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Food waste is a major issue in the context of pollution, climate change, and the future circular economy. Composting kitchen waste is a promising method to recycle elements, yet the efficiency of composting is limited, calling for new processes that degrade rapidly and thoroughly organic matter. Here, we built a rapid laboratory-scale aerobic composting system, equipped with a water bath fueled with either solar energy, or electricity under low sunlight. We tested compositing with and without energy. Results show that only three days are needed to raise the temperature to over 45 °C by energy composting in winter, leading to notable increases in pH, total nitrogen, and cation exchange capacity after 7 days. Composting materials were thoroughly decomposed and mature in 10 days, displaying pH of 7.5, ratio of total organic carbon to total nitrogen of 9.9, cation exchange capacity of 65.61 cmol kg−1, and germination index of 80.4%. Overall, energy composting starts biodegradation quickly in 2 days, reduces effectively the inhibition from some waste compounds, decomposes organic substances well, and yields mature compost.

Tiantian Hu,1– 3,* Hongxia Wang,4,* Chengzheng Xiang,1– 3 Jianfei Mu,1– 3 Xin Zhao1– 3 1Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 2Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 3Chongqing Engineering Laboratory for Research and Development of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Paediatrics, Haikou Affiliated Hospital of Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine (Haikou People’s Hospital), Haikou, Hainan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xin Zhao Tel +86-23-6265-3650Email zhaoxin@cque.edu.cnIntroduction: Lactobacillus acidophilus is widely used as probiotic supplement in functional foods due to its beneficial regulatory effects on host, such as immune regulation, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities.Aim: This study aimed to determine the preventive effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus XY27 (L. acidophilus XY27) on colitis induced by dextran sodium.Methods: The mice were randomly divided into five groups. Except for the control group, the other four groups were induced for ulcerative colitis (UC) with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS), and three groups in DSS-groups were treated with L. acidophilus XY27, L. bulgaricus, and salicylazosulfapyridine. The weight change, DAI score, colon length, and length to weight ratio were tested. The oxidation index and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum were measured. Subsequently, the gene expression levels of inflammatory factors in the colon tissue were determined by the Real-Time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method.Results: The results showed that the mice in the L. acidophilus XY27 group performed better in terms of weight, DAI score, colon length, and length to weight ratio or colonic pathological sections compared with the DSS-induced group. Further, the levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-12 (IL-12) and Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and myeloperoxidase activity in the serum of UC mice treated with L. acidophilus XY27 significantly decreased, while the levels of Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), Interleukin-10 (IL-10), Catalase (CAT), and total superoxide dismutase (SOD) significantly increased. The gene expression levels of Ets-like transcription factor-1 (EIK-1), IL-12, IL-1β, Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), TNF-α, Escherichia coli, Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and p100 in the colon significantly decreased while those of tight junction protein 1 (ZO-1), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), p53, and NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha (IκB-α) increased in the L. acidophilus XY27 group.Conclusion: The results of the experiment suggested that L. acidophilus XY27 prevented colitis and alleviated symptoms in mice with DSS-induced UC, and also repaired the intestinal barrier function.Keywords: dextran sodium sulfate, Lactobacillus acidophilus XY27, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, ulcerative colitis

The extensively studied cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) is involved in the regulation of critical cell processes, including metabolism, gene expression, and cell proliferation. Therefore, PKA has been viewed increasingly as potential target for variety of drugs and environmental endocrine disruptors. Consequentially, the preparation of PKA protein became an important initial step for the subsequent exploration of PKA's character in endocrine disrupting effects of pesticides. To investigate PKA protein, which is potential to be the environmental endocrine toxicity target of triazole fungicides, a strategy to heterologously express protein kinase A catalytic alpha subunit of human (hPKAcα) and zebrafish (zPKAcα) in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21(DE3) host cells was demonstrated. After optimizing conditions and protein purification, we successfully obtained enzymatically active hPKAcα and zPKAcα. Western blot analysis indicated that the recombinant hPKAcα and zPKAcα still retained their characteristic antigenicity and binding activity, while in vitro kinase activity assays revealed that the recombinant hPKAcα and zPKAcα maintained enzyme activity. By in silico methods including homology modelling and molecular docking, the affinity of ligands and the models of hPKAcα and zPKAcα were further tested. The present study offered a valuable method to achieve the prokaryotic expression of a eukaryotic protein kinase and laid a foundation to facilitate further investigation of toxicological target of triazole pesticides.

Deltamethrin (DM), a type II pyrethroid insecticide, is widely used to control agricultural pests. However, its excessive use exerts a detrimental effect on the ecological environment and human health, indicating the need to study its potential risks in detail. In the present study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to varying concentrations of DM (0.1, 1, 10, and 25 μg/L) for 96 h to assess the alterations in the transcript levels of proteins of the estrogenic and dopaminergic pathways. In addition, its effect on zebrafish locomotor activity was studied. The mRNA expression of cyp19a1b, erα, erβ2, fshr, gnrh2, gnrhr3, vtg3, dat, and dr1 significantly changed after exposing the embryos to DM. Deltamethrin at 10 and 25 μg/L significantly reduced the average swimming speed of zebrafish larvae. In addition, embryos injected with zebrafish estrogen receptor α (erα) and β (erβ) morpholinos and co-exposed to 25 μg/L DM for 96 h showed reduced expression of vtg3 mRNA compared to embryos exposed to 25 μg/L DM only. The locomotor activity of erα and erβ knockdown zebrafish following DM exposure was increased significantly when compared with that of larvae exposed to 25 μg/L DM only. Our results demonstrated that DM altered the locomotor activity of zebrafish larvae and the transcript levels of the components of estrogenic and dopaminergic pathways; erα and erβ knockdown weakened these effects.

A field experiment was carried out to investigate effect of nitrogen (N) supply method on root growth and its correlation with the above-ground parts in maize (Zea mays L.) under alternate partial root-zone irrigation (APRI) at Wuwei, northwest China in 2012 and 2014. The treatments included alternate N supply, conventional N supply and fixed N supply under APRI (designated AN, CN and FN, respectively), with an additional CN fertilizer treatment coupled with conventional irrigation (CK). Ridges were built in a west-east direction. Root weight density (RWD) in the 0–100 cm soil layer and shoot biomass at the V6, V12, VT, R2 and R6 stages, and grain yield and yield components at the R6 were determined. Results showed that RWD around the plant (i.e. under the plant, south and north of the plant) in the 0–40 cm soil layer varied among different treatments at the VT, R2 and R6 stages. The RWD north and south the plant were comparable during maize growth stages for AN, CN and CK, while FN significantly decreased the RWD of its no N supply side at the three stages and markedly decreased the RWD of its N supply side at the VT. AN and CN significantly increased the RWD, shoot biomass at the three stages, and grain yield compared with FN and CK. Grain yield was positively correlated with RWD in the 0–40 cm soil layer at the three stages. These results suggested that AN and CN produced a relatively uniform distribution of roots and a greater root biomass, which contributed to the enhanced shoot biomass and grain yield of maize under APRI.

The protective effect of Lactobacillus plantarum YS3 (LP-YS3) on ulcerative colitis (UC) was assessed using a mouse model of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. Different concentrations of LP-YS4 were administered to the experimental mice by daily gavage. Several inflammatory and biochemical indices, such as interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and nitric oxide (NO), were examined in mouse serum and colon tissue. The mRNA and protein expression levels of c-Kit, CXC chemokine receptor type 2 (CXCR2), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and stem cell factor (SCF) in mouse colon tissue were assessed using Western blot and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays. The findings indicated that LP-YS3 remarkably decreased the disease activity index (DAI) of UC mice (p < .05), inhibited colon length shortening induced by UC, and elevated the value of colon weight/length ratio. LP-YS3 could also markedly reduce (p < .05) the activities of MDA, MPO, and NO; while an increase in the GSH content in the colonic tissue of UC mice. Moreover, LP-YS3 remarkably increased (p < .05) the serum level of IL-2 in UC mice, while reduced those of IL-10, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α cytokines. qPCR data revealed that LP-YS3 could markedly upregulate the expression levels of c-Kit and SCF, while downregulate those of CXCR2 and IL-8 in the colonic tissue of UC mice (p < .05). LP-YS3 exerted an outstanding protective effect on DSS-induced colitis in C57BL/6J mice, especially at higher concentrations. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Lactobacillus plantarum YS3 is a newly isolated and identified lactic acid bacteria. This study confirmed that L. plantarum YS3 can inhibit colitis and has good probiotic potential, which needs further development and utilization.

In addition to solid legal basis and strong regulatory authority, comprehensive and robust test techniques that reflect real-driving and in-use vehicle emissions are also key elements for achieving ever strict environmental requirements. However, most of the existing portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS) is expensive and bulky, making it impractical to roll out to the vehicle market. The combustion behavior is one of the most important excitation sources of engine vibration and noise emissions. By analyzing structural vibrations, it is possible to assess the in-cylinder combustion conditions, which in turn makes it possible to evaluate the NOx emissions (closely related to combustion temperature) and to achieve cost-effective non-intrusive on-line monitoring of engine in real-driving emissions (RDE). Firstly, a time-frequency reconstruction method is used to estimate second derivative of in-cylinder pressure curve based on measured vibration signal. Good consistency between reconstructed second derivative of in-cylinder pressure curve and measured curve con-firms the rationality of the proposed reconstruction method. Then, a virtual sensing method for NOx emissions using principal component regression (PCR) analysis with reconstructed in-cylinder pressure curve from measured structural vibrations has been presented. The results show that the PCR models have a good prediction of NOx emissions under various operating conditions. The coefficient of determination (R2) between the predicted value and the measured value is 0.971–0.995.

Chlorpyrifos is a widely used organophosphate insecticide and ubiquitously detected in the environment. However, little attention has been paid to its endocrine disrupting effect to non-target organisms. In the present study, zebrafish was exposed to 13 and 65 μg/L of chlorpyrifos for 7 and 10 days to determine the induced neurotoxicity and the alteration of thyroid metabolism. The 120 h LC50 and LC10 of chlorpyrifos was estimated as 1.35 mg/L and 0.62 mg/L based on the acute embryo toxicity assay, respectively. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory was detected by 13 μg/L chlorpyrifos and could be reversed by the co-exposure of 100 and 1000 μg/L anticholinergic agent atropine. For thyroid hormone level, 13 and 65 μg/L of chlorpyrifos induced increased free T3 levels in 10 dpf (days post-fertilization). The expression of thyroid related genes in 7 and 10 dpf exposed zebrafish were measured by the quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay. The mRNA expression of tshba, thrb, crhb, ttr, tpo, ugt1ab and slc5a5 had significant change. However, the alterations of thyroid hormone and mRNA expression could be partly rescued by the addition of atropine. The molecular docking of chlorpyrifos and T3 to the thyroid receptor β in zebrafish using homology modelling and CDOCKER procedures shown weaker binding ability of chlorpyrifos compared to T3. Therefore, we concluded that the disturbance of thyroid signaling in zebrafish might arise from the developmental neurotoxicity induced by chlorpyrifos.

A simple and fast high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint method combining reference standard extract for the identification of bilberry extract was developed and validated. Six batches of bilberry extract collected from different manufactures were used to establish the HPLC fingerprint. Other berry extracts&mdash, such as blueberry extracts, mulberry extracts, cranberry extracts, and black rice extracts&mdash, were also analyzed for their HPLC chromatograms. The fingerprints of five batches of bilberry extract showed high similarities, while one batch was distinguished from others. Additionally, the content of anthocyanin Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy-3-glc) in each berry extract was analyzed and compared. The results indicate that this HPLC fingerprint method, combining reference standard extracts, could be used for the authentication and quality control of bilberry extracts.

We investigated the dynamics and factors influencing the N uptake capacity in two sub-root systems of maize seedlings under partial N stress. Maize seedlings were grown in split-root containers containing nutrient solutions. Two N application conditions prior to partial N stress (full-strength N (4.0 mM): CP; N stress: SP) were considered. Thus, two experiments were conducted: (A) four treatments: CPNc, CPN2, CPN1 and CPN0, in which half of the root system was exposed to 4.0 mM, 2 mM, 1 mM and 0 mM N (CPNc–c, CPN2–2, CPN1–1 and CPN0–0), respectively, and the other half received full-strength N (CPNc–c, CPN2–c, CPN1–c and CPN0–c); (B) four treatments: SPNc, SPN2, SPN1 and SPN0, in which both sub-root systems received 4.0 mM, 2 mM, 1 mM and 0 mM N for 6 days, respectively, after which half of the root system was maintained at original N level (SPNc–c, SPN2–2, SPN1–1 and SPN0–0) and the other half received full-strength N (SPNc–c, SPN2–c, SPN1–c and SPN0–c). At 0.25 days after treatment (DAT), CPN2–c and CPN1–c enhanced N inflow rates (Iroot), whereas CPN0–c decreased it by 27.3% compared with CPNc–c, Iroot in CPN2–c, CPN1–c and CPN0–c was uniformly enhanced at 1 DAT, but were only enhanced in CPN0–c at 5 DAT compared with CPNc–c. In contrast, SPN1–c had a significantly increased Iroot by 10.52% compared with SPNc–c, although other treatments showed a negative effect on Iroot at 0.25 DAT. At 1 and 5 DAT, Iroot in SPN2–c, SPN2–2, SPN1–c, SPN1–1 and SPN0–c were significantly lower than that in SPNc–c. Furthermore, CP significantly enhanced Iroot in non-stressed sub-roots compared with SP. Additionally, CPN2 improved shoot dry mass and N use efficiency even under SPN2. Thus, N uptake capacity in each sub-root zone varied not only depending on the severity and duration of the N stress, but was also related to the N status prior to partial N stress. Moreover, the occurrence and disappearance of the root compensatory effect were delayed with increasing N stress severity. A higher compensatory effect developed following CP, even under CPN0.

Drip fertigation is beneficial to improve crop grain yield (GY), water productivity (WP) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), but it is not clear whether drip fertigation can improve economic benefit and how much water and nitrogen should be applied for wheat-maize rotation system in semi-humid and drought-prone regions. A two-year (2018–2020) winter wheat-summer maize rotation field experiment (including twelve drip fertigation treatments (complete combination design of three irrigation (RF: rain-fed, DI: deficit irrigation, 75% ETc, and FI: full irrigation, 100% ETc) and four nitrogen levels (N0: no nitrogen, N1: 85 kg ha−1 for wheat and 90 kg ha−1 for maize, N2: 170 kg ha−1 for wheat and 150 kg ha−1 for maize) and N3: 255 kg ha−1 for wheat and 210 kg ha−1 for maize)) and a conventional practice (Con)) was conducted to explore the response of GY, NUE, WP and net income to different water and nitrogen levels in the Guanzhong Plain of China. The results showed that water and nitrogen application levels had significant effects on GY, NUE, WP and net income of winter wheat and summer maize. For winter wheat, DIN2 (the combination of irrigation and nitrogen) achieved the highest GY (9.2 t ha−1, two-year average), WP (2.11 kg m−3) and net income (11 839 CNY ha−1). For summer maize, the highest GY (11.1 t ha−1), WP (2.32 kg m−3) and net income (14 859 CNY ha−1) were observed at DIN3, RFN3 and DIN2, respectively. For winter wheat-summer maize rotation system, the highest GY (20.2 t ha−1, winter wheat + summer maize, two-year average) and net income (26 698 CNY ha−1) were observed at DIN2; and the highest WP of 2.15 kg m−3 was obtained at RFN3, but had insignificant difference with DIN2 (2.13 kg m−3) (P > 0.05). Therefore, deficit irrigation coupled with 320 kg N ha−1 (170 kg ha−1 for wheat, 150 kg ha−1 for maize) was considered as the best drip fertigation strategy for achieving high GY, WP and net income in winter wheat-summer maize rotation system. Moreover, the response surface methodology was used to determine the optimal water consumption and nitrogen application rate based on binary quadratic regression analysis. The results showed that the GY and net income can synchronously achieve 95~100% maximum values when the water consumption ranged from 434 to 496 mm and 458–500 mm, and the nitrogen application rate ranged from 165 to 211 kg ha−1 and 187–250 kg ha−1 for winter wheat and summer maize, respectively.

Understanding the response of spike density (SD), grain number per spike (GN), and thousand kernel weight (TKW) to the application amount of nitrogen and irrigation, and clarifying the contribution of nitrogen and irrigation to the increased yield are vital for achieving high grain yield (GY), water and nitrogen use efficiency (WUE and NUE) in precision agriculture. A two-year (2018–2020) drip fertigated winter wheat experiment was conducted with three irrigation levels (rain-fed (RF), deficit irrigation (DI, 75% ETc) and full irrigation (FI, 100% ETc)) as main plot and four nitrogen levels (0 (NN), 85 (N3), 170 (N2) and 255 (N1) kg N hm−2) as subplot in Northwest China. The results showed that the tillers per plant (TP) significantly increased with increasing nitrogen application amount (0–255 kg hm−2), but the SD had insignificant difference between N1 and N2 levels due to lower effective spike rate (ESR) of N1. The GN firstly increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen application amount. However, the TKW continued to decrease with increasing nitrogen application amount. Irrigation significantly increased SD and GN, but the impact on TKW showed uncertainty during two growing seasons. The structure equation model showed that both irrigation and nitrogen indirectly affect GY by affecting yield components, and nitrogen had the stronger influence to SD, GN and TKW than irrigation in this study. The highest GY (9.10 and 9.28 t hm−2 in 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, respectively) was observed at DIN2, which increased by 200% and 277% in 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 growing seasons compared with RFNN treatment, respectively. And among these increased yield, more than 65% and approximately 20% were contributed by the application of nitrogen and irrigation, respectively. In addition, DIN2 also obtained the highest WUE and higher NUE due to lower actual evapotranspiration and nitrogen application amount. Therefore, deficit drip irrigation (75%ETc) coupled with 170 kg N hm−2 was the best management strategy of irrigation and nitrogen under drip fertigation in Northwest China.

To understand the functions of Populus euphratica CPD (PeCPD) and DWF4 (PeDWF4), the responses to exogenous phytohormone in Arabidopsis-PeCPD and -PeDWF4 transgenic lines (PeCPD-TL and PeDWF4-TL) and corresponding wild type (WT) seedlings were investigated. Results showed that all of PeCPD-TL, PeDWF4-TL and WT seedlings cultured on the mediums containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) + 6-benzylaminopurin (6-BA) or 2,4-D + 6-BA + brassinolide (BL) could be dedifferentiated to callus with 100% frequency, but they displayed strong differences in callus formation sites, callus growth rates (CGRs) and tissue dedifferentiation degrees. On the medium containing 2,4-D alone, the seedlings of all the plants could formed callus, but callus formation times (CFTs) were delayed, and callus formation rates (CFRs) were differentially decreased. After adding lower concentrations of BL, their CFRs were all restored to 100%, but tissue dedifferentiation degrees were obviously lower than these on the mediums with 2,4-D + 6-BA or 2,4-D + 6-BA + BL. On the mediums containing 6-BA or 6-BA + BL, the seedlings of all the plants failed to produce callus. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis also showed that the transcription levels of PeCPD, PeDWF4, AtCPD and AtDWF4 in PeCPD-TL, PeDWF4-TL and WT were evidently different. These results suggest that PeCPD and PeDWF4 play similar but not exactly the same roles in the regulation of callus morphogenesis of Arabidopsis seedlings, and that BL can partially replace the role of cytokinin to induce callus formation through interacting with auxin.

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of potassium (K) fertilization on tomato quality, plant K uptake, water and K use efficiency (WUE and KUE) under deficit irrigation regime. During fruit development stage of the first cluster of fruit, irrigation regimes were comprised of three levels, i.e. 80–90% field capacity (θf) (W1), 70–80% θf (W2) and 60–70% θf (W3); and K fertilization rates were also consisted of three different rates, i.e. 0 g K2O kg−1 soil (K1), 0.46 g K2O kg−1 soil (K2) and 0.92 g K2O kg−1 soil (K3). The result showed that deficit irrigation as well as increased K fertilization significantly improved quality of fruit where, soluble sugar, titratable acid and content of vitamin C were positively correlated to K concentration of leaf ([K]leaf), indicating that [K]leaf may have a role to improve fruit quality. The highest plant WUE was observed in W1 plants, which consumed the most water and produced the highest dry mass. K fertilization had no effect on WUE based on biomass, but had positive effect on K concentration and K accumulation in each tissue, hereby increased total K uptake, while decreased KUE.

Reducing soil nitrate leaching losses from agricultural ecosystem and improving crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency with effective nitrogen management strategies are extremely important for sustainable agricultural development. A-two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of five nitrogen management strategies (CK: no nitrogen application; FP: applying 210 kg N ha−1 at sowing; MFP: applying 105 kg N ha−1 at sowing and top-dressing 105 kg N ha−1 at V12 stage; Drip210 and Drip150: multi-split-N fertigation (MSF, sowing: 20%, V6: 30%, V14: 30% and R1: 20%) with 210 and 150 kg N ha−1) on soil nitrate-N (NO3−-N) distribution and residual, nitrate leaching losses, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), grain yield and economic benefit of summer maize in Northwest China. The results showed that MSF produced more consistent soil NO3−-N content over the entire maize growing season. The two-year average leachate NO3−-N concentration of Drip210 and Drip150 was 24.1 and 19.2 mg L−1, significantly lower than FP and MFP. The total nitrate leaching losses (TNLL) of Drip210 and Drip150 were significantly lower than that of FP and MFP (P

Effects of severity and duration of osmotic stress on partial root system were investigated on root hydraulic conductance (L p ) and growth in each sub-root system. The maize seedlings were raised in nutrient solution with the roots divided equally into two containers. At 12 days after transplanting, half of root system was subjected to osmotic stress of −0.2, −0.4 and −0.6 MPa using PEG 6000 added in the solution, and no PEG 6000 solution was taken as control (CK). L p and root growth in each sub-root system were measured at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 days after treatment (DAT). Results show that compared to CK, −0.2 MPa treatment enhanced the hydraulic conductance per root area (L pr ) in non-stressed sub-root system by 12 % at 0.5 DAT. In −0.4 MPa treatment, L pr in non-stressed sub-root system was significantly increased at 9 DAT. But in −0.6 MPa treatment, significant decrease of 12–40 % was observed in non-stressed sub-root system during 0.5–3 DAT if compared to CK, indicating that the threshold of osmotic stress for the compensatory effect of water uptake in non-stressed sub-root system was between −0.2 and −0.4 MPa. In addition, the root area growth rate in non-stressed sub-root system was significantly higher than that in CK during 0.25–0.5, 1–3 and 5–7 DAT for −0.2, −0.4 and −0.6 MPa treatments, respectively. Similar trend also was observed for root length growth rate, indicating that osmotic stress could still stimulate the compensatory effect of root growth other than water uptake under partial root system. Moreover, the occurrence of such compensatory effect delayed with the increasing osmotic stress. Meanwhile, −0.2 MPa treatment had no significant effect on maize shoot growth but −0.4 and −0.6 MPa treatments inhibited shoot biomass accumulation, which resulted in higher root/shoot ratio in −0.4 and −0.6 MPa treatments. Thus root plasticity in hydraulic conductance and root growth in different root zones varied largely depending on the severity and duration of osmotic stress under partial root system.

Highly graphitic clew-like porous nanocarbons (GCPNs) were prepared by using sucrose and nickel acetate as the carbon source and nickel catalyst precursor, respectively. The influences of the amount of nickel acetate on the microstructure, morphology, degree of graphitization, surface area and pore texture of GCPNs were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, power X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement, respectively. Electrochemical performance of GCPNs was studied by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements in 6 mol L−1 KOH aqueous electrolytes. GCPNs exhibit interestingly novel clew-like nanostructures, which are composed of interconnected and curled carbon nanowires with sizes ranging from 10 to 25 nm. Especially, GCPN-2 (the mass ratio of nickel acetate to porous activated carbon was 0.22) shows the largest specific surface area of 691 m2 g−1, the highest degree of graphitization (0.81) and the lowest equivalent series resistance (ESR) of 0.53 Ω, which ensures sufficient electro-active sites and rapid charge-discharge rates. In addition, GCPN-2 exhibits the hierarchical micro-meso porous architecture which favors the fast diffusion of electrolyte ions. Consequently, GCPN-2 delivers a high specific capacitance (248 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1), a high rate performance (210 F g−1 at 5 A g−1) and an excellent cycling stability (94.3% retention after 5000 cycles at 0.5 A g−1), demonstrating that GCPN-2 would be a promising electrode for supercapacitors.

The activated carbon was prepared from polyaniline by using electrochemical synthesis, subsequent carbonization and activation under the condition of mixed oxygen and nitrogen. The electrochemical measurements result showed that the activation led to better capacitive performances. The carbon reached a high specific gravimetric capacitance of 285 F g−1, with rectangular cyclic voltammetry curves at a scan rate of 2 mV s−1 in 6.0 mol L−1 KOH solution, and it remained 83.7% even at a high scan rate of 50 mV s−1. Furthermore, the porous carbon electrodes exhibited durable operation. After 10,000 cycles, the specific capacitance is still about 98.6% of the initial specific capacitance. These demonstrated that the activated carbon would be a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

Highly graphitic clew-like nanocarbons (HGCNs) are synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method followed by impregnation and catalytic graphitization at 900 °C, in which sucrose and nickel acetate are employed as the carbon source and nickel catalyst precursor, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy images clearly demonstrate that HGCN is composed of interconnected and curled carbon nanowires with sizes ranging from 10 to 25 nm, and these nanowires twist around each other to form clew-like nanostructures. HGCNs combine the features of high specific surface area (≈691 m2 g−1), hierarchical micro-/mesoporous architecture and a highly graphitic structure. The electrochemical measurements show that HGCNs present a low equivalent series resistance (ESR) of 0.53 Ω and a specific capacitance of 248 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 with 85 % retention even at a high current density of 5 A g−1, demonstrating that HGCNs provide favorable prospects in electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Highlights: • Supercapacitors based on PANI/SnO{sub 2} nanocomposite were reported. • Supercapacitors using this material gave a specific capacitance of 501 F g{sup −1}. • Capacitance retention was 85.8% over 2000 charge–discharge cycles. - Abstract: SnO{sub 2} was prepared by the hydrothermal route. Aniline monomer was polymerized in the suspension of SnO{sub 2} to form inorganic–organic nanocomposite materials, in which SnO{sub 2} particles were embedded within polyaniline (PANI). Morphological and structural characterizations of the prepared samples were carried out using scanning electron microscope; transmission electron microscope; power X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Their electrochemical properties were also investigated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The as-prepared nanocomposites had excellent properties in the capacitance, and its specific capacitance was up to 501 F g{sup −1} with a specific energy density of 66.8 W h kg{sup −1} at a power density of 960.6 W kg{sup −1}. The device fulfilled the requirement of long durability necessary for an energy storage system, since after 2000 galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles, retention of 85.8% in capacitance was observed. These results indicated that the PANI/SnO{sub 2} had a synergistic effect of the complementary properties of both components.

In order to achieve high specific capacitance of polyaniline/SnO2 (PANI/SnO2) supercapacitors, utilizing hydroquinone (HQ) as redox electrolyte for PANI/SnO2 supercapacitors was reported. In this redox electrolyte, the specific capacitance was heightened by 356 F g−1, reaching 857 F g−1 with a specific energy density of 116.6 Wh kg−1 at an applied current of 0.5 A g−1. Long-term cycling experiments performed showed good stability with retention of the initial capacitance values of 81.2% after 2000 galvanostatic cycles. The remarkable results presented here illustrate that the HQ redox electrolyte was a facile and straight forward approach to improve the performances of PANI/SnO2 supercapacitors.

Antioxidation responses of maize roots and leaves to water deficit and rewatering under partial root-zone irrigation (PRI) were investigated using a pot system. Plants were cultured using three irrigation methods, i.e. conventional irrigation (CI), alternate PRI (APRI) and fixed PRI (FPRI) with three different water regimes including W1 (70% field capacity, FC), W2 (50% FC) and W3 (35% FC). Compared to CI, root peroxidases (POD) activity was enhanced in the irrigated root zone of FPRI and both root zones of APRI during mild water deficit. After rewatering, POD activity was increased in the dry root zone under FPRI but reduced in the roots under APRI. Roots in the dry zone and leaves under FPRI remained high superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity after rewatering. In contrast, SOD activity decreased in the roots and leaves under CI and APRI. Malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were increased in leaves and two sub-roots under FPRI during water deficit and remained higher after rewatering compared to those under CI and APRI. MDA contents in the tissues under APRI showed similar levels to those under CI. Compared to CI, APRI showed the same biomass production, achieving significantly higher water use efficiency under mild water deficit. The results suggested that plants under APRI experienced less oxidative stress or damage induced by water deficit.

To investigate the dynamic change of plant nitrogen (N) absorption and accumulation from different root zones under the partial root-zone irrigation (PRI), maize plants were raised in split-root containers and irrigated on both halves of the container (conventional irrigation, CI), on one side only (fixed partial root-zone irrigation, FPRI), or alternatively on one of two sides (alternate partial root-zone irrigation, APRI). And the isotope-labeled 15N-(NH4)2SO4 was applied to one half of the container with (14NH4)2SO4 to the other half so that N inflow rates can be tracked. Results showed that APRI treatment increased root N absorption in the irrigated zone significantly when compared to that of CI treatment. The re-irrigated half resumed high N inflow rate within 5 days after irrigation in APRI, suggesting that APRI had significant compensatory effect on N uptake. The amount of N absorption from two root zones of APRI was equal after two rounds of alternative irrigation (20 days). The recovery rate, residual and loss percentages of fertilizer-N applied to two zones were similar. As for FPRI treatment, the N accumulation in plant was mainly from the irrigated root zone. The recovery rate and loss percentage of fertilizer-N applied to the irrigated zone was higher and the residual percentage of fertilizer-N in soil was lower if compared to those of the non-irrigated zone. The recovery rate of fertilizer-N in APRI treatment was higher than that of the non-irrigated zone but lower than that of the irrigated zone in FPRI treatment. In total, both FPRI and APRI treatments increased N and water use efficiencies but only consumed about 70% of the irrigated water when compared to CI treatment.

Effects of alternately applying osmotic and nitrogen (N) stresses to partial root zone were studied on maize seedlings. The maize seedlings were grown in Hoagland's nutrient solution with the roots divided equally into two containers. Half of the root system was subjected to an osmotic stress (W) using PEG 6000 added in the solution at −0.2 MPa and/or nitrogen stress (N) with the N-free Hoagland's solution. After 6 days, four of such treatments, C (control), W, N, and WN were shifted to the other halves of the root systems. Results showed that when compared to the control, total root dry weight and the root/shoot ratio increased markedly for all the stress treatments. There were no statistically significant differences in shoot biomass and N accumulation of the whole plant among all the treatments. Nitrogen use efficiency for the N and WN was significantly enhanced when compared to the C and W treatments, and the shoot N concentrations were less for N and WN than for C and W. The root vitality of...

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different supply methods of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and irrigation on the spatial distribution and dynamics of soil NO3-N for maize (Zea mays L.) grown in northwest China in 2012 and 2014. In 2012, there were three irrigation methods: alternate furrow irrigation (AI), fixed furrow irrigation (FI) and conventional furrow irrigation (CI). Three N supply methods: alternate N supply (AN), fixed N supply (FN) and conventional N supply (CN), were applied at each irrigation method. In 2014, the fixed treatments were excluded. Soil NO3-N in horizontal direction was measured to 100 cm soil profile. For 2012, at filling stage, compared to CI, AI increased soil NO3-N concentration under the plant by 4.5 to 7.4% in 0-40 cm soil profile and decreased that by 9.9 to 14.4% in 40-80 cm for three N supply methods. NO3-N concentration between two sides of the ridge was comparable for AN and CN coupled with AI or CI. When compared to CI, AI reduced soil NO3-N concentration in 60-100 cm by 4.8 to 8.7% from 12 collars stage to maturity over different positions when coupled with CN. Soil residual NO3-N at maturityin 0-100 cm was the lowest in AI coupled with CN or AN. The 2014 experiment verified the above results. Therefore, alternate furrow irrigation coupled with conventional or alternate N supply brought an optimum spatial distribution of soil NO3-N during maize season, resulting in little soil residual NO3-N at maturity.

Oxidative stress caused by cellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a major contributor to disease and cell death. However, how induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) respond to different levels of oxidative stress is largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of H2 O2 -induced oxidative stress on iPSC function in vitro. Mouse iPSC were treated with H2 O2 (25-100 μmol/L). IPSC adhesion, migration, viability, apoptosis and senescence were analysed. Expression of adhesion-related genes, stress defence genes, and osteoblast- and adipocyte-associated genes were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The present study found that H2 O2 (25-100 μmol/L) decreased iPSC adhesion to matrix proteins and endothelial cells, and downregulated gene expression levels of adhesion-related molecules, such as integrin alpha 7, cadherin 1 and 5, melanoma cell adhesion molecule, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. H2 O2 (100 μmol/L) decreased iPSC viability and inhibited the capacity of iPSC migration and transendothelial migration. iPSC were sensitive to H2 O2 -induced G2/M arrest, senescence and apoptosis when exposed to H2 O2 at concentrations above 25 μmol/L. H2 O2 increased the expression of stress defence genes, including catalase, cytochrome B alpha, lactoperoxidase and thioredoxin domain containing 2. H2 O2 upregulated the expression of osteoblast- and adipocyte-associated genes in iPSC during their differentiation; however, short-term H2 O2 -induced oxidative stress did not affect the protein expression of the pluripotency markers, octamer-binding transcription factor 4 and sex-determining region Y-box 2. The present results suggest that iPSC are sensitive to H2 O2 toxicity, and inhibition of oxidative stress might be a strategy for improving their functions.

Salusins are regulatory peptides that affect cardiovascular function. We previously reported that salusin-α and -β protected cultured cardiomyocytes from serum deprivation-induced cell death through upregulating glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein whose overexpression acts as a marker and suppressor of ER stress. The present study examined whether salusin-α and -β inhibit ER stress in ischemic myocardium. In a rat model of myocardial infarction created by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), salusin-α or -β was intravenously injected at 5 or 15 nmol kg(-1) 15 min prior to 2 h of LAD occlusion. The high dose of salusin-α and -β significantly improved heart function and hemodynamics in LAD-occluded rats, but had no effects in sham-operated rats. The arrhythmias caused by LAD occlusion were markedly attenuated by salusin-α and -β. The apoptotic rate in ischemic myocardium was reduced from 31.5%±3.7% to 19.8%±2.2% and 12.3%±2.2%, and the infarct size was reduced from 53.4%±4.0% of the risk area to 26.5%±9.7% and 23.7%±8.9% by 15 nmol kg(-1) salusin-α and -β, respectively. Furthermore, salusin-α and -β prevented the activation of GRP78 and ER stress-specific apoptotic effectors caspase-12 and CHOP (C/EBP homologous protein), and attenuated the reduction of an ER stress-associated antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 in ischemic cardiac tissue. The salusins also inhibited the ER stress induced by tunicamycin in cultured rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes. These results indicate that salusins protect myocardium against ischemic injury by inhibiting ER stress and ER stress-associated apoptosis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) in combination with arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on the proliferation and differentiation of HL-60 cells. The HL-60 cells were treated with 300 µg/mL TMP, 0.5 µM As2O3, and 300 µg/mL TMP combined with 0.5 µM As2O3, respectively. The proliferative inhibition rates were determined with MTT. Differentiation was detected by the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction test, Wright’s staining and the distribution of CD11b and CD14. Flow cytometry was used to analyze cell cycle distribution. RT-PCR and Western blot assays were employed to detect the expressions of c-myc, p27, CDK2, and cyclin E1. Combination treatment had synergistic effects on the proliferative inhibition rates. The rates were increased gradually after the combination treatment, much higher than those treated with the corresponding concentration of As2O3 alone. The cells exhibited characteristics of mature granulocytes and a higher NBT-reducing ability, being a 2.6-fold increase in the rate of NBT-positive ratio of HL-60 cells within the As2O3 treatment versus almost a 13-fold increase in the TMP + As2O3 group. Cells treated with both TMP and As2O3 expressed far more CD11b antigens, almost 2-fold compared with the control group. Small doses of TMP potentiate As2O3-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells, possibly by regulating the expression and activity of G0/G1 phase-arresting molecules. Combination treatment of TMP with As2O3 has significant synergistic effects on the proliferative inhibition of HL-60 cells.

The particle size of apatite is one of the critical factors that influence the adsorption of heavy metals on apatite in the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils using apatite. However, little research has been done evaluating the impact of different particle sizes of apatite on immobilization remediation of heavy metal polluted soils in field. In this study, the adsorption isothermal experiments of copper on three kinds of apatite was tested, and the field experiment by using different particle sizes apatite [nano-hydroxyapatite (NAP), micro-hydroxyapatite (MAP), ordinary particle apatite (OAP)] at a same dosage of 25.8 t/ha (1.16 %, W/W) was also conducted. Ryegrass was chosen as the test plant. The ryegrass biomass, the copper contents in ryegrass and the copper fractionations in soil were determined after field experiments. Results of adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption amounts of copper on OAP was the lowest among different particles. The adsorption amounts of copper on MAP was higher than NAP at high copper equilibrium concentration (>1 mmol L−1), an opposite trend was obtained at low copper concentration ( NAP > OAP, which was attributed to the high adsorption capacity of copper and the strong releasing of phosphate by MAP.