Research Progress on Detection Techniques of Fungicide Residues in Chinese Chives

Chinese chive is a kind of medicinal and edible plant,with many diseases,and chemical fungicides are usually used for control.In order to find out the risk of pesticide residues in Chinese chives,this paper summarized relevant literatures published in recent years,and sorted out and analyzed the types of pesticides used and detection techniques of common diseases in Chinese chives.

Mental Health Literacy of University Students in Vietnam and Cambodia

Mental health literacy(MHL)refers to knowledge and attitudes that shape the recognition,management,and prevention of mental disorders.While the topic has been exhaustively researched in Western countries,research from Southeast Asia still is limited.Previous studies in this field showed a moderate recognition of mental disorders,a high prevalence of stigmatizing attitudes and a low willingness to seek professional help among Southeastern-Asian populations.This study explored the level of MHL among university students from different parts of Vietnam and Cambodia.Correlations with influencing factors(gender,age,study year,educational attainment of the parents,urban/rural origin,ethnicity,personal experiences with mental disorders)were also explored.An online survey,using a 30-item Vietnamese version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale(MHLS),was conducted at six university sites in Vietnam and Cambodia.Data of 1032 students from different study branches were included.The MHL of Vietnamese and Cambodian university students was lower,compared to samples from Australia or the UK.Females and students with a personal experience of mental disorders(self or family)showed a significantly higher MHL.No differences in MHL were found between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds(professional attainment of parents,urban/rural origin).Findings on the influence of ethnicity were inconclusive.MHL needs to be improved among the university students of Vietnam and Cambodia.Mental health promotion should specifically target male students,students from STEM branches,and international students.

Sorption of Heavy Metal and Organic Pollutants on Modified Soils

Sorption characteristics of both an organic pollutant (phenol) and a heavy metal (cadmium ion) on the clay layer of a Lou soil (Eum-orthic Anthrosol in Chinese Soil Taxonomy) along with the sorption mechanism were investigated using three soil treatments: modification with a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide added at an amount equivalent to 50% and 100% of the soil CEC (50%CB and 100%CB), modification with an amphoteric surface-modifying agent dodecyldimethylbetaine (commercially known as BS-12) added at an amount equivalent to 50% and 100% of the soil CEC (50% BS and 100%BS), and an unmodified control (CK). Results showed that the BS soil treatments increased sorption of both the heavy metal Cd2+ and the organic pollutant phenol. The equilibrium sorption amount of Cd2+ decreased in the order: 50%BS > 100%BS > CK > 50%CB > 100%CB, with the BS soil treatments being about 1.3 to 1.8 times higher and the CB soil treatments about 23% to 41% lower than CK. Both the single-site and two-site Langmuir models could be applied to describe the sorption of Cd2+ in each soil treatment. The equilibrium sorption amount of phenol on the soil samples decreased in the order: 100%CB > 50%CB > 100%BS > 50%BS > CK, with the CB soil treatments being 41.0 to 79.6 times higher and the BS soil treatments 4.0 to 8.3 times higher than CK. The Freundlich equation could also be used to describe the sorption characteristics of phenol. In the BS soil treatments, both an organophobic long carbon chain and hydrophilic charged groups resulted in a relatively strong sorption ability for both heavy metals and organic pollutants. In addition, the sorption ratio K, the ratio of phenol sorption amount of the modified soil to that of CK, increased initially and decreased later with the amount of phenol added, and the critical sorption ratio KC, the peak value of the sorption ratio curve plotted against the added phenol concentration, was a good index for evaluating the sorption ability of phenol in the soil.

Spatial-Temporal Pattern and Driving Forces of Land Use Changes in Xiamen

Using Landsat TM data of 1988, 1998 and 2001, the dynamic process of the spatial-temporal characteristics of land use changes during 13 years from 1988 to 2001 in the special economic zone of Xiamen, China was analyzed to improve understanding and to find the driving forces of land use change so that sustainable land utilization could be practiced. During the 13 years cropland decreased remarkably by nearly 11304.95 ha. The areas of rural-urban construction and water body increased by 10 152.24 ha and 848.94 ha, respectively. From 1988 to 2001, 52.5% of the lost cropland was converted into rural-urban industrial land. Rapid urbanization contributed to a great change in the rate of cropland land use during these years. Land-reclamation also contributed to a decrease in water body area as well as marine ecological and environmental destruction. In the study area 1) urbanization and industrialization, 2) infrastructure and agricultural intensification, 3) increased affluence of the farming community, and 4) policy factors have driven the land use changes. Possible sustainable land use measures included construction of a land management system, land planning, development of potential land resources, new technology applications, and marine ecological and environmental protection.

Effect of Nitrogen Management on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Rainfed Wheat and Maize in Northwest China

A field experiment with four treatments and four replicates in a randomized complete block design was conducted at the Changwu Experimental Station in Changwu County, Shaanxi Province, of Northwest China from 1998 to 2002. The local cropping sequence of wheat, wheat-beans, maize, and wheat over the 4-year period was adopted. A micro-plot study using 15N-labelled fertilizer was carried out to determine the fate of applied N fertilizer in the first year. When N fertilizer was applied wheat (years 1, 2 and 4) and maize (year 3) grain yield increased significantly (P<0.05) (>30%), with no significant yield differences in normal rainfall years (Years 1, 2 and 3) for N application at the commonly application rate and at 2/3 of this rate. Grain yield of wheat varied greatly between years, mainly due to variation in annual rainfall. Results of 15N studies on wheat showed that plants recovered 36.6%-38.4% of the N applied, the N remained in soil (0-40 cm) ranged from 29.2% to 33.6%, and unaccounted-for N was 29.5%-34.2%. The following crop (wheat) recovered 2.1%-2.8% of the residual N from N applied to the previous wheat crop with recovery generally decreasing in the subsequent three crops (beans, maize and wheat).

Spatial-temporal Pattern and Population Driving Force of Land Use Change in Liupan Mountains Region, Southern Ningxia, China

The Liupan Mountains is located in the southern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China, which forms an important dividing line between landforms and bio-geographic regions. The populated part of the Liupan Mountains region has suffered tremendous ecological damages over time due to population pressure, excessive demand and inappropriate use of agricultural land resources. In this paper, datasets of land use between 1990 and 2000 were obtained from Landsat TM imagery, and then spatial models were used to characterize landscape conditions. Also, the relationship between the population density and land use/cover change (LUCC) was analyzed. Results indicate that cropland, forestland, and urban areas have increased by 44,186ha, 9001ha and 1550ha, respectively while the grassland area has appreciably decreased by 54,025ha in the study period. The decrease in grassland was most notable. Of the grassland lost, 49.4% was converted into cropland. The largest annual land conversion rate in the study area was less than 2%. These changes are attributed to industrial and agricultural development and population growth. To improve the eco-economic conditions in the study region, population control, urbanization and development of an ecological friendly agriculture were suggested.

Disulfide-stabilized single-chain antibody-targeted superantigen: Construction of a prokaryotic expression system and its functional analysis

AIM: To construct the expression vector of B3 (scdsFv)-SEA (D227A) and to identify its binding and cytotoxic ability to B3 antigen positive carcinoma cell lines.METHODS: This fusion protein was produced by a bacterial expression system in this study. It was expressed mainly in the inclusion body. The gene product was solubilized by guanidine hydrochloride, refolded by conventional dilution method, and purified using SP-sepharose cation chromatography.RESULTS: The expression vector B3 (scdsFv)-SEA-PETwas constructed, the expression product existed mainly in the inclusion body, the refolding product retained the binding ability of the single-chain antibody and had cytotoxic effect on HT-29 colon carcinoma cells. The stability assay showed that the resulting protein was stable at 37 ℃.CONCLUSION: This genetically engineered B3 (scdsFv)-SEA fusion protein has bifunction of tumor targeting and tumor cell killing and shows its promises as an effective reagent for tumor-targeted immunotherapy.

Factors Affecting Distribution of Vegetation Types on Abandoned Cropland in the Hilly-Gullied Loess Plateau Region of China

A study was conducted in the forest-steppe region of the Loess Plateau to provide insight into the factors affecting the process of vegetation establishment,and to provide recommendations for the selection of indigenous species in order to speed up the succession process and to allow the establishment of vegetation more resistant to soil erosion.Four distinctive vegetation types were identified,and their distribution was affected not only by the time since abandonment but also by other environmental factors,mainly soil water and total P in the upper soil layers.One of the vegetation types,dominated by Artemisia scoparia,formed the early successional stage after abandonment while the other three types formed later successional stages with their distribution determined by the soil water content and total P.It can be concluded that the selection of appropriate species for introduction to accelerate succession should be determined by the local conditions and especially the total P concentration and soil water content.

Neuroprotective effects of combined lead and cadmium,as well as N-acetylcysteine,on cerebral cortical neurons following lipid peroxidation injury

BACKGROUND： Studies have reported the antioxidant effects of lead and cadmium in the central nervous system, but very few have addressed the combined toxicity of lead and cadmium. The mechanisms by which these combined heavy metals are toxic, as well as how to protect cells from these agents, remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE： Primary cultured rat cortical neurons were used to determine the effects of combined lead and cadmium on levels of glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, catalase （CAT）, and acetylcholinesterase （ACHE）, as well as malondialdehyde （MDA）, and to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of N-acetylcysteine （NAC）. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING An in vitro toxicological observation was performed at the Comparative Medicine Center of Yangzhou University from August 2007 to April 2008. MATERIALS： Lead acetate, cadmium acetate, and NAC were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich （St. Louis, USA）. Commercial kits of GSH-Px, SOD, CAT, ACHE, and MDA were purchased from Nanjing Jiancheng Bioengineering Institute, Nanjing, China. METHODS： The cerebral cortical neurons were isolated from newborn Sprague dawley rats at 24 hours after birth and primary cultured for 6 days. Thereafter, the cells were treated with a range of cadmium doses （0, 5.0, and 10.0μmol/L）, lead doses （0, 1.0, and 2.0 μmol/L）, or a combination of the two for 12 hours at 37℃in a 5% CO2 incubator, respectively. In addition, the cells were incubated with different doses of cadmium and/or lead and （0 and 50 μmol/L） NAC for 12 hours to assess the protective effects on cell survival. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The activity of SOD, GSH-Px, CAT, and ACHE, as well as MDA content, in the cell lysates was detected using commercial kits. RESULTS： At 12 hours after treatment, compared to the control group, activity of GSH-Px, SOD, and AChE in the lead, cadmium, or combined treated cells was significantly decreased with increasing doses of cadmium/or lead （P 〈 0.05）, but CAT activity and MDA levels were significantly increased （P 〈 0.05）. The combination of cadmium and lead led to higher levels of toxicity than individual exposure. CONCLUSION： The degree of oxidative damage increased when the two heavy metals were combined. NAC protected neonatal cortical neurons by increasing activity of anti-oxidative enzymes and reducing lipid peroxidation, but the reduction was not statistically significant.

Influence of phosphorus on Microcystis growth and the changes of other environmental factors

The growth processes of Microcystis aeruginosa （FACHB-41） in simulated Taihu Lake water with different phosphorus concentrations were investigated using laboratory microcosms. The algal biomass increased with the increase of phosphorus concentration when it was lower than 0.445 mg/L, while the dissolved oxygen （DO） and pH increased, dissolved inorganic nitrogen （DIN） and light intensity underwater（I） decreased. Responding to the changes of the “environmental factors”, the cellular carbohydrate and its ratio to cellular protein decreased generally as phosphorus increased. However, when phosphorus concentration was higher than l. 645 mg/L, the biomass, the “environmental factors”, the cellular carbohydrate and its ratio to cellular protein did not change likewise. Since the environmental factors and the physiological and biochemical responses are important factors, the change of environmental factors and cell physiology and biochemistry induced by phosphorus may become the key factors that steer the growth and dominance of Microcystis under certain conditions. To sum up, phosphorus not only stimulate the growth of Microcystis directly by supplying nutrient element, but also has complex interactions with other “environmental factors” and play important roles in the growth processes of Microcystis .

Study of Spatial and Temporal Processes of Soil Erosion on Sloping Land Using Rare Earth Elements As Tracers

Rare earth elements (REE) were used to study the temporal and spatial processes of soil erosion from different depths and sections of a slope. Two simulated rainfall events were applied to a prepared plot with a slope of 22°. The total runoff and sediment yield were collected every minute during the rainfall events. During the first twenty minutes of the first rainfall event, the average rate of rill erosion and the accumulated sediment yield due to rill erosion was 0.5 and 0.3 times higher than for sheet erosion. During this time, most of the erosion occurred on the lower one third of the plot. After 20 min, rill erosion became the dominant process on the slope. The average acceleration in the rate of rill erosion, the rate of rill erosion and the accumulated sediment yield due to rill erosion were 42, 6 and 4 times higher than that of sheet erosion, respectively. During the first 35 minutes of the second rainfall event, the average acceleration in the rate of rill erosion was 6～9 times higher than that of sheet erosion. Afterwards, the slope became nearly stable with little change in either rill or sheet erosion rates. Initially, most of the rill erosion occurred in the lower third of the slope but later the preexisting rillhead in the middle section of the slope became reactivated and erosion in this section of the slope increased rapidly. These results indicate that REE tracer technology is a valuable tool for quantifying spatial and temporal changes in erosion from a soil slope.

Roles of ABA Signal Transduction during Higher Plant Seed Development and Germination

ABA is one of the 5 phytohormones in higher plants, which is also the most important hormone that regulates higher plants in response to environmental stress, by ABA signal transduction. Understanding ABA signal transduction at the molecular level is crucial to biology and ecology, and rational breeding complied with corresponding eco-environmental changes. Great advancements have taken place over the past 10 years by application of the Arabidopsis experimental system. Many components involved in ABA signal transduction have been isolated and identified and a clear overall picture of gene expression and control for this transduction has become an accepted fact. On the basis of the work in our laboratory, in conjunction with the data available at the moment, the authors have attempted to integrate ABA signal transduction pathways into a common one and give some insights into the relationship between ABA signal transduction and other hormone signal transduction pathways, with an emphasis upon the ABA signal transduction during higher plant seed development. A future challenge in this field is that different experimental systems are applied and various receptors and genes need to be characterized through the utilization of microarray chips.

Estimation of Nitrogen Fertilizer Use Efficiency in Dryland Agroecosystem

A field trial was carried out to study the nitrogen fertilizer recovery by four crops in succession in manurial loess soil in Yangling. The results showed that the nitrogen fertilizer not only had the significant effects on the first crop , but also had longer residual effects, even on the fourth crop. The average apparent nitrogen fertilizer recovery by the first crop was 31.7%, and the accumulative nitrogen recovery by the 4 crops was high as 62.3%, and the latter was double as the former. It is quite clear that the nitrogen fertilizer recovery by the first crop was not reliable for estimating the nitrogen fertilizer unless the residual effect of nitrogen fertilizer was included.

DARBOUX TRANSFORMATION OF A NONLINEAR EVOLUTION EQUATION AND ITS EXPLICIT SOLUTIONS

In this paper, we study a differential-difference equation associated with discrete 3 × 3 matrix spectral problem. Based on gauge transformation of the spectral problm, Darboux transformation of the differential-difference equation is given. In order to solve the differential-difference equation, a systematic algebraic algorithm is given. As an application, explicit soliton solutions of the differential-difference equation are given.

Effects of nitrogen content on growth and hydraulic characteristics of peach(Prunus persica L.) seedlings under different soil moisture conditions

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of nitrogen content [Nl （no fertilizer）, N2 （0.15 g.kg-l）, and N3 （0.3 g.kg 1）] on the growth and the hydraulic characteristics of peach seedlings under different soil moisture conditions （Wl, W2 and W3, in which the soil water content was 45% to 55%, 60% to 70%, and 75% to 80% of the field water capacity, respectively） by using a specialized high pressure flow meter with a root chamber and a coupling, which was connected to plant organs. Leaf area and leaf hydraulic conductivity （KL） increased significantly in the seedlings because of increased soil moisture and N content. KL increased with leaf area. A linear correlation was documented between KL and leaf area. KL was higher in the morning and began to decline sharply after 16：00, at which KL declined after an initial increase. Soil moisture and N content enhanced shoot （Ks） and root （Kr） hydraulic conductivities, thereby improving the low soil moisture condition to a large extent. Ks and Kr of the seedlings were reduced by 32% and 27% respectively in N~, and by 14.7% and 9.4%, respectively in N2, and both in Wb compared with the control treatment. N3 had no significant effect on Ks and Kr under similar conditions. Linear negative correlations were observed between Kr and the excised root diameter as well as between Ks and the shoot stem diameter. The shoot-to-root ratio increased with in- crease in N content. The shoot-to-root ratio in N3 was increased by 14.37%, compared with N1 in W1 as well as by 12% and 4.39% in Wz and W3, respectively. Knowledge of the effects of soil moisture and N fertilizer on hydraulic characteristics and growth is important. Our results provide basic guidelines for the implementation of water-saving irrigation and fertilization management of nursery stock.

Relationship between light and heavy fractions of organic matter for several agricultural soils in China

Although numerous studies about the nature and turnover of soil organic matter（SOM） in light and heavy fractions（ LFOM and HFQM, respectively） have been made, little information is available in relation to the relationship between LFQM and HFOM, and no attempts have been made to quantify a general relationship between LFQM and HFQM for agricultural soils under field condition. Qur hypothesis is there may be an inherent relationship between LFQM and HFQM for agricultural soils under certain unaltered management practices for a long period, to this end, we therefore studied typically soils taken from different parts in China by using a simple density fractionation procedure. The results indicated that LFQM was positively correlated with LFOM/HFOM ratio for three typical soils. This information will be of particular use not only in deepening our understanding of the dynamics of SQM fractions but also in evaluating the potential of agricultural soils to sequestrate C under different management practices in a long term.

The Effect of Different Levels of Sesame Oil on Productive Performance, Egg Yolk and Blood Serum Lipid Profile in Laying Hens

Addition of sesame oil into layer diets has been proved to enrich the proportion of polyunsatu-rated fatty acids in animal’s products. In this study, the effects of different levels of sesame oil in the diets on the performance, egg yolk and blood serum lipid profile of Isa Brown laying hens were investigated. A total of 96 layers were assigned into 4 groups to receive either 1 of 4 different diets contained 0.0%, 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.5% sesame oil, respectively. Sample of 12 eggs obtained from each groups were assessed for egg quality. The egg yolk fatty acid profile was determined with gas chromatography. Results revealed that the higher levels of sesame oil in the diet decreased egg production, egg weight, and egg yolk color except feed conversion ratio. In addition, supplementation of sesame oil increased the flow index of the eggs and the Haugh unite. The egg yolk lipid profile was not significantly different in the sesame oil fed groups, whereas, compare to control, it decreased the level of cholesterol. The blood serum lipid profile decreased in the sesame oil groups compare to control group. Meanwhile, monoacildigliserol also decreased in the sesame addition groups. In parallel with increasing levels of sesame oil, monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) in the egg yolks significantly increased compared to the control (37.00%, 42.89%, 42.20% and 43.48%, respectively). It can be implied that sesame oil supplementation into the laying hens diet is necessary to produce monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) enriched eggs.

Effects of Sowing Time on the Growth, Development and Productivity of Sweet Sorghum

The experiments were conducted to determine suitable sowing time in order to achieve high plant biomass and sugar content of sweet sorghum for bioethanol manufacture. The results showed that germination rate reached > 80% in all trial times (p > 0.05). The growth and development speed of sweet sorghum reduced when seeds were sowed in August and was significantly different from other sowing times (p < 0.05). Sowing from March to June obtained the highest plant height during all growth and development stages. Lodging and diseases observed in all periods of sowing, and planting began in July and August had lower percentage. In contrast, the productivity of fresh weight (1310.4 g/whole plant), sugar content (14.9% Brix), biomass yield (122.4 tons/ha) and theoretical converted ethanol yield (5 tons/ha) were the highest when sweet sorghum planted from March to June. It was observed that sowing sweet sorghum in four periods of month from March to June had the desirable biomass for bioethanol production.

Effects of elevated pO_3 on carbon cycle between above andbelowground organs of trees

Translocation of carbohydrate from leaves to roots via phloem and reallocation from roots to leaves via xylem regulate the allocation of carbon （C） between above and belowground organs of trees. To quantitatively analyze effects of elevated ozone concentrations pO3 on the internal cycle of C, juvenile beech and spruce were grown in phytotrons and exposed to ambient and elevated pO3 （i.e. twice-ambient O3 levels, restricted to 〈 150 ppb） for two growing seasons. The translocation of C in the phloem and xylem was quantitatively studied by investigating the phloem/xylem-loading of sugars, the differentiation of stem conductive tissue and the hourly water flow through the stem. Results in the present study shown, elevated pO3 significantly decreased C translocation from shoot to roots in beech by reducing both sugar concentration in the phloem and conductive phloem area. Elevated pO3 also significantly decreased C reallocation from the roots to the shoot in beech by reducing both of sugar concentration in the xylem and transpiration rate. The adverse effects of elevated pO3 on C translocation in the phloem and xylem, however, were small in spruce. Contrasting to beech, spruce is less sensitive to elevated pO3, regarding to phloem differentiation and sugar concentrations in the phloem and xylem.