Variations of microbial community in Aconitum carmichaeli Debx. rhizosphere soilin a short-term continuous cropping system

Fei Xia,Lina Wang,Jiayang Chen,Meng Fu,Guodong Wang,Yaping Yan,Langjun Cui 한국미생물학회 2021 The journal of microbiology Vol.59 No.5

Aconitum carmichaeli Debx. (Ranunculaceae) is a potential source of an important herbal drug named “Fuzi”, which is derived from the lateral root of the plant. Increased therapeutic usage resulted in the great demand for artificial cultivation of A. carmichaeli, however, the obstacles caused by continuous cropping is a serious problem. Continuous cropping has shown to affect the soil biological and non-biological factors. The current study attempted to discover the variations of microbial communities and soil properties in shortterm continuous cropping of A. carmichaeli. An experimental procedure with A. carmichaeli planted two years continuously was established. The variation of the soil microbial community, disease incidence, soil properties, and the correlation between soil microbe and disease incidence were investigated. The disease incidence increased during the continuous cropping of A. carmichaeli. The PCoA and LefSe results indicated that fungal communities in rhizosphere soil were altered during the short-term continuous croppingand the bacterial community was disturbed by the cultivation of A. carmichaeli, however, in the following two years of continuous cropping period, the soil bacterial community has not changed obviously. Proportions of some fungal and bacterial genera were varied significantly (p < 0.05), and some genera of microflora showed a significant correlation with adisease incidence of A. carmichaeli. Microorganisms contributing to community composition discrepancy were also elucidated. Continuous cropping of A. carmichaeli disturbed the rhizosphere soil microbial community and altered the soil chemical parameters and soil pH. These variations in soil may be related to the occurrence of plant diseases. The current study will not only provide theoretical and experimental evidence for the A. carmichaeli continuous cropping obstacles but will also contribute to A. carmichaeli agricultural production and soil improvement.

Fabrication of Stiffness Gradient Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Mimicking Cell Microenvironment

Yan Hu,Yang Yang,Fei Tian,Pingping Xu,Rongcheng Du,Xuehuan Xia,Shimei Xu 한국고분자학회 2021 Macromolecular Research Vol.29 No.7

It has attracted much attention to develop a gradient hydrogel for real mimic of the extracellular matrix. Despite simplicity and ease of electrophoresis preparation method, some drawbacks limit the application of the method including toxic organic crosslinker residual, specific ionic monomer types, as well as narrow gradient gaps. In this work, we successfully prepared gradiently crosslinked nonionic PNIPAm/Laponite nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels with controllable gradient structures by adjusting the intensity of the direct current electric field. The results showed that the stiffness, surface property and thermosensitivity of the hydrogel changed with gradient distributions of Laponite. The average stiffness gradients varied from 0.18 kPa/mm, 0.41 kPa/mm to 1.28 kPa/mm by simply adjusting the intensity of the direct current electric field from 0.13 V/mm, 0.20 V/mm to 0.27 V/mm accordingly. The stiffness reached in a range of 13.8~33.0 kPa. The growth behaviors of human cervical cancer cells (HeLa cells) on the gradient NC hydrogel surface were discussed. Spreading and proliferation, as well as morphology of HeLa cells were closely related to the stiffness of the gradient NC hydrogels. This work develops a stiffness-controllable gradient NC hydrogel and opens up a new insight into the better understanding of cells behaviors in different tissues and organs in vivo.

CO and C3H6 oxidation over La0.9Sr0.1CoO3 catalysts: Influence of preparation solvent

Fei Yan,Ping Li,Xia Zhang 한국화학공학회 2021 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.38 No.5

High surface area powders, La0.9Sr0.1CoO3 (LSCO), were prepared by a hard template method with a template of SBA-15. In the preparation process, the solvent was ethanol, the mixture of ethanol and water, and water, respectively. Characterizations were performed to understand the properties of the catalysts. When the solvent is a mixture of ethanol and water, the prepared LSCO has the most easily extracted surface adsorbed oxygen in the H2 atmosphere, exhibiting the best light-off performances for CO oxidation. However, the LSCO prepared in ethanol solvent has the best lattice oxygen mobility, resulting in the best light-off performance for C3H6 oxidation. Moreover, the LSCO prepared in ethanol also shows the best catalytic activity for both CO and C3H6 oxidation under the conditions of simulated diesel exhaust. Furthermore, Pd was impregnated on the LSCO, which was prepared by a sol-gel method and a hard template method, separately; the later one shows higher CO and C3H6 catalytic oxidation activity.

Multiple Impairments in Male Reproduction 1 (mimr1), a Novel Male-Sterile Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, Shows Several Defects in Male Reproductive Development

Hai-Yan Chen,Yue-Feng Guan,Xue-Yong Huang,Yu-Ting Wu,Fen-Fei Wang,Ju-Fang Gao,Que Zhou,Zhong-Nan Yang,Jia-Yao Liu,Hong-Xia Zhang 한국식물학회 2012 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.55 No.3

We have characterized a new male-sterile mutant in Arabidopsis that exhibits conditional sterility but has restored fertility when drought-stressed. This mutant,multiple impairments in male reproduction 1 (mimr1),shows pleiotropic defects in both vegetative and reproductive development. Examination with dissecting and scanning electron microscopes revealed that its pollen grains are not effectively released from the anther locule after dehiscence, and anther differentiation is defective. Growth of the style and stamen filaments are also abnormal. Histological analysis demonstrated that these phenomena are due not only to a noticeably reduced extension of the stamen but also greater elongation of the pistil. Genetic analysis indicated that mimr1 is a single locus recessive nuclear mutant. The mutation can be mapped to a locus strongly linked to a 1200-kb region on Chromosome 3. Meta-analysis of expression patterning presented several candidate genes in that region. No mutants with similar phenotypes have previously been reported, suggesting that mimr1 is a novel male-sterile locus. Characterization of MIMR1 will provide further insights into the molecular basis for the development of plant reproductive organs.

Comparative transcriptome analysis to identify genes involved in terpenoid biosynthesis in Agriophyllum squarrosum, a folk medicinal herb native to Asian temperature deserts

Yin Xiaoyue,Yan-Xia Liu,Qian Chaoju,Zhou Shanshan,Fang Tingzhou,Fan Xingke,Gao yuan,Chang Yuxiao,Yang Jian,Ma Xiao-Fei 한국식물생명공학회 2021 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.15 No.3

Agriophyllum squarrosum is a folk Mongolian medicine with pleiotropic pharmacological and ecological economic importance endemic to Asian temperature deserts. Terpenoids play critical roles in biotic and abiotic stresses due to their antioxidative activities. Based on non-targeted metabolomic analysis, we detected eight terpenoids enriched in the above-ground tissues of A. squarrosum, however, the molecular mechanism underlying terpenoids biosynthesis in this desert medicinal plant is rarely understood. Here, a comparative transcriptome analysis of diferent tissues in A. squarrosum was conducted to identify 84 unigenes encoding key enzymes in the upstream backbone biosynthesis and 53 unigenes encoding the downstream enzymes for terpenoid diversifcation. Most of the upstream genes exhibited signifcant high expression levels in leaf, and some of which were validated by qRT-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis showed that two downstream gene families OSCs (oxidosqualene cyclases) and TPSs (mainly in terpene synthases -g subfamily) had undergone notable gene expansions in A. squarrosum comparing with the other Amaranthaceae plant species and Arabidopsis. Nevertheless, most members from these two gene families showed the tissue-specifc expression in A. squarrosum, which supported the diversifcation and tissue-specifc enrichment of terpenoids across above-ground tissues. Considering to the habitat characteristics of A. squarrosum, we proposed that the enrichment of terpenoids and the functional diversifcation of terpenoids biosynthesis enzymes were more or less involved into its adaptation to stressful environments of deserts. These results expand the available genetic information underlying terpenoid biosynthesis in A. squarrosum, and contribute to deeper researches on pharmaceutical and eco-agricultural applications in this desert medicinal plant.

High-accuracy electrohydraulic control system for the position and orientation of the primary mirror for a large telescope

Li Yu-Xia,Wang Jian-Li,Guo Peng-Fei,Li Hong-Wen,Cao Yu-Yan 한국물리학회 2021 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.79 No.7

Due to variations in gravity, temperature, and external disturbances, the optical axes of a telescope’s primary mirrors can shift and, consequently, become misaligned with the light path. Such misalignment significantly reduces image quality; thus, the position and orientation of primary mirror (POPM) control systems must maintain the optical axis in an ideal position. Therefore, in this paper, we proposes a novel high-accuracy electrohydraulic control system for the position and orientation of the primary mirror (POPM) of a large telescope. To this end, a POPM control system with five electrohydraulic partitions is adopted, and a mathematical model of the POPM is derived. In addition, a mathematical model of each partition of the electrohydraulic system is derived for the telescope controller design. A linear active disturbance rejection controller (LADRC) and a sliding mode controller (SMC) are adopted in each electro-hydraulic partition to ensure positioning accuracy. Experiments are carried out on 4 and 1.2 m large telescopes. The corresponding results show that by both keeping constant and varying the elevation of the large telescopes, the position error of the primary mirror can be limited to less than 1 μm, and the orientation of the primary mirror can be maintained with an error of less than 0.05 arcsec, even in the presence of external disturbances. This control accuracy can guarantee both the inalterability of the optical axis of the primary mirror and the possibility to adjust the light according to the requirement in order to obtain high-resolution images.

Studies of the effects and mechanisms of ginsenoside Re and Rk₃ on myelosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide

Han, Jiahong,Xia, Jing,Zhang, Lianxue,Cai, Enbo,Zhao, Yan,Fei, Xuan,Jia, Xiaohuan,Yang, He,Liu, Shuangli The Korean Society of Ginseng 2019 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.43 No.4

Background: Ginsenoside Re (Re) is one of the major components of Panax ginseng Meyer. Ginsenoside $Rk_3$ ($Rk_3$) is a secondary metabolite of Re. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects and underlying mechanisms of Re and $Rk_3$ on cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression. Methods: The mice myelosuppression model was established by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of cyclophosphamide. Peripheral blood cells, bone marrow nucleated cells, and colony yield of hematopoietic progenitor cells in vitro were counted. The levels of erythropoietin, thrombopoietin, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor in plasma were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Bone marrow cell cycle was performed by flow cytometry. The expression of apoptotic protein bcl-2, bax, and caspase-3 was detected by Western blotting. Results: Both Re and $Rk_3$ could improve peripheral blood cells, bone marrow nucleated cell counts, thymus index, and spleen index. Furthermore, they could enhance the yield of colonies cultured in vitro and make the levels of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, erythropoietin, and thrombopoietin normal, reduce the ratio of $G_0/G_1$ phase cells, and increase the proliferation index. Finally, Re and $Rk_3$ could upregulate the expression of bcl-2, whereas they could downregulate the expression of bax and caspase-3. Conclusion: Re and $Rk_3$ could improve the hematopoietic function of myelosuppressed mice. The effect of $Rk_3$ was superior to that of Re at any dose. Regulating the levels of cytokines, promoting cells enter the normal cell cycle, regulating the balance of bcl-2/bax, and inhibiting the expression of caspase-3 may be the effects of Re and $Rk_3$ on myelosuppression.

Preliminary Results of a Phase I/II Study of Simultaneous Boost Irradiation Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Xiang, Li,Wang, Yan,Xu, Bing-Qing,Wu, Jing-Bo,Xia, Yun-Fei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Background: The purpose of this article is to present preliminary results of simultaneous boost irradiation radiotherapy for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: Fifty-eight patients who underwent simultaneous boost irradiation radiotherapy for NPC in Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University between September 2004 and December 2009 were eligible. Acute and late toxicities were scored weekly according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) acute and late radiation morbidity scoring schemes. An especial focus was on evidence of post-radiation brain injury. Also quality of life was analysed according to the EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) recommendations. Discrete variables were compared by ${\chi}^2$ test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rates and generate survival curves. Results: A total of 58 patients with a mean follow-up time of 36 months completed clinical trials.Fifty-seven patients (98.3) achieved complete remission in the primary sites and cervical lymph nodes, with only one patient (1.7%) showing partial remission.The most frequently observed acute toxicities during the concurrent chemoradiotherapy were mucositis and leucopenia. Four patients (6.9%) had RTOG grade 3 mucositis, whereas four patients (6.9%) had grade 3 leucopenia. No patient had grade 4 acute toxicity. Three (5.17%) of the patients exhibited injury to the brain on routine MRI examination, with a median observation of 32 months (range, 25-42months). All of them were RTOG grade 0. The 3-year overall, regional-free and distant metastasis-free survival rates were 85%, 94% and 91%, respectively. Conclusion: Simultaneous boost irradiation radiotherapy is feasible in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The results showed excellent local control and overall survival, with no significant increase the incidence of radiation brain injury or the extent of damage. A larger population of patients and a longer follow-up period are needed to evaluate ultimate tumor control and late toxicity.

Studies of the effects and mechanisms of ginsenoside Re and Rk₃ on myelosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide

Jiahong Han,Jing Xia,Lianxue Zhang,Enbo Cai,Yan Zhao,Xuan Fei,Xiaohuan Jia,He Yang,Shuangli Liu 고려인삼학회 2019 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.43 No.4

Background: Ginsenoside Re (Re) is one of the major components of Panax ginseng Meyer. Ginsenoside Rk₃ (Rk₃) is a secondary metabolite of Re. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects and underlying mechanisms of Re and Rk₃ on cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression. Methods: The mice myelosuppression model was established by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of cyclophosphamide. Peripheral blood cells, bone marrow nucleated cells, and colony yield of hematopoietic progenitor cells in vitro were counted. The levels of erythropoietin, thrombopoietin, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor in plasma were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Bone marrow cell cycle was performed by flow cytometry. The expression of apoptotic protein bcl-2, bax, and caspase-3 was detected by Western blotting. Results: Both Re and Rk₃ could improve peripheral blood cells, bone marrow nucleated cell counts, thymus index, and spleen index. Furthermore, they could enhance the yield of colonies cultured in vitro and make the levels of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, erythropoietin, and thrombopoietin normal, reduce the ratio of G₀/G₁ phase cells, and increase the proliferation index. Finally, Re and Rk₃ could upregulate the expression of bcl-2, whereas they could downregulate the expression of bax and caspase-3. Conclusion: Re and Rk₃ could improve the hematopoietic function of myelosuppressed mice. The effect of Rk₃ was superior to that of Re at any dose. Regulating the levels of cytokines, promoting cells enter the normal cell cycle, regulating the balance of bcl-2/bax, and inhibiting the expression of caspase-3 may be the effects of Re and Rk₃ on myelosuppression.

A Novel Kinetic Analysis of Crystallization of Polypropylene (PP) in Dynamically-vulcanized PP/Ethylene-propylene-diene Rubber (EPDM) Blends Using an In-situ Measurement Technique

Lei Hu,Bin Yang,Yan-Li Deng,Fei-Xue Lu,Ru Xia,Zheng-Zhi Zheng,Ji-Bin Miao,Jia-Sheng Qian,Chuan-Ru Zhang,Peng Chen,Yu-Chuan Zhang 한국고분자학회 2017 폴리머 Vol.41 No.4

The effects of cooling medium temperatures and plastic/rubber ratios on solidification and crystallization kinetics of dynamically-vulcanized polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (PP/EPDM) blends were investigated with the aid of an in-situ measurement technique. The cooling medium temperature heavily influenced the solidification kinetics primarily due to a combination of latent heat liberated from the molten polymer and the heat transferred away via the metallic wall during the cooling period. Interestingly, the parameter C in three-parameter model was not only affected by the material properties, but also by the cooling condition, different from the previous literature. The crystallization kinetics analysis indicated that the effect of EPDM in the blends consisted of both nucleation-promoting effect (low EPDM loading) and steric effect (higher EPDM loading). The present kinetic analysis may be helpful to further studies on improving the product performances for industrial applications.