Search

Globins are heme proteins such as hemoglobin (Hb), myoglobin (Mb) and neuroglobin (Ngb), playing important roles in biological system. In addition to normal functions, zebrafish Ngb was able to penetrate cell membranes, whereas less was known for other globin members. In this study, to improve the cell-membrane-penetrating activity of globins, we used sperm whale Mb as a model protein and constructed a quadruple mutant of G5K/Q8K/A19K/V21K Mb (termed 4K Mb), by introduction of four positive charges on the protein surface, which was designed according to the amino acid alignment with that of zebrafish Ngb. Spectroscopic and crystallographic studies showed that the four positively charged Lys residues did not affect the protein structure. Cell-membrane-penetrating essay further showed that 4K Mb exhibited enhanced activity compared to that of native Mb. This study provides valuable information for the effect of distribution of charged residues on the protein structure and the cell-membrane-penetrating activity of globins. Therefore, it will guide the design of protein-based biomaterials for biological applications.

A herbal prescription in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has great complexity, with multiple components and multiple targets, making it extremely challenging to determine its bioactive compounds. Yinchenhao Tang (YCHT) has been extensively used for the treatment of jaundice disease. Although many studies have examined the efficacy and active ingredients of YCHT, there is still a lack of an in-depth systematic analysis of its effective components, mechanisms, and potential targets—especially one based on clinical patients. This study established an innovative strategy for discovering the potential targets and active compounds of YCHT based on an integrated clinical and animal experiment platform. The serum metabolic profiles and constituents of YCHT in vivo were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-ToF-MS)-based metabolomics combined with a serum pharmacochemistry method. Moreover, a compound–target–pathway network was constructed and analyzed by network pharmacology and ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). We found that eight active components could modulate five key targets. These key targets were further verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which indicated that YCHT exerts therapeutic effects by targeting cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), multidrug-resistance-associated protein 2 (ABCC2), multidrug-resistance-associated protein 3 (ABCC3), uridine diphosphate glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1), and farnesoid X receptor (FXR), and by regulating metabolic pathways including primary bile acid biosynthesis, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, and biliary secretion. Eight main effective compounds were discovered and correlated with the key targets and pathways. In this way, we demonstrate that this integrated strategy can be successfully applied for the effective discovery of the active compounds and therapeutic targets of an herbal prescription.

Biodegradable film is considered as a promising alternative to polyethylene film in rainfed farming of arid and semi-arid regions, since the widespread use of polyethylene film has led to many negative effects, such as environmental pollution and land degeneration. In order to identify an optimal biodegradable film for summer maize, field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of biodegradable films with different degradation rates on soil water storage (SWS), soil temperature, soil organic carbon (SOC), the growth stages, grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic return over three growing seasons from 2014 to 2016. Three biodegradable films one with a fast degradation rate (B1), one with a moderate degradation rate (B2), and one with a slow degradation rate (B3), were compared with a polyethylene film (P) and a flat planting system without film mulching was used as the control (CK). The degradation progress of the three types of biodegradable film (B1, B2, and B3) was on time or delayed by about 10 days during normal years (2014 and 2015 seasons) and advanced by 10–20 days during the extreme year (2016 season, plants affected by both lodging and high temperature). Soil temperature and SWS increased significantly under B1 (3.6 °C higher at 5 cm and 2.4 °C higher at 25 cm) and B2 (3.7 °C higher at 5 cm and 2.3 °C higher at 25 cm), compared with CK before the biodegradable film degraded. However, there was no difference in soil temperature and SWS after the biodegradable films B1 and B2 had degraded. The B3 and P treatments led to similar soil temperatures and SWS values throughout the maize seasons. After 3 years of experiments, the SOC levels ranked from high to low were 2.85%, 5.30%, 11.72%, and 15.07% higher in CK than that in B1, B2, B3, and P, respectively. The season length was the longest in B2 (117, 117 and 112 d) for all three seasons. Average grain yield, WUE, and net revenue in B2 were 18.40%, 25.10% and 32.97%, 11.90%, 6.62% and 20.46%, 11.43%, 6.82% and 15.71%, and 32.50%, 45.64% and 41.05% higher than in B1, B3, P, and CK, respectively. The results suggested that biodegradable film with a moderate degradation rate could improve the soil environment, promote maize growth, increase net revenue and reduce loss of SOC relative to B1, B3 (no significant difference with B1 in SOC level) and P. Therefore, B2 was the best biodegradable film for summer maize production in regions with sub-humid drought-prone climates.

Identification of metabolic alterations is useful for elucidating the pathophysiology and mass spectrometry-aided metabolomic, which provides small molecule metabolites to understand underlying mechanisms of complex diseases. In this work, we developed a novel liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry-based metabolomics screen coupled with multivariate statistical analysis workflow to obtaining the metabolite annotation, visualization and rapid characterization of small molecular metabolites, then revealed the altered metabolic pathway in a rat model of alcohol-induced liver damage rats as case study. The ions were detected in both positive and negative mode, and the key biomarkers were selected through multivariate statistical screening analysis. We employed the enhanced mass spectrometry coverage method to comprehensive analysis of the metabolite data. Importantly, we further find these small molecule metabolites were associated with multiple metabolic pathways. The elucidation of these altered metabolic pathways should help identify new and specific therapeutic targets. In addition, this metabolomics workflow coupled to LC-MS/MS has been successfully applied to the identification of small molecule metabolites in this complex disease. We strongly believe that metabolomics studies will benefit from incorporating liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry strategies.

Ridge-furrow full film mulching (RFFM) has been widely adopted as a water-saving and yield-improving planting pattern in arid and semi-arid regions. Whether or not RFFM can replace the conventional flat planting pattern (FP) with supplemental irrigation in dryland farming has not been tested. Moreover, the effects of reducing irrigation frequency and amount on crops in dryland farms under different rainfall years (dry, normal or wet years) remain unknown. Present study selected winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) as a test crop for a three-year field experiment to investigate the irrigation water-saving potential of RFFM. Six treatments: 1) FP without irrigation (FP0); 2) FP with 30-mm irrigation at the overwintering stage (FP1); 3) FP with 30- and 60-mm irrigation at the overwintering and stem-elongation stages, respectively (FP2); 4) FP with 30-, 60- and 60-mm irrigation at the overwintering, stem-elongation and flowering stages, respectively (FP3); 5) RFFM without irrigation (RFFM0); and 6) RFFM with 45-mm irrigation at the flowering stage (RFFM1) were conducted to explore their effects on root and shoot biomass, nutrient uptake, yield, oil production, evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE). The results indicated that RFFM0 significantly promoted root and shoot biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake. Thus it significantly improved yield by 23.7–39.0%, oil production by 26.8–43.3% and WUE by 71.3–86.5%, and simultaneously decreased ET by 21.2–29.7% in comparison to FP0 and FP1 in dry, normal and wet years. Furthermore, the yield-increasing effect in RFFM0 was nearly equal to FP3 in the normal rainfall and wet years, and was equivalent to FP2 in the dry year. Yield and oil production in RFFM1 were significantly higher than in RFFM0, and were commensurate with those in FP3 in the dry year. Therefore, RFFM reduced a two-time application with total 90 mm irrigation water in a dry year, as well as a three-time application with total 150 mm irrigation water in normal rainfall and wet years for dryland winter rapeseed. Overall, RFFM is a promising adaptive agronomic strategy to apply in dryland regions to sustain food security, and cope with water scarcity, a potential threat to dryland farming due to climate change.

Background Yinchenhao decoction (YCHD) has been widely applied in the clinic for various kinds of liver disease, especially for the therapy of dampness-heat jaundice syndrome (DHJS). Some studies have investigated the pharmacological activity and compositions of YCHD. However, its Q-markers and the action targets are still unrevealed. Purpose This work aims to clarify the therapeutic effect of YCHD against DHJS and discover the quality-markers (Q-markers) of YCHD based on the high-throughput chinmedomics strategy and then predict the potential targets and action mechanism of YCHD against DHJS. Methods Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) combined with pattern recognition method was utilized to analyze serum samples and urine samples. Multivariate data analysis and network pharmacology technology were used to identify the effective components and biomarkers associated with therapeutic effects. Results With the high sensitivity UPLC-MS technology, a total of 69 compounds from YCHD were identified and 41 of them were absorbed in blood. Besides, 34 urine biomarkers from DHJS were identified. Of note, we utilized chinmedomics technology on the correlation analysis of urine biomarkers and absorbed components to determine 9 core-compounds as the Q-markers responsible for the efficacy of YCHD. Finally, a total of 12 potential targets were discovered. Conclusion This work provides a powerful method for clarifying the efficacy of TCM and discovering the effective ingredients as Q-markers.

Film mulching and nitrogen fertilization are two effective practices to promote maize production in northwest China, but their impacts on environment in terms of greenhouse gas emission remain unclear. Two-year field trials were conducted to 1) explore the effect of the film mulching pattern and N fertilization rate on maize production, gaseous N emission, and utilization of N and water; 2) find an optimal mulching pattern and N-fertilization rate to achieve green development. Trial Ⅰ included flat planting with non-mulching (NM), ridge-furrow with plastic film mulch (PM), ridge-furrow with biodegradable film mulch (BM), and flat planting with full plastic film mulching (FM). Trial Ⅱ involved BM with N-fertilization rates (0, 90, 180, and 270 kg N ha−1), denoted as BMN0, BMN1, BMN2, and BMN3, respectively. The results showed that film mulching significantly decreased the daily flux and cumulative flux of gaseous N by an average of 32.02%, 35.17% (NH3), 78.70%, 75.83% (N2O), respectively, as compared with NM. Film mulching also significantly increased the amount of soil residual mineral N after harvest, plant N uptake, and soil water storage but decreased evapotranspiration by an average of 8.31%, 9.42%, 17.45%, and 25.34%, respectively, as compared with NM. In addition, grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE), N uptake efficiency (UPE) (except for BM), N harvest index (NHI), N use efficiency (NUE), and partial productivity of N (PNP) were significantly higher in the mulching treatments, and yield–scaled NH3 emission (YSN) was significantly lower in PM and BM, as compared with NM. Compared with FM, soil residual mineral N after harvest, plant N uptake, grain yield, WUE, NUE, and PNP were significantly lower but NHI was significantly higher in PM and BM. The daily flux and cumulative flux of N2O emission and the amount of soil residual NO3− -N after harvest were significantly lower but plant N uptake was significantly higher in PM than in BM. Collectively, BM was the best mulching treatment in this study. With increase of N-fertilization rate, the daily flux and cumulative flux of NH3 volatilization, the peak period, and the cumulative flux of N2O emission, the grain yield, WUE, NUE (except for N3), and YSN were significantly increased but NHI, PNP, and UPE were significantly decreased. The optimum N-fertilization rate under BM was found at 173 kg ha−1, which could achieve the goal of high yield, efficient utilization of water and nitrogen, and environmental friendliness.

With the extensive use of plastic film, a large number of residual film accumulated in the farmland, bringing a huge negative impact on agricultural production. Studying the effect of residual film on roots is helpful to understand the damage mechanism of residual film on crop growth. Thus, a two-year field experiment was conducted with 0 (M0), 90 (M90), 180 (M180), 360 (M360), and 720 (M720) kg ha−1 residual film, and sine and logistic functions were used to simulate root growth and vertical distribution of maize. Results showed that root length decreased with residual film increasing and was more sensitive to residual film at tasseling, filling and maturity stages than at seedling and jointing stages. The results of the sine function fitting the total root length showed that the potential maximum root length was decreased and the rooting time was delayed, and the root growth time was shortened with the amount of residual film increasing. M90 had no significant effect on root length but residual film equal to or greater than 180 kg ha−1 had significant negative effects on root length. M180, M360 and M720 significantly reduced the actual total root length by 13.7%, 23.8% and 33.3%, and reduced the potential root length by 9.4%, 17.1% and 21.8%. M360 and M720 significantly shortened the growth time by 3.8% and 6.6%. The logistic function fit the vertical root distribution well. Residual film decreased the root length in deep soil and gathered roots in the soil layer near the depth of d50 at which 50% of the root length was accumulated. Residual film decreased the soil depth where 50% and 95% root length were accumulated and increased the proportion of root length in 0–30 cm soil layer. This adverse effect increased with residual film amount increasing. The dry matter of stems, leaves and ears decreased with residual film increasing. M90 reduced the above-ground dry matter insignificantly and the other treatments with residual film had significant effects. At the maturity stage, the above-ground dry matter in M90, M180, M360 and M720 was reduced by 2.4%, 14.2%, 22.2% and 29.4%, compared with M0. Residual film decreased evapotranspiration (ET), grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE) significantly except M90. ET, yield and WUE were reduced by 1.7%, 3.0% and 1.1% in M90, and 2.5%, 17.1% and 16.1% in M180, and 6.2%, 27.1% and 23.4% in M360, and 8.5%, 34.7% and 30.8% in M720, respectively. In summary, the residual film beyond 180 kg ha−1 had a significant negative effect on summer maize. This information will be useful to better understand and respond to residual film pollution and ensure safe agricultural production.

Tubular arch bridges are susceptible to fatigue problems due to stress concentrations, welding imperfections and tensile residual weld stresses. These bridges are composed of circular hollow section profiles welded together in tubular joints. This paper describes the determination of residual weld stresses in T-joints with the incremental hole-drilling method. The residual stress distribution can be used to determine fatigue crack behavior and fatigue lifetime more precisely. The incremental hole-drilling method is used to measure residual welding stresses on two similar T-joints. Experimental residual stress measurements were performed with the aid of the RS-200 milling guide. Strain gauge rosettes are attached to the test surface and with the milling guide, a small hole is drilled through the center of the strain gauge rosette. Strains at incremental depths are measured and the residual stresses are calculated according to ASTM E837-13a. A comparison is made between residual stress distributions obtained with finite element simulation and the experimental measurements. The distributions from finite element simulation show tensile yield stresses close to the weld while the experimental measurements indicate tensile yield stresses only in the axial direction of the primary tube. In all other cases, the residual stresses are tensile within 50% of yield stress or even compressional. However, more measurements on similar test specimens are necessary for a reliable residual stress distribution. Knowledge of the residual stress distribution is essential to accurately estimate the crack development under fatigue loads. In future research, the residual stresses can be used to study the influence of residual weld stresses on the fatigue lifetime and improve the design of steel tubular joints in arch bridges.

In orthotropic steel decks (OSDs), the rib-to-crossbeam joint is the most complex joint. When dealing with the intersection of the rib to the crossbeam, the prevailing approach is to design a cope hole in the crossbeam web. Nevertheless, the stress concentration induced by rib distortion makes this joint a fatigue-prone detail. Furthermore, the weld connecting the rib and the crossbeam heavily relies on the manual welding, which leads to high fabrication costs. In this paper, the possibility of canceling the cope hole is discussed. Calculation results of different modeling methods using solid elements and shell elements are first compared with experimental results. Then, several design parameters of an OSD without cope holes are investigated adopting the hot spot stress method. Based on the results of the parametric analyzes, optimized dimensions of the rib-to-crossbeam joint without cope holes are selected. The comparison of the models with and without cope holes is performed. Fatigue life assessments are conducted based on the influence surfaces of reference points predefined around the rib-to-crossbeam joint. Research results reveal that the most critical position for the rib-to-crossbeam joint without cope holes is at the curvature on the rib side. The radius of rib has a local influence on the points at the curvature. A larger radius could effectively lower the maximum stress range. The fatigue performance of the rib-to-crossbeam joint depends on the distribution of the tire load. Considering less fatigue-prone locations and reduced fabrication costs, the overall performance of the optimized rib-to-crossbeam joint without cope holes is better.

Ridge–furrow film mulching (RF) is an effective planting pattern to harvest rainwater, reduce evaporation, increase root-zone soil moisture and improve crop yield in arid regions of northwest China. Compared to flat planting without film mulching (FP), RF significantly enhances the yield and water and nitrogen (N) use efficiencies of winter wheat under the same irrigation and N inputs. However, whether RF can boost or maintain yield, water use efficiency (WUE) and N use efficiency (NUE) of winter wheat with less irrigation and N supply remains unclear. Moreover, the irrigation-saving and N reduction potential for RF under different climatic (wet, normal and drought) years is unknown. From 2013–2016, field experiments with treatments of different planting patterns (RF and FP), irrigation (0, 90 and 180 mm; represented as I0, I1 and I2, respectively) and N (0, 140 and 210 kg ha−1; represented as N0, N1 and N2, respectively) application amounts were conducted to analyze the growth and physiological characteristics, yield, WUE and NUE of winter wheat. The results showed that the leaf area index, aboveground dry matter, leaf chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate were greatest for RFI2N2 (RF with 180 mm irrigation and 210 kg N ha−1) during the whole winter-wheat growing seasons. Eventually, RFI2N2 obtained 9.3–74.1 %, 19.5–81.1 % and 23.8–92.2 % significantly greater yield than other treatments in wet and cool, normal rainfall and temperature, and drought and heat years, respectively. Relative to FPI2N2 (FP with 180 mm irrigation and 210 kg N ha−1, and FPI2N2 is local conventional agricultural management for winter wheat), the irrigation and N reduction potential for RF differed for the three levels of annual rainfall. Treatment RFI0N1 (RF with no irrigation and 140 kg N ha−1) in wet and cool, and normal rainfall and temperature years, and RFI1N1 (RF with 90 mm irrigation and 140 kg N ha−1) in drought and heat years, had almost equal winter wheat yield, and achieved significantly greater WUE and NUE than FPI2N2. In addition, in wet and cool, and normal rainfall and temperature years, RFI1N1 had 14.6–17.7 %, 5.0–10.0 % and 16.2–30.5 % significantly greater yield, WUE and NUE than RFI0N1. Therefore, RFI1N1 could be considered as a favorable management for sustainable intensification of winter wheat production in northwest China, especially in drought and heat years and in areas where water resources are relatively abundant.

Supramolecular hydrogels are attracting soft materials with potential applications. In this study, we synthesized a facile gelator (named 2-QF) based on phenylalanine derivative with a Quinoline group. 2-QF can assemble to form hydrogels at room temperature in different colors under low pH values. Moreover, 2-QF was triggered to form a yellow metallohydrogel (2-QF-Zn) at high pH by the coordination between 2-QF and Zn2+. 2-QF-Zn metallohydrogel showed excellent multi-stimuli responsiveness, especially the reversible "on-off" luminescence switching, as induced by base/acid. In addition, at a low concentration, 2-QF can selectively and visibly identify Zn2+ through fluorescence enhancement, and can detect Zn2+ at physiological pH as a chemosensor. Remarkably, 2-QF and 2-QF-Zn exhibited an excellent biocompatibility without cell cytotoxicity, and 2-QF is able to penetrate live HeLa cells and image intracellular Zn2+ by a turn-on fluorescent response, which makes it a potential candidate for biomedical applications.

Ridge-furrow mulching patterns are beneficial to improve crop yields and rainwater use efficiency, but it is not clear whether they can improve productivity and simultaneously maintain soil fertility on the Loess Plateau of China. A three-year (2013–2016) field trial was conducted during the rotation of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) – maize (Zea mays L.) to investigate the effects of ridge-furrow mulching patterns on soil moisture, soil fertility, grain yield, and water use efficiency (WUE). Four ridge-furrow planting patterns included: (1) white plastic film mulch over the ridge (RW), (2) straw mulch over the furrow (RS), (3) white plastic film mulch over the ridge and straw mulch over the furrow (RWS), and (4) black plastic film mulch over the ridge and straw mulch over the furrow (RBS). Flat planting without mulch was CK. The results showed that RW, RS, RWS, and RBS significantly improved soil water storage and aboveground biomass throughout each winter wheat and summer maize growing season compared with CK. Finally, winter wheat grain yield and WUE in the four mulching treatments markedly increased by 13.0–32.9% and 22.5–41.5% in a wet and cool season, 15.5–35.2% and 19.3–41.9% in a season with normal rainfall and temperatures, and 27.2–58.9% and 15.3–33.4% in a dry and warm season, respectively. Maize grain yield and WUE increased by 12.8–35.0% and 19.5–46.2% in a season with normal rainfall and temperature, 15.0–38.5% and 18.0–39.9% in a dry and cool season, and 17.4–50.5% and 13.0–42.5% in a dry and warm season, respectively. Among the four mulching treatments, RWS and RBS significantly improved the yield and WUE of wheat and maize relative to RW and RS over the three years. After three years, soil total nitrogen content in RWS and RBS was significantly greater than in RS. Besides, soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, and soil dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen contents in RWS and RBS were all markedly higher than in RW and RS. Our results indicated that RWS and RBS were a promising agricultural practice that improved crop production and simultaneously maintained soil fertility in a rain-fed semi-arid region of China.

The farming practice of fully mulched double ridge-furrow with polyethylene (PE) film has been widely used to improve productivity of many staple crops in arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China. However, the residual PE film has caused many environmental problems such as “white pollution” and land degradation. Biodegradable film might be a good substitute for PE film in agriculture production, but the evidence for the appropriate biodegradable film mulching pattern for maize is lacking. A 2-year field experiment was carried out to identify a suitable biodegradable film mulching pattern for maize at a typical rain-fed semi-arid site on the Loess Plateau. The local widely cultivated maize variety ‘Luodan 9′ was sown in five planting patterns: 1) conventional flat planting without film mulching (CK); 2) flat planting with full mulching with biodegradable film (FB); 3) ridge-furrow planting with biodegradable film mulching on ridges (RFB); 4) double ridge-furrow planting with full biodegradable film mulching (DRFB) and with full transparent PE film mulching (DRFP). The results indicated that biodegradable film mulching patterns (including FB, RFB and DRFB) significantly increased soil hydrothermal conditions, improved leaf area index, shoot and root biomass, and thus enhanced maize yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in comparison to CK (P

The accumulation of arsenic in rice has become a worldwide concern. In this study, dose-dependency in tissues (intestine, liver and kidney) and blood distribution of inorganic arsenicals and their methylated metabolites were investigated in male C57BL/6 mice exposed to four arsenic species (arsenite [iAs]III, arsenate [iAs]V, monomethylarsonate [MMA]V, and dimethylarsinate [DMA]V) at four doses (control [C]: 0 μg/g, simulation [S]: 0.91 μg/g, medium [M]: 9.1 μg/g and high [H]: 30 μg/g) according to the arsenical composition in rice for 8 and 16 weeks. No adverse effects were observed, while body weight gain decreased in group H. Increases in total arsenic concentrations (CtAs) and histopathological changes in the tissues occurred in all of the test groups. CtAs presented a tendency of kidney > intestine > liver > blood and were time-/dose-dependent in the liver and kidney in groups M and H. In the intestine and blood, abundant iAs (23%–28% in blood and 36%–49% in intestine) was detected in groups M and H, and CtAs decreased in group H from the 8th week to the 16th week. PMI decreased in the liver and SMI decreased in the kidney. These results indicate that the three tissues are injured through food arsenic. The intestine can also accumulate food arsenic, and the high arsenic dose will cause a deficiency in the absorbing function of the intestine. Thus, long-term exposure to arsenic-contaminated rice should be taken seriously attention.

Degradable film (DF) has recently been demonstrated to be a good alternative to plastic film (PF) for mulching crops such as maize, wheat, potato and cotton. Whether or not the yield-increasing and water-saving effects of DF mulching vary with DF properties (type, color and thickness), field management (planting pattern) and environmental conditions (altitude, air temperature, rainfall and evaporation), however, are largely unknown. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to: (1) determine the optimal type, color, thickness and mulching pattern of DF for maize, wheat, potato and cotton; and (2) identify the best environmental conditions of the yield-increasing and water-saving effects of DF mulching for maize, wheat, potato and cotton. The yield and water-use efficiency (WUE) for maize, wheat, potato and cotton were significantly higher for DF than non-film (NF) mulching, except for potato WUE. Yield and WUE for maize, wheat and cotton were lower with DF than PF. The properties of DF, planting pattern and environmental conditions greatly influenced the yield-increasing and water-saving effects of DF mulching. For maize, these effects were best at altitudes of 1000–1500 m, air temperatures of 10–15 °C, rainfalls of 2000 mm and effective accumulated temperatures of 2000–4000 °C, and the optimal type, color and thickness were biodegradable film (BDF) or photodegradable film, black and 0.008 mm, respectively. For wheat, yield and WUE were highest with BDF, especially at altitudes of 500–1000 m, air temperatures of 5–15 °C, rainfalls of 1500 m, air temperatures of 5–10 °C, rainfalls of 500–1000 mm, evaporation of 1000–2000 mm and effective accumulated temperatures of 2000–3000 °C. For cotton, PF could be replaced by BDF with 0.010 mm thick for altitudes of 1000–1500 m, air temperatures of 10–15 °C, rainfalls of 2000 mm and effective accumulated temperatures of 3000–4000 °C. For each crop, yield and WUE using DF were higher with a ridge-furrow planting pattern than a flat planting pattern, but not significantly This study provides a basis for the reasonable application of DF. Reducing production costs, however, is also very important in order to popularize DF mulching to a larger area.

As micro solder-joints downsize to less than 10 μm in 3-dimensional (3D) TSV (Through Silicon Via) chip stacking, rapidly fabricating reliable micro-joints without collapse in chip stacking is regarded as a critical issue. A practicable method with a suitable temperature gradient (TG) and Ni/Sn(10 μm)/Ni interconnection structure was developed compared with conventional transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding. Using this method, the micro-joint fully composed of Ni3Sn4 intermetallic was fabricated within 17 min bonding time. It is nearly three times faster than that under conventional TLP bonding, which may overcome this technology limitation caused by longer bonding times. This fast TG-TLP method provided an asymmetry growth characteristic with thicker Ni3Sn4 at the cold end and thinner Ni3Sn4 at the hot end. The basic micro-joint formation mechanisms were suggested and experimentally verified. Furthermore, the properties of the fabricated Ni3Sn4 micro-joint were evaluated in this study. The results demonstrated its desirable features such as high melting temperature, stable single-phase constitution, stronger mechanical strength and low thermal resistance. Finally, the collapsed micro solder-joint issue was completely solved resulting in higher reliability.

Grain-filling is a key stage allowing for the achievement of high grain yield. The ridge-furrow film mulching (RFFM) farming system has been widely adopted as a water saving and yield-improving planting pattern on the Loess Plateau of China. However, there is no convenient and effective model to understand the mechanism of maize grain-filling and effective nitrogen (N) management to obtain high grain yield under RFFM and N fertilizer. A two-year (2017–2018) field experiment was conducted on summer maize under RFFM (biodegradable film mulching (BM) and PE film mulching (PM)) and nitrogen fertilizer (0 (N0), 90 (N1), 180 (N2) and 270 (N3) kg N ha−1). The results showed that the 100-kernel dry weight was successfully simulated by the proposed model. After optimizing parameters, the model not only achieved minimum input requirements, but also successfully regulated N application. Moreover, characteristic parameters of grain-filling were significantly affected by the interaction of RFFM and N. N was beneficial for the improvement of the final 100-kernel dry weight ( a ) and grain-filling rate ( V m a x , V ¯ ) and was more improved under BM. The N1 with PM treatment reached the maximum grain-filling rate ( V m a x ) earlier. The maximum grain-filling rate ( V m a x ) and average rate of grain-filling ( V ¯ ) of PM was more sensitive to high N than BM. Parameters of the gradual-growing period were significantly affected by RFFM or N, but the interaction between RFFM and N had extremely significant effects on parameters of the fast-growing and slow-growing periods. For BM, N could improve the rate of three periods of grain-filling, and the N2 treatment was the best in the fast-growing and slow-growing periods. For PM, N could improve the rate of the gradual-growing period. According to the optimized model, the optimal nitrogen application rate of BM and PM was 205 kg ha−1 and 196 kg ha−1, respectively. Based on this optimized model, we could better understand the grain-filling process and achieve the appropriate nitrogen application rate.

Background: Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to microbial infection. For decades, the gut microbiota was thought to play an important role in sepsis pathogenesis. However, the systemic and functional link between gut microbiota and sepsis has remained unexplored. Methods: To address this gap in knowledge, for the first time, we carried out systematic analyses on clinical stool samples from septic patients, including 16S rDNA sequencing, metabolomics and metaproteomics analyses. In addition, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation from human to mice to validate the roles of gut microbiota in sepsis progression. Findings: We found the composition of gut microbiota was significantly disrupted in septic patients compared with healthy individuals. Besides, the microbial functions were significantly altered in septic feces as identified by metabolomics and metaproteomics analyses. Interestingly, mice that received septic feces exhibited more severe hepatic inflammation and injury than mice that received healthy feces after cecal ligation and puncture. Finally, the abundance of some intestinal bacteria as well as certain metabolites was significantly co-related with plasma total bilirubin level in septic patients. Interpretation: Taken together, our data indicate that sepsis development is associated with the disruption of gut microbiota at both compositional and functional levels, and such enteric dysbiosis could promote organ inflammation and injury during sepsis. Funding: This study was supported in part by the award of Young Pearl Scholars of Guangdong province, the Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar of Guangdong province (2016A030306043), and the funding from State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research (201804) to PC (Peng Chen), and the President Foundation of ZhuJiang Hospital, Southern Medical University to ZL. Declaration of Interest: The authors report no relationships that could be construed as a conflict of interest. Ethical Approval: All patients gave informed consent, and the Institutional Ethical Committee has approved the experimental design and study.

Background and purpose Periostin, a matricellular protein, plays an important role in cardiac development and remodeling. Its expression profile and the association with myocardial fibrosis have not been investigated in human failing hearts. This work aimed to explore the behavior and pathologic significance of periostin in signifying collagen fibrogenesis in human hearts from patients with end-stage heart failure. Methods and subjects Tissues were collected from heart transplant recipients and the control hearts were from unmatched donors. Periostin mRNA and protein were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Immunohistochemistry staining was employed to directly detect the protein level and distribution of periostin in heart tissues. The extent of myocardial fibrosis was expressed by the percentage of Masson's trichrome staining. Gelatin zymography was used to detect the activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP9. Results A low level of periostin mRNA expression was found in control hearts while not detectable at the protein level. Periostin mRNA was increased significantly in failing myocardium compared to that of controls. Periostin was distributed extensively in left ventricle and interventricular septum of the failing hearts. Correlation analysis showed periostin protein expression was positively associated with myocardial fibrosis as well as left ventricular diastolic dimension. The distribution and extent of periostin was consistent with that of myocardial fibrosis. MMP2 activity has an obvious increase about fourfold in heart tissues from HF patients. But there is no quantitative association with the expression of periostin. Conclusions Periostin, the distribution and expression of which were consistent with the extent of myocardial fibrosis, might be a potential biomarker of cardiac remodeling in heart failure patients.

Objective To explore protective effect of rosiglitazone on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury. Methods A total of 48 male SD rats were randomly divided into control group (A), I/R group(B), high dose of rosiglitazone (C), low dose of rosiglitazone (D). Plasm concentration of creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, hsCRP, Superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin (ET) were measured 1 h later after I/R. 24 h after I/R hearts were harvested to observe pathological and ultrastructural changes. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting was used to test CD40 expression in myocardial tissue. Area of myocardial infarction were tested, arrhythmia rate during I/R was recorded. Results Plasm concentration of creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, hsCRP, NO, MDA and ET were decreased in group C, D compared with group B. Plasm concentration of T-SOD and GSH-Px was increased significantly in group C, D compared with group B. Compared with group B, pathological and ultrastructural changes in group C, D were slightly. Myocardial infarction area and arrhythmia rate were lower in group C, D compare with group B. Conclusions Rosiglitazone can protect myocardium from I/R injury by enhancing T-SOD and GSH-Px concentration, inhibit inflammatory reaction, improve endothelial function, reduce oxidative stress and calcium overload.

Objective Several studies have analyzed the clinical profiles of patients diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM). We sought to identify its characteristics in a regional cohort of Nanjing and its adjacent region. Methods Clinical profiles of 121 referred patients were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Data including family history, clinical symptoms, electrocardiography and recent echocardiography were collected. Results The mean age of this population was 42 + 17 years(range from 6 to 76) at diagnosis of HCM. Most patients were male(60%). 48 patients(39.7%) has a family history, 19 had a sudden death in a first degree relative and 96(79.3%) were recognized with cardiac symptoms. Left ventricular outflow obstruction (gradient ≥30 mmHg at rest) was presented in 26(21.5%) patients. ECG abnormalities comprised of arrhythmia in 54(51.4%) and abnormal T wave in 72(68.6%) patients. FS were higher in female than male(P= 0.001). Among younger patients(age > 50 years), LVDd and LVWP were smaller in females than males(P= 0.042 & 0.023 respectively). In older patients(age > 50 years), LVDs was higher in male(P= 0.016) and EF was higher in female (P= 0.048). Conclusion HCM patients in the region are almost diagnosed with the presentation of cardiac symptoms; those without any symptoms could be recognized by ECG and family screening. Most cardiac hypertrophy affects the interventricular septum. LVDd, LVWP, LVDs, FS and EF showed significant differences related to age and gender.

Objective The thrombospondin-4 (TSP-4) gene G29926C (A387P) polymorphism was recently reported to be associated with an increased risk of MI (myocardial infarction in American population. However, several subsequent studies produced controversial findings. The aim of this study was to explore the possible association between TSP-4 A387P polymorphism and ACS (acute coronary syndrome) in Chinese Han population. Methods: A case-control study including 412 patients with ACS and 337 controls free from CAD (coronary artery disease) was conducted. TSP-4 A387P polymorphism was determined by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis. Results: Slightly decreased frequency of GC genotype was observed in patients with ACS, compared with controls (5.3% vs. 7.1%), but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.31). Similarly, the prevalence of C allele was 2.7% and 3.6% for ACS and control groups, respectively (P=0.32). None of homozygote was detected for C allele. Further analyses in subjects subgrouped according to sex and age also showed no association of TSP-4A387P polymorphism with ACS. Furthermore, after adjustment for conventional risk factors by multiple logistic regression analysis, the carrier prevalence of C allele did not differ significantly between ACS and control groups (OR=0.85; 95%CI: 0.45-1.59; P=0.60). Conclusion: The present study suggested that the TSP-4A387P variant showed a low prevalence compared with western populations and failed to associate with an altered risk of ACS in Chinese Han population. The findings further supplement experimental data for TSP-4 gene study of coronary disease.