Grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency of an ultrashort-duration variety grown under different nitrogen and seeding rates in direct-seeded and double-season rice in Central China

Nitrogen(N) and seeding rates are important factors affecting grain yield and N use efficiency(NUE) in directseeded rice. However, these factors have not been adequately investigated on direct-seeded and double-season rice(DDR) in Central China. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various N and seeding rates on the grain yield and NUE of an ultrashort-duration variety grown under DDR. Field experiments were conducted in 2018 in Wuxue County and 2019 in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China with four N rates and three seeding rates.The results showed that the grain yield of the ultrashort-duration variety ranged from 6.32 to 8.23 t ha–1with a total growth duration of 85 to 97 days across all treatments with N application. Grain yield was increased significantly by N application in most cases, but seeding rate had an inconsistent effect on grain yield. Furthermore, the response of grain yield to the N rates was much higher than the response to seeding rates. The moderate N rates of 100–150 and 70–120 kg N ha–1in the early and late seasons, respectively, could fully express the yield potential of the ultrashort-duration variety grown under DDR. Remarkably higher N responses and agronomic NUE levels were achieved in the early-season rice compared with the late-season rice due to the difference in indigenous soil N supply capacity(INS) between the two seasons. Seasonal differences in INS and N response should be considered when crop management practices are optimized for achieving high grain yield and NUE in ultrashort-duration variety grown under DDR.

Correlation of Leaf and Root Senescence During Ripening in Dry Seeded and Transplanted Rice

Dry seeding is a resource-saving rice establishment method. With an equivalent yield, dry seeded flooded rice （DSR） has been considered as a replacement for traditional transplanted flooded rice （TFR）. However, the differences in leaf and root senescence during grain filling between DSR and TFR were seldom identified. In this study, the root length, root tip number and leaf senescence of rice varieties Huanghuazhan and Yangliangyou 6 during ripening were compared between DSR and TFR. Results showed that top three leaves in DSR had the characteristics of relatively lower SPAD value, lower N content and premature leaf senescence. In addition, both the total root length and total root tip number of DSR were significantly lower than those of TFR. In conclusion, premature and quick leaf senescence was related with inadequate root length and root tip number during ripening, which might result from the deficiency of nitrogen supply in DSR. Techniques on improving leaf nitrogen status and delaying the leaf senescence during grain-filling in DSR should be developed in future researches.

Performance of Different Cultivars in Direct Seeded Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>L.) with Various Seeding Densities

Optimum seeding density is necessary to achieve the production potential of a cultivar in all crops. To investigate the performance of different cultivars in direct seeded rice in response to various seeding densities, a field experiment was conducted at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during the kharif 2012. Super basmati (fine rice) and KSK-133 (coarse rice) were sown using seeding densities of 30, 45, 60 and 75 kg&middotha-1. Results indicated that leaf area index and crop growth rate varied among rice cultivars as well as various seeding densities. The growth of rice at seeding density of 75 kg&middotha-1 was higher than rest of treatments. The response of rice yield and its components like number of productive tillers, number of kernels per panicle and 1000-kernal weight differed significantly under the influence of cultivars and various seeding densities. Seeding density of 75 kg&middotha-1 remained superior for both rice cultivars regarding final yield. This treatment furnished kernel yields of 3.83 and 5.49 t&middotha-1 in fine and coarse rice, respectively which were significantly higher than other treatments. However, Kernel quality was improved in terms of lower number of sterile and chalky kernels at lower seeding densities (30 kg&middotha-1). Based on these findings, it is concluded that using seeding density of 75 kg&middotha-1 for direct seeded fine and coarse rice cultivars is beneficial in terms of better growth and higher yield but kernel quality is reduced by increasing the seeding density.

Influence of Seed Priming on Performance and Water Productivity of Direct Seeded Rice in Alternating Wetting and Drying

Direct seeded rice is promising alternative to traditional transplanting, but requires appropriate crop and water management to maintain yield performance and achieve high water productivity. Present study evaluated the effect of seed priming and irrigation on crop establishment, tillering, agronomic traits, paddy yield, grain quality and water productivity of direct seeded rice in alternate wetting and drying （DSR-AWD） in comparison with direct seeded rice at field capacity （DSR- FC）. Seed priming treatments were osmo-priming with KCI （2.2%）, CaCI2 （2.2%） and moringa leaf extracts （MLE, 3.3%） including hydro-priming as control. Among the treatments, seed osmo-primed with MLE emerged earlier and had higher final emergence, followed by osmo-priming with CaCI2. Tillering emergence rate and number of tillers per plant were the highest for seed priming with CaCI2 in DSR- AWD. Total productive and non-productive tillers, panicle length, biological and grain yields, harvest index were highest for seed priming with MLE or CaCI2 in DSR-AWD. Similarly, grain quality, estimated in terms of normal grains, abortive and chalky grains, was also the highest in DSR-AWD with MLE osmo-priming. Benefit cost ratio and water productivity was also the highest in DSR-AWD for seed priming with MLE. In conclusion, seed priming with MLE or CaCI2 can be successfully employed to improve the direct seeded rice performance when practiced with alternate wetting and drying irrigation.

Steganography Using Reversible Texture Synthesis Based on Seeded Region Growing and LSB

Steganography technology has been widely used in data transmission with secret information.However,the existing steganography has the disadvantages of low hidden information capacity,poor visual effect of cover images,and is hard to guarantee security.To solve these problems,steganography using reversible texture synthesis based on seeded region growing and LSB is proposed.Secret information is embedded in the process of synthesizing texture image from the existing natural texture.Firstly,we refine the visual effect.Abnormality of synthetic texture cannot be fully prevented if no approach of controlling visual effect is applied in the process of generating synthetic texture.We use seeded region growing algorithm to ensure texture’s similar local appearance.Secondly,the size and capacity of image can be decreased by introducing the information segmentation,because the capacity of the secret information is proportional to the size of the synthetic texture.Thirdly,enhanced security is also a contribution in this research,because our method does not need to transmit parameters for secret information extraction.LSB is used to embed these parameters in the synthetic texture.

Effects of Na_4EDTA and EDTA on seeded precipitation of sodium aluminate solution

Na4EDTA and EDTA were adopted as new additives to intensify the seeded precipitation process of sodium aluminate solution. The effects of the two additives at certain concentrations on the seeded precipitation rate of sodium aluminate solution, particle size distribution (PSD) and morphology of precipitated gibbsite were investigated using titration method, particle size analyzer and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The results show that the two additives can accelerate the seeded precipitation rate of sodium aluminate solution. At relatively high concentration, the facilitative effect of EDTA on sodium aluminate solution is more obvious than that of Na4EDTA. EDTA makes gibbsite particles thinner than Na4EDTA. The Na+ and H+ result in the different effects on the seeded precipitation rate of sodium aluminate solution in spite of the same EDTA anion in the two additives.

Preparation of sulphonate-containing core/shell latex particles via seeded emulsion copolymerization

In this study, P（St-MAA） seed latex particles were first prepared via soap-free emulsion polymerization of styrene （St） and methacrylic acid （MAA）, then the seed particles were allowed to swell with St at room temperature, and the P（St-MAA）/P（St- NaSS） core/shell latex particles were then synthesized via seeded emulsion copolymerization of St and sodium styrene sulphonate （NaSS） using AIBN as initiator in the presence of N,N^-methylenebisacrylamide （BAA, water-soluble crosslinker）. Results showed that the polymerization could be carried out smoothly when the ratio of BAA to total monomers was less than 3 mol%, the narrow dispersed P（St-MAA） seed particles with the diameter of 150 nm and the P（St-MAA）/P（St-NaSS） core/shell latexes with the particle size of about 200 nm were synthesized. When the 25/75 mole ratio of NaSS/（St ＋ MAA） and 2 tool% of BAA were used in the seeded emulsion polymerization, the resulted P（St-MAA）/P（St-NaSS） latex product showed a low weight loss after water extraction, and the NaSS unit content in the whole particle and in the shell reached 11.7 mol% and 34.6 mol%, resoectivelv.

Texture feature based automated seeded region growing in abdominal MRI segmentation

A new texture feature-based seeded region growing algorithm is proposed for automated segmentation of organs in abdominal MR images. 2D Co-occurrence texture feature, Gabor texture feature, and both 2D and 3D Semi- variogram texture features are extracted from the image and a seeded region growing algorithm is run on these feature spaces. With a given Region of Interest (ROI), a seed point is automatically se-lected based on three homogeneity criteria. A threshold is then obtained by taking a lower value just before the one causing ‘explosion’. This algorithm is tested on 12 series of 3D ab-dominal MR images.

Fabrication of seeded substrates for layer transferrable silicon films

The layer transfer process is one of the most promising methods for low-cost and highly-efficient solar cells, in which transferrable mono-crystalline silicon thin wafers or films can be produced directly from gaseous feed-stocks. In this work, we show an approach to preparing seeded substrates for layer-transferrable silicon films. The commercial silicon wafers are used as mother substrates, on which periodically patterned silicon rod arrays are fabricated, and all of the surfaces of the wafers and rods are sheathed by thermal silicon oxide. Thermal evaporated aluminum film is used to fill the gaps between the rods and as the stiff mask, while polymethyl methacrylate （PMMA） and photoresist are used as the soft mask to seal the gap between the filled aluminum and the rods. Under the joint resist of the stiff and soft masks, the oxide on the rod head is selectively removed by wet etching and the seed site is formed on the rod head. The seeded substrate is obtained after the removal of the masks. This joint mask technique will promote the endeavor of the exploration of mechanically stable, unlimitedly reusable substrates for the kerfless technology.

Picosecond supercontinuum generation seeded by a weak continuous wave

We experimentally investigate the spectral details of a picosecond supercontinuum pumped at 1064 nm and seeded by a weak continuous wave （～20000 times weaker than the pulse peak power） at several power levels in photonic crystal fibers. Seeding at different wavelengths leads to different spectral details and the effects to the bandwidth of supercontinuum are also distinct. Spectra can be widened when seeded by a continuous wave at 1070 nm and narrowed by ～100 nm when seeded at 1080 nm. The influence is enhanced by increasing the average seeded power.

Vertical Bridgman Seeded Growth of Cd_(1-x)Zn_xTe Crystals

The method of vertical Bridgman seeded growth of Cdi.Zn.Te crystals was studied. This method ispromising in obtaining large size single crystals and improving the crystal structure. However, some prob-lems such as seeded growth failurc exist at present.(111)-oriented Cd_(0.96)Zn_(0.04)Te single crystal substrateswith size greater than 15×15 mm￣2 arc obtained. The FWHM ranges from 18 to 66 arc.sec and theresistivity is greater than 10￣6 obmem.

The 5.2 kW Nd：YAG Slab Amplifier Chain Seeded by Nd：YVO4 Innoslab Laser

A high power Nd：YAG end-pumped slab amplifier chain with a Nd：YVO4 innoslab laser as the master oscillator is demonstrated. A chain output power of 5210 W with beam quality of 4 times the diffraction limit is achieved by double-passing the first amplifier stage and single-passing the second stage with an optical efficiency of 29% while working at a frequency of 1kHz and pulse width of 200 μs.

Economics of Residues Incorporation and Phosphorus Application for Direct Seeded Rice and Wheat under Saline Soil

Two-year long field study was conducted using a permanent layout to investigate the economics of crop residues incorporation (2 t&middotha-1) and P application (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg P2O5 ha-1) to directly sowing of rice and wheat crops gown under naturally salt-affected calcareous soil (ECe = 4.59 dS m-1;pHs = 8.38;SAR = 6.57 (mmolc L-1)1/2;CaCO3 = 3.21%;Extractable P = 4.07 mg&middotkg-1;sandy clay loam) at farmers field in district Hafizabad during the year 2012-13. Split plot design (crop residues in main plots and P application in sub plots) was followed with three replications. Agronomic data on growth and yield were collected at the time of each crop maturity. Maximum growth and yield of both the crops were harvested from the plots where P2O5 was applied @ 80 kg&middotha-1 along with crop residues incorporation. On an average of two years, maximum paddy (3.26 t&middotha-1) and wheat grain (3.56 t&middotha-1) yield were produced with P application @ 80 kg P2O5 ha-1 along with crop residues incorporation. Although, the yield harvested with this treatment (80 kg P2O5 ha-1 + crop residues) performed statistically equal to 120 kg P2O5 ha-1 without crop residues incorporation during both the years, however, on an average of two years, grain yield of directly sowing rice and subsequent wheat was significantly superior (22% and 24% respectively) than that of higher P rate (120 kg&middotha-1) without crop residues. Overall, continuous two-year crop residues incorporation further increased (17%) paddy yields during the follow up year of crop harvest. Economic analyses of both the crops were carried out to choose the best treatment with adequate economic benefits as compared to those without crop residue incorporation. Maximum net benefit of Rs = 108,680/- for direct seeded rice and Rs = 99,362/- for wheat grown with 80 kg P2O5 ha-1 application under crop residues incorporation was determined. Among P application treatments without crop residues incorporation, the maximum net benefit (Rs = 75,874/- and Rs = 65,725/-) and highest residual values (49,809 and 39,160) for direct seeded rice and wheat respectively, were obtained with extended P application rate (120 kg P2O5 ha-1) which was not again as much as that of 80 kg P2O5 ha-1 application with crop residues incorporation.

IVC RECONSTRUCTION OF THE DOGS WITH DACRON SEEDED WITH AUTOLOGOUS VENOUS FRAGMENTS

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Comparison of yield performance between direct-seeded and transplanted double-season rice using ultrashort-duration varieties in central China

Labor scarcity requires double-season rice to be planted by direct seeding as an alternative to transplanting. Only ultrashort-duration varieties can be used in direct-seeded, double-season rice(DSD) in central China where thermal time is limited. Whether ultrashort-duration varieties grown in DSD can be as productive and efficient in nitrogen(N) use as transplanted double-season rice(TPD) remains unclear. Field experiments were conducted in Hubei province, central China with two establishment methods(DSD,TPD) and three N rates in the early and late seasons of 2017 and 2018. Nitrogen treatments included zero-N control(N0), total N rate of 60 kg N ha;with equal splits at basal, midtillering, and panicle initiation(N1), and weekly N application at 15 kg ha;from seeding/transplanting to heading(N2). Both early-and late-season rice under DSD matured within 95 days, on average 9 days shorter than rice under TPD. The grain yield of DSD was comparable to or higher than that of TDP in both seasons, although the daily yield was significantly higher under DSD than under TDP. Before heading, DSD had higher leaf area,stem number, intercepted radiation, and radiation use efficiency than TPD, which compensated for the negative effect of short growth duration on biomass production. Total dry weight and harvest index under DSD were comparable to or higher than those under TDP. In general, the recovery efficiency of fertilizer-N under DSD was higher than that under TPD, but the reverse was true for physiological N use efficiency. Thus, there was no significant difference in agronomic N use efficiency between DSD and TPD. These results suggested that DSD with ultrashort-duration varieties is a promising alternative to TPD in central China for maintaining high grain yield and N fertilizer use efficiency with less labor input.

Grain yield and lodging-related traits of ultrashort-duration varieties for direct-seeded and double-season rice in Central China

Lodging is the most common constraint on grain yield of direct-seeded rice.There is limited information about lodging resistance and its related plant traits in direct-seeded and double-season rice(DDR)in Central China.This study aims to identify the plant traits that achieve high lodging resistance in ultrashort-duration varieties(about 95 days)of DDR.Field experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2018 in Wuxue County,Hubei Province,China,with four ultrashort-duration varieties grown under two nitrogen(N)rates.Lodging-related traits were measured on the 15 th day after heading,and yield and yield attributes were measured at maturity.The grain yield of the four varieties ranged from 4.59 to 7.61 t ha^(-1)across the two N rates,with a total growth duration of 85 to 97 days.Varietal differences in lodging index were mainly explained by the bending moment,which was closely related to plant height.Breaking resistance did not affect the lodging index significantly.Shortening plant height from 95.4 to 80.5 cm decreased the lodging index by 22.4%but did not reduce grain yield.Our results suggested that reducing plant height was effective in improving the lodging resistance of ultrashort-duration varieties of DDR.Lodging resistance should be enhanced by improving breaking resistance rather than reducing plant height to increase DDR grain yield further.

Transcriptional proffling between yellow-and black-seeded Brassica napus reveals molecular modulations on flavonoid and fatty acid content

Brassica napus is an important cash crop broadly grown for the vegetable and oil values.Yellow-seeded B.napus is preferred by breeders due to its improved oil and protein quality,less pigments and lignin compared with the blackseeded counterpart.This study compared the differences in flavonoid and fatty acid contents between yellow rapeseed from the progenies of B.napus-Sinapis alba somatic hybrids and the black-seeded counterpart using RNA-seq analysis.Through HPLC-PDA-ESI(-)/MSanalysis,it was found that phenylpropanoids and flavonoids(i.e.,isorhamnetin,epicatechin,kaempferol,and other derivatives)in yellow seed were significantly lower than those in black seed.The fatty acid(FA)content in yellow rapeseed was higher than that in black rapeseed due to the variation of C16:0,C18:0,C18:1,C18:2,and C18:3 contents.RNA-seq analysis of seeds at four and five weeks after flowering(WAF)indicated that differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between black and yellow rapeseeds were enriched in flavonoid and FA biosynthesis,including BnTT3,BnTT4,BnTT18,and BnFAD2.Also,genes related to FA biosynthesis,desaturation and elongation(FAD3,LEC1,FUS3,and LPAT2)in yellow seed were up-regulated compared to those in black seed,while genes involved in beta-oxidation cycle(AIM1 and KAT2)of yellow seed were down-regulated compared to those in black seed.The DEGs related to the variation of flavonoids,phenylpropanoids,and FAs would help improve the knowledge of yellow seed character in B.napus and promote rapeseed improvement.

Characterization of CdZnTe crystal grown by bottom-seeded Bridgman and Bridgman accelerated crucible rotation techniques

The growth of CdZnTe crystals with diameter up to 60 mm using bottom-seeded Bridgman method as well as Bridgman accelerated crucible rotation technique (ACRT-B) was investigated. Both ingots exhibit high yields, where single crystal with the volume exceeding 200 cm3 is produced. The crystal properties of two ingots were compared in the aspects of yields, crystalline quality and composition uniformity. For CdZnTe ingot grown by bottom-seeded Bridgman method, the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of X-ray rocking curve was determined to be 36″, indicating a better crystalline quality than ingot grown by ACRT-B method, which gave FWHM of 56″. The composition distribution of Zn and In in CdZnTe was determined by using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), respectively. The effective segregation coefficients of Zn kZn and In kIn in the two ingots were evaluated by fitting the experimental data with the Pfann equation.

Gene expression profiles of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells dynamically seeded on clinically available processed nerve allografts and collagen nerve guides

It was hypothesized that mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) could provide necessary trophic factors when seeded onto the surfaces of commonly used nerve graft substitutes. We aimed to determine the gene expression of MSCs when influenced by Avance■ Nerve Grafts or Neura Gen■ Nerve Guides. Human adipose-derived MSCs were cultured and dynamically seeded onto 30 Avance■ Nerve Grafts and 30 Neura Gen■ Nerve Guides for 12 hours. At six time points after seeding, quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses were performed for five samples per group. Neurotrophic [nerve growth factor(NGF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor(GDNF), pleiotrophin(PTN), growth associated protein 43(GAP43) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)], myelination [peripheral myelin protein 22(PMP22) and myelin protein zero(MPZ)], angiogenic [platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1(PECAM1/CD31) and vascular endothelial cell growth factor alpha(VEGFA)], extracellular matrix(ECM) [collagen type alpha I(COL1A1), collagen type alpha III(COL3A1), Fibulin 1(FBLN1) and laminin subunit beta 2(LAMB2)] and cell surface marker cluster of differentiation 96(CD96) gene expression was quantified. Unseeded Avance■ Nerve Grafts and Neura Gen■ Nerve Guides were used to evaluate the baseline gene expression, and unseeded MSCs provided the baseline gene expression of MSCs. The interaction of MSCs with the Avance■ Nerve Grafts led to a short-term upregulation of neurotrophic(NGF, GDNF and BDNF), myelination(PMP22 and MPZ) and angiogenic genes(CD31 and VEGFA) and a long-term upregulation of BDNF, VEGFA and COL1A1. The interaction between MSCs and the Neura Gen■ Nerve Guide led to short term upregulation of neurotrophic(NGF, GDNF and BDNF) myelination(PMP22 and MPZ), angiogenic(CD31 and VEGFA), ECM(COL1A1) and cell surface(CD96) genes and long-term upregulation of neurotrophic(GDNF and BDNF), angiogenic(CD31 and VEGFA), ECM genes(COL1A1, COL3A1, and FBLN1) and cell surface(CD96) genes. Analysis demonstrated MSCs seeded onto Neura Gen■ Nerve Guides expressed significantly higher levels of neurotrophic(PTN), angiogenic(VEGFA) and ECM(COL3A1, FBLN1) genes in the long term period compared to MSCs seeded onto Avance■ Nerve Grafts. Overall, the interaction between human MSCs and both nerve graft substitutes resulted in a significant upregulation of the expression of numerous genes important for nerve regeneration over time. The in vitro interaction of MSCs with the Neura Gen■ Nerve Guide was more pronounced, particularly in the long term period(> 14 days after seeding). These results suggest that MSC-seeding has potential to be applied in a clinical setting, which needs to be confirmed in future in vitro and in vivo research.

Microstructure and Toughness of Seeded Hot-Pressed Si_3N_4 Ceramics

Densification, phase transformation and fracture toughness were studied in hot-pressed Si_3N_4 seeded by in-houseproduced large, elongated β-Si_3N_4 seeds. A mixture of Y_2O_3-Al_2O_3 was used as the sintering aid. Concentration ofseeds were varied from 0 to 6 wt pct and the sintering time at 1700℃ was varied from 1 to 4 h. Maximum fracturetoughness of 9.0 MPam^(1/2) was measured in samples containing 5 wt pct seeds, hot pressed at 1700℃ for 4 h.