Relationship of wood composition to growth traits of selected open-pollinated families of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus urophylla</Emphasis> from a progeny trial in Vietnam

Lignin and cellulose contents and wood basic density were related to diameter at breast height (DBH) in six fast-growing and five slow-growing families from a combined progeny test and seedling seed orchard of Eucalyptus urophylla grown for 10 years in northern Vietnam. The mean cellulose content of the fast-growing families was significantly higher than that of the slow growing-families (40.0 and 37.1%, respectively), and for individual trees cellulose content was significantly correlated phenotypically with DBH. Wood basic density was significantly lower in the fast-growing group than in the slow-growing group (0.506 and 0.535 g cm⁻³, respectively), and was significantly negatively correlated phenotypically with DBH. The lignin contents were not significantly different between groups. Cellulose content and wood basic density were not correlated. The main conclusion is that there is no obstacle to combining high growth rate with high cellulose content, for plantation of forests intended mainly for pulpwood.     

New prenylated benzoic acid and other constituents from almond hulls (Prunus amygdalus Batsch).

One new prenylated benzoic acid derivative, 3-prenyl-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy-4-hydroxylbenzoic acid, and three known constituents, catechin, protocatechuic acid, and ursolic acid, have been isolated from the hulls of almond (Prunus amygdalus). Complete assignments of the proton and carbon chemical shifts for the new prenylated benzoic acid derivative were accomplished on the basis of high-resolution 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance data. All of these compounds except ursolic acid are being reported from almond hulls (P. amygdalus) for the first time.     

Suppressive effect of a proanthocyanidin-rich extract from longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) flowers on nitric oxide production in LPS-stimulated macrophage cells

Anthocyanidins found in certain flowers have been shown to act as strong antioxidants in various systems, exhibiting multiple biological actions. The antioxidative effects of water extract and ethanolic extract of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) flowers were evaluated by radical scavenging activity and compared to those of gallic acid, myricetin, and epigallocatechin gallate. In this study, the suppressive effects of longan flower extracts on nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production were investigated using a lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cell model. Abundant levels of phenolic compounds including flavonoids, condensed tannins, and proanthocyanidins were found in water or ethanolic extracts prepared from dried longan flowers. The antioxidative effect of longan flower extract was similar to the effect exhibited by pure antioxidants. Moreover, longan flower extract showed prominent inhibitory effects on prostaglandin E2 production. Significant concentration-dependent inhibition of nitric oxide production was detected when cells were cotreated with lipopolysaccharide and various concentrations of longan flower extracts. These inhibitory effects were further attributed to suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase protein expression and not to reduced enzymatic activity. These results suggest that longan flower crude extracts, especially ethanolic extract, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and the probable mechanism involves inhibition of inflammation by proanthocyanidins. Preliminary observations suggest that longan flower extract, especially alcoholic extract, could be another potential source of natural dietary antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.     

Novel trisaccharide fatty acid ester identified from the fruits of Morinda citrifolia (Noni)

Two known glycosides and a novel trisaccharide fatty acid ester were isolated from the n-butanol-soluble fraction of the fruits of Morinda citrifolia (noni). Structure determination was carried out by spectral techniques such as MS, IR, NMR, and 2D-NMR. The novel trisaccharide fatty acid ester was elucidated as 2, 6-di-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-1-O-octanoyl-beta-D-glucopyranose. The known compounds were identified as rutin and asperulosidic acid.     

Comparative Study on Photocatalytic Degradation of Mono Azo Dye Acid Orange 7 and Methyl Orange under Solar Light Irradiation

The objective of this study was to investigate and compare the kinetic photocatalytic degradation of mono azo dyes Acid Orange 7 (AO7) and Methyl Orange (MO) under solar light irradiation with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as a photocatalyst. Several operational parameters affecting the photocatalytic degradation of dye were evaluated such as different azo dyes, initial dye concentration, TiO₂ dosage, with and without aeration and sunlight irradiation. The data obtained was well fitted with the Langmuir?CHinshelwood kinetic model. It was observed that the pseudo-first-order rate constants for AO7 were higher than MO in all cases, indicating that the photocatalytic degradation of AO7 was easier and more rapid than MO. The analysis of chemical oxygen demand and UV?CVis spectra shows the AO7 and MO not only being decolorized due to the breakdown of azo bond but also being mineralized if the azo dye solutions were continually exposed to solar light irradiation after the decolorization process.     

Inhibition of xanthine oxidase and suppression of intracellular reactive oxygen species in HL-60 cells by theaflavin-3,3'-digallate, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and propyl gallate

The inhibitory effects of five tea polyphenols, namely theaflavin (TF1), theaflavin-3-gallate (TF2), theaflavin-3,3'-digallate (TF3), (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and gallic acid, and propyl gallate (PG) on xanthine oxidase (XO) were investigated. These six antioxidant compounds reduce oxidative stress. Theaflavins and EGCG inhibit XO to produce uric acid and also act as scanvengers of superoxide. TF3 acts as a competitive inhibitor and is the most potent inhibitor of XO among these compounds. Tea polyphenols and PG all have potent inhibitory effects (>50%) on PMA-stimulated superoxide production at 20 approximately 50 microM in HL-60 cells. Gallic acid (GA) showed no inhibition under the same conditions. At 10 microM, only EGCG, TF3, and PG showed significant inhibition with potency of PG > EGCG > TF3. The superoxide scavenging abilities of these six compunds are as follows: EGCG > TF2 > TF1 > GA > TF3 > PG. PG was the most potent inhibitor of PMA-stimulated H(2)O(2) production in HL-60 cells. The order of H(2)O(2) scavenging ability was TF2 > TF3 > TF1 > EGCG > PG > GA. Therefore, the antioxidative activity of tea polyphenols and PG is due not only to their ability to scavenge superoxides but also to their ability to block XO and related oxidative signal transducers.     

Some comments on: Mao et al. (2018) “Bibliometric analysis of insights into soil remediation” Journal of Soils and Sediments, 18(7): 2520–2534

In order to improve the bias of using the Web of Science databases for bibliometric studies, the “front page” has been proposed by Ho’s group in 2012. Using the “front page” as the filter resulted in a huge difference compared to the method from the original paper of Mao et al. Furthermore, a cited reference plays an important role in a published paper. Readers are interested in the paper’s statements and might find useful information from the following researches. The reference section is an important part in a paper; however, it was easily ignored by the authors. This comment also offered information for citing the original idea of publication indicators used for the comparison of countries’ and institutions’ publication performances.

     

埋地管道交流腐蚀的实验室评价方法

针对长期以来埋地管道交流腐蚀评价只能依赖现场测取的交直流参数且准确性欠佳的问题,提出了一种埋地管道交流干扰腐蚀的实验室评价方法.通过现场测取实际管道的交流干扰信号,在实验室使用取自管道沿线的土样进行大范围交流腐蚀模拟实验,评价埋地管道在现场交流干扰条件下的真实腐蚀风险.研究结果表明:采用对称电路和数字信号处理技术,可以实现在实验室内精确模拟实际管道在交流腐蚀和阴极保护条件下的腐蚀速率;通过覆盖现场测量数据的交流干扰腐蚀失重实验,可以最大程度地在实验室内实现埋地管道交流干扰的腐蚀风险评价与表征.     

In vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of decursin and decursinol angelate isolated from Angelica gigas against Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast

Blast is considered the most important fungal disease of rice due to its wide distribution and destructiveness under favorable conditions. Development of new effective and environmentally benign agents against the causal pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae, is of great interest. In the course of a search for natural antifungal compounds in medicinal plants, we found that the methanol extract of Angelica gigas roots showed a potent control efficacy against rice blast caused by M. oryzae. We isolated antifungal coumarins from the extract, and they were identified as decursin and decursinol angelate. Antifungal activities of these compounds, along with kasugamycin, were tested on M. oryzae in vivo and in vitro. In an in vivo assay, the three compounds effectively suppressed the development of rice blast at concentrations more than 100 μg/mL. Coumarins showed relatively weak inhibitory effect on fungal mycelial growth when compared to kasugamycin. However, they strongly inhibited M. oryzae spore germination, which was not observed in kasugamycin treatments. This is the first report demonstrating that decursinol angelate can provide control against rice blast and that the two coumarins inhibit M. oryzae spore germination. In addition, the wettable powder formulation of the crude extract of A. gigas prohibited the development of blast symptoms on rice plants more effectively than liquid concentrate formulation of kasugamin, a commercial fungicide. Based on our study, we propose that coumarin compounds as well as the A. gigas root crude extract can be used as natural, benign fungicides for controlling rice blast.     

Study on Effects of Different Medium Compositions on Growth and Seedling Quality of Two Tomato Varieties Under Greenhouse Conditions

This research was conducted to investigate the effects of different medium compositions on physicochemical properties and the growth of two tomato varieties. Five treatments were applied, combining medium composition with rice husk ash (RHS) and coconut fiber (CF) with the following proportions: 1/3 Peat moss + 1/3 rice husk ash + 1/3 coconut fiber (T1); 1/3 Vermicompost + 1/3 rice husk ash + 1/3 coconut fiber (T2); 1/3 Cattle manure compost + 1/3 rice husk ash + 1/3 coconut fiber (T3); 1/3 Chicken manure compost + 1/3 rice husk ash + 1/3 coconut fiber (T4); 1/3 Hog manure compost + 1/3 rice husk ash + 1/3 coconut fiber (T5). The results demonstrated that between pH, electrical conductivity (EC) value, and nutrient content in the media, there was a significant difference that led to different concentrations of total macro- and micronutrients in the shoots of both varieties. In addition, the root weight, shoot weight, and root volume were affected by medium composition for two varieties in seedling stage. A mixture of cattle manures composted with RHS and CF under the rate (1:1:1 by volume), respectively, gave the highest value of germination rate, plant height, leaf number, and plant biomass. Medium composition significantly influenced the germination rate and elongation of seedlings, specifically for each tomato variety. Therefore, cattle manure compost as a medium supplement improves seedling quality and growth of the two tomato varieties.