A review of selected parasitic plants in Nigeria:converting harms to benefits

Parasitic plants are challenging to agricultural crops and forestry development,which are sources of major revenues in several countries,including Nigeria.Nevertheless,parasitic plants are important to human society as they have an abundance of bioactive compounds with pharmacological relevance.Thus,it becomes expedient to know the benefits of these plants and potential means of management.This review discusses four selected parasitic plants in Nigeria,namely Viscum album,Striga hermonthica,Tapinanthus bangwensis and Cuscuta campestris.Relevant information about their pharmacological relevance and biocontrol was obtained from credible databases,including the National Library of Medicine,SCOPUS,and Google Scholar.The review showed that all four plants have been extensively studied for their antioxidant and antitumor properties.Also,antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities are common pharmacological values among parasitic plants.These are largely due to the presence of abundant beneficial classes of phytocompounds.Furthermore,there is an increasing number of biocontrol studies on the use of microorganisms,such as Phaeobotryosphaeria visci,Sphaeropsis visci,Pandoraea pulminicol,Colletotrichum gloeosporioides,and Fusarium oxysporum in controlling and managing these seemingly disastrous plants.It is hoped that this review will spur further studies into the conservation and proper management of parasitic plants using strategically developed biocontrol.

Stability of singular networked control systems with control constraint

Based on bounded network-induced time-delay, the networked control system is modeled as a linear time-variant singular system. Using the Lyapunov theory and the linear matrix inequality approach, the criteria for delay-independent stability and delay-dependent stability of singular networked control systems are derived and transformed to a feasibility problem of linear matrix inequality formulation, which can be solved by the Matlab LMI toolbox, and the feasible solutions provide the maximum allowable delay bound that makes the system stable. A numerical example is provided, which shows that the analysis method is valid and the stability criteria are feasible.

Control Effects of Bacillus subtilis DJ-6 and Pyraclostrobin Alone and in Combination Against Fusarium oxysporum

[Objective] This study was conducted to screen a synergistic biological fungicide complex to control Fusarium wilt, reducing the use of chemical pesticides. [Method] The inhibitory effects of Bacil us subtilis DJ-6 and pyraclostrobin alone or in combination at five ratios against Fusarium oxysporum were detected by mea-suring mycelium growth rate in laboratory tests. The growth promotion and disease control effect of combined or single use of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2 ×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP at 1∶1 000, 1∶2 000 and 1∶3 000 dilutions were detected in field trials. [Result] The EC50 values of combined use of B. subtilis DJ-6 and pyra-clostrobin at ratios of 1∶1, 1∶2, 1∶3, 1∶4 and 1∶5 against F. oxysporum were 5.311 5, 4.008 6, 3.570 6, 3.350 9 and 3.218 9 μg/ml, with the synergistic ratios （SR） of 2.28, 1.77, 1.53, 1.64, 1.11, among which the synergetic effect at 1∶1 was the best. The fungicidal activity of pyraclostrobin was greater than that of B. subtilis DJ-6 in laboratory tests. Field trials revealed that al the 1∶1 000, 1∶2 000 and 1∶3 000 dilu-tions of 20% pyraclostrobin·2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP in combination, 1∶1 000 dilution of 1 ×1012 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP and 1∶2 000 dilution of 250 g/L pyra-clostrobin EC promoted the growth of strawberry by increasing plant height, leaf petiole, leaf blade area and stem diameter. Among them, the treatments with 1∶1 000 and 1∶2 000 of 20% pyraclostrobin · 2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP in combina-tion had better effects than other treatments. The control effects of al the treat-ments were measured 30 and 80 d after fungicide application. The control effects of 1∶1 000 dilution of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 in combina-tion were up to 100% and 93.11%, which were higher than those in al other treat-ments. The second highest control effects were found in the treatment with 1∶ 2 000 dilution of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 in combination, they were 92.49% and 86.49%, higher than those in other treatments except the 1∶1 000 dilution of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2 ×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 in combination. The control effects of 1∶3 000 dilution of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 in combination were 82.61% and 72.42%, higher than those in treatment with 1∶1 000 dilution of 1×1012 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP, but lower than those in treat-ment with 1∶2 000 dilution of 25% pyraclostrobin EC. [Conclusion] Al the results re-vealed that the combination use of 20% pyraclostrobin and 2 ×1011 cfu/g B. subtilis DJ-6 WP at 1∶1 000 to 1∶2 000 dilution had better control effect against strawberry Fusarium wilt.

Mechanism analysis and simulation of methyl methacrylate production coupled chemical looping gasification system

Nowadays,the efficient and cleaner utilization of coal have attracted wide attention due to the rich coal and rare oil/gas resources structure in China.Coal chemical looping gasification(CCLG)is a promising coal utilization technology to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction targets for highly pure synthesis gas.As a downstream product of synthesis gas,methyl methacrylate(MMA),is widely used as raw material for synthesizing polymethyl methacrylate and resin products with excellent properties.So this paper proposes a novel system integrating MMA production and CCLG(CCLG-MMA)processes aiming at"energy saving and low emission",in which the synthesis gas produced by CCLG and purified by dry methane reforming(DMR)reaction and Rectisol process reacts with ethylene for synthesizing MMA.Firstly,the reaction mechanism of CCLG is investigated by using Reactive force field(ReaxFF)MD simulation based on atomic models of char and oxygen carrier(Fe_(2)O_(3))for obtaining optimum reaction temperature of fuel reactor(FR).Secondly,the steady-state simulation of CCLG-MMA system is carried out to verify the feasibility of MMA production.The amount of CO_(2)emitted by CCLG process and DMR reaction is 0.0028(kg CO_(2))^(-1)·(kg MMA)^(-1).The total energy consumption of the CCLG-MMA system is 45521 kJ·(kg MMA)^(-1),among which the consumption of MMA production part is 25293 k(·kg MMA)^(-1).The results show that the CCLG-MMA system meets CO_(2)emission standard and has lower energy consumption compared to conventional MMA production process.Finally,one control scheme is designed to verify the stability of CCLG-MMA system.The CCLG-MMA integration strategy aims to obtain highly pure MMA from multi-scale simulation perspectives,so this is an optimal design regarding all factors influencing cleaner MMA production.

Synergistic Effect of Adjuvant Green Orange Peel Oil on Different Herbicides

[Objective] The paper was to explore the synergistic effect of a novel adjuvant green orange peel oil on different herbicides in direct sowing paddy field. [Method] The synergistic test of green orange peel oil on 10% cyanoflurate SC and 10% metamifop EC was conducted in 2019.[Result] The control effect of green orange peel oil 150 mL/hm^(2)+ 10% cyanoflurate SC 1 275 mL/hm^(2) on Echinochloa crusgalli and Leptochloa chinensis were significantly superior to that of 10% cyanoflurate SC 1 500 mL/hm^(2). The control effects of green orange peel oil 150 m L/hm^(2)+10%cyanoflurate SC 1 200 m L/hm^(2) on E. crusgalli and L. chinensis was equivalent to that of 10% cyanoflurate SC 1 500 mL/hm^(2). The control effect of green orange peel oil 150 mL/hm^(2)+ 10% metamifop EC 1 275 mL/hm^(2) on E. crusgalli and L. chinensis was equivalent to that of 10% metamifop EC 1 500 m L/hm^(2). [Conclusion] The green orange peel oil had certain synergistic effect on cyanoflurate and metamifop.

Warming effects on permafrost ecosystem carbon fluxes controlled by plant nutrients

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,a recent study by the research group led by Prof.Yang Yuanhe(杨元合)from the Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that plant nutrients control the response of permafrost ecosystem carbon fluxes to warming。

Genomic basis for light control of plant development

Light is one of the key environmental signals regulating plant growth and development.Therefore,understanding the mechanisms by which light controls plant development has long been of great interest to plant biologists.Traditional genetic and molecular approaches have successfully identified key regulatory factors in light signaling,but recent genomic studies have revealed massive reprogramming of plant transcriptomes by light,identified binding sites across the entire genome of several pivotal transcription factors in light signaling,and discovered the involvement of epigenetic regulation in light-regulated gene expression.This review summarizes the key genomic work conducted in the last decade which provides new insights into light control of plant development.

Perspectives on plant virus diseases in a climate change scenario of elevated temperatures

Global food production is at risk from many abiotic and biotic stresses and can be affected by multiple stresses simultaneously.Virus diseases damage cultivated plants and decrease the marketable quality of produce.Importantly,the progression of virus diseases is strongly affected by changing climate conditions.Among climate-changing vari-ables,temperature increase is viewed as an important factor that affects virus epidemics,which may in turn require more efficient disease management.In this review,we discuss the effect of elevated temperature on virus epidem-ics at both macro-and micro-climatic levels.This includes the temperature effects on virus spread both within and between host plants.Furthermore,we focus on the involvement of molecular mechanisms associated with tempera-ture effects on plant defence to viruses in both susceptible and resistant plants.Considering various mechanisms proposed in different pathosystems,we also offer a view of the possible opportunities provided by RNA-based technologies for virus control at elevated temperatures.Recently,the potential of these technologies for topical field applications has been strengthened through a combination of genetically modified(GM)-free delivery nanoplat-forms.This approach represents a promising and important climate-resilient substitute to conventional strategies for managing plant virus diseases under global warming scenarios.In this context,we discuss the knowledge gaps in the research of temperature effects on plant-virus interactions and limitations of RNA-based emerging technologies,which should be addressed in future studies.

Rhus coriaria L. increases serum apolipoprotein-A1 and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels： a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

Background： Lipid-lowering effect ofRhus coriaria L. （Rhus） has been investigated in multiple animal stud- ies with promising results. Nonetheless, its clinical efficacy has not been adequately examined. Objective： The aim of this study was to evaluate the lipid-lowering effects of Rhus among patients with hyperlipidemia. Design, setting, participants and interventions： The study was designed as a two-arm, double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, using a parallel design. Eighty patients with primary hyper- lipidemia were randomly assigned to receive Rhus capsules or placebo for 6 weeks. Main outcome measures： The serum lipid levels, apolipoprotein-A1 （Apo-A1） and apolipoprotein-B （Apo-B） were measured. Results： Mean serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） and Apo-Al levels were significantly increased in the Rhus group, compared with the placebo group, after 6 weeks of intervention （P= 0.001）. The analysis of covariance test including age, gender, body mass index （BMI）, and smoking as co-variables revealed that the increase in HDL-C and Apo-A1 levels remained significant, and increases in HDL-C were dependent on the increase in Apo-A1 levels. No significant difference was observed between Rhus and placebo groups in terms of mean reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipopro- tein cholesterol and triglyceride levels; however, more significant improvement was observed among obese patients （BMI≥ 30 kg/m^2）. Conclusion： The study showed significant increases in HDL-C and Apo-Al levels in response to Rhus sup- plementation in patients with hyperlipidemia. Trial registration： ClinicalTrials.gov ID： NCT02295293.

Automatic Process Control and Management in Laohutai Coal Preparation Plant

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Fingerprinting Analysis of Rhizoma Chuanxiong of Commercial Types using ~1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method

The ^1 H nuclear magnetic resonance （^1 H NMR） fingerprints of fractionated non-polar extracts （control substance for a plant drug （CSPD） A） from Rhizoma chuanxiong, the rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., of seven specimens from different sources were measured on Fourier Transform （FT）-NMR spectrometer and assigned by comparing them with the ^1 H NMR spectra of the isolated pure compounds. The ^1 H NMR fingerprints showed exclusively characteristic resonance signals of the major special constituents of the plant. Although the differences in the relative intensity of the ^1H NMR signals due to a discrepancy in the ratio of the major constituents among these samples could be confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis, the general features of the ^1H NMR fingerprint established for an authentic sample of the rhizomes of L. chuanxiong e. hibited exclusive data from those special compounds and can be used for authenticating L. Chuanxiong species.

Efectiveness of national air pollution control policies on the air quality in metropolitan areas of China

Understanding the effectiveness of national air pollution controls is important for control policy design to improve the future air quality in China. This study evaluated the effectiveness of major national control policies implemented recently in China through a modeling analysis. The sulfur dioxide （SO2） control policy during the llth Five Year Plan period （2006-2010） had succeeded in reducing the national SO2 emission in 2010 by 14% from its 2005 level, which correspondingly reduced ambient SO2 and sulfate （SO42-） concentrations by 13%-15% and 8%-10% respectively over east China. The nitrogen oxides （NOx） control policy during the 12th Five Year Plan period （2011-2015） targets the reduction of the national NOx emission in 2015 by 10% on the basis of 2010. The simulation results suggest that such a reduction in NOx emission will reduce the ambient nitrogen dioxide （NO2）, nitrate （NO3-）, 1-hr maxima ozone （03） concentrations and total nitrogen deposition by 8%, 3%-14%, 2% and 2%--4%, respectively over east China. The application of new emission standards for power plants will further reduce the NO2, NO3-, 1-hr maxima 03 concentrations and total nitrogen deposition by 2%-4%, 1%-%, 0-2% and 1%-2%, respectively. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the inter-provincial impacts of emission reduction in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the Yangtze River Delta, which indicated the need to implement joint regional air pollution control.

Mercury mass flow in iron and steel production process and its implications for mercury emission control

The iron and steel production process is one of the predominant anthropogenic sources of atmospheric mercury emissions worldwide. In this study, field tests were conducted to study mercury emission characteristics and mass flows at two iron and steel plants in China. It was found that low-sulfur flue gas from sintering machines could contribute up to41% of the total atmospheric mercury emissions, and desulfurization devices could remarkably help reduce the emissions. Coal gas burning accounted for 17%–49% of the total mercury emissions, and therefore the mercury control of coal gas burning, specifically for the power plant burning coal gas to generate electricity, was significantly important. The emissions from limestone and dolomite production and electric furnaces can contribute29.3% and 4.2% of the total mercury emissions from iron and steel production. More attention should be paid to mercury emissions from these two processes. Blast furnace dust accounted for 27%–36% of the total mercury output for the whole iron and steel production process. The recycling of blast furnace dust could greatly increase the atmospheric mercury emissions and should not be conducted. The mercury emission factors for the coke oven,sintering machine and blast furnace were 0.039–0.047 g Hg/ton steel, and for the electric furnace it was 0.021 g Hg/ton steel. The predominant emission species was oxidized mercury, accounting for 59%–73% of total mercury emissions to air.

Pulse Combustors - Performance and Control

Limited resources of fossil energy require the search for new energy conversion processes and the increase of the efficiency of power plants to ensure the energy household in the future. Basically, changing the combustion mode from steady to pulse combustion makes an enormous reduction of fuel consumption possible. Active control systems for pulse combustors installed into the inlet further improve the efficiency and extend the operating range considerably. The control algorithm including fuel rate- air rate -pressure characteristics and control strategies as well are presented.