[Performance Assessment of Field-scale Dry Grass Swale with Shallow Substrate Layer].

A field-scale dry grass swale with impermeable bottom and shallow substrate layer was built in Shanghai, where the groundwater table is very high, to avoid groundwater pollution caused by runoff infiltration. The underdrain pipe of the facility was up bended to avoid outside water flowing backward because local ground elevation is very low. Performance of the facility under the actual precipitation conditions was evaluated in the rainy season of 2019. The average runoff volume reduction is 39.4%, and the peak flow is reduced effectively when rain intensity is lower than 8.0 mm ·h-1. Influent mass load reduction of TSS, COD, TP, and TN are 95.4%, 83.1%, 90.0%, and 57.7%, respectively. Wood chips in the substrate layer and the saturated zone are effective for denitrification during the wet and dry periods, respectively. Hydraulic loading rate and antecedent drying period are the main factors affecting denitrification. Improved influent quality combined with the storage volume supplied by the local urban river network could meet the goal of annual runoff volume reduction and annual pollution load removal in districts with high groundwater levels.

CaWRKY40, a WRKY protein of pepper, plays an important role in the regulation of tolerance to heat stress and resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum infection.

WRKY proteins form a large family of plant transcription factors implicated in the modulation of numerous biological processes, such as growth, development and responses to various environmental stresses. However, the roles of the majority WRKY family members, especially in non-model plants, remain poorly understood. We identified CaWRKY40 from pepper. Transient expression in onion epidermal cells showed that CaWRKY40 can be targeted to nuclei and activates expression of a W-box-containing reporter gene. CaWRKY40 transcripts are induced in pepper by Ralstonia solanacearum and heat shock. To assess roles of CaWRKY40 in plant stress responses we performed gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Overexpression of CaWRKY40 enhanced resistance to R. solanacearum and tolerance to heat shock in tobacco. In contrast, silencing of CaWRKY40 enhanced susceptibility to R. solanacearum and impaired thermotolerance in pepper. Consistent with its role in multiple stress responses, we found CaWRKY40 transcripts to be induced by signalling mechanisms mediated by the stress hormones salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET). Overexpression of CaWRKY40 in tobacco modified the expression of hypersensitive response (HR)-associated and pathogenesis-related genes. Collectively, our results suggest that CaWRKY40 orthologs are regulated by SA, JA and ET signalling and coordinate responses to R. solanacearum attacks and heat stress in pepper and tobacco.

[Longitudinal study of the physical catch-up growth in 84 preterm appropriate for gestational age infants].

OBJECTIVE: To study the growth rhythm of preterm appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants by investigating their physical catch-up growth characteristics. METHODS: Eighty-four preterm AGA newborns (44 males and 40 females) with gestational ages between 28-36 weeks were enrolled. The weight, length and head circumference were evaluated by Z score according to the criterions of actual and corrected ages. RESULTS: The preterm infants had the catch-up growth in weight, length and head circumference in the first year of life. The growth velocity within the first three months was the highest. The velocity in the weight catch-up was higher than that in the length. CONCLUSIONS: The fastest growing period is the early three month of life in preterm AGA infants. The catch-up growth in weight and length is unbalanced.