Oxygation Enhances Growth,Gas Exchange and Salt Tolerance of Vegetable Soybean and Cotton in a Saline Vertisol

Impacts of salinity become severe when the soil is deficient in oxygen. OxygaUon （using aerated water for subsurface drip irrigation of crop） could minimize the impact of salinity on plants under oxygen-limiting soil environments. Pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of oxygation （12% air volume/volume of water） on vegetable soybean （moderately salt tolerant） and cotton （salt tolerant） in a salinized vertisol at 2, 8, 14, 20 dS/m ECe. In vegetable soybean, oxygation increased above ground biomass yield and water use efficiency （WUE） by 13% and 22%, respectively, compared with the control. Higher yield with oxygation was accompanied by greater plant height and stem diameter and reduced specific leaf area and leaf Na^＋ and CI^- concentrations. In cotton, oxygation increased lint yield and WUE by 18% and 16%, respectively, compared with the control, and was accompanied by greater canopy light interception, plant height and stem diameter. Oxygation also led to a greater rate of photosynthesis, higher relative water content in the leaf, reduced crop water stress index and lower leaf water potential. It did not, however, affect leaf Na^＋ or CI^- concentration. Oxygation invariably increased, whereas salinity reduced the K^＋： Na^＋ ratio in the leaves of both species. Oxygation improved yield and WUE performance of salt tolerant and moderately tolerant crops under saline soil environments, and this may have a significant impact for irrigated agriculture where saline soils pose constraints to crop production.

Impact of oxygation on soil respiration, yield and water use efficiency of three crop species

Oxygation refers to irrigation of crops with aerated water,through air injection using the venturi principle or the supply of hydrogen peroxide in the root zone,both using subsurface drip irrigation(SDI)system.Oxygation improves water use efficiency(WUE),producing more yield and,and therefore,optimizes the use of drip and SDI.But the efficiency of oxygation is quite possibly dependent on a number of factors.The primary objective of this study was,therefore,to quantify the effects of oxygation,emitter depths and soil type on crop root zone oxygen content,soil respiration,plant physiological response,biomass yield,quality and WUE of three crop species.Methods This study investigated the potential of oxygation to enhance soil respiration,plant growth,yield and water use efficiencies(WUE)of cotton and wheat in experiments in enclosed heavy-duty concrete troughs(tubs)and pineapple and cotton in field experiments.Experimental treatments in tubs for wheat included comparisons between two soil types(vertisol and ferrosol)and superimposed were two oxygation methods(Mazzei air injector and Seair Diffusion System)compared to a control,and for cotton,emitters at two depths using Mazzei air injectors were compared to a control.The field experiments compared Mazzei air injectors and a control for cotton in Emerald and pineapple in Yeppoon,both in central Queensland,Australia.Important findings In all experiments,soil oxygen content and soil respiration markedly increased in response to the oxygation treatments.The O2 concentration in the crop root zone increased by 2.4–32.6%,for oxygation compared to control at the same depth.The soil respiration increased by 42–100%.The number of wheat ears,leaf dry weight and total dry matter were significantly greater in Mazzei and Seair oxygation compared to the control.Fresh biomass of wheat increased by 11 and 8%,and dry weight of wheat increased by 8 and 3%in Mazzei and Seair oxygation treatments compared to the control,respectively.Likewise,the irrigation water use efficiency increased with oxygation compared to the control in wheat.The yield,WUE and number of other physiological parameters in wheat were enhanced in vertisol compared to ferrosol.The seed cotton yield in the tub experiment increased with oxygation by 14%,and significant differences for fresh biomass,dry matter and yield were also noted between oxygation and the control in the field.Lint yield and WUE both increased by 7%using Mazzei in the cotton field trial during 2008–09.There were significant effects of oxygation on pineapple fresh biomass,and dry matter weight,industry yield and a number of quality parameters were significantly improved.The total fruit yield and marketable increased by 17 and 4%and marketable WUE increased by 3%using Mazzei.Our data suggest that the benefits of oxygation are notable not only for dicotyledonous cotton but also for monocotyledonous wheat and pineapple representing different rooting morphologies and CO_(2) fixation pathways.

Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 and pancreatic cancer:A new potential target therapy

Overall 5-years survival of pancreatic cancer patients is nearly 5%,making this cancer type one of the most lethal neoplasia.Furthermore,the incidence rate of pancreatic cancer has a growing trend that determines a constant increase in the number of deceases caused by this pathology.The poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer is mainly caused by delayed diagnosis,early metastasis of tumor,and resistance to almost all tested cytotoxic drugs.In this respect,the identification of novel potential targets for new and efficient therapies should be strongly encouraged in order to improve the clinical management of pancreatic cancer.Some studies have shown that the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2(UCP2) is over-expressed in pancreatic cancer as compared to adjacent normal tissues.In addition,recent discoveries established a key role of UCP2 in protecting cancer cells from an excessive production of mitochondrial superoxide ions and in the promotion of cancer cell metabolic reprogramming,including aerobic glycolysis stimulation,promotion of cancer progression.These observations together with the demonstration that UCP2 repression can synergize with standard chemotherapy to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth provide the molecular rationale to consider UCP2 as a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.In this editorial,recent advances describing the relationship between cancer development and mitochondrial UCP2 activity are critically provided.

Geochemical characteristics of Callovian-Oxfordian carbonates in Samandepe gas field,Amu Darya Basin,Turkmenistan

The Callovian-Oxfordian carbonate reservoirs are the most important hydrocarbon reservoir in the Samandepe gas field,Amu Darya basin,Turkmenistan.Based on the analysis of Fe,Mn and Sr trace elements,and carbon,oxygen and strontium isotopes,the genesis and evolutionary characteristics of the carbonate reservoirs were studied,and the conclusions were follows：1） Sustained transgressive-regressive cycles played an important role during Callovian-Oxfordian.The reservoir of reef-bank facies was well developed in the period of transgression,while the regional dense cap rocks developed in the period of regression;2） The 87 Sr/86 Sr ratio measured from rudist shells yields an age of 157.2 Ma according to the global strontium isotope curve;3） As diagenetic intensity increased,δ 13 C changed little,and δ 18 O showed strong negative deviation but was still limited to the range of Late Jurassic seawater.High Fe and Sr contents,and low Mn content,and the evolutionary trend of δ 13 C and δ 18 O all indicate that diagenesis occurred in a relatively confined environment,where the fluids were relatively reducing and contained hot brine.The stage of diagenesis reached is mesodiagenesis,which is very favorable for preservation of primary pores in carbonates;4） Strong dissolution of reef limestones,burial dolomitization and hydrothermal calcite precipitation were all the results of the interaction between the 87 Sr-rich diagenetic fluid and rocks;5） The analysis results of isotopes,fluid inclusions and vitrinite reflectance show that the diagenetic fluid was compaction-released water that originated from the deep,coal-bearing clastic strata.

Cubosome nanoparticles for enhanced delivery of mitochondria anticancer drug elesclomol and therapeutic monitoring via sub-cellular NAD(P) H multi-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging

Elesclomol (ELC) is an anticancer drug inducing mitochondria cytotoxicity through reactive oxygen species.Here,for the first time,we encapsulate the poorly water soluble ELC in monoolein-based cubosomes stabilized with Pluronic F127.Cellular uptake and nanocarrier accumulation close to the mitochondria with sub-micrometer distance is identified via three-dimensional (3D) confocal microscopy and edge-to-edge compartment analysis.To monitor the therapeutic effect of the ELC nanocarrier,we apply for the first time,label-free time-lapse multi-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (MP-FLIM) to track NAD(P)H cofactors with sub-cellular resolution on live cells exposed to an anticancer nanocarrier.Improved in vitro cytotoxicity is verified when loading the pre-complexed ELC with copper (ELC-Cu).Importantly,for equivalent copper concentration,cubosomes loaded with ELC-Cu show higher cytotoxicity compared to the free drug.The novel nanocarrier shows promising features for systemic ELC-Cu administration,and furthermore we establish the MP-FLIM technique for the assessment of anticancer drug delivery systems.