DOM from the soils of decapitated and root-pruned S. alfredii had significantly higher Cd extraction ability compared with that of the untreated species. Based on the findings of this study, we suggest that decapitation and root pruning can improve the phytoremediation efficiency of S. alfredii by increasing the bioavailability of Cd in its rhizosphere.Nanoencapsulation of biopesticides is an important strategy to increase the efficiency of these compounds, reducing losses and adverse effects on non-target organisms. https://www.selleckchem.com/peptide/bulevirtide-myrcludex-b.html This study describes the preparation and characterisation of zein nanoparticles containing the botanical compounds limonene and carvacrol, responsive to proteolytic enzymes present in the insects guts. The spherical nanoparticles, prepared by the anti-solvent precipitation method, presented in the nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) a concentration of 4.7 × 1012 ± 1.3 × 1011 particles.mL-1 and an average size of 125 ± 2 nm. The formulations showed stability over time, in addition to not being phytotoxic to Phaseolus vulgaris plants. In vivo tests demonstrated that formulations of zein nanoparticles containing botanical compounds showed higher mortality to Spodoptera frugiperda larvae. In addition, the FTIC probe (fluorescein isothiocyanate) showed wide distribution in the larvae midgut, as well as being identified in the feces. The trypsin enzyme, as well as the enzymatic extract from insects midgut, was effective in the degradation of nanoparticles containing the mixture of botanical compounds, significantly reducing the concentration of nanoparticles and the changes in size distribution. The zein degradation was confirmed by the disappearance of the protein band in the electrophoresis gel, by the formation of the lower molecular weight fragments and also by the greater release of FTIC after enzymes incubation. In this context, the synthesis of responsive nanoparticles has great potential for application in pest management, increasing the selectivity and specificity of the system and contributing to a more sustainable agriculture.Mercury (Hg) is one of the most hazardous pollutants, widely distributed in water, atmosphere, and soil, while the Hg contents from different sources are greatly different. Until now, numerous reported methods are only suitable for a kind of sample because they cannot reconcile sensitivity and linear range. In this work, a tail-extensible DNA fluorescent probe for "turn on" detection of Hg2+ with tunable dynamic range and high sensitivity was developed, which was based on segmental hybridization between silver nanoclusters (AgNCs)-covered DNA and different guanine-rich DNAs. By adding adenine-guanine-cytosine (AGC) base repeats as a tail of the guanine-rich DNA, the formation constant of T-Hg2+-T complex was effectively modulated within two orders of magnitude. Based on it, a tunable dynamic range from 0.035 to 0.2 pM to 8.0-120.0 pM was achieved by combining four fluorescent probes with different tail lengths. The Hg2+contents from different sources were successfully measured. This evidenced the proposed sensor's application toward wide-field detection, which is useful for the direct and objective comparison of results from different sources, and therefore providing a way for solving the shortcomings of reported methods for Hg2+ detection. Additionally,this present method is simple, cost-effective and time-saving, ultrasensitive and highly selective, which is favorable for expanding its applications and subsequent mercury pollution control.Metabolomic responses of earthworms to neonicotinoids are important for understanding their molecular-level toxicity and assessing their ecological risks, but little is known until now. We investigated impact of imidacloprid (IMI, 52.6 ng/g) and dinotefuran (DIN, 52.5 ng/g) on Eisenia fetida metabolomics under single- and dual-compound exposure scenarios for one to four weeks. Dissimilar metabolites and anti-stress strategies were found for different neonicotinoids and exposure scenarios. Specifically, IMI exposure first increased myo-inositol and UDP-glucuronate associated with transmembrane absorption and transformation to IMI-urea, and then increased glutathione and fourteen amino acids (TCA cycle precursors) to resist stress and replenish energy. In contrast, worms exposed to DIN first prepared TCA cycle intermediates from glucosamine-6-phosphate and amino acids, suppressed urea cycle and DIN transformation, and then alleviated oxidative stress by increasing carnosine, nicotinate-D-ribonucleotide and nicotinamide-β-riboside. Dual exposure increased four eicosanoids by 1.6-1.9-fold, possibly associated with membrane lipid peroxidation; the amino acids consumed to balance the energy metabolism exhibited a wave-like pattern. This study first systematically revealed the compound/time/exposure scenario- dependent effects of trace neonicotinoids on earthworm metabolomics and advanced the understanding of their action modes. Neonicotinoid transformation was closely related to worms' metabolic profiles, providing important insights in contaminant fate in soil ecosystems.Microplastics (MPs) in marine and terrestrial environments have been intensively studied, but the dynamics of airborne MPs remains limited. Existing studies on atmospheric MPs are mostly derived from collection of atmospheric deposition, whereas direct measurements of airborne MPs are scarce. However, the abundance of airborne MPs is more relevant for evaluating human inhalation exposure risk. Herein, airborne MPs in indoor and outdoor environments from urban and rural areas of a coastal city in eastern China were investigated. MP concentrations (mean±SD) in indoor air (1583 ± 1180 n/m3) were an order of magnitude higher than outdoor air (189 ± 85 n/m3), and airborne MP concentrations in urban areas (224 ± 70 n/m3) were higher than rural areas (101 ± 47 n/m3). MPs smaller than 100 µm dominated airborne MPs, and the predominant shape of airborne MPs was fragments, as opposed to fibers. The larger MP size fractions contained a higher proportion of fibers, whereas the smaller size fractions were nearly exclusively composed of fragments.