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This article argues that the Chinese Communist Party has adopted a unique understanding of law. Unlike the liberal view and the unwritten constitution view, which generally consider law as positive norms that exist independently of politics, the party understands law as a reflection of the party’s and the people’s will and a form of the party’s and the people’s self-discipline. In the party’s view, liberal rule of law theories are self-contradictory, illusive, and meaningless. This article argues that the party views the people as a political concept and itself as a political leading party, marking a fundamental difference from a competitive party in a parliamentary system. The legitimacy of the party’s dominant role and the party-state regime, therefore, depends on whether the party can continue to provide political momentum to lead the people and represent them in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to establish phosphorus fertilization recommendation index of different vegetables (leafy, gourd and leguminous vegetables) by soil test P (Olsen-P and Brayl-P) with the "3414" experiments of 121 sites during 2007-2010 in 30 counties of Guangdong Province, China. The results showed that relationship between vegetable relative yield and soil test P was linear with plateau and logarithmic equation model. The optimal amount of P fertilizer was established with soil test P by logarithmic equation mathematical models. The soil P content was calculated by the relative yield of 50, 75, 90 and 95%, to obtain the soil P abundance and deficiency indicators. Taking plentiful-lack of soil-test P as an index, soil Olsen-P and Bray l-P were classified into five classes corresponding to relative yield of 50, 75, 90 and 95%. This study shows P fertilizer recommended rates were rendered by the models of soil test P with Olsen-P and Brayl-P for "3414" field experiments for three vegetables. © 2014 Friends Science Publishers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested the hypothesis that reducing the carbon (C):Phosphorus (P) ratio in rhizosphere soil would reduce bacterial competition with the plant for P from phytin, which would then increase phytin use efficiency for the plant. A threefactor pot experiment was carried out to study the effect of inoculation with a phytin-mineralizing bacterium, Pseudomonas alcaligenes (PA), on maize P uptake from phytin. Two levels of organic P, two levels of inorganic P, and three different PA inoculation treatments were used. When maize plants were grown in low available P soil with phytin, PA transformed soil P into microbial biomass P, which caused competition for available P with plant and inhibited plant uptake. When 5 mg P kg−1 as KH2PO4 was added, inoculation with PA increased soil acid phosphatase activity which enhanced the mineralization rate of phytin. PA mobilized more P than it immobilized in microbial pool and enhanced plant P uptake. We conclude that the decreased C:P ratio by adding small amount of inorganic P in the rhizosphere could drive phytin mineralization by the bacteria and improve plant P nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The computation problem is discussed for the stochastic chance-constrained linear programming, and a novel direct algorithm, that is, simplex algorithm based on stochastic simulation, is proposed. The considered programming problem in this paper is linear programming with chance constraints and random coefficients, and therefore the stochastic simulation is an important implement of the proposed algorithm. By theoretical analysis, the theory basis of the proposed algorithm is obtained and, by numerical examples, the feasibility and validness of this algorithm are illustrated. The detailed algorithm procedure is given, which is easily converted into the executable codes of software tools. Then, we compare it with some algorithms to verify its superiority. Finally, a practical example is presented to show its practicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of NO-N on growth and osmotic adjustment was studied in Tamarix laxa Willd., a halophyte with salt glands on its twigs. Seedlings of T. laxa Willd. were exposed to 1 mM (control) or 300 mM NaCl, with 0.05, 1 or 10 mM NO-N for 24 days. The relative growth rate of seedlings at 300 mM NaCl was lower than that of control plants at all NO-N levels, but the concentrations of organic N and total N in the twigs did not differ between the two NaCl treatments. Increasing NO supply under 300 mM NaCl improved the growth of T. laxa, indicating that NO played positive roles in improving salt resistance of the plant. The twigs of T. laxa Willd. accumulated mainly inorganic ions, especially Na+ and Cl−, to lower osmotic potential ( Ψs): the contributions of Na+ and Cl− to Ψs were estimated at 31% and 27% respectively, at the highest levels of supply of both NaCl and NO-N. The estimated contribution of NO-N to Ψs was as high as 20% in the twigs in these conditions, indicating that NO was also involved in osmotic adjustment in the twigs. Furthermore, increases in tissue NO were accompanied by decreases in tissue Cl− and proline under 300 mM NaCl. The estimated contribution of proline to Ψs declined as with NO-N supply increased from 1 to 10 mM, while the contributions of nitrate to Ψs were enhanced under 300 mM NaCl. This suggested that higher accumulation of nitrate in the vacuole alleviated the effects of salinity stress on the plant by balancing the osmotic potential. In conclusion, NO-N played both nutritional and osmotic roles in T. laxa Willd. in saline conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dominantly inherited mutations in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 gene (LRRK2) are the most common cause of familial Parkinson's disease (PD) and have also been identified in individuals with sporadic PD. Although the exact cellular function of LRRK2 remains unknown, most PD-linked mutations appear to be toxic to cells in culture via mechanisms that depend on the kinase activity of LRRK2 or on the formation of cytoplasmic inclusions. Here we show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP physically associates with LRRK2 and regulates the cellular abundance of LRRK2. We further show that LRRK2 forms a complex with overexpressed and endogenous CHIP and Hsp90. Our data indicates that the destabilization of LRRK2 by CHIP is due to ubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation. Hsp90 can attenuate CHIP-mediated degradation and this can be blocked by the Hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin. These findings provide important insight into the cellular regulation of LRRK2 stability and may lead to the development of therapeutics to treat PD based on controlling LRRK2 stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effects of salinity and nitrogen (N) on growth and the role of NO3− in osmotic adjustment in the leaf-succulent euhalophyte Suaeda physophora and the stem-succulent xerophyte Haloxylon persicum were evaluated. • Seedlings were exposed to 1 or 300 mm NaCl in 0.05, 1 or 10 mm NO3−-N treatments for 24 d. • At 10 mm NO3−, 300 mm NaCl had no adverse effect on the concentration of NO3−, the content of organic N, and the estimated contribution of NO3− to osmotic potential in leaves of S. physophora, but markedly reduced these in stems of H. persicum. At 300 mm NaCl, more NO3− but less Cl− and Na+ were involved in osmotic adjustment in leaves of S. physophora compared with that in stems of H. persicum. The contribution of NO3− to osmotic potential was much higher in S. physophora, but lower in H. persicum, than that of amino acids at 300 mm NaCl. • The nutritional and osmotic roles of NO3−-N seem to be more important in the euhalophyte S. physophora than in the xerophyte H. persicum under saline conditions. These characteristics may determine the natural distributions of the two species in saline or arid environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a simple method to isolate plasmids from single colonies of Agrobacterium tumefaciens by means of rolling circle amplification. The amplified DNA can be digested by restriction enzymes for plasmid verification and transformed into Escherichia coli for plasmid rescue. Compared with conventional procedures, this method eliminates liquid culturing of Agrobacterium cells and subsequent DNA isolation and enables large-scale plasmid analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates water permeability in living cells and reports the purification, functional reconstitution, and characterization of AqpM, a candidate aquaporin or aquaglyceroporin in the genome of a methonogenic thermophilic achaeon, Methanothermobacter marburgensis. Ubiquity of aquaporins in nature; Protein structure and transport selectivity.

Gene-family evolution mostly relies on gene duplication coupled with functional diversification of gene products. However, other evolutionary mechanisms may also be important in generating protein diversity. The ubiquitous membrane intrinsic protein (MIP) gene family is an excellent model system to search for such alternative evolutionary mechanisms. MIPs are proteins that transport water, glycerol, and small solutes across cell membranes in all living organisms. We reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of MIPs based on amino acid sequence data by using neighborjoining, maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian methods of phylogenetic inference. The recovered trees show an early and distinct separation of water and glycerol transporters, i.e., aquaporins (AQPs), and aquaglyceroporins. The latter are absent from plants. As expected, gene duplication and functional diversification account for most of the diversity of animal and plant members of the family. However, in contrast to this model, we find that the sister group of plant glycerol transporters are bacterial AQPs. This relationship suggests first that plant glycerol transporters may resulted from a single event of horizontal gene transfer from bacteria, which we have estimated to have occurred ≈1,200 million years ago, at the origin of plants, and second that bacterial AQPs were likely recruited to transport glycerol in plants because of their absence of aquaglyceroporins. This striking example of adaptive evolution at the molecular level was demonstrated further by finding convergent or parallel replacements at particular amino acid positions related to water- and glycerol-transporting specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild soybean (Glycine soja), a relative of cultivated soybean, shows high adaptability to adverse environmental conditions. We identified and characterized a wild soybean transcription factor gene, GsWRKY40, that promotes plant salt stress. GsWRKY40 was highly expressed in wild soybean roots and was upregulated by salt treatment. GsWRKY40 was localized in nucleus and demonstrated DNA-binding activities but without transcriptional activation. Mutation and overexpression of GsWRKY40 altered salt tolerance of Arabidopsis plants. To understand the molecular mechanism of GsWRKY40 in regulating plant salt resistance, we screened a cDNA library and identified a GsWRKY40 interacting protein GsbHLH92 by using yeast two-hybrid approach. The physical interaction of GsWRKY40 and GsbHLH92 was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), GST pull-down, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) techniques. Intriguingly, co-overexpression of GsWRKY40 and GsbHLH92 resulted in higher salt tolerance and lower ROS levels than overexpression of GsWRKY40 or GsbHLH92 in composite soybean plants, suggesting that GsWRKY40 and GsbHLH92 may synergistically regulate plant salt resistance through inhibiting ROS production. qRT-PCR data indicated that the expression level of GmSPOD1 gene encoding peroxidase was cooperatively regulated by GsWRKY40 and GsbHLH92, which was confirmed by using a dual luciferase report system and yeast one-hybrid experiment. Our study reveals a pathway that GsWRKY40 and GsbHLH92 collaboratively up-regulate plant salt resistance through impeding GmSPOD1 expression and reducing ROS levels, providing a novel perspective on the regulatory mechanisms underlying plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to other organisms, plants have evolved a greater number of aquaporins with diverse substrates and functions to adapt to ever-changing environmental and internal stimuli for growth and development. Although aquaporins were initially identified as channels that allow water molecules to cross biological membranes, progress has been made in identifying various novel permeable substrates. Many studies have characterized the versatile physiological and biophysical functions of plant aquaporins. Here, we review the recent reports that highlight aquaporin-facilitated regulation of major physiological processes and stress tolerance throughout plant life cycles as well as the potential prospects and possibilities of applying aquaporins to improve agricultural productivity, food quality, environmental protection, and ecological conservation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to promote the alliance of railway and marine transport enterprises in port and ensure the alliance stability, the alliance profit calculation model and allocation scheme is studied. Firstly, the essence of the alliance is analyzed. Secondly, the pricing game models of different alliance structures are established and solved to get the alliance profit. Thirdly, the alliance profit is allocated by Myerson value method. Then the allocation scheme is adjusted considering the difference of the resources invested by the alliance members. Finally, numerical example is contructed to verify the validity of the profit calculation model and allocation scheme. Following conclusions are drawn. The more enterprises to participate in the alliance, the more favorable to the customer and the port. Alliance profit is related to the number of enterprises participating in the alliance, but is not related to the nature of the participation. The smaller transportation cost, the greater the alliance profit. It is feasible to allocate the alliance profit in an effective and fair manner based on Myerson value method, but adjustments are necessary to express the influence exerted by resource inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) are involved in phosphorus (P) mobilization and turnover but the influence of their interaction on organic P mineralization in the root free soil (hyphosphere) have been little studied. We investigated the interactive effects of an AM fungus (Rhizophagus irregularis, RI) and/or PSB (Pseudomonas alcaligenes, PA) on phytate mineralization and subsequent transfer to the host plant (Medicago sativa) using a two-compartment microcosm with a central 30 μm nylon mesh barrier. The root growth compartment containing 5 mg inorganic P (Pi, KH2PO4) kg−1 soil was inoculated with RI or uninoculated and the AM fungal hyphal soil containing 75 mg organic P (Po, Na-phytate) plus 0 or 5 mg Pi kg−1 soil was inoculated with PA or uninoculated. Sole inoculation with RI increased shoot P content compared with the uninoculated treatment and dual inoculation with both RI and PA did not increase shoot P compared with sole RI inoculation. Sole PA inoculation significantly increased microbial biomass P (MBP). Compared with sole PA inoculation soil MBP increased under zero-Pi addition but decreased under 5 mg Pi kg−1 soil addition in the dual inoculation RI/PA treatment. The uninoculated microcosms had the lowest acid phosphatase activity and the highest phytate-P remaining in the soil. Inoculation with PA led to higher acid phosphatase activity and lower phytate-P than did RI. Dual RI/PA inoculation had the highest acid phosphatase activity and the lowest phytate-P remaining in the soil. Addition of 5 mg Pi kg−1 soil to the hyphal compartment decreased phytate-P remaining in the RI and/or PA treatments. The phytate-P remaining in the soil was negatively correlated with soil acid phosphatase activity or MBP in the presence of RI but there was no correlation between shoot P and soil phytate-P. In conclusion, our results indicate that the mineralization of soil phytate was promoted by the interaction between the AM fungus and its hyphosphere PSB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polystyrene electrospun optical fibrous membrane (EOF) was fabricated using a one-step electrospinning technique, functionalized with glucose oxidases (GOD/EOF), and used as a quick and highly sensitive optical biosensor. Because of the doped iridium complex, the fibrous membrane emitted yeflow luminescence (562 urn) when excited at 405 nm. Its luminescence was significantly enhanced with the presence of extremely low concentration glucose. The detection limit was of 1.0 x 10-10 M (S/N = 3), superior to that of reported glucose biosensor with 1.2 x 10-10 M. A linear range between the relative intensity increase and the logarithm of glucose concentration was exhibited from 3.0 x 10'° M to 1.3 x 10~' M, which was much wider than reported results. Notably, the response time was less than 1 s. These high sensitivity and fast response were attributed to the high surface-area-to-volume of the porous fibrous membrane, the efficient GOD biocatalyst reaction on the fibers surface, as well as the fast electron or energy transfer between dissolved oxygen and the optical fibrous membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline stress is a major form of abiotic stress that severely inhibits plant growth and development, thus restricting crop productivity. However, little is known about how plants respond to alkali. In this study, a slow‐type anion channel homolog 3 gene, GsSLAH3, was isolated and functionally characterized. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the GsSLAH3 protein contains 10 transmembrane helices. Consistently, GsSLAH3 was found to locate on plasma membrane by transient expression in onion epidermal cells. In wild soybeans, GsSLAH3 expression was induced by NaHCO3 treatment, suggesting its involvement in plant response to alkaline stress. Ectopic expression of GsSLAH3 in yeast increased sensitivity to alkali treatment. Dramatically, overexpression of GsSLAH3 in Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced alkaline tolerance during the germination, seedling and adult stages. More interestingly, we found that transgenic lines also improved plant tolerance to KHCO3 rather than high pH treatment. A nitrate content analysis of Arabidopsis shoots showed that GsSLAH3 overexpressing lines accumulated more NO3− than wild‐type. In summary, our data suggest that GsSLAH3 is a positive alkali responsive gene that increases bicarbonate resistance specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plasmonic nanoplatform to perform an enzyme-free, naked-eye, and trace discrimination of single-base mutation from fully matched sequence is reported. The nanoplatform showed great potential to enhance catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) amplification efficiency and biocatalytic activity of hemin/G-quadruplex (DNAzyme). When human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA biomarker was used as the model analyst, a naked-eye detection with high selectivity and high sensitivity down to 10-17 M in whole serum was achieved by observing red-to-blue color change. Single-base mismatch and two-base mismatch were detected at the low concentrations of 10-11 and 10-8 M, respectively. The naked-eye detection based on the enzyme-free plasmonic nanoplatform is expected to have potential applications ranging from quick detection and early diagnostics to point-of-care research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wild soybean (Glycine soja) is a highly adaptive plant species which can grow well in saline-alkaline soils. In soybean genome, there exist about 140 HD-Zip (Homeodomain-leucine Zipper) genes. HD-Zip transcription factor family is one of the largest plant specific superfamilies and plays important roles in response to abiotic stresses. Although HD-Zip transcription factors have been broadly reported to be involved in plant resistance to abiotic stresses like salt and drought, their roles in response to bicarbonate stress is largely unknown. Results: From our previous transcriptome profile analysis of wild soybean treated by 50 mM NaHCO3, we identified an HD-Zip gene (Gshdz4) which showed high response to the alkaline stress. Our result of qRT-PCR showed that the expression of Gshdz4 was induced by alkaline stress (NaHCO3) in both leaves and roots of wild soybean. Overexpression of Gshdz4 in Arabidopsis resulted in enhanced tolerance to NaHCO3 and KHCO3 during the process of plant growth and development. However, the growths of transgenic and WT plants were not significantly different on the medium with high pH adjusted by KOH, implicating Gshdz4 is only responsible for resisting HCO3 - but not high pH. The transgenic plants had less MDA contents but higher POD activities and chlorophyll contents than the WT plants. Moreover, the transcript levels of stress-related genes, such as NADP-ME, H+-Ppase, RD29B and KIN1 were increased with greater extent in the transgenic plants than the wild plants. On the contrary, Gshdz4 overexpression lines were much sensitive to osmotic stress at seed germination and stocking stages compared to the wild plants. Conclusions: We revealed that the important and special roles of Gshdz4 in enhancing bicarbonate tolerance and responding to osmotic stress. It is the first time to elucidate these novel functions of HD-ZIP transcription factors. All the evidences broaden our understanding of functions of HD-Zip family and provide clues for uncovering the mechanisms of high tolerance of wild soybean to saline-alkaline stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]