Effect of CO2 enrichment on the glucosinolate contents under different nitrogen levels in bolting stem of Chinese kale (Brassica alboglabra L.)

The effects of CO2 enrichment on the growth and glucosinolate (GS) concentrations in the bolting stem of Chinese kale (Brassioa alboglabra L.) treated with three nitrogen (N) concentrations (5, 10, and 20 mmol/L) were investigated. Height,stem thickness, and dry weights of the total aerial parts, bolting stems, and roots, as well as the root to shoot ratio, significantly increased as CO2 concentration was elevated from 350 to 800 μl/L at each N concentration. In the edible part of the bolting stem,11 individual GSs were identified, including 7 aliphatic and 4 indolyl GSs. GS concentration was affected by the elevated CO2 concentration, N concentration, and CO2×N interaction. At 5 and 10 mmol N/L, the concentrations of aliphatic GSs and total GSs significantly increased, whereas those of indolyl GSs were not affected, by elevated atmospheric CO2. However, at 20 mmol N/L,elevated CO2 had no significant effects on the concentrations of total GSs and total indolyl GSs, but the concentrations of total aliphatic GSs significantly increased. Moreover, the bolting stem carbon (C) content increased, whereas the N and sulfur (S) contents decreased under elevated CO2 concentration in the three N treatments, resulting in changes in the C/N and N/S ratios.Also the C/N ratio is not a reliable predictor of change of GS concentration, while the changes in N and S contents and the N/S ratio at the elevated CO2 concentration may influence the GS concentration in Chinese kale bolting stems. The results demonstrate that high nitrogen supply is beneficial for the growth of Chinese kale, but not for the GS concentration in bolting stems, under elevated CO2 condition.     

Effects of elevated CO(2) levels on root morphological traits and Cd uptakes of two Lolium species under Cd stress

This study was conducted to investigate the combined effects of elevated CO₂ levels and cadmium (Cd) on the root morphological traits and Cd accumulation in Lolium multiflorum Lam. and Lolium perenne L. exposed to two CO₂ levels (360 and 1 000 μl/L) and three Cd levels (0, 4, and 16 mg/L) under hydroponic conditions. The results show that elevated levels of CO₂ increased shoot biomass more, compared to root biomass, but decreased Cd concentrations in all plant tissues. Cd exposure caused toxicity to both Lolium species, as shown by the restrictions of the root morphological parameters including root length, surface area, volume, and tip numbers. These parameters were significantly higher under elevated levels of CO₂ than under ambient CO₂, especially for the number of fine roots. The increases in magnitudes of those parameters triggered by elevated levels of CO₂ under Cd stress were more than those under non-Cd stress, suggesting an ameliorated Cd stress under elevated levels of CO₂. The total Cd uptake per pot, calculated on the basis of biomass, was significantly greater under elevated levels of CO₂ than under ambient CO₂. Ameliorated Cd toxicity, decreased Cd concentration, and altered root morphological traits in both Lolium species under elevated levels of CO₂ may have implications in food safety and phytoremediation.     

Detection of nitrogen-overfertilized rice plants with leaf positional difference in hyperspectral vegetation index

The main objective of this work was to compare the applicability of the single leaf (the uppermost leaf L1 and the third uppermost leaf L3) modified simple ratio (mSR₇₀₅ index) and the leaf positional difference in the vegetation index between L1 and L3 (mSR_705L1-mSR_705L3) in detecting nitrogen (N)-overfertilized rice plants. A field experiment consisting of three rice genotypes and five N fertilization levels (0, 75, 180, 285, and 390 kg N/ha) was conducted at Xiaoshan, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China in 2008. The hyperspectral reflectance (350–2500 nm) and the chlorophyll concentration (ChlC) of L1 and L3 were measured at different stages. The mSR_705L1 and mSR_705L3 indices appeared not to be highly sensitive to the N rates, especially when the N rate was high (above 180 kg N/ha). The mean mSR_705L1-mSR_705L3 across the genotypes increased significantly (P<0.05) or considerably from 180 to 285 kg N/ha treatment and from 285 to 390 kg N/ha treatment at all the stages. Also, use of the difference (mSR_705L1-mSR_705L3) greatly reduced the influence of the stages and genotypes in assessing the N status with reflectance data. The results of this study show that the N-overfertilized rice plants can be effectively detected with the leaf positional difference in the mSR₇₀₅ index.     

Impact of elevated CO2 concentration under three soil water levels on growth of Cinnamomum camphora

Forest plays very important roles in global system with about 35% land area producing about 70% of total land net production. It is important to consider both elevated CO2 concentrations and different soil moisture when the possible effects of elevated CO2 concentration on trees are assessed. In this study, we grew Cinnamomum camphora seedlings under two CO2 concentrations （350 μmol/mol and 500μmnol/mol） and three soil moisture levels [80%, 60% and 40% FWC （field water capacity）] to focus on the effects of exposure of trees to elevated CO2 on underground and aboveground plant growth, and its dependence on soil moisture. The results indicated that high CO2 concentration has no significant effects on shoot height but significantly impacts shoot weight and ratio of shoot weight to height under three soil moisture levels. The response of root growth to CO2 enrichment is just reversed, there are obvious effects on root length growth, but no effects on root weight growth and ratio of root weight to length. The CO2 enrichment decreased 20.42%, 32.78%, 20.59% of weight ratio of root to shoot under 40%, 60% and 80% FWC soil water conditions, respectively. And elevated CO2 concentration significantly increased the water content in aboveground and underground parts. Then we concluded that high CO2 concentration favours more tree aboveground biomass growth than underground biomass growth under favorable soil water conditions. And CO2 enrichment enhanced lateral growth of shoot and vertical growth of root. The responses of plants to elevated CO2 depend on soil water availability, and plants may benefit more from CO2 enrichment with sufficient water supply.     

Leaf and root glucosinolate profiles of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) as a systemic response to methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid elicitation

Glucosinolates (GSs) are an important group of defensive phytochemicals mainly found in Brassicaceae. Plant hormones jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) are major regulators of plant response to pathogen attack. However, there is little information about the interactive effect of both elicitors on inducing GS biosynthesis in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis). In this study, we applied different concentrations of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and/or SA onto the leaf and root of Chinese cabbage to investigate the time-course interactive profiles of GSs. Regardless of the site of the elicitation and the concentrations of the elicitors, the roots accumulated much more GSs and were more sensitive and more rapidly responsive to the elicitors than leaves. Irrespective of the elicitation site, MeJA had a greater inducing and longer lasting effect on GS accumulation than SA. All three components of indole GS (IGS) were detected along with aliphatic and aromatic GSs. However, IGS was a major component of total GSs that accumulated rapidly in both root and leaf tissues in response to MeJA and SA elicitation. Neoglucobrassicin (neoGBC) did not respond to SA but to MeJA in leaf tissue, while it responded to both SA and MeJA in root tissue. Conversion of glucobrassicin (GBC) to neoGBC occurred at a steady rate over 3 d of elicitation. Increased accumulation of 4-methoxy glucobrassicin (4-MGBC) occurred only in the root irrespective of the type of elicitors and the site of elicitation. Thus, accumulation of IGS is a major metabolic hallmark of SA- and MeJA-mediated systemic response systems. SA exerted an antagonistic effect on the MeJA-induced root GSs irrespective of the site of elicitation. However, SA showed synergistic and antagonistic effects on the MeJA-induced leaf GSs when roots and leaves are elicitated for 3 d, respectively.     

Preparation of the polysulfonamide/titania composites

A series of polysulfonamide （PSA）/TiO 2 modifier nano-composite films were successfully prepared by in-situ polymerization at a low temperature based on 4, 4-diaminodiphenylsulfone and terephthaloyl chloride in the common solvent N, N-dimethylacetamide （DMAc）. It was shown that the nano particles were well dispersed in the polymer substrate. Mean-while, PSA/TiO 2 /modifier composites exhibited good UV-resistant properties and mechanical properties. In addition, the composites’ heat stability improved. These prepared composites are promising in preparing spinning solution and might have potential application in heat-resistant fiber.     

EF-H2O2-FeOX法深度处理畜牧业养殖废水技术研究

利用EF-H_2O_2-FeO_X法深度处理畜牧业养殖废水,结果表明,当pH值为3,电压为24 V,反应时间为45 min,电解质投加量为0.8 g/L,PAM投加量为2.5 mg/L时,对畜牧业养殖废水的深度处理效果最佳,COD的去除率可以达到99.1%。此方法具有成本低、设备简单、效果好等优点,在畜牧业养殖废水的深度处理领域具有广阔的应用前景。     

Monotone routing in multirate rearrangeable logd（N,m，p） network

The construction of multirate rearrangeable network has long been an interesting problem. Of many results published, all were achieved on 3-stage Clos network. The monotone routing algorithm proposed by Huet al. (2001) was also first applied to 3-stage Clos network. In this work, we adopt this algorithm and apply it to log _d (N,m,p) networks. We first analyze the properties of log _d (N,m,p) networks. Then we use monotone algorithm in log _d (N,0,p) network. Furthermore we extend the result to construct multirate rearrangeable networks based on log _d (N,m,p) network (1≤m≤n−1). Project (No. 10371028) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Changes in soil biological properties with the addition of metsulfuron-methyl herbicide

An incubation study was conducted to investigate the effects of metsulfuron-methyl herbicide on the soil microbial biomass in loamy sand soil. The herbicide was applied to the soil at four concentrations: control, 0.01, 0.10, and 1.00 μg·g⁻¹ soil. Determinations of microbial biomass-C and microbial biomass-N contents were carried out 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 25, and 45 days after herbicide application. In comparison to untreated soil, the microbial biomass-C and biomass-N decreased significantly in soils treated with herbicide at concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 μg·g⁻¹ soil within the first 7 days of incubation. The application of metsulfuron-methyl herbicide to the soil reduced the C_mic/C_org and N_mic/N_total percentages, which decreased with increasing application rate of metsulfuron-methyl herbicide. Compared to the untreated control, a marked increase in the microbial biomass C: N ratio was observed in the herbicide treated soil. This effect was transitory and was significant only at the higher rates of metsulfuron-methyl. Project supported by NSFC (No. 49871044) and the Laboratory of Materials Cycling in Pedosphere, Academia Sinica.     

Mutagenic effects of chromium trioxide on root tip cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vicia faba</Emphasis>

In this study on the mutagenic effects of different concentrations of chromium trioxide (CrO₃) on Vicia faba root tip, micronucleus assay and chromosome aberration assay were used to determine the mitotic indexes, micronucleus rate and chromosome aberration rate of Vicia faba root tip cells. The results showed that the effects of CrO₃ concentration on the mitotic indexes were complicated. CrO₃ increases the micronucleus rate of Vicia faba root tip cells. It was found that within certain range of CrO₃ concentration the micronucleus rate increased systematically with increased concentration of CrO₃, but that the micronucleus rate decreased at higher level of CrO₃ and that CrO₃ also caused various types of chromosome aberration at a rate which increased systematically with increased concentration of CrO₃. We concluded that CrO₃ has significant mutagenic effect on Vicia faba root tip cells. Project supported by Wenzhou Technology Bureau (No. S2002A015) and Wenzhou “551” Talented People Fund of China     

Effects of glucose and gibberellic acid on glucosinolate content and antioxidant properties of Chinese kale sprouts

Glucosinolates, anthocyanins, total phenols, and vitamin C, as well as antioxidant capacity, were investigated in Chinese kale sprouts treated with both glucose and gibberellic acid (GA₃). The combination of 3% (0.03 g/ml) glucose and 5 μol/L GA₃ treatment was effective in increasing glucosinolate content while glucose or GA3 treatment alone did not influence significantly almost all individual glucosinolates or total glucosinolates. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of Chinese kale sprouts were enhanced by combined treatment with glucose and GA₃, which could be useful in improving the main health-promoting compounds and antioxidant activity in Chinese kale sprouts.     

Different responses of two Mosla species to potassium limitation in relation to acid rain deposition

The increasingly serious problem of acid rain is leading to increased potassium (K) loss from soils, and in our field investigation, we found that even congenerically relative Mosla species show different tolerance to K-deficiency. A hydroponic study was conducted on the growth of two Mosla species and their morphological, physiological and stoichiometric traits in response to limited (0.35 mmol K/L), normal (3.25 mmol K/L) and excessive (6.50 mmol K/L) K concentrations. Mosla hangchowensis is an endangered plant, whereas Mosla dianthera a widespread weed. In the case of M. hangchowensis, in comparison with normal K concentration, K-limitation induced a significant reduction in net photosynthetic rate (P _n), soluble protein content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, but an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. However, leaf mass ratio (LMR) and root mass ratio (RMR) were changed little by K-limitation. In contrast, for M. dianthera, K-limitation had little effect on P _n, soluble protein content, SOD activity, and MDA concentration, but increased LMR and RMR. Critical values of N (nitrogen): K and K:P (phosphorus) ratios in the shoots indicated that limitation in acquiring K occurred under K-limited conditions for M. hangchowensis but not for M. dianthera. We found that low K content in natural habitats was a restrictive factor in the growth and distribution of M. hangchowensis, and soil K-deficiency caused by acid rain worsened the situation of M. hangchowensis, while M. dianthera could well acclimate to the increasing K-deficiency. We suggest that controlling the acid rain and applying K fertilizers may be an effective way to rescue the endangered M. hangchowensis. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30570113) and the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (No. 20060335008), China     

Influence of nitrogen and sulfur fertilization on quality of canola (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis> L.) under rainfed conditions

Field experiments were conducted at Cereal Crops Research Institute, Pirsabak, Nowshera, Pakistan, during winter 2003~2004 and 2004~2005 to evaluate the effect of nitrogen and sulfur levels and methods of nitrogen application on canola (Brassica napus L. cv. Bulbul-98) under rainfed conditions. Four levels of S (0, 10, 20, and 30 kg/ha) and three levels of N (40, 60, and 80 kg/ha) and a control treatment with both nutrients at zero level were included in the experiments. Sulfur levels were applied at sowing while N levels were applied by three methods (100% soil application, 90% soil 10% foliar application, and 80% soil 20% foliar application). The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block (RCB) design having four replications. Oil content increased significantly up to 20 kg S/ha but further increase in S level did not enhance oil content. Glucosinolate content increased from 13.6 to 24.6 μmol/g as S rate was increased from 0 to 30 kg/ha. Protein content increased from 22.4% to 23.2% as S rate was increased from 0 to 20 kg/ha. Oil content responded negatively to the increasing N levels. The highest N level resulted in the highest values for protein (23.5%) and glucosinolate (19.9 μmol/g) contents. Methods of N application had no significant impact on any parameters under study.     

Mixedl 2/l 1 control for discrete-time systems via lagrange multiplier theory

The dual formulation of the discrete-time mixedl ₂/l ₁ control design problem was achieved by using the duality theory of Lagrange multipliers. For some special dual mixedl ₂/l ₁ problems, an approximation method for the optimal value is introduced. A suboptimal value of the infinite-dimensional dual problem can be obtained by solving a sequence of truncated problems. The convergence property of the solution scheme is investigated. This paper gives a low approximation method for the primal problem. Project(699085) supported by Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China.     

A system for screening agonists targeting β2-adrenoceptor from chinese medicinal herbs

In order to develop a model for screening the agonists of human β₂-adrenoceptor from Chinese medicinal herbs extracts, we used a cell-based functional assay based on a common G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) regulation mechanism and destabilized enhanced green fluorescent protein (d₂EGFP) reporter gene technique. The positive cell clone was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and imaging analysis. To assess the value of this model, we screened over 2000 high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fractionated samples from the ethanol extracts of Chinese medicinal herbs. Six fractions (isolated from Panax japonicus, Veratrum nigrum, Phellodendron amurense, Fructus Aurantii Immaturus, Chaenomeles speciosa, and Dictamnus dasycarpus) showed significant effects on active reporter gene expression, three of which (isolated from Phellodendron amurense, Fructus Aurantii Immaturus, and Chaenomeles speciosa) were selected for further concentration response analysis and the half maximal effective concentration (EC_{1/2 max}) values were 4.2, 2.7, and 4.8 μg/ml, respectively. Therefore, this reporter gene assay was suitable for screening β₂-adrenoceptor agonists. The results suggest that the six herbal extracts are the possible agonists of β₂-adrenoceptor. Project (No. 30873103) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Chemically processed Nb-doped SrTiO3 films and properties

Homogeneous, crack-free SrNb_xTi_1−x O₃ thin films on (110) silicon substrates were successfully fabricated by sol-gel processing. The optimum route and conditions were systematically investigated. Sr(OAc)₂ glacial acctic acid solution, after being refluxed and reacted with tartrate, formed Sr(OAc)₂(C₄H₆O₆)₂; Ti(OBu)₄ formed Ti(OAc)_4−x (AcAc)_x after having the ligand partially exchanged with AcAc, while Nb(OC₂H₅)₅ formed (OAc)₂Nb(AcAc) (C₄H₆O₆) by exchanging of ligand in glacial acetic acid with (CH₃CO)₂O. All the metal species after undergoing partial hydrolysis and polymerization with hydroxyl or oxygen, formed SrNb_xTi_1−x O₁₃ cluster sol. Methyl cellulose (MCL) caused SrNb_xTi_1−x O₃ sol to have polymeric structure and easily form films. SrNb_xTi_1−x O₃ films with perovskite were subsequently formed after being annealed at 650∼750 °C for 60 min in 25% N₂+75% H₂ (volume ratio) atmosphere. Resistivity of the SrNb_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ films at room temperature was 64 μω·cm, a particular T ² temperature dependence of the resistivity, from 25 K up to room temperature, was observed. Project (No. 2002CB613305) supported by the National Basic Research Program (973) of China     

Mixed G<Emphasis Type="Italic">l</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>/G<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> multi-channel multi-objective control synthesis for discrete time systems

This paper proposes a new approach for multi-objective robust control. The approach extends the standard generalizedl ₂ (Gl ₂) and generalizedH ₂ (GH ₂) conditions to a set of new linear matrix inequality (LMI) constraints based on a new stability condition. A technique for variable parameterization is introduced to the multi-objective control problem to preserve the linearity of the synthesis variables. Consequently, the multi-channel multi-objective mixed Gl ₂/GH ₂ control problem can be solved less conservatively using computationally tractable algorithms developed in the paper. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60374028), and the Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, Ministry of Education (No. [2004]176)     

Experimental study on the inhibition of biological reduction of Fe(III)EDTA in NO x absorption solution

Scrubbing of NO _x from the gas phase with Fe(II)EDTA has been shown to be highly effective. A new biological method can be used to convert NO to N₂ and regenerate the chelating agent Fe(II)EDTA for continuous NO absorption. The core of this biological regeneration is how to effectively simultaneous reduce Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO, two mainly products in the ferrous chelate absorption solution. The biological reduction rate of Fe(III)EDTA plays a main role for the NO _x removal efficiency. In this paper, a bacterial strain identified asKlebsiella Trevisan sp. was used to demonstrate an inhibition of Fe(III)EDTA reduction in the presence of Fe(II)EDTA-NO. The competitive inhibition experiments indicted that Fe(II)EDTA-NO inhibited not only the growth rate of the iron-reduction bacterial strain but also the Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate. Cell growth rate and Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate decreased with increasing Fe(II)EDTA-NO concentration in the solution. Project (No. 20176052) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, Ministry of Education     

AgxZn1-x和AgxAl1-x双相合金超导体的超导态参数

A well-known pseudopotential is used to investigate the superconducting state parameters (SSP), viz., electronphonon coupling strength, Coulomb pseudopotential, transition temperature, isotope effect exponent and effective interaction strength for Ag _x Zn_{1 − x} and Ag _x Al_{1 − x} binary alloys theoretically for the first time. We have incorporated here five different types of the local field correction functions to show the effect of exchange and correlation on the aforesaid properties. Very strong influence of various exchange and correlation functions is concluded from the present study. Comparison with others such experimental values is encouraging, which confirms applicability of the model potential in explaining the superconducting state parameters of binary mixture.