Review on Effects of Application of Exogenous Growth Regulating Substance on Fruits Weight of Peach

The effects of exogenous growth regulating substance on the fruit weight of peach were reviewed. Paclobutrazol could increase the single fruit weight in dif- ferent degree, and cytokinins could also increase the single fruit weight. GA3 and B9 had no effect on fruit size or on reducing single fruit weight. Chlorflurenol-methy, ABT and salicylic acid had no effect on fruit size. Suggestions on the future re- search were put forward.

A Study on Alien Invasive Plants from the Interactive Mechanism between Species Niche and Material/Energy Flow

[Objective]This study was to reveal the essence of mechanism about how the alien invasive plants spread.[Method]Species niche and material/energy flow were used as basic research indicators to analyze the intrinsic mechanism of alien plants invasion.[Result]Most of the invasive plants have not been explicitly defined and their effective control methods not brought forward.[Conclusion]Overrun of alien invasive plants depends on whether the niche of a species could be continuously met at spatial level.Based on this we put forward corresponding control measures,proposed an assumption to establish a cylinder-network model and discussed the definition of alien invasive plants.

TG–FTIR analysis of pyrolusite reduction by major biomass components

Pyrolusite reduction processes by three major biomass components cellulose,hemicelluloses and lignin,represented by CP,HP and LP,respectively,were investigated by thermogravimetric analyzer coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(TG-FTIR).The Sestak-Berggren(SB) equation was used to evaluate the kinetics of reduction processes.TG analysis reveals that the main reduction processes occur at 250-410 ℃,220-390 ℃,and 190-410 ℃ for CP,HP,and LP,respectively.FT-IR and XRD results indicate that various reducing volatiles(e.g.aldehydes,furans,ketones and alcohols) are produced from the pyrolysis with the three major components,which directly reduce MnO_2 in ore to MnO.The processes are described by the SB equation with three parameters(m,n,p).Their non-zero values suggest that pyrolusite reduction is controlled by the diffusion of reducing gaseous products through an ash/inert layer associated with minerals.The apparent activation energies for pyrolusite reduction by CP,HP and LP are 40.48,25.70 and 40.10 kJ·mol^(-1),respectively.

Biosorption of Cd (Ⅱ) and Pb (Ⅱ) Ions by Aqueous Solutions of Novel Alkalophillic Streptomyces VITSVK5 spp. Biomass

Discharge of heavy metals from metal processing industries is known to have adverse effects on the environment.Bio-sorption of heavy metals by metabolically inactive biomass of microbial organisms is an innovative and alternative technology for removal of these pollutants from aqueous solution.The search of marine actinobacteria with potential heavy metal biosorption ability resulted in the identification of a novel alkalophilic Streptomyces VITSVK5 species.The biosorption property of Streptomyces VITSVK5 spp.was investigated by absorbing heavy metals Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb).Physiochemical characteristics and trace metal concentration analysis of the backwater showed the concentrations of different metals were lead 13±2.1 μg L-1,cadmium 3.1±0.3μg L-1,zinc 8.4±2.6μg L-1 and copper 0.3±0.1μg L-1,whereas mercury was well below the detection limit.The effect of pH and biomass dosage on removal efficiency of heavy metal ions was also investigated.The optimum pH for maximal biosorption was 4.0 for Cd (II) and 5.0 for Pb (II) with 41% and 84% biosorption respectively.The biosorbent dosage was optimized as 3 g L-1 for both the trace metals.Fourier transform infrared absorption spectrum results indicated the chemical interactions of hydrogen atoms in carboxyl (–COOH),hydroxyl (–CHOH) and amine (–NH2) groups of biomass with the metal ions.This could be mainly involved in the biosorption of Cd (II) and Pb (II) onto Streptomyces VITSVK5 spp.The results of our study revealed Streptomyces metabolites could be used to develop a biosorbent for adsorbing metal ions from aqueous environments.

Bio-solubilization of Chinese lignite II:protein adsorption onto the lignite surface

Lignite bio-solubilization is a promising technology for converting solid lignite into oil.This study concerns the adsorption of lignite-solubilizing enzymes onto the lignite surface.Adsorption capacity, infrared spectral analysis and driving forces analysis are studied as a way to help understand the bio-solubilization mechanism.The results show that the amount of lignite bio-solubilization is proportional to the amount of adsorbed lignite-solubilizing enzymes.An increase in lignite-solubilizing enzyme adsorption of 10% leads to a 7% increase in lignite bio-solubilization.However, limited amounts of enzymes can be adsorbed by the lignite, thus resulting in low percentages of bio-solubilization.Infrared spectral analysis shows that side chains, such as hy-droxyl and carbonyl, of the lignite structure are the main, and necessary, structures where lignite-solubilizing enzymes attachto the lignite.Furthermore, driving force analysis indicates that the electrostatic force between lignite and enzymes is the main adsorption mechanism.The forces are influenced by solution pH levels, the zeta potential of the lignite and the isoelectric points of the en-zymes.

Extracellular vesicle–based drug delivery system boosts phytochemicals’therapeutic effect for neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases(NDs)are a major threat to the elderly,and efficient therapy is rarely available.A group of phytochemicals has been shown to ameliorate NDs;however,poor stability,low bioavailability,and reduced drug accumulation in brain tissue limit their application in NDs.Therefore,a targeted drug delivery system is a feasible treatment strategy for NDs.Extracellular vesicles(EVs)possess many favorable bioactivities and are excellent carriers for targeting brain tissue.This review summarizes EVs as novel phytochemical carriers in ND therapy.First,we discuss the current challenges of ND therapy and the therapeutic effects of phytochemicals for NDs.Second,we highlight the ability of EVs to cross the blood-brain barrier and act as drug carriers to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs for NDs.Finally,encapsulation strategies for phytochemicals in EVs are particularly reviewed,as they are critical for obtaining high loading efficacy and stable drug delivery systems.This review provides new insights into EV-based drug delivery systems for improving the therapeutic effect of phytochemicals for ND treatment.Therefore,the release rate and pharmacokinetics of phytochemicals should be well controlled to ensure the therapeutic efficacy of phytochemical-loaded EVs in the brain.

Labeling of influenza viruses with synthetic fluorescent and biotin-labeled lipids

Direct labeling of virus particles is a powerful tool for the visualization of virus–cell interaction events. However, this technique involves the chemical modification of viral proteins that affects viral biological properties. Here we describe an alternative approach of influenza virus labeling that utilizes Function-Spacer-Lipid(FSL) constructs that can be gently inserted into the virus membrane. We assessed whether labeling with fluorescent(fluo-Ad-DOPE) or biotin-labeled(biot-CMG2-DOPE) probes has any deleterious effect on influenza virus hemagglutinin(HA) receptor specificity, neuraminidase(NA) activity, or replicative ability in vitro. Our data clearly show that neither construct significantly affected influenza virus infectivity or viral affinity to sialyl receptors. Neither construct influenced the NA activities of the influenza viruses tested, except the A/Puerto Rico/8/34(H1N1) strain. Our data indicate that lipid labeling provides a powerful tool to analyze influenza virus infection in vitro.

O-Acetylated （1→6）-13-D-Glucan （Lasiodiplodan）： Chemical Derivatization, Characterization and Antioxidant Activity

β-Glucans are biomacromolecules that present biological properties of medical and pharmacological interest, The chemical modification of the primary structure of these carbohydrate biopolymers is a way to enhance or achieve new biological properties. Acetylated derivatives of （1→6）-β-D-glucan （lasiodiplodan） with different degrees of substitution （0.48, 0.66, 1.03 and 1.26） were obtained and characterized by infra-red and NMR （nuclear magnetic resonance） spectroscopy, thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction and antioxidant capacity. Acetylation was confirmed by FT-IR, and βC NMR spectroscopy. Thermal analysis indicated that unmodified lasiodiplodan and the O-acetylated β-glucan derivative of degree of substitution 0.48 presented three stages of mass-loss, whereas acetylated derivatives of DS （degree of substitution） of 0.66, 1.03 and 1.26 presented four stages of mass-loss. X-ray diffractograms demonstrated that both native and acetylated lasiodiplodan presented crystalline regions in an amorphous polymeric matrix. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that O-acetylation promoted morphologic changes in the biopolymer according to the DS. Acetylation also contributed to improve antioxidant capacity.

Liver bioengineering:Current status and future perspectives

The present review aims to illustrate the strategies that are being implemented to regenerate or bioengineer livers for clinical purposes.There are two general pathways to liver bioengineering and regeneration.The first consists of creating a supporting scaffold,either synthetically or by decellularization of human or animal organs,and seeding cells on the scaffold,where they will mature either in bioreactors or in vivo.This strategy seems to offer the quickest route to clinical translation,as demonstrated by the development of liver organoids from rodent livers which were repopulated with organ specific cells of animal and/or human origin.Liver bioengineering has potential for transplantation and for toxicity testing during preclinical drug development.The second possibility is to induce liver regeneration of dead or resected tissue by manipulating cell pathways.In fact,it is well known that the liver has peculiar regenerative potential which allows hepatocyte hyperplasia after amputation of liver volume.Infusion of autologous bone marrow cells,which aids in liver regeneration,into patients was shown to be safe and to improve their clinical condition,but the specific cells responsible for liver regeneration have not yet been determined and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.A complete understanding of the cell pathways and dynamics and of the functioning of liver stem cell niche is necessary for the clinical translation of regenerative medicine strategies.As well,it will be crucial to elucidate the mechanisms through which cells interact with the extracellular matrix,and how this latter supports and drives cell fate.

The Effect of Bioceramic Composite Extracellular Matrixes Used to Repair Bone Deficiency on Relevant Blood Biochemical Indices

At the base of experimental animal model construction of bone defect in New Zealand rabbit, the promoting repair effect of bioactive ceramics on bone defect as well as its machanism was studied through testing body mineral elements, enzymes related to bone morphogenetic proteins and some biochemical indexes. Refering to some documents, materials of TCP, CHA and HA were combined and TCP/BMP/ TCP-β1 and CHA/BMP/ TCP-β1,HA/BMP/ TCP-β1 composite materials were made. All kinds of them were implanted into the radial defect site of rabbit, respectively. The chosen blood indexes (Ca, P, ALP, GGT, AST, ALT, TPA, BUN and Cr) were tested by colorimetry, speed rate and bromocresol green testing methods. No abnormal effects were found in any animal after operation. Serum concentrations of Ca, P and ALP were increased with the length of time in all groups of the three kinds of composite material, mixed material and pure materials. The increases in composite material groups were more significant (P<0.05). Comparison of the three kinds of material showed TCP>CHA>HA. There was a tendency of increased TPA and decreased BUN with the length of time. There was no significant difference between the composite material groups and pure material group (P>0.05). The three kinds of bioactive ceramics composed of extracellular matrix could increase the serum concentrations of Ca and P and activity of ALP after being implanted into defect bone and showed some repairing capacity. This provided a new area of machanism study of bone defect repair by biomaterials.

Effects of Condensed Tannins from Quebracho Extract on the Kinetic of in vitro Gas Production on Trifofium repens, Lotus corniculatus and Lofium perenne

The aim of this work was to study the effect of condensed tannins （CT） on the kinetic of gas production in vitro, on the three main species of Azorean pasture： Trifolium repens, Lotus corniculatus and Lolium perenne, using Quebracho extract as the source of CT, and also to calculate total tannins and condensed tannins on the species studied. Lotus corniculatus, Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens were tested in vitro with the inclusion of Quebracho extract in doses of 0%, 2.5% and 5% DM. The total content in tannins was determined in the 3 species. We have found, in comparison with standard tannic acid, that tannins exist in the flower of T. repens （0.81 equivalents of tannic acid） and in L .corniculatus （1.07 equivalents of tannic acid） but not in L .perenne （0 equivalents of tannic acid）. The concentration of condensed tannins in the 3 species was： 0.34 mg/mL for T. repens; 0.83 mg/mL for L. corniculatus and 0 mg/ml for L. perenne. We verified that a significant reduction （P 〈 0.05） of gas production happened for doses of 5% of CT in comparison with the other two concentrations： 0% and 2.5% of CT. The results of this study express a reduction of the fermentation rate, which implies a reduction of gas production, so, a reduction of methane emission to the atmosphere and an increase of exploitation of the protein by ruminants.

膜法提纯:助力沼气新能源蓬勃发展——记山西汾西机电有限公司

山西汾西机电有限公司隶属于世界5 0 0强企业——中国船舶重工集团公司汾西重工有限责任公司(以下简称"汾西机电"或"公司")。始建于1954年,1958年建成投产,1959年正式通过国家竣工验收,是国家"一五"期间156项重点建设项目之一,国家级军工企业。座落于国家能源装备制造基地,山西省太原市,占地面积52万平方米。汾西机电是一家以设计、生产大中型气体净化设备、生物质能源装备和建设运营生物质工程。

Semiconducting Carbon Nanotube/Fullerene Blended Heterojunctions for Photovoltaic Near-Infrared Photon Harvesting

We demonstrate that the near-infrared （NIR） absorptivity of semiconducfing single-walled carbon nanotubes （s-SWCNTs） can be harnessed in blended heterojunctions with the fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM）. Photogenerated charge separation is efficiently driven by the ultrahigh interracial area of the blends and the favorable energy offsets between the two materials. NIR-sensitive photovoltaic and photodetector devices utilizing the stack （indium tin oxide/ca. 10 nm s-SWCNT：PCBM/100 nm CJ10 nm 2,9- dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-],10-phenanthroline （BCP）/Ag） were fabricated with NIR power conversion efficiencies 〉1.3% and peak, zero bias external quantum efficiency of 18% at λ = 1205 nm.