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Over-expression of chloroplast glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene (LeGPAT) in tomato increased cis-unsaturated fatty acid content in phosphatidylglycerol (PG) of the thylakoid membrane. Under chilling stress, the oxygen evolving activity, the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (F v/F m), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities decreased less in sense lines than in antisense lines compared to wild-type (WT) plants. Consistently, the relative electric conductivity, $${\text{O}}_{2} ^{{. - }} $$ and H2O2 contents in sense lines were lower than those of WT and antisense lines. The antisense lines with low level of unsaturated fatty acids in PG were extremely susceptible to photoinhibition of PSII and had a significant reduction in the D1 protein content of PSII reaction center under chilling stress. However, in the presence of streptomycin (SM), the degradation of D1 protein was faster in sense lines than in WT and antisense plants. These results suggested that, under chilling stress conditions, increasing cis-unsaturated fatty acids in PG through over-expression of LeGPAT can alleviate PSII photoinhibition by accelerating the repair of D1 protein and improving the activities of antioxidant enzymes in chloroplasts.

By simultaneously analyzing the chlorophyll a fluorescence transient and light absorbance at 820 nm as well as chlorophyll fluorescence quenching, we investigated the effects of different photon flux densities (0, 15, 200 μmol m(-2) s(-1)) with or without 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) on the repair process of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) leaves after treatment with low temperature (6°C) combined with moderate photon flux density (200 μmol m(-2 )s(-1)) for 6 h. Both the maximal photochemical efficiency of Photosystem II (PSII) (F (v)/F (m)) and the content of active P700 (ΔI/I (o)) significantly decreased after chilling treatment under 200 μmol m(-2 )s(-1) light. After the leaves were transferred to 25°C, F (v)/F (m) recovered quickly under both 200 and 15 μmol m(-2 )s(-1) light. ΔI/I (o) recovered quickly under 15 μmol m(-2) s(-1) light, but the recovery rate of ΔI/I (o) was slower than that of F (v)/F (m). The cyclic electron transport was inhibited by chilling-light treatment obviously. The recovery of ΔI/I (o) was severely suppressed by 200 μmol m(-2) s(-1) light, whereas a pretreatment with DCMU effectively relieved this suppression. The cyclic electron transport around PSI recovered in a similar way as the active P700 content did, and the recovery of them was both accelerated by pretreatment with DCMU. The results indicate that limiting electron transport from PSII to PSI protected PSI from further photoinhibition, accelerating the recovery of PSI. Under a given photon flux density, faster recovery of PSII compared to PSI was detrimental to the recovery of PSI or even to the whole photosystem.

To investigate damaging mechanisms of chilling and salt stress to peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) leaves, LuHua 14 was used in the present work upon exposure to chilling temperature (4°C) accompanied by high irradiance (1,200 μmol m−2 s−1) (CH), salt stress accompanied by high irradiance (1,200 μmol m−2 s−1) (SH), and high-irradiance stress (1,200 μmol m−2 s−1) at room temperature (25°C) (NH), respectively. Additionally, plants under low irradiance (100 μmol m−2 s−1) at room temperature (25°C) were used as control plants (CK). Relative to CK and NH treatments, both the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) and the absorbance at 820 nm decreased greatly in peanut leaves under CH and SH stress, which indicated that severe photoinhibition occurred in peanut leaves under such conditions. Initial fluorescence (Fo), 1 − qP and nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) in peanut leaves significantly increased under CH- and SH stress. Additionally, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), one of the key enzymes of water-water cycle, decreased greatly, the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and membrane permeability increased. These results suggested that damages to peanut photosystems might be related to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by excess energy, and the water-water cycle could not dissipate energy efficiently under the stress of CH and SH, which caused the accumulation of ROS greatly. CH and SH had similar damaging effects on peanut photosystems, except that CH has more severe effects. All the results showed that CH- and SH stress has similar damaging site and mechanisms in peanut leaves.

In order to investigate the function of chloroplast ascorbate peroxidase under temperature stress, the thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase gene from tomato leaf (TtAPX) was introduced into tobacco. Transformants were selected for their ability to grow on medium containing kanamycin. RNA gel blot analysis confirmed that TtAPX in tomato was induced by chilling or heat stress. Over-expression of TtAPX in tobacco improved seed germination under temperature stress. Two transgenic tobacco lines showed higher ascorbate peroxidase activity, accumulated less hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde than wild type plants under stress condition. The photochemical efficiency of photosystem 2 in the transgenic lines was distinctly higher than that of wild type plants under chilling and heat stresses. Results indicated that the over-expression of TtAPX enhanced tolerance to temperature stress in transgenic tobacco plants.

A tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) zeaxanthin epoxidase gene (LeZE) was isolated and antisense transgenic tomato plants were produced. Northern, southern, and western blot analyses demonstrated that antisense LeZE was transferred into the tomato genome and the expression of LeZE was inhibited. The ratio of (A+Z)/(V+A+Z) in antisense transgenic plants was maintained at a higher level than in the wild type (WT) plants under high light and chilling stress with low irradiance. The value of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in WT and transgenic plants was not affected during the stresses. The oxidizable P700 and the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) in transgenic plants decreased more slowly at chilling temperature under low irradiance. These results suggested that suppression of LeZE caused zeaxanthin accumulation, which was helpful in alleviating photoinhibition of PSI and PSII in tomato plants under chilling stress.

Overexpression of chloroplastic glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene (LeGPAT) in tomato increased cis-unsaturated fatty acid content in phosphatidylglycerol (PG) of thylakoid membrane. By contrast, suppressing the expression of LeGPAT decreased the content of cis-unsaturated fatty acid in PG. Under salt stress, sense transgenic plants exhibited higher activities of chloroplastic antioxidant enzymes, lower content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and less ion leakage compared with the wild type (WT) plants. The net photosynthetic rate (P N) and the maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) of photosystem II (PSII) decreased more slightly in sense lines but more markedly in the antisense ones, compared to WT. D1 protein, located in the reactive center of the PSII, is the primary target of photodamage and has the highest turnover rate in the chloroplast. Under salt stress, compared with WT, the content of D1 protein decreased slightly in sense lines and significantly in the antisense ones. In the presence of streptomycin (SM), the net degradation of the damaged D1 protein was faster in sense lines than in other plants. These results suggested that, under salt-stress conditions, increasing cis-unsaturated fatty acids in PG by overexpression of LeGPAT can alleviate PSII photoinhibition by accelerating the repair of D1 protein and improving the activity of antioxidant enzymes in chloroplasts.

Ascorbate peroxidase plays a key role in scavenging reactive oxygen species under environmental stresses and in protecting plant cells against toxic effects. The Solanum lycopersicum thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase gene (StAPX) was introduced into tobacco under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Transformants were selected for their ability to grow on medium containing kanamycin. RNA gel blot analysis confirmed that StAPX was transferred into the tobacco genome and StAPX was induced by salt and osmotic stresses in tomato leaves. Over-expression of StAPX in tobacco improved seed germination rate and elevated stress tolerance during post-germination development. Two transgenic lines showed higher APX activity and accumulated less hydrogen peroxide than wild-type plants after stress treatments. The photosynthetic rates, the root lengths, the fresh and dry weights of the transgenic lines were distinctly higher than those of wild-type plants under stress conditions. Results indicated that the over-expression of StAPX had enhanced tolerance to salt stress and osmotic stress in transgenic tobacco plants.

Chinese cherry (Prunus pseudocerasus L.) is an allotetraploid species and exhibits natural self-compatibility. However, the full-length cDNA sequences, functional analysis and the transcripts of S-RNase alleles in Chinese cherry cultivars are not known. In the two cultivars Taixiaohongying and Laiyang Short Cherry with S1S2S3S4 genotypes, two S-RNases were transcribed in Northern blotting, and the two full-length cDNAs of S-RNase were cloned and analyzed. As the result, the transcribed S-RNases were S1-RNase and S2-RNase. The two complete cDNA sequences of S1-RNase and S2-RNase were registered as EU073938 and EU073939, respectively, and had characteristic structure of rosaceous S-RNases based on their sequences indicating that they had normal function for S-RNase in the style. The S3-RNase and S4-RNase were not transcribed in the style and were nonfunctional for S-RNase, so S(subscript 3m) and S(subscript 4m) could be used to represent the nonfunctional S3-RNase and S4-RNase. The phylogenetic analysis implied that the S-RNases of Prunus, including Chinese cherry, had lower intra-specific similarity and diverged earlier than the divergence of species in Prunus.

Monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR; EC 1.6.5.4) is crucial for AsA regeneration and essential for maintaining the reduced pool of AsA. And the amino acid residue C117 of chloroplastic MDAR is the conserved cysteine residue in MDAR isoforms. A series mutation of conserved amino acid residue cysteine117 (C117) was constructed to investigate its role in MDAR structural stability and activity. Our study revealed that mutation in this conserved residue could cause pronounced loss of activity and conformational changes. Spectroscopic experiments indicated that these mutations influenced transition from the molten globule intermediate to the native state in folding process. These results suggested that amino acid residue C117 played a relatively important role in keeping MDAR structural stability and activity.

通过Sol-Gel法制备出Ni颗粒表面均匀包覆尿素掺杂二氧化钛涂层的纳米核壳颗粒Ni/（TiO2＋Urea）,对其电流变行为进行了研究.结果表明颗粒热处理温度和尿素加入量对其电流变活性有较大影响,热处理温度高于320℃以后剪切强度明显降低;尿素与Ti的质量比为30%时,剪切强度达到40kPa（4kV/mm直流电场）,是无尿素时的10倍,但过量的尿素使强度下降.显微镜观察直流电场下电流变液的结构显示,尿素与Ti的质量比为30%时核壳颗粒电流变液形成的柱粗壮、致密,尿素过量时柱产生断裂,无尿素时柱纤细、疏松.尿素中的极性分子是影响Ni/（TiO2＋Urea）颗粒电流变行为的重要因素.

An endoplasmic reticulum-localized tomato omega-3 fatty acid desaturase gene (LeFAD3) was isolated. The antisense tomato plants were obtained under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (35S-CaMV). Northern blot analysis confirmed that the expression of LeFAD3 was inhibited in the tomato genome. Levels of 18:3 decreased and correspondingly levels of 18:2 increased in total lipids of leaves and roots. After heat stress, the fresh weight of the aerial parts of antisense transgenic plants was higher than that of the wild type (WT) plants. The membrane system ultrastructure of chloroplasts in leaf cells and all of the subcellular organelles in the root tips of transgenic plants remained more intact than those of WT. Relative electric conductivity increased less in transgenic plants than in WT. Under heat stress, the maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and the O(2) evolution rate decreased more in WT than in transgenic plants. These results suggested that the depletion of LeFAD3 increased the saturation of fatty acids and alleviated high temperature stress.

We studied how the reductions of trienoic fatty acids (TAs) and increases of dienoic fatty acids (DAs) enhanced high-temperature tolerance in antisense expression of tomato chloroplast omega-3 fatty acid desaturase gene (LeFAD7) transgenic tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants. In transgenic plants, the content of linolenic acid (18:3) was markedly decreased, while linoleic acid (18:2) was increased correspondingly and the similar changes were observed under high-temperature stress as well. Under high-temperature stress, transgenic plants can maintain a relatively higher level of net photosynthetic rate (P N) and chlorophyll (Chl) content than that of wild type (WT) plants. A decreased Chl/Carotenoids (xanthophylls and carotenes, Car) ratio and Chl a/b ratio were observed in transgenic plants. Transgenic plants exhibited visible decrease in the relative electrolyte conductivity, higher activities of antioxidative enzymes and lower reactive oxygen species correspondingly than WT. In addition, high-temperature stress for 24 h caused more extensive changes of chloroplast ultrastructure in WT than in transgenic plants. We therefore suggested that the enhancement of high-temperature tolerance in antisense expression of LeFAD7 transgenic plants might be raised from the reduction of TAs and increase of DAs subsequently leading to series of physiological alterations.

The mechanism of high yield of winter wheat in the field at late growth period was investigated by measuring the photosynthetic characteristics of photosystem II (PSII) and xanthophylls cycle, which could provide physiological reference for breeding. Weimai 8 (W8), a super high yield cultivar, and Lumai 14 (L14), a control cultivar were object. The photosynthetic rate (Pn), parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence and chlorophyll content were measured. The Pn, maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), quantum yield of PSII electron transport (ΦPSII), efficiency of excitation energy capture by open PSII reaction centers (Fv′/Fm′), and photochemical quenching coefficient (qP) were higher in Weimai 8 compared to that in Lumai 14, a commercial high yield cultivar. Furthermore, Weimai 8 showed a lower nonphotochemical quenching coefficient and a lower de-epoxidized ratio of the xanthophyll cycle pigments than of Lumai 14 at late growth period. At mature stage, chlorophyll content of different leaves decreased both in Weimai 8 and Lumai 14. Chlorophyll content in flag, second and third leaf from the top of plant decreased more in Lumai 14 than in Weimai 8. These results suggested that Weimai 8 had more antenna pigments to absorb light energy, and had higher photosynthetic capability and photochemical efficiency of PSII. The yield of Weimai 8 was also higher than that of Lumai 14.

Ji Hong Jung, Seong Min Hong, Hyo Jin Kim, Qing Wei Meng and In Ho Kim*Department of Animal Resource & Science, Dankook UniversityABSTRACTThis study was conducted to evaluate the effects of probiotics supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal concentrations of Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli, emission of noxious gases from the feces, and circulating concentrations of the blood cells in early-finishing pigs. A total of sixty pigs[(Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc] (initial body weight 56.48±1.66kg) were used for the 28 days feeding trial. Dietary treatments included 1) CON(basal diet), 2) P1(CON+0.1% Agariemycetes) and 3) P2(CON+0.2% Agariemycetes). There were three dietary treatments with five replicate pens per treatment and four pigs per pen. There was no significant difference in ADG(average dairy gain) among the treatments(P>0.05). The gain/feed ratio was higher in P2 than CON(P

A tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) violaxanthin de-epoxidase gene (LeVDE) was isolated. The deduced amino acid sequence of LeVDE showed high identities with violaxanthin de-epoxidase in other plant species. RNA gel blot analysis showed that the mRNA accumulation of LeVDE in the wild-type (WT) was regulated by diurnal rhythm and temperature. RNA and protein gel blot analyses confirmed that the sense LeVDE was transferred into the tomato genome and overexpressed under the control of 35S-CaMV. The ratio of (A+Z)/(V+A+Z) and the values of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) were higher in transgenic plants than those in WT under high light and chilling stress (4 degrees C). The net photosynthetic rate (Pn) decreased markedly in WT compared to transgenic lines under high light stress. The maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry of PSII (Fv/Fm) in transgenic plants decreased more slowly during stresses and recovered faster than that in WT under optimal conditions. The oxidizable P700 in transgenic plants was higher than that in WT under chilling stress. These results suggest that overexpression of LeVDE increased the function of the xanthophyll cycle and alleviated photoinhibition of PSII and PSI in tomato during high light and chilling stress with low irradiance.

The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanisms by which Alternaria alternata damages tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves. Treatment with A. alternata metabolic products enhanced senescence in leaves of different ages, as indicated by the significant decrease in chlorophyll, soluble protein, photosynthetic O(2) evolution and catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) activity as well as an increase in H(2)O(2) content. The induction of senescence by A. alternata metabolic products increased as the age of the leaves increased. A. alternata metabolic products greatly influenced the behavior of photosystem II (PSII) in the leaves: oxygen evolving complex (OEC) activity and electron transport from primary quinone electron acceptor of PS II (Q(A)) to secondary quinone electron acceptor of PS II (Q(B)) were both significantly inhibited. This inhibition also became more pronounced in older leaves. In vitro experiments revealed that, without the influence of natural senescence, the A. alternata metabolic products directly inhibited the activity of a commercial CAT solution and inhibited photosynthetic O(2) evolution, which resulted in excess PSII excitation pressure and an overaccumulation of H(2)O(2) in leaf segments. These results suggest that the significant declines in photosynthesis and CAT activity induced by the metabolic products of A. alternata were important contributors to the overaccumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which accelerated senescence in tobacco leaves. The fact that the enhancement of senescence was getting more pronounced with the age of tobacco leaves might be related to the fact that older leaves already had higher H(2)O(2) levels and less antioxidant activity as reflected in lower CAT activity.

In order to investigate the relationship between the lipid composition in thylakoid membrane and thermostability of photosynthetic apparatus, tobacco transformed with sweet pepper sense glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) gene were used to analyze the lipid composition in thylakoid membrane, the net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters under high temperature stress. The results showed that the saturated extent of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol in thylakoid membrane of transgenic tobacco T(1) lines increased generally. Particularly, the saturated extent in MGDG increased obviously by 16.2% and 12.0% in T(1)-2 and T(1)-1, respectively. With stress temperature elevating, the maximum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry (Fv/Fm), actual photochemical efficiency of PSII in the light (Phi(PSII)) and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of the two lines and wild type tobacco plants decreased gradually, but those parameters decreased much less in transgenic plants. Even though the recovery process appeared differently in the donor and acceptor side of PSII in transgenic tobacco compared with wild-type plants, the entire capability of PSII recovered faster in transgenic tobacco, which was shown in the parameters of PI, Fv/Fm and Phi(PSII), as a result, the recovery of Pn was accelerated. Conclusively, we proposed that the increase in saturated extent of thylakoid membrane lipids in transgenic plants enhanced the stability of photosynthetic apparatus under high temperature stress.

A tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) zeaxanthin epoxidase gene (LeZE) was isolated. The deduced amino acid sequence of LeZE showed high identities with zeaxanthin epoxidase in other plant species. Northern blot analysis showed that the mRNA accumulation of LeZE in the wild-type (WT) was not induced by light and temperature but regulated by the diurnal rhythm. The sense transgenic plants were obtained under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (35S-CaMV). Northern and western blot analysis confirmed that sense LeZE was transferred into the tomato genome and overexpressed. The ratio of (A + Z)/(V + A + Z) and the values of non-photochemical quenching were lower in transgenic plants than in WT plants under high light and chilling stress with low irradiance. The O(2) evolution rate and the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) in transgenic plants decreased more quickly during both stresses and recovered slower than that in WT under optimal conditions. These results suggested that overexpression of LeZE impaired the function of the xanthophyll cycle and aggravated PSII photoinhibition in tomato under high light and chilling stress.

Over-expression of chloroplastic glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene (LeGPAT) increased unsaturated fatty acid contents in phosphatidylglycerol (PG) of thylakoid membrane in tomato. The effect of this increase on the xanthophyll cycle and chloroplast antioxidant enzymes was examined by comparing wild type (WT) tomato with the transgenic (TG) lines at chilling temperature (4 °C) under low irradiance (100 µmol m−2 s−1). Net photosynthetic rate and the maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem (PS) 2 (Fv/Fm) in TG plants decreased more slowly during chilling stress and Fv/Fm recovered faster than that in WT plants under optimal conditions. The oxidizable P700 in both WT and TG plants decreased during chilling stress under low irradiance, but recovered faster in TG plants than in the WT ones. During chilling stress, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and the de-epoxidized ratio of xanthophyll cycle in WT plants were lower than those of TG tomatoes. The higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in TG plants resulted in the reduction of O2 −· and H2O2 contents during chilling stress. Hence the increase in content of unsaturated fatty acids in PG by the over-expression of LeGPAT could alleviate photoinhibition of PS2 and PS1 by improving the de-epoxidized ratio of xanthophyll cycle and activities of SOD and APX in chloroplast.

A chloroplast-localized tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (LeGPAT) gene was isolated. The antisense tomato plants were got under the control of the caulifower mosaic virus 35S promoter (35S-CaMV). RNA gel blot analysis confirmed that the expression of LeGPAT was inhibited in the tomato genome. The depletion of LeGPAT caused a massive arrest in pollen development. It also increased the size of tapetal cells, delayed tapetum degeneration, reduced ER membrane biogenesis and altered oil body size. Results therefore suggested that LeGPAT played a crucial role in pollen development. There was, however, no effect on the ovule. The depletion of LeGPAT also increased the saturation of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) fatty acids in thylakoid membranes. Increase of PG-saturated fatty acids was helpful in alleviating photoinhibition of PSII in tomato plants under heat stress.

The mevalonate pathway is responsible for the biosynthesis of many essential molecules important in insect development, reproduction, chemical communication and defense. Based on Leptinotarsa decemlineata transcriptome and genome data, we identified ten genes that encoded acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (LdAACT1 and LdAACT2), hydroxymethylglutaryl (HMA)-CoA synthase (LdHMGS), HMG-CoA reductase (LdHMGR1 and LdHMGR2), mevalonate kinase (LdMevK), phospho-mevalonate kinase (LdPMK), mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase (LdMDD), isopentenyl-diphosphate isomerase (LdIDI) and farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase (LdFPPS). Nine of these genes (except for LdAACT1) were mainly expressed in the larval brain-corpora cardiaca-corpora allata complex, and adult ovary and testis. The 9 genes were transcribed at high levels right after each ecdysis, and at low levels in the mid instar. Therefore, the 9 genes were indicated to be involved in JH biosynthesis. Moreover, knockdown of a JH biosynthesis gene LdJHAMT to lower JH titer significantly downregulated the transcription of the 9 genes. Ingestion of JH to activate JH signaling also significantly suppressed the expression of the 9 genes. It appears that the accumulation of JH precursors in LdJHAMT RNAi larvae and a high JH titer in JH-fed specimens may cause negative feedbacks to repress the expression of the 9 mevalonate enzyme-encoding genes (excluding LdAACT1) to balance the enzyme quantity in L. decemlineata.

Fruit ripening is a complex process involving many physiological and biochemical changes, including those for ethylene, carotenoid, and cell wall metabolism. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) serves as a research model for fruit development and ripening because it possesses numerous favorable genetic features. In this study, SlNAC1 was cloned. An antisense (AS) vector was constructed and transferred to tomato to further explore the function of SlNAC1. The results showed that AS fruits exhibited delayed ripening and a deeper red appearance when these fruits were fully ripened. Fully ripened AS fruits also produced higher total carotenoid and lycopene contents than those of the wild-type (WT) line. Ethylene production of AS fruits was delayed but occurred to a higher extent than that of WT fruits. The softening of AS fruits was slower than that of WT fruits. Endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) level in AS-4 fruits was lower than that in WT fruits. Exogenous ABA accelerated the softening of AS fruits. Furthermore, AS fruits demonstrated up-regulated expression of genes related to lycopene and ethylene biosynthesis but down-regulated expression of genes related to cell wall metabolism and ABA synthesis. Therefore, SlNAC1 is likely implicated in fruit ripening.

A new high-gain cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) with a large bandwidth is proposed. A cylindrical dielectric resonator (DR), a double-annular patch and a metallic cylinder are used to obtain a large bandwidth and a high gain. The mode TM12 excited in the patch is used to enhance the gain of the DRA, and the cavity formed by the metallic cylinder provides a further higher gain and a larger bandwidth. The results demonstrate that the proposed DRA achieves a large bandwidth of 23% from 5.4 to 6.8 GHz with VSWR less than two and a high gain around 12 dBi.

A chloroplast-localized tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) ω-3 fatty acid desaturase gene (LeFAD7) was isolated and characterized with regard to its sequence, response to various temperatures, and function in antisense transgenic tomato plants. The deduced amino acid sequence had four histidine-rich regions, of which three regions were highly conserved throughout the whole ω-3 fatty acid desaturase gene family. Southern blotting analysis showed that LeFAD7 was encoded by a single copy gene and had two homologous genes in the tomato genome. Northern blot showed that LeFAD7 was expressed in all organs and was especially abundant in leaf tissue. Meanwhile, expression of LeFAD7 was induced by chilling stress (4 °C), but was inhibited by high temperature (45 °C), in leaves. Transgenic tomato plants were produced by integration of the antisense LeFAD7 DNA under the control of a CaMV35S promoter into the genome. Antisense transgenic plants with lower 18:3 content could maintain a higher maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and O2 evolution rate than wild-type plants. These results suggested that silence of the LeFAD7 gene alleviated high-temperature stress. There was also a correlation between the low content of 18:3 resulting from silence of the LeFAD7 gene and tolerance to high-temperature stress. (Managing editor: Li-Hui Zhao)

The xanthophyll cycle and the water-water cycle had different functional significance in chilling-sensitive sweet pepper upon exposure to chilling temperature (4 °C) under low irradiance (100 µmol m−2 s−1) for 6 h. During chilling stress, effects of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) on photosystem 2 (PS2) in dithiothreitol (DTT) fed leaves remained distinguishable from that of the water-water cycle in diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) fed leaves. In DTT-fed leaves, NPQ decreased greatly accompanied by visible inhibition of the de-epoxidized ratio of the xanthophyll cycle, and maximum photochemical efficiency of PS2 (Fv/Fm) decreased markedly. Thus the xanthophyll cycle-dependent NPQ could protect PS2 through energy dissipation under chilling stress. However, NPQ had a slighter effect on photosystem 1 (PS1) in DTT-fed leaves than in DDTC-fed leaves, whereas effects of the water-water cycle on PS1 remained distinguishable from that of NPQ. Inhibiting superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased the accumulation of $$\operatorname{O} \overline {^-- } _2$$ , the oxidation level of P700 (P700+) decreased markedly relative to the control and DTT-fed leaves. Both Fv/Fm and NPQ changed little in DDTC-fed leaves accompanied by little change of (A+Z)/(V+A+Z). This is the active oxygen species inducing PS1 photoinhibition in sweet pepper. The water-water cycle can be interrupted easily at chilling temperature. We propose that during chilling stress under low irradiance, the xanthophyll cycle-dependent NPQ has the main function to protect PS2, whereas the water-water cycle is not only the pathway to dissipate energy but also the dominant factor causing PS1 chilling-sensitivity in sweet pepper.

Genes differentially expressed under high irradiance (HI) stress in mature flag leaves of super-hybrid rice Liangyoupeijiu (Oryza sativa ssp. indica) were studied by the silver-staining mRNA differential display technique. We obtained 167 differentially displayed bands on silver-stained polyacrylamide gels and searched for their genetic origins. Five cDNA fragments, which were upregulated by HI stress, were cloned and sequenced. The clones of G25×320, A31×380, and G29×280 putatively encode a cytosolic monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR), a phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI-4-K), and a DEAH-box RNA helicase, respectively. Most differentially expressed genes in hybrid rice were inherited from parents and many of them were related with both parents, although some were derived from one parent only. The differentially expressed cDNA fragments having no distinct genetic origins indicated the involvement of some unclear mechanisms in the inheritance processes from parents to hybrid.

The effects of chilling treatment (4 °C) under low irradiance, LI (100 μmol m−2 s−1) and in the dark on subsequent recovery of photosynthesis in chilling-sensitive sweet pepper leaves were investigated by comparing the ratio of quantum yields of photosystem (PS) 2 and CO2 assimilation, ΦPS2/ΦCO2, measured in normal air (21 % O2, NA) and low O2-air (2% O2, LOA), and by analyzing chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence parameters. Chilling treatment in the dark had little effect on Fv/Fm and ΦPS2/ΦCO2, but it caused the decrease of net photosynthetic rate (PN) under saturating irradiance after 6-h chilling treatment, indicating that short-term chilling alone did not induce PS2 photoinhibition. Furthermore, photorespiration and Mehler reaction also did not obviously change during subsequent recovery after chilling stress in the dark. During chilling treatment under LI, there were obvious changes in Fv/Fm and ΦPS2/ΦCO2, determined in NA or LOA. Fv/Fm could recover fully in 4 h at 25 °C, and ΦPS2/ΦCO2 increased at the end of the treatment, as determined in both NA and LOA. During subsequent recovery, ΦPS2/ΦCO2 in LOA decreased faster than in NA. Thus the Mehler reaction might play an important role during chilling treatment under LI, and photorespiration was an important process during the subsequent recovery. The recovery of PN under saturating irradiance determined in NA and LOA took about 50 h, implying that there were some factors besides CO2 assimilation limiting the recovery of photosynthesis. From the progress of reduced P700 and the increase of the Mehler reaction during chilling under LI we propose that active oxygen species were the factors inducing PS1 photoinhibition, which prevented the recovery of photosynthesis in optimal conditions because of the slow recovery of the oxidizable P700.

The photoprotection of energy dissipation and water-water cycle were investigated by comparing chilling sensitivity of photosystems 2 (PS2) and 1 (PS1) in two chilling-sensitive plants, cucumber and sweet pepper, upon exposure to 4 °C under low irradiance (100 μmol m−2 s−1) for 6 h. During chilling stress, the maximum photochemical efficiency of PS2 (Fv/Fm) decreased only slightly in both plants, but the oxidisable P700 decreased markedly, which indicated that PS1 was more sensitive to chilling treatment under low irradiance than PS2. Sweet pepper leaves had lower Fv/Fm, higher non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), and higher oxidisable P700 during chilling stress. Activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in cucumber leaves was higher, but APX activity decreased apparently compared to that at room temperature. The productions of active oxygen species (H2O2, O2−) increased in both plants, faster in cucumber leaves than in sweet pepper leaves. In sweet pepper leaves, a stronger de-epoxidation of the xanthophyll cycle pigments, a higher NPQ could act as a major protective mechanism to reduce the formation of active oxygen species during stress. Thus sensitivity of both plants to chilling under low irradiance was dominated by the protective mechanisms between PS1 and PS2, especially the energy dissipation and the water-water cycle.

Photosynthesis is one of the biological processes most sensitive to heat stress in plants. Carbon assimilation, which depends on ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), is one of the major sites sensitive to heat stress in photosynthesis. In this study, the roles of a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) chloroplast-targeted DnaJ protein (SlCDJ2) in resisting heat using sense and antisense transgenic tomatoes were examined. SlCDJ2 was found to be uniformly distributed in the thylakoids and stroma of the chloroplasts. Under heat stress, sense plants exhibited higher chlorophyll contents and fresh weights, and lower accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and membrane damage. Moreover, Rubisco activity, Rubisco large subunit (RbcL) content, and CO2 assimilation capacity were all higher in sense plants and lower in antisense plants compared with wild-type plants. Thus, SlCDJ2 contributes to maintenance of CO2 assimilation capacity mainly by protecting Rubisco activity under heat stress. SlCDJ2 probably achieves this by keeping the levels of proteolytic enzymes low, which prevents accelerated degradation of Rubisco under heat stress. Furthermore, a chloroplast heat-shock protein 70 was identified as a binding partner of SlCDJ2 in yeast two-hybrid assays. Taken together, these findings establish a role for SlCDJ2 in maintaining Rubisco activity in plants under heat stress.

The photosynthetic oxygen evolution rate, Hill reaction activity of seedlings and photosynthetic parameter, Pn-Ci curve and some source-sink metabolism-related enzyme activities, and substance content of flag leaves were measured by using two wheat near isogenic lines with significant differences in the photosynthetic rate of the 154 (high photosynthetic rate) and 212 (low photosynthetic rate) lines as materials. The results showed that the maximal carboxylation efficiency (Vcmax) and Hill reaction activity were higher in line 154 than that of line 212. The Pn in flag leaves of line 154 was significantly higher than that of line 212 during the anthesis to grain-filling stage. Higher leaf sucrose phosphate synthase activity, grain sucrose synthase activity, and grain ADPG pyrophosphorylase activity ensured that the photosynthate of line 154 could be transported to grains and translated into starch in a timely and effective manner, which also contributed to the maintenance of its high photosynthetic rate. Eventually, all of these factors of line 154 resulted in its higher grain yield compared with the low photosynthetic rate of line 212.

Juvenile hormone (JH) plays a critical role in the regulation of metamorphosis in Leptinotarsa decemlineata, a notorious defoliator of potato. JH acid methyltransferase (JHAMT) is involved in one of the final steps of JH biosynthesis.A putative JHAMT cDNA (LdJHAMT) was cloned. Two double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) (dsJHAMT1 and dsJHAMT2) against LdJHAMT were constructed and bacterially expressed. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of RNAi in both second- and fourth-instar larvae. Dietary introduction of dsJHAMT1 and dsJHAMT2 successfully knocked down the target gene, lowered JH titre in the haemolymph and reduced the transcript of Krüppel homologue 1 gene. Ingestion of dsJHAMT caused larval death and weight loss, shortened larval developmental period and impaired pupation. Moreover, the dsJHAMT-fed pupae exhibited lower adult emergence rates. The resulting adults weighed an average of 50 mg less than the control group, and the females did not deposit eggs. Application of pyriproxyfen to the dsJHAMT-fed insects rescued all the negative effects.LdJHAMT expresses functional JHAMT enzyme. The RNAi targeting LdJHAMT could be used for control of L. decemlineata. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Two cultivars of Capsicum annuum L. were acclimated for 5 d at sub-optimal temperature (14 °C) and irradiance of 250 µmol m−2 s−1. This cold-hardening resulted in some reduction in the extent of photoinhibition during an 8 h exposure to high irradiance at 4 °C. Obvious differences were observed between non-hardened leaves (NHL) and cold-hardened leaves (CHL) in the recovery under low irradiance at room temperature. The CHL of both cultivars recovered faster than NHL, especially during the initial fast phase of recovery. Compared with NHL, the total content of carotenoids (Cars), based on chlorophyll, Chl (a+b), and the proportions of xanthophyll cycle pigments referred to total Cars increased in CHL, mainly due to an increase of violaxanthin (V) + antheraxanthin (A) + zeaxanthin (Z) content per mol Chl (a+b). Faster development and a higher non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of Chl fluorescence, related to a stronger deepoxidation of the larger xanthophyll cycle pool in NHL, could act as a major defence mechanism to reduce the formation of reactive oxygen species during severe chilling. This is suggested by higher content of Z or Z+A in photoinhibition as well as by its rapid decline during the initial fast phase of recovery. In contrast to the chilling-sensitive cv. 0004, the chilling-tolerant cv. 1141 did more easily acclimate its photosynthetic apparatus to low temperatures.

To prospectively explore the techniques, feasibility and safety of modified vaginal hysterectomy for large uterus.A total of 158 patients undergoing hysterectomy at Beijing Hospital from January 2008 to December 2010 were divided into three groups: 12-16 gestational weeks large uterus for vaginal hysterectomy (n = 65, group 1), 12-16 gestational weeks uterus for abdominal hysterectomy (n = 47, group 2) and10 gestational weeks uterus for vaginal hysterectomy (n = 46, group 3). The pattern and techniques of delivery in group 1 was based on the location of fibroids/adenomyoma (in anterior wall, posterior wall, uterine horn or broad ligament, cervix) and the direction of overall shape maximum diameter (direction towards abdomen defined as long type while the direction towards lateral pelvic wall wide type). The completion and safety were observed intraoperatively. The outpatient follow-up period was 1 month.A total of 158 cases of hysterectomy were performed successfully. The locations of fibroids/adenomyoma included anterior wall (n = 17), posterior wall (n = 24), unilateral uterine horn (n = 6), broad ligament (n = 3) and cervix (n = 2). in group 1, and there were long (n = 6) and wide (n = 7) types. They were all successfully delivered through vagina through various techniques. No case was converted into laparotomy. The average largest size (judged by as large as number of gestational weeks) and weight of uterus was group 2 and followed by group 1. But the difference of size and weight between two groups was insignificant (P0.05). Sorted by mean operative duration, mean amount of bleeding and decrease of hemoglobin, the declining order was the group 2, group 1 and group 3. The amount of bleeding for group 1 was less than that for group 2 (P0.05). But it was more than group 3 (P0.05). According to postoperative hospitalization duration, flatus time and indwelling catheter time, no statistical differences existed between groups 1 and 3. But the values of group 1 were significantly better than those of group 2 (P0.01,0.05,0.01).Vaginal hysterectomy is a safe and effective option for removing enlarged uterus. This pattern of operation can reduce the postoperative hospitalization time, flatus time and indwelling catheter time.

Ascorbate peroxidases are directly involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging by reducing hydrogen peroxide to water. The tomato thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase gene (StAPX) was introduced into tobacco. RNA gel blot analysis confirmed that StAPX in tomato leaves was induced by methylviologen-mediated oxidative stress. The sense transgenic seedlings exhibited higher tAPX activity than that of the wild type (WT) plants under oxidative stress conditions, while the antisense seedlings exhibited lower tAPX activity. Lower APX activities of antisense transgenic seedlings caused higher malondialdehyde contents and relative electrical conductivity. The sense transgenic seedlings with higher tAPX activity maintained higher chlorophyll content and showed the importance of tAPX in maintaining the optimal chloroplast development under methylviologen stress conditions, whereas the antisense lines maintained lower chlorophyll content than WT seedlings. Results indicated that the over-expression of StAPX enhanced tolerance to methylviologen-mediated oxidative stress in sense transgenic tobacco early seedlings, whereas the suppression of StAPX in antisense transgenic seedlings showed high sensitivity to oxidative stress.

Transgenic tomato plants overexpressing LeFAD3 sense and antisense sequences were generated. Salt stress suppressed the growth of WT and antisense plants to a higher extent than that in sense plants. In this study, we investigated the role of the LeFAD3-encoding ER-type omega-3 fatty acid desaturase in salt tolerance in tomato plants. We created transgenic tomato plants by overexpressing its sense and antisense sequences under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Based on the results of northern and western blotting as well as quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, sense plants expressed more desaturase than wild-type (WT) plants, whereas antisense plants expressed less desaturase than WT. Salt stress suppressed the growth of both WT and antisense plants to a higher extent than that in sense plants, which can be attributed to the fact that sense plants performed better in maintaining the integrity of the membrane system, as revealed by electron microscopy. The concomitant increase in superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) and ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) may have alleviated the photoinhibition caused by the increased level of ROS in sense plants. Our results suggest that LeFAD3 overexpression can enhance the tolerance of early seedlings to salinity stress.

Methanol is among the most common short-chain alcohols in fermenting fruits, the natural food and oviposition sites of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Our previous results showed that cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) were associated with methanol detoxification in the larvae. Catalases, alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs), esterases (ESTs) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) were specifically inhibited by 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT), 4-methylpyrazole (4-MP), triphenyl phosphate (TPP) and diethylmeleate (DEM), respectively. CYPs were inhibited by piperonyl butoxide (PBO) and 1-aminobenzotriazole (1-ABT). In the present paper, the involvements of these enzymes in methanol metabolism were investigated in female and male adults by determining the combination indices of methanol and their corresponding inhibitors. When PBO, 1-ABT, 3-AT, 4-MP and TPP were individually mixed with methanol, they exhibited significant synergism to the mortality of the adults after 72h of dietary exposure. In contrast, the DEM and methanol mixture showed additive effects. Moreover, methanol exposure dramatically increased CYP activity and up-regulated mRNA expression levels of several Cyp genes. Bioassays using different strains revealed that the variation in ADH activity and RNAi-mediated knockdown of α-Est7 significantly changed LC50 values for methanol. These results suggest that CYPs, catalases, ADHs and ESTs are partially responsible for methanol elimination in adults. It seems that there are some differences in methanol metabolism between larvae and adults, but not between female and male adults.

The salt overly sensitive pathway has an important function in plant salinity tolerance. The enhancer of SOS3-1 (ENH1) participates in a new salinity stress pathway with SOS2 but without SOS3. To investigate the physiological effects and functional mechanism of ENH1 under salt stress, ENH1 was isolated from tomato and overexpressed in tobacco. Under salt stress, the sprouting percentage, fresh weight, and dry weight of transgenic plants were higher than those of wild-type (WT) plants. Under salt stress, the chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, and maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII in transgenic plants decreased more slowly than those in WT plants. The overexpression of LeENH1 in tobacco excluded Na(+) from the cytosol and retained high K(+) levels in the cytosol to reestablish ion homeostasis. Higher thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase activity and lower reactive oxygen species levels were found in transgenic plants under salt stress.

Glycine betaine (GB) can enhance heat tolerance and the accumulation of heat-shock protein (HSP) in plants, but the effects of GB on HSP accumulation during salt stress were not previously known. To investigate the mechanism of how GB influences the expression of HSP, wild-type tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) seedlings pretreated with exogenous GB and BADH-transgenic tobacco plants that accumulated GB in vivo were studied during NaCl stress. A transient Ca(2+) efflux was observed in the epidermal cells of the elongation zone of tobacco roots after NaCl treatment for 1-2 min. After 24 h of NaCl treatment, an influx of Ca(2+) was observed; a low concentration of GB significantly increased NaCl-induced Ca(2+) influx. GB increased the intracellular free calcium ion concentration and enhanced the expression of the calmodulin (CaM) and heat-shock transcription factor (HSF) genes resulting in potentiated levels of HSPs. Pharmacological experiments confirmed that Ca(2+) and CaM increased HSFs and HSPs gene expression, which coincided with increased the levels of HSP70 accumulation. These results suggest a mechanism by which GB acted as a cofactor in the NaCl induction of a Ca(2+) -permeable current. A possible regulatory model of Ca(2+) -CaM in the signal transduction pathway for induction of transcription and translation of the active HSPs is described.

Taking Rumex K-1 leaves as test materials, this paper studied the role of mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway in photoprotection under different light intensities. Under low light intensity (200 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1)), and after treated with salicylhydroxamic acid to inhibit the AOX pathway, the leaf actual photochemical efficiency of PS II, linear electron transport rate of photosynthesis, and photosynthetic O2 evolution rate all decreased significantly while the non-Q(B) reducing reaction center had a significant increase, indicating that under low light, the photoinhibition was aggravated while the scavenging enzymes of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased, which avoided the over-accumulation of ROS and partially alleviated the photoinhibition of Rumex K-1 leaves. Under high light intensity (800 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1)), the inhibition of AOX pathway caused more severe photoinhibition, and the increased activities of ROS scavenging enzymes were insufficient to prevent the over-accumulation of ROS. This study demonstrated that AOX pathway played an important role in the photoprotection in Rumex K-1 leaves under both high and low light intensities, and the role of AOX pathway in photoprotection under high light could be irreplaceable by the other photoprotection pathways in chloroplast.

NAC (NAM-ATAF1, 2-CUC2) family members play important roles in various environmental responses. Here, we cloned a full-length NAC gene (954 bp) from Solanum lycopersicum (SlNAC1). This gene belonged to ATAF subfamily which included ATAF1 and ATAF2 of Arabidopsis thaliana. SlNAC1 expression was induced by chilling stress (4°C), heat stress (40°C), high salinity, osmotic stress and mechanical wounding. SlNAC1 transcripts were enhanced after application of abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, gibberellin, ethylene, methyl viologen and hydrogen peroxide. The seedlings of transgenic plants overexpressing SlNAC1 grew more leaves but were shorter than wild-type (WT) plants. SlNAC1 overexpression increased the chilling tolerance of tomato plants by maintaining the higher maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and oxygen-evolving activities. Compared with WT plants, transgenic plants showed higher superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) and catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) activities, which reduced levels of H2 O2 and superoxide anion radicals and promoted lower ion leakage and malondialdehyde content. The expression level of SlCBF1 in transgenic plants was also higher than that in WT plants under both normal conditions and chilling stress; this increased expression may be the main factor influencing the high chilling tolerance of transgenic plants. The results suggest that SlNAC1 plays important roles in diversiform plant-stress responses and diverse signaling pathways.

This work addresses the problem of optimizing completely batch water-using network with multiple contaminants where the flow change caused by mass transfer is taken into consideration for the first time. A mathematical technique for optimizing water-using network is proposed based on source-tank-sink superstructure. The task is to obtain the freshwater usage, recycle assignments among water-using units, wastewater discharge and a steady water-using network configuration by following steps. Firstly, operating sequences of water-using units are determined by time constraints. Next, superstructure is simplified by eliminating the reuse and recycle from water-using units with maximum concentration of key contaminants. Then, the non-linear programming model is solved by GAMS (General Algebra Model System) for minimum freshwater usage, maximum water recycle and minimum wastewater discharge. Finally, numbers of operating periods are calculated to acquire the steady network configuration. A case study is solved to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach., {"references":["Wang, Y. P., Smith, R., \"Time pinch analysis(Periodical\nstyle),\"Transactions of the Institute of Chemical EngineersPart A, Vol.73,\npp. 905-914,1995.","Manan, Z. A., Tan, Y. L., and Foo, D. C. Y.,\"Targeting the minimum\nwater flowrate using water cascade analysis technique(Periodical\nstyle),\"AIChE Journal, Vol. 50, no. 12, pp. 3169-3183, 2004.","Foo, D. C. Y., Manan, Z. A., andTan Y. L., \"Synthesis of maximum water\nrecovery network for batch process systems(Periodical style),\"Journal of\nCleaner Production, Vol. 13, pp. 1381-1394, 2005.","Majozi, T., Brouckaert, C. J., and Buckley, C. A.,\"A graphical technique\nfor wastewater minimization in batch processes(Periodical\nstyle),\"Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 78, pp. 317-329,\n2006.","Almato,M., Sanmarti, E., Espuna, A., and Puigjaner, L., \"Rationalizing\nthewater use inbatch process industry(Periodical style),\"Computers and\nChemical Engineering, Vol. 21, pp. s971-s976, 1997.","Majozi T.,\"Wastewater minimisation using central reusable water storage\nin batch plants(Periodical style),\"Computers and Chemical Engineering,\nVol. 29, pp. 1631-1646, 2005a.","Majozi, T.,\"An effective technique for wastewater minimization in batch\nprocesses(Periodical style),\"Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 13, No.\n15, pp. 1374-1380, 2005b.","Chang, C. T., and Li, B. H.,\"Optimal design of wastewater equalization\nsystemsin batch processes(Periodical style),\"Computers and Chemical\nEngineering, Vol. 30,pp. 797-806, 2006.","Cheng, K. F., and Chang, C. T.,\"Integrated water network designs for\nbatch processes (Periodical style),\"Industrial and Engineering Chemistry\nResearch, Vol. 46,pp. 1241-1253, 2007.\n[10] Majozi, T., Gouwsa, J. F.,\"A mathematical optimization approach for\nwastewater minimization in multipurpose batch plants: Multiple\ncontaminants (Periodical style),\"Computers and Chemical Engineering,\nVol. 33, pp. 1826-1840, 2009.\n[11] Du, J., Hong, S. H. Chen, L.,\"Optimization of water-using network in a\nbatch process system with multiple contaminants (Translation Journals\nstyle),\"Chemical Industry and Engineering ProcessChina, Vol. 31, No. 1,\npp. 25-31, 2012.\n[12] Yang, X.,\"Water-using network synthesis for batch process (Translation\nstyle),\"Doctor Degree Thesis of Qingdao University of Science and\nTechnologyChina, 2008."]}

The net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence and 820 nm transmission were investigated to explore the behavior of the photosynthetic apparatus, including light absorption, energy transformation and the photoactivities of photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI) during senescence in the stay-green inbred line of maize (Zea mays) Q319 and the quick-leaf-senescence inbred line of maize HZ4. The relationship between the photosynthetic performance and the decrease in chlorophyll content in the two inbred lines was also studied. Both the field and laboratory data indicated that the chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, and the photoactivities of PSII and PSI decreased later and slower in Q319 than in HZ4, indicating that Q319 is a functional stay-green inbred line. In order to avoid the influence of different development stages and environmental factors on senescence, age-matched detached leaf segments from the two inbred lines were treated with ethephon under controlled conditions to induce senescence. The net photosynthetic rate, light absorption, energy transformation, the activities of PSII acceptor side and donor side and the PSI activities decreased much slower in Q319 than in HZ4 during the ethephon-induced senescence. These results suggest that the retention of light absorption, energy transformation and activity of electron transfer contribute to the extended duration of active photosynthesis in Q319. Although the chlorophyll content decreased faster in HZ4, with decrease of chlorophyll content induced by ethephon, photosynthetic performance of Q319 deteriorated much more severely than that of HZ4, indicating that, compared with Q319, HZ4 has an advantage at maintaining higher photosynthetic activity with decrease of chlorophyll although HZ4 is a quick-leaf-senescence inbred line. We conclude that attention should be paid to two favorable characteristics in breeding long duration of active photosynthesis hybrids: 1) maintaining more chlorophyll content during senescence and 2) maintaining higher photosynthetic activity during the loss of chlorophyll.

Taking Cucumis sativus L. (Jinchun No. 4) as test material, through the determination of chlorophyll-a fluorescence transient and light absorbance at 820 nm, and in combining with chlorophyll quenching, this paper studied the recovery of cucumber leaf' s PS I and PS I activities and the interactions between PS I and PS II in the recovery process at room temperature (25 degrees C) and under different light intensities (0, 15, and 200 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1)) after six hours of low temperature (4 degrees C) and strong light (200 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1)) stress. Different extent of photoinhibition of the PS II and PS I occurred after the stress. During the recovery process at room temperature, the PS II activity recovered quickly and was insensitive to light intensity, while the PS I activity recovered quickly under weak light intensity (15 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1)) but slowly under strong light intensity (200 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1)), suggesting that after the chilling-induced photoinhibition, the reduced electron transfer from PS II to PS I protected the PS I from further inhibition, accelerating the recovery of PS I activity. In the breeding of chilling-resistant species of cucumber, it should not only pursue the higher chilling-resistance of PS II and faster recovery of PS II after chilling-induced photoinhibition, but also pay more attention to the coordinating of PS I and PS II during and after the chilling-induced photoinhibition. In the culture of cucumber, after chilling happened, a practical method to reduce light intensity would help the recovery of cucumber leaf PS I activity to protect the photosynthetic apparatus against photoinhibition.

To investigate the effect of Chinese medicine (CM) and Western medicine (WM) on quality of life (QOL) after conservative surgery for endometriosis.A total of 320 patients with endometriosis were randomized into two groups by using random block design, CM group (160 cases, activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis treatment based on syndrome differentiation) and WM group (160 cases, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or gestrinone treatment) after conservative surgery. Treatment was given for 3-6 months (according to the revised American Fertility Society scoring system stage), and the World Health Organization QOL-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) was applied to patients before and after treatment to assess QOL.There were 136 cases in the CM group and 141 cases in the WM group completing therapy. In the CM group, the use of the WHOQOL-BREF showed that the physical, psychological and environmental scores posttreatment were significantly higher than those at pre-treatment (P0.05), and for 12 items (pain and discomfort, energy and fatigue, sleep and rest, mobility, activities of daily living, work capacity, negative feelings, health and social care: accessibility and quality, participation in and opportunities for recreation/leisure activities, appetite, QOL score, overall health status and QOL), the difference in scores was significant (P0.05). In the WM group, 4 items (pain and discomfort, opportunities for acquiring new information and skills, QOL score, overall health status and QOL) had significantly different scores post-treatment compared with those at pre-treatment (P0.05). Before treatment, the QOL in the two groups of patients showed no significant difference (P0.05). After treatment, the scores for physical health in the CM group were significantly higher than those of the WM group (P0.05) and the scores of 4 items (mobility, activities of daily living, sexual activity, QOL score) in the CM group were significantly higher than those in the WM group (P0.05).CM and WM treatment could improve the QOL of patients with endometriosis after conservative surgery. CM treatment is more effective than WM.

The GDP- l -galactose phosphorylase (GGP), which converts GDP- l -galactose to l -Gal-1-phosphate, is generally considered to be a key enzyme of the major ascorbate biosynthesis pathways in higher plants, but experimental evidence for its role in tomato is lacking. In the present study, the GGP gene was isolated from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and transient expression of SlGGP-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion protein in onion cells revealed the cytoplasmic and nucleus localization of the protein. Antisense transgenic tomato lines with only 50–75% ascorbate level of the wild type (WT) were obtained. Chilling treatment induced lower increase in AsA levels and redox ratio of ascorbate in antisense transgenic plants compared with WT plants. Under chilling stress, transgenic plants accumulated more malendialdehyde (MDA) and more O2 −, leaked more electrolytes and showed lower maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and oxidizable P700 compared with WT plants. Furthermore, the antisense transgenic plants exhibited significantly higher H2O2 level and lower ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity. Our results suggested that GGP plays an important role in protecting plants against chilling stress by maintaining ascorbate pool and ascorbate redox state.

A known sweet pepper cDNA clone, CaHSP26 encoding the chloroplast-localized small heat shock protein (CPsHSP), was isolated and introduced into tobacco plants. It has been reported that CaHSP26 is a member of the CPsHSP gene family related to extreme temperature tolerance in plants. In the present work, the transcripts were detected in the transgenic tobacco lines. The actual quantum yield of photosynthesis (ΦPSII), non-photochemical quenching, and stomatal conductance (gs) in the transgenic lines overexpressing CaHSP26 were higher than those in the wild-type plants under a range of photosynthetic photon flux density during chilling stress. Electron microscopic analysis showed that the transgenic line (L1) had larger size of stomata to lessen stomatal limitation. The activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) were also higher in the transgenic lines than those in wild-type plants. Additionally, a significant increase in cis-unsaturated fatty acid contents was observed in transgenic lines due to lower temperatures. These results suggested that CaHSP26 protein plays an important role in protection of PSII by maintaining the antioxidative enzyme activities to avoid or mitigate photooxidation and increasing the fluidity of the thylakoid membrane during chilling stress under low irradiance. Key message CaHSP26 protein protects PSII by maintaining the antioxidative enzyme activities to avoid or mitigate photooxidation and increases the fluidity of the thylakoid membrane during chilling stress under low irradiance.

To compare the clinical effect of Chinese medicine (CM) and Western medicine (WM) for controlling the recurrence of pelvic endometriosis after a conservative operation.The study was a multi-center, randomized, parallel controlled and prospective clinical trial. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: CM group (106 cases) and WM group (102 cases). Drugs were given to patients during 1-5 days of the first menstruation after a conservative operation in both groups. Patients with stages I and II (revised American Fertility Society) were treated for 3 months, while the patients with stages III and IV were treated for 6 months. The patients in the CM group were treated using three types of Chinese herbal medicine based on syndrome differentiation. Patients in the WM group were treated using gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) or gestrinone. Patients treated with GnRH-a received add-back therapy of Tibolone Tablets once a day after 4 months of treatment. Any cases of dysmenorrheal chronic pelvic pain, menstruation and any adverse reactions of patients were recorded once a month during the preoperative and postoperative periods and once every 3 months during the follow-up period. During the preoperative, postoperative and the follow-up periods, patients underwent type B ultrasonography of the pelvis and measurements of serum CA125 levels, gynecologic examination, routine evaluations of blood, urine, hepatic function (glutamate pyruvate transaminase), renal function (blood urea nitrogen) and electrocardiograms. During the follow-up period they underwent type B pelvic ultrasonography, measurement of serum CA125 levels and further gynecologic examinations. The two treatments were compared for clinical recurrence rates, pregnancy rates and the incidence of adverse reactions.The incidence and timing of recurrence of endometriosis were not significantly different between the two groups. The first pregnancy achieved by the patient in the CM group was significantly earlier than that in the WM group (P0.05). Moreover, the incidence of adverse reactions in the WM group was significantly higher than in the CM group (P0.01).Treatment with Chinese herbal medicines prevented the recurrence of endometriosis after a conservative operation, improved the conception rate and showed fewer and lighter adverse reactions than did treatment with WM therapy. Treatment with Chinese herbal medicine meets the need of patients wishing to have a child following endometriosis and is an appropriate form of clinical treatment.

Various studies have confirmed that the CBF (C-repeat binding factor) family of transcription factors has a key role in regulating many plants' responses to cold stress. Here we isolated CBF3 from sweet pepper (Capsicum frutescens). Green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein of CfCBF3 was targeted to the nucleus of the onion epidermis cell. RNA gel blot analysis indicated that CfCBF3 was expressed in leaves of sweet pepper and the expression was induced by low temperature, drought and salinity stresses but not by ABA. Overexpression of CfCBF3 under the control of the CaMV35S promoter in tobacco induced expression of orthologs of CBF3-targeted genes and increased chilling tolerance without a dwarf phenotype. Indeed it also led to multiple biochemical and physiological changes associated with chilling stress. Higher levels of proline (Pro) and soluble sugars and lower content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were observed in transgenic plants. Our results demonstrated that the increase in total unsaturated fatty acids, especially in phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was detected by overexpression of CfCBF3. During exposure to chilling stress, the transgenic lines were less susceptible to chilling-induced photoinhibition than wild-type (WT) plants. These results suggest that overexpression of CfCBF3 led to modification of the fatty acid unsaturation and alleviated the injuries under chilling stress.