Distribution and morpho-anatomical characterization of ’Beket’(Coriaria japonica subsp. intermedia(Matsum) T.C. Huanh) in Cordillera Central Range, Northern Philippines

Coriaria,the only genus under family Coriariacea,receives a lot interest among botanist due to its controversial taxonomic treatment and unique phytochemistry that could be commercially important.The populations of Coriaria japonica subsp.intermedia in Cordillera Central Range(CCR),Philippines had never been studied in detail.With the need for more information on this controversial genus,the study deemed it necessary to present the distribution and morpho-anatomical description of C.japonica subsp.intermedia in CCR.A total of 123 populations were documented,found at an elevation range of 1334 to 2494 m asl and stretched between16°31’37.7"to 17°5’47.8"N and 120°39’40.3"to120°55’48"E.Mapping these populations showed a narrow linear pattern of distribution concentrated at the southern portion of CCR.The plant is a shrub with simple leaves,collateral buds,raceme inflorescence,bisexual flowers with persistent perianth forming an accessory fruit after fertilization.In terms of anatomy,much are of the usual dicot characters such as dorsiventral leaf with stomata concentrated in the lower epidermis,eustele with pith in the stem andpresence of secondary growth both on old stem and old root.Interesting findings of the study include the123 populations,the larger leaf measurements,longer petals and larger fruits than the original description given by Matsumura.Also,the paracytic type of stomata and presence of pith in the primary roots of C.japonica subsp.intermedia are interesting since these are common monocot characters while the plant is dicot.These findings are additional information that could help clear the controversies on the genus Coriaria.More importantly,our results could provide essential information for understanding the plant and for developing conservation strategies not just for this plant but also for the other related plants in the CCR biogeographical zone.

Research on Tomato Bacterial Pith Necrosis

The pathogen and characteristics, infection cycle, occurrence regularity and damage symptoms of tomato bacterial pith necrosis are introduced in the paper. To control the disease, based on cultivation of resistant varieties, we should adopt the comprehensive prevention method of strengthening cultivation manage- ment, improving plant resistance, eradicating bacterial source and conducting chemical protection. The paper provides certain basis for reducing the damage of tomato bacterial pith necrosis, and improving yield and quality of tomato.

Interpretations of Rice Paper Watercolor Painting in Art Teaching

The ricepaperplant pith is also known as Tetrapanax papyrine,Akebia,or tall gastrodia fruit,a kind of shrub or small tree of the Araliaceous.It is native to south China and Taiwan Prov.,the raw material of rice paper.Extract its central tissue from the stem to make pith slices which could be made as the watercolor painting paper.It arose in Guangzhou in the 19th century,and the themes are mainly focused on reflecting the social life scenes as well as various characters in late Qing Dynasty,such as officials,soldiers,juggling,weaving,playing instrument,etc.The works are lively,vivid,and bright in colors.As the result of using western painting principles and reflecting Chinese local customs,rice paper watercolor paintings were admired by Westerners at that time.However,as pith paper is fragile,the size of painting was usually small and difficult to conserve,there are few works handed down in China.In recent years,the rice paper watercolor painting has attracted more and more concern,which is of great significance to the study of the development of early Western paintings in China.

An Alternative Strategy to Obtain Cellulose Nanofibrils from Parenchyma Cellulose of Bagasse Pith and the Performance of Its Nanopaper

Cellulose nanofibrils(CNFs)were obtained through one-step mechano-partial dissolution by ball milling in N,N-dimethyl acetamide with a low concentration of LiCl from agricultural waste bagasse pith(BP).Compared with fibrous cellulose,parenchyma cellulose(PC)is less uniform in diameter and less aligned,causing PC to dissociate into CNFs during this process without pretreatment.The results showed that the CNFs prepared from PC of BP had a diameter of 30-200 nm and a length of several micrometers.The as-obtained CNFs,along with dissolved cellulose,formed a wet-stable and highly transparent nanopaper in a sorbitol aqueous solution bath,which exhibited a high strain of 101%and a low Young's modulus of 4.3 MPa owing to the addition of the plasticizer sorbitol.This type of nanopaper with favorable transparency,high tensile property,and low Young's modulus has great potential for use as electronic skin and medical dressing material.

Anatomical Study an the Development of Strawberry Fruit

The development of strawberry fruit, two cultivars-Gelila and Xiaoshi, was systematically studied by anatomical and embryological methods. The growth dynamics of fruit showed that the two cultivars performed similar changes with their fresh weight volume and structure, it included the first slow growth stage, the rapid growth stage and the second solw growth stage. The fruit was a typical polyachene with a ovule which belonged to a Poligonum type, the growth process of pollen tube from stigma to embryo sac was clearly observed by flourescence microscopy. Embryo development was similar to that of most dicotyls, and the mature embryo was orthotropous; Endosperm development was a nuclear type, and gradually disappeared with development:Seed coat consisted of 34 layer cells, and pericarp was composed of 68 layer cells which differentiated from ovary wall cell; The structure of receptacle was a typical stem which consisted of epidermis ,cortex and vascular cylinder. With development, the cortex an

Biochemical changes during composting of coir pith waste as influenced by different agro industrial wastes

Coir pith, a byproduct of coconut husk is difficult to decompose due to its high lignin and cellulose content. In this study, coir pith was composted with different agro industrial by products such as cow dung, vegetable market waste, poultry waste and microbial consortium. The different treatment combinations used in the present study were Control, T1 (Coir pith + Cow dung + Vegetable market waste + Poultry waste + mixed microbial culture (Trichoderma viridae + Pleurotus sajar caju), T2 (Coir pith + Vegetable market waste + Poultry waste + Tank slit + Mixed microbial culture) and T3 (Coir pith + Cow dung + poultry waste + tank slit + mixed microbial culture). At the end of 12th week, in the treatment T1, C: N ratio of 21.8:1 was observed in the composted coir pith sample. Highest P content of 0.47% and K content of 1.2% and the least Cellulose and Lignin contents of 22.8% and 10.03% were recorded in the T1 treatment after a composting period of 12 weeks. Highest pH of 7.4 was observed in the treatment T3, this was followed by T1 (7.2) treatment.

真假莎士比亚——关于是“pith”还是“pitch”的探讨

《哈姆雷特》是莎士比亚的代表作,剧中有许多处用了长段独白来表现主人公哈姆雷特的思想斗争。第三幕第一场中“To be,or not to be:…”这段关于生死问题的独白,通常被誉为“哲理性独白的名篇”,为世界各国人民传诵不辍。这段独白中第31行是:

Pirh2 mediates the sensitivity of myeloma cells to bortezomib via canonical NF-κB signaling pathway

Clinical success of the proteasome inhibitor established bortezomib as one of the most effective drugs in treatment of multiple myeloma （MM）. While survival benefit of bortezomib generated new treatment strategies, the primary and secondary resistance of MM cells to bortezomib remains a clinical concern. This study aimed to highlight the role of p53-induced RING-H2 （Pirh2） in the acquisition of bortezomib resistance in MM and to clarify the function and mechanism of action of Pirh2 in MM cell growth and resistance, thereby providing the basis for new therapeutic targets for MM. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib has been established as one of the most effective drugs for treating MM. We demonstrated that bortezomib resistance in MM cells resulted from a reduction in Pirh2 protein levels. Pirh2 overexpression overcame bortezomib resistance and restored the sensitivity of myeloma cells to bortezomib, while a reduction in Pirh2 levels was correlated with bortezomib resistance. The levels of nuclear factor- kappaB （NF-κB） p65, pp65, plKBa, and IKKa were higher in bortezomib-resistant cells than those in parental cells. Pirh2 overexpression reduced the levels of plKBa and IKKa, while the knockdown of Pirh2 via short hairpin RNAs increased the expression of NF-κB p65, plKBa, and IKKa. Therefore, Pirh2 suppressed the canonical NF- κB signaling pathway by inhibiting the phosphorylation and subsequent degradation of IKBa to overcome acquired bortezomib resistance in MM cells.

Performance evaluation of cone penetrometer device for measuring the subsoil compaction in mulched plots

Soil exhibits layers of extreme compaction from both natural causes and wheel traffic.These compaction layers impede root growth,thereby reducing the plants capacity to obtain water during drought.Subsoil tillage is a remedy for adverse soil compaction that results in improved conditions for crop growth.Mechanical disturbance of subsoil increases water holding capacity and reduces impedance to root penetration.Vertical mulching is a technique that can be used to partially alleviate soil compaction within the critical root zones of deep rooted crops.A study was conducted by placing raw and composted coir pith using a two row subsoil coir pith mulching machine in three different soil depths(250,350,and 450 mm)at the three application rates of 15 t/ha,20 t/ha,and 25 t/ha and the effect of soil strength was investigated.The experiment was conducted for a rainfed cotton crop.The soil strength profile was recorded in all the treatments.The cone penetrometer resistance was measured for each increment of 10 mm and recorded manually from a digital force indicator during maturity stages of crop in all the treatment plots.The cone penetrometer resistance was measured directly on the row and the cone index was computed.Deep placement of mulch reduced the soil strength as compared to shallow placement.The lower soil strength(0.5 kPa to 0.8 kPa)in the loosened and mulched zone provided an impedance free zone for the root to proliferate.The rapid increase in cone index values at depths immediately below the respective depth of placement(250,350 and 450 mm)of raw and composted coir pith mulch indicated that the existence of undisturbed soil profile below the mulched zone which could be potential limiting factor for root development.

Natural Cornstalk Pith as an Effective Energy Absorbing Cellular Material

The replacement of synthetic foam materials using natural biological ones is of great significance for saving energy/resources and reducing environmental pollutions.Here we characterized the microstructure and mechanical properties of natural cornstalk pith,which has a large annual output yet lacks an effective exploitation,and evaluated its feasibility for applications as a substitute for synthetic foam materials.The cornstalk pith was revealed to be a cellular material composed of closed cells elongated along the growth direction of com plant and reinforced by well-aligned vascular bundles penetrating the foam matrix.The compressive behavior is featured by a stable stress plateau which is favorable for energy absorption with its mechanical properties largely dependent on the hydration state and loading configuration.In particular,the initial dimension and mechanical properties of cornstalk pith can be effectively recovered after deformation simply by hydration treatment owing to swelling effect caused by the turgor pressure from osmosis.The cornstalk pith demonstrates an outstanding combination of low density and high energy absorption efficiency among various foam materials,specifically with its plateau stress and energy absorption comparable or even superior to those of some typical synthetic foam materials.These along with the huge resources and good biodegradability make it a promising natural energy absorbing cellular material for replacing synthetic counterparts.

Lignin and holocellulose from coir pith involved in trimethylamine(fishy odor) adsorption

Coir pith is a highly potential adsorbent for adsorbing trimethylamine(TMA). It harbors a higher adsorption capacity for TMA compared to commercial activated carbon(CAC). It was found that lignin and holocellulose extracted from coir pith played an important role in TMA adsorption. Lignin itself had the highest TMA adsorption capacity(269.01 mg/g)followed by holocellulose(75.43 mg/g), coir pith(14.3 mg/g) and CAC(10.26 mg/g),respectively. The pseudo-first-and second orders were applied to the kinetic data. For the adsorption of TMA by coir pith, the best fit was achieved by the pseudo-second order.Thermodynamic studies showed an endothermic and physico-chemical adsorption process between TMA and the coir pith. TMA desorption study suggested that only 14%–47% of TMA was desorbed with distilled water. In addition, Fourier transform-infrared(FT-IR) spectra showed that C–H bond(methyl group), C–O bond from phenolic alcohol and C–O bond from tertiary alcohol in lignin and holocellulose were involved in TMA adsorption. Coir pithbased filter showed high TMA adsorption efficiency(98%) and kept constant for more than48 days in a continuous system. Pilot scale experiment, coir pith beads filter could be succesfully applied as a packing material for TMA removal. Therefore, coir pith can be used as a promising packing material for TMA treatment at contaminated site.