Effect of SAPK/JNK signal pathway on neuronal apoptosis in cerebral infarction rats

AIM: To investigate the molecular mechanism of neuronal apoptosis by observing the changes of key proteins in SAPK/JNK and Bcl-2/Bax signal pathways after brain infarction. METHODS: The cortical infarction was induced by photochemistry, namely photothrombotic cortical injury (PCI). Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: PCI group and sham-operated group. The ipsilesional cortex was harvested for histomorphometry and transmission electron microscopy 7 days after PCI. Some key proteins including p-JNK1, p-JNK2, p-c-Jun, p-ATF-2, total JNK1, total JNK2, Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by Western blotting analysis.RESULTS: The cortical infarction in rats was successfully induced by photochemistry. The apoptosis of neurons in cortex was more obvious in PCI group than that in sham-operated group 7 days after PCI. The levels of p-JNK1, p-JNK2, p-c-Jun and p-ATF-2 in PCI group were significantly higher than those in sham-operated group, whereas the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was significantly lower(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Apoptosis is a major contributor to neuronal loss induced by cerebral hypoxia-ischemia for a long period after cortical infarction. The process is related to some apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2/Bax and the SAPK/JNK signal pathways activated by ischemic injury.     

Response of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to mulching practices under planted greenhouse condition

Mulch is considered a desirable management technology for conserving soil moisture, improving soil temperature and soil quality. This study aimed to investigate soil conditions and hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) performance in terms of leaf photosynthetic capacity, fruit yield and quality, and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) under such practices in greenhouse condition. A field experiment across 3 years was carried out with four types of mulch (without mulch [CK], wheat straw mulch [SM], plastic film mulch [FM], and combined mulch with plastic film and wheat straw [CM]). Mulch could improve soil physical properties regardless of mulch materials. FM and CM treatments improved soil moistures status and soil temperature in comparison to CK control, while SM increased soil water content and decreased soil temperature. Mulch increased leaf net photosynthesis rate (P_N), stomatal conductance to water vapor (gs), intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci), and transpiration rate (E), but declined instant water use efficiency (WUEi). No significant effect of mulch application on chlorophyll fluorescence was existent for the entire growth season. Fruit yield and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) showed some increment under all the mulch conditions. Compared to CK, the yield was enhanced by 82.3%, 65.0%, and 111.5% in 2008; 38.1%, 17.4%, and 46.5% in 2009; and 14.3%, 6.5%, and 19.6% in 2010 under SM, FM, and CM conditions, respectively. Although FM produced better fruit quality than other treatments, CM is the recommended practice for hot pepper cultivation in greenhouse condition due to working well to facilitate soil condition (moisture and temperature), plant growth, and marketable yield.     

How do earthworms influence organic matter quantity and quality in tropical soils?

Earthworms are important regulators of soil structure and soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics; however, quantifying their influence on SOM cycling in tropical ecosystems remains little studied. Simulated rainfall was used to disrupt casts produced by Amynthas khami and their surrounding soil (control) into a range of small sized aggregates (50-250, 250-500, 500-2000 and 2000-5000 μm). To gain insight into how earthworms influence SOM biogeochemical composition in the aggregates, we carried out elemental and stable isotope analysis, and analytical pyrolysis (Py GC/MS). We also characterized their lignin component after oxidation with cupric oxide (CuO).The C content of smaller size fractions (<500 μm) in the control soil was higher than in the larger fractions. Our study therefore suggests that the aggregate hierarchy concept, which is used to understand soil aggregates and SOM dynamics in temperate soils, may not be applicable to the tropical Acrisol studied here. Earthworms modified SOM organization in soil aggregates. Although the isotope analyses were useful for highlighting SOM enrichment in the earthworm casts, aggregate fractions could not be classified according to particle size. Molecular analyses were necessary to indicate that SOM in all size fractions of casts consisted of relatively undecomposed material. Protection of the most labile SOM structures occurred in the smallest aggregate size fraction (50-250 μm). Py GC/MS showed that earthworm casts and control aggregates <2000 μm could be clearly distinguished according to the molecular properties of their SOM. Aggregates larger than 2000 μm, however, were most probably composed of all fractions and were not different. As a consequence, our results indicate that studies to determine the impact of earthworms on SOM turnover in soil are spatially dependant on the scale of observation.     

基于RFID技术的图书馆管理系统设计与实现

针对图书馆管理的主要工作流程,对采、编、典、流的需求进行系统开发,在SQL Server 2005和Visual C#2008环境下,进行面向对象的程序设计,基于图书馆局域网络,采用C/S模式,研发了基于RFID技术的图书馆管理系统。     

基于.NET技术网络教学平台的开发

设计并实现了基于.NET技术的网络教学平台,从平台的开发方法及途径、总体结构及功能、关键技术等角度做了阐述。     

Responses of leaf photosynthesis and plant growth to altered source–sink balance in a Japanese and a Dutch tomato cultivar

We investigated the effects of altered source/sink ratio by leaf or fruit pruning on leaf photosynthetic characteristics and whole-plant growth of ‘Momotaro York’, a Japanese cultivar, and ‘Dundee’, a Dutch cultivar and verified a hypothesis for sink-limitation of plant growth proposed by Tanaka and Fujita (1974). Plants were grown hydroponically with a high-wire system in a greenhouse for 11 weeks. Light-saturated photosynthesis of young, fully expanded leaves measured at atmospheric CO₂ partial pressure of 37 Pa and at an intercellular CO₂ partial pressure of 20 Pa was not influenced by alteration of source/sink ratio for either cultivar. Although soluble sugars were accumulated in leaves under high source/sink conditions, the amount of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, a rate-limiting factor for CO₂-limited photosynthesis, was not affected by the altered source–sink balance. Net assimilation rate of a whole plant increased with decreasing source/sink ratio, but this can be accounted for by the changes in light interception per unit leaf area, without taking the source–sink relationship into consideration. It was concluded that the altered source/sink ratio did not change leaf photosynthetic capacity and the sink-limitation hypothesis cannot be applied to either cultivar under the conditions of the present study.     

ABC-ELISA法检测犊弓首蛔虫IgG抗体实验研究

首次以动物为模型,应用 ABC-ELISA 法对家兔血清中犊弓首蛔虫 IgG 抗体进行了测试研究。实验中对犊弓首蛔虫的成虫体壁抗原、体腔液抗原、生殖器官抗原、虫卵抗原、幼虫抗原进行了比较研究,结果显示:幼虫抗原对血清检测的 P/N 值及对被检血清的检出率最高,而检测对照组血清未出现假阳性反应.由此表明,幼虫抗原是最敏感和特异的抗原.在检测方法上,ABC-ELISA 法对被检血清的检出率为96.62%。常规 ELISA 法和 IHA 法的检出率分别为90%和56.67%。3种方法检测对照组血清未出现假阳性反应;在抗体检测滴度上,ABC-ELISA 法比常规 ELISA 法高1～4倍,比 IHA 法高4～128倍.经统计处理,ABC-ELISA 法比常规 ELISA 法敏感1.21倍,比 IHA 法敏感33.76倍.在特异性实验中,用 ABC-ELISA 法检测家兔血清中犊弓首蛔虫 IgG 抗体,与实验家兔乳突类圆线虫和肝片吸虫阳性血清均未出现交叉反应,表明该法检测犊弓首蛔虫抗体特异性良好.另外,对4份血清多次重复检测结果,批内重复和批间试验 OD 值变异系数不超过10%,表明该法稳定性良好.实验结果表明,ABC-ELISA 法具有敏感性高,特异性强,并有较好的稳定性,可用于犊弓首蛔虫抗体的检测,故该法的建立无疑具有理论和实践意义.     

土壤中钙键和铁/铝键结合的有机碳差异的比较

为研究矿质元素在有机碳矿化中所起的作用,以棕壤、黄棕壤、红壤为供试土壤,比较了不同利用方式和施肥处理土壤中钙键、铁/铝键结合的有机碳的差异。结果表明,从北至南的地带性土壤(棕壤、黄棕壤和红壤)系列中,全钙及与有机碳结合的钙依次降低,钙键结合的有机碳占有机碳总量的比值依次升高;铁/铝键结合的有机碳及其占全碳的比值依次升高。与自然土壤相比,耕作土壤在不施肥条件下,钙键有机碳、铁/铝键有机碳占有机碳总量的比值增加,且铁/铝键有机碳占有机碳总量比值的增加率始终比钙键有机碳占有机碳总量比值的增加率要高;覆膜比不覆膜时铁/铝键有机碳占有机碳总量比值的增加率比钙键有机碳占有机碳总量比值的增加率高得多。这表明,与全土有机碳相比,有机碳矿化稳定性由高到低依次是铁/铝键有机碳、钙键有机碳、全土有机碳。     

Variable use of plant- and soil-derived carbon by microorganisms in agricultural soils

In this study we used compound specific ¹³C and ¹⁴C isotopic signatures to determine the degree to which recent plant material and older soil organic matter (SOM) served as carbon substrates for microorganisms in soils. We determined the degree to which plant-derived carbon was used as a substrate by comparison of the ¹³C content of microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) from soils of two sites that had undergone a vegetation change from C3 to C4 plants in the past 20-30 years. The importance of much older SOM as a substrate was determined by comparison of the radiocarbon content of PLFA from soils of two sites that had different ¹⁴C concentrations of SOM.The ¹³C shift in PLFA from the two sites that had experienced different vegetation history indicated that 40-90% of the PLFA carbon had been fixed since the vegetation change took place. Thus PLFA were more enriched in ¹³C from the new C4 vegetation than it was observed for bulk SOM indicating recent plant material as preferentially used substrate for soil microorganisms. The largest ¹³C shift of PLFA was observed in the soil that had high ¹⁴C concentrations of bulk SOM. These results reinforce that organic carbon in this soil for the most part cycles rapidly. The degree to which SOM is incorporated into microbial PLFA was determined by the difference in ¹⁴C concentration of PLFA derived from two soils one with high ¹⁴C concentrations of bulk SOM and one with low. These results showed that 0-40% of SOM carbon is used as substrate for soil microorganisms. Furthermore a different substrate usage was identified for different microorganisms. Gram-negative bacteria were found to prefer recent plant material as microbial carbon source while Gram-positive bacteria use substantial amounts of SOM carbon. This was indicated by ¹³C as well as ¹⁴C signatures of their PLFA. Our results find evidence to support ‘priming’ in that PLFA indicative of Gram-negative bacteria associated with roots contain both plant- and SOM-derived C. Most interestingly, we find PLFA indicative of archeobacteria (methanothrophs) that may indicate the use of other carbon sources than plant material and SOM to a substantial amount suggesting that inert or slow carbon pools are not essential to explain carbon dynamics in soil.