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Foxtail millet [Setaria italica] plays a crucial role as a multigrain crop in agricultural production. However, due to future extreme weather conditions, drought remains the main abiotic stress that limits foxtail millet yield, it is highly significant to screen for drought-tolerant varieties throughout the entire growth period and identify the regulatory genes associated with drought resistance in foxtail millet breeding. We identified 217 foxtail millet seed resources for drought resistance during the maturity stage in the field, and subsequently categorized them into different levels of drought resistance. Two cultivars with extremely strong drought resistance during the maturity stage in the field, JKH4 (Chi 5422) and JKH6 (Chigu 26), as well as two cultivars with extremely weak drought resistance during the maturity stage in the field, JRK3 (17M1309) and JRK6 (Canggu 9), were selected for physiological comparison and transcriptome sequencing before and after drought treatment. Transcriptome analysis at the seedling stage revealed that JRK3 and JRK6 cultivar primarily regulated phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, MAPK signaling pathogen-plant, and plant hormone signal transduction pathway in response to drought stress. On the other hand, the fatty acid elongation pathway of JKH4 and JKH6 variety was found to be more significant. Furthermore, 22 drought resistance related genes were screened through transcriptome analysis of four foxtail millet varieties. These findings could offer valuable theoretical guidance for breeding foxtail millet with enhanced drought resistance and potentially facilitate the development of genetically engineered drought-resistant foxtail millet varieties.

Abstract Over the past few years, blockchain platforms supporting WebAssembly (Wasm) smart contracts are gaining popularity. However, Wasm smart contracts are often compiled from memory‐unsafe languages (e.g. C and C++). And there is a lack of effective defense against integer overflow and stack overflow at the compiler and virtual machine (VM) layers, making Wasm smart contracts even more exploitable than native C and C++ programs. In this paper, the authors propose wasm overflow detector (WASMOD) to address the integer overflow and stack overflow vulnerabilities. The authors’ approach combines bytecode instrumentation, run‐time validation, and grey‐box fuzzing to detect these vulnerabilities. The authors applied their approach to the popular EOSIO blockchain and evaluated it on 4616 deployed Wasm smart contracts. The authors’ approach detected 13 real‐world vulnerable smart contracts.

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is a manufacturing technology that constructs objects by sequentially adding material layer by layer. AM encompasses a range of different techniques capable of working with very different materials from metals and alloys to polymers and composites. As an advanced fabrication technology, AM is characterized by strong design flexibility, the ability to create intricate structures, and cost-effectiveness when compared to conventional fabrication methods. AM technology is widely employed in various sectors such as aerospace, healthcare, and industrial manufacturing, and its application is increasingly expanding into agricultural manufacturing. This study provides a comprehensive review and analysis of the current status of AM technology applied in the five main agricultural manufacturing aspects such as the application of AM technology in the manufacturing of agricultural equipment parts, its use in agricultural sensors, its role in the utilization of agricultural waste, its application in the field of plant growth mechanisms and in phytoremediation tissues. The current existing problems of AM technology and future development trends are also included to provide the implications for researchers. The adoption of AM technology in agriculture offers significant advantages, including enhanced production efficiency, cost reduction, innovation facilitation, and environmental protection. From initial prototyping to custom production today, AM technology provides more flexible, efficient and sustainable solutions for agricultural manufacturing. Especially in the fields of agricultural machinery, planting facilities and agricultural biomaterials, the application of AM technology has shown great potential and advantages. With the continuous advancement in technology and the reduction of costs, AM technology will become more popular and play a more vital role in agricultural manufacturing. In the future, we can foresee that AM will realize the manufacturing of agricultural products with higher precision, a more complex structure and more functions, providing more intelligent and personalized solutions for agricultural production. As such, it is emerging as a critical driving force in the advancement of precision agriculture.

Achieving rubber-like stretchability in cellulose ionogels presents a substantial challenge due to the intrinsically extended chain configuration of cellulose. Inspired by the molecular configuration of natural rubber, we address this challenge by using cyanoethyl as a substitute for 1.5 hydroxyl on the D-glucose unit of cellulose. This strategy innovatively triggers the transformation of cellulose molecules into a coiled chain configuration, facilitating the creation of an ultra-stretchable ionogel free from any petrochemical polymers. The resultant ionogel demonstrates mechanical ductility comparable to that of a rubber band, achieving an elongation strain of nearly 1,000% while maintaining a tensile strength of up to 1.8 MPa and exhibiting a biomodulus akin to that of human skin, recorded at 63 kPa. Additionally, this stretchable ionogel presents skin-like self-healing behavior, favorable biocompatibility, and noteworthy thermoelectric properties, highlighted by a Seebeck coefficient of approximately 68 mV K−1. This study delineates a feasible molecular approach for developing stretchable ionogels from biomass resources, potentially revolutionizing self-powered stretchable electronics for integration with human tissues and skin.

High relative humidity (RH) and high temperature are expected more frequently due to climate change, and can severely affect the growth of chrysanthemums. In order to analyze the interactive effects of RH and high temperature on the photosynthetic performance of chrysanthemum, a completely randomized block experiment was conducted with three factors, namely temperature (Day/night temperature, 35°C/18°C, 38°C/18°C, 41°C/18°C), RH (Whole day RH, 50%, 70%, 90%), and treatment duration (3d, 6d, 9d). The control (CK) temperature was 28°C/18°C and RH was 50%. The results showed that with the increase of temperature, the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE), maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pn-max), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), water use efficiency (WUE), maximal recorded fluorescence intensity (Fm), PSII maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), absorption flux per cross section (ABS/CSm), trapped energy flux per cross section (TRo/CSm), electron transport flux per cross section (ETo/CSm) and photosynthetic pigment content of leaves significantly decreased, the minimal recorded fluorescence intensity (Fo), fluorescence intensity at point J of the OJIP curve (Fj) and non-photochemical quenching per cross section (DIo/CSm) significantly increased, the fluorescence difference kinetics of the OJ phase of chrysanthemum leaves showed K-bands. Pn, AQE, Fm, Fv, Fv/Fm, ABS/CSm, TRo/CSm, ETo/CSm and photosynthetic pigment content were higher at 70% RH than the other two RH conditions. The dominant factor causing the decrease of Pn in leaves was stomatal limitation at 35°C,38°C, three RH conditions, 3d and 6d, but non-stomatal limitation at 41°C and 9d. There was an interaction between temperature and RH, with a significant impact on Pn. The temperature had the greatest impact on Pn, followed by RH. This study confirms that heat stress severely affects the photosynthesis of chrysanthemum leaves, and when the temperature reaches or exceeds 35°C, adjusting the RH to 70% can effectively reduce the impact of heat stress on chrysanthemum photosynthesis.

Abstract Mismanagement of various wastes especially waste water produced by tanning processes has caused serious environmental problems and ultimately impaired human health. Constant efforts have been making to alleviate the pollution of tannery wastewater (TWW), yet terminal treatment still takes dominance. In this review, research on TWW treatment from 2000 to 2021 was summarized, and main methods such as coagulation and flocculation, adsorption, biological treatment, membrane filtration, advanced oxidation process were briefly discussed. More detailed introduction was given to the method of electrochemical treatment since it has excellent performance such as environmental friendliness and high efficiency, hence attracting more and more research attention in recent years. In view of the harsh physi-chemical conditions of TWW, integrated or combined treatment methods are accordingly recommended with better performance and multi-function, however comprehensive studies on optimization of methods combination and cost-effectiveness are needed. The certain issues that the residue Cr in treatment sludge and high salinity in effluent still remain were put forward in this work and potential solutions were provided. Moreover, this review proposed the perspective that realizing multi-function, recycling, and intensification should be the developing direction for future TWW treatment. This review is expected to provide a general guide for researchers who aspire to ameliorate TWW pollution problems and understand various methods utilized in this field. Graphical abstract

Typical thioredoxin (TRX) plays an important role in maintaining redox balance in plants. However, the typical TRX genes in wheat still need to be comprehensively and deeply studied. In this research, a total of 48 typical TaTRX genes belonging to eight subtypes were identified via a genome-wide search in wheat, and the gene structures, protein conserved motifs, and protein 3D structures of the same subtype were very similar. Evolutionary analysis showed that there are two pairs of tandem duplication genes and 14 clusters of segmental duplication genes in typical TaTRX family members; TaTRX15, TaTRX36, and TaTRX42 had positive selection compared with the orthologs of their ancestral species; rice and maize have 11 and 13 orthologous typical TRXs with wheat, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated that typical TaTRXs were involved in maintaining redox homeostasis in wheat cells. Estimation of ROS content, determination of antioxidant enzyme activity, and gene expression analysis in a line overexpressing one typical TaTRX confirmed that TRX plays an important role in maintaining redox balance in wheat. A predictive analysis of cis-acting elements in the promoter region showed that typical TaTRXs were extensively involved in various hormone metabolism and response processes to stress. The results predicted using public databases or verified using RT-qPCR show that typical TaTRXs were able to respond to biotic and abiotic stresses, and their expression in wheat was spatiotemporal. A total of 16 wheat proteins belonging to four different families interacting with typical TaTRXs were predicted. The above comprehensive analysis of typical TaTRX genes can enrich our understanding of this gene family in wheat and provide valuable insights for further gene function research.

Abstract Dialdehyde sodium alginate (DSA) is an alternative chrome-free tanning material for fur production. To obtain satisfactory resultant fur and provide suggestions for the usage of DSA in fur making, the general properties of DSA tanned sheep fur were systematically investigated. The tanning mechanism of DSA was analyzed and it was verified that DSA was mainly combined with collagen fiber by forming Schiff base covalent bonds while supplemented by a small number of hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds. Due to the acid sensitivity of Schiff base structure, DSA tanned fur had poor resistance to acid rinsing but had excellent resistance to washing and good fatliquoring performance. Also, it had good resistances to yellowing and reductant. After being retanned by chrome tanning agent, the fur was capable of enduring a high-temperature dyeing process (68 °C for 8 h). Overall, DSA tanned sheep fur had favorable properties under appropriate post-tanning processing conditions to manufacture light-colored or dark-colored fur products with desirable physical properties. Graphical abstract

Drought is the main abiotic stress factor limiting the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Therefore, improving wheat tolerance to drought stress is essential for maintaining yield. Previous studies have reported on the important role of TaNRX1 in conferring drought stress tolerance. Therefore, to elucidate the regulation mechanism by which TaNRX1 confers drought resistance in wheat, we generated TaNRX1 overexpression (OE) and RNA interference (RNAi) wheat lines. The results showed that the tolerance of the OE lines to drought stress were significantly enhanced. The survival rate, leaf chlorophyll, proline, soluble sugar content, and activities of the antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase) of the OE lines were higher than those of the wild type (WT); however, the relative electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion levels of the OE lines were lower than those of the WT; the RNAi lines showed the opposite results. RNA-seq results showed that the common differentially expressed genes of TaNRX1 OE and RNAi lines, before and after drought stress, were mainly distributed in the plant–pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal transduction, phenylpropane biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, and carbon metabolism pathways and were related to the transcription factors, including WRKY, MYB, and bHLH families. This study suggests that TaNRX1 positively regulates drought stress tolerance in wheat.

Abstract A facile hydrothermal polymerization method has been developed for the preparation of monodisperse carbon spheres (MCSs) using the triblock copolymer F108 as surfactant. The synthesis is based on the ammonia-catalyzed polymerization reaction between phenol and formaldehyde (PF). The resultant MCSs have a perfect spherical morphology, smooth surface, and high dispersity. The particle sizes can be tuned in a wide range of 500~2400 nm by adjusting the dosage of the PF precursor. The activated MCSs with suitable heteroatoms (N and O) doped and a large specific surface area (960 m2 g−1) were obtained. A high-performance electrode of electrical double-layer capacitors fabricated by those active material have an excellent specific capacitance (310 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1) and outstanding cycling stability (92% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles). This work provides a new opportunity for the fabrication of MCSs with potential applications.

Porous carbon spheres ranging in size from nanometer to micrometer have been attracting worldwide attention owing to their excellent performance and wide application. In this paper, nitrogen-doped porous carbon spheres (NPCSs) are successfully prepared by a facile hydrothermal strategy under the assistance of triblock copolymer F108 as soft template. The effect of the ethanol/water volume ratios, concentration of F108 and ammonia, and the alkyl chain of alcohol on the morphologies and particle size of the resulted NPCSs are investigated systematically. Results show that the particle size can be tuned from 160 to 2000 nm by adjusting the synthesis parameters. The obtained NPCSs exhibit a large specific surface area (1481 m2 g−1) and suitable nitrogen-doped concentration (2.4 at%). As electrode material for supercapacitors, the NPCSs present a high specific capacitance of 365 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and outstanding cycling stability with 93.9% retention after 10 000 cycles. Keywords: Soft-template, Nitrogen-doped, Porous carbon spheres, Supercapacitor, Energy storage and conversion

The structures, hydrogen storage behaviors and electrochemical properties of Y0.75La0.25Ni3.5−xMnx (x = 0–0.3) alloys were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Neutron powder diffraction, pressure–composition isotherms and electrochemical tests. All alloys have a multiphase structure. With the increase in Mn content, the Gd2Co7-type phase of the alloys gradually transforms into the Ce2Ni7-type phase; the Mn atom mainly occupies the Ni sites in the [AB5] subunit and the interface between the [AB5] and [A2B4] subunits; the V[A2B4]/V[AB5] continuously decreases from 1.045 (x = 0) to 1.019 (x = 0.3), which reduces the volume mismatch between [A2B4] and [AB5] subunits. The maximum hydrogen absorption of the series alloys increases first and then decreases, and the addition of Mn effectively promotes the hydrogen absorption/desorption performance of the alloys. The maximum discharge capacity of the alloy electrodes is closely related to their hydrogen storage capacity at 0.1 MPa and hydrogen absorption/desorption plateau pressure. The cyclic stability of all the Mn-containing alloy electrodes is improved clearly compared to that of Mn-free alloy electrodes, because the volume mismatch between the [AB5] and [A2B4] subunits of the alloys becomes smaller after the addition of Mn, which can improve the structural stability and reduce the corrosion of alloys during hydrogen absorption/desorption cycles. When the Mn content is between 0.1 and 0.15, the Ce2Ni7-type phase of the alloys has high abundance and the alloy electrodes exhibit excellent overall performance.

Abstract Self-stabilized and well-defined chlorine-doped carbonated cobalt hydroxide nanowires have been obtained as a binder-free electrode via a facile method. The Co material has a unique well-defined needle-like structure, composed of highly aligned monomer with the diameter of about 3–10 nm and numerous surface pores, which makes it have potential for high-performance electrochemical capacitors. The test results show the directly acquired Co-ClNWs(NiE) electrode in three-electrode system can reach the specific capacity of more than 2150 F/g under the current density of 1 A/g, accompanied by a good cycling stability of 94.3% capacitance retention after 500 cycles, and exhibits a high energy density of 41.8 W h/kg at the power density of 1280.7 W/kg when using it as the positive electrode of an asymmetric supercapacitor. After making a comparison of the current material with the conventional electrodes, we can find that a better electrochemical performance can be achieved with a more convenient one-step method. Therefore, we, in this work, may provide a new type of manufacturing concept for future electrode treatment.

Abstract Nitrogen-doped microporous carbon spheres (NMCSs) are successfully prepared via carbonization and KOH activation of phenol-formaldehyde resin polymer spheres synthesized by a facile and time-saving one-step hydrothermal strategy using triblock copolymer Pluronic F108 as a soft template under the Stöber-like method condition. The influence of the ethanol/water volume ratios and carbonation temperatures on the morphologies, pore structures and electrochemical performances of the prepared NMCSs are investigated systematically. The optimal NMCSs have a large specific surface area of 1517 m2 g− 1 with a pore volume of 0.8 cm3 g− 1. The X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy analysis reveals a suitable nitrogen-doped content of 2.6 at.%. The as-prepared NMCSs used as supercapacitor electrode materials exhibit an outstanding specific capacitance of 416 F g− 1 at a current density of 0.2 A g− 1, also it shows an excellent charge/discharge cycling stability with 96.9% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. The constructed symmetric supercapacitors using PVA/KOH as the gel electrolyte can deliver a specific capacitance of 60.6 F g− 1 at current density of 1 A g− 1. A maximum energy density of 21.5 Wh kg− 1 can be achieved at a power density of 800 W kg− 1, and the energy density still maintains 13.3 Wh kg− 1 even at a high power density of 16 kW kg− 1. The results suggest that this work can open up a facile and effective way to synthesize the NMCSs for electrode materials of high performance energy storage devices.

The synthesis of porous carbon spheres with good dispersity and oxygen-rich content from phenolic resin remains challenging due to weak interactions between carbon precursors and soft templates, as well as fast cross-linking rate of precursors. Herein, we demonstrate a facile and efficient organic-organic self-assembly hydrothermal method to prepare microporous carbon spheres (MCSs) with perfect dispersity and rich oxygen-containing groups under highly acidic conditions. Both the precursors and templates are partly protonated by high concentration acid and thus provide an additional Coulombic interactions between resol and F108 via the I+X−S+ mechanism. Such enhanced interaction improve the self-assembly ability of resol and F108, lead to more matching the cross-linking rate of resol, which efficient avoid macroscopic phase separation and aggregate. Results indicate that the MCSs are modified with a considerable number of oxygen-containing functional groups (hydroxyl and carbonyl) under acidic conditions, and the oxygen content increases with the concentration of HCl. The optimal MCSs with a high specific surface area of 1449 m2 g−1, large pore volume of 0.77 cm3 g−1 and high oxygen content of 8.5 at%, exhibits an enhanced specific capacitance of 361 F g−1 and excellent long-term stability (93.8% retention after 10 000 cycles) when used as the electrode materials for supercapacitors. Furthermore, the MCSs based symmetrical supercapacitors delivers a maximum energy density of 18.5 W h kg−1 at power density of 750 W kg−1. This feasible hydrothermal method develops a new strategy for the fabrication of functionalized porous carbon spheres. Keywords: Organic-organic self-assembly, I+X−S+ mechanism, Triblock copolymer F108, Microporous carbon spheres, Supercapacitors

Leather split, the byproduct of leather manufacture, possesses low utility value because it has loose weave of collagen fibers and weak mechanical strengths. Herein, a practical and convenient method for increasing strengths of leather split was developed by one-step in situ polymerization. The structures and properties of polyacrylate/leather split composites were systematically investigated. The results suggested the monomers with an α-methyl and a proper straight-chain ester group, such as nBMA, can effectively modify the leather split. For leather split with a thickness of 1.6 mm, the rational processes for preparation of polyacrylate/leather split composite are that monomer and split were stirred in a drum for 4 hours for full permeation and then the split was heated in anaerobic condition at 45°C for 30 min. The tensile strength, tear strength, and elongation at break of the optimized PnBMA/split composite were 18.72 MPa, 62.73 N/mm, and 46.02%, respectively. With these mechanical properties, the split after modification can be well used as leather for making shoes, bags, gloves, and clothing.