization process using a robust iron-based catalytic system Fe(acac)3/(isocyanoimino) triptenylphosphorane (IITP)/AliBu3. This catalyst exhibits vigorous activity and temperature tolerance, achieving a polymerization activity of 5.41 × 106 g mol(Fe)-1 h-1 at 70 °C with a [IP]/[Fe] ratio of 15,000. Moreover, the quasi-living polymerization characteristics of the catalyst were verified through kinetic experiments. The first-stage polymerization of isoprene (IP) is performed at 30 °C to give a soft 3,4-PI block, and then a quantitative amount of 1,3-butadiene was added in situ to the quasi-living polymerization system to produce a second hard s-1,2-PBD. The s-1,2-PBD segments in block copolymers display a rodlike morphology contrasting with the spherulitic morphology characteristic of s-1,2-PBD homopolymers. The precise tunability of the length of the soft and hard chain segments of these novel elastic materials with the feed ratio of IP and BD, endowing them with outstanding mechanical properties and excellent dynamic mechanical properties, which are expected to be promising high-performance rubber materials.

Biological characterization and complete genome analysis of the newly isolated Serratia liquefaciens phage vB_SlqS_ZDD2.

A novel lytic phage named vB_SlqS_ZDD2 was isolated from hospital sewage using the double-layer agar method with Serratia liquefaciens ATCC 27592 as the host. BLASTn analysis showed that the genome sequence of phage vB_SlqS_ZDD2 did not resemble any other phages in the NCBI database. Phenotype and phylogeny analysis indicated that this phage might be a new member of the class Caudoviricetes. Phage vB_SlqS_ZDD2 has a dsDNA genome of 49,178 bp with 55% GC content and has 73 open reading frames. This phage exhibited strong lytic activity and a wide range of pH (3-12) and temperature tolerance (below 70℃).

Polystyrene nanoplastics in soil impair drought priming-induced low temperature tolerance in wheat

Drought priming is known to enhance plant low temperature tolerance, whereas polystyrene nanoplastic contamination exerts detrimental effects on plant growth. This study investigates the less-explored influence of nanoplastic contamination on cold stress tolerance in drought-primed plants. We compared the photosynthetic carbon assimilation, carbohydrate metabolism, reactive oxygen species metabolism, and grain yield between the non-primed and drought-primed wheat grown in both nanoplastic-contaminated and healthy soils. Our results reveal that the beneficial effects of drought priming on photosynthetic carbon assimilation and the efficiency of the “water-water” cycle were compromised in the presence of nanoplastics (nPS). Additionally, nPS exposure disturbed carbohydrate metabolism, which impeded source-to-sink transport of sugar and resulted in reduced grain yield in drought-primed plants under low temperature conditions. These findings unveil the suppression of nPS on drought-primed low-temperature tolerance (DPLT) in wheat plants, suggesting an intricate interplay between the induction of stress tolerance and responses to nPS contamination. The study raises awareness about a potential challenge for future crop production.