‘ZhongPan 101’ and ‘ZhongPan 102’: Two Flat Peach Cultivars From China

Flat peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch var. platycarpa] is a variant of ordinary peach with a unique flat shape. It is well known for its shape and delicious fruits (Miao et al. 2022). Although flat peach has a long history of cultivation in China, until the beginning of the 20th century, flat peach was only distributed as a minor variety in the main peach-producing areas of China. In terms of flat peach cultivars, only 46 of the 709 peach cultivars listed in Peach Genetic Resource in China (Wang et al. 2012) are flat peach cultivars, and most of them are flat landraces. Several problems have been noted previously in flat peach cultivars, including poor closure of the blossom end (blossom-end scarring in mild cases and cracking in severe cases), cracked stone in some cultivars (loss of commercial value in severe cases), nonsymmetrical fruit shape, small flesh, and low yield (Wang 2021). Many of the shortcomings of flat peach cultivars are intrinsic problems of the cultivars, which are difficult to improve through cultivation measures. This is the key factor limiting the large-scale promotion of flat peach cultivation in China. For many years, peach breeders in China have been devoted to the genetic improvement of flat peach, and some improved flat peach cultivars have been released, for instance, ‘Pocket Zaoban’ (Jiang et al. 2007) and ‘124 Pantao’ (Ma et al. 2003). However, problems persist in these cultivars, including small fruits, soft flesh, and blossom-end cracks. Only a few flat peach cultivars have good overall performance. In recent years, the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute (ZFRI), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), identified genetic sources of flat peach with slow or nonmelting flesh, a well-closed blossom end, and little or no cracking. They were hybridized with high-quality peach and nectarine cultivars or selections. After multiple generations of improvement, breakthroughs were made in early flat peach breeding, and a series of flat peach cultivars with excellent comprehensive traits have been produced. These cultivars are favored by fruit farmers in the main peach-producing areas in China. Hence, the main problems in flat peach cultivation are expected to be solved, which will help expand the cultivation area of flat peach. ‘ZhongPan 101’ and ‘ZhongPan 102’ are two yellow-flesh flat peach cultivars 45 released from the ZFRI, CAAS. These two cultivars produce large, well-shaped, high-quality fruits with a completely closed stylar end and high yield. Three years of evaluation has confirmed that the peach trees of the two cultivars are stable. ‘ZhongPan 101’ and ‘ZhongPan 102’ were well adapted to climate of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River; have performed well in Henan, Jiangsu, and Anhui Provinces; and are suggested for trial wherever ‘ZhongYouPan 9’ is grown

Domestic refrigerators: An overlooked breeding ground of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens

Domestic refrigerator is a widely used appliance to keep food fresh and retard food spoilage in household. However, our understanding of microbial health risk associated with food under such circumstance still remains very poor. Here, typical types of food (vegetable, fish, and pork) were kept in a domestic refrigerator at 4 °C for 3–30 days. Temporal dynamics of antibiotic resistome, pathogens, bacterial and fungal communities during this period were investigated via high-throughput quantification and Illumina sequencing technologies. Results showed that a large number (21–134) of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were detected across the three food types, including 10.06 % of high-risk ARGs classified by their risk ranks. Moreover, four bacterial pathogens (i.e., Bacillus cereus, Cronobacter spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus) targeted by marker genes including the pathogen-specific genes or virulence factor genes, and some potential fungal pathogens (e.g., Fusarium, Candida, and Aspergillus) were detected, indicating the occurrence of microbial risk even at the normally regarded safe storage temperature. Among all food types, the total bacterial density and ARG abundances in fish rapidly increased after only 3 days, much faster than vegetable and pork after 10 days. In addition, fish samples contained the highest ARG and pathogen abundances, indicating its potentially higher health risk than other food types. Finally, the shifts of ARG pattern were mainly contributed by bacterial communities and MGEs. This study highlights that food preserved in refrigerator at 4 °C could still be an unneglected microbial risk, and raises awareness of improving food safety in domestic environment

Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Nanocrystalline Ti–6Al–4V Alloy Induced by Sliding Friction Treatment

A nanograined (NG) layer with an average grain size of less than 100 nm has been successfully prepared on a Ti–6Al–4V sheet surface by sliding friction treatment (SFT). The electrochemical corrosion/passive behavior and mechanical properties of an NG Ti–6Al–4V sheet were examined in this study. A bi-layer passive film that consisted of an outer TiO2-rich layer and an inner Al2O3-rich layer was formed on either an NG or coarse-grained (CG) surface. The improved corrosion was mainly caused by the enhanced stability and thickness of the passive layer. Tensile experiments were carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties at ambient temperature. The NG Ti–6Al–4V sample exhibited the high yield strength (956 MPa) with a moderate elongation of 8%. These superior comprehensive properties demonstrated its potential as a biomedical material

Enhancement of acetate production in hydrogen-mediated microbial electrosynthesis reactors by addition of silica nanoparticles

Abstract Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is a promising technology for CO2 fixation and electrical energy storage. Currently, the low current density of MES limits its practical application. The H2-mediated and non-biofilm-driven MES could work under higher current density, but it is difficult to achieve high coulombic efficiency (CE) due to low H2 solubility and poor mass transfer. Here, we proposed to enhance the hydrogen mass transfer by adding silica nanoparticles to the reactor. At pH 7, 35 ℃ and 39 A·m− 2 current density, with the addition of 0.3wt% silica nanoparticles, the volumetric mass transfer coefficient (k La) of H2 in the reactor increased by 32.4% (from 0.37 h− 1 to 0.49 h− 1), thereby increasing the acetate production rate and CE of the reactor by 69.8% and 69.2%, respectively. The titer of acetate in the reactor with silica nanoparticles (18.5 g·L− 1) was 56.9% higher than that of the reactor without silica nanoparticles (11.8 g·L− 1). Moreover, the average acetate production rate of the reactor with silica nanoparticles was up to 2.14 g·L− 1·d− 1 in the stable increment phase, which was much higher than the other reported reactors. These results demonstrated that the addition of silica nanoparticles is an effective approach to enhancing the performance of H2-mediated MES reactors. Graphical Abstrac

Multifunctional Cationic Iridium(III) Complexes Bearing 2‑Aryloxazolo[4,5‑<i>f</i>][1,10]phenanthroline (N^N) Ligand: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Photophysics, Mechanochromic/Vapochromic Effects, and Reverse Saturable Absorption

A series of 2-aryloxazolo­[4,5-<i>f</i>]­[1,10]­phenanthroline ligands (N^N ligands) and their cationic iridium­(III) complexes (<b>1</b>–<b>11</b>, aryl = 4-NO₂-phenyl (<b>1</b>), 4-Br-phenyl (<b>2</b>), Ph (<b>3</b>), 4-NPh₂-phenyl (<b>4</b>), 4-NH₂-phenyl (<b>5</b>), pyridin-4-yl (<b>6</b>), naphthalen-1-yl (<b>7</b>), naphthalen-2-yl (<b>8</b>), phenanthren-9-yl (<b>9</b>), anthracen-9-yl (<b>10</b>), and pyren-1-yl (<b>11</b>)) were synthesized and characterized. By introducing different electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents at the 4-position of the 2-phenyl ring (<b>1</b>–<b>5</b>), or different aromatic substituents with varied degrees of π-conjugation (<b>6</b>–<b>11</b>) on oxazolo­[4,5-<i>f</i>]­[1,10]­phenanthroline ligand, we aim to understand the effects of terminal substituents at the N^N ligands on the photophysics of cationic Ir­(III) complexes using both spectroscopic methods and quantum chemistry calculations. Complexes with the 4-R-phenyl substituents adopted an almost coplanar structure with the oxazolo­[4,5-<i>f</i>]­[1,10]­phenanthroline motif, while the polycyclic aryl substituents (except for naphthalen-2-yl) were twisted away from the oxazolo­[4,5-<i>f</i>]­[1,10]­phenanthroline motif. All complexes possessed strong absorption bands below 350 nm that emanated from the ligand-localized ¹π,π*/¹ILCT (intraligand charge transfer) transitions, mixed with ¹LLCT (ligand-to-ligand charge transfer)/¹MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) transitions. At the range of 350–570 nm, all complexes exhibited moderately strong ¹ILCT/¹LLCT/¹MLCT transitions at 350−450 nm, and broad but very weak ³LLCT/³MLCT absorption at 450−570 nm. Most of the complexes demonstrated moderate to strong room temperature phosphorescence both in solution and in the solid state. Among them, complex <b>7</b> also manifested a drastic mechanochromic and vapochromic luminescence effect. Except for complexes <b>1</b> and <b>4</b> that contain NO₂ or NPh₂ substituent at the phenyl ring, respectively, all other complexes exhibited moderate to strong triplet excited-state absorption in the spectral region of 440–750 nm. Moderate to very strong reverse saturable absorption (RSA) of these complexes appeared at 532 nm for 4.1 ns laser pulses. The RSA strength followed the trend of <b>7</b> > <b>11</b> > <b>9</b> > <b>3</b> > <b>2</b> ≈ <b>4</b> > <b>5</b> ≈ <b>10</b> ≈ <b>6</b> ≈ <b>8</b> > <b>1</b>. The photophysical studies revealed that the different 2-aryl substituents on the oxazole ring impacted the singlet and triplet excited-state characteristics dramatically, which in turn notably influenced the RSA of these complexes

Analysis of Hydrogeochemical Characteristics and Origins of Chromium Contamination in Groundwater at a Site in Xinxiang City, Henan Province

Hexavalent chromium contamination in groundwater has become a very serious and challenging problem. Identification of the groundwater chemical characteristics of the sites and their control mechanisms for remediation of pollutants is a significant challenge. In this study, a contaminated site in Xinxiang City, Henan Province, was investigated and 92 groundwater samples were collected from the site. Furthermore, the hydrogeochemical characteristics and the distribution patterns of components in the groundwater were analyzed by a combination of multivariate statistical analysis, Piper diagram, Gibbs diagram, ions ratio and hydrogeochemical simulation. The results showed that the HCO3-Cl-Mg-Ca type, SO4-HCO3-Na type, and HCO3-Mg-Ca-Na type characterize the hydrogeochemical composition of shallow groundwater and HCO3-Cl-Mg-Ca type, HCO3-Na-Mg type, and HCO3-SO4-Mg-Na-Ca type characterize the hydrogeochemical composition of deep groundwater. Ion ratios and saturation index indicated that the groundwater hydrogeochemical characteristics of the study area are mainly controlled by water–rock action and evaporative crystallization. The dissolution of halite, gypsum and anhydrite, the precipitation of aragonite, calcite and dolomite, and the precipitation of trivalent chromium minerals other than CrCl3 and the dissolution of hexavalent chromium minerals occurred in groundwater at the site. The minimum value of pH in groundwater at the site is 7.55 and the maximum value is 9.26. The influence of pH on the fugacity state of minerals was further investigated. It was concluded that the saturation index of dolomite, calcite, aragonite and MgCr2O4 increases with the increase of pH, indicating that these minerals are more prone to precipitation, and the saturation index of Na2Cr2O7, K2Cr2O7 and CrCl3 decreases with the increase of pH, implying that Na2Cr2O7, K2Cr2O7 and CrCl3 are more prone to dissolution. The saturation index of the remaining minerals is less affected by pH changes. The study can provide a scientific basis for groundwater remediation

Toward Broadband Reverse Saturable Absorption: Investigating the Impact of Cyclometalating Ligand π‑Conjugation on the Photophysics and Reverse Saturable Absorption of Cationic Heteroleptic Iridium Complexes

The synthesis, photophysics and reverse saturable absorption of a series of bis-cyclometalated Ir­(III) complexes Ir­(C^∧N)₂<b>L</b>·PF₆, where <b>L</b> = 3,8-bis­[9,9-di­(2-ethylhexyl)-9<i>H</i>-fluoren-2-yl]-1,10-phenanthroline and C^∧N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy, <b>1</b>), 2-phenylquinoline (pqu, <b>2</b>), 1-phenylisoquinoline (piq, <b>3</b>), 2-phenylbenzo­[<i>g</i>]­quinoline (pbq, <b>4</b>), and 2,3-diphenylbenzo­[<i>g</i>]­quinoxaline (dpbq, <b>5</b>), are reported. By gradually increasing the π-conjugation along the pyridine or pyrazine ring of the C^∧N ligands, the energies of the lowest singlet (S₁) and triplet (T₁) excited states are significantly reduced, as reflected by the pronouncedly red-shifted charge transfer absorption bands at >450 nm and the emission band(s) in their UV–vis absorption and emission spectra, respectively. Additionally, our density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the natures of the S₁ and T₁ states vary with the increased π-conjugation of the C^N ligands, with the S₁ state changing from the exclusive ¹LLCT (ligand-to-ligand charge transfer)/¹MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) transitions in <b>1</b>–<b>3</b> to the predominant ¹ILCT (intraligand charge transfer)/¹π,π*/¹MLCT/¹LLCT transitions in <b>4</b> and <b>5</b>, and with the T₁ state being altered from the predominant ligand <b>L</b> based ³ILCT or ³ILCT/³π,π* nature in <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, respectively, to the C^∧N ligand-localized ³π,π*/³MLCT/³ILCT parentage in <b>3</b>–<b>5</b>. All complexes exhibit broad and positive transient absorption (TA) in the visible to the near-IR region (ca. 430–800 nm) upon nanosecond laser excitation at 355 nm. However, the TA spectral features and the triplet lifetimes vary dramatically from <b>1</b> to <b>5</b>, reflecting the different natures of the T₁ states when the degree of π-conjugation of the C^∧N ligands increases. Our nonlinear transmission experiments demonstrate moderate to strong reverse saturable absorption (RSA) for <b>1</b>–<b>5</b> for nanosecond laser pulses at 532 nm. The relative strength of the RSA follows the trend <b>1</b> > <b>3</b> > <b>2</b> > <b>4</b> > <b>5</b>. Our joined experimental and computational studies manifest that judicious choice of the C^∧N ligand with appropriate π-conjugation is an effective approach to obtain Ir­(III) complexes with desired photophysical properties for reverse saturable absorbers