Tuning the spin-crossover properties of FeII4L cages the interplay of coordination motif and linker modifications.

Despite the increasing number of spin-crossover Fe-based cages, the interplay between ligand modifications ( coordination motif substituents and linker) is not well-understood in these multinuclear systems, limiting rational design. Here, we report a family of FeII4L spin-crossover cages based on 2,2'-pyridylbenzimidazoles where subtle ligand modifications lowered the spin crossover temperature in CDCN by up to 186 K. Comparing pairs of cages, CH substituents on either the coordination motif or phenylene linker lowered the spin-crossover temperature by 48 K, 91 K or 186 K, attributed to electronic effects, steric effects and a combination of both, respectively.

Insight of CO and ethanol emission from maize silage: A case study with real-time identification of aerobic and anaerobic microbial respiration using a multi-sensor-fusion method.

Silage is produced worldwide for both livestock feeding and biogas production. Sustainable silage production requires characterization and mitigation of potential effects on environmental quality, particularly from greenhouse gas emissions during the production cycle. Ex-situ sampling has demonstrated that major emissions are carbon dioxide (CO) and ethanol (EtOH).

Long-Term Stable, High-Capacity Anode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries: Taking a Closer Look at CrPS from an Electrochemical and Mechanistic Point of View.

Electrochemical performance of the layered compound CrPS for the usage as anode material in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) was examined and exceptional reversible long-term capacity and capacity retention were found. After 300 cycles, an extraordinary reversible capacity of 687 mAh g at a current rate of 1 A g was achieved, while rate capability tests showed an excellent capacity retention of 100%. Detailed evaluation of the data evidence a change of the electrochemical reaction upon cycling leading to the striking long-term performance.

A Multi-Sensor Mini-Bioreactor to Preselect Silage Inoculants by Tracking Metabolic Activity During Fermentation.

The microbiome in silage may vary substantially from the onset to the completion of fermentation. Improved additives and inoculants are being developed to accelerate the ensiling process, to enhance fermentation quality, and to delay spoilage during feed-out. However, current methods for preselecting and characterizing these amendments are time-consuming and costly.

Dual sensor measurement shows that temperature outperforms pH as an early sign of aerobic deterioration in maize silage.

High quality silage containing abundant lactic acid is a critical component of ruminant diets in many parts of the world. Silage deterioration, a result of aerobic metabolism (including utilization of lactic acid) during storage and feed-out, reduces the nutritional quality of the silage, and its acceptance by animals. In this study, we introduce a novel non-disruptive dual-sensor method that provides near real-time information on silage aerobic stability, and demonstrates for the first time that in situ silage temperature (T) and pH are both associated with preservation of lactic acid.

Heterogeneity of Stomatal Pore Area Is Suppressed by Ambient Aerosol in the Homobaric Species, .

Stomatal pore area is heterogeneous across leaf surfaces. This has been considered as "patchy stomatal conductance," and may have substantial implications for photosynthetic efficiency. Aerosols have always been important elements of plant environments, but their effects on stomatal control of plant water relations, and stomatal heterogeneity specifically, have not been considered.

Differential responses of stomatal kinetics and steady-state conductance to abscisic acid in a fern: comparison with a gymnosperm and an angiosperm.

Origins of abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated metabolic control of stomatal conductance have been suggested to be recent, based on a gradualistic model of stomatal evolution. In ferns, steady-state stomatal conductance (g ) was unresponsive to ABA in some studies, supporting this model. Stomatal kinetic responses to ABA have not been considered.

Ambient aerosol increases minimum leaf conductance and alters the aperture-flux relationship as stomata respond to vapor pressure deficit (VPD).

Aerosols are important components of the global plant environment, with beneficial and deleterious impacts. The direct effects of aerosol deposition on plant-water relationships remain poorly characterized but potentially important. Vicia faba was grown in ambient urban air and in the same air with aerosol excluded, in a moderately polluted environment using two exposure protocols.

CO production, dissolution and pressure dynamics during silage production: multi-sensor-based insight into parameter interactions.

Silage is a critical global feedstock, but is prone to aerobic deterioration. The dominant mechanism of O transport into silage remains unresolved. Here, multiple sensors tracked O and CO, gas pressure (ΔP) between internal silage and ambient air, pH and silage temperature (T) during the ensilage of maize and ryegrass.

Xeromorphic traits help to maintain photosynthesis in the perhumid climate of a Taiwanese cloud forest.

Previous flux measurements in the perhumid cloud forest of northeastern Taiwan have shown efficient photosynthesis of the endemic tree species Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana even under foggy conditions in which leaf surface moisture would be expected. We hypothesized this to be the result of 'xeromorphic' traits of the Chamaecyparis leaves (hydrophobicity, stomatal crypts, stomatal clustering), which could prevent coverage of stomata by precipitation, fog, and condensation, thereby maintaining CO uptake.

Stable isotopic composition of perchlorate and nitrate accumulated in plants: Hydroponic experiments and field data.

Natural perchlorate (ClO) in soil and groundwater exhibits a wide range in stable isotopic compositions (δCl, δO, and ΔO), indicating that ClO may be formed through more than one pathway and/or undergoes post-depositional isotopic alteration. Plants are known to accumulate ClO, but little is known about their ability to alter its isotopic composition. We examined the potential for plants to alter the isotopic composition of ClO in hydroponic and field experiments conducted with snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Multivariate regulation of soil CO2 and N2 O pulse emissions from agricultural soils.

Climate and land-use models project increasing occurrence of high temperature and water deficit in both agricultural production systems and terrestrial ecosystems. Episodic soil wetting and subsequent drying may increase the occurrence and magnitude of pulsed biogeochemical activity, affecting carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles and influencing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, we provide the first data to explore the responses of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and nitrous oxide (N2 O) fluxes to (i) temperature, (ii) soil water content as percent water holding capacity (%WHC), (iii) substrate availability throughout, and (iv) multiple soil drying and rewetting (DW) events.

The ozone component of global change: potential effects on agricultural and horticultural plant yield, product quality and interactions with invasive species.

The productivity, product quality and competitive ability of important agricultural and horticultural plants in many regions of the world may be adversely affected by current and anticipated concentrations of ground-level ozone (O3). Exposure to elevated O3 typically results in suppressed photosynthesis, accelerated senescence, decreased growth and lower yields. Various approaches used to evaluate O3 effects generally concur that current yield losses range from 5% to 15% among sensitive plants.

Uncertainties in the current knowledge of some atmospheric trace gases associated with U.S. agriculture: a review.

Approximately 80 different crop species are grown in the United States in widely differing geographic areas, climatic and edaphic conditions, and management practices. Although the majority of cultivated acreage in the United States is planted with only about 10 primary crops, uncertainties associated with trace gas emissions arise from: (1) limited data availability, (2) inaccurate estimates because of large temporal and spatial variability in trace gas composition and magnitude of trace gas emissions from agricultural activities, (3) differing characteristics of pollutant emissions from highly dispersed animal feed-lots, and (4) limited understanding of the emissions of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) associated with agriculture. Although emission issues are of concern, so also is atmospheric deposition to cropping systems, including wet and dry nitrogen, minerals, and organic compounds.