A Magnetically Coupled Electromagnetic Energy Harvester with Low Operating Frequency for Human Body Kinetic Energy.

In this paper, a magnetically coupled electromagnetic energy harvester (MCEEH) is proposed for harvesting human body kinetic energy. The proposed MCEEH mainly consists of a pair of spring-connected magnets, coils, and a free-moving magnet. Specifically, the interaction force between the magnets is repulsive. The main feature of this structure is the use of a magnetic-spring structure to weaken the hardening response caused by the repulsive force. The magnetic coupling method enables the energy harvester system to harvest energy efficiently at low frequency. The MCEEH is experimentally investigated for improving energy harvesting efficiency. Under harmonic excitation with an acceleration of 0.5 g, the MCEEH reaches resonance frequency at 8.8 Hz and the maximum output power of the three coils are 5.2 mW, 2.8 mW, and 2.5 mW, respectively. In the case of hand-shaking excitation, the generator can obtain the maximum voltage of 0.6 V under the excitation acceleration of 0.2 g and the excitation frequency of 3.4 Hz. Additionally, a maximum instantaneous power can be obtained of about 26 mW from the human body's kinetic energy.

Induction of defense in cereals by 4-fluorophenoxyacetic acid suppresses insect pest populations and increases crop yields in the field.

Synthetic chemical elicitors, so called plant strengtheners, can protect plants from pests and pathogens. Most plant strengtheners act by modifying defense signaling pathways, and little is known about other mechanisms by which they may increase plant resistance. Moreover, whether plant strengtheners that enhance insect resistance actually enhance crop yields is often unclear. Here, we uncover how a mechanism by which 4-fluorophenoxyacetic acid (4-FPA) protects cereals from piercing-sucking insects and thereby increases rice yield in the field. Four-FPA does not stimulate hormonal signaling, but modulates the production of peroxidases, H2O2, and flavonoids and directly triggers the formation of flavonoid polymers. The increased deposition of phenolic polymers in rice parenchyma cells of 4-FPA-treated plants is associated with a decreased capacity of the white-backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera to reach the plant phloem. We demonstrate that application of 4-PFA in the field enhances rice yield by reducing the abundance of, and damage caused by, insect pests. We demonstrate that 4-FPA also increases the resistance of other major cereals such as wheat and barley to piercing-sucking insect pests. This study unravels a mode of action by which plant strengtheners can suppress herbivores and increase crop yield. We postulate that this represents a conserved defense mechanism of plants against piercing-sucking insect pests, at least in cereals.

Rice phenolamindes reduce the survival of female adults of the white-backed planthopper Sogatella furcifera.

In response to infestation by herbivores, rice plants rapidly biosynthesize defense compounds by activating a series of defense-related pathways. However, which defensive compounds in rice are effective against herbivores remains largely unknown. We found that the infestation of white-backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera gravid females significantly increased levels of jasmonic acid (JA), jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile) and H2O2, and reduced the level of ethylene in rice; levels of 11 of the tested 12 phenolamides (PAs) were subsequently enhanced. In contrast, WBPH nymph infestation had no effect on levels of JA, JA-Ile, ethylene and H2O2 in rice, and enhanced levels of only 2 of 12 PAs. Moreover, infestation by brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens gravid females also affected the production of these PAs differently. Bioassays revealed that 4 PAs - N-feruloylputrescine, N-feruloyltyramine, feruloylagmatine and N1,N10-diferuloylspermidine - were toxic to newly emerged WBPH female adults. Our results suggest that WBPH- or BPH-induced biosynthesis of PAs in rice seems to be shaped primarily by the specific profile of defense-related signals elicited by the herbivore and that PAs play a role in conferring the resistance to WBPH on rice.