Molecular detection of Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, and Burkholderia glumae in infected rice seeds and leaves

The polymerase chain reaction(PCR) is particularly useful for plant pathogen detection. In the present study, multiplex PCR and SYBR Green real-time PCR were developed to facilitate the simultaneous detection of three important rice pathogens, Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae, X. oryzae pv. oryzicola, and Burkholderia glumae. The unique PCR primer sets were designed from portions of a putative glycosyltransferase gene of X. oryzae pv. oryzae, an Avr Rxo gene of X. oryzae pv. oryzicola, and an internal transcribed spacer(ITS) sequence of B. glumae. Using a multiplex PCR assay, X. oryzae pv. oryzae, X. oryzae pv. oryzicola, and B. glumae were detected in one PCR reaction that contained the newly developed primer set mix. Using SYBR Green real-time PCR assays, X. oryzae pv. oryzae, X. oryzae pv. oryzicola, and B. glumae were detected at 1, 1, and 10 fg μL-1, respectively. These newly designed molecular assays are sensitive and could be reliable tools for pathogen detection and disease forecasting.

GPS monitoring and analysis of ground movement and deformation induced by transition from open-pit to underground mining

To trace the potential hazards of open-pit slope in Longshou mine,global positioning system（GPS） is applied to monitoring ground movement and deformation induced by transition from open-pit to underground mining.Through long-term monitoring from 2003 to 2008,huge amounts of data were acquired.Monitoring results show that large-scale ground movement and deformation have occurred in mining area,and the movement area is ellipse-shaped.The displacement boundary of settlement trough is 2.0 km long along the exploratory line,and 1.5 km long along the strike of ore body.GPS monitoring results basically agree with the practical deformation state of open-pit slope.It is indicated that the long-term GPS monitoring is an effective way to understand the mechanism of ground movement and deformation in mine area. 更多

Modulating effects of Astragalus polysaccharide on immune disorders via gut microbiota and the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in rats with syndrome of dampness stagnancy due to spleen deficiency

The syndrome of dampness stagnancy due to spleen deficiency(DSSD)is relatively common globally.Although the pathogenesis of DSSD remains unclear,evidence has suggested that the gut microbiota might play a significant role.Radix Astragali,used as both medicine and food,exerts the effects of tonifying spleen and qi.Astragalus polysaccharide(APS)comprises a macromolecule substance extracted from the dried root of Radix Astragali,which has many pharmacological functions.However,whether APS mitigates the immune disorders underlying the DSSD syndrome via regulating gut microbiota and the relevant mechanism remains unknown.Here,we used DSSD rats induced by high-fat and low-protein(HFLP)diet plus exhaustive swimming,and found that APS of moderate molecular weight increased the body weight gain and immune organ indexes,decreased the levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6,and endotoxin,and suppressed the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB(TLR4/NF-κB)pathway.Moreover,a total of 27 critical genera were significantly enriched according to the linear discriminant analysis effect size(LEfSe).APS increased the diversity of the gut microbiota and changed its composition,such as reducing the relative abundance of Pseudoflavonifractor and Paraprevotella,and increasing that of Parasutterella,Parabacteroides,Clostridium XIVb,Oscillibacter,Butyricicoccus,and Dorea.APS also elevated the contents of short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs).Furthermore,the correlation analysis indicated that 12 critical bacteria were related to the body weight gain and immune organ indexes.In general,our study demonstrated that APS ameliorated the immune disorders in DSSD rats via modulating their gut microbiota,especially for some bacteria involving immune and inflammatory response and SCFA production,as well as the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.This study provides an insight into the function of APS as a unique potential prebiotic through exerting systemic activities in treating DSSD.

Geological evaluation for the carbon dioxide geological utilization and storage(CGUS)site:A review

Carbon dioxide(CO_(2))geological utilization and storage(CGUS)is the key link of CO_(2)capture,utilization,and storage(CCUS).The accurate characterization of the geological body structure is a vital prerequisite of CGUS.This paper gives a review of the multi-scale three-dimensional geological structure characterization and site selection of CO_(2)storage.It shows that there is a lack of systematic and high-precision methods for transparency characterization of multi-scale three-dimensional engineering geological structure and hydrogeological structure of a CO_(2)storage site.There is no clear understanding of the fracture evolution and gas-liquid migration process of multi-scale geological body structure under the disturbance of CO_(2)injection.There is a lack of sufficient quantitative methods for the dynamic evaluation of CO_(2)geological storage potential.The geological suitability evaluation method for site selection of CO_(2)storage is rough and has poor applicability,which is difficult to satisfy the urgent needs of CGUS site selection in the whole process of CO_(2)sequestration industrialization in the future.Thus,it is required to conduct studies on the transparency characterization of geological body structure and intelligent site selection for CO_(2)storage,which is of great importance for CGUS engineering practice.

Hydrochemical Characteristics and the Suitability of Groundwater in the Coastal Region of Tangshan, China

Through collecting groundwater samples from the coastal region of Tangshan, China, the hydrochemical processes that affect the chemical composition of groundwater and the quality of resources were analyzed. Chemical constituents, factor analysis, and a graphic method were employed in this research. The results show that human activities obviously affect fresh groundwater. The deep groundwater distributed in the southern part of the region is severely affected by salinization, and the shallow groundwater in the north is also beginning to show the same deterioration. The chemical concentrations of the deep groundwater depend largely upon the water-rock interaction, the mixing of saline water and the ion exchange processes. With the exception of sample C-33, all the groundwater samples in the study area are suitable for drinking. Tests show that roughly half of the deep groundwater samples have at least one water quality index indicating that it is chemically doubtful or unsuitable for irrigation. Therefore, it is concluded that deep groundwater is becoming an unacceptable resource to irrigate areas located near the coastline because the groundwater quality in the study area is exhibiting signs of degradation. This study＇s findings contribute to a better understanding of groundwater resources in order to support regional management and protection.

Gene expression profiling of rat livers with Yin-deficiency-heat syndrome

OBJECTIVE： To explore the nature of ＂Yin internal heat caused by Yin-deficiency＂ in terms of the theo- ry of Traditional Chinese Medicine, by studying en- ergy metabolism in rats with Yin-deficiency-heat syndrome and analyzing the gene expression pro- file of their livers. METHODS： A Yin-deficiency-heat syndrome model was induced in rats using three Chinese medicinal herbs. Glycogen and triglycerides in blood plasma, and the enzyme activity of ATP in livers were mea- sured colorimetrically. Triiodothyronine （T3）, thyrox- ine （T4）, and thyroid stimulating hormone levels in blood plasma were also measured with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The gene expression profile of livers was detected with gene chip analy- sis. Differentially expressed genes were screened out and classified according to Gene Ontology. The accuracy of results were examined with reversetranscription-polymerase chain reaction RESULTS： Compared with the control group, body weight （P〈0.05） and hepatic glycogen （P〈0.05） were significantly lower in the Yin-deficiency-heat syndrome group. Moreover, toe temperature （P〈 0.01） and triglyceride （P〈0.05）, Na ＋-K＋-ATPase （P〈 0.01）, Mg2＋-ATPase （P〈0.01）, T3 （P〈0.05）, and 1-4 （P〈 0.01） levels were significantly higher. There were 99 differentially expressed genes in livers from the Y/n-deficiency-heat syndrome group. Genes were mainly related to sterol synthesis （Pc=0.0392）, de- fense response （Pc=0.0448）, and sterol metabolism （Pc=0.0533）. CONCLUSION： Abnormal expression genes in rats with Yin-deficiency-heat syndrome prompted the synthesis and metabolism of cholesterol, increased energy consumption, and reduced defense re- sponse. This gene expression might be the molecu- lar mechanism underlying ＂internal heat caused by Yin-deficiency＂ in the rats with Yin-deficiency-heat syndrome.

Thermally activated flux flow,vortex-glass phase transition and the mixed-state Hall effect in 112-type iron pnictide superconductors

The transport properties in the mixed state of high-quality Ca_(0.8)La_(0.2)Fe_(0.98)Co_(0.02)As_2single crystal,a newly discovered 112-type iron pnictide superconductor,are comprehensively studied by magneto-resistivity measurement.The field-dependent activation energy,U_0,is derived in the framework of thermally activated flux flow(TAFF)theory,yielding a power law dependence U_0～H~αwith a crossover at a magnetic field around 2 T in both H⊥ab and H//ab,which is ascribed to the different pinning mechanisms.Moreover,we have clearly observed the vortex phase transition from vortex-glass to vortex-liquid according to the vortex-glass model,and vortex phase diagrams are constructed for both H⊥ab and H//ab.Finally,the results of mixed-state Hall effect show that no sign reversal of transverse resistivityρ_(xy)(H)is detected,indicating that the Hall component arising from the vortex flow is in theories or experiments previously reported on some high-T_ccuprates.

Surgical treatment of congenital basilar invagination with different pathological characteristics: Report of 139 cases

Objective: To describe the different pathological characteristics of congenital basilar invaginations and discuss the surgical treatment of such cases. Methods: A total of 139 patients diagnosed with basilar invaginations underwent surgical treatment from 2008 to 2015. Based on Atul Goel's classification and simultaneous consideration of atlantoaxial dislocation or syringomyelia,the cases were subdivided into four groups. Individualized posterior surgical decompression and/or atlantoaxial reset procedures were performed to correct atlantoaxial dislocation,decompress the brain stem,or resolve syringomyelia. The indications and critical points of each procedure were documented. Results: All 139 patients were surgically treated; 27 patients(19.4%) had underwent at least one decompression surgery previously. On an average,there was gratifying clinical improvement based on the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score analysis.One patient exhibited severe post-operative infection,and the fusion instrument was removed. One patient experienced fracture of internal fixation. Two patients exhibited persistent respiratory symptoms at early stages after the surgery. Four patients felt worse at the latest follow-up. There was no surgical mortality. The poor outcome/morbidity in this series was 5.8%(8/139). Conclusion: The different pathological image characteristics of congenital basilar invaginations based on the presence or absence of syringomyelia and/or atlantoaxial dislocation,reflected the pathological features of complicated basilar invaginations more accurately. Based on these features,different posterior decompression and/or reset procedures,combined with occipitocervical fusion and C1-2 fusion,could be tailored to different patients. These individualized surgeries could reduce surgical complications,decrease morbidity and mortality,and further promote positive outcomes.