Annual growth of Fagus orientalis is limited by spring drought conditions in Iran’s Golestan Province

Due to the lack of a uniform and accurate defi-nition of‘drought’,several indicators have been introduced based on different variables and methods,and the efficiency of each of these is determined according to their relationship with drought.The relationship between two drought indices,SPI(standardized precipitation index)and SPEI(standard-ized precipitation-evapotranspiration index)in different sea-sons was investigated using annual rings of 15 tree samples to determine the effect of drought on the growth of oriental beech(Fagus orientalis Lipsky)in the Hyrcanian forests of northern Iran.The different evapotranspiration calcula-tion methods were evaluated on SPEI efficiency based on Hargreaves-Samani,Thornthwaite,and Penman-Monteith methods using the step-by-step M5 decision tree regression method.The results show that SPEI based on the Penman-Monteith in a three-month time scale(spring)had similar temporal changes and a better relationship with annual tree rings(R^(2)=0.81)at a 0.05 significant level.Abrupt change and a decreasing trend in the time series of annual tree rings are similar to the variation in the SPEI based on the Penman-Monteith method.Factors affecting evapotranspiration,temperature,wind speed,and sunshine hours(used in the Penman-Monteith method),increased but precipitation decreased.Using non-linear modeling methods,SPEI based on Penman-Monteith best illustrated climate changes affecting tree growth.

An introductory review on the common brown leafhopper(Orosius orientalis):A new soybean pest

Soybean pests are one of the major factors limiting yield improvement.With the expansion of area and changes in cropping patterns,a number of new pests have been identified in the main soybean production areas of China.The common brown leafhopper,Orosius orientalis,is a new pest associated with soybean stay-green virus that has been discovered on cultivated soybean crop in the Yellow-Huai-hai region of China in recent years.The polyphagous insect has a wide feeding range and infests a variety of important grain and cash crops.This paper presents the basic information,geographical distribution,hosts,damage characteristics,plant virus transmission,occurrence patterns,and prevention and control measures O.orientalis.This review also provides insights into integrated prevention and control of the genus Orosius as an insect vector.

Transcriptomic analysis of spinal cord regeneration after injury in Cynops orientalis

Cynops orientalis(C.orientalis)has a pronounced ability to regenerate its spinal cord after injury.Thus,exploring the molecular mechanism of this process could provide new approaches for promoting mammalian spinal cord regeneration.In this study,we established a model of spinal cord thoracic transection injury in C.orientalis,which is an endemic species in China.We performed RNA sequencing of the contused axolotl spinal cord at two early time points after spinal cord injury–during the very acute stage(4 days)and the subacute stage(7 days)–and identified differentially expressed genes;additionally,we performed Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses,at each time point.Transcriptome sequencing showed that 13,059 genes were differentially expressed during C.orientalis spinal cord regeneration compared with uninjured animals,among which 4273 were continuously downregulated and 1564 were continuously up-regulated.Down-regulated genes were most enriched in the Gene Ontology term“multicellular organismal process”and in the ribosome pathway at 10 days following spinal cord injury.We found that multiple genes associated with energy metabolism were down-regulated and multiple genes associated with the lysosome were up-regulated after spinal cord injury,indicating the importance of low metabolic activity during wound healing.Immune response-associated pathways were activated during the early acute phase(4 days),while the expression of extracellular matrix proteins such as glycosaminoglycan and collagen,as well as tight junction proteins,was lower at 10 days post-spinal cord injury than 4 days post-spinal cord injury.However,compared with 4 days post-injury,at 10 days post-injury neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions were no longer down-regulated,up-regulated differentially expressed genes were enriched in pathways associated with cancer and the cell cycle,and SHH,VIM,and Sox2 were prominently up-regulated.Immunofluorescence staining showed that glial fibrillary acidic protein was up-regulated in axolotl ependymoglial cells after injury,similar to what is observed in mammalian astrocytes after spinal cord injury,even though axolotls do not form a glial scar during regeneration.We suggest that low intracellular energy production could slow the rapid amplification of ependymoglial cells,thereby inhibiting reactive gliosis,at early stages after spinal cord injury.Extracellular matrix degradation slows cellular responses,represses the expression of neurogenic genes,and reactivates a transcriptional program similar to that of embryonic neuroepithelial cells.These ependymoglial cells act as neural stem cells:they migrate and proliferate to repair the lesion and then differentiate to replace lost glial cells and neurons.This provides the regenerative microenvironment that allows axon growth after injury.

New Evidence for the Hypothesis of Reducing Natural Enemy Pressure of Eupatorium adenophorum: Solenopsis invicta Competing with Doxrylus orientalis to Feed on E. adenophorum

Natural enemy insects are important factors in regulating plant invasion. The interactions between multiple insect species resulting from invasive plants remain poorly understood despite their potential. We observed notorious invasive plants Eupatorium adenophorum Sprengel were competedly fed by Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Dorylus orientalis Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) beside the scientific research base of Kunming University. It was first observed that D. orientalis was eating the epidermis, cortex, phloem and other root and stem tissues of E. adenophorum in soil. Two months later, it was observed that S. invicta ate the epidermis, cortex, phloem and other aboveground stem tissues of E. adenophorum. S. invicta attacked D. orientalis and displaced their living space by causing the later dead, injured, or even disabled. This phenomenon suggested that local herbivorous insects have adapted to E. adenophorum well, which will intensify the naturalization process of E. adenophorum in local habitats. In a homogeneous garden planting experiment of E. adenophorum conducted at the experimental base of Kunming University, the biomass of the introduced (China) populations of E. adenophorum was lower than that of the native (Mexico) populations, although there was no statistically significant difference. These results indicate a possible positive correlation between the increase in natural enemy pressure and the decrease in fitness of E. adenophorum.

The Mechanism of Pollination in Platycladus orientalis and Thuja occidentalis (Cupressaceae)

The pollination mechanisms of Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco and Thuja occidentalis L. seem to be of the same type, as based on the morphological study of the change in pollination drop, during the process of pollination. Entering the pollination drop, the pollen may alter the surface of the drop or reduce the secretion of the ovule with concomitant increase of evaporation. It has been further noticed that the dynamiechange of the drop withdrawal rate was closely associated with the different kinds of pollen received. It seemsthat the withdrawal of the pollination drop may be induced by pollen from plants consanguineous to P. orientalis, almost as effective as from pollen of P. orientalis itself and comparatively more effective than the foreignpollen received from distant plant species. The drop withdrawal could he mainly induced by the pollen that causes the reduction of ovule secretion.

Cone and Ovule Development in Platycladus orientalis (Cupressaceae)

Seed cone in Platycladus orientalis (L.) France consists of four or five pairs of decussate bracts. Usually, two pairs of the fertile bracts in the middle of the cone subtend six ovules, which initiate in an acropetal manner. Only one ovule presents on each of the upper fertile bract, while two ovules initiate from a common primordium in the axil of lower bracts. In Beijing, most female cones initiated in July. All parts of the cone formed before dormancy, which occurred during November to the next January. After pollination in March, bract morphology changed dramatically; intercalary growth of the bract base formed a conspicuous protuberance, in which inverted vascular system developed. Furthermore, ovules on different pairs of bracts initiated in an acropetal manner and two ovules in each lower fertile bract initiated from a common primordium, which was different from the basipetal initiation of ovules and independently formed single ovule as reported by Takaso in Calltris

Itoside O,a new linear monoterpene glycoside from the bark and twigs of Itoa orientalis

To investigate the chemical components of the barks and twigs ofltoa orientalis. A new linear monoterpene glycoside named itoside O was isolated from the crude extract of Itoa orientalis together with 11 known compounds. The new compound was identified to be 3,7-dimethyl-1, 6-octadien-3, 10-dihydroxyl-10-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl （1 -→6）-O-β-D-glucopyranoside by 1D and 2D NMR analysis, and all known compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time.

Studies on the Constituents from the Rhizoma of Alisma orientalis

从泽泻（Alismaorientalis（Sam）.Juzep）块茎中分离得到六个化合物，经理化性质和波谱分析，分别鉴定为：胡萝卜甙（1）,1－二十二醇（2）。尿嘧啶核苷（3），β－谷甾醇（4），胡萝卜甙6＇－O－硬脂酸酯（5），卫矛醇（6）。

Platanus orientalis leaves based hierarchical porous carbon microspheres as high efficiency adsorbents for organic dyes removal

Water contamination caused by hazardous organic dyes has drawn considerable attention, among all of the techniques released, adsorption has been widely used, which however to a large degree is dependent on the development of high efficiency adsorbents. Waste biomass based porous carbon is becoming the new star class of adsorbents, and thus contribute more to the sustainable development of the society. In this work, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, abundant waste fallen Platanus orientalis leaves are employed as the raw material for hierarchical activated porous carbon(APC) microspheres via a mild hydrothermal carbonization(210 ℃,12.0 h) followed by one-step calcination(750 ℃, 1.0 h). The APC microspheres exhibit a specific surface area of 1355.53 m^2·g^-1 and abundant functional groups such as O—H and C=O. Furthermore, the APC microspheres are used as the adsorbents for removal of Rh B and MO, with the maximum adsorption capabilities of 557.06 mg·g^-1 and 327.49 mg·g^-1, respectively, higher than those of the most porous carbon originated from biomass. The adsorption rates rapidly approach to 98.2%(RhB) and 95.4%(MO) within 10 min. The adsorption data can be well fitted by Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, meanwhile the intra-particle diffusion and Boyd models simultaneously indicate that the diffusion within the pores is the main rate-limiting step. Besides, the APC microspheres also demonstrate good recyclability, and may also be applied to other areas such as heterogeneous catalysis and energy storage.

金边土鳖虫(Opisthoplatia orientalis Burmister)提取物抗癌作用的实验研究

金边土鳖虫为民间方药,主治筋骨折伤、腹部肿块、经闭、瘀血腹痛等,并具有抗癌活性.两年来,我们在对金边土鳖虫的抗癌作用研究中,进行了体外（艾氏腹水癌）培养和小鼠艾氏腹水癌、S180、肝癌实体等动物移植性肿瘤的试验,现将初步结果报导如下.一。

Accumulation of heavy metal in Platanus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia

Plants are capable of reducing environmental pollutions through uptaking contaminants in their tissues. In the study site, twenty one-year-old leaves and shoots as well as twenty soil samples were sampled and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma （ICP）. We investigated the uptaking ability of lead （Pb） and cadmium （Cd） by the leaves and shoots of Platanus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia in Karaj city, the western Tehran, Iran. We also evaluated the total metal accumulation capacity by using metal accumulation index （MAI）. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in uptaking contents of Cd and Pb in the leaves among the trees. However accumulation of Cd in shoots of F. rotundifolia and R. pseudoacacia was significantly higher than that of P. orientalis. The accumulation of Pb in shoots of R. pseudoacacia was significantly higher than the other species. The amount of Pb in the soil of the study area was significantly higher than Cd. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in leaves of the three species are in the ranges of 2.4 2.7 mg Kg-1 and 7.1 14.4 mg Kg-1 , respectively. R. pseudoacacia had the highest MAI value for leaves （2.21） and F. rotundifolia had the highest MAI value for shoots （2.4）.

A new triterpenoid from Alisma orientalis

A new triterpenoid,named 11,25-aahydro-alisol E was isolated from the rhizomes of Alisma orientalis together with nine known compounds.Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods.Some compounds showed weak anti-tumor activities in cytotoxic experiments.

Over-mature beech trees (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and close-to-nature forestry in northern Iran

Oriental Beech is the most important commercial tree species in northern Iran. In recent years wood production companies interested in felling large beech trees for profit have challenged advocates of close-to-nature silviculture who favor conservation. Our study objective was to assess the economic value of over-mature beech trees by relating tree diameter （DBH） to amount of decay. Based on the location of onset of decay, we categorized three types of decay as stump, stem, and crown decay. Trees of greater diameter （age） typically showed greater decay in the stem. Percent of decayed volume, diameter of decayed tissue, and length of decay in tree stems varied between 0.5%-64.3%, 15 cm-75 cm, and 2.0-19.5 m, respectively. With increasing trunk diameter, the propor- tion of truck decay increased. Red heart and dark red heart constituted 25% and 14.3% of sampled trees, respectively. However, we found no correlation between intensity of stem decay and morphological charac- teristics of trees. Seedlings were not abundant around the bases of over-mature trees, suggesting that the trees did not contribute to regeneration of the stand. Beech trees of diameter 〉1 m do not provide valu- able round wood for industries and cause to raise wood production costs. We recommend that these trees 〉1 m DBH should be retained in forest stands because of their low commercial value but high ecological and conservational values such as maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems.

Phragmites australis and Typha orientalis in removal of pollutant in Taihu Lake, China

Two plant populations of Phragmites australis and Typha orientalis grown in gravel and sediment substrate were studied to assess their capabilities for purifying polluted water in Taihu Lake, China. The substrate displayed most significant effects on the suspended matter （P 〈 0.01）, with the reduction of 76%-87% and 52%--63% for P. australis, and 83%-86% and 45%-62% for T. orientalis in gravel substrate and sediment substrate, respectively. Both species and substrates significantly decreased the N and P concentrations of water body （P 〈 0.01）. P. australis showed higher total N and P concentrations in tissues than T. orientalis and had a greater potential to remove nutrients from the lake. Phosphate was easily to concentrate in the belowground tissues, while nitrate concentration was higher in leaf and stalk. Therefore, harvesting the aboveground tissues could take most of nitrate out of the sediment. The saturate photosynthetic rate （Asat） of P. australis was higher than that of T. orientalis when grown in sediment substrate. But instance water-use- efficiency （WUEi） （A/E） and intrinsic water use efficiency （A/gs） showed the maximum values of two species grown in river water. With significant difference in gs, however, intercellular CO2 concentration （Ci） had no obvious difference in two species which indicated that high Asat value of P. australis might result from the increased carboxylation capacity of the mesophyll, because of the central role of N in photosynthetic enzymes. Our findings suggest that the plants could absorb most of nitrogen in polluted water, while gravel displayed a high capacity for absorbing the suspended matters and phosphate salts. Therefore, biological and physiological pathways for pollutant removal should be integrated.

Antioxidant and anticancer activity of Artemisia princeps var.orientalis extract in HepG2 and Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Objective：The aim of the present study was to investigate antioxidant and the anticancerigen activity of a methanol extract from Artemisia princeps var.orientalis （APME）,a well-known traditional herbal medicine in Asia,in hepatocellular cancer cells.Methods：To evaluate the antioxidant activity of APME,reactive oxygen species （ROS） and the antioxidant enzymes,superoxide dismutase （SOD） and catalase were investigated in HepG2 cells exposed to APME （5,100,and 200 μg/mL） for 72 h.Then,to evaluate the anticancer activity of APME,we investigated the proliferation and apoptosis induction of HepG2 and Hep3B cells exposed to APME （1-200 μg/mL） for 24,48,and 72 h.Results：APME dose-dependently reduced the generation of ROS in the presence of H2O2 compared with control cells.Furthermore,it increased catalase and SOD activity.Moreover,APME inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-and time-dependcnt manner,but at concentrations lower than 100 μg/mL,the inhibition was less dose-dependent than time-dependent.HepG2 and Hep3B cells exposed to 5,100,and 200 μg/mL APME for 72 h underwent cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.Exposure to APME resulted in a significant increase in the number of cells in G1 phase and a decrease in the G2/M phase cell population.In addition,APME induced P53 expression of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner,and played a role in the downregulation of Bcl-2 and upregulation of Bax in both HepG2 and Hep3B cells.Conclusions：These results indicate the potential role of APME as an antioxidant and anticancerigen agent in hepatocarcinoma cell lines.

Volatile Oil of Platycladus Orientalis(L.)Franco Leaves Exerts Strong Anti-inflammatory Effects via Inhibiting the IκB/NF-κB Pathway

This study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of volatile oil of Platycladus orientalis(L.)Franco leaves(VOPF)and the underlying molecular mechanisms by using the non-infectious inflammation rat models and infectious inflammation mouse models.Ear swelling and intraperitoneal capillary permeability in mice,and carrageenan-induced toe swelling and cotton ball-induced granuloma in rats were used to reveal anti-inflammatory effects of VOPF.Moreover,the lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced mouse model of acute lung injury was used to explore the anti-inflammatory mechanism of VOPF.The results showed that VOPF could significantly inhibit auricular swelling,intraperitoneal capillary permeability in mice,and reduce granuloma swelling and paw swelling in rats.Furthermore,it significantly alleviated the pathological damage of the lung tissue.In addition,VOPF could reduce the contents of IL-1β and TNF-αand increase the content of IL-10 in the serum.It had little effect on the expression of p65 but reduced the phosphorylation level of p65 and IκB in NF-κB pathway.In conclusion,VOPF has anti-inflammatory effects and the mechanisms involve the down-regulation of the phosphorylation levels of p65 and IκB and blockage of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Effects of odors on behaviors of captive Amur leopards Panthera pardus orientalis

Captive environments often fail to resemble the wild environment in respects of limited space, unchanging habitat, lack of stimulus and contingency. Common animal welfare problems which occur in captive animals include low behavioral diversity, abnormal behavior and excessive inactivity. Environmental enrichment, as an effective strategy to tackle these problems and promote mental health of captive animals, has been recognized as an important principal for captive animal management. Among all the enriehment techniques, olfactory enrichment is a simple and effective method for improving the well-being of the olfactory sensitive felids. Behavioral problems were observed in six Amur leopards Panthera pardus orientalis at Beijing Zoological Garden. These were held in the older type exhibits which have now been rebuilt. These behaviors include stereotypic behavior and excessive inactivity caused by the spatially limited enclosures with low levels of stimuli. To determine the effects of predator, prey, and herb odors as potential enrichment materials for captive leopards, we conducted olfactory enrichment experiments for the leopards and tested the effects of nutmeg Myristica fragrans, feces of roe deer Capreolus capreolus and urine of Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica to test for an increase in behavioral repertoire and activity. Odors provided in this study were also believed to improve the psychological and physiological health of individuals. To standardize the method of presentation the odors were introduced to the enclosures by rubbing or spraying onto a clean towel. Our results show that the selected three odors effectively increased the behavioral diversity. Ten new behavior types were observed in the nutmeg experiment, eight in the feces of roe deer experiment and six in the tiger urine experiment. Among the three odors, cats responded to nutmeg for the longest duration, followed by tiger urine and feces of roe deer. Leopards showed more play behavior in presence of nutmeg while more investigatory behavior in presences of feces of roe deer and tiger urine. Providing novel odors increased the spatial use of the exhibit and the animal＇ s increased use of the logs, sleeping platforms and bars in the cages. Novel odors also significantly increased the overall activity of the leopards, but the effects were diminished in about three hours.

Flower Development and Anatomy of Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis (Leighton) Leighton

Floral buds of Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis were observed under dissecting and optical microscope to characterize floral organs development and to study relationships between anther development and microsporogenesis. Floral organs differentiation was comprised of 6 distinct stages including nought differentiation, inflorescence bud differentiation, floret primordia differentiation, tepal primordia differentiation, stamen primordia differentiation, and pistil primordia differentiation. Six tepals differentiated almost simultaneously which cross arranged in space and appeared in hexagonal distribution pattern. Six stamens were differentiated inside the tepals at the same time. Finally, 3 carpel primordia differentiated and formed syncarpous pistil. The whole process of floral bud differentiation took approximately 40 d with the first 3 stages developing more slowly than the later 3 stages. Morphology and color of the anther underwent obvious changes during the period between stamen primordia differentiation and anther maturation. Microspores also underwent significant development during this same interval. The relationship between the process of microsporogenesis and anther development has already been made clear by the sauash techniaue.

SEED GERMINATION OF THUJA ORIENTALIS UNDER PEG OSMOSE TREATMENT

Thuja orientalis seeds was treated by different molecular weight, different concentra tion and different lasting time in the Seedling Laboratory of Northeast Forestry University. The results are as follows:(1) it shows sighificant promoting effects on the germination viability of seeds bydifferent molecular weight of PEG(-6000, -10000 and -20000), and PEG-10000 is the best.(2)Different on germination viability , germination rate and simple vigor index are made bydifferent concentration of the same weigh moleculart(PEG-10000), the promoting effects are shownwhen the concentration is below 30%, and from 20% to 30% is the best range, but inhibitions will beshown if the concentration is more than 35%. (3)The most suitable lasting tiem of osmose treatmentof PEG10000 ~ 20% concentration is from 2 to 4 days, not more than 6 days, but it will showsignificant inhibition if the treated time is more than 8 days. (4)The treatments of PEG10000 andPEG20000 with higher molecular weigh can increase the germination rate and seed vigor , and decrease the electric conductivity of the seed soaking liquid after the natural air-dry treatment. Thesuitable time of natural air-dry is aboul 6 to 8 hours. It is also concluded that the PEG osmose treatmat is an effective method to increase the germination rate by the field shoulation in the laboratroy.

Diurnal and seasonal dynamics of soil respiration in a Platycladus orientalis forest stand on the semiarid Loess Plateau, China

Forest ecosystems on China's Loess Plateau are receiving increasing attention because of their special importance in carbon fixation and conservation of soil and water in the region.Soil respiration was investigated in Platycladus orientalis forest stands of the region at diurnal and seasonal scales.The daily and seasonal average values of soil respiration were 2.53μmol·m^(-2)·s^(-1)and 3.78μmol·m^(-2)·s^(-1),respectively.On a diurnal and seasonal scale,the variations of soil respiration in the P.orientalis forest show a one-peak pattern.The diurnal dynamics of soil respiration were mainly driven by soil temperature.However,the relationship between soil respiration and soil temperature was not significant,mainly because of the hysteresis effect of soil respiration on soil temperature.Soil moisture plays another dominant role in the ecosystem carbon balance,but was not affected by soil temperature in P.orientalis forest on the semiarid Loess Plateau.