Interactive effects of salinity and light on the growth and survivorship of mangrove <i>Heritiera littoralis</i> seedlings

Salinity and light are two important environmental factors that interactively influence mangrove performance. Heritiera littoralis, a mangrove associate widely distributed in East Africa and southeast Asia, has been threatened by habitat loss throughout its range. Understanding the growth response of H. littoralis to salinity and light gradients is essential for its conservation, especially in the context of sea level increases. Here we investigated the interactive effects of salinity and light on the growth and survivorship of H. littoralis seedlings by conducting a greenhouse experiment with two-phase light × salinity treatments. The results showed that salinity and shading exerted negative effects on H. littoralis survivorship and growth in terms of seedling height increases, leaf number increases and total biomass. H. littoralis displayed higher sensitivity to salinity than to light, and the response to light depends on the salinity level. Furthermore, salinity exerted prolonged effects on the H. littoralis response to subsequent light and salinity conditions. Relative to seedlings with no previous salinity exposure, the seedlings with salinity exposure were less responsive to increases in subsequent light availability and allocated more biomass to below vs. aboveground parts, resulting in lower biomass. Together, these results indicate that H. littoralis growth is strongly influenced by salinity. To improve H. littoralis conservation, salinity effects interacting with light should be considered when restoring disturbed habitats for H. littoralis.</p

Remodeling Tumor Vasculature to Enhance Delivery of Intermediate-Sized Nanoparticles

Restoration of dysfunctional tumor vasculature can reestablish the pressure gradient between intravascular and interstitial space that is essential for transporting nanomedicines into solid tumors. Morphologic and functional normalization of tumor vessels improves tissue perfusion to facilitate intratumoral nanoparticle delivery. However, this remodeling process also reduces tumor vessel permeability, which can impair nanoparticle transport. Although nanoparticles sized below 10 nm maximally benefited from tumor vessel normalization therapy for enhanced nanomedicine delivery, the small particle size severely limits its applicability. Here, we show that intermediate-sized nanoparticles (20–40 nm) can also benefit from tumor vasculature remodeling. We demonstrate that a window of opportunity exists for a two-stage transport strategy of different nanoparticle sizes. Overall, tumor vessel remodeling enhances the transvascular delivery of intermediate-size nanoparticles of up to 40 nm. Once within the tumor matrix, however, smaller nanoparticles experience a significantly lesser degree of diffusional hindrance, resulting in a more homogeneous distribution within the tumor interstitium. These findings suggest that antiangiogenic therapy and nanoparticle design can be combined in a multistage fashion, with two sets of size-inclusion criteria, to achieve optimal nanomedicine delivery into solid tumors

Relationship between soil respiration rate and soil temperature (A) or soil humidity (B) under all treatments: -D-E, -D+E, +D-E, and +D+E.

<p>Relationship between soil respiration rate and soil temperature (A) or soil humidity (B) under all treatments: -D-E, -D+E, +D-E, and +D+E.</p

Results of ANOVA for the effects of time (date of litter collection), site, and treatment (LT, OD, or LB) on the total mass of intercepted litterfall (experiment 1).

<p>Note: LT refers to litter collected on nylon sheets (litter traps); OD refers to litter collected on natural <i>D. dichotoma</i> foliage; LB refers to litter collected on <i>D. dichotoma</i> foliage with baffles on the plot borders that prevented the horizontal movement of the litter.</p

Mass of litterfall intercepted (means ± SE) by traditional litter traps (LT), the natural <i>Dicranopteris dichotoma</i> understory (OD), and the <i>D. dichotoma</i> understory with bordering baffles to prevent horizontal movement of litter (LB) (experiment 1).

<p>The mass of litter captured in LT can be considered equivalent to the total mass of tree litter that can potentially fall to the forest floor.</p

Litter mass remaining (A) and litter decomposition rate (<i>k</i>) (B) at different heights (0, 50, and 100 cm) in the <i>Dicranopteris dichotoma</i> understory or on the bare ground without understory (control) (experiment 2).

<p>Error bars represent standard errors, and different letters indicate significant differences at <i>α</i> = 0.05.</p

Effects of soil temperature (<i>T_s</i>) and soil moisture (<i>M_s</i>) on the variation of soil respiration rate (<i>R_s</i>) under all treatments (-D-E, -D+E, +D-E, and +D+E).

<p>The regression relationship between <i>R_s</i> and <i>T_s</i> (<i>R_s</i> & <i>T_s</i>) was fitted by exponential growth model , ; The regression relationship between <i>R_s</i> and <i>M_s</i> (<i>R_s</i> & <i>M_s</i>) was fitted by linear model .</p

Results of ANOVA for the effects of season (wet vs. dry), site, litter (+), understory (+), and their interactions on the soil respiration rate.

<p>Results of ANOVA for the effects of season (wet vs. dry), site, litter (<u>+</u>), understory (<u>+</u>), and their interactions on the soil respiration rate.</p

Effect of Fluoroethylene Carbonate Electrolyte Additives on the Electrochemical Performance of Nickel-Rich NCM Ternary Cathodes

It has been well established recently that fluorinated electrolyte additives such as fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) could promote the formation of LiF-based solid electrolyte interphases that can stabilize lithium metal anodes. Meanwhile, the impact of FEC additives on the cathode side, particularly for the high energy density nickel-rich LiNi1–x–yCoxMnyO2 (NCM) ternary cathodes, remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the structural and chemical composition of a cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) and its electrochemical performance to elucidate the effect of FEC additives on the LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 (NCM90) cathode for high energy lithium-ion batteries. It is discovered that the FEC additive in carbonate electrolyte (BE-FEC) can produce a LiF-based CEI, which could stabilize the NCM90 surface and improve the cycle performance at low cut-off voltage. The formation of a thick LiF layer under high cut-off voltage and high rate has been observed to result in increased polarization and slower Li+ transport kinetics, ultimately leading to a deterioration in battery performance. On the other hand, in a carbonate electrolyte (BE) and under low voltage, the unstable Li2CO3-based CEI components on the NCM90 surface with an intermediate rock salt phase in between contribute to poor long-term performance and reduced reliability. While under high voltage, the BE sample shows superior electrochemical performance due to the formation of a thin LiF layer from the decomposition of LiPF6. Our work provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of FEC in the CEI of nickel-rich cathodes, offering practical guidance for the design of electrolytes for high-energy high-voltage nickel-rich cathodes

Results of ANOVAs for the effects of time (date of litter collection), site, and height (position in the understory canopy: from 0–50 vs. 50–100 cm from the ground) on the total mass of litter intercepted by the canopy in the OD treatment (litter collected on natural <i>D. dichotoma</i> foliage) and the LB treatment (litter collected on <i>D. dichotoma</i> foliage with baffles on the plot borders that prevented the horizontal movement of litter) (experiment 1).

<p>Results of ANOVAs for the effects of time (date of litter collection), site, and height (position in the understory canopy: from 0–50 vs. 50–100 cm from the ground) on the total mass of litter intercepted by the canopy in the OD treatment (litter collected on natural <i>D. dichotoma</i> foliage) and the LB treatment (litter collected on <i>D. dichotoma</i> foliage with baffles on the plot borders that prevented the horizontal movement of litter) (experiment 1).</p