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Productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum) is markedly affected by high temperature and nitrogen deficiency. Identifying the functional proteins produced in response to these multiple stresses acting in a coordinated manner can help in developing tolerance in the crop. In this study, two wheat cultivars with contrasting nitrogen efficiencies (N-efficient VL616 and N-inefficient UP2382) were grown in control conditions, and under a combined stress of high temperature (32 °C) and low nitrogen (4 mM), and their leaf proteins were analysed in order to identify the responsive proteins. Two-dimensional electrophoresis unravelled sixty-one proteins, which varied in their expression in wheat, and were homologous to known functional proteins involved in biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, photosynthesis, protein folding, transcription, signalling, oxidative stress, water stress, lipid metabolism, heat stress tolerance, nitrogen metabolism, and protein synthesis. When exposed to high temperature in combination with low nitrogen, wheat plants altered their protein expression as an adaptive means to maintain growth. This response varied with cultivars. Nitrogen-efficient cultivars showed a higher potential of redox homeostasis, protein stability, osmoprotection, and regulation of nitrogen levels. The identified stress-responsive proteins can pave the way for enhancing the multiple-stress tolerance in wheat and developing a better understanding of its mechanism.

The presence of metal particles in lubricating oil produced during the wear and tear of mechanical equipment can harm its performance severely if not detected in time. Hence, the detection of such particles is necessary to predict and to prevent disastrous failures of the machines. This paper presents a new non-contact cross-capacitive sensor for the detection of metal particles in the lubricating oil. The sensor can detect each and every metal debris particle in the lubricating oil by monitoring the capacitance peak. The proposed capacitive sensor works on the principle of the Thompson–Lampard theorem. The sensor consists of four cylindrical electrodes with infinitesimal gaps wrapped around a hollow Teflon tube. The sensor has been modeled with finite element simulation software and then fabricated to verify the theory experimentally. Experimental results show that the capacitance value shows a sharp change in its value due to the presence of metal debris in the oil. The output of the sensor is highly precise (±0.82%) and accurate.

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