Effects of 4f Electron Characteristics and Alternation Valence of Rare Earths on Photosynthesis: Regulating Distribution of Energy and Activities of Spinach Chloroplast

Chloroplasts were isolated from spinach treated with taCl3, CeCl3, and NdCl3. Because of owning 4f electron characteristics and alternation valence, Ce treatment presented the highest enhancement in light absorption, energy transfer from LHC Ⅱ to PS Ⅱ, excitation energy distribution from PS Ⅰ to PS Ⅱ, and fluorescence quantum yield around 680 nm. Compared with Ce treatment, Nd treatment resulted in relatively lower enhancement in these physiological indices, as Nd did not have alternation valence. La treatment presented the lowest enhancement, as La did not have either 4f electron or alternation valence. The increase in activities of whole chain electron transport, PS ⅡDCPIP photoreduction, and oxygen evolution of chloroplasts was of the following order： Ce〉Nd 〉La〉 control. However, the photoreduction activities of spinach PS I almost did not change with La, Ce, or Nd treatments. The results suggested that 4f electron characteristics and alternation valence of rare earths had a close relationship with photosynthesis improvement.

Spatial and Temporal Distributions and Sources of Anthropogenic NMVOCs in the Atmosphere of China:A Review

As the key precursors of O_(3),anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compounds(NMVOCs)have been studied intensively.This paper performed a meta-analysis on the spatial and temporal variations of NMVOCs,their roles in photochemical reactions,and their sources in China,based on published research.The results showed that both nonmethane hydrocarbons(NMHCs)and oxygenated VOCs(OVOCs)in China have higher mixing ratios in the eastern developed cities compared to those in the central and western areas.Alkanes are the most abundant NMHCs species in all reported sites while formaldehyde is the most abundant among the OVOCs.OVOCs have the highest mixing ratios in summer and the lowest in winter,which is opposite to NMHCs.Among all NMVOCs,the top eight species account for 50%−70%of the total ozone formation potential(OFP)with different compositions and contributions in different areas.In devolved regions,OFP-NMHCs are the highest in winter while OFP-OVOCs are the highest in summer.Based on positive matrix factorization(PMF)analysis,vehicle exhaust,industrial emissions,and solvent usage in China are the main sources for NMHCs.However,the emission trend analysis showed that solvent usage and industrial emissions will exceed vehicle exhaust and become the two major sources of NMVOCs in near future.Based on the meta-analysis conducted in this work,we believe that the spatio-temporal variations and oxidation mechanisms of atmospheric OVOCs,as well as generating a higher spatial resolution of emission inventories of NMVOCs represent an area for future studies on NMVOCs in China.

Sonochemical Synthesis of Core/Shell Structured CdS/TiO_2 Nanocrystals Composites

A simple sonochemical route for the surface coating of titanium dioxide on cadmium sulfide nanocrystal was reported. After 2 h ultrasonic irradiation treatment, the mixture of CdS nanocrystals and tetrabutyl titanate in an aqueous medium yielded CdS/TiO2 nanocrystals composites with core/shell structure. The thickness of TiO2 layer with smooth interface could be easily controlled via changing the concentration of the precursors and the time of irradiation. The core/shell nanocrysrals were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and UV-vis spectrometry techniques. The prepared semiconductor composites with particular band structure present appealing properties especially in photochemical activity.

Seed Priming with Beta-Amino Butyric Acid Improves Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Rice Seedlings

We studied the influence of seed priming with beta-amino butyric acid（BABA） on the growth, physiological and biochemical parameters of seedlings with varied abiotic stress tolerance, which were raised and grown under unstressed and stressed（NaCl/PEG-6000） conditions. Under stressed conditions, the growth of rice seedlings was less when compared to control plants. After BABA priming, the seedling growth increased both under unstressed and stressed conditions as compared to the respective controls. BABA priming of rice seeds caused increase in the photosynthetic pigment content of the leaves, modified the chlorophyll a fluorescence related parameters and also enhanced the photosystem activities of seedlings when compared to their respective non-primed controls. BABA priming also caused increased mitochondrial activities of the rice seedlings. Moreover, BABA priming significantly reduced malondialdehyde content in the seedlings and also resulted in accumulation of proline especially in the NaCl tolerant variety Vyttila 6. BABA seed priming also enhanced the activity of nitrate reductase enzyme and activities of antioxidant enzymes like guaiacol peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. The presence of BABA was detected by high performance thin layer chromatography analysis in the rice seeds whereas in the seedlings it was not detected. Thus, it can be inferred that the seed priming effect of BABA mainly occurred within the seeds, which was further carried to the seedlings. It is concluded that BABA priming of seeds improved the drought and salinity stress tolerance of all the three rice varieties and it was significantly evident in the drought tolerant variety Vaisakh and NaCl tolerant variety Vyttila 6, when compared to the stress sensitive variety Neeraja.

Identification of close relationship between atmospheric oxidation and ozone formation regimes in a photochemically active region

Understanding ozone(O_(3))formation regime is a prerequisite in formulating an effective O_(3)pollution control strategy.Photochemical indicator is a simple and direct method in identifying O_(3)formation regimes.Most used indicators are derived from observations,whereas the role of atmospheric oxidation is not in consideration,which is the core driver of O_(3)formation.Thus,it may impact accuracy in signaling O_(3)formation regimes.In this study,an advanced three-dimensional numerical modeling system was used to investigate the relationship between atmospheric oxidation and O_(3)formation regimes during a long-lasting O_(3)exceedance event in September 2017 over the Pearl River Delta(PRD)of China.We discovered a clear relationship between atmospheric oxidative capacity and O_(3)formation regime.Over eastern PRD,O_(3)formation was mainly in a NO x-limited regime when HO_(2)/OH ratio was higher than 11,while in a VOC-limited regime when the ratio was lower than 9.5.Over central and western PRD,an HO_(2)/OH ratio higher than 5 and lower than 2 was indicative of NO x-limited and VOC-limited regime,respectively.Physical contribution,including horizontal transport and vertical transport,may pose uncertainties on the indication of O_(3)formation regime by HO_(2)/OH ratio.In comparison with other commonly used photochemical indicators,HO_(2)/OH ratio had the best performance in differentiating O_(3)formation regimes.This study highlighted the necessities in using an atmospheric oxidative capacity-based indicator to infer O_(3)formation regime,and underscored the importance of characterizing behaviors of radicals to gain insight in atmospheric processes leading to O_(3)pollution over a photochemically active region.