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The evaluation of rock hydraulic fracturing tendency plays a crucial role in the selection of fracturing layers within reservoirs and the evaluation of post-compression capacity. The sandstone reservoirs in the Yihuang New Area have poor physical properties and are deeply buried. It is necessary to increase the production of oil and gas by hydraulic fracturing. Regarding the sandstones in the region, the following parameters were considered: combined compressive strength, bulk modulus, shear modulus, fracture index, horizontal-stress difference coefficient, and fracture toughness. In accordance with the catastrophe theory, a multi-level structure was established for the hydraulic fracturing-tendency evaluation of sandstone reservoirs, consisting of a target layer, a guide layer, and an indicator layer. A catastrophic model for evaluating the hydraulic fracturing tendency of sandstone reservoirs was established. The results are consistent with those obtained from the Analytic Hierarchy Process. However, the catastrophe theory significantly reduces subjective interference. The results indicate that when the hydraulic fracturing-tendency evaluation value is greater than 0.8, the reservoir can be fractured well; when the hydraulic fracturing-tendency evaluation value is between 0.7 and 0.8, the fracture reservoir is moderate; and when the hydraulic fracturing-tendency evaluation value is less than 0.7, the fractured reservoir is poor. The optimal fracture intervals for the Yi 70 well are 1320–1323 m, 1350–1355 m, and 1355–1360 m. The optimal fracture planes for the Yi 76 well are 1921–1925 m and 1925–1930 m. The optimal fracture planes for the Yi 10-1-26 well are 2487–2495 m, 2585–2587 m, and 2589–2591 m. The hydraulic fracturing-tendency model developed in this study has been applied to several well sections of sandstone reservoirs in the Yihuang New Area. Additionally, the model was compared with existing hydraulic fracturing-tendency evaluation models. The evaluation results are in agreement with the post-pressure capacity-monitoring data. The accuracy of the model presented in this study has been verified, as has its applicability to other sandstone reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quinary RuRhPdPtAu high-entropy alloy nanoparticles (HEA-NPs) were prepared for the first time from a deep eutectic solvent by an electrochemical method. Owing to the benefits of high entropy and abundant surface active sites, the RuRhPdPtAu HEA-NPs exhibit outstanding electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one kind of plant-derived extracellular vesicle, turmeric-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (TELNs) are composed of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and small-molecule compounds, which possess good biocompatibility and safety. They are especially rich in information from the "mother plant", which provides more applications in biological fields. In this study, we isolated and purified TELNs using differential centrifugation and ultracentrifugation and systematically detected their physicochemical properties using multi-omics. The TELNs possessed a typical teacup-like exosome morphology, and the extraction rate was approximately 1.71 ± 0.176 mg/g. The average particle size was 183.2 ± 10.9 nm, and the average zeta potential was −17.6 ± 1.19 mV. They were rich in lipids, mainly phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (17.4%), triglyceride (TG) (12.3%), phosphatidylinositol (PI) (9.82%), and phosphatidylcholine (PC) (7.93%). All of them are the key lipids in the exosomes. The protein content was approximately 12% (M/M), mainly curcumin synthase and other proteins involved in secondary metabolite biosynthesis. In addition, there are critical essential genes for curcumin biosynthesis, such as curcumin synthase (CURS) and diketocoenzyme A synthase (DCS). More importantly, a greater variety of small-molecule compounds, primarily curcumin and curcumin analogs such as demethoxycurcumin and volatile oleoresins such as curcuminoids, have now been revealed. In conclusion, TELNs were successfully isolated, containing 0.17% (M/M) turmeric and a large amount of chemical information, the same as the parent-of-origin plant. This is the first time combining multi-omics to analyze the characteristics and nature of the TELNs, which laid a solid material foundation for the further development of turmeric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patulin (PAT), a type of mycotoxin existing in foodstuffs, is harmful to food safety and human health. Thus, it is necessary to develop sensitive, selective and reliable analytical methods for PAT detection. In this study, a sensitive aptasensor based on a dual-signaling strategy was fabricated, in which a methylene-blue-labeled aptamer and ferrocene monocarboxylic acid in the electrolyte acted as a dual signal, for monitoring PAT. To improve the sensitivity of the aptasensor, an in-plane gold nanoparticles–black phosphorus heterostructure (AuNPs-BPNS) was synthesized for signal amplification. Due to the combination of AuNPs-BPNS nanocomposites and the dual-signaling strategy, the proposed aptasensor has a good analytical performance for PAT detection with the broad linear range of 0.1 nM–100.0 μM and the low detection limit of 0.043 nM. Moreover, the aptasensor was successfully employed for real sample detection, such as apple, pear and tomato. It is expected that BPNS-based nanomaterials hold great promise for developing novel aptasensors and may provide a sensing platform for food safety monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes act as emerging transdermal drug delivery vehicles with high deformability and excellent permeability, which can be used to deliver various small-molecule drugs and macromolecular drugs and increase the transdermal and dermal retention of drugs, improving the local efficacy and drug delivery compliance. At present, there are many studies on the use of plant exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNVs) as drug carriers. In this review, the source, extraction, isolation, and chemical composition of plant exosomes are reviewed, and the research progress on PELNVs as drug delivery systems in transdermal drug delivery systems in recent years has elucidated the broad application prospect of PELNVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructured Co–Ni–B catalysts were prepared on the Cu sheet by electroless plating for catalytic hydrogen evolution from alkaline NaBH 4 solution. Depositional pH values were adjusted to enhance catalytic activity. The result revealed that the increase of pH value from 9.5 to 10.0 leaded to obvious improvement in catalytic activity because of the formation of a furrow-like Co–Ni–B catalyst. The novel architecture provided high surface roughness and lots of active sites on the catalyst surface. The fastest hydrogen evolution rate for NaBH 4 hydrolysis was 14778.1 mL min −1 g cat −1 and the activation energy was calculated to be 42.8 kJ mol −1 . More importantly, the hydrogen generation rate maintained about 87.9% of its initial value after 5 cycles. It can be concluded that the catalytic performance and stability of the furrow-like Co–Ni–B catalyst was favorably comparable to those of recently reported catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saussurea medusa is an important traditional Tibetan medicinal plant in China. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of S. medusa. The complete S. medusa chloroplast genome is a circular molecular structure of 152,257 bp in length with coding GC 37.93%, consisting of two inverted repeats (25,204 bp) separated by a large single-copy region (83,334 bp) and a small single-copy region (18,515 bp). The complete chloroplast genome of S. medusa contained 130 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 35 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis shows that S. medusa is most closely related to Saussurea inversa and Saussurea pseudoleucoma. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of S. medusa facilitates the phylogenetic studies of Asteraceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rumex nepalensis is a traditional Chinese herb used for detoxification, hemostasis, and anti-inflammatory. In this study, the complete chloroplast sequence of R. nepalensis was characterized from Illumina pair-end sequencing. The cpDNA was 159,044 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats of 30,623 bp each separated by a large and small single copy region of 84,819 bp and 12,979 bp, respectively. The complete chloroplast genome of R. nepalensis contained 128 genes, 37 tRNA, and 8 rRNA. Phylogenetic tree demonstrated that R. nepalensis was closely related to Rumex acetosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The large year-to-year and site-to-site variation in wheat production on rain-fed semiarid areas of the Canadian prairies is mainly due to the timing and amount of precipitation and soil water holding capacity. Here, we identify the critical periods of growing season precipitation on wheat yield and then utilize this information to analyze which type of soil texture had higher drought resistance and higher grain yield when precipitation was more than sufficient. Thirty years (1982–2011) of grain yield data on two sites located in the same rain-fed area with different soil texture types were used in our analysis. To seek the critical periods of precipitation on yield, correlation over the whole growing season between precipitation and yield was first analyzed. By doing this, we calculated not only when the precipitation occurs that was most related to yield but also the duration of this period. To further understand these cause-and-effect interrelationships, a modern version of path analysis – Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used. The result of SEM was satisfactory since 67% of yield variation can be explained by only 3 exogenous variables (early and late precipitation and fertilizer N) and 2 intermediate variables (thousand kernel weight and kernel nitrogen concentration). Results showed that early precipitation (from seeding to anthesis) was most critical for high grain yield in our study area. Clay soil has a higher drought tolerance efficiency and lower drought susceptibility index. Grain yield was higher on the clay soil than on the silt loam soil in most dry and wet years. We conclude that early precipitation had a deterministic effect on grain yield. The clay soil has a more stable yield under current fertilizer rates and the climate conditions in our study area. These results may lead to a better understanding of the crop–environmental interactions enabling breeders to analyze their experimental trials with regard to the broad environments that they target. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Seed mass is an adaptive trait affecting species distribution, population dynamics and community structure. In widely distributed species, variation in seed mass may reflect both genetic adaptation to local environments and adaptive phenotypic plasticity. Acknowledging the difficulty in separating these two aspects, we examined the causal relationships determining seed mass variation to better understand adaptability and/or plasticity of selected tree species to spatial/climatic variation. A total of 504, 481 and 454 seed collections of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb) across the Canadian Boreal Forest, respectively, were selected. Correlation analyses were used to determine how seed mass vary with latitude, longitude, and altitude. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine how geographic and climatic variables influence seed mass. Climatic factors explained a large portion of the variation in seed mass (34, 14 and 29%, for black spruce, white spruce and jack pine, respectively), indicating species-specific adaptation to long term climate conditions. Higher annual mean temperature and winter precipitation caused greater seed mass in black spruce, but annual precipitation was the controlling factor for white spruce. The combination of factors such as growing season temperature and evapotranspiration, temperature seasonality and annual precipitation together determined seed mass of jack pine. Overall, sites with higher winter temperatures were correlated with larger seeds. Thus, long-term climatic conditions, at least in part, determined spatial variation in seed mass. Black spruce and Jack pine, species with relatively more specific habitat requirements and less plasticity, had more variation in seed mass explained by climate than did the more plastic species white spruce. As traits such as seed mass are related to seedling growth and survival, they potentially influence forest species composition in a changing climate and should be included in future modeling of vegetation shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Systematic experiments have been carried out to study the performance of the novel sodium titanate (Na2Ti3O7) nanotube/Nafion® composite membrane (5 wt% Na2Ti3O7) in a single direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) at different operating temperatures, methanol concentrations, air flow rates, methanol flow rates, and cathode humidification temperatures. The experimental results showed that the composite membrane outperform pure Nafion® membranes with the same thickness, Nafion®112, under all the operating conditions. Furthermore, under some operating conditions, the new composite membranes even outperform Nafion®117, a much thicker membrane. These experimental results have proved that the new composite membrane is superior to pure Nafion® membrane in DMFCs and the addition of Na2Ti3O7 nanotubes into Nafion® is an effective way to improve membrane performances. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, novel sodium titanate (Na2Ti3O7) nanotube/Nafion® composite membranes were prepared by a solution casting method. The properties of these composite membranes were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, the water uptake, methanol permeability, proton conductivity, and selectivity of the composite membranes were measured to evaluate the applicability of these membranes in DMFCs. It was found that the addition of Na2Ti3O7 nanotubes enhanced the water uptake and reduced the methanol permeability of the composite membranes. The proton conductivity and methanol permeability depend on the Na2Ti3O7 nanotube content. Using the selectivity, the optimal nanotube contents was found to be 5 wt%. The new composite membrane was found to have significantly higher selectivity than a pure Nafion® membrane and thus has good potential to outperform Nafion® in DMFCs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sodium borohydride (NaBH 4) hydrolysis is a promising technology to produce high-purity hydrogen (H 2) on-site for fuel cells. However, the widespread applications of this technology are hampered by the low catalytic activity and poor stability of the catalyst for hydrogen production. To develop a low-cost catalyst with high activity and good stability, a novel CoWB catalyst supported by nickel foam was prepared by the pulse electrodeposition method for H 2 production from a NaBH 4 alkaline solution. The SEM results revealed that in the special microstructure of nanodendrites with acicular arrays, CoWB was uniformly plated on the surface of the Ni foam (NF) substrate and firmly adhered to the surface. The tungsten doping decreased the activation energy to as low as 18.15 kJ mol−1. The CoWB/NF catalyst exhibited higher hydrogen producing performance, and the hydrogen generation rate (HGR) reached 14.13 L min−1·g−1 cat, which was comparable to that of the noble metal catalyst. More importantly, the catalyst demonstrated very good stability, as the catalytic activity was maintained at 82% of its initial activity after 800 h of usage. The CoWB/NF catalyst of the hydrogen generator contributed to the generation of hydrogen with 99.9871% purity at an HGR of 1.07 L/min. This study demonstrated that the novel CoWB/NF catalyst is very promising for hydrogen production from the NaBH 4 hydrolysis reaction. • A CoWB/NF nanodendrite catalyst with an acicular array structure was prepared by the pulse electrodeposition method. • The CoWB/NF catalyst has a lower activation energy (18.15 kJ mol−1) and a higher HGR (14.13 L min−1·g−1). • The catalyst exhibited long-term stability over 800 h and 99.9871% purity at an HGR of 1.07 L/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic film mulching (PM) has been widely practiced for rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) in the Loess Plateau, China. However, controversy remains regarding its impacts on field water balance components. There is also scant quantitative information on water-limited potential grain yield (GYw) and water productivity (WPw). A meta-analysis and boundary line analysis were conducted using 1421 paired observations extracted from 83 peer-reviewed publications to (1) assess PM-induced changes in soil water storage at planting (SWSP), evapotranspiration (ET), and soil water storage at harvest (SWSH), and (2) quantify GYw and WPw in PM fields. PM significantly increased SWSP by 4.0% on average due to an 83.2% average increase in precipitation storage during the fallow season. Overall, ET showed a significant positive response to PM (+2.9%), resulting in 56.4% more soil water depletion than no-mulching (NM) fields over the growing season. However, SWSH significantly increased by an average 1.8% after applying PM, indicating that increased storage of fallow season precipitation replenished increased depletion of growing season soil water. Averaged across all samples, PM had significant positive effects on GY (+56.1%) and WP (+47.5%), which were attributed to higher transpiration, ratio of transpiration to ET, and harvest index from the perspective of effective crop water use. Based on GY and WP boundary lines, GYw and WPw under NM were estimated to be 10,728 kg ha-1 and 26.8 kg ha-1 mm-1 on average, respectively, and the respective averages under PM were 13,702 kg ha-1 and 34.8 kg ha-1 mm-1. The GY and WP gaps (i.e., differences between actual and potential values) averaged around 3300 kg ha-1 and 7.0 kg ha-1 mm-1, respectively, in NM and PM fields. In the GY versus ET and WP versus ET scatter plots, the vertical distances between the measured data points on a specific field and the corresponding boundary line indicated field-specific gaps for GY and WP. This study increases our understanding of the effect sizes of PM on field water balance components and the benchmarks of GY and WP for rainfed maize in the Chinese Loess Plateau and other regions with similar conditions worldwide. • Plastic film mulching (PM) increased evapotranspiration and soil water storage at planting and harvest. • Increased storage of fallow season precipitation replenished increased depletion of growing season soil water under PM. • PM increased grain yield (GY), water productivity (WP), and water-limited potential GY and WP. • GY and WP boundary lines can be used to quantify field-specific GY and WP gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A kinetic model for analyzing catalytic partial oxidation reforming (POXR) of n-pentadecane over a novel self-sustained electrochemical promotion (SSEP) catalyst which accelerated the reaction rate at relatively lower temperatures below 650 °C was proposed. The SSEP-POXR model consists of two parts: a conventional Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) model, describing normal partial oxidation reforming and a new model describing the SSEP mechanism. The kinetic parameters of L–H model were estimated by curve-fitting experimental results of POXR of n-pentadecane on a conventional Ni/NiO/Cu/CeO2 catalyst whereas those for the SSEP process were evaluated using typical geometric configurations of components of the SSEP catalyst and their electrochemical properties. The SSEP-POXR model was used to establish a relationship between input and output parameters and explain the trend of the experimental results in terms of the impact of temperature on the fuel conversion. The computational results agreed well with experimental results of the POXR of n-pentadecane on the SSEP catalyst in a temperature range of 450–650 °C. The maximum error of computational results of fuel conversion was 3.1% in the reaction temperature range. The SSEP-POXR model is capable of quantifying the enhancement of the fuel conversion attributed to the SSEP process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report on the synthesis of sulfated SnO2 modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composites as new supports of Pt catalyst (Pt–S-SnO2/MWCNTs) with the aims to enhance electron and proton conductivity and also catalytic activity for ethanol oxidation. The Pt–S-SnO2/MWCNTs catalyst is synthesized by a combination of improved sol–gel and pulse-microwave assisted polyol methods. The surface presence, morphology and structure of the Pt–S-SnO2/MWCNTs catalyst are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pt–S-SnO2/MWCNTs catalyst for ethanol oxidation reactions are investigated by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that Pt–S-SnO2/MWCNTs catalyst exhibits higher catalytic activity for ethanol oxidation than Pt supported on non-sulfated SnO2/MWCNTs composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel electrocatalyst structure of carbon nanotubes (CNT) coated with thin SnO2 and Pt (Pt/(CNT@SnO2)) is reported. The CNT@SnO2 composites with a thin shell (about 2 nm) are prepared by a simple chemical-solution method. The Pt/(CNT@SnO2) catalyst is prepared by first microwave heating H2PtCl6 in NaOH ethylene glycol solution and then depositing Pt nanoparticles onto CNT@SnO2 composites. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction show that crystalline SnO2 of about 2 nm thickness is coated uniformly on the surface of the CNTs. Pt nanoparticles of about 3.2 nm in diameter are homogenously dispersed on the SnO2 surface. Electrochemical studies were carried out using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results showed that Pt/(CNT@SnO2) catalysts have much higher catalytic activity and CO-tolerance for ethanol electro-oxidation than that of Pt/CNT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Overall, plastic-film mulching (PM) significantly increased maize grain yield (GY). • PM could extend maize cultivation to some drier and colder areas where no GY was achieved under no-mulching. • PM was useless for increasing maize GY at precipitation over 627.6 mm and temperature over 13.1 °C. • Both maize GY and GY increase needed considering in determining the optimum conditions for PM application. Plastic-film mulching (PM) has been widely adopted for dryland maize (Zea mays L.) in the Loess Plateau of China, whereas its impact on grain yield (GY) varies considerably. Therefore, it is crucial to make some feasible strategies that aim to improve the productivity of PM systems. Using the data obtained from peer-reviewed publications, we conducted a meta-analysis to (1) analyze the climate regions where maize GY increase induced by PM (GY-I) was greater than zero and (2) determine the optimum conditions of soil properties and field management practices for PM application considering both GY-I and actual GY under PM (GY-P). The results showed that on average, PM significantly increased maize GY by 56.10%, as compared with no-mulching, which was a result of increased aboveground biomass at harvest, harvest index, ear number per square meter, kernel number per row, and hundred kernel weight. PM could extend maize cultivation to drier and colder areas with mean annual precipitation (MAP) of 203.8–281.3 mm and mean annual temperature (MAT) of 3.3–4.6 °C, where an average GY of about 1866 kg ha−1 could be achieved under PM. However, as MAP and MAT continued to increase, GY-I decreased linearly and reached zero at MAP and MAT of 627.6 mm and 13.1 °C, respectively. GY-I and GY-P were both significantly affected by soil bulk density (SBD), plant density (PD), nitrogen fertilizer rate (NFR), and phosphorus fertilizer rate (PFR). Increasing SBD, NFR, and PFR tended to reduce GY-I, but GY-P showed an inverted U-shaped relationship with SBD and changed from increasing to constant with increasing NFR and PFR. As PD increased, GY-I decreased at first and then increased, while GY-P was observed to change oppositely. It was suggested that PM be adopted at SBD, NFR, PFR, and PD of 1.14−1.30 g cm-3, 160−220 kg N ha−1, 105−135 kg P 2 O 5 ha−1, and 72,000–80,000 plants ha−1, respectively. In conclusion, PM usually has a positive effect on maize production in the Chinese Loess Plateau. However, for optimizing the PM effect in practice, we must consider climate, soil properties, field management practices, GY-I, and GY-P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MnCoP nanosheets are constructed on carbon cloth by doping Mn into CoP via electrodeposition. • Mn dopant can adjust the surface electronic structure, and boosts its intrinsic activity. • The strong affinity between MnCoP and substrates endows outstanding stability in water splitting. Developing highly efficient and sustainable bifunctional cheap electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial, but remains a challenge for large-scale water splitting applications. Appropriate surface engineering of non-noble metal electrocatalysts is essential for tuning their electrocatalytic properties. Herein, MnCoP nanosheets are designed and constructed by doping Mn into CoP via direct one-step electrodeposition on carbon cloth. Doping Mn can not only modify the surface electronic structure of CoP, but also enhance electrochemical surface areas (ECSA) to expose more accessible active sites, and increase the intrinsic activity for HER and OER. As a result, the electrocatalyst reasonably shows superior catalytic performance: the overpotential is as low as 65 mV for HER and 261 mV for OER in 1 M KOH solutions to deliver the current density of 10 mA cm−2, along with outstanding stability benefited from the strong affinity between the catalyst and CC substrate. The electrolyzer cell for overall water splitting, using MnCoP/CC as both anode and cathode catalysts, exhibits a very low voltage of 1.62 V at 10 mA cm−2 and excellent long-term durability within 24 h. This study offers a general method to produce high-performance and cost-effectiveness catalysts for water splitting and other catalytic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming will change the photosynthesis and transpiration of plants greatly and ultimately affect water use efficiency (WUE). Here, we present a protocol to investigate the response of maize WUE to the coupling effect of CO 2 and temperature at ear stage using a specialized designed gradient. We describe steps for plant culture, parameter measurements, model fitting, and statistical analysis. This protocol holds potential for studying the response of WUE and CO 2 adaptation across various plant species. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sun et al. 1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the face of global warming, the photosynthesis and transpiration of plants will change greatly, which will ultimately affect the water use efficiency (WUE) of plants. In order to study the coupling effects of CO 2 and temperature on WUE of maize at ear stage, 'Zhengdan 958' was taken as the research object, and 5 temperatures (20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C and 40 °C) and 11 CO 2 concentration (400, 300, 200, 150, 100, 50, 400, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 μmol mol -1 ) were set to measure the parameters such as net photosynthetic rate ( P n ), transpiration rate ( T r ), stomatal conductance ( G s ) and intercellular CO 2 concentration ( C i ) of single leaves. The response of WUE ( P n / T r ) to CO 2 and temperature was evaluated by a CO 2 response model. The results show that at the same temperature, P n and WUE increased with CO 2 level, while T r decreased as CO 2 level increases; at the same CO 2 concentration, P n and T r were both positively correlated with temperature, while WUE decreased with the increase of temperature. The maximum value of WUE was obtained when the CO 2 concentration was 1000 μmol mol -1 and the temperature was 20.0 °C. The results suggest that global warming will not improve WUE of maize, which will bring more severe challenges to water-saving agriculture and food security., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Saussurea medusa is an important traditional Tibetan medicinal plant in China. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of S. medusa . The complete S. medusa chloroplast genome is a circular molecular structure of 152,257 bp in length with coding GC 37.93%, consisting of two inverted repeats (25,204 bp) separated by a large single-copy region (83,334 bp) and a small single-copy region (18,515 bp). The complete chloroplast genome of S. medusa contained 130 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 35 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis shows that S. medusa is most closely related to Saussurea inversa and Saussurea pseudoleucoma . The complete chloroplast genome sequence of S. medusa facilitates the phylogenetic studies of Asteraceae., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Rumex nepalensis is a traditional Chinese herb used for detoxification, hemostasis, and anti-inflammatory. In this study, the complete chloroplast sequence of R. nepalensis was characterized from Illumina pair-end sequencing. The cpDNA was 159,044 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats of 30,623 bp each separated by a large and small single copy region of 84,819 bp and 12,979 bp, respectively. The complete chloroplast genome of R. nepalensis contained 128 genes, 37 tRNA, and 8 rRNA. Phylogenetic tree demonstrated that R. nepalensis was closely related to Rumex acetosa., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)