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A vanadium formate (VF) coordination polymer and its composite with partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO), namely VF‐prGO, can be applied as anode materials for Li‐ion based electrochemical energy storage (EcES) systems in the potential range of 0–3 V (vs Li+/Li). This study shows that a reversible capacity of 329 mAh g−1 at a current density of 50 mA g−1 after 50 cycles can be realized for VF along with a high rate capability. The composite exhibits even a higher capacity of 504 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1. A good capacity retention is observed even after 140 cycles for both VF and the composite. An ex‐situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy study indicates the involvement of V3+/V4+ redox couple in the charge storage mechanism. A significant contribution of this reversible capacity is attributed to the pseudocapacitive behavior of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The dmp‐system encoded on the IncP‐2 pVI150 plasmid of Pseudomonas putida CF600 confers the ability to assimilate (methyl)phenols. Regulation of the dmp‐genes is subject to sophisticated control, which includes global regulatory input to subvert expression of the pathway in the presence of preferred carbon sources. Previously we have shown that in P. putida, translational inhibition exerted by the carbon repression control protein Crc operates hand‐in‐hand with the RNA chaperon protein Hfq to reduce translation of the DmpR regulator of the Dmp‐pathway. Here, we show that Crc and Hfq co‐target four additional sites to form riboprotein complexes within the proximity of the translational initiation sites of genes encoding the first two steps of the Dmp‐pathway to mediate two‐layered control in the face of selection of preferred substrates. Furthermore, we present evidence that Crc plays a hitherto unsuspected role in maintaining the pVI150 plasmid within a bacterial population, which has implications for (methyl)phenol degradation and a wide variety of other physiological processes encoded by the IncP‐2 group of Pseudomonas‐specific mega‐plasmids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to measure real-world emissions of three-wheeled autorickshaws powered by CNG and parameters (such as speed, acceleration, air-fuel (A/F) ratio, and rpm) influencing 3-wheeler emission rates. Test vehicles manufactured under Bharat Standards BS-III and BS-IV were monitored for exhaust emissions in Delhi city using a portable exhaust emission measurement system (AVL Ditest Gas 1000). The average emission rates of CO, HC, and NO gases for on-road autorickshaws were found to be 0.015 ± 0.017, 0.003 ± 0.0017, and 0.007 ± 0.005 g/s, respectively. Further, the highest emission factor values of 3.98 g/km and 3.93 g/km were estimated for CO and HC+NO gases, respectively. These values were found to be 1.4-3.2 times higher than the respective BS emission norms (BS III-CO =1.25 g/km, HC+NO = 1.25 g/km; BS-IV-CO = 0.94 g/km and HC+NO = 0.94 g/km). In this study, it was observed that the driving pattern and emissions were affected by traffic characteristics, driver behavior (constant acceleration and deceleration), and vehicle characteristics. The air-fuel ratio (A/F) was found to correlate highly with emission rates, followed by acceleration/deceleration and speed. Further analysis found that more than 70% of the aggregated emissions were due to acceleration and deceleration, which contributed to nearly 70% of the travel time. This was followed by the breakdown of speed and emissions into different bins, which found that 20-30 kmph has a higher emission rate and 40-50 kmph bin has a lower emission rate., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

The marine plastic pollution has drastic effect on marine species. The importance in environmental issues increases the demand to develop a significant technology which does not burden the marine environment or marine life forms. To mitigate the foreseen problems of micro and nanoplastic contamination, different biotechnological solutions has to be considered. Microbial communities exposed to plastic contaminated sites can adapt and form dense biofilms on the plastic surface and produce active catalytic enzymes. These enzymes can be able to degrade the synthetic polymers. In view of their high catalytic activity, microbial enzymes can be applicable for the degradation of synthetic polymers. This review highlights the toxicity of micro and nanoplastics on marine organisms, biodegradation of plastics and futuristic research needs to solve the issues of plastic pollution in marine environment., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)