Tillage and straw mulching impacts on grain yield and water use efficiency of spring maize in Northern Huang–Huai–Hai Valley

A two-year field experiment(2012–2013) was conducted to investigate the effects of two tillage methods and five maize straw mulching patterns on the yield, water consumption,and water use efficiency(WUE) of spring maize(Zea mays L.) in the northern Huang–Huai–Hai valley of China. Compared to rotary tillage, subsoil tillage resulted in decreases in water consumption by 6.3–7.8% and increases in maize yield by 644.5–673.9 kg ha-1, soil water content by 2.9–3.0%, and WUE by 12.7–15.2%. Chopped straw mulching led to higher yield,soil water content, and WUE as well as lower water consumption than prostrate whole straw mulching. Mulching with 50% chopped straw had the largest positive effects on maize yield, soil water content, and WUE among the five mulching treatments. Tillage had greater influence on maize yield than straw mulching, whereas straw mulching had greater influence on soil water content, water consumption, and WUE than tillage. These results suggest that 50% chopped straw mulching with subsoil tillage is beneficial in spring maize production aiming at high yield and high WUE in the Huang–Huai–Hai valley.

Effectiveness of Huai Qi Huang Granules on Juvenile Collagen-induced Arthritis and Its Influence on Pyroptosis Pathway in Synovial Tissue

Summary:Huai Qi Huang(HQH)exerts great effects in clinic,such as anti-inflammation,immune-regulation,anti-cancer,and so on.However,the mechanism by which HQH protects juvenile idiopathic arthritis(JIA)is obscure.Thus,we explored deeply the protective mechanisms in juvenile collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)rat model.Pyroptosis is Gasdermin D(GSDMD)-dependent programmed cell death,involved in many diseases,such as sepsis.We investigated whether GSDMD-induced pyroptosis take part in mechanisms of juvenile CIA arthritis.Juvenile Wistar rats(3-4 weeks)were injected intradermally with fully emulsified bovine typeⅡcollagen and complete Freund's adjuvant to establish CIA rat models.Later,the CIA rats received oral administration of HQH(4.16 g/kg)once a day from the day 21 of modeling,with the treatment lasting for 28 days.Varieties of indicators were measured for evaluation of anti-inflammation effect of HQH,including hind paw swelling,arthritis scores,micro CT,and histopathological changes and the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the serum,including tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-18(IL-18).The expression of GSDMD and caspasein the joint synovial tissues was detected.The results demonstrated that the expression of the pyroptotic protein GSDMD and its upstream caspase-1 was significantly increased in the synovial tissues of CIA rats.The treatment of HQH ameliorated the symptoms in CIA rats,reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and hind paw swelling,down-regulated the expression of GDSMD and caspase-1.GSDMDinduced pyroptosis participated in the pathogenesis of CIA rats.The study supported that HQH can effectively improve joints inflammation of juvenile collagen-induced arthritis rats by inhibiting pyroptosis pathway in the joint synovial tissues.

Study on Relationship Between Polymorphisms in FSHβ,ESR,PRLR Genes of A Novel Huai Pig Line II and Its Litter Size

tract By employing PCR-RFLP technique, we detected the polymorphisms in FSHβ, ESR, PRLR genes of a novel Huai pig line II （generation 1 ） and their effects on initial litter size, and analyzed the aggregation effect of multi-gene combined genotype on initial litter size. The results showed that the genotype frequencies of ESR and PRLR genes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium other than the genotype frequency of FSHβ gene. Allele A of FSHβ, ESR and PRLR gene had a positive additive effect on reproductive traits. The favorable genotypes of FSHβ and ESR genes was AA- type, while in PRLR gene was AB-type in the 112 pig individuals detected. With regard to FSHβ and ESR genes, AA-type individuals＇ TNB of were respectively 1.54 （P 〈0.05） and 2.13 （P 〈 0.01 ） higher than the BB-type individuals＇; AA-type individuals＇ AN B of the two genes were respectively 1.55 （ P 〈 0.05） and 1.82 （ P 〈 0.01 ） higher than the BB-type individuals＇. Concerning PRLR gene, AB-type individuals＇ TNB was 0.77 （ P 〉 0.05 ） and 1.59（P〈0.05） higher than that of AA and BB-type individuals respectively, and ANB was 0.65（P〉0.05） and 1.8（ P〈0.01 ） higher than AA and BB-type individuals＇ respectively. Moreover, our results also showed that the AAAABB combination genotype of FSHβ , ESR, PRLR genes bore more than all other combination genotypes, but only 2 individuals were proved to be AAAABB genotype. Consequently, pyramiding FSHβ and ESR genes could to a large extent enhance TNB and NBA of individuals. Therefore, we advise, in next generation that those individuals with AAAA combination genotype of FSHβ and ESR should be selected to increase frequency of allele A, whether PRLR gene is proper for pyramiding with the other genes or not is still to be studied further.

Sirolimus increases the anti-cancer effect of Huai Er by regulating hypoxia inducible factor-1α-mediated glycolysis in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Glycolysis caused by hypoxia-induced abnormal activation of hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)in the immune microenvironment promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),leading to enhanced drug resistance in cancer cells.Therefore,altering the immunosuppressive microenvironment by improving the hypoxic state is a new goal in improving cancer treatment.AIM To analyse the role of HIF-1α,which is closely related to tumour proliferation,invasion,metastasis,and angiogenesis,in the proliferation and invasion of liver cancer,and to explore the HIF-1αpathway-mediated anti-cancer mechanism of sirolimus(SRL)combined with Huai Er.METHODS Previous studies on HCC tissues identified the importance of HIF-1α,glucose transporter 1(GLUT1),and lactate dehydrogenase A(LDHA)expression.In this study,HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines were treated,under hypoxic and normoxic conditions,with a combination of SRL and Huai Er.The effects on proliferation,invasion,cell cycle,and apoptosis were analysed.Proteomics and genomics techniques were used to analyze the HIF-1α-related signalling pathway during SRL combined with Huai Er treatment and its inhibition of the proliferation of HCC cells.RESULTS High levels of HIF-1α,LDHA,and GLUT-1 were found in poorly differentiated HCC,with lower patient survival rates.Hypoxia promoted the proliferation of HepG2 and Huh7 cells and weakened the apoptosis and cell cycle blocking effects of the SRL/Huai Er treatment.This was achieved by activation of HIF-1αand glycolysis in HCC,leading to the upregulation of LDHA,GLUT-1,Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR),vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),and Forkhead box P3 and downregulation of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten(PTEN)and p27.The hypoxia-induced activation of HIF-1αshowed the greatest attenuation in the SRL/Huai Er(S50+H8)group compared to the drug treatments alone(P<0.001).The S50+H8 treatment significantly downregulated the expression of mTOR and HIF-1α,and significantly reduced the expression of VEGF mRNA.Meanwhile,the combined blocking of mTOR and HIF-1αenhanced the downregulation of Akt/mTOR,HIF-1α,LDHA,and GLUT-1 mRNA and resulted in the downregulation of PTEN,p27,and VEGF mRNA(P<0.001).CONCLUSION SRL increases the anti-cancer effect of Huai Er,which reduces the promotion of hypoxia-induced HIF-1αon the Warburg effect by inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR-HIF-1αand HIF-1α-PTEN signalling pathways in HCC.

Estimating daily actual evapotranspiration of a rice–wheat rotation system in typical farmland in the Huai River Basin using a two-step model and two one-step models

The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of three models for estimating daily evapotranspiration(ET) by employing flux observation data from three years(2007, 2008 and 2009) during the growing seasons of winter wheat and rice crops cultivated in a farmland ecosystem(Shouxian County) located in the Huai River Basin(HRB), China. The first model is a two-step model(PM-Kc);the other two are one-step models(e.g., Rana-Katerji(R-K) and advection-aridity(AA)). The results showed that the energy closure degrees of eddy covariance(EC) data during winter wheat and rice-growing seasons were reasonable in the HRB, with values ranging from 0.84 to 0.91 and R2 of approximately 0.80. Daily ET of winter wheat showed a slow decreasing trend followed by a rapid increase, while that of rice presented a decreasing trend after an increase. After calibrating the crop coefficient(Kc), the PM–Kc model performed better than the model using the Kc recommended by the Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO). The calibrated key parameters of the R-K model and AA model showed better universality. After calibration, the simulation performance of the PM-Kc model was satisfactory. Both the R-K model and AA model underestimated the daily ET of winter wheat and rice. Compared with that of the R-K model, the simulation result of the AA model was better, especially in the simulation of daily ET of rice. Overall, this research highlighted the consistency of the PM-Kc model to estimate the water demand for rice and wheat crops in the HRB and in similar climatic regions in the world.

Analyses on Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Huai’an Area, China, 2010

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the cancer incidence and mortality in Huai’an area, China, 2010. Methods: On basis of the criteria of data quality from National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR), data submitted from 8 registries in Huai’an area in 2010 were checked and evaluated. Descriptive analysis included incidence and mortality stratified by areas (urban/rural), sex, age group and cancer sites. Results: The crude incidence rate was 231.17/100,000 (males 276.04/100,000, females 183.87/100,000), age-standardized incidence rate by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) was 179.53/100,000 and by World standard population (ASIRW) was 177.24/ 100,000. The incidence rates increased rapidly in people aged 40 and over, and the peak ages of incidence were at 75 - 79 (males over 85, females at 75 - 79). The cancer mortality rate was 151.26/100,000 (186.06/100,000 in males and 114.58/100,000 in females), age-standardized mortality rate by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) was 116.67/100,000 and by World standard population (ASMRW) was 115.64/100,000. The mortality rates increased rapidly after the age of 50, reaching the peak at the ages over 85 in both males and females. Esophageal, lung, gastric, liver, colorectal, breast, pancreas, lymphoma, brain and central nervous system,?cervical were the most common cancer incident sites. Esophageal, lung, liver, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, brain and central nervous system, leukemia, breast and lymphoma were the most common cancer sites of death. Conclusions: The data quality of cancer registration is improving. As cancer burden remained high and was different between urban and rural areas, prevention and control should be implemented based on practical situation.

Huai Qi Huang-induced Apoptosis via Down-regulating PRKCH and Inhibiting RAF/MEK/ERK Pathway in Ph+ Leukemia Cells

Imatinib mesylate(IM)is the first-line treatment for Philadelphia(Ph)chromosomal positive leukemia by inhibiting phosphorylation of substrates via binding to the ABL kinase domain.Because of the drug resistance,side effects and the high cost of IM,it is necessary to find anti-cancer drugs with relatively low toxicity and cost,and enhanced efficacy,such as traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs).As one of TCMs,Huai Qi Huang(HQH)was chosen to treat BV173 and K562 cells.Various concentrations of HQH were added to cells for 24-72 h.Co-treatment of HQH and trametinib,an MEK inhibitor,was used to verify the synergistic effects on cell viability and apoptosis.Knockdown and overexpression of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4(MEK4)were implemented to demonstrate the role of MEK in cell apoptosis.Cell viability and apoptosis were measured by cell counting kit-8 assay(CCK8)and flow cytometry,respectively.Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)were used to assess protein and mRNA expression levels,respectively.The results showed that HQH inhibited survival and promoted apoptosis of BV173 and K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner,accompanied with down-regulation of PRKCH mRNA as well as CRAF,MEK4,phospho-ERK(pERK)and BCL2 proteins,and up-regulation of cleaved caspase3 protein.Co-treatment of HQH and trametinib had.a synergistic effect on inhibiting survival and promoting apoptosis.MEK4 knockdown increased apoptosis,and had a synergistic effeet with HQH.In contrast,MEK4 overexpression decreased.apoptosis,and had the opposite efect with HQH.Collectively,the results of this study may identify a therapeutic mechanism of HQH on promoting apoptosis,and provide a potential option for treatment of Pht leukemia.

Production Structure of Agriculture in Huai'an City

According to the data in 1990-2009 Huai'an Statistical Yearbook and Jiangsu Statistical Yearbook,production structure of agriculture in Huai'an City is analyzed.Result shows that economic efficiency of planting industry is significantly lower than that of other industry types of agriculture;and the production structure of agriculture in Huai'an City is unbalanced and needs further optimization.The reasons for the imbalance in industrial structure are various,such as the relatively low quality of agricultural employees,the backward marketing of planting,and the lack of standardization management.Finally,corresponding suggestions are put forward,including developing education,conducting vocational training,improving the human capital stock of Huai'an City,cultivating the leading enterprises for agricultural product processing,and realizing the scale agglomeration effect of agricultural production in planting industry.

CHINESE HUAI TANG NINE ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLES: RESEARCH ON THE NEW NINE ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLES THERAPY AND THE NEEDLING INSTRUMENTS (CONTINUED)

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Kinetics of medium-temperature α-amylase hydrolyzed <i>Huai yam</i>powder

In order to learn the enzymatic characteristics of Huai yam powder with medium-temperatureα-amylase, effects of substrate concentration,enzyme concentration, pH and temperature wereinvestigated. The Michealis-Menten equationwas used to fit the kinetics of the hydrolysis reaction. Experimental results indicate that maximum rate (Vm) is 3.1588 mg/mL·min under the condition of 70&#176;C, pH 7.0 and 0.0200 mg/mL of enzyme concentration. The Michealis constant (Km) is 6.6641 mg/mL. The kinetic model, including the factors such as substrate concentration, enzyme concentration and temperature, was established for the hydrolysis reaction under the temperature range from 40&#176;C - 70&#176;C.

Improve Labor Contract System, Safeguard Lawful Rights and Interests of Laborers——An interview with Prof. Guan Huai of Law School of Renmin University of China

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如何发展社区生态旅游?——泰国Huay Hee村社区生态旅游(CBET)的经验

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淮安市居住区绿化建设中存在的问题及对策

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玉米耲种与抗旱机理的探讨

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