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Abstract Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is one of the major threats to global food security as it significantly affects cereals’ production and quality. PHS tolerance depends on diverse factors, among which phytohormones and germination-inhibitory substances (GISs) play essential roles. However, in wheat, information related to GIS in the glume is scarce. Thus, we applied LC–MS/MS-based metabolomics analysis to explore the polyphenols and phytohormones profiles of two contrasting wheat genotypes, Lincang Hulled Wheat (LHW, PHS-resistant) and Yunmai53 (Yun53, PHS-highly susceptible). Physiological tests revealed that LHW PHS-resistance is not associated with the ability of its spikelet to prevent water absorption. The total polyphenol content of the spikes and shells of LHW was significantly higher than that of Yun53, respectively. In total, 214 phenolic compounds classified mainly into phenolic acids (42.52%), flavones (23.83%), and flavonoid carbonosides (16.36%) were identified. 180 differentially accumulated polyphenols (DAPs) were uncovered, including 168 up-regulated in LHW. 24 most up-regulated DAPs (Log2FC ≥ 8) were unveiled as potential candidate GISs. Of the identified phytohormones, abscisic acid, salicylic acid, and jasmonic acid exhibited significantly higher content in LHW compared to Yun53. Whereas, Yun53 contained significantly higher levels of ethylene and gibberellin than LHW. Our findings offer new resources for PHS control in wheat.

In this study, hierarchical NiCo2S4 nanostructures have been successfully prepared on Ni foam support using a simple and economical two-step hydrothermal process. The hierarchical NiCo2S4 nanostructure comprises rod-like NiCo2S4 cores enveloped by a thin nanoribbon shell. When the NiCo2S4/Ni foam was employed as an electrode for methanol electrooxidation directly, a current density of 194 mA mg−1 was achieved at 0.60 V. The prepared NiCo2S4/Ni foam demonstrates high electrocatalytic activity and durability in alkaline environments for the methanol oxidation reaction. After 1000 cyclic voltammetry cycles in the alkaline electrolyte, the current density of the hierarchical NiCo2S4 decreased to 72.2% of its initial value, with the loss of catalytic activity during the cycling test attributed to their surface oxidation. These findings suggest the NiCo2S4 sample as a non-noble metal electrocatalyst holds great potential for direct methanol fuel cells.

The accumulation of lead (Pb) in sediments resulted from substandard discharge of industrial and agricultural sewage hold serious threat to agro-ecology and human health during its recycling process. Electro-kinetic remediation (EKR) is a promising technique for Pb decontamination in porous matrix while pH polarization remains to be the main obstacle for its widespread application. In this study, lab-scale EKR experiments were conducted with enhanced strategies of non-uniform electric intensity (NEI), polarity reversal (PR) and electrolyte conditioning (EC). From the obtained results, all the strategies could alleviate the pH polarization of sediments and increase the removal of Pb by 6.2-37.4%. Operating parameters of electric intensity (El), electrode exchange frequency and electrolyte type were optimized and determined to be 1.0 V/cm, 24 h/time and 0.1 M HAc, respectively. Higher extraction efficiencies of Pb (75-86%) were reached when employed the enhanced EKR and the optimal result was observed when applied the NEI, PR and EC strategies simultaneously. The remediation duration, energy utilization efficiency and energy cost of EKR with optimal enhanced scheme to remove all sediment Pb was evaluated to be in an acceptable value of 178.2 h, 42.3 mg/kWh and $ 0.65/kg, respectively. The methodology and results in this study might provide theoretical foundation to support the designation of EKR in full-scale applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]