Water use efficiency (WUE) quantifies the amount of water expended per unit of dry leaf matter accumulated, reflecting the trade-offs between water consumption and carbon uptake. It is also a critical parameter for understanding plant responses to environmental changes. This study introduced an innovative set of WUE-related parameters, including maximum water use efficiency (WUE) and associated coefficients of water potential, loss, strategic usage, and total usage (WPC, WLC, WSC, and WTC, respectively) in providing a comprehensive evaluation of water use strategies in 48 common tropical plant species during the natural light fluctuations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we investigate three different polymeric networks in terms of their tensile strength as a function of stretching rate, or temperature, or medium viscosity. Both an acrylate-based elastomer and a crosslinked poly(methyl acrylate) are stronger, more stretchable, and tougher at high rates. They are also much stronger at lower temperatures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF